Some Randoms

If you know me at all, you KNOW that I'm addicted M&M's. So look at this yummy pile of cuteness. I LOVE this color combo!! (Little things can make your whole day.)

Yesterday for Family Home Evening, we went in search of this, but we missed the light:

And then both kids have big days today. Katelyn has "costume day" for Spirit Week. She's going as a Roman--who is frankly, waaaaay too pretty to be let out of the house into the world of boys. Aaaaaah!!

And then Jimmy was selected as Mr. President for his class this week. He made this poster for the big event: As for me? Laundry, work, and a church meeting. All rather exciting stuff. ;)

Sick, Sick, Sick

I've been teasing my daughter that because she's upset with me so much of the time (she's a preteen after all) that she made me sick. She laughed and told me that she went and coughed on my pillow. Ok, she didn't really. But she did inadvertently share her awful cold. My throat is horribly raw AND itches at the same time. Allergies and a cold. I mean come on. :( I feel bad that my poor girl was running around Junior High feeling this miserable. I just want to curl up and go back to sleep, but this dumb cold keeps me awake.

So my sister flies home to Alaska today. :( I HATE good-byes.

I had so much fun with her scrapbook shopping on Friday. We did proper amounts of damage at the local scrapbook stores and had lunch at the Cheesecake Factory--yummy!! I just wish Alaska was a little closer because I know she's happy there, but I want to see her more often.

Just a quick funny about being sick. I have a few deadlines that I put off while she was here, but I pushed through one last night. Only to awake during the night and realized I'd worked a month ahead. I STILL need to do an October layout. Hee, hee. I REALLY hope that I feel better tomorrow.

And soccer has ended. Clearly we take it pretty seriously at our house. ;) I missed the two minutes he was goalie. Oh, I saw it--I saw him "walk like an Egyptian". I saw him cringe in fear when the ball came towards him. And by the time I was walking down to get close-up photos, he had been kicked in the hand and it was over. (We're going to work on the toughening up.)

The Sister is in TOWN!!

My sister from Alaska is in town this week. I only wish I could spend every minute just following her around and playing with Aspen and Morgan. But, alas, she is a busy girl with a busy schedule; and I'm a Mom with a Mom schedule so we are squeezing time in while we can.

We went to see the Grand Opening for the Sleepy Ridge Golf Course yesterday. My Dad was the interior designer on the project, and it's bee-utiful.

And here's the handsome designer:

On the home front, look what we got poured. FINALLY!! :) We can start enjoying it tomorrow (it doesn't have steps yet, so we're keeping the back door bolted.

And tomorrow is the last night of Fall Season of this:Now if I can just reclaim the kitchen and the laundry today, and finish up some deadlines. I will be a happy camper. :)

What am I Doing Today?

Cleaning my office. Oh, the horror! It's a total wreck. Now that I'm not working for the QVC show, I'm getting rid of oodles of stuff. I purge as often as possible so that I keep the newest items ready to use. I think I will have a scrapbook/garage sale in the next two weeks. I'm saving for new bookshelves or to recover my family room couch, which is looking SAD!!


Question for you. When you buy stuff at purging sales, do you prefer kits or just to pick through everything?

Let it Rain!

Ok, not really because that means we couldn't get our patio poured yesterday, but at least now I can visualize how it's going to look with the forms in place. We went a little bigger than we'd originally planned, but I think I'm going to like it. I would have LOVED a deck, but it's funny how your landscaping budget shrinks and shrinks as you start adding up costs here and there. It also looks we might be installing a french drain for the lovely lake we have in our back corner. Oh how I love home ownership. LOL!

I loaded my 2Peas class this morning--bright and early thanks to the hubby who has recently changed places with me as the early riser--6 a.m. thank you very much. Here is the class link and here is the first page of the layout:

Guess what else I did this morning? I finished up my outline for my class next year at 2Peas. And nope it's not a "Year of You." But it will FUN, FUN, FUN; and I'm super excited. And just wait to see what the other GG's have in store for you. We are listening to requests and making your experience better.

Speaking of GG's, two of my FAVORITE designers are now Garden Girls: Kandis Smith (hello, buddy) and Mary MacAskill. Suh-weet!! Right?!!

Yesterday was our Relief Society's (our church's women's group) Super Saturday where we do classes and craft and eat (of course). I went in a support role, but the ladies that ran it ROCKED it. I love seeing the divine nature of women and how they can love and support each other so well. Way to go, gals!! And thank you. :)

I'm dying to get up the canyon. (It can rain this morning but better stop by this afternoon.) The colors are changing on the mountains and you only have a few weeks here before it's gone. Our Octobers can often bring snow (although not crazy amounts). Where did my summer go? I can smell the rain this morning--what a glorious smell. And since we're going to a missionary farewell instead of our own ward I feel slightly less pressed this morning. Sigh! Good times. :)

So one of the GG's posed this question to us this week: Tell me something going on in your life right now. Will you do that? Will you post something about your life? I love getting to know you better.

Me? My sister is coming from Alaska this week with two of her munchkins. Excited much?!!!

Oh, and Kerri, here is my first attempt at shooting in Apeture mode and manual. I have no clue what I'm doing, but I'm liking the blurred background and that very sexy cable box in the background. LOL! (And hey if weeds is what you have, then shoot them.)

Mid-Month Garden

Been having blogging posting blocks. Just can't think of what to say (although I usually have LOTS to say).

So I thought I'd share my 2Peas layouts from the Mid-Month Garden.

The first is this cool project several of the GG's created with the 7 Gypsies display rack. It's so awesome. You can adjust the height of each ring and you can use the hooks that come with it or not. Total play time fun! You can see more photos and the supplies here at 2Peas.

I also loved this one by Kelli Crowe. Perfect for the upcoming Halloween holiday!! Do you see how she added spiders and web? So CLEVER!!

Then we had to do another layout based on the theme of "Found Objects." I got really silly and decided to make one about finding gray hairs. (I even put a few of then in the little stamped, blue envelope--yep silly!) You can see the supplies for that one here.

And then here is my Fall layout. For the title I used a digital brush, and then added a clear acetate word that is layered with a stamped tag. The upper part of the layout is digital and the rest is standard scrapbooking. I really love how digital allows me to manipulate things better. :) You can see the supplies for it here.

On another note, I never posted about Jimmy's trip to the dentist. Let's just say that nitrous oxide is AWESOME!! He was relaxed--goofy even. And we filled the two fillings. I also think it was great because he won't be afraid of the dentist knowing he can just sit back, watch a movie, and feel nothing. I'm so grateful for modern advances!!

Sun & Rain

We had the coolest night last night. The power went out right after I finished cooking dinner (perfect timing) so we ate dinner by candlelight. And then we read stories by camp lantern. The kids thought it was awesome, and I loved it too. Sometimes our modern advances keep us from just enjoying the moment. I remember those moments when I was a child, and they are very special memories. :)

Today is sunny (although our backyard has a lake of water to deal) and lovely. So I'm home working on some projects for Little Yellow Bicycle. :) So fun!!

The first is a Christmas Card set using their 25 Days products. This line should be shipping to your lss soon!!

And then I fell in love with the Dog Album Elements tablet, but we don't have a dog. Didn't stop me. :) I used the patterns that didn't have "dog" on it and just had some fun playing around with unique shapes and patterns. The "we" is cut from a journaling tablet also by LYB.

And I'm not sure I ever showed you my American Crafts cards that I completed for their blog, but here they are:

Other than that I've got more LYB work, article work for Scrapbook Trends, a soccer game, and a church meeting today. Busy day--but a good day! :)

Don't Miss These Calls!!

Make sure you submit to the new Mini Albums Idea Book call:

Mini Albums Idea Book Call

Scrapbook Trends Magazine is currently looking for mini albums with the following themes for our next Mini Albums idea book:

Hybrid
Holiday
Special Events (birthday, baby, anniversary, wedding, etc.)
Useful Books (addresses, birthday, medical info, homework trackers, etc.)
Shaped Albums
Destinations: show off your latest vacation, road trip, business trip, or even your "stay-cation"
Fabric Albums
Brag Books
Home: what makes your home special to you? Celebrate where you live in a special album
Family: showcase your family members' personalities

***PLEASE SEND A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR EACH SUBMISSION YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION.***

Deadline: 11:59pm (Mountain Time) on Monday October 5th, 2009.

Please send submissions to submit@scrapbooktrendsmag.com

And then the March call (I'd love to see you submit for my article!!):

March 2010 Call

Scrapbook Trends Magazine is currently looking for layouts with the following themes for our March 2010 issue:

Baby
Digital
Easter
Easter Cards & Tags
Glitter
Lots of Photos
Stamping
Showcase: Layouts you love that don't fit any other category. Be prepared to share the story behind the layout, why you created it and why you love it.
Real Life: Home Cookin' - What meal or dish is special to your family? Do you have a traditional Sunday dinner? Maybe a recipe that has been handed down from mother to daughter for generations? Document your special family recipes.
Challenge: Budget - Everyone wants to save money! Create a layout with a $3.00 budget.
Stories To Tell: May I Quote You? - Share your favorite quote with us by adding a quote to your journaling, your title, or even to your photo.

***PLEASE SEND A SEPARATE EMAIL FOR EACH SUBMISSION YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION.***

Deadline: 11:59pm (Mountain Time) on Monday October 5th, 2009.

Please send submissions to submit@scrapbooktrendsmag.com

Please Help Kate!!

Recently a very sweet little girl was diagnosed with brain cancer. You must know how I felt when I heard this. I can't imagine how her family is dealing with the news and the heartbreaking efforts to cure their baby. There is, thankfully, a bunch of lovely people that have gotten together to help this sweet family and uplift them during this awful time. They have organized a card drive for Kate and her family. You can see more details at Jennifer McGuire's blog, but here are the basics:

Here is some info about Kate:

About 6 weeks ago the life of the McRae family changed forever when their precious 5 year old daughter, Kate, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of brain cancer. Dad (Aaron) is a pastor in Arizona and he and his wife, Holly have two other children, Will and Olivia. Of course this is devastating for the whole family and many are praying for them. (Go to www.prayforkate.com to learn more about this family and their struggle). Kate has a rough road ahead of her for quite awhile. When you hear their story you will want to do anything you can to help.

And one thing we can do to help is to send cards to Kate and her family to encourage them, give them strength, and let them know how many people are thinking about and praying for them. And the most generous and kind people in the world are crafters so we thought we’d have a Cards for Kate Card Drive. This time I have two rockin' friends helping me out - Jana Millen and Kristina Proffitt. Be sure to watch their blogs for more info, etc.

Think of how much it would encourage this family to receive cards from all over the world. You can simply send the cards to me. We will then box them up and pay to send them to Kate's parents. (We have already gotten the ok from them.)

The details:

Cards can be for any member of Kate's family:

- Kate (age 5) - The sweet girl who is battling cancer.

- Little brother Will.

- Bigger sister Olivia.

- Mom and Dad, Aaron and Holly.

Cards can be anything cheery, encouraging, supportive, etc. (This family is a family of God, so for all you Christians out there, feel free to share messages of Faith.) Anyone can send a card - even your children!

Please write a message in the card and sign your name and where you are from. On the card envelope, please write the name of who the card is for (Kate, Will, Olivia, Aaron and/or Kate). Also, please don't seal the envelope, as Kate's parents might want to preview cards before the kids see them.

With your cards, please include a piece of paper with your name, address, email address and number of cards. We will keep these for picking out prizes. For each card you send, you will get a chance. So the more cards you send, the better your chances. (See below.)

The cards should be sent to:

Jennifer McGuire

Card Drive for Kate

PO Box 428612

Cincinnati, Ohio 45242

Please send the cards to arrive by October 15. This should give enough time for those overseas to play along. As we get enough to fill a box to send to Kate's family, we will send them. This way they don't get them all at once. And since they are having some struggles lately, the sooner we get some cards, the better.

If you want to send more than just a card (such as a gift), please just send directly to the address given HERE. Stickers, things to color, etc are welcome.

If you want to donate money to Kate's family, please click HERE. If you want to help cover the costs of shipping, feel free to include some money in with your cards. Any money leftover will be donated to the family. (But there is NO need to include money.)

And... how about some prizes as a thank you for participating? For all the cards we get, we will pick random winners of some great prizes. Click HERE for up-to-date prize info. Stuff will be added soon and often. Please keep in mind that winners will be pick based on piece of paper you include with your cards with your name and info. So, be sure to include it!

You can visit these wonderful girls' blogs for more details and prize info: Jennifer, Kristina and Jana.

I'd like to involve the kids in this. They have a different perspective on their experience with Joey's cancer than I do and may have some note of love to share.

I just recently found my bag of cards that people had sent to me during Joey's illness. I cried and cried over them. You cannot know how much it meant that strangers would reach out and love me through it all. I hope we can do that for Kate and her family!!

Halfway Through the Day

But I needed to post something to get my mind off--the dreaded dental visit. ARG!!

The cast coming off went fairly well. He's babying his arm A LOT, but the x-rays looked great. No broken bones, but he's stiff and sore and we're staying home today. Between that visit and the dentist I can't imagine the meltdowns we'll be dealing with later today.

Forgot to post some projects I worked on using Little Yellow Bicycle stuff. You are GOING to love the new Halloween and Fall lines. They are available at 2Peas now.

Here is a Halloween card and candy can set I created:

And here's a fall card set using "Autumn Bliss" and "Traveler". The two lines work very well together:
And there is something I want to share, but I think it deserves its own post. There is a little girl that I would love to help and share information with you about. I'll try to do it in the next post. :)

Punch Heaven!!

Coming back from taking a friend to the airport I stopped in at a lss and found this baby:

Awesome, huh?!!! I'm so happy. It's 1 3/4", but I think I'll go back and get the smaller one which is 1 1/2". I love this shape, and although I have it on my Silhouette machine sometimes I just want to grab and go. Plus this will cut through thin metal and cork. Suh-weet!!

What else do I have my eye on? Loads of things--of course. :) Here are a few:

Christmas buttons from Making Memories. (I think these will go with everything.)

And these pins from that same line. Yummers!!

And this new "Rough and Tough" paper from Fancy Pants just speaks to me:

And this "Fallin in Love" digi kit from Michelle Underwood. I mean, seriously?!!

Tomorrow is "cast off" and "dentist" day. Wish me luck. I'm already stressing over it. I haven't told the boy about the dentist. I will wait and see how the cast goes. It's going to be a VERY long day. I know it. :(

Strange Dreams and Dental Distress

So Mr. Jimmy had a rough day at the dentist yesterday. He's never had a shot before, cavities that were filled, but no shot. I did not warn him beforehand. I believe in letting the dentist walk him through the process. Besides usually dental shots pinch rather than sharply sting like a regular shot. But it did NOT go well, and we have another appointment scheduled for next week to use the Nitrous Oxide gas instead and then fill the tooth. Poor baby (and poor mama for the worry, stress, and the return visit). I am so NOT a fan of the dentist office. :( He came home and slept for 4 hours. I think we were both a little traumatized.

It was a weird day all along with an additional and big meltdown at soccer, and then I had VERY strange dreams last night. I typically do have very entertaining dreams, and so I decided to write about it. This week's challenge over at 2Peas is to cover a layout in journaling. I always seem to have a lot to say (LOL) so that didn't seem like too much of a stretch. Here's the final result:

You can see and purchase the digital kits by following the links here.

Let's hope for a more peaceful weekend, shall we?!!

New Garden!!

I love the 1st and 15th of every month because it means EYE CANDY over at 2Peas. :) This month the theme is "Found Objects." That leaves it wide open to interpretation and a fun theme to work with.

My first one is using the bag my daughter got when she got her ears pierced. I just cut it down to add to the page. You can see the supply list here.

And then this one made me laugh, but it uses my son's hospital bracelet from the ER visit from when he broke his arm. The journaling is all the funny stuff he said to us while we were sitting there waiting for an X-ray. I tell ya. Life with him is NEVER boring.

And then each month we have a product that we focus on. I had two separate ones. The first is a Maya Road chipboard heart book. I'll show you the first page, but you can see the remaining pages here.

And then I did another book, which is a really cool shape. Perfect for 4X6 photos. :) I used Halloween products but it's a book about my family's laughter and craziness so I thought those little faces were just perfect. (Don't you think googly eyes just make a project better?) Again, I'll show you the first page and you can check out the rest here.

And check out the American Crafts blog again this week. ;)