Oh No! It happened...

My family has been sick, one after the other for almost 2 weeks. Through it all, I have fought it off. I pride myself on "never" getting sick (don't have time for it!). But, sadly here I am - you guessed it - SICK! This is my second crud in two months, so I guess that NEVER thing is out the window. Bleh. I woke up at 2am coughing and miserable - sore throat, earache. Waaah. And of course, it is just in time to return to work, after 10 days off. Hopefully I recover more quickly than the rest of my clan, since I don't have any more time off!

I did get a layout done yesterday, so I will share that with you before I crawl back to bed. I got a sewing machine a few weeks ago, and decided to try it out on this page. Funny, I never did learn how to sew. I know many people don't, but since my mom was a professional seamstress, you would think I might have picked it up! But I really have no affinity for it - in fact, I find it really quite challenging! I must not have this gene - like the cooking gene - it must skip a generation! But I tried, and got it done without TOO much swearing. This layout is of my daughter's first day of "big girl" preschool - she went from a 2 day tiny tot program to a full day preschool.



I took pics of the pages individually, since I think they show up better - I am having a hard time getting good pics of layouts - I just don't seem to have enough light! Here is page one...



And page 2...
The patterned paper in this layout is Tinkering Ink and Stampin' Up!; Cardstock is Stampin' Up! and Bazzill; Stamp set and ink is Stampin' Up!; Glitter alphabet stickers - K and Company; Foam alphabet - American Crafts; Ribbon - Stampin' Up!; Other - buttons from my stash.

I am off to take some Nyquil and crawl into bed - I doubt I will feel up to scrapping tonight, but hope to have something to share soon. You know the worst part of getting sick TODAY? It is New year's Eve - and although were were hanging out at home anyway, I bought steak for dinner...mmm steak. I have not had a steak for at least 6 months, and was really looking forward to to Steak, Baked Potato, Ceasar Salad...and my throat hurts and I don't feel like cooking. And our friends invited us to dinner tomorrow and I have to flake... I sure do hop to feel better in the morning!

Happy New Year to all of you - stay healthy, and be safe!!

Ack! Only three days left!

I am not ready to go back to work! I have had such a nice, relaxing vacation - spent most of my time in sweats or PJs, spent at least a couple hours scrapping almost every day, had the kids home being lazy with me...it has been just lovely and I hate that the busy-ness is about to begin again! I hope to make the most of my last couple of days - scrapping, napping - you know, the things I love most!!

I finished another layout last night. Honestly, I am not sure about this one. I have had this layout designed in my head for months - but it looked so much better in my head! (LOL) I like it, but feel like it needs "something" - yet adding anything takes away from the photo...so for now, it is done... I love these papers, and this photo really makes me smile...


The patterned papers are DaisyD's, Paper Loft and Creative Imaginations; Cardstock and journaling pens and glitter are SU!; Rub On is Scenic Route, Ribbon is Basic Grey.

Thanks for stopping by!

Time Well Spent...

See --not working really DOES give me time to be creative. I really need to win that Lotto - I love being able to create something every day!

I finished this layout last night - decided to dust off some stamps and my watercolors for this one. I used the new stamp set that Stampin Up! sent as a gift in December - it is called Time Well Spent, and was the perfect choice for this layout, not only because it is about spending time with friends, but also because the flowers work so nicely with the pattern on my shirt! :)


This photo is of me and my buddy Charissa on my birthday (when we went to So You Think You Can Dance!) Go ahead, you can say it - we ARE hot - LOL. We had so much fun, and I am so glad to have finished a fun layout of me and my FRIEND!

All Supplies are Stampin' Up! except the die cut turquoise cardstock by Bazzill.

Good Morning!

Yesterday turned out to be a pretty scrappy day! I actually had time to complete 2 layouts - and with 3 kids home I think that is quite an accomplishment! The kids are still moving a little slow recovering from their Christmas Cooties.

I am still trying to work through my Disney photos... I have so many photos from that trip, and really would like to have the accomplishment of a complete album! This first Layout is of my oldest son, Christian. Sadly Christian has reached that age where smiling for the camera is SOOO not cool. And since I refuse to scrap 12 year old attitude photos, I am finding that I have less and less of him to scrap! I keep trying to explain to my children that that I only plan to scrap happy memories of pleasant, obedient children, so that if they want to be in the books, they need to cooperate! I guess I need to keep working on that. Anyway, this photo is one in which I caught a couple of smiles from the boy... and I am so glad to be able to have SOMETHING to scrap where he does not have his eyes rolled at me lol. Gotta love pre-teens! It's a good thing that I adore him so.

All papers, die cuts, rub on and transparancy overlay are My Mind's Eye; Alphabet stickers are American Crafts Thickers, and Chipboard is Lisa Bearnson; Ink and Ribbon are Stampin' Up!

The design for the next layout is one that I loved from Creating Keepsakes Hall of Fame created by Jamie Harper. I love finding layout ideas that incorporate multiple photos, and as soon as I saw this one I new that I HAD to use it for these photos of the kids playing in the water park area in California Adventure.

Cardstock and Ink is Stampin' Up!; Patterned Paper is Daisybucket Designs; Gems are EK success, Chipboard is Basic Grey, Rub ons are K & Company.

I am hoping for more scrap time over the next few days, so I will be back soon!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope you all have had a peaceful and joyful holiday, and had an opportunity to spend time with those you love! I know you will forgive me for not posting for so long -- this has been a crazy month. I can honestly say that I am DELIGHTED that the big day is behind us, and we can all enjoy the rest of the season at a slower pace!

What's new around here? Well, sadly my family has been sick. Lauren especially - she came down with a fever and cough on Wednesday night last week, and is still fighting with it. Fever is finally gone, and a Sunday trip to urgent care revealed ear infection in both ears (including a possible perforation in her left ear drum - trust me, it is not a relaxing day when you wake to find your child bleeding from the ear!) She has also had to be on breathing medication --this seems to be helping a lot and she is getting back to her busy self. The other kids and DH have had a milder version - so far I am okay, sure to get sick just in time to return to work! But despite the germs and such, we managed to have a very nice Christmas! Perhaps the lower energy level is what made things more peaceful!

My children are very well loved (ok - spoiled) and were very happy children on Christmas morning! I am hoping that this keeps them busy and quiet the rest of the week, so that I can enjoy my scrappy new toys and do some creating!

In other news, my husband went for another job interview last week, and has been asked back for second interviews for both positions he has applied for. Our fingers are still crossed - hope yours are too! I am so hopeful that our new year starts out with this new journey and new opportunities that will bring us to a brighter future together!

Well, I guess that is all for now... I hope that you have a wonderful day!

Wow...I passed 6000!

Is that possible? I have had over 6000 visits to my blog since I started in June? Wow. I guess that must mean that people ARE in fact reading and looking - thanks for joining me! Would love to hear your opinions, what you like or don't. What you want to see more of!

This week has been so crazy, I have not had time to share anything...but I am sure you all understand, since you are living in December right along with me! I can't wait for next week - I have 10 days off, just hanging out with the kids, having family time, playing with new toys, hopefully a little scrapping for me!

Yesterday Lauren had her first Hula performance - they did a Holiday Hula, and danced to Christmas music (both traditional and Hawaiian) -- it was a great show, and my little darling is a star! I was so surprised at how well she did, especially since I expected she would refuse to go on stage once we got there, or just stand there in fear (since this is what I would have done lol). She did spend a good deal of time on stage watching the band (lol) but she really did great, I was so very proud! Did not get great photos as the lighting was horrible, but I will try to play with pics to share them soon.

I am off to do a little last minute shopping this morning before work. Hope you all have a great day!

Filled with Wonder

I completed this page last night, and I am so delighted to share it with you. These are my FAVORITE photos of my daughter from our trip to Disneyland in July. This was her first trip to Disneyland, and she was SOOOO excited. We entered the park on our first day there as the parade was passing by Main Street. She was just filled with excitement and awe, and it was such a wonderful moment to get to watch her experience this for the first time. I LOVED being able to capture this on film, and am so thrilled with how this layout captures her experience.


Patterned papers are Fancy Pants and Daisy D's, Die cut is Fancy Pants, Hat pin and inks are Stampin' Up! Chipboard is Lisa Bearson, I also used Memory Makers Glitter Glaze, which is hard to see in the photo.

Thanks for stopping by! :)

Scrapbooking as Therapy..

I have always said that scrapping is my "therapy"...that is keeps me sane. It relaxes me, and gives me time to decompress, and leave the worries of daily life behind for a little while. Sometimes it offers even more than this.

Over the past few weeks, we have really been struggling with my daughter, and with behavior challenges. There have been moments that I have been ready to pull my hair out, and I may have been willing to give her to anyone that asked. Thankfully (knock on wood) we seem to have faired the worst of it, and for the last few days she has been delightful - she just had to test the waters and see how far she could push me I guess. We also think that she may have sleep apnea, which would really explain a lot!

During the time that she was behaving like a holy terror, and I was crying out of frustration trying to regain control of my household, I chose to scrap. I found that choosing to work with photos of her during a fun and happy time really helped me to focus on how wonderful and loving she really is. I adore this child, and when she is not possessed by aliens, she is truly a delight. I am so thankful that I have this tool available to me so that I am able to step away from the chaos for a period of time, and remind myself why I am a mom, and why making it through the really challenging times is so worth it.

I created this layout of my BEAUTIFUL, fun, silly, and FIESTY little girl:



Patterned papers and Rub Ons are My Mind's Eye; Cardstock is Bazill; Ghost Letters Heidi Swapp; Alphabet American Crafts Thickers; Stamps Autumn Leaves; Ink Stampin' Up.

The photos are from August, 2006. Isn't she just the cutest! I am keeping her!

What a Weekend!!

It has been a bit rough, that is for sure. I have so many projects that I am in the middle of, and am feeling somewhat overwhelmed (what else is new!) Unfortunately a rather large wrench was thrown in my plans, and we experienced the loss of my computer yesterday. I had most of my important things backed up, so it is not as great of a tragedy as it could have been, but still - we can't afford to replace it, and I can't possibly live without it. It is a bit of an emotional loss as well, as it is the last thing that my father gave to us before he passed away - we have babied it and tried to keep it alive as long as possible, but it is beyond repair this time. I think the thing that will be hardest to recover the loss of on that computer is my FONTS! I have spent years collecting a huge variety of fonts, and now I have to start over!

I am borrowing my mom's laptop, and it will do the job until we figure out a new plan (thanks mom!) but getting used to different software etc. is a challenge for me!

I have not made much progress on my weekend projects either. We did get the tree decorated this morning - I let the kids do most of it (and tried hard not to re-do it lol) and they had a great time! I had hoped to spend time scrapping and participating in the virtual crop this weekend at Scrappin With Grace but did not get a lot done there either. I finished one layout, which under the circumstances feels like a big accomplishment to me! Here is what I got done:


I also took my daughter to Fairy Tale Town yesterday for a princess birthday party - they dressed up, and they got to visit with SANTA! Here she is:


I also got a chance to play with my camera and my new lens, so I had a lot of fun! I am really trying hard to learn to take better photos! I wish some of the great shots I got were of MY child, but I did manage to get what I think are some great shots - here are two of Lauren's beautiful princess friends:




Well, I guess that is it for today. I have an extra busy week - but hopefully I will be able to check in again soon! I am off to get dinner started so we can get another tree decorated, I can finish up some Christmas cards and hopefully get another layout done before bed! Have a great day!!