ArlaMo

Happy National Scrapbook Day!!

2011-05-07T11:50:00.000-07:00

Not much time today to scrap, but I was able to finish several pages last night while waiting for McKelle to get home from JV Champs.

Studio Calico has a number of NSD challenges up on their blog. This layout is a combination of Emily's typography challenge and Laura's stamp challenge. I LOVE how it turned out! This picture of Max reminds me of myself - I could often be found walking to and from school with my nose in a book. I love how much he loves reading!

If you've read my blog at all, you know I love sketches. And SC has 10 new sketches up on their blog for NSD. This layout was done with Kelly Purkey's "Spring" sketch.

I have to admit having a little bit of glee going on while scrapping this picture. I got to use PINK! This was done for Celine's using wood challenge. Shhh....just don't tell McKelle...

Happy NSD!

A funny thing happened on the way to the Prom...

2011-05-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as the comedy of errors leading up to the Prom dinner which I hosted for Matthew's last high school dance (sniff.) Luckily, the dinner itself went off without a hitch and a good time was had by all (or so I'm told.)

It started out with a busy Saturday - a baseball game for Max, a Driver's Ed drive for Matthew, a Relief Society meeting (which I never made it to but did manage to drop McKelle off as she was playing her flute with a YW group) - and of course, the aforementioned Prom dinner. Four couples, Italian themed menu concocted by Matthew and Julia.

My sage, chocolate & turquoise dishes didn't really fit the Italian theme and I didn't have enough white Corel, so I stopped by Macys after dropping off McKelle and Matthew, gift card and coupons in hand. I found place settings for two, for six...nothing for eight. Then the gentleman at the register pointed out some pretty square white place settings for four and even better, they were buy one get one free. My gift card covered almost the entire purchase price and I went happily on my way, thinking I had gotten a fabulous deal.

Matthew and I stopped at Safeway to pick up the dinner ingredients, picked up McKelle and headed home. As I started setting the table, I realized the first thing to go wrong of many that day. The lovely place settings? Not a setting for four as I had been advised (and yes, absolutely my fault for not slowing down to read the box better) but a four piece place setting for one! No time to go back downtown, so I headed over to Walmart to pick up enough Corel to set my table (several plates were dropped by a certain 12 year old as he unloaded the dishwasher recently, ahem...)

I found what I needed and headed toward the checkout in record time...and just then the lights went out. Literally. After a couple of minutes of glancing around, trying to figure out what was going on, a Walmart associate announced over the loudspeaker that all customers should exit the building. I desperately asked a clerk standing near me if there was any way I could make my purchase, but power was out for the registers and in fact, for the whole area. I sat in my car and waited for about 20 minutes, hoping power would be restored, but finally drove to Shopko and found what I needed.

Back at home again, Matthew and I started the dinner preparations. Their appetizer choice was a caprese salad and we had picked up fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and basil earlier that morning. As Matthew laid out the alternating slices, he snitched a piece of the mozzarella...and made a face. I tasted it and realized our cheese was definitely NOT fresh. I had no idea if Walmart was open again (it's just 5 minutes from our house) and at that point, definitely no time to run to town. Luckily, I had a little bit of block mozza in the fridge, so we used that instead.

While Matthew finished up the caprese, I started the homemade pesto sauce for the tortellini. I was disappointed that many of the inner leaves of the just purchased basil were already turning black - obviously not a good day at the grocery store. As I was sorting through the good leaves and the bad, I got another surprise - a giant green caterpillar/wormy thing - alive and wriggling amongst the basil leaves! Aargh! What else??

Just before all the teens arrived at 6, I was sitting on the dining room floor, trying to fold my (non-square!) napkins into a fancy fold and the final straw - a gigantic, gushing, Wegener's sized nose bleed, all over the white carpet. It was one time when I was glad they were all a little late as I pinched my nose with a giant wad of paper towel in one hand and scrubbed the floor with Oxy Clean with the other.

Oh my, what a day! But in the end, dinner was served and eaten, fun pictures were taken and I think Matthew's last high school dance date was totally worth it, Murphy and all. :) Even if we did only have seven matching glasses...

Last Day of KP sketch class

2011-04-29T09:49:00.000-07:00

What can I say? I'm behind in the class so I'm catching up starting at the end. It's been a busy couple of weeks with Easter, my second infusion (which went great - nothing serious to note other than fatigue) and family in town for a lovely dinner, visit, Easter Egg hunt and rousing games of Ultimate Frisbee and Can Jam.

When the sketch arrived in my in-box this morning, I knew exactly what photo I was going to use. In fact, all the elements were laying out on my table. The whole page came together in under 10 minutes!

The photo was actually taken quite awhile ago, but Mason still has a gum obsession. He asks for it as we near the checkout every grocery trip. If I have it in my purse, it tends to disappear very quickly. And if I actually buy him a pack, the whole thing will be gone in a day. He is very good about sharing, however...

Layout was made with Studio Calico's April kit, Singing in the Rain (and a spare gum wrapper, most likely emptied by Mason!)

Right now...

2011-04-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

He is a little sad as the end of preschool approaches. He can't wait to play soccer this fall and asks all the time which team he will be on. He's registered for kindergarten but is a little leary about leaving his beloved Miss Leanne. He has several BFFs in preschool and is always asking for playdates. He lost his first tooth and is reading all the time!

He loves playing baseball (coach pitch this year.) He is very into volcanoes and oceans and reading non-fiction books about animals. He is pretty happy-go-lucky most of the time. He has been almost toothless in the front (top AND bottom) for several months but his teeth are finally starting to grow in.

He went on his first backpacking campout this past weekend. He received high praise from his Scout Master for being kind to another Scout who has had a hard time fitting in. He is getting tested today to take 8th grade math next year (he'll be a 7th grader.) He is doing MUCH better at staying on top of his homework.

He is setting up his schedule for next year in HIGH SCHOOL!!! He is playing lots of Warhammer 40K with good buddies from school & church. He stayed up way too late on Friday night playing (4am!) and missed the family Easter egg hunt while napping. He got 3rd place in the 1500 at the track meet on Thursday. He is hoping to get a job at the strawberry fields this summer.

She survived her first two weeks of Driver's Ed. She has three AP tests coming up in the next 2 weeks and is studying like crazy. She is still managing for the track team as her legs heal and is starting to run again slowly. She just did her schedule for her SENIOR year and we are scheduling senior pictures!

He is counting down the days til graduation. He just completed his paperwork and deposit for his dorm this fall. He's going to his last high school dance (Prom) this weekend with Julia. He's hoping to find work this summer as a lifeguard. He is just about to leave me...

Five on Friday

2011-04-22T06:28:00.000-07:00

Busy day ahead - we're hosting the cousins and grandparents tomorrow for an Easter Egg hunt and dinner, so I'll just leave you with five of my favorite recent photos. I'll be back next week with more tips for time saving scrapping.

Opening Day for baseball - one just a couple of months too young to play and one playing his first season of coach pitch.

A little 80's action for McKelle and her friends getting ready for a dance.

Is there a doctor in the house??

Happy Easter! Enjoy your weekend.

Save time - use one line

2011-04-21T08:18:00.000-07:00

Tip #3 is to save time by using one line of product. The manufacturer has already gone to all the trouble of making sure all the elements look good together - paper, brads, alphas, stickers, ribbons, etc. All of it is already coordinated so you don't have to spend the time looking through your stash for the perfect color of blue alpha to match your patterned paper or just the right ribbon that works well with your stickers.

Some manufacturers' individual lines also work really well together so just staying with one company's products can also be a time saver. Studio Calico, Jillibean Soup, Lily Bee and Sassafrass are some that flow nicely from line to line.

The patterned paper from Studio Calico's Documentary line reminded me of pool tiles, so it was a perfect fit for these Scera Pool photos from our vacation to Utah last summer. The journaling card and fussy cut arrows from the same line were a perfect compliment to the page. I did stray outside the line just a bit when I grabbed some Glitz word stickers, but they were sitting on the corner of my desk and didn't require any extra time or effort on my part :)

Other supplies used - Claudine Helmuth paint in Teal to help my pictures pop on the white background.

I love grids and what better way to showcase several patterned papers from a pretty line. This is Lily Bee's Catching Fall line. I used a variety of patterned paper, some cardstock stickers and rub-ons, both on my photo and as part of my grid.

Other supplies used - sewing machine and thread.

Micah had these shorts on the other day, complaining that he needed a new pair. When I saw this picture from the first day of school last fall, I realized how much he has grown this year! I knew I wanted something with arrows and found some patterned paper in the Jillibean Soup New England Chowder line that was perfect. The line is actually a transportation themed line, but by just grabbing certain elements, I think it worked out perfectly for this page. The stop sign sticker was a great way to express how I'm feeling about my kids growing up so quickly!

Other supplies used - pop dots

If your running short on creative time, grab supplies from one product line!

Tip Two for the Time-Crunched

2011-04-20T11:59:00.000-07:00

It's always nice to have a folder or file full of inspiration from others, but hey, YOU are a great designer, too. Tip #2 - Lift yourself!

If you've made a page you love, there is no reason you can't repeat that design again. And again! Your children and grandchildren are not going to look at your albums 50 years from now and say "hey, mom (or grandma) made three pages with the exact same design. What was she thinking?" So go ahead, save time by copying yourself.

I shared this layout last week, made with a Kelly Purkey sketch from her current class. I loved the design, but I also loved creating the circular element with stamps. Specifically, a long acrylic stamp that I could bend around the curve. So I did it again:

I used the adorable pennant banner from Studio Calico and curved it into an arc. I stamped it around in a circle and then used an embossing pen to color in random pennants. Other supplies - Zing in Butter, Blue Metallic and Rouge, Studio Calico tricycle stamp and Sassafrass alphas.

YOU can be your own best source of inspiration! Design it, love it and do it again.

Tips for the time crunched scrapper

2011-04-19T08:32:00.000-07:00

What's a busy girl to do, when life gets hectic and her creative time is measured in minutes instead of hours? When left to my own devices, I'm a pretty slow scrapper. I fiddle and putter, pull this out and that, arrange and rearrange. I can spend several hours on one layout or even days. But time is precious and though the creative process is one of the main reasons I scrap, I also like to have some finished pages.

A few things that draw out the hidden Speedy Gonzales scrapper in me:

1. Scrap lift, CASE, copy - don't reinvent the wheel. If someone designed a great page, use it as inspiration! It might be just an element or two, perhaps the title work or photo placement, or it could be the entire page. Just remember to credit your inspiration.

A 15 minute layout! Might be a record for me. This was lifted from the lovely Joy Madison, former design team member at Studio Calico. This was the very first layout I added to my favorites when I joined SC almost three years ago and the design is classic. Loved her woven patterned paper frame with the photo right on the edge. I added a couple of embellishments, but overall my page is a direct lift of Joy's.

SC's Into the Woods kit and add-ons, with some green brads from my stash.

I'm a devoted Lisa Dickinson follower. She has great style and a wonderful sense of humor. Her grid layouts are second to none. I think I've pinned or favorited every one of her layouts. Another pretty direct lift, using Studio Calico's fabulous new State Fair line and wood veneer stars plus some tiny alphas from Jillibean Soup. This one took about 30 minutes.

Jenn Olson is another former SC design team member whose work I really miss seeing on the forum. I loved her large number title with one enlarged picture. Scrap time? About 20 minutes and it would have been shorter, but I decided to do a little stitching between my ribbon and photo.

Large alpha from Pink Paislee, ribbon and jute from Jillibean Soup, stamps from Ali Edwards (Technique Tuesday) and wood veneer heart from Studio Calico. The stamped hearts are embossed with Red Glitter Zing.

Three layouts, all done in 30 minutes or less. Scrap lifting can definitely be a busy girl's best friend!

Come back tomorrow for another time crunched tip :)

Just a little behind...

2011-04-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

I need more hours in my day...or more days in my week. I was keeping up pretty well with my KP sketch class until the two bigs started Driver's Ed last week and Max started baseball. I'm in the car now from about 3 o'clock til 9:30 or so.

I did finish a couple of layouts with sketch #5. It is definitely one I could use again and again.

Supplies from Studio Calico's Into The Woods kit, plus some Mister Huey in Pickle and Honeydew twine from The Twinery.

All supplies from Studio Calico's Into the Woods kit and add-ons.

A brotherly kiss

2011-04-14T07:01:00.000-07:00

This layout and the story surrounding it makes me laugh. There are several pictures that I shot around the same time that I did NOT include on the page, just knowing how things sometimes go on the internet.

Somewhere along the line, either on TV or very possibly while waiting for the bigs at the high school, Max observed some very romantic kissing. For a couple of months after that, he would pucker up (or open his mouth!) and then swivel his head from side to side anytime he was giving kisses. In the middle of this photo shoot, he decided to try it on Mason. It was at that point that I decided a little chat on the etiquette of a brotherly kiss might be appropriate.

Studio Calico Joyland kit

More KP Sketches

2011-04-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

Sketch #4

Ali Edwards Studio AE stamps, Pink Paislee (large) alphas, MM alphas (tiny), Washi tape and some very old Cloud 9 Design raindrops.

This is the same sketch! Nicole Magouirk was one of Kelly's guest designer's for sketch #4 and I did my version of her version :)

More Studio Calico Joyland, with the addition of a BoBunny rub-on. I covered all the Maya pennants in paper from the kit, sanded the edges and inked them with Pumice Stone Distress Ink. The yellow paper at the 2 o'clock position is actually the back of a postcard that came in the kit. SC has THE best looking postcards! I always save them to use on cards and layouts.

Scrapping as therapy

2011-04-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

There are moments when the reality of having a chronic, incurable disease settles over me like a black fog. Many fellow Wegs patients on our support forum advocate counseling/therapy to deal with the issues that can be overwhelming. The heavy mood swings caused by prednisone alone can be enough to cause severe depression. Top that off with the unflattering physical side effects of the drugs Weggies take and you've got a recipe for an extreme case of the blues.

For now, I choose not to add another pill to my daily regimen, happy pill though it may be. I will probably explore the possibility of therapy, but for now, creating is my lift, my fast-track up-only elevator. I've had some pages swirling around in my brain for awhile, documenting the reality of my current life. They are not a "please feel sorry for me" or an "I am spiraling downward" cry for help. I'm simply putting to paper some very real feelings I had/am having about my health situation. I hope in doing so that I can express and acknowledge those feelings, without letting them drag me down.

KP's sketch 4, SC Joyland kit

(Just an aside - all three pictures on the layout are from 2-3 years ago. I don't have a current picture because I have been avoiding being in front of the camera like the plague. Someday I'll come to terms with that, but I'm not quite there yet...)

KP's sketch class - finished week one!

2011-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Such a great class with inspirational guest scrappers. I wish I had time to do more layouts for each sketch, but people keep complaining they have no clean clothes to wear and that there is no food in the fridge ;)

Another Joyland kit layout from KP's second sketch. The photos are from back in 2000, pre Max and Mason. I was mama to four, born in just over five years. And just today, I paid the deposit on Matthew's dorm housing for college this fall - crazy how fast time goes.

More Joyland and a slightly different version of sketch 2. I love summer/late spring birthdays since all the festivities can be held outside!

This is from sketch 3. I hope to do a couple more with this as the alternative/rotated versions were really cute. The top half of this came together rather quickly, but the journaling spot gave me fits. I stamped the journal box and decided I didn't like it. I cut shapes to cover it up, thought about painting over it, looked through all my stickers and pre-made journaling spots...and then ended up using the stamped image as it was. I'm not 100% happy with it, but sometimes done is better than perfect. Still trying to use up all the Joyland kit.

Posting from the infusion center...

2011-04-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

I'm here for about 6 hours today getting my first infusion of Rituxan. Hoping and praying this will kick the Wegs into remission!

I was happy to hear they had Wifi - something to occupy my time along with a couple of books I've had in my stack to read. I wish I could figure out how to scrapbook here - no kids, no dishes, no laundry... ;)

This one is done with SC's Joyland kit from April 2010. The photos are of Matthew & Julia at prom last year. I love their fun relationship!

An Into the Woods layout with that lovely bubble stamp and some clear Zing. I used my big cropadile to punch some of the bubbles and backed it with aqua paper.

I'm taking Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 3 class - I took #2 and it was so well done. Both of these last two layouts are from her first sketch. I used Joyland again and the lightbulb stamp from Candyland. I used black Zing for the bulbs and butter Zing on the frame.

I used Joyland for this one as well (sketches are fabulous for using up your stash!) as well as the ampersand stamp and some Jenni Bowlin ink in Cough Syrup.

I'm half hour into the infusion and no reactions at this point, so hopefully all will be well.

New month, new decor

2011-04-01T15:01:00.000-07:00

St. Patty's decor has come down and I'm starting to put up my Easter and spring stuff.

I love Gerbera daisies. My watering can still looks a little sparse - I bought all they had at JoAnn's. Looks like I may need a road trip to the Tri-Cities to find more!

I followed the tutorial at Love Laughter and Decor for my egg topiaries. I used green styrofoam cones - couldn't find rattan, but the styrofoam worked just fine. White styrofoam might be a little iffy as it tends to melt in the presence of hot glue, but the green worked with no problems. FYI, Spanish moss is MESSY!! If I was going to do it again, I would spread an old sheet under my work area. And definitely be prepared with lots of glue sticks. I used about nine or ten for both topiaries.

I'm not sure who to credit for the original idea of the paint chip egg garland. I've seen several on Pinterest. Here's the one I pinned from ohdeedoh. I do like the rainbow order at ohdeedoh, but I had way too many colors for that, so I just went with random. I cut each paint chip with my Sizzix Torn Edge Oval Frame and just used the middle oval. I punched each egg with a 1/16th circle punch and threaded all the eggs onto some jute.

The subway art is another free printable from eighteen25 and the big flowers were on clearance at JoAnn's.

The sun has been out all day and my thermometer is reading 70 degrees, so putting up all these bright colors feels perfect for today!

Wordless Wednesday (first lost tooth!)

2011-03-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

No photo layout

2011-03-29T00:01:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if I've ever done a layout without photos before, but I like the result! I really wanted to use the monogram side of the Cosmo paper, but the Ms were off the edge and no W at all. Then I realized the A and T were next to each other...

Studio Calico's Into The Woods kit from last month and a bit of white Mr. Huey.

So glad my theater has all those fun colored tickets!

Howdy Pardner!

2011-03-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Matthew and McKelle had a great time Saturday night at Sadie Hawkins. They consented, despite the chilly, rainy weather, to let me take a few pictures of the group.

McKelle & her date

Matthew & Julia (and little brother Mason peeking out the window!)

They wanted me to try to take some jump photos - not too bad.

The gals

The guys

The cutest cowgirl this side of Texas

The kids came back over to the house after the dance for dessert. McKelle and I put together a little Wild West dessert table.

Haystacks

Cowboy Cookies

We also served Wild West Chocolate Delight, suggested by one of the sweet ladies over at Studio Calico and it was yummy!

Spring Cleaning

2011-03-25T00:01:00.000-07:00

Can you tell I'm cleaning off the front of my fridge?? It is definitely a mom fridge, full of schedules, love notes, little hand-drawn pictures and permission slips. Most of the time, I really don't mind - it is my life, after all. But it is getting pretty full and I decided to save some of my favorite pieces before they get knocked off and disappear into under-the-fridge oblivion.

This is Mason's family drawing. Sometimes we are Ninjas, sometimes warriors, almost always with weapons of some sort. Must come from growing up with a bunch of big brothers!

Into the Woods kit and add-ons from Studio Calico, a little Mr. Huey (Hot Dog), twine (Lemondrop) and Zing (Butter, Cricket and Red.) I used a Versamark embossing pen on the chip stars before Zinging.

On a Thursday...

2011-03-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I am

* WAITING for insurance approval to switch meds. Rituximab is holy cow expensive - $6500 or so per infusion (I will need 2). In the meantime, chemo & prednisone are the routine. Got a DEXA scan yesterday to look at bone loss from long term steroid use. Crossing my fingers that it isn't too bad.

*SIGNING kids up. Mason for kindergarten (gasp!) Matthew and McKelle for Driver's Ed (finally!) Max for baseball.

*PREPARING for the weekend. Mitchell is have his birthday party Saturday afternoon and I also agreed to host the dessert portion of McKelle's Sadie Hawkins date Saturday evening. We're thinking one of those cute dessert tables with a cowboy theme.

*PLAYING with Studio Calico's Into the Woods Kit and add-ons.

The striped paper just looked so much like spring - perfect for last year's Easter photos. It is punched with the circle dot punch from EK Success - hard to see in the photo, but adds a nice subtle touch IRL.

I love that Michael is always willing to be involved with our holiday fun, from dressing up at Halloween to dying eggs (his are always artistic!) with the kids at Easter.

This one is pretty simple and I've scrapped these pictures of Mason before, but I really wanted to save some of the little love notes he likes to write to Michael and me. The hearts are punched from the KI button clip packaging and I used a bit of twine as well. It is actually green twine - I've noticed my photos are not translating well color-wise from iPhoto to Blogger lately - not sure why.

ZINGed!

2011-03-23T00:01:00.000-07:00

This layout got a little crazy. I had a vision in my head - not so sure the result matches the vision. I was going to link this up with Kelly Noel's Challenge on the SC blog (step outside your box to make a page) but I missed the deadline by a day.

Everything is from SC Into the Woods kit and add-ons except the Zing and mini alpha (October Afternoon.) Punch is from Martha Stewart.

Lessons learned:

*getting a clean, crisp print with embossing ink over masking is difficult, especially when embossing on textured cardstock.

*make sure you dump the color of Zing you just used back into the bottle BEFORE you go on to the next color (I now have a lovely mixture of Cricket and Butter...ahem)

*Embossing ink stays wet longer than you think, so no need to RUSH and mess up your stamping.

My littles

2011-03-22T00:01:00.000-07:00

One more from SC's Candy Shoppe featuring my little guys. They're the only ones who don't give me grief about taking pictures lately, so almost all my recent layouts have been of Max and Mason. Kind of the reverse of what normally happens! I'm the oldest and my parents took so many pictures of me, but hardly any of my three younger siblings.

Candy Shoppe love

2011-03-21T00:01:00.000-07:00

This kit looked a little feminine (for a houseful of boys!) when I first opened it. However, every time I think I'm about done with it, another layout pops into my head. LOVE this kit!

I played around with this first one and added some Zing in Powder and Glossy Accents to that gorgeous Studio Calico paper. It is hard to get a good picture of the 3-D effect, but it looks pretty cool IRL. I also used my Slice and Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher, as well as an Ali Edwards stamp.

I used more Zing in Aqua on this one to make the grid. Buzz cuts are definitely a sign of summer at our house.

More Zing on this one, this time in White. I actually embossed the title after I had the pictures adhered - I changed directions midstream, lol. I was a little worried about the pictures with the heat, but they were just fine!

Our totally untraditional, Americanized, kid-friendly St. Patty's Day

2011-03-18T00:01:00.000-07:00

We're not Catholic. And not particularly Irish, though there's probably some back there somewhere. But I just can't pass up a holiday. Nobody at our house likes corned beef or cabbage, so we came up with our own way of celebrating.

The leprechaun hides his pot of gold and leaves a trail of glitter and mischief throughout the house. Green milk, green toilet water, etc.

The mask came from his big brother and he ran around all afternoon singing "I am Lucky the Leprechaun!"

Max made his own mask ;)

We had a lively discussion about rainbows and ROYGBIV or ROYGBIP (must be a Canadian thing) tonight at the dinner table.

Random green foods that we like. Much better than cabbage!

A little rainbow jello.

And everybody's favorite Shamrock Pie.

March 17, 2011

Say what?

2011-03-17T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

This little guy says the funniest things. I keep little notebooks to jot them down. Or add a note on my iPhone. Or if they're really funny, I'll post them as my status on Facebook.

This is another Studio Calico Candy Shoppe layout, with a bit of Lemondrop twine. I followed the brilliant sketch by Waleska for the Sunday Sketch challenge.

Come back tomorrow and I should have pictures of our green/rainbow St. Patty's feast!

Stickers, stickers everywhere!

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Give a boy a sticker...

Stickers are his treat-of-choice when he is forced to go to the craft store with me. There is almost always one stuck somewhere on his body, a few on his clothes (I have to check the laundry diligently - for stickers and crayons) and a smattering on his dresser. He is reminded quite often that walls and the dining room table are not a good option for sticker placement.

Layout is a scraplift of Kinsey Wilson (queen of incredible stitched layouts!) in the latest Scrapbook Trends. I used Studio Calico's On the Easel and a little Mister Huey in white.

And since I seem to be in a orange/blue mode, I'll share a couple of cards I made yesterday.

Card bases are from DCWV. Patterned paper is the 8x8 pad from October Afternoon's Schoolhouse line. Love those smaller prints for cards! Kaiser bling, American Crafts ribbon, Ali Edwards stamp with Close to My Heart Grey Flannel ink. Tag is from my stash - no idea the origin.

Almost St. Patty's Day!

2011-03-15T00:01:00.000-07:00

Do you celebrate? I don't remember doing so as a child, except for the yearly trip to McDonalds for Shamrock Shakes (and what's up with McD's shakes?? Not thick like they used to be...) We moved to Philadelphia when Matthew was two and McKelle was not quite one, we were introduced to all things green and leprechaun-ish by my sweet friend Janet. Leprechaun traps, hidden gold, glitter trails throughout the house and of course, leprechaun mischief. Green milk, green toilet water, little messes here and there. The kids LOVE it, even the bigs.

And me, well any excuse to decorate and make fun food is a good thing!

Many thanks to Matthew, his girlfriend Julia and her mom for going back to Hobby Lobby for me (it's an hour away) when I realized I had purchased two Ks and no U. I blame it on the prednisone. Or the chemo. Definitely NOT old age yet...

I saw something like this on a very small thumbnail for a link-up party and decided I wanted to make one. I pinned it and then collected my buttons. When I went back, I realized it was a free printable! All that sorting...

I kinda like the 3-D effect of the clouds and real buttons.

Burlap is just lovely. I just wish it didn't leave little hairs all over my pants and my table and the floor. I made a couple of rosettes for my glass candle holders. I would link to the tutorial I used, but I can't find the specific one - just google - they're all over, including you tube videos.

I pinned a lovely Valentine's Day bouquet from Rebecca Cooper's blog but never got around to making it in February. I noticed it again last week on my Pinterest board and thought hearts would make some very cute shamrocks. I used felt, some old dictionary pages and cardstock covered in washi tape.

Can't wait for our green and rainbow dinner on Thursday!

Love, Max; Love, Mason

2011-03-14T00:01:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of layouts depicting Max and Mason's 1st (and 2nd, for Max) Valentines.

Layout is a scraplift of a Lisa Dickinson layout in the latest Scrapbook Trends Quick & Easy magazine. I used Studio Calico's Candy Shoppe kit and add-ons from last month and some of that luscious baker's twine in Caribbean from The Twinery.

Another Candy Shoppe layout. The circle stamp is from the previous month's kit. I also used more baker's twine in Pink Sorbet and some Mister Huey in Schoolhouse and Piglet. The lollipop sticks are just a piece of white cardstock rolled tightly and slipped through two hole punches.

Picking the last of Apple Orchard

2011-03-11T00:01:00.000-08:00

I have a hard time breaking down my scrapbook kits into my regular stash. I leave them whole as long as possible, down to the last itty bitty pieces. Making a handful of cards is the easiest way for me to use up those remaining bits.

I finished up Studio Calico's Apple Orchard this week, making a few needed Thank You cards and some extras to have handy. Stamps are from Ali Edwards for Technique Tuesday.

Girl-ified!

2011-03-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

McKelle went up to Spokane for the weekend last month with some friends. Laser tag, a trip to the temple and some mall shopping were on the agenda. I had to laugh when one of the friends posted on Facebook in (mock) horror - "they've ruined her. McKelle has been girl-ified!" She did come home with new make-up, new clothes and not much change!

(Studio Calido Candy Shoppe kit, mainly the Licorice Twist -on. Also used some Black Zing and SC's doily stamps.)

...but Miss Leanne said!

2011-03-09T00:01:00.000-08:00

How is it that a mother can try for years to get her child to do or try a certain thing with no luck, but a beloved preschool teacher simply suggests that thing...and it is gospel to the child?!

All of my children have had well-loved teachers. Teachers who could say nothing wrong, whose word was absolute. But nothing quite to the extent of Mason and his preschool teacher, Miss Leanne. During the first few weeks of school, Miss Leanne taught the children the "Seven Days in a Week" song. Mason miss-heard the lyrics and was convinced that there were ten. No amount of cajoling, arguing, counting or even showing him a calendar could sway his stance...until Miss Leanne sang the song with them again and he heard it correctly.

(Layout is a Studio Calico Sunday Sketch, using On the Easel from October 2010)

Grandma loved blue

2011-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Stott loved blue. Her bedspread, the house dresses she wore, little touches here and there around the old ranch house. My grandma of the snowy white hair. Of 50+ tricot baby blankets, hand-quilted in tiny, precise stitches creating a generation of grandchildren addicted to sleeping in silky softness (I still sleep with mine!) Of sugary cereals stashed away for a grandchild's visit, the kind our mothers never let us eat.

My grandma, sitting on the concrete front steps, shelling fresh garden peas and I'm certain, knowing exactly how many peas I sneaked into my mouth instead of the bowl. Of playing library in her basement with all the old Reader's Digest books. My grandma, worthy of admiration and respect, a hard-working wife to a Montana rancher with 12 children who loved and adored her.

Almost seven years has passed since she left this earthly life, but I can still smell and taste the hot bread loaves, fresh from her oven. I can still hear the marbles as they roll back and forth on the homemade marble track, a favorite toy in her basement. I can still see small heads making a bump under her current quilt, tacked up on the old wooden frames.

My Grandma loved blue.

Montana love

2011-03-07T00:01:00.000-08:00

I could have been a cowgirl.

My dad grew up on a ranch in Montana and I lived there until we moved to Washington. I was six. Old enough to have learned to ride a horse, to have milked a cow or two and to have steered the pickup while my dad threw bales of hay off the back for the cattle. My mom tells stories of me climbing up on top of the hay baler when I was very tiny (I climbed everything!)

I could have been a cowgirl. But my family moved away when the cattle ranch was not enough to support all the brothers and their families. I never got to experience driving with a sibling (one on the steering wheel, one on the gas pedal) down to the main road to catch the school bus or having animals in 4-H every year or laying pipe out on the ranch to earn spending money (thank goodness!) I grew up instead in a city and I doubt my own children would even know what a hay baler looks like.

Their memories of Montana are limited to Holland Lake, the pristine mountain setting where the Stotts have held reunions for longer than my lifetime. When my oldest children were babies, we trekked faithfully to the familiar campsite. Matthew was only 12 days old on his first trip to Lolo National Forest. I was excited for them to repeat my favorite memories of childhood - learning to ski behind Uncle Roy's boat, volleyball games over the buoy line in the water, Aunt Bon's big black inner tube (and trying to stand on it!), late night games and uproarious laughter with all my hilarious aunties, cheesy eggs for breakfast...

But we moved away, too. Back east for school. Midwest for internship and residency. Always a little too far to travel with a large family and a miniscule student budget. When we finally moved back to the west, one of my very first thoughts was that we would be close enough for Holland Lake again. I hope my children make lots of favorite memories in Montana.

Studio Calico Apple Orchard (still working on using up old kits!)

Hoarder tendencies

2011-03-04T10:29:00.000-08:00

I come by it honestly. My dad is a bit of a hoarder. And all those years Michael was in school/training (17!!), I used, re-used and recycled the heck out of stuff. These days, my soul longs for a simpler, cleaner, leaner life but the habits are deeply ingrained. And when my hoarder tendencies are rewarded, it's just that much harder to let go!

Case in point: this lovely little cardboard ring has been kicking around the house since before Christmas. I must have picked it up a dozen times to throw it away, but kept returning it to my desk.

But wait! Add a little Jenni Bowlin Malted Milk Paint to the edge and voila! A pretty nifty addition to my layout, don't you think?

Studio Calico Apple Orchard kit June 2008

There is surely some happy middle ground between the overwhelming stuff that I tend to save and accumulate and a stream-lined house that would probably do very little to spark creativity, but I'll probably continue saving my cast-off ribbon tubes and popsicle sticks (see Caramel what? layout from yesterday) til I figure it all out.

Out with the old...

2011-03-03T11:24:00.000-08:00

The amount of gorgeous, must-have scrappy goodies introduced at this winter's CHA was overwhelming! I promised myself that I would use up/throw out/give away a bunch of older kits and supplies in my room before ~~ordering~~ opening the boxes I ordered and diving in.

I brought two huge boxes of older stuff, mostly Creative Memories from back in the day and hundreds of borders from border swaps I used to do, to a Stop-and-Swap at our church. One woman took home the entire box of borders and was thrilled! I am so happy they went to a good home :) I came home with nothing - yay me!!

These two layouts are from my second Studio Calico kit, Apple Orchard. I used SC's doily stamps and embossed them on the first layout.

You have to know Max to know that the caramel lemon is just so him! He is the worst eater ever and refuses to try most things. But then he goes and eats the weirdest stuff! Let it be known that I did NOT force the lemon on him. I offered other fruits that I thought might be good with caramel. HE chose the lemon. I'm anxious to see what next fall's annual caramel apple making will bring.

And now, I've been so good, I think I'll go rip open all my new Mister Huey's and SC Fabrips!

More than bacon!

2011-03-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't shared anything scrappy in ages...mostly because I haven't scrapped in ages. My desk (and tables and floor!) got messy with decorating projects and I just couldn't find the energy to clean it all up. I finally made myself tackle the dreaded task this past weekend and it was so good to sit down with a clean place to work today. Added bonus - I found the wooden letter I was missing for this layout so I was finally able to finish it!

This is a Studio Calico kit from January of last year, Whodunit, plus bits and pieces from a couple of the add-ons. I also used the Addy alpha stamps.

Even though I started this layout last spring, this one-upping game continues with Mason! The journaling reads:

Every day, Mason has to one-up my "I love yous." "I love you infinity" is a common expression. Lately it has been "I love you a googleplex." Some of our favorites: "...to the moon and back", "love you with a Mommy's love" (trumps all!!), "bigger than the universe" and "all around the house."

Things I'm loving on Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Love that my link-up got featured at one of my favorite blogs! Scroll down at eighteen25! (I may or may not have made additional touch-ups to the mantle since that photo was taken...)

Love that Max is loving reading! This nose-in-a-book picture is very reminiscent of my childhood!

Love treating all my sweethearts to something a little special for breakfast.

Love my gorgeous girl and her beautiful flute playing (pictures from Solo & Ensemble last weekend.) And love, love, love what a great big sister she is!

Last, but certainly not least, I'm loving this guy. He's been hanging around for almost 20 years now and hasn't ditched me yet, even when we had matching bald heads! We've been through a lot together and I can't imagine anyone I'd rather go through life with.

Love how truly blessed I am!!

When preschool boys do crafts...

2011-02-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

Mason had a playdate with two of his BFFs from preschool (his words! He and Max have been talking about how many BFFs they have lately.) Mostly, they played outside in the gorgeous sunshine, chased each other through the house and raised the decibel level a bit upon finding Micah's drum set in the basement.

But being a crafty mom ;), I told Mason the other day that he could do some chocolate covered pretzels with his buddies when they came over. I figured that a craft involving food would appeal to even the most die-hard anti-craft boy.

Probably should have figured out a different delivery method for the sprinkles...ha!

Looking at Mason's face, I think it was probably worth the mess. :)

Thanks, J & C, for a great playdate!

Cha cha cha changes!

2011-02-09T09:10:00.000-08:00

There are many things that are frustrating about this house, but one thing I love is my mantle! Actually, I have two, but this one just begs to be decorated. And I just can't seem to help myself, adding and changing, adjusting and shifting, putting up just one more thing to get it to look just perfect.

I added the banner this morning - duck cloth/canvas cut into pennant shapes and stamped with red acrylic paint. I tried using PTI's Boxy Banner Die (scroll down) but it didn't quite cut through the canvas. Not sure if I had the die cutting "sandwich" just right because those dies cut through felt like butter. It did, however, make a great pattern and it was easy to follow the almost-cut-through lines with my Ginghers. To keep things simple, I just attached the pennants to red twine with cute little clothes pins I picked up at Hobby Lobby (yay for the new one in Kennewick, which is only an hour from my house!)

Edited to add - Letter M & Ws and the number 8 (we have 8 in our family) came from Restoration Hardware. Had a friends & family coupon last fall and splurged a little! :)

I was absolutely giddy when eighteen25 put another free printable on their blog for Valentine's Day. I LOVE these!!

Picked up the white W and 8 balls at Pier One. Couldn't find any Ms.

Just a few little red hearts and tinsel in jars and an older canvas I made for Michael's office back in Minnesota. Yes, Max often made that face for pictures :)

Do you decorate for Valentine's Day? This mama to 5 boys and 1 very anti-pink/anything frilly daughter relishes the opportunity!

Posted this at my very first linky party over at eighteen25.

Valentines - less than a week away!

2011-02-08T10:12:00.000-08:00

I saw these all over the web last year and wanted to make them for Max's kindergarten class, but February 2010 was a bit of an earache-y, bells palsey-ish blur. I *think* we went with something store bought, but I couldn't tell you for sure.

This year, I'm on top of it! Other than a little drama from Max about posing for the picture, these were super easy and turned out really cute.

I'm not sure who to credit for the original idea as I saw it on several blogs last year. Here's one from Brassy Apple and she linked from 24*7*365.

Cleveland Clinic trip

2011-02-04T00:01:00.001-08:00

I posted this on Facebook, but I have a few friends and loved ones who don't hang out on FB, so I'm copying it here.

A quick (ha!) summary of my trip to CC, mostly so I don't have to type it out or text it over and over :)

First appointment was with Dr. Carol Langford, who is one of the leading docs in the nation dealing with Wegs patients. I was very impressed - so knowledgeable, very personable, sat and answered all our questions (mine were a little more emotional; Michael's were much more on the clinical/technical side as you might imagine.) Her initial impression is that the Wegs is still active and I need to shift to a different medication but she had several tests she wanted to run as well as other docs I should see while at CCF before making the final decisions.

Had blood drawn - kidneys are functioning well; sed rate is still high; CRP is high (C reactive protein - levels rise in response to inflammation), glucose was somewhat high. Pretty much confirmed that the disease is still active and that I am now diabetic (steroid induced.)

CT chest showed some small nodular opacities consistent with Wegs as well as ground-glass opacities. Again, consistent with Wegs, but hard to determine when all this formed. A CT back in Feb of 2010 was clear, so obviously sometime in between, but no way to tell from the CT if it happened early on or more recently.

Also, the CT showed I have a severely atrophic spleen - didn't get a chance to ask Dr. Langford about that but I haven't read anything that connects Wegs and spleen atrophy. I'll have to check into it further when she calls me this week. Unfortunately, since I'm already immuno-compromised, lack of a well-functioning spleen means I am even more prone to bacterial infection, etc.

Met with the pulmonologist on Thursday and he went over the CT chest results with me. He thinks there is some bronchial obstruction and wanted to do a bronchoscopy. He was actually able to find a spot to squeeze me in...but then we ended up not being able to do it because Michael had already flown home. I needed a "responsible adult" to be with me since it is done under conscious sedation. I even promised to sit in the waiting room all day, but it was a no go. I seriously offered to "rent" a responsible adult if one was available! I'm working on getting that done through the pulmonologist here in Walla Walla. (update is that we are waiting for my films to come from the radiology library at CCF and they are currently stuck in all that snow - UPS is showing "adverse weather condition exception" with no estimated date of delivery.

Friday was ENT day. Got a nasal and tracheal endoscopy. Wegs tends to attack the subglottic portion of the trachea and they were checking to see if that was a cause for my shortness of breath and voice changes. Fortunately, there was only some slight narrowing (about 20%, which is not a lot by Wegs standards) and some inflammation, but nothing severe. The ENT also suspects bronchial obstruction since nothing in the trachea was a problem.

Nose is a different story - everything started in the sinuses back in Oct of 2009 and it is pretty messy. Deviated septum, lots of scarring, crusting...all kinds of gross stuff. He recommended a couple of scrips, one for an nasal cream formulated right there at CCF for Wegs patients and then another ointment you mix with saline for nasal irrigation. Much more aggressive than the neti pot ;). But, he said that the majority of his patients who follow these two recommendations are able to avoid future nasal surgery and saddle nose deformity (a very common Wegs defect.)

Pending the results of the bronchoscopy, it looks like I will by stopping the Cytoxan (chemo) and starting on Rituximab. CCF was just part of a big study with this drug and the results are promising. Could possibly become the "gold standard" for Wegs treatment and I read yesterday on a Wegs support group site that they are expecting FDA approval for Rituximab in treating Wegs patients. Currently, no drug (not even the Cytoxan, which has been used for 25-30 years) is FDA approved for Wegs.

It is administered by infusion, two treatments two weeks apart. Takes about 6 hours at the infusion center. But then it is good for about a year, at which time I would hopefully be in medical remission. It is super expensive because it is a targeted drug (targets B cells instead of the broad spectrum kill like Cytoxan) so I may have to fight a bit with our insurance, but Dr. Langford said she didn't feel it would be a problem since I've already had almost 10 months of chemo without the results we want. She is very willing to write letters, etc. to get it approved.

Prednisone -ugh! Unfortunately, it is a very unique drug and I will have to stay on it at a high dose for awhile, at least through the induction period for the Rituximab, but Dr. Langford was also anxious to begin tapering ASAP. Yay!

So that's about it. Very, very worth the trip. Just to be seen by people that see Wegs patients all the time was huge. It affects about 3 in 100,000, so I imagine I'm the only Weggie hanging out in Walla Walla :)

Using up a pile of SC paper bags (not for the time crunched!)

2011-02-03T00:01:00.000-08:00

Studio Calico kits arrive monthly in lovely brown bags. I always save them for awhile, feeling guilty about throwing them away. And then they end up in the recycle bin, ideas for their re-use never coming to fruition. But this month, I actually used almost two months worth of bags!

There are tons of wreath projects around the web...and I'm still wanting to make a book page wreath, but

I really love how this one turned out.

Supplies needed:

12 SC bags

1 hard styrofoam wreath form

scalloped circle punch

glue gun

pencil

ribbon, tulle, a strip of muslin, etc. for the bow hanger

Straighten out your paper bags, but leave them whole (so the punch is going through both layers.) Punch....and punch...and punch. I used 12 bags, approximately 108 circles per bag.

I used Stampin Up's scalloped circle punch. I did have to sharpen it with tin foil about half-way through. The punch definitely got a workout!

Remember this technique from way back in preschool? My older kids attended an excellent little preschool in Philadelphia at the Smith Family Playhouse. Every spring, Miss Christine would have the kids take out their pencils and little squares of yellow tissue paper to make freesia art (freesia was always the first plant to flower in Philly.)

Take each individual scalloped circle and curl it around the eraser end of a pencil.

Use your hot glue gun to put a dot of glue on the end of your blossom and attach to the wreath form. Do this 1295 more times ;)

I attached mine very, very close together. You could probably do it a little further apart and have a less dense look.

I left the back of my wreath without blossoms. In retrospect, I wish I had wrapped the wreath form in muslin or something prior to attaching the blossoms. It lies very nicely and flat against the wall, but when I put it up in front of the mirror, you can see just a bit of the green from certain angles.

The finished project!

It's been awhile, but for good reason

2011-02-02T15:48:00.000-08:00

I had good intentions. A December Daily, lots of blog posts, finishing my TH tags, and oodles of Christmas and holiday activities with the family. It ended up much simpler, with me letting go of plans and even traditions out of necessity rather than by choice. 2010 ended on a rough note, health-wise, and I wasn't particularly sad to see it end.

All through the beginning of December, I was contemplating my OLW (one little word - a la Ali Edwards) and one kept settling in my mind. I suffered a bit of guilt with my word (phrase, actually) from 2010. I had, again, so many intentions, but all of the health problems this last year really derailed my goals. And so, I am slowly acclimating to the new "normal", which is me with a chronic disease, lots of meds, and never, ever enough energy to get my to-do lists done. Readjustment of expectations was in order.

My 2011 word?

IMPROVE

As I made my way through the month of January, I am confident I made the perfect choice. Improve can cover the very smallest of gains - spiritually, mentally, physically, creatively - and it will cover the big changes for better as well. It will apply to the day when a long nap is my most productive endeavor. It applied when meeting with Dr. Merryfield to work on underlying health (improving diet, hormone levels, stress levels, etc.) and definitely came into play with my decision to spend a week at the Cleveland Clinic, meeting with some of the best Wegener's doctors in the country.

Here's to a new year, full of improvement!

Colossal to-do list avoidance

2010-12-17T11:14:00.000-08:00

What do you do when your kids will be home in three hours (early release) for the holidays and your to-do list is a mile long? Why, make more tags, of course! Sad to say, when my mountain of tasks gets overwhelming, I'm pretty good at finding something really fun but not-on-the list to do...

Tim's original day 5 tag is here. I really love the enamel look of the numbers. Fun technique. I didn't have the same Santa, holly, or sentiment stamps but I think it works. I used some fabric flowers and yellow brads instead of the Idealogy foliage.

The original day 6 can be found here. Tim's video explanations are great! I did struggle with this one trying to get the stamped texture fade image to look right - Tim's looked so nice and crisp and mine was kind of smeared. I tried it a few times (and now have several tags with trees and swirls) but could never get it to come out any clearer.

I was lacking in the aqua paint department and the closest thing I could find was some Claudine Helmuth teal, mixed with white. Mine is pretty dark - I like Tim's better.

I didn't have any word sticks, so I used a rectangular fragment, drilled a hole (learned my lesson from day 4 tag when I cracked my fragment - the craft pick doesn't work so well on these. My Fiskars craft drill worked like a charm!) and stamped WISH with archival ink and teeny tiny stamps. My star is paper - I had already used the ONE star that comes in the adornments package on tag #1.

And now, seriously, must tackle that to-do list!

Tags and trees

2010-12-15T13:26:00.000-08:00

Still working my way through Tim's tags. Finished 3 & 4.

The original can be found here. I really like how this one turned out. Followed Tim's directions for the most part, but I didn't have any moss for under the bird. Searching through my stuff, I found this really cool packaging I had saved and thought that a little piece of it would look like a bird's nest. Inked it and crumpled it up a little and I think it turned out rather well. My package of memo pins is missing, so I wrapped my sticker with red wire. I like the memo pin better and may change it if I ever find them. I couldn't find any tiny tinsel garland, but I thought the silver beaded garland was pretty.

The original for #4 can be found here. This tag gave me fits! I didn't have any facets, so I tried using an oval fragment. It took several tries to get it to look right and then when I went to put a hole through, it cracked the charm. At that point, I used it anyway. :) Then my baubles kept falling off the jump ring and I'm still missing one. Have no idea where it ended up. Might be hanging out with my memo pins...

I used some snowflakes instead of Prima bling on the card...and when I was finished, I was looking for something else and found the exact package of bling Tim used in my stash. Oh well... I really liked the original but it is not my favorite finished tag.

It is getting harder and harder to keep holiday traditions as my kids get older. Notice that only half of the children are pictured. We ALWAYS go get a tree together, but not this year. It gets more difficult with teenagers who are always busy, always have something else going on. Micah was gone to the state robotics competition, Matt had swim practice and McKelle is on crutches. I get a little teary when I realize everything can't stay the same - always changing, always growing and probably sooner than I can handle, moving on.

(Just so you know, for any perfectionists that may be reading, I totally redid the ribbon this morning. With kids helping, one ribbon roll ended right smack dab in the front of the tree. I lasted 3 1/2 days before I had to change it...)

Friday favorites

2010-12-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

Just a few things that are making me happy this busy December Friday.

* Making sure I schedule time to be creative. I made another Tim tag!

The original can be found here. I didn't have the snowman die, so I used my EK Success snowman punch. Since I was working with a much smaller figure, the sanding and shading was a little difficult (and dang - I lost at least three of those teeny, tiny carrot noses) but I think it turned out ok. I couldn't find any holly tiny enough for the hat, so I put it up at the top instead. Love the effect of embossed plastic packaging!

* Loving my Soap Sampler from Walla Walla Soap Works. I adore their soap!! And the owners are just the sweetest. The Calendula Baby bar is perfect for kids (or grown ups!) who have sensitive skin. In fact, that is how they started their business several years ago - researching and trying to find soaps that would work for their family and not irritate and inflame extremely sensitive skin. My current favorite is Granny's Candy. Showers never smelled so yummy. And if you're local, free (and very quick!) delivery, even in a snowstorm. :)

* Christmas music!! I force myself to wait til the day after Thanksgiving and then it is all Christmas, all the time. A new favorite is David Tolk's Christmas. Lovely instrumentals! I could listen to Casting Crowns version of Peace on Earth over and over again.

* Pomegranates! And with this Martha video, getting the seeds out is sooooo much easier. Genius!

* Studio Calico's December kit. Ok, I don't even get my box til next week, but the colors in this are so luscious! And it is still available. SC rocks!

Tried a T!m tag or two (and a layout)

2010-12-09T13:44:00.000-08:00

Since 2007, I have been intrigued by the 12 Tags of Christmas done by Tim Holtz. Intrigued enough to buy any number of TH, Ranger, etc. products...but then I always seem to run out of time to actually put together the tags. This year, I actually made two tags! And hopefully, more will follow, but they can get pretty time consuming. I'd love to have a tree or maybe a banner decorated with a bunch of 12 Days tags.

For tag #1 (original found here) I stayed pretty close to Tim's directions until I got to the little extras. I couldn't find any garland in my stash, so I ended up altering an old Mrs. G wreath sticker with distress stickles and a bow. I still need to add some sort of tree, but couldn't justify the hour trip to the Tri-Cities to look at Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Our little Joanns in Walla Walla doesn't carry much...

With tag #2 (original found here) I strayed a bit - I didn't have the pinecone or Happy Holidays stamps, so made do with what I did have. And then, my music stamp came out much darker than his. Not sure why - I did use the same color of ink. Because the background was so dark, I stamped my Merry Christmas sentiment on manilla cardstock, cut it out and attached it to the tag. The swirl is there, but I couldn't get it to show up in the photo. Wishing I had cut my ribbon a tad longer...

The layout is of McKelle and my adorable nephew Ty. He is darling, with a head full of curls. And if you need exercise, just spend a little time chasing him around! My house is no longer very baby proof, so my sister and her husband spent Thanksgiving dashing this way and that to keep him out of trouble.

Made with Studio Calico's On the Easel Kit and addons.

Squeezing in time...

2010-12-07T15:01:00.000-08:00

Just a few pages amidst the hustle and bustle (I only just started my Christmas shopping and wouldn't you know it - the ONE thing on five of the six Christmas lists is sold out everywhere. Aargh! Not paying scalper prices...not going to do it.)

Just using up bits and pieces of older Studio Calico kits.

And, super sweet news! Matthew got his acceptance e-mail to BYU-Idaho last night. My son is going to college! He still has a couple of schools to hear back from, so destination is not final at this point but we're super excited for him. And a little shocked at how fast time has gone - I feel like breaking out singing "Sunrise, Sunset!" After all, didn't he just start kindergarten yesterday???

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-12-06T11:55:00.000-08:00

But no tree. I am not as brave as my sweet cousin-in-law Lisa, who ventured out and got her own tree. With Michael and the bigs in Hawaii all last week, no tree yet. And, since he took such a nice vacation, Michael is slammed with work this week...I'm not sure when we're going to find a time to get one. But the mantles are decorated, the wreath is on the door, the nativity is up...

I may be slightly obsessed with specimen art. I have plans for every holiday. Really.

I saw this gorgeous FREE printable over at eighteen25 and had to have it! I downloaded it from their site and uploaded to Costco and got a 16x20 print. LOVE it!! If you do this, just make sure to have the auto correction option OFF on Costco's photo site. Otherwise, your background will not be white. Yep, speaking from experience...

Santa and his elf have been around for awhile. I made them several years ago and it looks like Mr. Elf is missing some jingle bells. Time for a touch up...

The banner was also a printable at eighteen25 - I just printed it on copy paper and backed it with some thin-ish chipboard. They sewed theirs together with bias tape, but I decided to use some eyelets and jute to string it up.

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas season!

Back 40 love

2010-11-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

After yesterday's post, I'm feeling the need to use up some of my more current SC kits. I have made pretty good progress on Back 40 (and addons.) LOVEd this kit!

Modified Becky Fleck sketch from her newest book

Another Becky Fleck sketch.

A little hand embroidery with Scrapper's Floss. I even remembered how to tie a French Knot!

A new MS punch - yes, I'm addicted. But this one can punch anywhere!

I'm going to borrow my beautiful niece more often so I can scrap pretty, girly pages!

Ha! The berries are pink, so I get to use pink paper, no matter what McKelle thinks...

These papers could not have been more perfect for this picture. They matched the playground equipment to a tee!

Only 2.5 years!

2010-11-16T10:56:00.000-08:00

This could be a problem. It took 2.5 years to use up a whole Studio Calico kit!

My very first one - Newstand - and it is finally gone. Just a few random chipboard letters and maybe a sequin or 10 left. That's it. I used it all! Two and half years....

Lovely Fall, y'all!

2010-11-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

November has been a definite improvement. True, I am on a hyper dose of steroids, which comes with its own set of issues, but it has definitely calmed the Wegener's symptoms and I am breathing much easier. I am determined to find a workable tapering solution for the prednisone, but for now, I am just happy to be over the blah that was October.

Oh Autumn, how I love thee. Cooler days, crisp clear nights. The softer sunlight filtering through trees ablaze in their red and yellow glory. Weather perfect for hot soups and fresh bread. No worries about heating up the kitchen to bake cookies and all things pumpkin. Planning the turkey and stuffing and sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and most importantly, the thoughts of family that will attend. Counting gratitudes and remembering each day what a blessed life I live.

Saw this display and had to make one of my own. I looked all over in my limited little town and couldn't find brown bottles (which I adored!) so I used canning jars instead (these are specifically for crafters - smooth sided with no embossed label.) Picked up some bunches of wheat and cut the vinyl letters with my Cricut.

Jumped on the pennant banner wagon and made this simple one in less than an hour. I cut burlap in triangles, stamped each pennant with Jenni Bowlin paint and some giant letter stamps that I picked up at the BYU Bookstore this summer, attached it to a length of twine with my TH Tiny attacher and added some punched leaves.

And finally, just a frame with mat, backed with some pretty Autumn-ish paper and a simple sentiment in my favorite Thickers font (also colored with the Jenni Bowlin paint.)

Happy, happy fall y'all!

Something's gotta give

2010-10-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

And what gave was pretty much the whole month of October.

Struggling to figure out why I feel worse than I did at the end of summer. Seeing the ENT, the nephrologist, the pulmonologist and any other -ist who might have some idea why we're not seeing remission yet. Upping the prednisone after spending last Saturday in the clinic getting chest x-rays and breathing treatments.

I LOVE October. Absolutely, 100% adore it. I love fall and Halloween is my absolute favorite holiday. I love the decorations, the food, the costumes! I anticipate the season all year long - adding to my Halloween decor, coming up with and making costumes for the whole family, making spooky food and treats throughout the month, carving pumpkins and roasting the seeds, trick-or-treat. What's not to love?!!

But this October? Most of my projects are still sitting in the bags in my basement. The only thing that got done was a little specimen art.

The outside of the house never got decorated and the pumpkins are still sitting on the kitchen table, waiting to be carved.

The hardest thing of all? No family costumes this year. No theme, no sewing, no gluing, no CREATING. It seemed kind of empty, you know? Instead, we recycled and the kids threw together last minute (literally!) costumes from the costume box before Trunk-or-Treat last night.

If for nothing else, I have got to get feeling better so I can enjoy my Octobers again.

Dry wall art

2010-10-08T12:55:00.000-07:00

I'm sure gesso is probably the preferred medium for canvas artists, but I'm cheap. And my amazing friend Megan taught me the technique several years ago and she always used dry wall compound. A huge bucket of dry wall at Home Depot? Under $10. A teeny weeny bottle of gesso at the art supply store? $10, and I would need at least 10 for each project.

This is the Seattle LDS Temple canvas I did for Michael for Christmas several years ago. I've shared it here before:

This is my most recent canvas. I used it for a special night at our church for my Young Women, depicting the Tree of Life. I used a Hero Arts Scroll Tree Stamp as a guide and just made it a whole lot bigger. Huge, actually.

That middle canvas? Didn't realize it wasn't true to square until I was almost through with the whole thing. Aaargh! Matthew wants to hang it in his room - I think I can hang it without it being too noticeable but it definitely doesn't work just sitting on the mantle.

Pants on the ground

2010-10-07T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure if we'll all remember the significance of this little phrase 20 or 50 or 100 years from now, but it made for a pretty funny page title.

Currently (a complete blog post steal)

2010-10-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

I am a fan of Stephanie Howell's scrapping artistry, but I think what I love most is her journaling. Her words. Such a lovely peek into her life and the life of her darling girls (yep, just a wee bit jealous of all that pinkalicious goodness!) And she does this great post on her blog occasionally called "currently" where she details some of the fun/sad/happy/hilarious things that are going on with each member of her family. I hope she doesn't mind if I steal her idea...

He:

1. is totally loving preschool. He thinks the sun rises and sets with Miss Leanne's words (which became quite funny when he misheard a song she was teaching and insisted that there were 10 days in a week.)

2. likes to 'read' Max's homework over his shoulder. And he usually gets most of the words right...

3. loves to play Quirkle or Memory with mom, at least several times a day.

4. can't wait to be 5 so HE can play soccer, instead of watching everyone else.

5. is much less whiny and screams a lot less now that the kids are back in school. Whew!

He:

1. says pink is his second favorite color, just like Ciera. And he needs a phone, so he can call people. Like Ciera. Hmmm....

2. scored a goal on Saturday at his soccer game, but was more thrilled when the coach called him the Defensive Maniac!

3. is one tough cookie! He has a huge bruise from a teammate mistaking his knee for the ball and his head actually bounced off the ground when an opponent tried to take him out. But he kept on playing and didn't shed even one tear.

4. has the strangest taste buds. He has always been uber-picky, but last night takes the cake. We were making our traditional caramel apples, but he didn't want one because he doesn't like apples (not sure how he knows this as he refuses to even try one.) We offered a banana, but that would have been "disgustinger." He finally settled on a caramal LEMON!! And he ate it!

5. refuses to wear long pants, or a jacket, even on mornings when the temperature dips into the 40s.

He:

1. tries my patience on a daily basis.

2. is raising the decibel level in the house with his new saxophone.

3. is enjoying football, though he doesn't get much playing time and doesn't regret quitting soccer at all.

4. ran faster after the ice cream truck than I've ever seen him run on the field!

5. made it into Rockin' Rhythms for second year. His teacher is fabulous! I wish *I* could be in her class!

He:

1. still loves soccer. And drums. And Scrabble, chess and Robotics.

2. was just made the Deacon's quorum president last week.

3. has the quirkiest sense of humor. Think Monty Python...

4. is going up to the high school for his math class every day. High school!

5. reads just as much as I did at his age. And tends to disappear into his room to do it, just like me.

She:

1. turned 16 last week (umm, yeah, didn't have the right candles, so had to improvise with 4 squared...)

2. has had several PRs in XC this year and dodged a big season ender today when her leg x-ray didn't show a stress fracture. Whew!!

3. is trying to fit in XC, band, 4 AP classes, and so much more, it makes my head spin.

4. skipped a possible first date to Homecoming to go run at Nike pre-Nationals in Portland and was told by a young man in the elevator that she had "attitude." I knew that.

5. adores her new phone.

He:

1. was much better at putting on his boutonniere than me or his date for Homecoming.

2. is constantly reminding me that this is his last (fill in the blank.) His last year of school, his last Halloween with us, his last first day of school photos, etc. As if I need to be reminded.

3. is still dating J, much to her father's dismay. Not that he's not a great young man - I just don't think Mr. M wants J dating anyone at all.

4. has decided to he wants to be a pediatrician. Not sure the full effect of at least 11 YEARS of post high school schooling has sunk into his head. Not sure how he missed that living through 17 years with his dad and me. We support him, though.

5. has finally seen the light about the importance of school and grades. See #4 and #5.

Inspired by...

2010-10-04T12:09:00.000-07:00

Fashion!
If you know me personally, you'd probably laugh at this one. As much as I like to look at cute, trendy clothes, I'm not very good at pulling it off in person. I tend to end up in a t-shirt and jeans/shorts most days. But I do like to look! And it occasionally inspires a fun scrapbook page or two...

Inspiration found here at Studio Calico's (old) blog.

And here's my take:

Created using Studio Calico's fun Summer Camp kit and add-ons (main kit is still available here)

And truth be told, this page was created before I saw the challenge on the SC blog, but I had been thinking about all the scallops in fashion lately, so it works. Created using SC's Continental kit and add-ons.

No time for scrapping!

2010-10-02T17:10:00.000-07:00

We've been doing this:

And football, for which I have no pictures. Bad mom!

And a lot of this:

And this last weekend:

They definitely keep me busy!

And, notice the new header? Last year's Halloween costumes. Right about the time I first got sick, two weeks before Halloween. I've always loved October, but last October was the beginning of easily my most trying year. Now, just need to fight through, stay strong...and come up with some costumes for this year!

Inspired by...

2010-09-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

One of my go-to techniques for slump busting is to use a sketch. I've been a sketch fan since Becky Higgins started her Creating Keepsakes column way back when. I own several sketch idea books, but I'll have to be honest - I like them fresh! I have several sites bookmarked and a number of sketchy blogs on my reader that keep me in hot-off-the-press sketches. Here are a few of my favorites:

Becky Fleck's Page Maps - probably my all-time favorite. New sketches monthly, along with periodic sketches for cards, tags and assorted non-standard page sizes. I also own and highly recommend her book and I've pre-ordered her next book from Amazon. She has a monthly newsletter and a blog as well.
Pencil Lines sketch challenge blog - new sketches every Sunday and a really diverse group of designers who showcase the weekly sketches.
Sketchy Thursdays - another weekly sketch challenge blog. I've actually submitted my pages a couple of times and was chosen as a Sketchy Thursday Favorite. Yay me!
Got Sketch is by the very talented Valerie Salmon. One of my favorite aspects of her site is the archives locator - it uses # of photos, which is most often how I search for the perfect sketch.
Two Peas in a Bucket offers a great free sketch class by Kelly Purkey. I also took her second session Sketchbook class and I'm definitely hoping she offers another. Great sketches + my favorite kit club Design Team doing the examples? Fabulous!

Many of my favorite manufacturers also have occasional sketches on their blogs, so I watch for those as well. Prima comes to mind and Basic Grey's newsletter always has a sketch.

Becky Fleck Page Maps sketch, Studio Calico Continental kit (and adons)

Started out using a Becky Fleck Page Maps sketch, but it doesn't look anything close to the original. Which is one of the beauties of a sketch! Studio Calico Continental kit (and adons)

Another Becky Fleck Page Maps sketch and using up more of Continental (just checked and it is sold out)

Inspired by...

2010-09-29T10:40:00.000-07:00

Do you ever get in a creative rut? Find your mojo has left the building? What do you do to get out of that funk? Restart your artistic engine, so to speak?

I've had a bit of one over the summer. The kids were insanely busy and I was exhausted just trying to keep my mom-taxi running on time. And dealing with the whole this-is-the-new-normal, I'm-gonna-feel-crappy-often Wegener's bit, I didn't spend a whole lot of time in my creative space. Well, I did, but it consisted of a whole lot of staring at photos, blank pages, wandering around the room...and ordering more yummy scrappy goodies on-line. Retail therapy! Ha!

When Mason started pre-school three weeks ago and I realized I would have a few kid-free hours, I knew I wanted to spend at least a little bit of that time creating. And not laundry mountains, for sure! But I was almost paralyzed as I sat down at my scrap table - for a couple of days, that's all I did! Sat. And thumbed through a few magazines. Pulled out photos...and put them back. Picked some pretty patterned paper and embellies from my stash...and...nothing! Oh, I made a few cards - because they had to be done and I'm great under pressure, but that daily flow of inspiration was just missing.

I knew I needed some intervention and it came in several forms. I pulled out a couple of my fabulous Studio Calico kits and started perusing the Design Team galleries. My plan was to simply lift a few of my favorite layouts - hardly any mojo needed at all for this exercise. Great designs and me using the exact same materials. What could be easier?!

From the delightful (and blessed momma to two adorable girls, soon to be four!) Stephanie Howell. I loved how she used the brackets and die cut paper, with three small photos in a row. Mine is a pretty straight-forward lift, though I used just half the So Sophie paper. And I'm kinda liking journaling on the edge lately.

And the divine Sasha Farina! Her attention to details is amazing. I always have to look...and look again to notice all the little pieces of her layouts. Fabulous! More journaling on the edge for me.

I've been a fan of Stephanie's since I first saw her work! Sadly, she is no longer on SC's design team, but I follow her blog to keep up with her innovative designs. Again, pretty straight-forward lifting. I added a little misting, but definitely kept the machine sewing, especially over the corrugated alphas (they didn't feel like they were going to stay stuck very long...)

And last, but certainly not least, is a lift of the wonderfully talented Maggie Holmes. I loved how she used the entire Hambly rubon sheet on one page. Her photography is divine! And I highly recommend her on-line classes - I've taken both the beginner and the advanced classes and they were wonderful. I rotated my page and didn't have as many bits and pieces, but I love how it turned out.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more things that inspired me!

Happy sweet 16!

2010-09-28T13:31:00.000-07:00

Time is going faster and faster and I'm reminded way too often how little time left at home my older kids have. McKelle is 16 today! She had an insane AP History test this morning and will run XC at one of her least favorite racing spots (think of the effect of tons of dirt, weeds and hay on a girl with asthma and allergies!) this afternoon. I was hoping to get over there, but brother #3 threw up at the bus stop and is home sick. I'm not even sure I'll get to see her for more than a minute on her birthday...

She's gorgeous and smart and talented. And one of my very favorite people in all the world. Happy Birthday baby girl!

Some recent cards

2010-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

I haven't scrapped as much lately as I would have liked, but I have been making cards. Just a few recent ones:

Loving this color combination lately!

I love all the gorgeous flowers Prima makes, but hardly ever use them in scrapping (too many boys at my house and McKelle would freak over a flowery layout for her!) So, cards it is. This one made it way down south to wish my grandma a very happy birthday earlier this month.

These last five? Made with stuff on my scrap table. I challenged myself to not get out of my seat while I finished the cards. Not sure what that says about me...except that I really need to clean off my table! Lots of random goodies floating around - small pieces of pp, a leftover rubon or two, a cardstock sticker half, a Studio Calico insert. Probably need to do this more often to use up all my little bits and pieces.

I scrapped!

2010-09-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

It seems that all the energy I have lately has to be directed to essential tasks - laundry, kid care, meal prep - and there is never much left over for the things I really love. But I've had a little break lately, with Mason starting preschool 3 days a week, and I finished a few pages. My creative side has been nourished!

Just a little fun with some gesso, Hero Arts stamp, mist and Studio Calico's Continental kit from July.

More playing - just a favorite photo and no journaling whatsoever. Papertrey Ink stamps, Versamark Ink, stickles, some old Heidi Swapp letters that I ran through my Cuttlebug with one of Tim Holtz' texture fades (LOVE these!) Paint, a little piece of transparency, some new BG brads and my sewing machine.

Absolutely in love with Studio Calico's Elementary line!

A little Jillbean paper and more Studio Calico Elemetary line. Oh, and that fabulous stamp from last month's kit!

Crate Paper's new school line is just lovely. And goes very well with Studio Calico's Elementary. Love it all!

Summer 2010, part 2

2010-08-30T12:01:00.000-07:00

After Girls' Camp, Boy Scout Encampment, XCountry Camp (all of which I sadly have no photos of) we did manage to fit in some regular old summer fun, even for the bigs.

The littles and McKelle and I took a trip to Grandpa's to pick raspberries while he was in California. The fruit and fresh garden produce is probably my favorite part of summer.

We took a few trips to various parks, but summer in SE Washington was HOT and way too sunny for me to be outside much - if we can find time between soccer practices and football games, the weather has cooled off to a much more tolerable level. I hope to make going to the park a more regular part of the littles' days.

We did do quite a bit of swimming. We swam at the hotel in Provo, at the Scera in Orem and at Roaring Waters just outside of Boise. The littles and Mitchell took a couple of sessions of swimming lessons at the Y and Max even got his picture in the paper last Sunday in an article highlighting the need for water safety and learning to swim.

Mitchell passed two sessions and is becoming a much better swimmer!

Mason passed both of his sessions, but probably needs a refresher course on the safety issues. Mommy ended up throwing her camera on the table and jumping in the hotel pool with her jeans on shortly after this picture was taken (Daddy was on the other side of the pool judging canon balls with the bigs and middles.)

Once a month blogger

2010-08-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Perhaps I should change my blog name. I almost missed August completely! Hopefully now that the kids are back in school and there is some semblance of a schedule, albeit a crazy busy one, I will make the time to blog more often. The funny thing is, I write blog posts in my head all the time - too bad my Mac doesn't read minds...

Summer was a time for celebrations!

Mason turned 4 and requested the "pool cake." I should be pretty good at this one by now - I made one for Max last year and one many years ago for Matt when we lived in Philly.

I tried to encourage as much outdoor time as possible, but was not a great example (heat and high dose steroids are NOT a good mix!)

Bubbles are fun! Especially golfing bubbles.

Max got really good at the hula hoop. Mason tried really hard.

One member of the family had a high flying adventure.

Two little brothers were wishing they were going on the high flying adventure!

And one member of the family decided it would be much more fun to jump out of a perfectly good airplane!

A few cards to share...

2010-07-16T12:46:00.000-07:00

I'm still serving as the Young Women's president in my ward - my counselors and advisors have been awesome to pick up the slack whenever I needed it over the past few months! But I lost two of my advisors to moving at the end of June (they were awesome and will be missed!) A couple of cards to say goodbye:

And a few cards using up remnants of my very first Studio Calico kit:

Father's Day gift shenanigans...

2010-06-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Michael left last week to do some CME courses in Minnesota (mostly, I think he got to golf, go to a Twins game, eat at our favorite restaurant, etc!)

And I had the brilliant idea of putting together a little photo shoot of the kids while he was gone. Have you ever wrangled six kids trying to get that perfect shot?? Perfection never happened but the out-takes were hilarious and there was at least one that was print worthy.

One four-year old melt down (he did NOT want to be the top of the pyramid), several grumpy stares off into space, 473 rabbit ears, and 3 tickle fights later (which turned into 17 tackles, 13 half-nelsons and at least 4 screaming children), I think that begging 23 times "please, PLEASE look at the camera and not up your brother's nose" paid off. Michael and my Dad loved their gifts!

Using up my stash...and Studio Calico's latest kit

2010-06-16T19:25:00.000-07:00

Feeling some good mojo lately - after a very long dry spell, it is so good to get back to creating a little something every day!

A couple of layouts from last November's Jenni Bowlin kit:

Picture was from earlier this spring, as were the thoughts behind the layout. He turned 4 on Saturday!!

She's been telling us the number of days, hours, minutes til she turns 16 for about a year now. I remember so well doing the exact same thing. And WOW! When did she get so grown up and beautiful?

Loved how Lisa Dickinson used the rub on as patterned paper here (scroll down a bit) and used the same technique on this layout.

And one using Studio Calico's sold out April kit (Joyland). Inspired by a digital layout I saw on Shimelle Laine's blog, but I can't find it now to link it.

He's 11. I keep hoping it's a phase. And I think I've been saying that since he was about 6. By far, my most difficult child (though Mason may give him a run for his money) he's the only one who has ever shouted "I hate you." In fact, it happen in the last half hour. *sigh* I really, really needed a manual on how to deal with this child when he came along.

And three more from my latest box of Studio Calico goodies and their Partly Sunny kit. LOVING this one!!

Woohoo!! I got to scrap with pink! I buy all the pretty pink papers and never have any photos to use with them. My birthday breakfast...yes, I am spoiled! CASE'd this design from a recent Scrapbook Trends Magazine. No link since I'm still getting mine in hard copy.

Mason waited not so patiently through many rainy, cool spring days before his trike could come out and play. I used a little piece of wire attached to a rub on (October Afternoon) for the bike flag.

Memory is a favorite at our house. I actually had to paint the back of the blocks black when Max (and Mason, to some extent) started memorizing the wood grain and cheating! Mason started saying "thanks for that, Mom" every time I would turn up a piece he was looking for. Smart alec!

That's all folks!

Something old, something new, something borrowed....

2010-06-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

something completely out of season!

Something old - I think I made the misted background and sun almost a year ago. The paper was buried under a pile on my desk with nothing to go on the page. I'm sure I had plans for it back when I first created it (and I usually pile stuff together for a page) but it was perfect for these photos from a family pool party last summer. Some really, really old Stampendous vinyl stickers, old Scenic Route (which is sadly no more,) a few older Cosmo Cricket rub ons and some gorgeous Lily Bee and Crate Paper patterned paper.

Something new - lots of fun new papers. Lush - the green, Sassafrass - the numbers and the yellow (brads made with my i-Topper) and Jillibean Soup - the red. Alphas by October Afternoon. Humor by moi after several comments from my husband and older children when dressing Max and Mason in matching clothes.

Something borrowed (and sorry, slightly crooked.) I CASEd this layout from the fabulous Layle Koncar. I think this new Basic Grey paper will end up being a favorite! Little Yellow Bicycle ruler sticker, Studio Calico cardstock stickers from their Anthology line, cork buttons from Pink Paislee and bamboo alpha from Making Memories.

And something completely out of season. I saw this picture in my drawer last night and just grabbed stuff from Halloween stash to play. Fancy Pants overlay, My Mind's Eye papers, black distress Stickles to decorate the pumpkin.

Off now to enjoy Mason's 4th birthday!!

New layouts

2010-06-06T15:28:00.000-07:00

When one lives in a house full of of boys, one will likely end up with a plethora of potty humor. And if one has a sense of humor, one might even photograph AND scrapbook these episodes. For a couple of months, the boys were obsessed with sticking stuff inside their clothes, mostly down their pants, and the new bouncy balls they got for Easter made for a pretty funny booty dance.

More Studio Calico - an older kit from last year but one of my favorites. There really isn't a yellow streak down the left side of the layout - I think the sun was shining behind where I had it propped up. And that exclusive SC paper? Made for the perfect booty paper when fussy cut ;)

Matt took the ACT on Saturday. He really only has 3 1/2 days left of school. And then he's a senior. A SENIOR!! 12th grade. I scheduled his senior pictures today with a good friend. Layouts about him lately have been slightly (ok, a lot!) nostalgic. I keep pulling older photos of him and I wonder where the time has gone...

No kit this time, but Studio Calico, October Afternoon and lovely Jillbean Soup goodies on this page.

What we're up to...

2010-06-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

This one? He's going to be a SENIOR next year!! I'm freaking out, just a little. He got more involved in school this year - ran a little XCountry, swam (and I *think* he's going to be the swim team captain next year) and tried throwing shot and discus...I'm pretty sure that last one was so he could hang out with Julia even more.

And my girl? She is counting down the days til she turns 16. Holy cow - how did that happen?? I think her father may just chain her up in her room!

She also ran Xcountry (and kept training all winter) and went to Districts in track. She's running the 3200 and occasionally the mile, but the longer distance seems to be her forte. Still playing the flute, taking as many AP classes as she can fit in her schedule, MiaMaid class president - busy, busy girl. Can't wait til she can drive herself to all this busy-ness!

Micah - I'm having a hard time finding a picture of him. He tends to stay away from my camera, mostly in his room reading. My mom says he, of all the kids, reminds her most of me.

He turned 13 in March, bringing the total teenager count to three! He played soccer in the fall and is planning on it again this year. Despite a not-so-great band teacher, he is continuing with drums/percussion (and the teacher is leaving so I hope we get a great one to replace him!) and even has friends over occasionally to practice for their own little band.

The picture pretty much says it all. Life with Mitchell is always interesting. He played soccer, but doesn't want to anymore. Thinks football will be much better. He spends a lot of time playing Warhammer and Magic - I just wish he could garner the same interest for school! He sang in Swinging Singers for a semester, but decided that wasn't for him. At least he stuck with Rockin' Rhythms for the whole year (they play giant marimbas and they DO have an amazing teacher - I wish I could be in her class!)

And my sweet Max. He's just about to finish his kindergarten year. His teacher adores him and will be sad to let him move on!

Max was so excited to play soccer this year (finally 5!), go to school and this spring, Michael signed him up for t-ball. Despite almost half of his games being rained out, he has loved every minute of it!

And Mason? Somebody thought I needed excitement, thrills, conflict, back-talk and love to infinity in my old age. He keeps the house hopping, is always right (don't even try to tell him anything...even when he asks) and cannot wait to do all the thing the "big brothers" do.

Me being sick has been a little hard on Mason and I think a few of his more trying behaviors might have developed while his little self was trying to figure out what was going on. We're working on it ;)

Hiatus over...

2010-06-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

And I even have some creative endeavors to share!

It has been an interesting couple of months. More questions than answers. More symptoms from the meds but learning to deal with "the new normal." Frustration with physical stuff that affects my little joys in life (shaky hands make it hard to stamp, write, craft, sew, take non-blurry pics, etc.) But definitely appreciative, thankful, grateful for so much - family and friends who pray, think of me, bring dinner, entertain my children, send sweet notes; meds that will save my life despite their devilish side effects; a husband who has totally stepped up to the plate and has taken such good care of me; children who have taken this mostly in stride and (with a little prodding from Dad) step in to help out when I'm just too tired.

I'm still on 200mg of the cytoxin (chemo) and the prednisone, though we have reduced that by a 1/3 since Thursday. Labs two weeks ago finally showed the creatinine coming down, though white blood cell count was up a bit. Probably another four months to go at this level and then (hopefully!!) remission and maintenance level meds for a year or so.

Eyelashes are mostly gone. I definitely have the prednisone bloat...moon face and all. Hair is pretty thin, but not gone. Ears were pretty good for awhile, but seem to be clogged up again the last few days. Cough is gone, but nasal congestion just won't quit. Left foot feels like I'm walking on glass - doc says some of this may be permanent nerve damage. But most of the joint and muscle pain has decreased tremendously or is gone altogether - lower legs are the one exception, but some of that is due to the prednisone or so I've read. And the shakes - hands for sure, and sometimes legs. I *think* most of that is due to the prednisone - there are a lot of unknowns about this disease and everyone experiences such differences in symptoms, it is hard to know. I'm hopeful that that will decrease as I'm able to cut the dosage!!

And with that update, on to better things! I have finally got back to my scraproom - I've been very good at accumulating supplies (shopping!) but not so good at using them the past couple of months. I'm just going to chalk it up to retail therapy and move on. ;) But I scrapped three pages this weekend and absolutely loved the results, so I'm thinking the somewhat self-imposed hiatus is over.

Studio Calico Feb Kit, Baker's Dozen kit (sorry, sold out)

Studio Calico's May Kit (Granny's Cupboard, also sold out)

Enemies of Creativity

2010-03-31T03:50:00.000-07:00

One of the very first songs I learned as a child and have taught to my own children is the LDS Primary song, "I Am a Child of God." My faith in this simple tenant permeates every corner of my life. Mankind - all sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father. And a Father who is the most creative being of all. As his children, our very existence is dependent upon following in our Father's footsteps.

The ability to create comes in a billion different ways - as many ways as there have been individuals. Some are easier to see - Michelangelo, Beethoven, da Vinci, Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, Mikhail Barishnikov, and all those whose creations are so big, the whole world notices. The vast majority of us create in much smaller, but truly no less significant ways. The teacher who creates an environment of learning for her class, the father who creates bonds with his children playing catch every evening, the mother who creates a home full of love with all her little efforts and attention to detail. The mentor who creates opportunity and a boost of self-esteem for those he teaches. The children who create lasting friendships by learning to share and get along with others. All are evidence of our creative nature.

But, there are always enemies lurking, some of our own making and some completely beyond our control, that thwart our creative natures. Lack of confidence, low self-esteem, lack of time, infertility, depression, pain, pride...the list goes on, with probably as many enemies as there are ways to be creative.

Six months ago, I would have said my main enemy was lack of time. Always more ideas and plans than hours in the day. I've experienced some low self esteem creative blocks here and there in life, even a bit of postpartum depression that knocked me for a loop for a while. Pain and fatigue have been the main enemies the last few months.

My current enemy now has a name: Wegener's Granulomatosis. It is a slightly daunting enemy - I'd much rather deal with lack of time, lol.

My kidneys already have some involvement - we were hoping it was the mild form without renal issues, but the docs are at least cautiously optimistic that we have caught it early and the involvement is still at the low end. And so I am up typing this all out at 3:20am - we bring on the big guns, pharmaceutically speaking, later today. I must admit to being more than a little anxious and sleep has been a bit elusive of late. Cyclophasphamide will be added to the Prednisone I started on Thursday and the induction period will probably last more toward the 6 months as described in the article linked above. Once we've kicked this enemy into remission, another year or so of maintenance on methotrexate (or possibly, azathiaprine.) Prednisone use will hopefully be tapered to a minimum. Lots of risks with all these meds, some pretty nasty possible side effects (so vain that I thought of losing my hair almost first thing!) but I'm so very glad for the advances in medicine that have turned this diagnosis from an almost inevitable death sentence to one that most now are able to live with, and live pretty normally when in remission.

This is my new fight. I will absolutely figure out how to deal with this and get back to my creative roots as well. It may be awhile before you see much that is creative here on the old blog...or maybe it will come soon. I hope for that! I miss it and I have a feeling that finding a way to be creative through all of this will speed the healing. Allowing and following our potential for creation lifts the spirits in more ways that we can imagine.

May I leave you with this video clip, a favorite talk given recently by the LDS Apostle, Dieter F. Uchtdorf. Even those who do not follow the Mormon faith will find his words inspiring.

Vulnerable

2010-03-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

I don't think vulnerable would describe loss of smell or loss of taste. I'm experiencing a bit of the latter, and while it certainly makes for some very bland eating, it does not in fact make me feel vulnerable. I can imagine missing all the wonderful smells I enjoy - rain on the dirt in springtime, fresh roses, vanilla, cinnamon, baking bread, new babies. Of course, there are a few I wouldn't miss - driving by the paper mill, the road kill skunk or the flatulence that tends to build up in a house full of boys. But other than the occasional burning dinner or whiff of something somebody stepped in, it would seem to be more of a bereft feeling, rather than feeling exposed or defenseless.

Taste - definitely miss it! In fact, I'm down almost 15 pounds because I have no desire to eat. Everything tastes like cardboard. Life would be truly less enjoyable (but dieting would be a heck of a lot easier) without the succulent taste of chocolate or cheesecake. After experiencing this for the past couple of weeks, I definitely have greater empathy for my brother who lost his sense of taste due to a head injury last year.

But the other senses? Hearing, feeling, seeing - their loss seems to have a much greater impact. And I feel vulnerable. Unguarded and somewhat unprotected. You never realize how much you depend on all the little verbal and auditory clues every day...until they are gone.

I can't hear my children. I can't hear Mason calling during the day when no one else is home. I can't hear their chatter at the dinner table, can't eavesdrop on their bedtime conversations. I can't even hear when they walk in the door.

I can't hear the phone ring, though I can just barely make out what someone is saying if I press it tightly to my right ear. I can't hear the doorbell or a car on the gravel driveway. I definitely depended on those sounds to know when I had a visitor, or the mail lady had a package or UPS was bringing something fun.

Michael came home for lunch the other day, something he doesn't often do. He was home for almost 10 minutes, sitting on the other side of the room from me before I even noticed. Vulnerable -absolutely! Speaking of Michael, he is a super sound sleeper. He never hears the kids, never has. Even when they were babies, he slept right through all the middle of the night adventures. I worry now, because I can't hear anything. I was the one with the supersonic mom hearing, attuned to even the slightest moves of my children in their upstairs bedrooms. So far, Micah had the stomach flu (all over his carpet - UGH!) and Max had a wet bed twice - and no supersonic mom to help them out. Micah said he told Michael - he didn't even remember it the next morning when I discovered what had happened.

Can't hear the washer/dryer when they're done. Can't hear the beeping of the fridge if I don't quite get it closed. Can't hear the oven timer, water dripping, a car not sounding quite right. I wonder sometimes if I would hear the fire alarms if they went off.....

Mostly though, I miss conversation. Everybody, except for Max, has pretty much given up trying to talk to me. Mason get thoroughly frustrated with my inability to hear him and tends to scream...and then walks away. The older kids just don't bother. It is hard to be the mom, that all-knowing, all-powerful dispenser of wisdom and chocolate chip cookies, when one of the means to maintaining your super powers is suddenly stripped away. Vulnerable, definitely.

Pity, party of one

2010-03-12T10:41:00.000-08:00

It's been 5 weeks. Well, all told, the feeling bad, not being able to breathe, why-am-I-still-sick started the second week of October. We tried a round of antibiotics, then allergy meds since it just kept going and going. Then more allergy meds of the prescription variety with a nasal steroid and back on Azythromycin.

Chest x-rays were clear, despite pain when taking deep breaths. Sinus x-rays were clear as well, despite the continual congestion.

And then, BAM! Ear infection from H-E-double toothpicks. It appeared WHILE I was on antibiotics. Pain. Oh my, the pain. I have given birth to six children and had kidney stones more than once, and this was right up there. A 15 on the 1-10 scale. More antibiotics - Amoxicillin, Augmentin, then Rocephin intramuscular shots at a pretty high dose. And still, a very active ear infection. My ENT put a tube in the left ear on Tuesday. It has helped some, but wow! I had no clue an ear infection could get so bad.

We did an audiogram on Tuesday as well. Marked hearing loss in both ears, some nerve damage that "may or may not be reversible." I can't hear anything out of my left ear and very little out of the right. I can hear someone talking on the phone if I press it close to my right ear...but I can't even hear the phone ring to pick it up in the first place.

Oh yeah, the Bells Palsy. I woke up really early one morning last week and went to get a drink. The water just dribbled down my front. I freaked out when I flipped the light on and saw that the whole left side of my face was droopy. I googled (NOT a good plan) before running to wake up Michael (think stroke, mini-stroke, TIA...scary stuff) but Michael calmly assured me that it was most likely pressure from the infection on the facial nerve. The doctor put me on a tapered course of Prednisone to deal with the swelling, but resolution could be weeks or months. In the meantime, I can't close my left eye and my lips feel like I just came from the dentist. My tongue is somewhat numb and everything tastes like cardboard - good diet technique, though, lol.

Now, I'm just playing the waiting game. Waiting to see if the ears will clear up (no more antibiotics for now), waiting to see if I can sleep again, waiting for the palsy to resolve. I had a head CT yesterday to rule out any weird stuff. Mostly, I just want to get back to normal. I want to hear my kids. I want to have the energy to do something beyond dozing on the couch. I want to sleep! I want to feel good enough to finish the layout that has been sitting on my desk for the past 6 weeks!

Sweets...or not.

2010-02-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

Off to have a chest x-ray...or maybe it was a CT. Can't remember what the nurse said now. Head is in a bit of a fog. Looking to see if I have pneumonia. I am just hopeful that a diagnosis will also provide a treatment plan. I'm a little worried though as I have already done antibiotics twice since I started getting sick in October. Not so sweet.

Sweet is my little companion Mason. He has been so good at all the trips to the doctor and lab this week. He just walked in with his shoes on the wrong feet and I told him "Wrong feet, sweets. Change your shoes around."

He looked at me and said "why do you call me that?"

"What? Sweets? Because you are sweet. You're my sweets."

"Moooom. I am not."

"Sure you are. You are my little sweets. It's a good thing!"

"Mom. Sweets are candy. It's not a good thing!"

Well, you, Mason are a good thing. (And I'll probably slip up and call you "sweets" a whole lot more...just because I love you.) Definitely sweet.

SOOC - and I'm shooting manual all the time now!

2010-02-10T10:21:00.000-08:00

Week 6 of Maggie Holme's beginning photography workshop and I'm feeling pretty confident with my camera set on manual. I still miss the focus sometimes and weird lighting throws me off a bit, but I have learned so much!

I can see I am going to be the total opposite of my parents - my littles will have way more pictures than my bigs, simply due to my improving camera skills. Wish I had had some of these skills when McKelle was small and was still willing to wear pink, ruffles and bows!

Do they look alike to you?

2010-02-01T22:04:00.000-08:00

A layout of Micah's pictures from 10 years ago...

And a layout of Max from last fall.

Just a slight family resemblance, no??!

100 Things About Me

2010-01-28T11:19:00.000-08:00

Saw this on my sweet friend Lee's blog. I did have to take out all the extra u's in favorite...Canucks spell funny ;)

1. How old will you be in five years? 45...really?
2. Who did you spend at least two hours with today? Only Mason so far. Everyone else was out the door by 7. Aunt Kay and Colton were here in the guest room, but they slept in quite a bit.

3. How tall are you? 5’9"
4. What do you look forward to most in the next six months? Finishing the Couch to 5K, getting really good with my camera, seeing improvement with my cello playing
5. What's the last movie you saw? Star Trek (the latest one from 2009)
6. Who was the last person you called? Lisa

7. Who was the last person to call you? Shaina - I totally flaked on my VT this week with family staying with us

8. What was the last text message you received? A weird one from my Mom about Ely's eye. She thought she sent a picture, but it didn't come through.

9. Who was the last person to leave you a voice mail? My Dad - missed his call while playing volleyball with the youth at the church

10. Do you prefer to call or text? Text!!! I hate the phone.
11. What were you doing at 12 am last night? Sleeping

12. Are your parents married/separated/divorced? Divorced

13. When is the last time you saw your mom? Up at the cabin two weeks ago when we went snowmobiling.

14. What colour are your eyes? Blue
15. What time did you wake up today? 5:30AM
16. What are you wearing right now? BYU sweatshirt and pj pants
17. What is your favourite Christmas song? O Holy Night

18. Where is your favourite place to be? Home

19. Where is your least favourite place to be? downtown in a big city, with no idea where I'm going
20. Where would you go if you could go anywhere? I'd love to visit Europe, Alaska and Australia
21. Where do you think you'll be in 10 years? I honestly don't know. Walla Walla wasn't the end all, be all that I expected. I don't hate it here, but I honestly don't love it. I do like being close to family!

Matthew will be almost 27, McKelle 26 - holy cow, I could be a grandma by then! I am NOT that old!!! Max and Mason will be teenagers and most likely, the only ones left at home. :(

22. Do you tan or burn? I'm my red-headed grandmother's true descendant. Burn, baby, burn!
23. What did you fear was going to get you at night as a child? Spiders. It has always been spiders.
24. What was the last thing that really made you laugh? With Mason around, my days are full of laughter. He says the funniest things.

25. How many TVs do you have in your house? Only one that is actually used for TV. There is another TV set in the basement that is hooked up to the Wii.
26. How big is your bed? King

27. Do you have a laptop or desktop computer? Both

28. Do you sleep with or without clothes on? I hate pjs for sleeping! But I love wearing them around the house after I get up.
29. What colour are your sheets? Sage green
30. How many pillows do you sleep with? 1
31. What is your favourite season? Autumn
32. What do you like about fall? The heat of summer is finally gone, crisp, cool nights, brilliant colors, back to school, comfort foods, Halloween!

33. What do you like about winter? Snow, skiing, sledding, cozy sweaters, fuzzy slippers
34. What do you like about the summer? Water sports, picnics, anniversary trips with Michael
35. What do you like about spring? GREEN...finally. Especially here, where the winter is quite ugly. No snow, no evergreens to speak of.
36. How many states/provinces have you lived in? 5 states, 1 province
37. What cities/towns have you lived in? 11
38. Do you prefer shoes, socks, or bare feet? Bare feet
39. Are you a social person? Not really - I do great in small groups, but tend to be pretty shy in larger groups
40. What was the last thing you ate? 10 pecans and Organic Flax Plus Granola
41. What is your favourite restaurant? Cheesecake Factory - I miss it!! In WW, the Creektown Cafe is quite good.
42. What is your favorite ice cream? Peppermint or Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough

43. What is your favorite dessert? All of the above. Oh wait, that wasn't a choice? Definitely cheesecake then.
44. What is your favorite kind of soup? Broccoli Cheese in homemade bread bowls
45. What kind of jelly do you like on your PB & J sandwich? Raspberry

46. Do you like Chinese food? Yes

47. Do you like coffee? Never had it but it smells disgusting!

48. How many glasses of water, a day, do you drink on average? Plain water - 2 or 3. Flavored water - 5-6. (I love Sam's Choice Clear American in Key Lime and Lemon - no calories, no sodium)
49. What do you drink in the morning? Sam's Choice
51. Do you sleep on a certain side of the bed? Looking at the bed from the end, I sleep on the left.

52. Do you know how to play poker? No. I know the mechanics of the game, but I don't gamble.
53. Do you like to cuddle? Sometimes. Definitely not when falling asleep. Yes during movies or just lounging on the couch. I do love that Mason and Max (and occasionally Mitchell) will still cuddle up with me.

54. Have you ever been to Australia? No, but it is one of my dream trips

55. Do you have an addictive personality? to cheesecake and chocolate? Unfortunately. Not so much otherwise.
56. Do you eat out or at home more often? At home
58. Do you know anyone with the same birthday as you? My Grandma Stott's was the day after mine. I do have a friend in Michigan with the same birthday
59. Do you want kids? Yes, and I have 6
60. Do you speak any other languages? Took some French in high school and college and can understand a little.
61. Have you ever gotten stitches? After surgery on my hand

62. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance? No, but I followed behind one when Michael had his head injury playing rugby

63. Do you prefer an ocean or a pool? Pool to swim, Ocean for the sound and view

64. Do you prefer a window seat or an aisle seat? Aisle

65. Do you know how to drive stick? Absolutely. Learned to drive with a stick.
66. What is your favourite thing to spend money on? Camera equipment, scrapbook supplies, home decor and cookbooks. Lately, a little dabbling in jewelry.
67. Do you wear any jewelry 24/7? Just my earrings (which are the original earrings I got when first pierced at age 12) and my very plain wedding band (my ring was lost after I had hand surgery)

68. What is your favourite TV show? I don't watch a lot anymore - Michael and I like to watch Amazing Race, Lost and Heroes. That's about it. I was an ER addict for the entire time is was on and I used to love CSI (the original) but it got pretty raunchy

69. Can you roll your tongue? only to one side
70. Who is the funniest person you know? Mason! And my cousin-in-law Lisa!

71. Do you sleep with stuffed animals? No, just the tricot blanket my Mom and Grandma made me when I was little.
72. What is the main ring tone on your phone? One of the standard choices that comes on the iPhone. I need an app for that!
73. Do you still have clothes from when you were little? Yes
74. What red object is closest to you right now? Max's paper full of red marker numbers. He was practicing last night.
75. Do you turn off the water while you brush your teeth? yes

76. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? Open. The closet is not in our bedroom and since I get up before anyone and don't turn on the lights, I would probably hit the door if I didn't leave it open.

77. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of bees? Neither!! The bees would probably make me hyperventilate, though I'd probably survive. I guess I'll go with the bees.

78. Do you flirt a lot? No
79. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Honey mustard or ranch dressing
80. What is your favourite food? Cheesecake
81. Can you change the oil on a car? No, I just take it to the shop. Speaking of which....
82. Have you ever gotten a speeding ticket? Yes, twice. Dove Creek, CO (relatives driving from Utah to Granddad and Grandma Jones' old house will be familiar with that one) and Baker, OR...at 3 am.

83. Have you ever run out of gas? No, but we came awfully closer once. A certain person in this household likes to get to empty before filling up. *I* fill up when it is 3/4 gone.
84. What is your usual bedtime? 10:30 or 11:00
85. What was the last book you read? His Dark Shadows (almost done)
86. Do you read the newspaper? Yes - I was a paper girl for many years and got in the habit of reading the paper
87. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Probably more than I should, but I love to have little bits to read all over the place
89. Do you watch soap operas? Not since college days
90. Do you dance in the car? Occasionally to embarrass my kids ;)

91. What radio station did you last listen to? Whatever the kids have preset in the car
92. Who is in the picture frame closest to you? I'm in the kitchen, so no frames in here.
93. What was the last note you scribbled on a piece of paper? Something funny Mason said. "Mom, I love you more than bacon."
94. What is your favourite candle scent? Vanilla or cinnamon! But I don't do candles anymore - I just use my Scentsy pots.

95. What is your favorite board game? LOVE Boggle. Mad Gab, Mexican Train, Balderdash, Sequence...I love to play games.
97. When was the last time you attended church? I was there Tuesday night for Young Women's and each and every Sunday for church

98. Who was your favorite teacher in high school? Mr. Haug and Mrs. Carroll (both English teachers) and Mr. Gregorich for AP History and Government
99. What is the longest you have ever camped out in a tent? a week or more. We LOVE to camp!

100. Who was the last person to do something extra special for you? Michael gave me a great back scratch when he got home last night. LOVE a good back scratch.

Swim meet hair and my over-photographed models

2010-01-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

I'm taking an on-line photography class taught by the fabulous Maggie Holmes. I think my children are sick of being my models. Mason just runs away. Max can't seem to understand the difference between the video camera and my Canon - end result is lots and lots of blurry pictures. Mitchell? Well this is what I get from him:

At least I'm capturing those amazing eyelashes for posterity (no, sadly, he did not get them from me...or my husband either. I have no clue where they came from!)

And this? This is the result of my oldest son's refusal to cut his hair until swim season is over. I even pointed out that all that hair was slowing him down in the pool. Well, one more week to go...

PS - all of the above shot in Manual mode and SOOC!! Yay me.

More Studio Calico goodness

2010-01-12T09:27:00.000-08:00

LOVE this banner paper! It was in Studio Calico's December kit called Orchestra. I believe it is still available, though 2 of the 3 add-ons are sold out. When I first pulled this paper out, I was a bit stumped. Loved it, but had no idea what to do with it. Then the SC gallery started filling up with fussy cut banners and all kinds of ideas popped into my head. On this layout, it reminded me of pennants strung at a race track. Paired with the subtle track marks (made with Maya mist in Cream and the styrofoam cover off of an Asian pear) it was perfect for this page documenting Mason's Big Wheel love.

Another favorite from Studio Calico is the Month's Stamps. I can see using these over and over again. Such a versatile set! So here it is, from my scrap desk on this very gray day, a colorful tribute to my love of October.

Last two Christmas pics scrapped

2010-01-08T12:05:00.000-08:00

You would not believe the lengths I went to to get all these pictures. McKelle was a great model, though she did start making a few faces after she tired of me trying to get some custom bokeh pictures. But the boys?? Well...let's just say, boys will be boys and your results may vary. Here's the layouts with Mason and Micah:

Pretty good picture, but I had a hard time convincing him to hold still. He doesn't quite get the difference between the video camera and my Rebel.

This one? You just have to laugh. Maybe 12 year old boys don't 'do' pictures...

Both made with the divine scrappy goodness of Studio Calico's December kit and add-ons.

Back into the swing of things

2010-01-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Holidays always derail my creative endeavors just a bit. This year was especially crazy with the addition of swim team for Matthew (INSANE schedule!) and a nagging cold/allergies/not feeling so great for me since about mid October. Needless to say, I am waaaay behind on my 365 of 365, but I will attempt some catch up in the next few weeks.

Love these pictures of Max. His face was priceless when he got that first scoop of pumpkin guts. I loved these so much, I scrapped them twice (see below!)

I just adore this Studio Calico paper and it was perfect for a layout about Mason and I being together every day, 24-7. The mini chipboard houses from Maya Road are so fun!

An older picture - we don't have this kind of cold or the snow here. Makes me miss the crisp, cold (but sunny!) days in Minnesota. Here, we just get gray, gray, gray...

The other page with pumpkin goop. Wish I had done some misting on this page, but I thought of it too late.

I probably should have skipped the misting on this page because I had already put the snowflake chipboard down. I tried to mask it, but it didn't turn out so well. LOVE the picture of McKelle, though. She is growing up into a most beautiful young lady!

Max is such a goofball. I took about 30 pictures of him with our Christmas tree in the background and this was the best of the bunch. Mmmm, love that gold Maya Mist!

All the layouts I do about Matthew lately make me a bit weepy. I can't believe he will be a senior next year. And he keeps saying stuff like this to me! He's grown so tall (and holy cow, has swimming ever packed the muscles on my previously scrawny kid!) and loves to make sure I know he is much taller than me.

I haven't shown this one to Mitchell yet. His ears are just a wee bit pointy and the Santa hat certainly made it more noticeable. Wish I could steal those eyelashes for myself!

(Yes, one is missing. I have a Micah picture sitting on my table, but didn't quite get to it yet. His Christmas tree picture was even more goofy than Max's.)

Published!!

2010-01-04T12:44:00.000-08:00

I'm just a little giddy. One of my pages was noticed over at the Studio Calico gallery and has been published by the on-line scrapbook magazine Scrapstreet.com. You can see my page here. Just scroll down to the first layout.

Go me!

Good Better Best

2010-01-04T08:33:00.000-08:00

Always the overachiever, I can't even choose just one word for my 2010 One Little Word.

2009 began with high expectations. My word was LEARN and I had all kinds of hopes and intentions. On-line classes, a stack of books to be read, various plans to be put into place with my children. Reality struck less than one month into the year when I was called to be the Young Women's President in our ward (church congregation.) I spent the next several months struggling (and learning, for sure!) how to balance this enormous responsibility and still maintain some semblance of order at home. Some of my intended learning venues and plans had to take a back seat - my path certainly took a turn that I wasn't expecting!

But all in all, the year was full of learning. I learned that I love teenagers! I learned to do some very creative balancing of church responsibilities and home life. I learned I can go four days without a shower at Girls' Camp and absolutely love every minute of it (except perhaps the bear!)

And later in the year, I was able to add a few of those things I had been planning from the beginning. I took and finished a fantastic photography course from John Gringo at Creative Techs. I finished two parts of a five part Photoshop class, also at Creative Techs. They have a great selection of classes and best of all, they're FREE!

I plowed through a pile of books, though probably not original goal of 52 and learned that I love the Elizabethan period (thanks, Nyla!!) The Lady Elizabeth and Katherine were definite favorites.

I learned that letting go of some traditions in an effort to simplify was ok. And that skipping others was a huge let down for my family and won't be an option next year.

Which leads me to my choice for 2010. I spent some time this year considering my one word. BALANCE came to mind, but didn't quite encompass what I wanted. FOCUS was another front runner. I thought I had finally settled on PRIORITIZE and even posted it, put it out there in the cyber world in response to a couple of blogs. But there was a little niggle in my brain that said it wasn't quite right.

Then, I recalled this talk given by Elder Dallin Oaks in the LDS General Conference, October 2007. I needed more than a word, I needed this phrase for my 2010 mantra. GOOD BETTER BEST. The brief summary at the top of Elder Oaks' talk says it perfectly: "We have to forego some good things in order to choose others that are better or best..."

Obviously, it applies in my spiritual life. But it really is something I want to apply in all areas of life. Too often, I get caught up in something that is good and miss out on that which is better (or best) for me and my family. I can already see that it will be a great tool in my yoyo-ing weight loss/better health journey. Family life, interaction with my children and husband, choices about creative endeavors to fill my time - all can be governed well by keeping this phrase at the forefront of my brain.

Here's to a BETTER year, hopefully the BEST yet!

365 layouts in 365 days (44-50)

2009-11-14T09:17:00.000-08:00

Picture post (prompt 5)

2009-11-10T07:43:00.000-08:00

(Layouts to follow shortly. I just got a lovely stack of photos back from ScrapbookPictures and it is time to play!)

Conversations with a 3 year old (prompt 4)

2009-11-09T19:37:00.000-08:00

Since Max started kindergarten in August, Mason gets my company 24-7. And I get his =) Conversations with Mason run the gamut from perplexing to silly to downright hilarious. Consider this recent funny:

Mason - "Mom, we should get a dolphin at our house."
Me - "A dolphin? What would you do with it?"
Mason - "Mom! I would play with her."
Me - "Where would she live?"
Mason - "At our house."
Me - "The dolphin needs an ocean to live in. Where would we get one?"
Mason - "From the water, Mom! And we would put some mud around the house, too."

PSA - If you dress your three year old as a road sign for Halloween, be prepared to have a backseat driver for years to come. "S-T-O-P! That spells stop, Mom. You were supposed to stop!" or "Hey, Mom. You can't park here! N-O spells no. No parking!"