May layouts from Crop Addict

Here's what I did with the Crop Addict May kit, as well as the mfr. kit that Crate Paper provided. With the club's kit, I couldn't help myself but think of nostalgic pictures of our dads--Josh "the #1 Daddy in our house", my dad "Bob bob", and his dad "Gramps". These papers had a great masculine feel and were easy to distress with a little ink. I also did a little door hanger for the baby boy my cousing and his wife are expecting in August.

Also this month, everyone got a manufacturer's kit from Crate Paper. I received the Katlin line, and LOVED working with the bright pinks and purples. The colors were perfect for my playground pics, and Sarah Kate's photos. If there's a little girl in there that you don't recognize, don't worry you're eyes aren't deceiving you. No, instead we as a DT decided to do a photo swap to mix it up a little. I scrapped a picture of Kim Hackworth's daughter and will be mailing her the LO soon!

Fun MM papers!

I got the awesome priviledge to highlight the Product of the Week for this week over at Coordinate Collections! I was so thrilled that Jamie asked me to do this "favor" for her, when really I was jumping up and down to do it! I got to work with the Making Memories Animal Cracker line, with a little Fancy Pants felt thrown in there too! What a treat! Here's what I did with it!


I made this one as a gift for my cousin and his wife who are expecting a precious little boy in August. I LOVED working with the blues, greens and oranges. So much fun!


This is the close-up of the elephant and some jounraling spots. After Saylor is born, I plan on writing in all his birth information like date, height, weight, etc.


This is Sarah Kate with one of our friend's daughters. They're only 2 months a part and it's fun to watch them grow up together!


detail of the butterfly, stitched antennae, and curling ribbon


This is the Maya Road lunch box tin I got from Simply Obsessed. I made it into a shadow box to house all of Sarah Kate's baby things. I put a premie diaper, her hospital bracelet, her footprints, her NICU pacifier, and a picture in there.



from the side

SO's May kit is up!

And it's gorgeous! It's the new Sweet Branch line from Crate Paper mixed with some MME's 29th Street Market and some Daisy Bucket velvet embellishments. I really love all the fun colors, and can't wait to jump right in! Be sure to check it out at Simply Obsessed! The add-ons are a la carte, and sooo fun!

A taxi ride, an earthquake, and a ton of fun!!!

I had such an amazing time at the Scrap Etc. Event in Nashville! I can't begin to tell you what fun I had! First, it's good to just get away for a bit, but second it's always fun to get to hang out with friends you don't get to see that often. oh, and the scrapping? It was fabulous! As soon as I get my pics in the albums I'll post pictures. We did 3 mini albums, one from Heidi Swapp, Gretchen McElveen, and Vanessa Hudson. I also did Bingo cards with Jenni Bowlin that I plan to make into a wall hanging. I didn't get to do my minis with Wilna Furstenburg or Angelia Wigginton (see followin story) but I brought home the kits and plan to get to those soon!

So the scrapping was great, but I had a few little misadventures myself. Thursday when I got to the hotel I met up with Virginia and Morgan, who were working the Event, and jumped right in to do whatever they needed up doing. After a long day, and a fun dinner (at 11pm) I went to bed at 12:30 totally exhausted. At 2:30am I woke up with a MAJOR UTI, and in so much pain I was on the verge of tears. So I called Scott (my OB) woke him up to call me in a Rx. So at like 3am I took a taxi by myself with this Indian dude, who I just prayed would take me to the right pharmacy. It was like riding with Abu from The Simpsons. He was like 'did you call a taxi? would you like a pharmacy?' (said in my best Abu/Indian-sounding voice). I was scared but in more pain, and the pain won out, so I just trusted him. Then back at the hotel while waiting for all my meds to kick in I decided to sit in the hallway, and read. I didn't want to keep my roommates awake, so I just sat out in the hall. All of a sudden, the floor started shaking and the doorframes creaking!!! I'm a Southern girl, never ventured further west than Arizona. I'm not familiar with earthquakes, so I was totally freaking out. Actually, at first, I thought that I'd mistakenly taken too much medicine and I was hilucinating. But then I checked my waterbottle beside me, and it was sloshing around, so I knew it wasn't just me. anyway, I ended up going to sleep at 5am. I slept through Wilna's class that morning but felt much better the rest of the weekend! Thank goodness for Scott! I would've been sick all weekend, if he hadn't called in those meds for me right away!

To top off such an incredibly fun weekend, when I got home I walked in to my very own scrap room!!!! While I was gone Dad and Kathy watched the girls (and I'm VERY grateful). But Dad also took it upon himself to tear down a wall in my laundry room to give me a little nook of sorts to scrap. I knew that he was going to do it beforehand, but I was amazed when I came home. He went way above my expectations or anything I had imagined, and the room just blew me away when I first saw it!! I'm so excited and can't WAIT to get all my stuff squared away and organized in there. (because I came home with like 100 lbs. of more stuff!) SO, not only was it a great weekend, but then my sweet Daddy gave me one of the best welcome home presents any scrapper could ask for! I owe he and Kathy BIG TIME!!!

Hopefully soon I'll get some pictures of my projects and my room and post them soon! Hope everyone had as great a weekend as I did! Off to play with my girls!

Happy Early Mother's Day, Mom!

And so there you have it! My layout that's in this month's May CK! I did this layout as a tribute to my mom--she really is the mom I want to be! She's the mom that not only comes to help when the baby's born, but when she's here she insists on doing all the laundry, cleaning, and even painted my shutters! Yep, that's right, my mom was out on a ladder painting my shutters when Sarah Kate was born! It's that kind of selfless Mom that I want to be. I want to be there for my girls whenever they need me. I want them to realize how much I love them, and see how I'll go out-of-my-way to help them out--just like my mom does for me! So, while it's still April and Mother's day is some weeks away, I just wanted to tell my mom how much I love her--and it even got published! (That part thrilled us both!) I love you Mom!

A new kit and a glowing report for Simply Obsessed!

Jamie and Shauna have put the new May kit up at Simply Obsessed, and it's gorgeous as usual! It features Crate Paper's Sweet Branch line along with My Mine's Eye 29th Street Market papers. The add-ons are awesome too! These include items fromJenni Bowlin and Daisy Bucket. But that's not all! This time the site and this kit got a glowing critique on Willow Traders! How awesome is that!!! You can check out the report here! WTG Jamie and Shauna, so happy for you and for S.O.!

Getting EXCITED!!!

I've officially started counting down. 3 days until the Scrap Etc. Event in Nashville! Not only is it going to be an amazing scrapbook retreat of sorts, where Heidi Swapp is the keynote speaker followed closely by Jenni Bowlin, but I'll also get to meet up with some online "imaginary" friends from the MBs I frequent. I really can't think of anything much better! I mean, I'll have scrappy inspiration all weekend long, I'll have fun friends to hang with, and on top of that I won't be anyone's Mommy! Wooohooo! It'll be so nice to just get away and have a girl weekend! I'm totally indebted to my dad and step-mom for watching the girls. They're staying with them while I'm away and Josh's at work! I can't wait!! Soooooo excited! :D:D:D:D

just a couple of new LOs

I did these for various scrap challenges in several places.

This one I combined two challenges, the Spring Cleaning ribbon challenge at Simply Obsessed, and the April Guest Designer challenge at Coordinates Collections.



This one I did for the Noel Mignon "Let's play ball" challenge and May Guest Designer spot on her challenge blog.

These are only 2 of the MANY MANY layouts that I've done and continue to work on for the month of April!

April showers bring......

lots of fun puddles to jump in!

Caroline decided to take advantage of the puddles left in our driveway.

First she just tested the waters



Then it was a quick splash



But by the end, it was a full-fledged puddle jumpin' good time!
(Notice she lost her pants in the mean time! LOL!)





Oh! To be a kid again!

Just what I needed....

This is a blog entry from Diana (her blog is Letters to a(nother) Mom), and I gotta tell you, this is EXACTLY what I needed. So refreshing to be reminded of, to take a minute away from the daily routines, and just stop. and think. and be reminded of how intimately my Savior wants to know me (more like wants me to know Him). So I want to share her entry with whoever reads my blog. It was just what I needed. Maybe it's just what you need too!

From Diana's blog March 23, 2008 (Easter): (The first paragraph is quoting Scripture)

"'But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. Then they said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" She said to them, "Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him." Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did no know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, "Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary!" She turned and said to Him, "Rabboni!" (which is to say, Teacher).' John 20:11-16

I think this is one of my favorite Resurrection stories. Here we see Mary, so weak in her faith, weeping for the Lord. Desiring to be near Him, yet looking in the wrong place. She even sees angels in the tomb and yet she doesn't stop crying long enough to even try to figure out what is going on. I think it's my favorite passage, because I can relate so well. How often do I, in feeble faith, try to find God on my own strength...often with tears...I really want to find Him...I want to be near to Him, but I'm either to wrapped up in my cares or am blind to the glorious things He is doing.

But isn't God good? We serve an amazing, loving God! He didn't leave Mary in her emotional, weak, faithless, wrong state. He came to her. She desired Him and He came. And He called her by name. "Mary!" Can you see the relief on her face--the joy at His faithfulness? How she must have felt to find her teacher so patient, so steadfast, so tender? The same Jesus who washed the disciples feet also stooped to call on this emotional woman, weak in faith. And it's the same Jesus who calls me by name--so patiently, so steadfastly, so tenderly.

Dear Lord--We praise you that you are almighty God. This Easter weekend we are again reminded of how you died and conquered death. We are reminded of how powerful and awesome you are, but before we even can begin to comprehend that, you show how meek and tender you are--to stoop and call us by name, to dry our tears. You, in your power, meet us, in our weakness. Thank you for your patience when we are weak in faith, emotional and blind to what glorious things you are doing. Please open our eyes to see these mighty and great things and cause us to walk ever nearer to you. It is in your name that we pray. AMEN"

I'm so thankful for that reminder. and I think that we all crave that tenderness, that sympathy, that unconditional love. Sometimes I just forget where to look for it, or I'm too stubborn to admit I need it.

A quick catching up to do....

Well it's been a while. First it was Easter, then the girls and I went out of town to Birmingham, and I'm just now getting my computer back. It's recovering from a virus. SO, I have lots to share, lots of pictures and scrappy things too. Here goes!



Our family Easter picture. We had it taken at a friend's house, and it's a little dark. But I had to BEG for DH to let me take this picture. He was so hungry, he didn't care about pictures. So I only got one.



On the way to Birmingham, the girls and I stopped by the farm. It was in full bloom too! Sarah Kate is still young enough to sit and let me have a photo shoot with her. Here she's in my grandmother's daffodils. We had a very good visit with my grandmother, and I wish we were able to go to the farm more often. But it was nice, and she said we made her day!



Another highlight of our Birmingham trip was the play date we had with Virginia and her kiddos! I can't tell you enough how much I enjoyed spending the day with her! We have so much in common and so much to talk about (and not ALL of it was scrapbook stuff!) It was so fun to meet one of my "imaginary" friends in person! the kids had a good time too!



On the 3rd day of our trip, my other grandparents came down to visit us. We took the girls to the park, and this is my grandmother enojoying the girls. She was surprised by Caroline's independence on the playground, and her zeal for the slide! They both giggled every time she'd go down.



And then this is Caroline yesterday. *sigh* That girl is SO curious, it drives me nuts! I was in the bathroom getting ready and apparently she swiped some fingernail polish, because a moment later I went looking for her. She was sitting between our pillows on our bed brushing her nose with hot pink polish! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Not only did she get it all over herself, but on our comforter as well! Sheesh! That kid............

And now a few scrappy things. These are my layouts from the Crop Addict April kit! Go check it out if you get a chance! It's got some great American Crafts papers and NEW Dream Street papers too!




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