Last day of September

With the last day of the month here, I realize that some things are coming to an end, and others are just beginning. And I'm not just talking about the seasons, but yes, I'm so happy they're changing too. No, I'm referring to the end of yet another volleyball season, my "big" girl is in fact growing up, and much to my dismay her little sister isn't too far behind. Here's some pictures I caught recently documenting the fact that life IS passing by, and a bit too quickly for my taste.


My baby with her "beers". I promise it sounds like that's what she's saying! LOL!


Taking care of her babies. (She can say that one correctly.)


One of my absolute all-time favorite shots of Josh, and of course Little Miss is making silly faces/gestures in the background. Isn't that the way it always goes???



The conversation went like this:
C:"Mama, we're washin' da dishes"
Me: "You go right ahead babycakes! Don't push your sister off the chair!"
(which has happened more than I'd like to admit.)

But October brings my favorites in life--mmmmm...fall football, the crispness in the air, visits to the pumpkin patch and Apple Festival in Elijah, Halloween, and the anticipation of the leaves changing color. (Here in the South, they usually don't actually hit their peak until the end of the month or 1st of Nov.) I've already purchased my first cans of pumpkin in anticipation for pumpkin spice muffins, pumpkin squares, and pumpkin pie. Followed closely behind will be the apple cider and roasted pumpkin seeds. I plan on cooking more with Caroline this year. Maybe we'll even make it down to Mom's so they can do Fall leaf sugar cookies together (one recipe I haven't mastered yet. But then I haven't master very many! LOL!) Yes, I'm excited FAll is around the corner, that the holidays aren't far off, and that this blasted summer humidity is finally creeping back toward the equator. I'm ready for Fall I just wish it didn't mean my kids were growing faster too. Oh well. Ya can't have both I guess!

1st "fall" picture--Caroline and her leaf!


Happy Fall y'all!

Hottty Toddy folks!!!!!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO REBELS!!!! Woooohoooooo!!!!!! I must admit that I didn't give them a chance, but I'm SOOO happy to be wrong!!!!!

HOTTTY TODDY!!!!

A whole lot of randomness

It's been a really busy week, one that this mom of 2 toddlers isn't used to. I've been in the car a TON this week, back and forth to volleyball games. I'm definitely not in the life stage of "mom taxi" yet, but whew! It sure felt like it this week! My goodness that's a busy life! I don't envy anyone who has to spend most of their day in the car driving back-and-forth transporting kids and running errands. That's a busy life!

On the scrap scene, I've not gotten too much accomplished. Each night I've pulled my stuff out to work, spread it all out nice pretty and organized, then failed to touch it. I've either gotten wrapped up in the new TV premieres or fallen asleep on the couch! So I hope that today (with football) and tonight I'll get a lot more accomplished! I've got 3 different kits staring at me, and their gorgeous! I just gotta get to work. We also plan on to go to the County Fair this afternoon. (We have to watch our Rebs get assaulted by Florida first.) I'm excited about going to the fair. Hopefully, I'll get a lot of fun photos! Fall photo op season has officially begun as I bought mums for the front porch yesterday, so I'm ready to give my camera a workout! Now if only my girls will cooperate!

To finish off this otherwise random and boring post, I'll post some pics of the girls. They tend to behave better when Holly (our 10yr. old little friend) has her camera rather than when I have mine. Here's what she got:





Okay, so maybe not a WHOLE lot of cooperation, but at least they're both in the same frame looking in the same direction. That's better than what I can say for the time being!

Happy weekend everyone!

Latest LOs!

Some are DT requirements, others are challenges, and a couple are just for fun, but overall I'd say it was a very productive weekend!

Little Explorer


Game Day Attire


matching card

I'm always in need of another Thank You card!

Budding Artist


I've still got a couple more, but I'll hold them back and save then for another post in a day or two. On one of them, I'm changing the cardstock, and the other turned out a little blurry, so I'll correct those and be back soon!

Crop Suey Layouts!!!!

Woohoo! I can finally show you my layout and project I did with my Crop Suey kit! Yay! I had SOOO much fun playing with this kit! I had Camille's kit, which was loaded with Oct. Afternoon and Basic Grey's Off Beat! I also loved the paper doll, and knew I had to use it! So here's some old(er) pictures of Caroline when she got her first baby doll.

1st Baby Doll (real original title, huh?)


upclose

I added some pom pom fringe on top of the kit's vintage lace.
I also added a Dymo label and some Pink Paislee Holly Doodle sticker alphas.

"Fave 3" CD frame

Okay, who doesn't have a million CD cases laying around? I decided to convert one of mine into a picture frame. And now I'm completely addicted to making these! It was fast, fun, and easy, but I love result!

CE taken apart

As you can see, I inserted the paper "LO" inside the case, and then layered the ribbon, flowers, heart tag, and rub-on title on top of the case. If I want to I can change out the picture with other ones simply by making a new insert!

So there you have it! My first official work with Camille's kit. But since then, I've also completed this one:

Lakefront

Here I used some of the BG Offbeat, and the Riff Raff wildflower chipboard. I flocked it and added it to the brown cardstock. And in keeping with Bree's love of recycling stuff, I used some corrugated cardboard, and some sequins too!

So there you go. Fun stuff from Crop Suey! Stayed tuned in, because I've been scrapping all day today, and there's more to come! ;)

Look what just arrived on my doorstep!

Well actually it was folded in half and shoved in my mailbox, but you get the idea! Woohoo! It's my much anticipated Shop Crop Suey kit! I'm so excited, because 1. I was afraid it'd gotten lost in the mail. It seemed like everyone had theirs but me. And 2. it's packed to the brim with all sorts of fun, yummy papers and "extras" as Bree and Camille call them! This is Camille's kit and you can find it here. But Bree also has a kit (here) and you can choose from either one or just get both! I mean, how fun! I can't wait to dig in!

Woooooooohooooooooo!

Just a quick little post to announce that I'm not a one-hit-wonder in the world of publication! I was just contacted by Scrapbooks Etc. for a couple of cute altered items I made this past Winter (hint hint wink wink). I'm SOOO excited! YAY! :D

So where are you going to be Nov 7-8?

This is where I'll be!!!! Scrap Etc., a LSS in Birmingham, AL, is having their very first Christmas Event called Wrappers Delight. It's similiar to the Event they held at the Opryland Hotel this past April in Nashville, and this is their first time doing a Christmas-themed Event. I'm sooo excited! I can't wait! Crops, classes, make-n-takes, and so much more! Go check it out! We're going to have a blast!

We've been invaded...

by the Disney princess syndrome! LOL! A dear friend and her sweet daughters thought that it was time that my sweet Caroline be introduced in the cult known as Disney princess! They were so sweet to induct her into the fan club by purchasing 6 pairs of plastic high-heeled princess shoes, which now my dear darling innocent daughter canNOT get enough of!

Every single waking hour of the day I hear clomp-clomp-clomp all over my house. And sometimes I get to witness the re-enactment of Bambi's first attempt at skating on ice as Caroline's knees buckling into a sprawl on the kitchen floor! It's hilarious to watch her play in her new high-heels. They're only about 4 sizes too big for her, but she loves them so! They have their very own basket in her room, and she tucks them in bed each night by covering them with a baby blanket (probably so her little sister won't see them the next morning! LOL!). And every waking moment of the day they're on her feet--even while they dangle as we attempt to potty train, even as we cross the street in the middle of carpool line on the way to volleyball practice, and yes, this Sunday she insisted that she wear Snow White (of the bright red persuasion) with her pretty little teal hand-smocked dress to church. I won out on that one though! She wore Snow White in the car, changed into her Sunday shoes in the parking lot, and then as soon as church was over, "'No White pincess sues" were the first thing she asked for.

Despite my sarcasm, it really is endearing! I love it! I was never the girly-girl that apparently my little one is. And it's fun to see the joy on her face as she clomps through the house!

The day she got them.








Doesn't she look so happy???!!!

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On a completely different topic, you all probably know that the School of Scrap contest is going on over at Simply Obsessed. And I recently found this site, Yearbook Yourself, thanks to the Noel Mignon site. The whole point of it is to upload a picture of yourself, and then it'll show you what you may have looked like back in the day.

Here's me in 1960.


And in the early 90s:


Isn't that a riot!!!! I laughed hard when I saw that picture! And honestly, it looks a lot like one of my dad's old yearbook pictures! Too funny! Anyway, I thought I'd share. Go try it out! It's a ton of fun! :D

Hope you all have a great day!

Sept. Simply Obsessed LOs

I think I may have a new favorite manufacturer. Simply Obsessed's September kit is primarily made up of October Afternoon's new line, Hometown. It's also accented with both Fancy Pants and Jenni Bowlin goodies, which makes this kit ROCK! I loved using every bit of it! (and I DID use it up!) Here's what I did:

Lil Miss Sunshine


Bloom and Grow


Fab 5


Thank you card

What is it with these challenges?

Honestly! But I love them because they make me scrap things I would rather not do, or ones that I need to do but just haven't gotten around to doing. This one was an English assignment to write about school. There were several prompts and a free-write where you could write about just about anything school related. I went with the title "These are the days (I want to remember)" from the 10,000 Maniacs song. I went with that 1. because we listened to it all the time in high school and 2. because those really are the days I want to remember. The days when we were 4 young giddy school girls without a care in the world til life slapped us in the face.

"These are the days I want to remember"


In the picture are my 3 best friends since middle school, and the tallest one is Amelia. I have pictures of she and I when we were 4 and 5 years old. Anyway, just after my sophmore year, which was her junior year, she was tragically killed in a car/train accident. So when I look back on these pictures it TRULY IS the days and memories that I want to remember.

The journaling reads, "These are the days I want to remember... The days before June 26, 1995. The days when we were four giddy school girls who talked on the phone too much, used 3-way calling to call boys when we probably shouldn't have. The days when we went skinny-dipping in the pool while "pet-sitting" or the late nights singing every lyric and quoting every line from Grease. Those are the days I want to remember. Along with the mission trips, youth group fun, pep rallys, football games, 4-wheelin' in the mud, and riding horses. Those are the days I refuse to forget. The ones before we knew true pain, sadness, heartache, and loss. The ones where we lived, not knowing one of us would soon lose her life. Those were the days before we knew tragedy and those are the memories I cling to. We were young, and carefree. And we had no clue how it would all end. Those days are the memories I'll always cherish, because now that's all I've got to hold on to."

One of the hardest challenges

well, scrappy challenges that is, was one by Michelle for Simply Obsessed's School of Scrap month long contest. It was difficult because her challenge was the Science lesson that asked us to incorporate a MAMMAL into a layout. At first, I thought, "Oh great! I could do owls, or birdies, or some fish with my lake pictures..." Duh! I quickly realized that NONE of those were mammals. And the cute butterflies, chickies, or other "in" animals aren't either! I was stumped! Then I thought about doing a play on words with monkeys, only to realize I don't HAVE anything monkey-ish. So I finally decided to scrap a fave picture of Sarah Kate and use a lamb.

For those of you who don't know the whole story, Sarah Kate was a twin. Only her twin, Claire, survived until week 20 of the pregnancy then we lost her. Josh and I took multiple trips to Cincinnati to have a surgery performed to try to correct the problem but Claire didn't survive. Ironically it was the Twin-to-Twin that was keeping her alive while Sarah Kate was showing signs of congestive heart failure.

Anyway, as I lay in bed at the Ronald McDonald house in Cincinnati unable to sleep the night before the surgery, I decided to open my Bible. I fell upon this verse, Isaiah 40:11 and wept like I never have before. It read, "He tends his flock like a shepard, He gathers His lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads those who have young." Wow! I needed that like more than anything else at that moment. I was assured that the Lord was carrying my babies in His arms. Notice the verse says lambs--plural. Not only that but that He was gently leading me and Josh too. We'd left Caroline, only 11 months old at the time, home with my mom so that we could travel. Not only was I a ball of nerves, anxious about surgery, the pending survival of my unborn twins, but I dearly missed my little one at home too. So needless to say this verse brought me hope, courage, and comfort that night in Cincinnati. It still does. I'm confident in the fact that my Sweet Jesus is still holding my little Claire in His arms until I'm able to hold her again myself. I still refer to Sarah Kate as my little lamb, even though she's not really mine but His.

And all of this spurred on by a simple little challenge that had me baffled, but now I'm happy to share a little of the story with you, with Sarah Kate (to read later), and to confidently look forward to the day when I get to hold my other little lamb.

Oh and here's the layout: "Little lamb"

lots of scrappy updates

Just wanted to let you girls in on some of the fun stuff going on out there in scrap world. LOTS of fun stuff going on for the month of September. So here goes:

*Simply Obsessed is having a month long "School of Scrap" contest/challenge/get your scrap on with challenges and even some "homework"

*ShopCropSuey is now officially OPEN for BUSINESS! Woohoo! And the kits Bree and Camille put together are scrumptious! I can't wait to get mine in the mail! :D

*ColorStory 8 is up and includes a luscious color board with some Pottery Barn inspiration.

*Another great place with some Pottery Barn goodness is the Noel Mignon challenge blog. Michelle's challenge this time around is fabulous!

In an ideal scrap world, I'd be able to get to all of these challenges, and I'm going to do my best. But I wanted to tell everyone about them even though I may not get to every single one. I *think* that's all of them, but I wouldn't put it past me to have left something out! If I did, y'all remind me, k?

More pics and a few LOs too!

I've got lots to share, so here goes! First, we spent the long weekend at the lake. It's the last time we'll be there until Thanksgiving, so it was our last chance to swim and enjoy it's long lazy days. These are a few of my absolute favorites, but I actually got quite a few that I love.

Caroline splashing Nana


Caroline (not Dora) the Explorer


me and "baby Kate" as Caroline calls her


Baby Kate playing on BobBob's beach


Daddy's girls on game day:
Lil Rebel cheerleader


Lil Rebel princess (so her outfit reads)


And of course, Color Me Daisy's September kit is now up! It features papers from the new smash hit company Black Market Paper Society, Dream Street, and American Crafts. It was fun working with fresh stuff!Here's what I did with "Chocolate Dreams":

"You @ the zoo"

I have the hardest time with zoo pictures. So I decided to do a collage with them!

"Together"

A really simple one using rub-ons only.

"Austin"

This one's another one for Tab. I didn't add journaling so that she could do her own, but if it were up to me I'd simply add "Ausin-coming of age. Summer 2008" To me, he still has his babyface, but he's losing more and more of it each day. Her "little" boy's growing up!

"Family Fun"

A fun one of Sarah Kate and Granddaddy. They're always so playful.

"Thanks" card