***Happy Dance***

Woooohooo! I just received an email requesting a Halloween layout from Creating Keepsakes for their October issue! Hip hip hooray!!! I'm doing a little happy dance (as best a pregnant woman can) on this rainy yucky Saturday!

The little old woman in me

is so excited that it's Spring. I see buds and blooms in the yard, and am anticipating more to come. And since it's Earth Day I thought I'd share.

These were in bloom a week or two ago.




These are blooming right now! And I planted more tonight! :D
I have both purple (from a friend) and also white (from my grandmother). *note to self: take pics of the white

I also have miniature Dutch irises from my other grandmother, but don't have pics of them either. Shame on me!

And I can't WAIT for these to come up! Peonies are my absolute favorite! I have four bushes already, and am trying to root a couple more.

These are especially sentimental to me because they're 4 generations old. They were in my great great grandmother's garden in Booneville, Mississippi. (Probably around the turn of the century.) How cool is that?! I love it!

So. Can you see a mini-album in the making? I can. I've been meaning to do a Garden Journal too. Of course I'd alter the front of it, but I want to keep a record of what plants are where and the stories behind them. Maybe I should get to work on those two projects. But right now I'd rather "play" in the yard. It's the little old lady coming out in me! (big grin)

Heaven sent!

I hope you're not getting tired of me posting pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses. I've actually got a lot more! But THIS picture is one I'll cherish for a long long time. We finally got a picture of my girls with my sister's twin boys! They're only 9 mo. old, barely sitting up on their own, and just so adorable.

Heaven Sent




Of course I used more October Afternoon here, this time from their "Thrift Shop" line. The journaling, which is hidden on the craft tag behind the photo, reads, "All 4 of you are little miracles, blesings from God. Two have been in the NICU, 3 of you twins. And we didn't think we could have Caroline at all. Miracles...Blessings from Above (subtitle)"

And now I'm struggling with how to finish this post. I love it when my family gets together. But then it's bittersweet because we have to leave each other. I miss my sister, I miss the boys. But soon enough we'll all be back together again. (And I'll have MORE cousin photos and layouts to share! THAT makes me smile!)

A little bit of tee ball

With the weather so nice lately, the girls have been really enjoying the front yard. They play tag, hide-and-seek, soccer, and the other day they brought out the tee. Yes, the chose to put a miniature soccer ball on top of it. But that didn't bother me (not yet anyway. maybe when they get older.)

And in case you didn't know this about me, I played (very) competitive fast-pitch softball all through my teen years. I also coached when we first got married until we had kids. It's my sport of choice, my biggest bond with my Dad--it was our "thing", and it couldn't make me happier to see my girls give it a try.

(I tried to keep the coach in me silent, and just let them play. I mean, they're 3 and 4. No use in coaching yet. So I picked up my camera instead. )




She's got good form for just picking it up and playing. I was also excited to see she chose to hit left-handed even though she didn't know she'd chosen it. hee!



Obviously, this one needs to grow a little bit. But she LOVES playing anything with a ball. She may be my sporty girl! :)

Just in case you need...

Some Cheering Up


"Sarah Kate did NOT want her picture taken, but these daffodils cheered her up a little bit."

I don't know about you, but I'm loving the buttery yellow that's "in" right now. That cheers me up! Here I used a combination of Oct. Afternoon and American Crafts' "Dear Lizzy" line. I can't get enough of either one! Both are making me extremely happy these days! :D

Happy Monday everyone!

Nothing like a good online crop

to get the mojo going! I've been hanging out over at My Scrapbook Nook and their fabulous crop that's going on (though Monday midnight PST). There are 35+ scrap challenges, and boy has it been fun to just play! :D Here's what I've been up to.

Moments like these...

using all My Little Shoebox goodies. Thanks Gretch! ;)

Down By the Creek

This one was for a 30 min. challenge. I NEVER thought I could scrap an entire page in 30 min. but those OA journaling cards made it so easy!

Bubbles

using a sketch by Amy Coose

Sweet Things



My nephews Gabe and Drew at 9 mo. old! Aren't they soo cute?!

Baby Girl

A mini card for some friends that are having their baby girl next week (after having 3 boys).

Hi card

Another quickie. 3 of the circles are popped up on foam dots.

Well that's all for now, but I still have more time to get more challenges in! It's so nice to be on a roll and to feel creatively productive again! Yay me! :D

Totally girly!

Last week I got my hands on Simply Obsessed's April kit, and it brought out my girly side! It's packed with Oct. Afternoon's "Thrift Shop" papers and all sorts of goodies!

I instantly fell in love with this floral paper, and knew exactly which photo I wanted to pair with it! Someone else who's totally girly...







My LO is based on a challenge over at the Nook, which was to include a list of 8. And those higher numbers were quite the challenge, but I did it!

My LO includes:
1 photo
2 pins
3 patterned papers
4 ribbons/trim
5 paper flowers
6 stickers (each word in title was 1 sticker)
7 stitches
8 pearls

I love it when challenges push me, because I usually end up with a result that I love! And this is one of my new favorites! :D

Hopefully I'll be back with more soon!
Have a happy weekend!

Strike A Pose!

Still playing with some "Dear Lizzy". I really can't get enough of this line!







Journaling reads: "America's Next Top Model? I don't know, but lately whenever I pull out the camera you start popping poses and loving the attention!"

Yep. That about sums her up right about now! :D She's decided she loves being in the spotlight. And the interesting thing is that I've NEVER told her to pose, especially like this! I've no CLUE where she picked up such moves but they totally crack me up! I love my sweet girl!

Btw, the actual LO ends with the corner rounded edges. I should've photographed it differently, because it looks like our front door is a part of the LO. Oh well. Live and learn.

The rest of Easter

The rest of our Easter was very laidback. We came home from church to find that our power was out, so we went out to eat instead. Then we headed to the park. We did a little "exploring" (as Caroline called it) in the creek. For rest time we watch Disney's "Up" for the first time. Then in the evening we played in the front yard. A very restful day.

The camera hog and the reluctant one

**warning, lots of photos in this post**

I have one of each. This one has decided that she LOVES the camera, and is willing to pose especially when she's feeling particularly beautiful in her Easter dress. Unfortunately those poses usually include a "ta da" with arms out, just before she twirls!



But then I get shots like this, my new favorite:






SHE on the other hand, is NOT a camera hog. Lately it's either pure refusal, or a silly face with fingers in the mouth and a tongue sticking out.







I never did get a good one of the 2 of them together.
Finally some bribing of jellybeans improved her outlook.









So those are the posed shots. I'll post tomorrow the rest of our day. It was fun!