Sisters-LOAD 31!!! YES, I DID IT!!!! :o)

Well, here it is! My 31st layout in 31 days! Picture me leaning back in my chair heaving a huge sigh with a huge goofy grin on my face. I can't believe I actually DID this! Despite having family visiting, despite have two pretty sick kiddos for half the month, despite almost missing the deadline one time, despite not always feeling the mojo...I stuck with it and did what I set out to do! What an awesome feeling it is. Such a confidence booster in more ways than just scrapbooking. To those who followed along with me and kept encouraging me with your wonderful comments, I thank you! WHEW!

After I took the pictures of Amy reading yesterday, I took one of Jess sitting on the ottoman and Amy wanted in on it, so we had a totally impromptu photo shoot! They both happened to be wearing red, although you can't tell in this picture. They both got into it and it was so much fun! Yes, their faces are a bit dirty (Amy loves her fudgicles-how she says it) and you can see the remnants of it on her face, but who cares! I love the picture because these are my sweet girls, healthy again! :o) I searched for quotes about sisters and this one seemed perfect to me.

Thanks again for following along with me on my challenge!

Credits:
Template and Love Bug kit from Kay Miller Designs, Font is Fling and the quote was found at www.scrapbook.com

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today!

Good Friends LOAD 30!!! Yes 30!!!

Thanks for the fun comments I got on yesterday's layout. Susan, to answer your question, yes, I really do let the girls go out in whatever they choose to wear (unless it is not weather appropriate). :o) Actually I used to be a little embarrassed, especially at preschool, but I received full blessings from the teachers there. Their thinking is just like ours...it fosters independence! They like that I let them choose what to wear. Plus because the clothes are "lived in" there is no problem if they get messy at school. Okay, enough of that. Just thought I'd let you know that they do wear what they choose out in public.

Onto today's layout...Here you go!
Wednesdays are Amy's early release days from school. We have a good stretch of time where the girls can play, Amy can do her homework and just hang out before we leave for swim class. Amy got her homework done and I really needed to do some cleaning around the house. I came back into the living room to see her in the chair by the window reading her library book, Rocket. It's a Kipper book. I had not mentioned she should read. In fact we were each doing our own thing. That's what made me so happy. She made the choice to sit down and read her book. It was so very sweet, I had to snap some pictures. As my journaling says, my hope is that she realizes what good friends books become. (I still own the Little House books my mom gave me when I was in 3rd-4th grade) I am so happy she likes to and chooses to read. :o)

I really wanted to use this new digi kit-Fresh Start, but her top was red, so I decided to make the photos black and white. Amy was sitting near me as I was working on the layout and she told me I needed to put the color back in her shirt. I don't think she likes the black and white, but I think it suits the papers. I can always do another layout with the pictures in color. Ahhhhh the beauty of digi scrapping!

I already have an idea of what pictures I want to use tomorrow for the last day of the challenge. :o) That's a good start. LOL I could start it tonight, but I won't. I want to be true to the goal I set for myself, which is to create a layout a day.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.
Credits:
Template: Blueprints Set 6 by Vintage Charm (Megan Leeson)-Two Little Pixels
Kit-Fresh Start by Terriann Hanks-Digital-Scrapbooking.org
Fonts: Minion Pro and Pea Tracy

Fashion Divas-LOAD 29

Before I talk about my layout, I wanted to share with you that both my girls went back to school on Monday! Yea!!! I enjoyed the peace and quiet on Monday and today I spent part of the time Jessica was in school running an errand. The coughing is just about gone. The only thing is for some reason (maybe the wind-a front blew through) Jessica woke up at 3am! She fell back to sleep, but I didn't. So I am pretty tired at the moment. She was fine, just wide awake!

I also wanted to thank you for all the kind comments you have been sharing on my layouts. I really do appreciate them. I have enjoyed doing my best to meet this challenge. I don't know that I would continue to do a layout a day, but I've proven to myself that I can and that's saying something! :o)

Now onto the layout...
I'm sure you are giggling at the get my girls are wearing! I know my husband and I sometimes just shake our heads at what they come up with. Actually, now it doesn't faze us much at all! Both girls have been dressing themselves for quite some time. I'm not a mom who needs them to look "just so." I figure I just have to say...they dress themselves and it needs no more explanation! One thing I will say...I don't fight with the girls about what they wear, save a time or two when they want to leave the house without a coat and it's 20 degrees out. For the most part, I wash and fold the clothes and beyond that it's their choice on what to wear! What they wear is a battle I choose not to engage in. They are dressed and happy. Can't ask for much more than that. LOL

Credits:
Template: Jen Caputo Collection #23 Scrapbookgraphics
Kit-Tutti Frutti Nana's Attic, Notepaper-Ksharonk at Two Little Pixels
Fonts: Roselyn and Pea Nancy

Thanks for visiting. Just think two more layouts! I wonder what will strike my fancy next? And just so you know...I am actually creating one layout a day. I'm not doing a bunch on the weekend and saving them to post each day. :o)

Have a great day. I'm off to bed and hoping I get to sleep through the night!

Special Friends-LOAD 28

Whew! Wasn't sure if I was going to get this layout done! My husband helped a friend build a computer and they used my computer (the one with PSE on it) for the monitor (I think). Anyway, my computer was unavailable to me for awhile this evening. BUT, they got done early enough that I could work on a quick layout.

My daughter Jessica and Steve's friend, Dave, have a very special friendship. They are good buddies that is for sure. I was scrolling thru my photos and found a folder I hadn't noticed before called Steve's camera. I took a quick peek and found this photo, among others, of a day trip Steve and Dave took the girls (& Buster) on. I absolutely fell in love with this picture all over again. I was thinking of doing a layout about the snows we got last winter, but I'm glad I chose this one instead, especially given I didn't have a whole heckofalot of time to get 'er done.

Credits
Template: Kay Miller Designs (surprise!)
Paper and corner overlay from Simple Beauty created by Anita of Nana's Attic I recently discovered this blog and joined the "club." So far I've not been disappointed. You can read more about it on the blog.
Font: Porcelain

Thanks for visiting. I'm relieved that I didn't have to give up my goal of creating a layout a day this late into the challenge. It definitely takes an effort, but I've come this far and I want to see it through. :o)

Uncle Derek-LOAD 27

Note for Lisa, who left a nice comment on my blog: Of course you may add my blog to your bloglist. I'm flattered you would like to. Thanks for asking! :o) Blogger doesn't include email addresses so I couldn't respond directly. I think your blog is terrific! My brother Derek (number 3 brother out of 5) is an over the road truck driver. Because his delivery route doesn't often take him through Denver, we don't get to see him too often. But in August of last year I got a phone call from him letting me know he was at a nearby truckstop. He wanted to know if we could meet him there for dinner. Of course! (it was during dinner we saw the news of the Minnesota Bridge collapse) After we ate, we brought him back to our house for a bit so he could relax. He had fun playing with the girls and they loved his attention. It sure was nice catching up with him. The visit was too short, but better a short visit than none at all.

Credits:
Template: All Stitched Up by Janet Phillips
Elizabeth kit by Saskia Bokkers
Fonts: Anthology, FG Adrian and Century Gothic

Thanks so much for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.

A Few More Goodies To Share

As promised, here is the possible Valentine's Day gift for the girls' teachers. Or maybe just one of them (like Amy's). Jessica has 3 teachers, plus the very involved and sweet director. I got the idea here and just had to try it for myself. Check out her blog and the Martha Stewart site she mentions in making the fortune cookie base. I used Bamboo, Baby Pink and White Daisy. The heart stamp is from CTMH's From You and Me set (which may be retired, I can't remember off-hand). I layered the circles and the pink scalloped circle as well as the heart are pop-dotted to add some dimension. I random stamped pink hearts on the base with the heart from A Little Something set (also retired-sorry) Next up are a couple of cards I made from CTMH's Serendipity set. They are pretty self explanatory. :o) I found the inspiration for the first one here.
This one sort of evolved. Not sure if it needs something else, but don't feel like playing with it anymore.
This last card is my version of this one I saw here. I don't have the stamp she used, but I do have the script embossing folder for my Cuttlebug! I rubbed my black stamp pad over the raised images. Didn't have the ribbon or the scalloped rectangle, but I like what I used just fine. The black cardstock is textured and I picked it up at Hobby Lobby. The black rhinestone I found at Joann's. The ribbon was in my stash and I have no idea where I got it now.I hope you enjoyed these cards. I will need to work on my LOAD layout a bit later. :o)

Thanks for stopping by.

Cookie Time-LOAD 26

Well, here it is! Layout 26! I think the colors are so happy and I even snuck in that ladybug I like so much, although she is kinda small.

I feel a little more creatively satisfied after my craft fest today.

Template and Love Bug kit are from Kay Miller Designs. Font is Sweetheart Script.

I'm thinking I really need to practice some digi techniques that I've learned, but a lot of times in order to get a layout done, I need to keep it simple. I think I'll have to wait until after the challenge to get some good practice using different techniques.

With that, I'll close and head to bed.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today.

Some Cards I Made Today!

I decided today I earned some time holed up in my craft room! It was lovely. I printed off several projects I've seen from the blogs I subscribe to in my Google Reader and got to work. I listened to some of my favorite country singers full blast and just had fun. Here are the results:

We were invited to a birthday party today, but with the girls being sick, we decided not to go so as not to expose any other kids to our crud. This first card is the one I made for the little girl. This cupcake stamp set I just picked up at Archiver's. The sentiment inside says You deserve a day sprinkled with fun. I sure wish I was better at coloring in and blending, but oh well. I used my Prisma pencils and a colorless blender. The cardstock is Baby Pink and a retired Baby Pink patterned paper from CTMH. I added some sparkles from the Summer Celebration pack from CTMH. This card was inspired by one I saw at Archiver's.
If you haven't checked out Kathi's Creative Corner you really should! I just love seeing what she's been up to because more often than not, I get so inspired, I am itching to create after seeing her projects. This card was inspired by one she made which you can see here.

I used CTMH's More to Adore paper pack and the little flower from the Adorable stamp set. The sentiment is from the Because of You stamp set. The brads are from a Connections Club reward we offered awhile ago. I didn't have the corner punches Kathi used in her card, so I finagled some using square punches. I decided to run them through my Cuttlebug embossing folder that has the mosaic circles (which are hard to see because I took the pictures just a little while ago and it's dark out). Then I sponged over the raised areas. To make the hearts I used my Cricut and the George cartridge. I made one then the next one on the next size setting and trimmed it to make the mat smaller. The ribbons are CTMH as well.

I thought this card was so neat, I had to create it! I used Papertrey Ink's Sweet Love set. It's a criss cross card with an insert card for writing your sentiment. I took the same stamp that I used for the stamping on the triangular pieces, and stamped just half of it around the edges of the insert card. Then I took one of the small stamps in the set and stamped it for the border on the band. The "heart" is stamped in black and then clear embossed. Colors are Baby Pink, Black and Hollyhock (CTMH).

This card was pretty much CASED from this card here. Julie T comes up with some great ideas.

I used Holiday Red and Grey Wool. The ribbon is from my stash. Obviously you can see I ran the cardstock through my Cuttlebug. The grey heart has stamping from the Sweet Love set from Papertrey Ink. I embossed it with White embossing powder after stamping to make it stand out. Oh and I used the same hearts from my Cricut, only this time I didn't cut down the larger sized heart. I think I did a 2 1/2 inch and a 3 inch heart.

I did make one other project, but I need to get something for it before I can take pictures, so hopefully that will be ready tomorrow.

I still need to do my LOAD layout so I'll be back a bit later!

Thanks for looking. :o)

Little Swimmers-LOAD 25

I went back to Kay Miller Designs today...and couldn't resist the Blue Lagoon Kit. I also got the one called Love Bug, which has THE cutest little ladybug! I picked up a new template set there, too. Sigh...it's way too easy to get sucked in! I really need to organize my stash again. LOL

Anyway, I probably have scrapped these pictures (too lazy to check for sure), but thought I'd use them again just because I wanted to use the Blue Lagoon kit. It's nice to think about the warmth of summer in the middle of winter. :o) I just love the expressions on the girls' faces as they jumped off the diving board and came out of the slide. The colors of this kit go perfectly with the blue of the water don't you think?

Oh and I saw a tutorial on the Scrapmatters blog about creating a text path. I thought it said you could do it in PSE, but I don't think so, at least I can't find the same command in my PSE. But, the writer of the tutorial included a freebie template, so we wouldn't have to do the work of actually creating the text path. On that template was a circle text path. So I used it to get the arch for the Little Swimmers title.

Credits: Template: Kay Miller Designs: Set 16 and Blue Lagoon Kit
Fonts: Pea Tracy and You Are Loved (title)

We ended up keeping Amy home again today because she was coughing quite a bit after she woke up. She didn't resist too hard, so she probably wasn't feeling 100% either. This way she has the extra few days to kick the bug and will go back on Monday. Jessica doesn't have school on Fridays. We did go out for a bit because we all are experiencing some cabin fever. It has finally warmed up a bit, although it's windy. The sun was shining and it was nice to be outside for a little while. They are starting to fuss at each other, so it will be nice to separate them a bit next week. :o)

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today.

Printing Layouts Created Digitally

I've gotten this question a couple of times since I started posting my digital layouts and thought I would create a quick post answering it.

First of all, to remind you, or let you know-in case you didn't know, I am using Photoshop Elements 5.0 to create my layouts. By far the best course I've taken in learning how to digi scrap is one taught by Jessica Sprague called Up and Running with Photoshop. Check out her classes at http://www.jessicasprague.com/ I also purchased some courses from Linda Sattgast at http://www.scrappersguide.com/ What I like about these courses is that they include video that you can play while you have your program running and you can follow along, stopping, pausing and rewinding as necessary. There are sites that offer courses that you can download or follow the screen shots (to find them, Google "how to create a digital layout" and a bunch of hits will show up). I also like Renee Pearson's books Digital Designs (which I think is out of print now) and Digital Designs 2, which is still available. Jessica Sprague also has a special out called Computer Tricks for Scrapbookers and I hear her second edition is due out next month.

Okay, for printing, first of all, I do not own a wide format printer, and I create 12 x 12 pages. I did print a CD calendar for my mother-in-law at Christmas. I think I used almost a full ink cartridge doing that, so really it's not cost effective for me to print at home.

I have had 5 layouts printed and I had them done at http://www.scrapbookpictures.com/ . What I liked is that 12 x 12 pages were $2.99 and they had a flat rate of $2 for shipping, no matter how many you had developed. I liked how they arrived as well. They were sandwiched between sturdy cardboard and inside a plastic bag. I believe I got them less than a week after I ordered them.

Costco is a place I hear about over and over. They do print 12 x 12 pages for about $2.99. I've also heard that they can print 3 12 x 12 layouts on one large sheet (you would have to cut them apart yourself) for about $4.99. The quality is very good from what I hear. That would be a great option IF you had a membership to Costco, which I don't. Although I admit to thinking about joining just for this purpose. Not sure if Steve would go for it, though.

Sam's Club also prints larger photos, but they don't do 12 x 12 specifically. They print 12 x 16 I think and those run around $3.50. I like the photos I have had developed there, so I assume the larger pictures would be equally good, but I do think the cost is too high for me.

So for me right now most of my layouts live in my computer. But when I do want to print, I will use Scrapbook Pictures until I hear of a better deal.

Hope this helps!

Together-LOAD 24

Credits: Template #24 from Moriginals, Terra Cotta papers from Atomic Cupcake, embellishments and journaling paper from Autumn Flowers by Dana Zarling, a kit I received from Scrapper's Guide Premier Newsletter. Font: Pea Jeannie Script and Garamond

I wasn't sure what photos I wanted to scrap today. As I was scrolling thru my pictures, I saw one of my mom and I standing outside my apartment when I lived in Palmdale. I started a layout using that one. Then I thought of this picture, which I have hanging in my scraproom. I scanned it and am glad I chose this one today. :o)

This picture was taken in March, 1994. My mom passed away in August, 1994, so it's one of the very last pictures of us together. It's one of my favorite pictures not only because it is one of the last, but I think we both look very content and happy. We definitely enjoyed each other's company, that is for sure. For those that don't know, I am the youngest of 6 kids and I am the only girl, so my mom and I had a very special relationship. She was always there for us kids. We could talk to her about just about anything and she really listened. She had a loud, distinctive laugh and now I can only vaguely remember it. She loved to play games. She loved to do cross stitch. She loved to read. I attribute much of any success I have in life to her example.

I came across this next photo in the stash my husband had on his computer. I realize it is a lousy, out of focus picture, but I had to smile when I saw it. I just scrapped the photo of my mom in her new kitchen and mentioned the lime green cabinets. Well, here they are! This picture is marked as being taken in February of 1974, and I would have been about 8 1/2 years old. I think that fabric in the lower corner is the sleeve of my shirt. One of my brothers probably took this picture. My dad only took slides at that time. Anyway, I thought you might like to see what I was talking about. :o) And now the Amy/Jessica update for today...

Amy's temp stayed below 100 a majority of the day and even registered at normal in the evening. She had a couple of coughing attacks, but they weren't as bad as the ones she has been having. She is perky and in good spirits. We are going to attempt to go to school tomorrow, but if she is coughing a lot, we may just keep her home and start fresh on Monday. Behaviorally, she is like her normal self and not nearly as ornery as she was yesterday. Thank heavens she is over the worst of this crud!

Jessica had a really, really rough start to her day. She was crying and difficult to deal with. She didn't want to eat (and hadn't eaten much last night either), she didn't want to drink, she was yanking things away from Amy. Just not a happy camper at all. She even spit out her medicine. Thankfully after being up only a hour or two, she fell asleep on the couch and slept for several hours. I think she woke up after lunch time! But, it was just what she needed and her mood and behavior improved considerably. She took her medicine without incident and even munched on food all afternoon. She and Amy played nicely (and quietly) together. Her temp remained under 100 as well. The doctor's office called in the afternoon and she does indeed have strep throat. But I think we caught it early and she's bouncing back more quickly than Amy has. Both girls are asleep in their own beds tonight, another sign we are on the mend. :o)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.

SICK-LOAD 23

I don't know if I made the cutoff on the LOAD challenge for today. I can't remember if they are using Pacific or East Coast time. I know I got it done in time for it to count for my own day 23!

I actually saw a blog of a digi scrapper friend and she's been sick, too. She created a layout that inspired this one. She scrapped the foods you eat/drink when you are sick. I thought it might be appropriate to show the signs of being sick, which is what is repeated in the journaling.

This was a bit more difficult to create than I thought. I started out with a completely different template, but wasn't satisfied with any papers for that template. So I scoured my digi stash and finally selected this one. In amongst trying to decide, Jessica kept asking me to snuggle with her and how can I turn that down!?! Anyway, the papers are again from the Affection Collection that I've been using a lot this week. Template is from Kissed Studio and the font is Century Gothic.

We were back at the doctor's office today, but this time for Jessica. She's been complaining that her ear hurts and yesterday wouldn't eat saying that it made her throat hurt to swallow. Add the temp and the cough and I figured we should have her checked out. She's got some of what Amy has, but no strep (which is what I was worried about). She actually does have an ear infection, but not in the ear she said was hurting! Go figure. So, now both girls are on a strong antibiotic. Good news, no one threw up today. (have to find the silver lining in the cloud that is sickness) Amy's cough seems to be lessening and while this can be considered good, it's also not so fun. Amy must be feeling better because she was teasing Jessica and generally being really ornery. Unfortunately, she still had a fever of 100 at bedtime, so she stays home again tomorrow. Jessica is much more clingy when she is sick than Amy is, so I've spent lots more time on the couch today. My free cell game is getting a work-out because I can only watch so many kid shows before I start to go bonkers, especially as often as they repeat episodes. LOL

Okay, now I think I am rambling, so I'd best sign off and get to bed so I can be rested for another day tomorrow. g'night.

Ivy Maxwell-LOAD 22

Here's the picture I was originally going to scrap yesterday. It was taken not too long before she passed away. This one is the one we had on display at my mom's memorial service. My family thought it represented her very well. She's in the kitchen she loved, looking at a cookbook. She' s surrounded by pretty things and her bread machine is out. It is just classic Mom. It's actually a photocopy of the print. My dad obviously has the original. But, it worked well enough for me. I used the same papers from Nitwit Collections that I used yesterday. The template is from Kay Miller Designs. I fiddled and futzed with the journaling part. In the end I searched for a quote/poem that I felt was appropriate.

My parents lived in the same house since before I was born. My dad still lives there. Our kitchen for as long as I can remember was definitely decorated in the 70s. Her favorite color was green and her cupboards were lime green. (somehow I don't think they were supposed to be that bright, but when the budget is tight, you make do if the color is off). They finally fixed it up after all us kids (6 of us) were out of the house. Unfortunately not too long after they finished, the Northridge earthquake hit and falling items damaged that tile countertop among other things. But it was/is a really warm and inviting space with all the goodies Mom really wanted in a kitchen.

Anyway, thanks for looking and listening to my ramblings there.

Amy Update:

She slept fairly well last night. Although that fever is still lingering around 100. She seems a bit perkier today, which is good. AND she lost another tooth. Go figure! I guess she doesn't have much else to do but play with the loose teeth. LOL She woke up coughing pretty hard around 4am again.

BUT and you had to know there was going to be a but....Jessica and I have been up since 1am! Sigh....she woke me up crying for me. She has been a wee bit jealous of the attention Amy's been getting and she at 1am wanted to watch tv on the couch with Amy. Well, I wasn't going to disturb her, so we went into another room. No sooner had I got her settled than she got sick all over the recliner on the couch. Yes...I do believe round 2 is starting...She got sick something like 3 more times in the next few hours and that was it. (thank goodness) She stayed home from school and has a low grade fever and a cough...Unlike Amy, she seems to be responding to the normal Tylenol/Ibuprofen doses, so maybe, hopefully, cross your fingers, she won't end up as sick as Amy???? Pretty please??? She did fall asleep on the couch this morning for a couple of hours (lucky her) and now wants me to snuggle with her.

So, I will close for now.

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.
forgive any typos, rambling sentences, thoughts that seem disconnected...I tend not to do well when I don't get my sleep...
:o)

Ivaloe Jean Donnenwerth-LOAD 21

Today is my mother's birthday. Were she still with us, she would be turning 73. For those that don't know, she passed away in August of 1994. I still miss her. More so on special days like this. I have a picture on display that was taken a few months prior to her passing and was the one we used at her memorial service. I was going to do a layout using that one. I asked my husband if he had scanned the picture and as he was checking his files, I saw this one and decided to use it instead. I will probably scrap the other one, maybe for tomorrow's layout. Again, I could have "fixed" the photo, but I chose not to.

I just this morning at around 5am (Amy woke up at 4am, so I was on the computer while she was watching tv) discovered a new website (at least new to me) with some digital supplies that I absolutely fell in love with. Nitwit Collections. Sounds like an interesting name, doesn't it? But the style of the designer is one that I really, really like. She has another site linked Kay Miller Designs and this designer has some awesome templates. They cost a little bit more than I am used to paying, but because I wanted it for this special layout, I went ahead a splurged. The paper collection I used for this layout is called Affection Collection and I bought all the different components for the collection. The font I used is called Chopin Script.

Update on Amy...First of all, thank you for all the comments and well wishes for her. They are very much appreciated! Let me say, this is the first time she has been this sick for this long and it does have me a bit concerned. I hope I don't sound like a nervous nellie mommy. For the most part we go with the flow and try not to make too big a deal out of things lest they get the kids upset. That being said, we went to the doctor again this morning!!! That cough of her is really kicking in and keeping her up at night now. Plus the fact that she has run a fever for just about a full week. So, the doctor listens and says she hears "something" in the left lung. She has the nurse bring in a nebulizer and gives Amy a treatment. Which helps the something sound much better. Whew. But, she sends us to get a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. I'm still waiting to hear back on that. Oh and her ear appears to be infected! SOOOOOOOO....we have a NEW antibiotic, cough syrup with codeine for at night and a nebulizer machine with albuterol treatments. Sigh...needless to say, she isn't going to school tomorrow either. :o( I just want her to get better and also for Jessica NOT to get the same thing.

Edited to add: Amy's doctor called late this afternoon to say that the x-ray shows no pneumonia! WHEW!!! She has a virus, touch of the flu (maybe), pink eye, ear infection, respiratory infection, horrible cough, fever, but NO pneumonia! She currently (8:15pm) has a temp of 102.4...

Thanks for listening.

Gramma Tomshack-LOAD 20

Yea, I got today's layout done! :o) This is a picture of my mother-in-law that was taken the same day that I took my dad's picture at Gunther Toody's. I'm sure I could have edited it a little bit, but I chose not to. I think the picture came out rather nice. And I have to say, I'm really loving how the layout turned out.

Well, we went through another day with Amy and her fever. She's coughing a bit more, but it almost seems like it may be breaking up (I guess you can call that wishful thinking). It seems like what I call a "tickle" cough. We all went out to the Mall to get some new cell phones. The girls were a bit cranky as they both got up around 5am and hadn't napped since then, but we rode the escalator a few times and they really liked that.

I think we are going to be experiencing round 2 of illness as I noticed Jessica coughing more today and around dinner time, she had a temp of 100. Although after taking some medicine, it dropped to just about normal. Amy's fever doesn't do that. I'm pretty sure she will end up with something, I just HOPE it isn't as bad as what Amy has.

Credits:
Template-Mrs. Wresh-Template 72 from her blog (I think)
Papers: Floral Celebration kit by Robyn Littlejohn, received from Scrapper's Guide Premiere Newsletter.
Word Art: Karen Aiken kit from November 2006 Scrapper's Guide Premiere Newsletter
Swirl/Brush: Flytrap
Font: AdineKirnbergScript

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.

Finally Asleep-LOAD 19

Another basic and easy layout for me today. As the journaling mentions, I slept on the couch with Amy last night (Friday), but neither of us got much actual sleep. She wanted to sleep on the couch again and since she's been running the fever all day (thankfully NOT 105), and it seems to help her cough, we're letting her. But she had to promise to actually sleep this time. She did and after a few minutes to settle down, she rolled over and went to sleep. Jessica didn't want to be left alone, so she was on the couch with us for at least an hour past their normal bed time. Sigh...

I snapped this picture after we finally got Jessica to bed and decided it would do for my layout today.

I'm about done for the day so I'm just going to close this for now and will try to remember credits tomorrow.

Thanks for visiting...I hope you find time to create today.

Free Cell-LOAD18

Admittedly this is NOT my best layout. I'm sorry for that, but I did at least DO one! :o) Because it was questionable today.

Amy wasn't doing too well today and we ended up back at the doctor's office this afternoon. Here fever kept going up instead of dropping. While waiting for the doctor to come to the exam room, Amy looked up at me and some yucky gunk was coming out of one eye. This hadn't happened all week. Doctor comes in and looks at the tissue I used to wipe it and says that's pink eye! Okay, HOW does my child end up with pink eye when she hasn't been in school for four days?? Maybe it's the virus working its way out. So we get a prescription for that. Doctor says the antibiotic she is already on will cover everything except walking pneumonia and she listened carefully and determined she doesn't have that. So, she's got a virus and we need to keep doing what we are doing. If she's not better after the round of antibiotic we are to come back.

So we go home and at around 4:30 I check her temp and it's up to almost 105! I about freaked! Got her into the tub, called hubby and then the doctor's office and gave her another dose of ibuprofen. My poor child had chattering teeth and just looked so out of it. Thankfully the bath helped get the temp down and she perked up. It hovered around 104 for a few hours. I checked before she went to bed and it was 99-100, so HOPEFULLY that was the final spike and she is going to turn around. Poor Amy and also poor Jess because I keep focusing on Amy and Jess wants some attention too.

So after dealing with this all day, I hope you understand that this is about ALL I could come up with. I actually thought it was a kind of funny subject, since I've been playing this game a lot these past few days. The girls do like to try to help me win, too. They love watching the numbers zip up to the top row when I do win a game. I almost took a picture of Amy on the couch, but just couldn't bring myself to do it.

PS...this post marks 100 posts for me! Can you believe it???

Credits:
Template-Rachael Giallongo-F-for-Fun from Polka Dot Potato
Papers: Background-Burlap Buddies-Raspberry Road Designs
Notebook Paper-Gina Cabrera Digital Design Essentials
Polka dot-Emily Merritt-Little Dreamer Designs
Burgandy paper: LivE Designs Boy Oh Boy Solid Treasure paper
Fonts: Curlzmt (downloaded from internet somewhere), janellescript which can be found at Scrappinfun It's a freebie font. I saw it on a newsletter and loved it, so I asked the store where I could find it and they responded.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find some time to create today.

Making Butter-LOAD 17

Here's today's layout...

and Amy stayed home again today. The poor thing just can't seem to shake the fever. When she woke up, it was normal, but an hour later and just before we were to head out to school, it shot up to 101! Most of the day it's been 99-100, so I don't think she's going to go to school tomorrow either. I called the doctor's office and the nurse said sometimes it takes up to 72 hours before the antibiotic really kicks in. She started on Tuesday. So, I'm hoping from here on out we'll start seeing improvement.

She isn't really behaving as though she is sick. She wants to play and eat, which is good, but I cannot send her to school with a fever. I guess whatever this is, and I don't think it's the flu, more like a bad cold, it's making the rounds at school, especially the first grade. She cried when she went to bed last night because she said she misses school. Poor thing! Keeping her home tomorrow might be good regardless because then she'll have through Monday to kick this bug since Monday is a school holiday. We'll see. And I'm totally crossing my fingers that Jessica doesn't get it. I can just see going through another round next week! I had a killer headache today, too, which made me nervous that I was catching whatever this is, but thankfully it finally subsided.

Keep your fingers crossed that we'll be healthy SOON!

I love reading your comments and thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. Amy's cheeks were pink in the Apple post because she had a fever at the time. She gets all rosy like that when she is hot. Still, she looked pretty cute for not feeling 100%.

This template popped out at me when I was scrolling through my stash. I just had to find some pictures that felt like they went well with it. I think this came out pretty well.

Credits:

Template Speed Byte Layered Template #3 by Pattie Knox at Designer Digitals

Papers, Ribbon Staple: Cozy Comfy Fall Mega Kit, by Gina Cabrera at Digital Design Essentials

Stitching: Keep Em in Stitches, Feather Stitch, by Lisa Carter at Digital Scrapbook Place

Font: CTMH Noodge

Thanks for looking! I hope you find time to create today.

The Apple Did It-LOAD 16

Amy finally consented to my taking pictures of her gappy grin. Get a load of that tooth! Half of it was in her gum! And forgive the messy mouth, but hey, that's what she looks like. Yes, she has metal in her mouth. The crown is the result of her bonking her chin and knocking a chunk of molar off. That was her "unofficial" first lost "part of a" tooth. :o) This one came about the good old fashioned way. Eating an apple at school and then wiggling and jiggling it out.

And she stayed home from school again today. Darn that fever! She's eating and behaving normally, but the fever won't stay away. Unfortunately for her, she won't be swimming today either. Sigh...

Onto the credits:
Template (it's #79) from Templates N More blog. Created by Trish Heffner I rotated it 90 degrees so I had room for the title.
Papers: Background- Jessica Sprague Flower Girl kit, Swirls and Flowers Crystal Skies from Susan Darter at Raspberry Road Designs blog
Brads: Silver Flower Gina Cabrera, Cozy Comfy Fall mega kit, Silver brad-Tracy Collins, No Room For Gray
Silver Alpha-Shabby Princess-Urban Kiwi kit.
Fonts: 2peas Scrapbook (the) Century Gothic (did it and journaling)

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today.

Summer Joy-LOAD 15

The crispness of the full layout is lost a bit when I resized it for posting. Please know that the original looks less pixelated.

In December, I signed up for Renee Pearson's Brushworks class at Big Picture Scrapbooking. Around the same time, I started using Google Reader and signed up for Renee's blog. She had a giveaway a day at that time for various items. I actually WON! I won a Glitz Design CD called Summer Crush. It's a Digital/Printable Scrapbooking Kit. I loved the colors in the preview Renee showed on her blog. Well, the CD arrived today and I was so excited, I had to make a layout using it right away. This is the result. Fun, huh? The colors make me smile. Thanks so much, Renee! (as if she'd read my blog) Credits at the end of the post.

In other news....
I kept Amy home from school today because the cold she's had for weeks just doesn't seem to be getting any better. She's been getting a low grade fever off and on, too. Well last night the cough just sounded terrible. This morning I checked and her temp was back up t0 100.2. So, I took her to the doctor. No ear infection, even though they had to irrigate the one ear again due to wax. The doctor said the chest sounded rattly which can't be good, right? She also noticed lots of draining, which could be sinuses. And so, we are on another round of a stronger antibiotic for 10 days. Through it all though, Amy's never acted sick. I mean she's eating great, playing well, and is her usual chipper self. In fact on the way to the doctor and coming from the doctor she kept telling me she was hungry for lunch (and this is after a big bowl of cereal for breakfast)It's so hard to know with her if she just has a high tolerance for pain/discomfort or if it's just a bad cold lingering on...

In other OTHER news....
We went to swim class yesterday because Amy wasn't acting sick. Well, after class while they were drying their hair using those loud air hand dryers, Amy said something out of the blue like I'm sorry Mommy, it happened when I ate my apple at school. HUH? What happened? Miss Amy is working on losing her very first tooth! (losing it naturally, not being knocked out like the chunk of molar a few months ago) It's even the lower front one, not the top tooth that has been loose forever and a day (because the root of that top tooth is calcifying due to getting bonked one too many times). She's been playing around with it and reminding me of myself when I had loose teeth. You know jimmying it with the tongue. She didn't want to show her dad though. She was afraid he would be mad at her for some reason. Well, so far the tooth is still hanging on, but it shouldn't be too much longer. I am just ITCHING to yank it out because it's bugging me to watch her play with it, but I'll keep my hands to myself. :o) Sniff, sniff more evidence that she is growing up. As if the fact that she is getting TALL and talking about going into second grade wasn't proof enough...I had to buy size 7 pants last week, just for the length...

Wow!!!!! As I was typing this, Jessica just yelled to me that Amy's tooth CAME OUT all by itself! Then Amy showed me. She won't let me take a picture though, darn it! Maybe later...this is good scrapbooking material. She just said it didn't hurt at all, and it didn't bleed. :o)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.

Credits:
Template: Robin Blankenship-This N That Maps-I got it from ScrapWow as a bonus, but I have a website listed in my ACDSee file. Treasures to Scrap I don't know if it is available there.
Papers/Tag: Summer Crush from the CD which can be found at Glitz Design
Fonts: Bradley Hand ITC, 2Peas Scrapbook

Christmas Morning 2007-LOAD 14

Well, I thought I'd get a layout done early in the day...just in case...I don't get a chance later tonight to work on one. You know, covering my tushie! :o)

Template-Just found this freebie this morning from Gina at her blog
Papers: Serendipity kit by Kim Jensen received from ScrapWow I liked using the somewhat untraditional colors.
Font: Fling (which just seems to go well with Christmas photos/layouts)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today!

Excitement Overload-LOAD 13

Well, here it is...day 13! I don't know when the last time was that I created 13 layouts so consistently! Granted, I'm jumping all over the place in terms of subjects, but I hope you are enjoying the variety of what appeals to me each day. :o)

Credits:
Template: Framed - Rachael Giallongo - Polka Dot Potato
Papers and Alpha: Twinkle Kit - Atomic Cupcake
Stitching: Stitching Brush - Scrapper's Guide
Fonts: CK Classicaland Monotype Corsiva (journaling)

Cuttlebug Cards...

Okay, I'm back!
This first card was inspired by a card I saw on the CTMH artwork board by Christina Biggs. She used CTMH's new Creative Basics Silhouette Collection for her patterned background piece, but I don't own that set of papers. I do own a Papertrey Ink stamp set called Sweet Love and was able to mimic the look of the paper using two stamps from that set and black ink. I'm tickled I could do that. I then cut flowers using my Cricut and Walk in my Garden as well as George cartridges. I used white cardstock, then ran them through my Cuttlebug to get the texture. I lightly distressed with inks to help make the texture stand out. Colors are Blush and Black.
This next card was inspired by one I saw on a blog. I took some liberties with the design, but loved the idea of running the black cardstock through the Cuttlebug embossing folder to get the texture. I used a smaller folder to get the focal piece (I don't remember the name of it). I chose to flip it over so it was debossed rather than embossed. The papers are from Die Cuts With a View Fall Textured Paper pack. The black textured cardstock is one I got at Hobby Lobby. I liked using it because it's solid black as opposed to having a white core. The thanks sentiment is from a Fiskars set I picked up. I really like how the ribbon worked with the lighter color cardstock.

Thanks for visiting! Now I'm off to figure out my layout for today. :o)

Hostess Club Cards

My last Hostess Club meeting as a CTMH consultant is on Saturday. I've spent some time in my craft room this weekend after not being able to go out there for a few weeks. Here are the cards we'll be making. The first card uses stamps and a bit of paper from the Heart of Winter Campaign called Serendipity. The inspiration for this card came from Helen O. She is a consultant who has been posting projects you can make from this kit. Thanks, Helen!
This second card was inspired by one I saw on Kathi's Creative Corner blog. I chose to use some different stamps (Goodness of Life, dotted circle from Serendipity, Happy Birthday from the From Me to You set), and varied the design slightly. Thanks for the inspiration, Kathi! I love this color combo!

I hope my Club gals like these cards as much as I do. :o)

I have a few more cards to post that I made while I had the chance. I'll post them in just a bit.

Thanks for visiting! Oh and I still need to make today's layout...back in a bit.

Miss Paul-LOAD 12

Today's layout is pretty simple, but the journaling is heartfelt. You can click on the image to make it larger so you can read it. I wasn't sure what layout I wanted to do today until after we got home from the birthday party of Amy's sweet friend. I remembered that Miss Paul was invited, but chose not to remind Amy in case she couldn't come for some reason. What a joyful surprise for Amy! Not only did she get to go to her very best friend's house, she got to see a teacher she truly loves. Anyway, I didn't take my camera to the party, but I remembered I took this picture on the last day of school or thereabouts. I knew that this is the one I wanted to share in the layout. After Amy's really rocky start in kindergarten that first week, Miss Paul was and continues to be a true blessing. She worked those kids HARD, but she loved them equally HARD! I'm so sad that she won't be the one introducing Jessica to school next year. I got her email address though, so we can keep in touch.

Oh and this birthday party? One of THE best parties I've been to. Miss Susi puts me to shame in terms of throwing a fun time for all. The party had a circus theme and it was fabulous! The decorations were handmade with love, but you felt like you were walking into the circus. They had a ticket booklet they made for each guest and as tickets were used, the kids were encouraged to throw them on the floor! The tickets were redeemable for a hotdog, popcorn, lemonade, cotton candy (in sugar ice cream cones) and games. The kids got to walk across the trapeze (a 2 x4 on cans of peanuts), they got to pin the nose on the clown, squeeze into a play hut like the clowns do at the circus and play Ringmaster Says. After the games were done, each child got a medal. Oh my, did they have fun! I want Susi to help me plan my next party!!!

Okay, credits for the layout...
Template-Misty Cato-Clean and Classy from Scrapbook-Elements
Brush-Japanese Foliage from Jason Gaylor at Design Fruit
Font: Century Gothic

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today!

Decorate-LOAD #11

First of all, I want to thank my "Jessica" playmates who joined in on the fun when I tagged them! It's been so much fun learning a little bit more about you all. :o)



Down to the wire almost, but here is Day 11...I seem to be jumping all over in terms of topics for my pages. Well, I have been scrolling through my pictures and select photos that jump out at me. So, I guess my mood dictates what I'm scrapping. LOL

Credits:

Found another new designer for templates this morning. This one is from Two Pixels-Vintage Charm(Megan Leeson) Design Blueprints Set 6

Papers: Background-Jen Lessinger-2Peas Fall In Freebie kit, Patterned Paper-Shabby Princess-Holiday Sampler

Alphabet: A Homespun Heart Alpha by Leah Hoddinott at Scraphead.

Font: Kathleen


Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create this weekend.

Easter Joy-LOAD 10

I used a new designer's template today. :o) I was moving some picture files to my main picture folder today and this one just popped out at me as one I wanted to scrap. Amy was so excited to get this little bunny.

And I have to share this although it doesn't pertain to this Challenge. At swim class yesterday Jessica JUMPED off the diving board! Prior to this she balked at jumping off. She would only consent to be lowered into the water in what they call doing the "elevator." I am SO proud of her! No, I didn't have my camera...taking pictures at the rec center pool usually results in low quality pictures because the lighting is so funky there. But she did it!!! And now I've recorded it for future reference. :o)

Credits:
Template: Template #27 Square from Racketty Scrappety Blog
Papers: Pink Patterned Paper Cherie Mask, Light Pink Paper Kate Teague both from 2Peas Pink October kit. Leafy TurquoisePaper Anne Langpap May Freebie from 2Peas, Spring Checks from Gina Cabrera's Hello Chickee Mega Kit
Embellishments: Flower Brads-Bookworm Mega kit from Gina Cabrera
Pink and Blue Flowers-Blossom from Atomic Cupcake
Font: Fling

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today.

Because I Have a Blog...

A long lost friend found me!

This is going to be the last post for today, but I wanted to share.

When Steve and I first moved to Colorado, we were lucky enough to rent a house right next door to an awesome family. They were wonderful especially since my mom passed away the day I pulled up in the Uhaul and I had to turn around and leave to go back home. We became great friends. Then they decided to buy a house close by. Steve and I had gotten married and my dad had told us he would either pay for a big wedding or help us with a down payment on a house. We took the down payment. :o) Anyway, one day we were walking the dog and walked to the house where our friends had moved. They were out, so we continued exploring the street they now lived on. We found a house for sale about 5 houses north of our friends. We bought that house and were neighbors once again.

Unfortunately, the little boy in the family developed brain cancer and passed away. This made their living in the house where he got sick all but impossible and they moved to Montana. We hadn't heard from them in many years. I often, almost daily, think about them since I pass the house they lived in daily. I look at the house and remember the good times we had.

Fast forward to this week. I received an email from my friend! She wasn't sure she found the right people, so was checking that first. I immediately wrote back and now we are catching up.

How did she find us? She "googled" our names and MY BLOG came up! How cool is that???

So, I have to be thankful in another way for starting this blog because I've reconnected with someone who is very special to me.

With that, I will head off to bed. Thanks for visiting and remember, you just never know who you will touch by having a blog....

Good night!

Tagged Again #2

April tagged me for this one and I'm not going to bed until I get this done. This is a bit different.

Here's the deal
For the two people I tag, you'll need to add another question/topic to the list and have it be a 2 item, then tag 2 more people.

1. Name your 2 favourite scrapbooking topics. My kids and everyday moments

2. What are the 2 best places you've been to? Iowa-so pretty and Minnesota...also beautiful

3. Name 2 things you do every day. Check email/blogs, snuggle with kids

4. Tell us 2 things that pretty much everyone knows about you. I love Diet Coke and I want to be organized.

5. Tell us 2 things that everyone DOESN'T know about you. I get up at the crack of dawn, I snore.

6. Tell us 2 things that got you into the hobby of scrapping? Friends were having Creative Memories classes and the thought of doing that piqued my interest, and my mother passed away and the need to preserve memories became very important.

7. Tell us 2 things that you want to accomplish in the next six months. Take more classes for digi scrapping and ORGANIZE

8. Name your two favorite scrapping tools. ATG gun for traditional scrapping, my computer for digi scrapping.

I'm going to tag Kim and Kathi.

This could get interesting!

I've Been Tagged-#1

Jen tagged me the other day and finally I am sitting down to do it. I've gotten this tag before, so hopefully I can come up with some new random facts.



You've been tagged:The rules of the game:
• Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
• Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
• Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
• Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1. I just discovered the Solitaire game, Freecell, and am becoming quite obsessed with playing it. Prior to giving my mother-in-law the hand held game, I'd never played the game. I so enjoyed it while she was here, I got one for myself after she left.

2. My cat likes to snuggle up to me when we are in bed for the night. She will either sleep on my back or in between my legs. It feels weird to me when she is not there.

3. This is an embarrassing one, but true. I had to call a friend to ask how to make baked potatoes. I simply wasn't sure and figured it was smarter to ask than risk messing it up.

4. Another embarrassing fact...when I was teaching in CA, the school I taught at was still being built, so we were housed in temporary classrooms. We even had temporary bathrooms. Bathrooms with toilets that had amazing flushing capabilities. How do I know? After using the facilities, I leaned over to flush and my huge wad of school keys fell out of my sweater pocket and were flushed away. Amazing because I had a ton of keychains on the key ring, one of which was a mini tennis ball! I think the staff laughed at me the rest of the year.

5. When I used to paper scrap, I traced and handcut, then outlined most of my titles. I have lots of lettering templates.

6. I love reading books/magazines on organizing. Notice I said I love reading about it...not that I actually implement the ideas.

7. I'm the youngest of 6 kids and have 5 brothers. My dating life in school was NIL once guys found out about how many brothers I had. LOL

Okay, I'm going to tag...(playmates from Jessica's Playground)

Dawn (Dewnie)
Veevs
LivE
Carol
Susan
Jackie
Kari

I'm going to start a new post for the other tag I received...this one is a bit different!

Thanks for visiting and not laughing too hard at my foibles.

Racetrack Barbie-LOAD #9

Okay, so I know technically the doll is not a real Barbie, but this is what my hubby called it. And Racetrack Barbie sounds good, so I'll keep it. While I was scrolling looking for pictures, I happened to delve into a folder of pictures from 2006 and came across these, which plain and simply made me smile.

While we have two girls who like to wear dresses and sometimes play Princess and love their dolls, Steve makes sure that they are rough and tumble, too. He exposes them to a lot of what I guess would be typical "guy" stuff. I don't mind in the least. I think it helps make them well rounded people, or maybe just a tad twisted...(just kidding) He wanted the girls to have this race track (maybe HE is the one who really wanted it and the girls were a good excuse). One night he noticed the doll laying on the floor. And Racetrack Barbie was born. She cheered those cars on very well. I was trying to snap a shot of the doll and purely by happy accident, the car zoomed by as I took the picture. I think it was meant to be. :o)

Credits
Template: (you knew there had to be one. If I didn't use them, I'd NEVER be able to get these layouts done without pulling all nighters) Simply Sarah Designs Template #28

All Papers: Anne Langpap-March Freebie Kit from 2Ps

Font: As Seen on TV Skew (downloaded from Scrapbook Answers I think...a long time ago)

I know I haven't done my tag stuff yet. I'm gonna try here in a bit, otherwise it will have to wait til later. The girls have swim lessons today. I took my dad to the airport yesterday and then ended up being out and about a lot longer than I thought. So, by last night, I was dozing on the couch. I thought about getting up to work on the blog but I couldn't get my body to cooperate.

Year in Review-LOAD #8

I got today's layout done a LOT earlier than yesterday's layout. :o) It is still pretty simple, but I really liked the idea of doing a year in review. It's actually a bit harder than I thought. It was tough choosing pictures that encompass what happened throughout the year without being too cheesy. I think I did okay. When we look at this layout, my hope is that it will spark the "remember when" conversations. Time will tell.

I got this template from Kissed Studio. It's a freebie. The paper is from a freebie Pure Love kit I got from Scrapwow. This has been a good investment I think. I joined for something like $20 for the year. Each month I get a full kit FREE, plus unannounced bonus things. I don't use the website they also provide, but I'm glad I tried this subscription service. I might even renew! LOL

Font is Century Gothic and whatever font, I think Ariel, on the template.

I tried to use just a word or two to describe the photos.

Erica left me a comment asking how I use templates. I thought I'd respond here so others who might be wondering will learn too. I use Photoshop Elements 5.0 (just a reminder) and when I download the templates I want, I usually download the PSD version. When I open up the template in PSE, I see each of the layers needed to create the layout. I then highlight the layer I want my paper or picture to go to and open the paper or picture (or element). I drag that item to the template picture in my picture bin. Once it's there, I move the item to where it needs to be. To make the item fit, I use the command Control G to clip the item so it will be the same size as the layer. I can then resize as necessary. I hope this helps those who are wondering.

I've also been TAGGED twice! I will come back later tonight and post about that. :o)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.

Cars Christmas-LOAD 7

Okay, not sure I really like this layout, but it's the best I could come up with in a short amount of time. The day got away from me and before I knew it, it was after 10pm. I toyed with the idea of skipping doing one altogether, but didn't want to ruin my streak. So here's the layout. Please be gentle! I'll edit in the morning to add the credits. I just want to get this done and be off to bed.

New Goggles-LOAD #6

Here's the layout for today. I almost forgot to do it, can you believe it? We went to the Bass Pro Shop today to show my Dad this cool store. The girls love to check out the huge catfish in the fish tank. My dad also wanted to go to Target so the girls could pick out a toy. They at first said they wanted Pollys (no surprise there, although they didn't get any for Christmas) but they ended up with a Little Pet Shop and a My Little Pony set. I decided I was missing that Free Cell game that we gave to Gramma Tomshack and was going to buy myself one, but my dad bought it for me.

Anyway, it was a nice day. Dad wants to go to Gunther Toody's for dinner. He loves that place. Who am I to complain since that means I don't have to cook! Nah, it's a fun atmosphere and the food is pretty good too.

Okay here are the credits for this layout. I like it pretty well but it may get reworked at some point. I mainly want to keep my streak alive!

Template: Di Hickman Set 1
Papers: Jeannie Papai-Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot and Grime paper (the blue ones) www.polkadotpotato.com
Pink papers: AL Give Thanks Kit from www.godigitalscrapbooking.com (dark pink with swirls) and Katie Pertiet's Scrap Pink Kit www.designerdigitals.com

Fonts: Goudy Stout (title), CTMH Uptown (journaling) 2Peas Mademoiselle

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today!

Big Slide for a Little Peanut-LOAD #5

Here's my fifth layout for the Layout a Day Challenge at Big Picture. I'm so thrilled that I have been able to crank out some layouts! We took Grandma to the airport this morning and this afternoon Steve and my dad were trying to figure out something on my dad's mp3 player. Then they went to rest and I decided to see if I could get another layout done. Yea me, I did it!

These pictures were adjusted just a bit to lighten them as the lighting at our rec center is quite poor. I'm thrilled though that I was able to capture Jessica's feat. I had wanted to show my hubby what they do on the last day of each session. He was quite impressed because this slide is pretty darn big. Way to go Jessica!

Credits:

Template: Jen Caputo from her blog. It was a freebie with the file name 2006_5_19.

Paper and Embellishments: ScrapArtist-Isabelle Cyr aka "zazou" Little Fishies Kit.

Fonts: 2PsScrumptious (Big Slide), Pea Tracy(for a), 28 Days Later (Little Peanut), CTMH Noodge (journaling)

I let Amy take this picture of my dad today. Not too shabbyfor a 6 year old, huh?

Thanks for visiting! And for all the nice comments that have been left. I truly appreciate your taking the time to see what I'm up to and respond when so inspired.

I hope you take some time to create today!

My Dad-LOAD #4

My dad arrived yesterday for a long weekend visit. He wanted to go to the Butterfly Pavilion and then out to lunch at Gunther Toody's (a 50s style diner). I took these pictures at lunch today. I think he is a pretty handsome guy!

Credits:
Template: Di Hickman Template Sampler, Template B
Papers: Woodland Beauty by Jen Reed and JBaechtold, Atomic Cupcake Mathgrid paper from Homeroom kit, CAbram-Autumn Celebration.

Font: Elephant (on my computer)

Whew, got another one done!

Thanks for visiting. Hope you find time to create today.

Happy Birthday Daddy-LOAD #3

Made it just under the wire today as I have to leave in few minutes to go and pick up my dad from the airport. He's visiting until Tuesday. My mother-in-law leaves on Saturday. So these next two days, "the whole family will be here" (what the girls keep saying) We have siblings, but the girls aren't counting them apparently. LOL

Okay, so I am doing well so far. This is what I love about digital scrapping. Took these pictures last night and poof! they are scrapped. :o) This means I am caught up for 2008 so far. Hee, hee.

Credits:
Template by Di Hickman of Di Hickman Designs. I used one from Set 2.
Boy Oh Boy papers and Barcode Element from LivE Designs
Flowers from Terra Kit at Atomic Cupcake
Fonts: Sweetheart Script and BahiaScriptSSK

And now I must scoot and go get my Dad!

Thanks for visiting. I hope you find time to create today!

Snowman Cookies-LOAD #2

Well, here's my second layout! Whoo hoo! I am proud of me! 2 for 2 I had some time this afternoon and I'm telling you, templates make it go more quickly for me. Someday I'll get more proficient and "work from scratch" but in the meantime, templates mean I can be productive! Gotta love that!

Steve's birthday is today and the girls and I made a carrot cake (from a mix). They love helping me in the kitchen. They took turns pouring the wet ingredients and then each cracked an egg into the bowl. Finally they got to use the mixer. Then it was off to rest time while it baked. I enjoy them helping me, too. Good mommy-daughter time, I think. I hope he enjoys it. We are probably going out to dinner to celebrate and then he'll get his gift from us. Yikes, I still need to wrap it...oh and a card! Okay, let me get the credits posted and I'm off to finish up those things before he gets home from work.

Template: Bree Clarkson-Collection #9 (http://www.sweetshoppedesign.com/)
Papers and Ribbons-Gina Cabrera-Holiday Jingle Kit Essential (http://www.digitaldesignessentials.com/)
Fonts: Betcha thought I'd use Fling again, huh? Nope, it's Roselyn downloaded from somewhere on the net and Pea Tracy again. (http://www.kevinandamanda.com/)

Thanks for visiting! I hope you find time to create today.