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Friday, October 30, 2009

Off the Bookshelf Challenge

I’m a ravenous reader of the many blogs of Noel Mignon. Her work is so fun and accessible and I simply love it!

She does some really cool and contemporary challenges – more fun design than deep thinking…although I’m certain you could take them in any direction you wanted to.

So…she did an “Off the Bookshelf” challenge HERE:

I’m thinking over the weekend, I’ll try this one from Jay’s collection of many books:



I've got a plethora of snow pictures...maybe I'll try one of these:





Peace, ya'll!

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Some fun and different stuff

I’ve been a little in a rut with the whole scrapbooking thing…

Not so much because I’m ACTUALLY in a rut…but more because I’ve just gotten to a place where the time is so little and the things to scrapbook so big that I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’ve DONE some scrapbooking in the last couple of weeks. I made a darling, totally scrap-lifted fall pumpkin garland for my mantel and yesterday I finally finished up my button studio book that I blogged about in..uh…August.

What with the changes a pregnancy brings to the body, plus my job has brought to my stress levels added to a new nursery, a new bedroom for our big boy, a new office for the man…and the list goes on and on.

I did finally get the whole purge and organize thing done…of course now, my office floor is littered with potential Christmas presents and I’m just not allowed by my son to go in that room without him. Unfortunately allowing him in is completely out of the question…that would be a little like letting While E. Cyote into a roadrunner cage at the zoo.

And, in my sort of frantic, hyper-stessed, hyper-emotional, nesting mind-set of the moment, all I can think about is how much less time I will have once the new little guy gets here. What is a girl to do?

Well…I found the most amazing things to get me back on track organizationally and also to improve my little bloggy here!

First of all, I signed up to take Shimelle’s Blogging for Scrapbookers.



I’m so excited about this class - mostly because of the daily prompts that will be provided…the reminders can keep me on track with my scrapping AND my blogging. And there is a chance to win the class free – go HERE and check it out!

Second, I found the most amazing site: Log Your Memory.
Along with it, the most amazing book!

Now, I'm a journaler...but I'm finding my scrapbooking, bible study, work notes, sketches, and grocery lists are all ending up in one place. Its a GREAT thing to have journals like mine when I think of being dead and gone for a generation and having my grandchildren or great grand children wanting to get a picture of what my life was like. But it doesn't exactly make it easy for me to scrap my memories or ideas later on. I have trouble finding things I KNOW I wrote down to remember!

So..this book is just what I'm looking for - plus it comes with its own support community!

The book itself has daily pages with lots of room for ideas and sketches and marking down things like appointments and scheduled:



There are pages with challenges:



Along with pages for sketches, monthly worksheets to keep up with yourself through the month, birthday worksheets for keeping birthday details and holiday worksheets. Its just the coolest thing if you are looking for an easy way to keep track of the stories and the details and your sketches and everything in a more organized fashion than a typical journal.

And you can get it in three different form: a normal book, spiral bound or downloadable. I chose downloadable and then put mine in a binder, like what is shown.



Once you download the book, she even gives you a tip sheet about how you might want to set up your notebook...I have mine set up with pocket folders between each month to hold memorabilia and little life tidbits as well as extra printings of birthday and holiday worksheets. I'll probably also add some page protectors to keep sketch pages I get from my magazines...literally a one-stop shop for my creative ideas!

And today I had the idea of maybe only carrying one month at a time with me in a small binder - that way it will fit in my bag!

Ok...so...

What are YOU up to?

Peace, ya'll!

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

If you've never failed....

You've never lived...

Loving this on this bright Wednesday morning!!!



Peace, ya'll!

Monday, October 19, 2009

Pumpkin Patch Retrospective

I know...I was supposed to do this LAST week...it seems like I was supposed to do EVERYTHING last week!

Since I was waxing poetic about how things might look this year, I thought I'd just pop a little retrospective here with pumpkin patch shots...

2007:



2008:



2009:



My how my little guy has changed...he's a "real" boy now...

Where does the time go?!?!?!?

Peace, ya'll!

Did you see this?

My scrapping friends...

And Crafty Friends...

Stacy Julian is giving away the amazing I-top Brad Maker from Imaginisce:



And not just the brad maker, but the brad daddies, and the punches and some premade punches (not shown) and that adorable carrying case!

Go HERE for details and to get your own self into the drawing!

Peace, ya'll!!!

Friday, October 16, 2009

Because “Creative” means so many things, Part 3

Sometimes "Creative" is about finding new ways to use something familiar...

We do not celebrate Halloween in the more commonly known sense.

Bug is allowed to dress in a non-scary costume and trick-or-treat a bit, but that is where the celebration of Halloween ends in our home.

We do decorate in the "fall" theme, with all the trappings of a harvest on the farm.

But there is one thing that I miss terribly from my days of celebrating Halloween. I miss the pumpkin carving.

Knowing that pumpkin carving will not be happening at my house - except to carve one up to roast and make treats out of - I've been on the prowl for some neat ideas to use these fun little squash to decorate.

This year, these are catching my eye:

Party Pumpkins:



I love this idea, because it would be SO easy for Bug to get into this and these are little ones, so he could manage the size.

But lets not leave out the larger varieties if we are going to be doing Painted Pumpkins:



The only problem I see with this Critter Lodge is that Bug would be taking the critters out all the time.



I also thought this Bird House Pumpkin was a great idea - especially if you could hang something like this from a tree near the door.



What sort of non-jack-o-lantern ideas do you have for pumpkins???

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Because “Creative” means so many things, Part 2

Sometimes, based on my schedule and having a three-year-old, my creative urges are satisfied by cooking. When there is no time for anything else, there is always time for a meal or a treat.

Largely because Bug has no interest in making dinner, but does have an interest in baking, we bake together. He doesn't really eat anything that we bake. He doesn't like sweets - which, incidently, is the one thing that makes us wonder if he was switched by the hospital.

He's more about the mixer, adding in the ingredients, and, if cupcakes are in order, he's all about the sprinkles.

I normally have a Cookie Exchange at the beginning of December. This year, tho, with baby on the way, I've temporarily takin a haitus from the Cookie Exchange.

However, that doesn't stop me from thinking about Christmas Cookies. I've been tossing around the idea of tossing out my normal family traditional cookies and trying something a little unusual.

So far, these are all on my list of possibilities:

Three Pepper Spiced Cookies



Something about using all those spices in a sweet cookie is intriguing to me!

Super Duper Chocolate Kisses:



As a confessed chocoholic, these are simply the most beautiful things I've ever looked upon!

Snickerdoodle Sandwiches:



Considering that the hubs loves both Snickerdoodles and Oreos, I thought this one might hit the spot for him!

Rosemary Lemon Sandwich Cookies:



Ok...so...really...these are all about me. I'm the only one in the house that will eat them...which makes me even MORE tempted to give them a shot. I could actually have a batch of cookies all to myself! What a thought!

Eggnog Frosted Nutmeg Sugar Cookies:



Seriously!?!??!?! Oh, my heavens, these would be gone in 60 seconds!

Chocolate Crinkles:



Now, these aren't new nor is there a twist. But any brownie that dresses up like a powdered-sugar-covered cookie is on my list!

And last but not least - Alphajores:



I use the Dulce de Leche in my coffe. I get it in the Mexican foods aisle at Walmart, of all places. Its really the most tasty stuff.

So...what'cha tryin' that's creative!?!?!?!?

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Because “Creative” means so many things, Part 1

I’m a paper-crafter...

More specifically a scrapbooker who sometimes dabbles in cards, tags, and altered projects.

But ONCE I was interested in serious art – water color painting and pen-and-ink drawings.

I was also ONCE a musician – well…that never really goes away…it just starts to take place more often in the car or shower than on the stage…so…I’ll say I’m also a musician.

But my serious passion is in scrapbooking.

Unfortunately, that is not always possible. I have a three-year-old. He is still learning about quiet time and boundaries and how not to paint the walls, table, chairs and floor.

On a good day, I can break out my supplies and scrapbook at the table with him while he works on other "projects."

On other days, not so much.

What more naturally happens is that my creativity has to find an appropriate crafty channel that a three-year-old boy can do WITH me (not alongside me…because he wants all of Mommies cool tools to play with too!)

Enter the pet rock.

Now…let me say…this is not the most profound idea I’ve ever had. In fact, I will freely admit that I stole it from somebody who probably stole it from somebody else.

Nonetheless, it was an awesome creative adventure.

First we went to the dry creek bed to find some worthy rocks. Jayden had to be dropped into the creek bed because he was not big enough to climb down. So…Mommy dropped him in. (I'm such a good mom, no?)

He, of course, told anyone who would listen thereafter, “Mommy dropped me in the creek.” To which I would get all those questioning, what-kind-of-a-mother-are-you-anyway looks.

For the record, I am a mom who will give her son the best memories ever – like being dropped adventurously into a creek bed in the name of art!!

We got our rocks home and Bug washed them all up for me and helped me set them out to dry.

Then we painted…





I will say, he surprised me with his very serious painting efforts. He was quite careful not to mix up colors and to get every spot on his rocks covered. Stage One rocks looked like this:



Next we were off to the craft store to get some worthy pet-rock supplies. (This would be when he was announcing to everyone that I dropped him in the creek bed).

As we walked down the aisles, he decided pretty much on his own that he wanted feathers and pompoms. And he said, “mommy, I need some googley eyes!” CHECK!



Due to time constraints, our rocks actually had a few days to dry. When we got around to giving them real life, we broke out the glue dots and Bug just went to town with his little imagination. They were super cute!



I wish they all still looked this good…



You see, he has a fascination with taking their eyes and pompoms off and switching them all around. So…he’s either channeling his inner Dali or…maybe he’ll be a cosmetic surgeon! Who knows!!!



Peace, ya’ll!!

Monday, October 12, 2009

BIG DAY

Today is my third anniversary as a mom.

Three years ago, at this time, I was in recovery while a nurse gave my tiny little boy his first bath.

We brought home this little tiny person...peaceful, sweet and oh so precious:



Today, he looks more like this...still sweet and still precious...but not so peaceful any more. Today he is a ball of energy, unbridled and completely electric. he makes me laugh and has an uncanny gift with people. He loves life, to be sure and day by day is showing us what it really means to live.



Where does three years go?

At 6 am, he appeard at my bedside and announced that he wanted to get into bed with me and snuggle. As he crawled over me, he stopped mid-way and gave my belly a kiss. "Hi, NoahBoah! Are you moving in there?" How does a three year old know just what to say, just what to do to melt a heart?

He wanted mommy to stay awhile and give him some hugs. Sadly, Mommy had to get going to get to work.

But in those few moments, I thanked God for the chance to have this little one in my life. He is pure joy to me, even when he's driving me crazy. I wonder every day at what God did with this little one. He lent me His precious child, so that that this little lightening rod of a boy could teach me what love is really all about. Every single day, my boy gives me a lesson in how to be a better woman, mom, daughter, offering.

Heavens, I hope I don't ruin him!

Happy Birthday, my amazing boy!!!

I love you THIIIIIIIS MUCH!

Sunday, October 11, 2009

Sunday Layouts

NONE of these are new...

But I'm editing pictures from the weekend's festivities and came across them in the plethora of pictures I had to go through!

Its fun to see them all again!









Thursday, October 08, 2009

Big huge weekend...

This is a big huge weekend for us...

The patch has long been one of my favorite things to do in the fall...even before we had Jayden.

I cannot wait to see how these from 2007:





And these from 2008:





Will compare to the 2009 shots.

And we will be celebrating birthdays for these two handsome guys:



On Saturday night, we will be celebrating a HUGE birthday for my sweetie...I give you a hint...it ends in a zero (and its not the zero you might think by looking at his handsome self!)

And on Sunday, there will be a party at Monkey Joes for the little guy...he's going to be 3! Can you believe it!?!??!!? I certainly cannot!!!

I will post many pictures after the festivities...and see if I can get some scrapping done to commemorate the occasions....

In the mean time, I'm trying out a fabulous recipe (as I type this as a matter of fact...SERIOUSLY good and SOOOOO bad for you!) I got it from from Nora's Blog



My boys are serious snackers, so anything that combines popcorn, pretzels and candy corn is a winner in their book.

I'm already contemplating some variations I could do, but this one is really hard to beat. Here is the recipe:

Scarecrow Crunch

4 cups crunchy oatmeal cereal squares
4 cups tiny twist pretzels
1 (22-oz) bag autumn mix honey candy
2 cups peanut butter candy in crunchy shell
2 (6-oz) boxes carmel popcorn with nuts
1 (6.6-oz) bag chocolate graham baked snacks


In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve as desired.


Have an amazing weekend everyone!

Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Our Song

Melissa Phillips did a little blog entry today about the “song” of their family.

Perhaps she was playing off this Taylor Swift song. (sorry I couldn't embed the video...embedding was turned off on this one for some reason)

At any rate it got me thinking about OUR family song…the things we seem to say to each other every day. I think it would go like this:

Tuck me in.
Hi, NoahBoah.
Eat over your plate.
Sweet dreams, little bug.
Please get back into your chair.
Hi, Mamacita!
Is that a good choice?
Do you forgive me?
MOOOMMMMMYYYYYY!!!
I’m GRRREEEAAATT!
Can I hear Sheryl Crowe?
Get off the table.
I love you SOOOO much!
Three, Two, One
Will you sit on my bed?
I wuv you, Mom!
Give me some smooches!
Get down, please.
Daddy-bo-baddy!
Be a monster!!!
Help Mom! The Monster is getting me!
Do you want a hug?
Mommy! Kiss it!!!
I don’t wanna!
Are you full?
I don't wear diapers! I wear PULL UPS!
Can I have orrwange juice an some food an a show?
Did you do what I asked?
I wanna do it!
Jayden, please stop.
Bye, sugar! Have a great day!
Half a gweat day, Mom!
Love you, babe!

Its a good song...

What would your song sound like?

Monday, October 05, 2009

Thomas the Train comes to town

Do you see who that is in the background?

Is it?????

Could it be????

It IS!!!

Its Thomas the Train!



Not that Jayden is a particularly huge fan of Thomas in particular...its more about the trains....

Grandma took him to Spencer to the Transportation Museum to have a little fun with the Thomas the Train tour...and get to ride Thomas...of course!



No doubt about it...this little boy loves trains...

He liked the light rail train and he loved Thomas...



Can you tell???

Peace, ya'll!