December Daily Day 2

Great thing about digital...I decided that I wanted a touch of green in my paper and went back and added it in.  What do you think...green or no green?

I haven't finished the "opposite" page yet...it is a shot of Mitzi helping Pops clean the floor after Justin grouted it for us. Love the fact that we all live so close together...what a blessing.

Another paper from the Christmas kit I'm working on.

December Daily Day 1

And so December begins. May it be filled with love, laughter and all things good.

I am doing my album this year in a hybrid manner.  My main pages will be digitally done but I will add bits and pieces of odds and ends.  For instance, I think I will add Scripture verses each day in my handwriting.  I am also using digital papers and elements that I am designing.  After printing my pages I may add some things from the Studio Calico kit that I ordered...don't know.  I will just play it by ear.

Thankful Musings #11

I am thankful for all who choose to serve. I am thankful for every sacrifice made, large and small.

Thankful Musings #10

I am thankful for beautiful fall days, for colored leaves and crisp mornings, for the smell of neighbors' fireplaces and warm beds.

Thankful Musings #9

I am thankful for quick and easy recipes that taste really good.

Thankful Musings #6

Today I am thankful for a good cup of coffee (the first in several days...since Thursday, to be exact) and Apple Wheat pancakes. We had breakfast at a little bistro in South Padre Island and these pancakes were to die for. I know JT got tired of hearing me go on and on about them...remember Musing #5...he probably had to work on cherishing me over breakfast. They really were wonderful and I don't like baked things with fruit chunks in them, but these made a believer out of me. I am going to try my hand at coming up with my own recipe for them...will let you know how that turns out.

Thankful Musings #8

I am thankful that I have such an abundance of stuff that I can give to Goodwill and never even miss it. God has graciously given me everything I need and much of what I want.

Thankful Musings #7

I am so very thankful for good lab reports...there were no malignant cells in my thyroid nodule. Thank you,   God.

Thankful Musings #5

Today (Nov 5) I am thankful for a husband who cherishes me and is willing to go to a marriage conference to see if there is anything we can do to improve what is already a wonderful marriage.

I am also thankful for my precious Mitzi Moo who is 2 today. What a wonderful gift from God!

Thankful Musings #4

I am behind getting these thoughts posted as we were out of town over the weekend...a long weekend. I know what I've been thankful for everyday, just haven't blogged it. I will work on getting caught up...

Today (Nov 4) I am thankful for nature and what it teaches me about God. We arrived at South Padre Island and it was an absolutely gorgeous day...an exquisitely beautiful blue sky, a very gentle breeze and the sound of the surf crashing onto the beach. My God is quite an artist.

Thankful Musings #3

I am thankful for doctors who really care; thankful for those who don't just go through the motions. Today I was blessed to meet another one.

A little late posting this musing as we were driving late last night. This post is coming from Robstown, Tx.

Thankful Musings #2

Today I am thankful, so very thankful to be an American.  I am thankful that I can hear my grandson learning to recite the Pledge of Allegiance; thankful that my mom, his great-grandmother is around to teach him patriotism. I am thankful that the phrase "under God" is still part of the pledge that I learned so many years ago.

Thankful Musings #1

I want to really focus on being thankful this month...I want gratitude to always be second nature to me.  I want it to define my life.  I want to meditate on it day and night and so I am going to stop each evening during November and write what I am thankful for.

Today I am thankful for a godly husband...one who strives to love me as Christ loves the church.  Trust me, this is no easy task.  I can be hard to get along with..."fire-y" is how some people describe me.  I can't argue with them...I can only claim to be less "fire-y" than I was in my younger days...God is still working on me and "my baby loves me just the way that I am" as the song goes.

I am also thankful for help that comes from unexpected places.  We are in the middle of a DIY kitchen remodel.  Our second son avoids manual labor like the plague.  Today he spent several hours removing old tile and grout and glue...it doesn't get much more manual than that.  Totally out of the blue, he volunteers to help and saved me a lot of hours.  Thank you, Cody, from the bottom of my heart...and my beat-up, scraped and sometimes bleeding knuckles.  I love you.

Jala's First Halloween

Here's another layout using papers from my Spookster kit...

Fashionista Kit

I made this layout using papers and elements from my "Fashionista" mega kit. I just love the way Mitzi carries her purse...she was not interested in learning how most people carry theirs;)

Halloween Layout - Spookster Kit

Just finished this layout using my new Spookster kit. These pics were taken last year...don't you just love Dani's "scary face"? I also posted this to my Flickr account...check it out if you want to see more of my layouts.

Leave me some comments...I would love to hear from you.

Note to Self

 I really like this layout. It is clean and simple and was quick to make...a win-win situation all around! It also includes papers from my Seize the Day kit.

Go to Flicker to see all my layouts and a list of material used in each one.

Proud & Thankful to Be an American

As I sit here at my computer before the holiday madness begins I am struck once again by how very blessed I am to have been born an American. I love this country with every fiber of my being...yes, I know we have problems but there is no other place on earth I would rather live than in this nation that has been so blessed by God. I pray every day that we will once again get our moral compass reset and that we will re-embrace the principles that guided our Founding Fathers. May we stand forever united, one nation under God, determined to fight for liberty and justice for all.

Now...let the madness begin!!! Fixing to grill hot dogs, make homemade ice cream, pop an apple cobbler in the oven, set out some chocolate chip cookies and jump in the pool with the kids and grandkids!!

God Bless America!!

Riding Around the Ranch

I overheard the following conversation between Dani and a baby goat while Pops and I took all four of the grandkids for a ride around the ranch...aka Gran and Grandad's house.

Dani: "Bye, goat!"
Goat: "Baaa!!"
Dani: "Don't step on a cactus!!"
No response from the goat.

Dani: "BE CAREFUL!!!"

Wanna take a guess at what I had told her and Jadon when they got out of the buggy to pet the goats? Maybe Num-O needs to chill...oh yeah, by the way, when we left for the ride it was 104 in the shade...chill indeed!

Curve Balls & Drum Beats

This post is dedicated to my middle child, my second son, my Cody. I woke up this morning and before getting out of bed, I looked at JT and said, "I wonder what mischief will befall us this day?" (We have been watching Poirot and Miss Marple...[insert appropriate accent here] a spot of British mysteries lately). Anyway, lately it seems there is quite a bit of mischief befalling us and yesterday's mischief basket was overflowing.

I pulled into the driveway after finishing my morning walk and saw Cody's car. Immediately both apprehension and happiness flowed through me. I love it when Cody drops in but at the same time it means there will be lots noogies, wedgies, hynie swats, scare-Mom-to-death yells, air boxing centimeters from my nose...I could go on but you get the picture. I love Cody visits but a part of me (the worn out part) is happy to see him go.

Within minutes of greeting him, he drops a bombshell (pun intended)...our 25 year old son has enlisted in the Air Force. We thought he had settled in to a life of graphic artistry. We thought wrong. We forgot that our Cody has always been great at throwing curve balls and marching to different drum beats.

We are proud. You will serve your country well. March well, Code, and throw hard.

Note to Self

Why is it so easy to forget lessons we have learned and vowed to never forget? I absolutely had to stop and make this layout. Click on the image below for a larger view.

Scrapbook on the Road

A couple of weeks ago I purchased Ali Edwards' Scrapbook on the Road class determined to get something ready to take with me to capture life as it happened on my cruise. Before that I had bought "Remains of the Day - a shabby journal of scraps", a self-paced class taught by Mary Ann Moss. After looking at the video, I decided it would be much more time-intensive to get it ready by May 1 (sail date...WooHoo!!) so I turned to Ali. You can always count on Ali for quick but cool things and this little class was no exception. Yesterday I finished my travel journal and thought I would post it for y'all to see. I didn't buy a single thing while putting this together! Every bit of it came out of my paper scrapping stash (which, by the way, is huge!).

The base for the album is a sheer five-ring tab book by Maya Road. 

I love this paper...the swirls and ledger lines and the words "laugh" and "savor". Great words for a life motto.

I have no idea where I got this "for you information" block but isn't it great?

Can't wait to see what will end up in this envelope.

The delight arrow started out as a little house tag.  I cut off the chimney and, voila!, an arrow. The blue page behind it is leftover packaging from some stickers I had.

 

 

Love this idea of Ali's...painting over stickers. It's a great way to use up old stickers of any color. These were hot pink and lime green. It makes a great embossed tag.

I am so looking forward to filling this with journaling on the spot and with bits and pieces of the places I visit. Have to make sure I buy a little stapler before I leave and pack my glue sticks, pens and extra paper clips.

I think the best thing about this scrapbook is that it will basically be finished by the time I get back. All I will have to do is print off some 4x6 pictures. I have been on several cruises and don't have a single finished scrapbook of any of them...just random pages here and there. So, So, SO excited about this travel journal!!!

IPad Drool

Yesterday JT (my sweet husband) and I spent some time at Best Buy looking at the new color Nooks and ended up at the IPad2 display (SERIOUS drool going on here). I would really like to have one but...

1) how much would I use it after the "new" wore off?
2) I'm really not much of a gamer...unless playing a fairly mean game of Tetris qualifies me
3) It's a lot bigger than a Nook
4) How much time will it take away from my design efforts?
5) How many true crime tv shows will I have to give up to "pay" for the time I'm spending on my IPad2?

These are all serious questions/observations and I haven't even talked about money yet!! We decided to shelve the decision for the time being and went to Dairy Queen...I also love Turtle Waffle Bowls.