I Made This

Amazed

2012-02-20T09:07:00.000-08:00

You know you're a scrapper when you steal doilies from the restaurant where you have dinner and immediately come home to use them on a project. When you have 400 photos on a phone you've owned less than 4 full months. When you use your baby's nap time to take pics of a layout and post it online.

When a simple, everyday picture of your daughter like this takes your breath away.

At 1

2012-01-21T20:47:00.000-08:00

Lots of hidden journaling behind the photo on this one about what she can do, what she loves, and all that she means to us. I really wanted to capture the joyful, amazing, adorable whirlwind she is. I absolutely adore this girl.

A gray day

2012-01-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

I'm feeling much like the weather, gray and dreary and dull. I had high hopes for returning to this place and typing out a complete update of our life. I wanted to blog about Annabelle's first Christmas, or going back to work after winter break, or new year's resolutions. I considered a post about losing my mom, the gut wrenching sorrow of her passing and hearing the sound of my father's heart breaking. I should write about the Bean's first birthday, how awesome the decorations and the photo booth were, and how great it was to come together for a fun celebration after the darkness of December. But I just don't want to. Instead, I'll share a layout and that will be that.

Christmas

2011-12-25T18:10:00.000-08:00

A *perfect* Santa photo, but a bittersweet Christmas this year... Hoping yours was nothing but merry.

Currently

2011-12-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

watching: New Girl
listening: to the rain that's been falling for 2 days and I love love love it.
eating: a dark chocolate covered cherry. mmmm.
planning: to get up and wrap some gifts
thinking: about Rosie, hoping she has a restful night after today's stent procedure
wondering: how long until Bean is officially walking; she was doing her best to scoot around her play area tonight, taking 5, 6, 7 wobbly steps
talking: to my nephew Zach...makes my heart so happy when he calls me just to talk
enjoying: the soft glow of our lovely little tree
loving: this christmassy time of year
hope you are too....

Still a few things

2011-11-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

This Thanksgiving was not easy for me. All my life, this holiday has meant a big meal, lots of family gathered round, and loud good times. It is Aunt Rita's soup and the parade and football and naps and planning the Black Friday blitz. While some things remained the same, many things were quite different this year. I realize lots of families can't be together because of work schedules or miles or having to split holidays with in-laws. But I couldn't blame any of those things. All I could do was spend my first Thanksgiving in 35 years without my mother or my brother for very different, very heartbreaking reasons.

By the same turn, I spent this holiday with my almost-81 year old dad, my almost-11 month old daughter, my dearest friend, and the love of my life. Daddy came over early so we could all watch the parade together like always and we feasted on Aunt Rita's soup. We took fun photos in the backyard and lamented the lack of Black Friday deals worth rushing out for. We stuffed the fridge full of tasty leftovers and went together to visit mom. The blessings in my life are countless and I am so, so grateful. But there are still a few things I am praying for.

Adorable

2011-11-20T15:09:00.000-08:00

Seriously. Who could argue with that? :)

Tahoe

2011-11-10T20:06:00.000-08:00

Instead of a mini, I crammed a dozen photos onto one page. I think I really like it :)

Wordless Wednesday, at least not my words

2011-11-09T19:54:00.000-08:00

For a while now, I have been an avid reader of Kayla Aimee. Her voice, her wit, and her awkward escapades never fail to crack me up. But for the past year and a half, I have prayerfully, tearfully followed her journey into motherhood. Witnessing this journey, and the first year of her daughter's life, has been witnessing a miracle. Happy, happy first birthday Scarlette.

Carvo-rama

2011-10-29T22:03:00.000-07:00

Our girl

2011-10-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

The Bean will be ten months old tomorrow. Can't believe it. Love her so.

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin in the Patch

2011-10-26T17:11:00.000-07:00

Right Now

2011-10-24T20:53:00.000-07:00

Right now at almost 10 months, you are amazing.

You can stand without support for 7 seconds, learned to clap your hands this week, and love to be tickled. You are still working on your laugh - mostly it comes out as a short, hacking cough. And when you're feeling the love, you mash your face, growling happily and giving open mouth kisses.

You adore "crack puffs" although we can't get you to feed them to yourself. You will, however, eat them so delicately off mama's or mommy's fingers. You enjoy riding in you red wagon, drinking from your sippy cups, and tasting everything you can. Mouth noises are your favorite right now - clicking your tongue, smacking your lips, and grinding your teeth, even though you only have four of them. What is that?

Playtime on your blanket is your favorite time of day, and honestly, it's ours too. Your spirit is pure joy, your smile utterly contagious, and you get more beautiful every single day. You are so, so overwhelming loved.

Mama Loves You

2011-10-16T13:00:00.000-07:00

So we got home Thursday afternoon from a fun little trip up to South Lake Tahoe. Of course, I had to process the photos right away and found this precious snapshot. It's not often I'm in front of the camera, but Shannon had a blast playing family photographer while we were on our lake cruise. She was able to capture this darling moment, and I couldn't help but turn it into a layout asap. I think this is one of my favorites of all time.

Speaking of all time, I finally put away the 100s of layouts I've made since the baby was born. They were this huge stack in the craft room that I made time to organize and slide into sheet protectors and put into albums this weekend. Albums fill up *fast*. Who knew? But a few post extenders, pretty baskets, and 6 binders later, everything is in its place.

That trip to Michaels for the baskets and post extenders also yielded a super cute little Christmas journal from the dollar section. I saw it and instantly knew it would be my December Daily this year. I don't have time or energy to prepare a foundation this year, so I've decided to go smash-book style with it. I'll get some cute tapes, a few embellies, bust out the myriad of holiday stamps I have, and go to town. If it's daily, great. If it's every few days, that's fine too. No boundaries, no expectations, no disappointment. Love it.

Know what else I love? My adorable family. They're waiting for me :) Happy Sunday.

Updates

2011-10-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

Mom's birthday is tomorrow. 77. We are bringing her cake and love this afternoon. She's had a great three weeks, lucid and happy and making a genuine effort to eat and think and connect. It has been wonderful.

Annabelle is officially 9 months old, has two bottom teeth, is pulling up on anything she can, and is crawling like a turbo bug. Unfortunately, she has decided this past week that she no longer likes naps. We're hoping this phase passes quickly.

School is great. My class is still spectacular and I've been able to take a half-day each week to spend with mom, which has been incredible. I work for and with the kindest people. I am so blessed and so grateful.

Fall Break is one week away. We have booked an awesome getaway to Lake Tahoe. I can't wait to drive through northern CA! There's nothing that makes me happier than the changes of autumn - the change of color, of temperature, of pace. Love it.

My SC Glee Club kit arrived and it's delicious. So did my Autumn Press goodies. Loving the fall feel of these and the projects I've been creating with it all.

And now... we watch football. Gotta love Sunday afternoons.

Beach Feet

2011-09-16T17:49:00.000-07:00

Squoze in a bit of scrappy time this week, because that's all the time I had to give. Life is so overwhelming busy right now. And when it's not actually busy, I'm exhausted from all the stuff we were just doing. Anyway, my Glee Club kit arrived last week and I dug right in. It's gorgeous! Love every bit and piece.

Love those crusty little tootsies :) Also, I realize "squoze" is not a real word, but I enjoy it. I did blow some of my students' minds this week by teaching them brang and brung aren't real words either. Remind me never to use squoze in class.

Just in the last 7 days

2011-09-06T21:22:00.000-07:00

Annabelle has learned to crawl, pulled up to standing position in her crib, sprouted a tooth, and developed this weird but adorable fake cough laugh. She loves batting around these crunchy, jingly blocks and ~~banging~~ playing her tiger xylophone. She gnaws the heck out of her sippy cup sippers and bangs anything she can against anything else just to hear the noise. Putting on her "princess crown" makes her smile, and so does looking at herself in the mirror before bath time when we sing silly naked Bean songs. We are even more in love with her than ever, if that's even possible. She owns our hearts.

It's official

2011-09-01T14:30:00.000-07:00

I have the flu. Doctor said so. And she put me on quarantine until Sunday. No mom, no Bean, no work. SUCKS. She told me to choose a room in the house and stay there and rest. Well, I picked two rooms - my bedroom and my craft room. :) If I'm home, I *have to* do something creative with my time. I'm sitting, I'm not overexerting myself. And don't worry - I'm Lysoling everything.

Inspiration

2011-08-30T11:03:00.000-07:00

Here I am on day 3 of bed rest, miserable sick with this cold/flu thing and bored.out.of.my.mind. For the 6 hours I'm awake each day, there's maybe one where I feel well enough to get out of bed and move. Today I chose to spend that hour in my craft room - big surprise. Studio Calico posted a challenge yesterday that really grabbed me. Kelly Purkey created this layout and challenged us to use rainbow hues on a layout.

Awesome. I love how simple and graphic this is, how the colors and the large black and white photo compliment each other so well.

Then, being the *severe* Pinterest addict that I am, I had pinned this image over the weekend, courtesy of RoadTripinFinland. There was something about the panels of color across the top and the fade to colorless at the bottom.

Kelly's layout and challenge combined with this pin instantly in my head. Don't you love it when inspiration lightning strikes like that? So here's what I made. Thanks KP, SC, and Pinterest for sparking my creativity. You never let me down. :)

Busy Beginnings

2011-08-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

So the new school year started here August 10th. That means I actually went back to work the last week of July, spent countless hours arranging the classroom, lesson planning, attending professional development for the new math program we'll be using on our campus, and organizing boatloads of papers and materials. Then I had to prepare for Meet the Teacher night, which is always fun but lots of work.

Then the kids came. Getting to know them, teaching and reteaching and reviewing the procedures and expectations for our classroom. And the meetings came, faculty meetings and parent meetings and team meetings. Last week was Curriculum Night when all the parents come to hear what their children will be learning, see how I teach and present, and get buried under district paperwork.

But I made it to *this* weekend, the end of the third week of school, finally past all the evening commitments and the beginning of the year chaos. And to celebrate, of course, I got sick. My immune system hung in there just long enough and when the tidal wave of stress and extra work passed, the germs took over. Sucks. It's just a cold - tired, a bit achy, super snotty, lots of sneezing - but it still sucks.

We did have birthday plans this weekend, movies and dinner and brunches, but it was all canceled. I've been sleeping a lot and burning through tissues like nobody's business. There have been some highlights, though. I did get to go to my favorite LSS yesterday and use my birthday coupon, ordered the Glee Club kit and Debate Team add-on from SC using another birthday coupon, and ordered a bit from Twopeas using a gift certificate. And after I woke up from yesterday's nap, I made this.

I suppose I can't complain *too* much then. It wasn't the weekend I hoped for, but given the circumstances, it hasn't been all bad. And that's that. My Kleenex and I are ready for another nap...

Wordless Wednesday: That Face Became This Layout

2011-08-24T17:34:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday: This Face

2011-08-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

The Ocean

2011-08-06T20:16:00.000-07:00

Just sharing...nothing of importance to say. One of those days :)

Rationalize

2011-08-04T16:20:00.000-07:00

If I don't go over there, I won't have to see how thin and frail she's become.
If I don't go over there, I won't have see her alone, in that bed, watching mindless tv, again like always.
If I don't go over there, I won't have to repeat stories or see and hear her blank silence when I ask a question.
If I don't go over there, I won't have to see all the medical equipment.
If I don't go over there, I won't have to witness Dad's sadness, as he sits beside her and barely speaks...particularly today, their 43rd anniversary.
If I don't go over there, I won't cry all the way home.

If I don't go over there, she could be perfectly lucid today, and I might miss having a real visit with my mom.

Kim Watson's blog: Giveaway + Studio Calico Boardwalk kit.

2011-08-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Kim Watson's blog: Giveaway + Studio Calico Boardwalk kit.: "So are you feeling lucky?? Do you LOVE Studio Calico ??...'' Then get over to Kim's blog and enter to win this:

Almost

2011-08-01T20:13:00.000-07:00

This precious picture...

Became this layout...

Some Cheese with that Whine...?

2011-07-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Unbelievably, it's that time again....

I've been working in my classroom a wee bit, basically cleaning and arranging furniture after summer school used our building. But tomorrow will be a real work day, making copies, preparing lessons and activities, getting ready for Open House, etc. The beginning of this school year is bitter sweet. As always there's the new stuff, the anticipation of a great new group of students, and a clean, beautifully organized classroom. But after spending this summer as a stay-at-home mom, playing and cuddling and reading and napping and watching our sweet girl grow and blossom, it absolutely breaks my heart to think about not seeing her for 10 hours a day. The blessing is that she will spend that time with Mommy and Grandma Ish at their work, rather than surrounded by strangers. And we will rush home every night to be together, not just as a couple anymore, but as a family. So awesome.

Getting back into the swing of school things, and cleaning out cabinets and shelves and such, I stumbled upon a packet of school pictures. Now, I understand they need the teachers' pictures for the yearbook. I don't like it, but fine. But why on earth do they print out a full package for us with an 8x10, two 5x7s, and a bunch of wallets. I'm 34 years old - what the hell am I supposed to do with a dozen wallet-size professional portraits of myself? Well, I took three of them and made this - cracked myself up. The rest got shredded.

Ah, school days. The joy (?) of being a teacher is you never outgrow them...

You & You & Me

2011-07-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

That's all. :)

Speaking of adventures...

2011-07-28T16:27:00.000-07:00

Our little family just had a great one in California! Hope your summer is ending on a high note, too!

Life's Best Adventures

2011-07-15T16:05:00.000-07:00

...are the ones we have together. I saw this sketch on the October Afternoon blog yesterday and just knew I had to play with it. Problem was I didn't like it with two photos top and bottom, and I didn't have one big photo that worked. So I reinterpreted it a little bit and came up with this layout. I'm really happy with how it turned out. I used mostly Studio Calico on it, but the chipboard frame and the Robot Blue Sprinkler are both OA. Thanks for the inspiration, October Afternoon! You guys never let me down :)

Mine

2011-07-14T18:40:00.000-07:00

I ordered a bunch of October Afternoon 5 & Dime from 2peas last week, along with some other stuff, because I love the palette of navy and soft pink and cream. I can't believe everyone is about to come out with their new paper lines and I'm just now ordering goodies from the last CHA releases! I'm ok with it though because today I used my purchases to make this:

First Fourth

2011-07-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

Our little patriot :)

Also,

A Very Beginner's Project

2011-07-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

So I have a little obsession with tote bags. I buy them, I Pin them, I lust after them. It's a little weird. Today, I decided to take the bull by the horns and *sew* one. Lemme preface this by saying I cannot sew a damn thing; not a straight line on paper projects, not a button back on a shirt. I most definitely didn't think I could tackle functional final products like clothes or a tote bag. But I found and bookmarked this tutorial, headed to Joann's to find a couple of fabrics I like (which is sooo easy to do. Fabric is almost as delicious as patterned paper!), and spend my afternoon sewing something for the very first time. I figured hey, if it doesn't work, at least I tried. It will only be a few bucks and a few hours (and a big does of pride) down the drain.

I started by watching a few video tutorials from Sew Sing. I've had this Singer Sewing machine for quite a while; I permanently borrowed it from my dad at least a year ago. I tried once to run it on paper, failed miserably, and moved it to a corner of the craft room never to be used again. Until today. I had to begin by learning how to thread it and wind a bobbin. Yeah, I was that clueless.

I followed the step-by-step directions from Sew Mama Sew extremely carefully. However, I royally messed up the tutorial's version of a front pocket and had to branch out on my own with what I had left of the red fabric. I won't show you a closeup of the pocket I did put on the bag because the lines are atrociously crooked and the seams ridiculously uneven. But it's got a pocket and it actually holds stuff.

Altogether, it took me almost 3 hours. Ha! And during the process my kitchen looked a lot like this:

Note: That was *supposed* to be the front pocket. But seeing as how it didn't have a single straight edge or square corner, I formulated a plan B.

But when all was done, I actually have a real tote bag. Sure the bottom is crazy uneven, and my stitch lines are as wavy as my hair, but I made it myself. With a gusset, French seams, contrasting pocket and handles, and everything. Granted, any 7th grader who's taken a basic home-ec class could have done it way better and way faster. I'm going to choose to ignore that fact and be pleased with my bright new tote bag. It even has buttons. :)

Love that picture

2011-07-07T07:32:00.000-07:00

Ever love a picture so much you scrap it multiple times? Apparently, I have. I snapped these few shots of the Bean chilling in her crib while I put away her clean laundry and I adore them. They are so yellow and bright and happy and *her*. Cheesy as it may sound, they truly capture her essence. :) So I thought they deserved not one, but three layouts. These are the two I made yesterday.

In other news, as much as I'd love to pretend my life is nothing but happy baby and pretty paper, it isn't. I'm meeting today with the owner of the assisted living home where we'll be moving my mother to over the weekend. She's holding steady at the skilled nursing facility, but we feel like she'll get more personalized attention at assisted living. She'll be one of six ladies instead of one of hundreds of patients, and we really feel comfortable with this place. I can't bear to think my mother won't be home, probably ever again. I certainly can't bear to really type out my feelings about it. Choosing even when there is no choice still hurts like hell.

Autumn Press Collection

2011-07-05T12:08:00.000-07:00

Just have to share this GORGEOUS new collection from SC. Are you seeing that alphabet?? The scrap pad?? Oh, and the die cuts... It's absolutely to die for.

Autumn Press Collection

Happy Girl

2011-07-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

Feeling the love for SC today. Feel the love for Anniebeans everyday :)

Annabelle at 6 months

2011-06-30T10:31:00.000-07:00

Our biggest blessing is six months old today. Love love love you, Bean!

An Awful Phone Picture of a Beautiful Memory

2011-06-28T17:20:00.000-07:00

Every year since we've been together (that's 10 years, btw), Shannon and I go to look at the Christmas lights in a neighborhood called Winterhaven in Tucson. It's one of our very favorite holiday traditions - getting bundled up, eating dive Chinese first, singing carols and waving to passersby from the back of the hayride. In fact, that's where Shanni gave me my ring and asked me to spend forever loving her. Like I'd say anything but yes...

But anyway, I took this picture with my phone just this past Christmas. Little did we know our baby would be born just about a week or so later. So *this* is a picture of our last trip to Winterhaven as a couple. This year, we'll go as a family.

Pretty as a Picture

2011-06-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

We took these pictures last week to showcase Annabelle's DOC band. They are creating a calendar featuring babies wearing their bands, and we totally think our little bean deserves to be a model, no? :)

On another note, circles are so not my thing. I know they are a design staple, and artists like Jamie Warren can work them like no one's business. I can't, but I adore this Studio Calico paper that came with my Lawn Party kit a few months back and I was determined to use it. I really like how this turned out.

Lastly, I just want to say how grateful I am for joyful distractions like my baby and scrapbooking her beautiful face. My mother, after spending the weekend at St. Joe's, is back at the nursing home *still* awaiting the kidney procedure. If I think about it too long, I'll scream or cry or most likely both. I spent all day Friday and most of Sunday with her, and spent all morning today calling doctors. This afternoon, I needed to play with Annabelle and pretty paper and all the things that bring me joy.

Red

2011-06-23T16:43:00.000-07:00

Yeah that's right, I'm posting again. Why? Because now it's *afternoon* naptime and I hid in the craftroom again to make THIS. My heart has been calling out for red lately, and when I printed these big black & whites of Annabelle in her baby pool, I saw my chance!

A wee tag with our wee one :)

2011-06-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Baby's asleep. Time is limited, but I'm feeling crafty. How about a tag?! It's a miniature layout that takes 15 minutes, but you can still jam it full of cuteness. I love making them, but I'm never sure what to do with them when they're done.... Oh well. Still precious.

Who wants to lick a messy baby?

2011-06-22T10:53:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Homer Simpson. Anyway, these are beautiful, simple days of summer. Annabelle is rolling over, working on sitting up, frolicking in her Lil Squirt Pool (she/we LOVE this thing!), and eating solid food! So far we've discovered she adores plain rice cereal, she's ok with sweet potatoes, hates peas, LOATHES bananas, and enjoys a bit of squash in said cereal. Not the most complex palette, but we're working on it.

I couldn't sleep last night, so I jumped up to make a quick layout documenting her first experience eating food off a spoon. :) I mean really, it just doesn't get any cuter than this!

Also, a few shots of her playing in her pool. Warning: you may see wee naked baby parts :)

Me & U

2011-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

Just a layout share today. I *finally* got myself on a page :)

Wordless Wednesday: Mom

2011-06-15T15:26:00.000-07:00

Look what I did

2011-06-14T15:50:00.000-07:00

First, I made it out of Michael's for 16 dollars. Me. Michael's. Under $20. This may be the first sign of the rapture...

Second, I made it out of Target for 23 dollars.... including baby stuff. That's right, I went to the baby section and *still* only spent that much. I swear I could drop a quarter of a million dollars per visit to that place. But today I was a budget rockstar. Two outfits, baby food, a set of baby bowls on clearance, and a Father's Day card. Woot!

Third, I did a bunch of research here and here about starting Annabelle on solid foods. She's been eating rice cereal with us at dinner time for about a week now, so today I bought squash, peas, bananas, and sweet potatoes. I'm so glad I read about trying only 1 food at a time, for 3 or so days, to watch for allergic reactions. I never would have thought of that. Can't wait to see what she thinks of her expanding menu!

Next, I read Kayla's post today. That girl cracks me up, but today I was particularly tickled. :)

Last, I made this with those precious swim pictures. I'm so glad our girl takes loooong afternoon naps - that's Mama's playtime. :)

Wordless Wednesday (on Thursday morning. Close enough.)

2011-06-09T08:39:00.000-07:00

Firsts

2011-06-07T16:08:00.000-07:00

Annabelle is 5 months and 8 days old today, and I marvel every day at how she's growing and learning. I was reflecting last night on all the new skills and experiences she's had in just the past two weeks or so. She's now sleeping in her own room, her head shape is responding so well to her DOC band, she's rolling over in both directions, she's starting to sit up for longer stretches of time unassisted, she's getting rice cereal in her bedtime bottle, and she's going swimming for the first time tomorrow at Auntie SMF's. So much, so fast.

I've decided I really like this stage. Her smiles, her vocalizing, her interactions with people or toys - it's all so wondrous. Every single time I look at her, I feel my heart swell to bursting in my chest and my breath catch for just a second. I love her with all of my whole heart, yet somehow I manage to love her even more each day. This motherhood stuff? Miraculous.

Good Morning Sunshine

2011-06-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

I *finally* had a chance to get into my scraproom and play late last night. I kept it real simple and just celebrated that precious smile. There's nothing quite as inspirational as the Bean's sweet face.

Our Bathroom Looks Something Like This

2011-06-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Remember this scene in E.T.? Yeah, our master bath looks exactly like this, albeit on a slightly smaller scale. What we thought was an easy-to-fix leaky wax ring under our toilet turned out to be 6 square feet of flooring saturated with sewer water caused by that damn leaky wax ring. Our tiny water closet is now jammed up with fan, a dehumidifier, and something called an air scrubber (I think), which takes the potential mold and microbes out of the air. The toilet is in the bathtub! And it'll be like this for the next 5 days, until everything is dry, the flooring is replaced, and the toilet is back where it belongs.

So we are camping out in the living room for a while, and we just moved all our toiletries into the lovely guest bath. (We had a lovely guest room, until we had an even lovelier baby girl.) And Annabelle, who rolled over for the first time today, is also spending her first night in her own room. It's turning into quite the adventure for everybody. Here's hoping everything gets put to rights ASAP.

She's All About It

2011-05-31T20:59:00.000-07:00

Annabelle turned 5 months old yesterday. She's working on rolling over, had rice cereal in her bottle for the first time tonight, and is the smiley-est, sweetest little bundle of love that ever was. Her faves right now:

1. Crunchy puppy. A crinkly, fuzzy, teether-pawed dog and she loves everything about him.

2. The Cube. It's covered in all kinds of textures, it jingles, it has a few dangling bumpy teethers, and one side is mirrored. To the Bean, that's perfection.

3. The xylopiano. A Little Tikes classic that brings a grin to her face no matter what makes the music - mommy, mama, her own fingers or her own toes.

4. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. It's a singable book with bold bright letters (lowercase, thank you very much!) that teaches the alphabet, rhyme, repetition, colors, you name it. She's riveted every time we read it, which is often multiple times a day.

5. Her bouncer. I call it the jungle gym, Shannon calls it the Cirque du Soleil bouncer, but Fisher Price calls it the Luv U Zoo Jumperoo. An ok name, I guess. It sings, it bounces, it flashes and spins and jingles. An all-round good time, at least in short bursts.

I am so lucky to be able to spend the next two months at home with her. I simply adore every minute I get to spend watching her play and learn and grow. We love you, baby girl.

Photoless

2011-05-11T16:51:00.000-07:00

I've been fascinated by this idea of scrapping without photos. It was even a challenge recently on one of the paper company blogs I follow. Until recently, I haven't understood it. As a scrapbooker, I take photos of everything, choose the events and moments that matter most, and combine my pictures with pretty paper and cutesie things to celebrate the memory. But last night I made this.

Lately, beyond our precious baby girl, life hasn't been giving me too many things to celebrate. However, as I reflect on and worry about and pray for and sometimes avoid the ugly things mucking up my world right now, I realize that my thoughts and feelings are worth documenting and remembering too, even if they're photoless. They may not be pretty, but they matter. And if I can learn from them, grow because of them, look back at them in the future and see what I've overcome, maybe they'll be worth celebrating some day.

Thoughts on Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

I can't help thinking, on this day that celebrates the most important job a woman can have, that we are so blessed to have such incredible women in our lives.

Karen. More than an aunt, more than a friend. She loves and supports Shannon unconditionally, and in return trusts Shannon with more of her heart than anyone else. And she absolutely adores our baby girl.

Mom. My heart breaks to know she is spending this special day still in the hospital, just as she spent Easter and Mackenzie's 10th birthday. Doctors and nurses assure us that she is healing, that her body and brain will recover. That woman made me the person I am today. I owe all the best parts of me to her and my dad, and I pray every day that she'll be back to herself soon.

Rosie. My closest, most amazing SMF. She is my beloved confidant, inspiring mentor, and favorite partner in crime. She treated us to brunch today along with her beautiful daughter Ashton. Thank you.

Annabelle. Our sweet, smiling Bean with the most charming disposition and precious face. I never imagined my heart existing outside of my body, but it does. She owns it all.

So many other sweet friends, like Jennifer, Kristen, Deb, Marybeth, Gracie. Wonderful women and mothers who make our lives richer, fuller, better, and who love us, our families, and our Annie B.

We love you all back very much. I made two projects to celebrate our mothers loving our daughter. It doesn't get any more special than this. Happy Mother's Day.

Grandma and Annabelle

Grandma-ish (Aunt Karen) and Annabelle

4 Months

2011-05-01T21:55:00.000-07:00

Our girl turned 4 months old yesterday. Don't ask me how that's even possible. It's been 120 or so days of love and cuddles and smiles. She is the easiest, happiest, most loving little girl who ever was, and we are so overjoyed and so very thankful she's ours.

She marked her big weekend with a few important milestones. First, she moved to size two in diapers. We've been having these volcano-like poop eruptions up the back of her diapers for about a week now. When we consulted some of our mom friends, they pretty much unanimously said go up a size. So we did. Oddly, we had another Vesuvius episode tonight in her size 2s, so we're switching brands next.

Also, she took her first big girl bath today. We've been bathing her on the bathroom counter, her bath chair on top of a towel, with a small bucket full of warm soapy water. But tonight, we put her chair in the bathtub and poured water on her, even let her sit directly in the water for a bit - a real bath. She wasn't too keen at first, but we're pretty sure she liked it in the end.

And lastly, she wore shoes for the first time. We thought her feet were HUGE when she was born. They just looked so big on her tiny little body, but it turns out they are really quite small. We've been waiting for those tootsies to be big enough to fit into the smallest shoes you can buy, and today was the day. And how perfect are these cuties?? Almost as perfect as the sweet girl wearing them.

Happy 4 months, Beanie! Love you like mad, baby girl.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

Another one bites the dust

2011-04-17T20:32:00.000-07:00

How is this weekend is over already?? I simply cannot believe the speed at which time travels these days. Incredible.

One of my oldest and dearest friends was in town Saturday and met our bean. Kristen and her son spent spring break with their family in Yuma, and came up early before flying home to spend the day with us. It's wild to remember her and I being so young and goofy in college, our trips to Vegas, our first loves... and now to see us both raising our families like responsible adults. It's amazing what a decade can do.

I didn't see my mom this weekend. I hate feeling guilty, but I just couldn't do it.

We had to dedicate today to doing a glucose curve test for the Brown Dog. That required pricking her ear and testing her blood sugar every hour and a half. She was such a trooper (Shanni, not so much.) So being stuck home, I finished laundry for the first time in a month!! Hooray! Shannon ran in and out taking care of grocery shopping and other errands. Excellent teamwork. And we holed up in the craft room this afternoon while Annabelle took her first real nap in her crib - 3 hours worth! Shanni was designing for work, and I designed this. A fast weekend indeed, but we packed it full of good stuff.

Currently

2011-04-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

... waiting for Shanni and the Bean to get home. Damn meeting is keeping them from me.
... planning dinner. Rotisserie chicken? Yes.
... listening to Christina Perri. Who do you think you are???
... loving and hating Pinterest. *sigh* Sooo inspiring, but sooo time consuming.
... checking updates on Facebook while simultaneously browsing the Studio Calico gallery. Thanks for the love on my layout everybody.
...worrying about my mom. I just want her better. I want her normal. I want her to be the person she was 5 years ago. I want her to eat right, and do the simple exercises she's been prescribed (again and again). I want her to be able to get out of bed on her own, and walk a few steps on her own, and make smart decisions on her own. I want my mom back, dammit.
...counting the days til summer. Yeah, already.

Happy Bean

2011-03-24T18:12:00.000-07:00

So we found out today that Annabelle will have to wear a DOC Band for the next few months. Our pediatrician warned us this would likely be happening, and it's a simple process aimed to improve the cosmetic shape of her head. It doesn't mean we did anything wrong, nor does it mean there's anything wrong with her. We just need to round out her noggin. Still, to be completely honest, I don't like it. I'm trying to stay positive and keep an "eh, whatev" sort of attitude, but I don't like that my baby needs some sort of....device to help her develop properly. She's perfect, dammit. And I know, considering the issues we *could* be dealing with, this is so minor and unimportant. I'll get over it. I promise.

To help myself look on the bright side today, I created a little layout. I took the day off for her appointment, and to meet with a social worker to help find a care home for my mom (which was hugely successful!), so I had a little time this afternoon while Annie B. napped to play in the craft room. Celebrating how perfect our baby girl truly is.

Wordy Wednesday

2011-03-23T20:52:00.000-07:00

A different direction today...

All prints via pinterest. I love pinterest...

Rude much?

2011-03-18T09:30:00.000-07:00

We have these flaky friends/neighbors. They are the nicest people, and we usually enjoy spending time with them, but they make odd decisions and aren't the best planners. Anyway, long story as short as possible... they asked me, repeatedly, to set up one of their friends with one of my friends. Truthfully, I don't know the girl I invited very well, but I know she's a single mom, he's a single dad, they're both cute so why not? I awkwardly invited this girl I semi-know to haul her cookies across town for a big group playdate; we'd all bring our kids and meet at a neighborhood park and just spend some time together. Surprisingly, she said yes. It was meant to be casual, easy, fun.

Well after an hour of playing, my neighbors suddenly announce they have to go. They have invited people over for dinner and those guests are one their way. Say what? Invited people for dinner?? You pestered me to organize this get together a week ago and you're bailing after an HOUR?! Not to mention, they never even told their male friend that he was being set up, so he was shy and socially awkward and did nothing to get to know my friend!! AND I stayed an extra hour at the park keeping this poor girl company trying to at least make sure her children had a good time, then had to walk the almost-a-mile home alone with my baby in a stroller at dusk. Really crappy, really rude.

I was embarrassed and angry clear up til bedtime, so after my turn with the 2:00am feeding, I retreated into my craft room and made this. It's a little art/idea journal where I can jot and sketch all the crazy ideas that pop into my head while I'm not sleeping because I'm fuming over the crummy things people do. Knowing me, I'll still be upset today because I'll spend it awaiting an apology. So rude.

Love You

2011-03-17T08:51:00.000-07:00

So I'm in the midst of my Spring Break, a full week and just Mama and the Bean together. We're trying to accomplish a little something each day - like business phone calls, taxes, cleaning silk plants, killing weeds, etc. But I'm also taking advantage of naptimes and late nights to scrap my face off, and I'm loving it! Last night, after my sweet family went to bed, I made this project. I tell ya what, I could TOTALLY get used to this stay at home mom thing.... except that a paycheck wouldn't magically appear in my bank account every other Friday. Damn. Foiled again.

Wordless Wednesday: Perfection

2011-03-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Two words

2011-03-13T17:41:00.000-07:00

Baby chub.

Blog Make-over

2011-03-12T19:47:00.000-08:00

As much as I love love love the internet, my techno-blogger skills are sooooooo minimal. Basically, I know how to log in, type, and post. I am completely intimidated by the formatting and design, and forget about that "edit html" tab. So, I just spend my time oogling other blogs and thinking, "How'd they do that??" For example, my blog header. It was just some borrowed art from a free blog design website that I somehow managed to make fit and put a title on. It was never really what I wanted.

Then today I found this post on A Foothill Home Campanion. Her simple directions were so easy to follow, written in layman's terms, and, while I did have to click the dreaded "edit html" button, I didn't really have to edit a dang thing. Just scroll down and check a number. Easy peasy. And now my blog header looks like ^that^! It's just want I wanted. Thanks Molly!

We were warned

2011-03-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

When Shannon became pregnant, my best friend Rose and I spent a lot of time talking about this journey that is parenthood. She has raised two wonderful children who had to endure some really awful, unfair things early in their life because of their father. She warned me that, while I adore my brother's children completely who have also endured some awful, unfair crap early in their lives because of their miserable excuse for a mother, when I have my own child, "love" won't even be enough of a word to encompass the range of emotion I would feel for her. I argued, but Rose insisted. Trust me, she said. You'll see.

And here we are, Annabelle is nine and a half weeks old, and I am so overwhelmed by the depth of what I feel for her. It's love, and more. It is possessive, protective adoration. It is soft, sweet need. It is awesome wonder and patient tenderness. It is spontaneous bouts of weeping because there isn't room inside of me to contain it all. It is so, so much. What was life before our sweet girl?

I created this today, using Studio Calico's Sunday Sketch and lots of their new product. I just can't stop showcasing our Annabelle.

I Became a Mama

2011-03-05T12:21:00.000-08:00

Our girl just passed the 2 month mark, and I fall more in love with her everyday. If that's even possible, because I already love her with everything in me. So, so grateful for the day she joined our family.


All patterned paper is October Afternoon, all cardstock Bazzill. Stickers OA & Sass. Bird stamps from Studio Calico.

First Bath

2011-02-27T09:56:00.000-08:00

A quick LO I did last night of Annabelle's first bath. She is by no means a fan of bathing, but the first one wasn't as rough as we thought it would be. The hardest part was pulling off the band-aid from her shots earlier in the day. I love this photo we got of her all wrapped in her hooded towel, and it's the first picture we took where her eyes were wide open. I used some new Sass, some MME, a Basic Grey Hopscotch blossom, some Studio Calico white mist, and some of my beloved alphabet stickers.

I love how big the pacifier looks in her mouth! Wow, how fast they grow...

They tried to make me go to rehab...

2011-02-26T21:38:00.000-08:00

Serious. Alphabet. Addiction. Today's score from my favorite scrappy store:

4 sassafras beauties, 3 perfect basic greys, and cosmo cricket's yummy yellow tiny type.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

those cheeks!

those thighs!!

I heart 3 day weekends

2011-02-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't, really. But this weekend was particularly productive. Friday night we went to Walmart. Wild, I know, but then it was off the weekend's to-do list. Saturday was a restful family togetherness day. Sunday we hit up the malls with my niece and did lots o' shopping. Today, it was just Annabelle and I at home. Today alone, I:

cleaned my whole house, bathrooms included
emptied the dishwasher
scooped the litterbox
sanitized botttles
got a perfect check-up at the dentist (thanks for babysitting, Aunt Rosie!)
played with my sweet, sweet baby girl
baked banana bread
made dinner (so what if it was mostly leftovers?)
checked in with my parents and my smf
burned a love song cd for my love
created this

So satisfying. Hope the extra day in your weekend was fabulous too!

Saturday Scrapping

2011-02-19T15:10:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this gray day.

Happy Love Day!

2011-02-14T16:37:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a love as blissful as this... :)

Almost all product is the newest Sassafras line, Paper Crush. Yum!

Weekend Love

2011-02-13T07:35:00.000-08:00

I thought I loved weekends before, but now? They are uninterrupted time with Shanni and Annabelle. They are clean laundry, visits to Grandma and Grandpa, and strolls through the neighborhood. They are sleeping, cuddling, and crafting. They are utterly priceless. And this weekend gave me the chance to create a Valentine for my family. Thanks, weekend.

Figuring it out...

2011-02-07T19:28:00.000-08:00

So I've officially been back to work for one whole week, this being the start of my second. Tonight I was able to come home, spend some love time with our sweet girl, eat dinner, bathe the baby, listen to a bedtime story, put the baby to sleep, prep the overnight bottles, grade two assignments for school, and update this blog. Now that is a damn productive evening if I do say so myself.

We've been working on building an evening routine. Annabelle usually has a bottle between 6 and 7, depending on how her day went. Today marks exactly a week that we've worked to take a bath after that bottle, read a story, quietly rock in a mama's arms, then lay down. Every night, she has spent an hour or more griping and whining, spitting out her pacifier and hollering until one of us would come and plug her back up. Until tonight. After our bath, Mama Shanni read us Children Make Terrible Pets. Then I laid her in her bassinette all swaddled up and she hasn't made a peep. That was at 7:40. It's now 8:10. Hooray!

Shannon is still off this week, and I believe that is making this back-to-work transition easier for me. But it's still not easy; I miss Annie and being home with her every single second of the work day. And as soon as I get home, exhausted though I am, I just want to soak up every single moment with her. I even get up to do the early morning 3am-ish feeding, not because Shannon won't do it, but because I want those extra minutes to hold her and hear her and look at her precious face. I'm figuring out how to live with less sleep, how to handle this incredibly difficult working mom stuff, how to adjust our household routines. How to love my family *this* much.

1 month

2011-01-30T16:35:00.000-08:00

Annie B. is one month old today. The fastest, most exhausting, most joyous month of our lives. Shannon humored me by being a good sport and posing for a backyard photo session - again. Only this time, the baby was on the outside :) We, and by we I mean I, loved this so much and plan on doing it every month, to capture the bittersweet passage of time...

already Grandpa's girl

2011-01-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

My father is one of my favorite people in the world. I understand him completely, probably because I am an exact clone. Same temper, same need to have everything just so, same dominant personality, same sense of humor, same deeply hidden soft side. It wasn't always this way... finding that softness in him wasn't easy as a sensitive young girl. But I grew up and with me grew my understanding of how my father ticks. And I am undeniably, and proudly, just like him.

Shannon and I were together for over 9 years before I finally was able to tell my father face to face that we were a couple. I had assumed we had a don't ask, don't tell policy in the family. Seriously, how could he not know? She and I had lived together, attended every family function together, bought our home and owned our pets together, for nearly a decade. He's not dumb. But he was very unassuming, and genuinely did not even think anything was not exactly the way we presented it - as a close, platonic friendship. I remember, this past summer, finally building up the courage to sit down with him and tell him the truth. Our baby was well on her way and it was past time to let my father know (mom's known for a long time, and faithfully kept my secret). I expected anger, denial, disgust, even name calling...which he (and I) are sometimes prone to do. But he looked at me and said, "You're my daughter and I love you. If you're happy, I'm happy." I cried, mostly because I was so surprised at how simple and effortless his love and acceptance was. I cried, somewhat because I was ashamed at how badly I had underestimated him. I cried because I am so, so lucky.

And when we brought Annabelle over to my parents' house on our way home from the hospital so she could meet her grandparents, I will never as long as I live forget the gentle way my father took Shannon's face in both his hands and kissed her cheek, telling her thank you and that he loved her. He didn't want to hold the baby that day. "She's too little," he said. "I didn't even hold you or your brother when you were that little."

But two weeks later, at my nephew's birthday party, he decided he was ready to hold her, with a lot of pushing from me. This is the photo I took of the two of them. It is now my most favorite photo of all time. Who knew your heart could be captured on film?

We're a month in now. He holds her often, loves to just watch her face and listen to her grunt and toot. He keeps her by his side whenever we go to visit and has nicknamed her Shorty. They even napped together the other day when I went over to help my mom. I really can't say it enough... I am so, so lucky.

Makin' stuff

2011-01-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

I am LOVING this stay at home mom gig. Unfortunately, I only have a week left. But I've been nesting my face off, trying to make the most of it :) So, I made these:

source

And then I made this:

Wordless Wednesday - sleep much?

2011-01-19T15:11:00.000-08:00

So Much Love...

2011-01-13T15:18:00.000-08:00

....for our perfect baby girl.

Wordless Wednesday: Story Time

2011-01-12T20:26:00.000-08:00

...borrowing this concept from Lisa Truesdell. :)

She's here!

2011-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

I'm too tired to type the whole story right now, and it's a good one, but I would like to officially introduce our baby girl, Annabelle Ruthmarie. She joined us Thursday, December 30th at 9:24pm, weighing 6lbs 2oz and measuring 18 3/4 inches long. She's perfectly healthy, eating and sleeping non-stop, and we are soooooo in love :)

Wrapfest

2010-12-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

I feel as though I've wrapped 7,483,290,483,274,032,784,932 gifts today, and somehow I'm still not close to done. There is Christmas shrapnel covering every flat surface in the baby's room. I don't know where we're going to store all this stuff next year when there's actually a baby in the baby's room. And to top off the never ending holiday to-do list, Shannon was put on bed rest to keep her blood pressure down. Sucks for her and for me both. I'm handling all these final preparations solo. Elves don't get paid enough...

Blessings

2010-12-14T17:44:00.000-08:00

It's natural this time of year to want to slow down and count all the blessings in our lives, to give thanks for all that is good and right in our worlds. I thought I knew what all my blessings were. I try hard to be grateful for the many, many gifts I have, a continue to receive, each day.

And then I sent out my Christmas cards and a letter to my extended family. After nearly a decade, I decided it was time to share what's really going on in my life, who Shannon really is to me, and that we're starting our family. I didn't know how the news would go over, but I definitely never expected the outpouring of love and congratulations and excitement and joy that we have been flooded with this past week. Even a few colleagues at work, with whom I am *very* hesitant to share personal details, have put two and two together, and come to me to offer love and support. I never knew I was surrounded by so many amazing, open-hearted people.

I never knew I had this much to be thankful for. I am so, so overwhelming blessed.

Today

2010-12-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

I am thrilled to wish my father a Happy 80th Birthday!

I am excited to go see my niece's holiday orchestra concert.

I am proud of this. Can't wait to start digging into it with pictures this weekend!

Advent Cone Calendar

2010-12-02T18:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick repost from Oh Dee Doh. Such a simple, sweet idea, and a fun way to showcase all your favorite holiday papers!

November Moments

2010-11-29T16:47:00.000-08:00

Well, this has certainly been one of the most memorable - and B U S Y - Novembers in memory. It went a little something like this...

Baby shower. Nothing beats being, well, showered with adorable baby girl gifts from all the people you love and who love you back.
Rosie's cancer scare. The words "negative" and "biopsy" are a beautiful pair.
Thanksgiving. My brother and his wife actually both came, and brought a baby gift no less. Our whole crazy family of 8 +1 were gathered around our dinner table, and it was wonderful. Cooking, carving, eating, cleaning, throwing bags outside after dinner, and lots and lots of laughter.
Black Friday. First in line at Wal-mart, baby. Me in lane 6, Rosie in lane 7. Mm hmm, that's right.
Decking the halls. Normally we have the fullest, fattest 9 foot Christmas tree ever, chock full of balls and bulbs and a royal pain in the ass to put up. This year, since baby A could arrive any time after Christmas, we wanted to simplify a bit. So we put up an adorable 4.5 footer packed with just our most precious ornaments. And we figure this will probably be our tree for the next few years to get us through the destructive toddler phase. It's really a very sweet little tree.... I'm adjusting.
Winterhaven. We're going on Saturday, December 11. I love this tradition with all my heart.
The nursery. All of Shannon's gorgeous artwork is hung, the drawer pulls have been painted just the right shade of green, and the carpet has been cleaned. I couldn't imagine a more perfect room for our baby girl.
12 Days of Christmas. I've decided that the December Daily is just too much for me, and I happened to stumble upon a blog with an abbreviated but equally special version of it that focuses just on the twelve most important holiday moments and events of the season. *This* feels much more manageable to me, and I'm almost done creating my foundation. I'll post picks as soon as it's done.
Shannon's birthday. We topped off the long holiday weekend with a simple celebration, just the two of us. I made her breakfast, she opened gifts, we went to the movies together. It was delightful.

In fact, this whole month has been delightful. Ending a rough year on a wonderfully high note, it seems. I hope this keeps up.

Sharing

2010-11-13T21:27:00.000-08:00

Twas a busy Saturday - haircut, scrapping, brunch, movies, shopping, dinner, laundry, chores. Now Shanni's asleep on the recliner and I'm watching HP and the Goblet of Fire and checking out SC's December kit sneaks.

A lot on my mind today. We're missing loved ones.... Ruthie and Nervs. While the holiday season is, of course, joyful, it also makes us long for those no longer with us. Speaking of holidays, I'm sooo happy that Zach and Kenz will be with us for Thanksgiving. Rolling meatballs for the soup, watching the parade. But at the same time, I'm disgusted that their parents are going to spend the week hunting while they push their 4 children off on extended family. I can't stand who my brother is as a parent anymore and it makes me sad. And I'm feeling anxious... worried about finishing all the baby preparations and desperately eager to meet our daughter, hold her, smell her, count her fingers and toes, kiss her rosy cheeks. Shannon is going to ask our doctor for one more ultrasound, just so we can see her. January 19 will be here before we know it, yet feels too long to wait for a glimpse.

That was today's project, inspired by Tom Petty and everything I'm feeling right now. Anyway, it's late. It's time to head to bed. Hoping your hearts and minds are more settled than mine :)

Miss You

2010-11-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

It's mid-morning on a Tuesday and here I am. Why? Because I woke up at 3:30 this morning with my first bonafide migraine. I've had headaches before, even severe ones with light and sound sensitivity that I *thought* were migraines. I was so wrong. This was the most excruciating pain I possibly have ever experienced, to the point of vomiting and other stomach catastrophes you don't want to know about. Point is, Shannon helped me call the sub line in the wee early hours and I have taken today off. Thanks to my wonderful teammate Tina who slapped some sub plans together for me this morning.

I've spent most of the morning in bed resting, but I was bored. So I hauled my butt outta bed and into the craft room. I have had our sweet Nervs on my mind lately, missing her so. After 12 years, our family feels incomplete without her around. I was inspired by Studio Calico's Sunday Sketch this week:

Jen Jockisch posted it based on a layout by Waleska Neris. I instantly fell in love with it, so this morning I created this:

I miss her so, so much. Shocking how deep into your heart a pet can burrow, and how much their loss can hurt....

On another note, Kayla Aimee, Jeff, and their daughter Scarlette could use your prayers. As we wait for the birth of our first daughter, KA and her family are on our minds and hearts. Sending them lots and lots of love.

A heavy sort of day. Climbing back into bed for a while...

Thankful

2010-11-07T09:27:00.000-08:00

Today is our baby shower. I so wanted, needed, my mom to be lucid for this. I just went over to help her get showered and ready, and she is. Today she is strong and with it. Daddy baked her muffins, she got up and in her wheelchair all by herself, they enjoyed breakfast together, and she took a fast shower with my help. No issues at all. I am so thankful.

I Voted

2010-11-02T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hope you did too.

Belly Shots

2010-10-31T12:45:00.000-07:00

We began our third trimester this week and wanted to take advantage of this beautiful day to snap some pics. Annabelle, your Mama Shanni is such a dork! :)

Horf

2010-10-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Enjoying a lazy Sunday evening after a whirlwind weekend of shopping, shopping, shopping! We finally got the right chair for Annabelle's room, one of $392 worth of IKEA purchases, three rugs for Shannon's show room at The Dump (h u g e store, cool stuff), groceries at Safeway, multiple stops for multiple items at multiple Targets, some camis and long pants at Lane, a few more frames for nursery art at Michael's, and a desperately needed bottle of water at Circle K. We are now relaxing in the craft room, Shannon creating precious colored pencil art pieces based on the book Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell.

And I created this little quickie. Had fun embossing the woodgrain background with a stamp from All Night Media. The paper and stickers are part of the Blackbird collection from My Mind's Eye - love love LOVE this collection. The foam letters and the green cardstock were in my Studio Calico On The Easel kit, and the punch is Martha. I'm hopelessly in love with so many of her punches.... *sigh*

Scraps still on the table... off to see what I can do with them. :)

A Smidge of Fall

2010-10-17T16:23:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of my Fall Break, so Shannon and I decided to squeeze in a mini-road trip upstate to see if we could find some foliage. I checked for scenic drives on the Arizona Highways website first, we grabbed some road food, filled the tank, and were on our way. We headed up the I-17 to the Camp Verde exit, drove east in search of Forest Road 618 (which we never actually found), and ended up continuing to the 87 to come home through Payson. We stopped off a tiny antique store to browse, ate lunch at Macky's Grill, and discovered that taking photos of trees from a car going 70mph isn't easy. It wasn't exactly the drive we planned, but it was lovely nonetheless. A fitting end to a restful week off.

Thank you, Restoration

2010-10-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

I've had this picture of my niece and nephew since last Christmas. I love the photo, and I've desperately wanted to work with it, but it was presenting quite a challenge. Obviously, they're a bit older now and the cutesy red and green Xmas pajamas don't fly anymore. So they're wearing clothes of their own choosing that completely don't fit any holiday paper color scheme at all! Jeez guys, you *know* I'm a scrapper. Couldn't you have at least matched each other, if not the rest of the decorations??

Enter Restoration, a non-holiday collection from Crate Paper with all the right colors for this photo, and this particular pattern feels celebratory enough to work for a Christmas layout. And voila - this simple, pretty project. I inked a Martha doily black, used an SC stamp, did a little handstitching, and it all came together rather well. Thanks, Restoration.

Little One

2010-10-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Boy, it's been a while! The first quarter of a school year is always like this. For the first month, you're getting your class settled, teaching routines, organizing and communicating constantly! The second month and a half, you're preparing for conferences and report cards. I swear, I work enough overtime in the first nine weeks to cover all the weeks off we get in the summer. It's not a vacation, it's comp time. :)

We've been crazy busy prepping the nursery, registering, making invitations to the shower. It's all coming together so beautifully. I'll take pics and share soon. Shannon has been feeling great, thank goodness. We're just so excited and having such fun waiting to meet our Annabelle.

Speaking of which, I created this layout today with our 20 week ultrasound that told us we're expecting a daughter.

This is my well-deserved fall break, and I've been scrapping it up! Made a love l.o., the invites, and this. My Studio Calico October Kit - On the Easel - and the Watercolor add-on arrived yesterday afternoon, so I busted into it first thing this morning! In fact, I'm heading back into the scraproom right now! :)

Missing Autumn

2010-09-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

I dream every day of living somewhere besides Arizona. This time of year only makes it worse. When the rest of the northern hemisphere is enjoying shorter days, cooler temperatures, and leaves turning shades of russet and amber and gold, I spent my afternoon running errands in 106 degree weather. I can't stand it.

So today I created a little something with one of my favorite photos from our Vermont trip three falls ago. I thoroughly loved every moment of that vacation... every drop of rain that fell, every crimson leaf that fluttered to the ground. I cannot wait to again live in a place with four distinct seasons, autumn being my very favorite. As soon as I'm no longer needed here, I'm there.

Created for Studio Calico's Monochromatic Layout with Neutrals Challenge

A Perfect Sunday

2010-09-12T17:16:00.000-07:00

Rare and delightful. Today started with an early morning walk around the neighborhood under mostly cloudy skies. The weather is just beginning to feel like fall... cool mornings, comfortable evenings. When we got home, Shanni made her famous, scrumptious breakfast burritos. We then squeezed in a pinch of housework, took my dad grocery shopping with us, and ended the first half of the day getting pedicures together. When we got home, Shannon kicked back to watch the Cardinals' season opener and I retreated to my craft room, where I created this - a sweet little decor piece for Annie B's nursery - inspired a bit by Martha Bonneau and a lot by the color scheme we've chosen.

As far as Sundays go, it doesn't get much better than this. Wishing you the same.

Yowser!

2010-08-29T16:02:00.000-07:00

Every year, it seems I forget how chaotic the beginning of a school year is. Between Meet the Teacher, all the work that goes into the first month or so, grading, lesson planning, Curriculum Night, all the meetings, and the trainings for new programs- it's freakin' exhausting!

I did manage to squeeze in a bit of scrapping this weekend, though, even if I should have been grading papers... Aunt Karen gave me some birthday money and I actually spent it on me - at my favorite LSS, of course. We had our gender ultrasound this week - it's a girl!! Annabelle Ruthmarie. So the new u.s. pics went in the frame, and I was able to work with our 12 week pic.

Now I should actually get to that grading. We're heading over to my folks' later for birthday cake with the family. Happy Sunday afternoon.

Clearly

2010-08-02T19:24:00.000-07:00

Clearly, I need to quit my job. This working outside the home thing is exhausting. Alright, technically I'm not even really back to work yet. And fine, so I only worked 4.5 hours today. But after work, I took my dad television shopping at CostCo and Walmart, then gave my mom her nightly antiobiotic infusion, then came home and cooked dinner, and *then* put away 2 loads of laundry! I'm pooped. I'm whining and I'm pooped. :P

Saw this today. Thought I'd share.

Now it's time for some mindless, relaxing tv. Clearly, I've earned it.

Enough Already

2010-07-31T11:07:00.000-07:00

It's a cloudy Saturday. I love cloudy days. This summer being an exception, they are very rare in these parts. And even rarer still... it's not hot outside. Very humid but definitely not hot. That's pretty special.

Mom's coming home from the hospital today. This wraps up her 8th stay in 18 months. Still fighting that diabetic ankle wound, although the vein doctor gave us some hope for healing yesterday, thank God. I made a simple page about all of mom's hospital visits lately and my feelings about her whole diabetes/health situation. The journaling is hidden behind the photo, and I kept the layout very under-embellished on purpose. There's really nothing pretty about what's been going on, nothing to beautify, but it still felt right making this page. If scrapbooking is about documenting real life, then this is real and honest. Life isn't always made up of birthday parties and visits to the beach, right?

Thanks. I'm off to enjoy this lovely gray day - a donation drop off to Good Will, a hair appointment, and bringing mom home.

Last Day

2010-07-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Not that this has been a summer I'm sad to see end, but this is my last official day of vacation. Tomorrow it's back to my classroom...arranging desks, hanging new posters, prepping for Open House, and laying out new, exciting lesson plans to begin the year. I love the rhythm of school years. I've been in this groove all my life, first as a student and now as a teacher, and I still get that same thrill, that same quickening of the pulse, when I think about new school supplies and fresh white board markers :) I guess I'm in the right line of work...

All this doesn't mean, however, that I don't love me some vacation. Believe me, I savor these no-alarm mornings and pjs-on-the-couch afternoons. And to celebrate this final summer day, I slept until 9, then proceeded to plop on my sofa in said pajamas and am now leisurely surfing the inspiring internet. I found some cute crafting tape on a site called, well, cutetape. They carry washi tape, other tapes, rubber stamps, stickers, and all your stationery needs. I've fallen in love with this stamp set in particular. Blame it on the doilies.


http://www.cutetape.com/shop/margaret-stamp-set-bird-cage-lace-key.html

And I discovered some new music from a group called The Temper Trap. Kinda diggin it. Hopefully the rest of my day with be just a lazy and enjoyable, and I wish you the same. I'm thinking pedicure....

I Made This

Amazed

At 1

A gray day

Christmas

Currently

Still a few things

Adorable

Tahoe

Wordless Wednesday, at least not my words

Carvo-rama

Our girl

Wordless Wednesday: Pumpkin in the Patch

Right Now

Mama Loves You

Updates

Beach Feet

Just in the last 7 days

It's official

Inspiration

Busy Beginnings

Wordless Wednesday: That Face Became This Layout

Wordless Wednesday: This Face

The Ocean

Rationalize

Kim Watson's blog: Giveaway + Studio Calico Boardwalk kit.

Almost

Some Cheese with that Whine...?

You & You & Me

Speaking of adventures...

Life's Best Adventures

Mine

First Fourth

A Very Beginner's Project

Love that picture

Autumn Press Collection

Happy Girl

Annabelle at 6 months

An Awful Phone Picture of a Beautiful Memory

Pretty as a Picture

Red

A wee tag with our wee one :)

Who wants to lick a messy baby?

Me & U

Wordless Wednesday: Mom

Look what I did

Wordless Wednesday (on Thursday morning. Close enough.)

Firsts

Good Morning Sunshine

Our Bathroom Looks Something Like This

She's All About It

Photoless

Thoughts on Mother's Day

4 Months

Happy Easter

Another one bites the dust

Currently

Happy Bean

Wordy Wednesday

Rude much?

Love You

Wordless Wednesday: Perfection

Two words

Blog Make-over

We were warned

I Became a Mama

First Bath

They tried to make me go to rehab...

Wordless Wednesday

I *heart* 3 day weekends

Saturday Scrapping

Happy Love Day!

Weekend Love

Figuring it out...

1 month

already Grandpa's girl

Makin' stuff

Wordless Wednesday - sleep much?

So Much Love...

Wordless Wednesday: Story Time

I heart 3 day weekends

Horf