Oh what do you do in the summertime...

...when all the world is green?

We've had fun the last couple of weeks - it has actually felt like summer, I just hope it doesn't get too hot! Here are some of the things we've done the last two weeks...

Last weekend we made a trip to Green Mountain to cut poles for a teepee for this year's family reunion - it's turned into quite a project!

What scrapbooking item are you?

I found this fun quiz thanks to Roxybond Sketches - find out what you are - click here.

I am... GLUE! Here's what it said about me... "You are the adhesive that keeps things together. You go through life helping others. You stick to people and try to keep people together. You like it best when you are surrounded by people and able to help them. But Glue Beware - in your efforts to keep everyone together and with you, you sometimes overlook yourself and find it hard to keep yourself together. Don't neglect personal time in your overwhelming need to socialize and help others."

So true lately - I really need to take better care of myself right now - like I should REALLY go to bed! We have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow - first we have Story Time at the library, then the Summer movie matinee, Softball game, and the Circus - fun! I hope I'll get to post an update and some more artwork soon - maybe Thursday. I hope you're all having a great week!

Father's Day Card

Sorry it's been a while since I've posted. I've been busy, but I have had a chance to work on a few projects, but they are gifts and contest entries, so I will share them later. Here is the card the girls helped me make for their daddy for Father's Day. I got the idea from Tiffany Cheney - it says, "Happy Father's Day from your 3 little monkeys..." They each colored their own monkey and we added it to the fun little tree. I don't think you can tell in the picture, but the tree trunk is textured using my paper crimper.

You can see the pieces the girls stamped and colored on their own - and once I told Kaylee what the inside of the card was going to say, she decided to try writing it on the back of hers - love the words she 'sounded out' ;-)

Products Used (all CTMH): Life's A Jungle stamp set, Say it in Style stamp set, Expedition paper pack.

Thanks for looking!

Another fun flashback

I just LOVE this video of Brianna dancing - she's just a natural! She's about 2 1/2 years old here - it's a few days after Christmas 2005 and we're taking down the Christmas tree, just listening to music on the radio - getting a break from the Christmas music that I've been playing since the first snow of the season ;-) Anyway, I caught her dancing away to Madonna - priceless - love those moves!

Fun, quick projects...

Here are a few recent creations...

When my mom was here a couple weeks ago, I helped her make this quick, fun camp journal for her secret sister for Girl's Camp. There are pockets and journaling pages for each day. I just love these Serendipity papers! I hope you have fun at camp this week, Mom!

This was a quick gift I made for a friend who moved away earlier this month - it's a giant clothspin - a fun way to hold pics on a shelf. I used the Caprice papers on this project.

Thanks for looking!

Happy Father's Day!

Here are my silly girls spelling out 'Happy Father's Day!' - they were so silly.

Hope you all had a great day!

Flashback...this month in history...

...or at least the last 6 years or so - we weren't digital before that ;-) I've had fun looking at old pics and find it fun to compare from year to year, so here are some pics of our family from June 2002 - June 2008. Enjoy! I hope everyone has a fun Father's Day tomorrow - I'll be sure to post the card the girls made for David.

June 2002

June 2003

June 2004

June 2005

June 2006

June 2007

June 2008 - this pic was taken yesterday at Sinks Canyon

I Did It!

At the beginning of the year, I set a goal of how many layouts I wanted to complete this year. I decided I could do at least 2 pages per week, so I set my number at 104. Well, as of last night, I have reached my layout goal for 2008 and we're barely halfway through the year! I'm so excited, even though I still have THOUSANDS more pictures to scrap ;-) But I'm having fun and preserving memories, that's what counts, right? I know some gals who scrap way more than 104 layouts in a year, so to some it may not seem like a lot, but this was a good goal for me. I looked back at last year and estimated that I only got about 50 layouts done, so double that in half the time is great!

So, be warned, this is a long post of artwork! I am posting my goal reaching layouts that I've completed in the last week. I just noticed that they're all old pics - I really haven't scrapped much of my girls lately....hmmmm, interesting.

Here is a layout of my Grandma and Grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary back in 1995 - oops, I just noticed that I forgot to add my journaling piece on the right page. They were married in 1945 and still together! I still remember, at this party, how my grandpa flipped his hat around and scooped my grandma up into a big kiss - that's the pic that's framed on the left page.

The flip book opens up to the pictures of some of the grandkids holding the Top Ten List.

I used Reflections for these two pages. Products Used: Caprice paper pack, Boutique Numbers, Card Commentary, Chocolate Mini Medleys, Chocolate Ribbon Rounds, Adorable stamp set, Because I Love You stamp set, Square Window Charm, Honey Sassy Strands, 6-pocket Photo Storage Page (cut up to create flip book), Classic Caps, All You Need stamp set (retired)

Here is a layout of our County Fair back in 1989. I added Hollyhock to tie the colors into me, but now I really wish I hadn't - oh, well!

The left page with the large picture of my brother and me, will open up using a TrueFit Folio, and inside will be these pages. I just can't get enough of these stitched circles - they're so much fun!

I used a PageMaps layout on each of these - the first set of pages is from a layout from the PageMaps Book and the other set is from April 2006 - it's just the same layout flipped. Products Used: Sarsaparilla paper pack, Homestead Alphabet, Fresh Shapes Dimensional Elements, Natural Hemp, Star Struck stamp set, Black Bitty Brads, Bigger Brads (my girls helped me use my Desert Sand Embossing Powder to make these brads match the page - they love using the tweezers and heat gun!)

And here is the page I completed last night - I really struggled finding the perfect title on this one, I debated leaving it just 'Cherish' or maybe 'Cherish the MomentS' or 'Cherish the simple moments' - I am still thinking about adding an "S" to the end of Moments - what do you think? This is my brother and I twenty years ago - wow, I can't believe it was that long ago!

I used a PageMaps layout from April 2008 for this one. Products Used: Blue Ribbon paper pack, various Dimensional Element letters, buttons, Moonstruck, Indian Corn Blue, and Sunflower Waxy Flax, Indian Corn Blue RicRac, Sans Alphabet, Calendar stamp set, Delightful Alphabet, White Daisy Grosgrain ribbon

Thanks for visiting my blog and thanks for all of the sweet comments - they really make my day.

Marjorie's Color Challenge #21

Here is the layout that I did for Marjorie's Color Challenge #21 - school was her inspiration for these primary colors and I just knew it would be perfect with this picture that Kaylee brought home on the last day of school - her class had T-shirts that they each signed. For privacy issues, I've blurred out the other kids faces - I only used Microsoft Paint to do it, if anyone knows a better looking way to do it, I would love to know!

I used a fun PageMaps layout from January 2007 for this one - I love the fun angle. Products Used: Cranberry CS, stamped with Spot On Background stamp set, Topiary CS crimped with paper crimper, Sunflower CS on Stampin Up! Chipboard star - stamped with Spot On Background stamp set, Essential Alphabet stamp set (for the letter K), Classic Caps stamp set (to spell out the rest of Kindergarten), Star Struck stamp set, Typewriter Keys stamp set (for the date), Cranberry Ribbon Rounds (retired), Sans alphabet, White RicRac ribbon, and coordinating Bigger Brads.

Thanks for looking!

Last Week in Review...

Here is a quick post to recap what happened last week...I had sort of a lazy week as I had no kids to babysit, so I actually slept in with the girls some mornings - ah, the lazy days of summer! I start babysitting again after lunch this week, and next week we'll be back to early mornings.

Kaylee had her first Softball game on Monday - their league is the 5-8 year olds, and the team they played against for their first game had a lot of bigger girls, and our team only had 5 girls show up, so needless to say, they really got hammered - but they had a lot of fun! I think it took them a while to realize they were playing an actual game and not just practicing, then they got more into it and actually scored a couple of runs. They played their second game on Wednesday and played a team better matched to them. They're having fun!

Brianna went to her first T-ball game on Tuesday - it' so different to watch her games compared to Kaylee's. Most of the kids on Brianna's team are probably closer to 3 years old, so they liked to tackle each other for the ball ;-) Brianna really did a great job - when she would get the ball, she'd get it right over to first base. One time she got the ball and then got tackled and she said, "I'm trying to get to first base!" In her league, they don't do outs, or even keep score - they just let all the kids bat and get around the bases. Next year she'll get to be in Kaylee's league, and she's looking forward to that.

Here is Brailee - my silly, messy little girl. I love her big, cheesy smile! She had a potty training milestone this week - she came to me and did the potty sign, so I got her jammies and diaper off, but before I could get her on the toilet, she peed on the bathroom floor :-( But at least she is starting to get the idea!

Pretty in pigtails - this is the first time I've ever put pigtails in her hair - she really hates it, but once I get it in and show her in the mirror, she just smiles. She finally looks like a little girl! She has never liked anything in her hair and usually pulls them out shortly after putting them in. She does like hats, though. She will usually wake up in the morning and find a hat to put on - last night she wore one as she was getting ready for bed ;-)

Sound asleep - and amazingly, the pigtails are still in!

She is SO ready to go on a bike ride!

The girls were having fun paper crafting and stamping...Brianna made pieces for her super hero costume ;-) and Kaylee practiced making chains and scrapbook pages.

Peace and Quiet...

...what's a girl to do? David is at a Youth Activity for his church calling (he is in the Stake YM), Kaylee and Brianna are playing at a friend's house, and Brailee is napping. It feels so strange for a Saturday afternoon for it to be so quiet. I SHOULD be cleaning, I COULD be scrapping, but so far I haven't done anything - yikes! I really need to do something to get my mind off of my health fair results - I finally went in yesterday and received my results today. I had two flags on my report, but I have no idea what they represent, so until I can get to a Dr. to get an explanation, I just have to wonder. The best therapy for me is scrapping, so maybe I'll pop in a good movie and get some stuff done - then I can finally post something new!

I hope everyone else is having a great weekend!

Fun at the Park

Here are some pics of a quick trip to the park last Saturday with my mom before she headed back home. It's a really cool park with lots of interesting equipment, the girls had a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Blog Award(s)

I got this cool award from Stacy last week - and another one from Jenn - yes, still catching up ;-) Thanks so much! I truly love blogging and all of the inspiration out there.

So now I'm passing the award on to Nona, Nicole, Melissa, and Kari. Go check out their fun blogs and great artwork! I wish I could give it to everyone whose blogs I check daily, but I'll leave some candidates for others to nominate ;-)

I've been tagged...

I'm still playing catch-up, so bear with me! I had over 200 new e-mails to sort through after our Memorial Day weekend and I still haven't gone through them all - and of course as the weeks went on, I kept adding to that total ;-)



Anyway, Laurel tagged me, so here I go!



The rules of the game get posted at the beginning. Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.



1. Ten years ago: I was enjoying my summer between my junior and senior year of High School - showing horses and working at the Red Baron



2. 5 things in todays to do list: Well, since the day is pretty much over, the list is short ;-) I would like to finish some pages I started today, then maybe start on Marjorie's color challenge, and watch a movie with my hubby.



3. Snacks I enjoy: I LOVE graham crackers IN my milk - my hubby thinks it's disgusting. I also love cottage cheese and crackers, and raspberry yogurt.



4. Things I would do if I were a Millionaire: I would pay off all debt, put a lot in savings, go on a few great trips, oh, and hire a maid!



5. Places I have lived:-I was born in Evanston, Wyoming but didn't live there long - grew up in Star Valley, Wyoming. Came to Riverton to go to college where I met my hubby. We lived in Cheyenne for a little bit, but have been in Riverton for the last 7 years.



I am now tagging Nicole, Kari, and anyone else who wants to join in.

June Challenges

For the last two years, I have done a 'Cherish Challenge' with my customers, and then when Imagine came out last year, I added another challenge. I'd like to invite you all to participate now! Here's how it works - at the beginning of each month, I announce which layouts from Cherish and Imagine that we are going to be doing. I will also post my example. You then create the layout using your choice of theme, papers, orientation, etc. and send me a link or a picture of your layout. I will even accept pages that you have previously done, as long as they use that month's layout. I will draw a name from all participants and the winner will get a fun bundle of cards at the end of the month. It's fun to see the different results from the same layout! I have posted my layouts before, but June really snuck up on me, so I had to pick a layout we haven't used before in our Challenges - I promise next month will be new layouts by me, even though that's not a requirement for these challenges ;-)

For the month of June...

...the CHERISH Challenge is 'Silver Screen' on pages 20 and 21

Click here for Ramsey's fun Birthday layout

Products Used - All CTMH: Floral Tapestry, Parchment Accessories (retired), Playful Alphabet stamp sets, Do Nothing stamp set, StickStock Twill, Boutique Alphabet, Ivory Organdy Ribbon, Ivory Eyelets

...the IMAGINE Challenge is 'Everything In Its Place' on pages 54 and 55.

Products Used - All CTMH: It's A Guy Thing, Pewter Accessories, TrueFit Folios, Express Postage stamp set, Tiny Typewriter stamp set, DE photo clips, Weathered Background stamp set, twill ribbon

I can't wait to see what is turned in this month! Let me know if you have any questions!

Mini Books from Card Kit

This is a project I did a couple of months ago for a workshop and I'm finally getting around to doing the workshop this month ;-)

Details, cost, and options for this workshop can be found on my Calendar of Events.

The Cute As A Button book was inspired by my Upline, Janette - they made these at a CTMH Event and she then made one for each of our Unit Swappers. Hers had more accessories and inserts, which is one of my workshop options, but I kept this sample really simple. I also used my BIA to bind the book instead of loose rings like she did. The Happy Everything book I created on my own.

Okay, so I'm having problems with the slideshow here - you can check it out HERE instead.

Dance Recital

I am so proud of my girls - they did a great job at their dance recital and they both looked beautiful! Thanks again to my Mom for all your help - you rock! We had so much fun with you while you were here! My mom has posted some more pictures on her blog if anyone wants to check them out here.


Kaylee had kind of a rough night at the recital. We were all waiting in the dressing room and in the hallway before their dances. Kaylee found a friend and took off with her. A little later, it was time for Brianna's class to line up back stage, so I went with her to help their class. About 10 minutes later, Kaylee's class came down to line up and she came down just sobbing! When she had come back looking for me and couldn't find me, she got a little panicky. It took me a while to calm her down, but she finally did just before her dance and went out there and did a GREAT job! So then I took her up to change into her tap costume and re-apply the make-up since it had washed off with the tears. As we headed backstage again, Kaylee slipped in her tap shoes and fell HARD on her poor little tailbone! So then the tears started all over again. I felt so bad for her - she said, "Mom, I'm having a bad day!" Anyway, once again I got her settled down just in time and she went out for her second dance and did great, of course. You can see in most of the pictures that she has red eyes from crying and it was hard to get a good smile out of her for pictures - most of them are forced ;-P I asked her later if she wanted to do dance again and I was surprised that she said yes! Even with her rough night, she enjoyed herself and loves to dance. Kaylee and Brianna are both excited for dance next year!


Here are some pictures from the recital...