Saturday, April 18, 2009

it doesn't take much...

...sometimes the smallest things make me happy. 

(that's a good thing, right?)

This morning I spent 5 minutes making this:

new_mousepad

...and I've been smiling ever since.

Hope you're smiling today too!  :o)

Friday, April 17, 2009

let's play ball...

I just registered Meagan for Fast Pitch softball. There was an option to do it online this year, which is so nice – no long lines or taking impatient little boys to wait while I fill out paper work. I don't know if the "contract" has always been the same, and maybe I haven't read it as well as I should have...or if it's different this year, but I had to giggle when I started reading the Liability Release. I know…it shouldn’t be funny…but read this:

Statement of Agreement- Assumption of Risk, Liability Release, Refund Policy, and Regulations

Release: I hereby recognize and acknowledge that my/ or my child's participation in Wasatch County Parks and Recreation’s programs and activities may involve bodily injury and/or emotional injury to myself and /or my child. In consideration of me /or my child being permitted to participate in such events, I, for myself, my child, my heirs, my executors and administrators, do hereby voluntarily and knowingly release, waive, and discharge Wasatch County/Wasatch County Parks and Recreation, its officers and employees, and Wasatch County School District from any and all liability that may result from my participation in Wasatch County Parks and Recreation activities, I agree to all terms set forth by this agreement and waiver.

Seriously?  Emotional injury to myself and/or my child…huh. I wonder what has happened in the past to make this disclaimer necessary. Is it funny…or should I be worried??? Honestly, I don’t think I can handle any more emotional issues…so I’ll cross my fingers, grit my teeth, and hope for the best.

052908_meagan_softball1_filtered

(photo from last spring – slow-pitch softball 2008)

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

laundry sign and asthma...

In another lifetime, my kitchen was decorated with lots of country accents...farm animals galore.  I had quite the collection, but several years ago, most of the items found their way to Deseret Industries.  I did save a few items though, including this little kitchen print - it looked like this:

laundry_sign1

I know.  It's been sitting in my basement, with many other framed prints, for a very long time. I saved it because it was in a fun frame...now it is NOT in the frame because I sent it to country decor heaven...but I did keep the frame.  The frame was brown, which I wasn't digging, so I whipped out a can of black spray paint, some scrapbook paper, and a roll of black vinyl and my silhouette.  And here's what I created:

laundry_sign2

I added a clothespin (also painted black) and a yellow bow and hung it in my newly painted YELLOW laundry room:

laundry_sign

I love giving a new life to something that has been sitting unloved and unappreciated for so many years.  And now I can clip those pesky un-matched socks that come through my dryer every time I do laundry (every. time.) right here while we wait for their mates to come through the laundry in another batch!

In other news...I'm not sure if I've mentioned it much here on my blog, but I have a child with asthma.  It's not very fun.  He's old enough to manage it (mostly) on his own now - and his inhaler is pretty much his constant friend.  Asthma doesn't keep him down - but when he gets sick, it makes everything a little more intense and a little more scary.  (One of the main reasons I'm happy to know that Spring is just around the corner)  Anyway, a few days ago, I was given the opportunity to see a peek at a new book all about childhood asthma.  It's not a medical book...but a story book...for kids.  Josh is probably a little too old to really care about it, but if I'd had it a few years ago, I know he would have enjoyed it - and he would have been happy to know that he wasn't alone in his condition.  Here's a peek at the cute cover of the book:

37587-lo-Cover 

Did you know that nearly one out of every 10 children in the US has asthma? This makes it the most common chronic condition among school-age children. Asthma accounts for almost 13 million missed school days each year, and it is also the third-ranking cause of hospitalization among kids ages 15 and under.

If you have a child with asthma, or know of one, you can get a copy of this book for free by clicking here.

just to be clear...

I know many of you are visiting my blog from the link in the latest MM newsletter. Kelly called last week to "interview" me about some journaling ideas for the first part of the article.  When my daughter read the newsletter today, she wondered why I said what I am quoted as saying on #3 (below). 

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Just Chillin' with Spring Contests (and More!)

April 2009 Header


March 2009 Edition
Five Journaling Tips from Wendy Sue

Wendy Sue Anderson is the queen of journaling. Just a visit to her blog and you'll see the creativity that pours from her fingertips. We asked her to share her top five tips for creating meaningful journaling on any project.

  1. Keep it Real: "Don't just write a lot of fluff to take up space. If you don't have anything to say, then let the page speak for itself!"
  2. Use Your Blog: Your blog, your Facebook updates, even your Twitter posts can be a great source of journaling material!
  3. Keep a Notebook: "I have one section for my son, and one for my daughter. When they say something cute, or when I just want to remember what they were doing on a certain day, I just jot it down."
  4. Write by Hand: "I'm a big fan of handwritten journaling. My grandmother just passed away and I treasure anything she wrote by hand."
  5. Make Lists! "Everything can become a list. Favorite memories, favorite restaurants, places visited. Just make it a simple list and your journaling is done!"

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I just wanted to clear up any misconceptions about favoring only one son...in my little notebook, I have a section for EACH of my kiddos - not just my daughter and one son.  Just so you know. 

I think I shared a peek at my notebook a while ago, but here it is again.  I guess I should remove the 2007 sticker...or maybe I'll just add a dash and the year I finish filling it up.  Anyway, here it is: (notice the four tabs - one section for each child)

wendy_process_1 wendy_process_2

I most definitely recommend keeping a notebook like this for jotting down cute things your kids say or do, or anything you might forget if you don't write it down quickly...it's a great go-to place when you're working on your scrapbook pages!

Oh, and thank you for the sweet compliment about my journaling, Kelly, I appreciate it! 

Carry on. :o)

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

disneyland layouts...

Can you believe I already started our disneyland album???  The last time we went to disneyland, it took me about four years to put together a mini album (i know...slacker).  Seth asks me every single day if I'm done with our vacation album yet...so I thought I should at least get it started, so that when he opens up the big mickey mouse album, there is something fun inside for him to look at.

I created a layout about the very first line we stood in (for the Alice in Wonderland ride):

ff_waiting

ff_waiting_detail2

ff_waiting_detail1 

And one about the end of day one...when the exhaustion set in:

ff_exhausted

ff_exhausted_detail2

ff_exhausted_detail1  

I'm keeping all of these pretty simple...and I'm not scrapbooking every single photo - just some of my faves from each day.

Oh...and did you happen to see my title page yesterday on the American Crafts blog?  Here it is again, just in case you missed it:

spring_break_layout

spring_break_detail2

spring_break_detail1 

It wasn't actually our spring break...more like pre-spring break.  And now I'm longing for that California sunshine...because it's raining here right now, and it will likely turn to snow before the day is over.  nice.

Monday, April 13, 2009

a camera-less vacation...

We went to St. George for the last part of the week of the kid's Spring Break.  My parents just bought a new house down there and we were excited to go down and see it - and of course, we had to take the 4-wheelers so we could ride while we were down there as well.  I did pack the camera.  I even put an empty memory card in it and charged the battery.  I intended on taking pictures. I really did.

We spent much of our time riding the 4-wheelers in the beautiful area behind Brad's mom's home in Leeds.  I didn't take the camera on the ride.  We found many trails we've never been on before.  Seth rode with me for part of the time, because he was brave...and I was a chicken.  He likes steep trails and bumps.  Me...not so much.  So it was nice having a brave little man on board with me. :)  Zach likes riding in front of Brad...and he almost always takes a little nap while he's perched on the 4-wheeler.  It's kind of funny, actually.  Must be something about the hum (ha!) of the motor, the fresh air, the sunshine...I don't know, but the little guy gets so relaxed he just can't help himself!  Meagan and Josh take turns driving the other 4-wheeler.  They are getting really good at maneuvering the machines, shifting, and keeping their speed under control.  Brad and I also built a fence for his mom...so she can plant a garden this year...and the rabbits (wild) won't sneak in at night and eat it all up.  While we were there we also trimmed a bunch of branches off one of her trees - we got quite the work out that day!

Meagan and I spent a day shopping with my mom - trying to find some fun things to decorate their new house.  (while all the boys went 4-wheeling again...it was rainy/cold that day, but the boys didn't seem to mind)  We found some great items (and some incredible deals)...but we were way off on the scale.  The items looked big in the store, but when we got them back to the house they are just not big enough to look good in the areas we were thinking they would go.  Oh well....we'll just have to go shopping some more next time. 

Speaking of their new home, it's beautiful.  We love it.  It's right next to an amazing park.  It's a new development and many of the homes are unoccupied right now.  It's really quiet...kind of tucked away in a canyon, but it's close to town.  The kids loved sleeping in the "kid's room" where there's a bunk bed w/ trundle and a big bed...and a tv!  Grandpa and Grandma really went all out! :o)  We enjoyed many hours in the house, grilled dinners on the deck, and lots of relaxation...which is our perfect vacation - we aren't the type of people who want to fill every minute of vacation time with schedules and so many things to do that you can't just relax.  This was our kind of vacation - lots of down-time.  We did go to a movie one night - Mall Cop - pretty funny show.  And mom and dad took us out to dinner to celebrate Brad's birthday. :)

The Easter Bunny found us Sunday morning (the kids had their doubts, I think, as to whether he'd find us down there or leave their baskets at our house here).  He left sand pails for the boys and a cute little purse/basket thing for Meagan.  They were filled with lots of treats, bubbles, t-shirts, cameras, etc.  I did take a couple of pictures of the kids with their Easter goodies.  But my camera is still packed.  I'll have to upload those later.

The ride home was long.  Well, it wasn't any further than it always is...but it seemed to really drag on yesterday.  The wind was intense.  Traffic was crazy.  The kids were restless.  ah, joy.  Eventually, though, we pulled up to our own little house, unloaded what felt like impossible amounts of suitcases (how did they all fit in the truck in the first place???), cooked up some yummy mac & cheese, and popped in a dvd...Bolt - an Easter gift from Grandpa and Grandma (thank you again!).  The kids zonked pretty quickly...and I wasn't too far behind.

So that's it - our little Spring Break vacation in words...not pictures...and I'm okay with it. :)

So now it's back to reality.  Laundry to do.  Suitcases to unpack.  Rooms to pick up.  Shirts to iron.  Groceries to buy.  Dinner to prepare.  Blogs to update.  Good stuff.  Happy Monday!

Thursday, April 09, 2009

last year's hunt...

This layout was published in the April issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.  It was kind of fun using traditional "easter colors" (pastels) and mixing it up with some black...

egg_hunt_08_layout

and some of the details, if you are interested...egg_hunt_08_details

It doesn't look like we'll be hunting eggs in the green grass this year.  It's been snowing off and on today, and it's supposed to continue snowing throughout the weekend.  We might have to set up a little egg hunt inside the house...in which case we'll be using plastic eggs only...just in case we have stray eggs that aren't found (doesn't that always happen?)...we don't want stinky eggs hiding in our house!

I've been working on some fun home dec. projects...and I'm happy to say I was finally brave enough to try cutting vinyl on my silhouette.  It was EASY and I'm loving being able to do it so quickly and easily. 

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

easter crafts

A little birdie (thanks, Brandy!) let me know that my easter set was featured in the latest installment of the Paper Crafts newsletter.  Somehow, I wasn't a subscriber to the newsletter, so I had no idea.  Here's how my set looked in the newsletter:

Easter_01

This is a set I made for the Paper Crafts Gourmet publication... they always do such an amazing job propping and photographing projects. 

This is what my submission photos looked like:

easter_set

easter_set_basket_tags

easter_set_centerpiece

easter_set_invitation

The fun green pot was broken when it arrived at the CK offices, so they replaced it with the pretty blue pot.  I don't know which I like more - they're both so fun and springy. :o)

I'm excited to tie these little tags onto the kid's easter baskets - and to sit out our little easter egg pot.  Creating things for publication always makes me feel so prepared for holidays...since the mags work so far ahead of the "real" calendar.  These items were created last year (after easter, before christmas, lol).

Oh, and if you don't already subscribe to the Paper Crafts newsletter click here to see the latest issue and click here to sign up (there's a "newsletter" tab right above the log-in box) - it's full of fun ideas, information, and even special offers! :o)

Monday, April 06, 2009

cute bunny garland...

I know I already posted today, but I'm sitting here waiting for a phone call (that was supposed to happen at 11:30), surfing the net, wondering how much longer my kiddos are going to be quiet so I can have a decent phone discussion...and I saw this:

easter_bunny_garland

Isn't that the cutest easter garland?!?  And the fact that it's made out of my favorite new American Crafts paper line (Craft Fair) just makes it that much cuter!  You can find the details and how-tos here on this fun website...there's even a pattern for the bunnies.  I think I might have to make one of these! :o)

spring break begins...

The kids are out of school this week for Spring Break.  We kind of celebrated "spring break" a few weeks early, when we went to Disneyland...but we still have some fun planned for later this week.  Brad couldn't take the entire week off work, but we are hoping he'll be able to take Thursday and Friday off so we can all go down to St. George for a long weekend.  My parents bought a new home down there, and we can't wait to go down and check it out (the kids are especially excited for the waterpark that's right next door)! 

So I need to figure out some fun things we can do here at home for the first part of the week...you know, besides making them help me clean up around the house, lol.  Any fun ideas?

We celebrated Brad's birthday over the weekend - a simple, quiet (as quiet as you can get with four kiddos) kind of celebration...just the way he likes it.  We actually went shopping at Cabellas on Saturday, where he found a seat thing he's been wanting for the 4-wheelers.  So he opted to get that for his birthday...and then we went out to eat...at a buffet.  Not my favorite - but he really likes them, so we went...and I didn't complain at all.  (that was MY gift to him, lol)

Yesterday was his actual birthday and we spent a nice, quiet day at home.  We watched General Conference, ate frozen pizza for breakfast (and dinner, lol), and had hot apple pie with ice-cream in the middle of the day.  It was the most laid-back day we've had in a long long time.

In addition to this quick re-cap of our weekend, how about a little project share??  This is a calendar I made for the new issue of Scrapbook Play that was recently published.

calendar_cover

The calendar "blank" is from Making Memories

And this is a not-so-good picture of one of the inside pages:

calendar_inside_feb

After seeing all of the cinnamon roll commercials that were on yesterday during conference, (did anyone else notice those??..."it must be Christmas if mom is baking cinnamon rolls"), I decided to make cinnamon rolls for the kids for breakfast this morning.  Well, me and the Pillsbury dough boy.  Better go pop them in the oven...I can't think of a yummier way to wake up my four sleeping angels. :o)

Friday, April 03, 2009

being messy might pay off (for you, not me)...

I think I mentioned the need to clean up my scrapbook room.  Well, I've been working on it - slowly.  This morning, as part of the whole organizing thing, I took the card out of my little point&shoot to see what was on it.  Mostly, I found pictures taken by the boys.

 [As a side note...I think my kids are going to inherit my little camera.  I pretty much hate it.  It's a Nikon Coolpix and as far as I'm concerned, I could get the same quality photos with a disposable camera.  Really.  I am NOT happy with it.  The kids, however, love it...so as soon as I purchase a camera that is not sub-par quality, they will have free reign over the Nikon.]

Anyway, I saw this picture (taken of the table in my scrapbook room when I was in the middle of a big project last month) and it reminded me of the contest I was going to tell you about!

If you want to go from messy (above) to organized (below), you might want a ScrapBox.

AFTER_open_table_up

And right now, you might be able to win one...for free!!

Here's the information I was given:

OK, so here's the scoop. On April 1st, the CraftBox giveaway begins. The competition will run for 3 weeks. Here is how it works:
* Upload your 2 photos of your Craftroom to our website
* Tell all your friends to come and vote for your craftroom
* It doesn't matter to us if your room is the neatest, smallest or
messiest - If you have the most votes by noon April 22nd, 2009,
you will win a brand new "CraftBox" of your choice. This includes
free shipping anywhere in the 50 US states and Canada.
* No photoshopping or text allowed on the uploaded photos
* Only 1 entry per person
* Anyone can vote only once per day. In other words, you can vote
once everyday for the entire competition, giving 22 votes from 1
person by the end of the competition
That's about it. The fewer friends you tell, the better chance you have
of less competition. The more you tell, the better chance of winning.

Click HERE to enter!  And if you do, be sure to let me know...I'd love to see one of my blog readers win a ScrapBox! :o)

I'm a few days late with this information (the contest started on 4/1...but there are less than 30 entries right now, so if you hurry and post your pictures, you still have a great chance of winning! 

Good luck!