ecclesia domestica

a new month, a new gallery

2012-02-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

The gallery for February went live yesterday at Write.Click.Scrapbook. The theme for this month is music; here is my contribution

This layout is a bit of a continuation from last month’s gallery layout, These Days. I've mentioned a few times that living in Southern California we experience very mild winters. The boys spend a lot of time outside this time of year because the weather is just so beautiful. During the week that this photo was taken we had had a few days of rain and they were starting to get a bit antsy having to stay indoors. When the rain finally cleared up they were so happy to get back outside again. One of their favorite things to do is to make water bubbles. I give them bowls, straws, and a bottle of water and they blow “bubbles.” Really, I think they just like to see who can make the biggest mess!

Tying into the music theme, the title for this layout is from the lyrics of Coldplay’s “Don’t Panic.” There are a couple of CDs that the boys really love to listen to in the car. Coldplay and U2 happen to be in frequent rotation, and that song in particular is one of their favorites.

Also new this month at WCS, we have welcomed two new members to the team, Diane Payne and Emily Spahn. So glad to welcome them to the collective!

Finally, today is give.away.day., and there are lots of new CHA goodies up for grabs. I got a sneak peek of a few of the goodies on Sunday and I know you won't want to miss out!

January's Take Twelve

2012-01-31T17:32:00.000-08:00

I'm back today to share my Take Twelve layout for January with you. When I first talked about this project, back in December, I mentioned my plans to make a mini-album at the end of the year similar to the one that Elizabeth shared in this article at Ella. After giving it some thought however, I've decided to incorporate my photos from the Take Twelve project into a layout and then include those layouts in my Document 2012 album. Here is my layout for January

{supply list}

I decided to use this sketch

from the Guided Inspiration Kit as the starting point. And really, I only made a minor adjustment to the design by moving the journaling. I'm going to continue to use the KI Memories Sew Cute papers as the foundations for my monthly layouts. In addition, I mentioned before that I'm also using the Year-O-Graphy collection from Simple Stories for my Document album

{source}

I plan on incorporating these same papers and elements into my layouts so that the album will have a cohesive feel to it. My purpose isn't to have the album be matchy-matchy, but rather, my motivation is to help keep things simple. Having these products set aside specifically for this project narrows down the choices I will have to make as I go through the year and make my pages. And I'll probably be using this same sketch many times as well. I have to say, it is one of my favorites from the book.

Speaking of Document 2012, I had planned on finishing all of the envelope pages and the title page by the end of this month. I haven't quite done that, but I am making progress (other projects, and general last-month-of-pregnancy preparations have gotten a little in the way of that plan). I am happy with how the envelope pages are coming along though, and when I get them finished I will share them with you.

Don't forget that it is not too late to start this project! You can sign up for the reminder emails, here (make sure you select the box for take twelve). Each month the Take Twelve team will be sharing their ideas, layouts, and photos both on the Ella blog, and on their own personal blogs. There is plenty of inspiration out there if you are ever feeling uninspired or overwhelmed by the prospect of a year-long commitment.

Even if you are not participating in Take Twelve, are you doing another year-long project? As the first month of the new year comes to a close, how are those projects coming along? Share your experiences with me in the comments. As always, I would love to hear from you!

CHA Winter 2012

2012-01-30T23:06:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a quick and short post. I've got to get to bed soon, as it is, I'm staying up past my bedtime. Any minute I expect my sweets to tell me to wrap it up. =)

Yesterday I was fortunate enough to spend the day with my fellow Write.Click.Scrapbook. teammates, Marnie and Aly, at CHA. We had a ton of fun looking at all the new goodies, meeting friends, and in some cases, making new ones. If you haven't had a chance to sneak peeks of the new products yet you can follow along at WCS this week where Vivian will be blogging about the show.

Also, inspired by Vivian, I have started my own CHA Winter 2012 pin board. Come see my favorites from the show, at least what I can remember so far! I certainly won't be getting everything on my board, but I thought I'd keep this board as a visual reminder of the products that caught my eye.

If I had to narrow it down though, these would be my top five picks, in no particular order:

from Simple Stories, the Awesome Collection

the Mix & Match 6x8 Album

and their new memorabilia pockets

Baby Boy Collection from Bella Blvd

This & That Charming Collection from Echo Park

Have you been paying attention to the new releases? What has sparked your imagination or caught your eye? I'll be back tomorrow to share my Take Twelve layout. For now, night night!

my favorite season

2012-01-25T23:08:00.000-08:00

Fall is by far my favorite season. It's becoming the boys' favorite too. We do the most outings that time of year, visiting the pumpkin patch and the apple orchard. Then there is Halloween and Thanksgiving. The weather cools down, and even if we don't get those crisp cool days like they do in the northeast, we do get relief from the summer heat. Scrapbooking this season is a little more fun too, since I get to use some of my favorite colors. And with that, I do believe I promised to share some of my recent pages with you...

I don't know about you, but it always takes me a few months before I get around to scrapbooking seasonal photos. I actually think it is a good thing, since with time, the moments that stand out in my mind become more clear and I'm able to pick the photos that best tell the story much easier. I hope that makes sense. For example, this layout features six photos

{supply list}

but if I had made this page immediately following our trip I probably would have included many more, and probably would have made a double-page layout. Which is completely fine, I love making two-pagers, but time gave me a bit of focus and I was able to narrow down the selection. I decided to keep this layout pretty simple in design and color since there are so many photos, and they are all rather colorful. I used a lot of neutrals with just a touch of orange.

Here is a layout I made of Nathan helping to clean out the jack-o-lantern

{supply list}

The year before, he really didn't help at all because he didn't want to get dirty. This past year wasn't too much better. He stuck is hand in once and then essentially lost interest and asked us to wash his hand. I think the look on his face says everything.

{supply list}

The boys in their Halloween costumes; an astronaut and a Saturn V rocket. They were sooo cute. =)

And here is Nathan at Thanksgiving helping to make the pumpkin pie

{supply list}

The gratitude card that is featured on this layout is part of a gratitude journaling set made by Crystal Wilkerson. You can read more about this project and the gratitude cards in this blog post that I wrote for Ella Publishing.

I'm all tuckered out and as soon as Top Chef is over I'm going to bed (which is, um, right now). Thanks for stopping by!

35 weeks

2012-01-22T15:17:00.000-08:00

I am going to have to just admit to myself that for the next several weeks, possibly months, blogging will be a bit sporadic. I say to myself, because I have a feeling you already knew? I'm sure there will be some weeks when I'll have lots to share and will feel very talkative. Then there will be others where I just don't have much to say, or the energy to say it. Because you see, I really have wanted to blog this past week, but I've been so very tired. My husband had a long work week which meant a long week for me too. By the end of every day, the time when I would normally formulate some thoughts and possibly write a post, I was just plain worn out. The most either of us could manage was to get the kids to bed, and then watch a little TV while doing kick counts (with a few other chores thrown in).

But here I am, and I have just entered my 35th week. Last week we had our last growth ultrasound. Baby Samuel has been doing very well this entire pregnancy and his growth has been completely normal. There has been absolutely nothing to indicate that there is anything to be concerned about at all regards having a healthy baby and a healthy delivery. Now for some personal details, as with Nathan, my goal is to deliver naturally, without pain medication or unnecessary medical intervention, under the supervision of a nurse midwife. The midwives I see work within a hospital system and the birth center where their patients give birth is on a separate floor from labor and delivery. Because of our circumstance with Michael, I had been risked-out of a birth center delivery by a perinatologist that I saw early in pregnancy. I had to meet with another perinatologist to have my charts updated. This pregnancy has been officially called "normal" and I am now birth center eligible. Being in the birth center simply makes it more possible for me have the kind of birth that I want, and for that I am truly thankful.

We are ready to meet this little one, but there is still so much to do. My husband is working on painting the baby's room this weekend (and he won't let me help). Even though Samuel will be in our room for some time, we know that after his arrival we will simply not have the time or the energy to get such a project completed. And oh yes, we put that off... there is a lot to be said about that, but I will spare you the details... it is getting done now and that is all that matters.

Currently, I'm refreshing my memory on the process of birth (reading books and such), reminding myself of relaxation techniques we used during Nathan's birth, and generally preparing myself mentally for the next step. In my heart though, I am ready to welcome this baby to our family. I have been ready for so long now.

I want to say thank you to those who have been praying for us, or who have sent us messages of encouragement and support. They truly mean a lot to me.

I have a few posts to share with you this week. I've been doing lots of creating, when I have the energy for it, and I'd like to share some of those things with you.

Until then, I hope you have a lovely and blessed week.

Michael Anthony, Pray for us

2012-01-13T13:59:00.000-08:00

If it has been a little quiet around here lately, it's because I have quite a lot on my mind these days. Sometimes, a lot of times, I have a hard time putting it all together for my own sake. Yesterday marked one year since Michael was born into this world, without life. It is still hard to write that, to say it out loud.

I think about him every day. I still miss him.

I wrote last year about my thoughts on grief, limited as they were at that time. God is infinite and mysterious and I think that some things will always remain mysteries to us. One of those mysteries is how we live with grief. How we move forward from the intense pain of losing someone we love. Because life does go on. Having my husband and Gabe and Nathan to care for certainly taught me that. And now, as we look forward to Samuel's arrival, I have those feelings again. It is truly strange to feel both joy and grief simultaneously.

Last night I picked up a devotional that has been sitting on my dresser, unread for several months, and the quote selected for the day bookmarked was this:

He heals the brokenhearted,

and binds up their wounds.

~Psalm 147:3

In the midst of my sorrow I know that I am blessed. I know that I am loved by our Heavenly Father.

Michael, we will love you and remember you all the days of our lives.

Document 2012: Getting Ready

2012-01-04T10:28:00.000-08:00

Last week, in introducing the Document Project, I talked about my reasons for deciding to do this particular project in 2012. I first learned about this project when I noticed the Document 2010 pages of scrapbooker, Alissa Fast, in the Studio Calico member's gallery. I loved how this project combined traditional scrapbooking with the use of divided page protectors and envelope pages to help tell a more complete story.

As part of my blogging week for Write.Click.Scrapbook. last November, I asked Alissa to share her views on this project, starting with how she learned about the project and what inspired her to start her own Document 2010 album. Seeing her album and reading about her process was certainly a huge inspiration for me. Her perspective on the project convinced me that such a project would in fact be doable given all the changes we will face this coming year.

Just to review, the idea behind the project is to make four pages for each month of the year. One page is an envelope page, and holds a collection of items from every day life, essentially ephemera.

Two of the pages are made from divided page protectors where you can put photos, journaling, or anything that will fit into a 4×6 block (this is actually one page protector which makes two pages - front and back).

The final page is a layout that focuses on one event or memory that you want to record in more detail.

All of these pages are part of Alissa's Document 2010 album.

You can see more of her album, here.

To get ready for this project I have collected the supplies that will be the foundation of my album. Our library of memories is made up of the American Crafts cloth D-ring albums in various colors depending on the subject. For this project I wanted to use a different type of album to set it apart from our other scrapbooks. I decided to use this one from Pebbles

{source}

For the page protectors I plan to use a mix of sizes and formats, at least that is the plan for now. I've chosen this multi-pack from We R Memory Keepers,

{source}

and this set from Becky Higgins' Project Life collection.

{source}

I will more than likely include more than one page protector per month depending on how many photos I take, but probably not more than two. I might also decide after a couple of months to simplify my choices. I'm going to see how that goes for the first few months and allow myself some flexibility (especially with a new baby on the way; no need to make this harder than it should be!)

I know that I could work from my own supplies for this project, but I'm taking Lisa Truesdell's advice by having pre-made elements at my disposal for those times when life gets busy. So in addition to the album and the page protectors, I also purchased a few other items. For my layout pages, I'm going to use these calendar pages from KI Memories (which come in a variety of shapes and colors)

{source}

I'm also going to use the Simple Stories Year-O-Graphy collection which comes with elements which can be cut apart to fit divided page protectors of various sizes.

{source}

In addition, I've purchased bits and pieces of another Simple Stories collection, Life Documented, and I plan on adding that into the mix too.

For journaling cards I'm using these 4x6 journaling card from Pebbles,

{source}

and these 3x4 journaling cards from Becky Higgins' Project Life collection.

{source}

As part of her tips and tricks, Alissa mentioned that she made her envelope pages at the beginning of the year and that that step made the process much easier for her. I haven't made my envelope pages yet, and so I can't share them with you here. Originally, I had planned to make my envelope pages in December, but early-on last month I realized that wasn't going to happen, and instead of putting extra pressure on myself, I simply adjusted my goals. My new goal is to make both a cover page for my album, and all of the envelope pages before the end of January. I truly love Alissa's envelope pages and I'm going to make envelope pages very similar to hers (no need to reinvent the wheel). I want to make an effort to use my stash here too. So I'll be using a mix of what I have on hand in addition to the Simple Stories collections I mentioned above. I will share those pages with you when they are completed.

********

I know this is getting long, but I want to talk very briefly about the envelope pages. There are tons of options for these and I thought I'd point out a few more examples to give you some additional ideas for how they could be made:

First-up are the envelopes being offered through Project Life (although I see that they are unavailable at this time). These would provide a really fast and easy way to store your ephemera, or anything like children's artwork, etc. Since those pockets are a full 12x12 they give you more flexibility for what can be stored.

KI Memories made 12x12 pocket pages which could be used for this purpose too. However, these might be hard to find as it's been a while since they were released. You can see what they look like, here. As a less expensive option, they also make 10x5 pockets which could be attached to a piece of cardstock to form a pocket page.

Finally, Shimelle Laine, the creator of this project, made layout-like pages for her album and simply attached actual envelopes to her pages. You can see some examples at her blog, here.

********

Now that I have a plan, gathered all my supplies, and made the commitment to myself to follow through, I'm really excited to get started! I know that this project will demand an extra effort on my part. In deciding to do this project I tried to be very honest with myself about the required time commitment. I do think that by working ahead, and by having a plan, this extra project will be manageable (and it is an extra, as I have no intentions of giving up traditional scrapbooking). But, I also know that at the end of the year I will be very happy that I took the time to make that additional effort. Part of my plan includes sharing my progress with you, here on my blog. I do hope you will join me throughout the year as I Document 2012.

a new year, a new month, a new gallery

2012-01-03T11:41:00.000-08:00

I don't have anything particularly reflective to share with you today. I've never really been one to make new year's resolutions, and for the most part January 1st is just another day for me (I know, boring!) I do plan on doing a recap of my 2011 Goals sometime in the next couple of weeks. I got a few more things checked off that list in the month of December and I wanted to share my progress and some final thoughts about the list.

For now, here is my contribution to Write.Click.Scrapbook.'s January gallery

{supply list}

Journaling reads: These days, because the weather has been so beautiful, and because mommy is starting to feel tired more often, you boys have been spending a lot of time outside. This is what the back door mat looks like when you come inside. I love it. December 6, 2011

The theme for this month is, Today. As always, everyone has their own take on the theme, and there are lots of ideas for scrapbooking the everyday, the immediate, those little and big moments that make up our days.

Have a great week!

Document 2012: An Introduction

2011-12-30T18:23:00.000-08:00

Back in the first week of November it was my turn to host the blog at Write.Click.Scrapbook. Around the time that I was planning my posts there was a lot of discussion circulating among scrapbookers about taking on Project Life. I had been considering doing a year-long project myself, but knew I didn't want to do Project Life. So I decided to explore various year-long projects as part of my week of blogging and to share what I found with our readers. Since the new year is quickly approaching and some of you might still be on the fence about whether or not to tackle a year-long project, I thought I'd link back to those posts as well as do a review of my thought process as to how I finally decided which year-long project to do in 2012.

Some of what I had hoped to discover during my blogging week was how other scrapbookers approached each of the projects discussed. I also wanted to look at the results of each project to see which one best fit my own personal scrapbooking goals. The four main projects that I explored were Project 12, Project 365, Project Life, and the Document Project. I also explored two smaller projects that were started by members of Write.Click.Scrapbook.; Amy Sorenson's Write Every Day, and Karen Grunberg's Us Right Now. I looked at each of these projects in detail, and asked a few scrapbookers who were currently working on them to share their experiences of how the projects were working for them. I also asked them to share their tips and tricks for keeping up with the type of year-long commitment these projects entail. If you would like to read the full posts you can find them here:

Day 1: Project 12 & Project 365
Day 2: Project Life & The Document Project
Day 3: Write Every Day & Us Right Now

After looking at all the different projects, what they encompass in terms of time commitment, and what they produce as an end result, I decided to do a Document 2012 album. Here is a little more detail as to why:

What is the Document Project?

This project started in 2010 as a free year-long project hosted at UKScrappers led by scrapbooker Shimelle Laine. The idea behind the project is to make four pages for each month of the year. One page is an envelope page, and holds a collection of items from every day life, essentially ephemera. Two of the pages are made from divided page protectors where you can put photos, journaling, or anything that will fit into a 4×6 block (this is actually one page protector which makes two pages - front and back). The final page is a layout that focuses on one event or memory that you want to record in more detail.

Why have I chosen to do Document 2012?
As much as I love the idea of Project Life (and as popular as it is right now), I know that I would not be able to keep up. I realize that Project Life can be whatever you want it to be, but for the most part, most scrapbookers approach it as a daily or weekly recording of details. For me, a project like that would likely become a burden and a source of guilt rather than a source of pleasure.

One thing that I truly love about the Document Project is that there is an emphasis on collecting the little bits and pieces of life through the use of envelope pages. This past year I have been trying to include more and more of those little bits and pieces into my scrapbook pages, like on this layout here

{The stickers from our trip that day are held in the pocket.}

and another example

{I made a pocket out of patterned paper and used it to hold the map from our museum visit.}

But, I'll admit that I find it challenging sometimes to find a way to creatively incorporate these items into my designs. I love the pages I've shared above, but there is something about the process of making them that was difficult. Using a simple envelope page makes that process a little more, natural. I mean, what could be easier than just putting all those maps, and ticket stubs, and cute drawing your children make into a pocket and calling it done?

I'm also really drawn to the idea of using divided page protectors. Over the last couple of years I have slowly been incorporating the use of divided page protectors in my scrapbooks too. For this project I plan to use them to store my favorite "extra" photos from each month. The ones that generally never make it to a scrapbook page and hence, usually never see the light of day. I have always had the intention of printing out those extra photos and putting them into a photo album, but that goal has yet to be accomplished. I know that I cannot scrapbook every moment and record every memory, but I'm hoping that through this project I can begin to tell an even more complete story of our lives by finally finding a home for those forgotten photos.

Finally, it does feel like everyone is doing Project Life next year. This may be a bit of a tangent, but part of why I didn't want to do Project Life, and chose to make a Document 2012 album instead, is that I have never scrapbooked chronologically. Frankly, the daily/weekly format seems a little too much like a type of scrapbooking that I have always turned away from. I love this hobby. I love recording our stories. I love creating. Ultimately, I don't ever want for scrapbooking to become something that I feel I have to do.

I think that when you decide to take on a year-long project it is best to be honest with yourself about both how and why you scrapbook. For me, the Document Project best fits my personality, my goals, and it seems the most reasonable in terms of time commitment. My hope for this project is, as I said above, that at the end of the year we will have a more complete telling of our story. For me (notice the emphasis!), this project combines all of those elements together in a doable format.

Next week I'll share how I will put my album together, including which products I will use and how I plan to use them. Until then, are you planning on scrapbooking your year using one of the formats mentioned above? Have you done one of these projects in the past? Share your experience, tips, and projects in the comments. I'd love to hear from you!

on the 5th day of Christmas...

2011-12-29T13:05:00.000-08:00

I hope that you are all having a joyful Christmas season. We most certainly are! I mentioned several weeks ago that for the past two years we have traveled to New Jersey to spend Christmas with my husband's family. This was our first year, in three years, to spend it here in California. And our first year to spend it in our own home. It has been a season full of joy and peace for us. I'm not sure that I can put it all into words, so here are some photos instead.

{pretty}

Our Christmas tree after Santa's visit.

Our tree is rather simple. We don't have that many ornaments yet; just a few that I have purchased over the short while that we have been married, and some that my mother gave to me from my childhood. In the years that we would travel to New Jersey we wouldn't even purchase a tree, so it was a lot of fun for the boys to see the tree go up in our house and to help us decorate it on Christmas Eve.

{happy, funny, real}

Gabe helping Nathan to read the labels on the presents.

Gabe and daddy putting together the Armored Attack Shuttle.

In the days leading up to Christmas I asked Nathan what he wanted from Santa. He said he wanted, "a present." When I asked him what kind of present he said, "a toy." So easy to please. I think that Santa did a pretty good job of guessing what to give him. Him and this little Millennium Falcon have been inseparable since Christmas day.

The biggest gift of all, from Grandma and Grandpa Orem.

Surprisingly, it wasn't the first gift they opened!

It seems we had a Star Wars themed Christmas this year.

Given the interests of these three, I have a feeling it won't be the last. =)

See? This is what Nathan did most of the morning.

Ignored everything else, and got lost in his own world.

Gabe had two things on his Christmas list, an Armored Attack Shuttle and an aircraft carrier. This was one of the last gifts he opened and I think he was beginning to have his doubts about whether Santa had brought him what he really wanted! If you look very closely, you can see that he is smiling.

Monday was spent very quietly, I want to say recovering, but not in a negative way. These boys were just so excited in the days leading up to Christmas day, they were quite restless. On Monday they just played and played, and mommy and daddy relaxed. We cleaned up a little and simply enjoyed the day. Tuesday we made gingerbread cookies:

We still have a lot planned over the next few days. Trying to make the most of daddy's vacation time and spending these days together. Next on the to-do list: I will attempt to make cannoli for the first time tonight. Wish me luck!

See all of the posts at Like Mother, Like Daughter

Merry Christmas!!

are you ready?

2011-12-23T12:16:00.000-08:00

I am mostly ready. The thing is, I didn't plan on being completely ready at this point, so actually, I'd say I'm right on schedule. Today we will hang our stockings, decorate the tree, and do a little baking. Daddy is officially home for his Christmas vacation, yea! We also have some other activities planned, and I'm looking forward to them all.

I'm going to go ahead and admit that I often find myself in a strange position in the scrapbooking world. It seems that all month long (and last month too) everyone was doing Christmas projects and preparing their December Dailies... and that's just not the way things work in our family. For us, the season doesn't start on the 1st and end on the 25th. We really do try to observe the season of Advent. To prepare quietly. We pray. We ask Jesus to enlighten the darkness of our hearts. We light the candles of our Advent wreath

and watch as the light grows brighter with each week.

It's not that we don't get ready for Christmas, it's just that we like to do it in our own time (and I am so blessed that my husband agrees with me on this point). Because everyone does have their own time; their own way of getting ready to celebrate our Savior's birth.

Still, I do love to create. I think all crafters know what I am talking about; feeling that simple joy of making something with your own hands. Given that Christmas is just around the corner I wanted to share a couple of cards with you that I made last weekend

{supply list}

and a layout of Gabe writing his letter to Santa

{supply list}

Journaling reads: This year you wrote your letter to Santa really early, in October. I helped you by writing out the words for you and then you copied them. I guess you didn’t want to take any chances? You wanted to make sure that Santa brought you exactly what was on your list!

I cut the postage stamp paper, the big star, and the green starburst shape with my new Silhouette Cameo. It was my birthday and Christmas present from my dad, and I love it. Seriously, in love.

Finally, it was my turn today to host the blog today at Write.Click.Scrapbook. I've compiled a few of my favorite ideas for Christmas wrapping, like this one using Trader Joe's grocery bags

{source}

I've also gathered a sampling of free printable tags

{source}

If you've still got some presents to wrap and need some last-minute ideas you'll want to head over and read the whole post.

Well, I must get going. There is a lot to do today, in a good way.
I hope you have a great Friday. =)

Scrapbook! Sunday?

2011-12-18T15:59:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this yesterday but just never got to it. Life around here has been full lately. And no, this is not going to become one of those I'm-so-stressed-about-Christmas posts! Um, I can't tell you how much I dislike those. We've just had a lot to do lately; very little of which actually has anything to do with Christmas. That's just the way life is sometimes. I wanted to take a short break from everything though, to share the Write.Click.Scrapbook. December sketch with you

This month's sketch is the same one that I used for my December gallery layout. Visit yesterday's post at WCS and you'll find the link to download a fully layered digital template of the sketch.

That's all I've got for now. =)

Will you accept the challenge?

2011-12-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

Starting next year Ella Publishing Co. will be hosting a brand new monthly challenge called, Take Twelve

The challenge is simple: take 12 photos on the 12th of each month for the next 12 months starting on January 12. The idea is that if you follow along with the challenge each month, by the end of the year you'll have 144 photos that reflect your everyday life. Plus, if you take advantage of the inspiration provided at Ella throughout the year, you'll also have a completed photo project. You can turn those photos into scrapbook pages, a mini-album, or even a digital photo book.

I had the opportunity to contribute to Ella's new Guided Inspiration Kit

The kit contains 5 complete products in one. Inside you'll find: photo-taking checklists,

12-photo layout sketches - created by me!

list-style journaling cards, bonus ideas and alternate approaches, and lots of printable titles and calendar accents. You can see more preview pages, here. This kit is truly jammed-packed with great inspiration to help keep you motivated as you tackle this challenge.

In addition, for those of you who prefer to scrapbook digitally, there is a companion digital kit to help you complete this year-long challenge. The Take Twelve Templates contain 12 digital templates (based on the sketches from the inspiration kit) for photo collages or digi pages (for Photoshop and Photoshop Elements).

The best part is that when you accept the Take Twelve Challenge, you will receive a lot more goodies and motivational support than what's inside the kits. You'll receive monthly email reminders on the 11th to take your photos the next day, have the opportunity to share your projects, and be inspired by others from around the world. There will also be a monthly giveaway on Ella's blog giving you the chance to win great prizes!

You can read more about this challenge in the newest article at Scrapbook Ellaments, Take Twelve, written by the fabulous Elizabeth Dillow. I had not made up my mind about participating until I read her article. I already plan on on tackling a year-long project next year, Document 2012 (more about that next week), and I wasn't sure that I wanted to make an additional commitment knowing that my crafting time will, very likely, be limited next year. Her article pushed me over the fence! I'm going to keep it simple though, and will probably end up making a mini-album similar to the one that Elizabeth shares in her article

Isn't that cute!? Elizabeth simply printed her 12 monthly photos on a 4x6 print. She then collected each mosaic print into a photo-album-style scrapbook. The left hand page included a simple title, with journaling tucked behind it. Easy, and completely doable.

Finally, I can't go without letting you know that Ella is currently running a promotion for the Guided Inspiration Kit, you can buy it now for only $12.12. While you can join the challenge at any point in 2012, this introductory price will end on December 24. As I said above, the kit is absolutely loaded with tons of great ideas. And while it was made for the purpose of this photo project, the ideas, journaling prompts, sketches and everything else included can be adapted to any scrapbooking project.

So, what do you think? Will you be joining the fun? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and if you have any questions, just post them in the comments.

and the winner is...

2011-12-09T22:25:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog on Monday as part of our Christmas Card blog hop. The winner of the giveaway is Aliza!

As a reminder, the coupon code I shared on Monday is good through tomorrow. So even if you didn't win, you can still save $2 on 31 Thank You Cards

by using the coupon code CARDHOP. Fine print: Cannot be combined with any other coupon code or gift certificate. One coupon per customer. Expires 12/10/11.

**Update: Aliza was actually quite the lucky girl last week, and already won a copy of the eBook from Ella. So, I've selected another winner - Ullis, you are the winner of my giveaway!**

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

2011-12-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

It's been quite a long time since I participated in {pretty, happy, funny, real}, hosted by the ladies at Like Mother, Like Daughter. It's been so long that I didn't realize just how long, July was the last time I added an entry. But, I have a few random, completely unrelated photos from life around here that I thought I could share with you and perhaps, just maybe, I could get back into the habit of participating. But, I think I've said that before, so you probably should not put too much stock in that statement!

Here it goes. There is no order here, and I don't think I could categorize these. Just thought I'd share.

I made homemade caramel for the first time last week

{I used this recipe from Ina Garten}

as part of daddy's very special birthday dessert, which was a dulce de leche cheesecake. Because my husband loves all things dulce de leche. It was... delicious doesn't do it justice. I don't even know how to describe it. I want to make another one, but I don't necessarily want to eat another one. Well, I do, but I don't need to eat another one. I'm wondering if I can make one to perfect my recipe, take a slice to test it, and give the rest to my neighbors. My sweets thinks I'm crazy... but wouldn't you like the recipe?

Here is Gabe with one of his "inventions," as he calls them

He likes to save all the little vehicles and rockets and whatnots that he makes. But then he runs out of blocks and can't build anymore. Solution: we take photographs of the things he makes so that he has a visual record. Then he takes them apart so that he can build new inventions. This, by the way, is one of those trucks with the advertising billboards on the back. He thinks they're interesting. Coincidentally, we saw one today on the way to Mass.

Nathan with two of his favorite things

his fireman rain boots, and his Blue. Notice too that his socks are on upside down... Oh, and I have no idea what he was doing on the floor. He's three. I'm thinking that sometimes he just doesn't need a reason?

Finally, my generally feeling tired all the time, coupled with the glorious weather we have enjoyed lately has meant lots of time spent outside. This is what my back door mat looks like when they come inside

Don't worry, I make them put it away eventually. However, the day I took this photo their favorite show was on, and I was a sucker and didn't want them to miss it. Nathan particularly likes to sing along to the opening theme, and it's just too cute.

Okay then, I'm off to bed. It is way past my bedtime, but I think some of you must know what it's like. Those quiet moments at night are sometimes the only ones you have to think! Very thankful that tomorrow is daddy's Friday off.

Christmas Card blog hop with the Ella Friends

2011-12-05T03:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Monday and welcome to the Ella Friends' Christmas Card blog hop! Today's blog hop was inspired by Ella's latest eBook, 31 Thank You Cards

This eBook was authored by three amazing card-makers, Kimber McGray, Heather Nichols, and Kristina Werner. Inside you'll find: 36 pages of card-making inspiration, 138 tips, tricks, and steps, as well as gorgeous card ideas to adapt to any occasion. And that's exactly what we're doing today. We each took one thank you card from the eBook as our inspiration and made a Christmas card to share with you.

My card was inspired by one of the cards made by Kristina Werner, you'll find her original design on page 25 of the eBook. Here is my version:

How would you like to win your own copy of 31 Thank You Cards? If you would, leave a comment telling me whether or not you find card-making easy or challenging. Also, be sure to include your email address in the comments so that I can contact you if you win. Comments will remain open until Thursday, December 8th, 11:59 pm PST. The winner will be announced on Friday and will be contacted shortly thereafter.

Also, I have a coupon code to share with all of you who stopped by today. Use the coupon code CARDHOP to save $2 off the price of 31 Thank You Cards. Fine print: Cannot be combined with any other coupon code or gift certificate. One coupon per customer. Expires 12/10/11.

Make sure you visit all of the blogs in the hop today:

you'll see more beautiful cards inspired by the eBook and you can increase your chance of winning a copy!

December Fun at Write.Click.Scrapbook.

2011-12-03T23:19:00.000-08:00

I promised you a blog post on Wednesday and then... well, I did mean to post, but I woke up on Thursday morning feeling less than great. I really thought I was coming down with a cold, but I think I was just a bit worn out. Thankfully, I felt much better yesterday. And yes, I could have posted yesterday, but we had to put together daddy's birthday celebration! Friday was spent making special treats, putting up decorations (very rudimentary ones I will add), making birthday cards, and generally cleaning up so the house would look nice when daddy got home from work. I think if you asked Gabe and Nathan they would tell you our efforts were successful and daddy had a very happy birthday.

But! I'm here now to keep my promise to share my Write.Click.Scrapbook. December layout with you. The theme for this month, Holiday Homes

I always say this, because it's always true, but you should really go and visit the gallery. There are so many wonderful ideas for recording the things that are important to us at this very special time of year. I took my inspiration from the gallery theme itself and came up with this layout:

Journaling reads: This is where we spent Christmas in 2009 and 2010, with Grandma and Grandpa Jannuzzi in New Jersey. We were lucky to have a white Christmas both years and our little California boys got to build snowmen, go sledding, and drink hot chocolate after coming inside from the cold. We have so many great memories of our Christmases in New Jersey, and even though we won’t get to visit this year, we hope to visit again sometime in the future.

For the past two years we have gone to visit my in-laws in New Jersey for Christmas. This year, due to my pregnancy, we aren’t able to make the trip. While the boys were really disappointed when we gave them this news, they have come around to the idea of having Christmas at home. Of course, we had to convince Gabe that Santa would indeed know where to bring the presents, and that he wouldn’t take them to New Jersey by accident. He still asks us every now and then to be sure!

I know the boys will miss a lot of things about having Christmas in New Jersey, including building a snowman with Grandpa Jannuzzi, but I think as we decorate the house more and more in the coming weeks they'll begin to understand that we really can have Christmas in California. And as I mentioned in the journaling to my layout, we do hope to go back again one day, if they'll have us! At that point we'll have three rambunctious little boys instead of two, and Christmas will be just a little bit louder. =)

Also, now that December is upon us we've started our December Dailies at WCS

Basically the blogging will be very similar to the summer months and will feature a new collective member each day. As always, our interests are quite varied and so we'll be covering all sorts of topics from scrapbooking to paper crafting to photography and everything in between. You'll want to be sure to visit every day; lots of great things in store for you this month.

Finally, on Monday the Ella Friends will be hosting a Christmas card blog hop. It's going to be lots of fun, so I do hope you'll stop by. See you then?

I mean it this time!! =)

always in motion

2011-11-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

I hope that all of you had a lovely Thanksgiving and weekend. We did. We had grand plans of painting the guest room, but that didn't happen. Instead we enjoyed a whole lot of being lazy. I have spent the last couple of days making up for that in the laundry room! But fortunately for me, I had worked ahead before Thanksgiving so it wasn't all bad.

Last year I only took one photo all day on Thanksgiving. The one that I scrapbooked in the post below. This year was pretty much the same. I took this one of Nathan stirring the custard for the pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving morning:

We all worked together to make the pie this year. I made the crust and Glen and the boys made the filling. Since it was just the four of us, and it has been that way for several years now, I take a very relaxed approach to making Thanksgiving dinner. So, yes, we made the pie the morning of Thanksgiving and when it was done, in went the turkey. =)

Notice Nathan's hand is blurred from stirring. This little guy never stops moving. Never. (Well, he's actually a very peaceful sleeper, but that's about the only time he is still). He never stops talking either. It is an interesting experience to have a child who is nothing like yourself. It's like I said a prayer for patience and instead of giving me a moment to practice that virtue, God gave me a person. But oh boy, is he cute.

The December gallery will go live tomorrow at Write.Click.Scrapbook., and I'll be back then to share my layout with you for this month. Right now, it's twenty minutes until the last episode of Whitechapel. I'm gonna go make myself a cup of decaf tea, pretend it's the real thing, and get cozy under a blanket to enjoy the season finale. See you tomorrow!

Happy Turkey Day!

2011-11-24T10:48:00.000-08:00

{supply list}

Wishing all of you a very blessed and happy Thanksgiving!!

are you ready?

2011-11-23T20:28:00.000-08:00

Here we are on the eve of Thanksgiving day, are you ready? I am, for the most part. I've been commanded by a certain someone to, "take it easy." It seems to be one of his favorite phrases these days. Thing is, I don't really like to take it easy, I like to get things done. This same someone even suggested that I not make pie for tomorrow!! He's obviously lost his mind.

I think I promised a while back that I'd do a better job of sharing my monthly scrapbook.com pages and projects with you. Here is a simple last minute card idea, in case you need one:

{supply list}

The floral paper is from Crate Paper's Farmhouse collection and it's called, Countryside

I think it is so pretty, and it's one of my favorite patterns this fall. I love the color combination of blue, orange, green, and red.

Finally, because Advent is right around the corner, and it is the season of getting ready, I wanted to link to two of my favorite posts on the topic. The first is one from Leila at Like Mother, Like Daughter, which I linked to last year, on the wonder of Advent and how to instill some of that in our homes. The second is from Karen Edmisten and is a continuation of her no-panic Advent series. It's a huge post with lots of links, ideas and resources and I just love it. I think you might too, which is why I'm sharing it with you!

We got out the Advent wreath last week to make sure we knew where it was, and I tried to get candles this week, but the place where I bought them last year didn't have them this year. So, this weekend I've got to find some. If I can't find colored ones, I'll just go with cream like I have in the past. I really try not to stress about these things.

Until next time...

Scrapbook! Saturday

2011-11-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

I'm hosting the blog today at Write.Click.Scrapbook. The third Saturday of the month is all about scrapbook inspiration. Today we're sharing a sketch, a printable, and some Thanksgiving-themed images and prints.

Here is the sketch I created for this month:

If you'd like a fully-layered digital template of this sketch, you'll find the link in today's post.

Using the sketch, I created this layout documenting my favorite fall tradition, our annual trip to the pumpkin patch:

{supply list}

These guys were so cute! They both knew exactly what they wanted in a pumpkin and neither was happy until he found just the right one.

I hope you'll read the whole post, there is a lot more inspiration shared including a very cute toothpick flag printable made my former collective member, Rebecca Cooper.

Enjoy your weekend!

so, about those goals...

2011-11-18T17:27:00.000-08:00

First of all, I didn't mean to announce that I was pregnant and then never blog again. I guess I needed a little break this past weekend, and week, so I took one! But, I've got a lot that I want to share in the next few weeks and I am going to do my best to juggle all of my commitments and to post regularly through the holiday season. I really, really am.

So, now then, about those goals. No, I haven't forgotten about them. How could I? They're sitting there in my sidebar staring at me, reminding me of all that I probably won't get done this year. When I revisited these goals back in January, I could not have foreseen how my how much my life would change in just a few short days. It's actually a bit difficult to write about this without thinking about that time, and that's probably why I put off writing this post for so long. I mean, it's mid-November and obviously not everything on this list is going to get done. For a really large part of this year I merely focused on doing the most basic and necessary things. Yes, I have still scrapbooked, it's the one extra that I really won't let go. But all the other stuff? I just didn't worry about it.

But most, if not all, of these goals are things that I would like to try at some point. Just because I don't get them done this year doesn't mean I have failed, or that I can't do them at some point. In fact, I plan on carrying over some of these goals into the new year. Another truth is that I often get sidetracked... maybe I didn't get around to doing everything on this list, but I've learned and done a lot in the past year. I sewed more, I learned new recipes, and I tried to push myself out of some personal and creative comfort zones. In that way, it has been a good year.

So, here is a brief (or not so brief) update on my goals list:

1. Make mayonnaise from scratch - raw eggs and pregnancy don't mix. Or at least, I'm not willing to take that chance. This will be a goal for next year.

3. Learn how to make cannoli - my husband thinks I'm crazy, but I'm going to try to make these for Christmas. Something we both love about going to New Jersey is getting real, authentic cannoli. We would have one every night after the boys would go to bed (shhh, don't tell!) I'm gonna make sure that tradition continues. =)

4. Make Julia Child’s Boeuf Bourguignon - gonna have to tell my sweets not to read this post, I plan on making this for his birthday (which is coming up soon) and I'd like for it to be a surprise.

5. Roast a pig with crackling - I did this back in March. The results were not worth writing about. In fact, the whole experiment was rather disappointing. The pork itself was good, but the crackling didn't turn out. I *think*, but I don't know for sure, that the pork I got must have been much bigger/older than what you need for the recipe and method I was using. It's not something that I'll likely try again. You cannot even buy pork with the skin on it in most grocery stores. The Whole Foods here doesn't sell it nor did any other grocer we called. We had to go to a specialty butcher shop which was quite a drive away from us to find it. That part was fun actually, and was about the only good thing that resulted from this goal.

7. Learn how to make creamy egg sauce for donburi - I'm working on this one. I'll update, someday, with the results and process.

8. Make gyoza from scratch - I'm making these for New Year's Eve. My mom always made lumpia and fried gyoza on New Year's Eve. I'm thinking we'll start a similar tradition.

10. Make homemade udon - I don't think this is a goal that will get accomplished anytime soon. In fact, it's off the list for 2012.

11. Make green tea ice cream - I actually made a batch this summer. The only person who really loved it was Gabe! I do want to make it again, but with a different recipe. It will have to wait until next summer though, and then hopefully I'll remember to share the results with you. =)

12. Make miso soup - I'm making this to go with the gyoza on New Year's Eve.

13. Find a recipe for good tempura batter - a goal for next year.

14. Learn more about Indian cooking- I think I can say that I've made progress on this front. I certainly know more about Indian cooking now than I did at the beginning of the year. I'm gonna cross it off my list, but I am in no way finished with this one. There is still so much to learn.

15. Find a recipe I truly like for Chana Masala - I tweaked and simplified this recipe from smitten kitchen, and I am finally happy with my version of Chana Masala. I'll try to share my modified version with you at some point.

17. Make Rogan Josh- I've made this with pork, but I'd like to make this with lamb. I need to find a good supplier though.

20. Make Aloo Gobhi - still haven't found a recipe that I want to try. At first I thought I would make the recipe from Jamie's Food Revolution, but I don't think that one is going to give me the results I'm looking for based on other Indian inspired recipes I've made from his book. The search continues.

26. Find a *good* recipe for traditional American-style cinnamon rolls - I'm working on this one too. I actually made a batch of cinnamon rolls last weekend

using a recipe from Martha Stewart (here is the recipe for the dough, and here is the method and ingredients to make the rolls). We topped ours with a very simple cream cheese sugar glaze. The dough in this recipe is not enriched (meaning no eggs, milk, or butter) and so while these buns were very good, they just aren't what I'm looking for. I'm going to try this recipe next. Maybe for Christmas morning?

28. Make a quilt - I don't know when this will happen. I'd like to try to make a small baby quilt for Samuel. I know that once I get started I will probably find it rather intuitive and wonder why it took me so long to just get to it. But, I have so many other things that I want/need to do. I'm a bit on the fence about this one...

30. Submit to Cards magazine - I'm happy to say that I finally did this just last week. I'm even happier to say that I had two cards picked up for the April 2012 issue! And because this post needs more photos, here is a card I made recently using one of my favorite collections, 100 Days of Summer

33. Finish reading “The Catholic Homeschool Companion” - While I didn't read the entire book, I have read the chapters/essays that I felt were relevant to our home and situation. I'm considering this goal accomplished.

Phew! I finally got this post finished. I really have been putting it off for some time now (think months). Don't have too much more to add right now. I'm looking forward to the weekend. It's going to be cloudy and cold and I think it will be just right for baking cookies, wearing comfy pants and socks, and getting cozy with all of my boys. I think some hot cocoa might be in order too. =)

there's someone I'd like you to meet

2011-11-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

I've been putting off writing this post for some time now. I suppose I just haven't been able to find the words that can adequately express my feelings on the subject. Happy doesn't quite do them justice.

It might come as a surprise (or perhaps not! given my general lack of blogging the last few months), but I am already quite far along, 24.5 weeks. Baby and I are both doing well. Given our past history, this pregnancy has been more closely monitored and we have had regular ultrasounds to track his growth. This little one is growing bigger and stronger each day. Lately, he keeps me up some nights with his kicking, but of course, I don't mind. I cannot tell you how much I love those little kicks, even when they cause me heartburn. =)

Although things are progressing well, I would still welcome and ask for your prayers. If you'd like, you can pray for him by name, Samuel.

For this child I prayed;

and the Lord has granted me my petition which I made to him.

catching up

2011-11-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

These days it seems as though I am always behind. Life has been so busy for us lately and there is so much to share, but I feel like there is simply not enough time to share it. For example, we've had three doctor's appointments within the last six days. No, no one is sick. But maybe you can get the idea? Things are just not quite normal and it's taking a little bit of a toll. I typically blog at night, after the boys have gone to bed. Lately, by the time the evening comes I am completely worn out. So, today is my attempt to catch-up a little. And as always, it's easiest to catch-up on the scrapbooking front, so that's what I'm gonna do.

This week has been my turn to host the blog at Write.Click.Scrapbook. I started off on Monday with a compilation post of the collective's favorite Halloween layouts and crafts. A great post to visit if you're looking for some inspiration for those recent photos of trick-or-treating. The rest of the week I'm looking at projects that challenge or inspire you to scrapbook your year. On day one we covered Project 12 and Project 365. Day two was all about Project Life and the Document Project. I asked some of my favorite scrapbookers to help with this week's posts. It's been really interesting to see how they all tackle these various projects and make them their own.

Also, a new gallery went up yesterday

Here is my contribution

Nathan just turned three in September, and while we have thought of him as our baby for so long, the reality is, he is turning into such a big boy. And goodness, you should hear the things he says! He sort of knows already how to be a clown. I have scrapbooked lots of photos from his first days, but I have never scrapbooked this photo, his very first. I thought given this month's gallery theme and the timing of his recent birthday that this was a good opportunity to finally use this photo, and write down a few thoughts about how quickly the time seems to pass and how much we love this little boy.

Tomorrow is give.away.day at WCS, and then on Friday I'll be back to finish up my week of blogging. I'm also planning a five for Friday post here. I'm thinking you won't want to miss that one. =)

and the winners are...

2011-10-27T10:24:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who left me a comment on my 150th post. It was fun to read about all the various weekend activities. Seems that we are all trying to find that balance between chores and fun and spending time with family.

Now for the winners!
Ashley C.
Amy Moore
April B.

Congratulations to you all!! I'll be in contact with you shortly so that I can send you your goodies!

my favorite weather and some Halloween cards

2011-10-25T12:55:00.000-07:00

The last two days we've seen a drop in the temperatures around here. Nothing major, I'd say about 10 degrees. Still, it's been cooler and a bit cloudy and it's allowed us to at least pretend it's fall. =)

Gabe came to me this morning and told me that this is his, "favorite kind of weather." I asked him to explain what he meant and he said that he loved it when it was kind of cold, but not too cold, and the sun is not out and so it doesn't get hot. All said with a smile on his face. I promised him I'd let them play outside this morning so they could enjoy this cool front while it lasts (temperatures are predicted to go back up on Thursday). Schoolwork will wait until the afternoon; we just don't get many days like this 'round here.

With Halloween less than a week away I thought I'd share some cards I made for scrapbook.com. Actually, two cards and a gift tag, all made using the Nightfall collection from American Crafts:

{supply list}

We don't really celebrate Halloween in our house; my husband and I are just not all that into this particular holiday. But we do participate, in that we let the boys dress up and go trick-or-treating. And I realize that some of my readers are going to understand what I'm talking about, and some of you won't, that's okay. Basically, we focus on the Seinfeldian aspect of Halloween - the part where you "get candy." That, and the pretending to be anything you want for one day. For us it's all about the fun. And with that thought, I can't wait to share the boys' costumes with you. One was completely store-bought (or Amazon-bought actually), and the other is still in production. My husband and I are as excited as the boys... they are going to be so cute!

Until next time! =)

Scrapbook! Saturday

2011-10-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting the blog today at Write.Click.Scrapbook. Today is all about scrapbook inspiration and we have a sketch, a printable, and some scrapbook-friendly craft inspiration to share with you.

Here is the sketch I created for this month:

If you'd like a fully-layered digital template of this sketch, you'll find the link in today's post.

Using the sketch, I created this layout documenting our recent pear-picking adventures:

A few of my fellow collective members also took a turn interpreting the sketch, and you can see their layouts on the blog today.

Have a great weekend!

150th post & a giveaway... or three!!

2011-10-21T13:02:00.000-07:00

I'm a little tired today, so you'll have to forgive me if I keep this post short and sweet. I woke up at 3am and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm ever so grateful that it's Friday. That means daddy will come home early today, and tomorrow I'll be able to get a little extra rest. My husband always makes pancakes on Saturdays for the boys and lets me sleep in! =)

I started this blog a little over two years ago and I'm just now reaching my 150th post. So, yeah, it's taken me a while to get to this point. I have always tried to keep this blog a true reflection of myself. Meaning that I don't necessarily share everything here, but what I do share, I do so with honesty. Sometimes that means not sharing much at all. I'm an introvert by nature and most of the time I work through my thoughts and feelings internally. But I do enjoy blogging and I wanted to mark this particular milestone by sharing something fun with you!

How do three giveaways sound?

{Bundle A - features an assortment of products from Studio Calico and an Addy Sentiment Stamp}


{Bundle B - features an assortment of products from Studio Calico and a journaling stamp}

{Bundle C - features an assortment of products from Studio Calico, as well as some miscellaneous products from my own stash, and a journaling stamp from Prima}

Would you like to win one of these bundles of scrapbooking goodness? Leave a comment telling me what you plan on doing this weekend (or what you did this weekend). Also, be sure to include your email address in the comments so that I can contact you if you win. If you have a preference, or order of preference, for the giveaway please indicate that in your comment too. I'll leave the comments open until Wednesday, October 26th, 11:59 pm PST. The winner will be announced on Thursday and will be contacted shortly thereafter. And my apologies to any international readers, but this giveaway is only open to residents of the U.S.

thankful for you

2011-10-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a short and quick post today. Amongst all the other things I'm supposed to do (want to do, need to do), I'm working on finishing up my layouts for scrapbook.com for the month of October. I'll share them with you when I'm all done. For now, I have a card to share

{supply list}

Made using the Nightfall collection from American Crafts, which I love. I plan on using it to scrapbook a few of our autumn memories.

Also, card-making month is ongoing at Ella. Today on the blog is a post all about maximizing sketches for cards. And, a couple of winners for the Stretch Your Sketches challenge series were announced yesterday. If you regularly participated in the challenge you'll want to see if you're a winner. I had to re-draw the winner for June - go and see if it might be you! =)

five on Friday

2011-10-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

This version of five on Friday is going into the better late than never category. The past couple of weeks have just been more full than I thought they would be. And despite my best intentions, I always have a potential post in my head, some things just have to come first. Those some things being my guys. Here's a little peek of what we've been up to lately:

1. A couple of weeks ago, Gabe and daddy went to the MCAS Miramar Air Show

They went by themselves which made the day extra special. Gabe had been anticipating this yearly event with no small amount of excitement. He had so much fun that he is already looking ahead to next year.

2. Inspired by the air show, a Blue Angel

Gabe's pile of "inventions" was getting a bit unruly. Yesterday we undertook the task of photographing each one (there were 22 altogether). I plan on helping him make a little book of his creations so that he can look back on the pictures for reference. He takes his building seriously.

3. Lately when you take a photo of Nathan, this is what you get

It's so like him too.

4. We went to the pumpkin patch today

We headed out for breakfast first, for a special treat, and when we left the house it was a bit chilly, hence the long sleeves. An hour later, not so much. Thank you, California fall. The boys didn't complain about the heat though and it ended up being a rather glorious day (despite a wee bit of grumpiness from the little fellow).

5. Me and sweets are just about to settle down for the evening. He'll be having an October favorite, Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale, and I plan on making this version of pumpkin spice syrup and enjoying a decaf latte (it is way too late for caffeine). I'll let you know how it turned out.

Enjoy your weekend! =)

Slow-Cooker Pear Butter

2011-10-10T22:30:00.000-07:00

I mentioned the other day that we took a trip to an apple farm a couple of weeks ago. We came home with a box full of apples and pears that weighed in at 33 lbs!

{This is our box, not completely full, but getting there!}

If I had to guess, the box was about 1/4 apples and 3/4 pears. Last year that ratio was reversed and I didn't have to worry so much about using our apples right away since they keep so well in the refrigerator. Pears on the other hand don't keep quite as well, even in cold storage, and so I had to go to work straight away to make sure that none of the pears went to waste.

To use up our pears last year I made a pear butter based on a recipe I found online. I made some adaptations to the recipe and it turned out so beautifully that I kept the recipe in mind for future use. This year because we had so many pears I made a double-batch and I want to share my recipe and method with you.

Slow-Cooker Pear Butter

Ingredients:
   5 lbs pears, peeled, cored, and sliced into eighths
   1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
   1/3 cup honey
   1/2 cup water
   2 Tbsp lemon juice
   1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
   1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions:
   Combine all ingredients in an electric slow cooker (mine holds 4-quarts and works fine for this large recipe). Cover and cook on low 10 hours or until pears are fork tender. Once the pears are cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the mixture. If you don’t own an immersion blender I think that a food processor would work well too. Cook this pureed mixture uncovered on low for 1 to 2 hours or until the mixture has reached your desired thickness. Be sure to stir occasionally to prevent burning during this step. Yield: Approximately 5 cups. Stored in an airtight container the pear butter will keep in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

A few notes: I use pears that are not quite ripe. Still firm, but not hard. I find that because the pears are cooked for so long they will still become soft during cooking even if they are not ripe. Also, because they still have some firmness to them, they give a nice texture to the finished pear butter (but still different from what you would get from making something like applesauce). The original recipe, which mine is based on, calls for you to strain the mixture after you puree it. I find this step unnecessary and the finished pear butter will be quite smooth even without this extra step. My method saves time and keeps you from getting extra bowls, tools and utensils dirty (because honestly, who want to clean all that extra stuff anyway?)

It freezes exceptionally well and if you have a deep freezer you can keep it for anywhere between 9-12 months. I speak from experience here because we just used up our last portion of pear butter a few weeks before our trip to the farm. I defrosted it overnight in the refrigerator and could not notice any significant changes in the flavor or texture.

We use this pear butter just as we would any other jam or preserves. My absolute favorite way to eat it is on french toast with mascarpone,

which we did this past weekend. It was lovely. =)

October is card-making month at Ella Publishing Co.

2011-10-06T15:45:00.000-07:00

Join Ella all month long for free eZine articles, fabulous guest bloggers and giveaways. It will all lead up to the release of their October eBook, 31 Thank You Cards.

The newest eZine article, 5 Trusted Card-Making Tips, by Kimber McGray is up already to help kick-off the month. And be sure to visit Ella's Card-Making Month homepage to keep up-to-date on everything that is happening as Ella celebrates cards, card makers, and all the ins and outs of card making.

Even though I was just lamenting the fact that we don't get much of a fall here in California, I actually have two fall-themed thank you cards to share with you today:

{supply list}

I mentioned the other day that I am definitely more of a scrapbooker than a card maker. I do enjoy making cards from time to time though, and find it is a great way to use up scraps or try out new techniques. Do you love to make cards or are you intimidated by the process all together? Either way, I hope you'll take advantage of all the inspiration that will be offered this month. I think it's going to be a lot of fun!

Fall in California

2011-10-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

is not like fall in other parts of the country.

For example, when we went apple picking a couple of weeks back, the highlight of our trip was not the apples,

it was finding wild blackberries.

In mid-September. And oh my, this one did not want to stop eating them. Look at his little berry juice stained hands! Notice too that the boys are wearing shorts, t-shirts, sandals and sunhats. Sunscreen was also applied, but you can't see that.

We had a lot of fun on this trip, but first we had to adjust our attitudes. Yes, even mommy. You see, before we arrived we had read online that the apple crop wasn't that great this year. But based on the apple crop at this same farm last year we thought that it couldn't possibly be that bad. We were so wrong. There were not many apples to pick at all, and it was disappointing. We had gone with the idea that we would pick lots of apples and top-off our box with a couple of pounds of pears. We all had to realize that this trip would not be like last year's.

The good news? The pear crop was amazing. Once we adjusted our expectations and realized that we could have just as much fun picking pears as picking apples then we all cheered up,

Last year we went to the orchards in early October and the pears at the bottoms of the trees had already been picked. This year Gabe at least was tall enough to reach them (most of them, some of the trees are quite big). Nathan however, needed a little help

He loved picking the pears and was much gentler with the fruit this year. Minding my instructions to place the pears in the bushel box without throwing them

Isn't he a cutie? We think so. =)

Growing up in South Texas I never went apple picking or even visited a pumpkin patch. Fall was decidedly different from the rest of the country there too. I think that one of the blessings of living here in California is that we have access to so many great farms. So, even if we don't get to wear sweaters and sip hot apple cider at the orchard, we can still go and enjoy the harvest, it's just a slightly different experience. Of course, the boys don't even fully realize yet that our fall adventures are a little different from the ones we read about in our storybooks. They had a blast, and in the end, that is all that matters.

Until next time. =)

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

2011-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

And welcome to the Operation Write Home blog hop!

If you are not familiar with OWH, their mission is simple: to support our nation's armed forces by sending blank handmade greeting cards for them to write home on, as well as cards of gratitude to encourage them.

Can I tell you how much I love this idea? I am definitely more of a scrapbooker than a card-maker, but I do still make quite a few cards every month. Over time they add up, and I make more cards than me or my family can use. Operation Write Home gives card-makers and crafters an opportunity to express their creativity and put that finished product to good use. Instead of stashing those cards in a box or in a drawer you can send your cards to OWH and they will send them out to troops who need them.

Want to get involved? Click here to find out more about how you can help the men and women of our armed forces stay in touch with home.

As part of the blog hop today, I have two Christmas cards to share with you:

You might notice the use of glittery products, if you plan on donating or making cards for OWH you'll want to read their requirements about what types of glitter products are allowed.

To visit the rest of the blogs in today's hop, click on the image below:

I am so happy spread the word about Operation Write Home and to be a part of today's blog hop. If you can, take a moment to say hello? Thank you so much for stopping by!

friends, cupcakes & presents...

2011-09-29T21:37:00.000-07:00

Someone turned three years old last week,

and this year we opted not to throw a party for him. But, we didn't want to go completely without a celebration and so we invited two of our neighbors over for cupcakes after dinner one night

and had a little mini-party. Our neighbors brought gifts, even though I told them not to (they're, older, and so easily swayed by sweet smiles and such) and we ended up having quite a fun evening. According to Gabe, you only need three things to have a great birthday anyway. And he was right. =)

We love this little guy so much. Our lives have most certainly not been the same since he entered the world, and we are thankful for that.

the last sketch

2011-09-26T17:25:00.000-07:00

The final sketch in the Stretch Your Sketches challenge went up on the Ella blog today. This is indeed the last month of the series and if you haven't had a chance to participate in the challenge so far, now is the time! I mentioned this a few weeks ago, but I am so excited about the prize package for this month - Lawn Fawn is our sponsor and they have generously donated three sets of stamps for the prize, including one of my favorite stamp sets, Say Cheese:

For this final sketch, Ella Friend Brenda Johnston created an adorable layout about her daughter losing her very first baby tooth. She kept very close to the original design, but replaced one of the photos with a little calendar to mark this special date. Here is a sneak peek of Brenda's layout:

Please visit the Daily Trumpet to see the rest of Brenda's wonderful layout, the sketch, and the prize package for this month.

I want to take this opportunity to give a big thank you to all of the Ella Friends for their support during this sketch challenge. I also want to thank all of the participants of the challenge too. I visit every challenge entry and I always come away inspired by how others have interpreted my sketches. As I said above, if you haven't participated in the series yet, this month is your last chance to do so. I hope you will join in the fun!

Scrapbook! Saturdays

2011-09-24T14:41:00.000-07:00

This month at Write.Click.Scrapbook. we started a new Saturday format. Each Saturday of the month we will focus on a different aspect of scrapbooking. The first Saturday of each month will be dedicated to journaling, the second to photography, and the third Saturday of the month will focus on design.

What does all of this have to do with me? I now have the happy privilege of bringing you a brand new sketch each month on our Scrapbook! Saturdays:

You can download the very first Saturday Sketch here.

In addition to a new sketch, Scrapbook! Saturdays will feature a palette for color inspiration and a printable from our very own Beth Proudfoot. Beth always designs the cutest printables, and the best part? They're free! See today's post for more examples of what you can do with this adorable subway print:

We hope the new Saturday features inspire you. We want for our readers to join in and think of these new prompts as challenges to get your creativity kick-started. If you create something based on one (or more) of the prompts you can post your layouts to the Write.Click.Scrapbook. Flickr gallery. We will post some of our Flickr favorites on the fourth Saturday of each month.

I hope you are enjoying your weekend!

Boot Camp Starts Today!

2011-09-19T09:17:00.000-07:00

Ella's Boot Camp started today and if you haven't already registered it is not too late! (see the coupon code at the end of this post) Sign-up today and spend the next six days in an intensive scrapbooking Boot Camp, where four expert Drill Instructors will lead you through a series of 10-minute drills.

The Drill Instructors

Maggie Holmes, Photo Effects Drill Instructor, Nichol Magouirk, Stamping Drill Instructor, Lisa Dickinson, Design Drill Instructor, Angie Lucas, Journaling Drill Instructor, and Wendy Smedley, Daily Lunch Break Inspiration.

What You'll Get:

12 exclusive video drills to get your scrap-bootie in shape! (one each morning, one each evening)
4 expert drill sergeants (in the areas of journaling, stamping, photo effects, and design)
6 bonus lunch-time inspiration sessions with Wendy Smedley
40 minutes of coached scrapbooking challenges per day
a place to upload your work and connect with other scrapbookers
concrete challenges that result in meaningful layouts
daily challenges, bonus downloads, sponsor prizes, and more
email reminders that it's time to suit up and get ready to scrap!

**Not enlisted? Register before midnight tonight (9/19) with code YESMAAM to save $3 off registration.**

Please note that because of Boot Camp, the final sketch in the Stretch Your Sketches challenge has been rescheduled and will be posted next Monday instead of today.

five on Friday

2011-09-16T16:52:00.000-07:00

Here is a five on Friday post to give you a little glimpse of life around here these days. I don't want to sound cliche, but it seems that these boys are growing up so very fast. Everyday these boys are getting bigger, learning new words, playing new games... the list goes on.

1. It doesn't happen often, but every now and then Gabe requests something very specific for lunch. Last week, after I had finished making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, he asked for noodles with cheese inside (that's what we call tortellini), with peas and salami - cut up. Sometimes I roll the salami and put it on these decorative toothpicks that I bought at the Japanese dollar store (they have little animal faces and are super-adorable). Other times, I cut it into pieces and mix it in with the pasta. Anyhow, I granted his wish the next day:

He told me it was perfect.

2. Every now and then Gabe also asks to do something quite impossible. Like at the moment, he wants to make maple syrup. I told him that maple trees don't grow here. If they do, I have never seen one. He said that we should go to the place where they grow. Makes sense, right? Anyhow, he is obsessed with this idea, and asks us every Saturday when we have pancakes, "When can we make maple syrup?" *sigh*

3. The other day we did something fun together, something easy and entirely possible. We made homemade ricotta:

What's funny is that Gabe didn't like it. I did change the recipe a bit and I think that if I had followed it exactly he may have liked it more. The recipe we were using, if followed exactly, creates a very rich and dense ricotta. I was looking for yield rather than texture, and while I did achieve that goal, it made for a ricotta with a more traditional texture and not so creamy. It was however, perfect in the lasagna I made that night. Next on my to-make list, homemade mascarpone. I will report back.

4. Someone is finally learning how to put their shoes on by themselves. He resisted even attempting to do this himself for quite some time:

And it's hard. But we just take them off and try again.

5. Someone is also transitioning from taking a nap to not taking a nap. This transition has been going on for a couple of months now. Most of the time he does fine, aside from some grumpiness at dinnertime. Other times, he just can't quite make it:

Just to let you know, he woke up complaining that his legs hurt. Perhaps, given that information, it is mean of me, but I can't help but laugh at these pictures. He can be such a silly boy.

Well, there you have it, a little round-up our our recent daily adventures. I hope you are enjoying your Friday, wherever you are. Until next time. =)

inspired by Pinterest

2011-09-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

Are you on Pinterest? I'm sort of surprised to say that I am. I never did get into using Tumblr; it never made sense to me and seemed really difficult to use. But I find Pinterest very user friendly and I like having visual bookmarks of ideas that have inspired me online. I don't want to get into this too much, but it seems that some people just pin everything and anything they like, which is completely their prerogative. I'm definitely more picky about it. Before I pin something I ask myself, and I try to be really honest with myself here, if I will ever actually make or do or use what it is that I'm pinning. And so even though I've been using Pinterest for several months now, I only have 149 pins. I truly like my little collection of pins though. If you'd like you can see them, here. I've also added a new button to my sidebar and if you want to, you can follow me on Pinterest.

Today I thought I'd share a quick art project I did with Gabe and Nathan that was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, stamping with celery. I'm not going to say that I'm not creative, but I will say that I would never have thought to do this. And yet, is was so easy and a lot of fun:

Nathan loves painting and drawing, more than Gabe did at his age. It's funny that a little boy who is so very active will settle down for a few moments and concentrate on something he really loves:

Gabe wanted to mix colors, and then he also tried swirling the stamp to see what it would look like. I think this last experiment of his was his favorite:

I'm hoping to share more "inspired by" projects as time goes on. I'll admit though, that it is sometimes difficult to manage an art project, help or give instructions, and take photos at the same time. Sometimes it works out, and sometimes it just doesn't. If you are on Pinterest post a link to your boards in the comments. I'm always looking for more inspiration. Plus, I think part of the fun of Pinterest is being able to share found ideas with others who share your tastes and interests. I'd love to see what you've pinned!

treasures

2011-09-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

When a library closes it is always a sad thing, don't you think? Our city used to have two branches, but decided to close one because of budget issues. They had a book sale several weeks back and I kicked myself at the time because I found out about it literally 20 minutes after the sale had ended. Apparently though, there were still many books remaining and this past Friday and Saturday they had another sale; 25 cents for all children's books. Seriously, 25 cents.

I hate that the library closed, but since we homeschool I wanted to take advantage of this opportunity and see if there was still anything left worth purchasing. I'm happy to report that I had pretty good luck and managed to come home with a few treasures. Truthfully, the children's section was pretty well picked over. I'll mention that the library had allowed all the school teachers in the area first pick of books when the library closure was initially announced. I'm glad for that. With all the budget cuts, schools here are hurting and it seems fair that they should get first pick. I still managed to find 29 books to bring home, almost all hardcovers. Here are just a few of the books I found:

Basket Moon

Letting Swift River Go

Hide and Seek Fog

The Treasure

The Pilgrims of Plymouth

The Way West

Plus, no little boy's library would be complete without a book about Giant Earth-Moving Equipment:

I also found, and this was not in the children's section, a set of encyclopedias on the earth and physical sciences. Cost? Only $15. Honestly, I could not believe they were still there. They are brand new and in absolutely beautiful condition. When I really think about that, it makes me sad. I don't think anyone ever used them. As soon as I came home I did a search to see what they might be worth. It turns out that this particular set goes for around $100. It is hard to find a complete set though, and most of the listings I found had the individual volumes sold separately. The set I purchased is the first edition and was published in 1998, but still completely relevant. Most of what is covered in these books is information that will not be changing over time. The newest edition, which was published in 2005, goes for anywhere between $650 to $715, which is certainly out of our price range. At least, I would not consider buying encyclopedias at that price, not at this time. Gabe loves them already:

and I know they will be well-used in the coming years.

We are just starting to build our home library. While we love to visit the library and check-out books, I also want our children to grow up around books and to be able to pull a story from the shelf whenever they feel. I don't mind buying books new, but I don't mind them used either. The ones I purchased this past weekend were in varying conditions. Mostly it was the covers of the books that were worn (but a lot of the books have those clear covers common to library books; I plan on keeping them on for protection). The pages of the books themselves were all in excellent condition, no rips and very little writing in any of the pages. Even though I didn't find as much as I had hoped, I am so happy for what I did find.

Do you have a home library? How have you gone about building it? Any tips would be appreciated. I'll share my tip, you can search for library sales in your area by visiting this website, Book Sale Finder. I plan on keeping my eyes open for future sales, but I wonder if there are any other secrets to be had... if you have any, please share!

the challenge series continues...

2011-09-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

The eleventh sketch in the Stretch Your Sketches challenge went up on the Ella blog today. This is the last month of the series and if you haven't had a chance to participate in the challenge so far, now is the time! I am pretty excited about the prize package for this month - Lawn Fawn is our sponsor and they have generously donated three sets of stamps for the prize, including one of my favorite stamp sets, Say Cheese:

As I said, this set is one of my favorites and I used it on my layout for this week:

The journaling reads: Nathan, daddy and I don’t really like cutting your hair. We absolutely love your curls, but after a while they start to get a bit, wild. So every few months, daddy takes you outside and gives you a haircut. He lets you play with the spray bottle so you’ll sit still (at least a little). Then we just wait until your hair gets crazy again…

Joining me this month in the challenge is Ella Friend, Diana Chen. Diana said that she has been taking a break from scrapbooking for the summer and has been spending more time with her family. She added that the timing of this challenge could not have been better for her. She was so inspired by the sketch that she actually created three layouts! Here is just one of them:

This layout is perfect in its simplicity. I love the combination of the orange and red, which matches the outfits of her adorable twins, and that big polka dot scallop border up top. Diana blogs at Scrapbooking from the heart where she shares layouts, inspiration, and her insights about this amazing hobby.

Please visit the Daily Trumpet to see the rest of Diana's wonderful layouts, the sketch that inspired all of the layouts this week, and the prize package for this month.

I hope you will join in the fun!

Welcome, September!

2011-09-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

The other day I was lamenting the fact that fall is still a long ways away. With the coming of September we're getting one step closer though, and that is definitely something to be thankful for. With the new month also comes a new gallery at Write.Click.Scrapbook. The theme this month is all about

and if you love books as much as we do at WCS, then you'll want to be sure to visit the gallery. As always each of us has a different take on the theme and there are so many ideas for documenting your love of books and reading (or that of your children). Here is my layout for this month:

The journaling reads: The two of you have really been into stories lately; reading them, telling them, listening to them. Gabe is a beginning reader and so now he can read stories to himself or to Nathan. I love happening upon scenes like this one. It's becoming a more frequent occurrence and it is such a sweet and happy sight. March 9, 2011

Books and stories are becoming a big part of life around here. Gabriel started reading earlier this year and it has been a lot of fun to see him gain an interest in books, reading, and telling stories. I caught him one day reading a favorite book to his little brother (and yes, they were reading about pumpkins in March; they love pumpkins!) I was so happy that I captured this moment. I also love that Nathan is sneaking a look at the camera. =)

I hope you are enjoying your Labor Day weekend!

it's a long ways off

2011-08-29T14:36:00.000-07:00

To get back into the habit of blogging I've got to start somewhere. I never meant for my blog to be solely a scrapbooking blog and I think when I'm in the habit of blogging it isn't. But when I'm trying to just get a post in and share something, a scrapbook page is the easiest thing that comes to my mind.

Even though it is late August, and September is just around the corner, fall won't be showing up around these parts anytime soon. Believe me when I say that I am thankful for the mild summer we have had this year, but it usually doesn't start truly cooling down until late November sometimes mid-December. So in my mind, it is still summer, summer, summer. It was a big surprise to me then when I received my October issue of Scrapbooks Etc. in the mail a couple of weeks back. And an even bigger surprise when I was flipping through the magazine and noticed one of my layouts. I just wasn't expecting to see it so soon!

I made this layout using photos I had taken for a day in the life project prompted by fellow Write.Click.Scrapbook. collective member, Emily Pitts. I didn't take that many photos for that project because we were in the middle of our move, but I'm happy I participated and I actually really love all the photos and moments I did manage to capture that day. By the way, you should go through the posts that Emily put together for that particular week, tons of ideas and photography inspiration. The first post in that series can be found, here. Then, just use the arrow tabs at the top of the post to continue reading through the week's posts.

I will say that I am looking forward to fall; it is my favorite season. With it comes apple picking, visiting the pumpkin patch, trick-or-treating and Thanksgiving (oh, and daddy's birthday too!) Even if the weather doesn't cool down until November, we love this time of year and it seems the boys do too.

Before I go, I did want to say that we are praying for all those who have been effected by hurricane Irene. We have family that were hit by the storm, they live in a flood zone and are unable to stay in their house at present. If you could, take a moment to say a prayer for them?

Until next time, God bless.

if you're looking for me...

2011-08-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

I'm blogging at Write.Click.Scrapbook. today. Talking about my favorite scrapbooking tool, punches. I hope you'll stop by to see all the projects and ideas I've collected for the post.

And, as an aside, I'm hoping to get back into a blogging routine, soon. We've started school and I've been keeping myself occupied with that, along with numerous cooking experiments... Anyhow, I think it's time I got back into sharing some of that here again.

sketch number ten

2011-08-17T22:20:00.000-07:00

Yesterday the tenth sketch in the Stretch Your Sketches challenge went up on the Ella blog. I can hardly believe that the series is almost over (only two more sketches to go!) I have had so much fun doing this challenge series with Ella and all of the Ella friends. I wanted to interrupt my blogging break to share my layout from this past sketch:

I've actually had the sketch for this week in my notebook for some time and I have used it or a variation of it several times now. Usually when I use a sketch I follow it fairly closely. In this case, I really only used the sketch as a starting point for my layout. As I went to edit the photos I planned on using and as I put together the layout I ended up moving things around quite a bit. Even with all the changes I made, I think you can still tell that the design was inspired by the sketch.

These photos are from Mother's Day of this year and the journaling reads: These are my Mother’s Day photos. You can’t really tell, but I’m holding onto Nathan mostly because he was trying to run away. And Gabe basically refused to look into the camera. Oh well, we tried. May 2011

Joining me this week in the challenge is Ella Friend, Mary Jo Johnston. Mary Jo is an amazing card maker, and so I asked her to make a card from the sketch instead of a layout. Instead of creating one card, she made two! Here is a little sneak peek of one of her cards:

Mary Jo has been creating scrapbooks, handmade cards and paper crafts for nearly 10 years. Her love for photography and preserving memories has made this hobby a precious part of her life.

Mary Jo's designs range from clean lines and traditional to vintage and shabby chic. She enjoys creating mini books and layouts, but has a true passion for cardmaking. The tiny details that go into each card are what she enjoys most. Her work can be seen in Creating Keepsakes, Paper Crafts Magazine, CARDS, Scrapbook Trends, Simply Handmade and Cantata Books. She has been a featured Designer of the Month for CARDS Magazine, and has more than 200 cards in publication.

Mary Jo lives in West Lafayette, Indiana with her husband and their five year old twins who are the subjects of her most precious scrapbook pages. She blogs at Me and You + Two.

Be sure to visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch for this week as well as the full images of Mary Jo's adorable cards. I really do love seeing what everyone comes up with using the sketches. I always come away quite inspired and so I hope you will play along!

Sketch #9

2011-08-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Sketch #9 in the challenge series went up today at The Daily Trumpet. After the last sketch which featured six photos, I've simplified things a bit this time around. As I always say there are no rules or limits as to how you use the sketch, just let the sketch inspire you to create and then share it with us! =)

I am happy to announce that this month the Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series is being sponsored by Ella Friend Monika Wright and her etsy shop

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook Stretch Your Sketches,

The winner will also receive a $20 gift certificate to i love it all and Monika has generously agreed to ship internationally - thank you Monika!

This week I took a turn at stretching the sketch, and I did stretch it quite a bit! You can read my description in the post to get the full details. Here is my layout which documents our family's love of In-N-Out:

The journaling reads: Every Sunday after mass we go to In-N-Out for lunch. We’ve had this tradition in our family for almost three years now. When we go, the boys always get stickers. Nathan calls them "stickos" and he likes to make the cars in his picture crash (if you were there you'd get to experience the sound effects too). Gabe on the other hand likes things to make a little more sense and he makes the woman hold the flowers (which is too sweet). One day while we were eating Gabe said, "Isn't In-N-Out great?" Yes, Gabe, it is; we couldn't agree more.

Inside the pocket are the sticker pictures that my two sons made on this particular trip (if you'd like you can see them here). Even if we keep this tradition for years to come, I don't know how long these simple stickers will make my boys happy and so while I don't save them every week (can you imagine the stack I would have by now!?) I did want to save at least one set as a reminder of these days.

Joining me this week in the challenge is May Flaum. Here is a sneak peek at her layout:

And here is what May had to say about herself:

When it comes to crafting I am all about the fun. Hi there, my name is May Flaum and I’m just a purple, damask, vintage loving crafter and work from home mama of two lovely girls. I’ve worked in a lot of positions in the scrapbook industry, and I’ve enjoyed every minute. From teaching classes on-line to creating new projects for a design team I just love scrapbooking. It combines my love of family, good times, color, design, and lets me put all the photos I love to take to good use. I love cooking, photography, spending time outside in the yard, and being silly. I have a new book with Memory Makers called Scrapbook Workshop (coming end of August), and on-line you can find me as a contributing editor for Scrapbook Update, teaching on a regular basis at Big Picture Classes, and blogging almost daily.

Keep up with May at her blog confessions of a chocoholic. Registration for May's current Big Picture Class, Double Take is open now.

May's layout is so beautifully done I hope you will visit the Daily Trumpet to see the rest of the layout as well as the sketch that inspired the layout.

And I hope that you will join in the fun too!

Cocoa Daisy's August Kit: Siren's Call

2011-08-01T09:11:00.000-07:00

I have the very great privilege this month of being the guest designer at Cocoa Daisy. They sent me this month's kit which is called Siren's Call and I had so much fun creating with it (unfortunately the kit is already sold out). This kit is beautiful; it is filled with bright, bold colors and was perfect for scrapbooking some of my favorite summer photos. I made three layouts and two cards with the kit and here they are:

This is my favorite photo from last summer. We still haven't been the beach yet this year. We need to go sometime soon! I used Mister Huey's mist in Calico White on this layout to subdue the color of the blue cardstock just a bit. My first time to mist ever. I'm taking baby steps. =)

You might recognize this photo, summer wouldn't be the same without my new favorite beverage.

Early in the summer my husband spotted a box of Otter Pops at Costco. He bought a box just as much for himself as he did for the boys. They have all enjoyed taking breaks from their play to enjoy a sweet treat now and then.

The stamp from this month's kit is a set of banner pieces (and it is still available for sale as of this posting). I used it to create this card:

I have been embossing a lot lately and it has been fun to incorporate this technique into my scrapbooking.

And one last card that I made from the scraps of my layouts:

I love that yellow paper above. It's from Simple Stories and is called Hello Sunshine. The other side is the circle print that I use on the Perfect layout.

Finally, I want to extend a big thank you to both Christine Drumheller and Ronda Palazzari for the opportunity to work with Cocoa Daisy this month.

I'll be back tomorrow with my Stretch Your Sketches challenge layout. Just as a note, the sketches are going up on the first and third Tuesdays for this month. Ella is celebrating Digital Scrapbooking Month and it kicks-off today.

Have a happy Monday. =)

lazy days

2011-07-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I talked a little about our summer mornings. We have been in full summer mode for quite some time around here. We pushed through that wall we had hit, and have managed to settle into a routine. It's a bit of a lazy routine, but it works for now. And while the rest of the country has been experiencing a heat wave, it's been rather mild here, unusually so I would say and I rather like it that way.

I didn't want to go weeks and weeks without posting here, and then pop-in one day and try to explain where I've been. So I'm giving you advanced warning that blogging will probably be a bit on the lighter side for the next few weeks. Truth is I need a bit of a blog vacation, just a little one. I do plan on posting, just not as much as usual (my goal for the summer has been three times per week and I have met this goal aside from the week I was feeling ill). Basically, with the school year coming soon I need to finalize our plans, order a few more books, and get organized for the year. Now is the time... some things that I have been putting off just need to get done. And while I've been enjoying these lazy days with the boys, I need to start making some changes in my own routines and habits so that I can slowly change the overall routine and add schooling into our days.

Before I leave for today I want to share a couple of layouts with you. One aspect of these lazy days we've been enjoying is that I have been able to scrapbook inside, quietly, while the boys play outside. This layout documents a bit of that play and is one of my favorite layouts from this summer:

I made this many weeks ago now, but I still love it. The Toy Box collection from Crate Paper has to be one of the best boy-themed lines to come out in a while, at least I think so. Another one of my favorite boy-themed collections is Rocket Age from October Afternoon. This one will be especially useful since Gabe is obsessed with all things space and flight. When we were in Seattle we visited the Museum of Flight. He fell in love with rockets and has talked about nothing else since. So a few weeks back we took a trip to the San Diego Air & Space Museum. It is much smaller than the Museum of Flight, but Gabe loved it just as much. They have a special exhibit at the moment all about space and we got to see the Apollo 9 Command Module "Gumdrop" which is on loan from the Smithsonian:

Even though the museum is small, it is jam-packed and we didn't get to see everything in detail. I foresee us making more trips there in the future.

How is your summer coming along? Are you looking forward to the school year? I always love to hear from my friends and readers, so take a moment to say hi? Until next time, God bless. =)

on the agenda for today

2011-07-21T11:35:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I saw a recipe for blueberry pie on my friend Christina's blog and just a few days later I made one:

I almost never have that kind of turn around time between inspiration and execution. I don't know what got into me! I have also never made blueberry pie before, and it's been a long time since I made crust from scratch so I thought this would be a good test of my baking skills. Mine didn't turn out quite as lovely as the photo in the original recipe, but it was unbelievably delicious. (I didn't crimp my edges enough and so they lost their shape as the pie baked. Also, I made the stars around the pie too large and too low and so the juices spilled out, as you can see).

The recipe for the pie crust is amazing too. I typically make my crust in the food processor, but this recipe uses a stand mixer. Instead of letting the dough rest and then rolling it out, you can roll it out immediately and then after the pie is assembled you chill the pie before baking. To me the finished baked crust was the perfect mix between flaky and chewy. I find that really flaky pie crust tends to be dry, but no one wants a completely chewy pie crust either. I think the perfect crust is a mix of both and this one hit the mark for me.

I'll just say again that I was very pleased with the results. Which was a little strange because I don't really love blueberries. They are probably my least favorite berry. And the boys who would eat blueberries endlessly if I let them? They didn't like this pie at all. Weird. Anyhow, I've been commanded by someone to make this pie again. That person even did the legwork of buying the most necessary ingredient:

So, that's what I'll be doing today. =)

if you're looking for me...

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

I'm blogging at Write.Click.Scrapbook. today. Talking about my favorite embellishment, buttons. Stop to find out how you can make this card:

and see what else I've shared.

still stretching...

2011-07-18T10:06:00.000-07:00

We are three-quarters of the way through the

over at the Ella blog. The sketch today is number 8 in the series which means there are only four more to go! It certainly has been a fun series for me so far. This week I used the sketch to make a layout using some of my favorite photos from this past spring:

Journaling reads: On one of the first warm days of spring, we decided to go on a picnic. Once at the park we enjoyed a simple lunch of PB & Js and apple slices. After we ate, we played in the park. It was a happy and beautiful day. March 9, 2011

Joining me in the challenge this week is Ella Friend, Keshet Starr. Keshet is a twenty-four year old law student living with her (very patient and scrapbook-supportive) husband, Steven in the New York area. She began scrapbooking at the age sixteen, after her business professor father consulted for a scrapbook company and received free product. Her father has since commented that it was his worst consulting job ever, considering that the amount of money he paid into the industry far exceeded his retainer! Keshet’s scrapbooking style has morphed throughout the years, and she currently enjoys learning every new technique she can afford to dabble in, largely sponsored by finds on ebay. She occasionally has nightmares about something dreadful happening to her scrapbook supplies, which are stored in a beautiful room that her husband painted aqua for her. Keshet has only recently discovered the online scrapbook world, and now spends far too much of her studying time exploring it.

When she is not scrapbooking, Keshet enjoys reading (novels, nonfiction, anything!), baking, hosting big Shabbat dinners, spending time with friends, eating chocolate and visiting her hometown of Ohio. She hopes to travel to Israel, Italy and Hawaii in the near future, and finally go on her honeymoon, though there’s no telling when this is actually going to happen! Read more about Keshet at her blog, Over the Rainbow.

I know that we are at the height of summer and everyone is very busy, but I hope you'll take a moment to visit The Daily Trumpet to see sketch #8.

Have a great week!

our strawberry picking adventure in photos... and a few words

2011-07-13T23:00:00.000-07:00

You'll have to forgive my lack of blogging this week. I've been feeling a bit under the weather and I just haven't had the inclination to post much of anything. But, participating in {pretty, happy, funny, real} is easy enough (when I remember to do it!) and so I thought I'd share a few photos from our recent strawberry picking adventure. In no particular order:

Gabe is so very choosy about which berries are worthy of picking.

Here he is showing-off one of his excellent choices.

While at the farm, we split up and daddy took Nathan duties.

When we met back up his bucket was full and he was so proud and happy to carry this bucket all by himself.

The only photo I could manage to get of the two of them together.

Gabe is not even looking into the camera. *sigh*

On the way home... berry picking is hard work, he even felt the need to remove his sandals! So cute though, to see his sweaty little head. =)

Hello to any of you who have visited via Like Mother, Like Daughter, thank you for stopping by!

Empty Cupboard Recipe: Lazy Pulled Pork

2011-07-08T00:22:00.000-07:00

Erin, of bearing blog, is starting a round-up of empty cupboard recipes. The idea being that we all share meal ideas and recipes for those days when we haven't had a chance to make it to the grocery store. What do you make when you're cooking from the pantry (or freezer)? I absolutely love this idea and have often thought of posting these types of recipes here, so this is the perfect opportunity to do just that and to get some great ideas from others while I'm at it.

Here are the rules as outlined by Erin:

Write a post about what you managed to throw together when you hadn't yet gotten a chance to go grocery shopping.
You have to post the whole meal, not just one recipe. (This is especially important if no actual recipes were harmed during the preparation of the meal.
It's okay if one or more of the components was packaged/prepared/processed, out of season, non-organic, or raspberry Jell-o (TM). I'm interested in the whole picture of thinking out of the box to create a pleasant dining experience for your family.

On a typical week I go grocery shopping on Tuesdays. Monday is my catch-up day from the weekend and I usually spend it cleaning and planning for the week ahead. This week since Monday was a holiday that shifted my catch-up day to Tuesday. In addition to that special circumstance, this past Tuesday we took my car into the mechanic and so I did not have a car for the day, meaning I couldn't have gone grocery shopping even if I had wanted to. So, what to make for dinner? The night before I decided that we should have pulled pork sandwiches and so I pulled out a pork roast from the freezer and left it in the refrigerator to defrost overnight. I didn't have most of the ingredients that I use for my usual recipe so the next day I cooked the roast very plainly and simply in the slow-cooker with some chicken stock.

{This is where my Crock Pot lives while in use, this little corner of our kitchen.}

Most pulled pork recipes call for using pork shoulder but I use sirloin tip roast. I buy a four pack at Costco and it costs $1.99/lb (I must tell any new readers that I live in Southern California and this is a good price for a roast of any cut!) It may not have as much flavor as pork shoulder, but it is much leaner and therefore healthier while still providing a good source of protein. It cooks nicely too and becomes very tender when cooked long and slow. Generally I cook the pork in a sauce of some kind, take the meat out, shred it, and then add the sauce back. This week I simply added barbecue sauce to the meat after I finished shredding it (well, half of it).

When I am shopping I look for packs that are around 8lbs total, so approximately 2lbs per roast. We typically only eat about one-third of a roast per meal and so for about $4 we get enough meat for three mealtimes. This week we used the leftovers to have pork tostadas (and we'll have them again this weekend).

I also had some cabbage leftover from the week before. Cabbage seems to be one of those never-ending vegetables in my house. I can never seem to use it up! Which meant that coleslaw was on the menu too. Perfect with the pulled pork.

The last addition was a side of tator tots. What can I say about this except that we all love tator tots. Maybe we shouldn't, but we don't eat them that often and I try not to get too hung-up on these things.

{Still frozen... in case you are wondering!}

So there you have it: pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, tator tots and the remainder of the last batch of pickles. Gabe had everything on the menu except we switched out the coleslaw for carrot sticks, and Nathan had a peanut butter sandwich instead of the pulled pork. He is still not a big meat eater and we don't push it.

I want to say hello to anyone who is visiting from Erin's blog. Thanks for stopping by! Have a blessed weekend. =)

sort of addicted

2011-07-06T20:32:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I came across a post on The Pioneer Woman for a recipe for perfect iced coffee. I honestly have no idea how I got there because I am not a regular reader of her site. I think I found my way there via Pinterest, following a photography link and then was completely distracted by a lovely picture of coffee in the sidebar. I made a batch that very weekend and fell in love with coffee all over again.

I should say that this is not really a recipe so much as an outline of a technique. It's a cold brew method and it produces a finished beverage with the most amazing velvety smooth coffee flavor that almost tastes as if you've added chocolate to your drink. She also linked to an article from Imbibe magazine which goes into the details of hot vs. cold brew methods when it comes to making iced coffee (for someone who likes to understand the why of something, this was an interesting read). The two methods produce slightly different final products each with their own unique flavors. I learned that the cold brew method produces coffee with a much lower level of acidity too, 67% less. We drink a coffee that is already low-acid, so that has never been an issue for me, but fascinating nonetheless and it makes sense given what I already knew about brewing hot coffee.

The only problem with finding this recipe is that for a couple of weeks I was drinking a little too much coffee. I love coffee, but I also like to sleep at night, and it was keeping me up (I already have a hard time shutting off my brain at night). So, I'm switching to decaf. I'll have my regular hot coffee in the morning (fully caffeinated please!), and then a glass of iced coffee in the afternoon. Sure, it won't give me that sometimes-much-needed afternoon pick-me-up, but at least I'll be able to sleep at night. In fact, I have my first batch of decaf brewing as I type. Tomorrow I'll be able to get back to my habit.

And I can hardly wait. =)

the first Monday of July means...

2011-07-04T09:43:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July! I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend as much as we are. Today we have a super-secret-surprise adventure planned for the boys. Gabe in particular is going to get a big kick out of where we are headed today!

Before we head off, it is the first Monday of the month and so that means there is a new sketch in the

I wanted to share my layout from sketch number seven:

I finally documented our family's pickle love. Just this weekend we went to Costco and I picked up another two pound bag of cucumbers. We'll have a fresh batch of these soon. =)

Joining me this week is Ella Friend, Valerie Mangan. Valerie is an incredibly talented card maker, and so to keep things a bit interesting in our challenge I asked her to make a card from the sketch instead of a layout. Here is a little sneak peek:

Valerie says, "I’m a working wife & mom to two young children living in coastal New Jersey. I started scrapbooking (technically) when I was in my teens but became serious about the hobby when my daughter was born in 2003. I didn’t start making cards until 2008, when I was ~~arm-twisted~~ talked into joining in on a card swap with some local crafters. Now I can’t imagine not making cards. The smaller canvas is ideal for trying out new techniques, design and product. I’m always on the look-out for inspiration but my go-to source is my day job, where I work as an interior designer. I find trends in color, pattern and material are constantly crossing over into my papercrafts. When I’m not working on a paper project, I love to visit the city (New York), bake, take pictures and read about art and design."

Valerie blogs at paper & cookies where she shares her beautiful layouts and cards as well as her other creative pursuits.

Visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch for this week. I really do love seeing what everyone comes up with using the sketches. I usually come away quite inspired and so I hope you will play along!

it's a new month

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

The beginning of the month always means one thing

there's a new gallery at Write.Click.Scrapbook. This month we tackled the subject of weddings. Here is my contribution:

We have a few hundred wedding photos, I don't remember the exact number, and these three are my favorite. They were taken after our ceremony and just before the reception. I haven't added any journaling to my page yet, but I probably will soon. Sometimes we get a gallery topic that challenges me a little more than usual, like the month we did Young Me Now Me. Initially, I didn't have any journaling on the page I made for that month either. I needed a little bit of time to think about the story behind the photos and what stood out to me most. I did eventually add in some journaling later. I will probably do the same with this layout. Do go visit the gallery. There are so many different ideas and interpretations on this month's theme, I know you'll find something to inspire you.

I'll be back on Monday with another sketch for the Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series. Until then, have a blessed weekend!

our summer mornings

2011-06-30T08:39:00.000-07:00

Last week I shared my pretty. This week I'm going with happy, funny and real, although not necessarily in any kind of order. Think of this as the summer edition, so far. =) Our morning routine this summer has consisted of going outside immediately after breakfast, before it gets too hot, to play and play and play. Of course, sometimes you have to take a break, and Otter Pops are always good for breaks:

After we've sufficiently released our wiggles, we come inside for lunch. But first, we have to wash our hands:

Gabe washes his hands by himself in the bathroom, and Nathan gets to wash them at the kitchen sink. Which, if you can see by that little smile on his face, he enjoys very much. And yes, if you look closely you will see just how very dirty they get playing out there. Most of the time one wash is not enough.

After lunch we read stories, do a craft, maybe watch a show, put on every accessible rosary:

He was so proud of himself. We have some rosaries which are set aside just for the boys. Nathan loves them, as you can see. =)

So far our summer has been made up of a mix of things and our day-to-day has been very unplanned, but I think we might have hit a wall. I may need to do a little more planning as we look ahead to the rest of the summer. If you have any good links for indoor/outdoor activities/crafts will you share them with me?

Hello to any of you who have visited via Like Mother, Like Daughter, thank you for stopping by!

our neighbor's lemon tree

2011-06-27T16:37:00.000-07:00

Our neighbor has several lemon and orange trees in her backyard; this is just one of them. The one that happens to extend just slightly over our side of the fence, but no complaints from me! It is so pretty to look at in the summer, full of fruit. She is very generous with us and during the summer she shares bags and bags of her lemons and oranges. I often don't quite know what to do with them all (besides admire how gorgeous they are sitting in a bowl on my kitchen counter). Then, a couple of weeks back, I saw that Wendy had made a pie and I knew that I needed to make one too. The same one, with strawberries

{Oh, the strawberries are so amazing this time of year!}

and lemons,

And...unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the finished pie. I know. I started the pie-making process in the evening and didn't finish until after lunch the next day. By the time I finished topping the pie, with whipped cream instead of meringue, everyone just wanted to taste it already and I didn't care about taking a photo. =) It was delicious, by the way, and I know I will make it again.

The only problem is that the recipe calls for approximately 4 lemons, and I only needed two (I didn't mention that these lemons are huge!) So, I barely made a dent in our lemon stash and still have quite a few remaining. Any ideas? Do you have a favorite lemon recipe? Share it with me if you do!

List It! Childhood Edition Giveaway Updated with winner

2011-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

It seems as though this has been a very scrapbooking centered week here on my blog (more so than usual), but I do have something fun to share with you today. Ella Publishing Co has come out with a brand new type of product called List It! List It! are printable, prompted lists that make it easy to write about your personal history. They are perfect for use on scrapbook pages, mini-albums, notebooks, and handmade list journals (see Angie's journal on Ella's blog for an example). There are currently three different List It! products available, the Childhood Edition, Holiday Edition, and a Teen Sampler.

I recently made a layout for the cover of the Childhood Edition using the prompt, "Nicknames or pet names I was called as a child"

There are 91 lists total in the Childhood Edition. Here is a sample page:

There are endless possibilities with List It!

Print a single list to use as a journaling spot on a scrapbook page.
Choose just your favorite lists to print for a customized list notebook.
Let these lists inspire fresh, creative journaling for layouts about your childhood.
Print all the lists and bind them into a personal-heritage notebook.
Print the lists back-to-back, or print a sheet of extra lines on the back sides of each list for extra writing space!
Trim a handful of lists to 4 x 6, pair them with 4 x 6 photos, and create a simple, stylish mini-album

For more tips, information and ideas watch the List It! video.

Now then, here is the fun part! I am giving away one copy of List It! Childhood Edition:

If you'd like a chance to win either a copy of List It! Childhood Edition or the Digi Plus version leave me a comment with at least one of the nicknames or pet names that you were called as a child. Now, I need to ask that you either become a follower of my blog, or that you leave you email address in your comment. I've had a few prizes go unclaimed and this will make it much easier for me to contact you! Comments will remain open until Sunday June 26th 11:59pm. The winner will be chosen at random and I will update this blog post with the winner early next week.

A few more of the Ella Friends are having giveaways too: Mary Jo, Valerie and Brenda. Increase your chances of winning by stopping by their blogs!

Alright, it's Friday, my husband is home, and we have a mix of fun and chores to attend to. Hope you have a lovely weekend!

*The winner of the List It! Childhood Edition is Melissa! Melissa, I will contact you shortly with information on how to obtain your prize. Thank you to everyone who shared your nicknames with me, I loved reading your comments!*

if you're looking for me...

2011-06-22T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm here.

Talking about my most loved scrapbooking product.

Stop by to find out what it is!

we are halfway there!

2011-06-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Sketch number six will mark the halfway point in our

Just as a reminder, Jillibean Soup is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge! So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook Stretch Your Sketches, the winner of this month's challenge will also win the entire Watermelon Gazpacho Soup collection.

I want to share the layout that I made from this week's sketch:

These are the photos I took at our neighbor's Easter egg hunt. The journaling reads: I tried to snap a photo of the boys together at the Hazel’s Easter egg hunt. I took several and these are the best. Only because they make me laugh! Let's just say these two photos say quite a bit about these two boys' individual personalities. April 23, 2011

Fellow Ella Friend, Lee Currie, also made a layout using this week's sketch:

Lee says about her layout, "We're often busy celebrating the firsts, but sometimes that just isn't enough, especially in the case of ice cream!" I agree. It is never too late to record and celebrate those special moments.

Lee Currie blogs at Embrace Life where she documents her life along with her many creative endeavors.

Visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch that inspired these layouts. I so love seeing what everyone comes up with using the sketches. I hope you will play along!

we heart pickles

2011-06-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

In addition to celebrating a birthday this weekend, I also found some time to make one of my favorite summertime recipes. I've mentioned before that summer isn't my favorite season, but there are a few things about summer that I absolutely love. A lot of those things just happen to be food related.

Since this recipe is one of my family's favorites I thought I'd share it with you too. It is a super-easy recipe for refrigerator pickles which I've only slightly modified from this recipe, Dill Pickle Spears. Here is my version:

Easy Dill Pickles

Ingredients
    4 to 6 Kirby cucumbers (about 1 pound), quartered lengthwise
    1 cup white-wine vinegar
    2 Tbsp sugar
    3 tablespoons coarse salt
    1 teaspoon dill seed
    1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

Directions
    In a large saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, salt, dill seed, peppercorns and garlic with 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt dissolve. Once the mixture comes to a boil, turn off the heat and place the cucumbers in the pan. Allow the cucumbers to sit in the mixture until cool. After they have cooled, transfer to a container and refrigerate, at least 2 hours.

I like to both quarter and halve my cucumbers. The halves will pickle nicely but still have a substantial crunch that I happen to really love.

Also, as the cucumbers are pickling be sure to stir them occasionally, moving the pickles on top to the bottom and vice versa.

My beloved pickle container, from Tupperware. Mine is from a few years ago and I see that it now comes in a pretty blue color. I very clearly remember the one that my mother had, and very likely still has, from the 70's in avocado green. In fact, my mother had a lot of Tupperware and I remember all of it. Sort of one of those things I associate with childhood

It's been several weeks since I participated in {pretty, happy, funny, real} and I thought that this would be a good opportunity to get back into the habit. I think that cucumbers being pickled are pretty, don't you? It's something about their dark green skins against the pale green insides. Am I just weird?

Waving hello to any of you who have visited via Like Mother, Like Daughter, thank you for stopping by!

the best birthday ever

2011-06-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

{decorating his flying saucer}

That's what he called it. Without a doubt all the planning, preparing, shopping, baking was all worthwhile. He is a sweet boy and it makes me so happy that he did indeed have the time of his life.

The last few days I've been in recovery mode, to perfectly honest with you. Things that didn't get done last week, must now get done this week. So, I'm playing catch-up. I want to do a post on the party sometime soon. I mentioned before that it was space-themed and I want to share some of the ideas I found on the web for those who might be interested... or not! I'm gonna share them anyway. =) I'll also share a few more photos.

Until then, God bless. =)

Can you believe this guy!?!

2011-06-10T01:05:00.000-07:00

Someone is turning 5. In fact, all this week we've been busy preparing for his party. He hasn't had a party in a few years and we thought he was due. It will be space-themed with a guest appearance made by Buzz Lightyear. =) I want to say that Gabe is excited, but the truth is, we are all excited! I think it's going to be fun, fun, fun.

This little guy has grown so much this past year, I have often felt like I could barely keep him clothed. His vocabulary and interests have grown too. For example, he enjoys drawing and painting now:

Has a not-so-minor obsession with AT-ATs:

He has been reading for a few months now, and will occasionally read to his little brother:

{a scene I'm hoping to see more of in the future}

He loves to play outside, explore and come up with experiments:

{this one is called, "does it float?"}

He is smart, imaginative, curious, he's a bit of a dreamer, but ultimately, he is just one very happy and contented boy. Here is a fairly recent layout I made about him:

{this is a scraplift of a page made my Jamie Waters, find you be you}

It's a favorite because this is just so Gabe, doing his own thing, not in a hurry for anything or anyone. He is one amazing little boy and we love him so very much.

Happy Birthday little guy!

stretch your sketches

2011-06-07T04:00:00.000-07:00

Sketch number five in the

went up yesterday at The Daily Trumpet, and this week it's a two page spread. You can use the sketch to make a two page layout at 12 x 12 or 8.5 x 11 or you can use just one side of the sketch. There truly are no rules or limits as to how you use the sketch, just let the sketch inspire you to create and then share it with us! =)

I am happy to announce that this month the Stretch Your Sketches Challenge Series is being sponsored by Jillibean Soup!

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook Stretch Your Sketches,

the winner of this month's challenge will also win Jillibean's latest collection Watermelon Gazpacho Soup!

I used that line to make my layout for this week

It's a collection of my favorite summer photos from last year. Jillibean's summer line was perfect for this layout. I've always loved their journaling sprouts, but I think my favorite new product from their last few lines have been the Pea Pods. They are so much fun to use. =)

As for the layout, summer is really not my favorite season. Even though I have almost always lived somewhere where it gets quite hot this time of year I have never really liked or enjoyed the heat or the sun. But! Summers are different now that I am a mommy. The boys love the beach, well at least, Gabe loves the beach (I've talked about this before) and they both love being outside. So, I have to admit that slowly, very slowly, I might come around to liking the warmer weather.

Joining me this week in the challenge is fellow Ella Friend, Jennifer Larson. Here is what Jennifer had to say about herself:

I'm Jennifer Larson, a native of Maine and current resident of Minnesota, wife to the biggest Star Wars fan in history, mother to two boys (the second and third biggest Star Wars fans), and a loyal fan of mysteries and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. When I'm not scrapping, I'm teaching English to high school students 9 months of the year and chasing after my boys for the other 3 months.

Here is a little sneak peek of the layout that Jennifer made for this week

As is always the case with Jennifer's creations, her layout is beautifully done and inspiring. Please visit the Daily Trumpet to see the rest of the layout, the sketch that inspired the layout, and the prize package for this month.

I hope you will join in the fun too!

You Can Help

2011-06-06T00:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this over the weekend and I wanted to share it here. Nikki Sivils of Nikki Sivils Scrapbooker has started a supply drive for the scrapbookers of Joplin, Missouri

If you are anything like me, and I know that a lot of you are, then you probably have more supplies than you need or you might already have supplies set aside that you no longer need or have room for. I have a box of items that have been sitting around since we moved and I've been waiting to find somewhere to donate these items. That box of supplies will be in the mail to Nikki this week. She asks that you send all donations by June 22nd, you can find the address in the flyer above.

As scrapbookers we know how much this hobby means to us. It can bring us peace in times of stress and it can be a way of focusing on our blessings. I can speak from my own personal experience and tell you that it can also bring comfort in a time of grief. Here is a small, but I think important way that we can bring some joy to those who have lost so much.

If you are not a scrapbooker, or if you are looking to do something more here are the donation pages for Catholic Charities USA and the American Red Cross. I know it has been a couple of weeks since the devastation occurred in Joplin, but the road to recovery for the families who have lost their homes, their belongings and even loved ones is going to be a long one. It is not too late to help. If you haven't made a donation yet, now is the time.

We offer our continued prayers to all those who are suffering due to the recent natural disasters. May God be with you in your time of grief and sorrow.

no hills

2011-06-02T16:27:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned several weeks ago that May was going to be a busy month. My parents came into town for a few days in mid-May and after that we headed out on a short holiday. Yes, the reason I haven't posted much the last two weeks is because, I haven't been around! We were here

{a typically cloudy day}

And now, I know what some of you might be thinking. Seattle might not seem like the most exciting place to go on vacation (at least this is the impression I got from others whenever I happened to mention that we were going on vacation, to Seattle), but it has a special place in our hearts since it's where my sweets and I went on our honeymoon. And again, I know it doesn't seem like the most exciting place to go for a honeymoon... I'll just say that we got married while we were both still in grad school and flights plus accommodation were cheap. We had fun and have very fond memories of our time there!

I won't go into all of the details of our trip now, I just thought I'd share a few photos with you.

{ready for where the road, or um, his parents take him}

{no trip to Seattle is complete without a visit to the market}

{or without drinking lots of coffee}

The day after we returned from Seattle we were having dinner at our kitchen table and Gabe mentioned that he was happy for everything to be "back to normal." I asked him if he liked our adventure and he said that he did, but he added, "Next time, no hills."

Ha! I wonder what would make him say that?!

We had a wonderful time on our holiday. It was good to get away from work and chores (and scrapbooking deadlines) even if just for a short while. And I will admit that while traveling with children is not the same as traveling alone, there is work involved, it was still very restful and restorative. Since we've been back I've been trying to get things in order, get back into our groove, and I'm looking forward to summer.

What are you looking forward to? Are you going on holiday or do you have something else special planned? I always love to hear from those of you who are reading, stop and say hi if you have the time. Until next time, God bless.

look who's celebrating their second birthday...

2011-05-31T22:56:00.000-07:00

Join me in wishing a very happy birthday to Write.Click.Scrapbook!

For my part, it's been an amazing experience to be a member of the collective. I am always learning something new and I am constantly inspired by the creativity and talents of my teammates. The readers of WCS are pretty amazing too!

Thank you so much to Marnie, Tina and Elizabeth for creating Write.Click.Scrapbook. and this wonderful community of scrapbookers. I love being part of a group where the story is celebrated and where simple is stunning!

sketch number four... a few days late

2011-05-27T17:24:00.000-07:00

A new sketch went up on Monday in the

Just as a reminder, Fiskars is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge!

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook Stretch Your Sketches, the winner of this month's challenge will also win this prize

It features the large and extra large cloud punches from Fiskars. It also includes corresponding cloud stamps from Studio Calico, exclusive Studio Calico patterned papers and a mix of spring-themed papers and embellishments.

I want to share the layout that I made from this week's sketch

Journaling reads: One of your favorite things to wear are these fireman boots. Lately, it seems that playtime just isn't the same without them. Usually you can also be seen carrying Blue and Lightning McQueen, but on this day you opted for your light-up egg spin-y thing-y that you got for Easter. May 4, 2011

Visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch that inspired the layout.

Joining me this week in the challenge is fellow Ella Friend, Francine Clouden.

Francine hails from the tiny Caribbean island of Grenada and has been making cards since 2001 and scrapbooking since 2002. Scrapbooking and other paper crafts are her creative outlet. She loves kraft cardstock, graphic patterned papers, buttons, chipboard, stamps and vintage book pages. She doesn’t mind getting her fingers covered in ink and paint, and will try just about any technique once! Her pages reflect her daily life, travel, thoughts and dreams and random moments. She is also an avid amateur photographer, and you will rarely find her without her trusted Canon 350D. She recently started playing with pixels as well as paper and glue and is now hooked! Her work has been published in major magazines such as Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks and Scrapbook Trends. In addition to being a 2011 Ella Friend, she is also the Scrapbooking editor on Craft Gossip, part of the collective at Write.Click.Scrapbook, and designs for Banana Frog, Design House Digital and Little Black Dress.

Francine currently lives in France with her husband Lucas, their son Kieran, their cats Mozaique and Naâla, and blogs almost daily at Callaloo Soup. Please visit the Daily Trumpet to see the adorable layout that Francine made using this week's sketch!

And I hope you will join in the fun too!

well, since you brought it up

2011-05-15T14:08:00.000-07:00

It's been two weeks since the May gallery went live at Write.Click.Scrapbook., and I've yet to share my page with you here. I've been meaning to do it, but just hadn't got around to it yet. My friend Christina's comment on my last post though has given me the perfect reason to share it with you now. You see, she just learned that we go to In-N-Out every Sunday after mass. And apparently it's been 4 years since she last had a burger there. Four years is much too long to go without a burger from In-N-Out. If, or when we ever leave California I am quite certain that our family will go into In-N-Out withdrawal. Just today while we were eating Gabe said, "Isn't In-N-Out great?" Yes, Gabe, it is; we couldn't agree more. Oh, and Christina, is it mean to say that I was thinking of you as I enjoyed my cheeseburger (no onions, mustard instead of the spread and pickles)? It was delicious. =)

So why all this talk of In-N-Out? Well, it's because my page design for this month's gallery layout was inspired by an advertisement for the In-N-Out Burger Foundation. When you eat there at the restaurant your food comes in a little red tray, and inside the tray is a paper liner. For the month of April, when the foundation does their fund drive, the paper liner looked like this

and I thought it would make a great design for a scrapbook layout. So before we left I asked for a clean one. I'm pretty sure they thought I was crazy.

The theme for this month's gallery was Everydaily. Basically, a day in the life, but everydaily sounds more fun, don't you think? Here is my layout

Journaling reads: In one day we: went for a walk around our neighborhood, played with our cars and had races, enjoyed oranges from our neighbor’s trees, did laundry, put all the winter pjs away and replaced them with the summer ones, ate lots of yummy food including popcorn which we shared while watching a movie, made food bags for the homeless, checked email, took baths, had an all-around great & amazing day. April 15, 2011

Let's see, before I go I also wanted to share sticker pictures that Gabe and Nathan made while we waited for our order. Nathan calls his "stickos," and likes to make the cars crash. If you were there you'd get to experience the sound effects too

Here is Gabe's

As you can see, he likes things to make a little more sense. Oh, and he always has the woman holding the flowers. Which is just too sweet.

Alright, I'm going to enjoy the rest of my day with my family and hopefully do lots and lots of nothing.

sketch number three

2011-05-10T08:20:00.000-07:00

A new sketch went up yesterday in the

I am so happy to announce that Fiskars is sponsoring this month's Stretch Your Sketches Challenge!

So in addition to winning a free copy of my eBook Stretch Your Sketches, the winner of this month's challenge will also win this prize

It features the large and extra large cloud punches from Fiskars. It also includes corresponding cloud stamps from Studio Calico, exclusive Studio Calico patterned papers and a happy mix of spring-themed papers and embellishments.

Isn't that a great prize?

I want to share the layout that I made from this week's sketch

Journaling reads: We are fortunate to live so close to such an amazing zoo and since we have a membership we can go several times a year. You boys love seeing the animals but your favorites are the monkeys and the giraffes.

We have been to the zoo many times since first moving to the San Diego area four years ago and this is the first layout I've made of any trip. It was about time don't you think?!

Visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch that inspired the layout. I also want to note that this month because of Spring Training the sketches will be posted on the 2nd and 4th Monday of the month. The schedule will return to normal next month with sketches being posted every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month from June through September. For those who are new to the series you can read more about it here.

Joining me this week in the challenge is fellow Ella Friend, Jenni Hufford. The layout she made from the sketch this week is so fun and colorful. I love Jenni's style - be sure to visit the blog to see her layout! Ever since Junior High School, Jenni Hufford has enjoyed cutting and pasting pictures into memory books and collages (even if it was magazine pictures of her favorite 90210 characters) . It wasn't until the birth of her first child in 2006 that she began fully creating layouts and scrapbooking.

Jenni lives in Indianapolis, IN and is married to Todd. She is a stay at home mother to Jonah James (5 years) and Jordan Nicole (3 years). She enjoys applying the creative aspect of scrapbooking into every day activities with her family. In addition to scrapbooking Jenni's hobbies include photography, cooking, blogging, traveling with her husband, and spending time with her close knit extended family and friends.

She currently designs for Lily Bee Design and for Ella Publishing. You can visit her blog at: the {Hufford House}

I do hope you will join in the fun! There were a lot of great entries last month and I always love seeing how different people interpret my sketches. Don't forget to grab a button for your own blog using the code below:

I can't wait to see your layouts! =)

it's a good day

2011-05-09T08:43:00.000-07:00

Did you have a happy Mother's Day? I did. Actually, my sweets made sure that I had a not just a great day, but a great weekend. It was lovely.

{The carnations the boys bought for me after mass.}

I know it's been a bit quiet around here. Yes, I had a wonderful weekend, but it was not without its sorrows too. Mother's Day will always mean something different to me now because of Michael. I do miss him. How could I not? Some days are still harder than others. Actually, if I were being completely forthcoming I would tell you that some weeks are still harder than others. But I know that Michael hears my prayers and intercedes for me. He has been able to bring me comfort in moments when I truly needed it. I love my sweet and precious boy.

Towards the end of last week the boys started to come down with colds; me too. We are all feeling better now - thankfully, because this week will be another busy one. But again, in a fun way. My parents are coming to visit and I have more than a few things to get done before they get here. The boys are so excited to see their grandma and grandpa. From Texas. Gabe is always very sure to tell anyone who shows even the slightest bit of interest that he has two grandmas and two grandpas and that one grandma and grandpa live in Texas and his other grandma and grandpa live in New Jersey. And you have to take an airplane to see them. Because New Jersey is far away (so is Texas of course, but he hasn't been there since he was a baby). It's endearing the way the he talks about them; he loves them so much.

I'll just share one last thing before I go, this photo of Gabe holding the newspaper he and Glen made for me.

Can you guess who is who in that little drawing? I'll give you a clue, I have naturally curly hair. =) This one thing alone pretty much made my day.

Well, I need to get to that to-do list. I'm sort of looking forward to it. I know. I'm strange. I actually enjoy cleaning. Well, sometimes. =)

Until next time, God bless.

don't need to know where I'm going...

2011-05-03T08:57:00.000-07:00

just need to know where I've been. Who knew that Mater was a philosopher? Well, it's been a little too long since my last post. Meaning that I keep hoping to write and post something, and then I get distracted and never get around to it. I had hoped to find some kind of balance for my blog, but I don't think that May is going to be the month I find it! We've got an eventful few weeks ahead of us, and it's just going to be a little busier than usual. It's going to be a fun month though, looking forward to all of our upcoming adventures. =)

Before things get a little crazy, we'll be enjoying this spring weather of ours. Spring is always much too short around here. My husband asked me if it was going to get hotter? Um, yes, of course. It's not really hot yet. It's warm to be sure, but we haven't had to turn the AC on so far. And I'm personally not in a hurry to get to those days. In the meantime, we're playing outside and having our own little close-to-home backyard adventures

I have no idea what Nathan is doing with that sprinkler, maybe using it as a rocket launcher? Who knows?!

You should see their sweaty little heads when they come back inside. So cute. And they always smell like wet little puppy dogs too. =)

As for myself, I'm trying not to look too far ahead. Trying to focus on what is going on in the moment, now. Putting my trust in God, or at least attempting to and keeping this verse in mind

Have no anxiety about anything;

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving

let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:6

I've been scrapbooking a lot. Keeping my mind and hands busy doing something that brings me a measure of joy. I do love this hobby so very much.

I've been blogging at Write.Click.Scrapbook. the last couple of days as part of our cross-training efforts for Ella's Spring Training. We're in week 2 and there are still loads of fun challenges and prizes up for grabs at The Daily Trumpet. I did want to remind you that you don't have to be registered for the classes to participate in the challenges and be eligible for the prizes. The prizes last week were incredible and this week will be no different.

I hope your week is off to a good start. What has your spring been like? Is it warming-up where you are or is it still showing signs of winter? Any plans for summer? I want to hear from you! I know you're out there. =) Maybe just drop a note to say hello?

Until next time, God bless! =)

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

2011-04-28T22:13:00.000-07:00

Thought I'd take a break from spring training to post a few photos from our Easter weekend. We had a very lovely Easter. Fun, peaceful and joyful.

On Friday night I boiled the eggs to be colored the next day

I thought they looked rather pretty, don't you?

The next day we went to an Easter egg hunt at our neighbor's house.

I tried to snap a photo of the boys together.

This is always a challenge. I took about 8 or 9 photos and these are the best. Only because they make me laugh! Let's just say these two photos say quite a bit about these two boys' individual personalities.

After the party, after lunch, and once Nathan had gone down for his nap we colored eggs.

This was our first time coloring brown eggs. It was an interesting experience. Some of the colors turned out quite well, very pretty and saturated. Others were too dark for my liking. I think next year we'll be sure to get white eggs. If you look very closely you might be able to see the AT-AT that Gabe drew onto the orange egg with the wax crayon. =)

I didn't take any photos on Easter. We got up on Sunday morning and had our usual breakfast of steel-cut oats. We tried to get dressed a little bit early so that we could make it to mass a bit early, we succeeded. After mass we came home and had a simple lunch. Then we went to the cemetery and brought flowers to Michael's grave. His grave marker is finally in place. They told us it would take a long time, that it was a long process: the ordering, the making, the engraving. And it is finally done. It was the first time we had all gone together to visit his grave and it was the first time for us to see his grave marker. There is no need for a photograph. I'll just tell you, it's beautiful. It is exactly what I wanted and maybe this might sound strange to some, but it makes me happy that it is there.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;

I have called you by name: you are mine.

Isaiah 43:1

See the rest of the links at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Until next time. Peace and God bless.

Spring Training with Ella

2011-04-27T23:01:00.000-07:00

I know I'm very late for day three - and yes it is still day 3 of Spring Training where I am. Although, only for about another hour. =)

Day three features a lesson from photography coach Kelly Willette. I personally fell in love with her photography when she was featured during Write.Click.Scrapbook.'s Photo Philosophy Week. Remember that? Kelly's lesson for today is all about portraits vs. moments photography. I'll confess, I don't take many portraits of my boys because honestly, it's hard to get to them to sit or stand still for even a moment. And I feel like I'm lucky sometimes to get any photos of Nathan at all! Which is funny because I recently made a layout with a photo of Nathan that I love

and it fits in so well with today's challenge which is to make a page featuring your best people photos - those photos that really capture the subject’s personality. This photo certainly captures Nathan's personality. Playing with a car while wearing his engineer's cap - backwards of course - with his tongue sticking out - of course! He is so playful and silly and just always on the go. I have to take several photos of him in the hopes of getting one good shot. But when you get that one, it's worth it.

The lesson for Day 4 is already up as is the challenge on The Daily Trumpet, create a page featuring any distressing techniques. I'm looking forward to Tammy's lessons for Spring Training. I do not really consider myself a technique based scrapbooker at all, but still, I do like to learn new things and try new techniques from time to time. I'm sure her lessons are going to be a lot of fun.

The eBooks and coupon codes being featured for days 3 and 4 are

40 Top Tips for Better Photos by Rebecca Cooper

use coupon code PHOTOTRICKS at checkout.

Design Workshop by Lisa Dickinson

use coupon code HAPPYDESIGN at checkout.

Be sure to visit Write.Click.Scrapbook. everyday during Spring Training too. Starting tomorrow Francine will be hosting the blog with more cross-training exercises featuring members of the collective.

I think that's all for now. =)

Spring Training, Day 2

2011-04-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the second day of Ella's Spring Training 2011. The topic for today focuses on single-sentence journaling. As Angie points out, sometimes writing less is more difficult than writing more. Stop by The Daily Trumpet to see part of the training video and to view the challenge for today.

While we're on the topic of journaling, I want to share two layouts that I recently made. The photos on both of these layouts were taken on the same day at about the same time; maybe within a 30 minute period of our day. My boys were pretending to be superheroes and were wearing some baby blankets as capes. Can I tell you how precious this was? I can't. It's one of those things we get to experience as moms, the innocence and imagination of childhood, and for me at least, I often find it difficult to put into words. I chose to make two separate layouts to tell the story of these moments.

The first layout features Nathan and very little journaling. I wanted the photos to speak for themselves because I do think they capture a bit of his playful personality. This little boy is just so full of life. He does everything all-out, no holding back. He has no fear! And I loved how in one short time period he could go from being quite serious and standing still - letting me take a photo - and then in the next moment, he's flying.

I absolutely love it!

The journaling reads: all you need to take flight, a baby blanket & a little imagination

I love how these boys can use the simple things around the house to create new worlds and new adventures for themselves.

In the next layout, I wanted to feature photos of both Gabe and Nathan together. Believe or not, and well actually you have to believe it - I have photographic evidence! =) They stopped long enough for me to take their picture. In making this layout, I wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the fact that they bring so much joy to my life. Sometimes the day-to-day tasks that we have to do as mothers can be overwhelming. Yes, it is hard work! (Not impossible work, but hard nonetheless). Truly though, I am so thankful for these two boys; so grateful for the gift of motherhood.

Journaling reads: There is not a day that goes by that you two don't make me laugh. You boys are so full of life, imagination, and happiness. You bring so much joy to my life everyday and I am truly blessed to have you.

Again, I want to remind you to visit The Daily Trumpet to view today's challenge. You do not have to be registered for Spring Training to participate in the blog challenges and the prizes are amazing, I wish I was eligible to enter! Also, remember that Monika is blogging at Write.Click.Scrapbook. today and she's sharing several layouts from the collective that feature single-sentence journaling.

Finally, I have a coupon code to share with you. Save $1 off Journaling That Matters by using code HAPPYJOURNAL at checkout.

I'll be back tomorrow with another layout and another coupon code, see you then!

Spring Training, Day 1

2011-04-25T17:42:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of Spring Training 2011!

If you haven't signed up yet, it's not too late. You can sign-up here and use code SPRING33 to save $7 on your registration fee.

Remember that everyone can participate in the daily challenges and giveaways which will be featured on The Daily Trumpet.

Also, Ella has partnered with Write.Click.Scrapbook. to do some cross-training! Ella Friend and WCSer Monika Wright has kicked-off the week with a post on embracing your signature style.

Finally, I have a coupon code to share with you. Save $1 off 20 Simple Secrets of Happy Scrapbookers by using code HAPPYSPRING at checkout.

See you tomorrow!

Let us rejoice and be glad!

2011-04-24T13:10:00.000-07:00

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;

his mercy endures forever!

I thank you that you have answered me

and have become my salvation.

The stone which the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone.

This is the Lord's doing;

it is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day which the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Happy Easter and God's blessings to you all!

a new sketch today

2011-04-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

The second sketch in the

went up today. Here is the layout that I made for this week

The journaling reads: It was a gray and chilly morning on this particular trip to the beach. Nathan and I wanted nothing to do with building sandcastles, it was too cold! We decided to stay on the picnic blanket and wrap ourselves in the beach towels to stay nice and cozy. September 5, 2010

The photos for this layout are a bit dark. It really was quite gray and overcast that day at the beach. To contrast the grayness of the photos I wanted to use papers that were bright and colorful. These beach themed papers from October Afternoon were a perfect fit and I especially love the yellow background sheet.

Visit The Daily Trumpet to see the sketch that inspired the layout.

This week fellow Ella Friend Monika Wright also joined me in the challenge and made a layout based off the sketch. A little more about Monika, she is a mom of 3 and married to Mr. wRight, as she calls him. =) Although she's only been scrapbooking a few years, she began crafting with her Mom and brother at an early age, creating ornaments and handmade gifts for family and continues that same tradition with her own kids. You can find fun art projects, altered art, scrapbooking layouts, mini albums, tutorials, free downloads and lots more on her blog, i love it all with monika wright. She also creates art prints and mini albums for sale, like this subway art print here

and is happy to create custom prints and albums, all of which are available in her Etsy shop, iloveitall.

Monika is generously offering a 15% discount to iloveitall on Etsy with the coupon code ILOVEITALl.

Finally, in case you missed out on the first sketch for April you can see it and read more about the series here. Remember, there will be two sketches posted each month. So stop by The Daily Trumpet every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month from now through September to see a brand new sketch and layouts created by me and the Ella Friends using the sketches.

I do hope you will join in the fun. I can't wait to see your layouts! =)

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

2011-04-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Starting today the bloggers at Like Mother, Like Daughter are starting a new series

to be posted every Thursday. Earlier in the week as Leila was introducing the idea (you should go and read that post), she said

My camera in my life is the antidote to the barrage of images I'm surrounded with, images that aim to convince me that my life isn't perfect enough.

I feel very much the same way. I feel that way about my scrapbooking too. The two things are largely connected for me.

I said on Monday that this week would be busy, and it has been. Not in a bad way though, just a little more on my to-do list than usual. And I think I am feeling the weight of it all a little more lately too. Maybe you've noticed it, creeping in my posts. I'm not sure. I keep a lot of it to myself.

I love the title of this series because that's what life is, isn't it? A mix of pretty, happy, funny and real things. The real part of my life right now is that I miss my little baby so much. I do. The day he was supposed to be born is less than a month away and it is simply impossible to be unaware of that fact. The happy part of life is that when I cry and my boys catch me,

they come to give me a hug. They try to cheer me up because they see that mommy is sad. I tell them that mommy is okay, she just misses baby Michael. Gabe tells me that maybe we can visit him, and I say that that is probably a good idea. They are so sweet, these boys

{who can resist a big red tractor?}

{or tractor stamps?}

Yesterday we went to The Flower Fields.

It was so beautiful.

Beyond pretty.

The day was lovely too. Spent with a good friend, who also lost a baby; stillborn. Not a connection you would want to have I think, but something that we both share now, that very particular pain. She understands it.

I am thankful for yesterday. It was good for me in so many ways.

{making our way through the sweet pea maze}

Sometimes we make connections through those things that bring us pain. And sometimes we make them through the things that bring us joy. It's that mix that makes life a mystery.

See the rest of the links at Like Mother, Like Daughter.

Until next time, God bless.

ecclesia domestica

a new month, a new gallery

January's Take Twelve

CHA Winter 2012

my favorite season

35 weeks

Michael Anthony, Pray for us

Document 2012: Getting Ready

a new year, a new month, a new gallery

Document 2012: An Introduction

on the 5th day of Christmas...

are you ready?

Scrapbook! Sunday?

Will you accept the challenge?

and the winner is...

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Christmas Card blog hop with the Ella Friends

December Fun at Write.Click.Scrapbook.

always in motion

Happy Turkey Day!

are you ready?

Scrapbook! Saturday

so, about those goals...

there's someone I'd like you to meet

catching up

and the winners are...

my favorite weather and some Halloween cards

Scrapbook! Saturday

150th post & a giveaway... or three!!

thankful for you

five on Friday

Slow-Cooker Pear Butter

October is card-making month at Ella Publishing Co.

Fall in California

Happy World Cardmaking Day!

friends, cupcakes & presents...

the last sketch

Scrapbook! Saturdays

Boot Camp Starts Today!

five on Friday

inspired by Pinterest

treasures

the challenge series continues...

Welcome, September!

it's a long ways off

if you're looking for me...

sketch number ten

Sketch #9

Cocoa Daisy's August Kit: Siren's Call

lazy days

on the agenda for today

if you're looking for me...

still stretching...

our strawberry picking adventure in photos... and a few words

Empty Cupboard Recipe: Lazy Pulled Pork

sort of addicted

the first Monday of July means...

it's a new month

our summer mornings

our neighbor's lemon tree

List It! Childhood Edition Giveaway *Updated with winner*

if you're looking for me...

we are halfway there!

we *heart* pickles

the best birthday ever

Can you believe this guy!?!

stretch your sketches

You Can Help

no hills

look who's celebrating their second birthday...

sketch number four... a few days late

well, since you brought it up

sketch number three

it's a good day

don't need to know where I'm going...

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

Spring Training with Ella

Spring Training, Day 2

Spring Training, Day 1

Let us rejoice and be glad!

List It! Childhood Edition Giveaway Updated with winner

we heart pickles