Happy Anniversary!

So, 19 years ago today, I was an idealistic 19 year old who said, "I do," when the minister asked. Then, on New Year's Eve, my sweet husband had arranged a sleigh ride under a full moon--one that turned out to be a blue moon we discovered during our ride.

Forward 19 years... My husband surprised me by informing me that he had arranged for a sleigh ride this New Year's Eve, which I thought was just the most thoughtful thing. Then, we awoke this morning to this Once in a Blue Moon, It Happens on New Year's Eve.
How amazing is that! We get to celebrate our 19 years with something that only happens every 19 years!

What do you give family members that don't need anything? We scrapbook for them! Every holiday means a layout for my in-laws of something we did together as a family. This year, we went to South Padre Is for Thanksgiving. We rented an amazing beach house, played in the ocean, climbed the light house, and took sand castle building lessons.

I used Life's a Beach for all of the cuts here.

I spent Christmas day making a layout for last Christmas' photos. (If only I were only a year behind in scrapbooking all my photos!) I have had the Christmas cartridges from Cricut for a while, but I hadn't really used them. This gave me a reason to break them out. The tree and title are from Christmas Solutions, and the presents and ornaments are from Joys of the Season. I Stickled all the cuts with Lime Green, Xmas Red, and Stardust. The patterned papers are from The Shabby Princess. I've loved this tree cut since I first saw it. Here, it is cut at 7", layered, and shadowed. The ornaments are 3" and 4", and the presents are 2" and 3". The 'journaling block' is really a mistake saved. I originally planned to cut the title using an ornament function on JOTS, but the detail of the wording was too much for my dull blade. I suddenly realized I could just loose the "insides" and use it as a frame. I also thought it would have been cute circling one of the photos to draw attention!

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

http://holleybarnhartsblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/its-blog-candy-time.html Holly is giving away blog candy! Go over and enter for a chance to win a Cricut cartridge or a set of stamps!

I made these at a reccent workshop. Love the papers. Now, to get some photos on them...

At last weekend's costume party, I went as Buttercup; my husband was the Dread Pirate Roberts (catch the Princess Bride connection?), and our hosts were nerds! It was a blast.

Back to Work

The first week of school is over, and (as I promised myself) I am managing to scrapbook on the weekend! I totally hope I can keep this up the whole year!

Anyhow, here is today's work. It is the last of the fourth of July pictures that I want to get into our scrapbook. One of Silverton's 4th of July activities is a rubber ducky race. We sponsered 3 this year. It was a ton of fun, even if we didn't win...

You know those amazing moments of happiness? This is one of them.

These are some of my favorite photos of L. I treasure them. I remember, exactly, the events of that beautiful, winter day. It had snowed a lot, even here in northern NM. We imagined how beautiful it would be across the Colorado border, and so, rather early in the morning, we decided to drive up just to enjoy the snow. There was no where we needed to be. Nothing we needed to get done. Just before the state line, we stopped for the view. There are these striking plateaus that always indicate the edge of our state, but on that day, they were snow-covered and breathtaking. The world was so still--no birds, traffic, sounds. Although the sky was pure, dark grey, the light reflecting off the white snow crystals made it bright. On up the road, we stopped in Durango, along the river walk. Again, the town was asleep, hibernating, or cuddled up to their warm fires, because we were the only ones out. "This," I thought, "is what Narnia must look like!" Between the lamp posts and the tree branches bent with snowy blankets, it was magical. We spent most of the day just walking and taking pictures, and when we returned to the warmth of our car, our hearts were overflowing with joy. Yep, these are some of my favorite photos of L, and not just because he looks so handsome in them...

For my fellow scrapbookers out there, the snowflakes were cut using white, dark blue, and light blue from the Accent Essentials cartridge. I cut them in sizes ranging from 1 1/2" through 3". They also have crystal Stickles on the top layers. The title "Brrr..." and the lamppost are from the Graphically Speaking cartridge. The title was cut at 2", and the lamppost at 8". I cut the title twice and overlapped them so that it would look like a blanket of snow had dusted it. I stickled this too and the light bulb in the lamppost.

Quick, Psycho Posting

I am busy working on finishing yesterday's layout and starting today's, but I realized I never posted Thursday! So, here is my supper quick, because I am psycho, post! This layout is from a restuarant in Silverton that we ate at on the Fourth of July. We loved the name: Mother Klucker's and their tagline: Chicken so fricken good, we couldn't all it anything else. We wanted to eat there before we even knew if they had vegetarian items! It was a great, little place--a cross between a pub and a small town diner. We sat right by the door and got to enjoy the company of the sweet dog pictured. He didn't belong to anyone in the place, and no one recognized him from around town. He was the best behaved dog ever--never coming in, just sitting at the door greeting people as they came and left. We even snuck him some food, but he wasn't hungry, just social!

Have I Mentioned How Much We Adore Silverton?

I think two of my previous posts (of which there are not many yet) are of layouts done while jeeping around Silverton, and here I am again sharing another! Do you get the notion that my family likes that tiny, Colorado town just a little? We do! It is almost a family tradition for us to spend the Fourth of July in and around Silverton. Some years, it is a quick trip up and down with an overnight stay in between, and some years, like this one, it is a weekend adventure. We pitched our tent in front of Craig's parents' motor home, jeeped, and enjoyed the best of small town celebrations--the parade, rhubarb festival, rubber duck race, and more.

This was one of the hardest pages I've ever done. I think I had scrapper's block or something. I am finally happy with how it turned out, though I had to forgo some photos I would have loved to include (like L with one of the "good ole girls"). I still need to journal, which I will do in that blue border. The image cuts are from Stand and Salute, and the font is Plantin Schoolbook (for those cricut users out there).

Today's Work

I love this picture of L and his paternal grandparents. This is another of our Fourth of July photos, taken in the San Juan Mnts between Silverton and Ouray, CO. The challenge for me was to use colors and embellishments that would compliment my other layout--Handsome and Rugged (posted earlier). These are on facing pages of my scrapbook and were taken the same day. I needed them to go together without being the same. Again, I used Campout for the image cuts, except the hills, which I just did by hand. I used several colors of fluid chalk to shade and highlight. The trees have everything from olive green to lime, to yellow, to blue iris, and the mountains have all of those plus cheastnut roan, brown, yellow ochre, and charcoal. The font is plantin schoolbook.

Craig's parents started him jeeping when he was 6 weeks old, and now, they are passing this love onto L. He is so comfortable in the jeep, on trails above treeline that you'd think he was born there! Yep, this is one our family's favorite ways to spend a summer day.

Waffle

He was named by my son. I am told it is after the nice cat on a show called cat scratch, but I also think a teddybear might have played a part that my teen kiddo doesn't want to admit. See, his favorite teddy, given to him in his stocking one year, was called Waffle too! Either way, it isn't a name I would have picked, but as you see in my journaling, it was very important that my son name him.

Here is what the journaling says:
When you were only a week old, you broke my heart. Your mother was killed; you were so tiny and helpless, and you, in particular, were so isolated and lonley. I'll never forget the day L lounged on the floor and you went to him--to snuggle. It was a life-changing moment, for you and him. In that moment, you became "his cat." Suddenly, you wanted comfort and connection, and you began to grow and thrive.
You've become an absolute charmer, with your handsome, good looks and dapper personality. You are, indeed, L's cat.

Paper is from the pet stack (DCWV); "W" is from mini monograms, and the fish are from graphically speaking. Not loving the way my title worked out--not how I pictured it, but I'll live. Love the photos, though! If only you knew how hard this kitten is to photograph! Usually, he looks like a black blob with eyes. Sometimes, because he is usually in motion, he looks like a blurry, black blob. LOL

Mallory

Creativity and animals--they are my sanctuary, my comfort. After some emotionally draining days, I was in need of both. How lucky am I that Mallory was there to help me out? She made a great model for my photo session, great inspiration for my layout, and great company for my soul.

The paper is from the Pet Stack by DCWV. I used my Cricut and the Mini Monograms Cartridge to cut the title. The charm is from Mallory.

Turning 13

It happened. L turned 13. I begged him not to, but he insisted that he didn't have a choice. Luckily, the party made the transition a little more enjoyable for me. The "cake" was a hit. Humorously, the butter pats were the most discussed. (They are made from banana Laughy Taffy.) However, the "pepper" also raised a few eyebrows (colored sugar). L was really the party planner this year. He wanted to play a game of tic-tac-toe using recycled pizza boxes, and the kids love the over-sized game. He also planned the pie-in-the-face gag, and really, what kid hasn't wanted to pie or be pied? The weather was spectacular, which was amazing considering the past week of dust and/or thunder storms.

I can't wait to scrapbook these! I've got to locate a corn on the cob embellishment somehow!

Last Day of Childhood

Tomorrow, L will become a teen, officially (not that he isn't already participating in the attitude...). As such, we had a party to plan. This year he said, and I quote, "Mom, I'm going to be a teen this year. I don't really want a big themed party. Can we just have a BBQ at the park?" My heart sank; I love giving themed parties! Anyhow, a few days pass, and we start talking about what he wants. I asked what sort of cake he wants, and he replies, "I want something that will go well with the BBQ theme." LOL So much for out-growing themed parties... He had a cookbook (yes, it is his--not mine or Craig's), in which he found this idea. He is becoming quite the chef these days--loves taking home economics even! We are 2 cobs down; 10 more (or so) to go. I still have to add the butter pats (laughy taffy) and salt (sugar), but I am not unhappy with how they are turning out. Wish I were a better at cake stuff though...

Nothing Accomplished

How can I possibly be as unmotivated as I am? I've not scrapbooked, prepped lesson plans, prepared for L's birthday, or anything of value for the past week. I did have my mother up twice, and she will be here again today for a couple of hours (respite for her and my sister), and I've taken dozens of photos of the kittens, as shown above. Still, how did I let the time just slip away so quickly. Today, I must get my rear in gear and get stuff done!

I'm missing my brother this week. He is back in South Korea, world travler that he is, and emails and Skype are just not the same as having him here. Growing up, I generally liked him, though there were moments when I would have paid someone to take him. Today, I think I am the luckiest sister in the world.

Love of my Life

My first layout of my husband. I know. After almost 19 years of marriage, you'd think I'd have created several layouts of him, but there always seems to be photos of others that belong on the same page. Finally, it was the right photos and the right embellishments to do a page just for him. I think he has become more and more handsome as he ages (how unfair is that), and these photos show how good he looks. They were taken in the San Juan Mnts between Silverton and Ouray, CO over the Fourth of July weekend.

Today's Work

With the last days of summer quickly slipping away, I am feeling the crunch to do as many scrapbook pages as possible. Next week, my pace will have to slow, as I head to my classroom in the new building. I have a lot of setting up to do if I hope to be ready for the students. Luckily, today was productive...

How Could I Forget to Mention Harry Potter!

What was I thinking? Anyone who knows me well knows that last week, I was sitting in the theater, in costume, waiting for the midnight release of Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. While I must admit that my enthusiasm for the movies is a tad less than it was for each new book, I still very much adore them and breathlessly anticipate their releases.

Those that know me particularly well, know that 1. Movie 3, Harry Potter and the Prizinor of Azkaban was my favorite and 2. I can't stand Michael Gambon's portrayal of Dumbledore, much prefering Richard Harris' (from movies 1 & 2). Well, it is official. My favorite Harry movie is now Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, and Gambon finially understood Dumbledore, for which I am grateful in this movie of all of them. Dan Radcliff did a superb job with Harry, and Tom gave Draco the duplicity he has in the books. Don't even get me started on Snape. I've loved him and Alan Rickman's portrayal since the beginning. He is masterful in this edition.

Anyhow, here is a photo from opening night...

Smitten with a Kitten

I wish my photos of Waffle were coming out as cute as those of Mallory. I am just as smitten with him, but she is just so photogenic! Yes, this is Mallory sleeping on my bed, under the covers, just as if she were human. When she gets sleepy, she is such a snuggler, and she purrs easily. Waffle is beginning to warm up to loving too. Of course, his beginning was much more sickly and painful than Mallory's, but he is finally seeming healthy, frisky, and snuggly. Hopefully, I'll get some more cute photos of him soon. In the meantime, prepare for Mallory mania!