Ella Sketch Layout

Just completed a layout based on a sketch over at Ella Publishing Blog. It's a 2 page 12 x 12 sketch and I really like how it turned out. Frustrated with figuring out how to scan both pages and then fit them together to make a 2 page spread. Not entirely happy with the way this scan turned out because it doesn't show the true color or depth of the layout. Oh, well....someday I'll have PS to stitch my scans! :)

Wordless Wednesday

apparently, THIS is where a 6 year old boy's glasses have been hiding

for the last 2 weeks......

Random Thought Thursday

I think boys are born with a "playback" button that enables them

to repeat random lines from movies months after they've watched

them. Yesterday, Nathan randomly spit out a line from the movie

"UP" {which is a great movie, by the way...} When I asked him

what he was talking about, he said, "You know, from the movie, UP."

Seriously?? You're 3, dude....

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My diet is not boding well with all this snow...

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So far this month, I've only worked two full days of school. Sweet!

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I am excited about this Valentine's weekend. Little valentine party

with the cousins on Friday night for the kids, dinner out and date night

at home sans kids all courtesy of Mark's sister, Cindi on Saturday night

{thank you SO much, Cindi!}, and Monday off for President's Day.

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I LOVE snow days! I have the time to make fun Valentine breakfasts

like these....it's hard to tell from the photo, but the strawberries are cut

into hearts.

Wordless Wednesday

Christmas in February....again

Nathan loves to dress up and play pretend, so I found and ordered this great robot hat from Target online to give him for Christmas. They said it was on backorder.

I ordered it and forgot about it.

Fast forward to January. I get an email from Target asking me to approve a package delivery. I think it's a phishing scam, so I don't respond. I get another and another and another email. Finally, I decide to click on the email to see what's going on.

It is only then that I remember that I ordered the robot hat that never arrived in time for Christmas.

It came in the mail this week. Merry Christmas in February!

I think the boys like it. :)

{Please ignore the pile of laundry behind Ryan in the middle photo. At least it's clean...I'm waiting for the robot that will fold AND put my laundry away without having to be told}

Little Bit of Sunshine

Here's a layout I recently did to submit to a summery sketch call for Creating Keepsakes magazine. Unfortunately, I missed the deadline to submit, but I'm still happy with the results. It's helping to remind me that summer isn't too far off, even if we are being buried in 2 feet of snow this weekend! Hopefully, I'll have even more time to scrapbook since we'll be snowed in! I've found lots of great sketches on the Ella blog and the Cosmo Cricket blog lately that I want to try out...

Supplies: Dot patterned paper, We R Memory Keepers; Striped & Blue patterned paper & cut-out sun, Cosmo Cricket;

Lined paper, Memory Makers; Stickers, October Afternoon; Letter stickers, American Crafts; Other, embroidery thread

Here's a close-up of the stitching on the sunshine...

So Sweet

I know it's February and Christmas was over a month ago, but I have to blog this story so that I never forget. It's a story of love so maybe it is appropo for February....

A few weeks before Christmas, we were all out shopping as a family. I had to run into Joann's for some crafty things, so Mark took the older boys to a department store next door. When he got them inside the store, he asked them what they wanted to get me for Christmas. Evan immediately answered, "A necklace," and Ryan agreed, so they headed for the jewelry counter.

After some deliberation and lots of ooooohhing and ahhhing from every lady in the store, they picked a silver necklace with a silver charm. The charm has three connected ovals, small, medium, and large, with diamond chips in each one [I really need to take a picture of it!]

FOUND ONE....

Mark told me that they decided on this charm because they decided that each oval represented each one of them - is that not the sweetest thing you've ever heard?

On Christmas morning, the boys were excited about their presents, but they insisted that I open my gift from them before they opened anything. The above photo shows Ryan and Evan handing me the box. Needless to say, I opened it with tears in my eyes.

These boys never fail to surprise me ~ not just with gifts but with the amount of unselfish love their precious hearts really do contain. I'll never forget this special gift.