Wibbit Wednesday & Layout Sharing

Today is Wibbit Wednesday at TLP! Which means lots of great stuff for either $1.00 or 50% off. Just a reminder!!
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Recently I became a new member of two different creative teams! I am now creating for Allison Pennington and Two Peas in a Bucket Digital! I am super excited about being a part of both of these teams, along with my long-standing CT positions for The Lilypad, Sahlin Studio, and Fizzy Pop. I am one lucky girl!

But all of these teams have had me pretty busy with layouts lately. There's lots going on around the digital community, especially with new releases and the upcoming National Scrapbooking Day (yes, there really is such a thing *lol*).

I thought I'd share some of the layouts I've been doing this week.

Dear Miss Vera


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{re} paint (featured on Log Your Memory Story Board)

Journaling: "The whole house needed to be repainted, but the living room was quite an interesting challenge. We thought about hiring someone to do it, but we ended up painting it ourselves. 20-foot ceilings are fun to paint!!

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3-2-1 Launch

Journaling: "It's so great having Daddy home with us finally! He does fun things like dig out old rockets and launch them in the field behind our house. You all 3 loved the time playing with Dad and enjoying the fresh air. Great day!"

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The Good Stuff

So this is shapinig up to be a relatively 'normal' sort of day. But it's been sprinkled with the good stuff of life.

I thought it might be worth a quick post.

* I found a new photo and layout printing place to try. Only $1 for a 12x12 page! Sa-weet! Hoping it works out well... but I'm excited!

* Meagan and I took a trip to Hobby Lobby this afternoon after school. I have some project ideas up my sleeve... but I can't tell right now... I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise. Now I just have to get moving so I can get them done in time... I'm working on a schedule here folks!

* MY RUG CAME! I didn't tell you about this, but I ordered a new area rug for my dining room... from Kohl's... and they shipped it right away... to our house in Michigan... where we lived 2 houses ago. Not helpful. So they did the most complicated mumbo jumbo ever, but lo and behold, it was on our front step when we got home from Hobby Lobby!

* My brother called me today and told me he and his wife are expecting baby #3!! A boy this time! I'm SO happy for them! And excited to meet their new itty bitty! July-ish is the timing their doctor gave them... that's right around the corner!

This is the good stuff that brightens an otherwise very normal day. Love it.

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So I Don't Get in Trouble

I thought I better get some Easter pictures posted quickly so that I don't get in trouble. Grandma's and Grandpa's (and aunts and uncles and friends) are pretty funny about wanting to see kid pictures - especially on major holidays! *lol*

So I got ZERO fancy, all-dressed-up-and-put-together pictures. Church was early. We did good to get there on time. No time for pictures. That's just the way it is. Deal with it! :)

After church (and after they cleaned up their messes a bit), we sent them all up to Isaac's room to shut the door and wait while Lucas and I hid the eggs. We had to do an inside egg hunt because it was so rainy and soggy and cold. But they didn't mind at all. We just made sure we counted the eggs before hiding them so that we knew we didn't miss any. I'm sure we would have found it eventually... p.u.

We also hid their gifts as part of the hunt. So they each had to find their 10 eggs that they colored, plus one big gift (legos for each of them) and one small gift (my little pony for Meagan and pokemon cards for the boys). All of the eggs were initialled, and they were only allowed to take the eggs that belonged to them. That way everyone had a chance to find their 10 eggs. It worked perfectly! And was quite a lot of fun!

I DID get pictures of the egg hunt.

Egg heads.


We stuck eggs in all kinds of hiding places.




He found the one in the plant, but totally missed the one above his head...


Meagan found it... yes, she is standing on the table... only for egg hunts!



This is how you get eggs you can't reach...
First give Daddy a kiss...

And then he gets it down for you...

or picks you up so you can reach it...


Sebastian found his small gift after a lot of searching... funny, it was 'hiding' right out in the open...


All eggs accounted for...




Time for gift opening...


Do you see what you have to endure when you're a pony... poor thing...




Hope you had a fantastic and Happy Easter! We did!


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True Friendship

Sometimes we get lucky in childhood and find that one friend that we really click with - that friend who just 'gets' us. I had a childhood friend like that...Kelli. She was so much fun to be around, and we spent a LOT of time together growing up. We even looked similar, so we often heard, "Are you two twins?" I remember when we first met - our parents must have known each other or something? I don't know all the particulars, as we were pretty young at the time. I remember my mom telling me about her, and I was SO nervous to meet her. But we hit it off right away - I think we made up some story about some cartoon where a guy put a sock or a shoe or something on his head... *shrug* sometimes childhood memories get a bit fuzzy,don't they?

At any rate, one day Kelli told me her family was moving... to another state... and I was beyond sad. I cried when she left. I mean cried. No more getting together to play. No more just hanging out. She was gone.

Yes, we wrote letters, sort of... and it was fun to get a letter or two from her. But it wasn't the same. And I thought maybe I would never see her again.

And then one day... her family moved back! And I was thrilled! Funny how things work out like that. Funny how what seems like a hopeless situation can turn around and become something so different in the blink of an eye. So anyway, she moved back, we remained friends, and we grew up... Our friendship changed some over the years, but it was always there. I always knew she was my friend, even when I didn't deserve it. Sometimes in life we just get lucky to meet a friend like that.

Isaac has met such a friend in his life. Her name is Carrie, and she is an amazing friend to him. The two of them just click. They just get each other. They have so much in common. And they're just always pulling for each other, looking out for each other. It's great! So when we announced we were moving out of state, neither one of them was thrilled. Isaac told me nearly every day, "I just don't want to leave Carrie." That was, and remains, his only real objection to the move. Who knows how they will fair... how things will work out. But in my heart, somewhere deep down, I just feel like our paths have not diverged forever. I'm pretty sure they will cross again some day. I only hope that when they do, the friendship that is there between Isaac and Carrie will remain... will prove to be the kind of friendship that can withstand the craziness of this life. That kind of friendship - true friendship - should be cherished forever.



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Eggs and Bird Nests

Well, the eggs are dyed, the nests are made, and we've even done hair cuts for the boys so they don't have shaggy doo's for Easter tomorrow.

Possibilities...


I love the colors of coloring eggs. It's true. :)




The kids got fancy, not happy with dying the eggs one plain ol' boring ol' color. They mixed and swirled and combined in all sorts of ways. I loved watching them get excited about trying new combinations... creativity is so much fun!










So there you go... a glimpse at the masterpieces that were created this afternoon in our home. They had a great time! And one perk... as they are getting older, the mess is getting much much smaller.

After the clean-up, I thought I'd attempt our Easter sweet treats... the bird nests I showed you. They were SUPER EASY and rather tasty... especially the twigs!




Cute, aren't they?!

Besides eggs, and bird nests and hair cuts, we also made time to go to the movies this afternoon. We took the kids to see Rio. Cute movie. They loved it, of course. Can I just say the popcorn and drinks cost more than the tickets. That's silly. But we don't do it often. And it kept me from having to cook a big dinner, as no one was really hungry after all that snacking.

Well, we have church EARLY tomorrow... service starts at 8:15. That's early. So I'm off to bed. Happy Easter Eve! Have a wonderful holiday! And don't forget the reason we're celebrating!

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Some Changes to Easter

With the weather being the way it has been, and with our complete lack of usable grass, it's looking like an outside egg hunt may be more like wishful thinking than reality for this Easter Sunday.

So we are going to have to improvise... take a new twist on Easter traditions... are they really traditions if their new? Hmmm... anyway.

So I'm thinking tomorrow we are going to make these:

I got some mini malted milk ball eggs to use instead of jelly beans. (Image is linked if you want to check it out... they seem pretty easy.) I'm also thinking maybe some Easter cupcakes or something? Maybe. We'll see. That's a lot of baked goods in the house at once. But it's Easter. We'll see.

Besides the treats, we'll still color and decorate eggs, if for no other reason than because it's fun. Beyond that, I'm not sure. Church Sunday morning, of course. And a nice lunch afterward. That about sums it up. Anything else will be spur-of-the-moment.

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Gallery Additions

So in all of my lack of blogging, I have severely neglected posting my layouts. I have some catching up to do (I'm sure that comes as no surprise).

Rain Rain Go Away

Journaling: "She's not at all an indoor girl, so all the spring rain has been dampening her days. the only bright side I can offer her to all of the rain is that it will eventually help our new grass grow. Since she is excited to have grass in the yard, she is willing to wait out the rain."

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Hello Sunshine

Journaling: 'finally today after school the kids were able to spend time on the playground. so good to see the sun out once again. 3/7/11'

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If I Had $10,000,000
Another Digi Dare posted today. This week's dare... what would you do with ten million dollars? Check it out and play along for a chance to win.


* First thing first, I would give 10% to the church.
* Next I would make sure that our family was completely out of debt & had enough saved for college and emergency funds.
* We've been needing a new van for quite some time, so I guess I would probably get new vehicles for us... no used cars here!!
* I would make sure retirement for us, and for our family members, was taken care of sufficiently... for us and for our parents and siblings.
* I would love to travel a bit - back to Spain for sure! I would also probably splurge a bit on things like clothes and shoes and home furnishings... a fun shopping trip!
* But what good is a bunch of $$$ if it's all spent on stuff that doesn't last? I would hope to spend a good chunk of it helping others - others who have real needs. I would hope to do missions trips and see lives changed.

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Highlights

I know my blogging has been a bit sporadic. It's been a busy week. For some reason, this has been the first week where I've really felt the effects of getting adjusted to a new place. How can that be? I have no idea, but it's true. Like today, for instance, it took me 20 minutes to find the Post Office. I kept driving right by it... seems little things like that have been steeling my time here and there. I think it's because this is the first week where we've really been trying to operate on a normal 'routine' (I think that's what they call it... it's been so long, I sort of forget).

Also, last week Sebastian and Meagan did trial classes for gymnastics... and LOVED it! Then this week Isaac decided to try his hand at it as well. He was less enthused, but decided to finish out the last 4 or 5 weeks of this session before he made up his mind. So we have added 3 gymnastics classes to the mix as well as general life adjustments. Awesome. But they have been waiting patiently for quite a few months now, and I really don't mind.

Anyway, I thought I'd share a few photos of some of my favorite moments (random as they are) from this week.

Isaac taught Meagan how to play chess. I wasn't able to stick around to see if he was teaching her the right rules, but from what I heard while I was snapping a few pictures, I think he was at least TRYING to adhere to the rules. Very cute.


My curtains are up!! I got these curtains LAST year - maybe for my birthday I think (I can't remember, it's been so long). I tried to hang them up in the last house, but they just wouldn't work (hanging hardware issues that we never got around to fixing). I am SO happy to finally have them up where I can see them every day. They make me happy. I love the big bold print... and the GREEN.


Pillow fort. How can you not love that?


Isaac doing homework. He's been doing really well adjusting to the new school. He may not PREFER this school to the last one (not even close really), but the fact that he is getting awards daily for good behavior and is getting A+'s on nearly everything that comes home in his folder... makes a Mama's heart happy!


And finally...
How do I explain this? He (Isaac) made up a video game that he wants to make some day. It's called Dragon Diggers... he has all the details mapped out in his brain, and if you ever get the chance to ask him about it, I'm sure he would be MORE than happy to share them with you...at length. Anyway, tonight after all the homework was done, he decided to play Dragon Diggers by acting it out. In this picture, he is being a Tortoise Dragon that digs its shell from the heaviest boulder it can find. This boulder shell makes him strong and protected, provides shade, and makes him nearly impossible for his enemies to roll over (which, of course, is the only way for the enemy to defeat the tortoise, as it's soft belly is its only weakness)... can you tell he goes into detail? *lol*


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Thoughts from Meagan

I love spending the afternoons with Meagan. She is a character, and she has some of the best thoughts! I love that she shares what's on her mind, too, as it's usually good entertainment!

Today's thoughts include the following:

* Mom, I don't know why cat's like to chase mice so much. If I were a cat, I wouldn't really WANT to eat a mouse. Or a bird. ------ Like, why does Tom chase Jerry so much? I think it would be better for both of them if they would just be friends. ----- Plus, Tom will never win anyway, because Jerry just has better ideas.

* I think there just keeps getting more and more people in the world. Like, when babies are born, then there are more people.... but some other people are getting old and then when they die there are less people... so really it's like recycling people. But I think there are more babies than old people, so probably there just keeps getting more people.

* I think when you get older, you start to run out of dreams. I hope I never run out of dreams. That would be sad.


I can't help but wonder how long she sits and ponders these things - life-altering things - before she verbalizes her thoughts. It's amazing to me the things that captivate her thoughts. Her brain is never still. She is always always thinking... you just never know what it is she's thinking about... until she shares her thoughts.


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We Lived!!

We made it through the night, although with very little sleep to show for it!

I think we finally hauled everyone back up to bed around 1:00. The storms were relentless, coming in waves. Just when I would drift off to sleep, the room with light up from another gigantic sized lighting flash, and the whole house would be shaken by thunder. I could hear the metal light fixture on our front porch crashing into the side of the house as it swung in the crazy wind. It was a long night. LONG.

Thankfully, no water in the basement today ... yay sump pump!!

And school is carrying on as normal. There were a few schools in the area today that were either delayed or closed due to storm damage. I think most of them were south of us. So I would say they had an even longer night than we did.

The town where Lucas' family lives got hit by a tornado last night... I guess bits of their Wal-Mart are being discovered on the opposite side of town... never a great thing really. We heard from his mom last night, so I THINK everyone is okay. I hope.

I'll try to check back later with a post that's not weather-related. We have gymnastics tonight for both boys, so that will take up about 3 hours of my evening... so no promises on getting around to another post. I.WILL.TRY. Have a lovely day, and be thankful for all of the good in your life today!

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Tadpole Tuesday & Wibbit Wednesday

Just a reminder that today is Wibbit Wednesday at TLP. Sale prices for Tadpole Tuesday AND Wibbit Wednesday are good through the end of the day. You can check out the TLP Blog for a preview of all of the sale items. Tadpole Tuesday items are marked down to $1, and Wibbit Wednesday items are marked down 50% or more!! Some GREAT deals today, so stop by and take a peek!

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Well This Sucks.

10:10 pm.

Everyone is sound asleep in bed.

I'm on the couch just getting ready to start a movie.

Lucas is down in the basement playing online with his buddies.

And then...

Tornado sirens start. And warning alarms on the tv blast through.

Uggg.

I yelled down the stairs for Lucas to come help me with the kids... dragging three sleeping zombie babies out of bed and down two flights of stairs is more than a one-person job.

We got everyone situated with a few blankets, some throw pillows from the couch, and a cold hard concrete floor for a bed. Thankfully the storm held off long enough for at least Isaac and Meagan to actually fall asleep. Sebastian, my worrier, will most likely not sleep until this is over.

A few minutes ago the thunder & lightening started rolling pretty regularly, and moments after that, hail started pelting our egress windows. Looking at the radar, we may be down here for a while.

It is now 10:50. We've been down here for 40 minutes. My butt is cold and numb from sitting on this floor, but I am very thankful to have a basement to go to. Times like this make me extra happy we did not choose to buy a house on a slab.

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I Quit

It finally happened. We finally made one of our kids mad enough to cross the line.

Tonight after dinner, Meagan quit our family.

She declared it at the top of her lungs so we were sure to hear her. I guess she wanted to make it clear that she was upset.

10-4 good buddy. We read you loud and clear.

So here's what happened. She was having issues using manners at the dinner table. We had told her about it a few times. She kept on and kept on, so I looked straight at her and told her to collect her things, clear her plate from the table and go sit in her room until clean-up time. She grabbed her things and stomped off toward the sink, whining and groaning along the way, to which Lucas plainly told her there would be no whining. She got super silent, sat her plate on the counter, turned and walked out of the kitchen. For a moment, I was impressed... and then... when she reached the bottom of the stairs she yelled out, "I'm just about to quit this family ya know! I'm THAT frustrated!"

Yup, that was it for me. I lost it... laughing!! Which did NOT make her happy. I'm sure it didn't. She was being super serious and trying to express herself to us, and we went and busted out laughing. But it was funny! I laughed. It couldn't be helped.

The good news is, after having a few minutes in her room to reconsider, she voluntarily re-joined our family. She came down to clean the kitchen as though nothing had ever happened, and she is back to being her normal energetic & bouncy self.

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Climb

Last weekend, on our way home from a Home Depot run, we stopped at a park for a bit... which I may have already told you. These are a few of the pictures I took of the kids climbing on the climbable merry-go-round.



Journaling: Sebastian - blue shirt & shorts; Isaac - blue shirt & jeans; Meagan - pink shirt & shorts / *** Park / April 10, 2011 / The monkey-go-round.

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