Showin' the Love

I've had this "You put the grand in grandparents" sticker set for about a year now...I saw them and couldn't resist. I knew at some time in my future I'd have photos and great memories that would allow me to put them to good use. I SO love that my parents make the effort to come visit us at least once a year (thankfully, it's usually more frequent than that). Not only are they getting to spend time with their grandsons and Paul and I but they are also building fabulous relationships with our boys. I think their presence helps to ground our kids in who they are and who our family is. After all, what would we be without our families...they are a treasured gift. I for one, know that I could not survive without the love of my family.

On another note, my crocus' and hyacinths are blooming and the daffodils are just about there too. It's a grey cloudy day today so I'll have to wait for better weather to get some pictures to share with you all. It was sunny and warm Monday and Tuesday but today it's chilly - poor kids, I sent them to school in shorts since it was supposed to be warm. The warm weather will be here soon though and that will bring many opportunities to be outdoors basking in the glory of what God has so wonderfully made to bring us happiness. Isn't He good? Well, until next time...be blessed!

Scrapping in the dark...

So I started this layout on Tuesday evening and by the time I was about half way done, I was literally scrapping in the dark. We got hit by a doozy of a snowstorm and it took our power out while I was in the midst of cutting the circles out of my brown cardstock. I grabbed a flashlight and finished my cutting and then cleaned things up a bit so there weren't sharp tools laying around on my table.

My younger kids were thrilled to be able to run around the house with flashlights until I could get some candles and the fireplace lit. Power was out for close to 3 hours, my husband was stuck on the freeway trying to get home and my teen was stuck at his girlfriend's house because I couldn't get the car out of the garage let alone drive in the blizzarding snow. My husband did manage to get home - 4 hours after he left his meeting but we weren't able to pick up our teen until the following day.

Needless to say, I couldn't finish my layout on Tuesday but I did finally finish it up last night. Apparently just in time for our next round of snow. Looks like we'll have another big snow tonight through Saturday mid-day. Don't worry, I've got my flashlights ready this time and my husband is already planning to leave his office before the snow is set to come down - he's not risking another 4 hours on the freeway. Can't say I blame him...besides, it's his birthday this weekend and it would not be good to start it out stuck in his car on the freeway.

On a Side Note: A special thanks to Crop Chocolate for allowing me to participate in their design team. Many of the products that I used on this layout were provided by them. Check out their site, they have fantastic deals that they run one at a time, several times a day. Stock up on your craft supplies at great prices.

Spring Has Sprung (I hope)...

So my kids all started their Spring break today and it was a glorious, sun-shiny day. We spent much of the day playing at one of the newest parks in town and it was so much fun. The sun soaking into my skin felt absolutely fabulous! Not to mention the fact that my two youngest kids are completely worn out and will undoubtedly crash hard when they hit their pillows tonight.

My oldest son spent much of the day laying down recording tracks for his bands first album - this whole process just blows my mind considering the guys in the band range in age from 15 to 18. I truly love that they are pursuing their passion and dreams and I can't wait to hear how the album comes together. It's such an exciting time for them.

I completed the above layout this morning. It's from the tail end of our warm weather last year and it was so funny because I have almost the same exact picture of our middle son from roughly the same time period in his life (I'll have to add the layout from that picture to my gallery one of these days). Mastering the "spiderweb" at the park was a huge ordeal for both of them and they just love playing on it whenever they can.

On yet another tangent, I saw a fantastic show yesterday with one of my girlfriends. It is called Girls Only and is playing at the Galleria in Denver. I can't recommend it enough - we laughed so hard that our cheeks hurt for hours afterwards. If you have a chance to check it out, grab your best friends and make a day of it.

Creative Distraction

So the roof is done...it looks great and we all survived the pounding and rattling yesterday. Seriously my two youngest sons didn't even seem phased by it. How is that possible??? We did escape the house for a while for lunch and some galavanting at the park. When we were here, I had to keep myself busy to avoid thinking about how LOUD it all was. This layout is the result of my keeping busy. It's somewhat out of character for my layouts...I tend to be a 2-page layout kind of scrapper but lately I'm finding lots of joy in highlighting single photos. Special moments that evoke big memories for me. I love how all the colors in this are kind of funky. The paper pad I used from Die Cuts With a View is one that my son gave me for Christmas and almost all the papers are embossed or glittery...fun and funky, just like a teenager!

Crash, Bang, Boom...

Ever had your roof replaced...while you were home? Oh my goodness, the noise level is deafening and I'm not sure how much longer I can hold out and stay in the house. So far, my two younger boys don't seem to be bothered by it (of course, they have a friend over and the Wii to distract them). I think I'm going to head up to my craft table and try to distract myself too for a while. Then we may just have to load everyone up and head to the library or the park or both! Wish me luck...

Jumping into Jillibean Soup

I did it...I finished my submittal to the design team call at Jillibean Soup. This is the first time I've submitted to a design team but when I saw the call posted on the message boards at Two Peas in a Bucket I knew I had to at least give it a shot. Design team members will be announced on the 19th so until then I will have to practice a great deal of patience! Either way, I'm going to add the new Jillibean papers to my wish list over at Two Peas since I only have the big box craft stores nearby and they don't seem to carry them. Until the next time my friends...

Spread joy...

Deep in Thought?

So yesterday I had a little time before I had to get dinner ready and was feeling a deep need to do something creative. I've had this picture sitting around on my craft table for a couple of months just waiting to be added to a layout. It was a snowy, cold day here so the kids and my husband were all stuck inside but they finally settled down from all their restlessness and decided to watch a movie. It was the perfect time for me to head up to my craft space and get to work.

I love this picture of my husband. We had spent most of that day chasing our two youngest boys around the paths and rocks out at Waterton Canyon. We were on our way back down the trail when we decided to stop and take a break. The boys were clambering over the rocks nearby trying to see how close they could get to the rushing water before Paul or I would stop them. Always pushing the limits! I digress...back to the picture. So I look over at Paul and he's just sitting there deep in thought so I snapped this photo. Later I asked him what he was thinking while he was sitting there. Much to my dismay he turns to me and says "I wasn't thinking about anything, I was watching the bugs." You see my husband loves to fly fish and to tie his own flies to fish with so what he was really doing was watching to see what bugs were galavanting about so he would know what to go home and make. I couldn't help but crack up - then I had to explain what was so funny of course.

Either way, I love this picture of him and I love that we spent the majority of that day out enjoying the beauty God has created for us!

Saturday mornings...

So I think that Saturday mornings are my favorite...my 6 and 4 year old are content to watch cartoons, the teenager is still asleep (and probably will be until well after noon), my husband is hanging out in his lair (the basement) tying flies and wishing for warm sunny days that he can be out on the river fishing without freezing, and me, I'm creating my first blog post ever. How cool is that???

This is something I've wanted to do for so long it's just that I had to decide if I wanted to spend my free time messing around with creating a blog or crafting. For a while, my creative urges got the best of me and I've been spending much of my time at my craft table creating art from paper and embellishments. Give me a little more time and I'll get some images posted so you can enjoy them too...at least I hope you'll enjoy them. Until then, have a blessed day!