Blessed Beyond Measure

Mabel

2012-01-25T09:28:00.000-05:00

Christmas 2007 brought Mabel into our family for a short time. We loved her long, floppy ears and her sad eyes! Mabel loved to bark- I swear that dog would bark at the wind. LOL

Again I used a layered base- the designer paper has Spring themed text but because I covered so much of it that really doesn't matter. I used 2 Cricut cartridges on this layout- Animal Kingdom and Mickey and Friends (dog house and bones.) To add details to the words I used a white gel pen to add groupings of dots. I used Vintage Photo Distress Ink on the edges.
Thanks for stopping by!
Until later~

Horsin' Around

2012-01-24T17:33:00.000-05:00

My layout today is one I created for a challenge on a Facebook scrapbook group I belong to. The challenge is "Something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue" we are very easy going and we are not too strict about the "guidelines." LOL
Once a challenge is posted we are free to use it as we like. So, here is my layout for this challenge-

We had a Bassett hound for a couple of months until we had to find her a new home in June 2008- she went to live with one of hubby's co-workers and his family. His daughter Tiffany had recently gotten a new horse and was more than happy to take Hailey for a ride. (Hunter was too afraid to ride, but not our baby girl!) Hailey loved riding the horse! She did not want to get off!

I used a NEW Cricut cartridge- Countery life for the title and the horse die cut. (I LOVE the way the newer cartridges layer- they can be done so much faster than the old style!)

The title, once I adhered it to my layout I wished I had cut the shadow for it, but, oh well. :-) I like the layered pharses on this cartridge.

I know, you are wondering what on earth, right? Well, this is the back of my layout. The white are is where I cut a square out of my base layer. I was then able to use this piece to make the mats for my photos and the letters that are layered, AND I still have a little left over. (I have said it before and I will say it again- I am stingy with my designer paper.!!LOL)

Something old- my designer paper (and the pictures)

Something new- Country Life Cricut cartridge

Something borrowed- The layered base idea (I usually use one paper as my base)

something blue- My title was cut in the blue color and then the red was layered over some of the letters

I am so happy I finally have these pictures on a Layout!! I am even more happy that I had index cards with the info tucked in with the pictures too.

Thanks for Stopping by!

Until later~

Pinterest inspired project

2012-01-12T10:25:00.000-05:00

Sometime last Spring/Summer I found a web site called Pinterest. Oh the inspiration, oh the crafty goodies, oh the recipes, oh the..... well, you get the point. So my goal for the year is to not only pin things that inspire me, but to also make some of those things that inspire me! Today I am sharing one of my Pinterest projects. With 5 people living in our house and crazy schedules, work, school and church it is easy to over look something on our filled calendar. I think it is more manageable to look at the month in one week segments, so here is how we do it.....

I found this photo frame for $10 at Walmart. You can use it either landscape or portrait, for my wall I went with the landscape orientation. I used a paper stack from a couple of years ago, and cut 8 pieces of 4x6 paper and inserted them into the frame. Before adding the paper to the frame I cut the month and the days of the weeks with the Cricut (Chore Cart for the days of the week, and Gypsy Font for "January.") You can use dry erase markers on the glass!! How cool is that?!?! If you didn't what to change out the papers each month you could put "Our week" in one of the frames and use some non-seasonal paper. Easy peasy!!
And here is the inspiration at Next2Heaven. (<-- click to see)
So, go and check out Pinterest- I am sure you will find lots of inspiration there!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Santa Layout

2012-01-11T16:00:00.000-05:00

I bet you thought I went to the North Pole with Mr. Snowflake!! LOL Nope, just been recovering from the holidays- a birthday- and a sick little one! I did manage to do a couple of crafty things though. :-)
Way back on Black Friday our neighboring town had an old fashion Christmas celebration and Christmas tree lighting. The kids were thrilled that Santa was making an appearance...after all they wanted to make sure that he knew they had moved to North Dakota!!

LOL, I have to laugh at Hunter, I think he was a little scared of Santa and he is using Hailey as a shield. LOL Neither one would sit on Santa's lap and neither one wanted Mrs. Claus in the photo. (What a shame, she was so cute!!)

I saved this piece of cardstock (I used this collection for my Christmas planner and could not bring myself to cut this piece.) I love the Fancy pants St. Nick collection...although the jury is still out on the filter papers I used on the top right corner. The striped border was hand cut from the border page, the buttons, ticket and little chipboard heart are also from that collection. I added the die cut "Santa Claus" from the Christmas Cricut cartridge, a little baker's twine and the glitter to the fur on Santa's suit. I like how it turned out. :-)

This is why the pictures look a little dark today, it is overcast and trying to snow. And let's not even talk about the 40 MPH winds. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

2011 Christmas cards

2011-12-27T10:21:00.000-05:00

Here are the cards I made for Christmas this year. (This year instead of making all of our cards I just stuck with a more manageable number and only made 30.) I used the Taylored Expressions Joy to the World stamp set. And since I had to order the stamps I went ahead and got the Christmas card kit from there too. (I would highly recommend the card kits. I did add some kraft cardstock card bases to help stretch the kit items. I was able to make all 30 cards and I still have plenty of the 6x6 papers and some cardstock left over for other projects.) I like the kit because everything is coordinating and takes the guess work out of matching. I used Copics to color my angels. (The most time consuming part of the process.)

I used the Spellbinders Labels 10 to cut some of my images other were cut with the Ovals dies. I rounded the top 2 corners on the card base and on my layers, and then added a knot from some of the ribbon included in the kit.

Some of the the cards. I like that they are all unique, but still similar. (This helps make assembly line card making less boring. LOL)

This one was cut with Labels 8 (?) The sentiments were stamped with Ranger Distress ink in Barn Door.

I am very happy with the way they all turned out.

I am looking forward to being a little more crafty now that Christmas is over.(Crazy as it may sound, I am still in the crafty Christmas mood, so don't be surprised if Christmas crafts pop up again in the near future. LOL)

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Good Bye Elf on the Shelf 2011

2011-12-25T21:30:00.000-05:00

The time has come for Mr. Snowflake to return to the North Pole (after his vacation.) I am not sure who was sadder to say good bye, the kids or me.
As per Santa's letter, the kids each hugged our little friend before he left....

I love this one!! (Knowing how much the kids loved the elf antics, this photo touches my heart.)

Hailey loving Mr. Snowflake.

Hunter's turn.

After all of the presents were unwrapped Hunter found these-

Along with the candy canes filled with kisses, he found a letter- hand written by Mr. Snowflake
Hunter and Hailey,
I will miss you very much. I have had a lot of fun at your house.
Hailey- your hair looks beautiful. Listen to mommy and daddy.
Hunter- you are doing a good job in school. Be nice to your sister.
Have a good summer!!
See you next December! :-)
Mr. Snowflake
PS.- I will be checking in from time to time.
And I left you some ELF KISSES.
I am already thinking ahead to next year, I am sure there will be some new tricks.
I hope you have enjoyed Christmas and made lots of memories throughout the season!!
Thanks for stopping by!
Until later~

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T12:58:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

Sending love from our home to yours!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 24- Fishing (The Last Day)

2011-12-24T11:05:00.001-05:00

This will be the last morning that Hunter and Hailey will wake up and begin the search for Mr. Snowflake. I will admit that I will definitely miss the little guy!! And all of his silliness!!
It was odd that Hailey was the first one awake this morning, usually Hunter is the one that finds him, she found Mr. Snowflake in her bedroom.

Mr. Snowflake was fishing this morning.

Mr. Snowflake brought the kids Gold fish crackers. :-)

LOL, he made a fishing pole using a candy cane. LOL

We also found a letter from the big guy-

Dear Hunter and Hailey,

Thank you so much for allowing my little elf to spend time with your family this Christmas season. Mr. Snowflake has told me what a good boy and girl you have been. He has also given me several ideas of what I can leave under your tree to make Christmas extra special for you.

Mr. Snowflake has done some funny things while he has been at your house, and I hope you will always remember them. (My favorite was hanging your underwear on your Christmas tree! HO HO HO!!) He wanted you to see that you are never too old to have fun!! By the way, did you know your little elf is 536 years old? He didn’t have any brothers or sisters, so he wants me to remind you to always show love to each other and to be kind to everyone.

Today is the last morning you will wake up and find Mr. Snowflake in your house. I know he is going to miss you very much!! Don’t be sad, he has work to do at the North Pole. After a little vacation (he needs some rest from all the tricks he played on your family) he will start working on toys for Christmas next year.

Since I will be bringing Mr. Snowflake back to the North on Christmas Eve I will allow you each to hug Mr. Snowflake good bye and tell him how much fun you had with him.

Lastly, I want you to be good throughout the next year and I will sent Mr. Snowflake back again the beginning of December 2012.

Take care and God bless you,

Santa

I think the letter is a good way of bringing the Elf on the Shelf to an end.... for this year. I am sure though that throughout the year we will find evidence that he has been around. ;-)

Thank you so much for following the adventures each day. And I would strongly encourage you to think about adding an elf to your Christmas traditions. (It can be fun even if you don't have small children. It would be fun allowing each family member to take turns coming up with new adventures.)

Last night was day 11 of the 12 Days of Treats and Stories. The treat was gingerbread men cookies.

I do have some crafty things I will be sharing with you in the days to come. I am off to get our big dinner ready for today. (We have dinner on Christmas Eve so we can play with new things all day on Christmas.)

Merry Christmas and God Bless everyone!!

Thanks for stopping by!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 23- Elf gifts

2011-12-23T10:00:00.000-05:00

**Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar---> Scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf**
Day 23 already. This morning we awoke to gifts from Mr. Snowflake!! Yeah!! Well, that was short lived....

LOL, looks like Mr. Snowflake needs to practice his gift wrapping skills over the summer. He is definately not a Macy's kind of wrapper. lol

Looks like our elf had a little trouble.

Funny thing is, I feel like this sometimes when I am wrapping!! LOL

Tape, ribbon and paper.... Oh My!!

The kids were so excited to open their gifts!! I wish I had gotten of picture of Hailey's excited face that in an instant turn to one of being puzzled! Hailey got a bar of soap. Hunter got a lightbulb. (By the way- He LOVES his light bulb!! He has been holding it over his head and telling us he has an idea. Funny kid!!)

Daddy with his roll of toilet paper from Mr. Snowflake. LOL

Mommy's box with a few tissues left. (My sister got a box of take out condiments!!LOL Sorry, her picture blurred.)

Thanks for the laughs Mr. Snowflake, and really you shouldn't have!! LOL No really!!

I need to get groceries today or we will be eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for Christmas dinner!!

I went shopping with my sister last night and the kiddos were sleeping when I got home- the 12 Days of Treats and Stories will continue tonight.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf-Day 22- I see you

2011-12-22T10:30:00.000-05:00

**Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar---> Scroll to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

I grabbed my camera this morning to take a few pictures and saw that Mr. Snowflake had used my camera. I found these pictures......

Mr. Snowflake is a sneaky one! He slipped into the bedroom while they were sleeping and took some pictures.

Then he took a few pictures of himself... wearing Hunter's glasses!!

Lol, I just can not help but laugh every time I see him wearing the glasses.

Too cute!

Then a couple of pictures of the kids sleeping.

Haileybug snuggled with her puppy dog.

I wonder if the kids were dreaming about their Christmas parties today at school, or maybe waking up Christmas morning to find what Santa had brought. Or maybe they are dreaming about the story we read before bed for our 12 Days of Treats and Stories, A Gift for Jesus. Or maybe they are dreaming about the the big chocolate dollars they got just before bed. LOL

Hailey, being a junk food junkie, has really enjoy the treats each evening.

Hunter has been really listening to the stories and the treats are fun for him too.

LOL, that girl cracks me up!!

I need to finish up a few little things. Today is the last day at school for 2011. I see us sleeping in and then playiong with new toys next week... oh and eating, of course!! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf -Day 21- Flying High

2011-12-21T10:07:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar--> Scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf**
Mr. Snowflake is such a character!! This morning we found him in the living room....

along with a bunch of PAPER AIRPLANES!! LOL

It did not take long to discover who the guilty party was.

Look who we caught red handed!! Mr. Snowflake!!

Really!?!? On the ceiling fan!

And the fireplace...

Oh my,even the Christmas tree!! LOL

Hunter wasn't as impressed with how Mr. Snowflake got up in the window or knew how to make paper airplanes as he was with how he got the paper. LOL

Our story last night was about The Perfect Christmas Tree, and our treat was Peeps Christmas trees. (I love the stories. It has been a good way to to end our busy days.)

Last night our bed time story was one of the books Mr. Snowflake brought yesterday morning. (We read the other one after dinner.) I am so glad this book is in our library now. I would highly recommend it for your little ones. Mama bear teaches Little Cub why Jesus is more important than Santa. :-)
The kids have one more day of school this year, they both have their class parties tomorrow. I am going shopping with my sister tomorrow evening- I know we are crazy!! And then everyone has the day off on Friday! Woo Hoo!! I hope all of your preparations are winding down and you are enjoying the whole Christmas season!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 20- Reading Elf

2011-12-20T13:38:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found in the sidebar---> scroll to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

I am not sure which days the kids like more, the silly elf trick days or the days they wake up to little gifts from Mr. Snowflake. This morning was another gift day, Mr. Snowflake brought 2 new Christmas books to add to our collection- Elmo's Delicious Christmas and Thank you God for Christmas. We are looking forward to reading them tonight.
Not only did he bring new books, but he also rounded up their other Christmas book. It looked like the snowmen were enjoying the story.
(Again I am playing with different settings on my camera, sorry.)

Hee Hee, good thing there is not a fire in the fireplace, those poor snowmen!! :-)

Looks as if Mr. Snowflake has been reading all night.

Happy listeners.

Reading a new book.

Mr. Snowflake moved that heavy rocking chair all by himself!! (I am sure he used a little magic. LOL)

You can see we like to read a wide variety of books.

Speaking of reading, we read the Christmas Orange last night for our 12 Days of Treats and Stories. I will admit that I am surprised by how excited the kids are for the story each evening. (I am sure the treat has something to do with that. LOL) They like trying to guess what the treat will be after we review the story.

Last night they were a little puzzled, the story was a bout an orange, but the package was small and square! :-)

Hunter with our Chocolate Orange.

I had never had a Chocolate Orange before, so it was a treat for me too. Wow, who would have thought that orange and chocolate would taste so good together.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Elf on the Shelf-Day 19- Ker-plop

2011-12-19T10:27:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf stories can be found on the sidebar---> scroll down to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

Well, I am please to say that Mr. Snowflake has made a full recovery from his little cold!! he was up and at'em early this morning. I woke up this morning to discover that my pillow was missing, and not just mine, but everyone else too!
(I can not post the pictures until I apologize first for the picture quality. For some reason my favorite setting wanted to come out blurry this morning. So the photos are taken in a couple of different settings.)

Mr. Snowflake took the sofa cushions, our pillows and the small pillows from the sofa to make Mt. Pillow.

LOL, looks like Mr. Snowflake did a face plant from the top of Mt. Pillows. :-)

The kids didn't mind that their pillows had been stolen while they slept, they were so happy we didn't have to make a doctor appointment for him.

We did the 12 Days of Treats and Stories last night, (it feels good to be back on track again!!) our story was about the Shepherds. The I could not find the recommended treat local and shipping was more than the item, so I had to improvise. After looking high and low and racking my brain I came up with something the kids were very happy with.

We used Cotton Candy and called it "Sheep's wool." LOL They LOVED it!!

Nothing like treats before bed!! :-)

I have been hearing from some of you, and I know that the Brown family will not be the only ones to miss Mr. Snowflake once he goes back to the North Pole!! I have also heard that some will be adopting an elf next year- I can hardly wait to hear about all of the mischief!! Oh, and just because you do not have little ones does not mean you can not still have fun with the elf, I have read where some couples try to "out do" each other every morning with elf mischief.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 18- Aaaaachooooo!!

2011-12-18T15:59:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf stories can be found on the sidebar---> scroll down to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

I am afraid that being out in the cold all day Friday has caused Mr. Snowflake to catch a cold!! We found him this morning in Hailey's bed (yea, she slept with us last night) and he looks like he is not feeling good at all.

Oh my, poor little guy. Look at the tissues all over the place.

LOL, He has a box of tissues, a sippy cup, his medicine and thermometer, even a cool cloth upon his fevered brow. He is cuddled under a warm blanket, just taking it easy today.

If you look close you will see he is wearing a pair of jammies that belong to one of Hailey's baby dolls. LOL

The kids ran in and checked on him when we got home from church. The are so sweet!

Wow it is hard to believe Mr. Snowflake will be leaving us in just under a week!! Boy, I am going to miss that little guy!! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 17- Coloring

2011-12-18T15:43:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf stories can be found on the sidebar---> scroll down to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

After driving the van, Mr. Snowflake was really laid back when the kids got up Saturday morning.

LOL, Mr. Snowflake is coloring in the Strawberry Shortcake coloring book.

He always looks so happy!!

The kids were happy to see that there was new coloring books for them, a surprise little gift from Mr. Snowflake.

I am not sure, but I think Mr. Snowflake is looking a little pale.

Hmmmm.

We caught up on our 12 Days of Treats and Stories too, with a story about the 4th Wiseman and the treat was Ring pops.

We read the story of the Candy cane and got a box of candy canes.

We also read Christmas Day in the Morning and our treat was.....

Hunter has developed my taste for Cow Tales. :-)

We had tickets Saturday afternoon for-

Wicked! The local dance studio did an incredible job!! We loved the show!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 16- Umm, who gave the elf the van keys?

2011-12-17T10:28:00.000-05:00

**Previous Elf on the Shelf antics can be found on the sidebar ---> Scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the shelf**

The kids found a note from the Mr. Snowflake saying he was running a little late and for them to have a great day. It was time to take Hunter to school and look what we found out in the garage....

Look... Mr. Snowflake had turned the van around and parked it kitty corner in the garage!!

(You really can't tell how bad his parking is, but we park the van, a pickup truck and a PT Cruiser in that space! And YES, those are still boxes that needs to be organized... when it gets warmer.)

I always pull straight into the garage, that stinker had spun the van around backwards. Not only that BUT had changed the radio station and had cranked it up full blast. It almost blasted us out of the van. LOL Oh the kids had a good laugh and talked about where he might have driven to and wondered if he had driven crazy.

Sister and I had to go into town as soon as we dropped brother off, so Mr. Snowflake had to ride along. :-)

He got to spend the whole day in Minot. Daddy and Brother met up with us to help wrap gifts that will be going to a FEMA trailer park on Sunday. It was almost midnight when we finally got home, and Hunter thought it would be a good idea to take our elf inside to keep him from freezing.

The kids were so sleepy that we didn't get out 12 Days of treats and Stories done!

We are off this morning, and it is going to be another busy day, finishing our wrapping this morning, going to see Wicked this afternoon and then to a live Nativity. (And hopefully day 17 of Elf on the Shelf before bed!!)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Reindeer day at Preschool

2011-12-15T17:31:00.000-05:00

Each month Hailey's Preschool class has fun themes for their unit studies. This month is everything Christmas, yep our school is BIG on Christmas! It so reminds me of the "olden days" when I was a kid! I love it!!)
Anyhoo, today was Hailey's turn to take snack AND it was reindeer day. (I know I am a big dork, but I was really hoping she would have snack reindeer day. LOL) The past couple of months I have been wandering around on Pinterest.com and had seen a couple of cute reindeer snack ideas. We decided to make the Nutter Butter reindeer. (I used THIS site as my inspiration. But you can find lots of ideas HERE.)

We had a bag of the Christmas M&Ms, so our deer all have green eyes. :-)

From the photos you can see we changed ours up a bit, we used 2 pretzels instead of one. It was a little tricky getting them to stick in place. (The kids got a little crazy with the icing too. LOL) Even daddy helped.

I think they are adorable! Yeah, even if the "M" is showing on some of the candies. LOL

Hailey and Hunter have enjoyed spreading the magic Reindeer food the past few years, so we did some of that for her classmates too.

We had just enough foam reindeer kits for all of her friends and even had one left over for brother!

We made cute little bags too.

This little guy was made using the Doodlecharms Cricut cartridge and the purple Marvy scalloped circle punch. You just can not go wrong with wiggly eyes!! (When I went to pick her up after school I saw a couple of the girls wearing these reindeer on their clothes.Too cute!!)

If you Haven't checked out Pinterest.com now would be a good time to do that! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf-Day 15- Cereal fun

2011-12-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

**Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar ---> scroll to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**
Mr. Snowflake did not disappoint this morning. We found him in the pantry, helping himself to some breakfast.

It seems Mr. Snowflake likes fruity cereal, and tried to help himself. Oh, what a mess, there was cereal all over the floor in front of the pantry. :-)

Mr. Snowflake is also having a glass of milk.

Isn't he adorable?

Mr. Snowflake used his magic to get in the top of the pantry. (You can see he got in the very top cabinet, the one the kids can't reach. LOL)
Silly elf, I am excited to see what he is going to do next. ;-)

Last night was Day 3 of our 12 days of Treats and Stories. The story was about an older brother that won a gift for his little brother by reading books, our treat was one of my all time favorites-

I remember getting these when I was little! Fun memories. ( You can find the 12 Days of treats and Stories on The Craft Patch <--- Click to go there.) We were so busy last night I didn't even get a picture of the kids with their books. I will try harder tonight. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 14- Cocoa time

2011-12-14T10:14:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar----> Scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf**

This morning Hunter had a little trouble finding Mr. Snowflake. The boy walked beside him a couple of times before he saw him. LOL He was on the Baker's rack in the dining room....

At least he wasn't in the stable. LOL

Oh look, he brought Hailey and Hunter snowman mugs and Hot Chocolate mix.

Hailey just discovered last night that she likes hot cocoa while we had dinner "in town." The funny thing was she wondered if Mr. Snowflake could hear us all the way in Minot. LOL, looks to me like he heard us. :-)

That tricky little elf, he used one of mommy's candles to roast him a marshmallow while he was waiting for the kids to wake up. LOL, and he used a candy cane too. LOL

Mr. Snowflake likes his marshmallow lightly toasted... just like mommy. :-) (Daddy likes his charred. ) Mr. Snowflake left his whisk behind, (the one he had yesterday) for the kiddos to stir their hot chocolate. Hunter should have a good day at school after warming his belly on a cold frosty morning.

Last night was day 2 of the 12 Days of Treats and Stories. Our story was how we got the story of Rudolph, it was very interesting. The suggested treat from The Craft Room blog was chocolate covered marshmallow reindeer. I know exactly which ones she was talking about, but I could not find them anywhere. I did come up with a substitute... Pooping Reindeer. LOL The kids LOVED them. :-D

Hailey and her pooping reindeer.

Hunter and his pooping reindeer. They are already looking forward to the story and treat tonight.

AND the kids even managed to bake Mr. Snowflake's brownies yesterday. They did everything except for the oven part, momma put her camera down long enough to put the pan in the oven. LOL And here is what they ended up with.....

Well, I had better run, another long "To Do' list today. :-)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Elf on the Shelf - Day 13- Brownies

2011-12-13T09:47:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf Mischief can be found over on the Sidebar---> Scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf**

I think all that game playing made Mr. Snowflake a little hungry. Last night he brought us a brownie mix and got everything together so the kids can make brownies for him tonight.

Thank you Mr. Snowflake for being so organized.

Peppermint Brownies, sounds good to me!!

It looks as if Mr. Snowflake is ready to get to work, he even brought his very own little whisk. LOL

Not only is our little elf cute, BUT handy too!! :-)

Oh wait, what is that I see, looks like something we should not read.... but I could not help myself, I had to take a peek. The kids had a rough listening day yesterday, so the "Magic Elf Report" will hopefully remind them to "do the right thing." :-)

Last night after dinner we also started our 12 Days of treats and Stories. (I borrowed the idea from The Craft Patch blog, I found hers from last year HERE and she did it again HERE. We started ours yesterday so we would finish on Christmas Eve. I did have to change up a few things for ours as I could not find everything.)
The the treat that went along with the story for the first day was Chocolate Coins. They each received a small mesh bag of "gold" coins.

LOL, I spy a little monkey in the background. (The one Hunter is holding is the only one he ate, he is saving the rest for later.)

Hailey has her "coins" all laid out, and yes, she ate all of them last night. The girl can not resist Chocolate!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Peaceful Monday

2011-12-12T12:06:00.000-05:00

We had a beautiful weekend, it was in the 30's and 40's. I know, hard to believe, right? Because the temps were up the snow melted some which caused the air to not be so dry. When that moisture in the air froze last night, look what happened....

That is our Apple tree in the center of this photo.

Our Lilac hedge. (Lilacs are used a lot in North Dakota as wind breaks. I was tickled to still see some Lilacs still in bloom in the area in September!! I LOVE Lilacs!!)

Our beautiful little pine. Wouldn't that make the perfect Christmas tree? (To bad we can not bring it in and decorate it then return it to the yard to grow a little more.)

More pines in our yard. These are near the apple tree.

Across the street. I am hoping that maybe some deer will come to this stand of trees. (I really hope a moose comes along!! And yes, that is a possibility!! There are moose in the area!!)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 12- Game night

2011-12-12T10:11:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found on the sidebar-----> scroll to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf**

Looks like Mr. Snowflake invited a few friends to have Game night. (He is not a very good host though, I do not see any snacks!! LOL)

We all know that Pooh is "a bear of very little brain" well, I wonder how long it will take him to figure out the game pieces for Candyland have been missing since the move. LOL (Or maybe they were "lost" on purpose because Hailey ALWAYS wins at Candyland.)

Fluff and Laura are playing Cootie.

Looks like everyone is playing nicely together.

Two games here that I have not played- Barnyard Uno and a Cars counting money game.

Yahtzee!! The kids thought is was really funny that the little sock monkey was playing, he/she just joined the family yesterday. Even new friends are always welcome to join in.

Oh, look Mr. Snowflake brought us a new game. I bet we will be playing this one tonight. And Mr. Snowflake is so clever!! He must know that little people like to play card games, but holding all those cards can be a challenge. Great idea to use chip clips to hold your cards. The clips hold the cards and there is a little handle to hold onto. Gotta love a smartypants elf!! :-)

Thank you Mr. Snowflake for Uno!! I just know the kids are going to have fun playing.

The "To Do" list is long today, I hope to get a lot done!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 11- Just hanging out

2011-12-11T09:21:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found over on the sidebar ----> Go to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**
Tomorrow will start our 12 days of Stories and Treats inspired from this blog---> The Craft Patch.

I looks like to me that Mr. Snowflake lost his parachute before getting stuck on the dining room ceiling fan. (Each morning the kids have been quick to straighten the "mess" the elf has made. I think they don't want him to get into trouble with his boss. LOL Hunter iis trying to figure out how to get the elf down without touching him.LOL)

It took a few minutes to find him this morning, I guess we are going to have to look high and low for him from now on.

Looks like he will be just hanging out today. LOL

All of the mischief he gets into and still looks so innocent with that cute little grin!! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 10- "You light up my life"

2011-12-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

** Previous Elf antics can be found over on the side bar-----> Go to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

On Thursday Hailey and I put up a little tree in the studio. (I hated the thought of all of those windows going to waste without a tree. LOL) It is a skinny, 6 foot tree, and far from "beautiful." LOL The kids hung all of their ornaments on this one, and surprisingly it turn out to be a very pretty little tree. Apparently, Mr. Snowflake likes this one. Look where we found him...

Our elf is under the tree this morning.

He is tangled in lights....

and wearing Christmas tree balls for earrings! LOL Must have been some kind of night for him. :-) I must admit, he looks pretty darn cute!!

I hope your family is having lots of fun and making life long memories during this season of celebrating the birth of Christ.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the shelf- day 9- Potty time

2011-12-09T09:51:00.000-05:00

**You can find the previous Elf on the Shelf shenanigans over there--> under Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf**

Well I knew sooner or later it was bound to happen....Mr. Snowflake had to go potty. Hee hee He chose the "little" bathroom, the one the kids use for teeth brushing before school each morning.

Looks like Mr. Snowflake was trying to brush his teeth using Hailey's toothpaste.

He also had those tiny little cups all over the place.

A message on the mirror, "I peed in your potty"

LOL (there is a little spot of purple in there, purple just didn't look right. LOL I had used all of my green food coloring making the kids green eggs and ham but I had one drop of green left, and added some blue too. Cool, elves pee in a tie dye pattern. LOL)

And then there was the toilet paper!! From the bathroom, through the mud room, the dining room and into the living room! (That was our clue on where to find him this morning!

More tp.

And then there were two sleepy-heads checking out the whole thing!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 8- Snowball fight

2011-12-08T09:33:00.000-05:00

** Previous elf antics can be found HERE**

Day 8 of Mischief-

Mr. Snowflake and Mr. Snowman are having a mini marshmallow snowball fight on the kitchen counter! They used Hunter's blocks to try and stay safe from the snowballs....

Looks like he is having some fun! Isn't funny that you can see he has been hit with the snowballs? LOL And he still has 2 snow ball on him.

Mr. Snowman looks like a tough opponent, and it looks like he has plenty of ammo left.

Right away Hailey started divvying up the snowballs that didn't make it to their target.

I believe the kids have chosen "Team Snowflake!"

Hailey is making sure they each get an equal amount of snowballs. :-) Gotta keep things fair, huh?

I am not sure about you, but an indoor snowball fight sounds like a good idea to me, especially when it is supposed to be -12* tomorrow and windy!! :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf -Day 7- "Sock it to me"

2011-12-07T10:59:00.000-05:00

**To read about Mr. Snowflakes previous tricks click HERE**

Last night while we were sleeping Mr. Snowflake was going through our sock drawers. Not only did he go through Hailey and Hunter's drawers, he also went through daddy and mommy's drawers too!!

Humm, looks like someone has been in Hailey's sock drawer!

And SOMEONE has been in Daddy and mommy's sock drawer!! (I wonder what he was looking for.)

I am surprised that Junior didn't chase our little elf away. :-)

AND someone has been in Hunter's sock drawer.... and there he is!!


Ah, there is the guilty one!! Mr. Snowflake!!

Oh, wait, it looks like new socks.

Hunter was happy to find new socks.

He got dressed pretty fast this morning so he could wear the socks Mr. Snowflake brought.

Oh yea, I think he likes them!

Hailey and I got to sleep in this morning, daddy took Hunter to school. After Hunter had left, sister got up and found her socks, she came down the hall (hiding them behind her back) and asked if Snowflake had brought Hunter something. She was happy to hear that Hunter had some too.

(Don't you love her mismatched jammies? LOL)

New Hello Kitty Christmas socks.

Mr. Snowflake, THANK YOU for the joy you are bringing to my children. They are excited to get up each morning and see what you have been doing while they sleep!!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- day 6- Funny Faces

2011-12-06T09:58:00.001-05:00

Edited to add- You can use a Dry Erase marker on glass/mirrors. It will wipe right off and will not harm your photos.

**All previous Elf on the Shelf adventures can be found over on the side bar- go to Labels and click on Elf on the Shelf over there----->

Two little sleepy-eyed kids climbed out of their nice warm beds this morning to see what Mr. Snowflake had been up to while they slept. Hunter spotted the elf right away, AND... then he spotted what Mr. Snowflake had done! (He looked so funny, I could not help but laugh! He did a double take, then he rubbed his eyes and looked again. LOL)

The pictures of the kids over the fireplace. Looks innocent enough, right? LOL

One sleepy-eyed boy.

LOL, Hailey thought it was funny!

Elf ears for Hunter and Hailey as Charlie Chaplin.

Hey Batter, Batter....

Aww, a kitty and a bunny.

A princess!!

Hunter sporting a 'stache!! (He loved this one!!)

The clock looks sleepy.

Ah, so there he is, the guilty one.

They got to work cleaning off some of the pictures.....

so they could try their hand at it. :-)

Yesterday, at the store Hailey had to tell a lady all about her elf. She was so excited and loved telling the stories of what he has been up to. I am so thrilled they are enjoying Mr. Snowflake as much as I am!!

Thank you for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- Day 5- Brrrrrr

2011-12-05T09:59:00.000-05:00

** To see our previous Elf adventures Go to Labels and then click on Elf on the Shelf over there --->**

Day 5, and Mr.Snowflake is just plain silly- or maybe a little homesick. :-) This morning our jolly, happy elf was not where the kid's could find him easily. Right away daddy and Hunter did find a note....

It says, "Mommy, Please bring my elf in to get warm! :-)" When we opened the blinds in the dining room this is what we found--

Mr.Snowflake was outside!! We have the coldest temperatures yet this morning, -8* with a windchill of -35*. We also got about 3 inches of snow yesterday so I wonder if maybe Mr. Snowflake was a little homesick and just wanted to play in the snow. He found my decorative sled in the Christmas decorations, and he brought a block maker and 2 new kid size snow shovels. Looks like he had been having fun playing in the new snow.

By the time we found Mr. Snowflake he was looking a tiny bit cold. I was very careful to not touch him as I brought him inside and wrapped him in a blanket to get warm.

Hunter re-telling how he found our elf outside this morning. (Seems like this time of year a toy ad is never far away. LOL)

Hailey LOL Good way to keep warm today!

Hailey suggested we put him in front of the fireplace. (It might help if we actually lit the fireplace. LOL) Looks like Mr. Snowflake will keep cozy.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- day 4- Oh my!!

2011-12-04T11:55:00.000-05:00

**You can find previous elf adventures over there----> under Labels click on Elf on the Shelf**

Yesterday we finally got a Christmas tree. (We left ours in Columbus when we moved.) Hunter put the entire thing together (Hailey did put in 2 branches. LOL) When the time came to put the lights on we had a slight problem. After going through all of the Christmas boxes we remembered where the lights are-in the box, with the old tree. We had to run to "town" (which is 25 miles away) to get new lights. LOL Because it was getting late we strung the lights and left the rest of the decorating until morning.

Apparently while we were sleeping Mr. Snowflake decided to help decorate the tree- with the kids' undies. LOL

Looks like he tried a pair of Hunter's boxers on. :-)

hee hee

Hunter when he saw the tree this morning. (Hailey was the first one up and made short order of getting her undies off of the tree!! She was not amused!! LOL)

Hunter un-decorating the tree.

Silly elf must really be magic, he was able to decorate the top of the tree without a ladder.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- day3- The Polar Express

2011-12-03T10:16:00.000-05:00

Our family went to our first hockey game last night. (Dad has been to other hockey games, but it was a first for the rest of us.) It was late when we got home, and the the kids were all excited when we got home. Needless to say, it was late when we got up this morning...8:30 late! LOL
Hailey was the first one up and she found Mr. Snowflake on the sofa...... watching a movie. That elf had brought us The Polar Express. (We had it on pur DVR in Coulmbus, but that box cleared all of our programs before we left.) Not only was Mr. Snowflake watching our new movie, he was eating some of our pretzels and had a diet orange soda....with a bendy straw. (The kiddos were very happy to see he had left them some straws too!)

Diet Soda, who would have thought?!?!? LOL

Good morning sweetheart!!

Hunter was very happy to have The Polar Express, or as Hailey calls it "The Polar bear Express" :-)

The kids, being very sure to not touch Mr. Snowflake.

Hunter did not think watching our TV, eating our pretzels and drinking our soda was mischief on Mr. Snowflakes part.

( You can always click on the photos to see them larger. And in case you have missed our Elf on the Shelf adventures 1 and 2 you can see them by clicking on the Elf on the Shelf label over there----->)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Elf on the Shelf- day 2 The Slipper Race

2011-12-02T09:55:00.000-05:00

Lots of little people giggles at our house this morning!! Mr. Snowflake was up to some mischief while we were sleeping.

Oh my goodness!! Before the kids went to bed last night the play room was all cleaned up. That crazy elf got all of his friends together for a little fun. They grabbed the kids' slippers and had a race. (Lots of giggles because they were using slippers!!)

I spy "cheerleader" bear with Hailey's pompoms.

And it looks like Mr. Snowflake is going to win!

Looks like Mr. Snowflake left Hunter one snuggly friend. LOVE, love, love the bedhead!! LOL

I think Hailey was still trying to figure it all out!! The bed didn't want to let go of her this morning.

I think this is my favorite photo from the Great Slipper Race.

So, has your elf be up to any mischief? I would love to hear about it. I wonder what we will find in the morning.....

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

He is here- Mr Snowflake

2011-12-01T12:59:00.000-05:00

I am sure many of you have heard about the tradition of the Elf on the Shelf. Last year it was too late for me to do it once I had read about it. This year I was all set. I am thankful that the kids got to watch the Christmas special about the whole elf thing last week. Before I knew the show would be on, I started telling Hailey and Hunter a little about the Elf on the Shelf. The first thing Hunter did was run and lock all of the doors. LOL He did not want an elf in our house. :-) Hailey on the other hand was really hoping for an elf.
This morning our elf made his appearance. He brought a "North Pole" breakfast along with him, more on that in a sec. He also brought new placemats, plates, bowls and drinking glasses for the kids.
They finally agreed on his name- Mr Snowflake! (We added Mr. because Hunter didn't think Snowflake was a good boys name. LOL)
I read the letter from Santa while the kids enjoyed their sugar filled breakfast. :-)

Mr. Snowflake!! (I think he is adorable!! and not creepy like the Elf on the Shelf! Hunter said he was only a stuffed elf, until we read in Santa's letter that this was a "Magic elf.")

Mr. Snowflake brought breakfast. (The "snowman" is made from mini Powdered donuts, chocolate sprinkles, candycorn and M&M buttons. Mini marshmallow "snowballs." And Chocolate milk.)

The kiddos check everything out!

You know our junk food junkie was very happy with breakfast!! LOL

Yea, we didn't have to tell her twice to eat her breakfast!

Hunter enjoyed his snowman too!! I made sure the evidence was washed off of their faces before sending them off to school.

Our letter from the Big guy!

I am anxious to see what Mr. Snowflake has up his sleeve for the kids! I am sure there will be lots of mischief. :-)

I love this time of year with all of its traditions. We have traditions carried over from our own childhood as well as new traditions added to make Christmas a magical time for our children. We also focus on the real meaning of Christmas and rejoice that our Savior came to Earth to save fallen man.

So, go ahead and start a new tradition... it is never too late!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Happy Thanksgiving cards

2011-11-24T13:27:00.000-05:00

I only made 3 Thanksgiving cards this year. I made one for each of the kids' teachers and one for the teacher's aide that both of their classes share. I used a stamp set from The Angel Company and the Jillibean Soup Apple Cheddar collection. I also used Spellbinders Petite Oval and Labels 10 dies along with a ton of Copics. :-) (These are 4.25"x5.5" cards with the fold on the top. The ribbon is wrapped around the card front.)

I cut a little bit of the flower out before sliding the die into place. This is a good technique for odd shaped images when you don't want a lot of "white space."

I colored this cute little guy before I decided on my designer paper. He doesn't really coordinate with the colors, but I like the "pop" of the brighter colors.

And lastly, an little Native American boy. The hair is done with Cool Gray Copics.
I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

oh yea, we got snow now!!

2011-11-23T10:48:00.000-05:00

Opps, didn't mean to be away so long! My last post showed the kids trying to make snow angels. Well, let me tell you a week ago yesterday we DID get some snow. To the tune of 6+ inches. (And just so you know, it fell in about 2 hours time, AND it surprised the weatherman as much as it did everyone else! LOL)
I got up just before 6 and peek out the window, I was so excited I woke everyone in the house up so they could see this.......

Yesterday we were in the upper 30's, and I could not believe how warm it felt. :-) The snow melted a little yesterday, and the forecast is looking good into next week, so maybe, just maybe we will see the ground one more time before spring. LOL
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Our first North Dakota snow

2011-11-07T10:42:00.000-05:00

Early last week the weather reporters started warning us about a snow storm blowing through from the Rocky Mountains. AS the week went on the amount predicted varied as did the path of the storm. Saturday was to be the day! Friday it was beautiful, I did a few things outside without a jacket. Saturday came and went and no snow, the kids were so disappointed! Sunday morning just after we got out of bed we started getting some ice, and then snow. After a late breakfast (we missed church, not knowing how long the ice would last) the kids were beyond thrilled to see some snow. They both stood with there noses pressed against the sliding glass door and Hunter said, "I am so excited, our first North Dakota snow!!"
Two seconds later they were racing around getting dressed and digging out the winter garb.

Hailey all ready for some fun in the snow! (As long as it is pink she will wear it. Does not even have to be the same shade of pink. LOL)

Hunter all ready.

LOL, here she goes out to play in the snow!! Yes, that was our snow, that teeny, tiny little bit!! You would have thought we had several inches by the way the kids were acting!

And, you can not play in the snow without making a snow angel!! LOL

I hope you got a good laugh, I sure did. Those crazy kids!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T14:10:00.000-04:00

Happy Halloween!!

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Peaceful Sunday 10-30

2011-10-30T00:01:00.000-04:00

Have a great day!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

October Project

2011-10-28T14:13:00.000-04:00

Today I am going to share a little bit of how my brain works when i am be crafty.

It all started with the Bella Blvd Too Cute Too Spoke collection. After a little trip to the office supply store I pretty much knew what I would be doing.

Next I went "shopping" in my studio. I grabbed everything that would work with my "theme" and everything (ribbon, stains, Mists, stickles, cardstock, brads, eyelets, other embellishments) in coordinating colors I thought I might use. Next I gather some fun tools, inks and stamps... along with the ATG, liquid glue, glue dots and pop dots.

I use the area around my chair for things I don't want on the table (read as- Don't have room for!! LOL)

I use a little bucket to keep my tools from getting lost in the chaos.

This is the little album I am working on for our Halloween pictures. I am using a 5.5"x8.5" three ring binder. (I picked that along with the page protectors, business card holders and little folder pockets at the office store.) The front of my binder is a combination of elements slipped into the cover and actually adhere to the front of the book. (It looks really cool because of the inside/outside of the pouch layering.)

Here you can see a chipboard page I am working on. If you look real close, on the back side of the table you can see my next 4 projects are laid out.

Future Projects, in no particular order:

Simple Stories 25 Days of Christmas collection along with a Fancy Pants AE Brag Book. I am going to attempt the 25 Days of Christmas journal.

Jillibean Soup Apple Cheddar Soup collection- perfect for a few Fall layouts.
Hailey's little chipmunk needs to be sewn, she is losing her stuffing and tiny pellets. (This one will be on the top of my "To Do" list.)

Fancy Pants Off to School collection. I bet this will make the school pictures of the kids look even cuter!! :-)

Now you see where I have been all week instead of blogging. LOL Now you have a little glimpse of how my little brain works. :-)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Fall card

2011-10-24T14:23:00.000-04:00

I made a few of these cute little cards. I have always loved the bear image (it was from TAC) and since Fall is my favorite season, I had to get him out and play again.

Copic coloring, hard to believe , but I used 30 different markers on this one image. It is very relaxing to sit down with a few images and some Copics. (Hailey said when she turns 6 then she can use my markers. LOL Until then she uses her water-based ones. )

And you can't forget the inside. :-)

The papers are from A paper pad from hobby Lobby. All edges are inked with Vintage Photo Distress Ink. The main image is pop dotted. The scallop border was made with the Medium Scallop die from Taylored Expressions and the gingham ribbon is True Black by Paper try Ink.

Do you make Halloween/Fall cards? Leave me a link so I can check them out.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Peaceful Sunday Oct 23

2011-10-23T00:05:00.001-04:00

Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit

Cannon Ball Concertion

Squaw Creek Valley

Momma Mule Deer

Herd of buffalo

(Be sure to click on each picture to see them bigger.)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Last buffalo LO.... for real

2011-10-20T13:00:00.000-04:00

So, yesterday I started off with the title about being the last buffalo layout and then proceeded to post my Mustangs lo and pictures. LOL I will just blame it on old age!! LOL
Today I really do have another buffalo layout, for true! :-)
Our family went on a little adventure a couple of weeks ago and I was very blessed to be able to get some great wildlife photos. It was fun driving along, wondering what we may see. Hunter loved the little prairie dogs, I thought they were pretty cute too. He likes smaller animals..... Hailey on the other hand likes the bigger creatures! She really likes the mommas with little ones. She must have said at least a hundred times that she thought the buffalo were "sooo cute!"

The printed paper is a piece I picked up at the Painted Canyon information center. It was a 12x12 and I wanted to use it for 2 layouts so I cut it in half and used half on each side. The yellow dotted paper is an older Basic Grey paper, that along with one full sheet of brown cardstock made the base for my double page layout. I also added a scrap of darker brown cardstock that I punched with the Upper Crust border punch. I used some twine I have had for ages on the right page, after wrapping it around the page several times I used the Tiny Attacher to keep it in place. For my title I used stickers. And of course I used Vintage Photo distress ink on everything. :-)

I do have more buffalo pictures, but I think I am done scrapping them. Gotta move onto something else, right?

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Mustangs

2011-10-19T17:34:00.001-04:00

I am sharing another 12x12 layout using photos from our recent trip to the Roosevelt National Park. While driving the loop we could see several cars were parked and several people were out taking photos. It wasn't until we rounded the curve that we could see what everyone was stopped for. It was a herd of wild mustangs. They we peacefully grazing on the prairie grass and not paying any attention to all of the sightseers and cameras. I have seen many horses in my lifetime, even had one when I was younger, but seeing them in the wild was amazing!! It stirs my soul to see God's creatures living in the wild.

I used the Jillibean Soup Dutch Mustard paper collection. The tag and butterflies are Jillibean Soup too. I used the Perfect Pearls mist in Kiwi on the Bazzill cardstock before adding the designer paper rectangles. I rounded all of the corners before using Vintage Photo distress in on the edges. I added bling to this layout too, something kind of unexpected but fun. LOL

Aren't they beautiful?

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Peaceful Sunday

2011-10-16T21:49:00.000-04:00

Danish Mill Kenmare, ND

Leaning Barn Donnybrook, ND

I wonder what this old building was used for, look at the front porch and the flagpole. Any guesses?

Near Carpio, ND

Old barn Carpio, ND

Train Bridge Minot, ND

Flags Kenmare, ND

Pumpkins Minot, ND

Ugly pumpkins Minot, ND

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Book Review- Just In Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado

2011-10-14T19:16:00.001-04:00

Just In Case You Ever Wonder by Max Lucado illustrated by Toni Goffe

In Just In Case You Ever Wonder Max Lucado starts off by telling children that they we made by God. He then goes on to reinforce a parent’s unconditional love and support as well as reassures children of our Heavenly Father’s unconditional love and support.

I was very excited to share Just In Case You Ever Wonder with my children. My five year old was anxious for me to read it to her after she saw the cover illustrations. She really enjoyed the book, and I was pleased that it reinforced the things we have been teaching her; she was created by God, daddy and I love her very much and she can always come to us with her problems. My seven year old enjoyed the book as well. I like Just In Case You Ever Wonder because it has the same message that we have been telling our children every day since they were born. I know we will be reading this book over and over, and it is sure to become an all-time favorite.

I would recommend adding Just In Case You Ever Wonder to your children’s library. It is a book that is meant to be read to children and not necessarily one to be read on their own.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Little church on the Prairie

2011-10-11T15:16:00.000-04:00

I love my husband!! There are many reasons why, but two of them come to mind at this moment. One reason is he loves, loves, loves road trips!! (And so do I! You just never know when or where we will go.) The other reason is he will turn the minivan around and go back if I have see something interesting. Like on a reason adventure I spotted this church in the distance, on a hill top in the middle of nowhere.

As soon as I saw the church my mind went back to one of my favorite TV programs, Little House on the Prairie. (Heehee, it's a little church on the prairie. ) This is St Paul's Lutheran Church est. 1889. And yes, they still have an outhouse (it is just out of the shot in the bottom photo, to the right.)
I used the Jillibean Soup Dutch Mustard collection for my layout. The embellishments are form Jillibean too.

I used some copper Perfect Pearls Mist on my cardstock (I'm loving those mists!!) I have a few more pictures I want to get scrapped from our weekend adventure, those should be coming soon.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Wild Buffalo

2011-10-10T14:55:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday the family loaded up for one of our "Road trip adventure" days. We drove to Medora, an old west tourist town. Most shops closed after Labor Day, but that really wasn't the reason we headed that direction. We wanted to see the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Our goal was to see some elk and some wild buffalo. Not sure where the elk were hiding, but we were not disappointed in the buffalo. We saw a couple herds of buffalo, and several loners.
The first group we came upon I was so excited to get pictures that I jumped out of the truck. It wasn't until Hailey wanted out so she could get pictures that I had second thought about my sanity. LOL They are very big and strong animals, and well, they are wild!! :-)
(I will save the stories about all the other animals we saw for another day.)
Cheryl posted a challenge for a group of us scrappers, and my buffalo pictures worked for what I had in mind. She posted a Bingo Challenge. You pick the line you want to do and then make your layout or card.
Here is what we had to work with:

I was a little limited in what I could use, because after all I was scrapping buffalo. LOL I picked the very top row. Easy, right? Well, not really, 10 buttons, 9 looked perfect to me, but I needed to use 10. Aha, while fiddling around I solved that problem, I stacked two buttons together, 10 for the price of 9. LOL
And stickles or glitter!!?? Hum, not what I think of when I think of buffalo. :-) I did use stickles, on the little hearts on the vertical strip beside my photos. Now, you want to see, right? (Don't forget to click the photos to make them bigger)

Hailey loved the momma buffalo and her baby. (We did see 2 smaller babies, and she went crazy over them!! LOL)

My embellishment cluster.

The stacked buttons.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Peaceful Sunday

2011-10-09T19:43:00.000-04:00

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

One day of greatness

2011-10-08T13:51:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago Hunter brought a slip of paper home from school. Grades 1-5 would be playing football on Saturday morning. When I asked Hunter if he wanted to play he told me no, he was afraid of getting hurt. Nothing more was said about the football game until that Friday night, you guessed it, he changed his mind and wanted to play.
We got to the field and Hunter didn't want to get out there with the other boys (and one girl, boy was she quick and tough!!) Finally he joined the others on the field. And just as I thought it was a friendly game of flag football.... BUT Hunter had never played flag football, the only football this kid has seen is rough and tumble TACKLE football. The first couple of plays my boy was tough as nails defending his man, (read as... hanging around that big kid's neck trying to get him down!! LOL) He did get the hang of FLAG football after a few plays. (Thank goodness!!)

He looks like a real football player, huh?

Getting his flag re-attached.

They played for an hour. Hunter got out there and had fun.... but on the way home he told us he was done with football!! LOL I am so glad he gave it a try. And I am soooo happy he is done with football.... for now anyway!! :-)

(The other boys are still playing flag football on Saturday mornings, but not Hunter! Three days after the game he broke his arm! His may be one of the shortest football careers ever!! LOL)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Book Review- Stumbling into Grace

2011-10-05T11:51:00.000-04:00

Lisa Harper uses both modern day stores and Bible scriptures to address some of life’s biggest issues dealing with God’s grace. Stumbling into Grace displays the author’s wonderful sense of humor and how she relates it back to scripture.

I found Stumbling into Grace to be very encouraging while faced with a life that is not playing out as I had planned. It was very refreshing to see God’s Word in a way that that was made more personal because of Lisa’s wonderful sense of Humor. Although her snake story did cause me to shiver!! J I found myself chuckling as I identified with the personal stories, and occasionally wondering how I had missed different points she made about scripture. (For example while on the cross is the only time Jesus called God, My God instead of Father.)

I feel that Stumbling into Grace is a book that females will more easily identify with and I highly recommend it. I think anyone dealing with the ups and downs of life with is encouraged and uplifted by Lisa Harper’s writing.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

My new studio (picture heavy!!)

2011-09-30T13:30:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to finally say I am "settled." The house is unpacked and things are in their places. (I am sure I will tweak and adjust- I do need to find room for a bunch of kitchen stuff, for good reason. Hubby is going to install a dishwasher!! More time for other things, right?)
Today I am going to share a tour of my new studio. (You can see my "Ohio Studio" HERE)
I got the studio done yesterday, except for hanging my ink holders and carrying a couple of things out to the garage.

This is my new crafty space.

I think this cabinet is going to be one of my most favorite pieces in the room. There is lots of storage (the little Cricut, Jukebox, Gypsy, photos, an odds and ends storage container and fabric are under there), and the counter top is the perfect surface to use for stamping. (Not to mention easy to clean. LOL) My stamps are stored in CD cases. I filled 3 of the CD storage thingies from the container store. When I looked last week to add more, I was very sad to see they are no longer available!! (Darn Ipods!!)

Ribbon spools fit nicely in the narrow shelves, and it is so handy to have my ribbon out and ready for use.

My 12 x12 cardstock is in trays hubby bought at the Local Scrapbook Store.

The sterlite container to the left made a nice place for the Cricut Expression, now it is not on my counter, like it was before.

I wasn't sure if I would be using the Elfa system, I love the texture treatment on the walls, and didn't want to put the supports in the walls. Hubby got bust and hung it before I could protest. LOL (And I am so happy he hung it!! SSSHHH, don't tell him that he was right, I really do need it. LOL)

When we purchased the Elfa system I went with the wire shelves for 2 reasons- one, it allows more light for the space underneath. And the second thing is Clip It Up clips work perfectly to hung things, making the bottom of the shelves usable too. (I up-cycled the containers that my unmounted stamps come in for storage.)

See that huge white cabinet on the right? (I know how could you possibly miss it! LOL) That was a bargain from Lowes. (I got it for 1/3 of the price because it was the last one in stock and the box was opened.) I wanted to add another one just like it, so last weekend we took a little road trip. There are only 2 Lowes stores in North Dakota. :-) So we drove 2 hours to the one in Bismarck. They had the display model..... and that was it, no more in stock!! It took me 1.7 seconds to spy "plan B." I am sure that even if the cabinet had been there I would have opted the shelf instead. As you can see it is HUGE too, and each shelf will hold 350 pounds!! Whoa, that is a lot of paper!! (The second shelf is where I keep my Papertrey Ink cardstock.)

Just around the corner, on the linen closet is an over the door shoe holder. More odds and ends in there.

I love all of the light that these windows let in!!
I have had that table ever since I sold Amish made Oak furniture. It is a 54" square, hopefully I will have enough room to spread out. LOL

Another look at the table.

And last but not least- a little sneak peek!! :-)

So, when are you coming over so we can break this room in?? :-)

I need to run now, the studio is calling my name. LOL

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Frist day of school

2011-09-12T10:21:00.000-04:00

This is Hunter's first day of First Grade picture. He actually missed the first 2 days of school because we was driving to North Dakota. Hunter is loving his new school!! There are 21 First graders.... total!! (Last year there was 90 Kindergerteners in his school!) There are a few differences other than class size, he has physical education every day, there are no school fees, his supply list included just the basics (no copy paper, trash bags or other things the school needs to operate) lunch costs half as much and he has not had to sell one thing yet!! LOL
He has been taking several tests each week. (The night before his first test he was praying that he would be sick the next morning. LOL) He is doing very well, and the teacher said he has adjusted well. In ND they use block print and last year Hunter's school used the other print. (Oh, what is the name of the "loopy" print??)
Another change to our school schedule this year is that Hailey now attends Preschool. (Her class is just across the hall from Hunter's class.)

This is sister's first day of school picture. She LOVES school!! She is in class with 10 other children- there are 9 girls and 2 boys in her class!! She goes 2 days a week for 3 hours each day. I am not sure what all they do, but whatever it is wears her out. LOL She wants to go to school everyday! :-)
Once I get everything unpacked I am hoping to use my time while the kids are in school as my creative time! We will see how that goes. :-)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Checking in from North Dakota

2011-08-28T09:41:00.000-04:00

Well, it is official (well kind of) we are now residents of North Dakota. We left Columbus, Ohio at 4 pm on Thursday August 18, and arrived at our new home at 5 pm on Saturday, August 20. Yeah, it was a long trip, but not bad at all. (Actually very good considering we traveled with 2 vehicles, 2 kids, 2 dogs and 2 cats!!)
So we have been in ND for over a week now....... and all of our furniture and "stuff" is still in Columbus. The truck was supposed to be here no later than Friday, but it could be next Friday before it gets here!! I did bring 2 lawn chairs with us, but they really are not meant for long term use. I have an air mattress, but again, not for long term use. :-)
Hunter started school on Tuesday. The entire First grade class has 21 students!! (His Kindergarten class last year totaled 90!!) He loves his new school. (We will see what he thinks of it tomorrow after his first test. LOL)
In the evenings we have been doing some exploring.

Rolling hills, it is funny that you come upon a view like this when just minutes before the land was as flat as a sheet of paper, or maybe cardstock. LOL

I am very surprised at how much water there is in ND. There is a lot of water here!! Any way, we found this Nature Reserve, It had a huge amount of nesting birds on little islands (Strangely enough called "Nesting Islands" LOL) If you look above the sign in the photo you can see one of the nesting islands.

This is a picture of a smaller island. Not sure what kind of bird this is, but they look like pelicans. (Do Pelicans live in North Dakota?? PS- I just googled Pelican, and YES they live as far north as western Canada, so they could be pelicans.)

Friday evening we drove to the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation. This is 4 Bears Bridge over Lake Sakakawea. Lake S is the 3rd largest man made lake in the US.
Until my stuff gets here you may have to endure more non-scrappy post. (Oh, I hope it gets here soon!! I really miss my Copcis!!)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

All she wanted for her birthday....

2011-08-06T07:57:00.001-04:00

THIS is what Hailey wanted for her birthday...... "West Birginia!!" The kids love West Virginia, they would move there in a split second if possible. (Hubby tried very hard to get a job there before finding a job in ND.)
The kids have so much freedom while we are there, something they do not get in Columbus. They are free to come and go as they please, and they do. LOL There are lots of cousins there to spend time with, and in West Virginia they have a "Mawmaw" and "Pawpaw" "aunts, uncles and cousins." And on this trip they got to spend lots of time in the pool.

This is our water loving girl!!

Hailey was content to float all day.

Hunter totally amazed me!! He was doing cannonballs right away. This was their first "real" pool, but Hunter started treading water quickly. He used the floaties for maybe 20 minutes and then he was done with them. The little stinker was swimming underwater like he had been doing it forever.

And there he goes again!! LOL The kids were waterlogged by the end of the weekend,but very happy. Hailey went to Vacation Bible School one night, then we all went to see the program, in the little church where my daddy grew up. After the program and back at Mawmaw and Pawpaw's everyone gathered for birthday cake and ice cream. Hailey was so surprised!! We all had a great time!!
It was hard saying good bye this time. I know that it will not be 3.5 hours away any more, but instead it will be 25 hours away. West Virginia is a place where I spent a lot of time during my childhood summers, a place that holds lots of memories, the place where I came from. It is a place where I always feel loved and at home, a place I never want to leave. A place that causes me to have a huge lump in my throat, my eyes burn, and the tears flow every time I say good bye. My kids now are having the same hard time when we leave, but I know why....... Because West Virginia is in our blood!!

And now she is 5.......

2011-08-05T20:21:00.000-04:00

So, last week in the middle of all this packing, moving craziness she did it. Without my permission, I might add. I can not believe it, without a second thought my baby girl turned 5!! F-I-V-E!!! Hailey is growing up right before my eyes!!

She picked out her own cake. She went with a brown and pink one with butterflies. She completely surprised us by not choosing a Princess cake or any other Disney/Nickelodeon character available in cake form. Nope, just pink and brown with butterflies for our five year old.

She almost blew them all out with one puff.

And just after I put the camera away she stuck her finger in the icing..... as always. :-)
She has grown so much, and changed so much in five years. Hailey definitely has her own ideas on EVERYTHING!! She has already given me more than enough Haileyisms to write a book. LOL
The cake she chose was a surprise, where she chose to have her Birthday dinner was no surprise- Golden Corral, for some reason she loves that place. (Maybe it is because she can help herself to a soft serve ice cream cone once she has finished her dinner. )
You are not going to believe what "gift" she asked for this year!!!
To be continued............
Until later~

Away we go......

2011-08-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

We are packing up and heading west.....we will be making northwest North Dakota our new home. While we are beyond excited!! (a little overwhelmed with all of the packing, but very excited!!)
I have already started packing the studio. I am not sure how long it is going to take to get things set up once everything gets there so looks like I won't be crafty for awhile. (I hope the movers do not misplace my Mojo! LOL)
I need to get back to my packing but I am going to try and check in again before we leave Ohio.
Until later~

North Dakota

2011-07-20T14:15:00.000-04:00

Hubby and I got to fly to North Dakota in June. Neither of us had ever been there before so it was exciting!! We also left the kids at home- a first for us! :-)

We flew into Minot on June 10th and even from the air we could see evidence of the FIRST flood to hit the area this summer. (I wish now I would have gotten some flood pictures!!)
We spent the day driving through country side- we were both amazed at the wide open spaces!!! So different from Columbus, Ohio!

After many, many miles and hours and tons of information it was almost time to call it a day.... but not before we had dinner.

We chose a local restaurant that does their cooking over an open fire using wood brought in from Alaska. (The smell of the wood smoke was delicious enough... but the food, even more so!) They have 2 teepees in the yard. You can sit in them and have your dinner.
I had the Bison burger on a soft pretzel bun with buffalo chips- they were spicy, but so good. (And yeah, they give you a few more chips, but they kind of disappeared. LOL)

Hubby had the barbque chicken and the side dishes are served family style out of crocks, the "no recipe beans" were very tasty.
We got up the next morning an decided a road trip would be fun after a quick look around town.

We met two of the sweetest little, elderly ladies at the Scandinavian Heritage center. This is the church museum. (We were told once AGAIN that we had an accent. Funny, we sound the same as most other Ohioans!! LOL)

We hit the rode and less than 2 hours (and a soft serve ice cream cone) later.....

Now I know why it is call "Big Sky" oh my, I loved it!! We drove to the first driveway in MT (an Indian Casino) turned around and headed back towards the hotel. We stopped at a historic fort and a visitor's center where the Yellowstone and Missouri come together. The rivers were out of the banks and the friendly lady working there told us that Yellowstone had not begun to melt yet- and the had 3 foot of snow pack- in June. (Since we have been there there has been serious problems with flooding.)

This is traffic North Dakota style. LOL (Just look at the scenery!! )We flew back home the next day, back to 3 and 4 lanes of real traffic. :-)
Since arriving back home we have been keeping up with the news in the Minot area, the end of June the middle of town was filled with up to 15 feet of water. The 2011 flood has been the worst one EVER for that area. Even today (almost a month later) parts of town have 3-4 feet of water. I can not imagine how much more damage has been done to such a beautiful community.
Currently 11,000 people are homeless in Minot, because of a housing shortage the past couple of years these evacuees have no where to go. I would like to ask you to please keep the people in Minot in your prayers.
Until later~

Treasuring Emma- Booksneeze book review

2011-07-19T12:29:00.000-04:00

I am currently working on a crafty project and hope to share that with you soon. In the mean time here is another Booksneeze book review.

Treasuring Emma A Middlefield Family Novel by Kathleen Fuller
Emma struggles with her faith as she is dealing with a strained relationship with her overbearing sister and must face with the man who broke her heart after leaving the Amish faith. She is also faced with the challenge of caring for her frail grandmother with no means to support either of them and to further complicate matters a new man in town has taken interest in Emma for less than honorable reasons. As you read Treasuring Emma you get a look into the lives of those closest to Emma and the circumstances that causes each one to seek God's will.
I feel the author did a very good job portraying the Amish culture and bringing the characters to life. While Treasuring Emma is a romance there are several unexpected twists and turns along the way to keep the interest of the reader. It would have been nice if Fuller would have given more information on Adam's mother, I felt as if I was left hanging. Over all, I would definitely recommend Treasuring Emma to anyone who likes reading Amish fiction/romance novels.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255

Book Review- God's Love Letters to You

2011-07-04T15:31:00.002-04:00

God’s Love Letters to You

By- Larry Crabb

The greatest love letters of all time did not come from the pen of a playwright or the mouth of a poet. They weren’t formed on warped sheets of music or with the quills of romantics. These letters come from the Word of the Almighty God.

Each of Crabb’s 40 day devotionals are based on a different book of the Bible. Each day also offers relevant scripture, a “letter” from God, thought provoking questions and a prayer.

Once I started reading God’s Love Letters to You I had a hard time putting it down, so much so that I finished the book in just a couple of days. (I plan to go back now and use the book as a 40 day devotional. I want to take my time meditating on each days reading and scripture.)

I would highly recommend God’s Love Letters to You to those who are seeking a closer relationship with God and not just the comforts that God can provide.

You too can review books for free at BookSneeze!

Water fun

2011-06-28T22:54:00.000-04:00

We took the kiddos to one of the city parks for some water fun.

Just out of the shot are several buckets that fill with water, and once filled dump to the pavement below. Hunter was proud of himself for being so brave and getting dumped on.

Having some serious fun!! (And no, we were not the only ones there. LOL The place was pretty well filled with kids, I was lucky enough to get some pictures of just our two.)

A fun way to spend a warm summer evening!

A wet Haileybug.

Not a pot of gold under at the end of the rainbow, but something much better..... Hunter and......

Hailey

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Book Review- The Blessing

2011-06-23T14:29:00.000-04:00

The Blessing [Revised and Updated] by John Trent and Gary Smalley

The Blessing powerfully communicates biblical truths on how to instill self-worth and emotional well-being into others based on these five essential elements:

Meaningful touch
A spoken message
Attaching high value
Picturing a special future
An active commitment

In The Blessing John Trent and Gary Smalley shares countless true life stories of men and women and their personal examples of “the blessing.” While some have received a blessing, there are also some disheartening stories of those who are still seeking the blessing. The Scripture references are effective in illustrating the use of each of the five elements for extending the blessing. Also found throughout the book are the many practical suggestions serving as examples for blessing others.

Being a mother of small children, I found The Blessing to be both enlightening and informative. I can now apply what I have learned to make a difference in not only in the lives of my children, but also my husband and my friends and family. I highly recommend The Blessing to parents, teachers, spouses or anyone seeking encourage those around them. (You will be encouraged to learn it is never too late to give or even to receive the blessing, and there is no age limit!!)

You too can review book for Book Sneeze, click HERE to find out how.

Pool time

2011-06-15T14:51:00.000-04:00

I am finally getting around to using the pool pictures from last year. Hunter's Sponge Bob swim trunks always make me smile. My kids love to play, and for them adding water makes it that much better!! I feel all warm and fuzzy watching the two of them have so much fun.
I used the Fancy Pants Beach Bum 6x6 paper pad. I used a coordinating Copic marker on the designer paper pieced swim trunks on the penguin. His Popsicle was colored with Copics and then covered with Glossy Accents to make it shiny. The pennant was cut from a piece of the designer paper. Pool time was cut using the Cricut (and the Gypsy to bump the "time"together.)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Darling little girl cards

2011-06-14T21:04:00.000-04:00

I am working on my shading with the Copic markers. I wanted to add some pleats to this little girl's dress.

I added the pleats to her little skirt by using various shades of color. I also worked on hair color, giving each one a different color. (I did not keep track of which designer papers I used, I used several 6x6 pads. My new addiction. LOL)

The hair on this one was the most difficult to get right. I had never done black hair before. I tried not get too much gray because she is a little girl after all and not an old lady. LOL I have mentioned before that I am not crazy about fussy cutting- but some times you just have to do it. :-) (It really helps to have a pair of very sharp precision scissors.)

This card is a Z fold. (The card front is folded in half, and from the top the card looks like the letter "Z". This one got a little bling to dress it up a little.

And the last one is a 5x5 square card. I like the extra space on larger cards. I finished this one off with layered flowers and a crystal brad.
So, which one is your favorite?
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Pigeon Roost Farm

2011-06-14T09:52:00.001-04:00

In October we spent a couple of days enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The first day we visited a couple of Metro parks and then the second day we set off to find a couple of pumpkins. My double layout is from the visit to Pigeon Roost Farm. It is fun place to take little ones (and big ones too!) to spend the day. We saw lots of animals (they even have a camel) went through the corn maze, played in the woods, the gerbil wheels (kids get in huge drainage tubes and run around moving them around), there is just a lot of hands on things to see and do. Then we finished up our visit by picking a couple of pumpkins.

I used the American Craft Campy Trails collection, I am loving the versatility of the retro colors and patterns, and using them for various themes. :-) (Don't forget you can enlarge the photo by clicking on it.)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Hunter's Kindergarten layout

2011-06-13T10:37:00.000-04:00

Today I have a layout for Hunter's school album. This was his very first school picture. (It is amazing how much older he looks at the end of the school year!!) I used the Campy Trails collection from American Crafts. (This collection has LOTS of green, you know i am lovin' that.) In addition to the greens Campy Trails uses an assortment of retro patterns and colors- without being "over the top." Tip:Even though the papers are a campy theme, they can be used for layouts that are not camping related. I like how the colors add a playful feel to my layout, perfect for my little man. :- )

What do you think of the Jillibean Soup Corrugated Butteflies? I had never used the corrugated shapes before, but this will not be the last time. :-)

The layout was inspired by Karrie Cook.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

A Book Review- Money Secrets of the Amish

2011-06-04T11:48:00.000-04:00

This week I joined Booksneeze blog. I receive books to read in exchange for honest book reviews. My first pick was an eBook but they also offer printed books too.

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving by Lorilee Craker takes a look into living a simpler, “greener” (as in saving money) lifestyle.

Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, and Saving offers 14 chapters of practical hints and tips on managing money that reminds one of our grandparents’ principles. Each chapter not only lays out the thoughts of the Amish but also has several “English” friends who are willing to share their own tips. It was also inspiring to read the author’s own experiences relating to each principle learned.

While Lorilee writes about the steps many of us are already taking of being thrifty and saving some green, it is good to pick up some extra ideas. I think everyone could benefit from the principle found in chapter 2- “UWMW” (Use it up, Wear it out, Make Do or Do Without.) That, along with other suggestions for recycling, reusing and thrift store shopping helps to get the creative juices flowing on how to build the savings account. The To Do section following each chapter is a good place to start putting those lessons to good use.

I found this book to not only be educational but entertaining too. I would recommend Money Secrets of the Amish: Finding True Abundance in Simplicity, Sharing, to anyone looking to improve their financial thinking.

I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Playing around with different way to color images

2011-06-03T21:29:00.000-04:00

If you have been reading my blog for very long you know I tend to be quit eclectic in my paper crafting. One day I am scrapping, the next I am mass producing cards, another I am whipping up a paper crafted gift. (And I will even throw in some fabric or wood crafts every now and then. LOL)
Today I am doing some different- yet again. :-) I want to show you the results I got from using different coloring options.
I used Papertrey Ink's Stamper Select paper and Memento ink for the following images-

Here I used Prismacolor pencils and OMS. Because the pencils are waxy I colored the flowers with a couple of different colors before blending them with the OMS and a blender stump.

Pros: Various shades and colors, bold colors, easy to work with, you can use a white eraser to clean up any stray color.

Cons: sometimes the leads in the pencils can be very soft- and breakage can be an issue

This one was done with Copic markers.

Pros: you can layer your colors, will not "pill" you paper, nice selection of colors, coloring light over dark will not contaminate your markers

Cons: markers can be pricey, there is a learning curve with the Copics, not as readily available as other means of coloring

Next I moved on to water-coloring

Tombow, water based markers.

Pros: inexpensive, nice selection of colors, easy to use, you can buy single markers

Cons: colors tend to become muddy instead of layering, markers will transfer darker colors onto little ones, they have a tendency to leave streaks

Here I switched to Cold Press watercolor paper and Memento Ink-

Watercolor crayons (because some of the areas are so small I used a damp paint brush to pick up the color directly from the crayon.)

Pros: reasonably priced, crayons last a verrrry long time, you can vary the intensity of color by varying the amount of water used

Cons: more difficult to add extra shading and colors without muddying your colors, I wasn't able to use as many colors as in the other samples

** For whatever reason the ink wanted to bleed on this paper, I used the same ink and technique on Papertrey Ink paper and had no bleeding**

Watercolor pencils and blender pen (I colored directly on my image with the pencils and then used the blender pen to blend the colors. It is easier to lay down all of your colors before you start blending.)

Pros: Inexpensive, available at the Big Box stores, nice select of colors, various size sets to meet your needs

Cons: Adding more color once the colors have been blended, keeping the colors looking "clean"shading id more difficult

As you can see there are lots of ways to add color to your stamped images (and there are many I have not shown!) so have some fun and see which way works best for you.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Sunflower cards

2011-06-01T22:58:00.000-04:00

I love this flower stamp from Inkadinkado (it is one of their new cling stamps, and it cost less than $5.) This card reminds me of the sunflower bouquets from Trader Joes. You know the ones with the blooms as big as your hand and wrapped in raffia.
I used the Gypsy to weld a banner and a rectangle together to get the image layer with a rounded top. To make the black layer I used the Magic Matter (smallest disk) and then used the medium disk for the card base. I usually make the standard A2 card but really like shaped cards. I guess I need to do more shape cards.:-)
I stamped a sentiment on one of my cards and left the other plain to personalize when I am ready to mail it.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Beautiful butterflies

2011-06-01T09:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I share two Black and white cards with a splash of color. (You can see it HERE.) I had showed how by changing one little thing (yesterday was the die cut border) you can totally change the look of your card. Today I am going to show how changing the base color will change the look of your card.
First up is another Black and White with a splash of color-

I used Copic markers to color the butterflies, and then I went back and added some Prismacolor pencils over the markers. (This is an good way to add more color when you do not have the right color of marker. You will want to lay down your marker color first, the pencils are waxy and will ruin your markers.)
Now look at the difference-

Same image, colored the same way and the same 1/8" black mat, but look what happens when you change the card base color. (I did add the tip of a wing to the top of the stamped image.)
Pretty cool, huh? :-)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Black and white with a splash of color

2011-05-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

Today I am sharing a couple of Clean and Simple cards with you, I am using black and white with a splash of color.

I stamped the cute little bird 3 times and then colored them with Copics to get some bold color on my card. I used the Large Scallop die from Taylored Expressions on this one, and added a small sentiment from PTI.
I have mentioned before that I like to go ahead and make 2 cards while I am at it. Because I tend to make A2 size cards (which use one half of a 8.5"x11" piece of cardstock) it really is just as easy to make 2 cards as it is to make one. :-) AND I do not always make the 2 cards identical. I will change them up a bit some times.

You can see how much different this card looks just by changing one little thing- I changed the size of the scallop. I used the Taylored Expressions Small Scallop die, I really love those dies!!
So next time you are making cards, go ahead and make 2. LOL
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Coloring with Copics

2011-05-22T15:46:00.000-04:00

Today I thought I would show you the process I use to color images with Copics. (I am not certified, this is just what works for me.)

First up- the "ingredients" Memento ink, an Inkadinkado cling stamp, a white gel pen, white cardstock and Copic markers.

Getting started-I used my mid-tone yellow first, leaving the tips of petals uncolored.

Using a lighter shade on the tips of the petals. (I also used the Y17 to build a second layer of color over what I had already colored with that marker.)

I used a flicking motion with my marker in what would be the "crease" in the petal. (When flicking, I always flick away from me and keep turning my paper. This helps me keep a light touch at the end of the flick.)

I moved on the the centers of the flowers.

If you look closely, you can see I added tiny dots to the flower centers with a darker color. (This helps to add dimension.)

On to the leaves. (Oops, I missed a leaf beside the second picket on the fence. LOL)

Adding the "vein" to the leaves.

I wanted a white picket fence. When coloring "white" you will still have shadows.

This photo shows how the "light source" is used. It is always good to decide from which direction you want the light source to hit your image. (This helps to keep your shadows consistent. This stamp also helped with deciding which direction the light would be coming from. See the little shadows on the fence to the left of each picket?)

A little darker shade to help with shadows and for the weathered look. (I added a little shadow beside each picket to add some depth.)

I went back and added a "V" on each flower petal with a white gel pen to add some Highlights.

I finished the image by going around the details with a light blue marker. (this helps with the illusion of depth and keeps your image from looking one dimensional. You could use gray {for a "shadow"}, blue {sky}, purple {night sky}, green {grass} or yellow {sun/light.})

Oh, and it is hard to see, but the marker is B000. :-)

This is a good time to go back and add more layers of your colors if you desire.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

Embossed flowers

2011-05-12T08:20:00.000-04:00

I CASed this card for an old, old magazine. (I really need to start taking note of where I see things so I can give credit. Sorry.) It is a super easy card and very versatile. The flowers are embossed with clear embossing powder, I need to pick up some white- I think it would look even better with the white ep. :-)
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Flower Vase

2011-05-11T14:30:00.000-04:00

This is the new Inkadinkado Cling stamp. There are a couple of small flowers in this set, but I think this image steals the show!! LOL Look how big it is, it is huge. I was just playing around with my Copics and added a little Sakura Gel Pen too.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Framed Flower

2011-05-10T10:53:00.000-04:00

I really like the hand-drawn frame on this card. I stamped the image and sentiment first so I could get a "custom fit" for my frame. I love how some of the stamping is outside the box.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Out of this world…..

2011-05-09T12:50:00.001-04:00

For this card I paired up Fancy Pants Out of This World paper with a stamp set by Bo Bunny called Blast Off. I am tickled to finally find some cute boy supplies, heaven knows I have been looking for 7 years. LOL

I was able to coordinate my Copic markers and the designer paper, and I was pleasantly surprised to discover that this designer paper was a perfect match for Paper Trey Ink’s cardstock. (I love when it all comes together like that. LOL)

Thanks for stopping by!!

Until later~

He is Risen

2011-04-24T16:58:00.000-04:00

"Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen." (Luke 24:5-6)

God Bless!!
Until later~

Cheery Cherry card

2011-04-22T08:40:00.000-04:00

I think this may be a new favorite color combo. Can you believe it is the primary colors?? When I think of the primary colors my mind races back to Kindergarten and my box of 8 fat crayons, you know the BOLD colors. LOL In this "grown up" version of the primary colors I stuck to red, blue and yellow... but I used Spring Rain, Pure Poppy and Lemon Tart (with a little True Black.)
I used Versamark to stamp the swirls on my card base, it was looking a little "plain" on it's own. LOL The "hello" is from The Angel Company set Trendy Greetings, it works well with the Cherry frame (Hero Arts) don't you think? I love how you can combine stuff from various companies and it all just kinda "works."
I stamped the frame twice and cut the cherries out of one frame and pop dotted it to the other after coloring them with Copic markers.
Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~

Fisherman Thank You

2011-04-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago Hunter was invited to go with the older boys from church to participate in their Annual Fishing Derby. Hunter was so excited to get to go, but I think daddy was even more excited to get to go with Hunter. Well, my boy caught the very first fish of the day- a 14.5" trout. (In the photo Mr. Chad is holding the fish for Hunter. That really makes me laugh because I know how Hunter is about keeping his hands clean. It doesn't matter how dirty his face gets, his hands have to be clean! LOL)
I used a retired stamp from The Angel Company and paper from October Afternoon for this cute fisherman Thank You card for the RA leader.

Thanks for stopping by!!
Until later~