merry & bright.

isn't she wonderful?

this is my newest addition to our ecclectic ornament collection. we picked her up while we were in naples, florida over the summer. i just love her glittery ice skates...
it makes me want to experiment with glitter in my crafts...


anyway, i realize that i am one of the worst bloggers out there. a few of my friends have teased me about this. i'm doing well - just extremely busy. our family is in the midst of getting ready for its newest member. so, spare time is limited. i always admire the dedicated bloggers who post, without fail, no matter how many kids they have or hours they work...

also wanted to post one of my newer layouts. i've been trying to do a little scrapbooking every day. this one was fun, and i really enjoyed putting the extra details together...




this weekend has a ton of cookie-baking in store, as we rapidly get closer to christmas. there's a plan in place, which dough to make when...what day to make this cookie or the other cookie in order to ensure maximum freshness...i hope i have the energy to get me there! we have creme de menthe brownies, snickers cookies and chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies on the roster of what we're bringing to our holiday hosts. for home, i am hoping to make some oreo cookie bark, chocolate-mint cookie crinkles and sugar cookies. the last three are lofty goals for me. maybe i'll get a boost of nesting energy. ;-)

i doubt i'll post before, but i wish everyone a happy holiday. may your peppermint mochas be extra rich...and, i hope you're days are merry & bright. thanks for dropping by...

faux buttons.

hey all!

i promised i would post this little technique with step-by-step instructions and photos so you, too, can make your own faux buttons.

again, this is so super easy...and fun! you'll love the final product in order to pretty up your pages!

faux buttons

what you'll need:

Window Charms Circles - Close to My Heart
Patterned paper or cardstock
1/16" hole punch

what's involved:

1. attach a window charms circle to a piece of patterned paper or cardstock.



2. punch two button holes in the window charms circle with a small hole punch.



3. trim paper around the window charm circle to complete and - viola! - you now have a cute faux button to adorn your project!



attach to your final project and enjoy! i mixed in some faux with real buttons on this little frame i'll use to enclose the title on a page i'm currently finishing.



note that you can try this technique with window charms squares to make your own different shape buttons!

hope you'll give it a try - let me know if you have any questions....AND have fun!

quick blip.

hi to all.

i know i've turned into the world's worst blogger, but there's been some stuff going on here.

i've actually been very sick since my last post. {yeah, scroll down and see...it's been awhile}. the good news is that i've been slowly rebounding over the past few weeks.

this wasn't intended to be a long post going over all the intimate details, but i just wanted to drop a note and say that things are okay. i'll try to get to my blog a little more frequently than every two months. ;-) now that i'm doing a bit better, i'm just trying to catch up around the house and get back into the swing of things - family is my priority.

a quick word of thanks to my friends who have been so understanding and patient with me through this time. no roll calls - you know who you are. =) i know i had dropped off the face of the earth, falling behind on my correspondence, etc. i appreciate your prayers and your "just-checking-in-to-say-hi" emails or phone calls. i know i haven't gone into many details to explain, but you've been kind enough to understand. it's such an incredibly good feeling to know that there are people out there like you. again, thank you bunches!

good night & good dreams. =)

dress up.

it's not everyday we have a reason to get dressed up. it's usually tees and jeans/shorts around here.

so, when my husband told me we were going to his 15-year high school reunion dinner, i knew, this time, i really had to go out and find something to wear. as you know, dress shopping can be either productive or completely bust, depending on what is in the stores, what you like, what you feel motivated to try on, how expensive, etc.

i found this little combination and i'm happy with the end result:

a sweet little strapless sundress with a fun orange & white mushroom pattern throughout...





and this amazing side-tie jacket that i completely love...



even better...i didn't pay full price for these items.

we will have a late-summer baptism to attend, so i'm thrilled i get to wear this little number more than once this year. {the beauty of the jacket is that i can wear it with anything...it dresses up and down to casual so easily...}.

now...i need to dig through my closet to find a purse and shoes that'll go with it. since i know my husband will read my post, i know how eager he'll be to help me go through my section of the closet and help me put the finishing touches on this outfit. =) {thanks in advance, hon!}. =)

pretty.

wow. i can't believe that, for the 2 hours of toiling at the computer last week to figure out the blog banner thing, it took me less than an hour tonight to slam it all together. maybe i work better at this stuff at night, when i'm tired. hmmm.

learning PSE definitely takes some work and i'd like to practice some more at some point, but i'm happy with doing the basics for right now, this evening, and...yippee! i've got a new banner!

my creative outlet may not be digital layouts and banners...yet...but, when it comes to, say, baking...i feel my creativity flow big time and i can whip out some kind of confectionary delight from a complicated recipe or from the top of my head, like these yummy cupcakes...



i'm very into cupcakes lately. they're cute...and sweet {no pun intended}. you can decorate them in so many ways. it's like the perfect portion of dessert. and...i love icing...so much. i love to make a little extra and pile some extra height to the tops of my cupcakes. these were made with no recipe. just felt inspired by the prettiness of spring...and, they taste pretty yummy too!

decisions.

those of you who know me well, know i can be horribly indecisive.
a good example of this would be when it's time to choose a paint color.

in january i started renovating our dining room. the renovations involved tearing down wallpaper, wiping down the walls, spackling and sanding. and, i'm proud to say that i think the walls are ready to be primed and painted {i may have to do one more wall-washing.}

so, onto the fun part, right?

not so fast. there's the paint color. i'm down to two...i think.

i'm really into benjamin moore paint color lately. i don't know why. it might be that i'm completely smitten with the town where the closest benjamin moore store to me can be found.

in any case...i'm trying to choose between barley and cornsilk. barley was featured in pottery barn during fall 2006. cornsilk during spring 2007. i often use the catalogs as inspiration...the colors have such a clean, fresh look. the dining room gets a decent amount of light, especially in the afternoon...so i don't want it to be exceedingly bright. any thoughts...anyone? {i realize the picture isn't the best...sorry...!}

pse hell.

well...i've been away and busy. i know i've become a bad blogger. i've actually been trying to pretty-up my blog, but it's not going too well, as you can see!!! i spent two hours in photoshop...trying to figure out layers, etc. and...ACK! my head is swimming.

if anyone can recommend some excellent resources, i'd greatly appreciate it. i attempted to google some information, but couldn't find the kind of help i'm looking for.

i've been trying to get rid of the title page element {which seems to be making my banner wider}, and i can't do that. i also tried {and couldn't figure out} how to add digital patterned paper to the blank banner i started in photoshop. it's all so frustrating and i wish i had the extra time to spend in order to figure it all out!

anyway...hopefully i will be back soon with either a better banner or a random post. =)

friends.

today i feel compelled to write about something that has been on my mind, troubling me since earlier this week. a very, close friend of mine finally connected with me after months of little to no communication. she and i met when we were six or seven years old, and it took until high school before we really bonded and became good friends. we graduated high school, and our paths separated as we went to different colleges. and, in the years since, we've moved many times, changed phone numbers, made new friends, married...but, we've always stayed connected. i am so honored to have this person in my life, as she is one of the sweetest and most unselfish individuals you'd ever meet. needless to say, i consider her one of my best friends and even more priveleged that she is my daughter's God-Mother. it's not unusual that a month will pass by and we won't talk over the phone or even correspond via email. more often than anything, we exchange voicemails. but, the scarcity of those voicemails...and phone calls...and emails...even around the holidays...had me really worried since last fall.

when my phone rang on monday, i debated on letting it go...after all, i had errands to run and that precious window of time get the to-do's done before lunch and my daughter's nap. but, i felt compelled to pick it up and i'm so grateful i did.
i spent the next sixty-plus minutes on the phone with her, listening to rather upsetting news as she informed me of why she hadn't called and what was going on in her life. needless to say, it felt like i needed to board a plane...

my heart really goes out to her right now. i obviously cannot disclose the nature of her situation or the details of what she's enduring right now; however, i am so thankful that her health is okay. however, i am shocked, upset and have been very worried ever since our conversation, and it's hard to have faith enough to let go and trust that, somehow, she'll find her way and things will work out for her.

i don't normally chat about religion. i find that it's a bone of contention with many people. everyone has their own walk, their own faith. and, that's cool. growing up, i went to a non-denominational private school. i went to church. prayed before i went to bed. read the Bible. participated in youth groups. went to christian roller skating night at a roller rink a few towns away from mine. i probably am not as devout as i once was and ought to be {i say shamefully}. i am finding my way back though. the point of all of this is...there is a song that i remember from those times...and the lyrics popped into my head after i spoke with my dear friend. and these lyrics have been there ever since. the song is "friends" by michael w. smith. and, well, i've reprinted the lyrics because they pretty much sum up how i feel about the few, tight, "best" friends i have and the relationship i have with them.

it takes a lot of faith to let go and trust that even when your paths depart, you'll stay close. even when you get those phone calls with really bad news. good OR bad...there is something amazing about the impact a good friend has on your life. a simple phone call or email does wonders, even when your friend can only listen to your troubles, because, sometimes, no advice can be given. it's also an amazing thing to be able to do the same for them.

you may be seeing some good friends this weekend. or next week. whenever you do, hold them dear. listen to their thoughts...idle cares or serious troubles. let them know you're there foro them. just be you. it goes a long way...

friends

lyrics by deborah d. smith
music by michael w. smith

Packing up the dreams God planted,
In the fertile soil of you,
Can't believe the hopes he's granted,
Means a chapter in your life is through,
But we'll keep you close as always,
It won't even seem you've gone,
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways,
Will keep the love that keeps us strong.

And friends are friends forever,
If the Lord's the Lord of them.
And a friend will not say never,
'Cause the welcome will not end.
Though it's hard to let you go,
In the Father's hands we know,
That a lifetime's not too long,
To live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given,
Springing from the hope we know,
We will pray the joy you'll live in,
Is the strength that you now show,
But we'll keep you close as always,
It won't even seem you've gone,
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways,
Will keep the love that keeps us strong.

on a side note...just a quick thanks to all those who stop by my blog and read my ramblings and leave a nice comment. i really appreciate your creativity, your uniqueness...i hope you all have a great weekend.

'til next time. =)

frozen eggs.

i hope everyone had a wonderful weekend {even if you don't celebrate Easter!}.

if the Easter bunny came through our area, he would've frozen his little cottontail off. it was mighty cold this weekend and left me wondering...where is spring?
all the signs are there...budding trees...daffodils...hyacinths...blooming cherries, plums, dogwoods & magnolias...but, now many of these pretties are bitterly clinging on as the chilly winds bring a reminder that winter did not end very long ago. ironically, it was colder on Easter than it was here on Christmas day. and, there were plenty of snow showers here on saturday and sunday. guess it's a good thing i left a few sweaters folded up in the closet...

despite the cold temps, we had a very nice Easter. we have made it a tradition to join in on the Easter festivities at my husband's aunt's home. she throws a ridiculously delicious brunch full of rich foods that i can't even being to describe. {my personal favorite is the mouth-watering french toast she makes with thick slices of sweet, raisin bread...yummy!}. we have such a great time visiting with family...

we had a little trouble getting our daughter to adjust to the crowd yesterday. hubby's aunt lives in a small cape cod...and everyone arrived at the same time, so it was a bit of an overload. but...she eventually warmed up and was playing with plastic eggs in no time. the easter egg hunt...well, it didn't last too long. like i said...it has been pretty cold here! so...no outdoor pictures of the Easter egg hunt...{i'm so upset by this too...my daughter was still in shell-shock over the number of people at Easter brunch and wasn't too into the egg hunt at that point}.

on monday i went through a bit of de-tox from sunday's sumptuous foods. water...plenty of water...and light on everything. was it worth it? absolutely. and, that's why that type of brunch only comes once a year.

did i mention how much i adore my daughter's Easter dress? pretty shades of green and pink blended into a fun, summery plaid. we actually bought it last year, on sale, from janie and jack...we don't shop there normally as the prices are a bit steep...but we timed it right last year, saw the dress and picked it up for her with the intent that she wear it this summer. when i started going through her closet a few weeks ago, packing away clothing she had outgrown and getting her springy stuff out, i saw the dress and didn't think one second about using it for Easter until my hubby mentioned it to me. perfect! i love the fact that i know she'll be able to wear it again too...that's such a bonus.

i confess we forgot to bring our camera with us yesterday. so, i snapped some pictures when we came home. my daughter isn't one to stay still {like her mommy}, but i did my best.







i really didn't want to cut my daughter's hair, but i'm thinking she may need bangs. barrettes aren't working anymore and she's too active to keep them in {as well as mischievious...she gives me this wicked smile and pulls them out right afterward}. i know i'm going to cry when she does get her hair cut...

on a completely unrelated note, i'm off this afternoon to go picking through garbage.

yes...i do this for pure, unaldulterated fun.

*ah-hem*

seriously though...i'm pretty sure my daughter threw out a piece of her toy {she's fascinated with the garbage and the concept of throwing things in there without fully grasping that once it's in there, it's meant to stay...}.

so, i'm going to go pull on some plastic gloves and hold my breath.

i'd rather be running...

hope you have a great week!

and, p.s., another CTMH peakie for you below:

reading.

reading is something i love to do...when i have the time to do it. i used to voraciously read when i was a teen. especially history. i've never been a big fan of mathematics, but put on a documentary about the revolutionary or civil war and i'm there {...yep, i know some of you are snoring now...}. i guess since college, reading has fallen to the wayside...big time...

but i try to make it a point to read one or two news articles on the web.
and this is an interesting read...i'm halfway through it too.

here's some other fun stuff i dipped into the past few days.



and here's what i'm going to browse through next:



i LOVE bon appetit...it's one of my current subscriptions. {yay! it's still in its wrapper}. gourmet is another one i subscribe to, but i think i don't think i'll renew...just a lot of travel, arts and leisure thrown into a ton of exotic cooking that...well...i just don't have time for. and...let's face it...my days of extensive, international traveling are on hold until the college tuition{s} are paid up. {*gulp*...so, what DO you think college will cost in 15 years...???}. actually...i've never been overseas. something i'd love to do someday, but...for now...

in other news...yes, you DID see correctly...a new CTMH Idea Book has been issued brimming with all the goodness of summer and more! i've got a few pics here of some fabulous new stamps, embellishments and chipboard that are just hot...i can't wait to try some of these out!







wow...so much fun...!
there's just sooo much more that i want to post, but it's too late here. i think i'll post some more pictures in another post in a few days...

in the meantime...sweet dreams to all...i'm off to read...
=)

p.s. by the way...never did get that chipwich...!
p.p.s. i hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

chipwich

mmmm...hi all....

very short blog today...

i'm craving one of these right now.
it's rainy and yucky outside so we're house-bound...and i think i'm off to go work on the dining room reno.

hope it's sunny where you are! =)

ramblings.

hi.

i know i haven't posted anything in awhile. little tired here. last week was so very full of many things going on and blogging was the last thing on my list.

we spent the weekend celebrating DH's birthday. he requested a key lime pie instead of a traditional cake {or the brownie pyramid i made a few years back with three types of brownies}. i fervishly made the pie friday afternoon and finished it off with a the vanilla-rum whipped topping. viola! we have pie.




{pardon the yucky flash photo and yellowish results in the 2nd photo...}



okay. so, my daughter has a new "oddity" i have to talk about because it's really just very cute & funny.
i cooked her up some farfalle {bow-tie pasta} for lunch yesterday and after i prepared everything, mixed in some parm and set it down in front of her, she started "inspecting" it {i always love this move she makes...as if she needs a royal taste-tester to make sure the food isn't poisoned}. i went to go grab my lunch {of yogurt} and while we sat together i noticed that she only eats half of the bow-tie. what does she do with the other half? well, thankfully she did not throw it down on the floor in a fit of discontent. but, the other half just sits on her tray...the symbol of a little, rejected specimen from her meal. i even tried to persuade her to eat it...popped it on the fork to make it more exciting. no dice. the kiddo does NOT want the other half of that farfalle. the photo's a little blurry, but...you get the point...!



::sigh::

on a completely random note, i'm making it a point to read more current events. i don't know about you, but sometimes the only way i know about things going on in the world is the 5 minutes i spend listening to the morning news as i'm waking up in the morning, before i get my daughter...or through my husband who religiously reads the newspaper and online news. so, i thought this was interesting. and this. this is just unbelievably amazing. {read the 5th paragraph}. this was...different...

there...i've done some reading for monday...and even a little more.

it's a gorgeous day, so i'm headed off to run and work off some of that winter flab. ick.

results.

after some deliberation, i think i'm going with this doormat and this welcome sign:





thanks to all who dropped a note and an opinion. =)

also...some pics of my most recent layout. i thought i'd go outside my comfort zone and do more handwritten journaling, but i'm not sure i am happy with the end result. i don't know if it's because of the color of the journaling or the thickness of the journaling pen i used. ack! anyway...







papers that i used in this layout are the sugar & spice line from CTMH. many of the fun embellies you see here are courtesy of some fun RAKs i've received or swaps i've participated in. when i started this layout, i managed to exacto-knife myself by switching the blade out into the base of my index finger. let me tell you...it REALLY hurt. my finger still hurts a little whenever i bend it or clench my hand. hmmm...not a positive sign, but i'm hoping it heals! {i've gotta be more careful with that thing}.

i'm also starting to think about scrapbooking organization. one of the reasons i love CK magazine is the organizing section by denise pauley. her new book looks interesting. what is your favorite scrapbooking organizing technique?
{or any organizing technique for that matter}.

have a great week!

'round here.....{cast a vote!}

hi all...

we've been so busy 'round here. {when is it not busy, right?}.
hubs had bad food poisoning over the weekend. fortunately, he has recovered quite a bit.

yesterday was GORGEOUS! 75+ degree weather. i took my daughter outside to go on the swingset and she nearly lost her mind with all the good fun we had on the swing and the slide.



i got to wear flip-flops. it was wonderful! what a tease though...we're getting a cold front and snow...or sleet...or rain...gotta love meteorology. you can be in that profession and be wrong almost always...and never really get in trouble for it.

so, bummer! must wait patiently for that awesome san diego-esque weather to finally arrive...before the humidity does. we rarely get a true spring...it'd be nice to have more days like yesterday.

on to other news...i'm trying to pick out a doormat. i'm pretty indecisive when it comes to most purchases, especially for the home...i stand there and debate whether or not the item would go with my home decor. then, by the time i decide it's something that would be great in my house...it's gone. or i wait and forget about it. well, indecisiveness has kicked in and i'm trying to pick out a doormat. i've found a couple and i may have a favorite, but why not put it to a vote?
i'd love to hear which ones you like out of all the photos posted below. i know it may not be your taste, but i'd love to hear thoughts...

i've been asked about style, and what kind of "style" we use to decorate...and i can't really pin it down. it's like pottery barn meets cottage/country living. not really traditional...not modern...not colonial...and not cutsey country. there's nothing wrong with any of those things. it's just not us. we love the beach, but it's not a prominent theme in our place.







i've always liked the thought of a pineapple accents here and there {not everywhere} as it has the "welcome" affiliation. i'm just not sure a pineapple doormat would be overkill with say, something like this:



so...do you notice how i'm already over-thinking this simple purchase?

my new layout is coming along. i love it already. it's just been pretty hard to sit down and finish. i don't know if i'll get to it before the weekend. but, i'll post it as soon as it's done. promise.

i'm also participating in a swap of music you listen to when you scrapbook. i've got the songs picked out...i just need to burn the CDs...and make the artcover for the jewel case. at this rate...it's going to have to be something cute & easy. there's not a lot of time left to get them done.

other stuff...the madness begins!!! my husband's family has a tradition of filling out fantasy brackets for march madness. i don't even remeber who i picked last night...and, i really didn't have time to read the dozens of articles written about the favorites, the sleepers, the cinderellas...i think i picked florida to win in the final championship games. yikes...? was this a good call? not sure!!! all i know is the insanity has begun...and i've got a lot of other stuff to do in the meantime. =)

have a great week!

you've got mail.

or i've got mail...
anyway, today was a great mail day. not overly heavy on the junk mail. no bills.
my april issue of bon appetite came in with a lip-smacking photo of a lemon meringue pie gracing the glossy cover. {must read that later...}. AND...and, and, and...
two fun, scrappy packages.
the first was from kelly, who sent me a bunch of scrapbooking goodies i won from her recent RAK drawing.


{unfortunately, the picture does not do the package justice}. thanks, kelly! this RAK was super generous and i look forward to putting these embellies to good use.

i also got my CTMH personal business order in. i plan on using a lot of their new spring items in a few layouts, including some sweet stamps, papers, stickers, ribbons and more. march is stampaganza month - buy 2 stamp sets and get a third free...so, it's a great time to grab a few sets and get some freebies too! awesome stuff. love their font stamps. =)



other stuff...whew! there's been a lot going on, so i haven't had a chance to update my blog with random stuff {until today} or scrapbook much. my husband was traveling last week and, unfortunately, the stomach bug relapsed on my daughter. she was sick friday, throwing up, and then saturday, with a high fever. now, we've got major teething issues going on...her eye-teeth are cutting and she's just miserable...chewing on everything you can name...chairs, her toy stove, stairs {yes, stairs}. i think this has been worse than when the molars were cutting and coming in.

we're running up to my inlaws tonight for dinner to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday. i made a 4-layer {they're thin layers} dutch chocolate cake with whipped cream filling, milk chocolate frosting and a crumbly layer of chopped snickers {her favorite candy} to adorn the top. {let me tell you...cutting a cake layer in half is NOT as easy as it looks in the pictures, especially with no skewars to guide you!}.



hope everyone has a great day and hopefully i'll be posting more soon. =)

slowly....slowly....

just like the new year can start off slowly, so can projects. for anyone who's been following my blog, i started to renovate my dining room in january. here's just an update of the project. it's been a steady process filled with *sick* and *busy* breaks inbetween. but, it's getting done...slowly. and, it's been frustrating me recently because i want to see the finished project. there's just so much to do.



i have started taking down the lower portion of wallpaper though. hubs removed the chair-rail, which allowed me to start taking down the rest of the paper...but there's a sticky, gluey residue on the wall when the wallpaper comes off. UGH! so, i have to wash down the walls as well. {hmmm...maybe this will help me tone my upper arms for the summer...}. still have to spackle and sand after the wallpaper is off. and possibly re-prime. i really wanted to do this project, start to finish, by myself, but it's just taking too long. so, i've enlisted hubby's help. probably not this weekend, but hopefully the following weekend, the two of us can work on it a bit. in the meantime, i'll plod along with the remaining wallpaper.

in other news, i've been planning my next layout. not scrapping as much as i should be, but tonight i'll give it a shot. i think the title of it will be "little you". here's just a sneak of the things i've thrown together in preparation:

what really takes me the longest time in completing a layout is positioning the paper. some people breeze right through this. i just play around. it's sometimes a tough call because there are so many possibilities.
so, i'll be spending the last february evening of 2007 scrapbooking - with any luck or energy. hooray! tomorrow is march and we're that much closer to spring, cherry blossoms and things getting GREENER!

in anticipation of warmer weather {which is still a bit away}, i picked up this cute little outfit for my daughter at babygap.

i love babygap sales. =) i think it'll look cute. i don't know why but i have so much more fun shopping for my daughter than for myself. probably because the clothing is cuter. i mean, c'mon, who wouldn't want butterfly applique on their capris? =) if i had the extra time {insert laugh}, i'd love to learn how to make my own clothing, drapes, etc. i think it'd be so fun to make whatever you wanted to wear or do something decorative for the home from scratch. since that's not going to happen anytime soon, i guess that means i'll just have to be fairly dedicated in shopping the sales like everyone else.

cheers!

good things.

{nope, this isn't an excerpt from martha stewart living}.

just a rash of good things lately that have me, as my daughter would say, "happy, happy, happy!". i'm not a positive person, by nature. and, the past year has been a difficult one for us {so, it didn't do much to help me in my pursuit of being more positive about things}. we FINALLY sold our townhome. it's been on the market for almost a year. a very hot real estate market went cold on us just as we relocated to a new part of the state and moved into a new home. it meant 6 months of footing two mortgages. lots of fights. lots of tears. lots of frustration. we got the good news last weekend and locked things up early last week. yesterday we came out of attorney review. and, we will close in march. ::sigh:: my husband and i are exhausted from this experience. i think if we can avoid moving - EVER - again, we'll try.

i also received a lovely surprise on friday from friend, jillian, who sent me the sweetest valentine's care package. it was filled with hand-crafted goodies, yummy ribbons and even a "bitty bag o'fun", like stamps, pearl string, more ribbon and flowers.
here's a little piece of the fun:



a huge thanks to jillian for putting this package together. it was the last thing i expected, especially at the end of a long, drawn-out, emotional week. what a pick-me-up!

now that things are leveling off a bit, i want to dip back into scrapbooking. i've been experiencing this wave of exhaustion now that a huge stress has been lifted off our shoulders. i made some valentine's day cards last week...does that count? the picture on the top of this post is a quick shot of the detailing on one of my cards.

it's been fantastically warm today with temps in the 50's. love it! i'm sure we have more cold and snow in store before i can officially break out short-sleeve shirts and flip-flops, but i'll take what i can get now. all these thoughts of spring have me thinking of a swap i'd like to do towards the end of next month. anyone interested? it'll be themed...and fun. more details later.

oh, and happy chinese new year to all {which was officially sunday}. i have a feeling it's going to be a good year. or, is that just the luck 'o the pig talking? =)

sweet.

hi, all. i've been bad at blogging lately. there's just been so much going on. some good. some that has me in a funk. most importantly, though, the family is getting better. we were all sick...yes, again...last week; but, hubs and daughter had it the worst. DH was diagnosed with bronchitis last week and is getting better. DD had something similar, plus an ear infection, so she finished up the antibiotics today. it's so good to see them on the mend...
i participated in a fun ribbon, buttons & flower swap through the poppy ink boards and got my swap stuff yesterday. it was really a nice pick-me-up too. my swap "partner" was sarah rice and she was terrific at it. my swap package came all nicely organized in a little case with divided sections. sarah - what a terrific idea you've given me for future RAKs and swaps...

i felt badly that i didn't have a load of flowers to pass on her way, but oddly enough, it's like she knew that and i received a plethora of them.
when you get a chance, stop by sarah's blog. she's also a DT member for eye candy kits. so, stop by there, too, and check out her awesome layouts in the eye candy gallery.
anyway, sarah, thank you, again. this was such a sweet surprise. =)

cherish.

well, part of this post relates to the title and part of it doesn't.
what a weekend! my family has been hit by, as i have dubbed it, "the plague".
hubs came home on friday, complaining about the nausea he had all day at work. i manifested his symptoms and then some, so by saturday morning, the bathroom became my closest companion. fortunately, our relationship was short-lived...by saturday afternoon, we started parting ways.

amelia's been haunted by head and chest congestion and we took her to the doctor this morning after about a week of monitoring it all. turns out that she has a slight ear infection in one ear, so we'll be giving her amoxicillan for the next 10 days. hopefully, that'll help with the chronic coughing and congestion issues too.

even though he did get the stomach bug to full-blown proportions, hubs still has a body-rattling cough. if he reads this, i hope he has called the doctor's office like he said he would. =)

yuk...i really hate the winter. and its germs.

on a lighter note, i finished my latest layout. whew! this one took some work. i used the basic sketch from basic grey's january 2007 newsletter.



journaling reads:

"Moments, like the one in this picture, are meant to cherish. We went to meet your cousin, Sam, and we were all having such a nice time with all the family around...you were lying on Pop-Pop's tummy...and at 6 months, your hair still had a red tint to it. I love everything about this picture...your big, blue eyes...your sweet, paisley shirt...and, yes, the crazy, chicken fuzz strawberry blonde hair."

lots of work - stitching and the closest encounter of the exacto-kind.






i was on the fence about stitching around every circle, but i *think* i'm content with the end result - it's more freestyle for me this way.

thanks for dropping by!