House Of Henrie

Parenting is hard.

2012-01-30T15:06:00.000-05:00

I think parenting is hard. You probably do too.

Lately my focus has been my first born. He receives special services through the school (which you may know if you have read my blog for any length of time, but assuming you dont remember all the important details of my life...) and the last couple weeks I noticed something.

Tons of school work coming home, completed, but lots of it marked wrong! This might not be a big deal to some, but when your kid goes to the 'resource room' for 'special' help everyday, you kinda expect their work to come home in decent shape.

So I have been making a series of phone calls, and battling personal guilt and negative self talk about my skills as a parent...How did I miss this for so long? Why do I not know the names of ALL the many teachers who help Jed with his work each day? And of course, anger toward people who I trust to educate my child. So, this week I have a couple meetings with teachers, and the principal, to straighten it all out. Plus an eye appointment for Mr. Jed to see if his prescription has worsened. We will also add a dr visit to talk about possible medications to help ease Jed through his day.

It truly is always something.

Patriots, Politics, and Parents

2012-01-24T16:42:00.001-05:00

I was raised by patriots. True, good ole, hard working patriotic parents. We flew our flag on holidays, my dad served in the Army during war time, and my mom taught me how to file my own taxes when I was 15.

I am disappointed in the turn America is taking. I recently flew out to Indiana to visit with my dad and while in the airport, while taking off my shoes and standing vulnerably in a full body scanner, all I could think was, "those terrorists are laughing at us." Seriously.

Is the media really going to crab and complain and pick on Mitt Romney's taxes? Really?

1. He paid taxes. Thats more than some people living in America do.

2. He earned a shitload of money...good for him! Uh...considering the debt this country is in, I would much rather have an intelligent business man doing the country's budget and overseeing finances than the guy spending money we Americans DONT have now. Just think if Mitt applies his knowledge of economics to our government's money like he does his own!!?? Shazam!

3. Celebrities give tons of money to charity to reap the tax benefits all the time!

4. If you dont think Mitt should have applied various tax laws and loopholes to hang on to his money, then dont claim your Child Tax Credit, or EIC, or itemize your medical expenses. Cause I am pretty sure we all try to hang on to our money too!

The whole point of living the good American life, is to do what you want, exercise freedom and make your own choices based on the opportunities you seek out. I dont know when we got lost and forgot the meaning of hard work, and a day's earned wages. This is not the country of handouts and laziness... or at least it wasnt when I was being raised...

Pespective, a year later.

2012-01-01T19:31:00.001-05:00

Last January, I was preparing for a big change in our family. We had decided we wanted to move to Utah. Only, I got really antsy and didnt want to wait for the time frame Erick thought made sense. So by February, I was rushing across the country, with my 3 kids in tow and the dog.

As the anniversary of that decision is here, I find myself reflecting A LOT on that experience. I had intended to use my blog as a place to record and remember...only, life as a working mom without Erick around proved to wear me out so I didnt have a lot of time for blogging. boo. It was a year of amazing growth for me as an individual, and for Erick and I as a couple, and for the 5 of us as a family.

Last year, I blogged:

In this new year, I look forward to shifting my focus from stressful and unhealthy self-doubt, discouragement, and negative thoughts, to working toward a life full of promise, love and confidence in myself.

Last year's blog post on Perspective, here.

Its interesting to read that today. When I think about my experiences over the past year, I can see where I was pushed to get past self-doubt {You have to when you are the sole care-giver for your children, you have to just make decisions, no second guessing!}. There has not been a lot of room for discouragement and negative thoughts, though the trial was there. {Life was lonely everyday without my best friend by my side - Erick was apart for 6 months - People questioned and criticized our decisions} But we pushed on. Our reunion as a family was full of joy and happiness.

This part of our family journey is not done. We are still working things out and rebuilding a life. But its been wonderful! The challenges seem like such a small price to pay for the reward. A job for Erick that he enjoys and feels confident and important, the kids and me, working on our relationships with each other each day.

When I look back on the trip here: driving 24 hours with the kids in 3 days, at one point in a real blizzard, with zero visibility, its a miracle the kids were content and cooperative! But we endured, and pushed through rough times. I realize that things are so good right now, that I forget that these good times are the result of fervent prayers and faith that all would be well.

This year, I want to continue my commitment to living a life that is stronger, more confident, and and fulfilling. Both for myself and my family as a whole. Here's to another great year!

2011-12-27T17:47:00.001-05:00

Merry Holidays!!!

Tech Perks

2011-12-06T10:36:00.000-05:00

I have to blog about a couple features that are offered by my doctors office and pharmacy that I really like. We have an abundance of technological advances at our disposal, and sometimes its overwhelming, or time-wasting. A few things that have actually made my life easier...

1. My dr office allows me to access my charts online. I can look at my test results, see what exams I have had, and I even got an email when new test info was posted.
2. Pharmacy texts! I get a text when my prescriptions are ready. I love this. I was picking one up the other night, and was told 20 minutes, but it actually only took about 9! 10 minutes of my time that I didnt have to waste! So cool.
3. Just as I signed in to blog about this today, I noticed that I can send an email to a special email address, and blogger will post the email as a blog post! I can also text blog posts as well. This means if I have something I want to share, I can just do it when I think of it! Kinda fun.

A December Freebie!

2011-12-01T15:50:00.003-05:00

Happy December! Wow! My to-do list just got a little hectic with the arrival of December.

In celebration of this magical time of year, I have a little goodie for you. I made up this cute little phrase for all you "pinners" out there! I know my holidays are going to be full of "pinspiration" with a lot of my recipes and decorations coming from the Pinterest site. If you are not yet familiar with Pinterest, check it out! It is fun, addicting, time wasting, and yet, productive, if you actually do some of the projects you discover. So grab this cute file, share, laugh at it, and enjoy this holiday season!

The frame came from a digital kit from Scrap Orchard.

Ella

2011-11-19T13:20:00.001-05:00

Ella got her hair cut! She has needed bangs for a while... This works.

Spooky treats

2011-11-01T13:39:00.001-04:00

Here are some more spooky pics of the kids in all their Halloween madness!

Spooky preview

2011-10-31T17:24:00.001-04:00

Killer photos on their way. Here's a glimpse of Pop rock Ella!

Girls rule.

2011-10-27T18:01:00.001-04:00

I love my little girl! Some days she makes me crazy, today i put forth the effort to enjoy her and make sure she felt loved...so far it's paid off.

Spiritual Pondering

2011-10-12T18:38:00.000-04:00

One of the highlights in any given day for me is a chat on the phone with one or both of my sisters. Lately its usually my oldest sister, as our other sister is fervently working full-time outside her home...we miss her! Anyway, Vic and I have been having fun chats, and sometimes deeper discussions as we wind our way through our lives.

Today we had an enlightening chat about our faith and some recent council and talks from our church leaders, which we call General Conference. After talking today, I wanted to go back and read some more of these wonderfully spiritual talks. One I read focused on the importance of family and children, and I had to laugh out loud at this part, where the speaker mentions a phrase that I have been asked on more than one occasion...not that I have many children, only 3! but I think that they look so close in age that they seem like twins or triplets.

"As the world increasingly asks, "Are these all yours?" we thank you for creating within the Church a sanctuary for families, where we honor and help mothers with children." -Neil L Andersen

It's always wonderful and reassuring to be reminded that the work I do, in my home is for good and smiled upon by my Father in Heaven.

Pie!

2011-10-12T15:15:00.001-04:00

This is the Apple Cream Pie from Pillsbury.com...it's crazy easy and so good!

Scraps of time

2011-10-08T20:01:00.001-04:00

I'm testing out the blogger app for iPhone...with that, here is a page I did last night for a sketch over at sassy lil sketches.

400

2011-10-04T15:19:00.000-04:00

Happy 400th post to me! Wow! Im glad I am still here blogging away after all this time.

For the past few days I was on a trip, more of business than of leisure. I had loose ends to tie up and family to see. It was a quality trip, lots done in a short amount of time, especially thanks to my big sister who has helped us a lot over the past many months.

Due to my trip being short, I really didn't want to spend too much time on the computer, I needed to be busy hugging and playing with my nieces and nephews...and working. I have to say, it was REALLY nice to take a break from the media. I sat down this morning and scrolled through Facebook posts....I really wasn't overjoyed to be back on there. I checked in with my blog reader update and didn't feel really enlightened by what I read. It was nice to check in with people I care about and enjoy reading about, but, after I was done, I was kinda like, meh. I also noticed I get hardly any quality email. A few notes from a friend or two, but most of it was the junk email I subscribe to.

This was all a great eye-opener. I don't really need all this technology and media. Meh. I think I am going backwards, scaling back on the computer. I want to use it for fun graphic design projects, my personal blog space...which is mine. I get to do my thing, my way. I like that. So Im looking forward to some changes...I blame the red and orange bursts of fall sprinkling my mountain views...The season is here, my favorite one of all, and Im excited to see it in this new place.

Up! and other Adventures!

2011-09-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a fun one!

Saturday morning I got up and took Ella with me to a scrapbook expo here in town. They have a few around the state each year. This one was perfect for Ella and I because it was not ginormous, but it was a lot of fun! I hesitated to take Ella, thinking I really wanted time alone, she would slow me down, and ask for stuff. Well, she did ask for stuff, but most of things she wanted were around a dollar, so it was easy to get her a few things and keep her happy. Then, she turned out to be a 'free stuff' magnet. Many of the booths had little free things they were happy to give a cute girl in pig tails. She got a kick out of this and was very polite. Im glad she has an interest in my hobbies!

Then Saturday afternoon Erick took the kids out so I could just chill at home for a little while. I guess these are early birthday presents! Which works for me. :) When he returned we took the kids to the library, we all had books we wanted to get. When we pulled out of the library I looked up and said, "It's the UP house!!" Ahead of us I could see the bold colors of a house that has been in the local news lately. As part of the parade of homes here, a builder did a replica of the house from the movie Up. I asked Erick if we could drive by, and low and behold they were having an open house! We all got a kick out of walking through. The kitchen was my favorite room with cute bright blue retro appliances...sorry no pics of that one. And we liked the craftsmanship, so we will file that builder away for future reference.

The kids ran all over the place but were mostly pretty good. On the way back, we stopped at a local farmer's small market and bought raspberries and watermelon. It felt like the perfect day! Lots of fun...

Sunday, we decided to sluff church and drove up to Ogden. Erick is from Ogden, and we showed the kids his stomping grounds, and I learned a few things about E that I didn't know. We drove past his mom's last house, her little condo where we visited her a few times and where we shared her last moments on earth with her. It was a lot more emotional for me than I thought. We then went and visited her grave and that of Erick's grandparents as well. It was cathartic for everyone and the kids were really sweet and interested in everything that Erick had to share with them about his mom.

My birthday is this week, and 3 days later would be his mom's 58th birthday, so it was an honor to remember her a little extra this week.

By the numbers

2011-09-07T15:29:00.000-04:00

Random bits of information:
1 month from today my daughter turns 7 on the 7th.
1 week ago Jed turned 9.
1 week from today I turn 32.
Daisy is 9, she will be 10 in December.
My cub scouts that I get to hang with today are all 9. We are going to play charades.
1 AA battery was thrown at my head today.
9 is a popular number today, Im pretty sure thats how many loads of laundry I've done in the last two days.

Like I said, random bits.
Isn't daisy aging so beautifully? I love her.

Back to Crafts

2011-08-20T13:06:00.000-04:00

Life is feeling really dang good these days, so last Sunday I found my crafty groove and dug around my dusty pile of scrap supplies and made a couple things. I was feeling rusty in my skills, so I went to some of my favorite inspirational places on the Internet and participated in a couple of challenges to get me motivated.

For this card, I used The August Week 2 Sketch over at Sassy Lil Sketches.

For this layout I did have two different challenges in mind for it, I used the August Week 2 Layout Sketch for Sassy Lil Sketches, and Workout #49 at ScrapFIT had the challenge, put a banner on it. So it worked out well for both.

For my banner, I used a banner set of shapes from the Silhouette Studio store and cut them out on my cutter. I haven't used the thing in a while, and I really had fun getting back to my favorite crafty hobby.

The trouble with not having scrapped in a while is that these pictures are of Luke's first day of preschool last year, and he just started kindergarten! Oops. Time sure flies!

Luke's Big Day!

2011-08-07T23:19:00.000-04:00

Here is our little Luke (Fuzzy as we call him around here) on his first day of Kindergarten. I got a lot more choked up than I thought I was going to be, but he sure loves going and so I know hes ready! The best thing about Luke this year is that is his best buddy, his Cousin James, is in class with him! Doesn't get better than that.

Ella's First on First.

2011-08-07T23:10:00.000-04:00

Ella is so ready for first grade. She went full day for kindergarten in Indiana, so this half day(not even, more like, 2.5 hours) stuff was for the birds. Erick reports that she is miss social and is really doing great this year.

Dont worry, we already know we are in sooooo much trouble with this girl. :)

Jed

2011-08-07T22:57:00.000-04:00

Jed is growing up lighting fast before our eyes! We love this kid, and in just a few weeks he will be 9! Here he is hamming it up on his first day of 3rd grade.

So far Jed is doing well in 3rd grade, they are only getting started but we are super proud of him and all he does for our family. A highlight and big part of Jed's life right now is Cub Scouts. The big news at our house is that I get to be his Den Leader now through our church. Its a great program and I am glad that Jed still likes me enough to be super excited about this! :)
Here he is at a recent cub scout event.

Congrats to our Winner!!

2011-07-27T15:40:00.001-04:00

I have a winner of the uprinting.com flier giveaway! Thanks to those who participated! I am excited to announce that Erin is our winner!

Erin said:

Erin Lowden said...

I'd use them for my jewelry biz; send out discounts! Or maybe for baby announcement this fall ;)

July 22, 2011 11:19 PM

I am super excited that Erin won, she runs her own business, has a little boy and another baby on the way, and does all the leg work for a scholarship that we work on together with some old high school chums all while working full time, so shes awesome and could definitely use some free fliers!

Congrats to Erin!

Small and Simple Things

2011-07-24T06:00:00.002-04:00

A good bloggy friend of mine posted a great blog post this week about looking at the bright side of things. So I thought I would follow in her footsteps and share my own list of all the small and simple things in my life that I am so grateful for. Thanks for the inspiration Leslie!

First and briefly, let me share that here at our house we have some tough times at the moment. Kids are readjusting to life with daddy, Erick is not working yet, and I am the breadwinner for the time being. This can make for daily challenges that can get a person down at times.

That said, here are some things that I am so grateful for, every moment of the day!
1. Erick! Here, with us in the same house each and everyday.
2. Listening to the kids rough house with their dad.
3. I have a job! And they have been super accommodating in the last few months while I was a single mom.
4. Having family on the same street, just a few houses down. Quick runs for some milk, help moving furniture (mostly furniture they let me have or borrow), watching kids so I can run errands, they have been real lifesavers for me.
5. I finished my degree a few short months ago. Still feels awesome.
6. Luke, who makes me smile and knows how to work me over in a minute.
7. Ella, who drives me insane with her smarts, and I LOVE seeing how she does and will torment her father and I all the days of our lives!
8. Jed, who is so sweet and young, yet demands to be treated like Big Stuff...which has been my nickname for him all his little life.
9. A safe home and neighborhood and community.
10. Netflix! Laugh if you must, but it got me through many a lonely night while Erick was away, and continues to provide instant entertainment at a moments notice.
11. My iPod touch. Genius for kids at appts and meetings or long car rides to my work.
12. My sisters. For which I would be lost without. They are my soul sisters in every way. We are all different, but still the same.
13. My dad. Who has always been a Steady in my life. His lectures never falter, and his underlying message is always one and the same: He loves his girls.
14. My mother. Who has recently amazed me more than she ever has with her ability to rise above circumstance, and gets up every time she gets knocked down...and has been there for me, in her way always.
15. My stepmom, who should be declared a Saint, for she tolerates and tends to my 'under the weather' father, all the days of her life. :) And has always been there for me, when I need her, and has tolerated all us girls, at our worst and loves us still.
16. Friends, old and new, the value of a true friend never gets old, and is cherished now more than ever.
17. My sister-in-law, one in particular, who saved me from unfortunate situations this year, by giving of herself, a true gift I can never repay.
18. Sundays! I love them for their naps, but mostly for the opportunity to go to church and learn more about a faith and Gospel that I feel deeply for, and enjoy the gentle reminders of our Savior and all he has done.
19. Temples. They hold the secret to the meaning and purpose of life, and I look forward longingly to the next time I get to go.
20. Me. I finally like who I am, enjoy being me, and am sort of impressed with the path my life has followed in the past several years. I feel I am ending up at a place where my family will be challenged, tested, and then blessed beyond measure. It will all work out in the end.

"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill his promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur." (Preach My Gospel p. 117)

Rad Giveaway! Here! For YOU!

2011-07-19T00:38:00.002-04:00

Hello bloggers!!

I am super-de-dooper excited about this giveaway!! Mostly because ANYONE can enter, because the prize is totally rad and usable in about a bazillion ways!

I figure this is a great way to celebrate summer and the kickin' in gear of more blogging by me!!

STOP blabbing and tell the prize already! OK!!

Whats that you ask? Pretty rad fliers if you ask me!

UPrinting.com is sponsoring this giveaway for me, which is very exciting.
Here's whatcha get:

Nightclub Flyers / Flyers

250pcs. Flyers for one winner

4.25" x 5.5", 4" x 6"

14pt Cardstock Gloss, Front Only Printing

3 Business Days Turnaround

*Free Shipping

nightclub flyer templates and business flyer templates also available for download

Restriction: Limited to *US residents 18 years old and above only, and if you won this or a similar giveaway in the last 6 months, sorry you are not eligible this time.

Lets think of all the millions of reasons you might need fliers!

- moving announcements

- party invitations

- event announcements

- open houses

- baby/bridal showers

- charity events

- birth announcements

geesh, I have all kinds of ideas myself!

SO! Lets get started and please participate for your chance to win!

1. LEAVE a COMMENT on this post telling me your idea for needing 250 of these fliers and get an entry.

2. BLOG/FACEBOOK this giveaway on your blog or page for a second entry. *please leave two comments if you want two entries.

3. DEADLINE is JULY 25th, 2011 at MIDNIGHT!!

Good luck my readers! Thanks for being there lurking in the shadows like a superhero!
PS. need someone to DESIGN those fliers? hmm.....I might know someone. wink.

I should blog more.

2011-07-16T19:26:00.000-04:00

I should blog more. I am actually thinking about it and feeling it more than I have in a while...things like, hey that would make a good blog post. So hopefully I will 'be a better blogger' for the rest of the summer. We will see. Life is sure dang busy.

The last week or so I have been busy with the kids and my beloved! Its so nice to have Erick home. 5 months without him was too long for everyone. He is my new Manny. (Man Nanny) He makes me lunch for work each day and tends to the kids all day while I work. I actually dont mind it and if I made more money I think that would actually be pretty cool most of the time. I still miss those mommy kinds of things that I am so good at...but for now its actually a refreshing break for me and also for Erick after many a month of hard work out at his job. He's busy job hunting and hopefully things will keep progressing and changing for us, all for the better!

Let me tell you briefly what we did for the 4th of July...I took the kids over to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple lawn, where we sat on a big blanket and watched the entire Salt Lake Valley light up with fireworks! It was a lovely sight to behold! I am excited to do it again on July 24th when here in Utah the state gets excited for Pioneer Day!

I will dig out my camera and take pics too!

Know your candidate!

2011-06-24T23:22:00.000-04:00

These are amazing times in our country! We are truly lucky to be a part of the political process and to be given the opportunity to make choices and vote/voice our opinions. Today I hemmed and hawed over whether to even try to take the kids to a local event where my man Mitt would be visiting. I am so glad we made the quick drive to the little dive where he gave a motivating speech to a few hundred of us. The kids were super hot and complained the whole time! But thats ok, they were there. Later I showed them the media footage of his speech and said, guys, you were just a part of history! Think of the story you get to tell after he wins the election in 2012!!

And yes, I was looking to see if we made any footage, almost, but not! Darn!! We should have brought our fun-noodles! No one had any signs. The one heckler was really nuts about Mitt and was sort of annoying in this small town event. Oh well. I felt like Mitt really delivered his speech well, was comfortable and I liked what he had to say. Oh and he's super handsome in real life! I also loved the way he looked at his wife. They are too cute.

I took a little video while he was talking, and you can hear Jed say, "can we go yet??" And me say, "In a minute!" all irritated. :)

I have made a conscious decision to be more active in the voting process and to try to know more about the candidates, the current president, and make a choice on who I want to take America back! I hope you will do the same!

Romney for the Economy!

check out smilebooks

11 quality years!

2011-06-20T19:40:00.001-04:00

Erick and I have been married 11 years today! We've been through all kinds of life experiences and great and hilarious moments...I look forward to 111 more!

check out smilebooks
image credit here

Happy Fathers Day!

2011-06-19T22:00:00.001-04:00

I feel fortunate and blessed to have such great men in my life. My father, my husband, father in law, and even my brothers in law, who look after and care for my sisters' families. Lucky lucky me!

This year, fathers day kinda stinks! Erick is not here yet, my dad is far away and sort of grumpy with me because he is not able to fly to visit any time soon. Plus the kids got up early this morning, Jed with a sour stomache, and even the dog is sick. So. Mostly, this fathers day I am seriously missing Erick! boo.

MY problems aside, I am grateful to Erick for his hard work and sacrifice to keep this little family going. I was determined to make this year a big year of change for our family, and he has supported me and rode along for the crazy ride! Now that this year is nearly halfway done, I look forward to reuniting the kids with their big daddy. They all have big plans of what to do together! Im looking forward to all this summer will bring for our family!

check out smilebooks

Visit

2011-05-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago the husband came to visit.

He came to visit to help celebrate my graduation, and it was a wonderful weekend had by all!!

check out smilebooks!

A winner, a deal, and a freebie!

2011-05-22T13:14:00.000-04:00

Well everyone!! Thanks so much for entering my first blog design giveaway!! I have chosen a random winner from all the entries. But because you all contributed to spreading the word, and offered wonderful words of encouragement about my degree...I have to give back!

So today, everyone wins!!

First, our super lucky winner of the Darn Cute Package is none other than Debra, of Easily Distracted Debra. Congrats to Debra!!! Email me and we can discuss your blog and how to make it even cuter. (becca henrie @ gmail .com) Debra is getting a new custom header, a matching button, and fun little signature she can put in her blog posts and emails!! Lucky lady!

Second, So many of you want help with your blogs, and I would love to work with each one of you! I can't do it all for free, but I can give you a great deal as a thank you for playing along. So, anyone who purchases any of my blog services gets $5 off between now and June 22nd! If you pop over and look at my prices, thats a great discount! I'm offering the discount for a full month, because I'm hoping you all contact me and I have to give myself time to make each of your blogs super cute!

Third, we all blog right? I know you all probably spend lots of quality time reading and posting on blogs-I sure do! Its us bloggers who have really made the online community feel like home.
So if you dont have time to buy some custom blog goodness, thats ok, I totally understand! How about this cute button for your blog instead? Go ahead, grab it, use it, pass it along!

check out smilebooks

Awesome Giveaway Time!

2011-05-09T21:57:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that I graduated! This process took a few years, long nights, the full support of my kids and husband, and even a neighbor friend and sister who over the years really came through and helped make this all possible by watching kids, giving rides, and being awesome! In honor of this special event in my life I want to give back to my favorite community of friends. This means you! See below!

*You get 1 entry for leaving a comment on this post and being a follower. (if you already are a follower, remind me in your comment)
*You get 1 entry for blogging about the giveaway on your blog.
*You get 1 entry for sharing the post link on your facebook page. (friend me so I can verify...;)
*All entries will be pulled from my blog comments, so however you choose to share, leave a comment each time on this same post.

This contest ends on May 20th! Spread the word and you just might win!

Good luck!

check out smilebooks

Slow And Steady

2011-04-30T12:48:00.000-04:00

So, its not going to be offical until my prof plugs in all my {passing} grades, but I turned in the last of my homework this week! This marks not just the end of another long semester, but actually, the END of school...I'm going to have my degree!!! I have learned many things, and I am sure a post/graduation speech will be shared here in the next few weeks...but for now, let me say I know the importance of pacing yourself...slow and steady, just like the tortoise. There will be satisfaction in the work and the journey, and in the result at the end.

And now, from this picture, I have determined that I need an IN-N-OUT burger for lunch. ;)

check out smilebooks
photo courtesy here

Nu Foods

2011-04-17T20:26:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what took me so long to try this stuff. Maybe it was the word hazelnut?? Anyway, in a spirit of adventure, I picked up a jar of this stuff at the store this week. Its so good! But you probably knew that already huh? I have been spreading it on slices of french bread...Yummers! Jed likes it, and so does Ella, but neither one asked for seconds, and Luke wouldn't taste it. Fools. Ha! Thats ok, since its not cheap, its fine to be my little treat!

check out smilebooks!

Family History Sunday

2011-04-10T22:35:00.000-04:00

Must be the altitude, or the number of temples I see on a daily basis, but I spent two days here:

And enjoyed finding this man on our family history chart!

Brigham Young. Search more about him here.

One of his brothers is Erick's great-great-great-grandfather. Fun!

check out smilebooks

Out Like a Lion

2011-03-30T23:52:00.000-04:00

March is not really giving me a break, not really heading out like a lamb, but thats ok. I've got under the weather kids, senioritis, and insomnia...but alas...life is still good.

Why the sting ray? Well because! A couple weeks ago I took my kids to the local aquarium. They had a great time and the highlight by far as the touch pool where you could pet the stingrays. I thought this was so cool, and Jed really did too. They seemed to like him. It was a fun little place, not too big by any means, which is good for my short legged chickies... I got some not so good pictures, but I am sitting here with a dead battery and a lost card reader. Really. Should blog more I know, and stay on top of these things!!!

Oh, and here a plug for my work. Want to see an example of what I do? Check out this virtual tour! I didn't make the tour or take the pictures, I am an editor, so I made the pics all shiny and nice! Good times.

More to come, someday, when my blog makes it way back up my priority ladder! Ha!

Check out smilebooks

photo courtesy here

On My Soap Box

2011-03-20T22:17:00.000-04:00

What do you think of these soap boxes? Honest feedback please.

check out smilebooks

My Cub

2011-03-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

Me and my Cub at the Blue and Gold Banquet.

Photo actions by the Pioneer Woman.

check out smilebooks

Milestones and Miracles

2011-02-26T01:06:00.001-05:00

I have to talk about Nie Nie at least once a month on my blog, and I talk about her a lot more to people on the phone and in person. Watch her ski, and be amazed.

This week I got to visit one of her fave places, The Sweet Tooth Fairy, and got a VaNiella Cupcake (and lots more goodies) in honor of her. (Dangerously Delicious!!)

check out smilebooks

Peaceful moments

2011-02-17T22:18:00.001-05:00

You ever make a crazy and wild decision, and then wonder why the heck you did that?

I do. Sometimes. Last night I was troubled by my mind and fears and nerves, so I said a quiet prayer. Hoping for a gentle reminder. One didn't come. So at the end, I said, I will be waiting for the answer when it comes.

Today I got my reminder. Such a peaceful feeling.

I took the kids to the cub scout store today. I will described the cub scout program here as "hard core" vs. what I am used to. So we needed supplies to jazz up Jed's uniform. Pictures soon. Promise.

check out smilebooks

Grateful Sunday

2011-02-13T23:47:00.000-05:00

A few things I am grateful on this Sunday night:

1. Technological advances that work for the better of mankind. But mostly so I can communicate with family and friends whenever I want. And do school work from anywhere.

2. Children who giggle. My kids have been in a giddy state of hyper activity for about 2.5 days. They drive me nuts, but also crack me up.

3. Family. There's really nothing like it. I am blessed.

4. Friends. Old and new. A quick call from a old friend can make a person's day!

5. Beds. Take 'em for granted I do.

(did you notice these sentences kept getting shorter? I am tired.)

Check out Smilebooks

Chance and Change

2011-02-12T01:04:00.000-05:00

Right now some of my fave cards I have made are popping up on a friend's blog this week. The good news for you is that you have a chance to win them!! Drop by Melissa's Happy Quilting blog for more info! Good Luck! You have until February 17th!

Without overkill on the details, lots of changes going on in my corner of the world. So far, all is good and well. I am busy finishing up school, settling kids, and enjoying life. With hectic changes, a few things have been neglected. Those things are: 1. email (sorry people, Im getting caught up) 2. homework. (oops. not really a good one to get behind on) 3. phone calls to important people. 4. blogging. Hopefully things will continue to flow and I can get cracking on these areas.

Enjoy your weekend, and have a LOVE-ly valentines day! I wont be with my sweet valentine, going to have to be creative. :)

price list

2011-02-08T22:06:00.001-05:00

I now have a price list up for blog services. Because you are asking. Which is wonderful! Tell your friends. :)

Perspective

2011-01-25T08:00:00.006-05:00

You can watch the video of NieNie's talk here.

Such an inspirational treat.

I spend a lot of time talking about Stephanie Nielson. She amazes me, teaches me, inspires me, motivates me, and most of all, encourages me to be, me. A daughter of my Heavenly Father.

In this new year, I look forward to shifting my focus from stressful and unhealthy self-doubt, discouragement, and negative thoughts, to working toward a life full of promise, love and confidence in myself. As NieNie said, "There is no room for discouragement."

I suggest you watch this video, when you have 45 minutes to yourself, and a big honkin' box of tissues. It will change your life.

check out smilebooks

Utah Bits

2011-01-23T17:56:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I think Blogger gets the flu. I think today is one of those days. Im back home from my lovely trip to Utah. I had a wonderful time visiting family and friends.

Some highlights:

Ikea! Such a fun place, and I managed to leave only spending a few dollars. But I spent a million in my head. (photo from google)
Oquirrh Mountain Temple, which is literally down the road from where I was staying. (photo is from http://ldsphotoblog.com/)
Learning the value of Real Housewives; Atlanta and Beverly Hills.
Traveling alone, one of my super favorite things to do, seriously, no sarcasm there.

Its so nice to be back with the family, and hopefully we get to go back again soon!
Now that Im back, I have lots of school work to do (my last semesTAR!!), house work, and I had ordered some pictures while I was gone, so Im going to scrapbook soon! Yay!

Stay tuned for lots of fun Henrie happenings in the coming weeks!

check out Smilebooks

I did not fall off the planet...

2011-01-18T19:21:00.001-05:00

But I am on the other side of the country!

I am in Utah! I love it here. Long story for another day, but I do feel bad for my little blog and its lack of posts. Sorry about that. I will be working on that in the next 6 months or so, ok?

So, Im currently visiting family and friends out west, without kids and husband, and I am having a great time! I will be ready to go back and see my family this weekend though. I am missing them!

My friend Les tagged me on her sweet and inspiring blog, so I thought this was a good way to get a post in today.

1. if you have pets, do you see them as merely animals, or are they members of your family?
We have two pets, and one is definitely a member of the family, she even has her own fan club. Our sweet Golden, Daisy, who is entering her golden years. We also have a cat, and bless him, he's a turd, but also very sweet. 2. if you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
Gorsh, um, mostly, I want happiness for my family. That is a dream come true.
3. what is the one thing most hated by you?
I hate when people don't say excuse me when you are walking by each other, or around someone...so irritating!
4. what would you do with a billion dollars?
pay tithing, save, donate, share, help, and shop!!
5. what helps to pull you out of a bad mood?
quiet, deep breaths, laughing, my family. Unless they caused my bad mood! ha!

6. which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
both
7. what is your bedtime routine?
fall to the mattress and close eyes.

8. if you are currently in a relationship, how did you meet your partner?
we met at church
9. if you could watch a creative person in the act of the creative process, who would it be?
Jessica Sprague, I aspire to do what she does and I would love to see how she works.

10. what kinds of books do you read?
These days, school books. But I did just read Bill O' Riley's book, A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity. It was really interesting. Mostly I love a great novel or work of fiction.
11. how would you see yourself in ten years time?
Kids healthy and happy, sending Jed on a mission, working as my own boss.
12. what’s your fear?
failure

13. would you give up all junk food for the rest of your life for the opportunity to visit outer space?
um, hell no.

14. would you rather be single and rich or married, but poor?
married but poor. hands down. I've done it. It works. Its great!
15. what’s the first thing you do when you wake up?
stretch out my stiff and achy back.
16. if you could change one thing about your spouse/partner what would it be?
less snoring

17. if you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?
Awesome.
18. would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing that special someone has done? yup

19. if you could only eat one thing for the next 6 months, what would it be?
Pizza
I'm not tagging anyone else, but if you decide to play along, let me know! Thanks for visiting today!

check out Smilebooks

Where to Start?

2010-12-16T15:08:00.005-05:00

Getting behind in blogging is like getting behind in bills, its soooo hard to catch up! Not that I have any experience in either of those things...

Finals are done. The end of my semester was brutal. brutal. Thrown to the wolves brutal. But its ok now. The home stretch is here, beginning in January is the beginning of the end, and then the beginning of the beginning. Its a vicious cycle.

I have SO much to blog about. I have no clue where to start. Tomorrow is the kids last day of school for the year. Mixed emotions as most moms have I am sure. Yay to not having to get kids dressed and out the door on time, but since my kids dont sleep in, big whoop. At least we can stay in pj's for a while longer. No homework to get done, yay!! But mediating between my three nearly-triplets is not fun. I say nearly-triplets, even though they are not... but they are starting to merge into one single age. Did you know the median age of my children is 6.1? So see, I have 3 six year olds. Feels like it.

Ok. Sidebar much.

Some cool news for all you scrappers out there... All three of the design teams I am on are coming to end of term. 2 have calls going on right now!!! These are such great groups of women, with wonderful networking opportunities and creative inspiration. If you are looking to be a part of the online inspiration, consider these places.

Sassy Lil Sketches - new forum and gallery happening...so check it out!!!
ScrapFit - also under new ownership, which is fun and exciting as well!

Enough words... Some pics:

My card for the 14th over at Sassy Lil Sketches:
Go see their sketch, and play along for a chance at some prizes!!
My project for Workout #34 at ScrapFit:
(this challenge was more holiday focused, but I broke the rules due my lack of images and this project really needed to be done... oh well. we all rebel now and then, right?) Go play along for a chance at a prize!!!

My project for the "girl power" challenge at ScrapTiffany:
SOOOOO much inspiration there! Go visit!
So, lots of scrappy goodness, family chaos, and fun to be had. The holidays are upon us, and Erick and I might actually get most of our shopping done before Christmas Eve this year.

Like my little pillow box above? Santa came early for me. I think it has something to do with finals, and a few tears... but I got a Silhouette SD for Christmas! And I have been lucky enough to play with it already! LOVE the thing! (Its a paper cutter, it cut and perforated the pillow box, and works with my Mac, and Im totally happy with it!)

And if my post is going to be this long, I better show some pictures of my children...

Luke and Ella put the Christmas tree together for us. Awesome!
BIG NEWS! Jed got his Bobcat patch for Cub scouts! He's doing really awesome, and I feel very strongly that this program is going to do wonders for him over the years. They only have a super small pack, but thats ok, works for him.
Oh, and Luke is the biggest ham I know...well, besides Erick I guess.

Luke is funny

2010-12-08T16:03:00.003-05:00

This morning I told Luke he had an eye booger in his eye. He suggested that perhaps while he was picking his nose a booger flew up and got stuck in his eye. I think that might be exactly what happened.

So, we have a ton of snow on the ground, more is coming down now, and Ella stayed home sick today. Tomorrow I have to give not 1, but 2 presentations to my peers, we call it Jury. All the professors in the dept come in and ask questions about the projects we present. Its like, 4 hours of sitting there. Im trying to tell myself to go early on, so I dont have to feel nervous for hours. Plus, I have two final projects due the same night. Then I have a final exam on Saturday morning. Ugh. Why is the home stretch the longest?

Incidentally, I googled home stretch for an image, and found this little duck. hmm. When I was a kid my parents told me the gunk in my eyes after a sleep was called ducky poop.

Fall Break

2010-11-24T09:19:00.002-05:00

Im Loving Fall Break!
I have homework to do, client work to do, house work to do, but its all ok because I dont have to actually go into class this week. I also know that when class starts up again, its going to be NUTS! So, Im taking advantage of a break. Just thought you should know.

back by demand

2010-11-16T16:35:00.002-05:00

Due to popular demand, I made a tutorial for the wreath I made for the Scrap Tiffany holiday hop. You can see it here. I did try to find the original tutorial and couldn't. So please note, Im not the genius behind this cute idea. Thanks to online friends and the Internet, we have such great ideas all around! Enjoy!

Oh Crepe!

2010-11-15T09:00:00.002-05:00

This week at Scrap Tiffany we are sharing our crepe paper inspirations! This was fun! I googled tutorials and found a youtube video on how to make these paper roses. They were a lot of fun! So stop by Monday and Friday this week for lots of inspiration.

eta: Here is the blog post/video tutorial for the roses.

Work It Out

2010-11-15T07:07:00.003-05:00

This week over at ScrapFit there's a super fun challenge using numbers. This was a lot of fun to put together. The details:

1 piece of cardstock

2 types of alpha's

3 different embellies

4 patterned papers

5 pictures

There's also a really cool prize that 3 Scrappy Boys are giving away to whomever wins this workout! Be sure to play along, and you will have a chance at a fun Cosmo Cricket pack.

Hoppin Prizes!

2010-11-12T06:37:00.004-05:00

Starting today until the 14th, there is a super fun blog hop happening between 5 awesome challenge blogs.

The hops starts at Sassy Lil' Sketches! You'll need to visit each of the blogs to complete your layout! You will get an element at each of the 5 blogs. Using the elements create a layout or card and post it to all 5 blogs for a chance to win up to 5 times.

Sassy Lil' Sketches, Scrap Fit, Crop Suey, Scrap Tiffany, Cuttlebug Spot

I am lucky enough to be on some of the teams, and so on my layout I have included some super cute felt flowers from one of our sponsors! They are adorable! Be sure to start at the beginning with the link above, you will be visiting just the 5 blogs to get everything you need to complete your cute page! Have fun, good luck, and let me know if you play along!!

Get Ready to

2010-11-11T06:54:00.000-05:00

Announcing the Winner!!

2010-11-10T20:39:00.002-05:00

I think I need to do giveaways more often! I hope everyone had a great time during our fun Scrap Tiffany blog hop! The winner of my little giveaway is....

MommaMcVic!! Congrats to you! I have some fun scrap goodies coming your way!

And thanks to everyone for playing along, sharing your wonderful family traditions with me!

Lets Holiday Hop!!

2010-11-07T18:34:00.005-05:00

Happy Holidays blogger friends!!! Im so glad you are here! Welcome to the Scrap Tiffany blog hop. We are excited to get you feeling inspired, creative, and joyful this holiday season. Whatever your religious views and beliefs, there is inspiration to be found.

I'm excited because in my lil midwestern town, we had snow last week! Fun! It was blustery, pretty, and didnt last but one quick night. But I took a minute to peek my head out the front door, and inhale that snowy cold smell! I love the holidays!!!!

So first order of business: The blog hop officially starts HERE at Scrap Tiffany so if you are going in order, thats the first stop.

Sheri - http://auntierere.blogspot.com/

Abby - http://www.scrapbookaholicbyabby.com/

Becca - http://www.houseofhenrie.blogspot.com/

Jackie - http://www.mybasketofscraps.blogspot.com/

Jennifer - http://www.jdcreated.blogspot.com

Jessica - http://canyoupixelthis.com/

Katie - http://scissorsspatulasandsneakers.blogspot.com/

Kay - http://kaysscrapyday.blogspot.com/

Keely - http://keelyy.blogspot.com/

Kristi - http://www.tidbitsoft.blogspot.com/

Kristina - http://kmhworld.blogspot.com/

Laurel - http://www.want2scrap.blogspot.com/

Michelle - http://michelle-livingandscrappingmylife.blogspot.com/

Norazah - http://letscraft.blogspot.com/

Rebecca - http://rebeccakeppel.blogspot.com/

Summer - http://summersaultdesigns.blogspot.com/

So, for my holiday hop project, I put together a wreath. This is a project I have done in the past, and really wanted to do another one this holiday season. These are CRAZY easy, and they are not my original idea, in fact, I think I learned from my blogger friend Lynda if memory serves. They make great gifts for any holiday or occasion!

Im looking forward to hanging it on my door for the season soon!!

Because its the holidays, and Im super happy about that, I am going to offer a little giveaway along with this hop! So please leave a comment, telling me you stopped by and share a favorite holiday tradition (any holiday counts) and I will send something sweet out your way. If you are not a scrapper, please still enter. My prize will be suited to you. If you are a scrapper or not. Leave me a comment by Wednesday morning, 9am, on this post, and then I will choose a winner!!!

thanks for coming by! Stop at Jackie's blog next! I just love her style!! Happy holiday hop!!!

a day in the life

2010-11-03T16:18:00.004-04:00

6am - husband's alarm goes off
6:30am - drag self out of bed
7am - make sure kids have breakfast
8am - send one kid off to school
8:30am - take other kid to diff. school
8:45am - call dr to set up appt for other kid who's home sick from school
9am - surprise dad(grandpa) who came in for a last minute visit to town
9:30am - take dad and kid to quick breakfast
10-11am - wander around book store with coughing sick kid, dad/grandpa, sister/aunt, and nephew
10:50am - drop dad/sister/nephew off
11am - pick up one kid from school
11:15am - pick up other kid from school
11:30am - arrive for tri-dental appts at kids dentist
12:15pm - survive dental visits
12:15pm - pick up comics for sweet husband
12:45pm - meet dad/grandpa for lunch
2pm - stop at video store to find elusive video game for one kid
2:30pm - take coughing kid + 2 brothers to dr appt to determine coughing kid has bronchitis
2:37pm - suddenly realize forgot to make alternative arrangements for car pool kids! panic. Call friend who was in route to rescue forgotten children, cell phone dies during desperate apology.
3:30pm - arrive home to email secondary apologies to car pool moms.
4pm - email husband to figure out dinner.

and charge cell phone. good thing my dad bought me a mom planner.

If you do nothing else today...

2010-11-02T09:12:00.002-04:00

Or whomever you wish to vote for. (whomever? whoever? who-ever?) Whatever. Vote. K?

boo.

2010-10-31T20:23:00.001-04:00

Happy Halloween from our spooky creatures to yours!

spooky.

2010-10-29T08:05:00.003-04:00

This week at Scrap Tiffany the challenge is Halloween! Appropriate certainly. :) Here is the family last weekend when we went to a trick or treat event south of town. Kids had a great time!

Like my big spooky tree? Its from an awesome clip art blog, Graphics Fairy. She shares all kinds of vintage images that can be used for all kinds of projects. I tend to collect her images, and never do anything with them, so this time it was fun to have a plan.

We have a busy weekend of candy, church stuff, school stuff, and somewhere in there we will rest I think. Kids are home from school on Monday, which will be nice. not. :) But it will be nice to not have to pack lunches or get kids dressed. However, I have a big project due the next day, yikes. So, must get busy today. Erick was at work all night, so he will be home soon and that will be nice. We might take Luke out to lunch. :)

Enjoy your spooky holiday!

A Banner Holiday

2010-10-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Pennants and Banners. Thats what's up at Scrap Tiffany this week. The girls there all have such unique styles, its always a fun surprise to browse the inspiration. Come by and see wont you?

I chose to put together this cute Making Memories garland/banner. This was a super discounted clearance kit from my local scrap shop last year. I have been wanting to put it together for a while. This was the perfect excuse. There were not a lot of creative things I had to come up with, just following instructions. But for now, that's kind of helpful to me. Plus I think I'm ready to start pondering the holidays.

Guilty Pictures.

2010-10-17T17:31:00.003-04:00

I feel bad. I never blogged about Ella's sweet 6th birthday. I also didn't take a single picture of her on her birthday! Thankfully her birthday was just before school picture day, and I did shortly after her birthday catch her in quite the outfit. She's got our black and white umbrella, her white boots, and her red dress. She happened to be carrying a bag with black and white stripes that she was going to give to Luke's teacher. I also feel bad cause I seem to be only blogging scrappy stuff. And I know the grandparents really want to see the kids.

Color Me FIT!

2010-10-17T09:21:00.005-04:00

This week was my first workout over at ScrapFIT. Our challenge was a color challenge: black, orange, lime green, and purple.
Here are my spooky cards! So go over there, take an inspirational walk through the team's projects. And then go get busy doing your own workout! Heres what you are working out for:
oh. and since i left my brain in new york city, i also forgot to blog about my Scrap Tiffany challenge this week. Geesh. Im gonna get myself fired if I don't get my act together. We had to do scenery photos. Kinda tough. But a great way to think outside the usual cute kids pictures!
oooh and finally, I also need to share my sassy lil sketch card this week as well. Go visit Sassy Lil Sketches to see all the cute inspiration, and play along for a chance at either a paper or digital sponsor prize!

Cards and Cards

2010-10-06T20:58:00.004-04:00

This past Saturday was World Card Making Day. I spent most of the weekend playing around with my stash of fun supplies. This birthday card was made in response to Pamela Young's blog challenge.

And this card below was for a challenge on the American Crafts blog.

These next few card were for the challenges going on over at Scrapbook Challenges for World Card Making Day as well. It was so nice to get my hands on all my fun supplies and whip up these cards.

Sketch this out!

2010-10-04T18:36:00.003-04:00

This week over at Scrap Tiffany there is a great sketch to inspire you. I chose to do a digital page about the skirts I have been making for Ella. The skirt in this picture is already too short. She has grown so much this year...In fact, her birthday is later this week!

If you have time, stop over at Scrap Tiffany for inspiration and fun!

Scrappy Scraps.

2010-09-26T21:48:00.004-04:00

This week at Scrap Tiffany its all about using your scraps. This was a fun challenge...but not really challenging, because I don't buy supplies very often, so I am always using my scraps. But this time I did pull out a lot of older things, papers and colors that aren't always common, and I used up some rub-on letters that I have had for-ever.

I also think I missed last week's challenge as well. So here was what I had posted over at Scrap Tiffany last week, for our 4 photo challenge.
And now a quick family update:

Are you loving this Fall weather? I sure am. Erick and I are enjoying watching football, something we have not done a lot of over the years. It's a little painful to watch Notre Dame right now, but we cheer them on just the same. We also really enjoy the Colts!

The kids are enjoying the cooler weather with sweaters, jackets, and cool afternoon jumps on the tramp. Even the cat has started spending time outdoors. My birthday came and went like a flash, and now we are counting the days for Miss Ella to have her special day. We are excited because we have a few surprises planned for her. She really wants a party. I have been buying supplies for about 6 months, so I think she will get her wish.

This is why I do it.

2010-09-20T19:15:00.004-04:00

The first day of school, back in August, Erick sat with the kids and looked over their scrapbooks so we could all see how much they have changed over the years. (notice that rockin page there!) The kids had such a great time and they all love to look at their special books. Although, no one really spends much time looking at the pretty things around the photos-but thats ok with me!

In related news:
ScrapFIT blog challenge:

#28 Go GREEN!

The Paper Trunk is our sponsor for September and they are all about scrapping green so for this workout we want you to recycle! Paper Trunk is challenges every crafter to create using recycled materials--so our workout is to recycle!! Use eco-friendly products or recycle something! The packaging our products come in would be great to use!!! I want to see some green, too!

Here is the prize...

uh seriously! awesome prize here. And there are not a whole lot of entries right now, so go grab some recyclables and get busy!!! Play along and let me know what you came up with!!

Just Because

2010-09-19T20:26:00.004-04:00

I don't have enough going on...

During the summer I started to plan out this Fall season. I wanted to be able to scrapbook regularly despite my school schedule and all my family duties. I had applied for a spot over at a fun blog called ScrapFIT. They really appealed to me because of their fun challenges and their cute workout themes... I was in the middle of getting physically fit myself.

Well, I didn't get a spot on that team (nor did I get physically fit like I intended) which I was ok with... there are always so many scrappers and only a few spots. I feel like it all works out. Anyway, I was so excited this past week when an email in my inbox showed up with an invitation to be on their team! They had a spot opened up and thought of me!! How special that made me feel. Its another blog where I have to do one project a month, which is totally perfect for me. So I have a fun little list of all these challenges I can plan for and get to work on this Fall. So lots more inspiration coming your way. And, I think with this fun development, its the added push for me to actually get back to work on getting FIT... wish me luck!

Im digging out my running shoes!
stay tuned!

Uplifted...

2010-09-17T13:14:00.006-04:00

Our Internet was down for 24 looonnnggg hours.... whew. But we are back up and running now. It must have been the week for issues, because Scrap Tiffany had some issues too, and so there was a delay in posting some challenges and then I forgot on top of that. So, even tho its a tad late: This week was all about the scrap lift... I chose to lift this super cute card made by my pal Tricia.

(see her cute watermark? I made that.)

and here is my card:
And in other super special news... Last weekend our family celebrated a very special event.
Sweet Jed was baptized as a member into The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In our church we believe that we can all choose to be baptized, and the age where we are old enough to decide is the age of 8. We are so proud of Jed and his decision. It was a wonderful program and special day for us all. If you want to know more about Mormons and baptisms, check out this site, or this one... (Ella is not in this picture because she was hanging out with other people, and I was running late, and we tried to have Luke not in the picture, but he wanted to be there.)

Celebrate!!

2010-09-14T14:16:00.002-04:00

Here's my card for the Sassy Lil Sketches card this month. The sketch was a lot of fun, and I thought this card would be an appropriate post for today, which is in fact, my birthday! Be sure to visit the Sassy blog for lots of fun inspiration.

Whoollo!

2010-09-10T06:41:00.003-04:00

This week at Scrap Tiffany its all about cardstock... cardstock only, no patterned papers. yikes! I just love Tiffany's challenges, because they always stretch my creativity. You should play along! Be sure to stop over there and see all the fun projects, cards, and layouts with NO patterned papers on them.

Much Ado About Keanu

2010-09-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

It's time I come clean about something. Recently I went back home to celebrate a super fun reunion with my high school girl friends. This was no ordinary reunion, or friendship! We were united in our love of one particular hottie actor...We made some awesome memories that included being interviewed by one Seventeen Magazine editor, Flying out to stay with a stranger in Los Angeles/Hollywood, Driving to New York City, Driving to Scary Detroit for a concert, Driving to Chicago to track down one said actor filming a movie, and many many other great times!! I could go on and on.

Instead, perhaps you will enjoy this little montage as we all sneak a little piece of cake...
Happy Birthday Keanu!

Oh Great, Jed is 8!

2010-09-01T15:49:00.003-04:00

For Jed's big bad birthday this year, we let the kids drive the go carts at the local bowling alley (and other various fun activities). Jed thought this was pretty cool. This year his birthday is lasting about two months, due to celebrating his birthday the weekend before, since his day was on a school day, then this weekend we are doing a kid birthday party with a few friends, and then the following weekend he gets baptized. More to come on all these events! And Jed, you're worth it kid! We love you!!

Vintage girls

2010-08-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

So, Im old. Because a picture of myself as a child can be categorized as vintage. nice. This is another page for my 8.5x11 album. A fun change in page size to my usual 12x12. The Scrap Tiffany challenge was do something vintage, so I pulled colors that looked aged, used some alcohol inks on the background paper, and some fun lace textures. What do you think about those awesome black letter stickers? totally unique. They are from the Magpie Collection by Scrapworks. I got them in a kit that was for sale from my local scrap store's garage sale. I got some awesome supplies for cheap!

Have you seen this store??

2010-08-28T19:07:00.003-04:00

Woah momma!! I found out about a cute little giveaway on this blog, For the love of buttons... um, then I peeked in the the Etsy store, Lil Red Rocket, and her stuff is sooo stinkin cute. Yee gads!!! So pop over to her blog, go shop in her Etsy... and hopefully I will win me a lil prize!

Back To Class

2010-08-27T09:47:00.003-04:00

Click here for the scrappy blog hop...

Kids went back to school this week.
I did too.
This semester is interesting. For me I will have more work to do out of class than in class. They expect us to be better with time management now. Two days a week I go to class during the day, so Luke is also in preschool. Our lives got instantly busier this week, but I actually like it. Once I am used to it! I will have a day home every week with no kids, and two days a week home with just one kid.

So far the kids are liking their classes and teachers. Jed is a big ole 2nd grader
with Ella tagging along behind as a kindergartener. She got up every day last week and would say, 2 days till school, 1 day till school, etc...Then, yesterday she announced that school is now boring. That was fast! She is adjusting too.

Jed didn't forget how to read over the summer, so thats good! He left the house today with invitations for a few friends to come to a birthday party for him next week. I have not done parties for the kids in years...or ever. This year I am hoping to give Jed a fun one - He's going to be 8 on Monday! And Ella will turn 6 in two months, so she just may get a party as well.

Anyway, a busy week, but lots of fun and exciting things happening.
#1 thing I have noticed this week...my days are still going by way too fast! :)

orange

2010-08-23T10:00:00.001-04:00

**scroll down one post for the blog hop...**

The Scrap Tiffany challenge this week was the color orange! agh! So I decided to dig out some retro photos and start putting together some 8.5x11 pages with pictures of myself as a child. So here I am, at the tiny age of 2.

A Blog Hop!! All Week!

2010-08-23T00:00:00.007-04:00

Sassy Lil’ Sketches “Hidden” Treasures Blog Hop
August 23rd through August 30th, 9 PM. EST.

We are having a Blog Hop…Sassy Lil’ Sketches style! We want you to get to know our new Sassies. There are some pretty fabulous prizes to win, too!

The "Hidden" Treasure Blog Hop starts at Sassy Lil’ Sketches where there are two of our sassy sketches and rules for the blog hop. After visiting Sassy Lil' Sketches you can choose which Sassy you would like to visit next. We recommend visiting every Sassy because we have "hidden" treasure at four of our Sassies' blogs.
The Sassies:
Aimee
Amanda
Amy
Brenda B.
Brenda R.
Carla
Cherie
Cheryl
Christine
Deanna
Debbie
Denise
Isabelle (Zabou)
Jessica Bree
Katie
Kelly
Laura
Martine
Nancy
Rebecca
Sandra
Shana

Here are my two projects based on the sassy sketches. :) I did one digital layout and a card. Changing up a sketch from a layout to card is always a fun and sassy twist of inspiration. Be sure to pop back over to the Sassy Lil Sketches blog to see the sketches. Before you go, leave me a comment!!

Our awesome, amazing, and completely generous sponsors for Sassy Lil’ Sketches “Hidden” Treasure Blog Hop:
Xyron
Thoughts 2 Paper
Scrappy Jo
Crop Stop
Apron Strings
Crop Chocolate
BoBunny

WHEW!! Lots of inspiration, lots of prizes and goodness. So leave me a comment, and visit each Sassy designer for the most chances at some pretty awesome prizes!!!

Sassy Sketch

2010-08-21T13:43:00.003-04:00

The week of August 7th there was a great sketch posted over at Sassy Lil Sketches. Here is my entry. It was fun to do this school photo of Jed right before he starts 2nd grade... It will be fun to compare with the new pictures that come in here in a month or two.

Be sure to play along for your chance to win a prize. They have two sponsors this month, and a new sketch posted on the 21st so come by and check them out!

Hot and Hybrid

2010-08-20T15:02:00.003-04:00

I love a clever blog post title... such pressure.

This week over at Scrap Tiffany our challenge was do something hybrid. This is combining digital techniques with traditional scrapping techniques. This can be complicated or simple. For my project, I opted to go with simple, and focused on printing my journaling - instead of handwriting it out... something I don't do very often. I put together this romantic book for Erick while he was away. I had made this list of 101 things I loved about Erick months ago, then lost it. Recently I found it and quickly put the project together before the kids ate the list or something. This was also a great project because I dug through pictures and used all younger photos of Erick and I together that were from special times...just sitting in a box.

He loves the book and said last night he was waiting for the sequel, "101 things I hate About You"...ha ha funny guy.

Tonight I am going scrapping with my scrap girls, which will be so fun. Just what I need right before our busy week starts next week. Luke and I have school on Tuesday, and the other two kids start on Wednesday...yippee!!! I only have 2 semesters left and I am done with my associates degree. Yay rah!

Have a great Friday!

A Sassy Card

2010-08-14T14:32:00.002-04:00

Love this little card! I created it with some super cute digital images from The Cutting Cafe' who is our sponsor this month over at Sassy Lil Sketches. Be sure to play along for a chance at two awesome prizes. Also visit our blog for lots of inspiration and to see the sketch we used!

Naked Chipboard

2010-08-09T07:59:00.003-04:00

Another great challenge over at Scrap Tiffany this week! Naked Chipboard! It was almost painful to try to work with the chipboard and not cover it with paper or paint, so I did still paint on the chipboard, but I left parts of the chipboard butterflies 'naked' and I think it worked well on this page. All my cute little butterflies were a gift from my friend Leslie over at Words Of Me. Thanks LES!!
Pictures from my super fun weekend to come soon. ;)

Thrifty Thursday

2010-08-05T08:18:00.005-04:00

Today you can check out my thrifty idea over at Scrap Tiffany. Here's a peek:

In other news, this is what I have been doing in all my free time:

Making Ella skirts is my new fave past time! Thanks to some friends, a few online tutorials, and dormant sewing skills, I've been dabbling in some fun fabrics. My plan is to make some cute stuff until my machine breaks down, then I will upgrade! The black and red skirt was fabrics from the thrift store and remnant section of the Goodwill. The light colored twirl skirt was $1.5o fabric from Walmart. Works for me. Works for Ella. Lucky girl.

My Sketch

2010-08-02T10:10:00.002-04:00

Today you can see some great layouts based on a fun sketch over at Scrap Tiffany! Check back there again on Friday for even more inspiration.

Excellent Read

2010-07-28T07:30:00.003-04:00

I love reading! I love it just as much as I love all my other hobbies. I love the escape and entertainment a great book offers. I don't read a lot of "classics." I tend to read fun and quick works of fiction. I have been reading all summer and its been a lot of fun.

This book caught my eye at the library last week. I remembered vaguely hearing a story about Bill Clinton and a rescue. But I never really followed the story of Laura Ling and her capture. Part of the appeal of this book was the fact that it's written from the perspective of both sisters, the one captured in North Korea and the one trying to get her sister out.

I am very close to my sisters. We talk everyday and spend as much time together as possible. So I identified with the connection of the Ling sisters.

This book was SO GOOD! I kept telling myself that parts of it were hard to believe - but it all really happened, last year! I remembered Lisa Ling's documentary that she did when she went inside North Korea. That footage did stick with me. So when I finished the book, I went on YouTube, watched her documentary again, and then watched the reunion footage of the two women journalists who had spent four months as prisoners in North Korea. I was balling! Really an amazing story.

Black & White

2010-07-26T10:00:00.001-04:00

This week at ScrapTiffany we are revealing projects using black and white photos! I LOVE black and white photos. I also love my husband. This was a photo I took of him that I converted to b&w. He was trying to be goofy and I think he just looks handsome.

Do you like to work with black and white photos? I think they can really look classy and cool.

Inspirational Peek

2010-07-20T13:19:00.004-04:00

Stop by ScrapTiffany today for my corner bookmark tutorial! Such a fun and easy project.

I have been trying to play along with some of the current weekly sketches over at Sassy Li'l Sketches. My official design team term doesn't start until next month, and we are able to play along each week. So here are two projects from the last couple weeks of sketches.

This one is for July 14:
If you like my flower, I learned how to make it from a tutorial by my friend Jackie over at Scrapbook Challenges. The flowers are super easy and addictive. I can't stop making them.

This page was for the July 7th challenge:

So lots of inspiration going on here on my blog and all over the Internet this week! Take some time and play along, and happy crafting!

What was once cool...

2010-07-19T08:59:00.002-04:00

is cool again!

I LOVED this weeks challenge for ScrapTiffany. We had to find a way to make eyelets and/or brads cool again! I had this awesome die cut patterned paper and I thought some coordinating eyelets on the four corners could be fun. I also scattered a few eyelets throughout the pinwheel paper as well.

This is my game boy kid... Even though he doesnt play cards or crosswords, it was fun use of supplies and play on words. He's a Halo gamer, DS expert, and all around awesome 7 year old.

If you want to play along this week, visit the ScrapTiffany blog for more info... and make your eyelets make their comeback.

12 Hours Later

2010-07-17T20:46:00.003-04:00

This morning I woke up with a plan. Sunday afternoon my dad is coming to town, and has agreed to stay over with us. Usually he goes the luxurious route and crashes at fun hotels and sometimes the kids get to go to the pool... so however he decides to accommodate, everyone wins.

This weekend he's coming to check in on my big sis who had an outpatient surgery done. And if we have time, we will work on some computer type things... I'm my dad's web designer.

Anyway, I digress. Back to my plan. Clean house. I recently set up a new schedule for the kids and I this summer and it got away from me. So part of this clean house plan was to get myself motivated for the rest of the week. Plus its exciting to have overnight guests! I enjoy a bit of hospitality. Plus its for my pops and we all love him so.

I should have taken some before pics, but I didn't. So you can just enjoy the afters. I literally spent all day cleaning up this room. (Plus the kitchen, vacuumed stairs, picked up and vacuumed my family room, and two loads of laundry)
This is our "dining room" which I took over as my homework/freelance work/scrapbook area. At least, to the left is my 6 foot desk I use to work. The armoire is filled with design text books, my sewing machine, and my papers and other supplies. When I started my morning, there were 4 computer towers, an iMac monitor, speakers, 4 table legs, a large table, 4 boxes of comics, and about 3 feet of dust all in that open space on my floor. Now it shines!
Heres a shot of the other half of this mega room. The white antique couch was inherited from my mother in law, as was the credenza and mirror. (most everything in this room is either from my mother in law or my mother). Except for... The arm chair... That bad boy is a recliner, and I got it a month ago at a yard sale for, wait for it....... $2!!! Yes, TWO dollars!! Erick pounded a hammer in it for me this evening, it had a loose board, and now its my special reading chair.

This last picture is dark I know, but it shows my pretty rug I've had for about 8 years and my lovely couch. Oh and the basket on the chest/table is where I am filling it up with the perfect conversation piece - mini albums!!

Mostly this post is for my super-friend Melissa, who came over one day amidst icky morning sickness (hers, not mine!) and our 7 collective children to give me some decorator tips and outsider suggestions. She got me motivated to make some magic happen in this room. (Oh and she gave me a huge roll of fabric and we are going to make some curtains!) I love it! Erick loves it, and it will be sooo nice to sit in here with my good ole dad and chat, while I shoo the kids down to their area. :)

So please, come over and chat! Consider yourself invited. Don't you love to peek into other people's homes? I sure do.

Friday Inspiration

2010-07-16T11:20:00.003-04:00

Be sure to stop by ScrapTiffany today for some more monochromatic inspiration! So many great projects over there!

Woah.

2010-07-07T18:48:00.002-04:00

Woah. I love a great prize. And even better, I LOVE a great deal/Steal on scrapbook stuff. Check out this store online, All Scrapbook Steals for great supplies. Visit their blog for a chance to win these goodies! I did!!

Wednesday Hijack

2010-07-07T08:39:00.001-04:00

I got to hijack the ScrapTiffany blog today! Stop by for some inspiration! Let me know what you think!

Portrait

2010-07-06T17:17:00.004-04:00

This week at ScrapTiffany our first round of new challenges and design team inspiration start. We have a large team so 9 layouts were shared today, and 9 more on Friday! Double the inspiration and eye candy. Our first challenge was to do a "self portrait". This was a fun idea! I love all the variety from all the teammates! Really cute stuff! Be sure to stop by and see all the fun pages!

In other fun news... If you click up there on my Digital Freebies page, you can download any of my retired digital stamps for your personal use... FREE!! Just right click, save as, and you are good to go. Enjoy!!!

Coming Soon, Free digital images!

2010-06-28T07:45:00.000-04:00

I decided to retire the spring/summer digital stamps and pulled them from my Etsy shop... so I am going to put them on my blog... free for the taking! Lucky You! Stay tuned!

Also Announcing...

2010-06-27T19:30:00.003-04:00

I am excited to share that I also got selected for a spot on the Sassy Lil' Sketches Blog design team too! Awesome! This one also is a great team because it's well organized and I have my assignments well in advance. This just works so great for my schedule! My duties don't start with this team until August 1st, but I already know what to be working on. Also, I was selected to be a card designer, which I am really excited about because you know how I love to make some cards. Each month I will have to make (just) one card based on my assigned weekly sketch. My card will be posted on the 14th of each month. (That's only 6 cards for the next 6 months! I can do that in a minute, LOL). Sassy LiL Sketches is a fun blog, with wonderful sketches so be sure to play along-I am! They have monthly sponsors each month and you get a chance to win goodies! See you there!

Below are the sketches we were given to use for the design team call, and then you can see the work I created based on the sketches. I really like my cute card! Makes me want to go on a trip, or at least give the card away to some lucky traveler!

Now, if I can just work in some organization for my home, we will all be happy! LOL. Today I made my summer schedule: It's FAR less complicated than last Spring, and I know I should enjoy it before the Fall comes too. :)

Also, I got some fun treasures from a recent garage sale, and one of these days I will be sharing that with you too! Good times this summer!

Summer Mini Album

2010-06-27T17:11:00.003-04:00

Sassy LiL Page

2010-06-25T14:22:00.006-04:00

In my recent quest for cool new design teams, inspiration and challenge based blogs, I stumbled upon another fun blog... Sassy LiL' Sketches. I submitted for their design team call because they have super cute and fun sketches. Im crossing my fingers that I just might get a spot... we shall see. Anyway... they have a super awesome contest going on right now with a cool prize. If you do a layout based on one of their sketches and also find some inspiration at this website, you can get entered in a drawing for a $70 gift certificate to a CSN store.
So here is my inspiration piece from the CSN website:

And here is the Sassy Lil Sketch I used:

And here is my page:
If you want to play along, or get your name in the drawing, click here. Im going scrapping with some friends this evening and I am way excited! Enjoy your friday!

A New Team!

2010-06-23T18:00:00.003-04:00

I decided that a big part of the summer was going to be spent scrapping! So I got bold, and did some research and decided to apply to a few scrapbook design teams to see if I could find a good fit for me and my busy life. I love being a part of communities that are growing, and this blog/site is just that. There is an amazing group of talented designers on this team and I am so excited to announce that they chose me to be a part of it all for the next 6 months. One of the appeals to this amazing group was that all the assignments are scheduled! This is perfect for me because I can plan ahead, I have an easy to meet deadline, and can work each project in right along with homework in the Fall, or work ahead this summer too! Be sure to visit ScrapTiffany its a wonderful place. I will be sharing projects and inspiration along with the team on the blog. And the owner, Tiffany, is just this week moving off to a small village in Alaska! I am excited for her to share her family's journey with us all. I love to live vicariously through other people's adventures, don't you?

10 Years of Romance

2010-06-23T06:00:00.001-04:00

Erick started our Anniversary week out right last Monday, I got a surprise delivery of some beautiful flowers. Each evening Erick did something special leading up to our Friday night date. It made it a nice week and on Friday we went out to a new restaurant - Bonefish Grill. The food was so good and the atmosphere was wonderful. My sis had the kids for the night and Erick and I had so much fun. We ran a few errands and just laughed and had a great time! I love him more and more every year!

so cute!!

2010-06-22T18:32:00.002-04:00

ooh my blog is starting to look sooo cute!!

heres a link to the website/blog tutorial that showed me how to create my funky post and sidebar titles using my fun font.

Kevin and Amanda This is a great web site with lots of free tutorials, scrapbook supplies, and even photography info... spend some time there, you'll get lost. Then come back and show me what you made.

real quick

2010-06-21T20:32:00.002-04:00

So much to share, fathers day, our 10 yr anniversary, summer vacation...

but alas, storms hit our city friday night, and as of 5:30pm tonight, we are stillllll without power. so now I am blogging from a hotel. We caved and sure hope to return to power tomorrow. For tonight, the kids are bathed and we are watching the Disney Channel in air conditioning.

a shout out to my endlessly helpful friend Melissa for loaning us a key to her home so we could shower and get cleaned up on Sunday, and to my big sis for letting me do some laundry at her house today and chill in the coolness.

Pics to come...

PS. Emily, glad you survived girls camp, and I will later also tell you how to put in these little signatures too...

Hey Emily!

2010-06-16T14:54:00.006-04:00

Recently I met with a friend and we chatted and talked blog. Don't you love it when you can talk about how passionate and serious you are about your blog and not feel like a dork? Some people don't get it, and so, you feel dumb going on and on about your blog and all your friends and the person you are talking to looks lost...

Anyway, Emily, this post is for you because you didn't look lost. :)

You can add tabs/navigation/pages on your blog now. (Blogger is calling them pages) Its a newer feature, and I saw something about it on blogger and only today sort of figured it out.

Log in to your blogger account.
Click the design tab (used to be the layout tab).
Under the Header bar, there should be a long narrow bar/box that says add a gadget. Click add a gadget.
The box that opens has a list of various gadgets you can add. Most likely you are familiar with these already if you have any kind of stuff on your side bar. Click Pages (NEW!).
The box that opens, doesn't make a ton of sense, you should see that blogger set you up a page that says Home. Cool. So far so good. Close that box.
Click the Posting tab.
Click Edit Pages. (See that option, third one in I think... you probably would have missed it).
Click New Page. This will let you set up a different page such as: about me, contact me, My Fave Links, etc... Choose the name for your page, dont forget to SAVE.
These new pages will show up as very simple buttons across the top of your blog. And if clicked, will take you to the different pages you created.
You can look at mine. They are up there. Basically placeholders while I continue to figure it out.

So, I still haven't figured out what/how I want to post on these various pages, but I know I want to organize my posts better. I shall keep you posted as I continue to figure this out. I want to know how to put posts into these various pages... anyone figure that part out yet? Let me know.

Hope this gets you started Emily. Let me know if you have troubles. :)