Sunday Scrappin: 5/2

This is my 700th post on this blog! That's a lot of blogging. I didn't know I had so much to share!

It's Sunday again and that means it's time for Sunday Scrappin'. This is a GREAT way to get inspired, meet other crafters and share your creations, so please drop over and join today! I've recently gotten back to digital scrapbooking after budget issues curtailed my paper projects. I love digital just as much as paper really.

I'm still working on my Fall/Halloween pages, and this is what I got done this week.








Shabby Fall
Bountiful
Delights Alpha
Harvest Hayride Kids
Harvest Blessings

My TO-DO's this week include continuing with the Fall/Halloween '09 pages, some more organizing of photos and shopping around for a negative scanner. I've decided I really want one, so that I can start with our wedding back in 1988 and digitize all our family photos so my kids won't have to look at bulky albums and yellowing prints like I do to enjoy childhood memories.

Random Thoughts

I have a ton of little rambling thoughts rumbling around in my head, so I decided to get them down "on paper" by sharing them here on my blog.

Was it something I said?
Do you ever notice how sometimes people just up and vanish? It's especially common online I guess, but I seem to be running into it a lot lately. I'm not talking about the kind of sporadic vanishing and reappearing that happens because people have real lives outside the Internet. I'm referring to those incidences where someone is there, talking with you on a regular basis and then just well, vanishes.

I met a lady on eBay who also sells the Fisher Price Little People. We found some common topics and emailed for a few days and really enjoyed each others cyber company. Then I said I bet we'll be great friends, and gave her my private email so we could take our conversation off of eBay. After that I never heard from her again.

I reconnected with an old friend on Facebook. We chatted eagerly for a few days, then bam, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. The Facebook vanishing act has happened to me a few times lately. Just the nature of FB I guess, I don't know.

I could go on but you get the picture. It's the kind of disappearing act that a person could start to take personally, you know? Lately I have found myself wondering on several occasions, was it something I said?

Is Abby a natural laxative?
Sounds funny I know, but lately it seems like every time I hand Abby to her Daddy and ask him to play with her so I can get something done or take a little break, i'ts never more than 5 minutes before he passes her back to me to answer the call of nature. He's in there at least a half hour. Please. Finally I said to him, well honey now I know what to do next time you get a little backed up. I also think Aspen must be a tranquilizer, because every time they go off to play together she comes back to me within less than an hour and informs me that he fell asleep on her. I could never get by with either of these tricks. I mean, you know, I'm just saying.

Did I really pay $3 for 12 shaped rubber bands?
If your kids are into Silly Bandz then you know what I'm talking about. Not only did I buy them for Aspen but for Ashley as well. Even at the age of 17, she finds them irresistible. I have to admit, they're growing on me too. They're cute as can be. This is Aspen's first fad, and as trends go there are much worse things she could want. I think I'll start using them as rewards for good behavior and chores completed.

My Daddy is a good man.
My parents have been here visiting twice recently and I've found myself watching the dynamics between my parents closely. I've decided that my Dad is a saint. He truly has a servant's heart in the strictest Biblical sense. My Mom has a lot of physical problems including badly failing eyesight, and he does a lot for her. A lot. But the most striking thing to me has been the contrast between him and my own hubby. They say girls tend to marry men like their fathers. Maybe it's that my parents divorced when I was 8 (they remarried in 2006), but I seem to have missed the mark there. A lot. I don't think my Mom realizes how blessed she is to have him to care for her now. Truth be told, I'm a little jealous.

If you've read any of this post, I appreciate your visit. If you've read this far without judging, I appreciate that even more. Sometimes we just have to get those random thoughts out, you know?

Sunday Scrappin' 4/24

It's Sunday again and that means it's time for Sunday Scrappin'. This is a GREAT way to get inspired, meet other crafters and share your creations, so please drop over and join today! I've recently gotten back to digital scrapbooking after budget issues curtailed my paper projects. I love digital just as much as paper really.

This week I found some great new kits at some of my favorite digiscrap stores, and new kits always get my creative juices flowing. I did a 2-page layout for Aspen's 5th Birthday back in March, and then I got into the Halloween spirit with a new kit called Hocus Pocus, and did some pages from Halloween night 2009. Enjoy!










Painted Summer
Hocus Pocus
Delights Alphas
Must Be Magic

Sunday Scrappin': 4/18

It's Sunday again and that means it's time for Sunday Scrappin'. This is a GREAT way to get inspired, meet other crafters and share your creations, so please drop over and join today! I've recently gotten back to digital scrapbooking after budget issues curtailed my paper projects. I love digital just as much as paper really.

This week I had a blast scrapping the beautiful pictures Ashley and I have gotten of the little girls. I also backtracked and did a few layouts for January, and did a little bit of photo organizing.

My TA-DA's are:








Materials used on these layouts are:
Spontaneous Delight
Promise
Vintage Florals
Dinner Party
Alphabetical

Caterpillar Update

Biscuit, the larger of our two caterpillars, has made his cocoon. I was hoping he would do it soon since he was big when we found him. I love this project but I don't exactly want it to last forever, you know? Anyway, we were all very excited to find this little puff of silk today when we cleaned out the jar. According to our research, in about 2-4 weeks we should have a moth emerging.

Honoring Heritage

Back in November I wrote this post about my Great Grandmother and her love of writing, and how this was passed down from her to my Grandmother, and to almost all the women who came after in our family, including myself and my girls. Today, while gathering materials for my Grandma's memorial service, my sister came across these treasures.

This is a picture of Missouri Blanche Stanley, my Great Grandmother.



The following images are scans of a piece that she wrote. I think it is so amazing that here is this piece written in 1903 by someone I never knew. That's 107 years ago. Yet I can connect with her style of writing, her grammar and the point she's making as though we were sitting face to face and discussing the subject. I hope you enjoy it.

Until We Meet Again

Early this morning my Grandmother, Wilma Gore, passed away at the age of 100. She lived a life that spanned ages. As a child she traveled by horse and buggy.

A few weeks ago she had a bout with pneumonia and had recovered. Afterward she told my mom that she was reeady to "go home to the country". A few days ago she began experiencing respiratory distress and in line with her wishes, was treated only for comfort by her nursing home until she went home with Jesus early this morning.

My mother shared with me today that she woke up in the wee hours of the morning this morning to find herself surrounded by the fragrance of cinnamon, and had a clear image in her mind of Grandma with her brother Joe, who passed away some years ago, turning to walk away together. She's certain this was my Grandma's way of reassuring her that she was okay.

I'm sad, of course. I'm sad because I won't see her again for a very long time, Lord willing. I'm sad that my girls never got to know Grandma very well, sad that my little ones never even met her. But mostly my tears are tears of joy, because I can only imagine the joyous reunions she must be enjoying now, and the ultimate joy she must be feeling to finally be living eternally with Jesus.

Shawn's Grandmother, Veronica Lawrence, also passed away this week, early on Monday, after battling brain cancer for the last few months. I didn't know her very well but I was very fond of her. She was always so kind to me and took an interest in my girls. Her passing makes me sad for the same reasons, and I hope that she too is now residing with our Lord.

These are two of my favorite songs on the subject of death and Heaven. I hope you enjoy them with me today.

Our Very Own Very Hungry Caterpillar

Today we started our spring and summer science program with Aspen. Ashley came up with the idea of temporarily adopting a caterpillar. We researched this online and learned all about how to make a proper caterpillar habitat. Our supplies included a large glass jar, cheesecloth, two small cups for water, some soft soil, twigs and leaves for food. I splurged and bought a jar for this, but that's not necessary.



Then we set off to create a home fit for a caterpillar. We added some soil and two small plastic jar caps. We filled the caps with water and toilet paper, creating little moisture reservoirs. These help keep the food plants moist. The toilet paper absorbs the water so the caterpillar doesn't fall into it and drown. We learned that caterpillars don't need to drink water. They get their hydration from the moisture in the leaves they eat.



We also learned that they only eat certain kinds of leaves, so we looked in nearby trees for our caterpillar, so that we would know we got him the right food plant. We ended up adopting two caterpillars, one large and one small, and we named them Cookie and Biscuit, respectively. We broke off the small twigs we found them eating on an deposited them directly into the jar.



We closed up our caterpillar habitat using cheescloth wrapped over the top and held in place by a rubber band. This keeps our little friends safe inside their home with plenty of fresh air.




We also inadvertently got a little green inch worm, who we nicknamed Steve. We observed him for a while since he was very active and we all got a chuckle out of his classic inch worm movements. Later, we lured him onto a small stick and took him back to the tree. There we noticed another inch worm and had fun watching him too.



Cookie and Biscuit were very still at first and we were a little worried about them, but after a while they became more active and explored their new home and munched on their leaves. This was a really fun project that we all enjoyed. We're excited to care for our little guys and hopefully watch them pupate and emerge as butterflies or moths we can release. Keep checking back for updates.

Sunday Scrappin: 4/11

It's Sunday again and that means it's time for Sunday Scrappin'. This is a GREAT way to get inspired, meet other crafters and share your creations, so please drop over and join today!

I've recently gotten back to digital scrapbooking after budget issues curtailed my paper projects. I love digital just as much as paper really. I didn't do as much scrapping as I wanted to this week. We've been out and about enjoying the wonderful weather and we've gotten some terrific pictures that I'm dying to scrap!

My TA-DAs are from a fun day at the playground right behind our building:




For these pages I used Splash from Shabby Princess and Sweet Sprinkles, a freebie also from Shabby Princess.

My TO-DO's for next week include to scrap more park pictures and some really cute shots of Abby with our cat and Aspen with her Dad. I'd like to get some photo organizing done too, in a perfect world. We'll see about that.

Thanks for looking everyone, have a blessed week!

Yay, I'm Normal!

I finally made it to the doctor today. After having elevated blood pressure at the end of my pregnancy with Abby and lingering high numbers for months afterward, today Praise God, I was back to normal! This is a big relief to me since I was teetering at what the previous doctor called "borderline chronic hypertension". The last thing I wanted was an ongoing problem to manage and medicate. Thankfully, eight months out from Abby's birth, it's back to normal. I'm also thankful for this because it eliminates one of the main reservations we had about possibly having another baby at some point. If my blood pressure was still an issue that would be a possible roadblock in our decision. But, since I have a clean bill of health, we're good to go in that department. Yay!

Summer Vacation

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of St Augustine, Ponte Vedra & The Beaches, Florida. All opinions are 100% mine.

Summertime always gets me thinking about the beach. I love it so much! The soft, warm sand under my bare feet, the soothing lull of the breaking waves. No doubt time spent at the shore is God's own brand of natural therapy. Of this I have no doubt. So, when I was invited to write about my own fantasy vacation to the St. Augustine area in Florida, I couldn't say no.

It's a beautiful area. St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra, and The Beaches is one of Florida's most charming(not to mention romantic!) vacation destinations. I can easily imagine us staying at the lovely and very affordable Carriage Way Inn Bed & Breakfast in St. Augustine. They offer room rates starting at just $99 a night, and it's quaint historical charm really appeals to me.
Now, for me, spending time at the beach is vacation enough for me. I'd be more than happy to plant myself on Ponte Vedra Beach and relax for the duration of my trip. Soaking up sun and watching the kiddos play in the surf is my idea of vacation nirvana. But since that adventurous spirit of the early conquistadors permeates the area, I'm sure I'd have to make time to explore some of the other local attractions. St. Augustine boasts some really neat and fun places to go, like Ripley's Believe It Or Not Museum, which I know the kids would love. Hubby and I would have to make time to visit The Love Tree, a palm tree that has grown up through the center of a live oak tree. It is said that couples who kiss under the tree will seal their love forever. How romantic is that?

I'd also want to visit The Oldest Drugstore, which is in fact the oldest in the nation. It is now an herbal gift shop where you can stock up on herbal teas, black soap, shea bitter and organic jelly, among other things. I love that kind of stuff.

And, of course, no trip to St. Augustine would be complete without a visit to the historic Fountain of Youth, supposedly discovered by Ponce de Leon in 1513. These days you can visit the fabled fountain and yes, you can even drink the water. You probably won't get any younger, but you will enjoy the coll artifacts, and natural beauty surrounding the area.

It's been really fun planning my fantasy St. Augustine vacation. If you'd like to learn more, visit the link at the top of this post.