Are you playing along?

I mentioned that I would be playing along with the Paper Trunk blog challenges. Here is my first of the challenges...New Beginnings. This is the Tree of Life at Animal Kingdom. Yep...more Disney pages!! But I really like how the Paper Trunk paper works for this. I had also found this other paper with the animals and thought they looked like the carvings. Even though I have to work the entire weekend, I still hope to play along with some of the NSD challenges and events. Where there's a will...there's a way, right?

Based on a sketch

So as you all know, I have traveled a lot with my job over the last few months. My favorite thing to do while I am traveling...SCRAP of course!! I swear that is the only time I get anything done lately! LOL

So here is a 2 page layout I did based on a Becky Higgin's sketch. The background is actually a transparency, but looks a little different from scanning. The kids had found a toad in the woods. Bailee was brave enough to pick it up. Logan...well...he passed! LOL



So what else have I been up to, you ask? We joined a gym. Yep...we sure did. I biked for 15 whole minutes today and thought I would DIE! But I'm sure it gets better! ROFL Wish me luck!!! Oh...and if you are looking for a fun recipe...try this one that I tried to make my meal a little healthy...grill fresh pineapple slices and then top with sugar free instant pudding. Logan asked for seconds!! Totally yummy dessert!!

Happy EARTH DAY!!!!

(also administrative professionals day)...It seems that "going green" is on everyone's mind lately. We are avid recyclers and I try to reuse or give things to others when I can no longer use them. My kids are my best "scrap users" as well.

So here's the best news...Paper Trunk is having an Earth Day Crop from today until 5/2!! There will be challenges posted every day. They have some great challenges and products. Make sure to take a look and play along...I am sure gonna try to!!

Scrapping my BABY (who is now 13)

Here is my sweet baby Bailee all naked in the bathtub with her froggy!! So precious! I have to give a little credit to this layout. The patterned paper is my absolute FAVORITE of the new Boxer lines!! The paper pieced frog...you guessed it...my dear One Creative Bug herself...Christy!!! Doesn't she spoil me? Hey...if you want one of these for yourself...or nearly ANY paper piecing...check out her BLOG and get one! I will be posting some other custom made paper piecings later for you to check out. She made me the most AWESOME one for Logan's karate pictures!! Can't wait!!

But back to my "baby"...Sometimes I really miss those days. But most of the time I am just enjoying her grow into a beautiful young lady!

Here is a recent picture of her now...wow is she ever growing up FAST!!

Hi-YA!!!

So Tuesday Logan performed with his karate academy at the Harlem Globetrotter's game. I tried to upload the video...but blogger is not cooperating!! It was cute!

Dreams do come true!!

and I am so blessed! Truly I am. I have awesome friends...adorable kids...a totally devoted husband...a great job (most of the time!!)...the list just goes on and on. I think it is so easy to lose sight of our blessings and focus on the negatives in life. At Peek, there was a contest to do a layout about our favorite place. Other than home...Disney is totally my favorite place...specifically, the Magic Kingdom.

So yesterday I was able to travel over to Lima to Scrapbooks! (also the headquarters to Scrappin Sports & More). The paper I used on this layout is one of the Scrappin Sports & More Custom Papers. There are so many possibilities for these papers and they had several examples available in the store. LOVE THEM!!! I was so inspired by this paper, that as soon as I got home, I had to do this layout! The picture on the layout was my favorite picture I had taken while at Disney. I guess after nearly 700 shots, you are bound to get one really good one. Our vacation was just so wonderful and it really made me realize how important time away truly is. The kids still talk about it.

Anyway, I know this post is getting sappy, but sometimes you've just gotta truly take time to stop and smell the roses. My good friend Christy reminded me that a positive outlook on life generally yields a positive, blessed life. Good advice!!

Have a Happy Easter everyone!!!

Baking cookies

Over at the Scrapbooks Etc. Challenge Blog, they issued a challenge based on Sketch #12 from the Page Planner magazine (a new addition to my collection that I LOVE btw!). This sketch really called to me. Like many of you, I tend to take TONS of pictures - especially around the holidays - so this was a good incentive to try and fit a bunch of my pictures onto one page. By cutting them into smaller squares and focusing on the even itself.



Another fun thing I did was used puffy paint as "icing" and glass beads for the "sprinkles". Add a scrap of a transparency I had lying around and some Boxer papers...and it was done! It seems like it has been soooooooooo looooooooooooong since I have been able to scrap that it was good to actually sit down to play.

Yes, I know it is out of season, but I am still trying to get caught up! LOL

Monday I am off for yet ANOTHER business trip. Hopefully I will just be gone for the night, but possibly 2. I think I am going to pack a couple of pre-planned pages to work on...and my book (New Moon) that I have been trying to get through. I'm not sure I will have time to do any of it as we are in the middle of an audit, but I can hope, right?

I've got a monkey on my back...

...or head! LOL Sorry to be MIA but been very busy at work lately. Today I had to visit one of my foster parents and they have a monkey. So since the kids were on Spring Break, they came with me and played with Tikki, the monkey. I guess there are some perks to my job! LOL

Sorry that I can't post more...just been either working or sleeping. But for now...enjoy the silly picture!