Hi, Y'all!

Just thought I'd update quickly to let everyone know that we're still alive around here. Life is what it is, which right now, is pretty good. :)

Lori and at least one of her children have been at our house for the past 4 evenings, and we have totally enjoyed their company. Peter and I cooked a large Southern meal last night, and we all really enjoyed that.

There's also been some paperstickyfoldystuffplaying around here, too. My desk is now cleared off and I've made 2 sets of cards last night and today. Lori is here working, hoping to scrap in a bit, and Mom's here scrapping for a while, too.

Peter brought our swingset out front and powerwashed it this morning, and he's taking some furniture out of the living room to give away. So there's more room in there. Yay!!! Now we can set up the second pack-n-play in the living room so the two babies can each have their own nap space.

Tomorrow, we want to finally get our Earth Boxes cleaned out and replanted. We're doing one with just spearmint tea, another with several different herbs and the last one with flowers. Can't wait to have fresh herbs at our fingertips. :)

Monday, Peter's planning to grill out. Yay!! We're trying to get our game plan together for who's bringing what. Hopefully we'll be able to throw down. Oh, and while he's cooking... the ladies will be SCRAPPING!!! :D

So you all be good and have a fantabulous weekend.

*Smile*

Scrapblock Is Gone!

Wow, I think my scrappy dry spell is well and truly over, which is a GOOD thing!! Last weekend we went to the Helena crop and I did six layouts in about 5 hours. Yesterday, Mom, Lori and I went to a crop at the local scrap store and I got 8 more done!

Let me just say that I'm absolutely loving the Becky Higgins Sketches books! They help me SO much, and I'm able to be much more productive instead of spazzing over the layout.

I also have been really trying to use my older products. Who's to say that just because something is a couple of years old, that we shouldn't use it? I'm tired of trying to keep up with all the latest trends, and since I've got stuff, I may as well use it.

I've also been totally rockin' the Basic Grey papers, as you can tell here. I've been "careful" with it for so long, instead of using it, and finally decided that I'll enjoy it more if I have them in books. And that was a very wise decision. :)

Finally, I got up this morning and reorganized my scrap desk and I think I've got stuff where I can actually work now. It's been a work in progress, with tweaks here and there to see what works best for me. I set up everything just the way I do when I go to crops, so I'm really hoping it'll work for me. Now, I'm off to submit a few things to Basic Grey to see if they'll publish me again.... :)

Smiles!!

My babies being ballerinas. I LOVE this layout... it makes my heart smile. I bought the quote a while back, and never found anything to use it with. It seemed to be simply perfect for this layout. If you can't read it, it simply says "a little child, a limber elf singing, dancing to itself".

Since these photos are so bright and colorful, I really like the muted tones of the papers and cardstock and the calming vibe they give this layout.

It was pure chance that the lighting was so phenomenal when I took these photos of Monkey taking a nap using her baby as a pillow. I really love the softness of these BG papers and the way they contrast the vibrance of the photos.

My first ever layout using Wild Asparagus!!!

Groovy LO using Daisy D's papers and Junkitz blossoms. I really liked the concept of using "masculine" colors for a little girl layout, and I really love the way it turned out.

A Very Special Day

Today was a wonderful day for Peter and I. For the first time in over two years, we got to see our great-nephew, Caleb. We've missed him terribly, and not being able to see him made our hearts ache. But today we got to not only see him, but we got to help him celebrate his 10th birthday. I just can't believe how big he's gotten!! He's SO tall, well spoken, articulate, and sweet. It made my heart sing to be able to hug him and let him know how much I love him. In all, I'd say we had a GREAT day...

Handsome!

Giving Caleb a long-awaited hug

Sweet family

Sk8tr Boi!

Loving siblings - aren't they SO cute?

Caleb going incognito!

My world

As I was going through my photos just now, I found this photo. It's sorta blurry, not in focus, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to the unknowing eye. However, it's a perfect snapshot documenting a small slice of my world...

• There's my laptop, that wonderful tool that helps me keep in touch with loved ones far and near, with an email being composed to someone that I care for very much.
• My Stampin' Up! book opened in front of it, ordering something that I enjoy and which inspires my creativity.
• The pen that I snitched from my sweetie, simply because it's a fine point, and I absolutely adore the way it writes.
• My letter opener, which my loving older brother made for me a few years ago while he was unable to work. I lost the finial thingie on the end, but I'm still just as proud of it now as I was when he gave it to me. :)
• My ever-present notepad (Yes, I do realize it says Viagra on it, but I got it back when I worked for Dr. Ditoro, so it's all good), which I use on a daily basis to write down important things, like my evolving lists, phone numbers, and cool websites I want to visit.
• My trackball, which save my wrists from a lot of wear and tear, since I have carpal tunnel problems.
• My yummmmmmy cinnamon roll candle in its' iron holder, which lets me burn it while it's sitting on my desk without worrying about fire.
• And in the back, my rubber stamps... the ones that I use to make fabulous cards and gifts for those that I love.

These are simply a tiny portion of the things that I use on a daily basis, but which make my life a little easier each day.

Yummmmy!

Warning: If you are hungry, you may want to eat before reading this.....

I'm absolutely loving this wonderful Spring-like weather. My windows are open today and we're just loving it. I'm going to take the girls outside in a bit and let them run until they wear themselves out. :)

Today's lunch was the first "official" garden lunch I've had. On the menu: fresh tomato sandwiches, radishes & spring onions, strawberries & a banana. Yummmm! Turns out Val loves tomato sandwiches as well. I had to hurry and eat the rest because she kept coming back for more. LOL

We got our first delivery from the CSA on Monday. I'm pretty pleased with the amount we got, considering that it is so early in the season. We got: lettuce mix, broccoli raab, radishes (all heirloom varieties), fresh garlic, green onions, oregano, collards & a dozen eggs. We've been on a weird schedule around here the past few days, so I just got a chance to clean everything up to use. The radishes & onions were part of today's lunch, and boy, were they yummy!

Although it's been a hard and fast rule that I HATE collards, my Mom should be proud of me - I have them all cleaned, cut up and in the pot cooking with some bacon. My honey said he'll eat them if I cook them, so there ya go. They don't smell anything like what I remember them smelling as a child, so I may just try a bite or two. Gotta have cornbread and hot sauce to go with, though. Oh, and some black-eyed peas...

Anyone wanna come over for supper???

12 Wonderful Years (And Counting)

Saturday is a special day for my sweet Husband and myself. We're celebrating 12 years of marriage. It doesn't seem like that long, but it does seem like my life only began when he came into it.

Fifteen years ago, my life was miserable. I was in the lowest spot I'd ever been in, the most miserable a person could be. I was beaten down, stripped of my dignity, and deserted by all those who supposedly loved me (with the exception of my Mom). Everything that meant anything to me was torn from my life, my whole world was destroyed. Then God brought a wonderful friend into my life.

He was a true friend. He held my hand when I needed a non-threatening human touch. He forced me to eat when I was afraid to. He let me talk about my woes and provided comfort as best he could. He loved me unconditionally, even when I betrayed his trust. He saw to it that I went back to school and finished my education. He even asked his sister to allow me to stay at her house when I became homeless. He was there for me every day and defended me against my enemies. He taught me that I could rise above the situation I was in and that I could become so much more than anyone thought I could.

I gradually came to trust him and on April 16, 1992, I told him that I loved him for the first time. He said he'd fallen in love with me as well. We have now been together for 15 years, and although it's been hard at times, I wouldn't take anything for my relationship with Peter. He's the most wonderful, loving, giving and hardworking person I've ever known.

Thank you for being there for me, loving me and putting up with me for these 15 years. I'm looking forward to the next 50 with you, sweetheart. I love you. :)

A Happy Scrappy Weekend

Lori, Mom and I went to a 12 hour crop for National Scrapbooking Day on Saturday. I was well medicated with Dayquil, and tried not to move around a whole lot, as I still felt really, really bad. Took my box of tissues, my medicine and Sprite Zero with me, too.

We were in an empty store that had lots of tables set up and we scrapbooked all day. I got a lot accomplished, which made me VERY happy. I did nine pages in all, which is great. Two of those, I want to submit for publication.

Lori did some running to the store for me to match up cardstock and such, which I really appreciate. Thanks, sis! The store was only yards away, but I was running a temp and got really flushed and weak when I stood up more than a few minutes. I really might not have gone, but I'd already prepaid for the day and I wasn't about to lose that money. After all was said and done, I'm really glad I went, because it gave me some much needed time with Lori and Mom. :)

Here's most of the pages I did....

It happens every time

Saturday is the big crop to celebrate National Scrapbooking Day. I have prepaid my crop fees, made big plans to spend the day with Lori and Mom and yet..... I am now SICK!!!

The girls have been snotty and snuffy the past few days and we thought it was just a cold. Well, then the babies' parents got it. And last night, I started getting stuffy. I thought it was just my sinuses from being out and about and then sleeping with the ceiling fan on.... NOT!

Today, it's been getting progressively worse. It still has something to do with my sinuses, but the congestion is moving into my throat. I felt so bad this afternoon that Peter had to finish cooking supper because I got too sick to handle standing over the stove. Now, I've got something special to do this weekend, and I can't be sick!!!

Sooooo, my sweet honey went and got some TheraFlu strips for me, and now he's gone to the store again to get some Nyquil for me. Looks like it's going to be an ukky night. Gonna slather myself with Vicks, swig some nasty green stuff and curl up under a multitude of covers to burn this congestion out. I may have a badge of honor (a fever blister) to show for my fight, but hopefully by Saturday morning, I'll feel fit as a fiddle. :)

Those of you who can pray, please pray that I'll get over this. It's at least the third time I've actually been sick this year. That's just way too much. I've got three little ones that I need to take care of, and I need to be well for all of us.

Warm weather supper

I'm so excited to see Spring has finally sprung! We're really looking forward to fresh fruits and vegetables, instead of hot house produce and frozen veggies. During the winter months, our staple fruits have been oranges, apples and bananas. Now we've been eating loads of fresh watermelon. Peter's actually found some that tastes good. Not to mention that it's berry season.... yay!! It's so easy to eat healthy when everything's so FRESH! I just *love* it!

Tonight, we had our first "official" warm weather supper. I made an old favorite - pasta salad.

The recipe is a blend of a recipe I got from a friend and my own recipe. We absolutely love it, and during the summer, we usually have it every other week. One recipe makes a pretty decent batch, and it's great for quick lunches as well.

Pasta Salad

• 1 package turkey pepperoni, each cut into fourths
• 1/2 red bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded & chopped
• 1/2 medium red onion, chopped
• 1 small can sliced black olives
• 1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 box tricolor rotini pasta, cooked
• 1/2 bottle fat free Italian dressing

Mix everything together, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

We had some focaccia bread that was wonderful. I added chopped black olives to the batter, and spread olive oil and sprinkled freshly grated Parmesan over it before baking. We also had oil to dip our bread into. It was soooooo good! For dessert was peach cobbler from peaches that we canned ourselves. Peter even had to take his supervisor a serving while it was still hot. Yep, the wife's trying to earn brownie points. LOL

If you've got a favorite warm weather meal, please leave me a comment and you can even include your recipe if you'd like to. I'd love to see what others are enjoying on those nice summery days.

On another note, I got an update from the CSA (consumer supported agriculture) that we decided to subscribe to this year, and we're supposed to get our first basket of produce on May 14th! Yes!!! I'm SO looking forward to having lots of organic, fresh from the field produce in our kitchen this year. I'll post photos of our basket when we get it.

I'm also hoping to be able to can some vegetable soup this year. We're trying to use up quarts of stuff that we canned the past couple of years so we can have enough jars empty. Don't really want to buy any more jars, so it looks like we're going to be eating from our pantry a lot in the next couple of months. :)

*Smile!*