More Layouts

I'm trying to catch up all the layouts I had piled up before our move.  I have gone to the simple and quick layouts.  Although I usually end up staring at them for WAY to long trying to figure out how to add pizazz to it before giving up.  haha!  

My kids LOVE to play in this little pool at my parents house.  They are too big for it, but still enjoy it.  

I loved these photos of Maddy and my Dad.  He had layed down for a nap and she went and grabbed her blankies to put on him and told everyone to be quiet.

Some of my favorite photos from summer.  The kids LOVED helping my dad in the garden.  Especially if it meant digging potatoes.  They also had fun at the fair and poor miss Maddy was so sad that she wasn't big enough to ride the roller coaster with Peyton.  And one of my fave photos of Peyton and Maddy I took at the library during their summer reading program.  Maddy was hugging on Peyton for something.

Our local photo shop asked if I could create a few 'layout' photos on their system and incorporate them into a bigger layout.  This is one of the layouts I created for them.

Thanks for stopping by!

Layouts and Pictures

Hello all!  Hopefully I will be back to blogging more often.  We are sort of getting settled.  We have quite a few projects in line for the next few weeks though.  Painting and a garden are two of the biggest!  

I had a handful of layouts I don't think I've shared.  Of course, by now, I have forget the sketch I used.  I'm guessing it is on my Pinterest board somewhere.  

I just love the fun papers, banners and journaling spots as well as colors in this Pretty Little Studio line.  Just perfect for birthdays.  See the bottom picture?  That is Chris's cousins daughter.  Her and Maddy look like they are sisters!  

I REALLY wish I would have been as smart as Karen and take a screen shot, but alas, I'm not.   Karen and I met on a scrappy board and had been e-mailing for each other for quite some time.  This was our first time Skyping.  

Below is a layout I made of my sister-in-law's bachelorette party!  It was the first time I had been out without Chris or the kids in quite some time!  We hit Downtown Portland a few nights before the wedding.

Now on to some photos.  We bought Peyton a bed set.  Poor kid had his mattresses on the floor!  Chris was putting it together and wouldn't ya know it....Jenabelle wanted to help!  Can you see her in his lap under his arm?  haha!  Love that little pups!

She likes to walk in the window sills for some reason.

Maddy and Peyton are sure taken with her and often ask if they can hold her and snuggle with her.

We celebrated Peyton's birthday two weekends ago.  It was fun to have all the family over to our new house.  Peyton was spoiled and enjoyed his day. He wore that hat all day long!

Peyton started soccer. Maddy was quite disappointed she couldn't play, but she isn't quite old enough.  But if you ask me, she could have easily played with all the kindergartners   She is just as big as them and not afraid to jump into a group and do something.

And the spoiled pups.  This has become a nightly activity.  She pesters you til you hold her.

Argh....I uploaded the last two photos just like I did the others.  Why are they showing up so big?  

What have I been up too?

Wow......been a while since I posted, huh?  Well, things got crazy on me and left me no extra time!  I started working in January. Only two days a week while Maddy was in school, but put in tons of hours at home.  I have really enjoyed it.  I was also very involved in Peyton's school and put in many hours of volunteer work there.  Maddy tagged along with me and was a good little helper and trooper for all the hours she spent there with me.  Often times I'd get home and she'd end up like this:

 Chris and I took Peyton to his first OHA (Oregon Hunters Association) Banquet.  It was a lot of  fun!  Peyton scored some fun prizes and we enjoyed a fun night out.

 We did some crafts.  The kids both made their Great Grandpa a birthday card.

 We went to Peyton's school dance.

 We met up with my niece, nephew and mom for lunch at a yummy restaurant that just re-opened.

 Maddy and I went to a 'Ag' day at Peyton's school.  So much fun!  Pedal tractor races, petting goats, playing with dirt and water, learning about animals and farms.

 Peyton had a science fair.  Maddy was a HUGE trooper at this one.  We were at the school for almost 4 hours while I monitored it!

 Maddy had her last day of Preschool.  She really enjoyed it and already misses her teachers and friends.

 We bought a house!  This is the kitchen.....

 The living room (the furniture is NOT ours, I repeat, NOT ours....no pink couches for me peeps....haha!)....

 Apparently I forgot to upload the outside views...maybe in another post.....

Peyton asked Maddy and I to go to one of his Run Club.  Every Friday they go out to the high school football track and run/walk around it for almost an hour.  Maddy LOVED it and Peyton was such a good big brother, always keeping an eye on her and staying right next to her.

 I ran Maddy ragged, between dragging her to my work and the school for volunteer work.

 We took one last walk to the creek to throw rocks into it.

 I had to get a picture of Peyton in the mornings.  Every morning Maddy and I walk him into the gym where all 400+ students sit in lines quietly!  They can read books, do flashcards, color, etc.  Peyton loved to go early and take his work-book to do.

 We were able to make it to Charlie's for our traditional green bombers on St. Patricks Day.

We got a puppy!  :-0  Yes, we got a puppy when we were homeless!  A HUGE thank you to my parents for being willing to allow this to happen.  She is a full bread Beagle and absolutely adorable.  She LOVES to climb up in the kids laps and snuggle and love on them.  She is my little baby and I regret getting rid of my front pack I used with the kids.  It would have come in handy with her.  She LOVES to be held and loved.  

 I have opted to home-school Peyton the last two months of school.  I found this cool old-school desk at a thrift shop for $10 and couldn't resist it.  Peyton really likes it too.  :)  Even being homeless we were able to get some school work done.

Sorry for the randomness.  Nothing is in order, but I'm super tired and didn't feel like organizing the photos. We sold our house and moved out 11 days ago!  We were supposed to only be out of a home for 3 days and it turned into 11!  :-0  I hadn't packed for that.  Lucky for us, we were staying at my parents.  I am very grateful to them for allowing us to bombard their home and interrupt their normal routine.  I am not off to bed.  Well, I'm still sick and coughing so I am retiring to the recliner!  haha!  

My Creative Sketch Challenge

My friend Izzy posted about a sketch challenge My Creative Sketches was having.  I followed the link and really liked the sketch.  

I have been keeping my layouts super simple.  I just don't have time these days to get much scrapbooking done and keeping it simple seems to work much better for me.  Here is my layout using Echo Park papers and sticker and Doodlebug alpha stickers.  

Thank you for stopping by!

Randomness

Are you ready for this randomness?  I thought for sure after the holidays things would slow down!  They definitely haven't!  

Over Christmas break  I was searching for something new and fun to entertain the kids.  We hadn't built a tent in a while so I brought out a few extra sheets and we built a fort/tent.  The kids had a lot of fun bring all the toys they could into the tent.  

 Peyton started putting on magic shows for me.  It was pretty darn cute!

I'm hooked on vinyl.  It is so much fun to create projects with!  I was given two Cricut Cartridges for my birthday and had so much fun playing with them. I came across a quilting quote and thought of my mom.  I texted it to her and wouldn't you know it...one of her good friends had a birthday next week and it was just perfect for her!  So to work I went....and this is what I came up with.

 I did some machine stitching to give it that 'quilting' feel.

My Mom's birthday is Monday. I came across this quote a while back and instantly thought of her.  I finally got around to making it for her.  I had made a card for her a while back with this same design and she commented a couple times how much she liked the design, so I figured she'd like the tile with the same design.  I used some really old My Minds Eye papers as well as a satin flower I had made.  

 I love these satin flowers.

I have been on the hunt for cupboard doors.  I clean them, paint them and then create this:

 The above was made for a big fundraising event Chris and I go to every year.  We have a blast at this event.  A few years ago I started making items to donate to their silent auction.  I decided to make the above for this years auction.

Another board with quote I made:

This one I have set up in my entryway on a beautiful quilted piece my mom made for me.

Today was Miss Maddy's 4th birthday!  How quickly the 4 years have gone!  Maddy can light up a room.  She can have me frustrated like no other and the very next minute be as sweet as can be giving me kisses and hugs. She is a true blessing.

Maddy shared her birthday with 1 of her cousins (turning 9) and one family friend (turning 2).

We had 3 cakes set up, as well as a table for each kiddo's present.

The family friend who had the 2 year old's birthday was amazing.  She created all 3 birthday cakes!  :-0  I can barely pull off my own, let alone 2 others.  And look how stinking cute Maddy's cake was:  

 My brother was able to make it to the party and bring his two kiddos.  All four kids just LOVE to get together!

 Maddy really liked her cupcakes.  She had two and wanted a third!  Haha!

 And she was definitely spoiled and made out like no other!

3 kids (ages 2, 4 and 9) sharing a birthday party.  The restaurant was packed and lots of fun was had.

That is it for now!  Thank you for stopping by!

Finally...some layouts to share!

Anyone still stopping by?  I know it has been a long time since I've posted anything crafty or scrappy.  

I've kind of reverted.  I'm keeping layouts super simple and not worrying about making them spectacular.  

This is actually a layout I had done a few months ago, just never got around to taking a picture and uploading it.  I just love Jillibean Soup!  Love their sheet of die cuts and how easy they make it to do embellishment clusters.  I used a sketch from PageMaps for this layout.  

 I am so thankful to have Chris's grandparents (GG's) in our lives. My kids love spending time with them!  Sadly, I am not very good at getting pictures of the kiddos with them, so when I do they are treasured.

Next up is a layout I made using from Elle's Studio.  I want to go back and add machine stitching around the banner, but haven't taken the time to pull out my sewing machine.  This was fun cause I used a bunch of little scraps I had been saving.

 These two crack me up!  They make me laugh every single day.  On this particular day, Peyton was pushing Maddy around in the laundry basket.

I think I used a sketch for this one too, but can't remember!  :-S  Peyton was pretty surprised when I told him to run through the sprinklers with his clothes and shoes on.  He thought that was pretty darn cool!

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Wow...where has the time gone?  3 full months without posting?  Busy, busy busy!

For Halloween, Chris took The Hulk (Peyton) and Belle (Maddy) out trick or treating around the neighborhood.  They then came back and handed out candy to the trick or treaters that stopped by our house.  I should clarify, Peyton handed out candy. Maddy had a break down and went to bed early!  

Since Halloween was on a weekday this year, we took the kids trick-or-treating early (over the weekend) to the grandparents house.  Peyton wanted this Mario costume so bad I was surprised he wore his Hulk costume on Halloween.

In October one of our friends got married.  I was honored when she asked for my help that day.  We shipped off the kids and I spent most of the day at the outdoor wedding location helping get ready. Her mother in law has in insane knack of party set up, home decor, etc.  This was the kitchen (later on filled with food, I was too sidetracked to take pictures later on...haha!).  The night was finished off with my fave band playing live, dancing and a bonfire! 

At the end of October we took our first every siblings vacation.  Chris, his brothers and their wives and I took off to Vegas for a couple of days.  SO.MUCH.FUN!  I can't wait to take a siblings trip again!  This was also Chris's and my 10 year anniversary trip!  Yep...10 years!  :-0  Can you believe it?  Neither of us  can!  Haha!

Chris was able to attend a few OSU games this year.  Peyton really wanted to go to one, we only had one possible weekend that he could go!  :-0  Like I said, busy busy!  So we took off as a family to the game.  Maddy put on a show at Fred Meyer's while getting some tail gate food and rain ponchos.

Maddy and I enjoyed a little tailgating before the game with Peyton and Chris then took off for the hotel while Chris and Peyton went to the game.  Peyton made it one quarter before coming back to the hotel!  :-0  In his defense though, it was cold, wet and windy!  NOT a good combo!  

Peyton lost his first tooth!  I was quite disappointed it fell out while we were gone.   But Mema (my mom) made sure the tooth fairy left him a extra special surprise!  The picture below is of the wiggly tooth not too long before it fell out.  

 The whole family was able to make it to Portland to meet up with my on-line friend Karen for the first time!  SO much fun!  I really wish we lived closer as the kids had a lot of fun together and so did us adults!  We didn't get a posed picture of all the kids together but this one cracks me up!  They were having so much fun playing around!

  The following weekend, or maybe it was the weekend after...they are all running together now, just liked they did at the time...Chris and I were able to sneak away for the Civil War.  We enjoyed the time with my sister and brother in-law.  Just wish the game ended up differently!  ;-)

 There were moments of dancing and fun....

 Moments of playing in the snow....

 Some snowman were built....

 Some Christmas stockings were enjoyed....

 Nails were painted, whether you wanted them to be or not...

 and more time was spent in the snow.

The kids had a lot of fun playing Go Fish on New years...

We have a new thing of "I Love You"  in sign language.

 New years in pj's, snowboots and hats....haha!

 What is New years with out fire works?  And snow of course....... even in 4 degrees it was fun!

Well if you made it to the end, congrats! :-)  Thank you for stopping by!  I was able to pump out a few layouts before starting my room-by-room cleaning.  An attempt to purge then deep clean one room a day.  So far I'm not keeping my one room a day schedule.  But I'm still working at it!  Hopefully I will sneak a few minutes to share my layouts!