Extreme Makeover

Scout's hair was getting pretty long. If we didn't pull it back into a ponytail/pigtails it was a bit out of control. Today Nick and I took her to get her first haircut. She was a total wiggle worm but came out with a cute little bob. She looks like a whole new kid!

The Middle Kid

Another layout for my pregnancy album. I am enjoying working with the 8 1/2 x 11 size.

Obviously this is the story of how we told my family about the impending arrival of baby #3. product: Cosmo Cricket Early Bird paper, Cosmo Cricket Celebrate Life sticker border, Scenic Route chipboard alpha, Heidi Grace metal flower, ribbon and brads.

I took the journaling right from our blog.

JOURNALING: We hadn't told anyone about you. We wanted to share the news with my family in person when we were in MN over the 4th of July. I had the not-so-original idea to make Scout a 'Middle Kid' t-shirt to wear. I told Nick my idea. I was envisioning a simple circle with a thin black outline, spring green interior and 'the middle kid' in a classic font. His response, "No, no, no you have to do. . . " and I honestly tuned out at that point because I knew he was going to come up with something fantastic.

Your Dad is so talented. I mean come on!! How perfect is this? It was better than I could have imagined. Bennet with the ever present BandAid on her leg. Stoli & Jones in the background. Our Team Sweeney flag. And of course our pigtailed girl Scout in the middle.

We put the shirt on Scout at Matt & Katie's house once Megan and Gregg arrived. Katie honed in on it right away. Her response, "Megan- Ha! I told you!" followed quickly by "Congratulations!" When my parents arrived they were just excited to see the kids (and us) that they really didn't tune in. They didn't tune in once we got out of the car to walk to Market Fest. Or when we got to Market Fest. Nick casually straightened Scout's shirt out and then the lightbulb went off.

Friday Fill Ins

1. She was a fast machine, she kept her motor clean, she was the best damn woman that I'd ever seen. . .
2.Our anniversary and Scout's birthday is what I look forward to most this time of year. (and then the leaves change!!!)
3. My best friend is Nick.
4. I will always be honest with you.
5. Appearances can be deceiving AND true
6. The last person I gave a hug to was Bennet
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to girls weekend with B & Scout tomorrow my plans include setting up a tent downstairs since it's supposed to be 56 degrees outside and Sunday, I want to do a whole lotta nothing!

Sneak Peeks & a Bonus

Here are some sneak peeks of the layouts I'm making with the Kraft Girl Kit for September. I am head over heals in l-o-v-e with this kit. I seriously want to use every speck of it! You are going to love it.

A couple of weeks ago I acually used my Cricut Expression. SHOCKING! I've had it since last November and have used it less than 5 times. Shame on me!! I used scraps (KIMemories and Scenic Route) and cut all the balloons with my Sure-Cuts-A-Lot program. It was alot of fun.

At the cabin

Photo heavy post :) My parents and brother Gregg joined us for a long weekend at the cabin. Friday the weather was wicked cold. 54 degrees on August 21st? No fun. The girls went into Boulder Junction to window shop and the guys braved some fishing.

Scout's first game of cribbage.

Craft time. The girls made candy bracelets.

We went to Bent's Camp for their Fish Fry. It is my favorite fish fry.

Gregg and Bennet had a sword fight with their plastic pirate drink straws. Bennet won.

The sun peeked through for a little bit on Friday night so we braved a pontoon ride. Multiple layers and plenty of blankets were a must.

She is crazy

She is 'so big!'
Saturday the weather cooperated enough for us to fish a little bit and spend some time on the lake.

Saturday night we had a fire in the fire pit. Smores, sparklers and so much fun! Before you knew it it was Sunday and time to head home. We snuck in one more pontoon ride before leaving.

Thanks for Ma&Pa Sweeney for letting us use the retreat and for Ma&Pa Trunnell and Gregg for making the trip!

Kraft Girl Kits- September Sneak

Here is a little sneak peek at the September kit from Kraft Girl Kits. I can't wait for it to arrive so I can create with it. I spy some fun things that were just released at CHA. I spy JilliBean Soup and Cosmo Cricket!!

Friday Fill Ins

When this posts I will at the cabin, waking up to the sound of the loons on the lake and the deer sneaking through the yard. I took this weeks FFI's from the same week in 2008.



1. Dancing to the music while spinning around with Scout makes me giggle.

2. The last time I went through the mismatched sock basket I nearly lost it.

3. When I drive I tend to brake suddenly. Not a good habit.

4. I saw a little calico kitty cat (stray) sitting in our windowsill the other day in the backyard. CUTE!

5. Give me laughter, give me comfy pjs, give me beer and you'll see me content .

6. Next week I am looking forward to getting the girls hair cut.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to taking the pontoon to Bent's Camp for Friday Night Fish Fry, tomorrow my plans include swimming with my Mom and the girls and Sunday, I want to have a traffic free drive home!

WooHoo Wednesday (August 19)

Wishing my sister Katie a very Happy Birthday and a Happy Anniversary to her and Matt!!

Last night was a mellow WooHoo Wednesday. It was chilly and rainy.

We have a stray black and white cat living in our backyard. It was laying under the sandbox around 6 p.m. and was still there when I went to bed. Trying to stay out of the rain. It looks a little like Stoli which is very confusing to Bennet.

After some technical difficulties we were able to use Skype with Matt, Katie and Molly. Unfortunately I did something to Nick's laptop and now he has a bad virus. I suck. Anyways- back to Skype. Matt took this screen capture. Not the most flattering picture with my hat hair and bunched up shirt, but what do I care? :)

I think Skype is the coolest thing ever. It's free, it's easy and it's alot of fun. As we were saying goodbye last night Scout leaned in a kissed the screen (Matt/Katie/Molly) good night. So cute! As we were talking little Molly just drifted off to sleep. She is such a cute baby. Wish I could reach through the screen and give her a squeeze!

Have I Told You Yet Today. . .

My sister Katie posted "Have I Told You Yet Today. . . "on my Facebook page last week. In light of my job loss it was exactly what I needed to hear. It is a family phrase that carries alot of history and meaning. I've been wanting to scrap about it for a long time but it kept getting pushed further down the list. I just happened to come across a challenge at Citrus Tree Studio the same day and I knew it was time to put it to paper. No photo- just the phrase.

Supplies: American Crafts alphabets, Scenic Route heart chipboard, October Afternoon patterned paper

Wacky Weekend

Friday night we rented Dumbo and I Love You Man. Dumbo is WAY out there. What is with that whole 20 minute psychedelic Pink Elephant montage. It's like 1/2 the movie. When I was 8/9 years old my parents went on vacation for 2 weeks and my 2 year old brother demanded we watch it repeatedly when they were gone. Grandpa Bud is still scarred. I still know every word to every song.

I think Paul Rudd is wonderful so I enjoyed 'I Love You Man'. A nice little bromance if you will. And RUSH really is a great band so the music was a plus.

Saturday
On the suggestion of our neighbor Charity we checked out a new park in Weston.

There were two other kids playing at the park. At one point the Mom asked me how old Bennet was. I told her, "She'll be 4 in December". She replied, "Oh- both Sarah and David have Dec. birthdays. David will be 4 too". I said, "Yeah- poor girl has hers on Dec. 21" "No way- David too"

So long story short we figured out that after Dr. Abadeer stitched me up at St Clare's around 3 a.m. he hauled himself over to Aspirus to deliver David. I vaguely remember him saying something about having to go deliver one more (it was his last night after 30+ years). Small world eh?

Do you think I got her name so I could send David a card every year? Nope. That would have been too smart.

Around dinner time I hear the girls running down the hallway followed by simultaneous crying. Not the wah-wah kind but the 'I broke a bone kind'. I look down the hallway to see our 6 ft tall x 3 ft. wide hall mirror shattered. A point of contact and then it cracked out from there. Apparently Bennet pushed Scout as she was making the corner to her room and Scout's head ran into the mirror. We're talking an industrial width mirror here. No blood, no goose egg, just alot of tears, hugs and "I'm sorry I broke the mirror Mom and sory I pushed Scout' from Bennet. Now we're staring at a 1970's mint green section of wall.

Sunday- things happen in threes. Number two on the list was Scout breaking the one oscillating fan we have. We are dealing with some water issues in the basement and need all the circulation we can get. Number three on the list is a fried DVR hard drive. All our taped shows are gone including all those wonderful cartoons that keep the girls motionless while we're cooking dinner. I'm bummed.

So- tomorrow is a new day. A new week. Please- for the love of all that is decent and holy- let it be a little less chaotic than this weekend.

Friday Fill Ins

1. When will the water stop seeping into our basement?

2. Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society was the last good book I read or movie I saw or tv show I watched.

3. Everything has its beauty but Keira Knightley has it in spades.

4. Fast food is what I had for dinner last night.

5. I'd like your phone numbers please. They were all on my work phone.

6. Right here is where I want to be right now.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching a movie with Nick tomorrow my plans include hanging with the fam and looking for a job and Sunday, I want to relax!

WooHoo Wednesday (Aug. 12, 2009)

It was a beautiful August day today. Just the right perfect day for a trip to the Splash Pad for Woo Hoo Wednesday. Nick played hooky from golf to head north with some friends from high school. By now I imagine they are all reminiscing and sharing back-in-the-day stories over a case of beer.

Anyways- back to the Splash Pad. This was Bennet's favorite part. She'd plop down on top of the spout then lay down completely on top of it. She was so proud!

Scout still prefers the smaller spouts and keeping her face somewhat dry. Oh how she giggled!
I have no idea why this loaded sideways and after 3 attempts to fix I'm saying 'give'. My sister Katie made those flipflops with balloon embellishments 4 years ago for her wedding and they are still one of my favorite fun pair of flip flops. We came home and wrapped up the evening with snuggles on the couch while we watched Tinkerbell (anything is better than Finding Nemo right now) and ate popcorn. A very good end to a very good day!

When one door closes. . .

Another one opens. Yesterday I was let go/laid off/fired/whatever from my job. It's a first for me. I guess I can answer YES to the question- "Have you ever been fired?" now on those silly quizzes. All I have left is getting arrested. I'll leave that for a different week.

I fancy myself a 'glass is half full' kind of gal. Here's the deal. Yes- I'm 15 weeks pregnant without health insurance. There are options and programs to cover that. We'll figure it out. But I really didn't like the job. I stayed because it was steady and easy but it certainly wasn't what I wanted to do. there are options and programs to cover that.

I made this layout last weekend and looking at it reminds me of good things. Blue skies and clouds with silver linings. The little things in life are the BIG things. No one is sick. No one died. I just lost a job. It's all about perspective. When I was a little girl and feeling down on myself my mom would make me say, "I am a good person" out loud until she was satisfied that I believed it. Today I am making a list of what makes me happy until I believe it.

• Nick- I am tearing up as I type this but I am so grateful to have met that person who exactly who I need. He knows what to say and what to do to make me feel better. To make me feel like me. To make me keep it in perspective.
• Bennet and Scout- pretty hard to feel sorry for myself when they make me smile.
• Fresh McDonald's french fries.
• A clean house- including laundry and floors. That is huge!
• Girls Night at Jess's on Thursday.
• My new Caramel Mochiatto creamer.
• I felt Thermos move for the first time the other day.
• Seeing my parents and brother next weekend.
• My niece Molly is sleeping through the night. Makes Matt & Katie happy- makes me happy.
• My sister Megan sent me a sweet email.
• BrrrBabies. They are still as important to me today as they were 4 years ago.
• Rewarding myself for searching for jobs with a little scrap time

If anyone hears of job openings in Wausau please send them my way. Business Development, Training Coordinator, Project Management, Marketing. . . I'm your gal!

On the 21st of Dec

Each month Kraft Girl Kits runs a sketch contest. You don't have to use our kits to complete it so even non-subcribers can join in the fun. You have until August 31st so get to it!

I made this layout with the March Kit (which is 25% off by the way!) Look at that fun Jenni Bowlin blue crepe paper.

Photo of my grandpa Bud and Bennet. JOURNALING: You and PawPaw Bud share a birthday. I think that is so cool. 90 years may separate you but you will always be linked by your special day.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Going to the cabin is my favorite summertime getaway.

2. My favorite John Hughes movies is I love them all. Some Kind of Wonderful and Sixteen Candles. No- Weird Science. No- Ferris Bueller. No-Pretty in Pink. No. . .

3. My cat Jones is something I love to touch. She is sooo soft.

4. The full moon brings out the crazy in all of us.

5. I'm hungry for pancakes right now.

6. When daylight fades I tend to fade with it.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to editing photos and scrapbooking, tomorrow my plans include a Sweeney family bbq/picnic with the entire clan and Sunday, I want to go grocery shopping!

WooHoo Wednesday (Aug 5, 2009)

I know it's still technically summer but fall comes quickly in Wisconsin. It can be 80 degrees one day and 40 the next. It occured to me the other day that Bennet has zero fall/winter clothes. I heard Kohl's was having a sale (insert sarcasm) so off we went.

I have to say I'm a little confused by all the sizing options at this point. Bennet was in a 4T but that's getting too small. So now there is a whole new grouping of sizes. 4-6. And the 4 is bigger than the 4T because it's not toddler it's big girl? I just had her try everything on.

Aside from the whole sizing issue I am having alot of fun shopping with her. She's at the age where she wants to pick out her own clothes. Knock on wood she hasn't picked anything too outrageous or hoochy mama. (Yes- she's not even 4 but you've seen what I'm talking about)

Bennet- "Oh mom- I like the polka dot shirt. And the butterfly shirt. And these socks."

And these super flashy diva-in-training jeans. We went into the dressing room to try them on. She looked at them again and lost her mind- "Mom- there's a belt!! A belt! Just like you and Dad have. Oh thank you thank you Mama. I'm so happy." Then she proceeded to kiss both my arms (just go with it). It sure is a belt. A Solid Gold Marilyn Macoo inspired gold encruted beauty. Who knew that would make her day?

Scout lives in hand-me-downs but she still gets a new clothes too. It's only fair. Yesterday she made out with pajamas. Silky polka dot pjs. Next week Nick is out of town for WooHoo Wednesday vs. his standing golf date. What to do what to do?

August Kraft Girl Kit -REVEAL 2

A couple more announcements before the rest of my August reveal.

Kraft Girl Kits is sponsoring 52 weeks 52 Sketches the week of August 9th and will be giving away one of the August Kits. Check out each blog for more details.

Each month we have a sketch contest with prizes. You don't have to use a Kraft Girl Kit so get out there and try it!!

ooh
When you get excited or are being silly you always scrunch your face and say

chillaxin' cabin
Nick and I had a rare weekend at the cabin with just us & the cats. It was the perfect, relaxing weekend. He fished, I read. He fished, I napped. He gamed, I scrapped. We went out to Bent's Camp for dinner & drinks, spent time on the pontoon & just enjoyed each others company. July 2009


Wall hanging - (There will instructions on a How-To for this on the Kraft Girls site)
9/6/3 is our anniversary so of course I had to circle those numbers

August Kraft Girl Kit -REVEAL 1

Before I get to the layouts I have to mention some of the great things Kraft Girl Kits has going on for August.

Who doesn't love a good sale? The November and December 2008 kits are 50% off ($16) and the March kit is 25% off ($24).

November December- I designed for KGK this month and let me tell you- this kit is awesome. October Road, bling, metallic chipboard & KI sheer paper. . . get caught up on 2008 photos because Christmas is coming.

March- As soon as I saw this kit I ordered it. The colors are so me. I have used this on so many layouts I have lost count. I like it so much I may have to order another one.
Now onto the layouts. I created 5 layouts and 1 project this month and still have plenty of goodies left to play with. I'll post a couple today and the rest tomorrow.

First Glimpse - (layout for my pregnancy album)
At 11 weeks we had our first Dr. appt and got to see you for the first time. July 13, 2009

Just Testing

On our first trip to the cabin this spring you went straight to the dock, kicked off your crocs & dipped your toes in the water. I love that fearless spirit in you. Always wanting to explore something. may 2009

You are delightful - (There will be a How-To for this layout on the Kraft Girl Kits site)

You are always up to something. Trying to find the best way to do something new or different. You are funny, captivating, so inquisitive & you. 04/09

Note to all KGK subcribers. We now have a Flickr group to showcase your talent. Upload your creations to http://www.flickr.com/groups/kraftgirlkits so we can ooh and ahh.