Green Scene

I snuck a couple minutes last week to purge my scrap area. It always feels so good to have things organized. As I was cleaning I made a mental note to put my green scrap paper to the side since I planned on making a St. Patrick's Day layout.

I lifted the idea/design for this layout from Virginia Tillery. Check out her blog at BlackFlipFlops. She has some killer talent. Plus- she has a son named Atticus. I bet him and our Scout would be buddies :)

I have had this layout in my inspiration folder for over a year. I loved that she was able to use so many photos on one page without it getting overwhelming. Event pages are my least favorite thing to scrap and this design made it all come together super easy.

Here is Virginia's layout:

Here is my take on it. I made some photos black and white. I even did some selective coloring on the one with Scout's green fingers.

The dashed vertical lines are handstitched with floss. I used a variety of scraps from Making Memories, Cosmo Cricket, Crate Paper and Scenic Route. I used my heart punch to create the little shamrock.

Journaling: Our annual Sweeney family tradition. A cupcake bake to celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Nick's 1/2 birthday. It involves yellow cake, green food coloring and sprinkles. Nick does most of the work. I make the frosting. The girls do the best part- the sprinkles. Ellie's little shamrock legs hung out in the wrap. I love that Scout is big enough to wear the famous green sweater this year. I smile as I look at photos of this event over the yrars. We all grow and change but the cupcakes just stay delicious.

He Said

I love cards. I love opening the mailbox and seeing the envelope with my name handwritten on the front. I love opening them up. I love the feel of them. I love showcasing them on the fridge so I see them everytime I walk by. I tend to keep every card I receive. I love cards.


Nick is NOT a card guy. It isn't because he's forgetful, he just doesn't do them. It's just one of those things. I've learned to just roll with it. To each their own. That doesn't stop me from requesting them for those big, life changing events.

I didn't get a card when Scout was born.

Shortly after she was born I walked into the bathroom one morning and found a handwritten note taped to the mirror. I swooned. Sooooo much better than a card. I have it taped inside my bathroom cabinet but wanted to put it in our scrapbook as well. I think I may scan the original and attach it to the back.

Ellie at 2 Months

Ellie is 2 months old today. Where does the time go?

What is she up to? (Mom- her Dr. appt isn't until after Easter so you'll have to wait for her stats. I know you love the stats)

• She is really starting to smile more frequently. We get a little coo or giggle every now and then too.


• Sleeping in 6 to 7 hour stretches at night. Soooo nice! Her naps are still hit or miss. She usually takes a morning nap on me :)


• No denying she's a bigger baby. She is ready to move to 3-6 month clothes.


• When the light hits her hair at certain angles there is a reddish tint to it.


• Her eyes shift colors too. Sometimes dark sapphire blue, then hazel or brown. But always dark.

• Has started acquiring nicknames. I call her Ellie Bean. Bennet has started to call her EllieLouLou. Scout calls her My Baby. Nick is still testing all his options out.

I have to mention how much I adore her outfit. My friend Jeni sent to us as a baby gift for Scout. It is an all time favorite. Soft pink and white stripes with the little buttons- so cute!! I plan on packing it away in the girls hope chest. Perhaps someday I'll have a granddaughter who can wear it. *tears tears*

Creative Cuties

I love my laptop. One bonus of being somewhat trapped to the couch when we were all sick or when I'm nursing Ellie is that I'm able to peruse scrapbook sites and prep my layouts in my head. Once I get 10 minutes in my Office I'm ready to go!!

TITLE: Got Em
Journaling: You had a blast bowling. You carried the ball by yourself & insisted on doing it all alone. That smile, the shoes- it was just too much.

My niece Meghan had a birthday party last month at a local bowling alley. Oh-my-goodness did the girls have fun. I don't think Scout stopped smiling from the time we walked in the door until we hauled her home.

I took a big black circle and my 1" circle punch to create the bowling ball in the background. I sanded it a little bit to give it a worn look. It didn't transfer too well to the photo.

Product:
Paper- Scenic Route
Journaling Spots- Jillibean Soup, Scenic Route, Jenni Bowlin
Alphabets- Doodlebug Designs, American Crafts

TITLE: Thick & Thin
Journaling: After 4 yrs. Stoli is still your favorite toy. Never far apart you two are together thru

Bennet asked me to take some photos of her and Stoli and I happily complied.

I used my eyelet punch on the centers of a couple of the flowers on the red paper and put green behind as an accent.
Product:
Paper- Jillibean Soup
Journaling Spot- Jillibean Soup
Alphabets- Jillibean Soup, Scenic Route

Being Sick is the Pits- Harry Potter Weekend

We have been fighting the sickies at both ends at our house since last Thursday. It started with Bennet throwing up, moved onto Nick and then Scout. The worst days were Friday and Saturday. The days and hours started to blend together. I couldn't tell if I was coming or going.

I will always remember this weekend as the Harry Potter weekend. We watched the 4-day marathon off and on all weekend. Between all of us falling in and out of sleep and wellness it was a nice diversion.

Saturday Nick was so sick that he was in bed all day. Once again I'm reminded on how much I depend on him being able to help with the kids on the weekends. Balancing a needy newborn along with a sick & miserable 4 and 2 1/2 year old was tough. I earned my stripes that's for sure.
In a brief moment of reprieve Bennet wanted to call Grandma Mary Ella and tell her all about her sickness in great detail.


I like to think of myself as always being able to find the silver lining, but there were a couple times I was sure I was going to cry. Between getting thrown up on, stripping beds, laundry, missed trips to the bathroom, nursing, baths, remaking beds, diaper changes, laundry, nursing, sippy cups, puke buckets, baths, tears, more laundry. . . it was hard to keep laughing.

Yesterday afternoon I started getting the tell-tale signs that it was my turn. There is nothing I hate more than the stomach flu. And like clockwork Nick starts getting a little something working it's way back through at the same time. I swear!! Both of us down for the count. I actually called my mother-in-law for medical reinforcements.

I kept looking at the clock thinking, "Only 2 1/2 more hours until I can sneak some zzzzz's" Today I'm feeling much better. Food is staying where it's supposed to. I am keeping my fingers crossed that everyone can stay on the mend. I am one tired Mama.

Happy 1/2 Birthday and Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Happy Unofficial Birthday Nick!

Nick's birthday is July 16th (Mark your calendars now!) But when he was little he never got to bring treats to school due to his summer birthday. So, his very clever mom had him pick a day. Being a Sweeney he chose St. Patrick's Day. Every year we make cupcakes to celebrate. They are Nick's favorite- Duncan Hines Yellow.

Here are the posts from 2007, 2008 and 2009. Look at how much the girls have grown!! I had to smile that now it's Scout's turn to wear the green sweater. In a couple years it will be Ellie's turn.

Cupcakes for the girlies and a Beamish for Nick.

Me and Ellie hanging out. We surely have the luck of the Irish. Happy and healthy!

Miss Mo Jo

I have had my niece Molly's birth annoucement in my To-Do pile for a long time. Considering she'll be turning one in less than 2 weeks I figured I ought to move it up to the top of the pile.

I used this Jillibean Soup sketch from their blog. I changed it up a bit. I modified it to an 8 1/2 x 11

I put one photo on the left and used the space on the right for words. I moved the 3 horizontal circular accents to vertical accents on the upper left. I did some handstitching in pink floss.

Here is sweet Molly Jo. Isn't she adorable?

PRODUCT:
Paper: Jillibean Soup EggDrop Soup
Alphabets: American Crafts (blue), Doodlebug (brown), KI Memories (pink), Jillibean Soup (green), Scenic Route (brown), Heidi Grace (pink),

Jillibean Soup Goodness

I love Jillibean Soup. They have some of the best scrapbook product out there. Here are some recent projects.

Design Notes: This is a basic wooden birdhouse that can be found at any local craft shop. I got this one in the $1 section of JoAnn Fabrics. I painted the house brown and then added the paper. The Jillibean Soup Egg Drop Soup Collection was perfect! I created a template out of vellum to make sure the hole lined up properly in the front I love my circle punches and used the 1” size to create my shingles. The little birdie in the front is from Maya Road.

Design Notes: I didn’t have the correct Kraft Corrugated Alphas to make my title. I decided to use the negatives as a stencil and handstitched the title ‘Cherry’ with red floss. I found that the white Journaling Sprout was a little too bright with my color scheme so I stained it with a coffee/water mixture to make it more of a cream color. I added some chipboard behind the ‘Laugh’ sticker to make it sturdier for a 3D element.

Design Notes: I pulled the accent of red from the Dried Egg Noodle paper and used that to match the paint on the background. I used that same paint color to accentuate the Journaling Sprout.I painted the Kraft Corrugated Alphas with a cream/yellow paint mixture.

Friday Fill Ins

1. I am so looking forward to consistently warmer weather and the snow melting. I'm ready to play outside!!
2. We may brave a Lent Friday Fish Fry later.
3. When you're down and troubled you know I will be there (A little Carole King for ya!)
4. Scrapbooking is a big part of my life.
5. If you need anything I'm just a phone call away.
6. A long weekend in Minnesota is our next trip.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to Family Movie night (I think it's Where the Wild Things Are tonight), tomorrow my plans include mopping the floors and some craft time and Sunday, I am going to a baby shower and spending some time with girlfriends!

A layout for each girl

Three layouts. One for each of our three girls.



TITLE: Chit Chat

I have been jotting down some of the things Bennet has been saying lately that make me laugh and scratch my head. I wanted to get them down for permanent memory. The photos were taken on the day we were supposed to have her 4th birthday party. She asked me to take photos of her being silly.



I look October Afternoon scraps and went to town with my circle punch. I stitched some circles with gray floss and wrote on the inside. TITLE: Hope

I am loving the red/yellow/blue combination lately. That splash of navy just makes me happy. This JilliBean Soup patterned paper matched Scout's shirt perfectly.



Journaling: I hope you will be as happy, funny, carefree and precocious as an adult as you are at two and a half. I hope that you always know how much we love you for exactly who you are.
TITLE: Love

Here I am with my punches again.

I took my gray marker and wrote around the edges. It's really faint. It matches the words that are on Ellie's outfit.

Ellie at 6 weeks

Ellie is 6 weeks old. Can you believe that? During the day she still wants to be held pretty much all the time. We've tried the swing, the playmat, bouncyseat and Bumbo. Each works for a little while but then she wants that human contact again. I'm learning the embrace the connectiveness. I keep reminding myself that in a blink of an eye she'll be 8 years old and we'll be fighting over what clothes I feel are appropriate to wear to school.

Bennet and Scout are still enthralled with her. Scout more so than B. Bennet and Scout have started to play 'Baby'. Bennet is the baby and Scout is the mom. They like to play in the crib and on the changing table. I'm up for anything that keeps them from whining.

She still has a head full of hair and dark brown eyes. I've been secretly wishing for some brown eyes to match Nick's. The more she grows the more I think she looks like Scout.

Last night she slept from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. That's 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep people!! Either I slept through her normal 2 a.m. feeding or she was giving her Mom some much needed dreamtime. I'll take it!!!

If I had my old job I would have been back at work yesterday. I can't really imagine that. I am looking for new employment but also loving the ability to spend more time with Ellie and the older girls. I keep saying it but it's so true- Time goes by too fast!!

Bright, Spring Colors!

I made these layouts last summer/fall and am just getting around to posting them now.

TITLE: Oh man, not again.

I lifted this layout from the Bella Blvd. blog. I painted the letters black. I think they were olive green originally.

Journaling: One day we were drinving in the car. You were telling us a story. As usual you were talking a mile a minute. You kept stuttering over the words. Your mouth couldn't keep up with your head. You stopped mid sentence and sighed saying . . . oh man, not again. July 09 TITLE: The Reel Deal
Journaling: On your first cast you caught your first fish- a bass. On your second cast- a sunny. You said, "I like fishing Dad!" You went on to catch 7 fish from the dock. Already a pro!

I cut the fish by hand from felt and did some stitching along the bottom as well.

She likes us

Ellie likes us. ALOT! She is a lovable, needy baby. I don't mean that in a bad way at all. She just loves to be held pretty much all the time lately. She loves the physical contact I guess. Just another thing that makes her unique from her sisters.

She likes snuggling on her tummy or sitting upright. Therefore this is a common sight around our house. A huge thank you to my BrrrBaby friend Crystal for sending this wrap. It's a life saver.

Focus on Scout

It's Scout's turn to shine through some layouts.

TITLE: Amazing
I made this layout for a ScrapFreak challenge. This photo is from Scout's 1 year professional shoot.
Journaling: At one year old you are full of curiosity and pure innocence. I love watching you grow & discover.

And here she is in early Jan. What a difference a little over a year makes!!

TITLE: Simply Scout

JOURNALING: You are goofy & fun. And usually getting into trouble. But we love you!

This man. . .

I just love this man. Now he is isn't perfect but I am regularly reminded that he is a great fit for me. I just want him to know that I appreciate how hard he works and how much we love him.

Some of the reasons why-


• When I return to bed after I've been up nursing Ellie I find that he's fluffed my pillow.




• When I was checking out of the hospital after having Ellie he brought the nurses/doctors doughnuts and fancy coffee with creamers as a thank you. Wasn't that thoughtful?


• He does bathrooms. And floors. I never have to nag him to help with keeping our home somewhat presentable.


• He cooks. He really is a great cook. I'm more of a recipe gal but he can put foods/ingredients together on a whim and have the end result turn out delicious.


• He works so hard to support our family. I am happy that he's been able to build his business into something so successful. PLUG!! If you or anyone you know has any web design/graphic design work please check us out. Big Fat Designs


• He makes me laugh. All the time.
  
• When life gets tough or a little out of whack he helps me keep the BIG things in perspective.

Focus on Bennet

I am stealing 5 minutes here and 10 minutes there to scrap. I've said it before but I'll say it again- I love scrapbooking. It just helps me feel more ME!

Here are a couple recent layouts featuring Miss B.

TITLE: A Truly Rare Moment
I used the Sketchy Thursday sketch for this one.

Journaling- You are growing up so fast. The other day Dad told you to slow down. So these stolen moments with your sleep filled head on his shoulders is so precious and rare. (photo: 12/09)

Product: Bazzill Swiss Dots, Cosmo Cricket, October Afternoon, Heidi Swapp, Maya Road

TITLE: "Mom, Ellie is crying. She must miss her Big Sister"

Product: JilliBean Soup, American Crafts