Ridiculously Infectious Laugh

Ellie has the most ridiculously infectious laugh. Sometimes she does this throaty cackling thing that just has us rolling. It's so deep that it sounds almost old-manish. We are trying desperately to get video of it. This photo was taken last summer at the cabin while she was in the middle of one of her typical giggle sessions.

I lifted myself for this layout. A couple of years ago I made this layout of Bennet (Photo July 2008 Layout Feb. 2009). The technique is called stripping (hee hee).

And my updated 2011 version for Ellie.  I love those little Lily Bee Designs alphas!

10 Things on Thursday

1. I finally made Butternut Apple Soup last weekend and it was DELICIOUS!

2. What I'm reading:

3.Our schools are closed today and tomorrow for Fall Break,
4. I took vacation time. Tonight we are going to the Grand Lodge at Cedar Creek for the night. Our first time. Bennet has wanted to go for over a year. We haven't told her yet. I can't wait to see their reaction.
5. The fun doesn't stop there- we're heading to the cabin too! I'm looking forward to getting a fire going in the fireplace and snuggling up for the weekend.
6. Last Friday I volunteered in Bennet's class for Game Day. I love putting faces with names and stories I've heard about them.
7. Speaking of Bennet- here is her Kindergarten school picture. She's growing up so fast!

8. I recently noticed that Ellie chipped her front tooth. No idea how or when- but she did. Mother of the Year.
9. Watched 'Captain America- First Avenger' this week. It was really good. And Chris Evans is easy on the eyes.

10. Have a great rest of the week and weekend. I plan to!

Good Time

My friend Alecia snapped this photo with her iphone at our friends Brett & Caitlyn's wedding in July 2010. She just came across it a couple of weeks ago when she was cleaning up her phone and sent it my way. I'm so glad she did because I love it! The look on Nick's face is classic.

I used this week's Sketchy Thursday sketch. I have a certified addiction to alphabet stickers. LOVE them. And I love journaling- I do. I did a bunch of handwriten journaling with Lily Bee Designs and Echo Park stickers interspersed.

Summer Smile

At the last Creative Escape (a couple spots for Nov. 5th still available) I won a Bella Blvd. prize pack. I love the bright summery colors. It was perfect for this layout of Ellie at the pool last summer.

Title: Summer Smiles

Journaling: Splashing, sun & smiles this summer at Kaiser Pool. Aug. 2011

10 Things on Thursday

1. The Walking Dead is back on AMC. Love that show. Love Zombies.
2. Watched a bunch of movies last weekend. The Green Lantern (Ryan Reynold's is just rrrrrarrrrrrr!), Hall Pass and Just Go With It last weekend. We enjoyed all of them!
3. Nick is hard at work on his children's book. It's about our 3 girls fighting zombies in the neighborhood. I know you think Zombies are the last thing you'd see in a Children's Book- but it totally works!  It is really coming together. Even after all this time I am still blown away by his illustration talent. I make a killer stick person though.

4. I love food and clean clothes but really could do without grocery shopping and laundry.
5. I sold a Green Bay Packers Nook sleeve to someone in North Carolina this week. Packer fans really are everywhere!
6. Last Friday I chaperoned Scout's field trip to the Pumpkin Patch. It was REALLY cold, but she still found the perfect pumpkin. (She's wearing the Halloween skirt I made for her)

7. Speaking of skirts- I made Bennet's Zombie Schoolgirl pleated skirt this week. My mother-in-law recently picked up a box of fabric at an auction and it had the perfect wool plaid. I won't feel so bad getting it nice and Zombified now
8. We are getting a new roof next week. I love being a home owner but I could do without the big expensive projects.
9. I am really enjoying this book. Sad and happy and different.

10. My mom and brother are coming to visit this weekend. I think I am more excited that the kids.

Hold

My Grandma (my Dad's Mom) passed away suddenly this past August. Because of that I started thinking about my grandparents even more than usual. I snapped this photo of my Grandma (Mom's mom) and Grandpa a couple of years ago. I have scrapped the photo before but I really didn't document my feelings related to it. Once I saw this weeks Sketchy Thursday sketch I knew it was the chance to reflect about this moment more. I wanted to keep the layout simple to truly focus on the journaling and photo without too much else added.

Fall for You

You know how life can just kind of get a little out of control? That was my life the last couple of weeks. I think I had let my to-do list get out of control. Well- not out of control, but out of priority. I spent last weekend reworking the list from the "want to do" to the "have to do" and am feeling much better. Our laundry is caught up, house tidy and food in the fridge. I slowed down and actually sat on the couch with Nick Saturday night and watched not one, but TWO movies! Did a little sewing for kariann96 designs and some scrapping. Nothing feels quite like regaining some balance. 

I lifted this layout from October Afternoon blog. Photo of Ellie at the cabin earlier this month.

Off the Hook

Bennet LOVES to fish. Whenever we are at the cabin it is the first thing she asks to do. She doesn't care if it's 50 degrees and raining- all she wants to do is catch fish. I love the fact that she gets right in there and does all the work herself.

For the fish I created a template out of chipboard and then adhered yellow fabric to it. The pole is actually an old watercolor paint brush of the kids that I cut to size.

Design inspired by this layout by my friend Pam Brown.

TITLE: Off the Hook

10 Things on Thursday

1. I have lost all faith in Bennet's bangs and their ability to grow. We've been growing them out since April and they are still at the length where they are perpetually in her eyes. It drives me bonkers.
2. Finished reading Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. It was just the right level of creepy for Halloween month.

3. Speaking of Halloween, costumes are in progress. Bennet wants to be a Zombie Schoolgirl, Scout is Spidergirl and Ellie is going as Ellie/Mr. Gunderson from UP.

4. And in keeping with the Halloween theme- we happened to watch American Horror Story on FX last week. I laughed at it (as I tend to do with horror) and Nick was creeped out and sucked in at the same time.

5. Bennet decided to try out her first organized sport/club. Walking Club after school on Thursdays. She is soooo excited.

6. She wanted to wear her new Halloween spider skirt for the occasion. She wanted it longer so that's how I made it :)

7.  My 'Go Spidey Go' layout from yesterday is a Pick of the Week at Sketchy Thursday.
8. Still haven't made Squash Soup. And I really want some.

9. Picked up my next book for my Nook for $2.99. Can't beat that!

10. My house has turned into a random pile of whatever here and a random pile of that there. I plan on fixing that this weekend!

Go Spidey Go!

After my scrap break I needed a quick boost of inspiration. I made this layout using this week's Sketchy Thursday sketch.

I wanted to create a classic Superhero feel with the word bubbles. I cut them out from Bella Blvd. paper.

Scout is still loving everything Spiderman. In fact- she wants to wear the superhero skirt I made her again tomorrow.

Remember

It's hard to remember when Scout was this little. It's not hard to see how much my girls look similar.

Took the journaling from a blog post 5/5/08. Created the layout on 9/6/11

Go,go go.. . two times

I am not a perfectionist. In fact, sometimes I think I need to be a little more picky. I made this layout about Ellie's first steps in June. The black stitching I did kept bothering me. It was throwing the whole layout off. So. . .  I redid it. I like both but am happier with the re-do.

ORIGINAL

RE-DO

This is the Way. . .

I haven't touched a scrapbook layout, card or project for nearly a month. Until last night that is. This is very rare for me. I think the longest I'd gone without creating in the last five years was 2 weeks right after I had Ellie. I've been busy getting my Etsy shop up and running and enjoying fall TV. Plus- I think I just hit a rut.

Each month 3 friends and I get together for a crop. We rotate houses and tonight is my turn to host. Last night after I brought my supplies upstairs I sat down and put hand to paper. I'd forgotten how much I love playing with paper and photos. How much I love recording our stories. It felt good to be back!

I created this layout back in August at Creative Escape. I love circles (duh!) and simple layouts. This has both features! I am also addicted to these Lily Bee Designs alphas. So fun!

Changing Colors at the Cabin

One of the things I love most about living in Wisconsin is the beautiful colors that the fall season brings. Our schools were closed this Monday for staff development so we took advantage and spent the weekend at the Sweeney family cabin. Over the past 10 years the cabin has become such an important part of my life- of who I am. Something about spending time there makes all the other stresses of life melt away.

It's about posing on mossy rocks.

It's about taking walks in the woods searching for treasures.

 It's about a change in perspective. Exploring a new spot at Bond Falls park.

 It's about being proud of a new discovery.  
 It's about the sunshine on your face.

And it's about staying up way past your bedtime to watch The Empire Strikes Back and making funny faces with your Dad.

Two-Wheeler

Sitting on the couch yesterday Bennet asked, "Mom- when I can I try to ride my bike without the training wheels?"
Me, "Right now."
Bennet, "Really?"
Me, "Really!"

She probably could have tried it last year but she never asked and we didn't push. But we knew she could do it.

Nick and I held her two or three times and then she wanted to try it on her own. And just like that she was gone. With incredible speed up and down the road. I was shocked at how quickly she took to it. I kept saying to Nick, "Really? That's it? It was that simple"" No more than five minutes in she was jumping off the curb, giving Dad a "hang loose" and raising the roof. That's my girl.

She was so proud of herself. We were proud of her. Somehow throwing those training wheels to the curb translated to her growing up exponentially and I shed a happy tear. When I tucked her in to bed last night she said, "Mom- I can't believe I can ride a two-wheeler. I thought maybe I could tomorrow but I did it- TODAY!"

The road is yours for the taking B- go get it!