tag, you're it!

I was just reading a post on a blog that I'm addicted to reading. She had been "tagged" by a friend to do these lists on her blog. So here's mine!

5 things you'd find in my fridge:
leftover pasta roni, an apple, grape juice, ranch dressing, Dora yogurt

5 things you'd find in my purse (diaper bag):
diapers, pacifiers, sunglasses/headband, gas drops, lip gloss

5 things in my closet:
favorite maternity jeans that I just can't let go of yet, solid pink tee, solid blue tee, solid brown tee, solid black tee (gee, I'm boring)

5 things in my car:
sunglasses/headband, Classic Disney CASSETTE TAPE (no, we're not with the 21st century yet), magnetic dollhouse book thingy, cool magnet toy that Mel gave Abby at Christmas, 3 empty water bottles (counting as 1 item)

Okay, now that you've wasted a minute or so go make your own little lists of 5 on your blog or under the comments here. Sometimes I just feel the need to post even though I have nothing really great to say. Jeff has gotten me thinking about words lately on his blog and in his teaching this morning--- and well, this was a complete waste of words! More on the word subject later!

swooped

Some of my friends have bird nest blogs so I must share our bird nest too. Mike went out to trim the bushes so I could see the swingset really well - - and discovered that the 2 overgrown bushes are home to some eggs and chirping tiny bird babies. Spring is in the air I guess! I'm so thankful that he's the kind of guy that wouldn't cut the bush just because of these baby birds. He's waiting on them to hatch before he brings the shears back out. He's also the kind of guy that birds have always wanted to attack for some reason. He's been "swoooped" more than anyone I know. One time at the beach I seriously thought a seagull was going to take him off- the bird kept flying right down behind Mike's head. It was a sight! All this to say...he's a sweet guy who doesn't want to harm baby birdies BUT he's also a smart guy! Mama bird was flying really close. :)

so us right now!

Carolyn brought this to me last week because it reminded her of me. Gee, I don't know what to make of that...

quotes

about today's photo - Mike said, "Do you think she's comfortable?"

At car dealership last night Abby said, "Why are those cars in the 'show-off' room?"

When I hugged her after her bath, "Mom, why do you smell like spit-up?"

Tuesday Night Album

Here's pages for the scrapbooking class I'm doing next Tuesday night. They are bound with a ring (with ribbon on ring)...all pages are 5x5...will post more about it later but please let me know ASAP if you want to participate. Please excuse the smudges - my lovely assistant was being abundantly helpful today :)

word to yo' mutha!

Our future's so bright, we gotta wear shades, man!

Oh, the things we do for fun and to waste time around this house...

My blogging style: 5 days, 1 post....1 day, 5 posts... when you figure me out let me know!

how far we've come

While I was digging through old scrapbooks looking for a picture for Dax's 'before' shot - - I came across my first scrapbook (stickers and decorative scissors galore)....how funny! I love to go through old stuff. It's amazing how far scrapbooking has come in just a few short years. Here's my first page (1999) for your pleasure! Check out the photo of the trees with us tiny in the corner. My photography skills have come along quite a bit, too, although I still have lots to learn :)

Some scrapbookers wish they could redo all those old ugly, funny pages they did. Not me, I'm proud to see how I've evolved as an artist. Just think what it will look like in 5 more years. Who knows, someday I might just try digital scrapping!

Extreme Makeover Canine Edition

Our faithful friend, Dax, got a haircut. He's ready for the army now! I cried all the way home because he just didn't seem like the same dog when I picked him up. I barely recognized him. Some of you will be shocked the next time you see him. Abby said, "Wow, he's skinny now!" Weighing in at almost 75 pounds that's not even in his vocabulary. The vet had to use his horse shears to cut through the thick undercoat. Poor, poor, hairy old Dax...

This brings new meaning to the term 'buzz cut'!

PS- Mike would probably warn you to do all your laughing before you come over...I'm still a tad postpartum (how long can I claim this?)!

pss-This didn't load the pics in order but I bet you can pick out the 'before' shot

more pages

Here's the rest of the pages I did Friday night. I encourage you to make memories! It's the everyday moments that I love to scrapbook the best...

Also, use your handwriting. In the age of email and internet, handwriting is fast becoming a thing of the past. I cherish the things I have that are written like cards and letters from my grandparents (I even have birthday cards from my first birthday), recipes in Granny's handwriting jotted down on spiral notebook paper, Dad's Bible with his handwritten notes and dates scribbled in the margin, mine and Mike's baby books written in our Mom's hand,etc. Plus it's cool to just know that that person once held the item in their own hand!

So, all this to say, use your handwriting no matter what you think of it. Send someone a real card that really requires $.40 to mail and takes a day or two to get there.Most people don't like their own handwriting but it is so unique for each individual. Someday someone will look at these pages and say, Great Grandma Kristy wrote this in the late 1900's and early 2000's or something similar. And practice- you can tweak it how you like it and make it better and better :)

just a swingin'

headline news: the Hales have a swingset. i have wanted one for Abby for what seems like eternity and we finally got one. and it's wooden just like i wanted...fort in the top and all! :)

have i told you what an incredible dad/husband mike is? not only did i get to go scrapbook whilst he "parented" alone for 6 hours straight then worked at the hospital all day saturday - BUT he also put together a big swingset which is no minor task. all in one weekend. yep, he's the BEST! and kudos to uncle timmy for helping!

here's pictures of our gal all grown up with her own swingset now. friends are adelyn and sam who came to try it out before it was even done last night. carolyn always lends a helping hand with Lilly!

overheard

overheard by Jeff:

"Adelyn, you know what I'm gonna teach my baby sister Lillian? I'm gonna teach her how to fake cough like this....ack,ack,aghhhh!"


what Abby has learned:

If I have a sore throat Mom will give me medicine.

what Jeff didn't know:

Abby has perfected what we call the fakey cough in order to get herself a dose of magic purple medicine (Tylenol that melts in your mouth).

what Jeff said:

"Ya'll are starting a young addict, huh?"

dress-up page

Here is another page from Friday night's crop. I will get more of them uploaded soon hopefully. This was one of those moments that I just had to run get the camera. Abby was playing dress up and had quite the outfit going on. Gotta love her fashion sense - trucker cap with fuzzy pink stocking things and a Snow White dress...

I made my own flower by freehanding the petal and then using it as a template to cut out the blue paper...just dabbed some pink paint on there to give it some dimension and the center is a stamped image cut out and popped up off the page!

oh yeah, i scrapped tonight!

oh, yeah, oh, yeah,i scrapped tonight. me and my bestest scrappin' bud snuck out to a little girls' night out at the lss (local scrapbook store). i love it! we had fun...we went to eat some greasy popeye's, i got to drink a coke (don't tell mike)...played with all my little playthings like letters, stamps, cool paper, and paint...laughed and talked about grown up things and things that don't matter.

need more of these times. here i sit staring at the 8 pages i made when i should be sleeping so i thought i would share. it's so quiet around here it's incredible. just got home. waiting on the all-nighter in may. mike, get ready...i'll be asking if i can go...please????? i know i need sleep but i also need to create. it does me good... ronnie, can brandi go too? it just wouldn't be much fun without her.

by the way, i have a thing with flowers on my pages i created tonight. i thought it was something new in my scrapbooking arena but brandi says, "hello, you've always been a flower chic!" who'd have thought it.and blogging has been around a while too :)

here's us scrappin' and here's a cute flower page. maybe it's my favorite right now. love the crisp white, really sets off the paper and photo (brandi's idea)!

here's to creating!

Never say Never

There are so many things on my mind to type about right now I just don't know where to begin. Dogs dying, trips to the zoo, scrapbooking, eating words...where do I begin?

Yesterday we made a trip to the zoo with my cousin Stephanie and her 2 kids, Brayden and Valeri. It's great that I have her because Brayden and Abby were born within 2 months of one another and then Lilly and Valeri came within 2 months of one another. Pretty darn cool to have someone in the same exact ages/stages that we are in. Too bad we don't live closer but we're going to try to get together monthly from now on. I thought we'd have fun catching up and chatting but seems like we barely got to visit while taking the kids to the zoo and out to eat. We did have a blast though and couldn't have asked for better weather.

On the way to the zoo I was pondering all the words I eat. This is my new diet, only I've been on it for most of my life. Munch, munch, munch...It's a good thing my words don't have fat grams and calories or I'd be trying to lose 500 pounds instead of just 50! I'll give you an example. As a young whipper snapper I used to say, "I will never drive a mini-van" while thinking to myself, "I'm way too cool for that." No offense all you minivan driving friends;I've always loved you anyway and loved hitching rides in your smooth ridin, easy in, load haulin automobiles. Now guess what I really covet? YEP, MINIVANS...I can't believe I'm to that point. Great example. Oh, and also on zoo day I was wishing that I had gone ahead and bought one of those kid leash thingys for Abby. I can't believe that either-another I'll never situation. I used to think it ridiculous to tie yourself to your kids but as I was frantically trying to keep my eyes on Abby while pushing Lilly in the stroller and watch where we're going....you get the picture. Have I learned to never say never? Nope, and I probably NEVER will. Really, I should have gone ahead and let mom go with us after all:)

Okay, I vow to you that my next post will not have to do with 3 year olds unless it is a scrapbook page of one... another thing I'm eating... my blog is not gonna be only about my life as a mom, I'm much too interesting for that... I'm going to post a couple of scrapbook pages a week. WHATEVER! Mothering is forefront on the homefront lately so I just can't help it. So I'm Mom.. But I'm so much more. Stay tuned!

Simple Pleasures

Okay, I'm into a new "routine phase" of my life. Seems like I'm either helter-skelter or have a "routine". I don't like using the word schedule because it seems to have negative connotations for most of the modern child-rearing world...Who knows? I personally like schedules. Maybe it's the special ed teacher coming out in me or something but I love to work with a chart and make a schedule. So, a few days ago I did the "perfect day" routine. It now has 3 columns to juggle since we've added Lilly. I have so many things I'd love to get done on a daily basis for me, Abby, and Lil but so far I've managed to exercise 4 times in the last week, cook dinner most nights, and clean the kitchen right after dinner. My utlimate goal is to have a set bedtime and waketime for everyone. The day that happens you will hear the Hallelujah Chorus resounding across the nation. Discipline is so good for me and it has been nice waking up to no dirty dishes and cookware piled in the sink. Now if I could just mangage to exercise at a "routine" time, get in some of Abby's little preschool work, and scrapbook EVER AGAIN!

The weather has been gorgeous the last couple of days. Here's some shots of the girls. I can't believe how much Lil is changing right before our eyes and that it's already been 3 months with her. It just gets better all the time! She's such a good and sweet little girl and loves to talk and coo. She will be giving Abby the chatterbox a run for her money it looks like.

Here's to enjoying the springtime and simple pleasures- like making pictures at the spur of the moment (which is not on the schedule)!

PS- Here are the funny things Abby has said lately:
She's gotten my big red calculator and calls it her computer. She says, "Wait, I need to check my any-mail" which means email in our language.

This morning I couldn't find Lilly's pacifier, the one with the big clip attached no less. Abby says, "I will help you find it Mom, then it won't be so mysterious anymore!" We have yet to see it...

who's bloggin' next?

Wow, the blog world has just exploded I think. I wasn't going to write anything today but just found out 3 more girlfriends are blogging now...I think it's contagious. Welcome Angela, Tammie, and Diana. I'm so glad I'll get to secretly see all about what's going on in your world too ! It's so funny how I'm addicted to reading some blogs. I read 2 complete strangers' and it's like I know them or something. It's a weird personality quirk of mine. I also love it when I can see into someone's home at night. Don't know why I'm so curious as to how other people live.

I got back on the exercise bandwagon this last week since Diana started the Weight No More group at Journey last Monday. She's making us weigh in each week which I think is a splendid idea. It's really motivated me this week. I've been walking 4 times since then. It was tough to find the time but I made myself do it. Wednesday before small group I took the girls and went to the park to walk by myself. I'm so glad no one came with their camera because I'm sure it was hysterical and that I looked like a pack horse. I had Lilly (now 3 months) strapped onto my person in a little front carrier called a snuggli while pushing Abby (3 years old) in a big wheeled jogging stroller. I had it going on, let me tell ya! If you really want to make walking a workout like never before just come borrow my kids. I was concerned that Lil was getting shaken-baby syndrome though because I walk so rough. So on all the straight stretches I was holding her head tight against me and pushing the stroller one handed...not pretty! Maybe the aerobics video at home would be a better bet but just not as much fun for the general public to observe :)

Oh, and speaking of changes due to Weight No More - TODAY I HAD 7 SERVINGS OF FRUITS AND VEGGIES!!!! This is an all-time record in my life I think. I've developed a taste for green beans , broccoli, and tomatoes over the last couple of years which is amazing since I never would have touched any of these as a child. Mom always said you could develop a taste for something and, by dingies, you can. I'm proof of it!

Here's to sweating and eating healthier foods!

rambling...

This week has been so hectic that I think it's been the longest time without posting for me...wow! And I have had a little discovery that makes me laugh because it's so true of me. Blogs have been around a while. Yeah, quite a while and I DIDN"T KNOW IT! Imagine that. I am so in my own little world. And here I thought I'd caught onto something cool and new then I start finding all these blogs with archives from 2004. So I'm a couple of years late...it's the story of my life. I think in AR we get the leftovers from the fashion industry and maybe we get the leftover "this is so cool" wave of things too. Oh well, better late than never!

The picture is of Abby with her little finger light. I don't know how on earth she keeps up with it in this house as it is only about 1 inch long (the light, not the house, heh, heh, heh) but she does and she loves this little gadget. It's amazing how much easier bedtime is with this light. Thanks Mimi for seeing a little purple $1 (that's what you said anyway) light and thinking it was perfect for Abster, it was. She takes it to bed and then we have to go turn it off without waking her up. Hints to all you who shower me and my girls with wonderful treats all the time - WE LOVE LITTLE TINY THINGS A LOT! They seem to fit in this house and not take up the space of huge baby dolls named Barefoot! wink, wink, you know who you are and know that I love you no matter the size of your gifts! seriously, all 3 of us gals are spoiled rotten!

Oh, and Lil laughed out loud at her Daddy last night for the first time! It was so cute and funny...I love how my friend puts it "It's so good when babies can start expressing pleasure as well as pain."

Here's to the real pleasures in life!

in trouble

Okay, my 3 year old girl is letting me have it lately. Apparently I laugh way too much because over the last week or so I've heard a million times:
"Nothing's funny, Mom!"
"Shhh, don't laugh!"
"Mom, you're not funny!"
"Only me and my grandma's are funny!"
etc,etc,etc.
I will give it to her-she and all her grandmas are a riot if you ask me... but I'm so tired of being told not to laugh. It's what I do best. I know I laugh at inappropriate times but it beats the heck out of crying, right?

Another thing she says all the time (especially when she wants to hear herself talk but can't think of anything to say):
"Why do little doggies jump on us?"
She says this all the time and normally it's cute (when she's nervous at the eye dr., when someone new is around her, just because) But it's not so cute when she's gotten out of bed for the 6th time and comes in and looks at me and says, "Why do little doggies jump on us?" When she was an even littler girl her nervous phrase was "Dax is a big ol' hairy dog!" It was too cute! Dax definitely qualifies for all that weighing in at almost 100 pounds and with enough fur to live in AK instead of AR.

Here's to nervous phrases and actually recording all these great quotes from Abby like everyone tells me to and I don't do!

personality

here's my personality test results... tell me if you agree. I agree with most of it except the style thing :)



My Personal Dna Report

Stampin' Up! group gathering

Wow! What a great day!!! Today was my first group meeting I've had in a long time. I know some of you have no idea what I'm talking about so I'll do a brief explanation. I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator. It's an incredible company that sells
rubber stamps and lots of accessories and supplies for paper crafting and scrapbooking. I LOVE IT-they are the BEST on the market! I have several women who are also demonstrators in my "downline". Five of them came to my house today to stamp and meet and just get together since all of us are sort of spread out...I always love seeing them and have a blast! They got to make 2 cards and a set of 3 little magnets that were too cute so I'm posting pictures for your viewing pleasures.

There's also a picture of the 2 newest and cutest stampers you will find. Lilly was with us and so was Amy P.'s new baby, Emily Ann. Aren't they adorable?

Speaking of Stampin' Up!; they have revamped and refreshed their website and it is very cool. Go check it out! I don't know why but here lately I've been really getting back into the stamping. It's like I go through slumps and then ease my way out and back into it or something. Well, with me there's no such thing as easing I suppose. Truthfully it's normally full-throttle or not at all. So, I've set myself some goals I'll share:

1. Hold 3 events per month (Stamp Club, Stamp Camps, workshops, classes, anything)

2. Contact each of my 1st level downline once a month regarding SU!

3. Enjoy stamping cards to actually send!

4. Make 3 scrapbook pages or layouts per month

All the ladies brought me a card to display today so I will be sharing those over the next few days!

Happy Stampin'!