HELLO MAY !!!!

 

HELLO to Kristin turning 25!!!

 

HELLO to National Scrapbook Day this Saturday, YAY!!

 

HELLO to Mother's Day

 

HELLO to the spaghetti dinner fundraiser for Kristin's mission trip

 

HELLO to the last full month of school

 

HELLO to a surprise date with my mom, she doesn't know where

 

HELLO to Annie moving into her new house, YAY

 

HELLO to more PROJECT LIFE!! LOVING IT!!

 

HELLO to maybe more sunshine days??

 

HELLO to maybe more flowers growing?

 

HELLO to planting the garden!!

 

HELLO to a Red Lobster date with hubby

 

HELLO to our new study bible book and Nancy coming back!!

 

HELLO to my faith growing deeper each day

 

HELLO  to a month of SOCCER!!

 

HELLO to new movies coming out

 

HELLO to hopefully walking at the track, come on SUN

 

HELLO to a crazy last month of school trips and forms and fun

 

HELLO to enjoying the last days with just Sienna and Colt before I have to share them with my kids over the summer break. SIGH, they forget all about me when the kids are here.

 

HELLO to whatever surprises, challenges, laughs, tears, fun, crazy and everything else happens this month, I'm excited and ready for it!! Thank you April for being such a good month, see you in a year.

 

HELLO to my Lilacs growing, how could I forget that and making mandalas again!!

 

The picture above is what I just did today in my PL, had fun with this new idea. Will be sharing more soon in a PL post I am doing. This will be a new monthly page I do though and I'm excited about it!

 

Thanks so much for reading and wishing you the best May also!!

T sTands for Tuesday & T Time

Hello and Happy Tuesday!  I'm sharing what's in my cup over at Elizabeth's today along with others! Want to say a BIG THANK YOU for all the beautiful comments on my Birthday Post for Elizabeth last week. I enjoyed it so much and glad that you did too!! Today I don't have anything too exciting to share. I've had a quiet week, hiding in the house mostly due to a bad cough I had. Thankfully by Thursday night I was better and each day a little more better and it's gone now. YAY!!

 

Couldn't wait to share this sunset picture with you, so nice to see one as it's been too long. What I have loved this week are the clouds. For 3/4 days straight it's been blue skies and clouds, LOVE!

Look how pretty, could stay out there all day and watch them

This was a different day, love seeing them thru the trees

My mom sent me a picture of them last night too, said they reminded her of me and she took a bunch.

here is a batch of little bird/chick ATC I made and gave to everyone on my ATC list. They were so happy to get these surprise happy mails from me. So fun making them and doing each one a bit different.  Thinking I will do this every so often, surprise happy mail is the best too.

My cup today (Monday afternoon) has English Breakfast tea and even a little blueberry bread on the side. Every afternoon I stop everything between 1 and 1:30 to read the bible and drink my tea. I've been linking up these pictures and call them my Tea and Jesus time, going to start a new PL album I think using them and writing down what I learn and verses I love most. I use the bible app on my phone for this time too, that's why the phone is there. No playing just bible reading.

 

Thank you Elizabeth for hosting us again this week, you had a great birthday by the looks of your posts. Speaking of birthdays, I just found out this week that the kids will be going back to school on my birthday which is August 18, a week earlier then normal. Not happy about this but know my T time post that week will be back to school pictures for you to enjoy, YAY!!

 

Have a wonderful week everyone and thanks for the visit.

p.s. Sam had his first soccer game this past Saturday and scored two goals, YAY!! So awesome to see him do this and his face light up. He worked hard for those goals too.

EASTER 2014 and SPRING and PL

Hello!! Sharing some Easter and Spring fun with you today. Be ready for a photo overload, can't help it, too many good ones to pick from. Love this one above, so happy to have one with just me and the kids. This was after church and heading out for two family Easters. I will try to get another one like this on Mother's day too. Kristin will be leaving soon for her 11-month mission trip so I need to get them while I can. Love all the spring colors we have on and wish there were more flowers behind us.

Before I get too far ahead here is a peek at their baskets this morning. First year I did candy only, uuugg so not me but they were very happy. Oh and a family movie there for us too. YAY!

kids getting ready for the egg hunt at my Uncle Cliff's which is my dad's side.

Love this one of Sonja and Colt

Love this one too

We had another egg hunt at my moms. Didn't realize Summer was making that face and only have this one picture of them. Darn it, this would have been so nice. They are all standing in front of the eggs that have their names on them. My Nana did that for us when we were kids, LOVE!! That is my cute mom in there too,  HI MOM!! We had so much fun but I didn't get any pictures. We ate yummy yummy food and talked and enjoyed the summer day it was outside. Heather even brought over corn holes and we all took turns at that too. Thanks for a nice time mom, XOXO!!

the warm summer weather continued into Monday too, YAY!! So Rich took a half day and came home. I had the little ones and they love when he does that. First thing we did was head outside.

walking on a beam from the garden, so cute they were with this

Look at those faces, excuse Sienna's wild hair at the moment and let's not talk about how big they are getting. Soon summer vacation will be here and I won't have these quiet moments with just me and them. Look at that Colt and his cheesy smile, EVERYTIME he does this!! So dang cute!! Sienna is look so grown up today too, her new shirt and new shoes match and she looks too big, sigh. We had a great day, all day. Rich even grilled out hamburgers for us and we stayed out most of the day. The only bad part was my cold/cough really kicked in and I had to skip bible study. Doing better today!

I just took this awesome picture tonight, using the self-timer on my camera. LOVE IT!! Was trying just to get our legs and Lucky if she would stay put for it. Only got this one shot but we both love it. We do look a little too posed though, but happy to have this memory from our walks.

Here is last week's Project Life pages!! They have been done since Saturday!! OH YES!! I am doing a happy dance ladies, this makes me very happy. Sorry for the glare though and the top right photo wasn't glued down like I thought. Click on it too see better. LOVE IT!! Already piecing together this week's pages and should be done on time again. YAY!!

 

The weather has gotten cold again, frost and in the 20's this morning, YUCK!! Sam has his first soccer game this Sunday at 9 am and Sienna does too. Will be bundled up and excited to watch them. Summer just found out her braces are coming off in June, YIPPEE!! That means only one more kid with braces to go and we are done!! Hope you enjoyed our Easter/spring pictures. Thanks so much for reading! Hope you have a great weekend, will be back on Tuesday for T Time!

T stands for birThday wishes and blasT from the pasT

Hello and welcome to a VERY special T Time!! Today is special for two reasons, first it's Earth day and second it's Elizabeth (the wonderful host) of T Stands for Tuesday birthday!!! For 22 days leading up to this bEarthday of hers she has been sharing one upcycle/recycle/reusable project on her blog. I think this is such a great thing she is doing, such an inspiration it's been to see her daily posts. Next year I plan on joining her and turn some trash into treasures. Today's post is all about HER!!

 

Dear Elizabeth, I have been going crazy thinking of what to post today, wanted it to be for you and to be special. I had hoped to recycle and make something fun to share but that didn't happen nor did baking a cake with your name on it happen either. While coming up with an idea I remembered back last August when I shared my first T Time post here. That whole weekend before I spent writing and rewriting my post and wondering if it should be funny, crafty, facts, tea and cup only or what. I was a nervous wreck and made many rough drafts before finally just writing and hitting the publish button before changing my mind again. Well, fast forward 8 months and I'm doing it again.

While going back in the past I wrote some notes and decided that is what I will share today.. the past

 

Elizabeth, do you remember how we met? It was during SOC (Summer of Color) and you were always first to post, I loved that about you and seeing your post each day first made me happy and in awe of all you did. I also liked that we are both early birds, like linking up on Monday's for T Stands for Tuesday. It was kinda funny too that you didn't like the color combos that I did, do you remember that? Finally you got your favorite colors picked and were so happy about it. Can't wait to do this with you again this summer. Wonder what Kristin has planned for us???

I lost track of you for a short time when SOC ended and I got busy with kids and life. One day I stumbled upon Dawn's Mandala Monday post and right away was inspired by these beauties. While commenting there I noticed your name and interest in making them too. YAY!! I went right to your blog and caught up and shared that I was interested in sharing some Mandala fun too. It was so nice to share another project with you again. Then if that wasn't enough, you started your T Day posts back up again. WOW!! This was my cup of tea (pun intended) and happily joined in with you.

This couldn't have happened at a better time, with the kids going back to school and my days a bit more free I couldn't wait to meet other tea/coffee/mugs/etc loving people like myself. I must say each of your readers have been so awesome and kind and talented and funny just like you Elizabeth. Can you imagine if we all got to meet some day in one spot and have T Time. You have all welcomed me and been supportive of everything I share here and make this such a special and happy time for me. THANK YOU ELIZABETH FOR THAT AND TO ALL OF YOU T TIMERS!!

 

Since joining you on Tuesdays, I've never taken so many pictures of cups/drinks ever! Trying to come up with new ways to share them has been a fun challenge and even my family has gotten used to me saying hold on I need a picture of our cups first. They know all about you and what you share and laugh at my crazy picture taking of cups. I also love to draw/sketch/paint tea cups now and these will always be special to me. So you see Elizabeth, you are such a big part of my life even though we haven't met, your T posts may seem small but to me they are BIG.

I have learned more from you and your blog then any other blog EVER. You are full of information and facts and dates on EVERYTHING!! If you don't know something you go right away to find out about it and then share it with us. This is just one of the many thing I love about you.

I am in awe of all the artwork you do, your collages are so amazing and I wish I could do them as well as you. You share things with us even if they didn't come out right or you don't like them, love this about you!! Like your beautiful calendar pages, you may not like them but I DO!! You give us great tutorials on your projects and always have a camera in hand just like me, YAY!! I think it's time you got those pictures off the computer and into a Project Life album my friend, really a book all about you and your wonderful artistic life would be so fun!!

We have been thru most of the seasons, just need a little more spring to make it real. We have suffered thru our aches/pains this past 8 months and hope we both do much better in the next 8 months and more to come. We are both short and not fond of climbing on chairs or heights. We love nature and hearts and trees and spreading happiness to others thru our blogs/art and stories. You honor all holidays and make amazing things for each of them. LOVE THIS!! I was inspired to join AEDM with you and hope to do it again. You have taken walks with me thru my yard and enjoyed my PL and my family pictures/stories.

I think this cup my mom got me was perfect for T Time posts. It's been a true blessing for me to have met you and you make us all feel right at home each Tuesday and all the days between. Thank you so much for all you do and the work and love you put into your blog. Sorry if this got a little long but I had a lot to say, there is still more to say but I know you have to say hello to others and go out to celebrate your BIRTHDAY today!! You are truly the sweetest and so talented and I look forward to knowing you thru many more seasons/cups/holidays/birthdays/ T Days and more.

 

I had so much fun going back to pull these images out from past T Days to share. I tried to find the root beer float one but couldn't. That's just another thing we both enjoy!! Have a wonderful day dear friend and can't wait to hear all about it. Happy Earth day to you also!!

 

P.S.  thank you for helping me with computer issues too and how to link correctly, YAY!!

 

Please visit Elizabeth and wish her a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

APRIL PROJECT LIFE PAGES!!!

Hello! I'm sharing some April Project Life with you today, happy to say that April is caught up except for this past week which I will work on this weekend or during next week. Really trying hard to stay caught up now and enjoying it. For this first week of April spread there was a lot of pictures/stories I wanted to include so I cut down a page protector to use as an insert. This is what the full spread looks like with the insert there, below I will break it down for you.

On the left side is the start of the spread and the right side is the extra insert I added. I love this little insert, have seen others cut down these to fit and like them, happy with mine now too. Remember you can click on the image to see/read it better. The first day of April is our anniversary and it was a beautiful day outside which is what I share on this front side of insert. On the left side it was fun to add some flower journal cards mixed in with pinks/flowers to show what real spring looks like here.

On the left side is the back of the insert and right side is the rest of the spread. I love this side of the insert too. I have a dear friend Kirsty who does her PL with only this size and have loved seeing it this year. I could almost see myself using this size, maybe for a smaller personal album. On the insert side is the rest of stories from April 1st, such a good day it was. The right side is mixed up of just two days also, had to squeeze in some pink/spring on this side too.

Here is the second week of April, LOVE IT! I actually got it done right on time and easily, really felt good getting it down this way, YAY!! So happy to see real flowers on my pages this week and NO SNOW, haha but that doesn't last long, hint hint. I do want to give a shout out to my cousin Jennifer for sending me a picture of her family, it's on the right side bottom pocket. She has started reading my blog and sending me pictures now and I just love this addition, especially since they live in Florida. THANK YOU JENNIFER!! Not sure what colors/theme will be in this week's pages but am actually excited to work on it and find out.

 

Thanks for your visit and comments, they make my day! Have a wonderful weekend and a blessed Easter. I will be back here on Tuesday sometime for my T Time post. The weather here is going to be sunny and warm again, hope yours will be too.

AROUND HERE.... T DAY STYLE

 

Around here color and spring is popping up around the yard

 

Around here it feels like summer time

 

Around here we have flip flops and shorts on  and

 

the windows open all day and night, HAPPY!!

Around here we saw 3 day old pigs at the farm park, wanted to take them all home!!

We also saw lots of sheep, the girls love sheep!

Around here I couldn't stop reading this awesome new book!!

 

Around here the warm weather makes me lazy, just want to sit outside and soak it up

 

Around here my lilac bushes have little green buds on them, YAY!

Around here I added color to my boots, YAY!! FUN!!

Around here I can't wait to make mandalas again. This was a small attempt :)

so I decided to do a Easter one with Jelly Beans!! YAY!

Around here I made abstract art for my Sketch Into Spring class, it's going well!!

Around here Summer and Sam surprised me with this sign for my dad

Around here I'm so THANKFUL for my dad and that he is still here to celebrate birthdays and everyday life with us. Wish I had gotten more pictures of us this day and our first meal on the grill for this year too, YAY!! It was a perfect summer weather day, we needed this so much!

 

Around here it's Tuesday and you know what happens on Tuesday's!! We gather around at Elizabeth's sharing our drink/cup for the day and see what everyone is doing. I have the quiet house to myself and am caught up on April's PL pages to share later, painting some cute birds and ignoring the rain that's outside now and hoping the snow/rain mix coming tomorrow will pass over us.

 

Thank you Elizabeth for hosting us today, love sharing my Tuesday's with you. Visit Altered Book Lover to see what others are doing today! Have a great day everyone!

Spring is here and spring inspiration

Happy Friday!! How was your week? Mine has been a good one, the first week back to school after spring break.  We woke up to this beautiful sky yesterday, aren't those clouds beautiful!! The sun has been out more this week and the temps are staying mild finally. Some days I go without a bigger coat and no gloves, that is pretty big for me. We don't have the furnace running every day either, YAY! Little by little spring is sneaking in, wishing it would just hurry and be here but I'm thankful for each little part at the same time. Remind me of this when it's summer and 90 degrees everyday for a week.

 

Here is a peek at spring in my yard..... so happy to see these...

It's tiny but here is our first bloom of spring. Every year I look for this little pop of purple outside the front door. This means spring to me each year and I am so happy to finally see it.

Look at these cuties, they came out yesterday too. I just love them, so glad we planted fall bulbs last year. We can't remember what all we planted so it's a surprise for us now. Click on it to see better.

There we go, this picture is better. See how cute they are, LOVE THEM!!

We have spring inside the house too. Kristin bought these tulips for our Anniversary. They opened up so nicely,  yay for spring inside the house too. We will plant this outside this weekend.

 

Next up is some SPRING ART from my Alisa Burke class....

The prompt was to make a spring board to inspire us. She used her white wall and I would too if I had one, LOVE WHITE WALLS!! So I made due with my yellow wall in the kitchen. I tore out some magazine inspiration, used my own art, my photos, one life nature piece and colors that I like right now. I included stuff from this class and the boot class I'm taking, loving both of these still. This is the first inspiration board I've ever made, it's been on my to do list for years and now I can say I did it. I took these down and taped them in a big group on a 12x12 cardstock to keep in my craft space. If you click on it you can see it better, there are some quotes/words that I included too but hard to read without clicking to see better. I like having another way to bring spring inside to enjoy.

 

How is your weather? Any signs of spring or fall? I love watching nature change in my yard each season. These little things inspire me to draw/paint and get my camera out. Thanks so much for visiting and have a wonderful weekend. I will be back on Tuesday for T Time.

T stands for " it's about TIME" !!!!

Hello and Happy Tuesday!! I'm sharing my "jar" at Altered Book Lover  with Elizabeth and the rest of the Tuesday ladies. Every Tuesday we share what's in our cup and what cup we are using and anything fun you want to share. Today I'm sharing my empty but cute mason drinking jars. My mom got me them last week, such a nice surprise they were. I love the cute little chalkboard paint on each one, you can write and erase as you use them. Thank you MOM!!

 

Today I'm going to share what my Tuesday was like last week, can you say SPRING!!

Actually we are going to back up and see what Monday looked like first. What a pretty pink sunrise starting off our day. See the snow from the weekend, it was pretty ( read the post below to see more) and thankfully didn't last too long. Monday slowly turned into a warm day that brought spring time temps later on and into Tuesday!! YAY!!

The little ones were over and we all headed outdoors to play. The snow started melting!

We had been out back for about 20 minutes when I had an idea!! I dug out our plastic eggs for the kids to put on the tree/bush outside our front door. Look at those pretty spring colors!

The little ones loved it! Colt kept saying look at the pretty tree to us then and even back inside he talked all about the "pretty" tree. I love this and it says spring to me!

By the time Rich got home at 6:45 the snow was all gone and it was getting warmer. Lucky chased the ball for a long time and we just hung out back. When we did come in, I headed for the back deck and sat there soaking it in and sketching. It truly was magical and so NEEDED after the cold winter.

The next day (Tuesday) was still nice out and I forgot to mention last week it was also mine and Rich's anniversary!! Since the kids were home on break, we didn't do anything and he worked. The kids and I headed to Scooter Dogs for some yummy hot dogs and FRIES!!

We took our food outside and enjoyed the sunshine with a little wind. Love that we got to eat outside, felt like spring again and making us all very happy!! Can't wait to go back!!

Once we got home these two got their bikes out and we stayed outside most of the day. YAY!! IT was so good to see them outside and Sam off his xbox and playing and getting fresh air. By night time the wind had gotten worse and lasted the next two days. It has gotten colder again but not freezing thank goodness. So glad we made the most of this spring time weather, hope it comes back soon and stays much longer this time.

 

I want to say a big THANK YOU for the comments on my post last Tuesday. I love all the yellow in my house/kitchen too. It was nice to share my friend Nancy with you also. She liked the post she said, YAY!!  Hoping we will do this again before the kids are home on break.

 

Thanks for your visit today and hope it's a good day for you! If you have time and want to see some art I made for two classes I'm taking, read the post below. The one class is helping me feel like spring is here even though it's not really here yet. I'm writing this early since I won't be home tonight and the little ones will be over tomorrow. Will be around to see what your Tuesday looks tomorrow night and Wednesday morning. Have a great week everyone and thanks again for visiting and commenting!!

 

Elizabeth, you are doing great at recycle and reusing things for this first week in April. Such a cool idea and hope to join you a little bit during the month or maybe next April when I have time to get ready. Thanks so much for hosting us again this week. Happy T Day!!