Kids do the silliest things!

Abigale did several things today that just made me smile. A friend of ours was able to find a couple of Wiggles DVDs at a local consignment sale and Abigale went nuts - immediately had to put one in. She was willing to start it herself...if only she knew how. :) She's getting close to figuring it out - one of her new fav pastimes is turning off the sound right at the most critical part of any TV show....sigh...that's a fun skill.

She's still teething, but seems to be feeling better today. She decided to give her pretzel snack over to the cats, she's so sweet. They were cuddled (probably thought it was "safer" to sleep that way) and along comes Abigale, dumping her entire bowl of pretzels right in front of them. She pointed and told them to eat them, I put them back in her bowl, and she proceeded to give them back to the cats one at a time. So what was I to do, but grab the camera! lol :) The cats have put in a future request for snacks of cheese :)

Later that day....it was time for nap, and of course not a paci was in sight. I searched the house over. Yesterday she had three, all at one time, but could I find any of them?? The only spot I hadn't checked was under her snack bowl on the floor. I jokingly told Abigale to look under her bowl, and she didn't, and I didn't, and I continued looking under every pillow, in her toys, etc. Finally I come back and it's as if the bowl is speaking to me...sure enough her paci was right there, hidden under the little plastic bowl. Good news, she did promptly go to sleep once paci resurfaced.



I've done a few more layouts, it's just really worked out that I've had time to do them the past few days. I am a little bummed though. It seems like I don't have many comments and the past couple of design teams I've applied for have not chosen me. I know let's all say it together....poor Amanda. :) I am so blessed to be on the teams I'm on - I have the privledge of working with some fantastic designers. I know that I do these layouts for myself and my family, not for others approval, and the CTs are just a perk. I just hate putting myself out there for possible rejection. :( I haven't submitted to any magazines for precisely that - I just don't want to hear someone say your work isn't what I'm looking for (because in my sad little head I hear my work isn't "good enough"). I think it might be the teacher in me, I just love (crave even) positive feedback. Give me a gold star or a sticker and I'm a happy girl all day long. So, I think it's just a case of the blahs hanging over from another day. (and this concludes my complaining for this post!)

Completely forgot....

about an update on Robbie's grandfather. :(

Things are not looking too good. On Monday morning he was put into ICU because his blood count was low - they did a transfusion but it wasn't helping. He is bleeding from somewhere and it's not from the surgery...so they are really not sure what is going on. He is way over medicated so he's very disoriented, isn't recognizing people, and forgets where he is. They are backing off of the pain medications so that hopefully some of that fog can go away and also so that he can tell them where he is feeling pain (so hopefully they can get the bleeding figured out).

Robbie's family (namely his grandmother) will not allow him to visit - although at this point it's because he's in ICU and can't have any visiters - but I know it's really distressing Robbie. Robbie said his other cousins and his sister have not been allowed visitation either.

Other than that we just know that his diagnosis isn't very good - so we'll just have to see what happens over the next few days. I'm not sure that it's at a life or death point, but I do know they are worried about his quality of life with the hip fracture :(

Beautiful Blah Day

So, I'm having one of those days...nothing is particularly wrong - just have a case of the blahs :) I'm sure it'll pass by tomorrow.

It was really beautiful around here. It was actually tolerable to be outside! YAY! So Abigale finally had a chance to play on her new (to us) playset. We were very very lucky to end up with this wooden playset hand me down. Here are a few pics of her playing today! :)









and this is my personal favorite of the evening.....Abigale making the funniest face when the neighbors dog started barking and startled her!



Abigale looks pretty happy in these pictures, but she was NOT a happy camper earlier. She's been teething...and just can't cut the teeth - so they swell and hurt and then give up for a week and the whole process repeats. Needless to say, she didn't sleep well last night and nor did I. She did take a long nap, although it was restless - lots of tossing and turning with an occasional cry. She does seem to feel a bit better tonight though - so I'm hoping for a good night's sleep!

And last but not least, some layouts! I've decided I'll share them all on the blog, and then post them as I can in the galleries - so be on the lookout because I love praise ;)

These two are both from today - they are using a new combo kit, Carpe Diem, by Dani Mogstad and Shawna Clingerman (what a great team!!) it'll be available on Sept 1st!





These two are using Maddy's Smile, one of the photo contest inspired layouts by Dani Mogstad! Also available on Sept 1st!





That's all I've got for now! :)

Just a quick note!

Katie's September Amazing Month of Memories is UP at A Cherry on Top AND it's on SALE! :) Katie is great about putting her already affordable packs on sale each month with the new release. You can get it for only $3 until August 27th - so don't miss out! They are great for looking at your pics in new ways, or maybe scrapping some moments you're having....but just never thought about scrapping!!!!


More information can be found on Katie's blog. :)

Robbie's grandfather broke his hip this morning, so I think we'll be taking a trip out to the hospital to visit. It broke in several spots, so it'll require surgery tomorrow morning. :(

That's all I've got today!

{Insert custom title here!}

Okay, sorry, nothing creative is coming to mind for the title!

We had a pretty fun day today. I did some early morning babysitting for my friend Crystal, so the downside was getting up while it was still dark, but the upside is the girls had a fun time playing! :) When she got back we took the girls over to Michael's for their tator tot craft. It was actually really good for their age! :) They each made a notebook with a feathery pencil attached. The notebook was covered in foam and they had lots of sticky foam shapes to choose from to decorate it.

Yesterday Abigale "graduated" from her Little Gym class - or from the Summer Session anyways. She'll still be a "Beast" next session. She was super cute accepting her diploma and has been proudly wearing her medal! (warning this are not fantastic photos....just what I could catch - she was super fast!)







Layouts - I have been really really really enjoying Dani's Sassy Pants kit - it's so girly and fun and just perfect for a spunky toddler (or any girl really). So I used it for a couple of layout I've already shared...and Abigale's birthday inviation....and a photo swap...and I'm sure I'm thinking it'll make a perfect mini album ....I *might* need an intervention soon! :) Seriously though, if you have a little girl, you need this kit!

Here is a peak at the web version of Abigale's invite. We're having it at a park with a monkey theme for our little monkey :)



Then, there is one of my recent fav layouts - I just haven't posted it on the blog! :) It uses Dani's Love Me Tender Kit from This Love CD. The Font is Jane Austin.

Proud Toddler Mama - this way!

So I had a moment tonight - Abigale went in the potty for the first time! :) I'll try to refrain from all the silly things we say as moms to get them to go, but I'm so proud that she did! :)

Let me also say that I am NOT pushing her to be potty trained. I'm not on a race against time, not competing with other moms out there, just waiting for when SHE knows the time is right.

We put the potty in the bathroom a couple of weeks ago - and we've been talking about the potty - but again no pushing. Tonight she wanted to sit on it (which she has done several times with no result) and actually went! Yay for her!! :) I understand this may be a isolated event, she may not want to even try again for a while - and that's ok! But it is a positive step in the right direction! :)

Although that is the highlight of my day lol - I actually was able to finish invitations for Abigale's birthday party and will be sending them out hopefully tomorrow. I still can't believe she'll be TWO next month...were did the time go?? :)

I also got a layout done, but I can't share yet! :)

I got some really great news from Ashley today! My first class over at Polka Dot Potato - "Beyond Basics" is sold out!!! There are still several classes available in September, but it's really encouraging to know I'll have a full audience for my first!!! :) So if you are a DFW scrapper and are interested in learning more about digital scrapbooking - come take a class!!! :)

That all being said, it's time for bed - I'm one tired Mama! :)

Play-doh

Abigale played with Play-doh for the first time today. No pictures - I was afraid if I didn't watch her that she might try to eat it! Luckily there was some sniffing and she did bring it up to her mouth - but NO play-doh was ingested!

We talked about colors (we used pink, then green, then orange - but NO mixing lol). We squished, rolled, poked, flattened, and squeezed...and giggled all the way! :)

Have you watched "So You Think You Can Dance?"? Okay, I admit, I fell in love with the show and watched almost every episode - I was soooo happy that Benji won - just LOVE his personality. He is really fun to watch and his dancing is great! The other runners up were really fantastic too - it could have easily gone to any of them! I'm seriously thinking of looking up when the top 10 are touring.... :)

No new layouts to post, so I think I'll leave it at that for tonight!!! :)

Some layouts to share!!

I got a few new pages done today, feels good! :)

I worked on a insert for my sports bottle from the Spud Club kit over at Polka Dot Potato. It turned out really cute, but I think I'll wait until I can get some better natural light before I take/upload a picture. You can also buy the sports bottles without the club kit - they are really neat! The bottom screws off so you can put money, keys, etc in it. Fun Fun!!:)

Anyway, on to the layouts! I'll be posting these in my normal galleries over the next few days.

This first layout has been waiting to go to gallery for a while...



Love that look over the shoulder trick! lol

Journaling reads: It’s “the look” the “Mama are you watching, here I go, there is no stopping me” look. I can see the wheels moving in your head as you think about exploring something new....or maybe even getting yourself into some trouble. Regardless, I always see the look first, the one that checks to see if you’re being watched and calculates if you can get away with whatever you have planned! All I can say is, Thanks for the Warning!!!

Credits: Everyday Romance by Dani Mogstad from her This Love CD. Font is Susie's Hand

I decided to just focus on the picture on this one, and not worry about all the extras, I'm happy with the result! :)



Credit: Font: TK Doodle

The next two layouts both use Dani's Sassy Pants kit - so cute for girls! It's available over at Design by Dani and A Cherry on Top.





So that's three new layouts, and one that needed to be posted...I call that a productive night! :)

Time for another post... :)

This weekend flew by!!

Saturday, I was able to go spend some time up at Polka Dot Potato and watch Ashley teach her second class of the day! It was great to spend some time with her and she did a fantastic job. She had some great ladies in the class, they caught on very quickly and their pages turned out GREAT! We all learned the value of saving our work too! :) Of course, now I'm just itching to start my classes - the teacher in me is ready to go!!!

Saturday evening I was able to visit with Laura for a little while (she's my best friend from high school). We were hoping she could meet up with Ashley and I for dinner, but that didn't work out so I came to her! :) I haven't laughed that hard in a long time...we started talking about some of our high school experiences...and it brought back a lot of really great memories. We were really lucky to have each other as well as our other friends. Life would have been much harder without her in my life...and that even goes for today too!

This morning one of the moms groups I'm in did a Cooking with Kids day. It ended up being just me and another mom, but I think our giggles made up for that - we had as much fun as the kids did! :)

We made...... dump cake! lol :) and that's how you make it too...just dump the ingredients in. So easy an almost 2 year old can do it!! (with just a little help from her Mama!)

The ingredients are: 1 can fruit pie filling (any flavor), 1 can fruit cocktail or pinapple, 1 box cake mix (yellow, white, or spice), and a stick and a half of melted butter.

The best part is, you just put them in the baking dish in the exact order above. Just dump them in! No mixing, but we did do a little spreading out. Our combo was apple pie filling with fruit cocktail and a spice cake mix. The end result was really good - a mix between a fruit cobbler and fruit with a ginger bread cookie on top! lol :)

So other than me opening the cans/packages - she was able to do most of the dumping! :) Very fun :)

That was our big event of the day! :)

**Just a note, the first word "dump cake" has a link to a recipe - but there are tons of variations - so if you don't like that one, just google it for lots of options! :) **

Tommorrow I think I'm going to take Abigale to the library's story time. I'm not sure how well she'll sit through it, so I'm considering this a test run. If all goes well, we'll probably make it a weekly thing.....if not we'll try again in a few months! Wish us well!!!!

New Layouts

So I was all ready to post some layouts yesterday and blogger went down for maintance. That's what happens when you're prepared! lol

Today we went to the Amon Carter art museum in downtown Fort Worth. They have a nice exibit on Western Art, but we went to see the photography exibit. It was a fun (and free!) trip!

We also had lunch at one of my favorite "hole in the wall" diners that probably actually has a hole in the wall somewhere! They have several specials that rotate each day, then also some diner standards. So, on Friday's they have this dish that Robbie and I love called Chicken Poppicotti. It's a chicken breast stuffed with a cream cheese/spinach type mixture and topped with more cheese/cream cheese - YUM - I won't even think about the calories! Anyway, so we sit down, immediately decide what we want.....and they are OUT! :( I was really disappointed. It seems like things like this are always happening to ME! :) They also have really great chocolate pie - and when I want it....really really want it, they run out before I can order! oh well....I'm sure we'll be back again. I settled for a cheese burger btw...and ate every last bite of it....lol.

Alright, I need to get to bed, so without further rambling, here are my latest layouts!



This is what happens when you leave old lipstick where little fingers can find it! Thank goodness I hadn't yet dressed her!!!

Kit: Stolen Kisses by Dani Mogstad from This Love CD. Font is Susie's Hand



Loved Jacque's layout (a fellow Dani's Girl), so here is my scraplift of it!!

Foot theme inspired by Katie's Amazing Month of Memories for August.

Kit: Everyday Romance and Love Me Tender from Dani Mogstad's This Love CD.

Fonts are Geosanslight and SF Remember



Last summer Abigale happily crawled in the sand - this year she screamed and cried and told us noooooo! Hoping it's just a phase!!!

This layout was inspired by Katie's Month of Memories for August (available at ACOT)- sand castle day. We took Abigale out to build her first sand castle.....and unfortunately it didn't happen! Good excuse to document what really happened though!!

Credits: Shabby Shack by Gina Cabrera, Copacabana by Michelle Coleman, Alpha Stamps by Nancie Rowe Janitz, Sun Stamp by Shawna Clingerman, Notepad by Isabelle from Scrapartist Splash Kit, alpha office clips by Merkeley Designs (available at Digiscrappin), Sand letters by Monica McLain

Fonts are susie's hand, artistamp, and tall pall

LD Sale!!!

Okay, I admit it, I'm a font lover! I download and download and then overuse my favorites! lol :)

I just got an email from Lettering Delights that they are having a fantastic $1 sale on August 31!! Plus, if you spread the word (about Lettering Delights or the sale) you can earn a 50% off coupon!!! Can't beat that! I know regular scrapbookers use fonts, but for digital scrapbookers - a well stocked font folder is a happy folder! So - spread the word and shop till you drop on August 31!! :)

Blog Slacker!

I was doing so well, really, but this last week I just dropped the ball on the blog! I'll try to do better this week! :)

Some exciting news - I will officially be teaching some classes at Polka Dot Potato in Richardson in September!! :) I've been planning for it for a while now, but now that it's on the calendar it feels so official!!! :) So - if you're in the Dallas area - be sure to sign up and fast - classes are filling up!! :)

I'll be teaching a Beyond Basics class and an Album in an hour class. The album class will be a summer theme, but will change each month. For more info on signing up you can go to www.polkadotpotato.com and info should be posted soon!

If you're not in the area - a class kit with an album and the quickpages will be available on the website sometime after classes begin!!!

It's been such a great opportunity to work with Ashley, and I think this is a HUGE step for Digital Scrapbooking!!!

Here is a quick scrap I posted late last night - It uses the Cool Cool Summer Kit by Sara and Mari - available over at the Digichick!














I still have three other pages to post....should happen soon!!