pages

Here are some pages that I managed to get done for Gabby's album this weekend...it was so nice to scrapbook! Like I said, I did some shameless scraplifting...


This one is a lift of Maggie's...(I just loved all the buttons)





My favorite picture from Gabby's "birth" day...





And then the rest are some 6x12's inspired by Kim's layout from the Goodie Box this month...I loved how simple the basic design of her page was, so I went with it!!




For these last two pages, I decided to just duplicate one for Gabby after doing Payton's...I think I may start doing this more often! When I've done a page for one daughter that I'm really happy with, just do another one for the other daughter...then I'll get 2 layouts done and I only had to think once!


Have a great day!


:)



:)


Tal

what to blog about?

Oh, I feel like the ole' blog is so boring lately...this past week has been sooooo nice for me, 'cause I FINALLY feel like I don't have anything going on beyond the daily routine. And I am loving it. But...it doesn't make for very interesting blog entires! Hee hee! Oh, well...I am very happy with my slow-paced schedule lately and I am hoping it stays that way for just a *little* while longer.



I've been playing around with my camera, I'm trying to learn how to actually use it. Learn is the key word here. You can see in the picture below how I'm trying to use the "aperture" to get that nice blur in the background...not sure if this was a fluke or not, but like I said, I'm learning!! (Payton was very unwilling to pose, hence the picture of her feet and not her face. And yes, she is wearing a swimsuit...this poor kid is dying to get outside in some nice weather!!)




Another thing I'm working on is (surprise) scrapbooking!! I really want to get caught up on some pages for Gabby. I want to do an album for her like I did for Payton, so I kicked out a few pages this weekend. I just want this project to be FUN...I plan on doing some shameless scraplifting and I just want to keep it simple. It's more about enjoying scrapbooking and revisiting all of her baby pics, as opposed to trying do new and innovative things. I just want to enjoy the process. I'll post pages here and there as I finish them...I am excited to get going on this.


This weekend was fun...I think this was maybe the last weekend that I had Graham home before the dirt-biking begins, so I've tried to make the most of it! On Saturday morning we went and looked at these showhomes for something to do. It was fun to dream...haha! Then we took the girls to Ikea where we disagreed over what bed to buy for Gabby, so we didn't bother getting one at all, then we went home and had a nap all afternoon. It was awesome. Then after church today we had another nap all afternoon. I love weekends!!


So...like I said, nothing too exciting to blog about tonight, but I just wanted to stop in. Kim and I have some fun stuff planned for the Goodie Box for May that we'll be working on this week...so watch out for that. Have a great Monday!!



Tal:)

christmas pictures???

One of the things I'm working on is actually getting photos developed, rather than printing off one photo at a time whenever I want to do a scrapbook page. Last night I started editing a bunch of Christmas pictures I took of the girls in December...it was so much fun! I totally remember this day...Gabby wouldn't take her fingers out of her mouth and neither of them would look at that camera. Oh, well...I still love how they turned out. I can't wait to get a bunch of these printed and then get working on some Christmas pages.



Who said Christmas pictures are only for December???

quotes i love

(I have been trying to post ALL DAY, and I've finally gotten my pictures up...aaagghh! Frustrating.)

Wow...has it really been a whole week since I last blogged??? Dude. I have to say, I'm glad that this weekend is over. I had to speak in church yesterday so I spent alot of my week last week preparing and getting my talk ready. It went well (I think!) but I always get stressed before things like that...so I am glad it is over with!




Now my girls and I are trapped in my house due to the ridiculous SNOW STORM outside!!! AAarrgggh! I am so sick of the snow and the cold and the not-being-able-to-do-anything-'cause-it's-too-dang-cold-to-leave-the-house! Seriously...I have been telling Gray on a regular basis lately that we're moving (of course we're not, but a girl can dream, right?). I just want to go on a walk and watch my kids as they play in the backyard. Is that too much to ask???




ANYWAYS...maybe you've noticed that I've added a "quotes i love" section in my sidebar to the right. I always find that I read quotes that I like, but I never keep track of them and then I can't find them when I want them...so I've decided to every now and then add a new quote and with it I'll do a little 6x6 page. Just a little something fun...a way to share and keep track of the quotes I love, and I'm using a 6x6 album that's been sitting around forever, too!




Here are my first couple pages:






I chose a 6x6 format simply 'cause I have an empty album waiting to be used, but you could use anything in any size. Maybe some of you will join in with me in creating a little "quotes" album. I'll add a new quote whenever I can...maybe once every week or so...I'm not giving myself any rules on this one!




Hope everyone's having a good Monday...pray for Sunshine for me! (wink)




Tal:)



Oh, and I also just wanted to thank everyone for the comments on my last post. I know the topic of stay-at-home-mom's can be a touchy subject sometimes...it was so nice to hear from mama's who are doing what I'm doing (and are loving it, too!). Thanks, everyone!!!

this is what i found...

...on my couch after folding laundry early this afternoon.




Gabby had fallen asleep and Payton covered her up with her blankie to make sure she was warm...*sigh*. This is why I love being a stay-at-home-mom. For moments like this. To be busy around the house, and then to find a little sleeping angel in the living room. To see a big sister take care of her little sister. I truly am so grateful to be able to stay home with my kids. It breaks my heart to think of missing these precious little moments that are so important in the grand scheme of things. I love being at home. I never was one of those career-driven people...I always ultimately wanted to be a mama and to be home with my kids. Yes, there are hard days. When I've spent a whole day cleaning only to find an entire bag of goldfish crackers scattered across the kitchen floor, and four little feet and "crunching" all over the crackers. But it's the giggling that goes along with all of that "crunching" that makes it worth it. There are days when I feel like I haven't left the house in ages, and when I wonder what it would be like to have a conversation with an adult. Days when I am so tired that all I want to do is crash on the couch, but my girls convince me that it will be much more fun to play Polly Pockets.



I wouldn't give this up for anything. I am very lucky to have a husband that is able to provide for our little family so that I can stay home with the girls. But even so, staying home has been a choice. It is a very personal decision and I realize that all family's are different. I admire and respect mothers that work and are still able to take care of their family. There are only so many hours in the day and I truly marvel and what some moms are able to accomplish!



As for me, this is what works right now. My husband works and I stay home. Like I said, I wouldn't give up these precious years for anything. I have heard so many times that "they just grow up too quickly" and I want to know that I was there for every minute.



Off to watch Diego.


Tal:)

braids, beads, sparkles and curls

This morning the girls and I headed over to this cute little kids salon to get their hair done and we had such a good time! Payton's been needing a trim for a while and I usually do it, but I thought we'd do something a little different today. This place is so cute and I highly recommend it if you have kids that need their hair cut. Payton sat on a little elephant while her hair was being done and Gabby was happy in the Barbie Jeep and the orange bike while she waited for her "glitter and curls". It was so fun! There's even a little room with the plastic balls for kids to jump and play in. Very cool. And good prices, too.



Now, I realize that I'm sharing a bazillion pictures, but I couldn't choose, so I just posted them all. Now you all can have the same experiance we did. Haha!!















A fun morning out with my girls. We will definatley be doing this again.



Tal:)

happy stuff

Today's post is simply about some of my "happy stuff"...




{bowls}



I got these super cute little bowls at Anthroplogie last week. Love the colors and the size, and they were cheap, too! That store is so awesome, if only I could afford the clothing there...ya, right! Anyways, I'll be using these in my scrapbook room for something...if anything, they just make me happy to look at!




{photo carousel}




My photo carousel from Pottery Barn that I FINALLY got. (I can't find a link to it right now...I'll add it when I find it!) I've been wanting one of these forever...I had it shipped to my sister in Houston, and then shipped to me here (Pottery Barn only ships to the states). I love it! I was originally going to use it my scrapbook room to store cards and whatever else, but I need it to be somewhere where everyone can see it. So I have it our family room, and it's fun 'cause it's so easy to switch out pictures and postcards to keep it updated and fresh. (And Graham was so cute...he was like, "You can make mini albums to go in it, too!!" Gotta love my scrapbooking husband.)





{towels}



This was one of my favorite purchases from Target. My mother-in-law got me towels similar to these for Christmas, so when I was in Target last week I went on a hunt to see if they had anymore...they didn't have the ones she got me, but they did have these ones which match my bathroom perfectly, so I got 4. For only $4.99 each, they were such a steal. Where in Canada could you find towels this cute and good quality for that price??? Good thing I brought an extra duffel bag to bring stuff home in!




{2008 calendar}








This is something I've been meaning to share since January and just have never gotten to it...my 2008 calendar. I loved my calendar so much from last year that I had to so another one. It's a 9x9 Heidi Swapp calendar, I love this size. Basically at the end of every month I do a page using photos that were taken that month, and then I fill in and embellish the calendar bottom as well. This is such a great and easy way to document an entire year, and it guarantees that I actually get some current pages done. I have it hanging right next to my computer...it makes me so happy!




Hope you're all having a happy Friday, and stay-tuned for another post of our trip to the hairdresser's this morning!




T:)

home again

Well, I'm home! I got back from Houston at 1:30am on Sunday morning and after a full day of travel I was sooooo happy to go to sleep in my own bed! I had such a fun week with my sisters and their kiddies. I was sure I was just going to be so happy to be on my own with no children, but of course, I totally missed my girls. I kept wishing that I had brought them with me, but then I would just remind myself of the hassle of taking little kids on trips...the flying, the strollers, sippy's, bottles, naptimes, bedtimes, and just all of their STUFF...whew! I'm tired thinking about it.


So anyways, it was a very fun week. Niki was a good sport and took Karly and I shopping almost everyday. We had to hit those stores that us canadians don't have...Target, Pottery Barn Kids, Bath & Body Works, etc, etc, etc. We even went to this store and it was sooooo amazing! Of course I forgot my camera that day which is a total bummer 'cause this was the most beautiful scrapbook store I have ever been in. All pink, black and white with high ceilings and crown molding and just gorgeous, ornate frames that they displayed everything in. It was awesome. And the store owner came and chatted with me...she was in the "Year to Remember" class last year, too, so that was cool to talk with her. So much fun.




And I totally harassed my big sisters to take some pictures...they always complain about it and then afterwards they're both like, "Ooohh, make sure you email me all the pictures!" Haha!! Love these girls. We had some good laughs, let me tell ya. Poor Niki is still recovering from her C-section and Karly had us laughing pretty hard one night...fun moments to remember.







And me with Baby Harry...he is such a sweetie. And we referred to him as "Baby Harry" all week...that's just what everyone calls him! I just can't believe how tiny and sweet he is, there is nothing like holding a brand new baby. His little cries, movements and baby sounds were so precious...sigh. I got my baby fix for a week!!





And Baby Harry's big sister, Molly. This girl cracks me up...holy cow. This was the best pic I could get of her, she is constantly wiggling and on the move! She had us laughing all week, too...from getting stuck under her bed in the morning, then getting tangled up under her night table, running away from Mommy in the mall, wanting cold water poured on her face in the bath, her "time-out's"...there was never a dull moment!

Thanks for letting us crash your house for a week, Nik! Love you!




So now I am home and, once again, just trying to get back in the swing of things! I could barely function yesterday I was so tired. I'm looking forward to taking it easy this week. Actually this is a nice month...nothing major going on.



Hope everyone has a good week and I'll be back soon...lots to blog about!




And there's a new challenge up at the Goodie Box...our 1 year anniversary!



Tal:)