Our latest news & happenings

Happy October!

2011-10-19T17:34:00.000-07:00

Hello Fall!

It's been awhile since I've posted anything. at. all.

Kind of embarrassing!

Here are a few things that have been keeping us busy:

Soccer for M.

Soccer for A.

Crafty things for my SHOP, and many upcoming holiday bazaars.

Here I am last night, along with my friend Kandi at our first bazaar of the season.

And............I am now a Cookie Lee Jewelry Consultant.

It's lots of fun. :)

Okay, that's a quick wrap up! Time for dinner. :)
~Linda

A Wedding Story.....

2011-07-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

My nephew Kevin married Lauren last weekend at the Gorge Crest Vineyards.

It was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to!

It made me want to have a wedding re-do myself.

From the pretty/vintage-chic/crafty decorations.

To the country/cottage charm of the flowers and place settings....

To the unbelievable view...I loved it all!

The kids had fun playing in the grass, and hanging out in the special "hammock" area under the tall pine trees.

Here is my Niece Kim's son Carson and the flower girl. Aren't they adorable? Love his hat!

The wedding party...
(that's my Niece Toni coming down first).

Just Married! Lauren & Kevin. Her dress was amazing, along with the flower in her hair.

Another shot of the table.......

And the homemade jam, lovingly made for the wedding favors.

On the edge of the lawn, overlooking the vineyard and Mt. Hood. I was ready to move in!

Fun at dinner! Alex & Cousin Ryan.

Rourke & Malia.

Ryan, my Sister Kathy, and her husband Dean.

My Mom & Ella.

A view from outside looking in.

Love how the bride & groom chairs were decorated. :)

After dinner, champagne toasts, and berry cobbler dessert, everyone hit the dance floor.

Here's a blurry picture of Malia cutting a rug with Grandma Jan.

Now the happy couple is in Bali for 2 weeks!

Congratulations to Lauren & Kevin.

~Linda

Baby Shower Favors

2011-07-08T11:35:00.000-07:00

Boy or Girl? Hmmmmmmmmmmm.

Alex's teacher hired me to make some baby shower favors for her "gender reveal" baby shower/party. Fun stuff! I don't think those parties were around a few years ago when I had my kiddos...or was I just living under a rock? Anyway......she requested neutral colors of green & yellow, so this is what I came up with:

Each was filled with Hershey Kisses and yellow M&Ms.

So......wondering if the baby is going to be a boy or girl? It's a ..........................boy!

Congratulations to Teacher Tona' and her family!

~Linda :)

Where to Begin?

2011-07-07T21:45:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Can it really be July already? I feel like the Summer just started, but at the same time it feels like the end is coming up fast. Does that make any sense at all?? June FLEW by - end of school, graduations, Ella's 3rd birthday, Father's Day, garage sale, tball, camps etc. I'll share a few random pictures just for fun!

Alex's last day of preschool and his "diploma". :)

Malia's last day of school - with her 1st grade teacher she loved so much!

Alex at tball. He loves it so much! I think he is the littlest one out there - but very serious about the game.

Ella's 3rd birthday. Love this picture. Once we started singing "Happy Birthday" she got all nervous and shy...so here she is kissing Malia right in the middle of the song. I guess it made her feel comfortable. :)

Trying to get a good picture of the little ones at the party. Not sure what was so funny....other than trying ot get a good picture of the little ones!

The cake.......she's into Dora right now.

Happy Father's Day Dad!

Happy Father's Day honey!

And congrats to my Nephew Ryan for graduating with honors in his pre-med major from OSU!

Whew! Okay, that's all for now. Stay tuned for future happenings, which include weddings, babies, vacations and more! (And just to clarify - none of the weddings or babies are mine! :) )

May is National Scrapbooking Month!!

2011-05-25T13:32:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to announce these 2 terrific specials!

Special #1 - New Consultants: Celebrate with me in May by getting 50% off the new Consultant Kit AND get this exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit FREE! You get the consultant kit + the You & Me kit for only $65!! WOW!! I would love for you to join my team as a consultant. Whether you are interested in cards, traditional scrapbooking, or online scrapbooking, a hobbyist wanting a discount on great products, or someone who wants to build a business, Close to My Heart has something for everyone! Click HERE for more information.

Special #2 - Customers: Just place a minimum order of $50 in Close To My Heart products and you can get the exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit for the discount price of just $15!—that’s more than half off the retail value! You can also purchase the kit at full retail for $34.95 with no minimum purchase required. Contact me to order it or hop on over to my website. Just add it to your shopping cart and the discount will be taken off when you check out.

You & Me Scrapbook/Card Kit Details: With this wonderful kit, you can make two fully embellished two-page layouts using the included instructions, papers, D-size stamp set, and accessories. The You & Me scrapbooking kit includes:

1 – My Acrylix® You & Me Stamp Set

1 – 12” × 12” Colonial White Cardstock

6 – 12” × 12” B&T Duos® Papers

1 – 6” × 9” You & Me Irresistibles™ Chipboard Die-Cut Sheet

1 Yard – Chocolate Stripe Ribbon

1 Package – Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems

1 – Instruction Guide

If you are interested in either of these offers - hurry! They both end May 31st.
Feel free to contact me to learn more about Close to My Heart and what fun it is! :)

Have a great day~
Linda
www.lindaw.myctmh.com

All About Alex!

2011-05-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend so far.

Today was Alex's first T-ball practice & meeting of his team and coaches. Luckily it didn't rain! :)

He seemed to have fun, but today was alot of going over rules, safety, then taking turns hitting the ball and running........probably painful when you are 5. As we get more into it I'm sure it will be more and more fun.

And...this is a couple of months late, but I wanted to share a couple of pictures from Alex's "kid" party that we had at "Out of This World Pizza". First of all, the cake. We didn't really have a theme, so I just went with the space idea - that the pizza place already had going on. I ended up getting the cake from Costco. I was really happy with what they came up with - because I (of course) had to go off the menu (they didn't have anything space-ish). I quickly sketched something out and added it to my order form.

It was a TON of cake for way less than 1/4 sheet at other stores.

I think they did a great job - don't you??

Here are Malia and her friend Mia - trying out some of the girl goodie bag treats.

Here's Alex opening his cool wrestler guy. Love the look on his friend's face as he checks it out!

Then, as soon as his party was over.......we headed to the beach for a few days on Spring Break! Sometimes I wish I was 5 years old. :)

How are you enjoying your weekend? I think a trip to Costco is in my near future,

and then some vegetable garden planting.

:O) Linda

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T18:58:00.000-07:00

Wishing my Mom, and all you wonderful moms a Very Happy Mother's Day today!! We had a nice dinner and get together last night at my Sister's house to celebrate the Moms in the bunch.

Here's a picture of me, my sister and Mom, along with my kiddos. :)

I spend the first half of yesterday dealing with FTD.com and the flowers that were suppose to be delivered to my Mom on Friday. They never arrived, and still (as of Sunday night) have not shown up. So, I had no Mother's Day gift for my mom, and today I spent some time doing a credit card dispute. Fun! So, in 60 days I may get my money back.

NEVER, EVER order from FTD.com. After I ordered I read lots of horrible reviews about missing flowers, half dead flowers, sad flowers that looked nothing like the advertised picture - and this was BEFORE I had my experience. Live and learn I guess.

So, I promised to tell everyone I could how awful FTD.com is. :)

(and the delivery fee was ridiculous!! --for the flowers that were never delivered! lol).

I hope everyone has had a beautiful day!

~Linda

Teacher Appreciation Gifts

2011-05-06T13:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!

This has been Teacher Appreciation Week at Malia's school, and just in the nick of time I managed to get something {{small}} made for her! I ended up decorating a little kraft box of notes and coordinating wrapped candy bar. Like I said, nothing extravagant, but it's always nice to get something. :)

Here is the outside of the box:

I used Papertrey Ink "Beautiful Blooms" paper and stamps.

Big flowers from Michael's and Craft Warehouse:

A look at the papers inside. I used the apple stamp from Papertrey's "Teacher Apple" set.

Wrapped and ready to go. Not the best presentation, but when you start at the last minute, sometimes this is what you get!

And.....on a different note, Alex has been sick most of the week. He's missed all but one day of school. He's doing better now, but still not great. Good enough to fight with his sisters though. All of this time together at home is getting to us. The fighting started at 8am this morning, so after some tears, Ella and I decided to put on her party dress.

It worked! She has been happy ever since. :)

Wish I had one to put on too.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's out there.

~Linda

Card Swap! Featuring Ipodabella

2011-04-28T11:24:00.000-07:00

Happy Thursday Friends!

I thought I'd share a fun card I made awhile back for my CTMH (Close to My Heart) unit swap. I used some patterned papers from CTMH (Plaid=Stylin paper pack, Stars= Game On paper pack).

The image is called "Ipodabella" and can be found at Stamping Bella (http://www.stampingbella.com/). Isn't she cute? Stamping Bella has a girl for every occasion!

The cards were finished off with some rhinestones, pink organdy ribbon, flowers (that I stamped with polka dots), and metal tags.

I'm off to make lunch for my daily lunch customers. They can be a tough crowd. :) Hopefully I can find some time to finish up some new paper treats for my ETSY shop today......wish me luck!

~Linda

www.lindaw.myctmh.com

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T10:32:00.000-07:00

Wishing you a wonderful day!

~Linda

Posh Paisley Shop Blog

2011-04-17T11:38:00.000-07:00

Hello & Happy Sunday!

Just a quick post to let you know I had to start a new blog for my Etsy shop! (I was locked out of my old shop blog when we switched Internet providers. Darn!)

The new blog is: http://www.poshpaisleystudio.blogspot.com/

A fun place to visit that is "all things creative and crafty".

:) Linda

Studio J Layouts - So Easy!

2011-03-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a couple of digital scrapbook layouts I have done for 2 of my kiddos' back to school pictures. I have to say, I never thought I would like digital scrapbooking, because I love all the "stuff" (papers, stickers, buttons, etc.)....but I love how I can accomplish so much without making a mess.

Here is Alex's layout:
(They are a little small, so you may have to click on the picture for a better look.)

Here is Malia's layout:

If you are not already a Studio J (Close To My Heart's perfect answer to digital scrapbooking) member, you ought to be! It's easy to join. Just go to my website: http://lindaw.myctmh.com/, click on "Studio J" and sign up. Before joining, you can create as many layouts as you want and play for free. There is only a charge when you want to be come a member (3 month or 12 month membership available) and when you order layouts. There is no fee for each individual paper pack, embellishment, etc. In fact, there is never any need to buy anything but your layout. CTMH stores all the things you need right on the Studio J site and you can use any embellishment, paper, pattern, etc. without having to pay for them! NEATO! They are printed on premium 12x12 photo paper (just like a real picture), and shipped to your door.

It's a great alternative to "old school" scrapbooking. I love being able to sit on the couch with my laptop at night and make beautiful pages.

I hope you have a wonderful week! It's Spring Break for us - wish us luck. :)

~Linda

Happy Go Lucky!

2011-03-17T14:32:00.000-07:00

"As you ramble through life, whatever be your goal;

Keep your eye upon the doughnut, and not upon the hole."
~Irish proverb

~~~~~~~~Happy St. Patrick's Day~~~~~~~~

Happy Birthday Little Man!

2011-03-16T10:11:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little boy is 5! In some ways it seems like the day you were born was so long ago - but at the same time it seems like just yesterday you were my little baby boy. You bring so much joy, sweetness and happiness to this world! I will never forget the afternoon you were born and the sun, as it burst through the hospital window when you arrived.

Little did I know how fitting that was. You are truly a blessing.

Happy 5th Birthday Alex!!

xoxox

Mom

Cards & Crazy Hair

2011-03-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday! Here are a few, okay more like 44 cards I made for the newest Close to My Heart catalog debut/swap. It's always fun to see what the 43 other ladies come up with - and even better that I get to keep one from everyone!

I used the new MAYBERRY Paper pack, Cocoa ribbon, stamps, our new pink buttons and added some stitching with my good old sewing machine!

This was my first time making the 4"x4" square cards. Here is a close up:

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On the home front, Malia had "crazy hair day" at school a couple of weeks ago, so I thought I'd share. We were running short on time that morning, so this was the best I could do:
Only 3 kids in her class participated, one of which was a boy with a wig. The other was Malia's "class twin". Funny thing was her crazy hair style was almost identical to Malia's! The teacher can't keep them straight on a regular day, I'm sure she was happy when the day was over. :)

Hope you have a fun weekend! Does anyone have any ideas for new & exciting things to do with kids? Spring Break is right around the corner, and we need something to do. :)

~Linda

http://www.lindaw.myctmh.com/

It's March - Look What's New with CTMH!

2011-03-05T10:11:00.000-08:00

Our March promotion is here!

Get a free My Acrylix® block when you buy My Acrylix® stamps!
At Close To My Heart, we know we’ve got the best clear stamps and blocks—and we’ll prove it! Throughout March, when you buy your favorite My Acrylix® stamps, we’ll give you a free My Acrylix block. Not only will you have the best stamps on the block, you’ll have the best block, too! Just purchase $25 US / $30 CAN in stamps and you can choose from two of our most versatile block sizes: 3" × 3" (Y1006) or 2" × 6.

Have you tried clear stamps? They are so easy to use. Once you do, you will be addicted!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also just arriving......it's the

Here is a close up of the individual stamp images:

* earn it FREE when you spend $100 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 75% off ($5.74) when you spend $75 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 50% off ($11.74) when you spend $50 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 25% off ($17.21) when you spend $25 or more (before shipping and tax)

* purchase it for full retail price ($22.95)

Click here to enter my website and order it and so many other wonderful products.
Don't forget to check the "While Supplies Last" section for discounts up to 70% off.

If you are interested in scrapbooking or cardmaking, but don't know where to start - let me know. I am happy to help get you started.

Are you interested in coming to a card workshop? Spend a few hours having fun and making a bunch of cute cards? Sound interesting?? I'm planning on getting one going soon. Stay tuned!

Happy Saturday to you!

~Linda

www.lindaw.myctmh.com

Friday Fun!

2011-03-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! At Malia's school today they had a book parade through the halls. You were suppose to dress as a character from your favorite book. The characters from her favorite book would have been way too much for me to tackle this week, so we chose a new favorite book (that we started reading last night) and went with that. It's from the Pony Pals series, which we made work with a semi-western shirt, boots, braids, and her Webkinz pony. Way better than me attempting to sew some crazy outfits involving elaborate dresses and capes. :) She seemed to be happy with it. From what I heard "Fancy Nancy" and "Eloise" were some of the popular girl characters today.

(When I picked her up from school today, the braids were gone and she had some wild Diana Ross hair going on. Oh well.)

Today I made this silk/organza/tulle flower. It was my first attempt and I need to tweak it a bit here and there. It's a little too round I think. I'm going to try to get them looking a bit more realistic- hopefully. My friend Kandi and I have just signed up for our first Spring Bazaar in a few years - so I need to get busy with some things to fill up our table. I thought something new would be fun.

If I can get to a place where I'm happy with these, I might try to turn some into pins, hair clips or ??? We'll see. I've got "crafting ADD" these days, which leads to lots of unfinished projects. Hopefully I'll remember what I was going to do with them when I get back to them all!
Hope you have a great weekend!

Linda

Around Here....

2011-02-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

Hi!

Just thought I'd pop in and say hello. We have all been sick in one way or another, hopefully that is about over! Seems like illness has hit just about everyone we know these past few weeks.

Last month my sweet son decided to trim his own hair instead of resting (which is what I thought he was doing, as I enjoyed the "quiet"). Here is the finished product:

It could have been worse, but thankfully it wasn't. He managed to give himself a reverse mohawk - later that day Ella scratched him under the eye, and he looked pretty pathetic. I had a hard time making eye contact with people when we were out and about.......thinking they must think I was an unfit parent. lol. Of course we had a birthday party to go to the next day.

Here is Ella, playing (and picking) all at the same time!

I can't tell you how happy I was to find her quietly playing with the doll house Santa brought for Malia years ago. Malia never really had an interest in it - thankfully Santa's gift wasn't a total loss. (And...it's hard to see, but those are the new bunk beds in the background. Now they all sleep on the bottom bunk in this room. Ugh. Luckily we bought the twin over full size.)

We took our first zoo trip of the year (well 2nd actually, after zoolights on Jan 1st). We hadn't been in awhile, so it was fun. It stayed dry for almost the whole visit!

The new red ape exhibit was popular, but the highlight of the visit was this chimp:He was eating something strange & brown off the glass. {{yuk}}

And, finally, I am in love with these Moda fabrics called "Dream On". They remind me of my childhood in the 70s. I broke down and bought a charm pack - maybe I'll actually make something with it. Maybe. :)

Hope you have a fun & safe holiday weekend. Speaking of presidents...President Obama flew over our house today in the helicopter motorcade en route to Intel. I think I saw him wave at us! (okay, not really).

~Linda

Gratitude Card and the NEW Spray Pen!

2011-02-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Hi There!
I thought I'd share another card I made for our Close to my Heart Unit Swap (a local group of gals that are all Close to my Heart consultants - funny thing is most of us went to grade school together!).

We all received a piece of paper from the Magnifique paper pack, and were to make 8 cards to swap at the next meeting.

These are the cards the fabulous ladies in my unit created:

It's always fun to see how different they are!

Here are the cards I made for the swap:

I used the January Stamp of the Month ("Find Your Style") for the butterfly. After I embossed it with clear embossing powser, I popped it up off the paper with foam tape. The splatter background was created using Close to my Heart's NEW "Spray Pen". It was the first time I had tried it - lots of fun!! What a quick and easy way to make a coordinating background for a project.

And.....Here's a little "how to" video on how to use the spray pen.

Have a great day!
~Linda

www.lindaw.myctmh.com

Look What Just Arrived!

2011-02-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

It's February 1st today! What does that mean? It means that the new 2011 Spring/Summer Close To My Heart Idea Book is now available!
If you don't have your copy yet, please contact me, or you can view it online right now, HERE.
It's full of great new products & amazing artwork!
~~~~~~~
Here's a peak at some of the new paper packs (stamp sets & artwork too):

WINGS:

MAYBERRY:

SWEETHEART:

LUCKY:

SOPHIA:

FANFARE:

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And with this being a new month, there is a new Stamp of the Month that you can get at a discount or even FREE!*

* earn it FREE when you spend $100 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 75% off ($5.74) when you spend $75 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 50% off ($11.74) when you spend $50 or more (before shipping and tax)

* earn it for 25% off ($17.21) when you spend $25 or more (before shipping and tax)

* purchase it for full retail price ($22.95)

February SOTM - D1453 Friendship

Here is a sample of the beautiful things you can create with this stamp set:

So...which new group is your favorite? I'm loving the "Sweetheart" paper pack right now! (You can't see the cutest of the papers in the photo above - but you would LOVE IT!)

Let me know if you have any questions, want to get started on scrapbooking, cardmaking, attend a workshop, or snag your own catalog!

Have a great day~

~Linda

http://www.lindaw.myctmh.com/

"Daydream" Dress Fold Cards

2011-01-27T19:25:00.000-08:00

Hiya! It's been awhile. :) I thought I'd share the cards I made for a recent CTMH (Close to My Heart) unit swap. One of the gals provided 1 sheet of paper from the "Daydream" paper pack, and we each made 8 cards to bring back and trade.

I decided to try this dress fold card I had seen around. It was fun. The top of the dress is made from the backside of the patterned paper, with Prisma Glitter added.

I finished them off with white grosgrain ribbon, flowers, a pretty rhinestone and then stamped "for you" on the side!

Hope you enjoyed this crafty inspiration. :)

~Linda

http://www.lindaw.myctmh.com/

Share Your Shutterfly Creations - You can earn $25!

2010-12-14T23:52:00.001-08:00

Check out my Christmas cards! Aren't they fabulous?

You can make your own too, at www.shutterfly.com. Tons of designs to choose from. :)

Bold Bright Wishes Christmas

Create modern Christmas photo cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

It's That Time of Year

2010-11-03T15:30:00.000-07:00

I'm getting ready for some upcoming holiday craft shows!!!

The bazaars I usually do aren't having theirs this year, so I wasn't really planning on participating - but I've now ended up in 2, possibly 3 new craft shows. :)

I figured I should get busy, so I made something new for this year...bookmarks!

They were fun, and I couldn't stop. Each is laminated, and no 2 are alike!

Thought I'd share a sneak peek. I'm off to start on another project while the kiddos are resting, and Malia is at Taekwondo.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T16:59:00.001-07:00

Wow!! It's Halloween already! Boy this month sure zoomed by. It's been a busy a month, lots of family birthdays, pumpkin patch trips, pumpkin carving, etc. Here are the pumpkins we finally carved last night: I'm always ready to carve pumpkins early in the month, but know they will be rotten by the time Halloween rolls around.

Here are a few pictures from the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago. The weather was perfect - and there were more people there than I have EVER seen before. I heard it was a record. The kids had lots of fun on the big slides, mazes, cow car barrel rides, and the little playground. I enjoyed the kettle korn. lol.

Ella in one of the hay mazes.The kids again....

And here is a picture from the trip we took with preschool. Weather wasn't quite as nice, but it was at least dry while we were there. :)And.....one last parting shot of all the pretty fall pumpkins, squash, vegetables and dried flowers.

While we're on the Halloween theme, I thought I'd share some little pencil & treat holders I made for our CTMH swap this month. Here is the finished product:

This stripe paper was the given to use in the swap - and we were to make something for Halloween other than a card. Here's another view: Hope you all have a safe and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!! We are getting ready to head out....and yes, the weather is dry!!

~Linda

2010-10-06T14:08:00.001-07:00

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Look What I Won...

2010-10-01T09:21:00.001-07:00

Yippee!! I know it's not a new flat screen tv, or a 7-day cruise, but I won this pretty card (above) from Deena over at BE CREATIVE. You should take a look at her blog. She lives in California and sells beautiful card kits. Hmmm. Maybe I should do that? (make card kits, not live in CA).
Anyway, here are a few samples of her kits:

August Kit:
September Kit:
I hope you are having a great Friday!! I can't wait to get my new card. :) I'm so easy to please.

Linda

Saturday Fun

2010-09-25T18:51:00.001-07:00

The kids and I did a little shopping today for Halloween costumes and more urgently, something to wear to Malia's friend's "Hollywood" themed birthday party tomorrow.
The invitation said to wear your "Hollywood Finest". Yikes!
I think we found something perfect.....I hope to have some pictures tomorrow after the party. I'm helping do hair and make up for the 7/8 year old girls. Should be fun!

While we were out, we couldn't resist these fun masks. I couldn't pass them up for the price.

Here is Ella:

I'm thinking of wearing one when I hand out Halloween candy this year. :)

And here are Ella & Malia:

Hope you are enjoying your Saturday!

~Linda

My Little Sweatshop

2010-09-18T15:04:00.001-07:00

Here is the secret to my success (lol x10). The kids wanted to help me make tags, so I put them to work punching shapes. Most of Ella's were not fit for much ;), but Malia was a great helper.

Here are a few things "we" made that day.

What a gloomy day it is here today. The most exciting thing we have done is have Malia's soccer pictures taken. Woo hoo!

We are all tired from a busy week, and don't feel like doing a whole heck of a lot. Kids are grouchy, and I'm crossing my fingers for an early bedtime tonight. (for the kids of course!)

They all need it so badly!

Hope you are having a wonderful day!

~Linda

Sunglass Case Holder

2010-09-16T15:56:00.000-07:00

So....I had been wanting to try to make one of these for awhile, and I finally did! It's a little different than I originally envisioned, but I think it turned out okay. Ruffle flower with vintage button center. It covers the Velcro flap.Inside is lined with fleece to protect the sunglasses.Back of the case - with the ruffle!Okay, that's all I wanted to share for today. I have 9 cards to make for my CTMH Unit Swap tomorrow. Eek! But first we have soccer and back to school night. Looks like I'll be burning the midnight oil. lol.

~Linda

Back to School for 2

2010-09-10T08:45:00.001-07:00

I must be getting old, because back to school week wore me out! We were out of town for Labor Day Weekend. Had family pictures taken on Monday, shopped for a few last minute things for Malia (which were impossible to find on Labor Day!), had Malia's first day of school and first soccer game on Tuesday, and Alex's first day on Wednesday. And, I don't want to forget our 10th wedding anniversary on Thursday (9/9/10). Whew.Here are a few pictures from the first day. Better late than never! Here is Malia:She **LOVES** 1st Grade and thinks she has the best teacher ever! I'm so happy!

Here is Alex:

He loves his class and has made a new friend each day so far. :)

Hope you are all having a great September!

~Linda

Happy Sunday!

2010-09-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I saw this someplace and thought it was funny. I can barely text while sitting in a chair.

Hope you are having a great day wherever you are!!

~Linda

It's September...Time for a NEW Idea Book

2010-09-03T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yippeee! It's finally time to launch the new Idea Book!
You can view it online HERE.

~~~~~

And of course a new month means a new Stamp of the Month (SOTM).
The featured SOTM for September is called "Thriller".
Ask me how you can get it at a discount or for FREE with a purchase.

Here is a sample of artwork created with "THRILLER":

And, the actual stamp set:

For more information, to take a look at my artwork, or find out more about CTMH, you can visit my website here: www.lindaw.myctmh.com.

Did you know we also have a great online digital scrapbooking program called Studio J?
You can check it out here: Studio J.

Have a creative weekend!
~Linda

Our First Camping Trip

2010-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Whew! We did it! We survived our first camping trip. And, I think it was a success!
So, it wasn't exactly "roughing it", but it was perfect for us. The cabin even had heat and electricity. I was able to bring a little 4 cup coffee maker - ahhhhhhh. Heaven. The kids loved each and every minute of the trip. There were places to ride bikes near the cabins.

We had a campfire in the morning and also at night. (The weather turned a little cool at the start of our trip). The above picture is our first morning campfire. Notice Malia has some 1/2 pajama, 1/2 outfit creation on. :)

There were trails to hike - and I do mean hike. Some were more steep than I was expecting. Good for the legs though! For some reason Ella only seemed to want ME to carry her on the way back UPHILL. I did what I could...but Rourke had to a lot of the uphill shoulder rides with her.

We went to a Ranger talk and then took a field trip to the beaver pond/dam. It was really beautiful. Rourke even spotted a nutria. I didn't even think he was paying attention! I learned that nutria are really destructive animals and can overtake the beaver habitats quickly. Male/female nutria pairs have to be split up FAST!

We even found a playground near the east campground - where the real tent/camper people stay. :)

We had fun cooking over the campstove. We tried to travel light, so I was happy to get home to a bigger selection of ingredients and tools to cook with!

Here is Malia with a few of the friends she and Alex made. It was very kid friendly. The kids were exhausted every night!

After S'mores, we moved on to the Jiffy Pop Popcorn. The kids and "neighbors" from cabin 1 had fun eating and telling spooky stories in the dark (well, next to the campfire and with the porch light on!).

So..........overall it was a great time! I was a little freaked out by the sign that said "You are in bear and cougar country" when we got there. But was almost over it by the time we left...until the guy in the next cabin said he saw a mountain lion on a trail that morning. Great!!

Okay, got to run.

Have a great day!
~Linda

Happy Birthday Julie!

2010-08-31T17:00:00.000-07:00

A quick post to wish my long time friend Julie a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I think it was 15 years ago (give or take a year) that we were celebrating her birthday in Cozumel and Playa del Carmen! Just 4 single girls with not a care in the world (okay, we probably had job stress, and mabye some boyfriend issues - but looking back I can't remember much).

Here we are someplace in Cancun - on that same trip. Julie is in the middle and that's our friend Cindy on the left. Fun times!

Anyway........I hope Julie has a wonderful day today down in sunny California!

XO Linda

CMTH Card Swap/Challenge

2010-08-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Every month our CTMH (Close to My Heart) unit does a mini card swap. One person provides an identical sheet of paper for everyone, and the next month we bring back completed cards using that paper.

Last month we were given this (retired) paper:

There were actually a few different colors of the same pattern this time. Usually they are exactly the same. I chose the Ponderosa Pine color.

And this is what I ended up creating with my paper:

I flipped the paper over so the more splotchy Ponderosa Pine pattern was showing, not the words. I matted my random stamped snowflake paper on top of it.

I also used my Cuttlebug to emboss the top with the Swiss dot pattern. Added a clear button with a rhinestone to the center of 1 snowflake, and finished that snowflake off with glitter.

Here's a look at what the other gals came up with: (I'm always amazed at how different they turn out!)

The above picture shows 2 6x6 layouts.

The below picture shows the 6 cards.

"Happy Holidays" Card Supplies:

Holiday Commentary Stamp Set C1379

New Fallen Snow Stamp Set D1171
Clear Craft Buttons Z1155

Prisma Glitter Z134

Tulip, Topiary, Sweet Leaf & Blush Stamp Pads

White Cardstock

My Garage Sale Find!

2010-08-24T08:03:00.000-07:00

Okay, so a few weeks ago I read on Craigslist about a garage sale with antique quilts...........I'm a sucker for old quilts. My grandma who passed away this month was an AMAZING quilter - made hundreds in her 94 years of life. I have started many, but never finished ONE! How embarrassing is that? Somewhere along the line I either get bored, or intimidated. Years ago I started a red & white quilt, inspired by the quilt in Monica & Rachel's apartment on Friends (the early years). lol.

Back to the garage sale. So, I made it to the sale, about an hour+ after it started. I think the kids didn't sleep well the night before, and I was having a hard time getting out of the house early. I get to the garage sale, to find not much left or cool, old - as in barn wood buffet table from New England 1800s, stuff from all over the country (or at least that's what the guy said!!) marked as "SOLD". It's probably a good thing I was late. What do I really need anyway? Nothing.

So......I spot the quilts, The first one I see says $5. REALLY, $5?? I grab it. Then my tired eyes start seeing $5 on more, really big tags. So........I pile up and go to pay. OOPS.

The first quilt DID say $5. The others said $125, $75, etc. How embarrassing.

I bought the $5 and left. :)

Here she is:

The tag said it is from the early 1900s. I think I was drawn to the red & white part.....which goes back to the "Friends" quilt in progress. :)

Today I'm taking Malia & Alex to see "Nanny McPhee Returns" this afternoon with my Sister and her kids (who are kind enough to go with us - they are mid-teens to early 20 year olds). It should be fun. Ella gets to spend some time with Grandma.
Have a great day!
~Linda

AMAZING Scrapbook Sale - Close to My Heart

2010-08-03T16:00:00.000-07:00

$2, $4, $6 for 8! It's YOU That We Appreciate!

I have just re-started my website...and it looks like I was just in time.

Close to My Heart is offering amazing deals on select MyStickease Assortments ($2), Level 1 Scrapbook Kits ($4), Level 2 Scrapbook Kits ($6) are yours for 8 days only (or while supplies last, whichever comes first). Mark your calendar for Wednesday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 11 (or while supplies last) and don't miss this HUGE sale. All items are over 50% off. To take advantage of this sales, head to my website (http://lindaw.myctmh.com/) and click on 'Shop Online' and starting August 4 there should be a link for the sale. (When you shop online, all orders ship directly to your door!) In the meantime, start your wish lists. Here are a few more pictures of what will be on sale!!

(For pictures of ALL items on sale click here).

More to Adore Level 1 Kit: Jingle Level 1 Kit:Emporium My Stickease (stickers):Emporium Level 2 Kit:

Good Times Level 2 Kit:

This is just a sneak peek! There will be tons more on Wednesday Aug. 4th. :)

You Rock Cards - CTMH

2010-08-03T09:50:00.000-07:00

Hello blog readers! I thought I'd share a fun card I made for our swap with the other gals in our Close to My Heart unit. We are each given 1 sheet of the same paper, to make 7 identical cards. At the next month's meeting, we swap our cards and leave with 7 different cards. It's fun to see what the other ladies come up with using the same paper!

This card has a fun center fold!

CTMH Supplies used:

You Rock Level 2 paper pack

Notice the Details Stamp set

Star Struck Stamp Set

Bitty Sparkles

Autumn Craft Buttons

And.............watch for exciting news coming up about a HUGE paper sale on my Close to My Heart website: www.lindaw.myctmh.com. It starts at 8am Wednesday morning! If you haven't shopped on my site, you might want to set up an account now - so you can be ready to shop! :)

Thanks for visiting~
~Linda

Teacher's Gifts...A Month Late ;)

2010-07-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are a month + since school has been out, and I'm just getting around to sharing the teacher gifts we made for Alex's preschool teachers. He has 2 teachers, and they each received a hand towel with some fun embellishments:

(inspired by some fun Etsy shops). Along with a pack of handmade cards:We made the cards with some flower print art the kids created with pansies and a hammer. :) Here are both sets of goodies. Picture is kind of blurry. Looks like it's time for a new camera!And, here's Alex ready for his last day of school. :)Malia's Kindergarten teacher received similar gifts - but I missed the picture. Here she is on her last day of school, sans gift: We are about halfway into summer, and the kids are picking at each other like crazy. ARGH! Is is it just me? I love summer vacation......but this fighting is driving me N-U-T-S!
Happy Wednesday.

~Linda :)

A Little Card Swap - Cherry-O

2010-07-19T09:29:00.000-07:00

Hello! Happy Monday.

I have been such a bad blogger. I will be fairly consistent for a week or 2 - then poof! A month goes by with nothing. :) I thought I'd share the cards I made for the Close to My Heart swap that occurs each time a new catalog is released. I made 44 of these cards (I think I actually only needed 42 - but oh well!), with the new, fun "CHERRY-O" paper pack from CTMH, along with the "Be Yourself" stamp set. In return, I received 40 or so projects back from fellow CTMH gals - some were cards, some journal covers, some scrapbook layouts, all showcasing the new papers from the Summer 2010 Catalog. Fun Stuff!

Here is a close up of the paper "flowers" I used on each card. We also showcase a new embellishment. My embellishment(s) were the "Tulip" colored buttons and brads.

And......here is the Summer 2010 Close To My Heart idea book - let me know if you would like a copy. It's full of great ideas for cards, scrapbook pages, and gifts you can make. :) (you can also click the picture to view it online).Have a fabulous day! I am mentally wanting to pick raspberries and blackberries today - but I'm not sure if my body wants to. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. I really should clean the house.
:)

Lordy, Lordy - A Crafty Lady Turns 40!!

2010-07-17T18:21:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY to my (almost) life long friend KANDI! She is a fellow Crafty Lady, and CTMH (Close to My Heart) gal. We have been friends since grade school, through Jr. High, High School, and even went to the same college together for awhile! The first picture of Kandi (above) - in the fancy green dress was from our prom. I believe the theme was Bon Jovi's "Never Say Goodbye". :)

Here we are at the CTMH Regional Celebration last November - along with CTMH founder Jeanette!

Here we are just last Winter at a little craft bazaar. :)

Here she is, along with our other good friend Cindy. Kandi and I were bridesmaids in each other's weddings. :)

And............just because it is her FORTIETH birthday, a fun old picture highlighting the fashion back in the day --- tube tops, silky shorts, and tube socks!

Kandi, you have been a great friend and craft enabler!! Here's to the next 40 years!
Have a FABULOUS BIRTHDAY!
Just Remember: “Life begins at 40 - but so do fallen arches, rheumatism, faulty eyesight, and the tendency to tell a story to the same person, three or four times.”
Love,
Linda

And........just a few fun quotes for the day:
"The "I just woke up" face of your 30's is the "all day long" face of your 40's."

"The best years of a woman's life - the ten years between 39 and 40."

“Forty isn't old, if you're a tree”.

My Fabric Banner and Other Things

2010-06-29T07:58:00.000-07:00

Hello! We just finished having a massive garage sale this past weekend. Wow! Where did all that stuff come from? I guess 3 kids can really accumulate baby gear and toys like crazy. It was a little nauseating to see it all collected in one spot!
But....before the garage sale weekend, was Ella's birthday. I thought I'd share a couple of crafty decorations I made this year for her party - instead of the store bought kind.

The first picture is the fabric bunting/banner I had been wanting to make for some time. I ran across some cute fabrics at the craft store - and a cute polka dot towel (that's what started my "polka dot and cute theme" - is that really a theme???)

Below are some tissue paper "pom poms" (found instructions online).The polka dot balloons I found online: And here is Ella when I first hung the banner. She is telling me she likes "this one". I think it was the cherry one in the middle. :)

Okay, that's all for now! Got to run. I have a house with left over garage sale clutter that needs to be cleaned up and put away. Happy Tuesday!
~Linda

Happy 2nd Birthday ELLA..and Happy Father's Day too!

2010-06-20T21:47:00.000-07:00

Wow! 2 years have somehow flown by. Really flown by. Our little Ella is now 2! Here she is almost 1 day old back 0n June 20th, 2008.

And here she is (almost 2) in a recent picture with my Dad........Happy Father's Day Dad!Here are the Birthday cupcakes, decorated by Malia & Alex

(I made the picture cupcake toppers):My Sister in Law Janna, with her granddaughter, baby Norah. She is such a sweetie, well they both are!!Here are Carson & Ella hugging it out. Carson (& Norah's) Mom is my Niece Kim, in the white (on the right). Carson & Ella were born about 3 weeks apart. Ella blowing out her 2 candles - she did well, but Malia & Alex were there to back her up. She needed it. ;)And finally, Happy Father's Day to my husband! Here he is this morning with all the kids barely hanging on his lap. Good times. :)

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!! We are still patiently waiting for some sun here in Oregon. Summer officially starts tomorrow...............so we are hopeful the

sun will make an appearance!

~Linda

In the Mood for a Giveaway?

2010-05-13T22:03:00.000-07:00

Take a look at this giveaway opportunity! Melanie over at The Crafty Cupboard is generous enough to give this beautiful runner to one lucky reader. Head over to this blog post: RUNNER GIVEAWAY for your chance to enter! You actually have 3 chances to enter (just read the directions.) Love those polka dots and jumbo ric-rack!

Good luck to you --- but not too much luck. I entered too. :)

The rest of her blog is also fabulous. Take a minute and check it out!

Have a great day~
Linda :)

A Little Mini Album

2010-05-11T22:39:00.000-07:00

Okay, so that title is a little redundant! :) lol.

I ran across these little accordion albums a couple of weeks ago, and thought I **must** make one! With Mother's Day approaching, I thought it would be a nice gift for my Mother in Law.

You can find the original post & instructions here: Accordion Albums - on http://www.eighteen25.blogspot.com/ it's a fun blog in general. Glad I found it!

Anyway, I messed up a little bit on mine. I had the kids draw pictures for Yaya (my mother in law), and we added them to the back pages of the album..........TOTALLY forgetting that the album is suppose to be tied with a ribbon around the back...like this (photo from http://www.eighteen25.blogspot.com/):

oops.

No biggie! We just left off the ribbon so Yaya could enjoy the fabulous artwork on the back. :)

I think it's still cute, and hopefully it doesn't look like it's missing something. :)

Have a great day!
Linda

Easter Recap

2010-04-07T15:58:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had a nice Easter! I cannot believe how much candy we have in the house. It's a constant battle to keep myself ...and the kids out of it! I'm sure my dentist will love me even more on the next visit ($$ cha ching $$).

Here are a few pictures from Easter. The morning started off with a little egg hunt in the house - the Easter Bunny has hid eggs in the house every year - it seems to usually be wet on Easter morning. Malia & Alex waited somewhat patiently for Ella to wake up ---- but had scoped out the view from upstairs quite a bit before then.

I call these first 2 pictures "A little egg-cited" (ha ha):
Here's Alex trying out his crazy glasses and nose the Easter Bunny left in his basket. I tried them on too - and Malia took a picture. Pretty scary first thing in the morning pre-shower and in pjs with these glasses on. It's scary enough withOUT the glasses! I couldn't delete it fast enough.After baths for the kids and a little nap for Ella, we headed out to my Dad's for another egg hunt, but this one was outside! The first one our kids have ever participated in. (we tried last year, but that's a long story). We made it just in time - before the rain started. It was a little windy, but dry! No complaints here. :)We even got to visit the 2 cows that belong to the neighbor. This one was the loud one. I feared he would manage to get over the fence and charge us. He seemed hungry and not too happy. In my mind I was starting to form a plan as to what I would do - which of the kids I would try to save first. lol. (or not).All the fun and excitement can be a lot to take when you are 4. Alex took a little siesta with Gramps. We were all pretty tired to be honest. :)

I may need to bury all the candy in the backyard.
~Linda

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Enjoy your day! We are off to an Easter Egg Hunt this afternoon - hoping for a small window of dry weather. Cross your fingers for us. :)

~Linda

A Rare Sighting of...

2010-04-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

The EASTER BUNNY!!

Wait!! Not those scary bunnies...........

Do you see him? Look close:

Look closer - What about now?

Oh No! He's trying to get away.....

Wait...........here he comes. Emerging from behind a bush:

Ta da!!!! It's almost as exciting as the Big Foot sightings - don't cha think? lol

Here are a couple more pictures just for fun. :)

Hope you have a wonderful EASTER wherever you are!
~Linda

Somebody Stop Me!

2010-03-22T23:29:00.000-07:00

Ack! I used to be addicted to scrapbooking supplies - now my addiction is creeping over into fabric. HELP! Our local craft store had a sale this past weekend - and is one of the only fabric stores in our area that carries designer fabrics. So.........here is a picture of a few new "must haves" I picked up:And these little set of cuties:I picked up most of these (below) from a great fabric shop on Etsy called Material Gal. She is great to work with! I'm actually in the process of making a fun table runner out of these. I'll post a picture when I get it finished. :) My love of fabric, and craft supplies in general, far exceeds the amount of time I have to actually put all this to use. I guess I'm thinking I will become "Superwoman" at some point, and whip out projects, quilts, and don't forget scrapbooks for everyone! I think I'll need to up my amount of coffee each day, and cut out a few hours of sleep to make it happen.

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh but isn't it pretty? And......remember - it was ON SALE!!

:) Have a great day.

Linda

Bella Card Swap

2010-03-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi!
Each month the gals in our CTMH (Close to My Heart) unit take part in a little card swap. We all get the same piece of paper and the same accessory - then we bring back finished cards to the next meeting. It's fun to see what everyone creates with the same basic starting supplies. We then swap, and leave with a beautiful selection of cards!

Here are the cards I created:

I created a patchwork card, stamped around each "patch" with "Simple Stitches", added some coiled paper flowers, a felt leaf, and turned my bookplate into a hanging tag. I added a rub on word to each bookplate.

Here is a close up of the flowers I made out of cardstock:

I lightly glittered the flowers and leaf.

Supplies Used:

Bella Level 2 Pack

Simple Stitches Stamp Set (C1234)

Dimensional Elements-Bookplates

Sparkles

Rub ons (words)

Heartfelt Whimsy Die Cuts (felt leaves)

Twine

Glitter

Have a wonderful day!

~Linda

Happy St. Patty's Day - 2010

2010-03-17T06:16:00.000-07:00

May you have warm words on a cold evening,

a full moon on a dark night,

and the road downhill all the way to your door.

~Irish Blessing

I ran across this cute Leprechaun's Hat card, created by Jenn Biederman. She has amazing work! Check out her blog here: Created by JB.

Have a Lucky Day!
:) Linda

Happy 4th Birthday ALEX!!

2010-03-16T23:58:00.000-07:00

Wow! Has it really been 4 years since the little man was born? Time sure flies. That also means I've been a SAHM for almost 4 years. That is hard to believe.

Alex was born 4 years ago today at 2:35pm in the afternoon. I remember the sun shining through the window as he was born. He is such a happy boy - just like a ray of sunshine. :)

The first picture was taken this morning, and he's trying to get used to holding up "4" fingers instead of 3. That's a lot of hard work, and may take some time. lol.

The picture below was taken today at McDonald's. We went there for his "birthday lunch". It's his most favorite place. He has 1 standard order. Always. It never changes.

We have had a few days of birthday fun. This picture was from yesterday when our friends James & Mia came over to decorate cupcakes, play, and take a walk to the park.

Here's the whole gang:

On Sunday we had a little birthday party with part of the family. Alex chose a TRANSFORMERS cake. Isn't it beautiful???!? ha ha. They did a nice job, but boy cakes sure are dark and gloomy these days.

Here he is getting ready to tear into the presents. Good job on the "4" fingers! Woo hoo!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEX CHARLES! I hope you enjoyed it all.

All this birthday fun has worn me out. I am totally unprepared for St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. Ugh. Any cool things I can do for kids?? I would love an idea or two. I can add food coloring to the milk to make it green..........after that I'm needing some help.

Have a great day!
Linda

Skate World - A Birthday Party & Flashback...all in One!

2010-03-08T21:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we went to a birthday party for my good friends Kandi & Chico's boys. Mateo turned 10 and Jaxon turned 7. Here is a picture of Jaxon (on the right). That's my other good friend Cindy's daughter on the left. :) And here is a picture of the old friends I mentioned above (and parents of the Mateo, Jaxon & Mackenzie - pictured above). That's Kandi on the left, Chico in the middle, and Cindy on the right. We have been friends for 25-30 years. Chico, Cindy & I even worked together at Taco Time. Good times....

Back to the story. We had a fun time at Skate World celebrating the boys' birthdays. It was the first time Malia & Alex had roller skated. They loved it!! Malia thinks she has now mastered it. Gotta love a confident child. ;)

We spent the first half of the party doing this with Alex......

And practicing in the little mini-rink area.

Malia practicing her "stopping technique":

Whew. Got it!

I did not skate......I have been traumatized by roller skating ever since I broke my wrist here...at Skate World in 2nd grade. That was the end of my roller skating career. I apparently didn't learn the "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" mantra. :) And I have to say, the Skate World decor hasn't changed much in the past 30 years. lol.

Have a great night.................

Linda

A Little Request

2010-02-25T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hello Friends. This is our little neighbor boy Brayden. He's 4 and a half. This is his soccer picture from last summer. Isn't he a cutie?

Last month he was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma, a very rare form of cancer in children. It started out as leg pain that wouldn't go away a few months ago. In January doctors found a malignant tumor in his leg bone. Unfortunately the cancer has spread to his spine, jaw and nasal cavity. The last 6 weeks have been a total nightmare & roller coaster for him and his family. They are all amazingly strong and courageous. I don't know how they do it. They also have a younger son who turned 2 last month.

Please keep him in your thoughts, light a candle, say a prayer, anything......they could all really use it right now. They are just starting an aggressive 12 month plan involving, chemo, surgery, and radiation.

Here is another picture of him a couple of weeks ago, on a good day, after his 2nd round of chemo:

And, here is his little brother - painting with Ella. We have been helping watch him here and there during Brayden's hospital stays. We are just sick that this little boy (and his family) are going through something so awful. We are hoping for a miracle for him.

Thank you,
Linda

Spring Idea Book - Get Your's Today! :)

2010-02-23T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hello and Happy Tuesday!

If you are a scrapbooker, cardmaker, or papercrafter -

then you should take a look at the

NEW Spring 2010 Idea Book from Close to My Heart.

It's full of beautiful artwork (as well as papers, stamps, etc. of course!)

You can click on the Picture link below to take a look, or I would be happy to give you a real live copy that you can thumb through. Just let me know-leave a comment on this post or email me!

And.........for the rest of this month, Close to my Heart is helping HAITI and customers all at the same time. When you buy 1 assorted pack of textured cardstock, YOU get another for **FREE**, and $2 will be donated to Haiti. A win-win for sure. I just heard that CTMH has sold 2 YEARS worth of inventory in the past 23 days! WOW! Get yours while you can. There are 3 choices still available: Autumn Harvest (Fall colors), Spring Harmony (pastels) and Summer Celebration (brights).

I hope to hear from you! You can never have too much paper or too many craft supplies.....can you??

;)

~Linda

Unforgettable - 3 Ways

2010-02-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

I was in need of a sympathy card, and had none....so I whipped up these 3 cards all using Close to My Heart's "Unforgettable" papers. I didn't have a sympathy sentiment, so I used "Thinking of You".
This is the one I ended up sending:

These are the 2 I didn't send, but now have in my stash. I think they would be great for lots of occasions....or just to say hello.

Hope you have a great day!
~Linda

Supplies Used (almost all CTMH):

Unforgettable paper pack

Sorbet, Blush & Cocoa Inks

Treasures, Say in in Style, and Treasure Life stamp sets

Misc: ribbon, photo hanger

Meeting Baby Norah...and a Card :)

2010-02-19T10:04:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been forever since I last posted. For some reason the past few weeks have been busy with daily life. Nothing too big - just stuff.

I do want to say "Happy Belated Birthday" to my brother Bryon who celebrated his big day on Feb 15th. Here he is 2nd from the left:

On Feb 1st we took a drive up to Ridgefield, WA to meet my Niece Kim and her husband Brandon's new baby girl Norah Marie. (This is my brother Bryon's oldest daughter).

Here are a few pictures of the kids meeting Norah for the first time.

That's Norah's big brother Carson on the far left:

It looks like Ella is ready to hit Norah (above) - but she wasn't. She was just mad that it wasn't her turn to hold her anymore. She didn't want to give her up to Alex. :)

Isn't Norah a cutie???

I asked the kids if they would like another baby right as I snapped this picture - can you see Malia's excited reaction here??? (Sorry kids, we are done!)

This is an aerial picture of me holding Norah, along with my own 3 kids. Yikes!! It stresses me out a little to imagine myself with 4 kids. I love kids - but just not sure I could do a good job raising 4 of them!! :) My kids **LOVED** seeing and holding Norah. They wanted another baby after that. Ella got mad if anyone else tried to hold her and just wanted to kiss her.Here is a picture of the ladies - That's Kim on the far left. Doesn't she look fabulous for having a baby 3 weeks old???? WOW!

And......here is the card I made to congratulate & welcome the baby's arrival. It's "Mamabella" from http://www.stampingbella.com/. I would love to own all of their stamps. A girl can dream.

Have a great weekend! Hopefully the weather will be nice wherever you are. I think it's suppose to be sunny here. Yippeee!

~Linda

A Cute Little Towel

2010-01-28T08:08:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday!

I have become a delinquent blogger once again. For some reason my energy level has been dragging lately -now I have a cold - which explains this week.

But I have no explanation for the last 4 or so!

I made this little flour sack towel for my Sister Kathy's birthday in January. I really need to take the time to make one for myself someday.

I love all the pieces of fabric. I used some of my favorites - love those Matryoshkas. :)
Sometimes I hate to use fabric I really love - but this was okay, because the pieces were so little. I think I could be a "hoarder" in future years. yikes.

Have a great day!
~Linda

Double Diagonal Pocket Card

2010-01-27T16:24:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd share the card Kandi and I made for last weekend's CTMH (Close to My Heart) get together with about 20 other consultants from the area.

We had a chance to teach the other gals how to make this "double diagonal pocket card":

It would be great to slip a little gift card into the front pocket, and add your message on the flat note in the back pocket.

It was a fun filled day of learning new tricks & techniques, fun things to make, great food and laughs. :) I came home with so many beautiful projects. Thanks everyone!

~Linda

CTMH Supplies:

X5806 Creative Basics – Emporium
Inks: Vineyard Berry
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Where Does the Time Go?

2010-01-19T23:21:00.000-08:00

Can it be that my little girl is already 18 months old??? As in almost 2 years old??

Today was her 18 month birthday. :) So while the rain was away, we took a few pictures outside. (Try to ignore our fence that is being tied to our bush to keep it upright. That dang wind storm! )

I have to admit, I just love this age. When you can really start to see their personality, you can actually communicate - back and forth, no arguing, lots of hugs, lots of kisses, lots of silliness. I love to watch her try to put on her socks, put a clip in her hair, "read" a book (upside down)...too many things to list. All 3 of the kids are so different - in appearance & personality. Thank goodness! :) They are all wonderful.

Hope you had a beautiful day~
:) Linda

Turbie Towels --- Fun for Everyone!

2010-01-07T17:18:00.001-08:00

We had some fun last night with my new "Turbie Towels" - a Christmas gift from YAYA. I had one one too, but didn't want to scare you all with that picture! :) Alex tried to improvise with a pair of underwear (that he took from the dirty clothes pile........ewwwwwwwwwww), so then I shared mine with him. It's the least I could do as a caring mother. lol.

The underwear.............

Happy Thursday!
Linda

SNOW!

2009-12-29T22:42:00.001-08:00

Yes!! We have snow! Very unexpected....and a nice treat for us all. (except for Rourke - it took him 3 hours to get home from work.)

And yes, he did have a coat on for most of the time......but he needed one more run into the snow. :)

Hope you had a great day!

Thanksgiving Recap

2009-11-28T21:01:00.000-08:00

Hello!

Before December rolls around, I thought I'd give Thanksgiving a little more attention - because it seems so overlooked between Halloween & Christmas!

We had a really low-key Thanksgiving this year, just us and my Mom. We didn't have any plans a few days before Thanksgiving - even for having a traditional dinner. It turned out nice, and MY FIRST PIE was pretty good (if I do say so myself! ha ha). Kids played some games, we chatted, ate, then ate some more. The kids were fairly wound up - it was almost like Christmas. Which I'm now dreading, after seeing the energy Thanksgiving had. Geesh. I need to double up on my vitamins for the next month or so.

Malia made special place cards for our table, and Alex contributed with his pumpkin centerpiece he made in preschool. Malia was also a big helper with setting the table. Too bad it isn't as exciting for her on every other regular day of the year.

This is how Thanksgiving ended for Ella:
She's getting more teeth.

Well, I hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I didn't do any Black Friday shopping -- but I did get my Christmas cards ordered. WOOP! That is early for me - I feel good. I do feel guilty for not making my own - which I do like to do, but not in huge quantities.
Oh well. Someday I'll get back to that.

Good night~
Linda

A THANKSGIVING GIVEAWAY

2009-11-26T13:00:00.000-08:00

One more quick post for today.

Visit Donna Downey's Blog today for a chance to win this great basket of goodies!

You must leave a comment before 8pm PST today.

Go HERE to enter: Donna's Blog

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T09:31:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a safe, warm & happy THANKSGIVING!!

Yesterday we went to a Thanksgiving performance & feast at Malia's school. It was a lot of fun to watch all the Pilgrims & Native Americans sing and eat together. :) Malia was a Pilgrim.

Here is a **very short** video clip of Malia and the kids singing a song about the Pilgrims coming to America. We can't remember the name of the song......but here is a snippet.

We are having a small Thanksgiving dinner today at our house. I even made my very first pie last night. Hoping it does my Mom's 50 year old recipe justice! She will be here to let me know.

Are you heading out for Black Friday sales?? I'm still thinking about it. Looks like Toys R Us is opening at Midnight. I'm thinking about that one. I'm usually up late. :) The 5am is a little more challenging for me. I guess I can hit Old Navy at 3am after Toys R Us at Midnight. Hmmmmm.

Happy Thanksgiving. I know I have so much to be thankful for!

:O) Linda

My New Etsy Favorite

2009-11-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Somehow I stumbled upon this Etsy shop: TIMELESS VIXEN VINTAGE - and I **love it**!

I wish I had some spare cash and a reason to buy one of these little beauties. This pink one below is one of my favorites. But really, it's hard to pick just one favorite.

So.......here are a few other favorites I picked out. Really, the dresses are just amazing, most from the 1950s, some from the 20s, 40s, 60s, and a few from the 1800s! Their condition is pristine. I can't help but think these could have been worn in a movie or two?

Malia was scrolling through this Etsy shop while I was making dinner, I came back to find that she had somehow added a $420 dress to her "cart". OMG!! Thank goodness she hadn't proceeded to checkout. Apparently she didn't mean to do that.......but still gave me a mini-heart attack. I did check to make sure it was one that I would have actually liked to own. And it was. If only I had $420 to spare 1 month before Christmas - or any month actually.

So, if you have some time, like fun vintage dresses, check out the SHOP. :)

I would have loved to be around in the 50s, and in a lifestyle that would require me to wear these dresses.

Have a great Wednesday.

~Linda

Fun in the Leaves

2009-11-24T15:42:00.000-08:00

Hello!
I thought I'd share a few pictures I took of the kids last week in our leaf piles (right before the wind storm!). Ella wasn't sure about it at first, but then got to the point where she would back herself into the pile. Malia & Alex had fun jumping, rolling, tunneling through, and throwing the leaves.

If only they were this nice to each other the other 99.99% of the day:Are you ready for Thanksgiving?? Impossible that it's only 2 (or less) days away. YIKES!

Have a great afternoon.

~Linda

Crafty Ladies Holiday Bazaar

2009-11-13T09:01:00.000-08:00

Can it really be this time already?? Next week is our "Crafty Ladies" Bazaar out in Forest Grove. We took the year off last year, but are back and ready to go for 2009! Here are a couple of peeks at some things I have been working on - always so many things on my list of "Crafty To Dos" --- I never seem to get it all accomplished, but I still have a week -Right??

Mini Notebooks:

Fabric Flower pins (some might turn into hair clips.)

I'll give some more peeks in the coming days. You can also visit the Crafty Ladies Blog (http://www.crafty-ladies.blogspot.com/) for more information and pictures at what some of the other ladies have been up to.

Happy Friday everyone!
~Linda

Halloween - the day in pictures

2009-11-01T09:03:00.001-08:00

Happy November!

Hope you all had a safe & happy HALLOWEEN. I am tired. I had hoped the kids would sleep in today, especially with the time change. No luck. It's only 9am and I feel like I need a break. :)

Yesterday we went to a Halloween party at Malia's soccer coaches' house. It was a lot of fun - games, costume contest, treats, playing outside, a little Goosebumps show......then we came back home to have pizza and trick or treat in our own neighborhood.

Alex even won one of the costume contests!!! Here he is holding his plunder...a tub of cotton candy!
Here we are at home, pre-trick or treating:
Finally........we're off!

Here is the group...almost done!

Hope you all had fun.................now it's on to Thanksgiving!

:) Linda

Happy Birthday Husband!

2009-10-30T22:17:00.000-07:00

WOW! Another day, another birthday.

Today is my husband's birthday.....

and I'll just say it's a milestone.

I won't mention any numbers.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROURKE!

Happy 6th Birthday MALIA!

2009-10-29T14:46:00.000-07:00

Six years ago today we welcomed little Malia Lyn into our lives. Little did we know she would be so funny, quick, wild & crazy, outgoing, beautiful, kind and intelligent! I do remember thinking she was watching EVERYTHING and EVERYONE right after she was born. She wasn't missing anything - right from the start.

I can't believe 6 whole years have gone by so quickly! I can still remember the day she was born, all of the details from that day and all of our visitors.

Here she is with her Cousin Kelli when she was 2 hours old:

Here she is at 2 days old, ready to see her home for the first time. We came home on Halloween. I remember carving a pumpkin and passing out candy to trick or treaters that first night she was home.

And............here she is today. All grown up and...........SIX years old!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MALIA!!!

WE LOVE YOU!

XOXOXO

Disney On Ice

2009-10-28T17:44:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Malia's 6th birthday (where does the time go??), so for part of her gift we went to Disney on Ice last week. We all went (except Ella), and had a great time! It was a little rushed - Malia had her last soccer game right before - and she even scored 2 goals in the 15 minutes she played! Woo hoo! She changed in the car, and we were off.

Here are the kids before the show -checking out the Princess dresses on display. They were very beautiful! Alex doesn't look too thrilled though. :)

The show started off with Minnie, Mickey, Donald and Goofy....then went right into CARS! Alex loved it!

Next was the Little Mermaid. I kept thinking it was Joan Allen (the actress).

After that was the Lion King.

After a short intermission (not sure why....maybe for the small bladders in the audience? Rourke was sure it was just to sell more cr@p!) the show finished with Tinkerbell! The Queen Fairy (not sure of her real name) floated up above with a gorgeous white sparkly dress. Hard to tell in the picture below.

It was a fun night, eventhough Alex was exhausted and said he hated it. The next morning he said he loved it!

Hope you are all having a great week! We have one sick - no fever, but flu like in every other way. No food will stay down.

Happy Wednesday~
Linda

A Little Halloween Entertainment

2009-10-26T21:14:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Happy Halloween - Starring:
Cindy, Kandi, Chico, Rourke and Moi! :) Enjoy~

Wordless Wednesday

2009-10-07T05:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is suppose to be wordless - but here are a few.

Ella would like to wish you a "Happy Hump Day". HOORAY!!!

Evalicious....Love this Giveaway!!

2009-10-06T14:50:00.000-07:00

Hi, Howdy, Hello~

This is one of my favorite Etsy Shops (Evalicious)....and Donna Downey is having a super giveaway of Evalicious goodies over at her blog HERE.

You have until 7pm (pacific time) to enter.

Good Luck!
~Linda

Cool Giveaway

2009-10-04T05:00:00.000-07:00

Hello Readers~

I stumbled across this wonderful giveaway and thought I'd be kind and share it with you.

You (or I) could be the lucky winner of one of these beautiful necklaces (actually a $50 gift certificate and you choose your own design) from Lisa Leonard Designs:

Just go HERE and leave a comment by 5pm Sunday/today.

HURRY!
Happy Sunday~
~Linda

Happy World Card Making Day!

2009-10-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you are all busy making cards today - lol...........I am a crafter, so I happen to know there is actually a day for this! Pretty soon there will be a day for everything. :)

Here are a few cards I made last night with the Close to My Heart girls at our monthly meeting. I tried out a new "fan fold flower" for these mini-cards.

They measure 3"x3".

It's hard to see the details in the pictures, but the edges of the flowers are lightly glittered, and the white center circle too. I think they are much prettier in real life.

Have a happy Saturday!
~Linda

All Thanks to E-Mail

2009-09-27T05:30:00.000-07:00

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year. I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.

I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel.

I no longer have lemon slices in my ice water at a restaurant without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.

I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.

I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.

I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose (although cell phone usage may be overtaking the number one spot).

Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.

I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on a public bathroom floor.

SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.

ALSO, I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.

I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl Penny Brown who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.

I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their e-mail program.

I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me..

I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.

I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.

THANKS TO ALL OF YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.

I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.

I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.

I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.

I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.

THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.

I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.

I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.

I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise.

I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army.

I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda , Singapore , and Uzbekistan .

I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.

THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.

AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.

I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!

I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse spider and my hand will fall off.

If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your backside, causing you to growa hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician ....

Oh, by the way....A scientist from Argentina, after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

Trying to Become One with My Sewing Machine

2009-09-26T05:00:00.000-07:00

For some of you I'm sure this is pathetic. But, for me, it's a step in the "trying not to be afraid of the sewing machine" direction. I made this potholder for my sister - it was under the gun - before the party at her house last week. It started out a bit bigger, but I had a little issue with layers not being in the right order (ie: batting on the outside when I turned it inside out!). I had to trim off the first batch of stitching and start over.

The ribbon loop is a touch on the big side, but it matched the fabric. I do love these bright fabrics!!

On a different note, if you are in need of Halloween tags or any other paper goods, head on over to my Etsy Shop HERE. :)

Okay, that's all I had to share for now.

Happy Saturday!!!!!

:) Linda

Something to Think About

2009-09-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

Quote courtesy of: Perfect Sentiment

I ran across this and thought I would share. Something to remember when I'm having a bad mom moment. :)

Happy Fall!

2009-09-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's already here. Yesterday - when fall began - the weather was beautiful! I think we hit 93 degrees. I love fall, but am not sure I'm ready for summer to be over. Malia has mentioned several times that we didn't swim enough in Grandma's pool. Now I have that "mother's guilt" and I keep thinking we should swim one more time. I do love the cooler mornings and nights - and that we can start sneaking the kids to bed earlier & earlier.

We are starting to settle in to our new routine, but still not quite 100% adapted to it. Switching back to mornings is hard to get used to - hard for all 4 of us to be bright, shiny, clean & well fed by 8am. I'm not a big fan of throwing kids (or me) in the car without face washed, hair combed - or with breakfast in the car. But.....Ella has had a couple of rides to the Kindergarten drop off line freshly plucked from the crib.

Not too much has been happening here other than the day to day stuff. We had back to school night last week, and a fun family get together at my sister's house. It was one big celebration for birthdays, nephews off to college, one niece with a baby girl on the way, another niece's engagement, and a nephew's new career with the Vancouver Fire Dept. (did I forget anything?)LOTS to celebrate!

Here are a few pictures from the party, and a few backyard pictures of the kids before the summer is gone.

Picking pears:

Have a great day!

~Linda

Will the Real Rachel Zoe Please Stand Up?

2009-09-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Have you ever watched "The Rachel Zoe Project"? I think it's on Bravo............anyway, while Malia and I were shopping for school shoes she wanted to try on EVERYTHING! Not just the "school shoes" we were looking for, but all these crazy wedge-high-ish heel shoes that we were NOT buying. (and these were little girl shoes). As she tried on one pair in particular, she said in her 5, almost 6 year old voice "oh, these are SO RIDICULOUS" - but I swear she sounded like Rachel Zoe! I laughed to myself - and NO, she has never watched the show.

If she would have said "These are so bananas!" I would have keeled over. That's a Rachel-ism 110%.

Shopping Tote Makeover

2009-09-11T10:15:00.000-07:00

I decided to try to jazz up a new "earth friendly" shopping tote that I picked up for 99 cents this week. My intention was to use it as Malia's soccer bag for toting the ball, water bottle, camera, snacks, etc. We were using one from IKEA, but it was super tall, my arm could barely reach the bottom, and it is made out of tarp-like plastic that is really noisy and crinkly. I felt like everyone could hear me each time I got something out of the bag!

So.......here is the before:

And here is the after:

I had an audience (Alex & Malia) while i was sewing - had a couple of little mishaps, but overall it came out pretty good and was easy (except for when I accidentally sewed the bottom into the side - then tore a little hole in the bag trying to get the super-tight-stitches out).

Here she is with her new bag. She picked out the fabric from some different ones I picked up. I actually bought 2 different ones with her in mind, but she chose this one. I was shocked - there is NO PINK!

Anyway, hope you all have a great weekend!

~Linda

Ready for a Giveaway??

2009-09-10T08:45:00.000-07:00

So, I'm not hosting the giveaway, but you can easily try to win this set of 16 fabrics:

just by leaving a commnet about your favorite color combinations on Donna Downey's Blog here:

or click here:

http://donnadowney.typepad.com/simply_me/2009/09/color-inspires-me.html#comment-6a00d83451929069e20120a560efe0970b

All fabrics are courtesy of:

So, give it a try!

:) Linda

09-09-09 - A Big Day Here!

2009-09-09T15:20:00.000-07:00

Happy 09-09-09 day everyone!
Today Rourke & I have been married for 9 years!!! Kind of kooky with all those nines floating around today. I'm not sure if 9s are lucky, like 7s - but seems like it should be. :)

Here we are 9 years ago:

But today I feel about 100 years old - I'm exhausted! Malia and Alex BOTH had their first day of school today. Malia started Kindergarten and Alex started Preschool. We switched back to mornings after going to afternoons last year. It's nice to be back, but we need to fine tune our morning routine! Here are a few first day pictures:

On top of all the school excitement, Malia started her micro-soccer league games last night. As we were walking to the field she turned to me and said: "Mom, I'm so excited. I just know I'm going to love it!". It was so sweet. Such an exciting world for her right now.

Well, I'm so pooped, but I have a million things to catch up on. We don't have any big anniversary plans for tonight. I am barely able to pull myself together to make dinner - I've decided those jumbo stuffed pasta shells sound good. We are forgoing gifts this year - instead I ordered a new flatscreen tv - only out of dire need. Our 10 year old, 10,000 pound tv is dying a little each day. We have about 1/3 of a screen left. It's pretty much a "listen only" situation now. Crossing my fingers for a quick delivery from COSTCO. Stores were sold out. :(

Okay, I'm out of here. I am working on 1 cup of coffee today. I need to go catch up.

Happy 09-09-09 to you!

Another Day, Another Park

2009-09-05T07:46:00.000-07:00

School is just around the corner, and I am just about on park overload. Thursday we went to a new park (for us) that has been nick-named "the Pirate Park". I have tried to find it before, but it's hidden in between neighborhoods, down a trail, next to blackberry bushes, etc. Once we found it - the kids LOVED it! We met up with 2 old college friends and their kids - so 7 kids in all.

Alex cried the next day because he wanted to go back. He had a great time in this sand pit. He could have played the entire day. Ella loved the swings, eating cheese and Malia just loved playing with Mia. Her BFF. ;)

I love this picture of the silly girls!

Yesterday we made the trip to the Oregon State Fair (the first time I had ever been in my life!!), and was so disappointed that somehow the camera got left at home. So.....no State Fair pictures. Snif snif. I am still a little bummed. Oh well.

Have a great weekend!!
:) Linda

Our Day in Pictures

2009-09-02T21:15:00.000-07:00

Well, not the whole day, but a little snippet of it anyway! :)

Thanks to my Sister for having us over for lunch and a trip to the neighborhood park & pool. We had lots of fun! On the way home we scored 2 **free** bookcases from a preschool that was getting new ones. Then we went to Alex's preschool open house. He had fun meeting his new teachers, seeing old ones, and making a bracelet for Dad! :) No, not for Mom........DAD!

Still hoping we will find out about Kindergarten for Malia - we are less than 1 week away. Eeeks! Some info. would be handy.

Anyway, back to a few pictures from today.

Have a great night and enjoy the rest of Summer break...for those of you that still have some left!

~Linda

Let the Games Begin!

2009-09-01T16:30:00.000-07:00

Happy September!

Can it really be here already? I am a little sad to see the Summer come to an end - feeling like we were crazy busy for awhile, while at the same time feeling like we didn't do enough "fun" things. You all know we've been to the zoo a few times (ha ha), but I feel like we need to go to a river for the day or something totally different for us. Hmmm. Maybe I need to plan something FAST! Thinking the Oregon State Fair would be fun this weekend. I have NEVER been to it. Is the weather going to cooperate?? Who knows.

Back to the subject of this post! How easily I get distracted. Geesh. Malia had her "jamboree" for soccer last week. She keeps calling it "Gymboree"........;) - She met her team and couldn't be more thrilled that they are called the "Spongebobs". Great. I'm hoping I can stay enthusiastic for 2 months of evening soccer games with 2 more little ones on the sidelines. I don't **really** enjoy being out in cold weather. I need to buck up and face the fact that this is the first of 18 or so years of practices that I will probably be going to. Okay, that is sounding grouchy. I think I need my afternoon cup of coffee.

Here are a few pictures from the jamboree practice. Hoping this shirt will shrink A TON.

Here's Ella enjoying the field...and the contents of my purse!

Off to locate my coffee cup.......................

Linda

How Cute is This?

2009-08-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

This was made by Crystal over at Little Bit Funky.

You have a chance to win one, but in a GIRL version! I love it! She is so creative and is *always* coming up with something new and refreshing. It's made out of felt...love it!!

Go visit her here and YOU may be the lucky winner! But, hopefully it will be me. :)

Have a great day!

~Linda

Can I Do It?

2009-08-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

All of the sudden I am wanting to quilt! Not that I have the time to quilt.....but for some reason I'm thinking that I can make this:

It doesn't look too hard, simple pattern, squares, etc. But I have never actually FINISHED a quilt. Starting is the easy part. :)

I stumbled across it at P.S. I Quilt - and she even has a great tutorial here:

(click on picture for link).

There is not much cutting when you buy the kit (using Moda "jelly rolls" etc.). Hmmmmmmm should I do it?? Do I need another project...that may end up unfinished? OR, is this the project I will really complete?

I'm thinking........
Have a great night!
~Linda

OH NO...Not AGAIN!

2009-08-15T09:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'll try not to have any more 'zoo' posts after this. We had a free day (and our zoo pass!) so we headed up with Grandma Jeaneen (mom). She hadn't been up there since I was in school (I'm thinking it must have been kindergarten). I guess she was a helper and was in charge of 5 kids - and one (Jeff King, for those of you who went to grade, jr or high school with me) was a nightmare to keep track of. Anyway, I think she had a good time. :)

Here we are eating a little picnic lunch while waiting for the bird show. Then they announced that all food should be put away so the birds didn't stray from the show to eat people food. About 10 minutes later some vulture strayed from the flight path to gobble some left over elephant ears that were not thrown away. It was exciting to see the bird have to be wrangled away from the food by the handlers - while people were about 1 ft away.

This is pretty much what I break up about a million times a day. Malia has to have her hands on someone at all times. Hoping it's a phase she will soon grow out of. How many days until school starts??????

Malia's highlight of the zoo trip was seeing the polar bear poop. Oh to be 5 years old.

Have a great weekend~
Linda

Random Shots of Summer Fun

2009-08-11T21:01:00.000-07:00

Greetings!

We are enjoying a much slower-paced August and I'm loving it! July got completely out of hand with craziness. We have been managing to keep busy, but on our own terms. :O) I think we are almost ready for school with supplies and clothes. I have 1 box of Crayola markers to get - needed 2, Target only had 1 (after I had to return the first boxes because they weren't "washable" ---aren't ALL Crayolas "washable"??).......and hand sanitizer.

I thought I'd post a few random Summer pictures just for fun.

Have a great night. I'm off to watch Big Brother (please don't judge me!!). ;)

Sibling Dance Class:

A potato bug on the nose....why not??

The "spirited" child:

~Linda

Two Trips - One Week

2009-08-06T14:00:00.001-07:00

Hello & Happy Friday!!
Last week was so abnormally hot here in Oregon (about 105 degrees for several days), and we DO NOT HAVE A/C! I decided to take the kids to the beach for a couple of the worst days. The weather there the first day was warm, sunny & beautiful! The next couple of days were cool and by the time we left, misty. I LOVED IT!! I felt guilty for not being hot, knowing how miserable it was back home.

Here are a few pictures from the beach. My sister and niece Kelli were there, along with my niece Kim, her husband Brandon and their son Carson, and my Step-Mom Jan.

Carson is about 3 weeks older than Ella. Alex really had fun playing with him. I think he was happy to get some "guy time". :)

Thanks to Dad/Jan and Kathy for letting us stay at your homes!

The kids and I came home for a quick pit stop. I repacked and we headed out the next day for Riffle Ranch in Madras. It's my brother in law's boss's place (I'm not sure if that's grammatically correct). I was so tired from the first trip, so I wasn't sure about hitting the road again. I'm so glad we did! It was lots of fun, and like a family reunion. The only missing people were my Dad & Jan and my niece Toni.

We had lots of fun, played games, had a bbq, went in the river, talked, laughed and enjoyed the peace and quiet. No tv!

A view from the covered deck/patio (looking out at the Deschutes River).

Alex, Malia, Niece Tara, Carson, and Niece Kim -- Sitting by the sprinkler.

Lots of family in the river. So cold and fun!!

Nephew Kevin fly fishing.

Some of the yurt/tents. Fully equipped inside with real beds!! I think there were 8 all together. We slept in the house, but most of the others slept in these. Maybe next time we can try them. They overlooked the river.

The "barn", which is really a super cool house that looks like a barn on the outside. It even had A/C. Thank goodness!

A family shot - right during the thunder and lightening storms that moved in.

Sunset on the "rocks"(!? not sure of the correct term - canyon?)

One on the many pics I took, trying to catch lightening on camera. No luck. Pretty though.

On the way home we stopped and took pictures by the tee pee. It was hot. No one was in the mood.

Okay, this should have been 2 posts. Maybe more pics later.

Have a great weekend.
Linda

(not sure why all of the white space is showing up between the pictures. I have tried forever to get it right. URGH!)

Alison & Nick's Wedding -- A Beautiful Night

2009-07-25T09:24:00.000-07:00

Hello!
Last weekend Rourke's cousin Alison (Ali) got married to Nick. Isn't she a beautiful bride??? Such a pefect & gorgeous dress (a Vera Wang!)...and I loved that she wore cowboy boots under it all. (Of course I didn't get a picture of that.) Malia was a flower girl, and at the rehearsal dinner Alex was added in as a "flower boy". He was so excited! It was his first wedding. This was Malia's 3rd time being a flower girl, and told everyone she had been in "lots" of weddings. Basically that she could nail it - not to worry.

I'm sharing quite a few pictures from the night. Enjoy~

Ali & her Dad (Uncle Bill) - getting ready to walk down the aisle.

The Bride & her girls - a group hug before the wedding starts.

Cousin Billy singing during the ceremony.

It's official!!! Nick & Ali are married!!

It was a beautiful wedding, very touching and heartfelt. Cousin Billy sang & played the guitar during the ceremony - a beautiful Dave Matthew's song. We all had a fun and fabulous time. The kids wanted to dance-dance-dance all night. It was held at Ali's Mom & Dad's home (Rourke's Aunt & Uncle).

Me and the kids.

Alex, Yaya & Malia.

Yaya, her brother Tom & Aunt Sandy.

The band.....photo taken by Malia.

It was a wonderful day. Best wishes to Nick & Ali!

The End.