Homemade with Love

Have you ever seen these?

Not the seashell-comparing, wet-legged, Croc-wearing girls, but rather the 12 x 12 photo that can be printed up here for only $2.99. The photo should be of high resolution quality BUT I think if it is a great picture (something you really want to capture) being a little blurry wouldn't bug me. Now, I don't think I will run out and do this to EVERY picture I have, but for the special ones, the ones that just stand out, this is an awesome alternative to the 8 x 12 (which I absolutely love BTW).

I also think that this is sort of price effective. Jolees stickers cost $4-5 per package, plus title, plus ribbon, etc. This doesn't need a whole lot of embellishing, maybe some Heidi Swapp ghost letters attached with some ribbon snippets and staples. The prints can also be ordered in 8X8 size to accommodate smaller albums.

We are off to the Jelly Belly factory and the wine country for a couple of nights. We need to get in a little more fun before the girls head back to (gasp!) school on August 13. The summer has totally flown by. TTFN

Roughing It

In the backyard! Okay, so it wasn't really too rough. It was pretty nippy for a late-July evening though. The girls really enjoyed it, so much so that they want to do it again tonight. When I got up to go inside for my 4 a.m. bathroom trip, I SO wanted to just slip in my bed and fall right back to sleep. But I didn't. Instead I grabbed three small blankets and shoved one down each of the girls' sleeping bags and one in mine. Wayne is NEVER cold so I didn't grab one for him. He ended up getting up to do the same and grabbing me a quilt (sweet guy!).

Had a great day with my cousins. Thanks Misty for lunch and company. Hope to do it again soon.

Last Day Of Swim Lessons

Today was the last day of swim lessons for the girls. This is their fifth year with Miss Michelle. She is a great swim teacher and so patient. Her backyard is awesome too. It is like Pirates of the Caribbean meets the Jungle Cruise. There is a sail boat right next to the pool and she has a tiki hut over the koi pond (complete with a bridge). We also noticed among the treasure chests and nautical decor, she has a canon! It is such a cool outdoor living space.

I would have taken pictures yesterday, but I forgot to put a memory card in. When I got home, I noticed my camera battery was low too. So, last night after Wayne & the girls were in bed, I started searching and searching for the battery charger. I couldn't find it anywhere. This morning Wayne went looking for it in a few drawers, then went outside to the van and found it right away in one of his CROCS!?! Suspicious, huh? I was happy, yet baffled.

I have been busy cleaning my craft supplies. I will post pics when I get that done. I may need to have a craft supply garage sale. Maybe. TTFN

 

Paper Crafting & Summer Reading

This is what I worked on last night. I made 2 large cards (5-1/2 by 8-1/2) and 24 regular cards (5-1/2 by 4-1/4). Each card has a couple of different patterned papers and a dimensional flower. I also made a checkbook cover for my mom and 6 personalized, bejeweled bookmarks. I had these things in my stash and wanted to use them. I gave the leftovers to the girls who have already crafted with them.

Summer Reading Program

Every summer I implement some type of reading/educational program for my girls. At the end of the school year, we head to Barnes & Noble and pick out a workbook and a reading book or two. When they are done with their workbooks, they get to have a "Mommy & Me" date. It is my one-on-one time with each girl to do whatever they want to. Typically, we go to lunch, a movie or bowling, do a little shopping, then get a "treat" before heading home.

This year, I did something a little different. They each have to earn 10 stickers a week to earn a smaller weekly reward. To earn a sticker, they must read 20 minutes or do 5 pages in their workbooks. They have opted to read vs. work in the workbooks. They would rather read 200 minutes a week than play educational word searches or fill in the blanks. Needless to say, their workbooks are pretty empty and it will be January before we get our dates!

Happy Monday!

Just wanted to share a really simple, really quick layout I did of the girls. I really love this paper. It has the decorative edges, but doesn't require another sheet of cardstock to adhere to.

Also, before I took the girls to swim lessons this morning, we went to Michael's. I needed to take back some Disney embellishments that I bought for layouts I was going to make. Turns out I OVER-BOUGHT (imagine that?). Like the Monsters, Inc. stickers I HAD to have BUT we didn't have the opportunity to get a picture with Sulley. Or the Bambi stickers I purchased for that rare deer and bunny photo op at Disneyland? Or maybe the adorable Incredibles stickers that would have been a lovely addition to any scrapbook page (containing an actual picture of a child with one of the Incredibles).

So, I left Michael's with a return card (because who REALLY saves or wants to save their receipts for scrapbook purchases) in the amount of $163.46! Is it really possible to spend that much on scrapbooking supplies? ;)

Happy Belated Birthday

Two of my very favorite people celebrated birthdays this month. Wayne turned 37 (YIKES!) and we celebrated at home with a hamburger cake from Old Tyme Pastries in Turlock. We had one of these cakes for Mom's birthday last year and he really liked it. I definitely think the theme for him was golf! Almost every gift he received was golf-related.

Then, two days later my sweet Abby turned 8! She wanted a pink-themed birthday. We had homemade pink cupcakes, pink & white lanterns, pink drinks (Shirley Temples), and pink candies.

I had a tough time finding pink M & Ms. What is that all about? I was being a bit of a cheapskate though and didn't want to pay the ridiculous shipping charges from the M & M website. But, luckily after a shoe shopping trip with the girls (they needed new Salt Water Sandals), I found a candy store that carried the M & Ms in bulk and in PINK! I also got pink Jelly Bellies (bubble gum) and pink (strawberry) malt balls.

Abby's friends decorated little take out boxes with princess stickers and were allowed to scoop out their favorite candies. The girls were so cute and excited to choose their own goodies. I also purchased cupcake earrings from Claires and put them in these little pink matchboxes (from the Martha Stewart line at Michael's) as favors. A good time was had by all!

 

Cupcake Anyone?

Hi Family and Friends:

I have been wanting to start my own blog for a while now and decided this was the weekend to do it!

I wanted a cupcake this morning. What do I do? Buy one? They have gourmet cupcakes at Raley's for about $2.00 each (although I haven't tried one yet). They have decadent cupcakes at the Starbuck's counter in Barnes & Noble. Nope. I had some leftover icing in the refrigerator from Abby's birthday, So, I made some. Twenty-four huge chocolate cupcakes with chocolate sprinkles on top. These cupcakes are twice the size of normal cupcakes. YUM! Actually, I am hoping they are yummy. I haven't had one yet. They are in the refrigerator chilling!

I have to tell you that July has been a very productive month for me-scrapbook-wise. I have completed 180 pages this month! I am not done either. I am all about the quantity right now. I figure quality will come later. My goal is to get 2006 completed by the time the girls start school on August 13. I will let you know how I am doing each month.

Please feel free to leave a comment. I hope you enjoy my little blog. Love, M