Monday's thoughts

I had a very good, but lonely weekend. My husband went on a Jr. High mission trip to Yakima, Washington. I miss him tremendously, but he is an amazing Jr. High Youth Leader. I am so proud of him!! Heidi also went to Washington to visit her friends. It was her first time driving herself and she did great. Way to go Heidi. I am so proud of you too!!

I was able to scrap to my heart's content!!! Yay!! I finished a layout for the So Sketchy Blog. I can't wait to post it on here!! I also started a little mini celebrating my three kids relationship throughout the years. I have a couple more pages to go, but here is what the front cover looks like:

It is so fun to see the pictures of the three of them throughout the years. I will post it in it's entirety when I finish!

It was also a sad weekend as my mom, who has been fighting lung cancer for the last 7 months, was admitted into the hospital with pneumonia. Things don't look very good, but I will always have hope. I'm praying for you mom!!!

My mom's difficulties lead me to examine my own life. What is important? Why do I do the things I do? Today is the day to take time and smell the roses. Do those things you have been putting off. Let those chores wait till later and do something fun with your kids.

Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons ~ Ruth Ann Schabacker

A devotional I just stumbled upon used this verse for the day,

John 10:7-10 “So Jesus said to them again, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly.’”

Dictionary.com defines abundance as

–noun
1. an extremely plentiful or oversufficient quantity or supply: an abundance of grain.
2. overflowing fullness: abundance of the heart.
3. affluence; wealth: the enjoyment of abundance.

In other words "more than enough". Jesus came to give abundant life, abundant peace, and abundant joy. How much pleasure...How much beauty...How much fame and success... How much money... How much is more than enough? Life with God is abundant. I need to stop searching and seeking for these things in the world and realize I have all I need in Christ. I need to take the time to enjoy what he has given me today. That is enough! May we not work so hard for all of these things and miss the small little joys that are right in front of our eyes if we would just open them and look! That is my goal for the day. To see what is in front of my eyes and not take any thing for granted!

I hope you all have a great day! I wish you a very fragrant smell, as you take time to stop and smell the roses.

Kristii

Its Friday!!!

That means my Studio Calico package will arrive in the mail!! I am soooo excited. I can't wait to open and savor every single morsel!!! This will be an awesome day for sure!!!

Heidi is leaving today for Washington and my sweetie leaves tomorrow. It is going to be such a quiet weekend!! What will I do?? Scrapbook!! Yay!!! I have lots of projects planned and with my SC kit arriving it could be a very scrappy weekend!!!! I am soooo excited!

I wanted to post some of the pictures I took while my sweetie and I were hiking the Cherry River trail. It is a nice little trail not far from home. I am having such a blast exploring these trails! Between the hiking and the bowflex, I will hopefully be looking better by the end of summer, at least I hope so!!!

The quote for today is from Helen Keller.

The most beautiful things in the world are not seen nor touched. They are felt with the heart.-- Helen Keller

Celebrate the love of friends and family today!!!

Have a great Friday,

Kristii

Taking it easy today!!

Yesterday my allergies were so bad they completely wore me out! I tried Claritin with no success and so I tried some Zyrtec. It worked a little , but I am still all puffy and stuffy this morning. This may be a year that I will have to go in for a shot. Some years are just like that. All I know is that allergies suck!!

Ed and I did manage to go on a little hike yesterday and I will post a couple of pictures later. We went on the Cherry River loop and took the connector over to the East Gallatin Recreation Area.

We went about 1.75 miles. It was a really nice little hike. Now I know why there are cars there all the time. I don't know why we haven't done this before, but I am sure glad we are doing it now!

The DT gallery is up at Little Red Scrapbook and it is awesome. I know I have said this before, but this was such a fun kit to work with and the ladies all did an outstanding job!!

My layouts are all really positive this month and not so introspective and heavy. I was missing my kids so much and I think my work really reflected that. I see a definite change in this months layouts. They are much more happy and positive. Yay! Here are my creations:

I have been somewhat depressed this summer with all the changes in my life and I am finally feeling like I am coming out of it. This layout is my acknowlegement of the fact that I am okay!

These are all the things that make me happy! I am so fortunate to have such a close knit family. I am soooo blessed! The next layout encourages my middle daughter to just be herself and the next layout just makes me happy, period.

I totally loved this kit and I think it shows in my work. If you haven't checked out LRS in a while, you definitely should. LRS rocks!!

Well, like I said, I am going to take it easy today. Get some more laundry done and get my hubby and daughter ready to go.

Hope you all have a great day!

kristii

Midweek Musings

Today is July 9 already??? I wish I had the power to slow down time, but since I don't I had better make sure I make the most of each and every day!!

Speaking of making the most of every day, yesterday we took a hike on the Story Mill Spur trail. We had a fantastic time! It was a nice and easy trail and it was so quiet and serene!

I didn't realize that the area we live in is surrounded by nice little trails, so for the next few weeks, we are going to be exploring these trails. It beats the treadmill that's for sure!

We went about 2 1/2 miles yesterday and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Here are a couple of pictures from along the trail.

I think my hubby and I will explore another trail this evening and see what we can find.

I am going to have to stop at the store this morning and find some new allergy medicine! My allergies are getting the best of me this morning. All this sneezing is wearing me out! So I am off to run some errands and then I will come home and do laundry and hopefully get some scrapping in.

By the way, I got a great e-mail from Michelle Color Me Daisy. It sounds like everything is coming right along and I am so excited for their first ever kit. I really think that Color Me Daisy is going to be an awesome kit club and I am so excited to get to know the rest of the team!

Hope you all have a great day,

kristii

One last post...

Wow, three posts in one morning...I think its a record!!

I finished a layout this morning of my sweet daughter. I tell you her smile brightens up a room!

Journaling states: When you Smile you make life that much brighter. Remember my sweet girl that happiness is a choice! You cannot choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you react to it! This is good advice for everyone!!! Love you girlie!!

Well I am off with some friends for a hike. This time I will take my camera and bring some pictures back with me. This will be so refreshing!!

Hope everyone has a great day!

kristii

LRS July Sneaks

I just can't say enough how much I loved the LRS July kit! October Afternoon has to be one of my favorite manufacturers and Maegan includes two sheets of each patterned paper and cardstock. There's enough to make several layouts, and then some!! LRS is definitely a great value for your money! If you haven't stopped by LittleRedScrapbook lately, you might want to see for yourself! Here are my sneaks for July!

Enjoy and have a great day!!

kristii

Another Announcement!!!

I am so thrilled to say that I have been asked to be on the Color Me Daisy inaugural Design Team! Whoo hoo!! I am going to be a Daisy Girl! I am very excited for this opportunity and look forward to working with an amazing group of ladies! Color Me Daisy is in its beginning stages and it is very exciting to see it bloom and come together. Michelle says that the website is nearing completion and she is waiting on one last shipment for the August debut!! You can check out their new website here-ColorMeDaisy.

Its a Happy Day!!!

The sun is shining and the birds are chirping, it definitely is a happy day!!

I hope everyone had a fantastic 4th. Mine was different than usual. My kids were all gone in different directions, so we had a very quiet weekend. We had a barbecue with some friends and then Heidi and Ben came home later in the evening and were able to shoot off some spectacular fireworks together. Wouldn't you know, I don't have any photos to show for it. Gotta keep my camera handy at all times!!

This week will be a quiet one. My sweet hubby will be off on Saturday to go to Washington with the youth group for a mission trip. Heidi will be going to Washington to visit with friends. That means I have laundry to catch up on so they can pack. Ben and I will be home alone this weekend and I am sure we will find a movie or two to go to. Today I have to clean my house. It is in dire need of attention. I also have to weed and some scrapping to do. Ok, so much for the quiet day... I better get busy!!

Hopefully, I will have some exciting news to share soon. I can't wait to spill the beans!!
Until then, have a great day!!
Kristii

Exciting News!!!!

I have been asked to be a part of the So Sketchy Design Team!! I am so thrilled to be given this opportunity and look forward to designing with Allison 's sketches!! If you aren't familiar with her work, check out the So Sketchy Blog. Her sketches are awesome and I know you will be totally inspired by them!! I look so forward to getting to know Allison and the rest of the talented design team!

Finally....

I received the package I have been waiting for! Yay!! It has taken a week and a half, but it has finally arrived. I think our mail is up and working again. You do not realize how personal your mail is until it starts being sent elsewhere. My son's drivers license, bank statements, and my daughter's paycheck were all lost in the mail. Yikes, those are important things! Thank you to the mail carriers who deliver our mail safely. I will not take you for granted any longer!


Now I can start on my DT work for Little Red Scrapbook!! The manufacturer for this month is my beloved October Afternoon. As you can see from earlier posts, I love OA!! Working with this kit will be a treat!!!



I finished a layout for Sheila at Keepsakes by Design using Kimberly Poloson Cabana Blooms papers. These papers are very rich and fallsy and of course I just had to cut them up.

My inspiration came from a layout entitled Day Trip by Maggie Holmes. I loved what she did with the hambly and the scalloped border. Thanks for the inspiration!!

Wishing you a bright and sunny day! I am off to play with my LRS kit!!

Kristii

Happy July!

Wow! Its already July first. The time is just flying and I am still not sure where June went. The days have been beautiful here. I so love the summertime!! Well, there is one exception to that rule. My allergies totally blew up yesterday. I ended up having to go to bed they were so bad. I keep hoping I will outgrow them, but every year they insist on coming back. My sweetie went out and bought me some non-drowsy medicine, so today should be a better day!!

It should be about 85 degrees with blue skies, I predict a fantastic day!!

My son made it back from his mission trip and I could swear he grew another inch or two. He is growing up right before my eyes. I think he learned a lot. I have enjoyed the stories he has had to tell! It is so good to have him back home. He got right to it yesterday and dug up some Yarrow that had been overtaken by grass for me. I am a lucky mom to have such a great kid!!

I finished another layout about Matt and Beth. It is so good to see the smiles on their faces. Even though I miss them, I know they are doing very well and that does my heart good!
I am so very proud of you!! I just love seeing you both so happy!! It makes me smile!!

Here is a quote for today,

Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity. Unshakable faith is faith that has been shaken. - Unknown

Have a great day,

Kristii

Scrapping the Music #42

I finally finished the challenge for ScrappingtheMusic this week. It seems that all my entries so far have featured pages from Beth and Matt's wedding. That is very good because I need to get her album finished. The photographer captured some good random photos and this one is no exception. Ed had already given her away and we were listening to the vows. Ed is full of pride and I love that smile on his face. For a moment there, I was remembering when she was a baby and wondering how she grew up so fast.

The song that was chosen this week was the perfect song to describe this moment!

Thanks for looking and have a great Sunday!!

Is it Friday already?

Wow, this week has flown by!! I just can't believe its Friday!!
Not only that, but it is the last Friday of June. How can that be?
I am going to have to slow down some and enjoy the summer.
I think I need grab a glass of lemonade and go lounge out in my
backyard today. I want to hear the birds chirp and feel the warm
rays of the sun. Sounds heavenly!

Speaking about the week flying by, I want to take a moment to thank those of you who attended my mini album class on Wednesday! I had a blast with all of you! You ladies rock!! I hope you bring your finished books into the store and show them off!! I hope you have fun embellishing them and making a precious keepsake for your family to enjoy for years to come!!

Ed and I are going to go and see Get Smart this weekend. I went to see it with Heidi this week and I truly enjoyed it! Get Smart was one of my favorite childhood shows and the big screen version did not disappoint. I think it will be one of my favorites for years to come.

After taking a day off, I did one last layout for the week. I just love this picture of Bethany. She is/was such a fashion guru! Of course I always had to make bows to match (poor girl), but she was always one of the best dressed girls in town!! She still is today, but you have to add purses and shoes into the mix. Bethany you are going to have to come home to help me pick out my fall wardrobe! lol!!! Love you girl!!




I do have to wish Studio Calico a very Happy Birthday!! They have provided some fantastic kits over the past year and I know that the year to come is going to be awesome!!
Thank you SC for all your creative genious and caring atmosphere!! May you enjoy continued success in the year to come!! SC rocks!!! See you at the reveal (whoo hoo)!

Thanks for looking and I hope you have a fantastic weekend!!

Kristii

It's Wednesday

That means that today is class day and I have some last minute preparations so this post will be short and sweet!

I finished a layout this morning called Best Friends. It celebrates the amazing relationship my girls share with each other. You know, when your kids are toddlers, you wonder if the fighting will ever end. As the years go by, gradually you see a friendhip blossom and bloom. When they become adults, it is a most beautiful thing for a mom could ever see. I treasure the fact that my girls are best friends. They are separated by many miles, but their hearts are always together! I love you girls!!!

I have to check with the post office today and make sure my packages are on their way back to me. I hope this will be resolved soon!! Come on USPS!!!

Here is a good quote for today:

To be happy, do not add to your possessions, but subtract from your desires. ~anonymous

Have a great day!!

Kristii

Girl's Day Out!!!

Whoo hoo!! Heidi and I are going to go shopping and take in a movie this afternoon! I am looking forward to spending some time with her today. Summer break is going by so quickly and before I know it, she will be going back to school. I am not sure which movie we will go see, but there are several out that would be fun to watch.

Before we go, I have issues with the post office that I need to take care of.

My daughter, who lived with us for a month, filled out a change of address form when we moved them to Seattle. No big deal, right? Wrong! The mailcarrier assumed that meant the whole household would be moving to Seattle even though she put in a change of address for herself- individual, and for her and her husband (different last name)-Family. All of my mail was being forwarded to her in Seattle. So I go in to the post office last Wednesday to correct the error, and assume everything would be taken care of. I get a letter from my bank requesting a change of address form be filled out. What??? So I clear that up...today I checked the status of a package that had been sent on Saturday and it is labled-forwarded. The package was sent out after I went in to correct their mistake. There should have been no problem. I am going to have to go in once again and make sure they have it right and see if they will forward my packages...(yes packages-Bethany sent my dh a Father's Day Present that was forwarded back to her) without being charged a second time for postage! I hope this will all get resolved soon! It is so frustrating!

On a lighter note, I am so excited! I have lost 5 pounds since school let out!! Yay! I have to keep it up!! I am not a spring chicken any more and I have to work hard to get myself in shape!!

I have been working on a class I will be teaching tomorrow night. It is a mini called, The Story of Me. I can't wait, I haven't taught any classes for a while! Such a fun little project with lots of goodies inside! Can't wait to see you all tomorrow night!!

Since I am preparing for this class, I haven't done a new page, but I realized I have an older page that I haven't posted yet. This was made for the book club at Keepsakes by Design. We used Nic Howard's book, That's life. I love Nic's work and I thoroughly enjoyed making this layout! Thanks for the inspiration!

I used the Studio Calico December kit for this one. Studio Calico kits totally rock!!

Here's my quote for the day:

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight. ~Anonymous

Hope you have a great day!

kristii

The weekend was fantabulous!!

I hope you all had a great weekend too! We went to see Kung Fu Panda and The Hulk. Loved both movies!! If you haven't had a chance to see them, I recommend them both! We also did a little yard work and I was able to do a little scrapping. I didn't get Eddy to the river or lake yet, so I am going to have to make that a priority for next weekend. The rivers are really high and muddy here yet, so hopefully next week will be better!

I didn't get any reading done either. Heidi stole my book, lol, so I am going to have to choose another one until she is done. The Book Thief is really good, so I can't wait until she finishes it. Don't know what I will start on, probably A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray. I am going to read this book because it is popular in our High School Library and I like to keep up on what the kids are reading. I love to be able to recommend books and know what I am talking about.

We got a call from Benny last night, and it sounds like the Mission trip is going well. They went white water rafting yesterday and will start working at the Reservation today. I miss him!!

I just wanted to post the layout I just finished. I wanted to do a fun happy one because all of my layouts lately have been serious and a little brooding. I have to get out of this funk that I am in! The best way to accomplish this is to scrap with bright, happy colors and boy did I scrap with bright, happy colors! Thanks for looking!

The journaling says: Soakin up the sun at Venice Beach, CA 1990. It is so hard to believe that this picture is 18 years old. Yikes! I am so thankful for scanners. That poor picture was a 3x5. I am so glad to be able to manipulate photos and make them usable. I was terrible at taking pictures back then! This picture is so cute of Beth and Heidi. They were 3 1/2 and 18 months old. Bethany was quite a little mama back then and Heidi was very patient. It is even more amazing to see what good friends they are now-18 years later!

Have a great Monday,

Kristii

Its the weekend!!

It should be a very relaxing weekend! Benny is leaving to go on a Mission Trip to Yakima, Washington tomorrow. It should be a fantastic experience for him! We are going to do yard work and hopefully Ed and I can go fishing and spend some time up at the lake. I am looking forward to the peace and quiet and reading the book I started last month-The Book Thief. It is very interesting. The book is narrated by "Death", which is a very strange concept. It has been very good thus far.


I did a new layout yesterday with the new October Afternoon line. I love that line soooo much! It is so bright and colorful! I found some old pictures of Beth and I taken in 1986. Wow, where has the time gone??? I don't feel like I have aged that much, but when you look at the pictures, there has been significant sagging taking place over the years! When I got to thinking about it, Bethany is now the same age now (22) as I was in the pictures. How weird is that? I have to chuckle....I just don't feel that old! Oh well, time does take its toll and there is nothing you can do about it....where is that plastic surgeon's number...lol. I just hope to age gracefully, let nature take its course and work hard at taking care of myself! I am not a Spring Chicken any more! Any way, after all that rambling on, here is the layout:

Thanks for looking! I hope you keep your eyes on the Son, and have a great weekend!!

kristii

A Park with a View

We took another trip into Yellowstone National Park with Heidi's boyfriend, Travis. Believe it or not, Travis has been to the Park before, but he didn't really see any animals-Just a few elk at the Madison junction. We had to remedy that situation for sure. He was in for a treat!!

We saw so many animals including baby elk, baby buffalo, an eagle, a heron, pelicans, moose, a marmot, and 4 bears and one cub. Wow! What a day!! Here are some pictures highlighting our trip:

Heidi and Travis at the entrance gate.

Baby Buffalo-soooo cute!

Heidi and Travis at Yellowstone Lake.

There's a moose somewhere in those willows!!

A Great Blue Heron

Heidi and Travis clowing around.

The first black bear we saw.

This was the 4th bear and we had a great time watching him. He was off the beaten path and there weren't a lot of other sightseers. He was very busy eating the plentiful grass. Totally awesome!

It was an awesome day-we couldn't have asked for more!!

Have a great day,

kristii

Scrapping the Music #41

I just have to say Aleida Franklin, you rock!! When I saw Aleida's layout for this challenge, it totally inspired me and I knew I had to do a layout of Ed and Bethany dancing on her wedding day, (sniff, sniff). The song Cinderella has such a powerful story behind it and I am still feeling quite blue that my sweet Bethany Marie moved away, so this whole project brings tears to my eyes.
Lyrics: Oh I will dance with Cinderella I don't wanna miss even one song, Cuz all to soon the clock will strike midnight And she'll be gone-Steven Curtis Chapman


I did shed a couple of tears when I set the clock on the layout at midnight. Oh my they grow up fast. If you have sons and daughters, enjoy every minute-They grow up in a flash!!

If you are interested in the challenge or more info on the Cinderella song, visit the Scrapping the Music blog.

Have a great day!

Kristii

Scripture Challenge #24

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it is week 24! It feels so good to be getting back in the swing of things now that school is over!! I finished a quick layout for the Scripture Challenge. I want Heidi to remember it is ok to question but, we must believe and not doubt. Patter Cross had this quote on her blog:

"A devotional in my Zondervan Mom’s Devotional Bible says, “Doubts are different from unbelief. To doubt is not to reject. A doubt is an uncertainty of belief, a suspension of judgment. Doubt is a temporary attitude of questioning whereas unbelief is a prolonged attitude that rejects something or views it as impossible. Don’t be afraid to doubt. Don’t be afraid to question. God is big enough and powerful enough to handle our doubts and answer our questions.”

Thanks for looking and have a great day!

kristii