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

Finally...

I am going to make myself write this post. I miss my kids so much and I think I just wanted to wait a while before I wrote about taking them to Seattle. The moving caravan included Matt and Beth, Ed and I, and Matt's parents and little brother. We really had a great time together, but it was a very long drive to Seattle! Taking them to Seattle was a very good thing! We were able to see their apartment, meet their apartment manager and see the area that they will call home. I was very comforted by the fact that they seem to live in a safe community. Their apartment has a lot of character and the grounds are just beautiful! They have an awesome clubhouse at their apartment complex that includes an indoor pool, basketball court, racquetball court, bigscreen tv, full gym and tanning bed. Wow!!

Here is a picture of their building. The bottom window is their living room.

Here are Bethany and Matt carrying in boxes. They look so happy!!

Here is a picture of Beth by their fireplace. Very cozy!!

Here is the other side of the living room. Poor kids had a lot of work ahead of them, but I think that they are almost all unpacked now!

Of course, we did a little sight seeing! We took the ferry over to Seattle and explored Pike Market and we also took in the Underground tour! Very interesting! Here are both families in Poulsbo. Very fun town!

We had a great time even though the Mom's were tremendously emotional! It was so hard to leave, but we are planning on heading back to Seattle in August. Can't wait!

Finally, I did a layout for therapy (which always helps those emotional times!). I decided to enter the Last Scrapper Standing for Create My Keepsake. I know I don't have a prayer, but it was fun and I am going to challenge myself all summer. I want to become a better scrapper and what better way to do that? Any way here is my take on Challenge #1-scrap your weakness.

My kids are my greatest weakness. I love them with all of my heart and I am at the stage in life where I have to let them go. {sob!} One of the arrows in the layout is pointing to the Uhaul sign that says: Uhaul-makes moving easier...journaling states: This isn't necessarily true from a Mother's perspective...ha, ha, ha. 2nd journaling spot states: Being a mom was all I ever wanted to be! I have enjoyed every moment, but this has been the most difficult yet rewarding part~the letting go!

With a tear in my eye, I wish you a very happy day!!

kristii

Little Red Scrapbook June Kit Reveal

This month's kit at Little Red Scrapbook was so fun to work with and the DT cooked up a surprise for Maegan! As you may know, Maegan just had a baby not long ago and we used the June kit to make a mini album to welcome baby Crew. The album pages turned out fantastic!!! Way to Go ladies! The DT at LRS rocks!!

Here are my designs for June:

Here are a couple of pages I made for the mini album:

BTW...next month's kit is going to be awesome! You will want to reserve yours today!!

kristii

June Little Red Scrapbook Teaser!!

I had so much fun with the June Little Red Scrapbook kit, I thought it would be fun to post some teasers of my designs for the month. Maegan did post that June kits are in the mail....so I hope you were able to order yours before they sold out...

Just to whet your appetite....

I can't wait to see what you create with this awesome kit!!!

kristii

We are off to Seattle

Yesterday was the last day of school, Hooray!! I am sooooo happy!! The only sad moment was when I was driving to school, I passed a moving van. I burst into tears right on the spot. This is going to be such an emotional weekend for me. I have a ton of differing emotions flooding throught me! I am so proud, but so sad and everything in between!

So we are off-taking Matt and Beth on their new adventure together. They will do great in Seattle I do believe. Matt has a great job and he and Bethany make new friends with ease. I think the hardest part will be the drive home. I am so excited to see their apartment and the city where they will now call home. That will be fun. My camera is ready to take a bazillion pictures so that I can scrap for therapy when we get home.

Here are a couple of my favorite layouts of my sweet daughter:

With a tear in my eye I have to say I am so proud of you girl! I love you!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Wow, It's Thursday already!

I can't believe how the time has flown! Tomorrow is the last day of school and then I will be on Summer Break!! Whoo hoo!! Doing a happy dance that is for sure!!

The down side is that Saturday we are moving our kids. I am soooo sad! I am going to miss them soooo much!! We have enjoyed spending time with them and I don't know what I am going to do not being able to see them every week. I love you Beth and Matt!!!

I have been trying to do some more scrapping this week and I have been having a blast! I have been using up my Studio Calico May kit and boy is it scrumptious.

I am also working on DT projects for Little Red Scrapbook and boy is the kit awesome...here are some pictures of the June kit!

Weekend Crop News!!!

2 Scrappy Chix Designs is having a crop this weekend. Saturday from 9-4 and Sunday from 8-12 CST. Sounds like fun!! Wish I was not going to be on the road! I would love to get more scrapping done!!

Have a great evening!!

kristii

A most amazing weekend!!!

Last weekend we took a drive into Yellowstone National Park and it was totally amazing. You could certainly tell it was Spring! There were babies galore! The little buffalo babies were so cute! It is hard to believe they grow to be so big and beastly!

We also saw a grizzly bear sow and her cub, but of course we were not close enough to take pictures. Oh well, better to be safe than sorry!! The most magnificent sight of the day however, belongs to a baby elk who we happened upon that was less than an hour old. I am so amazed that its mama decided to birth her baby right by the side of the road. I will never forget how wobbly he was when he tried to stand for the first time. So cute!! His Mama was so tender with him, it almost brought tears to my eyes. I think I took at least 100 photos, but they will never do that amazing sight justice. I will be forever blessed to see such an amazing moment!!

We drove around the bottom half of the Park. I was amazed at the amount of snow and ice that have not yet melted. It made for beautiful pictures though. Another treat for the senses was the Yellowstone River. It was full of ice and as the ice ran under Fishing Bridge, the sounds were amazing. It sounded like thousands of crystals clinking and tinkling together. Totally amazing! On the last leg of our journey we went around to Gibbon Falls. No snow there, but the scene was gorgeous!

I feel so blessed to live in Southwestern Montana. Such an amazing and beautiful place! I hope you all can experience it some time in your lives!!

I hope you have a fantastic week!!

kristii

We have a housefull!!

Beth and Matt are moved in, Heidi is home from college, and my dad and Carrie have arrived. We do have a housefull! I am so happy that my dad is able to visit while Matt and Beth are still here! It has blessed my heart beyond measure to see all those I love, here together. I am so not looking forward to the "Big Move", but I am totally enjoying the time we are having together and for that I am truly thankful!!

Carrie and I pulled out all the photo albums and looked through all my scrapbook pages! What fun reliving all those memories again with her! She is such a sweetie and so very patient going through all those pages! That's why we do this thing though-to relive and enjoy those old memories with the ones we love!!

I will have to get some candid shots of all the goings on this week, but I can tell my kids are already over the picture taking. I am going to have to sneak it in here and there while they least expect it! I do have a couple of pictures from the graduation party to post. It was a fantastic party! Our kids have so much support and we are so proud of them!

Matt and Beth with Ed and I and Ed's family.

Whoo hoo, I only have 9 more days of school left!! I am so excited to spend a few days scrapping away with no other cares in the world! Aaaahhh....just thinking about it sounds heavenly!!

I will have to get a job this summer, but I am hoping to find something part time so I can scrap to my heart's content. Speaking of scrapping I have some layouts that I haven't posted here yet:

I used Graphic 45 papers in these layouts. I totally love Graphic 45-awesome paper! These were designed for a class at Keepsakes By Design.

Here is my quote for the week:
Happiness is a matter of one's most ordinary and everyday mode of consciousness being busy and lively and unconcerned with self. ~Iris Murdoch
Have a fantastic week!

Such a Glorious Weekend!

We had totally amazing weather this weekend!! Its about time!! The 80's felt so good after such a long and snowy and gloomy spring! I was able to work out in my flower beds and soak up the sun! This was such a glorious weekend!

Heidi made it home on Friday evening from college in Spokane, Washington. It is so good to have her home for the summer! She received some awesome news before she left Spokane-The hospital here in town wants to hire her for the summer! Such an answer to prayer! She was also told she may have another part time job! How awesome is that!

I finished a layout today that I did for the Pick Me Up Challenge at LittleRedScrapbook.

This is of my oldest dd Bethany. She was so excited about her twirly dress. The funny thing is, you can't tell whether she is a tom-boy or a girlie-girl. I love the look on her face!! Too fun.

Here is my quote for the week:
Jumping for joy is good exercise. ~Author Unknown

Wishing you joy,

kristii

May LRS Designs

The LittleRedScrapbook May kit featured the SEI Dill blossom line. If you haven't had a chance to work with this line of paper, check out LRS and get yours today!! I totally loved the Maya Road Chipboard Trees that came with the kit! They are so cute and fun to work with!! Here are my designs for May: