Love Us

I'd been working on this layout of Little Man for a while. I started it before I cleaned out my scrap room last month so it's been started for probably three months???

There were a few things going on with this layout.  I had this photo printed up with a white border for some reason, I really wanted to use 6x6 papers, and I wanted to use that title technique.

The title was made using a Spritzer. It's an old tool that Tim Holtz recently reintroduced. I stuck my gold Sharpie pen in there and misted around an acrylic piece to create the negative image. I also outlined it with a gold gel pen. The bigger gold splotches are gold spray paint. I sprayed in the lid and then dripped it on the page.

The background papers are all six by six papers. I really wanted to make a page doing this because I have soooooo many 6x6 paper pads that I was feeling the need to justify some of them. You know that feeling, right? 

Anyways, this is just a little I love you page for Little Man about the fun we had on his first grade Zoo field trip. 

What are some of your non-memory keeping reasons for making a page?

Six Months

Today it's been six months since my grandma passed. She was my last remaining grandparent and a very big part of our lives.

The hardest part is when I think, "I should call Gran and tell her..." and then I realize that I can't. She loved to hear what was going on with us. That Aud got fearlessly on the school bus for the first time. That Mickey can now make three pointers on the basketball court. That I've kept the house clean for the last two months. She would have loved that last one.

I drive by where she used to live every time I go into town. When we bought our house she was so excited that we were going to be close again that she drove from her house to ours to see how far apart we were. I still remember her calling to tell me that we were exactly three miles from driveway to driveway.

She hated having her picture taken and was well known for putting her hand up or a magazine to stop me. But, if I put a kid in the shot with her or took a selfie with her, it was a different story. This was one of my last selfies with her. It was Mother's Day. I love this photo.

I miss you Gran. Thank you for all you taught me. Thanks for loving me even when I was a pain in the tuckus. Thank you for thinking that my kids are amazing.

I love you!

Fourteen Things I Love About My Valentine!

1. His values. He has an old-fashioned work ethic that makes the older generation respect him and the younger generation emulate him.

2. His love of children. He is a great dad and loves kids and babies and young people as much as I do. And, they love him too!

3. His masculinity. He is tall and strong and capable. He has lots of guy friends and loves sports and beer and mowing our lawn. He's a man's man.

4. His femininity. (Oh, he's gonna hate this one.) He watches Lifetime movies and will talk to me for hours in the middle of the night if something is bothering him. He also cried at our wedding and the births of our two children.

5. His outgoing personality. He will go out of his way to engage with a fast food employee and make them laugh. I love that!

6. His looks. Yep, I'm superficial. But my man is tall and handsome and has gorgeous blue eyes. And his walk is powerful and confident and masculine!

7. His confidence. There is nothing that he won't try to do. He has none of that pesky self-doubt when it comes to trying something new.

8. His intelligence. That man of mine is smart! He is one of the most knowledgeable people in his field and hearing him troubleshoot a pump over the phone for one of his customers is just amazing!

9. His laugh. Specifically, that laugh that I can surprise out of him. The one that sounds like he's trying not to laugh at some crazy comment I made but can't help himself. I love that laugh!

10. His loyalty. And not just his loyalty to me. I know that he will never stray. But his loyalty to mom and pop stores, certain brands and even his sports teams. He is not a fair weather fan. He is with you through thick and thin.

11. His friendship. When he's heading to a friend's house it's often because he's going to go help so-and-so do something. He's also my best friend. I love that on those rare occasions that we get to go out, we can talk for hours and not have to bring up our kids.

12. His lack of chauvinism. He changed diapers when our kids were in diapers, he cooked meals when my PTSD left me unable, he respects my crazy(and often useless) knowledge of science, and he doesn't "babysit" our kids when I am gone.

13. His love for our children. Mickey and Audrey are the most important things in his life. He helps them with homework, sports and everything else. He gives them the verbal, physical, and emotional affection that lets them know that their father loves them.

14. He loves me! I am not the easiest person to live with or to love, and he does! He knows all my deep, dark secrets. My bad habits. My anger and despair. And, while he may not always understand me, he loves me.