Unauthorized Slumber Party

My sweet little heathens snuck a slumber party on a school night and I had to get a pic.

Since they were actually asleep, Andrew and I let them get away with it and didn't tell them we knew until later.

I am grateful everyday that they not only love each other so much, but they like each other, too!

Ensuring their friendship is my biggest parenting goal. 

Because I've learned that friends come and go in life but my brother is always there.

Hello, 2016!

Hello, 2016! This is my first layout for the year. I've been itching to scrap lately. I made a December Daily album but it was pocket based...just not the same!

I decided to take part in Bossy Scrapper, a scrapping challenge hosted by my favorite scrap store, Scrap Happy Deals. It's run by my friend, Kim. 

Bossy Scrapper is a game where you have to create a layout using the items that Bossy says. In a real crop situation, "Bossy" hollers out the items over a period of time and you have to add as you go. Online, you get the whole list at once. Both are loads of fun and very inspiring for me.

The list for this month's challenge is three photos, an arrow, square alphas, ink, gold foil or glitter, rubons, word stickers, and sequins. It worked out well for me because I'd just gotten this awesome sheet of gold glitter POW paper and really wanted to use it. 

I switched my photos to black and white because the book Audrey is reading is a Christmas book and I didn't want that to be the focus of the layout. I wanted her wanting to be with me to be the focus.

I cut the "make each moment count" out of a Project Life card. I also used three other PL cards on my page. One I cut in half for a color accent, one for the LOVE next to the biggest photo, and the other for my journaling. I have sooooo many PL cards are really need to use them more.

Journaling reads, "I'd love to say I said yes right away but I didn't. It took me a minute to realize that you wanting to always be with me won't last and that one day I'll miss this. 12-14-15"

Basically, I almost told my sweet girl that I didn't want to be around her. That I needed my bath time to be my little bit of solitude. Then I realized that in 12 short years, she may not even live in our house anymore and my need for privacy seemed a little less pressing. 

She did a great job reading to me. I'm always impressed by her and her reading skills. She doesn't get frustrated when she doesn't know a word and she always is up for more reading. It makes my little bookworm heart proud!

So, that's it for my first layout of 2016. Have you scrapped this year?

Fluoride Fun

I love this layout! This photo just cracks me up and I was so excited to scrap it.

I've always had a hard time working with papers like this, with a large overall design. I really like the design I came up with, it keeps your eye focused on the photo even though it is a crazy busy paper.

I used a Freckled Fawn kit for my embellishments. I bought a few of their kits because I realized that I was quite low on embellishments that would go with lots of different lines. I really like their kits and LOVE the cute bags they come in. They've been really handy in my scraproom.

The title was easy to place, I just set one word above the line of the "chevron" and one below. 

In this little cluster, the A is for Audrey, the 5 is because she's five in this picture, and the heart is because I adore her. :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sweet Sleeper

Hello again! This layout came about because of a bunch of scraps on my table. :)

I was cleaning off my desk and had started creating and decided to make use of my scraps and some newer goodies that were living on my desk and hadn't been used yet.

I also dug out a couple mist colors to liven up my kraft cardstock background.

I've tucked the journaling in that super cute woodgrain bag that I'd been holding onto forever.

The journaling card was just a plain gridded card from Project Life that I trimmed to fit and added a tab to.

I loved the softness of this layout and how well it goes with the picture of my sweet Audrey.

Crazy Happy!

After making time (and clearing desk space) to create a card for my mother-in-law, I got super motivated to scrapbook. I dug through some photos from this year, grabbed this gem, and got to work!

Supplies Used: Cardstock-DCWV, Patterned Paper-Glitz & Basic Grey, Die Cuts-American Crafts & Glitz, Washi Tape-My Minds Eye, Flair-American Crafts, Stickers-Sticko & Glitz, Wood Veneer-Studio Calico & Freckled Fawn, Paper Clip-Freckled Fawn, Enamel Dots-Basic Grey, Pen-Sharpie

These two heathens of mine are truly happy together. They play so well together and it's been a lot of fun for them to both be playing the same sport.

This was the first day that they both had a game and I got a shot or two of them all suited up! The journaling is about how they were supportive of each other and understanding that when their games were at the same time, we couldn't watch both of them.

This wood veneer word is one of my most recent purchases and I always love it when I use something new and something older (cough:::hoarded:::cough) like the happy banner.

I'd actually purchased the baseball stickers for Mickey, and while he used some of them, he wound up losing interest so I snagged the rest! Hee!

Well, there you have it! The result of my little crafting spurt from a few days ago. I'm hoping to get more in but with two kiddos in soccer and one of them also in garden club along with volunteering at school, my me time is getting sacrificed a bit. I'm not worried about it though, soon enough they won't need me so much and I'll be longing for these busy days back.

Lucky Me!

This has to be one of my favorite layouts that I've made recently. I love the topic, the picture, the products I used and how it turned out. It just makes me happy!

I used some gorgeous papers from Webster's Pages, Making Memories and Crate Paper.

I also used Studio Calico wood veneers, stickers from Webster's Pages, Lilly Bee, and Echo Park and brads and enamel dots from My Mind's Eye.

I also used three Project Life cards on this layout. Something I'd wanted to do but hadn't tried before. It turned out really cute!

The journaling reads: "Being home with you two gives me so many opportunities to have great days like these days where we just take off and hang out. Days where it doesn't matter what we do and where we go. Days where having fun is all we are concerned with. I am so lucky to have all these days with the two of you!"

More Baseball!

 Here's some highlights from three more of the kiddo's games.

Mickey was so excited this game. He hit his first pitch every time at bat!

And, he never got out. :)

This was Audrey's second game and she did way better than her first!

It was also the first of her games that Mickey was able to go to but he was too tempted by the older boys and volunteered his football for a game.

Audrey made friends with a girl named Anna this game. We had to holler at her to pay attention a few times. 

She got her first hit at her third at bat! Before that, she'd always hit off the tee. We were super proud of her!

She was also really into her fielding.

She told her coach, "I just want to get the ball!"

They had a great game and the other team was a lot of fun to play. They were really good and their coach was awesome, not only with his kids but ours too! 

And then, last night, Mickey's team had a game.

Andrew was the third base coach the first inning.

Little Man played pitcher the first two innings. He caught a grounder and ran to home to get the runner from third out. Unfortunately, he needed to tag the runner because it wasn't a force out but he didn't know that. Once he figured that out he was really upset. His coaches got him calmed down and the game started up again. The very next hit was a grounder straight to his glove. He ran it to home and tagged out the runner! It was awesome, all the parents cheered like mad! His coach said, "Mickey, when you get home, you need to look up redemption in the dictionary." 

His hitting wasn't as good as last game...

but his fielding was awesome! He played first base the third inning and got two runners out all on his own.

The Bulldogs won their game and cheered the other team, who was really great, too!

I'm really loving being a baseball mom. Especially to these two kiddos who are having so much fun!

My Ballers and Audrey's First Game!

Yesterday was the first day that my kiddos both had a game. So I had to get a few pictures of the two of them all suited up to play!

First up, we have the loving hug...

then the I'm ready and crazy poses...

and finally, look out MLB here we come!

I also got this one of Little Miss by herself being a little goofy. I'll get a few more of her once she gets her official uniform. She borrowed Mickey's shirt from last year and apparently her team is getting new hats with velcro because these ones are just way too big!

And then, some pretty darn good ones of Little Man.

I love this little guy!!!

Audrey's game was home and Mickey's was away so I had our awesome neighbor (thanks, Brenda!) take Mickey to his game and I took Aud to hers. Andrew had bowling that night so he stopped by her game for a little while. I felt bad for Mickey but it was the right choice. It was Aud's first game and I'd talked to my dad earlier and he said he'd go to Mickey's game and he did. Thanks, Daddy!!!

Speaking of Daddies, I got some cute shots of Aud with hers. 

This one's getting framed! I love their serious "game faces".

As it was her first game, she had to be encouraged to run for first once she hit and then around the rest of the bases when her team hit. It was pretty darn funny, actually!

A team shot!

Congratulating the other team! They were really good and their coach pitched to them. I think I cheered more for them than their parents did! 

All in all, she had fun! I asked her what her favorite part was and she answered all of it! That's a good sign in my book.