:: plant shopping ::

Yesterday we went to the store to purchase the last of the flowers for the year (I say that, but, of course, since I am not the flower purchaser, planter, or care taker, I could be totally wrong that it's the last batch, but I think he's getting close).  Every year My One True Love transforms our back yard, deck and patio into a beautiful oasis that helps us escape, enjoy and entertain. Each year B. becomes more and more involved in the process.

The first thing she saw that she really, really  wanted was watermelons (and pumpkins, but watermelons were the fave). We don't really have the space for that, so they were eventually put back, but look at that face??!!  The Grandma's saw these photos on Facebook and decided that either one of the may have the space for watermelons.  :-)  I'll keep you updated.

Early on in the process she saw that they had wagons.  This was a hit.  She was totally in charge of the wagon. 

this wagon photo is probably my favorite one of the day

At three, she is such a little sponge and mimic. As she would pick out plants, Daddy would check the tags. At one point, early on in the adventure, he looked at a tag and said something about this plant not doing well in the full sun. So, that lead to her checking the tags and saying, "Those won't work in the sun." very confidently and convincingly, as if she had really read that. Or, if she really wanted to know, she would just pull it out and ask us (and yes, @3 she asks lots of questions)!

Another phrase we heard frequently, "These are kinda cute." She was saying that exact phrase as she was looking the plants in the photo above. This phrase would typically be heard right before she would try to pick up the entire tray of plants that were "cute" (or pretty, or pink, usually all three). Apparently, we haven't learned that "less is more". 

The conversation that prompted me to take the above photo went like this:

B: "Hey Dad, we need more. See, there're spaces!"

Daddy: "Honey, we don't have to fill up the wagon."

So love her.

Shopping for plants with the family is magic for sure.

Call me crazy, but you just might see these photos again really soon on a layout. ;-) 

Here's a short video clip that I captured. Just prior to this video, Daddy taught her how to smell the leaves of a mint plant. So of course, she had to smell the leaves of all the plants...

Join me tomorrow for another Scrap Your Story Challenge reveal!

my mom

My mom has always looked and acted much younger than she is. In fact, it is unbelievably easy to forget that she is seventy-six. Her attitude and heart are clearly still somewhere in their thirties…maybe forties...and she looks at least twenty years younger than her chronological age. I took this photo a year ago, on Mother’s Day. After our celebrations were over and I was home looking at all the photos on my computer, this photo of her hand reminded me, she is in her seventies. I am so lucky that I have my mom. I don’t know what I would do without her.

There were other memories that came flooding back when I saw this photo. I used to sit on my mother’s lap and play with her hands.  Specifically, I would hold a finger from each of her hands and click the fingernails together. I don’t know why I did this, I just remember that I felt safe in her arms, and somehow doing this was comforting. I always wanted to grow up and have long nails like my mother (I don’t, by the way).  I also remember that her hands and fingers seemed so big compared to mine. This memory must be from when I was quite small because her hands are tiny compared to mine now! I think it’s interesting that something that seems so minor, clicking my mother’s fingernails together, is really such an important memory; and that this photo strikes such an emotional chord in me. 

matching socks -- from just a few weeks ago!

at the fair last summer

at grandma's last summer

:: another goal ::

I shared a couple of goals with you in this post and this post, and how they link to my one little word in this post.  I have another quick one to share with you today!

In 2011 I set out to get better at taking photographs. The biggest action step that I took toward that goal was to join a 365 group on flickr.  Although I didn't complete the 365, I did take a lot of pictures and I watched my photographs get better over time. So I consider that a success, not a failure.  This continued in 2012, and I added a few lenses to my arsenal along the way (thank you, honey!).

Now, I want to step outside my comfort zone once again and learn a few more things in the areas of taking and editing the photos.  To accomplish this I've purchased a few books and magazines to get me started, and visited several websites. Here were the things I started working on in January:

• taught myself how to make a banner in Photoshop (FUN)
• experimented with black and white photos
• used manual mode more often (will be upping this now that I feel more comfortable with it)
• experimented with contrast -- specifically during processing, mostly black and white photos
• more selfies and "in the process of ____" photos (like while cooking, for example)

A few results:

It's difficult to believe we are already over halfway through February!  Coming soon: project life share (still lovin' it) and Silhouette Cameo fun (plus a few little projects I'm working on)!

..::currently::..

Currently I am...

smelling bread baking.  Well, not right now, but I did bake bread for Thanksgiving this year.  I love the smell of baking bread.  This was my first time from scratch.  It wasn't horrible. Next time, and there will be a next time, I will make sure to listen for the timer and take it out before it gets too crispy!

anticipating the Christmas Season.  I just know it's going to be amazingly magical this year.  B. is really getting excited about it, too.  She is loving all the Christmas lights that she sees around town and has informed us that we need to put up lights on our house this year (I think it will happen this weekend).

excited about documenting the season in my December Daily mini book!

coughing way too much.

watching Christmas movies as a family.  B. is loving them and is so much fun this year.

popping popcorn, real popcorn, on the stove (B.'s first time was amazing to watch, and we captured it on video)!

listening to B. talk...All. The. Time.

scraping frost off the car in the mornings.  I would mind this a lot more if B. wasn't so funny about it.  Here's a conversation from this week:

     B: Mommy what is that stuff on the windows?
     Me: That's frost, honey. Like ice.
     B: You need to wipe it off
     Me: Yes I do
     *squeals from B*
     Me: Do you like it when I scrape the windows?
     B: YES! It's so loud!!!!!


drinking coffee to keep warm.

hearing B. coughing way too much.

wearing cozy pajamas

celebrating that my Dad's body was able to accept one of my kidneys five years ago today.

so thankful that we've had five more years with him.

loving my Soul Mate even more today than yesterday.

~ baby time ~

No, I'm not pregnant!  But, I've never scrapped B's baby photos (I know, right?)!  When I saw this Ashley Horton sketch for the November Sketch It Out Challenge at Club CK, I knew I wanted to use it.  Then I saw the November FITkit over at ScrapFIT and rushed over to Paper Issues to grab one up.  I've never purchased a kit there before, but the day the November "Gather" kit (designed by Audrey Yeager) arrived in the mail I was instantly inspired to scrap a few layouts.  I think there are still kits available at the link above if you are interested.  The layout that I've completed and have to share with you today is a two pager, with page one inspired by the sketch.  Here's page one:

When I saw the scallops on the Studio Calico paper I fell in love (and I was super excited a few days later when my Scrapbook Circle kit arrived and there's one in there, too)!  In fact, I really like all of the Studio Calico Yearbook collection. Anyway, here is page two:

And the pages go together like this:

Here are a few close-ups:

I decided on "Baby Time" for my title and then went with it and added some times to the journal strips and wrote times directly on some of the photos.  I always have such a difficult time with titles!  Why is that??

I like the colors and the mix of washi in this layout.  I made several mistakes while adhering the papers, but I think I was able to cover most of them up!

One of my favorite solutions that I came up with was the title letters.  I wanted something in that green color, but I didn't have any paper that color.  So, I stuck some of the washi on white card stock and put that through my Cricut!  Woot!  Go me!  ;-)

I should have another layout to share with you in a couple of days AND my December Daily is just beginning to take shape!

~ mini gift ~

A few weeks ago I took engagement photos for a friend and her fiancé.  It was stressful, but also quite fun!  I got a few good ones out of the hour and a half, and she was happy, which is all that really counts!

As a gift, I decided to stick a few of her favorites into a minibook.  I was going to use her wedding colors, but decided I would stick with fall colors since they were such a part of the photos.  One of my (and her) favorite photos is this one :

I bought two ampersand stamps from Elise Blaha Cripe (along with a few other stamps from her store) and used circles and ampersands throughout the book.  This was a bit of a challenge because there was no journaling.  I don't know them as a couple all that well (I mostly just know Amber), so I didn't feel like I know enough about the two of them to journal, and Amber isn't a scrapbooker, so I didn't want to just leave some journaling spots (not sure that would be a "gift", if that makes sense). So I found some "love" quotes and printed those out for the other side of the page.

Hambly screen print overlay on the front and back of the book.

Thanks for stopping by!

~ my assistant ~

Washi love.
Amy Tangerine love.
B. love.
(not necessarily in that order)

Everything is linked below except a couple of the washi tapes (couldn't find them online), Elise Blaha Cripe's THIS stamp (which I love, but couldn't get the InLinkz grabber to grab it), and some little patterned paper scraps that I used between the washi tapes!

..::photo walk :: squeezing the most out of mother nature::..

We had a picnic.

Jack Frost painted our view.

We ran, jumped and climbed.

There was swinging and just plain silliness.

We got our feet muddy and gooey.

But this was my favorite.

My scrappy time has been limited this week, partly because the weather has been so glorious.  The weatherman is suggesting I may get some inside time...very soon.