Facts..

It is a fact that I love my house..
It is a fact that we could use more space..
It is a fact that this other house is awesome...
It is a fact that it will shave 1 minute and 23 seconds from Merrill's commute.. (yeah, like that is a lot, I know..)
It is also a fact that it is officially ours! :)

Relaxation Techniques..

I will be the first to say that life is busy.
It is stressful.
It is exciting.
Most nights lately, I lay awake, long past the bedtime that my body really desires, all the children sleeping soundly, but my mind, still going.
This is partly due to the hormonal cycle that is ever so fun, and partly due to my mind wanting to plan and organize EVERYTHING ahead of time.
I have to shut my mind off.
Literally.
When I was younger, I would picture one color, and would try to not think of anything else, and that would usually be enough to knock me out.
No counting sheep here.
But the other night, if I tried that, that one color would lead to many, and where they could fit in at the new house..
I had to think of something totally separate from life now, something that would help me to relax and find sleep.
If I didn't have two or three rooms in boxes blocking the cabinet where I keep all of the scrapbooks, I would post pictures, but hey, I am tired.. ;)
I recently got in contact with my best friend from childhood (thank you facebook!!), and while I thought of her often before, re-living many fond memories, I am thinking of my childhood in my neighborhood, so much more than usual. The days where we would play all over the neighborhood, playing capture the flag, bulldog, and when the sun was setting, mom would yell out the back door for us to all come home.
What a simple life.. I loved it. I miss those days.
That was where I let my mind go the other night as I was trying to find something soothing, something to get me to stop my mind and go to sleep.
I started with my own back yard.. the garden, what we grew there. The combination to the shed where we kept our bikes. How I would play G.I. Joes with my brothers outside at the far end of the garden where nothing grew after the pumpkins took over. I remembered how we built huts out of dried grass and mud, then a flood came and wiped-out their village. There would be an intensive rescue effort, and once all the action figures were located, we would do it all over again.
I remembered my best friend, Melissa's house.. the giant patch of daisies at the front of her house, near the hose where we would drink from in the summer time. The gate to her adventure-filled back yard. Remembering all the trees that grew there, and bore fruit that we would eat right from the trees. The tree house where we played for countless hours. Sliding on her "Crocodile Mile" (much like a slip and slide, but way better to us!). Balancing on the railroad ties that held the strawberry patch and flower beds. We would play fox and geese in the winter in our snow-covered yards, and build snow forts to have huge snowball fights with our brothers.
Sitting in her cozy basement, smelling the wood-burning stove, eating saltines while watching M*A*S*H or Jeopardy with her dad.
Playing our made up game of "Business".
There was nothing in the world like finding a comfy pillow to sit on in their solarium and read books there.
But then again, there was nothing like her mother's homemade bread, warm out of the oven with butter melting on it..
That is the bread recipe I use to this day..
We spent birthdays together, hers always at Tony's pizza, just her parents, she and I.. mine, we were always at my house, having a slumber party, eating junk food. Eating lots of cake. Laughing until carbonated beverages came out our noses.
Christmas always brought peanuts, in the shell to her house, and we enjoyed playing with our new toys together.
We also used to have marathon Monopoly and LIFE games. They would go on for hours, and one summer I think it was days!! Our favorite treats during those games were lemon-lime Shasta and the family style bag of licorice, always saving the black for the last.
Once Junior High hit, there was the inevitable separation. She was far more talented than I was, she knew exactly where she was going in life. She played what seemed like a gazillion instruments, to my 3 years of piano.. was incredibly talented and intelligent, and went on to drum major in high school, sterling scholar.
I just went with it.
But there were still the Christmas gifts, and birthday gifts, run from door to door every year.
So many fond memories.
I fell asleep somewhere around picking green beans in her garden while avoiding the daddy long legs and picking dandelions to earn a penny for each from her mom..
I slept well that night.

Musical dates..

While packing, taking care of the everyday, and dreaming, we have also been on a carousel with our closing date.
At first, as stated in our contract, it was the 22nd. Due to a surgery, it got bumped to the 24th.
Then we had to sign that we were okay with the 24th, but that addendum stated the 25th or sooner..
OR..
That one word kills me.
So we have been living in our cardboard box jungle, waiting for solid word, hoping it is the 24th.
Then there is today..
Elbow deep in the cardboard mayhem, I get a call from a title company.
Being nosy, I ask how soon this will all be signed on, and they say...
"Early next week."
EARLY NEXT WEEK!?!?!
Ask anyone present, I was calm, polite, I didn't even say a thing..
I called their agent though.
It was all a misunderstanding, it wasn't even the title company we are closing through for our new house, aka the one I care about.
I am hosting a baby shower next Tuesday.. time is of the essence!!
On top of all of that, Merrill got his 24 hour notice today that his RSM (Regional Service Manager also known as the guy to make things PERFECT FOR OR ELSE..) would be coming TONIGHT.
Seriously?
We also had my cousin's wedding dinner tonight..
Until Lynn got sick.
And I had to take her to the doctor.
So fun.
But life s good, and soon we'll be THERE!! :)

Boxes, boxes, boxes...

That is my world right now...


I am growing tired of it, and just want to be there.. or here.. I just want to be settled, not in boxes!
Merrill laughs.
"It's just part of the process. Are you going to be this way [stressed-out] for the rest of the week?"
Yes.
I enjoy living a very organized life. There is a place for everything and everything is in it's place. I like it that way.
So it is hard for me to try to get my brain to think of what I won't need this week, and box it.. I guess when it comes down to it, I won't need much of anything, when my life is boxing things.
But really, we are all excited, and I never thought we would run out of boxes.
I underestimated the amount of stuff we have collected over the years.
But I am also glad that I am not alone in my boxing infatuation..


I have also been working on some things for "Our Heart Project"..

we have a project night coming up and would love to have YOU there!

Long time coming..

I took Peyton's name sign down when the room re-do began, and knew what would be going on it..
For the other girls' signs, it has their first name, and nickname layered over the top in vinyl lettering.
Well, Peyton's nickname has been around for a while, so I knew that was going on there, it just took me a while to get it all put together..


White lettering is in the Cuttin' Up font in the serif option, and the pink is in the hello kitty font.

September 18th

Flashbacking..

Did I just invent a new word?
Before I even begin, let me admit that I am a little sad going through this whole process.. packing and cleaning things out.. spending these last few days in my home.. the home where we started, where we brought our babies home.. where they learned to crawl, walk, and talk.. so many memories..
This move will be a good thing though, a little stressful, but good.
So here's the end of my boo-hooing, and the beginning of the fun!!
We started packing last night. We only have a week, so seriously.. we need to light a fire under it and get going.
It's just hard to decide what we can go a week without.. not like we use EVERYTHING in this house, but, you know.. what if I MIGHT want to bake a 16x16 inch layer cake AND decorate it? What if for SOME REASON, we will want to eat on the fine china?
See, decisions..
So last night, we started with the closet in the basement. That is the easiest place to begin because it's contents are CDs, DVDs, and the games I pray every day, that the girls won't make a mess of.
And here's your warning: with a man whose hobby IS MUSIC, we have more CDS than the average couple..
Inside the closet:


Outside of the closet:


It was my goal to purge the same time as packing, and not take garbage to the new house..
See all that garbage?


I try to not be a pack rat..
We did come across a treasure..


This one is a keeper!!
So it continues..
The girls play in the boxes, and we laugh, and remember..
When we moved in this house nearly 9 years ago, it was just the two of us. The basement was empty,well, besides the washer and dryer.. a few bins of decorations.
The only reason we even had to be in the basement was to do laundry, get out some decorations, or go spider hunting.
Now here we are.. doing most of our living down here, busting at the seams.
It will be good..
I just need to get over thinking about moving all this stuff!!

A new accessory..

Of sorts.
Maybe I should call it a decoration..
Either way, it's not mine and whose arrival is the bearer of fantastic news...


We close a week from today.. would be sooner if there wasn't surgery involved on the other end..
See, good news!!

September 17th

I'm baaack!!!

I hope that bloggerdom is applauding right now, not booing.
I have made the decision to come back to blogging, my life just hasn't been the same without it! One might view it as an early Christmas gift to myself. ;)
But you know me (at least I hope you do..) I have to do it bigger and better, and for me that means making it multi-faceted, uber-organized, and such.
I still do have more than one blog, and I hope it works the way I hope it to.
I don't want it to take over my life, I simply want it back.
If you came here, as a follower of Scrapbooking etc., you didn't come to the wrong place, it's just been nudged over.. you can find it here.
But don't be a stranger here now!
I am plotting an awesome fall-ish give-away for followers only.. that means, to take part, be a prospective winner, you MUST BE A FOLLOWER. I would love to re-build a community! I would love for you to be a part of it...

Here goes..

Sooo.. do you think if I have a place to actually place my "Photo of the Day" it will actually get done?
Let's see..
I hope it does!

Sorting..

So here's the start to my new adventure, a new way of life..
Here, you should find only the scrapbooking (both traditional and digital) end of my creativeness.. I guess cards will be included, they are the same medium. ;)
If you were a follower at the "old" scrapbooking etc., don't be shy and be a follower here too!
I will make it worth your while.... :)
(Watch for details of a followers only give away soon!)

Finding the humor in life..

I am sorry for being so serious and stressed lately.. I realize that the entertainment I had intended to be here took a vacation of its own this last little while..

Today, I was thinking about that.. that I really am happy, and I should show it more! I should look for the humorous side to things again.

It also helped that Merrill and I lay awake in bed a little too late last night laughing at the dumbest stuff.

(Watch and discuss..) Tee Hee!!

So here they are.. the things that made me laugh today.

Remember this?

Ashley didn't learn from her lesson..

She cut her hair AGAIN, while mom and dad were attempting to squeeze in a Sunday nap yesterday.

Sad thing is I didn't discover it until I was cleaning downstairs TODAY. Little bits and long bits of hair.. hidden where an almost five year old thinks is adequate.

She gave herself some cute new layers, and slight bangs.

After lecturing her about it, and the fact that she doesn't want to wear underwear at night, and we discover that fact in awkward ways.. I had told her for about the 79th time today, that she should "know better".

It is so harsh, and it is what I say when I do not know what else to say.. I felt bad.

She was sadly laying in her bed.. had her little Merrill puppy dog face going strong, and I asked her what was the matter.

She answered with, "I wish that 8 came after 3, so I would be 8 now and know better."

Talk about break my heart!!

I was already feeling guilty...

Peyton wants to be just like her.. unfortunately for Peyton, her head isn't as big as big sister's is, and therefore cannot see very well.

Big sister doesn't run into walls.

With her head.

The other humorous moment in my day was my toilet paper.

It is comical to attempt to get any, at all, whether it be for a snotty nose, to squish a spider, or wipe a bum. Someone at the toilet paper factory thought it would be rockin' awesome to put that fun temporary glue that keeps the roll from unraveling in the very beginning of the roll, all throughout the roll, every 4-5 inches. Just to make life interesting.

I am looking forward to finishing off this particular package of Charmin.

To boot, I am here, nearly 11 pm, everyone is asleep, and I am here, blogging away, laughing to myself, wearing my reading glasses that just aren't cutting it anymore, realizing that it just might have something to do with that next number coming up..

30.

Sorry Mer, I know you hate to see it, hear it, think it..

But it's true.

I am compiling a list..

Let's just say it was a busy day..

Merrill came home yesterday.. and that isn't even the beginning or the biggest part of my day yesterday..

Got up, got the girls off to school, Lynn to the elementary, Ash to the pre-school.

Talked to Merrill on the phone (he was in San Fransisco) I was on my way to our first PTA meeting.

Then we ran to get Ash, who brought Freddy with her, ran a few errands, took Peyton to the doctor for her follow-up. She got her cast cut off (didn't like it, she was very protective of her cast..) and had x-rays taken again. Ash loved the whole process, she is so like me. She even picked out a new color for the new cast only to have Dr. Cardon tell me she didn't need one!?

I took a peek at both x-rays (old and new) while I was waiting for him. I could still see that small bump where the buckle was, but saw other things that I wasn't sure of.

Turns out, she has over 50% new bone growth, and is healing faster than he expected. She has a brace he made for her (that I can remove for baths THANK HEAVENS!!) and she needs to wear it for 10-14 days. I think I will go with the 14, and then wrap her im bubble wrap.

Our bodies are so amazing, and they way they heal themselves is incredible!! Had it been me who sustained that injury, my bone would have snapped, not buckled. At this point, two weeks later, my bone would still look just as bad as it did on day one.

I guess I should say that youth is awesome too. :)

We picked up some lunch, tidied up the house, and I worked on some projects.. hopefully I will finish them up today.

Ash is now some sort of superhero..

We got Lynn, had to get her all ready for her performance before we went to get Merrill, we would have to drive straight to the game after the airport..

We left and booked it to the airport. Two of the three children fell asleep on the way there. Guess which two..

Peyton cried for her "gink" or binky most of the way.

I debated whether or not to do the drive by and pick up, or park, and go in to pick up. I missed the lot, and decided to take the loop around. I was early..

I didn't even factor in parking and hauling three small children inside to the baggage claim area.. Merrill was trying to call me, as I am trying to get everyone there, and fast, a baby on one hip, my camera in the other hand and trying to get my cell out of my back pocket.. I hung up on him.

Oops.

We were running, and I could see all of them heading out to the pick-up area, and I finally got through to his cell. Peyton saw him before any of us did. She was giggling, "Dada..."

It was kind of fun to play with him and tell him we could see him. He couldn't see us for a few minutes. Then Lynn broke into a run towards him, jumped up and wrapped her legs around him..

It was great, I think we put on a good show for the folks at the airport last night.

He gave Peyton a bear that he found in Victoria, that is also the bear's name now. The girls were kind of bummed that he got them shirts, but they say "Princess" on them (the name of the cruise line) and they were sparkly.. they came around but weren't shy to voice the fact that they would have loved a toy.

We got to Bonneville's game, and got some good seats for Lynn's little halftime performance.

She did great. She was so into it this time!

Then it was off to home, for a late dinner, and bed.

I hope his day gets better.

He was looking forward to sleeping in for a little bit, but was woken by a phone call, from the hotel at 7 am..

The power was out in the office and was slowly creeping elsewhere.

It went out here too for a while.

That is always a pain to deal with down there, let alone your first day back in nearly two weeks..

And then there is the ongoing saga of "the house".. hope to fill in when all details are a little bit clearer. Sift through the truth and the crap.

It is so good to have him back.

It was the best part of the day..

It's getting to be that time of the year..

I usually get the mail.

That prevents many issues. Most of them happening at the same time.

A) The girls will usually fight over who gets to go and retrieve it from the mailbox.

B) The fit that follows when one of them cannot access smaller pieces of mail in the box or the fit that is thrown as mail is lost on their way to the house.. slipped through the cracks of small arms.

C) Catalogs/Ads that will suddenly inform my children of things that they "need".

See, if I get it done, I avoid all of these things.

Yesterday I wished I had when I saw the catalogs making their way up the driveway.

The inevitable soon followed.. there was an American Girl catalog and another one with Halloween Costumes, or if you have children like mine, dress-ups. They know them to be good all year round, not just on one night.

They sat for the better part of the afternoon and evening, poring over every page, every detail, of every item.. dreaming.. making plans.

"I want to be this.. and Pey can be that.."

"I want this for Christmas!! I am going to ask Santa for that.."

So it begins.

Halloween is understandable, but Christmas already?

It must be getting to be that time of the year.

I love my scroll saw..

I always have..
He and I have just lost touch.
The last time I used it, it was honestly 2 years ago.. we were finishing our floors. There was some small detail work that needed to be cut on one of the trim pieces, and it was used then.
I used it much more often back in the days before three children became my life..
I have had a couple of projects lined up that required it's assistance, and I finally dusted it off, and got to work.
It also helps that my mouse needs little to no attention now. :)


For Peyton's room, I wanted to replicate the tulips that are on her flat sheet and pillow case.. I will forever be thankful to all the tricks I learned from my ex-boyfriend's (okay.. fiance..) mom who was a crafter..
Tracing is not the fastest method to this madness..
Cutting, I learned tips for that step too..
And painting..
It was my job for a while..
I think they turned out cute.


I also loved the long-grain rice that found a home holding them up, perfectly in the flower pot.
This lamp was a purchase when I was preggers with Lynn (#1).
I loved it then, it matched the nursery colors and theme so well! I just couldn't toss it into the DI box, I re-purposed it.
DI-d the dusty blue shade and replaced it with a new pink one from Target, and took the yellow star pull off the beaded chain, and put on one of the tulips that I cut while cutting the others.


For tomorrow: "The Butterfly" project..

For the Boys...

I have been messing around still with making my own digi elements..
Thought I would do one for the boys. ;)
Not that I have any, or even know how to work one..
These are just part of a kit, hopefully coming soon.
You can download here.

Things you just shouldn't do alone.

I feel like it's going to be a long post.. but long to me may be different than long to you.

Just a warning, ramblings, and some randomness..

I watched P.S. I Love You last night.

Something you shouldn't do alone.

At least without your significant other.

My eyes are puffy today.

There are other things that just shouldn't be happening, much like me, watching that movie alone..

As Lynn got in the car yesterday after school, she nearly boiled-over with excitement.

"Mom!! I saw this boy today who is HOT. And he's not just HOT, he's HOT HOT!"

My mind is asking where she got this from. I certainly do not talk that way. So, my mouth followed the direction of my mind and asked her.

"Where did you get that from?"

Pointing to her head she answers, "My brain. My eyes saw him and my brain told me he was HOT HOT."

Oh, my, goodness.. here we go.

She then proceeded to tell me his name describe his every visible feature, the color of his hair and how it lifts in the front like her boyfriend, James.. ?!?

"But he's not my boyfriend anymore." she announced. "I was trying to get him to like me."

"How do you do that?" I asked.

"By being nice to him, and being happy when I am around him." That really isn't hard, she sits right next to him.

Then she continued, and further blew me away.

"But I don't like him anymore 'cause he's being a DOUCHE BAG to me."

That was where it HAD to stop. My sweet little 6 going on 17 year old needed to be corrected in many ways.

Does it really happen this soon?

Merrill is enjoying his trip. They went fishing yesterday in Ketchikan and caught some salmon. I was excited to hear from him, and to also hear they are sending it home via FedEx. I miss him so much this time though.

Jaclyn and I took the kiddos to a "new" park last night.

I swore I saw a toy from the road in one of my previous drive-bys, but no. An awesome walking path.. a cool little creek to look at, throw rocks into.. some very suspicious growth near where the children were gravitating. We cut our evening out short, to come home and Google "Poison Ivy". Still not too sure, but my kids are okay.. let's hope it was just a look alike..

I look forward to spending the day at my sewing machine. Taking it easy. Trying to keep busy so my mind won't let me miss him too much.

These girls make it easier on me.. all of their silliness and cuteness.. and that's what makes his being away worth while. I get my time completely alone with them.

Peyton love playing little mama with her doll. She isn't too happy with the purses sliding off of her shoulder. I will try to make something today especially for her that will help with that.

Ashley is.. well... Ashley. The things her little brain puts together amaze me and usually evoke laughter.

And then there's Lynn...

One more down..

One more item on my "to do" list is done!!
Peyton's "quilt" which is now a duvet cover, is FINALLY done.


I had to re-work it, and re-work it again, into something that would work, and fit my vision.. I am more than happy with it, and she is too. :)
I think I am going to have to tally how many feet of stitching that is....


I am happy to say that there are more projects in store for her little room.
I also managed to scrap a couple of pages as well with my two hands and new paper trimmer.

Using the good, old fashioned scrap stuff is good for the soul.


Love these stickers I bought a while ago from Making Memories.
I am off to crochet a little on a hat for this project..
Will you be joining us?

I am getting there..

I should have a Chicago song playing right now..
"You're My Inspiration"..
Ally is that to me today, thanks girl!!
She is awesome, getting so much done with all of her fun finds..
I have had this project waiting around for a LONG time now.

I finally got around to it.. not that I have been doing things that I would rather be doing, just what needs to be done. Now my house is PERFECT and I can play!!
So here it is:


This is a nightstand, that if I am correct, my mom got when she was 16. My older brothers both used it while living at home, then I got it, loved it, painted it, re-painted it, then re-painted it again and now, have re-finished it, again. (I forgot about some of those layers of paint hiding in there.. until I scraped it all off, of course.)


I love spray paint!!
Oh, and Mod Podge.. :)
I scraped, sanded, patched, and sanded again, then painted it. I used double stick tape to help adhere the hot pink fabric on the inlay, cut that with my rotary cutter and exacto knife for the corners, then mod-podged it down, and coated the top a couple of times.
I basically did the same for the drawer front, and drilled holes for the new handle.


For the back on the inside, I wanted it to have a pop of color, so I cut some fabric, 3 times longer than the width of the back, and four inches taller than the height on the back inside. I pressed it an inch and 3/4 on both of my long sides and did straight stitch on the largest setting my machine has, and then gathered it to the desired length. Hot glue and bam!
Isn't it cute?!


It now lives in Peyton's room.. still waiting for the matching duvet (the quilt is now going to be a duvet.. long story) but has an equally, if not cuter one that my Grandma made for her and sent from Michigan last week.. I love those "Sun Bonnet Sues".. she has made one for each of the great-grandchildren.
It is in my blood I tell ya.
I still have more projects in the works for her room.
Stay tuned!

Time to play!!

After a week filled with work, I am glad to announce I can now play!!

We spent the day yesterday just chillin' after that appraisal was all taken care of. Lynn and I snuggled after she got home from school, watching PBS kids I took a little snoozer.

We played what seemed like a LONG game of Memory, but my opponent was the one who made the game seem so long.. she is still trying to cheat!

Tsk.. tsk..

We also had to enjoy some popcorn during our game.

We ordered in pizza.. Lynn was bummed because I forgot she likes sausage, and didn't get it on the pizza. Honestly, she picks just about everything off her pizza, it was an honest mistake. I guess there will be no surprising with the ordering of pizza around here anymore, I should take the order.

We played outside for a while, trying to get Lynn used to the no training-wheel factor. That was a goal this summer, and where did that time go exactly?

Then bath time came..

Bath time is now quite the adventure at our house now.. with Peyton having that cast, it makes for some exciting, bag, duct tape, rubber banding, and towel fun! It didn't get wet last night thankfully.

Do you think it would be wrong for me to spray some Scentsy spray down her cast? It seriously stinks...

We snuggled-up in my bed and watched "Enchanted".. it was nice.

I cried.

I miss Merrill.

I got all the children to their own beds, but wouldn't you know, by 7 this morning, two of the three were in my bed, and one was laying in her own made-up bed at the foot of my bed, on the floor.

I guess when Lynn told her that sleeping on the floor would break her back doesn't scare her anymore.

This is just some of what I did today:

I FINALLY finished Peyton's night stand.. thanks for the inspiration Ally.

Helped Ash sound out words and she spells them the way her brain tells her to! (This one says "rainbow".)

And Peyton enjoyed some coloring time too.. she is getting quite good at using that left hand! She will color with it, feed herself with it.. she gets mad when purses don't stay on her shoulder, and she can't quickly grab them because of that darn hindrance of a hot pink cast.. she is taking a binky ALL THE TIME now.. I hope she forgets all about those now stinky fingers.

She is also talking so much more..

She says "okey" for okay, "hep mama!" for help, "doos" for juice...

And.. she loves singing all the monkey songs, especially while I change her diaper.

She has also learned that she gets a great reaction out of us when she hits us with her cast. Ouch...

Well...

Where have I been, right?!

Getting ready for this appraisal, which was today, and now I get to wait...

Pray it is higher than they want.. pray with me, won't you? ;)

Merrill is on vacation which has made this all that much funner.

I am incredibly thankful to some angels who showed-up at my house last night and saved me. I thought all that needed to be done would get done quickly, all by myself, somehow. They showed-up and got it done. Stress, OVER. Now my kiddos have a happy mama, and I feel like I can play and even breathe a little.

Today was Ashley's first day of pre-school and she loved every bit of it except for the part where she didn't go to the writing center and thus, had an empty cubby, and thusly an empty backpack..

It was weird, it just being me and Peyton, but kinda nice. I can't wait for it to be a day where it's just her and myself, and we can sit and play and read books instead of doing last minute cleaning.

I am also celebrating the first day I do not have to go to Lowe's, and also celebrating that my two oldest will not get into another cat fight there, in front of the paint counter for all to see.

*sigh**

A good cause..

My sister-in-law has been dreaming for a LONG time about doing whatever is in her power and ability to help the children and babies at Primary Childrens Medical Center (PCMC). Her son and my nephew was born with some heart problems and the amazing staff there were able to help him. He is a major inspiration for my wanting to be involved in this, not to mention the other miracles PCMC has blessed the lives in our family with.
Her dream is being realized and I am excited to be a long for the ride.
The details of her project and plan are here.
I hope we can really get this moving, help out the smallest among us.
So, grab a button, and join in!