Friday, May 28, 2010

Card a Day #22


Todays card features a lot of paisley. I've used paisley quite a bit lately (right behind polka dots!) and I really like it. I made the thing a ma jig in the corner by stamping a single paisley four times and connecting them in the middle. I wrapped it with ribbon and hung the thinking of you tag...pretty darn quick and easy! The most time consuming part was cutting around the four paisley pieces.

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Card a Day #21


Todays card features some more of the brown puffy letters that have been on several other cards. It's amazing just how far a sheet of alphabet letters can go! I have to confess that the ribbon is not a scrap! I bought it about a year ago in a small scrapbook store and I have been waiting for just the right place to use it. Since it was rather old and I hadn't used it yet and the whole purpose of the card a day was to use things up, I decided the ribbon qualified...also more of the bling that I love so much!
I'm taking Braquel to Twin today to have her wisdom teeth taken out-HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY! I had mine taken out two years ago and it's so not fun!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Card a Day #20


Another baby card today. Awhile back I made Ellie a layot that used this alphabet paper so I had a scrap left. The ribbon is also just a small piece out of my stash. The letters are pink and glittery and I had them left from a layout also.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Card a Day #19

This card is for a little boy. It uses a tag that came on a sheet of paper. You can't really see them, but there are little boxes next to the words and you can check which words apply.

Braquel graduated from high school last night. It was a really nice ceremony and she is so relieved to be done. I got some good pictures so I will post them later in the week after I go to town and get them all on cd!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Card a Day #18

Another neutral card- can be used for any occasion. The felt flower was left on a sheet with the flower from the other day and the ribbon is the same that is on several of the other cards. It feels so good to use up little bits of things instead of throwing them away!

Braquel's BBQ went really well last night. I thought the weather was going to be bad so I set up tables inside. About half ate outside and half inside. We had blue skies, but it was kind of chilly. Kids didn't care, though. They were just happy to be together and having fun.

Ellie started officially walking yesterday. She can go halfway across the room before she realizes she is walking. As soon as she knows she is going, she will sit down or cry for someone to pick her up! Mixed emotions about that. She should be walking, but it seems like she has grown so fast that I really don't care if she doesn't walk-I could keep her a baby just a bit longer....

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Card a Day #17

Todays card is super fun...what kid wouldn't love a card to congratulate them on an achievement? It's full of bright colors and jazz.

Today I am getting ready for Braquel's graduation BBQ. It's almost time for guests to start arriving and I'm pretty much done with everything. Just a last minute house pick up since no one will leave things clean, but most of the food is done. Just need to pat out burgers and make a tray with burger toppings. I'll post some pictures later this week.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Card a Day #16

Remember the letter stickers from the other day that said thanks? Here is another card using the same stickers. I really hate throwing them out after all of the "usable" letters are used up. Simple words like this can be used on cards to help you get more use for your money. Another great thing about todays card is that it is cheerful and can be used for most any occasion.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Card a Day #15

Todays card features more stamping than the other cards. The sentiment is stamed and the cupcakes are, too. I outlined the cupcakes with my water color pencils and then I used a blended pen to fill them in. 15 days of cards done...15 days to go!

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Card a Day #14

My card for today is a fun color comination. I like the green and raspberry pink together...such a happy card!

Braquel went to the dentist this morning thinking she needed a root canal on a tooth and found out the she needs her wisdom teeth pulled instead. The wisdom teeth are pushing on her other teeth causing pain. That will cost almost twice as much as the root canal would have. On top of that, she has three cavities in the one side that was hurting her. Who knows what's on the other side...I'm going to need a job!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Card a day #13

The card for today uses leftover scraps, the same chipboard letters from yesterday, and some animal stickers that I found awhile back at the dollar store. The background patterned paper has alphabet letters randomly scattered and the top patterned paper is a yellow criss-cross paper. Way simple- just stick everything on!

Today will be spent doing more laundry, drying more bananas, cleaning up, and hopefully a scrapbook page. I haven't got to scrap since the retreat and I have some fun pictures that I want to get to. If all goes well, I want to make some graduation thank you notes for Braquel, too. I'm just not sure I have everything to do those. They may have to wait for the weekend! Hope your having a fabulous week!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Card a Day #12


Todays card has a color combination that I love. It's hard to tell in the picture, but the base of the card is a chocolate brown. Combined with the turquoise blue and celery green, it just pops! This is a great card to use for any occasion.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Card a Day #11

Todays card used up some extra felt flowers that I had leftover from a recipe book that I made and I used up some letters from a scrapbook page that I did at the retreat. I also used some of the same ribbon that you've seen on several other cards- I can't buy any more if I'm not using up the old- there is a method to my madness!!!! LOL! Have a great day!

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Braquel's Prom Pics

The theme for this years prom was a Night in Paris. The room was all decked out with lights and Eiffel towers and a little backdrop of a cafe. It was really nice-the juniors did a great job!
Everywhere you looked in the room was lights and decorations-not one spot was left bare. They had 6 or 7 different areas that you could take pictures. I think we hit them all!

Keven and Braquel in the hall after promenade. It's always a zoo while parents are leaving and kids are trying to get to the dance.


We took several pictures at our house, too. Neither of the looked too excited to be going, so I made a comment about acting like they were happy. This is their happy face!



This is Braquel's corsage. It was really pretty with all the silver accents. The lady that made it even sprinkled silver glitter around all of the roses. She said that Braquel's was the only one she did that on!




Card a Day #10

Todays card uses up leftover sticker borders, ribbon, and flowers. The outside says IF FRIENDS WERE FLOWERS and the inside says I'D PICK YOU!

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Card a Day #9

Todays card used up some leftover chipboard as well as paper. I bought the purple letters for a baby photo album that I made and I didn't have a lot of letters left, so I decided to do a simple word. The inside is blank so you could use the card for almost anything!

Friday, May 14, 2010

Card a Day #8

Today's card is another baby card. You can't really see them in the picture, but I have randomly placed several small rhinestones on the stars and on each end of the ribbon.

Looking forward to this weekend. Weather man says 70's today and tomorrow and Monday is supposed to be in the lower 80s. I knew we would go straight from winter to summer! Having a busy day today. It's 10 am right now and I have already got 4 trays of bananas in the dehydrator, I made a batch of strawberry jam, I have done three loads of laundry, gave Ellie a bath and got her ready for the day, got this post ready, cleaned and vacuumed the living room, and cleaned out a closet in my laundry room! Whew...I still have 6 loads of laundry to finish, curtains to sew for Treven's room, cleaning and vacuuming the dining room, watering and fertilizing my flowers that I can't plant because we are not out of frost danger, making a batch of cranberry-orange muffins, and then I get to work at my real job from 4 pm-1am. What a day! It's a great life if you don't weaken!!!!

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Tagged

Yes, mom, I do read your blog almost daily! (Even if it shows you haven't posted for 4 weeks, I know you post more often so I check it out often!)

Mom tagged me to write 10 things that I love...the first few are obviously easy, we'll see about the last few!

1. I love my family more than anything in the world. Without them, where would I be? My husband is my rock; he is always there for me and he makes me feel so safe and loved. My kids are true geniuses! (I think they get that from me!) They are my existence-everything I do is for them. I don't think they realize just how much they mean to me. My parents, brothers and sisters, Gary's family, all of my family are just amazing. It's really awesome when your best friends are your family.

2. I love God. He has a huge place in my life even though I don't go to church much. I pray almost constantly- not usually asking for anything, but acknowledging Him in everything. When I see the flowers or anything in nature, I feel like He is closest to me and I try to really listen to what He is saying. He has blessed me with so much and I am so thankful that I can lean on Him when things seem to have no rhyme or reason-there is security knowing that "All things work together for good for those who love God." There is always a reason something is happening, even if I don't know what it is!

3. Friends: When I look back over my life, I really don't have a lot of friends, but the ones that I do have, have been friends for years. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have this hang up about not asking for help, but I know that any one of my friends would be there if I asked. They are all so thoughtful and generous- I love hanging out with them.

4. I love my home. When we first looked at the house and knew it was the "one" we put our house on the market. We made an offer on this house and had the contingency that we had to sell our house first. It took longer than we thought and the deadline came and went. I was so worried about losing this house, that I called the man in charge of the estate and practically begged him to give us longer and not to sell it to someone else. He was so kind and pretty much told me he was a man of his word and that house was ours! He has now become a good friend and every night Gary and I thank God that he didn't sell out to someone else! We have really enjoyed fixing the house and making it our home...I told Gary that I will never move again- I will die in this house!

5. I love to cook. I used to look at making meals as a chore that got so tedious. Then, I started my addiction- collecting cookbooks. I especially love the ones that churches, schools, communities, etc put out. They are "real" food-not crap that noone will eat and they don't have ingredients that you can't find anywhere but the big cities. I don't want to eat tofu- I want good food that sticks to your ribs. Now, I enjoy making yummy food that brings our family to the table. The kids tease me about trying so many new things, but I tell them for every 5 that are so-so, we will find one that is out of this world!

6. I love to relax. Whether its on the deck after a long day or in a very hot bath, there is nothing like knowing your day is done and you're home free! The levis get traded in for lounge pants, the hair goes up in a ponytail, and the shoes are off...freedom!

7. I love scents- I know it's weird, but good smells really make my day. Clean clothes, anything cinnamon-ish, coconut-ish, it doesn't matter. I love coming home and my house smells like someone has been baking fresh cookies or muffins...it brings a smile to my face and makes me happy to be home.

8. I enjoy crafting. I'm not really fabulous at anything specific, but I like to scrapbook, make cards, a bit of sewing, etc. I like to make rag quilts and receiving blankets because they are easy- I don't do zippers or pleats at all. I prefer things with straight lines and buttons only if absolutely necessary! I like making things that I can give as gifts, too.

9. I like spending time with my family and friends. BBQing, 4-Wheeling, fishing, camping, roasting marshmallows by our fire pit...doesn't really matter as long as we are together. We just bought a boat and I am so looking forward to hanging out with everyone on the water.

10. I love to look on the internet and in magazines for new ideas. They really inspire me. Cooking magazines, scrapbooking magazines, home decor magazines, I love them all and have to really force myself to throw them out after awhile. I can't get enough of them!

Well, there it is. 10 things I love. I could probably expand more on each one, but I think you get the hint. I guess I am supposed to tag 4 people to do the same, but mom tagged everyone that I know that might read my blog! So, I am going to challenge anyone out there who reads this to make their post and let me know so I can read it!!!!

Ellie's Loads of Love

Ellie has decided to become my number one helper! Every other day I wash, dry, and fold about 7 loads of laundry. I stack all of mine, Gary's, Treven's, and her clothes until she wakes from her nap and then I sort it all out by drawer or side of the closet. I have neat little stacks for each area.
Ellie doesn't like my stacks. She likes to throw them all over the floor and "help" me. She doesn't care that all of her pajamas go in one place, she would rather they be spread out so she can see them.

And she likes to try to put them on. And she likes them unfolded, too. You can't see the pretty designs if they are all folded up! I'm not sure why I take the time to fold them first because I end up folding each item at least three times!!


Card a Day #7

I picked todays card because it is bright and sunny and today we finally have some sunshine here! I just stamped the flowers and cut around them and added a sentiment and ribbon- totally quick, but fun!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Card a Day #6

This card was made using leftover paper, stickers, and gelly words from Close to My Heart. I had originally bought a kit that I used for Treven's preschool graduation and because it was rather boyish, I couldn't use it for any of the girls. I also try really hard not to use the same thing more than once in the kids' scrapbooks, so what to do? A few cards were in order. I will have some more in the future with the same supplies. It's amazing how far a few scraps will take ya!

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

A Card a day #5

Today's card is more square than I usually do. It looks red in the photo, but it is actually raspberry pink colors.Love the simplicity.....really love the rhinestone heart!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Braquel's Senior Project

The first leg of Braquel's Senior Project was to create a poster that reflected the theme of your project. Braquel chose abused and neglected children as her theme because she has had some personal experience with it and she was interested in just how that state goes about removing children from abusive situations. She found out that it rarely happens even when there are consistent calls made regarding the abuse. She was very disappointed that abuse is not taken more seriously in the state of Idaho.
The second leg was all of her paperwork. She had to have a mentor and she had to spend at least 15 hours working on her theme. Everything went into her project binder. She had an interview with a close family member going through this and she had an actual letter from the Dept of Health and Welfare regarding abuse that she herself called and reported. Basically, it just said that there wasn't enough evidence of the abuse for them to do anything (most likely because they didn't take the time to check the kids in a timely fashion!)

The third leg of the project was to present it at an open house night. Students and parents could come and see all the kids' projects and ask questions. Braquel put together a power point with several statistics and information. She presented it to a couple of the health classes at school and then again at the open house.


The last part was to present her project to the judges. This is her principal the night of the open house asking her questions. She actually presented the following week to 4 or 5 judges, but parents weren't allowed so I don't have any pics of that. She was so nervous, but excited to be done with it finally. She ended up getting a 90%! I'm so proud of her- I know how difficult of a topic this was for her as it was so close to her heart!



card a day # 2, #3, and #4

I was kind of busy on Saturday and Sunday with my birthday and Mother's Day, so I didn't get a chance to post two of my card-a-day cards: lucky you, you get to see three cards today! YIPPEE! Anyway, the sentiment on this card says: Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others can't keep it from themselves... I thought this would work well for a thank you note or some thing like that.
I love this stamp set- it has girl silhouettes in all different sassy poses! With three teenage daughters, I can see myself using this set a lot!

Here is a baby card. It's all done in greens and browns so it would be great if you don't know the baby's sex. I bought this set a couple of years ago off the internet and this is the first time I have used it...kind of works with the using things up theme!


Friday, May 7, 2010

A Card A Day


Awhile ago, I decided to start trying to use up more of my scraps. The best way that I have found to do that is by making cards with my leftover scrapbook supplies. I have made about 30 cards with leftover stickers, paper, etc. So for the next 30 or so days, I am going to try to post a card a day. Please keep in mind that these are not anything fancy-just using up leftovers!!!!

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Braquel's 18th Birthday

Braquel and Ellie blowing out the candle on her strawberry shortcake. We always have the grandparents up for dinner on the kids' birthdays and I let them pick the menu. Braquel picked creamy chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, refried beans, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Ellie must still remember her birthday because she wanted to help unwrap presents, too!
When Braquel had her first birthday, she was way more interested in the cards than the gifts. She would sit and act like she was reading all of her cards. Even on her 18th birthday, she took the time to read all of her cards...what a sweetie!

For her birthday, I let her skip a day of school and we had a girls day out. Grandma Jones kept Ellie for the day so we didn't have to drag her out all day. I made little cards with poems on them to give Braquel clues to where we were going. As we would leave a place, they would hand her a new card with our next destination. This was actually our last stop- a massage!



This was our third and fourth stop. Braquel got a pedicure and then she got a spray on tan so she would be golden brown for prom. I really wasn't too impressed with them-not sure we'll do the spray on thing again! The chair that Kell is sitting on was a massage chair. She had a grand time going through each of the various settings while her toes dried!


Our first stop was Maurices. Braquel is in need of some new clothes so I let her pick out anything she wanted. We had lots of fun loading up the dressing room. She ended up getting two pairs of summer shorts and the cutest white eyelet tank top ever! It was so much fun getting to spend the day with my baby. With 5 kids, it's so hard to spend individual time with each child. I will treasure this day with Braquel forever!




Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Mikayla's FFA Banquet

Mikayla's FFA Banquet was held on April 14th. We had a nice dinner and they gave out several awards.
Mikayla had to fill out some sort of application for a specific reward (I can't remember the name of it). Because of our year of giving back that my family is doing, she qualified for the award.

She also got this pin for finishing her Freshman year of FFA. She originally took the class so she could learn how to weld, but welding is not offered to freshmen. Maybe next year!