What Makes Me SMILE

little moments

2010-09-01T20:39:00.006-04:00

We'll just see how long I stay! :-) It's been over a year since my last post, and I've been so horrible about not documenting those little moments that happen so frequently around here that I would like to remember. Finally decided to go ahead and post some of our fun times here so I can remember them. I can' believe how fast this summer (well, this year) has gone! It's September!!!! My favorite time of the year since my birthday is a week away and fall is just around the corner!!! I love everything about fall! It's such a sensory wonder! It's beautiful canvas of color, the crispness of the leaves under my feet and the wind on my skin, the tastes and smells of apple cider and roasted veggies! YUM! I can't wait to break out my long sleeved t-shirts and jeans!

As much as I love everything about the fall, I also am really, really enjoying experiencing all of these things (and many others) in the eyes of my sons! I can't believe Zach is 3 1/2 already. He's already asking for snow and if it's Christmas yet, because he knows he'll turn 4 after Christmas!!! And Max will be 11 months soon. I can't believe that one at all. Some days I feel like I was just pregnant! But he is such a happy kid and I love seeing him experience new things!

Where was I again? I'm already going off subject! Didn't I start this post with the intent to remember what was happening in the day to day life of our family? All I've done so far is look toward the future!!! While that's good and all, I'll get to some things I'd like to remember some day when I'm out frolicking in the leaves with my boys!!!

Zach is such a good little guy and such a great big brother!!! He is so caring, helpful, protective, and loving to Max. It's funny that he'll let Max play with his toys, but he's actually pretty good at knowing which of his toys are too small for Max to play with. If he sees Max playing with a small toy or trying to get a cord from a lamp, Zach will redirect him or call out for me to move him. Not usually in a mean way, but it's just so cute. Although, he does sometimes say, "No, Max. Bad, bad, bad." That always makes me chuckle! This week Zach has mastered pedaling his tricycle! We were able to ride to and from his preschool today (it's 3 houses away from ours!). It helped that Papa put his Spider Man horn on for him this week. And let me tell you, I think the whole cul-de-sac knew we were coming! Next week, Zach is starting preschool. WOW! We went and dropped off our supplies today and got to see the classroom. When we entered the classroom, his teacher made a comment and Zach said his famous phrase, "Don't say me that." Translation is, don't say that - but you somehow lose the rolling of the eyes with the translation! Apparently, that phrase is spoken by his teacher's daughters often as they imitate Zach at their house - how funny!! Zach's favorite things these days: going to the pool, SuperHeroes of any kind (he got a Wolverine figure from McDonald's the other day and he's never heard of him or seen him before -- so he named him "Buster." Cracked me up - what a great super hero name!!), he loves reading, and has recently started making the letter "Z" and is very proud of himself (as are we)!!! He's a great little kid and even though he's only quiet when he sleeps these days, I love him so much!!!

Max is such a hoot! He's quiet and happy. He's mastering all kinds of new things each day. His FAVORITE thing is Cheerios! I'm pretty sure he could eat a box every 2 days if I let him! He gets so excited when he sees that yellow box come out of the pantry! I feel kind of bad as I've been trying to plan his 1st birthday party in October. I can't really think of anything he really likes or has favorites of (rather than Cheerios). And I don't think a Cheerios themed 1st birthday would be all that much fun, well maybe. But he is just so easy going. He is crawling everywhere. And his poor knees from our hard wood floors must be hurting because he does a funny crawl half the time where one foot is on the floor and the other knee is on the floor. Crazy, but he can move fast. And he's so quiet that I joke that we lose him several times a day! He'll entertain himself and be playing in a corner and we won't even know he's there. He now has 5 of the sharpest teeth ever. I'm sure the 6th one will be out soon, but I think we've gone through 7-12 bibs a day for the last 2 months. Luckily teething doesn't seem to bother him, too much. Generally Max will talk (babble) throughout the day and loves to imitate me when I hum to him at bedtime. He loves playing peek-a-boo and doing "so big!" He can sign "more" and we're working on "all done" which I think he'll get soon. We've just introduced sippy cups and he's doing pretty well with them. It's hard to tell because he's been refusing bottles lately, too. He has a lot of fun sitting on his butt and spinning in circles and will eat anything you put in front of him! Although, pureed baby food is getting turned down more and more lately. Guess that's a good thing though. He's such a kind and happy spirited little guy. I love every little inch of that kid!!!

Anyway, I've rambled on and on long enough tonight. Hopefully I'll be back here again sometime soon with a more cohesive thought process. For now, these are the things that make me smile!

:-)

Snow Day Fun

2009-03-03T19:31:00.008-05:00

Sorry it's been sooo long since I've posted. No excuses, just life. Yesterday we had our first snow day in forever here in VA! Zach had tons of fun playing out in the snow, and I had a pretty good time too. Here's a few pics from our adventures!!

Getting ready to go outside Sunday night, just after it began to snow. Good thing Grandma bought lots of snow gear "just in case"!!!Outside in the cul-de-sac playing with and watching the neighbor girls! Enjoying his first real Virginia snow!!!He even had to go down the icy slide! He had a blast!!!

Hope to be back with some cards soon!!! Till then...

A Fun List

2009-01-24T19:40:00.003-05:00

I don't normally do these, but I've seen this around the past few days and thought it might be fun! Here's a chance to get to know me a little better. If you play along, please put a link in my comments section so I can get to know you better, too!

The colored items, I've accomplished.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House - didn't get to go in though
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox twice
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Sweet and Simple

2009-01-18T12:01:00.004-05:00

Sweet and simple. That's the rally cry for these next cards. I was inspired by Kathi's card which was inspired by these cards by Jennifer McGuire. I loved them so much I went out and bought the Amore heart punch by Fiskers, just so I could create my own. And I LOVE my Swiss Dots embossing folder. It is so versatile and adds just enough depth to any card. I can't believe I just got it!!! The hearts are on pop dots for some added dimension. Quick and easy Valentine's Day cards!

Products Used: 1st card: Cranberry & White Daisy CS (CTMH); Amore Heart Punch (Fiskers); Scallop Scissors; Swiss Dots Cuttlebug Embossing Folder (Provo Craft). 2nd Card: Urban Rhapsody Die Cut Mat Pad (K&Co), Amore Heart Punch (Fiskers).

Bananas

2009-01-17T23:00:00.011-05:00

Zach's favorite food these days is bananas! He sometimes eats 3 a day! Usually it's just one or two, but sometimes he cons us into thinking he hasn't had one lately!!! Here are some cute pictures that I captured of him enjoying his favorite food the other day! I'm pretty sure he's going to turn into a monkey pretty soon! And I LOVE the faces he makes on command these days! He's so much fun to be around!!!
He got so impatient waiting for me to bring the peel down to eat the rest of the banana, he decided to try the peel. Good news is that he didn't actually bite it off! Crazy little guy!!!

Birthday Cards

2009-01-17T21:34:00.007-05:00

I can't believe it's been a week since I last posted. I've been busy creating and have some new artwork to share with you!!! The first card is for my Goddaughter's 1st birthday later this month! It has some fun dimension and lots of bling!! I used the Jen's SFYTT from last week for the inspiration for this card!

The second card is a birthday card for Lesa's Card for a Cause - Week 2. This week Lesa has chosen a local children's shelter. For those of you that tucked your kids in a warm bed tonight, fed them a good meal today and helped them with homework over the weekend, take a minute to think of the kids who have none of those benefits of a home. Think of those who have never had a gift or a party to celebrate their birthday. That's the cause for this week - birthday cards! What a great cause!!! I can't think of a little girl that doesn't like butterflies! (And it was so much fun to make a girly card again!!!) See Lesa's blog to send one of your own creations and make some little kid's birthday!!!

I used Crystal Stickles on the main image and for the dots on either side of Happy Birthday! The sketch is a Dec 07 Page Maps sketch.

Credits (All products CTMH unless otherwise indicated) PAPERS: Precious Paisley PP, Discovery PP; CS: White Daisy, Sweet Leaf, Hollyhock, Buttercup; STAMPS: The Best Way, Blissful Flight, Spring Possibilities, From Me to You; ACCESSORIES: Clear Sparkles, Amore Punch by Fiskers, Crystal Stickles by Ranger, Swiss Dots Embossing Folder for Cuttlebug by Provo Craft.

Cards for a Cause

2009-01-11T15:02:00.006-05:00

**I posted two separate posts today. Make sure you scroll down to see both!!!

One of my favorite things about crafting blogs is BLOG CANDY!!! I love getting inspiration from so many people and so many different points of view. When I was browsing last night, I came across two great blogs with some AWESOME candy. And the best news is that in order to win, you have to make a card for a great cause.

First is Jen's blog I{heart}2stamp. She is giving away over $450 worth of goodies and has an awesome new blog design. Her rules can be found here. She is having everyone make cards for the Dallas Baptist University's International Student Services Department. Go check it out, and make sure you bookmark her blog, it's full of inspiration!!! Here is my card for the students.

I know it's probably familiar to some of you, but I finally broke open my CTMH From Me to You kit from two years ago! I love the simplicity of the kit! I thought missing you would be appropriate for the students to send a card back home!

My second chance at blog candy is from Lesa's blog, Punkydoodle Papers. I just came across her blog last night and it looks like so much fun. She's doing a month long challenge for Cards for a Cause. Her Week One Cause is Valentine Cards for the Elderly. Her rules can be found here. I used a non-traditional Valentine, more of an all purpose, thinking of you card that is bright and cheery. I love the fact that she's bringing these cards to some nursing homes and assisted livings. Working in the business, I know how lonely and sad some of the residents can get. I will start donating some of my extra "stash" cards to the nursing home where I work as well. They may seem outdated to me, but if they'll brighten someone's day, it's well worth the smiles!!! My card uses the same kit as above! I love this kit!

Thanks to Jenn and Lesa for a chance to win. Join in and try for yourself.

Artwork, yeah!!!

2009-01-11T14:42:00.006-05:00

Well, with the new year, I've been trying to be better about getting into my scrap room to create more. So far, so good! On the 7th, I started a challenge with a few other CTMH scrappers to complete one creative project a day for 30 days! So far, I'm ahead of the game!!! If I can make 30 projects in 30 days, that'll be almost as much as I completed last year. (Not a great year for scrapping!) So I'm here to share some of my projects with you. I won't put all of them in one post, so I won't completely overwhelm you, though.

Here is a birthday card for one of Zach's friends who turned 2 on the 8th! I think it came out pretty cute. I think the sketch is from PageMaps. The paper and embellishments are all CTMH. I used Liquid Glass to outline all of the stamped images to make them pop, and I used pop dots to make the elephant and balloons 3D.

Happy New Year

2009-01-02T12:28:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year to everyone out there! It's been a crazy December, but hopefully life will be slowing down and becoming more managable again! We had our last Christmas celebration last night. I'm somewhat glad to have all of the chaos over and done with, but really hope I can keep the spirit of Christmas alive throughout the year!

Any resolution makers out there? I haven't made any official resolutions, but I do have a few goals for this year to make my life more fulfilling! Here are a few:
*I hope to get into my scrapping room at least twice a week and complete at least 2 scrapbook layouts a month!
*I hope to start eating more healthily and exercise more often not only to get healthier, but to set a good example for Zach and get him on the right track.
*I hope to take care of myself better this year. I've done a poor job of that the last few years, putting everyone else first, but I hope to make some time for myself to reflect, relax, and enjoy myself and the things that I really enjoy doing!

One of my favorite pictures from my Christmas celebrations!!! Grandma and I hanging out on Christmas Eve. When most of the family went to church at 4pm to watch my niece sing and my nephew read, I stayed home to get some of the food ready for dinner and help keep track of the kids. (I was going to chuch later that night, anyway.) When Grandma got home I asked her how church was. She said, "I prayed for you!" with a devilish sort of smile! While I know I can use all of the prayers out there, this simple statement just still makes me smile! She comes up with some of the best one liners out there! I can only hope to be as quick and funny as she is when I'm up in my 80's! I only wish I got to visit with her more! Hopefully in the new year!!!

What are your hopes and goals for 2009?

Quick Pics

2008-12-11T22:48:00.005-05:00

Just a few quick pics of my baby! Thinking about the pure joy and wonder of a child is definately worth smiling. I love to watch the world through Zach's eyes. All he sees around him are blessings. How I strive for that each day!!! I love this little boy!!!

So Thankful

2008-11-27T12:52:00.000-05:00

A proud papa and his baby!!! Feb 2007

Happy Thanksgiving!!! There are so many things in life right now to be so thankful for. I know it's been a tough year for a lot of people with the economy, but there is so much happiness that comes from the people around us. I am fortunate enough to have two of the best families around! Of course my immediate family is awesome and we have such a great time together! I am so excited to go back home for Christmas, I just can't wait!!! My other family (my husband's family) is so much more than I could have imagined, as well. I'm not sure how I've gotten so lucky, but I do treasure each and every one of my family members!!! And a girl couldn't ask for a better set of friends! I hope everyone else has a blessed and grateful Thanksgiving!!! Here are some pictures to show what a great family I have!!!

This is from Thanksgiving 2002 in Texas!!! Dad and his 4 girls!!! I can't help but smile everytime I see this picture!

This picture was taken in July 2006 with my immediate family including Grandma and Pa, Mom and Dad, sisters, brothers, brother-in-laws, and nieces and nephews. Michael and Steve weren't able to make it so their not pictured. Another cool thing about this picture, I found out I was pregnant with Zach the day this was taken!!!

Here's Grandma and Granddad teaching Zach about feeding the giraffes! They do soooooo much for us it's amazing! Zach is so lucky to have them as grandparents, and I'm so fortunate and grateful to have them as my in-laws!!!

And last, but certainly not least, I'm so grateful for my bestest friend, Kimmie!!! We've been best friends since high school and even though we live 2 time zones away, she has helped me through some really tough times and she's ALWAYS there for me! I love ya, Kimmie!!!

Fall Fun

2008-11-16T22:57:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I decided to take some pics of Zach while there were still a few leaves on the trees. He had such a great time on his slide! These pictures just show the pure joy of a 21 month old and how much fun it is to be a kid! These pictues really make me smile. I hope they make you smile, too! Enjoy!

Looks like he's ready to get into something here, doesn't it?!?

Whee!

If only there weren't trash bags in the background! Hope everyone has a great week! I'm excited because I get to spend some extra time with Zach this week instead of working everyday!!!

Memories of NYC

2008-11-10T19:24:00.000-05:00

For our4th wedding anniversary, Michael (or Jeff) and I went to New York City for a few days. It was my first visit and I was soooo excited. I think we stuffed as many touristy and authentic New York moments into the few days as possible. Highlights of our trip were seeing Bobby Flay at Mesa Grill our first night in the city, seeing Young Frankenstein on Broadway, eating at Two Times Square for our anniversary dinner, and just taking in all of the wonderful sites. It was pretty cold (in the 40's and 50's) so most of our pictures show only our coats. So much for my cute clothes that I had to buy just for New York! Anyway, here's a picture of the two of us on our last night in the Big Apple. We went down to Central Park (about 3 blocks from our hotel) and took a carriage ride around the park. It was beautiful. We had such a great time and I can't wait until we can go back again! Just one more thing that makes me SMILE!!!

October 24, 2008. NYC

A quick smile

2008-11-02T22:28:00.000-05:00

Zach's first Trick-or-Treating Halloween!

I think this is the cutest rear view of a costume! It's so funny since he looks so short and stocky instead as a usually tall and skinny giraffe!

Enjoying his Halloween loot - we hit 4 houses in approximately 25 minutes - they were all within our cul-de-sac! His first sucker!!! I think he likes it!!!

Getting some rest

2008-07-29T15:36:00.001-04:00

Well, I had every intention of going into work today, but my doctor had other ideas. Turns out I have Bronchitis! I guess that would explain why I have had NO energy the past few days. Anyway, when the doctor sent me home to rest (and the little guy being at Daycare), I decided I'd do some scrapbooking today - that doesn't take much energy, right!?! Well, I've done no scrapbooking because it got in the way of my naps! But I have been doing some the past few nights. Here are few cards that I made late last week! I've also almost completed my 1st scrapbook page in forever! I'll show it to you soon! Until then.... enjoy - and get some rest!!!

All products CTMH (except Prima Flower). Papers from Whoops a Daisy My Reflections kit. Elephant and Bella were paper pieced. MwahBella from StampingBella.com. Enjoy!

Heather :-)

Bath Fun

2008-07-28T22:35:00.000-04:00

Here are some recent pics of my little one that make me smile!!! He's trying out some facial hair!!!! :-) I can't believe the soap tasted that good, but he just kept doing it! He thought he was pretty cool - and why shouldn't he!!!!!

So Disappointed

2008-05-18T20:05:00.000-04:00

This weekend I took TONS of photos! We had my husband's birthday, we went to the zoo, we played over at my in-laws house with tons of pics of the little one! I was really trying to work on my photography skills and I took tons of pictures. Well, last night I was going through and deleting some from my memory card and somehow or another I managed to delete them ALL. I was so disappointed. I hated having to tell my hubby that we just lost all of the pics from earlier that day. We had some really cute ones where the little one was pushing his play lawn mower through my in-laws yard and him peeking out of the big box their lawn furniture came in. Oh well, at least we still have the memories. And it's not like we don't have any other pics of the kid from earlier this week. I think I've learned that I'm not going to delete pics while the card is in the camera any more. I'll download them all first!!!

I know I promised to show pics of new artwork last week, but I don't seem to get on to blog as frequently as I think I will. So here is the Mother's Day card I made for my mom. My MIL's card is very similar, but uses Sillouhette paper instead of Whoops a Daisy from CTMH. The inside has a mini accordian album.

Here's a card that I made last week. I used only scraps from the Mother's Day cards I made. I've really enjoyed using scraps lately for cards. I feel like it justifies me buying new papers and it saves bigger pieces of paper for my scrapping, which I hope to do more of soon! The quality of the pics isn't great, but you get the idea. The colors are so much more vivid in person! Enjoy!

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T22:14:00.000-04:00

I want to wish all of you out there a very Happy Mother's Day! Unfortunately, I didn't get to spend my Mother's Day with my mom, but I did get to spend it with my little one and my mother-in-law. We had a great day. At church today, our sermon was about "a complaint-free world." They gave us little bracelets to wear to be more concious of our complaints and to try to be complaint free for 21 days! That should be a challenge! I try to generally stay pretty upbeat and happy, but I know I complain more than I should. I have soooooo much in life to be thankful for. I challenge all of you to try to be complaint-free today (or tomorrow!). Imagine what a great world it would be if we all complained less!

Well, I was on a mad creative streak on Friday and will share pics tomorrow! Until then, I can't have a post without a pic of the little man! Here he is with Grandma and Granddad D. They sure do think the world of our little guy!

Finally, some cards!

2008-04-30T22:45:00.000-04:00

I've finally taken some pics of the cards I've been working on lately. I bought some new Bella stamps a little while ago and I'm finally using them. Most everything else on the cards is CTMH and all of the paper is scraps! Yeah - way to use up my huge scrap pile!! Without further ado...

Stamps: Jammybella, Javabella, Teddybella (Stamping Bella), Say it in Style, Precious (CTMH)

Papers: CTMH B&T scraps, CS

Flowers - Cricut; Faux Dew Drops from Michael's; CTMH Colored Pencils; Gel Roller Pens;

Cuttlebug Embossing Folders

And here's a pic for my family! You've just gotta love his infectious smile!

I sure hope he never loses that!

A work in progress

2008-04-29T19:33:00.001-04:00

Ok, so I'm trying to figure out how to make my picture a bit smaller and my title a bit more artistic. I'm working on it and promise a better looking blog soon! Also, I've been playing in my craft room and have some great new Bella cards to show! I will also have some new CTMH stuff soon (hopefully)! I'm hoping this blog will get me up to my craft room more often so I can relax and create.

I need to take some pics of my new creations, but until then, here's something that always makes me smile . . .

This is my little man on Pearl Street in Boulder, CO last week! As we were walking along, some guy said, "Hey, look at that kid in the Bill Cosby sweater." I could have died laughing. I guess he was a bit overdressed for the casual Boulder!!! :-)

Here it goes.....

2008-03-24T22:32:00.000-04:00

My latest addiction has been blog surfing. After a few weeks of checking out some of my favorites, I've decided to create my own. I'm hopeful that it will give me a place to reflect after a long day, provide me with motivation to create and share the cards and scrapbook pages that are swimming in my head, and give me an outlet to connect to my friends and family that seem to get further and further away every day. Now as you can tell, run-on sentences are my forte, so bear with me! It's getting late now, but I promise to TRY to come back tomorrow to play some more. For now, here's my favorite new pic of my little man.

Here he is . . . pondering the significance of Easter (with a basket on his head!).