How is it even possible to say something that simultaneously embarrasses and disgusts an 18 month old?
Is she rolling her eyes?
Can't you just hear her thinking "Oh puhhhhhleeeeeze".
And also, why are my girls all so facially expressive? I love it. Four big personalities make life pretty fun.
Happy Wednesday y'all!
xxo
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One of the amazing ladies that reads this blog (and has for a long time) is Victoria. She works for Stuck On You, which has long been my favorite source for labels for the girls.
When Victorial contacted me saying that Stuck on You would like to send the girls some new artist activity packs, I went and took a look and said yes please (with a BIG thank you). To be honest with you, I get a lot of emails from companies wanting to send me things to review. And it's not something I do a lot.
But this is something I really wanted to share with you guys.
The packs are amazing. And I know they would be something that Harper and Sadie would love.
Here's a little bit about these packs:
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Hey guys! It's midnight on the 28th and that means a new Studio Calico kit reveal!
I'm really loving this month. I had more fun than I've had scrapping in a LONG time and I attribute that to loving what April put together for June. :)
This month I got
So Cal (obviously!)
And here's what I came up with:
18 mos.
Made using:
I loved this Pink Paislee paper the moment I set eyes on it:
I knew I had to use it as the focus as a page.I hand cut four of the zig zags and layered them to make diamonds.
I filled in the diamonds with the SC pp from this month.
The photo block is layered on 2 sheets of vellum. I just love this page and it makes me so ridiculously happy! I'm really pleased with the way the journaling turned out,too.
But
Made using:
This photo of the girls is one of my all time favorites. I enlarged it and printed it and didn't want to cover much of it with embellishments.
I had the idea to make this little "clothesline" out of twine and secure the ends with washi tape. I cut hearts from the vellum, and hung labels,die cuts,buttons,and sequins from the clothesline.
I adore the MME "elated,smile,etc" tag and I'm so glad I figured out a way to use it.
The adhesive lace from Malibu is awesome and I had a blast using it. It is a BIG roll...lots of bang for your buck!
If You Were Here
Made using:
He is going to KILL me for using this photo of him in my sunglasses. HAHAHA. I don't care. I think he looks hot even if he was wearing lady glasses.
I cut the letters from the SC patterned paper and "painted them" using Mister Huey's in Dewey (mixed with some water).
I really like the twine/button/butterfly embellishment clusters.
Yes, I use butterflies on "man pages". Why not? :)
Thank You
Made using:
I think this might be my favorite layout this month.
Did I mention how much I loved that adhesive lace? :)
I'm not really into hexagons (or stamps-HA!) but I actually really liked this stamp set.
Not much to explain about this one!
It was so nice to really click with a kit again. I've missed that feeling of loving what I'm making.
Sometimes you guys ask what I loved most for the month. I have to say that (even though Venice Beach was the DT favorite) I enjoyed using Malibu the most.
It's the add-on that is most "me" this month, I suppose.
See you later, thanks for stopping by!
xoxo
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I had someone ask on Twitter if it was time for a Blog Your Heart (thanks Smitha!) and I realized...oh POOP- when is the last time I did a Blog Your Heart?
And I don't even know. The intent was for it to be the last day of the month but somewhere along the way I stopped doing it.
So today I'm doing it.
Here is the idea behind BYH:
1.Blog whatever is on your heart. It can be serious,silly,angry,happy,blunt,ridiculous. It can be ANYTHING but it has to be authentic (yes,there's that dang buzz word...but to be fair I've been a proponent of authenticity for a long time). The post can be long or short, doesn't matter.
2.No judging. No snarky comments, no making fun, no passive agressive digs. If you are goingto read the blogs linked in the comments, don't be mean.
3. If you play along- link in the comments. I always read and comment on every single blog and alot of you do. I've noticed a cool community of women that grows out of these posts.
Here goes.
1.I am getting that perturbed feeling I get leading up to Memorial Day. I'm already seeing the tweets,the ads,etc. about Memorial Day being "the kick off for summer!!!" the "biggest party" etc. I can't deal with it. I get that most people aren't in the military lifestyle. I get that. I don't expect them to be. But the blatant...I don't know miseducation? ignorance? on Memorial Day makes my stomach ache. I've made a choice that I have to stay away from the internet this year. It may sound harsh,but it's the way i feel. Memorial day is MORE than a picture of the beach and a post about the party you are going to. I'm sorry,but it is.
I get that it is a party for most. Heck,many of my amazing army wife friends are having BBQs. I am not asking people to be gloomy and depressed all day. I am not asking people to not have fun. The basic lack of awareness just makes my stomach hurt. I know this is a personal issue...it most likely always will be to me.
2.I fell off the TurboFire wagon.Sigh. Sick kids,migraines,laziness....I have a million excuses but the fact is I stopped. And I strongly dislike myself for it. So today I start. I'm not saying I won't lose track again...but I'm not giving in to the giving up.
3.I have a love/hate relationship with scrapbooking right now. I love the process (sometimes),hate what I make. It's been like that since J left. I only have time for assignments lately. I stopped Project Life completely. I have all this great stuff and I never use it. I got burned out on the competitiveness and self-promotion I saw. I am not into that and it made me lose track on WHY I create. In July my official obligations are over. I plan to get back to my roots and why I did this in the first place.
4.My mom comes next week. I have never been more grateful or more ready for a helping pair of hands. I've felt "on the verge" lately. On the verge of crying, screaming, saying I CAN'T DO THIS. I want to have FUN with my girls. No worry, no what should i be doing,no guilt. I am ready to play and my mom is the master of that.
5.This past weekend we had a senior leader's forum. I was part of a small group that had one on one conversation with Annie McChrystal and Lisa Faris (among others). It was amazing,inspiring...pinch me wonderful. We had this forum that we will never have again. A chance to ask,admit,wonder anything...and get feedback from amazing leaders. To say it was a rare gift is an understatement.
6.I miss blogging. I am happier and more me when I blog. I am committed to taking time for me again, getting up earlier than the girls again...and blogging. It is therapy that I need and not doing it has worn me down. It's important to me and I need to make time for it.
7. I LOVE my job at MME.It is great being creative and using a part of my brain for someone other than my children. It has been so good for my morale and that is something I didn't expect.
Whew- I guess I needed to do one of these posts! If you are reading today,please say hi. These are always very vulnerable posts to do, but I feel better when I do and many of you can identify.
If you BYH today, feel free to snag the graphic but (as always) link back here.
Have a beautiful day, my friends.
xoox
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thanks SO much for all of your kind words about our year in RI. and yes...i was a tad sidetracked by the house yesterday. i kept losing track of the pile of laundry i was folding...because i was rearranging furniture in my head!
and then i went to take all the JUNK off of the stairs (i mean, what IS IT WITH PILES ON THE STAIRS??? please tell me you have this neverending problem too!) and i was sidetracked by this:
WHAT? who cares about piles on the stairs when there are the cutest babies ever kissing?
and then later in the day i finally focused for a bit and i was vacuuming when we found these sweet shades that J wore to an 80's party a couple of years ago.
and...yep- you guessed it. sidetracked again.
well, we might be living in a disaster zone...but at least we are having fun, yes?
YES.
or at least this is what i keep telling myself. HA!
happy wednesday!
xxo
s
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i think that admitting my weaknesses to the interwebs has some advantages.
1. no headache today
2.I FOUND US A HOME!
that's right. right after i blogged yesterday i found us a home in RI! and it is my dream house. it will be the perfect place to spend a year together.
the porch (es) scream "sit in rocking chairs and drink wine after the kids go to sleep".
the front door is perfect for j to walk in EVERY SINGLE DAY!
the yard is a dream yard for the girls.
and the public elementary school? is amazing.
the homeowners are kind,helpful,and encouraging. and they have a college aged daughter in the area who babysits!!
it is going to be a year long vacation for us. i mean that. that is how i am looking at it. this year is going to be a gift!
now wish me luck getting anything else done for the next few months. this is not going to help my daydreaming problems!
thanks to all of you for listening to me...i really do think y'all are good luck!!!
please forgive the overabundance of capital letters and exclamation points in this post. i'm a tad over-excited if you can't tell.
now who's coming to visit?? :)
xoxo
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18 months old is the best age in the WORLD. Hands down. I forget every time and I fall in love with this age all over again.
Chubby legs running, slobbery kisses,snugggles,chattering,laughing.The BEST.
On another note,yes I'm around and okay. I've been out of town 2 weekends in a row...finding a house in RI (having bad luck there),finishing the school year,preparing for a visit from BB,etc etc.
I am just fine but I've started having ocular migraines again. This tells me I'm pushing myself...and I know that. I'm taking the necessary measures to make sure I take care of my girls and me, and that means not blogging as much. I simply can't do it ALL and I have to accept that. So I hope you will excuse my intermittent presence here.
Thanks for those of you who have checked on me. I swear I have the most compassionate blog readers and friends in the world.
xoxo
s
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from this:
to this:
pretty much sums up everyday life right now.and i wouldn't change it for anything in the world.
xo
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photo taken outside the olde pink house on harper's sixth birthday
This photo terrifies me.
Because she's six...but I see glimpses of sixteen. I can see what she will look like as a woman,and it makes my heart hurt.
The funny thing is,I can see myself looking back on this photo when she is sixteen and treasuring how little she was.
She is so beautiful.
Do you ever have moments like this with your children? Where you look at a captured image and see glimpses of the future?
It simultaneously thrills and terrifies me.
And when things like this happen,my heart says a quick prayer and it always sounds a little something like this..
Please Lord. Let me be there to see the real thing.
Every day I watch her grow is a privilege.
I think every mother gets scared. Scared that it will be hard. Scared that she won't know what to do. Scared that something will happen and she won't get to witness it at all.
How does one photo have the power do that? It's actually quite amazing. And one of the many,many reasons I love photographs.
I hope you all have a beautiful day!
xoxo
S
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it's a joy to be able to witness 2 almost 18 months old feel the sand under their toes for the first time.
it's a treat to watch the sand move under their legs as the tide comes in and to see the complete and utter confusion on their little faces.
there is nothing...and i mean NOTHING cuter than chubby baby legs and swimsuits.
watching a baby accidentally eat sand for the very first time is hilarious.
cate found it hilarious too.
this one kind of grosses me out b/c it looks strangely real. but that is a beach toy:
and i have to tell you...there is major satisfaction to be found in the simple act of taking your four children to the beach without your husband's help.
it was a major i CAN do it moment! yes...the bigs were there, but i didn't get any photos because they were frolicking in the ocean and i couldn't leave the babies for a second. :)
hope your monday is beautiful,blessed,and productive.
xoxo
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