Life Is an Artform

{MME Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop}

Thanks for joining the My Mind’s Eye Holiday Hoopla Blog Hop!!  It’s so nice of you TO COME  by. (Hint: these are your last 2 words of the secret phrase)

If you are just joining us, start at the MME Blog for a chance to win some fabulous prizes. Our blog hop will close Wednesday, December 28, 2011 at midnight.

There will be two ways to win at our party: 

1) Grand prize: After visiting every blog, email Amber the secret phrase.  One winner will receive our 12 Days of Christmas collection and both Kraft Funday collections!

2) Bonus entry: We will randomly draw one of our designer’s blogs and draw one winner from the comments on that designer’s blog.  This winner will receive our entire 12 Days of Christmas collection!

I was asked to feature one of my favorite layouts from this past year.  How could I chose just one?  I have to admit that Lost and Found 2 is my favorite collection EVER!!  I designed this layout for the My Mind’s Eye October Newsletter.  When I saw the FABULOUS glittered Lost and Found 2 Collections – I knew they would be perfect to scrapbook this portrait of Desiree taken by my dad.  I used both the Breeze and Sunshine lines.  LOVE all the glittered page elements – a timeless collection. 

You are almost done hopping – now HOP on back to the MME’s Blog and e-mail them the secret phrase.  Make sure you leave a comment here so you are entered to win our bonus prize.  Come back soon and Merry Christmas!!!

{Hope’s Journey}

My friend, Stephanie Worlton, published a touching book this year – “Hope’s Journey”.  It is an autobiographical novel about her personal experience with teen pregnancy and the journey of self discovery that ensued.  I really like how it tells the story from both the girl’s and the boy’s point of view.  I found myself laughing, crying, and left with a new understanding.  My fifteen year old also really enjoyed this book.  She now has a better perspective of the consequences of her behavior and understanding of self worth.

A note from the author:

A life changing mistake.

A soul changing journey.

Sometimes when people hear that I wrote a book about teen pregnancy their eyes roll back in their heads. "Oh," they typically answer, either completely turned off by the idea or intimidated by it.
....And then they read it (or at least some of them do) and discover something completely different than what they were expecting. It's not heavy or preachy or idealistic. It's real and intimate and (hopefully) engaging. Alex and Sydney could be the kids next door. They could be your neighbors, your friends, your family members, or maybe even you. And, while the "event" that sets this story into motion is teen pregnancy, that's not what it's really  about. Simply put, "Hope's Journey" is a story of self-discovery. It is a story of love, faith, forgiveness... and most of all hope!  Writing a story with the subtext of teen pregnancy wasn't easy, but "Hope's Journey" is more than a story... it's a message. A message that regardless of who others - and even ourselves - think we are, each of us is important in the eyes of our Creator. And, because we have value, we have been provided a Savior through whom there is always HOPE.”

Her Blog   *  See it on Good Reads  * Amazon – you can read the first chapter online 

A trailer for her book:

{The BEST Queso ever!}

This is our family's FAVORITE New Year's Eve recipe - a flavorful and addictive Tamale Queso Dip.  Be careful, after one bite -  you just can't stop.  We have wonderful memories of sitting around the island - laughing, talking, and feasting on this delicious dip.  We also like to make it for a Christmas Eve appetizer.  We love that it is so simple and easy to make.  Be prepared for everyone to request this recipe from you.  Enjoy!
 
Tamale Queso Dip
 
1 lb. (4 c.) Velveeta Cheese
2 cans Rol-tel Tomatoes
1 can Chili Con Carne (without beans)
1 can tamales
Dash Worch. Sauce
Dash of garlic salt
 
Melt the cheese, add tomatoes, then chili, over medium heat.  Remove paper from tamales and mash them with a fork, and add remaining ingredients.  Serve in a warm crockpot with corn chips, Fritos, etc.  (We always double this recipe, or triple for large crowds)

{Wise Men Still Seek Him}

Three modern-day wise men show us that the greatest gift we can give Jesus Christ is the will of our hearts.

{Curtains are FINALLY Hung!}

Whew!!  After a few weeks and countless hours of work – I finally got my Family Room curtains sewn and hung.  I have to admit, they were a very overwhelming project.  The curtains are 17 feet tall – so I used 24 yards of Velvet Damask and 24 yards of lining material. Each curtain panel has two widths of the fabric sewn together. That is 144 feet of material – almost half of a football field!!  It was pretty hard to maneuver and work with all 48 yards of fabric, it was very heavy too.  But, I persevered and they are done!  The funny thing is that I couldn’t put up my Christmas tree until they were hung, because I needed room for the ladder (very scary to climb). So I finally got my Christmas tree up on Saturday. Nath is pretty excited about them too – they were quite a necessity.  We get western sunlight in the evenings and it is hard to carry on a conversation with the sun in your eyes.  They also will provide great insulation.

I actually bought all the fabric in July at JoAnn Fabrics. It was 50% off and I also used a 20% off coupon they e-mailed me.  So I got it all at 70% off – yea!!  I selected a neutral color, so they will go with any color scheme I use.  LOVE the crushed velvet damask pattern.

{Victoria’s Dance Recital}

Today was Victoria’s Christmas Dance Recital.  She did a fabulous job and we enjoyed watching her on stage.  Her little cousins came to support and watch her too!  We even got to attend their dance recital later that night.  Special thanks to my brother, Chris for recording her dance for us. 

Our favorite part is in this photo where she strikes a pose over everyone. I think she is looking WAY too grown up! (She is on the last row, on the right side.  Sadly, the back of the stage wasn’t lit very well.)

{Desiree’s New Set of Wheels}

This picture has a LONG story.

On May 10th, Desiree was practicing her splits after a dress rehearsal for her dance recital.  It was about 45 degrees outside, and she really wanted to get them flat.  So she bounced up and forced herself down flat in splits.  Note - when your muscles resist and they aren't warmed up - don't force them). 

At that moment, she felt and heard a rip.  It was her hamstring detaching and a piece of bone ripping off her pelvis.  She was in excruciating pain.  We took her to an Orthopedic Surgeon and got an MRI the following day.  The MRI confirmed a complete avulsion of her ishial tuberosity.  They hoped it would heal on its own without surgery.

She had a month of bedrest, went to EFY at BYU in a wheelchair, then used crutches for a month, and finally started walking in August.  After 3 months of physical therapy, and growing pain - we knew something wasn't right.

She had a second MRI in October that showed the bone still hadn't reattached.  So, on October 24th, she underwent surgery. They had to scrape her pelvis to the bone so the piece would reattach and grow back together. She now had 2 titanium pins in her pelvis.  The surgeon was able to stich together the surrounding torn hamstring muscles and tendons.  She now has a long 4 inch scar where she sits.

The first few weeks were very rough and painful.  The leg brace was to keep her knee bent to take pressure off her hamstring while it healed.  She missed 7 weeks of school and finally started attending 1/2 days of school this week in her wheelchair.  It really hurts to sit for extended peroids of time.  She has been very brave and has had a positive attitude through it all.  She is starting to take a few light steps with her crutches and will start intense physical therapy this month.

So, now you know another reason I was sparse in blog posting for a while, besides moving into our home and unpacking.  It was pretty hard taking care of a teenager on bedrest and in lots of pain - but we survived and things are only getting better! :)

 



{A Gift to the World}

A touching movie of the Christmas Story – the birth of our Lord.

{Holiday Hoopla Project}

Here is the project I created for the My Mind’s Eye Holiday Hoopla.  They will be spotlighting Holiday projects from designers all month!  With each post, they will be giving away a “12 Days of Christmas” Collection from the comments.

You don’t have to wait until December 26th to scrapbook Christmas photos!  Why not dust off pictures from your “Christmas Past” and scrapbook a layout to use as holiday décor?  I really enjoyed scrapbooking this older photo of my kids in their Christmas PJ’s – and setting it on my accent table for all to see.  The gorgeous GLITTERED Lost and Found Christmas papers coordinate perfectly with my holiday decorations.  My kids love looking at it every day as they walk by – it gets them excited about all of the Christmas fun that is just around the corner!

{Fun Day with Lincoln Logs}

A layout I designed for the December MME Newsletter.  I took these photos Thanksgiving weekend.  It was so fun to see Nath and the kids gathered on the floor – building with Lincoln Logs.  Great times!!! The new “Fun Day” Collection worked great with my photos.

{Happiness}

Love this photo my dad took of Desiree holding her sweet little cousin, Aaron, at a family barbecue this summer.  She was making him giggle and he captured the joy perfectly!!!

This is pure happiness!

It is her screensaver on her iPod now.

{My Latest Project}

In August, I was called to be a counselor in our Stake Young Women’s Presidency.  It has been a joy to work with such wonderful women and young women!  My latest project has been our Stake Young Women Recognition Night, where we had a program recognizing all the Young Women and Leaders/Mothers who received their YW Medallion this year and completed their Personal Progress.  This YW Medallion is a culmination of years of work and tens of hours of projects, spiritual study, and service.  Can you believe we had over 40 receive it this year?!?!  Incredibly wonderful!! 

I got to put together a slideshow featuring those who received their award, and another one spotlighting all the YW in our stake – showing their activities, camps, sports, and just having fun together!  (Special thanks to my brother, Chris, for helping me put it together with his cool software). We also had a dinner before the program for all the recipients and their parents (or husband)  – it was such a special evening.  It made all the hours of preparation worth it.

{Encouraging Message of Hope}

This was just what I needed to hear today. 

{Time to Create Christmas Cards!}

Here are some cards featured on the My Mind’s Eye Blog.

Thanksgiving is almost upon us - and before you know, it will be time to start sending Christmas cards to loved ones. Thank goodness My Mind’s Eye has a festive and bright new Christmas line that will make card making a breeze – “12 Days of Christmas”. This line is complete with chipboard embellishments, brads, fabulous 3-D stickers, a die cut sheet, beautiful rhinestones, and adorable trims.

I had a delightful time creating these cards. It was amazing how easily they came together as I combined these wonderful dimensional elements to make my cards.

I used the blue and white twine from the “trims” to hang the ornaments on my card, then inserted brads for a finishing touch. I embellished the chipboard presents with rhinestones and pearls to make them pop!

Have fun creating!!

{Corn Belly’s Maze}

Here is the layout I designed for the November My Mind’s Eye Newsletter.  It was fun to scrapbook photos from our day at Corn Belly’s at Thanksgiving Point from 3 years ago.  What a perfect place to celebrate fall!!  The MME Mischievous line isn’t just for Halloween – perfect for fall photos too.

Journaling reads:

“The kids loved the David Archuleta Corn Maze, playing in the corn box (a small wood building FILLED with dried corn to play in – so FUN!), go carts, slides, bouncing, and soup in bread bowls.”

It is hard to read in the photo - but there is a sign on the GIANT rocking chair that says: "Corn Bellys ROCKS!" - funny!!  The kids also have cool face paintings - Jacob's is a fire breathing dragon.

I made the pinwheel by scoring the diagonal paper every 1/4”, then folded it, hot glued it on a little circle and inserted a decorative brad in the center.

{Charming Little Lady}

This is a layout I designed for the Summer CHA samples.  The beautiful new Lost and Found 2 Blush collection was perfect for this photo of Desiree in her baptism dress.  LOVE all the fabulous glittered pages and embellishments.  My Mind’s Eye constantly amazes me with their fabulous designs!

{My Little Princess}

A sweet layout of Victoria using the pretty and elegant MME Lust and Found 2 Blush collection.  Isn’t the pink pearl swirl just elegant!?!? 

{Desiree’s Quinceañera}

I can’t believe Desiree is 15!!!  She LOVES the Latin American culture and enjoys speaking Spanish.  Since we couldn’t afford a real Quinceañera, and she technically insn’t of Latin American descent – she had a mini Quinceañera (or Fifteen-era) with her friends.  Of course we HAD to serve Tres Leches – the BEST cake ever!!  It was her first party with boys too.  They played Just Dance 2 on the Wii, played games, basketball, made s’mores around the fire pit, and ate a ton!

I am so thankful she has a great group of friends that helped her celebrate!!

{Blueberry Streusel Muffins}

Here is one of of favorite breakfast treats.  These muffins are so delicious.  The cinnamon streusel topping adds the perfect touch!  The muffins aren’t overly sweet, so the streusel really compliments them . They are actually quite easy to make too.   I got this recipe 16 years ago from a friend when I was attending college.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1/4 c. butter, softened
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 1/3 c. flour
• 4 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 c. milk
• 1 t. vanilla
• 1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:

• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. flour
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/4 c. butter

In a mixing bowl, cream sugar and butter.  Add egg, mix well.  Combine flour, baking powder, and salt: add to creamed mixture alternately with milk.  Stir in vanilla, fold in blueberries.  Fill 12 greased or paper lined muffin cups.  In a small bowl, combine dry ingredients and cut in butter until crumbly.  Sprinkle over muffins.  Bake at 375 for 25-30 minute, or until browned.  Makes 1 dozen muffins.

We made these as a special treat for General Conference this morning.  I LOVE watching and listening to Conference.  I look forward to it every 6 months – it gives me the encouragement and direction I need and helps me reevaluate my life and priorities.  I am always amazed by the inspired messages from our leaders.

{Happy Birthday Desi!}

 

This lucky girl got 2 birthday celebrations – one with our family, and one with her friends.  That also meant TWO Tres Leches cakes for her 15th birthday, YUM!!!

{YW Posters}

My friend volunteers at the LDS Young Women Resource Room in the basement of the Relief Society Building at Temple Square.  If you haven’t had a chance to visit it – it is worth a trip!  They have hundreds of posters with ideas for Young Women activities, camps, Personal Progress, etc.  They are re-doing the posters in preparation for General Conference.  We had fun creating these two – the first spotlighted a group of 12 and 13 year old Young Women in our stake who ran a 5K as a Knowledge project for Personal Progress – AMAZZING!!

The second poster highlights our June Stake Youth Conference.  Nath and I got to serve as “Parents” and loved our family of 9 teenagers.  It was a memorable and spiritually strengthening experience for us all.  The theme was “Who Am I?” – and focused on who we are and who we want to become.

{We FINALLY Moved in!!!}

We are so excited and relieved to report that we FINALLY moved into our new home on Saturday!  This marks the end of a 16 month journey.  It all started a year ago in May, when we felt impressed that we should move and put our house on the market.  A crazy month of cleaning, de-junking, and painting followed.  We listed our home in June of 2010.  After 5 months and over 70 showings – we finally got an offer on our home from a wonderful family.  We moved into our rental home on December 11th.  We signed the contract to build our home on January 4th.  After a few months of planning and revisions – we finally broke ground at the end of March.  They poured our foundation at the end of April, and our home was complete in August.  Unfortunately, we had a few delays with closing and the appraisal – and we had already given notice to our landlord and a family was already moving into our rental home.  So, my kind and generous parents invited us to live with them for a few weeks and we moved our stuff into 3 storage units on August 7th.

Whew – what an experience!!  We are so thankful for the many hours of help we received from family and friends – we couldn’t have done it without them.  School started today, and I am excited to get unpacked and organized and finally get settled after this long journey.

{A Bug’s Life}

My heart has been LONGING to go to Disneyland lately.  But, since we are saving our pennies for the down payment on our home, a trip just isn’t in the budget this year.

So, the next best thing is to scrapbook a photo from a previous vacation there – 3 years ago!

It is fun to see how much the kids have grown up and changed (kind of sad too).  We LOVE Bug Land at Disney’s California Adventure.  Such delightful memories there.  My Mind’s Eye’s Lime Twist Collection was PERFECT for these bright photos.

8 Things We Love about Flick’s Fun Fair:

1. Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train

2. Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies

3. “It’s Tough to Be a Bug” 4-D Movie

4. Francis’ Ladybug Boogie

5. Dot’s Splash Park

6. Flick and Anna’s Show

7. The Giant Plants

8. Flick’s Flyers

{Catch a Wave}

Here is a fun layout I designed for the July My Mind’s Eye Newsletter.  I used their summery Good Day Sunshine Collection.

I was fun to scrapbook photos from our cruise to the Mexican Riviera 2 years ago.  Great memories of body boarding and playing on the beach in Mazatlan, Mexico.  Sadly, Victoria got stung by a jelly fish about an hour after these were taken.  She was a brave girl – but it was pretty traumatic.

We like to focus on the fun we had BEFORE the incident.

{All About Jacob}

We had a lot of fun selecting photos for Jacob’s “Student of the Week” Poster.

· Birthday: September

· Favorite Color is BLUE

· Favorite Food: Pizza and Pears

· Favorite Movie: Despicable Me

· He Collects: Geodes, Crystals, Cool Rocks, and lots of Legos

· Loves to build Lego creations

· He likes to draw and paint

· Favorite book: “Chocolate Touch”

· Favorite Game: Lego Indiana Jones 2

· Wants to be a Lego Creator, Architect, or Mineralogist when he grows up

· Favorite Sports: Basketball and Football

{Party Girl}

A simple little layout of Victoria’s 9th birthday – from 2 years ago.  I thought it was so fun that I found a cake to match her new swimsuit!!  Never too late to dust off those pictures and and scrapbook them.  LOVE the giant Blue rick rack and the MME Hip Hooray Birthday collection.

{MME Birthday Blog Hop!!}

We’re celebrating the My Mind’s Eye Blog’s 2nd Birthday with a Blog Hop.  We are also giving away our biggest prize of the year – our entire CHA’s release!!  If you’ve seen Lost and Found 2 and all the other fabulous collections, you know it is amazing!  So – start at the MME Blog and hop to each designer’s blog.

• Grand Prize: After visiting every blog, email Amber the secret words.  One winner will receive one of everything in our CHA-S release.  (7 blogs = 7 words).
• Bonus Entry: We will randomly draw one of our designer’s blogs and draw one winner from the comments on that designer’s blog.  This winner will receive the collection of their choice!

My word for July is CELEBRATE!  This month of full of fun family celebrations and BBQ’s such as the 4th of July and the 24th of July – or Pioneer Day (a state holiday in Utah where we celebrate the day Pioneers arrived and settled our state).  We celebrate with parades, fireworks, and family BBQ’s – so we pretty much get two 4th of July-ish celebrations this month!! 

My absolute favorite Holiday to celebrate is CHRISTMAS.  And who doesn’t love “Christmas in July”?!?!  I created this layout using the FABULOUS new Lost and Found Christmas collection.  The glittered papers and embellishments are so magical!  It is so fun to layer their chipboard elements and 3-D stickers.  I also love the red, green, brown, and cream color palette – such timeless and classic collection.

Thanks for visiting.  Now “hop” on over to Courtney’s wonderful blog.

{Moments that Matter Most}

LOVE this video.  A great reminder to SLOW down our busy pace so we can focus on the most important things in life.

This is based on a fabulous talk by Deiter F. Uchdorf.

{Real Life “UP” House}

If you like Disney/Pixar’s movie “UP” – you’ll love this!  Just 1/4 mile from our rental home they have built a real life replica of the “UP” House!!  Bangerter Homes built it for a model home in the Salt Lake City, UT Parade of Homes (a 2 week open house featuring about 30 homes from various builders, tickets required for entry).  They even got permission from Disney to do it.  It is absolutely charming – my kids just LOVE it!  I am amazed by the details they have included: the weathervane, garden hose, scalloped shingles and shakes, painted mailbox, gate and picket fence – that is only the exterior.  They are finishing up the interior right now.  It even features the picture of the falls over the mantle and the mural Ellie painted in the nursery.  They are custom upholstering the “his” and “hers” chairs and had custom appliances made.  In the basement they decorated a boy’s room based on Andy’s Room from “Toy Story” and a Princess Room for a lucky girl.  It is 2800 sq feet and has an asking price of only $399K.  Of course they will tie balloons to the chimney for the Parade of Homes when it opens July 29th.  So fun – can’t wait to tour it inside (we pass it at least twice a day!)

You can read an article about it here.  

Video Link Here.

 

{Independence Day}

Happy Independence Day!!!  I just love the 4th of July – an opportunity to celebrate the blessing of freedom and our wonderful country.  I love spending time with my family, enjoying barbecues, watching fireworks, and wearing red, white, & blue.  I just love this country and I am so thankful for the sacrifices so many have made so we can enjoy our freedom.

Here is a layout I recently designed – the pictures are from a few years ago, but oh so adorable.  I used the fabulous new My Mind’s Eye “American Made” collection!  I also used the red tinsel from Lost and Found – it reminds me of fireworks. :)

Today we had a fun BBQ with all the little cousins at my parent’s house.  They even made root beer with dry ice – the kids were THRILLED!!  I made our traditional Flag Fruit Pizza with the classic strawberries and blueberries (and two Fruit Pizzas).  We enjoyed a festive firework show for over an hour – wonderful day!

{17 Years….}

…ago I married my best friend.  Today Nathan and I celebrated our 17th Anniversary.  Has it really been that long?  I guess it has, since our oldest in turning 15 in 2 months.  What a special time to reflect on many precious memories, our ups and downs, many moves, and the births of 4 wonderful children. To celebrate – he took a little time off work and we got to go on a walk around our new neighborhood that is bordered with beautiful streams and waterfalls – then hike up into the foothills.  Of course we also went to look at our new house.  I told him that this home takes care of Anniversary, birthday, and Christmas gifts for the next 50 years. :)  We also enjoyed a FABULOUS dinner at Johnny Carrinos – yum!!  We love Italian food and our dishes were fantastic!  There is something so delightful about someone else cooking, serving, and cleaning up your meal – a rare treat. :)  He also surprised me with this gorgeous bouquet of roses. 

{Sure She is Only 14?}

Last week Desiree spent a few days with my parents, she had a ball!  One night she went to their ward’s youth activity in the mountains.  After they got set up for the activity – my sweet dad offered to take her portrait.  Pretty AMAZING!!  I love how these photos capture her radiant spirit.  BEAUTIFUL Desiree!  She also just got her braces off – a fun way to celebrate.  Still can’t believe she is only 14.  Thanks for the photos Dad!   And thanks Miriam for making her that pretty flower. You would never guess that she can’t walk and is on crutches for her torn hamstring.  Happy she is healing and done with her month of bed rest.  FYI – NEVER force  yourself flat in splits, especially outside in the cold.

{Pinewood Derby}

Tonight was Jacob’s Pinewood Derby Race.  He was so excited to race the car that he made with the help of his Grandma and Grandpa Bair.  Jacob sketched his car shape out on the block of wood and Grandma cut it out with her cool scroll saw.  Grandpa drilled holes in the bottom and helped him put the weights inside.  Jacob really enjoyed painting it and putting on the cool decals they found for him.  We are so thankful for such kind and helpful grandparents!  He needed a little extra weight so our friend gave us some extra ones on top – Jacob said they are rocket launchers (of course weapons!).

He was THRILLED when he placed 1st in a few races and 2nd in a few more.  Made his little heart swell with JOY!  It was a pretty crazy night with 3 wards participating – but they boys had a great time!  We loved seeing all of the creative and unique Pine Wood Derby creations. :)

{Sweet Like Sugar}

Here is layout I designed for MME last month – using the fresh and fun Lime Twist “Life of the Party” Collection.  Love the colors and the fabulous twisted string – it comes in 12 colors.

{Dear Mother…}

One of my favorite songs that I remember my mother singing is “I Often Go Walking”.  A beautiful and touching song that closes with the line: ”Dear Mother all flowers remind me of you”.  My mother is a wonderful gardener and her home is always adorned with lovely flowers and roses.  I have so many memories of her daffodils and tulips in the spring, roses in the summer, and mums in the fall.  She taught me to love and appreciate nature and the the fragrant gift of flowers. 

I found these cheerful pink zinnias for her Mother’s Day gift and had to create a card to go with them! 

I chose the timeless and vintage Stella and Rose “Hazel” collection.  I hand stitched the flowers from MME ribbons and accented them with a Lost and Found button and Lush brads. They are quite simple to make, just run a basting stitch through the edge of the ribbon, gather, and stitch together in back.

Needless to say, we both cried as she read her card today – such a special moment with my dearest friend!

I often go walking in meadows of clover,
And I gather armfuls of blossoms of blue.
I gather the blossoms the whole meadow over;
Dear mother, all flowers remind me of you.

O mother, I give you my love with each flower
To give forth sweet fragrance a whole lifetime through;
For if I love blossoms and meadows and walking,
I learn how to love them, dear mother, from you.

{Let’s Go FLY a Kite!}

Here is a layout I designed for the May MME Newsletter – a FABULOUS free publication full of ideas and design inspiration.  If you haven’t signed up to receive it, you can easily register for it on the MME Blog in their left column.

I really enjoyed scrapbooking these photos of Jacob at our April Ward Family Picnic and kite flying activity (that I was in charge of).  I especially love that he is holding a giant cookie in one hand and flying the kite with the other.  We had to postpone it a week due to the 6” of snow we got on April 9th.  We were blessed with a miracle of 65 degrees, a little wind, and partly sunny skies!  (Rare occurrence in our stormy and cold April).  We had a great turnout and enjoyed a relaxing afternoon together.  

The layout title makes me want to burst out in the famous song from Mary Poppins.  The fresh and bright Lime Twist Collection coordinated perfectly with these photos.  I used a combination of “Fly a Kite” and “Out of the Blue” (even the names of the lines go with them!!).  The zipper is from the Stella and Rose collection, Lush Flocked chipboard letters, and brads from misc. MME lines.

{Hopping with a TWIST}

Welcome to the MME Blog Hop!!!  If you are just joining us, start back at the MME Blog and hop along with us for a chance to win the ENTIRE Lime Twist Collection!! There are two ways to win: 

1) GRAND prize – The ENTIRE “Lime Twist” Collection: After visiting every blog, email each designer's WORD of the month to Amber.  (8 blogs = 8 words).

2) BONUS entry: We will randomly draw one of our designer’s blogs and draw one winner from the comments on that designer’s blog.  This winner will receive the COLLECTION of THEIR CHOICE!

I am totally in LOVE with all four of the new Lime Twist lines!  The colors are so fresh and bright – perfect for my spring and summer photos.  Our Spring has been full of rain, snow, and chilly days – I’m ready for warmer weather.  Despite the inclement weather – I have LOVED all of the festive and cheerful Easter decorations, colorful candy and treats, and the anticipation of the fun Easter egg hunts. 

To me – April is just SWEET.  (Hint – this my word for the blog hop)  I love finding adorable and delicious sweet treats to fill their Easter baskets.  Of course I get to sample some of them too!  I also love the SWEET flowers that blossom, the hyacinths and lilacs that fill the air with their heavenly scent. I had fun creating this layout with the fabulous new Lime Twist “Life of the Party” Collection.  The colors coordinated perfectly with our Easter 2010 photos.   Doesn’t the dot paper look just like our eggs?!  I added Glossy Accents to the Lush Chipboard title and #1 sticker – tying them in with the adorable epoxy polka dot Lush brads.  MME always creates such great stickers and journaling accents for their lines.

Thanks for hopping by.  Make sure you leave a comment so you are enter to win the drawing, then HOP on over to Suzanne Sergi’s wonderful blog!!

{Easter Message}

Beautiful and touching Easter video:

{School With No Name–”Beyond the Blackboard” Movie}

Sunday, April 24th CBS will show their new Hallmark Hall of Fame Move – “Beyond the Blackboard”.  It is the touching story of a woman, Stacey Bess,  who taught a school for homeless children for 11 years.   My dad met her about 20 years ago, in a metal Quonset hut under a SLC freeway viaduct.  He had been given an assignment by a national magazine to photograph her and her homeless students.

Stacey Bess’s first teaching job is not at all what she expected. She’s assigned to the School with no Name in Salt Lake City, a space in a homeless shelter that is supposed to function as a classroom. The ‘classroom,’ though, lacks basic supplies such as desks and books, and her young students range in age from six to 12.
Based on a true story, Beyond the Blackboard chronicles young Stacey confronting her own fears and insecurities as she struggles to gain attention and respect from her students. She must also win over school board administrators and apprehensive parents.

“‘Beyond the Blackboard’ reminds us that sometimes it doesn’t take an awful lot to make a huge difference in other people’s lives,” said Treat Williams (known for his role in “Everwood”), who plays a superintendent Bess had to persuade for school resources. “In this economy, with so many people having a rough time, I think the message in this film is going to resonate. We’re all in this together, and each person is capable of making a positive difference in the lives of others.”

Article about the movie

Stacey’s Website about her work

Info about the movie

{Birthday Bike Ride}

Here is the layout I designed for the MME April Newsletter – using a fabulous sketch by Jana Eubank.  The Stella and Rose “Mabel” collection matched this photo perfectly!  The banner stickers from the Fine and Dandy “True Blue” collection also coordinated with it!  Love this color combo and all of the yummy embellishments.  I especially like the Orange Lush 2 flocked journaling bracket that frames the flocked Lush title.

Journaling reads: “All Jacob wanted for his 8th birthday was a new bike.  He even got to pick it out at the store.  He spends hours rifing on it every day and even rides in the rain!”