The Twelve Days of Christmas

   One of our favorite traditions during the Christmas season is to take gifts to a family or two for each of the twelve days of Christmas.  Its been a couple of years since we did this and I'd forgotten how much fun it can be.
   I made up some tags using Gennifer Bursett's frame and cute present from her Here Comes Santa collab.
   We change things up a little each time, depending on the goodies we can find and this year has been the best by far.  Here is what we are doing:

1. Partridges and Pears  (we gave cornish hens and fresh pears)
2. Turtle Doves ( I made turtle puppets out of fabric and felt, then put boxes of dove soap in each one) - they turned out so cute!
3. We always give Hershey's Kisses for this one (french hens :)
4. There was a sale on Angry Bird's block game so we reworked this one to fit. 
5. For golden rings - gold bangle bracelets and gold $ coins.
6. The geese laid Silly Putty eggs this year.
7. Schwan's ice cream is our typical this day.
8. My favorite - The milk maids slept in so we found a bunch of "milk duds"
9. We have a surplus of ballet shoes, so we're doing that instead of music this year.
10. The lords are leaping after they finish off their plate of homemade candy.
11. For pipers piping we will be giving little flutes
12. On the last day we gift a drum and a big "Merry Christmas"

   Here are a few of the photos I've snapped and an example of our tags.  

(I used Karla Dudley's Framed frames)

(Gennifer Bursett's Here Comes Santa collab)

I'd love to hear what you guys think, or what your traditions are that you do together as families!  Merry Christmas!

Crisis adverted

   Not only have things been crazy busy lately, but we've had our fair share of drama as well.  Last Saturday Aubrei realized that the camera she had checked out for her publications class wasn't here at home.  Yeah, can you say "tense weekend"?
   Well, Monday rolled around and I took Brei to the high school that morning with specific instructions to find that camera!  (She thought she had left it on some tables where she was with some friends after school Friday).  That afternoon she comes home with a price quote from her teacher for the Canon camera and bag for $1,300.  

   Having given her a chance to fix this, her Dad and I are now "highly motivated" from the thought of paying that much for a camera that we will never be able to use!  We promptly enlisted the help of the principal and the janitors.

   The next morning Aubrei checked in the principal's office and was shown the missing camera that had been found.  

   Needless to say, we are very thankful that the camera was found and for the help received.  I've been working on tags for our 12 day of Christmas (I'll be posting soon) so I whipped up a note, picked up some lifesavers from the store and sent these goodies to the high school with Brei.

Here is how they turned out:

(frame and present element by Gennifer Bursett, part of the Here Comes Santa collab.)

Things have been a little crazy around here lately, with all the sicknesses making their rounds.  I'm optimistic that this week will be much better! :)

I've been scrappin' a lot and forgetting to share, sorry.  I'm hoping to get to our Halloween pics this week - we got some great pictures!

This is Ainsli's first day of 3rd grade:

You can see credits here.

This page was for a challenge and it definitely took me out of my comfort zone, but I love it and how it showcases my love for these special guys so well.

See credits here.

 This page was for one of our retiring designers.  The picture is of the contents of just one of the dance supply boxes that we've been receiving thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Priest's support.  Dance has become quite a commitment (Aubrei requires a lot of expensive shoes, etc.) and we sure appreciate their help.

Credits are here.

I did this page for this week's 4play challenge at DHD.  The picture is of my sweet boy relaxin' this summer with Grandpa Priest's new kitty.  I love that I captured this!

See credits here.

Despite our colds, things are going well for us and I'm constantly reminded of how extremely blessed I am to be living this life with those I love.  Our kids are amazing (I'm not biased) and I have a wonderful husband to share this all with.  Heavenly Father has blessed me far more than I deserve, but I'm not complaining - just trying to pay it forward. :)

Digital Scrapbooking Day -

It's time for Digital Scrapbooking Day and as part of the celebration at Design House Digital, the designers have an awesome collaboration kit called Daydream Believer.

Here’s the kicker - Its free!  FREE!  And, to make it even easier, you don’t have to download pieces at a bunch of different blogs!  It’s all right here in the shop at DHD.  All you have to do is follow along on the blog hop to grab the letters that make up the coupon code, and then download the kit at your convenience. 

My letter for the code is:

Next in the blog hop is Mye.  If you run into problems along the way, head back to the DHD blog post.

Wait!!  That's not all!  

I also created a quickpage for you to download.  I'd love to see how it turns out if you use it!  (Click here or on the image to download).

And here is my original layout of my sweet daughter . . .

Don’t forget to grab your letter for the code to get the amazing Daydream Believer kit for free and have fun scrapping this weekend!!!

DSD Blog Hop tomorrow . . .

Check back tomorrow to get your letter for the free code and to download the quickpage I made using this great collaboration kit!

Winners . . . Better late than never!

Sorry it took me so long to post the winners of the stitchings, but time is getting away from me again.  So here they are:

Missy - Boo!
Beatrice - Home
Aria - Bats

If you ladies could get me your addresses I will get these in the mail soon!  Hope you are all enjoying fall like we are!

13 Days of Halloween and a giveaway!!

My hybrid project is on the DHD blog today (go there for the tutorial and list of credits) - so I thought I'd share it here too.  I'm giving away all three stitchings, so if you are interested leave a comment letting me know the one you would like.  I'll be picking 3 winners on October 13th, the last day of our blog series.  

My Mom was able to come for Aubrei's last volleyball game this past week.  We had so much fun with her here.  She makes us all feel loved and special.  Aubrei's team won and it was so nice to watch her having fun and playing her best.  Brodyn got to show Grandma his preschool and even introduced her to his teacher (like he was a mini grownup) - he was so excited!  Ainsli got to pick her Halloween costume and look through lots of fun books and magazines and had a ball!

We miss Grandma and Grandpa all the time, but I'm very thankful that when we get to be together that it is special and filled with precious memories.  More than anything, my kids know that my parents love them and that is priceless.  

Now I think I will go start another project!

Happy Halloween!

Loving fall . . .

Credits here

I'm finally getting around to scrapping our "school pics" that I took in August.  Hopefully I'll have some more done soon. . . 

Our lives lately

Its been crazy busy around here lately.  I've been pleasantly surprised that we've been doing as well as we have with our schedule since school started.  Early morning seminary, volleyball practices and games, dance and tumbling 4 nights a week, preschool 5 days a week and loads of homework.  I must say that I'm so thankful that I'm healthier than I have been in several years.  I'm pretty sure I couldn't have done all this 4 months ago.  

Can I just say that I love watching Aubrei play volleyball?  She is the setter and team captain and so much improved from last year that its hard to believe.  She has also become more competitive, which I relate to well :)

High School volleyball is a whole different story - much more demanding and for the first time I haven't been able to go to all her games, which was hard for me.  All of the schools we play are just too far away and it isn't possible to travel that much, especially with the farmer's market just finishing last week. 

Ainsli loves school and has been riding her bike to school (even though it is just down the street).  She  still loves creating things whether it is drawing or cutting out and sewing barbie clothes.  She has been doing so well with her chores and homework too - I can't believe she is 9 already.

Brodyn loves preschool.  They didn't have school last Friday because of meetings and he was so upset! He is slightly obsessed with V8 juice boxes lately and can be bribed accordingly . . .

Ryan canned some of his jalepenos tonight.  They were so prolific that even after canning salsa and making jalepeno poppers several times - we have bags left!  (I'll be glad when they are gone, even the smell is too hot for me!)

Things may get crazy once in awhile, but I am so thankful for these guys that keep me hopping and bring so much joy and happiness to my life!!

So much . . .

So much has been going on lately - 

Most recently Brodyn had surgery on his teeth.  He was a trooper and although he had a mild reaction to the anesthesia and pulled out one of his stitches, we are thankful he was able to get this done and over with before preschool starts.  He is back to his crazy, wild self today, even though his mouth was still bleeding last night.  

Aubrei had fun at girls camp and made good memories thanks to a wonderful camp leader and the other  young women leaders who were able to go.  I was sad that I couldn't go with my "girls", but Bubbers needed me.  Aubrei also survived volleyball camp, she was quite surprised at the rigorous workout and even as in shape as she is she had a hard time even moving for a few days.  Hopefully she's now prepared for High School volleyball.

Ainsli has become a much better helper, since she's had the big sister role while Aubrei has been away so much this summer.  She's been working on stitchings with me for the farmers market and helping with painting sometimes as well.  

I finally got a few pages done with this years dance photos, I still have a lot left to do since the kids were in so many dances, but at least I have made some progress.

This was Brodyn's ballet to Somewhere Over the Rainbow . . .

And Ainsli's competition team . . .

And more of Aubrei's solo . . .

The gardens are growing like crazy and take a lot of time, but before we planted this is where Brodyn could be found, night or day . . .

Image removed for publication

The puppy is growing like crazy and after we finally got her house trained she developed a bad habit of bringing dead birds into my house, so now she is an outside dog!

I've been struggling with a really bad infection in my leg for over a month and I'm finally starting to feel better, but its made the craziness of summer a little difficult, and at times disappointing.  The kids were so excited to go to the carnival and we finally made it on the last day.  The kids had fun and I survived, but I was in pain.  Their happy smiles made it totally worth it - here is the proof . . .

I love May!

I really do, especially now that I've made it through dance recital craziness and the end of school is in sight.  Yes, I have many dance pictures to share, but its gonna take me some time to wade through them all - so be patient :)

This month we finally found a puppy for Brodyn and its been chaos and fun ever since.  Her name is Lily, and in true baby fashion, she rules the roost!!  

We've had some great new kits being released at DHD, so I've had the mojo going and been able to preserve a few memories.  Hope you enjoy, it definitely makes me feel good to be a part of the creative process.  Plus I love looking at my pictures and finding the story about our life that needs to be told.

Hope you have a great weekend!!

(layout removed for publication)

Retrospect Blog Hop

This weekend is [inter] National Scrapbook Day, and as part of the celebration at Design House Digital, the designers have an awesome collaboration kit called Retrospect:

Here’s the kicker - Its free!  FREE!  And, to make it even easier, you don’t have to download pieces at a bunch of different blogs!  It’s all right in the shop at DHD.  All you have to do is follow along on the blog hop to grab the letters that make up the coupon code, and then download the kit at your convenience. 

My letter for the code is:

Here is the layout I made using the fabulous Retrospect kit . . .

Then I made it into a quick page for you to download - Hope you enjoy!!

I will also be randomly choosing a name from those who comment on this post and they will receive a $10 gift certificate to DHD!!!

If you are participating in the layout challenge, my challenge is to use the burn tool somewhere on your layout.  To be entered into the drawing for the digital photo frame, you need to use all 26 of the challenges on one layout and submit it by Tuesday, May 8th.

I use the burn tool on almost all of my layouts.  Its simple, but very effective.  I was really glad I had that option with my “Big Branch” layout.  

The chevron paper pieces looked very flat, but I could only add a drop shadow to the bottom piece, or it looked crazy.  Burn tool to the rescue!  The burn tool looks like a hand, after selecting it you can choose your brush size in the drop down menu at the top.

I was able to add a small amount of color and dimension, and it still looked like the papers were stitched down to the page.  Try it on a layout soon - you’ll love it!!

Next in the blog hop is Erica Coombs.  If you run into problems along the way, head back to the DHD blog post.

Don’t forget to grab your letter for the code to get the amazing Retrospect kit for free and have fun scrapping this weekend!!!

See credits here.

See credits here.

See credits here.

Here are a few of my recent pages.  It seems like I can't keep up with all the stories that I want to tell!

Competition Solo

We're off to another competition this weekend and this time Ainsli's trio will be competing. I'm glad I was able to document how I felt last weekend watching Aubrei do a solo for the first time. I wanted the photos to be the focus, but I wanted to share the story too. I'm so proud of her and thankful that I get to be a part of these experiences.

To see credits of the kits I used go here.

We have a winner!

Congrats to idahorhodes for winning the gift certificate!

Thanks to everyone for the neat comments!

Mad March Memories Blog Hop

Hey everybody! Its time again for a DHD blog hop, our excuse this time is Mad March Memories!

Today I've made a template for you out of one of my favorite layouts. Its simple, but I still love it! It incorporates masking, which I use on almost every layout I do. Most of you know what I'm referring to, especially if you've used templates before.

For those of you who don't, masking is taking a shape or element and clipping a paper, photo, etc. to it. In the case of this layout I used one of Robyn Meierotto's tags and created clipping masks for my photos.

Here is my layout:

And the template I made for you:

Click HERE to download it. I hope you enjoy!!

If you are on your way to get the collaboration, you will need my letter, which is E.

Your next stop on the hop will be Mary Rogers or back to DHD if you've gotten sidetracked along the way! Here is a peek at what you'll be getting . . .

If you would be so kind as to leave a comment or become a follower of my blog, I'll be drawing a winner for a $5 gift certificate on March 15th. Enjoy the great collaboration the designers have created for you and good luck with all the drawings!

6 months later . . .

I've finally scrapped Ainsli's 8th birthday. Yes, its 6 months late, but I've always found birthday layouts to be a pain. When Jen and Celeste designed the Sweet Bea collab I thought immediately of Ainsli. The colors were adorable and Ainsli LOVES pink. It was a birthday theme, but not in an obnoxious way. So I decided to try a birthday layout again. I did one page, liked it so well that I had to make it into a two-pager. So, maybe now I won't shy away from all those birthday pics I've been avoiding!

Today I got to help Ainsli's Activity Day group with making pillowcases. We had a really fun time, and I got the sewing bug again. Too bad that my machine started smelling like burning rubber as we were finishing! I guess we'll be looking for a repairman before I start anymore projects. Thanks to Amy and all the ladies that helped her - the girls really enjoyed it. Ainsli is very proud of her new pillowcase and is even letting her Daddy use it to take a "late" nap right now. :)

Recap

Its been awhile since I posted. I wish I had a great story to tell, but I don't. We were purely in survival mode, trying to get rid of all the sicknesses in our home. No fun. Brodyn was a sick little boy. He loved it when he was able to play games on the iPod to help pass the time.

The other layouts are just a few that I did with products from DHD. We've had some pretty cute stuff coming out lately. Definitely makes scrapping fun with cute new goodies. :)

Recently I was asked by our old neighbor John, to edit and type his new book. I love that sweet old cowboy, so of course I said yes. So that has kept my fingers busy lately! For once Brei isn't up late with homework, but I can't wind down - go figure!

My buddy is growing too fast!!

I did this layout for this week's 4play challenge at DHD. I've been loving these bright colors (Aubrei has me converted:). Brodyn is always making silly faces for the camera - it doesn't matter to me cuz I can still see his expressive, happy eyes. He's grown so fast lately, that I can't keep up with him.

He started in with a fever again last night, so apparently we didn't get rid of the pneumonia like we thought. When he's sick he needs his Momma constantly, which I am totally fine with. He's much more important than laundry anyway! But my backache this morning was another reminder that he's almost getting too big to hold and pack around.

We had a wonderful Sabbath day yesterday. It was the most touching and spiritual fast and testimony meeting I've attended in a long time. I'm thankful that the little Duncan boy had the courage to share his testimony of Christ and how the spirit touched him as we sang I Believe in Christ. What a beautiful gift he gave to the rest of us by setting the tone for the meeting and being such a glowing example to us all.

I was nervous about my lesson with the Young Women because I felt so much responsibility because of the importance of the lesson. But I was able to keep that sweet, calming spirit with me as I shared things most close to my heart. I pray that the spirit spoke to those sweet young women as well and that they internalized how sacred and special it is to be a woman. When I think of the potential they have I am truly in awe that Heavenly Father has allowed me to serve with them and be a part of their journey for awhile.

special deliveries

I made this page with Audrey Neal's new kit "Jar of Hearts" at DHD. The pictures were taken last year when the kids opened their valentine package from Grandma and Grandpa. Today we received more of the love that Grandma is so good at sending. I'm glad I preserved this memory of how important these moments are to them and how much they are loved. My parents are really great grandparents and I'm so thankful for that. They are constantly making my kids feel special and very loved. We are very blessed!

sickness = scrap time

I thought I would share some of what I accomplished the last few weeks while I was so sick. I feel good that I got something accomplished since sitting around is all I could make myself do - I was so miserable.

I love this page about Ry and Brodyn. They have such an awesome relationship.

(layout removed for publication)

I did this page for a challenge at DHD - (He's SO LITTLE!)

I got so many great pics while we were at Mom & Dad's for Christmas. I'm slowly but surely tackling them . . . The kids were on the 4wheelers every day.