Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

on the easel

hey y'all!

i wanted to take a moment to share the projects i did with the studio calico october kit, on the easel.

i went overboard with my order this month!

i got:
watercolor

still life

en plein air

more color

more calico

large circle border punch

mix and mend sweet treats stickers

alpha soup girl playing cards

i also used these mister huey mists:

calico cream

schoolhouse

calico white

whoooo! told you i was a busy shopper!! :)

alright, here's what i came up with:

 this one makes me laugh. big time. look at those monkeys!

i used the large circle border punch on the right side of the cardstock, and a corner rounder on the left side.

made using:on the easel, en plein air, watercolor, alpha soup cards, white mist, twine

i am usually not a banner person, or a mist person. i have honestly never known what to do with either one of them. but this month, it just clicked. i love the look of the white mist on the chipboard. and the bakers twine...it just has a fun, vintage feel to it i think.

i love love the exclusive SC paper i used behind the photos. it might be my all time favorite paper they have produced.

the polka dot block with the heart on it is the back side of one of the mme alpha soup girl cards.

i wanted the focus to really be these photos, so i kept this one really simple.

made using: on the easel (die cut paper and alphas), en plein air (butterflies), still life (buttons)

i used the HECK out of the dear lizzy die cut paper. truly. you can cut it into a million bits and pieces. it's so delicate and lovely.

 

i noticed i used a lot of b/w photos this month. i take most of my "everyday" moment photos that way, especially the indoor ones. so that's the reason behind so many photos that aren't color. i've always preferred them anyway, kind of timeless.

the layering of borders on the left side is a combination of the mme crepe paper ribbon, that large circle punch again :), sassafras border stickers, jenni bowlin buttons and butterflies, and sassafras flowers. i just played around with texture, dimension, layering and color.

made using: on the easel (sassafras flowers, paper), watercolor (crepe paper ribbon, OA label sticker, papers), en plein air (alpha, border stickers, butterflies, metal frame),

 

another one using that die cut paper! on this one, i misted the back side of the paper (mist doesn't take to the front) using calico cream.

made using: on the easel (die cut paper, paper border pieces), still life (buttons, bird stamp), watercolor (OA label stickers, alpha)

the little red hearts are cut from mme girl alpha soup cards.

i want to point out here that i really enjoy using iphoto photos on my layouts...such an easy way to document the every day!

here's the die cut paper again. this time i cut a portion out and misted the back side using schoolhouse mister huey.

everything here is from on the easel.

 

and last but not least, i'm keeping up with my goal (or revisiting, shall i say!) of doing one two-pager for every month's gallery.

as you can see, i used that dang large circle punch again. ha!

made using: on the easel (you and me die cut, alpha, patterned papers), en plein air (butterflies, patterned papers), bits and pieces from other add-ons

and there you have it, this month's layouts!

have a beautiful tuesday!

xxo

s

our weekend in photos

pleasantly plump at 29 weeks. hee! i always take photos before church...well because it's really the only time i look fancy shmancy. ha!

the whole hair down, makeup, no glasses thing...that doesn't happen the rest of the week.

hence all the pregnancy photos w/ chopped of heads. just being honest here. just don't have the "getting ready time" for that every day. and soon i REALLY won't! :)

i can always tell when i'm super preggers b/c my face looks puffy. yesss!!!

 

 

 

on saturday evening we took the girls to the old stadium here on post and just let them run wild. it did the trick and really tired them out...i think we will do this lots in the coming weeks!

 

 

 

how was your weekend? i hope it was relaxing, blessed, and full of whatever makes you happiest!

i'll see you tomorrow with some studio calico layouts, the newest kit goes live at midnight EST tonight!! or noon today, if you are a subscriber!

here are a couple of neat things to remember this month...

 

i got addons 1, 2, and 4.

oh, and make sure to add this punch to your cart. i am currently OBSESSED with it and went a bit nuts on my layouts...you'll see tomorrow.

happy monday!!

xxo

s

 

 

 

 

i ♡ my soldier

times like this morning reallyremind me why i have a thing for a man in uniform. :)

i love that j does what he does. i really do. i think any man or woman in the military is so brave. and selfless. and i thank God for them every day.

but sometimes it's also just really COOL to see them do what they do.

we went out bright and early this morning to watch him jump. i swear he has most awesome job ever. so proud of him.

 

i hope the girls remember things like this. i know i always will.

oh, how i love my soldier!

happy saturday.

xxo

s

 

wednesday randoms.

♡28 weeks pregnant. glucose test done,

ultrasound done- the girls are both 2 lbs. 6 oz. and looking great.

cate is head down (she is baby A), and that's great. that increases the chances that i won't have to have a csection.

super swollen cankles and legs...out of breath and waddling. i won't lie. not looking my best. j was rubbing my feet the other night and i SWEAR he actually asked me this with a straight face...

"um, where are your ankle bones????".

nice.

 

♡found a photographer to take family/maternity photos in a few weeks. i couldn't possibly be more excited. so happy i found neely, she seems to be an absolute doll.

 

♡i've done a couple more layouts with the october SC kit and wanted to share some sneaks:

 

 

♡i've finally talked sadie into letting me put her hair into a "pony". i know i'm biased, but i think it's the cutest:

 

♡researching savannah neigborhoods. dreaming of spanish moss and beautiful houses. :)

 

♡gotta go. the girls just got out of their bath and are dancing nekky to justin bieber. j may or may not be singing along.

 

happy wednesday!

xxo

 

how to sell lemonade.

first, i want to share a picture i snapped this weekend:

how sweet is this? it's my favorite photo right now. j loves to read to them, and they LOVE it. look at sadie's face with her little tongue out. HA! i just love everything about this one and wanted to share it.

this weekend went well, but gosh yard/garage sales are HARD! i was worn out after we finished on Saturday.

not to mention that yard sales bring out some major characters. i laughed really hard at several of the characters we met.

my favorite was a lady that screeched to a stop in her white van and screamed ERNEST GET THE BEAR!
her cowboy hat wearing husband leapt out of the van and ran for a stuffed bear we were selling.

then he tried to negotiate a tutu to go with the bear. then he and his wife had a screaming match over whether or not the tutu was crucial for the bear's look.

and i?

almost peed my pants.

ERNEST GET THE BEAR!
is now a catchphrase at our house.

good times.

onto the lemonade...

the girls were so excited about their lemonade stand. so excited in fact, that harper completely lost her voice.

j helped the girls make some pink lemonade, set up a little table, our sweet 5th grade neighbor helped harper design a sign...and they were good to go.

everytime someone walked up, harper would yell "HELLO!!!! ARE YOU THIRSTY???" or "DO YOU WANT A BEBERAGE????".

also, "HELLO!!! WOULD YOU LIKE TO SELL SOMETHING???"...i think she was confused about what we were doing.

and of course everyone did.

then she upped the ante.

 

i mean who can say no to a princess selling lemonade?

she sold all the lemonade we had. if we had more, she might have made as much as we made in the yard sale!

and that, my friends, is how you sell lemonade.

happy monday!

xxo

s

 

 

Two Peas Back to School Event

I was so thrilled to be asked to participate in the Back to School Event at Two Peas. I knew right away that I wanted to use some of my new JBS goodies that have been sitting in their basket...neglected. :)

I've been dying to play with them more, and this was the perfect opportunity.

And if you read my blog, you KNOW i had plenty of pictures from Harper's first day of school. HA!

Here's what I came up with:

Go check out all the details, including a step by step and a supply list HERE.

Thanks for asking me to join in, Jamie...I love 2peas! :)

Hope you guys have a beautiful weekend...If you live in the Fort Benning area, this week is the post wide yard sale.

We will be joining in...lots of flea market finds, clothes, scrap supplies, accesories, books, and (singleton) strollers will be for sale!

So that means that tonight I'll be sorting, pricing, and helping H plan her lemonade stand. She thinks the "shoppers will need beberages". HEEEE!!!!

 

xxo

s

very very very sneaky.

very.

i mean, really...can you even see her?

 

this is what it's like to play hide and seek at our house.

mama and daddy have to be VERY good actors.

hmmmmmm. where could sadie be? i have no idea. 

i laugh the entire time i "look for them".

and h is no better. she has a history of hiding in the SAME EXACT place every.single.time.

anyway, moving on to something a bit more sneaky...

my sneak peeks for the october studio calico kit, on the easel.

i ordered addons 1, 2, and 4.

more calico, more color...

i also ordered a new punch and some shop extras.

laughing that i went so overboard this month b/c i'm not sure how much i'm going to have time to make!

and the icing on the cake? i got to play with the new mister hueys! now most of you know i am NOT a mister. but i used two colors so far this month and loved it. i used the  calico white on one layout (the banner) and the schoolhouse on another (the die cut AC paper).

 

main kit, schoolhouse mist

 

main kit (die cut paper), addon four (butterflies), addon two (buttons)

 

main kit (sc paper), add-on one (chipboard banner), add-on four (alphas, patterned papers), shop extras (card, twine- the twine is OLD, i got it from the shop a while back...not a new purchase!), calico white mister huey

there you have it! i'm having fun and hope to do some more layouts, but we will see. between j being home, the girls, and moving to savannah in A MONTH...my creative time is limited!

hope you are having a beautiful day.

j's back at work, sadie's napping, h is at school...and it's very QUIET!! and weird!

have a wonderful tuesday. xxo

indescribable.

 

 

 

 

it's the weirdest thing. you wait and wait. for months, or a year,

and you are so ready for them to come home.

in the days leading up to redeployments i am SO emotional. i knew he'd be home sometime friday and all week i swear i cried at the drop of a hat!

and i didn't sleep a wink thursday night,

and then all of the sudden bright and early friday morning he walked in the front door.

and just like that it was back to the way it always is.

us.

and if you can't tell from the photos, the chickies haven't left him alone for a second.

"DADDYYYYYYYY" rings through the house day and night. along with giggles, shrieks, and "LOOK AT ME!!" "noooo daddy, hug ME!!!".

and his love never ceases. he never rolls his eyes or says not now...he beams. and his love for them is so apparent, it makes me love him even more.

and i watch them and smile, and i think about this. next time he comes home, we will have four. and this happiness? will be magnified.

it's better every time. we get better every time. i love us. how we are as a family, how much love and respect we have for one another.

even when we bicker, or need a break from eachother for a bit. even when there is hair pulling and eye-poking (the girls, not us!!!!!), we treat each other with respect and realize it's OK.

and as much as i hate it when he's away, it makes it that much sweeter when he's home.

so much sweeter.

love you all, happy sunday!

xxo

s

p.s. labor day winner by random.org drawing is 176- WHEE!!!!

176

sarah said...

that shirt is hysterical! and your attitude is contagious. you, my friend, are such an inspiration.

and that giveaway drawer?! what fun would that be?! thanks for the chance to win it steph :)

xx

Reply September 06, 2010 at 12:58 PM

be back soon

with a winner, etc.

someone came home. :) ;)

labor day? i thought it was giveaway day!! :)

happy labor day to my US friends. and happy plainoldmonday to my non- US friends!!

cracking up at this shirt i got free at motherhood maternity this weekend. so funny. don't know if i'll ever wear it (maybe to sleep in!) but it makes me laugh.

i hope you are having a lovely morning. i thought i'd make today even MORE lovely by doing a lil' old giveaway.

but first, i'd like to share a layout i did yesterday.

my friends at SC are doing a "lift a layout that is in your favorites" challenge and i thought i'd join in.

i lifted a layout by my sweet friend jenni hufford, you can see it here. kinda funny b/c jenni did this layout for a challenge i hosted to lift another member, so i guess technically my layout is a lift of a lift. isn't it funny how much inspiration we can find in one another? i love that.

here's what i came up with:

 

journaling:

determined to keep smiling and thinking positively regardless of what is thrown my way. the future may be uncertain, people may say all of thoughtless things...let them. i'll just keep smiling and praying.trying my best to handle the pressure with grace.

supplies:

cardstock: jbs

patterned paper: crate paper restoration

umbrella: mme

alphabet: jbs (black), jillibean soup (yellow), cosmo cricket (green)

ribbon: american crafts

journaling card: jbs

ticket: jbs

punches: ek success bubbles, martha stewart royal butterfly, martha stewart classic butterfly

brads: basicgrey

pen: american crafts

okay, now on to the good stuff. here's my "giveaway drawer" at this very moment:

as you can see, it's jam packed with all kinds of goodies. that's where my fabulous readers come in.

i want to thank you for all of your encouragement and love lately. and there's no better way to do that than giving you lots of fun supplies. :)

leave a comment here if you are interested in winning one flat rate box stuffed to the gills. international readers can enter, of course...but as always, i will have to ask you to pay for shipping...i just can't pay international shipping every time i have a giveaway. :(

okay, that's it. hope you have a beautiful day!

**ETA- I will draw a winner Wednesday night**

xxo

s