Just me My Soldier and our 4 little chicks

the 34 list

random photo taken at 3 am before i went to get j the other day. haha! please note all of his laundry washed and folded in the closet...so funny. :)

sooo...today i turn 34. it's funny. i've never really felt that panic at getting older. not at 30, not this year at 34. in all honesty all i feel is profound gratitude.

at the gift of another year with my family.

and this year? i get to add together to that sentence.

yep. gratitude describes this feeling best.

here are a few things i'd like to do in the next year. no pressure. no HAVE TOs. just WANT TOs.

1.continue to exercise daily

2.try yoga

3.use my sewing machine

4.go on more dates with jimmy

5.get frustrated less

6.relax more

7.volunteer

8.do more "just for fun layouts"

9.take a spinning class

10.see a movie in the theater

11.allow myself to ask for help. and accept it when it is offered.

12.call old friends. see them.

13. make a new friend

14. join a bible study

15. get better at talking about things that are bothering me instead of burying them

16.bake

17.go to 3 new cities

18.go to cha

19.be more assertive

20.re design my blog

21.PLAY more with the girls

22.teach an online scrapbooking class

23.get a manicure

24.donate

25.be okay with saying "no"

26.say thank you more

27.go on a walking tour of savannah

28.re-read to kill a mockingbird

29.go to a concert

30.hand write a love letter

31.run

32.regularly tell the people i love how much they mean to me

33.try a new haircut

34.have a girls night out.

it's funny to see my heart's desires written out like that.

but mostly...i just want to be.

be happy. be together. be grateful. be healthy.

here's to the gift of another amazing year!

happy happy wednesday, friends!

xxo

s

giving notice

that i won't be around much for the next couple of days.

i've got a handsome soldier sleeping upstairs. :)

see you soon!

xxo

p.s. if you notice bedhead in this photo it's because we got up at 4 am to go get him. well, i never slept, but the big girls were TROOPERS. life's always an adventure w/ him. love it.

scrappy sunday 8/28- GLEE CLUB!!!

i love this month's kit. i really really love it. i had NO problem doing six layouts very quickly. and one add-on is still untouched! i just ran out of time!

i so hope to be able to share some more layouts later if i can somehow find time to make more. :)

this month's shopping list:

glee club

pep squad

debate team

home ec

thespians

here's what i came up with this month.

 

BB

made using:debate team

tiny heart punch (from michael's)

on this one i ripped the amy tangerine chevron fabric paper into strips, tied the strips in a knot, and embellished the knot with a button.

i love the messy look of the frayed fabric. i was pretty proud of myself of thinking of this. yes, it doesn't take much to make me proud of myself. hahaha!

and i have to tell you how much i love this cardstock color. it's american crafts sunflower and you can also find it in more color. ob.sessed.

 

grrrr

made using: thespians

black twine

i think i need more of this text background paper. how cool is it? i'm also loving the stamp that came in this add-on. i used it on two layouts.

by the way- the twine was from my own stash, it doesn't come in the kit. :)

 

she

made using:glee club

cutterbee scissors (for hand cutting flowers)

i love this page about sadie. i lifted the journaling from this blog post (almost directly...i made a few changes). i pulled random instagram photos i had of her (and there were plenty!!)

sweet and simple. and i hope she loves to read this one day.

 

sweet cate

made using: debate team

pinking shears

1 1/2" and 2" circle punches

uniball signo pen

i think this was my favorite add-on. i love how the colors work together. just some layering and scattered embellishments here.

i left the chipboard trees bare. i thought they looked pretty just in the kraft color and i didn't really feel like doing anything fancy with them.

i felt like i was channeling my ultimate scrap crush jenni bowlin by busting out the pinking shears. :)

 

all you need is love

made using: glee club

home ec

cutterbee scissors

yeah,yeah yeah...okay. i know this one is a little messy and not so much my style, but it was FUN to make. i just hand cut all o those hearts from patterned paper and stuck them willy nilly.

the journaling is the core of this one. all about my love for j. cheesy? yes. true? absolutely. i love him so much.

 

old fashioned

made using: thespians

simple simple simple.

no explanation needed.

but that photo? makes me teary. love it.

 

there you go! hope your sunday is beautiful! xxo

walk for the fallen

last saturday we all gathered to honor our fallen.we walked a mile around a lake in honor of true heroes.while the media was focused on kim kardashian's spectacle (ahem...wedding) we were focused on this.

we hugged, talked in hushed tones,nodded at one another, pinned on bibs bearing the faces and names of men that are now gone.

those faces on that bib brought tears to my eyes and they still do as i'm looking at this photo.

there were widows there. children who didn't have their daddies any more. it gave me a heartache and a pit in my stomach.mothers and fathers without their sons.

but it also makes me more proud than i can put into words.

we are a family.

we walk side by side

love each other. pick up each other's kids when they are crying. hold the hands of each other's children.

we survive together.we text each other while we are hiding in the bathtub with our children during a tornado warning. we make each other laugh.

we cry together. talk one another through the scariest,most uncertain moments imaginable.

i have such PRIDE in these families. i feel such intense,possessive, throat-tightening respect for these men.

to walk for them that day was a privilege.to wear their faces on my shirt was a privilege.

i carry them in my heart daily.

my heart is full of so many things...so full for so many reasons. and so heavy.

rltw.

(for all of you that aren't familiar w/ random army acronyms...hahaha...that means "rangers lead the way")

 

 

hey!!!

soooo...between a hurricane scare (praying for my NC friends and family), an evacuation plan

the first week of school

getting ready for sadie's first week of school

two teething  babies who are crawling SO fast and getting into everything

cleaning a very dirty house

exercising

getting my september SC layouts done (LOVED this month)

frenzied preparations for something fun coming up

(oooh i just remembered i turned 34 next week! that's not the something fun i was talking about though haha)

what was my point? i'm losing my train of thought lots lately. hahaha!

oh yes...my point is this.

i have lots of photos to share, i need to do a 9 month cate and lucy post, i want to do a post on our "run for the fallen " last weekend

but my brain is fried. so i'll make a list and get to those things later.

but i did want to share this:

second day of school

 

she loves it. loves,loves,loves it. she gets in the car BURSTING with excitement and chattering every day. she loves her teacher, loves her classroom,loves the fact that she is learning to find and do things ALL by herself,learning to ask her peers for help and clarification (montessori is big on this). she is great.

some of you have asked if she's doing full or half day- full day.

and yes, she has to wear a uniform!! she was very concerned at first, but then she asked her teacher if she could 'cessorize (snicker) and of course her teacher said yes.

so that's the latest on miss h.

sadie starts preschool (half days) next week and i must admit...i'm excited to be with the babies a few hours a day!! maybe i'll get to HOLD them??? what a novel idea. hahaa!

 

happy,happy wednesday.

xxo

s

winner winner chicken dinner

number 8 also just happens to be my lucky number! it's meant to be!! :)

the winner of the SC boardwalk kit is...

8 carriegel said...

I love that stamp too. Thanks for the chance to win.

congrats carrie! i don't see an email address attached to your comment, but i'm going to go through my inbox and see if there was one attached to the email your comment sent me. or you can email me at harpersmama8(at)gmail(dot)com

 

♡♡♡♡♡

i want to thank you all so much for your kind words on my harper post yesterday. thank you for letting me be emotional and cheesy at times and thank you for "getting" me. i hope to be back later today with a post!

xxo

s

 

and off she flew

we carefully set her clothes out

talked to daddy on the phone ("i'm excited but a little bit nervous" and LOTS of talk about what uniform she was wearing)

had a special celebratory dinner of her favorite meal (lasagna)

took a big bubble bath and washed her hair twice to make it extra shiny

read the kissing hand (during which she kissed MY hand and told me to put my palm on my face if i missed HER :)

went to bed early (or tried to...someone kept yelling "I AM SO CITED!!!" "IT'S LIKE CHRISTMAS!!!!")

woke up before the sun

had a special first day breakfast (no "k" candles meant i had to improvise...1=first day)

packed lunch

packed her backpack

got her dressed

took a first day survey

did her hair

took some photos

 

started talking about leaving and got REALLY excited

got in the van

drove to school (chattering ALL the way)

SKIPPED down the sidewalk,not looking back at all until she realized she was all alone

through the doors

down the hallway

put her things in her cubby

signed the sign in sheet

told her teacher HELLLOOOO!!!! TODAY IS SPECIAL! IT IS GOING TO BE AMAZING!!

gave me a hug and a big kiss,

went straight to a desk and got to work

just like that.

not a trace of fear on her face, not a bit of doubt in her voice,not a tear in her eye.

i'd say my girl was ready.

and i cannot WAIT to hear one run-on sentence alllll the way home about every single little thing she did,learned,and saw today.

i could not be prouder.

sure wish her daddy could have seen her fly.

xoxo

s

scrappy sunday 8/21

tape,doilies,kraft tag-martha stewart

alphabet-american crafts thickers

die cut paper-dear lizzy for american crafts

chipboard tab- crate paper

pen- american crafts

other- pinking shears

last week i placed an order with joann for the new martha stewart goodies. i may or may not have gotten five packs of these adhesive doilies, HA!

i took these photos of miss lucy claire this morning and fell in love with them immediately. isn't she beautiful? yes, i know i'm biased...but still. :)

hope your sunday is beautiful!

xxo

s

boardwalk giveaway

wow, i kind of feel like the blog has been on giveaway overload lately. ha! i think i'm taking a giveaway break for a bit, but before i do here's something special!

each of the design team members at studio calico are giving away a boardwalk kit.

i LOVED the teals in this kit and i loved creating with it.

here's one of the layouts i did (the stamp is one of my favorite things about the main kit)

made using boardwalk, calico cream mister huey's, uniball signo pen

if you'd like a chance to win this kit (for you or a friend) leave a comment by next monday. i'll draw a winner then.

good luck and happy friday. i'm HOPING to have a scrappy sunday post this week...we'll see. :)

oh...and don't forget to stop by each DT member's blog for more chances to win! you can find all blogs listed here.

xoxo

s

thursday hodge podge

good morning y'all! i sure hope your week has been beautiful so far!

ours has been full of swimming lessons and getting ready for school next week. this part of summer is hard for us. the whining kicks in and i think EVERYONE is ready for school. :)

first, i want to announce the handmade+modern winner:

129 Amy Bew said...

Would I LOVE to carry around one of those journals in my purse?! Why, Yes, YES I would!! Thanks for the chance to win!

congratulations amy! y'all don't forget to check out the elmer's giveaway, it's still open below and chock full of goodies!

also, don't forget about my special free shipping code (orders over $35) at two peas >>>>> SHIPSH. i've noticed they have gotten in new basicgrey,fancy pants,and jenni bowlin in the past few days (LOVE THE DOILY FLOWERS).

♥♥♥♥♥

 

i've been sloooowwwwwly sorting through photos from our texas trip. i have only gotten through a few, but oh my goodness do i love them. i thought i'd share a few of my favorites.

cate asleep on nonna

 

lucy meeting pops (j's grandfather)

 

 

the bigs with pops

 

cate meeting nana (j's grandmother)

 

cate and g-daddy

 

cate and BB

 

lucy

 

bb and cate

 

sadie with the BEST hose fight face EVER. you talkin' to me?

 

movie time w/ g-daddy

 

granddad sandwich

 

i love how these turned out. you can tell our trip was all about family. and togetherness. we didn't go many places. we just stayed at home and enjoyed being together.

and can you tell cate was teething (2 bottom teeth!!!!) and wanted to be held the ENTIRE time? she's in almost every photo while lucy was just content. HA!

happy happy thursday!

xoxo

s