Happy Veterans Day to my own personal hero and veteran and all the other men and women serving today and throughout the years. Many reasons to celebrate them today.
November 11, 2009
November 09, 2009
A Walk Down Hoot Lane
I created this layout for the current sketch at Inspired Blueprints using some awesome EAD Rub Ons. They were perfect for this layout about our resident comedian, Ella:
That picture is from this summer at Myrtle Beach and is so classic Ella. While we might be furiously mad and ready to sell her to the gypsies one minute, she turns and gives us a one liner or a goofy face the next and you can't help but roll into laughter. Luckily she has that trait or she may be a gypsy by now!
And as I was doing this page I started remembering that this comedic personality didn't just come to be recently, but she's had it since birth. I sat down and went through some old photos from CD's and found some gems that chronicle her comedic history, and will also serve as blackmail later in her teenage years!
This would be Ella, circa October 2005, putting her at about 8 months old. We were on a field trip with Maya's preschool class and after waking from a needed nap in the baby carrier she was ready to entertain! I put her on the ground and she thought she was so cool, you know cooler than any other baby, pulling up on picnic tables, eating hay and generally cackling at herself. Anytime someone talked to her or said "look at her", she turned and gave this grin!
A few months later, in January 2006, this would be me attempting to get some cute pictures of the birthday girl in all her glory in cute birthday shirt and hat. Me=failed at photos, but I got this loveliness, with baby chub and all! I'm pretty sure she was laughing hysterically at me trying to put her in a spot to get a photo while she got up and showed her hot stuff walking around and getting into things. I'm pretty sure she's saying "catch me if you can Mom"!
Oh geez. I think this is circa winter 2006/2007, making her about 2 ish. And yes, she did all of this herself and as you can see is really quite proud! You never know when you might be invited to a ball and then need to do some laps too. Always must be prepared!
And the poor dear was making us chuckle without even meaning to this time! She is 2 1/2 at my parents house during the summer. The bigger kids found some of those snaps that you throw on the ground during July 4th and she kept blinking and closing her eyes each time one snapped!
This would be the deranged elf of '07! She thought she was hysterical in her floor length apron and oversized Santa hat!
And finally...
This is circa 3 weeks ago and the typical pose that I get when the camera comes out. I will give her credit that she will ask me to take a picture, but this is what I get in return! A nutball!
And that was our walk down hoot lane with one Ella Grace as your subject!! It's been a wild ride so far and I expect an even more wild ride in the years to come!
November 02, 2009
Happy *Hot* Halloween..
We love living in the mild weather of Coastal North Carolina. Gone are the days in Indiana of buying a costume 4 sizes too big because you have to fit a sweatshirt and possibly winter coat underneath. Fun times looking like a princess Michelan Man!! This year did we not only NOT need a jacket, but I think some wished they had changed their costume from long sleeve to a bathing suit. It hit 83 degrees on Halloween so our little princesses were quite happy!
We had the Medieval Princess (um, please excuse the wrinkly Medieval Princess-her mother is a peasant and doesn't partake in ironing):
We also had a more low key princess, or as she referred to herself Printheth Gabrielwa):
And I actually got one of the princesses together!!
The girls made it their usual 2 blocks then headed back to hand out candy to other kids. They seem to have more fun doing that than the actual trick or treating, which is fine with me, since that means we only have 5 pounds of candy instead of 15!!
And they had to get back to all the fun at the neighbors' houses who hosted the Halloween block party. One of the many reasons I love living on base is just this-gathering together with neighbors and friends!
October 28, 2009
Tis the Season
I know everyone says this, but it really does seem like Christmas starts earlier and earlier every year. Did I just notice this since becoming a mom and my children start squealing over pumpkins, pilgrims and Santa all in the same aisle? And the "I wants" seem to start just after Labor Day with all the fliers, commercials and marketing propaganda out there. There is a scheme I think between children and marketing companies to wear parents down before they even break into the Halloween candy. Plus, you know its holiday season time when your mailbox looks like this:
THIS IS ONE DAY PEOPLE!!!! And this was from last week, oh around October 20th, 2 full months before Christmas. I'm not ready and I'm closing my eyes for now and building arm muscle carrying the load of magazines each day to my recycling bin.
Now, being the scrooge I am about Christmas paraphernalia before Halloween I did sit down and do a Christmas layout for the current Inspired Blueprints sketch. I've been wanting to scrap this photo for some time now because I just love it and with the sketch brought the perfect opportunity, plus I used some papers up too!!
This is from our trip to Sea World last Thanksgiving and I absolutely love the true wondermont in her eyes! So come on over and play-it's the first circular sketch for IB and really fun to work outside my linear "zone"!
October 20, 2009
Introducing....
Our very own Math Bat:
And the lesser known, but still too cute, Science Frog:
After their bath a few weeks ago Maya started running around with her towel being first Super Girl, then quickly turning to a bat. Well, since she is a tried and true nerd like her mama then it turned from a plain bat to "Math Bat"!! Ella had to get in on the action too and became Science Frog. Although she asked later "what does a Thience Fwog do anyway??" I love my little nerds!
October 18, 2009
Pebbles Projects
Lisa Warren hosted the Pebbles, Inc. blog last week and had some fun challenges/tips that I joined in on. The first was to use Pebbles Chips as your focus on a layout and I knew just what I wanted to do! Ella has her own set of rules that she follows and she is not shy about letting us know exactly what they are and how they are to be followed. Who knew a 4 year old was so set in her ways!
The next challenge was a double page sketch. I'm not a great 2 page scrapper, but I'm trying to do more of them, especially when I have so many photos of a certain "theme" or at an event. This is our little artist, Maya. She's always been into art, creativity, imagination and I love it! Just some sampling of photos of her and her art! The little people were drawn on a paper bag and I wanted to highlight those!
October 16, 2009
The 1942 House
I was reading Stephanie Howell's blog yesterday and she reminded me about a post I've been meaning to do when she talked about base housing. To me living on a military base is part and parcel of being a military wife, but for those who have not grown up around or been in a military family, then they're normally pretty interested in what we live in! Especially since it's FREE!! (this is always said with gusto because it's so unbelievable to many)
The house we live in (in our housing area only) here aboard Camp Lejeune is a little more unique because they were built in 1942 and still have the original hardwood floors in all the homes. Although I think some of the appliances may be from 1942 as well, but I digress. The floors really are beautiful and have been well maintained through all these years:
They have also kept the original fireplace (with some updating) as well. The only thing Terry and I can't quite figure out is why it's in the middle of the room??!! Makes planning your room a scoatch difficult!
One of the aspects of a house I've always wanted and still want in our "final" house is built in bookshelves. I love the look, love that there are so many ways to decorate and love that it's not one more piece of crappy bookshelving furniture! This house has built in bookshelves on either side of the living room entryway and I love it!
One of the other fun amenities to the 1942 house is the room considered the "maid's quarters". Makes me giggle just saying it! Yes, in 1942 the young Major and LtCol's families had maids/family helplers/etc. Now, well, those are referred to as my broom, mop and my own two hands!! But it's a fun room that people do a lot of different things with when they move in. We chose to use it as the computer room slash place to hide all the toys so they're not underfoot!
My other favorite part of the house is the screened in porch that will sadly be enclosed within the next 2 months. It gets horribly hot in Eastern Carolina which means that there are mosquitos as big as your head sometimes so it's nice to have an area that they (mostly) can't get to you.
And where does all this loveliness reside? Well, right here in this house:
That's the base "stock" photo with the full view, and here is our particular house:
There are lots of military families who would rather live in a cardboard box than live on base, but we rather enjoy it. Lots of kids running around, lots of mommies who also don't have their husbands home, and lots of friends too. And this is one of our favorite parts of living here. If we walk one street over this is our view:
There you have it! Base housing aboard Camp Lejeune. Oh, and I forgot to mention it comes equipped with pets: cockroaches the size of your fist. Oh, how I wish I was kidding!
And the other reason we love living here: the great holiday celebrations! This is the new sketch at Inspired Blueprints for this week and it highlights our fourth of July fun from this past July:
October 13, 2009
This, That, Sketches, Projects
Wow, slacker much?! I didn't realize it had been so long since I updated here and I have no good excuse so at least I'm being honest!
*My parents came for a visit over the weekend and the girls were over the moon excited about it! They went fishing every day and caught too many fish to count (pictures to come).
*I ended up fighting a cold at the tail end of their visit which was not fun, but luckily nothing more than a cold
*We've been gearing up for renovations on our house. The down side: moving all items from the garage and porch into the Pack Rat; the upside: I'm not paying for it or lending one hand in doing the renovations since it's base housing!
*Lots of grading of quizzes and papers for my class-this teaching business is busy work!
*Two girls keeping me busy with swimming and gymnastics, lots of playing and the occasional fight; ok, more than our share of occasional fights, but that's what sisters do, right?!
*And keeping busy with some scrappy projects, some are below and some can't be shared until later!
Come on over to Inspired Blueprints this month for the month long anniversary celebration with a sketch each week! There was a new sketch revealed last week and this is my take on it:
There will be a new sketch this coming Thursday so come over and play along!
I contributed to the Pebbles, Inc Blog this week too, with a chipboard challenge. Love all the chipboard that Pebbles produces, very fun and versatile! I've been wanting to use the "&" chipboard for some time and found a way to do it! This is our 4 year old right now and her stubbornness. Yes, she does get the vast majority from me, but I do not like being on the receiving end of it!!
October 02, 2009
October 01, 2009
Inspired Blueprints #31
Today is a new month and a new sketch over at Inspired Blueprints! I really liked this sketch AND I USED PURPLE! I have the absolute hardest time with purple, but with this sketch we became friends again.
And here's my take:
And I'm so glad it's October. This is my absolute favorite month, favorite weather, favorite activities-you name it! Loving our cooler weather here in NC. Makes running much, much nicer!
