Another side of me...

I went to bed with a headache and woke up with a worse one. My mind is filled with an impressive amount of junk and I am stressed to the point of breaking. Today is not my day, my typical smile, twinkling eyes and happy go lucky attitude are hiding somewhere.

But, Beauty is where you find it...and days like today make me glad I don't experience long bouts of depression or dark places very often in my charmed life... Look at that, even on a day like today my Polly Anna hops out and finds the silver lining!

Beauty is Where You Find It: Another Side of Me

*Don't forget my Business Card Giveaway, ending April 25th*

Some Late 4th of July Pictures...

I forgot my camera when we went to Utah for the 4th! Can you believe that?!?

Luckily my Sister Karen is a Wonderful photographer and was nice enough to send me a disc of pictures she took. Here are a few from Brian's Head Peak...


Photos Courtesy of Karen Gale of Desert Rose Art Designs

Summertime is Family Time...

A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. -James Dent

Have you joined Stampin' Out Alzheimer's??? There is still time!!! Lots of fun and challenges...and Giveaways going on over there this week! Give a minimum of $5 on the widget over there -----> on my sidebar and you will be eligible to sign up and join the fun!!
One of the Freebies available for download is a Wonderful Digi Kit called Flip Flop Fun by Libby Weifenbach, I used it for a double challenge...the Flip Flop Fun show me whatcha got Challenge and the Scrappy Sketch Challenge sponsored by Taylored Expressions.

This is a Purely Digital layout using pictures of my dad, my mom, my son and me from last summer and summer before.

Thanks for stopping by! I'll be back with cards when I get the camera situation figured out!

A Peek at Christmas...

Here is a little peek inside my Family's Christmas...

1. My Tree 2. Connor opening Gifts 3. Me ready to go out
4. Connor playing with his new Firetruck 5. Snow Falling
6. Gingerbread House 7. Christmas Dinner
8. Connor and Grandma reading 9. Connor and Grandpa playing

Final Halloween Post...

Witch and ghost make merry on this last of dear October’s days. ~Author Unknown

Awww, Halloween is over for the year! :( BOOO HOO!

Here is a quick post, my last Halloween card for this year...it was a quickie, I used Taylor's Cupcake Sketch...I think I was pushing too hard on this one...it just feels off...maybe I was already missing Halloween??? :)

And here is a quick picture of Connor in his Bat costume...I forgot my camera last night and have to wait for pics from my brother.

Thanks for stopping by!

Jump Creek Falls...

My Mom and I decided to take Connor out for a little hike today...we looked at a few places online, but settled on Jump Creek Falls about 45 min away outside Marsing. The pictures on the BLM site looked good. Once we got there though we realized the pictures really did not do the place justice. Gorgeous canyon, smooth trail (just had to steer away from the poison ivy) and a Gorgeous Fall!

In Memoriam...

As I always do on Memorial Day I think not only of the brave and patriotic men and women who are currently serving our country, but also of my Grandfather, who spend the majority of his life in service to his country.

(Grandpa is the painfully skinny one on the right. :D)

I will be BBQing and taking advantage of the sales today for sure...but through it all I will remember why I am free to so!

Happy Easter!!!

Hope you all had a wonderful Holiday and were able to spend it joyfully with Family!! We had a wonderful day, Connor and his cousin got to hunt for eggs outside and got Lots of treats...and the adults got Lots of FOOD! :) Gotta love a holiday with family! Everyone has to make something, nd then of course, you have to eat some of everything...twice, or maybe even three times. I finally begged my brother to roll me to the living room so I would stop taking a bite here and a bite there.

Just a quick picture of the Great Egg Hunter. (Gosh, he looks so old!!!)

Busy Busy...

Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow. -Mary Anne Radmacher

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday Weekend and your Thanksgiving Stuffing was Calorie-Free (Like Mine!!! )

I have been super busy with family, food and recently some online projects....Banners, Logos...Very Soon I will make a formal announcement of what I was up to, but for now I am testing with a beta group.

We went to the Festival of Trees Saturday and Connor got to visit with Santa...he had informed me a month before that he was NOT sitting on Santa's lap...luckily Santa was a Freakin Genius and asked if Connor would like to whisper in his ear what he wanted and we were able to get a Great picture!!!!

In Memoriam...

Our Thoughts are with you today and always. I miss you Grandpa!

Pumkins and Trains...

Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie. -Jim Davis

I don't think I have shown you any Pumpkin Patch pictures, we went weekend before last and had a Blast!! Corn Maze, Hayride, Pumpkins and Hot Cider....Awww .....I LUFF Fall!


And then....Last night, my sweet baby boy who has grown up Way too much this year was a Train Conductor, we even made him a train to wear/drive! And since I can't let the kids have All the fun, I even got a hat and cape to go as a witch...or as my nephew said "Professor McGonagall," do you think it is the glasses??? Or the wrinkles??? :D

(Yes, I did stamp his bag!!)

Back to the grind...

In the ancient recipe, the three antidotes for dullness or boredom are sleep, drink, and travel. It is rather feeble. From sleep you wake up, from drink you become sober, and from travel you come home again. -DH Lawerence

Vacation is over... :( I had SO much fun meeting up with my friends and seeing them in person again! Now they are all my Real Friends, not just Virtual friends. :D (LOL, Suzanne!)

Went shopping at IKEA, Lunch, Stamp/Scrap Store, then stamping at Tracy's house, then Hogle Zoo...busy and Fun 3 days!!!

Never Forget...

In Memory of Rodney Stuart Baird, Lt Col USAF, Ret.

Out of Town...

A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving. -Lao Tzu

I know....I have been MIA for a while...but I know you all whiled away the hours seeing if you could beat that game. :)

I went out of town to visit a bunch of friends and family...had a blast shopping, chatting and shopping and eating. :D

Met up with 2 of my SCS friends for Dinner (HOTTIE Waiter included) and some Retail Therapy at Robert's (Cuttlebug folders 40% Off!!!)



While I was gone I got a Super Cool Blogger BRAK from Nancy!! Love the colors on this!



And...just before I left I got my package from Julia S....I won some blog candy from her a while back and WOW am I excited to get it!!! 2 Basic Grey 6X6 Paper packs...Phoebe and Perhaps!!!! And, she included a Cool card that Matches the colors of the papers! :)



Now...off to create!

Family...

The happiest moments of my life have been the few which I have passed at home in the bosom of my family. ~Thomas Jefferson

I haven 't had much time to breathe, let alone post. :) I have had family in town since Christmas Eve and with work and catching up with all the folks I haven't gotten much sleep or stamp time. Tonight 8 of us sat around the table and played (screamed) Pictionary. YAY!! No one ever wants to play with me, so I was WAY excited!!!

All Connor asked for this year was "The Biggest Firetruck in the Whole Blue World"
Yeah, ummmm ...not askin' for much, huh?

I managed to find a nylon pop-up tent/tunnel as well as a 2 foot long RC Firetruck, I figured one of those would have to be "it." I got Lucky! He loves both of them. :D

This is him Christmas morning inside his tent.

OH, I forgot to ask....do you like the music? hate it? Don't care?

The Season of Family...

You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them. ~Desmond Tutu

I love having family around. Christmas is so special, as it brings together people who do not get a chance to see each other during the rest of the year. I had family in town this weekend and it was so nice to just sit around the kitchen table and laugh and talk.

My parents had gone through my Grandmother's slides when they went to visit last month, so I made them into a CD at the 1 hour Photo and them dubbed them onto a DVD with some nice Celtic music in the background (We are Scottish and Irish.) It was so fun to sit and watch the pictures roll across the screen. My Dad when he was a baby in his diaper, Grandma at 27 on the beach in Bermuda, Grandpa in his uniform in Korea...so special to share that with family.

Grandma, Dad, Uncle and Aunt in Bermuda 1953

Halloween Cutie...

The Blogger Engine keeps eating this post?????
Here is a picture of my Sweet Baby Boy, who isn't a baby any longer
Fireman Connor

SWISS Invasion

Yesterday was the SouthWest Idaho Shoebox Swap...so fun...I got to visit with some LOSTie Sisters, renew some friendships with past SWISS attendees and meet some new Idaho Stampers!! Lots of fun projects!!


Kim (Stamping Spud) and Lila (lholgate)


Christina (thecardpixie) Kendra (apigonfire) and Edith (Edith Stephenson)

Me and my LOSTies: Stacy (dolphenecho) Tammi (LotRFan)
Tracy (Bsmtscrapper) Me, Misti (Misti) Michelle (Michelleranae)

Emphasis on SIR...

WOW....OMG....HOLY COW!!!! A few weeks ago a friend of mine Shocked me with an invitation to Wednesday's SIR ELTON JOHN Concert here in Boise....I LEAPED at the chance, as you can imagine!! Even got my hair done. :)

Skip to Wednesday Night......OH MY!!! Tickets were GREAT!! I could see Sir Elton's earring swinging...his fingers Flying across the keys....OK, you get the picture!


OH, PICTURE...You want to see a Picture don't you????

Firetrucks Everywhere....

...No my neighborhood isn't on fire....my son is having a birthday party next Saturday. He will be 3!!! Wow, time goes so fast.

All I hear is Firetruck this and fire truck that, so obviously he will be having a firetruck cake, and Fireman Hats, and, and...the list goes on. Luckily I was able to keep the list down and will only have about 6 kids if everyone shows up. Not sure I could handle more than that.

I lucked into a FREE deal on notecards from my own photo...so I had cards made up to use as invites with a picture I took of Connor on the back of a Firetruck. I just put a You're Invited stamp inside and Voila!
6 invites and 6 Thank You Cards for $2.49!!!!

I took the picture when we went to tour the Emmett Fire Station (Thanks Tammi and Scott!!!)