Happy Birthday to Me!!

How old am I?
Not telling, but do you really want to know anyway?


It was quite the delightful day! I took it off from work, and played tennis for a few hours with girls who love me so much they wanted to give me a bruise for a birthday gift(that is a lot in tennis speak!), had some delish lunch with Sis Roxanne and Julie and then had a wonderful visit with my FAB friends at Paper Crafts and Creating Keepsakes, and then a delicious dinner prepared by my sweet husband! I was a little mopey the two previous days to be honest, with Tyler out of the country, Kim in New York and other little things swirling around, it seemed that this year things would be harder for me on a day that should be a party. I feel so loved that so many dear friends shared their kindness with me, I am a very lucky girl! All of them made it one of my best birthdays ever, and if you really want to know how lucky I am, go to Julia's blog and see the card she stuck into the mail for me!

Hope you all have had a wonderful day as well!
B-

So Glad That...

This day is almost done. What a wacky Monday. I have a lot of things that have been in dynamic balance for a while, and in the last week alot of it has started to change again. I have a large life change that I can talk about more in a few days, and my kids have their own huge milestones as well.

So this morning started out a little too early. We had the whole family over yesterday to celebrate birthdays, and it was raucous to say the least! We had a beautiful dinner that Dave prepared and then s'mores out at the firepit! We know how to eat around here, that is for sure! But we were exhausted and didn't get to bed in a timely manner, yikes! Let me tell you that getting to the DMV in time to see the line at the front door going through the parking lot before they open for business is something that I don't mind waiting five years for. Whilst halfway through my paperwork the very kind clerk says "oh, by the way, did you know that your license is suspended?"
Ummmmmmmmmmmmm...

No. How long has it been that way and why?"

So you can see the beginnings of a very long day there, right? It was a simple thing to clear up, but required a phone call that couldn't be made until another government office opened at nine that could fax over paperwork that somehow hadn't made its way there before. That is what everyone needs on a Monday, one more trip to the DMV, right? So at least while we were there the first time, Chloe passed her permit exam with flying colors and will be terrorizing the local neighbors with her inability to make decisions and concientious, yet overly cautious driving. Better than the other way though I think. My license is all sorted now as well, and I have to add that the people who assisted me today were all the kindest DMV employees I have ever had the pleasure of doing government business with.
Then it was back to home to walk the bad babies in the heat of the late morning, just around the block and they were wilted, so it was home for them where they could nap on mommy's bed and have ice bones for snacks.
The afternoon progressed into getting work done, finishing up last minute details on projects that are going in for pub and the ensuing paperwork. I really do love so much the crafting, but the paperwork is not anyone's favorite part I would have to guess. Sprinkled in between that were emails that reminded me that change is on the horizon and that got me a bit melancholy.
So I thought I would share with you what the remains of my day are, and a little sneak of the ATC set that releases next Tuesday. The bookmark will be accompanying me to my snug little bed that will be crowded by bony dogs and a snoring husband. But the book will be the key to starting tomorrow with a fresh and perky attitude for tomorrow.

B-

Happy Birthday Card and a Sneak Peek All In One!

It is Teresa's birthday today, hope you had a happy day friend! I made a little card for her, and I used her brand new product line called "Friendship" that is a gorgeous combination of black, blue, white and cream. Very elegant! I then used stamps from my new stamp set in the ATC collection that is called "School Primer". The sneak peek is the little alphabet tutorial and the lined frame. Stamped with Cloud Blue Adirondack pigment ink for the best match to the colors of Teresa's line and then the black is Archival. It will be released on August 4th, and it is so fun! The sentiment is from the Mona Lisa Moments and is a sneak peek as well, you will use this set for everything, it has so many wonderful phrases. This Zva crystal flourish is the perfect accent, it adds just a little touch of whimsy while keeping with the elegant theme of the card.
Kim and I had a wonderful evening spent with Megan enjoying a bite of salad and then a delish porcupine. A much appreciated spot of sunshine for the day!
Very sad that I will be taking Kim and the kids to the airport at 5:00 am, first that is a pretty awful hour, LOL! But second, I will miss their presence in our home very much. We have grown to love and enjoy them even more than before, didn't think it was possible, but it was. Can't plan a trip to Phoenix soon enough! Anyone for a road trip? Won't be until it cools down there a bit, so you have plenty of time to plan.
Have loads of work to catch up with, and some art to work on. Very grateful for the distractions for sure.
Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!
B-

Wow, what a week!

It has been quite the whirlwind around here, sorry to have bored you with an old post! Must have felt very stale around here, LOL!
Kim and I have been really busy with the kids, but we did take a little time for ourselves and spent it with a few good friends cropping at Heartland on Saturday evening. It was so fun, we laughed tons, ate really delicious junk food and I even got two layouts made!

Carter got out on an overnighter with the Boy Scouts, and has his 14th birthday tomorrow! He is the baby, but such a big boy, it all goes too fast doesn't it!

I have lots of interesting things that have kept me busy, and Dave is traveling this week. It keeps me pretty honest, LOL! Hard to get into much trouble when you don't have much free time, right?

Anyway, I am hoping to get a project done in the next few days with my next stamp set that is releasing on August 4th, I am really excited about this one, it is so fun!!! Will try to share sneak peeks asap!

Best!
B-

You go Girl!

Sharing a quick layout of Chloe that makes me smile every time I look at it! She has a look for every occasion, and not all of them are sweet...

;o)

You can almost always tell what she is thinking by what she is wearing on her beautiful face. I thought that warranted a layout of its own. I love how "sassy" Sassafrass is, and it this sheet of paper had the perfect colors and images to make my vision happen!

Really enjoying the time we have with Kim and her kids! We went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter last night, and we are all trashed today, but it was so amazing! So worth the few hours of lost sleep!

Loads going on with CHF as well, we have so many releases coming out that I am excited about! We are trying hard to knock everyone's socks off!

Off to the land of nod to gather some much needed zzzzzzzzzzz's!

B-

Happy Saturday!

Don't forget the paper piecing challenge is still going on at CHF!!! Still plenty of time to make something fun and put it in the gallery for a chance to win $50 dollar gift certificate!

I had a great time making this fun little card, going to send it off to Tyler this week! It took awhile, I won't deceive you there, but it is so cute when you open it and the Gnome Guy pops up! I think he will get a huge kick from it, and will have a great reminder of home and mom!
It feels weird to not be prepping to go to CHA this summer. I am relieved that I am not frantic right now, but will miss seeing so many friends and all of the new product releases. That is always worth whatever I have had to deal with to get to that point!
I hope everyone going has a great show and can't wait to hear more details from everyone! At CHF we are always releasing, so it is less imperative for us to be at shows. But we will soon be working on plans for CHA Winter, so I'm not off the hook for long.
The summer seems to be flying by, the kids have had a wonderful, busy week, so that keeps them happy. It also keeps me busy getting them where they are supposed to be. Chloe's week at Bio-Tech camp was a huge success for her, and at the end of the week when she and her equally talented and competitive lab partner earned a third place nod for their presentation of their results. That was exciting to see, and she was competing against a bunch of kids who are older, so proud of her for working so hard!
Anyway, my lazy day is calling me. I am going to spend some time catching up with the kids and chatting with Kim while I have her here. Also have some crafting that I have been dying to do, good times, I just love summers!

Hope you have a great weekend!
B-

Wow, it is Wednesday all ready!

It has been a wild and wacky week already, and it is only Wednesday! My latest stamp set with the All Things Considered line was released yesterday! I made the card using the set, and I am very excited about it! There is a give away on the CHF Be Creative blog for it!

With so much going on at the Farm, and here at home, I am not sure whether I am coming or going sometimes. We had a delightful 4th, hope you did too! We had 22 family and friends over on Saturday, and a good chunk of that number ended up staying on a sofa, bed or piece of floor somewhere, so fun!!!

I hope that you are enjoying your summer days and that they aren't sliding by too fast. (Mine are, not sure what to do about that either, any suggestions?)

B-

Happy 4th of July

We have a happy house full of guests and excitement, so I don't want to be away from that for too long! So just a quick little "hi" and a card put together with some goodies from a Studio Calico kit. Hope you have fun, enjoy some fireworks and eat some tasty food! Take a moment to enjoy all that our freedom brings to you, and then take another to remember the troops that have made that possible both past and present!

B-

A sneak peek!

I am so excited that my newest set releases next Tuesday along with a fabulous new Rummage Bin and Mona Lisa Moments! I have a little sneak project that I made with a few of the elements from the set. Some Pink Paislee paper and Distress inks in Broken China, Peeled Paint, and Pine Needles. Vintage Text Scrapblock is what it is matted onto.
We are having a lot of fun this week, Kim and her kids are wonderful company! Last night we roasted marshmallows in our freshly dug firepit in the backyard! Of course the s'mores were delish!!!
The Summer Stamp Star Design Challenge is going strong, there are some really great projects being uploaded daily, head over for a peek if you are curious, and you still have plenty of time is you want to participate!

Really looking forward to celebrating the 4th of July this weekend. I was trying to get to Ashland, Oregon for my class reunion, but it didn't come together. But that is okay, we will have a great time with family and friends, roasting, grilling and eating!!! Of course there will be fireworks as well!
Hope you have some fun plans for the weekend whether you are celebrating or not!

B-