Wednesday, May 12, 2010

May Playgroup at Funky Playground Designs

Good morning!! I am so excited to announce the very first Playgroup at Funky Playground Designs. What is a playgroup, you ask?! For each playgroup, the very talented FPD designers will work from a specifi color swatch to create a variety of mini-kits, paper packs, element packs, alphas, templates, etc. in whatever theme they desire. Since every product will be based off one specific color scheme, it gives you the freedom to create your very own custom collab kit!! Sounds like fun, eh?! This month, the designers created more than 20 items for you to mix-and-match; here's a preview:


And here are two layouts that I created, using a wide variety of products within the Playgroup:

 

All the products in the May Playgroup are 20% from today, May 12-Friday, May 14...so head on over to the Funky Playground Designs store and stock up on these fabulous goodies!!


Happy scrapping...and shopping!!

Sarah Bennett CT Surprise....

The amazing gals on the Sarah Bennett CT have decided to offer a template freebie blog train...so stop by on Friday, May 14th for a wonderful packet of FREE templates...the blog train is scheduled to depart from the CT Blog at 7:00am EST. See you then!!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Fun, Fun Weekend

Just popping in to share some photos from our fun-filled weekend. We had friends come into town for a family surprise, but were lucky enough to have them stay with us...which meant a weekend filled with fun, good food, and lots of time at the beach.
 
Jack and the girls playing in the front yard...Aiden and Reilly had an absolute blast playing "big sisters"this weekend.
 
The girls beings girls, and Jack looking like he's ready to get off the crazy train. lol. Roo - my daring little girl getting her skate on "just like papa"
 
The girls...digging for sea shells and sand crabs.
Not sure why, but the beach was infested with ladybugs this weekend. It was kind of funny to see the little things scurrying around on the sand...we tried getting them to safety, but the little buggers kept crawling back to the water. Oh well...at least we tried.
Aiden..my beautiful little beach bum. 
 
Roo - splashing around and having a blast; AK - impersonating a sand worm (yes...very entertaining)
 
 
Playing in the sand with friend Kaelin
 
Chilling out after a fun-filled day of running, splashing, digging, playing at the beach.


The above pics are from our beach day on Friday. We went to the beach again on Saturday when Doug didn't have to work and also got to hang out with some of our Oceanside friends who were in town for the day for a wedding. The girls LOVED spending so much time at the beach, especially with so many friends. I was in the water with the girls for most of the day Saturday, so unfortunately I didn't get any pics there...but here is one from our Saturday breakfast excursion to The Sugar Shack (it was delicious).
 
And a snapshot of my Mother's Day cards from Doug and the girls (made during primary with the help of the sister missionaries...whom the girls A.DoRE!!)

Sunday, May 9, 2010

A Divine Day...

Today at church we talked about being Divine...about how not each of us is blessed to be a mother, but that we are all blessed to be divine daughters of loving Heavenly Father and how we have each been blessed by the examples of many divine women. We talked about the various traits we have each been blessed with -traits such as kindness, compassion, patience, beauty and grace, strength, independence, acceptance, capability, determination, and the ability to love unconditionally. It was a very emotional day for me, in part because I was moved and inspired by the kind testimonies of motherhood that were shared by various sisters at the meeting, but also because I was humbled by my own feelings of inadequacy and personal disappointment.

It is no secret that I struggle in my calling as a mother...there are many days where I feel like a total and complete failure. Saying that, I know without a doubt that being a mother is the most divine and important responsibility I will ever have in this life. I cannot allow myself to become crippled by my self-doubt and lack of confidence. I need to work to overcome my frustrations and weaknesses, but I also need to turn to the Lord and fully trust in Him to help me in my role as a mother. I was put on this earth with a divine purpose...and for whatever reason, Aiden and Reilly chose me to be their mother. There is so much I do not yet know or understand, but the one thing I know is that I cannot fail them. I love my girls so much....I love more than even I understand. As a divine daughter, I have inherited many amazing traits and strengths but it is up to me to further cultivate those traits so that I may be the best mother possible to my two little darlings. Even though I struggled with my own thoughts and emotions, I really enjoyed the lesson that was shared and greatly appreciate the things that were said.

I am also grateful for the many amazing women who have influenced me and greatly blessed my life. I am thankful for my mother, for Doug's mother, and for the wonderful examples of motherhood I see in my sisters, friends, and relatives. I could not do this on my own...I am thankful for the support, encouragement, and understanding displayed by all the amazing women in my life. Thank you. And to all the mothers out there, I hope you had a simply divine Mother's Day.

Happy Mother's Day

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Oldie but Goodie

We got a not-so-new piano today, thanks to Doug's parents, our neighbor Greg, and some of Doug's friends from the ward who were kind enough to help unload the beast. When I say "not-so-new" I mean it's actually an antique...and I LOVE it. It's been well-used, greatly loved, and now it is part of our home. I am very excited to begin tinkering around on the ol' ivories. I won't be able to start lessons right away, so for the time being I will have to settle for building on what little I already know. The girls are still a little young to begin lessons, but the plan is to start them in a few years because not learning to play piano when I was younger is one my biggest regrets...and I think it would be an invaluable talent throughout the rest of their lives.
 
Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who helped get the piano into our tiny home...with a special thanks to mom and dad Hoopes - we love you and really appreciate this!!

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ScrapMatters iNSD After Party...

For anyone who may have missed out on the iNSD weekend fun, some of the designers over at ScrapMatters have decided to have an after party...so stop on by the 2010 iNSD Forum Thread this weekend for some extra games, speed scraps, chats, and prizes!!

Monday, May 3, 2010

So Lucky...

...to live so close to the beach. Seriously. I feel so grateful that we get the opportunity to live where we live right now. The girls and I are in absolute heaven, because we get to spend our days looking for starfish and sea crabs, building sand castles, and frolicking in the waves. Fabulous.

My 2 Little Sea Monkeys
 
Some starfish we found...these were some of the biggest I have seen, and never this many on a simple jetty! Totally, totally cool!!
Two little rock crabs...the girls loved seeing these and kept trying to catch them. When that didn't work, they settled for walking across the rocks sideways like the crabs. Hilarious to watch.
Roo said "Look mom! Spaghetti for the crabs!!"...to which Aiden replied "DIS-gusting!"
The coloring is off (camera battery was dying) but I love the action shot...
Another action shot...kind of a quirky angle
Random shot, but I kinda like it...
Roo...my cute little sand digger
Aiden...eating some snacks and looking cute as can be!

ScrapMatters - Sale Extended

'Nuff said...head on over to the ScrapMatters Shop and take advantage of the extended sale. I promise...you WON'T be disappointed!!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

ScrapMatters - iNSD Blog Train

Choo Choo!! Welcome to your next stop on the ScrapMatters iNSD Express!! You should have arrived here after visiting the Lori's Blog ...weren't her story and freebie simply fabulous?!

As you should be aware by now, the 2010 NSD theme at ScrapMatters is "Moments that Matter." In addition to receiving amazing freebies made from the SM mega collab, this blog train is all about visiting the different individuals that help make SM what it is and learning about our very different "moments that matter." In thinking about this, I couldn't decide just ONE moment that mattered, so rather...I've decided to share a couple of the moments that matter most in my life.

My parents wedding - if it weren't for their special union, I wouldn't be here!

My proposal - Doug will never forget (or forgive) my less-than-romantic response of "you got it?! You freakin' got it?!" when he surprised me by getting down on one knee and asking for my hand in marriage on a cloudy September day at the Oceanside Pier.

My wedding day - after a few days of stressful, last-minute preparations, a hair-style fiasco and arriving late to my own ceremony, I was wed to the most wonderful man for time and all eternity. Looking back on pictures, I think we both look so young and naive...but our love has only grown stronger in the 6+ years since.

Finding out we were pregnant...with TWINS!

Delivery day - after 13 weeks of bedrest, twice-daily monitoring, continuous IV-fed meds to stop the contractions, and 3 hospital stays, our baby girls finally arrived...healthy, strong, and more beautiful than I could have possibly imagined.

And that's it in a nutshell...my various "Moments That Matter." Now for your freebie...to help keep track of your very special moments, I have created two desktop calendars for you to enjoy...one photo option and one non-photo option, each available in 4 sizes.

**SORRY!! The blog freebie links are no longer active...all the goodies from the iNSD blog train are being bundled and will be SOON be available for purchase in the ScrapMatters store**
As a reminder, the links will be available until midnight Thursday 5/6...after that, all the fabulous blog train goodies will be available for purcahse in the ScrapMatters.

So, now that you've grabbed the handy dandy desktop calendar of your choice, hop back on board to visit your next stop on the blog train...

Amanda's Blog!

If you happen to get derailed at some point, you can see the complete list of blog train link HERE in the SM forum.

Happy scrapping everyone...I hope you enjoy your NSD!!

Happy iNSD!!

As I mentioned previously, today is a BIG day in the scrapbooking world...a day of fun, freebies, scrapbooking challenges, and Uh-MAZing grab bag deals!

Here are some examples of some of the wonderful goodies you can grab today...

FPD Free With Purchase Kit...and my layout using it

Sarah Bennett iNSD Grab Bag...and my layout using it

Sahlin Studio iNSD Grab Bag...and my layout using it
 

Creations by Rachael iNSD Grab Bag...and my layout using it
 

Erica Zane & Denise Beatty Originals collab iNSD Grab Bag...and my layout using it
 

Plum Dumpling Designs iNSD Grab Bag...and my layout using it

Thanks for looking!! Now go have fun with your iNSD shopping!!