Our Week In Review...

Last Saturday, I got to see my adorable nephew Hunter...isn't he the sweetest? I also got to visit with my sisters Shauna (proud mom of the handsome tyke) and Valerie (down visiting from Utah). My parents drove down later that day so it was a fun time with part of the Leach fam. While I was hanging out in San Diego, Doug and the girls were in Fallbrook...hanging out and enjoying every minute with their Farrow cousins who were visiting from AZ. I got to see everyone that night during the UFC fights...as much as I love being in CA, being with them made me realize just how much I miss seeing them everyday. I really developed such a special bond with Doug's siblings and their families while we lived in the hotlands and I have to say that moving away from them was the hardest part of leaving AZ.

Boxhead #1 and Boxhead #2...there was major traffic on our trek down south, so this is how the girls handled the insanity of a 3 hour drive that should have only taken an hour or so. You gotta love them!!

One of our favorite parks to go to is at the elementary school down on Balboa....the school building itself is pretty old and it has some very cool architecture. I wanted to get some fun pictures of the girls, but they weren't exactly cooperative...they just wanted to get to the playground. 

Friday after work, Doug wanted to surf and I wanted to run...so we put the girls and the stroller in the cars, headed to the beach, and planned to do both. We got to the beach only to discover the water was PACKED with surfers preparing for a contest on Saturday. Doug still went in the water and the girls thought it was pretty cool to see the jumps and tricks some of the surfers were performing. I was content to let them play in the sand for a bit before forcing them to sit in the stroller while I jogged. Obviously, the don't need swimsuits or sand toys to have a great time at the beach...they really are turning into total little beach bums!!

I decided playtime was over when Roo got a little too crazy with the sand...she came running to me with her face completely covered. I couldn't help but laugh...and snap a picture...because this is just so, totally Roo. 

I've been getting a lot of these looks from Aiden recently...this one at lunch on Friday because I asked her to eat her chicken while watching Phineas and Ferb on the big screen at McD's. How dare I, right?! Such a sassy little girl.

Freebie Alpha...

The very talented Rachael of Creations by Rachael has a guest designer gig at the Digi Chick this month and she's offering this exclusive kit - Berry Sweet - which is so utterly delicious!!

Here is a page I created with it, also using Rachael's Just the Solids - Whites paper pack:

And, HERE is a freebie alpha I created to coordinate with the kit :

Enjoy!!

New Challenges @ Funky Playground Designs

Starting June 1, come join in the fun with some new and exciting challenges at Funky Playground Designs!!

I will be co-hosting the Wednesday Journaling Challenge for June with the very talented AmyM. After thinking about what we wanted to do, we decided to base the journal prompts for this month on Changes. I can't give you the prompts yet, but I'll be back later to fill you in on all the details!!

Happy Memorial Day

I am grateful for the service and lives that have been sacrificed so that I may enjoy the liberties and freedoms I do. On this special day, may you take a moment to remember the lives of those who died in service of our country.

Speed Scrap Weekend @ ScrapMatters

 Guaranteed to be LOADS of fun!! Hope to see you there!!

Happy Birthday and a HALF...

Well, it's official...the girls are now 4 and a HALF years old. They were very excited to find out about their half birthday...they kept telling anyone and everyone within earshot that it was their "birthday and a half." I didn't have a cake mix at home so I was going to take the easy way out and buy a pre-made cake at the store. BUT then tantrums errupted (the girls, not mine) and I made the girls walk back to the bakery and put the cake back on the shelf...Roo then proceeded to tell everyone around that I took their birthday away...she got many sympathetic glances as she walked out of the store in tears....and I ended up feeling like a horrible mother.

If tomorrow is better (i.e. NO tantrums) then I promised the girls we would make cookies together. We also have a big bag of pinecones, some peanut butter, and birdseed waiting to be turned into some delicious bird feeders, so that's another possibility. Homework has been put to the back burner (no surprise there) as I'm really trying to put my attention and focus on the girls right now. Doug's work schedule is pretty hectic this week and they have definitely noticed his absence. We spent a lot of time in the yard today, transplanting some flower beds, but never made it to the park like the girls had hoped....perhaps we'll spend some time at a park tomorrow....with our freshly made cookies...and the remaining seed from our bird feeders.

Looks like it's going to be a full day...suppose I should get off the computer and get to bed now....

Happiness Is...

 

Waking up to an empty sink

Fresh-cut (er...hand-picked) flowers from our garden 

 

Fresh popped, naturally salted popcorn - the perfect afternoon snack

  

Seeing this...and spending as much time here as we can

 

Anything and everything about this handsome guy

  

A perfect view....how could this NOT make you happy?!

Project To-Do List....

There are so many wonderful and creative sources of inspiration out there...I constantly see things and think "isn't that fabulous?!" or "wouldn't it be great if I could do that?!"  Well, I've been stock-piling some project ideas and want to share some of the things on my To-Do list for the near future...as well as a few photos of inspiration.
TO DO: The Girls Room

*Color scheme - dark pink/light pink/dark navy blue/spring green; flowers & polka dots*

Idea derived from a dress we found at Target (above) and some $1.00/yd clearance fabric

     -Butterfly Mobile

     -Silhouette Wall Art

     -Headboard/footboard Slipcovers

     -Head of bed Bulletin Boards

Inspiration - Butterfly Mobile

I already have one of these in the works...I wasn't able to locate the felt pompoms used above, so I improvised with some buttons from my scrap stash and some felt scraps I got from my mom...I hope to post photos of the finished project soon!

TO DO: The Playroom
     -Paint the bookcases, chalkboard table, and chairs
     -Paint the play kitchen
     -Creative cover for non-functioning wall heater
     -Chore Chart/FHE Chart
     -Curtains/shades, rug
     -Rain Gutter Bookshelves

Inspiration - Rain Gutter Bookshelves

My shelves wouldn't extend quite this long, but I love the idea of displaying the books like this...I already have alphabet letters in the playroom, but may change how they are displayed if I can figure something out with these rain gutters.

TO DO: The Front Room
     -Paint
     -French Door Frame Wall Art
     -New Temple Pic

Inspiration - Window Pane Photo

I love this, but would like to find a french door pane that I could use lengthwise. I would also like to put full photos in the pane, rather than smaller ones on the wire.

So many thoughts, too many decisions to make...which is where you all come in handy!! Now that I've put my ideas out there, I would love any suggestions, ideas, input, or tips you may have to share!!

Scrap Haps - Funky Playground Designs

Things have been busy, busy, busy over at Funky Playground Designs since the site re-opened at the beginning of April. The design crew has grown and changed, and I'm enjoying the opportunity to get to know different designers. Just to see what I mean, here are my recent layouts as part of the FPD CT...

  

   Carefree (AK)                 Smiley Reilly (Roo)

  

  Ben & Karen's Reception (AK)                      Sweet as Pie (AK)                    

 

      2 Little Rays (both girls)                Grow (both girls)             

 

                 Two Li'l Monsters (both)         Guilty (both girls - remember the turquiose paint incident?!)        

As a reminder, if you spend $5 in the FPD shop during the month of May you will receive the adorable Gray Skies kit for FREE...I will be completely honest when I say I LOVE this kit...I've used parts of it on almost every FPD layout I've created this month....it's THAT good!!

AND - just to give you a head's up - FPD is going to host it's monthly Speed Scrap Thursday May 27, 2010 at 9:00pm EDT, 8:00pm CDT, 7:00pm MDT, and 6:00pm PDT. You can click HERE for more information on prizes, gift cards, and all the fun details...

Last but not least, FPD will have its May Lost and Found Sale this weekend, May 21-23, where you can find many fabulous products on sale for just $1.00...

And I think that's about it for the scrap haps at Funky Playground Designs!! Thanks for stopping by...happy scrapping!!

Scrap Haps - ScrapMatters

I'm hosting the Grand Theft Layout Challenge at ScrapMatters for 5.19.2010. I chose the amazing gallery of josette31 as the inspiration for the challenge - her pages are absolutely amazing. You can check out the full challenge details HERE in the ScrapMatters forum or HERE on the SM BLog, but here's a look at my take on the challenge...

 

I lifted Josette's layout Sweet Pea (left) and came up with Choose to Smile (right) using the fabulous mega Queen of Scrap collab from the ScrapMatters Design Team...check out the previews below:

 

As part of my ScrapMatters CT "duty" I am assigned 3 designers each month to work with. For May, I have the privilege of working with Happy Scrap Girl Designs, Haynay Designs, and Designs by Jeni Hopewell. All three designers area amazingly talented and I loved getting to work with their different design styles. Here are my creations so far:

A 2fer using Sunshine & Showers collab, Happy Doodle Alpha, P365 Template Set1 by Happy Scrap Girl

 

Page 1 full credits HERE                       Page 2 full credits HERE

Sweet As Sugar using Sugar Pea and The Basics Template 1 by Haynay Designs

Easter 2007 using Sunday Best by Jeni Hopewell

  And here are some additional pages I've created for various ScrapMatters challenges and "just because"...

 

          Bloom (Roo)             One of a Kind (Roo)

   

4th of July 2009 (Aiden)                   Love This Moment (Aiden)

 

Parenthood: Humor Required (me and the girls)          2 Brand New Babies (hospital pics)                 

So, in a nutshell....that's what I've been up to at ScrapMatters!! Thanks for stopping by...I hope you enjoyed my scrapbook creations!!

Twin-isms...

Just some of the things the girls say and do that make me smile...most of the time...

Hole-cano = Volcano

Ogre-alls = Overalls

Chicke-wa-whas = Chihuahuas

Adocavos = avocados, Roo's new found favorite fruit...or vegetable....or whatever it is
Stinky, stinky, poo-poo bum = the name for any and ALL villians in their bedtime stories from Doug (thanks Doug...so much!!)
Papa, Mama, Sister, and Sweetie = Large, Medium, Small, and Tiny, and Old vs. Young
"Will you skuggle me?" = skuggle is our word for snuggle, and the answer to this question is almost always an emphatic "YES!"
"Should I...?" = Rather than "may I" or "can I" or "will you" Roo always uses the phrase "Should I" or "should you" in the sweetest voice
"I saw you last night..." = everything is referred to as last night, regardless of whether it occurred a day ago, a week ago, or many months prior.
"Yes SIR!" = complete with head salute and stomping for emphasis...sir is used whether the girls are saying this to me or Doug.
"Are you KIDDING me?!" = mainly said by Aiden; yes she picked it up from me
"EwwWW...gross...that's disGUSting!!" = said for a variety of reason, but it's hilarious how they emphasize certain parts of the phrase.
"Mom - I'm not going to be your mom!!" = also said by Aiden when she's really, really upset with me

"Dad - there's a BEAR in your stomach!!" = said by Aiden when she heard Doug's stomach grumbling one day

Anytime we are out in public and someone so much as looks or smiles at Roo, she takes that as an invitation to talk...and talk she does!! Her conversation usually goes something like this: "Hi, my name is Reilly. That starts with an R. And this is my sister Aiden. Her name starts with an A. That's my momma Becky and my papa's name is Doug, but he's not here right now. Do you have a papa? What's his name? We just moved here from Arizona....and yeah, I really miss my cousin Lexie. Connor is my silly cousin. And Uncle Ben and Uncle Dan are silly too. I have two gran'mas and two gran'pas. What's your granpa's name? I don't have any dogs...but there's Kupua and Bootsie and Hugo. Silly Hugo. I rea-ry like your necklace. That's beautiful! Where did you get that from? Oh, my skirt...yeah. It's my favorite. My momma got it from Target. Did you get that from Target?......"   I kid you not, that child is like the Energizer Bunny...she'll keep chatting and chatting until the poor, unsuspecting person is forced to make a hasty retreat. We've had quite a few talks about how she needs to be careful about what she says to people and not give too much information and be careful not to talk to strangers if Doug or I aren't there...but I'm not sure how much good these conversations have done since she still continues to divulge everything and anything that comes to her mind.

There are so many things they say and do each day that make me smile...and I'm really trying to make an effort to find joy in the little things rather than dwell on the not-so-great bigger things (like the tantrums and fighting and attitude). As I think of more, I'll come back and add them to the post...

Potty Jingles

"Sing a so-ong, you must sing, you must sing, you must sing. Sing a so-ong you must sing...on...the....potty?!"

Overheard the following jingle a few minutes ago as Reilly sat on the potty..."the poop is from my waff-les...the pee is from the wa-ah-ter...." followed by some humming in a catchy tune. Then, as she walked out of the bathroom after washing her hands she mumbled under her breath "Wow, that was a serious dis-AS-ter."

I have NO idea where my girls come up with this stuff, but at least they're entertaining...and using the potty...which is always a good thing.

Have a happy Friday...I hope it's filled with laughter.

Sarah Bennett CT Blog Train...

Choo Choo!! Welcome to your next stop on the Sarah Bennett CT Template Blog Train!! My name is Becky, more commonly known as hoo-rah around digiland, and I am glad to have you on board! You should have arrived here from Kendall's blog. Once you grab my template freebie, you will be headed on over to your next stop at Britanee's blog.

Here is the template I have created for you...I really hope you like it and will find it useful.

Download HERE from 4shared

And just to make sure you don't miss out on any of the fabulous templates shown below, here is the complete list of blog links for today's template train:

CT Blog - http://designsbysarahbennett.blogspot.com/

Trish - http://justthe6ofus.net/

Katie - http://scrappingwithkatie.blogspot.com/

Kim - http://karayannisfamily.blogspot.com/

Li - http://libeingcrafty.blogspot.com/

Jamie - http://jamiesscrapblog.blogspot.com/

AmyM - http://melniczenkomusings.blogspot.com/

Kendall - http://majorscrapitude.blogspot.com/

Becky (that's me) - http://hodgeypodgeblog.blogspot.com/

Britanee - http://britaneesscraps.blogspot.com/

Amanda - http://mandasmemories.blogspot.com/

AmyP - http://amyp-unforgettablemoments.blogspot.com/

I really appreciate you stopping by my blog today...and I hope you enjoy the goodies from Sarah Bennett's CT. If you haven't already, you should definitely go check out Sarah's shop over at ScrapMatters...she has some really amazing products, including a fabulous new kit - My Buddy - just released today!!

I know, A.DOR.A.BLE, right? Even though I don't have any little buddies to scrap about (yet), I still managed to put together a page that Aiden will hopefully treasure for years to come...that is, if I ever get it printed and put into an album.

Thanks again for stopping by! I hope you have a wonderful Friday and an even better weekend!!