Usborne Books

My friend, SaraAmarie, is having an online book party! She and her daughters love these books. If you buy one of these books through her link (until February 11th) you will get one of her element packs FREE & be entered to win a drawing for a free book! Pretty good deal! I am on a self-imposed spending freeze, but I thought I would pass this on to all my bloggin' buddies!

Enter through this link!

layout from may 2007

this is just something a little bit different that i wanted to try.
credits:
paper from christy lyle's orange you glad
wings brush by obsidian dawn

layout from may 2007

these are some of my favorite pictures from a photo shoot i did of the girls when ainsley was newborn.
credits:
Natalie Bird's
Together Forever
Old Time Alpha
leaf from blog freebie
butterfly from spring is in bloom
snap from Hardware Pack
at Designs in Digital, Pickleberry Pop, & Color Line Design
pscs2
fonts: My type of Font

april 2007 layout

i love this picture of hannah trying to calm down ainsley!
credits:
Natalie Bird's
It's Love
at Designs in Digital, PickleberryPop, & Color Line Design
pscs2
fonts:my type of font

new layout from april 2007

these are ainsley's sweet little newborn feet!
credits:
Natalie Bird
Always Paper Pack
Eclectic Bits & Pieces
Tattered Tags
at Designs in Digital, Pickleberry Pop & Color Line Design
pscs2
fonts: my type of font

BIG plans tonight!

I am going to be watching the special enhanced last episode of season 3 of LOST! And tomorrow night... the first episode of SEASON FOUR! Woohoo!

probably the last layout for tonight...

this is another scrapquick quick page and misty cato's distressed white alpha.
photo is from february 2006... right after she drank her very last bottle!

okay, one more feb 2006 layout

this is hannah with her very first Barbie doll! yes, she was kissing it! so cute!
yep, another ScrapQuick quickpage!

and just one more february 2006 layout

I am having so much fun getting these old photos scrapped. Not only do I feel like I am getting something accomplished, but it's fun to go through these old photos!
This is another quickpage. This is from Misty Maier's Random Thoughts kit. FUN kit!

one more february 2006 layout

another quickpage... this time maria lafrance's melon sorbet quickpage set

another february 2006 layout

I am DETERMINED to get caught up! Yep, another quickpage!

february 2006 layout... again

yet another scrapquick page! love it!

february 2006 layout

another scrapquick quick page! this is hannah's first chicken nuggets kid's meal from wendy's...

last january 2006 layout

woohoo! finally done with the last of my january 2006 photos!
yes, this is another scrapquick quickpage! :)

another quickpage tonight

this is another quickpage. it is one of the scrapquick pages i got when i was working for them. i miss scrapquick! good quality designs are difficult to find at good prices!

another quickpage layout

this is another quickpage by christine smith. the photos are once again from january 2006!

quickpage layout

this is a page for hannah from january 2006... i "cheated" and used a quickpage. isn't it pretty? i love christine's krafty kits.

credits:
Christine Smith's Krafty Girl Album
pscs2
fonts: arial, ck script

a layout for today

I am really trying to get caught up on some of my older pages. These are pictures of Hannah & Thomas from January of 2006. eek! I'm really far behind!

credits:
Blythe Evans' Simplicity Template, altered
Scrap Artists' In Vogue Kit
pscs2
fonts: JJ Stencil Solid

2 layouts with Christine Smith's How Love Feels

Can you believe that these layouts are created with the same kit? Pretty amazing! I love the oil painted texture of the red background in the second layout.


this picture is from when Ainsley was born.
credits:
christine smith's
crumpled, creased & curled
how love feels
available @ design.christinesmith.net
pscs2
fonts: turtle club
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

these are pictures from the beginning of january
credits:
Christine Smith's
How Love Feels
green knotted ribbon from Vintage Valentine
blue flower from a bit boho
blue alpha from nothing girly
available at design.christinesmith

layout about President Hinckley

This is a scrapbook page that I did about President Hinckley. I knew that I had to do a page about him. I want my girls to know how much this wonderful man meant to me.
credits:
misty cato's
weathered decor
you & me (coming soon!)
at scrapbook-elements
photos are all from lds.org

Only in America...

Thanks, Becky, for this email. I got a good chuckle out of a few of these! But then again, I am easily amused! That's a good thing, right?


Spread the Stupidity


Only in America .........do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of
the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.

Only in America .........do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.

Only in America .......do banks leave both doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.

Only in America ........do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.

Only in America .........do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.

Only in America .........do we use the word 'politics' to describe the process so well: 'Poli' in Latin meaning 'many' and 'tics' meaning 'bloodsucking creatures'.

Only in America ........do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.

EVER WONDER ...

Why the sun lightens our hair, but darkens our skin ?

Why women can't put on mascara with their mouth closed?

Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?

Why is 'abbreviated' such a long word?

Why is it that doctors call what they do 'practice'?

Why is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You know that indestructible black box that is used on airplanes? Why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?!

Why don't sheep shrink when it rains?

Why are they called apartments when they are all stuck together?

If con is the opposite of pro, is Congress the opposite of progress?

If flying is so safe, why do they call the airport the terminal?

I'm going to break my ankles, I just know it!

Yep, folks! It's true! Riverdance is coming to UTAH! Woo hoo! And I get to go. My BFF, Mary, is taking me as her date! (If you decide you want to take Chris or your Mom or your sister, I'll understand... I'll cry for days, but I'll understand! just kidding about the crying... kind of!) Mary has never seen Riverdance. I haven't actually been to a show, but I have been to Lord of the Dance with Michael Flatley. And that was really awesome! I used to watch Riverdance every single time it came on PBS! I don't know how Mary could have possibly not seen it, we lived together for 2 years! And for about a week after I see it, I have to riverdance all over the place. Now, those of you who know me know that I do NOT dance AT ALL. I have no rhythm, no grace, and no balance. Combine that with an overwhelming urge to riverdance all over the place and you have several near disasters! :) And it's icy out here right now, so I'll have to limit my dancing to inside the house. :::Big Sigh::: I am so excited!!!!!!! You & Me, Mary! Girls Night!

Whole Wheat Bread Recipe

With this recipe, you mix the dough in your bread maker and then bake it in the oven. And it is GOOD. I found the original recipe in a bread machine cookbook, but I've altered it QUITE a bit! I made 3 batches of it today, so I know it works and it tastes GREAT! Add the ingredients according to your bread machine directions. I add them in order of the recipe because my bread maker gets warm before it mixes the ingredients at all.

3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons water
1 large egg
2 Tablespoons softened margarine
1 1/4 cup white flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup oatmeal (optional)
2 Tablespoons white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast (I prefer RedStar)

After dough cycle is finished, remove dough from bread maker. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Then I divide the dough in half and form into loaf shapes. Cover with a towel and let rise 45 minutes. Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

This recipe is an odd-size. It is too big to put in one loaf pan, but too small for two loaves. So, I usually just form it into a loaf shape and bake it on a cookie sheet. The oatmeal is just to give it some different/extra nutrients. You can't even see the oatmeal pieces with this little amount. But if you add more, the dough doesn't rise well. This bread does get stale easily. So, be sure to keep it wrapped up when you aren't eating it! Also, as soon as you take it out of the oven, slide it off the pan and wrap it in a dishtowel. It'll help the crust stay soft and the inside moist.

It also makes a DELICIOUS pizza crust! I usually add a couple of teaspoons of garlic powder and roll the bottom in cornmeal when I make pizza crust. That is what we are having tomorrow! I make a deep dish crust for me and a thin crust for Thomas. I just bake the crust in a quiche pan to get a good deep crust. If you want it to be REALLY good, after the crust has cooked for about ten minutes, spread some garlic butter on it, then top it and finish the baking! But, since we are trying to eat healthier, we'll skip that part this time.

Hannah really likes this bread. She even eats the crust on the wheat bread because she can't tell what part is crust and what part is bread. This also makes a WONDERFUL white bread. Just use all white flour. This bread is a lot more dense than traditional homemade bread. It freezes and thaws really well. Because it is such a dense bread it doesn't lose a lot of its size when you defrost it like a lot of breads do. I highly recommend it!

Another photoshop miracle!

I just found another very cool photoshop tutorial on Designs in Digital. This one is by Anita Stergiou and is about how to create the Lomo/Holga camera effect. You basically punch up the contrast and saturation and create a vignette. Anita's pictures are much better, of course. But these are just a couple of pictures that I took around my house the other day of some of the details of my house that I LOVE.

Before tutorial...

After tutorial!

I also used the diffuse glow filter on this one. I LOVE how it made the brass POP!
-------------------------------------------
Before tutorial...

After tutorial!

Thanks, Anita!!!!! Love this technique!

I LOVE Photoshop!

This is how the picture started...

and after a few pretty simple edits...

pretty darn good, if I do say so myself! I learned a new trick about the Diffuse Glow filter. Did you know that you can fade the effect and use different blending modes with it??? Robyn Gough has a tutorial about it Designs in Digital. I also had to burn a lot and play with the levels. Too bad my photos don't start out looking like this! :)

layout with Misty Cato's Weathered Decor

This is a scrapbook layout I did of Hannah playing with my cousin (her 2nd cousin) Eli. Eli is Mary's son. Mary & I met at a park to hang out and let the kids play back in November. It was a lot of fun... a MUCH needed break! I absolutely LOVE the kit I used for this layout. It's Misty Cato's most recently released kit, Weathered Decor, and you can pick it up at Scrapbook-Elements.

credits:
Misty Cato's
Weathered Decor
distressed white alpha
at scrapbook-elements
pscs2
fonts: times new roman

I got tagged... again!

Tag!
Thanks, Chrissy!

A - Attached or Single: attached
B - Best Friend: MARY!!! and my Momma & sisters
C - Cake or Pie: these days, cake. used to be pie, now i'm allergic to fruit.
D - Day of choice: Saturday is a special day...
E - Essential Item: laptop
F - Favorite Color: red
G - Gummy Bears or Worms: worms
H - Hometown: Jacksonville
I - Indulgence(s): digiscrapping, eating Fanny Mae chocolate
J - January or July: July
K - Kids: two little monkey swinging from a tree
L - Life is incomplete without: my family & fountain Coke
M - Marriage Date: October 2001
N - Number of Siblings: 3 sisters, 1 little bubba
O - Oranges or Apples: apple pie/ orange juice
P - Phobias or Fears: midgets, clowns & bugs... now you know why i hate circuses.
Q - Quotes: You know you're in love when you can't sleep...because reality is finally better than your dreams.
R - Reason to smile: my kids. ironically, also the reason i am NOT smiling most of the time! :)
S - Season: spring!
T - Tag Three Friends: Mary, Angie, Ashley
U - Unknown fact about me: I think I spilled it all when I posted all my quirks online a month or so ago!
V - Very favorite store: IKEA
W - Worst habit: I procrastinate... everything!
X - X-ray or Ultrasound: I'd rather have an ultrasound... usually a happier occasion than when I've had to have an x-ray. Although, if I have to have another ultrasound, I'll probably cry a lot more than if I had to have an x-ray.
Y - Your favorite food: I don't really have a favorite food these days. I have too many allergies. But I am eternally grateful for the soybean that makes it possible for me to have "cheese", "peanut butter" & "milk".
Z - Zodiac: Leo

President Hinckley died

President Gordon B Hinckley passed away about an hour ago, at the age of 97 years old. President Hinckley was the 15th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has been the president since I was a young teenager. He is the cutest man! I just absolutely adore him. I KNOW that he has been the mouthpiece of the Lord. I know that he is a prophet of God. I am so grateful for President Hinckley and the impact he has had on my life. He has been such a good example! He will be sorely missed. I love every talk he has given, but the talk that had the most significance in my life is the one that he gave at a conference in 1995, when The Family: A Proclamation to the World was released. I will never forget that talk. This is the reason I majored in Marriage, Family & Human Development. Thank you, President Hinckley, for your years of hard work and dedication and service. I would say "May you rest in peace" but I doubt that he will be resting long! I have a feeling that he will be ready to work. But what joy fills my heart when I think of him being reunited with his sweet wife, Majorie. I love him!

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshiped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize his or her divine destiny as an heir of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

This proclamation was read by President Gordon B. Hinckley as part of his message at the General Relief Society Meeting held September 23, 1995, in Salt Lake City, Utah.

pride & prejudice

i absolutely *adore* this movie... the LONG five hour version! i love mr. darcy! colin firth is just perfect for that part! okay, back to my movie and my scrapbook supply organizing!

going crazy.... nothing unusual here!

It's almost midnight. Hannah is still playing in her bed, sneaking out every few minutes to ask me a "very important question." Usually something like "Um, Mom. Can I ask you a very important question? Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. What are we having for breakfast tomorrow morning?" OR "Um, Mom. Can I ask you a very important question? Uhm. Uhm. Uhm. Will Ainsley be nice to me tomorrow?" Ugh. Go back to bed, kid! I got NO sleep last night and it appears that my fate will be the same tonight. Thomas went to bed an HOUR ago. Lucky man! Ainsley finally gave up the fight about ten minutes ago. She's been crying in her bed for almost an hour. I'm such a mean mom.

Okay, while I am waiting for my daughter to go to sleep, I have been blog browsing and thought I would browse the digital scrapbooking forums that I frequent. I clicked my way over to DST and they are down for a security upgrade... But I could see that I HAVE A NEW MESSAGE there and I can't access it. What is the message??? Who is it from? I never get messages there. I'm dying of curiosity! I have been clicking over there and refreshing my browser every few minutes and it is still down! Yes, I am one of those people who can't let the answering machine light blink or leave a voicemail on my cell phone or an email unread. I can't stand this!!!

BUT, Ainsley started eating Cheerios today. She loved them. She kept banging on her tray when she couldn't reach the Cheerios! It was so cute. And I think I forgot to mention that she started eating spaghetti on Tuesday night. She loves it. She ate as much as Hannah did that night. I just cut it up into teeny tiny pieces and fed her. It was GREAT! It's kind of nice having her not like baby food. But that means I HAVE to make something for dinner that she will eat. Tonight was green beans. She isn't a fan. So she ate a lot of Cheerios. Okay, I'm off to check DST again to see if it's up... but first, I'll leave you with a picture of me & the girlies that I took the other day. chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Hannah ate her entire dinner, including the chicken! Hannah doesn't eat meat unless it is extremely processed! You know, like nuggets, hotdogs, bologna... She ate a TON of green beans, too. About half the can. I was proud of her. She cracks me up lately. Every time she goes to get a snack she asks me if it is a "healthy choice snack." Thank goodness for Captain Carlos on the Disney Channel! She wants to "power up the Captain Carlos way!". It has actually helped her to eat more pretzels (as opposed to chips), craisins (instead of fruit snacks), and fresh fruits and veggies. The kid loves tomatoes and grapes and bananas. She even ate a sugar snap pea the other day just because I told her it was healthy. She didn't like it so much, but she pretended to! :) She ate an apple today, too. AND she ate REAL milk yogurt. Woohoo! Much cheaper than soy! She actually ate two yogurts. Ainsley wasn't a fan, though.Have I mentioned lately that I love my George Foreman grill??? I did grilled garlic chicken breasts for dinner tonight and then baked them with a little barbecue sauce on top for about ten minutes. Yum! We had them with roasted potatoes & green beans. And of course we had oatmeal chocolate chip cookies after dinner!

Hannah wanted a picture of "just daddy's girls!" taken yesterday. :) Thomas always calls us his three girls and Hannah thinks it is so cute! She wanted to send this picture to Daddy at work, but I just uploaded it to the computer today because my camera battery died. Anyway... Please excuse the eyebrows, I can't find my tweezers!

We love you, Tommy!

today...

has been a very interesting day. I got a total of five hours of sleep last night. She is crying constantly. She really needs a nap, but won't take one. She just cries and makes herself puke. hannah is so wound up and is getting into EVERYTHING. I keep finding screws on the floor today...

kinda like this! ^ Then I looked around and noticed that the light switch covers were missing screws...

kinda like this ^ and

and like that one, too.

and I figured out why...

she was so proud of herself! i used this opportunity to straighten all my plug cover screws. they are now all facing the "correct" position.

Today is so much fun!

some of my best work ever!

I started working with another designer a couple of weeks ago, Misty Cato. I LOVE her work. She sells at Scrapbook-Elements. I don't know what anyone else thinks about the layouts I have done, but personally I LOVE the way my scrapbook pages look using her designs. Too bad I can't show you any of the pages I have done yet! We get Misty's products several weeks ahead of their release in her store, so I will post them as her products are released! Amazing stuff!!!!

my blog's readability level...

sadly, this isn't so surprising to me!

Movie Reviews

the best oatmeal chocolate chip cookies EVER

So, I modified the Hershey's Milk Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe. They were so good. Want the recipe??? Here you go!

Hershey's Chocolate Chip Cookies (Meredith's version!)
2 sticks butter
2 eggs
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups white flour
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup milk chocolate chips
Bake at 375 degrees for 10-12 minutes

Next time I am going to use 1 1/2 cup wheat flour, 1 cup white flour... I'm currently out of wheat flour. Anyway, that's it for now... the cookies were DELICIOUS!

If you want them without the oatmeal, I use 3 cups flour. If you follow the recipe exactly as it is on the bag, they are really really thin and crispy. That's pretty much the only variation I make. Next time, I will probably add another tablespoon of brown sugar.

my funny girls!

I was just sitting here trying to work on a scrapbook page and Hannah came in the family room and said, "Mom, don't start dieting, start living." Uhm, Hannah, what is dieting? "I don't know. Is it where you go to die?" Nope. Just feels like it! :) And last night while we were eating dinner, she busted out with "Mom, dinner is supposed to feel good, not taste good." She cracks me up!!! She is my little commercial memorizer! We are definitely watching what is on tv much more closely.

So, Ainsley decided to start talking on Sunday night. I have been trying to get her to say "Mama" since the day she was born. Sunday night, she looked up at Thomas and said, "Dada". I thought it was a fluke. She always makes "Da" sounds. So, yesterday I tried to get her to say "Mama" all day. She would look up at me and say "DaDa" and then either start laughing or look away. Little stinker. I still didn't quite believe it. So, when Thomas was holding her last night, she looked up at him and said it again. :sigh: I guess it is only fair! Hannah said "Mama" first.

My girls are so darn cute! They are in their bedroom playing together right now. So, for about three minutes I have peace and quiet... until one of the starts screaming or Hannah comes out of her room to tell me about something that Ainsley broke! Hannah is really into dress-up right now. So, you never know what she is going to end up wearing! Right now, she is wearing her Princess Aurora dress (that's what she calls it) with a sun hat and a white purse and her old Nextel cell phone. I love my babies!

new layout

these are pictures from a couple of weeks ago... thankfully, we are doing much better with our sleeptime! yea!!! mommy needs sleep! she does usually get up once a night to eat, but i can deal with that!
credits:
Our Mojo Garden, a Collab by Laura Burger and Marcie Reckinger at FPD, alpha recolored
Starlight Overlays by Laura Burger at treasures to scrap
pscs2
fonts: pea yar yar

new layout

These are pictures my mom took back in June when we were at her house. This is Kiddie Day at the festival. The little boy is my cousin's son. The poor little guy is allergic to mosquitoes and he got bit a few times the night before the festival. He was pretty doped up on Benedryl. It sure didn't slow either of them down!
credits:
templates from mish gasser's rectangle quickies power pack 5 at pdw, altered
natalie bird's plain paper pack at pbp
pscs2
fonts: lima bean, pea yaryar

new layout!

these pictures are from september. i finally found a kit that i liked for them! :)
credits:
Our Mojo Garden by Laura Burger and Marcie Reckinger at FPD
frames from: Natalie Bird's Ultimate Element Collection at PBP
pscs2
fonts:MS serif

I need a partner!!!

Come on all my digiscrappin' buddies, I need a partner for the Amazing Digi Scrap Race! I chickened out last year and didn't do it (something about having a baby due during race time!), but I am doing it this year!!!!! anyone???

ADSR Blog

I am determined to do all of the challenges. I want to at least get entered to win the grand prize! :) BUT, if something comes up and your kids get too sick or you get too busy, I promise not to get mad! I'll just find another partner. :)


eta: I found a partner! I am going to be working with athenagwis, who is on Laura's CT with me! Yea!

new scrapbook page

these pictures are from a week or so ago. they girls had a good time playing together!
credits:
saraamarie's xoxo kit at sweet shoppe designs
pscs2
fonts: pea yar yar

new music***

I never listen to music unless it is on the radio. So, if you hear any songs with bad words or anything inappropriate on my blog, please please please let me know so I can take it down.

Which Desperate Housewife are you?

I am bored out of my mind today and not feeling the least bit creative. Can't sleep because the kids are too loud. Thomas is really trying hard to keep them occupied. But after days of being sick, Hannah is going stir-crazy! So far today she has almost broken the DVD player and spilled pretzels all over the floor two or three times. And Ainsley always finds the little pieces that we miss and chokes on them. Ugh. So, I'll keep doing dumb online quizes. The fun never ends!

LOST

I'll be watching!!!!! I finally caught up and finished Season 3... WOW! I can't wait! I never ever in a million trillion years thought I would like this show. If you haven't ever seen an episode you can watch an 8 minute recap and have the basics down. Although I would definitely go back and watch the complete seasons! Thanks, Greg, for getting us hooked!

so, don't anyone call me during the show. i won't answer!

some pictures for you

this is ainsley in her blessing gown. no, you didn't miss anything. we still haven't blessed her yet, but i wanted to try it on her and see if it fits. it's perfect!

i love the lighting on this shot. yes, i know you can see the messy bedroom behind her. this was just a test shot.

this is the dresser I started working on. you can see the two drawers I started sanding.

ainsley just chilling in front of the fireplace with her crazy hair!

look at those teeth!!!

little mowgli trying to get into the bathroom with hannah. funny kid!

hannah & ainsley having fun together!

this is the ring that hannah made for me earlier today. apparently, it's my ceremonial ring for when she marries prince philip... did i tell you that she thinks she is princess aurora now?

hannah is playing daddy's harmonica

hannah playing daddy's harmonica, while daddy plays the guitar & ainsley drums on a box

this is our house!!! yes, the right side of the duplex that looks like white trash is ours! i took down the christmas decorations yesterday and thomas is hauling the boxes out to the garbage tonight.

this is the dresser. you can see the difference in the dressers. The really sad thing is that the dresser drawers that originally looked the worst actually sanded the best. I guess all the layers of dirt and grime protected the wood. I spent a couple of hours outside yesterday (freezing my BUNS off) sanding the rest of the dresser. The other drawers are scratched so deeply that it won't be worth it to stain it. I am going to fill the scratches with putty and paint it. And it is pine, not oak. A bit disappointing, but still FREE and it will look nice when it is done. I am going to paint it a really nice nutmeg color.

this is princess aurora in her wedding gown and cinderella slippers, reading for her wedding to prince philip! what a creative little kid!

this is hannah and zoey in their carseats. they are so different. you can't really tell how much smaller ainsley is. Ainsley is tiny!