Meredith's Blog

This blog has MOVED!

2010-07-17T20:32:00.002-06:00

I finally got this blog moved over to my personal website. It's going to take me several months to get all the old posts linked up, but I have made a good start. I am going to try to do different categories for different kinds of posts. You can select what you are interested in! Check it out!

http://www.meredithcardall.com

4th of July Scrapbook Pages

2010-06-26T14:05:00.002-06:00

these are photos from july 4, 2008
credits:
Fabulous 4th by The Ettes @ ettesandcompany
Templ-Ettes Collection 9 by The Ettes

4th of July, 2007
credits:
Fabulous 4th by The Ettes @ ettesandcompany

4th of July, 2008
credits:
Fabulous 4th by The Ettes @ ettesandcompany

Some Scrapbook Projects!

2010-06-16T21:49:00.003-06:00

I taught a digital scrapbook class last night and had the chance to make some fun projects as samples to show what you can do with digital scrapbooking. I thought I would show them on my blog as well!

This is a cute treat bag I made for a little baggie of coconut M&Ms. Does anyone else love these as much as I do? Did you know that they are artificially flavored? While that may not be appealing to most people, I LOVE it! I'm allergic to coconut, but I can eat these!

credits:
Heirloom Kit by Deena Rutter (@ PernsicketyPrints)
Template from TheCuttingFiles at TheDigiChick
ribbon

I made this cute little treat bag full of lemonhead candies. I don't love the taste of them, but I sure do love their bright sunny color!

credits:
Happier Kit by Deena Rutter at DesignHouseDigital
Template from TheCuttingFiles at TheDigiChick
ribbon

I finally got a cute project done for my girls' toy room! I just love this fun kit! I think I have used it more than I have any other kit!

credits:
Happier Kit by Deena Rutter at DesignHouseDigital
craft paint
modpodge

credits:
Big Kid Church by Krystal Hartley at SSD
craft paint
modpodge

Magnetic TicTacToe game for sacrament meeting
credits:
Big Kid Church by Krystal Hartley at SSD
cd tin by stampin' up!
adhesive
magnets

***
I have some cute new photos & updates to post soon!

A new scrapbook Page

2010-06-11T14:05:00.004-06:00

this photo is from our Halloween 2008 Zoo Trip with all the Cardall cousins. I can't believe how much everyone has grown up! It's crazy!

I am trying to get caught up with last month's scrapbooking. This is a page about Hannah's end-of-year field trip to the zoo. It was the middle of May and 35degrees. Crazy weather!

credits:
Zoo Crew Collection by The Ettes

National Scrapbook Day Pages!!!

2010-05-04T13:57:00.006-06:00

Guess what I did for National Scrapbook Day? I scrapbooked! And chatted with some of the designers from Design House Digital (they are my new FAV store). And scrapped some more. And then I ran to WalMart, because no Saturday is complete without a nightmare trip to WalMart. And I was so sad because I missed the entire Persnickety Prints chats at DST. I knew I would miss some, but I didn't think WalMart would take THAT long! Later that evening, I took a trip to my local scrapbook store. They are moving to a new location later this month so I snagged some Prima flowers for $2/bottle! Nice!

Anyway, here are some pages that I did over the weekend. This isn't anywhere close to all of them, but just a few!

FYI... Ainsley is an absolute nut. These photos are from last month. She wore that tutu for two straight days and would NOT take it off. It could have been worse... it could have been the witch costume.
credits:
template by (I can't remember who... how embarrassing!)
Kit is Pinfeathers by Carina Gardner at DHD
***

Once more, Ainsley being nutty! She found a sheet of sparkly star stickers and stuck one on her forehead. She started giggling and then ran back in her room and proceeded to "bling" the remote control. Nice. I hope Comcast likes bling.
credits:
template - can't remember
Carina Gardner's Pinfeathers
***

I promise, I do take pictures of Hannah and scrap them. Promise. This is another of Ainsley being a nut. She put her Dora couch on TOP of the table in the playroom so that she could see the tv better... and then proceeded to fall asleep!
credits:
template - Darcy Baldwin (inspired by rubia) at SSD
Kit is Happier by Deena Rutter at DHD (one of my newest FAV designers!)
***

See! Pictures of Hannah. These are from her Aquarium Field Trip last month.
Template by Jen Caputo -PhotoGrids
Kit is Fish are Friends by Misty Cato, MandaBean

template (can't remember designer)
kit: Happier by Deena Rutter at DHD
***

Template by Janet Phillips at SSD
Kit by Zoe Pearn at SSD
***

These layouts are all created using the newest kit from The Ettes!
Bliss Dig-Ette-al Kit by The Ettes

(this layout also used Dig-Ette-al Templ-Ette Collection 9 by The Ettes)

***
and a few more...
When my parents were in town, we finally blessed Ainsley. We only invited our parents so don't get offended if you didn't know about it. :)
Kit by Zoe Pearn at SSD
***

This is Ainsley in her gorgeous dress. My parents bought this for me in England before Hannah was ever born. We knew it was too big for a newborn, but I had every intention of having it altered. I am glad I didn't because it fits Ainsley perfectly!
credits:
Kit by Zoe Pearn at SSD
***

These are just some silly photos of a silly day
credits:
template by darcy baldwin (inspired by rubia)
happier kit by deena rutter at dhd
***

These are more photos from when my parents were here in town. We had my dad's entire family come over to our house. We hung out outside until it got too cold and then headed indoors. We had a lot of fun!
credits:
template by Janet Phillips
kit by misty cato (coming this weekend) to SSD

***
alright, well, that was fun! I hope you enjoyed seeing my pages. I have been doing a much more simple style of pages when I have events with multiple photos. It works for me and I feel like I am actually accomplishing something! :)

Decorating the House!

2010-05-01T13:00:00.003-06:00

A few weeks I had a miracle happen. It may not seem miraculous to everyone, but for our family, it was one of the greatest gifts we have been given. My parents came out to Utah for a visit. And while that in itself is a small miracle, the greatest part is that they came out to help us settle in our "new" home. We have been here for almost a year and while I have gone through everything once since we have been here, I was overwhelmed about what to do with all the stuff. It just didn't feel like home. I didn't know how to decorate it with the things I had and didn't want to buy a bunch of new things. Enter Super Ruthie and her one-man crew of my Dad. I wish I had taken "before" photos, but trust me, they worked a major miracle in the three days they were here. We still have quite a bit of work to do, but now I know what needs to be done and it's manageable.

to do:
paint ceilings white (possibly add crown molding)
hang new picture over the entertainment center (it's gorgeous and will get an entire post of it's own one day)
replace candles with white or tan fat taper candles

to do:
find a spice rack that I like
figure out where to put the knife rack
make curtains (I have the fabric now)

to do (family room):
hang new photos frames & print pictures

to do (playroom):
hang pictures
paint
hang tutus
get rid of half the toys (don't tell the girls)

to do:
flower arrangements for ainsley's room
hang curtains in ainsley's room
hang photos in ainsley's room
refresh paint on ainsley's headboard
paint red dresser in ainsley's room
make displays for hair bows
hang hooks for coats & backpacks
pack up winter clothes (yeah!)
move mirrors out of the bathroom to my room
find & hang decorative towels
paint & decorate my room (no photos until that's done)
to do:
sew summer skirts for the girls
ahhhh! this room is completely done and it is my own personal heaven. I love it!

I do still have to organize my storage room and go through about seven or eight bins of paper & old photos. Sounds like I need to find a new TV series to rent and watch while I go through things for a week! :)

I love my little house and I finally feel at home here. I am not suffocating in piles of stuff and it is so much easier to keep the house clean when it feels nice. I actually enjoy mopping my kitchen floor every day and vacuuming my floors isn't dangerous anymore (the day before my parents came, a bed frame that was propped in a corner almost fell on my head while I was vacuuming). I always used to say that my house was clean under the clutter. Now the clutter is mostly gone, too, and it's just clean! I love it! I am not sure that Thomas and the kids love that I have reverted to my completely OCD ways.
"Don't put your shoes by the door. I don't care that they have snow on them. Dry them off and put them away."
"Don't leave that cup on my counter."
"Fold that blanket when you are done using it."

And now that the really hard-muscle work is done, I can concentrate on some of the more fun projects. Well, except painting the ceilings. Who wants to come help me with that one? :)

Announcing: Tiny Prints Greetings

2010-04-30T16:14:00.002-06:00

Tiny Prints just announced their new line of personalized greeting cards! They are absolutely adorable! You'll never have to run to the store for a birthday card again! You can personalize your cards and even schedule and send them online. You can pay per greeting card OR you can sign up for a membership and pay a lower fee per card.

And just for friends of affiliates, they are waiving the first year membership fee AND offering you three free greeting cards just for signing up. Go order your Mothers Day & Fathers Day cards now!

***
Also, if you are looking for FREE Save the Date cards, Wedding Paper Divas is offering users who purchase their Save the Date cards from WPD a $75 credit towards their wedding invitations, essentially making them free.
The only way to get this deal is through one of the Tiny Prints affiliates, like me!
Click on the image below to go to the deal.

iNational Scrapbook Day

2010-04-30T11:01:00.001-06:00

Check out all the shenanigans & goings-on over at my new site!
(The family blog isn't working over there yet)

www.meredithcardall.com
iNSD post

Some new scrapbook pages

2010-04-23T13:04:00.004-06:00

These are some scrapbook pages I have finished this week. It felt great to actually scrapbook again.

These photos are from last week when my parents took the girls to Chuck E Cheese. They had so much fun with Grandma & Poppa.
credits:
Urban Kids by Misty Cato @ SSD
***

These pictures are from Hannah's first day of school last year. She is so grown up and it's hard to believe that she is even more grown up now! She can read and write and tell time and count.
credits:
Blending Masks by Misty Cato @ SSD (coming tomorrow)
Metal Hanger from Hang It All by Misty Cato
With Gratitude by Misty Cato, Lauren Redi, Dani Mogstad @ SSD
Alpha from Spring Arrives by Misty Cato at SSD
***

This is just a cute picture of Ainsley from last fall. She, too, is really growing up and it makes me sad that my baby is almost three!
credits:
Artesia by Krystal Hartley & Amy Stoffel @ SSD (coming tomorrow!)
***

This is another picture of Ainsley from last fall at the cabin. The mountain photo blended into the background is one I took up there.
credits:
Artesia by Krystal Hartley & Amy Stoffel @ SSD (coming tomorrow!)
Blending Masks by Misty Cato @ SSD (coming tomorrow)
***

This is a photo of Ainsley, almost exactly a year ago. Even though she has gotten so much bigger and older, she still loves Dora!
credits:
Artesia by Krystal Hartley & Amy Stoffel @ SSD (coming tomorrow!)
***

These are more cabin photos from two years ago. We took Ashley, Dylan & Zoe up to the cabin for a weekend getaway.
credits:

Fresh Linen Dig-Ette-al Collection by The Ettes
Templ-Ette Collection 9 by The Ettes
***

These are from a year ago, one weekend when Ainsley was sick. Poor little girl. I still get sad when I see these photos. She was so sick.
credits:
Fresh Linen Dig-Ette-al Collection by The Ettes
***

more cabin photos from last year
credits:
Fresh Linen Dig-Ette-al Collection by The Ettes
***

This is a picture of Hannah and one of her cousins at the family Easter Egg Hunt this spring. She loves her cousin and gives her a hug every time she sees her.
credits:

Favorite Faces Digital Collection by The Ettes
Templ-Ette Collection 9 by The Ettes
***

These are the only pictures I got from our sisters' weekend a few weeks ago. We all had glitter toes put on. It was so much fun! Mine came off a week ago, but they were fun while they lasted.
credits:
Favorite Faces Collection by The Ettes
***

Busy weekend!

2010-04-19T15:42:00.003-06:00

Thanks to my mom & dad, my house looks like a home! We worked our behinds off for three straight days and got my entire lower level of my house & most of the main level organized and decorated! I still have several boxes of paper to sort through and organize and file. I have to clean out my storage room, too. But the rest is DONE! I love ya, Mom & Dad! :) I'll post photos in a couple of days when I get everything finished!

Before my parents got in town, I squeezed in a scrapbook page.

I am trying to get all of my previous Easter photos scrapped so I can print them all. So, I used this really cute kit by The Ettes. I love it!
credits:
Spring Splendor Mini Dig-Ette-al Kit by The Ettes
Templ-Ettes Collection 9 by The Ettes

Some Scrapbook Pages

2010-04-13T22:30:00.003-06:00

I have been a complete slacker about posting on here lately! Life has been really busy, but good busy... most of the time! :) My parents are coming for a visit, so I have been getting the house ready (don't stress, Mom, there's plenty for you to help me with when you get here!) And I finally made some time to scrapbook AND actually post them. Three of these were completed about two weeks but I just hadn't posted them. Oops! Sorry Fayette & Annette!

These are photos from the Flashlight Egg Hunt at my sister-in-law's house the night before Easter. Don't worry Aimee & Chrissy, I have more photos of your kids. I'll email them to you.
credits:
Beauty Within by Misty Cato & Eva Kipler at SSD
***

These are some photos of one of our sunny spring-like days we had last week. Is the snow ever going to end? We woke up to snow this morning. Craziness!
credits:
Carpe Diem by Krystal Hartley at SweetShoppeDesigns
***

I made these cute little Lollipop Holders for my kids for Easter! My girls love DumDum Lollipops and I thought this was a fun way for them to eat them!
credits:
Ink by Stampin Up!
Spring Splendor Mini Dig-Ette-al Kit by The Ettes
***

These photos are actually from LAST Easter, but when I got this kit, I didn't have photos from this Easter. Sorry. Sorry. Sorry!
credits:
Spring Splendor Mini Dig-Ette-al Kit by The Ettes
***

These are photos of my little Ainslers. She is so funny. It's a good thing she is cute or she would NOT survive around here! (Okay, I'm kidding about that!) Seriously, this kid gets in more trouble than Hannah ever thought about getting into. She snuck out of bed and into her playroom to find her little fairies.
credits:
Favorite Faces Collection by The Ettes

***

Hopefully it won't be another month before I post more photos, but it might be! :)

Wish me luck this week... maybe I'll even get enough stuff done around my house to finally post photos of it! At the very least I am hoping to pick out paint colors and reorganize some furniture!

Announcing... Guilty Moms Club

2010-03-22T09:54:00.002-06:00

Are your photos sitting in boxes?
Are they stacked in piles in drawers?
Worse... are they in your attic or basement slowly getting warped and ruined by the lack of temperature control?
Or, are you like certain other people I know who have five years worth of photos still on their memory cards (you know who you are!)

If you answered yes to any of those questions (or ALL of them) you can take a deep breath and RELAX. You can do this. You can get rid of the guilt. Take a deep breath and head over to My Memories Suite, the #1 rated Digital Scrapbooking software.

My Memories Suite is really easy and fun to use. There are tons of really cute products to help get you started.

And even better... you can take 10% off the already-reasonable purchase price.
PROMO CODE: GMC10off - good until 4/30/10

Check out MMS on Facebook (at Polaroid My Memories Suite) or follow MMS on Twitter (Tweets4Suites) for more great deals and promos.

(Yes, I am an affiliate for My Memories Suite and do receive a VERY SMALL compensation for sales generated from my website. I am also a designer for My Memories Suite. But I really do like the product and think that it is a great way to get started and it's very reasonably priced!)

Girls Weekend Scrapbook Pages

2010-03-16T10:41:00.008-06:00

I spent last weekend with my sisters-in-law scrapbooking, eating, laughing, shopping, more scrapbooking and even more laughing! I had such a great time. It was a very much-needed break. I ended up with 31 completed scrapbook pages by the time the weekend was over. A 2-page spread counts as 2 pages. Aimee blew us all out of the water with more than 50 completed pages! Not that it's a contest, but it's kinda fun to keep track and realize how much you actually are able to get done! I scrapped all my 2010 photos so far. I still have thousands of photos to scrap from years past, but it feels good not to have hundreds from this year, too!

So, here are all my pages I scrapped in chronological order. I didn't do a great job of keeping track of credits. So, if you see something and recognize who created it, leave me a comment and I'll fix it! :)

easter baskets 2009
Spring Splendor by The Ettes

***

Ainsley is such a nerd. she loves these socks!
Garden of Whimsy by Amy Wolff & Michelle Godin
potty by The Ettes
***

Photos from when Ainsley painted her own toe nails... one of the times.
I So Pretty by Misty Cato & Jenilynn Designs
***

these are from one of our january snowstorms... with our angry snowman because ainsley ate half of his eyes.

snowflakes by Jacque Larson
***

My cute girls doing yoga!
Namaste by SaraAmarie (retired)
***

Ainsley building domino towers on my computer. She is so funny about her towers!
Free as a Bird by Zoe Pearn, Misty Cato, Fee Jardine, Lauren Grier
***

Ainsley loves puppies! Stuffed and real, she loves them. I love these photos of her snuggling her stuffed dog!
Krystal Hartley & Corina 9 to 5 (retired)
word cluster by Chrissy W
felt dog card by Valorie Wibbons - ABC Felties
***

This is us making pretzels! The girls loved them!
Littlest Bakeshop by Manda, Dani & Fee at SSD
***

Ainsley LOVES to play computer games but isn't quite old enough to understand how to play them. so, they usually end in tears of frustration. it makes me so sad.
ribbon by Krystal Hartley
mouse by Ellie Lash
tv frame from let's connect
***

ainlsey put herself in time out. she does that frequently. :)
papers & buttons by ellie lash, i think
time out word strip by krystal hartley
***

This is how Ainsley gets away with not staying in bed. She is cute and does cute things.
Favorite Faces by The Ettes
***

My girls are so pretty!
Kit by Melissa Bennett
***

These are photos from our Aquarium trip with our playgroup from church.
Under The Sea by Krystal Hartley & Susan Bartolini at SSD
goldfish by Kaye Winiecki

***

Ainsley with all her little treasures. She carries them around the house in a tiny white basket. What a nut!
Kit by Zoe Pearn at SSD
***

My Little Monkeys climbing on the countertops
Zoo Day Kit by Kristin Aagard
***

Our first warm day in a LONG time!
Birds & Bees by Krystal Hartley coming soon to SSD (currently at The Digi Files)
***

my girls are so sweet. ainsley climbed in bed with hannah to wake her up and give her a hug!
Spring Arrives by Misty Cato at SSD
***

Ainsley pantry hiding spot! nerd.
Spring Arrives at SSD
***

snow. not loving snow anymore.
snowman & snowflakes by Jacque Larson
***

Ainsley ready to go to Aunt Cori's house
Cardstock & Alphas by Krystal Hartley
fruit by Jacque Larson
***

the girls all ready for church!
Tutti Frutti by Zoe Pearn at SSD
***

some food I have been cooking lately...
Kit by Zoe Pearn

Disney on Ice!
ribbon princesses by Rachel Young
red alpha by me
stamped alpha by Krystal Hartley

That's it! You probably won't see this many scrapbook pages at once from me for at least another year! :)

Yard work, Surprise Snow & Disney on Ice

2010-03-11T10:47:00.008-07:00

Finally, some pictures of the kiddos for you.

We had one really nice day last week. The kids played in the yard digging up worms and replanting the flower bulbs they dug out in the fall. They also rode their bikes. Ainsley got tired of her shoes and traded them in for her favorite polka-dotted slippers. She also taught herself to ride Hannah's tricycle. She was really proud of herself, but she kept getting frustrated with our uneven driveway. She kept getting stuck on various bumps and cracks. But, Hannah was a great big sister and she was really patient with Ainsley and kept coaching and encouraging her to keep trying. What sweet girls!

Progress? At least there isn't any snow!

Some signs of spring!

***
Ainsley's favorite hiding spot. She figured out the child-proof locks and she is so tiny that she fits right in the pantry with the door closed. Silly kid!

And less than 24 hours AFTER our yard-work day we woke up to this...

The kids had a blast playing in the snow, but quickly grew cold and wanted to ride bikes... bikes don't ride well on the snowy driveway! So, we went in and had hot chocolate instead.

Pretty flowers next to the rocks I dug out of random spots in my yard. Those are HEAVY rocks! Anyone know what kind of flowers those are? They are all over random spots in my yard.
***

Ainsley ready to go to Aunt Cori & Uncle Rynus' house. She's got her jammies, her cute Lelli Kelli shoes that she is completely in love with & her princess sleeping bag. She's all set for a night of playing with cousins and watching good movies while Mom & Dad hang out with family, too!

***

Ainsley all ready for church. What's with the fake smile?

Hannah, all ready for church

My cute girls together! Ainsley loves to carry one of Hannah's little scripture sets around. It's cute!
***
Last night, we took the kids to Disney on Ice. We met up with three of Thomas' sisters and their families. When we got there we saw big signs that said no cameras allowed so I made Thomas take the camera back to the car, but we managed to get a few before the show. AND... I was so mad when we got in there because I think we were the only parents without their camera! Thankfully, my sisters-in-law were prepared and had their cameras. I don't have the photos yet, but hopefully I'll get them to scrap soon. The kids loved the show. Ainsley got a bit bored during The Lion King & towards the end of Tinkerbell, but Hannah loved it!

cute picture of my excited princess & fairy before we left

so excited in the car!

hannah posing for her photo...

hannah, ainsley, daddy & some random guy... ready for the show!

me & my girls!

after the show, looking pretty ragged!

photo of the inside of the union pacific building. it's beautiful in there! thanks, thomas, for the photo!

Scrapbook Page

2010-02-13T13:47:00.003-07:00

Adoration by Misty Cato

These are some of my favorite pictures of Hannah from last spring. Hannah LOVES dandelions. The bright yellows in this scrapbook kit were just perfect for these pictures!

The girls and I baked pretzels yesterday. As soon as I charge my camera battery, I'll come back and post some pictures. The girls had a blast and I am really enjoying all the freshly baked pretzels.

A couple more scrapbook pages...

2010-02-11T11:29:00.002-07:00

I got this adorable new kit Lucky Me from The Ettes last week and quickly whipped up three pages! They are releasing this kit this week, so you can go snag it this afternoon.

***

These are just some silly pictures of Ainsley being herself last fall. She's a crackup!

***

These are some pictures from the summer. Hannah was frosting some cupcakes and somehow managed to get frosting all over her face! Ainsley was just giving me her little cheesy smile. These are the best days. The days when we just have a good time and enjoy each other.

***
And this is a picture of the front of our house. I believe this was the first time we actually saw the inside of this house. We definitely need to add some shrubs or something to the front of our house to add some depth. It looks like a breadbox right now. Maybe changing the paint color would help, too.

***
We haven't really been up to all that much lately. I am in the middle of trying to organize our house a little more. I feel like I am always in the middle of trying to organize our house. The girls have been sharing a room since they were tiny. But Ainsley has been keeping Hannah up at night. So, we are moving my craft room from upstairs down to the room we were using as storage. Ainsley will move into the old craft room upstairs. That's also where all of Thomas' clothes are and the overflow from the linen closet since we have no bathroom storage. I don't think we are going to paint or anything yet. She just needs a bed and a dresser for now, which we have. We'll have to come up with a theme for her room soon. Maybe we'll just do a duplicate of Hannah's room! But for now, all the stuff that was in the downstairs storage room is in our downstairs family room & bathroom. It's really annoying because I keep tripping over everything. But I have no idea where to put this stuff. Where do you store golf clubs when you don't have a garage? Where do you put your box fan in the winter? What about picnic baskets? And where do you put all your off-season candles? Am I the only person who has these things? What about the empty tv box and software boxes? I need a home makeover... but one of those ones where they come in and tear out walls and rip your house apart and rebuild it. Grrr! It's one of those weeks.

Scrapbook Page * Easter 2009 Photos

2010-02-05T22:13:00.003-07:00

Wow! I can't believe how much older Hannah looks just one year later!

Hope Springs Eternal by Krystal Hartley and mle card at
SweetShoppeDesigns & ScrapOrchard

Tiny Prints for Valentine's Day

2010-02-03T12:54:00.003-07:00

As you can see from my sidebar, I am an affiliate for Tiny Prints. They have beautiful cards, invites, announcements, etc. Of course, as a digital scrapbook designer, I would love to see everyone make their own cards, announcements, etc, BUT sometimes that just isn't feasible.

Tiny Prints has some ADORABLE Valentine's Day products available right now! And they have given me a coupon code to share with you.

Coupon Details:
10% off Valentine's Day product orders of $25 or more
code VDAY10,
expires 2/14/2010.

Click on my Tiny Prints banner to the left of this post
<-------------------------
to check out their adorable selection!

Some More Scrapbook Pages

2010-01-26T15:30:00.003-07:00

These are the scrapbook pages I worked on this weekend... in between finishing my own kits and cleaning up after a sick kiddo.

The girls got letters from Santa (mysteriously postmarked from Albuquerque, NM) this year. Hannah wouldn't let me take her picture, but I got a priceless one of Ainsley.
credits:
Sending All My Love by Misty Cato
santa from Homemade Holiday by Krystal Hartley
available at SweetShoppeDesigns
***

I have really been trying to exercise and do my yoga & pilates. Ainsley is not only a great cheerleader, but a great partner. She will bend and twist (much more easily than I do) and then fall over and say, "Whew! That was hard work, Momma!"
credits:
Heart Throb Mini Dig-Ette-al Kit at ettesandcompany
***

This is a REALLY old page from when Hannah was actually Ainsley's age. I have tons of old photos to scrap and this set got lucky this week! :) It's hard to believe this little cutie chasing bubbles is the same little cutie that runs around the house screaming when she sees a commercial of the Jonas Brothers... she's a "big fan".
credits:
Heart Throb Mini Dig-Ette-al Kit at ettesandcompany
***

These photos are from earlier this fall. I love these photos! It looks like my girls actually like each other. I think at this point in time, they actually did, which was reassuring after the weekend of fighting. "Mom, she's looking at me again."
credits:
Love Shack Dig-Ette-al Collection at ettesandcompany
***

These are more old photos that were rescued from the hard drive, scrapped, and then stuck back on the hard drive! :) Valentine's Day 2008.
credits:
Love Shack Dig-Ette-al Collection at ettesandcompany
***

And the very oldest of the scrapbook pages... one from when Thomas and I were engaged! We had our engagement photos taken on the beach when we were visiting my parents. Man, I miss the beach sometimes.
credits:
Love Shack Dig-Ette-al Collection at ettesandcompany
***

Wanna see the kit I worked on all last week?
It's available (and on sale):
@ Elemental Scraps
@ FaithSisters

A cute scrapbook page

2010-01-15T16:00:00.004-07:00

I just created a new scrapbook page and thought I would share it. It's been so long since I found a kit that I loved and had to scrap with immediately! AND I even finally scrapped some of my wedding photos... 8 years later!

I love my husband even more now than I did eight years ago. He's a pretty special guy!

The Very Thought of you by Krystal Hartley & ScrapKitchen
at SweetShoppeDesigns (coming 01/16)

December Photos

2010-01-11T19:56:00.003-07:00

I have been really bad about posting photos lately, but here are some to tide you over.
***
Hannah went bowling for the first time in her life. She went for a birthday party. She was a bit disappointed that she didn't bowl as well as she does on the Wii, but she had a great time with her friends. She spent more time running and hanging around (literally) than she did bowling.

***
We had a family Christmas party at Grandpa & Grandma Cardall's house. The kids put on a Nativity play. Our girls were both shepherds. Then we did a gift exchange and the kids all got matching jammies. Grandma Shelly made the jammie pants for the older kids.

***
We did a LOT of baking this year. I gave the girls each a plate of cookies to decorate so that they could do all the disgusting stuff like lick their frosting spoon without giving germs to the world. Mmmm... those soynut butter cookies look really good right now. I made homemade gingerbread with Ruthie's recipe. It was amazing.

***
We went to temple square. I played around with my new camera and got some amazing photos. You can't really tell how good they are in these photos, but I was really impressed with the quality of photos.

***
These are the dresses that Grandma Ruthie sent the girls for Christmas. LOVED them!

***
These are our Christmas pictures. Not too great, but that's okay.

***
And these are actually from last week, but they fit. Ainsley threw a snowball at Hannah and missed by a mile. Hannah threw a giant snowball at Ainsley's face and hit her right-on. Then we built a snowman. The snow wasn't great for building snowmen or even snowballs. But we managed and then Ainsley ate half the snowman eyes... Oreos.

That's it so far. Every day is an adventure with my kids.

A couple of scrapbook pages

2010-01-11T11:29:00.003-07:00

These are some photos from the fall of last year. I love these smiling faces!

Misty Cato's
Where Fairies Dance
Watercolor Spills
Cutting Templates Page mats
Say It With Stamps

Krystal Hartley's
Page Parts: Photo Clusters

*****
And these photos are from November when the kiddos were sick.

Krystal Hartley's
Page Parts: Photo Clusters
Sweetie from 2009 Sweet Shoppe Quarterly Asstmt Vol4
Font: Please Explain from Filling Out Paperwork by DJB & Krystal

pig by spotted dog designs

another layout...

2009-12-11T23:18:00.003-07:00

I scrapped again today! I used a brand new Page Kit called PS-ILY by The Ettes at ettesandcompany.
Don't forget... this weekend is their birthday and you will find lots of cute gifts on their site!

A couple of scrapbook pages

2009-12-09T20:33:00.005-07:00

These three cute pages were scrapped using the
Sweet 'N' Sassy Collection by The Ettes at ettesandcompany

(this one also used Templ-Ettes Collection 5 by The Ettes)

I just love these adorable colors for pages about my girls!
And you may see one of these pages at ettesandcompany again on Saturday!

Happy 1st Design Birthday to The Ettes

2009-12-01T21:40:00.002-07:00

I have the privilege of working with these fabulous ladies! Check them out!

Happy Digital Scrapbook Day!

2009-11-07T14:02:00.002-07:00

It's Digital Scrapbook Day weekend and I have some fun projects that I can finally show you! :)
(But first, I have some new products up on my design blog in my store & great sales, so go check them out, too!)

First up:
Potty Treats Jar
(We're trying to get Ainsley potty-trained again!)

supplies:
Child of My Child Collection by The Ettes at EttesandCompany
Chore Chart Kit by The Ettes at EttesandCompany
Chore Chart Kit by The Ettes at ScrapOrchard

empty soynut butter jar
tootsie rolls
rickrack & ribbon by Stampin' Up!
white fabric

Project #2:
Baby Girl Gift Bag
(I made this for my friend's baby shower!)

supplies:
Child of My Child Collection by The Ettes at EttesandCompany
white gift bag
tissue paper
hair clip (wool felt, button, net tulle, thread, alligator clip)

Project #3
(my favorite! chore charts for the girls!)

supplies:
Chore Chart Kit by The Ettes at EttesandCompany
Chore Chart Kit by The Ettes at ScrapOrchard

Wood Block from The Wood Connection in Salt Lake
Paint
Dotted Fabric
magnets
Black Cardstock by Provo Craft
Dotted paper: Discretion by Crate Paper

Project #4:
(a birthday card for Thomas... pretend you don't see this yet, Tommy!)

supplies:
Child of My Child Collection by The Ettes at EttesandCompany
ribbon by Stampin' Up!
This card will be given away sometime today at Ask The Ettes

Project #5:
(a sweet little layout of Ainsley & Daddy... two and a half years ago!)

supplies:
Child of My Child Collection by The Ettes at EttesandCompany

My pretty girls!

2009-11-03T13:25:00.004-07:00

The absolutely fabulous Jenna Nelson has done it again! Just look at these stunning photos of my girls!

Jenna took us to downtown Provo, behind one of my favorite college haunts, Gandolfo's. We walked around the block taking photos but my favorites (and I think Jenna's, too!) were the ones we got in the alleys behind the shops & restaurants. Amazing textures and colors! I never get nervous when Jenna does our photos because I know that she will get something amazing!
Check out Jenna's site for more amazing photos!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T10:29:00.002-07:00

Thomas just called me and requested that I put some Halloween photos of the kids up on the ol' blog, so here they are! :) Unedited and straight-out-of-the-camera for you to enjoy!

We started our fun-filled evening by having dinner at Aimee's house! Lots of good soup & snacks (mmm... fresh from the garden salsa!) and Fazoli's breadsticks. YUM! Then we got the kids dressed in their costumes and headed outside to take photos.

My kids don't stand still for more than two seconds so most of my photos were blurry until I turned on the flash.

Ainsley didn't want to stand by Hannah for a photo, she wanted to ride the bike.

A big ol' tutu isn't going to stop this dedicated biker! :)

All the kids together.

All the kids together with Grandma Sharon!
(It was good to see you, by the way!)
In retrospect, it probably wasn't terribly bright of me to not let Ainsley take a nap before trick-or-treating...

As soon as we turned the kids loose, they took off at a dead run! It was so much fun to watch them zoom around the cul-de-sac and then have to wait for the adults to all get ready!

Ainsley wasn't too thrilled with this trick-or-treating stuff until Aunt Jenny told her that people would put candy in her bag... not just any candy... kitty-kats (Kit-Kats). She caught on and wanted to go to every house with the big kids. One of the houses does a haunted house in their backyard every year. Last year Hannah declared the haunted house, "Freakin' Scary!". But she went again this year... and yep, it was still freakin' scary.

About this time, Ainsley decided she was cold and would rather ride in the stroller than walk.

Then she decided she was tired.

After trick-or-treating, we stopped by Grandpa & Grandma C's house for a short visit. My kids headed straight for the toys. They know right where Grandma Shelly keeps them!

I left my camera in the car after Grandpa & Grandma's house... but I wish I wouldn't have!
We went to Cori's house and had some snacky foods & desserts. Then we put ALL of the kids down to watch movies and fall asleep. And it was time for games!!!! We played some Catch Phrase & then moved over to Sing Star. I stink at that game. Try not to be surprised! I can't carry a tune to save my life. And if I ever thought otherwise, the game has definitely reminded me that I am "awful, terrible, and bad". :) I was not surprised! :) But the girls beat the boys, so it's all good!
((Take a chance, take a chance, take a chance...))
So, we were all done playing and Jenny & Jeff pulled out the drums to play GH World Tour. I went upstairs to get the car loaded. Thomas was still downstairs. I went down there and Thomas and Jeff are rocking to GH World Tour. They played SIX songs. Thomas now wants to buy drums... not happening! Wish I would have had my camera for that one!

That's all folks!
Happy Halloween!

Getting ready for 2010???

2009-10-27T21:56:00.003-06:00

I am getting my birthday calendar ready for 2010! Thankfully, The Ettes came out with an adorable customizable calendar! It's perfect for me! There are cute little doodles that I haven't seen anywhere else. I love 'em! Here are two of the pages... Keep your eyes open for more pages!

Create-a-Calendar by The Ettes at ScrapOrchard

Today's Adventures

2009-10-21T21:19:00.004-06:00

Our adventures began early this morning! After we dropped Hannah off at the bus stop, Ainsley & I headed over to the car repair shop to get the Subaru ready to turn in. We have a rental car for a few days... I am so excited! The manager at Enterprise upgraded me to a TRUCK for free! Score! Now I can go to Home Depot tomorrow and get my shed!!! I am itching to find a flea market or something like that still open this weekend... I think I am too late in the season for that, though. How much fun would that be?! I think I need a truck permanently. Who wants to contribute to the "Get Meredith a Truck" Foundation? :) Ainsley loves riding in the truck because she can see everything. Hannah used to love to ride in Poppa's big black truck for the same reason. So, after the excitement of getting a TRUCK with unlimited miles (nice!) I decided to head out to Hobby Lobby. I got a few random Christmas & Halloween things that I needed for various scrapbooking/crafting projects I am working on. AND... I found two beautiful glass knobs for my bathroom vanity. My bathroom is so blah, and I just love how these dressed that up! It looks so much better than the cheap brushed-nickel-wannabe knobs that were there. Thomas says that they look like something that were in his Grandma S's house 70 years ago... I take that as a compliment! :) And check out my bathroom mirrors. I am pretty proud of them. They are the $3 wood mirrors from Ikea with 5 coats of paint, 3 coats of stain & a coat of polyurethane. Up close, they look like reclaimed barn wood. If I can't live in a farmhouse, I'll make my house look like one on the inside. That's why I have roosters in my kitchen!

(excuse the open toilet, Ainsley just finished using the potty)

I wanted to get kitchen knobs, too, but that was going to be $28 and I didn't want to spend that much today. But I know where to get them when I am ready. I really think I am going to paint my cabinets white & distress them. I am so tired of blah blah oak. And I heard that you can buy paint for your countertops... Watch out Home Depot, I'm coming to buy PAINT! Okay, I am dreaming, but I have big plans for this house and it will only take me five years to be able to get to them all. I want to paint the outside of my house, too. Green with off-white trim, black door & flower boxes. There is a house a few blocks from here that I want to copy! :)

***

After my mad dash to Hobby Lobby & a quick trip to Target for diapers, Ainsley & I went and picked up Hannah at the bus stop. We got home and decided that it was too nice of a day to simply go inside. So, we headed out on a nature walk with a bag and a camera. I didn't take many pictures, but we did find some magnificent pine cones.

(Hannah is wearing her PUMPKIN SHOW jacket that used to be Shelby's!)

This pine cone will most likely be making an appearance in several digital projects I have coming up. Isn't she pretty? Are pine cones male or female? Anyone know?

It was a great day and my kids actually ate TACOS for dinner... kind of. Ainsley ate hers as bean dip with tortilla chips and Hannah made hers into a taco salad with ranch dressing and all was right with the world. I love tacos.

That's it for today.

Some Pictures

2009-10-20T20:04:00.004-06:00

I am finally getting around to posting pictures of this month!

***
Ainsley decided that she is done with naps... except for when she falls asleep on the living room floor on a box. But that doesn't count as a nap, right?

***
Earlier this month, my sister, Angie, and her husband and daughter came to Utah for his sister's wedding. We were able to spend a few hours with Ang & Tom & Maddy. My kids were mean to Maddy. Maddy teased Hannah. Hannah cried. All in all, a typical experience with Hannah these days! :) Ainsley & Maddy actually played pretty well together. Hannah wrote a play and organized refreshments.

Angie was a beautiful flower.

Maddy liked Dora's hair.

***
Ainsley & I met Chrissy at the library for storytime. The story lady was dressed up like a pirate and had cute eye patches and bandanas for the kids to wear. Not Ainsley. But since then, she has been asking to go back and see the pirate lady.

***
Hannah's school had a fundraiser a couple weeks ago. The kids were supposed to jog for 20 minutes and sponsors paid them for each lap they completed. There were four different checkpoints for the kids to check in. Each child was assigned to a different checkpoint. They were hoping to avoid a bottleneck. Hannah was kinda oblivious. She stopped at each checkpoint to get a mark on her tally sheet! Thankfully she didn't have any sponsors (we're bad parents and don't believe in doing school fundraisers that way) who were paying per lap.
She did a really great job running. She ran or walked the entire way. I was so proud of her!

excuse the messy face, please

Hannah's teacher is so cute and so sweet with the kids. She puts her arm around each child every day as they are leaving and talks to each one.

The most adorable cheerleader at the school! :)

***
It's finally fall! Thank goodness. Ainsley loves to go outside and play after we drop Hannah off at the bus stop. Or after we go to the store. Or any reason she can find to be outside. Look, her hair is done.

No hair done here. I promise, she pulled out her own clip and hid it. We raked up a big pile of leaves for the girls and they had a great time.

Our house with the Halloween decorations and Ainsley peeling bark off our dead tree.

Thomas on the roof winterizing the swamp cooler.

Ainsley playing in the leaves

Hannah playing in the leaves, too.

I love this tricycle.

I think I want to edit this photo and frame it for my living room, or the play room.

My girls, relaxing in a leaf pile.

***

We went to pumpkin patch last night for the Cardall family party. It was a cute little farm with a produce stand. They have beautiful pumpkins with the vines still on them. Loved it! Grandma and Grandpa let each kid pick a pumpkin from the wagon. Hannah picked one for Ainsley and one for herself. She was quite picky and chose two perfect little pumpkins.

***
This morning, I met four of my aunts, a few of their kids, my cousin's wife and her kids and my two little kiddos at Gardner Village. We went to Pine Needles, an adorable little fabric store, and some other cute shops. We had lunch at Archibald's... S.L.O.W. but really good. My kids were horribly behaved, but I really enjoyed my time with my aunts. It was so nice to see them. And I got a beautiful new quilt from my aunt JoAnn. It's in browns and oranges and is folded over the back of my couch. LOVE it!

***
Tonight, Hannah & I went to her Primary carnival. We got there and found out that it was a family carnival, but Hannah decided that she wanted some girl time, so we didn't go home and get Daddy & Ainsley. Hannah & I had fun at the carnival. They had face painting, balloon animals (with a clown, and I didn't freak out), games, coloring, cake walk, popcorn, hot chocolate. They did a really great job and Hannah had a blast.

Isn't she the most beautiful Tinkerbell ever? I can't believe that my baby is so grown up!

Well, that's it so far. We have a really busy next couple of weeks. I'll post more photos when I get some!

Silly little munchkin!

2009-10-15T11:48:00.003-06:00

I don't know if Ainsley's personality is just becoming more pronounced or if it is because I am paying more attention now that it's just her & me at home during the day. But she is HILARIOUS! And she is a little stinker! She is a lot like her dad... an instigator! She loves to tease Hannah until she cries. But then she gives her a big hug. She loves her big sister and is very bored without her at home! Her new favorite word is "Probly."
Ainsley, where is your hair clip?
On the table, probly.
Ainsley, what do you want for lunch?
Uhm, string cheese, probly.
Ainsley, do you need to go potty?
Yeah. Probly.

Some fun projects & scrapbook pages!

2009-10-15T10:13:00.003-06:00

I am really enjoying working with the digital scrapbook products by The Ettes! The bright colors and fun graphics are just perfect for layouts with kids! I had the opportunity to work with two of their brand new products this month.

First up, is their new Halloween Magic kit, available at ScrapOrchard. The first layout is also using Templ-Ette Collection 8. Thomas' mom comes to Utah every year for Halloween. It's "her" holiday. My kids just love Grandma Sharon, especially little Ainsley. She just snuggled right up to Grandma and didn't give any of the other kids much of a chance.

And these are our trick-or-treat photos from last year!
(Good thing I am so far behind on my scrapbooking!)

And this is a fun hybrid project I made using this kit.

*In Photoshop, I created a new canvas large enough to go around the jar. I believe it was 3x12.

*I designed a wrap, basically just layering a couple of papers, adding some stitching and wordart.

*Then I increased the canvas size to 12x12, added the witch feet element, the witch hat element and one of the pumpkins.
*I saved my project, uploaded it to FedEx and had them print it on their bright white cardstock.

*Then, I cut out all the pieces. The witch legs were kind of time consuming because of the notched stripes on the tights, but I loved them so I didn't just chop them off! :)

*Next, I adhered all the pieces to the jar.

*Wrap black ribbon around the jar lid.

*Hot glue your wooden ball (witch head) to the top of your jar, add some fuzzy green hair & you're done!

And good luck trying to keep your kiddos out of the candy corns long enough to let them be a decoration!

I also got to use the new Chore Chart kit by The Ettes, available at ScrapOrchard. I have been trying to figure out the best way to make a chore chart for my kiddos for a long time. Then, the Ettes asked me if I would like to use their new Templ-Ette. You betcha! I was talking to my sister-in-law and she was telling me how hard it is for her son to ever want to do chores. So, when I saw the new Chore Chart kit, I knew that I needed to make a chore chart for my nephew! You can see the instructions for this project on the project photo. I am still working on the chore charts for my girls. I can't decide if I want them to match my kitchen or their bedroom. I am hoping to have those done soon!

(Due to dumb new blogger laws, please read the following statement and see my Discosure statement on my sidebar.)
Disclosure: In exchange for creating digital scrapbook layouts and hybrid projects and posting the finished projects on my blog, I did receive the following products for free:
Halloween Magic by The Ettes
Templ-Ette Collection 8 by The Ettes
Chore Chart kit by The Ettes

Conversations with a 2 year old...

2009-10-14T22:13:00.004-06:00

It's 10pm on a school night. Hannah is asleep in bed. Ainsley has been fighting sleep for the last two hours and finally looks like she is going to give up the fight and go to sleep. I head downstairs to do some work to ensure that the upstairs is nice and quiet. A few minutes there is a tell-tale thump as Ainsley climbs over the baby gate in her doorway and marches down the hall and down the stairs.
Me: Ainsley, what are you doing? Why are you not asleep?
A: Guys, I have to tell you something.
Me: What do you need to tell us?
A: I need to tell you a story.
Me: Okay. Tell me a story really quickly.
A: Once upon a time, there was a girl named Hannah asleep in your bed. There was a girl named Ainsley.
{shrugs shoulders}
That's it.

Round 2:
Ainsley is back in bed.
Repeat situation 1.

Round 3:
Repeat situation 1 &2

Then comes the speed chatting round that I can't even begin to keep up with. Random topics include... pooping in her diaper, wearing tiny coats to play in the rain, a discussion about what everyone is wearing and what they would be wearing if they took off their pajamas, "Hey Guys. I just have tiny poops in my diaper.", more poopy talk, the bathroom floor, peeing on the bathroom floor, jumping in the leaves outside, something sparkly on the carpet, bananas splashed on the ceiling, old socks, old yucky bottles need to go in the sink, "Oh. I found popcorn downstairs. So, I can eat it.", "Mom, I just have one more poop in my bottom. Then I can go upstairs." and yucky stuff in her ears sometimes.
all in the space of 2 minutes.

This little chica makes me laugh! :)

A visit from Poppa & some fun projects!

2009-09-28T18:39:00.004-06:00

I am such a Daddy's girl. I was so excited when my mom told me that my Dad was going to be in Salt Lake on business. Unfortunately, he couldn't stay long, but we did get to see him for about three hours one evening. These are not great photos, but oh well! This is what I have. :)

(terrible, terrible picture of me)

Hannah was so excited to see Poppa! She just wanted to hold on to him all night. She sat by him at dinner and just held on to his arm when we went back to his hotel room.

Ainsley was getting into everything (as usual) so Thomas sat her on the top of the fridge. Ainsley doesn't like to be up that high.

We had a great time visiting with Dad and the only two things could have made it better... if Momma had come, too and if they could have stayed longer! Thanks, Daddy!
********
Our internet was acting up on Saturday and it was just frustrating me so much that I decided to unplug and do something non-digital. I can hear the gasps of surprise all over the world as I type this! :) I have been wanting to do some sewing and some paper and paint crafting and this seemed like a perfect time!

First, I have this adorable little ruffled skirt that I made for Hannah. The pattern came from my Aunt Sara's blog. I altered it a bit for Hannah. I have the pieces cut for Ainsley's skirt, but haven't gotten as far as actually putting it together.

*My alterations:
Ruffles: I used the same lengths as the 2T pattern because I wanted a knee-length skirt she could wear with leggings. For the ruffles, I used the full width of the fabric and cut out two widths for each ruffle. So, each ruffle was 88" wide before I sewed it together and gathered it. (LOVE your tip for gathering, Sara!) Also, instead of doing the waistband and Ruffle A out of the same fabric, I alternated the fabrics.

I used corduroy fabric and I LOVE how it turned out. Hannah picked the patterns and colors. I just love the solid feel to the skirt. And ironing the seams literally saved the project! I can't even tell you what a big difference it made on the hem.

Next, up, these funky little pumpkins! Is it fall yet? I got the idea for these pumpkins from this blog. I made mine much more rustic. And yes, that's on purpose! :) We are doing Thanksgiving at our cabin this year, so the more rustic, the better they will fit in with the decor! I ended up filling the top of the pumpkins with poly-fill and the bottoms with pinto beans! Beans aren't cheap. I was surprised that the filler cost more than the fabric! I made my pumpkins in a big variety of sizes and fabric types. I have some quilted fabric, some patchworked pumpkins and some metallic pumpkins, too! I mostly used leftover fabrics I had in my stash, but I did pick up a couple of remnant fabrics from Wal-Mart.

The top set of pumpkins is for Hannah & Ainsley's bedroom. They wanted some pumpkins for their room and the thought of a real pumpkin in there is WAY too frightening for me. Ainsley likes to throw things when she doesn't want to go to sleep.

These pumpkins were so much fun to make! I forsee my pumpkin colony multiplying!

*********

And just some random cuteness from my girls yesterday! We had to leave sacrament early because Ainsley was in desperate need of a nap. But Ainsley is a messy napper, so I had to get a few photos of that adorable outfit before she made a big ol' mess of herself!

Ainsley did NOT want her photo taken.

Hannah was more than happy to pose for the camera. Thanks, Hannah Baby! :) Yes, her hair looked better than that before church. She insisted on a headband and every mother of a five year old girl knows how long headbands stay on their heads... about five minutes!

NewEgg delivered my printer ink to my old address so you don't get to see my latest and greatest hybrid projects for another week or so. Hannah has fall break coming up this weekend. I have no idea what I am going to do to keep these two both entertained all day. Probably bake a lot of treats. Speaking of treats... I baked these today. YUM! And those adorable little pumpkin pies will be making an appearance at an event near me in the near future. I must find a mini muffin pan. :)

Some Scrapbook Layouts and Projects!

2009-09-21T21:07:00.004-06:00

When I was at the Scrapbook EXPO, I was privileged to meet some truly talented women who share my love of scrapbooking and also of designing products. Two of these women are The Ettes. If you haven't ever met The Ettes, you need to! They are absolutely hilarious and a ton of fun! I have had the good fortune to be able to work with a couple of their newest products and I want to show everyone the results!

I can only show you three of the project so far. The other two kits I am working with haven't been released yet! Keep your eyes open, though, and I will post my other projects as soon as the products are released! You can find this kit at:
Autumn Breeze by The Ettes at ettesandcompany

First up, a hybrid project! That's a digital project that you add "real" stuff to make it a mixture of paper & digital scrapbooking. This wasn't technically hybrid, just kind of. I made a treat bag topper. I just created a 5x7 layout, created my topper in that canvas size, printed it, cut it out and attached it to a Ziploc sandwich bag. Easy-peasy.

I did this layout all on my own! I miss having my girls this little and sweet. These photos are from October 2007.

And finally, some photos from November 2006. These photos were really hard for me to scrap. They are from the day my mom & dad packed up and left Florida. Even though it has been almost three years, I still miss having my parents just down the road. It wasn't the same after they left and just no longer felt like home. I decided that it was finally time to scrap these photos! In addition to the Autumn Breeze kit, I also used one of the Templ-Ettes from Collection 8, also by The Ettes.

Okay, that's it. Life is good. My kids drive me crazy. But I sure do love them! :)

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

2009-09-03T19:20:00.006-06:00

I can't believe she started school today. I mean, I always knew this day would come, but I didn't really think it would. Ya know? It just kinda snuck up on me.

Let me walk you through the school experience today. First up, a picture with Ainsley, before we left for school.

One of Hannah by herself with her brand new Tink backpack.

On the way to school!

Showing Daddy where her classroom is.

Posing in front of her class. No, she didn't have to go to the bathroom, she just likes to be crazy.

Hannah lining up with her class when the bell rang.

Walking into the classroom

Seriously? I have to wait until 2022 to ship this kid off to college? Totally kidding!

This is what she looked like when I picked her up after school. I thought she must have had a bad day at school. Nope, she wanted to ride the bus home and not ride home with me. BUT there was a mixup with the school and they didn't have her assigned to a bus route, so she couldn't get on the bus. Hopefully that will be resolved in time for school tomorrow!

She was happy once we found a nice shade tree for her to pose under.

After we got home I took some pictures of Hannah (Yes, sadly, that is our back yard. We can't seem to get rid of the weeds.) A girl that I scrapbook with gave me this idea to take a picture of Hannah with her name in her handwriting. My friend used a chalkboard but since I didn't have one of those, Hannah used a sharpie and spiral notebook. But I like it. I am going to have to do some photos of Ainsley tomorrow.

This is Hannah in one of our big trees.

And this is Hannah when she was done with the photo shoot.

It feels like just yesterday that she looked like this. And she actually liked her parents. And she was sweet and tiny. And I could protect her and keep her safe from the big bad scary world. I have to stop or I am going to start crying again. :)

The good news, she loves school and is happy to go back tomorrow. Bad news, it took us TWO HOURS to do a simple homework assignment. She had to tell me ONE sentence about her first day of Kindergarten and then draw a picture about it. She didn't want to draw a picture about it. She wanted to write a poem. We are trying to stress the importance of following directions. Wish us luck.

more August!

2009-08-28T16:16:00.003-06:00

I scrapbooked! Some new, some old, but I am just excited that I did it! First up, we have Hannah when she went to school to meet her teacher. This layout makes me so sad and I know that I am going to ball my eyes out on Thursday! I need to borrow Uncle Helen's pumpkin glasses! My sisters will get that.

Next up... the kids were really bored today! They had a blast playing with these paper cups this morning. Now I am ready to throw them all away because they are fighting over them and filling them up with water and throwing them at each other... okay, that only happened ONCE, but it was enough to bring out Mad Momma!

I think I already shared this photo, but I scrapped it this week! It's Ainsley sneaking a cookie on my desk... little monster.

And this is a page I did of Ainsley as a baby. I can't believe that she is so big! It's hard to remember that she was so tiny once upon a time. Or so bald! Good grief I have bald babies! Good thing they outgrow THAT!
That's it! We're just keeping busy with work, keeping the kids from fighting, getting ready for school, cleaning, keeping the kids from fighting, yardwork, unpacking the house, keeping the kids from fighting... you get the picture!

August So Far...

2009-08-15T16:42:00.011-06:00

It's been a fun month and I think the best way to show you what we've been up to is to show you the photos!

Ainsley sat on my computer desk and snuck a cookie... for breakfast.

Then one morning, we decided to bake some lemon drop cookies. We headed outside with a towel, a ziploc bag full of lemon drops and a hammer. We had a lot of fun crushing those lemon drops. We actually ended up with more lemon drop powder than anything else!

Don't they look good? They were delicious!

We decided to take some of them to the Cardall Family Reunion later that night. We had a really good time eating dinner and talking to family members. The kids loved that we had the reunion at a park because there were some really cool playground toys right next to where the parents were hanging out.

^Isn't Jakie cute?!

^Ainsley loves the swings!

^ She also loved the strawberry lemonade that Mom made for her!

^Hannah had so much fun that she didn't want to leave.

But she did stop pouting long enough to smile for a picture with Makayla.

^All the kids playing together.

^Gracie & Jo

A couple of days later, we went down to the fountains at the Gateway with Aimee & her kids.

^Ainsley was a bit intimidated by the water.

^Hannah was demonstrating karate for everyone there... using Ainsley as her practice dummy.

^Then she picked a flower.

^And posed for a photo

^Then Hannah relaxed and started having fun.

^The girls had a lot of fun together and enjoyed warming up in the sun.

Yum! A chocolate chip cookie.

Chocolate chip cookies + sun = big mess
And washed it down with a bottle of water.

Later that night...
Ainsley got into my makeup bag and put lipstick all over herself. Isn't she pretty?

She was so worn out that she fell asleep on the arm of the chair that night.
Maybe we should do this every day! :)

A few days ago, Chrissy called and we met her over at our local park. Once a month during the summer they have a little family night with food, face painting, crafts and games. It's a cute little family night.

Hannah wanted a red heart painted on her face.

Ainsley wanted one just like Hannah's.

Liv got one, too. Since we waited until the end of the night to do the painting, they didn't have a ton of time to do detailed stuff, but the girls were all perfectly happy with their hearts.

After a little while, we went over to the little playground and let the little ones play. They had fun on the slides!

And since that night, we have just been living the dream at home...

^Ainsley decided to get her potty seat stuck on her head.

^Hannah decided to practice her letters & writing by composing a song called "Love Mom". It was precious!

The next night, I made a delicious dinner for Thomas and the girls(grilled cheese, I think), but I just wanted a bowl of edamame. The girls decided that my edamame looked like more fun to eat. They kept popping the soybeans out of the pods.

And the fun didn't stop when the beans were gone. The girls decided that the pods were just as much fun!

Yesterday, Ainsley was playing with her giant Diego doll. She got tired of playing with him and put him down for a nap.

^All that parenting is exhausting work.

Ainsley climbed up in my lap while I was working. Hannah wanted to sit with us, too.

And finally... for all you naysayers who thought our Total Gym would go unused.....

BAM! The kids love it! :)
(And we have both used it, too!)

And coming the rest of the month... Hannah turns five and starts kindergarten...

(all the photos were edited using various photo actions by Sarah Cornish)

More new products...

2009-08-10T11:54:00.000-06:00

on my design blog...
http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com

New products and a coupon code....

2009-08-03T00:21:00.000-06:00

on my design blog... Go check it out!

Woohoo! Kindgerarten is FREE!

2009-07-27T14:11:00.002-06:00

Finally, some good news! Something is FREE!!!!!! I didn't know this, but Utah is a Free School state. That means that there are no fees for kids to attend school. No bus fees, no classroom fees, no school fees, no registration fees! There are things you can voluntarily donate, but nothing required! Kindergarten kids don't have to purchase school supplies! Everything is provided. There is a list of voluntary supplies that parents can donate, but nothing is required! Woohoo! We finally got the girls' birth certificates in the mail last week. We are waiting on their medical records and then we can go get shots for Hannah and get her registered for school. She is so excited, but really nervous! I can totally relate. I am looking forward to her going to school for three hours every day, but I am so scared to not have my baby with me! We don't leave our kids very often, so it's really hard for me to feel ready for her to start school. Thomas and I were talking last night about all the things we still need to reinforce with her over the next four weeks. It's a scary world and even more scary when you watch Law & Order reruns! Kids are exposed to so many ugly things at such young ages these days. It's a crazy world! So... watch for first day of school photos, that may be out of focus depending on how hard my eyes are watering! :)

pRimp my album

2009-07-22T11:32:00.002-06:00

Okay, here is one of the MAJOR reasons I haven't blogged lately! I have been busy! I am so excited about this project! It's a way to get digital scrapbooking out to masses of people and make it easy and ultra-affordable! If you sign up to be one of our testers, you can get discounted products. And everyone knows discounts on already cheap products is extra good.

PRIMP MY ALBUM

Test our new online photo editor for free! If you have ever wanted to
quickly crop, re-size, add text, backgrounds, embellishments, stickers
and more to your photos than this is a perfect time to do it, free.

You can apply to test our Primp My Album Photo Wizard for free by
going to www.primpmyalbum.com and completing the short application NO
LATER THAN this Friday, July 24th, 2009.

The Photo Wizard will allow you to create all kinds of photo projects
from custom made postcards, thank you notes, greeting cards,
announcements, digital scrapbook pages, calendars, photo books and
more.

If you choose to test:
1) You will receive FREE Primp Points to purchase papers, stickers and
other fun embellishments.
2) Once you complete your two photo projects, you will be eligible for
a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to a restaurant or retail
shopping store – you pick. (We have a lot of these to give away.)
3) You will have exclusive access to our Primp Posse testing group
discounts and giveaways on a regular basis. This includes discount
printing, free products and more.
4) You will be asked to create two photo projects like a photo
collage, an announcement card, a greeting card etc – you pick – we
only need the digital form you made with the Photo Wizard. You will
also take a survey, and be required to post to the Primp Posse testing
discussions.

It’s as simple as dragging and dropping your photos into the program
and your result will be a professional, custom made project that is
great to share with everyone. You can print your projects, or share
them via email, blogs, photo sharing sites and social networking sites
like Facebook.

Take 3 seconds to fill out the application at www.primpmyalbum.com and
enjoy the discounts, giveaways and products of this great Primp Posse
testing group and help us make imporvements with your discussion and
feedback.

We're still alive...

2009-06-24T15:42:00.002-06:00

I promise! We're on vacation in Chicago this week and still in the process of putting our new house together. There will be pictures soon. As soon as I can see my carpet, I'll take pictures! :) Life is good. Everyone is healthy. Everyone is happy.

Blog Update - Done!

good news for the day...

2009-05-19T15:25:00.001-06:00

i found my sharpie.

Some pictures of my monsters...

2009-05-11T15:26:00.008-06:00

Okay, quit harassing me to post pictures of my kids! :)

This picture is from Easter at Ash & Dyl's house. It was also Zoey's birthday! They loved playing in the Dora tent.

***

Princess Ainsley in her glass slippers throwing a temper tantrum... who knows why!

Hannah swinging at the park.

Hannah & Ainsley eating lunch in the Wilk on campus at BYU. It was so much fun to walk around campus with them! :)

After walking around campus (and doing some software shopping at the bookstore!), we went to Ash & Dyl's house to help them move and clean a bit. I think my kids made more messes than I cleaned, but it was good to see everyone one last time. (I still can't believe you ditched me, Ash...)

Ainsley wearing the shirt that Zoey gave her. Ainsley wet her diaper all the way through her outfit. So, she was running around Ashley's house in nothing but a diaper. Then Ashley gave her a shirt. Then she found a pair of leggings for her, too! Score! We ended up with a cute outfit.

random picture of ainsley

random picture of hannah... she is so pretty!
***

Ainsley's 2nd Birthday Party!

Ainsley with her very favorite gift of the night... sidewalk chalk! Thanks, Chrissy!

Ainsley with her birthday cupcake

Ainsley licking her birthday cupcake

Hannah eating a birthday cupcake

Ainsley with her new cabbage patch doll from Uncle Greg & Aunt Leslie.

ainsley with her new dora dvd

***
these are pictures of the house that we have a contract on... hopefully everything works out...

the front. yes, there is a fence around the front.

the backyard... it's huge and needs a lot of work. don't worry it looks better on the inside...

the completely redone kitchen... not my style, but still very nice
and do you see that little thing on the left? it's a DISHWASHER!

the view from the front door

ainsley playing in the dishwasher

the bathroom cabinets... much more my style...

the basement living room

one of the downstairs bedrooms

the downstairs bathroom... look familiar? it's EXACTLY the same as the upstairs bathroom

Ainsley sitting on the tree stump in the backyard

Coming in the side door. Down the stairs to get to the basement, or straight into the kitchen

upstairs family room

the front yard from the front door

ainsley put herself in timeout on the front stoop

hannah and ainsley playing computer games with their cute cousins!

a horse at one of the houses we looked at... not the one we are buying

ainsley handing me some flowers from the backyard at the new house

ainsley and thomas playing

ainsley being a superhero

It's {inter}National Scrapbook Weekend!

2009-05-01T11:55:00.001-06:00

Check out my design blog for more fun...
http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com/2009/05/nsd-news.html

this month in photos... so far!

2009-04-11T23:19:00.014-06:00

The month started out kinda crazy around here. Pretty much like every other month! We really enjoyed watching General Conference. BUT, starting Friday Ainsley had a 104.5 degree temperature. Not good. She didn't have any other symptoms at all. Just a really high fever all weekend. She went down for a nap on Monday afternoon with a nap and woke up totally fine. We never did find out was wrong with her and no one else got sick. We were very blessed!

Poor little munchkin just wanted to sleep on her Dora couch. She was too exhausted to climb on her bunkbed!

Poor Hannah was bored out of her skull. So, I grabbed her some cookies and frosting at the grocery store. That kept her happy for hours!

Hannah and I also had a cooking night one evening. We made eggrolls. Hannah begged to make them. She took one bite of the finished product and declared that she doesn't like eggrolls. More for me!

We finally had some warm weather and the kids were so excited to get out and enjoy the warm weather.

Hannah loves riding her scooter. Thanks, Grandma!

After riding bikes, we headed over to the park to go down the slides.

Then we went back to the house and found the bubbles.

They made me blow bubbles for them for a while. Then I got winded and gave the bubles to Hannah. She blew bubbles for a while.

Then Ainsley wanted to try.

She ate more bubbles than blew.

Hannah brought in a dandelion (and made me SNEEZE all night). She kept smelling it. Her entire nose was YELLOW by the end of the night.

*****
Chrissy called us Thursday night and asked if we wanted to go to the zoo. So, bright and early Friday morning we got up and got ready. The kids were so anxious about going to the zoo, we decided to go out and play at the park while we were waiting for Chrissy. My kids love that park. It's the one thing the kids are going to miss the most about living here, I think.

some of the cousins posing for a picture

my kids don't like merry-go-rounds. I put them both on animals to ride. They both freaked out. Yes, even Hannah who has ridden them MANY times alone. So, lucky Mom got to sit on the merry-go-round bench with the kids. I don't love merry-go-rounds either. I think we'll skip this part of the zoo experience from now on.

Hannah, excited to be at the zoo, or just out of the house...

Hannah & Carter being monkeys waiting for the other kids to come out of the bathroom.

Some of the cousins in the rhino cave. They have a button you can push to smell the rhino poo. Lovely...

Hannah was completely enthralled with the giraffe's long tongue. So she showed me how long her tongue is!

Ainsley just wanted out of her stroller.

Hannah and a cousin looking at the penguins... I think.

Hannah was being a tiger! I think she hit a growthspurt. All of her jeans are an inch or two too short and apparently so are her shirts... Fun!

We took a picnic lunch with us. Ainsley was so excited to be out of her stroller. And that kid LOVES cheese. She saw her lunch and just started laughing.

Ainsley wanted to eat like an animal. She is going through a puppy phase right now where she is constantly pretending to be a puppy.

And of course, Hannah wanted to try, too!

After lunch, Ainsley finally got out of her stroller. I made her wear the puppy backpack/leash. She loved seeing the monkeys.

Hannah loved the reptile house. It was hot and smelled like urine.

Ainsley did NOT want to wear her backpack anymore. I gave her the choice of wearing the backpack and walking OR sitting back in the stroller. She chose the stroller!

Hannah loves to pose like a "supermodel". Are little girls just born with that desire? I have no clue where she gets this stuff. Maybe her girl cousins?

*****
After we got home from the zoo, the girls wanted to play at the park for a few minutes. They were chasing each other in circles and all around the park. They kept racing to climb up to the slide. Ainsley was laughing uncontrollably and Hannah kept telling me that she was too fast for me to take a picture of her. Goofy little monkeys!

*****
We had a flashlight easter egg hunt at Aunt Aimee's house on Friday night. Almost the entire family was there and it was a lot of fun! There were lots of cupcakes and candy so the girls had the time of their lives!

The kids were playing some form of "one potato, two potato" with their feet. Hannah LOVES playing games with her cousins!

Ever since the incident with the bead in her nose, Ainsley has been addicted to flashlights. She absolutely loves them and is never allowed to play with them. So she was soooo excited to be turned loose with a flashlight all to herself!

Hannah was really excited about the flashlight, too! She was so excited about the egg hunt. My kids were the last ones outside hunting for eggs.

Hannah found some of the eggs that the other kids missed!

Ainsley was showing me her flashlight.

Grandma Shelly helped Hannah & Liv sort through their eggs.

Ainsley was so sad that the egg hunt was over. So, she went and sat on the back doorstep and pouted. It was hilarious. She is such a drama queen!

*****
These are the pictures from our Easter Egg Coloring earlier tonight. The girls had so much fun coloring eggs!

Hannah likes to pretend like the egg holder is a wrench and she likes to look through it like eyeglasses. Crazy little kiddo!

Isn't my little family cute? I love them so much!

Ainsley was sooooo happy to be coloring eggs!

She wanted to show us all her egg!

No more eggs, Ainsley. Sorry. She was so upset. She actually climbed up on the counter to try to get to the cracked eggs that we didn't color. Thomas told her no and that she needed to get down off the counter.

My poor little baby was completely heartbroken...

Until Daddy told her that she could have a piece of chocolate... stinker!

My little cuties just thought that their eggs were the most beautiful creations in the entire world. And they were!

Hannah was sooooo excited to see that the egg she used the clear crayon on really did work!

Can I just say...

2009-03-11T23:54:00.005-06:00

that I absolutely LOVE my new camera??? Although, it does capture my messy house more. Ignore the crumbs on the carpet or I am never posting pictures again (Ruthie!).

*****

Ainsley & Hannah wrestling. Ainsley thought it was hilarious when Hannah caught her and tackled her.

****
Yes, Ainsley put the "hat" on her own head. She is just the silliest little baby in the world. I have no idea where she gets her crazy ideas! But she sure makes us laugh. Hannah loves to sit and laugh at Ainsley! And then Ainsley starts laughing. It's fun! Ignore the snotty noses, we were all sick.

Hannah is doing ballet for us.

And then Ainsley decided to join in. Her favorite part is yelling "BALLET" at the top of her lungs and then bowing! Hannah's ballet is quite beautiful. And hopefully we'll get her in dance lessons soon.

***
Ainsley's new favorite place to sleep is on Hannah's top bunk. It doesn't matter where we put her to sleep or even if we move her after she falls asleep, she always ends up back on Hannah's bed. They are so cute together! It's so fun to watch them play together and how much Ainsley loves her big sister. Hannah is such a good sport. Even when she gets frustrated she always says, "Mom, I'm a CTR now so I'll let her play with my toys." My Hannah is so sweet!

This is the house we didn't get. It's cute, huh?! Darn seller's agent didn't bother telling us that there were other people interested in the house... Not impressed with that guy.

This is another of the houses we are looking at. It's soooooo cute! Jim went with us to look at the house. It doesn't have any appliances and it has an unfinished basement. But it has a huge master suite and it has blinds. BIG plus right there!

This is the upstairs.

This is the kitchen/family room area.

These are my cute girlies having fun running and playing in the empty house. They love house hunting. They have four times the house to run and play!

Thomas tried to get Ainsley to jump on the trampoline in the backyard. She wasn't too excited about it. She was excited to jump back in her dad's arms! I promise, I put a bow in her hair everyday. She pulls it right out. AND the kid hit a growth spurt and outgrew all her shoes. I have to get the next size out of the basement tomorrow.

I really love my camera! It's so much fun to use. I love the sound of the motor. Just snapping a photo makes me smile! AND I have a cute camera strap cover thanks to Dottie! Thanks, DottieLou! :) I have to figure out how to get a picture of it without taking it off.

little house update...

2009-03-11T23:35:00.002-06:00

We were outbid on our house in Eagle Mountain. :( BUT, we went and looked at another house out there that we really like. I actually prefer it to the house we didn't get. It's just 8 minutes further out. BUT we came home and looked at a bunch more houses online and sent our realtor about 15 more houses... sorry, Kim! :) Thomas wants to look at some fixer-upper houses in Sandy, too. They're not pretty. At all. But they're close. So we'll see if anything come of these. Our poor realtor, she's completely amazing and extremely patient! So, if anyone is looking for a house in Utah let me know and I'll send you her email!

I am getting ready to move my photos to computer from my camera... I'll post some pics in a bit.

Life update...

2009-03-11T11:18:00.002-06:00

Yep, still in school. I should be studying right now, but I wanted to update my blog with the Living For Eden benefit. Scroll down to the next post to see it. Kids are still kids. They are absolutely adorable and they absolutely make me want to pull my hair out on a daily basis! :) Ainsley is almost two and is climbing everywhere. She climbs up on Hannah's top bunk every night and sleeps up there. Hannah hates it because Ainsley kicks her and is all over the place. So we tried moving her after she fell asleep. Well, she woke up in the middle of the night and just climbed up there anyway. Little stinker! Hannah is almost five... yep, five! She is doing fine. She is being stubborn about not wanting to read. We're working on it, though. She will be starting school in the fall and she is really excited. She got the deferment to go to a different school in our school district, but hopefully she won't need it!

We put an offer in on a house in Eagle Mountain earlier this week. It's absolutely adorable and it's HUGE. Perfect for our family! For those of you who know us, you know that Thomas complains on a daily basis that we have too much stuff and he hates it. Well, in that house, we would have at least three empty rooms... completely empty rooms! NICE! Hopefully we will find out sometime this week if the bank accepts our offer.

Not much else going on other than that. If anyone wants to help us pack or move tons of stuff to a new house, any and all help will be welcomed! Anyone have a good carpet cleaner or air duct cleaner that they want to recommend? I better go study...

Living for Eden

2009-03-11T11:13:00.002-06:00

If you are a lover of local music and you live in the Utah area, be sure to check out the Living For Eden musical benefit. The proceeds from the silent auction and benefit concert go to benefit Paul Cardall (my cousin-in-law) and his family. I have a link to the benefit on my sidebar. You can go there to purchase tickets and to read his story. Keep Paul & his family in your prayers. I know it makes me proud to hear Hannah ask Heavenly Father to bless "Cousin Paul" in every prayer she says. She's never met Paul. But she understands how important it is to ask Heavenly Father to help Paul get a new heart.

Rough Day at the Crandalls!

2009-02-04T14:04:00.002-07:00

Why is it that things are always chaotic and stressful on the days I need it to not be chaotic and stressful?

This morning I awoke to the wonderful smell of poo. Ainsley had pooped in her diaper and was covered in it from the waist down. Mercifully, the poo was contained inside the pajamas. So, I had to put her in the bathtub, strip her down, clean her off, wash out her clothes, scrub the bathtub and then bathe her. I had to use Thomas' Old Spice Extra Tough Body Wash... that's not good for the eczema!

Then, Ainsley finally went down for a nap and remember how I said that Hannah wasn't sick... well, she's sick now. And whiny. So I banished her to my room so that I could study. I heard the tv come on in my room and it was LOUD and it was STATIC. I didn't want it to wake up Ainsley so I jumped up, pushed open my bedroom door and smacked Hannah in the face with the doorknob. Busted her bottom lip open. Just a tiny bit. But she's really mad at me. She's fine. She is watching a movie and playing computer games. And yes, her yelling at me that I am the meanest mom ever DID wake Ainsley up. So, no study time for Mommy and I now have TWO whiny little munchkins! :) I have a feeling this midterm is not going to go so well...

Sickies and more sickies!

2009-02-02T15:38:00.003-07:00

We had a week or so at the beginning of January when the girls were sick, but Thomas and I were fine. That was really the only time that they have been SICK all winter. Well, the sickies struck our house again this weekend. Thankfully it is just a cold, but it's a nasty one! I wish that either the medicine would work or my head would just go ahead and explode... But anyway... we are all still alive and doing okay, just have yucky colds. For some reason, poor little Hannah is the only healthy one. She is bored out of her mind with the rest of us being sick. Thankfully we checked out some movies at Blockbuster on Friday afternoon. I have seen Barbie's Mermaidia movie at least twenty times in the last 4 days. But Ainsley likes it, too, so I am NOT complaining! So, I win the award for worst Mom in the world last night! We are trying to get Ainsley to sleep through the night, so if she wakes up we let her cry herself back to sleep. She is almost two years old, it's about time. And she has done really well the last few nights. Well, last night around 11:30 she started crying and calling my name. Nothing unusual there. She stopped fussing after about five minutes. A few minutes before midnight I went to check on her and she was asleep but her bedroom STUNK! I walked CAREFULLY across the room ('cause you never know where the "mess" is with her) to the light switch and flipped it on. She had been sick in her bed and had been trying to get my attention. Then she climbed back in her bed and rolled in it and fell asleep. Lovely. So, I went and got a bath ready, woke her up and cleaned her up and washed her sheets and blankets and bed cover and pillow. I was hoping that it wasn't a stomach virus. She has been fine since, so I am thinking that it must have been the FOUR Oreos that Hannah snuck her right before bedtime along with all the cold nastiness.

I sincerely apologize to all of you who have been the recipients of strange phone calls from my house. Ainsley is a monkey and has figured out a way to get my phone down from every conceivable hiding place. So far she has placed numerous calls to my parents, and most recently to Grandma Shelly & Aunt Angie. And some other phone number I have never seen before... So, if you get a phone call from me and there is nothing but someone breathing into the phone, it's Ainsley. Just say hi to her and tell her to give the phone to Mommy. Although, she'll probably tell you no and run and hide.

I have been keeping super busy lately. I don't feel like I ever get anything accomplished, but I never have time to simply sit still and just relax. I have been working on balance and setting a schedule and goals for myself. Then we all got sick and they have all been tossed by the wayside. I am looking forward to feeling better and having a clean house and an organized work schedule again. My friend, Ashli, and I have been working on some ideas for funky scrapbook kits. We are hoping to have the first one out in a couple of weeks!

So, I have a cute Hannah story that goes with the funny little picture above! On Friday, I wasn't feeling great, so I put Ainsley down for her nap and told Hannah that I needed some Mommy-Time and we were going to have quiet time for a bit. She could either play computer games on Daddy's computer or work on crafts in the kitchen. She chose crafts. After about half an hour of glorious peace and quiet, Hannah came running out of the kitchen with her arms behind her back. She flung her arms around thrust a HUGE bouquet of foam flowers at me. It was sooooo sweet! She yelled "Ta-Dah! Now you can feel better, Mommy!" My sweet little girl climbed on my lap and gave me a big hug. Hannah is such a sweet and compassionate little girl. When Ainsley is sad, Hannah is sad. When I don't feel well, she worries about me. She is such an old soul, a lot like I was. I took a picture of her holding the flowers and the camera took forever, hence the crazy look on her face. She had her teeth clenched into a smile and asked, "Is that camera ever gonna take my picture?" Funny little girl! And then Ainsley woke up and Quiet Time was over...

So, we have had some fun things going on... I took Hannah out for some Grown-Up Girl Bonding Time (Enchanted is one of her favorite movies!) and we just ran errands and went to the school board building to start the process of registering her for kindergarten. We are really hoping not to live in our neighborhood next fall when she starts school, but just in case, we want to make sure that she does NOT go to our neighborhood school. It's awful. So, we went to the school board building and signed up for a spot at another school. While we were there Hannah was talking about the patterns on the floor tiles and making up games to play with the floor tiles. I always thought that all kids thought like that, in patterns and colors. Well, the lady we were talking to used to work in the Gifted testing area. She suggested that we take her upstairs to that department and sign her up to be tested for the Gifted and Talented program. While we were up there, Hannah started talking about all of the colors on the bulletin board, but she was saying them in Spanish. The lady there asked if Hannah comes from a bilingual home. I told her that we watch Dora, but that's as bilingual as we get. She asked if we would be interested in having Hannah in a Gifted Language Immersion program. We are going to have her tested in the spring for Gifted programs and then decide what to do after we get the results. I think Hannah would love the Immersion program. She loves learning new ways to say the same thing. She loves learning new adjectives as well as ways to say the same thing in different languages. They do sign language on the Sprout network and she looks forward to learning the sign language more than watching the shows. It's adorable! Now she is making up her own sign language. It's so cute! But a little frustrating when I ask her a question and can't figure out if she is answering me in real sign language or her own made-up kind!

Ainsley is starting to put two words together now and learns new words and word combinations every day. She loves to sing songs and she has an amazing memory. I think she may have a photographic memory for sounds, like Thomas does. When a commercial comes on TV, she stops and says it along with the commercial if it is one she has ever watched before. Everyday when I give the girls a bath, we count to twenty so that Hannah can learn to count. The other day Hannah and I got to eight and I heard Ainsley chiming in... nine, ten, 'leven, twelve, 'teen, 'teen, fifteen... It was adorable! She has no concept of numbers of course, but she remembers them.

My camera is on its last leg (it's at least ten years old!), so I haven't taken many photos at all lately. We are hoping to get a new camera with our tax return. I want to get a dSLR, but we'll see what else we need our tax return for before I plan on that one! We told Hannah we would try to get a Wii, too. She LOVES playing bowling on the Wii. And she's good at it.

I think that is everything! I have a new kit in my store at Elemental Scraps and a new freebie on my design blog. I have to go do some design work and figure out payouts and get my tax stuff ready... Have a great day!

I got tagged!

2009-02-01T22:03:00.002-07:00

Angie tagged me to post my fourth picture in my fourth picture folder. I have all mine chronologically on this computer. This picture is from 2003. My sister-in-law sent us this picture of her kids when we lived in Florida. We love these adorable kiddos!

Charity Kit & a print coupon

2009-02-01T01:48:00.003-07:00

Check my design blog for more information about my new charity collab kit, Here Comes Trouble.

Also, I have a coupon on my design blog for Scrapping Simply. Don't miss this sale!

Tangie Baxter Designs is moving... BIG SALE!

2009-01-26T23:25:00.001-07:00

http://www.tangiebaxter.com/shop/

You do NOT want to miss this sale!

New Freebie on my design blog!

2009-01-26T12:22:00.001-07:00

Just added some new products and a couple of freebies to my design blog...

http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com

Both blogs updated....

2009-01-19T01:22:00.004-07:00

Okay, now everyone can quit sending me obnoxious text messages and emails and phone calls that I need to update my blog! :)

Life has been crazy as usual around here! I believe that 2009 can best be explained through a series of photos... Enjoy! Because I don't think I am going to go back and post Christmas photos....

sick and snuggling on the couch watching a movie

yep, still sick... sitting on the CHAIR watching a movie. And yes, that is INK on Ainsley's face, not a bruise. Nice, eh?

Feeling a little bit better playing with dolls and wearing her tattered Cinderella dress. Cute tights, though, huh?! I can't believe how old my little baby girl is! School is coming up in a few months. Don't know how I am going to handle that!

Feeling a bit better, dressed in a sundress because if she doesn't wear them now, she won't ever get to! SOOOOO tired of cold weather! Isn't her hair getting long?! And when she is fresh out of the bathtub she has curly hair. It's adorable!

Oh! Wait! Not so fast! Not feeling well again... But not exactly sick either. Just cranky and tired. Both of them. Maybe it's because they don't sleep at night...

And did I mention that there is a nasty stomach virus going around the neighborhood. We have quarantined ourselves in the house for fear of catching it! Or because it's freezing cold. Take your pick! :)

New Freebie on my design blog!

2009-01-19T01:00:00.001-07:00

Check it out!

New goodie on my design blog...

2009-01-11T21:46:00.001-07:00

Go visit my design blog to download this freebie! It coordinates with my newest kit that is on sale for only $1 on Monday!!!!

http://meredithcardall.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-kit-endless-love-and-free-goodie.html

New Kit - Funky Love

2009-01-01T21:51:00.003-07:00

This is my newest kit, inspired by Valentine's Day
Do you want a chance to get this entire kit for free?
Stop by the 3Scrapateers forums every day to download a different piece of the kit! At the end of January, you'll have the entire kit for free!

If you are like me and patience is not one of your virtues, you can go ahead and purchase the kit now!
Purchase the kit now at 3Scrapateers for $3.99 anytime during the month of January, available now
Purchase the kit at FaithSisters for 50% off ($2.49) through this weekend, available now
OR
Purchase the kit at Elemental Scraps for 25% off ($3.75) on Monday only, available Monday

And my friend, Rach, created a beautiful layout using this kit!

Thanks, Rach!

The Enchanted Art Box at Tangie's store...

2009-01-01T09:44:00.003-07:00

Uhm.... can I just say WOW?! This is an absolutely amazing collection of digital scrap happiness!
Seriously Amazing!
You can purchase individual pieces here at Tangie & Sherrie's store
Enchanted Art Box

OR you can purchase the entire collection from Tangie's store at Scrapbookgraphics!
Isn't it pretty?! Not a single commercial use product was used in creating this collection! It's all completely unique and totally amazing!

Here is a page I made with it:

and another one:

and I hope to get more done later!

SALE over at Tangie Baxter's store...

2008-12-28T19:45:00.001-07:00

http://www.digishoptalk.com/boards/showthread.php?t=166301

WOW! Amazing deals on AMAZING stuff! I am off to buy buy buy!

Blog Update & Christmas Card

2008-12-13T16:08:00.004-07:00

I just the world's quickest blog makeover! So stop bugging me about updating my look! What's that saying about the cobbler's children going barefoot? But doesn't it look cute?! I used some goods from Tangie Baxter Designs... where I am a GUEST CT for the month of December! And boy did I get lucky! It's the best month EVER to be a guest over there!

AND... I even finished my Christmas card! AND... I ordered prints! AND... they'll be ready in two hours for me to pick up! Woohoo! Meredith got something DONE! I used a big ol' hodge podge o' stuff on this card. The major players here are Krystal Hartley, Amy Sumrall, Jen U, Tangie Baxter, Rachel Young & styles from Misty Cato & Corina Neilsen. And the font is Pea Olsen. Next step... mail the cards!

ES Dollar Days are HERE!

2008-12-10T08:24:00.002-07:00

and here is a sampling of what we have available today!

Click here to head over to the sale!

Sale through midnight tonight!

ES Dollar Days 12/10

2008-12-09T10:46:00.002-07:00

Coming tomorrow...

I will have two new kits in my store for the dollar sale tomorrow... one is a solo kit Serenity Now. I am including a preview so you can see what's in the kit!

and my second new kit is a collab with Theres K. Rough N Tumble is perfect for all things boy! It was so much fun to make a boy kit!

And two of my "old" products will be marked down to $1 for tomorrow only! I would suggest popping in at the store tomorrow for some amazing deals. I have seen what's coming and I know that I will be doing some shopping myself!

Check out the new Holiday Store at ES!

2008-12-06T13:22:00.002-07:00

Some Pictures

2008-12-01T13:25:00.006-07:00

Yes, I am a blog slacker, but I have been really busy lately! So here are some long awaited photos!

Ainsley refuses to wear pants now and her favorite place to sit is beside the tv INSIDE the armoire! And Hannah wants everyone to notice how beautiful her hair is when it's straight. We battle every single day whether her hair will be curly or straight that day. She prefers straight, but I refuse to blowdry and flat iron a four year old's hair!

Hannah has gotten over her anti-camera stage for the most part. She was posing as a "Stylish" girl yesterday after church. She wants everyone to notice her pretty "rojo party shoes". Yes, she thinks it is normal to mix English and Spanish in the same sentence. Thanks, Dora!

She does look cute in that little red dress! She is so grown up! And so skinny! Ignore the saggy ankles in these tights!

And this is pretty little Ainsley in her new dress! She is so cute in purple. I haven't really put it on her before. Yesterday was her first day of nursery. She screamed the entire time. I finally had to go in and get her about fifteen minutes before church was over. I could hear her from upstairs in the adult meeting! Oops!

The kids pulled out a bunch of garbage from their room while Thomas and I were trying to get the Christmas decorations up. Ainsley was so exhausted she feel asleep halfway on the ottoman! What a funny kid!

Hannah was so excited to decorate the tree! She is so cute! This is HER cat & the fiddle ornament.

Ainsley loved the tree, too! She was very deliberate about hanging ornaments. Then she would take them off, collect them in a box, rehang them and start the cycle all over again!

Hannah is so big on traditions! She wanted Daddy to help her hang the star on the tree. My poor star is cracked from the big tree fall of 2006. Gonna have to get a new one for next year.

Hannah was probably most excited about the giant musical snowglobe. That is my LEAST favorite part of Christmas. And yes, those are pretzels on the floor. Ainsley dumped out a mini bag of pretzels. Fun!

Ainsley is such a nerd! She loves to do her "cheese" smile! She wanted to help put the star up, too, so Daddy let her touch the top of the tree!

We put up bunkbeds for the girls last weekend. Ainsley decided to climb to the top of the bunkbed latter last night! Nothing is safe!

My girls are so cute! They just love to snuggle each other! Ainsley was so tired. She wouldn't nap yesterday, so Hannah laid down with her on the chair until she fell asleep. It was so adorable!

Ainsley has always hated napping in her bed. This weekend we put the highchair downstairs so she can't nap in that anymore. The poor kid is so confused! She fell asleep on the big chair wrapped up in Hannah's Christmas afghan. So sweet!

This is my living room all decorated for Christmas! Ignore the messy carpet!

This is a picture of the girls all decked out for the first day of Christmas celebrations! Hannah is wearing a light-up Rudolph shirt with a jean skirt and snowflake leggings. Ainsley is wearing a red sweater with a jean skirt and the same leggings. And of course, Ainsley is doing her cheese smile!

Okay, I am going to go clean my house now and do some more laundry!
Merry Christmas everyone!

I'M A DESIGNER AT ELEMENTAL SCRAPS!!!!!!!!!

2008-12-01T12:08:00.002-07:00

Woohoo! I got accepted to sell at Elemental Scraps!!!!!!! I am so excited I am doing my happy dance! :) To celebrate the grand re-opening at Elemental Scraps, everything is 40% off!!!! And that includes my brand new exclusive to ES kit Candy Cane Lane and the coordinating QuickPages! Grab them while they are on sale! On Thursday they go back up to full price!
I also stocked my store with all of my Christmas cards, QuickPages and Printables. So hop on over there and check out my store!

New products for this week!

2008-11-26T23:11:00.001-07:00

My store is 40% off from NOW through Saturday night! I have QuickPages for $0.89 each and cards for only $1.49 each! I have several brand new products in my store to help you get ready for Christmas... and one to help chase away those winter blues!

The first set is features Krystal Hartley's Feelin' Frosty Kit at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns
You can purchase the bundled QuickPages for added savings OR you can purchase individual pages! I also have a Greetings set with a card and a gift box! This would make the perfect little box for a gift of Snowman Soup!

Purchase QP Bundle Here
Purchase QP1 Here
Purchase QP2 Here
Purchase QP3 Here

Purchase Greetings Set Here

******************************************

The next set of products feature Krystal Hartley's Angels Among Us kit at FaithSisters
The QuickPages are available in a bundled format for added savings or pages can be purchased separately. I also have a gift box available and 2 different card sets!

Purchase QuickPage Bundle Here
Purchase QP1 Here
Purchase QP2 Here
Purchase QP3 Here
Purchase QP4 Here

Purchase Gift Box Here

Purchase Card #1 here

Purchase Card #2 here
*************
And last but certainly not least... as promised, the QuickPage that is bright enough to chase away all of your winter blues! I just love Amy's bright colors!

This QuickPage features Amy Sumrall's Kooky Kritters kit at TheDigiChick

Purchase QuickPage here

Look what my "Guest CT" did for me!

2008-11-20T21:51:00.005-07:00

I sent a kit as a prize to one of the cute kids who scrapbooks at RAKScraps and she made me a layout!!!! It's so cute! And she is only SIX! Thanks so much, Kaisa!

Kaisa used my Bringin' Back Summer kit available at FaithSisters and at my new store at 3Scrapateers. Kaisa picked this kit because she liked the bugs and they reminded her of her fourth birthday party! Click on Kaisa's layout above to leave her some love at RAKScraps! Thanks, Kaisa! I love the layout and I am so glad you like your kit! Keep scrapbooking! :)

How many of me are there?

2008-11-20T21:39:00.002-07:00

HowManyOfMe.com

There are

1
or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A.

How many have your name?

Thank goodness! I don't think the world could handle more than one of me!

Scrapbook Page with Eva's new kit!

2008-11-05T01:09:00.002-07:00

These pictures are from our drama-filled trip to IKEA last weekend!
supply list:
Vivacity by Eva Kipler and Creative Confusion at SweetShoppeDesigns

blech!

2008-11-05T00:17:00.003-07:00

More sickies in my house! I have a huge presentation at school tomorrow night and I can't get ready for it because my life is too chaotic. I actually have it done, but I wanted to go back and polish it up a bit and make it more pretty. I was planning to bake some cupcakes to take in, too, but that's not gonna happen now. Ains went to bed about 8pm and then woke up at 11 puking. So, instead of bedtime for Mommy it was more laundry, bathtime for Ainsley, disinfecting and scrubbing her bed and the bathroom and bathtub after her bath. She is 18 months old and it's a really hard age for her to be sick. She is old enough to know that she doesn't like throwing up, but not old enough to recognize it far enough ahead of time. And she does NOT like hanging her head over the trashcan or the toilet. I am really worried about her getting dehydrated. She has thrown up 10 times in the last hour and a half. Not exaggerating. Poor little baby is sitting on the nasty old Dora couch (I just washed it over the weekend) watching Noggin. She is just laying there. Thomas isn't feeling well either. I am just waiting to get this nastiness right before we leave for Florida (I mean Chicago)! We are all going to get flu shots/mists in a week... or do we have to wait two weeks? Either way, we are all getting them. I cannot handle another winter like last year. I just hope that what Ainsley has is the same thing that Hannah had so that she doesn't get it again. Yuck. Anyway... that's my life in a nutshell lately! School, attempting to scrapbook and taking care of sick people. Fun!

New layout with Krystal Hartley's designs

2008-11-04T00:19:00.003-07:00

these pictures are from the other day, after the zoo, when we got locked out of our house! the girls loved being locked out. they rode bikes and played at the park until daddy got home from work! it was only an hour so it was good for us! ainsley loves sitting on hannah's tricycle and pretending to ride. and when hannah was trying to ride, ainsley kept climbing on the back! it was so funny! we had a good time!

supply list:
9 to 5 by Krystal Hartley & Corina Neilson at FPD

Zoo Pictures

2008-11-03T12:09:00.002-07:00

These are our zoo pics from last week! We had a great time with everyone!

Halloween Pictures

2008-11-03T10:23:00.003-07:00

Halloween Pictures

Digital Scrapbook Day & a new QuickPage

2008-10-31T14:08:00.003-06:00

This QuickPage was created using the FaithSisters Winter Wonderland Collab Kit, coming soon to FaithSisters!
You can purchase the QuickPage here!

********************************************************
This weekend, in celebration of Digital Scrapbook Day, my entire store will be 30% off! Compared to most other stores, my prices are pretty low to begin with! So be sure to check out my sale. AND to make it even more exciting, look through the products in my store to find a coupon hidden for an additional 20% off through November 5th. You MAY want to take a close look at the DSD Treasure Hunt Freebie. Yes, I did say freebie. There is a HUGE treasure hunt going on today & tomorrow and I am one of the many stops! As soon as I get a link for you to start the treasure hunt, I'll post it here!
This is my contribution...

This will most likely become a full kit soon. Hannah helped me with the color combinations!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-26T00:10:00.002-06:00

My blog is all decorated for Halloween! I am a bit slow this year! I just barely finished decorating my house last night. Hannah helped me put up some orange lights and some pumpkin lights in the family room. This should be a fun but busy week! I'm sure I'll get lots of photos of my little Tinkerbell and my little skunk... you can decide which one is which! :)

New layout

2008-10-25T00:18:00.002-06:00

folks, we are sad/happy to report that the super silver car is no more. we are officially a one car family. if you can read the journaling on this layout, then you will know why! :)

supply list...
chrome alpha by juno

Products by Libby Weifenbach at SSD
drive fast, turn left
black glitter alpha: ghouls just wanna have fun
silver glitter alpha: east coast girls

New products for this week!

2008-10-24T09:47:00.002-06:00

eta... I forgot to add that all of these products are 20% off this weekend!

This week I have a fun QuickPage featuring the wonderful designs of Amy Sumrall.

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1678

And I have some Christmas cards for you! These are my "If I were a photographer, these are the cards I would sell my clients." line! I should have more scrapbook-style cards in the next couple of weeks! But for $2.49 each, why not send out a couple of different designs this year?!
These are available in both 5x7 and 6x7.5 (This size fits Costco photo cards. Contact your local Costco for print availability!).

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1679
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1682

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1680
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1683

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1684
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1681

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1685
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1686

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1687
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1688

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1689
http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1690

And lastly, the product I am MOST excited about this week... a set of FABULOUS calendar toppers I created using the digital designs of the fabulously talented Eva Kipler. These are so much FUN! They are 11x8.5 QuickPages. These would also be fabulous for a year-in-review album or photobook! The month titles come separately for more versatility. There are also alternate month toppers for Halloween & Christmas! These calendar toppers are NOT to be used for Scrap4Hire purposes AT ALL. Gifts to friends and family members are fine and would surely be wonderful gifts! But no client work, please!

http://faithsisters.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1696

Layout using Amy Sumrall's new kit!

2008-10-22T22:55:00.002-06:00

this is a picture of the girls at the park a week or so ago. they love to slide together!

Amy Sumrall's Raspberry Mint Truffle kit at TheDigiChick

A REAL LIFE update!

2008-10-18T00:00:00.002-06:00

So, life has generally been crazy around here, nothing unusual in that. I have been busy designing, trying to get my house clean (which I have discovered is a never-ending process and just makes me feel like a complete failure), studying and trying to stay caught up with my History class, trying to scrapbook occasionally, and keep my girls from killing each other. They are so cute together most of the time, but Ainsley has recently discovered that she has an opinion and it doesn't always coincide with Hannah's opinion. And they have both decided that sleep is no longer a necessity. And since I can't get a thing done with them awake, I have been staying up until 2 or 3am just to have some "me" time. It has been insane and it has to STOP! Anyway...

Thomas came home from work yesterday with an announcement. He bought plane tickets for us to visit Chicago in the middle of November! We get to go see my parents! I thought we weren't going to be able to go until next summer! Although, he wasn't thinking and scheduled us to fly out on Wednesday night, so I have to miss class. I have to find someone to take notes and/or record the lecture for me. Thankfully, it is NOT the night of my big presentation or my mid-term, so that's good at least.

This morning, the girls both woke up at 5:30 and decided it was morning enough for them! So, we had an early start to our day... should have known it was going to be a LONG day! About 7:30, the power went out. A phone call to the power company let us know that it would be a few hours. A car hit a power line and it went down. Hannah was being really cranky and wanted her "kids' shows"! So, I sat her down and explained to her that there had been a really bad accident and someone in a car hit a big pole and it knocked down the electricity lines. And she still got really angry, so I had to go into a bit more depth and explain to her that someone was probably hurt very badly because it couldn't feel good to have your car hit a big pole. She got this look of complete sadness on her face and asked me if it was a daddy with kids or a mommy with little girls. I told her that I didn't know who it was, but it could have been someone's mommy or daddy or someone's little girl or boy in the car. She got so sad and asked if we could bless them in our prayers when we ask Heavenly Father to bless Cousin Paul's heart. What mother can resist that???? So, we said a prayer for Cousin Paul and the "mommy or daddy who hit the pole with their car so we can't watch kids' shows." I almost started laughing right then! After prayer, she asked if we could read together. I agreed, of course. So, she went in her room and came back after a few minutes really upset because she couldn't find her scriptures and she really wanted to read them. Wow! My four-year-old teaches me lessons every single day! So, we got my scriptures out and read them instead. She got bored after a verse or two, so we ended up having a tickling match. Ainsley got bored reading a book and fell asleep, so Hannah came in the kitchen and worked on some fall crafts while I cleaned the kitchen. I got the dishes all done (cold water is worse to wash dishes in than hot water!), the counters scrubbed, the trash taken out, the bathroom scrubbed, the floors mopped and the toys all put away. Man! I felt so productive! I think I am going to declare "Electricity Out Morning" at least once a week! Then the power came back on and I started working on some projects and the house is a wreck once again... but at least it is clean UNDER the toys and laundry... and the laundry is clean, too! :) We had a pretty uneventful rest of the day.

We left home at 3:30 to pick Thomas up and head down to Provo for our family photos. My friend, Jenna Nelson, is an absolutely amazing photographer! I am seriously hooked on her work! I check her photography blog all the time just to see if she has done any new shoots! So, this afternoon we headed up Provo Canyon to get some fall color shots. Since the girls got so little sleep last night, they were little stinkers this afternoon. Ainsley did not want to be held for the pictures or even sit still. It could be partly due to the hour drive it took to get down there. She is not a very patient child. And Hannah was just a typical four-year-old. We just want one good family photo. I like the family photo we got, but I don't like the way I look in it. I think that's typical, though. I don't think I have EVER liked a photo of myself! We haven't had a family photo in three years, so we just need one to put up on the wall and in the scrapbooks! Jenna put five of her favorite photos up on her blog and I uploaded them to mine... with her watermark of course! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the photos of the girls! I have a feeling we are going to have an entire wall of framed photos of the girls! Seriously. I love them all! If you want any of these, let me know so we can get them ordered early next week. There will be nine or ten more photos up on Jenna's site tomorrow, so we have even more to choose from! Okay, here's the part where you tell me how adorable my girls are!!!! And really, how amazing Jenna is! If you were with us, you would be amazed that she got anything from our cranksters!

I love the photos! And the more I look at the family photo, the more it grows on me. That's us. That's our life. Hannah doing her own thing. Ainsley doing her own thing. Thomas and I trying to just smile and get through it.

AFTER the photo shoot, we were HUNGRY! So, we drove through Orem trying to decide what to eat... Same stuff we have in Salt Lake... Thomas wanted Outback. I hate Outback... tastes like your food is already digested and spit back up for you. Blech. We've had a gift certificate for Outback for 5 years and haven't used it yet. I really wanted BBQ... REAL BBQ. So, we drove to downtown Provo and stopped at Smokehouse Pizza & BBQ. Jenna took the photos for the menu. And yes, the food is just as good as Jenna makes it look! Although... both of my kids turned up their noses at the macaroni & cheese, probably because it wasn't the fake orange Kraft stuff. But I have to tell you... their beef brisket sandwich is amazing! Mix the sauces and it's just PERFECT! The kids were both cranky. Ainsley kept climbing out of the highchair and screaming. Hannah was talking soooo loud. Thomas' only complaint was that they serve Pepsi and they didn't have french fries. But their homemade potato chips were really good. Sweet potato chips would have been better... hmmmm, sweet potatoes sound GOOD right now!

We came out of there totally full and drove around Provo for a bit, reminiscing and showing Hannah all of the places we lived and even drove by Grandpa Sardoni's house. Hannah kept telling us "Enough exploring, let's go home already." So, we headed up toward the freeway and yep, you guessed it... Krispy Kreme had HOT NOW doughnuts! We are both suckers for Krispy Kreme and it's hard to find good doughnuts in Utah that aren't made with either almond extract or a citrus mix. We ate a couple of doughnuts on the way home and still have quite a few left over for breakfast tomorrow. Hannah is excited because she gets a doughnut and chocolate milk for breakfast. I know, really healthy! She'll have a yogurt and fruit for lunch to make up for it! :) We got home around 8:30 and were exhausted. We aren't used to going out for long trips! I threw all the photo shoot clothes in the washer because Hannah & Ainsley both spilled most of their dinner on themselves and then transferred it to both Thomas and I. And I had to wash the clothes tonight because guess what we get to do tomorrow afternoon.... TAKE MORE PICTURES! Thomas' dad & step-mom arranged for a family photo shoot tomorrow afternoon in Park City, with a photographer friend of theirs. We haven't been in a Cardall Family photo since we were married so this will be good for us. Last I heard, the photo shoot is on the side of a highway, so hopefully we have all of our children with us when we finish. I am going to take my camera and try to play with a few settings/landscapes myself. I may need a few landscape shots to round out my family photo collage that I am going to have hanging on my wall!

Well, I think that is about all we have been up to lately. Just trying to get by and stay sane. My kids are both finally asleep, so I am going to go get some sleep because I am sure that they will be up at the crack of dawn in the morning. I'll post more photos when I get them...

Layout with my new kit!

2008-10-17T10:14:00.003-06:00

This is a page I scrapped using my new kit Bringin' Back Summer, available at FaithSisters. I decided to make it into a QuickPage as well, which is also available at FS!

QuickPage
Bringin' Back Summer Kit