pictures from cabin weekend!

Hannah playing in the snow for the very first time!!!

my happy little girl!

Thomas & Meredith
Aren't we cute? Okay, so we're grimy and messy and cold and I don't have a DROP of makeup on, but I just love my hubby! We realized a couple weeks ago that there aren't many pictures of us, so we are trying to fix that! And you lucky people get to see them!

Thomas & Ashlyn & Hannah pushing the tube back up the hill.

Ashlyn & Zoey

Thomas gave my baby some Coke! And she LOVED it. Everytime she sees a Coke can, she gets really excited and lunges for it, licking her lips! It's so funny!

Ainsley likes being outside in the snow!

Yea, Jordyn!

Ainsley is just chilling in the snow!

Okay. Definitely NOT my smartest move. Yes, that is Ainsley strapped to my chest. The snow wasn't packed really hard and the kids were barely moving. So, we decided that it would be safe for me to go down with Ainsley. Thomas gave me a little push and we went SOARING down the freaking mountain. About halfway down, I saw Carter playing in the snow right where I was heading. I screamed for him to move and then the tube turned and I realized the we were NOT slowing down. I couldn't flip out of the tube because of the baby. So, I just curled around her and braced myself the best I could. And then my brother-in-law caught us! And saved me from sliding into a bunch of branches. Thanks, Mr Bailey!

Thomas getting ready to fly down the mountain on the tube! He wouldn't let the kids go down on their bellies, but he sure didn't have a problem doing it!

Ashlyn & Jordyn getting ready to push Hannah down the mountain!

Ainsley sitting up being a big girl! Aren't the orange chairs lovely? :)

Hannah wearing her "Cousin Eddy" hat that Poppa Porter sent to her. Ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation? That hat is straight out of the movie! :)

Thomas wearing Hannah's hat! :)

Thomas with our poor little Florida car!

Okay, Ainsley is done! Time to go home!

new layout

mary, this is one of the kits you got me for my birthday! LOVE it! thanks so much!
credits:
holly mccaig's all that pops photo actions
french countryside kit by christina renee & shabby princess
christine smith's crumpled creased and curled
traci sims' silver charm alpha
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fonts: turtle club

new layout of my niece

yes, i am going to do one for each of them!
credits:
products by Christine Smith at design.christinesmith
perfectly periwinkle
plain brown wrapper
flourishes
spring linens imperfect stitches
overlays
RLC: brown
***
michelle coleman's handstamped alpha
sun print stamps at designer digitals (on birth announcement)
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fonts: segoe script

so sad... ScrapQuick is closing

They are having a HUGE going out of business sale from October 18-31. All downloadable products are marked down 30-70% off. All ScrapQuickArt™ pages and sets are now just $0.99. You can also get 72 alphas starting at 72 cents! Brag books and mini albums start at just $1.00! As an additional bonus, you can also get three never-before released single ScrapQuickArt™ pages by Christine Smith when you purchase an additional $10 in any other products in the store. Simply choose the page size you want from this page and use the coupon code shown when you check out.

Wanna see what I got?Krafty Girl

Unmistakable Album

the waiting game!

okay, we found a house that we LOVE! It is really affordable, totally at the bottom end of our price range! It isn't in the area that we were hoping to be in, but it is in a super cute neighborhood. It is actually in the town that we live in now, about 10 minutes from where we are now. It is a 2 bedroom basement with a HUGE backyard, swingset, rose bushes, real landscaping! There are only two issues with it... #1 no bathtub, but there is a big kitchen sink. so until ainsley can stand up, guess where she gets her bath! #2 the floors are all linoleum, so we'll have to get area rugs. There were a ton of people there looking last night. I just really hope that they choose us. The upstairs is available, too, but it is $200 more. It has totally been remodeled... travertine in the bathroom, hardwood floors throughout, HUGE closets, custom paint. It is GORGEOUS! It just has less storage space, while the bedrooms are much bigger. The downstairs bedrooms are so cute. One of them would perfectly match Hannah & Ainsley's bedding. The other one is decorated to look like a log cabin. The walls are panelled with the ceiling a sheet of corrugated aluminum with holes cut in it and star fabric peeking through. The light fixture is a lantern. Too cute! And I am pretty sure that I kept MOST of my cute little Americana decorations. This house would be absolutely perfect for us. If you are the praying type, start praying for us! :) we're just waiting for the owners to make their decision. they said that it will be sometime next week. it's a good thing that we are going to the cabin this weekend or else i would be a nervous wreck, driving by the house all the time! :)

new layout

i love this picture! And this is one of my very favorite digital scrapbooking kits! LOVE it!
credits:
products by christine smith at design.christinesmith.net
a bit boho
plain brown wrapper
curls crumples n more
***
a tag from janel kretschman's chippy market tags
colorfully you alpha by robin cabana
lace from betsy tuma's savannah kit
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fonts: turtle club

there is snow on the ground!

okay, just a tiny little bit, but STILL! Oh! and it is so cold! It's 43 degrees right now but feels like 36!!!!! What the heck?! And this is the warmest it is going to be for a couple of days! What did I get myself into moving out here? I hate being cold!

Okay, I'm done complaining! It's Wednesday! Yea! That means only 72 hours until we can leave for the cabin! Woohoo! My father-in-law is having friends come up on Friday, so we can't go until Saturday afternoon. But that's okay! We are really looking forward to going. Chrissy and I have been planning meals so that we can eat together. I think it makes it easier with the kids to coordinate meals. That way all the kids are eating the same things. They fight over who gets what color plate, I can't imagine what they would do if they had different food, too. So, if anyone else is going up, let Chrissy or I know if you want in on dinners or breakfast Sunday morning. I can't wait to get up there and COOK! There is a kitchen here and I can definitely use it to cook. But there is something about cooking good hot food at the cabin that just makes me content. Maybe I'll bring stuff to make some cookies or muffins or pumpkin bread! Now, that sounds good!

we got stood up!

We were supposed to meet a couple at their home about 20 minutes away from where we currently live. We got there a few minutes before our scheduled appointment, and they weren't home. We waited 45 minutes and they never showed up. We called three or four times. It looked like their television was on in one of the side rooms, but they never answered the door. Their dogs were barking really loudly and we rang the doorbell and banged on the door, but no answer. Lovely.

new layout

i did another one today!

this is ainsley with her little cousin, liv, a couple of month's ago
credits:
all products available at one of a kind scrapz
beth kern's lady bug fun mini kit
paper by beth kern from august free with purchase kit
black paper & dotted flower by faith true from not so spooky kit
jessica gorney's jeweled clips
glitter by rachel martin
ribbon by ann-marie
pink stitch, lace from faith true's hannah lee kit
blythe evans' sparkle buds
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fonts: turtle club

another new layout

these are some pictures i took of hannah earlier this summer
credits:
Beth Kern's Dirty Denim kit at oaks
blythe evans bud builders at oaks
alpha by faith true from the October Fall Collab Kit at oaks
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fonts: turtle club

new layout

okay, the picture is from last fall, but the layout was just done this morning! aren't you proud of me? i got a layout done during the day! i can't believe how much hannah has grown up in the last year! she is a little girl now!
credits:
fall frolick kit by saraamarie & cherekaye at the sweet shoppe
alpha by susan sarducci, recolored
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fonts: highland perk

Six Things About Me

I got tagged... by Jenna! Jenna posted six reasons why she was a dork in highschool... I could easily post six reasons why I was a dork in highschool, but I'll let you read hers and assume that I had very similar experiences in highschool, except it was the late 90s.

1. I moved a LOT when I was a kid. I went to 13 different schools before I graduated highschool. As a result, I am inordinately attached to "things". I was fine and able to handle moving to so many different places and schools (for the most part) because I was able to surround myself with things that were familiar even if the places weren't. I still have issues with this. We tend to move every year, and I have a really hard time parting with my things. As long as I have them, it feels like home. I wonder if this is why I take so much with me when I travel?

2. I'm a good mom. I may not be the world's greatest mom, but I am definitely not the worst! :) I lose my patience occasionally and I am tired a nagging a lot, but I do a good job taking care of my kids. Being a good mom is a huge part of my identity.

3. I'm a good wife. Again, maybe not the world's greatest, but far from the worst. I absolutely love and adore my husband, and I know that he feels the same way about me. We have really been trying to focus on our relationship lately and it is amazing the difference it has made for us.

4. I am a memory keeper. This may fall into the same category as #1 with the collection of "stuff". I really treasure my scrapbooks and my family history. I keep small sentimental things. I have one of my Granny's crochet hooks that is one of my most treasured possessions. I like to keep our current history for my children, but I also like to get to know more about my ancestors and find out where I came from.

5. I am a very religious person. My knowledge that my Heavenly Father and my Savior know me and love me are very sacred to me. I am really trying every single day to be more like the Savior. It's hard and I know I'll never get anywhere close, but every day I try.

6. I'm a NERD! Give me a book or a computer and I am pretty happy!

that's it! I'm gonna tag all my blog readers (even those who don't admit to reading my blog!) who haven't already done this or who just want to do this again!

layout

credits:
products by laura burger
tempting templates 3pack, set 1, resized, rotated & stretched at digiscrapshak
pleasantine backs at treasures to scrap
leaf stitch from strawberry swirl
eclectic paper curled flowers at eclecticdigitaldesigns
***
alpha from christine smith's plain brown wrapper kit
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fonts: highland perk

another layout to share

these pictures crack me up! they are just typical of what we get when we try to take pictures of Hannah these days! So cute!
credits:
Carole Neale's Graph Paper Neutrals at ScrapDish
Kim Jensen's Date It! plastic beads at ScrapDish
Kim Jensen's Pop Top Poppers at ScrapDish
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fonts: highland perk

six years

we took this picture of ourselves in the car after dinner...

credits:
products by Christine Smith at design.christinesmith.net
Warmly Yours Kit
Crumpled, Creased and Curled
CYO: Flowers
fancy borders and frames
notepaper from plain brown wrapper
stamped alpha
****
glass heart by dc designs
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fonts: highland perk

housing update!

Well, I found a few more listings this weekend to call on. We actually went and saw one of them in Midvale. It was a really cute house and really cute little street, just a TINY little apartment. We would have had to get a storage unit for half of our furniture! It was really just too expensive for what it was. Then we drove past another one without even stopping. It was in a really scary little area, which is too bad because it is right next to some really cute houses and neighborhoods. But when there is more furniture outside the apartments than inside and more cars on cinderblocks than not, you tend to think twice about moving there. That particular building was really cute, but the ones surrounding it were scary. So, I was feeling pretty discouraged again about it all. Then this morning I found three really cute ones and called on them. They are all really good prices and two of them are in an older area of town that we really like. The third one is up here in the town we are already living in. It's smaller, but in a really nice condo community. We have appointments to see all three of them this week. I really hope that one of them works for us. I keep checking to see if there are new listings, so hopefully something works out soon! We're getting really close to our moving deadline. At least we don't have a ton to pack from here!

just some pictures

Yes, I know that there are more pictures of Ainsley lately than of Hannah. But Ainsley is growing so quickly and is doing so much fun stuff, and little stinker Hannah won't let me take pictures of her right now. She runs from the camera or turns her head or gives me the fake cheesy smile. I still love to capture that one, though! What a funny little girl!

i love this cute little dress!

Ainsley loves her Johnny Jumper! She caught on to the whole jumping concept pretty quickly!

Ainsley completely exhausted from jumping! And yes, Greg told us that we could hang her jumper in his office door when he isn't home because it is the only door in the basement with a full door frame.

Hannah & Ainsley playing together. They are talking to Grandma Ruthie on the orange cell phone, by the way! :)

Hannah reading her Paddington Bear library book to her Paddington Bear from Grandma Ruthie. She was so excited to find this library book with a bear like hers! And yes, she actually plays with and sleeps with her Paddington Bear. Grandma Ruthie brought it home from England with her. I wanted to put it up on a shelf, but Grandma insisted it was for playing with.

my cute little baby!

hannah trying to "crochet" a baby blanket for ainsley. i wasn't much older than this when my Granny taught me how to crochet, so i think i may get hannah a big plastic hook to learn with. and yes, she is using two crochet hooks, because I use two needles when I knit and Hannah says that she has to use hooks because needles are too dangerous for a kid like her!

the salt lake temple

Thomas and Hannah at Temple Square

Hannah with her deer-in-the-headlights look, wearing Ainsley's hairbow. It doesn't look so big on Hannah's big head!

our big night out...

WooHoo! Okay, so for our anniversary dinner, we took our kids with us! Pretty pathetic, but hey! We had a good time! :) We had a gift certificate for Outback Steakhouse, so we found one that is about 15 miles from here, it's actually in the same town that my aunt and uncle live in. We drove all the way out there, unloaded the kids from the car and went inside. The wait was an hour to be seated and about an hour and a half to get your meal. WHAT? Okay, by that time it was 7pm and I was STARVING! So, we loaded the kids back in the car and went a little local restaurant, The Training Table. Nothing fancy. There aren't even waiters or anything, but the food is really good typical all-American type food. We sat down, placed our order and started talking. I looked up about ten minutes into our wait and there are my GRANDPARENTS! :) They were visiting from out of town and came up to the little town my aunt and uncle live in to have dinner with my uncle and cousin. And we ended up in the same restaurant! How funny! They ate at a table close to us, but not with us. It was their last night out here, so it was really good to see them again. Then, we came home and watched a couple of episodes of the first season of Lost. I have to admit, I have been totally against watching that series from the very beginning. Thomas convinced me to watch the first episode of the first season the other night and I am HOOKED! I have to know WHAT is on that island! But don't tell me! I'm going to figure it out and watch all the old seasons and then catch up on the new ones. So, that was it! Happy 6th Anniversary to us! :) To me, it was perfect for us. Would we like to get away and have a romantic weekend with candlelight dinners? Of course. Is that practical for us? No. Not right now. Ainsley still doesn't take a bottle and we don't like leaving our babies. So, our plan for next year is a romantic weekend away from the kids... we'll see what happens! :)

new layout

these are pictures from yesterday of hannah trying to sneak up the stairs to bake more cookies by herself! what a crazy kid! :)
credits:
Maria LaFrance's Whimsical Halloween Kit at Digital Freebies
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fonts: highland perk

new layout

this picture is from may of this year...
credits:
products by laura burger:
paint fettish kit at digiscrapshak
graph it at treasures to scrap
watercolor doodles at eclectic digital designs
writing tablet at treasures to scrap
eclectic paper flowers at eclectic digital designs
paint from spice of life
border tears at eclectic digital designs
ms fancy pants at digiscrapshak
grungy stamped alpha at eclectic digital designs
***
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fonts: turtle club

Going Crazy!

We are trying to find an apartment to move into in a few weeks and we can NOT find anything! I have searched every newspaper and online listing that I can find and can't find anything that fits our needs. We are looking everywhere from Draper/Riverton all the way up to Layton. We really need to stay at less than $750 with utilities. We need 2 bedrooms and washer/dryer hookups. And we don't want to live in West Valley or Rosepark! If you know this area, that is self explanatory! :) There are tons of listings that fit this need, and I am checking them several times a day, but by the time I get through to the lister, the property is already rented. Or they find out that we have two kids and tell me that they are not accepting applicants with kids. OR we call them and find out that the apartment is really just an open basement with shared kitchen and living room areas!!! WHAT?!!! Why would I feel safe moving into a house with a family that I don't know, sharing a house with only separate bedrooms. And what is to stop their kids from running into my bedroom in the middle of the night? Or to stop one of the adults from going into my kids' room at night? Sorry. Too scary for me. I'm really not too picky. I don't care if it is old and dumpy, as long as I can clean the carpets and there aren't roaches, I'm good. So, if anyone out there knows of anyone renting a basement apartment for less than $750 with utilities anywhere in the Salt Lake valley (except the REALLY scary areas!), let me know! Please! :)

Happy Anniversary!

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Happy Anniversary, Tommy! I love you!
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Well, it has been six years since Thomas and I were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple. I can hardly believe it has been that long! We've had our ups and downs, just like every marriage. But I can honestly say that I love my husband more and more every single day! Our marriage has never been better than it is now. I am so grateful for him and for the opportunity that I have to be his wife. We have been blessed to have two beautiful little girls who make us completely crazy! I am the luckiest woman in the world! :) I love you, babe!

another one of those days

when hannah wakes up at the CRACK of dawn and won't go back to sleep! She woke up at 4:30 this morning. She played in her room for about an hour, then came in my room, woke up Ainsley and threw a temper tantrum because I wouldn't give her medicine. It was 4 hours early for medicine! I just barely got Ainsley back to sleep, and Hannah is starting to get tired. Time for me to take a nap. As soon as I fall asleep Ainsley will be ready to get up. I've had a pretty productive morning, though. I have been searching for new car insurance coverage and found out that I can save $70/month by switching to Geico. Yes, I know I sound like a commercial, but it's true! :) So, I am going to check one more local place later this morning and then decide. Okay, well if I am going to sleep at all, I better do it now! And yes, we are still sick! :)

The Mom Song

thanks, Alishia!

a new layout

credits:
Sara Grimwood's Harvest Pumpkin Kit at oaks
doodle from dawn wilson's scrappacks vol iv at oaks
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fonts: turtle club

new layout

credits:
Not So Spooky kit by Faith True & Sara Ellis at OAKS
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fonts: turtle club

new layout

credits:
SaraAmarie's Lil Bit of Autumn at SweetShoppeDesigns, flower recolored
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fonts: turtle club

ONE MORE

more pictures!

ainsley taking a little snooze on the couch earlier this afternoon. it lasted all of five minutes, but I thought it was cute!

i snuck this picture of hannah earlier this afternoon. she did NOT want her picture taken!

hannah fell asleep on her couch watching dora the other night!

my big girl playing on the floor.

hannah eating a ham sandwich & talking to grandma on the phone!

photo shoot

we had some great afternoon light & a baby in a good mood. so, we took pictures!

new layout

credits:
designs by Jenna Nelson of LittleBird Designs at ScrapDish & DragonFlaireStudios
Feathered Friends Kit
Thrift Shop Dates
butterfly from Boing kit
flower from Phonebook Bits n Pieces
glitter from Pixie Dust Overlays
********
michelle coleman's hand-stamped alpha
notebook paper from ann-marie's sea dreams kit at oaks
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fonts: thinking of you, times new roman

yep, still sick!

every single one of us. Hannah is coughing less. Ainsley is choking less at night. Thomas and I both feel like we have been hit by really big trucks. But that hasn't stopped us! Last night the girls and I went to my sister-in-law's house for dinner and to hang out while Thomas went with his dad and the rest of the boys to dinner and to a church meeting for the men. The girls and I had a really good time! Hannah was so cranky before we left home and didn't want to go to Aunt Chrissy's house to play. By the time we left Chrissy's house, she cried because she wanted to stay and play with Aunt Chrissy's kids, Carter and "the girl". lol! Thomas and I got a laugh out of that. When we asked her what "the girl's" name was, she knew. She just refused to say her name. What a goofy kid! Don't worry! Chrissy's kids all have colds, too, so we weren't infecting otherwise healthy people with our germs.

This weekend was the General Conference for our church. We had the opportunity to spend 8 to 10 hours throughout this weekend listening to the words of our church leaders. I really enjoyed listening. One talk in particular really struck me as important. Henry Eyring spoke about how years ago he decided to begin keeping a journal about the things that happened everyday in his family's life that showed the hand of God. He soon realized that he wasn't keeping this journal for his own benefit but for the benefit of his children. I was thinking about this in relation to my own life and trying to figure out how I can incorporate this idea into what I already do. I feel like I do a pretty good job of documenting our lives through my scrapbooking, but looking back at most of my pages, I feel like they are just pretty pages. I really enjoy looking at them because I think they are beautiful. But they don't generally reflect the spiritual aspect of our family life. And that is such a HUGE aspect of our family. I am not going to go back and re-do my scrapbooks, but I can begin to incorporate this into my scrapbooking. I think that more than "look at that adorable baby outfit I wore when I was six weeks old" the spiritual aspects our lives will be more fascinating to my children in 20 or 30 years. So, my new goal is to "see the hand of God" in my everyday life and incorporate that better into my memory keeping. Anyone else have a favorite talk from this weekend?

just some photos

Hannah taking a rest in her nest of pillows on my bed.

my two little cuties!

Little Doug! Sleeping with her arms above her head.

ainsley wearing her HUGE flower bow

ainsley just sitting up on the couch the other day!

still sick...

all of us! i think that says it all! hope you all have a good weekend!

I have a NEW COUSIN!!!!

Okay, let me preface this post with a short story. My uncle is three years older than me. He married my college roommate and best friend, Mary... So, my aunt is my best friend! Fun story! So...

It's a BOY!
Nathan James...

Congratulations, Mary & Chris! He is really beautiful! He looks just like Eli! As soon as I can shake this cold and sore throat I am coming to see you. I want to be there NOW!

How much $$ do you spend on a typical dinner?

I am trying to figure out the average cost per person that most people spend on a typical weeknight meal. I think we eat pretty cheap, but I would like to know what other families tend to spend. So, think of an average meal that your family frequently eats, add up the cost of ALL the ingredients, divide it by the number of servings it makes and post your results in the comments section...

For example... last night we had chicken & rice for thomas and chicken and stuffing for me. This is actually pretty "ritzy" for us, but I can't remember the last time I cooked before last night! Ingredients:
Rice: $.07
Chicken: $1.00
Crm of Chicken Soup $.59
stuffing: $.68
green beans: $.39
bread: $.50
sweet potato: $1
Our total is $4.23/4 servings or about $1.05 per serving
Now, typically, this dinner would cost about twice as much, but I used generic everything and got everything at a caselot sale.

I would like to see what everyone else does...

we're getting better...

Well, Thomas and I are sounding & feeling better, but the kids seem to be getting worse. Their noses aren't quite as runny, but Hannah is losing her voice and Ainsley's little cry is just pathetic. They both wake up coughing through the night. The word "coughing" does not do it justice. They both sound croupy. So, we've had the humidifier running all night long. We'd keep it on during the day, too, but the family room is so big that it doesn't seem to make a difference.

We are starting to look for a place to live. We're planning to be in our own place by Nov 1st. I just hope that we can find something decent and cheap! We found two really nice places, but I am not sure if either of them are going to work. One is really far south and one is really far north. So, the question is, do we live close to Thomas' family or do we live close to my family? The one that is up north is $200 chepaer and it includes all of our utilities. It's completely remodeled. But it is TINY! The second bedroom is less than 70 sq ft... It's 10ft x 6.5 ft... big enough for a twin bed and a small dresser. Well, that is fine for Hannah, but not for Ainsley, too. And I don't want her in my room for the next year. The apartment down south is HUGE, almost 2000 square feet, and it has three bedrooms. It is still a really good price. I am just hoping that one of these is still open when we are ready to move. We are going to try to look at a bunch of places this weekend, but it is the General Conference for our church, so most of the city will be closed down to watch conference. We'll see.

Well, I am off to finish dinner. Thomas requested chicken and rice casserole. For anyone who knows him, that is a HUGE shock! Thomas requested rice??? Are you sure you didn't misunderstand? Anyway... have a good day!

Family Routine set to Canon in D

This is not my husband, but I sure feel a bond with this family! It sounds familiar! The sound in this video is not the greatest, so turn it up... Thanks to Kimmie for sending this to me!

new layout

credits:
Carla Phillips' Just Seasons Paper Pack at oaks
Rachel Martin's Petalz Pop at oaks
Rachel Martin's Clippity Dos at oaks
Rachel Martin's Tied Down at oaks
black gingham ribbon from Ann-Marie's Folded Ginghams at oaks
LOVE from Ann-Marie's Scribbled Notes Alpha at oaks
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fonts: sandals

I got tagged!

Thanks, Jill!!!

My Favorite Smell: I love the smells of baking breads and cookies! AND the smell at the cabin in the fall, quaking aspens, fresh pine, crisp air and the river!
My Favorite Sight: My smiling babies!
My Favorite Taste: right now, pumpkin chocolate chip cookies or bread or muffins! YUM!
My Favorite Sound: Hannah & Ainsley laughing, Thomas playing the guitar, as long as it isn't that ONE dave matthews' song. i don't know which one it is, but one of his songs just makes me ANGRY.
My Favorite Touch: holding Thomas' hand
Okay, now I am tagging: chrissy, angie, ashley, amber... and anyone else who wants to participate!