found a picture

this is the mirrored chest that we love at IKEA!

in the mood...

to decorate for Christmas and I can't do it quite yet! So, I decided to go ahead and decorate my blog! How do you like it? Two more weeks and I can start decorating my house!!!!! YEA! I think I may even make Thomas hang lights outside. But it may look funny only on half the house since it is a duplex! :)

We were going to go to the cabin this weekend, but Thomas wasn't feeling well so we didn't go. I got really tired of sitting in the house last night and tried and tried and tried to get Thomas to go out somewhere, ANYWHERE! Nope. So, this morning I guess he got a burst of energy or something because he actually suggested that we go to IKEA! If you have never been to IKEA before, it is something of an experience! It is massive! We took both of our girls with us. And we actually had a good time. Thomas and I decided that if we ever win the lottery or get a huge bonus we are going to buy ourselves some furniture from IKEA... yes, we know that we're pathetic. What most people think of as "beginner" furniture is our dream! :) the furniture looks black in the pictures, but it is dark brownish-black. They also have the furniture in white and it's actually a bit cheaper, but they don't make one of the additional pieces that we LOVE in the white finish. It is a low chest with a beautiful mirror on top. It looks kind of like an antique piece that my mom has in her house. They don't have it at the online store, but we saw it today and even Thomas loves it! :) After we were done at IKEA, Thomas walked out of there saying how much he enjoyed it. We got a lot of ideas for storage for our new place. Hopefully we'll be able to incorporate a lot of what we saw, using things we already have.

and these are the barstools that we want to get for our new kitchen...

so, if any of you are looking for any last minute gift ideas... :) Ainsley just woke up AGAIN and is crying, so I better get the little monkey before she wakes anyone up!

a layout for today

i changed the angle on my shadows for this layout... i think it looks more "real" now.
credits:
ann-marie's luv love me at oaks
christina renee's tied ribbon wrappers
christina renee's dream
christina renee's glitter pain splats
christina renee's shooting stars
swirls from sara amarie's put 'em together whimsical brushes at sweet shoppe designs
lace from vintage val by christine smith at design.christinesmith
heart by amy hutchinson from miles kit
sunflower from scrappin' hillbilly sweetpea designs' bloom where you're planted kit at oaks
b - robin cabana's colorfully you alpha
e - cardboard alpha by monika69
a - CH sampler
u - ann marie's sea dreams alpha
t - brenda kempf's extras alpha
y - by digitreats
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fonts: times new roman

and one more...

credits:
Mish Gasser's Six-By-Twelves at PDW, altered
French Countryside by Christina Renee & Shabby Princess
Shooting Stars by Christina Renee
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fonts: byington

another one for tonight

credits:
Christine Smith's Spring Linens, color adjusted at design.christinesmith
christine smith's vintage val kit at design.christinesmith
scalloped frame by ann-marie from oaks, resized and used as a template
word patch from daydream patches by brit-ish designs
large heart from mish gasser's rectangle quickies power pack 2
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another new layout

credits:
Dixie Kit by SaraAmarie & Fee Jardine at Sweet Shoppe Designs
christine smith's crumpled creased & curled at design.christinesmith
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fonts: times new roman

new layout

credits:
products available at one of a kind scraps (OAKS)
misty maier's roadside garden paper pack
black ribbon from ann-marie's wrapped up
black flower from cherie shields' all that blooms
brackets from beth kerns' ladybug fun minikit
cardboard from doreen stolz's versatility kit
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fonts; times new roman, vaguely repulsive, turtle club, arial, thinking of you

layout

these pictures are from may! i can't believe how much older they both look!
credits:
available at one of a kind scrapz
jessica david's scallop set templates
misty maier's sunkissed summer kit
doodle from sarah grimwood's pistachio cove kit
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fonts: times new roman

new layout

credits:
Sarah Ellis's Round Em Up 5 at OAKS
Sarah Grimwood's Summer Romance Papers
Blythe Evans' Yesterday's News Alpha


from oaks rejuvenate collab kit
notebook paper by scrappin' hillbilly sweetpea designs
flower by blythe evans
stapled sequin by faith true
doily by sherry ferguson

new layout

credits:
Sarah Grimwood's Garden Groove Kit at OAKS
October Fall Kit at OAKS
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fonts: segoe script, times new roman

new layout

credits:
Sarah Grimwood's Pistachio Cove Kit at OAKS
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fonts: rockwell extra bold, segoe script

my little foodies

Hannah officially ate her very first vanilla frosty today! That may not seem like a big deal to most people, but Hannah was lactose intolerant for a LONG time and it has taken her a LONG time to be willing to eat ice cream. She doesn't like cold food. There's something about chipped teeth and cold food that just don't go together! :)

And, Ainsley was sitting next to me on the couch while I was eating some Saltines. Yes, I like the taste of Saltines and eat them for fun. Anyway, Ainsley was watching me eat my crackers so I gave her a little bite. She about bit my finger off with the second bite. She grabbed a cracker out of my hands and started eating it. So much for needing my help! She started making a mess with the cracker so I took it away. She started SCREAMING. You would have thought I was hurting the poor kid! I think we are going to have to start more solid foods and skip the baby food. She doesn't like it.

We hung out with Ashley today. We went to IKEA and the tiny little outlet mall nearby. I didn't buy a darn thing! I hate shopping with no money! Thomas is going back with me tomorrow night. We're looking at barstools. The fun never ends!

new layout

credits:
sarah grimwood's bohemian butterfly kit at one of a kind scrapz
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fonts: thinking of you

It's Official!

Ainsley is a Porter! Earlier today I was biting the soft parts off pieces of popcorn to feed her so she'd stay quiet while I was on the phone. She was loving it! Then tonight, she saw Hannah's popcorn bowl from this afternoon and went after it! So I picked her up and started feeding her little soft pieces (minus the hulls). She started crying when I took too long to get a piece in her mouth. I told Thomas that we are going to have to get her some veggie puffs to snack on. But the kid loves popcorn! She is such a foodie! It's true, Tom, there is another generation of foodies in the family! Earlier today, we were talking to my mom on the phone and Hannah asked Grandma what we were going to eat for Christmas if we go to Chicago. lol! That's my girl! Okay, she may have had a bit of prompting from me, but she got really excited when Grandma told her that she could have pizza and cookies and fudge without ANY nuts! lol! love my kiddos!

Hannah is doing much better at poo training! We haven't had any poopy diapers from Hannah in the last four days! yea!!! BUT we are still having lots of wet diapers. She isn't the least bit interested in peeing on the potty. We've tried princess p*anti*es (sorry. don't want THAT word searchable on my blog!), flower pa*nt*ies, treasure boxes, stickers, money and Halloween candy treats. Any other inexpensive ideas? I've got six weeks to get this kid potty trained. She cannot go to Sunbeams in January if she is still wearing a diaper. Okay, that is my rule, not the church's.

Hannah is so excited that we are going to see Ashley on Wednesday. We are meeting her at IKEA. I am looking for a few things for the new house and pricing bar stools. We don't have room in the house for a kitchen table. But Hannah wants to see HER Ashley! She is so cute about seeing family members. She gets so excited! I love that.

So, for those of my blog readers who are aware of the near disaster hair crisis I had earlier this afternoon, just to let you know, crisis averted! L'Oreal Natural Match to the rescue! And for those of you who color your hair, don't use L'Oreal Feria OVER another kind of hair color, especially if you are mostly gray, like I guess I am. My roots were badly in need of a color. I color my hair the same as my natural color, dark brown. And it usually looks pretty good. Well, Feria was on sale last week so I bought one of those this time, trying to save a couple bucks. BACKFIRED! So, I spent a while doing my hair this morning so that it could be done when Thomas got home and he wouldn't have to deal with the kids on his own. I got out of the shower, looked in the mirror and was HORRIFIED when I noticed that my hair looked like a tiger! Not kidding! My roots were a lovely shade of pumpkin! And the rest of my hair was its nice shade of dark brown. So, after talking to my mom, my aunt and my sister, and doing some research, I finally decided to go get another kind of haircolor (thank you Natural Match) and see what happened. I went a shade lighter than I normally do and just colored the roots for most of the time and then the ends for about 10 minutes. It is a bit more red than I would like, but I'm not a tiger anymore! I felt like that guy in the Comcast commercials who has the tiger tattoo all over his body and the tattoo artist says, "Sorry, Roger. You a tiger now." So, next time I color my hair, I'll go back to my natural shade. And I will never use another hair color again! L'Oreal Natural Match 3W forever!

new layout

credits:
Jenna Nelson's Zen kit at DragonFlaireStudios
Holly McCaig's PS Actions
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fonts: times new roman

new layout

these pictures are from earlier today! hannah loves having braids in her hair lately! she is so grown up! it makes me so sad! aren't these pictures of her adorable??? she was shaking her head from side to side as fast as she could just to watch her braids fly really fast!
credits:
this is a 2 page layout:
christine smith's a bit boho kit at design.christinesmith
right page: mish gasser's rectangle quickies power pack 2 at plain digital wrapper
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fonts: repent, times new roman

I am officially CRAZY!

I just a contest that my friend, Jill, posted on her blog about all of her quirky friends. I didn't find out about the contest until earlier today, so I didn't win, but I think I could have had I known about it sooner! Here is a small sampling of my quirks.... and ever since I started this list, I keep thinking of more and more things to add! :)

1. Ainsley has the raunchiest smelling feet in the world. She's six months old and i have no idea why they smell so bad. but i still love to kiss them!

2. I hate showers. They hurt. Everytime I get out of the shower, I itch for at least half an hour. I think I am actually allergic to the minerals in the water. And soft water doesn't help because salty water makes me itch, too.

3. I don't like swimming or wading or really anything to do with water. Not only do I itch, but I get seasick.

4. I am allergic to everything. Animals, food, plants....everything!

5. I hate dirty people. One time a church, a less active lady came in with her dirty little 2 year old. She kept looking at Ainsley and trying to touch her. I got up and walked out of Relief Society.

6. Little people TERRIFY me. I seriously get scared and my heart gets jumpy if I even see one... even on tv. terrible of me, i know.

7. i HATE clowns and everything to do with them. My mom buys clown stuff and puts it in packages that she sends me just to scare me. See the reaction to midgets above.

8. I hate cartoon clothes, too. The only reason Hannah has Dora clothes is because my mom bought her some Dora pajamas. I hate them. She loves them.

9. I love carbs! potatoes, cookies, pastas, breads, etc! LOVE them! I will eat an entire cake if someone will let me. But I don't really care for the frosting. Don't get in the way of my cake!

10. I check my email and my blog CONSTANTLY! And even worse, I now check my site stats 10 times a day to see who is checking my blog.

11. I hate being touched by people I don't know. Don't touch me when you hand me my change at the grocery store or gas station. Don't try to shake my hand. I hate being tapped or poked, too. I absolutely hate it when my husband or daughter tries to sit on the couch next to me and they bump my elbow or something.

12. I hate using pencils. Period. I hate that they smear and get on my hand. Likewise, I hate pens that smear on my hand, too. If I could, I would only use sharpies forever! the fine point ones that never dull down.

13. I like the smell of sharpies.

14. I hate fly-away hairs. They make me CRAZY. I can't stand watching Friends and when they show close-ups of Jennifer Anniston's hair, you can see her fly-aways. I have tons of them myself, but I have to ignore them when I do my own hair.

15. i hate personification of animals, too. i hate those stupid movies about animals that talk. even charlotte's web, the animated version, about crosses the line.

16. I hate hair in my face. You will always see me with a clip in my hair, or a bobby pin, or a ponytail. If I have all of my hair down, it is a rare day and you can bet I will be in a bad mood.

17. I am a pimple popper and proud of it!

18. I am a CLEAN freak, but I am also a packrat. I can't stand dirty bathrooms or kitchens. I can't go to sleep with dirty dishes in my sink. But i can't seem to throw anything away at all. I'm trying to do better, though.

19. I hate animals of all kinds, but I really want an Old English Sheepdog.

20. I hate being outside, but I love to garden.

21. I hate earwax and boogers. i will do ANYTHING to get rid of them. Both in me and my kids! But I don't actually enjoy the process of getting rid of them like some of you sick-o people! :) just kidding!

22. I am obsessed with shoes. I could sit for hours in a shoe store and just try on shoes. I don't even have to buy any. I just like trying them on. AND I like to look at my feet and legs in the shoes. A cute little skirt is the best thing to wear when trying on shoes! High heels are my favorites!

23. I can't stand for Hannah's hair not to be done. It drives me crazy when she takes her hair down for her nap.

24. I match all my kids clothes. I didn't realize I did this until recently. Even if the clothes aren't the same, they usually end up either being similar in style or color or theme. And if I pick out Thomas' shirt in the morning, we're all the same.

25. I absolutely DETEST reality tv, but I cannot wait for American Idol to start! Two more months! :)

26. I hate pennies. They make my palms itch.

27. I can't stand things that are misspelled. It absolutely drives me crazy.

28. And I got this one from my dad... I can't stand for light switches to be in the wrong position. If the light is on, the switch has to be up. If the light is off, the switch has to be down. If there is more than one switch for a light, the one closest to the main door has to have the right positioning. If the wiring is done "wrong" heaven help me! It's going to drive me crazy!

29. Another Doug quirk... I can't stand for screws in lightswitch covers and plug covers not to be the same in all plugs. If one is horizontal, they better all be.

30. Bleach and PineSol are my two favorite smells.

31. My closet is color coordinated and organized by type of clothing. Short sleeve white shirts together, short sleeve blue shirts together, then long sleeves (sorted by color), then short skirts (sorted by color), then long skirts (sorted by color), pants and finally dresses. You get the picture.

32. I'm really weird about textures.

33. I hate the taste of bananas, but I love the smell, but only the green ones.

I'm sure I'll think of more... Now you all know me way too well!

And I think that makes me the winner! But don't send me ding dongs, I don't eat pre-packaged desserts... :)

new layout

pictures from september 2007
credits:
Maria LaFrance's Tropical Gypsy Kit at Digital Freebies
bubbles from Antonio Rafaello's Bubbles at SophiaSarducci
bubble wand from traci reed's blow me a bubble at scrapbookgraphics
backward staple from ann-marie at oaks
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fonts: vaguely repulsive, times new roman

A couple of DigiScrap Announcements!

I am soooooo excited for the Scrappers Holiday Planner!!! If I remember correctly, it isn't specific to scrapbooking or digital scrapbooking. It's more of a menu and gift planner.

Check out the sale at ScrapDish! There are tons of new designers and products!

new layout

me & my adorable hubby in an out of focus picture from a month ago! this picture was taken at temple square in salt lake. i love that place!
credits:
Maria LaFrance's Serenity Kit & Serenity Add-On at Digital Freebies
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fonts: times new roman, segoe script