Montana Wildflowers

It must have been a pretty wet spring at the cabin, because I've never seen the quantity or variety of wildflowers like I saw this year. They were everywhere and just glorious.

This is the one layout I completed at scrap night this week. I didn't do much, but wanted to record the gorgious flowers. The pic here is a bit lopsided as I just plunked it on a chair and snap a digi pic. Sorry about that.

I've added this page to my cabin album and have a couple more pages to do for this trip. We'll see if they actually get done. LOL

R & R

My annual dose of R & R. No phones, TV, computer, doorbells, etc. Just the babbling of the creek, the chirping of the birds and the pitter patter of pack rat feet on the roof at night.

Allison and I drove over Friday. Mom, Alex, Molly and Grace met us for the day on Saturday and we drove home Sunday. Not quite long enough, but I got home before the lack of showering drove me nuts. Alex and Allison played in the creek. They build a damn and a raft every year. The raft never quite works out, but this time Alex actually got on it for a brief bit. But whatever, it keeps them busy and happy and that's all that matters. We read and played bunco and they did a puzzle and played with the old windup radio. I napped and read more and just sat and looked at the mountains and trees and all the wildflowers. Chloe rolled in horse poo and swam in the creek and snored at night. Doggie delight. It was wonderful and over all too fast. I must stow away the memories so that they hold me over for another year. You can see more photos by clicking my Flickr badge on the right.

Happy Independence Day USA

This 4th of July has got my head all scrambled up.So grateful for our freedoms. So very humbled bythose who make that freedom possible. So tired and readyfor our young men and women to come home. So scared forthe ones who are waiting in the wings to head into that terrible fight. My son-in-law, David is in this group of young people who are currently packing their duffel bags and saying goodbye to their families. On July 11th he'll head off to Afghanastan for 3 months, then he'll be in Germany for 3 months. During that time my daughter, Katie will complete her second pregnancy, care for their little daughter Dani and deliver their 2nd baby while all alone. David may be able to watch the delivery by webcam, which is small comfort, but better than nothing. I try not to think of 'what ifs' but honestly, I've never sent a child off to a war zone before. And David might not like to hear it, but he's as much my child as any of the others, and I'm having a very hard time with this. I've stuffed him as full of egg rolls as is humanly possible, packed his care package and hugged the stuffing out of him. I think he was very glad to finally get away from me. LOL. If you have a prayer to spare, just remember those kids who are still fighting for our freedom. And make a special request that the powers that be can finally pull their heads out of 'you-know-where' and bring those kids home once and for all.

Hurry Home David!!!

Bubbly Personality

Boy, if that isn't the truth. Miss Thang has been here for a visit and turned the whole bunch of us upside down. She's fast, wobbly, funny, cute, sweet, and priceless. She captivates everyone she comes into contact with. She's not talking in the spoken word much, but she signs like nobody's business. She definately lets you know what she wants. On this day we were out in the front yard playing with a battery operated bubble wand. She loved every minute of it.

Small Town Saturday Night

We may be rednecks, but we sure know how to have fun.

In Other News...

It's Snowing. Happy June

Some Scrappy Stuff

"I Go"...and away she goes. Miss Independant. She's very busy these days and wants to do things herself. I keep reminding her mother that this is good and normal and to give thanks for it. Hollow words for the tired mom who just wants to get 'er done. The second layout is just for fun. Nothing important was happening here. No words of insight or wisdom to dispense. Just a cute slimy baby face and the perfectly colored paper to match. I played with a couple of digi techniques here. Don't know how successful I was on the blur thing in the first layout. Kinda like the big pic on the right side of the second layout. Still learning and trying new things.

The Wax Museum

Every year the fifth graders at Alex's school do a wax museum. They research a famous person, write a report, make a poster, create a costume and design a scene. On museum day, they pose in their scene as if made of wax. Today was the day. To see the creativity and effort that these kids put into this project just warms the heart. They take it so seriously too. Although the last 15 minutes of the day were pretty fidgety. I helped this morning with whatever might need help. For instance John Denver dropped his guitar pick. As I strolled past I heard "psst, Alex's mom, could you hand me my pick?" Sacajawea's poster fell down and Diane Fossey's gorillas were slightly aslant. Nothing major, just stuff like that.

Alex chose a person that nobody has really hear of, but most everyone has heard. Trumpet player, Wayne Bergerone was his choice. We couldn't find much info on Mr. Bergerone, so we went to his website, found his email and shot him a message. Three hours later, he emailed back. Pretty cool.

Alex's email to Wayne:

Dear Mr. Bergeron, I'm in 5th grade and we are doing a wax museum. I've chosen you as my subject. I have to dress like you and stand or sit very still like a wax figure. I also have to write a report about you. I also play trumpet. I have a few questions so that I can finish my report. I hope you don't mind.
1. Where were you born?
2. When were you born?
3. Do you have a wife and kids?
4. Anything else you want to share that would help me write my report.
Thank you very much for reading my email.
Sincerely Alex

Wayne's reply:

Hi Alex,
What a wild project!
1. Where were you born? Hartford, Conn
2. When were you born? Jan. 16 1958
3. Do you have a wife and kids? Yes. I have been married to a trumpet player named Deborah for 19 years. We have a 31/2 year old daughter named Ella. I also have a 27 year old daughter from a previous marriage named Dorian.
4. Anything else you want to share that would help me write my report. • I live in Los Angeles, CA and work as a studio musician. There is a bunch of info on my website if you need. www.waynebergeron.com
Good luck with the project and drop me a line if you need any other specific information.
All the Best,
Wayne Bergeron

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RACH.....

It's Rachel's Birthday today.

You'll always be..............................................















Older than ME!!! Love ya

The Mojo is back

Haven't scrapped in ... I don't know how long. Haven't even really thought about it. And it's not like I don't have fodder. How many hundreds of photos are sitting there on the hard drive just waiting for some embellishment? But the other day I got a bug. Not the tick that I picked up on my trip into the wasteland that is my garden. No not that kind of bug. A scrappy, crafty kind of bug. Three layouts in three days. I may swoon.

I'm almost caught up with Dani's second year of life book. The only "caught up" that I'll ever be.

Anyway, here's some fun stuff. All digi. All Dani.

Spring Fever

Boy do I have it bad this year. We have had snow and ice on the ground almost continually since the big dump of November. That first 10 inches just never seemed to go away and then it was followed by a regular dumping of new stuff until this lovely weekend when the temps are predicted to hit 73 degrees. We had snow two days ago and now this heavenly reprieve. It's supposed to be cooler next week, but for right this minute, I'm going to enjoy it all I can. As a friend and I walked around the cul de sacs yesterday we noticed GREEN BUDS on a tree. GREEN. BUDS. Hugely, enormously uplifting. I may even find myself outside, clearing away the depris of winter. Not my most favorite thing, but if it gets me outside, it'll be OK.

Art Imitating Life

I got this birthday card from Rachel. It's beyond perfect. In fact, if I didn't know better, I'd say she had it commissioned just for my special day. The story that goes with this is a bit long and has been told before. But it's so damn funny, I think it just needs to be shared again. Actually, I looked for the original story and couldn't find it. So, I'll attempt to retell it. Rachel and I were on our way to a Mom's Club meeting. I was driving. We were talking and laughing, as is always the case. I have a very hard time walking and chewing gum much less driving and talking/laughing. We approach an intersection and I breeze right through. Rachel comments that perhaps I should have stopped at the red light. This makes me laugh harder and reminds me of a joke. "Two old ladies are driving along. Let's call them Thelma and Louise. Thelma is driving. Louise notices that they are not slowing down for a red light. Thelma whizzes right through. Then it happens again and again. Louise finally asks Thelma why she isn't stopping for the red lights. Thelma screams "Holy Shit, I thought you were driving!". So I can see Rachel standing in front of the card display, then this little gem pops out at her. The laughter would ring through the store and of course, the rule is, if it makes you laugh out loud, you must buy it. Also, if it makes me laugh out loud I must blog it.

Thanks Rach. It's perfectly US.

What the heck?

Me? At a loss for words? Totally. I've been on a quest. Reading an awesome book. Getting in touch with that thing we all want to get in touch with. It's left me speechless. It's also sucked most of the creative energy out of me and left me not quite knowing what's going on.

The book is "A New Earth" by Eckhart Tolle. It's way deep. Way Big. For me anyway. I'm actually on my second read through. I've joined a bookclub and am taking an online "class" to help to process it all. As a side effect of this whole thing, I don't have much to say. Remember how I've said that I talk to hear my own voice, therefore I must blog to read my own thoughts? I think I've been cured, or am at least in recovery from that disorder. This isn't to say I'm done blogging. I'm so not done blogging. This also isn't to say that this blog will turn into some kind of weird "follow me to the light" sort of thing. So not my style. This is just a sharing moment. That's all. If you are so inclined to read the book, it's worth it. If you are not so inclined, that's cool too. It's not for everyone. But man, when it hits you, it hits right between the eyes.

Scrappy Stuff

More sharing and some scary kinds scrappy fun. It's the beginning of a new circle journal round and I've been working on Lisa's CJ this month. So Lisa is one of those magical types. Sit down, swirl some stuff around and POOF, art. So her CJ theme is "Just have fun" or something to that effect. Wait! What? No rules? No guidelines? WTH? Now what am I supposed to do? So, I unpack the cutest little altered book you ever saw. Totally cute, totally Lisa. And I start turning pages and then it hits me. Like a ton of bricks. I have to put something in there. Something even remotely cool. Crap. I had made a deal with myself at the beginning of this round. No buying new stuff for the CJs. No shopping. Use what you have. So now I've got this deal that I really feel like pretending never happened. But before I head to the store, let's just go through the stuff that's gathering dust and see what comes of it. So I find a ton of Asian stuff that I've been collecting and saving and not using. Then I find more stuff to go with that stuff. I made a pile on the table and just kept adding to it. It's a little shameful how big that pile got and how much of it I still have left over. Anyway, I thought I could make something happen from that stuff. It was Feb. and the beginning of Chinese New Year and I was sort of in that frame of mind anyway. Cool. But what does it all mean and what does it have to do with me, the Irish girl from MT? Then I thought, "quit thinking". I almost pulled a muscle, but I was able to stop thinking for just a sec. So I started cutting and tearing and inking and rearranging and it just all sat there on my desk. Looking at me. It sat for days and days. Then one day I read a passage in a book about the dragons in our lives, ie; the fears and worries. Ah, there it is. That connecting thread. I was born under the sign of the dragon. I was on this quest...(see above). Using only the most minimum of cerebral effort, it all came together. Oh, and the Irish believe in dragons too. The knot in the end of the thread.

Midwinter Band Concert

When the trumpets stand up you'll see Alex. When they are sitting, he's behind a music stand. Story of every concert I've ever gone to. LOL

Alex's basketball game

24 Years Is A Really Long Time

Where have all those years gone? On this day in 1984 I don't really think that anyone there thought this would ever work out. They all showed up and put on happy and supportive faces, but I bet in the back of many of their minds was a shrieking and screaming voice yelling, RUN FORREST, RUN!!

This day is/was also Grandma Nell's birthday. She would be 96 today. That's her in the black and white dress with slimming diagonal stripes. On the other side or my paternal grandparents, Eddie and Marie. Grandpa Eddie had always said he would dance at my wedding. And even though he was in failing health he managed a jig or two that day.

Brooks and Dunn sing a song called "Proud of the house we built". It really sums up our lives.

I dropped to my knees in that field on your daddy's farm. Asked you to marry me, all I had to give was my heart. While other kids went diving into swimming holes, You and me dove off into the great unknown. We were barely gettin' by, takin' care of each other Then I became a daddy; you became a mother. Was an uphill battle nearly every day, Lookin' back I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm proud of the house we built. It's stronger than sticks, stones, and steel. It's not a big place sittin' up high on some hill. A lot of things will come and go but love never will. Oh, I'm proud.I'm proud of the house we built.

This is the house that we built

Wedding Video Clip

What a Trip

I'm back from Key West, safe and sound and none the worse for wear. What a whirlwind it was. 11.5 hours to get there and the same coming back. I traveled down on Tuesday, landed shortly after 9pm and went immediately to the pool for beer, Captain Morgan and more laughs than you can shake a stick at. When I got there, I didn't know who was who from the bride's side, so I hugged all my own relatives and started making the rounds meeting and greeting Heather's family. I got to one really "happy" chap and shook his hand. I asked how he fit into the mix and he said, "I don't." He (John "Bakes") was from England, his wife Dollie is an American and they live in Mass. They were traveling with their Italian friends, Mario and Maria and just joined in the wedding festivities. We ended up getting kicked out of the pool area. I'll add that to my list of life firsts.

Wednesday morning, a bunch of us girls decided to rent bikes and peddle around the island. As I was toodling down the street a rather large bus passed me a little too close and I had a thought. There was no attendant on this ride to insure my safety. My life was in my own hands. We went all over and then my brother, sister, brother-in-law and I went out again that afternoon. Very much fun and a great way to see the sights. My BIL, Woody, wanted to take his ride off some sweet jumps but all we could find were speed bumps. My sister kept calling hers her hog. Too dorky. We had lunch at Margaritaville and toured the lighthouse and museum. We went to the Southernmost Point of the USA and down to Mallory Square. That night we all went to the Sunset Pier to watch the....sunset. Lots of drinks and fun there too. Then we went to Two Friends Restaurant for dinner. Heather and Carl had gifts for everyone and gave toasts too. Seemed slightly backward, but it made for some wonderful memories and a few tears. Then the kids went back to the motel with the grandparents and us younguns went bar hopping. We visited Captain Tony's and did a little bra shopping. Then we hit Sloppy Joe's, but no bartender meant we moved quickly onto Irish Kevin's and the live entertainment. He was funny and scary all at once. If you had to go potty, you had to go past him and he'd shine a spot light on you and make rude comments. I held it for as long as possible but in the end I made a dash. I thought that I'd surely fall under his radar. His rude comment to me....Run Forrest!! I told Ellen I didn't know if I should be insulted or relieved. Irish Kevin's motto is I came, I drank, I don't remember. Surprisingly, I do remember and I felt pretty chipper the next morning.

On Thursday we rented a golf cart to get around in and Dad took Mom and me down Duval Street to do some shopping. Then it was off to the wedding at the Hemingway House. Gorgeous and relaxed are the words that best describe the afternoon. Just so fun. When Carl and Heather were pronounced Husband and Wife the people on the house tour clapped along. So funny. Carl and Heather signed their marriage licence at Hemingway's desk in his studio. Very cool. We had cake and champagne and then took oodles of photos. After that we took the golf cart back to the motel, but poor Dad got turned around and we were well and truly lost for a little while. We had a very good tour of parts of town we might never have seen otherwise. We eventually ran into our street and found our way back and made it down to the pier in time to meet our group and get on the catamaran. There we enjoyed spectacular views of the sunset, free beer and champagne and more laughter and fun. After the harbor tour we went to have a bite to eat. I don't remember the name of the restaurant but we ordered some interesting things. A favorite of Carl's and mine since our St. Kitts trip is the conch fritters. I also tried Gator Bites (alligator). That's another first for me. The taste was not an issue, but the texture was too rubbery and gristly. I didn't hate them, but probably won't eat them again. I passed on the dolphin. That I can not do. After eating, the grandparents again took the kids and we strolled along Duval Street and hit some shops. We didn't drink any more and actually went to bed early.

Friday morning I was up and had breakfast by the pool then it was time to head to the airport for another 11.5 hours of travel time home. I made it in just after 9:30pm and was glad to tick another fun and safe adventure off my life list.

Life firsts for 2008
1. Getting kicked out of a public place
2. Ate Alligator
3. Climbed a lighthouse
4. Stood at the southernmost point of the USA
5. Saw a six toed cat
6. Got lost in a golf cart with my farmer dad driving and lived to tell the tale

The countdown has begun

Here's the route courtesy of Map Quest. I'm so stinking excited I can't stand myself. No one else can stand me either. It's a constant barrage of "have I told you about my trip?" and the rolling glassy eyed stare of people who have heard it all ad nauseam. So, I'll say no more. But here's the route, in case you didn't know

HAPPY NEW YEAR

It's an old Abby staple. But it still works. So here it is for the dawn of 2008.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will live through this day only. I will not brood about yesterday or obsess about tomorrow. I will not set far-reaching goals or try to overcome all my problems at once. I know that I can do something for 24 hours that would overwhelm me if I had to keep it up for a lifetime.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will be happy. I will not dwell on thoughts that depress me. If my mind fills with clouds, I will chase them away and fill it with sunshine.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will accept what is. I will face reality. I will correct those things I can correct and accept those I cannot.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will improve my mind. I will read something that requires effort, thought and concentration. I will not be a mental loafer.

JUST FOR TODAY, I will make a conscious effort to be agreeable. I will be kind and courteous to those who cross my path, and I'll not speak ill of others. I'll improve my appearance, speak softly, and not interrupt when someone else is talking. Just for today, I'll refrain from improving anybody but myself.

I Still Believe In Santa Claus

I honestly do. This is me in 1967 having a chat with old St. Nick. I don't know what I was asking for. After listening to tales of my childhood, I was probably telling him a thing or two. I've always been a bit of a know-it-all. Santa has been a life long friend to me and just the thought of him can still move me to sappy tears. I can not help it and have given up trying.

Santa really came through this year. After filling the stockings of everyone in the house, he slipped a little something into mine. It must have been him because my husband is the biggest Scrooge of them all. In fact, I'm sure he was christened Bah Humbug. He would never knowingly and of his own free will do the thing that was done for me this holiday season. He must have been bewitched, bothered and awoken very bewildered by the whole thing. For in my flat and empty feeling red felt stocking, I found a ticket to Key West FL. Why Key West you ask? My brother will be getting married next month in FL and I had given up all hope of attending. It just couldn't happen, I'd been told. There was no discussion or negotiation about it. NOT HAPPENING. So, how is it that a plane ticket found its way to my stocking on Christmas morning and for the exact location and dates I had prayed for? It can only be the work of Santa. It can only prove what I've known in my child's heart all these years. Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! That is all the proof that I need. Here's hoping that all of you had a very happy and healthy holiday and that your stockings contained all your heart's desires.

Goodbye Old Friend

Richy...
10/23/95
12/11/07

He was big and bossy and had way too much energy. He was nervous and excitable and tried so hard to be a good boy. He was a handful and a honey. We met him at the animal shelter when he was a mere 8 weeks old. He had kennal cough and they were planning to put him to sleep. We took him home and he took over our home. He was constantly getting out and running away. He grew like Clifford the big red dog. We didn't think he'd ever stop. For a guy who didn't stand a chance, he had a long and very healthy life, right up to the very end. He went quickly in his sleep.
After 12 years, its hard to believe that he's gone.

Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... Author unknown...

The Flippin' List...aka Allison's Christmas Wish List

1. That cute Sausage Baby.
2. "Harsher punishment for parole violators.Stan. And world peace."
3. http://www.drscholls.com/product.aspx?prodid=70
4. http://www.jugglingstore.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=243
5. http://www.jugglingstore.com/store/detail.aspx?ID=133

sent by email. #2 refers to a movie quote. Can anyone name that movie?

Gratitudes

There are times in life when you just feel that enough is enough and why do I bother anyway. There is also the fleeting thought "can I run away and hide". Then you hear about something like

this and you are reminded of just how full and blessed your life is. Blessed with all the crap and hassle and headache, because if you didn't have it, you'd have not much of anything and you better be glad for it. So, while this was not the warm and fuzzy Thanksgiving that dreams are made of, it was one of health and a smattering of togetherness and baby belly laughs. This photo represents the only 20 minute window that my entire family has been together in over a year. The camera was set up and the timer was ticking away when they pulled in the driveway. This was a pitstop on the way to David's mom's house and it was now or never. Now is always better than never. It doesn't matter that everyone's hair was all over the place and the baby had a stinky diaper, though Chloe might disagree. It doesn't matter that some people weren't talking to other people. Sit as far away from each other as you can but stay in the frame and smile, damn it. None of that matters. It only matters that we had the opportunity. To deny that opportunity is to dance with fate and I don't have any rhythm.

I'll never be caught up

I don't subscribe to the theory that I'm behind in my scrapping. I mean technically I am. I have boxes and boxes of photos not scrapped. But I also have albums and albums of photos and stories that I have scrapped. And since I'll probably take photos the day before I die, if not in the ambulance on the way to dying, I'll never be caught up, Right? So I've had this little gem of a photo sitting on my hard drive for almost a year. This event was not planned or prepared for and was so out of the blue as to be surreal. Sarah called from the University and said "guess what I'm doing?" I had no clue so she said "I'm in the costume shop altering Dierks Bentley's pants". Picking my jaw up off the floor..."How did that happen?" So she tells how friend Kenny (see pic) hired her to help him with this project of altering Dierks' wardrobe for the concert. The price tag on the Dolce and Gabbana pants was $1,000. Sarah had to take them apart and put them back together again and was sweating bullets the whole time. But she did a fabulous job and Dierks was very impressed because he couldn't even tell where she had done the work. He sat in the costume shop and chatted with her while she worked and then invited her to watch the concert from the wings. She was flying high and on cloud nine for days afterward. I asked if she got an autograph and was quickly informed that that sort of thing isn't done in professional circles. What do I know? Anyway, the digi layout here is inspired by the cover shot of the Nov. 2006 CK magazine. I made the digi template using that layout as a scraplift. The kit is by Eva Kipler at Digital Freebies. It is called Vanilla Chai. Love the colors in the kit and how they worked with this photo.

Field of Screams

Ah to be 11 again. Such a great age. Old enough to do stuff like this and young enough to still be scared out of your drawers. This layout is from our trip to the Field of Screams. They ask you, at the entrance, "how scared would you like to be on a scale of 1-3?" The boys yelled 12. I requested 2. We approached the entrance and what did my big brave escorts do? They shoved me to the front and hid behind me the whole way. So what did I do? I proceeded to yell "Pansies, coming through!" all the way through the corn maze. I made the chainsaw maniac snort. I hate to say it, but there is nothing remotely scary about a snorting chainsaw maniac.

Would you like fries with your cake?

Here's Alex's birthday cake. The burger layer is actually brownie. Disregard the messy crumbs on the edge. Those are gone now. Sarah had this same cake at about the same age, maybe a year or two older. It's pretty popular and easy to make. Those are real sesame seeds on top and the "condiments" are starburst and gumdrops, rolled thin and shaped to resemble lettuce, onion, pickle and cheese. Can you say SUGAR HIGH?

Happy Birthday,Dude!

Happy 11th Birthday Alex. It's so hard to believe that he's that old. My baby is now almost as tall as me. I know that isn't saying much, but still. He looks me in the eye and wears the same shoe size and he's just all arms and legs anymore. He is patiently waiting for his birthday gift from me. He's getting a hamster. He has the cage all set up and we made letters on the cricut to spell "her" name out on the side. "Marki" is on order and should be joining the family any day now. He specifically ordered a female teddy bear hamster.
He spent several hours one night digging through storage to find the old hamster cage from Brittney's last pet, cleaned it all out and set it up in his room. He even sacrificed his big clunky stereo so that Marki could have pride of place on his book case. He has definitely shown a high level of responsibility and I think he's ready for it. And in other news, he's pretty sure he has a teeny tiny pimple forming on his chin. Not my baby anymore.

It's an odd year

We have entered the odd year. Katie is 23, Sarah will soon be 21, Allison just turned 19, Brittney is almost 17 and this month Alex turns 11. July is the start of birthday season at our house. July, September, October, December and January. But a shift has occured. They don't need or want the big parties anymore. Katie just had cake and even that took four days to get to. We are just never all in the same place at the same time anymore. Allison didn't want anything fancy either, so she had a simple cake, a trip to the carousel and a couple of friends who all stood around the kitchen counter and ate aforementioned cake. Yippee!! Party!! Alex is still indulging me. I love to plan and throw fun kids' parties. He still lets me. I added them up the other day and came to the whopping number 86. That's 86 birthday parties for my own kids. Now that does NOT include the parties I did for others when Sally and I had our party planning business, Partypalooza. I would have to consult official records to get that number for you. 86 birthday parties with food and guests and activities and prizes and goodie bags. Now I'm down to a mere two or three per year. That number will dwindle as the girls move closer to adulthood and I'll be left with one per year for Alex until he decides that he's too cool for that sort of childish stuff. Then what will I do with my time? I really want to open my party planning business and design and decorate the party house. I journaled about it in my Encyclopedia of My Ordinary Life album and I did an entry about it in Pam's CJ a couple of rounds ago. It's my dream to have this business someday. It would be the ultimate for me.

But I still have time. I have a party to plan as we speak. Alex wants to go to the Corn Maize (Field of Screams) with a few of his buddies. Then a sleep over and he's chosen a "hamburger" cake for the party. It'll be fun and noisy and exciting and exhausting. I can't wait.

Its Very Serious Business

Another Camp Scrappy has come and gone. It goes by too fast. We arrived early Friday morning and left late Sunday afternoon and it felt like only a few hours had passed. I love this group. I love the fun and laughter and sharing and just the whole thing. Every minute of it. I love that if you are in need of an item you have only to holler out "Does anyone have..." and three or four of them will shoot up into the air for you to select. Love that. I love the Chinese gift exchange and all the sneaky stealing. I love Trading Pages and the tears and laughter at the big reveal. I love the page contest and voting and seeing all the wonderful creations that everyone has worked all weekend to create and I love the big announcement of who won the contest and will be our free guest for the next year. I love all the help and support and that everyone pitches in to make, serve and clean up the meals and that they all stay late to help vacuum and sweep and move tables and load other people's belongings into the cars. Love it. Love it all. Love its guts. Can't wait for January and do it all again.

Much To Do About Something

To Buy... DONE
Black ink
adhesive...LOTS
Qtips
Hersey's Kisses

To Do... DONE
Print logo transfers for t-shirst
Print journaling
Finish altering Frapee' bottles
Dump camera memory card

To Pack...
Iron
Cutting Mat
Frapee' bottles
gift for gift exchange
Huge zip top bags for page kits
camera
tripod


Week at a glance
Monday....work, home to work on Camp stuff, DeeDee's jewelry party
Tuesday...Walmart (bright and early), work, home to work on Camp stuff, clean house
Wednesday... work lunch, work dinner, die of exhaustion
Thursday...work lunch, home to do laundry, Camp shopping with Sally in evening, load suburban with camp stuff. Grey's Anatomy.
Friday...take Alex to school and hit the road.
Fri/Sat/Sun...CAMP SCRAPPY

Alas, it was not to be

Elton John tickets sold out in about a half hour. Thousands of disgruntled fans were turned away empty handed. So, I will console myself with wine coolers at Camp Scrappy. All is well.

Click your heels together three times

And Wish Me Here:

Yes, its the first night of Camp Scrappy. Yes I would have to drive back to town and then back to camp. Yes, I would have to leave my campers unattended for several hours. SO THE HELL WHAT? Its only 30 miles to town. They are all adults who only require that food be provided. They can heat it up for themselves. When the notice first came out that he was coming to town, I said "If the tickets are under $100, I want to go". Guess what? The tickets range from $67-$97. If that isn't a sign from above, I don't know what is. They have some screwy louie way of getting the tix though. On Tues, you line up to get a numbered wrist band. On Wed. you line up in numerical order to get your tix. BUT, you can also buy online or over the phone. Well the phone is out of the question, and I'm not lining up twice to see anyone in concert, but I'll attempt online purchasing. If I am able to get on the site, that'll be the last sign I need that I should be at that concert. I'm dying here. I love Elton and can't believe that he's coming. I can just hear him talking to his promoter...."Missoula what? I wasn't aware that my career was in the toilet." Nevermind, Elton, we love you. We are deserving and hardworking people. This little detour won't harm you in any way. Oh, and Elton, I'll feed you awesome Asian food. It's only a hop skip and jump over the river to my own personal restaurant.

Fire Update and other stuff

A few cooler days and some wind and a bit of rain really helped to clear out the smoke. The cooler temps, increased humidity and that little bit of rain have also helped the fire crews out on the front lines. The fires still burn, but are a little more in hand now. We are not out of the woods yet, though. Hotter temps and still no "real" rain in the forecast mean we could be fighting the fires for some time to come.

Other stuff includes Katie and Dani moved in on Thursday and we are settling into baby mode at the P household. Katie is back on the RW rotation and she's been added to the chore chart. Who says you can't go home?

Tomorrow night is Sundaes in the Park (meet the neighbors/say good bye summer/ welcome home Val) I have 40 RSVPs so far. Pretty fun. Everyone is talking about it. I was stopped by a couple more neighbors at the mailboxes today. It doesn't take much to entertain this bunch, apparently.

Monday is the first day of classes for Sarah and Allison. They are both pretty excited. Did I mention they both made the Dean's list last semester? They did. Pretty proud of them for that.
Sarah has a payed position in the costume shop. She's very happy about that. She's still working for us and her costume job ends at 5pm every day. So happy happy, joy, joy.

Sept 4 is first day of school for Alex and Brittney. Gotta get the school shopping done next week and then we'll be set.

Sept. 28 is Camp Scrappy and I'm really stoked about that but then this morning I look at the newspaper and what do I see? Elton John is coming to town on Sept. 28. WTH? They announce this earthshattering news a mere month in advance? Who's in charge? I have issues. Would it be totally shitty of me to leave my campers on Friday night and go to the concert? I would only have a half hour drive. I'm seriously considering it. It will all depend on the cost of the tickets. If they are over $100 I won't even think about going. Why do I think they'll be over $100? Anyway, that's my life in the nuthouse.

I'm Not a Smoker

But you'd never know it if you looked in my lungs lately.

Remember my gorgeous view?

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Well, the latest fire in the area, the Black Cat, has the entire valley just socked in with smoke.

My view now looks like this .

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Visibility is less than a half mile. What does this mean? Well, according to the Health Department, it means you should not be outdoors. You certainly shouldn't be exerting yourself outdoors. So you can bet that I'm not. Not outdoors and not exerting myself. Hey, the Health Department said so. The proof is right here.

Who doesn't love a good freebie?

I'm totally hooked on free digi kits and templates. Have you tried the digi templates yet? OMG they are too fun. Now don't for one minute think that using a digi template is really that artistic. You do have to pick the papers and embellishements but other than that you just have to show up and click. I've been in a bit of a funk creative wise lately and this has been the answer to my scrappy woes. In fact last night I attempted to sit with friends and paper scrap and I almost couldn't do it. Almost...I did complete one page, but that was it. So today I sit down and knock out two. Hmmmm. Me thinks that I'll just do this until the paper fairy comes to visit again.

Anyway. Here are some that were done with free kits and templates.














































Lovin' the Freebies this week.
Some of my favorite freebie sites are

Shabby Princess
Digital Freebies
Scrap Outside The Box
You can find loads of fun stuff at these sites.

Its a Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood

Dani's in the house. Of course so are her parents, but Dani's in the house. What bright little spot of sunshine she is. She currently likes to pull hair, bite the eyeballs of her stuffed frog, slobber and drool, kick and squirm, and delight us all with her sweet baby antics.

The aunties and uncle are in mad competition for her attention and sometimes she becomes a bit overwhelmed by it all resulting in a brief thunderstorm of tears followed almost immediately by sunny smiles and coos. Such a funny monkey.

That's about all for today, but did I mention that Dani's in the house?

Time Flies

Well, I've just enjoyed my first weekend at home in a while. What did I do? Walked the dogs, mowed the yard, tidied up and SCRAPPED. Digital...but still.




















A couple of these I did over the course of the week. I hadn't scrapped in way too long. I guess it helps to get out and do something and take some photos. It also helps to have cool new downloads to ...yes, download. It gets the juices flowing. Now that I've broken the ice that had frozen over my brain, I can start to think about Laura's, CJ. It's Truth or Dare and Madeline picked my Truth. I don't think I can post it, but lets say that it made me think really, really hard and that sorta hurt. But I figured out what I'm going to do. Now for the Dare...again, Brain Fart and some pain. I'll get it, I'm sure, but ouch. Anyway, I'm back in the saddle for a little bit and its pretty good.

A Weekend In Paradise

Ok, my version of paradise and someone else's might not be exactly the same, but it was paradise none the less. My cabin. My happy place. Where I feel the most ME. Where I dream of being all year long. Where I would love to squirrel away all by myself for as long as I could stand to not have a decent shower. I've thought of buying or building a cabin of our very own much closer to home, but how could that ever be as good as this one? Would it be tucked way back in the woods away from everyone and everything else? Would it have that cabin feel? I don't think its possible. To me and my family this place is just magical. The history that swirls around it is palpable. We gave Gracie a bath in the same basin we've all had baths in. Her cabin baptism, if you please. To think that my mom got a bath in there, then me and Molly in her time and my kids and now Grace. I'm trying to scheme a way to get Dani up there during their time here. She needs a cabin bath too. Sarah, Allison and Alex came along this time. Molly and Grace followed in their car. Mom, Dad, and Molly's Dad and stepmom came up for Saturday. Sarah decided to go home with Mom and Dad and we met them on Monday to trade Sarah for Alex. So Alex is having his week with the grands. That left Allison and Alex to play and amuse themselves on Sunday. They spent the whole day down at the creek, building a "raft". Isn't it wonderful that in this day of technology two kids can entertain themselves for hours and hours on and in a creek? For some reason all thoughts of TV, computer, internet, telephone etc fly right out of our heads when we drive through that gate. We don't miss any of it at all. The only thing that I'd like to change at the cabin is the hot water situation. We must haul the water from the creek, sift out the organic matter, and heat it on the coleman stove (the wood stove is just too hot in summer). To do all this for a cuppa or in prep for dishwashing is the only thing I'd change. I don't even really want to have hot "running" water. Just a means of storing hot water. I need to look at those things that caterers use. I might need to buy one. Oh and a way to keep stuff cold longer than a day or two. Then it would be perfect. We experienced the great ice debacle of 2007. We had ample ice (if the temp is in the normal range). But the temp was not in the normal range and our ice supply dwindled too quickly. Thankfully the parents left their ice with us, but we still could have used more. We drove 6 miles to the next town to the north. No Ice...go south. We drove 12 miles to the next town to the south. No Ice for you....the owner died and we can't make the ice fast enough. WTH? we spent the rest of the weekend cracking ourselves up over how the death of Bob, of Bob's Bar and Grill, could have had any impact on their ability to produce ice. Did Bob have the recipe? Was Bob the official ice tray filler? Where they keeping Bob on ice for some reason? We laughed until we almost cried over Bob's untimely demise and the lack of ice. But now we're home and I have hot running water and coffee waiting for me when I wake up and and ice maker happily churing out ice on demand, and I've had two showers and will probably have one more before going to work today. It is good to be home, but I miss that place already.

IRL (In Real Life)

For those who don't know; this is Laura, who I know from a very special board. Not long ago, Laura asked if she could come and visit me. Absolutely and without question; YES. Its a long drive. Over 10 hours, but she did it. We had the best time. We chatted like we'd always been together. We toured some interesting local attractions and scrapped a bit and just talked ourselves silly. My "by-the-rules" kid wasn't too sure about inviting an internet aquaintance to our house. She teased us pretty good about it. Afterall, we tell our kids not to talk to strangers online and don't give out too much personal info and all that. But Laura and I have been on the same board for so long that we just "knew" each other. She did tell the kids that she left the axe in the car. LOL This was such a fun time. Now we're talking about getting more of us together next summer for a weekend on the west coast. I can hardly stand to wait that long. I wonder if the others will bring their axes.

The Digi Learning Curve

I just downloaded Jessica Sprague's free digital kit Strawberry Lemonade , then I received this photo of Dani at 4 months. They seemed made for each other. She's on an outing to the park with her mom and a play date. She just looks so rosy and pink in the photo. I played around with making my own corner rounder. The ones I wanted to download aren't compatible with my version of PS7, so I fiddled around and made my own. It's OK, but not perfect. I can't apply drop shadow to those areas because the little white corner shows up. But its OK for now, until I figure out a better way. I also learned to manipulate text and added it to the flowers in the pattern paper and also the flower sticker. This layout was certainly a learning experience for me today. The true test will be when I print it out.

Road Trips

We went to see Sarah on Sunday. We'd wanted to go to the Museum of the Rockies for quite some time and this was the time. Sarah is starting her second week with Shakespeare in the Parks and was running low on food. We had some stuff packed up to send to her and then decided that we should just deliver it personally. It was a good day in the end. There was a major bump before we even got out the door but that was all settled and we were able to proceed on our way.

So the museum is pretty cool. Lots of dinosaur and native american stuff to see but this summer they also have the King Tut exhibit and some orignal Picasos on display. We thoroughly enjoyed every inch of the museum and the Living History Farm next to it. This big guy out front is "Big Mike". Pretty impressive huh? More photos and details later.

a little 2peas Meme

a little 2peas Meme
From Sophia's 2 peas Meme challege by way of Laura http://scrappisms.typepad.com/a_scrappists_thoughts/:
Your home meme: Ranch, Rambler, 2 story, More: Ranch with full finished basement.

Siding: composit, supposed to look like wood.

Garage attached or detached: Attached

Number of Bedrooms: 5

Number of bathrooms: 3 full baths

Best extra in your home: bonus room that is now my craft room

Favorite room in your home: Above mentioned craft room, closely followed by my bedroom

Last room you purchased something for: my craft room again

Worst piece of furniture: the old chairs to the table in the family room. My mom had them when I was a kid. OLD CHAIRS

Style (Country, Old Word, Pottery Barn, Primitive, Traditional, Hand-me Downs): Traditional with a hint of hand me down

Clean and Organized, Cluttered and Chaotic, Clean but lived in: Clean but lived in with cluttered kids' rooms

How long have you lived there: 9 years this fall

Your dream home or a step along the way: Not my dream home, but I'd be happy if it were my last home.

Photo of your favorite room: Since my craft room isn't completely done, I'll post my bedroom.

Allie Mallie

What a great kid. She's just finished her first semester at the University. She was so nervous to register and go through orientation and all that it entails. But here she is, fresh out of finals with top marks and so happy and proud of herself. She has already registered for fall classes and has her book list printed out. She's planning to buy books in the next week or two and spend the summer "getting a head start". I can not wait to see what she makes of her life. With her diligence and attention to detail and unwavering sense of responsibility, she'll be the best at whatever she puts her brain to. This is the kid that you never have to tell twice. Never need to remind or nag or pester about anything. Her chores are just done. Her homework is done. Whatever is on her to-do list is done. She's just that way. Nothing I did. She's wired like that. This layout is Allison and Miss Chloe having a snug on the couch. Chloe is devoted to Al and Al is equally devoted to Chloe. She takes better care of her than some people take of their children. Only the best for Miss Chloe. To think that Al wanted a little fawn pug forever and then Miss Chloe needed a home and found us. Miracles do happen, don't they? The other reason for this layout is to secretly document Allison's second round of orthodontic treatment. She had braces a few years ago, then got them off. A growth spurt sent her jaw out of alignment and she needed to go back into braces in preparation for corrective jaw surgery. This photo is taken a couple months after the surgery and before the braces came off for good. It's hard to believe that a milimeter or two can make such a huge difference in someone's life.

And The Winner Is......

No Freakin' Way!!! So every week I get a cheerful little email from Digital Freebies

http://www.digitalfreebies.com/ announcing their new digital kits and free add ons. So I got an email last week announcing Nathional Scrapbooking Day contest. It read:

Feel like scrapping this weekend? Then I have a contest for you! Digital Freebies is having a layout contest!Entries can be entered in 1 of 3 different categories: Digital Layout (fully digitally created), Hybrid Layout (layout containing digital kit pieces, printed and used in paper scrapping), and Cards (digital or hybrid). The majority of the papers/elements used on the layout/card MUST be CURRENT Digital Freebies products. This is a great time to go shop, as we are having a 50% off sale in the Boutique right now!Prizes???? Yup, we got ya covered:Digital Layout:Grand Prize: 1 year Digital Freebies Club subscription Second Prize: your choice of 1 kit from Angela Sharrow and Eva KThird Prize: Artistic Doodle-Do from BannerwomanHybrid Layout:Grand Prize: 1 year Digital Freebies Club subscriptionSecond Prize: your choice of kit from Jan Hosford and Leslie RaymondThird Prize: your choice of kit from Maria LaFranceCard: Grand Prize: 1 year Digital Freebies Club subscription Second Prize: your choice of kit from Lara PaytonThird Prize: your choice of kit from Maria LaFranceDeadline for layout submission is Monday May 7th at 11:59PM ESTHow do you submit?Just post your layout in the appropriate gallery! Digital Layout GalleryHybrid GalleryCard GalleryFine Print:Entries must be created mainly of Current Digital Freebies products.One entry per category per personEntries must be posted in the correct gallery by 11:59PM EST on Monday 5/7. Late entries will not be considered.Winners will be announced in the May 11th Friday Freebie NewsletterDecision of judges is finalContest not open to Digital Freebies Designers.

So, just on a lark I decided to enter. I had several layouts that I'd recently completed with Digi Freebie add ons and I loaded my current favorite, "The Cabin". I'd never posted on that board before and wasn't in the habit of visiting there regularly. So, I posted and forgot about it. I went back a couple days later and looked around and posted a few more layouts using their kit add ons. Then I completely forgot about it over the weekend. Last night I went poking around and I saw that the cabin layout had new comments. Its always fun to see what people have to say about your stuff, right? The last comment said "Congratulations". Huh? Congratulations about what? That I posted a layout? That I completed a layout? That I what? I shrugged my shoulders and moved on. Then I saw a thread announcing the NSD winners. Oh, lets see what's going on over here.

I had to refresh the page and look again. Hey, wait, someone made a huge mistake. That's the cabin layout in the grand prize spot. Uh, excuse me, ma'am, you've made an error. Hello, is anyone there? There's been a mistake. I'm sure its just an oversight on someone's part but......hello?

So the MU girls know that my initial reaction was to piddle in my panties. There was lots of silly giggling and jumping around. Grand Prize is a one year Digi Freebies club subscription. Freaky Deaky cool. Can you tell I never win anything. Well, I take that back. I did win a stone muffin pan at a Pampered Chef party once. Oh, and I did win "Queen of the crop" at Tammy and Ouida's Valentines crop. Ok, so I'm a lucky SOB. Want me to pick your Lotto numbers for you?

Mother's/Brother's Day

This has become a tradition at our house. Alex lets me sleep in and helps to make me breakfast in bed. This year it was a bowl of Capt'n Crunch with Crunchberries, a slice of left over pizza from the night before, and an assorment of dried fruits from the fruit and nut mix Thom buys at Costco. I got three banana slices, a piece of mango and several dried pineapple chunks. Oh and a piece of dried strawberry. Now I told Alex, the night before, that the coffee would be ready when he woke up, but he was all in a flap about not knowing how to make it. The girls said they didn't know how either. Hello....auto pilot. It makes itself, just pour and serve. Thankfully, Thom woke up to save the day and I had my coffee. I got started on my bowl o'cereal and then Alex came in to crawl in with me. This is the Brother's Day part of the morning. He coyly looks at me and asks, "is there anything you don't plan to eat?" I said, "you can have the pizza". So he wolfed that down. I said "could you please help me finish the cereal?" He was shocked. Who doesn't love a sugarladen bowl of Capt'n Crunch first thing in the morning? So he ate that. I had two cups of coffee and a couple pieces of dried fruit and I was good to go. He finished the rest. Allison cleaned the upstairs bath to within an inch of its life. Sarah presented me with a versamark pen and multi tool scrappy thing. Sort of a McGyverish tool. Very cool. Brittney didn't openly loathe me for several hours. Katie sent an ecard and then called so I could "talk" to Dani and hear about Katie's very first Mother's Day. I chatted with Mom who only just realized that you cannot talk on the cell phone while driving through the wilds of Montana on your way to see your baby boy and his betrothed. She kept going through dead zones and trying to call back.....for 2 hours. We did finally have a good chat and then they pulled up to Heather's house where Carl's truck was parked cozily in the driveway and I ceased to exist in her universe again. LOL Alex and I mowed the lawn. First time for him. He was skiddish at first, but finally was willing to push it alongside me. It'll be a while before he's on his own, but it was a good first step. All in all a good day. I hope everyone had an equally enjoyable time yesterday.

Sarah at 20

Alright, she turned 20 in January and I'm only just getting around to this layout and post. Sue me. Anyway, she's 20. She's excelling in college, loving her major (theater costume design) and has her first boyfriend. She's in and out and all over the place. She's really living the college life in the most positive way. She has been offered a summer job in another town with the Shakespear in the Parks theater company. She is so excited about this. Apparently, its nearly unheard of for a person just beginning her major to receive such an offer. She spent the last few days assembling her portfolio and writing cover letter and resume. Her attention to detail is nearly unnatural. She's just so "all that and a bag of chips." I'm having a bit of a hard time coming to terms with her leaving, if only for a couple months. How strange that will be. I rely on her quite a bit in the summer to drive people here and there and to work for me so I can be home with Alex. But more than that, I'll just miss her. The way she talks through every show we try to watch. The way she leaves the hall light on until the wee hours while she burns the midnight oil. The way her keys click in the lock and the necklaces she has hanging on her bedroom doorknob rattle the announcement that she's finally home for the night. She's 20. She's the full meal deal. Looks, brains, personality and talent oozing from every pore. She's Sar the Bear. She's 20.