Thanks...

Thank you for your patience...I know I said tomorrow on my last post and it's been a few days. My hubby gets home today from being gone for the past 9 days so it's been a little hectic. I promise I'll have the post I promised up tomorrow with all my other fun projects I've been working on!! Hope everyone is having a good week!

Lots of fun stuff to share...

Hi Everyone! I have been creating a lot this week to keep me busy. My hubby is on a ten day trip to Germany and Iraq so this keeps my mind focused on other things! I am having a workshop at my house on Saturday and I plan to show these items at the workshop just as little creativity boosters for how to use the stamps other than just on cards.

I actually saw a scrapbook page like this on the SU demo website, and thought I would try it. I don't usually scrap 6x6 so I enjoyed the little change in pace.
I made this little clipboard using some old chipboard that I layered and glued together for sturdiness, covered that with some of the Bella Rose dp, and then stamped some lined paper. This is actually going to be part of a teacher gift. Something simple, but I think it turned out cute.

And last but not least, a paper bag album. I have been wanting to try this for a while now, and finally just decided to take the plunge and do it. Much easier than I thought! :-) So a little mini-book to celebrate the wedding.

I will even have a few more things to share tomorrow! ;-) So stay tuned. This is just the beginning of what I've gotten done this week. Maybe it'll make up a little bit for my MIA status on the blog. I plan to get back to posting daily, but like most people I'm searching for that mysterious and ever elusive balance in my life. Time for me, time for my kids, time for the things I am passionate about.

I usually do some blog-hopping during Hayley's naptime and I've noticed that a lot of people are talking about things that inspire or enrich their lives and how to readjust so that those things are given more importance. I have given a lot of thought about what I am passionate about and how to re-center my life around those things. At first I thought, oh well my passion- it's my kids. My kids are my reason for living. But really, that's just kind of a flippant sort

of off the cuff type answer, not too deep. Anyone with children probably would say that same thing and honestly, my children aren't the only defining part of my life. So I thought a little harder and came up with a list of things that I am passionate about

1. my kids--they are pieces of me, beautiful rays of sunshine on my days. I do so much of what I do to benefit them in some way shape or form.

2. my husband--he inspires me to be better; to laugh, to cry, to accept me for me. I love him for that and I am passionate about working on our marriage, building on our future.

3. photography. always learning. always trying new things.

4. travel. I want to go everywhere, see everything.

5. faith. I admit I don't go to church every Sunday, that I don't read the bible as much as I should. But I pray constantly. I believe. I have faith and I leave my life in the Lord's hands. This journey that I take every day--the struggles, the successes. I have been blessed. I want to feed my soul with spirituality and faith.

6. knowledge. Just in general. I read. I explore. I research new things. I try new activities. My interests are so far spread and there are so many. I live to learn.

And that's just a sample of my list...the tip of the iceberg if you will. But that simple exercise, thinking about who I am and where I'm going, what I love. It was a cleansing thing for me. And I'm thankful for other bloggers out there that really made me sit and question myself and I am taking it all in and making plans to help get things back on track.

For those of you still reading, thanks for taking the time to read my rambles! :-) Hope you are all having a good week. More to share tomorrow!

Finally

able to get some cards made this past weekend. And by some, I mean A LOT. But most were all of the same card. I belong to a monthly swap group (love my Carolina girls!) and we meet next Sunday and the theme is embossing, which believe it or not was something i had not yet attempted. I ordered a heat tool last week because I felt like trying something new, but ended up having to borrow one (thanks, Cindy!) to get my cards done for the swap. SO, I had to make cards for the swap and also I am a bit behind on my SCS RAK Welcome cards to the lovely ladies who have been recently accepted because of all my wedding craziness. So I made extras of my swap cards to send them because, well...it was convenient and the assembly line style of making swap cards just worked to get me all caught up for my welcome RAKs.

Phew, that was a mouth full of words for something really simple. I made 20 of this one card...

using my new Pocket Silhouettes stamp set ( LOVE!) and I also used a stamp from the Baroque Motifs set. The new Kiwi kiss paper and ink and clear embossing powder. The main image is embossed. The scallop circle is cut with my nestibilities dies, but the scallop border is from the new SU scallop punch. It is seriously a must have. I love this thing!!

Then for the other card, I was just playing one day during nap time and came up with this one just for giggles, also playing with some new stuff that I have accumulated since my last free crafty time :-). They are actually kind of similar...I'm really enjoying the color combo with the blues, browns, and greens...those earth tones are just speaking to me lately so they are always the ones I reach for first when I go to create right now. I do have a perfectly gorgeous pack of the new Bella Rose patterned paper and Pink Pirouette cardstock that I haven't even opened yet...possibly a wedding layout to come soon with those because I love love LOVE the patterned paper. I want like a gazillion sheets of every single pattern in that pack. All of the new SU paper is just scrumptious ( fun word, had to use it).

So there you have it. My first contribution to the world of craftiness in more than a month (wow!). Happy Monday, everybody!!

A lot has happened...

since my last blog post. I am now officially a married woman! WOOHOO! Here are a few pictures from our absolutely beautiful wedding. We couldn't have asked for a better day, so thanks to everyone who prayed that Hanna would move out of here before Saturday!!

The beach was incredible. Completely empty except for us. It was a little windy, but that helped to keep us cool so no complaints at all. The flowers were beautiful. We had dinner at Miyabi in West Ashley. Wonderful as always. Then we did the tourist thing with my family on Sunday. It was an amazing weekend. The best ever.

As if that weren't enough, we had another milestone this week as well. Caitlynn started riding a two-wheeler without training wheels. She put up quite a fight the first day, but by the end of the day was able to ride to the end of the block and back without falling. It was actually really funny to hear the excuses that she gave to not get back on the bike after her first (extremely minor) fall. "I'll go to bed, Mom!" "I'll go clean my room??" "I just don't feel like riding right now!" It really reminded me of when I learned. I remember I ran into a tree and decided that was it for me. My grandma spanked my bottom and made me get on that bike. We had to use similar tactics with Cait. God Bless my grandmother for teaching me to ride my bike. Not an easy task.!! Then we went out for lesson #2 yesterday and she can now take off and stop on her own as well. We were up and down the road for hours and she cried when it was time to come in. Here is a photo of her new accomplishment!

And one of her celebratory bike ride with Will at the end of the day. He has so much patience with her. I am so thankful, because I have zero tolerance for whining and quitting. He did a fabulous job teaching little miss to ride her bike like a pro!

And now I am actually off to try to accomplish somethign crafty. Should have more to share soon!!

Hurricane Hanna

Well here we are 4 days away from the wedding and hurricane Hanna is being forecasted to hit us late Friday night... what is it about natural disasters and my wedding day?

I know it will still be beautiful and that it will all be fine no matter what the weather, no matter what the location but I still wish we could have things go as planned. I know, I know it never happens that way...just darn my rotten luck with these types of things.

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I had my wedding hair practice appointment last Friday. Here is the result of that...I love the back. I am still debating about the front view, though I think that the weird camera angle and the fact that I was having a horribly un-photogenic day has a lot to do with it.

For the actual day, it will also have some individual pearls pinned into the curls in the back to give it some more detail and polish.

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The move is almost complete. We spent most of Labor Day at the old house finishing up some painting and cleaning so we can have the inspection with the management company and hopefully get our full deposit back. The new house is coming along. We have most of the boxes that are inside the house unpacked and put away. The garage, however, is a completely different story. It is jam-packed with boxes and miscellaneous stuff that has not been brought in to be sorted out and put away. I hate moving. This is our third move in less than 2 years...we really need to get out of that habit. But now that we found a place we really like that has all of the features we have been looking for, maybe we'll stay for a while.

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Ok, enough rambling...time to get back to the task at hand...UNPACKING!