S'bout to be busy!

So the grass is in. Half of it is thriving. The other half needs some time because it was from the bottom of the stack. Let's all gather around and lay hands on my grass and pray. What.....are you trying to say that God has BETTER things to do then to heal my grass? = P McKenna did have fun on the first day since we had to saturate the grass with water. We turned on the rotating sprinkler and she put on her "baby soup" (bathing suit....I haven't corrected her pronunciation because I love the way she says it. LOL! I'm a horrible mother, I know!) and jumped around squealing with delight. Funniest thing she said all week "Mommy, my baby soup is in my tushie!" Ah, the first wedgie experience. Maybe I should scrap it.

Now begins operation clean house. I abandoned all cleaning except for my daily basics (dishes, trash, make beds and straighten up clutter) because of all the yardwork we had going on. So now I need to really deep-clean everything and have it all done by Saturday.

"What's Saturday?" you ask. Oh, it's the beginning of the end. Erick (in case you don't know this) is the Editor-in-Chief of Circle Six Magazine, which was launched in Feb. '04. But most of his staff are friends he's known online for about five years. And like the good, corrupt Christian boys they are, they felt it imperative to the good of all (or to bring on the apocalypse...either way) to have a meeting on 6/6/06. So there will be a couple of them flying in to hang with the guys that already live here in So. Cal. And they have got something planned for practically every moment of the long weekend. Here is the schedule as I understand it:

Saturday the guys fly in, settle in, etc. and then they are all going out a new bar called The Slidebar for a boys night. (Susan....this place used to be The Hub! Remember that place?)

Sunday we're all going (kids included) to the annual chili cook-off in Tustin (that's a favorite festival of mine and Erick's). Then that night, Erick and Mark are going to see WASP in concert. I am embarrassed to tell you that but Erick and Mark are quite pumped.

Monday the guys are going to a Dodger game and then doing some of the touristy L.A. things like Mann's Chinese and Pink's Hot Dogs.

Tuesday they're going to the beach to surf. And then we're having a BBQ here at our place.

It should be a good "Cali" weekend. Weather is supposed to be in the 80's the whole time so it should be perfect!

But with the housecleaning and Erick being gone and then hosting the BBQ AND I have at least 4 layouts that I want/need to get done this week....it's gonna be pretty busy! All good stuff though so I'm not complaining. = P

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Just had to do a little Mommy journaling here on some of Kyla's new things:

She's really loving solid foods. She hasn't rejected anything yet. So right now she eats: Fruit puffs, wheat bread, blueberry muffins, diced carrots, waffles, avocado, bananas, tofu, oranges and the occasional ice cream treat. ; )

And she's really starting to pick up on communicating! She's saying mama, dada, duck, hi and hot. Hot surprised me! She's always trying to grab for my coffee cup and I am always telling her "No. It's HOT. HOT. Very HOT." And today I walked out with a cup of coffee for Erick and she looked right at it and said "hot". I was shocked! 8-months old and saying hot! She also shakes her head no when she's done eating and she pats her tray when she wants more.

McKenna is very busy planning her birthday party (which is still 2-months away) but as of today, she wants a Little Mermaid party. Let's see how many times she changes her mind in the next two months. LOL! She absolutely studies the catalog from Birthday Express. She even takes it with her while she goes potty. LMAO!!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Creative Team News

Gina Miller is releasing a GORGEOUS GORGEOUS GORGEOUS (did I say gorgeous? I might have....) GORGEOUS new line called The Designer's Studio. It comes out tomorrow and let me just tell you......it's her best work yet. She's launching the CD tomorrow and there will be a special chat tomorrow night (Thursday) at 11pm EST at SBB WITH giveaways! Here is a preview of the new line:


Carrie Stephens is having a big contest at her site to celebrate Fishscraps first birthday! For every $10 you spend in the store, you get one ballot to enter in a drawing to win a whole plethora of prizes including a Canon Rebel and a Wacom Tablet!

And today is my last day as a guest CTM for Kim Christensen. I had a blast getting to know Kim and her team and working with her beautiful designs. Just look at all of the pages I was able to create using her products, some of my absolute favorite pages ever!

So one last plug, be sure to visit Kim's store because she is a phenomenal designer and a wonderful person so go and spend lots and lots of money in her store. Go on.....make her rich. Pay off her mortgage. Or at least buy enough to get her dinner and a movie with her hubby. ; )

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Recent LOs

Leave a Trail
*This layout made the Gallery of the Day at scrapbook.com

Credits: Just a layout for my hard-working sweetie. He's a Deputy Juvenile Corrections Officer and I'm so proud of the work he does. I used Carrie Stephen's Soul Search kit. Photo action by Photoblast. Font is Adorable.
Journaling: I love what you do. We didn't realize it, did we? That it's who you are, who you've always been. It was a career that was waiting for you to discover it. Everything you'd done in life before this, what you thought you were doing for ministry or even just for fun - God was doing it for you to prepare you for this role. It is the perfect job for you - you get to be a hero and do cool things like drug busts and break up fights and catch escapees. But you also get to make a positive difference in the lives of young people - people that the rest of the world has already given up on. You would never brag about this but I know it's true, you've already changed so many lives. The things that those kids say about you when they're released to freedom proves that you have made a difference. You've shown them that you believe in them. For some of those kids, you are the only person who has ever believed in them. You've been firm but fair. You've not only given them consistent boundaries and structure but you have opened their minds to new experiences like Yoga, music, baseball and boxing. You've given them the tools they need to communicate effectively, to process their anger, to focus on their goals. I know your job is a difficult one. It's emotionally and physically draining every single day. But you are making a difference in this world and your wife and your children hold you in the highest respect for the sacrifices that you make for us, for those kids and for our community.

Garden Girl

Credits: Everything is from Kim Christensen's "In the Garden" collection (papers, solids, elements) except for the beaded swirl by Rhonna Farrer and inked edge action by Atomic Cupcake. Fonts are Artistamp Medium and FG Linnea.
Journaling: You are such an inquisitive little girl. You want to help with everything and you want to know why everything is the way it is. Giving our backyard a makeover for the summer was a great adventure for you. Daddy bought you a new gardening hat, gloves, rake and shovel as a graduation present for finishing your first year of preschool. You got right to work with us early that Saturday morning, digging your own holes and raking around trying to find bugs. When Daddy flipped the big stone over, it was like he uncovered a hidden world. A colony of ants, an “olie, polie, olie” (as you like to call them) and even a squirmy worm! You loved getting close enough to look but you refused to touch! You’ve been the best little helper, preparing a garden with Mommy and Daddy, helping Gramps plant grass and helping Cheryl plant a Blue Potato Shrub. You take good care of your flowers and help Mommy water them and put them in the sun. You tell the sun “Keep my flowers warm so they can grow big and strong! You’ve already got quite the green thumb - I think we can add ”gardening” to your long list of talents!

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Question of the Day: Do you like Tim Burton films? This question is inspired because McKenna LOVES James and the Giant Peach and I was thinking how creepy Tim Burton films are. I love them and always have. I think Gothic Fantasy and Fairytales are so much more creative then anything Disney does (even though I love Disney too!) but I always think of Tim Burton's films as more for adults. So when my two-year old is watching it I thought "Is this gonna be scary for her?" But she's a fan so I guess not! *shrug*