Memorial Day Update:

The kids got to ride horses during their climbing trip.
_{Twig Frames by Carol Abram}



The kids hanging out on top of a rock.


I'm working on a layout of Rachel rock climbing and Aaron belaying her. Michael thought it was great getting the shot of Aaron helping Rachel.
I have had very litte computer time now that the kids are home and I haven't felt very well either. I even forgot to take Aaron to his first day of testing for the Iowa Basics Skills Test. It is a two day test. I did get him to the second part of the test today and he will make up the first part tomorrow. The test proctor had to take Aaron's watch from him because he kept checking the time.

A friend of mine and my mom saw this cartoon and made me a copy:


Seattle Post-Intelligencer is where you can find more of this hilarious cartoonists work.


:::::::::::::::Thank You Note:::::::::

Today I recieved a lovely Thank You card from the gentleman I made the slideshow of a Philmont scout trip. He was very pleased with the outcome. I used LightScribe enabled DVD+R with a 4x burn rate and it seemed to keep anything from stalling, or skipping.


:::::::::::::The Sisters Grimm:::::::



This book was a bit intense for kids Eve's age (4-6), and Rachel got a little spooked during the graphic ending. The author gets to introduce to the modern reader the authentic Grimms' tales, which have been very watered down by such cultural icons as Walt Disney. The kids were surprised by the original bits of the different fairy tale characters who are trapped in Ferryport Landing due to a strong spell. These fairy tale characters are called "Everafters" and due to a fear that they would come in conflict with humans the take on disguises and try to fit in to this community. Their are characters that everyone will be familiar with in this book, but the opinion that you have of each of them may be quite altered after finishing this book. Overall, the book is imaginative and clever, but be aware it is intense.

Here's another Rhymes with Orange cartoon that seemed appropriate for this book review:


::::::::::::::::Personal Project::::::

I would like to take our 2006 Disney World photos and create a slideshow. I already have all the music I need. The kids do love to see themselves.

What's that I hear? Dishes calling and laundry wailing!

Smiles!

Mementos:

Noah created this artwork just for me! He was very protective of the painting and was upset when I glanced at it before Mother's Day. After several minutes of consoling his tender feelings I was able to convince him that I could forget what it looked like exactly. I was, Happily, surprised on Sunday when my sweet son gave me this painting of a clown. The hands are extra special because they are his traced hands. The hands are also his and my favorite color, green.
Thank you, Noah, for my Mother's Day present!

_{Sande Krieger's French Laundry Papers, Coasters, and Alpha, Borderlines 2 Rhonna Farrer's Snapshot Frames and Paint Strokes, Tia Bennett's Joined at the Hip kit. Font: Mia's Scribblings}

::::::::::::::::Epcot Bands::::::::

We really enjoyed the music at Epcot, especially Off Kilter in the Canadian Pavillion. Some of our other highly recommended music stops are Mo Rocka, the Mariachi band is fabulous, and Mazuriza (or Masuriza).



_{Doodle Frame and Music Doodles by Kate Hadfield, Font: DB Michael}

::::::::::::::::::::Insight::::::::::

Michael's blog can give you a little insight on our family and our particular weirdness.


:::::::::::::::::::It's Shaping Up:::::::::

to be a buzy weekend. Aaron has the end of the season bowling party this Friday. It will be 9 pins, no tap, which means if you knock down 9 pins it counts as a strike. We are taking Noah Cosmic Bowling for his birthday. Sunday is a big Family Home Evening with Michael's family. It is supposed to be a picnic outside with lots of different salads.

Now, to run and rustle up the children for some grub! *( just had to share this quirky thought: If I was a beetle and I had to wake my kids, then I would be rustling up the grub for some food....Hmmm?!?)

BACK TO YOUR LIVES, CITIZENS!

But Wait, There's More...

Here are two more 8x8 Shutterfly books I recieved yesterday:


Heart doodle by Lisa Whitney,
Alpha by Sausan,
Zoo Doodles by Kate Hadfield,
Flourish by Erica Hite,
Paws (modified) by Rhonna Farrer


Photo frame by Erica Hite, Doodles by Maya, Susan Long and Lisa Dozier. Background paper and journal block from Tiffany kit by Misty Mareda, Alpha by Rhonna Farrer, Borderlines by Sande Krieger, Crown by CBaumann, Whimsical word blocks by Hope Wallace


Pages from a couple of the albums:

At Magic Kingdom the kids loved to pretend to be captured by Zurg. Then they had their photo taken with Pleekly from the movie "Lilo and Stitch".

Crime Scene tape from Mary Fran's Who Done It,
Arrows and Stitched Alpha by Kate Hadfield,
Color Me Funky by Gina Miller and Kate Hadfield,
Doodle Frames by Erica Hite,
Date Stamp by Amber Clegg,
Font: DB Michael by Darcy


Folded fabric template by Fhung Lie, papers from Spring Break by Dani Mogstad, Cluster Frame by Nancy Comelab.



Vintage frame by Katie Pertiet, Journal paper by Catrine, Cardboard fold by Linda Gil Bildal, Doodle Alpha by Kate Hadfield.


::::::::::::::Noahism of the Day::::::::::::

To put this in context Noah and Rachel were playing a game from the Chicken Little movie dvd that had them answer multiple choice questions. Noah would insist that he knew the correct answer, so Rachel would select it and press enter. The answer was usually wrong, then she would grasp his head and give him a knuggie (sp?). She walked into the kitchen muttering in frustration and Noah took over the remote control. Then, Noah says matter of factly, "Stop Rach! If you were my age you would be just as lame!"

I Have a Plethora of...

Layouts! If you answered "Pinatas" to that you are one super funny individual! The reference is from "Three Amigos" with Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short.
If you haven't see the movie it isn't high cinema, rather it is quirky and fun. I guarantee you will have the song "My Little Buttercup" running through your mind afterwards and it will give you a smile. You may even start doing a little soft shoe number. Who knows? You may also start saying "Look up here!" ;)

Back to the IRregularly scheduled program...



_{Background paper from Dear Diary by Erica Hite, Borderlines by Sande Krieger, Get Reel by Manda Bean, Moodles One by Mo Jackson, Font: Waltograph Ul}


Noah really had a blast beating on the drums. The street performers were fabulous and nice.
<sub>Kraft paper by Gina Cabrera, Crayon Doodles by Ida, Cardboard flip by Linda Gil Bildal, Stitched Arrow by Kate Hadfield, Date stamp by Katie Pertiet, Inked Frame by Rhonna Farrer, Bent frame by Nancy Comelab, Fonts: Downcome, Laundromat 1967


Kraft paper by Gina Cabrera, Negative Cluster from Color Me Funky by Gina Miller and Kate Hadfield, Musical Doodles,Doodle Arrow and Stitched Arrow by Kate Hadfield, Cardboard by Linda Gil Bildal



Cluster Frame by Nancy Comelab, Background paper is redattitude by Lisa Whitney, Doodle Vehicle and Doodle Arrow by Kate Hadfield



Nostalgic 4 paper by Jen Wilson, Cluster Frame by Nancy Comelab, Doodle Alpah by Kate Hadfield

Metal Flowers by Kate Hadfield, Negative Strip by Gina Miller, Scalloped edge and Moodled frame from Moodles two by Mo Jackson, Cardboard flip by Linda Gil Bildal, Font: DB Michael by Darcy, Number 1 from French Laundry Coaster by Sande Krieger</sub>


::::::::::::::::::::We Have a Full Tank of Gas:::::::::

and we will be heading out this afternoon to Clayton, Georgia. I suppose I should google that because I still don't know how to get there! (The world is round.) One important thing for Rachel was for me to cut a playlist for the cd that included Ray Charles music. She has been learning about him in school. She is amazed that he was blind, but accomplished so much. I told her about a car commercial made back about 1997 when Ray Charles got to drive on the Salt Flats in Utah. Michael and I clapped and laughed. Such a cool commercial!

I'll "see" y'all on Monday!

(((Hugs))) and Smiles!

Star Wars Disney Style

I was doing some pages for the Disney book and here is one of them.



_{Background paper from Simple Expressions by Jen Wilson, Moodle Alpha and Moodle Frame by Mo Jackson, Font: Waltograph}


:::::::::::::::Fresh 2 Frazzled::::::::::::


(Our Trip) Took us from my home in Georgia to Nauvoo, Illinois, The Corn Palace, Devil's Tower, The Badlands, and Mount Rushmore. In Oregon My family drove me to Oregon Coast Aquarium in Portland, Silver Springs and to Ona Beach. Then we went to Yellowstone, The Grand Tetons, Bryce Canyon, andThe Grand Canyon. I did really well until Memphis, Tennessee. Then I threw up and mom held me the rest of the way home in the back seat of the truck.


Fonts:
_{Movin' On kit by Sandra Boddington in Studio Sandra at Scrapbookgraphics,
Doodle alpha and Exhaust doodle by Kate Hadfield, Font: DB Michael by Darcy, Marcelle Script, Mia's Scribbling, Distress.}



:::::::::::::::::::::GIRL SCOUT CAMP::::::::

This weekend I will be with Rachel at Girl Scout Camp, so I suppose there will be a lot of giggling and mosquitos.

New Book and Layouts:

The new family reading book is The BFG
Roald Dahl is a twisted dude, so we should have an exciting time. The chapters are short, so we read 5 of them last night.

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



<sub>Flying Home kit by Studio Sandra at Scrapbookgraphics,
Extra Stitching by Sandra Boddington at Scrapbookgraphics,
Cardboard flip by Linda Gil Bildal,
Font: DB Michael by Darcy at blueflombingo/ Artistamp Medium/Jane Austen



Our First day at Disney World in 2006 was a rainy one, but we had fun anyway.

Background paper called redattitude by Lisa Whitney, Cluster Frames by Nancy Comelab,
Weather Doodles by Kate Hadfield,
Vehicle Doodles by Kate Hadfield (modified with clone stamp),
Date stamp by Amber Clegg
Fonts: DB Michael by Darcy at blueflombingo,
Waltograph/Jester</sub>

***************AUTISM**********

Please watch this videoby Five For Fighting. The band is donating money each time the video is viewed. The song is beautiful and the video is filled with children who have Autism.

P.S. I LOVE You my DDDDDDDDDDDDD

your sister

I Can Tell Spring is Here Because...

I have
Poison Ivy. I have it on the backs of my legs and above where my gloves didn't cover my arm. It is a relatively mild case. I had poison ivy really bad about 2 years ago, so this is just a mild itchy walk in the, proverbial, park!





_{Primitive Scrapbook and Primitive Photography by Mo Jackson, Doodles by Ida, Date Stamp from Simply Irresistable kit by Gina Cabrera, Font: DB Michael, Wonton}
::::::::::::Excerpts from The Phantom Tollbooth

pp. 167 & 168:

"If everything you say is true," added Tock.
"Then, without a doubt," Milo concluded brightly, "you must be Canby."

"Of course, yes, of course," the man shouted. "Why didn't I think of that? I'm as happy as can be." Then he quickly sat down, put his head in his hands, and sighed. "But I'm also as sad as can be."
"Now will you tell me where we are?" asked Tock as he looked around the desolate island.
"To be sure," said Canby; "you're on the Island of Conclusions. Make yourself at home. You're apt to be here for some time."
"But how did we get here?" asked Milo, who was still a bit puzzled by being there at all.
"You jumped, of course," explained Canby. "That's the way most everyone gets here. It's really quite simple; every time you decide something without having a good reason, you jump to Conclusions whether you like it or not. It's such an easy trip to make that I've been here hundreds of times."

....to get away from the Island of Conclusion you have to swim through the Sea of Knowledge. This is what Canby said about it: (p.169 & 170)

"...you can swim all day in the Sea of Knowledge and still come out completely dry. Most people do."

....just a little later...

"But from now on I'm going to have a very good reason before I make up my mind about anything. You can lose too much time jumping to Conclusions."


:::::::::::::::::Conference:::::::::::::

We watched Conference over at my parents' house. The talks were inspiring. I have several to go back and highlight when the hard copies are available. Elder Holland, President Faust, Elder Uchtdorf, and Elder Eyring were just a few stand outs.

Smiles!

Let a Sleeping Dog Lie?

Naaa! I was playing around with some photos of the kids that I have already used in layouts. Here are a few:






_{Kits and elements used were from Janel Kretshman, Kate Hadfield, Jackie Eckles, Steph Krush, Nancy Comelab, Sande Krieger, Michelle Coleman, Christine Smith and Jen Wilson}


:::::::::::::Camping for Michael's Birthday:::::::

We will be off camping to celebrate with my dear hubby. The kids want to eat ramen noodles and more ramen noodles. Hey, cheap and easy...but in a good way!

Noah should be happy because I'm getting s'more fixins! It may get a bit of snow where we are going, so I'm washing the kids clothes and jackets up tonight.

Have a lovely day!

Lovely Flowers:

I took these photos at Animal Kingdom at Disney World last February. I put some frames created by Sande Krieger around them.







I'm having an exceptionally hard week of home school with Aaron, so I thought the flowers would be a good idea.

Have a lovely weekend all!

Another Disney Layout:

_{Monochromatic Challenge by Jackie Eckles, ricrac and staples by Michelle Coleman, journaling strip by Catrine, Bent Frame by Kim Lizzy from Dip Divas, Hinges by Paula Duncan, clock stamp by Robyn England, Fading days element and Winter Blues Element by Jen Wilson, Border Lines by Sande Krieger, Date Stamp by Katie Pertiet, Frame by Rhonna Farrer, Fonts: Waltograph, Pea Melissa, Simon Script}

:::::::::::::::::Animal Control::::::::

Noah got attacked by a cat from around the corner who likes to frequent a house across the street. He used to come to our house until he attacked each one of us and Michael got tired of calling the owners to pick him up, so he sprayed it with our garden hose. Michael called Animal Control and the neighbor whose house he frequents trapped him in her garage. Animal Control will quarantine the cat for observation. I don't think he has rabies, but I do think he is a bit loonie. When I was Noah's age I was hospitalized with Cat Scratch Fever, so we know these attacks can cause serious medical problems.

::::::::::::::::Family Night:::::::::::
Off to family night with Michael's side of the family, then the kids get to spend the night at a recently healthy Granny's house. Fun, Fun, Fun abounds!

Paws for Thought:

here is the other character from Disney World who put their paw on Rachel's face and made her laugh. This picture was taken the day after the one with Stitch.


_{Echoes of Asia kit from Jessica Sprague, fortune by Holly McCaig, frayed edges by Erica Hite, Date Stamp by Jenn Star, frame doodle by Jackie Eckles, Font: Wonton}

::::::::::::::Weekend Plans:::::::::

Aaron is going to play in his Church basketball game on Saturday. It should be interesting, so I'll report back on this one. Later in the afternoon Rachel and Michael have a Daddy Daughter Bowling Party. I have a baby shower and lost the invitation at Church right after I glanced over it, so I have to call for the time. The shower is for a new girl baby, so I will make some little crocheted edge bead socks. In the evening their is a wedding reception for a young man I taught when he was a Sunbeam (age 3-4) and his dad is our Bishop now. But above all of these today is Friday and that is sleepover night at Granny and Grandpa's house...this always reigns supreme in the kids "date books"!

***EDITED---
This just in: Granny Sue has been invaded by the insidious virus that has plagued the rest of us!!! We all send our love at a bit of a distance. Get WELL soon! We love you!

"Excuse ME!

You have a CUSTOMER HERE!" This is what Eve said to me last night at dinner when I didn't get her orange juice poured fast enough. I asked the other kids where Eve came up with that phrase. They said it was from Spongebob. Luckily, we don't have dvds of the old t.v. show Alice. She would probably tell me to "Kiss my grits"!

::::::::::Good News:::::::
We are currently healthy and the kids have caught up with their missed school work! Laundry is under control, which, as defined in this house, means all children and adults have, at least, 2 pairs of matched socks!

::::::::::::A Disney Layout::::::::::::

The Disney Characters, particularly, liked to put their hands (paws) over Rachel's face, which sent her into peals of laughter. I'll have to find and scrap the photo with the dragon Mushu doing the same thing Stitch was doing.



_{background paper by Leah Riordan, Overlay from DD Fontchat, Amelie Alpha by Sara Carling, film strip from Primitive Photography by Mo Jackson, Disney brad by JLR, Date Stamp by Katie Pertiet, arrow doodles by Ida, staples by C Wyckoff, Font:Walt Disney Script, SA_Apricots/Mimi}

When You Wish Upon a Star:

_{bg paper and stamp from Fhunglie's Cloud 9 Kit,
Star Doodles by Ida,
Inked Edge and jewels by Shabby Princess,
Photo frame by Rhonna Farrer,
Staple by Michelle Coleman from Emma's Sundress Kit,
Journal doodles by Catrine,
Ribbon freebie from Christine Smith on her blog,
Font: Amienne/Waltograph
Disney eyelet by JLR}

Just a layout I made while listening to Conference talks. The photos show Eve on Michael's shoulders. Rachel and Eve got their photos made with "Cinderella" at their Cinderella Breakfast.

Godzilla gets licked!

_{Mo Jackson's Hot Candy and Aunt Laura's kits, Fonts: Courier, Code3x and Pea Jenny Script}
This is part of a scraplift challenge at Mo Jackson's site. We were to do some tinting and leaving a portion of the picture in color. I thought Noah's picture of him devouring Godzilla would work nicely for this challenge. Miyuki, the candy artist at the Japan section of the World Showcase at EPCOT, made Noah this great Godzilla candy seated atop a blue ocean wave. Noah had asked for a T-Rex, but in true Japanese fashion he came away with a way cooler likeness of Godzilla!

The World Showcase at EPCOT was really an amazing place! I need to scrap the photos of the GINORMOUS chips from the great fish and chips place we ate a couple of times.

Wave Your Hands:

Text: Reuben and Gabriel kept their arms raised for the entire ride from MGM back to our hotel at Pop Century. They couldn't stop laughing and their humor was rather infectious!



_{Papers: Tia Bennett's "Dude Totally", Rhonna Farrer's Rockstar, Chris Ford's paper strip, Mickey Mouse eyelet and brad by jlr,
Date Stamp by Jenn Star on her blog
Font: SA Apricots/Carnivalee Freakshow/Walt Disney Script}

I have a few silly watermelon eating pictures I will post when Michael drags them over to my shared file this evening. Rachel is making her usual goofy faces. Eve is wearing the watermelon as much as eating it. Aaron doesn't do fruit, so he isn't in any of the photos, and Noah only likes apples and bananas...so no Noah either!

{You Have Caricature!}

_{Art Markers from Mo Jackson's Primitive Art collection, and Laura's Shabby Arrows freebie from Laura's Shabby Ramblings blog, Fonts: Pea Lis and Simon Script}
***edit:Never stare directly at the artist, nor smile. You have to make him earn his keep! (He's an artist, RIGHT ! )
_{blogger isn't uploading my corrected layout so I will correct the text here.}

Every family has some kind of tradition when they go on vacations or outings somewhere and one of ours is getting caricatures drawn. The kids are always anxious to see what the artist rendering of their faces. The girls chose to be mermaids. Eve was going to be drawn like Belle from Beauty and the Beast, but changed her mind when she saw Rachel's drawing. Aaron decided to look like Indiana Jones and Noah wanted to be Godzilla. Our wall is now full, so we need to figure out were to put our ever increasing caricature gallery. Our home is quite small, so this is a bit of a quandry. These were the souvenirs for the kids. The only other souvenir purchase we made was in the Canada section at Epcot's World Showcase. We purchased to cds by a group called Off Kilter. They were awesome and we wanted to give them to my mom for watching our ferret, Jasper, while we were gone. Oh, I forgot to add we did spend a couple bucks on a wooden back scratcher for Aaron from the store in the Japanese section. I get tired of him asking for me to scratch his back.
---Tradition #2---
We have another tradition in our family when we go on road trips and that is to eat at Denny's restaurant. For the most part the food and service are great and the restaurants are clean. They have a great family menu, and you can get breakfast at any time of the day if you care to order it. The one exception to ordering water with our meals comes when we are out West. The water is laden with minerals, so the thought occurs to me that maybe when we visit out their I could order water with my silt. HMMM? I am quite fond of Moons Over My Hammy, and Aaron and Rachel usually get the Jr. Grand Slam. We get out of the restaurant for around $35.00 for a family of 6. I do not think that is shabby at all! We don't eat at Denny's in town because we figured it is more fun associating eating there as a fun road trip thing and the kids will think it is fun to look for signs along the road rather than fight. This ploy has worked for several thousands of miles:)

When T.V. ads Pop into Your Head:

_{Credit card photo from www.sxc.hu. Fonts used: Yggdrasil, Credit Cards, Minya Nouvelle}

Measuring Up

This is a layout I did for a challenge at Scrapbook Bytes and I really like how it turned out! Eve was such a trooper even though there were several rides in the park she was to short to ride.

Text: Standing in front of Star Tours at MGM, Eve kept a brave face eventhough she came to another ride she was too short to get on with her siblings. We would do the "Parent Switch", so each of us could go on the ride with the other kids. The day was salvaged by hilarious street performers, watching the stage performance of Beauty and The Beast (now Eve is a Belle fan), and the other great shows like Muppet Vision 3D, Playhouse Disney, and Voyage of the Little Mermaid at Disney World kept her happy. Eve's cheerful attitude showed us that it was only her height that didn't MEASURE UP, in what was important she was a giant!

_{Credits:
: Papers from Jen Wilson's Refreshing Lime
Program Used:
: Photoshop 6.0
Fonts Used:
: Walt Disney Script/Rockwell Extra Bold/Arial
Elements/Extras:
: Jen Wilson's glitter flowers,staples from Shabby Princess}


--------------

Book reading:
I finished reading Reverse of the Medal by Patrick O'brian. These books are in listed as historial fiction and O'brian's writing is fantastic. You quickly get a sense of the characters and their surrondings. As I have read each additional book in the series I really get attached to the main characters, Jack Aubrey and Dr. Stephen Maturin (who were very well cast in the movie "Master and Commander: Far Side of the World"). The next to the last chapter, in the book I just finished, had me in tears because I was so proud of how the seamen and Dr. Maturin stood up for Jack at a pillorying. I really love learning about history and reading historical fiction is a fun way to different aspects of history in periodic sections. I have yet to understand my fascination with the nautical film and book genre, but I really dig them. I really like submarine boat flicks like "Gray Lady Down" where Charleton Heston utters the phrase, "I feel like a one-legged man in an a**-kicking contest!" I also like "Hunt for Red October" where I got the phrase "He's pulling a Crazy Ivan", which is an extremely useful phrase to use in driving, places where a large number of people come to shop, or as a chaperone with a group of 2nd graders at the Atlanta Zoo. I also liked "U571" about the capture of the enigma machine from the Germans. I have yet to see "Das Boots", which I hear is supposed to be fabulous. So, that movie is on my to see list. So, if anyone has a psychological profile for a gal who loves boat flicks and books, but doesn't go sailing and has never joined the Navy, let me know! I would be fascinated at figuring me out!

A Few More Layouts:

Text: Noah enjoyed our day at the Zoo in Washington, D.C.
In this photo he seemed to really be communicating with the gorilla statue!

_{Layout Credits: Monkey Doodle Doo by Robin Carlton and Christie Lyle
Fonts Used: Shabby Princess' A Day at the Zoo monogram/Amienne/Weathered SF}



If you ever have a reason to come into a small fortune and get to go to Disney World I would recommend a visit to Animal Kingdom where they have the Lion King Performance. The singers are fun, the acrobats hilarious and the fire juggler is amazing!


_{Layout Credits: Monkey Doodle Doo by Robin Carlton and Christie Lyle, Round Stamp Brush from Emma's Sundress Kit by Michelle Coleman}

Here is a layout of my Senior Prom photos. I have to say that I had a wonderful time at my prom with my friend Eric. He really liked to dance and he liked to joke around.


_{I used Mo Jackson's Primitive Scrapbooking, Crepe Paper Flowers}

Disney Layout- {Justin and the Nieces}

I used the Tibetan flag colors inside the paper tears. I thought that would work for the Everest Expedition section at Disney World.



_{papers by Jen Wilson from the Worn Comfort collection and L'amour Rouge, staple by Gina Miller from Oh, so fresh, grunge frame by Jessica Sprauge, chicks from www.sxc.hu, Mickey Mouse brads by JLR, circular torn paper by Traci Murphy, paper tear by Steph Krush, sun doodle freebie D_05, goofy hat from web. Fonts: Samarakin, komika bubbles and Pea Nancy}