While I Was Walking

So my husband and I have recently taken up walking...

Exercise and I have never really been on a first name basis, but there is something about taking the time out of the day for a nice walk that really opens your eyes and your mind to the world around you.  I can undoubtedly say that each time I go on a walk I happen upon something spectacular.

Whether we're out with the kids, just walking around our neighborhood...

Okay...so they were happier when the walk started but that is our little Japser waving hello with his foot!

or walking along our favorite pathway...

This is just one of ten or so murals painted along the Ogden River Parkway

or taking a stroll downtown...

Yes...that is a giant skateboard bust!

or even out enjoying nature...

This beautiful wall of ivy is my new favorite spot!

The many wonders of walking never cease to amaze me!  Have you been on a walk recently?

Friday's Five: Dirty Little Secrets About Me

Credits:

In the Loop No. 2 by One Little Bird, 

Bunch of Sketches No. 18 by Kitty Designs

Circa 1934 Papers and Elements by Cosmo Cricket

Stitched Tan No. 1 by Anna Aspnes

1. Aside from the Twilight Saga, I haven't been able to finish a fiction novel in almost 5 years--I simply prefer how-tos, historical novels and self-help books.

2. I am the mother of two boys and I own more pink scrapbook paper than any other color--why do I keep buying it if I'm not using it!

3. Before this past month it had been almost a year and a half since I'd driven on the expressway.

4. I mowed the lawn for the first time in my life yesterday...and I'd say I did a pretty good job!

5. I'm hooked on the Disney channel...even when my sons not watching I still find myself sitting down to enjoy an episode of "Good Luck Charlie" or "Wizards of Waverley Place".

Between the layout and those five things I think you now officially know more than you may have wanted to know about me--but its all in good fun!  

Tell me something special or funny about you in the comments I'd love to get to know all of you better!

TGIF: Thankful Thought No. 1

"The Little Things"

Sometimes I get so caught up in everything that's going on that I forget to take time to appreciate all of the little things--the things that truly make my life so wonderful.  Today I am thankful that even though I do find myself  ignoring these tiny details from time to time, that I am still able to slow down every so often and cherish the little things and realize how collectively they make up everything that is worth treasuring in life.

Speaking of thanks... a big thanks goes out to Kayleigh Wiles for inspiring me with her Thankful Thoughts posts over the past little while on her blog and to Ali Edwards for reminding us all to give thanks by introducing Thankful Thoughts! 

I LOVE this Boy! He LOVES...

I Love This Boy...

He LOVES...

TRANSFORMERS

WATER

BASKETBALL

PAJAMAS

Unfortunately he doesn't love the camera so much lately...so I count myself lucky that I got these perfect shots of him this week!

What I've Been Up to Lately...

• Cleaning and crafting for a surprise birthday party.
• Working on my class that will be debuting at Get It Scrapped this fall.
• Getting our backyard ready for daily use during the summer.
• Reading The Happiness Project and Sink Reflections.
• Implementing ideas and inspiration from the Style Your Space e-course I'm taking.
• Working on a some video tutorials for Masterful Scrapbook Design and my blog :)
• Taking lots of photos of my growing boys!
• Seeing all of the great summer movies.
• Orgainizing, decluttering and re-styling my home.
• And scrapbooking of course!

Well now that you know what I'm up to...how about you? Got any exciting plans!?

New 52: Time for Some Color!

Okay...so I've fallen a little behind on my New52 Project and if I'm being honest I'm not even sure what week we're in...but I did something NEW this week that I just had to share!

We're still doing spring cleaning at our house and decided to do a little bit of shuffling of furniture...ok "a little" is an understatement...my husband would kill me if I called three couches, a recliner, a love seat and a sofa sleeper, up and down a flight of stairs...A LITTLE!  But of course after all of that was done...and we brought accents from our bedroom out to the living room... well then we needed a NEW COLOR up on the wall too!

That's right..."Florescent Lime" and even though the name sounded a little bit scary, it was fun to try out something new!  Even my husband thinks it was the perfect addition to the room!

What did you do that was NEW and EXCITING this week?

TGIF: My Mother Taught Me...

I'll be honest...with this week including Mother's Day, International Scrapbooking Day and my birthday, I wasn't sure which of these things I was MOST thankful for.  But after only a moment's thought I must say that on this Friday, I am most thankful for my amazing mother...For without her--these two other special days in my life would hold no meaning at all.

Not only did my mother give me life, but she also instilled the love of creating in me at a very young age.  She taught me to sew, to craft and to keep my family's memories close to my heart.

But thats not all I learned from her--my mother taught me...

• That anything worth doing is worth doing right--I guess I have her to thank for my annoying perfectionism!
• Waste Not Want Not--at times this has led my scraproom to resemble an episode of Hoarders, but mostly its helped me to always think outside of the box when it comes to how things can be used...in life and in scrapbooking!
• If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all--I'm not going to lie...this has led to some sufficiently awkward situations. 
• Finish What You Start--I'm afraid I interpreted this one incorrectly and somehow convinced myself that everything I start has to be finished in one sitting...believe me, my family is sick of the phrase "Just a minute..."
• Maybe Means No Until I think of a Good Enough Reason Why Not--no explanation necessary I just want my mom to know that she never fooled me with this one ;) 

All jokes aside...we've all gotten both good and bad advice from our mothers...but if you take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror...I think you'll see that some of the best things about you indeed came from her!  So thank you mom for setting me along the path that would make me the woman and mother I am today.

This Is Bliss...

Blessed Blooms Kit by Danielle Young and Press Plate No. 15 by Paislee Press

Bliss Is...

1. Waking up in the morning to find everyone you love squished into the same bed.
2. An hour spent watching something other than Transformers or Tron.
3. Watching my oldest son look over the baby as he sleeps or push him in his swing (even though it's battery operated).
4. Listening to my son sing the theme songs to his favorite shows.
5. Folding the last load of laundry for the week.
6. Seeing the shiny laminate floor of my son's room as he sings the "Cleanup Song."
7. Key Lime Pie...enough said!  

What does bliss mean to you?

Eggs-tra Special Memories

Hope you all had a great Easter!  This year was egg-tra special for us because this was the first year Caleb really participated in an egg hunt.  And though it was just in our front yard...he had a blast!

I'm so glad I was able to capture the pure joy on his face as he found all 12 eggs!  

My Little Artist

I recently brought home this art easel for my son from Ikea...

Here is my little artist at work...

Knowing that my little guy has his own desire to create makes me smile!

Remembering...Your First Train Ride

As I was making this page of our son's first train ride back in November of last year, I began to think back to my own first encounters with trains.  Finding that without pictures or the stories of those who were older and wiser than I, it was difficult to remember the event.  Come to think of it I'm not sure I ever even rode a train as a child--though I have many recollections of having seen them.  Does the train at the zoo or Disneyland count?

I remember the model trains in my uncle's basement that he had made by hand.  I remember visiting Union Station with him to learn all about them.  I remember wearing my grandfathers railroad worker hat about the house when I was young...but still nothing of riding on trains.  Could it be that I shared the experience of my first train ride with my son just last year?

Vagabond by One Little Bird, available at Oscraps

Its moments like this that make me happy to be a scrapbooker!  Not only will my son have brilliantly colored pages to glance over as a child to remind him time and time again of the fun we shared, but when he is older he will have a record of those memories to share with his children!

How about you...do you remember your first train ride?

TGIF: My Boys!

I've said it before and I'll say it again...I'm so thankful for my little guys.  They bring joy and laughter into my life everyday!

Products by Biograffiti and One Little Bird Available at Oscraps

Products by Biograffiti Available at Oscraps

The Color of My Life + A Chance to Win the Latest Issue of Somerset Studio's Green Craft Magazine!

Take a good hard look at my life and everywhere you look you'll see GREEN!  In my closet, in my scrapbook room, in my decor and even in my fridge--you might say its become a slightly unhealthy obsession!  And worst of all...it seems I'm passing it on to my son--who's favorite hot wheel (the one that never leaves his hands...not even when he's sleeping) is GREEN, he even likes to eat his GREEN fruit loops first! So why is it that with all of this GREEN in my life--that I always forget to wear GREEN on St. Patty's day?

While I typically don't discriminate against shades of GREEN--I do have a few favorites when it comes to the things in my life that are GREEN:

My husband's GREEN eyes

My little GREEN Cuttlebug 

My son's favorite GREEN blankie

Somerset Studio's GREENCraft Magazine

Key LIME Pie

My Emerald GREEN Birthstone

Now for some fun... how many times did the word GREEN appear within this post?  The first person to come up with the correct answer in the comments below will win a copy of Somerset Studio's Spring 2011 GREENCraft Magazine!

ALSO that reminds me...Log your Memory is offering 50% off of all of their downloadable products for today only so run on over there and get your Memory Logbook 2011: Full Year Download for half the price. Just use coupon code LUCKY4me.

Happy International Women's Day!

Today is my sister's birthday and also the 100th Anniversay of International Women's Day!  To tell you the truth, this is the first year I realized that her birthday falls on such an important day!  It wasn't until I awoke this morning to my photo prompt from Capture Your 365, that I realized that this was not just a special day for my sister, but for women everywhere!  So I'd like to take this opportunity to share with you the women I've admired most in my life:

Here they are left to right (in no particular order of importance):

• my amazing mother Susan
• my always compassionate and giving sister-in law Sariah
• my favorite author Ms. Jane Austen
• the woman who helped me to take photos I love and cherish, Katrina Kennedy
• perhaps the most amazing woman who ever lived, Elanor Roosevelt
• my friend and mentor Debbie Hodge
• the woman who gave birth to the sweetest man alive, my mother-in-law Jaki 
• my sister Nicole--The Birthday Girl! 
• my Aunt Jill who inspired me to create from a young age.
• my sister-in-law--a true SUPER MOM, Kathrine
• my hero growing up, Amelia Earhart
• the most inspiring artist I know, Dina Wakley
• my grandmother Georgia, who taught me never to go to the supermarket in my pajamas (I wished I had listened)
• a wonderful crafter, mother and friend, Tami Taylor
• my beautiful sister-in-law Jesse, I once thought I loved scrapbooking as much as she loved playing the trumpet...I was wrong!
• my grandmother Dorothy--thanks for teaching my mom to be a great mom, so that she could teach me to be one.  

In some way shape or form all of you have touched my life and made me a better mom, artist, friend and person.  Thank You!

Five Years of Us!

Five years ago today, I married my best friend and the most kind and supportive man I've ever known!  And after five years of marriage, I know with all my heart there are five things I can always count on from him!

1. To make me laugh.

2. To do the dishes...you know I hate those dishes.

3. To be the best daddy in the WORLD!

4. To call when he's running late so I won't worry.

5. To forgive me my flaws and love me FOREVER!

Oh wait...I guess that's six huh? 

Here's to five years of loving you babe!

A Boy and His Ball...

Even though he fell asleep on the way to the park and wasn't quite  ready to wake...

And he wasn't quite sure how he was going to get that ball loose from it's tether...

Once his eye caught that "lellow ball tied to a string" it was love at first sight!

Here's Looking At You Kid...

As my son Caleb celebrates his third birthday today, I find that I have cause to stop and remember our journey together. As I am reminded of the past three years, I am both amazed and delighted by the fact that we've made it this far--through the good times and the bad...here we are.  Three years older, wiser and richer in love!   Here's looking back at you kid...

When you were BORN, you were content and alert...some might say the perfect baby.  

When you were ONE, you were playful and sweet--always amused by the simplest and sometimes, strangest things.

When you were TWO, you were stubborn and wild, but with a sense of humor that trumped all! 

And now that you're THREE, I'm not sure what's in store...but one thing is for certain: "IT WILL BE AN ADVENTURE!"

Thanks for joining me in saying... Happy Birthday Caleb!

Note To Self...It Only Gets Better!

Leading up to the birth of my second son Jasper Jameson on Dec. 26th, I was very inspired to go back and scrapbook some of the photos of my first son Caleb and his birth.  It was so great to look back on those photos and remember that very special moment--reminding me all the time that another very special moment was just around the corner!

Above is one of my favorites of those such layouts--in which I reflected back on the birth of my first son. I now realize that at that exact moment there was no way that I could have known that this was merely the beginning of the joy I would experience as a mother--and aimed to capture that sentiment in this layout!

And as proof that it truly does only get better...this time around we were able to capture matching mother and baby smiles!