Jared's Birthday Party

For Jared's birthday, he really wanted a Construction themed party. We had a great time with several of his friends and their moms. We had lunch (sandwiches and chips and grapes, served in plastic sand buckets!), and some fun activities for the kids. It was really relaxed and low key, but he had a great time.

*I used Work Zone Collection, Chalk Talk Font, and Sketchy Solid Font for the invitation.

Doing a little PSE magic!

I'm gearing up to teach another class at Scrap Girls. This one is full of tips and tricks that make photo editing and scrap booking so much  easier! These are the things that I do on just about every single layout. If you are interested in learning more about the selection tools in Photoshop Elements, this is the class to take.

Find out more information about the class here: Selection Magic: Beyond the Basics for PSE: Wednesdays, May 26 and June 2, 7:00 PM MT

Get a bicycle. You will not regret it if you live. ~Mark Twain, "Taming the Bicycle"

 The hardest part of raising a child is teaching them to ride bicycles.  A shaky child on a bicycle for the first time needs both support and freedom.  The realization that this is what the child will always need can hit hard.  ~Sloan Wilson

Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.  ~John F. Kennedy

My Superhero

 

Every girl needs a superhero, right? He's mine.

Mother's Day

I've been trying to write about Mother's Day for quite a while, but the words just aren't coming. Over all, it was a very nice day. My favorite part was listening to Travis and Megan make breakfast while I got ready for church. I love my sweetie. Watching him interact with the kids is one of the things that makes me the very happiest. He taught Megan to make scrambled eggs. She was so proud of herself. Soon, she can take over the cooking. :D

I was asked to sing with a group of moms and daughters during church. We sang a song that I was previously unfamiliar with, called "As Mothers, As Daughters of Heavenly Father" by Janice Kapp Perry and John V. Pearson. It's beautiful, and I almost made it through without crying. Almost. One line in the middle of the third verse just about made me fall apart. "Tears for the grief only sisters can share." I am so grateful for my sisters, for the wonderful women that they are, for the joys and grief that we share. I wouldn't be the person I am without them in my life, and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for giving them to me. Alison, Kristin, Eleanor, Charlotte, I think you are amazing and I'm glad we are sisters.

Finally getting back in the groove

Life has been so crazy recently, with laying out so many new products for Ideal Curriculum, church responsibilities, Travis traveling a lot, etc. that I haven't put out a new class at Scrap Girls for a long time. Way too long. So, although this isn't a totally new thing, it is a new class. And I am really excited.

If you haven't taken a scrapbooking class before, this is a GREAT one to start with. We'll be covering basic design principles, what makes a page work, and how you can speed up your scrapbooking process by following a few simple steps. It's going to be great!

Click here for the details: Online Class - Intentional Design

10 Random Things I LOVE About My Husband

1. He is a wonderful cook.This is a very good thing because I am a lousy cook. We eat well because of him.
2. He gives great foot rubs. Ahhhh!
3. He kills spiders (and cockroaches), opens jars, and calls people on the phone for me. I am grateful for the bug disposal, but more grateful for the phone calls. I HATE calling people on the phone (not like my sisters or friends, but like the insurance or the bank. Those kinds of people).
4. He supports me in whatever crazy thing I am doing. Voice lessons, conducting choirs, teaching scrapbooking classes, he's behind me 100%. These days, he reads all of my classes, edits them for grammar and spelling. All of my students should be grateful to him as well...my classes wouldn't be half as legible without him. :D
5. He works so hard, allowing me to be home with the kids. And he never makes me feel like I'm not contributing as much as he is. I love that!
6. He balances me. In some ways, we are very different. I am an artist. He is an accountant. He is very analytical. I am not. We work together, without competing.
7. He gets my humor. Not everybody does. I am so lucky that he thinks I'm funny.
8. He admits when he's wrong (which isn't often) and apologizes. It takes a lot of strength to do that.
9. He is a GREAT dad. The kids adore him. They look forward to talking to him every night when he's out of town. They love to play with him, snuggle with him, read with him, cook with him. He is so good with them.
10. He tells me I'm beautiful. And that he loves me. I need to hear those things over and over. I don't think you can hear them too often.
11. (I couldn't seem to stop at 10) He loves the Lord and the gospel.

I'm a lucky girl. I know it. Life is good.