Week's end

Here it is Saturday night and the week is over. Can't for the life of me figure out what I accomplised this week. We worked on budgets at work, or rather everyone else did and I just supplied them with costs. Went to breakfast Wednesday with my Girlfriends Unlimited from church. That was fun. Forgot to go to my breakfast at Laurie's house this morning. That was not fun. I got too busy on the phone this morning solving family issues that I forgot all about it until it was too late. I seem to do that alot lately.

I had a wonderful online chat Monday night with the wonderful ladies at Heritage Scrap for our Life Book Challenge we are working on. They are definitely a hoot. I need to get busy on the life book I am doing on my mother-in-law Ella for her birthday. I have several pages done, but need to get more. This week is the Memories page. I think I will do one on their stay in England.

There is another challenge going on at Heritage Scrap called the Easter Hat Challenge. We are supposed to do a LO on some of the hats our ancestors wore. But I looked through all my pictures and not a one of them were wearing hats. Does that mean my ancestors had no class or style? So anyway, I decided to do a LO on the one who does have class and style (and it's the only hat picture I had). So here it is is.













Don't you just love those clothes? And see, we even found hats to wear, just like our ancestors should have worn. Not sure where we got those clothes, but I bet we were the best-dressed kids on the block. That's my cousin Linda on the right, and she definitely has class and style now. She is married to a retired Navy Captain and drives a Lexus. That is definitely class for this little ole redneck.

Did you know that you might be a redneck if you've been married three times and you still have the same in-laws?

Another Page & A Freebie

I redid the pink page I called Hugs & Kisses. I just wasn't completely happy with it. So I did this page in place of it, using the same photos. I like this one much better. Oh, and Dana, Brandi asked the same question - wanted to know when I would start her book. I hadn't planned on doing pages for my kids, just the grandkids, but maybe I will. If only to irritate Travis. I don't think he appreciates my new hobby.




As a freebie for anyone who wants it, I have done a Quick Page from this LO for you.



You can click here to download.

I think I am done

Today I did 4 more pages for Kelsee's book, plus one for Ashlyn and two for Cheyenne & Randy. Easter Fun and Sisterhood will be in both Kelsee's and Ashlyn's book as they pertain to both of them. And while I had these pages up, I completed the same thing for Cheyenne & Randy. This creative process can be very taxing on the brain.

So far that gives me 18 pages for Kelsee's book (this includes a Dedication Page which I am not uploading). Of these 18 pages, 4 of them will also be in Ashlyn's book exactly the same as Kelsee's. The Fairy page will also be in Ashlyn's book but with her picture in place of Kelsee's.

I have run out of pictures I want to put in Kelsee's book, so I will probably stop at these 18. I am not entirely happy with the pink Hugs & Kisses page, so will probably redo that one tomorrow. I already have 6 pages for Ashlyn's book, so now I just have to start on more pages with just her.

The idea is to add new pages each year as the girls grow and we have more pictures. So Mom and Dad need to take lots of pictures so I can keep adding.

Here are the new pages.

Americana Page
This is two kits: Americana by Linda Cumberland at Digital Scrapbook Boutique (frame, BG paper, & staple) and America The Beautiful by Amanda Thorderson at Digitals (paper curl at side and bottom).

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Easter Fun
This is a kit called Easter Fun by Stacey Stehley at Digital Scrapbooking Place.


Gifts Galore
This is a kit called Christmas Red Collection by Meryl Bartho at Digital Scrapbooking Place. The ribbon comes from the kit Only You at Ditabs blog.

Sisterhood
This LO is a combination of several kits. The frilly frames are by Rene Bross at DSP; the Sister Word Art is by Suzanne Walker at DSP; the string doodle from Loving You by Kenna's Designs at The Daily Scrapper; the paper and the April & May doodle from Breath of Spring by Monika Digital Designs at The Daily scrapper and the oval layered frame comes from Old Time Christmas Combo Kit by Lynn Griffin.

These are the two pages for Ashlyn.


Just A Dream
This is a QP done by Lynn Griffin from her Just A Dream.



Fairy Page
The kit used for this LO is Fairy Kisses in Blue at Blushbutters.

And these are the two pages for Cheyenne and Randy that correspond to Kelsee's & Ashlyn's.


Easter Fun - Cheyenne & Randy



Sisterhood - Cheyenne & Randy

Kelsee's Scrap Book

I had a pleasant visit with my niece today. She brought her 3 kids with her and they had fun playing with Cheyenne and Randy. I think the dog Sam had more fun though. He loves kids and now he had 5 to chase. Rebecca's littlest, Jonathan, is a hoot. He is 21 months old and was not afraid of Sam at all, even though Sam is bigger than he is. Samantha had two missing front teeth and she got $5 from the tooth fairy, which she was proud of. Rebecca's new baby boy is due July 3rd and they are planning to call him Christian. Samantha was pretty upset that this was another boy - she wanted a sister. She cried for 4 hours, so Rebecca and Jason got her two cats and she was happy again. I tried to tell her that being the only girl was a perk, but I guess she doesn't understand the full scope of that yet. Rebecca told her that there will not be a budget for things like the prom and her wedding, but she wasn't too interested in that.

Well, it's Friday and I have been busy making more pages for Kelsee's book. I have 7 new pages to upload today. If you have any comments or suggestions, now is the time to tell me before I print them off for Kelsee's birthday.


Adorable
This was a QP done by Lynn Griffin from her kit Adorable at Digital Scrapbook Boutique.

The Beach
There was no kit involved here. Just blending of photos.


Cheerleading
There was no kit involved here either. Just blending of photos.


Family
This LO was done with the Yesterday Kit by Tib Bits at DigiScrap Station
I Am My Father's Daughter
This LO is done with several kits from Ditab blog. The overlay and butterfly are from Happy Colors Kit; the grass, frames & paper from Playing Kit; the cloud and fence from New Kit. These are all freebies from her blog.

Porcelain Doll
This is a kit called Delightful Sampler by Amanda Thorderson at Digitals here.


Christmas Snowflake
This is a freebie kit from Lynette's Photo Art blog found here. She has a wonderful blog with all kinds of goodies and wonderful Christian lessons. Be sure to check her out.

Fairie Page & a Freebie

I have finished another page for Kelsee's book. When she was younger, her parents had these wonderful pictures taken of her and her sister Ashlyn dressed in fairy costumes. They are so adorable. When I saw the Fairie Kisses in Blue Kit at Blushbutters, I knew that was a perfect kit for this layout. And since I will be doing Ashlyn's book next, this page can do double duty for both their books just by inserting each of their pictures in the left frame.






Be sure and check out this great kit here



Now for the freebie for anyone who wants it. I created a Quick Page from the layout I did of the Fairy Page.









You can download the Quick Page here.

Rodeo

Here in Houston it is rodeo time. Everybody gets duded up in their boots and cowboy hats to go spend a ton of money. Some people go for the carnival, the exhibits, the actual rodeo, the performances, or any combination thereof. I love all, but mostly the performances.

Yesterday, I got to go with a group of my very best friends from church. They love the exhibits and the cinnamon rolls. It was cold and rainy, but we had a really good time. And it was Lynn's birthday, so that made it even more special. So of course, I had to make a layout for that too. Here it is.



This LO was made with the kits Rodeo Days by Cathie Sipes at Scrap Acres and Wild Wild West by Jennifer at http://girlfrienddesignz.yuku.com.

My Son

I was raised a Marine Corps brat. For those who were not raised in the military, this means that my father was in the Marine Corps, which meant so was my mother, my sister, my brother and me. When that is your father's occupation, then all things are military. When I was very young, we lived in base housing, and when I was older, we lived off base but in military neighborhoods in towns near the base. All our friends were military. It wasn't until I entered high school that we moved to a town far enough from Camp Pendleton that military wasn't the primary occupation.

The military shaped our opinions, our world views, and our thoughts. While everybody else was out protesting the Vietnam War, my father was over there fighting it. And when I left home and got married, it was to another Marine who had just come home from Vietnam and gotten out of the service. And he also was a military brat who's father was career Air Force.

So anyway, it was no surprise that my son wanted to join the military, even if it was the Army. It was a bit of a surprise when my daughter also joined the Army, but I was all for that. She went on to study at the Language Institute in Monterrey and then worked for the NSA at Ft. Meade, Maryland. My son, Travis, was 82nd Airborne and jumped out of airplanes. After he got out of the Army, he later went into the National Guard and served a tour in Iraq. All this I was able to accept. That's what being military meant. But when Travis said he was going to sniper school for a month, that took me back. Sniper School?

Yes, I know that there are snipers in the military and in S.W.A.T. But my son? That same baby boy I held and rocked when he was little? That same boy who clung to my hand the first time he rode the Texas Cyclone at Six Flags? Yes, that same little boy who is now a man.

It is easy for women to look at their fathers or husbands and be accepting of them having dangerous or heroic jobs. We knew them only as adults. But for mothers to accept that their little boys are very capable of this same thing; well, that's another matter entirely.

So to honor my son and all that he does to protect this country, I made this page for him.



I used components from several kits to make this page. The background was blending done by me. The military tags came from a kit called Honor & Courage by Jolene Shaffer at Digitals here. The ribbon came from Dad's War Time Page Kit by Roberta T. Designs at Heritage Scrap here. The poem was written by Ronna L. Nicholas, which I found on the internet. The photo mask was done by Ramona at Magical Dream Designs and the flag I found on the internet. The overlay was made with the little stars I found in the kit Rodeo Days by Cathie Sipes at ScrapAcres.

Travis and Kelsee

This page is all about Travis and Kelsee. Travis was so young when she was born and she was the apple of his eye.



I didn't really use a kit for this LO. I blended a background page, then blended the photos into that. The frame comes from Golden Age by DigiZines by Terri. You can find it here. This is a fabulous biggie kit that has all kinds of marvelous things besides this frame.

Third Page in Kelsee's Book

Five generation pictures are not all that common, and we were fortunate to have two pictures with Kelsee. The first picture is with me and my family. That is my mother and grandmother with us. This picture was taken about two years before my grandmother died. The second picture is of my husband's family, with his Dad and grandmother. This was also taken about 1-1/2 years before his grandmother died, and we also lost his father last year.

The kit I used for this LO is Mother's Photo Album Page Kit by Victorian Rose. You can find it here.

Second Page in Kelsee's Book

The next page is about the grandma's in Kelsee's life. These are only three of them. My mother lives on the west coast, and for some reason, we did not have a picture of her with Kelsee.

The kit I used for this LO is Victoriana by Lynn Griffin. You can find it here.

Kelsee's Scrap Book

One of the things I have started is a digital scrapbook for my granddaughters this year. Kelsee is the oldest and her birthday comes first this year. So I have started her scrapbook. I have had more fun learning this new hobby that fits right into my love of genealogy. I am also planning on doing scrapbooks for the military men in my family, as well as genealogy scrapbooks on several of my lines. I am blessed with many old family photos that I wish to showcase.

Anyway, the first is Kelsee's book. So far I have finished three pages which I will post here. I am almost finished with a fourth page, which I will post when I finish it. Excuse the black on the text, but for privacy reasons, I need to blot out personal info.



The kit I used for this LO is Baby Robin Page Kit by Lynn Griffin. You can find it here.