Our 2012 Family motto

Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo

Made with My Cool Signs.Net

http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris


I entered this giveaway for moi. But I thought I'd share it with you!

Countdown to Valentines day. A Quote/Story/Poem a day....

three words

unknown
I just love you.
Words demand explanation. They require analysis. They are the construction and expression of my thoughts. Of my heart. But they can't describe it. They can't describe any of it. They can't tell you how deep the memories are, or how often I think of them. They can't scream what I really want to say. They are the mask of how I really feel and they try to disguise the pain, but someone will strip it away. And someone will make those words worthless.
So what is a word worth? Nothing. What are three words worth? Nothing. But we say them anyway, because you know. You know, more than anyone what they mean. You know when I say I love you, I really mean that those three words can't describe what it is we have. When I say you're amazing, I know the word is just a cover; a quick way for me to remember all the things that amaze me about you, a mask for the memories we share, a disguised version of our adventures together. And I really believe that you know, when I say I miss you, it's not just that. I miss you every moment, and I miss just what your name means to me. It means an alphabet of sounds and letters and words. But none of them really mean anything, because words are based on trust, they rely on how truly and deeply we feel. Remember, always, that they don't mean anything, they are letters and they are constructions, but we deconstruct them every day and we twist them; we manipulate them so that they say what we want them to. But no word, no shape, no photograph could ever twist so far that it could begin to explain even a little bit of how I feel.

Valentines and love stuff

I happen to have a dear little one that just adores horses and ponies. I left her a little love note on this cute printable from here.
She can't read, so I tried to write it in a way that she would understand.
Basically I dumped her favorite nail polish on it , then tried to wipe it off with her favorite shirt and then hid it all under the couch for her to find a year from now.
That's the love language she speaks.
So, I spoke back.

This one I would put up year round. Love the color almost as much as the design.
The husband wants to know why I like a picture of a green onion with love written in it. I say " It is not a green onion with love written in it. It is a green swirl signifying eternal love and the never ending circle of life. " To which he rolls his and says " Whatever" by which he means, " You are brilliant, I am so glad you are my wife, and can see things so much more clearly than us simple minded men " To which I rolled my eyes back at him, and which really means " your welcome husband. Glad that you can so clearly see you are wrong. I am right."
We talk a lot like that with our eyes.
That's just how we are.

"Keep calm and" anything is my type of saying. Found here.

I printed this one too.
Simple.
To the point.
Uses a picture to get your point across.
Very me.

How adorable. I have always loved letters. This is from here. She is my new obsession.

This one is from here and she even tells you how to make one of your own.


 And remember, it isn't Endure to the end dear friends, It is Enjoy the end.



Shared with:

Really?

Something random happened today. I was given this........

 

From this lovely lady : Therapeutic Crafting.  Go check her out. I happen to think she is pretty awesome.

                             In part, by accepting this award I have to share 7 things about myself.

So here goes.

1. I love learning. No matter what it is about. Big or small. I am drawn to learning and discovering new things.

2. I am very critical of myself. 

3.I am the definition of a homebody. Look it up. That's my picture under the definition.

 

4. I am grateful for all the cloudy, dumpy, hard-to-get-out-of-bed, nothing is going right, the dog ran away, days.

5. I really appreciate the sunshine on your face, snuggle with my kids, love at home, kind of days because of the reason listed above.

6. I hate chocolate.

7. I sometimes forget my kids birthdays. I like to think it is because I really really don't want them to grow up. I cry on every birthday. Very sad.
 .

To accept this Award you must:
1. Thank and link back to the person who awarded you this award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Award 15 recently discovered great bloggers.
4. Contact these bloggers and tell them about the award!

What we have to give.......

Elder Neal A. Maxwell rightly said: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.”
President Thomas S. Monson, stated: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.”

FREE download from here.

Geegee the stingy cat

When we were kids my mom was also so good about reading and singeing to us every night.
In fact, she would read to any time we asked her to.
A book that was on high demand from us back then was a story about 3 kittens. Each kitten had their own distinct personality and traits that made them distinctive.

There was George, the only boy, who was filled with curiosity and often found trouble.


Then came Geegee ( it is said with a soft g ) who was stingy and bossy.


Lastly comes Ginger. The quiet, shy, kitten.


We loved this book because there was a kitten to represent each of us children.
My brother Justin was of course George.
Hilary was Ginger.
Which inexplicably left Geegee for me. Although,at the time I fiend ignorance as to why I was Geegee, I knew without a doubt she was me. I was her.

My favorite story was when Geegee took Georges red ball and sat on it to keep him from finding it. Then she took Gingers ball and sat on it. Then to finalize her act of greediness, she sat her her own ball as well. It seems uncomfortable and pointless since she couldn't even play with her own ball after that, but the point was that she was stingy. And stingy is bad.
There are more of them, then there are of you, and they will gang up on you.
And forever call you Geegee,and when you tell your mother a funny story about your own stingy daughter she will laugh and say " remember that one book you loved about that cat named Geegee......" (this is all said in a wicked witch voice as I am typing this)and continue to laugh at how she always told me I would end up with a daughter just like me.


I fortunately was able to learn this deep and thought provoking lesson from that long lost book. However, since it was lost, my own children have not been exposed to it's infinite wisdom. Such as: no sitting on something that is not yours, or if you do sit on something that is yours, you will miss out on all the fun. Oh, and being stingy is bad.
Case in point: Gwenna 


This girl is a coloring fanatic. Little does it matter what she is coloring on or with. She will color it. Just ask my hubby about the "why-are-faces-drawn-all-over-my-desk-in-permanent-marker-!?!?!" incident.
Today, we had her best friend/cousin, over to play.
The coloring books were quickly brought out. The crayons passed around. All was well in the land of coloring.
Until I saw this.

Not the dirty shirt. I honestly don't care. In our house I subscribe to the philosophy that you get one shirt a day. That isn't because I do the laundry, I just hate finding 20 shirts thrown on your floor. ( This is only my philosophy. Because when your hubby looks  at you with a  horrified expression that you actually wore that out of the house and you are shamed convinced to change before you got out together)
Back to Gwenna.
Do you see what is under that cute booty?
A coloring book. No, it isn't to help boost her higher so she can see over the table. No problems there.

I am pretty sure, no, positive it is so Brooky can't have any pages from it.
How do I know this?
I am super smart. And good at looking at a situation from many angles and from the facts that I am able to gather in mere seconds am able to form a probable hypothesis gleaned from my mecha of motherhood knowledge and experience.
Just kidding.
I asked.
Me: Why are you sitting on that coloring book?
Gwenna: I don't want Brooky to have any pages. ( Bless her heart, she is still naive enough to tell the truth)
Me: Why can't she have any pages?
Gwenna: 'Cause it is my favorite book.
Since Brooky was fine with this ast of greediness, I explained to Gwenna that if she sits on her favorite coloring book ,then even she can't color in it.

As with Geegee, if that was the price she had to pay, so be it. It was worth the sacrifice. It was worth not getting something for herself in order to keep someone else from getting it as well.
Luckily her good deeds far out weigh her bad.
Right after this they decided that they were starving and desperately needed a popsicle. Only problem was,there was only one left.
Gwenna told Brooky she could have it since she didn't like that kind.
Hey, it counts.
 
Even if was also because she would have had to get off of the coloring book to go get it.
It still counts, okay?

D is for Delicious little notes

These are all delicious little notes I found on the internet that are all free for download.  99% of them came from Gingerella                                                                                          

 




 

Rose Dall

This is where I am today....

C is for Calendar

This year for Fab Friday/Super Sat. , the amazingly talented girl in charge of the whole shebang did things a little differently.
She was brilliant enough to come up with the idea of having everyone vote on their favorite craft, and the top 10 picks are what we had the chance to sign-up and make!
Even better, after the voting was done she threw together a blog featuring all the crafts and even had Paypal access so we could find what we like, and pay for it all at once.
 This was all done in-tandem of setting up a beautiful display table every Sunday, taking order forms, making assignments, the list goes on.Shavonne is someone that just exudes talent and craftiness.
That being said, one of the projects I voted for was something I had had my eye on at another blog, but wasn't in the least bit motivated to make!
Shavonne asked that if whoever was willing to teach a class would get a priority vote, I jumped at the chance to finally make this, and cast my vote. Well, it was picked and I am teaching that class now.
So, many hours and mess ups later, I did it!
And I thought that to at least justify all the time I invested in this lovely craft, that I could at least share a tutorial, to save you the same heart-ache if you decide that you want to make one too.

What is it?


         ~Birthday Calender & Card Storage~
 

 

I added the year they were born next to their name so I can also see how old they are. Disclaimer: The names are real, the year and dates the are by, are not. Except mine. I was absolutely not born in 1985.

Now for the how to!

I also used an old stamp set from Joannes to do the lettering and numbers. The "Happy Birthday" larger stamps were a set from Hobby Lobby.

1.For the front I stamped out Happy Birthday onto white card-stock..Then I just free hand cut them out, so they ended up different sizes.

2. While they are drying, cut out your scrap book paper for the background behind the calender months.

You will need 13, 7& 3/4 x 5 &1/2 for the top background of the calender, which includes the front cover.
Then you will need, 12: 8 1/2 x 5 1/2
for the bottom background.

3.Next, either make a calender from your computer, or meticulously hand stamp your own and end up hating your stamps by the time you are done, or click on my copy I scanned for you and print it off onto card-stock.

4. Next forgive me for my lack of computer know how and over look my imperfections.

You will need 7 versions of the 31 days, 1 version of the 28 days and 4 versions of the 30 day. Or do like me and make all your months have 31 days. That is a personal mistake preference.
Since that is what I did, my copy has that too, just print 12 and trim it to the month accordingly. You will have to configure it to fit 6 & 3/4 x 5 & 1/4 for the top and 8 & 1/2 x 5 & 1/4 for the bottom.
Whew!

5. Ink it all up. All of it. The envelopes, the patterned paper, the card stock. Everything.

 
















6. Stamp all your months onto the top flap of the envelope.
 On the back of Decembers you will have an extra envelope. I stamped Miscellaneous for, well, miscellaneous cards

 7. Now is the time to get all your ribbon and zippers and staple it to the card stock. I really enjoyed this part and tried to do them all differently.

 

 8. Apply sticky tabs to the corners of your card stock, put it on top of your patterned paper, put more sticky tabs on the back of that, and stick it to your envelope.


9. Line up your finished envelopes and punch holes through the bottom and top. Put in your 2 rings. 


10. Finish up the front with the " Happy Birthday". In the picture you can see that I stamped a birthday cake on the envelope first, but it is side ways.

11. Take a bow, you are done! I am going to be making a few more of these for gifts this year and now it will be a lot easier this time around. If you found this helpful at all feel free to comment and let me know!

I linked!