Carrie's Corner

Belated Back to School Post

2009-09-03T18:37:00.007-06:00

I’m a bit late, but still want to share their cute pictures. It’s our tradition for them to hold up their fingers to show which grade they are starting. Julia and Anna are in year round school and actually started the last week in July. The first month has gone well, and they get to go off track for three weeks starting on Tuesday.

This is a big year for Jamie. She started seventh grade last week! I can’t even believe I’m old enough to have a daughter in junior high! Doesn’t she look really cute and grown-up?

I remember being so nervous to start seventh grade. Would I know people in my classes? Would I be able to find my classes? Would I remember my locker combination? Would the 9th graders pick on me? There was so much to worry about. I tried my best to prepare. I went back to school shopping at Fritzi’s and planned the first week’s outfits down to which earrings and socks I would wear each day. I got my new Trapper Keeper and Esprit bag. But even though I felt ready I was terrified!

I didn’t want to scare Jamie so I didn’t tell her any of this, but it didn’t matter anyway. She didn’t seem nervous at all. She was just really excited, and so far it’s been great!

Back From Hiatus and Sunflowers

2009-09-01T20:55:00.007-06:00

So a few months ago I decided to take a break from blogging. There were some good reasons I decided to lay low for a little while (which I’m still not quite ready to talk about here) but the past few days I’ve been just itching to get back to my blog. Hopefully I can make up for my sporadic posting habits with some cool (and consistent) posts. After all, it is the first of the month. It's a great time to start something new - right?

I actually love the month of September….back to school, farmer’s markets, cooler weather, football season, new TV shows, Stampin’ Up! Regionals, and one of the things I love most about this time of year … sunflowers! They are so bright and cheery and just make me happy!

We have a big field at the side of out house where tons of sunflowers grow. My girls are so tired of me saying every time we drive by, "Look at the pretty sunflowers!" I even made them go for a walk to cut a bunch of stems to put in a jar for our house. Here’s a picture from our walk. How can any one think of these as pesky weeds?!Well a couple of days ago when I drove home from work, and just look at what my sunflower field looked like:

They must be getting ready to build something because it’s just a huge pile of boring dirt – I’m so sad and sincerely getting a little bit teary as I type this. Maybe they'll build somthing really cool like a Krispy Kreme, that might make it a little bit better.

To fill my sunflower void, I attempted to make one out of paper. I wanted it to look realistic - the hardest part was trying to get the center to have that velvety texture of the real blossoms. I think it turned out alright. It wasn't even that hard to make. I used the Scallop Circle Die - let me know if you'd be interested in directions.

Happy September Everyone!!!

Memories, and a fab weekend!

2009-03-09T21:19:00.007-06:00

Wow, I have alot to blog about today!

First of all, you know how some people have "Flashback Friday?" Well, today I decided to have a "Memory Monday." But, before I share my memory, I have to tell you what inspired it. Jake and I had the best date this weekend. We don't go out very often, so when we do, we do it big!

Jake arranged to have his Mom take the kids (and dog) so we could stay downtown overnight. (Thanks Grandma Charlene and Grandpa Joe!) We checked in at the Marriott, then rode trax up to see the last University Of Utah home game of the season. It was a fabulous game - they easily beat TCU (by 19 points!) Go Utes! We'll definitley be cheering for them in the conference tournament this weekend.

After the game we, went to see our most favorite band ever, The Young Dubliners. We first saw them open for Jethro Tull like 10 years ago, and we've been total groupies ever since. They come to town about twice a year, and we never miss them. (Well Jake never misses them - sometimes I'm traveling and can't be there.) We even drove to Vegas last year to see them. They play really fun, rockin' Irish Music and are so fun to see live - it's impossible to watch them without jumping up and down and dancing your guts out. They were awesome as usual, but the real point of this story is the Scottish band that opened for them. If you know me at all, you know I Love anything Scottish.

This is the band. They are local, they are called Swagger, they all wear Kilts, and they had a Piper to bring them on stage!!! They were amazing!!!! I can't wait to see them again.

So now for the memory.....I used to play the bagpipes. I started because my boyfriend at the time wanted to join the bagpipe band, and I pretty much just followed him onto the band. (But, I must say, I turned out to be a much better piper than he ever was and I stuck with it long after he quit.) Anyway, I played through all four years of college. I marched in lots of parades, played at funerals, graduations and lots of other ceremonies, I even competed at several Scottish Festivals. I gave it up when I graduated and had to give back my pipes. Sometimes I really miss it. This is me (right in the front) in action:

And now back to the date. (I have to bring it full circle, so I don't leave everyone thinking about old boyfriends - yuk!) Jake and I slept in, and then he took me to Market Street Grill for brunch. It's my favorite place for Sunday Brunch - I'm drooling a little bit just thinking about the orange rolls.

The only picture I got of the two of us was this one on trax in our Utah red:

Thanks Jake for the awesome date!

My New Obsession

2009-03-06T20:32:00.004-07:00

These books are one of the reasons that I haven’t posted much lately. I can’t stop reading them!

I’m totally embarrassed to admit that I watched the HBO series "True Blood." I know … try not to judge me too harshly…I promise I covered my eyes during the naughty parts!

The story really was awesome - mystery, vampires, romance, all the good stuff! After the first season ended, I started reading the books (which are must less graphic than the HBO series). I just finished the seventh, and ordered the eighth book in the series. I can’t wait for it to get here! They’re like a "grown-up" version of Twilight. I highly recommend them, and want all of my friends to read them so I can talk about the story and characters with someone. Has anyone else read them? The author is Charlaine Harris. She really has created an amazing world that seems so realistic, and characters that you can’t help but care about, and want to learn more about.
Let me know if there are any other fans out there.

Spread The Sunshine

2009-03-03T15:49:00.002-07:00

I've seen this contest on a few blogs, and since I'll do pretty much anything to win a prize, I decided to play too!

The way it works is that the first five people who respond to this post, will recieve a handmade surprize from me! The catch is that you have to pay it forward, post this on your blog, and send out five handmade surprizes of your own. What a fun way to spread some Springtime cheer!

Here are the official instructions:

"The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! Made with tons of love just for you! It might be a fun sewing project, a sweet letter to you from me, or some yummy goodies, you might be surprised what you get! Give it a try! The catch? You must re -post this on your blog and the first 5 people to leave a comment, will win a lovely little treat from you! Have Fun!"

Alright, this lack of blogging has got to stop!

2009-03-03T15:21:00.003-07:00

Seriously, I loved my trip to Australia, but I'm getting pretty tired of looking at this post! I guess I got busy with the holidays and then all the sudden it had been so long since I posted, that I felt like I needed something huge and momentous to end the streak, and I just don't live the kind of life when huge and momentous things happen very often.

So, even though I don't have anything exciting to tell you, I just want to say "I'm back and excited about blogging again!!"

Back from the "Land Down Under"

2008-11-17T19:46:00.029-07:00

I just returned from an awesome trip to Australia! I went to do some training events for work, and had amazing time. A few friends have asked for an update, so this is going to be a long post with lots photos, but you asked for it!
Places - I thought I'd post a map to give everyone an idea of where we went. We started in Melbourne (southern coast of Victoria.) We were there for 2 nights. It was an amazing city...big, busy, very cosmopolitan, and the fashion capital of Australia. From there we flew to Hobart (southern Tazmania.) It was a big contrast from Melbourne because it was smaller and more layed back, but it had lots of history and character and charm, in fact I think it might have been my favorite city. After two nights there, we flew to Cairns (northeast coast of Queensland.) It was very tropical and warm, but also very touristy, crowded, and commercial. (It's the best place to stay to see the Great Barrier Reef and Australian rain forests so lots of people vacation there.) We also stayed there for two nights. Finally we flew to Adelaide (South Australia.) It seemed more like "real" Australia - layed back and not as much tourism. We were there for three nights.

People: I traveled with really fun people. This picture was taken on our last night there. Lori is next to me - she is on my team at work and was great to travel with. Aaron is next in the photo. He is the general manager of Stampin' Up! Australia/New Zealand. He's from Sydney and met up with us in Melbourne. It was very nice to have someone with us that new the country and culture. He was a wonderful host. The last person in the photo is Holly. She was just barely hired as a trainer in Australia and flew to Adelaide to see our last event.

I also got to meet some wonderful Stampin' Up! demonstrators, and see some friends that I met on my last trip. These are the demonstrator presenters from Adelaide.

These are the presenters from Hobart.

Presenters from Cairns.

And the presenters from Melbourne.

Shopping (and other activites):Other than work, the thing we did most while we were there is shop! I think we found the markets and malls in every city. I didn't really buy anything too spactacular - just some souvenirs, tons of candy and treats, and some rugby and AFL jerseys for Jake.

The shopping center in Melbourne had these amazing Christmas windows - they stretched on for like a whole street block. There was so much detail and movement - I loved them!

More Christmas windows - I wish you could read all the conversation bubbles - the elves are saying really cute things. If you click on the pictures, they should get bigger.

When we were in Melbourne, all the girls were wearing these fabulous frou-frou feathery clips in their hair. Really, it wasn't like one or two girls - it was ALL the girls. Of course I loved them, and made it my mission to find a feathery clip to buy. The big fancy ones are actually pretty expensive, but I kept looking.....

I finally found a scaled down frou-frou feathery clip that was perfect for me! It's not as big as most of the ones I saw, but that's okay because I won't feel as wierd when I wear it. I might try to make some of the bigger ones, because I really do like them!

When we weren't shopping, we spent a little bit of time at the beach. This is the northern beach in Cairns. The water was so warm, but there are a lot of Marine Stingers so you can't go swimming. (Not that I was about to put on a suit and go swimming anyway.)

This is the southern beach in Adelaide. There were lots of surfers and swimmers here. I spent my time looking for pretty shells and rocks to bring home. I found some really cool ones too! The girls loved them.

Food: We had some awesome food. I especially loved all the big breakfasts - they have the best bacon there (or maybe it's just us that have crappy bacon here.) I also tried Kangaroo meat which was really yummy. Here are some other food highlights:
We went to a Sushi Train restaurant in Melbourne. It's so much fun to see all the pretty rolls and sashimi pass by and be able to pick your plates as you go.

I tried gulf coast bugs for the first time. I wasn't quite sure what to think when I first saw this plate, but they were delicious! Even better than lobster.

Aaron insisted that we try a traditional "Aussie Burger" while we were there. Here's the description from the menu....bacon, beetroot, and fried egg....I was very skeptical.
Here is the actual burger - it was huge and hard to eat - but hands down the best burger I've ever had!

The only downside of the food there is the Diet Coke. When you order one it usually comes in a tiny glass bottle, and it just doesn't taste the same. They must use a different sweetener or something. I was really missing fountain diet coke, and was so excited to find a McDonalds. I ordered a large, and took it outside only to find out that they don't put ice in it. Boooooo! The first thing I did when we got off the plane in LA is go to McDonalds to order a real Diet Coke!

Animals: Another very unique part of Australia is the animals so I thought they deserved a special section of this post:

Everywhere we went there were lots of birds. I could hear them singing every morning, and every time I looked out my window, I was surprised to see that they weren't our brown and black boring birds - they were bright colored parrots and types of birds you buy at a pet store. It was hard to get a photo, but you can kind of see the parrot in this tree.

We also saw lots of unique animal signs (like wombat and kangaroo crossings) and crocodile warnings like this.

In Tasmania we stopped on a bridge to take a photo and when we looked over the edge of the bridge there were tons of starfish.They were so colorful. They're called "Biscuit Stars" which is appropriate because they are kind of fat and biscuit-ish.

On our free day in Adelaide, we went to an animal park, and had a great time. The kangaroos were so much fun to play with! They have a lot of personality, and are very friendly.

Emus weren't quite as friendly (in fact, I was a bit scared, but I was brave and fed them.)

We didn't get to see a platypus, but we did see an echidna. which is kind of like a platypus because it's a mammal that hatches from an egg. They kind of look like a porcupine with a beak - I thought they were really cute!

And of course I loved the Koalas! They are so soft and cuddly!

I have lots more photos, but that's probably enough for now. I am so lucky to have such an awesome job with opportunities like this!

Can you hear that?!

2008-10-20T22:39:00.002-06:00

For several year we have suspected that Anna has trouble hearing, but at all of her check-ups her hearing has tested normal.....until last month when they did hearing screening at school and she didn't pass. We took her to the doctor, and to make a long story short...last Wednesday she had surgery to have tubes put in her ears and her adnoids removed. (There was so much fluid in her ears that her ear drums weren't vibrating at all.) She was so brave and did so great! She's almost completely recovered already! The first thing she said to me when she woke up is," I hear beeping (hospital machines), can you hear that?" And she's asked me that several time since. She has never been able to hear those little noises before! I'm so thankful that she can now! Here are some photos of her big day...

Before we left, in her comfy new "surgery outfit."

And a close-up of the slippers:

Anna, Jake and I all had to have matching hospital bracelets:

In her hospital gown before they took her into surgery.

Just after she woke up. She hated that IV and pulse monitor!

She went back to school today and is doing great!

A new addition to our family.....

2008-10-07T20:11:00.003-06:00

We are excited to announce and welcome a new dog to our family! I thought it would probably never happen, but now it just seems meant to be. Her name is Lilly. She is a Goldendoodle (that's half golden retriever and half poodle.) She's a year old, fully trained, and really cute! Jake just brought her home tonight. We got her from some people who breed and train dogs that Jake knows through work. Apparently a family paid $3000.00 for her, then decided it wasn't working out and gave her back. We were the first people the trainers thought of when Lilly needed a new home.

Our girls our so thrilled and Lilly seems like a perfect fit for us. We took her to Anna's soccer game tonight and took some photos.....

I took this last picture to show off her pink bows, collar, and leash.....see a perfect fit for our family!

CANDY!

2008-09-05T15:48:00.030-06:00

I love candy. Alot. In fact I love it so much that I'm working on an entire "candy" album for the upcoming Stampin' Up! regional season. I spent this afternoon looking for pictures of my favorite candies for the album. And, I had so much fun, I decided to post them here too. It was really hard, but I've come up with a list of my top ten favorite candies. Da - Da Da - Dum... here they are......

10 - Junior Mints (But only if they're frozen. They really only have two consistencies; frozen and melty - no inbetween - and melty is yucky.)

9 - Circus Peanuts (Although, I never could figure out why they made an orange peanut that tastes like banana - whatever, I love them! )

8 - Jelly Bellies (Juicy Pear is my favorite flavor, but part of why I love these so much is having all the flavors. Then you can pop one into your mouth and be totally suprized by what flavor it is, or you can mix and match and come up with delicious combinations!)

7- Black Licorice Bullets (I discovered these in Australia. They are most addicting thing ever - so delicious! It's a piece of black licorice covered in chocolate. I haven't been able to find them any where here, so if you see them let me know.)

6 - Reese's Peanut Butter Cups (They have to be the big cups, not the miniatures. I eat off all the chocolate first, then eat the center. I used to have one for lunch everyday in Jr High....I guess if you're going to eat candy for lunch, at least these have some protein.

5 - Sour Gummi Worms (I don't know what is is about these, but I really love them. They're so soft and sweet and chewy. You know how you eat cetain kinds of candy when you do certain things? These are my taveling candy. I always take a package with me to keep in my hotel room.)

4 - Swedish Berries (These remind me of the candy store at Bear Lake, and Bear Lake is one of my favorite places in the world...so many good memories! Swedish fish are good too, but there is just something about the berry shape that makes these better.)

3 - Peanut Butter M&Ms (These are so yummy. I am such a fan of salty and sweet combined. You know, like french fries dipped in ice cream? Peanut Butter M&Ms have just the right amount of salty peanut butter with sweet chocolate. They are so good!)

2 - Toffee (Heath is the best. It's a little bit softer than Skor. And, as you can tell by my list, I'm not a big fan of hard candy. I love the flavor of toffee. It's so rich and creamy. I love it plain, and in ice cream, and in cookies, and in any dessert really. I never get tired of it. I've been looking at candy pictures all day today, yet right now, toffee is the only thing I'm craving!)

1 - Twizzlers (Strawberry when I'm in the mood for fruity, and brown when I'm in the mood for chocolate. And, speaking of chocolate, they changed it a little bit this year. It seems even softer than before so you should try it if you haven't yet. There are lots of reasons why Twizzlers are my very favorite. They remind me of my Dad and they are low in fat grams. I also like candy I can play with...I separate my m&ms by color, I make secret flavor combinations with jelly bellies....with Twizzlers - you can make a straw! Try the chocolate ones with milk - it's good. And, if you blow really hard through them, they whistle. Most of all they just taste really yummy!)

So did I make you hungry? What are your favorite kinds of candy?

Lagoon

2008-08-23T14:51:00.011-06:00

We went to Lagoon last weekend for the Stampin' Up! company party. It was crowded and hot, but we had a lot of fun. It was the first time I had been since I was in high school, and although a lot is the same (the old roller coaster is still my favorite ride, the log ride had the longest line, and we ended the day on Dracula's Castle) I still couldn't help but notice how much difference the Lagoon experience is for a mom vs a teenager....

I used to be able to ride the Scrambler over and over again, now I feel sick on all the rides that spin around.
I used to be able to be able to stick a few dollars in my back pocket - and that's all I had to carry. Now I have to carry a camera, cell phone, credit cards, sunscreen, water bottles, plus all of everyone else's stuff.
I also have to make sure that everyone is wearing sunscreen, well hydrated, and not hungry.
Maybe it was just me, but the lap bars and seat belts on all the rides sure seam a lot tighter than they used to. :)

It wasn't all bad though. It was so fun to see the smiles and feel the excitment of the kids.

And, as a teenager, one of the goals of going to Lagoon was to find all the cute guys. Now I have my own! (and, we totally made out in Dracula's Castle!)

Here are a few of my favorite photos of the day:

Convention was Awesome!

2008-08-11T19:55:00.006-06:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything, I don't even know if I remember how. Part of the reason I've been too busy for blogging is that we've been preparing for our annual Stampin' Up! Convention. This was our 20th anniversary year, and it was bigger and better than ever! I can't believe that it's over. I was lame and didn't take any photos, but I have awesome friends who shared some of their's. So, here are some of my favorite moments:

It was so much to see all of our fabulous demonstrators! I am so lucky to have made so many great friends, and to be surrounded by so many creative and enthusiastic people. Here is just a small glimpse of the crowd. There were close to 6000 people there.

The crowd was waiting to get into mainstage where we make all the big announcements and show really cute projects and ideas. This year we opened the show with a big production number of our theme song. The singers were fabulous, and I got to be in the back-up choir. I thought singing and dancing on stage would be dumb, but it was really fun! There were fireworks and everything! I couldn't find a picture of the choir, but here's one of the set. It was so cool!

Here's a photo of me and Shannon at awards night - which is always a highlight. It's such an inspiration to hear the accomplishments of such amazing women. It's also fun to get dressed up and go out for the night.
I worked with some of the cutest demonstrators for the class I taught. I got to share their awesome ideas for new kinds of workshops. I taught the class 12 times over three days - and loved it! But, the real teaching highlight for me came on the last day when I made my convention mainstage debut and got to present on for all 6000 people at once. My presentation was all about projects from the kitchen. So here I am on stage in my Stampin' Up! apron. Can you tell how nervous I am in this photo?

And, finally convention ended with a free stamp set give-away from UPS. I have never felt excitiment like I did when we got to hand out the free stamp sets. There was screaming, confetti, running, jumping, and even crying. It was an amazing experience!

I have the best job ever!!!

Fourth Of July

2008-07-08T19:38:00.005-06:00

I hope everyone had a fabulous holiday weekend! We went to Bear Lake with my family and had such a fun time! I've gone up there every fourth of July since I can remember, and this year we carried on some of my favorite traditions.......

Huge Family Picnics:

Roasting Marshmallows:

Doing Sparklers (We had special extra-long sparklers this year!)

Sitting on the beach to watch fireworks:

Gathering all the "treasures" when the fireworks are over:

It's the perfect way to celebrate Independence Day!!

Father's Day Coconut Cream Pie

2008-06-16T19:33:00.003-06:00

Jake's favorite dessert is coconut cream pie so I've tried and experimented with lots of different recipes. I think we've finally found a winner. This was really easy to make, and tasted really yummy. I'm still trying to learn all the settings on my camera, so the photo's not the best, but I tried to make it look pretty. Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it!

Jake's Father's Day Coconut Cream Pie

1 premade graham cracker crust (9-inch)
1 package cream cheese, softend (8-oz)
1 cup coconut milk
1 package Jell-O instant pudding mix, cheesecake flavor (3.4 oz)
3/4 cup flaked coconut (I toasted mine a bit first)
1 container frozen whipped topping (8-oz.)
whipped cream or extra frozen whipped topping for the top
extra flaked coconut for garnish

Beat cream cheese and coconut milk with an electric beater until smooth. Add pudding mix; beat until blended. Stir in coconut; fold in frozen whipped topping. Spread mixture into pie crust; cover and chill 2 hours or until set. Before serving, top with whipped cream or frozen topping and garnish with flaked coconut if desired.

Retro Day

2008-06-13T16:46:00.003-06:00

This is the last month of school for the girls. (We do the year round thing.) So every Friday is Spirit Day when the kids get to do something fun. Today was Retro Day. They were supposed to dress like they were from 50's, 60's, 70's, or 80's. I think they look pretty cute - and it's easy to guess which one goes with which decade!

PS - If you're a stamper, notice the flower on Anna's cheek....Water Color Wonder Crayons make great face paints!! I just wet the tip of the crayon with water and painted right on her face. It gives you a lot more control than a paint brush, and since it's not oily or greesy it's easy to wash off when you're done.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2008-06-04T19:00:00.003-06:00

One of our other Memorial Day activities was to plant a little garden. We live in a townhouse so we have only a tiny space, but I have to show it to you all because I am so proud of it! I have never been able to grow anything! Then last year I bought a few small herb plants. And... not only did they grow, but they grew back!! (Except for the basil and rosemary, but I hear that's normal.) So, this year along with new basil and rosemary, we planted tomatoes and lots of peppers (jalapenos, habeneros, anaheim, sweet, and more.) The other herbs growing are mint, oregano, taragon, thyme, and sage. My backyard smells so good, and I am going to be able to make the best salsa ever this fall!

Kara's New House

2008-05-26T17:19:00.008-06:00

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Memorial Day! We've been busy this weekend - in fact I need to categorize all of our activities into smaller posts because one update would just be too long! Yesterday we helped Jake's sister, Kara move into her new house. (Well, Jake helped her move - the rest of us stopped by for a quick tour then got out of the way.) This is her first house, and we're so excited for her! Here's a picture of the girls in the U-Haul truck:
Last night I had some time to stamp, and Kara's big move inspired me to make some new house cards for my file. I used a Simply Scrappin' Kit that I had on hand. I'm still not very good at photographing cards, but here are my creations ....(Kara, let me know which you like best so I can send it to you at your new address!)

I thought a house shaped card would be fun...I started with a standard size card, but trimmed the top corners into a triangle for the roof. I also only glued one side of the door so it will open.
I wanted this card to look like a moving box - it was really easy to do - you score and fold flaps just like you would on a box.
And finally, I did some water coloring. I don't have the Loads Of Love Accessories stamp set to stamp the house stuff in the back of the truck - so I crunched up a little bit of designer paper and tied some linen thread around it. I think it kind of looks like a tarp - it's easy to imagine furniture and stuff in there - right?

Cast Party Treats

2008-05-19T21:29:00.005-06:00

The girls wanted to take treats to their cast party for their friends and directors. As usual, we needed something easy and fast. Here's what we came up with:

The little tag says "Thanks, you're a star!" and they wrote a little note on the back. I had the hardest time finding the perfect color for the chipboard star - nothing matched the gold Rolos. Then I finally decided to try unwrapping one of the candies, and used the wrapper to cover the star....it worked fabulous! It matches perfectly - and we got to eat the unwrapped Rolos! So, if you ever need a quick treat, this was easy, fun and yummy! Here's a close-up:

Twleve Dancing Princesses

2008-05-19T21:12:00.003-06:00

Last week, Jamie and Julia were in their school production of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. We had a busy week full dress rehersals, performances, and a cast party. It was all so much fun (well... it was for them anyway.) They were both shoemaker's apprentices, and they were definitely the cutest ones! You'll just have to take my word for it because we didn't get very many pictures during the play... it was dark and we couldn't get close enough. We did get some cute photos before and after:
os:

Happy Mothers Day!

2008-05-11T21:26:00.012-06:00

I love Mothers Day! Who wouldn't love a day when you get totally spoiled? I woke up to cards and a present. These are some of the cards my girls made for me. Aren't they sweet? They are so resourceful and creative. Plus they gave me a really cool docking/charging/alarm clock/speaker thing for my I-pod. I've been wanting one for awhile - it will be great when I travel. (Thanks Jake!)

We went to church where I teach the two year-olds in the nursery. I put together this card for the kids to make and give to their moms. Tracing their hands was far more difficult than I planned (I guess I forgot how wiggly a two-year old can be!) But, they had so much fun measuring the string to show how much they loved their mom. I do think they turned out cute so I thought I'd share.

After that I got to spend a couple of uninterrupted hours stamping! I made this card for my mom. I love the bright cheery colors. They match the rest of her present.....a huge bowl from Tupperware. I love these bowls because they hold a ton, but since they are tall instead of wide, they don't take up a ton of room. I filled the bowl with some bright colored dish towels and a yummy raspberry-lime candle. I think it all turned out pretty cute!

We went over to my Mom's house for a delicious dinner and a relaxing evening. It's been a really great day, and I thought I'd end it by wishing all the moms out there a very happy Mother's Day!!!

Hi!

2008-05-10T20:40:00.002-06:00

Well here it is....my very first blog post! I finally decided it is time to take the plunge and enter the world of blogging. Everything is still a bit rough. I need to glitz up my page and add some bells and whistles and stuff, but I am so excited about this! I love the glimpses into the lives of my friends (and their friends) that I get from visiting blogs. I also love all the creative ideas, objective opinions, and important information that I've received from blog-hopping. I hope with my blog I'll be able to pay just a little bit back.

So, welcome to my corner! Thanks for stopping by, and stay tuned for more.....