A trip to the pond and backyard pool fun!

Yesterday, Ava came to visit and we took a journey to a cemetery up the street that has the most beautiful duck pond and tree's around! I love it there, the geese and ducks have no fear and walk right up to you...unfortunately Ava did not like them to much so we didn't get to play with them as usual but the kids didn't mind climbing in the old tree! We walked around the pond exploring the kids had the best time it was so fun to watch...one of those "glad to be a mom" moments.

Today I strained every muscle in my mouth and then some I didn't know I had blowing up the kids new pool since last year we broke the pump and who wants to spend $20 on a pump for one time? The boys had such a blast splashin and laying back in the cool water! It was so hot I had to turn the water hose on mist and have it continually spray them..which of course they LOVED!

Are you serious?....and the cutest kids ever.

As I have told you before I am applying for the design team at Scrap Attack Scrapbooking so I have been super busy making layouts and then making more because I didn't like the ones I made. Then I decided I should go with my first instinct and use the first ones I did but then my loving husband decided to tell me after I had settled it and planned to go to bed early for once that his favorite was from the second set that I did :/ are you serious?

So after losing my mind for the last day trying to decided which 4 to choose, I take a trip out to my sisters house so that she can help me choose the best ones to submit. We sit there for an hour looking them over, and we settle it going with three of the originals and yes I am a great wife my husband favorite... I am getting up to head out the door and she says " Well I kinda like the "_________" one, it is super secret...::some crazy spy stuff going on:: (Que mission impossible theme) I turn and look at her and say "are you serious?" 

The entire ride home I am mumbling to myself which in it self is dumb why mumble when no one can hear you? Screaming at least it would make me feel better....I decide that I like each of them for different reasons and each is just as important and special to me as the next which is why it is so hard for me to pick one...I love them all. To me scrapbooking is not about what you do it is how it makes you feel while doing it. It is not about other people's comments, though I admit I am like a crack addict checking my email waiting for someone to leave me some love...but it isn't about what they think what matters is what I think. 

I used to find I would look at a page and say "I wish I could have_____ different" or "I can totally see where I screwed_________up" now I still notice where the glue ran over or the page tore just a little but I don't focus on it..I focus on the moment in the picture, the memory that the layout is screaming at me. After all, in the end 30 year from now, when you look through your photo album and say "I wonder what we were all all laughing about" I will laughin so hard I am snorting because my layout tells a story that a picture never could... 

So I know your fingers and toes are cramping by now, but please keep them crossed....I am trying to upload everything tonight, we will know May 1st at the latest who makes the list.....

So since you can't see anything I have been working on I decided to give you some eye candy of the male persuasion...don't get to excited ladies...they are WAY to young for you!!! But handsome devils never the less...

These pictures were just quick shots outside while playing...Noah is a ham and loves the camera, Edward on the other hand kept looking everywhere but at me...he just kept saying "No Mom". Nevertheless I think I got some great shots and don't tell me otherwise as I will just tell you that you're jealous!!! Just kidding..or am I? 

Up first for those of you who don't know is Noah he is 4 years old and is about as dramatic as they come. He is an entertainer and a definite ladies man, fair warning he will put the moves on you :/ He is forgetting more and more everyday how to be a little boy and is growing into a little man :( Though we are not putting all our eggs in one basket he is our front runner so far for a Fortune 500 company owner, he is super smart and loves to learn.

 Next is Edward, he is 2 years old dubbed "bruiser" as he is always falling, jumping, skidding, climbing, breaking something he shouldn't be and 9 x out of 10 has a bruise to prove it. He is the toughest little man you'd ever meet yet loves to cry to his momma every chance he gets...ah my little mamma's boy!

So I hope this appeases you until I can get some layouts that are not classified information (que mission impossible theme) up for your enjoyment..I am currently setting my eyes on the Scrap the Art challenge and will poke around for some other good stuff!

Happy Easter! Picture Alert!

Twas a long weekend filled with family, fun, a scrapbooking!  I am so tired right now I don't know if I am awake or sleeping :/ We kicked it off with a visit with some great friends who came in from Colorado... my husbands former boss and bestest bud Don, and his wife Sheri who became a dear friend to me:) The kids played on Grandpa's scooter, both big and little kids!

 

 We took the most peaceful walk through their farm land, it was such a great family moment. We walked as Donnie told us stories about the lake, and the barn that his Grandfather built that unfortunately as long as it has been standing, time is getting the best of it. We walked the trails and saw the land how it is and imagined it how it was as we listened to his memories.

 Saturday morning, we over slept and just by the hair on our chinny chin chin's made it to the churches Easter Egg Hunt. We literally pulled up parked on the side of the street ran across, I had enough time to get 30 feet ahead to get faces and not backs in the shot and they yelled "go". Our Cousins were supposed to meet us and they like us were late, only they were behind us so knowing they were not gonna make it, daddy and I put down the camera to help grab eggs so that we could share our eggs. They ended up getting some eggs anyway so they boys had baskets overflowing!

After the hunt we continued the fun with the boys very first fishing trip! Mommy, Daddy, Noah, Edward, and Uncle Donnie set up camp at one of the lake on their property and set out to catch us a fish! Noah and Edward seemed to not understand the waiting process, though they loved to get Daddy and Uncle Donnie to re-bait the lines over and over. It was a morning full of crossed lines, bait eating turtles, and a hole lot of nothing bittin but it was a memory for the scrapbook!

 Sunday morning the boys woke to a trial of eggs leading to their baskets and goodies in their play castle. Noah, our little genius only cared about the activity books (once he found them) and Edward only cared about the candy :/ Then we headed to Grandmas house for more Easter Goodies!

After Grandmas, we headed to my Aunt Karen's boyfriend Jr's house to have Easter lunch and ANOTHER (yes my boys are spoiled) egg hunt. We met some wonderful people and felt so much apart of Jr's family I can't say how much we enjoyed it! It was so nice to have such a huge get together it reminded me of when my mamaw was still alive... The kiddos played and played we ate yummy food and then dun dun dunnuh egg hunt!

 

There were so many eggs you wouldn't believe it! There were candy eggs, colored eggs, and PRIZE eggs! the boys made out with about 20 eggs each which considering how many there were wasn't alot but they truthfully didn't care about the number it is all about the hunt to them!

 

There was a "Gag" egg that was filled with, believe it or not a toad!!!! My Aunt Karen caught on to the snickering and wouldn't open it! (no toads were hurt during this hunt)

 

After all was said and done we tallied up the prize eggs and the boys made out like bandits $16 total!

 

Grandma and her grand-babies

The Adorable Ally (Ally Cat as I call her) and her basket :) 

My mom (left) and big sister Aunt Karen

                                                                                                           Jr, Aunt Karen, and JR's grand-daughter

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter! Check in tomorrow for some Challenge updates, Fun new Challenges and More Links to amazing sites!

Taking things at face value, literally...

My oldest son Noah takes Karate every Tuesday and Thursday here at our local ATA. He is 4 years old and a Camouflage belt already so he has worked very hard to learn his moves as most kids were much older than he to begin with. The problem with him, and many kids his age is they take things literally. Which don't get me wrong that can be one of the joys of childhood to see things at face value however sometimes it can work against them. Yesterday in class, they were testing for their "red" stripe, before I go further I will explain striping. For each lesson they learn a particular series of moves they get tested once they pass that lesson(moves) they get a "black" stripe, then once they learned all the lessons (moves) they get a final overview of all the lessons(moves) and if they pass, they get the "red" stripe which means they are ready to be tested to move on the the new belt. The teachers set up this awesome obstacle course type thing in which every obstacle to pass they must do a series of their moves to go further. Noah kicked but the entire course until he had to do a double kick (two kicks without putting your foot back down) which I know what you are thinking that takes balance and a 4 year old doesn't have balance. Actually Noah has already mastered the double kick, you can ask his brother Edward who is often on the receiving end of it :) but apparently when his teacher asked him to kick twice he did just that kicked twice. So she asked him again to kick twice don't put your foot down and as children often do he took her literally, kick, foot down, kick, held foot up :/ Needless to say he did not get his red stripe... was not in attendance as I wasn't feeling great so when Noah got home I asked him to "kick twice" he did flawlessly....next week that stripe is ours!

So enough about me and on to the good stuff! This is a layout I completed about a week ago. I worked on it for several days as it was my very first attempt at a "vintage"  feel layout. I don't have much supplies in the area of vintage however armed with my making memories distressing kit, Tim Holtz distressing inks and crackled paint I feel I did a decent job....well actually I ABSOLUTELY LOVE MY LAYOUT! So much I think I am gonna frame it!

"Where ever you Lead, I will always Follow"

I used the sander in the making memories kit to "rough" it up and make it look like it has seen some better days, I love how some white holes came up here and there! Then I used my ink blender tool with some distressed ink as well as some stains to enhance the aged look. This photo started out so bright and colorful I am so proud of myself looking at it now!

 Hand made flower close up, I am in love with that flower it is just so gorgeous to me! I had seen several of them on various layouts and tried and failed to make it so many times I was so happy when I finally figured out the secret!

 

Hope you enjoyed my layout! Thanks for reading and please leave a comment and let me know what you think!