Where did it go?

I can't believe August is already over ....

It sure was a crazy, busy month for us. Between the normal summer fun, gardening and canning, we moved the kids into their new home within hours of having to be out of the old one - don't ask! On top of that, the grand babies started school just a few days later! Utter chaos, but thankful its done and a bit of normalcy is starting to resurface, LOL!

At first I wasn't too sure about this move since they've always lived within a few minutes of us. But now that construction is finished on the roads, its only a 15 minute drive and a scenic one at that! The girls still aren't sure they're going to like living out away from their friends and having to go to a new school, but they are still pretty young and the transition should go pretty smoothly. They do love their new home though and the creek that runs behind it is already a hit with them .... crawdads, they love finding crawdads! LOL!

We also have a new found "hobby" of sorts, painting rocks. Just something about rock painting that makes life happier! We belong to a Facebook group "Battle Ground Rocks" where we paint pictures, sayings, etc. and leave them in places around town, in parks, school yards, etc. for others to find. A sort of "something to put a smile on someones face" gesture. Here's the ones we created and hid ...

And in the midst of hiding ours, Makayla found this one! See that SMILE!! THAT'S what its all about! She'll keep it for a few days, then re-hide it in a new location.

I have more in the making and will get them ready for us to hide this weekend when we all get together for a BBQ. Just a fun little activity that doesn't cost a lot of money, we can do it while chit chatting about our day, and the best part, the recipient will be excited for the find! Try it, you may find yourself hooked too! :)

Have a great start to your September!
Godspeed

SALSA!

What do you you do with an abundance of tomatoes that are ripening faster than you can eat them? Can some salsa! With a small purchase for a few veggies from the a local farmer, I was able to can up 9 pints for approximately $7, or the price of two jars of the same size at the store! And we know which one tastes better, not only in flavor but the love and time that was put into the process! It was time consuming chopping all those veggies, but they were fresh and local. :)

Prepped & ready to simmer!

 The Master Taste Tester ...

 ... with the official thumbs up of approval!

And now we savor the goodness this winter. :)

Today, I shall shuck peas and get those beans off the vines. My little garden has really come thru for us this summer and all its freshness is awesome!

Thanks for stopping by .... Godspeed    

A tip & some layouts!

We've all been there .... need a matching piece of cardstock but only one in your stash and you're already using it!  Here is a tip I picked up on when I first started scrapbooking many years ago, and it came in very handy this afternoon. Once you have your papers placed, find a spot that will be covered in your final layout and carefully cut out the size needed. Be careful to leave plenty of room for your border if you are laying like I did. Once your layout is assembled, you won't even noticed the hole you cut out!

I have assembled two layouts using just two pieces of cardstock and three sheets of pattern paper from Photoplay's "Summer Day Dreams" collection. Love those bright colors and the cardstock stickers,. I added a button, foam thickers, and a bit of ribbon from my stash to complete the layouts.

Now I'm off to see what else I can start before dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

Godspeed

Hello August!

you & me

Once again its CROP TIME at Scrap Book Generations and plenty of great challenges to spark your creativeness! I call this one my "warm-up challenge" because it gives me a chance to just lay down my papers and photo(s) without rules.

CHALLENGE:

                                 

 INTERPRETATION:

I'm using an older kit FOTM kit from The Scraproom - Basic Grey Hopscotch. We were just messin' around one afternoon and this captures our silliness perfectly!

I'll be back with more this next week, stay tuned!

Godspeed

The Scrappin' Itch!

With summer comes so many different activities & starting a garden this year, BUSY!! It has been very productive and I'm becoming overrun with peas, green beans, tomatoes, and squash, but saving by not going to the produce market. NICE!

With everything going on, its been a few weeks since I've been able to sit down and create, so today I'm making time, and boy did it feel good! Here are the photos taken on Mother's Day in May. Our granddaughters made homemade crepes and they were delicious!

I used My Mind's Eye "Miss Caroline" from The Scraproom's FOTM kit of May 2012:

Time to get back to work, thanks for stopping by!

Godspeed

Time for a TSR challenge or two!

I have recently re-subbed to The ScrapRoom (TSR) and need to make a dent in this stack of photos that keeps getting larger & larger by the month! I've decided to devote time every few days to creating layouts, starting with some of the more recent photos.

Before I dove into our Disney vacation we took in February, I had better finish up the school & sports photos for the two girls.  Here is TSR's first challenge of the month ... Taste of Color Challenge. Since I had to catch up, this one was pretty quick and easy to put together. Using October Afternoon Schoolhouse collection, I scrapped our youngest granddaughter's first day of school photos.

The ScrapRoom Blog has posted the July Jumpstart Challenge and I loved the simplicity of the sketch they provided ..... Jump ahead nine months and that same granddaughter  has just finished kindergarten! The teachers had a little "graduation ceremony" for them, complete with hand made graduation caps and cookies! As you can see, she was pretty excited about having her Daddy with her and showing off her diploma. :)

Now I just need to get those sports photos printed and layouts assembled before she graduates high school! so, enough chatter, time for the next layout!

Godspeed

Happy 4th of July!

Today we celebrate this country's independence with all sorts of different activities. Whether it be boating on the lake, BBQing with family & friends, hanging out at the pool, block parties, fireworks in the evening, etc., just please play safe! In the next few days I'll be sharing our weekend in photos, but until then .....

Godspeed

Keeping busy ....

Between the softball games & keeping up on general household chores, I have found time to be creative again! I'm trying to finish up at least one layout per week and if I'm lucky, I manage two. Creating makes me feel better, gives me an outlet from the every day, the sad things in the news, and just makes my little world a lot less complicated.

Today, I present to you ....

This was taken last summer at one of my oldest granddaughter's softball tournaments. Its the one and only time we are able to capture Princess Lucy looking at the camera with both her ears up.  I couldn't resist doing this for my daughter (in the photo) for her birthday coming up. She loves it and has no idea its made for her! Time to find a frame! :)

I have another "work in progress" sitting on my table, but I also hear the vacum calling my name! Till then .....

Godspeed

Memorial Day, a day to remember ....

I would to pay tribute to those who have fought for our freedoms but didn't make it home alive. We owe so much to the brave men & women who did what they were asked by this country and paid the ultimate price of war. I will always remember what you did and the courage it took.

thank you

Jammin'!

It's that time of year! The fresh smells of strawberries, the sweet smell of crushed berries, and the delicious taste of the finished jam .... there is nothing quite like it! When all finished, we produced 14 pints of freezer jam that will get us thru the winter, and just in time for wanting more next spring! 

Do you put up any jams? If so, which kind? Are you a toast or PB & J user or like us, use it as a topping for ice cream as well? YUM! Just make sure you get those berries before they're all gone!

Godspeed

Another challenge complete!

I've had this one sitting on my scrap table for three days now and finally got around to finishing it. The Portland Rose Gardens are absolutely beautiful and the smells are heavenly! It was such a gorgeous day and spending the entire day with my daughter, Nicole, was so much fun. Here's just a sampling of what we took in ...

#8 

If you live in the area, this is a "must do!" and its FREE, just a small hourly parking fee. Have a wonderful day - Godspeed

Scrapbook Generations Online Crop ...

It's been a productive month for me getting photos, past & present, scrapped all thanks to the month-long online crop going on at Scrapbook Generations! There are so many options to chose from .... layouts, cards making, even coloring! Just thought I'd share what I have been able to get done to this point ....

#1 

Yaquina Bay

#2

hangin' out!

#3 

We are 12's!

#4 

 feral family   

#5 

Carving Party

#6 

New Glasses

#7 

Lincoln City

I still have 9 to get to go and with the weather turning wet and chilly for the next week or so, I'll be hunkered down in my craft room and playing some more. Who knows, maybe I'll actually tackle some of the card challenges too!

Have a wonderful day and be the reason someone smiles today!

Godspeed 

Garden spaces!

Well, after some research on how to assemble a cinder block garden to the height I'd need to prevent too much bending and save my back, we found out that going three high would entail more "building" that we had anticipated. So, we started checking out galvanized stock tanks and VIOLA! We are now gardening in these two beauties!

We set them up just off the property line and next to front porch. The sun is abundant in this spot, when its not raining that is, and set back far enough that you really have to look in this direction to see them from the street. We plan on putting up a fence in our front yard this summer,  but planting time is now and we didn't want to wait. :)

Of course, we thought after we had the dirt all in them that we should ave laid down a fabric weed barrier before  placing the tanks! Live and learn, right?!  LOL! I'll just get a good mix of vinegar and water to spray the grass and we'll place gravel around the bases to clean it up and look nice. I'm so excited to have fresh veggies at our fingertips now and with our little greenhouse, we should be able to grow cooler weather veggies year round!

Our daughter, Nicole, told us we are now "trendy" because many people are starting to use them for gardening, especially in the front yards where ours is located. I had to chuckle at that ... Mom & Dad in their late 50's are "trendy"!  I like the sound of that! :)

Now to decide what to plant .... off to the garden supply store I go!
Godspeed

How does your garden grow?

Mine grows in POTS .... on my front porch! We don't have the space in our backyard for a garden since we made it into our "extended living space" and since the county took back the land where we once had a community garden, we have to come up with other options. For now, if we want our fresh tasting garden goodness, we have to grow in pots which is actually pretty easy if you know how. :) 

   White potatoes in these two ....

yellow tomatoes that a friend started from seed and so generously shared with us ....

& garlic flavored chives in my flowerbed, which she also shared in a plant exchange we did. :)

I've also planted two pepper plants, jalepeno and Anaheim chili, and zucchini in this flowerbed. We are in the planning stages of building two raised beds for more veggies and strawberries. Decided to use cinder blocks since they won't rot and look unsightly in a few years. Also hoping this pesky slugs don't like the roughness on their undersides either! ;) I'll definitely share once we start building!

Until then, happy gardening and see you in a few days!

Godspeed

OH, SO PRETTY!

I couldn't help myself this morning .... I'm suppose to be finishing up my chore list, but was drawn to the beauty outside my front door! The sun was shining ever so brightly, the birds chirping, bee buzzing in the neighbors beautiful flowered shrubs, hummingbirds making a visit to the peonies, and just a gorgeous morning here in the PNW! I grabbed a cup of decaf and took a sit for a bit just taking in all Mother Nature had to offer while enjoying my beautiful gifts from my children this past Mother's Day .....

My children know me all too well, and I am so Blessed beyond measure to have them in my life! Hope you also had a beautiful Mother's Day!  But then again, isn't everyday Mother's Day with all the love, kisses, hugs, dirty hands on the wall, muddy footprints, etc. But something we wouldn't trade for the world!

Now if I don't get off here, that chore list won't get any thing crossed off it today! 

Godspeed :)