Whoa, momma!!

I haven't updated in 2 weeks...*sigh*

And the funny thing is that I don't really have anything to say...which is a VERY rare occasion.
D and I just watched the opening ceremonies (Olympics, derrr) and it was pretty awesome. Makes me want to go back to China!!! But really, I'm pretty stoked that the Olympics have started. I'm kinda nerdy and keep up with the medals and what not...whatever...I like it...AND being a nerd.

Ok, so really, I don't have much to say...thus the ramblings above and probably soon to be more...:D

REALLY ready for school to get started so we can get back into a routine...but that also means D will start traveling again...kinda sad :( But I guess I'm pretty used to it now.

Some good news...I got a new camera! AND I love it. It is a Canon Rebel Xsi...and I am pretty much addicted. I can't wait to learn how to REALLY use it to it's potential. Here are some of my favorite pics I've taken in the last week or so...
Remi girl...she looks like she is in deep thought...but she is really just sniffing the carpet...HA!

And I think this is "take another picture of me and I kill you!!!!" or something like that...

And my little diaper head...


Here's a shot of the boys playing...sorta nicely...

and my little Super hero...Super Bry...to the rescue!!!
with...a...hammer...



Still trying to figure out how to not use the flash indoor and not have it soo blurry...any suggestions would be COMPLETELY WELCOMED!! :D I actually haven't tried that hard yet to figure it out...call me lazy...:P


OK...so I guess I will share some scrappiness...and then hit the sack...

Here are two I did this week...
The first is several pics of B acting silly and just being so darn happy..

And this is one of my Nanny and Papa...I really LOVE how it turned out and I actually got LOTD at CMK...so, I was pretty excited about that...



And here are a few things from Triple the Sketch...

This is Halloween...


just a little card...

and a "tag"...Love is...



OK folks, that is all for now...I guess. My brain is just really not 100%...I have to make sure the house is looking spiffy tomorrow...We are having a going away party for some friends from church...VERY sad to see them go, but excited to see what God has in store for our town/church and them. So we are supposed to have about 30-35 people here tomorrow evening. Should be FUN!!

Nighty night...
Em

Happy Tuesday!

Hello...I am just sitting here and thought I should probably update my blog...so here I am!

My boys finally got home on Saturday...two weeks without these faces:




Ok, Ok...the last one is actually our camp bus driver...just a little inside joke for my girl Anna!! Which, by the way, you should go check out her mini book she did for her boyfriend...it's on her blog. She finished a few weeks ago...she's obsessed now and can't wait to start something new!! YAY!!!

Things have been pretty crazy...so, nothing new...HA!! We had, I think, 4 birthday parties last week...I had to bake a cake for one of them. Not just ANY cake, but a Pinapple Upside Down cake...which I have never done! I was nervous...but it actually turned out ok...at least that is what they tell me. I didn't eat any of it. I also made some cake pops for the JV cheerleaders bake sale on Saturday...I should have taken a picture, but I didn't. They were CUTE and the girls said they went SUPER FAST!! I did try these out...and they were YUMMY!!!! I HIGHLY recommend them!! The recipe is here.

My little turkey is at Boys Camp this week. This is the first time he has ever been without anyone...I think he will do fine...expect in the hygiene dept. Not so sure he will be smelling so great when he gets home...but Oh, well! I'll just toss him the good ol' shower! :D

Ok...so here are a couple of camp pics...some of my faves...
We did trust falls...(yes I did it too, but there is no picture :()



And here are some misc photos...





And here are some pics of the broken window we came home to...pretty crazy!!



Ok...I haven't posted any Triple the Sketch stuff in FOREVER!! So here are the last two projects for TTS...
Sketch #15

and
Sketch #16


Ok...That is probably enough for today! One of these days I will be caught up with EVERYTHING! I can't imagine that...HA!!

Em

What...July is halfway over!!!

AND this is my first post of the month!! EEK! Well...I do have a few good excuses!

D and I were at camp all last week in Glorieta, NM. WOW...did we have an amazing time. Of course, there were some challenges and I think all of the adults were pretty emotionally exhausted when we got back home on Saturday. I have a TON of pics...I will post some in my next post. I'm not posting anything this time...just really not in the mood.

On the way up to camp, I rec'd a text from a friend that a mutual friend had lost his mother to cancer. I tried not to let if effect me too much...but having lost my mother to the same disease over two years ago...it did make me sad. I still haven't contacted him...I just pray that he is doing well...coping as best as he can. Our bus also started over-heating about 45 miles outside of Glorieta. The two vans that were with us went ahead to register our group and it took us about 2 hours to make the rest of the trip. Sooo...that was the first day...or should I say half of our first day. During the week we had 2 trips to the emergency room...one for an almost broken collar bone and the other for a dislocated knee cap. There were several other injuries/issues, but of course God moved insanely in all of our lives.

Now on the way home, about an hour out...we rec'd a phone call that someone had busted out a window in our car...which was parked at the church. D's golf clubs and GPS were in it...among other misc. things. D was VERY distraught that last 45 minutes of the trip. He made the comment to me that it had taken over 5 years to get the perfect set of golfclubs and there was no way they could be replaced...I just started praying for him. I knew his heart would be BROKEN if they were gone. So we park...he heads to the truck, I head the other direction. Luckily, nothing was missing. I guess it was just some bored kids. We took it in Monday morning and it was ready by noon...$215 later...and we just really didn't let it ruin our days. It could have been worse...so much worse! We felt blessed despite the little bump :)

AND it has been NON-STOP since we got home...church functions, ultimate frisbee, Rock Band at our house, hanging/eating with friends, playing cards, working a little at LW, halping make posters...and much MORE! But we have had soo much fun. I don't know if I'm ready for summer to end anytime soon!

We did get some EXCELLENT news yesterday...B is officially potty trained. He and C have been at their NaNa's while we were gone (and are still there), and we asked her if she would start the process for us...He went from 15 accidents on the first day to none now!! He just goes in the bathroom all by himself and potties. I'm so totally stoked! I can't wait to see him and C and Remi (the dog)...I'm missin'em somethin' terrible!!!

Well...I will post some more exciting things...pics, etc...later this week!
Good night!
Ember

The last day of June...

Can you believe that??! The year is half way over!
They already had fall AND some Christmas ornaments out at Hobby Lobby this weekend! WHAT!!?? I think that is NUTS! BUT...I bought some cute Bunko prizes...it's not at my house until October...but I just couldn't resist. I also got a few scrappy things (OF COURSE!) and some things for my group at Camp.
Camp is next week and I am going as a "couselor" again this year...I don't really think of myself as a couselor...just hoping to maybe show them some love and more importantly God's love and just to listen and hopefully teach a little...and have fun, too!! I can't wait. I can't say which group of girls I have just yet...we are not letting them know until the day of camp and some of the girls read my blog...so the word is MUM! I will update with pics and all when I get back...

Last week and this weekend were SUPER busy! I was helping plan our church Choir banquet, which was Saturday AND a baby shower, which was Sunday afternoon...after church. So most of the week was getting those two things ready and also trying to get the house organized and cleaned! Our small group is starting back up tonight and we are having at our house now...at least for the summer. So I am trying to get the house looking beautiful! HA! Quite a task with all these crazy boys here :D
My week was also consumed with getting back to a work out routine...I had kinda fallen out of my old one and started back again Wednesday...So I was SUPER, DUPER sore Thurs-Sun. Today was much better and I hope it will only get better from here. We started doing a resistance band workout and I am totally lovin' it...It kicks my booty, but it's acutally fun.

Ok.
So my last post talked about a little contest that I was in...and that I had made it to the next round of 20...well, last Monday they narrowed it down to 10 and unfortunately my name was not on the list. I was pretty bummed, but I made a really fun project that I love and had an awesome time making. It was for Bryson's room and he totally love it, too!
Here it is...







And...
Here is also my work for Triple the Sketch...for Sketch #13...


If you are a scrapper...you should go check it out and make something awesome with Patter's sketch!

Well...That is all I can think of for now. I will leave you with a B funny...

Yesterday he was kind of upset about a little plastic golf ball that our dog Remi had chewed on. He was showing all of us, saying "Look what Remi did to my ball!"...very sad...showing each of us and making us examine it. He then walked back over to D and said "Smell it"...and D said "Smell it?"...B said "Yeah, smell it". So D smelled it and then B started giggling. We both looked at each other and I said "Did he just trick you?"
Well...I don't know if that is as funny to me as it will be to you...but I was crackin' up! The brain of a two year old...makes me giggle!

Have a great week!!!!
Em

A day late....again...

I don't know why I have been such a slacker lately! UGH!!

Anywho...
We've had another busy week. Derek was out of town all week and got back yesterday...and then he went to do paintball this morning with our church youth group...Hopefully he will get back soon :( I miss him!!!

Last night we went to a friend's house for her little one's first b-day. He was so excited to play with his new toys AND to eat cake. We had a nice time visiting...and then a HUGE storm blew in...and we had walked over to their house! EEK! So we had to get a ride home. After we got home and put the kids down, I went on the front porch to watch the lightening and noticed my hanging flowers were not there...they had fallen on our flowers below and squished one of them...then I noticed that my DH's UT thing he had hanging was gone. It's one of those metal spinning things...with pointy edges...I said it could have taken out one of the teenagers drinking beer next door (We have some college kids that live next door...I think they have parties every night..??? Can someone say payback...um, yeah!!)...I mean it could have, but it didn't. But I looked again for it this morning and I can't find it...?? The wind was seriously kickin' last night...it was awesome!

So another thing I've been slackin' at is not taking photos. I don't think I've taken a photo in 2 weeks (besides my DQ picks down there---V) So, I really don't have any pics to share :(

I know...

it's a sad, sad day in bloggy world...

Ok, snap out of it!
So the week before last we had VBS...I was in the craft room...go figure...and it was exhausting!! I was totally worn out by the end of the week...but we had SO much fun! Derek did outside rec...I don't know if we can be anymore opposite...which I think is one of the best things about us. I guess our children will be very rounded...eh?

Another super awesome thing I have been doing the last two weeks is scrapping with one of the teenage girls from my church. She's very artsy-craftsy and majorly talented and I had told her anytime she wanted to venture into the scrappy world, to let me know. So she approached me at church and asked if I could help her make an album for her boyfriend. Of course I said yes and the rest is history. I asked her yesterday if she was addicted and she said YES!! LOL!! She's been sucked in...I hope I haven't created a monster...HEE HEE!! Love ya, Anna!!!

The uber talented Lissa Anglin had a little contest on her blog a few weeks ago and I actually won! The prize was either an 8x10 of a previous shoot, 10% off a new shoot or a suprise gift...I decided I wouldn't be able to live life completely not know what the suprise was, so I opted for that. Well, I rec'd it in the mail last week and she sent me these cool little stickers of my boys...


Pretty awesome! THANKS LISSA!!!

I also had LO of the week last week at Scrap for a Cure! I didn't realize it until the week was almost over! Totally made my day! Thanks SFAC!!!!

And last but not least...I haven't shared any of my Triple the Sketch stuff...like ALL month! EEK!!!! So here are my projects...





Ok...I guess that is all for today...It's almost a new week AND it's the first day of summer...so maybe I will turn over a new leaf...??? and not be so slacky...???
We shall see...

Later,
Em

Ok...just one day late...

Not too bad, right??

I've decided that I should split this up over the next few days because I have A LOT to blog about! The last few weeks have been crazy busy!

We traveled around TX the first week of June. We went to Austin to see D's mom and drop the boys off with her. I also was able to have dinner with Patter...my Triple the Sketch "boss" and her three daughters (they're triplets). It was a lot of fun and very interesting to see 3 completely different personalities from 3 girls who looked EXACTLY alike. I don't have a picture yet...:( Coming soon, I hope!!

So then D and I headed to Dallas...he had to work...I got to shop and play. It was tons of fun. We ate at some excellent restaurants...I probably gained a million pounds and we actually got to spend some quality time together. It was a great trip. My last day there I went with Daniela to the GASC and we met up with Leslie. I have only "met" these ladies on-line...so I was a little nervous. But it turned out to be THE BEST day. We shopped till we dropped...seriously...We shut the place down!! And got some great new stuff!! We had a dramatic ending to our day, with tears, hugs and all. It was awesome!! :)
Here's a picture that one of Leslie's friend took of us...pretty cute!!














Ok...so now I am going to skip around a little.

On to some scrappy business...
CMK is having a DT contest called The Last Scrapper Standing...I thought, what the heck...sounds fun...and entered a LO for my entry...This here...


We had to lift a LO in the gallery of one of the current DT members...I chose Leslie's.









The next week they posted the first challenge, it was to scrap one of your weaknesses...Well...I only have a million so it was an easy choice...NOT!!!! I actually almost didn't make it in time because I kept changing my mind...but I managed to get it in...


















And I am one of the top 20 that get to move on to the next round!!! They actually picked me (and 19 others) to move on!! I am SOOOO pumped!!! Now we have our next challenge...to do a card or altered item using a slogan from a T-shirt. EEEEKKK!! Pretty exciting and kinda nerveracking. The other 19 ladies are AWESOME!!!!! Soo...we'll see...If nothing else, I have had FUN playing along...and am totally humbled that I was even chosen to move on.

Well...I guess I will wrap it up for today. I'll post more tomorrow or Friday...I still have much more :D

Later...
Em

Super late...

Super tired :(

I am going to try my VERY best to update tomorrow (No more complaining, peeps...I still love ya though). Be prepared...it will probably be like 5 years long :D

Ember