My Top 12 favorite Layouts for 2012

 

Hi everyone....I know I have been a horrible blogger lately with the holidays and all...but decided I would post my Top 12 favorite layouts for 2012. So here they are in no particular order. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

I really got all creative with the paint and ink on this one

See you can do a boy page with pink, especially if said boy is
holding a sweet new baby girl. ;)

Cliff is such a great cook!

My friends and co-workers from Fountain Valley Costco
Love these guys

Nola is such a goof I swear he could live on Bowl Noodles

Love this photo that Jeremy captured of Jason at Disneyland

One of my favorite layouts from Memorable Seasons Last
Scrapper Standing Contest

Love my silly little boy...even if these photos are 18 years old! =)

Another Contest Layout from Memorable Seasons Last
Scrapper Standing

My last contest layout....I was ousted with this one...but no matter
I love that we are going to be grandparents! =)

Another old photo of the boys...love modern technology.

My Sweet Daughter-in-law and our soon-to-be grandson. =)


 

A Little Christmas Cozy

I am once again participating in Shimelle Laine's Journal Your Christmas online class. I love that she gives us permission to SLOW down this time of year and try to embrace the true meaning of Christmas. It's often hard for me to do that because I work in the retail business....retail is all about selling, making money for the company....and face it...this time of year is a BIG money maker for the retail industry. Sometimes I get caught up in the buy buy buy mentality and forget that this holiday is about the Birth of our Savior. This class really helps me to stay focused on the important things. It helps me think outside the box sometimes too and that is good for me...I tend to be an in the box thinker most of the time.

So today's prompt was about keeping calm and remembering what makes this season so magical. This was perfect for me for today as I had the day off and had a fun outing for lunch planned with my dear friend Row Anderson. So rather than write it twice here is what I wrote in my journal for today.

Today's prompt is about slowing down a bit...it was a perfect theme for today because I had planned to go to lunch with my good friend Row Anderson. So I already had a low key relaxing day off planned. We had a great time visiting and having lunch. We had already decided to have a peppermint hot chocolate from Starbucks so after lunch we headed to Starbucks and while having our hot chocolate she bought me this cute ceramic Starbucks cup Christmas ornament.  So even though I have tons of things I could and probably should be doing...it was great to spend some time relaxing and being reminded to slow down during this otherwise hectic time of year.

Perhaps now, every year when I hang that cute little Starbucks cup on my tree I will remember to slow down and enjoy the season. Thanks Row!

TIME OUT...

Holly and Me with our "Time Out" Tote Bags

I had a wonderful whirlwind weekend. The three of us took off for the weekend and went to Arizona to see Jeremy and Holly. It was so fun to see them and their new home. (yes they have purchased their first home in Mesa) Cliff had also bought tickets for Holly and I to go to Time Out for Women in Phoenix. What a wonderful spiritual feast it was. (you can find out more about it if you go to tofw.com) I am grateful I was able to attend. Of course while we were there, Bazzill just happened to be having a warehouse sale (oh darn) so I got to go. YAY ME! I got 125 sheets of cardstock for $20.00...I was thrilled. I also got some bling and some chipboard...some buttons.....etc. etc....you get the idea...=)  While I was there I had to take a picture of their really cute sign in the hallway.

 Of course all too soon the weekend was over and we had to drive home but here are a few of my favorite photos from the weekend.

I am always walking behind these guys...it made me happy to
see them together tho. =)

Holly and Jeremy at dinner at Oregano's

Kimberly Wilson, one of Holly's good friends
is now a terrific friend of ours too.

A Good Sunday

It's been a wonderful, relaxing Sunday. I love General Conference weekend. It's always a bit more laid back and such a spiritual uplift. As I listed to Conference I created this wonderful layout and I just had to take a minute and post it. It was so fun to do and I had a wonderful story to tell. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would get a photograph of the kitchen in the house that I grew up in...but when I was back in San Jose for my High School Reunion that is just exactly what I did. (See the previous post if you want to know more about my trip)  The home has been so well taken care of and it looks simply beautiful. It made my heart happy to see that. I wanted to document some of the things I could remember about growing up in that kitchen. So when I saw Lilith's facebook challenge I grabbed some of my favorite Teresa Collins Vintage Finds paper and went to work. I loved all the layers in Lilith's design, and Teresa's papers....well I am totally hooked on her amazingly beautiful designs....so, it was a win-win for me. I had such a great time creating in my studio this afternoon. It really has been a good Sunday!

40 Years

flower bed at my old house....so pretty!

Last weekend was a whirlwind of events that started with my plane landing in San Jose at around 11AM.  Just after we landed the pilot instructed us to look out the left side.....for the Space Shuttle Endeavor....and then look out the right side....unfortunately this was one time when an isle seat was not to my advantage....I never saw it. However my neighbor got an awesome shot here at home as it flew over my neighborhood....the best I could do was to jack her photo off of facebook...hope she doesn't mind. =) Thanks Peggy! After getting my luggage and rental car I took off on an adventure....wandering old haunts and seeing the "sights" of San Jose....well maybe not the "sights" but the sights I wanted to see. I wandered Valley Fair Shopping center for a while...it looks so different than when I lived there it didn't really do much for me so I left and drove down to my old neighborhood in Campbell.

As I drove through my old neighborhood I noticed one thing instantly.....the trees were all huge....much more grown up than I remembered from when I lived there. There were many houses that had either been leveled and rebuilt or had additions added on. When I turned on to my street I noticed immediately that there was activity in the front yard.....someone was home, and outside. I figured it was now or never. I really wanted to see what the house looked like on the inside. I had seen the outside many times over the years since we left but never the inside...I wouldn't have had the courage except that they were right there in the front yard. I parked and got out and walked up to the house and introduced myself. The owners have been in the house for the last 16 years. They were so gracious and immediately offered to show me the inside. I was thrilled I didn't even have to ask. As I toured the house I saw little things that were still there, even 38 years later. It made me smile. The previous owners had knocked out a bedroom and made it the dining room and then made the old dining room and part of the living room into a family room, the living room was much smaller and cozier than when we had lived there...I loved it. My Mother's old bedroom was now the "library", the walk-in closet was now floor to ceiling books....my husband would be so jealous. There was a whole new addition out the back with two bedrooms and a master suite. It was simply gorgeous. The kitchen was newly remodeled and breath-taking. The cook top and oven may have been new but all the used brick and the beautiful copper hood were still there. I spent probably an hour wandering the house, chatting and taking pictures...the time was so well spent! The house has been so well taken care of...it was the perfect way to start my reunion weekend.

Two of our awesome reunion committee members! Love them!

After stopping at the Pruneyard for a quick lunch I headed to my High School for a tour with some of my other classmates. What fun that was. It was the same....yet very different. Solar panels now adorn both the teachers parking lot and the student parking in the back. The football bowl is now new and has lights. The old portables are gone and in their place is the new science department. The Home Ec room looked the same except for some newer appliances, the Cafeteria looked much nicer than when we were there, but the snack bar looked the same, except for the prices. =) The group of us paused for a photo and then I was off to the hotel to check in.
I will post more later...to be continued. =)



This is the same spot where we we stood to graduate 40 years ago



Snack Bar still looks the same.



How cute is Cheryl with the current band
uniform? Such a talented lady. The woman
in the back on the right is the Principal
Oh yeah....she wasn't even BORN when
we graduated! haha

 

My Costco Mini Album

The Front Cover and the outside of the warehouse.

I am finally getting around to posting my little mini I made for the Costco Grand Opening. I took most of the photos, some I found on the local newspaper's website, and a few I got from friends. I have taken the book to work and it got rave reviews from my co-workers. It was just a way for me to document the opening of our new warehouse.

In the Beginning...

Grand Opening Day I was inside, got these from the
 local paper's website

The ribbon cutting photo I got from a friend's facebook page
if you know where I standing you can sort of see me...ha ha

Inside the front doors, and a view of the warehouse from the
tire center entrance.

Omar one of our "Majors Dept" Guys and look at that
80" TV!

Have you ever seen such neatly stacked clothing? The other side
is when we rolled the doors open. If you follow the arrows you can
see me and 2 of my co-workers...just barely. haha

Some of my co-workers along with some of our management team

Down the bulk wall where the bread is located and one of our
coolers.

Beautiful flowers on the front end and a cool cake from our
bakery complete with the front door on the corner like it is
in real life.

Our fully stocked Produce Cooler...yes it's cold in there!
More co-workers Trini and Kelvin

Gorgeous and pricey merchandise. Our wonderful Hearing Aid
Manager, Marcy

Giancarlo's Signature Pose....and Paul working hard to
keep things clean

Our Warehouse Manage, Rod and Keith our Ancillary Manager.

"Lifting"

Love this photo I took of Jason

and I don't mean weights either....I love to "scrap-lift". When I first started scrapbooking 16 years ago there wasn't a lot of inspiration out there....a magazine or two and that was about it. I found that after a while...my "style" (and I use that term VERY loosely) was all beginning to look alike. Then a fellow scrappy friend taught me to look at the design of a layout and change the papers and embellishments but keep the basic design, and make it your own. A whole new world was opened up to me. I took a layout that had basketball pictures on it and turned it into a Christmas layout. Of course I really am able to scrapbook without lifting but it's just nice when I feel like I am getting in a rut or if I want to scrap something in a hurry and need a jumping off place. I also LOVE sketches. They are another way to start a layout. There are many sketch sites on the web. The layout that I am posting today came from a sketch from "Let's Capture These Sketches" It was a really basic sketch but one of their designers did a page that totally drew me in....so I used a combination of the sketch, and her layout and voila....my newest layout was born. I love this photo of Jason. I think perhaps this could be my new favorite layout....only until I create another one...haha.

 Along those lines, I saw the absolute cutest mini book made from Teresa Collins Vintage Finds bingo card paper. Made by Yvonne Blair, one of Teresa's designers....even though I had already made a mini to take to my reunion I decided to make another one....I made it in an evening and I just love it. It's perfect to put in my handbag for the night so I can show off my family in style.  So thank you everyone for all the inspiration you put out there on the internet....it feeds my creativity and helps me document my families memories one page at a time.

No More Teenagers

Where has the time gone? My baby is now all grown up! I have to say I am so proud of the young man he has become and yet part of me really misses that cute little boy. So I created this layout so I could have the best of both worlds. My awesome grown up twenty year old son and some of those cute little boys shots from the last 20 years. It was really fun to look through old scrapbooks and find the photos to create this layout. It took me a while to find some of the photos since I didn't start using a digital camera until 2005...thank heavens I have a good scanner.
 I used some more of  the Everyday Moments line by Teresa Collins. Not sure I will ever get tired of the yummy blue and yellow combination of this line.

So Happy Birthday Jason....thank you for being the terrific son that you are. Love you more than words can say! xoxo, Mom


 

How Could it Be?

To say I have been out of High School a long time is an understatement. It doesn't really seem like it has been that long until I think of everything that has happened in between. This year will be 40 years since I graduated from Del Mar High School in San Jose where I grew up. I have been to all of our reunions but one (they lost me at 15 years) and have had an awesome time at all of them. Since facebook has come along I have become friends with people I didn't even really know well in High School and it has been so much fun. One thing I have discovered over the years though is that often times people will reference certain memories from High School and for some reason I just don't seem to have that many "memories" from back then. It bothered me. One day it finally hit me why I don't have a ton of HS memories...High School was a difficult time for me. My Mother was slowly dying and as the oldest child, I had responsibilities put upon me that that I not only wasn't prepared for but I certainly didn't want either. In looking back those responsibilities made me grow up way too fast. But I didn't really have a choice and face it they have made me who I am. The problem is I honestly think I have blocked out many of my HS memories. Many were not happy and because I am basically a positive and happy person I have just chosen not to remember them I guess.

 Attending reunions however has been a much different story. I can tell you something memorable from each one I have attended. I have quite a scrapbook filled with fun photos and memories. So here is to theDel Mar High School class of 1972 and our upcoming reunion!

A Joyful Weekend

We had Jeremy and Holly here this weekend...it was so fun to have all my family under one roof. I was fortunate enough to find someone to take my shift on Saturday...the weather was perfect and Jeremy and Holly wanted to go down to Crystal Cove to the tide pools....so off we went. Of course with camera in tow. (pictures to follow) as we got down to the water, Jason became my "Rock" so to speak...he was great at helping me get from rock to rock without killing myself or tripping and falling. We all wandered around checking out the sea life, mostly hermit crabs. As I hung back and watched the boys interact with each other I couldn't help but smile. Jason has really missed having Jeremy around. Sure we text and we skype and we talk on the phone but theres nothing like hanging out with your family. I love that Holly just seems to fit right in with us....I guess that comes from growing up with lots of brothers. It made me grateful for a lot. Just watching them brought me joy. Of course I took lots of pictures. I think Jason has been practicing cuz I actually got some really good, NON-CHEESY smiles from him....I was very excited about that. Thanks to Jeremy's long arms we even got a photo of all five of us! I told them it might just be our Christmas Card photo. ha ha.

After we left Crystal Cove we headed to downtown Huntington Beach. We parked and walked out to Ruby's on the Pier.  There were lots of people on the beach enjoying the gorgeous weather....and a lot of construction down on the sand as the US Open of Surfing starts next Saturday. Ruby's wasn't crowded so we had an early lunch. I think we were all so hungry from all the hiking we did. While eating lunch the kids even saw some dolphins out in the ocean. It was a perfect way to end our little outting at the beach.

All too soon of course Jeremy and Holly had to go back to the heat and their home in Arizona...but I am so glad they came and hung out with us for a few days!

Cliff did a pretty good job on this one

Love this Man!

Jason' is getting the whole-smile-for-the-camera thing down!
 No cheese in this photo!

Love this one of My guys!

He's my ROCK! He has such an awesome grip when I am walking on slippery rocks!

He's King of the World.

Love how the wave crashed just as I was taking the photo

Another adorable smile!

My boy AND My girl

The Captain's Morgan! ha ha