My Belated Birthday Gift

 

Gramma and Boppa



My sister Linda and I both have Birthdays in May....we love to celebrate them together when we can...unfortunately this year wasn't one of those years. Linda and I also have trouble mailing things to each other....here it is the middle of July and I STILL haven't mailed her gift.... I promise Linda yours will be coming very soon! I got mine just a few weeks ago. She sent me an awesome digital frame. Now you may ask why I am all excited about a digital frame when I scrapbook, but they are so much fun....you can enjoy all kinds of photos that you may never get around to scrapping. Just turn on your frame sit back and enjoy. It didn't take me long to see some photos that Linda had put on the frame that I DID want to scrap....so I pulled the SD card out and copied them to my computer. So for the last couple of weeks I have been taking a trip down Memory Lane looking at all these old photos and deciding which ones really were screaming "Scrap Me" The layout I posted here of my Grandparents 40th Wedding anniversary party was one such photo. Thanks to modern technology what was once a so-so photo with distracting images (aka Me at age 12 passing hors d’oeuvres with my mouth full) became a terrific photo once the food tray and I were cropped out. It really is a sweet photo of my grandparents. As I scrapped this picture I noticed the details....my Gramma had a higher forehead than I remembered....here I thought my high forehead was from my Dad...maybe I didn't stand a fighting chance of not getting a high forehead since it is clearly on both sides of my family. Her nails were always perfectly polished and when I added the pearl detail to the layout I realized she was wearing a strand of pearls. She was always such a lady. Sometimes it's just so much fun to let an older photo carry you away to another time and place....and now with this digital frame from Linda I maybe carried away more often. Thanks Linda for the great trip down memory lane.

Sketches in Thyme Sketch #52

I used another sketch from Sketches in Thyme. The sketch was really quite simple which left lots of room for interpretation so I ran off of the pattern paper and the photo for my inspiration for my embellishments.

I'm adding a few photos from the frame...lots more stories to tell...now to find the time to tell them.


Linda and Me at the Larson's Ranch

The famous Rooster Dress...this one so has a story to tell

More from the Anniversary party

A visit to our Great Aunt Mary's house.
We sure don't look excited to be here...lol

This one is BEYOND discription...lol

Photo of my dad...I've edited it some but it
needs more work.

A Memorable Few Layouts



I used the Sketches in Thyme Sketch #52 for this one



This was my layout for week #3
Love the photos of Jase when he doesn't know the camera is on him.



I've had a "memorable" few weeks over at Memorable Seasons...I joined them for their Last Scrapper Standing contest. Sadly I was eliminated earlier this week...No worries though. I am thrilled with the layouts I created and the stories I was able to share with my posterity. Besides that I have met a bunch of fun and creative women on the message board over there...so for me, even though I am not the "Last Scrapper Standing" I feel like a winner anyway!



This amazing photo was taken by my friend Jason Fitzgerald



Layout for week #4 I may not be the last scrapper standing
but I can still do the challenges! =)

Kicking it on the 4th

I decided I would post a quick post tonight. We had a great July 4th....just hung out at home and enjoyed family and friends. We barbequed  for dinner....it was a team effort Cliff made his "EPIC" Lamb Burgers  again along with his Macaroni Salad. I cooked the corn and made this amazing dessert, Red White and Blueberry Triffle. I found the recipe on my new favorite recipe blog http://www.skinnytaste.com/ tons of healthy and tasty recipes. I borrowed my awesome neighbor Jane's Triffle bowl and even took some pictures....it was as yummy as it looked! Other than that we didn't do much.

 I started my layout for the third week of the Last Scrapper Standing over at http://www.memorableseasons.com/ I have been really enjoying the girls over there and some of the layouts that they are making are incredible. So glad I decided to join in the fun. It's getting me out of my comfort zone and pushing me to try new things in my designs. I am also have scrapped some photos that I had never scrapped and told a story I haven't told before so it's been a good thing.

I've had today off....for which I am totally grateful cuz I have been really tired today...spent a lot of time on the computer and just kicking it around the house....I did get my hair cut...Thank You Jana! I was looking like a mop....so now I have cute hair again. Guess I had better close this for now...I am working in Hearing Aids tomorrow so I will be busy I am sure.  Here are a couple of my contest layouts and some photos from the 4th

This is my contest layout from week 2...love these old photos of Jase

I came across this photo of my Dad, Linda and Me...love it!

EPIC Red White and Blueberry Triffle

My son has such a wonderful smile if he doesn't know the camera is on him. =)

Poor Riley....he didn't do well with fireworks!

Love this photo of my sweetie!

Another photo of my Epic Dessert

I actually got some semi good fireworks photos this year!

Mommy

I posted on facebook this morning that it has been 37 years ago today that my Mom passed away...I wasn't really depressed about it...just more thoughtful.....remembering her...or trying to....it's been so long ago that a lot of my memories have become a blurr. I've decided that is probably why I don't have a lot of memories from High School. High School was a painful time for me watching her dwindle away...so it's easier for me not to remember much of anything from High School....oh sure I do have memories from when I was in school, just not a lot of them. Most of all I wish I could have known her as an adult...known what made her laugh, what was important to her, what made her tick....I know she adored her family. She was everything to her parents, and we were everything to her. I never doubted she loved me...and for that I am very grateful. Not everyone in this world can say that about their parents. I feel blessed. I wonder what kind of a grandma she would have been...would she have spoiled my boys rotten....probably.  I could go on and on with the questions that I won't have answers to in this life but one day I hope I will. So until then.....I love you Mommy.

Scrappy Supplies for Joplin

I saw this on the message board over at Scrap Friendzy and I think it's an awesome idea....just a litte way that we can help. These people have lost everything........ so go and check out this link and help our fellow scrappers in Joplin.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-e9B9rvU-FV9LIdGo3ZPMSbJIXzC2KjKsnwuVq6n-eeIbhDF3pLOpcPzuNNlI67np2ZSqjVtBr405jFUqZDi4hElq4tRsCXsP1o4alAKKnYWlIhIjnlRHZtQbHRQ7O6X94ZC9ehVTfC84/s1600/251254_2068631325587_1538943377_2400955_6835270_n.jpg

May Came.....

Beautiful Sunflowers from Jason <3

.     

 AND MAY WENT! I am officially another year older...but that's ok....it gave me a wonderful excuse to celebrate ALL month long! =) My birthday was low key but awesome! First I took the day off from work. I spent the day scrapping with a couple of my scrapping buddies.....went to lunch....and then later went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill with Jason and Cliff. I got to talk to Holly and Jeremy so it was all around a fun day. One of the things I got to do while scrapping with my friends was try out a new-to-me Cricut Cartridge. I loved the title of this one....so perfect to try out on my Birthday don't you think?

The really funny thing is it's so girlie....normally I wouldn't have given it a second look but Barbara made me this adorable Birthday card with it...Something she had seen in the new Cricut Magazine...long story short I just had to have the cartridge....and thanks to Barbara and her love of Ebay....she found it for me for a terrific deal!  Since then I have made a couple really cute gifts that I cannot post just yet as I don't want to spoil the surprise. So instead I will post a couple of photos from my Birthday

My awesome scrappy friends Barbara and Karen

Jason did a great job taking this one!

                                                      

Love this "thoughtful" one of Jase that I took with my cell phone



Practicing my "Advanced Happy Faces" for the door at work



Helmar

My awesome online buddy Jean posted a link for the Helmar Blog with this great sketch. http://helmarusa.typepad.com/blog/2011/06/helmar-challenges-begin-june-challenge.html
Something about it really caught my eye...I haven't scrapped a circular photo in a long time so I decided to give it a try....I used a picture from my Birthday dinner...my new Bloom Cricut Cartridge...and some wonderful Teresa Collins Posh and Timeless papers along with some of her bling. I loved the way the pink glitter paper popped against the white cardstock. I  used the sketch pretty much as is and am so happy with the results! Thanks Helmar for a terrific sketch!