Happy St. Patrick's Day...

All week Rainee's been getting ready for her St. Patrick's Party... and every day she's been wearing a shamrock on her cheek. I love the excitement in the air around our house... it's been such a delight!!!

Besides wearing a shamrock... she's been working on her leprechaun trap... but every one has fallen apart... leaving her disappointed... so decided to help her and found a really cute one on FamilyFun.com. It's been fun watching her excitement grow as she saw it wasn't falling apart... now... she's very hopeful to catch one.... guess we'll see!!!


As for Rainee's St. Patrick's Day Party!!!!!.... We've had an awesome day!!! From moment she woke up the little leprechaun hanging around our house has been doing pranks.... silly leprechaun! At the party we ate... Leprechaun's End of the Rainbow Cupcakes... yup they really are layered with the colors of the rainbow... Rainee and I  had such fun making these... I was going to be bummed if they didn't turn out... but they were the hit of the party!!! We also ate Pot of Gold Cheese Dip with chips... Luck of the Irish Veggie Platter... and Leprechaun's Irish Jig Punch... then with the Lucky Leprechaun's Shamrock Cookies... the kids were able to decorate them any way they wanted... it was a blast!!! I kind went all out on the sign-making for all delicious dishes... which all the mom's got a kick out of. The kids played a few Leprechaun games... ate, drank and played their little hearts out inside and outside. Right now... Rainee's trying to relax after such a fun crazy-busy day... but the leprechaun keeps pulling pranks on her... crazy-funny!!! So, all in all our it was a delightful day!!!

Before go I thought I'd share one more thing... This morning while cleaning up my desk,  I found a silhouette of the shamrock used for Rainee's party invitations... and thought I'd make a St. Patrick's Day card with it... well, as it turns out when I was finished with it I found a little surprise inside the vintage book type I'd used... the surprise was the... "Good Luck" in amongst the type... I thought it rather fun... I love little happenstance like that... very fun!!!

Well our day is nearly done... but before I say good night... I  thought I'd leave you with an Irish Blessing...

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way-
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
Irish Blessing

The Awesomeness Of Kung Fu Panda...

It's been nearly 3 years since these photos were taken... and it's not like I wanted to put off scrapping them... but I just haven't been inspired on how to scrap them... I couldn't figure it out .. plus, I have sooooooo many photos... one of Rainee with each of the characters... what to do??? what to use???....When it came right down to scrapping them... I only chose a couple with Rainee... I decided I wanted her to have a vivid memory of each character (because I know someday they will be gone), so I chose to scrap each character separate... which in the end is what Rainee is most excited about... yeah, for doing the memory so she loves it!

Since I've started this layout... Rainee's been playing with these guys non-stop... she hasn't put them down for days... and now with the new Kung Fu Panda movie coming out soon... I can tell you she's over the moon about the movie and playing with them again!!! She's so adorable to watch! I do have to say thank you to SketchyThursdays for the 'awesomeness' of this sketch... it really is what inspired me to use this collection of photos... I can't begin to tell you how happy I am to finally put this memory on a scrapbook page... so thanks you thank you thank you SketchyThursdays!!! As for Rainee... well, she's happy too... she loves looking at this page with all her little guys!

What's Your Favorite...

Pastime? This is our new challenge over at TAAFOMFT!!! For me, it's spending time with my daughter Rainee. She can make me laugh at the drop of a hat... she's always coming up with something new... whether it's a dance move... mixing foods for her famous 'recipes'... digging in the dirt... blowing bubbles... looking for ladybugs... playing games... baking something yummy.... watching movies... making sandcastles... whatever it is we do together.... she never fails to make me smile and make it more fun! I love her laughter, her zest for life, her innocence and the joy she brings to everything she does... she makes a bad day better with just a hug... I am blessed for every moment we have together!!

Now it's your turn to check out the amazing creativity of our the TAAFOMFT DT and what they've done for their favorite pastime... they are wonderful!!! We can't wait to see what your favorite pastime is... so come share it with us on a card, layout or project...the prize for this challenge is a gift certificate for $30.00 at scrapbook.com!!! Whoo hoo... how much fun will that be to spend??? So come on... share you favorite...

A Week Full Of Leprechaun's... & Shamrocks...

Rainee is on Spring Vacation this week - and it seems a bit odd having it around St. Patrick's day and not Easter... but we are going to have a fun time!!! One of the things we have planned is a Leprechaun party. She has been waiting for the Leprechaun's to come back and visit... because you know they only come out on St. Patrick's Day!

Sooooo I thought I'd share the invitations Rainee helped make for the party... she loves using the Cuttlebug... it was fun watching her crank the arm to get the finished background!!! And then, of course she had to emboss Cuttlebug everything she could get her hands on... it was so cute!!! Anyway, for the Shamrocks... I looked in all my stash and couldn't find not one anywhere... so decided to cut one out using my Cricut... because surely I must have one Shamrock in there with all the discs I have... but after searching & searching... I didn't have one!!! So using my Gypsy... I melding 3 hearts and a vine together for my very own Shamrock... and I have to say... I love it!!! It's definitely a keeper!

Our week looks like it's going to be one filled with fun... Leprechauns... & Shamrocks!!! I, for one, can't wait!!! Hope your week is filled with some Irish luck... enjoy!!!

Friday's 10 Happy Things...

I love Fridays... they make me HAPPY... so I thought I would start a new challenge post each Friday... and would love for you to join in with your... Friday's 10 HAPPY things...

You can do it however you want... post them on your blog... put them on a post-it to look at all week.... however you want to do it... but the goal is to write them down... because there are so many things around us that make us HAPPY... I believe with our busy lives we need reminding of what simple things in life make us truly HAPPY... So write away... I'd love you to share yours with us... so put a link with your comment to your Friday's 10 HAPPY things...

Here are mine...

1. Whenever Rainee does her hoochi-mama dance... it makes me laugh - which happens several times a day...
2. Walking into the faintest aroma of hubby's cologne and knowing he's been there.
3. A good cup of coffee.
4. The smell of just-cut-grass.  
5. The smell of fresh baked bread.
6. Sitting outside watching Rainee play with Champ.
7. Spending time on the computer... for as long as I want!!!
8. Getting flowers... even if they are dandelions!
9. Watching movies and cuddling.
10. Climbing into bed after a busy day.

Okay....that's my 10... join the challenge... it's easy and fun to boot!!! Enjoy your weekend... Happy Friday!

Butterfly Cards...

I don't know about your house, but some weeks around here can be completely-crazy-full of things to do.. and this just happens to be one of those weeks!!! Plus every day I hear Steve saying, he doesn't think I'll get everything done... and I should let something go... but I know if I let one thing go, it would completely throw me off... Besides, it's Thursday... the crazy week is nearly done... so I'm bound & determined I will get everything done!!! Then I'll probably crash on Saturday!!!

Anyway... very quickly, here are a few cards made with two fabulous shades of purple, vintage book pages, a stamp and some butterflies. Well, that's it for today... Now I'm off to work on 2 last minute freelance graphic design jobs... my St. Patrick's Day Invites and some new EverydayFrames ideas... Hope your day is lovely... I'll see you tomorrow... thanks for stopping by!!!

Sunny Memories...

Who knew a funny little talking sponge would make my daughter laugh??? Spongebob Squarepants is one of those characters... you either love or you can't stand... and Rainee loves him. So when Rainee saw him at Universal Studios, I knew she had to get a photo with him.We'd seen him throughout the day dancing around, but getting a photo just wasn't happening... then... right before we were about to leave... there he was, with his bright happy smile, standing there taking photos with his under-the-sea backdrop... it was perfect!!! Rainee was all excited... and had to have a photo with him!! It was one more bright spot in our sunny day of wonderful memories... at Universal Studios.

Golden Beans...

Last year, Rainee and her class had the best time, on St. Patrick's Day, looking the leprechaun who was hiding all around school... and who did a little "magic" with the Gold Beans they planted in the morning... which then turned into green lollipops when they came back to check on them... it was the cutest thing watching their faces full of surprise and wonder!!!! Rainee still talks about it... and can't wait for St. Patrick's day... she's hoping we have a little leprechaun visitor at our house this year!!! You never know it might just happen!!!

I used SketchyThursdays latest sketch... I put the flower on Popsicle sticks instead of a journal block... and in my Illustrator application, I made a heart for the leaves and used it as a text path for my little bit of journal-ing... and put Happy St. Patrick's Day in the other two heart/leaves... I love how they came out. Well, that's it for today.... I'll see you tomorrow... and whatever you're doing today... I hope it makes your smile... have a great Tuesday!!!

Spring Flowers...

I can't wait for Spring flowers to start blooming... We my not have snow like a lot of you, but lately we've had a lot of rain, which makes things nice and green. But it's the Spring flowers I'm waiting for... I can't wait to see them everywhere I look with all their beautiful colors.... flowers make any day brighter. So come on spring... where are you hiding... we all want winter to be over!!!

Have a delightful weekend...

Shark Bait...

More photos from out trip to Universal Studios.... Rainee loves sharks... but when it came to putting her head in this one... she was a bit apprehensive... her daddy made sure she was safe and then she just went for it!!!

I wanted to add some fish to go along with the Shark Bait... but I didn't have any fish in my stash... so I decided to make some fun origami fish for an added something different... I love how they turned out! Rainee loved them too and she was having such fun with them... I ended up making her a whole school of fish just for her.... fun!

All Things Wonderful...

Well, here is my last baby card... for awhile anyway... I told you I loved this little baby stamp... I love that I can change it to a girl or a boy!... And those clouds... I have to thank my friend Diana for hooking me up with the info for my purchase of these fabulous dies.... from Papertrey Ink !! Love love love them!!! I think they make the perfect place for a cute baby to sit!!!

Now although... I wasn't able to play along this time with TAAFOMFT newest challenge... with me sick... Rainee sick... and me sick again... but I know you're going to love this challenge...

What's your favorite FEATURE??? Is it your... hands... hair... eyes... personality... show us your favorite!!! Whatever your favorite is... scrap it... make a card... or project... we can't wait to see it!!! As for the prize... well, you have 2 chances this time... that's right 2 chances to win... First a prize pack from Bella Blvd.!! Its their "Lovey Dovey" collection! and Design Team member Diana is hosting another giveaway for this challenge on HER BLOG... once you've played along at TAAFOMFT.. go to her blog... leave a comment and she will draw a winner too!!! So, come by and see what the DT have done with their favorites... and play along with us... 

Anniversary Blend....

Today is my 8th Wedding Anniversary... I some sometimes find it hard to believe Steve and I have been married 8 years. The time has flown by so quickly... but as each day passes... I still know I am very much loved. The past 8 years have not been perfect by any stretch of the imagination... we've had our struggles... and glorious joys... I know we made it through these last 8 years because we allow God to be the center of our marriage... the center of everything... we've learned to look past our imperfections to our greatest gift to each other... unconditional love for one another.  So, here's to us! Happy Anniversary Steve... I look forward to what life brings in the coming years... Love You!!!

Here's my Anniversary card.... I made this card because not only are we soooooooo the Starbucks coffee drinkers... but also because it's where we met. I love Starbucks! Lately I've been saving our coffee bags, to do some kind of a project with... so when it came time to make Steve an Anniversary card... I dug out my coffee bag stash and used the Anniversary Blend bag for this card... I cut the bag apart using all the different parts... and for an added touch I used some sparkly paper... it's the perfect Anniversary card for Steve.