Seriously. This kid needs to stop growing.

Parker is now taller than me and has a DEEP voice.

Holy moly!

To create the above layout, I used the June 2011 Studio Calico kit. It’s made up of only Studio Calico kit contents, with the exception of the yellow thickers and yellow floss (used for stitching).

Do you have fun plans for this weekend? I sure do!

These photos were taken at our local splash park. My nephew, Cooper was so happy playing in the water with my kiddos.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

For those of you stateside, happy 4th!

Here’s to BBQ, lemonade, bright colored lights, and lots of laughter.

A special ’shout out’ to the men and women who defend our beautiful country. We love and appreciate you.

xoxo, Christie

P.S. You can still enter to win the Summer Stash Giveaway #3!

Sometimes a paper line comes along that just speaks to me.

No, I’m not crazy. Paper doesn’t actually ’speak’ to me.

You know what I mean, right?

Crate Paper’s, Portrait Collection is just gorgeous. I love the color combination…pink, green and black.  Just lovely.

What a fantastic day to remember!

The day my little brother, Seth married his breathtaking bride, Kristin.

Seth is still smitten with Kristin (of course). Just yesterday he turned to me and asked, “Doesn’t Kristin look fabulous today?”

More of a statement than a question.

Kristin was standing barefoot and pregnant (with their 2nd), in the kitchen.

Seth & Kristin’s wedding was held in my parent’s gorgeous California backyard. I miss that backyard….Take a look at a few photos that I snapped there a few years back:

These pink Mexican poppies grew everywhere. It was a little bit of heaven.

If you look closely, you can see Izabelle waving at me from the pool:

Thanks for taking the time to stop by my blog today, I hope you have a glorious day!

xoxo, Christie

My boy is FOURTEEN!

I’m still trying to process this.

The reason his smile is so huge?

He just opened the new Dr. Who (Mat Smith’s) Sonic Screwdriver.

If you have never watched Dr. Who…well…

You’re really missing out! It’s a fabulous show!

I’m showing some Shimmerz Love on this layout, I used:

Vibez: Jeni B Blue; Coloringz: No Yoking, Lime in da Coconut, and Anchor’s Away.

I even broke out some old Making Memories embellishments that I found while re-organizing (for the um-teenth time) my scraproom.

Have a FANTASTIC Easter Weekend!

xoxo, Christie

An old photo of me…from about 8 years ago. I really liked who I was back then; I’ve sort of lost sight of that girl. Hence the title, “Find Myself”.

I really want to…find myself again.  Back when I felt it was important to take care of myself, when I didn’t constantly put others needs before my own.

I’m working on me now.  I’m getting back to that place I was 8 years ago. Slowly but surely, I’ll get there again.

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Vegas!

We had such a good time, the four of us really needed a family get-away.

Parker and Izabelle posing in front of the “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign:

Dan, Parker and Izabelle in front of the Jellyfish at the Mandalay Bay Shark Aquarium:

Parker opening his birthday presents:

I can’t believe Parker is now 14 years old! Didn’t I jut blog about him turning 13 a couple of weeks ago?

That year flew by way too fast.

Izabelle, Parker and I in front of the giant Sphinx at the Luxor Hotel:

The Sphinx was the highlight of the trip for Parker, he’s been studying up.

Parker was telling random strangers facts about the Sphinx, I think a few people actually learned something new. Way to go Parker!

I’m glad to be home. It’s always nice to sleep in your own bed.

xoxo, Christie

We’re still in Vegas and still having fun!

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While I’m away….

Here’s a little card I created using some My Minds Eye paper from ‘the stash’. There’s a bit of Shimmerz on the card…Anchor’s Away.

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Here’s a little mini banner (it was hard to photograph). It reads:

LOVE TO CREATE

Each section of this banner is only 2 inches high. Definitely mini.

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My sweet little Nephew, Cooper turned ONE on April fools day!

Cooper with his parents:

A sweet little family…

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OK…off to explore more of Vegas!

xoxo, Christie

Gasp! A two-page layout! How long has it been?

Seriously, how long? I have no idea.

Yellowstone’s Bear World is literally 10 minutes away from my house, it’s THAT close! The first time we ever visited Bear World was when my friend, Laura and her daughters came to visit us last Summer. Bear World is AWESOME! We love it there!  It was fun to be so close to all the animals, feed the baby bears and visit the petting zoo; definitely worth the price of admission. The gift shop was good too…can you say 20 different flavors of homemade fudge?  Like I said, the gift shop was mmm mmm good!

If you are ever in the Yellowstone area, visit Bear World!

You won’t be sorry.

All the paper and embellishments on these layouts are from the October Afternoon, Campfire line.

Have a super-duper day!

XOXO, Christie

It’s so fun to think of my parents as young newlyweds. Every experience fresh and exciting, every memory new.

After 36 years of marriage, I wonder if my parents ever think back to the ride they took on the motorcycle that day.

I love to look at photos of my husband and I when we were dating…before kids, laundry and house payments. I remember thinking that there was no way I could love him more. This year we will celebrate our 15th anniversary and I most definitely love him more. So much more. Our experiences, memories, children, trials…all of it has made our love stronger.  I am so grateful that I can still feel the passion I felt back then, that I am still in love with my husband.

I am so grateful for my life, it is greater than I ever dreamed it would be.

After two months, it’s still hard to believe that my Grandfather has passed.

These photos of Grandpa Crabtree with my nephew, Cooper have become some of my very favorites. I love the smile on Grandpa’s face and Copper’s little tongue hanging out. Grandpa was always happiest when holding a grandchild, in this case his great-grandchild.

Grandpa loved the Crabtree Family Cabin in Island Park, Idaho; I believe it was one of his favorite places on earth. I took these photos of Grandpa and Cooper last Summer while at the Crabtree Cabin.

Before Christmas, I special ordered this October Afternoon paper intending to use it for cabin photos. The paper ending up being perfect for this tender memory.

It’s not an elaborate layout by any means but it is still very special. Now in a shadowbox, it hangs on my living room wall.

I have nothing but fond memories of my Grandma Clara.

She was fun, creative, a fantastic cook and an all around beautiful person.

Grandma Clara loved to laugh, watch soap operas and eat chocolate.

Grandma Clara would often go buy the “good root-beer” which in translation was in fact: Pepsi.

Grandma Clara taught me how to tie a quilt, sew a pillow case and make the perfect poached eggs.

Just a few fun memories (I have billions) of Grandma Clara.

A fun fact:

We called my grandmother, “Grandma Clara” because my mother would refer to her as, “Clara”…to us grandchildren she became “Grandma Clara.”

My mother and grandmother were the best of friends. I remember being frustrated as a child because they would spend hours on the telephone…even after they had spent the entire morning together.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I hope that you have a fantastic day!

xoxo, Christie

With a very special announcement:

My sweet little niece, Addie is now 2 YEARS OLD!

When did that happen?

This photo will soon be on a layout titled, “Eat Cake”.

Nothing like chocolate cake on your 2nd birthday.

Miss this girl already. She is one of the many reasons that I visit California so much.

…Back to regular programing soon.

xoxo, Christie