Wow.

I can’t believe how fast the last two days just flew by!

Here are some photos of another 2008 “flashback” project.

Some of the little details from a “Mother’s Day” album I created back in 2008…

More Maya Roads chipboard embellishments…

I painted these little houses and added some pin dots.

I think this was near the beginning of my flower phase.

My flower phase still has not ended.

I often challenge myself to create a layout without using flowers.

I can rarely accomplish such a task.

I love flowers.

They’re too pretty.

I can’t help myself!

___________________

May 21st is my Mother’s Birthday.

Happy Birthday Mom!

You make life so much fun!  I love you!

Here are some fun photos of Mom:

Getting attacked by a bear in Jackson Hole:

Driving me around in a little  “Autopia” car at DisneyLand:

Goofing off (and looking gorgeous):

I recently made this card and gave it to my Grandpa Crabtree for his birthday:

In other news…

Today I awoke and the world was white.

You didn’t read that wrong.

Today

in my corner of Idaho

it snowed.

May 6th.

Snow.

It makes me miss California, where it looks like this:

And my kids get to play with their sweet cousins,

Kayla:

and Addie:

Give me a month, then I’ll be grateful for the pleasant weather in Idaho while it’s scorching hot in California.

Parker is 13!

He was just a toddler…I blinked my eyes and now Parker is a teenager?

Oh man, does that mean soon he’ll be 21?

It’s amazing how far Parker has come in his 13 years.

He’s such a happy boy (er, young man) and always has a story to tell.

When Parker was younger, being Autistic was a constant struggle for him.

It has been such a blessing to watch him grow and come into his own.

I can truly say that I would not change a thing.

Parker makes me so happy, he emulates love and innocence, his smile is infectious.

Parker tells me everyday that he loves me.

And I love him with all of my heart.

I fell in love with Little Yellow Bicycle’s, “Clothesline”,  when I read the words ‘make life beautiful’ and ‘every day’.

I immediately thought of my sweet Izabelle.

Izabelle makes life beautiful.  Every.  Day.

Kids her own age, young children, babies, animals and even adults are drawn to her sweet personality.  She is so fun (and funny), she is kind and considerate and most of all she is so unique and is never afraid to just be herself.  I hope that Izabelle is always as confident as she is now.

While I was in California I was able to spend some good quality time with a lot of important people in my life.

We stayed with Dan’s Parents while we were there and I took some photos (hundreds, actually – that’s just how I roll) of the kids with their Nana and Papa Bryant. The photos in the above (and below) layout were actually taken last Friday, I had them developed the next morning and created this layout Saturday night while scrapbooking at PSB.

Speaking of Scrapbooking at PSB, It was so fun to hang out with all my very dear friends at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique.  It truly felt like coming home.  I’ve missed those ladies so much!

OK.

Back to the layout.

I love the new Jillibean Soup line, Chicken Soup.  It was so fun to create with.  I cut out some of the flowers, chalked them and popped them up.

I also used the Jillibean Soup Corrugated Alphas, I love the look of them.

Here’s a look at the layout in it’s entirety:

I had to sneak in another photo of Izabelle with her Nana, can you believe that Dan’s mom is in her (eh, hem) 60’s?  She’s a pretty foxy grandma!

And here’s a couple of cuties that I couldn’t get enough of while I was there…

My cute little niece miss Kayla:

And her little adorable, snuggly, delicious sister, Addie:

It’s always hard to leave them.  I miss those cuties already!

But it is good to be home.

I hope that you have a Happy Friday!  Anyone have fun plans for the weekend?

My new nephew, Cooper was the inspiration for my “Sweet Pea” Cosmo Cricket Layout.

I love the “Garden Variety” Line, it’s just perfect for a new baby…and…well, a garden.

I had fun sewing on this layout (around the frame and to gather the lace at the bottom).

Is it bad to put lace on a little boy layout?

I guess the “boy” rules go out the window because I think the lace shall stay.

Here’s a shot of the entire layout:

We’re headed off to California tomorrow! I’m so excited to see these little cuties:

My sweet nieces, Miss Kayla and Miss Addie.

I love Easter.

Easter is a day filled with family, love, and to remembrance of the resurrection.

And of course…a few hidden eggs might find their way into Izabelle and Parker’s Easter Buckets.

May be you be blessed with love, friendship and family today and everyday.

Today I became an aunt to my sweet new nephew, Cooper.

My little brother Seth, such a sweet Daddy:

Kristin and Seth looking at all of Coopers little features minutes after he arrived:

What an amazing day!

I am so grateful for the little miracle called Cooper!

My sweet Izabelle has the two most adorable little friends, Marianne and Alecia.  They call themselves “The Three Musketeers”.

When Izabelle found out that she was going to miss Musketeer Marianne’s Birthday Party while we’re in California next month, she was more than a little sad.

I decided to take The Three Musketeers to “R-Jump” – a bounce house HEAVEN!   The girls were SO excited and Izabelle named me “Mom of the Year”.  Not a bad title for an afternoon spent watching them bounce around like crazy monkeys.

I picked up a dozen doughnuts (Marianne’s favorite) and made up these little favors for the girls:

They loved them!  It’s pretty easy to please little girls.

Where we’ll stop nobody knows…

Warning:  This is sort of a LONG POST

I’m back (to state the obvious) from my trip to Salt Lake/Provo. I have so much to share.

First of all…

Well…

Let’s back up slightly.

Before I left town, my cute little friend, Courtney came over to get some help on a layout.

This is Courtney:

Told you she’s cute!

Courtney really likes the new Graphic 45 “A Proper Gentleman” paper, so that’s the paper we used for her layout.

Here’s a peek at her finished project:

The cute men in the overalls are Courtney’s husband, Travis and his Grandfather Orville.

Here’s one of the little details that I helped her with:

Courtney is such a talented little thing.  She offered to help me sew a purse (I’m not that great a sewing).  If you want to see some of Courtney’s many, many creations – here’s a link to Courtney’s Blog.

OK.

Now, back to my Utah trip.

During the drive there, I took a few photos from the car window:

I’ve always wanted to take photos while driving in the car. This time I actually had my camera handy.

Before you get the wrong idea, I wasn’t actually behind the wheel while taking the above photos. Silly you for thinking that.  I was in the passenger seat while my mom was driving about 80 miles per hour (while many, many people passed us going goodness knows how fast).

Eh hem. Anyhoo…

Saturday I spent 9 hours in a line in front of this building:

But that’s another story for another time.

On Saturday night my Grandparents took my mom and I to see Shakespeare’s “As You Like It” at BYU in Provo. I really enjoyed it!  Oh boy those kids can act!

My Mom and I spent all day Sunday with my Grandparents.  It was so fun to be able to spend some quality time visiting with them. I always feel like I learn so much from Grandma and Grandpa every time we’re together.

…And it’s just an “added plus” that my Grandmother is a fabulous cook!

My Mom and I did sneak out for a minute on Sunday to take some photos of her old stomping grounds (from College days).  I think Mom had fun:

She looks pretty happy, right?

On our way home to Idaho, Mom and I made a couple stops before I had to get back to work (thanks for letting me be a little late for work Dad).

We found A fabulous Boutique and Bistro with treasures galore called, My Dear Lizzie in Highland, Utah. I’ll share some of my finds later but for now, you should definitely click on THIS LINK.

We also stopped HERE, which is a blast and a half – a “must visit” if you’re ever in Clearfield, Utah!

Sigh.

I’m home now and all is well and crazy-busy as usual.

A couple of shameless plugs:

THIS project of mine is now for sale at Scrappy Gourmet:

I’m also finished creating the Graphic 45 “Beach” Layout Class that I’ll be teaching at Paradise Scrapbook Boutique in California next month.  Can’t wait!  Can’t wait! I’ll share a peek or two of the project after I snap some photos tomorrow.

I seriously can’t wait.  PSB is my favorite place on earth!

So, now that you have tons of little links to check out…go, run wild (click wild?) and be free!