To all my State-side friends…

I hope that you enjoy a blessed Independence Day.

____________________________

It’s been awhile

This Summer has proven to be not only busy

but really, really FUN!

Laura and her girls, Hannah and Abigale visited last week.

They braved the 14 hour trip from California to Idaho

and arrived intact and happy!

Laura, 7 months pregnant with two little ones…

She is the very definition of brave.

Amongst the trips to the Splash Park,

Yellowstone’s Bear World

and Old Faithful.

We also had a quick trip to the Emergency Room.

Yep,

The. Emergency. Room.

Laura had some early contractions, which were a little too close together.

Really scary.

But alas, after close monitoring and an exam,

all was well (mostly) and they sent Laura on her merry way (a little slower than before).

She promised to take it a little easier.

______________________________

I took hundreds of photos while Laura and her girls were here…

…you know the photos will end up in future Scrapbook Pages

but I’ll share a few more anyway.

Izabelle and Hannah feeding the ducks:

Izabelle and Parker waiting for Old Faithful

(I think they looked a bit scared that It might erupt behind them while I was taking their photo):

A lazy guy at Bear World:

Also, last Wednesday was Keith’s Birthday (he’s in the photo above w/ the Bear World Crew).

I made him this card:

I have many more photos and projects to share…

Soon. Promise.

I hope that you are all enjoying your weekend!

xoxo, Christie

Summer is definitely in  full swing, baby!

I am so sorry that my blog has been neglected.

It seems that the only time I have to browse blogs and

check email is after midnight.

The photo above is a peek at one of my TransAtlantique projects for Graphic 45.

I’ve finished a few additional projects (mostly Girls Paperie)

I simply need to find the time during my waking hours to photograph them.

Soon.

I promise.

__________________________

Life it full of:

Time with my kids

working

cleaning

Helping my Mother

laundry

My sweet husband

Lemonade

The occasional good book.

And…

just for fun

Here’s a little photo of my friend Courtney’s Puppy, Bandit:

He fell asleep on my couch.

Life is good.

Memorial Day.

Not just another day.

A heartfelt Thank to our Armed Forces

past and present

who have faught, died (or lived!)

to keep the US a safe Country

a free Country.

I am humbled by your sacrifice

you are truly appreciated.

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Spring cleaning.

Today I’m feeling it.

I’ve already deep cleaned the microwave and the outside of my cupboards…

Next, the refrigerator and the oven.

Wish me luck (haha).

I created the above layout using the new Bo Bunny “Jazmyne” Line.

I was inspired by The Color Room’s Palette #8:

It’s not an exact match…but pretty darn close.

In the photo:  My Parker & Izabelle with their sweet little cousin Kayla

I miss that girl and her darling baby sister, Addie.

_______________________________________

Be grateful today.

Enjoy time with family and loved ones.

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!

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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.