Bonita's Blog

The Other Parents

2011-08-15T07:10:00.000-04:00

Our daughters are in band/color guard at the high school and we took the night off tp go watch their first performance of this year’s halftime show. The band director at the high school has done a phenomenal job with the kids this year and the show is simply wonderful. It’s called Heroes Fallen, But Not Forgotten and is a tribute to all those who have given their lives in the name of freedom. It’s very moving to watch.
For me, the show is very emotional. My son, Chayce, just left home for his second deployment overseas. He came home last November from a year of service in Afghanistan and has now left for Kuwait. He will be driving a truck hauling supplies from Kuwait to Iraq. It’s so hard to watch your child leave-to know he has left the safety of your arms, your home, can be heart-wrenching. It made me consider what the birth parents of the children we foster may be going through.
I am sure many of the birth parents feel the same way. When their children are removed from their care they face the same uncertainty. They have no idea where their child(ren) are going or how they will be treated. Regardless of what the allegation is against them, these are still their children and I am certain they love them. When you look at it from that perspective it kind of changes your opinion of them. They are not horrible people, most of them anyway. They want what is best for their child, they simply lack the skills and/or resources to provide what their child(ren) need. This is where we, the foster parents, come in.
As we take these children into our homes we need to consider what they, and their parents, are giving up. Encourage their visits with each other to foster the relationship they already have. Talk with the children about their parent(s) in a positive way. Help them write notes to them (but, don’t force them) letting them know they are thinking of them. In this way, children can stay in touch. Include the parents in the child’s lifebooks.
It only takes a little effort on our part to keep the lines of communication open between the birth parent and the child, but what a difference this can make in the life of that child.

Check out Wanda's website for awesome ideas and svgs

2011-07-25T10:36:00.000-04:00

Lent

2011-03-10T06:34:00.000-05:00

Lent is the 47 days or 6 weeks leading up to Easter. It’s a time for us Christ-followers to devote and dedicate time to God. Many also fast from something during this time. I have never participated in a fast, but have always wanted to. Now I am feeling the need to. I have a lot of things I could chose to abstain from, but the one that really stands out to me is my carbonated beverages. I am constantly drinking a coke and I think that giving that up will really work to make me focus on God. I read somewhere that it takes a gallon of water to undo the damage that one class of coke, or whatever else, does to your kidneys. Wow. My kidneys will certainly be grateful for my choice. I think I will make this a yearly tradition. I need to get closer to my Lord and really focus on what He wants for me in my life. I hope to accomplish this to some degree in the next 6 weeks.

Blake's Scrapbook

2011-03-01T09:58:00.000-05:00

I got to go to my church's monthly scrapbook crop this past Saturday and spent the entire time working on my grandson's pictures. I managed to get all the pictures I have of him scrapped - all the way up to Thanksgiving (he was 7 months old). I am still behind, though. He is now 10 months old, but I haven't printed pictures in a while. I need to go to Alyssa's blog and print out some more. I can do that now that I have gotten somewhat caught up. I ran into some trouble doing them because I started feeling like all my layouts were looking the same. I decided to try some new ideas, though, and finally got something different from my regular style.

Hope you enjoy them - as always comments and suggestions are welcome!!

Blake's Scrapbook

2011-02-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

I have finally taken some time to work on getting my grandson, Blake's, scrapbook updated. I didn't realize I was that far behind until I took out the pictures to start scrapping! He is now almost 10 months old and I just finished his three month old layout. I have quite a few pictures to do before I get caught up. He's so adorable, and Alyssa takes such wonderful pictures of him that it's hard not to print out every one of them and try to scrap them all. I am trying to pick out just a few though to represent him at each month so I don't end up with 16 scrapbooks of him before he even turns 1! LOL.

These are the layouts I have finished in the past few days. With Kymberly trying to help it's sometimes hard to get them done. Sometimes I just leave a layout on my scrap table and work on it in bits and pieces over the course of a couple of days and at night after she has gone to bed (IF I can keep my eyes open and my brain in gear!)

Comments and suggestions are always welcome!!

Beautiful by Mercy Me

2011-02-19T22:50:00.000-05:00

Kymberly's 2nd Birthday

2011-02-07T07:43:00.000-05:00

I went to my monthly scrapbooking crop at church the weekend before last and took my HUGE box of pictures with me. I had no idea what I was going to work on. I am so far behind in my scrapping (having a two-year old at home will do that to you...lol)

Anyway, I pulled out some pictures we took of Kymberly's 2nd birthday party last August and decided to work on them. My inspiration took forever to come to me.....I was there at 10:00 and it wasn't until around 1:00 that I really got into the scrapping. I guess I had been away from it for so long that it took awhile to really get into it. And when I did get into it I didn't want to stop. I finished 5 pages by 4:00 and had to make myself quit or I would have been there all night!

I usually don't get into quite this much detail on a LO, but for some reason I just kept adding stuff to the page. I really like the way it turned out. Of course, it helps that my daughter (the awesome photographer) takes such fabulous pictures!

Wow Wow Wubbzy!

2011-01-13T19:14:00.000-05:00

My granddaughter is turning three in a couple of weeks and I got her Wow Wow Wubbzy invitation in the mail a couple of days ago. She REALLY loves that show. I decided to try and make her a card with Wubbzy on it and found some clipart to use to make some svgs. You can get svgs of Wubbzy, Widget, Walden and the little bird here : http://www.box.net/shared/pbuq90cs5g. I haven't cut them out yet so I am not sure they will work. If you use them I would love to see what you make!

Happu Cutting!!

Gatlinburg

2010-12-11T10:35:00.000-05:00

Frank and I got to sneak away on Thanksgiving weekend for some much needed time to ourselves. We try to do this every year and usually go to a cabin in the mountains. This year we decided to try Gatlinburg since we have heard so many good things about it. We didn't even make reservations, we just got in the car and drove up there.....lol. We left out about 5:30 on Saturday morning and were in Gatlinburg having breakfast at 9:00. It was a really nice drive and the scenery was lovely! We found a nice little motel that let us check in at 10:00-it even had a fireplace in the room! We checked in and started walking around enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Can you believe Frank shopped with me until after noon??! We even rode the skylift to the top of the mountain-it was awesome!

We drove into Sieverville and Pigeon Forge for dinner and loved it!! We decided that the next time we go we will probably stay in Sieverville. It seemed to have more to offer in the way of hotels and dining. Dinner was great!

We got back to the hotel and Frank built a fire then we spend a quiet evening watching Christmas movies and relaxing. It was a lovely time.

I got some great pictures of the mountains on the way home. We stopped at every pulloff in the rode to look at the view and/or read the signs that told about the history of the road and just took our sweet time coming home.

I didn't scrap all the pictures I took-there were just too many, but I did pick out the best ones. Some of the layouts seem to need something else, I may go back and tweek them a little. Overall I am pleased with the way they turned out. I can't wait til next year when we can go back again!!

This one needs a little something, I may go back and add something to it......

/\ This is my favorite!

More Malachi layouts

2010-12-11T10:21:00.000-05:00

I got some more layouts finished of Malachi's baby pictures. It's so hard to believe that he's already 9 years old. It seems like these pictures were just made yesterday. It's amazing how fast time goes by when you have children. He was (and is) such an adorable child!

I think this was one of his most favorite toys-he would spend hours and hours riding up and down the driveway, until the battery just died.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-11-30T14:53:00.000-05:00

This is the card I made for us to send out this year for Christmas. I made the svg from a clipart I found and it cut out pretty well. I think the card turned out really nice. I am SOOOOO glad I finally got them all done. I've even gotten all the envelopes addressed! Now all I have left to do is writed notes in the cards and they are ready to go. I'm ahead of myself for once! YAY!!

Click here for the wise men svg

Malachi's Scrapbook

2010-11-08T13:32:00.004-05:00

Lately I have been working on getting the kid's scrapbooks caught up. I have been spending most of my time on Malachi's.

I don't have a lot of his baby pictures because of the fire so I borrowed Mom's photo album and scanned just about every picture she had of him when he was little. I am using those to scrap his babyhood. Man, he was cute!! I would rather scrap baby pictures than any others, although I love doing them all!

Anyway, the photos aren't dated so I am doing a lot of guessing as to when they were taken and how old he was in each one. Occassionally I am coming across one or two that have the date printed on the photo so that is giving me some reference points to use.

I think the pages are turning out pretty nice and he will enjoy looking at the book when he gets older. Actually, he likes to get it out and go through it now, but he hasn't since I added the new pages. He'll be surprised to see them in there I think :)

My Gifts, Talents, and Hobbies

2010-10-12T13:47:00.003-04:00

I had to journal for a page in my life book about my gifts, talents, and hobbies. It really got me to thinking. I had never given much thought to what my talents or gifts were.

I know I have always loved working with kids and I am good at it. At church I have worked witht he smaller kids, ages 4 - 2nd grade since I started teaching. And I loved working with the kids whne I worked at the schools. I was good with them and loved especially doing the groups. The kids all responded to me really well. I guess those would be some of my gifts-working with kids and teaching.

As far as talents, something you are born with or something you have developed, I love to create-scrapbook pages, bulletin boards, crafty stuff, etc. I supposed I would have to say one of my talents would be my creativity. I am good at making things and really enjoy it.

When I think about hobbies, I use my talent for my hobby of scrapbooking and cardmaking. I never really got into my hobby until just the last few years-after the house burned down. I used to collect lots of things to put into scrapbooks but never actually got around to making them. After the fire, I realized how precious those things are and started making scrapbooks for the kids. I have now made over 20 scrapbooks with so many more to do. It's very relaxing to me and something I really enjoy doing. It's really the only hobby I have.

New cards for sale

2010-08-27T22:33:00.003-04:00

I made a couple of cards tonight and hope to sell them either on etsy or at the yard sale we are having next month for the Foster Parent Association. One is a 1st Birthday card in red or blue and the other is a birthday card in pink or blue. I think they both turned out really nice. The ideas just came to me after I made a sympathy card for a dear friend of mine. I've never sold cards before so I hope I have some luck with these.

Kymberly and Becca

2010-06-24T01:06:00.002-04:00

It seems so long ago that we took these pictures. Kymberly has grown SOOOO much!

Wagon wheel svg

2010-06-20T09:04:00.004-04:00

I made a wagon wheel yesterday for a friend who asked for one. I cut it and it cuts pretty well, a little more detailed than I intended, but not bad. Just click on the title to get to the svg.

I'm going places....baby....

2010-05-14T07:10:00.003-04:00

I got this little bling from my friend, Christina, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT, HAVE THE LAYOUT!: I'm going places....baby..... She has a most amazing blog! There is a catch though-isn't that always the case. I have to

1. Link back to the person who passed the award on to me........done

2. Post where I'll be in ten years.....Hah! I'm not sure where I'll be tomorrow, but I'll give it a shot! Let's see.....I will only have one kid at home (that hasn't happened in 27 years) and she will be just about 12-going into middle school. Hopefully we will still be fostering so we could be caring for more. My daughters will be 24 and 25 so they should be finished with college and maybe married (more grandchildren??). My grandbabies will be 10 and 12 and will hopefully be spending a lot of time at my house :). My son and his wife should be finished with the Army and have their children as well so I will be spending time with those grandbabies as well. Hmmm.....sounds like my life will still be filled with children. Sounds absolutely perfect to me!

3. Pass this award on to ten friends. Oh, the hard part. Now I have to choose ten friends to pass it along to........and figure out how to do it, too. I lost my list of favorite blogs when my computer crashed so I don't know the addresses of ten friends. The only ones I know are Wanda at http://wandascrafts.blogspot.com/ and, Penny at http://pennyduncancreations.blogspot.com/. And of course, Christina, but since she gave it to me, I obviously can't give it back to her....lol.

Here is the award:

Blake

2010-04-29T12:45:00.002-04:00

Here are more pages I did for Blake's scrapbook during my weekend crop at church. I had so much fun making these. I wish the pictures of them turned out better.

Blake's first scrapbook pages

2010-04-29T11:43:00.003-04:00

I scrapped Blake's first pictures, taken by Alyssa, and loved the way they turned out. The pictures of the pages aren't that great due to the glare of the page protectors, but you can still see the pages pretty well so I decided to leave them as they are. Alyssa is a phenomenal photographer! She really should do this for a living. I love, love, love the photos she takes!! It makes scrapping so easy-except for the part of deciding which ones to do-I simply cannot afford to scrap everything she takes!! HAHA. Haley already has two big albums full of pages and she is only 2 years old! And baby Blake turned a week only yesterday and I have 8 pages for his album already. One thing is for sure, I will never run out of scrapbook subjects-I just may need to take out a loan for the supplies.......LOL!

My grandson has arrived!!

2010-04-23T08:29:00.005-04:00

Blake Isaac Filkins made his arrival April 21, 2010 at 5:08 am weighing in at 8lb 5oz and is absolutely adorable-of course!! Seth called me at 4:48 to tell me they were at the hospital and Alyssa was fully dilated. He called back at 5:30 to tell me that Blake had been born! They said they got to the hospital at 4:00, spent 10 minutes or so registering, got to the room, pushed three times and out he came!! No time for any drug so it was all natural. That's the kind of delivery every mom should have!! Way to go, Alyssa! I am so proud of her! She is living the exact life I always dreamed and prayed she would have. God is so awesome!!

Two new layouts for Haley

2010-04-11T08:29:00.003-04:00

I finished these Saturday. Haley turned 6 months old in July 08 and it was the first time she got solid food. At first she wasn't impressed and Alyssa got some great shots. When she tried the peaches, though, she loved them. I loved the pics Alyssa got!

Sugar

2010-04-09T09:12:00.002-04:00

I finally got some good pictures of Sugar, my little Sugar Glider. It's been hard to catch her on camera since she is nocturnal and doesn't want to come out of her pouch in the daytime. She's the sweetest little pet I've had since Baxter, the prairie dog my brother gave me years ago. She won't get any bigger and is very social. The only thing I wish I could convince her to change it that she "barks" to me every morning around 4am so I have to get up and get her some raisins. I think she is spoiled already!

2010-04-08T13:02:00.000-04:00

2010-04-08T12:56:00.000-04:00

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-04:00

More layouts

2010-04-08T12:50:00.003-04:00

Alyssa took these awesome pictures of the girls and I had some wallets printed out. So I decided to make layouts for each of their books and one for me. I love the way they turned out!

Some layouts I finished

2010-04-08T12:42:00.002-04:00

I finally finished some of Haley's layouts during a scrap day we had at church. I did 15 pages that day---whew!!--all of Haley. I have managed to finish her First 6 Months Album and can now start on her second 6 months. Not too bad considering she turned 2 in January! I still have TONS of pictures to scrap, sometimes I wonder if I will ever get them caught up. Once upon a time I was caught up, I don't know what happened. I take that back-I do know what happended. My daughter, Haley's mother, is a phenomenol photographer and I can't help but print out nearly all the photos she takes. They are all so good. It's hard to pick and chose just a few. And now she is having another baby in May. More photos. I just have to face it. I will never get them all done! Oh well, at least I will have something to keep me busy!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2010-04-06T08:49:00.001-04:00

I uploaded all my Yo Gabba Gabba files and also added Toodee to the bunch. I haven't cut any of them so please let me know if there are any problems.

Here is the link, http://www.box.net/shared/z77jmgtzyj

Shopping cart svg

2010-04-06T08:15:00.002-04:00

This is a layout I did with the shopping cart svg I made. I was SO surprised when it actually cut well!! LOL! After that is when I started playing around with making more of them. I love this layout! It was Haley's first time riding in a shopping cart without the infant seat and Alyssa took her picture with her cell phone to document it. Of course, I had to scrap it!

If you would like to have the svg, here is the link http://www.box.net/shared/148a8t8sxx

I made some svgs!!

2010-04-05T13:30:00.002-04:00

I have been playing around with inkscape and actually made some svgs of my own to share. They are pretty simple but I think they are pretty cool considering I made them myself...hehe. I couple of them are actually useful too, haha. You can check them out and download them for your own use if interested at http://www.box.net/shared/pbuq90cs5g. I haven't cut with any of them so I don't know yet how they will do. Please let me know if you use them how they work for you. I don't know how to post pics of them here so you can see what they look like, but I did make a layout using the shopping cart that I will post later. It does cut really well. Thanks for looking!!

Count Your Blessings

2010-01-06T09:01:00.002-05:00

I got this off the Faith Sisters forum.....

Words: Johnson Oatman, Jr., in Songs for Young People, by Edwin Excell (Chicago, Illinois: 1897).

When upon life’s billows you are tempest tossed,
When you are discouraged, thinking all is lost,
Count your many blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Refrain
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
Count your blessings, see what God hath done!
Count your blessings, name them one by one,
And it will surprise you what the Lord hath done.
Are you ever burdened with a load of care?
Does the cross seem heavy you are called to bear?
Count your many blessings, every doubt will fly,
And you will keep singing as the days go by.

When you look at others with their lands and gold,
Think that Christ has promised you His wealth untold;
Count your many blessings. Wealth can never buy
Your reward in heaven, nor your home on high.

So, amid the conflict whether great or small,
Do not be disheartened, God is over all;
Count your many blessings, angels will attend,
Help and comfort give you to your journey’s end.

Kimberly and the Big Step

2010-01-05T23:09:00.002-05:00

We got so tickled at Kimberly playing on the hearth. We had kept telling her "no" each time she got up there but for some reason she was just fascinated with it and kept climbing up. This time I decided to record her. Then was trying to get down but was afraid to make the "big step" that she needed to take to do it and was really telling us about it. Finally Rebecca went over to help her and you could really see the releif on her face when she saw that she had some help. She was just too cute!

Wedding Scrapbooks

2010-01-05T22:59:00.002-05:00

I finally got Alyssa and Chayce's wedding scrapbooks finished and uploaded all the page photos to my facebook page. I may upload some of the pages here, too. There are a lot of them. I was so proud of the fact that I finished before Christmas - until I cleaned off my scrap desk and found ANOTHER stack of pictures that I had not done for Chayce and Nicole's album. I am starting to wonder if I will ever finish that one and be able to move on to something else!?!

Here is the link if anyone wants to check out my scrapbook photo album..... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=77936&id=674152211&l=cfd841cbc1

Comments are always welcome!!

2009-12-12T15:51:00.000-05:00

Suggestions for items to send to Chayce

2009-12-12T15:48:00.002-05:00

I spents hours today surfing the internet and came up with a pretty extensive list of things to send to Chayce while he is stationed in Aphganistan if anyone is interested. His address is: PFC Chayce Eberhart, 802nd Ordinance Company Ammo, KAF APO AE 09355. Thanks so much for all your support. Even a Christmas card would be awesome!!

Here is the list:

Energy drinks
Sodas
Bottled water
Gaming magazines
Newspapers
Sunflower seeds
Gillette Fuzion razor blades
Shaving cream
Small bottles of lotion
Chocolate covered cherries
Gum, chewing and bubble
Lifesavers
Baby Wipes - packets are better than tubs.
Atomic Fireballs / Jolly Rancher hard candy
Smarties or SweetTart candies
Avon Skin So Soft - great for removing face paint and also reputed to be an effective bug repellant
Batteries
Eye Wash / Drops (Visine, etc.)
Zip-Lock style Plastic Storage Bags - assorted sizes, heavier freezer style are better
Pre-paid Phone Card so service member can call home
Pert shampoo
Ivory soap or shower gel
Crest toothpaste
Dental floss
Stationary
Stamped envelopes
Pens
Army movie DVDs
Drink mixes to add to water bottles
Pop tarts
Recorded TV shows-Family Guy, Simpsons, Scrubs
Lip balm
Wipes for cleaning his glasses
Handwarmers
Cereal
Cookies
Lotion
Axe deodorant
Microwave popcorn
itunes card
Beanie babies to give to kids
Spaghetti-Os, pop-top can
Ravioli, pop-top can
Instant Oatmeal
Peanut Butter
Grape jelly
Pringles chips
Hot chocolate
Crackers
Cheese spread
Bug repellant
Hand sanitizer
Antibiotic cream
Hydrocortisone cream
Baby powder
Advil
Antihistamine
Nasal Decongestant
Menthol rub
Pepto-Bismol tablets
Mini first aid kit
Q-tips
Kleenex
Ear plugs
Nerf Balls
Football
Baseball
Silly String
Bath towels
Twin sheets
Blankets
Playstation games
Computer games
Gel innersoles
Foot powder
Heated socks
Antifungal cream
Fingernail and toenail clippers
Tweezers
Small mirror
Tobacco (for bartering-Copenhagen and Marlboro Lights most popular)
Lunchables
Small handheld games
Clorox wipes
Packets of laundry soap
Toilet paper
Mini flashlight/book light
Playing cards, dice
Puzzle books
Travel games-magnet chess or checkers
Dart board or basketball hoop for back of door
Pencils, sharpeners other school/drawing supplies for kids
Air Fresheners
Thermal care patches
Ben-gay or other muscle rub
Fruit snacks
Silly Putty
Metal dental picks for cleaning guns
Packets of ketchup, mustard, mayo, sugar
Vienna sausage
Duct tape
Fruit and pudding cups
Plastic spoons
Downy dryer sheets
Easy Bake oven with mixes
Baseball gloves and baseballs
Can/bottle Koozies
Inflatable pillow
Boxers-size 36
sewing kit
shoelaces
vitamins
Little Debbie snacks
flip flops
alarm clock
thermos
lollipops
magnets to put pictures on his locker
strands of funny lights for decorating
Chia pet

It's a Boy!

2009-12-10T12:32:00.003-05:00

Alyssa had her ultrasound on Tuesday and found out the they are having a boy! We are having a grandson! I am so excited!

FaithSisters Challenge

2009-11-25T14:06:00.001-05:00

As the year is coming to an end we are busy planning for next year. In 2010 we are going back to the basics of leaving a legacy of faith. This years challenges are all focused on YOU and your lifetime story. When you join us in this challenge you will be creating a mini-autobiography. We are counting down the days till January 6th because we are so stinkin' excited about the My Lifetime Story challenges!!!

Wouldn't you to know what your grandma's favorite toy was as a child, how she felt when she met your grandpa, her favorite scripture and the song that expressed her heart? Your children and grandchildren will have that treasure when you join us in this challenge!

We will start out with your family roots in January and move into your childhood in February. We will continue throughout the year with your teen and adult years as well. The last challenge of the year will be a letter to your future generations or anyone who reads your book.

http://faithsisters.com/forum/index.php?topic=11486.msg111171#msg111171

Each of our stories is important. This is a book that everyone should create about themselves. It will be the most treasured album of your family. As you create this album about your lifetime story you will be leaving YOUR LEGACY OF FAITH. This is an album that can make an impact in your life as you create it, but it will also create a major impact in the lives of your family both now and in future generations. As your children read your story in this scrapbook that YOU created, they will take your stories to heart. Your stories may have more impact on them than even Bible stories, because they are personal and from someone they know and . When friends and neighbors pick up your storybook and look through it you will be witnessing without even saying a word. They will read your lifetime history and discover your of Jesus, and His forgiveness and faithfulness in your life!

The My Lifetime story challenges will begin the first Wednesday in January. A new challenge will be posted each Wednesday all throughout 2010. The last challenge will be posted the last Wednesday of December. Just because the challenge series ends at the end of 2010 doesn't mean your lifetime story album is finished. We will continue to offer periodic challenges to continue your autobiography and keep it current.

Please join us in this year long challenge! Some of these challenges may be layouts you have already completed. That is ok! We need to get these all compiled in your lifetime storybook. Everyone deserves to be the star of their own book, including and most importantly YOU! If you don't put some time aside to create your My Lifetime Story album now, you may never find the time. If something were to happen to you, would your legacy of faith be lost forever? Take action now, join us as we create our lifetime storybooks for the next generation to see the glorious work the Lord can do in the life of a woman that loves God!

Begin thinking about what size album you would like to use for your My Lifetime Story challenge. started hers in an 8x8 but now has decided that she needs more space so is moving up to a 12x12. is doing hers 12x12 also because she knew she had a lot she wanted to fit into this album. What size do you prefer? Start gathering your supplies now so you will be ready to start when we kick off the first challenge January 6th!

Next week we will post a Photo List so you can start gathering photos that you will need for this challenge.

Four Generations

2009-11-02T21:15:00.002-05:00

On Grandparents Day Alyssa made me realize we had four generations of women all at one place so we took this picture. I can see so many similarities between the four of us!

Get SCAL free!!

2009-11-02T21:04:00.002-05:00

Want to get SCAL free?? Just go to http://svgcuts.com/blog/?p=3769 and follow the directions to enter. It's just that easy!

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2009-10-26T13:16:00.004-04:00

I got a little creative today!! I saw a post on one of the boards where someone was looking for Yo Gabba Gabba cuts and, since my granddaughter loves them, I thought I would give it a try and make some. Now, you have to know me and know that I have made exactly three things in inkscape and that's about it!

I found some clip art of their faces (not an easy task) and went into Inkscape and made svgs of them all (except for Toodee which I haven't gotten to yet). Mind you, I am not the greatest when it comes to inkscape so this took some time for me.

Anyway, here is the link if anyone wants to try the cuts-I haven't yet so I am not even sure if they work!! :) http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=afe4b4d7c22d6c61e62ea590dc5e5dbbc5a97e56d0c9f89761390143435ec59c

Please be sure to come back and leave me a comment and let me know how they work for you!!

First Bath

2009-10-12T16:41:00.002-04:00

Noah did NOT like his first bath!! You would have thought I was pulling his leg off to hear him when I first put him in the water, but after a couple of minutes he decided it was actually quite nice and he seemed to really enjoy it. I was lucky Rachel had the camera and was able to snap both of his reactions!

Baby Boy

2009-10-12T16:36:00.002-04:00

I love this layout. He has so many cute expressions and I have tried to catch as many of them as I can on film. He loves to sit outside with me and "talk". It looks like you can almost hear him with these pics. Don't you just want to pinch his chubby little cheeks?!

Monnie's Page

2009-10-12T16:32:00.001-04:00

I did this page as a tribut to my sister-in-law, Monnie. She passed away from cancer in April of this year and we all miss her so much.

Busy, busy, busy!!

2009-10-12T16:26:00.003-04:00

So much has happened since my last post! Three of the kids have been involved in football so it's been hard for me to get on the computer-especially since the two girls want to be online all the time, too. LOL. We're fostering two babies full-time now as well so my time is very well-spent.

I don't get much time to scrap or work on any other crafts lately, but try to squeeze in a few minutes here and there whenever the babies are asleep or late at night (if I can keep my eyes open).

I'm still working on Chayce's wedding album-I've done a lot, but have to wait until I order some more pictures from Smugmug to finish the rest. I was hoping to get it finished before he shipped out, but he is leaving in November for Aphganistan and I don't think I will be able to get it done. It's a goal, though.

I'll start putting up some of the pages I have finished and as always comments are welcome!!

Happy Fall ya'll!!

2009-08-05T10:26:00.001-04:00

2009-07-24T20:20:00.001-04:00

Chayce's Wedding Scrapbook

2009-07-24T20:14:00.004-04:00

I started working on Chayce's wedding scrapbook.i don't know if I will ever get through all these pictures!!! These are a few of the pages I have done already. Nicole and Chayce looked so wonderful and we are so proud!

Decorating Easter Eggs 2009

2009-06-26T08:44:00.000-04:00

2009-06-26T08:34:00.005-04:00

I finally remembered to take pictures of the kids when they decorated the eggs. Every year we decorate the eggs and I forget to take pictures. This year I didn't forget! We even got Brandon involved-he said it was his first year to decorate eggs. Hard to believe, we have done it every year since the kids were born. They did a great job, some of the eggs were very creative and they had a great time! I got some great pics, too!

2009-06-20T11:19:00.002-04:00

This is one of the Easter layouts of the kids. We had an Easter Egg hunt at the house and the older kids really got into it-after it was mentioned that the prize egg contained money :). We fooled them into looking all around one tree by calling out "hotter", "hotter" every time they got near it. it was a hoot for us!

Haley wasn't too interested in hunting for eggs this year. Guess we need to wait one more year for her to get old enough to understand what it's all about. She did like the gigantic egg I put in the yard for decoration, but other than that she wasn't interested.

2009-06-20T11:17:00.001-04:00

Seems like Frank and I have a hard time getting our picture made together. Alyssa took this pic of us on Easter Sunday at the house. I thought it turned out pretty good.

2009-06-20T11:14:00.002-04:00

I did this layout of Rachel and her boyfriend, Brandon. The picture was taken on Easter Sunday when we all went to church for early services and it was one of those rare times Rachel actually dressed up. It's Rachel's first "real" boyfriend and they have gotten very close. He's really a great guy and we like him a lot. The two of them make a nice couple.

2009-06-20T11:05:00.002-04:00

These are the layouts I did for Becca's 13th birthday. She is crazy about Tinkerbell so we ordered her a Tink birthday cake that was simply adorable! Plus, I made cake for the family dinner we had at home for Becca and Alyssa combined. It's not nearly as pretty as the Tink cake, but tasted good nonetheless! She didn't have a big party this year, just some friends over for cake and ice cream then they went to the skating rink. My little girl is a teenager-hard to believe.

2009-06-20T10:58:00.003-04:00

This is one of those rare times I actually got a picture of Kimberly smiling. She smiles all the time, but if you get the camera out she seems to know it and won't smile no matter what you do or she will smile until you get ready to take the picture. It's like she psychic or something and knows exactly what you want to do. And she has such a pretty smile. I wish the "baby" part of the layout showed up better. The letters were stickers i had that looked great on the sheet, but not so much when I put them on the page. Still, I'm pretty pleased with the way the layout turned out.

2009-06-20T10:46:00.002-04:00

Alyssa and Seth came over to the house last night to give Frank his Father's Day card early since they are going to Gatlinburg to celebrate their anniversary. I wasn't home-Rachel and I were still in the mountains delivering Malachi to camp. After we got home Alyssa called me and told me she had sent me an email and wanted me to read it. i pulled it up and it was a picture of Haley. Alyssa told me to read her shirt...............they're pregnant again!!

The new baby is due March 1st. I am so excited! This will be grandbaby number 2! I'm not sure when we will find out what it is, but it won't be long.

It's so cool that she told us near Father's Day. We found out about Haley on Mother's Day two years ago.

Congrats Alyssa and Seth!! Our prayers are with you for a safe and healthy pregnancy!

Monnie's Page

2009-06-08T15:25:00.002-04:00

This is a memorial page I made for my sister-in-law, Monnie, who passed away from cancer in April. She was such a dear, and so young. It was heart-breaking to lose her so early. I used a lot of embellies and stickles on her page because I was trying to make it as sparkly as I could without being too overwhelming. I think it turned out really nice and is a fitting tribute to her.

Swingin'

2009-06-08T15:22:00.001-04:00

This is a pic of one of the last days of Kimberly's swinging days-one of the first days she started coming to us. She does'nt fit in the swing anymore but she really loved it when she did. She grew out of it pretty fast, too! We have a swing at church that she can still ride in and she loves to sit in and and swing-it swings sideways, which is pretty cool, and I think she actually looks forward to getting in it.

Kimberly's smile

2009-06-08T15:18:00.002-04:00

It is SO HARD to catch Kimberly's smile on film!! She will smile the prettiest smile but by the time you get the camera out it's gone! It's almost like she knows you are trying to capture it and she hides it on purpose. Barb took her to a photographer who must have been part magician because he managed to get the most beautiful smile of hers I have seen on film. I had to scrap it, of course! I kept the embellies to a minimum because I wanted to picture to really stand out. That smile is so bright!

Haley Love

2009-06-08T15:13:00.002-04:00

I just cannot believe how big Haley is getting. It's like she has suddenly sprouted before my eyes. Why do they do that!!?? I so wish they could stay little longer. It wasn't that long ago that she was just learning how to stand on her own and now she can take off and run, and run, and run!! Alyssa managed to catch her standing still to get these pics and her expression is so adorable. She never says anything when I see her, but from the picture you would think she is talking up a storm. Wonder what she is thinking........................?

Bows and Butterflies

2009-06-08T15:07:00.002-04:00

I LOVE these pictures of Haley!! She looks so happy and she's such a girly-girl i thought the bows and butterflies would make the perfect embellies for the page. You can't tell from the pic, but the paper has glitter dots on it and really sparkles. I outlined the bow and butterfly in stickles so they sparkle too. I think the page turned out really cute!

Free Files

2009-05-03T01:18:00.002-04:00

I've been playing around with Inkscape and have made a few files that i have posted here http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=afe4b4d7c22d6c61e62ea590dc5e5dbbe04e75f6e8ebb871 to share. They are pretty simple, but I am proud of myself for being able to make them. I would love to see what others do with them. if you use any of them please leave me a comment and a link to your blog so I can see what you have done.

Haley and Kimberly Layouts

2009-04-11T19:56:00.002-04:00

I took some time and finally got some pictures of Haley and Kimberly scrapped. It was definitely a challenge to make each layout different.

More Kimberly Pages

2009-04-11T19:47:00.004-04:00

Haley Pages

2009-04-11T19:44:00.000-04:00

Becca's Smile

2009-03-30T16:05:00.001-04:00

I found this photo while I was working with some of Chayce's pics and it just cried out to be scrapped. I think Becca was about 4 when it was taken.

The rest of the Snow Day LOs

2009-03-30T16:02:00.001-04:00

Finally Caught Up!...sorta

2009-03-30T15:55:00.003-04:00

I spent most of the weekend working on my scrapbook layouts and was able to finally get (sort of) caught up with the pics I wanted to scrap. These are the los I did from the snow pictures we took at the first of the month. We measured 10.5" of snow in our driveway after it all stopped falling. Rachel took most of the pics since I was too cold to go outside-we didn't have power for a day and half so it would have taken me way to long to warm back up. I preferred to stay inside huddled by the fire. Enjoy!

Color Palette Generator

2009-03-30T12:48:00.001-04:00

I found this awesome tool and wanted to share. You upload a photo and it gives you a color palette to use with your layouts. Go here http://www.cssdrive.com/imagepalette/index.php to check it out.

Layout for a sketch at Tamara's blog

2009-03-26T11:27:00.003-04:00

I did this layout as part of a sketch at Tamara's blog. It was easy and fun to do. I enjoyed putting the colors together and think it turned out pretty nice.

Kevin's 7th Birthday pages

2009-03-22T22:20:00.002-04:00

I had fun scrapping the pictures from Kevn's 7th birthday. I had more pictures than I realized and it was interesting to try to fit them into the smaller 8 x 8 pages. I used a kit and had to cut the embellies from it. THAT was NOT fun. I would much rather use my cricut, but the embellies were so cute!

One more page from kevin's 1st birthday

2009-03-22T22:18:00.001-04:00

This is the last page from Kevin's first birthday.

More of Kevin's Scrapbook Pages

2009-03-22T22:11:00.003-04:00

Here are some more of the pages I have scrapped for Kevin's scrapbook. It was very challenging to try to get everything to fit in the small 8 x 8 pages. I have found I definitely prefer 12 x 12 layouts.........lol!

Haley's ready for Spring

2009-03-20T07:32:00.002-04:00

Alyssa took these photos of Haley on St Patrick's Day. She looks wonderful in green! I plan on scrapping them, but just had to post them because I thought she looked so beautiful.

Kevin's Scrapbook Pages

2009-03-12T07:33:00.001-04:00

I finally got around to start scrapping Kevin's baby pictures. These are some of his newborn pictures. Hard to believe he's almost 30 years old!

I won Blog Candy!!

2009-02-15T14:53:00.002-05:00

I entered a contest on http://sameoldscrap.blogspot.com/ and actually won!! This is the first time I have ever won blog candy and I am so excited! It's a seriously cool prize, too. I will be checking my mailbox every day now for the next week and stalking the mailperson.......hehe. Thanks Christina!!

Valentine's Cards

2009-02-10T13:08:00.002-05:00

I made a Valentine's card for Frank this year and Rachel and Rebecca talked me into making cards for their boyfriends, too. I made theirs similar to each other, but not quite identical. I think all the cards turned out looking pretty nice. I hope the guys like them and appreciate the effort that went into making them. Frank's card is the one with love on the front.

Book of Me Engagement Announcement

2009-02-10T13:04:00.002-05:00

I found a copy of my engagement and wedding announcements in a box of my mom's pictures so I decided to do these layouts for my Book of Me. I used my new JR Stampers for the dates and think they look so cool. I LOVE those stampers. I can't wait to play with them some more. I had fun with these layouts-I just kept adding more and more stuff to them!

Prayer for My Children Layout

2009-02-10T12:34:00.002-05:00

I did this layout for a challenge. It's a prayer for Chayce based on Isaiah 54:47....."No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement, You shall condemn. "This is the heritage of the rewards of the LORD, and their righteousness is from Me", says the LORD."

This became all the more meaningful to me as Chayce came home from his drill on Sunday to tell us that he is in line to go to Afganistan in October for a year's tour of duty. My prayers are with him.

Our house in the Fall

2009-02-10T11:07:00.002-05:00

I took this picture of the house this past fall and the angle makes the house look so nice I thought it would make a good scrap page. The paper is from Oriental Trading Co.

Chayce's Bathtime pics

2009-02-10T11:02:00.002-05:00

I found these pictures of Chayce in some of my mom's pictures and was so excited! Since the house burned down I get excited anytime i come across baby pictures of the kids. I loved these of Chayce getting his bath and love this layout.

Christmas Day at my inlaws

2009-02-10T10:58:00.003-05:00

This is a layout I did of my girls being silly at my inlaws house. My nephew was teasing them and I got these great pictures of them laughing at him. I thought it would make a great layout, but I really had a hard time coming up with a title for it at first.

I am FINALLY finished with the Christmas pictures!!

2009-02-02T20:52:00.001-05:00

Check out http://going-buggy.blogspot.com/2009/01/blog-candy.html. She is giving out some great blog candy over on her blog. Plus her blog is the coolest for card ideas!

Another Haley layout

2009-02-02T17:08:00.003-05:00

I scraplifted this layout from a challenge on Faith Sisters. I didn't do it exactly like the sketch because i was using Chrismas pictures but I like the way it turned out. I also didn't put as much "bling" on this one-I want the pictures of Haley to be the focus.

Christmas Day Layouts

2009-02-01T21:55:00.002-05:00

It's Christmas Day and time for presents! Everyone gathered in the living room and my niece Sarah was elected "Santa". She did a really good job. I made my mom a scrapbook from all the pictures i found in her box starting from her baby pictures all the way up to her last birthday this past year. She cried when she looked at it. Of course, it fell apart as soon as she started looking at it and I had to put it back together right there in the living room before she could finish. It made for a wonderful memory and I was able to scrap it for my book! The pages turned out nice, I think, and I was able to get them nice and filled out.

Christmas Dinner Layouts

2009-02-01T21:49:00.002-05:00

These are the layouts from Christmas Dinner at our house. I cut the pie, turkey, candle, and wreath with SCAL then colored them with colored pencils. The holly berries are dyed Dew Drops and I stickled the leaves on the candles and the ribbons on the wreath. I think the page turned out pretty nice-I just kept adding stuff until nothing else would fit.

Haley's 1st Christmas PAge

2009-02-01T21:44:00.002-05:00

This is the page I made for Haley's 1st Christmas. I got the idea from a page I saw on one of the blogs I saw. I didn't use as many ribbons and embellishments because I wanted the fosus to be on Haley. This was alos another chance to use my JR stampers :). The tree branch and stars are rubons I got at Micheal's. The flower is a metallic flower from OTC with floer soft on it-my first attempt. I had a little trouble getting it to stick to the metal and I think I put it on a little thick, but oh well............that's how you learn.

Khali's card

2009-02-01T21:38:00.003-05:00

I made this card for my great-niece's birthday today. Great excuse to play with my new Just-Rite stamps! I used a scrap-lifted design I got off one of the blogs I visit-I just can't remember which one...........I did'nt have any little girl paper, so I just used the pink. I was so happy they liked it when they opened it today. I think they really liked it that her name was on it. I used SCAL to cut out the letters for her name then outlined them with stickles to make it more sparkly. I also outlined the colored paper in stickles.

2009-01-30T16:12:00.003-05:00

Check out Christina's blog http://sameoldscrap.blogspot.com/. She is giving away some awesome blog candy!

2009-01-30T07:34:00.005-05:00

I got this layout from a challenge on a group at Cafemom.com. It was DEFINITELY a challenge! Trying to get those papers to line up just right was a booger. I think the bottom picture was supposed to be a 4 x 6 landscaped because there just seems to be too much background showing, but, oh well. This is how it turned out. I think I am going to go back and outline the "YUM" with a marker or stickles to make it pop out a little more. There is still something about it that's missing, but I can't tell what. It seems kind of plain to me. I guess I am just too critical of my own work. Suggestions are appreciated!

Psalm 22:26The poor will eat and be satisfied; they who seek the LORD will praise him— may your hearts live forever!

2009-01-30T07:24:00.003-05:00

I kind of made up this layout as I went along. I loved the papers! I had the stickers and knew I wanted to use them in a cooking layout, but I didn't have any pictures from when the girls and I made cookies this year. I had taken these pictures of Frank on Christmas Day so I thought they would work well with them. They didn't show up to well against the patterned paper, but they were so small I didn't want to have to cut each one out either. I got the idea to use my circle punch and group them on the white paper. Turned out okay, I think. It's funny, because the picture of him with the deviled eggs is staged. Rachel had told him to pretend like he was cooking so he just stood there over the eggs while she took the picture. I had already made the eggs earlier!

John 6:57Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me.

Christmas Morning Layout

2009-01-30T07:07:00.006-05:00

The kids were so excited when they found out they had gotten the Wii game system for Christmas-it took them a few minutes, it was hidden behind some board games on the fireplace hearth. Chayce was the first person to find it and tried to claim it for himself. He set it up right away and they started playing it. His favorite was Guitar Hero (something I have yet to have the nerve to try-I think I'd look like a fool with it!). Malachi liked the baseball and the bowling. I snapped these pics of him while he was playing.....the girls said he looks like a ballerina when he is bowling.

I already had the layout in my mind, I just needed to find the guitar. I found it on Debi's blog, http://debiscardnmore.blogspot.com/. She has a SCAL file with a lot of rock band shapes on it. I went into Inkscape and took out just the guitar to use for this layout and it turned out pretty good. It's really the first time I have done anything productive with Inkscape so I'm pretty proud of myself for that! I think the layout turned out rather nice, I should've gotten the picture a little straighter though.....................lol.

1 Corinthians 12:4There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.

Card for the February card swap

2009-01-28T18:51:00.005-05:00

I think I am getting a little hooked on card-making. I decided to try and get a little ahead and made the cards for the February card swap for my group. I scrap-lifted the design a week or so ago and knew I wanted to use it for something and thought this would be perfect. The only problem is I got so involved in finding the right ribbon I forgot to put another piece of paper under the ribbon as it shows in the design. I think it turned out ok anyway. I bought the stamp at the Hobby Hobby in Alabama when we took Chayce back to AIT and have used it a couple of times for the inside of cards. I like how it looks on the outside, too. I sure hope the ribbons stay tied when I mail the cards out-I was afraid if I glued them it would take away from the appearance of the card. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome!

Psalm 68:3But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful.

A new card

2009-01-28T18:49:00.005-05:00

I kinda got on a roll with the card making and decided to make another card while I had the supplies out. I made two of these and sent one to a friend congratulating her on the news of her pregnancy. It's pretty simple, but I love the stamp.

Ecclesiastes 3:12I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.

Christmas Morning

2009-01-28T18:41:00.002-05:00

I finished the layouts for Christmas morning. There is nothing better than watching kids on Christmas morning. The older kids came flying into the living room and started going through their stuff to see what they had gotten, Malachi, the youngest, just sat on the floor in front of his and looked like he had no idea whatsoever where to start. It took him about 15 minutes before he ever picked anything up and looked at it and a good hour to even figure out everything he had gotten. He checked out each toy one at a time very carefully. Of course, after that first hour, his stuff was everywhere......lol. Chayce, the 19 yo was almost as bad as the younger ones. His was kinda bittersweet. We all knew this would be his last Christmas at home -next year he plans on having his own place. We told him he can come spend the night at home on Christmas Eve and Santa may still visit..........I think that's his biggest loss........:).

Birthday card for swap

2009-01-27T14:42:00.004-05:00

I finished my first set of cards for the swap for a group I am on. I kept procrastinating because I never could get an idea that seemed to be as nice as the cards I was getting in the mail. All the ladies that are sending me cards have done such a fantastic job I felt like I really needed to make something nice to send them. I hope they like this card! I printed out the message on the computer, used brads for the flowers, and the little glass balls are from The Robin's Nest. It's the first time I have used them and I love them! They are so neat.

Haley on a pretty day

2009-01-27T00:57:00.001-05:00

I can't wait to scrap these pics of Haley. Alyssa had her outside last Friday when the weather was so pretty. She was "modeling" her new birthday clothes. I think she looks absolutely adorable-but then I always thinks she looks adorable! She is doing such a good job of standing on her own-she looks so grown up!! It won't be too long now before she is walking on her own. She just turned 1 a week ago--my, how time does fly!

Christmas Eve Presents

2009-01-27T00:54:00.002-05:00

I got my posts a little out of order, but oh well.................that's just the way I am. I did this layout about the gifts we opened on Christmas Eve. We had gifts piled around the tree all the way out into the middle of the living room. Guess that's what happens when 7 kids exchange names. Haley even got into the excitement of tearing the wrapping off the presents.

Santa visited our house

2009-01-27T00:48:00.002-05:00

Well, Santa came and left and the kids started calling us at 6 am to get up so they could come downstairs. I am still in awe that they don't sneak in to see what's under the tree then try to wake us up, but they are true to their word and stay upstairs until ew wake up. Of course, Rachel played the sneak this year and used her cell phone to call the house phone to try to wake us up. We managed to stay snuggled under the covers until almost 7 am. Then we tortured them for another 15 miuntes or so by calling out some of the neat stuff we saw under the tree-what fun it is to be a parent!

Making Memories is giving away a Slice!

2009-01-26T12:06:00.000-05:00

http://makingmemories.typepad.com/

Who Am I

2009-01-21T13:46:00.001-05:00