A year ago...

I gave birth to Elyse "Ellie" and what a year it has been. I am completely overwhelmed with the fact that a year has gone by. Some days it seems like just yesterday and then other days it seems so long ago. I guess that's how time works.

The party was a success! We had a lot of fun and Ellie was great! Here are some pics from the party:

That's Ellie in the pink dress hanging out with her little buddies :) and her Aunt Erin.

Ellie in her birthday hat eating cake... she loved it!

Look at that face.... priceless.

We have been very busy with family and tomorrow we are doing even more stuff... so by Monday I should be completely wiped out!

Planning a Party!

So tomorrow is Ellie's first birthday. I can't believe a year has flown by. I'm in awe and yet I haven't had time to dwell on it too much because I've been planning a party. Tomorrow we are having a party for Ellie at the little park down the street. It's going to be so much fun.. we are expecting about 50 people...yikes!!! Of course this is all for us and not Ellie, but it's still going to be great. Jeff's parents (both sets) flew in from California and so did his sister. Last night we went to dinner with his father and stepmother and tonight we went to dinner with his grandparents, mother and sister.... phew, lots of socializing for us.

I will hopefully get lots of pics tomorrow.. or at least hopefully my brother will (he's on camera duty!) I just stuffed some goodie bags for the kids and I'm ready to take a hot bath. I did manage to get this page done for the chick's life challenge.. we were supposed to scrap a birth story.. how appropriate. I used Heather Roselli's new "It's a Girl Thang" kit found at the Digichick.

Still busy!

I swear things have not slowed down one bit. First off, Ellie has another STUPID cold! I took her to the doctor this morning and they said her ears were clear and so was her chest and that she probably just got another cold on top of the old one.. UGH!!! The poor girl's nose is full of junk! I mean she can hardly breathe. So hopefully this won't last as long as the other one. At least she doesn't have a fever this time.

So tonight I actually got some scrapping done.. last night too as a matter of fact! Here is a page I did tonight:

Guess what is so great about that LO?? I made ALL of the elements/papers! Woot look at me go.. LOL!! Actually I really like this kit and so far it's getting big. I'm going to add a 3rd color I think. Probably a cream color. Anyway let me know what you think. I think I will give it away as part of my avatar challenge this month :)

Ok off to bed, I'm exhausted as usual!

Catch up

So after a week of not working I am now playing catch up. Catch up on everything.. work, life, etc.... We had a great time on Easter. My family always goes to church and then we all head to the park for a picnic and some outdoor fun. Ellie did great. She was still not 100% but you couldn't tell. She looked great in her little dress and of course she kept pulling the bow out of her hair. Here are two pics from the day: (straight off the camera & not edited!!)

That is the 3 of us before we changed for the picnic!

Ellie in her adorable purple dress that you can't see very well!! Doesn't she look better :)

Other than that nothing else to really write about. I'm in the process of planning Ellie's 1st b-day party! It's going to be huge I think. I know it's mostly for us, but oh well.. a party is a party right?! It's going to be on Saturday April 29th... Lots to do before then.

Happy Easter!

Some Easter Humor:

What a week!

So today is the first day since Sunday that Ellie has not had a fever. I tell you this week has been hell to say the least. She has been so sick and cranky!!! Not sleeping... which means I don't sleep. I didn't work one day this week.. not so bad, but when you aren't planning it, it's not so fun. So basically I didn't get paid either. I contract myself so if I don't work, I am out of money :( So no scrapbooking kits for me this next week LOL.

I did manage to get a few fun things done while I was locked inside. First of all I made this kit for the exchange club chat at Rakscraps:


I've been working a ton on designing some kits. I'm really starting to get the hang of this designing thing. I'm working on a boy kit and a cool blue & brown kit too. I figure I can hand them out for some of my challenges. Ok so here are my LOs for the week.

(Credits: Seriously Kit by Robin Cabana of Scrapdish, stitching by Shabby Princess)

(Credits: paper/elements by Jen Wilson, flower & Brad by Mrs. S, stitching by shabby princess)

I did that 34 page for the chick's life challenge. We were supposed to scrap about our age... yep I'm 34... soon to be 35 (ugh!!!) in July. I also had fun with this page:

(Credits: Paper/elements by Heather Rosellit from her Construction Kit found at the Digichick)

I made those little arrows with my hyperpen. I have this HUGE tablet that I got when my Dad died.. I dont' think he ever even used it. It's pretty old too (in the electronic sense) Anyway, I really don't know how to use it very well. I really want to learn though. So I will just have to keep playing with it. So as you can see my week has been crazy.. I definately am suffering from cabin fever!!!

Poor baby!

Your Theme Song is Soak Up The Sun by Sheryl Crow

"I've got no one to blameFor every time I feel lameI'm looking up" You're laid back, optimistic, and very togetherLike the sun, people feel warm and comfortable around you

What's" Your Theme Song?

I saw this test on Robin's blog as I am sitting here listening to a crying baby. A vey sick baby at that. She has had a really high temp the last 2 nights, 102-103. And of course the doctor says to keep an eye on it, that's its Viral. Of course. I'm ready for it to stop. I'm tired and I'm missing a week of work. Ugh.

A Gift and colds :)

So I made this kit called Citrus Garden and I'm giving it away :) Here is the preview:

And here is the Dowload link!! (it's on megaupload) If you take it please leave me a comment and if you use it send me an email, I'd love to see what you do with it :) Remember I haven't been making kits very long, so the sizing may be a bit off on th elements.

Ellie and I both have terrible head colds.. and of course Jeff is out of town until MOnday. She was up most of last night and so was I. You know you don't feel to well when you have a ton of spare time and you want to do nothing but sleep. Today I did get the strength ;) to go shopping LOL. I bought the cutest pair of shoes from Nine West.. fun little sandals and then 2 pairs of flip flops and a shirt at Anny Taylor. Man I love flip flops!! If I could wear them everyday I would. I bought Ellie some cute little stuff from Carters too. Ok that's about it.. nothing too exciting to report. Adios!

Another preview

Here is the other kit I finished. Not sure what I'm doing with these :) Just having fun for now. Feeling much better this evening. Just watched bits and pieces of American Idol.

I need to go back and watch the whole thing now (Tivo)

Home sick

So I stayed home from work today just feeling pretty crummy.. more nauseous really. Not sure what it is, but Jeff was feeling the same way too. Probably a little bug. I did sleep a bit today and then I finished this:

What do you think????? Please let me know and be honest! It was fun to make. I made another little kit too, but haven't put the preview together yet. I'll post it when it's done.

Ellie started at the new babysitter yesterday. So far I think it's good. She came home super exhausted. I think she crawled and played around with the other little girl all day. I think it's really good that she is with another child around her age. My babysitter said they did very well together. Ok I'm off to take a nap.

Time to myself

So tonight Jeff went to a concert and Ellie went to bed around 7, so I pretty much had some time to myself. You always think you'll get more done than you actually do. I had grand intentions of getting 3 pages done... nope. Total count 1, blogs read--- too many to count, ebay auctions looked at - 2, mini kits made by me -1, loads of laundry done - 2. So I guess I was somewhat productive.. just not in my scrapping sense. Here is the one LO I finished for the evening:

(Credits: Laura Alpuche's New Easter Parade Kit found at Scrapdish)

Isn't that the funniest face. I took the pic this evening and I'm not sure what kind of face that is, but I had to scrap it. She is becoming quite the independent little person. Changing her or putting clothes on has become the ultimate wrestling match. I must give her 20 different things to hold and look at, but nope.. nake girl spins around and tries to fall of the changing table. I swear it's driving me nuts... any suggestions????

A New look again!

So I redid my header AGAIN! But this time I really like it much better. I stuck with my chick.. I mean it is me :)

I just watched AI.. they voted Lisa off. I'm not suprised, but it was still sad to see her go. She does have an amazing voice for a 16 year old. I was suprised that Katharine was in the bottom 2 though..

Tomorrow is a sad day. It is my babysitter's last day. She has watched Ellie for the past 8 months and has loved her like her own. She is the sweetest lady (she has 4 grandchildren) and I am going to miss her terribly. She is moving way across town to a brand new home and it's too far for me to take her. She currently lives right across the street from me. I am bummed. We start with a new girl on Monday who lives kind of close, but nothing like across the street. I found her on Craigslist.org, so hopefully it will all work out. Please say some prayers and give good thoughts on Monday. I'm going to be a nervous wreck. This is the one thing I can honestly say I don't like about parenthood.. finding good child care! UGH!!!

I did get another page done... it's Gina Miller's sketch challenge #7. I just love these faces of Ellie's. I used Kimberly Giarrusso's Missy Anne kit found at the Digichick. I didn't even use half of the adorable elements either. There is always next time right!

Happy Birthday to...

(credits: Serenity Kit by Rachel Dickson of Scrapdish)

Jeff!! Yep today he is a big 35!!! Wow it's seems so weird, I mean sometimes I still feel like I'm in my 20s... and then other days, my 80s LOL. No really, it just seems so weird to say 35. When I was young I thought 35 was old.. man I was wrong! We had a great day. We met my brother and parents for lunch and then went to Best Buy for some electronic goodies.. We walked out with 2 movies (Chicken Little & Lady & The Tramp) and 2 xbox 360 games.. (dont' know what they are). Jeff bought himself an xbox 360 the other day so he is hooked. He actually got me a game too but I haven't had time to sit and play it.

Ellie walked up to Jeff today and clear as a bell said, "DADA". It was so cute! I might add that she did say Mama FIRST in the last week too :) Either way it was a great birthday gift for him. Tonight we went to dinner at a new Chinese Food place and it was super YUMMY! I pretty much blew the diet this week.. I'll find out for sure tomorrow! Tomorrow it's back on track!

I need to start making Ellie's invitations. I bought Dani's Clownin Around Kit and it's so stinkin cute! I have the embellishments too. I can't wait to see what I come up with.

So I decided I need a new look for my blog.. and not being html savy I need some serious help. I think I'm sick of my chick.. not that she's not cute, but I think I need something else. So if you have any ideas or suggestions for some easy blogger templates let me know.

We've been busy!

So today was pretty exciting!! First of all I am now an official member of the Scrapdish Creative Team!! Yeah for me! I"m so excited to be working with all of the designer there. I already made my AAM LO with the 3 wishes theme:

(credits: Robin Cabana's Flair Kit found at Scrapdish)

How fun are those colors!! I just love that kit! I'm sure I'll get plenty of use out of it too!!

Yesterday, Jeff and I headed to the design center and picked out some of the stuff for our house! How exciting and yet overwhelming too! It's crazy!! I mean trying to get things to match using just a small sample. Plus you walk in there and of course you totally want to upgrade to the best stuff and then a small voice in your head says, "do you think you are a millionaire" and then you come back to reality. It was fun though and we finish up tomorrow.

Today, Jeff and I headed over to Honda since they totalled (sp?) out his car. He is now the proud owner of a beautiful Honda Accord V6 with navigation. It is so cool. The thing is voice activated and it talks back to you. Jeff was originally going to buy used but I talked him into the newer car. He deserved a new car and knowing Jeff he will drive it to the ground. It's a very cool grey color almost brown even.. here's the picture of it!

It's not the best pic since I took it in the evening, but trust me it's gorgeous inside too!

AI: They voted Kevin off. Thank goodness.. poor kid, but really he had to know he wasn't going to win right?! Next pick off is Bucky.

I watched that show Deal or no Deal last night... that is some crazy stuff. It was almost addicting to watch. Ok off to bed!

Shoot me...

I'm watching Kevin on American Idol and I want to puke! Who is voting for this kid and why do Randy and Paula keep giving him compliments! UGH!!!!!

Chris is awesome as usual!

Pics

So yesterday I was reading Michelle's blog and she had some of the coolest pics that she took with her camera.. especially of our rain here in Az. SOOOOO I decided I would try to take some cool pictures also, so here they are.

Here are some oranges on the orange tree.. which finally has oranges after 3 years :)

Here is the rain coming down into our pool. So these are my attempts to take pics LOL not very good but it was fun trying. I REALLY want to take a photography class and figure out what I'm doing. Went to WW tonight. I lost 1.2 lbs, so I'm down a total of 7 lbs!!!! Yeah for me! So what did I do, I treated myself to some chinese food tonight. The potstickers were wonderful as usual. Tomorrow back to being good!

Busy Bee

So I decided to show my newest creation... I'm calling it "So Girly" because it is! Lot's of pinks and purples. I made most of it tonight.. don't know what inspired it, but I think it turned out pretty good. I still need some MAJOR work on metals, but I'm sure I'll get the hang of it soon. So if you see these leave me a comment and tell me what you think. Not sure what I'm doing with it yet, but I'm sure I'll be giving it out as a prize for something :)

I also made a LO with it.

(Font: Jaynes Print--go figure!!, SP Toby Unleashed & stamped Alpha by Rebecca Digrazzio) I'm a little late in getting her 10 month page done, I mean she's almost 11 months now LOL. I can't get over how fast she is growing up! Ok so I've procrastinated just about everything. I am working on a cute LO with Tania's new kit.. and I just got Heather newest kit tonight too.. so tomorrow it's no excuses. I'm still watching my movie P&P.. love it! Mr. Wickim is so slimy!!! Ahhh and Collin, he's definately eye candy and he looks so young in this. Ok off to finish a few things. Good night!

Design bug has hit!

Holy cow.. what am I thinking??? I've totally been hit by the design bug!! Like I think I can design digital papers??? LOL So instead of getting my gazillion pages done, I managed to make 2 little mini kits :) Not sure who I will or when I will show them to people, but I'm thinking I will use them for prizes for my challenges next month...(Avatar & Photo Inspiration). I just need to figure out the whole metal thing a little better.. I have photoshop WOW, but it makes them look a little to weird for my taste. I need to find some tutorials on that!

Today Ellie and I had a big eventful day.. not really. We went to Costco and then came home. We did go to Papadeaux for dinner with my parents so that was fun. I did happen to find my favorite movie of all time at Costco today for only $16.49! It's Pride & Prejudice (the A&E) version. I started watching it tonight, so that's another reason for not getting alot of pages done. I did, however, manage to get my February review page done for A Chick's Life:

(credits: paper/elements by Gina Miller of SBB, alphabet-recolored by Dani Mogstad)

How cool is that Build Your Own Bulletin Board Kit??? I've been wanting it for a long time and last night I finally got it. Notice the Jayne Print font again LOL!

Oh I almost forgot to share.. I lost 5.8 lbs at WW this past Monday!! Yeah for me. I'm doing pretty well this week too. I just need to stay motivated. I just keep thinking that I don't want to look horrible in Ellie's first birthday pics!! How lame is that, but I know she will have those pictures the rest of her life and I want to look half way decent. I know.. crazy! Ok off to finish my movie :)

Life

So nothing new to report on the work or home front. Same old stuff just a different day :) I'm off for the next 3 days and I'm so excited. Jeff is in Las Vegas and I have the house to myself. Not that I won't miss Jeff, but it's nice to have some quiet time. (Of coures I still have Ellie, so it won't be too quiet) But I do have my evening to just sit and scrap or play on the internet. I plan on getting alot of pages done this weekend. I did manage to get one page done tonight. I used Heather's new High On Clover Kit which can be found at the Digichick! (font is Jayne Hand, Garamond, & CK cursive) BTW, Jayne Hand is my font of choice this week!I'm actually starting to feel like I'm getting my Mojo back when it comes to scrapbooking. I was in the biggest slump there for a bit and now I feel it coming back :)

I've been reading Gina Miller's Blog lately and I swear it cracks me up. She has been blogging away about Yankee Candle Tarts and I must admit I love them too. My favorite is Clean Cotton. I've been burning tarts forever and they are so much easier than candles. Plus I think they spread their scent much further in the house.

American Idol.. what the heck happened. Why is that little Kevin still on the show? And who is voting for him????? Ok enough about that.

I just got my first disc of season 1 of Lost in the mail today from Netflix. I hope to get somewhat caught up in order to be ready for season 2 when it comes out. Everyone raves about Lost and I need to figure out what the hype is all about. Plus I'm a sucker for TV! Speaking of TV, Grey's was good this week. I'm a little disappointed that McDreamy was so nice to his wife this week. Geesh I sound like a home wrecker. And George needs to get over it.

If I don't get a chance to post tomorrow, Happy St. Patrick's Day.. drink Green Beer!!!

I'm not green... I'm a pig!

You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it. You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less. You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way. Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

The Muppet Personality Test