It's always best to be offended by things you haven't read. That way you keep your mind uncluttered by things that might change it.

-Neil Gaiman

(this isn't directed at anyone. just love the quote. think i need to remember it a lot of times, no matter how *open minded* i perceive myself as.)

halloween 2006.

emerson got to actually go up to a couple of houses and "trick or treat," and i was surprised to see her have so much fun... i thought she may be a little scared. i think it helped that she went with her friends harper lee & olivia. when she knocked on their door, the girls were so sweet to her and kept piling handfuls of candy into her little bag. i guess mommy will have to help her eat it all. darn. ;)

after that big adventure, we headed over to her beloved uncle donnie & aunt ginger's house and got loaded up on some candy! she had a blast playing with ginge, checking out moo & bongo (the kitties) and secretly smiling at donnie. atticus was just content to chill in his seat, flap his arms wildly, and pull his bandana over his face as many times as possible.

em also discovered that uncle donovan & aunt vanessa are the ones to go to when you want your candy opened up. while i was chatting with ginge & donnie, em would grab her bag, pull out something, and hand it to donovan while saying, "gank you," expectantly. she was so exhausted when we got home, though, that the extra sugar didn't seem to really affect her. she went straight to bed (after being tossed into the air a couple of times by daddy.)

so, without further ado, the pics:

arrrrrrr mateys. (you know i had to do it.)



the cutest pirate on the seas. (his "tattoo" says "mom")



getting impatient to fly away...



my little flower faerie



happy after her first house- and bag o' loot.

this afternoon... i just had to share some of these "scary" kiddos.

(i would have included more but i'm still getting the hang of shooting with this camera... some of the group pics turned out too blurry. poop.)

Which Gashlycrumb Tiny are you?

A is for AMY who fell down the stairs. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

and also,

some cool art.

{my faves thus far: alice in wonderland & harry potter}

i am participating in an online crop for the first time over at scraplovers.com this weekend. it's motivating me to get some scrapping done instead of just staring at all of my cool stuff. ;)

here's a layout i just did for a simple style challenge...
whoa dudes- totally out of my normal comfort zone. do you know how hard it was to NOT use paint or rubons??!!!

last night's class at scrap etc. went very well and very fun! i am really enjoying teaching there- i've done it enough times now that i feel like i'm really getting to know these ladies... it's so cool to connect, to be with other women, and to create. :)

*hope y'all don't mind me posting these pics- aren't they a cute bunch?*

Joe's sermon on Sunday was about the paralyzed man who was lowered through the roof to talk with Jesus. One thing that stuck out to me was that these men were the guy's true friends. They CARRIED him to Jesus. They didn't let a lil' old thing like someone else's home, their ROOF, stop them from bringing him to Him. They loved their friend. They knew he needed to see Jesus. So they made it happen.

They carried him to Jesus.

I have friends that carry me to Him all the time. They may not know it, but when they show me love, through simple acts, they carry me to Him.

Loving me so much, when she knows I'm feeling insecure, writing an amazing blog entry about me that leaves me blushing for days. Hanging out with me, laughing with me, sharing hot chocolate with me. Being out with me on a night when I didn't feel like being with me.

OR

She's taking pictures of my family, seeing the beauty in their little faces, capturing it on film for me. Emailing me a bazillion times a day and making me feel like I have human adult contact every day.

OR

Eating Reese's Peanut Butter ice cream on an October day and and watching your kidlets play together... letting me have a wee break from kid world. Talking about grace. Talking about family.

OR

Laughing at stupid things, munching on Moe's, looking at US weekly and examing plastic surgery, talking about God, talking about growing up, talking about being real, analyzing our thoughts & motives & why we cry. Taking pics in the parking lot at 11:30pm.

OR

Coming over to eat lunch with me, washing my dishes, fixing my sink that sprays water all over me, playing with my kids, talking with me. Keeping our sanity together.

OR

the many many ways my friends show me love. These mentioned above are just the few I experienced over the past few days. Sometimes these simple acts go by, I forget to take note, forget to realize.

But today I am noting:

They are carrying me to Jesus.

Man.

I really want to continue reading this:



And then play with this:


But instead, I must do this.




Maybe. ;)

Just posted this over at WrittenDown

the cover to my "You Think You Know Me" album.

Can't wait to get started on the insides.

WOOT WOOT! now i can FINALLY scan stuff and upload it! hee hee

i am so freaking excited... no more waiting for shaun to scan something at work, no more taking it to the scrapbook store to scan something... it's all here baby.

and in honor of this, i'm gonna share some layouts with y'all. yay!

they are a mix of when i've made them... but these are some of my absolute faves.

disclaimer: if i've already shared these, sorry! also, i'm still getting the hang of my scanner. thus, the glare. lol

i've been gone to my grams' house for basically the past week. it is so fun to visit her- but it's HARD as HECK to get back into my normal routine. i mean, i've got to do laundry and wash the dishes and sweep my floors and all that crap again! blah!

i did come home to a clean kitchen thanks to my sweetie of a husband. i hate coming home to a sink full of dishes. it was nice to walk in and see a clean kitchen. :)

i had all these big intentions of scrapping while i was away, but didn't get anything done except to alter a photo album cover to give as a baby shower present to my cousin. it was cute - i wish i'd taken a pic of it. i've got to remember to start doing these things!

i printed off my workbook for shimelle's "you think you know me" class and am going to fill it in today and try to go ahead and alter my cover. i will definitely remember to take a pic of this and share it as i go along. i'm excited about this- feeling very inspired and motivate to record stuff about who i am at this time in my life, especially after several long conversations with my grams about her past. i mean, how cool would it be to have a journal or scrapbook from your grandma from when she was a new mom? i hope my kids and grandkids enjoy mine... and even if they don't, i'm enjoying the creative process. :)

need to go catch up around home... and watch gilmore girls from last night. *sheepish*

xoxo my dears!

wow. just wow.

love this. every woman and girl should see this.

i'm obsessed with this song. lol

this is what i'm doing on sunday morning. good times, peeps, good times.

by dose ib stuffy (cold translator: "my nose is stuffy")

aren't you glad you know that today?

tonight i'm hoping to do some journaling in my "you don't know me" class workbook and spend some time snuggling with shaun and watching gilmore girls. we're finishing up season six, and watching the downloaded eps 1-3 of this season.

again, more info that is SO exciting for you to know.

lol

*******

today i was at the post office with the kiddos, and they were both doing their regular charming of anyone within a five yard radius.

one lady kept talking to me and them, asking their names and ages and all, being really friendly.

right before we left, she told me "congratulations."

it stuck in my head, and as i walked towards my car, i kept mulling over it, thinking about how in this day and age, that's unusual to hear.

sometimes kids are seen as an annoyance- i've heard more than my share of unwanted opinions and advice concerning the closeness in age that my two are.

it struck me as different- nice- heartwarming that someone would take the time to tell me "congratulations" for having two cutie kids.

as i was loading them into my car, the lady came out and started to get into her car, parked next to mine.

she stopped and said, "i haven't told anyone else this, except for my husband and dr., but i'm five weeks pregnant and so nervous."

she went on to explain that she didn't feel different, and that she was really scared about it. i talked to her for a little bit and hopefully gave her some reassurance. man oh man do i remember those scared feelings, remembering the relief i felt at seeing the heartbeat, hearing the heartbeat, throwing up even... knowing it was a good sign.

i don't know why that little exchange happened, but as a Believer in things having a purpose and meaning on this earth, i hope that i was able to encourage her some.

i really don't even feel like blogging tonight,

but i've neglected this little guy for far too long lately.

i've got a cold, as does the rest of the fam. makes for long, stuffy nights with lots of fussy kiddos (including myself).

i had a most wonderful birthday. i was loaded up on new clothes, gilmore girls season 6 dvd (i lub me some GG!), harry potter & the goblet of fire dvd special set, "the beatrice letters," a new digital camera (woohoo! finally have one that works again!), and lots of special wishes. :)

thank you all for the lovin'.

getting really excited about taking an online class from shimelle called "you think you know me." one of the artists that is helping with the examples for the class is the awesome kristina contes. i'm so pumped. it's all about moods- creating a piece of art based on 10 different moods. i cannot wait- and i will definitely post pics. :)

feeling kinda bummy and have more to say but am not really up to it... more updates later this week, with some pics.

xoxo

oh and quote of the week from miss a
(hope you don't mind girly!)

"did you know that LUB is stronger and means more than LOVE, but can only happen between two women that scrapbook?"

Michelle posted this on her bloggity-blog-blog so I thought I would rip her off and do it myself. ;)

Everything I have done is in green. Oh, and this is so going on a layout soon. :)

Bought everyone in the bar a drink,
Swam with wild dolphins,
Climbed a mountain,
Taken a Ferrari for a test drive,
Been inside the Great Pyramid.
Held a tarantula.
Taken a candlelit bath with someone.
Said “I love you’ and meant it.
Hugged a tree.
Bungee jumped.
Visited Paris.
Watched a lightning storm at sea.
Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
Seen the Northern Lights.
Gone to a huge sports game (and survived the crush afterwards).
Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa.
Grown and eaten your own vegetables.
Touched an iceberg.
Slept under the stars.
Changed a baby’s diaper.
Taken a trip in a hot air balloon.
Watched a meteor shower.
Gotten drunk on champagne.
Given more than you can afford to charity.
Looked up at the night sky through a telescope.
Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment.
Had a food fight.
Bet on a winning horse.
Asked out a stranger.
Had a snowball fight
Screamed as loudly as you possibly can.
Held a lamb.
Seen a total eclipse.
Ridden a roller coaster.
Hit a home run.
Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking.
Adopted an accent for an entire day.
Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment.
Had two hard drives for your computer.
Visited all 50 states.
Taken care of someone who was drunk.
Had amazing friends.
Danced with a stranger in a foreign country.
Watched wild whales.
Stolen a sign.
Backpacked in Europe. (Kinda- does Volksmarching count?)
Taken a roadtrip-
Gone rock climbing.
Midnight walk on the beach.
Gone sky diving.
Visited Ireland.
Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love.
In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them.
Visited Japan.
Milked a cow.
Alphabetized your CDs.
Pretended to be a superhero.
Sung karaoke.
Lounged around in bed all day.
Posed nude in front of strangers. (I was only 2, okay?) ;)
Gone scuba diving.
Kissed in the rain.
Played in the mud.
Played in the rain.
Gone to a drive-in theater.
Visited the Great Wall of China.
Started a business.
Fallen in love and not had your heart broken.
Toured ancient sites.
Taken a martial arts class.
Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight.
Gotten married.
Been in a movie.
Crashed a party.
Gotten divorced.
Gone without food for 5 days.
Made cookies from scratch.
Won first prize in a costume contest.
Ridden a gondola in Venice.
Gotten a tattoo.
Rafted the Snake River.
Been on television news programs as an “expert”.
Got flowers for no reason.
Performed on stage.
Been to Las Vegas.
Recorded music.
Eaten shark.
Had a one-night stand.
Gone to Thailand.
Bought a house.
Been in a combat zone.
Buried one/both of your parents.
Been on a cruise ship.
Spoken more than one language fluently.
Performed in Rocky Horror.
Raised children. (Or at least, in the process....)
Followed your favorite band/singer on tour.
Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country.
Picked up and moved to another city to just start over.
Walked the Golden Gate Bridge.
Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking.
Had plastic surgery. S
urvived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived.
Wrote articles for a large publication.
Lost over 100 pounds.
Held someone while they were having a flashback.
Piloted an airplane.
Petted a stingray.
Broken someone’s heart.
Helped an animal give birth.
Won money on a T.V. game show.
Broken a bone.
Gone on an African photo safari.
Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced.
Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol.
Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild.
Ridden a horse.
Had major surgery.
Had a snake as a pet.
Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.
Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours.
Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states.
Visited all 7 continents.
Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days.
Eaten kangaroo meat.
Eaten sushi.
Had your picture in the newspaper.
Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about.
Gone back to school.
Parasailed.
Petted a cockroach.
Eaten fried green tomatoes.
Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey.
Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read.
Killed and prepared an animal for eating.
Skipped all your school reunions.(Considering I was homeschooled... everytime I see my brother and sister it is a school reunion. Hee hee)
Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language.
Been elected to public office.
Written your own computer language.
Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream.
Had to put someone you love into hospice care.
Built your own PC from parts.
Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you.
Had a booth at a street fair.
Dyed your hair.
Been a DJ.
Shaved your head.
Caused a car accident.
Saved someone’s life.