A bittersweet day

We had Brendan's third birthday party today and while it was great to see family and friends, I kept thinking about how this is the last time we'll celebrate with everyone down here. Yes, I'm so happy about the move, but since we've lived here, I've gotten used to huge parties of 30+ family and friends. It just won't be the same. Plus I feel like I didn't get to visit with everyone as much as I'd wanted. I hope everyone knows how much we will miss them!

On a happy note, we're really getting things done around here. My sister's boyfriend, Mike, came from Vegas to help us get things done and boy did he. The two Mikes got 3 of the 4 bedrooms cleaned out, touched up and painted. Plus they cleaned the carpets on two of the rooms that didn't get new carpet. We are down to packing and cleaning out our master bedroom and the kitchen--woohoo! It's starting to look empty around here. I'm still not sure when it will actually sink in. Probably not until we get a new house. While we're staying with my mom it will probably just feel like and extended vacation :)

Anyway, I won't bore you with all 109 pics I took today, but here's a couple of my faves

Birthday Boy

Cake Time

One of his favorite new toys

Austin's last day-- they performed My Future's so Bright, I Gotta Wear Shades

Seven more days to go

I still don't think we'll get it all done, but I wanted to pop in with an update. I think things are getting to me. I have to tell this story. Last night I was making dinner and I asked Austin whether we should have corn or mixed veggies. He looked at me with a look that can only be described as pure teenager (even though he's six) and said, "Why don't we have the corn in the fridge that you bought last week" I said, "Thanks Austin, I forgot we had that corn on the cob--great idea." He then said, "Mommy, I don't think your brain is very big when it comes to remembering things." I about lost it. That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while. And yes, with this move, I'm sure I'm losing some brain power--LOL.

It's been a busy week. Starting last Saturday, we had a bust of a yard sale, but did get rid of a lot of stuff (mostly free--lol). While we were doing the sale, we had a load of rock delivered for the front yard. Here's the boys helping Daddy move the rock :)

Tuesday night we went to the Mavericks game (local minor league team). Austin was given an "Outstanding Student" award at the game. He was so cute. He got to go down on the field and say "I am Austin from Mesquite Trails". I was so proud of him.

Yesterday my BABY turned three! I can't believe he's getting so big. We spent all day running around ordering and buying stuff for Saturday's party. He had a hard time wrapping his mind around that. He kept telling me, "But today is my birthday". So he ended up with a balloon and cupcakes. As you can see, he thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake.

Now today is Austin's last day of kindergarten. Last night I let him paint this flower pot for his teacher. He's such a creative little guy--can't imagine where that comes from--LOL! He had fun with it. I also slipped in a gift card for her too.

Welcome

Here's the card I came up with to send to my new little nephew. I am just so in love with this stamp set. The animals are all so cute! It's CTMH's Life's a Jungle, July's stamp of the month. I used some retired papers and the "Welcome" came from my Sweet N Sassy Home Sweet Home set, which I'll be using soon for new address cards :)

Re-packed my scrap stuff up (probably not for the last time) and am ready for more today. We're having a garage sale tomorrow, so lots to do. I just found out that CTMH is going to do their Stampaganza sale again in June, so I'm going to need lots of extra money. Hmmm...what else can I sell?! LOL

Unpacked my first box...

No, we didn't move early. I knew I couldn't survive with my scrap stuff packed up. I had packed as much as I could without breaking the zipper into my big rolling bag. That's the stuff I can play with until we unpack. Well today I dug into it because I wanted to make my sister a card because I FINALLY got her baby gift ready to send. SO I pull out some paper and start going through the stamp sets in the bag and NOT ONE SENTIMENT set. What was I thinking?! There is no way I'm going to be able to make cards for the next few months with no sentiments. So I dug through and found the box with my stamps and snagged a few. Good thing I labeled the boxes well :)

Anyway, I decided I'd save the card-making for tv time tonight. The two hour finale of Grey's is on tonight--I can't wait! Speaking of finales, can I just say that I am so happy David Cook won last night! I've been rooting for him all along. This is only the third time out of the 7 seasons that I've agreed with the winner (I also like Kelly C and Carrie Underwood, although I did like Bo Bice too, so I was torn that year).

While waiting on artwork, I'll share a fun little laugh with you.

This is why I scrapbook

Life is crazy...

but I'm still plugging along. I know I haven't posted much lately, but that's probably the way it's going to be for a while. My scrap room is now packed up :( Very hard for me. Although, I am keeping out my extremely full rolling bag, which will go to my mom's with me, so I'm not completely without goodies to occupy my time. I also have my SEI kit and some Sweet N Sassy stamps waiting for me at her house, so yeah. Last night I actually got out some of my images that my wonderful SBS4 Secret Sis Kelly sent. I happily colored along to American Idol and Hell's Kitchen. I didn't get around to making any cards with them, but it was nice to play with my scrappy supplies for a little while.

We took an official day off from packing yesterday. Mike's work had a goodbye lunch for him yesterday at Claim Jumper, so the boys and I tagged along. His co-workers are so nice and I know it's going to be hard for Mike to leave such wonderful people. They even chipped in to buy us a gas card to help with the trip up. Very thoughtful and very appreciated!

After lunch, I took the boys over for one last trip to Victoria Gardens. For those not in CA, it's a huge outdoor mall that has a little bit of everything. We did all of the boys favorites: played on the playground, rode the train, had Ben & Jerry's and then I let the boys put on their swim suits and splash in the huge fountain area they have. They had a blast. Brendan didn't even make it out of the parking lot before he crashed. This was about 4 and he didn't wake up until almost 7--LOL!

Now today we'll be back to packing. I am taking the kids to play with some friends this afternoon though. I'm trying to break up all the packing with fun things for them to try and keep this move as stress free as possible for them. Not working for me though. I am completely stressed and look around not having a clue where to begin. I packed up the easy stuff: scrap room, crystal and china, decorations. Now I don't know where to go next. Plus we're having a garage sale Saturday and we still have to get carpet put in the hallway and scrap room and rock in the front yard. Not to mention patching and painting and all that good stuff. Thank goodness Mike's last day of work is tomorrow and he'll be home the rest of the time.

Since I have no new stuff to share, here's some cards I made as a gift for my mom a while back. They use the Floral Elements stamp set and were originally inspired by Kathi (stamp set/cards) and my friend Shawna (colors). Colors are Twilight, Blush and Chocolate. The template was a 10 from 1 I got from one of the CTMH consultants, I think Nanci H, but I'm not sure. It was a year, if not two years ago I made these, so my brain isn't that great--LOL. I can see now looking at them just how uneven my background stamping was, but that's ok, they look handmade :)

My friend Sarah is the BEST!!

She created the fabulous new header on my blog! Isn't it gorgeous?! She was bored and wanted to put her Photoshop skills to use, so she made this. She is so very talented and my Photoshop hero! She created all the little details--no purchased elements--I'm just in awe :) Ok, I'm through gushing, but Sarah, again I thank you for making my blog so purdy!

Back to regularly scheduled programming

How about some artwork? I should hold back and share these a little at a time since they might be the last ones for a while, but I won't--LOL! I am so happy, I managed to finish my Word Puzzle Club projects through July. Now I can relax and not have to worry about them until August. WooHoo!

Here's the last two May elements:

Page 2 of layout

Boom Di Ada card

June Pages using Rustic Trails paper:

June Cards:

I cased the blue floral one from Christine Adams and Lisa Stenz. The "dad" one I saw on the CTMH BB. Sorry, I don't remember the artist.

July pages:

Sorry--I could have angled and cropped that one better.

July Cards:

Now I'm off to get ready for a crop I'm hosting tonight, insane person I am. I can't wait though. I need a little time to relax and enjoy the company of my fellow scrappers one more time before I move. Have a great weekend!

American Idol

All right, those that know me, know that we are huge AI fans around this house and this year, the one I've been rooting for all year is in the final 2--DAVID COOK. I just LOVE him! I love that he has taken every song this year and made it sound like it could be on the radio right now. I guess I've always had a soft spot for the rockers anyway. Chris Daughtry is still my all-time favorite Idol contestant and his cd never leaves my car.

Mike really like Syesha and was sad to see her go last night. Not a big fan of David Archuleta. He has a good voice, but not much stage presence (maybe because I'm not a pre-teen girl). I can't see him finding a niche in the radio market, but you never know. Win or lose, I know I'll be buying David Cook's album!

Anyway, if you live under a rock and haven't heard David, here's his three performances from this week. OK, I'll admit it, I just wanted them here so I could hear them whenever I want :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

In addition to trying to get packed up and plan a few more scrappin events before we leave, I also went on two field trips this week. Tuesday I joined Austin's kindergarten class on a trip up to Wrightwood, which for those of you not familiar with our area, is in the local mountains. Boy did we freeze! They told us to bring sweatshirts, but I should have brought a heavier jacket and layered--LOL! Not even the 1 mile hike warmed us up. It was fun though. The trail we were on actually runs from Mexico to Canada. While waking, we met a couple who were walking the whole way. They said it will take about 4 months--WOW!

We went on the hike, then went and talked to a firefighter who taught the kids fire safety and introduced us to Smokey Bear. Plus we heard from a sheriff who taught the kids what to do if lost in the woods (or anywhere). Always arm your kiddos with a trash bag, whistle and mirror! Great day :)

Then yesterday, I took Brendan over to the Fire Station for a tour. Our Mom's Group planned this and it was great! They let the kids climb up in the truck and spray the fire hose. Brendan loved it! I took tons more cute pictures, but I don't like to post pics of other people's kids onto the web, so I'll just share these.

I'm hoping to be back on later today to share some artwork. Yes, even with trying to pack, I'm squeezing in a little stamp time. I'm trying to finish up club projects for the next couple months so that I don't have to mail them. Plus, I'm hosting a crop Friday--crazy I know.

I'd like to thank the academy...

I saw this award a few days ago on Kathi's site and I'm finally getting a chance to post it. First off, I'm honored that Kathi would be inspired by me, since I have to go to her blog everyday because seeing her artwork always makes my day a little better. She makes the most beautiful cards! According to Kathi, the art d pico (translated "art peak") began here. If your Spanish isn't any better than mine, I believe this link will translate the page for you.The rules, once you receive the award, appear on the original blog. The main requirement is to, in turn, award five people who inspire me.

Five people...hmmmm. There are way more than 5 people who inspire me--some of whom Kathi already named. Let's do this--just click on any of my links on the right under SBS4 or Blogs that Inspire Me (imagine that) and you will find gorgeous artwork--I guarantee it. My list of things I want to try or stamplift by far outweighs the number of hours in my day :) Thanks to all of you who blog and especially all of you who leave comments. It means so much!

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all the moms have a wonderful day with their families. We're having a relaxing one here. My dad, brother and grandparents are coming up for dinner. So now I need to clean up the house that has been seriously neglected this last week!

Here's my card for my stamp of the month swap. I used Whoops a Daisy papers and the June SOTM, with love. I was so happy I was able to get this done. I just hope I can get July's done. At least it gives me an excuse to pack a few scrapping supplies in the car with me :)

Blog Candy Extended!

Ok, since it kind of got buried, I want to give a few more people a chance to play along. I want to see a pic/link to your favorite or most recent layout. You can post it in the comment on the orignal post or this one. I'll give you until Sunday and Sunday night I will draw a random winner to receive a fun package of goodies!

Here's my latest. Still needs white brads or something across the blue strip, but I'm loving how well the papers match the photos. Sorry about the glare, I was too lazy to take it out of the page protectors.

Checkin in

Well, I've made almost no progress on packing up the house! Just can't seem to do it. I've had places to go and people to see. I've had visitors every day this week, which has been great! I have so little time to see friends and it's a perfect excuse to put off packing--LOL! Throw in there Mother's Day projects and calls to arrange for the move, and I haven't had much time left. Looking at the calendar, that's not going to change over the next few weeks. That's ok, somehow we'll get it all done.

I did get a few projects done for my word puzzle club, using May's set. My hope is to get June and July's done before I leave, but that might be a pipe dream. Here's one of the pages and three of the cards:

I don't know how I'm ever going to deal with packing up my scrap room. How will I be without my stuff for *gasp* at least a month?! Crazy!

I want to send out a big thank you to everyone for the supportive comments and emails! They really mean a lot. I also want to thank all of you in Boise who have emailed me--wow makes me even more happy to be headed there. Most of all, I want to thank everyone local--you girls are the best! I've had so many offers of help with the kids or the packing, that I'm overwhelmed. And a special thanks to my secret pal who brightened my day this morning! This is what Mike found on the porch when he was headed out for work (it was filled up with wonderful goodies!):

Not a great pic, but a fabulous gift :) I'd better sign off and try to get some things accomplished today. Hope to check in again soon!

Correction

In my excitement, I guess it wasn't clear--oops. We are moving to Boise, Idaho, not DC. Mike will just have to go to training in DC because he works for the federal government and that's where they do most trainings. Sorry for the confusion!

And I just have to say thanks to everyone who is showing their support, especially those for whom this is really not good news. I keep going back and forth from excited to tears. I have so many wonderful friends here in the high desert and I hope you all know how much I am going to miss you. I have been brought to tears so many times by your emails and calls. Also, to all of my family who lives in CA--it its so hard to leave everyone. It really was a hard decision for us, but I know in my heart that it is the right one for our family. I told Mike that the one must have is an extra room for visitors--hopefully we'll have lots :)

Anyway, to all of those who have shown their support:

glitter-graphics.com

It's official...we're moving

in just 4 weeks! Mike found out this morning. The scary part is that it will be sometime before June 9th, which is only a few weeks away. I don't even know what to feel. I'm excited, sad, nervous, scared and most of all stressed. Mostly, this morning, I just want to throw up! They called Mike this morning and gave him the news, now they are trying to figure out the details. They want him to go on a training from June 9th-June 20th in DC, but he has to be an employee of their district by then to do it. So that means we have to make it happen before then.

I've spent the morning on the computer and on the phone. The amount of money it's going to cost us to move is mind-blowing. I don't know how we're going to do it, but we'll figure it out. This is what I've wanted for so long, but it's happening so fast. We need to move, get this house ready to rent, figure things out with the management company--Yikes.

I sent off my application to teach last Tuesday, so hopefully I'll get called for an interview soon. That will mean a trip up there, but it will all be worth it once we get settled up there. I don't know how much I'll be on the next few weeks as I try to get everything ready. Life will be crazy, but I'll keep everyone updated. I look around and don't even know where to start.

In the meantime, don't forget about the blog candy here.

A few things to share

OK, camera is charged again--yea! First off, I hope everyone enjoyed National Scrapbook Day yesterday. I did NOT scrapbook. I kicked off the weekend with my CTMH open house on Friday. Had a lot of fun and got to visit with quite a few people that I hadn't seen in a while, so it was good. Only problem was my kids decided since Mommy was busy, they could get away with whatever they wanted. The biggest disaster was when they decided to throw cups of water all over the kitchen. Luckily, my friend Brandy caught them, but not before the kitchen was literally floor to ceiling water, with about a half inch on the floor. Oh no, that's not embarrassing. Mike arrived home and was able to shop vac it up, but not before some soaked into the cabinets. Ugh! Life with boys is definitely never boring.

Here's a few shots from my open house.

And here's my littlest munchkin looking all cute in cowboy boots that, believe it or not, were MINE when I was little. Too fun!

Back to yesterday. I didn't actually scrapbook, but I took the day to re-organize my albums. I had almost 50 layouts sitting here waiting to go into albums. I had run out of page protectors, so I decided to overhaul all the books. I managed to come up with enough to fit all my layouts with some left over. Turned out I had to split 2006 and 2007 into two each because I have way too many layouts.

What a satisfying thing to actually be able to sit and look through all my scrapbooks actually organized and up to date. It was a happy feeling and sitting there looking at pages from when my boys were babies reminded me of just why I love this hobby so much. It also made me realize that the bulk of our pictures are in the summertime.

And here's one last parting shot. This is what happens when you let your kids dress themselves--LOL! Don't ask.

Blog Candy and 6 Quirks

I was getting on here to update and share a few things, but my camera battery is dead, so I'll save that for later. In the meantime, I've been promising blog candy, so I guess I'd better deliver. Here's the deal: In honor of National Scrapbook Month, I want to see your favorite scrapbook page (or your newest). Leave a comment with a link on this post or, if you're not on blogger send me an email here by Friday, May 9th. On Saturday, May 10th, I'll draw a winner to receive a nice prize package, with embellishments, paper mats, images and cards. Good Luck--can't wait to see your pages!!

Also, Marjorie tagged me with this little game a couple days ago.
Here are the rules to play:
Link the person who tagged you
Mention the rules on your blog
Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them
Leave a comment on each of the tagged bloggers blogs letting them know they have been tagged.

1) I start every day with a cup of Chai Tea while I check my email. This is my me time before the kiddos are up and my day gets too hectic.

2) I can't scrapbook chronologically--I just scrap whatever I feel like scrapping at any given time. I later organize them in order. Of course this means I rarely finish album, but that's ok.

3) I always "save the best for last" when eating. I always save one bite of whatever is my
favorite on my plate to be my last bite. For example, the cheesiest nacho or the bite of cake with the most frosting. Look out anyone that tries to take that bite.

4) I can't not finish a book. Even if it's bad, I keep reading with the hope it will get better. It drives me nuts having an unfinished book around.

5) I am a homebody. Not matter how exciting the trip or how much fun we're having, there's always a part of me that wants to be back at home.

6) I have to sleep on the side of the bed furthest from the door. I've always been weird about doors--when I was little, I couldn't sleep if the closet door was open. Mike and I joke that we were definitely meant to be because he's always naturally slept nearest the door :)

Well there's a little more about me than you probably wanted to know. I'm feeling to lazy to tag anyone specific, so if you want to do this great, leave me a comment and let me know you played along.