Just Another Summer Day

This morning started out like the rest of our lazy summer mornings this week. However, when I asked the boys what they wanted for breakfast, they said Star Wars pancakes. I bought these molds at Williams Sonoma last year for Father's Day. The only time we've attempted to make them, the result was disastrous. I gave it another go. This time, they weren't too bad. I only ended up with two that went to the dog because they stuck to the molds.

Bren looks like he's on sugar overload before he even takes a bite.

Then, like Phineas on Phineas and Ferb, I said, "Boys, I know what we're going to do today!" The plan was to go to the zoo and see the new butterfly exhibit, then roller blade in the park. Apparently everyone else in Boise had the same idea. I forgot that Thursday is half price day, and when we got there, not a parking space in sight, and the line was around the corner. We decided to skip the zoo.

As I was driving around looking for a place to park, we drove by the big pond. The boys asked if we could go for a ride in the paddle boats. Since this is something we always say we want try , but never have, we rented one.

It's not easy to get a photo of all three of us in the boat.



I opted for our feet instead.

It was cool and sunny, a perfect day for a boat ride.

We saw tons of geese and ducks. Other than this little guy,

Mama ducks kept their babies far from us. We saw one duck that had 11 babies!

The Canadian Geese, however, had no qualms about swimming right up to the boat.

It was a fun experience!

After the paddle boats, we strapped on the roller blades and went for a ride. The bridge turned out to be the biggest obstacle. It took a lot of hanging on to keep from flying down.

Once we reached the other side, we bladed along the backside of Boise State, down to Broadway, and back to the park. About a mile and a half.

A shot of the BSU football field--love the blue turf!

All in all, the boys did a great job. Brendan got pretty tired on the way back, but he was a little trooper. At the bridge, he decided to take of his blades and walk the rest of the way because he was scared to try the bridge again. Smart boy! I was carrying all his gear, and almost ate it on the down side of the bridge!

Afterward, they were thirsty, so we stopped at McDonald's for frozen strawberry lemonades.
Tomorrow, I think we're going to try the zoo again and take along our bikes for a greenbelt ride. Even though these 65 degree days don't feel like summer, they're perfect for getting outside and having some fun :)

June Specials

During the STUDIO J® FREE-FOR-ALL IN JUNE, Close To My Heart is Giving EVERYONE a FREE Studio J® JPG file—no purchase required!

Simply log on to Studio J, create a layout, then order one JPG file of your layout. It’s as easy as that! Download and save your file so you can post your layout online, email it to family and friends, or print it.

If you have a Studio J or a MyCTMH® account, just log in and start creating. If you don’t have an account, creating one is easy. You can access Studio J here.

Discover how quick and simple scrapbooking can be with Studio J—and get your FREE JPG layout in Free-for-All June!

Here's a few of my favorite Studio J layouts. Click on each one to see it larger.

Also in June, remember that fabulous You and Me kit from May? It's back.

When you purchase this kit for $15 in June, the proceeds will be donated to the Red Cross to help those affected by tornadoes in the United States. A great kit and a great cause. While supplies last.

June Scrapbook Club

These are the last of the project for June's Scrapbook Club. We're using Lucky papers this month.



Here's one of the cards. The other one doesn't want to load for some reason. I used Enjoy Life stamps.

I already posted this layout, but I added the pictures, journaling and title.


To order your own Lucky Workshop on the Go kit, click here.

May Special--Become a consultant for 50% off!

If you have ever thought about being a consultant, May is the PERFECT time. For the month of May, you can sign up to be a consultant for 50% off the regular price. That's just $64.50 for the new consultant kit!

With your kit, you get all the business essentials, plus you get to pick 3 of the following collections. To sign up or see these collections in more detail, click here.

Studio J

Stamping Collection: Stamp sets, ink, and scrubber


Album Collection: Albums, stamp set, ink, and block

Lucky Collection:

Mayberry Collection

If that wasn't enough, you also get the You and Me kit FREE. Remember, you can also get this kit for just $15 when you spend $50 this month.

Here's one of my You and Me layouts:

Lucky Pages for June Scrap Club

Since I am a mom of boys, I've been drooling over the Lucky papers since the catalog came out. The colors and patterns are some of my favorites to use for scrapping. Here's a sneak peek at two of the layouts we'll be making at June's scrapbook club. I'll be posting the cards and the third layout sometime soon.


Brendan just finished his first season of T-ball. I LOVE these pictures! The Lucky papers were perfect for baseball pics.







This layout is going to feature photos of Brendan riding without training wheels for the first time. I need to print a 5x7 before I can add the photos. The third layout is going to use the photos from the BSU football game last fall. Go blue and orange!





All layouts use the Lucky Workshop on the Go. These kits cost $29.95, and include a paper pack, stamp set, and embellishments (in this case buttons and hemp. To get your own kit, click here.


Don't forget about the May special this month. The fabulous You and Me kit comes with everything to complete 2 layouts, including stamp sets and Irresistibles Chipboard. The kit is $34.95. Order $50 in product, and you can get the kit for just $15. For more information, click here. Tomorrow I'll post one of my You and Me layouts. Stay tuned.

I am down to just 7 and 1/4 days left of school. I'm finishing up grades, and trying to get everything at school organized for the summer break. While I am very ready for summer, I can't believe how quickly this year has flown by! My baby will be six next week. Where does the time go?

May Club--Sophia Layouts

These are the layouts we'll be doing in my monthly scrapbook club. With the exception of the titles, these layouts use only the items in the Sophia Workshop on the Go. The kit comes with the papers, waxy flax, hemp, and the Sophia stamp set. You can get the kit for just $29.95 here.

The first layout is from CTMH's Reflections book. I used the Bohemian Alphabet for the title.

The second layout is from the new Magic book. I thought the family photos we took Easter day worked perfect for these papers. OK, admission time: I bought the boys shirts to match these papers :) I knew we were doing these layouts for club, and it's hard to find pictures for such girly papers. I found the perfect green shirts at Old Navy. That's when you know you are a scrapbooker!

I used my Cricut and the Alphalicious alphabet for the title.

This last layout is the layout that I made from the instructions in the kit. I again used the Bohemian Alphabet for the title. Can you tell I love that stamp set?! I still need to add journaling on the left side of the layout.

I'll post the cards we're doing later this week. Sixteen and a quarter days of school left--not that I'm counting or anything :)

May Special--National Scrapbooking Month

We are celebrating National Scrapbooking Month in May with a fabulous promotion! During May, when you place a minimum order of $50 for any Close To My Heart products, you can grab an exclusive You & Me scrapbooking kit for just $15/$16.50—that’s more than half off the retail value of the kit! You can also purchase the kit outright for $34.95 with or without a minimum purchase. It features two fully embellished layouts, each with their own unique personality, a D-size stamp set, and an instruction guide to step you through the creation process. As part of our promotion, we’re also offering new Consultants who join Close To My Heart in May one FREE You & Me scrapbooking kit plus 50% off their New Consultant Kit! It's an incredible value just for May! There's never been a better time to sign up to be a consultant!

Click here for more information.

With this wonderful kit, you can make two fully embellished two-page layouts using the included instructions, papers, D-size stamp set, and accessories. The You & Me scrapbooking kit includes:
1 – My Acrylix® You & Me Stamp Set
1 – 12” × 12” Colonial White Cardstock
6 – 12” × 12” B&T Duos® Papers
1 – 6” × 9” You & Me Irresistibles™ Chipboard Die-Cut Sheet
1 Yard – Chocolate Stripe Ribbon
1 Package – Opaques Mocha Adhesive Gems
1 – Instruction Guide