Manic Monday was totally productive....

We had a great time.

And the mojo flowed......

as it should have.

I had originally just flung all my Christmas cards

in the pocket and then in the album.

And then I removed the page from the album

and decided to do it up right......ala AliE style.

This is the 5th year I've done it and I love it. All the cards

we received are on this layout.

And BONUS round....I got the 2 page challenge done.

It was late, but it was done!

This next one is 8x8 size for the kidlets album.

Grandpop, mom & Owen making

homemade pasta.

I love Jillybean soup.

 Printed these pictures awhile ago and found them

under my desk. Shocking I know.

Anyway I dusted it off and wa-la....a beautiful

page for me - because this won't fit in 

8x8 album. My bad :)

 I decided that each set of parents (2 diff fams) would have an 

8x8 American Craft d-ring album.

That way I can create pages, put them in a 

page protector and mail them out.

In normal packaging.

And all they have to do is put the pages in

the album. Easy Peasy!!!

My favorite eldest son turns 30 today....YIKES!!

His birth.

A total bundle of joy...

6 months old

He was a great baby. Sleeping through

the night at 4 weeks. 

Scarfing down cereal at 2 weeks.

He was a hungry boy.

2 years old. He loved the outdoors.

Kindergarten.

The teacher told me he was very chatty

and he'd probably be that way through

the rest of his school life.

Sigh.

Tween. (notice the McGiver look) lol!

He was as sweet as he looks.

Graduation.

Finally. 

Army...

Daddy...

He has brought me joy and grandbabies.

He has a fun sense of humor.

He is handsome (my side LMAO).

He's smart (my side as well).

He has blessed my life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! AND MANY MORE.....

my favorite eldest son.

Interestingly enough....

these rocks were as they are.

Honestly, we didn't stop long enough

to stack rocks. I'm sure it means something but....

I just love the photo...

Stacked rocks found in the California mountains.

Which seriously isn't that odd in Callifornia

considering..............

Just when I think the mojo returns, it does in spurts

and then along comes life and sucks it 

right on out. 

I shall find other things to do until it returns.

Continue to pray for my favorite youngest son.

Ironically I wrote a hub about titles

and then needed a title. 

Any of you that scrapbook with me personally know I flail around with titles. 

So since I have trouble I feel others may too. 

Hopefully, clicking here will give you a few ideas on where to get titles when you're stuck. 

One of my personal favorite is mixing up a modern song with heritage photos. 

Who knew my gram and aunts could have this kind of fun. 

This was a well kept secret. 

Till the photos came out. BWAHAHAAHA!

Please click on link, read, vote UP, comment and enjoy!

 This is just too perfect for the title.

This ones for the girls. yeah.

Martina McBride

Manic Monday wasn't too manic but it was productive

in that I wrote a hub about altering a composition

notebook that will help my friends mother

get her photos out of the box and her memories

preserved.

To read more about it, click here and please vote UP.

Thanks for your support!

The blue skies of Arizona.....

really just blew me away.

I have lots of blue skies in Florida, but for

some reason and maybe its the mountains

that make the skies bluer there.

I love the rustic-ness of it. 

And the cactus just march on like soldiers.

They are everywhere.

Had some emotional ups and downs going on.

Which seriously affects the mojo.

Keep the favorite youngest son in your prayers. 

He's making me crazy.

I have written a new hub please click here
to be amused about exercising with a purpose without
exercising on purpose.
Thanks for voting UP!

Find the hawk in the photo....

He's there watching me, watch him.

He's a poser and totally fickle.

I've been doing some spring cleaning

which I really needed to do.

Bashed my nail way below the quick

and its not pretty.

Still have a couple of rooms to go.

3's company

I had to laugh when I saw this photo.

It's just too darn adorable.

I had forgotten I had misted using my new glimmer mist

Monster Mash,

following up with a couple of others for an accent.

And then placed the paper under my glass to uncurl it.

Sadly I think I need to clean the glass. LOL!!!

Anyway some kraft and basic grey.

Love it.

Another challenge completed.....

Scrap that tune....

And I couldn't resist with a photo of my

Gram and Aunt Toot partying.

Back in the day.

Girls just wanna have fun!

Says it all.

Kaiser Crafts, Technique Tuesday, Quickutz, Creative Imaginations.

Twas totally maniacal at Moments last night....

New challenges went up on Sunday

and combine that with Manic Monday and

you get some pages done!

Love Love Love it.

This page is the Pattern Paper challenge, involving dots,

flowers and stripe papers! Love the results....

 The Recipe challenge involved paint, 3 flowers, a circle

at least one photo and pop dots.

Totally pleased.

I don't use white cardstock often enough.....

 There's a new challenge - Stamping!!

Out of the gate - Stamp a border - which totally

brings the entire page together.

It was a good start and I'll be working on the rest of the

challenges because I'm far from done.

I've been in a funk.......

and just now recognized. Geez...

However, yesterday was challenges UP day at Moments.

And this is there heritage challenge.

This one is about Special Relationships and one

you may have had with Aunts, Uncles, Cousins,

Grandparents, etc......

As you know, I adored my grandparents and I'm

totally aspiring to be like them with my

grandkidlets.

When I discovered this photo of me and grandpop

well......a page had to be done.
Basic grey - no matter how old rocks, noteworthy, grungeboard and prima!

journaling: Always! Wherever grandpop was in my field of vision, I was in his lap or arms. We just fell in love /weach other from the start. I was attracted by his easy going, laid back attitude. (I also love how he treated my gram). I saw him angry-twice, heard him swear only once. He's been gone 30 years plus and I still cry and miss him so.

Backyard wildlife........

Greetings from sunny, chilly Florida.

48 degrees at 10 a.m.

That's just wrong!

I'd like to blame the lateness on my

dentist appointment, but alas, it isn't so.

I couldn't decide on a title.

I know that shocks each and every one of you.

Snort.

Lots of mental gymastics, fights with thickers.

I do NOT like thickers.
They stick to everything except what I want them too.
And they fall off everywhere. 

However, got some new Creative Imaginations papers

and finally, a mojo break through.

Yeah!!!

MMMMmm paper.....

Isn't funny how you can spend all the time in the world

picking out the perfect present

and the kidlets will focus in on and play with

the box or papers.

Priceless.

Cosmo comes through again.

It's how I roll.....

Love this pix of Annie in her Santa hat.

Driving a sassy car.

I didn't have a lot of Christmas paper. 

Shocking I know,

but a stash of Cosmo Cricket was found.

Manic Monday was maniacal! 

Sadly I didn't get much done.

Our water heater had the utter audacity to

go on the fritz, so I was "helping."

Read batting cleanup!!

There's nothing like a good western....

and I do love them.

This is the sketch challenge over at Moments and of course,

I got carried away and did a 2-pager.

Using the collage creator in Picassa (which the sketch was a collage)

it doesn't quite match it in form but function.

I have so many great pix from Arizona, and this

is just Tombstone and Boothill.

Both were amazing.

As I mentioned in the blog account I did when I was out there,

Tombstone wasn't the movie set I thought it to be.

It is a real town that has people that can role play all day long.

What an awful job that is, right?

The bottle caps are from the sarsaparilla soda we

purchased that was a collectors item with the Earps

and Doc Holliday on the bottles. It was yummy!

Oh, and the patterned paper??? Cosmo Cricket - Wanted line.

Snort.

Love notes...

Nothing more romantic or precious

looking as mother and child.

Sleeping, Snuggling.

And of course, Jill rocked this 

Iphone photo. Again.

K&Co, Recollections, Creative Imaginations.

April's lace. (I have an entire satchel full).

Too Cute to Spook....

The next challenge I was able to tick off my list was about stash 

and to use your leftover animals/insects.

I didn't really have any leftover aninmals/critters, however,

since I do have to wait for photos to roll in

from far far away, what better way to use stash/critters than to

incorporate some sparkly cats on a Halloween page.

I took the cue from the cat on Annie's shirt and found 

a cat stamp in my stash. Since you can't go wrong

with bling, I glam'd the cats up with some Martha Stewart glitter!

(photo by KevinDuffyphotography)

8x8

It's challenge time at

Scrappin the Moments.....

which brought the mojo back!!!!

So the first one is use the colors; blue, green, light blue

and a neutral. Well.....my neutral is red.

This may look familiar as I'm doing 8x8's for the kidlet's

album and 12x12 (or whatever for mine)

and I used the title boing!!!!

Again.

 Because its perfect.

 The journaling challenge was of course about the

New Year 2012 - so 12 intentions, resolutions

or in my case things. No sense setting yourself up for

failure so these are things I can do.....

 One little word - love this one too. 

 GIVE.

How perfect is this.

Hmmmm should've made that word a different color.

It does look better IRL however, so just make it bigger.

Head on over and check them out!!! 

There are a bunch more to come so stay-tuned!!!

Have a happy and blessed 2012!!

Jumping on the top 12 bandwagon

because after all its now 2012!

Secrets is about meeting my mom's birth side of the family

and the feelings that went with it.
Of course it resides in my Roots journal that
has been blown out into 3 albums.

 Smug mug is a favorite of mine because of course

its a great pix of me (I really take bad pix)
 and that of my fav youngest son.

 My grandson who is a hoot and this shot was so

funny and lucky! I miss him and think about
him often.

 My DH took me on a wild ride through DC to get

some night shots. It was a lot of fun.

 This was soooo special - meeting the family in NYC

and dining at Bobby Flays which was

delicious btw. 

But it was a family event that made my heart sing.

 My babies whom I lost so close together and miss

more than I thought imaginable.

 My brother who somehow didn't make it into many

of my albums. In the process of rectifying that.

 Some of the travels DH and I took. We have a

blast of course and the sights are so amazing.

 Yosemite was breathtaking. 

 And taking moody shots at Balboa Park was

so inspiring.

 I couldn't wait to get to San Francisco. 

And of course have 3M shots of the golden gate bridge

and Alcatraz. It couldn't be helped.

 An Old Town never ceases to get old.

I almost feel like an artist hanging there.

I have such a wonderful life! 

2011 was an amazing year and I feel so blessed

especially traveling and hanging with DH and family

and I know 2012 is going to rock!

Have a Blessed and Happy New Year!