The best of both worlds

Sometimes I feel like I have the best of both worlds: 2 wonderful kids AND the time to scrapbook them. Don't get me wrong....I am not bragging! I'm just feeling very grateful for what I have. I know the little time that I have now will come to a screaching halt as soon as little Max arrives but for now, I'm trying to keep creating and really appreciating the time I have with the kids. Life is great! Seize the day! Here's a new layout with them too:

Have a great weekend!
Christy

Sparkly, not spooky

I'm trying to squeeze a few Halloween crafts in before little Max is born. Here's my latest, new favorite. Its a Halloween chandelier made from some vintage Halloween images from Crafty Secrets, glittered wood halloween shapes, beads, and crystals. The center ring is actually the inside of a huge tape roll, painted silver and embellished. Its so thick that my crop-a-dile wouldn't punch through it, I had to use a drill driver. It was so easy I think I might make one for Christmas with a snowflake theme. Maybe a baby mobile? Other ideas???On another note, Brentt and Maddie have went to school a couple times on the trailer-bike. She has so much fun! I snapped this picture the other day and I'm not sure who is happier. Enjoy your week! Thanks for checking in!
Christy

Dirty little secrets about parenthood

So, after the first week of school I've just learned another "Dirty little secret about parenthood." You know those "secrets", like the one about babies and sleep? People tell you, "The first few months are hard but once they start sleeping through the night, it will get a lot easier." LIE. It doesn't get easier, you just slip into a new phase.... like teething or some other cruel phase. Sleep through the night? My kids are pretty good sleepers but in the last 5 1/2 years, I have never gotten more than 7 nights in a row of full sleep. Someone has a bad dream, or can't sleep, or needs a drink, or had an accident or something else... It's exhausting!

So here's the new lie people told me. "Once your kids are in school, you'll have so much more time to yourself." LIE. But I really believed it. It seemed so accurate that after being a stay-at-home mom that once Maddie started Kindergarten and Sam started pre-school (isn't he handsome in that photo above!), I could (dare I hope...) scrapbook and sew or maybe read a book for grown-ups. What a dirty secret! Here's the catch: I am the chauffeur. Most of my day is spent in the car driving, dropping kids off, picking kids up, and waiting for them. Yeah, I might be alone more but this time is certainly not leisure time to myself. It's exhausting!
I'll get off my rant now and show you my big Kindergartener on her first day of school. She really loved the first week and was a little mad when she couldn't go today (Saturday).

She seems to have grown up so quickly! I am starting to forget details about the night she was born so I did a layout about it. Its so different than most of my layouts because it is almost all journaling. Using my own handwriting too! I hate to see my writing on my pages but I felt this was an important story to tell.
One of my new goals is to start scrapbooking "THE STORIES." These are the concrete memories that bind our family together. The next ones I want to get down are about the other kids' birth and about how Brentt and I met. Also, the story about when Brentt ate "Tete a vouex" on a trip to Paris. For those who don't speak French, that is Calves Brain. That'll be a fun story! Here's a new 2-page layout from the fair this summer.
Every year I save the photo Christmas cards that people send us. I stitched a pocket onto the page so we could add it to our Christmas album.
This was a favorite picture from last Christmas so I finally got around to scrapping it.
Because I was in a Christmas mood already, I pre-made a page for 2009. Lord knows when Max arrives, I'll have a lot less time to scrapbook!I have pre-made some pages for Max's baby album too. I'll show them to you soon. But for now, we have some friends who are adopting twin girls so I made her this page:
My favorite detail is the Tim Holtz crackle paint around the edges. It added so much texture and interest. Anyway, thanks for checking in. Have a great weekend!
Christy

Those crabby days are long gone

Those crabby days are long gone. Lately our days have been filled with getting ready to start school, squeezing in the last of the summer fun, and of course, getting ready for the arrival of our new baby boy.

Here's his first baby picture:Ok... perhaps not the cute, first baby picture you were expecting but its the one we've been staring at and dreaming over. Isn't it sweet how he is holding onto his foot with his hand? Can you see it? You can also see a little bit of his face but he's hiding under the umbilical cord. His birthmom is doing great and little Max (that will be his first name, so far) is as healthy as can be. We went to the doctor with his birthmom yesterday and it looks like we have about a month left. I just get butterflies knowing that it is not far away. I can't wait to meet him! And here's his birthmom, Jordan. Doesn't she look amazing for being 35 weeks pregnant?!? Last weekend we went out to Rancho Mirage (Palm Springs) and stayed at a resort. Its just nice to have little getaways when we can do it on the cheap. But its cheap because it is so darn HOT! It was 100-110 degrees most of the day and only cooled down to the mid-90's at night. Ugh! But it didn't matter too much because we spent most of our time at the pool.Sam loves to fly! I think I captured his pure joy. This kid is FEARLESS!

This week I'm trying to take the kids on the last of our summer adventures in town. Now that all the tourists have left San Diego, the beaches are much more pleasant. And so is the zoo! How on earth is it September already? Do you like Maddie's new hair cut and style? Fresh and ready for Kindergarten! Anyway, I'm going to go seize the day with the kids! Thanks for checking in. I'll have a lot of baby crafts and scrappy goodness in my next post. :)
Cheers!
Christy

Oh crabby day!

I've had such a crabby day today. Nothing big. You know.... the messy house that no matter how much you clean, its still messy. Kids that aren't listening. Kids that are fighting. A husband who is not listening. Good thing its Friday! I'm sure after a few drinks tonight, I'll count my blessings and kiss everyone goodnight (albeit inside my messy house.) However....this made me smile today. I had to share!

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home . If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit.'

Have a great weekend! Cheers!
Christy

In case you were wondering....

Yes, in fact, I do still scrapbook. Sadly, I haven't been doing too much lately. I really need to print out some pictures. But since I scrapbook backwards so often, I have a place to put them already. Here are a few backwards layouts that I made trying to use up some of my older stash. They just need journaling and the pictures.

I even did this quickie baby-boy layout. I'm hoping in a few months I'll have a picture for it.

Because I know the kids grow up SO fast, the title "In the Blink of An Eye" seemed so versatile.I just had to use the scraps from the layout. I'm not a big card-maker but was surprised by what fit so easily.
Thanks for checking in! I'm hoping to keep scrapbooking some more. Lots to do but the kids are in Vacation Bible School all week (yipee!) so just maybe I'll squeeze some "me time" in. Wish me luck! ;) Have a good one!
Cheers,
Christy

We're having a baby!

I've been away from blogging for too long now but I have good reasons for it. Two good reasons actually. The most exciting news.... we met a birthmom who has chosen us to be the parents of her baby.

We're having a baby boy in 2 months!

We are over-the-moon about having a new little love in the house! Our new birthmom, Jordan, is such a gem! We are so lucky she was the one who choose us. She seems so thoughtful and focused on what is best for her baby. I think she is just perfect! We're hoping, as she gets to know our crazy little family, she will appreciate all our quirks and chaos too. :) So now, we are scrambling to prepare and make sure everything is in order so we can spend as much time as we can with our new child. I'm so happy I'm a stay-at-home mom but I want to make this transition as easy as we can for everyone. Please wish us the best!Our other news is that we just spent 10 days on vacation in Minnesota with my family on the farm. The kids had such a great time playing on the farm. Don't you just love that beautiful sunset picture above? We all really enjoyed it our time there. There's something so unique about going "home" again. So much nostalgia and great memories. It's nice that our kids are making memories there now too.

Here is my Dad (driving the old tractor), my nephew Nick, and my husband Brentt (in orange) baling alfalfa.

Sam posing on a small bale.Uncle John giving Maddie a ride on the 4 wheeler.One of my favorite pics from the farm is this picture of Maddie posing in the wheat field. I love it!Our sleepy Sam found a nice place to rest.My other nephew Joseph.Nick with my sister, Bobbie.Hiking in Camden State Park.Another beautiful Minnesota sunset.

Another highlight of our trip was visiting Walnut Grove, MN. You know... the 70's show "Little House on the Prairie." I grew up 40 minutes from here and never visited the museum and watched the play they have. Its cute, quaint and surprisingly educational on pioneer life. Here's a little red schoolhouse building of the museum.My sister is so good at imaginary play with the kids. I love this... they're playing school!At the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum they have the mantel from the show set. Here's a picture from the play. It was well done and interesting.And you thought Maddie was only sweet? Oh no! There is another side. Here's some proof.Thanks for checking in and tolerating our vacation pics! Our birthmom is coming for dinner tonight so off to the store to figure out what I'm cooking. Have a great weekend!

My fair experience

I finally feel like summer is here and we're filling our days with "want-to-do's" and not "have-to-do's". On July 3rd, we went to the fair and had a lot of fun. When I was a kid, I looked forward to the fair every summer. I was in 4-H and I entered in a competition every year. Usually something in an arts and crafts category---are you surprised? ;) Anyways, so when we went to the fair last week I entered a dish in the Hidden Valley Ranch one-day contest. Just for fun, and to et into the fair for free. So we dropped off my dish in the judging area and then went and had fun. Before we left, I went back to pick up my dishes and discovered I HAD WON! I got first place in the side-dish category and third place in the overall competition. They gave me an apron, some ribbons and a check that covered our expenses at the fair. I was delighted someone other than Brentt liked my cooking. (Heavens knows the kids don't appreciate it!!!)

So, here's my self-created recipe for the dish that won. This is my savory version of a cinnamon roll. The method is the same but just with savory ingredients. Hidden Valley Ranch owns the rights to it now...
Spinach-Ranch Rolls

Ingredients:
2 loaves Bridgford frozen bread
1 block cream cheese
1 pound bacon
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 package Hidden Valley Ranch dip mix (powdered stuff)
2 cups fresh spinach
Ranch dressing on the side for dipping.

Thaw frozen bread according to directions. Bring cream cheese to room temperature. Mix the ranch dip and cream cheese. Cook the bacon to a crisp. Crumble or cut the bacon into small pieces. Roll out each of the bread doughs into a 10" by 16" rectangle. Spread the cream cheese mix equally onto each leaving a 1/2 inch border uncovered. Sprinkle 1/2 the bacon and 1 cup of cheddar cheese on each. Lay 1 cup of spinach evenly over the mix. Roll it up lengthwise like you would a jelly roll, or a sleeping bag, etc... Cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces. Place in dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cook at 325 for 35 minutes or until bread is golden brown. Serve warm with a side of ranch dressing.

I hope you try it. Its really easy and makes a great side dish. Here are a few pictures of the fun the kids had.

Maddie's favorite fair food is from "Hot Dog on a Stick." She was ecstatic to eat this! My poor kids are so deprived of junk food! ;) I have a full weekend of cooking ahead. In honor of the Tour de France and my love of all things French, we're hosting a French dinner party tonight so I've got to start prepping stuff early. I'm preparing 6 courses for 12 people--I don't know why I do this to myself sometimes...In the end, I always have fun. Also, our peaches are all ripe so I'm making jam tomorrow. I hope your weekend is more exciting!
Christy