What a weekend!

We had a great weekend in Crested Butte! 

We had a great dinner once we FINALLY got there! Long long drive...

     {credits}

Then Saturday Heath and I took the kids to ski school...then we went to McGills to have Eggs Benedict. It was great relaxing around the cabin all day! But first...I had so much fun playing with my camera and all the settings I have learned about in my Photograph Classes at Jessica Sprague.  Anyway....here is my page.

      {credits}

We drove home tonight after Heath, H and M skied this morning. We are blessed to have a place to go! 

6 weeks later!?!?

What have I been doing for 6 weeks (besides being a stinky blogger!)...outside of going to Texas for Baylor homecoming, being in charge of Digital Scrap Day at ScrapMatters, releasing several new kits and products, being a mom, going to NYC with my in-laws, cooking T'giving dinner, and watching football and now basketball!?!? OMGoodness!

I cannot believe it's the last month of 2010!?!?! Where has the year gone?

Well, I have started a little project for December. Altho, I'm not sure why at all, seriously!?!? But, I'm doing Daily December. I learned about it from Ali Edwards.  And, then some gals at ScrapMatters were doing it, so I jumped on board! Eeek...the good news is...I'm 1/12 of the way done...give or take 1 day!  Daily December is a record of 25 days of Christmas...in my house. I want to appreciate the season! There gets to be so much going on...it makes you slow down and appreciate Christmas!?!?

So, I started yesterday by giving the kids their advent cards and reading the Christmas story together. Here is my page. {credits}

Today, Heath and I finished putting up our tree...we did most of it last night, but hadn't gotten the angel on top....which by the way, was on one of the trees at our wedding, so it's super special to me. She's so pretty! And, my page today. {credits}

I'm going to try to do my best to get this album done....which might be hard since the kiddos and i leave in 11 days to meet my family at Disney!?!? YIKES!

The Laundry Room

So, i've had the goal for weeks of getting my laundry room back in functioning order. I've been stacking things in the "lockers" and on the counters...it was sick really. So, today, I worked on it. I even bought a rug, a cool container for my laundry detergent, and little "chalkboard" place cards that were on clearance to label each of the coat hooks in the locker area. I think it's cute, or at least for a laundry room!

Seasonal Decor...

Am I the only person in the blog-world that doesn't do Halloween decor? I mean truth...the only thing about Halloween I like is the dressing up and pumpkins....oh, and the candy corn! I'm not into skulls and skeletons, witches and brew, gravestones and ghosts. Am I the only one that doesn't want this depressing stuff around my house to look at all the time?

I don't let my kids dress up in scary costumes, no witches, gremlins, not even the "black" spiderman costume! I like the cheerful stuff around here! 

My fall decor this year consists of a basket on my coffee table with some fall veggies like pumpkins and squash...and the truth is, I'm completely hapy with that! (and this isn't a great picture of it either!)

I'll save my re-decorating my house for Christmas...and that will happen before T'giving! LOL

What to do on a sick day...

So, M is still sick. She has a throat infection, and I cannot get her fever to go away! So for two days, we've snuggled in the big chair, watched tv and movies...gotta love it. I probably should get the dishes done, but instead, I did a speed scrap this morning. I love the page that I ended up with! I used JennCk's Everyday Wishes. She's guesting this month at SM and I love this kit! So beautiful! (oh, and my fav templates...WM[Squared]'s Got Curves V2)

I took these pictures of Madysen last week at the park. I am taking this photography class at Jessica Sprague and wanted to play with the manual setting. I think they turned out okay, might be a little dark, but I'm loving this page I did with them! Thanks for looking!

What a day...my mom's birthday!

Goodness, the past couple of weeks have gone quickly! I'm not sure what exactly happens! LOL...football, cheer, football, watching football, school, practice, shopping, scrapping, tv watching, football, oh, and BALLOON FIESTA! Love that!

How 'bout some of my favorite BF pics...

This one might be all time favorite...especially with the app I used on my iPhone4...yes, I took this with my iPHONE!!

This picture I took Tuesday morning from the Target parking lot...

 

This was from the first Saturday morning....right as they started taking off!

And a few other from the first Saturday (I haven't made the others web ready yet!)

We had a great time, it's one of my all time favorite things I've done seriously! Over 500 balloons...so cool....

Oh, I've had an interesting day! I might as well talk about it...
1. I forgot to take Hunter to school an hour early for Spanish class...oops.
2. I found out my baby sister (the one who got married this summer) is getting to come to Texas next weekend...while we'll be there...and later that I get to finally take pics of my little gal in her flower girl dress with AJ in her wedding dress!
3. I bought a new computer!!! I got a MacBook Pro! Her name is Fiona. She's beautiful.
4. I volunteered at school for both kids today. It was fun spending time with them at school. Totally fun and amazing how different 6 Kindergarteners and 6 4th graders are...not sure which I prefer! They were all fab!
5. Between 2pm when I left M's class and 3:40pm when I picked her up from school, she started running a fever. lovely.
6. Forgot H's snack before his Robots class...loser mommy.
7. stand still traffic on the way to pick up H from Robots class and was very very close to not getting there before Explora closed. jeez
8. I got home to put the pork tenderloin in the oven...it took twice as long to cook than the directions said. Outta control.
9. I had to pay an exuberant amount to change platforms from Windows to Mac for my Adobe Creative Suite. Not good at all.
10. THE RANGERS WON!!! So happy for a team that I've cheered for YEARS for! WOO HOO!
11. I'm about to go play with my new Photoshop 5.
12. (As in Oct 12...) My Mom's Birthday! You are amazing, even though I don't think you read my blog..you are too busy being a small business owner of the best consignment store in Waco! Awesome! I love you mom!

Later people!

Football/Cheer/FB/Cheer

I feel like I do the same thing, over and again. I take M to Cheer on Mondays, then H to Football on Wednesdays....then I'm driving both of them over to the field on Saturdays. Has anyone noticed that when you have a routine, the weeks go so much faster?

I can't believe October 1 is Friday...but what's good about October? A couple of things...fall is in full swing....cooler weather, pumpkins, etc. Football...and here in Albuquerque, we have Balloon Fiesta! WOO HOO! Here's a picture from last year!

I can't wait to go on Sunday! And, at least on Saturday, as I drive the kids to cheer/football, I'll get to see them ascend into the ABQ sky!

Picture of the Day

When we went home a couple of weeks ago after Heath's Memaw fell, I was lucky enough that my own grandmother came to town for my nephew's fifth birthday.

I had just gotten a new lens for my camera and was playing around with it...with no flash...and came up with this picture. It's a treasure...M and Grandma.

Just priceless!

I'm taking "Oh Shoot! Photography class" at JessicaSprague.com  I'm so enjoying it and want to put more of my photos on here...keep your eyes open. I'm very much enjoying learning more about the settings of my camera!

{two days in a row}

I wonder if I've blogged two days in a row since I started this blog...well maybe once.

Truth is, I'm not even sure if I have anything meaningful to share with you...do I ever? probably not, but I'm a talker, so I usually can come up with something to talk about!

I recorded/dvr'ed 5 premier's tonight. Outta control. And, I should say, I'm not sure when I'm going to watch all of them. I have 5 other shows that I've recorded this week...i've watched one...only because my family insisted we watch "Chuck"!

I'm trying to decide, if there were only ONE show I watched per week, what would it be? used to...it would have been Lost. But, it's over now.

This week? I think I'd have to chose "Brothers and Sisters"!! Who else watches this show? So awesome.

If there were only one show you could watch this week, what would it be?

I will say though, I'm super excited to watch Grey's, Private Practice, and the Mentalist.

H and I have been catching up on "Castle" too...anyone else watch this? I know my SIL, Holly does. She introduced me to it...H and I love a mystery show...I love watching detective shows with H; it reminds me of my childhood, watching detective shows with my mom...can you say Remington Steel? Eek!

I think I might watch too much tv. oh well, what do you do?

I lied...

My last post I promised I would do better. I lied.
I also said I'd get pictures up. I lied.
I thought once the kids got into school, I'd have so much more time to do things....I lied about that too.

Why can't I get it together? I guess it's because I'm a wife, a mommy, a designer, a scrapper, a sister, and the list goes on! 

I just can't get it together this fall, but I'm trying harder! Two weeks ago, Heath's grandmother fell and broke her hip/pelvis. We flew out to Texas to see her...we try to live a no regrets life. By Saturday night, it looked bleak. But, Sunday morning, she made a miraculous turn for the better. Memaw is still in pain, doing some rehab...she's a little spitfire though. There is no give-up in this lady's body! She's amazing, seriously. (I'm pretty sure it's because she's the middle of three girls...just like me ;)

Last week, mom and dad came to ABQ to see us for H's birthday. I can't believe he turned ten...10!!! TEN people!!! Are you kidding me? I can't be a mom to a ten year old...a kid in double digits!?!?! Okay, enough of my panic attack, please forgive.

We had a FUN party on Saturday for him...pictures will hopefully come at some time or another! He had 10 kids over, and we set up a "Tailgate" party in the backyard. We had a a college football game on, little flag football, a football toss, beanbag toss, and the swimming pool was open for fun! BBQ was had by all, but the most popular thing? you'll never guess it...well, maybe...cheetos. Cheetos. gag. I can't stand them, so many better options in the chip department. But, I guess everyone but me like Cheetos!

Mom, Dad, Heath, and I also took a few trips to the casino. FUN TIMES! I might be able to either buy my new dishes or my new dining table with the winnings! It was a good weekend for us.

I so enjoy my family. I am so blessed to have been born into an amazing family...my mom, dad, amber and robyn (and extras) are awesome. But, I married into one amazing family also! Even though Sam gets into my personal space on purpose, I still LOVE hanging out with Sam, Molly, Holly, et al!!! And, I can't say enough about Heath, H, and M....I am one lucky lady.

Guess what people? It's pouring rain...I'm thinking a nap in our amazing chair and a half might be calling my name! (i just realized I used amazing too many times today. My senior english teacher would be mortified...I do know other words for amazing...fabulous, extraordinary, fantastic, wonderful...see, I could also get more with a thesaurus, but why?!)

Eventually....

I'll actually have pictures available, but at least I remembered to blog!

This week has been a whirlwind of marking things off my to do list! I've gotten a flat tire fixed, an oil change, seen my mom during a 3 hour layover at our airport, gone to the bank, taken shoes back, cooked 2 brand new recipes, and even cleaned the house. Yeah, I still have a stack of bills to pay, go back to the bank, buy Hunter some new shoes for school, clean the kitchen, do some laundry, and so much more! LOL! Welcome to being a mom and a home engineer!

But....I've also played "Go Fish" with my kids, had a slumber party with M-along with a few hands of "Old Maid' and Sorry Sliders. I've taken the kids, plus a friend to see Cats and Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore and eaten lunch with Heath at the hospital! Sometimes it's fun to be a mom!

I guess I should stop blogging and start the dishes. I need to get H to feed the dogs and put a load of laundry in! Have a good night!

a few layouts

So over the past few weeks, I've been scrapping a lot. I'm working hard on my Disney album from our fall trip. I wanted to share a few with  you.

Camp Minnie-Mickey Credits

Expedition Everest Credits

Nemo Credits

All Ears Credits

Barnstormer Credit

Kim Possible credits

Lovin' Minnie credits

JoBro credits

Welcome to my castle credits

Garden Grill credits

I fought summer....

and summer won!

Seriously, I have lost my P365 battle this summer, but truth is, I'm not giving up!

How can I be so stinking busy that I just forget to blog and take pictures!?!? HOW!?!? Well, I am sure I am not like many of you, my kids, family, vacation, cooking, dogs, etc! What they heck.

I am one month behind on my P365 updates! I've decided that I'm okay with it. I'm not going to quit b/c I missed some things. I have lots of pictures from the past few weeks, that's not the problem. I'm trying to remember what all I've done from July 9 until Aug 8!?!?

Well, shortly after July 9....all the way till July 16....M and I were SICK! I mean like 103 degree fever, and me ending up with Strep sick. I could barely get off the couch!

July 16-July 23.....M, Heath and I flew to Little Rock, then drove to Branson to pick H up from Kanakuk. OMGoodness...can I tell you how much I LOVE that place! It's an amazing Christian Sports camp! Hunter even got honor tripper (runner up)....which means when they went on their camping trip for 2-3 days he helped the guys/counselors tons with everything! Awesome. I'm so proud of his leadership! We then went back to LR to spend time with our friends, the Phillips family. I miss them so very much. God has blessed us with their friendship and it was wonderful to spend time with them!

July 24 to Aug??? ha! heath worked, the kids and I played, shopped to get ready for school, swam, watched it rain. We just hung out at home.

then till Aug 7....we spent time with my inlaws in Crested Butte. We always go up there for Heath's birthday. I just love it! Heath and Sam went fly fishing a lot....the kids went to Camp CB where they hiked, went to the adventure park to play putt putt, climbed the rock wall, bungee jumped on the trampoline, and even picked wild strawberries. They had a great time! Molly and I just hung out. I'm so very blessed to have the mother in law I have. We enjoy eating Italian Cream Cake, scrapping, and tasting margaritas! ;)  on the way home last night, we totally got a flat tire. We were hauling a trailer with my new chair on it...it wasn't fun at all, but we made it home safely and that is all that really matters.

Aug 8...that's today. I hosted a chat at SM. Then I did a SS at SM. It's our birthday celebration. I have also cleaned a little, ordered pizza for lunch, made the kids clean their rooms, and now blogged. ha! Hunter is about to join me in the living room to watch the Dallas Cowboys! WOOHOO! So excited that football season is starting up again!

And, I'm going to work HARD and not quit on this P365! I want to encourage others to keep going too....even if you've missed a few days! No big deal! We can do it together!

The pressure of questions!!!

Okay, Heath just set up an online banking acct for a new acct we opened a couple of weeks ago. And, he put some major pressure on me! Seriously.

He chose three identifying questions...and expected ME to know the answers to HIS questions! REALLY!?!?

Guess what? I totally knew them, but the pressure I felt when trying to remember/know HIS favorite band and movie, YIKES!

I did know them tho. he he.

{day 190 of 365}

Day 185 July 4 {2010} We hung out, watched a couple of movies, went swimming, ate watermelon, then on to downtown Waco for the Fireworks Display!

Day 186 July 5 {2010} Robyn stayed home from work today, the kids played while we watched a movie. Oh, and we took them to ChuckECheese. Seriously, I hate that place....their food is the worst on the planet, but what they do have is a couple of hours of FUN for those kiddos! Then Robyn and I hit the mall later, had fun at the new Mac counter at the Dillards in Waco!
I went to supper with Kori and Vanessa....my BFFs from high school. We also went to college together. Van and I were roommates our Freshman year while Kori lived 3 doors down! HOW FUN! I love these ladies and cherish the friendship that we've had all of these years! We ended the evening with a bottle of wine at Vanessa's house. I can't wait till the next time we get together!

Day 187 July 6 {2010} I took H's new lockers to Central Freight to get them shipped home. Then, mom and I went to the salvage sale they have every Tuesday. Who knew what all you could buy there! Crazy! Holly, L, M, and I went to Pei Wei for lunch. Then, L and M went swimming. We had a great time in the pool. Hung out and packed up the rest of the evening. (no pics dang it!)

Day 188 July 7 {2010} M and I are exhausted, we slept till nearly 11 am. Seriously. Then, went to eat lunch with Dad and Robyn. And, we were on our way to Dallas to catch our flight home! M was so excited to see her Daddy and dogs! That girl cracks me up. After we ate supper, I came home to the new iPhone 4 that Heath bought me! WOO HOO! I backed up my old one and tried to get my new one going, but ATT was down and I couldn't get it activated!

Day 189 July 8 {2010} I slept so wonderfully in my bed. What is it about YOUR bed that makes you sleep like a baby. aaahhhh... Then, I started getting my life back in order...checking voicemail at home, opening the mail, getting back to work on my project. Fun times. M and I went swimming. And, I got my new iPhone up and running! WOO HOO! Seriously, it's so incredibly cool. Holly and I face talked last night....the video conferencing feature ROCKS! Love it.
M has been in this mood for the past two weeks....I'm blaming it on H being at kamp, and Heath not being in TX with us....she MUST go to sleep at my side or in the same room. It's killing me. We'll break it within the next few days. But, last night....she made a pallet on my office floor and went to sleep. She's hilarious.

Day 190 July 9 {2010} I have no idea what this day holds. I'm just catching up, paying bills, organizing the garage, waiting for H's lockers to be delivered!

{day 185 of 365}

Hi, my name is Heather. I'm a blogger, and it's been 20 days since my last post. I am a LOSER blogger! But, at least I have been away from my house. I need to do a quick run down. I'll try to include pictures, not that any one really cares! LOL I am blogging this for my own good. If I ever get around to doing my P365 album. We are going to Colorado in August, it's a goal to get caught up then. Yeah, right!

June 15 {2010} M and I ran errands today. I had to get nails done, etc. She had her toes painted with Mickey ears. Totally cute.

June 16 {2010}I woke up before 5:30 am! I am insane. But, we had to catch a plane at 8. We met my inlaws in San Antonio to pick up Hunter. We ate some food...I had TexMex...and on to Orlando we went! We were supposed to be going to jamaica, but with the search for Dudus, a drug lord, had caused some serious issues in Kingston, and we didn't feel comfortable taking our kids to Jamaica for my sister's wedding. So, we compromised and vacationed in Florida. I would head to Jamaica on Sunday in time for the wedding.
We stayed at the Hilton Bonnet Creek...it was great. The pool rocked, and it's a new hotel so all was so clean and pretty!
Tonight, we went to Downtown Disney and ended up eating at Planet Hollywood. We probably don't have to eat there again, but it was food. This was the scene as I stepped out of the car. So pretty.

June 17: Fun times today. We slept in a bit, went to our favorite local Walmart for some essentials such as sun screen, theme park tickets, and a couple of tshirts!

Then, on to the outlets to do a bit of shopping. We ate lunch and got a smoothie! We totally wanted to go swimming that afternoon, but it rained for like 3 hours! So, instead, we gave Heath his father's day presents, early, played hide-and-seek, etc.

Then, we met Heath's sister and family at DTD. We ate at Fultons, so much fun!

June 18 {2010} So, we went to Universal Studios for the opening of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We waiting in line for 2 hours before the park opened, line wasn't too bad, but somehow, the line inside the park was 7 hours to get into HP! Really? With a 5 and 9 YO, we don't wait for anything for that long! We did, on the other hand, ride most of the rides with no line! Fun times. The kids were completely understanding about HP.

June 19 {2010} Before bed the night before, I decided to try a reservation for breakfast at Crystal Palace in Magic Kingdom, and SCORE! got 'em! We ate and were in the park, ready for rope drop at 9 am! I also consulted Tour Guide Mike for how to tour the park today...and it totally worked. Before 11 am: Space Mountain (and additional Fast Passes for SM), 2 times on Buzz Lightyear (plus a FP), Goofy's Barnstormer, train around to Frontierland, 2 times on Big Thunder (plus a FP), and Splash Mountain! We rocked MK this morning! We hung out for lunch, then onto Haunted Mansion, Small World, Mickey's Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, and a parade! Naps, swimming, then back for a rainfilled evening of using our fast passes!

June 20 {2010} I headed to Jamaica. I flew alone and watched a movie. he he. Then, dad met me at the airport. and a couple of pina coladas later, we headed to Ocho Rios. Met all sorts of people, said hi to loved ones and friends, and then on to the rehearsal! I "stepped" in for Amber as the bride. This is my dad walking me down the aisle! I love it.

June 21 {2010} It's my baby sister's wedding day. I hung with her all day, breakfast, lunch, getting ready. She was absolutely beautiful, seriously. Take a look at some of my pictures.

I should also say, while I was in Jamaica, Heath and the kids returned to Universal. So, they waiting only an hour or so to get into HP! And, they had a great time! They rode all of the rides, drank butterbeers, and bought wands. They LOVED it. I can't wait till next time that I get to go too!

June 22 {2010} I flew home on the same flight with my uncle. It was fun spending time with him, talking about all of our travels, etc.
I got back to the hotel around 6 and went straight to Hollywood Studios. We rode a few rides, used some FPs...and ate some yummy food. We rode Toy Story Mania a few times, love that ride!

June 23 {2010} We slept in, packed, then on to the airport. Our plane was delayed for 4 hours so it would make Heath miss his connection in Dallas to Albuquerque. He had to work the next day, so Southwest was awesome and got him on a new flight so he'd make it home that night. I love Southwest. Our flight ended up only being delayed 2.5 hours, so it wasn't too bad.  We landed in Dallas around 8 pm. Mom and dad picked us up, and we ate Tex Mex for supper. YUM!

June 24 {2010} Dad played golf with frat bros while Robyn and I took Mom back to the airport for a conference. We then took the kids to see Toy Story 3. LOVED IT!

We just hung at the hotel and watched tv, swam, etc.

June 25 {2010} H and I woke up at 4:30 am. yes, you read that right.
4:30 am
Why? you ask
Kanakuk. He left from Dallas this year and the bus leaves at 5:30!
So I took him to the bus...here he is with his trunk.

gosh, I love that kid so much!  Robyn and I headed on down to Waco after eating breakfast.

June 26{2010} Robyn and I woke up and hit a couple of shops here in Waco. I found some cool lockers for H's room.

June 27 {2010} I can't remember anything I did today. So sad, I must have done very little!

June 28 {2010} Took M to school with my nephew. I ran some errands and went to lunch with dad. Then M and I headed up to Dallas. We met Jenni, Janet, R and K. Fun time ahead! Here the girls are at dinner, not sure what kind of concoction they are making.

June 29 {2010} We took the girl to American Girl Place in Dallas. Oh, the fun we all had. Kit and Ruthie got their hair done. We had lunch, the girls shopped just a bit! A few pics highlighting our day:

June 30 {2010} J was sick so i stayed home with M and J.  M and I went to lunch with my BFF from high school and her kids. Good times seeing her.

July 1 {2010} Robyn's birthday! We didn't do much. Took the kids to school. I went to lunch with Holly and we shopped a bit at Spice! Test driving a VeraCruz. Like it.

July 2 {2010} Robyn and I spent the day together for her birthday. Spa day, lunch at PeiWei, and Ecliplse! Totally fun!

Mom, Dad, Robyn, the kids and I to Cyclone. Love Texas BBQ!

July 3 {2010} Stayed home. Laundry, cleaning, etc. Ate El Con for dinner. can you see that my texas visits are centered around food. sad.
M and J playing "memaw and poppy"

July 4 {2010} Not sure what we'll do today. I hope it gets sunny so we can swim! I have a goal of pics of M. who knows!