Tuesday Musings

Hello, strangers! I know it's been forever but I promise that I've been really busy and just haven't gotten here to send an update. We've had quite a bit going on so I apologize for keeping you waiting for so long with an update.

Everyone is doing fine. The twins are busy, busy, busy and keeping us on our toes!!! I have a story to tell you about their 'surprise' for me this morning but I'll leave that for tomorrow when I can include pictures!

Here are some layouts that I've done recently. I feel like I haven't posted any in ages!

This one is using Jannylynn Brokken's My Sister's Circus kit and add on which I think is so fun!

This is one that is VERY special to me since its all about my Mimi who is not doing well and who I love so much. I wanted this to be a tribute to her and what she's meant to me. It was very helpful to get it out onto a page and helped me feel better as I begin the process of accepting that she's not going to be with us much longer. Isn't she beautiful?

And this one shows Meighan from her birth until her 2nd birthday. I can't believe how much she's grown. Now I need to do one for Alex! By the way, I put the paper, photos and title together and my friend Wendy embellished it for me (it was a challenge for the ADSR race that she and I have partnered up for). I just love what she did with it!

And here is Wendy's page - she added the papers, photos and title then I added the embellishements. I'm so glad that she likes it. It's a lot of pressure to embellish a page for someone else's books!

This one is using some fun Cori Gammon goodies - I'm guest CT'ing with her in August and I'm having a blast. She has such a way with color!

This is another page using new Cori Gammon goodies - I've been really struggling with Alex lately and wanted to get it onto paper!

And here's one about Meighan and her affection for candy - using Jannylynn Brokken goodies again! And I just love this one about Alex and his fascination with the sprinkler at my mom's on July 4th! He was so darn adorable!

And this one is another of the ADSR challenge layouts - this one with a museum theme - which showcases silly pictures of me and my friends in middle school (yes, I blurred their faces since I don't know if they'd appreciate my sharing them with the world)!

And another ADSR layout which tells how very much my life has changed since having the twins. What I've given up and what I've gained! I'm really happy with how it turned out!

And here's another favorite - using some incredible Audrey Neal goodies - all about life with two toddlers and the terrible two's multiplied by two! Very different style page for me so it was fun to step out of my box!

I'll be back soon with some funny stories about the twins and their recent happenings!!

Friday Musings

I've been sick and in bed all day which is NOT a fun way to spend the last day of your vacation week. YUCK! So, I don't have a ton to share because I'm just not up for sitting here very long. I'm heading back to bed to rest but I did want to share a couple of layouts that I was able to get done this week ... More once I'm feeling better, including some pictures from our Independence Day fun!

July 4th Musings

Have a wonderful holiday everyone! Here are a couple of July 4th layouts from last year for you today ... Another update soon! Have a wonderful Independence Day!

Tuesday Musings

I just wanted to let the digi scrappers that visit my blog know that Audrey Neal is having an incredible sale in her Oscraps store - you DEFINATELY want to check it out. You can find her store here.

Audrey's designs are so incredible and unique - this sale is a perfect way to try out some of her awesome goodies! Okay, that's it for me tonight. Our air conditioner is broken (why does that always happen on what feels like the warmest day of the year?!?!) and we're sweating it out over here tonight. I'm just not up for a big post. Let's hope its back up tomorrow night and I'll drop in to give you an update!

Saturday Musings

Tonight will be a quick one - just sharing some recent layouts. Alex has been sick all week - high fevers which ultimately turned into an ear infection and a throat infection. Poor little guy! But, he's on antibiotics and we're hoping he'll be back to normal soon. I'm sure that Meighan will develop everything he currently has as soon as Alex is feeling better! Okay, onto the layouts. I'll come back soon and post more about what we've been up to ...

Here's another of the baby book pages - this is Alex's fourth month page and I'm just thrilled with how it turned out!


Another Alex page - this one about his first reaction to the sand at the beach! He is too cute!

Here's one about Alex and what he's been up to these days - one of the most hilarious is how he calls things which he knows the name for different names (he'll even argue with you if you try to correct him - LOL) - he calls Meighan 'Dora' (as in Dora the Explorer, guess its easier for him to say than Meighan) and he calls Elmo 'Nemo' although he knows that Elmo is Elmo and Nemo is Nemo. He's a funny boy!

And here's one of my Meighan that I did for this week's Digi Dare - it's all about her new favorite saying 'GECKUM' - AKA 'You're Welcome' - she's cracking us up on a daily basis!

And last but certainly not least, is a layout of one of my favorite Meighan and Dave pictures that I took on Easter. She loves her Grandpa (or Papa as she calls him). This one uses lots of Jen Beschinski goodies (go check out her store at the Digi Shoppe - her stuff is AWESOME)!

Okay, that is it for tonight! I'll be back soon with recent pictures and an update ...

Friday Musings

Well, this is going to be a very Traci Reed oriented post because I just have to tell you about the two new kits she has released which are INCREDIBLE! (I also have layouts to share so be sure to scroll down!!).

The first kit is Vibrant which you can find over in Traci's shop at Scrapbook Graphics! It's so fun and well, vibrant!!! LOL



The next one is Faded Tee which is a softer kit with such beautiful papers and elements. (See Paul and Alex in the ad below - LOVE that!)

And so, here are my layouts with these two awesome kits -

This first one just makes me smile because this girl of ours is something else! She is certainly full of personality! The other day she came home from a visit with Grandma and Grandpa with a new white raincoat and hat. She insisted on wearing it throughout dinner and kept looking over at me with this very sassy look! So, I couldn't resist snapping a picture of our very own "Miss Thang" -

And this one is a really special page for me - about my boys and their very special relationship. They are so much alike and yet so different at the same time! Alex looks up to Paul in a way that is just amazing and I love watching them together!

Okay, now RUN to Scrapbook Graphics and grab up these kits while they're on sale! You definately won't be sorry!

Things are going fine here. We're looking forward to the weekend and a bit of downtime! I'll be back soon with more news ...

Sunday Musings

A lot has been happening here since my last post so here is a quick update ...

The company that I have just begun working for has announced that it is merging with another firm that is headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. It's a really exciting opportunity for the firm! However, this decision means that my company will be moving our headquarters to St. Louis. Which could very well mean that if I want to continue working with my boss and in my current department, I may have to relocate. At first, I was a bit taken aback by the news but now I'm getting excited. I have no idea if I'll be asked to go to St. Louis but Paul and I are STRONGLY considering saying yes if they do indeed ask me. I've made a lot of decisions in the past out of fear - not going to college out of state, for one - and I really want to accept the opportunities that come my way and try not to make decisions based in fear. So, if the offer is made and its one that we can live with financially, we may very well say yes! Very exciting and scary! However, it could mean great things for my career and our family, depending on how things play out. I'll keep you posted as I know more but I wanted to throw it out there since this merger has been in the news a lot and many of you know that I just started a job with this company.

In other news, Meighan and Alex are doing wonderfully! They spent the night with their Grandma and Grandpa last night and had a blast. Paul and I had a night out at the movies, seeing Spiderman 3. And I was able to sleep in this morning which I really needed since I've been battling this cold for the last week or so! They are now downstairs napping away after their exciting time with Grandma and Grandpa!

My friend Heather had her second baby this week - a little boy! I'm so excited for her! Welcome to the world of raising a boy and a girl at the same time! It's a fascinating ride!

I've gotten a couple of pages done that I wanted to share -

The first is one of Meighan's monthly baby book pages (yes, I'm still at the 4 month page - bad mommy!) and I used some of Rose Farver's yummy things from the DigiShoppe on this one ...


This one is one I did during the nap this afternoon and I'm really happy with how it turned out! I really tried to step out of my comfort zone again and I'm pleased with how it turned out. This uses Jen Beschinski's The Cats Pajamas which you can get at the DigiShoppe in their June Sampler. (That sampler is a steal, by the way!)

Well, that's it for me right now. I expect that the twins will be up any minute so I need to go get ready for the impending twin madness ... Hope that everyone is doing well!

Saturday Musings

Things have been really busy here so let me see if I can catch you up on everything we've been up to ...

We had a wonderful Mother's Day this year. The twins made me presents at school - little stained glass butterflies and a sweet card from each of them. They love doing art projects at school and I love that they made me something so sweet!

We had a nice lunch with Mom, Dave, Mimi and Willis. Then, we got to go visit Mimi at her new apartment. It was a nice day! Here's a picture that Mom got of me, the twins and Mimi right after lunch. I think it turned out great!



Here are pictures of the twins with their Art Books from school. They were so proud of their books!






And here are some random pictures that I thought you might like to see -

Alex and Paul

Alex trying on his Daddy's glasses!

Meighan playing with Bandit - actually, she was ordering him around, if we're honest!

On Easter, Paul, Alex, Mimi, Meighan and me at my Mom and Dave's house.

Meighan just adores her Mimi - here they are spending some time together on Easter!

My boys looking quite handsome!

My dad and Alex hanging out last weekend at Mimi's new place!

Nina, Alex and Elizabeth - playing with the twins new toys!

Our beautiful girl!

Me and the babes hanging out in the yard enjoying the warm weather!

Meighan and her Grandpa (or Papa as she calls him)!

And here are some recent layouts that I've put together. I've gotten a little behind with my scrapbooking since starting the new job. I'm just trying to get settled in but I did get a few pages done that I love.

This is one using Traci Reed's new Graphically Grunged kit (you can find it at Scrapbookgraphics.com) -

And here is one using one of Deb F's templates and a Dani Mogstead kit which was perfect for these photos!

And here is this awesome picture of Alex again! I just had to put a page together about all his words and his verbal development since starting daycare! This page uses one of Audrey Neal's new templates (at the lily pad) and a Dani Mogstead kit.

And here is one about Meighan's language development using another Audrey Neal template and Wendy Zine's Thrift Store Donations Collab. Kit (at Elemental Scraps)

And this is one that I just love about Meighan using Traci Reed's Serene kit and one of her templates (all found at scrapbookgraphics), There is also a ton of other stuff on this one but its mostly Traci's products!

And another one using Traci Reed's awesome Unbound kit and one of Audrey Neal's templates!

I had a wonderful day today - it is my birthday and my mom took me to Williamsburg for the day to shop and spend time together. It was so nice to spend a day away from 'everyday' life and have some down time. We shopped like crazy and had a wonderful lunch at my favorite, Captain George's! Thank you, Mom, for the wonderful day!! And, thank you, Paul, for keeping the kids so that I could have the day out on my birthday! I had a wonderful time!

I'm looking forward to the rest of the weekend and hanging out with Paul, Sami, Meighan and Alex! Should be lots of fun! I'll try to take lots of pics so that I can share them with you!

Friday Musings

I feel like I say this every time I post but I really am sorry that its been so long between posts. With starting a new job, the kids starting daycare and just our everyday life, we've been swamped and I just haven't had time to come post! But, I'm finally feeling like things are coming together so I thought I'd give a little update.

My new job is WONDERFUL! I am really loving it and feeling great about work again! Which is so great! I love my manager - she is an incredible lady who I am already learning so much from about being a great leader. The team is also great - and I'm finally beginning to get to know some of them and feeling a part of the team! The work itself is challenging and I am really enjoying every minute of my time there! And, frankly, it's wonderful to feel really good about work again!

The kids began their first week of daycare at a daycare center near our house. They're doing so well there - really adjusting quite well. The structure and the activity has been so good for them. They are already blossoming! They're having trouble with the drop off - crying for us, very upset when we leave. But, that is to be expected and they are apparently getting past it very quickly after we leave! The staff is great at the center and I really like everything about it so far!

We had a really nice Easter with Mom, Dave and Mimi Robertson. I even got a few nice pictures which I'll try to get up on the blog over the weekend! The twins had a lot of fun with their Easter baskets. They don't get candy very often so they were in Sugar Heaven!

So, as you can see, things are going well and we're all getting used to our new routine!

Here are a few pages that I did since I posted last. I haven't been getting as much scrapbooking done as I'd like but I am hoping that will change as things calm down with the job/daycare stuff!

So, here they are -

This first one is a square page that I put together using Traci Reed and Kristin CB's new Collaborative kit - Hello Sunshine. Some of us CT ladies put together a square quick page for a QP album using the kit and this was my contribution! It was nice to try a new page size! And, is Alex just the cutest, or what?!?!

And here is another page that I did which is one of my new favorites! I just love these pics of Alex who I rarely get a good picture of! Especially his adorable smile! This page uses a bunch of Jen Beschinski stuff and a Deb F. template and a bunch of other stuff, too! I had a lot of fun pulling it all together!

And here is one about my Megs using Wendy Zine's new Bloom and Grow Kit (that felt paper from the kit is incredible!). I really wanted to focus on the journaling so I tried to keep the page fairly simple. I'm really happy with how it turned out!

And here is one I put together the other night about being a working mother and what I think about it. It's not the best picture of Meighan and Alex but its one of the few I've got with both of them (they don't stay in one place long and don't care a bit that I'd love to get a picture of them together!!). I used Traci Reed's new Love, Mother kit which is incredible!!! So soft and beautiful!

Okay, I have a bunch of clothes and dishes to get washed tonight so I better get to work! I'll be back soon with more updates and some pictures from Easter!

Thursday Musings

Things have been VERY busy here with my wrapping up things at work and getting ready for my new job next week! Yesterday was my last day and I spent today running errands and getting things lined up for next week. I'm really looking forward to my first day! It's nice to look forward to something work related again!

Meighan and Alex are doing great! We seem to have finally all gotten back to normal and they are really enjoying the nice weather we've been having! They are officially obsessed with Elmo and Paul and I seem to be singing/humming 'Elmo's World' constantly since we spend almost all of our time watching Elmo with them! At least Elmo is somewhat educational so hopefully they are learning a lot as they watch! They are such smart little guys - they amaze me how bright they are sometimes!

Here are a few of the pictures that we've taken recently. I'm still unable to post some pictures here on the blog so I used one of Nancy Comelab's clusters to pull together some of my favorites to show you!


I haven't gotten a lot of scrapbooking done because I've been so busy with other things but here is a quick page that I did with a favorite picture of Meighan. The flowers are by my friend, Wendy Zine, who is now designing some GREAT stuff! I'm so thrilled to be a part of her Creative Team! She is so talented!


I was asked to be a part of Deb F's 'templater' team this week and I'm so excited about it! As you may or may not know, I tend to use templates on almost every layout that I do so I am really excited to be working with her templates! I'll be sharing more of my pages using her templates soon. I'm hoping to get a few done over the weekend!