Help [ME] Ronda

sweet, sunny summertime

the kids are out for the summer, their last day was yesterday.  they are already bored, go figure.  I can't believe lexi is heading into grade 11 or a junior as we call it, an upperclassman.  I can't believe the little dude has only one year left in middle school & then is off to high school.  it seems as they get older, time speeds up.

Evidence of summertime is all around us.  You can smell it in the air, freshly mowed lawns, bbq grills being fired up.  You can see it.  Familys out for walks or bike rides.  Flip-flops & capris weather.  we have been keeping the windows open in our house, letting the breeze come thru...love that. 

We are also gearing up & preparing the house for an invasion of the best kind....

Chrissi's boys, Parker & Jake, are coming to stay for the summer.  they will be here in two weeks and I am very excited to have them all summer long.  it is going to be a little bitter sweet & I know some tears will fall when I see them again.  John will be visiting here & there when he can.  We are looking forward to that too. 

Happy Friday....sending you love

the simple life

We celebrated papa's 62nd birthday.  Had a BBQ with the family at their home on the front range.  Andy had to work so he missed the celebrations.  He will continue to work weekends next month but we are getting use to the routine.  We just miss him at church with us.

Brad was able to make it to the bbq though.  Did I forget to mention Lexi has a boyfriend?  He is a very sweet guy and they mostly just hang around the family.  He's been to two small family birthday celebrations now.  We are just warming him up for the whole family get-togethers.  Poor guy doesn't know what he is stepping into.

Anthony is still a wee bit elusive when I bring out the camera.  In his defense though, the kid has started a neighborhood business.  He and a friend are mowing lawns.  I have never seen this kid so well organized.  File folder with clients names, dates with times of service.  And he just opened up his own checking account (of course with our supervision).  So proud of him.  Now if we could just get him to keep his room clean.

of course we all can't get enough of Finn.  Adorable isn't he?  He chatters up a storm now.  Still an outside boy with a great imagination & very little slips by him.  Lexi really loves spending time with him, seeing excitement thru a two year old eyes makes us all feel young again. 

ahh family life...such a sweet thing.

all things scrappy

Isn't the June Cocoa Daisy kit a beauty?  I am diggin the masks in this kit & in the add-ons!  Here are some sneaks of my layouts....

and this layout using some really old photos, some purple onion stamps, & the Cocoa Daisy May kit..

plus a post over at the Cocoa Daisy blog on how I created this journal

and some Fancy Pants stuff....

mini tutorial on how to do rub-on's on chipboard like the just beachy layout over at the MMM blog.

honored to be highlighted on the Lily Bee Blog.  My Reflections page caught their eye.  Loving their two new lines!

Hope you are having a great weekend!

dear Mule

It seems like just yesterday, I had to say goodbye to you.  I hope I did you proud with all the arrangements to celebrate your life.   I knew I had to stand up & speak for you at the funeral.  It would be what you would want.  It was the hardest day of my life but i did everything for you.  Today we are celebrating your birthday.  I got your favorite cake, you know the carvel one with the crunchies.  The frosting is blue too.  You should see how many butterflies are hanging around the house for you.  You are loved by many.  The family is doing just ok.  We miss you like crazy.  We are all worried about John & the boys.  But please don't worry, I told you before you left my house, that I would always take care of them.  I am and will always.  I miss you so much.  I feel like my other half is gone.  And no one really understood me like you.

I love you, forever. 
NAG.

I read this poem for Chrissi that day.  There are two movies that describe us pretty darn well.  A league of their own &  In her shoes.  We even called each other Mule & Nag from a league of their own.  Like In her shoes, we would often quote the first line of the poem to each other.  It is this poem that I read for her at the funeral substituting my many nicknames for her.

I carry your heart with me
by e. e. cummings

I carry your heart with me, I carry it in my heart
I am never without it, anywhere I go you go, my mule
and whatever is done by only me is your doing, my kooker
I fear no fate for you are my fate, my kiki
I want no world for beautiful you are my world, my Chrissi
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant
and whatever a sun will always sing is you

Here is the deepest secret nobody knows
here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud
and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;
which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide
and this is the woner that's keeping the stars apart...
I carry you heart, I carry it in my heart

Happy Birthday Sis

Big Mistake, Huge......

It was a simple outing...

to go & grab some Chai tea

meet Emily for a little bit

and then to Michael's for some supplies

because I don't already have enough

well that's not true, but I need some specific supplies

that I didn't have

so after chatting with Emily & the sweet boost of chai

I headed to Michael Craft Store

got some chocolate pens because my Stampin' Up! Chocolate Chip after 8 - 9 years ran out

but they didn't have one of the items i really wanted

made my way to Hobby Lobby (another gigantic craft store)

and found the above wire dress maker home accent

for a whopping $6.90

Sometimes, you just have to let the laundry sit, the dishes can wait, because there is shopping to do...

happy little accidents

Reflect... to think, ponder, or meditate

Lynn's fab-u-lous word at One Little Word.  Like most words, i had a couple ideas floating around in my brain.  But in the end, I picked my kids...always.  Actually it is more about what I am doing or not doing as a parent.  It has become more and more of a thought lately as lexi approaches her last two years of high school.

Used my Kenner Road Kit to create this layout.  It has some gorgeous new Lily Bee Design papers in it....who just happen to be our sponsors at OLW.  I was in the midst of working on the layout & decided that the kraft paper needs some walnut ink.  I grabbed my ink to start spritzing the kraft but the spray top wasn't spraying.  Apparently the spray top broke and the ink was coming up out of the top and dropping the ink all over the page.  Love those happy little accidents. 
Purple Onion Stamps at the top..love my new set...Vintage Label Set. Some Hambly along the side and then stitches, here, there, everywhere!

So what are you reflecting on today?

rak it out *** WINNER POST***

Time for some winners......

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

100	6	46	2

Timestamp: 2009-05-14 22:43:27 UTC

If my calculations are correct then...

2: Posted by: Ramintessah | May 07, 2009 at 11:11 PM

6 : Posted by: erin | May 08, 2009 at 12:49 AM

46 : Posted by: Gwen L | May 08, 2009 at 03:13 PM

100 : Posted by: Rebecca S. | May 11, 2009 at 08:37 PM

I have been known to miscalculate so hopefully I got them correct.  If the above people can please send me your address to my email.  First one gets their pick of kits!

the latest...

In exciting news, Fancy Pants just announced a new May release.  These new Kraft Kuts are simply amazing!

I can't wait to get a hold of this line.  Look at those shaped papers & those sticker letters!  Yum, Yum, Yum. 

Last week the scrapbook community received some sad, sad news from Memory Makers Magazine.  This was their announcement:  

Please see attached from Vice President Teri Mollison regarding the closure of Memory Makers magazine with the September/October 2009 issue. Decisions like these are never easy and aren’t entered lightly, as you can imagine. We at Memory Makers have been proud and honored to be the scrapbookers’ go-to source for scrapbooking ideas and inspiration for the past 13 years. Subscribers: We are working closely with our circulation department and fulfillment company and will distribute information regarding your subscription closer to the publication date of the September/October final issue.

Best,
Beth Williams
Executive Editor, Memory Makers

I am so sadden by the news. Not only because I worked for them but because it does seem like there is a print shift in this hobby we love so much. Truth is that Memory Makers is a fabulous company to work for.  It has been an amazing year with an amazing team & editorial staff.  I just can't believe it is gone.  So I have to believe that when one door closes, another one opens...

until then, Love always

week gone by

 

Isn't he just a cutie?  Sweet, adorable, nephew Finn.  The cousins were at play in the backyard.  Lexi & Anthony diggin in Finn's sandbox...making castles, destroying castles.  Fun, Fun, Fun.  We had a great pizza birthday dinner with Adam & Kari.

Andy & I finished painting lexi's room.  4 walls, 4 different colors.  Lexi had a vision for her room & we used the bedspread as inspiration.  So the wall colors are limey green, deep aqua, tiffany blue, & a nice warm beige.  The chocolate furniture looks beautiful up against it.  It is a very teen room but really cool looking.  Now all we have to do is put some decor on the walls.  We've already got some ideas for the walls. 

Little Miss Magic got her hair cut while the rest of us just got a trim.  I love this look on her.  To me she resembles Catherine Zeta-Jones from Chicago.  I also think she looks a little older which frightens me a little.  Good things she is such a good girl, otherwise I would have to lock her up.

She also had her last choir preformances for this year.  They had one at the school and then they did a fun raiser event at the local "outdoor" mall.  All 7 choirs were there plus the different bands.  It was a beautiful sunny day and it seems they collected a fair amount of donations.  She can't wait for next year choirs to begin. 

Don't forget to enter for your chance to win the RAK....leave a comment to the post below!

until then....you know I love you....

RAK it out

First Kit: Rust, Orange, Blues, Green  Second Kit: Pink, Green, Black, Yellow

Third Kit: Red, Green, Yellow, Black  Fourth Kit: Blue, Black, White, Green

I have been promising huge raks.  I have for you not one, not two, not three but FOUR.  FOUR "Ronda" kits up for grabs.  I went thru my stash and put together some mega kits for you.  I will show you more of the kits later this week.  And this is just the beggining of the RAKS I have more planned for this month.  So what do you have to do for this RAK?  just leave a comment.  Just a simple hi will do!  I will be using a random number generator.  Comments are open until next Wednesday May 13th.

THIS IS MY LOVE TO YOU!