Saturday I got a new haircut. It makes me happy.

Christmas Pictures

Hi everyone! The Christmas season is in full swing at our house. I finally got all the decorations up, now I've just got the lights left. We've been listening to Christmas music a lot and the weather has been colder lately, which helps. (I know, you can't really call 60 degrees colder, but it's better than the 80s that we had for a while!) Southern California sure has its own quirks.

We went out yesterday and took pictures of Eli for our Christmas cards. I won't post the one I'm using so that it will be fresh, but here are some of the close runners-up.

Eli and I had a great time, even if he doesn't want anything to do with my camera. I just try to snap away and hope that I'll end up with a few that I like. Luckily, I think I did just that. It was also the first real photo shoot I had with my new camera. I got the new Nikon D300 for Christmas, if just a little early. I've been playing with it, trying to get better at the manual settings. I'm working on it. :) Someday I'll be a real Busath, LOL. :)

Laughing out loud

So I was driving home from my friend's house, with Eli in the back. I apparently wasn't paying attention to what he was doing back there. I park the car, look back, and this is what I see:



Too adorable. :)

Thanksgiving report

Hi all! Just wanted to give a quick update on our Thanksgiving weekend and what we've been up to lately.

I had a very busy week during Thanksgiving, taking over all the customer service emails for Angie so that she could have somewhat of a vacation. I tell you what -- knowing that there are hundreds and hundreds of emails in your box waiting for you to look through and answer is really a stressful situation. And I'm the type of person that has to clear my inbox when I see it, so I couldn't just relax until I knew it was finished. I swear, I don't know how Angie does it full-time. She must be Wonder Woman!

After that, we went up to Nathan's family's house for Thanksgiving. We stayed there Wednesday night and then got up to play football on Thursday. I think I'm too competitive. I get too into it and want to win so I push myself hard. Well, I felt the repercussions of that all weekend long as my muscles all refused to do anything I wanted. It's not fun having to pull your own leg up to cross it because it just won't work on its own. Man, I need to get back to working out! :)

I will include some football pictures, though, so you can see how much fun we had. Oh, and I made sure to get pictures of all the football game faces. (Don't mind Janae, she wasn't feeling well.) :)Layout uses Talina Ripper's Football Papers, Theresa Kavouras' Football Collection Mini, and Jan Hicks' Curled Frames Embellishment Biggie.


After football we had a great Thanksgiving feast, although my rolls didn't turn out AGAIN! I don't know what it is, I use the same recipe here and there, do all the same things, but I just can't get my rolls to rise at the in-laws. Hmmm, maybe it's something to do with the mixer or amount of yeast or something? No idea.... Oh well, the rest of the dinner was great. Nathan even made the turkey this year and it was yummo! (We did a test turkey the week before just to make sure and it was good.)

Then Nathan's birthday was on Friday, which I'll post separately about. On Saturday, I had a marathon craft day, making things for Scrap Girls and the 12 Days of Christmas. You won't want to miss out, so sign up for the newsletter! :) There are a lot of fun things to do with the specials this year, plus games and challenges and sales and goodies. It's going to be fun. But it was a lot of work! :) You'll see my layouts and craft projects in the newsletter starting on the 13th. Be on the lookout!

That's all for now. But don't worry, I'll be back! :)

Date Night

Nathan and I are so lucky to have Janae living close by us. She babysits for us frequently, and it's the easiest way for us to get in a date! Last night she came down and watched Eli so we could go to the movies. Because of the crowding at the big theater, we ended up at a local theater that shows independent movies. Our only choice was Lars and the Real Girl because it was the only one not rated R. :)

I actually really liked the movie. It was sweet and heartfelt and had a lot of comedy as well. Ryan Gosling was great as Lars, although he had a mustache that made him look like David Arquette's twin brother, when he was in Scream. Hilarious.

Nathan liked it, too. When possible, we like to watch independent movies as opposed to the big budget busters that don't really have a lot of meaning. So I would definitely recommend this one.

Haircut!

Oh my, I'm so excited and proud of my little man today. We went to get his hair cut and I had been stalling for quite some time, since he always screams and gets worried and just generally does not make it easy on us or the hair cutter. So his hair was freaking long and I just couldn't stand it anymore.

So we went to our favorite place and he was SO GOOD! He actually sat in the rocket ship instead of my lap, all by himself, and watched Dora and played with toys the whole time. Only a few scared whimperings, but nothing major. He was so brave. What a proud mommy moment! :)

Here are some pics of his new 'do. What a handsome young man I've got. No more babies around here anymore! (Not unless you count Nathan, lol.) :)

Before

After

(when did my little boy turn 8??? He looks so grown up!)

I'm Going to be Published!

Oh man, I'm too excited. I learned this week that I'm going to be published in the April/May 2008 issue of Digital Scrapbooking magazine.

This is the first layout that I've ever had published, and I'm just tickled pink. I've been submitting since February, so you can imagine my relief in now knowing that my layouts are actually good, lol!

They are using my Gelato Fantastico layout, so make sure you look for it next spring! :) I can't put it up here because of the public-ness, but I promise, it's a cute one.

Sketch Challenge

Wanted to share this layout I did for a sketch challenge I was in charge of hosting last weekend. It was fun to host and also create the sketch.

But the best part was this funny layout. I was trying to think of some way to use these cute pics I had of Eli in a box, but couldn't come up with anything. Then I did this sketch and knew it was perfect for the photos.

I love it when a plan comes together! (That one's for you, honey.) :)

Make sure you click on the layout to see it full-sized!

Journaling: "There I was one day, just going along with work and things, when you became quiet. It was one of those “Uh-oh” moments when I hadn’t heard you for a while. So I went to go check on you and this is what I found. You had climbed inside our new salad spinner box and you were trying to shut the flaps on yourself. Before I could do anything else, I ran and got my camera and snapped some shots. Because I knew the minute you realized that this behavior was camera-worthy, then you’d be out of that box in a flash. And sure enough, as soon as the camera started going, you decided you had had your fun and you were getting out. What a little nut you are. I love you so dearly, my little bubbie."

So Eli has this thing where he loves to stand things up. Anything, anywhere. Sometimes it's fat puzzle pieces on my computer desk. Other times it's little men from his train set upstairs in his room.


This time it was a set of metal Christmas cookie cutters on our coffee table. He just loves doing that and I wanted to share. :)

Checking In

I know it has been a really long time since I posted something here, and my Freebie Friday thing has kind of gone out the window.

There are many reasons for this, as life has sort of taken over and I have been stressed about other things. I'm sure you all know how that goes. I've also just accepted a job teaching with ScrapGirls, and I'm planning on doing some photo retouching classes. So that should be a lot of fun, but it is a lot of work.

Then just the little things that keep popping up, like other family photo shoots and our church's children's program (I was in charge of all the music) and other family things as well. So I apologize, but will do my best to post more.

I wanted to share that last week we got to go see the Dixie Chicks and the Eagles in concert at the new Nokia Theatre in LA. It was really fun, even if the venue is catered to the more snobby type of people, lol. Instead of regular concert foodfare, they had sushi rolls, ciabatta sandwiches and $5 bags of M&M's. No thank you.

But it was fun to see the concert. I'll admit, I wasn't exactly sure how much I would enjoy the Eagles, I mean, of course you'd enjoy it because it's the Eagles, but I've never really 'noticed' what songs they sing or anything like that. But I'll tell you, I was up and dancing most of the time and they were fun guys. Plus they're such talented musicians, you just can't overlook that fact when you're watching them live.

The Dixie Chicks were really fun. They really took me back to my high school days with some of their songs and it was cool. I was hesitant to 'enjoy' their stuff because of everything they've said about politics and such, but the older stuff really brought back great memories and I loved singing along.

Then on Saturday, we went to a local pumpkin patch and had a fun time. Eli was enthralled with all the pumpkins, and it was fun just to be there together as a family. We didn't get any group shots, but I did get a few fun ones of Eli and both the boys. Someday I'll have pictures of myself, lol. :)

I'll leave you with pictures from the patch. Until next time!

Happy Thursday!

Star in Your Own JibJab! It's Free!

Too Funny!

Yesterday I came in the house after taking out some recycling, and this is what I found:

I was so lucky to grab my camera and snap a few shots before he got tired of playing. He sure does make my life exciting! :)

Oh, and PS: Nathan comes home today!! He's been in Amsterdam for 2 weeks and I'm more than thrilled to have him home. It really is too long to be away. :) Okay, I'm cheesy, but it's true!

Retreat Review

Well, a report about my weekend retreat. I was blessed to be able to spend almost 4 days with my Scrap Girls in Minnesota. We had gorgeous weather, great company, and fun conversations. It was nice just being in the same space with people who are passionate about the same things that I am. Talking about design ideas, problems, concerns, and funny customers was cool. It was neat to get to put voices with names and really get to know these people better. It was a great time. Here are some pictures from the weekend. (Oh and the one above is Theresa's house on the lake. Just gorgeous. I'm jealous. :) )

Freebie Friday! (Or Saturday)

Hey everyone! Here is the cool Halloween overlay that I did for this week. Right now I'm on vacation, which is why it has taken me so long to get this posted. Thanks for your patience! Can't wait to see how everyone is going to use this overlay. Leave me a comment and let me know how you like it. Thanks all!

Download here

Have a great weekend! :)

Tomorrow

Hey guys, I'm so busy with my vacation, but I promise that I'm going to get my new freebie up soon. Just have to hook up my EHD and set it up. I'm getting there, I promise! TTFN!

Welcome New Visitors!

New visitors and root canals and vacations, oh my!

First of all, I'd like to say "hi" to all the new people who have happened upon my blog. Welcome, pull up a chair, grab some freebies, make yourself at home. :) Ever since I started Freebie Friday and have advertised on a couple of freebie blogs, the traffic here has tripled.

I can't tell you how exciting that is for me, a work-at-home mom who designs stuff for fun. I tell you what, life is funny sometimes. I started doing this on a whim and I'm just tickled pink that anyone cares to download my stuff! :) So thanks again to anyone who's new, and don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like. Don't be shy!

On to more unfortunate news, tomorrow I'm going in to have a root canal. I have to admit, I hadn't seen the dentist in almost 6 years before a couple of weeks ago, and tomorrow I have to pay the price!! Aack! Has anyone ever had one of those before? I'm not particularly looking forward to it.

Thanks to my good friend Tracy for watching Eli while I have the procedure. I don't know what I'd do without her, since Nathan is still out of town. What a blessing good friends are!!

Okay, let's get to the happiest news of this week, shall we? On Thursday morning at 3:15am I am being picked up to go to the airport so that I can fly out to Minnesota and meet all my Scrap Girls! Yippee, the retreat is finally here, this week!

I'm way too excited, as I have been looking forward to this for a long time. You see, I've only been fortunate enough to meet Mandy in real life, and I know that getting to meet everyone else is going to be such a treat.

Plus, I am wicked excited about getting to be on a plane with no toddler!! It will be the first time I've flown without Eli since he was born and I'm psyched. I can read a whole magazine without being interrupted, I can sleep without worrying that a certain little boy is going to be loud, and I don't have to carry twice as much stuff with me! Oh, it's going to be heaven, I tell ya. Can't wait.

I'll definitely be bringing my camera along, so I'll have some fun shots to post I'm sure. But don't worry, Freebie Friday is coming -- I won't forget about you!

I'll end with a new layout that I did of Eli, since he likes olives and I just thought that was hilarious.

Freebie Friday 9-28-07

Hey guys, it's Freebie Friday! :) I am excited to offer you a little mini collection I did the other day. As you can tell from some older posts, I'm in the mood for fall. So here is my In the Air Mini Collection!

Embellishments
Paper1
Paper2
Paper3

Sorry it was kind of late today, my hubby just left on a business trip to Amsterdam and so we've been running around getting him packed and ready to go. :)

Have a great weekend!

New Desktop!

Over at Scrap Girls, we had a chat/crop where we made new backgrounds for our desktops. It's such a fun idea, and I love having a personal look to my desktop. Plus, having a calendar right there is going to help me out as well.

It was so fun, I'm going to have to do the one next month.

You can go check out all the desktop layouts that everyone made. There are some great ones for inspiration there.

Here is mine, it's with pictures from our fall photo shoot last year, as it hasn't been cold enough to do one yet this year. Gotta love California, right? :)

Trip Update

Well, we had a great time in Utah! We got to see Summer, Shayla and Thomas. Sorry to anyone who was there that we didn't get to see, we were pretty busy. I was excited to get to eat at all my old favorite places that we are sadly missing here. One was the Smoke House barbecue joint that makes the best garlic knots around! Another was Kneaders Bakery that has awesome cream of broccoli soup and really good sandwiches.

We got to help celebrate Summer's 25th (!) birthday, which was a ton of fun. We all went out to Chili's and had some great food, followed by (of course!) some great Molten Lava chocolate cake. Yumm-O!

Eli did great on the trip, only complaining a few times. Thank goodness he's getting better at keeping himself busy with books, crayons, and toys.

Although, at this point, he was like, "Mom, no photos!!"

We listened to Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on CD while we drove. I just love all of the books in that series! It was fun to get to re-experience this one, knowing what was going to happen in the next one. Plus, it helped take our mind off of all the driving we had to do. That's a long trip!

We also got to go surprise Tom at his new job at the Creamery. He showed off his scooping skills.
Eli wasn't so sure about the sample at first, but he came around quickly once he tasted it. Maybe it was the rubber gloves that spooked him. :)

Overall we had a great time, but I'm glad to be back home. I miss Utah sometimes and it was great to get back there just for a little while. Now it's time for Summer and Shayla to come out here and visit us! :)

Freebie Friday 9-21-07

Happy Freebie Friday! With Halloween coming soon, I wanted to do something fun and festive. So I've created this cute brush set of little Halloween illustrations. Enjoy! :)

Free Download here!

Also, let me know what you think! I'm always curious to see peoples' reactions to my stuff. Thanks!!

Off to Provo!

Nathan has got to go to some recruiting events at BYU this weekend, so we're headed up to Provo today. I'm way excited to get to see my brother, Summer, and some good friends. I will still have Freebie Friday this weekend, but I may be a bit scarce between now and then.

Catch you on the flip side! :)

Snuggle Bunny

Just after bath time. I love this time of the day. Eli is snuggly and loving and I can't wait to get him all dried off and warm. It reminds me to slow down and breathe in this time where he's little enough for me to hold and just smell that fresh from the bath baby smell. There's nothing like it.

I love Costco!

I just have to put in a little plug for Costco.com here today. I went in and picked up some 12x12 pages that I had printed and I just love them. They did a great job and it's so fast and easy! You just have to create an account, upload to their site, select which pictures you want to order and then go pick them up.

I love being able to have them soon, soon, soon, as opposed to sending them to print online from somewhere else and having to wait for a week or more. I'm impatient, I suppose. :)

So you should check out Costco.com if you have one close by your house and you're a member.

Freebie Friday!

Okay, guys, I'm starting something new on Fridays that I think will be fun! I'm going to give away a freebie that I've made. I dabble a bit in design, and I thought this would be a great way to test out my new products.

If you download these freebies, please leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I'm always up for suggestions, as well, so if you're looking for some specific element, just let me know and I'll see what I can do. I know this will be a fun adventure and I'm looking forward to growing as a designer. Thanks everyone! :)



For today's freebie, I created a fun San Antonio paper. I've been missing the Alamo city and so I thought I'd do something to remember it by. Enjoy!

Free Download here!

This layout uses Amanda Sok's Digital Layout Template: 3 by 3, Shalae Tippetts' SS Tools - Styles: Watercolor; Melissa Renfro's SS Tools - Custom Shapes: Stylish Stars and Laurel Lakey's Alamo paper.

I'm Ready for Fall, People!

I made this layout the other day when our temperature actually got below 90 degrees and I was feeling it! I just love these rustic colors that signify warmth and family and comfort and happy times. Living in Southern California doesn't give you the kind of front-row seat to witness the changing seasons like living in Utah does. I miss that.

I miss the crisp air and the smell of wood fires burning in peoples' homes. I miss going to the canyon with marshmallows to roast and hot dogs to cook and good friends to be silly with. I miss having to decide whether or not it's cold enough to get by with just a thin sweater or if I need to put on the full sweatshirt for the evening.

Don't get me wrong, I like California. I really do. I just miss Utah sometimes.

Okay, enough feeling sorry for no seasons. :) My friend told me last night, "Just go down to the beach and you'll forget all about it."

I may have to take her up on that advice. :)

Layout made with Amanda Sok's Alluring Autumn collection. It's so gorgeous, you have to buy it just to be able to see the amazing detail that goes into it. I swear, I work with the best, most talented people around.

Being Sick is Yucky!

Okay, so I've been missing for the past few days. I've had a not-fun-I-wish-I-was-able-to-sleep-without-drugs-sore-throat-frog-sounding-voice-stuffy-nose-headache kind of cold. It hasn't been fun.

And the worst part is that I am one of those people that NEVER gets sick, so when I do, it really makes me stop what I'm doing and just exist. Wipes me out. I suppose I should take it easy every once in a while so that my body doesn't make me. Anyways, so that's why I've been MIA. Not sure if anyone even noticed, but I like to pretend. :)

Here are some fun pictures of Eli that I've taken recently. He doesn't like the camera so much anymore, I think because he's so used to it that it's more of an annoyance for him than a fascination. He does like to push the button to make the flash go, though. That's how I get him to smile sometimes, I let him do the flash and then snap a quick one of him smiling. You have to be sneaky with toddlers, apparently! :)

I seriously love this picture. Eli and I were playing the other day and he let me put this bucket on his head. It was too funny. He even stood in his potty with the bucket on his head. Pure genius if you ask me. There are some of you out there who may not be interested in seeing a picture of Eli with a bucket on his head. To those of you I say, "Too bad, my blog!" :)


This one is so cute, although I think he looks a little like a girl. Poor kid. I promise, we got him a haircut 2 days later. :)

He's trying to push the button on my camera to make the flash. He's not really interested in being the subject -- he wants to be the photographer. That's my boy!


Don't even know what this one is all about. Maybe he was striking a pose for his audition to become America's Next Top Baby. You must connect with the camera! Be free but fierce! Controlled yet crazy! And don't forget to be fierce!

We'll see where that career takes us... :)