Love this little blog...

Lovely Design is a very inspiring little corner of the internet for me... :)

Jessie Tree

Devotions to go with it...

http://www.jesse-trees.com/what-is-a-jesse-tree.html

I just saw someone asking about the Jessie Tree on Facebook and looked it up! I love the idea of doing something special that is all about Jesus (since that's what Christmas is all about)! Anyway, I'm going to use this site for some of the ideas for symbols http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=545 I think we might just use the polymer clay that i bought for making little mice and make these instead... Hopefully, they will last then for the next year... we could use our little tree or one of the tiny ones for the girl's room to hang them on... We are only a day behind so I think it will work out... Love that the verses are right there to read and then they can make a craft... next year we can be more organized... :) Just found out why they call it a Jessie Tree ( "A shoot will come up from the stem of Jesse; from his roots a branch will bear fruit." Isaiah 11:1) Cool! :)

Here's some adult ones to go along with the kid's ones... don't know how good they are, but i might read along with them... http://www.jesse-trees.com/parent/parent-devotions.html

New Team!!!!

It has been a very long time since I've joined any creative teams, and I'm so excited that Leora (Little Dreamer Designs) has invited me to be part of hers!!!!!!!! I LOVE her clean, textured designs and her scrapping style! Plus, she's got some awesome photo overlays!!!! Here is her blog which will be having some things you won't want to miss during December! YAY!!!!!

Contest!

I can't believe it!! I actually am moving to round 3!!!!!! There were so many wonderful pages that I'm so suprised to see my name on the list!!!! MSA Ultimate Artist Contest

Here's week two's entry...

We had to use this journal page for inspiration in making our own...

On to Round 2 and Christmas Gifts....

I actually was shocked to see my name on the list of people at MSA that were going on to Round 2!!!!!! I'm so excited to see what the challenge will be tomorrow!!!!!!

Some new purchases from Crystal Livesay!!!

Here's what I'm planning to do with the girls for little presents!!! Aren't they ADORABLE?! They are made with clay... I have to figure out if we have some nuts to use and get a sheet of felt and some clay... I am so making these myself too!!!!!! I bet I want to make them more than they will!!! This idea is from one of my favorite idea spots... Roots & Wings

Random Searching gave me this idea... why not fill little mittens with gifts for kiddos? Then, they can use them after Christmas... stashing it as a fun wrapping idea for sometime...

Valentine's Day idea... personalized puzzle from Walmart (make my own)

I wish this had a picture, but it's so cute! Maybe I will make it for a school snack or teacher gifts or for the girls or who knows?! OH! And, have you ever heard little marshmellows called "snowman poop"?! Totally cracks me up! I'm going to use that every time we make hot cocoa!!!! lol!

Snowman Soup

The Soup:

1 Pkg. Hot Chocolate Mix

3 Hershey Kisses

15 Marshmallows (More If Needed)

1 candy cane
"Put items in colored plastic wrap"

The Poem:

Put on paper and give with items in a mug
Was told you've been real good this year

Always glad to hear it

With freezing weather drawing near

You'll need to warm the spirit

So here's a little Snowman Soup

Complete with stirring stick

Add hot water, sip it slow

It's sure to do the trick!

And, here's what I wish for... :) Isn't it pretty?!! LOL!!!

Tamron AF 28-75mm f/2.8

I entered a contest!

I won't win, but it's fun to try, right?! :) Here's my page for week one of the Ultimate Artist Challenge at MSA... Oh, and you can read all that journaling if you click on the page!! ;)

I had a great morning with ari doing "school"! We read the book Billy & Milly Short & Silly and then made a Mommy & Ari Short & Silly book with the "ug" family... I asked her what she wanted her book to be about, and she said bugs... So, we wrote down all the words that rhymed with bug and formed a funny 5 word story using some of them... Here's what it said (one word + illustration per page... "mug, bug, jug, dug, hug" (There was a mug and a bug. The bug flew into the jug. A girl dug the bug out, and the bug hugged her.)

Ari's been reading from this book (which is really my friend Heather's, but would probably fall under the stolen category by now since we've had it for a couple years now...lol! It's really amazing, simple, and effective!

She practiced E today... then finger painted it.

I got out my blue math bag from college, and we dug around until we found something interesting... Then, with the help of some flashcards, we did some math.

Muffin Tin Monday (ok, so it's a little late)... we made it from Ari's book... deviled egg bugs, jug of peaches, dug (with a fork for the salad)... don't really know how the carrots were connected! ha!! :)

thinnerware

Oh my goodness! What a COOL idea!!! Take a look here!

Great ideas for thanksgiving and Christmas projects!

I love to check this blog, and they really got me thinking about what to do for our Thanksgiving Jar... Here was my inspiration.... Katrina's Thankful Tree and Thankful Turkey. Here's a great Christmas idea! artwork mugs

Thank You Jars and Polka Bats

The girls and I were reading some books tonight because we are taking them back the library tomorrow. Everyone cracked up at this poem from Polka Bats and Octopus Slacks by Calef Brown

Polkabats

The Polkabats are on the loose,

a flapping flock of flying fury.

All the spotted bats are out

(except the ones on jury duty).

Loudly screeching nasty words

like "Stroganoff"

to scare the birds

while dropping smelly polka-turds

on people down below.

I was wanting to do something for the girls this month dealing with the thankful theme, and came up with the Thank You Jar. It's fast, small, and effective so far! yay!! I sorta got the idea from a vase we had mod podged a long time ago and this book:

Ari used a little sponge and applied the mod podge after we made a bowl full of tissue paper pieces (save your gift tissue- it comes in so handy!!) I wrote things like "thank you jar" "thanks" and "thank you" on some of the pieces before she glued them on the jar. Then, she shook on some white glitter to make it sparkle.

Every night after supper, we each put one thing that we are thankful for on a strip of scrapbooking paper (stuff that I have that I don't like too much)... Then, we add our name and share and drop it in the jar... We should have a nice collection by the end of the month! :)

Ari draws pictures on hers because she wanted to fill them out too just like all of us do... (I write what they are after she's done.) Tonight, she made a picture of a porcupine and said she was thankful for them... lol!!! :)

Awesome song...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTsYAZvHsEQ

I haven't laughed so hard in a long time!!

Check this video out!! :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7fkAF4nElA

New pages!!!

This page is for my friend Cyndi... Click on the picture to read the quote and get full credits.

This is Kylie on her first day this year.

Pictures are here! :)

http://dandeliondreamsphotography.blogspot.com/

Some Quotes

I LOVE quotes... I just love when someone can say something really meaningful in a short sentence. Anyway, I was hunting for a quote for a page I'm making when I came across these... :) I think most of them are by Dr. Seuss who had an amazing way with words!

"And that Yopp…That one small, extra Yopp put it over! Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover. Their voices were heard! They rang out clear and clean. And the elephant smiled. “Do you see what I mean?…They’ve proved they ARE persons, no matter how small. And their whole world was saved by the smallest of All!” “How true! Yes, how true,” said the big kangaroo.“And, from now on, you know what I’m planning to do?…From now on, I’m going to protect them with you!”And the young kangaroo in her pouch said…“…ME, TOO!”“From the sun in the summer. From rain when it’s fall-ish, I’m going to protect them. No matter how small-ish!”

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way."

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not."

"I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, It's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope. Which is what I do, And that enables you to laugh at life's realities."-- Dr. Seuss

“Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.”

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.”

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

"One of the hardest things to teach a child is that the truth is more important than the consequences.”

“We are all a little weird and life's a little weird, and when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall in mutual weirdness and call it love.”

Thanks!! :)

Cyndi wanted me to pass this on to all of you who have been following their story and praying...

"Please thank all your friends for the prayers and concern. I've even received some messages from them on the blog. Such wonderful sweet ladies!"

Thank you, and keep praying!! This little family is really needing God's extra special blessing right now!!

And, if you are like me, I love pictures... and here are some VERY precious ones!! Just look at those little eyes!!! :) Keep fighting, Chloe!!!

Scrapbooking Again!!!

I have been sick for the last couple days and just needed to relax... So, I have been busy using some of the new goodies from TaylorMade and Paisley Press (Oscraps) and Syrin (Catscrap)! Click on images for credits!

Today, I got up from a nap with Ari and found 2 new books from a series that I was reading near my computer! Jason had gone to Target and gotten them as a suprise... Isn't that so sweet?!

Kylie seems to be fighting off the germs and is the only one that isn't sick... Poor Jas had to work all day today in spite of feeling bad.

Seems like my friends are having a terrible weekends... I feel so bad for everyone. I hope this week brings a lot of happiness their way!! Cyndi texted me tonight and said that there is hope for Chloe... So, that is a huge answer to prayer!! Last night, Jas just hugged me and prayed with me while I sobbed... I just can't even imagine having to see your baby like that...

I need to get busy on pictures again... just haven't felt up to concentrating on it...

And, since school started, I'm just "Mom" instead of "Mommy"... It makes me sad... Kylie has been trying to switch all summer; but now, I think it's official. :(

Song

The girls and I have been listening to a CD from our church lately, and I love the words to this song... They ask me to play this one over and over in the van because it's one that they know from Sunday School. This is a version from YouTube... (see sidebar)

Cyndi's blog

You have to read this... http://ouryoungshootchloe.blogspot.com/ . My friend Cyndi and her little family are going through so much... They need your prayers.

Here's my prayer for Cyndi for today... I couldn't visit with her today... Ari and I are feeling sick, and I don't want to risk giving it to them. We were going to meet for lunch at the park...

God, I know you know what is going on and you really care. I feel so bad for Cyndi, Dave, Solana, and Chloe. It seems like they just have one bad thing after another and they must be so tired. Please make Chloe strong. Please help her grow in an amazing way this week. Please comfort Cyndi and keep her safe as she drives back and forth. Please help her to know she's doing her best and give her peace. Please help Solana at school. Help her to have fun and keep her from catching any sicknesses. Please be with Dave- give him extra strength to make it through work and moving and being able to support his family. God, please give little Leila a hug from us. Please wrap your arms around this little family and be extra close to them today. I love you. Amen.

I have a website!!!

Come take a look around!!!!

Dandelion Dreams Photography

Free Cool Templates!

Have you seen this girl's templates?! For the second time, I clicked on someone's LO and found another template from her! So, I just had to find and share her blog!! Enjoy! Cre'a Bouille

a new shoot!

I got to take pictures for our neighbor's kids yesterday! I was going to take pictures of Jason's cousins' little boy (Long story... but, yep! they are BOTH his cousins and totally not related to each other! haha! We could have sat on both sides of the church for that wedding!) , but he had a bad night; so, we are just going to do them next week... Anyway, we went to a metropark, and I got to try out my new lens... Many of the pictures were blurry; so, I need to get used to it, but some turned out really cool (I LOVE MY NEW LEN'S CREAMY BACKGROUNDS!!!)... So, anyway, I am trying really hard not to share all of the pictures until I can try out a trial movie maker... I only have it for this month, and I can't wait to try it out... :) But, there are 2 sneak peek pics on there if you want to see... :) Dandelion Dreams

Here are a couple pages that I made lately...

Using Lynne Marie's White Linens Kit from Catscrap:

(featured at inspiration 4 scrap)

made with Oscrap's goodies...

(made for DeAnna to celebrate her new addition to the family!!)

Tea Party- 7 years old

She's been going since she was 4... This time was a little more relaxing than all the others... We had fun and spent exactly the right amount of time there... I loved seeing all the pictures of Kylie smiling... It's not as easy to get pictures of real smiles with her, but she was totally happy and having a great time! Sugar cubes, as always, were a HUGE hit, and the girls emptied the bowl (all but 3 which they took home)... Kylie had 2 cups of coffee and LOVED the banana bread again... It was incredible how fast it disappeared!!! Ari, suprisingly, loved the rye bread that the cucumber sandwiches were on... Kylie picked out a pill box with pink and pearls on top for her gift this year... She's showed it to daddy and other people since so it is a treasure! :) And, it didn't rain this time!!!

Wookiie for her birthday...

Isn't she adorable?!!!!!!! Happy birthday, Kylie!!! :) I will have a ton more pictures and tell about her more later!!