May reads

Yes, I realize that it is June but I never posted my May reads so here they are:

55.    The Emerald Atlas

56.    The Three Musketeers

57.    Fahrenheit 451

58.    The Brothers Karamazov

59.    My Friend Dahmer

60.    The wings of the Sphinx

61.    Surprised by Joy

62.    The Alchemyst

Scrapdango June Reveal

These were  made with the Scrapdango June Sugar kit.  I really liked this paper.  It was perfect for the fun summer layout of my DD playing in the rain.

 My youngest is in the Children's Choir at church and sang 2 songs on Easter morning. One of them was "Celebrate Jesus" and these wonderful and colorful papers helped me make a layout which did that.

One of my daughter's friends attends church with us and has become like another child.  She graduated from high school this week.  She has always admired my scrapping things so I made her a little mini album to fill in with her high school memories. I used this tutorial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRSdd-P8AZ4

In the album, I wrote a note to her and had my daughter write a note as well.  I also included a gift card to one of her favorite stores.

June Sketch

I challenged myself this month.  I love the look of circles, but I find it a challenge to use them and make them look good.  I tried it this month with the sketch.

 Here is the result:

The journaling says: Ace's little pink fuzzy paws are very sensative.  She will kick if I touch them.  If I do not stop, she will move them out of reach.  If I reach for her again, she may try to bite.  I know I shouldn't tease her, but it is so much fun.

Thanks to Veterans

Memorial Day weekend is over and although I enjoyed myself, I am ready for "normal" life.  However, I couldn't help thinking as I was baking and picnicking about what Memorial Day means to me.  I am not a veteran (Indeed, between my abysmal eyesight and my lack of stature, I doubt that they would have me) but I do thank those who served. I can not mention all of them but I do have a few that I wish to honor:

My dad, Ralph Pratt.  He served in WWII.  He was in the Japan Theater.  He never said much about it.  I guess that it proves that if you have really experienced war, that you really don't want to talk about it in "war stories."

In addition to my dad, his brothers Ed and Mort also served in WWII.  I was blessed that my dad and both my uncles came back from the war.  I know that many were not that lucky.

On my mom's side of the family, there were also men who served.  My Uncle John served in WWII as well.  He also made it home and I was blessed enough to get to know him as I was growing up.

My mom's dad, also served, but in the Spanish American War.  He lived to be 86, but with some of the trials of the war haunting him in his later life.  He died of natural causes long before I was born, but I still remember him in a few pictures that I have as well as stories my grandmother told me about him.

Not all the veterans that I know were in my family.  I think of Ray Schultz a neighbor and father of my daughter's friends.  He served in Vietnam.  He has left a living legacy in his daughters who rightfully speak very proudly of him and his service.  He died almost a year ago and was buried in the military cemetery in Ritman, OH.

There are also people currently serving that I know as well.  I think of course of my friend Valerie who has just this week retired from the air force after 30 years of service. She was not in combat, but I know that her work (which I can barely understand) in the sciences has had lasting effects.

There is a couple in our church who are right now living through a separation because of his deployment.  Mom and the girls are counting the days until he comes home.  The girls are young - I believe 3 and 5.  They have a cutout poster of him to bring to special events so dad can "see" them.

I know that there are many others and I just want to take the time to say thanks to all who served.

Crowned Swimsuit Competition

Don't panic, you are not going to see me in a swim suit - that might just overload the internet. However we are having a Crowned Completion at Scrapdango and this is my week for a challenge.  Here it is:

I remember watching swims suit competitions and they are really honest - it is not much about the suit but rather the person filling it. So taking that idea I am using it for inspiration for this week's challenge.

This challenge is to start with the basics and see what you can co with it. This week the only paper you may use is single color cardstock. (you may use as many colors as you wish they just can not have other color or patterns on them) You may do what you want to it - stamp it, ink it, spritz it, spray it, tear it, emboss it or anything else you care to - but whatever is done is what you have done to it. This goes for all paper on you layouts - no printed embellies unless you are the one that stamped it etc. 

And of course why do people not in a competition wear a swim suit? Why to swim of course. So taking some inspiration from the water in which we swim, your project needs to have some blue on it. It can be blue in the photos, embellishments, paper, journaling etc, but it needs to be obvious.

I made this card at the crop on Saturday and everyone there really liked it.  It is the sample for this weeks challenge.

Crop for Mother's Day

First let me say that I LOVE my kids.  I would do anything for them and often put their needs and desires before my own.  However, especially with the fact that I home school them, I am with them almost all the time.  Every year, I have the same request for Mother's day - to get away from my kids.  I was able to do that this year on Saturday.  I went to a crop for 13 hours - with no kids!  I relaxed and enjoyed and was pretty productive making 8 pages a card and a make and take.  Here is some of my work 

 It is difficult to see but the kids are singing "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho" At the end they all fell down.  (That is the picture on the right) also the lyrics wrap around the picture with the words "falling down" are doing just that.

 Playing with my camera to get a pic of the lily.  It is not a rub on or digital editing, but a simple overlay

 This is my youngest reciting John 1:1 (which is in the circle) in front of the congregation on Sunday Morning as part of the end of the Awan year

 I had these pictures for ages, but as I am on the Scrapdango team, I have been trying to use their products, but there was nothing that ever matches so I gave up and just did it with things from my stash.

 I did learn a lesson this weekend.  I brought almost everything scrappy which I own.  That was good because I used most of it.  However the next time, the Crucut is staying at home.  There were at least 6 people there with cricuts and everyone wanted to share - not only the machine, but any cartridges as well.  I used the Thanksgiving cartridge to make the title for this one.

 The journaling on this says: Our house is old and drafty so in the winter we all have suggies to keep warm. Mine is the pink one. When I am not using it, I keep it folded on the couch - or I try to. Whenever it is there, Copperfield chews, paws and eventually sleeps on it..

One of the many theme nights for Awana this year was "Silly Hat Night"  We had grilled a pineapple and Emily took the top and decorated it with flowers. She won the award for the most silly hat in her age range.

Tribute to Mom

Mother's Day is one of those awkward days for me. I never quite know what to do.  I lost mom 6 years ago so If I want to spend Mother's day with mom, it is in the cemetery, not at  home or in a restaurant. 

I am a mom myself, but I also homeschool my kids which means that I am with them just about all the time.  My idea of a Mother's day treat for me is to get away from my kids and at least for a few hours get to act like I am not a mom.

I was going through some old pictures and I found some of my mom's kitchen right after it had been remodeled.  Mom, like me, didn't like to have her picture taken but was proud of the work she had done in her kitchen.  so I thought it would be a fitting tribute to mom to shoe off her work and remember some of the times spend in that kitchen.