Gettin' By

Ask and ye shall receive.

I am realizing that my lament last week about a lack of things to write about was all the prompting the universe needed to suddenly unleash a stream of events perfect for blog fodder. So there you go: the key to writer's block is to simply complain loudly into the internet ether, and you'll be rewarded with topics galore. At least for this week.

Unfortunately, one of those topics came in the form of a nasty stomach bug that knocked Riely and I out for most of Thursday. I had heard via the elementary school that a virus was going around, and when more than 1/3 of the students and staff came down sick, they ended up closing the school on Friday for a thorough cleaning and Lysol-ing.  Luckily, it was just a 24-hour sickness and we were on the mend by Friday afternoon.  Not so luckily, Mike started showing symptoms on Sunday and he's still down for the count.  Hayden's remained the only non-puking member of the family this weekend, happily playing Minecraft while the rest of us took turns napping on the sofa.

During a window of non-sickness on Saturday night, Mike and I got to attend a benefit for Denver Health and get all gussied up for a night out. My parents, who were traveling home from Kansas, stopped in for the night to wrangle the littles (that's their green truck serving as our glamourous backdrop below!) Coincidentally, that night also happened to be prom at our area high school, so we joined all the high schoolers and their parents on the front lawn for the prequisite photos:

(I was just slightly peeved that Mike failed to get me a ginormous wrist corsage.)

Hayden snapped these photos, after which he turned to my mom and sighed, "They grow up so fast!"  Proving that not only does he have a robust immune system, he's also got quite a way with the one-liners.

I snapped a few more photos on my phone that night, including the classic Pumping Gas in a Tux, when Mike actually got whistled at by a policeman:

 
And the venue itself (a clevery disguised horse arena, that despite fancy lighting and shimmery tableclothes, still smelled faintly of manure):

The lovely flower centerpieces (one of which was swiped by a lady who may or may not have had a few too many cocktails. And NO it was not me - I was just getting over a stomach virus, remember?! Of course, alcohol does kill germs...but now you've got me all off topic.)

There was a rousing concert later in the evening by Earth, Wind & Fire:

The band's appearance was apparently a big-ass deal to everyone in the room who happened to be over the age of 50. And while I can totally appreciate the groove-inducing beat of Shining Star, Mike and I opted to call it an early evening and left before the boogieing got too out of control.

And that was the excitement for the past few days...what's been up in your world?!

 

Give-It-Away Thursday: Scrapbooks, Etc.

My week has been filled with lots of things: doctor's appointments, overseeing various school projects, lots of homework (for the kids), laundry, volleyball, a tuxedo rental (for Mike), trips to the tailor, and a random grocery run when I discovered that dry cat food and tomato soup do not a suitable family meal make. None of which left me much time to draft any witty blog posts. And even if I'd had the time, it's doubtful there would have been anything worth reading being typed over here.  Apparently the part of my brain that used to be capable of stringing together a semi-entertaining tale has high-tailed it out of town with an open-ended airline ticket to Vegas, where's it gambling away my retirement fund and taking in a show or two. (At least that's what I like to imagine has happened. Because just saying I have writer's block is so, you know, mundane.)  

Luckily, not all my creative mojo has gone AWOL. I am currently in the midst of a scrapping fury with the May JBS Mercantile kit, which is an absolutely perfect combination of colors, textures, and brand-spankin' new products that I've been dying to get my hot little hands on. Of course, being that my writing skills are so hampered of late, I don't really have any clever commentary to add to these sneak photos. So will you settle for "Lookie here!  Pretty scrap stuff!" ?!?

At any rate, believe me when I say this kit is GOOD. Even if I did have the mental capacity to string together an effective description, words simply couldn't do it justice. Suffice it to say I'd be marking my calendar for the May 1st sale if I were you. (Don't say I never gave you any good advice!)

And finally, in an effort to make up for my missing writing mojo, I thought I better offer up a little giveaway to those of you still reading. I've got two new issues of Scrapbooks, Etc. (April 2012 and Febrary 2012) to send out to someone.  I promise the contents will be more inspiring than this blog of late. If you'd be interested in them, just leave me a comment below!** I'll draw a name on Monday and send the winner a little happy mail.

And if you happen to see that missing part of my brain at the roulette tables, tell it get home soon (for all our sakes'!)

**Please be sure to leave a contact email in your comment if you are not signed in to Typepad.  Comments will remain open until the morning of April 27 (whenever I drag my butt out of bed, make coffee, and log on to Typepad) and the winner will be randomly drawn from the comments, announced at the bottom of this post, and contacted via email (if possible). Internationals are welcome to enter, but you'll have to pay postage on the shipment. And that concludes the fine print. Yahoo!

UPDATED WITH WINNER:  Congrats to Lori, who was the randomly selected winner of the magazines. Shoot me an email Lori, and I'll mail them out to you asap! :)

Project Life: Week 10

From my frequency blogging about this topic, it might appear that I've ceased to continue the undertaking that is Project Life.  But no. I am still plugging away at this album, and documenting the weeks as I have the time.  No stress, no fuss.

Those of you that read regularly are now wondering what has happened to the typically high-strung-freak-out-and-lose-your-shit-in-the-middle-of-the-kitchen-floor-stress-case you call Lisa, huh?  Let's just say I'm typing this post after 5 pm, which can only mean there's a glass of wine within reach. Oooohhhhhmmmmmmm....better than yoga!

But seriously, I'm not letting the fact that I've fallen behind worry me too much.  I'm still taking photos and collecting memoribilia, and these spreads don't take too long for me to create. It will all make it into the album. Eventually. And if not? Well, there's always wine!

 So here's what I've got for Week 10:

S U P P L I E S :

Since a majority of this week was spent on The Big Spring Clean, the whole center row of photos reflects that.  The large white titles were cut on my Silhouette, and are my own designs. (I traced my handwriting in Illustrator and turned it into outlines to cut.)  If you'd like the .svg files, just click right here to download them.

And with that, I'm off to enjoy Happy Hour!

Five on Friday.

Five of my favorite phone photos this week!

1.  Mike's new kicks! You gotta love a man in robin's egg blue shoes (or maybe that's just me!)

2. Riely reading at dinner. A good way to multitask (and distract her from the fact that she's eating cauliflower.)

3. Spring tulips.  Mike says fresh flowers are a waste of money, but I think these beauties are worth every penny of the $6.99 I spent!

4.  Happy Mail from Modcloth!  I had ordered this dress for a friend's summer wedding. It fits and it's flattering...pretty fabulous.

5.  The only way I do ironing.  And who keeps buying our little girl clothes that require ironing?!? (Oh yeah. That would be ME.)

 

Happy, happy Friday!

Quotables.

It's inevitable that when you have the smartest, wittiest kids on the planet (not that I'm biased or anything), you are going to hear some classic quips from their mouths. Which is why I keep a notebook handy for recording those always-hilarious snippets from our daily conversations. The contents never fail to make me smile, like these two recent entries:

"These teachers are totally infringing upon my First Amendment rights!"
-Hayden, relating how he was admonished for talking during class (and not coincidentally, during a lesson on the Constitution.)

Riely: I can type my last name really fast!
Me: Have you been practicing a lot in computer lab?
Riely: No, I was just born talented.

See what I mean? And speaking of those two, I've got a page to share featuring the entertaining duo.  It's part of a Sketch Challenge that's going on over at the Lily Bee blog (which you should totally check out!)

S U P P L I E S :

Wishing you a Wednesday is filled with quotable moments!

Us. Right Now.

she:

...can often be found sneaking goodies from her easter basket. for breakfast.

...is beyond excited it's almost flip-flop season.

...is looking forward to starting art classes with her friend Sassa.

...always has a colorful variety of marker marks on her hands.

...is researching horses for a school project.

...never met a fashion accessory she doesn't want to wear. all at once.

he:

...likes to freak mom out with the fake insects from his easter basket.

...is counting the days until summer vacation.

...has the upcoming "puberty talk" at school this week, which he says will consist of "learning that teenagers get hairy and smelly."

...just earned the money to purchase MineCraft, and has been spending all his free time playing.

...has a bedroom that, most days, looks like a Lego Store exploded within it.

...is now wearing the same size shoe as his dad. (eeps!)

he:

...has landscaping projects and golf on the brain. must be spring!

...has been nervous (read: grouchy) preparing for a work presentation in Houston this week.

...snaps more photos on his iPhone than I do on my DSLR most weeks.

...is finding a new addiction in shoe shopping (he recently made me proud with the purchase of the coolest pair of blue suede wingtips!)

...is convinced his truck needs new tires & wheels. and is trying to convince me.

...is attempting to replace his beloved Diet Mtn. Dew with Starbucks coffee, a task I more than happily enable.

 

she:

...can't seem to shake the "vacation hangover."

...is desperately trying to catch up on Project Life.

...just spent most of the weekend cleaning her house so it would be presentable enough for the cleaning service to come this week.

...is reluctantly admitting she can't do it all. but will probably still try.

...might be stockpiling the seasonal KoKo Brown Ale in her basement for winter.

...needs to finish up this post and go for a run.

 

And that's what's up with us right now...what about you?

Five on Friday.

I know I've been a bit delayed (read:lazy) in posting any vacation photos, so today's list-o-five features some of my favorites from our time in the Bahamas:

And while I know that viewing other people's vacation photos is a task embarked upon only with a large supply of both patience and booze, should you wish to attempt the feat, you can see our Atlantis album in its entirety right here.

Happy Friday, friends!

Give-It-Away Thursday: Online Card Classes

CLASS DETAILS:  Are you a die cutting expert or do you consider yourself a novice? Do you prefer a traditional die cutting machine or would you rather use your computer to design what you’ll be cutting? Or maybe you’re just not sure! Never fear, we’re here to help! Join Kristina Werner, Jennifer McGuire, guest instructor Nichol Magouirk and many great guests (including me!) for A Cut Above, as they show you the ins and outs and everything you need to know about the various die cutting systems.

You’ll leave class with the knowledge of numerous tips and creative techniques for using the Big Shot, Vagabond, Cuttlebug and Grand Calibur with various types of dies and embossing folders, as well as the Silhouette Cameo. The first half of class will be devoted to traditional die cutting methods and the second half will be focused on the increasingly popular Silhouette (Cameo, SD, and original Silhouette). Simple to complex, beginning to advanced – we’ll cover it all!

This three-week interactive class includes free downloads (including some from guest artist Ali Edwards), BIG prizes, galleries, a Q&A forum and lifetime access! Class runs April 16 to May 7, but content will be available for a lifetime.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS: I'm giving away spots in the A Cut Above online class to three lucky blog readers.  If you'd like to be entered to win , just leave me a comment below, and be sure you are signed in to Typepad or leave me an email where you can be reached. Comments will stay open until Sunday morning, April 15, when I've had enough coffee to wake up, at which point I'll post the lucky winners here.  Giveaway is open to everyone - internationals included!

UPDATED WITH WINNERS:  Congrats to the three winners! I've emailed you :)

Whip-Up-A-Page Wednesday

Whew - I made it to Wednesday! And if you had witnessed the first two days of my week, you'd know that's a reason to celebrate.  So let's toast to Wednesday being the day that signifies the-weekend-is-two-days-away-HURRAY!  (okay??)

Thought I'd revive the ol' Whip Up A Page today with a layout I did for Lily Bee a few weeks back. I had been pondering all the possibilties for whiling away the moments of the extra day that Leap Year provides. The photo collage (which features a whopping seven Instagram photos) highlights those ideas.

S U P P L I E S :

 

The whole design sits atop a striped background that I created by alternating the Lemonade and Linen polka dot papers from Lily Bee's Handmade line.

I tucked in an index card from the Buttercup line for a little pop of yellow:

And the title is a combo of Thickers and a die cut from the Silhouette:

And that's about all I can whip up for today! Wishing you all the best as we slide into the weekend! (Can I get a HELL, YEAH!?)

Weekend Accomplishment.

Amongst the Easter celebrations, egg hunts, yardwork, spring cleaning, and general weekend revelry, we also watched Riely (finally!) meet this milestone:

 

And all without a single scraped knee! Add to this achievement a huge haul of Cadbury Creme Eggs from the Easter Bunny and I'd say this was a successful weekend, indeed.