scott sandwich...

Okay, it's been waaaay too long since I last posted here and I've made an executive decision. I'm going to move the focus of this blog more to family and friends, and not so much scrapbooking as it has been. I have a lot more family things I'd like to share where my scrapbooking focus is growing smaller. I'll still post pages and projects that I'm particularly excited about - but it'll be more about my fab fam and friends.

With that being said... I HAD to post this picture I took of our awsome friends - the Robbins. Here Kersten is sitting between our Scotts (hers and mine) in a darling "scott sandwich". We love having them as our neighbors and feel even more blessed that they have become such good friends!

another song...

It's time to get it off my chest - my dirty little secret. Well - that's what I wanted to scrap about anyway! Another page inspired by another song!

Also, check out the new me... decided to go dark. I like it but sometimes when I see my reflection, I wonder "who is that?".

Did you know I have two different colors of eyes? The darker hair brings it out - a lot.

good things utah...

Thought I would post a picture from the Good Things Utah spot I did yesterday. It was so much fun to meet Marti, but a surprise host helped out as well - Frankie Muniz. He added a whole new level of fun to the experience!

I had the privilege to help out my friends at 3 Bugs In A Rug and teach a cute little easel album. Such a fun project using some really nice papers!

popping princesses...

I had to post this fun page that's up at the Making Memories Blog right now. It's the third of four in my designer challenge "music" series and I think the picture is just so funny.

Everytime these cute little darlings come over to play, they head straight for the dress-up bin in Jilly's room. Here they combined two pieces of fun: dress-up and trampoline jumping. Check out the shoes - talk about hard core; they're jumping in the shoes!

it's all about feelings...

Well, here we are at the final week on our senses and it's all about the feelings. You can check out my post about this layout at the Making Memories Blog. I have absolutely loved doing these designer challenges for the MM blog this past month and will have another month long series of challenges next month - focusing on music as an inspirational resource!

I love this layout though... I always seem to get that patriotic feeling when I see the flag and wanted to capture those feelings in a scrapbook page. This one's of Oaken holding onto the flag our Ward youth brings around and posts in our yard every holiday. I love the movement of the flag and needed to capture some of those feelings this sight invoked.

This layout makes me realize again that we don't necessarily need to scrapbook what is happening in the photo. We can journal about our feelings and thoughts on matters that are sometimes only slightly related to the picture; capturing what is in our hearts and sharing more of ourselves.

can you taste it...

The third installment of my senses layouts is one of my favorites. It features one of my best friends and a scrumptious dessert she created - so of course, it was perfect for my 'taste' sense. I combined senses on this one using taste and sight, because you have to admit, it does look as good as it tastes!

Thank you Michelle for this awsome treat and for indulging me with using your beautiful picture!

sound...

Here we are already at week two of the designer challenge; focusing on the sense of sound. This is my youngest daughter Jill and a few of my favorite phrases that bring a smile to my face every time I hear them!

I've added a few close ups of details. My favorite are all the little goodies that Making Memories is so good at creating - paper flowers, epoxy buttons and stickers, brads, and glittering papers!

senses challenge...

I'm so excited to be hosting the Designer Challenges this month on the Making Memories Blog. I wanted to post a close up of the rub-ons I used on the photo... all products are Making Memories and these are the from the doodles rub-on booklets. Such a versatile tool.

Week one was smell - stay tuned the next several weeks for pages using our other senses!

done...

Wow. What else can I say? I won't spoil anything, but I will say; Wow! I didn't see that coming. Oh, or that - and where the heck did that come from?

In my opinion - an excellent book - a fun read - and a great ending to a fantastic story!

The easiest cards around...

I had the awsome apportunity to meet a new creative friend at a Stampin' Up! party a few weeks agao. Elizabeth Jensen has this yummy (literally) company that has the cutest card kits ever! Cherries Jubilee Creations is going to be featured today on Studio 5 at 11:00 AM. Go on over and see just how fun and easy the kits are.

Here are a few cards I made as well as a quick page...

The kits come with 6 folded and pre-printed card bases and 12 double sided papers to build on those cards, play and make them your very own.

There is also a page with design and word strips as well as die cut tags, embellishments, brads and ribbon - all for the awsomely low price of $9.99! I made four cards and one scrapbook page and still have supplies to make at least one more card. So cute and so fun.

Good luck today, Elizabeth! Click for the Cherries Jubilee Creations blog.

win before you can buy...

Hi all - it's CHA time again and Making Memories has a fabulous chance to win NEW stuff - BEFORE you can even buy it! So, go to their blog for hourly chances and good luck!

Here's a page with just a little of what's to come...

This fabulous product makes me excited for Christmas - so beautiful! So - go to Making Memories blog and good luck winning!

B-Day and Cook...

Happy Birthday to Scott - my dear, sweet, hubby! The kids were so exited to give him is 'big' present... a basketball standard. The were even more excited to help him put it together - and then to help him play with it.

All this was going on while I was inside, eyeballs glued to the TV and the American Idol finale. I was torn between the two Davids - Archiletta being from Utah - where I live now, and even from Murray, where I grew up. He is incredibly talented. And then David Cook whose voice and originality is so very appealing to me - love the whole rocker image and sound. I really did want Cook to win - way back at the beginning when he did that cool version of Eleanor Rigby - I really wanted him. It's the first season that I've watched where someone I wanted actually won!

Good times. And music.

design off...

This past Saturday, I had the awsome opportunity to participate in a contest of sorts. A "design off" if you will between three other teams. I was asked to represent Making Memories and we were up against CK Media, All My Memories, and Roberts crafts. The task was to design an outdoor chair using scrapbooking supplies, paint, and anything else we could think of.

Of course, I wanted to use the new 5th Avenue papers from MM - the black and white is my absolute favorite and that little sprinkle of aqua blue and green really adds some flair. The chair turned out great - although we didn't win; but it was also a lot of fun.

Gail, Jenny, and my friend Teresa helped me out in this little task and overall we were very satisfied with our creation. You really can't go wrong when using such fabulous products - gotta love Making Memories!

two more weeks...

Here are two more weeks in my weekly journal. Week 5 found me sick in bed after just getting myself certified for Scuba. Week 6 was yesterday and I forgot to post it then.

two away...

No, this isn't a post about a close basketball score or some other sporting event where our team barely lost. Nope - actually it's my birthday today and having been reminded many times by first my husband and children and then my mom calling, I'm two away. Two small and short years away from the big four-oh.

On a happier tune, I joined the throngs of iPod owners and got my first as my birthday present. It's been a ton of fun too - I've played with it and downloaded many CD's to it all day. I don't feel bad about wasting time though, it's my birthday after all and I'm almost 40. I need a little fun.

Here's a picture - I'm listening to my newest addition to my musical repertoire; a b-side song by one of my very favorite bands...My Chemical Romance. So - happy birthday to me and have a great day.

week 3 & 4...

So, I've already been a bit lax in posting my weekly journal pages. Here are the last two. My goal this week is to make more base pages so I can quickly slap a picture down and add a few thoughts.

As you can see by these pages, it doesn't have to be fancy and complicated. The journaling is the important part. How are you doing?

i've got that...

My good friend Molly emailed me this newly diagnosed disorder. I realized I have been suffering from it for several years now...obviously a younger than average case! Anyway, I wanted to post the symptoms here to alert anyone else who happens along.

AAADD- KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ!

Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder - Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.

This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden, as I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage, I notice mail on the porch table that I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back on the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think, since I'm going to be near the mailbox when I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study, so I go to my desk where I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks, but first I need to push the Coke aside so that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke, a vase of flowers on the counter catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Coke on the counter and discover my reading glasses that I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote. Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV, I'll be looking for the remote, but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table, so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs, but first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor and the flowers didn't get much.
So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to remember what I was planning to do.

At the end of the day:
The car isn't washed
The bills aren't paid
There is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
The flowers don't have enough water
There is still only 1 check in my check book
I can't find the remote
I can't find my glasses
And I don't remember what I did with the car keys
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all damn day,
And I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem,
And I'll try to get some help for it.
But first, I'll check my e-mail...
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!!

week two...

Did you think I forgot already about the little album I'm making this year? Well, I haven't. I just didn't post the first page yet, because it will be an 'inspiration with joey' project on the Making Memories blog sometime this month. But - here's the 2nd week!






I'm getting excited about his project...I think it will be do-able and fun. I don't think it will be overwhelming - as long as I can keep up on the pages before hand, making a small reserve to select from each week. Using the Noteworthy Line from MM is perfect since it is so broad and non-specific. I desperately need to find more of it. Everywhere I go is sold out of the journaling pages and usually only has about half of the other papers. You'd think since I live in the scrapbooking mecca of the U.S., I could find stuff easier!


It was Oaken's birthday on Friday - he is now 6 years old. It doesn't seem like he has been with us that long. It also reminds me of how old our car is getting...we bought it a month before he was born. Maybe it's time to start looking for a new one before this one starts falling apart.


He had a pirate party where 7 of his friends came. I was grateful to have Chloe, Isabel, and her friend Noelle here to help herd the stampede of 8 little boys through the house. It was a riot to see them during the treasure hunt running between levels of our house searching for the next clue. The stairs became a bottleneck as you can see.




Here are the clues I made up...giving the boys one to start with and having each lead to another place in the house. The treasure at the end was their goody bags. It turned out so cute!

Our quest will start at the base of this place,
where the outside meets inside, in a nice shady space.

Music a plenty can be heard from this room,
to find the next clue, go where instruments loom.

Up and away to the next level of fun,
to your hosts room a clue, but only just one.

Around and around will these clues make you go,
find the place where the sliding glass meets the snow.

This next clue will make you stop in your tracks,
these are the kind that sound “clickity-clack."

Here is a place where great vehicles stay,
Get there by going the back, hidden way.

Getting warm here is the name of the game,
watch out though and don’t get too close to the flame.

This is it, the very last clue in your quest,
find the treasure at the place moms and dads rest.

organizize...

Yes, the spelling is a little off. But, when you are talking to someone in a excited and animated manner, you tend to start making up your own words. I have to make this a fun word because for me, organizing is not easy. Most areas of my life are in some degree of disorder and in all my years, I haven't yet mastered time management. Oh well - at least I'm having fun!

I'm excited for this month's focus at the Making Memories blog - which is precisely on organization and different ways we can achieve it. There will even be an 'inspiration with joey' post about it in the coming weeks. Yes, I came up with some way in which to organize a part of my life... I'm amazed myself - this is not an easy feat. Check back every day for some fabulous and helpful ideas.

I did want to share one of my favorite ways of organizing ribbons - courteous of Making Memories Embellishment Storage Jars. Not only do they make the top of my shelf such a happy looking place, they are also extremely functional. I have one right above my computer too, with lots of yummy candy in it. My mom loved how this looked so much, she has been bugging me for several months to get some ordered for her. Her birthday is Friday - can you say perfect gift?

a star is born...

Okay - new obsession for the Whittaker family, or actually really for me... Guitar Hero. Santa was extremely good to us this year and brought us our very first game system (XBox 360) - yeah, we have never had one before. Mostly because I know that I would be the one to play it for insane hours on end...but, it was time. Along with the system came Guitar Hero II and III as well as Rock Band. It's my fault really - while at Best Buy a few months before Christmas to buy Chloe's birthday present, we came across these games hooked up and ready to hook anyone who wanted to give it a go. Right away I loved it. With years of playing the violin, I could "sight-read" pretty well and even had the guys who worked at the store commenting on my jamming skills. Naturally, I knew what I would be asking Santa for. Our little ones are a little young to really get into it, but they like to pretend.

It's weird to be back into the swing of things again. The kids are back in school and various lessons are starting to pick up. Taking time off is nice. Makes me want a little more simplification. After all, not having to drive kid A to destination B makes for more guitar thrashing fun for me! We still haven't put our Christmas decorations away - I'm finishing up some assignments for the Making Memories blog as well as an album class for CKConventions. Plus, we need more boxes to put the new stuff in. New house = more need for decorations = more boxes to put the crap in.

I do have a few goals for this next year. I'm not going to say resolution because I think it has a built in failure to finish conntation about it. Goal is better - for me.

1- Daily family prayer is a big one. We are really going to focus and make this one work.

2- Continue spinning classes - hopefully Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays; although that 5:00 AM alarm seems earlier and earlier. I think our family prayer will help us all unwind and settle down to a restful and adaquate nights sleep.

3- I've been reading about these 365 - a picture a day albums. The idea is intriguing but a little too huge for me. I'm going to do a weekly album. Same idea as the picture a day, but I'll pick my favorite shot of the week and do a recap - organizing my thoughts and memories. It will be in a 9x9 format. I hope to post them every Sunday here - we'll see.

4- Other stuff. I'm sure I'll think of something else once I get my Christmas mess cleaned up and put away. There are a few things I intend to do, but don't want to spill the beans yet.