i don't mean to complain but....

yesterday must have been torture mommy day. at least for noah. everytime i turned around he had gotten into some new kind of creme, ointment, or paint and had applied it to either himself or the dog. poor dog. poor sweet, patient, tolerant dog. i found him in the hall vigorously cleaning his head with his paws. i saw some white, sort of goopy stuff on the very top of his head. upon closer inspection i discovered it was crayola "invisible" paint. the kind that turns colors when you use it on special paper. so noah knows that he can "accidentally" get it on carpet or walls and it's no biggie. i guess he thought sammy needed a makeover too. then i called noah (because he was being WAY too quiet) and he came out with the bottom half of his face gleaming and minty fresh. he was wiping it off and licking his fingers clean. i asked what it was and he proudly proclaimed, lipstick! well, it turns out it was burts bees chapstick that belonged to one of the boys. not much left of it now. sigh. then he decides that his trains need a wash down with lysol. yet another thing that must go on a "noah-proof" shelf.
so what did i do to keep myself just a tinsey bit sane yesterday??? scrapbooked any and every chance i got!!!

here's hoping that today will be just a wee bit calmer around here, and that nobody gets an unwanted makeover. a girl can wish! :)

doodle this, doodle that

it's no secret...i love to doodle on my layouts. this is one where i just let my black sharpie go wherever it wanted to. then i used my lovely "crayola" colored pencils to highlight the "hidden" journaling. give me a blank slate....i'll fill it!! :)

one lonely little layout

just one. one little layout is all i've done this whole time away from the blog. sigh. that's okay, there will be more. oh yes, more is waiting to be created :)

running around in circles

and i feel like this.....

whew! it's been awhile since i've blogged, but i have good reason...i've been super busy! pinewood derby's, birthday cakes to bake (3 of them!), unpacking and decorating my mother-in-law's house, and dancing!! see! lots on my plate, but it's all good :)

kyle and brayden (his step-bro) took 3rd and 1st place. how extremely COOL is that??!! they were both totally stoked for each other. it was so much fun. way more fun than i was expecting to have.

and being boys...it's hard to sit still for very long! :) especially when those two get together!!

then on the 22nd was my hubby's birthday. i did my little homemade cake and "tablescape". it's kind of become a tradition. i set up the dining room table with the cake i made, presents and any cards. it's simple and maybe a bit hokey, but it's special. everyone in this family seems to appreciate it so far!

i was especially pleased with my string wrapping technique. it turned out cute i think.

i love my handwriting....just NOT in icing. dude! it's really hard to write with a piping bag full of icing. i give mad props to all those cake decorators out there. truly, you rock!

then this weekend we went to the Springs and celebrated Stephans birthday along with his sisters best friends birthday. hence the 2 additional cakes. again, they were homemade, and a bit crudely decorated, but i think the thought was appreciated!! my friend terri came out to dinner to celebrate with us, then went dancing with Stephan and i after. much fun! any excuse to shake my booty is a good excuse :)

ahhh...much needed sleep. this weekend tuckered all of us out. :)

hope yours was well spent too!

the results are in.....

you like? me like! i know, i know, it's not that different from what i already had. i guess i really like my hair this way. i think it suits me and i can play with it. mix it up into many, many different styles. love that! i just got it shorter and put some more layers in there. took me awhile and there is still a pile of hair i have to vacuum up. isn't that silly that i have carpet in my bathroom?? not my choice, and it will go bye bye when we get the moola to do so! :0





the back view: fun, funky and kind of punked-out. totally me!! :)

the time has come to....

give myself another haircut!!!! i cut & color my own hair. have i ever mentioned that before? probably not, but maybe it's evident..hee hee. i just refuse to waste my time and money to go to an overpriced salon when i can get the job done (to my satisfaction) at home. i have only had ONE good stylist. ONE!!! that is crazy to me. so tonight my trusty scissors and i have a hot date. my hubby rolls his eyes whenever i tell him "it's time". he tells me not to, but then always likes the results, so what's the big deal?? the way i look at it, i am saving us money. money i'll likely use on scrapbook stuff, but hey, it's savings nonetheless. this is kim logic, you understand. it all makes perfect sense to me :). i have had people ask me who does my hair (after complimenting it) and when i tell them i do...i see that shocked look. then they ask if i'll do theirs. whoaa....back this horse up! i have no problem screwing up my hair. i have come to terms with that possibility, and it has happened once or twice (color gone bad). but someone else....nope. can't do it. couldn't live with that uncomfortable awkwardness everytime i saw them again. the guilt. no thank you! maybe i'll post a pic. of the results.

in totally unrelated news, i thought i would share my latest:

littlest one

a shout out to my baby, noah. i didn't realize last night that 4 of the 5 layouts i did were of him! kind of funny how that works, and i'm sure i'll hear about it from kyle (my 8 year old). i have to be very careful to balance out the layouts so that it's even!! they are totally into fair, even, equals. i remember that from my childhood. heck, i still get that way about certain things. fair is fair. equal this, even amount here. do we ever really outgrow that? human behavior is so facsinating to me!! i should have been a therapist. :

i had so much fun doing the above layout. i used paint and chaneled my inner swirly-twirly girl!! so pretty and whimsical. it's always a bit scary when you're using paint. it's not like you can erase it and start over. nope. you can kiss that cutesy paper you just messed up goodbye. luckily that hasn't happened to me....yet!

happy friday!! :) :)

guerrilla art

websters dictionary defines this as:
GUERRILLA: a member of a small defensive force of irregular soldiers, making surprise raids.
ART: human creativity. skill.

so, there you have it. guerrilla art is typically found in larger cities. metro areas, frequented by lots of people. i love this!! it is different from graffiti, much different. it's not meant to be destructive. on the contrary. it is meant to put a smile on random faces. sort of like random acts of kindness, which can also be guerrilla art.

the last photo is one of my favies. it was this tiny little label that someone put on this, well, trash can. so freakin' random....love that!!!!!!!

friday night fun

i went to my first "scrapmania" crop. we scrapped from 5-11pm!!! my dream come true...uninterrupted scrap time. and.....shopping too! it was at archivers, my local scrapbook store (well, actually it's a chain). so much fun, and i can see it becoming somewhat addictive. i mean, really, 6 hours of pure scrapbooking. what's not to love there?? i thought i would post the fruits of my labor. the only drawback i found in going to a crop, especially one that lasts that long, is that inevitably you will have forgotten something at home. i did, but no biggie, i made due and bought a few things along the way ;)

have a glorious monday!! :)

beach love

thought i would share my recent pages. i think i mentioned before that i am scrappin' october pics. we went to the beach and had a fun photo shoot. set up the tripod and did some fun shots of me and stephan dancing! we created some really special memories that day. fun fun!

i am doodle gal. i think you know that. the above layout was a fun, playful doodle page. i just let myself go with my trusty white pen (dude, i flippin' love that pen!!)

the luckiest

girl in the world, i am! i came across this song by Ben Folds called The Luckiest. i instantly put it on my ipod after listening to just a small part of it. that's it...exactly how i feel about this man. sort of like that movie The Notebook. i cried throughout that movie, and throughout this song. it just communicates my relationship with stephan so perfectly. so perfectly! how can that be?? how can someone know, and hit the nail on the head so exactly? if i could write him a song it wouldn't be too different from this song. if you get the chance, listen to it. seriously.



i am at a very comfortable point in my life. the point in which i think most people start to really come into their own. accept who they are and embrace it. there are still parts of myself that i would love to change (my body), and maybe i'll always fight that demon. it's consuming at times, but starting to become less so. i still want to be healthy and look my best, but it is coming easier i think. i really love the way my life has turned out. i am so incredibly blessed, and i thank my heavenly father for that. He has given me all that i have, of that i am certain! and so i leave you with one of my current favorite quotes (in the pic. below). keep it in the forefront of your mind. live it!

Breckenridge

the thing i love about my photography love affair is that i see things in a new, brilliant light. i am always on the prowl for an inspiring shot. sometimes it's only inspiring to me, but that's beside the point! hee hee. we went to Breckenridge, CO this weekend while my mom was in town. for those who don't know, it's an adorable ski town. love it there. of course my camera was going to make the trip with me (and not just because my mom was here).

we took a horse-drawn carriage ride around the town. how incredibly quaint (and, yes, touristy) is that?? i've never done that before. it was very lovely, even if my kids were complaining about the smell of horse poop the whole time. they had fun too. i took these pics while on the ride.

this is the main horse-poop-complainer (below)!! but look, he's enjoying himself despite that! :) oh, and there is a danger they don't warn you about when on a horse-drawn carriage ride in a ski town where there is mushy, melting snow....when a car drives by you, pull your legs in. you WILL get splashed whilst enjoying the quaint adorableness of the scenery around you!!

and finally, the moms and the cute husband smooshed inbetween. from left to right: dana (my mother in law), cute husband, and my mama. i just love this pic so much. they all look so relaxed and happy, as was the mood of the day. when i look at this, i am back in Breck. very cool, indeed! stay tuned, as i'm sure i will have more fabulous adventures to post on :) :) at least, let's hope so!! even if they occur in my living room.

life is beautiful

it really is! i have had an amazing visit with my mom. she is in town from CA this weekend (hence the absence from the 'ol blog). i try to stay really aware of my blessings...all the time. to continually look around me and see the abundance and sweetness of it all. for example, my entryway:

i love this. all the essentials of everyday life gather here. my purse: essential! my camera bag: totally essential - to me! my scriptures: very essential, but i don't refer to them as often as i should! shoes, hats, gloves, scarves, etc. all essential.

okay, then there's this guy. see him up there!! love him so much. he is absolutely essential to my happiness. :) dang, he makes me laugh and love my life!

and of course these guys too. my heartstrings. my breath and reason for just about every choice i make these days. isn't it amazing how kids will do that for you?? my dog, sammy, is also essential to me. he heals and loves and protects me. couldn't do without him!

my life............is SO...........BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

happiest of monday evenings to you! :)