some new lovelies...

i have a few new creations to share....
the first is a camera strap that i made out of a yummy fabric! i adore this fabric, and every time i pull my camera out to use it, i am so delighted to see this strap cover!!
(sorry it's such a weird angle in this photo. i had a heck of a time getting the strap OFF my camera, then getting it back ON my camera...well, let's just say that stephan had to do that! so i was NOT ABOUT to take it off again to photograph it)



then, we have these little wrist warmers. i guess they qualify as gloves...not sure though. it was my first attempt at anything other than a scarf or blanket. they aren't perfect, but they work. (nothing i make is perfect - i don't measure, count or make adjustments. i just fly by the seat of my pants and hope it turns out)

one more trial...

i have been going back and forth on whether to post this. but, as i have said before, i want this blog to be a record of our lives (among other things).
a few weeks ago, stephan found out that he would be laid off on 12/12. i think i have been in complete denial over the whole thing. it stinks. truly. no severence package, no holiday turkey, nothing. i know it's happening all over to lots of people, but when it happens to your family, of course the whole experience is intensified. right before christmas. ugh. he has been looking diligently for a job, but so are many other people and jobs are few and far between. i have been asking myself why. why so many things have happened over the past six months. i think part of the reason is to strengthen our/my faith. i have been praying now more than ever and turning completely to Heavenly Father. i don't know what else to do. i know that there is purpose in this. i know it is part of the plan. somehow, there is a reason. i am so totally thankful for my many blessings, and i can't remember being more thankful than at this time of trial. we are all healthy. i have an amazing marriage to a wonderful man. i have three awesome children that teach me daily to appreciate the simple things. we have a home. we have food, heat, running water, a washer and dryer. we live in a great country where we enjoy freedom - everyday. we have the best extended family. i have great friends that are ALWAYS there for me! it is christmastime, and the world is a joyous place to be right now. but more than all of that, i am so thankful for my Savior, Jesus Christ. i am thankful for His Atonement. i feel His love in my life, and i know that we are going to be taken care of.

he tolerates him

i have a camera shy, pillow-esque, tolerant saint bernard named teddy.
i also have a high-energy, cuddly, somewhat forceful son named noah.
teddy tolerates him.
and my camera.
just look at that look on his face.
poor dog.

puttin' it out there...

did you notice the new look of my blog?? yeah! fun! and also, the thing i am MOST excited about, is the NEW link on the sidebar of this blog to kim cherry photography. woo hoo (doing backflips - if i actually could do backflips, so let's pretend!).

i am really excited, but kind of nervous too. i mean, when you put it out there you always feel kind of vulnerable and exposed. but it is time to do this thing - for REALS!!

new haircolor for a new era in my life

i feel like i am entering into a new era of my life. not like a mid-life crisis or anything (i'm not quite THAT old). just a new place. do you ever feel like that? like you've just ended a major chapter and are starting a new one - or an entirely new book for that matter.

so now my hair is dark....really dark. lovin' it this dark.



i was playing with photoshop/actions. this action really blows the color out of this photo, but i kinda like it. have i mentioned how much i **heart** photoshop?? seriously infatuated with it...and still learning. but that's the fun part, no?

saturday night scrapping!

i did a few layouts tonight! yeah!! it felt so good to be able to sit for an hour and a half and crank these out. a lovely saturday night indeed.

a random list of things i'm loving right now:

* good 'n plenty candy (it's oh so low in calories and points (weight watcher points)
* blog surfing/inspiration gathering
* my darker hair
* diet coke (this is a constant in my life)
* noah calling me his love heart - something he does quite often
* nightly prayers with my three kids and husband
* new episodes of csi & csi: ny
* laughing
* cold days (though they are few and far between)
* stephan (yesterday he closed the bedroom door when he got home from work and wanted to make out - kiss - for a bit. i loved that he wanted to do that!!)
* friends
* creating (mostly scrapbook stuff)
* the healing qualities of the gospel
* reading my moms blog and learning so much of her life
* counting my blessings
* that first crispy bite of cereal...before the milk imposes it's soggyness
* feeling so young and giddy over, yes i'm gonna mention it - TWILIGHT!!!
* growth - in so many aspects of my life right now
* nighttime - when the kids have just gone to bed and i have all the freedom in the world to do whatever i please!
* seeing evidence of the holiday season....nothing induces excitement and child-like wonder more than this
* music!!! i am totally into my music lately

i challenge/prompt any and all of you to take stock of things that are making you happy right now. blog about it! i know it is these posts that i love to re-read months from now. remember to think of the simple things too! :)

internet goodies....

i have been surfing the internet today....... a LOT! and i just thought i would share a couple of my finds with you. the first is an awesomely talented digital scrapbooker. i downloaded this free template for this layout from her blog. i highly recommend you check it out!


and i can't believe i've gone this whole week without talking about twilight on my blog!!!!!!!! seriously, it is heavy on my brain, and i DO already have my movie ticket for fridays premier.
the following picture is from instyles blog. they did a fabulous photo shoot of the cast. i mean seriously yummy stuff!

i have paint on my fingers - and i love it!

i have a HAPPY announcement...........

i am now on the design team at scrap 'n art!!

so, last night i made a layout for the scrap pad forum over there. it is based on one of my favorite songs: ben folds the luckiest.

i truly feel this way about my husband!!

taking in the beauty around me..

i am so overwhelmed by the love and support from you all! thank you so much for being here for me and my family.

this weekend we did something we haven't been able to do in FOREVER...we got outta town! we used to do these little day adventures a lot more, but then the boys had sport stuff every weekend, and steph has been working a second job. sigh. so, life pulled us in a different direction. but we were able to sneak away this weekend to a gorgeous little town nestled in the mountains...golden, co. man is it beautiful here! and, i am not a beer drinker, but as many of you may know, golden is the home of the coors brewing operation. well, again, i don't drink, but the heavenly smell that permeated the whole town was - um...like baking bread! lots and lots of bread. i was so dang hungry when we left!


unfortunately, ben and kyle weren't with us, so they aren't in any of these pics. i feel like i need to take more pics of them. but, they are harder to "catch" being older and involved in this and that. i will do better at it though!



see what i mean about the smell.......... (actually this was outside a candle shop, but it proved my point so beautifully!)



what a gorgeous escape! i was so thankful to be able to get out of my stale environment and regroup a bit. somehow being in nature always makes me feel closer to heavenly father. which was just what i needed.

wrapping it all up....in the ER

yesterday i went in to the doctor, and after one final check, said my goodbyes to this little child. i opted for the medicine that would soften my cervix and begin contractions. it worked. really well. then it didn't. i started bleeding (sorry this may get a bit graphic) at around 2:30pm yesterday. every 20-30 minutes when i felt like i needed to empty my bladder, my uterus needed to empty itself first. to give you an idea of the amount (this will make sense later on) it was roughly 2 cups of blood and tissue each time. lots. as the day and evening progressed i was feeling weaker and weaker. i told stephan that it was a lot of blood and tissue - more than i remember the first time. but i left it at that, because, well, i am not a doctor. how was i to know if it was okay or not. this continued through the night - the blood loss never letting up. at around 2:00 am i was coming back to bed from the bathroom and collapsed from the faintness and dizziness i was experiencing. i didn't wake stephan, rather, i felt and climbed my way (over two large slumbering dogs) back to bed. this happened again about 30 minutes later. the third time this happened, i felt maybe i should wake stephan and ask him for help walking to and from the bathroom. i really didn't want to seem like a drama queen about it, and felt so silly asking for help. i scoff at help - usually. well, of course, after i told him why i needed help, and how weak and dizzy i was he lept up and went into action. first he went downstairs and cut up and apple and brought me some juice. he ordered me to eat at least a few pieces and drink some juice - to bring my blood sugars back up. then he called the on-call ob doctor. after describing the situation, she said bring her in. we need to do an emergency D & C. well, okay, i guess (not that i had a vote. stephan insisted) what to do with three sleeping kiddos???? after short deliberation we called our friends kim and jon l. they let us bring our kids over at 3:30am. true friendship, and true service. off to the hospital. so the long and short of the rest of the story is that i was examined, given two i.v. lines (because of my low blood pressure), and prepped for the OR. because of that tiny amount of food i consumed they had to put a tube down my throat during surgery to keep anything from coming up. as soon as i heard that was the case my only concern was the pain and general yuckiness of how a tube down my throat would feel. luckily they put me out - way out - before the tube was put in. i woke up with an incredible sore throat, which i still have. other than that, just weakness from the surgery. not too bad at all, really.

so i have to acknowledge a few people (and please know that i love all of you and your support has meant so much!!)

kim l. : thank you so much for taking my kids in at o dark thirty. and with a newborn at home!! i will never be able to repay your love and kindness, but i will try. you know how hard it is for me to ask for help, so you usually beat me to the punch.

tammy: thank you for having my older boys over last night for a "normal" evening and "normal" environment. not one riddled with the stress of my ordeal. they have taken this hard, and it meant so much knowing that they were having a good time and well taken care of!

jandi: another friend who knows that i hate asking for help, and that i probably won't. she showed up (before heading out of town, even) with a freezer meal, cookies, and some other goodies for me. this act of service meant so much to me. thank you!!

natalie: she left a beautiful gift and even more beautiful card for me on my door sunday. i was deeply touched by her words and love. i have to mention the gift: an adorable fabric flower pin. i love it, but what i love even more was the sentiment that real flowers don't last, so she wanted to give me a flower that would. that is so how i think too!!! thanks girl - i loved it!

stacey: for taking the older boys for the rest of the week!!! a true act of service as she has to take ben to school and pick him up each day. this act of service is so amazing to me! thank you!

my mom: for having such an amazing talk with me the night before she left. her words have and will remain in my heart. they have given me strengh and permission to grieve in what ever way i need to.

....and erin, angie, terri, & olivia. for letting me know that they would be there for me on a moments notice. love you girls!

stephan: i think it goes without saying how much i love and appreciate my awesome husband. but i will anyway. he held me hand, stroked my hair, called the doctor and rushed me to the hospital when i needed it most. i love you so much...you are my everything!

update #2

i waited patiently ALL day friday for that phone call from the doctor. it turned out he was in an emergency c-section for most of the afternoon. sigh. well, at around 5pm i got the call. immediately i knew. i probably even knew before he called me. i think heavenly father had been preparing me all week. my blood levels had changed only a fraction. not nearly enough for the pregnancy to be viable. now what? i still have not experienced any symptoms of a miscarriage (except for some cramping on saturday). well, today i get to go in and have one final ultrasound - to be sure, really sure. then we go from there. he can give me a medicine to start contractions. i can wait it out. or a d&c. he doesn't recommend the latter for me though. so i have decided to go with the medicine. i am not about to wait for what could be weeks. no thank you. the bad part about miscarriages (this is my second. i miscarried my very first pregnancy in 1995) is that you go through labor. you dilate to about a 7. at home - with NO pain medication, and NO wonderful reward of being able to enjoy your baby after your hard work. to make matters worse, stephan is leaving for CA on wednesday, and won't be back until saturday, maybe sunday. so i am scared. scared of so many things. it's hard not to be. the thing i don't want, more than anything else, is to be alone. i want this to happen before stephan has to leave. i pray for this, and hope heavenly father knows that even though i am strong, i just don't think i'm strong enough to be alone during this loss.

so that is where things stand. i will post more as things develop. it helps to write about it. it helps to have all of your support and love. thank you to all my wonderful friends and family who have stood by me through this second go around with loss. i can't begin to express my appreciation.

update

i have debated about whether to blog about what i am going through. but, as my husband pointed out, i did 'promise' to blog about this no matter what the outcome.

i went in for my first doctors appt. on tuesday. with great expectations.... smiles, and excitement about being able to see my little companion for the first time through an ultrasound. it took a minute to find anything. but the doctor did. a very tiny dot inside my uterus - with no distinguishable features (head or body, etc) - and no heartbeat. i didn't really see the problem with this, because i have been deliriously optimistic. the doctor did see a problem with this. he said, either you are not 9 weeks, but only 6 weeks, or - you have miscarried. well, it had to be the first one as far as i was concerned (i have been feeling good and pregnant and have NOT spotted one speck of blood or felt the tinsiest cramp). so we went into his office to discuss the next step. lots of blood to be drawn over the next couple of days to see what my levels are. if it is at a certain number then that proves i am only 6 weeks pregnant. if they are higher, than i am further along, and he should have seen a heartbeat. wednesday i got a call from the doctor. no good news. my levels were pretty high. high enough for a 9 week pregnant woman. but i had one more blood draw yesterday, and so he didn't want to say for sure that i had miscarried until he got those results. i get that phone call today.

here is a feel of the emotional rollercoaster i have been on this week:

i am confused.
i feel stupid.
empty.
alone.
heartbreak.
sadness - incredible sadness.
am i normal?
is my uterus still okay?
let down.
impatient.
why?
raw emotions still there about ryan.
crying - lots of private crying. we still haven't told the kids.
annoyed that i have to hide my pain and sadness.
i haven't prayed. not once. i don't want an answer right now.
despite the lack of prayer i have faith. if that makes any sense.
afraid/scared.
i DONT want this to be happening! again.
feeling the weight of having to be mom - when all i want to do is crawl into a hole right now.
thankful for the blessing of being a mom and serving my children.
conflicted.

in the spirit of keeping this blog a true journal of my life, i will post more on the outcome.

a matter of opinion...

Noah: "I don't like deviled eggs."
My mom: "why not?"
Noah: "Well, I like the skin....but not the devil inside. It's too spicy."

makes sense, no?

great expectations

so i've decided to add a new element to my blog....the count down to baby on the right hand side. i tossed and turned about this, but in the end i want to document this pregnancy. i am not afraid to put it out there and at this point, the whole world knows i'm pregnant anyway. the looks and reactions that both stephan and i have gotten when we tell people we are pregnant again says so much about human emotion. obviously everyone knows what we went through this last year...losing ryan at 19 weeks. and recently, we have both been asked if we were going to get pregnant again. i honestly didn't know the answer to that until i thought i was pregnant and i realized how happy that would make me. then the moment i found out, i was beaming! i felt a happiness and a comfort that is hard to explain.
i feel good. physically. haven't been too sick (just slight queeziness at times). i am tired. oh so tired. but other than that - i feel great! and mentally/emotionally, i still feel an incredible sense of calm. i know it will be okay. i haven't worried about anything. i have my first doctors appointment today. all is right with the world.
and so i will boldly document all of it. no hesitations. just great expectations!

halloween night

this year was fun, frightful, and everything halloween should be! (my only regret was that we didn't carve pumpkins) my mom flew into town yesterday morning. she wore her costume off the plane - fun!

so this is the motley crew halloween night:
(from left to right: my mom- peggy - polka-dot witch, kyle - the jedi, noah - the would be robot, turned metallic jedi, ben- the creepy grim reaper, stephan - the '70's ladies man, groove-miester extrodianaire!)


the first house of the night! so i want to point out the evolution of noah's costume...he started out as the above metallic jedi. then evolved to a pumpkin head metallic jedi.


then stole my moms witch costume. as he called it the witch in the ditch.

then stole stephans wig and glasses to be, well, a disco robot man??

and then i couldn't resist torturing the dog a bit. he kept sweeping it off with his paw...poor tolerant sammy.

it was kind of ridiculous how much candy the boys brought home. we just dumped it all in one BIG, HUGE, HEAVY box!!!

random memory

the other day i was listening to a death cab for cutie song - which i'm sorry to say i can't remember the name of right now. but in it there is a line that says : "catholic school, vicious as golden rule. i had my knuckles bruised by a lady in black." i smiled to myself as i remembered my days in catholic school. i spent quite a few of my early elementary years in a couple different catholic schools. my experiences weren't really bad, except that i was painfully shy. like, sat by myself every day, shy. that really had nothing to do with catholic school though. it was just made worse by the fact that it was incredibly clique-ish. these kids had grown up together and didn't readily let outsiders in. this one particular school was in burlingame, ca. if you aren't familiar with this town, let me paint you a picture: set in the hills outside of san francisco it is a very affluent community. the houses were ALL amazing. no cookies cutter, suburban type homes here. more like old mansions. all of them. the house we lived in was no different, albeit a bit haunted, but that's a different post. there was lots of old money, established families, and, it seemed to me, lots of catholic families (which is the religion i grew up practicing). in this school there was a parish set right on the school grounds, complete with a priest and nuns. in seventh grade, well all through my schools years, i struggled terribly with math. of course i felt i was the only one, and in truth, i might have been. i was the only one who got to go with the nun during math for tutoring. i was taken into an empty classroom with this woman. she was actually very kind, when she wasn't tutoring me! she had to be in her eighties - at least. and she always - ALWAYS had coffee. as she tutored me she would go into these coughing fits and as a result little splats of coffee would appear on my paper. she would take her wrinkled, arthritic-ridden hand and wipe (smudge) them into my paper. my paper was illegible by the time we were done. when she wasn't coughing and spitting coffee on my paper, and sometimes me, she was talking. nothing out of the ordinary with this, except for the fact that if you drink non-stop coffee your breath is equal to that of a toilet in need of cleaning. bad. i tried to chew gum to combat her dragon breath, but we weren't allowed to chew gum. so this only worked once. then i tried putting my head down when she spoke to me. this didn't last either. she thought i was being rude and demanded that i look at her when she was speaking to me. i can't hold my breath for long periods of time. i found this out during my tutored days with the nun. blast! so throughout all of seventh and part of eighth grade, for that hour during each weekday, my life was made miserable by a woman of the cloth. i mean no disrespect. none at all. like i said, she was very nice and as far as i could tell, a very good nun. i'm just saying.

he likes to have his picture taken...

sometimes he poses when he knows that i know he is posing. sometimes he thinks he is being sly and poses when he thinks i think he is being "natural". case in point:
obvious pose:


his "catalog look":
i mean, come on... is he four or twenty four??? we never know, it sort of depends!

feeling very domestic!

yesterday was a very "martha stewart" day for me. i love those days...don't you? i feel so accomplished and a bit clever too. i made two delicious recipes. the first were yummilicious pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. they are melt-in-your-mouth scrumptious! the second was banana bread. i got the recipe from my friend natalies blog. (so good, natalie...thanks for sharing!)
i did two loads of laundry. i know, it doesn't sound like much, but laundry is not my favorite chore, so i have to pat myself on the back ;)
and....i finished a quilt for my mom. when she saw the last one i made she requested one (in the comment section - followed up by a phone call). i really want to share the whole quilt with you all, but i don't want to completely ruin her surprise. it is one of my favorites. i added a few things here and there (stamped images with permanent ink). here are two little "teasers"......


sorry the following picture is so bad - the lighting was off and i had a really hard time getting the focus on the word with all those little folds of fabric. my camera was very confused!

by the way, i love this word lately. mostly due to president monsons talk in general conference. of course i had to incorporate it into my current projects!!


thank you all for your words of support with my pregnancy! i feel great - now. that may change. i am really tired. really tired! but i am so happy and feel so incredibly blessed to have this little life inside me! a privilege indeed.

i am.........

PREGNANT!! just found out, so i am only a couple of weeks along. but i am never one to hold onto such news. had to share.

tagged - time to learn more about me!

i've been tagged. this one is to list 7 random things about yourself. i love these things because they make you reveal yourself just a bit, and after all, this is a journal of sorts, no? i will want my kids to know these things too.



1) i have a really hard time accepting help/charity/service from others. i am more than willing to give it, and try to seek out opportunities to do so, but being on the receiving end is hard for me. and ASKING for help???? forget it! i have to reallllly have exhausted all my options before i do that. i have worthiness issues, i guess.

2) things that freak me out: grass (sitting on), frogs, most slimy things, being late. i seriously have a panic attack if i even think i will be late. i am always 10 minutes early (unless it's inappropriate to be that early - in which case i usually still am, i just park or drive around until the acceptable time arrives) if i am late, something is terribly wrong.

3) i twirl my hair when i am: bored, nervous, stressed/anxious or thinking. so, kind of all the time. stephan tells me my hair will fall out someday (because i am a really stressed out girl), but i can't seem to stop this bad habit.

4) no matter what i do i cannot limit my creative interests. i've tried to focus on one or two things. impossible. my mind is in constant motion, and to deny myself a certain creative outlet is like killing a big part of who i am.

5) when i was younger i was painfully shy. catholic school was really hard for me because it was so clique-ish. i would pretend to be sick as often as my mom would "fall" for it just to avoid school. when i got into high school i sort of grew out of this a bit, but in certain social situations i still have shy tendencies.

6) i was on my high school dance team, and was captain my senior year. we went to nationals and took third place that year. a far cry from the shy catholic school girl, huh! (dancing is something i dearly miss, and often dream about taking classes. maybe when time and money are more abundant)

7) if you see me without accessories (ie: jewelry, usually lots of it) there is something wrong, or i have just worked out. i love to wear jewelry! i love to make jewelry. i have an accessory addiction. one that i have no desire to cure, because i think i wouldn't be me without my jewelry! i will definitely be that old lady who wears a bit too many necklaces (they probably don't really even match), lots of bracelets, and fluffy pink hair. just mark my words.

enough said...

this is EXACTLY the experience most photographer have!!! am i right? oh, and for the record, when i am the "subject" i, too am saying the same thing. only it's usually: "man, i hate my double chin", or "my face looks fat lately".

weekend rundown...

* "all hallows eve" banner completed friday night. i handcut those letters on thursday while watching the vp debate. took forever! it's hard to see in this picture, but there is black glitter on top. * did a few halloween collages... just for fun, and just because it's one of my favorite things to do!

* another halloween collage.


* kyle had a baseball game on saturday. in this picture you can see the ball directly over his head (he hit a foul)

* he was catcher A LOT. my thighs hurt just watching him squat, stand up, squat, stand up.....good exercise (if you have the knees of a ten year old!!)

* ben enjoying the weekly "to go candy-goodie bag" brought by the grandparents. they come EVERY single week to watch kyle's game......from colorado springs!!! (about an hour or so long drive)

* noah enjoying....well, attention. he is very devoted to this hat these days. i call it his 'huck finn' hat. for obvious reasons.

* sunday: conference quiche. mmm.....a most yummy tradition we started about a year ago. every general conference (which is every six months) we have at least two yummy quiches made by stephan. well, i make the crust...i do like my crust recipe. this conference it was ham and cheese for the kids, and a veggie/bacon medley for the adults. ahh...they were delicious!

* 178th general conference for the church of jesus christ of latter day saints. i enjoyed it so much. i loved president monsons talks, but most especially his sunday morning session talk. it touched me deeply. it was exactly what i needed to hear. all of the speakers were wonderful, and brought such an amazing spirit. i am so thankful i was able to be spiritually fed.

Q is for.... quick quilt

on monday i started a quilt. a quilt that i actually had a dream about. whenever that happens i know i have to bring it into reality!

so this is what it looked like on monday.....

and this is what it looked like yesterday - finished!!

i don't know what my favorite part is....the fabulous houndstooth backing?...or maybe the funky individual squares (each fabric has a story all it's own)?...or maybe the fact that the denim squares are my sons old jeans?....or maybe it's that screamin' pink satin quilt binding? it's probably all of it, and the fact that this quilt came to me in a dream, and now i can cuddle up underneath it and 'dream' up more projects!!
i dearly love my "inspiration quilt"!!!!

FINISHED - Colorado Wild Women Duathalon!!!!!

.
woo hoo! i did it. i survived. i am stronger than before (at least mentally). my friend erin and i did this duathalon together and loved it. i won't lie and say that i had a smile on my face the whole time. in fact, the bike part of it kicked my butt - hard! i wasn't expecting that, because i usually fair pretty well on a bike. but, as you can see in these first couple of pictures, the whole ride was hilly. and the way back was pretty much ALL uphill. ugh. serious ugh, sigh, pant, and heave! yes, i almost threw up. (that's me...the tiny pink dot!!)me - in pink!
and my backside, chuggin' up that dang hill. doing lots of "self-motivation" at this point, just to stay on the bike.

here is the transition area where you leave you bike (and gear) and take off on the run portion of the race. of course i forgot where we were parked and dumbly stood in the middle for quite some time, looking rather lost, feeling very stupid. and then, aha, there we are! okay, back in business.
at this point i can see the finish line, and so a tiny smile appeared on my weary lips (every square inch of me was weary by now). oh, and i could hear my "cheering" section: stephan, ben, kyle, noah, eric (erin's hubby) and her son logan, and erin who had finished about 7 minutes before me.

right after i crossed the finish line. i was downing water like nobody's business! and my face is that red not only from the sun, but from every blood vessel screaming out! but, oh so worth it!
erin and i. i was seriously so happy and proud in this moment! definitely one i will keep in my mind as i train for my next venture!!! :) this stuff is addictive!

thanks, erin for a great day of duathaloning together!!!

scrapbook/art journal share

yesterday i started working on my "summer 2008" scrapbook. i picked the best moments (88 of them!) of our summer, and will put them in a scrapbook according to the 'chapters' they fall under. i don't do this as a rule for all my scrapbooking. (i've been asked what my method is) i just go with the flow. however i feel at that moment. whatever pictures i want to scrap are the ones i scrap. it's totally random, but i get the best results doing it this way. i did 6 pages yesterday, here are two:

for super saturday a few weeks ago (at church) we made decorated journals. i can NEVER have enough journals. i currently have about 5 (seriously) that i write/draw/paste/play in. this one was no exception, and has turned in to yet another art journal.
i thought i would share a few entries. the first one is definitely my motto. i totally live by the 'code'!!
it's always fun to peek into the lives of others, no? (click on the picture to enlarge and be able to read)


i am still trying to think of what my other roots are. am i forgetting something major? i feel like i am.