Bacon makes everything better!

With the holidays fast approaching and holiday shopping on most of our minds, I thought I'd help you out buy giving you a few gift ideas from Fredflare for the bacon lover in your life.


So wrong it’s right, this pack of dental floss has the delicious flavor of crispy bacon! Is there anything bacon cannot improve? I think not.
This bacon-printed wallet looks like it’s delicious enough to eat and is a great place to keep all your cheddar. lol

This game is fun for kids and adults too! Move your bacon character through the Meatland board, and whoever makes it to the frying pan first wins!

Bacon and chocolate just might be the most perfect combination I’ve ever put in my mouth. Give it a try! I'm sure you’ll love this rare candy bar from Vosges. A great gift for all bacon-lovers. 41% cacao milk chocolate has real bits of bacon in it (for realz).

Bacon Caramel Toffee from Vosges Chocolate features a mix of 42% cacao milk chocolate, Alderwood smoked salt and applewood-smoked bacon, plus buttery sweet toffee. I am not too sure about this one. :0/

Bacon lovers rejoice! This soap is made especially for you with a genuine smoky bacon scent (yes, you read that correctly). Each bar is marble dyed to look like the real thing, and comes in a fancy retro tin.
Remember when you would shed tears over a scrape? Now you’ll be crying if you don’t get to use one of these fun bandages! Go all meaty with w/ 15 strips of bacon!




Oh yeah, bacon-flavored jellybeans! Each set of 60 jellybeans has a bacon-shaped decorative tin, making it a great gift for any bacon-lover!

These are some crazy, fun gifts that I am sure any person (non-bacon lover's) included would get a kick out of. Let me know if you decide to try any of them out.

Because sometimes shallow is FUN!!!!!

Nothing deep, emotionally moving, earth shaking or life changing; just some good, clean, shallow entertainment. :0)

I just love him, he so stinkin' adorable!!!!



I just love her accent, totally makes me smile.

Just love this one!


That's it for today peeps, thanks for stopping by.

Jessica Sprague class

Today is the day to head on over to Jessica Spragues site and register for this free class! The class focuses on "capturing the hopes, memories and wonderment of the holidays. In the class you will refocus on what matters while making a December album project to tell your holiday stories past and present.

I hope to see you there!
♥

My month, in pictures...

This last month has breezed by in a whirlwind! I cannot believe that it will already be November tomorrow. Rather than try to catch you up with what has been going on with me since I last posted with a bunch of boring words, I thought I would do it with a few photos. This is some of what I have been up to in October....

My son's third broken bone.

One neighbor murders the other right across the street (while my hubby was out of town) and next thing you know we are in the midst of a crime scene. A move just might finally be on our horizon.

Two rounds or antibiotics.
First major storm of the season causes some flooding. A few days later weather is back in the high 70's.

Some of the goodies that I scored at the antique fair.
My very first home grown tomato.

Football, football & MORE football!

The family before cheer competition.

Daughter's squad placed third in the dance portion at cheer competition.

It was crazy loud in the gym!

Promoted to Brown belts in Tae Kwon Do.

Car wash for school fundraiser.

We have continued to have practices for either Tae Kwon Do or Football/Cheerleading for 5 days a week since July with games on Saturday.
I have also been working on some scrappy stuff that I can't share quite yet and have some exciting non-scrappy ventures in the works that I will hopefully be able to share in the next month or two.
So, those are a few of the things that have occupied the majority of my time this last month. I am really looking forward to life slowing down a bit. Even with the busyness of the holidays fast approaching it should still be slower paces than the last few months of my life.♥

October reveal...

The October kit, Spice Garden, over at Citrus Tree Studio is just full of gorgeous Fall colors. I really enjoyed working with it. It helped put me in the mood for Fall even when it was still extremely hot here. It is full of goodies by Bo Bunny, Pink Paislee and Jillibean Soup just to name a few.

The first layout is of my daughter a few years back. Our daughter began expressing interest in participating in a "race" having seen my husband and myself run in different events that are held annually in our area. One of these is the "Turkey Trot" held every year near Thanksgiving. She ran and was extremely proud of herself. She still has her ribbon and bib # hanging on her bulletin board in her room.

This one is for one of my older sisters. She is always saying that I have never done a layout of her. She is right, I haven't and I knew that I had to rectify that situation immediately. This one is for you Benay (she is the one standing in the back with the bad perm). ;0)


In addition to creating with the October kit, this month was my turn to use the "Spotlight Product" as well. The product spotlight for this term is a 5x7 tab chipboard album kit and features Teresa Collins' "Haute Cuisine" line. I love the idea of using it to save special family recipes, but I wanted to do something a bit different and a little unconventional. I used it to make a book detailing the "Recipe for a happy family" and include lots of shots of our family through out the years. Here is what I cam up with:

Combine a family of loving hearts.
Melt together.
Add lots of love.
Mix well with respect & trust.
Add gentleness, faith, laughter, hope and joy.
Pour in much understanding (don't forget patience).
Sprinkle with hugs and kisses.
Bake for a lifetime.
Yield: one happy family



On the back cover I created a little pocket to be able to tuck littles notes, drawings, etc.
This turned out to be a really fun project that I will be able to enjoy for many years to come. I used my Slice to cut out all of the orange letters from coordinating cardstock as well as the shaped tags.

Thanks for coming by. I hope you were inspired to go forth and create!

Me, 9 months later...

In January of this year I posted this list with things that I have done thus far in life in red. Now, 9 months later and 3/4 of the way through the year I revisited this list to see if I could check off anything else. The red are things I had done prior to this year, the blue are things I have done this year, the black are yet to be done. There are a few that I don't even care to do, so they will forever remain unchecked; hitch hiking, adopting, bungee jumping. I hope to never be fired from a job, ride in an ambulance or break a bone. For most of the others it looks like I still need to get that darn passport!!!! ;0)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9. Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris - I am assuming that the hotel in Vegas is not what the one that counts...
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea -watched one, just not at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies - I've purchase my fair share, does that count? ;0)
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - Visited his birth place and a memorial, but not the one in D.C.
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone - My son has done this enough for the entire family! ;0)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - Do magazines count?! :0)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit - Not my own, thank God!
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100.Read an entire book in one day

Thanks for visiting!

A bit of an explanation

So I realized a little something that had not occurred to me before. I realized that this layout that I had posted before deserves a bit more of an explanation. See, at first it doesn't look like much, but there is so much hidden within the layers.




The text that is behind the picture are actually lyrics to a song. Have you ever heard a song that "speaks" to you, that says everything that you want to say so much that you wished that YOU had written it? This song is like that for me in regards to how I feel about my husband. Here are the lyrics if you care to read them (if not skip to next section):

HOME

You are the world within the world that I exist
You are the touch that just won't fade
You are the end and beginning of each and every day
You are the reason I stay sane

It's hard to see beautiful
Oh, it's hard to see beautiful
In your own eyes
But you make me beautiful
For the very first time

Does anybody know what it's like
To feel larger than life
To look deep in your soul
And know you're not alone
Does anybody know how it feels
To find something that's real
And make it your own
That's when you know that you found Home
Home
You found home
Home

And when the strings inside me
Unravel to the ground
You are the hand that gathers me up
And when I'm laughing so hard
That I can hardly breathe
How do you know just when enough's enough

Oh, it's hard to feel beautiful
Oh, it's hard to feel beautiful in your own skin
But you make me
You make me beautiful
Over and over again

Does anybody know what it's like
To feel larger than life
To look deep in your soul
And know you're not alone
Does anybody know how it feels
To find something that's real
And make it your own
That's when you know that you found home
Home
You found home
Home

Don't let me down
'Cause I've waited all my life
To find you

Does anybody know what it's like
To feel larger than life
To look deep in your soul
And know you're not alone
Does anybody know how it feels
To find something that's real
And make it your own
That's when you know that you found home
Home
You found home
That's when you know that you found home
Home
You found home
Home


So now that you know what the text says, let me explain the photo a bit. I am not sure if you can actually tell what the photo is or not. In real life it is not as hard to decipher, but this is not real life, so I will explain.
The base image is a vintage photo of a house. On top of that I layered a "screened" image of my husband and I kissing. Can you see it now?
To further emphasize the theme of home and love I added a key and a keyhole, the tools to unlocking home and heart.
So that is about it, but I hope that it offers a bit more of an understanding of what I was attempting to convey with this piece.

And just for posterity, here is a video of Katherine McPhee singing the song of my heart. To me, there is nothing like watching a singer perform a song that they obviously feel so deeply. I hope that you enjoy it.


Thank you for coming by!

It's a big day: my birthday and reveal day!

So today was my birthday. My 36th to be exact. It turned out to be a pretty mellow, low key kind of day. I woke up to the sweet voices of my family singing happy to me, cards, gifts and coffee in bed. Ahhhhh, yes in bed! I was curious to see what my gifts were since I couldn't actually think of anything I wanted this year. I definitely don't NEED anything, but can usually find something that I have had my eye on to put on my wish list. This year I had nuthin'. I am sure that was a bit frustrating for those who were trying to buy a gift for me, but for me it was refreshing. It is wonderful to be in a place were I am perfectly content. Content as I am I still like presents and actually got some pretty cool ones!
Hubby and the kids got me the external flash that I have been wanting but had completely forgotten about,

and a monopod for my camera that I had mentioned in passing that I might like to have!

For not having a list to go by I'd have to say that my sweet husband knocked it right out of the ball park!

After the mini morning birthday celebration it was time for football!
T's game ended in a tie. That is great considering the kids on the other team were giants!

P cheered her little heart out.

Hubby barbecued tonight and made a nice dinner(and margarita)for me and capped it all off with my favorite cake "Chocolate Overflow" for dessert. Mmmm, mmm good!
I had so many cards, phone calls and birthday messages from friends and loved ones today and I think that was the best gift that I received today. Knowing that so many people took the time out to show me a little birthday love was really significant to me.♥


Today is also reveal day for September's kit at Citrus Tree Studio. This month's kit is "Indigo Sunset" and is gorgeous! This kit is a delightful mixture of Bo Bunny, Prima, Basic Grey, Kaiser Craft, Hambly and more.


Here are a few of the layouts I made with this months kit....
This layout was inspired by lyrics to a song that I love called "Home". It perfectly describes the way that I feel about my husband. I printed the lyrics directly onto the cardstock before layering my other elements to the layout. The photograph is a combination of two photographs that I altered and merged together. One is of my husband and I and the other is a vintage photo of a house. I chose to layer the photos together to further emphasize the layouts theme. The metal elements also provide further emphasis on the subject.I masked off the "u" and the "r" before printing the lyrics and hand stitched around the letters to enable them to stand out.

This one focuses on an email my Father in law sent to my husband last year on his birthday. The letter is my FIL's recollection of the day of my husbands birth and the events surrounding it.

I couldn't resist scrapping this photo of my husband and his father and sisters. They traveled a lot as a family when my husband was a child and I used this layout to document some of their many travels.

This one features one of the very first pictures of my father as a child. I love the old photo of him and the warm colors of this kit were perfect for using this photo on a layout.

Well I have been rather chatty haven't I? I have more fun news that I should be able to share in the next week or so, so stay tuned. ;0)
Thanks for stopping by!
♥