Keeping kind of Hush Hush!

So, I've got a little something up my sleeve for my sister, so I haven't been sharing any recent layouts! But I can share some pictures from her amazingly gorgeous wedding!!!! Congrats to Regina and John! It was positively lovely!
So, I've got a little something up my sleeve for my sister, so I haven't been sharing any recent layouts! But I can share some pictures from her amazingly gorgeous wedding!!!! Congrats to Regina and John! It was positively lovely! My sister made a beautiful bride! I'm so happy for them!!!!

Wintery Goodness!

'Tis the time of year when all digital designers begin putting out snow kits, winter kits, and CHRISTMAS kits! All 3 of the kit designers I create for have put out new Christmas kits in the last few weeks! Today I get to show you 3 Christmas layouts! YEAH!

First, ladies, RUN and buy this kit! Seriously...it is truly stunning and full of beautiful, versatile elements! It's Jennifer Labre Designs' Joyful, available at ScrapMatters starting today! Isn't that GORGEOUS?????

The sketch is by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs, Fuss Free: Christmas is Here. That's available at The Digichick. Cheryl's templates are amazing! Definitely check them out!This Vintage Christmas is courtesy of Elise's Pieces and Ruby Lane. Another terrific template by Fiddle Dee Dee: Fuss Free, Don't Box Me In 2.
Finally, a very nontraditional Snow Day collab by Elise's Pieces and Nikki Epperson. This template is Sweetness 4 by Nikki.

I LOVE remembering Christmas Past through my scrapbooking! These kits have made the creating FUN!

Now, anyone interested in seeing some wedding pictures from my sister's wedding???? We had an amazing week...busy, but wonderful! I will share soon! :D

Candyland Christmas

CHRISTMAS!!!! I'm so excited because some of the season's new Christmas kits are coming out! Like this one: Candyland Christmas by Nikki Epperson! The colors are bright and fun, and she's got some adorable elements in this kit! Love it! Add this terrific kit to a Fuss Free template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs and you've got some Christmas magic!
I've been listening to the GLEE Christmas album and feeling generally Christmasy! But that's not unusual for me! :D

Digital Deliciousness!

So much goodness out there in the digital world! It's hard to make your way through all the digital shops and wade through the kits and papers and elements and word art, isn't it? I hope that seeing some of my layouts helps your narrow down your search! :D I seriously create for 4 of the best designers in digiland! I just joined Fiddle Dee Dee Designs creative team, so I'll have some of Cheryl's amazing templates to share with you all soon!

Today I'm bringing you digital delights from The Digichick! First up? Jennifer Labre Designs' kit, Daybreak, coupled with a Sweet Start Vol. 7 template by Nikki Epperson. And that cute little girl is ME! ;)

Next up? Fall in Love Again by Elise's Pieces! The detail on these elements is just amazing! These are pictures of Thomas lovin' on his younger siblings. He still loves babies! Another terrific template by Nikki from her Sweet Starts Vol. 7 set!

Finally, Winterland, a frosty kit by Nikki Epperson, coupled with one of her terrific templates from her brand new Sweet Starts Vol. 10! Love the wintery feel in this chilly kit!

If you're feeling overwhelmed in the digital world, I highly recommend The Digichick! All of their designers do fabulous work! New kits are always 20% off when they debut, lots of challenges, sales, and great gallery feedback. It's a warm, welcoming digital community!

Sneak Peeks!

Two new kits hit The Digichick Shop tomorrow! The first is Winterland by Nikki Epperson. She's also got another awesome template pack out: Sweet Starts Vol. 10! I used both the yummy winter kit and the template pack to create this layout:And Jennifer Labre Designs has a cute new mini-kit out, Daybreak! Check it out...and check out these cute pictures of me as a chubby toddler! :) I also used a Nikki Epperson Template on this layout from her Sweet Starts Volume 7. If you don't already love Nikki's templates, you NEED to give them a try! Templates are an awesome time saver for digital scrapbooking, and Nikki's are exceptionally terrific!

Winter Wishes and One Cool Metal Alpha!

Brrrrr...can you feel the cold? I'm laughing over here because the temps are still hitting 80 during the day! It does not feel like autumn, let alone WINTER! But this new kit, Winter Wishes, by Nikki Epperson had me remembering cold, Pennsylvania snow days! Add to it One Cool Metal Alpha by Jennifer Labre Designs and put it all together with one of Nikki's amazing Sweet Starts Vol. 9 template and you've got a FUN layout!

Playing in the Leaves!

Missing home…

Autumn in Palestine isn’t much to speak of—the brown, dry, hot summer kind of slips into a dreary, rainy winter. Autumn passes without much thought. It remains hotter than it should well into November. And every fall I miss home more than before. Pennsylvania has a breathtakingly beautiful autumn. I grew up with nothing but trees across the street and with grandparents whose farm was full of the sites and smells of autumn. Fresh baked apple pies, warm apple cider, playing in the leaves, state fairs, hay rides, hot cocoa and toasting marshmallows over the fire…all memories of autumns past. Right now I’d give anything to smell the crisp, fall air and Na-na’s apple pie….

So, I'm scrapping it! :D

This beautiful and FUN kit by Elise's Pieces and GBG Designs is perfect for autumn memories! Available exclusively at The Digichick! The picture is linked! Aren't the colors beautiful?

And yes...I'm on ANOTHER creative team! Elise's Pieces invited me to join their amazing team of digital scrapbookers! I'm thrilled to be coming along for the ride! And what a FUN kit to start with!

Told you it was BIG week for scrapbooking! Jennifer Labre Designs has got a kit out at ScrapMatters and it is just gorgeous! Deep, rich colors and beautiful elements make it a perfect kit for treasured moments. Red Red Wine is a truly elegant kit. Click on the picture to find it in the ScrapMatters shop!

I used it to create a "through the years" layout of my kids at Christmas time. I noticed the colors in the paper matched Maggie's dress perfectly from Christmas 2001. This also uses a Nikki Epperson template! I love getting to showcase my 2 designers in one layout! :D
Folks, don't be surprised by the little bit of Christmas that is going to start sneaking into the blog. I simply can't help myself! Christmas makes me HAPPY!

So, happy day! Happy Scrapping!

It's a busy week in my little scrapbooking world! Both my designers have new kits out, plus Jenn is being featured at The Daily Digi this month and today is her day!

This is a layout I created with her Daily Digi submission, Touch of Spice. It's a beautiful picture of my Mom and baby GK 5 years ago.
I hope you are enjoying my renewed interest in the blog...and all the scrapbooking layouts I've been creating. I've been having so much fun learning digital and working with some FUN products!

Tomorrow I'll be back with another amazing kit by Jennifer Labre! This one is RICH and beautiful! Stop back by to check it out!

SNEAK PEEK! Autumn Days

Nikki Epperson has got a sweet kit out just in time for Fall! Autumn Days will help you scrap your family's ordinary AND extraordinary autumn happenings! Think pumpkins, scarecrows, apple cider, hay rides, Thanksgiving, falling leaves. It's all here!
She's also got another awesome template set coming out, Sweet Starts, Volume 7! Both are available 20% off at The Digichick starting tomorrow!

I've really been having fun using some older pictures in my scrapbooking! The pictures before we went digital are not in albums. I think it's time to rectify that! Happy Scrapping!

Trauma! ;)

So, yesterday Maggie was working on a poster she had to make for school. She decided to use the paint, but had some trouble getting them to come out. Big brother Thomas offered to help. Can you see where this is going? I'm in my office and I hear a loud gasp from Maggie. I look at Scot and say, "Did you hear that?" We both listen quietly. Nothing.

"Maggie, what happened?"

"Uh, Thomas squeezed the paint really hard and it came out everywhere!"

That was an understatement! But the worst part was that it ruined Maggie's poster. She began to cry when she realized she had to start over from scratch. That didn't surprise me. Maggie is sensitive and cries readily during times of crisis. What did surprise me is what followed.

I heard Thomas crying in his room. Sobbing, really, but don't tell him I told you all! I asked him what was wrong and he said, "Mama, I'm so sorry I ruined Maggie's poster! It was an accident and I feel terrible. And I'm sorry that I got paint all over everything, too."

Remorse? Genuine sadness at having caused someone else pain? Don't get me wrong, Thomas is a sensitive kid. But he also spends his time teasing and tormenting his younger siblings until they cry. And then he laughs. To see him so genuinely upset because of what had happened did my heart good.

After calming down, taking a shower, and regrouping, Maggie was ready to give it another shot. The best part is that Thomas offered to help her out and they worked on the project together. We even had enough time for 3 rounds of Bananagrams before bed!

Ahhh...the adventures of raising 4 kids. They're never-ending, really.

Cow Revisited?

I've really been having fun with the Halloween pictures of years gone by! We don't celebrate Halloween here, so the kids haven't been dressed up for Halloween since 2003! These pictures are all before we went digital! So, Thomas and Maggie wore the same cow costume...and they both looked absolutely adorable, didn't they? :)

This kit is a FUN kit by Nikki Epperson, A Little Spooky. The template is one by Nikki, as well, So Happy Together. Nikki's templates are awesome! You should check them out!

Happy Birthday, GK!

My baby girl turned 5 years old today!!!! How is that even possible? We celebrated with Jad, GK's best friend, some cake, some ma'lube, and lots of presents! She was so excited and could hardly wait for her big brothers and sister to come home from school. At least every 15 minutes she asked me, "Mama, when do the kids get back?" :)

She had a wonderful day and was thrilled with all the gifts. She's currently sleeping with her 2 new Barbies, her new Build-a-Bear, and her new talking stuffed teddy. That's in addition to all of her other bed buddies. There is just enough room for her to squeeze in! Happy Birthday, Georgia Kate! You add life and sunshine to our lives!

Got a Sweet Tooth?

This kit will satisfy your scrapbooking sweet tooth for sure! Sweet on You by Jennifer Labre is a fun and colorful kit that will show off all of your sweet pictures! I used it for another Disney layout. The template is by Nikki Epperson from her Modern Baby kit!

Habibti, Georgia Kate!

This adorable collab kit by Nikki Epperson and Amy Stoffel came at the perfect time! Modern Baby is fun and hip and I got to use a favorite picture of GK when she was just 3 days old! Since her birthday is Saturday, and she's turning FIVE, I thought it was appropriate to feature her this week! Birthday pictures to come, I'm sure!

This is my first layout for Nikki Epperson and I'm super excited to share it! I used one of the awesome templates that come with the kit, which you can find at The Digichick or by clicking the kit image below!

A new designer for me to be excited about! :)

I just got the exciting news that I have been invited to be part of a NEW creative team! For whom, you ask?

Nikki Epperson!!!! She has a shop at The Digichick. I am so excited to dig into her digital goodies, but I already know she creates AMAZING templates! I used one of her templates to create one of my favorite layouts:I used one of the templates from Sweetness 4 to create this layout!

I'm part of her promo team, which means I get to be a cheerleader! :D That's an easy job when your designers are as amazing as mine! :D So, be on the lookout for some digital goodness coming to Big Ol' Can of Crazy care of Nikki Epperson!

BIG DAY for Jennifer Labre Designs!!!!!

I have seriously been DYING to share the news! I'm part of Jennifer Labre Designs Creative Team and she has a GRAND OPENING at a new store today! We've been working with these kits for the last few weeks and it's been killing me because the kits are amazing and I love to share my layouts! You can check Jennifer's stuff out at ScrapMatters!

The first kit, After Midnight, is seriously one of the most fun kits I've had to work with recently! The detail is tremendous! The feel of the kit is spooky and FUN! And there's an After Midnight FREEBIE up today as well! If you get Jennifer's newsletter, the entire kit is 30% off, too!

Here are 2 After Midnight Layouts:

First, my dd, Maggie, at age 7 1/2 months. I just love this picture!

And second, a Disney World Tower of Terror layout!

The second kit is Everyday Wishes, and it's a collab kit with JennCK. Another Disney layout for me, but this kit is so versatile! Just check out the other layouts created by Jennifer's amazing Creative Team!Congratulations to Jenn! It's a lot of work to run 2 shops. She'll continue releasing exclusive product at both ScrapMatters and The Digichick! She's only been designing for 6 months, and her designs just keep getting better and better! I'm so glad to be a part of her Creative Team!

Christmas Music in September?????

If you are a bah-humbug type, don't read any further. And please don't comment. :P

I always begin listening to Christmas music earlier than most. October is the normal month. I begin to think about Christmas with eager anticipation. The music comes out! Not 24/7. That doesn't happen until December. :D But I put it on.

Why? Because it makes me happy. It makes my heart soar. First, Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I have never felt the stress everyone talks about at Christmas. I enjoy it all: shopping, decorating, enjoying the decorations, visiting, baking (well, I enjoy Scot's baking!), presents, cards, and the sounds of Christmas. I don't particularly love wrapping presents, but I can get through that by thinking about the joy in the opening!

Christmas music takes me back to my childhood. To happy family times around the Christmas tree. Decorating and sitting in the evening darkness, enjoying the sparkling lights and music. To visiting family and lazy, no-school days. Amazing how the first few notes of a song can send you back 2 decades in an instant.

I could never tire of singing about the amazing birth of Jesus, either! I love to revisit his miraculous coming to earth over and over again!

Christmas music makes me smile like no other kind of music. It makes me feel joy deep inside.

So, I listen to it when I feel moved to do so. This year it's a bit earlier than usual. Oh, there is nothing strange about me popping a Christmas song or two on throughout the year. But I've moved to playing it frequently when no one else is around. And asking the kids if they want to hear a favorite song (anything BUT Jingle Bells!). Does it drive my family insane? Maybe. But even Scot recognizes how happy it makes me to listen to Christmas music and dream about Christmas, so he puts up with it...with some limitations. It's got to be chorale music for him. I'm okay with that. The Cambridge Choir Christmas has been the album of choice for our recent car rides.

I love Christmas. I eagerly anticipate it's arrival. And I miss Christmas in the US like I miss no other holiday. I miss the lights and sparkle of the holiday season. I miss being with family and enjoying the special treats that the holiday season brings. And I miss radio stations that play Christmas music all the time throughout December. Mostly I miss the solemn Advent Season. A Christmas Eve candle-lighting service. Perhaps I'm feeling homesick these days....

I'm crazy. I know it. Anyone want to join me?

Scot's latest discovery!

Scot's talent never ceases to amaze me! He is intelligent, funny, witty, articulate, and a wonderful cook! In the last 6 years he has become quite a masterful baker, as well. This week he was asked to bake a wedding shower cake for a friend of ours from church. He had mostly done birthday cakes and was feeling some stress. A friend came over on Tuesday morning to show him how to do some "fancier" things, and he set to work. This is the final outcome! Amazing!The master, pondering his genius:

Baby in Blue Jeans

GK wearing the adorable outfit her Alliance Women gave her for Christmas. can't believe this was almost 4 years ago now!

Kit by Jennifer Labre Designs, Denim Darling. Template by Jennifer, also.

From Start to Finish

Scot's Thanksgiving turkey is the best turkey you will ever eat. I promise! And he babies this thing. A ton of TLC goes into this gastronomic masterpiece! Here's a layout I created in homage to Scot's amazing work.

Kit is Fall Whimsy by Jennifer Labre Designs
Sketch by Feeling Scrappy Sketchapalooza

Pizza Delivery

The simple joy of having your pizza delivered to your door! I called Domnio's pizza a few days ago and asked if they would deliver to my neighborhood. When they said YES I couldn't believe my ears. Political realities in Jerusalem are difficult to understand. It doesn't help that we don't have a street address or house number, so giving directions to someone is as specific as, "Pass the school and playground, turn left, then turn left again after you pass the big green dumpster!"

But Domino's came through! We hit a few bumps on the path and I had to talk to the delivery guy a few times. But we enjoyed having food delivered directly to our apartment door.

Now, I won't even go into the discussion about whether or not Domino's pizza here tastes the same as in the US! It was good and that's all that matters! :D

The Stink Eye

Now, this isn't just any layout. It's GK's Stink Eye layout! Kit is She's All That by Jennifer Labre Designs, available at The Digichick store. FUN kit! And these pictures just make me laugh! Love my little strong-willed child! :D

Turning over a new leaf?

Perhaps I feel inspired by my dear friend, Joanie. Or perhaps by some lifestyle changes that I've made recently. I just feel the urge to breathe new life into my blog. For what purpose? I suppose for my own amusement since I honestly have no idea how many people are actually stopping by and reading my blog. :) But that's okay.

My friend Joanie? She's pretty awesome, and though we live literally a world apart, I feel a connection with her and I miss her. She inspires me with her creativity and determination. And her big heart for the world. And her awesome kids. She started a new business venture as a Stampin' Up consultant and has a pretty cool blog to go with it! You should check out Joan's Daily Stampede to find some major card-making inspiration that is full of Joanie's personality! You'll love it!

As for me and my big lifestyle change? Well, for most of my adult years I have known that I have high cholesterol. Likely a hereditary issue. But I have never done anything about it aside from lose some weight (not necessarily eating in a healthy way) and exercising more. I had blood work done for an unrelated issue and asked the doctor to run my cholesterol check, too. It was high. So, Scot and I decided to do something about it. I began sticking to a low cholesterol diet. I cut out lots of things I love (or eat them in very small amounts these days!) like cheese, ice cream, and eggs. I have added oatmeal and oat bran to my diet. I began consuming 30mg of fiber every day. And we bought a juicer.

Yep. A Juice Tiger. :D I've been getting an incredible amount of fruits and veggies as a result of my juicer and my smoothie renaissance!

It's been 2 weeks. I feel better and know I'm making healthy choices for my body and my future. It isn't easy, but it was time.

Perhaps a combination of Joanie's inspiration and my new life-change endeavor have caused me to miss blogging. Perhaps it's a passing phase...but I'll enjoy it while it lasts!

Bursting with Pride!

A super FUN kit by Jennifer Labre Designs (link on the right side!), Glory and Little Bit Black Alpha. Love this picture of my kids! :)

This was one of my first ventures out on my digital-own! I didn't use a sketch or a template and was feeling a bit nervous! It was fun to create from my own mind, though! I love sketches, but I think I'll keep trying to branch out on my own once in awhile!

BUBBLES!

Just back from an amazing week+ in Egypt! It's always great to see friends and hang out and have some great spiritual teaching, swim, and play games! I even won a Flip Cam!

But, when I came back, I managed to squeak out a layout. This uses the Bubbles and Blooms kit by Jennifer Labre Designs and a Feeling Scrappy sketchapalooza sketch!

You Make Me Happy!

I'm in love with this digital kit! It makes me SMILE! Color Me Happy by Jennifer Labre Designs and a wonderful template by Nikki Epperson, both from The Digichick! Tell me this layout just doesn't make you smile? :D

Said goodbye again!

Friends came to volunteer with us for the summer. They arrived with a work team from their church and they painted the huge chapel in our church building downtown. Then this couple stayed behind to teach English. We had such a great time and our kids loved them. I'm pretty sure the feeling was mutual. It's always hard to say goodbye to friends, but it seems we have to do it a lot living the life we live. Ross and Elaine said, "Well, it's time to say 'See you later!'" I like that better!

Look out for coupons and PRIZES!

Jennifer Labre, the designer I create digital scrapbook pages for, said when her Facebook page reaches 200 likes, she'll post a coupon and start giving away some prizes! If you have been enjoying my recent layouts, you should check Jennifer's designs out! She's got a super-adorable kit coming out this week, too! :D

So, head on over to Facebook and "like" Jennifer Labre Designs!

Wicked Cool

Another awesome kit by Jennifer Labre Designs Wicked Cool! I loved working with this one. It's perfect for older boys, but so versatile. The colors are rich and deep! Check it out! And this is another terrific sketch from Sketchapalooza at Feeling Scrappy!

Senior year grades!

Senior year grades have been released today throughout Palestine. They publish them in the newspapers and shout the grades through the streets. I'm sitting in Salfit, listening to horn honking and wild cheering throughout the village! Phones are ringing and excited cries are being uttered! Sweets are being bought and passed around to everyone!

A woman who works with us here took a call from her nephew. I heard her squealing and shouting and she ran into every room in the center to tell everyone her nephew had succeeded. She then ran to the store next door and bought small candy bars to pass around to everyone in celebration!

It's hard not to catch the excitement...especially for me. Because, as many of you know, I'm just a slightly excitable person. heehee!

Congratulations to all who have worked so hard and succeeded on the end of the year senior exams! May God bless you and draw you close to himself!

Off to squeal and giggle with everyone who is running around wildly, laughing and shouting! Now that's something I can get into! :D

I'm a model

Thomas was "discovered" by a modeling agency while we were still living in Nyack. They told us to submit a test photograph and they would have it reviewed to see if they wanted to sign him. Well, he scored 95 out of 100! The agency really pushed us to sign him up. He received tons of calls for auditions, but I was unable to take him into Manhattan as often as they needed us to. The few times we did go, it was a fun experience to watch him strut his stuff in front of the cameras. The auditions lasted only a minute or two, but the trip into and out of the city took at least an hour and a half, not to mention finding parking in Manhattan as well as waiting our turn. It just wasn't my thing.

But he did have a professional photo shoot and these were some of the pictures he took. I'm certain that if I had more time he would have been cast to sell something. He was a beautiful baby!


Kit is Precious Moments by Jennifer Labre Designs, sketch by Feeling Scrappy Sketchapalooza

Summer Camp

The kids were excited about starting summer camp. Well, most of them. Scoty wasn't thrilled, but he's admitted that he's had at least a little fun. The camp runs for 5 weeks and they take swimming trips and put on an end-of-camp show for their families. I love seeing them in their uniforms! Notice the English mistake on this one! :D

Where the Heart Is

Another beautiful kit by Jennifer Labre Designs: Where the Heart Is

More layouts for Jennifer Labre Designs!

After the Rain kit by Jennifer Labre Designs, template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs:



















Sweet Serenity kit by Jennifer Labre Designs, template by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs: