Happy Father's Day!

NEW Kit at The Ettes!

All of these layouts are created using the NEW "Splash n' Summer" kit at http://www.ettesandcompany.com./ If you buy the NEW kit before the 21st of this month they are also discounting the kit 20 %! So run on over and pick up this great kit.

The kit has great stuff for summer, bath-time, cute flowers, boats, water - LOTS of versatility! I also put together a cuople of examples of cards that could be made with the kit. See - lots of options! Everything on all of these examples is using the same kit!

Learning Lessons

Isn't it interesting how we can learn simple lessons every day - all around us? Today I learned a very simple lesson - sometimes all we can do is pray. And you know what - sometimes it's enough.

There are trials we can't take away from people. There are trials we can't fix or make better. There are friends who need things we can't give them.

BUT -

We ALWAYS can pray for them. We can always take a moment from our day and plead with Heavenly Father to lighten someone's load, or help us to lighten their load. We can always take a few minutes to whisper a prayer or even share a part of our load with our Heavenly Father. It might feel like it's all we can do - but sometimes it's enough. Sometimes just trying and praying is exactly enough.

Cory's Triathlon

Here's some pictures from Cory's sprint triathlon this weekend. I am so proud of him for doing the race. He has been sick the last week or so, and hadn't trained much - I thought it was pretty awesome that he stil competed and did great. He's just pretty awesome :)

The boys on the other hand....were little boogers. They kept mauling each other - hugging each other, biting each other, just driving each other crazy. It was tough to try to keep them reigned in. I joked that I was about to jump in the water with the racers - just to get away from their fighting. It was a combo of them not feeling great, not getting much sleep, and getting up super early.

But we all loved watching Cory - awesome guy!

Layouts and New Releases

Template: Doggie Paddle by Bella Gypsy

Kit: Bella Beach - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie

Sweet Miss V
Template: by ChrissyW - Mix It Up #5
Kit: by ChrissyW - Sweetness

Aloha
Template: Sketchology - Kiddie Pool
Kit: Bella Beach - Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie

Kona, HI
Template: Skechology - Doggie Paddle by Bella Gypsy
Kit: Cannonball by Bella Gypsy

Week 22
Template: by ChrissyW - FREEBIE Challenge Template
Kit:by Cannonball by Bella Gypsy

Romans 8:31

"What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?"

a couple more

Here's a couple layouts from tonight:

Kit and template: Crystal Wilkerson. Two Peas in a Bucket - 365 January kit.

Kits by Crystal Wilkerson - Sweet Vintage Charm & May 365 kit.

Key Lime Pie - YUM!

Cory and I LOVE Key Lime Pie - it's one of our favorites. So when I saw this recipe and realized how easy it could be to make it I jumped at it. I was pretty sure that there was no way it could be as easy as this recipe - but guess what? It was!!!!! So easy, so delicious. This version reminds me a lot of the pie that they sell at Costa Vida or Cafe Rio.

Key Lime Pie

For the Filling:

5 Egg Yolks

2 cans (14 ounce) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup fresh lime juice

Zest of 1/2 lime

For the Grahm Cracker Crust:

10 graham crackers - crushed

1/4 cups sugar

5 TBSP melted butter

Whipped Cream - optional

1. For the filling: mix yolks, milk, juice and zest.


2. For the crust: Mix crackers, sugar and butter. Form the crust in a 12" pie pan. bake 8 minutes at 375. Remove and let cool.


3. Pour in the filling and bake another 8 minutes at 375 degrees. Remove and let cool. Once cool, place in the freezer until ready to use.


4. Before serving, remove from the freezer and let thaw at room temperature for 15 minutes. Top with whipped cream if desired.

(**When I made this I used a store bought crust, and now that I'm reading over the recipe I think the crust I used was 9 inches and the pie was TOTALLY full....that would be my only complaint. I'm guessing if you followed the directions exactly and made the crust it would be perfect.)

When I was trying to find where I got this recipe (I found it somewhere online) I also found this recipe - from Joe's Stone Crab. It looked pretty similar and tasty too. I'll have to give it a try next time

And lastly - I am also going to try this recipe soon. It was on Good Things Utah and looked SO good! Thinking I might make it for my birthday in a couple weeks (because let's face it - who actually thinks Cory is going to make me a cake....?)

New Release Layouts

Monday is Elemental Scraps DOLLAR DAYS as well as a day for new releases. Check out the cute new things for sale today:

My Dad Rocks: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22152&cat=326&page=1
Sketchology: Mojito Monday - by Bella Gypsy: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22160&cat=326&page=1

Template - Sketchology: Mojito Monday - by Bella Gypsy: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22160&cat=326&page=1
Kit - Love, Lori - by Bella Gypsy: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22151&cat=326&page=1

NEW mini kit - Love You by Chrissy: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22167&cat=326&page=1

Template - template kit by ChrissyW - Mixin it Up #5: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22158&cat=326&page=1

Template: NEW template kit by ChrissyW - Mixin it Up #5: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=22158&cat=326&page=1

Kit - Tomfoolery by Bella Gypsy and Amanda Heimann: http://www.elementalscraps.com/shoppe/product.php?productid=21171&cat=0&page=1

Some Beach Somewhere

Today there is a new release at The Ettes & Company. It's a GREAT beach kit - super cute stuff! Check out the kit, and there are also a set of quick pages and a FREEBIE page too!

Trials - The Refiner's Fire

There are many around us who are struggling each day with trials that feel unsurmountable. This little story brings me comfort to know that when we are being tested and tried that the Lord is right there with us. Sometimes we are in the midst of things, and truly in the heat of the fire, but He is with us, helping us to become like Him.

There was a group of women in a Bible study on the book of Malachi. As they were studying chapter three, they came across verse three which says: "He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver." (Malachi 3:3) This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God.

One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next Bible study. That week this woman called up a silver smith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn't mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silver smith, he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities. The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot--then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.

She asked the silver smith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined. The man answered that yes, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silver smith, "How do you know when the silver is fully refined?"

He smiled at her and answered, "Oh, that's easy--when I see my image in it."

If today you are feeling the heat of the fire, remember that God has His eye on you.

Author unknown

New Release Monday @ Elemental Scraps

WOW! So many awesome products released this week @ Elemental Scraps! I am totally in love with the new kit by Bella Gypsy. I love that it's a water kit - but has great primary colored elements too.


Chrissy released a GREAT kit called "Spring at Last", as well as a bunch of add on pieces to the kit. I am in love with the button alphabets, great patterned papers - all super cute! She also released 2 new FREEBIE templates this week. One of them are for newsletter subscribers, and the other one (#22) is a freebie for the template challenge.


I am working on some layouts with an awesome new beach kit too for The Ettes & Company. Been busy, but I love this kind of busy :)

Week #20 layout

This kit was one of my very favorites so far from the "So You Think You Can Design" contest - "Love All Year Long" by JayDay Studios.

The 2nd week of the project the theme was Project 365 kits and there were some GREAT ones! If you're working on this project - check them out!

All of the creative teams I'm on will be releasing some super cute stuff in the next little bit so I'm trying to fit in as much scrapbooking as possible this weekend. Stay tuned....

On a side note - I had mentioned on here this fall that Grandma's cookies wasn't going to be making their pink and white frosted animal cookies anymore (a side-effect of the economic problems). We had bought a couple bags (at Halloween time - hence the orange cookie) and enjoyed the last ones a couple of weeks ago. Well then we were grocery shopping this week and guess what we found? You got it - Grandma's frosted animal cookies! I guess they're making them again afterall....interesting. I wonder if it was just a ploy to get us to all run out and buy up a bunch of them his past fall. Well, it worked. :)

Memorial Day Bike Ride

We had really wanted to get out and do something in the outdoors this weekend, but Saturday there was a lot of crummy wind and rain. Monday we went back and forth about whether or not it would be worth it, but decided to take the plunge. There is a place towards Bryce Canyon that we have wanted to take a bike ride to for several years now - called Red Canyon. In fact, we went there a couple of years ago and had bad weather and a sick baby (Gabe) and had to come home without riding.

Well yesterday by the time we got to the trail (it's a nice paved trail) the weather was looking pretty iffy. So we decided to drive a ways further to Ruby's Inn, have a snack and wait out the rain. On the way back to the trail it wasn't looking too promising, but we decided that if I dropped them all off at the top of the trail, and they went down-hill most of the way - that even if it rained they wouldn't be exposed for too long. I was a bit sad that I didn't get to enjoy the fresh air with them, but it was better than us all getting stuck in the rain - which is what would have happened if we tried going round-trip. The boys had fun, I had a few minutes to enjoy the scenery, and Cory had a good time too.

I highly reccomend stopping at the Red Canyon area if you're on your way to Bryce Canyon - I think it's such a pretty place. It looks a lot like Bryce - but just a short little stretch of the red rocks. There are even a couple of little tunnels to drive through (ok - more like arches). We'll hopefully make it back again sometime this summer.

A little quiz....

I thought this quiz was fun. Let's see how well you know me :)

http://apps.facebook.com/quizdoyouknowme/take_quiz.jsp?q=6785253&key=ES62

Freebie scrapbooking template (and bunch of other layouts)

New layouts using the new kit - Scram from Bella Gypsy - can be purchased now at http://www.elementalscraps.com/. They also released a great new alphabet (comes in several colors!) - check them out too!

The Loveable Grouch layout is using a template by ChrissyW called "Mixin it up" - at Elemental Scraps also.

Bella Gypsy kit - Down to Earth
ChrissyW template - Jael'icious




Birthday Flowers & Playful layouts - Blue Skies Dig'ette'-al kit by "The Ettes"
Templ-'ette' Collection 8 - (Birthday flowers layout)

Also - if you're interested I made a template for the "Naps" layout posted above. You can download the freebie template by clicking here.

Have a great day and fantastic week!!!

MY love language

Have you ever read the book "The 5 Love Languages"? I haven't actually read it, but I have listened to parts of it on an audiobook. And it's interesting because after listening to it I have started to understand myself (and Cory) a little better. I am starting to "get" why I feel the way I do about gifts. I am a gift giver. That is the way I speak my love to others. It's not necessarily the way I feel love, but it is the way I express love/adoration to other people.

Now because of this I've been having a little bit of a problem lately. See - for the most part - gifts cost money. Sure, there are homemade gifts, cards, cookies, etc - but for the most part if you want to give a gift to someone it is going to cost something. Especially if most of the people you'd want to give gifts to live long distance - and you have to ship them - that costs extra. And know what? I'm out of money....totally out of money.....

And so in a way this reduction in income, tightening of our belts, and extra budgeting, has made me not only bummed because of the things I am used to having on a day-to-day basis (like home delivery milk from Winder Dairy...eating out...) - but because in a way I feel like I'm not able to express myself to the people I love. I know that sounds dumb - but it makes me feel like in a way when I give someone something that I'm saying "I was thinking of you", "You are so awesome", or "I saw this, thought of you - and wanted you to smile."

For instance - new babies - I can't buy cute new little dresses and hair bows, nieces and nephews who are turning 8 - I can't buy them the new scripture cases I want to buy. There are several of my friends and loved ones celebrating big birthdays around the corner. I wish I could afford a big party, or a trip to visit them. Maybe even spring for a weekend away for me and some other "almost 30-year olds". I wish I had money to put togther little "happy packages" of goodies for people "just because".

If I could - I would buy my brother-in-law the coolest tractor doo-dads (he's obsessed with John Deere) to celebrate his high school graduation. Or maybe a few new ties he could use on his mission soon....

I wanted to put together a "good luck" package for my cute cousin and her hubby as they start their new adventure of owning a business. In that same package I wish I could send a great big bunch of frivilous fun stuff to my aunt to say "CONGRATS" on having her tests for cancer come back negative...

If it was possible I'd send my cute sister-in-law a bunch of cutesy flower printed fabric since she's sewing cute stuff for her little girl. I'd throw in a few of my boys favorite board books and toddler treats for sweet Genevieve and a few studying snacks for hard working Chase.

I wish I could make all of my nieces these adoreable dresses I've seen lately - several for each of them - with matching headbands.

I would buy the plane tickets to take my family to Washington for an upcoming baptism, and of course fill my bags with goodies for my nieces and nephews...

I would send my mom a new Scentsy warmer. Not because she needs a new one - but just because I saw one that is absolutely perfect for her (with kokopeli's on it!). I'd include a bunch of yummy summer scents - but none with vanilla smells (that would be my gift to my dad since he hates vanilla scented things).

I wish I could put together a "big sister" package for sweet Taylor who is a big sister now. I wish I could fill it with books, toys, things to keep her busy so that she could have fun being a sister (and stay out of Nicole's hair when she needed to).

My mother-in-law - I wish I could buy her a years worth of digital scrapping classes so she'd learn all the fun things that Photoshop could do....She does great stuff, but maybe a class would help her feel more confident in it....

Then there are books, toys, little notebooks, stickers, music, clothes....the list goes on and on.

And now for the risk of sounding like I'm a super materialistic person - I don't expect any of you to send me things. I know that "it's the thought that counts" - but if you all only knew how many times I pass an aisle in the store, or see something online and think of you.....maybe then you'd be able to even grasp how special all of you are to me.

In a way by wrapping up a gift with a bow and giving it to someone I guess I feel like I'm sharing my love and appreciation. I'm not good with words, I can't express myself to people in the way I feel - especially when I'm talking directly to them. My words seem so trite..... I wish I could write poetry, or sing songs - or express myself in some other way. But for now I feel like gifts are my way of speaking my love. So if you think I'm feeling distant just remember this - I'm probably walking the aisles of your favorite store wishing I could buy you the perfect thing to show you how I'm feeling.