Layout Sneak Peeks...

And Baby Makes Three

Happy Birthday to my sister, Ella!

 

 

Scrapbook & Cards Today Spring Issue

The SC&T Spring Issue is finally here! Yeah! It's one of my absolute favorite magazines. It has cards, altered projects, and layouts too. It's always full of sketches and instructions that make it just wonderful all around. This month there are free digital cutting files and a digi stamp to download too. Score! This issue is extra special to my sweet little cousin though. A little something I submitted featuring her managed to get her face on not one, but TWO pages. She's gonna be SO EXCITED when she sees it. I'm sure her friends will whoop it up too. 

(Click on the Magazine Cover image to see the full magazine.)

Here's a peek at what I created for this issue. See, isn't Samantha just gorgeous?!

P.S. If you're a Facebook member, you can keep up with my latest projects by clicking HERE.

And, if you're also a Pinterest addict like me, you can find me by clicking HERE.

Ciao!

You Are My Sunshine...

Well, I became an aunt on Saturday! Molly has arrived a tad bit early (just like Ethan), but she's perfectly perfect. I couldn't be happier. Since my little sis loves yellow & green and anything "sunshine" related, I thought this was the perfect card to celebrate Molly's arrival. Happy Birthday, Molly!!!

#1 Dad Card

Some snapshots of my favorite fathers...

Me & My Dad

My Dad, Ethan, & Vince

Vince & Ethan

Ethan & My Dad

My Grandpa & Me

Happy Father's Day!!!

I love this man...

SHeDAISY - Come Home Soon

I miss my Vince...

WZTV FOX 17

Recognize a little dude in this news clip from last night?

WZTV FOX 17 :: Newsroom - Top Stories - Soldiers Talk about Bush's Return to Fort Campbell

Project Life 2011

I put the Project Life button over on my side bar weeks ago, but I never got around to mentioning that I was going to participate in it this year. I did my own version while I was deployed in 2009 here on the blog, but then I discovered the PL scrapbook. It's (almost) perfect! The kit comes with everything you need to document the year or whatever you'd like really. All you need are photos, a journaling pen, and an ink pad if you'd like to use the enclosed date stamp. I wrote all of my dates, but that's because I forgot about the stamp.  I really wish it had come with a few extra title cards because I don't have one to spare after I made a couple mistakes.

This year has a lot of change going on with more deployments, Ethan's first year, my becoming a civilian in a few months, starting up school again, and all sorts of stuff. It's just a year that I want documented in detail again. I really love the kit Becki Higgins has put together. The only thing that really bothered me about the kit was that all the photo sleeves were made for landscape pictures. I told this to my LSS owner, Beverly, and she immediately pointed me to some of these We R Memory Keepers page protectors... Now it's perfect!!!

Becky Higgins has since added vertical layout sleeves, but I really like all the choices I have with these. I read some reviews complaining about the funky sizes, but I don't think those people really "get it". These are designed to simplify an entire scrapbook layout. Apparently, We R Memory Keepers has an entire line of easy scrapbooking products to use with these fab protectors. Just trim the papers or tear off a journaling card from the little book and slide it in with your pictures and your layout is done. Waaaay easy! I'll be sure to post a picture of the less than 5-minute layout I created with all the extra photos I took of Ethan on the 11th for his monthly pictures. It was the first "scrapbook page" I've made in probably over a year.

Anyway, since I didn't post them before here are a few of my favorite pictures that I've included in my project so far...

7Jan11: Lilly Belle 

10Jan11: Max

14Jan11: Winter Formal

 15Jan11: Secret Santa Party

 24Jan11: Snow Day

 25Jan11: Visit from Papa

 26Jan11: Four Remotes vs. One TV

 31Jan11: Dr's Office Nap

 1Feb11: Introducing... Sippy Cup

2Feb11: I Cooked Something!

Las Vegas Layout

I really don't remember the last time I made a scrapbook page, but something came over me yesterday, so I printed a few pictures out and voila! These pictures are from our trip to Las Vegas back in April. I really feel a strong desire to get more pictures scrapped. I hope this creative mood swing sticks for a while. Now I just need to go buy a scrapbook and some page protectors...

Cardstock: American Crafts & Bazzill

Patterned Paper: Crate, My Mind's Eye, & October Afternoon

Stamps: Papertrey Ink & Studio Calico

Ink: Papertrey Ink

Gems: Bazzill

Border Punch: Martha Stewart

Alpha Dies: Quickutz

Christmas Time

This is our first real Christmas together and in our own home. Last year we had just gotten back from Afghanistan, so we drove back and forth half way across the country to see our families. This year we decided we'd stay in our own home. It was even more special being that it's Ethan's first Christmas.

Last year we started a tradition, like many families, to collect a yearly ornament for our tree. This year we decided this little rattle represented our year perfectly.

Here's another little ornament I picked up this year. I usually wait until after the holidays when things go on sale to restock my wrapping paper supply or add ornaments to the collection, but this one was just a dollar, so I couldn't resist.

We also started collecting Department 56 Christmas in the City village pieces last year too. The pieces we choose represent our lives as well, like the newly wed couple in the carriage, and the new dad passing out cigars.  This year we are adding a fire station (I am a firefighter), radio station (Vince is a spectrum manager), and antique store that looks EXACTLY like one we visited on our trip to Pennsylvania. I'm hoping to also find one that depicts a nurse pushing a wheelchair with a mother holding her newborn. I'm pretty sure it's a retired piece though. Anyway, Vince and I both LOVE putting the little village scenes together. Vince even built a little snowy platform for them to nestle in this year complete with an asphalt road and cobblestone sidewalk. He used a bit of card stock rolled through the Cuttlebug with an embossing plate. It looks so cute!

Our collection outgrew the sofa table, so we had to make a second section up on top of the armoire.

I think next year I'll end up putting our village in the china cabinet though since little Ethan will surely be walking around by then. I'll be sure to start replacing all of our beautiful glass balls with plastic ones before the tree goes up again next year though. I'm sure we'll be able to pull them back out again someday!

Merry Christmas!

A Little Birdie

Well, I tried to enjoy a free day off from work yesterday, but not too much. I tried to clean up a bit around here because my grandparents are visiting from Texas! They haven't seen Ethan yet, so I'm really excited. Oh, here's just another card I made with that one piece of double sided patterned paper I picked up the other day. I have three or four more that I'm going to schedule for posting this week, so not to leave you empty-handed while I entertain. I just hate to sit here on the computer while I have visitors. :-)

Papa & Granna

The new grandparents:

Ethan's Here!

On August 11th (Vince's birthday) we woke to an 8:30 am alarm. We had a 9:40 appointment with our midwife on post. I stood up out of bed and there it went. I peed on myself again! This was the third time. Sheesh! I took my wet self to the bathroom to finish what I'd started, but there just wasn't an end to it. My water had definitely broken! I knew I wouldn't be coming back home, so Vince loaded up the car with out suitcase and diaper bag while I jumped in the shower. When we got to the hospital we didn't even bother to head to the OBGYN clinic, but straight into the labor and delivery ward. The nurse checked us out and confirmed that it was time. I'd had contractions all day and night the previous day, but by the time I had gotten to the hospital I wasn't feeling a thing. My contractions weren't happening, so they started me up on Pitocin for induction. Whew! The contractions came on quickly!!! We went through three shifts of nurses and doctors who seemed to constantly change up the game plan. On Pitocin. Off Pitocin. Back on Pitocin. Every time they checked me I was no more dilated than before. I stayed at 3cm for 13 hours. Ethan's heart rate was going down too, so finally the doctor came in and started his official briefing. I already knew in the back of my mind that this was going to happen. I just knew. I signed the papers and they wheeled me in while Vince donned his white jumpsuit. They laid me out on the table like Jesus with my arms spread out to each side, and put up the infamous blue curtain so I couldn't see a thing. Vince and I just stared into each others eyes while it happened. It's strangely one of the most romantic and intimate moments we've ever had together. I'm so glad he was there. He peeked around the curtain every so often. Just seeing the look in his eyes made me know that whatever he saw was okay. Finally, his eyes widened, and I knew they had pulled Ethan out. He was here! His little cry started, and they passed him over to the incubator in the corner. I could see the chubby white arms and legs wiggling around. He was beautiful already. With one blink he turned pink, and Vince went over to say hello to our little boy. He came back to tell me, "He's perfect!" and kissed my forehead. They wrapped him up and brought him over next to my face. I smelled his sweet breath, kissed him and told him I love him. They put him back in the little warmer and Vince stayed with him while they sewed me up. It didn't take long before the blue curtain was coming down. I asked if I could see my placenta. They knew I was a medic since we'd been cracking jokes about it during the operation prep. I asked if I could get continuing education credits for being there too. If I hadn't been so paralyzed at the time I'd probably have wanted to poke it and inspect it a bit further. HaHa! (I'm sure some people might think that's a little gross, so I'll move on.) Anyway, that's pretty much the story of how little Ethan Michael finally came into the world. Here he is...

Ethan Michael O'Donnell

August 11, 2010

9:51 pm

7 pounds, 6 ounces

20 inches long

Four Days in Vegas...

Day 274: She Gets Me

O-M-G! Look what Chelsea did! We totally ransacked Hobby Lobby yesterday with our coupons. I'm so proud! :-) I love having someone in the family that I can go on and on to about how cute buttons and ribbons can be. She gets me!

Day 267: Back to School

Remember when I took Sam to school last year? She's still making goofy faces when I snap pictures, but other than that she looks SOOOO different from her picture last year. She's taller than me now! It's hard to believe. Picking her up from school is one of my favorite things to do when I'm home. Popie drove us to school this time, so I played photographer on the way.

Look at all the crap she has to bring with her. Today she took FOUR bags!

And my jet-lagged super model passenger pose: