Trip to Iowa and a Big Girl Bed!

So much has happened since the last time I posted!!! I will try to keep it brief!!!

Jeff went to Vegas with the boys! Had a great time! While he was gone we celebrated Kate's birthday and Kennedy decided she could climb out of her crib. Sneaky little thing!

Happy Birthday Kate!

Kennedy and I went to Iowa to visit the family and had a fun, but short, trip. We had planned to go sledding on Saturday but being from Kansas City, Kennedy didn't have the correct attire! So we shopped for snow pants and a snow appropriate jacket. Grandma said her fur coat just wouldn't do! ;) And while we were out shopping we picked up a play kitchen for Kennedy - just for good measure! We finally get what we need and get all bundled up to sled. Even Ryan and Lindsay come! We step out of the car and onto the hill and realize IT IS FREAKING FREEZING!!!!!!!!!!!! As in burn your skin freezing! So Kennedy went down the hill twice and we left! But we still had great fun indoors the rest of the weekend! Kennedy even had breakfast in bed with Grandpa Randy on Sunday!

When we got home Sunday afteroon, we converted the crib to a toddler bed. I didn't want to take any more chances with our little dare devil!! Kennedy grabbed some tools and "helped!" She was quite intrigued with the new bed and figured out how to get out immediately!
Fix It Girl!
The first night in the big girl bed went fairly well. I laid on the floor next to her until she fell asleep. She got up at 2am and came into mom and dad's room. So we tried going back to bed. I laid down next to the bed until I thought she was asleep. No luck! So I picked her up and placed her back in bed. She hopped right back out! So we went thru that 4 more times! Finally at 3am she asked for milk, I got it, and she stayed in bed until Daddy woke her up this morning!

This afternoon she ran upstairs to "play" in her bed! She put her baby to bed many times and "practiced" going nite nite! She is quite proud of her big girl bed! :)
Just playing!

I got some quick scrapping done in Iowa - but you only get a peek! At least until it is featured at KitPeas!

Snow!

We got some snow over the weekend and Kennedy had a blast! She loves to yell "Snow!" and wants to go "ahside" (outside) all the time! Saturday night we took her into the backyard to sled! We placed her in a sturdy laundry basket and pushed her down the small hill. She LOVED it!!! Too bad it was too dark for photos! But Sunday we all went out and built a snowman! Daddy threw snow balls at Kennedy and she thought it was sooo funny!!!





As for scrapping news, I am EXTREMELY THRILLED to be joining the teaching staff and Kansas City's BEST scrapbook store, The Scrapbook Page!!! I will start teaching in April and I am SOOOOO excited! Stop by and take a class or two!!!!

This is a layout I did for I am a Scrapaholic. It is Kennedy and her cousing Makenna in the back. I normally would not choose these 2 colors together, but I like how it turned out! And I love the technique of twirling my patterned paper to make curls!!!

New Stuff to Share!

Just posting some new things I have done lately!

This one is of course of my darling Kennedy! I used the January kit at I am a Scrapaholic! I loved the quote - it totally covered my feelings as a mom!!!

"A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world,
it knows no law, no pity, it dares all things & crushes down
remorselessly all that stands in its path." - agatha christie

This one is of our dog, Isabel. I used the January kit from Imagine, Create, Scrap and the sketch from Designer Diaries!

Speaking of Imagine, Create, Scrap, we are having a Cyber Crop this weekend! So stop on by, play some games and win some goodies!!!!


I am also very excited that I had one of my hybrid layouts chosen for publication in a brand new magazine "Scrapbook Dimensions." I am so excited to see it's debut!

And of course, the latest Kennedy photos! Here is a typical Kennedy look: Something spilled on our shirt, hair a total mess with the bow falling out (this time due to crawling under the chair repeatedly) , food remnants on our face and a big goofy smile! I LOVE TODDLERHOOD!!!! I honestly do!

Here she is enjoying the Sit n Spin! After we tired of spinning on it, we decided to stand on it and see if we could walk around it without falling down! Then we decided to use it as a chair and sit on the top!! Silly girl!

And finally, Kennedy and her best four legged friend, Isabel! They play together SO well! On this day Kennedy was running up and down the front hallway, squealing and giggling at who knows what! Isabel decided it looked fun so grabed her pheasant toy and ran up and down the hallway with her! Who needs fancy toys when you have a dog and a hallway?!?! :)

Winter Weather

I wanted to share an altered clock I made that I am so proud of! The bottom half is magnetic so I made some magnets to match!!

In other scrappy news, I was chosen to be the February Guest Designer at KitPeas.com I will be working with a kit from Cupcake Scrapshop.

Also, one of my cards was picked by Erin Lincoln of Creating Keepsakes magazine to be Page of the Day on their website! I was pretty surprised and flattered that Erin liked my work! (It was January 7th if you care to take a peak HERE!)

Winter is finally showing its face around here. But thank goodness it isn't as bad as some places! We have some ice with what looks like snow, but is really just frozen snow. Kennedy wanted to go out and play in it today. She fell on her rear so many times! But she just kept trucking along, eating her ice and throwing ice chunks at the dog!!
I hope you all are staying warm!!!!!

I found it!!!!!!!!!

Yippee!! I thought I had taken more photos than were in my camera! Then tonight I find another flash card with more holiday photos!!! And the VERY important one of Kennedy on Santa's lap! So get ready for the onslaught - I have to share a few with family!

Kennedy and her cousin Elijah

Aunt Kate and Cousin LoganCousin Elijah

Kennedy opening a gift!

And I ADORE this photo of Kennedy! She looks like such a little girl!!!

I went back to work yesterday. But the students don't come back until next Monday! So we have had inservice meetings. An easy way to transition back into work!

I have had a chance to do a bit of scrapping! I love this photo of Kennedy and my mom - partly because the day was so fun it brings back great memories. This was created with the delicious January kit at I am a Scrapaholic. Lynn packs her kits to the BRIM!
This next layout features photos from the same day! This layout was created with a sketch from Becky Fleck's Page Maps. Becky had a contest in December challenging scrappers to create layouts based on certain maps. My layout won this map! Becky sent me a HUGE assortment of Pink Martini goodies! So thank you to Becky AND Pink Martini. If you haven't seen Becky's Maps you have to check them out! She has new round ones that are amazing!
ONE LAST THING! The new inspiration is up at Designer Diaries!!! Our theme is "Top Ten with a Twist!" Be sure to sign up for email updates!!!!

A few holiday photos

I was a bit disappointed with how my Christmas photos turned out this year. I was so busy trying to help Kennedy and watch her excitement that I forgot to take a lot of photos! There are NONE of Jeff or I from our Christmas in Iowa! :) But here is Grandpa Doug in total HEAVEN with 2 of his granddaughters on his lap - Eva and Kennedy!
As promised....here are some photos of Kennedy on her 4 wheeler! She loves it - but still can't steer!
With this time off work I have gotten some great scrapping done! I finally finished Kennedy's lunch box album from last year's Christmas! Just a year late! I am working with my guest designer kit and have cranked out a card, an altered item and 3 layouts so far! But I can't show you yet! Yesterday I got my first kit from Imagine, Create, Scrap. It is Crate Paper - one of my favorites!

In other kind of fun scrap news, I am one of five artists featured on the Scrapbook Resume homepage! That was a fun surprise! I am loving their service and playing a lot with my resume. You can see it HERE! Also, we are totally revamping the Designer Diaries blog! You have to go check out the new look and subscribe to our updates! You will love all the changes we have in store for 2007!!!

And I will leave you with one of my latest layouts that I just love! Kennedy is wearing a dress that my Grandma Phyllis made for me when I was young! So it is an extra special layout to me!

Have a Happy New Year everyone! And stay safe!!!

Ahhhhh....Holidays!!!

We have had a wonderful holiday! We are still away from home and enjoying time with family. :) Kennedy totally got into opening gifts this time around! She would Ooooo and Aaaaah and WOW with each gift!!!! We only had 3 Christmas celebrations - so she had plenty of practice!!! She got a Barbie 4 wheeler from her Grandma & Grandpa Janke and is having a blast! But she hasn't mastered the art of steering yet!
Today my step sis, Abby, chopped off 10 inches of my hair! I am donating it to Locks of Love. I knew it would be short so I told her to just make it look good! And I think she did a super job - I love my new 'do!!!! I will have to share before and after pictures once we get home!
We are heading home tomorrow.... now the difficult part will be finding a place for all Kennedy's new goodies!!!!
Hope you all had a fantastic Christmas!!!!

Sickies....

We have the sickies again. Yuck. This is one thing I really hate about this time of year. The kids are school were dropping like flies last week. Now Jeff, Kennedy and I are sick. Kennedy has it the worst with a double ear infection and a horrible, nasty cough. She is so miserable. Poor thing. Hopefully we can all mend before the holidays.

On a better note, I was chosen to create for another design team! I am thrilled to join the fabulous team at Imagine, Create, Scrap! I know what their January kit is and let me tell you it is YUMMY!!!

I was also asked to be guest designer for January at a site soon to be announced! I am thrilled to be working with some papers I haven't used much and trying a new technique! Fun stuff!

A week ago my grandparents, my mother and her husband came for our Christmas get together. It was a lot of fun - time always goes by too quickly! Kennedy got to make her first set of sugar cookies! And she decorated them too! I must say it was the cutest thing!

And here she is being the cutest little Santa!!!! In a dress my grandmother sewed for me when I was little!

And this is a gift I made for my mother. I used lots of Fancy Pants goodies and had fun making it!

Well, I think Kennedy and I are on the mend! Her cough isn't so bad and I have some of my energy back! Finally!!! But they are forecasting snow later this week, a high of 70 Tuesday and a high of 29 Wednesday! So I hope the crazy weather doesn't affect us!

I also wanted everyone to know about a huge contest going on at www.jennalynne.com! Here is the direct text from the site:
We have an exciting contest going on at Jenna Lynne! It is contest to see who can bring the most friends to Jennalynne.com and the winner will receive this amazing gift (shown below) of goodies straight from Jenna. It is for members and design team members as well. Each referral person who comes to the site, registers, posts 2 things and gallery and 2 posts in message board will receive one FREE kit. The way that we will keep track of this, is for each referal you bring here and fulfills those requirements, you will email or pm me and you will receive 5 pts. The person with the most points Dec. 10 will receive that AMAZING gift basket!! People who come to the boards, after this is posted may also participate and bring friends, even if you are someone else's referral. So get those friends here, tell them about that FREE kit the will receieve. Lets have some fun!

So, if any of you are willing, I would love for you to register over there!! It really is a fun site and Jenna has such creativity! Just check out her project idea I completed this weekend!!
How fun is that?!

















Also, our new inspiration at Designer Diaries is up! The topic is FASHION. I really don't consider myself one to have great fashion sense so I had to get a little out of the box! I just love this design on one of my jackets.
So I scanned m jacket and loaded it in Adobe Photoshop. I cropped part of the design that I love and printed it out. (The brown scrolls) I then traced it onto the paper I was using in the layout. The orange scrolls on either side of the main photo are the end result!!! It was a fun new technique!

Thanksgiving

What a gorgeous day it was today! It reached 68 degrees and was sunny. Perfect! We went to the Lander's to eat with the family. Yum! Kennedy has had a cold and not been feeling well. But she was sweet as can be, patient and cute! She loved chasing the birds and squirrels outdoors! And playing with dad's cell phone!


















I recently found out about a wonderful photo editing program and have had so much fun playing with my photos! What do you think?!


I have also had a chance to do some altering! I made a fun door hanger for Kennedy's room and am working on altering a cookie sheet! Too fun! Hope to share them soon!

Fun Scrappin' News!

I got some fun scrapping news last week! I had two layouts picked up by Paper Art magazine! I have never worked with that magazine so I am ecstatic! I also got 2nd place in a contest at http://www.createmykeepsake.com/ It was one of my favorite layouts!

The owner, Rebecca, was so generous in her prize pack! I got some delicious My Mind's Eye Bohemia papers with matching rub ons, die cuts, gems and overlays! And she also sent the Designing With 2007 calendar! Thanks again Rebecca!!

I also just have to share some recent photos of my darling girl! She did an amazing job trick or treating in the FREEZING weather!

Here she is just goofing around one afternoon eating her "nack!"

Here she is doing her favorite activity! READING!!!!!!! And a bilingual book to boot!

This photo was taken today and she was just being so adorable! The weather was amazing so we were able to play outdoors again!

Weekend of fun!!!!!!

This layout is the latest Designer Diaries Inspiration! The theme was "What If..." I adore this photo of Kennedy and will possibly scrap it again. I am really glad I had a chance to scrap those thoughts. I am in love with the My Mind's Eye Bohemia line I used here. YUM!

We had visitors this weekend and Kennedy (and all of us really) had a blast!

Friday night night we went to the circus with Grandpa Lou. Kennedy was only somewhat interested. She really enjoyed the lights and all the cool things they did. She liked some of the performers but got tired toward the end of the evening. We adults had a great time!

Saturday the guys went to the K-State/Iowa State game. So Grandma Lori, Kennedy and I hit the town! And had a blast!

Sunday we had a great time playing in the leaves, visiting the dog park and carving pumpkins! A VERY enjoyable weekend!