Scrapbooking

Since I have been Scrapbooking for Going on Seven years now I decided I can post some of the stuff I have done. So anyway, here are a couple of my favorite Scrapbooking Layouts I have done.

Jeremy took me out for ice cream last night hopping that would bring spring around. After ice cream we drove around town looking a some of the houses (we live in a town of 1300 people and we were both born and raised here so we know pretty much everyone...LOL) Amazing how quickly things change. Seemed like, especially when I was younger, the houses were further apart and the yards were HUGE but we are getting a little bit of growth in town and that's always nice for a small town. My Grandfather was Mayor here for many many years. And to most everyone in town, he was the best mayor we ever had. He did so much for this community. I have always been known as Jerry's Granddaughter. Or an Allen Girl. I have thought about leaving town so many times. I think that I am a little bit of a city girl confined in a country girl body. I love were I live don't get me wrong. Cornfields, Bean field all around. No real crime. You can let your kids play outside without worrying about what will happen. You know all your kids teachers cause they were your teachers and the same man delivered my mail for almost 20 yrs. I remember running out to the mail box to get a sucker everyday during the summer. We would see him pull up and run out barefooted to make sure her didn't leave before we got the sucker. Our neighbors were the nicest people ever. On the North side it was Donna...She was like a second Grandma to us. She treated us with so much love and I had a HUGE Crush on her Grandson that is a year older than me but that's a whole other blog. On the South side were the Hannants. A lovely couple. Mr Hannant always grew and garden in the summer and Mrs Hannant always borrowed our clothesline. Mrs. Hannant would invite us in for lemonade and cookies just about everyday. She would always pretend like she didn't know what we had done all day and ask us about it but as I got older I could see her standing at the window or sitting in her rocker watching us play. I think she was just longing for her children back that were now grown and away. They were wonderful people!! I remember riding my bike down the street to my cousins every day and having to walk my bike across the "highway" which was no more than a heavier traffic area. We walked to school and home. We left our doors unlocked. We could stay home alone. It's a beautiful place. Most of it hasn't changed at all. I live in a different part of town. I am still known as Jerry's granddaughter and kids can pretty much still do all the same stuff I did when I was younger with out any of the city like consequences. So why would anyone ever want to leave, right?

I feel the pull of fast paced living. Where not everyone knows your entire family history. Where I can meet new people and decide for myself if they are nice. I want to walk into a place that no one knows my name. I want to be that person that no one knows! I want my kids to experience diversity that I didn't experience until I got my drivers license, But why would you leave a place where everyone knows your name...Everyone waves Hello...Everyone watches out for you. DH loves where we live. Loves the slow. I do to most of the time. And I can't really think of a better place to raise kids. but I get an inkling for that fast pace every once in a while...

I Know...I know...It's been forever!!!

Ok...I know it's been forever! But I have an excuse. LIFE!!! Man did I get busy for awhile! December was consumed with Christmas dinners with 100000000 family members which was AWESOME!! January was consumed with a good dose of total overhaul on my house cleaning schedule, birthday parties and recovering from Christmas. So far February has been consumed with sickness. I am feeling 95% better now but Jeremy and I have both been sick. It's hard to function when both of us could barely get out of bed! We were doing Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who had to get up to get us both a drink or some soup. But things are better now and he is back to work.

So what else...I am sitting here listening to Sirius online. I love this invention!!! I use it a lot. Jeremy has a system in his Suburban and the guys that work for him love the fact that they have such a variety of music and that most of the time it is hours of uninterrupted music. I listen to a lot of country. In fact Thanks to my friend Melissa I got myself a new playlist for my blog! Hope you enjoy it!!! Even if Country isn't your thing!!!

It's the Most Wonderful time of the Year....

Once again...It's that time. The time when you have only 2-3 weeks to buy Christmas presents and get them wrapped and if you are anything like me you have a couch and love seat full of Christmas gifts ready to be wrapped. I love this time of year. The hustle and the bustle! I just love it. I love giving Christmas gifts! and I holiday music! My husband and family are SO tired of hearing me sing and hum by the end of the year they are begging me to stop! LOL...Not yet! The girls are just as bad as I am. And since they are in Kindergarten and get to have a Christmas concert this year they are learning lots of Christmas songs so they can irritate Jeremy and their mom! It's wonderful! I know very few people that don't love Christmas. Most of which don't like much of anything but that's another blog in it's self! Anyway, Christmas is the time of year when wishes come true! When Dreams are realized and families are together.

CHRISTMAS IS THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR...at least for me!

Now off to wrap all those gifts!!!

Thanksgiving...

It's Thanksgiving evening and although I am just now on the verge of coming out of a Turkey Comma I thought it only fitting to post about somethings that make me Thankful!

#1. I am alive, Happy and Healthy!
#2. I have a family! One that loves me for me!
#3. I have a wonderful Husband that understands my Scrapping addiction
#4. I have wonderful friends that even though I don't get to see them, I know they love me! LOL
#5. I live in this AMAZING free country!
#6. I don't see my husband all day and that good for two reasons:
a. That means he has been blessed with another day of work
b. I don't have to pull my hair out!
#7. I can remember my childhood.
#8. I can drive to the store.
#9. I can afford Groceries.
#10. I can LAUGH!
#11. I sometimes GET to take care of others.
#12. I have to clean my house. (that means I have one!)
#13. I can listen to music
#14. I can Sing out loud (I didn't say well now)
#15. I can Write anything I want to!
#16. I can see the beautiful world!
#17. I can taste Pumpkin pie!!!
#18. I can kiss boo boo's
#19. I have wonderful pets!
#20. I can love!!!!!!

What more could a girl ask for?

I remember back in 2001 right around this time of year I was wondering if I would be getting a ring anytime soon from Jeremy. We had been dating for only 6 months but it was love at first sight. It seemed like the next step was right around the corner, and it was. Quite literally right around the corner. Thanksgiving Dinner for Jeremy's side of the family occurred on the Saturday after Thanksgiving that year as I have come to find out it does every year. I had meet all of his family. Most of them knew me before I knew them. They were all super friendly and made me feel right at home.

As the day progressed with card and board games I noticed a small group of people congregating. They were obviously being secretive. It was blatantly obvious! All of the sudden it hit me. OMG...Could I be right? Are they really discussing what I am almost at this point SURE they are discussing? I scope out the group a little more to find out that hiding in the corner of the Group is Jeremy's mom Robin, Jeremy's Sisters Jessica and Mallory, Jeremy's Grandma and Jeremy's Aunt Susie. Only one thing could be bringing the women in the family to Jeremy and that one thing has to be something Romantic and Lovely. Something EVERY girl dreams about. Something that make most women CRAZY. It's got to be a RING! Was I just wanting it so much that I was hoping that's what it was? Or could it really be?

HE'S GOING TO PROPOSE!!!!

Well...I laid low. Didn't let him know that I had a sneaking suspicion what was going on. After we left I was sure that ring was in his pocket and I was sure that any time now he would be asking me to be his wife. I have dreamed about this my whole life. How would it happen? Where would it happen? What would the ring look like? Would he say something romantic? Would he get down on one knee? The evening progressed and I suddenly realized that there was no way it was happening that night. But I wanted to keep an eye out for that ring box. I knew it was in one of his pockets. I NEVER saw a box or ring. I even sort of snooped. How did he sneak it in without me seeing it? and where did he hide it? I was beginning to think I had been wrong with entire time! In fact I got caught up in the fact that it was almost Christmas time and that I needed to get the Christmas shopping done. When you have over 40 immediate family members Christmas is one GIANT shopping trip after another.

We have many Christmas traditions on my side of the family. My Parents are divorced so we rotated from year to year. One year mom's Christmas day and Dad's Christmas Eve the next was opposite. It worked for us. But now, I am adding Jeremy's Divorced Parents into the mix. 4 set of parents to visit and 4 sets of living grandparents. This is just crazy. Not to mention the 8 brothers and sister and 15-20 Aunts and Uncles and I am not even going to guess the amount of cousins we see on Christmas Eve/Day.

So Christmas Eve came...we have to go to his dad's then my mom's. It's crazy. We won't be home until after 12 and then have to get up and do it all over in the morning. But we make it through his Dad's Christmas unfaultered. We got tons of WONDERFUL gifts and got to watch Jeremy's Younger Brothers and Sister Play with their toys. On our way to my Mom's who at the time lived about an hour away from us and about 20 miles into the country. Jeremy was really quiet and I thought I had made him mad. He said he was fine just tired. I could see why he was tired. We had already had a long day and it's only half way over! We are about to pull off the main road onto a gravel road leading to my mom's and he slows down. Pulls off to the side of the road and says...Remember this is where we found CJ (CJ was a stray cat that was SUPER skinny and hiding in the ditch in September and we saw her on our way home from mom's one evening so we took her home, and we both fell madly in love with that Cat) I said yea it is! He said I think there is something over there. I was concerned cause I thought it was another cat or something. He got out of the truck and came over to my side of the truck and opened the door. As soon as he opened that door I lost it! I knew what he was about to do! He didn't get down on one knee. He didn't make this long speech or take me to a super romantic place with rose petals everywhere like I had dreamed, but he took me to a special place, opened the door, looked at me, told me he loved me and didn't want to spend another Christmas without being my husband, and asked me to make him the happiest man in the world and Marry him! I cried and cried and of course said yes! How wonderful was this guy!! He was so conscience of everything. He knew how important it was for my mom and sister to be the first to know...so he asked me on the way to see them instead of on Thanksgiving.

It's been almost 6 years now and I still love that anti-romantic man! He's not big on doing those little things that make girls swoon but he knows just the right time to do something sweet. He loves me for me and He lets me know I am the center of his world. What more could a girl ask for?

New Start...New Blog

New Start...
Well...It's official! I am an Aunt! This is a new title for me in life and it's one I am LOVING so far! This new start with baby Isaac has got me thinking a lot about the beautiful things in life. Like Smiling babies, Beautiful Brides, People in Love, Flowers, the sky, and the millions of other things. When you see something beautiful it is almost instinct to look for a camera. I have always loved Photography and since I was young I remember always taking 100's of pictures. Since I have gotten older and started scrapbooking, I find that more often than not people are asking me to take picture at events for them. In the past couple years I have done several events solely and have also Photographed some portraits. So far as an amature photographer I have taken 4 weddings, 2 sets of Family Portraits, and 2 Showers. It's great to know that your pictures are good enough that people want everyone that asks about the even to see YOUR pictures but on the other hand as an Amature with no formal training there is a lot I don't know. Still this isn't going to stop me from taking pictures!

I didn't take this pictures of Isaac. All the credit goes to my Sister In Law Mallory.



Now...The New Start to My New Blog Starts with a New Baby Boy in the Family! He is a Joy and absolutely adorable! Aunt Angie has a nice ring to it...Right?