Happy Memorial Day!

Thank you to all the men and women serving our country here and around the world!  

I would like to remember my paternal grandfather, Harry E. Allen, who passed away in 2000. Harry was an amazing man who fought for our freedom in WWII, Korea and twice in Vietnam. He had a great love of our country and his family and is missed everyday!

A heartfelt thank you to my father and maternal grandfather, both of whom were career Army officers, as well as my brother who served our country in Iraq.

Freedom is not free. This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave. The next time you see a US soldier at a restaurant or the airport, please take a moment to thank them and shake their hand! These brave men and women are heroes!

God Bless America!

My Latest Obsession!

I have a new obsession at least once a month...here's my latest one:

How fabulous is this necklace?  Scarlet Lime sells the kits to create this necklace--you've got to go check them out! And the BEST part about these necklaces is that the dangle line (the part with all the beads) unhooks from the necklace and you can add other dangle lines in different colors! I'm in LOVE!

I Am Irritated!

Ok, let me clarify: I'm not irritated, but apparently my 3 year old daughter is! She announced this last night when I did not rise from the table quickly enough when she announced she would like some chocolate milk! Seriously?? Little girls are so funny...it's amazing to me how different they are from little boys, and how drama just seems to be part of their DNA!

My 15 Minutes!

I am so excited to say that I am a guest designer over at Twisted Sketches this week! Most of the goodies I used in my layout, "Bathing Beauty", are from the April kit from Magpie Club (Tara is brilliant and comes up with THE best kits!). Please go check me out!

Just Fine!

This week at "Scrapping the Music", the song they are using is "Just Fine" by Mary J. Blige. It's fun getting exposed to different types of music than I typically listen to! This is one of my favorite recent pics of the kids and me. Like many scrapbookers, it's rare to find pics that I am actually in! :)

I Heart Vintage Photos!

My mom loves the fact that I call photos from when she was younger "vintage"! Don't feel too bad, Mom--etsy.com considers anything 20 years or older vintage! That means my highschool photos are vintage too! I came across a stack of photos last night that had this great photo of my mom and her BFF, JoEllen, from their college days, and thought it would be perfect for this challenge from Twisted Sketches where we had to somehow incorporate "Touch" into the layout. Mom and JoEllen have kept in touch since 1968--through thick and thin, children, moves to different cities, states, countries and few actual visits over the years. I hope I am fortunate enough to have a friendship that truly stands the test of time like theirs!

Next week I will be the guest designer on Twisted Sketches! I am so excited!

Proud Mom Moment!

Yesterday afternoon my son and two of his classmates competed in a "Mathletics" competition with students from three local elementary schools. They had to answer 15 math questions with a time limit on each question...and I am proud to say that his team won 2nd place out of 17 3rd grade teams! I am so very proud of them!