::ANNA::

Sweet and Sassy +

In spite of falling *head over heels* cake in hand just a few minutes prior the party, she quickly forgot all about her grazed knee, when surrounded by her friends. 

Ella had a fabulous 7th Birthday!

Daddy and Luke stopped by to drop off camera batteries before heading to the movies!

Dancing to Miley Cyrus.

*Showing off* as E. calls it.

One *squished* Hannah Montana cake.

The dress was a gift from Grandma and Grandpa Aspnes:  Traditional Vietnamese dress.

See that tooth *hanging on for dear life*?
It fell out the following morning.

The cutest cards!

And the most perfect gifts!

After the party, I took Ella out shopping.  When asked if she wanted to have gifts or shop herself, she chose the latter.  We ended up in Justice, where I was instantly transported back to the 1980's.  Talk about deja-vous?  I rememeber the same clothes at exactly the same age....Ra-ra skirts, arm warmers, neon shirts and sparkly shoes...Remember the whole Madonna "Into the Groove" get-up?  She was a lot more reserved than I used to be though :)

We ended the night with sushi for us and *yakisoba* (noodles) for them.

It was a GOOD day.

........................................................................................................................................................

I wish I could say the same about our 4th of July....In a nutshell?  It rained.
as the crazy weather in Denver continues with more stormy weather....

We grilled, we hung out with friends, and set off fireworks, everything you usually do on the 4th July, just in the rain.

Seven

[supplies list + journaling]

Seven years ago today, I swam 30+ lengths of the pool at Misawa AB, Japan.

Came home and had a ham and cheese sandwich on non-gluten free bread washed down with a glass of watered down apple juice.  Miss that bread sometimes.

I rested a little on the couch and watched some TV before heading to the Commissary where I bumped into an acquaintance.  I confidently told her that I had at least 5 weeks before baby was going to arrive. 
It was 3 weeks until my due date, my Mum was induced with me and this was my first baby, so I bound to be late, right?

Wrong.

My waters broke at 8.45pm that night, and Ella was born with very little drama, at 10.10am on Wednesday, 3 July 2002.  I remember just staring at her as she lay in the cot next to me.  I could not take my eyes of her.  I just couldn't believe that she was finally here, and ours.

When we left the hospital the reality kicked in.  I cried all the way home terrified of how I was going to care for this tiny little person.

We placed her in her car seat on the dining room table and there she stayed until she awoke.
We had no clue of what we were going to do with her.

Seven years later, and I admit I'm still *winging* it. 
Mum's words often come back to me, "Unfortunately, they do not come with handbooks."
So far so good, I think.

But on the eve of her seventh birthday, I can't help but reminisce.

[supplies + journaling]

Earlier this year I wrote the following:

"Time certainly flies... It's seems like yesterday that I received my first SLR. It was an overcast day in Misawa AB, Japan, offering the perfect cloud coverage to get some shots of my wee little girl. She was 15 months at the time. Still a little unsteady on her feet, cautious but eager to explore the world. It's hard to believe she is now hurtling toward age 7. Where did the time go, Back then I thought I had all the time in the world but looking at these photos, I just feel like the rug has been pulled from under my feet. Feb 2009"

It's not that I want her to be little again.  I'm enjoying her more the older she gets.
The thing I struggle with most is the passage of time.

Time is so very precious.  Once it's gone, it is lost forever.

Which leaves me with one question:

Did I fully use it to it's potential?  Have I done enough for her?  Am I doing enough for her?

Emergency Sneak Peek

I've spent much of today working on a new collection which is based around visits to the doctor, hospital, and even more minor injuries that require *at home* first aid. 

Already have a small list of pages to create with this collection. 

Watch this space.

Mega ElementSet

Emergency Pattern Paperie

Emergency Solid Paperie

Las Vegas

Officially booked and looked forward to the break in August.

Ella's Lemonade Stand

A little ingenuity and a lot of enthusiasm made these little girls almost $10 dollars today.
I have to admit I was surprised they did so well, and also at the same time, very relieved. 

Check out Ella drinking the profits :)

Tragedy + Scrapbooking

2 tragic high profile deaths today.  Just so very sad.

Lately, I have been very aware of my own mortality and the fact that my parents are not getting any younger.

It has given me a renewed energy to get my photos and stories on paper now...

Before it's too late.

What if you died tomorrow?  What would you want your children to know about you?

What is your legacy and your mark on this world?

[supplies + journaling]

Right Now

I checked in on a few of my fave blogs over lunch today, and saw Ali's "Right Now" challenge.

Normally, I would have moved moved on to the next blog, but today?  I thought *what the heck*, grabbed the camera and snapped my "right now."

• 3 drinking vessels on my desk that have accumulated throughout the morning.
• yummy salad of leaves, avocado, cucumber, pear red onion, chevre, candied pecans and dried cranberries with a drizzle of agave nectar.
• paint chips *all over the shop* as we try to decide on a color for our spare room.
• accumulation of handwritten letters by Ella that I want to incorporate into a layout entitled "transitions."
• camera lens caps thrown aside as I get lost in the moment of taking the shot.
• clad in gym gear, ready to partake in some sort of exercise that afternoon.  I ended up changing into my bike gear for 3 times round the reservoir (25 miles or so).

A picture speaks a 1000 words.

Little notes from Ella in the office.  So cool that she can now write a sentence all by herself.  Speaks volumes about her little brother.

A sugar hangover.  Maybe that sleepover, the night before, wasn't such a good idea.  She reluctantly took a nap today not before tucking in her animals first.

Working on some new product such as this request, coming the DD store this weekend.

Summer Chaos

Last week when Ella finished school, I heard several of the mother's stating how glad they were that the school year was over and how much they needed the Summer *to relax and decompress*.

Chance would be a fine thing.

While I enjoy the warmer temperatures and the lack of "mad dash" to get them in bed by 7pm every night, I hate the *manic* juggling act of children, work, house (in that order) that comes with The Summer Break.  Like I tell E and L, hate is a strong word.  Strongly dislike is a better choice.  But sometimes, and in this case, I feel hate is warranted.

In a nutshell:  I'm taking it day-to-day.  Winging it.  Flying by the seat of my pants.

Life has also got a whole lot more interesting with Eric being diagnosed with shingles.  Needless to say, he's miserable, heavily drugged, and at this point is still in work.  You have to love how the military *take care* of their people.

I could of course let some things go, but that is not in my nature.

I like to make every second count.

So I have been keeping some odd hours and change is not exactly in my comfort zone.  This involves starting work at 10pm at night on occasion and doing domestic tasks at the most obscure of times.  I mean who starts making strawberry jam at 8.00pm at night?  We went strawberry picking last week and I needed to get on this a.s.a.p.

(Supplies + Journaling)

I would love to show you some *perfect* Martha Stewart-style photos of my strawberry jam-making  process.  But the reality was something far different.  Picture me, in my gym kit (intended to work-out but ran out of time) and every surface possible covered in sticky mess.  Even Ella came into the kitchen and said, "Mom, you're making a very big mess." 

I'm not at ALL a clean and tidy creative person.  I call it reveling in *creative mess*
I think it's what fuels the fire.

The mess was worth it though.  Now enjoying home-made strawberry jam and goats cream cheese on my GF English muffins.

With Eric not well.  The weekend was equally busy. My feet did not touch the ground.  Ella and I rode the reservoir on Sunday (She was verbally driving him nuts.  If you know Ella she can do that) and as I observed all the father's fishing with or without their sons, I couldn't help but have some very selfish  thoughts about Father's day, within the realms of our family of four.  In short, he is always away in some way, shape or form.  How come he get's a special day? 

I'm bitter but not ashamed.

We had a BBQ Sunday with Eric's parents and some good friends who have been helping paint our house, and we enjoyed Christmas crackers in June.

Hello Monday...And we start all over again...

itunes inspiration

I took part in the itunes inspiration challenge this week on the Designer Digitals blog.

I'm finding these types of challenges are helping me get at least a few pages done each week even in the busiest of times.  Summer schedule has kicked in and I officially began work at 9.55pm this evening.

This particular layout celebrates each of our first birthdays all in one page.

(supplies list)

I like this page so much...I'm releasing a layered template version, 365 Day Layered Template, into the store this weekend.  I used it as a birthday page but it could also be used to document a particular anniversary or for a "year in review" themed page.  Sky's the limit :D