silly as it sounds...

self-portrait

this one is called:

"the kids grew out of last year's snow stuff and took all mine."

ha!

we're on snow day #2 here in western washington.
yesterday was a delightful aberration.
today it is still somewhat of a novelty.
if it happens tomorrow, however,
we are approaching annoying!

conan + julia + tina

i have a serious love affair with conan,
aside from the fact the he accompanies me many an evening
on my late-night scrapbooking forays,
he is just so dang hilarious

my favorites are "the year 2000"
and his forays out-of-studio...

this one made me laugh so hard,
i stomped on the floor and woke the cat

i'm so glad he's taking over for jay;
that will be magic

and

i'll get to sleep earlier  ;)

tina's acceptance speech was genius :)

silver and gold

i am so frustrated with myself that i haven't posted in so long!  it means that life has been busy and full and all-encompassing, and that i've been using the spare moments not to blog, but to savor the sweetness of the last remaining bits of summer.

berries and football, baby mice and cricket-keeping.  socials and meetings, home improvement projects and home storage reorganization.  bike rides and long walks, photography and school shopping.  it's been a busy month, albeit a qualitatively contented and blissful kind of busy.

 

last week my friend rochelle had a baby boy (rylan) and i got to take a few photos that i'd love to share!  i wish something on this earth could capture the ambiance of a newborn; the smell, the feel, the whispery movements and hopeful, determined aura.  how magical and miraculous! 



isn't he just so precious?!
congratulations, pettingill family!

i have been going through some old family photos, negatives, and slides, and was elated to find these!  i competed in gymnastics for quite awhile as a girl, and have never been able to find any photos from that time; it was so funny to hear me try and explain to my kids, "no, really!  mommy could really DO that on the (floor, beam, vault, bars...etc) when i was a kid!"  they nodded in assent, but i saw the glimmer of compassionate disbelief in their eyes.  :P  LOL.  so it was cool to find these images!  YAY for parents who take pictures!!!  :0)
 


oh, maaaaaan, i loved that superman leap of a dive on the floor! LOL!

i don't want to ramble, so i'll end there...but so much has come and gone this summer!  it always makes me think of the old song i learned in girl scouts long ago, 'silver and gold'. 


Make new friends,
but keep the old.
One is silver,
the other is gold.

A circle is round,
it has no end.
That's how long,
I will be your friend.

A fire burns bright,
it warms the heart.
We've been friends,
from the very start.

You have one hand,
I have the other.
Put them together,
We have each other.

Silver is precious,
Gold is too.
I am precious,
and so are you.

You help me,
and I'll help you
and together
we will see it through.

The sky is blue
The Earth is green
I can help
to keep it clean.

Across the land
Across the sea
Friends forever
We will always be.

Sometimes friends are people, sometimes animals.  Sometimes comforting objects, and oft times warm memories.  Friends are a gift, a choice, and a blessing.  I am so thankful for my friends.

pen pals + die cutting system: can you help?

• my first plea for help...i am crossing my fingers on this one:

i'm in need of some multi-continental help!

i'm working on a church primary activity (called "Take a Trip on the 'FRIEND'ship!") wherein the children will write letters to other children around the world as an invitation to be a pen pal!  i am looking for some LDS primary groups to exchange with!  ideally, we'd love to have the chance to spread our letters around (we have about 100 kids!), and i'd love to include a country or two from several continents:  australia, asia, europe, africa, and south america.  is there anyone out there involved in their ward's primary that would be willing to accept a package of 10-20 pen pal letters?  if so, please PLEASE email me ASAP to:  [email protected] so we can connect and exchange information!  (our activity is about 2 weeks away, so the sooner the better!)  :)

i hope there are some of you out there that can help!!!  that would be rad....it would mean SO much to the kids!!  :D

• okay....now question/dilemma number two:

i am in need of some die cutting system help!

i have finally decided to acquire a die cutting system, and am so baffled by all the choices and options, i don't know where to begin looking, or, WHAT to look for, for that matter!  could you tell me your favorite system, and maybe a little about it and WHY it works for you?  i know.....i can't believe i've held out for so long without one, right?!  LOL  so i'm counting on all your wealth of experience and expertise to help me make a better choice about this!!  :D

• okay, now for some just for fun things, lol:

the puppy rescuers strike again!

olivia and her bff xena have a knack for finding lost dogs in the neighborhood; this is the third one this summer!  she is a little adorable princess they named "Snickerdoodle"  (we all agreed it was a perfectly fitting name for such a sweet little dog!) and after they'd fed and watered and hugged and kissed and thoroughly inspected her for injury or defect, promptly made her a cushy bed in a pillow-clad laundry basket, mounted it into a little red wagon, and went door to door in the sweltering heat to find it's owner.  in less than an hour the worried dog-sitter was found, and "Snickerdoodle" was reunited with her family.  Incidentally, her given name turned out to be "Princess".  Who knew?  lol.



the girls have informed me that they are going to become veterinarians and move to australia as soon as they graduate from school.

homecoming

the 864th Engineers (Alpha company) came home late today

for a sweet, sweet Mothers Day surprise;

we are so excited to have them home

and even more excited to say

that...

JOE WILL BE HOME ON WEDNESDAY!

it's been 15 long months,

3 longer than expected,

and i couldn't be MORE EXCITED for my sister!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

tibet

i know,
this is a craft blog.
but i feel so strongly about this, i cannot be quiet  :)

today is a day of global action
to end the cultural genocide in tibet
and restore religious freedom to the people of tibet

i may not share the same religious belief as the dalai lama
but i share the human belief
that people should be free to worship how, where, and what they may.

end the violence

free tibet

garden + 33

new garden up today at Two Peas!

those letters for 'home'
are cut from
(are you ready?)
vinyl laminate flooring
ha!
i kid you not.
it's my new favorite thing.
:)

the letters 'love' are glitter
but not the messy kind
the digital kind
just printed onto transparencies
:)

this garden i am a crazy title kid
:)

so
the 33 part of my post?
it means 33 years
it means how long my parents have been married
it means they are getting a divorce
it means that i am reminded once again
how no one is immune to things that suck
6 years old
13 years old
32 years old
it doesn't matter
it still just really sucks
i am reminded of a childhood book

swell season

it is a swell season, indeed
i am overwhelmed by all the thank you's i get to make!

thank you em for the cooler than cool russian doll tee...but
you know my love for them pales in comparison to my love for YOU, dear!

thank you emily adams for the ohmygoshadorable ring

from PickyPicky 's Etsy Shop (it totally rocks!)
you know i about died when i saw your collection...but
i was just floored to find such a treasure arrive at my door!
speaking of emily...her etsy is so cool, too!
it was great getting to know her in DC :)

thank you to the academy *sniff* for recognizing the superlative talent
of glen hansard and marketa irglova

i have been a fan ever since is stumbled upon the film months ago, and now
cannot go through a day without a little 'swell season'

thank you to them for their art

and can you stand one more, please?  :)
this song is so freaking amazing....
it is in 5/4 time

and check glen in his band the frames, too

good stuff, man.

good stuff.

sweet

kara made this video of his arrival
(....still crying! *sob*!)
i swear
she should get into videography
this is amazing
:)

scrap therapy

to the 864th...

i send my love and prayers and condolences and, most especially,
my gratitude for your courage and commitment and sacrifices.

most especially, to the family of Sergeant Bryce D. Howard of Vancouver, WA,
one of three soldiers from the 864th killed Tuesday in Afghanistan
by a suicide bomber's IED (improvised explosive device) while constructing a bridge.

my sister, being involved with the FRG of the unit, has closer ties with the soldier from
the HSC, and from her I understand that Sgt. Howard leaves behind a sweet wife and
two beautiful young children.

Newspaper Article

words like 'hero' and 'honor' and 'gratitude' are hollow compared to what i feel for these men,
women, and children; each participating in their own circle of stewardship
independent of anything i have ever done or said or experienced,
and yet,
still have done it for me and my family and my world
so selflessly.

i heard the news tonite as i was working, television on as usual in the background,
when i suddenly heard mention of soldiers and again, as usual, my ears tuned in
to acknowledge the latest casualties.  i can't quite explain the shock, however,
when the broadcaster said the number '864th' as the 3 soldiers' names were read.

had i heard that right?

everything seemed to stop around me.  time seemed to hold it's breath.
even the air seemed to shiver and pause all around me.

but my eyes focused on the screen and confirmed what i'd heard...

we had lost 3 members of the 864th.

then the rush of blood through my head like a freight train as i tried to think
what to do next?

i called my sister.

her voice was weary from the weight of the last couple of days, holding it close to her

keeping it

shouldering it

and i think of my reaction and shake my head with something related to guilt that i could

feel so sad and react so strongly, when here she was existing somewhere between "thank

goodness it was not my husband" and "i can't believe this is happening to us".

it is too close

to

home

here are a couple of articles about the work they are doing there:

Road Building in Afghanistan

Humanitarian Assistance

i was going to post previews to my new digital kits,

but somehow that seems so far away right now....

anyway.

if you're reading this,

will you leave them (the 864th and their families)

a comment, a prayer, a word or two?

i know they would appreciate it so very much...

and i do, too