"you" on the Bright Side

For this week's sketch challenge at Scrapbook Steals, I busted out my Bright Side collection from My Mind's Eye.  The bright fun colors and fun wood grain pattern worked great with my photo of my little guy.  I love the banners and the little elements that work great for boy or girl pages.  I even snuck a little floral print in on this layout and am happy with how it turned out. 

This layout happened to be created while my little guy was sick and we were home from work/school.  After not being able to keep down any food or drink, my poor little guy was feeling terrible.  He layed down to rest in our bed and I snuck to the basement for a little crafty time while he slept.  Ten minutes later and he's calling for me from the top of the stairs.  I told him where I was and I asked what was wrong.  He replied in the most pathetic voice, "You're supposed to be taking care of ME!"  I assured him that I was taking care of him but thought he was asleep.  I asked him what he needed and he said, "You!".  In all of his misery, he didn't want to sleep, didn't want to watch tv, and only wanted his momma.  I love feeling "needed", but an entire day of this was a little much.  Luckily, I convinced him to watch a little Scooby Doo so I could finish up this layout.  And after 24 hours of the yucks, my little guy seems to be back to normal!

Here's the sketch by Kristy Lee that inspired my layout:

Thank you for teachers!

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week.  If I were to pick another profession, I think I would probably pursue teaching (that is, if I actually had more patience!)  I've helped out in the classroom on my days off, and I have a whole new appreciation for what those teachers have to do each day.  It's a tough job made even tougher thanks to children who are becoming less respectful and more entitled.  I am also saddened by the lack of parental involvement and support for the schools.  Even though I work full time, I still find time to be "present" for school functions, special events, etc.   I truly appreciate teachers year round, but in honor of "their week" I decided to do something special for each of my kids' teachers. 

While I was tasked with baking 10 dozen cookies for the elementary school, I decided to make a few more to do individual gifts for my boys' teachers.  Inspired by something I saw on Pinterest, I started with glass jars that I picked up at Walmart for $3.50.  I decorated them with some fun school themed papers (by Simple Stories and Imaginisce) and added a cute little tag thanking the teacher for helping my son become "one smart COOKIE".  I used spray adhesive to attach the paper to the jar and tied the tag on with a ribbon.  Finally, I filled the jars with 2 dozen of my homemade chocolate chip cookies, ready to be delivered to the school.  Instead of risking a ride on the school bus, I think I'm going to drive my kids to school today just to make sure these make it in one piece.  Thanks for looking and don't forget to thank a teacher!

National Scrapbooking Day!

This week was a very special week.  I made a road trip to St. Louis to meet some scrappy pals and spent the entire day being crafty on Saturday!  It was a well deserved trip, since the last time I left home overnight by myself was over 8 years ago and was only because my dad had heart surgery.  This was a much better excuse for a road trip, if I do say so myself!  I met two lovely ladies for a wonderful weekend.

While we were together, we shopped and scrapped and chatted the night away.  My first project was the MWM challenge from Scrapbook Steals.  It was the first of a new series, and again pushed me way out of my comfort zone.  With the help and advise of my scrappy pals, here's what I came up with:

I also made a few layouts of my own and helped Cristine with a two page layout for her cousin.  It was a very successful weekend, just wishing it was longer.  It's amazing how quickly 12 hours flew by!  Here are the other layouts I made this weekend:

I started another before it was time to pack up for the night.  Now the yucky part- unpacking and catching up on all of the things that didn't get done while I was away.