Hot Hazy Days.......

As I have gotten older, I have come to the conclusion that I am NOT a summer girl. I HATE the humidity; I HATE the heat; I do NOT tan; and I do NOT have a beach bod. Summer is just NOT my time of year! I am definitely more of spring/fall kind of gal.

I do realize that I am in the summer my life (albeit probably more like the mid to late summer - LOL), and I do have appreciation for that. You would think at this point in my life that I would be settled w/ the way things are always in perpetual motion…..friends come and go, the economy rises and falls, the seasons of the year, people I love pass away and new ones are born; etc. All things I really have no control over. I do admit that I am too grounded in schedules & expectations, and I really don’t like change. I really like to have a game plan and know what I will be doing every living, breathing moment of the day.

How I would love to go back to those more naïve days of care-free, childhood where these realities don’t fog my mind and are not even a passing thought. Praise God I can catch a glimpse of those times thru J. Sometimes you just have to let loose, and laugh!



This is an older LO I did back in the early spring, but for some reason the random silliness of this day back when and the reality of the journaling really hits me today. So I am NOT going to begrudge the heat and humidity - Enjoy your summer, and I’ll enjoy my A/C :)


~MM

Slip Slidin' Away

Slip N Slide @ Walmart - $6.65
Digi Canon Rebel - $600
Dawn Dish Detergent - $2.49
Water Bill - Heavens, I don't want to know
Fill Dirt for the gooey spot in the yard - Bobby works for free :)
Getting some good shots to scrapbook - PRICELESS!!!

Playing w/ paper.....

First I must confess, I absolutely LOVE Jenni Bowlin's new line! Here's a couple of LOs I've done with it this week:

This one is about "that girl" that I love to pieces and makes me crazy all at the same time. You can tell by the look on her face that she knows it too! ;)


Not sure why I love this picture so much. I think it is because I caught the motion of the moment. And if you know J, you know she is always scheming and on the go!



And lastly, Jen and I are hosting a series of challenges on Sweet Memories' Scrapbooks blog. These are designed to kickstart you into actually getting something done, and there are some "sweet" prizes involved.

The first challenge is using We R Memory Keepers divided page protectors. These are a GREAT way to scrap a lot of photos in a very short time for very little money. (Did that last sentence get your attention?!) And, they fit right into your 3 ring and most post bound albums. This challenge was so much fun, that I seriously think I am going to use this for my Disney album that is currently a huge box of supplies and about 400 photos.

Here's my version, using Cosmo Cricket Girl Friday papers and American Crafts Thickers. Yes, they are from the same series of Mother's Day photos as the above LOs. I think I just was drawn to the colors in J's dress, and the fact that she was a character that day! This is the front and back of the page protectors, and took less than 30 minutes for both sides :)



Go grab one of these page protectors from Erin (or 2 or 3 or 10), and join in the challenge. I think there are about 6 or 7 different formats, and they are only a $1. So for a buck and some scraps out of your stash, you can have a double-sided LO in minutes. You can't beat that w/ a stick! Deadline for this round is June 30th, and new challenge will be posted on the 1st.

~MM

Absolutely nothing going on around here....

And that is a GOOD thing!

But I did want to pop on and wish my most awesomest mother-in-law "a very happy birthday!" Happy Birthday, Nona - you rock! :)

Oh yeah - also have a "freebie" for you. I am trying to get out of my comfort zone and learn to "enhance" my photos thru Photo Shop Elements. Jessica Sprague has a free class in honor of the 2nd birthday of her website. And, you can get a 30 day trial of PSE here.



TTFN,
~MM

Uh yeah....exactly what we need the Mullenix abode!

ETA - found out that this was an Eastern River Cooter Turtle (thanks, Tonya). Yes, that sounds like a made-up redneck, critter name if I ever heard one. I had to google it (sorry, Tonya) and found indeed that there is such a beast, and it was living in my backyard. I also found out that this turtle needs 10s of gallons of water every day, so he/she/it has been set free in the nature reserve at Katie Lane (ie the creek behind our house). Tonya said this handsome guy/gal could easily be 20+ years old. Wonder what that is in turtle years.......

Thanks, Uncle Johnny - we seriously "needed" a honking, huge turtle/tortouise/whatever in our fenced in back yard!

I have a friend who is a self-proclaimed hard-shell amphibian expert, and she is going to try to identify it for us. She said there aren't any GA native animals as large as this, except 1 that is endangered. For the love of God, please do not let DNR show up at my house because this little girl loves this mean, grouchy walking mobile home!

It's a Dog's Life

Deuce Mullenix is not your average canine. This dog is part mini dauchy, part sissy butt, and part cantankerous old man (sorry if you are a cantankerous old man).

First of all, he loves to walk around Princess Leia ears. This drives Bobby CRAZY!


He is also cold-natured, and loves shirts, sweaters, and blankets. He will burrow under anything. Imagine my surprise when I looked over on the other side of the bed, and saw this!!!!


And speaking of sleeping....check out this crazy position! (Yes, this photo IS turned the right way!)



I will hand it to him....he is an awesome swimmer.


And gangsta rapper....


Word to your mother....

Not Me! Monday

I found MckMama's blog a few months ago from Angie Smith's blog. Her precious son was very sick in the NICU at the time. J and I started praying for Baby Stellan every night, and are so thrilled that he is now home and well.

So after the crazy day that I have had - I thought it would be fun to play along w/ Not Me! Monday. It is a day where you do NOT confess to all of those little things you said you would never do. For example, remember when you were a kid and your mom would ask who ate the last cookie? That's right.....Not Me!!!!

Who on earth would let the CLEAN laundry pile up to the ceiling just b/c she hates putting the stuff up?

NOT ME!!!!!






What crazy parent would be thrilled to see her precious child muddy from head to toe all for the sake of having new stuff to scrapbook?



NOT ME!!!!!

And who would be oh so cruel as to torture their precious puppy in hopes of getting the perfect Christmas picture?



Not Me......NEVER! ;)