August Desktop :)

I'm excited to start using my monthly desktops again :) This time its another beautiful one from Shabby Princess using a kit called Giggle Box. You can find it ready to drop your photos in on the Shabby Princess Blog!

Liam update :)

We had Liam's 18 month check up yesterday, and everything went well. He's 24.5 pounds, 33.5 inches. Long and lean, as the doc says :) AND, we only got one shot! WHOO HOOO!!! I can't believe his next appointment is at 2 years old. Sheesh - he's such a big boy!

Yesterday we also had a family adventure at Chase Park: Our very first Easter egg hunt! We actually had a mini hunt at our house on Thursday with the family over so he could practice :) Worked out well actually. He was excited to pick up "Eggies" again, and he put them right in the basket. Wasn't really diggin' the Easter Bunny though. Not surprising, since Santa kinda scared the bejesus out of him at Christmas too.





Yes, he did keep those ears on the entire time. Even after we went inside to play on the toys :) Its only because we put them on right before he went to look for eggs, so he was immediately distracted, and I'm pretty sure he forgot he had them on :) No matter - he looked adorable anyway!

Here's a scrappy update for you....

Playing around with Text...


Papa


St. Patrick's Day 2009


How to give me a heart attack


Bunny Ears


I'm realizing after looking at these that my kid needs a hair cut. Badly. Although he rocks the shaggy look pretty well.

OK, well, time to clean for our 3rd showing of the week. We're still getting plenty of traffic, but still no bites yet. I've got my heart set on selling this place, so I continue to hope and pray that each showing will end in a sale....but its taking a lot of energy out of me!! I refuse to be negative though...its not much in my nature.

We're home!

Ahhhh - back from Tucson and trying to get back into the swing of things! I'm working on uploading / editing the photos from the trip....hopefully I'll be able to post them all soon!!

Until then - Happy Valentine's Day!!!!

WOW

Those pics are huge.....just tried something different, and I don't like it at all. Oh well - you live and learn and I'm too lazy to change it now.

I'm excited about my new look - yellow makes me happy! I made these with templates by Amy Bleser at A Cherry on Top, and a kit by Belly Gypsy Designs (also at ACOT). Check them out! I actually think I may keep this for a while.....

Desktop madness :)

Every month, I change my desktop into some new, yummy, scrappy goodness. Its a bit different than regular digital scrapbooking, where you arrange all the elements yourself. It's more similar to a "quick page". Really, its just too easy. Someone creates a free calender/desktop to promote a newly released digital kit, and I just plop my photo in. Tada!!!

You can find them all over the internet, I'm sure, but I mainly get them from Shabby Princess: http://shabbyprincess.typepad.com/shabby_princess/ Her stuff rocks. She also does a widescreen and normal screen versions, so my widescreen laptop doesn't feel left out.

Here's what mine looks like this month...one of my favorites thus far!


Makes me feel all warm and Christmasy, and the photo of Liam was PERFECT!! He's actually playing peek-a-boo in the hallway curtains, but it kinda looks like he's being naughty, doesn't it??

RIP Sam Dog

In this hyper connected world we live in, I received notice, indirectly (Facebook, actually), that my ex-husband Troy had to say goodbye to his (our) dog Sam today. I'm not sure of the circumstances, because I haven't had a chance to talk to him yet. I called, and left an incoherent blubbering message....not sure if he'll call back any time soon. I'm sure he's hurting.

We adopted Sam in April 2002 from the Golden Retriever Rescue of the Rockies (Grrr), shortly after we moved into our very first house in Henderson, Colorado. It was pretty much love at first sight when we went to meet him - even though he had some severe hip issues (from an accident, we were told, not displaysia) and was going to require expensive surgery. We adopted him, cared for him, rehabbed him and he, I think, was so very grateful :)

Yes, he was a great dog. Sweet, snuggly, and mischevious. He once snagged an entire pot roast off of our countertop. Oh, and the raw chicken he ate from the trash in our temporary Ann Arbor apartment. Yeah...the aftermath of that was fun.

He loved frolicking in the snow...sticking his nose in it and snorting away. He loved soft plush toys to hold in his mouth, as long as they didn't have a squeaky. If they did...he would destroy them in 2.2 seconds. Despite his 95 pound frame, he was petrified of Milo the cat (the big fat orange boy)....but really wanted nothing more than to be buddies with both kitties.

During our separation, we decided that it would be in Sam's best interest to stay with Troy here in the US, while the kitties went with me to Mexico. Sam was already an old boy, and although he traveled well, we both knew that international travel would be pretty tough on him. My heart hurt when I had to say goodbye to my big dog.

I did have the opportunity to see him on a couple of occasions since then - and Troy was always pretty good about letting me know how he was doing. Last time I spoke with Troy, he said Sam was still in good spirits, but definitely showing signs of his old age. I guess he would have been 13 years old this year....That's pretty darn good for such a big dog!!

He hasn't been "mine" since 2005, but he was always mine in my heart. So I say goodbye, and shed a few tears....but know he lived a good life. Goodbye Sam Dog. Someday, I'll see you again.

WOW! How long has it been?

Since I've posted some layouts?? A long time I gather....since I can't find any in my archives newer than JANUARY!! Egads.

:::::::::::::::BINKY:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::LINCOLN PARK ZOO:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::WINGS:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::SWEET:::::::::::::::
credits HERE

:::::::::::::::KYLE AT WHITES:::::::::::::::
Shocking, I know - a layout that doesn't feature Liam. credits HERE

*sigh* Do I REALLY want to do this??

Just one question. How on earth am I ever going to be a *real* photographer if I can't even photograph my own child?

*sigh*

I purchased an umbrella and light stand to help my indoor light (or lack there of) plight. Helps tremendously, but the only way to really learn how to use it is to, well, use it. Pat refuses to be my subject. So my only other option is Liam. I guess I really underestimated how helpful it is to have another set of hands. (click for a larger image)

You get the picture. Right?

:::::::::::::::::::::: OTHER NEWS ::::::::::::::::::::::

Our dear neighbor Kelly is happily on her way to Denver (SOOO PROUD OF YOU KEL!). We're going to miss her somethin' fierce. Her tenants don't move in until the 26th, so until then I have a nice big empty space to use as a pseudo studio :)

:::::::::::::::::::::: OTHER SHOOTS ::::::::::::::::::::::

Baby shoot went well this morning.....I used my manual focus lens so I had a lot of shots that were blurry, but some that are pretty good I think. AND, the cute naked baby peed all over my blankets :) LOL - I'm sure it won't be the last time! Also took some photos of baby girl Serene today - got a few shots of her and Liam (he finally slowed down because he was kind of tired and ready for a nap). It will take me a bit to process them all....but I will share I promise!

:::::::::::::::::::::: MORE OTHER NEWS ::::::::::::::::::::::

And lastly, I am going to be trading my photography skills for a friend's graphic design skills. This is for my logo design / brand. We've got an initial meeting on Friday....once again, the Momfia saves the day. Amazing women in that group, I tell ya!! Camri - I can't WAIT to work with you!!!

K. That is all. I'm officially sick of being on the computer, so I'm signing off for a while. Ciao.

*whew*

We did make it home safe and sound on Sunday evening - after a slight detour to drop Pat's 1st cousin once removed's girlfriend in Oak Park. Its been difficult to get back to normal.....trying to learn how to be a mom without any help during the day is hard!!! Not to say that Pat doesn't help - he does TREMENDOUSLY, but during business hours I have to pretend he's not around even if he is so he can get work done. That's the tough part.

Its making its way though - and today we actually have a clean house :) That's because we had our 2nd showing this afternoon. It went well, but who knows where it will go. I get so excited over just a showing....and a showing is a long long way from a selling :) know what I mean? I try to not get my hopes up, but its kind of hard not to.

Speaking of hopes being up and then crushed.....I went this morning to take a class at the CHA 2008 Summer show (that is the Craft & Hobby Association - for you non-scrap peeps) and after I drove in rush hour traffic out to Rosemont and parked for $11 I discovered I wasn't even registered for the class. DOH! I was upset for a mili-second, and then I realized I probably should have checked with the big dogs first....and I didn't. So my bad. I did register for the show though, so I won't have to worry about that when I go back on Saturday.

I got a zap of creative goodness though - seeing all the people there with all the scrappy stuff in tow. Made me want to create something and be all creative and stuff! All my real life scrapbook goodness has been in storage for over a year now.....I hope we can sell our place so we can buy a new joint and I can actually have that stuff close by!! I need more creative outlets!!

Oh, summer tip of the day. Put sliced cucumber in a glass pitcher and stick it in your fridge full of water. It makes for a muy refreshing drink....and looks pretty :) Add a twist of lime for extra flavor! (thanks to Kelly for reminding me of that!).

K, off to bed. Molly, her friend, Liam and I are headed to Shedd tomorrow morning! Yippie! One of my favorite places on earth :)

Scrappage

I realize I haven't posted any scrapbook stuff in a while, mostly due to the hiatus I took because of the ol' computer crash. But, I'm up and running with a real live copy of Photoshop CS3......so here are the past few layouts I've been working on. Looking at them now, apparently I've been very drawn to earth tones as of late! As always, click on the images for a larger view.

The first one is my ALL TIME NEW FAVORITE! I just love how it came out, and it was so simple and easy! I just LOVE IT! Its called:

We Love You More - credits can be seen HERE

SOOO BIG! - Credits

L is for Liam - Credits

2007 Year in Review - Credits

Oh Holy Night - Credits

New Do......

I chopped off 12 inches of my hair to donate to Locks of Love......

Before (it doesn't look that long here I guess - since its all kinky from sleeping on it crazy - but trust me, it was long):


After - I also got some golden highlights. Its been almost three years since I've colored my hair! You can also see my cool new carrier! isn't it awesome!?!?


And now, some cool pics of Liam and Daddy. I've been playing around with Lightroom presets.....pretty fun so far!


That's all for now :)

Bah Humbug.

I forgot to mention the Christmas adventures we had.........

We had great travelling weather, both to and from Michigan. Christmas was fantastic, lots of food, family and friends.

The bad news befell us on Christmas Eve. My computer died. *sigh* The good news is that A) I have my work computer to still get online and such, and B) I backed everything up on the Friday before we left for Michigan. I did lose a couple of photos, including a whole bunch of adorable ones of Liam (but aren't they all adorable?) and a perfect photo of my mom's Christmas tree...but those two alone aren't worth the $250 it costs for hard drive recovery. So I'll cut my losses and move on.

I tried to restore the computer with a first aid disk, but no avail. The First aid disk tried to boot up Windows 95.......so its just not worth it.

So now we're in the market for a new computer. At first, we were going to wait until February to do it (because of cash issues), but I just can't be without photoshop that long. Digital scrapbooking is my outlet - my creative release - and to not do it for that long would probably send me to the funny farm. So I think we'll be able to get one sooner. If I feel up to it this afternoon, we may go take a look see.

More scrappage and the American Baby Faire

This could possibly be my new most favorite layout EVAR!!! You can see credits HERE

This weekend Liam and I had a fun day, all to our selves. I really wanted a new sling, but didn't have a ton of extra cash, so I had the opportunity to work a booth at the American Baby Faire in Schaumburg to earn a free one. So I did - for Karma Baby Slings. And I took Liam with me, hoping he would not fuss too much during my 3 hour shift - he totally didn't. In fact, he laid, snuggly in his sling, the entire time. He was the epitome of a sling baby! He woke up to have his diaper changed and eat, and sometimes to just look around a bit, but for the most part he just was asleep! It was so empowering!!! We ended up being out for an entire day, just me and baby - from 9AM to 5PM. It might not seem like a big deal, but I was so proud of myself for taking him out on my own.

I have this, issue, I guess, with having him out in public. I just don't like to do it, because I get soooooo stressed out when he's crying. I hate a fussy cry-ey baby in public. I mean, I don't really like it at home either, but at least he's not bothering anyone (except maybe the neighbors). Anyway, having him in a sling or wrap pretty much calms him, so I'm so much more confident - while going out, and even in our own house. He's not fussy when he's in the sling. Its pretty much awesome.

Anywho - that was pretty much my big achievements for the weekend :) We also had some friends and thier kids visit on Sunday (oooohhh - they also brought us some YUMM-O chicken yumminess and pecan pie!!).

Plans for this week include picking a child care giver, attending the USGBC, and heading to Kalamazoo for a family fun weekend!!!

New scrappage

Credits can be seen HERE

Happy Halloween!

I couldn't decide which one to post, so I'm just posting both :) He's growing so fast!!!

We're on our own....

Well, after a fantastic 10 day visit, Pat's mom is on her way back home to Tucson. This is officially the end of our helpful visitors, so now Pat and I are officially on our own. This means potentially less sleep for the two of us, and probably much less for me knowing that Pat is working/driving long distances, so I'd rather burden the brunt of the sleepless nights knowing that it will keep him safer. This should actually be much easier than in the first two weeks, since Liam is sleeping for longer stretches, and more independently as well. That means better / more sleep for me, and more importantly, more sanity on my end as well!

:::::::: FUNNY LIAM ::::::::

He's discovered that he can grab a hand full and pull his own hair, and does so with great force. He also has discovered that when his hair is pulled, it hurts. However, he has not yet discovered that these two events are related. His brains aren't that big yet :)

:::::::: BAPTISM ::::::::

We've officially asked Kristen and Keith to be Liam's godparents - and this past week we made a couple other preparations for the big day. We officially registered the date with St. Gregory's (it will be December 2nd) and while Pat's mom was here we went to Michael's to pick up some blue ribbon for the family Christening Gown. Then we took out the pink ribbon and threaded the blue in, which wasn't the easiest task known to man. It was made by Pat's Great-Grandma in 1917, and over 50 family members (including Pat's mom, Pat, etc) have been baptized in it. Its a beautiful linen gown with two cotton petticoats - you put either pink or blue ribbon in it depending on, of course, if its a girl or boy. A boy might look funny in a dress, but considering the historical / sentimental value, I'd put the boy in a tutu if it was a family tradition. It is quite pretty, but the outer gown is a bit delicate!

:::::::: FIRST TRIP OUT ::::::::

We had a trip yesterday out to Indiana to visit Kristen & the kids...Mike was in Vegas for work (but we saw him earlier in the week). Its about an hour away, so it worked out well - I fed Liam and then we headed out, and he pretty much slept the entire way. Then we went to Portage to watch Patricia play soccer - I got a couple of cool shots....it was nice to have the kids get some Grandma time, and also just to get outside for a while, because it was GORGEOUS out yesterday (as it was today as well). I tend to spend a lot of time cooped up inside, because its kind of a pain to go out . I'll admit, I don't like taking a fussy baby out in public. Its easier when you have a troop though - so having Pat and his Mom was cool.

Here are a couple photos from the day - first of Patricia kickin' some serious mid field butt, then of my favorite men.




That last picture pretty much sums up Liam for the entire day - bump on a log. Hey, I'd rather have a bump on a log baby than a screaming one any day! I'd call the day a success! Note Liam's outfit - Pat picked that up at Carters last week.....apparently, it is Liam's official Saturday Football Watching With Dad outfit. The hood is the cutest, isn't it?!?! The third picture makes me all mushy - isn't Pat the handsomest? *sigh* he's so dreamy, and SUCH a great dad, I could not ask for a better man :)

:::::::: LAST BUT NOT LEAST ::::::::

My fabulous Creative Team Designer, Shannon Lee Carlson, did the sweetest thing for me and another girl on the team who gave birth to a beautiful baby boy around the same time as Liam. She created kits for the newborns - one for Liam and one for Jack! I was so touched....got me all teary eyed and stuff! Here's Liam's kit, available for purchase at The Digi Chick:

And here's the first Layout I created with it....you can see all the credits HERE.

Scrappage....

Credits HERE

Labor Day Weekend photos :)

OK, as promised here are a few from this weekend. To see the full set, check out FLICKR My apologies for the overexposed ones......I tried my hardest to not shoot in full auto mode, and I'm still getting the hang of the light exposure/aperture thing.......






I think this is my favorite one......mostly because everyone is chasing little Michael, and every single one of them is smiling! Its just a good, wholesome, family fun shot!

Pat was trying to juke out his brother, and apparently the ol' legs aren't as limber as they used to be......so he took a little schpeel. Makes for a funny photo montage though :) Click on it to make it larger and see how silly he is!





These pics are also from this weekend (I made Pat do a mini-photo shoot with me. He loooooves those :) ) But I already scrapped them......came out pretty nice I think! You can see the credits HERE.

Little Miss Impatient Pants

*sigh* I had another check up this morning. Little to no change/improvement from last week. I realize it doesn't mean anything. Heck, they could check me at 3 cm and I could stay that way for a couple weeks , just as I could be at 1 cm and go into labor tomorrow. Its just so frustrating, because I WANT to see some progression here!!! I want to know when to expect this little person to arrive! I'm SOOO impatient! I guess I just don't like the anticipation, nor do I like the not knowing. It all goes back to all my control issues I have, I suppose.

UGH

Dr. guestimates baby at around 6 - 6 1/2 pounds right now. He said today "if you go to full term, this baby won't be a shrimp, that's for sure". Great. I've been trying to mentally prepare myself for a 12 pound baby, but wouldn't it be so much easier/quicker if it were just an itty bitty 6 pounder? I'm really not thinking that's gonna happen though. But, I suppose since God gave me this big ol' child bearing hips, I might as well put them to good use and pop out giant babies!

Side note, an old wives tale states that if you have heartburn, you're going to have a hairy baby. I recently read that there have been studies to confirm this tale. Something about the same hormone that relaxes the esophagus and contributes to heartburn (in addition to the fact that your stomach is all squished to high heaven sharing prime real estate with the baby) has been noted to be the same hormone that is responsible for fetal hair growth. Hmm.....interesting.

Given that A) I've had wicked aweful heartburn over this last trimester and B) Baby Daddy is a rather big fuzz ball himself - I'm sure I'll have a baby that more resembles a monchhichi than the bald baby I was (I don't think I had hair until I was 3.....). What do you think? There's still lots of potential for cuteness through the fuzz, eh?


And dammit - now I can't get the Monchhichi song out of my head.

oh, Happy Labor Day weekend to everyone!!! Summer is officially over.....almost! We're headed to Michael & Kristen's tomorrow morning for the weekend. It will be nice to visit some family again.....especially since they don't live far away :) Its still within my one hour radius of the hospital my Dr. says I'm allowed to roam freely in.

::::::::::: AND NOW, YOUR MOMENT OF SCRAPPING ZEN :::::::::::

Chicago Botanic Gardens: The End of Summer [Credits]


Journaling Reads:

The end of August. The end of Summer.

But all is not ending. This means that September is almost here, and September brings the beginning of a new life for us! This day, we took advantage of one of our last days alone as a couple, and took a walk around the Chicago Botanic Gardens...enjoying each others company, the scenery and the warm late summer sunshine. Don't get me wrong, we love each other so much, but we can't wait until our new addition arrives! Bring on the Fall!