Controlled Chaos

Tuesday=Random

 I know I've been a bad blogger!  I haven't updated in over a week!  I'm fired!

Soooo, first...I have to give some Birthday Lurve to my super awesome friend Kimmi!  Happy Bday girlie, I love ya!

Kimmi is 23 today, and is in the midst of unpacking her new home...so, I hope you get a break today to celebrate big!

Here is a layout I made for her about an hour ago!  Thank God the kids were actually sleeping so I got to scrap!

 I'm super excited about this layout though, for real..I actually used cardstock!  I was talking somewhere about how I never use Cardstock anymore on layouts..I always seem to use patterned paper as a background...so this time, I thought I'd try it!  And I love how it turned out!  Now maybe I can use up the hundreds of pieces of Cardstock I have in my shelf! 

In other scrappy news...Courtney is going to put up the Design Team Contestants' layouts and projects up on the Chatterblog this week!  I can't wait to show everyone what I made, and I am way curious about what the other contestants made!

Also, Courtney started a Book Study on "The Artists' Way" on her blog!  I joined in, and I'm so excited to get into this book!  It already seems totally inspiring, and I've been needing the extra push lately to get creative.  Sometimes life just seems to get in the way and completely block my creative energy. 

So, in exciting news on the Jones' front...Jake is REALLY close to being completely potty-trained!  I'm so proud of him!  He went all day yesterday in underwear (Batman Boxer Briefs, soooo totally cute) and NO ACCIDENTS!  I can't say the same for today, but so far no pee pee accidents, he just ummm, sort of...pooped on a towel.  Don't ask me why...he is super scared of pooping on the potty, as was Joey...and Jake knows he shouldn't poo in his underoos...so I'm thinking, he had to go...and went to the bathroom, and decided pooping on a towel was the best alternative????? After I had cleaned him up and the towel...he looks up at me and says: "I promise I will never poop on a towel again."  LOL..GOOD! 

Oh, and a Curves update!  I'm doing SOOO good at Curves!  I have gone 6 days a week every week, and this is the beginning of my fourth week!  I started their program called "Curves Smart" which is super cool..it basically tracks your own personal progress, and adjusts the machines resistance to meet your fitness level...There is also a computer that you plug your id tag into at the end of your workout and it will tell you how many calories you burned during your work out and where you have improved in your training...so anyway..basically I have steadily improved during each workout and have been burning between 410-450 calories a workout!  Not bad for a half hour, huh?!  I'm really liking my "me-time" that I get everday.  I have never enjoyed working out, but I am excited everyday to go to Curves.  I have made some friends, and even found two scrapbookers!  It's seriously the best thing I've ever done for myself!

So that's pretty much what's been going on here, I will leave you with my layout for TDX 23!  Our prompt this week was scrapping your best friend..here is mine: My mom...

I promise to be a better blogger!  I will update tomorrow (hopefully ;-) with new pics and a couple videos!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday is here!

I love me some Fridays!  How bout you? 

I don't have a whole lot to share, so I how bout some layouts?!

I can't show you the super FUN and adorable projects I got to make for Chatterbox just yet, but hopefully soon!  Keep your fingers crossed that yours truly will be among the lucky few to make their DT!  I am still completely flabbergasted that I made it this far, seriously sooo humbling.

Here are my August layouts for phuctchsketches.....

Bjorn Love

Journaling:

I wish we had discovered the beauty that is the Baby Bjorn a few years ago!  It's been so fun and convenient to carry you around in the carrier!  I truly feel like it has helped us bond, and made me feel so close to you, little girl.  Being able to lean down and smooch the top of your head while walking through the mall, or being able to have hands free to hold onto your brothers, has helped out immensely.  I love being able to have your little head rest on my chest while I go about my daily chores.  Thank god for the Bjorn!

Beach Baby

Journaling:

You were so cute playing at the beach!  Sitting in your American flag swim suit bikini, you would tentatively touch the sand, then grab a handful and try to eat it!

Here was my TDX #21 layout:

Behind These Hazel Eyes

Journaling:

Before I drift off to sleep, I usually spend way too much time obsessing about what I've done wrong that day...Too many carbs, too much yelling, etc...It's an evil and unfair ritual..a mental beating before bedtime.

So, two weeks ago I decided to do something for myself.  I joined Curves. 
I have been thinking about it for a very long time, my mom has been going for 2 years, and loves it.  So, I finally decided to do it!   I have to say that it is amazing!  I am a person who HATES to work out...I mean HATE it, with a huge passion.  Give me a food plan, and I'll stick to it for a year without wavering, but do not ask me to work out! 
So, I was fully expecting to super hate this, i went in optimistic, but in the back of my mind thought that I would absolutely hate  it.  Boy was I wrong!  Time seriously just flys by when I am there!   You stay on each machine for 30 seconds, so by the time you are getting tired of a machine, you are moving on to the next, so there is never any time to be bored, or to think about how much you hate working out. 
I get to weigh in and do my measurements again in 4 weeks, so I am super excited to see what my progress has been, because I have gone 12 out of the last fourteen days, so I am feeling proud and for me this is a huge accomplishment! 

Anyone have any fitness tips or high protein recipes they want to share?  Leave me a comment, or drop me a line at scraphappychick3@hotmail.com...if i get good ones, I'll share them here!  I am thinking I would like to write about my progress here, because announcing things here will definitely keep me accountable, and trust me, I need accountability!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!  I am going to be working on some projects for My Acrylic Album and working on my next TDX layout!

Talk soon!

Nothing feels as good as a haircut!

Whatcha Think?!

Me thinks I LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!

TDX #20 and CHA fun!

TDX #20 is now up! 

This weeks' challenge was about our homes, and what we love about them...here is my layout:

Gates + Sidewalks = <3

Journaling:

As silly as it sounds, my favorite thing about our new house is the neighborhood we live in. Being in a gated community makes me feel secure. It make me feel like my kids are safe, makes me feel like I am in the middle of Pleasantville. And equally as exciting to me are the sidewalks. I know it's weird, but living in an area with no sidewalks for 5 years has been hard. Now I am free to take the kids for a walk around the block without the fear of cars whizzing by, or strollers being stuck in gravel (something I have experienced many times!) I finally feel like we are HOME. I finally feel like we are where we are meant to be.

 

 

Check out this weeks RAK, it's awesome!

 

So,. I finally got around to editing my CHA pics!  I swear I feel like I haven't been home for two weeks, well, actually that's almost true! 

 

Here are some fun pics!

 

Here are all of us girlies, having a blast!

 

From left to right: (Jen, Michelle M, Michelle Q, ME!, Moe, Second Row: Kimmi, Jenn, Tonya)

 

 

This is us downtown Chicago, on Michigan Ave:

 

 

This is us at the fountains in Millennium Park, we were trying to do a group shot on a bench, which consisted of me setting the timer on my camera, running to the end of the group hoping I made it in time!  LOL!

 

 

This is us in the "Bean" in Millennium Park, it's pretty cool!

 

 

 

 

 

Here are some pics from downtown..I have to say, Chicago is just stunning.  I've been to plenty of big cities, and living in the Seattle area, I'm very used to going downtown...but never have I seen such a well kept, CLEAN downtown before!  It was just beautiful, not a spot of graffiti, nary a piece of gum on the sidewalk, truly a BEAUTIFUL city!  I would love to go back soon!

 

 

 

 

 

And quite possibly my favorite thing from CHA was this!!  A wall of thickers, what else could a girl wish for?  I pretty much wanted to throw myself at this display and touch all of them!  Ok, that sounds weird, but they probably would have noticed if someone was carrying a giant wall of thickers out the door!  I'm totally envisioning a layout with this pic called "Heaven Incarnate!"

 

 

I have lots more pics of CHA to share as well as beach pics too!  Plus, I'm hoping to actually scrap for the first time in two whole weeks!  I think I'm going into withdrawal!!

Thank god for random wifi....

I am at the beach right now, with the kiddos, and the family, having a grand ole time!

This is where we are: Pacific Beach, WA

I found someone's unlocked wifi signal to bounce off of, so I thought I would say hello! 

CHA was a blast!  I haven't had time to upload any pics yet, because I left for the beach the day after I got back from CHA, soo, there will be many pictures to come!  It was so cool to see my layouts and projects in the booths!  I had layouts in the Moxxie booth, My Little Shoebox, and C&T Publishing!  I also sent off a mini for My Acrylic Album that was at a different convention in CA at the same time as CHA.  I was a busy bee the week before I left!

Anyway, the kids are down at the water with my mom and sister, and I'm sitting here while Lily naps, so I probably don't have a ton of time to sit and blog!  So, that being said, how bout some pics I took yesterday at the beach?

Doesn't Lily look adorable?  You can't really tell, but her swimsuit looks like the American Flag, and of course her sweet little headband made by Krista..she makes the CUTEST baby headbands, and even sells them on etsy!  You can check out her store here; Maddy And Me Boutique

And Jakey would NOT go toward the water, but really enjoyed digging in the sand!  He loved to bury his toes and look at me and say: "MOM!  My toes are missing!!!"

 

And I Joey loved going in the water!  We couldn't keep him out of the ocean, even though it was FREEZING!  This is the Pacific Northwest!  Not CA!! LOL!

And here are a couple cute shots of me and the younger kiddos..I just couldn't get Joey to stop running around like a crazy person!

So, we head out Saturday morning, and are going to the Carpenters Picnic at the Carpenters lake, where we were two weekends ago!  Busy busy busy!  I hope to be able to post more soon!

My Little Shoebox Sneaks!!!

Here are some layouts and projects I made using the new lines from My Little Shoebox, Orange Marmalade and Sugar High!

Orange Marmalade:

U R Sweet:

Snow Day:

This is an altered Chalk Board I made for the fridge!  It's beautiful AND functional!  LOL!

Sugar High:

You Crawled Today:

Sun Baby:

So, I'm packing and getting ready to leave for CHA tomorrow!  I'm soooo excited!  There is still so much to do, and I'm really nervous to be leaving the kids...I've NEVER flown out of state without the kids and I've never left Lily for the weekend before...so needless to say, I'll be calling home a million times, and probably crying when I leave!  But I know we're gonna have a blast and it'll be okay. 

Oh!  So, we went to the Lake on Sunday..I'll post the super cute pics I took when I get back...but anyway, I of course put sunscreen all over the kids, but who did I forget to put sunscreen on? Oh yeah..me.  I SCORCHED my face sooooo bad!  Really, it's horrible..and to make matters worse, somehow I managed to not burn the middle of my forehead, so I have a giant white spot right smack in the middle of my head.  Hot huh?  LOL!  So now it's peeling, and hopefully I won't be too tomato-like for CHA!

If you are going to CHA, be sure to stop by the Moxxie booth and the My Little Shoebox booth to see my projects!

I'm off to pack!

Happiness Is...

Cute new kicks!

Gotta love Wal*Mart! Less than 8 bucks for these cuties!!!!

Ignore the bruises on my ankles..LOL... that's what I get for moving a desk upstairs by myself!  I banged the crap outta my ankles, calves and knees, and screwed up my ankle bone!  What was I thinking?! LOL!

Settling in....

I'm sorry I've been such a BAD blogger lately! 

We are still trying to unpack, but we are slackers and are failing miserably..LOL...with James working 60-70 hours a week, and me with all the kids, frantically trying to churn out DT work before CHA next week, unpacking has fallen to the wayside! 

So what's been going on this week you ask?  Well, we've been hanging out with BIL, he turned 16 on the 8th, and we're taking him to Chuck E. Cheese's this weekend to celebrate, (he totally picked it, not us!)  So the kids should enjoy that...

Lily got her first tooth on July 6th, and her second on the 8th!  She now has two little tiny bottom nubs, it's so cute!  I can't believe how big she is getting!  

So, I was given the okay to post some of my DT work for Moxxie!  I've made a bunch of LO's with the May releases, The Baseball, Softball, Camping, and Bachelor/Bachelorette lines!  You can check out the May releases on the Moxxie Site, and you can see all the new releases for CHA on the Moxxie blog!

Here are my projects:

Baseball With Daddy:

This line is the Baseball line from Moxxie....everything on her is Moxxie! I love these pics of James and Jake from May...so cute!

Journaling:
I love these photos of you and Daddy so much Jakey!  Daddy sure loves you boys, and it's so fun to watch him teach you boy things, like how to hit a baseball, or throw the perfect curveball.  I hope you always remember how much Daddy loves you and cherishes the time you spend together.

Queen Of The Stump:

Journaling:
Every year we spend together in Birch Bay for our "All Girls Camping Trip" is always a blast!  One memorable year we found this stump, and  all four of us "youngins" decided to climb it!  Of course, Sarah, the most adventurous of us all, made it to the top first!  She was declared: "Queen Of The Stump!"

The Annual All Girls Camping Trip:

Journaling:
This year was very bittersweet.   It was the very last year that we all got together in Birch Bay.  Some of us got married, had babies, or went to college.  More than 10 years of memories, yet still some of the most fun I have EVER had! 


For The Bride:

A card of the Bride To Be.  On this one I used a rub on that said "Bridal Shower"  I cut out the "al" on Bridal and the "Showr" on Shower, connected the e to the Brid, and created the work Bride! 

I am going to be posting more, I promise! 

I am getting so excited for CHA!  It's a week from today, and I am nervous!  I don't know why I am so nervous!  I am really excited to get to meet those people who are my "online buddies" but really so much more than that!  These people have become a daily part of my life, and are so special to me, even though we have never met face to face. 
I think it's just a fear of not being liked.  You know?  That maybe online I'm super fun, but in real life, they will think I'm boring?  Or my ass is too big?  LOL, or whatever...I'm sure once we get there, it won't even matter!  I am definitely counting down the days!

More Soon, I promise!

So, I still have a TON to unpack, and we just picked up my brother in law from the train station, so I have a lot on my plate at the moment!  But, I will be posting some pics from the fourth in the next few days, and hopefully some layouts too!

In the meantime, here is a super cute vid of Lily, sorta crawling for the first time!  (This was July 3rd) She wanted my water cup SOOOO badly, that she was almost willing to crawl across the room for it!  Also starring in the video, Our dog's head, boxes, boxes, boxes, and a bag of dog food...eh.

Well, I'm back! Sorta....

So we finally have internet at the new house!  Yay!  I thought I was going to go INSANE!  It's sad really, just how dependent I am on the internet...but oh well!  I'm just glad I can get back to stalking her, and her, and her, and this!

We are pretty much all moved out of the old house.  Our last load is tonight!  YAY!  Just the stand up freezer and some miscellaneous things from the garage and we're done!  The only downside is that we cannot walk in the new garage!  YIKES!  It's SOOOOO full! 

I am LOVING our new place SO much!  The kitchen is sooo much more functional and BEAUTIFUL!  The backyard is great for the dog and the kids, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE our master bath and it's BIG circular tub! 

Amidst all the packing and moving, Lily had her 6 month check up on Thursday afternoon.  I know she is 7 months old now, but we have rescheduled this darn appointment so many times now!  Our doctor just loves her!   And how could he not?  She is the cutest thing ever!  She was weighed and measured at the appointment, and I told my mom that I thought she would be about 14-15 pounds and 27 inches tall. 

Well, I was half right.  She was exactly 27 inches long, which by the way, is like freakishly long for a baby her age!  I'm guessing she is going to take after her daddy! (who is 6'3!)  Our oldest son, Joey, was 27 inches tall on his first birthday, so that should give you some perspective on just how tall she is! 

Her weight...13.1 lbs!  She has gained only 5 pounds since birth.  I was shocked at how little she is, but she is  still in the 25th percentile for babies her age, so the doctor wasn't concerned.  Coupled with the fact that she LOVES to eat, he said she will probably just be a tall and skinny kid, and have a fast metabolism, which, with my genes, thank god.  Otherwise she could have ended up with my big ass! 

She really does love to eat though, she has tried all the baby food veggies and most of the fruits!  She definitely has favorites...She LOVES squash, green beans, carrots, bananas, apples and pears!  She would probably be happy if I never bought sweet potatoes or peas ever again!  Which is funny, because those are probably the vegetables I loathe the most, well those and lima beans!  YUCK!

Anyway, I should really unpack something.  LOL!  I have been avoiding it all day, and now that it's 3, I should probably get my butt up and do something! 

Here are a couple pics of Lily at 7 months..isn't she the cutest?!  She is so full of spunk, and she is sooo inquisitive!  I am just so in love with this little girl, and I can't believe it's been 7 months already!