Time Flies When You're Having Fun - FWF #21

 

Fun times ahead! Friday is our 16th wedding anniversary - we're pretty proud of that number, but we were together for eight years before that. SOOOO... we've been together for a mighty long time, more than half of our lives! Funny how when I look at my husband, he still looks like the same young man I fell in love with all those years ago. :)

 

 

Naturally, I wanted to make him a card to celebrate. I found a new sketch blog (Feeling Sketchy) and really liked their most recent sketch, which you can find here.

 

Here's the front... I used Happy Happy Anniversary and I Loaf You. The bread loaf with the extra slice was a little too big for this sketch, so I cut the slice off...

 

 ...and put it on the inside, with another sentiment from I Loaf You. Since my husband likes to bake bread (from scratch) in his spare time, I thought he would get an extra kick out of this card. We'll see!

 

 

For my new recipe of the week, I made some Chili Lime Chicken. I couldn't make up my mind on how to cook it (slow cooker? skillet?) but finally decided on skillet - and then the rest of the family ended up going out to the local minor league baseball game (see pic below), so nobody else tasted it. BUT - it was really tasty! I used red pepper flakes instead of the jalapenos (for the sake of the kids - before I realized they wouldn't be around to eat it anyway), so it still had a small jolt. The flavoring was VERY good. I will definitely be making this again soon... :)

 

So here the kids with the baseball mascot, Bernie. I gotta say, it's pretty amazing how good some cell phone cameras are getting - I was thrilled when DaddyDude sent this picture! Bernie is usually an elusive creature, so the girls got really lucky he posed with them.

 

Hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting!



For Those Left Behind Blog Hop (Entry 5 of 5)

Patterned papers, journaling block & various sentiments (Fancy Pants "Family" collection), butterflies (MM Paper Reverie Noir), alcohol ink (Denim - Ranger Inks), twine (MME Funday), epoxy metal embellishments (American Crafts), adhesive (OMC, Xyron, Snake Tape), plastic stars (MM acetate packaging), glue dots, Fiskars border punch, tacky glue (for butterfly antennae)

Last but not least, my final project combined 2 different challenges:
1. raebae – http://kitchentablescrapper.blogspot.com/ MAKE A PROJECT CELEBRATING EVERY DAY MOMENTS (NOT CELEBRATIONS THAT OCCUR EACH YEAR)
2. NanCDru – Char http://craftychicchar.blogspot.com/2012/06/for-those-who-are-left-behind-blog-hop.html PROJECT USING ALCOHOL INKS

As many of you know, I hate having my picture taken (with a passion). So, any picture of the girls and me is pretty uncommon. However, I do like this picture, because we were cuddling together to stay warm and well... I think I have pretty cute kids. :)

This was also my first time experimenting with alcohol inks. I had found a great link summarizing the various ways you can use them. Apparently, somebody on Two Peas has hosted a free class on how to use alcohol inks, complete with youtube videos. I'm going to have to check that class out!

I did not get to one challenge, because I only had time to grab a handful of pictures before I shot out the door:
1. mom2tayandbay – www.talesoftayandbay.blogspot.com LAYOUT WITH A DESTINATION/TRAVEL THEME

The challenge is supposed to be about getting to your destination (not actually being there) and unfortunately, I don't have anything that will fit the bill. At least, nothing printed out. I wonder if I can pull a picture off of my blog... hmmm...

For Those Left Behind - Final Entry!

Patterned papers (Fancy Pants "Family" collection), diecut "Spoiled Rotten" sentiment (Fancy Pants "About a Girl"), bling (MM gems), puffy alphabet (MM), red shimmer alphabet (Pink Paislee "Old School"), flowers (Imaginisce), ink (AC precision marker), adhesives (Xyron, OMC, Snake Tape, Glue dots), Fiskars border punch, scalloped ruler for tearing

I realized that there was a Walgreens nearby, so I grabbed the picture I wanted off my blog and got it developed. The resolution is pretty low, but it did come out well enough to be used. After all these years of being a little cramped in the backseat, the girls finally have room to spread out in DaddyDude's new truck. Even Grandma likes to ride in the backseat, because it's no longer a tight squeeze!

So, I was able to complete the final (12th) challenge for the "For Those Left Behind" blog hop:
1. mom2tayandbay – www.talesoftayandbay.blogspot.com LAYOUT WITH A DESTINATION/TRAVEL THEME

Vegas, Baby!

I know, I know... I'm a little bit behind. School is finally out and I've got a few minutes to post about our Vegas trip (Memorial Day weekend).

First of all, you'll notice that the girls (and bears) all look pretty comfortable and happy, don't they? It was pretty amazing (to me) how much more spacious DaddyDude's new truck was. He really enjoyed being able to cram all sorts of stuff in the back (baseball gear, cooler, luggage, etc.) without worrying about whether or not it'd all fit. I don't think a single bear hit the floor the entire trip! That's something!

We stayed at a place called The Orleans - here's the view from the room during the daytime. It's incredible how these places are designed to provide everything you need  - so you don't have much of a reason to leave. Let me tell you... I really enjoyed not having to cook!

The girls insisted on visiting the pool a couple of times, of course. The weather was rather odd the first day - it was extremely windy (Marika actually got blown over!) so our visit to the pool that day was rather short.

And here's the reason we were in Vegas anyway - baseball! All of the high school fields and park fields were extremely well-maintained. They were gorgeous! It's interesting how much money they seem to have to use on public properties... but about the tournament - DaddyDude's team was in the wrong age division (25+, should have been in 35+ - don't ask, there were annoying reasons why that happened) and ended up losing every game (mercied out 2 of the 4 games). Oh, well...

The girls were troopers and didn't complain once about all the waiting and watching. I guess they are pretty well-trained, though... :)

They did manage to get some of their own practicing in, too. Marika loves to wear Mika's old face mask. I'm not really sure why... Mika is slowly getting used to wearing her retainer.

We were fortunate to have enough time on Saturday evening, to visit Caesar's Palace and - on the way back to the shuttle - catch 2 showings of the Bellagio water show. It's always a breathtaking display!

And lo and behold - the rare family photo! Please note that everybody looks happy. :)

We did try to visit Viva Las Vegas Stamps, but they were closed. I mean, their sign said "OPEN" and we were there during their regularly scheduled shop hours, but nobody would answer the door! I was really bummed! I guess it wasn't meant to be...

Something New (EP Grand Slam Mini Kit)

Materials used: patterned papers, sticker, and pictures (Echo Park Grand Slam mini kit), cardstock (Bazzill), rhinestones (MM Paper Reverie Gems & Brads - Noir), rick rack ribbon (Fancy Pants), marker (American Crafts), adhesive (Snake Tape), baseball die (Quickutz)

Another cropchocolate.com challenge completed! For this challenge, we were supposed to break out "something new"... so I selected Echo Park's Grand Slam mini kit. I had purchased it especially for DaddyDude's baseball pictures, but since I had only a few sheets and four pictures, I decided to do some old-fashioned color blocking...

{finally}

CC materials: Teresa Collins 12x12 Giving Thanks Stripes and Tags, 12x12 paper from Echo Park's Apothecary & Be Mine collections, MME Lush Orange ribbon, AC Black Precision Pen, AC Thickers, MM Clears (brackets)

The Cropchocolate.com challenge this week was to create a masculine layout using an element that was clear or transparent. I used some Making Memories brackets from their "Clears" collections. I hope it doesn't look too Halloween-y, but the Orioles do share the same colors.

How many hours in the day would be best?

I just don't feel like here are enough hours in the day, to get everything done that I want to get done. Everything has a priority, though, so some things get done sooner than others. On the other hand, certain things suddenly get high priority - for instance, when I can no longer safely walk around the girls' room because it's so messy... well - it's time for serious business! The girls were supposed to go to the batting cages with their father on Saturday, but were terrified of leaving me alone in the house - in case I decided to throw everything away. Within a few hours, we had cleaned out their closet (the pile going to Goodwill is a small mountain... between their closet and mine!) and the path was clear for me to organize their books (again). Cleaning has a high priority for the next few days, since DaddyDude is hosting a work gathering on Wednesday...

The girls' softball season started a few weeks ago. Life is busy, especially Mondays through Thursdays, when the girls have to frantically finish their homework and try to relax a little bit, before softball practice. Marika has had (optional) practice on the weekends (Mika is supposed to, but they haven't started up yet) and the games will start next week. ALREADY! Busy, busy...



Patterned papers and cardstock - all from Echo Park's SPLASH collection. Tools used: QK label die, 4x8 license plate alphabet, and Fiskars border punch

Of course, I always have to make time to participate in Cropchocolate.com challenges. This week, the goal was to create a project using ONLY the primary colors of red, blue, and yellow. To me, this color combination screams "school"... so I decided to dress up some cans for the girls' homework pencils and erasers. I cannot tell you how frustrating it is to watch them scrounge around for a pencil (we have hundreds in the house) and then fail to use a proper eraser, so their homework looks terrible! So now... they have no excuses!

DaddyDude's been playing a lot of baseball... the team has been doing pretty well!

I, of course, always enjoy the chance to whip out the camera and get some good action shots...

And one of the girls' favorite weekend activities is to attend the Lowes Build & Grow clinics. This past Saturday, they made a "rumblin' race car". They are getting better and better at doing things on their own (although it's hard work for Marika to hammer a lot - she needs to eat more protein!). They got their own pair of safety glasses this time.

Apparently, kids can do weird things with safety glasses... who is this strange kid...?

Freedom and fly balls

We removed my steri-strips on Friday. The scabs still have to come off but things look pretty good! In the past, people with ACL surgery had had huge jagged scars afterwards. The biggest incision was the bottom one (about 1", running horizontally) while the upper two (vertical) are pretty small, less than 1 cm. At my physical therapy appointment today, my PT person was amazed at how small and subtle the incisions were. I'm thrilled! And today... my knee brace was completely unlocked. This means I can start building up my quads again, since my leg is going to have to start working again (I no longer have to walk completely straight-legged). The muscle atrophy after 2 wk was astonishing and shocking.  

We had a very busy holiday weekend! Mika had a soccer tournament and DaddyDude had a baseball tournament. I gave DaddyDude persmission to go play and not worry about missing Mika's games (her team lost both pretty badly, so he didn't miss much), but it was rather difficult to get around (I still had to bring and set up the soccer banner), since the soccer fields were very clumpy (weird grass). Saturday morning, Mika also had her softball evaluations. The girls are all ranked on hitting, throwing, pitching, and fielding (grounders and fly-balls) - using these rankings, the teams are formed as they're as equal as possible. Mika did pretty well (batting is definitely her weak spot) and we had fun saying hello to many old friends.

DaddyDude had a great time playing ball this weekend! We couldn't make it to any of his games until Sunday afternoon. I finally got the shot I'd been wanting for years - unfortunately it's a blurry (my camera's not great) but there's DaddyDude, sliding under a tag at home plate. So cool!

Unfortunately, they ended up in second place but it was a really exciting game (final score: 5-3). I love how all of the guys posed so well (unlike little kids)! DaddyDude got an unexpected surprise when he was awarded the Golden Glove plaque - he had made some really nice saves and outs. We are very proud of him!!!

Weird weather

Sundays are "Sports Day" for the adults in the household. DaddyDude looks forward all week for his baseball game, just like I look forward to my soccer games. He got to play, but I didn't - because of some whacky weather. Rain in July is highly unusual but yesterday, we got 0.25" of precipitation.

Here are some hard-core baseball fans! Ultimately, the girls took my big umbrella while I was stuck holding the tiny Hannah Montana umbrella... right behind home plate. I'm sure the pitchers really enjoyed the flashes of pink! By 2 pm, my soccer game had been cancelled, which gave us extra time to prep for an upcoming trip out of town...

Part of the reason I anticipate my soccer games is to see how far the rehabilitation of my knee is progressing. It's hard to tell on a short 7x7 field, because you can't really do any long runs - all I can tell is that my reflexes are still a bit slow (lots of cutting and lunging) - but on the full field, I'll be able to see how fast I can sprint. I'm running the usual again (6 miles/day) but my right knee is still a little flabby (the skin still has to shrink more), I have a big "dead spot" where I have absolutely no sensation (it's really freaky!), and my right quad muscle is noticeably smaller than my left. It really is amazing how only a few weeks of inactivity can have such a prolonged impact...

July Monochromatic Project

Our July Chocolatier project was to create some sort of a monochromatic project. I decided to make a flower topiary, something I'd been wanting to do for quite some time. It was a little time-consuming, but rather simple to make. I used 4 sheets of Echo Park cardstock and cut each into 3x3 inch squares (I used exactly 64 flowers to make this topiary).

Here's a closer look at the flower ball. It's monochromatic for the most part, but since the cardstock is double-sided, it was unavoidable that the backside would sometimes show. This inspired me to use some of my "just-received" Making Memories Paper Reverie Noir butterflies, securing them with MM Wedding pins. I thought the grey tones of the butterflies blended very nicely with the grey backgrounds of the pink cardstock.

Here's another close-up of the flower ball. You can see the individual flowers quite nicely here - they don't all look the same, which makes it look more natural (in my opinion).

So how do you make these flowers? I surfed the internet looking for ideas on how to make paper roses. There are several websites and videos out there, detailing this particular technique - I just skipped the step of drawing a spiral (I would feel compelled to erase it) and saved more time by using a pair of deco scissors to cut the spiral.

Once you've cut the spiral, you simply roll up the strip from the outside to the inside. The center piece acts as the base. Release the spiral until the flower is the right size and shape - then just glue things down at the bottom. Glue the flowers to the styrofoam ball and voila! You've got yourself a topiary!

In other news... it was a rather busy weekend. Mika's All Stars team decided to fund-raise at the local 7-11 gas station. I was very surprised, but it went extremely well - after only 2 hours, the girls had raised a few hundred dollars. People (by and large) were very kind and generous and the girls were extremely fortunate! After 2 hours, though, they were pretty pooped out - but the 7-11 manager gave us all free Slurpees so that made everything better!

The team still had practice afterwards. Marika was lucky... she helped to field balls in the outfield (she even stopped the ball once and threw it into the infield, lickety-split!) and the coach let her bat, too. She hit a triple her first time (the first baseman missed the ball so the coach sent her on)! All of the girls on the team were so sweet to her (I was afraid they'd be resentful), congratulating her on her hitting and helping her put on her batting helmet. It was so cute!

After practice, the girls got together at the local pizza joint for a pizza party. It was fun to hang out with some of the other parents and the girls had fun playing games, too. Coach Brian came over to us and said, "Man, your little one is going to ROCK (in softball) when she gets older!" This made us very happy to hear... :)

On Saturday, we took the girls to their very first Lowe's clinic. We had to register online, but that was about the hardest thing we had to do. The girls got two projects to do (see above) and we discovered that Lowe's actually sells little DIY kits for kids! You can find them in the tool area... we bought quite a few (especially those on clearance, because goodness knows when you'll find them again)... it seems like a good Christmas gift idea for anybody with little boys...

While Marika went to a birthday party and Mika went to more All-Stars practice, I went to a baby shower hosted by one of my soccer buddies. Part of the reason I probably enjoy playing soccer so much is that soccer chicks are an interesting bunch! It was fun to hang out (although I was asked to show off my knee on a couple of occasions, and one friend kept poking me, with suggestions on what might possibly be wrong with me) and just chill. I liked this diaper cake that somebody made... and isn't that a great skunk? There were lots of cute clothes (especially for a boy baby) but I did NOT feel the baby pull. Nope, I am totally done! :)

Today wasn't very relaxing either - before we took the girls to a skating party, we went to Daddy Dude's baseball game. He's back at the old field, which I don't particularly like because it's hot and dirty (the ballpark). However, it was nice to finally have a working scoreboard! Just look at the final game stars, though - Daddy Dude's team was the home team, so they won, but it was a very... FLAT... game. Who gets more runs than hits in a game and still wins?!

Summer is Coming!

We were finally able to celebrate Daddy Dude's birthday the following Saturday. The girls really wanted a balloon animal - here's what they got! Lucky for us, we took a picture, because Marika was devastated a couple of days later, when the ear of her bear came undone and he started to look peculiar. :)

Softball is starting to wind down. Marika usually plays pitcher, but she got to play first base a couple of times. Here she is, making a nice catch at the base. The only position she hasn't played yet has been catcher - I think we'll have to request it, just to get some pictures!

Mika only has a couple of games left. Her team just clinched first place and it's been a great season - the girls have learned how to work really well as a team and the improvement in each girl has been quite noticeable. Her coach is applying for the position of the All Stars coach at their level - if he gets it, he's already said he would like Mika to be on the team. We're thrilled about this, because she'll get to play softball for two months of the summer! We don't mind that she'll continue to have practices twice a week and a tournament every weekend - she enjoys playing and she's quite good at it. Practice makes perfect! Here she is, working on her sliding technique - what better reason to rip the knees on your pants? ;)

Summer is coming! Instead of heading to the park with her good buddy Brock, Marika was invited to try out their Slip & Slide. I think this is the first time she's ever been on one and well... she hasn't quite mastered the sliding part yet. She just couldn't relax enough to slide on her belly and into the little pool at the end. Maybe the next time!

Later that evening, because the girls didn't have softball practice and our awesome next-door neighbor offered us free tickets, we went to a 66ers game. This was especially nice because we never managed to make it to a game all last season. And just look at our seats - we were just behind third base and right next to the dugout. We were a bit on edge all the time (in case a ball came flying by) but what a great view! The bullpen was also directly to our left and we were fortunate enough to see the pitchers warming up.

Our next-door neighbor was able to get us free tickets because it was a special day at the ballpark for their high school. I have to say, their mascots are adorable! A famous alum was on hand to throw the first pitch - Shareece Wright (second from the right).

Since our next-door neighbor (back middle in the picture) was a mentor to Shareece, we were able to get a picture with him. So, one day the girls can show this picture to their friends and say they were photographed with an NFL player! Yup, Shareece was drafted last week in the third round to the San Diego Chargers. Some of you may be familiar with his name, as he played with the USC Trojans during his college career. Kirk has been talking about Shareece and Allen Bradford (another famous alum from their school - drafted in the sixth round for the NFL last week to the Buccaneers) for several years, ever since they were in high school. It's been really neat to see their careers develop! We wish them both well and look forward to seeing them on national television soon... :)

Mika was happiest when the cotton candy was finally delivered. Boy, is that girl messy! Marika was inspired to try and eat it without her fingers... she made some pretty interesting faces...

The highlight for Marika's night was getting a baseball. No, she didn't catch it (though the girls brought their gloves), but the left fielder (Justin Bass, #11) was kind enough to give it to her as he caught the third out of an inning and ran into the dugout. She asked, he tossed it into her glove, and a big happy smile was born. She even slept with it next to her on the night table... and she wanted to bring it into school this morning, too!

Before all this rain came...

The weather was gorgeous! A couple of Sundays ago, we enjoyed 80-degree weather while Daddy Dude went to play some baseball.

During the winter, his team plays at a relatively new ballpark. The wives and kids love this place, because there is a long walkway for the kids to scoot around on, plenty of green grass to run around on, and tons of things to do. It was just MARVELOUS to hang out and relax this last time.

The walkway was especially nice for Marika, who recently learned how to ride a 2-wheeler. At this park, she doesn't have to worry about crashing into a neighbor's car or floating out into the street.

I love this picture! Ah, to be young again!

She did fall down once, but luckily, there was a nurse on duty, standing by with a bandaid and some first-aid creme (whatever was in that little packet!). Mika can be such a good big sister sometimes, it just melts my heart. Of course, there are OTHER times when she is not so sweet, but that's normal (I know, I know)...

Don't ask me what they're doing. Well, they're actually gathering sticks of wood and eucalpytus bark - and putting them into big holes that are right beside the playing field. Why? I have no idea. Perhaps they think Big Bird needs a nest. Or they need a bonfire. No, wait a second - I remember them saying something about building a home for bugs... (*good grief!*)...

Another one I liked... where Marika looks quietly thoughtful...