That's My {Bug} Girl!

My new favorite scrapbooking store had a March sketch contest, so I chose this sketch, flipped it and came up with this layout...

Patterned paper (Love, Elsie), cardstock (DCWV), journaling block (Luxe Designs), floss (DMC), butterfly (from yourscrapboosktash.com), tools (Fiskars border punch), Bazzill's In'Stitchz Flourishes template, Marvy-Uchida corner rounder), pen (Micron), diecut title (Quickutz)

It really does crack me up, that Marika loves bugs just as much as I do! She's my girl! =)

P.S. Yeah, this paper line is old. But you know what? I was slow to notice the Love, Elsie line and missed out on most of it. However, I recently purchased it at Tuesday Morning (score!). I'm trying to use of my older stuff before I touch the newer stuff. I suppose this will be a never-ending process but you know what? I'm happy with my stash! =P

Spring Has Sprung!

The signs are everywhere!

Flowers are blooming (Holly, these are from your yard! Yes, I had to edit it... sorry...)...

People are out for joyrides...

Crane flies are EVERYWHERE (folks, these are NOT giant mosquitoes!)... this poor thing already lost a leg... boo hoo... according to Wikipedia, adults either drink nectar or don't eat, so you don't have to fear they are bloodthirsty... =P

Marika's preschool class had a field trip to Lowes today. The class seemed to really enjoy themselves... especially the kid who was drinking water from the flowers... =)

Somehow, we were all inspired to go home and work on our gardens...

After a tour of the garden area, the kids were taught how to plant things. Marika got a pink dianthus and went to work. As soon as she came home, she dutifully watered it. Doesn't she look cute in her Lowes apron?

We also decided it was a wonderful time for her to plant her birthday flowers. Her good friends gave her some flower seeds and a bunch of gardening things, so we picked up some seed starter soil and fiber pots at Lowes and started the process. Now, we just have to wait and see...

(See, I knew those popsicle sticks would come in handy someday! =P)

Spring Break - Part 2

Sorry it's been awhile since my last post - it's been a very busy 3 weeks! Last week, we were vacationing at Lake Arrowhead. The weather was good (though we had been hoping for snow when we booked the trip) and it was nice to be close to home anyway, since we drove down the hill a couple of times for Mika's softball games.

There was SOME snow... which told us how much snow they'd gotten the last time. I think the last snowfall was about 3 weeks ago and it was a HUGE storm. So, the fact that anything was left behind... well... it must have been a doozie!

I mentioned "restful", didn't I? One of the most attractive qualities of this resort was the indoor pool. I'll have you know, though, that it wasn't THAT heated. The girls had a great time playing in there, hanging onto some noodles or their innertubes. They really need to take swim lessons and we have repeatedly tried to teach them, but they are not interested. At any rate, I need to drive over to the gym this week to make the arrangements...

Another nice thing about Lake Arrowhead is their ice rink. Yup, this is the famous place where Michelle Kwan used to train. I hadn't realized there were NO WALLS - this made it much more difficult for the girls to learn how to skate. I think they were the only two flopping onto the ice - most of the other kids were training after their practice session, so they were whizzing around doing spins and turns. Despite this, the girls kept valiantly trying. Mika's pants and butt were totally soaked by the end - but she was a real trooper! I was very proud of her for being so persistent without whining. I don't, however, sense any Olympic future for either of them. =P

We had visited Big Bear lake year and enjoyed the snow activities there, so we headed back there again to go inner tubing. The only problem was... we hadn't realized Marika was going to get carsick on the drive between Lake Arrowhead and Big Bear! Luckily, she made it all the way there (with some tears and crying, the poor thing!) but we found a Walgreens, popped some meds in her, and everything was fine - for the ride home. From now on, I will always carry some Dramamine in my purse! The picture above was taken during a "breathing" break. It was a nice view!

We were very fond of this particular inner tubing location, because they had a Magic Carpet. What's that, you ask? It's a wonderful contraption - think an escalator without the steps - that allows you to save precious energy by carting you and your innertube (and lazy children) back up the slope. This is the last year Mika will be free! We let the kids go down a few times by themselves... it's safe but rather nerve-wracking for me to watch. I guess Marika was way too light to go very fast anyhow. =)

Remember - you can click on the picture to enlarge it!

They had a really cool cotton candy making machine in the lobby, too. I think we'll get a toy version for the girls for Christmas... =)
Since Marika's birthday landed in the middle of our vacation, we wanted to do something fun for her special day. We went to the Fun Park at Lake Arrowhead Village on Wednesday - only to find out they were closed! I felt sooo bad for her. However, she was okay with going a couple of days later - and boy, did they have a blast! When do kids get too old for this kind of stuff? Maybe never... I think Daddy Dude had a lot of fun driving the go karts... vroom vroom!

I, of course, love taking the pictures. The girls had never seen "fun" mirrors before and frankly, I thought these were a hoot! Here's what I call, "the Alice-in-Wonderland" shot... =)

And last but not least, the girls got to feed the ducks on a few occasions. Here, they've circled the girls and Marika's feeling a little bit trapped.

All in all, it was a nice vacation. We were really lucky at the resort, because there were only four other guests there! Everybody else, it appeared, was coming in at the end of the week. We ended up leaving a day early (Mika had a softball game Saturday afternoon) anyhow, since there was little point to driving back up for another 12 hours.

We picked up Daisy yesterday (thanks, Holly!) and Hissamina was still alive. It's nice having a pet you need to feed only once a week!

Spring Break - Part 1

Mika's spring break was 2 weeks long, but Marika's was only one week.We started things off with a picnic at a park near Daddy Dude's work that we'd never been to. Nothing like In 'N Out burgers on a picnic blanket! It was an interesting park... different apparatus... but my favorite was the pseudo-spider web. I know, I know... you just can't take the biologist out of me... =) If they're ever a spider for Halloween, though, I am SO going to bring them back here for pictures... hee hee...

After some e-mail discussions with Uncle Ken about Mika and softball, I decided the key to Mika gaining confidence was to actually practice at the field she plays on. So, we grabbed a batting tee and her bag and went off to the park. Mika had a great time hitting the ball (so she had an idea of how far she could hit and where it would go - during a real game) and fielding. She did really well and best of all, seemed to truly enjoy it. Marika got into the spirit of it - for a little bit - and batted and fielded a wee bit.

Poor Mika had to go to Marika's school to help one morning, for their Easter Extravaganza, but she was a real trooper and was very helpful - helping me, helping other moms and being my "photographer on assignment." Ha! Now I can be in two places at the same time! =)


That particular day was kind of a big deal for Marika, because it was her day to bring in her birthday cupcakes. We got the sprinkles in the dollar bin at Target, but truthfully - these were the prettiest cupcakes the girls had ever decorated. So, it's either because of the sprinkles or the girls are getting better. Who knows?

On Friday, we headed off to Brackenbird Farm. I'd only taken Marika once a long time ago so Mika was very excited. It's actually a very cool place with tons of birds (it's a store for bird care) - they had a beautiful garden in the middle, with an enclosed aviary (watch your head!). Outside, you can see some interesting animals - there's one camel, a Brahma, a few goats, a donkey, some boars and a bunch of turkeys. The goats were anti-social this time, so only the turkeys ate up the corn we bought to feed them. I enjoyed watching the protective displays that the male turkeys kept performing (splaying their feather as wide as they could with a loud *whump* every minute or so, to make themselves look as big and scary as possible).

I know this isn't a great picture (I couldn't avoid my shadow), but at the library crafts hour, the girls did a collage project with Ms. Didi. I've never done any collage work but I was delighted with what the girls came up with.

It's only a matter of time before these two start to raid my stash!

Of course, we're still up to our usual sports activities, too. Mika has been hitting exceptionally well and is getting better at fielding. I just think she is so cute in the catcher's outfit! She did finally get tagged out at home, but she didn't cry - in all honesty, we're not sure if it's because she's "over it" (remember, she used to cry about this all last season) or if she didn't realize she was out, because the play was so close.

Daddy Dude is finally playing baseball again, albeit in a different league. They're not winning and he's been in some pain (shoulder and groin injuries), but it's still better than nothing. On the other hand, there are no time limits for the games, so it gets kind of excruciating for us (3+ hours!).

And finally... my Wednesday night soccer league ended up placing 2nd. We lost to a good team, but the goal they got to tie things up (they ultimately won in a shoot-out) was apparently tapped in by our own goalie. Oh, well! As much as I enjoyed playing with these girls, part of me is relieved it is over - the astroturf has caused many aches/pains and in the last game, I managed to pull a leg ligament quite badly (I can't sprint anymore), not to mention having a festering case of plantar fasciatus. In a nutshell - Daddy Dude and I have finally come to grips with the fact that we are getting older! I'm taking advantage of the fact I have another 2 weeks before the spring soccer season (full-field) starts, so I can (hopefully) fully recover.

Now, the bright side of placing second place is that we got consolation/complimentary T-shirts from the soccer shop running the league. The girls got the extras and having been enjoying wearing them as nightgowns. Pretty funny, eh?

Yeah, I feel like I got my money's worth from playing. =)

Nothing is ever free...

About 2 months ago, one of my favorite "deal of the day" websites, Crop Chocolate, solicited volunteers to design projects for their website, in exchange for free product. Since I'm not one to turn down a good deal and viewing it as an opportunity to get feedback on my designs, I immediately emailed them and was added to the list. About 3 weeks ago, I received my kit and here is a picture of my goodies...

At first, I was really excited because this is quite a bit of stuff. After a couple of minutes, I realized that most of the colors didn't really match each other (and *I'm* colored-challenged!). Dismay and panic started to set in, especially with a deadline of 2 weeks to submit multitudes of pictures. After a week of brainstorming, I was finally able to sort materials into different projects and get to work. I managed to complete 6 projects a couple of days before we headed off for a week of vacation - whew! It took another 5 hours of organizing photos, stitching scans, editing photos, cropping photos, writing project summaries and finally - emailing them to the CC product manager. Daddy Dude said he didn't think the free product seemed worth the work, but I enjoyed the challenge... =)

The CC product manager said to keep my eye out, that starting this week or so, my designs would show up on the website with the appropriate product. That will be a really neat experience to witness.

Patterned paper: Making Memories; cardstock (Making Memories (poppy) and Bazzill (navy blue)), flowers and buttons (Making Memories Blossoms & Buttons jar- Poolside), ink (Colorbox cateye chalk), rub-ons (Making Memories, fibers (Basic Grey - Fruitcake), cardstock stickers (Making Memories - primary alpha), kraft chipboard (from packaging of MM letter stickers), border punch (Fiskars), white pen (Uniball-Signo), thread (J&P Coats)

Patterned paper (Making Memories), cardstock (Making Memories League (green) and DCWV (white)), cardstock stickers (Making Memories -primary alpha), buttons (Making Memories Blossoms & Buttons jar - Poolside), metal word embellishments (Making Memories - Expressions), border punch (Fiskars), corner rounder (Marvy-Uchida)

Patterned paper (Making Memories - Noteworthy Sophia GeoFloral), cardstock (DCWV), fibers (Basic Grey - Fruitcake), flowers and buttons (Making Memories Blossoms & Buttons jar - Poolside), run-on (Making Memories), thread (J&P Coats)

Patterned paper (Making Memories - Noteworthy Sophia GeoFloral), cardstock (DCWV), fiber (Basic Grey - Fruitcake), rub-on (Scenic Route), border punch (Fiskars), scalloped circle punch (Marvy-Uchida)

Patterned paper (Making Memories - Noteworthy Sophia GeoFloral), cardstock (DCWV), rub-on (Making Memories), flower (Making Memories Blossoms & Buttons jar - Poolside), border punch (Fiskars), thread (J&P Coats), scalloped circle punch (Marvy-Uchida), scalloped circle diecut (Quickutz)

Patterned paper (Making Memories), cardstock (DCWV), fibers (Basic Grey), rub-on (Making Memories), button (Making Memories Blossoms & Buttons jar - Poolside), flower (Prima Marketing), thread (J&P Coats), diecut tag (Sizzix)

Play Ball!

And it's that time of year again!

Here's our softball girl. Their team name this year is the Wildcats. It's been a bumpy pre-season... it's not looking good that Mika will continue playing softball after this season, but we'll see... at least she didn't cry today!

Here she is on deck... we were lucky to even have a game, considering that the weather forecast was originally for rain all day today.

Which, according to Murphy's Law, means that it will be pouring rain at my soccer game tomorrow morning! We play - rain or shine - so hopefully the girls will have fun playing with their umbrellas...!

Just Kick It!

And another layout done... I had hesitated doing it, because it seemed more complicated, but surprisingly, the process went quite smoothly. It's yet another Friday Sketch from the YSS blog...
I flipped the sketch 180-degrees and built it around two soccer photos I had. Lucky for me, I had a good photographer on hand that day... (thanks, Michelle!)... =)

Patterned paper (Basic Grey), cardstock (DCWV [white], unknown [black]), stickers (Making Memories), felt soccer balls (Queen & Co.), journaling sheer (Maya Road), ink (Sharpie), diecut title (Quickutz), staple (Swingline)

And in case you cared... we're 5 and 2 this season... we crushed another team today, 10-0, but only because rankings are also based on goals scored for and against us. We're trying to move into second place, but we'll probably end up battling for 3rd. Only three more games to go!