Open Air Museum

Last week we took a road trip into the Netherlands to see windmills, canals and tulips and to eat some gouda cheese.  We did all that and more! On the first day we spent the morning and early afternoon at the Openluchtmuseum.  This is a wonderful example of how the Dutch have lived over the past few hundred years.  There were homes that have been moved onto the museum grounds and ladies dressed in traditional garb.  We spent a lot of time wandering around looking at everything, watching horses, chickens and cats and playing with old bicycles and go-carts.  The website states that you can experience Holland in a single day and that is certainly an accurate statement.

The interior of a gypsy trailer.

View of the town square from across a small pond.

Lolo and Aubrey milking a "cow" in the childrens area.

Riding old fashioned bicycle while the girls attempt to figure out the go-carts.

Old Ford car sitting in a garage.

I will be posting day 2 of our trip tomorrow or Friday.  We visited the Keukenhof gardens and I have a ton of pictures to share.

What? Another layout?

Yup!  I finished this one this morning!  I actually started working on it yesterday and then finished it up earlier.  I worked out of my comfort zone a bit with lots of patterns but I love the papers so much and I loved the end result.  I have also never put a title right on a photo before.  I fussy cut the flowers and vine and used some Zots to pop it off the paper.  I would normally use foam squares but I ran out and need to get some more.  I can't wait to use my scraps to make some cards! Cosmo Cricket rocks my socks off for sure!

I have some more layouts to work on and I have some new product to inspire me!  Since James is out in the field for the next week I hope to bust some more pages out.  Besides, using my stash means I can buy some more....just in time for the Cosmo Crickets new release that I haven't seen yet ;-)

Growing Together

It had been such a long time since I scrapped a layout.  As much as I love this hobby I just haven't been full inspiration and that keeps me from doing any sort of crafting.  I just received an order of photos from Shutterfly so I am working on getting them put on layouts and into albums.  This picture of Lolo and I has always been one of my favorites and this was even taken "self-portrait" style!  I love how she has her hand on my face.  Such a spontaneous moment that I will cherish forever. 

That being said, I wanted this layout to be special but not lose focus on the photo.  At first I thought of adding lyrics from a song on this but it just wasn't coming together the way I wanted.  After playing with it for a couple days (yes, I said days!) I gave up and went a different route and love the results.  I used my Slice to cut the scalloped circle which is the top of the tree and hand cut the tree trunk.  I added some buttons and punched hearts to add to the tree and ended up with a embellishment I am very proud of.  I added some rub-ons, a banner from Jenni Bowlin and cut "together" using the Slice Wedding card.   

So there is my most recent layout and I am hoping to work on another one today.  I finally edited some photos from our recent trip to the Netherlands and I hope to get those added to the blog this week.  I have so much to share about our trip. 

My Baby Turns 2 Today!

Time passes so quickly when you have young children at home.  I don't mean the day to day stuff because we all know how it can drag on at times.  I am talking about the weeks, months and years.  These pass so quickly that you look back and wonder where has the time gone.  You start off with a little baby who is adorable but depends on you for everything, who wants nothing more than to spend all day in your arms.  Before you know it a year has passed and then two years and your once snuggly little baby is now a toddler with an independent streak a mile wide with an attitude to match.  A sweet girl who wants to be so big but still needs you to comfort and provide for their wants and needs.  I love being the person who Lorelei wants to comfort her, snuggle her and love her unconditionally. 

I love being her mommy and this job has changed my life for the better.  I love you Lolo!  Thank you for bringing so much joy and love to our family.  Happy Birthday!