Happy Valentine's Day!

I will be celebrating Valentine's Day with JG and our girls today.  We generally don't plan anything over the top for Valentine's Day and this year is no exception.  I made JG and the girls Valentine's cards weeks ago last night.  Since I planned ahead waited until the last minute to finish them they are simple and went together quickly.  Here is the one I made for JG....

I used the Create A Critter cartridge for the Cricut to make the adorable sheep.  I love this cartridge and have been using it constantly since I received it.  The background paper is from Cosmo Cricket's Pixie-Licious line and the pink letter stickers are Cosmo Cricket's Tiny Type letters.  I am sure you all know of my undying love for all things Cosmo!  I punched the heart from a scrap of purple paper and then covered it in Stickles.  The twill ribbon is from Martha Stewart Crafts.  The card took me 10 minutes to make and I actually like it!  I don't think I have ever had a project come together so fast before.  I guess sometimes it pays to procrastinate.

I promised the girls a midday bubble bath for Valentine's Day.  I can appreciate that they enjoy the simple things still.  Then I am making ribeye steaks for dinner with garlic mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini.  A little pound cake with fresh strawberries for dessert to top it all off and that is what I consider to be a perfect day.

Do you have any plans?  So many people dislike this day but I think it is a great day to shower those you love with a bit of extra love and treats. 

P.S. Make sure you come back tomorrow as I will be having a giveaway to celebrate my 2 year blogiversary! 

Schloss Lichtenstein

We visited Schloss Lichtenstein in early September.  The weather was gorgeous and the castle was stunning.  It is small but definitely a sight to see as it sits high atop a hill overlooking a beautiful valley.  We paid a small admission fee of 2 euros for each adult to walk the castle grounds freely.  You definitely need a car to get here but the view is amazing and worth the quick stop.

If you are would like more information about the castle such as its history or prices for tours you can click on the link above.  It will take you directly to the official website that is in German and English.



Got Milk?

I used mostly My Minds Eye Alphabet Soup line for this layout.  I really liked these photos of the girls trying to milk a cow at the Open Air Museum in The Netherlands that I took last year.  They were so excited to milk the cow that they didn't want to leave!  It was fun seeing them so excited!

Tutu Layouts

I completed these layouts over the summer but don't think I posted them here yet.  I loved these photos of my girls so I wanted to do something extra special with them. 

For the first layout I used tulle that I had on hand from wrapping a gift or something like that.  I cut it into 3 strips and used one for the border below the photo, another for the ballerina tutu and finally a gathered flower at the top of the page (it is hard to see in this photo).  I also used 3 different border punches for the layered border. 

For this layout with Aubrey's photo I hand cut the butterflies since I do not have a butterfly punch or a plain butterfly image on a Slice Design Card.  The swirls at the corners of the photo were cut using the Wedding Design Card.  I embellished a couple of the butterflies with some Kaisercraft pearls. 

I purchased the tutus from Paisley and Posies Etsy shop. 

Five For Friday

Happy Friday!

1.  My girls have decided that every day is a holiday.  We have been bouncing between Christmas and Halloween this week.  Once they learn about the Easter Bunny I imagine we will add that to the mix.

2.  Potty training is not fun!  I thought Aubrey was stubborn but Lolo takes the cake here!  I am going to pick up some really good prizes today and hope it will motivate her to finally move away from diapers and into panties.  I have been changing diapers for nearly 4 years now and I am ready to move on.

3.  Valentines Day is 10 days away!  Do you love it or hate it?  I am a firm believer in telling the ones you love how you feel about them daily but I do think it is great to have an entire day devoted to love and romance.  I learned a long time ago not too expect much from James but I don't mind as I am happy to have him home this year.  It doesn't hurt that I like hearts and pink and red either.

4.  Is it totally crazy that I was sad I wasn't stuck in a blizzard?  I love the snow and I love being tucked safely inside with a cup of coffee, a good book and heat!  And a blizzard?  That is something to tell the grandchildren about.  When I was a young whippersnapper....!

5.  The girls looooove the song "The Time (Dirty Bit)" by the Black Eyed Peas.  They ask to listen to the song nearly every night after dinner.  Aubrey is a natural dancer and has a few signature dance moves such as "the car dance", "the bowling dance" and "the jump dance".  They both make me laugh hysterically when they get their groove on.

Chloe

This is my fur baby Chloe!  I love this cat so stinkin' much.  We picked her up from the animal shelter at Ft. Lewis in November 2003.  She has helped me through many deployments and is tolerant of the girls who love to maul pet her.  I took these photos of her enjoying the late afternoon sun the other day.

I do have another cat, a beautiful long haired black and white girl named Jasmine, but I think she may be part vampire!  She doesn't come out until the girls have gone to bed and panics if they are even in the same room together.  She is a little very skittish and like a typical cat everything is on her terms. 

Happy Wednesday!

Miss You "Sew"

I completed this layout for a Club CK 1-Hour Challenge in early January.  The challenge was to create a layout using the rule of thirds and I just lifted the sample because I was too tired to think of something different and I loved the original by the über talented Maggie Holmes.

The photos are from the last time I hung out with my McChord girls before we moved to Germany!  Hi Elina, Yanahlyn and Lisa!  Princess Brittany didn't join us this day and I am sad she wasn't there. Look how small Lolo was...she was just 2 1/2 months old!  And Aubrey...well, that little toddler has grown into a beautiful little lady.  Time just goes by so quickly.

I used Bazzill cardstock and the rest of the materials are from Cosmo Cricket's Material Girl line.  Just like everything else from Cosmo Cricket, I loved this line so much!  A huge, huge thanks to my Club CK Secret Santa (Hi Patty!) for sending me the Material Girl Paper Crafting Kit! Since the line has a sewing theme throughout I played on that word and used Tiny Type stickers for my title, "Miss You Sew".

Thanks for stopping by today!