latest LOs and features galore

My Haunted House popout LO (see previous post) has been getting some extra attention- it was picked as the featured LO for this week at SBB. I got the neat-o new blinkie above to sport in my siggie today via PM. I was wondering why I kept getting comments on it three days after I had posted it ;)

and in other praise-worthy news, I got a PM yesterday at DST saying that the LO I worked on most of the day Thursday and finally got posted that night was picked as a standout LO for the Scrap Praise blog Friday morning. Sarah sure is a cutey and can be quite the camera ham ;)

journaling: Sarah snatched these yellow sunglasses from her brother's room and wore them while watching TV for about 30 minutes.
credits: Jessica Bolton at scrapbookgraphics: Cracked Sugar Bowl, Baby Needs the Basics printed papers, painted edge papers, Dressed Up Jeans (scalloped newsprint frame), Summer Potentialities (COOL alpha), Teeny Tiny Tag Alpha
Kim Jensen at scrapdish: Pop Top Poppers and Date It! Beads
Natalie Braxton at The-LilyPad: Primary Plus (recolored), Ribbons Stitches II
LO Template by Robin Cabana for RAKscraps Sketch Challenge
fonts: TXT Scribbletti

Last night I went to TrinityCrops and hung out with my friends, ate some yummy food-Kristen brought her chocolate fountain! OMG flowing chocolate can't be beat! LOL-and even managed to scrap a little in between all of the chatting and eating and drooling over the new Scrapdish October collab kit and popping into a chat at DST with the fabulous Corina Nielsen. It was quite the evening ;) It felt a bit decadent to actually scrap with a kit I purchased and had no obligation to use for a change.

The first house my parents designed and had custom built.
credits: Old Blueprints and Blueprint Extras by Amy Wolff at The-LilyPad; Date It! Beads by Kim Jensen at Scrapdish; fonts: Technical

and then, this afternoon Robin let me know that the Girl Talk blog was gushed over on this week's Dishin' the Digi Coast to Coast show, with special emphasis on Altered Tuesdays. Good to know people look forward to seeing the posts on our little team blog! I'm up again this week and will try to give some tips on how I made my haunted house pop out LO.

I get to play with Michael Card in December

When my mom first started checking out churches here last spring, she told me that Michael Card was going to be doing a concert at Village 7 Pres. at the beginning of December. Michael Card is one of Mark and I's favorite Christian singers, and has been for almost 20 years. Mark first introduced me to his music when we started dating; he loaned me his cassette tapes of The Life trilogy so that I could listen to them. It didn't take long for me to decide to purchase the set myself as I loved them so much. I think we still have one set of cassettes in a box somewhere in case we wanted to loan it out (I believe we gave the first set away to a friend many years ago), and we bought The Life trilogy again on CD when it first came out in that format. Mark owns a lot of the companion song books to his albums and can play a lot of the songs on the piano by heart as well as sing them.

Michael Card writes most of his own songs using the scriptures as inspiration and basis for the lyrics and uses a wide variety of music styles to fit the theme and mood of the song. He often uses full orchestras, and gives the oboe a lot of the major themes and descants in his songs (another reason I love his song-writing so much LOL!). El Shaddai, made famous by Amy Grant many years ago, is one of Michael Card's songs. You can hear a wide mix of music styles on some of his albums. The album Unveiled Hope (which I am listening to right now as I write this) is based on passages from the book of Revelation and contains Irish themes, traditional orchestral/choir arrangements, black gospel, rock, and others. Truly a feast for the ears as well as devotional and spiritually uplifting.

The last time we had the opportunity to hear him in concert was when we lived in PA. Bryce was about 6 months old. The concert was in a high school auditorium about an hour or so from where we lived. We enjoyed it a lot; Mark stood in the aisle and held Bryce and rocked him to keep him quiet most of the concert. I was looking forward to just being able to hear a live concert by Michael Card once again. Now that the Festival of Praise concert is over, the Village 7 choir has started to work on their Christmas program. My mother tells me that not only is Michael Card giving a concert on Dec 16, but the orchestra and choir are backing him up! So, I get to play music with him and not just listen this time around! wow! He will be performing The Promise, one of my favorite Christmas albums. Carla said at the end of last weekends concert that the COS is performing that night too, so I don't think she will be in the V7 orchestra that weekend (she also said that that was one concert they need 3 oboes for, but I can't be in two places at once so I will pass on that opportunity this time around). I'm not sure if that means I'll be the only oboe this time- ack! I took my oboe back to the shop yesterday to get it adjusted and cleaned up as that is long overdue for my poor neglected instrument. Hopefully they can give me music fairly soon so I can get started working on it. I want to be prepared and not mess things up LOL! If my oboe is in good working order, I won't be able to blame my goof-ups on it ;)

More Halloween Craftiness

I saw this project in my latest Paper Crafts magazine and just had to give it a try. Labor intesive, mainly because I had to figure out what I had to print extra to cut out and what could be left layered for printing on the main background and how to go about it all so that it fit within my printer size and then looked good... gosh, I start to get a headache thinking about it again LOL It turned out cute though, I think. credits: Bewitched, Spookable, Ultimate Stitches Not Just Your Basics, and Under Construction by Dani Mogstad at sweethoppedesigns and designbydani.com; Halloween brushes by Lisa Whitney (scrapartist apprentice contest entry); Chalking and Inking actions by Atomic Cupcake; nail from Boys Will Be Boys by Audra Little at MyDigitalMuse; Googly Eyes by Katie Pertiet at designerdigitals; page idea and template by Alisa Bangerter, Paper Crafts Magazine, Sept/Oct 07 pg24-25; font: Blackadder ITC; other: googly eyes, black mini brads, embroidery floss, black wire by Crats, Etc.

and I did this LO a few days ago- Halloween dinner from 2003. Mark came home from work that year with a stack of incredible Halloween recipes. Everyone was supposed to pick one for their potluck lunch. I can't remember which one he picked out to take to work, but these are the two I chose from them to make for eating before trick-or-treating. They weren't too gross looking and I figured the kids would eat them. Yep, they did and thought they were cool too ;)

journaling: I made eyeball tacos and brain salad for dinner Halloween night 2003. Everyone enjoyed some ghoulish treats before heading out to trick-or-treat.
credits: Creepy Christine by Sophia Sarducci at sophiasarducci; Hybrid template by Rachael Giallongo; fonts: Blackadder ITC

Latest craft project

credits: Spookable and Halloween Friends by Dani Mogstad at SweetShoppeDesigns; Shrinky-Dinks Inkjet sheets by K & B Innovations; 1/8 inch ribbon by Offray; 7mm jump rings by Darice
preview credits: Spookable and Halloween Friends, paint overlay from Hard at Play, and Inked overlay from Some Gave All by Dani Mogstad; font: Blackadder ITC

It was fun playing with Shrinky-Dinks again last night. The kids thought it was a blast to use up the leftover scraps after I was done cutting out my pieces ;)

Friday morning's LO

A while back I requested some kitchen things from Angela and Saxon (aka Sophia Sarducci) so that I could scrap this picture of Erin and I sitting at the table in Grandma Doris' kitchen, and they finally got to it on their list of ideas! I don't remember spending much time in the kitchen when we were there, as Grandma didn't make a big deal out of cooking, but there were still several things I wanted to record that I did remember. While looking for pictures for Daddy's memorial service last year, I came across a box with a few of Grandma's things in it and found a check cashing card for Kennard's grocery store. I remember saying hello to Mr. Kennard everytime we went to get groceries- especially the box of Froot Loops Grandma always treated us to during our visits ;) Knowing the store owner on a first name basis is rare these days, if you just shop there. He also had a yellow and brown horse we could ride for a penny, so we were often treated to that as well during our trips. Our local Safeway has a blue and brown horse that you can ride for a penny; I enjoy treating Brenna and Sarah to a ride there if they are well behaved.

journaling: I don’t remember Grandma Doris being in the kitchen much, but I do have a few found memories of things she would do just for us grandkids when we visited. She always had a box of Froot Loops in the pantry and she would keep Baby Ruth candy bars in the freezer for us on hot summer days. Whenever we went to Kennard’s grocery store we would say hello to Mr. Kennard and get a ride on the yellow and brown horse with a penny. Grandma liked to eat raw red onions, and drank Coca-Cola every day. Her cornbread stuffing and pecan pie recipes are two of my favorite holiday dishes to this day. My Dad didn’t like strawberries or green beans because he picked and ate so many of them from their garden as a kid. After Grandma passe on, I inherited her Corel dishes and Mexican blue glass glasses- I still use the dishes on a daily basis, and get the glasses out for special occasions.
credits: at sophiasarducci.com: by Sophia Sarducci: In My Kitchen, brick background from Sal's Favorite Pub, Gettin' Edgy; Stapled Cardboard and Stapled Cardboard- Staples Only by Patrizia Pascala; green ribbon from Eclectic Autumn by Saxon Holt and Victoria Feemster at sophiasarducci.com; Vintage Frame by Nancy Comelab at The-LilyPad; fonts: FG Freja

Today's LO

journaling: Fall is my favorite season, and I love to get out the decorations that celebrate fall colors, sights and smells. I am beginning to acquire a collection of pumpkins to add to my display. I have a dryer vent pumpkin I made, a basket pumpkin, handpainted and ceramic jack-o-lanterns,and my newest additions are a realistic looking and trio of wooden pumpkins with wire accents.
credits: Pumpkin's Patch by Correen Silke at Scrapdish and SBB; Inky Frames by Antonio Rafaello at sophiasarducci; Felt alpha from Shameless by Kim Jensen at scrapdish; ; Matties Borders by Corina Nielsen at FunkyPlaygroundDesigns; drop shadows by Tania Cordova Shaw; fonts: Susie's Hand


It's dinner time and we are off to my mom's afterwards to help get some more boxes unloaded. She got her washer and dryer a day earlier than expected this morning (good thing I didn't wait to move the boxes out of the way yesterday morning!) and she has internet too now.

Ahhh, playing music again was wonderful!

So, last night was the first rehearsal for the orchestra gig my mom talked me into doing at her church. OMG, it was wonderful to play with an orchestra again!! There is nothing like the feeling I get from playing in harmony with other instruments and singers. It was amazing to hear the full choir behind and all of the other instruments around me and know that I was a part of it. There is also nothing like music being lifted up in glory to God. I have really missed being able to participate in something like this.

I was a bit worried about if I was going to be able to keep up, but I did pretty well all in all. A few flubs and squacks here and there, but since I haven't played much at all during the last 13 years I was pleased with how I did. The lady playing the first oboe part next to me gave me several compliments at how well I did too. That is pretty high praise coming from her- she plays with the Chamber Orchestra of the Springs and also teaches oboe and english horn. She even asked me if I might be interested in playing with the COS occasionally, as they sometimes need a third oboe and she thinks I play better than the person they usually call. I find the idea intriguing and intimidating all at the same time!

The evening ended on a bit of 'sour note' when during the break my cleaning swab got stuck in the top piece of my oboe, and I couldn't get it out. I'm not sure if there was a knot in the bottom of it- Sarah has been getting into my oboe case and playing with things since I got it out to start practicing- or if it was frayed and then got stuck on the octave key parts inside the bore. So, I sat through the last 45 minutes of rehearsal and ran through the music on the keys only. I took it to the repair shop this morning and the lady couldn't get it out quickly with their tools either. She said they would have to take the octave keys off and hopefully be able to get it untangled then. Hopefully they will be able to get it repaired by tomorrow since we have rehearsal Saturday morning and the performance Sunday evening. A new cleaning swab is definitely in order, and now they come with strings on both ends so that you can remove the swab from the end of the instrument more easily if it gets stuck like mine did. I had briefly thought about getting a new swab when I saw they had some new stock in the music store a couple of weeks ago. It certainly would have been cheaper in the long run if I had- live and learn.

The moving truck is unpacked

The furniture is in place and everything pretty much fits where it was supposed to. We were only missing 2 boxes by the time everything was unloaded, which isn't bad considering there were 465 on the truck. They are probably in the garage somewhere in the stacks of boxes left there for a lack of better place to put them at moment.

After the kids got their homework done, we headed back to my mom's to start some of the unpacking tonight, with a stop to get pizza for dinner on the way there. We got most of the book boxes in the downstairs hallway unpacked and on the shelves- probably about 20 boxes worth. They are in no particular order, so they will have to be sorted through and rearranged eventually but at least they aren't in the boxes. It's always interesting to see what things the movers shoved into a particular box to fill it up. We have collected several boxes of miscellaneous items to go through and decide what to do with it. A lot of it is just junk that hadn't been sorted out yet before the movers came, but gems pop up occasionally too- an old wooden jewelry box with a great-grandfather's pocket watch, a music theory book that was my mom's during high school and still has her HS logo book cover on it, 'Super Pickle', a Little Miss Revlon doll with a few outfits, a picture album from my mom's trip to Fiji years ago, an old children's song book, a box of children's sheets- with my Holly Hobby set, Megan's panda bear set and a Strawberry Shortcake set, my Sunshine Family dolls and house as well as some other misc dolls and toys leftover from 'way back when' as my kids might say. I think the box I was most excited to see the label on was one that says it contains school papers and report cards from my Dad, Mom, sister and myself. I think that one will be fun to look through in the future.

Brenna, Sarah and I will head up there again tomorrow morning. The goal for tomorrow is to get the office sorted out. The cable guy is supposed to come to hook up the cable and my mom wants to have the computer set up so he can get the internet connection all set up for her.

Fall is coming! yeah!

I just love fall and it is finally starting to feel like the season is changing here now. The leaves on some of the trees are just beginning to turn and the temps have been more cool than warm the last few days. Today I got out the fall decorations- beautiful colored leaves and lots of pumpkins!

I made some new candle jars too with a pack of printable vellum from my still overflowing box of AlteredArtChick goodies. I think they turned out nicely, despite my bad start with printing the first two sheets in the wrong direction.

and while I was making dinner tonight a brief rain storm came through and left us this beautiful double rainbow for a few minutes.

With that, I am off to bed! The movers are supposed to be at my mom's house first thing tomorrow morning and it is going to be a very busy day trying to get all of her stuff in the house and somewhat settled.

Happy Birthday, Krista

credits: Flowers in the Garden and SW Acid papers by Bren Taylor Boone; Creative Crop shapes by Dani Mogstad at designbydani; Hallway Graffiti Glitter Rainbow Paint by Meredith Fenwick at scrapbookgraphics; flower doodles by C.D. Muckosky; fonts: Susie's Hand, Time and Time Again

Happy Birthday to my dear friend, Krista! I hope you have had a good weekend and that your grandfather is doing better today.

weekend projects and a LO

journaling: Whenever the camera comes out for pictures of someone else, Brenna wants to have her picture taken too. I gladly oblige her, as some of my best pictures come at these moments! ~10-30-06
credits: Fall Crush and Ultimate Stitches- Not so Basic by Dani Mogstad at designbydani and sweetshoppedesigns, LO tempate by Kallie Svoboda for GirlTalk blog challenge; fonts: Susie's Hand

digital supplies: Mahalo by Dani Mogstad and Miriam Lima at sweetshoppedesigns; font: Susie's Hand; other: Rectangle Tin Box by ProvoCraft; ribbon by Offray; hula bracelets by Tropics Express

Bryce needed a tag for his trumpet case, and Sarah needed a tag for the new diaper bag. So, I made my own personalized ones with Dani's designs and a 'bag tag' kit I found at the local discount store. I made tags for Beth and Carissa's dance bags too, but I don't have pictures of those. I did not make one for Brenna, and so far she doesn't seem to have noticed since I made these while she was napping. Since she doesn't have anything that needs a tag at the moment, I hope that continues to be the case :-P

Self-Sealing Laminating Pouches: Bag Tags by Scotch
Live Life Out Loud Tag- credits: Rock Star by Dani Mogstad; drop shadows by Tania Cordova
font: TXT Abrasive
Sarah Tag- credits: Love Me Tender and Cardstock Alpha from This Love Collection by Dani Mogstad; drop shadows by Tania Cordova
font: Susie's Hand

I started a new photo album of all of my hybrid and digicraft projects at my Facebook account. I was just going to put in the newest stuff, but then got caught up in adding them all. I was a bit amazed at how many of these I have done! It's kind of neat to see them all together in one place. Usually they get lost in my galleries with all of the LOs surrounding them. If you want to take a peek, go here.

school fundraiser - magazines

I never did like trying to sell stuff to raise money for school PTA projects and all that as a kid, and it hasn't really changed since my kids started school. Most of the catalog stuff the elementary schools sell is overpriced wrapping paper and knick-knacks that we don't need. Now that Bryce is in middle school, he actually has a useful fundraiser (at least potentially anyway). If you have a magazine subscription that needs renewing, maybe you would consider ordering it through Bryce's school and the QSP school fundraiser program? His school gets 40% of the subscription cost for their programs. I think that is pretty good for money I was going to spend anyway to renew my current CK subscription. They actually have a good selection of craft magazines now (I remember not so long ago when they didn't carry scrapbook mags)- they carry Creating Keepsakes, Simple Scrapbooks, Scrapbooks, Etc., Memory Makers, Digital Scrapbooking, as well as a nice selection of other crafting titles. Of course there are all sorts of other magazine categories too- animals, computers, sports, cooking, fitness, children, etc. I've got a renewal notice from CK sitting on my desk and the renewal price QSP is offering online is actually $3 cheaper than what CK is directly offering me for a 1 year subscription extension.

So, if you have a need for magazine renewals and would like to check it out, here is the info:
go to www.QSP.com

Enter Bryce's name: Bryce Staley, school number: #425053026 (Horizon MS, COsprings, CO), teacher: McInturff, and grade: 6 when you register with QSP. I believe you can shop without registering with the site, but Bryce won't get credit for the sale.
Choose your magazines and checkout! The scrapbooking mags are under the "Crafts/Hobbies/Collectibles/Antiques" category.

Thanks for your help!
Melinda and Bryce

Catching up on LOs

I got really behind posting LOs here last month with all of the birthday party prep, so here's a marathon LO post. LOs are in no particular order ;)

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A busy (and expensive) week so far

I always like days where I don't have to go anywhere, and thankfully today is one of those after running around a lot the last 4 days.

Tuesday, the kids were out of school again for a teacher workday. We had a bunch of errands to run- the twins needed new dance shoes, both tap and ballet, that set me back $100. We went to the library for our weekly trip. We stopped at Walmart to buy gifts for a couple of birthday parties the twins are invited to this weekend. And then, after a quick stop at home for the girls to change we went to dance class. This was a trial class, so that their teacher from last year could get a better idea of what ballet class they should be in. She called Tuesday night and said she thinks they should be in the Ballet 8 class instead of the preballet class they tried Tuesday afternoon. So, yesterday they went to that class after school. This one seems to be a better fit, at least age wise. They enjoyed it, so I think it will be good. We were instructed that everyone's hair needs to be up in a bun from now on, so I get to practice doing that over the next week. I thought I was doing well just to get it up in a neat ponytail for them this week LOL! Tap class starts on Friday with Ms. Cindy who was their teacher during the summer class they took. I think I will be dropping them off and going back to pick them up most of the time; Sarah and Brenna did OK waiting in the hall Tuesday, but we had some moments where I thought I might be carrying one of them out of there kicking and screaming. During class yesterday I took Sarah and Brenna to the grocery store to get some things for dinner and then filled up the gas tank. I let Bryce stay home by himself and work on his homework; that worked pretty well. He had it all done by the time we got home.

I took Bryce to the music store right after dance class started Tuesday to get him a small part that missing from his trumpet. The repair guy who helped us took a look at the mouthpiece that he was using and suggested we get a different one that is easier to use. Then, I picked up a trumpet cleaning kit and a couple of new oboe reeds since I have a feeling I'm going to be drafted to play in the orchestra at my mom's new church in a few weeks. That stop set me back another $100 since we went with the more expensive mouthpiece. Yesterday at the second ballet class I went ahead and paid tuition for the dance classes for the semester- you get a discount for paying in advance and I don't have to try and remember when the beginning of the month rolls around to get the bill paid on time.

Bryce started band this year and is playing the trumpet. We pretty much decided for him that he was going to try band out this year since he wouldn't give us an answer either way when we asked over the summer. He says he is liking it a bit now. ;) Gosh, those first weeks of practice are hard on the old eardrums LOL! He's doing pretty well now though, and at least I can recognize what it is he is trying to play most of the time. I can tell he likes it pretty well since I don't have to remind him to practice every day, and he won't leave his trumpet at school- he carries it back and forth every day. They went out and practiced marching for the first time Friday- Mr. Lawrence wants to have the school march in the Christmas lights parade at the beginning of December, and is even inviting the 6th graders to join in. He's braver than I would be LOL The new mouthpiece we got him on Tuesday has made a difference, and his tone is a bit clearer now. He says it is easier to play, and DH agrees since he had to try it out too ;)

I spent most of yesterday working on this LO: journaling: Grandmama brought a box of beads and two beading books with her this trip. She and the kids spent several hours creating bead figures of all shapes and sizes. The kids enjoyed many hours of beading after she left too.
credits: Turquoise, yellow and orange papers from Earth Laughs in Color Collection by Sophia Sarducci at sophiasarducci; Stamped Out Alpha by Sophia Sarducci at sophiasarducci; notebook paper alpha and paperclip from Back to School by Sophia Sarducci at sophiasarducci; Raggedy Ginghams Country by Mama Mia at sophiasarducci; Beaded Rubberbands 1 by Patrizia Pascala at sophiasarducci; painted arrow by Jessica Bolton at scrapbookgraphics; label from Old School by Dani Mogstad at designbydani and sweetshoppedesigns; Bead Buddies by Melinda Staley; LO based on template from It's All in the Details Vol 1 template collection by Rachael Giallongo; fonts: TXT Scribbletti

I have my mom to thank for the 43 other bead buddies I have left to extract ;) Considering it takes me about an hour to do each one of the larger ones, it probably won't be happening any time soon LOL!

Balloon Classic 2007

Well, last night's balloon glow was canceled because of the wind again. So, no pictures from that this year except for the one I posted Saturday night.

I pried myself out of bed extra early this morning to go see the balloon lift off down at Memorial Park with the family. It's always worth the effort in the end. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was out, there were only a few wispy clouds in the sky, and there was hardly a breeze. The balloons once they got off the ground floated around above the park moving back and forth, but generally staying in sight the whole time. So, the sky was filled with lots of balloons- a definite feast for the eyes! Here are just a handful of my favorite photos from today.
The kids are standing in front of the balloon "Texax Twister" as it is being inflated. It was only about 5 minutes or so more before it took off from the ground.

We've never seen this many balloons taking a dip in the lake at once before.

This balloon, "Incognito", gets our family's vote for prettiest balloon this year.

"EZ2.105" and "Toucan Pilot II" being inflated. I love their rich colors against the black backgrounds.

First and second wave balloons mingling and drifting in the air currents above the park.The "Flat Earth" balloon was a new balloon this year, and one of our favorites to watch as it drifted above us with its pop-out images. The Flat Earth people were handing out bags of their chips for people to sample. All of the flavors were yummy!
and I think this is my favorite shot with Pikes Peak in the background.
The large balloon is called "KURB" and the tiny one is "Marv'n the Martian." I got the framing just right on this one without any post processing manipulation ;)

If you want to see some of my other favorite pictures, you can go check out my flikr album here.

I don't know if I will enter any photos into the photo contest this year or not. I think the ones I put in last year were just as good as the ones they chose, but they weren't picked for some reason- who knows why.... I thought it interesting that one of the winners in the professional category was a picture of the balloon inflation reflected in someone's sunglasses. Obviously it was set up that way, while mine was initially a fluke that I fixed up a bit more. If you want to see last year's winning photos, you can go check them out at the official Balloon Classic website.

Well, I promised Brenna some Mac 'n Cheese for dinner, so I guess I had better go make it. Talk to you later!

Pictures from my camera and birthday party LOs

Just for fun, I thought I would show you what I found on my camera this evening ;) At Trinitycrop last week we started a card exchange- make 10 (or in my case 12 LOL) cards and then swap with 9 other people for their cards. Now, I have a dozen handmade cards to pick from when I need one. For August, we did a mix of several different kinds of cards; I chose to make a blank one. Next month we are doing birthday and blank cards, and then in October and November we decided to do Christmas cards. Anyway, I snapped a picture of the cards I made for the exchange last Friday before I put them away for safekeeping until the crop. I printed the black papers (by Weeds and Wildflowers at scrapartist) and then added the flowers, ribbons, staples, brads and wire curlies to them. A few of those supplies I had bought near the end of my major paper scrapping era and they were still in their original, unopened packaging. Oh, and I added a bit of glitter glue to the petals of the flowers too- gotta have some bling LOL!
Here's Ms. Sarah showing off her color matching skills while helping unload the dishwasher.
and here's what I found in my mailbox Thursday afternoon- the altered album from Corina Nielsen that I won on her blog contest. I love getting actual mail every now and then! I was surprised to open the box and find the album all wrapped up in pink paper with that pretty bow and a hand-written card along with it to boot. Wow- what a beautiful gift! Brenna could hardly stand waiting for me to take a picture so that we could unwrap it to see what was inside LOL
The whole album is beautiful! I started my BOM a couple of years ago in pink and brown colors, and I think I am going to use this for myself. Maybe I'll make it a my favorite things album? You can see the inside pages of the album on Corina's blog, if you like.
Thank you, Corina! The album is gorgeous and it was such a sweet gesture for you to give your hard work away!

and the last photos on my camera were from the balloon festival tonight. We ventured down to Memorial park only to find people leaving already. They weren't allowing the balloons up tonight for the glow, probably because the wind was too strong. The balloon crews had their burners out though and were firing them off. There was supposed to be a showing of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on a giant, inflatable screen, but I'm guessing that was cancelled too. We decided not to venture any closer and just turned around and came home. Maybe tomorrow night will be better.

I finally finished up these two pages that I started at TrinityCrop last week with pictures from the HMS birthday party.

journaling: Beth & Carissa had been planning a High School Musical party for almost a year. When Disney Channel started advertising the date for HSM2, we realized that it was going to be on the same weekend that we were planning their party. So, a slumber party was, of course, the only choice since the movie didn’t start until 9PM! The girls had lots of fun listening to Beth and Carissa’s new music, singing along, and freeze dancing. The presents were opened and cake eaten just in time for the start of the movie. Everyone enjoyed the movie, the dancing was incredible, the songs lots of fun to sing along with, & a good, clean, story.
credits: Birthday Collection by the Lily-Pad designers; fonts: FG Gabriella