With This Post... And a GIVEAWAY!!!!

Sooooo much to say. Not sure I can get through all of it tonight. First up, I've got lots of scrappy creations to share. I am absolutely in love with every kit April puts together over at Studio Calico. I used the recent kit to complete some challenges from the Spring Fling Crop over at Simply Obsessed...

There's something about this next one. I just love it. It doesn't hurt that it has a picture of the Beast from dw.

Clearing out some "classic" Sass to make room for all the new Sass that arrived on my porch this week...

Love these next ones too. Studio Calico, Studio Calico...I love this hobby.

So, when you see the next ones you may say you've seen these before. Yep, you have. I used these layouts as my entry for a Design Team call at an uber super new challenge blog called Scrap That Baby. Well... guess what? I made it AND I love it. The girls on this team are crazy talented. This is not your momma's baby challenge blog. These girls are THAT good. My first original creation goes up on April 15th's post. Check it. I'm so excited for you all to follow me on this new journey.

****************If you've made it this far... I'll make it worth one reader's while. In honor of today's Party of Five's Hundreth Post I'm doing a Giveaway. Leave me a comment, any old thing and I'll enter your name in one of my world famous giveaways. IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER and leave a comment, you'll get 2 entries. So, get to it. **********************

Twinnies on Thursday

These are a few of their favorite things (to get into and/or dump out) over the last week or so....

applesauce cups, yogurt cups, 2 bottles of kids conditioner, Fun dip (the green one, that stuff does NOT come out of carpeting), 1 bottle of kids shampoo, baby wash, diet coke (lots of that) BK icing (that was eaten with a corn on the cob thingie), poop, Clorox Disenfecting Wipes (they actually got some stuff cleaned with those, before they put them back in the container), clean folded laundry baskets, sorted socks... you get the picture.

Another current favorite of mine is how when they're running from me with their purloined goods they shout "Hurry!", only when they say it, it sounds like Hooie! Which is what they are full of these days.

Miss Sassy got into some discarded mascara. What follows are the fruits of her labor...

We're off to pick up the kiddos from school a bit early today. Patrick FINALLY has a flight out of here. He'll be traveling to Bahrain to meet up with his squadron aboard the Ike. We look forward to his return home, hopefully in August. Prayers are always welcome. For ALL of us.

Come back real soon for my giveaway in celebration of Party of 5's 100th post.

The Last Supper and If You Listen Closely

If you listen closely, you can hear my wheels spinning round and round. When Donk got back from cq-ing and the boat last week, we knew he'd be on a short turnaround. He was supposed to be home for 2 or 3 days while good ol PSD gets the paperwork in order and he jumps on a rotator headed to Bahrain to meet up with the Ike. HA!!! Let me say that again!! HA!!

He's still here and we're both oh so happy about it. Yesterday he gets word he'll leave somewhere between Tuesday and Thursday. Okie Dokie, we drop everything. He packs while I'm on laundry duty. He's on his way home as we speak. He's not going today. AND we still have no definitive word on when. This drives me crazy. I just don't want the kids to be yanked around by this and get stuck saying Goodbye anymore than necessary. Plus, the sooner he leaves, the sooner me and the brood get into our groove. We function much better knowing which end is up. Call us crazy.

So... Sunday we had what I have termed The Last Supper. Patrick has started preparing bigger than usual meals (you know the kind... usually involving the words roast and/or gravy, multi-course) for our family on Sundays. This last one was no exception. I guess, he kinda figured this would most likely be it til his return next Fall. So, we sit down for the big meal. To candlelight. He had pulled out a pair of lilac candles from our wedding ceremony 1o years ago. Oh the irony, as we sat surrounded in the noise that is life with 5 kiddos. The brood even wanted the lights turned down. I guess you had to be there, but it was classic.

Saturday, Patrick pulled out all five kids' bikes and did the Spring maintenance on them. Meanwhile I kept them inside til he was all ready for them. No small feat, mind you. Boy, did we enjoy this Spring-like day!!


Guess who started using those pedal-thingies?!?

While Daddy ran the air pump filling tires, the kids had their very own DSI photo shoot while we wasted time. I jumped in on the fun...

I have to go pick up Reagan Boy. So, I'll leave with these...

This Makes it All Worthwhile

This is what I saw as I walked through the family room Sunday afternoon. Sassy was napping and Sullivan (wearing his brother's Peter Pan costume) was kneeling by her side holding her hand and brushing her hair from her eyes.

That's all I have today, and all I need.

This is What I Get for Purging, My Scraproom, That Is

Found the twins in the kitchen like so. Yes, the rest of their bodies are as bare as the top half. Eeeks! I guess I'll stop Spring Cleaning lest I find them in this state of undress again.

Tuesday's Version of Today I Am:

I am grateful for friends who help out when all he** breaks loose. My sweet friends know that if I am asking for help, I really need it. 13 days after DH left (this past Sunday) I had to take P.J. to the er. He had to have his finger drained of all this foul, nasty, painful green goo before they removed his nail. Double ugh.

I am thankful for prayers answered. He is healing way faster than even I had imagined. The pain is already improving.

I am thankful for small ride-ons that entertain my wee-est ones as they run them in circles around our living areas.

I am happy for infectious giggles from those same wee-est ones.

I am happy for new scrappy goodies. I always have boxes to wait for. Thank you to CP and Heather at SO for this.

I am grateful for our YMCA. The people they hire are truly amazing. Amazing enough to coax my middle one into the pool. Thank you for getting them.

I am thrilled beyond measure to tell my Bigs that they do not have to wear their "big coats" ALL week. Is that Spring I see knocking at my door?!?

I am shocked to see how the Twinnies have grown. They were running and climbing and sliding at the park yesterday. Here, all these things are allowed. Not so much at our home where they learned those skills.

Now, on to scrappy goodness. These first ones are mostly all Studio Calico. Man, I love their stuff!!

These next ones I did for Croppin Paradise. They feature Basic Grey's Nook and Pantry line. You can find these supplies in the store. Go get some...

I've got more to share. But, I hear quiet intermixed with "NO!!!!!!". Gotta run...

Chugga Chugga...

Scrappin like crazy these days. Thank goodness for this little hobby of mine. It really is sooo good for my mental health when Donk is away. These first 2 are for Croppin Paradise. I used Bo Bunny's Persuasion and Love Bandit lines. Yep, I made another bulletinboard...

These next ones are for Simply Obsessed. I got my kit on Thursday and pumped out these 4 layouts by Monday. Woot woot! I'm so excited to share my first projects as an official DT member at SO. I loved this kit. Heather put together a kit I never would have picked on my own. I don't usually pick blues/greens... but it is awesome!! Thanks Heather!

This one doesn't photograph well. The shamrock lower right is "floating" over an empty circle. can you tell?

Lot's more going on here. I've got my box for Croppin Paradise for the next 2 months. I'll be sharing projects using new Anna Griffin, Cosmo Cricket's Joy Ride, new JenniB, etc. etc. The brood is good, fairly healthy and making up another no snow Snow Day on Saturday. Seriously? Saturday? All I can picture is Breakfast Club. But, for 7 and 9 year olds.