Christmas came early

But I can't shake the presents to find out what they are. I have to wait and see what blooms. Plants are popping up everywhere with buds, can't wait to see what they hold. I cleaned 14 bags of weeds and pine needles out of the front yard and 7 out of the back, but if this is what I get in return, it's totally worth it! It's worth the sore back, triceps and hammies I still have a week later. I am not a gardener, and Lynn the previous owner said she planted everything that was beautiful but hearty because she is not a gardener either. It's crazy how much we have in common! I bought the perfect house for me and am convinced of that each day. I am so glad to have met her and hope our friendship blooms into something beautiful as the backyard.

For 6 Months

I have been living in my house for 6 months now, that sounds crazy to me because I don't feel like it has been that long. Heck I have yet to unpack everything! Well, these are the invites to my house warming party. I am honored because the previous home owner is going to come and bring photos of what it looked like in the beginning and what it looked like when she lived in it! I can't wait. What an amazing lady, we will be connected forever!

New, used and red

Well when you get a new home it seems that you spend all of your money on the home and then fill it with used stuff. It would not be so bad if the couch my aunt gave me was not kept in a shed with birds using it as a toilet. So I broke down and paid the cleaners to come out and clean it. So very glad I did that! Then I thought you know I have always wanted a red couch and this is a good way to test it out- with a slip cover. So hear it is, not bad at all huh?

Inspiration

I love the surfing the net for groovy stuff, it is just amazing how long you can sit there and not even realize it!

Here are my new finds...

Fonts:
Kevin and Amanda -you can download ALL at the same time!
The Two Peas members that have created fonts are located here, lots of cute ones!

Plus I am trying out Adobe Photoshop Elements 7.0 right now. All because I bought Jessica Sprague's book on computer tricks, but didn't realize that I would need to have APE7 to use them! Blonde with a debit card. Well the new take ten and this groovy journal were at Barnes and Noble and wanted to come home with me.

Stinky dollars

Well since the second location of the best sandwich shop EVER (STINKY's) just opened and it is right next to Joann's I could not resist. These little goodies had to jump into my basket since they were only a dollar. What is it abou that price!?

Look who's 60!

Josh's mom Bonnie turned 60 and everyone surprised her- there was kareoke, dancing and a whole lotta drinking. Josh's honorary aunt Dar was there, who I met for the first time and she was cracking me up. The funniest woman I have ever met in my life! It was a good time and nice to hang out with another great family.

For the First Time

First time I have

• wrestled a calf for branding, 3 to be exact


• ate a rocky mountain oyster

Am I still a greenhorn?

Kelli and Thom's wedding

Kelli is the kindest person I have ever met, she married Thom on April 24th at the Courthouse and the weather was perfect for some photos! Can't wait to create something that will hang in their home with these beauties.

FOUND IT!

Finally! I hate when I misplace things. Especially things I have never taken out of the bag from when I purchased it. After tearing apart my craft space and reorganizing everything I finally found my purchases from Stevensville! I guess the owner said that I can order the pin-up ladies in stamps from this company. So now that I have found them you would think that I would be rushing to use on my next project, but oh no.

From MOM's

Went into MOMS to use my gift certificate I received from my grade school friend Melissa for Christmas. Crazy that I have held on to it this long huh? Here are my purchases. Can't believe that I have scored my way through the scor-pal tool! It only took 13 months- yikes! So I picked up a new one. And because of the Silhouette support group I thought it was due time to purchase some vinyl to cut out and put on my walls. I also picked up some stuff to create the invitations for Nicole.

love love love

The Hobby Lobby! Love it especially when I find it on a Saturday while in Billings for the PBR. I saw Flint for the first time, hysterical and he can move like no one else I know even after a heartattack!

Oh NUTS!

Someone has been feeding them walnuts, perhaps they are poisoned? Not sure of the cause of death, but geez, never seen one dead in a yard before. They are normally flattened out on the street and that is bad enough, but here he died of a long fall or natural causes.

One step forward

Two steps back, or 25 inches back! This was the first sign of spring in my backyard. Ironically I hate daffodils with a passion. Someone in the clouds must have known and dropped 25 inches of snow on top of it. But I guess it is bittersweet. Now I may not know what is growing in my back yard until next spring. Ugh, I hate waiting for things!

Let's get physical, I mean organized...

While at the scrapbook retreat put on by The Scrapbook Hideaway Gina had a ton of plastic boxes (but larger than the link) and Jami had a ton of jars in her work space. Every embellishment was color coordinated, from brads to large tags. And if you are like me you appreciate that. So far in my work space paper, ink, cardstock, ribbon, my clothes are even organized by color. Why this has never made sense to me before is beyond me. I have organized by theme (christmas, travel, etc) well that doesn't help me if I am looking for something red. It also doesn't help me if I don't know I have something red because it is so hard to find so I never use it and just continue to buy more product. So more organized and using up product I already own- win win! So how are you winning at orgainzing and using product?

I feel as though I am really making progress. I have went from this...


to this...













Organization accomplished:

• Embellishments coordinated in bags by color (currently I have 15 colors). Not thrilled on the whole idea of bags, but it will do until I find out what I really want.

• All keepsake items bagged by year. This is just the beginning. I still want to get them lined up with the coordinating photos I already have printed.

Organization that needs to be accomplished:

• Store all alterable items in categories: ready to be altered, ready to be recreated, and ready for not quite sure what


• Patterened paper color coordinated. Since moving it is a bit outta sorts.

In attempt...

To start getting some creative juices flowing I completed Elise Blaha's workshop Get Crafty. She is planning on doing another class in the summer and it's worth it. This chicky is just so creative and makes it simple. Loved it!

...said the princess

Got a large envelope in the mail a while back with all of my best friends notes on her invitations for her wedding in February of 2010. **UPDATED** thanks Toni for pointing out this didn't already happen. Everything was complete with her thoughts on a post-it that stated...said the princess. Do I have my work cut out for me!

Write it all down

Stories in Hand was a class that Jessica Sprague offered last year and Melissa told me to go and check out. Well working at my own pace, a snails pace I finally finished the book we were to complete. For the first time I actually used my bind-it-all I got from my TAC order!!

What you got cookin'?

Melissa and I made the 3 hour Journey to the Scrapbook Hideaway retreat in Missoula. This is the goodies I walked away with. Plus friends from all over Montana and Idaho! Hello Gina, Tabetha, Trish, Tanya, Renee, Jacquie, Kimberly, Stacey, Cindy, Ginny, Jami and Melody!!!


While at the retreat I am not going to lie there was a little bit of shopping. I bought a bunch of chipboard as well to use their huge diecut machine and get a bunch of their really cool designs. Here is the loot.

True Love

This couple has to be my favorite, they have been together since high school. I call them cheesy, but they have to be the coolest people I know. You simply want to be around them! Matt and Tammi have such a great marriage, they are best friends and love each other unconditionally. I made this little page for her birthday, I took this photo of them while at a BBQ out at their house.