All Good

Just a Little Reminder

If you have not yet updated your links to my new blog, I'm going to HUNT YOU DOWN! Just kidding, but seriously...please update your blog links so that people can find me at my new home: http://www.elishasnow.com/blog.

AND...for the fun part...if you leave a comment over at my new blog, with a LINK showing me that you're now linking to my new site you'll be entered into a drawing to receive some awesome scrapbook supplies. I'll more than likely draw two winners, so update your links now!

BEYOND THRILLED!!!

I am so excited to finally let you know that my NEW BLOG is done! Not only do I have a new blog, but also a new logo, new colors, updating pricing information, and a totally updated and refreshed website. None of which would have been possible without my amazing sister-in-law, Stefanie, who designed my logo and helped me choose my colors. I wanted something bright and happy and I think I've got it!

I will leave this blog up and running for a little longer so that people can find the new one.

PLEASE update your bookmarks and any links (that you may have on your own blog/website) that link to me.

So...without further ado, please join me here: ELISHA'S NEW BLOG!! Pop on over, leave a comment, and let me know what you think! Please also let me know if you see any weird links or something so I can fix it.

And don't forget to check out the facelift on my website (including tons new photos): http://www.elishasnow.com

HOORAY!!

Baby Love

I got this new "Rock-a-Bye Boy" paper line and embellishments from Stampin' Up and knew this picture would be perfect to use with it. This layout literally came together in about 10 minutes and I love how it turned out. I used foam adhesive to put the blue star pop a little more and then finished it off with some American Crafts Thickers for the date.

 

Don't forget that their Sale-a- Bration ends the end of this month! You get FREE stuff if you order!

Enough Already!

At the beginning of every week Matt and I joke about how maybe this will be the week that we don't have to take someone to the doctor. I actually thought that this week would be the week--but no.

At 9:30 last night Kyler was struggling hard to breath. It was frightening to say the least. I bundled him up and drove to the 24-hour pediatric clinic. A nurse came out and did an initial test by measuring some sort of reading on the bottom of his foot (how that measures his breathing I'll never know) and determined that he was okay to wait in the waiting room to see the doctor. Thirty minutes later we were seen. The nurse started asking us the usual questions, but as soon as she heard Kyler wheezing she ran to get the doctor. He raced in, listened to his lungs and requested an immediate medicated breathing mask. I sat there holding the mask to his nose, with tears streaming down my face as Kyler was hysterically crying and saying "No mommy, no!" The doctor would come in and out of the room, checking to make sure Kyler was okay. After the breathing treatment he gave Kyler a shot of steroids to reduce the swelling in his wind pipe and voice box and pronounced him as officially having Croup. He was monitored for another hour and a little after midnight we were given the green light to go home. Needless to say that today we're all exhausted.

I would give anything just to have EVERY single person in my family healthy again...for longer than a week!

Prepare Yourselves...

...because it's time for another one of my famous brain dumps. I've got lots on my mind, in totally random order.

1. I've been really enjoying American Idol this year and was a little sad to see Alexis Grace go last week. I'm kind of ready to see Megan Joy go. And my prediction (or wish) for the winner? Danny Goeke...all the way.

2. My poor little Ryan. I feel so bad for him. Here's the latest: a week ago Friday we noticed that he couldn't hear anything we were saying. At first we just thought he was lost in his own little world, but by the time I put him to bed Friday night I realized that there was something more serious going on. I was able to get him into the doctor first thing the next morning. The doctor said she was shocked he wasn't complaining about his ears because his eardrums were bulging and they were full of thick fluid. So she put him on an antibiotic (the third just this month). Then by Thursday (after 6 days of being on the antibiotic) he came home from preschool coughing, throwing up and with a fever. I got him back into the doctor the next morning. The diagnosis? Pneumonia and a strong recommendation to get tubes in his ears. Poor kid. I'm happy to report that he's doing much better today and is definitely on the mend.

3. Every Sunday I read just one comic from the Sunday Paper: Fox Trot. It's my absolute favorite and SO funny! It reminds me of Phineas and Ferb (our new favorite show around here). Today's comic had me laughing so hard. I guess it wouldn't be as funny to you if you didn't know what Twitter was. (Click on it to read it a little better.)

 

4. This morning Ryan and Kyler walked into my room at 7:30, whining as usual for me to get out of bed--not because they need anything, but just because they like me to be in the family room with them. Matt immediately sat up and said, "I'll get up with them this morning." Do husbands realize that it's little things like this make us think "My husband is the BEST ever!?" Seriously, my husband is the BEST ever!

5. I kind of wish I had some more money right now.

6. Kyler's new word for "yes" is "yow-me". It's so dang cute. And he's perfectly capable of saying "yes" and knows what it means, he just prefers to say "yow-me".

"Kyer are you cute?"

"Yow-me."

"Kyler are you a goof-ball?"

"Yow-me."

7. A couple of weeks ago Ryan crawled into bed with me early one morning and was talking very close to my face. I said something to him and got this response:

"EWWWWW! Mommy your breath STINKS! Yuck! You're stinkin' up the whole house!"

I knew it was going to be a great day after that.

8. Matt started working on finishing our basement a couple of months ago. We decided that it would become my new studio. As he began framing it though his male thought processes got in the way of our current plans, and before I knew it he had framed an entire entertainment center into the wall and announced that he would be moving our plasma TV down there once it was finished. Bye bye studio...it would have been fun.

9. And this is what my house is covered in right now:

The finest, whitest, thickest dry wall powder you've ever seen. Ugh.

10. I'm making barbecued pork ribs tonight for the first time in my life. Off to get them started!

New LDS Commercial

I love this new commerical from the LDS church. Just thought I'd share it.

Blog-iversary

I was just sitting here thinking, "hmmm...I think my blog is having a birthday this month." So I went and looked at my archives and realized that it was THREE DAYS ago! I missed it! Dang it. My blog turned three years old on March 13th. I can't believe I've been blogging for three years! Wow. It's been so fun.

And I guess that now is as good a time as any to announce that I'm getting a NEW blog! And that it's SO close to being done. With the introduction of my new blog I'm going to be updating my logo and business colors, so it's really going to be a BIG change for me!

In other news I just got my copy of "Scrapbook Play with Photos" in the mail. It was the final special issue from Simple Scrapbooks. :(  Did you know that when I was hired with Simple Scrapbooks several years ago, I was the "Special Issue Editor"? I oversaw so many wonderful special issues starting with "A Simple Guide to Scrapbooking with Color." Anyone remember that? I can't even find a picture of it online anywhere now.

Anyway...back to reality. After flipping through the issue I realized that one of my favorite projects didn't make it into the magazine, so you're going to see it here.

 

This is a storyboard that I had printed and framed with a black 10x20 frame. I love how it turned out! I'm bummed it didn't make it in the magazine, but I'm glad I get to share it with you here. And, I'd also like to share the PSD template with you, so that you can create your own storyboard. All you need to do is replace the photos and wording to make it your own (you can even change the color if you want). If you do end up using it, will you please show me what you did? I'd love to see it!

Download Storyboard to share

The font is Portland Roman, which can be downloaded HERE, or you can just do whatever font you want. The large photo size is 8.5"x6" and the small photo size is 4"x6" (Make sure you put the photos beneaththe photo frames in the layers palette). Let me know if you have any problems!

Mommy Observations

Every night before I go to bed I get on my knees and pray that tomorrow I'll be a better mom. I pray mostly for patience.

And each morning I've lost my temper by 9:00am.

By the time I go to bed again I'm guilt-ridden and on my knees asking for forgiveness, and pleading once again to help me be the kind of mom my children deserve.

Last night I went to an uplifting dinner and activity for the women in our neighborhood. It was so well put together and amazing. And the message I took from it? Your best is good enough.

My favorite quote from the evening was this: "Do the best you can. Look at everything through the lens of eternity." (from James E. Faust)

Is it going to matter in the eternal perspective that my kids had Fruit Loops for breakfast instead of homemade whole wheat pancakes? No.

Is it going to matter in the eternal perspective if my baseboards aren't clean? No.

Is it going to matter in the eternal perspective if my son isn't potty-trained until he's five? No.

Is it going to matter in the eternal perspective if my kids watched 4 hours of TV in one day? No.

Kudos to all you moms out there that have your kids reading by age 3; for never raising your voice; for doing crafts with them every day; for taking them on outings that stimulate their minds.

I'm far from one of those perfect moms. But I'm doing my best.

An Angel

I thought it was maybe time I post photos on here that AREN'T of my kiddos.

This is my beautiful niece, Karly, who just turned eight. Doesn't she look like an angel? You can just see her sweet, innocent personality in these photos.

 

 

An Almost Spring-Like Afternoon

Spring is so close! We keep getting teased a little bit with the weather around here with temperatures in the 60s, and then the next day (today) it snows. Yuck.

But everyone is finally healthy again here. I feel like I still have NO energy, but that's really nothing new. Yesterday we took advantage of Daylight Savings and went for a late afternoon walk. It was nice to let the boys out to romp around for a while.

I had to post this picture. This is what Kyler looked like when a big gust of wind came up and took his breath away. I was laughing so hard!

 

Racing Aunt Daynna up the hill:

 

An encounter with this guy:

 

Don't worry...he was fenced in:

 

Had my mom and Daynna take a picture of me and my boys (I don't think I'll EVER like any picture of myself):

 

 

And I was thrilled to get a series of funny photos of Kyler. When we show Kyler how to grin, this is what we get:

 

 

 

That last one is going big on the wall.

Hope everyone else had a nice weekend!