Our Gift

Surprise! Madeline really was a gift, because she was unexpected to say the least. A perfect and beautiful addition to our family. I used the paper pack Evensong from CTMH, and some sparkly stickers I had on hand. My goal is to use something old in my stash on every project. Now that Lexi scrapbooks and Savannah is a churn-'em-out card-maker, it's not hard. I'm just proud of myself for getting some Madeline pages done- she's going to have a complex later fer sure...

Glow Babies

Can you guess which is which??

What do you get when you put a glowstick on a string and a camera in a dark room with three kids?...A half hour of uninterrupted entertainment. Savannah proved to have the most party-girl potential. She already has all her rave candy in her dress up bin: fairy wings, sparkly wigs, bubble wrap skirt, she's good. The pictures I got of her "creative" movements lit up the room.

Lexi on the other hand like her big circles which made her look like a Maori hunter, and Madeline mostly just giggled and shrieked "My TURN!!" What made me think one glow stick among three girls would suffice?..

First Day Tissue Box

I have to give credit to my sister- the Creative One- for this idea, but it fits nicely into our mantra that anything with a blank, flat, or ugly surface is deemed decorable. We all have to send in tissues on the first day of school, so what a great way for the teacher to get to know your student and how s/he spent the summer. Have her personalize the box with photos, art, stickers, whatever. 3-D objects might not make it through Sept. and an easy way of ensuring the photos stay on is to wrap the whole thing in packing tape. (Our other motto- "anything worth doing is worth overdoing.)

Forget the Knife

Unless you have a degree in geometry, carving a watermelon can be a fine science, not to mention messy. To cut time and mess, I use an ice cream scoop and gut that baby in 2 minutes flat. The kids can help and there is almost zero mess (except for this kid). Save the knife for fishing Barbie shoes out from under the stove.

One Proud Mama

Isn't it every parents dream for their child to follow in their footsteps? And she did it without coersion, I swear! Lexi has been curious for some time about what I do in my craft room, and has watched over my should while I put together my masterpieces. So when she said, "Can I try?" I almost wiped away a tear.

To simplify the process, I put coordinating supplies in front of her and let her have at it. She asked questions about matting photos, and how to place them. We even used the Cricut... It was hard to let her do everything on her own, especially with the title "Ireland dance." I asked (a couple times) if she meant "Irish dance," and she was adamant. (Just let it go, Cori, she's six and already doing better work than when I started.)

Hopefully, it will blossom into a mother-daughter activity both of us enjoy, which means I need to get a job. Funding my own habit is tough enough.

Chipmunks

The Garden Grille restaurant at Epcot was super cool! It actually spins revealing different nature scenes throughout your meal. Being that we were pretty much the only ones there at 4:30 for dinner (get your reservations AS SOON as you book your vacation), the characters spent a LOT of time with us. Madeline still wasn't feeling it, but the girls were so tuned in, they explained how to tell them a part- Chip has a red nose and Dale has a black nose. Good to know...

Oldie, But Goodie

I'm posting this blast from the past for 2 reasons:

a. It's one of the few spreads I didn't scraplift or rely on "external inspiration" in any way. It's a Cori original (rare).

b. I have one follower, and I'm pretty sure it's my husband, so Ricardo...I wanted to upload something just for you.

The spread is from 2003, the birth of our first precious bundle, Lexi Blair. We tried for so long to have her, that it really was a dream come true. (Then bam, bam! Two more and no more time for dreamin'!) I still love the mosaic look, but that was when I had 2 days to spend on a page. Enjoy.