Clock.

Clock meet online peeps.
Peeps meet clock.

I just got this bad boy while on our vacation.
We were driving to our ranch when we saw an antique shop.
It was closed at the time and what stopped us there
was a huge star {we're thinking of putting one on
our garage front but have since changed our minds}
but the place was closed. So we made a mental note to
stop there on the way back home.
We got there around 10 or so.
The store is HUGE! And there were
of course many, many things I could have taken home with me.
But space didn't permit that seriously. Not in our Jeep.

As we started to walk through the store, I noticed this room.
In it were practically everything I could want and more for our home!
Then I spotted it.
D&A were coming up behind me and he said what are you looking at.
I said, guess what I want to buy.
He hit the head on the nail and said the clock.

Yes this clock!
I walked around the store and teeter with buying it or not
and in the end D said we were going to buy it!
So off the wall it came and into our Jeep and off we went.

It's a clock from a train station.
It's really heavy.
I love it a lot.
In fact, I have quite a bit of clocks in our house.
But it isn't cause I am obsessed with time,
I just love clocks!

How about you? What do you love?

Them.

Normally challenges are exciting for me.
I love them and this one was extremely
challenging for me.
I do not do vintage.
But I like to rise above that and allow
the creative side in me come out.
This challenge was both invigorating
and peaceful for me to do.
Mainly because of them.
Those two people in the photo
are my gram and my mom.

Patricia Jean Elders
age 23
Born June 5th 1922

Carole Ann Miller
age 2
Born December 28th 1942

When I look at this photo I
am simply amazed.
Not just because they are both
extremely beautiful
but I find myself wondering
who they were at the time
this was snapped.
What were they thinking?
What does the smirk on my
mom's face mean?
What kind of a little girl was she?
And her hair.. It's curly, wavy.
Her face is fuller than I remember
that of my mom.
Alyssa looks a lot like her there.
Was she happy?
Did she play in the mud or
have a favorite doll?

And my gram. Honestly she is
truly beautiful. The mental picture
I have in my mind of my gram
isn't this. I know she was extremely
popular, fashionable, and strong.
I know how much she loved my mother.
So very much.
And how good friends they were.

I find myself wondering what kind of
relationship they had while my mom
was growing up.

I wonder what they did that day
this was taken? And who took it?

I am so thankful for this etched photo.

But more than anything this photo
makes me ache. For a mom that
is with Jesus and a gram that I do
not really know.....

Whether this layout is really vintage
or not, does not really matter.
What does is that I have this
single photo of two people who
mean a great deal to me, even if I
did not know them in this photo,
I know them in my life today....

Thank you Rebecca for creating this
challenge and even though it was
meant for it to be all about
the vintage, for me it was about
preserving
and remembering them both
as I know them.
Bless you.

4am + Barbie + Littlest Pet Shop

I've been holding on to this layout for a bit now
and am excited that I can now share it!
This is the newest sketch from TTS!

We did this challenge
using our sponsor Shimmerz {I used it on every flower!}
I love this layout because Alyssa is still very much into Littlest Pet Shop!
Even though I think she is embarrassed to admit it, she is!
I remember when I was little how much into Barbie I was, just as she is into LPS!

Speaking of Barbie...
On the way home from Montana we took our time.
Which meant that any town or place that had an antique shop, flea market, or thrift store
we stopped at it.
We happened upon this outdoor flea market.
Guess what I found?


Do you remember this?
I had this camper and played with it daily! I would set it up
in our living room along with another house, a car, and a couple of horses too.
I played with that thing for hours.
I'd even drive it around the house while they went on a camping trip.
With Ken, Barbie, and Skipper!
I gave all of my Barbie's to my cousin who was much younger after I grew out of them
{that was about 14 or 15, I kid you not!}
It made me smile to see it here because I hadn't been able to find
one for years. I would have bought it had A been into Barbie's but she
isn't and never was. But it was so much fun going back in time
that I had to get some photos of it!
It's a little beat up and well loved and was pretty cheap {10 bucks} too.
I hope that someone comes along and loves it as much as I did!
If you had it, share with me your memories too!

Aren't childhood memories fun!
Scrap them for you or your kids!

p.s.
Can you believe it? Vacation is over.
Time for reality. Here I sit at 4:30 am.
When I have to work the AM shift like
this I cannot sleep. I am awake 1/2 the night.
I toss and turn.
I look at the clock all night long, dreading for it to
go off.
And then by the time I get off at 12 I am dead dog tired.
I am very thankful of my job.
But prayerfully this is the last time I have to get
up this early to go into work.
My schedule is changing yet again.
I will be working the afternoon shift
from 12-5 which I am totally stoked about!
After the 21st of Sept. my hours are going to be cut
drastically because school is in and
I have to get A to school every morning.
It is why I am so thankful of my job
because they are willing to work with me through it all.
But its still VERY hard to get up at 4am and be to work by 5 something.
I have to seriously pray each morning to have a great day because of it.
But complaining isn't going to get my far!
So enough of that.

Peeks

Sometimes its really hard to wait each week to show my TTS layouts!
I have such a hard time holding on to them for each week that I
decided to show you a tiny sampling of each of them.

Not that it matters that I show them, but I like showing stuff!
There are 4 layouts there all about our trip!

Thought I'd also share some more photos of our trip.
This is our 2nd day there.







This was my favorite day! We hiked all over the ranch {its 150 acres}
and really explored and learned a great deal about many things too.
We also went into the river water while hiking, it was so refreshing!

All of these photos I've posted are straight out of the camera.
I don't have the time to sit and photoshop them all, so they
are staying the way that they are unless I scrap them!
I also played around a lot with my camera this trip. Just
messing around trying to figure the monstrous thing out.
Sometimes I got it, other times I didn't.
I am also saving up for a smaller camera that I can take
with me that isn't so big.
I am a true and die-hard Canon Rebel fan, however
sometimes it makes it hard to carry around and enjoy
myself because the camera is pretty big and bulky.

Do you have any suggestions on a smaller camera
that works good and takes great photos? Share with me!

Here we are!

Hello friends!
We are back home.
Got home late last night.

Our trip was fantastic!
The ranch was
beautiful
peaceful
quiet
filled with trout
restful
fun
our cabin was spacious and beautiful too!
We really enjoyed ourselves a lot.
Here are some photos on our first day there and traveling.











Isn't it beautiful?
We had such a lovely time.
There was only one other couple on the ranch while we were there
so we basically had the entire place to ourselves.
It was truly serene. I cannot express
enough how this trip was good for the soul.
Good for our family collectively and individually too.

There are so many emotions I want to share.
So much happened while we were there, but nothing happened.
Does that make sense?
I probably could write many posts about our trip.
I probably will!
But for now I'll just show you these photos.

It was the perfect first family vacation!

Cause its like that!

Wanna see my newest sketch challenge for TTS?
I LOVED this sketch and what I created.

The mix of bold
bright and fun colors are always a winner in my book!
Honestly when I use bold, bright, and fun colors I seriously
think it's like peanut butter and jelly.
They go so well together and so does bright, bold, and fun!

You know what's funny?
I've got 7 layouts sitting on my desk.
Of course I am not sitting at my desk, I am in Montana
but that is what the glory of post options are for! So you can
pre-post stuff for the day you want it! LOL.
Those 7 layouts? They don't have any photos on them.
Do you, or have you ever scrapped like that?
I almost always do.
Well sort of.
You see I am moved by photos, truly I am.
But I am also moved by colors, textures, elements, and challenges.
So often, I will "think" of photos while I am scrapping and create
based on the movements from above. Then I add photos.
I don't know too many peeps who scrap like that, but it really works for me.
There are times where I will have the photos printed out, but the
majority of time, I am working on the page and then I will add the photo.
Cause it's like that!
The 6 that are sitting on my desk are for our trip
that we of course are presently on!
They are 4 TTS new sketches that will be posted in the weeks to come
and 1 layout of A's sneak peek for her school {just cause}.

So do you ever do this?
Just wondering....

My grateful list this week:

1. Being able to take time off of work.
2. Going on vacation.
3. People who are nice.
4. God speaking to me through peeps on the internet.
5. To know that my dogs are in good hands while we're gone.
6. Happiness in working out again.
7. Cool birthday presents.
8. Music.
9. Carney-isms.
10. Fruit.


Hope your enjoying your weekend and it is blessed
to make you smile!

Rollin' in the Jeep!

The Carney's are off for their 4 day trip into the beautiful Montana area.
A cabin for just us.
Fishing.
Canoeing.
Quiet.
Peacefulness.
Our first family vacation.
Something that we've been looking forward too for a very long time!

I won't have internet capabilities.
No cell phone coverage there either.
Pure bliss!

I will be relaxing.
Spending time with D&A.
Taking a ton of photos.
Catching some big fish!
Sleeping in {huh? What's this?}

So do take care while we are away for the 4 days!
I'll see you on the 24th!

In the Pink.

Pink Paislee that is.

I had the pleasure of being PP guest designer for August.

I was SO excited about being able to use one of their new lines,

Amber Road.

The colors are gorgeous and they make me think of apple cider,

hay bales, and crisp fall days!

Here are my projects using this beautiful line!

I went a little hay-wire {no pun intended}

with using the elements, but sometimes you just do that.

I was going with what I was feeling!

Thank you Pink Paislee for allowing me to design using

your new line, I loved it!

I've fallen...

Completely off track.
Well that isn't true.
Those goals?
So lofty.
So many.
Too much.
Although I am still
plugging my way
through flossing...
We are still taking
nightly walks or
bike rides.

That's a good thing yeah?

So.
I fell.
Hard.
I haven't worked out in awhile.
I ate, really REALLY bad.
I cried a lot.
I also realized something.

I am obsessed.
That's right.
I am admitting it.
But it is not a very good
obsession.

You see.
I have some issues with food. weight. working out.

I don't enjoy food anymore. Like
when I first went on WW I learned seriously a new way to eat.
Then it brought me to a point where I learned to love food in
a whole new light.
I wasn't controlled by food anymore and didn't feel the need
at any given time to cheat, eat tons of food, or even crave food.
I ate good foods for me and I loved it.

I also dropped 60 pounds on WW.
Then I had surgery that further aided in that.
So I weigh 155. I gain and lose 5 pounds like it owes
me money so at any given time I can go from 155-160
just like that. And that is really okay. Sure I'd like
to weigh 150 but that struggle is just something
that I am laying down at the King's feet!

Working out. Where do I start? I've worked out practically all
of my life, so it seems. I seriously started working out in Japan
though and never really stopped. Sure I stop off and on, but I've
worked out from there until now. I know that working out is
an important part of my world. I am older, and it's okay but
I want to work out to stay healthy. Not doing it isn't an option.
So I got a personal trainer recently. As you can tell by now
I really dislike it. Not really her, but I dislike having one.
Sure it pumped me up, got me going, showed me what I needed to
do. But it took all the fun out of working out for me. I now hate it.
And will go to any length to get out of it. I finish one of her workouts
and no more is the feeling released, satisfied, or uplifted. The only thing
I really am glad of is that it is over. I never felt this way before having
a trainer at all!

So where does that leave me today?
Today is different because I fully admit to having an issue.
I fully admit that "I" has become just that.
I am tired of watching what I eat constantly.
Tired of working out to the point of exhaustion.
Tired of watching my weight and freaking out if I gain a pound.

Surely there has to be a balance in all of this?
Surely there is a way out to where the balance means that I am healthy
in all 3 corners again?
Yes, why yes there is a way out.
God.
I know I've said it a million times but you have to realize that
I am fully admitting this to myself, to you, and to God.
Where as before I torked it, tweeked it, and turned it.
I am tired.
I grow weary of it all.

I want to let it all go.
I don't want to worry about my weight.
Or the fact that I didn't do one of her workouts so I am a failure.
Of eating that smore is really going to put 5 pounds on me.
Or that I am weak because those workouts literally kick my butt.

I am over it.
Yeah. Done. Fried. Finished.

I prayed recently for God to show me the love of good food again.
To take away desires of emotional eating.
For putting blame on Dayv because I do better when he is gone.
To find the love of working out, and find the balance of her horrible workouts and what I love doing in the gym.
To realize its a lifetime change, not an over night one.
To stop beating myself up each and every time I slip, fall, or fail. I am only human.
To get back to being okay with treat days or eating things that aren't always
good for me instead of beating myself up for eating them.

I want to enjoy life!
We have so much going on in our lives to pull us down and this isn't an area where
I want it to any longer!
I want to experience freedom.
And the odd part?
I trapped myself down.
I am hard on myself.
I felt like a failure or that it was
destiny to be the old me again.
I just ran myself into the ground
by pushing so hard there wasn't any give.
I cannot do this alone.
I was a fool to even think that I could.

I am going to start enjoying it again.
Food.
Working out.
Where I am with my weight.
Just sit back and enjoy.

Not obsesses any longer.
There isn't any need for it.
It is wasted time and energy.

All of this because I try to do this on
my own. Without God.
God is in my everything and I have
seemingly pushed him out of the picture
and just thought I could handle it myself.
Thought that I had it under control.

Not any longer! Get behind thee Satan!
There isn't room for you to be screwing up
my life any longer.
My joy and fulfillment comes from the Lord!
Not from food or obsessions.

Not any longer.
Taking it day by day with Jesus.
Giving my life and self to him
with working out. Eating. Living.

God is my refuge and strength.
I cannot do this alone.

Why share this here?
Well as I have said many times this is me.
It's my blog and although scrapping is a huge
part of it, I write to release. Sometimes that isn't
pretty pictures with cute elements.
It's just me. The realness of myself posting it out
there.

I know we all struggle.
If it isn't with any of these issues that I have
it's something else.
I know that.
I am not talking about something that I am alone on
I know that too.

If you can relate, share...
I will lift you up in prayer if you'll lift me up!
We need all the prayers we can get.

It feels so good to admit that I had an obsession
that I am no longer bound too!
I thank you for coming to my blog to get a glimpse of me
fun times, cute layouts, and struggles too!

Today is a new day and I am going to bask in it!

Happy Happy Birthday!!!

You say it's your birthday {36}!


It's my birthday too {41}!

Happy birthday to us!!!!

Not sure what we're doing but you can bet there will be
photos and loads of fun!

Sketch it!

This week I had the opportunity to
play along with the Friday Formula on the CMK Blog.

I really love sketches!
I find them so inspiring and a great way to jump your mojo!
Aside from that, I love how you
can take elements from it and
make it your own! Kind of like I did
with my layout below. I kept with the theme of the circles and just moved them to the side to fit my page. I also
used the strip for inspiration as my background papers too!

You see sketches can be for you to
jumpstart your creativity every time!

Play along with this sketch and have some fun too!

The story of these photos is one I've told, but will share again. After we had gone to see the play "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" we ate dinner at a beautiful Italian place and then started walking around. Or was it the other way around? We were walking looking for food... I don't know. But I stopped right in front of the Hard Rock Cafe and said, I wanted a jumping photo. I know that both Sarah and Melissa thought I was nuts but I have to get a jumping photo every time because they are SO much fun! I think they got the bug and wanted to jump too so we moved down where it was less crowded and started to jump. It was a lot of fun creating this memory with the two of them! We had such a good time playing around together! I miss them so much! They were good sports in their dressy clothes to just go for it and jump with me! Fun times!

My grateful list this week:

1. Time off to sit in my pj's all day long.
2. Our beautiful yard.
3. Milkduds.
4. Laughing with A&D.
5. Family time because it is a very important part of us.
6. Scrapbooking fun stuff that comes in the mail.
7. Time.
8. Knowing that I have a Savior who will rescue me when I look away at the crashing waves.
9. Board games.
10. Peace.

You know I've enjoyed these past few days.
We've had tons of family time, did yard work,
I was able to start spring cleaning {well it
wouldn't be called that now huh? I guess you
could call it fall cleaning!} the house room by room.
I clean every week hard. The house is always tidy, always.
But I don't often go and do the baseboards and
straighten, or organize everything in each room.
So that's what I've been busy doing aside from lounging
around in my pj's, laughing with my family, playing board
games, Wii, and hanging out. It has been a really
lovely time to say the least.

I sure hope your weekend has been as blessed as mine has been!

4 glorious days!

I am enjoying 4 days off of work!
How did I score it?
I did the schedule! LOL.
Also I worked 34.5 hours
last week and I cannot work over
40 so I just ensured that I took
the time off.
And you know what else is cool?
I am only working 3 days next week
and then we start our family
vacation! I am totally over the moon
about it, we all are! A is counting
down the days.. D&I constantly talk
about it and how relaxing it will be.
We are THAT excited! We need it.
And it's a great way to wind down
from summer.

While being off for the 4 days I got
a chance to do some scrappin'!
I did a challenge from



I followed this sketch {sketch 27}:

This is what I
came up with:

I really love these
new photos of Kira. She takes the best photos and is really our sweety!
Go check them out and play along,
not only can you find inspiration there
but you can win some seriously cute stuff too if you play along!

Hope you were inspired like I was!
Off to play some family favorites
{Yahtzee, and clue!}

Wickedly Wicked.

I wanted to share the next sketch for TTS! I really enjoyed creating this layout because
the colors are bright and fun and normally
when I am scrapping this makes me inspired
and happy!

I used a variety of things on here and one of the things I did use was Shimmerz!
I used Shimmerz Angel's Wings on the stars to give them
some bling! It was fun incorporating that into this layout!

I love these photos of Alyssa. I have said it before, but she surprises us each and every time she does a play.
This was actually a camp {HS Musical camp} and she played a role like everyone else. And I know I sound biased cause she's my kid and that's how it should be... But honestly she's got some talent! She projects herself so nicely, sings well, speaks well, and her acting is pretty decent too! It is like a flower opening up in the morning watching her each and every time she gets on stage! I hope that she stays involved with CYT because it is a great program and also watching her do something she really loves!

So my friend Sarah was telling me about
this book while on our girlie trip.
So when I came home I decided to hunt
it down and buy it.
I got it and D said that he wanted to read
it as well and suggested we read it out
loud together. He's a slower reader than
I am, so this works because we can both
read and be together on it!

The book? It's Wicked.

I had no idea what we were getting ourselves into when we first opened it.
I cannot decided if I am glued to it because it is so good, or the fact that I want to find out the story...

I am enjoying the book, however there are bits and pieces of it that I kind of feel are seedy. I hadn't a clue that this book would be this explicit in some areas at all. But if you can get passed that, it is a good read.

We are only 1/2 way through the book. Her story is unfolding and things are falling into place as we read them and making more sense. Right now though, I don't see how she is so wicked. I know in the Wizard of Oz she is.. But now she just seems like a cynical green girl who has smarts and wit too.

Has anyone read this book? Tell me how you felt about it
with of course not giving away anything!
I'd like to know your opinion if you've read it.

If you have any other good books to read,
list them so I can read them too!

I just recently ordered these:








Britt Nicole
FireFlight
Decyfer Down
Barlow Girl
Red
Skillet

You can check each of them out above.
We're totally stoked that we're getting these
soon! I love music a lot!!!
In them, I hope that you find something
that touches you within their music as well!


Hope your Friday is blessed!