The Cove

We had a nice time exploring the cove yesterday. The sea lions stole the show and won the kids' hearts as best sight of the day. They are ready to go snorkeling there, but looks like we'll have to wait until next summer when the water warms up again. Plus, I have this little thing in the back of my mind that sea lions are at a certain place on the food chain and where there are sea lions, there are...cue the Jaws music.

Little Frankenstein

I saw this Frankenstein Billy from Pink Cat Studio and thought of my little nephew, so I whipped up a simple Halloween card with  him in mind. I can't believe Halloween is just next week. Let the sugar rush begin!

My Little Pumpkin

I made a simple scrapbook page using pieces of the latest kit. I look back at these pictures of Nick with such nostalgia. I can't believe that he no longer is that little baby. Bate's is such a great place to get photos of the kids and a great place to wander about. I don't think we are going to make it there this year, for I have a feeling Brian is "over it". And in some small way, I am too. But, we'll always have our memories and there's always next year (just in case).

Trio of Pumpkins

Brian and I got into a pretty lengthy discussion about pie and how much we loooove pie. I would take it over cake anyday. After all that talk about pie, it got me thinking about Thanksgiving. Then, that got me thinking about my scrapbook kit from last month that I hadn't touched yet, but knew was full of Fall goodies. So, I inked up my Verve pumpkin stamps and made my first Thanksgiving card. And I paper pieced again, my new favorite technique. I'm also having fun making square cards. I might have to save this card for Paige's teacher, along with a homemade loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread. Ah, I just love this time of year.

Nick Turns Four

My baby turned four. Just the fact that he turned four probably means I should not be calling him "my baby" anymore, but I just can't help myself. For Nick's birthday this year, we took him to Disneyland so that he could fight his arch nemesis, Darth Vadar. We also had a small family celebration where the birthday boy wanted cheeseburgers, his favorite "white chips" aka Ruffles, and a clone trooper cake. He had me until clone trooper cake. So, I busted out my cake decorating class paperwork and remembered a simple technique using rice paper to create the image I needed. He loved it! The best part about Nick's entire birthday was his baby girl cousin, Audrey, was born on his actual birthdate. How exciting is that?!

If You Give a Mouse to Nick

Nick had his first "homework assignment" last week. His teacher read their class the book, If You Take a Mouse to School,  so it was his turn to take Mouse home and chronicle his adventures. Even though this seemed more like a homework assignment for me, I was happy to take pictures and create a scrapbook page of all the fun stuff they did together. Mouse watched Nick swim in the pool while relaxing on the chaise lounge. Mouse also went to the library with us and had a visit with Papa & Tita.

Back to School

The kids are back in school and it was pretty emotional for me to send Paige off to kindergarten. We have been talking about it a lot all summer and, boy, she was definitely prepared. So, when she walked into that classroom, I was the one with wet eyes, not her. She loves her teacher and enjoys making new friends each day. Nick, too, has adjusted very well to his new preschool and has already charmed his teachers. I used the Imaginisce Geek is Chic line which is full of bright colors and cute die-cut images to create the layouts.

Beach Bliss

The rules from last month's scrapbook club class was to include a Tim Holtz item and something else that I have already forgotten, but I think I did include it. With that being said, my two Tim Holtz items are the keyhole and washi tape. I love this picture of Paige taken on Nick's second birthday when we stayed on the beach at Camp Pendleton. Making it black and white gave it a little bit of a 40s vibe, which I think adds to the layout. Most of the papers are by Authentique.