Our Independence Day...

We had an awesome Independence Day! It basically started on Wednesday evening when Kelley & her family arrived for a visit. This was the first time that her husband Scott and son, Austin had been to our house {also the first time that James & Scott had ever met!}. We had planned to spend time at the pool and a little time at the lake. Well there was a situation at the pool on Wednesday night which lead to the pool being closed the entire time the Anderson's were visiting {actually the pool isn't scheduled to open back up until Thursday :( }. On top of the pool issues, the Ratliff's boat a had a glitch which meant that we basically spent time at the beach and on the dock. So Thursday Jameson & i hung out at the dock with the Andersons and Ratliffs. After we swam and played for most of the day we headed home for dinner with James. Following dinner i headed out with the Andersons to take some family pictures. It is always fun to photograph friends, especially ones that are willing to experiment with me. i'll be posted some sneak peaks soon! Friday we basically repeated the above except that the Ratliff's boat was fixed and James was off work!! Double bonus! Early in the day James & Scott put sod out onto the side yard...can you believe James would make his guest work?! {That was what all of the neighbors were saying as they drove by, Scott says he enjoyed it! Either way, thanks for helping out Scott!} Friday evening we had crab boil with a few of the neighborhood families. i personally think it was even better then T-60 {less spice!}

Saturday morning Kelley & i got up at 4 am to hit the Jockey Lot. i think she may have planned her trip around being here for a Saturday morning?! Either way it was fun to get some one on one time to catch up with each other. Friday evening it actually had struck me that as much as i love seeing her entire family and having them around my whole family, it limited the amount of time we got to catch up with each other. Which is what most of our past visits have been, mainly all of the retreats where we roomed together! So Saturday morning it was nice to get a chance to talk, even though it meant getting up SO very early! Once we got back from our shopping their family headed onto their next stop...Jekyll Island.

The rest of our 4th was spent at the Ratliff dock. By the middle of the afternoon it was obvious that Jameson was going to need a nap but he didn't want to leave the excitement. So Carrie & i headed out on the boat to nap the boy! The best part is that it worked! After returning to the dock we flooded around in our life jacket diapers for a few more hours. When the sun started to set there were 3 boats that tied up together and we watched the fireworks. Seeing fireworks over a body of water is the absolute best. And this year it was even better because Jameson wanted to snuggle in my lap (which is why there are zero pictures of fireworks from this year!). This little boy is going through a major snuggling phase and i LOVE it!

Onto other news, i've been keeping busy editing pictures from various sessions from the past couple of weeks. Be on the lookout for some exciting specials that will be offered for Jill Jarvis Photography!

Explanation of the crazy one leg in the air photo...the lining in his swim trunks is solid (not mesh like most). Whenever he gets out of the water there is usually some remaining water in them. He will sometimes do a little wiggle to make some music (it is hilarious). And other times he raises his leg high in the air (like the picture) to release the water. He is so cute!

Alive!

"Are you feeling overwhelmed with problems, projects or decisions today? Are you feeling mentally drained, physically spent, or spiritually numb? Take a dip with me into the river of God, the river of healing, and be awakened to life in God. Let this living water flow over, into, and through you today – for wherever this water flows, everything will live!" Rachel Olson

Seriously the blog is taking a major backseat to other things summer and i'm resolving to not feel overwhelmed by it. Reading one of the Proverbs 31 devotions from this week reminded me that God wants me to stay focused on living life. So i appologize if this is the only post you see on here for quite some time...we're enjoying time away from the computer. Which i might add has been having ISSUES this week...the router was replaced while i was in Florida, each time i try to view a page i constantly have to refresh it and then to add fuel to the fire i left my laptop on the dining room table and Deacon ran into the cord. We found it crashed out on the floor. So with all of that and the visiting friends and full lake...the blog has and will be suffering.

Happy 4th to everyone! A huge thank you to all of the many men and women out there that are protecting our great nation...YOU and your families are appreciated!

Air!

As i'm preparing to head out of town to ADPi-land, i was moving pictures off of my camera. This picture pretty much sums up life for this little boy right now...look at the air he got!

While i was packing he was being so adorable. He would go into his room and come out with a treasure that he wanted me to take with me. He finally decided on his sheriff badge, a santa pez and a sheet of paper that HE wrote my name on. They are all safely tucked into random places so that i will constantly be reminded of him {as if i need a physical reminder :)}. He also told me that he was sure that many of the other adpi friend would want to see these things - i am sure little man!

i should head to bed soon because the alarm is set for 4:45 (yes that is in the morning!). James has been getting up at this crazy hour to walk each morning. Since Nana Susan and Joe-Joe are here, i can go with him tomorrow. i'm excited to start my day with this awesome guy. Good thing for all of us, i'll get to go back to sleep for a little bit before the day will continue for me!

Moments to remember...

There have been a few moments in the last few weeks that i need to write down before i forget them. And i thought you all would enjoy reading about them too!

• While riding on the golf cart with Jameson & Cade we were discussing who was the biggest. They of course both said me. I then said who is the smallest. They looked at each other and thought for a minute. Cade, who will be 5 in August, said i'm 4 and a half so i'm bigger then Jameson. Then Jameson said well i'm 4 and a second so i'm smallest. The 4 and a second has stuck! He has started asking if so & so is 8 and a quarter, etc. So cute!
• Last week Jameson & i were out shopping. We stopped in to the Maxx and as soon as we walked in Jameson spotted the jewelry/watch section. He said "Daddy needs a new watch lets get him one!" He didn't realize that Father's Day was coming soon so it was a perfect gift from the little boy for his daddy!
• While tubing the boys likes to go fast but as soon as the driver starts to make lots of turns, he is done!
• The singing that comes out of this little boy is so darling. He will make up words to things or ask to sing nursery rhymes (his favorite right now is 1-2 buckle my shoe).
• He discovered masking tape and tied up both James & i around our ankles. It was so funny watching him have so much fun wrapping it around!
• He loves to do cannonballs in the pool, just yesterday he finally grabbed hold of his legs and actually made a big splash. Before that he was basically jumping in with his legs swinging all over because he couldn't get his arm around them fast enough!
• The amount of attention is pays to Deacon has increased. He loves to walk him around the house pulling on his collar. Deacon is usually pretty good about playing along but when he is done he just stopped walking and then Jameson cries for help. We try to explain to him that Deacon doesn't have the ability to 'say' he wants to stop so this is his way of communicating. Jameson doesn't like that so much.

That is all i can think of right now, but i'm sure there are lots that i'm missing. Hope you have a wonderful day!

Shine 09

Today was the annual Shine project for FCC. For 3 hours on a Saturday in May we serve the community. James & i were leaders for the group that was painting the park near our house. It is amazing what 3 hours of manual labor can do to a faded park. i am so grateful for the members of our team...the park looks great now! The photos above show the before and after. It looks so much better now. Even the little ones got involved. Jameson was so excited to help out. He was actually painting quite a bit. Look at the paint splatter all over his face & clothes. Luckily I got his new shoes off before they got paint all over them too. Never too young to serve!

Winner!

We have a winner...Sphinx63 (I sent you an email so hopefully we can get the kit to you today)! Jameson & I were dressed as firemen. He had fun pretending to spray off things and best of all we took pictures!

The last 24 - 48 hours have been almost a blur for our family. Mostly good but just overall fast paced. This morning Jameson & I left the house at 8:30 we were on the run until about 4:30 and then after a quick change over at the house we left again and didn't get back until almost 10. In the mix we go to strawberry picking with Sarah and her kiddos. The berries are so perfectly ripe now! This evening James helped out the Carr's with their new yard. A few other friends from church stopped by and it was a nice evening with friends. The real downer the last couple of days has been that Deacon has been sick. That means lots of messed for James & me to clean up around the house. Jameson & I took him to the vet today and they gave him a shot and we're changing his food so hopefully that will fix things.

This weekend Mother Crill & Joe are coming in along with lots of other Luers family. It will be a good weekend! I'll be posting pictures sometime next week. To stay more current, feel free to follow me through the twitter box on the sidebar of the blog.

Congrats again to sphinx63, I apologize for not finalizing the giveaway until now.

Silly things...

This boy seems to have recently become quite a little funny guy. Here are a few things he has said recently:

• While singing a song from Backyardigans that should say "To make the world nice, fill it up with ice." Well he sings it while changing the word ice to many different things...rice, mice and a few other funny rhyming words.
• While reading stories before bed I asked him how he had gotten a chip in the wall next to his bed. His response "Jeannie must have missed a spot". Well since Jeannie the painter didn't even paint that room...hmmmm. James & I both just started laughing at him that time.
• Yesterday he asked to go to Uncle Greg's house. I knew he only wanted to go over there because he wanted to get a car (Greg has a stash of Hot Wheels and Jameson always seems to get a new one before we leave). I told him we weren't going over there just to get a car. Then he remembered that he had gotten a small allowance for helping with the mulch this weekend. We had plans to head out to walmart in the morning so I told him he could buy is own car with his money. So this morning at 6:55 he tapped me on the shoulder and asked me if it was time to go to walmart to get his car. So we're up and heading out the door now to get some groceries and a new hot wheel.
• This morning I was getting ready and heard him jump into our closet. I asked him what he was doing and he said "I'm the super spy and I'm spying on Deacon." And right now he said "Time to go check on that dog, I've got to put him in jail." Oh the imagination on this boy!

In case you didn't see it, I'm doing a little giveaway for a digital kit. I forgot to add in that if there are multiple correct answers I will be doing a random drawing from those guesses.

The little things!

This phase of my life seems to be centered around the little things...and I love it! Here are some recent things that have happened that I don't want to forget.

• Today Jameson was going on a field trip during school time. We were talking about it as we were getting ready this morning. He looked at me and asked "well which field are we going to go visit". He is so literal at times! I told him no you aren't going to visit a field, you're going to the elementary school for story time and then to a local dairy farm. He proceeded to ask if I thought the bus could handle the field that they would be driving through. So he was still stuck on the idea of field.
• Earlier this week we met up with my friend Sarah at a local park for music in the park. It was fun to meet up with her. I am amazed at how much Layla has grown already! Sarah does an amazing job with her kiddos. At the park there were so many people that we decided to just walk around outside of the actual playground portion. I was on total sensory overload with the noise and not being able to see the kids at every moment. It was nice to be able to just chat with her and enjoy the awesome weather that is settling in these days!
  
• For nap time today he shared a few things that he wanted to pray about (I usually ask him what things he wants to add to the prayers before nap then I say the prayer). Well today I asked him and then when we were praying I said "Lord hear our prayers", instead of actually repeating everything. Jameson did not like that so he said okay God I'll tell you. Like everyday we pray that daddy will come home safely to us after work and that Jose (our compassion child) will feel God's love surrounding him. Jameson's other prayers today were that he could drive better at Monster Truck Camp (the latest make believe location) and that he could learn to play golf as good as his dad. So sweet.
  
• Yesterday we all had a wonderful day. Started out doing a little shopping at the outlets. Jameson really needs new shoes but we can't seem to find his size crocs. I did find a few fun dresses for the summer and I found a new pair of white shoes. I needed a pair to wear at the ADPi convention and the ones I found will be good for other things this year too. After doing a little shopping on our own we met up with Sarah & her kiddos. (The picture here is from my iPhone while we were taking a break and letting the kids play before heading to Chick-fil-A for lunch. We ended up being there for 2 hours. The kids were all playing so well together! Straight from there Jameson & I headed to a park new our house. The Crooks were meeting us there for me to take some pictures to celebrate Caleb's first birthday. We had such a great time. I shot 359 pictures and from what I could tell on the screen on the camera there are some really cute ones. I'll post a few here once I get them processed. Oh that little guy loves me...which makes me love him even more!
• I just took a quiz about colors. I'm all over the board but slightly lean toward red (which isn't necessarily my favorite color but the description matches). It says "Red Scrapbooker: You have a real passion for this hobby. Your pages are colorful, bold, lively and full of adventure. You may enjoy travel and have many vacation photos. You like your albums to reflect your zest for life and the varied experiences you enjoy." I was close to green, blue & white as well which all blended together does pretty much describe my scrapbooking style. Take the quiz and let me know what it says about YOU!
  
• Our weekend activities...see the pile of mulch? Need I say more except that my AWESOME husband will be spreading about 95% of it. Okay maybe more like 85% with Jameson picking up that other 10%. I don't really help, unless you count supplying food and drink. I've helped in the past but I don't seem to do it the way James prefers and because I tend to get blisters. I'll post some pictures of the updated yard once it is all spread. He does such a great job keeping our home looking beautiful!

Earth Day!

I am excited for Earth Day tomorrow! Now exactly sure why but it could just be that it is something fun to rally around this week. On the simple mom blog she had a list of 40 tips to go more green in our own homes. Our household is doing quite a few of these things but I'm sure there are more we could be doing. I would love to find a good farmers market to buy local, fresh produce. For anyone local to me, do you know of a good one? How about you, does the mention of Earth Day make you want to reduce or reuse a bit more? The Disney channel has been mentioning it quite a bit this week too. Jameson has been talking green!

Today our plans changed halfway through the day. Since Jameson had thought we were going to have a visitor he was disappointed when that didn't happen. So I wanted to come up with something super fun for us...the solution was a color scavenger hunt through the neighborhood. It was fun to look at things that we don't typically see or notice the various colors of things. It seemed that blue was the most frequent color today (with the exception of green, we talked about how many shades of green we saw). I slipped the Trendy neck strap around his neck (with a knot to keep it from hanging at his knees). He is so my child because he was getting down and moving himself to zoom in on things. So cute! He took 48 pictures is about 45 minutes. Now the downfall with this adventure was that for some reason Jameson (remember he is my son) kept tripping. He first fell when he spotted a very pretty pink bush and he went down on the side of his thigh. After a few tears he was back up and did not want to go home. So we moved onto find something else that was cool. He found a blue birdhouse. We got all the way around the point and were coming up on the pool when he fell again. Now this time it wasn't totally his fault because the sidewalk isn't level with the ground (about a 2 inch difference). He hit the edge of the concrete and scrapped his shin and had red dirt all the way in his shoe. Now this fall did produce a request to go home. He wasn't happy once we got home though because I told him the spots had to be cleaned. Wiping them off wasn't the worst part though, he cried when he realized that he couldn't do criss.cross.applesauce. Once he got settled down he took a little nap and hasn't mentioned the wounds since. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to do with the pictures from today but I can imagine that they would make an adorable mini-album. I noticed that scrapbook pictures had a sale but it ends today. I might keep my opens open for another sale on smaller square pictures. Overall I think the adventure was a good one because all through dinner Jameson kept asking if we could go back out to take color pictures!

Okay I know the placement is messed on this post but it just shut down and I had to redo half of it. I hope you enjoy it for the meat of it not the look of it!

Us!

Things have been good lately. Nothing major going on, which has been really nice. Jameson has been on a mega hot wheels kick. The other day he decided to line them all up and look at them all at once. So I of course had to pull out the camera and document it. Oh boy there are lots of them...in total 80 right now (good thing they only run about $.97 each). The really cute part is that this smarty pants can tell you where almost all of them came from...this one came from Uncle Greg's house, this one came from that girl (aka Nana), I got this one with my own money at wal-mart, etc. And for the first time this week he got two duplicates. They are the same cars except different colors. These two pairs at this moment are napping with him, he loves the idea of matching, kinda like rhymes!

As many of you know our family loves Tervis tumblers. This week I found out that the sparkly ones can't go in the microwave. It didn't even dawn on me that they were metal. No one was harmed in this error except the cup.

This other pictures is a silly one I captured of him the other night playing with his new glow stick. He was having a blast with it while watching a little tv.


Yesterday Jameson went to hang out with Jenna for a little while. My friend Sabrina came over to scrapbook. It is always nice to connect with friends through this awesome hobby. I created this page about James' great-grandma E. The day before I had started working on the mother's day gifts. Jameson was having so much fun helping me measure the fabric. Oh he is such a cutie! I did do another page but I created it for a design team call for Vintage Plum. I can't post it elsewhere until after they make the decision. I used the song lyrics from this video on you tube! I love being challenged to create things I don't know that I would have thought of before. I knew I wanted to document Jameson's obsession with Chick-fil-A but I don't think I would have thought to include the lyrics from this silly song on you tube. How about you, what has inspired you lately to create something that you wouldn't have originally done?

We're having friends over for dinner so I'm heading now to get some veggies cut up!

Our Easter!

Wow we had a great Easter weekend! Lots of together time, attending church together, with Greg and then heading to brunch with the Fanello family. Here is a picture of Jameson almost wearing the cute little tie we had for him. He decided at the last minute not to wear it out of the truck. I also posted some other pictures from our day (see the post below). Aunt Tam had an egg hunt for the kids. Boy did Jameson have fun with that, he couldn't decide if he was more excited about the candy or the quarters. Notice in the picture below that the pups even wanted in on the egg opening process!

I love the feeling of new-ness that comes with spring. Celebrating the resurrection of Jesus yesterday seems to fit so well with all the blooms that are on the trees (I'm sure He planned it that way). Sometime last week, after it has rained, there were blossoms all over the road from one of the trees. Jameson likes to call them spring trees - love it!

Friday with James off of work we spent a great day hanging out at home. Some of our part-time neighbors invited us over for dinner. Just as we were heading to their house, the rain that had been coming down on and off all all day seemed to pick up. Quickly we realized that there was a tornado watch. And in about 20 minutes the power was out, lucky for all of us the meal was already done. So we enjoyed a great meal, with friends...in the dark with the winds blowing outside. As the evening moved along we found out that there a tree had fallen on the power lines just up the road. We headed back to our house to go to sleep for the night. On a typical night Jameson watched a tv show before he goes to bed. He did not understand why we wouldn't turn on the tv for him. We tried a few times to explain to him that it was electric and since the power was OUT we couldn't turn it on. Then James realized that we could let him watch a dvd program on one of the laptops. So the boy got to watch a little kid tv before drifting off to dream land. (I posted a picture but for some reason it moved to a new post and I'm not willing to take the time to reload it here - look below).

One more picture, lately this boy has become almost obsessed with golf. Here he is actually hitting off the greens on one of the holes closest to our house. He played two holes...hit a little, run to where the ball landed...hit again, run again...you get the picture. We did have to have a little chat with him about the attire he was wearing for golf - this boy loves his white shirts and comfy shorts, so silly!

Recording the everday moments...

Today it seemed like there were a ton of simple everyday things going on all around us. The odd part was that I had the urge to freeze time. I don't typically have that feeling as I'm excited to live in the moment with the thought that the future holds so much to be excited about. So today some of the moments I wanted to freeze:

• While we were working on Jameson's hat for crazy hat day tomorrow we were painting. We had the hat done and he wanted to continue painting. So I turned around to the scrapbook table and started working on my own project. He ran to the bathroom and when he returned he held his hands in the air and said "Ummm, now where was I?" It was so funny and dramatic. The page here is the project I was working on while the little artist was at play!

• After the painting adventures this morning we had delayed our showering until this afternoon. I was straightening up downstairs and Jameson had gone up without me. When I got up to our bathroom, the boy was laying on the rug, snuggling under a towel. He said "you know it is cooooold up here without clothes on" (with the lowered temps today we didn't turn on the heat upstairs since it is going to warm up soon)

• After we were all cleaned up we were walking down the steps to come back downstairs. Suddenly Jameson tripped (another proven point that he is my son) and stumbled a bit. I was holding a cup and as I reached to stop him from falling even more I spilt a bit of the coffee on him. He was so upset that his clean shirt had gotten messed up. He is so funny about his shirts and white tees while at home (this new shirt would have been his third for the day since he got paint on the first one). So the real reason I'm telling you my son has trouble with steps was what he said once we were sitting down on the couch. He was telling me that Jesus doesn't always walk down the steps either. He likes to slide down on his belly. It is so neat that this boy has daily conversations that involve God and Jesus. It so warms my heart.

Week prior to Easter...

Here we are the week prior to Easter. This time of year the excitement is in the air, especially at FCC. They are anticipating nearly double the normal attendance. We're doing our part by going to the early service and we're taking Greg along! I can't wait to hear the message. If you're in the area and want to join us, let me know!

In preparation for Easter I just read that Rachel Olsen is exploring the readings that Jesus did the week prior to the cross. Sounds like a very interesting study of the bible. Want to join me in this reading?

I also thought I would share another CT project that I did a few weeks ago. The kit hadn't been released yet so I couldn't post it earlier. It is such a simple little thing that I just printed out on the printer here at home and slipped into a plastic frame (the kind with the magnet on the back). It is fun to have fresh pictures on the lockers while I create in the office.

Later this week we will officially be in on spring break at our house. Jameson has one more day of school, which will consist of crazy hat day and an egg hunt. We're excited to have some extra time together. I'm planning to come up with some special activities here at the house and possibly some day trips. Does anyone have any suggestions for fun things to do with a wild almost 4 year old boy that loves car. The only thought I've come up with is to create a cool road one night after he goes to bed so he wakes up to it. If the weather cooperate we may do some day trips or something. Tomorrow it is supposed to possibly snow here. Is it really April? Okay I'm off to have dinner with some friends!

ABCs...

Okay I thought I would post over here instead of just on Facebook...

1. A is for age: 33
2. B is for butter of choice: country crock
3. C is for career right now: SAHM!
4. D is for your dog's name: Deacon
5. E is for essential item you use everyday: toothpaste and powder
6. F is for favorite TV show at the moment: Grey's is back at the top
7. G is for favorite game: Memory
8. H is for Home town: Akron, Ohio
9. I is for instruments you play: Piano & flute
10. J is for favorite juice: orange
11. K is for whose butt you'd like to kick: none
12. L is for last place you ate: home
13. M is for marriage: 10 years this September
14. N is for your full name: Jill Lynn Jarvis
15. O is for overnight hospital stays: nearly 4 years ago...Jameson's birth
16. P is for people you were with today: Jameson, James & Cade Ratliff
17. Q is for quote: I'm going to go with a recent verse that is sticking with me..."If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me" Luke 9:23
18. R is for Biggest Regret: no regrets
19. S is for status: relaxed
20. T is for time you woke up today: 6:54 a.m.
21. U is for underwear you have on now: black
22. V is for vegetable you love: all of them! (or at least that I've tried and aren't mixed with too many other things)
23. W is for worst habit: spending too much time online, even though I bump back and forth between doing productive things
24. X is for x-rays you've had: hands (I've broken almost all of my fingers at one point in my life)
25. Y is for yummy food you ate today: I should say the stuffed pizza I made for dinner but it honestly wasn't that great so I'll go with the salad I had for lunch!
26. Z is for zodiac sign: Scorpio

And what would a post be without a picture or two. I've added the most recent digital layout that I finished (mix of pictures from the past week), a shot of James & Jameson blowing out candles last weekend and the picture of me with Maria & Jenna...the boy took that one. He was laughing at himself and having such a good time! We've had lots of yummy treats around these parts! I have lots of other pictures to share, eventually!

New furniture!

We did it!!! James & I have been on the hunt for new furniture for the living room but just hadn't found exactly what we wanted. He wanted a black couch, I wasn't so sure of how that dark. A few weeks ago we found ourselves in Ikea looking at what we thought was the perfect couch for us...right color (I'd come to agree with James in the last few months), great size, shape, etc. Pretty much everything except the price tag (isn't that always how it goes?). We walked away that snowy day with a pamphlet and that was it. We each checked it out a few times after online but nothing more. Fast forward to today...Jeannie (our friend from church - the awesome painter!), invited me & Jameson to go to Ikea with her to get a few things she needed for work. So the plan was that we really weren't buying anything. Well that was until we found out that the awesome couch we'd just seen 3 weeks ago had been discontinued and was on sale. This was at the beginning of our adventure through Ikea. The last section of the store (self-serve) was where the discounted furniture was located. I spotted it right away and was so excited to see that the one they had was black. I tried to calmly check it out (it was the floor model). There was a spot where the seem had come apart. I found a clerk and asked if they would mark it off any additional. She let me know that she wanted it gone so she would see what she could do to reduce the price. Then I also found out that they still had one of the awesome matching recliner. I called James again (he was in meetings). Okay what price can you do for the couch and the recliner. She got the couch down to a great price and they weren't moving much on the recliner. We started toward the registers with just the 3 pieces to the couch. As we moved up in line the clerk asked again if I didn't want the recliner. I said that we did want it but not at that price. She marked off an extra $200. So we this awesome, dreamy couch and recliner for well under 50% off. Now the real test came up...was it all really going to fit into Jeannie's avalanche (she had made quite a few purchases too)? I never seem to remember that the beds aren't like a 'typical' truck. Thanks to the two awesome helpers at Ikea...it all fit. Lucky for us Paul keep tethers in the truck or we never would have made it. It was a tense ride north as I kept checking the mirrors to be sure that nothing was tumbling off the back of the tale gate. We made it home and Jeannie & I got it all unloaded in the driveway and she headed home. James pulled in a few minutes later and met the new furniture...right in the middle of the driveway! James and our neighbor Ed moved the old furniture to the dining room and then moved the new set up the steps and into the house. Then James had to run back to work for a bit so I started moving things all around. I pretty much had figured out how I wanted it but it did take a bit longer to do it with only a 3 year old to help push, pull, etc. For the first time in a long time our living room all matches!!!! And an added bonus, the chairs James ordered earlier this year are in the dinette which we're calling the wii-room. It is now comfy to play the wii at our house!

After we had it all set I was cleaning the leather with polish. Jameson found that it was a great sliding zone. We had to have a discussion about indoor behavior!

Hybrid layouts!

My latest obsession...hybrid layouts! For anyone that isn't sure what that means, it is the combination of paper items with some digital pieces to it. I do a little creating on the computer, print it out and then assemble the page with at least one piece of 12x12 cardstock and sometimes some other IRL (in real life) elements. I'm having so much fun with it. I've challenged myself not to spend any money on the things I'm creating. What that means is that I'm only printing what I can do here at home, using pictures I already have printed and

not buying any more cardstock, embellishments or patterned paper...at least for a little while! I did tell James that I might need to buy some adhesive if I ran out because that is a necessity! So far I'm doing pretty good. I think I've created almost 8 pages with my new 'theory'! I also wanted to let you all know that I hosted the Sugarplum blog yesterday. Check out the fun Easter banner I made for Caroline! I hope you're having a wonderful week!

I almost forgot...here is a picture from our green dinner last night. Green jello, green pizza (Jameson was almost afraid to eat it) and lots of green veggies (cucs, green peppers & lettuce). We had a fun day being green!