Merry Christmas To All!

Wishing each and everyone a very Merry Christmas! We had our family Christmas celebration yesterday and everyone had a wonderful time! Because of everyone's schedules these days, it's not often we are all able to get together at once. The twins are 10 months old now (gasp!) and we able to open a few gifts.

And of course I have to share a short clip of little miss Sheyla laughing and dancing. Such a cutie!

Christmas Ornament

I've had a pack of Ranger's Sticky back canvas for a while now and have been trying to come up with different ideas on how to use it. And since it is holiday season right now, what better way to use it than to make an ornament?



This was so simple to make too, which is the best part. Simply cut a piece of canvas to 2in x 2in and cover with acrylic paint. Next, take several different shades of ink (I used two different greens and a brown) and ink on top of the paint, then stamp your image. Remove the backing from the canvas and adhere to a 2in x 2in piece of Memory Glass then add a second piece of glass on top. Insert the glass into a 2in Memory frame and add the rub-on and ornament hook. And voila, completed ornament!

Join me again in a couple of days and I'll have another idea for using Sticky back canvas.

How Quickly Time Flies

Hard to believe the twins are nine months old and the holidays are just right around the corner. Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating the new year and the arrival of the babies.

Yesterday the twins were Baptized and of course there was a huge party afterwards. I wasn't able to attend the Baptism so I'm waiting on someone else to send me picstures so I can share but I do have a few pics from the party.


Mom and Sheyla


The entire clan. It's not very often we are all together.
Myself, Mom, Felix, Pollo, Grandma, Emily, Taylor, Cristy, Sheyla


Mom, Sheyla, Grandma, Emily, Felix, Taylor


Mom, Emily, Sheyla, Grandma

I forget to pics of the cake once it was finished so by the time I had a chance it already had a few places in where where people were tasting and the top of the cake was a bit lopsided because people were bumping the table. Oh well, it was stll yummy.

A Few Goodies To Share

I've been so busy lately that I just haven't had time to post so I thought I'd share some of the items I've made.







I spent the past three days at Tybee Island, Ga for a friends wedding. So of course there will be more pics to follow of that.

Playtime

I got in some playtime with the twins yesterday. Gotta love baby time! Hard to believe they are now almost five months. I love this age, they are laughing, smiling, cooing, so much fun to play with.

Emily and the closeup. This pic rocks! Taylor was holding her and got a bit close to the camera and this is the outcome. For sure this will be on a layout in the near future.


And then there's Miss Chubby Girl (aka Sheyla). This child is a bottomless pit and it shows. She has the chubbiest cheeks that you just can't help but pinch.


Why did I have a house full of family yesterday? Just having a little early birthday celebration for me. I admit it, I'll be 21 this year! Come on, surely you believe that? OK, so I'll actually be 33, not afraid to admit it.

Life At 1,600 Feet

Ok, maybe not life, but a day. I took my niece and nephew to Stone Mountain yesterday. Despite the triple digit heat and humidity, it was a really fun day.

Ready for a history lesson? Who are the figures carved into the face of the mountain? President Jefferson Davis and Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson (and their favorite horses, "Blackjack," "Traveller," and "Little Sorrel," respectively). The entire carved surface measures 3 acres, about the size of three football fields. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain's surface.


The top of the mountain is a landscape of bare rock and rock pools, and it provides views of the surrounding area including the skyline of downtown Atlanta, often Kennesaw Mountain, and on very clear days even the Appalachian Mountains. On some days, however, the top of the mountain is covered in a heavy fog, and visibility can be limited to only a few feet. It was a bit cloudy yesterday but what a view!

Stone Mountain is a granite dome monadnock in Stone Mountain, Georgia. At its summit, the elevation is 1,686 feet and 825 feet above the surrounding area. Stone Mountain granite extends underground 9 miles at its longest point into Gwinnett County.

In addition to the historical and antebellum sites, there are plenty of child friendly activities - rock climbing, miniature golf, boat rides, 3-D shows, and lots more. And on a side note, I was amazed at the level of courtesy the staff showed, despite the heat and crowds. Kudos!

Growing Babies

I have to share some updated pics of the twins. They are really getting big now and seriously chubby with cheeks that you can't help but pinch. Hard to believe they are almost four months old now.

This is Sheyla.


And this is Emily.

From Cute To Devious

A friend of mine is having a birthday and I just found out it's the BIG one, yes 50. Those of you that know me know that I cannot let it pass silently, I must have my fun. So, to honor the occasion, I have made her a cute little card (at least cute on the outside). I just got the deer stamp from Sideshow Stamps this week and knew immediately how to use it.

What starts off really cute and sweet take a drastic turn once the card is actually opened. Another friend (thanks Beth) gave me the idea to use a boxing glove and it worked out really well.

And for added dimension on the inside, it's attached so that when the card is opened it pops right out of the card. And just for an added bit of humor, there will be a saying on the inside that says "A younger person would have seen that one coming".

Ah yes, gotta love a birthday!

First Holy Communion

No, not mine but my oldest niece's. It was a beautiful ceremony and all the girls were stunning in all white. Taylor is only 11 and looks all grown up and almost as tall as me. Where has the time gone?

This is Taylor and Cristy outside of the church.

Myself and Taylor outside of the church.

Taylor and the twins who are now 11 weeks old (Sheyla on the left and Emily on the right).

Taylor at home just before leaving for the church.

Coloring Images With Distress Inks

I'm sure this is not a new technique, but I have just discovered it and love it! I found a Zig Aqua pen at Michaels a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try. For this technique you really need to use watercolor paper. It's specifially made to hold up being wet and not curl and the colors do not bleed. You can find the paper in the artist section of any craft store.

Just stamp your image using a waterproof ink (I like Ranger Archival Ink) and then take the aqua pen and swipe it across your distress ink pads and fill in your entire image. It's so easy to blend and layer color this way. Once the image is colored, just cut it out and you're ready to add it to your card or layout. Super easy!

Products: Strathmore watercolor paper; Ranger distress inks, archival ink, and stickles; Zig Aqua pen; Prima stamp

2009 Robins AFB Air Show

We all had a blast! It was hot, but still a gorgeous day for the annual air show. Many of the planes were open where you could walk through; there were several exhibits, and 8 hours of aerial acrobatics. And who could resist all the single GI's. Then there was the security - metal detectors, x-ray machines for all bags - and that was just to get in the gates. Once we were actually on the air strip, there was no shortage of MP's and local police.

Here are just a few of the groups that performed:

Golden Knights
Sky Soldiers
GEICO Skytypers
Thunderbirds

Here are just a few of the pics. Warning: these are all raw images and have not been cropped or edited. Haven't had time for that yet.

Airshow pictures

Woohoo! I finally found some time this past weekend to work on a few layouts. I am in the process of putting together an album for a co-worker and it's starting to come together wonderfully (if I do say so myself :) ).

Update on the babies

And this time it's all good news. It's been so busy around here I just haven't had time to post. Emily has gained back her weight and then some, thanks to adding cereal to her formula. She has to be fed sitting upright and has to be kept sitting up for 30 minutes after she eats. Most of the time now she is keeping her food down. And Sheyla is doing just fine, so far she hasn't caused any major concerns.

I have learned from experience that they like to team up on people and start crying at the same time. All I can is SPOILED ROTTEN, they want to be held all the time. But that's a whole nother story.

Good News And Not So Good News

The twins are now seven weeks old. Sheyla is just over 8lb and Emily is barely 7lb. I'll start with Emily since it seems she is having the most problems right now.

When she was three weeks old, the doctor changed her formula to a sensitive type because she was spitting up. That didn't help too much so her formula was changed again to soy and then a week later was changed again to Alimentium. Also the doctor put her on Zantac and then changed it to Prevacid due to thinking she had reflux. In the past week she has lost over a pound because of all the spitting up. She went for a barium test yesterday and the test shows she does not have reflux and there are no blockages in her stomach or intestines which is wonderful news. The down side is the doctor still does not know what is causing her to spit up her formula. Feeding time is not fun - she is having to be fed 1 oz of formula mixed with one teaspoon if rice every two hours and has to go back to the doctor tomorrow to be weighed and if she has not gained any weight then she will have to have a feeding tube.

Sheyla, on the other hand, is a bottomless pit when it comes to feeding, eating all the time. She has picked up a cold from the older two kids but otherwise is perfectly healthy.

I took this picture yesterday morning once they both were finally quiet. Sorry it's such a bad pic, but all I had was my cell phone and it doesn't take the best pictures. Emily is on the left and Sheyla is on the right.

More Good News

I wake up yesterday evening and I'm checking my email as usual and I see an email from Scrapbook News and Review. Nothing unusual and I figure it's just a reply to something I had submitted for publication. To my surprise, it's an offer to come on board as a staff member and be a regular contributor! How cool is that?! Of course I said yes and I've already been looking to see what kinds of projects I can get my hands into.

For anyone interested in a subscription, just click on the below link and it will take you to the E-zine. Subscriptions are only $4.99. You can't beat that price and since everything is online, there is no paper to clutter your scrapspace. A win, win situation.

http://www.scrapbooknewsandreview.com/joomla44/index.php?option=com_news_portal&Itemid=254

Going Home

Today's the day. The OB/GYN and pediatrician are releasing my sis and both babies to come home today. They were supposed to be released yesterday but one of the babies is not wanting to eat so they kept everyone one day longer just to keep on eye on her intake. He said it's normal for premies to not know how to suck properly and it takes a bit for them to learn. Cristy was so scared so was going to have to leave one of them in the hospital when she went home. A huge relief for her. Happy Day!

Overall I don't things could have gone any smoother. Neither of the babies had any breathing or health problems from the early delivery. Cristy has not had any complications from the C-section and is recovering well.

Now comes the fun part - the spoiling!

Memoir Of A Baby Shower

Today we had my sister's baby shower, which was a lot of fun. I found a game that was a total hit - the dirty diaper game. You melt different types of chocolate bars and them smoosh them in diapers an you have people try to guess what type of bar it was. A laugh riot!

This was her shower cake. Turned out really cute, even if I say so myself (yes, I made it).


And just a few of her gifts, some baby clothes and two sets of handmade blankets which were beautiful! Then there two new carseats and a double stroller and of course lots of diapers and wipes.

She is going into week 35 now and the doctor is telling her that most twins deliver at the 35-36 week range. Just hoping now she holds out for just a bit longer so they can both put on some weight.

Yeah for me!

I have the last items completed and ready for my sister's baby shower next weekend, now we just have to hope she doesn't go into labor before the shower.

I had lots of fun making her card and the party favors. The party favors are cake wedge shaped boxes filled with little candies. There are 12 boxes on the bottom layer and 8 on the second layer. Those two layers are covered with a sparkly tulle and then the "topper" was added. HOw cute is this? The little medallions were made with my Cricut and then stamped with the baby images.


And of course there must be a card. I finally got my hands on some Ranger Fragments, so much fun to play with. And what's a card without Prima paper and flowers?



So now, I just need to pick up all the food items and I should be all set. If you have any suggestions for good, easy, and cheap party food I'm all ears.

Countdown To A Baby Shower

All the invitations are complete and, thanks to a scrapping marathon last night, both of the twins' baby albums are now complete! I do not do well with pre-made pages (which is why I have been putting them off for so long), so I am glad to be done with the albums. And I just placed the order for her shower gift. Now the question is, how am I going to get it home? I ordered a double baby stroller online from good ole Wally World since they don't sell it in the store and had it delivered directly to the store. Can you believe they wanted almost $100 to deliver it to the house?! No way am I paying that much for shipping. Guess I'll have to sweet talk one of my friends with a truck. Can you see me trying to get that monstrosity of a stroller into my Saturn? So now all that is left is to make the party favors and just wait for the babies to arrive.

My First Post

I have decided it's finally time to set up my own blog. It may take me a while to figure this whole thing out, so just bear with me. But I figure this will be a great way for the entire family to keep up with what's going on and I can show off all the new pics of my twin nieces (once they arrive of course).