One busy Easter leads to one tired kid...

We had a nice Easter.

We had a little bit of Easter on Sunday with egg dying...love this pic.

Look closely...do you see anything 'wrong' with this picture?? Hmmm...I don't think that boiled eggs are supposed to float, are they? We realized right away that I must not have boiled them long enough, but do you think an impatient daughter and father would let me put them back on for awhile? Heck no...no one's really going to eat them anyway!

Sunday started off by Kaitlin finding the loot that Mom (oh, yes, I mean the Easter Bunny) left just inside the front door. She was quite excited! Her favorite items were the fancy lavender play dress complete with white satin gloves ("Just like Cinderella!!" she said.) and flower and pearl headpiece and the movie "Charlotte's Web." She also got another outfit (embroidered jeans, t-shirt and pullover) and a little bit of candy.

Then, later in the morning, we headed out to Grandpa Joe & Grandma Sue's (aka "Grandma with the brown hair") - my parent's house for dinner. Kaitlin's cousins, Nick, Emily & Rachel were there, so she had a lot of fun playing with them. She also got a little 'quality' time in with her Uncle Lee and Aunt Lynnie.

Of course, we all ate way to much, but that goes with the territory of holidays, right? After dinner, we all sat down (because we could all hardly move anyway) and watched "Gridiron Gang." GOOD movie...liked it a lot.

This took us into mid-afternoon and it was time to head over to Justin's parent's house - Grandpa Rahn and Grandma Ruth (aka "Grandma with the yellow hair"). Shortly after arrival, we were sent off on an adults Easter Egg hunt with photos clues from all over town...Ruth loves this stuff!! It was pretty fun, even though Justin's brother left without full instructions and ended up stealing some of our eggs!

By the time we got back to the house, Kaitlin's cousins (first, once-removed, I think it would be) Grant and Lincoln were there and it was time for a kids-only egg hunt. There were eggs all over the yard and they had a ball finding them all!

Kaitlin is a pretty good egg-finder!

Grant & Kaitlin show off their stash!

Did you see him?? There went the Easter Bunny!!

Then, we ate some more (of course) and spent the evening visiting...a nice day!

However, Kaitlin was a bit OVER-tired by the time we made it home and she was just a bit cranky when it came time to put the jammies on. She was like, "Don't touch me, don't talk to me, but don't you dare leave the room." She's very particular when she hits this stage and tiredness. She had a hard time staying asleep for the night, too, which led to a little bit of rocking. Boy, haven't had to do that in a while.

Photo Contest at Serendipity Kits...

I entered the following pictures in the April 2007 Photo Contest over at Serendipitiy Kits.

OLD NAVY KAITLIN ST. PATTY'S DAY KAITLIN
STEELY KAITLIN

St. Patty's Day Kaitlin and Steely Kaitlin made it into the top 15 for voting. If you like, please head on over to view the entries and then go here to vote for you favorite...and if you like mine best and vote for me - even better! :-) Voting starts today (the 9th) and runs through the 11th. The winner gets a goodie box from SK. Gotta love goodies!!

Have a great Monday!

Sunday Spur for Scrapbookers #11 - Scrapblog

In light of Easter tomorrow and a day full of food and family, I am posting this week's Sunday Spur a little early...

This has been my dilemma...with the rise of scrapper's blogs, online galleries, etc., more and more publishers have been requiring that scrapbook layouts submitted for publication be 'never-before-seen'. In other words, not posted in these online formats. I can understand their point of view...why would people subscribe to their magazines or buy their books if all the layouts can be seen for free elsewhere? Still, this has always been difficult for me because sharing is half the fun of the creative process.

However, it's usually really about the pictures and I think I have found the perfect solution for my conundrum! It's called Scrapblog and it is an online service that allows you to create a 'photo scrapbook' of sorts with ease. They actaully just went live with a 'new and improved' version which is a lot of fun. They are still working out a few bugs and are very receptive to sugesstions, etc. Actually, I did have a little trouble getting my slideshow embedded in this entry today, so I emailed them...not expecting to get a response until at least Monday. Well, I went back and forth with a guy named Alex several times until we got it figured out (it was a Saturday, mind you). That's what I call customer service!

It will allow me to still share my photos (and actually sooner as sometimes I don't actually get them scrapped until months after they are taken) and I won't have to risk not getting a publication request because I have already posted my layout on my blog or other gallery.

That said, I will certainly still post my layouts if I don't plan on submitting them for publication or have and they haven't been called in or I just get tired of all the rejection!! :-) There are just so many GREAT scrappers out there, it really is a competitive arena.

Here's one I put together in about 20 minutes (my first time creating one, so I think it could be done even quicker as one gets used to the program) of a photo shoot of Kaitlin back in February...love these pics!

Obviously, this is a little small to read the journaling, so if you want, you can click on full screen to get a better view. If you click on slideshow, you'll even get to listen to some lovely music while you view!

Now for your Sunday challenge:
Create your own ScrapBlog and when you're done, put a link in a comment here so we can check it out. Happy ScrapBlogging!!

A tag from the Sprague Lab...

Today's entry was inspired by Jessica Sprague's blog. She challenged her reader's to list the top 10 things that make you happy right now...

My list:

*Three-day weekends!! Whoo-hoo!

*THIS FACE!


*My new found love of Bloglines...making it so much easier to follow my favorite blogs all in one place - it even has a nifty little 'notifier' at the bottom of your screen that tells you when new content is available.

*The new Daisy D's rub ons I have on order from A Peek into Yesterday.

*Getting a great picture.

*The creative imaginations paper also coming with my Peek order...

*My computer! Email, blogs, photoshop, online scrapbook shopping...oh my!

*Computer Tricks for Scrapbookers Book also coming in the order from Peek. (I'm not just saying this 'cause it's your creation, Jessica! Although I'm a paper scrapper, I use my computer all the time for titles, journaling and more and I KNOW you will give me some great new ideas in this special issue!)

*That I've gotten back on the treadmill...I've been walking anywhere from 30-90 minutes a day for the past week. I've been getting up to do a 1/2 hour before work everyday and then walk again in the evening if possible. Getting the TV downstairs (in front of the treadmill) has REALLY helped. Now I don't have to count ceiling tiles anymore...

*Finishing a scrapbook page. I have one down so far today...hope to do 2-3 more.
TAG - your turn...what's your TOP 10??

A Review of Quick and Easy Scrapbook Styles by Memory Makers

A review of Quick and Easy Scrapbook Styles by Memory Makers.

Amazon Description:
*Features a range of favorite scrapbooking styles
*Includes helpful sidebars that explain techniques and shortcuts

Quick and easy scrapbook pages really can be full of character and pizzazz. In Quick & Easy Scrapbook
Styles, readers will learn the tricks and techniques for making quick scrapbook pages in six popular and time-tested styles:

* Graphic-clean and simple graphic design inspired layouts
* Romantic-including Shabby Chic and bohemian
* Fun and Funky-bold and bright freestyle layouts
* Distressed-worn, grungy and a little country
* Classic-traditional scrapbook page styles

Readers will also find inspirational artwork from some of Memory Maker’s most talented commissioned artists as well as helpful sidebars that explain techniques and shortcuts. With this fun guide scrapbookers of all tastes and skill levels can make their own quick and easy pages.

MY REVIEW:
I am always intrigued by the books the label styles in this way. I am aware that there are some distinct styles; however, I think that any scrapper who has been scrapping for any length of time has experimented at least a little in all styles and if they haven't, they should give it a try. Books like this are great tools to help you hone in on the principles and elements of your favorite style(s) and/or to step beyond the boundaries of your 'comfort zone' to try other styles of scrapbooking.

MY RATING:
4 STARS

Lots of randomness for this post...

First, how 'bout this weather? Mother Nature isn't playing nice. At least not in southeastern South Dakota. A week ago or so we were basking in the seemingly springlike sunny and upper-sixty degree weather and today it felt like winter all over again...a high around thirty and a bitterly cold wind. I even saw a few snowflakes fluttering around on my way back to work at lunchtime. The forecast doesn't look much better either. We'll be lucky to break 40 degrees this week it seems. Well, she does always have to have the last word I guess. I just can't wait till spring is here to stay!

Second, got my weekly dose of American Idol tonight...however, I'm finding myself less and less interested this year. I think it's largely due to my frustration that Sanjaya is still in the game. I guess we'll see what happens tomorrow night. Also been watching the new season of Dancing with the stars here and there. I don't really have any favorites (yet), but it's just fun to watch and I get just as much of a kick out of watching Kaitlin dance around the living room trying to mimic the dancers movements. It really is quite comical. The main highlight of tonight's show was that it featured Josh Groban and I definitely wanted to see that, which leads into...

#3 - I found out that Josh Groban is coming to Omaha in August this year, so am definitely making plans to see him in concert this time. He was in Sioux City in February '06 and I have been regretting not going then. This is one of my favorite songs he has out right now.

I think he would be so absolutely amazing to see/hear in real life. Can't wait for August to get here now!!

Fourth, haven't been taken as many pics lately as I would like, but I did get a closeup of Kaitlin's eyes last week and did a little 'fiddlin' with it in Photoshop. What do you think?

No, her eyes aren't really blue. She kind of got stuck with the hazel eyes that both her dad and I have. They really are quite pretty, but their color never seems to show up that well in pics. Maybe I just haven't got the shot right yet. In the meantime, between contacts and technology, no one has to be limited to the eye color they were born with, now do they?

Well, I guess that about it for tonight...it's way past my bedtime!

Sunday Spur for Scrapbookers #10 - Photo Idea Index

Photography is the basis of all scrapbooking. Have you thought about trying to improve you photography or are you looking for some new ideas of what to photograph to bring your pages to life? If so, then here's a great book for you!

A review of Photo Idea Index by Jim Krause.

Amazon Description:
From Jim Krause comes the fifth book in the popular Index series: Photo Idea Index.

This innovative guide:
-Provides designers with the information they need to take creative photographs, explore different digital manipulations, and use them in real-world design applications
-Shares the basics of technical information, then provides a wealth of inspiration, making this both a "what if" book and a "how to" book
-Explores low-cost and do-it-yourself ways to create unusual effects
-Speaks to designers' desires to use their own photos rather than costly stock photography

Full of out-of-the-ordinary ideas, this guide offers the trademark mix of inspiration and instruction that have made the previous books in the series a creative success.

MY REVIEW:
This is such a FUN book! While it is not specifically geared to the scrapbooker (more to designers), I still found it highly inspirational. I have been scrapping for about five years now with my main subject having always been my daughter. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with that (she will always be my 'main' focus, I'm sure), I have found myself wanting to scrap more of the 'everyday' as a way to record our lives for future generations to (hoepfully) enjoy. With that comes photographing our environment and the items/objects within it. This book offers some great ideas and inspiration and I LOVE the fact that the author is careful to include that most of the pictures in the book can be (and were) taken with a non-SLR camera...this is important to me because I don't have one and probably won't be able to afford one anytime soon. It's nice to see examples of great pictures taken by a point-and-shoot.

MY RATING:
4 1/2 STARS