Friday, Cooking...not so much and a Traditional Layout

Yeah, it's Friday night, instead of day.  What can I say - between the trying to get back on track since coming home, you know like doing dishes, cooking (I cooked one meal this week.  ONE.), or even the laundry (which made it no further into the house than the laundry room - almost a week ago) and car shopping, I'm struggling with the household scene.  

So I took this morning to get my house under control, or more get myself back into my routines.  Started laundry - I'm pretty sure there are people in the house in need of underwear.  We made a jaunt out to a dealership to have a lookie at another car.  And dinner was moved up to 4:30, which was Papa Murphy's (another no cook night) so various hockey-crazed family members could hit the High School State Semi-finals.  Go Mustangs!

I'm happy to say the washer and dryer are happily working away.  Leftovers are cleared away, which means there's actually something in the 'fridge.  Bedrooms are mostly set to rights.  Luggage is empty and awaiting transport back to the store room.  And the various "drop-points" in the house are almost clutter-less.

It is with high hopes that I can play a little over the weekend.  I'm in need it of it.  I created this traditional layout two weekends ago using the We R Family line from Lily Bee found in the January Bigger than a Breadbox kit.

So from this line I created one Project Life® 2013 page, this traditional layout and then a couple cards.  I can't remember exactly what's left of the kit, but probably a bit of paper and and a couple embellies.  I still have the Fancy Pants line from this kit, but I'm holding it for PL pages, unless I can dig out or print some winter photos for a traditional page.  We'll see which comes up first.  But I'm wanting to move on to February kits.

I said I cooked only once this week - which if you follow you know how that is not how we roll.  It was not the best of weeks for food here with no menu plan, an empty 'fridge and not a lot of staples in the pantry.  I did manage to have the ingredients for Cheesy Sausage Tortellini.  It's become a quick-to-fix staple which means I've probably posted about it before.  But it's good enough to repeat.

Mountains of laundry that rival those in my own backyard are calling my name, as are several other must-do's, including some time with something crafty.

Happy Friday,

We Are

We are annoyed with our photo up-loader not working on the day it needs to be!!!

• We are not sure which he is more annoyed with - the breathing treatment, or his mother taking his photo.
• We are awaiting chest x-rays.  Again.
• We are not rejoicing in a second child with pneumonia
• We are enjoying time away from the kids in a ginormous villa.
• We are soaking up the Colorado scenery
• We are snowmobiling - a first for both of us.
• We are loving the deep snow and winter wonderland views
• We are enjoying a little nip to warm the toes - which isn't that why we go out and freeze, for the aperitif?
• We are visiting the Breckenridge Ice Castle - during the day really see it, and at night to enjoy the magic of it
• We are two gondola rides, and some deep back country, away from dinner on the mountain top.  Coming back in the dark was. . .eerie.
• We are entertained by the "Oompah" band and a chicken dance
• We are dipping our way through a delish fondue meal and trying to keep room for dessert.
• We are hitting the distillery for hubby and picking up the chocolate bourbon sauce for me.
• We are coming home to the reality that we need to car shop and fast; I don't like it when we have time.
• We are amazed at the utter destruction and damage done to our car.  I'm not sorry to say a tear or 100 was shed over the whole "event." 

Happy Thursday,

Home Again and Project Life® 2013 Week 25

You know what sucks about coming home from vacation?  Coming home.  Especially when you've been out of parent mode for five days and being dumped back into it (knowing your kids are in good hands relieves you of worrying about them much.)  Laundry, luggage, schedules, mail, school paperwork, lunches, breakfasts, getting people up and moving, upcoming doctor appointments, dinners. . .blah.

Last night, with the clutter of our unloading piled around me, I sat on the couch and thought of the list of things that needed doing and decided to spend the rest of the evening on the couch doing none of it.  Just the thought of having to get up to make lunches was more than I wanted to think about.  So I didn't.  Add to that the mess with the car, the sick kids and making sure we're good with the work missed (my mom helped the 13 y.o. study for multiple tests and made sure he completed the missing work to turn in - Awesome!  Thanks mom!!)

Snow is moving in and I'd much rather be playing with papers, than the things that are waiting for me.

This page is from a couple weekends ago when I was being quite crafty.  This is another catch-up in my 2013 Project Life® and I used more of the January Bigger than a Breadbox kit, the Lily Bee We R Family line.  This is week 25, which means I'm basically half-way caught up on 2013.  I think I may start printing my 2014 and work on them in tandem.

Time to get back into the swing of it and make up my to-do list, complete with craft projects on it!

Happy Tuesday,

High On Hill, No Lonely Goat and Cards

The hubs and I made it up into the hills - kids safely with my parents.  I wish I could say our leaving was a piece of cake, but we are still in February, which means for me at least, that not much this month has been a piece of cake.  But we're here.

On the agenda for us today was a snowmobiling trip high up into the back country.  My biggest concern was staying warm - it's about 9 degrees up here and the wind is blowing at a decent clip.  But I layered (the snow suit they gave me was at least one size too big, I'm thinking maybe two since I was swimming in the thing) and we headed up and out.  An hour and a half of winter wonderland trails brought us up to Georgia Pass, elevation 11,585 feet, and right on the Continental Divide.  We had a beautiful day for plowing through the snow.

Snowmobiling was fun, except you smell like a lawn mower.  So a shower and something to take the last bit of chill out of my toes and ease the ache in my back and I could go snowmobiling again.  ;)

We'll head into Breckenridge for their Ice Castles and dinner later.  Speaking of dinner, I didn't cook much at all this week, instead opting to clean out the 'fridge instead.  I did make these delish, seriously yummy, Strawberry White Chocolate Scones.  I sprinkled a little raw sugar on them before I baked them and then glazed them after, while they were warm, but not hot.  The sugar gave a nice crunch and the glaze was just enough sweet. 

I opted not to bring the February kit to play with, but now I'm wishing I had as I have some decent down time until dinner.  But I do have three cards, from the spree over the weekend to share with you. I used scraps from the January Smaller than a Breadbox kit - the Chic Tags line.  

I'm not so great with stamps, but they're three more to add to my stash of cards.

Happy Friday,

February, Get Outta Here and a Traditional Page

It's been a pretty crappy month, February.  We've had pneumonia or some mucus/lung collapse thing with the 5 y.o., who then pinched a nerve in his neck.  We've had the accident.  We found out yesterday that the car has been declared totaled, so bring on the new car search - blah.  Yesterday I experienced deja vu (and not in a good way) with the 13 y.o. during a circuit of Dr., x-rays and antibiotics because he, now, has pneumonia.  There's also been a couple other not-so-fun things sprinkled in just to make me want February to be over.  I'm over it.  O.V.E.R.

One of the few bright spots is that the hubs and I are heading out of town for an extended weekend.  We'll leave later today, with my parents taking over with the kids.  I had to tell my mom yesterday about the 13 y.o. and remarked, "You know we haven't had you watch the kids in 10 years (yes, sadly that was the last time hubs and I went away together) and added to the chaos of just having all four of them, you get the sick kid, his meds and a week's worth of missing school work."  Nothing like that little grey cloud floating over your upcoming weekend.  Am I packed?  No.  Are the kids packed?  No.  Well, one in four is - and the one who is packed, did that this morning - God love him!

I did manage to squeeze in a little crafty time last weekend and have almost used up January's kit, just in time to dig into February's.  (I'm tempted to take it with me for the weekend, but we'll see.)  I completed this traditional layout using the Smaller than a Breadbox kit - the Chic Tags line.  I cranked out two more layouts and a few cards too - more on those later though.  And note - I used my Cricut for the title.  For those who know me, know that is HUGE!

I may or may not be able to get a post up tomorrow - I'm supposed to be on a snowmobiling "adventure" starting early in the morning.  If you follow me on Instagram, you can see if it really will be fun.  Maybe as I'm icing muscles and sucking down Motrin, my fingers will be thawed enough to type.

Happy Thursday,

We Are and a New Scrapbook Store (Denver-area)

Note:  I've tried for two days to sit down to complete this post.  Hurray for the 30 minutes I'm carving out now, because tomorrow ain't lookin' good either.

For Donna, and anyone else bemoaning the loss of Archiver's in the Denver-area.  There is a fairly new (been here about a year, I think) scrapbook store in Superior/Louisville.  Just north of Hwy 36, west side, by the Lowe's:  The Scrapbook Shack.  I have a sister who's been there, and my dad of all people.  And until yesterday, I hadn't been there.  My sister said it was really big, and dang if she wasn't right.  There are two huge classrooms that are free to use and open to groups, even non-scrapping groups.  Their class list looks intriguing, like I said I wanted to take their glitter/Copic class.  They are offering crops about once a month - I think it was six to midnight.  They have photo printing, a ton of products and tools.  I'm excited to give a class and a crop a try.

We are:

• We are thinking, "processed-schmocessed, sometimes you just need the Oreo"
• We are watching the "ice cones" grow
• We are non-birthday-cake eaters
• We are in search of the Oreo Cream Thief
• We are visiting Archiver's for the last time
• We are grateful for big brothers
• We are mesmerized by the frosted landscape
• We are missing our strap-hinge albums
• We are baking (and enjoying) Cinnamon Vanilla cupcakes with Cinnamon Buttercream
• We are thankful for being okay
• We are celebrating Valentine's Day
• We are rooting for Team USA!
• We are learning about the presidents
• We are having to deal with creativity-busters
• We are starting to get handwritten stories and notes
• We are Brothers on Saturday
• We are enjoying Strawberry White Chocolate Scones. . .mmmm
• We are brothers on Sunday - looks a lot like brothers on Saturday

Is it March yet???

Happy Wednesday,