Garden of Flowers

I thought I'd post a few b-day pics of my son, Joe. He's such a cutie, and had such a GREAT time on his B-day. He wanted an GIJoe cake (go figure, with dad joining the Army - ha!), so this is what we came up with - isn't it AWESOME!!! We used 4 cake mixes, and 4 tubs of frosting. It was a HUGE cake. It was a LARGE rectangle cake, with 6 MEGA cupcakes on top (cut in half, and arranged as mounds). Then, we covered it with all sorts of bushes - SO COOL! And, finished off with Army Men :)

Here's Joe, posing with his cake.

A close up of the cake

Kids on the couch, right before opening presents

We didn't have candles, so we used wooden matches. Note to self - don't use wooden matches for candles - LOL! One of the matches was right under a leaf, and started to burn a hole through it, and melted off the army dude's arm - ha! Check out the smoke starting in the photo.

Here's Joe as he realizes that the army man's arm has melted off. What a look of glee! Lots of smoke too - hehehe. What great b-day memories :)

So, on to WordArt. Andrea from Boyerville Scraps and I have more WordArt for you! It's from a new freebie Mini Kit on her blog. I made 2 WordArts, one you can get from here, and one you can buy in her kit :)

Click HERE to go to Andrea's blog and buy her kit (which includes my WordArt)

And click on the WordArt below to get the Garden of Flowers WordArt free from me. Thanks, girls!

2008 Olympics

Happy B-day Joe!!! My 4 year old just turend 5! What a big kid :) We love you, Joe!!!

My mom and dad took us out to the movies last night in honor of Joe's b-day. We saw "The Mummy 3". We LOVE the other 2 movies, and this one is great too. Plus, I like Jet Lei. That always helps :) It was pretty cool! Then, after the movie, we had dinner at KFC. Our KFC had a special on Monday nights, where you get 2 pieces of chicken, a corn on the cob, a biscuit, and a side for only $2.99. It was a great deal. My kids were in HOG HEAVEN - ha!

But, before the movies/dinner, the kids and I went to the lake. It was a BEAUTIFUL day (and that's saying something for the Oregon coast - LOL!) I haven't taken my sweatshirt off since we got here, and at the lake, I actually took it off! I sat in the sun for 3 hours, while the kids played in the water. I think I even got some sun! My cheeks looked red last night - Woohoo! It should turn to tan in a few days. It was great! Here are a few pics from the lake (only the little kids, because the older ones were out swimming and out of camera range).

We got to the lake at 9am - see, if you go later, when it starts to warm up, the tourists are all there, and you have to fight for a place on the beach - LOL! So, we went early, and played with the other locals - hehehehe.

Who says white men can't jump ? Ha! I see at least a 1/2 inch clearance there!

Splash, Splash!

Isn't he a CUTIE!!!

And, there are neat paintings of people on the outside walls of our theater. It looks like people waiting in line to get in. My mom though it was so cute, she had my kids pose. Ha! Funny, eh?

So, how many of you are watching the Olympics? I just LOVE watching them! GO USA!!! This is the first time in YEARS that I've been able to watch the Olympics. We didn't have cable for the last Olympics. I made it to my parents house JUST in time :) Yippee!!! Anyway, I thought that you all might like this little Olympics Logo for this year. It would be cute on pics of you guys watching the Olympics, on an Olympic photo, or even on a pic of your little Olympian participating in their sport/event of choice, trying their hardest (wouldn't that be adorable!).

Click on the image below to download, and leave some love if you like my work :)

FONTS:

One - Felix Tilting
World, Dream - CK_Alis_Hand_Offical

Dog Tired

Today makes 2 weeks since my hubby left for training :( We're doing pretty good here, though. I'm not used to having so many grown-ups around to help out. I could get used to this - Ha! Every once in a while, though, I get a little teary eyed about missing my sweetie. We sang a song in church today, God Be With You 'Till We Meet Again, and I had a hard time keeping it together. I miss my man :)

Hehehe, isn't this funny :) This WordArt request is from Maureen. Too cute! I could use this on all of my kids "tuckered out" photos! Or, those of you with dogs could use it on napping dog photos. Lots of possibilities :)

Click on the image below to either go to my 4shared account and download the PNG file, or save the PNG file to your computer. Thanks!

FONTS:

Dog - Stamped DSG
Tired - The Buns

Creativity

Ha! I TOTALLY forgot to make your WordArt for today! Hehehehe. We went to North Bend (about an hour away) to Wal-Mart to get our hair cut (and shop!), then sat outside in the sunshine (yeah, it was the first time it came out since i got here a week ago, and I still had to snuggle under a blanket to keep from freezing - but the sun rays sure felt good!), then went to the grocery store to get some milk, then watched a movie with my dad (very B budget, but kinda funny - but then, it WAS supposed to be a horror movie, so maybe funny wasn't what they were going for - LOL!).

At 11 pm, I was ready to go to sleep, when I realized that I hadn't made anything for you all! But, thankfully, I remembered this WordArt I had made a while back, and decided to sell instead of give away. Lucky you, you get it as a freebie - ha!

So, because it's SO late, I'm not uploading it to 4shared, you'll have to just right click to save it. I promise I won't forget you again (well, for a while anyway - LMBO!)

Wisdom

I worked on returning e-mails yesterday, and got a BIG dent in my inbox! I'm down to about 70 something! Ha! And that was from over 100. I'm slowing chipping away at it - LOL! I did find a WONDERFUL website from one of you wonderful readers! Married to the Army is the site. Thanks so much! I learned a TON about what my hubby is doing at Basic, and general things that I should know about Military life. And some things I wish I had know before he left that would have made the transition easier. Who knew that I was supposed to get Power of Attorney before he left. That makes sense now, since I started filling out the Dental paperwork, and need his signature. That makes the process a bit more time consuming. So, all of you girls out there who's hubby's are joining up, get Power of Attorney - hehehe. And visit that website - it has WONDERFUL information!

This WordArt request is from Sharon in Germany. She wanted something that addresses racism. I couldn't really find a quote that I thought would make a good WordArt that had racism in the quote. I did find this one, though, and thought it would be good. I hope you like it, Sharon!

Left click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, or right click on the image below to save the PNG file to your computer. And, leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Wisdom - Tiranti Solid LET

Cats

I have a MILITARY ID!! I don't know why, but I was SO excited to get it - LOL! I'm such a dork. We finally found the place, and went into this TINY little room where they were making the ID cards, and found out that only adults and kids over 10 need them. Nice. So I drug the other kids all the way to Eugene for nothing. Oh well. I SO wish that we had gotten a welcome letter or SOMETHING from the military with directions of how to go about stuff.

I got a packet of papers from my hubby, with ID card applications for me and each child, a copy of our birth certificates, and a letter saying that we should get the ID cards. That's all. No locations. No directions. I had to make several calls just to find the place, but it was only a recording with times. Goodness. It's gonna be a LONG life, isn't it - ha! But, I think I know the next steps. We need to get our SS cards back from my hubby, and take them back to that ID card place. And, we need to call TRICARE (our insurance) and see what to do next on that front. I'll get this all figured out someday - hehehehe.

Anyway, the kids were good, and we had fun with my Grandma Ida. The drive was relatively pleasant (we DID have 5 kids in the truck, after all!), and we got home before dinner. It was a good day! And, after the kids went to bed, my mom and I went to the store together. You know, it's kind of fun going out with grown-ups. Who knew!

Ha! It's another animal WordArt. For all you loyal blog readers, you know that I'm not an "animal person". But, I did my best - LOL! This WordArt request is from Laraine. You know, you usually do see cats in pairs or more than one, don't ya? My Aunt has 2 cats that my kids just LOVE, even if they don't love the kids - LOL!

Left click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, or Right click on the image below to save the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Tingle Institute (or something like that - ha!)

Friday's Fresh Fruit (but on Thursday - LOL!)

Hi all! I just wanted to share my new WordArt packs releasing Tomorrow in the Orchard with you all, and just couldn't wait until tomorrow! So, here they are. I hope you like them!!!

AND, one lucky person will WIN BIG at my store!!! All you have to do is purchase something from my store between now and Tuesday. You're name will be entered into a drawing to win a coupon to my store FOR THE AMOUNT OF YOUR PURCHASE!!! That's right! You could win BIG!!! So, what are you waiting for? Ha! Head on over to Scraporchard to check out my WordArt :) Or, follow the links below to see my NEW STUFF!

$2.75 until next Thursday - click here - 31% off

$2.00 until next Thursday - click here - 20% off

$2.00 until next Thursday - click here - 20% off

$2.00 until next Thursday - click here - 20% off

House Happy

So today we get to go to Eugene (about 60 miles East of here) to get our Military ID cards. We get to go to a Navy place, since there's no Army one close. Hopefully it's a fast thing. But, with my limited experience with the military so far, it probably won't be. My Aunt was supposed to come with us, but realized that she had an appointment for that day. My Grandma is coming with us now, I think. What a great luxury, to have family so close, and are willing to help. I'm perfectly capable of going to the city on my own (and have TONS of times), but it'll be much more fun with one more grown-up!

And, what trip to the city wouldn't be complete without WALMART! Woohoo! My parents town doesn't have one, so my mom is sending me with a list of stuff to get! I SO love Wal-Mart - ha!

This WordArt request if from Christine. I thought it was hilarious, and so fitting for my life - ha! But, my mom doesn't seem to think so. No only was she the driving/trip Nazi, she also the rule Nazi. Ha! When we first got here, we all sat down and talked about important house rules, and what we could expect. It was a GREAT meeting, but lasted for over an hour. The kids said "Boy, Grandma has a lot of rules". Ha! So true :) But the kids are mostly following them all (keep toys in the family room, food in the kitchen, be respectful - basic stuff like that). I think it's gonna work out here just fine :)

Anyway, I got a bit off there, sorry! LMBO! Left click on the image to go to my 4shared account to download the png file, or right click on the image to save the PNG file. Thanks!

FONTS:
House - Smargana
Happy - Gigi

Posting Layouts

Hey all! I've decided that I'm no longer gonna post layouts on my blog, because I can't seem to find the time. My inbox is full with over 100 personal emails, and I'm not sure how I'm gonna be able to get to them all. So, I think I've come up with a good solution. hehehe.

When you make a layout with my WordArt, you can post the layout HERE at my Scraporchard gallery. Then, you can come back to my blog, and find the post where the WordArt was offered, then leave a link to your layout in the COMMENT section. Good idea? I hope it will work. I still want to see all of your BEAUTIFUL layouts, but I just don't have enough time to post them all here :( My daughter drew a pic of me the other day, and my laptop was in it - not a good sign - LMBO!

Look Forward

So, there's this spikey plant in my parents backyard that grows in the sand, and my son, Tom, found it - Ha! It's really hard to see on the ground. I don't know what it's called, but it blends into the grass (well, our grass is yellow - ha!). Poor guy stepped right on it. Here he is, getting the spikey things pulled out of his foot with tweezers. Ouch!!

And here's my dad, reading to all the kids. While it may look like a nice family friendly moment, he was adding his own "twist" to the story. It had 5 little Chinese boys who looked exactly the same, and he was pointing out that even their butt cracks were even the same. Nice dad - ha!!! (The little blond girl is my brothers - Taylor)

And here's my proof that I got on the 3 wheeler. Yeah for me! Here's my one and only time on the thing. Sorry, Dad, I'm not going out for a repeat ride!!! That was SCARY! AND, can I just say that I'm not climatized yet! It's FREEZING out here - LOL! Haven't taken my hoodie off since we got here (practically)

Jimmy didn't like it too well either! Ha! Kid after my own heart :)

We had a fun time last night at the McDonald's Playland (pretty sad when that's a night out on the town - LOL!) The big boys wanted to eat Taco Bell, so they got it first and brought it there, and the little kids had McDonalds kids meals. Have you ever done that? Ha! We're such rebels. The kids had fun playing at the playland, and the grown-ups got to visit for a while (we ran into my sister's in-laws, and chatted for a while). It was a simple, yet fun, evening.

Have you ever watched ABC's "Wipeout"? Oh my heck! My boys think it's HILARIOUS! The were watching it in the other room last night, and they were laughing so hard, I thought they'd hurt themselves - Ha!!!

Well, it's another WordArt Wednesday. I thought that this one turned out quite nice :) I thought it would be PERFECT for heritage albums and pages. What do you think?

Click HERE to go to the freebie section of Scraporchard, and just remember, you need to be signed in to grab the WordArt. Thanks girls!!!

FONTS: Included in the download

Called to Serve

My dad's newest hobby is 3-wheeling. They just happen to live on the Oregon Coast, where the dunes are AWESOME! My dad took us out 3-wheeling last night. My boys had a ton of fun. Tom was first, and ended up tipping it over (poor thing felt SO bad - that one wouldn't start for a while after). Jacob was next, and kept gripping the gas too fast, making it almost do a wheelie. He didn't go too far before he decided he'd pass. Joe, Eme, and Jim got rides with Papa, and had a lot of fun (well, Jim didn't like it too much). Jake and Tom got rides with Papa too, and he even made me go! I'm not the most adventurous of people, and it was SCARY! Definitely won't be doing that again - ha! But, I did it! My hubby would be proud. I only screamed a little bit - LOL!

This WordArt request is for Angela. She wanted it for her husbands mission album. I thought it would also be good for little boys/girls dressed up, looking like Missionaries. Or for little kids playing "restaurant". Or for military pages. Or "service" pages.

Right click on the image below to save the PNG file, or click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Serve - ATCitadelScript
Called, To - Imprint MT Shadow

Raising My Child

It was so nice to be back in my home town, and go to my home ward (church congregation). There were some familiar faces, and a lot of new ones too. It's been 14 years since I lived here, so there's been a lot of changes. Back in Ohio, my hubby was in the Bishopric (like an assistant to the minister), so I had to corral all 5 kids by myself. BUT, in my parents ward, there were 4 adults (me, my mom and dad, and my grandma) to my 5 kids. What a great ratio! Much easier on me - LOL!

This WordArt request if from Amberlee. I never did like the "it takes a village to raise a child" theory, so when she sent me this quote, I just LOVED it :) hehehehe. I SO don't want the "village" raising my kids. I think I can do a splendid job on my own - LOL!

NOTE: When I upload my images to blogger, they are PNG files (the files with no backgrounds). So, theoretically, if you right click on the WordArt, and save it to your computer, you will get the PNG file, not the JPG. Then, there will be no need to go to 4shared to download the file (4shared has been a bit screwy as of late - the past few days, it hasn't been linking things so good). So, give it a try, and see if it works for ya!

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the png file, and leave some love if you like my work. Thanks!

FONTS:
Child - Rambler Script JF

Be Counted

Wow, and I thought that the actual moving was hard - LOL! All 5 kids are in my sisters old bedroom, and trying to fit clothes for 5 people in one closet (no dressers) is, um, fun - ha! I'm on a cot in the family room, and we had to improvise for a closet. Good thing I'm flexible - hehehehe!

Thanks so much to everyone for all of the kind words and thoughts during our move! You guys are awesome :) My inbox is TOTALLY jammed with emails (I'll try my best, but it may take a while to get to them all :), and I'm feeling the 'love'! Thanks!!!

Here's a few pics from our crabbing trip to the beach. While we didn't catch anything, the kids had a bunch of fun throwing in and pulling out the pots, playing in the sand, and hanging out with family. Even though it was wet and cold, we had a BLAST!!!

So, on to WordArt. This request is from Jessica. Can't remember where I got this font from, but I thought it was really cool. Hope you like it!

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Be, Counted - OldgateLaneOutline

Happiness

Horray!!!! I finally made it to OREGON!!!! NO MORE CAR RIDES!!! LMBO :) We made it to Florence, Oregon at 11pm on Thursday night (EST). I was so glad to be there, and to see my family again :)

This country is so beautiful, and I'm glad (not SO glad, but glad - LOL!) that I got to see so much of it. Beautiful! The mountains at the Western edge of Wyoming are amazing. And the Columbia Gorge was awesome. Gotta love the USA :)

I missed you guys while I was away :) We're getting settled into my parents house, and trying to get all of our stuff to fit. I have over 100 personal e-mails from you all that I need to get to, but it's gonna take a while. Just try and be patient with me :) I'm gonna eventually get caught back up again :)

Either Western Nebraska, or somewhere in Wyoming

Lincoln Memorial (my 10 year old said it couldn't be the Lincoln Memorial, because that's in Washington DC. hehehe) in Wyoming

Maybe Wyoming? hehehe.

Columbia River Gorge (Oregon on this side of river, Washington on the opposite side)

The boys, eating crab with Uncle Joe (my sisters hubby)

And now, back to WordArt :) This request is from Trina. I like WordArt that can be used as titles, and this one sure can. Enjoy!!!

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Happiness - MKBats

Always Be Your Guide

I thought this one was a nice quote. Plus, I just LOVE this font! It rocks :)

Click on the image below to download, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Always, be, your, guide - Charade JF

Really Cute

Ha! This one is a bit different, but I guess it's better than nothing. AND I really hate to give out nothing - LOL! So, here's my 'something' that's better than nothing! heheheh. I just LOVE Finding Nemo, don't you? I thought this would be cute on Baby or Pet pages.

Click on the image below to download, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Cute - Mail Ray Stuff
All rest - One Stroke Script LET

A Dream

Yes, it's WordArt Wednesday, and no, I'm not all the way ready. So, instead of just skipping a week, I thought that I'd give you guys a chance to get it here! Ha! Well, i guess it's not unlike every other day of the week around here - LOL!

I thought this was a very nice quote, and from a girl movie. We don't have a lot of girl movies going around our house. What with 4 boys, and myself being such a big Sci-Fi geek, well, my poor 6 year old daughter doesn't stand a chance. So, Eme, this one's for you!!!

Click on the image below to download, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
A, D - Beautiful Caps ES
ream - Amber

Road Trip Update

us at Wendy's in ... um.... somewhere - LMBO!!!

In the pool

in the hotel

OK, so it's not WordArt related, but I just had to check in and tell you all about my progress. We're almost to Iowa City, Iowa!!! It's 2:43 pacific time, and we're at McDonalds. Kids are eating happy meals, and playing with their toys. I'm on their Wi-Fi, and drinking my water, and my mom is loving it all! We're having a lot of fun, but it's a crazy time driving so much!!!

We stopped at Urbana/Champaign last night to sleep, and the kids got a few mintues in the pool, and LOVED IT!!! it was a bit chilly in the outdoor pool, but it sure felt good after all the heat. Grandma even came part-way in the pool - heheheh (she's a non swimmer - LOL!)

We're hoping to get across Nebraska today, but we'll see how it goes. Driving with no A/C with a truck full of kids is always ...... fun!!! Hehehehe. I do have a quick story. About an hour ago, a trucker flagged us down, telling us to pull over. But then they sped past, and we didn't know why. We pulled off, and checked the load, and it was all the same as it had been. Then unnurved us a bit. But, as we stopped at McDonalds, I noticed that one of the cargo net straps (that had broken back in Ohio) was hanging, and I BET that was what that trucker had seen. Phew! That sure scared us :)

Faith and Trust

What a nice quote. I didn't even realize it was from Peter Pan. Huh! Gotta love Disney :) hehhehe.

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Faith - Loki Cola
Trust - Ogilvy Poster

Bear Necessities

WE'RE FINALLY ON OUR TRIP!!! We left home today at about 6:00 pm, and headed up to Columbus! We're staying at the Holiday Inn by the airport, and seeing my hubby off to the military tomorrow morning. The truck is all packed, and our rental is all clean. Holy cow, it was a LONG day!

We went to Serpent Mounds today (click here to see a few pics of us at the mounds), and it was SO COOL! My hubby has had it on his "to see" list since he was 12! It was quite impressive :) Then, after cleaning and packing, and finally making it to the hotel, the kids got 15 minutes in the pool before it closed at 10:00 pm. It's now almost midnight, and I just wanted to post a quick picture of our rig before I go to bed. You'll like it, I'm sure!!! Just be glad you're not me - LMBO!!! Look how high our trailer is loaded! We shrink wrapped the load into the trailer, then used some kind of a tie down, then more shrink wrap, then a tarp, then more shrink wrap, then a cargo net, and a few bungies. It's not going ANYWHERE! It's rock solid :) Hehehehe.




I thought that this would be PERFECT for all those naked baby/kid pictures that we all have! I have a 2 year old that WON"T STAY DRESSED for nuthin! Can't keep clothes on that kid. But, he's totally potty trained if he's buck naked. Put pants or a diaper or even on a shirt on the kid, and he has an accident every time. Goodness. The joys of motherhood!

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the PNG file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Bear Necessities - Kon TIki Aloha JF
Look, for, the - Kon Tiki Lounge JF

To Infinity

Well, here it is, Friday night, and I'm feeling guilty for not having WordArt for you all for my whole trip. I know, I'm a bit obsessed, but there it is - LOL! So, I stayed up WAY TOO LATE working on it, but it's done. WordArt through next Friday. I decided to go with Disney movie quotes this time. Thought they may be fun to use.

I know this one will have pleanty of use at our house! My kids love to strike a pose to this. Pointing one hand into the air. Silly kids. We REALLY need to get this on DVD. I LOVE this movie :) ha! (Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, for those of you missing out - LOl!)

Click on the image below to go to my 4shared account to download the file, and leave some love if you like my work.

FONTS:
Infinity - Impact
Beyond - Mary Helen JF