All Dressed Up-Stylee Kylee*CCCB*

Hi all!! Tuesdays always have me smiling because it is time to share another challenge from City Crafter Challenge Blog! I'm soooooo lovin' the challenge brought to us this week by our sweet founder Miss Kirsty! The theme is "All Dressed Up" and the challenge is that we want to see a dress or dress form on your project. So girly and fun!! LOVE it! It was perfect way to showcase my cutie little granddaughter, our very own "Stylee Kylee", shown in this layout sporting her shades. I can't wait to see what you all come up with! Do you need a little inspiration? Just get yourself over to City Crafter Challenge Blog and get all the inspiration you need from our Guest Designer, Inger Harding, and all our DT members. FAB stuff! So go get ALL DRESSED UP and play along with us this week *our prize package comes from the superity duperity generous Pixie Dust Paperie! Hugs, Cheryl

Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Life

Ahhhhh it is a Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Life isn't it?!! Even though school has already started here, I wasn't quite able to let go of summer yet and so I created this summer layout. There really isn't anything quite as fun as summertime! (Unless it is all the holidays coming up, right?!) haha! Always something to look forward to and wonderful memories to look back on...it bears repeating it really is a Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful Life! I hope you are having a Beautiful Day! Hugs, Cheryl

Blast From the Past *Faded Memories*

Hi all! Three years ago I started to do layouts of my childhood school memories and 1st grade was as far as I got. Looking back at these old layouts has inspired me to get going on this project again. I really need to write these memories down while I have a memory...haha! Oh the difference a year can make...there is definitely some different memories of 1st grade than there were of Kindergarten. It all is what makes us who we are, though. It is ALL GOOD! Here is the journaling:
Not a lot of memories here and even less pictures. In fact, no pictures. I chose to use a picture of the beach because it was such a part of my growing up. It also symbolizes the turbulence of my life at this period, but also symbolizes that just as the tide ebbs and flows so does life. Ultimately calm and steadiness prevail over turbulence. Memory is a funny thing…the things we can remember…the things we can’t. Sometimes it is a kindness that we can’t remember. This year was a little crazy. My mom was gone more than she was home and that is not necessarily a bad thing. The times she was there were not pleasant. The unsteadiness resulted in the divorce of my parents. My dad chose to date a lot of women that were just as unsteady and it was scary for me. School and other activities gave me stability and support. So there are a few memories I am grateful for. I remember the dress I wore in my school picture. The school picture is missing, but the memory of the dress isn’t. It was navy blue and had polka dots of bright colors all over it. Red…blue…yellow…green…
orange polka dots. Big polka dots. I loooooved it. I remember being a Bluebird. This was part of the Camp Fire Girl organization. I remember thinking our little blue uniforms were a lot cuter than the Brownie uniforms. I remember having to sell the Camp Fire Girl candy. I loved the candy but HATED the selling. I remember going on an overnighter. I was scared. I liked being around the campfire, but it felt intimidating to be around all the older Camp Fire Girls. I thought they were laughing at me. I remember being embarrassed that I sucked my thumb when I slept. I tried to hide the secret, but knew that someone would see. I remember I liked a boy named Drew. All the girls liked him. We all thought he was a nice boy. We all thought most of the other boys weren’t. These are my first grade memories.

Best of Friends *CCCB*

Woohooo...today is a new challenge for City Crafter Challenge Blog! Ros is our hostess today and she has a FANTABULOUS challenge! The theme she has chosen this week is "Best of Friends" (LOVE it!). Did you know National friendship week starts the first Sunday in August ...
Women's friendship week is the third Sunday in August
International friendship month is February ... and
Old friends New friends week is the third week in May
... And friends are the family we choose ourselves ... right? So let celebrate our friendships ...
This week your Challenge is to create a card or project which includes the word Friend, Friends or Friendship
I hope you'll join us ... We're looking forward to seeing your creations! Our sweet friends over at Pixie Dust Paperie are generously sponsoring the challenge this week! If you need a little inspiration take a peek at the lovely creations at City Crafter Challenge Blog created by our Guest Designer and friend, Linda Breedlove, and all the DT. I want to THANK ALL OF YOU for being my friends! You know if friends were flowers I would pick YOU ALL! What a wonderful bouquet of friendship I have here in blogland! Hope you are enjoying this day with a friend!
Hugs, Cheryl

Blast From the Past *A Happy Time*

Hi all! It is time for a little blast from the past today. I thought with school starting this week here that I would feature a layout I did about my own school day memories. I created this layout almost three years ago and it is all about my kindergarten memories. I was really surprised when I started writing about how much I really did remember about way back when. This is the journaling:
"I remember kindergarten.
I loved snack time. I brought a little snack from home in a brown paper lunch bag. Some children had lunch boxes, but I always had my little brown bag. I loved getting the little cartons of milk. Just my size…just for me. I liked the idea of bringing a nickel each day to buy that milk. I felt important buying that little carton of milk. I remember story time on the big green carpet. I loved when the stories were read from the big books that seemed almost as big as I was. I remember recess and riding the tricycles around the white circles painted on the black asphalt. I remember we also participated in planting a garden. I thought that was so cool. I remember waiting for the crossing guard to cross the street in front of the school. I walked home from school, which looking back on it, is really amazing to me. It was quite a way for a five year old to be walking. It never seemed to bother me back then. There was one very busy street we had to cross that I would never thinking of letting a five year old cross, but I did and so did a lot of others and we never gave it a second thought. I remember walking home from school one day and turning the corner of my street and seeing the “pony man” at the top of our hill. I WANTED more than anything to have my picture taken on that pony. I remember racing to my house, flying in the door and excitedly telling my dad that the “pony man” was up the street and we needed to HURRY before he was on to the next street. I remember grabbing his hand and practically dragging him out the door. My heart still fills with thrill of the memory of actually getting to sit on that pony and have my picture taken. I remember walking up the slope of our driveway, through the back gate, up the hill in our backyard and under the avocado tree. What happy memories."
I hope you are enjoying and perhaps making some happy memories today! Hugs, Cheryl

Scrap Happy! *CCCB* - Fifty is FAB!

Hi all! So FUN to come to you today as this week's hostess at City Crafter Challenge Blog! The theme is "Scrap Happy" and the challenge is to use ONLY scraps on your project...nothing new. This is a chance to use up all those scraps of paper and unused sheets of stickers/and or embellishments. Go check out what our Guest Designer, Tante Kathe, and our DT did with their scraps at City Crafter Challenge Blog. I have SOOOOO MANY and needed an excuse to use at least some of them. I joined the "Fifty's Club" on my last birthday and have been wanting to do a layout about that ever since. I really do think Fifty is FAB! I'm ENJOYING EVERY aspect of my life right now (well, maybe not the occasional creaks in the body) but for the most part LIFE IS SO GOOD! Here is a quote from a woman I admire very much. It was what she had to say about being fifty..."Fifty was my favorite age. It takes about that long to learn to quit competing---to be yourself and settle down to living. It is the age I would like to be through all eternity!" Marjorie Pay Hinckley Sounds pretty FAB doesn't it?! Whatever your age, I hope you get Scrap Happy and dig out those FABBY scraps of yours and join us in this week's challenge! I'm sponsoring this week and for our winner there is a LOVELY package of ALL NEW GOODIES!!! Now one more quote from Marjorie Hinckley before I go: "Who knows but that something WONDERFUL may happen today. Have faith that it will. After all, every morning is a chance at a new day." Have a WONDERFUL day all! Hugs, Cheryl

First Day of School!!!!

I can hardly believe I am posting this...where did summer go?!!! Today was our first day of school. I don't think any of us were really happy about it, but it is what it is and we'll make the best of it. Even though the end of summer came too quickly, I know Miss Alena will have a FABBY year of FUN with all her friends. She sure is starting off the school year looking FABBY anyway! Wishing all that have started a Happy School Year and those that still have more time...ENJOY your summer! Hope you are ENJOYING whatever you are doing this day.

Blast From The Past *Happy Anniversary*

Hi all! I'm here today with my blast from the past. Since it is my hubby and I's 29th wedding anniversary on Sunday I thought I would share a layout I made several years ago from our wedding day. It is one of my fave photos of that day. I just LOVE the expressions on our faces. I updated this one a little bit yesterday by backing it on some new papers I got. The journaling is one of my FAVORITE songs EVER and it describes the way I feel about my hubby...When You Say Nothing At All (I love the Alison Krauss/Union Station version the best if you want to go listen to it on You Tube). It describes perfectly the way I feel when I'm with my hubby. When I listen to this song it speaks straight to my soul. Here are the lyrics:
It's amazing how you can speak right to my heart. Without saying a word you can light up the dark. Try as I may I could never explain, what I hear when you don't say a thing. The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand says you'll catch me whenever I fall. You say it best when you say nothing at all. All day long I can hear people talking out loud, but when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd. Try as they may, they can never define what's being said between your heart and mine. The smile on your face lets me know that you need me. There's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. The touch of your hand says you'll catch me whenever I fall. You say it best when you say nothing at all...nothing at all...nothing at all.
Hope you are sharing today with someone you love! Hugs, Cheryl

Thumb Bunny Loves U! **CCCB**

Hooray for Tuesdays! It is CCCB day! You are going to LOVE this week's fun challenge brought to us by Linda...Do Ya Doodle! Your challenge is to use doodles on your project. I had fun doodling mr. thumb bunny and the hearts on my card. Wait 'til you see the fun creations from our Guest Designer, Juls, and the DT over at City Crafter Challenge Blog. Really you can go anywhere with this challenge that your imagination takes you and I can not wait to see the direction you all take with it! It's gonna be so FUN! So get your doodle on and play along for a chance to win a gift certificate from our generous sponsor, Pixie Dust Paperie! Hugs, Cheryl

My Cup of Tea

I was going through scrap withdrawls from not having scrapped photos of my newest sweet granddaughter Bailey for awhile and so I put this simple one together this morning. Now we're off to go school shopping for my youngest. I can't believe school is already upon us! Where did summer go?! I hope you are enjoying this summer day wherever you are! Hugs, Cheryl

Blast From The Past

Now that I've joined the 50s Club, I'm getting nostalgic in my old age. I have been looking at my old layouts as of late and I decided I would like to share some with you that I created before I started blogging. So I hope you'll indulge me in my nostalgia as I make a weekly "blast from the past" post. This layout is of my two oldest daughters when they were about the ages of their own two oldest children.
Here is a photo of their two oldest together...can you tell who belongs to who:

I can't believe these precious babies of mine each have two of their own now. Hope you are having and making fond memories today! Hugs, Cheryl

Home Sweet Home **CCCB**

Hi all! You know how I am always excited for Tuesdays because it is time for a City Crafter Challenge Blog challenge...and today is Tuesday! Kirsty, as our hostess, has come up with the fab theme of "Home Sweet Home". Super simple all...we want to see "HOUSE" on your project, it could be an image of house(s), or an altered item such as birdhouse, house template etc. I know you all are going to hit a "home" run with this one and can't wait to see what you come up with! Get on over to City Crafter Challenge Blog for a little inspiration and see what our Guest Designer, Sandi, along with our DT Members have created. You won't be disappointed! So come make your "home" with us at CCCB this week...another generous prize offering by Pixie Dust Paperie is the prize for this week's winner! Hugs, Cheryl