Our Little Princess...

I bought Princess sweetie pie an adorable tutu last week and her Mommy and I took advantage of her "happy time" today to snap a few pictures of her in it...

and today I made a couple scrapbook pages from those pictures!
I love her "happy time"!

Finishing up Flip Flops...

I sent off my flip flop swap yesterday and thought I'd share a few photos of the last three I made...


I started thinking while finishing up this swap, well, summer is winding down, it won't be long until those flip flop shoes will be retired!


I look forward to Fall though! I'm already beginning to think about Halloween, Thanksgiving, and, yes, even a bit about Christmas!
It's hard NOT to when you go into the craft stores and it's full blown HOLIDAYS, right?!



I love the Mary Englebreit picture of the girl diving above and the corresponding Mark Twain quote! I also used this image in a Vintage Swimwear Tag Swap I participated in, it's a Summer favorite of mine!
Now I will move on to my Tin Swap and then I signed up for Artsy Mama's "Year in Color" Sweet and Sinister Swap after that! Yoo hoo!

A Healthy Summer Recipe

My daughter and I are working at losing weight together this summer and we chose Weight Watchers as our tool to lose!
It's been about a month and a half now, I suppose, and it's going ok, I suppose, better a little bit for her than for me! I've lost 10 lbs., she's lost like 14!
It's hard for me because I'd rather craft than exercise and it's hard for her because she just gave birth four months ago!
I lost 35 pounds years and years ago after my fourth was born, and was a size 8 and weighed like 130 pounds! I have no desire to be that small today, but I'd like to get down to maybe a size 14, even a 16! I was an exercise fanatic back in those days, and really I think I was hungry all the time and obsessed about food!
I've "evolved" in my feeling about weight now that I'm 47 and I want to be healthier but I also think healthy includes enjoying food, having treats and accepting and loving yourself no matter what weight you may be!
I can tell a difference even with 10 pounds in how my body feels, which is great! I used to have really bad issues with swelling ankles, that's improved 100 percent with just losing 10 pounds! I think it may be that I'm eating smarter choices now, less eat out food with lots of salt.
I thought I'd share a Weight Watcher Summertime Corn Chowder with you today. I figure if you live in a cooler summertime area, this is perfect for you and if it's hot where you are like it is here in Texas, well, it was called a SUMMER chowder after all!
I couldn't resist making a little Digital Scrap page of the recipe for fun!

I told you, I am in Love with Digital Scrapbooking now!
Now, as far as the exercise goes, I really need to somehow get back to my "old" days, it's hard to believe, but I used to exercise ALL the time when I was younger, and I was pretty faithful for probably 18 years! Now, I can't get myself to hardly go! It is much more difficult with so much extra weight, and I'm not sure anyone can appreciate HOW much harder it is unless you've been in the position to have that extra weight on you and you participate in an hour long step class!
The great thing about all this is is that Megan and I are a team in this, she encourages me, looks up recipes, and we encourage each other and sometimes cheat together too! But it's Mom/Daughter bonding, for sure, and that makes it ALL worth it!
I just hope she doesn't get pregnant again as soon as she loses all her weight! You know how THAT happens, right? LOL!

Flowers: Take three

Just can't get enough of beauty!
Ok, I had to come back and make another one of the Grandbaby, Madison! I mean, she DOES wear flowers on her head almost every single day!

NOTE: I just found a website called the National Association of Digital Scrapbookers that has free web seminars to learn the basics and beyond of digital scrapbooking, if you're interested!

Just Because...

IT'S PRETTY! HAPPY MONDAY!

More scrapping!

Maybe a "teensy bit" overboard..

I've fell in "Love" with Digital Scrapbooking! I didn't see it coming until a few pages I made up sent me to Digi Heaven, and now I'm hooked!
You might have noticed my new Blog Header above (look up!) that I made with Digital scrap items! I found the cute design under "BlogWear" at
The Shabby Shoppe which I really loved! And it was only $1.99!
I also made a header at my daughter's blog Miss Madison's Charmed Life and really enjoyed myself while making it!
So, tonight I went the "Teensy bit" overboard because I had an email of a BIG, HUGE SALE over at Shabby Pickle Designs
I spent $22.00 and got 18 "packaged" designs with many, many papers and elements in each one! There are 15 pages of mostly $1.00 selections for a kit!
Here's a peek at what I got!
Well, first, I'm always scrapbooking that cutie-patootie Grandbaby, Madison, so I had to get some cute buttons...

And, well, you need CUTE fonts to decorate up those pages, I got ALL these for $3.00!

Just Look at all the colors, plus I got a couple more sets of fonts too!
Then there's the Holidays coming up! First there's Halloween pages to Digi Scrap!
All of this, One buck-a-roo!
Next is Thanksgiving! I loved the richness of the colors, don't you agree?!
There were several Christmas kits, and I got this one to add that "dreamy" look to a page...

This is a CD kit and came with instructions too for like $2.00!

Here's an example of a page I made the other evening with my daughter Megan and sweetie pie Madison... Isn't it so pretty?! I love this picture!

I just watched the movie "Confessions of a Shopaholic" last night, I "might" need to confess to not being as such a shopaholic, but a CRAFTAHOLIC!!
I love crafting, don't you?!
.......

Swap, Swap, Swap-a-roo!

I haven't noticed as many swaps as there had been, well, earlier in the year, but I did find another cute swap to participate in...

You can sign up too over at A Swap for All Seasons
I like swaps I can feel I can finish without that panicked feeling of oh, no! I'm working ( my REAL job) but I need to finish my swap and the deadline is right upon me!
A tin swap is a great idea because it's a small space with potential to have a big impact! I love opening up mysterious boxes and seeing surprises inside myself! So now what should my theme be? Hmmmm.......

Blissful Blogging!

bliss (bls)
n.
1. Extreme happiness; ecstasy.
2. The ecstasy of salvation; spiritual joy.
Phrasal Verb:
bliss out Slang
To go into a state of ecstasy.
Yes, today is a special day! First, it's the Blogging for Bliss Party today! What fun!

PLUS, it's my Birthday! Yeah! (singing happy birthday to myself while blogging :>)
Let's skip how old I might be, and just skip to the party part, ok?!
My Birthday is one reason why I love blogging and is not something that I had as a reason to begin blogging originally, but it is a bonus to have birthday wishes from my blogging friends that I've met and will meet in the future.
As a party-goer, I'd like to share how I came to be in "Blogging Bliss."

It began here...

with my collection of Vintage Cake Toppers!
I shared these in one of my first posts, because I, like you, love vintage collections that are shabby and chic!
I quickly became a blogger on a journey to find beauty such as this...

and I wasn't disappointed!
I sometimes feel short on ideas of ways to decorate, and I find my blogging bliss in so many friends' "homes."

Lu Lu's fluffy Ruffles
and all of the other blogs on my favorite blog roll list!
I want to craft and share and my blog is my creative outlet!
Here's one of my early swaps (LOVE SWAPS) and my Dolly Dingle fridge magnet...

I want to learn a new craft and that's in my blogging universe too!
From furniture creations...

to fake cupcakes...

you dream it, someone will blog about it and inspire you!
Perhaps the best part of being a participant in this blissful blogging world have been the people who have inspired me and touched me in a profound way just for the spirit they are and how they share it with blogging friends through their blog.
Nie Nie and her family has been the most inspirational for me, her courage in face of devastating circumstances, her love for God, family and friends, and her courage to continue on and to always find L-O-V-E in all parts of life!
I treasure my friends, new, old, and to be discovered that have blessed my life and my soul! Please head over to this inspirational blog at Artsy Mama to link to all the wonderful blogs and bloggers participating today!

Book Heaven...

Good Monday, friends! I wanted to share a bit of book heaven with all of you!

I love reading, as I know you do too, and my favorite types of books are sagas, generational family stories that show the span of time.
Jennifer Chiaverini is a FABULOUS author (!!) and has a new book out "The Lost Quilter" and I'm just in heaven reading it! She really can transport you to another time and place with her style of writing!
Below is a link to read an excerpt and purchase it online if you'd like!
I found my copy HALF OFF at Barnes & Noble bookstore this past weekend, so instead of $24.00, I paid just $12.00 for the hardback!
Browse Inside : The Lost Quilter

Shared via AddThis
Also if you head over to Oprah's website and you register, you can download this book...
for free!
Now you can't beat FREE!
Enjoy your day, kick back with a (healthy) snack and put the feet up and read a bit! That's what I'll do later this evening!

A Child's Dream...

The woods are full of fairies!

The trees are alive:
The river overflows with them.

See how they dip and dive!

What funny little fellows!

What dainty little dears!

They dance and leap, and prance and peep,

And utter fairy cheers!

Please visit all the Pink Saturday Participantson this magical Pink weekend!