What a fun weekend!!

Happy Monday everyone!! We had a great weekend! I will get to that in a minute...want to show you a couple things.

First off...new sketch at the CPS blog is up! This week we were sponsored by Gina K Designs, and she sent us a stamp set called "Spring Bloom". There is also a great stamping tutorial posted today by Linda B. Be sure to check it out! Here is a sneak peek of my card for the week!


This was my card for last week's sketch. My favorite paper line by Sassafras Lass...although some of the new ones might take that place soon!


On to the weekend! Saturday morning we watched Shrek 3 together after having waffles for breakfast. Then it was a lazy day at home. I got a lot of scrapbooking done, nothing I can share but some layouts that I really love! On Saturday night we had a Wii party with another couple. We don't have a Wii, so we went over to their apartment. Josh and Clancy made homemade pizzas and daquiris while Kyla (Clancy's girlfriend) and I chatted and played a little bit of Wii. Once we had our pizza....all four of us played this Mario Party game....it was SO fun. We are now buying a Wii today when they come in on the truck at Best Buy. So Vanessa and Dwight...if you are reading this....be ready to Wii when we are at Big Sky in a couple weeks!! We are bringing it with!

Yesterday Josh had to work, so it was just me. I got the laundry done, and scrapped in between. It was a good weekend at home!!

Have a happy Monday,
~Lea

Strawberries and scrappy goodness!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope my fellow family members, friends, and crafters are having an excellent day so far! I am still not feeling so hot...but not much I can do about it other than keep myself doped up on DayQuil and try to ignore it.

First off, I HAVE to share this photo of my little cutie, Sadie. I had forgotten I got this for her as a valentine's day gift...and never gave it to her. SO, she got it over Easter weekend when we were at my parents house. It was the love of her life....for about 30 minutes. And then she chewed a hole in it, and pulled out all the stuffing and squeaker. This is about how long toys last in our house. Then they become lifeless pieces of fabric that they proceed to chew on until they disintegrate, or until I throw them away (more often than not). GROSS...but it is what our dogs like to do.

These are a couple of my make-up projects for Provo Craft for February. This one features the daisy, and some leaves from "A Walk in my Garden" Cartridge, and my Cricut Expression. Other products include Sassafras Lass papers, Westrim Crafts rhinestones, and ribbon from Michael's.

This card features the scalloped cardbase and the moon from the "New Arrivals" cartridge and my Cricut Expression. I also cut out the stars using the "George & Basic Shapes" cartridge. Other supplies include Prism & Bazzill cardstocks, Crate Paper, Doodlebug rhinestones, and a DCVW rub-on. I also had a surprise sitting on my doorstep when I got home from work yesterday! Layle from Scenic Route sent me and some other gals I know two of the newest paper line releases!

So excited...I have the perfect layout in mind for the Grafton papers, and I am so glad I hadn't started it yet! The papers will fit perfectly with it!

I also got some emails for August Scrapbook Trends...five to be exact! Totally excited about that, because I have been hit or miss when it comes to layouts getting picked up by ST. So- yeah for Lea! Tee hee!

Well, that is about it for me today!

Gotta run to a meeting,
~Lea

Girly Goodness!!

My order finally came from Scrapgal, with a bunch of newly released goodies finally at my fingertips!! Among that was some of the new Claire collection by Elsie....so super cute!! I made this monogram card with it:

I just love pretty girly papers! I pray everyday that I have a little girl whenever we decide to have children. I know, I know....you should just pray that your unborn child be healthy, but I will admit. I really want a girl when we do have kids.

In another not so selfish subject...Casey got his cast off today!! So glad for him! He was definitely ready to be out of that huge thing...so I am doing a little cheer for him! It has to be in a brace for the next month at least....but no more hot and itchy cast. He loves his incision. It is at least six inches long, and is going to leave quite the scar. He thinks it is cool...a battle wound of sort. Boys are so weird....you would never hear a girl excited over something that is going to permanently scar her skin for life. I forgot to ask when he officially gets to start competing in track...he is practicing on the stationary bike right now so he doesn't lose practice hours. Hopefully soon!

Well, tonight I am getting some scrappy time in! I have to do my make-up Provo Craft assignments for February.

Happy crafting,
~Lea

Well, the snow melted...

...and Easter Sunday ended up being beautiful! It was sunshiny with mild temperatures- so that was nice! We drove over to Sheridan on Saturday evening so we could spend Easter Sunday with my parents. Josh, Casey and I watched the movie "I Am Legend" on Saturday night. Not what I thought it was going to be, but pretty good!

My dad gave an awesome Easter message yesterday! He did a "Law & Order" themed sermon based on proving that the tomb was indeed empty because Jesus died, and was resurrected. It was a really great sermon...and even had us doing the "ching-ching" sounds from Law & Order. He made some really amazing points about how we have proof that Jesus is alive and sitting at the right hand of our Father. Glory!!

After church we sat around chatting, playing Wii...and had our Easter dinner together as a family, with another couple from their church. It was nice and laid-back!

This morning I woke up feeling pretty awful, so I am staying home from work today. No need to infect an entire station of people if I am coming down with something.

I got these cute cards done on Saturday, in between laundry loads and before we left for Sheridan. I don't have a sneak peek this week of my CPS card...but I will hint that i used the same papers! I have all the new Sassafras Lass papers on the way to me...and haven't used all of this line up yet! It is one of my favorite paper lines....so I feel like I need to use every little piece of it! Hope you like them!


Well, I am going to go lay down for a little bit. Typing this took the little bit of energy I did have....I must really be coming down with something. Yuck- I hope it passes quickly!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter Sunday,
~Lea

Mother nature is pointing and laughing at me....

It is SNOWING! Our backyard is covered in snow that is not melting!! Seriously...mother nature is mocking me right now...I was so ready for some spring weather!! Sigh...oh well, this means we will have a gorgeous summer, right?

Well, I got a layout and two cards done last night! In my last post I said I had found the first kit that I ever wanted to purchase. I have been watching this kit for the past 5 months to see if it was for me or not. I love bright colors, patterns, and cutesy items when it comes to crafting- and I think I found what I was looking for in a kit! So, I ordered my first one in March. The name of the kit is My Sweet Spuds, and the kits are really cute and fun! Here are some projects that I did with the kit so far: Layout Journaling:
"You see this precious little cocker sleeping soundly? She looks so sweet and peaceful, doesn’t she? I dare you to wake her up…
Truthfully, she IS super sweet and cute…but has a bit of an attitude when she wants her way. And the bark…oh man, the bark. It can get the best of you some days. But, we love her to pieces and we are so glad she is our little Sadie girl, even when she is having an obnoxious moment."

And a couple of cards...aren't those stickers on the second card darling!?


I did a sneak peek of this card earlier in the week. It is my card for this week's sketch at the CPS Sketch Blog. Be sure to check it out...lots of great spring themed cards this week!
Well, that is about it for me today. Just staying warm in our lovely wintry spring weather we have going on!

4.5 hours until my weekend starts,
~Lea

First day of spring....

...does someone want to tell that to Montana weather? Woke up to a bit of snow in the valley (that is already melted for the most part), which means there is quite a bit of snow in higher elevations. It is a little cloudy and pretty cold...but maybe, just maybe...the sun will peek through a bit. I can see some openings in the clouds. I guess we will see!

So, I was going to actually scrapbook last night....you know, with photos and everything! BUT, my Photoshop was acting funny...I couldn't get any of my tool functions to work. Well, I am no pro when it comes to fixing issues like that....so I had to wait for Josh to get home, and he closed last night. So, instead I watched Hairspray (which was really cute BTW...much cleaner than the original so you could actually watch it with a younger person).

After the movie, I did get this card done. Lots of yummy Creative Imaginations stuff, and of course...bling. You know I love it!

Josh did get Photoshop fixed for me when he got home last night....so I will be able to scrapbook tonight! I can't wait...I purchased my first ever kit in March, and I really want to use it! I will give the details when I post all my projects I do with it!

Still waiting on my new order from Scrapgal. Day five, hasn't even shipped yet. Sigh...I miss Carly.

Hope you have a SPRINGY first day of Spring,
~Lea

ETA: So, my station just did a news story on how the grizzly bears in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks are coming out of hibernation! I have had a total fascination with bears ever since we went to Yellowstone last year on opening day, and got to photograph two grizzlies. A photographer that was in the area put my Nikon on his HUMONGOUS zoom lens so I could get some really up close shots of one of the grizzlies. They are just amazing. So majestic, so powerful...and really, they seem so peaceful in their natural state. So, that is my random post for the day.

Wow....it's Wednesday?!

I can't believe it is Wednesday! The week seems to be going faster than usual. I haven't had any scrappy time so far this week...Josh and I have found a new show we like. The first 2 season are available on demand, so we have been watching them together. The show is called "Dexter", and it is a Showtime original. Pretty morbid and graphic, but entertaining. The acting is really great, and it isn't your typical cop show. Josh works tonight though...so I plan on getting some scrapbooking and cardmaking in! I will show those projects in tomorrow's post!

These should be in the mail today from Netflix:

The newest movie in the bunch- I have wanted to see this since it has been in the theaters, but we very rarely go to the movies anymore. They are just so expensive!! So, it has to be something we both really want to see...and then we make it a date! We thought about seeing this one in the theater, but decided to wait until it came to DVD.

This is a Lea only movie...I know Josh won't watch Hairspray with me. But, I loved the original, so I am sure I will love this one too!

And I still can't believe that we don't own this movie, and that we have never seen it. We own the first two, but never got around to purchasing this one. So, Netflix it is, and we will see if we really like it!

Well, that is all I have for today. Still waiting on my new package from Scrapgal to get here...doesn't even show it has shipped yet. I am getting really anxious.... Oh- and August 08 Cards Magazine calls went out last night. They picked up 5 of my cards...always excited for Cards call day! Now to see if I get any love for August 08 Scrapbook Trends Mag!

5:30pm can't come soon enough,
~Lea

Glitter me green...it's almost St. Patty's day!

Everyone ready to wear their green and wish your fellow man the luck of the Irish? I am so not Irish...but it is a fun holiday to celebrate, even though I don't drink beer! I am going to make shamrock shaped sugar cookies with green frosting today, and bring them to work tomorrow. So, that should be fun!

The sketch for this week is up at the CPS Blog! We are doing Spring and Easter themed cards this week. Here is a little sneak peek of mine...I went with an Irish theme since Monday is St. Patty's day and all:I also got this card done last night, using those super cute stamps designed by Kim Hughes & manufactured by Cornish Heritage Farms. LOVE them. I am not the best stamper in the world...but I did my best! I decided to make it a girl owl, with pink eyeshadow and a pink bow to boot! Tee hee! Thanks again for these stamps Kim....I adore them!

And I got one last Fall card done last night. Different than what I originally had planned, but I think it turned out alright. Not my fave in the bunch...but it isn't horrendous at least! :)


Well, that is about it for me! I need to go get cleaned up, start some cookie dough..and get some more scrapping done. Oh...I did treat myself to some scrappy product this weekend. Scrapgal has gotten in a bunch of new stuff...and I ordered to my heart's content the new Sassafrass Lass, Cosmo Cricket, KI Memories lace papers, and some of the Love, Elsie. Can't wait to get that box in the mail! It is going to be quite the treat!

Happy Sunday,
~Lea

Who gives a hoot?

I do! My friend, Kim Hughes, sent me a lovely RAK that just so happened to be in the mail when I got home yesterday. It is one of her newly released stamp sets "U R A Hoot" by Cornish Heritage Farms...and a set that I had been coveting since I saw it previewed on her blog! Thank you so much Kim...I am going to break them out and use them today!!!


And the last batch of cards were loaded on the CPS blog last night! More really great cards by some really amazing ladies! Go check them out! Here is my card-


And lastly, Josh got home late last night!!! Yeah! We are so glad he is home...the dogs wouldn't leave his side, it was so cute! He got in at about 11:15pm, but then had to wait for his checked luggage. Let's just say that Missoula International Airport doesn't have the fastest baggage claim service...but last night was better than the last time Josh flew home. Poor Josh...had to be at work at 6:30am for a team meeting...so he didn't get a ton of sleep last night. But, thankfully he doesn't have to work the rest of the day, so he can come home and just chill.

That is all for today...have a happy Saturday,
~Lea

This just further proves...

...that i really do have the best dad and brother in the world. :) They surprised me at work after Casey's check-up appointment yesterday, and hand delivered these.

I hear a lot from people that I am such a good daughter, and such a good sister. Honestly...they make it so easy. I am honored to be their daughter and his sister...I love them so much!

Today is our receptionist's birthday, so I got this card done for her. She loves sunflowers, so I thought these BoBunny papers were a good fit!

And one more fall-ish card to show you. I just LOVE that pumpkin image, and it went pretty well with the SEI Madura papers.

And now, time to quit putting off the whole getting tagged thing. I have been tagged by Lizee, Debbie, and now Roree this week....so here are seven random facts about me.

1. I cheered from the age of 8, to the age of 20, having to quit at the end of my sophomore year in college on the UofM coed cheer squad. I suffered an injury that wouldn't allow me to finish my last two years of college on the squad. I still haven't gotten over it.

2. I hate wearing the same clothes for long periods of time. I change about three times a day on average...sometimes more.

3. I could watch the movie Dirty Dancing over and over again without getting sick of it. I am sure I have seen it 100+ times in my lifetime thus far.

4. I pretend that I am a ballerina and dance around my house when I am really bored, and Josh isn't home. Of course, I make sure the shades are TIGHTLY shut.

5. I spend entirely too much time blog surfing....but I love it!

6. I seriously HATE game shows. Family Feud is on my station right now...and I get SO irritated, almost angry, when people don't guess the obvious correct answers. And really...I have no vested interest in the contestants, so why does it bother me so much?

7. And lastly...I had no clue what Dooney & Burke was when my husband bought me my first purse made by them. Now, I won't carry any other brand...LOVE them. I am slowly putting together a collection of purses and bags by them!

Okay...now I guess I tag seven people. So, I am tagging Charity, Laura, Leslie Ashe, Melissa, Keri, Elisa, and Patrice. Play along if you have time ladies!

Only 27 hours and 40 some odd minutes until my weekend starts,
~Lea

Spring ahead to...fall?

Aww yes....the beginning of spring always mean it is time to start making....fall cards?

I think this Sasafrass Lass paper is supposed to be some sort of flower...but I thought they kind-of looked like pumpkins...so I used them for fall anyways!

And then a simple Back to School card featuring a Hambly rub-on. Love the simplicity of this for some reason.


So, that is how I spent most of last night. I did watch One Tree Hill from 8-9p, but other than that I scrapped the night away and loved on the pups a bit. I am surprised that I got as much sleep as I did last night. The pups are normally at attention at every noise on the first night Josh is gone. But, not the case last night...so that is nice. I normally have to deal with a slew of barking the first night he is gone.

Josh is having a great time in Minneapolis, and I am so glad. He has agreed to put any career moves on hold until Casey graduates from high school, so I can be part of all of it. He has been in the same position now for 6 years...so I am sure it can be monotonous at times. I think this new thing he is part of will help that, and will start giving him ideas of where he wants to go next in the company...which is awesome!

In some scrappy news...there are more cards posted at the CPS Sketch Blog for this week's sketch, and Melissa did a GREAT bow tutorial on Monday. Be sure to check it out...your bow tying will never be the same!

That is all I have for now. I know some people have tagged me, and I am not ignoring you. I will just have to do it an a post later this week!

Here's to some gorgeous spring weather today,
~Lea

Blog Candy...

I don't have any of my own projects to post tonight, but about every week I check out this blog called "Print & Pattern". It is just full of inspiring items....TONS of them. Here is some total eye candy that I found on the blog tonight...be sure to check out their actual websites for the full collections. It is all so freaking cute!

Cards- Great Oaks:

Cards- The Carte Postale 2 "Mirabelle" collection:
Cards- NineteenSeventyThree "The Good Life":


Cards- NineteenSeventyThree "Catalina Estrada":

Do you see any of the newest trends in scrapbooking in these items? I sure do!

Happy Monday night,
~Lea

Weekends should be 3 days long...

Here it is Sunday night...and I am wishing I had just one more day of the weekend! But, tomorrow it is back to the daily grind of work for 5 more days until the next weekend. Sigh- being a working woman can be tough! Tee hee!

I had a fun weekend, but I will get to that in a minute. First, I wanted to mention that their is a new sketch up at the CPS Card Blog, and we have a sponsor this week!! The Embellishment Studio sent us their March basic kit of ribbon and lace....SO pretty. I am friends with some of the ladies that do The Embellishment Studio...and often these ribbons and lace are vintage...and you can actually tell! So pretty and intricate!

Here is a sneak peek of my card...it will be up on the blog later this week!


And now....my Saturday was a lot of fun. My cousin and her family came to Missoula for her daughter's 5th birthday. The kids played at Dragons Hallow, rode the Carousel for Missoula, and then we went to the Children's Museum.

I made these cupcakes for our after lunch celebration. This time around I made rainbow sprinkle cake, and topped them with cherry frosting. I made the little cupcake decorations with my Cricut Expression, and the Celebrations cartridge. I wanted to make them extra special for Kyla's birthday weekend!
I haven't had a chance to go through and edit all the photos from the weekend yet, but this one stuck out when I scrolled through all of them. She is such a little cutie!!


When I got back home, Josh sat through this movie with me:

He was a trooper! So not a Josh movie, but he took it like a man. I though it was cute. Different than I expected, but really cute. I have loved Keri Russell since her Felicity days...so of course I wanted to see it. Her other latest movie "August Rush" comes out on Tuesday, so I need to get it added to my Netflix queue. I think I will do that here in a minute!

Today I did a whole lot of cleaning! Like, the cleaning where you take an hour long shower afterwards because you feel so gross! But, my house is gleaming (except for our room...I so need to get that done this week) and ready for a week of pretty much just me, the pups, and some scrappy time. Josh heads to Minneapolis early Tuesday morning for a work related thing, so it is just going to be me.

Hanging on to my last few moments of weekend time,
~Lea

March Provo Craft Projects

I wanted to share my March Provo Craft assignments today. I was asked to do a layout, a card, and a home decor project using my Cricut Expression, and the two cartridges that come with it...Plantin SchoolBook, and Accent Essentials.

First up is the layout...yes, that is me almost 6 years ago! So hard to believe...time has just flown! I cut the scallop (1 inch) and the silhouetted flower (2 inches) out with the Accent Essentials cartridge, and the letters (1 inch) for "final" with the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge.

Other layout supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper/letter stickers (Basic Grey), Rhinestones (Westrim Crafts), Pen (Zig Writer- Grey), Ink (Colorbox Chalk Ink- Dark Brown) & Fonts (Porcelain & Century Gothic).

Next up is the card. I used the Accent Essentials cartridge to cut out the border (2 inches), and the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge to cut out the "for you" letters (3/4 inch).

Other card supplies: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper (American Crafts), Sticker (7Gypsies), Rhinestones (Doodlebug), & Corner Rounder (EK Success).

And last, my home decor item. Now, these are not my specialty by any means, but I am happy with how it turned out! I cut out the letters at 1 inch with the Plantin SchoolBook cartridge, and the heart at 1.5 inches with the Accent Essentials cartridge.

Other home decor supplies: Frame (Target), Cardstock (Bazzill & Doodlebug), Paper (Urban Lily), Rub-ons (Doodlebug), & Rhinestones (Westrim Crafts).

Well, I am in the middle of baking cupcakes for my little cousin Kyla. I can't wait to get some super cute photos of her and her brothers today at the Children's Museum, the Carousel, and eating some cupcakes! Should be super cute!

Have a fabulous Saturday,
~Lea

T.G.I.F.

Man I am so glad it is Friday. It has been quite the week at work, so I am ready for two days off. I have some scrapping plans for the weekend, and tomorrow afternoon I will be heading to the carousel for my sweet cousin Kyla's birthday. It is going to be a great photo opp...so excited for that! The Carousel in Missoula is GORGEOUS...all the horses are hand-carved and painted...I will share photos either tomorrow night or Sunday.

I got this card done THIS MORNING before I went to work. I NEVER wake up in time for stuff like that, but this morning I just couldn't sleep.


And now I have kind-of an introspective post, and probably the reason why I couldn't sleep and made this card. People make mistakes and bad decisions through their entire life. It is the imperfect nature of being a human. What molds you into a better person is when you learn from those mistakes and bad decisions. No details, but I have a certain young family member dealing with this right now.

I think it is so important to remind young people, especially teenagers, that there is nothing they can do to lose your love. Anger and disappointment will fade, but the love of family is like a circle...it never ends. I challenge you today to remind the young people in your life that your love for them is constant, and never ending, just like God's love for every person on this earth. Everyone needs that reminder, especially kids and teens. I will be reminding the teenager in my life of that by sending him a card with a personal note just from me.

God Bless,
~Lea

Getting closer to the weekend!!

Happy Thursday everyone! I don't know about anyone else, but I am really ready for the weekend to hit. Work has been a big mess with our server being down, and only having limited access to all my files, email...you know, all the stuff you need to actually work!

I have a couple of cards to share today. I sneak peeked this card on Saturday...and here it is in full. This is my card for this week's sketch over at the CPS blog. We did a baby theme in honor of one of our CPS gals, Kandis, who just had a little boy! Congrats again Kandis!!


Card supply list: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper/Ribbon/Diecuts (Crate Paper), Rub-on (American Crafts), Rhinestones (Westrim Crafts), Ink (Colorbox Chalk Ink- Amber Clay) & Corner Rounder (EK Success).

Then I got this quick card done last night before I started working on my Provo Craft assignments. I had this scrap of Urban Lily paper that I have had this idea for forever...just have had other things on my scrappy plate. So I finally got it done last night...and I really love how it turned out.Card Supply List: Cardstock (Bazzill), Paper (Urban Lily), Rub-ons (Urban Lily, Marcella by K., American Crafts), Rhinestones (Westrim Crafts) & Ink (Colorbox Chalk Ink- Sky Blue).

In more personal news, I talked to my little brother last night, and he is doing really well! His pain medication was making him sick, so they prescribed him some nausea medication to take with the pain medication, and according to Casey...he is doing 800 times better now. He said his arm doesn't even hurt, and went to school today. I am so happy for him...I was worried that this would be one of those surgeries that caused a lot of pain. I am so glad I was wrong. His girlfriend is going to see him this weekend (they live in different cities), so that will make him happy, I am sure. It looks like I need to get some pics of those two so I can get a layout done about them...this will be a memory he wants to keep I think!

Have a lovely Thursday,
~Lea

Scrapgal Inspired Layouts

Scrapgal has been my longtime scrapbooking "home"...and this past weekend we found that the wonderful owners Carly and Steve will be moving on to other things...and have sold Scrapgal. Along with this, some longtime DT members are also stepping down to do other things. It was bittersweet reading this information, because I understand needing change and moving on...but I also struggle with change. Carly opened her home for us to have "Scrapgala" in Utah two summers ago, and we had a blast together. I consider these women my friends, and I hope that they will still be around...and that the new owners of Scrapgal will keep it the same close knit, drama free, and uplifting place that it is now. ETA: I just wanted to add that Scrapgal is not shutting down...just changing owners! :)

I did some layouts in honor of some of the DT members that are stepping down. This layout was inspired by Celeste Smith, and a layout of hers titled "Homebody".

Some of the layout information: most of the papers are by Urban Lily. I LOVE this Christmas line they came out with! The striped paper is KI Memories, and the tree rub-on is from the Love, Elsie collection! Click on the layout to see it larger if you want!

This layout was inspired by Gaby, and a layout of her titled "Charming Island".

Some layout information: the papers are KI Memories & Rouge De Garance. That cute heart epoxy sticker is by MAMBI...I have a zillion sheets of these epoxy stickers that they came out with...and they are awesome!!!

This layout was inspired by Dina, and a layout titled "Goofy". This layout is so different from my normal white background, clean and simple style...but I love it! Gotta do something different now and then!

All of the papers on this layout are by Urban Lily...I hand cut the circle frame with the flowers on the corner. So pretty (and isn't Sadie just the cutest thing)! You can't read the journaling on this one...so here it is:
"I have called her either “Pretty Sadie” or just “Pretty Girl” since the day we took her home. Between her full & glossy coat, her prissy sit, and the fact that she even lays down pretty- Sadie can be hard to resist!! She is pretty lucky that she is so adorable though, because she gets off the hook a lot when her
bratty side comes out. It is hard to stay mad when that pretty face looks up at you and begs for a little loving attention."

Well, that is all for today. Our entire server crashed at work...which has made actually trying to work interesting, to say the least. Hopefully we will have access to everything again soon.

Here is hoping your server doesn't go down,
~Lea

Big Hugs Little Brother

ETA: Casey is out of surgery, and they are on their way home. The doctor said the surgery went well, and Casey's elbow should be on its way to complete healing. He has a follow-up appointment next Wednesday to make sure everything is doing well. He got sick after they brought him out of the anesthesia, but they said that is pretty normal. My dad said he is fast asleep in the backseat of the car, and he will stayed pretty drugged up for a couple of days. HUGS Casey....I love you. Everyone else...thanks for your prayers and well wishes. ~L.

My post today is for my little bro....


...who dislocated his elbow in the post season of football, and will be going in for surgery in 45 minutes to repair the two ligaments that were tore. He has never been under or had surgery before, so we are a little nervous for him. But, he has the best of the best working on his elbow...and we are confident that he will come out of this with a fully repaired elbow. With a lot of physical therapy...he will also be ready for next football season! Go Panthers!

So in honor of Panther football, I have posted a couple of my favorite layouts from the football album that I made for Case. If you want to see the album in its entirety....you can see every page here (you just have to click on every one), or you can see 20 pages of it here, and you can see them in slide format.


So, my prayers are going out to Casey this morning. I love you little brother, and I am so happy that your elbow is going to get better now! BIG HUGS!

From the best big sister in the world (totally kidding),
~Lea

What could be better....

...than watching one of my favorite movies....

and making cupcakes at the same time....

Add to that some scrappy time, and the only thing that could have made the day any better is if my hubby could have been at home too. But alas, he has to work on Sundays, and he had a closing shift. So, I did a bunch of fun girly stuff that he wouldn't have had fun doing anyways. Now I have 24 cupcakes....well, 22 since I ate two of them...that I need to find a home for. The hubby doesn't care for cherry chip cake and frosting- and I will gain about a zillion pounds if I try and eat them all. So, I think I will take them to work tomorrow as a belated Valentine treat for everyone. I had that awful cold/flu thing over Valentine's day...so I wasn't about to get my germs all over some baked goods and get everyone else sick at my work. Come to think of it, I don't think I even went in on V-Day because of it.

I will confess that the cupcakes are from a box, and the frosting is from a tub. I got a Kitchenaid Mixer for my birthday, but have yet to bake a good cake from scratch. I can make a mean homemade bread...and some pretty fabulous cookies, but the cake thing...not working out to well for me.

SO...if you have any tried and true homemade cake recipes...I would LOVE to have them! I WANT to make a good cake from scratch- it just hasn't happened yet. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

I will share my scrappy stuff later this week. I need to get better photographs of it all first....I missed the perfect daylight by just mere minutes!

Hope your Sunday was blessed,
~Lea