a little foreword….. not to let the first few paragraphs fool you… I will share a project, not just my stories from the day and will be back again later with more projects. 🙂 But for now, i hope you'll enjoy a glimpse into our lives that we share with our sweet boys!
After supper while Ethan played with a friend we care for once a week and Daddy relaxed on the couch (with his eyes closed) and Lennon was snuggled into his tent (no, he's not banished to the backyard in minus 30 degree weather, he has a pop-up tent that has been a favorite pretend play item again lately and is set up in our living room) I escaped to go and do what should be my morning routine and have a shower….let's face it sometimes we don't get around to these things until later in the day! 🙂 It was sauna-like until the bathroom door opened, air rushed in and it was no longer a sauna….'here Momma, here's an apple for you' …I peak my head out of the shower, eat the pretend apple, Lennon smiles and disappears behind the closed bathroom door. Once again, it felt like a sauna…only for a brief moment before… the door opened again, another rush of cool air and with a smile on his face, 'here Momma, here's a banana for you!' I peak my head out again, eat the pretend banana and tell him about how my Dad used to call me Alanna Banana. Then he giggles and disappears behind the now closed door again and the pattern repeats itself ….'here's an apple', 'here's another banana', 'here's an orange'. You get the idea… The rest of the house was pretty quiet …which doesn't happen often while children are awake (the older boys played nicely while Daddy caught some shut eye) and Lennon was perfectly happy to interrupt my shower over and over again…and believe it or not, I was perfectly happy to see how happy he was to go 'shopping' at his pretend store (gotta love a boy who loves to shop!) and bring me the treasures he shopped for (even if it was fruit and not diamonds or crafting stuff (believe it or not I'd be happy with something we need for the house or for crafting over diamonds any day!). Don't get me wrong about being content to let him come in and out, in and out…. there are times when we all just want to enjoy a quiet, peaceful shower, but for now (before these moments pass me by and I long for nothing more than the chatter of children interrupting my every word or quiet moment) I'll hang onto these moments, treasure them and hope they don't go fleeting by… This among many other things make me one lucky and very blessed girl!
I'm so blessed to already be overwhelmed by comments and emails congratulating me on my new blog! I'm thankful that you've taken the time to visit, to read and perhaps even to have posted a comment. Reading your comments tells me that you are reading and enjoying and looking forward to more! Thank-you! I'm also feeling very blessed to run my own home-based business (being a Stampin' Up! demonstrator) and that through this, I get to share what I love (paper crafting) and what I love most, my family with all of you! Thank-you!
One last story about being 'lucky' before I move onto a project, this story is what my project is all about. Yesterday afternoon, while our oldest son was at school and our 3 yr old and I were having a snuggle, I said to him, 'I'm a lucky Momma. I'm lucky that you're my boy' …without hesitation, he replied to me, 'I'm lucky that you're my Momma!' Absolutely. Melts. My. Heart. Now, this is what life is all about, these are the moments that make life GRAND! So, when Ryan came home from work I asked him to take my picture with Lennon. You have to know that I don't usually like to have my picture taken and am usually the one behind the lens… but, I wanted to capture who we are right now and on that very day. While I will hold that moment in my heart forever, I want to have a snapshot to look back on (and while I will pray that he never skips a beat of feeling lucky that 'I'M' his Momma (not looking forward to teenage years) ) and of course to create a page with. Learning how to get this blog up and running and trying to plan for my next classes I don't have time at the moment to do a traditional page. This is what is so perfect about MDS, I can pull it up on the computer, and plunk stuff into a template and Voila! Memory recorded forever and a page complete!
While I'm happy this post is all about the love, I don't want you to think I'm trying to fool you! … it's not all peaches and cream and believe me…yesterday's after-dinner-happenings (or conversation) were far less endearing than today… I've not shared THAT story with many yet so just trust me on it! <wink> …it has a little something to do with my oldest son telling me what he could do to help make me as skinny as ______(insert name of his friend's mom here)! …and although it sounds terrible, he actually meant it in the kindest of ways, but there is just NO way that can be taken nicely. 🙂
Onto my first creation to share with you… 'I'm so lucky…'
Who would have known that my first post with a project turned out not to be a paper craft, but a digital one using Stampin' Up!'s Digital paper crafting software, My Digital Studio! This page used the Love Letter DSP download and it's templated page. All I had to do was add my photo, the extra embellishments I wanted (vintage brads download) and an extra photo box. I also moved a few things but aside from that, the page is very close to it's original template. But that's the beauty of it, you can use it as it is or change it up to suit your needs. I'm not usually a one photo per page kind of girl, but with digital I'd be absolutely fine with that because I can reuse my 'supplies' over and over again and not feel like I used them up for one photo. That said, some photos absolutely deserve a page on their own! That's all for now and I promise, I'll TRY not to make every post so LONG! 🙂 …I've got a lot to cover for having taken so long to get here! 🙂
A CHALLENGE FOR YOU!
Now here's a little challenge for all of you, one that you will be rewarded for of course!. Post a comment and share an endearing moment that you've shared with a loved one. Did you scrapbook it? Can't wait to read your stories. Or just post a comment. I'll pick a number ahead of time and whoever is the lucky poster to post the comment that falls on that # will win the prize!
Wow, looks like I get to be lucky #1. Just yesterday morning my youngest daughter woke up before I had left the house for work. This is a very rare occurance as I am gone by 7am. So on this morning she came upstairs, saw me sitting on the couch and said "Mommy" with the absolute biggest smile on her face and ran up to me and gave me a big hug. I feel so loved, it's nice to see that my kids still enjoy having me around. I hope this never changes.
Great job on the layout Alanna, makes me with I knew how to do digital scrapbooking or that I even owned mds, but I don't.
Thanks for sharing your moment Sheri! It is wonderful to see the love that our kids hold for us and for that I’m truly grateful! (maybe one day (when they have kids of their own) they’ll understand the depth of our love for them! Glad you got to share that moment with her!
Hi Alanna,
Let me just say that I REALLY enjoyed your posts. You certainly are VERY excited to be blogging…I can tell…….I can just picture you typing away. I want to congratulate you on a wonderful start/intro into the blogging world and I look forward to your infectious excitement about your papercrafting and as always….about your family.
Hugs, SUSIE
awww, Susie! I’m so happy that you REALLY enjoy my posts! I am VERY excited and am happy to share moments that you can imagine in between our visits with each other! We are absolutely blessed to have you in our lives and to share ours with you! Thank-you! ~signed, ‘The Paper Trimming Terror!’ …or ‘she who runs with scissors’ …Ryan is still waiting on his official Super Hero name!
I am not sure if my layouts have as great a story as yours but when I went to Europe I wanted to make sure I remembered how I felt when I was there so I took pictures of everything including the toilets in the bathrooms of the hotel. When I look at the pictures now and read what I wrote it's as if I am there again and lets me escape even if just for a few minutes to one of the happiest times of my life.
Your story is just as great Monique! It’s a happy memory that you hold onto, one that still brings happiness to you, that to me is pretty grand! Thanks so much for sharing and great job on getting that scrapbooked! I saw your pages and they are unbelievable! ….as importantly, your memories are unforgettable!
My 6 year old daughter always says, "I love you to infinity plus one." Not sure who taught her that word but I love them!
Kelsey, don’t the things they like to say create some of the absolute best moments and memories?! Toy Story? …did it come from there? Kind of reminds me of Guess how Much I Love You and ‘Love you to the moon and back’ Super cute, thanks so much for sharing!
I'm still new with this group, but really happy to have been welcomed so warmly and really enjoying the chance to do more scrapbooking. So, I will share my story…
Last weekend, one of my friends lost her father very suddenly to a heart attack. There was no warning, no time to say goodbye, he was just gone. Reflecting on a life lost far too early and feeling her grief, it made me think just how important it was to call my dad that night and tell him that I love him. As we talked, he told me that it had been a difficult day at work and he was pretty quiet. It touched me because I never like to hear that my dad is upset. But, I was also thinking how very little it mattered related considering the loss that my friend and her family had suffered this week. And then my dad said to me "But you know, it doesn't matter. You know why… The sun will come up again tomorrow, and it is another day." So true. Next time we are together, I want to take a picture of us together so that I can create a page to show how what a great man he is, how much I love him, and how very proud I am to be my fathers daughter.
Becky, I am so glad to know that you have felt as welcome as you truly are! I’m so glad you could join us! 🙂 I am truly touched by your post and have to admit that I shed more than a tear or two over this one! That is a sign of a moving post…even though sometimes it may not take much to bring on the waterworks! 🙂 …another trait that I come by honestly …I think my Mom has already posted that the sleepless part is inherited …at one time we were ‘coined’ the ‘Bat Family’! These are all moments in our lives that were shared with my Dad that I am blessed to have banked in memory forever to hold onto. We lost him a year and a half ago. Your thoughts and feelings about your Dad are beautiful and creating a page of that will mean so much to both of you. Record those feelings and treasure them and the relationship you two share. You both have such a great attitude about life and about how the sun will come up again tomorrow! I vividly remember the last two sunrises my Dad would have here with us and the feeling of his hand clutched in both of mine. For us the sun would rise again and the memory of those days and how much he is still treasured will be with me on each sunrise. I wish I had a photo of his hand in mine and even without one, plan to scrapbook these thoughts. Thanks for the loving reminder! 🙂 ~Alanna
I hope this works, as it says it isn't receiving posts today. I can't wait to make these cards–they're sooo cute. I love your blog and am happy you started one so that you can share your inspiration with everyone. I am so blessed to have you in my life as a friend and a teacher. Brenda S.
Aww, Brenda! Thank-you for your kind comments and for inspiring me to keep up with the posts! I’m truly blessed to have you in my life as well! ~Alanna
Alanna, I am so proud of you taking on a blog! You are much braver than I! I enjoyed your posts, and your story of your little Lennon shopping for you. My stories never translate into words on a page, I think because I am way too animated and sarcastic for my own good! I will look forward to your posts, and our classes and most of all your company! Have a great day!
We have a lucky winner! Kirsten, you are my 7th poster and have one the prize! Thanks to all of you for posting a comment today!
I just came over here from SC. I have to say that I am so glad that I stumble onto your blog. As soon as I am finished with this comment, I will see if I can follow you. I am so humbled by your story about your son. It's been a tough day and I've kinda kept myself locked away. It was so nice to be reminded that both the good and the bad moments go by far too quickly. I had to go in and just hug all three of my beautiful little kids. Just to let them know I loved them .I liked the idea of just taking a picture on that day to capture that moment. They do grow up far to quickly! I'll also try to get into the habit of just snapping a picture with them just because I want to capture a moment, weather its significant or not. A moment that just captures our love. Thank you so much for sharing!!
yolanda-tryingtobecreative.blogspot.com
Yolanda, thank-you so much for stopping by and most of all for sharing with me how this post/thread has touched you/inspired you. That means so much to me! I’m so thankful that others can come and not only be inspired creatively but in their personal lives as well. This is what it’s all about and is one of those things that makes life ‘grand’! Thank-you! p.s. you inspire me to keep on posting and also inspired a few tears (joyous ones of course!) 🙂
Alanna – great blog…thank you for your stories and looking forward to reading more! Your stories are sweet 🙂