Silly Momma

Another silly momma moment.

2009-05-21T11:50:00.006-04:00

So, I just realized that, while I've taken over the Creative Adventure blog, Live the Creative Life, I've failed to mention that on this blog. Duh!! How would anyone ever know if I don't tell you and have absolutely no links to it!!??? Ahhh...you mean you can't read my mind either? (I thought it was just Adam!! lol!)

Well, it's been about three weeks now since I signed up with Stampin' Up! as a Demonstrator and wow, have I been having fun creating! Since I am not the best "sales" person, at the moment my goal is to make kits similar to the ones I designed at Creative Adventure. The "Simply Stickers" kits are going to be super easy and fun! Not only are the cards pre-folded, but almost everything is pre-cut and ready to go! For example, let's say you were headed to the cabin this Memorial Day weekend. Now, in a perfect world, if I had these kits available to purchase (which I almost do!!), you could pick one up, take it to the cabin (along with only adhesive and scissors) and during that rainy day (because you know it always has to rain once on a long weekend) you could get out your "Simply Sticker" Kit, assemble and wha-la! You've got 8 cards, scrapbook pages &/or a mini-scrapbook!

Gosh, I am so excited about this and I hope you keep checking back to the Live the Creative Life blog to see what's new! Of course, if you would like a catalog, to order, host a party, class or workshop or even sign up to be a Demonstrator yourself (which is only $75 for the month of May!!), just let me know!

And because no one can read my mind :) you can also shoot me an e-mail: livethecreativelife@yahoo.com to sign up for my monthly newsletter that I am going to start in June!

I love hymns!!

2009-03-29T19:24:00.002-04:00

I really, really love singing hymns. So when a local church advertised on their sign about a "Hymn Sing" tonight, I was all over it. I have always wondered about this church and thought, hey this is perfect. I would be able to see the church and sing hymns! Well...

Did you know that not all hymnals are the same?! What?! Oh dear, silly momma did it again. I flipped through the hymnal and maybe recognized a handful of songs. Oh no, I thought, this is NOT what I was expecting. I wanted to sing hymns I knew and grew up with. But I stayed and I am glad I did. It was fun and interesting learning new hymns from other denomination churches. I can't remember the names of any of the hymns we sang (and it was just an hour ago) but going, getting out of the house and singing songs for an hour really lightened up my heart! And made me strongly consider joining my church choir!

I haven't done it enough lately but I really enjoy playing hymns on the piano too. We recently bought a keyboard and Adam plays quite a bit because of the tutoring feature it has. I haven't played so much. But, I NEED TO. I just finished playing a few of my favorites and I can't explain the feeling I got but it was awesome! I miss it! I used to play the piano while my grandma sang along. And although I miss that SOOO much, I know she is singing from Heaven right along with me while I play.

So, yep. Along with writing, I think my new task is to play and sing more hymns on our keyboard. I'm only 28 but I already feel stubborn (oh geez) because for now I'm stuck. Stuck on the hymns I know and grew up with. Hopefully some day I'll be able to pick up a different hymnal but for now it's the trusty "blue" one...

God of our fathers, whose almighty hand
Leads forth in beauty all the starry band
Of shining worlds in splendor through the skies:
Our grateful songs before your throne arise.

Some of my favorite hymns:

God of Our Fathers
I know that my Redeemer Lives
I'm but a Stranger Here
Hail Thee, Festival Day
At the Lamb's High Feast We Sing
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
We Praise You, O God
Sing to the Lord of Harvest
God Bless Our Native Land
Lift High the Cross
Earth and All Stars

Kiss that baby for me...

2009-03-28T22:27:00.006-04:00

Above are his famous words that I will always remember him by...

I have to write about this. Let me first tell you about the man in this post. I met him a few years ago at the office where my husband works. He and my husband have known each other for quite some time. He is the nicest guy that I have ever met. Really. Every time I saw him he had a smile on his face and a kind word to share. He always asked and went on about Ami and would express what a joy children are. If Ami was not around, he always ended with "Hey, Kiss that baby for me."

About 3 weeks ago now, Adam and I saw him at the gas station. We couldn't pass up the opportunity to talk to him. He's just that kind of guy. And, as usual, we are greeted with a big smile, a few fun stories and a "hey, Kiss that baby for me." As we drove away I commented on how I always like to run into this man and how I wanted to meet his wife...they must be the perfect couple.

So, you can imagine my surprise when Adam came home from work this past Monday and told me he had some of the worst news to share with me. I asked if he was ok and when he said he was I immediately asked if everyone was ok at work. Adam finally had to put his hands on my shoulders and said who the news was about. I immediately thought the worst had happened to him and felt sad. You can imagine my sadness/shock/confusion when Adam said "Momma, he shot and killed his wife, stayed with her all night and in the morning set the house on fire and turned himself in."

For awhile, all I could do was look Adam in the eyes. I couldn't move, couldn't think. Of course after a few minutes I just started crying. I was hit with emotions I didn't think I could have all at once. We had just seen him, talked to him. No way could it have been him, it must be someone else. How could the guy I thought was the nicest, most uplifting, compassionate, thoughtful, caring, funny, handsome man do something like this? How? Why?

The rest of that day was gone. I felt sick to my stomach. I felt confused. I felt helpless. I felt betrayed. I felt even a bit silly for feeling all those things. Heck, I didn't work with him. I'm not part of his family. In fact I ran into him probably only a handful of times. But those times with him were happy, uplifting and I always left with a smile on my face.

It has been a week and I still can't fully grasp the whole situation and that it really happened. I pray for him and the families involved. They paper said that he said that they got into a fight. Only God knows the full story. I know that it is going to take awhile to fully understand. Ok, I may never understand his actions and how I may never see him again.

While I put this whole situation into perspective, it does help me focus on how life is so precious. So, when I get stressed out over life...Adam being gone, Ami fussing, Jukka going nuts, my head hurting, feeling down, etc. I will always remember his words and I WILL "Kiss that baby" and be thankful for everyday with my family. *sigh*

Writing.

2009-03-28T22:19:00.007-04:00

As a preface to my next post, I've been seeing a counselor for about 4 months now for various reasons. He always tells me to write, write, write. He's figured out that I am the kind of person that needs to actually SEE what I am thinking/feeling and therefore need to write it down. First to just "get it out" and second, to SEE if I am actually thinking clearly and if my feelings are just and real or petty. I have taken his advice and I know that I feel a whole lot better once I get my feelings on paper. And, sometimes days later I re-read what I wrote and realize that how I was acting/feeling/thinking was justified or was waaaayyyy off! Too bad I just can't realize it at the time. It would make my life easier and Adam's too! So I know I should write and I know it makes me feel better, makes me consciously look at the situation & helps me understand my feelings but I do not do it enough. So I am going to try to do better. Starting....now.

But where is my fireman...

2009-01-21T21:42:00.005-05:00

I took on the challenge of organizing the pantry this afternoon and apparently a firetruck was called to the tiny room. No one has been able to see any floor for months now, which is probably why the firetruck showed up...but where oh where is my adorable fireman???? Maybe he is here...

My new toy!

2009-01-05T12:09:00.001-05:00

I have always wanted to be able to stitch on paper. And it doesn't make it any easier to ignore when Close to My Heart is all about stitching! But being extremely initimidated by those big, heavy, fancy sewing machines, I was always able to supress my "sewing desires" until....I saw this totally cute mini, light weight sewing machine at Walmart!! I had my reservations on how well this little machine would work and I did get a bit upset because the knob kept flying off every time I would start the machine. But, Adam (with his super man muscles) snugged the knob on and it hasn't popped off since! Of course, the hardest part for me was having to read the directions on how to thread the bobber and stuff (because who wants to read directions when there are so many crafts to make??!!) I created a scrapbook page and a card with stitching and I have even sewn up some pants!! I am so glad I got this machine! It may be little but the possibilities are endless!!

Home-made donuts!!

2008-10-16T21:07:00.000-04:00

Tonight I made pumpkin donuts...they are going to be the snack I bring for ATC club tomorrow. At least I hope they'll be the snack I bring...I am a bit worried how they will be in the morning. Should I cover them or leave the lid off? If I cover them will they be soggy by morning? If I leave the lid off will they dry out? I guess I'll look at it this way...if they don't taste good tomorrow, then I'll have saved everyone a couple hundred calories for the day. If they rock tomorrow, awesome...because they were so much fun to make!!

More pics of wedding gift...

2008-10-15T11:45:00.004-04:00

So here is the finished product! We were actually at the wedding this last weekend and we had a blast! We left on Thursday and went to Kalahari, an indoor waterpark which we had almost to ourselves! Then on Friday we drove the rest of the way to New Jersey, Saturday was the wedding and Sunday we drove 13 hours back home. I can't even begin to tell you how much fun we had at the wedding...good food, good people, good fun and way too many good drinks...

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Sunday morning...not so good.

Fall Wedding gift

2008-09-12T10:53:00.003-04:00

Hello everyone! I hope you haven't disowned me. Can I steal Cheryl's saying "blog vacation" as my excuse to why I've been missing?! My little guy has been on the move now that he's mastered crawling, Adam's family was here for a reunion and geez, I just didn't have any creative juices flowing for a while. It was kind of depressing not feeling very creative but good news, I've got it back (for how long, who knows!)

I've been working on a fall wedding gift. It's a serious board book with tabs. Really cute from Kaiser Craft that I found at Pages in Time in S. Bend. (I now know what our customers felt like in the store because I walk into PIT and feel so overwhelmed. Yes, where to start, what to get and where to find exactly what I am looking for! It was definitely easier when I knew where everything was and was familiar with all the products because I saw them everyday! Oh well, I am enjoying the adventure!) So I eventually found some really cool fall colored papers from BoBunny and ribbon from American Crafts. Oh yes and some wedding stamps from Inkadinkado. I also have been using the Treasure Life stamp set and inkpads from Close to my Heart! Check them out, they are perfect for fall!

the flowers on the card and book are from the CTMH stamp set!

Also, the new CTMH idea books are out if anyone is interested I will give you one for FREE! E-mail me or give me a call!

More pics of the finished project coming soon! I promise! :)

Why I am a silly Momma #103

2008-08-01T11:46:00.004-04:00

So yesterday, Thursday, I took Ami to the beach for the first time. We went to Rocky Gap park which is usually not too busy. There were a fair amount of people there and we had to walk a bit to find a place to plop. If I wouldn't have had a baby, a baby bag, a floatie, an umbrella and a drink, the bit we had to walk wouldn't have been so bad! Anyway, we had a great time splashing in the water, crashing into the waves and relaxing in the sun! After a little over an hour Ami started to get sleepy so I decided it would be a good time to go. Get ready for silly momma....

So I packed up our load and got everything balanced in my arms and decide to walk up the other side. After all we were closer to that side and it would just be an easier walk. (for all of you who don't know RGP, there is a fairly steep sand dune to walk down/up to get to the beach) Anyway, after getting up the hill and feeling like I was about to have a heart attack from carrying my load, walking up the sand dune & melting in the heat, I discovered that those silly park people closed the opening. What the??!!! Now what do I do?! After some discussion with Ami, we decided no way were we walking down, over and then back up. Are you kidding, I would have had a heart attack then. So I threw everything I had over the fence (except Ami of course!) and we shimmied along the fence, through weeds, trees, brush and that itchy/scratchy dune grass. At one point I even had to hold onto the fence because of the huge drop off and hardly any earth to stand on. We eventually made it to the other side and oh geez! there was a steeeeeeep, no-way-could-I-walk-down hill. So I sat down (while everyone watched and probably thought about calling the loony bin on me) and we scooted down the hill so we could walk up the steps and get to the car. Whew! Just re-telling this story is making me hot, out of breath and feeling like one silly momma!

We did make it home. We napped, showered/bathed and we both can't wait to go again!

CTMH Good Times Line

2008-07-25T09:54:00.004-04:00

Click on the pic to see each card!

Hi there! Here are those boy/man birthday cards I was talking about the other day! Again, I only used 1/2 a pack of the Good Times Level 2 paper pack & 1 pack of the Good Times My Stickease Assortment and made 10 cards! I also used CTMH's Liquid Glass (as the adhesive & as a glassy accent) and the Sanding Kit but if you have any sort of sanding item (paper, a block, a nail file even), that will work too!

For those of you who are not big into stamping or want to make some fun cards fast, this is for you!

Here is a breakdown on the cost of items:

Good Times Level 2 Paper Packet = $12.95
Good Times Level 2 My Stickease = $8.95
Liquid Glass = $6.95 (optional)
Sanding Kit = $3.50 (optional)

Remember, if you order the Paper Packet & stickers, I will include directions for the 10 cards for FREE!!

Happy crafting! Thanks for peeking!

CTMH Let's Get Together Line

2008-07-23T22:21:00.007-04:00

Hey everyone! I've been busy crafting away when Ami takes a nap and after he goes to sleep. Yeah, so don't come over because I haven't cleaned in a while and Adam is home. That means between my crafty stuff in the kitchen, his bags & work stuff and Ami's toys in the living room, there isn't much space to walk! But, I have some cards, a scrapbook page & a mini-book to show for it... :)

{Scrapbook Page}

{Mini-book}

{Cards}

To see all of the pages in the mini-book or the cards up close, click here.

Believe it or not, all of these projects were created using only 1/2 of the "Let's Get Together" Level 2 paper pack. I know, wow! Other supplie:

Garden Green Collection ribbon (all three projects)
My Accents in Buttercup (buttons, spiral clips, conchos, etc.) (all three projects)
My Acrylix Solos "T" stamp set (cards)
My Acrylix Friendship Word puzzle stamp set (mini-book)
liquid Glass
Garden Green ink pad (cards)
Black ink pad (mini-book)

For anyone out there that would like to purchase supplies to make one or all of these projects, let me know! I am in the process of creating directions for the cards & mini-book which will be free with an order of any supplies for the projects! Or, if you'd like to host a party (you get rewards to be a host!!) and make cards or a mini-book, we can do that too! As a special incentive, the first person to set up a party or order some fun products, will receive the other half of the Let's Get Together paper pack...buy one of that stamp sets, some ribbon and Accents and you're ready to create!!!

I have some Idea Books that I would love to share with you! Just give me a ring (930-0282) or an e-mail (h.annabelle@yahoo.com). Or if you need to look right now (like me!), click on the Close to my Heart logo on the top, right of this page.

Thanks for looking! Stay tuned for some fun boy/man birthday cards which have no stamping. Just paper, stickers & Liquid Glass!

~~~~> I almost forgot. There is a really fun July Stamp of the Month called Life's a Jungle...

It is regularly $22.95, but if you spend $25 it would be $17.21, spend $50 and it's $11.48, spend $75 and it's $5.74...

spend $100 and it's FREE! (Offer for this stamp set is over Aug. 31st.)

Why I am a silly momma (#102)

2008-07-15T13:28:00.004-04:00

So last night I worked out in the yard pulling ivy that seems to grow overnight, clipping the ugliest bush in our yard (I don't know why I keep it) and trimming flowers. I have this tall, yellow flowering plant that is sooo tall it droops really bad. I thought I would trim some of the flowers and make myself a bouquet. Then I had this really awesome idea that I would use my Perrier water bottles (I LOVE that stuff!!) and make small bouquets to sit on my neighbors' doorsteps. So I made little tags that said "to wish you a great day". I just thought it would maybe brighten someones day when they went to leave the house and saw a little something for them.

Well, it took me almost 45 minutes to make the tags and by then it was dark outside and I was losing steam. I decided I would just finish up today. Now here is where I am silly...I forgot to put the cut flowers in water s0 this am when I went to get them, they were all dry and shriveled up- ahhh! So much for my fun plan.

What have you done lately that is silly?

Boom-Di-Ada CTMH line

2008-07-14T16:43:00.003-04:00

Cards & ATC's

Close up on the cards!

Close up on the ATCs

6"x8" mini scrapbook!

So my Close to My Heart box finally arrived and here is my first attempt at creating with the products! I had a great time using what I had (you know it's going to be crazy hard for me, I'll always be thinking "oh man, I could do this, use this, cut this if I had this...oh yeah, but those were all things at the store!"

Here are some things I've discovered about CTMH:

I was pleasantly surprised at the CTMH stamp pads. The tops are connected to the base but the cool thing about it is that the tops spin around and lock into place, they stack beautifully and each one is marked with the actual color so it is easy to pick out the right one from the stack!
I was not impressed with the Bonding Memories Glue as I am addicted and comfortable with our Tombo "green glue" but I did find that the Liquid Glass works as an awesome adhesive...I might like it better than the green glue just because the tip is smaller! Plus, it does a great job adding that "glassy" look to projects that "just need something"!
The My Acrylix Stamps are pretty cool too...they come in their very own case! I love that!
The papers? Well, I'll have to get used to them. I am used to the Bazzill cardstock with the awesome texture and a pretty heavy weight and the CTMH cardstock I was working with was smooth and on not as heavy. On the plus side, it has a white core so when you distress the edges or sand it, the white shows through...love that! I have some of their textured cardstock on order so I'll let you know about that.
I will be getting some more of the Exclusive Inks Markers. They have my two favorite tips- a small tip and the brush tip!!! Plus they match perfectly with the inkpads! (And you know how I am about matching!)
They have this really neat book called Reflections. I am so liking this! It is for scrapbooking (but can be adapted to cards also) and has step by step directions, measurements & examples for layouts and extra little tips for different techniques.

Ok, now that I've written a novel! I just wanted to share with you what I've learned so far with CTMH. If any one is interested in an Idea Book for Summer 2008, just let me know and I'll hook you up! I am working on how I might be able to put together some card/mini-album kits and if it is even legal! Although I am still trying to get comfortable with all the products, if anyone is interesed in hosting a party, let me know! We could make the cards, ATC's or the mini-album that I have in the pics above!

Thanks for looking (and reading)!

2008-07-08T10:21:00.002-04:00

I just got a forward with this saying and had to post it...

Women-
Live your life in such a way that
when your feet hit the floor in the morning,
Satan shudders and says...
"Oh crap ...she's awake!!!"

Imagine the world if we all lived like this!

Matching Box...

2008-07-03T10:57:00.000-04:00

Yesterday when I got home I had gotten a package of products for my face. The boxes that the products came in were such fun colors and way too sturdy to throw away. So this morning after my adorable but grumpy butt when down for a nap (no, not Adam...he's still sleeping) I decided to decorate a box! I had leftover embellishments from the canvas I had made last night (and of course my mess was still out!) so I went crazy...here is the finished product!

Canvas Panel starring...

2008-07-02T22:11:00.000-04:00

you guessed it....Ami Salami!!! I just love this fun colored We R Memory Keepers White Out Collection! I sprayed a canvas with some Gesso. Dry brush painted some colors. Added the photo and some texture paste and then went to town with rub-ons, chipboard stickers and buttons. I finished the the top edge with buttons and am waiting for it to dry so I can finish the other edges...waiting....waiting....waiting... :)

A mess!

2008-06-26T23:00:00.004-04:00

I guess I just wanted to show everyone how I work...in a mess! I'm trying to clean up my "art room" and you know it "has to get worse before it gets better". And instead of focusing on getting that organized and shaped up, I was side-tracked by a picture on the fridge and had to scrap it right now. So, as you can see in the photos below, I had to do it in the kitchen where I had some clear counter space. Ha! Now my kitchen is a mess and my art room!

the kitchen! I even utilize the stove top! (Don't tell adam, he'd freak out!)

my desk in my art room...yikes!

I did make some progress in organizing today...I like to keep my things in coordinating piles. I used office clippy-things to keep everything together and then put those tiny 3M self-adhesive hooks on the wall...now some of my things are organized and in view!

These are Adam's two book cases filled with books...now just imagine all the space I would have for my precious stuff... (next time you see him, ask him how many books he's actually read off his bookshelves! Those darn book clubs! Actually, I love books too and would be a fan of his if they weren't science fiction, yuk!)

So here is the start of the picture I just had to scrap. It was taken at Keely "Monster's" graduation party... the beautiful girl in the middle ;) And then all of a sudden, I felt like I needed to blog about my mess. Hmmm...I wonder what that means?! I know deep down that I am having a hard time with my "little sister" growing up, graduating and being a college girl...ugh that means I'm getting OLDER too!

And it also probably means that I need to get my mess CLEANED UP...

so i can make breakfast tomorrow morning

and then

of course, make another mess!!

My Friend book

2008-06-20T10:46:00.001-04:00

This is the book I am working on at the moment. I used Adam's "Muscle Milk" box for the pages and then covered them with this adorable paper. Because the cardboard was super thick, this really is a chunky book! I am having some issue opening the pages so they lay flat but I think that is because the rings are too small...hmm, I'll have to find some bigger rings!

Etsy!

2008-06-20T00:24:00.001-04:00

Hey everyone! I started an etsy shop!

Check it out: www.onesillymomma.etsy.com

Sleeping again!

2008-06-12T09:37:00.001-04:00

My two boys...sleeping on the couch!

(And I wouldn't be suprised if my other boy, Bobby-Jo, is sleeping on the other end of the couch!)

Poppy's gone...

2008-05-18T11:38:00.000-04:00

Adam left this am and Ami is at grandma's house. :(
We always try to do something together, just the two of us, before he leaves for his 2 week stint in NJ. But, I always end of feeling guilty that we do because we usually get back late and he still has some stuff to do. Last night we got home around 9pm but Adam apparently still had a lot to do because he rolled into bed at 4am!! He had to make his hard-boiled eggs, pack his food, pack his forty bags, go to the office and get stuff done there, etc. And then, of course, I'm craZy worried and anxious all day long until I get a call or message that he arrived in NJ safe and sound.
Ahhhh...poppy!!!!!

Poppy!!!

2008-05-12T21:52:00.001-04:00

Uh, huh. You are seeing right. My precious little 6 month old has a Tootsie Roll Sucker in his mouth...now where oh where could he have gotten that???

POPPY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Yes, he is home for another week!)

Poppy...

2008-05-12T21:32:00.005-04:00

So, here at the Bhatti house, we love Crystal Light. But, when poppy goes to the store, this is what he comes home with...

We ran out of water to make the juice, but we have every flavor!!!!

Yep, crazy...

Daddy's home!

2008-05-04T08:22:00.004-04:00

Adam drove the whole way home, over 12 hours, from New Jersy this time which brought him knocking at the door at 3:45am on Friday. (I accidently left the screen door locked & he couldn't get in...of course I would do that!) I was glad that he was home safe and sound but I was TIRED and he, as usual, was still wound up from driving so he wanted to talk...of course Ami would be up at 6:30, I had to have Jukka to the vet by 8:30 and get stuff done at work for Saturday (we celebrated National Scrapbooking Day with workshops and a crop until 10pm)...anyways, it's Sunday now and I made it.

By 3pm, Friday afternoon, I told Adam to wake up. Ami couldn't stop smiling at him! And of course, Jukka was incredibly happy to see his daddy...and I think once Adam wakes up (?) and I get a nap today, I too will be as giddy as Ami & Jukka that daddy is home!
(If this last part makes no sense...well, I'm tired!) :)

My three boys...

2008-04-21T12:02:00.003-04:00

Well I really have 4 "boys" if you count the cat, but...

Ahhh...these are the times when the house is quiet and well, actually kind of boring! Adam left for NJ again yesterday and will be gone for two weeks. Ami, Jukka & I were all a little depressed when he left and for the whole day yesterday. It's always the first and last paws (days) that are the worst. (We call the days "paws" because daddy tells Jukka that he will be back in so many paws...poor Bobby Joe only has 4 paws so Ami & I are letting him use our paws to help him count down the days.)

Oh come on...you already knew that the Bhatti family was crAzY! :)

My little baby...

2008-04-20T21:49:00.003-04:00

is going to be 6 months old on Tuesday!!! Where oh where did 6 months go? He sure is "growing" up to be quite the little man...mommy's little man and I love him sooooo much!

Ami & great grandpa...

2008-03-19T21:20:00.004-04:00

Ami and grandpa both find each other fascinating... I enjoy watching & listening to grandpa talk about all the things he's going to show/tell Ami about when he gets older, never mind that next month he'll be 91 years old! It doesn't seem to matter if grandpa is explaining something complicated, rambling on about his day or just cooing back, Ami is completely mezmerized and in awe of his great grandpa! While I know that it wasn't part of God's plan, I really do wish that grandma was around to talk to Ami and well, talk to me too! I miss grandma so much...

...but I am really grateful to still have gramps around and when I look at this picture, well, it's just a great picture showing love, happiness, curiosity, amazement and a really great memory!

Another day...

2008-03-10T22:02:00.003-04:00

...I am feeling better today and thankfully Ami is still healthy...whew! I stayed home today and did some things around the house, made birthday brownies for mom and then a bunch of us went to Tim's Too to celebrate her birthday.

But, tonight as I was getting Ami ready for bed, feeding him his bottle, rocking, talking to him and just really snuggling with him, I felt this tremendously huge rush come over me. Now, while I have loved Ami from the start, for many weeks after he was born I joked with others that I just felt like I was babysitting for a really long time, a crazy feeling like I just couldn't believe that I was his mom. Then there was this kind of a middle ground feeling like well, I know I'm not babysitting but wow, I-don't-know-how-to-feel, feeling. And then all of a sudden tonight, as I was holding my ever-growing bundle in my arms, I felt this rush of great love and happiness come over me! That huge emotion is so hard to put into words but it became clear to me that, I AM Ami's mom and I love every minute of it! As I am writing this tears are welling in my eyes because I know that I am so blessed to be a mom and eventhough it is SO hard, I wouldn't trade it for ANYTHING!

So was today just "another day"? No way! God has truly blessed me. The great love and happiness that came over me tonight has sealed the deal. For me, tonight was the real beginning of motherhood. I now know the great love of a mom! And it just so happens that I am the mom of the most adorable little boy ever...Yes!

Being sick...

2008-03-07T09:27:00.002-05:00

...is miserable! Especially when I have a ball full of energy looking up at me wondering why his crazy momma looks like a zombie, why she doesn't sing anymore, why all of the kisses and hugs have disappeared... when I look at my sweet, healthy and energetic boy, all I can do is hope that this nasty sore throat, the horrible body aches and the crazy shivers/sweats go away soon. And pray that my dilly doesn't get my cold because the last thing this momma wants to see is her little baby miserable from being sick or miserable from anything at all.

So cute!

2008-02-20T23:26:00.000-05:00

I just think my dog Jukka or "Bobby-Jo" as we call him is just the cutest dog ever! Look at those puppy-dog eyes, that perfect big, wet nose and those so adorable wiskars!

2008-02-04T13:46:00.001-05:00

May your walls know joy;
may every room hold
laughter and every window
open to great possibility.
- Maryanne Radmacher-Hershey

I changed my font at pyzam.com

Our honeymoon...

2008-02-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

I came across old pics and I just had to talk about them. This first group is from Jan. 2006 when we went on a Princess cruise for our honeymoon! We went to the western Caribbean and had a blast! Looking at these photos actually makes me smile, laugh and cry. I smile because, well I just can't help it, look at those photos! We were on a cruise by ourselves!! We hads so much fun! We went snorkling, we zip-lined through the trees in Belize, we ate (a lot), we drank a ton of beer, we watched movies under the stars... I laugh because we didn't have a bottle opener in our room so Adam managed to open our beers with a fork! I laugh because Adam decided to get a tattoo (a fake one) and then another and another, because our cruise director was hilarious, because of our Taxi ride with the gay guys, because we ordered lunch in Spanish (and kept our fingers crossed that we 1st got what we wanted and 2nd that we had enough money to pay, because of the video Adam shot and his funny comentary on everything... I cry (happy tears) because the memories are still alive and I am so glad we were able to go on that cruise for our honeymoon. We had soooo much fun that week and I know Adam and I will continue to have fun together just like on our honeymoon!

Announcments...

2008-01-12T13:10:00.000-05:00

Ok, so, YES, I have been working on announcements but I just haven't sent any out yet.

Yes, I know Ami is almost 10 weeks old now, but just think, when you do receive his announcement, you can know that it was handmade from the heart!

Expecting baby Bhatti...

2008-01-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

Here is the book I made of my ever growing belly while I was pregnant...

...I'm still waiting for the ever shrinking process! :)

He's here!

2007-11-16T12:12:00.001-05:00

Ami Stone Bhatti

Born November 6th, 2007

Weighing 9lbs 4oz!

Here is Ami with his proud daddy just minutes after he was born!

37 weeks and counting...

2007-10-17T20:34:00.000-04:00

Ok now, I AM SO READY! The doctors tell me that technically 37 weeks is full term (which I will be on Friday), but I have a horrible feeling that baby Bhatti loves it in my belly and will stay as long as he can! His movements are starting to really hurt and he seems to really like to get up under my ribs. Although my body is ready for him to get here, we on the other hand are not physically ready. The biggest "thing" we still need is a car seat! Adam seems to think that the hospital will let us walk baby Bhatti home since we live like a 3 minute walk away but I don't think they will allow that. Plus, I'm not sure how willing or able I will be to walk myself home from the hospital after giving birth...men just don't get it. I suppose though that since you can go up to 42 weeks before they induce, that we technically have 5 more weeks to get a car seat...5 MORE WEEKS???....AHHH!

Vacation pictures...

2007-07-15T12:05:00.000-04:00

I was just on vacation for a whole week out in beautiful Colorado! Now you'd think during that time that I would capture some really great pictures, right?! So, I plugged my photo card into my computer and AHHH!!! what every scrapbooker dreads... a bunch of not-so-great and random pictures. Like this one of me... bad hair, chunky cheeks and an awkward pose... just great. But, as a scrapbooker, I need to remember that vacations are not always about capturing the best photos, but they are really about making great memories!

...but why oh why this pic and not a photo of the beautiful waterfall we walked to, or the hot springs we swam in or the vast mountains we saw...

There's always another vacation and more vacation pictures...AHHH!

Scrapbooking the easy way...

2007-04-12T16:41:00.000-04:00

Hi there! It's been forever since I last posted a message. What have I been up to? Well, I decided that it's now or never to get my wedding scrapbook started and hopefully finished. So, I decided to scrapbook the EASY way. Yes, there is an easy way to scrapbook...

Convert photos from an event to black and white. Doing this makes choosing a color scheme soooo easy since anything will match!
Choose a color scheme. And do it the EASY way by picking a favorite color scheme from a piece of paper, ribbon or stickers and choosing the colors that coordinate. For my wedding album I went SUPER EASY by choosing the Deja Views Paper & Punch-Out Tablet which had 8x8 coordinating papers, die-cuts and cardstock & vellum quotes all coordinating.
Once you have a color scheme (the paper & punch-out tablet in my case), then choose some solid coordinating colored cardstock for matting photos, base pages and other embellishing.
Next, find embellishments! Pick out ribbons, buttons, brads, etc. that coordinate! Also fun are bare chipboard pieces that you can stamp on, cover with cardstock, etc. to match your color scheme.
Like to stamp on your scrapbook pages? Pick out a set of stamps and a couple colors of ink to coordinate. (Don't get carried away with a ton of inkpads...)
Now for the most important step, get going on that scrapbook and CREATE! Because you have picked out a bunch of coordinating items, anything goes!

Here are two pages from my wedding scrapbook. Check more out at the store!

Remember, there is no right or wrong in scrapbooking

but by choosing coordinating papers and embellishments scrapbooking can be EASY!

A Creative Mess...

2007-02-22T22:43:00.000-05:00

I like to listen to the TV while I am creating so I usually end up in our "bedroom-turned-TV-room" and crafting on two tiny TV tables. Well, actually the tables just hold some of my stuff as I use an old hard book on my lap as my "workspace". Not exactly the perfect set up, but I get to craft while at least being in the same room as my husband and doggie, Jukka. (However, I usually am in my own world while I am crafting so they end up thinking I am ignoring them.)

I ended up getting three cards completed tonight which are kind of hard to see up there. I couldn't wait to use the new Deja View "Fresh Print" Vellum sheet of quotes and saying and some new cardstock from American Crafts. We sell 2 vellum quote/word sheets per collection and we have three collections. You know, for $1 you get a ton of sayings perfect for cards or scrapbooks. I sprayed the back of my sheet with Spray Adhesive a couple days ago and it was still sticky tonight and adhered beautifully to Bazzill Cardstock!

Well, as you can see in the bottom pic, even though I am in the same room, my doggie is giving me those "PAY ATTENTION TO ME" eyes and well, my husband is giving me those same eyes! :)

So, until next time...try making a huge mess like me and be happy crafting!! h.annabelle

ATC club...

2007-02-16T15:45:00.000-05:00

Here are all of the ATC's from this morning.

Everyone did a great job and having secret valentine's was so fun!

Have a great weekend!

h.annabelle

ATC club tomorrow...

2007-02-15T22:50:00.000-05:00

Here is my ATC for our club tomorrow at the store

(Creative Adventure)...10am to 12 if anyone reading this wants to join the fun! This month our challenge was to make an ATC that represents ourself, "the artist"! The hardest part for me was choosing a color scheme- I love so many! I used a corner rounder, a swirl stamp from an Autumn Leaves acrylic set and of course I have my "artist" name, my pic and a quote by me!

I can't wait to see everyone's cards!

h.annabelle :)

Happy Love Day...

2007-02-14T22:00:00.000-05:00

...with the family! Tonight Adam & I went out with mom and gramps. We talked, laughed a lot, pigged out and had a ton of fun...I couldn't have thought of a better way to celebrate valentine's day. Until...

Gramps decided to get the desert that I had my eye on and since we always share, I was like cool, i will get to try that desert and eat mine too! :) I really wanted to try his peanut butter desert and each time I would mention it he would just ignore me! Ugh! We even let him try ours but he wouldn't move his plate! Next time when we get desert and he wants a spoon...

Ok, so eventhough I didn't get to try grandpa's peanut butter desert, I still had a great time! I hope all of you had a wonderful evening...

Here ares random pic of each of us at dinner... (you know they love me for this!!) :)

She almost got caught with her tongue sticking out!

(Lucky for her the camera has a delay!)

good ol' gramps with enjoying

all of his peanut butter desert!

There's my stud muffin!

Ever feel like organizing?

2007-02-08T22:32:00.000-05:00

Tonight I thought maybe if I cleared a path to my desk and organized a bit I may get inspired. (yes, my "creative" area is just as messy at home as it is at the store!) After about 10 min. of organizing (actually I just cleared my desk off so I could work!), I just couldn't help myself but to try to make something valentine-ish. This card was so fun to make! I used the new Bazzill Bling (shimmery) cardstock, a new Hero Arts circle stamp set, the two dots above "us" are mini dot twinkle gem stickers from A*Muse, and the awesome decorative paper and "us" sticker are Heidi Grace products. I also used a corner rounder (not too easy to see) on each corner of the card...i just love my corner rounder! If you haven't seen some of these products you have to come to Creative Adventure to check them out (come see this card in person too)!

...remember, only a week left until Valentine's Day...you still have time to make cards...

Maybe all you have to do is organize a bit (or at least clean off your art table)!

How old am I?

2007-02-08T11:32:00.000-05:00

My 25th birthday. I felt old then.

Wow do I feel old. I never though that setting up something like a blog would be so hard and time consuming for me. Being unable to choose color is so complicated for me because I just love colors! And, setting up this blog has helped me understand how generations before me feel with computers. I thought I was generally smart when it came to computers and actually I think I am. However, it's the online/url/web codes/http: lingo that gets me confused and frustrated and feeling OLD! Oh yeah, and the fact thats it has only been a couple of months since I've known about blogs...what am I getting myself into? Eventurally, I hope I can make this blog unique and personable and hopefully in the process, learn more about online technology and blogging and not feel so OLD!