i still dont consider this....

REALLY SCRAPBOOKING....in my personal taste and opinion you gotta break out paper and glue, but i got this insert in last month's CK and decided to see what all the fuss is about.... digital scrapbooking 101... including a free downloadable kit from the very talented Jessica Sprague. Well i tried it... and i must say a couple of things... 1. it was easier than i thought. 2. I really like how quickly it came together. 3. I can see myself doing this again. 4. i will in no way replace real scrapbooking with it, but it might be kinda cool for a quick digi album for relatives that don't get scrapbooking and would like something of the family and i don't wanna waste my precious paper and glue...hehe ... so without further ado...here's my first digital page!!

We Wish you a Merry Christmas!!!!

A very merry Christmas to all of you who read this... my friends and family i love you all so much and pray for you to have a CHRIST-filled Christmas and many blessings!!!

SWAK!!!
melanie

!!!!!!!!!! AHHHHHHHHHHHH

all done!!! finished shopping!! getting my goodies made... finishing them up this week!!
get ready... you might get run over my my reindeer!

it's beginning to look alot like christmas

christmas is coming!!! i am getting my shopping almost done...i just have a few things to pick up... and then AHHHH done!!
hopefully we are gonna get our tree this weekend and get our christmas card photos taken this weekend too! so... sooonnnn lalalalala!

then the real fun starts... we are doing our baby jesus basket again this year, our kids are already asking about it, and i reassured them that yes we would be doing that, it is tuned into something very dear and special to the holiday season for our family.
baking christmas cookies, caroling, and then lots of nights of warm fires, popcorn, and christmas movies! I LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!
i have lots of goodies and treats planned for those i love and they will be spoiled with homemade gifts and yummy christmas love!

hope you all are finding your christmas spirit... otherwise come sit by me!!

election day...

well i was not going to vote. Really i was just going to let this day pass like any other and let other people make the decisions... i prefer it that way.. blissful ignorance. Until i talked to my friend Rhonda, who asked me if i had voted yet... i said no and she looked at me like "WHY?!" She really did not say much except "You need to go vote today", and i just planned to you know in one ear and out the other... that lil advice (sorry)
honestly i have lost all faith in the american government, and its elected officials. You vote for certain people because they tell you where they stand only to get elected and either reverse their stance completely or start playing hopscotch.... I just get tired of it...

then after i left her house, i got to thinking in my car on the way home (a very dangerous past-time i must say) and it occurred to me that if i did NOT vote not only would i not have the right to complain about what america is becoming, but more importantly by remaining silent i would be compromising what i belive to be right and true to the overwhelming majority of wicked Godless people who are trying to steer this country in that direction (away from God). I had this huge conviction that it was my duty as a Christian to stand up and vote and even if my voice is a whisper in the crowd, it might be heard by someone, and that someone may be the someone who shouts to the masses.
Not only my Christian duty (which is most important) but also my duty as a woman... how many countless women (and some men) gave their lives so i would have the right to have an opinion in how my cuontry is lead? Too many, too many for me to remain silent and unconcerned.

So thank you Rhonda, you made me think today (so dangerous), but it was something i needed.
Thank you...

fall? Oh YES!!

oh it is FALL!! i love the cool crisp air, the smell of fallen leaves, the beautiful colors!! OH how i love fall!!
we went to the pumpkin patch this past weekend, and the kids had such a good time picking out their pumpkins and riding the hay ride, it was such a beautiful day! Here's my lil punkins having fun!!

almost forgot to tell you...

Me and LeAnne came up with a con-spiracy to surprise our girls and take them to tulsa for the weekend to go see Raven at the fair...we did not tell them anything until we got there and they were soooo excited when they finally figured it all out!! we stood there for like 4.5 hours and watched a bunch of ugliness set in when they only had 250 chairs for like oh i don't know 2000+ people, and some of these parents were like getting in fights over seats and stuff... it was so awful! But then by the time the concert started everyone settled down and had a great time... The girls danced and sang and just really enjoyed themselves in the 2nd row! So... here's some photos from the concert... some of the girls and some of raven too!!

my little model...

ok so first of all i need to say a big THANK YOU to my sweet friend for sharing her photographic secret locations.... and then i need to share these fantastic photos of my girls i took yesterday!

OH MAN this was so much fun, and it went fast cuz it was cold outside (think marathon snapping in abot 10 minutes)and the location was just too cool for words! I love love love how these photos turned out!!!

so without further delay, here are my little models!

Seven years ago today, i married my best friend. I cannot tell you how blessed i am to have this wonderful loving man in my life. He loves God so much, loves his children in such a beautiful way it makes me fall in love with him all over again each time i see him with them. He loves me... really loves me, knows me inside and out, my flaws, my weaknesses and strengths. He completes me (corny, but he does) in a way that i cannot explain. I love him. I love him. So on this day, i want to give thanks to God above for allowing us to be together despite the odds, and troubles we have had, they have only made us stronger in our faith in God and each other. He has blessed this marriage with truth, love and 3 beautiful healthy children who make our lives worth living each day. Thank you God for my life, it is sweet, so sweet.

dare i hope???

well it has been a few weeks... update, after many dr's visits, lab tests and all that jazz, i am on 2 medications and i am daring to hope again... i am beginning to see glimpses of the girl i am inside screaming to get out... i am waking up smiling, with more energy... i am not nearly as MOOODDYY and i think just maybe my hubby is remembering the girl he married so long ago. I feel like me again.. almost everyday little things surprise me, make me laugh, make me stop and enjoy and i no longer want the day to end... just to go to bed and sleep (wink wink)!
SOOOO that said... some funny things have been happening lately... my kids are hilarious... no really something i have not been able to notice for quite sometime they crack me up!!! and they love me, really love me, even when i am grouchy and even more when i am fun and energetic and playful and PATIENT and not yelling... oh it is sooo good to be back!

A bit of a change has taken place at our house this week. I am no longer babysitting that precious baby boy... his grandma decided to retire and really wanted to watch him, and who could blame her... he is so sweet, so he is gone, and i am sad, i love him dearly, almost like one of my own, but i know that his granny loves him and will really enjoy him alot! So suddenly i have a lot more time on my hands, and my house is mother in law clean, my laundry is not only done but put away... and i have been going to the library, and to lunch with friends, and playing polly pockets for hours with my little mia mouse.. it is good, still good, but quieter and will take some getting used to.

Tom is travelling this week, will be home Thursday, and i am missing him already and he just left today! I hate it when he travels, it is hard on me and the kids and really him too. But it is a neccessary evil for his job, and until he decides to move on to something else, he is gonna be gone sometimes.

I think that is it for now... my friend Rhonda is visiting my friend Melody in Idaho... talked to them on the phone this evening they were heading to dinner... sounds like they are having a good visit. My sweet friend Julie is moving CLOSER to me to Greenwood in just a few weeks I CANT WAIT!!! and i get to go help her tomorrow to get ready to have a yard sale before they move, and the girls will get to play!! Jenna and Mia have such a great time together!! SO i am still waiting on my friend LeAnne to QUIT her stinkin job and become a full-time photographer so i can book appts for her and keep her hoppin (wink)... and everyone else... oh they are fantastic, and fun and i miss them and wanna get together soooooonnn!!!!!

I'm a PaperDIllies Girl!!!

YAY something to blog about FINALLY!!!! I know you guys prolly thought i dropped off the planet of this blog thing, but since i talk to everyone who reads my blog almost every day...i really did not have any NEW news to report.....UNTil NOW!!!

Paperdillieshttp://www.paperdillies.com/ asked me to join their design team!!!! I am so excited and they make the CUTEST monthly album kits out there!!! Fantastic papers, themes and embellishments definitely worth the $$$$!!!! And i get to play with all these great products!!! I am so excited!!!! Can you tell??

SO.... i have a lot to look forward to this fall for sure!!!

Today i am 32 years old!! I cannot believe it! I remember when i was little how 32 seemed so old, but now that i am here, it doesn't feel that old at all! I have so many reasons to be happy and thankful. I have had a blessed life that is sure. So here' a little self portrait of being me at 32 :
1. I am a Child of the KING! I mean it really doesn't get any better than this does it?
2. I get to be the wife of the most loving and wonderful husband! He KNOWS me, knows me and loves me anyhow. Man i am a lucky girl!
3. They call me Mommy... and yes somedays it seems like i would like to change my name, i would not trade a minute for the love and joy that these 3 little blessings have brought to my life.
4. I have been so blessed with friendship, they just fill my heart and love me as only girlfriends can
5. I love birthday cake, especially the icing!
6. I got flowers from a friend today, she does not know me that well, but somehow managed to get me daisies and pink roses too... my TWO favorite flowers. They made me smile today!
7. My house is finally a home, it took us a long time to get that cozy lil nest, but I think we have managed to create that safe haven we wanted.
9. I love pink… yeah I know cliché, but I do…
10. I am getting crow’s feet around my eyes, I really noticed them today.
11. I love to shop, it is a problem really, and I can control my impulses better, but I still love to go shopping!
12. Chocolate is my sister, really, we are related.
13. I have a bad habit of cracking my knuckles, I have tried to stop… but oh well.
14. I love scrapbooking, anything really related to scrapbooking especially if it is made by Chatterbox.
15. I am a BAG fanatic, I love bags, purses, you name it, although I don’t actually OWN that many, I love them!
16. I also love BOWLS, and yeah I do own a lot of bowls, and they are so cute!
17. I have developed a flip flop fetish… finally after many years of swearing I could not wear them.. I LOVE them, have em in every color!
18. I love music, since I was little, songs have always soothed my soul. I love all kinds of music, not just typical girl stuff like Celine Dion, but I love oldies, Stevie Wonder and Jackson 5, I love aerosmith, and 80’s music, I love praise and worship music. Pretty much if it sings, I like it, with the exception of the Freaky heavy stuff… YUK
19 I like the smell of playdough, yeah it’s weird, but its me…
20. I love the beach, the ocean and the Majesty and vastness of this glorious creation of God.
21. I have a serious addiction to the smell of Chatterbox paper!
22. comfort food makes me a very happy girl… mac and cheese, chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes, warm fresh bread… mmmmmmmmm
23. I m an organization freak wanna be… I love containers, baskets and having everything neat and tidy, somehow I can’t quite manage it…but I pack a suitcase very well!
24. I hate scary movies, I refuse to watch them EVER
25. Thunderstorms are way cool, except when the sky goes green, then I am hiding in my closet!
26. Gap jeans are the best!
27. when I concentrate really hard, I chew on the inside of my lip… gross I know, but I don’t even know I am doing it most of the time
28. my idea of a great alone day is rainy, starbucks, new book, curl up on the couch and nap… then I don’t wanna be so alone anymore.
29. I am a terrible procrastinator, really
30. cold weather makes me want to hibernate, don’t like it, even tho snow IS beautiful.. from inside the warm house.
31. Did I mention I love chatterbox?!
32. I am so very blessed, and I love to be me (today) haha

its heating up!!!

k so it is like 9000 degrees outside right now... ok ok maybe not quite that hot, but it is triple digits anyhow... and as far as i am concerned HOT ENOUGH!!!
Well i am trying to get an appointment with an internist... like a specialist, but not so much, to do something about my health issues, and hopefully soon i will be feelin better. My kid's dr gave me an rx for my thyroid meds to help me get over this hump until i can get in to see this other dr. HOpefully i won't have to wait too long for an appt, as i only have 1 month of synthroid. In any case i will have a whole month of dr's appts between aug and sept seeing my gyn dr to get my oil checked, my mamogram to get my lumps checked and hopefully this internist for my hormones... lemme tell ya i am a wreck right now!!! I know God is the great physician and makes all things good, so i am just praying for Him to give the drs wisdom so i can somehow feel normal again, whatever that is! My birthday is wednesday.. i am gonna be 32! WoW hard to believe, i cannot believe how the time flies. Many of my dreams have come true in my life, and i cannot imagine being more blessed than i have been, tho i know God is not thru with me yet!

I am getting ready to be a tv star... ok maybe not a star, but MV.com is doing some video classes with the DT girls in august, and i have to come up with a couple of classes and techniques to teach on the video. Now i have not taught classes for a while and i am a little rusty, but that is not so bad as the thought of having a camera pointed at me, and i am sure that my face will erupt into a raging hormonal acne fit about 2 days before, so i will look terrible. Not to worry, i will try my best to not look like one of those backwoods natural disaster news interviews... you know the ones.. the ones that make southerners look like complete hicks... i swear that is the only ones they put on the tv... makes me so proud!! hehe I am gonna have to concentrate really hard to sound intelligent and professional and not do all this "and ummmm" "yeah ummm" and stuff like that!

On another note, my girlfriends and i are getting ready for another road trip... in august as well, to CK convention in tulsa, ok, Should be a lot of fun, and hope to get a bunch of cropping done!!
MY kids are having a great summer, chelsea just got back from a church camp last week, and next week will be going to kid's camp in MO. SHe is really excited and can't wait to hang out with her friends. THe other 2 are hanging out here at the house, playing outside and drinking gallons of koolaid! We are having a good time and cannot believe there is only about 5 weeks til school starts again.
i guess that is it! all the stout family news... at least all that i can share public-ly!~

ok so now that i have had my moment of reflection... i take it all back.. i mean i can't very well leave my friends larolin and MELODY in a lurch when they NEED me so much! what kind of friend would i be?? So i would like to revise my previous statement just a little... only for MV.com... PAPERDILLIES (hint hint), and if by some WILDCRAZY INSANELY impossibility that MElody Ross actually WANTS me... i will sacrifice myself for the greater good and design for CHATTERBOX too... i know what you are thinkin... what about your family, what about all that jazz yesterday?? welll i still stand by MOST of that... but you know there are some opportunities toooo goood to pass up... so i can swing it.. i mean Lucas starts school in AUGUST and nothing would prolly even come up til after that... and CBX does their DT adding in the FALL and Larolin... said this FALL.. so i have some time to really pray about it...

yeah i know i am justifying.. but you all know.... that's just me! (haha)

a moment of reflection...

it has come to my heart's attention that there are some things that i must put aside for a while... nothing major, at least not in the big scope of things, but something that has taken up a big part of my attention and effort over the past year(s) or so.
I have decided to forgo any new DT opportunities, contests and "TRYING" to go out for publication in the scrapbooking world. It has been a hard decision to make, as i would love to get my name out there and really make a go of this whole thing in a more professional setting. I just don't think that this season of my life allows for such ambition. This is the same realization i came to when i closed my store. it was just the wrong season of life to be giving so much effort to something other than raising my family. I find myself getting caught up in deadlines and pressures that i put on myself, and my family suffers for it. I am no longer gonna do this... that is not to say that i will never submit for publications, it simply means i will no longer specifically create pages to fit any call... if i happen to make a fantastic page and it happens to fit something they are calling for, sure i will give it a go.
I just figure i barely have time to scrap for myself and my family, how in the world could i expect to represent a company and keep up with their demands on my limited scrapping time, designing great things to sell their products? I will remain loyal to MV.com and their generosity and will continue to do my best for them alone... and i am so happy to have that opportunity! But as for the rest of you (wagging my finger)
you will just have to suffer thru without my awesome talents until a later season arrives... sometime when i have more time to devote to being your famous representative! (haha)

and that is my moment of pure sanity and reflection for the week... back to your regularly scheduled craziness!

normal again...

i will be doing great if i could just feel normal again... i need to go to the dr and get some bloodwork done for my thyroid condition... i am soooooo very tired all the time and just cannot get motivated to DO anything....
but on a happier note i have some great updates to hand out to blogland...

I am an AUNTIE>>> for the first time officially that is.... My brother Scott and his wife Vicki just welcomed Jacob Michael to the world June 14th! I can't wait to see him, Scott says that he is so beautiful and i am sure that he is!

Kellar is doing better, in an open isolette and holding his own, you can read about his progress at his own blog http://www.kellarreid.com/. He is still having some tummy issues, but it sounds like that he is gonna pull thru and be ok after some more time at the hospital.

My cousin Courtney's going back to work.... TODAY and i am praying for her, it is a hard day, but it is evident that she loves her baby so much, and miss sydney is growing more beautiful every day, i am sure grandma Evie will enjoy spoiling her!

GASC was a lot of fun with all the girls, anticipated it all year long, and 5 days from home was a long time. It has been 4 days since we came home and the whole trip seems like a blur... Shopping , cropping and laughing all weekend was a much needed kickoff to a long summer at home with the kids...

i am thinking that is about all that is going on here... almost done with the roof, only one side of the garage to go... Chelsea turns 10 on the 18th and we are having her swim party on saturday... cant believe 10 already... where does the time go...

back in the saddle...

well seeing that HOF did NOT call me and the H*** place did not freeze over , i guess that means i am free to submit my FANTASTIC layouts elsewhere! SOOO i bit the bullet and entered some of them for the My Mind's Eye DT contest... makers of WILD ASPARAGUS that i LOVE (not as much as chatterbox OF COURSE, but still) i am sure they will be flooded with entries, but i gave it a shot anyhow.

so here's my entry... keep your finger's crossed!

summertime is here!

my kids mark the beginning of summertime with the pool opening.... and it opened this weekend, so i guess at our house it is officially summer! i too ke the kids to the pool Sunday after church and they had such a good time splashing in the "baby" pool while i relaxed under the canopy and read a book...
CHelsea's gills have shown up, and she is a little fish, and wants to go everyday! I guess this is the first summer since we have lived here we will actually get our $200 bucks worth out of this pool... (we pay housing dues to use it).
We went again yesterday and i actually GOT IN!! I know hold onto your swimtrunks, i wore a bathing suit and got into the cold water (which by the way i HATE that first initial shivering jump) but after i was in, i stayed for a long time, teaching lucas to trust his floaties, and mia how to float using a noodle. we all had a great time, but were sure TIRED after we got home! Everyone went to bed early, and it was NICE for a change especially after spending the whole weekend roofing and doing yard work, we are worn out still, but are a little over 1/2 done with the roof, and plan to finish it this upcoming weekend. SO just about finished with the home makeover for a long while!
I guess that is it for this week....

setting a new record...

WOW twice in one week? i must be doing ok....
now that i have my digi i thought i would share a few pics that i took with it this week... lucas preschool graduation was last night, and i must tell you that i bawled like a baby! THey had a photo slideshow to music that song that says" you were mine for a while to hold, ... i pray that god will fill your heart with dreams, and that he will give you courage to go and do great things.... OH MAN talk about tearin a mommy all to pieces.. it just made me realize as many things do, how very quickly time passes and right now it is preschool graduation but in the blink of an eye it will be highschool graduation... OK I HAVE TO stop or i will start crying again! I really did ok, i teared up a bit during the slide show, but then his teacher got up to address the parents and just lost it.... and then i got that UGLY cry going the kind when your face is all screwed up and your breath comes in short lil gasps... and you are trying to be quiet.... NOT A DRY EYE IN THE HOUSE!!! she was so sweet and thanked us for sharing our most precious kids with her all year, and how much she LOVED them and will miss them each day SOB>>>>>
ok i gotta post pics... i am dyin here....

going DIGITAL BABY!!

I am soooo very excited my sweet husband finally gave me the go ahead to get my dream camera!! I did not waste any time shopping for the best deal before he had a chance to change his mind! haha
I bought a Nikon D70s package on ebay for a GREAT price and lots of extra accessories with 2 lenses, batteries, bag, tripod and all kinds of stuff!! I am so excited that i finally got it, and i already love it! Tonight is the first chance i got to play around with it after i got it charged and programmed. I took some photos of Lucas' tee-ball game... and i need to upload them to see how easy that process will be... i will be posting pics as soon as i can figure everything out.

In the mean time, everything at our house is still hectic, we finished all the floors and moved onto the ROOF... tearing off 2 layers of shingles, and putting new ones on... my mom and dad are here helping after work and we are going on week 2 of this process... HOT and very backbreaking work! Good thing they are 20 year shingles, next time around we will be too old for this junk and can hire someone else to do it for us!!!
Only 1 week of school left for chelsea and lucas gets out thursday.. they are both itching to get to the pool ASAP and i am sure we will be there ALOT this summer!
I guess that is it for now...