Fun in the Sun

Fun in the Sun
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

I was lucky enough to get the chance to win a copy of BrittBree's new kit, Spring Candy. How fun! I thought it only right that I share with everyone how cute this new kit is. I'm afraid I don't do it justice with my little layout, but as soon as I saw these elements, I fell in love. :) Very fun for a spring layout with the little ones in your life.

Today's been a strange day. I guess I'm not exactly feeling my best. Joe has been very mischievous, which is fun, but he hasn't liked being put in his pen for the number of times he's tried playing with the wires behind the television. He loves to pull plugs out and put them back in. Luckily, it hasn't been the dangerous cords, but we've had a time trying to convince him to come out and leave them alone. He's not terribly fond of being in his "box," which is what we call his playpen. Wish there was a way I could reason with him; I hate it when he's this upset.

Well, wish I had something exciting and interesting and fantastic to share, but I just don't. Which is probably a good thing; if every day was exciting, I'd have no need to blog. And I wouldn't want to miss out on that. lol Take care, everyone!

Furbaby

Fur
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

I had a good bit of inspiration in the last few days, and for the first time in a couple weeks, my eyes are killing me with allergy fuzzies. Sooooo.... I have a couple new layouts that I did today alone! :) This first one was inspired by Jacquie's new fantastic Pets - Dogs word art set. Awesome, huh? She finds awesome quotes and stuff. If you haven't checked out her blog before, I highly recommend it, and not just because I'm on her CT. She's fantastic!

I've learned a few new things about GIMP lately, which makes me rather happy. I still feel like a beginner with GIMP, even though I know that I'm probably closer to intermediate. But there is a huge amount of things that one can do with GIMP that I have yet to tap. So, I'm enjoying learning new things, like new Script-fu stuff. There are so many Script-fu settings in the "basic" model of GIMP that I'm not familiar with that are really helpful with sprucing up one's layouts. Besides that, I want to do more designing. I really enjoyed making that first set. (It's still down there, if you want to look at it. Just saying. :P)

I also made a little layout with Daniel and Joe for Easter egg hunting. Joe didn't really get the whole hunting thing. He saw lots of kids running, so he ran after them. He saw one purple egg, so he picked it up. So, Mommy got him a few eggs. After that, he got Daddy to open his eggs. It was precious. I did it with this Font Challenge's font, Happy Days.



I also have a couple of cute baby moments to share. Joe is so funny these days! He's starting to show that he has a sense of humor. For instance, we're not certain if he really does think that unh unh (the no version) mean yes or if he's just pulling our leg. (He shakes his head no simultaneously, and we're pretty sure he knows that means no.) It's really cute, though, to watch him do it. Plus, he is such a player! He loves to do things to get your attention and then pretend like he wasn't doing it. That, and he loves to play kiss and hug. He'll do that over and over. Talk about making your heart melt!

Ok, this is late at night for me. Mommy is getting sleepy! lol So I'll let you wonderful people go. Have a great night!

Why?!?!

Yeah, I'm one of those late filers. Not because I'm not getting money back, but because I HATE the complications. So, here's my statement for tax day...



*ahem* Ok, you may return to your regular blogging experience.

In addition to this, I was honored to get my first blog notice on another blog. Whoopee!



So, Yay! I got an award! Thanks, Leandra! And, if I recall correctly, I need to do a couple things! So, here goes. :)

1. Copy and paste the award on your blog. *check!*
2. List who gave the award to you and use a link to her blog (or hyperlink). *check!*
3. List 10 things that make you happy. (see below)
4. Pass the award on to other bloggers and visit their blog to let them know about the award. (see even further below! ;) )


10 Things that make me Happy:

1. Breathing deeply.
2. Smiling.
3. Loving my husband and son.
4. Watching the dove on her nest at work.
5. Seeing the leaves change day by day.
6. Morning kisses.
7. Hugs.
8. Unexpected breezes.
9. Watching the sun pass through clouds.
10. Remembering things that make me smile.

Who I am passing this Award to:

@ Jacquie's
Angi's Scrap 'n Blog
Confessions of a Digiholic
KajunKJ Scraps
luvbrd scraps
Of course I can do anything, I'm a mother!
Memoirs of a Southern-Yankee Girl
Raising Spirited Heathens

Whoopee! I'm sure you'll like giving these ladies some love. Until next time, ciao, bellissimi!

Easter Madness

I hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend! Ours was busy, to say the least. First up was the Easter egg hunt at Clark Springs Baptist on Saturday morning. Joe was in his finest (as you can see in this video), and Mommy and Daddy were excited to see what he would actually do on his first egg hunt. I didn't get any good pictures of it, but the verdict was that he was more interested in chasing the other kids at top speed than actually searching eggs, so Mommy picked some up for him. Daddy trailed behind faithfully as he waved the one egg he picked up (purple, which is why it caught his eye, I'm sure) and chattered at the other kids. He had a blast. It would have been even better had it not been for Mommy's overprotective streak. I covered him with sunscreen. Unfortunately, some of it got in his eyes. He wasn't a happy camper about that, but since he got more chocolate than he had ever imagined existed, he was ok with it. He also got some cool cars from Nana in his basket. He really liked that. :)

After that, we loaded a (very very tired) baby into the car and went to the park to meet with Aunt Jo. It was a perfect day for Kiroli Park. We piled up on a table and ate fried chicken while Joe had fun on the "fire truck."



We also did the swings and stuff, but I haven't uploaded that video yet. Joe had the best time watching Daddy swing in the swing next to him. Unfortunately, that meant that the yellow baby swing wasn't good enough for him anymore. We'll see if that lasts when we get to the park again. We also did a nice walk through the (shortest) nature trail, and I got some good shots of azaleas and other things. If they turn out well, I'll try to extract them and pass them along for everyone to share. The colors are too awesome not to look great in a spring layout. ;)

As for Sunday, we chilled out. And it was a good thing, too... Mommy hasn't felt her best. Maybe it was the candy, maybe it was her body's way of saying "noooooooooooooooo!" Whatever it was, I could use another Sunday to make up for it. :) I guess I'll have to wait a few more days for that, though. Joe and I played a lot, and Daddy was the only one who woke up early enough for sunrise service. Good Daddy! :)

Oh, and one of my blogging buddies Brandi is supposed to have her third child/first daughter by c-section today. Happy thoughts for welcoming little Karis into the world!

Doing my best Sinatra impression

Doing my best Sinatra impression
Originally uploaded by mawkinberd

I had a lot of fun doing this layout. There's not really much of a story behind it; Daniel, Joe and I were out for Saturday grocery shopping and stopped for breakfast at Shoney's first. When we got back in the car, Joe was looking so cute in his little blue outfit that I whipped out the camera and got a couple of shots in. Of course, I'm always torturing him this way. lol Actually, he loves to ham it up for the camera, just seconds before he attempts to take it from me and push buttons or pretend it's a cell phone. (sigh) Children. ;)

I probably should have picked a kit that had some good navy blues in it along with the greens, but something about this one hit me as regal and perfect for the look on his face. Then again, maybe I'm a weirdo. After all, I do like to look at single pictures for long periods of time. :P

Live is going fairly well at the moment, just busy. We're gonna get a breather here soon enough, so I think I'll make it to the weekend. Jo, Joe, Daniel, and I are going to the park this weekend, so it's something to hold out for. Park trip! :D

Hope you all have a lovely evening!

Remembering

So, things are getting better. I know I was really sad when last I talked to everyone. Now, well, I'm feeling a bit more nostalgic. I've been looking for cute pictures of Ike and Joe together, and while there aren't many, I really am enjoying them. I have especially been enjoying some of the pictures of Ike when he was more of a puppy. I think I'll have to scan some of them, tonight if I get a chance, and use them for a layout about his life. Jacquie posted the sweetest word art for someone who loves their dog as a freebie on her blog today, and it is perfect for a good look at these pictures. It just reminds me of how grateful I am to have such good friends, both in person and online. It makes the sadness at losing such joy a reminder that the gift is worth that time of mourning.


All of this also reminds me that my son is, as yet, too young to know or understand that he has lost a friend. I know my first instinct is to protect him completely from such things, but knowing that he would miss out on the gift of that relationship to avoid such things completely makes me realize that safety is just another word for loneliness and missing out on opportunities for the greatest heights and depths of experience. And believe me, as a person who is forever worrying about being safe enough, that's a pretty big concession. :P  I'm a bit of a worrier (that was sarcastic understatement, y'all), so while I can't see any reason to let my son risk falling and splitting open his skull because he just *has* to rock on the rocking chair, standing up, not holding the sides or back, I'm trying my best not to coddle him. I don't want him to learn the useless fears that I am fighting. I want him to learn the normal caution found from falling and bumping his knee, and then picking up and trying again.

Ugh, trust me to wax philosophical on a Monday morning. I even made my own brain hurt. lol  Hope all of you have a wonderful week, and hope something like this reminds you (as it did me) of the value of the relationships around you.

A family loss

Sorry, folks. I was going to post my speed scrap layout from last night, but I don't think it'd fit this post. I got an email from my dad this evening letting me know that he and my stepmother had to make the difficult decision to put down one of our family dogs. Ike was a very good boy. He was a largish golden retriever that showed up on their porch as a puppy. This is more unusual than it sounds on the surface; they live almost a mile away from a small highway on a back road that only sports three houses. Well, four, if you count the one no one was using. My folks were not in the market for a dog, but first impressions are amazing things. Juanita first saw him licking the picture glass windows. On the other side, our terrier mutt Emily was licking back. It was love at first sight. They tried to find out who his owners were, since it was obvious that he was a full bred golden, and such beauties don't just get dumped generally. Once they had given up hope of finding his original family, Emily (and the rest of the family!) were already in love. Ike was home.

Over the years, old Ike has been the sweetheart and protector of the home. He soon found a new love; Tori, our "wild" family dog. Although she will barely let people touch her, she was in love with Ike from the start. Emily may have been alpha, but Tori was his partner. They hunted outside together and made sure the neighborhood was free of danger for everyone. Some of the most touching scenes of devotion I've ever seen were times when Tori and Ike would groom one another. They were always inseparable from the moment Ike stepped out of the house until he returned to the rest of his family.

When Juanita told me they had taken him to the vet, she said that he had a dangerously inflamed stomach lining that had no known cause, and he had a dangerous disease that was causing his spine bones to start fusing, causing serious pain as he moved. It was obvious that he was fighting some kind of mysterious systemic breakdown that it didn't look like time would heal. When the vet told the family it could be treated but not cured, my dad had to make the right decision. We couldn't keep Ike in pain on the off chance that the treatment would keep him from hurting too much for just a little while. My dad said it was one of the hardest decisions he's ever had to make.

I will miss Ike. He became part of the family after I had left home for good, but he quickly became one of my favorite dogs ever. His sweet and loving disposition was unparalleled with just about any other dog I've ever met, and his devotion was timeless. I hate that my son is too young to remember playing with Ike when he gets older, but I know Ike, always the protective and loving one, will still watch over him with everything in him. Good bye, good boy.