My Dad is da Bomb!

Growing up, I would never in a million years have guessed that I'd have a heading that made that statement. My dad and I did NOT get along well when I was a kid! We are both VERY hard-headed and determined to have our own way. He's a lawyer by profession, so imagine the battle of words we exchanged over the years!!! We locked horns on countless occasions and I was thrilled when college time came around and I moved to another state.

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But my excitement to be away from home and parental authority (or "guidance" as my dad called it!) was very short-lived. About a week after I had been living with roomates who didn't want to clean our apt. or study very much, I gained a great appreciation for all the things my dad had tried to get through my "thick skull" all those years! I called my parents and told them how much I loved them and how grateful I was for all they had taught me.
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From that point on, my relationship with my dad has been totally different. For the first time in my life, I considered him a friend--a good friend. And in the last few years, I've seen an even more remarkable change in him. He's turned into a giant marshmallow, especially when it comes to his grandkids.
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He works for two cities in Utah--full-time for Sandy City as one of their attorneys, and he also works one day a week as a consultant for Logan City. We live right in between the two, so he has started to make it a regular habit to stop by our house on his way up or back, to the absolute *delight* of my kids! He called last night telling me he was on his way and said he'd bring Kentucky Fried Chicken for him and the kids and even babysit while Sam and I went to a dinner party!!!
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I couldn't begin to express in words how I feel about my dad. He's become the father I always wished I had growing up, and I think that is due to change on his part *and* mine. I have more respect and love for him than I ever thought possible. He is truly someone I admire, look up to, and seek advice from. My kids have the most wonderful "Ampy" in the world, and I have SUCH a cool dad.
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Pops, if you're reading this, you're the Best and I LOVE YOU!!!

I'm still alive!

Hi everybody!

I can't believe it's been almost a week and a half since I posted! Wowza time flies when Christmas is near! We had a fabulous holiday spent with family and getting WAY too many presents! Santa needs to be controlled a bit more, at least at our house!

I'll post pics of some of my favorite gifts (given and received) later but I just wanted to post *something* to let you know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth!

Have a wonderful season!!

Suz's Cards

I've been telling my sweet friend Susan for *weeks* that I'd help her get her Christmas Cards done, and we finally squeezed in a few hours today to do them!

She was looking for something simple and quick to replicate as she's a new stamper. So she surfed SCS and found this beautiful card! I don't know whose it was or I'd give credit. We went to Michael's and found some gorgeous shimmery blue cardstock (doesn't really show that well in the photo)--VERY pretty IRL!

We whipped out 12 of these in less than an hour--I've *never* done cards that fast! (My problem is that I over-think everything and never really CASE. I feel like I'm "cheating" when I don't come up with an original design. I'm a dork I know!) I think they turned out so great!!

Thanks for a fun stampin' afternoon, Suz!!!

Christmas is in HOW many days?*!*?*!

Yikes! I had all these fabulous ideas for handmade gifts this year and we're now down to the week before and I have yet to begin!! Hello, my name is Melissa and I am a procrastinator.

I'm also supa busy with the kiddos this week at school. I'm in charge or 2 class parties (for my Kindergartener and my 3rd grader) and I'm also doing the craft for my 5th grader's class. Luckily, every party is on a different day, but still!!!

Ah, me. What do I get myself into?!?

Needless to say, I won't be here rambling on and on for a while--I gotta kick it into high gear. I will be doing my "Daily Inspirational Quote" though (my newest blog feature in the top right corner), so check back for that.

I *will* post my projects "if"/when I get them done...

Once again, my name is Melissa and I'm a MAJOR procrastinator. (Guess what my new year's resolution is going to be???)

Eliot Moose is on the Loose!

A bit of background on my fam:

I'm the 2nd of 6 girls. My older sis Sherri and the sis just younger than me, Monica, were both expecting boys at the same time (due 2 weeks apart) this past year. Well, those 2 little munchkins decided on their own to make their grand appearance on the SAME day!!! We call them "brothers of anotha mother"!

Six weeks after Michael and Eliot were born, my sis Monica, her DH Grant, and Eliot (top picture) moved up to Oregon so Grant could start law school. We were all VERY sad about this event, but they've done a great job keeping us updated on Eliot's progress and growth thru webcam calls and their blog http://eliotandhisparents.blogspot.com/.

And *grow* he has! I actually came up with the nickname "Eliot Moose" before he was even born (there's a cartoon on HDTV called Eliot Moose--he even has a "theme" song that we sing for him!), but the 'Moose' aspect of the nickname turned out to be perfect! He hit 16 pounds when he was only about 3 mos. old! He's a big, tough kid (as is his cousin Mikey baby)!

Grant finished his first semester and they came home for the holidays this past weekend. I got to spend Tuesday with my sweet Eliot and a bunch of my family. We had a wonderful time eating lunch and taking pictures of the 2 boys together.

I just *heart* those chubby babies!!!

Tag--I'm It!

I've been tagged by two great ladies in my life--my cousin Becky http://cougarblueforever.blogspot.com/ and my sweet friend Kittie http://kittiekraft.typepad.com/kittiekraft/! I know that the taggin' thing has been around for a while and it's probably "old hat" to many of you, but as I'm new to blogging, being tagged is still a fun, new thing for *me*.

Also, as a tribute to these 2 awesome card-makers, I've posted above a card made by each of them and given to me. I'll let you "guess" which one is Kittie's! I love both of their styles so much!!! Enjoy...

The rules of the game:

Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
Let each person know that they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random Things about Me:

1. I'm left-handed but can only cut with scissors *right* handed.

2. I took piano for almost 7 years but now I can only pick out the top hand of most songs (only if there's not more than 2 sharps or flats!). I was really good at memorizing how a song sounded and could replicate it, but never really learned to read the notes! Hope my piano teacher never reads this!!

3. I was supposed to be born on Christmas, but was 3 weeks overdue when I finally decided to show up on January 15th. My mom always teases me that I was too busy talking and saying goodbye to all my friends in Heaven! Me? Talk a lot? and Late? Never!*!*!

4. I do a pretty good E.T. voice imitation that my sisters try to get me to do often (but I'm embarrassed to do!)

5. I belong to the LDS (Mormon) Church--something that used to be pretty rare, but is becoming much more common and "in the spotlight" these days. Please feel free to ask any questions you have so I can clear up any misconceptions--there's A LOT out there!

6. 3 of my 4 kids were born on the 23rd of a month--without any planning, scheduling, or intervention on my part!

7. In my "previous life" (B.C.--Before Children!), I graduated cum laude from college and placed nationally at 2 BPOA (Business Professionals of America) Competitions. I tell you this not to boast, but to remind myself that I *did* once have working brain cells!!

Well, that's all about ME for now...I'm tagging:

Lorraine, my awesome SBS Sista! http://taviascharmsfavoritethings.blogspot.com/

Dannie, another super creative SBS Sister. http://danniesdesigns.typepad.com/

My Sister IRL, Monica (and her sweet baby Eliot!) http://eliotandhisparents.blogspot.com/

Vicky-the coolest British gal you'll ever meet! http://www.stampyourloveallover.blogspot.com/

My rockin', newly pregnant cousin Katie http://katiedid.typepad.com/katie_did/

A super supportive SBS Sista, Lesa Rapp http://paperpossibilities.blogspot.com/

And last but not least, Tracy, better known as Stampin' Sunny Chick over at Splitcoast--she's so cool! http://scrampindelights.blogspot.com/

I've been Elfed---and Supa Spoiled!

What a fun thing it is to open up your front door and find a big package waiting for you! I responded to a message from my sweet friend Robyn (robynstamps on SCS) to join a Secret Elf group. There were 10 of us (plus Robyn) and we all got someone else's name.

I *totally* lucked out, as Robyn was the one who drew MY name! Look at all these amazing goods!!! She totally spoiled me with 8 darling handmade cards, an altered paint can filled with yummy chocolate, little treats for my munchkins, buttons, brads, ribbon, a tin FULL of supa cute chipboard accents, a bracelet (I'm betting it's handmade as well) in my fave color blue, and homemade popcorn, hand-dipped pretzels, and fudge!!!

What a sweetie she is! Go check out her blog sometime (if you haven't already!): http://www.thepinkstamper.blogspot.com/ . I've known Robyn for quite a while and she's just an awesome, awesome gal. She just retired this past year from being a Rockin' SU! Demo--serving on the Advisory Board and being one of the top demos for quite a few years. (Bowing to your greatness, lady!)

I'm such a lucky girl--thanks a ton, my friend!!

Holiday Friends and Goodies

I love the yummy goodies that come our way during the holiday season! Some wonderful friends from our old neighborhood stopped by just a bit ago with these delicious chocolate chip cinnamon rolls! She's a great cook who usually whips things up from scratch, so chances are that I'm going to hide these from the kids--I know, I'm such a horrible mom!! But what they don't know won't hurt them, right???

Off to eat *another* one...

RAK Request

Hey SBS Sistas!

I need to call in a favor. If you read my last post, you know that my next-door neighbor Melanie died suddenly on Monday at age 44, leaving a very shocked and devastated family behind. (I also have more detailed info on a RAK request thread I posted in the Need a Lift Forum on SplitCoast http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=305831).

I took them dinner and a card last night and mentioned that I have a bunch of gals I "hang" with online who are cardmakers as well. I told them that if I said the word, he'd have dozens of cards in his mailbox. Jim thought that was just the coolest thing ever!

So could you help me out? He was totally fine with me posting their address, so you can send directly to him:

Jim Hardin & family
1791 E. Kay Lane
S. Weber, UT 84405

Thanks in advance for any and all cards sent--it will be so appreciated and needed!!!

Rough Day

Wowza it's been a rough 24 hours!

My 3 yo--you know McKenzie--the tantrum girl? Yeah, she thought it would be lots of fun to start pukin' all over the house! Then, of course, my other kids started in and it's just been a barrell o'fun.

And on a more serious note, we got a very big shock when we received the news that our next door neighbor died suddenly yesterday. She was only 44 years old and in perfect health. Her daughter came over (they have 4 adult children) and found her not breathing; they were never able to resussitate her. The whole family is just in total shock, as is the neighborhood. If you're the praying type, please keep them in your thoughts and prayers, please. They've already struggled as a family and this has absolutely devastated them, especially during this holiday season.

So on that sad note, I'm off to snuggle with some sick kids and wait for my husband to get home from a church activity. Good night, all!

3 year-old Temper Tantrums

You know, this *sleep* thing that everyone talks about is highly over-rated. I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I became a mom almost 11 years ago. And you'd think that with my youngest being 3 that I'd be snoozin' away. Yeah, right.

We have 3 boys and 1 girl--in that order. I'll give you one big guess as to who runs the show around our house. You're right--it's NOT me! Until about 6 months ago, my daughter has honestly been the absolute joy of my life. And then the terrible 2's hit. And they hit HARD. It seems as though overnight she went from a sweet angel to a little devil!!! Don't get me wrong, she's still my sweetie--her tantrums come and go---but when they come, they stick around for a while.

Her latest *thing* is to wake up in the middle of the night screaming bloody murder. My husband and I are jolted out of our sleep to deafening cries, sure that she's being attacked or has fallen. Oh no. It's something MUCH more serious. She didn't tuck in her baby dolls and her stuffed monkey friends. And we only find that out after about 30 minutes of incessant screaming and stripping. Yes, I said stripping. McKenzie has this strange little quirk...she takes off all her clothes when she's throwing a tantrum. Lovely, huh? Let's hope she gets that out of her system NOW.

So to make a long story longer...!!...we started the week out on the wrong side of the bed last night with one of her glorious displays at 2:00 a.m. I'll probably be taking a nap with her instead of stamping this afternoon. I promise, it's for the best!!!

Have a fabulous tantrum-free day!!!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas...

Well December couldn't have come in any grander here in Utah--we went to bed with bare ground and woke up to THIS beautiful site this morning!!! And the snow is still comin' down.

I can now *officially* get in to the Christmas spirit! I've got Christmas music on and as soon as I finish typing this, I'm going downstairs to start hauling all my Christmas decorations upstairs. We moved this summer, so I get the *joy* of decorating a new house--yeah!!!

Off to make a tasty mug of Stephen's Mint Hot Chocolate (with mini marshmallows, of course!) and enjoy the view out my window.

Still Thankful...a week later!

**Project supplies: Mini Comp book from Staples (2/$1.00), paper: bought at Michael's many moons ago in a "slab" combo pack, ribbon: Michael's $1 bin special, baby!, hardware: SU!, flower: Hobby Lobby, stamp: Happy Harmony SAB set from SU!

I was so busy working on the project for my family for Thanksgiving that I didn't even mention anything about the actual holiday!!!

I'm a huge fan of Thanksgiving. It really bothers me when everyone goes straight from Halloween decor to Christmas, as if this awesome holiday wasn't important enough to get it's day in the sun (or in Utah's case, clouds and snow!).

We really should live every day with a heart full of thanks, not just make a big deal out of it once a year and then move on. I've tried hard, especially lately, to really count my blessings and see how blessed I am in my life.

Along these lines, I decided to make a gratitude journal for myself and my entire family (well, everyone who is old enough to write!). Here's a picture of one of them....I went with a unique design for each one, as each person in my family is very unique in their own right! The rest of the pictures are on my sis's camera, as I was sooo brilliant and left mine home in our rush to get over to my mom's house on turkey day. There were over 20 total. I'll post the rest to my SCS gallery when my sis sends them.

Enjoy and don't forget to be grateful EVERY day!

Remaining Stamp Camp Cards

Here they are!!

I'm back...FINALLY!

Argh!!! I *really* dislike (my 3 yo dd constantly reminds me that "hate" is a bad word and that we don't use it) my internet provider!!!

My internet connection went down late Monday night and I JUST got it back up! I'm so sorry for those of you who have been checking and have seen nothing new--it wasn't on purpose, I promise!

I'm also only popping on here for a tiny minute, then back to cleaning my house like a mad woman. My husband is being put in the Bishopric at church tomorrow (we're LDS--just ask if you're confused and want to know what I'm talking about!) and we're having the whole fam up for the event and a big dinner. So no time for "fun" stuff for me today!

Hope y'all have a wonderful weekend and I promise I'll post the rest of the stamp camp pics on Monday!

-Melissa

Christmas Stamp Camp Cards

My former SU! upline, Kelli Wilson, hosted a great event on Saturday that my SIL and I attended. We had a fabulous time chatting with my old team, making 10 cards plus a cute tote and she served a delicious lunch as well! I'll post a few cards today and some tomorrow.


Thanks so much, Kelli!!!

Went to Stamp Camp today!

Just a little late-night post lettin' y'all know that I'll have some DARLING cards to post on Monday! (I don't blog on Sundays)

My former SU! upline held a Christmas card stamp camp and we made THE cutest stuff. And it was so fun to see some of my old group there, especially Vickie---TTFN on Splitcoast. Wavin' hi to ya, cute lady!

Those Amazing Dirty Girls!!!

I *heart* the 15th of every month! It's the day that the new Dirty Dozen Gallery gets opened up for all of us wanna-be's to drool and oogle over!

I'm especially enjoying the Dirty Dozen right now as I have a dear friend who is a member! Kittie is just the most darling lady ever. We met at Stampin' Up's 2006 Convention and it was one of my highlights. I got to swap with her at the Splitcoast Dinner and she even slipped me a few extra cards---I'm going to be framing and hanging them in my stampin' room (which I was planning on doing even before she became "famous"!)

Not sure how it would even be possible that you could've missed Kittie747 and her distinctive style, but if you have somehow, go check out her SCS gallery immediately! Also, she's done some incredible things with different mediums other than paper since she's been a member of the DD, so become a Fan Club Member to see them!

Luv ya, Kittie!!!

Busy, busy

Don't know about everyone else, but life is just sooo busy right now! I have umpteen loads of laundry waiting for me behind closed doors, a sweet 3 y.o. daughter who, if she had her way, would sing songs, play dolls, and read books with me all day long! Then my social bug Kindergartener gets home and wants to know what play date I've set up for him-EVERY day. My two oldest boys are in an advanced school program called Spectrum, which, of course, means that I'M in the same program!

My 5th grader, Alex, is particularly busy. We (and I truly mean WE!) just finished up a big project called "Images of Greatness" where they chose a famous individual from American history to learn all about. It involved many, many smaller projects and then culminated last Thursday night at "The Main Event" where they dressed as their person, recited a poem, and presented a posterboard that took a LOT of work (yeah, that was pretty much an all-nighter on my part!) The teacher liked his poster so much that she bought it from us to keep and show her future classes how an exceptional poster looks. I *guess* that makes up for the lack of sleep??

Well, as I type this, I'm running late to pick up my 5 y.o. and one of his many girlfriends who is coming over for a play date today. One of these millenia I'll find 2 seconds to sit down and stamp something!!! Have a wonderful day.

Sisterhood of the Blogging Stampers

Hello Ladies!!!

I'm so excited to be a part of the Sistahood!

A few lil factoids: I'm 32....turning 33 in January and have been married to my DH Sam for 12 years. We have 4 munchkins...3 boys and 1 princess (actually, she's the QUEEN around here!) and just moved in to a new home in June of this year that my hubby was the General Contractor on. I've been stamping (seriously) for about 5 years and am a former SU! Demo. My first real love is scrapbooking, but since I was introduced to stampin', I haven't made a page in years!

I just created this blog today (um, yeah...like it's not obvious!), so please be patient with me as I figure out how to "purty it all up"! Luckily, my cards look a bit better than this blog! I've got a gallery over at SCS, so go check it out sometime.

Can't wait to get to know all of you better!!!