{i finally created a new page}

So, since i finished organizing my scrapbooking apparatus, i had to try out my "organizing" style. Liz, Tami and i came up to the shoppe a couple nights ago and did a little bit of creating! In 4 hours i completed 2 pages! i was starting on another, but my eyes were getting a little tired!! So here is what i did...

{i love my coffee!}

a close up of what i wrote...
note: look at that adorable "cupcake" stamp...from the Love, Elsie line!

"Concert"

i printed a few photos of when my sister, Ceara and i went to the State Fair for the
Rascal Flatts concert! Totally loved their performance!

what a mess!

Good Lord!! This is what happens when you attempt to "organize" your scrapbooking stuff! The other day i brought **all** my scrapbooking paper, flowers, brads, every single darn little thing i could find...and spread it out all over the living room floor! i think it took about three evening worth of sorting "stuff" and figuring out what the heck i wanted to do with it all!!

But, in the end...all my scrapbooking stuff ended up very nicely in little organized containers and then into rubbermaid containers to be able to haul it around a lot easier. i put all my FULL 12x12 sheets in one container, all the "almost full" sheets in another, and then brads in one container, flowers in another, buttons close by, and all "sticker & rub-ons" in yet another container! This is just the way i need it all!!

(oh, yes i cleaned the living room!! it looks *a lot* better now!!)

what a nice surprise...

This afternoon, while Brandon and i were home for lunch, Liz and James came up to the shoppe. So when we got back, i saw a post-it note stuck to my computer that said, "we missed you...but took pictures with your camera!" So i checked out the photos...and here is what i saw!

Little James...getting so big

...and starting to walk!!

absolutely *love* the little puppy shirt!

Thanks Liz for sharing photos with me!

computers...

oh my gosh...these computers are sooo addicting!! sometimes it feels like i am **always** on this dang computer! but i *love* the apple!! first thing when i come into work...i turn on the computer and check email. usually i only get a few junk mails (i'll admit i signed up for most of the ones i get...clothing mostly!) although sometimes i'll have about 20 new messages (and i'm extremely bad about replying in a timely fashion!!)... go up to the coffee shoppe and chat with everyone for a little while, make a few coffees, come back to the scrap room and play on the computer! some of it is actually for work, like doing a new email for our mailing list, posting on the store's blog, looking up new products, making orders online... (okay... plenty is just for myself!!). i have certain blogs i like to check and then i check out google analytics and then of course i just have to go to my new favourite site...flickr!! check out my photos and read the comments...then i go and check out my contacts new photos and then go on a quest to find more photos to put in my "favourites"!! yep, i'm addicted (just like my usual morning latte!!)

the Apple computer logo

miss Liz...sitting in the chair in the Scrap room "stealing" our internet!! Brandon fixed the wireless internet so now when people bring their computers in they have internet access!! So, the last few days, Liz has been coming in (now that her computer is fixed!) and uploading photos to her blog and well, actually being very quiet in the corner just enjoying playing on the computer!

baby lola

My friend Jenny just had a little baby girl!! Lola is 8 days old today...so sweet! Yesterday i got to take photos of her and little Lola's mommy and daddy and big brother! Here are a few of the photos from yesterday's photo shoot...enjoy!

Little baby Lola...so absolutely adorable...so much hair too!!

Jenny and Lola

Daniel and Lola

Fletcher and Lola

Little Fingers...

Little Toes....

For a few more photos of Lola's photo shoot go here...

faces

oh boy! When brandon and i were up north right before Christmas these photos were taken. i had forgotten they were on iPhoto until today! Self-portraits of course!! My younger sisters Marissa (on the left) and Emma (on the right) with Brandon...

sorry dear...good thing you don't look like this in the morning!!

super-close-up of Emma! beautiful green eyes

Oh, do the girls love doing the bunny-ears!!

just love Emma's pointing finger in the back!!

Brandon looks like a scared frog and Emma looks like a devilish little girl there!!
(She's not really like that at all...she sure is bossy at times, but sweet at heart!!)

~~Boredom~~

Last Saturday...at work...a slow day...not much to do...solution...take photos of your socks!
Luckily i had my camera at work with me. There was a comment made about my funky coloured socks so i proceeded to roll my jeans up far enough to look "weird" and walked around the store with an over-exaggerated large "dorky" walk! Made them laugh at least!

i kinda' like these socks

So, with my jeans still rolled up, i wondered into the coffee shoppe and found a Sharpie on the table...here is my "artwork"!
(above photo)...on the back of my wrist.

This was on the back of my left hand and wrapped a little around my wrist.
Tattoos...sure glad this version came off in the shower (after a bit of scrubbing though!!)

my new camera!!

drum roll please...i finally have my new camera!! i've been saving my photography money for quite some time and finally had enough to buy a new camera. Nikon D40X. Of course i let Brandon do all the research on dslr cameras...and it was a toss up between Canon and Nikon...since i already had a Canon i decided on Nikon this time!

So here she is...

i *love* taking photos with it now!!

baking for Christmas...

i was busy baking cooking one afternoon for a cookie exchange in town with a bunch of ladies.
one kind of cookie and 6 dozen. doesn't sound too tough...just time consuming!! and of course i waited until the last possible minute to make them!! i made them just a few hours before i was supposed to be to the cookie exchange!!
coconut date balls was the cookie i chose to make...they are my absolute favourite!!

oh...i almost i forgot these photos were taken with my new Nikon D40x!!
i **love** the camera!! i got it on Wednesday...and of course started snapping photos right away!!
hope you all had a great Christmas! xoxo

miss elsie jane

brandon and i went up north for an early Christmas...we drove up later on friday and came home late afternoon on sunday (after elsie's baptism). here are a few photos of little elsie
(7 weeks!)

me holding my first little niece!!

i think she's sleepy!

my youngest sister, emma (5), holding elsie

Elsie's baptism

my little niece, Elsie Jane, was baptism last Sunday...here are a few photos of her baptism.

mommy shasta and elsie

daddy jon and elsie

grandma carla, grandpa wayne, jon, shasta and elsie

grandma becky (jon's mom)

grandpa wane (jon's dad)

(for some reason i did not take photos of my mom and dad separately holding elsie!)

liz and ben's interesting ideas...

so...this afternoon liz comes into the store and asks if we have a large plastic bag that would hold a boxspring mattress and also some rope. we were like..."hmmm, okay..what for??" she proceeded to tell us what their plans were...the boxspring wouldn't fit up the stairs, so they were going to pull it up through the window!! now this we had to see!! when they were ready to hoist it up outside...she called and said, "if you want some entertainment this afternoon stop over!!"

ben, tying the ropes onto the mattress...

liz and miles looking down three stories at ben and the mattress...

1, 2, 3...pull!!
(with brandon down below!!)

toward the third story it goes!!

oofdah! it got stuck! so down it went and brandon tied another rope on it and turned the mattress around.

hmmm...liz tied the ropes to the child's gate!!

and one more time...1,2,3 pull!! this time the mattress came in through the window successfully!
it was all for a very good cause though, you see...now liz can take over the spare bedroom with her scrapbook room!!

3 months!!

yeah!! brandon and i have been married for 3 months now!! probably doesn't seem like very long for those who have been married for years...but it means a lot to us!!

**love you brandon**

**love**

just had to share this...i gave this card to brandon the other day...just because. i was shopping for thanksgiving cards at hallmark and i totally love reading through tons of cards and i came across this one. so i bought it for him. and then carried it around in my purse for close to two weeks! i didn't just want to give it to him and say "love you". so i was taking the afternoon off of work to run some errands...and decided this was the perfect time to give him the card!! i bought stuff for a nice dinner, went to the flower shoppe and bought one rose....you betcha' i was going to go all out!! so when he came home from work i had dinner started, a bottle of wine on the coffee table with some candles burning and this card leaning up against the rose. he loved it!! (he probably thought...oh dear, what did she buy now??...just kidding!!)


so we had a nice dinner and then just relaxed for the rest of the evening...enjoying being together with each other...love you hun!

sunset

look at this photo! brandon and i were on our way to mankato, taking the backroads, and to the west of us...this gorgeous sunset! so i had to stop the car and take this photo! (yes, i was driving...i was a little hyper so i wanted to drive so i wouldn't drive brandon crazy as i sat in the car!)

our home

here a few photos of our home....okay i guess just the bedroom!! we recently re-arranged the bedroom...angling the bed, photos on the wall, a new mirror (actually an old one of mine, but new for the house!). i love the look of the bedroom!