The World According to Jeanne

Happy New Year!

2012-01-12T12:41:00.021-06:00

We've been celebrating birthdays like crazy here at the Pellerin house.

Jack was 9 on November 22. He asked for (and received!) a Flip video camera because he loves to make little mini movies staring his Pokemon toys. He's such a nut! Here he is with his cake. There was some mix up at Poupart's, because his cake was decorated with flowers. He wasn't very pleased about it, but luckily, it didn't stop him from digging in and enjoying his cake!

Next was Caroline on December 11. This girl is fifteen years old! What is up with that? She was just born! Well, it feels that way to me. We celebrated her birthday at my grandmother's house in St. Martinville. Here she is with her favorite lemon daubage cake. Can you tell that she didn't want me to take her picture?

The last birthday of the year was Anna's, on December 21st. This sweet girl is now 12 years old. Crazy, I tell ya! Anna and I are both Hello Kitty enthusiasts, so her cake was an easy choice. Her birthday always seems to get wrapped in together with Christmas, which bothers me more than it bothers her, I think. She loves being a Christmas baby!

I spent some time in November and December making ornaments for our Christmas tree. Here are a few.

This is the picture from our Christmas card in 2004. Caroline was 7, Anna was 4, and Jack was 1. My babies!

I love this picture of Matthew from our time at the beach last summer. It was just begging to be displayed!

Here is Caroline holding baby Jack in 2003. How sweet is this?!

We spent a wonderful Christmas morning at home together. It was our first one in the new house.

Here's Matthew with his new Angry Birds game. This kid loves, loves, loves Angry Birds!

Jack got, among other things, lots of Pokemon "stuff". Little rubber Pokemon creatures, books describing all the different Pokemon, these plush Pokemon critters . . . the boy is obsessed!

Anna got a much-anticipated laptop. No more having to share mom's computer with the boys!

Here is a shot of Caroline with a gift from Sephora, which I think must be her favorite store. Seems like we are always in there! Her "big" gift was a Vitamix blender. She is a vegetarian, you see, so I thought that a Vitamix would be a great gift. I envisioned her starting each day with a smoothie made just the way she likes, maybe some fresh, homemade hummus . . . let's just say that my bright idea did not translate. She was, and remains, unimpressed. There's always next year, right?

That's it from here. Thanks for stopping by, and best wishes for the new year!

Just a Quickie!

2011-11-10T11:15:00.011-06:00

I'm back with a really quick little share!

I've been working hard on my photo Christmas ornaments today. I did several like this a couple of years ago, but wanted something bigger this year. We have room in our new house for a taller, wider Christmas tree, so I wanted bigger ornaments. This one is about 5.5 inches. It looks AMAZING!!! I put a picture of Caroline as a 3 year old on one side, and a recent picture of her as a 14 year old on the other. I love it! I used lots of pop dots for dimension, as well as glittery patterned paper and sparkling acrylic gems. I can't wait to get this one on the tree!

Here are the two sides of the ornament before I glued them together.

Here it is once I attached the sides together. I hung it off the edge of my desk for the picture.

I cut the scalloped circles on my Silhouette Cameo, and the patterned paper and photos using my Cricut (George cartridge). So much fun! I used archival quality photo paper, so hopefully we can enjoy these ornaments for many years to come.

I made turkey cupcake toppers for a bake sale at the boys' school last week. Aren't they cute? Gobble gobble!

I've been wrapping Christmas gifts like mad this week! I love the look of plain kraft paper with just one beautiful embellishment. After I wrapped this gift, I tied a couple yards of aqua baker's twine around the box, topped it with a snowflake that I cut out on my Silhouette, and glued little round mirrors on top. It came out really cute, and I think the mirrors will reflect the lights of the Christmas tree beautifully. I've been having the mirror accents sitting in a jar in my studio - didn't even have to make a Michael's run!

The boys were invited to an ice skating party last weekend. Ice skating is a fairly big deal down here in Louisiana where it's almost always warm. A friend was kind enough to snap this photo of me and my boy, Jack. I love it!

A couple of days ago, I decided to cut what was left of the cattails to add to an arrangement I made awhile back. Matt wanted to help, so I let him hold the cattails once they were cut. He pretended that he was a soldier and the cattails were his "soldier guns". My sweet baby boy!

Gotta run, but hope you enjoyed this little share! :)

Hello Again!

2011-11-02T12:03:00.017-05:00

I've been saving several little projects to share with you, so here goes!

This is the time of year when I slow down on page layouts and start working on Christmas. I love, love, love to make beautiful gift bags for my kids' gifts! I use my Christmas Cricut cartridges, stickles, ribbon, acrylic gems, pop dots . . . so much fun, and so pretty under the tree! I have to start early, because of course I have four children, and three of the four have holiday birthdays. Here are a few pictures of my favorite gift bags so far!

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I did complete one new layout recently, and here it is!

I made it using my new Silhouette Cameo. The Cameo is similar to the Cricut, but instead of using image and font cartridges, you connect to your computer and download the images you want. So far, I really, really like it! I don't think it replaces the Cricut. Not for me, anyway. But it is a nice addition!

A friend recently asked me to make birthday party invitations for her daughter. The party theme was pink and brown owls. This is what I came up with. Isn't it cute? I love the little folded leaves and the flower in the owl's "hair"!

We did some serious trick-or-treating a couple of nights ago. The kids scored lots of loot and had a great time. I must say, they looked mighty cute, too! Anna was a beautiful little witch, Jack was Pikachu (his silliest costume yet), and my sweet little Mattie was . . . The Very Hungry Caterpillar! Cute, cute, cute!

Caroline went to her first homecoming dance a few weeks ago. She was beatiful! So hard to believe that my precious baby girl is so grown up . . .

Anna has been busy with her Tuesday horseback riding lessons. The horse she rides is named Buddy, and Anna loves him!

Our family is working together on a special Thanksgiving project, so once it takes shape a bit more, I'll be back to share with you!

Well, that's it for now. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me!

Tropical Storm Lee

2011-09-08T11:33:00.011-05:00

It's actually starting to feel a bit like fall here in South Louisiana. The temperatures have dropped into the 50's for a few nights now, and the highs are only in the low 80's. For September, that's about as good as it gets. We had to suffer through Tropical Storm Lee to get here, but I think it was worth it!

Last Friday, before the weather got really nasty, I went to St. Edward School's weekly mass. As always, it was nothing short of amazing, with hundreds of smiling little faces and beautiful music. Jack was chosen to be a gift bearer, and he did a great job. He was very excited because not only was I in church that day, both of his grandparents (my parents) and his dad were there to support him. That afternoon, he told me, "I really appreciate Dad coming to my mass. I know it was hard for him to make it because he had to work today." What a sweet boy we have. We love our Jackie!

We had several days of rain, which caused the Bayou Teche to overflow its banks a bit. I took this picture of Gil's bloodhound, Bella, on Monday. By this time, the worst of the weather had passed. You can see that the bayou is really high - there are some elephant ears sticking up in the background on the left. Those are usually not underwater! Luckily, it didn't get any higher than this.

There wasn't much to do over the long, rainy weekend. We couldn't really get out, so I was left with no choice but to work on a few scrapbook pages. Our sweet kitty, Snowy, loves to hang out in my studio with me. She likes to sleep in my basket of paper scraps. Silly kitty!

I put this page together pretty quickly. I've been having these cute little stamp stickers for a while now, so it was time to make hay. It came out pretty cute. I like the bright colors!

Here is Jack's back to school page. He got a new, much shorter, haircut right before school started. I know it's a lot cooler, but I will miss his longer locks.

I've been looking at my Cricut cartridges with a new eye lately. I want to try to do more with them than I have in the past. The "Give a Hoot" cartridge has lots of adorable, earth-friendly images, and I love the little deer. It reminds me of a newborn baby, so small and fragile. That's Jack at 10 days old, having a bath. I love his wispy baby hair!

When we lived in New Orleans, we looked forward each spring to Earth Fest at Audubon Zoo. There was great food, live music, vendors selling beautiful art, and of course, lots of animals. Gil snapped this picture of Caroline and I, and it is one of my very favorites. My sweet little girl!

I hope that you enjoyed this share. I've got a couple of projects on my desk that I hope will be ready to post soon. Please come back and visit again!

What Do You Mean, Layouts?

2011-08-27T18:31:00.029-05:00

Yes, you read right! I'm back, with new layouts to share. I haven't gotten many pages done in the last year, what with all of our house renovating and moving, so I have to make up for lost time!

All four of my babies went back to school a couple of weeks ago, and I harassed them until they agreed to let me take their pictures! Caroline is a freshman in high school. I know, it's crazy! Here is the layout I made for her.

My little Mattie-Moo is in Kindergarten! He had very "mixed" feelings about going back to school. He had such a good time in Pre-K that he wasn't real sure about leaving. After a bit of a bumpy start, he's doing really well. Thank goodness!

Anna-Banana is officially a middle schooler! She's at the same school, Catholic High, but in the middle school building. She's got a locker this year, and lots of different teachers. So far, so good!

I once read somewhere that it's perfectly okay to use the same design over and over. Good thing! This page is about Matt playing on the swingset at my grandmother's house. This swingset has been enjoyed by Bienvenu kids, grandkids and great grandkids since the 1940's!

We went to Gulf Shores in July, and in less than a week, Jack went from being petrified of the water (despite 5 years of swimming lessons) to being a boogie boarding master! I had this same picture enlarged and printed on canvas for my studio wall!

I wanted to include lots of pictures from our trip, so I used a divided page protector (American Crafts, I think) to add them in. I then added this page of pictures to his album right after his "Slick Lizard" layout. Pretty cool! I will probably go back and add little captions to the individual photos.

This layout for Anna is the first one that I made in my new studio! I wanted to keep it simple (shocker, right?), and ease myself back into the scrapbooking groove!

Finally, finally, finally! We've been in the blue house since June 4th, and my studio is finally taking shape! I've moved my desk, three tables and lots of supplies to my new space. It must be said that my new studio is about 1/4 the size of my old one. But it's all good! The new studio is on the first floor, right next to the kitchen and living room, so I can sneak in time to play while dinner is cooking or the kids are hanging out. My other studio was on the second floor through the attic and totally isolated. Don't get me wrong, it was over 400 square feet of scrapbooking bliss, but it was almost impossible to get up there unless the younger kids were with me, and then they usually "distracted" me to the point that I couldn't really get anything done. So this new studio is working out great!

This is the where I stash my cardstock and patterned paper. It still needs a bit of organizing, but it's okay for now. I love the canvases on the wall! I want to go all around the room with my favorite pictures of the kids and Gil.

More paper with jars of goodies on top.

Here is my Cricut table. I spend lots of time here!

I love all the jars of buttons. To me, they look like glistening jewels! I plan to hang the fishy canvas in the boys' bathroom, and the butterfly is for Anna.

Baker's twine is totally hot in the scrapbooking world right now. It comes in lots of gorgeous colors, and I'm all into it! It can be used to tie buttons, to stitch with, to tie around packages . . . I love it! The spools fit perfectly into sugar dispensers. I got these at Walmart for $1.00 each! The computer isn't cooperating, so I can't give you a clickable link, but I ordered the twine at whiskergraphics.com.

I hung my beautiful stained glass stars in my studio windows recently. In the old house, they hung in the kitchen windows next to the table where we ate our meals. They are so pretty! One day I'd like to learn how to make cool things with stained glass. Anyway, when the sun shines through the windows, the stars come to life! These come from Kurt Knudsen's etsy shop.

They even make cool shadows on the wall!

Thanks so much for stopping by, especially after my two month absence! I truly appreciate all of you who take the time to visit with me. :)

We're In!

2011-06-21T19:52:00.024-05:00

Hello, my darling blog readers! It's me, your long-lost friend! I have missed you all very much, and I have lots to share, so here goes . . .

In April, Jack made his First Holy Communion at St. Martin de Tours Church in St. Martinville. Even though he wasn't thrilled with having his picture taken, Gil and I were really proud of our sweet boy on this important day!

Matthew's Pre-K class had a tea party. The children wore their "Sunday best" and practiced using good manners. Mattie took this all quite seriously, and was very happy to have a beautiful classmate to escort!

Pre-K had an end-of-year closing mass, which was just beautiful! So many little voices singing to God with all their hearts . . . it was absolutely precious. Matt was chosen to be an alter server, and here he is in his robe. He was pretty proud of himself, and so were we!

I had the happy task of making the banner for the mass, which was St. Edward School's last mass of the school year.

It was Caroline's turn to graduate next, along with her 8th grade CHS classmates. I can't believe that this girl of ours is going to be in high school next year! It seems like she started Pre-K just yesterday! She's worked very hard, made really great grades and played some pretty awesome soccer. We are so blessed to have such an intelligent, wonderful, beautiful girl!

Here she is post-graduation with friends, all really sweet girls. 8th grade sure don't look like it used to!

Our Mattie is five years old! I know, I can't believe it either. It happened over the weekend, June 18th, to be exact. He was born on Father's Day in 2006. We had a party at the blue house, complete with cake . . .

a water slide . . .

and party favors!

He had a happy day with lots of friends and family around him. :)

I saved the biggest news for last! Yes, we are finally in the blue house! We closed in May of 2010, began working on the gutting/remodeling in June of 2010, and moved in on June 4, 2011. We still have lots to do, but hey, we're in! This is truly our dream house, and I hope that we can live here forever. The property that the house sits on is what first attracted us. 4.88 acres on the bayou, 40+ live oak trees and a lovely "rolling" front yard. The house itself suits us perfectly, with plenty enough room for our family of six.

Here's a shot of our bedroom. You'll note that there is nothing on the walls yet. That will come soon! You will also note that after 16.5 years of marriage, we still do not have proper bedside tables. We have tv trays. Lovely, I know. But nightstands are on my list of things we "need" for this new house!

Here's a shot of the living area. I didn't think that the red sofas from the other house would go, but they kinda do. Good thing, too, because new sofas aren't in the budget at the moment! That's Mattie on the sofa with Bitsy-Boo, our Chihuahua-baby. Please excuse the basket of laundry waiting to be folded - I was keepin' it real!

Here is the kitchen I have dreamed of! There is so much more counter space than in the last house. I love the big stove with the copper hood, the long island where the kids can have snacks and do their homework while I cook, and the beverage cooler for their drinks. Since we've been in, I've been cooking up a storm. We are still waiting on the backsplash and the pot filler, but other than those two things, the kitchen is DONE!

This is a shot of the kitchen from the living area. Sorry about the dark pictures. We finally got a bit of rain this afternoon, and the light wasn't the best.

I've been working hard to move my studio from the other house to this one. I'm making progress, slowly but surely. Here is my desktop, just waiting for a new project! Yes, I love Disney snowglobes. No, I am not 11.

Here is the view from my studio windows. This is our front yard. What do you think? We love it!

So for now, my pretties, this is it. We'll be off to the beach in a few weeks, so I will have more to share soon. Maybe even a scrapbook page or two! ;)

Hello Again!

2011-04-16T11:02:00.018-05:00

You may have been wondering what we Pellerins have been up to lately. The answer is, lots and lots! Not much scrapbooking, sorry to say. All of my "free" time is spent at the blue house, tiling, painting, etc. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

In February, Caroline was a Jr. Maid in St. Martinville's Mardi Gras Ball. She was so beautiful! Her costume was made by my mom. Anyone who knows anything about Mardi Gras balls knows that costumes like these require hundreds of hours of meticulous handwork. So thanks, Granny, it wouldn't have happened without you!

Jack lost something recently. Two somethings, actually. His front teeth! He looked so doggone cute with his toothless smile! I've always made a point to take lots of pictures of my kids at this stage. It's so fleeting, but so precious!

My lil Anna-Banana decided recently that it was time for a change. When she was much younger, we decided to let her bangs grow out. For years now, Anna has sported the all-one-length look. Thanks to our favorite hairdresser, Gig at Clyde's, Anna is now looking mighty cute with her sassy new bangs! Sometimes a girl just needs a new look! ;)

Matt is finishing up his year as a Pre-K student. We have been so blessed to have a wonderful, loving teacher who, coincidentally, is my sister and Matt's aunt, Peggy, aka "Nanny Peg". Funny how that works, huh? ;) Anyway, Matt's class celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday recently. Here's a cute shot of Matt with the hat that he made in class. How adorable is this???

Lots of you have been asking for pictures of our progress at the blue house. Well, I'm happy to say that we are so close! I hope that I'm not jinxing myself, but we are currently working really hard to be in by June 1st. Do you hear that, contractors? June 1st! Of this year! So here are some pictures.

Here's Matt, posing proudly with his little red kitchen. This boy loves to "cook"! You may have noticed the runner on the floor. This is to keep the muddy boots of our contractors from messing up the fresh carpet.

The drawer pulls and knobs have been installed throughout the house. I love them!

Except for the floor, the living room is DONE! The walls are painted, the ceiling and trim have been stained and sealed. It came out so great! We are happy, happy, happy with the way this room is looking!

Lots of progress in the kitchen lately. We've been working hard on the slate floors. Slate is gorgeous, but a huge biotch to install. We will also be putting slate in the laundry room, pantry, carport entry hall, dining room and front door entry.

Anna's room is looking good. She chose the wall and trim colors herself! Isn't this butterfly mobil gorgeous? When the fan is on, the butterflies dance in the breeze!

I bought this lamp at Target last week. The shade was plain, so I added the flowers and the monogram. Anna wasn't terribly impressed, but I think it's cute!

This is Anna's desk area. It will probably turn into a vanity once she's older. I love the scalloped mirror!

I love, love, love the cabinets in our kitchen! They're cypress, and match the woodwork throughout the house. Here's a picture of the cabinet that houses my serving pieces. I love white! It matches everything, is inexpensive, so if something breaks, it's not a big deal to replace. I love to serve a meal to my family with food in bowls and platters at the table, instead of serving from the stovetop. Makes me feel all domestic! ;)

When you enter the house from the carport, there is an area on the left with cubbies for the kids booksacks and sports equipment. There are two rows of hooks for coats. Above the hooks are these gallery wraps of the kids that I took in Gulf Shores a couple of summers ago. I love this area! Our cabinet maker totally saw the same vision we did!

When the time came to choose kitchen light fixtures, I looked and looked and looked for just the right ones. I thought I wanted something Tiffany style, but never could find the one I was picturing in my head. Finally found these on Amazon. I ordered them on a Saturday and they were delivered the next Tuesday. They're so pretty!

All of this house-renovating bolognie stresses me out, so I've been focusing on the small but precious everyday happenings in my life. Like an unexpected day with my sweet nephew, Ben, whose imagination is as big as his smile.

Like sitting at the table with Matt while he enjoys his breakfast of chocolate milk and a PBJ, served on a Zoo Pals plate.

Like watching my neighbor's geese from my favorite backyard spot.

These are the things that bring calm to my heart. Anyone who's ever built or renovated a house knows that a calm heart can be hard to come by when you're in the thick of it!

Hope that everyone has a relaxing, peaceful weekend and Easter. Love, love, love to all of you, my beloved blog readers! :)

2011-01-15T20:20:00.014-06:00

Hello, my precious blog readers! I can't believe that I haven't had a new post in such a long time. I am sorry, sorry, sorry!

I don't usually do much scrapbooking in December because it's such a crazy-busy month. But I did manage to squeeze in a couple of layouts before things got too chaotic. The first is from Christmas 2009. The page design is by Cathy Zielske. It's clean and simple and I love it! The second page is something I put together kinda quick. I used the candle from Jack's cake in the title, which is the most interesting thing about this page. It was fairly boring to make, but considering all I had going on, it's a minor miracle that I got it done at all!

I love to make decorated gift bags for Christmas. This year, I made several using my new(ish) Cricut Imagine. It prints and cuts, and is so much fun! It doesn't replace the original Cricut machines, but it is a cool addition to their line.

We spent Christmas night at my sister's house. Her husband makes the best seafood gumbo every year! Anyway, we took family pictures after dinner, and here is ours. You'll notice that I am holding my head in an odd position. I was trying to hide my double chin, but it didn't work out. Aside from the weird head tilt, I really like the picture. I love my precious family!

I love Christmas morning at our house! The kids come racing down the stairs like they're on fire, and then we spend the longest time enjoying Santa's bounty. Everyone was happy with their loot, which made Gil and I happy parents. Matt got a little red kitchen from Pottery Barn Kids. He saw one in the store in Metairie a couple of months ago and went berserk, so he was mighty happy to see it sitting in the den when he woke up!

Among other things, Caroline got a cool Harry Potter book that she really liked. She has enjoyed the Harry Potter books and movies since she was 7!

Anna got a new American Girl doll that she hadn't even put on her list. Gotta love a Christmas surprise!

Jackie Boy got a b.b. gun, which is about the best gift an 8 year old boy in the south can hope for. He was one happy kid! He's been saving his happy meal toys and using them for target practice. :)

Here's what the tree looked like on December 24th. Wasn't it pretty? I love Christmas!

We went to Christmas Mass at St. Martin de Tours on Christmas Eve. I snapped a quick picture before we walked out the door. Didn't everyone look nice? All shiny and clean and dressed up!

Anna turned 11 (I know, I can't believe it either) on December 21st. She's my little Christmas baby! Here she is with her yummy cake (from Poupart's, of course).

After 18 months, Caroline got her braces off! Her teeth look bee-u-tee-ful! I took this photo of her and her orthodontist, Stacy St. Marie. If you're in the market for an awesome orthodontist in the Lafayette area, Stacy is your man!

Caroline turned 14 on December 11th, just a few days before the braces came off. Here she is with her cake, looking like a happy little birthday girl! Cher!

Jack turned 8 on November 22nd. See what I mean about my life being crazy around the holidays? Three of my four kids have holiday birthdays! Anyway, we had his party at the blue house. We rented a really cool dragon slide/obstacle course and had lots of his friends over. He had such a good time! I love this kid!

Well, I guess that's about it! Thank you for coming back to my blog, even though I've left you hanging for the last two months. ;)

Hello Again!

2010-11-11T21:21:00.018-06:00

Hello again, my lovely blog readers. I have so much to share with you! I guess that's what happens when I don't post anything new for over a month, right? Let's see, where shall we begin . . .

I have layouts! I made this first one from a Cathy Zielske sketch (have I mentioned that I love her?) I printed all of the patterned papers on my new, amazing Cricut Imagine! Anyway, I was pleased with how this one turned out. All the focus is on the photograph, just the way I like it! Isn't my girlie-pie beautiful? :)

This next one was made with some of the new American Crafts patterned papers - they are so adorable! I made coordinating buttons with my new super-cool Epiphany button thingies. I loved the simplicity of this page so much that I made another one!

Aren't these little felt flowers sweet? They're by Pebbles and American Crafts. Really, they could be used on lots of things - picture frames, headbands, baby hats, etc. Super cute!

When I started this layout, I planned to use some of the new Doodlebug Christmas papers and embellishments, but it didn't work out. Turns out, this Christmas line by American Crafts was a better match. Look at how young my girls look! Sob!

I'm still making the banners for the Friday morning masses at St. Edward, the school Jack and Matt attend. These banners are four feet high by five feet wide, so they are something of an undertaking, but I like being able to contribute this way. I'm not much of a volunteer. Between having four kids and a husband who works unpredictable hours, you won't see much of me at PTO meetings. Making the banners is a good fit for me. And they're fun, too! Here are pictures of the last three. Cute, right?

Halloween has come and gone, and I've got the pictures to prove it. Anna was a sassy little cowgirl, all dressed in pink. Even her boots were pink!

Jack is into Mario Brothers video games big time, so guess who he had to be? You got it, Mario himself!

Matthew wanted to be a puppy dog, but because I am a procrastinator, the puppy costumes were all gone by the time I went online to place my order. He was very good about the lion costume, even though it wasn't his first choice. He roared for days!

A few days after Halloween, Matt climbed up onto the back of the sofa in our den. Before Gil could finish saying "Get down before you get hurt", Matthew lost his balance and tumbled over the back, apparently landing on his right wrist. He's got a compression fracture, which scored him a glow-in-the-dark cast. He was in a bit of pain for the first few days, but is feeling much improved now. His cast was pristine in the beginning, but is looking fairly grungy about now.

You may remember that we are in the process of renovating a house. When I say "we", I mean our contractor and all of his handy helpers. Well, it's looking better every day. I'm starting to think that we might actually live there soon! Here is a picture of the kitchen sink. I love, love, love antique copper. When I found this one online, I knew that it was meant to be! I was a little worried about how it would look with the cypress cabinets, but I think it's going to work out okay.

Here's a shot of my scrapbook room. It's a good bit smaller than the one I have now, but it's on the first floor and has a really beautiful view of the oak trees in the front yard. I can't wait until I can start organizing all of my scrapbook goodness in here!

Our master bedroom has a really lovely window seat. It's my favorite part of the room! The wood still needs to be stained, but this is what it looks like so far. The windows look out onto the Bayou Teche.

I went by myself to choose the granite for the kitchen. This made me nervous because once it's purchased and fabricated, there's no turning back! When Gil finally saw it, he really liked it, so I was relieved! The pattern is called "Iguassu", but I call it "Malignant Melanoma" for obvious reasons. It's "leather" finish, which means it's matte, not shiny. It works well with the rustic feel of the house, I think. Here is the piece that will go on top of the island.

We got some really great news recently. Gil's brother Mitch and his wife Tiffany are moving from Las Vegas to Louisiana, and will be living within twenty minutes of us. We are thrilled! They're bringing along a curly-haired little lovebug named Hudson. We can't wait until they're all settled in so that we can see them all the time, instead of a couple of times a year. Yay!

I hope to post again soon and share more good stuff with you. Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me! :)

It's Fall, Y'all!

2010-10-03T20:29:00.019-05:00

Hello, my beautiful blog readers. I've really been missing y'all!

It's finally starting to feel like fall here in the Deep South. The weather has been gorgeous for the last week, with highs in the 70's and much lower humidity. Ah, heaven!

I've been working on a few minor scrapbooking projects lately. Here's a page that I made about Matt's first few weeks in Pre-K. I love to include my kids' original artwork whenever I can. Check out the school bus! Isn't it cute?

I channeled my inner Cathy Zielske on this page about Matt's soccer team. Cathy, if you happen to read this, I hope that you won't be offended by my insufficient attempt to capture your greatness!

This one is just a quick, simple page about Anna and her heart-shaped toast. This kid is happiest with the littlest of things. When I cut her toast into hearts, she was thrilled! :)

My sweet grandmother, Margaret Fournet Bienvenu, a.k.a. "Maw-Maw B.", celebrated her 96th birthday on September 16th. 96th! She's in incredible shape - super sharp, classy dresser, gets her hair done every Friday and serves cocktails every Sunday at noon. We're so blessed to have her with us! I took this picture of Maw-Maw and Caroline at the party. :)

Gil also had a birthday in September. He turned 39 on the 22nd. Here he is with his cake and all four kids. I love this picture!

Right before his birthday, Gil decided it was time for a new truck. This is his third black Ford truck in a row. Gotta love a man who knows what he likes! I took this picture of he and Caroline in our driveway with his new ride.

Matthew was chosen to be the student of the week in his Pre-K class recently, which meant that Edward the Panda got to spend a week at our house. Matt was beyond excited! Edward slept in Matt's bed every night of his visit.

Now that the weather is so much nicer, we've been spending more time at the blue house. It's still under construction, so we mostly hang out in the yard.

Jack likes to swing on the rope swing.

Anna takes Bitsy, our chihuahua puppy, for lots of walks.

The boys ride the Gator (yes, I get nervous when they're close to the bayou)

When Jack and Matt are otherwise occupied, Anna gets her turn to swing.

We're still hoping to be in by the end of the year. It's coming along - we now have windows, but still no doors, a/c, bathrooms, etc.

I've been making the banners for St. Edward's Friday morning masses. I love this project! The theme for the year is "BE", and each banner represents the religion lesson for the week.

This one was "Be Autumn" - as the leaves change color, we should look inside ourselves and find ways to change for the better.

"Be Yourself" - God wants us to be the unique individuals we were born to be.

"Be Harvested" - like the farmers who trust that God will provide sun and rain for their crops, we should have faith that God will provide whatever we need to thrive and grow.

"Be Like Katie" - St. Edward School was founded by St. Katherine Drexel. We should be like Katie and give of ourselves to help children everywhere, especially the poor.

Our local scrapbook store, Treasured Memories, re-opens next Saturday, October 9th in a new location after being closed for several months. I can't wait! Janet and Wendy, get ready, cause I'm comin'!

That's it for now! Enjoy the fall weather, and thanks for stopping by and visiting with me. :)

2010-09-07T12:42:00.020-05:00

Hello! We Pellerins have been busy as usual since my last post. Jackson and Matthew are both playing soccer for the first time this fall, and are having lots of fun. Gil and I are having a blast watching their games and cheering them on. Seeing the younger kids play is really a kick!

I managed to complete one and a half scrapbook pages in the last little while. You'll have to check back for the rest of the pink page! ;) Anna got her school picture back last week, and I liked it so much that I wanted to use it on a page right away. I love the new loopy border punch! It's by Martha Stewart and I got it at Michael's. Can't wait to get more pages done soon!!! When I can't scrapbook, I go crazy!

Took a trip to New Orleans with Gil a week ago. I think it was our best New Orleans get-away yet! Usually, when we're in New Orleans, it's for a conference or wedding or something along those lines. Lots of things to do and places to be. This time, we had no plans whatsoever, except to relax and enjoy! It was rainy all weekend, so we stayed in and napped and ordered room service, two of my favorite things!

We did get out of the hotel to eat at some of our favorite restaurants (Brennan's, The Rib Room and Galatoire's), and we went to Harrah's so that Gil could play blackjack. I'm not much of a gambler, but I did put $10 in a slot machine to pass time while Gil played cards. After I'd spent $3, I got crazy-lucky and won $1,000!!!! Woohoo!!!! I've never won that much money, ever in my life! So I thought that the return on my 3 bucks was pretty decent. ;)

I made another banner for St. Edward's Mass last Friday. The theme was "Be Helpful". I love all the kids holding hands! I thought they looked sweet. :)

Our blue house is coming right along. We now have primed sheetrock throughout the first floor! Woohoo! I finally chose tile for Caroline and Anna's bathroom. I wanted something young and fun, because they're young and fun!

Isn't it pretty? :)

Have a wonderful week, and thanks for stopping by!

Well, Hello There!

2010-08-23T12:44:00.011-05:00

Hi! Can you believe I'm back with a new post already? I know, I'm surprised, too! The kids have been back in school for a week now, and I'm settling into my new routine, which includes (so far, at least) a bit more time for scrapbooking. Yay!

One thing that kept me busy last week was a banner project that I volunteered for. My two boys go to St. Edward School here in New Iberia, and there is a school mass every Friday morning. These masses are just beautiful! The kids sing and the music teacher plays her guitar. It is delightful! Anyway, the religion teacher usually makes the banner, but since I like that sort of thing, I offered to make the banner for this week's mass. The theme was "Be Prepared". Be prepared for school, be prepared to have Christ in your heart. Here is what I came up with!

I've been baking - and trying not to eat any of the results! I made these cupcakes to take to my Maw-Maw B's house last Sunday. They're lemon with lemon cream cheese icing. Anna is my kitchen helper, so I can't take all the credit!

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I also made these brownies, but Caroline was the only one who liked the white chocolate on top.

So, being the wonderful mother that I am (big wink), I made another batch, this time with little gum paste hearts. These went over much better!

I even made a scrapbook layout about how much I love to bake!

On a note unrelated to cupcakes, brownies and/or cookies, Matthew is playing soccer for the first time this fall. He is such a little guy! I had to buy cleats that are two sizes too big because the cleat people don't make smaller ones. Here's a picture from practice on Saturday. Notice how big even the smallest shin guards are on him!

I took individual photos of the kids on their first day back to school. Jack's is so cute! He is such a sweet boy, and he loves his mommy! :)

I'm heading to New Orleans for an adults-only getaway with Gil on Friday. I plan to sleep, order room service, and sleep some more. Have a great week!

Back to School

2010-08-12T17:53:00.008-05:00

It's been a month since I last posted - sorry about that! We've been busy, busy, busy shopping for school supplies, school shoes and school uniforms. Caroline and Anna went back to Catholic High on Tuesday (8th and 5th), and St. Edward's first day was today. Jack is a 2nd grader, and my baby boy Matthew started Pre-K. This is the first time in over 13 years that I haven't had a little one at home. Not sure how I feel about that. On one hand, I will be sad and lonely without my little Mattie-Moo here with me. On the other, I plan to do lots of things I haven't been able to do in a long time, like scrapbooking, exercising, housework, and maybe even a bit of volunteering during school hours. We shall see! Here's a picture of the kids in their uniforms and ready for school. :)

I did manage to get a couple of layouts done in the last week. They're super-simple and super-doable, which is all I've had time for lately. I'm hoping to have time for more detailed layouts in the very near future (like on Monday).

I'm on a baking kick these days, just to keep things interesting. On Monday, Anna and I made red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting (Gil's favorite), and on Tuesday, I baked chocolate chip cookies from scratch. Yum! I love having homemade treats for the kids when they get out of school. It keeps us out of the McDonald's drive-thru line!

The renovations to our blue house continue. Lots of progress is being made. The ceiling in the main living area has been transformed! We took out the "popcorn" ceiling and replaced it with cypress, and added cypress beams. The windows should be in toward the end of the month, and the sheetrock will start going up in the next week or two. It's exciting!!!

Before (hideousness):

After (loveliness):

Hope to post again soon. Thanks for taking a moment to visit with me! :)

Back from the Beach!

2010-07-11T22:16:00.011-05:00

We got back from Gulf Shores on Wednesday evening. It wasn't our typical beach trip due to the yucky, sticky, black tar balls everywhere, but we still managed to have a fun time. We did lots of swimming in the indoor and outdoor pools, went souvenir shopping (Gil bought a really obnoxious Hawaiian shirt), and ate lots of great food. Here are a few pictures of the fun!

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We had a small birthday gathering for Matt a few days before we left for the beach. Once he'd opened all of his gifts, Gil and I told him that there was a big surprise outside. Here's a picture of Matt and Jack riding on the big surprise!

The renovations to our "new" house continue. We have the best contractor ever! Here is a shot of the staircase (we yanked out the old one because it was hideous).

You may remember me mentioning my MawMaw B. in previous posts. She is 95 years old (will be 96 in September!), lives independently and is sharp as a tack. She loves when I bring pictures of the kids for her to keep. I made her a quick little seashell album, and she loved it! I'd like to say that the idea for the shell cover is my own, but I actually bought the front and back covers together with the rings as a kit. Anyway, here are a few pictures!

Hope that you have a great week! Thanks for visiting!

Well, Hello There!

2010-06-27T23:29:00.014-05:00

Good Sunday evening, blog readers! Hope you had a great weekend . . . only a few more days until the 4th of July holiday, woohoo!

As you can see, my blog has had a makeover! How do you like it? I love it! Thanks so much to the talented (and patient) Kristine Davidson for the beautiful artwork. What a wonderful difference!

Believe it or not, I've been a busy lil scrapbooker lately. I just completed a layout with a photo of my boys that I took recently at our "new" house on the bayou. Y'all know I'm not one to clutter up a page, but when I got the Cricut "Create a Critter" cartridge, the wheels in my head started to turn like crazy! Isn't it cute? I love the dragonflies!

Last weekend was Father's Day, and in keeping with tradition, I made Gil a card from me and the kids. He really liked it and I'm glad about that, because he is a wonderful father to our four babies. I've never known anyone to work harder to take care of his family than this man. And even when he's exhausted from working all night and all the next day, he still gives lots of patient help with homework, goodnight hugs, attends soccer games and teacher meetings, without complaint. Yep, he's a keeper!

My brother's daughter and twin sons celebrated their birthdays earlier this month. Here are the cards I made for them!

These cards were really fun to make. I went a little crazy with the Stickles!

Anna, Jack and Matt had checkups with the dentist a few days ago (Caroline was still at camp), and as a reward for their good (ahem) behavior, they each got a stick-on mustache. What silly geese!

Special hello to our sweet friend, Rhea . Here she is with Anna in Colorado in December of 08. Rhea is a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a physician, and a beautiful human being. Tons and tons of hugs and love to you! Oh, and "shut your pie hole"! ;)

Happy 4th of July, hope that you all have a safe and fun-filled holiday! As always, thanks so much for taking the time out of your day to visit with me. :)

We've Been Busy

2010-06-15T13:14:00.011-05:00

Even though school's out, things have been crazy-busy here in New Iberia! Just last week, I turned 40 (which I'm totally cool with), and Gil sent me these beautiful roses.

Mattie went to swimming lessons for the first time! He didn't like it much the first day, but really warmed up after that.

We closed on our "new" house in late May, and since we can't do much until the renovations are done, I've been working really hard on the flower bed. I never thought I'd enjoy gardening, but OMG, I totally love it! It's crazy! Here's a picture of my current favorite.

We've adopted four "stay outside" kittens. They're settling in and getting used to us, I guess. Anna named hers "Mimi"!

I even managed to complete a new layout! I'm struggling to find scrapbooking time lately. Hopefully that will change once our house project gets underway.

As always, thanks so much for stopping by! Hope to post again soon! :)

2010-05-10T14:00:00.007-05:00

Happy belated Mother's Day to all you wonderful mommies out there! I hope that you had as relaxing and peaceful a day as I had. Actually, my entire weekend, from Friday through Sunday, was pretty darn great. Thanks, Gil, for the cooking, cleaning and kid watching!

You may recall that we were house-hunting a few months back. We found a house, it was great, beautiful, move-in-ready, too good to be true. Well, about two weeks before the closing, the whole deal ended up in the crapper, and we were back to square one. Since then, we've looked around quite a bit, and have found something else that we hope will work out even better. More property, more gorgeous live oak trees. The house needs LOTS of work, though, so it will be some time before we can move in. Of course, we haven't closed yet, so I guess that I am getting ahead of myself. Here are a few shots of the yard. It's really beautiful, and we love it (except for the freaking water moccasins that hang out in the bayou).

My beautiful, smart, wonderful (etc., etc.) daughter Caroline received an award at Catholic High's awards ceremony last week. Based on her standardized test scores from 6th grade, she qualified (along with 26 of her classmates) to take the ACT as a 7th grader. Same ACT that the 11th graders take. Anyway, she earned the highest score out of all 7th graders who took the test - a 23! She's in the 7th grade! Can't wait to see how she does when she takes it as a junior in high school! Here's the layout I made for her scrapbook.

Have a great day, and thanks so much for taking the time to visit. :)

It's Been Awhile!

2010-04-24T21:54:00.013-05:00

*Out for Publication!*

It's been awhile since my last post, but I'm back with lots to share!

My husband, Gil, had a continuing education conference in Chicago a couple of weeks ago, and Anna and I tagged along. We had a blast! While Gil was in classes all day, we went to American Girl Place, Lincoln Park Zoo and did lots of shopping on Michigan Avenue. I had no idea what a beautiful city Chicago is! I hope we get to go again soon - we only had 2 1/2 days, and there was so much more to see and do! But here's a picture of Anna with her Girl of the Year doll, and a photo of the two of us at the American Girl Cafe.

There was an Apple store, and the iPad had just come out, so we went in to see what all the fuss was about. I had no idea you could do so much with the iPad!!! I was in awe! And since my 40th birthday is in June, I decided to get myself an early birthday gift. Since my Kindle recently died (not sure what happened), the iPad has taken it's place! Now I can carry around over 18,000 digital photo files, download music and movies, access the Internet, read books and do lots more! It's so super-cool!

Let's get down to business!

I just finished a layout with one of my favorite photos of Matthew. I cut out the little chick using my new "Create a Critter" Cricut cartridge. There are so many adorable images on this cartridge! It just might be my new favorite! I also made these pandas for my sister's Pre-K classroom. Aren't they cute???? I photographed them on top of a piece of cardboard because the glue was still wet and I didn't want it to get on the floor. Said sister Peggy also hosted a yummy Easter lunch, and I made cupcakes for the kids. They were so much fun to make!

Soccer and dancing are wrapping up until Fall, so I hope to have new projects to share soon. Thanks for stopping by! :)

2010-04-06T22:45:00.004-05:00

I wasn't sure I'd get to post today, but here it is, an hour and fifteen minutes before tomorrow starts! Sadly, I haven't been scrapbooking as much as I'd like due to the usual chaos. But I did manage to complete two new layouts! The pink "AKP" layout is a Cathy Zielske ripoff - I must give credit where it's due! The layout with the photo of Caroline and me is my design, but I wish I hadn't junked it up with the flowers! I was itching to use new product and I got all confused! ;)

Gil has a continuing education conference in Chicago this weekend, so Anna and I are tagging along. While Gil's in class, we're planning to go to Navy Pier, Lincoln Park Zoo, American Girl Place, and oh yes, Sprinkles! When Caroline was 10 (same age Anna is now), Gil went on a deer hunting trip outside of San Antonio, so I went along and took Caroline. We stayed on the Riverwalk, went to SeaWorld, Rainforest Cafe and did some serious shopping. The little boys are already talking about where they want to go when they're 10!

Have a great week! :)

2010-04-06T19:39:00.002-05:00

******* New post coming very soon (promise!) ***********

Project Life Update

2010-03-16T17:09:00.003-05:00

I'm still keeping up with Project Life, and here is the week of March 1 - March 7. I'm enjoying updating my album every couple of days, and by the end of the year, I ought to have a really cool record of our life in the year 2010. I wish I'd done this when my girls were younger - those days flew by!

Still house-hunting. Found something really promising - gorgeous property with lots of live oaks - but the house needs some serious updating. We're thinking it over for the moment.

Hope everyone has a great week. Enjoy the beautiful weather! :)

2010-03-02T20:45:00.005-06:00

Hey there, blog readers! I've been trying to get this post done since Saturday, but it just hasn't happened until now.

I mentioned last post that I was busy packing. No need for any more of that nonsense, because the house we were hoping to buy (closing was going to be on March 15) was taken off the market by the seller, who recently became seriously ill. So, back to the drawing board. The house was incredible, though! I am still licking my wounds.

Lots to share today. I completed a layout (woohoo!) about Anna's closing mass at St. Edward School last May. Some of you might recognize her teacher, Susan Bourgeois, in one of the photos. She is a big-time scrapbooker, too, and has a blog of her own that you can find at memoriestolastalifetime.com. Anyway, the page is very simple and grid-based. It was so easy to trim my photographs to the perfect size with my new Genesis paper trimmer! For those of you who are not familiar, this trimmer was originally designed for architects. Due to its straight-line cutting ability, it's also a great tool for scrapbookers. I was on a waiting list for the last couple of years because the company was under new ownership and apparently had lots of back orders to fill. But it's here now, and I am loving it! I got the optional edge light, and I'm really glad that I did. It illuminates the exact cutting edge so you won't have any surprises when you cut. I also included the sketch that I worked from. It's a super-versatile sketch and can be used for any occasion. I might use it for a Christmas layout next!

Recently got my hands on the magnet kit for the I-Topper. It's the tool that makes custom brads, and now magnets. I made a set for my fridge with each of my children's pictures. The photo paper is kind of thick, but I like the way they turned out. Fun!

Hope everyone has a great week! :)

Butterfly Collage

2010-02-16T20:27:00.003-06:00

Happy Mardi Gras everyone! Between Valentine's Day and Mardi Gras, it's been a bit crazy over here. And the Saints winning the Super Bowl . . . INCREDIBLE! What an amazing thing for New Orleans and Saints fans everywhere! Gil and I lived in New Orleans for over ten years (1994-2004), and for a time, we had a really small, really funky apartment in the LSUMC Residence Hall. If you looked out of the window in Caroline's room, you could see the Superdome. Pretty cool!

I haven't been scrapbooking a whole lot lately (busy packing), but I did make this cute butterfly collage today. I copied it right off of Ali Edward's blog. She also did one with hearts, but I preferred the butterflies. Easy, quick and inexpensive! I already had the punch (Martha Stewart), and the papers that I used were all scraps. The frame cost $7 at Walmart. Think of how cute this would be for a baby's girl's nursery! It would make a unique shower gift.

Hope everyone has an enjoyable week! We're off of school until next Monday, woohoo! :)

Happy Friday to Ya!

2010-01-29T23:18:00.004-06:00

Wow, I just realized that it's been almost two weeks since my last post! Sorry about that. Anna was sick with a sinus infection this week, and we had the usual homework, soccer, laundry that keeps me (and you, too, I'm sure) busy. I decided to make a page using last year's Valentine's pictures, because I like to scrap the season/holiday that we're in at the moment. I used two different patterned papers from Making Memories new line. Hope you like! :)

2010-01-18T00:31:00.002-06:00

So I've been having these Doodlebug brads for months now, and I've been waiting to play with them, and today was the day! I took these pictures of the boys riding their bikes (presents from Santa) after school one day last week. These monkeys LOVE to ride bikes, scooters, etc., basically anything with wheels. And of course I love taking their pictures! Here's the sketch that goes with the page. You can see that I don't always follow the sketch exactly. It's just a good starting point!

A New Post Already???

2010-01-10T22:54:00.003-06:00

Yep, a new post already! Just a quick little hello and a shot of my latest layout. Got the "Pagoda" Cricut cartridge recently, and I couldn't wait to cut out a panda, which is the mascot at Jack's school. I thought it would be perfect for his school picture page! Oh, here's the sketch that goes with the page. Cool, huh? ;) Have a great week!

Project Life

2010-01-08T20:47:00.004-06:00

Many of you might remember the "Project 365" mess last year - highly advertised album kits which sold out within minutes leaving many people quite unhappy with Creating Keepsakes magazine. Well, this year Becky Higgins created a very similar kit for her own company, called "Project Life" and I ordered it! It arrived at the beginning of this week, and I just finished my "layout" for week 1! For anyone not familiar with the concept, the idea is to take a photo a day (or as many days as you can), add a bit of journaling and make a weekly layout for the entire year. At the end of 2010, you should have a pretty cool documentation of your family's life for the entire year. It's REALLY easy because you're not actually creating a layout. You simply tuck your pictures into the pockets in the page protectors, do the same with the provided journaling cards and you're done! So here's a look at the first week of January at our house!

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-27T12:09:00.023-06:00

Happy holidays, dear blog readers! Sorry to have kept you hanging for soooooo long! Here's a little photo recap of all the good things that have been keeping us busy for the last several weeks:

We celebrated the birth of Jesus,
We wrapped gifts,
Jack was "Joseph" at St. Edward's Christmas Mass,
Gil and I celebrated our 15th anniversary with beautiful flowers and a super-cool new coffee maker,
The kids had a visit with Santa Claus,
Sweet baby Hudson came to stay,
Anna turned 10, and
Caroline became a teenager!

Hope your family had a blessed Christmas! :)

It's Snowing?

2009-12-04T23:56:00.003-06:00

The weatherman was predicting it, but we didn't get one flake! Our friends in Lafayette, only 30 minutes to the west, got an inch or so. Anna, Jack and Matt sat at the kitchen window all night waiting to see a flurry. Poor babies! I did manage to complete a layout, so I am sharing it with you. The photo is one of my favorites! Caroline was 6, Anna was 3 and Jack was 6 months. Now, they're 13, 10 and 7. The years have flown by.

Off to work on our Christmas card. Have a great weekend!

It's Done!

2009-11-29T21:04:00.009-06:00

Finished my Thanksgiving mini-album, so here are the photos! Hope you like it, it was really easy and quick! :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-24T14:37:00.003-06:00

Hi there blog readers! Yes, I know, I've been totally out of touch the last couple of weeks. I apologize! But I'm back, and I have a new layout to share. I used my super-cool new Martha Stewart loopy border punch (Michael's) and I love it! I also love the little Doodlebug flower and birdie brads (Treasured Memories). I love a white background, not sure why. Maybe because the colors of the photos really stand out against it.

I just started a 4X6 mini-album that I downloaded from Designer Digitals. It's Cathy Zielske's "Thankful" project. The idea is to give a card to each person at your Thanksgiving celebration, have them write down what they're thankful for and snap a photo to go along with the card. Then you slip the cards and photos into a pre-made 4X6 photo album, add your title page and you're done! I'll post copies of the finished project later this week. Hopefully!

Have a great Thanksgiving and once again, thanks for stopping by to visit with me. I am thankful for all of you who take the time! :)

2009-11-07T20:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm still alive, and to prove it, I've got new layouts to post. I decided to make an 8.5 X 11 Halloween album, loosely based on Cathy Zielske's album shown on her blog. Just finished this year's layout, so I'm sharing it with you. I will definitely create 12X12 pages for my kids' individual albums, too.

Picked up some gorgeous My Mind's Eye paper at Treasured Memories last week, and I couldn't wait to play with it! I love this photo of Anna and I love how well the paper goes with it.

Hope everyone is enjoying these beautiful fall days. Thanks for stopping by!

2009-10-25T21:12:00.003-05:00

Hello there. Here are a couple of new layouts for you. The "Name Game" layout came about when I started taking pictures of any type of sign with Jack's name on it. He loves seeing his name when it's not related to him. I might change the title to "That's My Name!" and use different alpha stickers. Something about the ones I used is not working for me.

The other layout is page "D" from the "Me the Abridged Version" project that I'm working on.

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by!

I'm Alive!

2009-10-23T17:46:00.002-05:00

Happy Friday to you! It's a gorgeous day in New Iberia today - sunny and 65 degrees. And I'm finally posting something new! Sorry to keep you hanging, but as usual, we have been just crazy busy with school, soccer, dancing and life in general. The house hunting is causing me stress, but I think that Gil and I agree on the same house, so that is definitely progress!

I just finished this page about my sweet little Mattie and his dinosaur sandwich. I'm including the sketch for you, too. Hope you enjoy! :)

Have a wonderful weekend! I hope to have a new project to post really soon, so please stop by again!

2009-10-10T20:09:00.007-05:00

Here's the new layout I mentioned a couple of days ago! The photo is of Caroline and her friends from New Orleans, most of whom she started Pre-K with. We moved to New Iberia when she was in 2nd grade, and I don't think she'll ever fully forgive me for taking her away from her friends and her school and her life. We got together with several of her St. Clement friends in July, and the smile on her face says it all! We love these girls, we love their parents, we love New Orleans!

Spent the morning house hunting. I found the house that I think is perfect for us, but Gil remains unconvinced. If we buy it, I'll invite all of you over to visit, scrapbook, swim, etc. :)

Enjoy your weekend, and thanks so much for visiting my blog!

Hi There!

2009-10-08T13:43:00.005-05:00

Well, dear blog readers, I am sorry for leaving you hanging for the last week. I have been out of my scrapbooking groove!!! I've started a couple of new layouts, then put them aside because I just wasn't feeling them. I'm starting something new in a minute, so I hope that in a couple of days I'll have something worthy of all of you to share!

In May, Anna finished 3rd grade at St. Edward School, which means that she had to move to the upper campus at Catholic High. St. Edward is such a wonderful, loving place - I always say it's like a warm hug - and there was a beautiful closing mass to send off the 3rd graders. As it happens, my sister was a third grade teacher at SES (she's now moved down to Pre-K) and asked me if I could make a banner for the alter. Why, of course I could! Finally, someone recognizes my talent! ;) So anyway, here are a few pictures of the banner. Does anyone recognize the people?? Or the feet cut on a Cricut?? I didn't do the title, just the feet and the people!

Thanks for stopping in and visiting my blog! :) You are all amazing!

2009-10-03T13:04:00.002-05:00

Taking a break from cleaning up after a sick child (my oldest) to post a new layout for you. :) It's the "C" page from the "Me, the Abridged Version" class. Hope you don't find it boring - I'm really enjoying this project!

We have a visitor from New Orleans this weekend, and her name is Katie Farrell and yep, we love her!

Hope you have a great weekend!

It's Journey, Baby!

2009-10-01T23:17:00.005-05:00

O.M.G. Went to see Journey in New Orleans on Saturday night and it was AMAZING. I was a little skeptical about how they would sound without Steve Perry, but after the very first song, I was thinking "Steve Perry? Who's he?" Arnel Pineda was freaking FABULOUS!!!! And he's got a sexy lil accent, too. Gil and I brought along Caroline (12) and my nephew Pete (14) and we had a blast! If you have the chance to see Journey in concert, do what you have to, sell your wedding ring, whatever, and go! You won't have one regret!

2009-09-28T22:31:00.002-05:00

A month or so ago, I decided to make a real effort to post something new to my blog every other day. The beginning was fine - at some point, I was even ahead a layout or two! The last week has been a bit hectic, but I've still managed to complete something new to share every other day. My point? Uhm . . . well, I guess that I want to ask you to be patient with me if I don't have something new posted every other day exactly. Sometimes it might be every third day. Hopefully, I'll keep up with the every other day plan, but in case I'm off by a day here and there, please come back and check in again! I won't be gone for long! ;)

2009-09-26T10:15:00.003-05:00

It's a rainy Saturday here in New Iberia, Louisiana, and I am packing up to head to New Orleans for the Journey concert tonight. Just me, Gil, Caroline and my sister's boy Pete. I can't wait! It should be a blast! Gotta get my little ones off to Granny's house safe and sound, so I am simultaneously bathing kids, packing for kids and doing laundry. I know that you can relate!

Finished the second page of "Me, the Abridged Version", so I'm posting it here for you, along with my "a" page, since I added in the heretofore missing photo. My next post will most likely not be related to this project, for those of you who like a little variety.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend - stay dry! :)

Me, the Abridged Version

2009-09-24T14:04:00.002-05:00

Are any of you taking the "Me, the Abridged Version" class by Cathy Zielske at Big Picture Scrapbooking? I am, and I love it! The idea of the project is to complete an album that is all about you at this particular point in time. You have to have topics that are meaningful to you for each letter of the alphabet, with photos to support the story. I've been doing the prep-work for the last couple of days, and just finished my very first page (well, almost. I didn't like the photo I originally planned on using, so for now it's blank). Like most of you, I'm sure, my scrapbooking subjects are my children. There are only a handful of layouts about me in my ten years' worth of albums. When this project is complete, there will be an entire 8.5X11 scrapbook about me and the things that make me tick. If you've never taken an on-line class at Big Picture, you should consider it! It's a kick! Have a great, happy day!

Today's a Better Day

2009-09-22T14:34:00.002-05:00

Hey there, I'm back with a super-quick post. I have to pick up my 3 oldest from school in just a few minutes, so I'm rushing right along. Have y'all seen the butterfly paper I used on this layout in stores? I think it's by K&Co., and it's gorgeous! It's a sheet of 12X12 paper, covered with these punch-out butterflies. I couldn't wait to use it! Hope you like!

We are picking up Ginger-Kitty from the vet this afternoon. Apparently, he has an injury to his sinus cavity, and is on a high dose cortisone. We are so thankful that it wasn't more serious.

Gil's 38th birthday is today, so we have a fancy dinner at home planned. I'm cooking all of his favorites - wish me luck, I'm not known for my culinary skills! :)

2009-09-20T13:04:00.003-05:00

My layout for today has been ready since last night, but I didn't get to post it until now. This morning, I was taking my little ones to get doughnuts, and somehow our inside cat, Ginger, had gotten outside. Apparently, he was sleeping under my van, and I accidentally ran over him. Needless to say, we are sick with sadness and worry. We were able to get him to our wonderful veterinarian, Lonnie Robicheaux, right away, and he feels like Ginger's injuries are not too severe. Hopefully, Ginger will recover and come home to us soon. Please keep our sweet kitty in your prayers today.

I made the layout for today with American Crafts new line of patterned paper - it's so, so beautiful! It's got lots of "varnish" detailing, and I love it! I made the big brad with coordinating American Crafts cardstock and an imaginisce Brad Maker - if you don't have one of these, you should consider it! It is so much fun to play with! The letter "P" is a Thicker, and the white flower is by Bazzil. The leaves on the flower are from Prima.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope you have a great day!

AND THE WINNER IS . . .

2009-09-18T05:07:00.005-05:00

Good morning everyone! Thanks to all who left comments for my little give-away. It's so amazing to hear from you! In order to choose a winner, I went to Random.org, plugged in the number of people who left comments, and came up with a winner . . . #3, Donna Van Wert! Congratulations Donna! Please email me at thepellerins@msn.com with your mailing info and I'll get your goodies right out to you.

Just finished a page about Miss Anna, so I'm posting it here for you to see. I've had the little crocheted flowers in my stash for probably 6 or so years now, and they've finally found a home. :) Don't know if anyone has played with the new "Delight" Thickers, but I think they're great! They're really tiny, which is perfect for me, because I like lots of room for my photos. You'll probably be seeing more of them on future layouts!

Have a wonderful weekend - we're just hoping to stay dry for a couple of days! :)

100th Post Give-Away

2009-09-15T23:02:00.002-05:00

In celebration of my 100th blog post, I'm having a little give-away! Just leave a comment by midnight on Thursday, September 17th, and I'll randomly choose a winner on Friday morning. This give-away is open to anyone and everyone, regardless of where you live.

The goodies are as follows:

1) sei "Mimosa" assortment pack, including shimmer paper, pearl and glitter cardstock;
2) sei "Bridgeport" assortment pack, including varnish and pearl cardstock;
3) KI Memories "Playful Pets" specialty cardstock foil paper pack; and
4) crazy-huge Paper Shapers star punch.

Good luck to everyone - thanks for your interest in my scrapbooking, my life and my blog! :)

2009-09-14T05:31:00.004-05:00

Happy Monday to you! It's still raining here in New Iberia, for the 5th day in a row. Good thing I can swim! ;) Finished a new layout late last night, so I'm sharing it with you. :) I layered the red heart buttons over the white buttons, and stitched through both. It was fun! Hope you have a great day, thanks for stopping by!

*NEXT POST: GIVE-AWAY!! :) :) :)

2009-09-12T22:31:00.002-05:00

Well, I've been trying to upload a picture of today's layout since 7:15 this morning, but so far, no luck. :( This is my last try before bedtime, so here goes . . .

It's Almost Friday . . .

2009-09-10T05:08:00.004-05:00

Hi there! Happy Thursday to you. This week feels like it's flown by - tomorrow's Friday already! Here is my latest layout. I love this photo of Matthew with the chubby cheeks. The patterned paper is Heidi Grace (yes, I love her) and the title letters are from the new line of Thickers. They're really small, which totally works for me. I just might have to pick up more in different colors. ;)

Just realized that I've posted to this blog at right over 100 times, so I think that a little celebratory give-away is in order, don't you? Be sure to check back really soon so that you don't miss out! :) Have a happy day!

2009-09-08T05:25:00.003-05:00

It's Tuesday morning, and I'm back with a new layout! I took these photos on Saturday at Caroline's soccer game, and I couldn't wait to scrap them. Did you notice that I created this layout using the same sketch as my last layout? I do that all the time - reuse my favorite sketches. Sometimes I turn them upside down or flip them around. That way, I get lots of mileage out of them! Hope you have a wonderful day, and I'm so glad that you stopped by! Thanks! :)

2009-09-06T08:24:00.002-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone! Hope you're all having a great Labor Day weekend. I'm back with a sweet little layout about Matthew's toes. I LOVE baby toes (who doesn't, right?), especially fresh-from-the-bath baby toes, so these pictures make me really happy! I created this layout from one of my original sketches, which I'm including here for you. I know I've said it before, but for anyone new to my blog, I love, love, love to sketch! I have at least 10 notebooks full of sketches, just waiting to be turned into pages.

I'm off to St. Martinville to visit with my MawMaw B., who turns 95 on September 16th. She's da bomb! Happy birthday MawMaw!

TGIF

2009-09-04T18:13:00.003-05:00

It's Friday, so that means I'm back with a new layout! It's super-simple, Cathy Zielske inspired, and I love it! Kinda not too crazy about the color of the flower, but it'll have to do. I LOVE the gorgeous foiled paper by Making Memories. When I saw it, I knew exactly which layout I wanted to use it on.

Have a wonderful, happy, safe Labor Day weekend! We're headed to Houma for Caroline's soccer game. Wish us luck! :)

2009-09-02T10:35:00.002-05:00

I'm back again, friends, with a layout so new that the Scrappy Glue is still wet. I love these photographs of Caroline and me, and I love Heidi Grace and I love Prima flowers, so the combination of the three is making me really happy about now. Not sure about the font I chose, but Matthew is ready for a nap, so I had to make a quick choice. May play around with the font another time.

I've never used my blog for political reasons, but for those of you who saw the news this morning, I am including a little something for you.

Ode to Bobby Jinal, Governor of Louisiana

Bobby, we've loved you since way back when
you vowed to heal our state's ailing health care system

We voted you in to be our Gov
but Louisiana doctors are not feeling the love

Medicaid reimbursements you've chosen to cut
You're kicking our doctors right in the butt

What can we do?
Probably not vote for you
when your 1st term is finally through.

So Bobby, or Piyush, whichever you choose
we don't appreciate this bit of news
In fact, many physicians now have the blues.

Pay doctors fairly for their work!
Please Bobby, don't be a jerk!

Our state's budget problems should not be fixed
by cutting pay to physician supporters who are now feeling tricked.

I know, I know, it's a work of art. My talents are many. ;)

Happy Monday!

2009-08-31T08:27:00.003-05:00

Hello and happy Monday to you! So far today, I've gotten my 3 oldest off to school and made a Starbucks run, and now I'm here with you. :) Finished a really busy (for me, anyway) layout yesterday, and in the process, I realized something. I enjoyed all the "stuff"! I had fun putting all the flowers and birds and butterflies together. So who knows, maybe I'll shift towards the "more is more" philosophy of scrapbooking. Stranger things have happened! :)

2009-08-29T14:02:00.002-05:00

I told y'all I'd try, so here it is. My second layout in two days! Oh, how do y'all like the new Thickers?? They're gorgeous! They're also available in black, yellow and blue, I think. I couldn't wait to use them. Caroline was kind enough to "allow" me to take her picture on the first day of school - she's really been much better about picture taking lately - and when I got the Thickers, I knew they were perfect for this layout! I remember myself in 7th grade, and this girl is (thankfully!) so much more confident than I ever was. Makes me happy to see!

I hope to be back with a new layout in a couple of days, THANKS AGAIN, so much, for stopping by! Have a fabulous weekend! :)

2009-08-27T09:17:00.005-05:00

Hey there! I just finished a cute little flowery layout full of beautiful bling, and here it is! Back in 1999 when my sister Peggy introduced me to scrapbooking, my absolute favorite "technique" was color-blocking. I loved it!! Something about the symmetry made me so happy. Ten years later, I still love it. I revisited my color-blocking days of yore with this layout! I just noticed that I forgot to add the date and Caroline's age, so I'll probably do that with Making Memories tiny alphas. They are small enough to tell the story without being a big distraction!

You may have noticed that I added a world map to my blog. I'm always curious about who is checking in, and since I don't get many comments (you all know who you are!) I thought that it would be fun to see where you all come from. Let me say that I have been completely overwhelmed and thrilled and honored to see that people from all over the globe are taking a peek at my blog! I feel so loved! ;) Thanks to each and every one of you for taking time out of your life to visit with me! PLEASE leave me a quick note when you can, it is so cool to connect with you through scrapbooking!

I am trying to post more often, and I'm hoping to get to the point where I can have something to post at least every other day. Wish me luck!

Hello!

2009-08-23T15:28:00.002-05:00

Hey there, blog reading friends! Now that my 3 oldest are firmly ensconced in their school routine, I am happy to be blogging again! I just completed two layouts about, what else, the kids' first day back to school. I owe Caroline a layout, so her first day will be next! Hope everyone is finding time to be creative - have a wonderful week! :)

2009-08-09T23:46:00.004-05:00

Just finished a layout that I really enjoyed putting together. I put my Cricut to work! I love these little birdies so much - I think that I'm going to find another use for them somewhere. I cut them out on plain cardstock, then cut them out again with patterned paper (Basic Gray) and layered them, and I love the effect. I know, people do this all the time, but I'd never tried it. And I loved it! So probably more like this in the future, we'll see! Oh, and did I mention that this photo is one of my all time favorites of Caroline?? I used to keep it on my desk at work, and people would pass by and say "What a beautiful baby" and I would be like "Well duh!" ;) Have a great week - hope everyone has a great back-to-school experience! :)

2009-08-04T23:31:00.003-05:00

I'm on a roll lately, blog readers! Here are two more layouts for ya! I love the snowglobe layout that I made for Miss Anna. The patterned paper is KI Memories, which has been one of my fave brands for years. I added the bling - it reminded me of the glitter in the snowglobes! The zoo layout has stickers by Doodlebug, another of the manufacturers that I like best. Hope you enjoy!

Off to sleep, so that I can wake up bright and early (at least by 10 am!) to take the kids to buy school shoes, school bags, school supplies, and get haircuts for school. You get the picture! Have a great one! :)

2009-08-01T02:14:00.005-05:00

Hey everyone! So sorry that it's been awhile since my last post. We've been happily busy over her in New Iberia. To make up for my absence, I've been working on a few new layouts to share with you - I know, I know - three at a time! See how much I love y'all? ;) If the journaling seems scattered, it's because I wrote it in the middle of the night and my brain wanted sleep. Thanks for checking in! :)

2009-07-12T23:15:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's been two weeks since my last post! Our family spent the last week in Gulf Shores, and we had a really nice time. The weather was kinda yucky for the first two days, but the skies were clear the rest of the week. I'm posting a few photos . . . I wanted to share while they were still new. I'm still planning a layout in my head, but haven't gotten much further.

Made a super-quick layout with a photo of Caroline that I took in the spring. It doesn't get much simpler than this - one photo, computer journaling, a couple feet of trim, and done! I don't always like my layouts to be so quick, but I was short on time that particular day, so, voila! :)

Hope you're all enjoying the summer! It'll be back to school time before we know it. :p

Happy Sunday!

2009-06-28T18:23:00.006-05:00

Thought I'd share my latest projects with you . . . I just finished the "Lake Fausse Point" layout a minute ago! Gil is keeping an eye on the kids, so I have been up in my studio just working away. I am also posting a picture of the sketch that I used to create the layout. A few people have asked me to include my sketches, so here ya go! :) I decided to make a series of fishy canvases for Jack's room. This is the first one - next is a seahorse, and then a puffer fish. I might take the clear buttons off and replace with opaque ones. I didn't realize how much the color of the canvas would effect the color of the buttons. Hope you have a great week! Thanks for visiting!

2009-06-23T00:22:00.004-05:00

Just a quick little post to share my latest projects. I just finished this layout about Caroline - she got braces last week, and of course I took before and after shots. I put the page together with the three younger kids playing at my feet. Need I say more?

The Father's Day card I made for Gil in the early am hours on Sunday. I love to make cards for him using photos of the kids! He really liked it, so that made me feel good!

Another button project - "M" for Matthew! His room is this same blue with red gingham curtains, so I thought the red buttons would be cute.

Have a great week! Go Tigers!

2009-06-16T23:51:00.005-05:00

Just finished a layout for Matt with a big ol' photo of he and Bitsy, so . . . here it is! I love, love, love the simplicity of working with a large photo! I plan to make similar layouts for Anna and Jack, but I plan to print the journaling onto the background cardstock instead of just sticking a journaling block right into the center. That's my plan, anyway. We'll see how it works out!

When I was in New Orleans last weekend, I went to Pottery Barn Kids, which is one of my favorites stores! I think that I could purchase one of everything in that place and make it work in my house somewhere. While I was looking around, I saw a beautiful canvas with a butterfly made out of buttons and fabric circles. I wanted it for Anna's room, but it was $79!! So I thought that maybe I could make one myself, so I gave it a shot, and here it is! I wrapped pink grosgrain ribbon around the outer edges (thinking maybe I should have just painted the edges pink instead??), and put a little note on the back side of the canvas to cover up all the stitching. Anna really liked it, and it was fun to make. What do you think??

Taking Caroline to the orthodontist tomorrow to get her braces put on . . . I want to take before and after photos. It might take a little bribe, we'll see.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by! :)

Yo Quiero Taco Bell

2009-06-14T10:50:00.006-05:00

Good morning! Gil & I just got back from a few days in the French Quarter. We had a great time, but now it's back to reality. As in, laundry, cleaning kids' rooms, etc. Wanted to post a new layout really quick, so here it is! My kids finished swimming lessons a week or so ago, and I wanted to do something quick with the photos. The paper and embellishments are all from Doodlebug's new line, which is adorable!! Perfect for beach trips, swimming pool photos, sprinkler, etc.

There's a new member of the Pellerin household, in the form of a 1 pound chihuahua puppy named Bitsy Boo! He is so adorable, and definitely a lap dog. His favorite activity (as far as we can tell) is sleeping in the lap of anyone who sits still long enough. He's a sweet lil puppy, and the kids are lovin' him up!

Have a great week everyone - if I manage to get another layout done, I'll be sure to post it here! :)

2009-06-07T04:52:00.006-05:00

Well, it's 4:52 am and I'm wide awake, so I thought I'd post my latest layout. It's simple and grid-based (big surprise, I know), and all about the photos! The kids got Toys R Us gift cards for Christmas from various relatives, and since we have plenty enough toys, Gil and I decided to use the credit for a water slide. We set it up for the first time on Mother's Day, and the kids had a blast! Even though the water was freezing, they played for hours. It was such a nice, relaxing day and exactly what I was hoping for. Oh, I dug deep into my stash for the acrylic KI letters. I attached them to my layout using KI's adhesive made for acrylic, but you can still see the glue through the letters. Crap-a-doody!

Has anyone seen the newest issue of Creating Keepsakes (July)? There was an article about how to make flower accents out of tissue paper cut into circles and sprayed with glimmer mist. Well, ya know me, I had to give it a try! I made mine a little differently than the article instructed - I'm not much of a rule-follower that way. I cut my circles into two different sizes - don't even bother to try circle punches, unless you enjoy a big mess - stapled them in the center, balled them up, flattened them out and sprayed them with different colors of glimmer mist. Once they were dry, I attached some Sassafrass pre-sewn buttons to the centers. Cute! I'm sure I'll use these on a layout some time soon. :)

Have a great Sunday!

It's Summer!

2009-06-02T18:12:00.006-05:00

School's out for the summer - hooray!!! Next year I will have a 1st grader, a 4th grader and a 7th grader! For now, we're just enjoying the slower pace. So far, the kids have played on their new water slide, started swimming lessons and had a sleepover at their Granny's house. Not bad for the first week off!

Had a few of my Design Team sistas (and my biological one too!) over for some scrappin over the weekend . . . I managed to get a few layouts done, so here they are! I posted two pics of the "Summer Fun" layout, cause I changed them up a little. One is for Anna and the other is for Jack. I am loving the simplicity of these pages. It's really all I have time for!!

Hope you have a great week!

Happy Memorial Day!

2009-05-26T00:30:00.002-05:00

All of the 3rd graders at St. Edward School had an end-of-year swim party today, and I was able to 1) attend, 2) take some cute photos, 3) make a layout with said photos, and 4) post it here for you, my blog-readin' peeps. Wow! Banner day for me! It helps that my mom has my two boys for the night. :) So here it is, a grid-based layout that I created from one of my own sketches. The title got a little crazy, but at this point, I'm not sweatin' it. Have a great week!!

Simplicity

2009-05-23T22:36:00.007-05:00

Happy Memorial Day! I completed a layout today and wanted to share it here. It looks really simple, and you're right, it is. But, since I had the two boys in my scrap room every time I worked on it, it took FOREVER to complete. It's just photos and cardstock, but I worked on it for probably three days. It's almost too simple for my taste, if that's possible. I love the photos though - check out Matt's face with the peanut butter all over it! And his eyes look so blue. That's my little turkey!

Posting a few pics of my scrap room - it's not 100% complete, but it's close. I need to change out the blinds and touch up the paint in a couple of places. This room is my retreat. I lose myself in here and don't even realize that the time is passing. I've got six work stations plus a table that holds my computer, printer and scanner. And since the room was originally a game room, there's a big bar with lots of cabinets, drawers and shelves. I use the bar sink to wash my hands and paint brushes, and I fill the mini fridge with Diet Pepsi. The only problem is that I don't get up here often enough. A couple of times a week, usually. I'm hoping to spend a lot more time up here this summer, though. Wish me luck!!

2009-05-16T23:45:00.003-05:00

Hi there! I just completed a layout about Miss Anna, so I of course had to post it here. Most of the time that I was working on this layout was spent listening to Jack, Matt and Anna fighting and/or crying because it rained today and I couldn't send them outside with their dad. Ugh!! But it's done, hooray! The patterned paper is by Jillibean Soup, a new line that I first saw in Creating Keepsakes. I love the colors! I tend to use red and brown alot. Anyway, the chipboard letters are Basic Grey, painted with Making Memories paint. The heart in the middle of the "O" is Heidi Grace. And that's about it, really. It was a pain to compile all of these photos, scan the older ones, convert to black and white and resize, but I really like the result! My sweet girl Anna, from her birth all the way to last Sunday, nine years, 5 months later. :)

Hope that you have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-08T23:13:00.004-05:00

Hey there! Happy Mother's Day to all you great moms! I hope that you get some time this weekend to relax. Although it's only Friday, I am in Mother's Day mode - went by myself to get my nails done this afternoon (thanks Gil!) and am currently tucked away in my scrap room trying to create art.

Just finished a page (woohoo!) . . . I loved the paper, but had no idea what to do with it, because, well, it's different than what I'm used to. So I bought a second sheet, cut out a couple of the clouds, the sun and parts of the rainbow and popped them up on pop dots on top of the original sheet. It came out really cute, and it was fun to do! I might stickle the rays of the sun and maybe outline the clouds. The photos are 2X2, something else I hardly ever do. But they worked for this page. Might do something similar for the other three kiddos, not sure yet!

Hope to post again soon. Have a great, happy weekend! :)

2009-05-03T23:32:00.004-05:00

I've been trying to sneak a little scrappin in here and there, and I managed to complete a layout this afternoon, so of course I am sharing it with you! It's all about the things that I think are pretty cool . . . I thought it would be interesting for my kids to look back on when they're older. It was fun thinking of all the things that I really like! This is only my third layout about myself in ten and a half years. Maybe I'll make a point of completing more pages about myself in the future. I did feel a bit selfish spending so much time thinking about myself, but I survived. ;)

The second layout is one that I completed at least a year ago, but never did post. It's a photo that I took of Matthew right when he came home from the NICU. He was still weeks away from his actual due date. I loved the photo so much that I wanted to do something special with it. The top and bottom borders were made with little metallic heart-shaped brads. I might make a few word strips with his length, weight and birth date to include on the bottom right. Still thinking about it!

Hope that you all had a great National Scrapbook Day, and that you are all avoiding the Swine Flu, or the Swan Flu as Anna calls it. :)

Have a great week!

It's About Time!

2009-04-29T23:21:00.005-05:00

Well, I finally have a new layout to share! Woo-hoo!! When I got my hands on the new "Lime Rickey" line by Basic Grey, I couldn't wait to play with it! I actually searched through 3 years of photo files to find the right pictures for the paper! So here it is, pictures of my monkeys in the pool at my sister's house. You can't really tell from the photograph, but the sun's rays are bent away from the page, giving some dimension to the layout. I know, I know, I'm gettin' all crazy on y'all!! I also posted a copy of the sketch that I used to create the layout. While this layout is very linear, which is definitely what I am most comfortable with, I used several different patterned papers. Maybe I'm branching out a bit! :) Hope you enjoy - thanks for looking!!

We're Back!

2009-04-21T22:51:00.014-05:00

Hey there! We've been back from Disney World for about a week now, and I've been busy washing a week's worth of laundry from the trip. Yuck! I don't have any new layouts to post, but wanted to share a few photos from our little adventure. Thanks for stopping by, I love sharing with you! :)

Hello and Goodbye!

2009-04-09T00:00:00.006-05:00

Just a quick lil share before we leave for Disney World. I decided at the last minute to make the kids each an autograph book for the trip. These were rush jobs, but they came out pretty cute. I popped the characters up on pop-dots and used lots of bling. The Zutter Bind-it-All has a definite learning curve, I thought. I ruined two sets of chipboard covers before I got the hang of it. All in all, a fun little project! I am hoping to post vacation photos over the course of our trip, so please check back soon! Happy Easter!

Marley Boy

2009-04-03T22:46:00.004-05:00

Got a surprise today in the form of a 9-week-old yellow lab that Gil brought home from work. Seems that one of the nurses bought this little guy for her daughter and wanted to keep it inside, but he was chewing everything in sight, so . . . we now have another dog! The original owners named him "Marley", and we decided to keep the name, mostly since the kids couldn't agree on any other. Needless to say, there was lots of frolicking and happiness in our backyard this afternoon! :) Now I guess I need to stock up on dog-themed paper & embellishments . . .

2009-03-28T01:33:00.002-05:00

Okay, so I am finally finished with the photos from our little trip to Girard Park. Yay!! I probably have ADD, because I was going crazy working on the same photos over and over. I love the pictures of the kids, just not the repetition. I'm not really excited about any of these pages . . . you know how sometimes you're feeling it and sometimes you're just not? I might re-do the one with the enlargement of Caroline in black and white, that way I can use some fun cardstock colors. Can you tell that I'm feeling grouchy? I'm tired because it's late and hungry because I'm dieting. Bad combo!!

Have a great weekend, try not to let the rain wash you away! :)

Photos

2009-03-25T10:34:00.006-05:00

Hey there! I've been waiting to post in the hopes of having a layout to share, but since that hasn't happened, I thought that I would scan some "older" photos (not really old, since they were taken in the last five-ten years!) and let everyone have a look. These are some of my very favorites! Most (if not all??) were taken in New Orleans, where we lived from 1995-2005. Hope you enjoy (try to ignore the date stamp on so many of these photos - I was still learning!). :)

2009-03-17T13:50:00.004-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Sorry for the slow posts lately. We're right in the middle of soccer/softball/dancing, and things have been hectic.

The leprechauns found our house once again, and left gold (chocolate) coins in the kids' shoes last night. In their haste, they were apparently only able to find one of Jack's slippers, but it all worked out! Matthew kept saying "Why there chocolate in my shoe?". :)

Over the Mardi Gras break, my sister and I took our kids to spend the day in Girard Park in Lafayette. I got a bunch of cute shots, and my plan is to make a layout for each of them. But I tend to get bored when using the same photos over and over, so for now I'll post the first two pages. When inspiration strikes, I'll post the others. :) Oh, the shot of Matthew? That's what I get whenever I say "Smile for me, Buddy!". Monkey! :)

Tiff's Maternity Photos

2009-03-09T18:14:00.007-05:00

I had the absolute joy of taking maternity photos of my sweet brother and sister-in-law today. Mitch and Tiffany are living in Las Vegas and aren't going to be in town again before the baby arrives, so it was now or never. Now you know that I'm not a professional photographer. Not even close. I keep my camera set on "auto" mode. But I am really proud of the way these turned out. See what you think!

2009-03-01T00:49:00.005-06:00

Thought I'd share a couple of layouts I completed tonight. The one about Matthew accomplished two little scrap goals I've been wanting to reach: 1) use more patterned paper, and 2) make a dent in my Thickers stash. If you know me and my usual style, you know that I can easily create layout after layout without using even a square inch of patterned paper. So I'm working on it! I really love the way patterned papers can wake up a project, so why not use it? I know! The second picture (sorry about the glare!) is of my latest addition to Project 365. I used the artwork that Becky Higgins made available on her blog. The pages turned out really busy, which I don't like. But it's done, and that I do like!

Back to school for my little people on Monday. I hope that I can keep up the scrappin' momentum when our routine returns to normal! Thanks for stopping in! :)

Project Du Jour

2009-02-26T09:21:00.006-06:00

Hey there! Just completed a layout for Anna with photos from her school's Mardi Gras parade. Right after I started working on it, I realized that I had ZERO Mardi Gras paper or embellishments, so I had to improvise. I created a cardstock strip with purple, green and "gold" circles, hoping to get a ribbon-type effect. I realize that this page is a bit visually chaotic, what with all the photos on the right hand side, but Mardi Gras is chaotic, too, right? With all the people and the beads flying everywhere. That's my story, and I'm stickin to it! Oh, I'm including a photo of the page Matthew made while I was working on mine. Can you tell that he really liked the panda photos? Everytime he'd find a picture of himself, he'd say "Dat me! Dat Maffhew!" :)

Off to work on Project 365, which I am totally behind on. Can I keep up with this project for an entire year???? I really want to, am trying hard . . . we'll see!

Happy Mardi Gras!

2009-02-23T01:01:00.008-06:00

Hello, and happy Mardi Gras to ya! Lemme just say, I am SO GLAD that my kids are out of school for the week (my opinion might change, depending on their behavior over the next few days!). No getting up at the crack of dawn, no hurrying to get homework done, tests studied for, age/grade-inappropriate projects completed. Just lots of playing outside, staying up late, and me spending time in my happy place (my scrap room of course!). I just completed a layout about Miss Caroline, so I thought I'd share. The photo is from 2003 - yes, I'm trying to scrap some of my older photos - I have so many that have just kinda piled up. But this is one of my all-time favorites of her, back in the days before pre-teen angst, when she still thought that her mom was pretty awesome. Now, before you get all crazy on me thinking that I'm a way-brilliant designer ;) I have to tell you that while this is a layout created from my own sketch, the project itself (color blocking, prima flower) is a Cathy Zielske original. I just kinda modified it for my own purposes. Anyway, I like the result! I don't often use big ol photos, so my blood pressure went up just a tad while I was working on it. Oh, don't you just love that huge Prima flower?? It is gorgeous, and it's available in lots of different colors. I don't remember where I got it (CKC-Phoenix??), but if you google "Prima Lollipop Flowers" you ought to find them. Have a great Mardi Gras!!

2009-02-18T22:48:00.003-06:00

Just a quick little post to say hello and share my latest project. It's a photo of Anna that I took a week ago that was just begging to be made into a layout! I used a two big chunks of patterned paper (My Mind's Eye - one of my favorites!) and a lot of ribbon. I am trying to incorporate both of these into my pages, because I have a ton of both and tend not to use them. So when I draw a sketch, I include a spot for ribbon and patterned paper, even if its just a little piece. I'm off to bed, hope you have a great evening!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-16T05:38:00.007-06:00

Happy belated Valentine's Day! Hope that you had a great one . . . mine was pretty quiet. Just a calm day at home with Gil and the kids. Gil sent me these gorgeous flowers from his uncle's shop (Dallas Floral Design on Morgan Street in Broussard). My entire downstairs smells so good! The kids each got little treats from mom & dad, so they were happy too.

Down to business . . . check out my latest layout! I couldn't wait to use the new Cosmo Cricket "Girl Friday" line! I love the colors, the coordinating ribbon, the sweet florals . . . anyway, this page came together really quickly. Of course, I was working from a sketch! I added sequins over the centers of the flowers because I wanted something different from my usual brads or bling. I didn't have any orange or yellow sequins on hand, so I inked them with a cat's eye ink pad. It worked pretty well! Anyway, I like the delicate look of the flowers. Sweet looking, just like my girl!

I made two more "Just Play" layouts, one for Anna and one for Matt. Changed them up a bit from the original, so I thought I'd post both and see which one y'all prefer. I'm undecided! But I do like the patterned paper on Matt's page - I used crystal lacquer on the dandelion and I love it! :)

Wanted to give a quick "Go 'head!" to Heather at Treasured Memories. This girl gives customer service a whole new meaning!! I love to visit with her whenever I stop in. I know that I can count on a smile and some friendly conversation. So thank you, m'am! You are a gem! :)

Have a happy week!!

On a roll . . .

2009-02-09T12:18:00.006-06:00

Here are two new layouts that I completed this morning. The first one is Week Four of Project 365. Pretty much more of the same. I plan to change things up once I get into the month of February. I might use the free downloads from Becky Higgins' website, just to get my weeks completed a little bit quicker. We'll see!

I love this second layout! I based it off of one of my own sketches. My new favorite size picture . . . 3X3!! You can fit so many photos on one layout!! And my little Epson PictureMate will print in 3X3, so trimming your photos down is a breeze. I took all of these photos Friday afternoon after school (our favorite day of the week, thank you very much). We were just hanging out in the yard, not rushing. The kids were on and off of their bikes and ride-ons, kicking the soccer ball around and just relaxing after a hectic week. This layout will go in Jack's book, that's why he appears in so many of the pictures. For anyone who hasn't noticed, I am on a brown kick. And a puffy Thickers kick. I'll try to diversify on my next layout!

Have any of you tried the Glue Glider Pro?? I love it!!! I've been using it on everything lately. The adhesive goes on super-easy and sticks like crazy! And it's so cute and pink and green!

Been taking tons of pictures with my sweet new camera (Nikon D-90). It has so many cool features that my D-70 doesn't. Example: there's an automatic setting that allows you to take pictures without the flash popping up, even in low light. I love that!! Before, I was constantly holding down my flash. The more I use it, the better I like it!

Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope everyone has a great day! :)

2009-02-05T13:56:00.005-06:00

Just a quick little post to share a couple of layouts I managed to get done today while Matt napped. Finished Week 3 of Project 365 and am almost done w/Week 4 (now that we're in day one of Week 5!). I am really enjoying this project and I know that in years to come I'll enjoy looking back at our day-to-day routine. The "Mattie" layout I created from one of my original sketches. I didn't follow the sketch exactly, but it's pretty close. I've drawn LOTS of sketches lately - can't wait to try them out! Oh, the stick people? Totally irrelevant to the sketch. I just love drawing them!

Can't wait to see all the new scrappy stuff from CHA that should be arriving soon at Treasured Memories. I'll be there next week, stocking up on the goods.

Have a great day and thanks so much for visiting my blog! :)

Hey There!

2009-02-03T22:03:00.008-06:00

Long time, no new post. Sorry! We've been crazy-busy here in New Iberia. I did find the time today to take a ride over to Lafayette to pick up my belated Christmas/early birthday present from Gil - my beautiful new Nikon D90! Woohoo!!! I have been looking at this camera for months now, and thanks to Sunday's Best Buy ad and Gil's American Express, it's all mine. I really want to put the time in and absorb the material in the manual so that I can learn to use this lil baby to the best of its capability. For now, however, it is set on auto everything. And that's okay! I was fooling around with it this afternoon and took this photo of Anna's cat, Ginger. Not too bad, right? And tonight I took a series of pictures of Matthew's pudgy little toes while he was in the bathtub. I can't wait to print them out and see how they look on paper!! I decided to get the backup battery pack (can't recall at the moment what the technical name for it is) that is attached to the bottom of the camera because I'm tired of realizing in the middle of a really good set of shots that my battery is dying. Plus, it looks really cool! :)

I haven't managed to complete a layout in the last week, but as soon as I do, I'll post it here. Thanks for stopping by! :)

Today's Photo

2009-01-27T09:20:00.004-06:00

Woke up to a beautiful morning, so after I dropped the older kids at school, I took Matt for a bike ride around our neighborhood. Needless to say, he was all into it! Such a tough little guy in his ball cap and monkey pj's! Hoping to post my layout for Week 3 soon. I'm trying to keep my head above water, and Week 4 is almost over!!

I have been wanting to get a new camera for a while now. At the beginning of 2006, Gil surprised me with a Nikon D70s, my first digital SLR. It's great, and I love it, but only has 6.2 megapixels. In the last 3 years, Nikon has introduced a few new models with better capabilities. SO! I am looking hard at the D90, which has 12.3 mps. I was considering one of the cameras from the professional series, but after a call to a Nikon rep, I really think that those are way too much camera for me. I would be spending money on features I probably won't ever use. Anyone out there have a D90?? How do you like it???

Have a great day, enjoy the sunshine! :)

So a crazy lady stole my wallet . . .

2009-01-24T22:53:00.005-06:00

Been meaning to post all week, but it's been crazy! I locked my keys in my car on Weds. (I do that with alarming frequency), so I called a locksmith that I found in the yellow pages to come unlock my car. They sent over a woman who showed up in my driveway with wet hair and no shoes (it was 40 degrees), and who kept cursing and talking to herself. Her mental status was obviously altered, most likely from crack rock. Anyhoo, turns out that when I ran inside to get cash to pay her (she didn't want a check), she reached into my purse and STOLE MY FREAKIN WALLET!!! So I spent an entire day canceling credit cards, getting a new driver's license and filing a report with the Sheriff's Department. Luckily, there was no cash in my wallet. Crazy biotch.

So finally I am up here in my scrap room, just working to my heart's content. I finished a quick little page about Matthew - it most likely won't win any awards, but I like it! Ever since I got these wooden Kaiser shapes at Treasured Memories a while back, I've been wanting to use them. They're really sweet! I already have a couple of other pages sketched out for the butterflies and flowers. The two-pager is, of course, the second week of Project 365. Right now I'm kinda sorta behind on week 3, but I'm hoping to knock it out tonight.

Has anyone out there seen "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"?? It's my new favorite movie (on DVD or iTunes). I love a man who can play piano! If you haven't seen it, check it out - especially if you are in need of a good laugh! :)

2009-01-18T01:43:00.004-06:00

Hi there! It's 1:45 am, and I just finished this layout from Christmas morning. It was good to put together a layout from one of my own sketches, not from a class or as part of a project. I needed some creative freedom! It's pretty simple, just like I like! The photos are trimmed down to 3X3 (kind of - my trimmer wasn't terribly cooperative), and I created the scalloped border with a Fiskars border punch. The four hearts on the bottom right represent my four lil monkeys, of course! I might just use this sketch again, maybe rotated to the right or something. Anyway, I love Christmas morning so much! I always enjoy working with those photos year after year!

So I guess that most people have heard by now that Simple Scrapbooks is ceasing publication in the next few months. I am all depressed about it. According to Simple's website, a lot of the magazine's content will now be included in Creating Keepsakes, and Cathy Zielske and Stacy Julian will move over to CK. I'm so bummed about this!! Simple was a perfect fit for me. I'm crossing my fingers that I'll still get my Simple fix through CK.

I hope to post my layout for week 2 of Project 365 in the next day or two. Have a wonderful weekend! :)

Today's Photo

2009-01-11T22:21:00.005-06:00

I just had to share this photo! I am so blessed to still have one of my grandparents alive and well. This is my 94-year-old grandmother, Margaret Fournet Bienvenu, sitting behind the wheel of my brother-in-law's new convertible Mustang Cobra. MawMaw, as we've always called her, still has a great sense of humor, and is 100% "with it". We have lunch at her house in St. Martinville on Sundays, and she loves to see all the great-grandkids. Notice her earrings - she is always dressed up, hair done, makeup on. She loves to shop at Talbots. She is amazing, and we are so lucky to have her! This is my picture of the day for Sunday, January 11, 2009.
CORRECTION: My husband informs me that this car is not called a Cobra, it's a Shelby. Alrighty then!

Week One is Done!

2009-01-07T22:51:00.003-06:00

I finished week 1 of my own little version of Project 365 tonight. I'm posting a photo of the completed layout because I want to pick your creative brains! Once I glued everything down, it occurred to me that perhaps I should have run the photos from left to right, all the way across both pages, instead of days 1, 2 & 3 on the left-hand page and 4, 5, 6 & 7 on the right. Any thoughts? I don't feel like re-doing this first week, but for subsequent weeks, I might change up the photo layout to run left to right. I'm also not real sure about how to transition from this week to the next in terms of color & embellishments. I'm thinking of continuing the tone-on-tone blue & white/snowflake theme throughout the month of January and changing it up for the subsequent months. I plan to use some sort of page divider between each month. I don't want to get bored, though. I'm probably over-thinking this (I tend to do that sometimes . . . okay, most of the time). I welcome all suggestions! Thanks for stopping by!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-04T23:48:00.006-06:00

Hello and happy new year to ya! We're back home, and I've actually managed to complete a couple of layouts in the last few days (sleep is for the weak anyway). I put together the first layout when I realized that I probably wasn't going to get one of Becky Higgins' "Project 365" kits. I plan to have a 2-page layout for each week of the year, following this design. It would have been easier with the kit, but this will accomplish the same thing, which is a record of our day-to-day life in 2009. If I do manage to get my hands on a kit, I'll just include whichever layouts I've already completed in that album. Still think it's stinky that so few people were able to place an order. The second layout is from the class I took at CKC-Phoenix with Cathy Zielske. She provided the sketch and all the supplies, we just added journaling, a photo and then put it all together. The journaling came from an exercise we did in class about why we scrapbook. Just thought I'd share!

Speaking of Cathy Z, I don't know if any of you read her blog, but last week she posted a give-away, and guess what, I won! Woo-hoo! It's a class being offered by one of her sponsors. If it turns out to be any good, I'll be sure to letcha know! Have a great week!! :)

Greetings from Colorado!

2008-12-29T21:27:00.020-06:00

Wanted to post real quick and show y'all a few of the photos I've taken over the last couple of days. It is gorgeous here in Beaver Creek, almost unbelievably so. It's supposed to snow all day tomorrow - I can't wait!

2008-12-25T22:59:00.004-06:00

Just a quick little post to say Merry Christmas! Hope that everyone had a beautiful, peaceful Christmas. We were so fortunate, we were able to spend time with both my side of the family and Gil's. The kids had a blast seeing all of their cousins and we enjoyed seeing family we don't often see. One thing that I noticed: the kids are all getting so big! Sob! We spent a really quiet day at home with the kids today. Just me and Gil and our little ones. They were all excited about their loot from Santa, which made for a day with very little sibling conflict. :)

Sorry that I didn't post the winner of the Clip-it-Up last night - I was really busy - so, here we go! The winner of the super-cool, two-tiered Clip-it-Up is . . . TINA!! I see Tina every now and then croppin at Treasured Memories and we always have a nice little visit. So Tina, please email me your address (thepellerins@msn.com), and I'll get this sucker right out to you. I am leaving really early tomorrow morning and won't be back until Jan. 1, but once I'm back I'll mail it out. This concludes my series of give-aways. Thanks so, so much to everyone who left a comment, and thanks to everyone who checks out my blog. I am grateful!

My mom-in-law invited me and my monkeys on a ski trip to Beaver Creek, Colorado, so we're hopping on a plane tomorrow morning. We'll be playing in the snow by tomorrow afternoon (if all goes according to plan, I should say!). I'm taking Caroline, Anna & Jack. At 2 1/2 years old, Matt is too little to ski and really too young to do much of anything in the snow. I've never left him for this long before (6 days!), and I miss him already. I know that he's in good hands with his Granny and PawPaw, but my heart aches all the same. Gil will be hunting with his dad in San Antonio, so I'll be managing my three oldest on my own. Wish me luck!! It ought to be interesting, that's for sure!!

The Winner of Giveaway No. 3 is . . .

2008-12-21T23:49:00.011-06:00

BECKY BLAIR!! Congrats, Becky! Please email me your address (thepellerins@msn.com) and I will get your prizes right over to ya. And as for you two, Wendy & Charlotte, I have a feeling that Santa is going to bring you both reindeer poopies.

So! The fourth and final giveaway is upon us! You've waited patiently, so here it is . . . a two-tiered Clip-it-Up!! Woo-hoo!! I will choose a winner late in the day on Christmas Eve, so please leave me a comment before then so that you can have your chance to be the lucky winner! I won't be able to mail it out until after January 1st because I will be out of town, but once I'm home I'll get it in the mail. Good luck!!! This one is really cool!

Santa Photo and Giveaway No. 3

2008-12-17T21:55:00.009-06:00

So here is the third (and second-to-last) giveaway! The two books are ones that I won at CKC-Phoenix. I already had both, so I'm sharing with you. They're both good, but the one by Donna Downey is really good! I've already lifted several layout designs, and will probably help myself to more. Also, American Crafts cards and envelopes (I want these in all the colors available!!), a Heidi Swapp distressing thingie, and a pack of Tim Holtz masks. Leave me a comment, and I'll randomly select a winner on Saturday evening.

We took our Santa pictures at the mall this afternoon. It went pretty smoothly, which is a rare happenstance for my crew. The line to see Santa was really short, and we were in and out fairly quickly. Caroline was very cooperative (thank you, Carolina!), and I bought a copy of the photo on a flash drive, so I can print as many as I want. Yay!

Happy Holidays!

. . . and the winner is . . .

2008-12-14T21:11:00.004-06:00

The lovely Miss Heather Bares!! Heather, I already have your address on file, so I will mail your KI Memories winter kit to you in the a.m. Hope you enjoy!!

Please keep checking back for the next give-away. It should post in a day or two. It's the last give-away before the big finale! You just might be the lucky winner . . .

IT'S SNOWING!

2008-12-12T11:37:00.009-06:00

At least it was when I took these photos!! In defense of my children, these were taken around 6 am, and everyone still had bedhead. Now that we've cleared up that little area of concern, let me say that they had a blast! Even better, this wondrous event took place on the morning of Caroline's 12th birthday. How cool is that? Oh, we chose to let Matthew sleep through, because, in his words "I scared of snow".

2008-12-10T21:04:00.002-06:00

Sorry it's taken me so long to post the next giveaway, but here it is!! From KI Memories, this is a winter-themed kit that has over 180 pieces! The kit includes a 12X12 album, cute tin that holds everything, three rubber magnets and TONS of other stuff. You may have seen these kits recently at Target. Anyway, please just leave a comment, and on Sunday night, I'll randomly choose a winner. Hope everyone is having a great holiday season!