crazy busy...

whew.....i had to force myself to take a moment to pound out an entry. things have been extremely busy around here lately and i can't seem to catch my breath. i have a million {well not really a million} emails to respond to, tons of scrappy deadlines to meet, classes to design, loads of laundry {which is neverending}, and appointments for my toes and back....ugh...the list goes on! i feel like i've lost control of my time....i need a schedule--but i have the darndest time sticking to them. i much prefer to fly by the seat of my pants and enjoy the ride...heeheee.

ashlyn...she's a bundle of energy. literally the energizer bunny....she keeps going and going and going and going. i wish i could bottle some of it up and sell it--i'd be super stinkin' rich for sure. she is such an independent little girl--entirely too big for her britches. i just love spending time with her, but at the same time she can crawl under my skin like you wouldn't believe. guess that's what toddler's are suppose to do, eh?
she's decided lately to give us all nicknames. she refers to herself as "sweetie pie" and calls me "cinamon." i think doug is "cocoa butter" and emma "cow girl"...go figure. such an active imagination. amywho...i took some super cute pictures of her tonight. you'll have to wait til tomorrow to see them--battery went dead and i can't transfer the images until it recharges. anywho.....she decided she was going to run around in her t-shirt and diaper {just up from a nap} and then put on a jean jacket and hawaiian lay and an oversized red bucket hat. she looked absolutely adorable! such a ham for the camera too. can't wait to share them.

emma....she's a cruisin. on the go big time. crawling all over the place....army style. it is too cute. she LOVES to gobble down graham crackers--the girl can put away food...let me tell ya. i also took some super cute pictures of her....messy, gooey cracker face. soooooo adorable i can't hardly stand to wait until tomorrow to post the pictures. she's a bit fussy lately too. still no eruption of those toofers--BUMMER! someday they will break through and give the little sweetie some relief. much less time to get stuff done lately. cuddling my baby girl or keeping her little fingers aways from ashlyn's "projects" keeps me busy.

doug....he's been busy completeing little projects around the house and yard. we've worked hard in the yard landscaping and such. he even planted a garden....imagine that....farmer doug...heeehee. seriously though, i am thrilled. i've always wanted a home of my own so i could have a garden. i LOVE that man! he is so excited about his little garden. it is the first thing he checks when he gets home from work. waters it every night without fail. things are really starting to grow now...green beans, cucumbers, green bell peppers, corn, pumpkins, and cilantro. he's also been working hard on the weekends with my dad building the kid's playgym. it still has a few finishing touches that need done, but let me tell ya....it looks FABULOUS! worth every penny and every drop of sweat to see those little girls smile and giggle when they are playing on it!

oh and me.....i am BUSY. and along with that exhausted. i can't remember a time in my life when i've been this exhausted. still struggling to maintain balance in life. struggling to be content with things out of place in the house....struggling to keep up with the massive amounts of laundry that comes with a family of four....struggling to find time to create. i really need someone to make me a schedule....but i HATE schedules. i am a fly by the seat of your pants kinda gal. nothing planned just go with the flow. but sometimes i need more structure to be able to get anything done or else i'm obsessively trying to clean or organize things around the house to make my life easier--but really all it does is suck up my time.....ugh! anyone have any suggestions??? anywho....enough of that. this week i'm super excited to be heading to CHICAGO!! yahoooooo! i'm leaving wednesday for a 5 day trip to go to CHA Summer to network with the manufacturers and designers in the scrapbooking industry. hoping to land some other design gigs and possibly pitch another book idea! i hope to get some sightseeing in while i am there. i am sooooo blessed! the LORD has given me a tremendous talent and it has given me many an opportunity to travel and meet some amazing people! thank you LORD for your amazing blessings.

"when i stand before God at the end of my life, i would hope that i would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say i used EVERYTHING you gave me" erma bombeck

have a GREAT week everyone!! i hope i get to post those pictures tomorrow....if not, i'll be sure to when i get back from chicago!