Where I have been and what I have been doing....

*Giveaway down at the bottom of the post*

Hi Everyone! :D I want to thank all of those who left a comment on my last post. I wrote that at about 1 in the morning, and had just kinda let everything go with it. Which was really good! Very therapeutic, but really sad. Sometimes you just have to get it out though ya know? It has taken me a few days now to stop being so emotional and sad, but with National Scrapbooking Day and Mother's Day this weekend, I have lots of reasons to be happy! It is 1 am again and I am sitting here editing photos from Easter! Laugh! Better late than never right? :D First I will share a little update on what we have been up to:

This one is growing faster than I ever could have imagined.

(asked her here to please give me a smile but her mouth was super full of candy! Of course!)

She is talking non-stop, and in more complete sentences. She has an enormous vocabulary, it just astounds me! She said the other day that I was beautiful, she was pretty and Aurelia was lovely. :D She is such a joy and a sweetheart!

But she still has her extremely stubborn side, and is as strong-willed and stubborn as the day she was born! (If not more so!) Time-out is much more frequent as of late, but that is because she is now testing more than ever. And she knows how to back talk now too! It is cute as ever, Jed and I have the hardest time keeping a straight face! But Holy Shnikes I had no idea one little kid could be so crazy from the moment she wakes to the moment she falls asleep! It is like pulling teeth to get her to do anything, including listen to you. :P

Physically she is doing tremendously well. She is so tall right now, she is up to my mid waist! (I am super short but still! This is my baby! When did she get this big?!) She loves to run, jump, spin, scream, fly and go for walks, and that is all before breakfast. Laugh!

She is getting so good at sharing, and is always very concerned when sister cries. She is loving to read books right now, and can count to 12! Still working on understanding what those numbers mean though. She may play tough to get most of the time but she is such a huge softie, and absolutely breaks down when she gets in trouble. Automatically the Mommy I Love you's come out and she just wants to be held. And I can't help but do just that. :D

(Awesome perspective here huh?! Jed took this picture :D)

It's pretty funny these pictures below-she just could not help herself but to start eating!!

And start talking while she was eating....

Want some?! .... :D She is at such a challenging yet super fun age!

This little one is growing more and more everyday!

(Please ignore Jed's face here. He too couldn't stop eating the candy!)

Aurelia is now 3 and a half months old, and is so stinkin tubby it is hilarious! She has some super power thighs under those pants there! :D She is the cutest Sumo baby when she is just in a diaper. Cuteness overload! She has also started laughing! She is very select at what she laughs at, but she smiles at almost everything. She is naturally a happy baby, and we are so lucky to have this little one! She reveals more personality everyday, and it is so fun to see her becoming who she will be. She adores her sister! She would watch Creedence all day long, if only Cree would stay within Aurelia's sight. She loves to be sitting up and feel a part of what is going on, and absolutely can not stand to be left laying there for more than like 20 seconds! She is one of those that wants to go with you where ever you go, and if she can do that she is perfectly content. :D
She has been having some not so happy times lately because she is getting 4 teeth in! I can see quite easily that this is affecting her, and I feel so bad! The poor thing. 4 is just way too much for one to handle all at once! And what is worse is she can't hold onto anything yet so teethers aren't working for her at all. She found her hands fairly early so she uses those to chew on when I am not there nursing her or holding something for her to chew on. I know that she will only be this little for so long and also this bout with teething will pass soon, so we are doing our best to get through it. :D
(Love those chubby cheeks!)

This guy is being an amazing father, and a wonderful husband.

He comes home from work (that's right! He found a job! :D), exhausted, but will still make time to play with the girls-be it a full tackle and run session with the munchkin, or playing airplane/superbaby with the bitty. Creedence and him have a special time that they spend in the front yard when he gets home. She helps him with moving rocks to the pond, and planting seeds and picking weeds. She LOVES to be outside with Papa. Jed has taken on a couple things since Aurelia was born, things that help around the house but also make for special bonding times with the girls, but mostly for Creedence. He bathes the girls almost every night (sometimes Creedence passes out before bath time happens!), he brushes the munchkin's teeth every night, and he puts Creedence to bed at night (as I usually stay up later and am nursing Aurelia at that time). He is also the champion cuddler of the house. If anyone has a owie or is upset, he is there to let them sit on his lap. (ie: the munchkin! hehe)

And as a husband he is really being wonderful. So understanding of the fact that the first year having a baby some things just have to get put on hold. We are working hard to keep our relationship strong, and communicating much better with each other than we ever have. He's a crazy guy who constantly needs to be kept in check, but I love him. :D

And this is me as of right now.

I won't deny that I am not really very happy with how I look right now. But that is kind of normal seeing as I just had a baby and am dealing with about 20 extra pounds that wasn't there before. :P I don't know what is going on but I tried to put on a pair of pants this evening that I wore last Tuesday and they would not get past my hips. Sigh. That right there made it official. I can no longer fit any of my non-maternity pants, and am stuck with wearing my maternity jeans or my sweatpants. All. the. time. I am really bummed. Tomorrow starts a change in my diet and regular exercise. And I can't tell you how extremely difficult it will be!! Omgosh. It's gonna be super hard. But I gotta do it, cause I am so tired of this. I hate the way I look right now, and I want to wear my clothes gosh darn it! :)

Here is a pic of almost all the cousins lined up and ready to start egg hunting!! Creedence did so good with posing for these! She stayed in one spot and kept this huge smile for like 6 pictures! Laugh! That is really good for her! :D
And here is a picture of almost the whole family on Jed's side. :D There are several people missing from this shot but hey at least all the kiddos are there!

And because it is just too gosh darn cute I have to share a pic of the sweetest most adorable little puppy I have ever seen!! :D
I seriously just wanted to put it in my purse as I left! And it would have totally fit too! Love!
Now for scrapbooking related stuffs!! :D I have a couple things I wanted to share with you all.

First off I want to tell you about a site that a new friend of mine, Rahel, just started called The Scrapbook Mentor!! It is not your ordinary scrapbooking site. You can think of it as an ongoing, online scrapbooking course. This “course” is taught by Rahel Menig, the on-site Scrapbook Mentor. She has years of scrapbook experience and is so inspiring!! Her scrapbook style is flawless and fresh and I absolutely love some of the ideas she has for using products on her projects! Every month she will have new things to show us and teach us! Each month as an exclusive member you will get:

2 New Video Tutorials (invaluable insight on how she creates her masterpieces!)
3 New Articles On Various Scrapbooking Topics (tips and techniques that will inspire you!)
1 Open Question & Answer Webinar (being able to talk one on one with Rahel herself!)
1 Product or Service Review With Giveaway (free stuff! seriously how awesome is that?!)

Here is a little bit more talking about the site (taken from the main page :D): Think of this site as a scrapbook meetup that never ends and an online scrapbooking classroom that never closes! As a member of our site, you can login day or night at anytime and participate in the growing members only forums. At the same time you can get inspiration for new scrapbooking pages and learn some new techniques from our resident expert. We feel that this site takes scrapbooking to the next level. There is nothing better then being a part of a special community and that is exactly what we’re building here. We don’t know of any other sites in the scrapbooking world that are doing what we are. We want you to be a part of this!

Here is a link to The Scrapbook Mentor's blog where you can check out not only the awesome projects she has featured for members this month (which includes tutorials, behind the scenes footage, inspiration, and thought process while making these gorgeous creations!), but also the current National Scrapbooking Day Challenges she has posted!!! Yay!!! I am working on mine this evening and am having a blast! Here is a link to the FAQs page if you have any questions, or you can contact Rahel here. :) Please come check it out and give it a try!! Rahel is super sweet and would love to see you there!! :D

Next thing on my list to tell you all about is the awesome NSD challenge going on over at Noel Mignon that was posted by the lovely Jill Cornell! It is all about using up those old kits and getting your layouts you make submitted for publication!! It is a for fun challenge so no prize involved, but still a great challenge nonetheless! :D Totally need to do this as I have massive amounts left over from Noel's kits that desperately need to be used! And many a call to submit to that I keep forgetting to do!

Two last things to tell you about before I head back to my scrap room to start scrapping again-Today was my day to post up a challenge over at Cosmo Cricket! I was so nervous about this because the last time I did a post there I had soooo many typos it was seriously ridiculous! Laugh!! But I used spell check this time so I think it turned out ok. Here is my layout for the challenge:

Totally didn't photograph at all like I had hoped it would, but it was my second round with photographing it and I really didn't feel like doing it again. Laugh! The layout turned out differently than I had intended but I kind of like it being different. My handwriting on it ruined it though! Guh. Well hopefully Creedence will appreciate seeing my handwriting when she is older and flipping through her albums. :D

And then last but not least: I received my box of the April 2011 Scrapbook Trends with my layout on the cover!!!

I had no idea they would send me so many copies! I have two for me to keep (just in case one gets ruined-you know, having a particular monkey around LOTS of things get ruined fast), one each for my Grandma and my Dad (who each requested one :D), and TWO to giveaway for you all!!! So leave a comment on this post by Wednesday 11:59 pm PST! I will have my munchkin/monkey Creedence draw two winners on Thursday!

My last thing to say:

I know this is the same image I used last year, but I just love it soooo much!!! :D Can you blame me for using it again? :)

Take care everyone!!! :D Be back soon!

~Amy

8 years....

I have been dreading May 1st for about a month and a half now. It is incredible how fast this day came. Even though it is May Day, a gorgeous flower holiday, it is so hard for me to see it as that, because 8 years ago today my dear mother passed away.

This is my Mom, my sister Melissa, and me (I was 16 here!).

I remember parts of that day so vividly. It is funny what sticks with you. It rained that day, but only after she passed. Rain always makes me so happy, so maybe she was trying to cheer me up. I always think of my mom whenever it rains anymore.

It is incredible how much I have clung to just because it was something that she loved. Like I still have her purse. Completely untouched and intact since the last day she used it. I don't know if I have shared this on here before (can't remember) but there is a little restaurant here in town that she LOVED. We always went there. It is a breakfast and early lunch place. Breakfast was her fav meal, and she would get blackberry pancakes. They never had enough blackberry to them for her (even though they were covered in fresh blackberries) so she would put a couple of those little tiny blackberry jam packets they have for toast ontop of her pancake stack. And she would always take a few for the road so she would have some at home just in case. Her purse still has a few packs in it. It has been almost 5 years since I looked in her purse last, I break down every time I do.

Jed used to give me a real hard time about the fact that I watch the same movies so much and so often. It took him really pressuring me about it for me to realize why I will play Harry Potter 10 times in one day, though I only see it once throughout the whole day but in bits and pieces. My mom layed in her bed, which was in the living room, for most of the time and to bring her a little more happiness we would watch movies. There wasn't a whole lot she was able to do so this was special for her. I would give anything to be able to watch a movie with her one more time. And I promise I would actually sit there through the whole movie. It is uncontrollable my need to have a movie on. I can't describe the happiness it subconsciously brings to me.

I did a layout about a month ago about this day. Sadly I have a lot of regrets that I am finding very hard to come to terms with. So it was very therapeutic to get it all down on paper. Although rereading it all to type it, it all still hurts so much.

Journaling reads: I can not believe how much I didn't say that I should have. You deserved so much more from me than I gave. I regret staying away because I didn't know how to deal with it. I miss watching movies with you. Meandering through stores. I miss your humor, your laughter, your creativity. It makes me so angry my daughters will never know you. I cry so hard some times I can barely breathe. It has been almost 8 years and it feels like nothing has changed. I should have been there more. Been more involved. Tried to make a difference for your life while you were still here to enjoy it. I'm sorry I didn't. Although I can not remember everything from that day, I most certainly can recall it being the worst day of my life. The main emotion I feel when I think of it is regret. I did not expect that day to come as quickly as it did. I remember when grandma came to me and told me she thought it was close. I didn't believe her. I guess some part of me always thought you would get better. I actually had attitude when she told me. And you were gone 20 minutes later. I can barely remember what your hand felt like in mine. These things I own I will never part with: Your purse-with all the little blackberry jam packets you would take from the Wagon Wheel still inside. The answering machine-the only recording of your voice that I own. It absolutely rips me apart inside when I hear about women not having a relationship with their mothers that is constant. Daughters that hate their mothers. I never once told my mother I hated her. From the time I was 12 years old I was afraid of losing her. Of being pulled out of class to be told that it had finally taken her. And if I had not dropped out of school to be there, that would have happened. I would have missed those last months moments with her, so I don't regret even for a moment disappointing her and not graduating when I should have. I will never again be able to tell you I love you. hug you. help you. enjoy with you. laugh with you. Be able to call you. depend upon you. ask anything. hold your hand. I will never again hear your voice. Hear you tell me how proud you are of me. How much you love me. It is kind of silly but I miss being called your Mazy girl. Why didn't I cherish that more?

I have an awful lot to work through. My grieving process has only just started recently. When you sit down and actually talk about the pain, it feels like it is neverending. I miss my mom so much. I am very thankful to have my wonderful husband Jed and my two beautiful girls. They keep me going. I am going to spend today remembering my mother, but spending some quality time with my family to make it a little easier.

I am sorry I have been so MIA recently. I have been distracted by this happy silly girl (who is growing so much! Since when did her 3T pants not need to be rolled over at the waist anymore?)

and by this chunky monkey! (She is cutting three teeth already! which means she is almost constantly nursing :P

I will return soon with updates and shares! Hope you are all well! Take care!

~Amy

Lily Bee shares and an update on pictures....

Hi! Well I really thought I would have pictures to share by now but they haven't made it on here yet. I am going to be taking more tomorrow and do some editing so hopefully I will have updated pictures real soon! :D Until then, I have some layouts to share with you all. See layouts are actually easier to do than take pictures cause I do my crafting at night when the little ones are sleeping, so I get more done then. During the day if I try to take pictures of the munch she usually has several things going on that keep the pics from turning out like I would want-super messy hair, food on face, absolutely no clothes on (this one happens a lot. I turn around and poof! she is naked again!), or just doesn't want me to take pictures. :P I need to get over the fact that pictures are not always going to be perfect every time! And focus more on documenting the everyday. I really really need to do this.

I have a busy weekend coming up as it is massive house cleaning time here at the Johnson house. I have neglected the house long enough this week, and it is just too much right now! I can't stand it anymore, so a huge cleaning is in our future and that will hopefully make it easier for me to take pictures cause I won't be worrying about getting that messy pile or those dishes in the shot. :P Laugh!

So on the scrappy side, I decided to throw my name in the hat for the Lily Bee Design Team call. :D I really love their products, and am always so inspired by their current DT that I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately though I really don't have a whole lot of their past few releases (just what I have gotten in kits) so I had to work with some old OLD product for one of my submission LOs. I don't think they will mind though. :D It was not at all required for submitters to use new product. So here are the two LOs I sent over this evening.

This first one I used the This & That collection, and it is about my two girls getting along as sisters. They are just doing wonderfully together, and I couldn't be more happy! (I used my Jump and Jive kit by Noel Mignon to make this-there are still some left!!)

And this next LO I decided to go very neutral on the background cause I wanted lots of color pops, and used flowers to do this. So I relied heavily on the Lily Bee papers as neutrals to balance my LO and also give those colorful flowers something to bouce off of. :D I really love how this LO turned out, although it still needs journaling-which will go on the left hand side written in black. I am still trying to figure out all I want to say so that is why I left it blank for now. :D

So keeping my fingers crossed and wishing good luck to all who applied!! Can't wait to find out who they pick for the new team! :D In other scrappy news, I have something pretty awesome to announce! I found out the other day from my good friend Noel that I made the cover of Scrapbook Trends April edition! I was thrilled!! This is seriously a scrappy milestone for me-and I never thought I would have this opportunity! But here it is: I can't even believe it! Thank you thank you thank you a million times over to Pam Baird at Scrapbook Trends! She is the sweetest! It will be a little bit before this mag is in my hands, but I can wait. :D Well that is all I have right now, I will be back with more scrappy shares this weekend, as this has been a busy crafting week! :D Hope all is well with you all! Take care! ~Amy

Noel Mignon Blog Hop!!!

Hey Everyone!! So here is the low-down on the Blog Hop!!

Welcome to the April Kit Sneak peek Blog hop!

This will be a two day event, so be sure to join us both Saturday and Sunday to join in on all the fun. This is more than just a fun way to get a bunch of sneaks all in one weekend, we have also turned it into a fun game! For April, we are revealing the name of the kit through jumbled letters (this is a 3 word name, with 11 total letters).

The first stop on the hop is the NoelMignon LO/Project blog. So if you are stopping here first, please head back over there and start over to be sure you collect all the letters.

Also, be sure to leave comments along the blog route, as there will be one lucky winner of a $10 discount pulled from all the comments left along the way. We are going to pull the winner from ONE blog, but that blog is a "mystery", so be thorough, and leave comments on every blog so you don't miss out!

The kit goes up for sale bright and early Monday morning! There will be a full reveal and kits will start shipping that very day! Get your order in early, as this one has the lines that have been getting a lot of attention since they debuted at CHA, and it won't last long! Check in at the Noel Mignon LO/Project blog on Monday for the full kit reveal!

So here is my letter for the word scramble! :D

Ok so remember, it is a 3 word-11 letter phrase that you are trying to figure out so make sure you get every letter-one from each design team member! And in case you were having a little difficulty with figuring it out....Noel gave me this fun image to show so you had a little hint! :D

Happy Hopping!!! And Good Luck! Now head back over to the Noel Mignon LO/Project Blog tomorrow morn for the full reveal of this gorgeous kit! :D

~Amy