Christmas Card #3

K, technically, this is the third Christmas card I'm posting, but it's the first one I made this year. Poor thing, I guess it was just getting no love. See, I made it so long ago (gosh, way back in July) and I wasn't gonna post it at all. I wanted it to be a surprise for the people I was gonna send it to. Then I decided to make a couple of different cards to send out, so who cares who saw it. Then I started posting the other ones & forgot about this one. I mean, I still love it. After all, this was the inspiration for the last one I posted (are ya still with me?). But after I posted the black one, Darien said she likes this one better. Oh. So, I thought I'd just put it out there. And there it is. I think I'm done with Christmas cards, at least until September 15. Who knows, I might get inspired all over again. For now, I've got a few September birthdays, so I've got to get back to making those.

Stamps: Faux Ribbon (Papertrey), The Snowflake Spot & So Swirly Jumbo wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate (SU!), Papertrey white, Accessories: White embossing powder (SU!), Oval punches (SU!), Michael's white ribbon

Christmas Card #2

Ok, this is my second one. It's actually a variation of one I made earlier, but this one is more dramatic, I guess. I love black ink embossed. It's so shiny and pretty. You probably can't see that, tho. Well, since I'm pointing things out, the snowflake is embossed, too. I'm working on another Christmas card, and I have an idea in my head, but I'm having a hard time putting it down on paper. This one could take a while. But I know it's gonna be blue. I think. Maybe. I dunno. Nevermind.

Well, I'm off to bed. The schedule in our house has changed and instead of waking up around 8:15 a.m., we're waking up at 5:45. Did you know that it's still dark at 5:45? My goodness, that's early. But I don't see that changing any time soon, so now I have to get used to falling asleep earlier, too. I mean, when the girls are in school, I wake up at 6:30 anyway, but that's not until next week. So, I thought I still had some sleep-in time. But no. I'm on week 2 of 5:45, and I think I'm over the I'm-so-tired-I'm-delirious phase. I think. Maybe. I dunno. Yeah, I think I've run into the indecisive phase, which I don't think I can actually blame on my lack of sleep. But as long as it doesn't mess with my card-making abilities, I think I might survive this.

Stamps: The Snowflake Spot, Many Merry Messages, Jumbo So Swirly wheel (SU!), Ink: Colorbox black & white, Paper: Purely Pomegranate, Basic Black (SU!), clear & white embossing powder (SU!)

Thank You, Squared

Again, it started with the square. I just decided to go nuts with the Borders & Corners set and just layer what I could. Yeah, this is me getting wild, people. Nah, I just can't get away from the simple. When I do, Darien always says, "Wow, that's an interesting card, mom." She's so sweet.

This card is actually for my mom, who stayed with Krista & Tia while Darien & I went to registration. Not that it was a tough job, but she took the day off from work. Tiara's pretty easy to be with, as long as you keep the food coming, cuz she really likes to eat. And Krista was asleep the whole time we were gone. She's not a big fan of the a.m. Plus, Tia loves when my mom babysits. She really thinks she's going to get over and get tons of sugar. See, we limit the amount of sweets that they get. Don't need rotting teeth & kids bouncing off of walls. However, when Grandma's in charge, she can have whatever she wants. So, when she knows Grandma's coming, she gets all singy-songy and excited. "Grandma's comiiing, so I can have all the sweets I wa-ant. Oh, yeah." Only, she never actually does it. When we came home, she was eating popcorn. Yeah, go wild, girl. Gosh, I guess my house is just chock full of party animals. Anyway, thanks again mom. You rock!

Stamps: Borders & Corners, square (Papertrey), Seeing Spots (SU!), Ink: Chocolate Chip (SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla & Chocolate Chip (SU!), Chocolate Chip ribbon (SU!)

Surviving

Ok, we survived high school registration. Barely. We were both a little nervous. Plus, it was so hot, and I don't do well with heat. It affects my MS, mostly by just making me really tired. {Another reason why moving back to San Francisco would be a good idea *ahem*. Sorry, just a little side note to my DH} And this is an outside campus, so we walked all over. And it's a biiiigg campus. It's way bigger than either of my high schools. Although, both of my high schools had 2 gyms like hers. But they each only had 1 cafeteria. This school is supposed to have, I don't know, 4,000 kids. That's a lot of teenagers. Teenagers who drive. Oh my. That's another difference. When I was in high school, a handful of my friends actually drove. It wasn't really a priority. There's so much traffic in San Francisco, driving isn't much faster than public transportation. Out here, it seems to be the norm. That's crazy talk. When we were leaving the school, I saw a boy who didn't look much older than Darien get into the driver's side of a truck with his mom. Hmmm. Now I know that boys grow a little slower than girls, but seriously, he looked like he was 14. So, of course being the totally nonjudgmental and logical mom that I am, I sat there & waited for Junior to pull out of the parking lot before me. I see no need to take unnecessary chances. After all, I'm about to have 4 years of this place, and I'm pretty sure there will be more than 1 teenager behind the wheel. Oh boy.

Oh, yeah. I am aware that this card has nothing to do with my post. (Do my others? I'm not sure, I don't really keep track.) But I just thought I'd put it up there, cuz I really like my pick a petal set. I'm still working on lining the petals up, but there's a lot of options there. Just my 2 cents for the day.

Stamps: Pick a Petal, Simply Said, Happy Everything (SU!), Ink: Pale Plum, Perfect Plum, Blush Blossom, Cameo Coral (SU!), Paper: Perfect Plum (SU!), Papertrey white

That's Life

Ok, so after stating that red & green is not a favorite combo of mine, I promptly went & made a card with red & green all over it. It was actually an accident. It all started with the square. I started playing with my borders & corners set from Papertrey (which I love - have I mentioned that?) and just started adding to it. I love all the little extra pieces that come with their sets. They always add just the right accents to bigger designs. Ok, enough gushing.

So, tomorrow Darien & I are going to high school registration for 9th grade. I'm excited for her, because I found high school to be really fun (oh, yeah, and educational, too). This is a big deal, cuz she's our first baby. Sure, she's 5'7" (or 5'8"? jeez!) and looks like a supermodel, but if I look closely I can still see that 4 year old who was a princess for Halloween. Or the 7 year old at her first dance recital. Hopefully everything goes smoothly and her class schedule is acceptable. She's hoping for a certain math teacher. We'll see. I'm just hoping I make it through the morning without losing it, because I realize she's not really a baby anymore. *sigh* Wish me luck!

Stamps: Delight in Life (SU!), Simply Said (SU!), Borders & Corners square (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Purely Pomegranate, Mellow Moss, Always Artichoke, Close to Cocoa, Chocolate Chip (all SU!), Paper: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Chip, Mellow Moss (all SU!), Michael's ribbon

Christmas Card #1

So, my stuff comes and it's like Christmas! So, I decided to make another Christmas card. I already had one that I was in love with, but when I saw the Season of Joy set, I thought, you can't have too many Christmas stamps. And I've never really understood the whole red & green thing. I mean, would you leave the house wearing red & green outside of the Christmas season? And even then, it's just not right. I mean, unless you like it. Then by all means, have at it. And I usually do blue & white. But I was having a hard time making this work with blue & white, so nonconformist purple & green it is. Now, don't quote me on this, but if Papertrey does end up doing a holiday set, I'll probably be adding to my collection and there may be yet another Christmas card. I'll probably be making more & posting more before that happens, but I thought I'd start with this one cuz I kinda like it. Plus, when I have more than one Christmas card, I'm not making a million of the same one, and that's good, cuz I get bored easily. So, to send out a variety of them would be fun. Yeah, it's easy to say that in August, right? Now, I'm off to go play with my Papertrey stuff that came today.

Stamps: Season of Joy & Perfect Presentation (SU!), Ink: Always Artichoke , Paper: Papertrey white, Always Artichoke & Elegant Eggplant (SU!), Accessories: Elegant Eggplant ribbon (SU!), tag punches (SU!), brad (making memories), Stampin' dimensionals (SU!)

Hey Angie!

Hey there. I just wanna say to my friend Angie, that I truly hope she hurries up & feels better soon. School starts in a few weeks & she needs to be able to run around like a maniac again. Remember PTA, working for teachers, homework, volunteering for picture days & the book fair & everything in between? Then fitting in 1/2 days (blech! ruins our stamping days =P), sick kids & heaven forbid, us getting sick. Aaahh, good times, good times. Well, those good times are almost back, so hurry up & get better!

Stamps: Delight in Life (SU!), Paper Tray (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Mellow Moss, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Paper: Close to Cocoa, Mellow Moss (SU!), white (Papertrey Ink), Accessories: clear embossing powder (SU!), sponge, ribbon (Joann's), eyelets (Making Memories), ovals (Cricut)

I'm A Baaaaad Girl

Yes, I bought from Papertrey last night. I showed up right at 9:00 and the site promptly crashed. I guess we were a little excited, all bamillion of us. I tried so, so hard and never did get a chance to see the tins, boxes & bags last night. The images weren't showing up. I saw them today, tho. Cute! So I just got the stuff I had to have - some stamp sets, some punches that were back in stock. I thought I'd wait (gasp!) on the new stamp sets. Don't get me wrong, I totally want them, but I want to first see what other people do with them. I'll probably get them next if Nichole does indeed to do Christmas stamps next month, like she hinted at last night on Splitcoast before the actual launch. It was a "blink and you missed it" hint, because the room was crazy! But yay to Nichole for hanging out with us and for her awesome new release.

Ok, here comes the bad part. I also ordered from SU! on Monday, knowing darn good well that Papertrey was releasing fun new stuff on Tuesday night. I think I may have some sort of impulse issues. Or zero self-control. I'm undecided. Ooh, it could be both. I'm sure Shawn's vote is for both. But the only reason I ordered so close together is because I had been tweaking my SU! order for about 2 weeks, and finally got it just right. And once I was convinced it was just right, I had to do it quickly before I thought of something else I "needed". And wouldn't you know it, 2 days later I realized some stuff I left out. Eh, I'll just tack it to my next list. See? It's neverending. Yes, there's definitely some issues there. But it's not my fault. I mean, with Papertrey releasing new stuff every month, and now SU! having 2 catalogs a year, not to mention the mini's...Ok. I see your point. Ahem. Hi, my name is Mint and I'm addicted to stamps. Uh, don't get the wrong idea here. I'm not looking for help, I'm just admitting I have a problem. And from what I hear, that's the first step. Yeah, one step works for me.

Stamp: Love Matters (SU!), Ink: Certainly Celery (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Certainly Celery CS & DS, Night of Navy (all SU!), Accessories: Certainly Celery ribbon (SU!), clear embossing powder (SU!), eyelets (making memories), Cricut flowers

Why, Thank You

Okie dokie, first I wanna say thank you to all the really cool people who've popped by my little blog and had awesome things to say. You guys are so nice! So, this is my thank you card for you all. A nice, simple thanks.

Now, I had been feeling very loved, but very uninspired the last couple of days. I started 2 or 3 different cards and just couldn't make them work. Pooh. But that wouldn't be fun to write about, so I'm just gonna do that 7 random facts thing that everyone else has been doing on their blogs. And it makes for some riveting reading (haha, that's sarcasm), so get comfy.

1. My favorite color is purple. It doesn't look all that great on me, and it's not on every single card I make, but it just makes me happy.
2. I've had the same best friend for 20 years. We met in high school & clicked instantly. She's smart, beautiful & strong. I don't get to see her that often, but when I do, it's like no time has passed. Hey Rachel!
3. I have 3 tattoos & can't wait to get more. I have a panther on my back, a rose anklet and my husband's name on my thigh (ooh, scandalous!). Yes, the name thing is a really stupid thing to do and I forbid all 3 of our daughters to even think about it. But, I was 19 and madly in love. I don't regret it and 15 years later, I'm still madly in love with him. Awwww.
4. I have Multiple Sclerosis. Now, don't go gettin' all sad & weepy. I'm fine, really. The worst thing about it was finding out. I think I got it confused with another disease & thought I was gonna die. Knowledge really is power. A healthy diet & exercise helps me stay ahead of relapses. If you're interested, you can read about it here.
5. I have 2 brothers & 2 sisters and I'm the oldest. From my mother is my half-brother, Kaleb, who is 24 (tomorrow!), and I wish he knew how cute he is. On my dad's side, I have a step-brother, Saverio (31) and an adopted sister, Loretta (21) . And, last but not least, a half-sister, Ashley, who is 16, gorgeous and learning to drive. This is my official warning to the people of Las Vegas: Ashley is behind the wheel people. Take cover!
6. I love to dance. My mother was a dancer, I dance (ok, I used to dance) and Darien was in dance for years. She may go back, we'll see. And, we watch So You Think You Can Dance, religiously. Go Neil!
7. I love cake. Like, it's not even funny how much I love cake. Not just any cake. A nice, moist, white cake with buttercream icing. Everyone in my house knows the corner piece is mine, (or, maybe all the corner pieces) so don't touch! No, that's not part of the healthy diet. *sigh* So sad. Now you can feel bad for me.

So there you have it. Probably more than you wanted to know, but there it is. Hey Rachel, you wanna go get a tattoo with me?

Stamps: Faux ribbon (Papertrey Ink), Paper: Vintage Violet, Soft Sky, Soft Sky DSP (all SU!), Ink: Vintage Violet, Accessories: silver brads (Making Memories), Tag Punches (SU!), Cricut flowers

I Love Papertrey!

Ok, it's almost the 15th of the month, and that means a new release from Papertrey Ink. And I have to say that I stalk that site starting on the 10th of every month, because that Nichole is a marketing genius. In case you're not familiar, Papertrey Ink is a site that sells stamps, and now lots of other crafty things, as well. It's relatively new, but growing super fast. And one of the founders, Nichole Heady, has a blog, where she always has awesome ideas. But on the 10th of every month, she starts a countdown for her new release, giving hints and showing projects from her new set, or lately sets, that she's releasing. Last month, she released 5 sets of stamps that coordinate with the marvy scalloped punches. So darling. I absolutely love their stuff. I think my favorite things about their stamps are the sentiments. They fit into my SU! punches, and as you can see, I like to layer my punches. Nichole likes the SU! punches, too, which is partly why she does this. This month she's releasing 2 sets of stamps, transparent flowers, clear paint cans, coffee bags and 9 different sizes of treat tins (suh-weet!). From what I can tell, one of the stamp sets is a floral set and the other is halloween-y. And of course, I love them both. My husband, not so much lovin' me lovin' them both. See, did I mention that I'm also a SU! demo? Hehe, well, I am. But right now, I'm just a hobby demo, so money goes out and none comes in. And then comes the 15th and I start doin' the happy dance. And he just kinda does the let's stop spending shuffle. But I think it kinda balances out when his mom's birthday comes along and I have a nice, perty card all ready to send out & he doesn't have to go to the store & get some boring card, that clearly wasn't made with any kinda love. Right? Oh, just go along with me on this one. I've got to justify it somehow. So until the day comes when he says, ok, go nuts & get whatever you want (oh.mah.goodness), I'll just continue to slowly build my "collection of stuff", as he ever so affectionately calls it. And stalk Nichole's blog.

Stamps: Looks Like Spring (SU!), Faux Ribbon sentiment (Papertrey Ink), Ink: Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa (SU!), Paper: Whisper White, Pretty in Pink, Close to Cocoa, Accessories: Jumbo Pebble Brads (Making Memories), Oval Punches (SU!), Michael's ribbon

What's In A Name?

Ok, time for a little factoid. I had a reader wonder (hey, I have a reader!) what's up with my name. Ok, it was Amy over at Heartfelt Greetings doing the wondering. Alrighty, let's get this out of the way.

First, lemme just say I was born in the 70's. Like, the picture over there doesn't give that away. My daughter finds my accessories to be painfully hilarious. I'm sorry, we didn't have scrunchies waaaay back then. And I like my hair ribbons, big as they are, thank you very much.

Here comes the painful part. When my parents were trying to come up with a name for me, my mother thought something different would be fun. A kick, if you will. This is a woman who legally changed her first name as an adult because she hated her "different" name so much. If I or my brother so much as utter it, we get "the look". You know, the Mom Death Ray Look. Yeah, it's not pretty. So my parents started brainstorming, and when it came down to it, they had to choose between Mentoria and, I'm guessing on the spelling here, Frizzetta. I know, right? Look at that picture. Could you imagine that poor child being strapped with the name Frizzetta? Not to offend anyone out there who may actually have that name, but come on. Ok, so where would they have gotten Mentoria? Well, my dad had a friend (I believe from high school, but totally not his girlfriend *nod, nod, wink, wink*) with that name. And my mom, being possibly the most open minded person in the world, thought, hmmm, that sounds nice. Alright, now you want to know what it means. Supposedly, it's Seminole Indian for Princess. Yeah, that's fun. Little did they know, I would go pretty much my whole life with people calling me Victoria. Which is why I now go by Mint, which most people can pronounce and remember.

Happy Birthday Everybody

Hey there! Happy Friday. K, first off, I've gotta say Happy Birthday to my stepmom, Virgi, who lives in Las Vegas. No, that's not her card I posted here. Her card is posted down below. I sent her a purple version of the butterfly card under "Substitution".

Today, I'm posting another card that is for my brother, Kaleb. His birthday is next week, and I don't think he's frequenting my blog, so it's safe to post his card. Ha! A big fat "so there!" to my one-track-mindedness. Or obsessiveness, I haven't decided yet. Whichever one paints me in a better light is the one I'm going with. I told you I'd put up something without "that other" set. I won't even use the name in this post, that's how dedicated I am to not using it. Of course, I had to stretch and do a guy card to avoid using "Pri-", er, I mean, "that other" set. I'm gonna go out on a limb here & say I don't think he would've wanted swirls or butterflies. I don't see why not, they are pretty fabulous. But he can be picky like that. I blame my mother. {kidding mom!}

Just so you fully appreciate the effort here, I struggle with the guy cards. I mostly make cards for girls and women, so it's always a tug of the imagination to make a card for a guy. Hey, turns out there is a purpose for that beigyish-River Rock paper, after all. Phew, thank goodness for guys!

Stamps: Lexicon of Love (SU!), Faux Ribbon (Papertrey), Stampendous, Rough Around the Edges jumbo wheel (SU!), Ink: River Rock, Bashful Blue, Basic Black (SU!), black craft (Color Box), Paper: River Rock, Bashful Blue, Basic Black (all SU!), Accessories: Round Tab punch (SU!), black eyelet (making memories)

San Francisco

I love San Francisco. I've always considered it to be my home. Right now, we live in a suburb outside of San Francisco, but I visit it every chance I get. I grew up there, for the most part, graduated high school there, met my husband there and Darien was born there. I love the people, the food (mmmm, chinese), the weather, how there's always something to do or somewhere to go and the culture. The main downsides are the traffic, there's never anywhere to park and it's so very expensive. But I love it and I'd move back in a heartbeat. Of course, I'd have to give up stamping, so let's just pack that little pipe dream away for awhile, shall we?

We left the city to buy a house and to have a regular ole neighborhood for our kids. And we have it. The suburban house, the neighborhood schools, the same friends from kindergarten to high school. We've had it for 10 years. And it's very nice. But it's not San Francisco. Everytime we go back, I take in everything that I miss about it. The smells (ok, maybe not all the smells *shudder*), the buildings, the people, the childhood memories. Even public transportation. It's just so easy. People out here just can't believe I didn't drive until I was 25. First you think, who drives in the city? And then you realize, enough people so that there's no parking spots!

Aaah, the things we do for our kids. Maybe one day we'll move back, when the girls are done with school, or when my husband retires. We'll see. Until then I guess I'll just have to make do with visits every now & then, so I can get my fix of city sights and real Chinese food.

Both pictures were taken at Twin Peaks in San Francisco. It's not usually so sunny up there, but it's usually that windy. This is my husband, Shawn, and our daughters Tiara, Krista & Darien.

Is There a Rehab for Stamping?

Nevermind. Even if there were such a thing, I'm not interested. I kinda enjoy this illness. But I've also discovered that I'm addicted to a particular stamp set. Wow, a double addiction. That can't be good. Now, if you just scroll down the page, I'm sure you can figure out just what the set is. I'm really feeling the set "Priceless". The swirls in there actually make me giddy. Yes, giddy. That's sick, isn't it? And they can be used so many ways. And how precious is the little butterfly? And then, SU! had to go & make that darn, yet oh so gorgeous, jumbo swirly wheel. Well, I'll be darned if it just doesn't go perfect with my little swirly friends from Priceless. See, this is where the sickness creeps in. You start referring to your stamps affectionately. So, so sad. But how can it be sad when it makes me so happy at the same time? I dunno. Here's the good news for you. I've decided not to continue to torture my fans - all one of you - by continually using this set. So, I'm gonna branch out. That's right. I'm going to use some of my other sets that I love. I'm not sure which ones, but just know I'm going to do it. No, really, I am. Why are you laughing? Of course, I guess I should at least post the other cards that I have using that set first. What, you didn't think I meant today, did you? Yeah, right!

Stamps: Priceless (duh!), Looks Like Spring, Reason to Smile, Ink: Regal Rose, Certainly Celery, Paper: Very Vanilla, Certainly Celery, Accessories: Certainly Celery Ribbon, small & large punch tags (all SU!), eyelets & brad (Making Memories)

I also wanted to add that the card under "Substitution", I totally CASED from Sherry Cheever, whose blog can be found over there --->

Ooh, Aah

K, here it is, as promised. And, I'm switching everything up by putting the picture on the other side. Fancy schmancy, isn't it? Yes, making a card with the split in 3 styling is a bit of a pain in the butt, cuz I really like things to be symmetrical & painfully even. I had a hard time knowing where to start, since it was for a 16 year-old. But black & white is definitely more appropriate for this particular 16 year-old, than say, pink. And I copied the embellishment from the other card below. Really, why reinvent the wheel?

Stamps: Circle of Friendship, Priceless (again!), Jumbo Swirly Wheel, Ink: Basic Black, Soft Sky, Paper: Whisper White, Basic Black, Soft Sky, Accessories: Circle Punches, Scallop Punch, sponge (all SU!)

Substitution

Alrighty, I'm posting today cuz I (gasp!) told my mom about my blog. Well, I've told people about it, but I haven't actually given out where it can be found. But my mom is different. She's probably my biggest fan and she'll actually tell me if something sucks or not. I'm not sure what the advantage would be to that, but it's there somewhere. Hmmmm. Anyways, I was telling her about this other card that I made, but I don't have a good picture of it, so I threw this one in there instead. {Mom: I'll post Tomika's picture sometime this weekend, if I actually remember to take a picture of it before I send it out. I've forgotten before on some really good cards and I hate that!}

And, hopefully, sometime this century, my brother will find the time to design me a banner that's all pretty and girly. That wasn't a dig at him, cuz I haven't actually asked him yet. But can I just say that he is the bestest, smartest, most fabulousest gosh darn computer designery guy out there, and I know he'll give it his all cuz this request is his life's wish come true? {Think that's overdoing it a bit, mom? Lemme know, cuz I can do subtle. =)}

Anyhoo, a big bloggy welcome to my mother, and my brother who I'm sure will think this is all lame. Oh, and I'm seeing what the picture looks like centered, instead of off to the side with the text wrapped around it. What do you think? Lemme know, k? Thanks.

Stamps: Priceless, Circle of Friendship, Ink: Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Paper: Whisper White, Bashful Blue, Brocade Blue, Accessories: Circle Punches, Scallop Circle Punch (All SU!), white gel pen, sponge

Hmmm, well I don't have anything exciting to add today. Not that what I've got so far has been riveting, but I'd like to add stuff as often as possible. So, I think I'll just post a card that I made and call it a day. I guess I really like that designer series paper by SU! Of course, I've got a stack of cards that I've made with the Priceless stamp set, so I must love that one. The swirls are just lovely. Yes, lovely. But this paper is perfect for all the little girls I make cards for.

Stamp: Labelicious, Ink: Regal Rose, Paper: Regal Rose, Whisper White, Flowers for You Designer Series, Accessories: Certainly Celery ribbon, clear button, designer label punch, circle punch (all SU!)

August (Phew!)

Well, it's August already. I say already even though July kinda dragged on around here. See, this is my family's first official summer break. Ever since our oldest daughter, Darien, started school, we've had year-round school. By the time she started middle school, which was traditional, her sisters were attending the year-round elementary school. So, for the last 3 years, we've had someone in school everyday of the year, except for the regular holidays everyone gets off. And when she had summers off, she spent them volunteering at her sisters' school with all the teachers she had. As Darien goes into high school, her sisters also start a traditional school year schedule. As a stay-at-home mom, this change is a little strange for me. The good part is that they're all on the same schedule. When someone is off, I'm not still getting up & getting someone else ready for school. They're all off at the same time. The weird part is they're all of at the same time. And as good as our girls are, and they are good girls, they want to be entertained. Yeah, I'm not so good at that. For some strange reason, they don't find watching mommy making cards all that fun. Personally, I find it fascinating. But, that could be just me.

They spend a lot of time in the pool, which is good. They're moving around and getting fresh air. They play with each other, which is always good for me. When they come to me and complain about being bored, I am known to respond with, "Play with one of your sisters. That's why I had 3 of you, so you can entertain yourselves." If they don't finish the sentence for me, they just respond with a big *mom-is-so-lame-sigh*. Keeping them entertained is tough at times, but in just a few weeks we already have back to school shopping coming, and registration for high school and orientation. All those things signaling the end to summer. So instead of waiting for September 4th to hurry up & get here, we'll be complaining that summer is almost over way too soon.

One of my many August birthday cards: Stamps: Dilly-Dally SU! Jumbo Wheel, Happy Birthday (Rubber Stampede), Inks: Regal Rose Craft & Lavender Lace Craft (SU!), Paper: Lavender Lace, Regal Rose, Whisper White & Flowers for You DS Paper (SU!), Accessories: Clear Embossing powder, Stampin' Pastels, blender pens (all SU!)