happy thursday!!!   July 31, 2008

i LOVE this time of year!!! no alarm clocks, no set schedules…only summer camps and playdates!
today, we visited the oakland zoo with my sweet mom. on the way home, emi exclaimed how that was the BEST playdate she has had all summer! how precious is that? she would choose to spend time with her sister, her mommy, and her grandma over any of her friends. gotta LOVE that. how lucky am i?

mari is finishing her nap now in her room, and emi and i are going to play with her new 1st grade buddy, *dotters*. yes, he is a dalmation. get it, dots for the spots ! LOL.

happy thursday!!!

today!   July 29, 2008

we’ve got a day to pick what we want to do- since the girls have nothing on their calendars!
i’m teaching tonight at PMP, and helen chu, from MLS will be there! She is sponsoring my class. I believe there are still a few spots left, so go here, if you would like to join us!
still asking for prayers for my friend’s son, tanner.

here’s one of the layouts we’re going to create tonight!
picture me perfect
7-9pm
creative layouts class
we’re creating 5 layouts from the beautiful lines from MLS.
hope to see you there!

these just in . . .   July 28, 2008

stolen from suzy’s blog. suzy, po, and nanice all took great photos! cannot wait to scrap these! i couldn’t wait to print some of my recent photos- and seriously cannot wait to scrap them!
ones of emi just looking so radiant, so spunky, and so grown. omgosh, i have to catch my breathe sometimes that kid just grew this summer:)
ones of my sweet baby so joyful and now her precious snorting when she laugh just kills me. LOVE it!
ones of my family altogether, so so happy.
ones of my dh and i on are amazing dates in maui.

all in good time…

[and now back to my original post LOL] and just simply seeing how HAPPY i am in these:

i hope you all have a group of friends like this in your life. LOVE you girls!!!

weekend review . . .   July 27, 2008

friday night it was all about kristal:) at least that was what the cake said. actually, we were celebrating her birthday. and she rocked her 4 creations in like nothin’ flat that were due that night for gg assignments. i so wanna be like her when i grow up.
we missed janice:)
i started kitting for my class. note to self: do not teach the same month you are on vaca twice:) after hand cutting 80 butterflies and tiny flowers, my hand was numb.
saturday- my dad, bro and dh got to work on our front yard. we’ve been meaning to add curb appeal for oh, the last 2 years, but then our beautiful mari happened, and that somehow was shelved?!? they were working for 6 hours, tearing out all of our weeds, old plants, and flowers on the 3 beds of land between the driveway and the lawn area. i was given tasks running errands like getting food, replacing tools that broke, etc. i did get to have one on one time with emi for a few hours, and that was awesome! that girl just cracks me up these days! miss emi then got to have an impromptu weekend with my parents. she will be home tomorrow in time for lunch and her playdate:) daddy and mari had an evening together, since mommy went to see, him in concert! and can he R.O.C.K. omgosh, i cannot wait to go see him again! given i wasn’t sure who he was when i agreed to go, when PO set it up, i am so so happy i did! i LOVE two of his songs, the one SYTYCD with twitch and kherington, and the one that david archuleta sang with one republic. it was *couples night*, be careful of the num nuts around you, and if they’re tall, well, they’re just prickery! those are some of the best lines from the night, and some were directly from jm. suzy, rocio, janice and i laughed so much, omgosh!!! today, after church [and surprise surprise, guess who lasted until just after communion w/o having a meltdown...YEP, our now 20 month old did!], janice joined me in prepping for my class. with everything going on this week, it has been challenging to say the least to concentrate. cannot say thank you enough nanice!!! and, suzy for cutting butterflies with me friday, and offering to come down today:) we jammed, and got it all prepped in 8 hours! oh, and the BAGS. that is another story!!! when buying ziploc bags, make sure you read the dimensions. so i thought i was all good- i bought 117 bags- 3×39 gallon bags DOES NOT = 117 bags - 3 gallon x 39. ugh! so, i ran to target in search of those 2.5 gal. ones. no luck. big lots. nope. dollar store. zero. back to the drawing board. called my mom, she is going to target tomorrow to hunt some down. how come i come back home, search some more thinking- for the last garage sale i had another box stashed somewhere with them. YES- found them about 10 minutes after janice left tonight. my dh and i just cracked UP.
i was so relieved/excited, thought i would just finish them tonight. and then sweep and mop the kitchen up. [MOPPING- story for another day LOL] NO. watched SATC reruns and now of course am on here. totally played hard and then worked hard this weekend. just totally missed my mari time and my dh time. and then, i realized, we’re yet on another vaca coming up in 1 1/2 weeks. seriously, where does the time go?
i LOVE my family. i LOVE God. i LOVE and admire my dh. i LOVE and adore my sweet/sassy girls. i LOVE my friends. i LOVE my life- inside my bubble.
i LOVE having a true network i can call my friends. i LOVE that they do not tally. do NOT keep score. that they are simply there to be my friend, love, and support me.
you know who you are!
go ahead and say it.
SAY what you need to say!!!

blessings,
erin

bubbles.   July 24, 2008

they come in many shapes and sizes. i first think of blowing bubbles with the girls and being mezmorized just watching them track and pop and play with them.
there are other kinds of bubbles, too. for instance, i live in one. it is filled with my amazing family and friends, a network that i can truly know i can count on, for a lifetime. it has taken me almost 37 yrs to find this level of trust, unconditional love, and support, and i couldn’t be more thankful. i’ve had to cut out many toxic people in my life, and finally. . . i truly feel at peace with it.
just in that moment, that i find peace, within my bubble, one of my oldest friends’ bubble has just burst. or life as she knew it. her middle son, tanner, who is just now 3 years old has been diagnosed with a very rare [i'm talking his case is the 5th reported in the entire WORLD] and potentially fatal disease, called Juvenile Xanthrogranuloma (JXG). it’s a skin disease that manifests itself as lesions and can occur on various areas of the body. it is a rare condition, in and of itself, however, tanner’s condition is critical because his granulomas are in his airways, causing his lungs to partially collapse. normally, this condition where the lesions are found on the skin, goes away in 3-5 years on its own. this is day 17 he has been airlifted to stanford, and all we can do is pray.

please, join me in saying a special prayer for tanner.

blessings,
erin

cool find . . .   

check it out, here! i was so excited to hear that something i created had been chosen for MLS and this PBS show, scrapbook memories. while the episode has yet to air out in cali, it will be soon.
thank you again, suzy and helen for this great opportunity:)

[in my garden] NEW from my little shoebox!!!   

i absolutely [love] this line!!! these layouts are for my july assignments for MLS. tfl.

in LOVE with the new MLS…   July 23, 2008

this line, in my garden, from MLS’ newest release is just gorgeous!

these are my creations for our july assignments. cannot wait to see what line i receive for august! once they hit your stores, you’ll want them!
thanks suzy and helen, you guys did awesome!

more from our vaca . . .   July 22, 2008

after we arrived to auntie dana’s, got changed and settled. so stinkin cute in those matching dresses. that is just screaming the new MLS line, orange marmalade!!!
my lil princess trying to mimic her uncle davey and his crazy faces. LOVE this shot!

random shots taken in auntie dana’s backyard. it is gorgeous there!

maui ocean aquarium fun!

mommy and daddy had awesome date nights! our fave was from this private secluded beach, in napili bay. we dined right there on the beach, during sunset. and had such yummy foods and desserts!!! roselind home grown kona coffee ice cream with mango and coconut creme brulee was amazing! and yes, check out that brave 6 yo! she went on the extreme trampoline at the sports center, next to the aquarium. and she LOVED it. so proud of that girl!
beach action will arrive shortly. that is still on my mom’s camera.

happy tuesday!

some scenes from maui…   July 21, 2008

family dinner at roy’s in kihei. happy 40th mom and dad!
my parents are so stinkin cute! they take all kinds of trips and adventures, which my dh and i hope to do when we’re their age. this plant is called silverweed, a rare plant that only grows in haleakala.
LOVE this shot of my brother. 70+ day of sobriety. kaenae penninsula.
sunset in lahaina before dinner at lahaina grill.