a little crazy...

around here!  we are heading back to iowa next sunday so we only have one week to be totally prepared for Christmas.  ack!  lol!  hopefully in just a few minutes i'll be leaving to finish up getting a few gifts.  then the girls and i are having a girls day out.  they want to go antiquing!  i'm so excited!  ella and i went together this summer and she really loved it.  i have a feeling it's not really anna's cup of tea, but she doesn't want to be left out.  the mall with a huge justice store is on the way home, though, so we'll probably be stopping there too.  i can't wait!  it will be a much needed break from our routine.

anna has another science starter due before we leave, and ultimately it needs to be done early so she can give her presentation too.  those of you whom i know in real life have heard aaaaaalll about the science starter from last time.  lol!  but basically she gets a book about science and has to write 10 vocabulary words and 10 important facts from the book, and then give a 5 minute presentation with a display and/or experiment.  if she was just going for a passing grade she could just do 3 minutes and 5 vocab and 5 facts, but in her mind that's not really an option.  i am proud of her for that, but 10 and 10 and 5 whole minutes can be a bit overwhelming.  i know it's all going to be so helpful for her in the end, though.

anna's class is also doing a service project this year.  they are all learning to knit.  they are all knitting squares that her teacher will turn into blankets and donate to shelters.  i'm really impressed by how well some of them are doing!  almost everyone is catching on now that we've been doing it for a few days.  wilson and i have been going in to help every morning.  it's been good for him too. he's finally starting to make friends with a few of the kids.  they had pajama day on friday and his monkey Christmas jammies were a huge hit.  lol!

as i'm sure you can tell, ella isn't getting any attention.  if you don't believe me just ask her.  lol!  it has been hard for her to see me get involved with anna's class and not hers.  i know i will have an opportunity to help her class too, but it's hard for her to realize that will happen.  so wilson and i have gone to lunch with her and i've given her a few extra snuggles here and there.  but of course, it's e, so she still feels like the forgotten middle child.  bless her heart!  lol!

i have gotten to sneak a little scrapping in here and there.  the kits from two peas this week are so great!  i've been wanting to make this "sunny day" page of wilson for a long time.  he wakes us up telling us that EVERY morning!  i'll admit it's sometimes hard to take at 5 am when it's raining outside, but i love that he has such enthusiasm and optimism.  he's such a sweet boy!  the kit is called Sunshine Day and it's by Brandy Buffington.  i love those little banners!  i did mix in a few other kits with the page - all of the detail can be found here.

here are a few pictures from our snow last weekend.  more are coming soon!  we had such a fun weekend!  the kids were thrilled!  this page was made with Michelle Underwood's quick page Baby it's Cold Outside.  isn't it beautiful?!  i love the design of it so much!  i love being able to just stick my pictures in and be done!

these Imprint Christmas Stamps from Carina Gardner are so beautiful!  i think they would make really gorgeous tags to put on Christmas gifts too!  I also used a few other kits for this page too - all of the detail can be found here.

ok - off to get ready for our big day out.  hope everyone has a great weekend!

I LOVE all of the new Ornament kits debuted this week by Jen Allyson on 2 Peas! For this project I used the Ornament Stamps and Brushes because I changed the colors just a bit, but the colors in the Ornament Stickers kit are so beautiful too! I also used the Ornament Pink Papers, but I also LOVE the Ornament Ice Blue Papers too! I created a Photoshop document that was the size I wanted my pillow to be and created a layout for the pillow first, so I could know what sizes I need the ornaments to be. I erased the bows and the hangers on the stamps, because I wanted to recreate them with cording and embroidery floss. I then copied the stamps into an 8 1/2" x 11" document for printing. I chose to create a smaller pillow - about 5" or 6" x 7" - so I could print the ornaments and the fabric for the back of my pillow all on one sheet. I had some printable fabric sheets from a project I did years ago, and I don't think the kind I used are still in production. Avery sells these Printable Fabric Sheets, which have a heat seal backing. They would work well, but I wanted my ornaments to pop up a bit on the edges, so I would recommend these Printable Fabric Sheets from Joann's instead. Which ever sheets you choose will have printing instructions, but for mine I just set my printer settings to "best," and also told the printer I was printing on the thickest media available. I don't think fabric is listed, so I used the heavy cardstock setting instead. The fabric I used was very tightly woven, which made embroidering very hard. I had to work really hard to get my needle through that fabric! If I make another one I will probably attach my ornaments to a different fabric, but for this pillow I just used the printable fabric for all of the pieces. Also I embroidered the ornaments onto the front cover of the pillow directly. Next time I think I'll just embroider the fabric of the ornament and then attach it to the pillow with Heat and Bond. Hopefully not having to go through two layers of that tight fabric will make things easier. After sewing the ornaments onto the pillow I embroidered French knots where the hangers were on the stamps. This tutorial on Sublime Stitching has pictures that show just how to make a French knot. I just sketched the word "Joy" on the largest bulb and embroidered over it, too. I used some silver cording to recreate the ribbon on the ornaments in the kit. Any kind of ribbon or cording would work. I did stitch those to the pillow too - I don't think glue or Heat Bond would work as well for that part. I stitched the two fabric pieces together with my machine, left a hole in the bottom seam for stuffing, and then slip stitched the rest. (The link will take you to a great slip stitching tutorial). Voila! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! ;)

One more time!  We had such a great weekend!  Kurt had the day off Wednesday and he took Wilson and I out for lunch and to do a little shopping.  I had planned on doing a lot of pre-Thanksgiving cooking, but we didn't have room in our refridgerator to store anything, so I was off the hook!  :)  On Thursday everyone helped cook dinner and there were only a few arguments about who got to pour what into the bowl.  LOL!  For the first time in a LONG time I didn't do Black Friday.  I usually go to Toys R Us and by the time 11 p.m. came around I was just not in the mood to get up and go shopping.  Maybe next year!  I did get a lot done online, so I just have a few more things to get.  The rest of the weekend was kind of lazy, and JUST what we all needed!  I'm so glad we took the time to do that, though, because today has been nuts!  We had a great morning, but we got in the car to head to school and it wouldn't start.  Thankfully we live close enough to school to walk, or sprint, as the case was this morning.  We made it with 5 minutes to spare - woohoo!  LOL!  As we were calling AAA the termite inspector pulled up in our driveway.  I had to apologize to him and ask him to move because the tow truck was on the way.  (I felt terrible, because it had started pouring rain and that meant he had to be out in it longer.)  He asked if he could take a look - luck would have it that he was a mechanic for 13 year before becoming a termite inspector.  He found the problem right away!  Apparently the battery post was loose or something?  So he was able to hold things together long enough for me to get the car started and Wilson and I just drove it to the shop.  He really saved me!  If he hadn't done that we could have been waiting for hours.  The girls are out of school early on Mondays, so I was really in a panic!  So this day after Thanksgiving I'm not only thankful for my wonderful family, but also for the termite inspector!  :)

This weekend I had some more time to Use My Two Peas Kits, so I did a little more scrapping.  I had so much fun getting to work with this kit by Jen Martakis! It's called Nuts 4 U. I am in love with that adorable little squirrel! I started the page with Carina Gardner's PhotoCuts Frames v. 4. I love how all of the pictures are layered and shadowed! I love the whimsy of the yellow frame in the Nuts 4 U kit, so I used the Photo Cuts Frames kit as a template and layered the gold frames where the Photo Cuts frames would be.

I've been wanting to scrap a picture of my sweet nephew William for awhile. He's such a cutie!  I used the Nuts 4 U kit here too, as well as as the Photo Cuts Frames.  I also used these great Adorn Shaped Page Masks and Tia's Spool of Stitches - those come in so handy!

Ok - if you've made it this far, thanks!  :)  Happy Monday!

Use Your Two Peas Kits Challenge!

Hi Everyone! Happy Thanksgiving again! :D

I am so excited to host this week's "Use Your Two Peas Kits Challenge!" Just make a layout, card or other project using 75% Two Peas digital kits either free or purchased by next Tuesday night - December 1, post it in the Two Peas gallery, and check the Member Challenge box labeled - you guessed it - "Use Your Two Peas Kits Challenge!" ;) Also be sure to share your layout in this thread on the Digital Message boards (Use Your Two Peas Kits Challenge 11/25 - 12/1). Here are two of mine for this week featuring the Holiday Twist Borders kit by Holly Brooke Jones, and also using Holly's Elegant Snow Photo Masks, and Crystal Wilkerson's kit Falalalala . "Use Your Two Peas Kits Challenge"s are a GREAT way to jump into digital scrapbooking for those who have never done it before. They offer so many amazing free kits and tons of great tutorials and faqs. No question is too simple to ask on the message boards either - I am blown away by the amount of help and support everyone is willing to offer. Give it a try! I look forward to seeing all of this week's projects!

(PS - if you want to be surprised when you get our Christmas card in the mail, don't scroll down.  ;)  )

happy thanksgiving!

how bad is it that i only update my blog around the holidays?! lol! that's about to change, though, because soon i'll have a lot more to blog about. i was chosen to be part of the digital creative team for two peas in a bucket! i am so excited to help contribute more to the scrapbooking website that has been such a huge part of my life for so many years. i know it might sound strange that a website is a huge part of my life, but to me it's been so much more than just a scrapbooking website. through it i've made life long friends. not all of us even scrap anymore, but we still all email each other daily and get to see each other in real life quite often. now i'll be getting to know even more wonderful women and i'll get to showcase some of the new digital scrapbooking kits from my favorite designers at two peas! i'm really excited to be a part of such an amazing team!

Happy Halloween!

halloween2
Originally uploaded by holly k 123

we had a great time and got TONS of candy, despite the drizzle. we celebrated for a whole week starting with a parade and a magician through our neighborhood association and finished with trick or treating on saturday. we carved pumpkins saturday morning before watching the hawkeyes. they didn't get to celebrate halloween at school, but anna's class did have an "egypt day" party with treats, games and crafts. this was the first year wilson remember halloween from the year before, so he was so excited!

we had more excitement on saturday and sunday. uncle andy and aunt diana had their baby!!! little will was born sunday afternoon around 2:00. he weighs 9 lbs. 1 oz.! i can't wait to see the precious little man! he's so adorable!

one last sales pitch...

Hi Everyone!

I've emailed a few of you about this, but in one last ditch attempt I thought I'd post it here too -

My friend Karen is just starting her jewelry selling business and I would LOVE to help her out! I have to say that the jewelry is much more impressive in real life than in the catalog. I love it! If you have any questions please email or call me and I'd be happy to help. Don't forget the holidays are right around the corner! Check it out here - Cookie Lee

Speaking of the holidays, the girls' new school is doing a fundraiser selling things from Sally Foster. Here is the website for the online catalog - Sally Foster. They have really high quality wrapping paper for all occasions - Birthdays, Any Day, Christmas and Hanukkah, and also some really nice gifts - some great ones that can be the kind just to have on hand too.

Ok! I am a terrible salesperson! But if you see anything you like let me know! Thanks!!! :)

just a quick update...

our summer is coming to an end and i am SO sad!!! i'm sure when the kids are actually in school i'll feel releaved, but i'm still so unprepared. no, i still haven't found a school for wilson. i change my mind every other hour about whether or not i really want to send him. i think it would be GREAT for him to get to play with other kids his age, but everything here is just so, so expensive. we can afford it, but i can think of about a million other things i'd rather do with $300 a month (and that's just for 2 days a week). we'll see.

we've been trying to do as much as we can to enjoy our last weeks of summer. we've had such a blast! last week we visited uncle charley and aunt mandy and lola. we swam and swam, had tons of amazing food, roasted marshmallows in the fire pit and anna and aunt mandy even camped out in the backyard. we had so much fun!!! this week we've made 4 million trips to target to finish up our school supply shopping. today we met the teachers and toured the school. we're so excited! the girls' teachers are both so sweet and nice! the school is pretty crowded, but they do have a huge art room, music room, and library, and there are different playgrounds for all ages of kids. i'm so thrilled! the only thing i'm not too excited about is the extra supply list each teacher gave us as we walked out the door. lol! i guess it's back to target yet again!

last night the girls and i went to see "High School Musical" at Wolf Trap. we loved it! ella even said she enjoyed it more than the movie! i loved seeing the dance routines!

well, my laundry dinged and wilson just came home from playing so i guess my quiet time is over. more soon!

a few more house picts...

only wilson could make that paneling look cute!

:)

i have taken pictures of the kids' rooms, but i can't get on the big computer long enough to even get them off of my camera card. when does school start again? lol! we still have until after labor day!!! in the meantime, this picture by "GundamPanda" had me laughing hysterically. the full article is here -
23 Movie Plots That Could Have Been Solved in Minutes

one more entryway pict...

hopefully i can shoot wilson and the girls' rooms tomorrow.

 

getting there...

 
 
 
 

here are a few pictures from the entry way of new house. it's about the only completed room of the house so far. kurt put up a few pictures and mirrors on saturday and that helped a lot! but things are just not as "just so" as i'd like them to be. we're getting close, though! i just have to hang a few butterflies and get a sunny day and the girls' room for be ready for photos. wilson's room is done for now. he'll be getting a big boy bed soon so i don't want to commit to too much in his room. our room has the most ackwardly placed windows! i think if i could figure that part out our room would be done. we have 2 things to hang in the duckie bathroom and that will be done too. oh - well - and maybe find a shower curtain? that might be nice! lol! we just have a liner for now. i have kind of a grand plan for one wall in the family room, but i'm still struggling with the shelving and the paneling. then there's the basement. ay yi yi. i am not good at moving!

ps - i should say that i never really feel like any room is ever completely done. once it's done i look at things and constantly rearrange and try to update the look. yes i do drive poor kurt crazy. lol!

shuttercal.com

JDRF

As many of you know, my sweet, wonderful, amazing friend Becca suffers from diabetes. Her passion and dedication to the JDRF is undescribable. She's such an inspiration. I pray ever day that she works herself out of a job. Please read her blog here http://becauseineedacure.blogspot.com/ Here is the link for my walk fundraising page - http://walk.jdrf.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=extranet.personalpage&confirmid=87385227 Please consider donating. Every dollar helps get us closer to a MUCH needed cure.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Holly Koenigsfeld is walking with Team Smith-Sutton on August 1, 2009 in Omaha, NE.

Hello! This year, I'll be taking part in JDRF's Walk to Cure Diabetes, along with one-half million other walkers across the country, as we try to reach our goal of raising $105 million.

Type 1, or juvenile, diabetes, is a devastating disease that affects millions of people - a large and growing percentage of them children.

There is some good news, though. For the first time, scientists are predicting that we CAN expect to see a cure well within our lifetime!

Now, more than ever, you can make a crucial difference. Won't you please give to JDRF as generously as possible? Together, we can make the cure a reality!

blogging?

what is that again? i've thought of SO many blog posts in my head, but by the time i check my email and play a game or two on facebook it's time for me to run and do something else. we're trying to get settled into our new home in dc. kurt started his job yesterday and they made him jump in with both feet! he didn't get home until 6:00, and his head was swimming with all of the new information he needs to soak up. welcome back to the real world, mr. koenigsfeld! lol! i have to admit it was a bit hard for me to get back to the real world too. we all got so used to have kurt home at 3 pm. i found my patience running thin around that time, and we still had 3 hours to go. help! lol!

today is ella's birthday! i can't believe our princess ella sparkle is turning 6! i think she's having a pretty fun day. we've already made friends with some new neighbors - a boy ella's age and a girl anna's age. of course ella is taking awhile to warm up to the boy, but the three girls seem to be having a great time together. ella's decorations were hannah montana themed. not exactly my first choice, but oh well! lol! i've taken a few pictures, but i haven't had a chance to upload any yet. maybe someday i'll catch up!

speaking of catching up, i still have a few more pictures from mandy and charley's wedding to upload too. we had such a great time! everything was so beautiful!


my birthday was 10 days ago and i was surprised by the most beautiful bouquet from my bagel girls. they are just the most thoughtful and wonderful friends! i miss them so much!

ok - i'm being asked to take pictures at the fashion show the girls are putting on now, so i better run. i know i always end with this, but hopefully i won't take so long to post again next time! lol!

crazy!

i keep meaning to try to update my blog, but things around here are just nuts! between birthday parties, dance rehearsals and recital, first communion, field trips... i'm usually just wiped by the time i can get on the computer at night. i'll have to try to sneak more time in during the day. willsie's still as busy as ever, so i know i won't get long.

i'll be uploading recital pictures to my flickr account as i can. i need to get my camera cards cleared before we leave in the morning for chuck and mandy's wedding and our hard drive is running low on space, so hopefully that will give me the incentive to get them done. in between laundry and packing and trying to start to organize for the move. lol! i have a few first communion pictures there as well. :)

happy earth day!

anna got to do an earth day project for school and she decided to decorate an empty bottle to use as a vase. she decided to use the straws, and we punched and cut out shapes and pictures from the justice catalog we got in the mail. ella and i wanted to get in on the act too, so we made some too. wilson didn't get to make one, but he had a fun bath.

i have lots of blog catching up to do - i have tons of pictures from easter and anna's birthday. but we're still busy frantically house hunting. hopefully i'll have a few relaxing weeks before uncle charley and mandy's wedding. we'll be moving shortly after that. i have a feeling this is going to be a wild couple of months!

etsy favorites

spring break 2009

mimi and papa flew down to spend spring break with us here in alabama this year. we had such a great time! mimi and i got to do a little antiquing, we played skip bo, had tea parties, went exploring and ate lots of great food, mostly cooked by papa and mimi. we miss them so much already! wilson keeps asking where they are and if we can fly to their house today. i wish!!!

one more thing...

i forgot to mention that uppercase living is having a great sale right now ! they are offering buy one get one free on everything, including custom orders http://mileyjohnson.uppercaseliving.net