In Memoriam

In honor of Memorial Day, I felt that making a tribute layout was necessary. In 1968, Josh's Uncle was killed in the Vietnam War. He had only served there for 6 months when he passed away from gunshot wounds. He was a part of the 9th Infantry which apparently is the oldest and most decorated active unit in the United States Army.


Here's a photo of his name on the Vietnam Memorial (photo found online via the 9th Infantry 6/31st Infantry website.)
The photos I used on the layout (thanks to Josh's dad for getting them to me so quickly):

I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday. Take a moment though to really remember what it's all about.

xoxo
Jess

We're Not Scientists, Speak English Doc!!

Quick update to wish a very Happy (and belated) Birthday to my other half.

Dinner was pretty simple but delish. I made a couple of racks of Baby Back ribs (insert Chili's rib theme song here) made with a semi-homemade sauce...sweet and garlicky with just a hint of spice since the kids ate it too. We had baked potatoes, something we haven't had probably since leaving the states. The potatoes had all the "fixins." I like to stress that word b/c Josh hates it. I guess it brings back bad memories of when we worked at a restaurant and old Texan men would ask for "all the fixin's" in their thick country accent. Anyways, back to our dinner. The veggies included sauteed baby spinch leaves and a mango salsa (given it was leftover from our Ahi dinner the other night).

The cake is something I've learned to enjoy over recent years. German Chocolate. The first time I made this cake for Josh was on his 24th birthday and it was probably the first time I was able to eat it. When I was younger I didn't care for coconut, especially on my cake. I do have to say this wasn't Josh's initial cake request. We REALLY wanted a Funfetti Cake, but unfortunately the store was out of it.

It was a small, intimate evening. The best kind.

We're getting closer to 30 babe. ;)

xoxo
jess

You Put the Lime in the Coconut

Don't you hate it when it looks all spring-like outside? You dress for what you assume is another warm day, then take a step outside and it's chilly? That's how it has been here for the past couple of days.



Today was Anberlin's second day at school and she really enjoys it. Her teacher told me that she's fitting in well. Right now I'm working at getting her to say her teacher's name instead of referring to her simply as, "teacher, teacher."



Scraps:
The new challenge at Scrap Mojo is up! For this round, dig in your closet for inspiration. Then for the second part of our challenge, use tape somewhere on your project. I turned an old shirt of mine into a mini album (that I have yet to do the inside). I loved the print on the shirt, but it just didn't fit right anymore. I've been holding onto it for over a year. I just didn't have the heart to trash it. I plan on filling this album with photos of the beautiful spring things from here in Germany. I also want to do a family photo shoot at one of the many forest hiking trails around here, but the weather has been a bit chilly. I don't know about you, but I don't think of sweaters/jackets when I look at spring photos. Go check out the blog. Our sponsor this round is Coordinates Collection!!



The new challenge is up at Scrapping the Music. We chose a the song, "breathe in, breathe out" by Matt Kearny. I did my layout using the photos from when Anberlin got Bronchitis last year. She was a trooper and did her nebulizer treatments without a complaint. The colors from the My Mind's Eye 29th Street Market matched the mood I was trying to convey.
I've been in a bit of scrap rut again. O_o I am hoping I'll snap out of it soon. Not much else to report.
Oh, this by far is the best DVD set I own:

Who needs space exploration when our own planet is filled with things you could only imagine. One of the episodes explore caves. Ok, so you're probably thinking, what's so interesting about a cave? Well, in Mexico's Cueva de Villa Luz is featured with its flowing stream of sulphuric acid and snottite formations made of living bacteria. These quite literally look like snot hanging from the ceiling of the cave. There was also another phenominon (and I do not remember the term) where salt water and fresh water meet. Because the salt water is denser than the fresh, it stays on the bottom. The fresh water that floats above it gives the appearance of an air pocket. It's quite strange and fascinating.

I haven't finished the series yet. It's a four disc set (5 if on regular DVD) and each episode is about an hour long. But now that I'm talking about it, I'm in to mood for a little TV. :)

xoxo
Jess

My Arms get Cold

Quick entry...it's just a sneak.

Man, things always seem busy around here these days. But it's not a "WOO HOO! This is great!" kind of fervor. More of a "we're getting old and have to spend the day grocery shopping and doing laundry and cleaning the car and doing the recycling, etc." Josh and I joke that we are in fact getting old because we spend our weekend nights folding laundry and watching the presidential race on CNN.

More to come. :)

xoxo

PS- Most of you know I'm not a big drinker, but I recently acquired a bottle of this:

This liquer is so yummy, especially mixed with a glass of coke.

new

i put up some new tuneage, courtesy of my playlist i snuck onto Josh's Zune.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

"If you have only one smile in you, give it to the people you love."

"Don't be surly at home, then go out in the street and start grinning 'Good morning' at total strangers." -Maya Angelou

How many of you do this? How many of you know someone who does?

Things around here are finally getting back to normal I suppose. Monday I was sick sick sick.

Tuesday, after 2 trips to the doctor the day before, I was feeling a hundred times better. I would have felt better in my own home, but the kids and I were kicked out for the day while maintenance workers put all new windows in the place. They're nicer, safer, and screened. The whole day was spent at the park; fun for the kids, boring for me.

Somehow Anberlin picked up a sore throat and a cold, I guess from one of the kids she was playing with. Of course, I caught it and am now suffering again. Hm. I had a meeting yesterday with the pre-school teacher, speech therapist, and principal at our local school concerning Anberlin. I spent an hour with them, dissecting their findings and basically, Anberlin will begin therapy with the preschoolers on Monday. I hope this means she'll be a shoe in when they decide the preschool admittance over the summer.

With the little one going to school for a few hours three times a week, I hope to have a bit more time on my hands. And if and when she starts next year, I plan on putting Sebastian at the childcare version of preschool so I can have some time. I'm in the process of becoming Red Cross Certified and plan on volunteering at our clinic while the kids are in school.

Still no scrapping for the week. I've been cleaning up the dust caused from the new windows for the past couple of days. No matter how much I sweep, mop, dust, vacuum, it keeps popping up everywhere!

A couple of more weeks until I go to the Netherlands!!

Well, I feel weird doing a post without photos, so here's a "what I'm into right now" type of thing.
I switched out the lo-carb version out for the orange flavored Monster drink. YUUUUM.

I don't use bread anymore for sandwhiches. I use these "Kangaroo" pita pockets. If you toast them crispy, they make your sandwhich ten times better. Right now my fave sandwhich is garlic hummus, feta cheese, tomato, shredded carrot, and fresh spinach.

These are pretty good too. They're called "kartoffeltaschen." They're basically like hashbrowns, but has a filling in it. I like the one with cream cheese and chives.
Finally, the newest Panic! at the Disco is simply wonderful. If you are a fan of the Beatles, you can definitely hear the inspiration. One of my favorite cartoons growing up was "Yellow Submarine." Pretty strange for a 5 year old to like that movie, but I did and still do. I remember singing along to the Sgt. Pepper's album too. :)

xoxo

Bing Bang Walla Walla Bing Bang

I'm sick. Josh should be home any minute now and once he does, it'll be a quick hello before I walk out the door to go back to the hospital.

If only I had Dr. Mario to play while I recuperate. I remember spending hours and hours playing that game. Dr. Mario and Tetris are the only games I could whoop some serious butt on. Now? I'm pretty good at Super Smash Brothers Brawl (on wii, not the original) and who would have thought I'd be good on the drums on Rock Band?

No scrap goodies to share. Just this.

Don't hate my mad drawing skills. ;) This was a 30 second drawing before I had to go. Afterall, laughter is the best medicine, right?

Going Steady, Still Steady Going

I have a new project go live at A Daily Inspiration. It's the image below. The cool thing about it is that it folds up flat. It's an origami type card and am totally pleased with the result. Thanks Joni for the tutorial!! Also, the great thing about this project is it uses photo mat stacks as the base! If you're like me, you have a TON. If you'd like the directions, please visit the Daily Inspiration blog.

Almost a week ago, a cyclone (or hurricane as it's known in the states) caused devistation in Myanmar. About 22,500 are dead and 41,000 are still missing. It is feared that over 100,000 may die from the consequenses of the storm.

How can you help?

There's a site, Network for Good which is the largest nonprofit charitable giving site. The latest blog entry lists LOTS of agencies in which you can make a donation. Every little bit helps. Just put yourself in their place...some of you have when Hurricane Katrina struck. Be aware of your planet.

Love Love Love

xoxo
Jess

PS- What did you fear the most about becoming an adult?

I think my biggest fear now is the world that my children are growing up in. Too many people are either oblivious to what's going on out there or they just don't give a damn. It's easier to turn a blind eye to the truth than reach down and try to make a difference, no matter how small it may be. The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Pay it forward. ;)

♥ ♥ ♥

My Flatlined Inhibition is my Ammunition

Blog. Blog. Bloggity. Blog.


Life in general seems to be a lot busier these days. I'm husbandless for another week.


Some shout outs before we get to the scrap ish.


A few weeks ago, I received an wonderful package from my design team member Barbara from Scrapping the Music. She sent me a couple of gourmet teas which I absolutely LOVE. One of them was an apple flavor, the other a tropical mix. YUM. In fact, I think after I'm done with this entry, I'm going to start some tea.


Then there's Cathy. You wonderful wonderful woman. I really need to take a picture, but she sent me a HUGE box for our Rainbow Swap. She seriously spoiled me. Seriously.


Scrappity Stuff. Well, I have a few new layouts to share.


Scrapping the Music

Wow. The ladies agreed to do one of Josh's songs (the one currently on my player). I used lots of new My Mind's Eye for this one (and some rubons I've been hoarding for almost 2 years). I hope we get alot of entries this round and I also hope it gives the guys a little more exposure.

ScrapMojo's new challenge is up!!! I used alot of the Rainbow stuff Cathy sent me for this one. Also I squeezed in some stuff from last month's kit from Magistical Memories Look at my little Anberlin. She's a rocker in the making. ;)

FTW= For the Win. Representing Hollywood Squares.

This is the older layout I used as inspiration for the Mojo lo. This was one of my beginner layouts.
So Saturday was National Scrapbook Day. SiSTV had festivities and challenges all day. I managed to do ONE. It was a beautiful day and I just couldn't keep the kids couped up while I scrapped. But it is a good thing I did this one because it made the Cat Walk at SiS today. :) Thanks Lucy for the challenge/inspiration!!

The non scrapbooking stuff. I put a bulletin board up in my scrap area. There's not a lot up on it, but I cut some drawings out of my sketch book to put on the board. Josh saw this teddy bear and now he wants to get 2 of them tattooed on his arms. One in the pink and one in blue (this one has Anberlin's birthday on it's stomach). He wants them on his forearm...one on the inner part and one on the outer. I like the idea, I think it's adorable.

Look! I was ecstatic when I found this book as a Buy it Now on EBay. Why? Well, for one it's illustrated by my favorite illustrator. Two, it's in excellent condition. Three, it's the 423rd book printed. Four, the price was WAY WAY WAY below what it should have been. I think the seller did not know what he had. It's in French, but I didn't buy it for the poems.


One day I'll share more of the illustrations. I did also get another vintage cocoa ad designed by her a couple of months ago. :)

Anberlin's birthday was on the 1st. Four years old. She had a great day, even though it started off with 2 hours with a speech pathologist. She thought it was fun, she felt like she was playing school. I, however, had to try to keep Sebastian quiet in the elementary school while she was being tested. O_o

Off to do...something.

xoxo

ps-Some new tuneage...check out Panic! at the Disco's newest album. And Cab "Whisper War." *drooool* I did the last layouts while listening to those 2 albums.