the women in my life

I know this is coming a little late, but in all honesty, I didn't want to take away from Brad's big day and it's a little harder to be computer savvy when you're away from home. But Mother's Day is important because my mothers are important to me. That's right, mother + plural = my blood mama and my mom-in-law. Both are such wonderful women so I thought I would take Lacey's challenge (albeit a few days late):

"What is the most important life lesson your mother(s)
has taught you and how are you
going to pass it on to your little ones?"

Heidi A. Borgia, my mom: One of her famous sayings, and one of my all-time favorites, is "Life sucks and then you die." I love it because of its shock factor upon hearing it, but also because it's so true. Life is hard and sometimes a little unfair (or so it seems) but we don't let it debiliate us. We work through those difficult times and move on. Because in the end, we go to a better place with a greater understanding of all those tough times. So if my kids every try to pull a whine fest about how life's not fair, I will for sure whip out this phrase because really, we all just need to get over it (whatever it may be), right? Right.

But I also learned from my mother how to love and care for people. And she isn't just nice just so people think highly of her (even though they do), but because she is genuinely concerned for others. Sometimes her loving words and actions do go unnoticed, and that's ok. She is such a great example of turning the other cheek, of being a true disciple of Christ and His teachings "to love one another." I too love anyone and want the best for everyone. And my children will definitely be reared in a home where that is displayed and taught, like I was.

Marty Summers, my mother-in-law: I have THE best in laws in the entire world. I feel bad for everyone else... haha, just kidding! But seriously, my mother in law is a saint and I have no problem calling her mom. She is the kindest and gentlest person I know. She goes out of her way to make people comfortable and safe. Ask anyone and they would agree. The joke in the family is that the only reason the rest of us will get into Heaven is because of our relation to mom! She gave me her wonderful son who is an equally wonderful husband. I know that Brad's capacity to love me comes from his mother, who also loves me. It means so much to me to feel such acceptance from her and the sense of security that comes with that knowledge. And it gives me comfort to know that my children will grow up knowing that both sets of their grandparents are loved by both of their parents. There will just be love in my home; love everywhere!

ETA: I forgot to mention that my dear MIL also happens to be a nutrition guru! Brad sometimes feels like he has two mothers in the same room when we're all together! But it's so nice to not be told that I'm crazy! In fact, it was on my first date with Brad that I found out Marty had the book I wanted for Christmas: Healing with Whole Foods, Asian Traditions and Modern Nutrition. How cool is that?! It was like a sign. Haha. And we've gotten along ever since. We always have wonderful conversations about health and nutrition and how we can better the health of ourselves and families, etc. Once again, it's so nice to have the support AND encouragement as I pursue my studies in Holistic Nutrition, from both of my mothers. How lucky am I?!

With all that being said, sadly enough, I wasn't able to make something for my marvelous mother-in-law because I don't have a picture of her!!! So I will definitely be getting some this week while we're here visiting so I can show her off to all of you... But this is a page I did for my mother for Mother's Day (I'll have you know that I don't have many pictures of her either... it must be a mom thing, because looking through all of our pictures, there aren't too many of me either. I guess the mom is usually the one behind the camera and not in front of it...).

I would also like it to be known that I have wonderful grandparents, too. On both sides of my family and Brad's. And my sister-in-laws are sooooo great too! I never had sisters but now I have three and they are the best! My SIL Ashley told me that if Bradley ever did anything to hurt me that they would all have my back! Haha! But really, such lovely ladies! I just feel so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful women and the loving examples that they share with us all. And that goes to all my aunts, cousins, cousin-in-laws, friends/blog buds! You all have something to share that makes me a better wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend. So thank you to all and everyone deserves to be celebrated! Love, me the B

*full credits can be seen here

Bradley's on the microphone with Ras-MG

About time I got on here and updated y'all, eh? Well, it is officially SUMMERTIME in the Summers household! Woot woot! I've been swamped in scrapping, but more importantly Brad finished up his last final (yesterday) of his first year of law school, HUZZAH!!! We've got big plans for this summer, starting with a trip out to Seattle, today! So later gators, and remember, it's Summertime and the livin's easy...

credits: Everything is LBD with NRJ_inked_edges.

you know how much i love contests!

You can win a one of a kind set of quick pages designed by Jenna's creative team (I would be one of them...)! These will never be for sale, they are exclusively for her CT and one lucky winner. How do I win, you ask? Click here for details.

And if anything you see tickles your fancy, you might want to check out the rest of her Peach Fuzz kit. And if you're curious, I designed the page in the top left corner. Isn't it pretty?! Such a pretty kit, it's perfect for all those sweet pictures you have lying around... Here's what I did with it:

{click on image}

tag. are you it?

I saw this on the totally awesome and completely literate RedRobinLand. So I happily and voluntarily allowed myself to be tagged. Here's a game the hip queen of serene Miss Marta started called
5 hearts + 5 hates.

I heart
01. minor notes
02. Mod Podge
03. people watching
04. my pillows, all three/four of them
05. Halloween (and the rest of the Fall season. I'm already getting antsy for it!)

I hate (or strongly dislike)
01. Condescending commercials
02. Cars that don't use their turn signals
03. Italian [i-tal-yuh n] pronounced as [eye-tal-yuh n]
04. Vomit, or the act thereof. I know that I am NOT alone on this one!
05. People who lecture me on how to be healthy (when they obviously know nothing about it)

If you want to join the game, consider yourself tagged. Post {five hearts & five hates} on your own blog. And don't forget to have fun, that's a must! I heart fun. :)

everything's coming up weeds & wildflowers...

I too am among the 100+ applicants to the Weeds & Wildflowers latest CT call. So along with Michelle, I'm going out on a limb and here's my page I did for the challenge. It's mighty simple (as is most of my pages), of which I'm kinda worried about... but what a beautiful kit and what a beautiful little girl!!! This is another one of Lindsey's photos (she's amazing, I tell ya) and this little beauty here is Lucy. So sweet, just looking at her makes me want to have another, in hopes of a girl! Besides, then I can scrap pages of my own daughter, haha!

So they won't make any final decisions until this Sunday. But we're supposed to be sporting their blinkies to show how enthusiastic we are about being on their team, and you all know how enthusiastic I can be!!! I decided to sport all three, because they're all so pretty and it's hard to pick just one, and because I am just THAT enthusiastic! They're one of my favorite designers out there and I always told myself, "Dang Gina, if they ever put out a CT call, you are going to jump on that!" And so I have, and here we are.
UPDATE: Wowza. So I'm pretty excited about this latest development! Actually, I couldn't believe my eyes and I was having hot flashes of excitement, and I'm in my twenties! Wish me luck. I hope I can live up to the expectations of the W&W team!

*full credits can be seen here

we're all good

Well yesterday was a lovely anniversary, despite finals. Thank you very much, to all the well wishes! We are indeed very happily married and Brad is indeed still alive and kicking, what with four more finals left and all... sorry, that last post was a bit misleading when I said the first-last final. What I meant was the it was his first final of his last semester of his first year of law school. I confuse myself sometimes, so don't feel bad or left out if you misunderstood what I was trying to say. So yeah, his second final is tomorrow and he did great on the other one, so we hope it just continues on for the next week... Anyway, thanks to our wonderful friends the Domans, me and my hub were able to treat ourselves to Chang's and a butt load of delish food! Especially those banana spring rolls! I'm still freaking out over that fabulous choice of ours, mmmmm.

Brad was a sweetheart and picked out a very cute shirt from F21. Unfortunately, I'm not what the designers envisioned as a model for the garb and we ended up exchanging it for an equally fab, if not more so, skirt! I will have to post pictures when I wear it, because it is just that dang cute! The best part is that he went through all the trouble to get the perfect bag and card, all matchey and everything! I've trained him well, eh? Haha! So when I get my pictures up from our outing, I'll have to post those too.

But here are some other pictures from the other day. Such a lovely mess. Again, this was one of those moments where I opted for a quick photo snap instead of venting. So thank you Monk, and thank you huge alphabet cracker bin from Costco, for giving me such an opportunity. That's my life, as a mother, of this kid, and his cravings (all carb choices, I'll have you know... what am I supposed to do with this kid? It's like the only time I got veggies in him was when he was stuck in my womb, or to my chest..). And it's at times like these when I really crave a new slipcover for my couch, or heck, a new couch altogether! But it's worked for this long and it just needs to get us through the next, oh let's say ten years! If anyone wants to have a couch give-away, I am ALL OVER that one! Like a bee on honey. Or like a monkey on a cracker dusted, slipcovered couch...

And I suppose I should mention this now, as it was apparently safe to announce as of yesterday. I'm on Jenna Nelson's Littlebird Design team! She is such a fun gal and I'm so excited to be working with her! Funny (and true) story: she knows the beautiful Candra, personally! Once I figured that out, I just had to be on her team and voila, here we are! Her designs are so fun and I'm really looking forward to playing with them. Yippee!

So there you have it! Now I'm off to bed as I am such a sleepy head. We've got to catch the z's "early" so Mr. student can get up in a few hours to study before the next big test: Contracts, yay. As always, I'll keep y'all posted! *B

PS- Uhhhh, you may also notice that Will's decked out not only in pajamas (kinda mis-matched ones at that) but also Christmas-ey ones... Uhhhh, "I have no response to that." *raspberry*

credits: film strip from Gretchen Tripp designs (at Elemental Scraps), gritty sayings from Jenna's LBD (at Pocket Pearls and Scrapdish), and folded ribbon from Krista Ring (freebie).

happy anni

{click on image}

This is a page I did for our anniversary (today), for my husband. He is always saying how there are never enough pictures (or scrap pages) of me, so I went ahead and did one just for him!* This is obviously a picture from our wedding day, a day where this girl's dream came true. These have been the best three years of my life. There isn't a day that goes by that I'm not happy because this man was made for that purpose (so he's been told) and he excels at it everyday. I am so lucky I found him when I did, he's just what I needed.

Now to share some great memories via photo pile
(including pictures sans beard! That's right,
he has such a baby face underneath all that fuzz! :)

Today, on our very anniversary, Brad has his first-last final of his first year of law school!!! I can't believe we've just about made it through this eat-you-alive year in one piece (mostly...)! We're both looking forward to the summer, as it will most likely be the last "peaceful" one of our lives. Craziness. Here's to you honey!

Oh, and happy birthday to my dearest Janelle (ETA: man, this is the day of days, as it is also Lindsey Z's b-day!). And, for those of you who have contacted me about orders, they'll be placed in a few days. If you haven't heard from me, send me an email reminding me, just in case, as my inbox is a disaster area as of right now...

*full credits can be seen here

you're a rocket to me

My short post attempt: hello world! And if you're a nerd, you understand the significance of such a phrase! NEWSFLASH: I am one of those nerds! Anyway, since my mother is now back, she asks me everyday, "Why haven't you posted anything?" Aren't mothers the best? She's always my biggest fan, which consequently makes me feel like a rock star! Just know that I'm busy but have lots to post in the next few days, so just you wait for some overload-age! And today is the last day for any discounted Sensaria products, so jot me an email if you're interested AND if you want your consolation prize! And don't forget the present-day give-away (over there, on the right), which I am currently in love with, ha! I guess next to my mother, I'm my biggest fan, hmm...

Oh, and I dedicate this song to all of you, because you're all special to me!

Toodles!

have mercy on me

Sorry, no pictures or DS floof. Just not in the mood. I don't know why, but I just feel zapped. Anyway, here's one of those tags I was telling you about. The beautiful Sherelle is guilty of this one and I've got a couple more to do, too. But at another time perhaps, as I am zapped, as aforementioned.

1. I have curly hair. Not crazy curly, but definitely on the high end of wavy! Most of the time I don't fix it at all. But if I'm trying to make a good impression (like on Sundays), I try to straighten it, much to my father's chagrin! Besides me liking the look of my straightly damaged hair, it doesn't hurt when Will tangles his fingers in it, whereas it kills when fixed otherwise. Funny story, a little girl in my Primary class asked me last Sunday if I combed my hair that morning. Yes, I had, but I had mistakenly chosen to have big curly hair that day which this little girl didn't entirely approve of. She said it looked like it was still wet, and messy... but she tried to make me feel better by telling me that her hair looks like lava when she wakes up! What a sweet-heart!

2. One of my yucky and oh so unladylike habits is cracking everything! My knuckles, my neck, my back, etc. What's even more gross is that I kind of like the sound... *GASP* I know, nasty.

3. Another gross factor: I shower every other day. *GASP* again!!! But that's not saying that if I get real nasty I won't shower (see #5). In all reality, I never do much more than sit around the house. In my pajamas.

4. Before we lived where we're currently living, I didn't mind washing the dishes. But now I think a dishwasher would be nice. Nonetheless, I wash it all by hand (without gloves, mind you, and you) with scalding water. I am such a hot washer (haha) that it gets me sweating, it's so steamy!

5. Which brings me to nasty fact 3,000 that you NEVER wanted to know about me. Have mercy, but I sweat. Like crazy! More so due to nerves than to calories burned. (So if it's been a bad day and let's say I'm stinkin' up the house, obviously I would shower on such an occasion... no worries as far as #3 is concerned.) Consequently, I wear drab and boring colors or wild and crazy prints. It makes for a sad and strange wardrobe, especially when I have such excellent taste in clothes! :P

6. Speaking of taste, I think I have pretty good taste, and an eye for things. I never went to some design school and such, but I wish I had so I could fine-tune my fancies. And my taste is extremely eclectic, in that it ranges from French country to tamed modern. According to my mom, brothers and husband, if something looks a bit off I'd probably like it! HA!

7. I have this overwhelming sense that I need to prove myself. I never felt like I was smart enough, creative enough, healthy enough, talented enough, etc., etc., etc. Once, when I was interning with a massage therapist, as she worked on my trouble area (my neck) she stopped and pulled away and told me this: "You know that even if you were a Dr. you'd still feel like you didn't amount to much. What are you trying to prove?" I don't know, but where the heck did that come from?! She's one of those talented and more new-age therapists and apparently she picked up on something that was true and before then, never voiced. Hmmm.....

Ok, I have to tag 7 people, which is like crazy insane since most people have already been tagged by me at some other point in time... so here we go. I'm going to tag Tiffany before anyone else can! And Jolene too, because I always love hear what she has to say! And then the other five tags are going to go to ladies who may or may not read this silly blog of mine and who may or may not comment from time to time (but whose blogs I frequent regularly). It's not my way of punishing you, promise. I just thought it'd be kinda funny since I don't even know if you'll read this and thereby get this tag, as I won't be tagging you via commenting. It's just a chancey tag, which would make it seem like I'm punishing you for visiting... which isn't true either! Bah, what a dilemma I'm in! Just know that I love each and every one one of you, trueness. It'll be fun to see if they pick it up or not, haha! Enough. So, I lovingly tag Bonny (who probably hates tags), Becah, Aunt K. (who apparently loves tags), Catlin and Maureen.

And I'm off.

what do we have here?

Finally, it's APRON time!!! I had this finished, or what I thought was complete, the night before Easter... well kind of. At least I hurried and stuck the pocket on there and stuffed it in his basket (more of those goodies to appear in the next few days...). But I ended up working on it a lot more when I got home, and quite a bit as of today. Sorry mom, but your machine is crap! So I removed the pocket, yet again, and sewed it back on today with my glorious Kenmore machine, which used to be my mothers. And I decided to appliqué the pocket on there because I wanted it to be a tricky pocket. It looks shallow when in reality it's twice as deep. Bwahahaha! And I hand appliquéd the ribbon on there, hand stitched all the ends shut, and mock embroidered {w} on there for none other than the Willie. And as you can tell, he likes it (no, he wasn't trying to take it off, he was proudly lifting it to show it to me, so there!)!

And there you have it ladies, the next give-away: an apron! In order to enter, comment on this post AND tell me what kind of messes you come across that might require an apron (cooking, eating, cleaning, crafting, etc.). Those are the funny rules. ;) If you happen to win you can either choose to have an apron made for a kiddie of your choice, or if you don't have/know a kid, then I can make one for you. Oh, and you must email me your address so that I can actually get it to you! Which brings me to our last give-away. Congratulations to the winners! Didn't catch that tell-all post??? Well check it out, and then don't forget to email me your address (that goes for everyone who entered, as you all get a consolation prize of your choosing)! And here are some more apron pics, just so you know what you're getting yourself into this time, if you so choose to! :)

{click on image}

I made this in the hopes that I could use it for teaching purposes. Like when Mom's wearing an apron that means she's cooking or cleaning, or crafting, and it'd be fun to teach Will how to pick up and be Mom's little helper. Actually, after making my apron, I really liked the idea and challenge of making a little one, let alone a boy one! I'm no OJ&Co, but I'm happy with how it turned out, not too girly. Oh, and this is how Will puts his apron to work (two really short vids, but they're better than nothing... click on the thumbnails and you'll be directed to the video viewing site).

I'm going to work and get something up and listed on my sidebar of the present give-away for those late bloomers who might miss the explanatory post. As this is something I would really like to do every month or so, I figured such a feature might come in handy... And I'm sorry for the long breaks, it's been a bit crazy here lately. Brad's in the middle of finals (I can't believe we're almost through the first year of law school) and I've been caught up in some more exciting developments, including a couple of tags, too. So stay tuned!

PS- Notice my tribute to mine and Will's heritage??? Haha! Oh, and please ignore the rag-a-muffin's get-up... he's been a little under the weather. That combined with late nights for all makes for unwise clothing decisions, although harassment would be deemed unnecessary...

cocoa's call to arms!!!

Brad directed me to this article. Thanks honey! And thank you Slashdot!

"The US Food and Drug Administration is considering redefining 'chocolate' to allow substitution of vegetable oil ($0.70/lb.) for cocoa butter ($2.30/lb.), and whey protein for dry whole milk. There are already standard terms to differentiate these products from chocolate, such as 'chocolatey' and 'chocolate-flavored.' The change was requested by the industry group Chocolate Manufacturers of America. Leading the resistance to this change is high-end chocolate maker Guittard, with significant grass-roots support from the Candyblog. The FDA is taking consumer comments until April 25. Here is the FDA page on the proposed change, which oddly enough does not say what the proposed change is."

The fiends!!!!! I swear, the FDA are full of greedy idiots, and men...

I'm most certainly adding a comment and I hope you all will too. This is NOT ok. I mean, yes, I love chocolate. But I'm also concerned about how this will affect our health. Everything should be left in its natural form if at all possible and substituting vegetable oil for cocoa butter is UNACCEPTABLE!!! Bah! That stuff is swill! And whey protein for dry whole milk?! What do they think this stuff will taste like? I mean, formula is approved but have they actually tasted it? Filth. I try not to cringe every time I give it to Will (which I consider unfortunate but necessary, but we're finally in the process of switching him over to goat milk! Yay, for my sanity's sake! And boo, for my moolah's sake.)... Just because every so-called health fanatic who consumes protein bars and protein drinks thinks whey protein is supreme (me not being one of them... I'm being a snob and being sarcastic when referring to so-called healthy people, sorry) does not mean it needs to be in everything, especially everything chocolate flavored. Annnnnd, Heaven forbid chocolate actually taste like chocolate and not artificially flavored with that nasty nutri-sweet aftertaste. But with that last comment, I digress....

The only positive thing I can see come from all of this is that there will be more cocoa butter for body butters (aka. thick lotion) and more milk powder for at-home foot soaks (I have a recipe for a fun chocolate spa night, with chocolate foot soaks and facials, etc... anyone who's been to one would know! Speak up! :P)! I digress again...

As it is late, I am not typing intelligently and all of my logic has holes in it. The bottom line is that without cocoa butter it seems misleading to call it chocolate or milk. And I'm bothered about them changing something, once again, from what was once good and natural at one point, to something even more unhealthy than it currently is! I just want my daily anti-oxidant fix unadulterated, a'ight! Good night, and good luck.

welcome back!

This is Will saying hi. No joke, I caught it on camera! So my parents have been gone for a whole WEEK in Cancun and I have missed talking to my mother every day. As soon as Brad heads out the door, I call her. Needless to say, it's been a long and lonely week and I've had no desire to blog if my dear mother can't read it and praise me for it. But have no fear, she is back, and so am I! So these pics of Will are for you mama, because we know what it means to miss someone... *sigh* Oh, and just a little FYI: this is another one of those shirts, both from Target and it says "Monkey see. Monkey do. Monkey get in trouble too." So perfect, it's Monk to a "T" (hello, where the heck did I get his nickname?! Haha! And he loves Curious George... and he looks, acts and sounds like him too! Perfect, eh?)!*

I had a few helpers today and we came up with the three winners for the past give-away. And they are, in order: Aunt Shannon (who needs a blog so I can read it and link it...), Carlee Hoopes and Ashley Hollis! Aunt S. will be getting the lovely tranquility set which includes bubble bath, aromatherapy, and massage oil (have fun uncle D! ;) I can think of no one else who needs more tranquility than that lovely woman! Thanks for reading my blog, it makes me happy! And let's not forget the little preggo misses Carlee and Ashley, who will each be getting a purse-sized lotion in either the mango or cherry almond scent. Since Carlee is winner #2, she gets to pick which one she wants first, and then Ashley will get whichever one is left. But no worries Ash, because they both smell dang good, they're the two most popular scents!

And what's more, everyone who entered gets a consolation prize!!! Yippee! You all get a sample of whatever you like, whether it's skincare (cleanser/moisturizer, let me know which one and what skin type), haircare (shampoo/conditioner) OR body wash, and the latter two come in our Rosemary Mint scent (my favorite! Mmmm....). Samples will be given out on a first come, first serve basis so act fast to get the sample you want. But just know that you will get something and that that something will be fabulous! ;) Leave a comment and let me know what it is and you'll be pampered in no time!

So there you have it ladies! Congratulations and thanks for playing! If I don't already have your address, send it to me!

AND THE DEAL GOES ON:
anything and/or everything is 25% off
for the rest of this month!!!

So if you want to jump in on some of the purchasing action, jot me a note, m'k? You can check out my site to see if there's something that tickles your fancy, or your mother's/father's, as their celebratory days are coming up fast... ;)

I think I'm going to have a give-away almost every month because I love them! It makes me happy, to make other people happy. Yeah, I'm a people pleaser... I have yet to take some pictures of the next fun contest, so I will announce that in a couple of days, when I get around to it. I've been busy, busy, with the usual, including scrapping. So I'll be posting my recent layouts soon, too!

It's good to be back, and to have people back to be back to!
Who's with me?! :)

*no, that's not our kitchen. I wish! It's the Domans (love them! And their kitchen...).

so this is the sweet life

We have some news to share with all of you. NO, I'm NOT pregnant, so stop asking! :) No, our news is that we are staying here for the summer. Brad's interview went well enough apparently and we decided that it would be worthwhile to stay and go further into debt! Woohoo! In all seriousness, the interview (at THE LA Superior Court probate office) did go well indeed, seeing as Brad wowed and dazzled them with his Computer Science degree/background/experience and his leadership skills from back in the days at Wade Cook Financial Seminars Inc.

Ok, I think I can somewhat explain what he will be doing. It's volunteer work and it's forever away, so he'll only be going two times a week. He got the interview set-up through a lady we sat by at the J. Reuben Clark Law Society dinner and who's to say she's not going to introduce Brad to the lawyers and judges there (we figured we would be burning some "fruititious" bridges if we declined this offer. Yes, I'm aware that that's not a word... they, at the interview, called this lady "a force to be reckoned with"). Anyway, so what they do here is help people who are going through a divorce or have lost a family member fill out the appropriate forms. Basically, they offer legal services but NOT legal advice... and I guess they're looking into expanding the department and were thinking of coming up with some computer programs to help automate the form-filling system and thought Brad's insight would be handy. What's more, they want to start offering these workshops or seminars on how to fill out these forms and they might have Brad lead them (he use to do the same thing but in the world of stocks and finances at Wade Cook. Yeah, they liked that.). So there you have it! ETA {by Brad}: I will not be leading the seminars, I will probably be teaching some of them under the direction of a licensed attorney. What's the diff?! Just kidding honey!

Oh, and he also has a job lined up, a programming project that's involved with the grading curve that they all use at Pepperdine Law, with one of his professors. It sounds great because the Prof. has told him that there are hundreds of hours of work but that he can do as little or as much as he likes! Perfect! Annnnd... Brad will be studying and taking the Patent Bar this summer (we keep going back and forth on IP law, etc. so we figured it'd be smart to get this under his belt and at least have it there to fall back on and make him more marketable for either a Fall externship or a paid internship his second summer...). He might also take a couple classes. I'm rooting for some dispute resolution classes because they're "easy" and will help his GPA/rank. But that's just my two cents...

In Beth related news, I was offered another creative team gig with Gretchen Tripp! I am, of course, really excited and I hope that when the time comes to do some girl pages (she has some really good boy potential stuff for me to work with), I might be able to use those sweet girly pics that I wasn't able to use before. And of course, only with your ladies' permissions (I'll email you before I start working with your photos, m'k?)! Also, just a word of warning, I will most likely be posting my layouts, yet again, so watch out! ;)

Something I've been thinking about for the past few months, but especially this past week in light of our decision of making ourselves poorer, I might try launching an Etsy shop of my own this summer. You see, that's why I am still selling Sensaria Natural Body Care (which I happen to still lovvvvvve! Hello, natural?! Yes please.) and that's why I have some silly adsense on both my blogs (horror of horrors! It was Brad's idea...)! I've made some cash from Sensaria in the past and I'll really have to vamp it up this summer. As for adsense, I think I've made a total of 63 cents! Woot woot! Although Brad does have a scholarship this year (and hopefully next year), we are constantly worried about the debt factor of law school and CA living (our rent right now is as much as most people's home mortgages! Luckily, and thankfully, it will be lowered a couple hundred in the Fall... but still!). And since Brad will be busy at the probate office doing volunteer work (let's hope it's worth it, and maybe, just maybe, they'll move him up to a paid position), I personally really start to feel the weight of it all. I know that there is no greater calling than that of motherhood. And I LOVE being Will's mama. But there is not a day (or at least every other day) that goes by without me worrying about our financial situation, without feeling some sort of responsibility for it all. So that's why I might try out an Etsy shop this summer, just for some pocket change, you know? Because honestly, in our current state, a penny saved is a penny earned, and a penny earned is another drop in the bucket!

Oh, and I'm delaying the start of the next give-away. I wanted to put some finishing touches on the sample I'll be showing you, so you'll just have to wait a few days more! But go ahead and take the chance to enter my Sensaria anniversary goodie give-away, while you still can, by going and commenting here. Sorry to be such a stickler on where you have to comment in order for it to count, but it's easier for me, and I am all about being lazy! Ha! And here's a sneak peak of what the next offer will be!!!

A big hearty pat on the back for anyone
who can guess what it might be! :)

PS- Being the crazy health-nut that I am (and that my family is, by force! *grin*), in other Summers family news, we are going through a cleanse/detox/fast of sorts this week and month. For those of you interested (I can think of one, maybe two), you can email me for the details. However, if there is enough demand I will of course follow it up with some supply via my Mess (which has sadly been neglected... there-there Mess, {hugs}). Wish us luck!

PPS- I forgot to mention that Will also smelled of Rosemary Mint, thanks to my FAVORITE shampoo ever!!! There will be no turning back... curse you Natural Body Care!!!

ah, the sweet smell of my Will

How cute is this little guy?! I showed him where his pocket was and then later noticed that he was walking around with one hand in his pocket, all chillin' like! Love him, that I do! So the same night I got my delightful bag, we also put our Easter gift money (thanks Mom!) toward a "deluxe plus comfort ride stroller", and this shirt for Monk. It just had his name written all over it (yes, his full name is Bradley William I-do-all-my-own-
stunts Summers; not legally, but you know...). Seriously folks, this kid is fearless, although the pictures don't do his bravery justice.

However, the pics do show what a cutie-pie tough guy he is! I readily admit that our house is indeed a little on the messy side. But have no fear, I promptly picked things up after the photo shoot! Annnnd, I will have you know that all household beds were made, honest! My own mother can attest to the difficulty of such a trivial task, that of making a bed, for one such as I. So I've been a bit lazy ever since getting back, but that changes TODAY!!!

I also realized that Will is the perfect candidate/model for our Natural Bodycare products! You see, while he may seem tough, albeit sweet at the same time (a true conundrum), the scents of lavendar and pineapple wafting through the air, originating from his personage, somewhat contradicts his strong image...

Love the lavender body wash and lotion, which was sadly discontinued. However, Monk's been a faithful user (sometimes abuser) of the stuff since last April. At the young age of 8 months, Will willfully threw out all of his Johnson & Johnson products in favor of the Sensaria superiors. Why? Because unlike the previously mentioned competitor (along with other brands) of soaps/lotions/gels, this other stuff actually worked! And he's had beautiful and eczema free skin, and been a loyal customer, ever since! As for the pineapple smell, that comes from the gelled-up Mohawk. Yup, also Natural Bodycare. This boy is all about his "nurturing rituals" in yummy scents...

Now ladies, I'm using this post, a somewhat silly stab at Sensaria, as a last and final call for anymore entries into the "Hoppy" Spring give-away. But why Beth, why? Because I'm starting another give-away! I told you, I love these things and as I have yet to win anything myself from others, I find a simply sweet sense of joy in offering the chance to others! Simple as that.

Sooooooo, here's the deal. You have between now and the next time I post, to enter this give-away. And the next post is where/when I will reveal the next give-away (I'm so excited for this one!)! No worries, it'll be in a few days, you've still got time. ;) Thanks for playing gals and stay tuned!
Isn't this fun?! Yippee!

*B

PS- Photo corners from jcrowley's Spring Chicken. And I apologize dear Heather, I am still working on your little prize from last time! Thanks for your kind patience! :)

the latest developments...

... in a place I like to call {dramatic pause} our lives. So anywho, this will be a bit random of a post, but I figured what the heck and what a nice little break from all my craft infatuations, eh? Just point and click haphazardly throughout this post and you're sure to be somewhat entertained! ;)

The latest news comes to us from today's happenings. Brad had an interview today with a probate office down in LA. We got all ready for it, including the pressing of his shirt, trimming of his tie (ridding it of the fuzzies), polishing of his shoes, and reviewing-slash-creating his resume and reference list. Seeing as it was such a monumental event, I made him pose for some pictures. What a trooper, that man of mine!

Oh, and we got a new cell-phone, one that is strong enough to withstand Will and we have a jazzy ring-tone now, too, check it out:

Now here comes the randomness... although, as it does pertain to our late Easter festivities, I will continue to share this tid-bit of fun: my bags! My mom got me this snazzy scripture case and some money to get some shoes, which I ended up putting towards a new bag for Primary, so it matches my FABULOUS carrier of the gospels. Don't you just love it! Well who cares, I do! HA! And that little {b} tag I got years and years ago, at the AZ baby shower, but I'm going to find a means to put it on one of the bags, although the placement is a little uncertain as of right now...

And, as I mentioned shoes earlier, here's why I decided to get a new bag instead: I already have marvelous shoes! These featured flats are my all time FAVES and I wear them all the time, more so than my knitted head-bands! It's true, ask anyone. My mom got them for me the day I had Will, but my feet didn't fit into them until a few weeks later. I'll tell ya what, there's nothing better than re-discovering you have "skinny" feet while the rest of your body is struggling to catch up!

As for the shoes in the bottom left-hand corner, those are my oh-so fun flip-flops! They're sort of done in an Anne Taintor style that is sadly in the process of being rubbed off. I admit, I wear my Tevas much more frequently, next to my flats, but I am still a fan of my quirky and sparkly sandals-of-sorts! What's more, I did find "my" shoes, on eBay of all places, and unfortunately I cannot find them anywhere else or in the size I NEED them. Yes, it goes beyond a want at this point, it's for sure a need. Just see for yourself!

Same brand {Kenzie, can't find their site today, weird...} as my beloved shoes above, but entirely different color scheme. They are absolutely perfect and if I could only fit my foot into a size 6.5, I would, regardless of the pain. But it's really just inhumanly possible for this comfort queen. *sigh* Prize to anyone who finds them for me! :P

credits to come :)

to whet your appetite

Ok, so first off, as I mentioned in my last post, my mom and I got pedicures together and it was so fun! However, my massage chair was a little schizophrenic for my taste and the scrubbing of my legs was a little too intense... but all in all, it was wonderful! I love having my feet soak and rubbed, and having my toes painted (I hardly ever do them myself). I wasn't too jumpy this time either! But the best part was spending the hour or so with just my mom (no boys, of any sort). And we now have cute toes to boot! It took us FOREVER to get a decent picture of our toes (mine are orange, mom's are blue-ish, and yes, she does have two feet), but we had some dang good laughs throughout the whole ordeal! I love my giggle buddy! :)

And to show off my toes I was able to get some brown "heals" with a convenient missing spot in the general toe area. But other than that, I didn't have a new Easter outfit. Come to think of it, neither did Will. But I love his outfit and it's been too cold in the past to wear it, so we had Monk wear it one more time (the sandals are new though, too. Does that count, too?). Brad got a beautiful Easter tie and was a good sport and wore it well (the colors are a test to one's masculinity)!

And since this post is just a whetting, here is the only picture I got of Will's Easter basket. I didn't really get to snap the bucket (yes, bucket, not basket) that Nana and Pops filled up for him. This kid seriously made out like a banshee in the gift/toy/candy department! But this here featured basket consists primarily of what I've been busy making the boy. I'll post more pictures and details of my creations later.

So more pics to come of our egg hunting and our overall trip to Mesa. Digi-credits to come later, too. Along with some pictures of Will's haircut. Eventually... And yes, the Sensaria give-away is still going on, I've just renamed it as "Hoppy" Spring. Check out the details below and you can enter by going here.
Later gators!

spreading the "hoppiness" cheer

So I'm still out and about in the Arizona heat, missing my beautiful 'bu and all its glory! But I wanted to say that I hope everyone has a lovely Easter weekend! I mean it; so hop to it! :)

Oh, and in other happy and celebratory news, it's my one year anniversary at Sensaria! Woot woot! Haha. As silly as it may sound, I wanted to let anyone and everyone join in on my festivities by offering some give-aways!!! I haven't decided yet on how many drawings there will be, but I'm leaning toward three... here's what you have to do to be entered into a drawing for lovely possible prizes such as some bubble bath, aromatherapy, massage oil, foot scrub/lotion, etcetera (I haven't made my mind up yet...): leave a comment! That's right, as simple as that! BUT I thought it would be fun, with pampering in mind, to leave a comment sharing what your favorite pampering ritual is. Whether that be going to a spa and having a full facial, or a massage, or a pedicure; or at home with a nice long, relaxing, hot shower (my personal favorite) or personal foot soaks (or personal foot rubs from our hubs ;) !!! So whatever it may be, share your ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Speaking of pedicures, I had one with my mom the day I got here and now I have pretty little orange toes! And I've been working on Will's Easter "junk" and I'm pretty excited about it all. The little stuffed eggies look like vintage beach-balls, in egg shape... so yeah. I'll be finishing those projects up today hopefully, in addition to helping my brother make a shirt (yeah, we're a crafty family, boys included...). You better believe I'll have some pics for you from our trip here, including our mother-daughter piggies! I love coming home! :)

Oh, and one more thing. For anyone and everyone who is interested, I'm offering my clients, and all you blog buds, a 25% off any purchase made this month (just email me and we'll work it all out)! So happy, hoppy, April to me, to you, to everyone! Yay for Spring and the sense of renewal that comes with it! Breathe that does-you-good air girls and enjoy the season! Cheers!

credits: created using digital art by Nancy Kubo, Andrea Victoria, Shabby Princess, Margarete Antonio and MisprintedType.

five girls and one boy

Wow, thanks ladies! Thanks to everyone who either sent me pictures or referred someone to me ;) Thanks for all the support, really! It was soooooooo hard for me to not use all of them, but certain pictures go with certain layouts or colors... So it's been a little crazy the past few days, because I've been trying to get these layouts done for Nancy before I leave tomorrow (that's right, I'm going home!!! And taking a much needed and neccessary hiatus from blogging or scrapping! But not crafting... ;) Seriously, I've got carpal tunnel up to my elbows, and I think I have cancer of the eyeballs. No joke. Blogging and digi-scrapping are of the devil; confound it though, I love it so {name that tune} !!!

So at first I only had to do three, but Nancy asked if I could create three more using her newest kit, and I happily obliged! So that's where I've been all this while, along with working on getting some galleries started, too. I'm certainly struggling with it all, which is weird for me... I thought I was pretty computer savvy! But not in the way of the digital scrap-booking community, oh no! Forums? New post? Where's the browse button? Heck, where's the search button?!?! Oh well, I've got my 2peas somewhat working, so I'm going to try and link the following pages to there, so you can see the credits (email me if you need help finding certain elements... they can be tricky to find...). Enjoy, and thanks again!!! Who knows, maybe I'll have to do some more girl pages in the future... Speaking of which, if any of you who so willingly sent me some pictures and are disappointed that I didn't use your sweetie(s), I'd be more than happy to, just let me know -- it's the least I could do (or any other way that would speak "Thanks" to you ;)

{click on images for list of credits}

Thanks to Amanda's sister Amy for sending me some
darling pics of her daughter, Brilee!

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Thanks to my cuz Nate for sending me a pic of cutie-pie Magei!

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Thanks to Amy's sister Lindsey for sending me lots
and lots of gorgeous photos, like this one of her daughter Kate!
This girl dazzles me with her talents! She's the one who made
my reception guest-book. Amazing, that girl...

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Thanks to Jolene for letting me scrap her little girl, Heidi!

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Thanks to Clarissa for letting me play with Gracie!

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And thanks above all, to my Father in Heaven,
for blessing me with such a beautiful "baby" boy
to share with such a loving husband! Love these guys!
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And now I'm off to ice my corneas... right after I post some pictures of Will's last haircut (as an ETA that I've been planning on for forever! ETA2: yeah, that's going to be a while longer...) and get some credits going for my header! Glad you all seem to like it! It is quite Springy, isn't it? It's not Fall, but it's Spring, and Spring is nice I guess. Ha!