Exuberance

I am not, by nature, and exuberant individual.  I don't blossom with energy or burst with excitement very often.  But I have people in my house who do.  My cubs do.  They show me how to look at things with fresh perspective.  They take the tension that accumulates throughout the day, and with one glance, one hug, they wipe it away.  That is on a normal day.  On days something special happening, watch out. Those cubs will glow.  The cubs will allow me to see things through their eyes. They show me that the simple things in life remain the most amazing.  They light a fire within me to grow and become a better version of myself.

One day, long ago, the family had planned a day at the local zoo.  My parents were coming for the outing.  Anyone looking at the excitement in the cubs' eyes would have thought we were going to meet a superstar instead of a camel.  But that is the beauty of children.  They live in the moment.  They don't worry about the meeting coming up on Monday.  There is no Monday to them.  Their entire world was that day in that zoo with the people they love the most.  

The cubs are older now, and they get bogged down at times with worries about tests and squabbles between friends.  Papa Bear and I are no longer the absolute center of their universe.  But there are moments when I see those very small children still lurking inside them.  Times when they still seek out the comfort of an evening snuggle, when a spontaneous smile and giggle escapes, when they turn to me and tell me it is time for our weekly date.  I grasp those moments, through they slip through my fingers like water.  They leave their mark, but I can never contain them.  And that is ok.  That is what is supposed to happen as they become young people moving towards adulthood.  They are still giving me the gift of the appreciation of the moment.  And before long it will be my job to remind them to slow down, to appreciate and to present in the moment as they rear their children.  And the circle will continue.

While working on some scrapbooking (I am only 23 years behind), I found this picture of one of my cubs on that zoo day.  She had just awakened and realized that her grandparents were on their way and we were soon heading off for a huge adventure.  

In my last post I showed you the sneak peek of Hat of Bunny's newest kit.  It has been released today.  That is the kit I used to create this page.

Hat of Bunny has a beautiful new kit.

Morning Glory

 Inspired by the beautiful morning glory, which blooms early in the morning and greets people as they wake up, "Morning Glory: is a kit that includes everything the morning glory stands for: love, affection, and the transience of live.

With soft and elegant colors, hand-crafted elements and word-art that encourages one to meet and seize each day with joy, "Morning Glory" is a great, versatile kit for capturing everyday moments.

 With 16 papers,

 52 elements,

and 6 full alphas!

Available as a full kit (best deal!) at ScrapTakeout and With Love Studios

 or individual pieces

Paper: ScrapTakeout and With Love Studios

Elements: ScrapTakeout and With Love Studios

Alpha: ScrapTakeout and With Love Studios

CT Inspiration:

 by Catherine

 by Heather

 by Amber (Template by Fiddle-dee-dee)

 by Shelby

 by MayehmMama

by Dorine

Freebies:

Journal cards and quick page by Catherine available at her blog.

Sneak Peek

We had a break in the weather this past weekend!
It got up into the mid 50s and we were able to open the house up and let the breeze blow the nasty germs out of the house.  Papa Bear and Baby Bear have been sick.  The house smelled so wonderful.  The only problem was that we forgot to turn the furnace on when we closed up the house and woke up to quite a chilly house.

School for the girls is progressing.  We have finally found a bit of a routine and identified things that we need to do better.  We instituted some of those changes the past 2 weeks and the days have been much smoother and more productive.  Having a weekly date with one of the cubs has made a world of difference. On Saturday whose ever date is coming up will start counting down the time and making plans.  I have learned a lot about each of them in the short time I have been doing this.  I have also noticed that behavior has improved as well.  Or maybe I should say that by taking this time to learn more about them one on one I am learning how to deal with particular  behaviors.  Date time is also a great time discuss some of those behaviors away from the heat of the moment.

This date time is not always a money spender, nor does it require time away from the house.  Yesterday Baby Bear and I baked  bread together and made invites for her birthday party.  Little Bear would wander in and ask questions, but knew that the main focus of my attention was on Baby Bear.  There was no major jealousy involved because Little Bear knew next week it would be her turn for the attention.  Another great thing about these dates is the chance to take some pictures corralling only one cub!  I have gotten some really amazing shots (as amazing as you can take on a phone since I am in desperate need of a new camera (hint, hint Papa Bear!)) of the Cubs.  This pictures are really great to use in my Project 52 - scrapping each  week of the year.

Now that we have had a taste of spring (though the almanac says that the weather in March is going to be even worse than January and February) I am looking forward to scrapping lots of pretty spring pictures.  hat of Bunny is releasing a new kit on the 27th is really going to fit that bill!

will be available at ScrapTakeout and With Love Studios.

Swirling thoughts

The last few weeks have been full of experiences that have caused a virtual tornado of thoughts and emotions, most of which in today's society would be considered controversial if now downright polarizing.  I have been trying to wordsmith things so that I can clearly express my thoughts and views, but have not had much success at this point.  That is why I have been fairly quiet.

But I will share a moment in time that made my heart sing.

I have started to institute "dates" with my kiddos.  Each week I take one of them out for some 1:1 time.  It may be a lunch date, going out for ice cream or other dessert, or some sort of treat, such as a $5 mani at the local beauty school.  This week Baby Bear wanted to take along in Little Bear's date, mostly because dad was not bowing to Baby Bear's wishes.  Baby bear was informed that the decision was up to Little Bear, and that Little Bear had the right to no.  Little Bear did indeed say no.  Later in the car Little Bear confessed that Baby Bear was upset because of the answer.  I just sat and listened.  Then the nugget of gold was revealed -
 "Mom, I said no because I just wanted time alone with you"

My heart was bursting.  Little Bear is hitting that age where kisses are few and time with friends seems to be more important than time with family.  Hearing that the desire for time with me is still a high priority left me with glow that has still not diminished today!

Our growing family....

Before anyone gets too excited, we are not growing our family by more kiddos, though that is something I dream about.
We are getting ready to enter a new phase in our family life and enter the world of furry pets.

Our choices were fairly limited because of allergies, cost, and ability to either leave them or take them with us when we go camping or to my mom's.

Fish were vetoed by the cubs because they can't pet and hold them.

Cats were vetoed because of the youngest's allergies.

Dogs were vetoed because of the costs, allergies, and I have no desire to walk a dog in this weather!

So now we were down to cage-able critters.
    Snakes - not happening!
    Rats and mice - do not like those tails or those beady eyes
    Hamsters - Way too wild at night.

Well, we are going to end up with guinea pigs.  I know, there are a lot of negative points to that animal as well, but when it was all added up, these little critters seemed to be the best that we can do for right now.  So in 4 weeks we are going to be welcoming 2 little girls into our home.  We have a ton of cleaning to do between now and then to give them the size of enclosure they need.  But it is good that w have a deadline to get it done!

Those first few days are going to be interesting, to say the least. These little girls will only be 4 weeks old.  My youngest is stressing over what to name hers.  My oldest just can't wait to hold hers, but has yet to come up with a name.  Both of them are making big plans for the home.

In honor of the 2 little girls I am giving away a Quick Page from Hat of Bunny's kit - This Is Us.

I hope you enjoy the QP - click on the picture to get the download!  

Happy Year of the Horse!

The official start of Chinese New Year was yesterday - January 31st.  But the celebration usually goes on for 2 weeks.

I showed a preview in my last post of the Chinese New Year kit that Hat of Bunny created.  It was released yesterday....check it out. 

The alpha in this kit is amazing - all intricate paper cutouts.  GORGEOUS!

I have started using this kit to scrap the pictures from the journey to adopt the kiddos.  It is perfect, and so very versatile.  The colors are the rich and the textures are perfect. 

She has graciously allowed me to create a couple of "Freebies".  Click on the previews to download them from DropBox.  I hope you enjoy them!