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I can't believe how quickly this week has flown by! Tomorow's Friday? Really? Wow.

I did manage to take time to catch this little moment the other day:



Alex: "Get in, Daddy"
Daddy: inserts finger into front seat of tiny convertible.
Alex: "No, in the back, Daddy."

Too funny.

Helen was a sweetie Tues night and actually made dinner for ME! Her extra-special grilled cheese sandwich, made with mayo instead of butter for cooking. Sounds disgusting, I know. But it is WAY good! Got the idea from one of my GeekBrief podcast episodes. Love Cali! <3 Much better than butter. Try it. Don't worry, she used lowfat mayo and wheat bread for mine.



Ed and I had choir practice last night, and we went out to eat afterwords. Our own little date night. It's really the only alone time we get!

{latest layout}

Prima is being awesome and letting us flower girls play with the Prima Hybrid stuff too! I couldn't resist, being a digi girl myself. So, while I wait for what has come to be known as "the box," I at least got to do this:



Here's to imagination! Cheers!

{expanding}

I have been invited to be a part of an amazing new site, and I am so honored to be working with such great talent! When my dear friend, Emily Powers explained the different approach the site is taking, I couldn't resist. I am so excited to be working next to her and her sister Angela, and among many other talented artists! The storytelling will begin on February 14th, and I know it will be a huge success.

We had a busy weekend here in the Hutchinson household! Some friends from our hometown came to visit, and we did lots of shopping and catching up. The only downside to living in Memphis is that we're 2 hours away from friends and family.



Don't let this photo fool you. Alex was completely awake! Jessie was pretending to "take care of him."



This one, however, is the real thing. He wore down last night, and fell asleep on my bed playing a video game :)



Now I'm in the mood to scrap one of these! Here's to expansion! Cheers!

{my house is clean!}

Excuse me while I celebrate! It happens so seldom! Really, only the downstairs is clean. I will clean the upstairs tomorrow. At least all the living quarters look good (note sparkly "love" banners above shelves). We have some friends coming up from our hometown this weekend who have never seen our house, so I want it to be presentable. And as part of my ORDER campaign for 2008, I am really going to strive to keep it this way! It's so difficult to keep it straightened when all the bedrooms are upstairs. The kids like to play where the family is hanging out, so they bring all their toys downstairs. Then, naturally, they just stay there. It's a neverending cycle. Am I the only one who hates to clean? Some people are brilliant at it - but I suck. Badly.

My kit is in the store now, a whole hour early. I was in the scrapping mood earlier, so I created this with it:





Here's to clean spaces! Cheers!

i {heart}

I am loving the Valentine season this year! I hung up some glittery love banners, and I am in the spirit! In fact, I already got hubby his present:



It's been years since he has had a new laptop, and he really needed this. I just wish we could have afforded to get him a MacBook. Oh well. Maybe next time!

The oldest has a real icky spider bite on her face. At least that's what we're assuming it is. It must have happened while she was asleep. The left side of her face is all red and swollen. It does look better today, so we're not worried enough to take her to a doctor...yet. Luckily, I snapped this cute photo of her the day before it happened:



Know what else I love? Little baby butts! Know what's better than that? Potty trained baby butts! LOL I think we've only had 2 accidents since we started, and none in the past 4-5 days. I put pull-ups on him at night, but he never wakes wet. Not once. We can take him out to shop and eat, and he does great. So awesome! You'd think by the 4th child, the excitement would wear off. Nope! I'm even more excited knowing that I will never have to deal with diapers again. Ever!



I have so much keeping me busy right now! It's a good busy, though. Hubby gets so upset because I actually ENJOY working. And I get to work from home. He's so jealous. HeeHee. I want to really grow my business this year, and so far I've had several opportunities come up that will help me do just that. I'll talk about each of those when I can.

I did finish my January kit, and it will be in the store Friday. I have to say, I really love this one! It has some of my favorite colors, and some fun elements. It's non-traditional Valentine-ish, but not gushy. Girl or boy. Here's that sneak peek I promised:

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Needs no explanation.



Here's to hearts! Cheers!

It's a long weekend for hubby and the kids, but not for me! Typical Monday for me. Back to work, after goofing off way too much this weekend. Hey, I gotta do something to keep me busy while I wait for my goodies from Prima! So I'm working on a yummy kit that is shaping up to be my favorite yet! I'll try to remember to post a sneak peek soon.

So, I've lost 3 pounds this week! Not much, but a good start. My big downfall while dieting is sugar. I love sweets! I came up with this protein smoothie when I was trying to avoid the box of ice cream staring me in the face. It's super simple, and way yummy!



3/4 cup lowfat cottage cheese
1 cup frozen fruit
Splenda, to taste
1/4-1/2 cup water

Just blend everything in a blender. I know it sounds gross, but it is sooo good! The cottage cheese adds protein, and makes it rich and creamy. I add a few tablespoons of Splenda to sweeten it, and just enough water so that everything mixes up. And it's much better in a pretty glass ;)

The weekend was pretty good. My parents came up to visit, just for fun. We did a little shopping, and I played Guitar Hero with my dad (hubby won't play with me anymore. he can't stand it that i'm better than he is!). I caught Jessie having a snack:





We bought Helen this new jacket, and she loves it so much that I think she slept in it! Hubby says she looks like a model in this photo. Well, of course she does! All our children are beautiful :)

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Here's to diligence and progress, with a healthy dose of relaxation! Cheers!

{16 is my lucky number!}

I was born on the 16th. 3 of my four children were born on the 16th. Today is the 16th. A very lucky day:



I was invited to be part of the Prima 2008 design team! I'm so excited, and just LOOK at that list of talented gals I'll be working with! I can't wait to get started.

This year is only 16 days old, and it's already shaping up to be a wondermous year! I've stuck to all my goals so far. A picture a day. Workouts 5-6 times a week. Healthy eating. A better schedule. I have lots of new opportunities and adventures coming up. Life is good!

Another thing that's good? A potty-trained child!!



We took a couple months off, then I decided to try it again. 4 whole days, and not a single accident!! Not even at night. Practically zero effort on my part. Ladies and gentlemen, I have bought my last package of diapers EVER!!

PawPaw and Uh-Uh (the in-laws) came for a little visit this past weekend. My parents will be visiting this weekend. Never a dull day, folks!



I have really been in the heart mood lately. This is strange for more than one reason. First, it's not even February yet. Second, I don't like hearts! They're too "cute." First pink, now hearts! What is the world coming to? We went to Target the other day, and I totally splurged in the Dollar Spot:



I have no idea how I will use this stuff, but I WILL use it! Hubby keeps giving me the "sideways look" everytime I introduce more pink into the house. It just makes me feel good! Like this:



Heehee.

latest layouts

I've been on a roll lately!





And, gee, look.....hearts all over both of them! *giggle*

Here's to hearts! Cheers!

{yawn}

This is my photo for yesterday. Technically, I suppose it's really for today, since that is 4:10 A.M! But we're going to cheat and call it yesterday's. I was up way too late last night designing, and putting items in the store. But when I'm on a roll, I can't risk losing the mojo! Luckily, Alex sleeps late, so I managed a few hours of sleep.

My new best friend was mean to me yesterday (see previous post). I was sore from the day before, so running took a lot more effort. Today won't be fun either. And don't worry, I told hubby about the renovation plans, and he's all on board! Even has some ideas of his own :)

I've already taken my photo for today. We are being extremely lazy today, and Alex wanted me to take a picture of his feet as he was laying next to me. This photo was actually his idea! Does he have potential or what?



There are quite a few new items in the shoppe today. I'm doing some cleanup and getting rid of some things, and bringing in lots of new things. I also have a sale right now that will give you $5 off a $15 or more purchase! Use it to get my latest kit free: