Track Season!

Track season is in full swing for Sam. We now have three meets under our belt and Sam has ran pretty well! The first meet, Sam ran in the 4x200. I was excited because that was a race I ran when I was his age.  He was the lead leg and as you can see, he was in the top three. He did really well!

The next meet he ran the 4x800 and the open 100. (Wow! A sprint race and a long distance race!)  He was super nervous about the 800, but he didn't do to bad for his first time running an 800! Jason was excited about this race because that is what HE ran in middle school and high school.

Getting ready for the 800 hand off.

 And he is off! Looks strong!

 Finishing his first lap. Not a bad split for him.

 He had a little monkey jump on his back with about 300 meters to go, but he persevered to the hand off.

At least he wasn't yelling. "I'm gonna barf! I'm gonna barf!" Like one of the other kids running the 800. 

Last night we had another meet and he cut 3 seconds off of his 800 meter time! Yea, Sam!! Track season is short and we only have a few more meets. It's been so fun to watch Sam and how he is moving right along this first track season!

One Layer Card

Today I am going to share with you a super easy, one layer card. A "one layer" card is coming back in style.(fancy!) Basically, it is stamping directly on the card front or a card panel. You create layers with your stamping instead of using die cuts. 

 

The supplies I used for this card were Tim Holtz Ranger inks in the following colors: Picked Raspberry, Wild Honey, Chipped Sapphire and Tea dye.

 The stamp set I used was the Penny Black Flower Sparks.

 I love this stamp!

To begin with, I cut a circle in a piece of cardstock to use as my mask. I attached the mask to the card panel with some washi tape.

I then stamped my flowers.

 I lightly inked the circle area with Tim Holtz Tea Dye ink.

 When you remove the mask, all that is left is to decorate a bit!

 

I then used my new Misti stamping tool to stamp the sentiment.

Side note: this is my new absolute favorite stamping tool. If you use stamps, then this tool is a must for you!

 

I lined up my sentiment "Thank You" on my card and stamped it in black. Not only was it exactly where I wanted it, but it was also straight! If your image doesn't stamp well, you can re-stamp in the exact same spot with the Misti!

 I decided to add some small enamel dots to some of the centers of the flowers.

I then attached the card panel to the card base. You can leave the card as is, but I felt as it needed a little something.

 

I first tied a navy sheer ribbon around the card.

 I also tied navy and white bakers twine which I liked more then the ribbon. It kept with the light breezy feel of the card! :)

This card was quick to create and would be easy to duplicate! I cannot take the credit for coming up with this card. I saw it on a you tube video, which you can view here.

 

Can't wait to share more cards with you!

I am an Introvert...

Something that I have discovered about myself is that I am an introvert. "WHAT?!?!  No way!! You are SOOOO out going and bubbly and talkative!"

Yup, I'm an introvert.

Let me explain: I am an introvert that has learned to live in an extrovert world. 

If you look up the definition of an introvert it means shy. And yes, I am shy. In my younger years I was extremely shy. So shy, that many peers referred and called me a bitch, aloof, arrogant and stuck up. I overheard one group of high school peers say, "Katie is so cute, too bad she is such a bitch!" Hearing that, I wanted to go back further in my shell, but realized that it was time to become "un-shy."  

I am still shy and struggle with my shyness as an adult, especially in new situations. Unfortunately,  I am still referred to by the names above at times.  So I have decided to try to explain what it is like being an introvert living and surviving in an extrovert world!

This cartoon hits the nail on the head when it comes to ME!

 

I find that many people often misunderstand the true definition of an introvert vs. an extrovert….they assume that introverts are not very social and extroverts are the life of the party. This isn't always necessarily true, which honestly surprised me!  So, I hope that I can shine a little light on the life of an introvert from my perspective!

Decisions, Decisions!

Ever have one of those days?

"Can't decide if I need a hug, a large coffee, 6 liters of water or 2 weeks of sleep."

 For me, usually the coffee or sleep win!

A Little Card Making...

Good Monday Morning! Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

( I have obviously already had my cup of coffee!!)

One thing I spent a little time doing this weekend was playing with a few new stamp sets and creating a few cards. I am just teasing you today though! I want to make sure you stop back later this week to check out how I created them and what I used to create them!

A goal I have had for sometime is to share more of my creative side and different things I am creating! Hope you are excited about this as I am and maybe I can spark a little creativity in all of you!

Really?!

So this happened yesterday at my local Starbucks!

For a brief moment I thought I was back in paradise!

AH!!!!

I downloaded Snapchat on my phone...finally...

 I don't understand (yet) how to use it or how to follow people, but the boys and I had some good belly laughs over how we could change our appearance! 

But, this one scared me!

I am speechless! He looks like he is 20!

And then he reminded me,

 he is still only 10. Phew!!

More Random Bahamas!

Thought I wold share some more random photos from our trip!

How many ways can Starbucks spell our names?

 

Waking up in paradise!

(Jack CHOSE to sleep on this roll away. Much better than sleeping with blanket stealing Sam!)

 Pictures with the boys!

See Senor Frogs in the background? You could hear the chants of "SHOT SHOT SHOT!!" coming from the bar.  They gave the thumbs up to that establishment! (eek)

 Real pictures with the boys!

Love this picture of Sam with all the blue!

 Tried to get the same feeling with Jack. Not quite the same.

 Sam sitting on an ancient throne.

 Jack decided to put his head in the helmet.

Sam soon carefully placed his head in the helmet! 

(Wordless happy picture!)

Boy, I miss those warm sunny days....

Oh My!

One day on our vacation, we headed to the ocean. The warning sign was one level below "Not Advisable To Go Out There Today." Which I noticed AFTER we had been out there.

Right away, I knew I did not want to get into the water. From this angle, you can't tell, but I am actually standing above the boys on somewhat of a hill. The boys are standing in a very low area (almost like a ditch) due to the waves breaking in that area over and over and over...

The waves were so strong, it would knock the boys down and they loved every minute of it! Here Jack is asking the girl next to him if she was ok, because she went under him and knocked him down.

 I just stood and worried that they were going to get sucked out to the ocean never to be seen again.  Jason just rolled his eyes and reminded me they were more on the beach than in the water!

 Can't you just hear Sam saying, "We can do this, Jack!"

 "Uhhh.never mind, Jack! I am out of here!"

 

 Jason couldn't stand it anymore and decided to show the boys how to dive through and ride the waves. See Sam's little head to the right of Jason's. I was a bit worried!!! "NOT SO FAR!!"

Here comes the big one!

 Sam successfully swam with the wave..but where is Jason?

Look closely. He is wrapped in the wave like a burrito! You can see his feet on the right, then his dark trunks, and then his hand!

Sam was laughing!! Jason was telling HIM how to get it done and Jason got totally body slammed! 

Needless to say, that was the last wave of the day! 

Phew!!
Know came the impossible: removing sand from the entire body!

Hidden Bodies...

While on vacation I took the perfect beach/pool side book:

Hidden Bodies

by Caroline Kepnes

 

It is the squeal to the book: You.

(check out my review of You here.)

The first book, You, is a dark read about a stalker Joe Goldberg and focused on how social media can be the death of you . The book is so creepy, but I loved it. 

So, imagine my excitement when I saw there was a sequel: Hidden Bodies!! It's dark, but not near as dark as the first book with its focus on FB, narcissism and "making it" in Hollywood. Hidden Bodies picks up right were You left off, so reading the first book is a must. 

 Joe is a psychopath serial killer that you love to hate and I actually started to root for him! (UGH!!) Unfortunately, he isn't as crazy psychopath as he was in You, but there are glimmer of his "old self" as the story develops.  This time, Joe is heading to LA to take care of some business and along the way meets a gal named, Love. He wants to be with Love for the rest of his life and is willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen!  Through the book, I kept thinking, how does he get away with all of this and then right when I was having doubts, the books twists, turns and twists again!! Awesome!! 

From Amazon:

Joe Goldberg is no stranger to hiding bodies. In the past ten years, this thirty-something has buried four of them, collateral damage in his quest for love. Now he’s heading west to Los Angeles, the city of second chances, determined to put his past behind him.

In Hollywood, Joe blends in effortlessly with the other young upstarts. He eats guac, works in a bookstore, and flirts with a journalist neighbor. But while others seem fixated on their own reflections, Joe can’t stop looking over his shoulder. The problem with hidden bodies is that they don’t always stay that way. They re-emerge, like dark thoughts, multiplying and threatening to destroy what Joe wants most: true love. And when he finds it in a darkened room in Soho House, he’s more desperate than ever to keep his secrets buried. He doesn’t want to hurt his new girlfriend—he wants to be with her forever. But if she ever finds out what he’s done, he may not have a choice...

If you haven't read the book, You, I would highly recommend it...but remember, it's dark and about stalking. Then I would grab this book and enjoy more Joe, the lovable psychopath, crazy, serial killer!  (Did I really just say that?)