a bag of chips

Rest in Peace.

My father-in-law, Donald Cockburn, died Saturday afternoon after a five-year battle with MDS.  He died peacefully with one of my husband's sisters at his side.  Chris and Aidan left Monday evening for Trinidad for the funeral, which was held this morning. 

I'm missing Donald.  I am so thankful that we had the chance to spend time with him in January while we were in Trinidad and that he had the pleasure of seeing all his kids before he passed. And even though we knew his time would come and we expected "the call," all the preparation in the world cannot prepare you for the news that your loved one is gone.  I wish I were with my husband and the rest of his family, and I hope they know I'm there in spirit.  I know how hard it is to lose a parent.  I take comfort that Donald is up in Heaven and that maybe he and my dad will find each other and talk about their kids and grandkids over a few glasses of Donald's amazing rum punch.  I'm sure my dad could use a drinking buddy.  =)

Thanks to all of you who have prayed for Donald these past few months and I ask you to once again pray for him and for my husband and the rest of the Cockburn clan.  This is a very difficult time for everyone.

Here is the last photo I took of Donald with my husband during our January trip:

Rest in His peace, Donald.  Until we meet again...

Help+RAK=2 Happy People

I am working with Chris Ford (love her!) on a new website, logo and business card design.  Everything's pretty close to being ready, and now here is where I need your help.   There will be two photos on my business card (one on the front, one on the back) and I need your help choosing which ones to use.  I can't decide, so I'm hoping someone out there is willing to help me for the the chance at a yummy scrappy RAK.

Here are the choices I've narrowed it down to:

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

#9

#10

#11

#12

#13

So, I need two photos that show two different looks.  Please leave your two choices in the comments section and you'll be included in the random drawing for the RAK which I'll do next Friday, February 29th (also Nadia's 17-month birthday).

Thanks in advance for your help!  I appreciate it!

V-day recap.

Teacher goodies inspired by the Studio.

The fact that I would be without my hubby on Valentine's Day should have been the first sign that the day would be anything but normal.

He was supposed to catch a 6:20 am flight to Denver, and ended up missing his flight.  That's never happened before.  His alarm could ring from four miles away and he'd hear it and be out the door within minutes.  But instead I'm the one to hear his alarm clock and give him a nudge.  And 45 minutes later and 45 minutes 'til liftoff and he's still snoring beside me.  Oh, dear.  Nothing like three extra hours alone in an airport on Valentine's Day.

Then, under unforecasted cloudy and very chilly skies, I take Aidan to school.  And then in the Starbucks parking lot, the unforecasted rain starts to fall.  And doesn't stop.  All unforecasted day long.  (Either San Diego weather is a meteorlogical phenomenon or our forecasters are phenominally stupid.  Their track record points to the latter.)  Then, at 3:30 pm, this momsicle can't feel her fingers and notices it's 40 degrees outside.  Now, to the rest of you that might seem like t-shirt and shorts weather, but around these parts that's extremely unusual for it to be that cold during the day a few short miles from Sea World.  And the wind was gusting at about 30+ mph.  It snowed in places it hasn't snowed in a very, very long time.  And none of it was foreseen by the weatherfreaks.  In fact, on Wednesday night, the forecast for Valentine's Day was sunny skies and high 60s.  I can think of a few places I'd like to stick my umbrella which, because of the previous day's sunny forecast, was warm and dry back at home.

Anyway.

So, today, it's lovely and sunny outside and the trees in our yard are in full bloom.  So pretty.  Click to view larger.

Makena and Nadia are both snot faucets right now and Miss Princess Cover Girl four-year-old has also been feverish.  I have a feeling her belated birthday party scheduled for tomorrow will be canceled altogether.  Just in time for warmer weather.  Or so they say.

Have a lovely weekend!

Scraptastic!

Just now coming down off the CHA cloud of new scrap products.  It's a bit overwhelming the sheer amount of new products and releases, but here are some of my faves:

Cosmo Cricket

October Afternoon

Making Memories

American Crafts

KI Memories

Fancy Pants

Fontwerks

There were many more but my brain is fried and my shoulder hurts after two days of lugging around a tonnage of catalogs in my tote.  And I took only a few photos with my iphone during the show, but Lain Ehmann has some great photos of the goods on her site.  Check it!

I loved Sassafrass Lass's new way of manufacturing their papers.  You know that strip on the bottom that most papers have that you have to cut off and toss?  Well, theirs has a decorative and useful bottom 1 x 12 edge of die-cut and patterned paper cuteness.  Good ideas at their finest.

Boy-themed papers and goodies were big among new releases with robots and dinosaurs leading the pack.  I'm glad for this since my boy needs more exposure on my scrapbook pages.  And he loves robots and dinos.  Fancy Pants and Basic Grey had my favorite boy lines.  (And Allison Kimball, if you read this, your display album of your boys in the BG booth was amazing. Got me all teary-eyed.)

Layered and dimensional looks, and flocked, textured and foiled patterned papers were popular, and just about every paper manufacturer now has a line of stamps.  And orange, beautiful, vibrant, happy orange was a popular color.  Orange is the new black, donchya know.  Trees and journaling aids, houses, butterflies and birds were also big hits.

Congrats to Tamara Morrison who was crowned Simple Scrapbooks' Funnest Scrapbooker Ever, and her attendants Andrea Friebus and Susan Opel.  Tamara is really a hugely funny gal and looked fabulous in her tiara and sash.

And Celeste and Stephanie, it was awesome to get to spend time with you.  You ladies are da bomb.

And the other totally cool thing about the show was this:

A mega blow-up of the cover featuring my sweet girlie (who has been at home with a fever and stuffies since yesterday) at the CK Media booth.  I would walk by it several times a day just to see her amazing smile bigger than life.

That's a wrap! 

Birthday Cover Girl.

Makena turned four on Monday.  She enjoyed a day filled with pink Tinkerbell cupcakes at school, kiddie gambling at Chuck E. Cheese (aka Hell-on-Earth) for dinner, and pink streamers and Princess Overload at home over an ice cream cake.  More of the same to come in a few weeks when we have her official birthday party here in a few weeks.

(The gift she's holding is a mega coloring book featuring Tinkerbell and another little fairy.  Aidan and I were trying to decide if the guest fairy was Tinkerbell's sister and what her name was.  We came up with three possibilities:  Stinkerbell, Bootybell and Boogerbell.  I like the last one best.)

Anyway, go here to see what else Miss Makena got for her birthday.  Ain't that the coolest?