Autumn Colors

Another month, another color challenge. It felt like Fall here for a few days, rain and 70 degree weather. For us in the desert, that is wool coat, scarves and boots weather. We're wimps. But it put me in such a great mood for pumpkin flavored everything and a color combination that was reminiscent of a rustic Fall afternoon! Details of the challenge are posted on the Crate blog if you all want to check them out. 

the colors are: dove grey, peacock blue and gingerbread brown

I only intended to create 2 layouts but the above layout was such a simplistic idea that it begged to be made for this challenge. My Fall to-do list (below) is taped onto a paper bag so I can add photos from our adventures when I get around to taking them!

I love this page. Chase has a speech delay and really has only started speaking with in the past 9 months. He started off  "talking" as a typical 1 year old will start to do, but as he grew older he also grew quieter until he reached 2 and had lost all verbal communication. After months of trying to locate the correct people to help with his development I was finally put in contact with the right speech therapists and we had Chase tested for possible eye sight and hearing issues. After we had ruled out an array of possible answers to the questions of why he had just stopped talking, it was left up to us, him and an in home speech therapists to get him on the right track. We started speech therapy once a week and on a good week he might be able to mimic a single letter sound. After a disappointing 4 or 5 months of practicing every day and flashcards almost every hour, it was mentioned that sign language would help him more than anything else, and this way he would have some way of communicating. So, Chase and I learned sign language and that was how we talked to eachother. 

When he turned 3, he was tested again for eye and ear issues and still nothing, although by 3 he was able to say 2 words: momma and no - even though I was still the only one who could understand him. He started preschool at a developmental preschool for children who have special needs last September. His first IEP was so simple and basic, we just wanted him to be able to pronounce 4 consonants and 3 vowels sounds. By the end of the year his IEP goal was to have at least 4 working phrases. I found a video on my phone a couple days ago that I had taken of Chase last December on Christmas morning, he still had no speech capability and was signing to me about our dog barking. 

At 4 now, Chase putting together words to form sentences that actually make sense, even if they're not so nice(thanks in part to the older boys in the neighborhood that he idolizes), is incredible. He's basically learned how to speak within just the past 9 months and he still signs to me but only when he's really upset with someone or I've had to ask him - can you tell me what you said again? Speech is one of those things that you just take for granted because we don't have to think about it, we assume that development goes in order; first they crawl, then start pulling up, and then walking happens just like a baby babbling, then mimicking and then talking. It's been a great experience though and a humbling reminder to slow down and really being proud of all the little things he's able to do, like being able to pronounce the "d" sound - which he mastered about 2 weeks ago! 

This picture is what his speech therapist does to his mouth when he's trying to pronounce the "o" sound. :) He loves showing me what he's learned each day at school.

I also created a few art pieces for my piano. I have this small collection of chipmunks from my Grandma that I'll display along with these for Fall. 

I'm working on a fun little project with my crafty twin Jessica this week, with some luck, I'll be back to post about it this week! Thanks for stopping by! 

a little of alot

The end of summer (the kids staying home part of summer, not the actual summer) kind of came up out of nowhere. There was back to school shopping, meetings, back to school nights, Dr. apts., more back to school shopping, and then there were all the things that I wanted to do with the kids before they got too busy with the new school year. Plus, I hadn't finished my summer reading book-list and there was a bunch of scrapbooking type projects to start. I needed to prioritize, which meant cutting back on things that I felt take up time that I always seem to be limited on. Blogging, I have a love-hate relationship with my blog. Sometimes it can be fun, sometimes I get almost resentful because I feel like it's eating up time I could be spending doing something else, and sometimes I just forget that it's even here. Love-hate at it's best. 

Then, I woke up today, peeked outside to see low grey clouds blanketing the mountains behind the house, the light tink-tink-tink of rain on the tiled roof above, and I thought: today is the day. Funny how the onset of a cloudy-drizzly day can make a hectic schedule seem to slow down to a much needed relaxed pace. 

So, here I sit... rambling about a few things I've done recently. The most recent is my color post with Crate paper. Colors that border slightly on Summer and a little on Fall. I have all these ideas floating about for Autumn color combinations but I have to be patient and wait! 

 I'm not sure how I ended up being so lucky but these friends came to spend last weekend with us. It's the second time in almost 2 months that we've gotten a chance to spend time with them both! (Jessica somehow convinced Jeff, or Jeffy as my kids like to call him, to drive up to my mom's house while we were there in July) and now she's done it again and they drove down to our little house in the desert last week. How does she do it??!! The last time they visited us in AZ I made up a welcome basket to greet them. This time I decided to forgo the idea of the basket and instead create a welcome jar! I tied this idea into my It's a Wrap post for Crate, there's more photos and details over on the Crate blog. Jessica had hinted that she'd really like a travel kit with the main colors of coral & grey ~ I have such subtle friends. ;) So, off I went to gather all sorts of small embellishments, some new, some found and alot handmade! It's probably one of my most favorite projects that I've put together, I love giving things away, but the idea of filling a jar with little things that I knew she would treasure was the best!

Jessica and I spent the entire weekend gabbing on about upcoming events and collaborations we want to do again, playing in my craft room, digging through my massive collection of fabric, hunting for treasures at a local antique store and cooking up a storm. I haven't cooked so much in a very long time - thank goodness I like to prepare and plan out my menus ahead of time! They sure come in handy when you've been out and about all day. Jessica and Jeff departed on Tuesday after the kids were off to school. The house seemed strangely quiet and empty, I missed them both as soon as they left. I'm truly thankful for how the internet brings people together like - Jessica and I (we met through Flickr, 5 or 6 years ago.) I only wished we lived closer together or at least in the same state! 

Because it's blazing hot outside still, sometimes food looses it's appeal and we end up making smoothies for breakfast, snacks, desserts. I think the kids and I have combined every possible fruit and yogurt together! I love honey-dew mixed with anything, Alaina likes peaches and berries together and Chase, my simple little guy, opts for just strawberries. We make a dessert smoothie of bananas, frozen chocolate yogurt, marshmallow fluff and ice of course.... it's amazing and I don't even particularly like bananas! ;)

I've acquired a few new instruments over the summer, with more on the way this month. Pretty

  soon I may be able to open up my very own instrument museum! jk.... sorta. Lastly just some random photos, they were too pretty not to share, as soon as our heat breaks, another month or 2, I'm taking the kids to the botanical gardens - it will be good to get outside after hibernating all summer long. One of the downfalls of life in the desert - our summers that last up to 5 months. After the 3 week vacation this summer, I'm almost convinced that I'd like to live in California again. Jessica tried for 4 days to convince Peter to move us closer to her, so her and I could be neighbors.... I think it sounds like a fantastic idea! 

Well friends, I need to prep the house tonight before the next set of guests find their way here tomorrow evening. Here's to great friends, being creative, and little kids that make life fun! Good night! 

color challenge & travel pages

My color challenges are back on track over on the Crate blog! I took off the month of July with them, due to all of the CHA excitement and the release of 3 new collections. But now it's August and the commotion has settled enough that the blog has returned to it's regularly scheduled events! If you have time and  like the color-combination I've put together this month come on over and join in! I give away a collection of products every month to the winner of my color challenge! Pretty enticing right? 

I've broke ground on filling up my travel journal! Here's the first couple of pages and a journaling entry.

In other news, I spend last week tracking down a few things my sister requested we send her asap. It's amazing the amount of stuff we take for granted because it's readily available to us. Alaina and I made a care package and Dana at the last minute asked us to find her a fan because the base that she's currently at, in the South, doesn't have air-conditioning. So, being the good sister I  am, I somehow managed to make a fan fit along side everything else we were sending her and I certainly took advantage of the Post Offices' motto of 'if it fits', it ships.' 

I love care packages. Dana use to send me the most elaborate boxes stuffed full of fun random little things while I was living in Hawaii. Now it's my turn to return the favor. I can't wait until Christmas, I've been keeping a mental list of items to purchase and send her. :)

This is the last weekend before the kids go back to school! The summer went by fast, at least I think so, and  now the kids are anxious to see their new teachers and reunite with their friends. I think one last family outing is in order for Monday and then back to school nights, Parents Day, and the first 2 days of school take up the rest of next week.  Welcome back all too busy school schedules! 

all wrapped

I realize it's a bit late being that we're almost 2 weeks into June but better late than not 

at all! Almost as much fun as my color challenge posts for Crate Paper, my gift-wrap posts are becoming an anticipated favorite of mine. I have one more post for June and then we take off the month of July for CHA and I get to spend the month in California! 

Speaking of which, I took Chase with me today to run a few errands and I wanted to pop into a Goodwill to look for a few books to take along with me on the trip. (2 hour plane ride, each way and an 8 hr. car trip up to the Oregon house.) I didn't find any new books but Chase on the other hand found all sorts of perfectly random treasures. 

Goodwill: the only store you can go into looking for something specific (books) and walk out with a pink miniature plastic grocery cart and green maracas. 

Oh well, we had fun though and Chase is currently running through the house happily pushing along his little pink shopping cart. :) I'm going to start organizing some stuff for our trip, making lists, and starting to plan out our vacation. I'm so excited, July can't come fast enough!   

pink, pink, pink

What are you doing this week... or even next week? I ask because my color challenge for June is now posted! I think it's one of my favorite posts I've done for Crate (and I've been with them for 17 months now!) - I loved the color combination, it's super easy to work with and I was excited to be able to use Crate's new baby girl line: Little Bo Peep. 

I'm calling this color palette- '50 Shades of Pink'  I created 5 quick projects for an upcoming baby shower, the details and tons of photos are of course on the Crate blog. If you get a chance this month, pop over to the blog, check out the rules for entering and then send me your projects!! I'm hoping everyone has as much fun as I did playing with this combination!