TALK ABOUT BABIES!!

Hello all!!
It's been another interesting week here at the homestead.  Started out beautiful with my daughters having me over for Mother's Day cookout and fun, fun, fun!!  I love when my daughter's cook because you can always be assured there will be a new recipe to try, and they didn't disappoint me.  It was a beautiful day with family, gifts, games, and music.  Yep, everybody knows how good I am at "whining," and I really had to do a lot of it to get my mom's organ moved from the garage into my daughter's parlor (yes, I said parlor). I actually gave the organ to my granddaughter, but she is still at that age when she moves once a year, so her mom can keep it until she is more settled.   Of course I had to clean it first to make sure there were no spiders on it (you know Tricia!!), and then the grandsons moved it into the house for me.  It has only taken 4 years to get it in her house, after I had it brought all the way up from Texas -- so I was a very happy camper.  It looked awesome in the parlor, and what a tribute to my mother when my middle daughter Deborah played it (and Tricia danced of course).  That evening my granddaughter played, but I was gone so I didn't get to hear it when she played my favorite, "Amazing Grace."  Yes, it was a good day!!

My week has gone downhill since then, and today was hopefully the end of the downhill.  My daughter and I were running errands and kept getting behind cars that smelled like burning rubber.  So she kept taking all these side roads in East Lansing to get away from the smell.  By the time we got to the store I thought something was weird because we could still smell the burning.  So I looked out the side mirror when we parked to see black smoke coming out the rear of MY Blazer -- hmmm, not good I'm thinking.  It actually looked like it was on fire -- just no flames yet.  Long story short, it was my vehicle stinking and hubby came to the rescue to pick us up.  Obviously, the car was picked up by wrecker trailer and carried away also.  It was funny because I had just picked my Blazer up Monday from the repair shop after having the first repairs done on it (it is 12 years old, and I have only done oil changes so thought it was time before I took a trip this weekend).  I really don't think the ole' Blazer liked getting cleaned out!!  So I am now without a vehicle (like I care).  Life does happen, doesn't it!

So let's move on to BABIES!!!  Oh yeah, my favorite thing.  Saturday, I started a 6" x 6" baby album for my niece's baby shower this weekend.  She is having a girl, so of course my pages are going to be all vintage.  I have 12 pages done, and so far I love it.  Previously, I did 22 pages at Ronda's retreat as a class.  My goal is to have a total of 40 pages when complete.  Here are a few pages, with more to come in future posts.  The last picture is of a little gift to my girls on Mother's Day.

I used the "soon to be" discontinued Château 6" x 6" Ring Album. If you love this as much as I do, you only have a couple of weeks to purchase this from Stampin' Up (call me and I will order for you).

And of course I used the beautiful Beau Château Designer Series Paper,  which coordinates with the album. This paper is also on the discontinued list, so get yours now. The stamp set is "Baby Prints," which will be carried over from the Occasions Mini to the new 2012-2013 Stampin' Up Catalog. 

All the same product as before, with the addition of the Labels Collection Framelits Die to stamp on. 

I water colored the designer paper on the borders and punched the circles from the designer paper (already colored) for these pages.  For a better view of the details on all these pictures, you can enlarge by right-clicking and selecting open in new window or tab and then clicking on the image to enlarge.

The girls have been bugging me since Christmas for more of my handmade lotion, so I did a batch up Sunday morning as a little gift for them (and myself -- LOL).  Decorated with Stampin' Up's "Twitterpated Designer Fabric."

Here is the "Recipe" for the hand-lotion:

Denise's Lotion Recipe

15-ounces Vaseline

16-ounces Vitamin E cream

"2" 16-ounce baby lotions

Mix all this together with hand mixer in METAL bowl. (It will look like thick cake frosting.) 

Then spoon into jars with a METAL spoon.

(NOTE: Don't use anything plastic or your utensils may taste like lotion.)

More pictures of the baby album coming soon!!

Until next time,
Sandi

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God." -- Ephesians 1 2:8
God's love cannot be explained -- it can only be experienced.