O Happy Day!

Today's scrappiness. I just happened to pick up a new stack of paper yesterday at AC Moore.....all their packaged paper was 50% off & I absolutely LOVED this Mariposa paper stack by DCWV. I love all the butterflies, birds & bird cages. Oh so yummy! Anyways....I was just itching to scrap today. So once I shooed the guys out the door to go hunting.....today was the Youth Hunt & so Clay took Michael & Jon went along to video.....I put some music on & sat down to scrap! I just love these pics of Ashley & Logan together. They have been friends since they were about 8 or 9 years old. And even though Ashley was homeschooled & Logan went to public school, they kept in touch by writing letters & hanging out at church. Now they are in college together at LU & they both just turned 18 within two weeks of one another.

This was done for a sketch challenge....with more of the same Mariposa papers. Alli took these pictures of Ashley Cates taking pictures of Jon. LOL! The journaling reads: Only in our family.....could we find such joy & entertainment in watching Jon take down Maw's shutters for painting.

A little behind the times, but I just watched Secretariat last night. Such*A*Good*Movie! I had started watching Rango the night before & caught myself dozing off......whether it was that boring or I was just that tired....I don't know. But, not so with Secretariat. I know I fell asleep with the song 'O Happy Day' going through my head. And I have been singing it all day today!

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I have to brag a little on my 'little' girl here. I knew I was going to miss My Ashley-Girl & the help she was around the house. She kept track of whose turn it was to change/clean the litter box & whose turn it was to change/clean the rabbit cage. She let me know when we needed wood chips, kitty litter & all that kind of stuff. Was just wondering how that would all play out once she left for school. Would Alli step up to the plate or would it be a challenge for me to keep track of everything & to remind her what to do & when. Well, I must say she has most certainly stepped up to the task at hand! I haven't had to remind her ONCE since Ashley's been gone to change the litter box or to feed the rabbit. She keeps up with it all. Even down to writing the stuff on the grocery list when we need it. Then Thursday evening when I went upstairs to watch my movie I happened to catch her laying across her bed READING HER HISTORY for the day. All on her own! She said she hadn't been able to do it earlier because Michael was distracting her. I just couldn't believe that she was doing it on her own.....instead of me asking the next day if she had read it & her telling me 'No' & then going through all the moaning & groaning when I told her to get it done! And if all that's not evidence enough that my little girl is growing up.....I came home from town yesterday to a nice clean house with candles burning. It smelled so good. The kitchen was clean....all the dishes done....tea was made & the floor had been swept. Wow! It was like that with Ashley.....somewhere along the way someone flipped a 'light switch' & she became this responsible young lady who was ready & willing to help out around the house. I just never could quite pin-point when this happened. Somewhere around the early teen years, I know. So, I guess we're right on target with Alli now. ;-)