Beauty of a Rainbow

It's monsoon season right now and we've gotten quite a bit of rain recently.  Thank goodness too because we've certainly needed it;  the plants and trees seemed to have perked up and look much greener.  And I'm loving the fresh air (although, honestly, I could do without the high humidity).  This morning Neil and I enjoyed our coffee on the patio and it was absolutely fabulous.  There was a nice steady rain all around us, there were a number of people playing golf in the rain (although, they didn't seem to mind), and all in all it was nice to be able to relax and enjoy the relatively cool air. 

Speaking of rain, check out this wonderful photo of a double rainbow that Kara managed to capture sometime ago.  It sure didn't need much in the way of scrap elements and worthy of a whole page just "as is." 

It's Your Special Day, Shannon!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Shannon! What a wonderful serendipitous moment when you joined up with this family...and we're sooo glad you did.   Have an extra special day filled with the love of family and friends.  We don't know what it's like at your place but it's raining cats and dogs over here.  Hope you get to spend your day the way you want.   We love you and great big hugs to you....Uncle Neil, Ann, and Eric

Happy Birthday, Eric!

Well, my son's birthday is tomorrow and I couldn't let his birthday pass without embarrassing him just a little bit by posting a pic and doing a blog entry about him.  No matter how old they get and don't want a fuss made over them, I think moms still reserve the right to give them a hug and let them know they're loved.   So...HAPPY BIRTHDAY Eric...I love you!

Credits:  "Estranged" by Studio Flergs @ scrapbookgraphics.com

Whoa! It's Another Birthday...

SURPRISE!

You can run but you can't hide from yet another birthday, my dear SIL!

Wishing you, Phyllis, all the very best and hope you have a fun day.

Missing you....

Love 'ya, xxoo Ann

Magnolia Time

New layout posted for Jan and Kevin...

credits:  "Magnolia" qp by Irene Alexeeva

Imagine...

Jackie, the following beautiful, young lady was the inspiration behind this next digiscrap layout I just finished:

credits: "Legends of Lavender" qp by Irene V. Alexeeva

Birthday Celebration!

Last Saturday was a day of celebration. Not one, not two, not three....but count 'em....FOUR birthdays in the family and two sets of anniversaries. Yes, I got to celebrate my birthday again...woot, woot! The fam and some good friends got together at Keith's mother-in-law's home and we feasted on some terrific food such as Italian beef with pepperoncini, black bean rice salad, crab salad, strawberry-pretzel salad, and many other delectable delights and drinks. It just wouldn't be a family get together if we didn't play some kind of cards or games and play we did---AGGRAVATION!

Here's a layout I did representing some of the day's activities:

credits: Template: Storyboards no. 2 by K Studio @ A5D

Elements by: Cathy K Designs @ My Digiscrapping Corner, and Lauren Reid, and Trixie Scraps Designs by Tracy Anderson

Aggravation is marble/board game in which you want to be the first team to move all your marbles around the board from base to home. You don't have to "aggravate" the other players to win---but it sure helps. In fact, that's where the fun begins. Yep, we hoot and hollered and laughed well into the evening and had loads of FUN!

Of course, the celebration wouldn't be complete without cake, right? Jenny made sure we had plenty of one of my all time favs...carrot cake. Doesn't it look scrumptious? yummy....

credits: Doodle Photo Borders by Glam Fairy Designs

What's In a Bottle?

Was out at Boschma's Dairy this past weekend and spotted this collection of old bottles. They were displayed outdoors beneath a patio and I couldn't get over at how wonderfully they've aged through the years. No, not by glass "collectors" standards who would classify these bottles as 'sick' (a term used to indicate the chemical reaction of heat, water, age, acids and weather on glass bottles), but there was something very artistic in their form and color. Because of where they were located and how long they had been there, it made me wonder if those bottles could talk, what kind of stories would they tell?

Desert Blooms

I just came across these photos I had taken earlier this year and they instantly put a smile on my face. Nothing like some beautiful flowers to put a song in my heart and just generally put me in a cheerful mood. I happened to come upon these incredibly beautiful roses as I was driving through a neighborhood about ten miles from where I live. Fortunately, I had my camera with me.

Can you imagine such incredible yellow flowers on a cactus, no less? And this purple prickly pear cactus happens to be in my very own yard. This was the first time this cactus bloomed for us after having been planted about three years ago.

Who says the desert has no color? This tree and the two that are further in the background are living proof the desert can be loaded with color. What's even better is that they happen to be growing adjacent to our patio in the backyard. Morning coffee never tasted better than when it's being sipped at the patio table underneath this stunning canopy of magnificent blooms and overlooking the golf course.

Credits: Funky Frames by Kimla Designs at After5Designs