Exciting News and Some Recent Layouts, Etc...

It has been rainy and cold here lately but at least we aren't getting the tornadoes like they had in the last couple of days out west and in the South.  We have all been feeling under-the-weather this week in this house. B. got it first and then I got it like the next day - sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, headache and just when I'm starting to feel a little better - my poor husband came down with it yesterday. He sounds just awful. And then I got a call from the school today because B. doesn't feel well. I went and got her and brought her home. I hope she isn't coming down with a stomach bug or something.

Ashley sent a selfie of herself at 26 weeks pregnant. We are so excited for her and Sean. Of course she sent this the other day and I didn't see it until this morning because I'm not always good at reading my e-mails everyday. lol! They have chosen a name for their son - Evan Martin. I can't wait to meet the little guy when he arrives later on this summer.

We had a pretty good April overall. We did have some nice weather and I started getting back out there walking and we took B. out to one of the trails to ride her scooter about a week and a half ago...

My aunt called a couple of weeks ago and had some great news....my uncle (her brother) has finally reunited with his daughter after all these years since she was a baby. She's 40 now. His ex-wife (who he wasn't married to for long - they were young) kept his daughter from him for years but he always kept tabs on her when she was growing up from afar and said if she wanted to know him someday, it would have to be on her terms. Well to make a rather long story short.... they found each other thanks to it being a small world - my cousin's girlfriend had been working with the cousin none of us knew at the same nursing home for years and didn't even know it! Then one day my cousin's girlfriend happened to be on Facebook looking at friends of friends pictures and my cousin saw the pictures and noticed the family resemblance and was sure that she had to be our uncle's daughter. She talked with her to see if it really was her and it turned she is! She has been reunited with her dad. They got together on New Year's for the first time and she has gotten to know my aunts and a couple other cousins so far. I always knew I had this other cousin I had never met named Michelle and always wondered where she was and wished i could know her someday. So this is such wonderful news!

As I said, my uncle always kept tabs on her from afar. He went to her high school graduation and video taped it. She didn't even know her dad was there. My aunt said when he showed her that he was there, she started crying. And now finally, after 40 years, I'll get to meet her for the very first time this summer. My aunt says my uncle is beyond thrilled and so very happy to have his daughter back in his life again. I'm so happy for him and can't wait to meet her in a few months during my uncle's annual 4th of July cookout......

National Scrapbook Day is this coming Saturday, May 3rd, and so I'm looking forward to that since there's always challenges on the different scrapbooking websites and sales. It's one of my favorite "holidays". I love that NSD is so close to my birthday every year too.

Here are a few layouts I made recently......

I got the Echo Park Beautiful Life papers that I used in the second layout recently from Scrapbook Generation on clearance. I've been wanting that collection for awhile now. I also got Snapshots by Bella Blvd. This was my first order with them since their new online store opened this year. 

I have been using 3x4 cards on my layouts lately and really enjoy using those. I had gotten the Project Life Honey core kit back around Christmas from my husband so I could do Project Life this year. I've been taking pictures (not everyday though) and I recently discovered two really cool apps that will help me keep up with this project a little easier.... the Collect and PicFrame apps that help me to do this...

and.....

Isn't that so cool? Being able to put a short description really makes it easy to remember something from each day that I took pictures for. And they're only about $3 total for both apps. Not bad at all.

I've also been wanting to try Gelatos since there are so many things you can do with them. And I've been picking these up throughout the week with the JoAnn's 50% off coupons during their Daffodil Dash sale.....

So I'll be watching tutorials and reading up more on how to use these in my scrapbooking.

Well that's all for now. Til next time...