I just love it when April arrives because I know the Bluebonnets are a comin’! And this is a particularly good year for them at our ranch in Valley Mills…hence the name “My Bluebonnet Cottage”.
Their fragrance is overpowering in some areas they are so thick and plentiful. All along the roadways in Texas you see people taking their annual “Bluebonnet Pictures”, although I confess, I don’t have any recollection that we ever did that with our boys when they were little. Don’t ask me why, I just don’t know why we never did those pictures. (Probably because EVERYBODY did, and being somewhat of a rebel at heart well, there you go!)
Then too, it is a sure sign that Spring is REALLY here! Although, short lived as it is here in the central Texas area we do enjoy the pleasant weather and temperatures however long they last!
Spring always reminds me of my mother and the many times we would drive down country lanes in Illinois scouring them for wild flowers to pick and bring home to grace her kitchen table. She loved flowers so, and I guess that’s part of my inheritance from her, a love of beautiful flowers.
I hope this spring weekend brings you quiet moments of pleasure and relaxation aside from the busyness of life.
I’m taking my blanket and going to have a lovely cat nap at “My Bluebonnet Cottage” in honor of it’s namesake! Katherine
Yes, it was a GLORIOUS day indeed! Our youngest son Colin (17yo) expressed a desire a couple of months ago to be baptized. When he made his profession of faith at an early age he wasn’t ready at that time to go in front of the whole church. But as God would have it in His time, all things come to pass. And so today we rejoice with Colin that he has chosen to follow our Lord’s example in baptism, declaring that Christ is Lord indeed. Here is Colin’s sweet girlfriend Katie E. giving him courage and standing by his side. (He was pretty nervous.)
Addison arrived from U of Ark late Friday evening to be with Colin on this day and to give him ‘high fives’ and of course not wanting to make the journey alone, he packed a load of friends into the Toyota for the weekend. (Most had not been to Texas before and had a blast!) We love sharing our home and lives with all of our son’s friends and are thankful that they want to come home. Left to Right, Front Row: Sara, Whitney, Megan, Andrea; Back Row: Katherine & Ross, Cameron, Addison & Kirsten V. 
The possibilities for this Picture Band Layout are endless. You can create a stunning album around this sketch simply by rotating it and flipping it, using one pack of Designer Paper and a pack of 12 x 12 cardstock. You have the versatility to use the bands horizontally or vertically depending on your choice of photos. Because of the age and size of some of my particular photos I could not use rectangle shapes within the bands, but REMEMBER. . .flexibility is the key when scrapbooking multiple years in a single layout and the circles allowed me to crop away the unimportant background in most of the pictures. You will also find that as you continue your scrapbooking journey, your photographic skills will gradually begin to improve as you think about scrapbooking when you take your photos. 
Here’s a close up of the detail on the first page. Using bits and scraps of Designer Paper is a good way to clean out your stash as well. Or if you’re doing an entire album you can have wonderful continuity from page to page throught your album.I hope you choose to copy this layout sketch for future projects; it’s a great basic to have around!
Happy Easter Monday to you! I hope your weekend was wonderful and that the good LORD blessed you and your family in many ways. We received some much needed moisture bright and early Easter morning…(so much for sunrise services, sorry guys!) but later in the day it was absolutely as pleasant as anyone could wish.
Easter is such a special time of year that allows us to be so playful and creative. I just love these wide-eyed lambs staring up out of my basket! I put these together this morning for the ladies at my sweet hubby’s office and plan on playing Easter Bunny this afternoon, when I deliver their salary checks to them. I’ve missed the opportunity to put together little surprises since my boys are half grown men now so this gives me the chance to be a bit creative for this holiday that I love. And who doesn’t love those Jelly Belly beans? I picked the Tuti Fruiti ones for this favor, I thought they looked very ‘Springy’.
This little lovely is created entirely with punches and couldn’t be simpler. It uses the Scallop Circle punch, Oval punch, 1/4″ Circle punch, and the 1/16″ Circle punch. Together with a bit of glue and snail adhesive and you’ve got ‘em! I hope you and your family enjoy this wonderful season of Resurrection and will allow His love to renew your life! 
