tamscrap

It's the Energizer Bunny of snowstorms...

2008-12-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

It just keeps snowing and snowing...and snowing...and snowing.

So it's been snowing here in the Pacific Northwest. For the past WEEK. Seriously. It is an awe-inspiring wonder to behold. As long as you don't want to get out. Ever. At least it was kind enough to wait until after Grace's debut Nutcracker performance. She's been eagerly anticipating that big day for years now.

Four years ago she started ballet in Texas at a studio that had an annual Nutcracker production. But you had to be 5 years old to audition...as of the end of August. Grace's birthday is Sept. 9th, so she was not old enough to audition her first 2 years of dance. Then we moved. The dance studio in Bellevue did not have a Nutcracker performance. Then Grace decided to take a year off from dance. So when she was ready to start ballet & tap again this fall, her one request was to find a studio that had The Nutcracker. Luckily the one closest to us fit the bill. She auditioned and was chosen to be one of the girls in the party scene. And she was positively breathtaking in her dress, if I do say so myself.

Reluctantly posing for me backstage during dress rehearsal.

Two performances were scheduled for last Saturday (Dec. 13th). Snow was also predicted to begin on the same day. The plan was for me to take her to the morning dress rehearsal; Matthew, Emma & I would attend the 3:00 show; then I would fly solo at the 7:00 show. Please bear in mind that I'm from Texas. Let's review:

SNOW + TAM = GREAT PHOTO OP

SNOW + TAM = PERFECT COFFEE-DRINKING WEATHER

SNOW + TAM ≠ DRIVING

When Grace & I left the theater at Redmond HS after the Saturday evening show, it had just started to snow...and STICK. Huge, fluffy flakes the entire drive home. We sang along to Christmas carols. It was simply beautiful. Peaceful. And I felt so empowered.

Grace & Emma after the 3:00 performance.

The next day we had enough snow for the girls to get all bundled-up in their newly acquired snow bibs and go outside to play.

The snow stuck around until Wednesday afternoon, when we had a slight thawing & melting. But it didn't last. Thursday brought on "round 2" of the December storm.

Our snow-covered cars in the driveway.

Chloe mid-run.

Bliss staying warm in her stylish new sweater.

Emma snowplowing the slide.

Friday we had beautiful sunny skies...and frigidly cold temperatures. No melting here.

Trees by our house.

Grace on our makeshift sled...a garbage can lid.

Guess what we had on Saturday? Yep. More snow. But this time we went driving in it. Because I was beginning to get stir crazy. (Note: And by "we" went driving I, of course, mean that Matthew actually drove. I just took pictures.)

Icy Avondale Rd.

An appropriately place "Watch for Ice" sign.

Our street.

The small incline before you reach our house.

It's now Sunday & the forecast was for the snow to taper off today. Guess what? It's STILL SNOWING. We have about 1 ft. of accumulated snow. Guess it's time for a nice hot cuppa coffee.

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:34:00.000-07:00

Wishing y'all a safe and {not too} scary Halloween!

P.S. The giant spider is just for you, Uncle Keith...

My baby is FOUR!!!!

2008-10-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Once again, time marches on faster than it should. Today is Emma's fourth birthday! Here's a look at how much she's grown the past 4 years.

As a sleeping newborn...just a few hours old.

As a cuddly 3 month old.

As a sweet 7 1/2 month old.

As a playful 1 year old.

Becoming an independent 2 year old.

As a world traveler...cruisin' in the Caribbean.

As a personality-filled 3 year old.

And in just a few hours we will be celebrating her 4th birthday in true preschooler style...at Chuck E. Cheese. I'll add pics of the bday girl after the big event.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! I love you, Em Gem.

How did she get to be EIGHT?!?!?

2008-09-09T07:27:00.001-07:00

Seriously. Where have these past 8 years gone?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRACIE GIRL!!!!!!!!

Here's a little peek back through the years...

I love you, Scooter Magoo!

Fresh new summer 'do

2008-08-01T10:51:00.000-07:00

After seeing how awesome Harry looked after his lion cut the past two years, we decided to have "The Cat Whisperer" come to our house to give Emmie a stylish, fresh summer hairstyle (a.k.a., the teddy bear trim). Here's how she turned out:

Since her usual nickname of "Miss Fluffy Pants" isn't really applicable for a bit, we've temporarily re-dubbed her "Velvet Pants."

Now that we're half-way into 2008...

2008-06-06T11:09:00.001-07:00

...I thought it might be time to finish posting scrapbook pages from 2007. Timely, huh? Grab a cuppa joe, sit back and enjoy!

Some 4th of July fun.

August featured a visit from Nana & Pa-Pa. That's where I captured one of my fave pics of Grace from 2007...drinking from the water fountain at Pike's Market.

In September, we celebrated Grace's 7th birthday and Matthew's 38th. Yikes! How did she get to be 7 so quickly?

In October, Emma turned 3. I can't believe my baby is 3. (Well...now she's actually 3 1/2...and she insists on that important 1/2. And, according to her, she's Matthew's "baby" and my "preschooler"...sigh.) I think both of these focal point photos are fabulous, if I do say so myself.

Our big adventure for November was seeing "Go Diego Go--LIVE!" at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. This was Emma's first live show. And also my fave photo op of her for the year...peeking over Dad's shoulder.

December was our annual trek to see Santa. Perfect smiles!

Here are some *outtakes* from the Christmas card photo shoot. I took 500+ photos to find that perfect one. Gotta love digital. And I also had to end the year with more photos of our furry, four-legged kiddos.

And here's a candid photo of Nana and the girls that is absolutely awesome. With a great quote to boot.

That wraps up 2007. Thanks for looking!

Hand-Crafted Dresses for the Girls

2008-03-31T14:37:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to Sarah, our wonderful friend & an amazing seamstress, for fashioning these dresses for Grace & Emma for our upcoming trip. Simply FABULOUS!!!

Fabulous Fall Fun

2007-10-14T23:45:00.000-07:00

We made our annual trek to the pumpkin patch today. Did I bring my trusty Canon? You bet! Have I already scrapped some of the pics? Surprisingly...yes! Wanna see 'em? Of course you do! Just follow the yellow brick road...errr...I mean "click on the link below." If you're not inclined to read about our sixth week at Evergreen Eclectic Academy, then just scroll down for the scrapbook pages...

CLICK ON THIS LINK :)

Thanks for looking!

Heeeee's baaaaack...

2007-09-30T23:59:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember this guy...

...and so ends the reign of the ponytail. I'd forgotten how hot Matthew is with short hair. :)

Wanna see what else has been going on in Russell-ville? Check out our latest adventures here.

Be sure to check out...

2007-08-09T10:38:00.000-07:00

our "sister" site.

Blissues

Good for a laugh or two.

Time for our semi-annual update...

2007-08-08T23:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know. I don't blog on what you'd call a "regular" basis. But it does keep you on your toes, doesn't it? And now here's not only a new post, but a totally new look for 'Ye Olde Blog' to boot. All that AND pictures of the girlies...can you believe it??? You must be thinking, "I'll bet Tammy & Matthew have finally finished unpacking. She has so much free time on her hands to update her blog." Nay, nay, my friend. Still not totally unpacked...but getting close. :)

Here's a quick rundown...complete with scrapbook pages...of what's been going on for the past few months. First of all, you may have noticed that we have added to our family this year...we adopted a beautiful 2 year old Maine Coon cat named Emmie a few months ago. She is playful, sweet, loves Grace & Emma, respects Amelia, tolerates Chloe, and kicks Bliss' tail on a regular basis. Don't feel too sorry for Bliss, though. She loves (and I mean LOVES) to chase the cats. Once Emmie figured out it was better to stand her ground...with claws outstretched...than to run away, Bliss gained a whole new respect for her. Emmie has been a perfect fit with our rather quirky bunch. And yes, we now have TWO 2-year olds with similar names, Emmy the girl and Emmie the cat.

Now, to jump into the "way-back-machine" for a bit. This past February, Matthew's company took all of its employees & their families on a 7-day cruise. Yep. A cruise. For everyone. We visited Costa Maya, Roatan, Belize and Cozumel. Here are some highlights of our trip -- in photo format, of course.

I know it's kind of hard to top a cruise...but if anyone can do it, Valve can. We found out recently that next year we're going to Cabo San Lucas for 8 days. Is this a great place or what?

Fast forward a couple of months. Here we are the day we received the keys to our new house. Closing is a little different here than in the Lone Star State. You actually go sign all the closing papers a couple of days before the actual "closing"...then wait to get your keys on the actual closing date, once the county has recorded the deed. Anyhow, I digress...here are April's highlights, including a picture taken with the Easter Bunny (a.k.a. our neighbor Bob).

We spent May getting settled into our new house & out of (eventually) our old house. Here are the girls playing in the new backyard, and the whole family joining Grace for lunch at school.

June featured our resident ballerina extraordinaire in her third dance recital. She's getting to be such an old pro at it. And she really digs wearing the makeup. Especially the red lipstick. We're in so much trouble. {digressing again}

The end of the month was a real hair-raising experience (bad pun intended). Matthew finally had his post-production haircut. For those of you keeping track, that's his post-production haircut from "The Ant Bully." As in that project he finished working on over a year ago. I'd actually gotten very fond of the longer locks. But, alas, they are gone. I'm finally getting used to the new 'do.

Grace has been growing her hair out for a good 18 months or so to donate to Locks of Love. Awesomely proud of her for doing that. And with that one haircut, Grace aged a good couple of years.

Same time, different gal...Emma was very excited about Sissy getting a haircut. But even more excited about getting her very own first haircut. Not a single tear was shed. And when the stylist asked Miss Em to look at her toes, she did...by sticking her legs out from under the cape so she didn't have to look down. She can be a very literal little gal.

Well...that brings you up-to-date, more or less. I still have photos to scrap from the last month and a half, but that'll have to wait until next time. Feel free to leave a comment, assuming you made it all the way to the end!

Please Hammer, Don't Hurt 'Em

2007-07-25T00:10:00.000-07:00

You just gotta love local commercials. When we left Dallas, I thought we'd never find a replacement for "Jim Adler, The Texas Hammer"...boy, was I ever wrong. Check this gem out:

BTW...kudos to those of you who actually get the obscure reference in the title of this post!

So...which house did we choose?!?!?

2007-03-21T20:36:00.000-07:00

From the overwhelming responses in the comments section, I know you are all waiting with bated breath to find out which of the three houses we are buying. OK...maybe not. Could it be that my mom & the 2 other people who actually read my blog already know the answer? Hmmm...

Here are a few hints...in photo format...

One of the new decks on the back of the house.

New coachlight by the garage.

New light fixture in the master bath.

Really big rock in the backyard.

...drum roll, please...It's house #3!!!

The search is over!!!

2007-03-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Well, after looking at about a dozen houses, the search is finally over! I feel like we were on our own episode of House Hunters or something. Let's see if you can choose the house we're buying...these are the three that we narrowed it down to:

House #1: A pricey mid-century modern located less than a mile from our current house. Recently updated. 2,340 sq. ft. 4 bdrm/3 bath. Huge downstairs rec room, space for office, and guest quarters.

House #2: Nicely updated split-level with the same elementary school as Grace's current one. Least expensive list price, but smallest of the 3 choices. 3 bdrm/2 bath. Downstairs has rec room & another room that could be used as an office or 4th bdrm.

House #3: Completely renovated split-level. Largest house (2,740 sq. ft.) on largest lot (2/3 acre), but farthest from Matthew's work. 4 bdrm/3 bath. Great closet & storage space. Downstairs has rec room, office, guest room & full guest bath.

So...which one did we choose?!?!? You'll have to wait to find out...but, in the meantime, post your guess in the comments section. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2007-02-14T17:38:00.000-08:00

May you spend it with those you love!!!

Credits: Template by Pattie Knox at Designer Digitals; Textured overlays by Nancie Rowe Janitz at ScrapArtist; Large circle brushes by Jackie Eckles at Designer Digitals; Created in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.

So...you might be asking yourself...

2007-02-02T23:02:00.000-08:00

"What has that wacky Russell family been up to the past few weeks?" Fear not, for I am prepared to answer this question (& more) through a series of photos sprinkled with (what I hope to be) witty, insightful comments...let's see...

New Year's Eve 2006 aka "Puppets, Pudding & Poppers"

The incomparable Karen Prell (of "Red Fraggle" fame) spent New Year's Eve at our house. She brought supplies to make...drum roll, please...you guessed it...PUPPETS!

I know...I know...I just couldn't resist an artsy, blurred background shot...

Karen was also kind enough to bring dinner to our house...standards like Honey-Baked Ham, broccoli & cornbread...as well as some traditional British faves that Karen was "exposed" to during her time in England. There was some sort of cheesy, garlicky spread--that I can't remember the name of--with crackers (yum!), Christmas pudding (double yum!), and an interesting treat that apparently is only sold once-a-year around Christmas in Great Britain called "Cheese Footballs"...let's just say that I don't believe these actually count as any type of food, although Karen claims they're an "acquired taste." Here's Matthew enjoying one...

But, then came the Christmas pudding...a delightful dish...

...as well as Christmas Poppers...which Grace & Emma really dug...

The evening's festivities were just too much for our pampered pooches to handle...

Lunchtime with Emma aka "The Attack of the Peanut Butter Sandwich"

Pictures speak louder than words...and peanut butter obviously makes a great facial!

January 2007 ~ It's keeps snowing, and snowing, and snowing...
So we had another snowstorm...then it snowed again...and again. I don't think I drove for a week (I am from Texas, ya know.) Grace missed several days of school, but she didn't seem to mind too much. :) It did make for another great photo opportunity. I even scrapped it...

Credits: "Winter Chic" digital kit by Shabby Princess (www.theshabbyshoppe.com); Snowflake brushes by Michelle Coleman (www.scrapartist.com).

What else do you do when you're stuck inside during the winter? Why...make Floam creatures, of course. Here are Grace & Emma's latest masterpieces...

From Snowbound to Park-Bound...
And here we are 2 weeks after our monster snowstorm enjoying a beautiful afternoon at the park. And they said the weather in Texas was crazy. It also makes a nice segue into February, since I used the park pics to scrap my February calendar page.

Credits: Overlays by Nancie Rowe Janitz (ScrapArtist) and Michelle Underwood; Calendar & photo frame by Katie Pertiet (Designer Digitals); Paper tear & staples by Anna Aspnes (Designer Digitals); Ribbon by Shabby Princess; Stamp by Rhonna Farrer (2Peas); Paper clip by Traci Sims. Created in Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.

Whew! That brings you up-to-date on the happenings here in Western Washington. Until next time...

My family as Muppets...

2007-02-02T20:47:00.000-08:00

So, I ran across this website to take a "Muppet Personality Test" on my friend Kristie's blog...of course, I couldn't resist. Here are the results...see if you agree!

TAMMY ~ You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick.You're always willing to lend a helping hand.In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going."15 seconds to showtime!"

MATTHEW ~ You Are Gonzo the Great

"Is something burning in here? Oh, it's just me."You're a total nutball who will do anything for attention.The first to take a dare, you'll pull almost any stunt.You're one weird looking creature, but your chickens don't mind!

GRACE ~ You Are Miss Piggy

A total princess and diva, you're totally in charge - even if people don't know it.You want to be loved, adored, and worshiped. And you won't settle for anything less.You're going to be a total star, and you won't let any of the "little people" get in your way.Just remember, piggy, never eat more than you can lift!

EMMA ~ You Are the Swedish Chef

"Bork! Bork! Bork!"You're happy and energetic - with borderline manic tendencies.No one really gets you. And frankly, you don't even get you.But, you sure can whip up a great chocolate mousse! (edited to add...I'm not too sure if Emma can cook yet, but she certainly could EAT a great chocolate mousse!)

Buttermilk pie...who knew?!?!?

2007-01-07T18:37:00.000-08:00

For Christmas we had the good fortune of going to the Burke's house for a fabulous turkey with all the trimmings. I offered to make pies...and they actually didn't suck. Since Kristie's meals are always fabulous, I couldn't bring just run-of-the-mill pies...so I opted for one of my personal favorites--Chocolate Pecan Pie (thanks for the recipe Dawn!). To round out the duet, Matthew suggested a Buttermilk Pie...which he discovered at the Baylor University Medical Center's cafeteria (yes, a hospital cafeteria...of all places) when Grace was born. I got one recipe from my mom, then searched the internet & cookbooks for others...combined a little of this with a pinch of that...and this is the recipe I came up with...yummy!

Buttermilk Pie
3 eggs, well beaten
3 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
dash Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus**
9" pie crust

Mix butter, sugar & flour. Add eggs. Add buttermilk, vanilla & Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus. Mix well. Pour into 9" pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes (or until knife inserted near center of pie comes out clean).

**Note: You can substitute nutmeg if you don't happen to have the Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus Blend, but I really think this is my secret ingredient!

Gotta love a man who lets you take pictures of this...

2007-01-07T01:53:00.000-08:00

I feel pretty...

Oh so pretty...

I feel pretty and witty and...

hey...

Credits: Dave Beaman's Ethereal Glow Action (www.atncentral.com) to give these photos just the right touch; Leopard-trimmed coat appears courtesy of Miss Emma.

Okay...so it's been a while...

2007-01-04T23:14:00.000-08:00

Well, I started with grand intentions of actually keeping up with my blog on a regular basis...I guess I'm going for the once-a-quarter-posting approach. Anyway, "Happy New Year" to all...here is my January calendar page. {Mama, you'll be getting your copy in the mail soon...}

These photos were taken during our freak, early snowfall the week after Thanksgiving. Talk about some strange weather since we arrived in Western Washington...record 3-day heat wave (not too bad by Texas standards...unless your house does NOT have a/c...which ours, of course, does not); record November rainfall; early snowstorm (actually closed school for 2 days...but made for an excellent photo op); and...oh yeah...that once-in-a-decade windstorm that knocked our power out for 39 hours (I said it was in honor of my best friend Kristi's 39th bday since it started at midnight on her bday, Dec. 15th) and left us without phone/internet/cable for almost a week. Try explaining to a 2 year old that we can't watch Dora (even downstairs) over & over & over again...I did.

So...without further rambling...um, I mean ado...I ring in the new year with this...

Credits: "Winter Chic" digital kit by Shabby Princess (www.theshabbyshoppe.com); Snowflake brushes by Michelle Coleman (www.scrapartist.com); January calendar by Katie Pertiet (www.designerdigitals.com).

More reasons why I do what I do...

2006-10-18T23:55:00.000-07:00

Here are reasons #2 & 3 (in no particular order) for why I scrap...the joys of my life and occasionally sources of great frustration :) Ain't they purdy?!?!?

Credits (top layout): Paper & Scribble Frame by Jen Wilson (www.jenwilsondesigns.com); Quote by Nancie Rowe Janitz (www.scrapartist.com); Virtual Photographer b/w filter on photo (www.optikvervelabs.com); Century Gothic font.

Credits (bottom layout): Paper, Deco Squares, Scribble Frame & Stamped Words by Jen Wilson (www.jenwilsondesigns.com); Century Gothic font.

Just a laid back summer afternoon...

2006-10-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

A pleasant Sunday afternoon spent in the backyard over Labor Day weekend...sweat-free (something we couldn't have done in Dallas!) We were definitely spoiled by the beautiful weather during August & September in the greater Seattle area...I'm sure that's going to change soon.

Credits: Autumn's Glory overlay by Nancie Rowe Janitz (www.scrapartist.com); Cardstock Stamped Alpha by Kim Christensen (www.scrapartist.com); Flourish by Jen Wilson (www.jenwilsondesigns.com); Times New Roman font.

Why do I do what I do?

2006-10-17T21:37:00.000-07:00

Why do I scrap? Reason #1: my hot hubby! I took this photo on a recent sunset sailboat cruise (which was awesomely awesome, by the way)...it is one of my new fave photos of Matthew.

Credits: Autumn's Glory overlay & Shmootzy Alpha ("man") by Nancie Rowe Janitz (www.scrapartist.com); Photo frame & argyle pattern by Michelle Coleman (www.scrapartist.com); Satisfaction & Crud fonts.

Me? A blog???

2006-10-13T19:44:00.000-07:00

Well...it's finally happened...I have my own blog. What will I post here? Will I have any earth-shattering revelations to share with the world? Probably not. But I will (hopefully) post some of my favorite things...digital scrapbook pages & photographs. Hence the blog name: tam scrap (as in, my name is Tammy & I like to scrap)...or...tams crap (depending on the day).

Stay tuned!