Happy Birthday to Me!

So, today is my birthday. And what is the best way to celebrate??? Well, a good start for me has been by munching on some delicious boiled peanuts that my stepson, The-Chef-In-Training, made for me. (You thought I was going to say scrapbooking, didn't you? I will, but that comes later...)

For those of you who are wondering what the heck boiled peanuts are, they are a Deep South delicacy snack made by using the same peanuts you find at any ball game; however, instead of being roasted so that they are crunchy, the raw, green peanuts are boiled in very salty water for hours until they become soft. The trick is to take them out after they have softened but before they become mushy. Most people who try them for the first time as an adult hate them, mostly due to the texture of the peanut. But for Southerners like me who grew up eating them every summer, they are SCRUMPTIOUS!!! I have sorely missed them in Texas as I haven't been able to find green peanuts so I could make them myself. But my wonderful stepson managed to procure them in bulk and cooked them to perfection for me!!!

While filling my stomach full of boiled peanuts, I have been marveling over the fact that today I not only have a blog posted over at LCOM, but today is reveal day at SKETCHABILITIES! Double the scrapbooking fun today makes one of the best birthday presents ever!

So, let's start with LCOM - I have been having a great time all month playing with Pink Paislee Hometown Summer papers and embellies that I got from the LCOM STORE. Here is the latest layout I made using an incredibly fun line of papers and using wonderful photos taken by the extremely talented Houston photographer, Kristine Canterbury.

Next up is Karan's wonderful Sketch #48. I don't know how she continues to come up with so many varied, detailed sketches month after month, but she does! And I am so grateful because I LOVE working with sketches!!!

Here is the sketch:

And here is my take on it using a picture of my sweet niece giving her daddy a kiss:

Please stop by Sketchabilities to see the superb takes on Karan's sketch by the rest of the Design Team. They are all remarkably good, and no two are alike!

Until next time...