Introducing Our Grandson Kolten Wyman Cooper

Born on Saturday April 17, 2010 at 10:52am. Kolten weighed 6 pounds, 4 ounces and measured 18 inches. He has beautiful, very alert blue eyes and light-colored peach-fuzz hair. His skin is smooth as silk and his feet are just amazing. Yeah, his feet. I just love looking at his feet and hands. He's just totally mesmerizing........ He even had a sleepover with Gramma last night and slept for 5 hours at one time! Granpa is totally enthralled. He's already talking about trains and racecar sets and drums and washing the car and all the cool boy-stuff that he's going to teach Kolten. Auntie Anne is fascinated. Though she's had to work a lot in the last few days, she makes special time for her and Kolten to "chat". She's planning on teaching him how to play ball, skateboard and ride a Haro. (I understand that's some sort of bike......trick bike)

Well, I really have to get back to my grandson...............I'm sure he needs me for something...... like cuddling.............can't get enough of Gramma's cuddles, ya know.

Love and Blessings.

Scrapbook Challenge! April 11-18!

Well, I wanted it to be perfect, but I had to face it and realize that nothing's perfect and DONE is better than perfect. I'm going to try and try again and again to add a couple of "things" like embellies or somethin', but two more title pages and as many pix pages have to be done by Saturday so I can print, trim and have them ready for the American Cancer Society Relay For Life of Lakeville 10th Birthday Party Kickoff!!! Can I get a "WooHoo!!!"?!?!?!

The American Cancer Society's theme this year is "The Official Sponsor of Birthdays" and Lakeville is celebrating their 10th Relay. Anne and I have been there since Day One and we've got the t-shirts to prove it. So, simple title page, one extra layout for 2006 and we'll see how the rest of the week goes.

Love and Blessings.

Coop

Scrapbook Challenge! April 4-11!

Okay, bottom line, I cannot begin to tell you how much fun we had in "the South". So, I will not even attempt to explain the title of this page. Suffice to say that we screamed in, partied down, and got outta town without the authorities politely asking us to leave.
I can't exactly say that it's a quote, but it certainly means something to all of us and we will always remember. If you don't believe that, I'll use the "scrap anything" excuse and you'll be seeing lots more of these in the near future.
Love and Blessings.
Coop

Scrapbook Challenge! March 14-21!

Okay, very long story, very, very short. I'm a para-educator and I've worked with ASD students for 12 years. This is one of my original students from 12 years ago. I worked with Clay from the time he was in 8th grade until he graduated. About 3 years after graduation, I got an email from him at my school address over the summer. When I finally answered, he asked if he could take me out to dinner to thank me for helping him get through high school. Well, I was pleasantly stunned. We did go out, we began a wonderful, adult friendship and last year he told me that he and Amanda (who he'd introduced me to earlier) were getting married. After beginning to plan the wedding, he called and asked me if I thought that our daughter, Anne, whom they befriended as well, would like to be in the wedding. My answer was, "she'll probably jump on you and scream!". They took us out to dinner at Olive Garden, "our place", and guess what?!?!?! She jumped up and screamed, hugged them both and then started crying.
Last weekend, Saturday March 13, 2010, I don't know whom I was crying for more.....watching my former high-strung, anxious student, casually wander through the chaos of a wedding with a smile plastered across his face or my absolutely gorgeous daughter walking down the isle towards him with a look of adoration and pride that would rival that of a little sister marveling at her handsome, BIG brother......'kay, I'm tearing up here, so I'll sign off.
More pix and layouts to come.....
Love and Blessings.
Coop

Scrapbook Challenge! Feb. 28-March 7!

Alrightly then, this is my latest foray into GIMP. I have learned a LOT. It is just too much fun. The background stars and strips are from a freebie kit from http://efies.blogspot.com/ She has some really cute stuff, go check her out. I made the wavy-cut-mask all by my lil'ole self! I've now figured out how to use the ribbons and ric-rac and whatnot to do the same thing, MUCH easier and faster. The best thing I learned while making this layout was text paths. That's why this post is tonight and not last night.............'cuz I just had way too much fun playing with text paths. Lord, help my family and my house, 'cuz I'm a GIMP addict!

The pix aren't terrific, way out of focus, but I remember it like it was yesterday. And that's the point, right.

Take care. Stay safe.

Love and Blessings.

Coop

Scrapbook Challenge- Feb. 21-28!

Well, this was fun! Not only was I able to join the challenge by using flowers, I scrapped my 50th birthday celebration. And it was a celebration! And it's still going on. Tonight we're going out with my mom and family for a special dinner at the Lake Elmo Inn.

I thought it was absolutely hilarious how much like the 60s/70s I still looked like with my flower lei and beads and whatnot!

Another thing that makes this layout special is that it's my first attempt at an actual GIMP layout. Wow! I had no idea how much fun that would be. Yeah, my family's in trouble now.....they may never see the whites of these old-lady eyes ever again!

From Coop's Creative Concepts

Well, off to party.

Love and Blessings.

Carla aka miniCOOP

Scrapbook Challenge!! Feb. 14-21!!!

How's this for FUN! More MULTI-COLOR than pink or red and it's a card, not a page, but it's birthday card for my hubby......shhhhhh, don't tell 'im. He just loves anything that flies and I was playing with GIMP................again!!! So, I cut out all these adorable hot air balloons and I especially like the one in the middle with "its" tongue out. The inside's gonna say something like "you're not getting older, you're getting.......................well, not younger..........hmmmmm" I'm sucha smarta$$, ain't I?!?!?! Well, that's it. I know I'll probably get something else done this week, but just in case time flies away from me.
Love and Blessings.
Coop

Scrapbook Challenge- Feb. 7-14!

This would be under the "MAKES ME HAPPY" category! This makes me very, very happy. Our JAZZ girls went to MN State Competition yesterday. They were AMAZING! Truly, truly amazing. (And looky-there, I actually used seven pix on this one!!)

These pix are from Sections finals a week ago. Us boosters were asked to make up some quick posters to decorate the bus for their ride downtown. Well, you know me.....digi-novice, but eager to try. I THREW together some very fast, less-than-perfect, but really fun and full-of-love-and-encouragement mini scrap pages. These are only two, but the girls seemed genuinely, pleasantly surprised.

Unfortunately, there were other teams who the judges felt were more amazing than our Lake-Liners, (how silly of them!) But the girls had a blast and we have great pix and now I'm gonna go back and play with them and make some more silhouettes and wordart and OMG! Ladies, I told you I found GIMP. I may never be the same......hehehe.......

Love and Blessings.

Carla aka: minicoop

Scrapbook Challenge! Jan. 24-31

Are you ready for this?!?!? Not only did I get another weekly scrap challenge done, but I killed two "blogs" with one layout! This was soooo much fun today. I'd set up a SparkRally for my MplsStPaul team out at Lake Phalen to walk, watch the kites and ice-boat races and just have fun. It turned out to be a GORGEOUS day. Bright sunshine, blue sky, crisp air, and temps in the teens!!! YES, we get excited in MN in January when the temps go UP into the teens. That's why they call the St Paul Winter Carnival "The Coolest Celebration On Earth"........
So, this is the hardy group of us that showed up AND were able to find each other..... I mean it, Jackie, I'm gonna make a FLAG.

That's it for this week....two in a row. Watch out, I'm getting good at this.
Love and Blessings.
Coop

Scrapbook Challenge! Jan. 17-24!

Okay ladies and gentlemen, here it is. I haven't had the time I'd like to get scrappin' done of any kind, digi or paper, but I got this done last weekend. That one page per week thing has kinda gone down the drain......oh well, this is more than I had done last year in January. hehehe......

This is my nephew's hockey team. Anne and I absolutely LOVE going to watch Alex play hockey. Sometimes he plays down in our part of town and sometimes we have to "travel" to watch him play. Ah, the joys of hockey. In case any of you are interested, Coach Curtis is "dad" my brother and the other "Lacy" is just a little peanut who happens to have one of the other greatest names in the world and it's spelled the correct way and she was just too cute for words and she liked me.......go figure!