Things inspiring Me lately....

The Mom Stays in the Picture

For Parents who aren't ready

October

December Daily (so looking forward to This)

this Book

Project Life and Project Real life, the class.  (here.  Here   and   Here.)

21 January

 Introducing Project Life 2012

I've been doing  project Life since 2008.  I only have one finished Digital album. The rest of the past albums are in various stages of being completed (if they ever are completed).   I was going to do another digital album, this year, but after the announcements of some changes to the format, I changed my mind last minute.  I had purchased a set of cards on amazon to make an "mini" album of sorts all about our marriage.  I already had the page protectors (good thing b/c now they are sold out), and well, I have a whole room full of products to use.  It some way it seems like and extension of my routine of working on my December Daily, but easier.  I am LOVING this project this year, more than ever.  Having the iPhone, Instagram,momento and Pinterest, and how this project is taking the online scrapbooking world by storm is just awesome.  I WILL work on it everyday and have a completed album by the end of the year.  The trick for me has been "five minutes a day" and always printing out my photos at home.  Since I LOVE it, it is easy to find the time. It's become part of the routine the same way brushing my teeth is part of the routine.   I don't worry about having a perfect layout or if pictures or if the journaling is sideways.  The important thing is that it is there, our stories, our struggles, our happiness, our challenges and our joy,  are told.    My family, My husband and my Children these photos, my time, and my handwriting, this my loves, is my gift to you.  Anyone can do this, Kids, no kids, married or single, young and old.  We all have stories that need to be told to go along with our photos.  Most of all, I love the collection of these photos. I love knowing that next year, last year’s photos will be even more treasured. I love imagining that someday far into the future as I sit and look back on these photos and words, I’ll be so grateful I took the time to capture each and every moment. {Cultivate a good life and record it. ~Becky Higgins}

23 June

So, I found us (Trevor and I ) and really cool project for the summer. SMASH journals. Here is the concept. When Trevor and I watched the video in May, we were really excited about the project. We're also using this book for inspiration in our writing. We have been having fun with the glue for all the little stuff and photos that go along with our summer memories. It is a little ritual that I REALLY look forward to at the end of my summer days. I especially like that he likes to share his private thoughts with me (and lets me put some on here) and it is one more thing that my boy and I can do together before he gets too old and doesn't want me around anymore. And the good parents thing, that just really brings a tear to my eye. Here's to journaling (and summer!)

365::121

A fantastic weekend spent with a friend, shopping, eating out, sleeping in (a little) and cropping the night away (not the best photo). Thank you Heidi!

365::311

Getting Started on my

December Daily....

I love this project:)

I WON!

A scrapbooking contest!

I can't believe it, my day is looking up afterall !!

(BTW, I've given up TV since the end of may to start scrapbooking again, and I'm LOVING it!)

Go here to see. I'm SOOO excited!

365::137

I had the BEST day.  I drove down to the CKC in Manchester, NH.  TWELVE hours of ME time!  AWESOME shopping---brought home lots of loot (and lots of free stuff and amazing deals), Fun classes (learned alot).  Just AWESOME!  Can't wait to go back again next year (and I 'll stay for the weekend next time and get some scrapping done).  :)  JUST AWESOME.

365::79

Learning.

Pablo Casals:

The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been and until the end of the world, there will not be, another child like him.

and, welcome spring!

Holiday Project #2

(#1 was the December daily)

Trevor begged me to do this today...actually he has been asking for a week. I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving, but it turned out to be a great project for us to do together on a COLD afternoon after school.

Advent Calendar: Making Memories Advent Fa-La-La Advent Calendar kit found at Target.

the inside prompts found here.

{The last two years, the Advent "Fairies" have come to our house each day of Advent and they bring experiences rather than "things." Last year I compiled some of our (er, I mean, their!) better ideas and put them onto sheets which I printed and then cut into little cards. I put the cards inside a decorated box (which I dubbed a Holiday Spirit Box). I sold these boxes at a school fundraising event and also gave them as Christmas presents. The idea being that you reached into the box, pulled out a card and picked an idea to fill you with some holiday spirit. Above is a link to the PDF of the experiences I put in these boxes. There are more ideas than they are the days of Advent, but if this idea spoke to you, you could pull the ideas that would be most fun and meaningful for your family. Whether you use the ideas to count down Advent with experiences or gift someone with a holiday spirit box, I have found sharing meaningful experiences of the season the best gift of all.}

The Procedure for making the album was as follows: (especially if you are a six year old boy):

1. Take out all the little drawers and rearrange them according to how I want them---21 has to have a snowflake on it b/c it is the shortest and "coldest" day of the year.

2. Help Mom rub on the numbers only after I have shown her EXACTLY where to put them.

3. Embellish with flowers, brads and ribbon (and again show Mom exactly where these things need to be)

4. Take a picture with it and laugh b/c I "accidently" spit on the floor.

5. Help Dad put in the inside surpises after Mom lamintes and cuts them out with her special scrapbooking stuff.

6. Admire my work and put it in a safe place where little kids can't get it.

Project 365::311
30 Days::6

• that my little package arrived today from Scrapbook.com and I got to start working on this album. There is just something so soothing about getting the creativity flowing again. I remember last year at this time thinking it was a cool project, but that I would never have time---now I'm actually doing it!

• that Josh is ready to take off for his trip tommorrow morning (4 AM!), I hope he has a great, relaxing time and a break from the hectic life we lead. Pray that he comes back safely:)

• That I was able the help Irene a little today (wish I was closer!)....

• For Family dinner tonight-we've recently added a new ritual--the candle! Who ever sits in their seats the whole dinner without getting up gets to blow it out (hasn't worked yet...)

• For this photo...us, right now.....real life.
  
  

Random stuff.

• I just noticed the awesome view of the foliage and sky from my bedroom window today and had to have this photo.
  
• For like a month now I've been hearing a horrible joke on a local radio station which maked fun of the host as being diagnosed as "mentally retarded". I would have never in a million years have done this, but I wrote an e-mail to that host telling him how that joke could be hurtful to someone with and intellectual disablilty. He actually wrote back, apologized and immediately deleted it from his show---cool!


• Trevor and I checked out a short path in the woods today right in our very own delevopment! cool!


• I'm working on making our Christmas cards and calendars.


• I'm thinking about making a December daily album


• I got my baby kit and I'm looking forward to getting Lucas' and Breanna's albums done.


• I can't wait to scrapbook my week in the life project.
• How cool is this. A dad writting notes to his children everyday. I've been keeping handwritten journals to my kids since my pregnancies with them. Even though I only remember to write 3-4 times a year, I still love the idea of them having handwritten notes from mom just to them. I want to start writing weekly.


• We've had a really good week here, very good mommy mindful parenting days filled with walks, playing outside, cooking, playing, reading and wrestling.
• I signed up for this class--even if I'm to busy to complete it now--Hey it's free!


• I'm really looking forward to the holidays this year.

Project 365::202

Rainy Day..picnic plans cancelled...Tie Dye instead!

Words and Photos.

Ali Edwards put a TON of time into her blog this week and offered up a lot of GREAT advice about scrapbooking journaling. I'm going to try to comeplete the weekend creative this weekend.

Ready to be inspired??

they came! These books that I had ordered a while ago came in the mail yesterday. First, Creative Family is by a local Portland woman, Amanda Blake Soule, who home schools her 3 children. I've been an avid reader of her blog for about a year now and the book JUST came out. So inspiring, full of crafts and games and many many ways to just have fun with your kids. The second book, Photo Freedom, was purchased in the hope that It will help me plow through the last three years of photographs and actually get them scrapbooked at some point. I'm still a chronological scrapbooker at heart, but I open to new ideas anyway.

I scrapbooked!

I also finished Christmas 2007 and Lucas' First Birthday Party last weekend. I'm so happy I'm getting back into this, now just just three more YEARS to get caught up on......

Easter Weekend.

For a fantastic idea click here.

Our Valentines cookies......

Came out GREAT!

New and exciting Scrapbooking things....

Love this Kit of the Month. I haven't bought one yet, but for this one I had to buy 3 (one album for each kid)--Looks like a really GREAT idea to get all of the school years into one album.

Also Monday is Paper Crafting Day on QVC. The Today's special value and CKU in a box look cool. TSV may be a good way to get caught up on all those little specialty albums I want to do (I got ideas from Becky's video). Lisa has a blog on alot of the new products.

P.S. I'm SOO glad I took the risk and bought the school kits right away--it sold out in less than a day!!!

Another COOL idea....


Make a book out of your blog here.

Inspired.....

That daily life album on Shutterfly really inspired me . Today, I probably took over 100 photos of my daily life, work and all... I'm really excited to post them up here tommorrow. I took all the photos myself, some using the auto timer and some just holding the camera out. I'm really happy with the results. I can't wait to make my album on Shutterfly! Oh yeah, another exciting thing I can't wait for is the February Kit of the Month from Creating Keepsakes (the details of the kit won't be revealed until Feb. 1st however).. It is by Becky Higgins and all about preserving School memories. It's about time I got a jump start on that. I just love her style! Stay tuned for the daily life slideshow tommorrow.....