Precious and Stubborn ~

Hello there!

So last week I came across a great little layout by my friend Tracie. She has a wonderful blog that totally inspired me to sit down and create this fun little layout about my daughter's love for babies.

The pretty pink paper is by Karen Lewis and the camera is by One Little Bird.

The same day I came across Tracie's fabulous layout, I had a precious memory pop up on my TimeHop app. It's as if the stars aligned and there was nothing I could do but sit down and start putting this page together. As I was searching for the pictures in the black hole I call external hard drives, I started thinking about the first week of our summer and decided to create another page to enforce the whole 'baby' theme.

I'm happy with how these pages turned out; simple with the focus on the photos and the story.

Now you wouldn't be able to tell by looking at this sweet girl in these pictures but she is just about the most strong-willed child you will ever meet. I have certainly learned to pick my battles over the years. Just this morning (after a small battle of the wills) I hugged her and told her how much I love her regardless of her stubbornness. Her response..."I get it from both sides." Yes, sweet girl, unfortunately you do.


Just for the record I am not getting paid to use or share any of the products or links. :)

An Instagram Photo Book ~ The Perfect Gift

I love giving great gifts. I usually rack my brain trying to come up with the perfect gift for family and friends. For the most part I give good gifts; I desire to give great gifts. For years I have made photo books and calendars for my mom and mother-in-law for Christmas. The one year I didn't make the calendar I heard about it all year. My mom was completely lost for 12 months. It made me realize that she really loves that gift. She will get a calendar every year from now on!

When my kiddos were invited to a birthday party for a friend in my son's 7th grade class, I had just listened to the awesome ScrapGals podcast all about selfies. A few days later while browsing Michael's with my daughter, it hit me! An Instagram selfie album would be the perfect give for a 13 year old girl! I found this little 4x4 Becky Higgins two ring binder at Hobby Lobby (because Michael's didn't have it.)

 

The album was a huge hit! I'm not sure who was more excited, her receiving the gift or me giving it. The album I'm showing in this blog post is actually the second Instagram album I have made. When I saw how much everyone loved the first one, I decided to make one for my dear friend's daughter 'just because.' After all, sometimes the best gifts are the 'just because' ones. I can't wait to see her face when I hand it to her. :)

The book contains about 40 4x4 photos, no words, no embelishments, just photos. I used most of her photos from the past year, but not all. The cool thing is there is plenty of room to add more photos if she wants.

Let's talk about how I printed the pictures. I print most of my pictures at home using my Canon Pixma MG6320 and thought that would be easiest for this project. After taking screen shots of all the Instagram photos and a few failed attempts at printing directly from my camera roll (you will get 4x4's enlarged onto 4x6 photo paper.)  I tried using the Becky Higgins Project Life app; this would work if you want to print a 4x4 pic with 2, 2x2's on 4x6 photo paper, but that's not what I needed for this project. So...after taking the screen shot, I used the Diptic app and put the photos in the 4x4 template with a little white border. Next, I exported the photo to my camera roll and emailed it to myself. The last step was opening 4 photos at a time into Photoshop onto an 8.5x11 canvas, resizing and printing.

This little book turned out just as fabulous as the first one! Hey, there I am on the right ~ We love getting all the girls together for pedicures!

For the last page I took a screen shot of her Instagram cover page. Neat little capture of how many followers she has and how many she is following. I love her motto ~ It's really okay if you don't like me, not everyone has good taste.

In this day and age printed photos are rare. Our photos are being kept behind screens instead of in our hands where they should be.  So make someone's day (or year) and share some printed photos ~ they will love it, I promise!


 

It's only been a year and a half ~

How is it possible that it's been a year and a half since I last posted to my blog. I remember the last time I sat down to write...nothing. I had nothing. I'm not sure why. I'm not sure what was blocking me from writing or sharing but something just didn't feel right. I've spent the past hour reading over my old blog posts. I only have one word ~ thankful ~ I am so thankful I took the time to write the stories and post the pictures. You can bet that most, if not all, of those stories would have been long forgotten had they not been documented on this blog. I will admit one of the hurdles I've faced is that my kids are growing up. I'm aware that they might not appreciate me sharing all the funny (or not so funny) things they do on a daily basis. I'm aware that there must be a shift in my writing; a shift from my writing about the things they do to writing about my perspective as a mom. I will still try to get permission to share some things, especially the funny stuff because in the end that's what I really want to remember. I want to look back and be able to laugh at the funny things we say and do around here.

I also want to use my little corner of the web to share more of my memory keeping. Scrapbooking has been a huge part of my life for the past 18 years I just haven't found a way to really share my pages. I was a paper scrapper for 11 years before I switched to digital. Learning how to use Photoshop has been a very slow process and that's been fine. When I learn something new, especially computer related stuff, I have to really soak it in. When I sit down at my computer and learn something new I feel a serious rush of adrenaline ~ it's pretty awesome! It's exciting for me to know that no matter how old I get I will always be excited to learn something new.

 
I created this page using a Jenn Lindsey template that was in one of The Daily Digi monthly kits. I also used the Happy Day kit by Blagovesta. You can find her over at Scrapbook Graphics. I love her designs!

Oh and not that you would look that closely but we've been in the middle of a little remodel around here for the past forever which would explain why the counter and wall is covered with brown paper and masking tape. I can't wait to share the before and after pics of that little project!

Have a fabulous day!

What Makes Your Heart Sing ~

Lately I've really been trying to focus in and narrow down what makes me happy. This may sound a little self serving, but who doesn't desire to live a happy, fulfilled life. I have lived most of my life in hobby overload mode. The first craft I remember growing up was rug hooking. I think my mom still has that awful thing. As a family we crafted. I remember having a garage sale and my parents spent the money we made on a scroll saw. My dad cut the wood pieces and us girls painted. I still decorate with some of the Halloween pieces we made that Fall. I remember listening to a Focus on the Family episode before R and I got married that encouraged wives to have friends and hobbies outside of their relationship with their husband. The show reinforced the fact that a spouse, whether it's the husband or wife, cannot provide all the happiness for the other. I decided when we got married that I would not put that kind of pressure on my man. I soon became a scrapbooker and quilter. I took a tole painting class and became a painter. I still have the basket I made in a basket weaving class (I am not kidding.) I am a needle worker and let's not forget phone talker. :) I helped to start a scrapbook club that quickly grew to 50 members ~ bingo ~ friends with lots in common. These ladies were there for me through the loss of our first baby, many of which came to her graveside service. I met one of my dearest friends through selling rubber stamps and scrapbook supplies at home parties. As soon as R was born I took up photography and have since really established a passion for my Canon Rebel.

Over the years I have tried to narrow it down a bit. I still have my sewing machine and my little bag with an ongoing  redwork project, I've dabbled in soldering charms and painting Toms but my favorite right now is my camera, my trusty laptop and Photoshop software. Digi scrapping makes me happy and I love my blog. I think everyone should have a place to record their stories; even if you don't want to share them with the world, keep it private and go back to it someday and remember.

Yesterday I realized I didn't have all my photos backed up on both external hard drives, so I've been working on getting that done. It never fails when I do this maintenance stuff I get sidetracked and open files I haven't opened in a while...

Here they are ~ my little loves...5 and 2 lying on a rug in a house we don't live in anymore staring at our cat we don't have anymore. I love this picture. I love the memories it brings back. I miss the house, the cat and the little people who have been replaced by a 10 and 7 year old who most of the time are way too big for their britches. I could spend days going through old photos and old memories and someday I will, but for now I will try to keep up with the present and move forward in my storytelling and learning about all things digital. As long as my memories are backed up and I can revisit them from time to time, I'm good.

Back to being happy...do it! Go find something you enjoy and make time for it. Schedule it in on the calendar. And if you decide digital scrapbooking makes your heart sing, let me know. I would love to hang out and discuss all things digi. :)

12 Random Things ~

For several months now I've been following this fun blog. She has lots of great ideas for those of us who love digi stuff. :) Right now she's in the middle of her "Summer Tour" where everyday she features a new site that she loves. Her "Tour" posts are not all about digital scrapbooking and I have loved learning about these fun sites. So, on the 12th of every month (but not this one because she's touring) she takes and posts 12 pictures she has taken that day. This challenge started a few years ago (not sure where;) the point is to take 12 photos on the 12th of each month and it just so happens to be 2012...pretty cool. I have not been doing this, but yesterday when I got my email photo prompt from Katrina Kennedy at Capture Your 365 I thought I might as well...12 pics of 12 things I love (not in any particular order.)

The first thing that popped into my head when I grabbed my camera was a dozen eggs. How appropriate ~ 12 eggs on the 12th day of 2012. Seriously, I love eggs! I eat 3 eggs in some way, shape or form every single morning. If I don't, I feel bad and my day is off. If you think this is too much of a good thing, I encourage you to dig in and do a little research on the health benefits of eggs. They are, in mine and many others' opinions, nature's perfect food. 

This picture is a two in one. :) I love my camera! This is my second Canon Rebel. My first was stolen out of my vehicle. It was horrible and I don't want to talk about it. What I will talk about is how much I love my camera and my new haircut. I feel like 10 lbs has been removed from my shoulders; literally. I have really thick hair. I'm really wondering why I ever let it get that long. Oh well, let's move on...

Not a morning goes by that I do not have a cup of this...with a little spoon of Xylitol, a Tbsp of coconut oil and a dash of almond milk. I really love half and half, but I've had to back off the cream because it makes me crave carbs later in the day. Yes, I know my body that well. Don't laugh.

Happiness is a few squares of this chocolate about 3 o'clock in the afternoon...just sayin'

This has been consuming my life for the past week. For the past 8 years I have led music for VBS. It's a lot of work learning the motions, but I love it! The kids and I still sing songs from past VBS's. I can still remember the words and motions to the very first year. It was called "Dig Deep," and I was an idiot because I didn't realize there was motions to the music. Imagine my horror when I got there the first night unprepared. It was horrifying, but I survived and here we are 8 years later, so I guess I survived. :) I pray that the music this year touches little hearts and opens their eyes to the wonders of God's creations!

No, my kids are not glued to this stuff all day, but I am glad that they are learning their way around the web and are able to enjoy the technology that is all around us. 

R has been working on a string art project. I finally remembered to buy him some more nails, so yesterday he sat down and hammered away at it. :) I will post the completed project one of these days. I love that my kids love to create. We haven't crafted this summer nearly as much as we did last year, but it seems we've been busier. R's been helping his daddy more, they've spent way more time with grandparents and add in the camps that K is finally old enough to attend and *poof* the time is gone.

There are few things I love as much as a good love note from my girl. This one about made me cry. It's posted on the fridge for all to be reminded of this simple truth.

I really should have posted this up by the tea pic. Oh well. I consume alot of this stuff. I promise you it's good for you. Again, research it. Not to get too off topic, but all through my twenties and most of my thirties I suffered from adult onset acne; or whatever you want to call it. I called it a major pain in the patootie!! It was only after I cut out grains and added coconut oil to my diet that my face cleared up. My skin has never looked better. Love love love coconut oil!

I love that the cotton is growing. It's crazy how after a good rain you just wake up one morning and the plants have almost doubled in size. The plants are happy, the farmer is happy, which in turns makes the family happy. Rain is a good thing!

And here it is ~ the embarrassing picture that my kids will kill me for posting. No, I didn't take this one yesterday, but I had to include this funny little story. Several weeks ago my dad and I were reminiscing about how my sister and I used to lock ourselves in the bathroom and stuff our back end with wash clothes and hand towels whenever Dad was after us with his belt. Gasp!! Yes, we were spanked as children. On this particular day, I had had enough! I marched to the closet to grab a belt and when I returned to the living room both kids were locked in the bathroom. I thought, "Good, as long as they're quiet and not killing each other." So I went about my business with the belt under my arm. The next thing I know they are locked in my bedroom...again, all is quiet all is good. Before long they started running up behind me trying to scare me, I would turn around and chase them with the belt. This went on for a while. I finally decided to hide in K's room and jump out and scare them when they came by. I wish I had thought to grab my video camera. The looks on their faces when they realized I was behind them (with the belt) was priceless. The look of shear terror was hilarious. The picture above shows what they were up to in my bedroom. R is wearing my favorite GAP t-shirt stretched out about 5 sizes with a twin size blanket stuffed in it. They had towel and pillows stuffed everywhere. On this day they learned to work together to avoid the wrath of the belt (which they rarely get btw) and I get a funny story to tell.

I hope you've enjoyed my "12 little pics" project. I encourage you to do it too. It's fun to capture the details of everyday life!

ps ~ thanks to spell check I will never have to learn to spell the words embarrassing and reminiscing. :)

5 Things I Love ~

Why is it that every time R & K are with either set of grandparents and I have a few days to do whatever I want everything breaks. Last summer while they were at the farm with my parents my computer crashed and there went those few days of digi scrapping. Yesterday I was cleaning out my closet and I came across an unfinished piece of red work embroidery I had stitched a few years back and decided I would get my machine out and make a little wall hanging out of it. It's been a while since I've done any free motion quilting, but it's kinda like riding a bike and it didn't take long to get the feel for it again. However, my machine had other ideas, like skipping stitches. After a desperate call to my sister-in-law and a few failed attempts at Googling the problem, nothing I did to remedy the problem worked. I finally resigned to the fact that I would have to take my machine in for an overhaul.

So far my computer is acting ok (someone knock on wood for me please,) and I've been able to complete the second lesson in the Jessica Sprague class I'm taking.

A Digi Page ~

For the last six years I have been dabbling in digital scrapbooking. I took an intro to digi class and was immediately hooked. K was almost mobile and the thought of two children in the middle of all my scrapbook supplies did not appeal to me. R had given me Photoshop Elements for Christmas not really knowing that he was "feeding the beast." It has definitely been a slow learning process for me. I'm one of those people that has to use it or I lose it...so alot of times when I sit down at the computer I'm having to re-learn what I should already know. Last year I bit the bullet and invested in full Photoshop. I love it, but I feel like I know a slight fraction of all the program has to offer. I listen to this awesome little podcast called The Digi Show and have learned so much. It was here that I learned about the classes from Jessica Sprague. I decided the best thing to do would be to start with the beginner Photoshop class. I figured that even if it was only a refresher of what I already knew, it would be worth it. I feel like I got my money's worth within the first five minutes of the video lesson. I am loving this class and have decided to post the layouts I'm doing right here on my little blog. I hope you enjoy them and if you decide you might want to try out the whole digi thing I highly recommend these classes!