We got so much snow this year! It was crazy. And it definitely needs to be remembered. Enter my Project Life album.
Since switching to a 12×12 album I was able to fit the story of our snow days into one spread.
Left side – design A
Right side – design B
I’m happy with the way these turned out. I really like the look of spreads that all come from one day or event. It makes the whole page look a lot more cohesive. I’d like to try to do more of these types of spreads in the future.
Resources:
High five for… late Saturday night! Some weeks I just can’t get in a moment to write my Friday posts. This week has been full, but good. Here’s what’s been going on these days:
loving: the warm spring days. They’ve come with a lot of rain as well, but the warm sunshine in-between storms has been worth it. And it’s given us a few good puddles to splash in.
watching: lots of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. When I first heard about this show I was confused. A funny cop show? But it is indeed funny, and about cops. Watching it gives me similar enjoyable feelings as I got from watching The Office back in the day. So if that’s not a recommendation, I don’t know what is.
planting: some flowers in the front flower bed. We got a couple of hyacinths from a friend at church, some violets from my Aunt Barbara’s funeral, and then I tried transplanting a few irises from the side of the house. I’m interested to see if any of these things live.
celebrating: Easter! We kept it pretty low key this year, but still managed to include some fun egg dying, some easter egg hunts, and the worst deviled eggs ever.
planning: some new pieces to go on our walls. Hopefully these projects will get done soon and I’ll be able to share them on the blog.
getting: out of the house! This week has included trips outside the house to go to church, the playground, a friend’s house, the grocery store, and the mall. Not to mention a few walks! That’s some major activity for this family of homebodies. What’s even more impressive is that at least a few of those outings involved me going out with both children at once! Without my husband to help me! It has given me the sliver of confidence I needed to attempt that more often. Maybe one day we’ll go to the library, or Target, or (super excited about this one!) Hobby Lobby!
I hope your spring has sprung and you are soaking it in! Enjoy!
I have to say, I started the 2015 Reading Challenge with a good one. Chris and I chose “a book that is currently on the best-seller list” as the first category of the challenge to complete. I went with All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I had no great expectations for it. It was just one of the few books on the list that didn’t seem to center on a murder or crime, so that’s what I picked.
The story is set in Europe during WWII and is told from the perspectives of two different characters – children really – who come of age during the height of WWII. The first is a blind French girl who flees Paris during the Nazi invasion with her father who may or may not be in possession of a cursed diamond. The second is a German orphan boy who escapes his fate of working in the coal mines when his gift at working with radios and mechanics awards him a spot at a prestigious school for the Hitler Youth.
The 500 some pages in the book go by quickly. It’s an easy read, but definitely not fluff. The chapters are short and go back and forth between the girl and the boy, the beginning of the war and the end. It was fascinating to watch the story unfold and reveal how these two separate lives would intersect.
At one point near the end of the book I told Chris that either there was going to be some kind of miracle, or everyone was going to die. It turned out to have some of both. There was a bit of the miraculous. There was a bit of the sad. Some people lived and some people died. Everyone came out of the war with some scars. But many also learned how very strong they could be.
If you’re looking for a book to read, I would definitely recommend this one.
When I first decided to make a photo album using the Project Life system, I thought the traditional 12×12 size sound like way too much. It’s so big! I just want to keep things simple! Less is more!
But I quickly found that the 6×8 size that I started with couldn’t hold many 4×6 photos on a page. I was needing to do a lot of cutting and cropping of my photos, and a single event or theme had to take up several pages in my book. So after playing with the smaller size for several months, I decided that was just not the way I wanted this book to go and I took the plunge and bought a bigger album.
The thing’s a mammoth. But it’s also much easier to work with. I can use several 4×6 photos on a page still have plenty of space to include fun backgrounds and journalling.
The nice thing about the large album is I can still fit my smaller sheets inside. I just included all the pages I’ve already made and plan to use the remainder of my small pocket sheets to make little “mini albums” of special events throughout the book.
I also purchased a few kits of journaling cards to make my life easier. I love the idea of creating my own backgrounds and journaling cards, but the reality is that I will never get this album done if I try to do that for everything. The Becky Higgins site has a ton of great card designs to choose from. I went with the Amy Tangerine Mini Kit, the My Story Themed Cards, and the Inspiration Themed Cards. They are all full of bright, bold colors that I think will make this album feel really happy.
Inspiration themed cards
My Story themed cards
I’m really glad I started this little project. I feel like it gets easier each time I sit down to work on a spread and I know I’ll be glad to have this album in several years when we’re all older.
Complete list of Project Life products I used:
This has been a week, you guys.
Normally, my Friday posts are a time to talk about the more trivial things in life. A listing of the positives and the celebrations. But this week it’s been more about the feelings. So let’s talk about it.
feeling: sad
My Aunt Barbara passed away last Thursday morning. It happened so quickly, it’s still hard to believe. Just three weeks earlier she had gone into the hospital with some swelling and difficulty breathing only to learn that she had stage 4 cancer. At first it sounded like we only had a year or two left with her. Then she developed an infection and it was a matter of days, then hours, and then she was gone. My heart aches every time I think of it.
feeling: exhausted
The funerals (there were two) were in Kansas City and her hometown of Warrensburg, MO. Getting out there is about a 9 hour drive on a good day. Add in a detour to drop off a three year old at the in-laws house, and continue on with a 3 month old that needs diaper changes and nursing breaks every couple of hours, and you’ve got yourself a really long trip. We’re still recovering.
feeling: amazed
At just how much Aunt Barbara loved us. I had always known that my sisters and I were important and special to her. I didn’t realize how much she loved to brag on us to her many friends. There were so many people that we met at the funeral who felt that they had watched us grow up through the eyes of Aunt Barbara. Even though we only got to see Aunt Barbara and Uncle Vernon a few times a year, they thought about us and talked about us and cared about us every day in between.
feeling: grateful
That we were able to have so much time with family in the time leading up to and during the funerals. If only Aunt Barbara had been there it would have been a truly joyous occasion. My parents and sisters were all there – a feat in and of itself. We spent lots of time with Uncle Vernon. We got to visit with cousins I haven’t seen in years, and I even met some family members for the first time. And I can honestly say that they are all really great people. I wish it hadn’t taken such a sad event to get us all together.
feeling: inspired
By the life my Aunt Barbara led. At first glance, it doesn’t seem that impressive. She wasn’t an influential leader. She didn’t own her own business, or start her own charity, or live some kind of high profile life. But she made an impact on so many people. Enough to fill two separate funeral homes. All these people came simply because they were loved by her. Her life is a testament to the power and impact a person can have by simply caring for the people you meet along the way – your neighbors. My Aunt Barbara lived in the same house, worked in the same company, attended the same tiny church, and went to the same high school reunions and retiree functions and volunteer opportunities for as long as I knew her and longer. But even though it seemed that nothing much changed in her life, it’s obvious to me now that she changed the lives of the people around her. I’m certain when she met Jesus face to face he said, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”
feeling: comforted
In the promise of heaven. I don’t know how people who don’t have a relationship with God and the reality of heaven to look forward to can handle the death of a loved one. As much as I miss Aunt Barbara now, I am comforted in the fact that I will see her again. I’m pretty sure she’s in one of those many rooms organizing her supplies in the most space efficient way possible, making friends with everyone she meets, and preparing a plate of the best chocolate chip cookies in the world to greet us with when we all go to join her.
My friend Tina, from the blog Go Big or Go Home, recently nominated me to receive the Leibster blogging award. This award is basically a way for bloggers to honor and recognize other bloggers they enjoy and want to introduce to their readers. So if you’re visiting from Tina’s blog, welcome! Make yourself at home and stay awhile!
If you’re one of my regular readers, I highly recommend that you pop over to Tina’s blog and take a look around. She writes about home and craft projects, style, and her experiences being a new mom! Reading Tina’s blog is like sitting down to chat with a good friend. You should definitely check it out.
So the fun part of this award is the nominator gets to ask 10 questions to the nominee. So here we go!
I write about various creative and DIY projects, activities to do with your kiddos, simplifying, and thoughts related to living a full and happy life.
A ballerina! And once I got out of kindergarten and became more practical about my future, a teacher. It wasn’t until I became a grown up that I found my place as a graphic designer.
Does soap count as a beauty product? After years of problem skin and using products that irritated and dried my face out, I started using Boscia Clear Complexion Cleanser. It keeps my skin as clean and blemish free as anything else (which isn’t perfectly, but I’ve given up on that) but it’s gentle and doesn’t dry me out. I also love that it’s made with natural ingredients and no preservatives. After I started having babies I became a lot more wary of the chemicals I put on my skin, so I feel safe using this soap every day.
Whatever fits. I don’t go jeans shopping very often, and I don’t really have a go-to brand. However, I do have fond memories of a pair of Gap jeans back in high school.
I don’t know about one single favorite day, but I’ve learned that great days usually include the following:
* A feeling of accomplishment – This might mean getting on top of chores, completing a project, or just trying out a new activity.
* But also plenty of rest and leisure time. A great day won’t feel hurried or stressed.
* Lots of time with family – Sometimes it might just be with my little family of four, or it might include grandparents and aunts and uncles.
* Great weather and time spent in it.
Some days that fit the bill that I’ve talked about on the blog include this past Christmas and the day we went to the zoo.
For the (potential unlikely future prospect of lots of) money! Just kidding. Blogging is a way for me to express my thoughts in a way that is fun and comfortable for me. I’m pretty introverted in person, and express my thoughts much more clearly through writing (mainly because it gives me the chance to revise, and revise, and revise), so blogging is a nice way for me to get my thoughts out of my head and out into the world. It’s also a great tool for self-improvement. I’m more likely to complete projects or try new things when I’m looking for something interesting to post on the blog. A blog full of “I took a nap and watched TV today” would get old pretty quick.
My absolute favorite place is actually outside the house, in the backyard. We have a great shade tree that makes even the hottest summer days pleasant to be out in. Given that it’s still winter right now, I’m really missing afternoons spent under the tree.
It’s also gorgeous in the fall.
Tea. But only when iced and full of sugar. The way my grandma makes it.
I’m pretty proud of my coat closet makeover. It’s a project I brainstormed, planned, and executed all by myself. And we use it everyday!
My closet and the weather. Honestly, most of my outfits aren’t very “inspired.” Lately I’ve been spending most of my days in sweatpants and long-sleeved t-shirts. But I’ve been in a slow process of clearing out my closet of things that I don’t love, and hope to build up my wardrobe with some good basics once I’ve gotten through the postpartum size fluctuations. I’m really intrigued by the idea of a capsule wardrobe and hope to form one of my own eventually.
So there you have it! Thanks, Tina, for the fun questions and the nomination!
It’s been a while since I’ve shared some links from the internet. I haven’t decided how much of a link sharing blog I want to be or how to best fit it in with everything else I write. But I have several good ones that I’ve been sitting on for a while now and I want to share them with you. So here it goes:
I have no ambitions to write a novel, but I do have lots of other creative goals. I think the point about deadlines is so true. I made a lot stuff for work – because I had to get things done for certain events by a certain time. At home, things just languish. How can I give myself more deadlines, without feeling artificial or stressing myself out?
This is a really cute collection of journaling cards for your Project Life album. Just download and print out!
This is such a good idea for taking painting on the go. I’d really love to try it out someday. I didn’t even know water color pencils were a thing!
What?!?!
Oh, man. I can already feel this as I’m just beginning my 30s. How in the world did I ever reach such a grown-up sounding age?
And just for fun…
My final four? Liz Lemon, Leslie Knope, Dwight Shrute, and Kenneth Parcel. From there I really can’t choose.
It’s another Friday! Here’s what’s been happening these days:
loving: the first signs of spring! I went outside without a coat today. There are tiny green shoots sticking out of the dirt. The snow has finally melted away. And the daylight has been saved. I really hope spring sticks around.
bouncing: my baby on my knee. She loves it and it makes her smile.
celebrating: Charlie’s birthday. Still! We had family in last weekend for a little birthday party. I love seeing how much Charlie is loved by his family.
making: more pages in my photo album. Be looking for more posts about that soon.
thanking: God for the wonderful community of support we have around us. We had Charlie and Penelope dedicated in church on Sunday and it was such a reminder of how much God has blessed us with friends and family to help our children realize the full and wonderful life God has for them.
Enjoy your weekend! Hopefully it acts spring-like for you too!
The idea of having a word of the year is not a new one, but it has certainly seemed to gain in popularity over the past few years. Many people say that having one word to focus on all year long helps them achieve their goals and order their life around what they feel is really important. The more spiritual among us say that the word comes from God and that he uses that word to reveal himself over the course of the year. It’s all very lovely and nice, but I’ve never really gotten into it myself. Mainly because it seemed like so much pressure. To choose, out of all the words in the English language, a single word that should somehow change your life (or at least improve it in some way). It sounds like a daunting task. So I never really bothered.
But this year, after hearing about the words a few people in my life had chosen, I got to thinking, “What would my word be if I picked one?” Which really is the same as just picking a word, but for some reason it felt like an easier decision to make. And it didn’t take long for me to come up with it.
Enjoy.
I’m very aware of all the blessings in my life. All the things that are amazing and good that I don’t really deserve. But even with all that blessing I find if far too easy to feel like life isn’t going my way. The chores are never ending. I have to provide food for people to eat three times a day. Children get fussy and whiny and willful. And I never seem to have enough time to do the things that I want to do. But really, despite all these things, when it comes down to it I have a pretty amazing life.
Enjoy.
This year I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to stay home with my kids and focus my energy on our family and our home. It’s what I’ve always wanted, and I feel like if I don’t enjoy it I’ll kind of be missing the point. I want to end each day able to say that I enjoyed my kids. That I enjoyed my time at home. That I found a way to enjoy the day even if some parts were frustrating or boring or hard.
Enjoy.
I also want to be a person that others enjoy being around. I want my husband to enjoy his time with me. I want our kids to enjoy having mama around all day. I want my family and friends to enjoy the atmosphere I create in our home. I want you, dear reader, to enjoy the words I write on this blog.
So there you have it. A word for the year that I wasn’t looking for. I like it. It feels good. It feels like the right thing to aim for this year. I also think I could make good use of it as a valediction (that’s the opposite of a salutation — I had to look that up) for emails and blog posts. So that’s handy.
Enjoy!
Hello, hello! It’s almost another weekend! I hope you’ve been enjoying the “these days” posts as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them. I find it’s a nice way to look back on the week and acknowledge the good things that have happened. It’s all too easy to live these little moments and then forget they ever happened to you. I hope that by having a record here on the blog that I will remember the little, everyday moments that make up my week.
So these days we have been:
making: granny squares. I’ve been spending several evenings this week binge watching The Mindy Project while crocheting little granny squares. I love how quick and easy they come together. I have grand plans of someday turning a bunch of granny squares made from scrap yarn into a big cozy blanket.
celebrating: Charlie’s third birthday. We kept the celebration pretty simple here at home. Charlie went with me to the store to pick out some cookies which we then made for lunch. Complete with candles.
And then he got his very own camera as his present! It’s been a fairly regular thing for him to pretend to take pictures, so we figured he would enjoy getting to do it for real! He was so surprised and I think a little in awe when he opened it up. Which was pretty much the cutest thing ever.
planning: a trains birthday party. His actual birthday may have been a simple affair, but this weekend a bunch of family are coming in town for a slightly bigger celebration. This year’s theme is trains because I couldn’t bring myself to do cars again. The boy is nothing if not consistent in his love of transportation vehicles.
wanting: some new art supplies. I have dreams of someday knowing how to paint. But that takes practice. And some paints and brushes to practice with. Maybe someday I’ll get around to getting those things.
playing: in more snow! After getting over a foot a couple weeks ago, which just so happened to be the most snow our area has seen in years – or rather, decades – we got another foot and a half this week! Which breaks the all time record for snowfall in a single storm. When it rains, it pours. In it’s frozen form, apparently.
Just for fun: here’s a link to the biggest snowfalls on record in Kentucky (as of last winter. It doesn’t include this past month’s craziness). I remember playing in the snow as a kid in ’94 and ’98, which got 10″ and 11″ in a day respectively. Those are some of my best winter memories. The two snows we’ve gotten in the past month both beat those. I hope we don’t have to go another 15 years before Charlie sees another big snow.
Enjoy your weekend!
