Monday's Project: Modern Homemaker

It's been crazy busy here for the last two weeks - Snow Day and Doughnuts with Dad at school, American Legion Auxiliary events, and MOPS spring semester kick off. On top of it all, we found out my grandmother is terminal, so we spent the past weekend in East Texas saying goodbye. I need something to make me happy!

Scrapbooking always does the job! Here's my latest project:

A layout featuring two of my favorite lines: October Afternoon and Echo park Paper. I love, love, love the Modern Homemaker line from O.A. - right up my alley with it's retro 50s housewife images and prints! I wish I had bought more of their patterned papers, but found that some of E.P.s papers worked really well with the look I was going for. The stickers are so much fun too!

The journaling is actually from one of my blog posts last summer, "Full Circle Summer" about completing my first year as a stay at home mom. I had a lot of fun making this layout, and hope you enjoy it too!

I'm getting my first impressions of the winter CHA show and will be posting my reviews soon! Until then - be creative!

If My People...Scripture & a Snapshot

Here's my first photo challenge entry - a scripture near and dear to my heart -

I am by no means a decorator. In fact, my inability to pick out furniture, accessories and such has left my house with bare walls for the last 5 years. I lack the confidence and security to see something in a store, and know absolutely that it will look great in my home. My sisters don't have this problem and their homes are very well decorated. For me, decor has to be personal. There has to be an emotional attachment or something that pulls a switch within me for me to go forward and spend the money. (Because I'm: 1. cheap 2. I don't return stuff. 3. would rather spend the $ on scrapbooking stuff) It has to be something I love. Which brings me to today's picture and my first challenge!


It's been almost a year now that I first spotted this piece of wall art, but I wasn't in the market for it, so didn't buy it. I'd pop in every now & then to see if it was still there, but w/ all our expenses & my not working, I couldn't justify the purchase. However, Nov. & Dec. were very good months for my little scrapbooking business, so I finally had some money of my own to do more than just visit.
This piece just resonates w/ me on so many levels - as a former English teacher I love words & the way they can affect me. It starts & ends with "You are my sunshine" - the song I sing to my little boy every night before I kiss & hug him goodnight. I also am affected by SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder, which is basically seasonal depression. It sets in around November & hangs around until March or April, & is triggered by - you guessed it - the lack of sunshine! So to have something that reminds me to always think about sunshine even if I can't see it, is important.

My Minis

Well it's been a few days since I've posted - but I've been keeping up w/ Project 365 and living life. Just taking a few minutes to post some albums I finished for a friend of mine. I love the way they turned out!

Thanks for looking and let me know if you'd like to see pics of the entire album(s)~

Project 365 Day 5

Ahhh...those Texas twilight sunsets...beautiful colors and clouds, and my favorite shot of the day.

Back to School

I can't sleep the night before - I'm so excited. The kids are asleep all snug in their beds, and everything is ready for the morning. Nope, it's not Christmas Eve, it's the night before school starts again! Two weeks is not a lot of time, and I've enjoyed the time with the kids, but I'm ready for a break! Time for myself and time to get back into a routine. The kids aren't the only ones who thrive on a schedule! On a bittersweet note, it is the last semester of preschool before Cade goes to kindergarten next year. So...what to do today...think I'll clean the scrapbook room!

Project 365

So this year I'm going to do it! Project 365 is a scrapbooker's dream & worst nightmare. The goal is to take at least one picture a day, everyday, for an entire year. At the end of the year, you'll have a snapshot of your life - the highs, lows, the big events and the minutae of everyday. I've already taken some pics, but nothing that I liked until today. Today's pictures are especially meaningful because it's about something that is near and dear to my heart. Cancer became more than just a disease after my mother in law passed two years ago from endometrial cancer, and I wanted to do something to help the fight against it. I'm too out of shape to run a marathon, and I dislike soliciting contributions from friends and family. It has been in the back of my mind to register for the bone marrow donor registry, but never knew what it involved, and thought it was painful. After reading an article in a magazine (All You from Wal-Mart) I decided I was finally going to do it. So one day while the kids were having their "quiet room time", I went to their website and registered. Today I received the kit in the mail and after following their instructions and mailing it back, I will hopefully soon be registered on the National Marrow Donor List. The thought of being a potential match for someone is exciting - to have the chance to make that kind of difference in a child's life, a mother's life, anyone suffering from cancer, well I would jump at that. Wouldn't you? http://www.marrow.org/

Eleven For '11

So this year like every year, I have certain things I want to achieve. This year, I'm going public with it!

1. I will finish what I start before moving on to another project.

2. Work on building close relationships outside of family.

3. Make sure I am IN pictures instead of just taking them.

4. Live in God's Word daily.

5. Turn off the t.v. & live in the moment.

6. Sacrifice & save for something special.

7. Let Go & Let God. (Because I have control issues!)

8. Stop keeping score & appreciate my husband for what he does.

9. Strive for that healthier lifestyle.

10. Learn more techniques & become a better scrapbooker.

11. Play with my kids & make amazing memories.