Read. Write. Create.

Project Life 2012: Week 1 Layout

2012-02-11T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Paper: Simple Stories, Heidi Swapp (teal), Cosmo Cricket (blue, grid), Making Memories (Monday's card), Studio Calico (blue paper strip on Monday's card, woodgrain strip, orange paper), Letter stickers: Cosmo Cricket (tiny type), Simple Stories (title card); Washi tape: Pink Paislee; Stickers: Studio Calico and Simple Stories; Border punches: Fiskars; Stamps: Scenic Route; Number card: Sassafras}

Notes on this week's layout:

I was surprised how long it took me to put the layout together. It probably took about two hours, but I know it would take less time if I was using a coordinated kit instead of pulling exclusively from my stash.
I am so, so in love with the little kraft stickers from Studio Calico. They are a perfect extra touch for this project.
I don't enjoy stamping on the cards. Dealing with ink adds a lot more time to any project. I might consider pre-stamping some cards in the future, but since I think I'll be picking a bit different scheme each week, that might not work so well, either. I also like having each card be a bit different, which I would lose by stamping ahead of time, too.
I printed these photos at the CVS down the road from us. My drive to and from CVS took significantly longer than CVS took to print the photos, and I was very happy with the quality.
It's hard to come up with something unique to photograph each day when you're home alone half of the week!
I'm not sure what happened to the second page's image, but I'm not concerned enough to redo the whole post. You can see it well enough in the overview photo, I think.

Enjoy your weekend!

Project Life 2012: Title Page

2012-02-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Washi tape - American Crafts Dear Lizzie Enchanted, Letter stickers: Sassafras for Studio Calico, American Crafts (&), Cosmo Cricket (tiny type), and Studio Calico; Paper: Studio Calico's Boardwalk kit (8/2011), My Mind's Eye Stella and Rose 6x6 pad; Cardstock: Bazzill (gray) and The Paper Studio; Pen: American Crafts; Die cutting: Slice (2012) and Cuttlebug ("potty people")}

Notes on this page:

I knew I wanted to stick with cool blues and greens on this page, so I immediately turned to my Boardwalk kit.
The photo of Trevor & me isn't the one that will be there permanently. I want a black and white photo from 2012 for that spot. I just popped that one in for now because the back sides of week 1 were showing through.
The "At the Start" card was inspired by Elise Blaha Cripe. You can see all her Project Life posts here. I loved the idea of explaining who we are at the start. Things can change a lot in a year, so I think it's important to reflect on that. Trevor could be a captain by December. I could be teaching full-time again. We could have a new addition by the end of the year (most likely a puppy, since I have little interest in children under a year and a half!).
I am totally in love with any sort of tiny type for this project. You'll see a lot of that in future posts. Cosmo Cricket, Making Memories, and October Afternoon all make some great tiny type stickers.

I'll be back tomorrow with my Week 1 layout. Have a great weekend!

Luke is 2!

2012-02-08T12:32:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Making Memories Big Kids project pad, Paper Studio blank card, airplane from Hobby Lobby, wrapping paper from Target}

On Monday night, we saw our little friend Luke. I asked him if he knew what tomorrow was. He smiled shyly, raised up a peace sign, and said, "Two!" Yesterday, little Luke turned two. We've known his family about six months, and it is truly amazing how much this little guy has grown up! We're looking forward to celebrating his birthday at "Farmer Luke's" on Saturday.

This card is pretty simple -- striped paper, a coordinating box, a chipboard piece, and matching stickers. Luke loves trucks, so that's why I chose the firetruck for his card, even though there was a tractor that fit with his party theme. The little airplane is something we found for him when we realized there wasn't an airplane in his collection. Trevor had to fix that, of course!

Project Life 2012 Week 5: January 29 - February 4, 2012

2012-02-07T12:00:00.002-05:00

I have officially keep up with this for more than a month! There have certainly been days that I have "fudged" photos by taking one the next day to represent the previous day, but I have kept with the spirit of this project, so I feel like that's okay. I'm definitely behind with putting these into the album, though! I have a full week off from work at the end of this month, so if I'm not caught up by then, that will be my chance to do so! Without further ado, here are my week 5 photos.

Saturday, February 4: A Fannie May Mint Meltaway! When the store in Bismarck closed years ago, I thought I'd never get one of these again. However, I happened to find them at a Jewel-Osco store in Crystal Lake, Illinois while visiting our friends, Dave and Erin. Apparently, these delicious treats are still available around Chicago!

Friday, February 3: While waiting for our flight to ORD, we were next to the gate for a flight to Steamboat Springs. The gate agent kept making calls for boarding, but no one got on the plane! It turns out that it's a small town in Colorado, so it was possible that no one had purchased tickets on this flight -- but it still had to go in order to position aircraft for a flight out of Steamboat Springs.

Thursday, February 2: Becca and Rachel were here for dinner with Trevor and me. Rachel had her jet break down, leaving her in Atlanta for an extra 24 hours, while Becca wanted to make some Valentines for her nieces and nephews -- she had 17 cards to make this year! Rachel bought us all cupcakes from Gigi's for dessert that night, and we got to use my favorite Crate & Barrel plates for the very first time!

Wednesday, February 1: Becca and her intern, Sarah, Allison, Elizabeth, and I made Valentines for a JOY FM promotion -- they're collecting these cards for children in foster care in the Atlanta area. We made 30 cards together that night.

Tuesday, January 31: Prior to our bible study meeting at Books-A-Million in PTC, I stopped by Gigi's for the first time. OMG! These are the Lemon Drop and the Canadian Maple cupcakes. Yes, that's bacon on the latter! It's also in the maple-flavored cake batter, too. It was certainly my favorite of the three Gigi's cupcakes I've had so far. The maple frosting & cake aren't too sweet to begin with, and the bacon balances it nicely.

Monday, January 30: We have Legos everywhere in our house. This is one of Trevor's latest kits, displayed on his dresser. I "ordered" him to use his Christmas money to buy Legos over the weekend because I knew if I didn't, he'd probably end up putting it towards practical things -- and I know my family members well enough to know they'd want to see him spend it on fun stuff!

Sunday, January 29: I LOVED the outfit I wore on Sunday. Absolutely loved it. I had to take a photo to remind myself to wear it again. It was super comfortable. I felt like I wasn't too hot or too cold at all that day, and I just felt very "put together." You can't see it, but I was also wearing jeans that fit very well and grey plaid Roxy loafers that felt like slippers.

Project Life: Week 4

2012-01-31T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 22: Cookies after Community Group. I was starving and craving something sweet!

Saturday, January 28: Before & After shot of some thrift store refurbs. The tray actually will be getting a bit more done with it before it's officially "done."

Monday, January 23: A peek at a week in progress.

Thursday, January 26: The board I've had for probably two years has finally been hung on a wall! I was rather proud of how I glued the ribbon to the back. The hook is temporary -- might have to find something cuter to permanently hold this board.

Wednesday, January 25: I spent most of the day in bed, feeling icky.

Tuesday, January 24: Documenting my trip to the doctor's office for a yucky cough. :(

Friday, January 27: Card for our friends, Jon and Allison, celebrating their 3rd anniversary

Project Life Week 3: January 15-21, 2012

2012-01-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

Sunday, January 15: Last bottle of Laughing Skull from Red Brick Brewing Co.

Monday, January 16: Trevor put together and filled up a shelf for our garage, clearing so much clutter from the garage floor.

Tuesday, January 17: The first of two days of subbing at Arnco-Sargent Elementary School. I loved having so much fun stuff like children's books, math manipulatives, and toys.

Wednesday, January 18: Fresh strawberries from Publix -- so fresh that the blossom in the carton hadn't had time to wilt much!

Thursday, January 19: The best laid plans....I wrote out a schedule for after school, only to find myself feeling super tired. I did very little of what I had planned.

Friday, January 20: What's on my Nook home screen right now: Mockingjay, Jane Eyre, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and a whole bunch of free books I downloaded a few days ago.

Saturday, January 21: Nasty storms rolled in around noon. We had tornado warnings for about 45 minutes, and it was as dark as it has been around 6 p.m. this winter. Water pooled up between houses and gushed down the water spout so fast that it seemed to miss the tray at the bottom.

Project Life Week 2: January 8-14, 2012

2012-01-21T15:54:00.002-05:00

Sunday, January 8: Trevor's essentials for teaching his Sunday school group: stickers and hand sanitizer. He works with pre-school kids, in the blue group, so he carried a blue sanitizer holder and usually tries to wear a blue shirt on Sunday morning.

Monday, January 9: Leadership Community dinner program on "Is it all about the Weekend?" - We have to attend this on the first Monday of each Monday (unless it falls on a holiday) to grow in our leadership roles at our church. Trevor missed it because he had to work.

Tuesday, January 10: Subbing at ECMS -- This is what normally goes to school with me: a travel mug of coffee, a lunch box with my meal, water bottle & 2 cans of soda, my purse, my ID badge with sanitizer attached, and my car keys.

Wednesday, January 11: Front Street Brewery in Wilmington, NC -- I went along with Trevor for his overnight and had a Curiosity (or two). It was an incredibly sweet Belgian beer that tasted like Alice in Wonderland. No, I can't explain how that works, either, but it was amazing.

Thursday, January 12: Upon our 9 a.m. arrival in ATL, Trevor let me sit in his seat on the CRJ-200 to have my picture taken. I was really surprised how hard it is to climb into his seat!

Friday, January 13: Sutter Home's Pink Moscato. It wasn't as good as it looks.

Saturday, January 14: Vitamins and decaf coffee, two new items meant to help make me healthier, each in their own way.

2012 Goals

2012-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

We might be more than a week into the new year at this point, but I'd like to share my goals for the year here, so that, theoretically, someone might hold me accountable.

1. Throw away or give away one thing each day.
I am talking about substantial things with this goal. A candy bar wrapper doesn't count. My busted up laptop bag that took its final flight over Christmas break DOES count because while it might still be salvageable, I have no interest in keeping around something that doesn't zip, that has lost most of its hardware, or that is showing that it is a faux leather due to wear on its edges and corners. I'm keeping a box handy to fill with items for Goodwill, and when it is full, I will take it to Goodwill.

2. Read the entire Bible this year.
A few friends and I are doing a chronological, informal bible study this year. With assigned daily readings, I don't think I can fail on this one.

3. Take a photo every day.
I'm doing something called Project Life. My friend Sara at Calico Sun is also joining me. I'm doing a scrapbook with mine, but Sara is doing some really creative stuff (like a video of her photos!). So far, my photos are sort of boring, but I know they'll get better (like this week, when I can maybe go along on some of Trevor's trip).

4. Work towards better health.
I'm not going to say that I'm going to lose x pounds or work out x times a week. I'm doing more than just that. I want to eat more healthy foods, get more exercise, and try to find a way to manage my allergies without taking three medications a day (yes, seriously, I take three medications a day, year round!).

That's it. Just a handful of simple, no stress goals designed to give me something to work towards without causing stress.

Project Life Photos for January 1-7, 2012

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure why, but Blogger or Picasa uploaded these in reverse chronological order. Since this is a stress-free project, I'm not going to mess with it.

January 7: A few new organizers for my desk resulted in a clean desk for the first time in awhile.

January 6: Trevor shows off his arm, which was poked in the morning for blood work and which bears his clinic wristband from a CT that afternoon.

January 5: Cookies on the oven, waiting for Trevor to come home from a doctor's appointment (yes, he dealt with medical personnel four times in one week).

January 4: After a nasty flu that required medical attention the night before, Trevor came home early from his trip. We spent the day watching TV and movies, and playing on our laptops. This is often the view I have from my desk - back of Trevor's chair and head while he surfs teh interwebz or plays games.

January 3: My shamefully cluttered desk. No, I can't do anything when it looks like this, hence the new organizers I purchased later in the week. I'll admit, I took this photo in order to shame myself into clearing my desk and keeping it clear.

January 2: Our new best friend, the Keurig Mini Plus Brewer. The novelty of this little beverage maker has made even Trevor, the sort of coffee drinker who needs the frou-frouiest drinks from Starbucks, try regular, brewed coffee. He might use it more often than I do -- and it was a Christmas gift to me, from my parents!

January 1: I loved that this newspaper showed some optimistic headlines for the new year, a glimpse into the caucus and primary circus, and a great graphic wishing a happy new year.

I also liked this photo, too. We rang in the new year with glasses of Sweet Bliss white wine. I'm not sure which photo I'll be using in the album just yet, though!

The Weekend Reader: 2011 Book List

2012-01-07T12:16:00.002-05:00

Here's what I read in 2011:

1. Unclutter Your Life in One Week by Erin Doland
2. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
3. Living Dead in Dallas by Charlaine Harris
4. Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen
5. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
6. Club Dead by Charlaine Harris
7. An Unlikely Disciple: A Sinner's Semester at America's Holiest University by Kevin Roose
8. The Walking Dead, Volume 2: Miles Behind Us by Robert Kirkman*
9. Dead to the World by Charlaine Harris
10. Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides***
11. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
12. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
13. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
14. Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris
15. Definitely Dead by Charlaine Harris
16. All Together Dead by Charlaine Harris
17. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris
18. Dead and Gone by Charlaine Harris
19. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
20. Divine by Karen Kingsbury**
21. The Walking Dead, Volume 1: Days Gone By by Robert Kirkman
22. The Walking Dead, Volume 4: The Heart's Desire by Robert Kirkman
23. The Walking Dead, Volume 5:The Best Defense by Robert Kirkman
24. The Walking Dead, Volume 3: Safety Behind Bars by Robert Kirkman

*I read this book twice so I could refresh my memory before reading the other books in the series.

**This was one of the worst books I ever read, and certainly the worst one I read this year. If you are a big KK fan, please don't flame me -- I've been assured this is one of her worst works and that I will likely enjoy other novels she has written.

***This was one of the best books I've ever read. It took me a little while to get into it, but once I did, I couldn't stop reading it. I really don't remember the last time I couldn't put a book down like I experienced with Middlesex.

Reflections 2011: The Complete List

2012-01-05T17:39:00.002-05:00

I failed miserably at my month of reflections in December. Between sicknesses, travel, work, and holiday fun, I just didn't get a lot of time for reflection. I might come back to these throughout the beginning of 2012, though. This new year has brought with it a new sense of reflection for me, a new desire for transformation. I don't think I've ever felt anything quite like this before.

So, I'm sharing all the reflections here, today, in case you're interested in all of them. I'll be back soon with more stuff. I promise. I will be better this year. :)

Reflections

1. What word best represents the year 2011? Is it a word you chose in advance, like the “One Little Word” project, or did the word “find” you during this past year? Why does this word represent this past year, and what did you learn in relationship to the word during 2011?

2. At the end of 2012, which word would you like to be able to say represented the year for you? Why do you want that word to represent your year? What actions can you take to make that happen?

3. Which 2011 accomplishment are you most proud of? Why are you proud of that accomplishment? Can you build upon that accomplishment in 2012? If so, how will you do so?

4. Did you go anywhere new in 2011? Where was it - a new grocery store, a vacation spot, a new class, a new website? Describe this new place.

5. Where do you want to go in 2012? Is it a vacation spot, a new direction in your work or hobby, a new restaurant, or something else? Describe where you want to go. Tell us why you want to go there. How could you - or your creative life - benefit from going somewhere new?

6. What held you back from achieving your goals in 2011? How can you make sure it doesn’t stop you in 2012?

7. What are your goals for 2012? What are your obligations in 2012? How can you mesh the two of these together?

8. Who or what did you say goodbye to this year? How did this separation affect you? What did you learn from it?

9. Which beliefs did you re-examine this year? How did your beliefs stand up against this re-examining?

10. Traditions are established through repetition. What did you do this year that you hope to repeat until it becomes a tradition? What made this experience worthy of becoming a tradition?

11. What traditions in your life might need re-examining? Why?

12. List the roles you currently play in the lives of others. Elaborate on these roles if you wish.

13. Review the list of roles you created yesterday. How might this list change in 2012? Will you be adding or subtracting any roles to this list? Explain.

14. Describe someone who has played a significant role in your life in 2011.
15. What was the best gift you received in 2011? What made it so special?

16. What was the best gift you gave in 2011? Why do you feel that gift was so special?

17. What’s on your Christmas list this year?

18. What do you do to document your life, your memories, or your ideas? How has your process evolved over the past year? How might it evolve in 2012?

19. What creative pursuits do you enjoy? What did you create through those creative pursuits this past year?

20. How can you take your creative pursuits to a whole new level in 2012? Taking a class, trying a new technique, trying a new creative outlet?

21. What did you make in 2011 that you are truly proud of? Whether it is a pan of brownies or a critically-acclaimed work of art, you’ve made something wonderful. Tell us about it.

22. What was the most beautiful thing you heard this year?

23. What was the most beautiful thing you saw this year?

24. Were you naughty or nice? Write a letter explaining your behavior over this past year, to Santa, someone else, God, or yourself.

25. Simply take a moment to document this day.

26. Who has served you in a practical way in 2011? How can you show your gratitude to them in 2012?

27. Who have you served in a practical way in 2011? How did you do it? Why? What did you learn from this experience?

28. Who can you serve in a practical way in 2012? How will you go about serving?

29. Describe your best day in 2011.

30. What are you saying hello to in 2012?

31. Tell me, me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life? - Mary Oliver

Reflections 2011: Belief

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9. Which beliefs did you re-examine this year? How did your beliefs stand up against this re-examining?

I stumbled upon an article about fair trade via the internet. I didn't save the link, unfortunately. However, the main point of the article was this: fair trade creates an artificial shortage in the local supply of some agricultural products, making it extremely difficult for the poor to purchase these products. The example from the article was quinoa -- it has become a "fad food" in America, which means Americans are buying substantial amounts from Bolivian (I think) farmers who used to sell it cheaply to their neighbors. Since Americans are willing to pay more, farmers are selling almost none of their crop locally. Another issue stems from the fact that whenever a particular crop sells for a high price, overproduction usually comes after it, lowering the prices once again. Few crops can continue to sell at a high price unless they are extremely specialized -- for example, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee always sells at a high rate because it is only grown on Jamaica's Blue Mountain, but crops that have multiple growing areas, like citrus fruits, will fluctuate if one growing region has a bad growing season.

I feel like I need to do more research into this subject matter before I declare "fair trade" a total failure. I also have to wonder if enough research has been done in general into this side of the fair trade issue. I did find it pretty shocking that fair trade could possibly be hurting the very people it is intended to help, though. I've done a bit of searching, and there is an article from The Economist, written in 2006, that delves into the criticisms of fair trade. However, I can't access it without purchasing an online access pass or becoming a subscriber. I may have to look into using an online database through a public library, or combing their physical magazine collection to read this article.

Reflections 2011: Goodbye

2011-12-08T10:26:00.001-05:00

8. Who or what did you say goodbye to this year? How did this separation affect you? What did you learn from it?

MSG. Monosodium glutamate. I've made a point not to buy anything with MSG in it. I learned this past year that it is a neurotoxin, known to cause headaches in some individuals. I learned from a nurse that it is a cheap additive that will make anything taste good - even dirt. Because of this, MSG can be linked to obesity rates because it makes unhealthy food seem extremely palatable to the consumer.

Because I am prone to headaches, I felt that cutting MSG from my diet would be a positive change. It definitely has been. Saying goodbye to MSG has meant the purchase of less junk food, less processed frozen food, and less impulsive food purchases. It does mean that I'm more likely to buy name-brand products, too - Lay's Potato Chips don't contain MSG, while our store brand's comparable flavors do contain MSG. I know there is still a lot of junk in my diet (processed sugars and diet sodas, for example), but I feel like eliminating MSG has been good for me.

Over the past year, my headaches have been few and far between. There are fewer "random" headaches -- the majority can now be traced to seasonal or hormonal changes (or a missed can of caffeinated soda). I don't want to let anyone think that I was completely cured by eliminating MSG - I still get a couple headaches a month, but it's far better than the 4-10 a month I had before. I also visited urgent care twice last fall because of these headaches. The second visit sent me home with prescriptions for 10 days of amoxicillin followed by a five day azithromyacin course, and I noticed a marked decrease in my headaches after that. Honestly, though, it wasn't until the MSG was cut from my diet that I really, truly felt better.

Of course, it isn't completely gone. I'm sure MSG is in a lot of the food I eat when we go out. I know it is in Hidden Valley Ranch dressing, which is one of my favorites. I don't think it's in the organic version, so we might start eating that in our house instead. However, the important lesson I learned this year is that saying goodbye to junk in my diet can yield some major results. I'm thinking 2012 will see another "bad for me" item phased out of my diet, but I'm not quite sure what. Given the recent concerns about BPA in canned soups and tomatoes, I think canned foods might be next.

Reflections 2011: Prompts 8-14

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8. Who or what did you say goodbye to this year? How did this separation affect you? What did you learn from it?

9. Which beliefs did you re-examine this year? How did your beliefs stand up against this re-examining?

10. Traditions are established through repetition. What did you do this year that you hope to repeat until it becomes a tradition? What made this experience worthy of becoming a tradition?

11. What traditions in your life might need re-examining? Why?

12. List the roles you currently play in the lives of others. Elaborate on these roles if you wish.

13. Review the list of roles you created yesterday. How might this list change in 2012? Will you be adding or subtracting any roles to this list? Explain.

14. Describe someone who has played a significant role in your life in 2011.

Reflections 2011: Goals & Obligations

2011-12-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

7. What are your goals for 2012? What are your obligations in 2012? How can you mesh the two of these together?

My goals for 2012 are these: 1) Run a 5K. 2) Paint the inside of my house. 3) Hang up decorations in my house. 4) Purchase furniture to finish off the house. 5) Pay off another student loan ahead of schedule. 6) Complete my final class for Georgia teaching certification.

My obligations for 2012 are these: 1) Make monthly student loan payments. 2) Serve as matron-of-honor in my sister's wedding. 3) Teach for seven weeks while I cover a maternity leave. 4) Serve at church. 5) Keep up the exterior areas of our home to meet the HOA covenants and restrictions.

When considering how to mesh these two groups of things together, I think about a forwarded email I received in college. It was a long, drawn out unrealistic scenario about how a person was asked to fit golf balls, pebbles, and sand into a jar. They began in reverse order, and couldn't do it. The person requesting the task's completion then showed the proper way to do it: the biggest things go first, the medium-sized things come next, and the sand falls into place around them. This short scenario was meant to illustrate that if we place the most important things first in our lives, everything else will just fall into place around them. This is my plan for the coming year. I will put the important things first, and everything else should fall into place.

Reflections 2011: What held you back?

2011-12-06T11:29:00.001-05:00

6. What held you back from achieving your goals in 2011? How can you make sure it doesn’t stop you in 2012?

Procrastination. Feeling sick. Time. Money.

I feel like these four things together stopped me from doing everything I wanted to do this year. I have a poor concept of how much time things will take to be completed. I tend to procrastinate by doing things online - Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, reading blogs. When I combine those two things, I find myself with too little time. And then there's the whole sickness thing. Three times this year, I got so sick I was pretty much worthless for awhile. Two of the three turned out to be allergies, which is frustrating because there isn't much I can do about those allergies, short of moving away.

In 2012, I'm not going to play time wasting Facebook games. I'll probably still do the other stuff I do online, but I'm going to scale back on it. I think I might utilize a timer to help me stay on task. I also think using a to-do list and keeping my work spaces clear would help me be more productive. Organization is key, I'm learning.

Reflections 2011: GO

2011-12-05T12:49:00.001-05:00

5. Where do you want to go in 2012? Is it a vacation spot, a new direction in your work or hobby, a new restaurant, or something else? Describe where you want to go. Tell us why you want to go there. How could you - or your creative life - benefit from going somewhere new?

I want to go through the finish line.

Yes, there are so many other places I choose to say I want to go to in 2011. I want to go back to Jamaica. I want to go to Europe. I want to go anywhere. But for 2012, the finish line is the goal.

I want to run a 5K next year. I've neglected exercising for years. YEARS. I don't do well with sweating or being out of breath or feeling uncomfortable at all (unless it's being uncomfortable in pretty shoes - that's something I'm great at). Two weeks ago, I bought running shoes. I have a few 5K races in mind right now, and my goal is run one sometime next year. I just can't imagine how great it will feel to complete the race, to cross the finish line for the first time.

Reflections 2011: New Place

2011-12-04T15:05:00.001-05:00

4. Did you go anywhere new in 2011? Where was it - a new grocery store, a vacation spot, a new class, a new website? Describe this new place.

There were several new places I visited this year. I took my first trip to Trader Joe's. I I took my first class at Big Picture Scrapbooking, entering the digital classroom for the first time. I visited Pinterest.com for the first time. I also visited two new states for the first time - New Hampshire and Ohio.

New Hampshire left the biggest impression on me. I'd been watching the TV series The West Wing with Trevor for over a year via Netflix discs. President Josiah Bartlett was a native of New Hampshire, and the character often spoke about the beauty and wonder of New Hampshire on the show. It was everything I'd hoped it would be.

We stayed at the cabin Russ inherited from his grandparents on Sand Pond Lake. It is a pristine lake, home to loons and trout and red newts. Mountains surround the clear water. The granite mountain tops are covered in wild blueberry bushes. We picked several quarts of the berries while we were there, and I still have about two cups in my freezer.

The cabin is a huge old house. It has been in Russ' family for about 100 years. His great-grandparents honeymooned there and loved it so much that they bought it. His grandfather lovingly cared for it for many years before leaving it to Russ when he passed away in 2009. Russ' grandmother passed away the following year. A granite bench bearing their names faces the water outside the cabin -- their ashes have been spread over the mountains and the lake.

What struck me about the cabin was the overwhelming sense of peacefulness there. No television, no air conditioning, no internet, no computers, and sometimes, no cellphone signal. While I was raised in the country without those things for many years, the cabin was on a whole different level. Perhaps it was because I've become acclimated to the metropolitan life, where I always have a cellphone signal. It was just so amazing to be living without those distractions for the three days we were there. It felt like a week, but it was simply three glorious days.

Reflections 2011: Accomplishment

2011-12-03T15:14:00.001-05:00

3. Which 2011 accomplishment are you most proud of? Why are you proud of that accomplishment? Can you build upon that accomplishment in 2012? If so, how will you do so?

Buying our house is definitely the accomplishment I'm most proud of. I'm proud because we did it on a single income, and we made significant sacrifices to do so. We haven't had cable since the end of February, when we decided that was an expense we didn't need to worry about while we were in the process of purchasing and moving into a home. We don't eat out as much, and we only went to one movie this year. We've also decreased our shopping.

There are so many ways we can build on this accomplishment in 2012. First of all, we have an empty dining room. There are still a few places where we need to put some furniture. We certainly need to hang some decorations on the walls. Speaking of walls, we need to paint. Every room is still the same almond color it was when the house was built in 2010. I think it's time for some color. :)

Reflections 2011: The Next Word

2011-12-03T15:08:00.001-05:00

2. At the end of 2012, which word would you like to be able to say represented the year for you? Why do you want that word to represent your year? What actions can you take to make that happen?

Good. I just want to be able to say at the end of 2012 that I've had a good year, that I am in good health, that I have a good marriage, that I was a good friend, and that I did good things.

The actions I can take towards making that happen seem so simple: just do it. Do the right things, the good things, and everything else will fall into place. I think what it comes down to is being mindful of my choices, and probably even more importantly, mindful of the consequences. For example, keeping a quart of ice cream in the freezer and two gallons of root beer in the fridge probably isn't a choice that contributes to good health because the consequences are a) me consuming lots of floats and b) me gaining weight.

Good probably isn't my One Little Word for 2012, just so you know. I don't think I can commit to using something so abstract for OLW. Also, I tend to choose verbs, and I'm not sure I want to break that pattern, either.

Reflections 2011: One Word

2011-12-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

1. What word best represents the year 2011? Is it a word you chose in advance, like the “One Little Word” project, or did the word “find” you during this past year? Why does this word represent this past year, and what did you learn in relationship to the word during 2011?

I chose a One Little Word last December. It was move. I chose the word because it represented a number of things that I wanted to do this year. I wanted to move out of the apartment we were living in. I wanted to exercise, to move more. I wanted to move through the unread books on our shelves, and move through the books of the Bible. I wanted to move towards getting my Georgia teaching certificate. I wanted to be on the move, as in travel.

I really didn't meet many of my goals. I haven't officially started exercising, but I did visit my doctor because I'm a good little girl who follows the cautionary "consult your doctor before beginning any exercise program." Also, I bought a really pretty pair of silver and pink running shoes. I also read a lot more this year, but by no means did I clear our bookshelves of unread books. That might have something to do with how many are still in boxes, though. I definitely didn't read the entire Bible, either.

But what did I do? I did move out of that crappy apartment into a beautiful new house. I took a big step towards my Georgia teaching certificate -- I actually called a college and found out what I'd need to do to enroll in the class I need to take (but circumstances prevent me from enrolling right now). I also did some traveling, too. I didn't go anywhere super exciting, but I did go to Kennedy Space Center on Endeavor's launch morning. I went to New Hampshire and saw the most incredible views along Sand Pond Lake. I also went to Ohio to support a friend whose mother passed away.

What I learned about the word "move" this year is simply this: "move" simply means to be in motion. It doesn't mean to finish. It doesn't mean anything about reaching a destination or completing a task. It simply means to be in motion. When I look at my goals for 2011 in that context, I feel very good about what I've accomplished. I am simply in motion.

Reflections 2011: The Prompts 1-7

2011-11-30T23:19:00.001-05:00

These are the journaling prompts I'll be using on my blog in the first week of December 2011. I'll post the next seven prompts on December 7. Each set will continue to be posted on Wednesday nights until December 21, when I'll post the last set of prompts.

No Reverb 11 :(

2011-11-30T14:10:00.001-05:00

I received an email last night saying that there would be no Reverb this year. I'm bit heartbroken about this. I loved the prompts last year! I was really looking forward to the prompts as a way of reflecting on this past year. Gwen Bell suggested in her email that we choose our own prompts and post them to our blogs. I feel like I am up for this challenge. I'm going to work on a list of prompts for my personal use over the next few days. I'm hoping to post the prompts here in segments so that if others choose to play along, they may join me without having to wait for a daily prompt to be posted or emailed to them.

I'm going to try to post the first seven prompts later this evening. I hope you'll join along!

Thankful Thursday - Thanksgiving - 11.24.11

2011-11-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!

This week, I'm thankful for:

Nyquil & Dayquil & Claritin & hot apple cider: Monday night I ended up with a fever that turned into a bit of a chest cold. I called in sick for the first time as a sub on Tuesday. I'm feeling much better today, but Trevor and I scaled back our Thanksgiving plans significantly.
Goodwill: I found a dress in my favorite color today. It was my size. And the previous owner wrote her initials inside -- LV!!! For just under $6, I now have a wonderful new dress that I KNOW was meant for me. :)
Publix: We picked up our Thanksgiving ingredients today, and I LOVED how efficient the trip was!
Trevor: For taking care of me this week while I was miserable.

Trevor and I will be spending the day alone, as we have for the past two years. We had planned to visit my family this year, but when I fell ill, the idea of traveling as non-revenue standbys became out of the question. My family totally understands, and I'm really okay with this decision. We have really enjoyed taking the day for ourselves, sharing a bottle of wine, and a simple dinner each year that we've lived in Georgia. Two years ago, we bought a precooked turkey breast from BJ's Wholesale and made dinner at our apartment. Last year, we had turkey taco salad at a hotel room in Columbus, Georgia during Trevor's long overnight. This year, we bought a package of turkey cutlets, and we've got stuffing, salad, pumpkin muffin mix, and a bottle of mead.

A lesson in economical card making

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: My scrap stash, a sheet of Wausau printer cardstock, Studio 18 gems from the Michael's dollar section, rub-ons from a Making Memories pack, Colorbox Ink, Stamps from Studio Calico, and twine from Crate & Barrel}

This card was inspired by one from Britta Swiderski. Please check her out if you haven't already done so!

This summer, my friend Becca asked me to become her cardmaker. You see, she said she had probably used every single dollar card at the grocery store/Wal-Mart/Target, and our Hallmark just closed. There's one in Peachtree City, but it isn't worth the trip over there just for one or two cards, you know? So she asked me what I could make for a dollar. This card is the result of that. I dove into my scrap pile and pulled out a few coordinating scraps. I knew I wanted to go with the red, black, and white color scheme because I have something like a thousand yards (no kidding) of this baker's twine I bought at Crate and Barrel for $8 last year at Christmas time.

Whenever I'm stuck for a card design, I go to BrittaSwiderski.com. Britta is a student at the University of Minnesota and a brilliant, prolific paper crafter. I'm always amazed at how often she has new and unique cards to post on her blog. So, when I needed an idea for what to do with these leftover pieces, I turned to Britta, and she did not disappoint me! Her post inspired me to pullout the stamp set that came in my January 2011 Studio Calico Add-on Kit, Mary Jane (and let's be honest here, this particular stamp set is what put me over the edge to become a subscriber). I used my Martha Stewart Score Board to score the lines on the black piece, which was done to help me place the rub-on AND to add some interest to a card that is otherwise void of patterns. I skipped inking the edges because I didn't have a good color to mix into this, and I switched out Britta's pearls for some blue gems to add a little color.

Have you ever made a card based on a design someone else created? Or have you ever had to do a card on a budget? Let me know in the comments section!

Kyndra's birthday

2011-11-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: PP by Making Memories, Butterfly die by ProvoCraft/Cuttlebug, Cardstock by DCWV, Ink by Stampabilities, Gems by Studio 18, and Stamp by Studio G}

Another quick card share. I've been trying to use up paper pads to make room for new stuff, so when I realized the old DCWV stack that I had bought in college matched this Making Memories stack so well, I combined the two make a couple sets of birthday cards. I made several of these, but this one went to my friend Kyndra on her 40th birthday in August. This card is proof that you really don't need a lot to make a quick and simple card that turns out lovely.

Happy Anniversary!

2011-11-12T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Scraps, Stamp by Studio Calico, Gems by Studio 18, Chipboard Letter by Making Memories, Rub-on by American Crafts, Ink by Stampabilities, Embossing Folder by ProvoCraft/Cuttlebug and die by QuicKutz}

Just a quick share of a card I made this summer for our friends Ryan and Katherine Wermes' third wedding anniversary. The W actually fell off prior to me putting this card in the mail, so I need to figure out a better way to attach it, since the Tombox Mono Adhesive (wet, dual tip model) didn't do the trick. This was a really quick card that stemmed out of me just playing with the stamp and the scraps I had around from some other projects. I really love the cathedral circle row that came in the July Studio Calico kit. I have always loved that design, and I hope someday I might be able to convince my mom to do a baby quilt using some bright tangerine, aqua, yellow, and white fabrics when we decide to have or adopt a baby.

Today is the day my little sister arrives to visit for the first time! She has only previously been to Atlanta for layovers while traveling to Dothan, Alabama to see her friend Katie, who now lives in Savannah. She and her friend Erica were able to spend one night with us at our apartment about nine months after we moved to Newnan, but on the way back, we didn't get to see her. This time, though, we're going to have a busy six days seeing the sights, getting crafty, and just spending time together for the first time in quite awhile.

Thankful Thursday - 11.10.11 Edition

2011-11-10T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Image courtesy of Elle's Studio}

1. Air travel
2. Shutterfly
3. Sunshine
4. Cookies
5. Vegetables
6. Fruit
7. All of our wonderful couple friends
8. Our community group
9. My discipleship group
10. All of our other wonderful friends

All Things Grow with Love

2011-11-09T15:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Stamps: Autumn Leaves, Patterned Paper, Cardstock, and Button: American Crafts, Thread: Aunt Lydia's Crochet Thread, Ink: Stampabilities}

This is another one of those cards that came out of the tremendous joy of hearing great news. Our friends Dave and Erin found out in August that they are expecting their first child in April! When Trevor called to tell me the news, tears started streaming down my face. I knew I wanted to send them a congratulatory card, but I wasn't sure what to do until I started picking through my stamps. I found the little baby feet that were part of a value box I bought at Ross last year, and I knew they were perfect. A little more searching and I saw "all things grow with love," and I realized it was a perfect sentiment for a "congratulations on your pregnancy" card. I used scraps from an American Crafts page kit that I bought at Hobby Lobby almost two years ago now. I couldn't believe how quickly and beautifully this card came together.

Last night, we found out that Dave and Erin's baby will be a girl. I can't wait to start working on projects for their Little Miss! I told Dave he would be in all kinds of trouble, and he said, "I'm not in trouble. She just can't date until she's 35!" And yep, there were tears streaming down my face again when Dave told me the news on the phone last night. Since Trevor's brother and my sister aren't married yet, it will be awhile before they and their fiances give us nieces or nephews, so this baby girl is sort of our practice run at being an aunt and uncle! :)

Welcome Home Card

2011-11-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Making Memories Dilly Dally line stamps, stickers, paper, and diecut paper; ink by Colorbox, 5x7 card blank from Hobby Lobby}

When we got married, a number of really kind people took tons of pictures of our wedding and mailed them to us shortly after the ceremony. I was so touched by this, and many of those photos are my favorites from our wedding day. Since then, I've done the same for nearly every wedding I've been to. I do my best to find out the honeymoon plans and time the photo files to arrive when the newlyweds return home. People are always thrilled to get the photos, and they love going through them. I made this card to go with the photos I took at Mike and Brittany Whiddon's wedding on April 2, 2011. I made it to match their wedding colors: pink and green, just like Trevor's and my wedding!

PS: If you live in the US and are eligible to do so, GO VOTE!

Country Living Fair 2011

2011-11-07T21:37:00.002-05:00

Trevor and I went to the opening day of the 2011 Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain. It was fabulous! We took care of birthday gifts for our moms, got some fun ideas for decorating our house, and made some fabulous finds at this booth:

If you don't recognize her, that would be Jenni Bowlin, with me, in front of her booth. She and her husband were so nice! Trevor and I both picked up goodies at her booth -- I found some good stuff for scrapping and Trevor got a set of three vintage space shuttle prints for his LEGO room. We learned from talking to Jenni that she'd purchased a huge set and gave some to her nephew before reselling the rest. It's kind of fun to think that the stuff in Trevor's LEGO room/airplane room is part of a set that is inspiring a sense of wonder in some little boy's room right now! :)

We also got a cute picture, courtesy of a random couple, in front of this year's rendition of the pile of squash. An edited version, missing the hipster with the stroller, appears on our 2011 Holiday cards -- I made Thanksgiving cards this year. I posted a preview here a couple days ago. :)

I love, love the Country Living Fair! If you missed it this year, check it out next year, or take a trip to Austin for their fair in April!

Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Points: The Original One :)

2011-11-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

{Supplies: Patterned paper: October Afternoon, Cardstock: Paper Studio (kraft) and Bazzill, Letters: Basic Grey (red) and Sassafras, Buttons: My Mind's Eye Lost & Found, Canvas: Punky Sprouts, Journaling pen: American Crafts}

The origin of this page is from Shimelle's first Scrapbook Starting Point, posted in August. I wanted to try to finish up my January Studio Calico kit, which didn't work -- I ended up pulling out other papers from the OA line I loved so much in the kit. I did use the letters, embellishments, and scraps from the kit, though. I chose my photos by pulling out a few photo sets & choosing the ones that went best with this. Trevor made the final call for me -- it was between this set and a set of photos from our trip to New Hampshire in July.

Have a happy Sunday!

PS: Trevor is wearing the same shirt as in this photo today. It's a "Bovine University" shirt, in reference to an episode of the "The Simpsons." :)

30 Blows!

2011-11-05T13:06:00.001-04:00

Cheesy. Funny. Cheap.

These are the adjectives I'd use to describe this project, in that order. Just after we got the invite to Justin's 30th Birthday Party, I stumbled upon some projects like this on Pinterest. I knew I wanted to do something like this, but I was instructed by Jennifer, Justin's wife, to keep it at or under $5.

So we started at Dollar Tree, where I found a foam ring and crepe paper in our university's colors. We picked up the blow pops at Wal-Mart for $5, but since we only used half the bag, we counted that at $2.50. The skewers and white cardstock were already at home, and I can't count the 97 cent bottle of paint because that will be used on other projects, too. Since I only used half of each package of crepe paper, I'm going to say this project cost us $4.50 to make.

If you're interested in making one of your own, it's pretty simple. I wrapped the whole green floral foam ring with one full roll of white crepe paper. Then, I did a candy cane wrap of green over it. I took one of the unpainted skewers and poked 33 holes around the ring, as the suckers aren't strong enough to go through all the crepe and foam by themselves. I then stuck in the suckers. I painted the three skewers by jabbing them through the bottom of an upside down styrofoam bowl, and let dry. I used MS Office Word 2010 to type the sentiments and punched it out with a 2 inch circle punch. I also punched two plain circles from the scraps of that sheet. I used a pair of Glubers for the frills of crepe paper, finger pleating as I wrapped around. I pressed the skewers into the back side of the Glubers, and stuck down the plain circles. On the front side of the crepe, I used American Crafts This to That dot roller to attach the sentiments. The flag at the back was done simply by sticking some adhesive to the crepe paper, rolling the skewer into it, and trimming the ends to look pretty.

Cheesy. Funny. Cheap.

I can't wait to give this to Justin tonight! :)

Stationery card

2011-11-04T22:12:00.001-04:00

Falling For Fall Fall Greeting

Click here and see Shutterfly's one-of-a-kind selection of announcements.

View the entire collection of cards.

YCU! Masculine Cards Blog Hop!

2011-11-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the "Young Crafters Unite! Masculine Cards Blog Hop!" You should be arriving here from Kristy's blog. If you're just stumbling upon the blog hop, I'd encourage you to check out Young Crafters Unite and start from the beginning. There are some fabulous prizes to be won from the hop sponsors, Simon Says Stamp and Paper Smooches!

{Supplies: June 2011 Studio Calico kit (Paper Moon), EK Success airplane punch, Heidi Swapp for Advantus chipboard star, American Crafts Thickers}

This card is based on the latest card sketch from Sketch Support. I modified it by switching out the flowers with the circle, airplane, and star, and I skipped the stitching. Also, I trimmed my papers to a single point instead of the double-point on the sketch.

I chose my papers and embellishments because they were masculine but still fun. I immediately turned to the Paper Moon kit from Studio Calico because it was my favorite kit this year for masculine pages. It's literally in pieces -- there are no full sheets left in the kit. It's always sad to see the end of a kit, but I'm happy because it means I've got the challenge of turning the remaining bits into cards!

The card is intended for our friend Justin, who turns 30 this weekend. He's a pilot, hence the little airplane! He and his wife went to college with Trevor, and Justin ended up being hired at Trevor's airline a month after Trevor. Justin and Jennifer ended up living in the same little Atlanta suburb as us, so we've grown to be good friends with the two of them over the past year. I've got one more little project planned for Justin's birthday, but since it isn't ready yet, I'll probably be sharing that tomorrow. Be sure to check back then -- I promise it will blow you away! ;)

Here's links to a few more masculine cards I've done:

The next stop on the blog is Jessica Yoder-Jones. Happy hopping!

Thankful Thursdays - 11.3.11

2011-11-03T13:04:00.000-04:00

{Image Courtesy of Elle's Studio}

Last year, Elle's Studio ran a feature on their blog during November called "Thankful Thursdays." I decided I want to continue it this year throughout November because gratitude is something I've been thinking about a lot lately. I'm huge on showing gratitude, and yet, I'm still extremely touched when people show me gratitude for what I've done. I'd like to use this space each week to show gratitude for the people, places, and things I'd be lost without. My plan had been to write down one thing each day in November and blog it on Thursdays, but I realized that would mean only three things today, and seven things every other week this month, with a few things after Thanksgiving that wouldn't get blogged at all. So, it's going to be a random list each week influenced by what I'm writing down daily on my notepad.

Here's this week's list:

1. Antibiotics - Trevor has an ear blockage, which meant a trip to the doctor, a course of antibiotics, and a sick call to work this week. I'm grateful that the antibiotics work so quickly to make him feel better when this happens. Due to his job as a pilot and all the altitude changes, this happens about three or four times a year.

2. My family - My mom, my dad, and my sister are some of the funniest people I've ever met. Maybe I just think that because our senses of humor are obviously derived from one another, but they are awesome. My sister will be visiting me in Georgia in just over a week. It will be her first real visit here -- she was here for about 12 hours nearly two years ago on her way to Alabama for spring break with a friend whose husband was stationed there in the Army. It's been almost 6 months since I've seen my family, so I'm extremely excited to have her here.

3. Publix - Fresh produce, delicious bread, lots of $5 off coupons, a generous coupon policy for customers, and good customer service in general. It's my favorite place to shop. I'd be lying if I didn't say that the proximity to Publix was also a factor in choosing our house. We're less than five minutes away from the closest Publix, which is great for the nights when we forget one little thing that we need for the meal we've already started cooking!

4. Papercrafting - I love that I have this creative outlet. Comparatively speaking, it's a cheap hobby. Yes, the fancy tools and huge stamp packs can be pricey, but all you need is about $20 to get the basic tools and you can create beautiful stuff rather inexpensively.

5. Elle's Studio - The beautiful tags, the quick shipping, and all the lovely freebies that end up in my order each time I place one -- I'm grateful for having such a great company to purchase craft supplies from.

6. Teachers who request me on SubFinder - It's a huge vote of confidence in my abilities, it guarantees me a day of pay, and it takes off the pressure to find a sub job for that day. I'm so grateful for these people!

7. Mrs. Harkey -- a sub coordinator at one of my schools who has never hesitated to call me, tell me how great I am, and suggest me for long-term sub positions. What an awesome lady!

December Daily 2011: Possible Albums

2011-11-03T09:00:00.000-04:00

Left to Right: Martha Stewart Crafts binder kit, We R Memory Keepers 8.5x11 Leather Binder, We R Memory Keepers 8x8 postbound linen album, American Crafts 12x12 linen binder, Chatterbox Inc. suede postbound 8x8 album, American Crafts 6x12 corduroy album

I've decided to do a December Daily for 2011. I did one in 2009, and this year feels like the right time to try it again. We've got a new house, we might actually get to see both families for the holidays this year, we've got church activities related to the holidays, and I've got lots of plans for decorating and making handmade gifts. This just seems like the right year to do my second December Daily album.

My previous DD was in an 8x8 American Crafts red linen binder. I did more of a traditional layout each day, using almost exclusively Elle's Studio products with Bazzill Cardstock I purchased specifically to match Elle's 4x4 Christmas papers. I'm not sure that's what I want to do this year, though, so I'm looking for more flexibility than I had before. I'd like to experiment with different sizes of prints and page protectors.

Money is tight for us this year, so I vowed to use almost exclusively things from my stash. Over the past few years, I've gotten quite the stash of mini albums and larger albums. I've pulled a few to consider for my DD this year. I think I know which one I want to use, but I'm still not sure, so that's why I'm blogging about these today.

The pros of the Martha Stewart Crafts binder are that is is alterable, it is a small size, meaning I could do full page photos easily, and it comes with some stickers and embellishments that could work with the DD. The cons are the bright red, which doesn't really match my Christmas products, and that it is a very narrow binder, limiting how much I could include.

The pros of the remaining binders are that they are easy to open and add to out of sequence, and offer larger canvases for telling my stories. I know that I can add a variety of page protectors to this style of album, giving me a lot of freedom in how I tell my stories. The problem is that they might be too large for this project. Also, the bright red binder doesn't quite match up with the other products I'll be using.

The green linen postbound album has been in my stash for a long time. It has a wide binding, leaving me plenty of room for telling these stories, and it has reinforced corners, making it durable. However, it is still a postbound album, making adding things difficult. I also worry that this might have too much space for me to add to as well. Meanwhile, the small red postbound album might be too thin, restricting how much I can add to it.

OLW: 2 months to go!

2011-11-01T12:49:00.000-04:00

Move.

That was my One Little Word for 2011. Trevor and I agreed on that one at this time last year. We wanted out of that apartment so badly, and we knew we needed to move into a place of our own. We made sacrifices (like the cable television services and the twice a month trips to Panera Bread Co.). We scaled back on celebrations. We found ourselves in our dream house. The house definitely didn't make life perfect, and it certainly has brought with it a whole new set of problems. We love our house, but there are definitely some challenges we weren't ready for, like a tree falling down six months after we moved in!

There's still so much that I didn't accomplish related to this year's word, but I'm hoping to change that over these next two months. Now is a perfect time to start exercising, reading the books I've got piled up, and moving towards getting my Georgia teaching certificate. I know I can read easily, as I've got plenty of time when I substitute teach. It's the working out and getting the teaching certificate that are the problem. It's hard for me to spend the money on those things right now, especially because getting my certificate means taking a class 45 minutes away from where we live -- that means investing a lot of my time and money, both of which are short right now.

How are you doing on your One Little Word goals?

Sending Love Your Way

2011-10-31T09:00:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Stamp: Hero Arts, Ink: Stampabilities, Paper: Basic Gray, Die: QuicKutz}

Over the past couple months, a lot of people close to me have suffered some extraordinary losses. My best friend lost her mother suddenly and unexpectedly. A pair of our friends who are cousins lost their grandmother a few days before that. A couple weeks later, a couple we are friends with learned the baby they were expecting was no longer living. On the heels of that, another friend of ours lost her grandmother, an extraordinary woman who spent her life in service to others.

As I looked through my patterned papers, trying to figure out what to do for the cards that always the hardest for me to make, I realized that I could do this rather simply by cutting up some of the large patterned papers I had. I cut five sheets of paper from the same Basic Grey line into three 4x12 strips and folded them to create 4x6 cards. I used a sixth sheet to cut the 2x4 inch belly bands, and I used some of the coordinating solid sheets to cut the hearts out. I stamped the hearts, adhered them to the cards, and rounded the corners of each. I ended up with 15 cards, and I've already mailed two of them. I really like that this design is versatile enough to be sent for sympathy, get well, or any other time when you simply want someone dealing with a tough time to know that you are thinking about them.

Halloween Decorations

2011-10-29T13:10:00.000-04:00

This is our first year with a house to decorate for any holidays, and Halloween is our first real holiday in our house. We had just barely moved in at Easter, and we weren't there for much of the time before Easter. My Halloween decorations are fairly modest, as they are primarily contained to two pieces on the mantle in our living room. However, I still wanted to share a peek at how I decorated this year!

Here's a close up of the mantle, mostly as a point of reference for the close ups you'll see below featuring more of the decorations we have out in our house. There isn't a close up of the printer tray because I only got one blurry photo of it, but it's the same one I bought at the Country Living Fair last year. I used a bit of painter's tape to hang a loop of ribbon holding an autumn colored wreath. There's just a couple strips stuck to the back of the tray. I know they aren't visible in this photo, but in the middle of the wreath, there are letter press blocks that form "LVT 7 25 09," our initials and wedding date. I bought the blocks in Savannah a couple days before Easter 2011 while Trevor was flying a trip completely out of Savannah. I went along for it, and it turned out that Trevor got a nearly 48 hour layover because bad weather prevented his plane from landing in Savannah. The store was called The Paris Market, and it was definitely worth the trip by itself.

I found this sign last fall, not too long before Thanksgiving, for something like a dollar at Hobby Lobby. They are really quick to drastic slash prices after a holiday, so I've always made a point to budget a little bit for the post-holiday finds! The little pumpkin is from Target, and the hurricane is from IKEA. The filling is from the Better Homes and Gardens collection at Wal-Mart, with some extra acorns tossed in.

These pumpkins are from Hobby Lobby and Target, respectively. I fell in love with the metal leaves and little bits of glass intertwined in them. Last year, all three of my pumpkins made a trio at our apartment, but it was tougher to do this year.

I bought this frame at Hobby Lobby for $6 last week! I used the free printable from Eighteen25 and printed it at Shutterfly.com. They have Subway art for every occasion, so while I was at it, I also printed one for Christmas.I have a couple other holidays sitting in my Shutterfly account, waiting for them to roll around.

Trevor gave me a Girls Paperie Halloween kit for part of my birthday present this year. We found it at Tuesday Morning in Peachtree City, so I got him to tuck it away for me. I turned into a Happy Halloween banner by adding in a couple yards of ribbon and about two sheets of cardstock.

Finally, we have the little rock heart. There's a beautiful story related to this one. Trevor's mom gave it to us at Easter. The church Trevor's grandfather belongs to has a special relationship with a Catholic church in Haiti. The church was basically destroyed by the earthquake last winter. But out the rubble came these beautiful hearts. The Haitian church members have been carving the stones that once made up their church into these hearts, which they are sending to the US to sell as a fundraiser for their rebuilding efforts. It's a wonderful reminder that when life gives you something ugly, you have the power to turn it into something beautiful!

Turning 27

2011-10-28T14:38:00.000-04:00

9.15. 2011

Since I decorated brownies for Trevor's birthday in August, he decided to surprise me with a strawberry cake (Okay, more like give into my demand that one time, just one time in our marriage, I'd like a birthday cake, and it better be this year). He baked it from scratch, but ran into a few difficulties. He didn't realize he needed two pans for a layer cake and didn't realize there was a difference between a springform pan and a regular cake pan, so his two layers didn't come out exactly the same...or even round. And then he didn't realize that cake pretty much has to be cold before you frost it, or else it will melt the frosting entirely. See all the gooey frosting on the cake plate? That's the middle layer that oozed out!

Before we dug into our delicious cake, though, I had let Trevor spoil me with presents: a Bath & Body Works Summer VIP bag, a set of Girls Paperie Halloween scrapbook supplies, and a Hobby Lobby giftcard. He knows me too well! We also went to Kobe in Peachtree City for dinner that night, too, where we managed to hit their "Happy Hour" and eat very well for about $15!

Trevor's 29th Birthday

2011-10-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

Trevor turned 29 on August 19. It was my first attempt at really decorating a "cake" for him. If it looks a little flat, that's because Trevor hates cake, so I baked him brownies instead. I slathered them with teal cream cheese frosting that I made from scratch and used some Betty Crocker decorator frosting tubes for the rest. I didn't really let it set before we cut into it, so it actually all swirled together a couple minutes after we took this picture on the night before Trevor's birthday.

What does a 29-year-old man ask for on his birthday wish list? Candy and LEGOs, of course! :)

Engagement Card for a Mechanic

2011-10-24T17:38:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Ink: Stampabilities, Stamps: PTI, Car die: PTI, Heart die: QuicKutz, Paper: The Paper Studio, and Cardstock: American Crafts}

I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but my only sister, my darling little sister, Nicole, is getting married next June. Her fiance, Mario, has been a part of our family for nearly 6 years. They met at one of his high school's dances, where Nicole was visiting her friend, Carrie, who had just started going to school there. Nicole and Mario both started college at UND, though he was a year behind her. He realized he didn't want to be doing Mechanical Engineering in an office all day, so he switched schools and majors to become a Diesel Mechanic. Because of this, he and Nicole both graduated in 2010 and took jobs in Jamestown, North Dakota. He moved to Jamestown in November of that year, and he proposed in early April of this year (the day after Mike and Brittany's wedding, in fact). I couldn't be happier to be getting a brother-in-law like Mario!

So, I of course made an engagement card for them. I loved this combination because it has the bling for Nicole and the car for Mario. I really love this paper pad from Hobby Lobby. I normally don't go for their store-branded papers because they are usually thin, and look like knock-offs of other manufacturers, which I find to be extremely tacky. However, this pack was different -- thick papers, unique designs, and wedding patterns in more than just the usual colors and styles. I've actually made a few bridal shower cards with these papers, too, but I haven't had a chance to use them yet. I think I'm going to hang onto at least one to use for Nicole, though!

Edited to add: Just after I posted this, I found out their photographer, the amazing Mandi Carroll, added their photos to her Facebook page here. The pictures are fabulous and I can't wait to see what Mandi does with with wedding next summer!

Engagement Cards for Pilots :)

2011-10-22T09:00:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Patterned paper: KI Memories, Stamps: Paper Trey Ink and Studio Calico (clouds), twine: Crate & Barrel, Ink: Colorbox (black) and Stampabilities (white), Sew Easy stitching tool and Loop wheel}

Over one weekend in July, two of our pilot friends got engaged -- Luke proposed to his lovely long-time girlfriend, Katie, and James proposed to his girlfriend-who-sounds-amazing, Traci (we haven't met Traci yet but we've heard rave reviews from everyone who has!). Trevor and I were ecstatic about both engagements. I try to keep the "married life is great" talk to a minimum because single life is great too -- but there is something spectacular about two people choosing to be a permanent part of each other's lives.

So of course, once I saw the news on Facebook, I did what I always do when I hear joyous news: I went to the craft room. This has always happens, but the project produced isn't consistent. Sometimes, what ends up happening is a baby afghan, but more often, it's a card. In this case, it was a pair of nearly identical cards for each couple. I knew immediately what I wanted to make because I wanted it to appeal to the guys as well as the girls, so of course, I had to have airplanes. "Enjoy the Ride" is the perfect sentiment for an engagement card. I'm big on telling people to enjoy the ride -- don't waste your last period of singleness throwing yourself into your wedding, wishing the time away, or focusing on things that don't matter right now. Just focus on the moment.

Tonight, we'll be at an engagement party for Luke and Katie at their house on the north side of Atlanta. I'm thrilled to see them -- it's been about six months. In a few days I'll (hopefully) be able to share some photos from the party and the card I've made to go along with their engagement gift.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Country Living Fair 2010

2011-10-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last year in October, my parents and grandmother came to visit Atlanta for the first time. It just so happened that their trip coincided with the first ever Atlanta Country Living Fair at Stone Mountain. My mom thought it would be a once in a lifetime opportunity for her to go to something really neat that she just wouldn't see in North Dakota -- or even the next time she came to Atlanta. I'm so glad we went.

My mom bought the printer tray I'm holding the photo above as part of my Christmas gift last year. It was from an antique shop in Maryland (I think? I lost the receipt) that brought scads of old chairs, printer trays, and sugar loaf molds, the kind you now see in a lot of places as candle holders. My favorite part, though, was the Jenni Bowlin Studio booth. It wasn't until I read her blog a few days later that I realized I'd purchased my goodies from her husband!

This stack of pumpkins and gourds was sort of the centerpiece between the food vendors and the exhibitors. It was probably close to 7 feet tall, and it was certainly one of the neatest things I saw that day.

But it definitely wasn't as cool as the squirrel we caught with a gummy worm! :)

Trevor and I will be visiting the Country Living Fair's 2011 edition today. If you're in the Atlanta area this weekend and looking for something fun to do, I highly suggest making the trip to Stone Mountain. Tickets are $16 at the gate, after you've paid $10 in park entry fees to Stone Mountain Park. Adventure passes for the park cost extra, but you don't need to pay if you'd just like to walk up the mountain, view the carving, or hang around on the green for the laser light show that evening.

Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Points: Part 2

2011-10-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Studio Calico September 2011 kit, Travel Smash Pad from the June 2011 Studio Calico kit, Making Memories mini brads, American Crafts Precision Pen}

This is my take on Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Point from September 17, 2011. This is just the second one I've done, but there were more than two before this one, and there have been more than two since then, so I'm clearly behind on playing with this challenge, but I am hoping to get a good day of crafting in again soon so I can play with these challenges. The bonus challenge to this Starting Point was use a striped piece as the background, which immediately had me reaching for my September Studio Calico kit -- the airplane patterned paper meant I had to order more SC paper, so I had three sheets of the striped paper to work with, and three sheets of the airplane paper. The geometric paper behind the photo is the reverse side of the striped paper, so I really didn't use a lot of different products on this layout, though it looks more complex than that. I loved that I used a lot of yellow on this page, as I rarely use yellow in my scrapbooking.

Have you tried the Scrapbook Starting Point challenges at Shimelle.com yet? Check it out on Saturday if you haven't!

PS: Happy birthday, Mom! I don't think you read my blog, but just in case, happy birthday, and I love you.

Yeah! Burger -- Virginia Highlands

2011-10-19T10:20:00.000-04:00

On October 1, our dear friend Jared had an Atlanta overnight. He's another ASA (soon-to-be-ExpressJet) employee, based in Detroit. While trying to think of a place to take him for dinner, I decided to browse my UrbanSpoon wishlist. Yeah! Burger and Farm Burger have long been on my list for one reason, and one reason only: they both serve grassfed beef, the very sort of beef my dad my raises and that I grew up eating.

Oh my word. That's what Jared said repeatedly as we were eating our burgers. All three of us thought they were incredible. Trevor and I went for the traditional grassfed burgers, while Jared went with a bison burger. My burger was incredible. It was the only burger I've eaten at a restaurant that tasted like the burgers off my parents' grill on the farm.

Trevor's fries were so delicious he skipped the sauces completely. Jared had a cup of Cowboy Caviar, which was unfamiliar to both Trevor and me, but garnished with some adorable microgreens. I probably took the most boring approach, which was kettle chips and a side of housemade ranch dressing. I totally did not realize the chips were bagged and flavored. If I had realized this, I probably would have done fries or fried pickles. I was pretty much bound and determined to try their ranch dressing, though. It was completely amazing. Creamy, delicious, and tangy -- just as it should be.

The service was also excellent. The bussers stopped by our table several times to take things away when we were done, and the cashier was extremely knowledgeable about everything on the menu. Jared mentioned that the guy revealed he was part of the "Well, it's all organic, so it's all good" camp when Jared asked questions. The meal was also a lot more reasonably priced than I expected -- Trevor and I spent about $20, which is what we end up spending at Chik-fil-a or Shane's Rib Shack, and this was a far better dining experience than either of those two restaurants!

Yeah! Burger - Virginia Highlands
1017 N. Highland Ave.
Atlanta, GA 30306
404.437.7845

Changes....

2011-10-18T09:35:00.001-04:00

October 10, 2011

Trevor took a self-portrait in our bathroom mirror on the morning of October 10 because it was the last time he would wear his silver stripes and wings on his blazer for Atlantic Southeast Airlines. That morning, he had to turn his blazer in for re-striping. As part of the process of merging the recently-purchased ExpressJet into the company, they chose to go to gold stripes and wings. Later that week, we learned that ASA has also chosen, via company-wide vote, to name the combined company ExpressJet as a nod to the fact that the combined company will certainly not be a southeast-exclusive airline. So, effective January 1, 2012, Trevor will be wearing ExpressJet wings and flying for ExpressJet.

Though we knew this would be the likely outcome, it's still a bit disappointing. It's frustrating that I'll have to explain to my family and friends that Trevor doesn't have a new job, his company didn't get bought out, but it's just a name change. The whole situation with flying for a connection carrier is often pretty difficult for people outside of the industry to understand. Simply put, what Trevor does is fly the "commuter jets" for a company that has been contracted to do so by both Delta and United. So, he gets paid one paycheck, by the company he works for (you'd be surprised how often I get asked if he gets a paycheck from Delta and from United).

Amid all this, my job situation is also different. The long-term substitute teaching position I started the school year with ended unexpectedly in mid-September. I left on a Friday thinking I'd be back on Monday, and instead learned over the weekend that my time there was done. It was a really frustrating experience because I didn't feel like I got the chance to say goodbye to my students, and there was no sense of closure. It was just over. It hit me harder than I expected it would.

However, it turned out to be a major blessing. About two weeks later, I took a substitute job at a local middle school. It happened to be in Language Arts, which is my subject area.The teacher came back at noon, and she was so happy with how the day had gone that she requested me for a day the following week! On the day following that sub job, the principal of the school called and asked if I could come visit with her that afternoon. I was offered another long-term substitute position! This will be 6-7 weeks from late February through mid-April, and I'll be teaching 8th grade Literature. It is my favorite subject, and my favorite grade. We have already begun tentative planning. We're on the same page as far as classroom management and class time flow. I have a good idea of what to expect, and I've already gotten to discuss discipline systems with the principal. I have so much confidence in this going well because I feel like I have an excellent support system built into this school.

In the meantime, I'm going to be continuing with my day-to-day subbing. I'm working about three days a week, which is actually what I was doing with the long-term sub job I had in August and September. I've had some rough days in kindergarten classes and some wonderful days in middle school classes. Today, I'm supervising a high school student's in-school suspension. Tomorrow, I'll be filling in for a learning specialist at a high school in town. I'm enjoying the chance to check out some other areas, and I'm letting myself be open to the possibility that I might get another degree if I find something else that I really enjoy teaching.

The Good Life, part 1

2011-10-17T15:16:00.000-04:00

Over this past month, I've been taking Amy Tangerine's "The Good Life" online class at Big Picture Classes. I have never taken any sort of scrapbook class before. When I was a beginner scrapbooker, I didn't have anything available locally, and online classes just weren't there yet. I found myself looking to magazines and scrapbooking websites for most of my techniques. I did a great job of learning from those. I actually taught a couple classes at a store in Grand Forks, even though I'd never taken a class -- how crazy is that?

However, Amy's reverse applique technique was just too cute for me to resist taking her class this fall. I really feel like it will be the most worthwhile thing I've done, even if I never use anything else from the class -- but the class was full of great things I'm sure I'll use down the road!

The bodysuit* above is the first project I made for Amy's class. I was inspired by the star-spangled bodysuit I saw at Wal-Mart to do an airplane in matching colors. I bought a quarter yard of matching flannel at Wal-Mart. I used my Slice to cut out the template for my airplane out of cardstock I didn't plan on using (it was an absurd color included in a multi-pack I bought years ago). Since I already had everything else I needed, my total cost for this project was about $4 after taxes!

It was such a quick and easy project that I'm already plotting a lot more bodysuits for my friends -- we currently have six pregnant friends! Since a few of them are pilots or pilot wives, I'm thinking there will be bodysuits with airplanes for quite a few of these babies. We've got no plans to join them right now, but I'm certainly enjoying browsing for cute baby outfits!

*Did you know that Gerber Childrenswear had a trademark on the term "Onesie" and aggressively defends their exclusive right to use the name? Crazy!

Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Points

2011-10-13T09:00:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Studio Calico February Kit, Candy Shoppe; American Crafts precision pen; American Crafts Thickers, and Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type}

Journaling reads: "Memorial Day 2010 was the first time we met Tyler's girlfriend, Jennifer Costidck. Since they'd been together 6 months, Diane wanted a family photo for the Christmas cards. It didn't quite turn out, but it's still our first family photo!"

This layout is based on a Scrapbook Starting Point from Shimelle Laine. My first thought when I saw it was that it would be a cute card, but I don't like making square cards, so I started thinking of A2 cards, which led me to think of 8.5x11 layouts, and here you have it! It was page that came together fairly quickly once I got started on it.

And can I just say that I am LOVING Shimelle's Scrapbook Starting Points? I haven't played along with all of them, but the ones I have done (okay, the two I have done) have been a really fun challenge for me. If you'd like to play along, head over to Shimelle.com on Saturday afternoons -- she'll have the starting point for the week posted then. I can't wait to see what she inspires us with next!

Michael's 29th Birthday

2011-10-12T17:37:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Paper: Studio Calico, My Mind's Eye (ephemera); Stamps: Paper Trey Ink; Twine: My Mind's Eye Lime Twist; Ink: Stampabilities; Embossing Powder: Zing by American Crafts}

Our friend Michael turned 29 on Friday. Since I had to work a lot last week, I had to whip up a really quick card the night before the party. As I was putting away my goodies from this month's Studio Calico box on Thursday night, I realized that the map paper from the July kit would make a cute card. So, I simply folded the leftover sheet I had in half, stamped an airplane on it, and embossed it. I added the strip for the sentiment, and I trimmed the banner from a piece of a Studio Calico bag. I used extra Thicker numbers (I got a bad batch in my July kit, but SC was nice enough to replace them ASAP!) and a piece of twine to finish it off.

{Trevor, me, Michael, Brittany, and Todd}

We had a great evening celebrating with Michael at his house. Even though it was just the five of us, we had a blast visiting, playing Rock Band, and of course, eating amazing burgers Mike grilled and yummy cupcakes Brittany baked!

Scraps

2011-09-08T12:22:00.000-04:00

{Supplies used: Studio Calico February Kit, "Candy Shoppe;" Martha Stewart Crafts heart punch; Sew Easy zig-zag head; cream thread}

This card was based on a sketch from Sketch Support, but I don't think it ended up close enough to the orginal to even link back to it. I laid down a dry adhesive across the front of the card and started laying leftover strips across the card. I used it as a birthday card, but it could be used for anything - a "thinking of you" card, thank you note, "get well soon" card, or even a valentine!

The card was primarily made from leftovers of a pair of layouts I did back in February or March. I'd like to post them later this month if I get a chance to play with my scanner. One is a photo-free layout, while the other is a word-free layout. Together, they tell the story of a weekend, but can stand alone if desired. I love that. I had actually sort of forgotten about them until I was making this card and realized I had all these little paper strips left over in the same length.

Life has been busy lately. I was off from work this past Monday, and I couldn't believe how nice it was to just be home alone. I realized it was the first day I had been home for the entire day since somewhere around August 11! This is really different from how my life has been in the past two years. Trevor had to work on Saturdays for so long that we rarely did anything with friends on those nights, and I've rarely worked five day work weeks as a substitute. This fall, I've worked almost every school day (we've been in session for a month already). We've had plans every weekend, too, and this one is no exception. Thanks to the shortened week, my school has to adjust the schedule to make up the block classes that were missed on Monday, so I've got tomorrow off. It's going to be a day of relaxing with my husband, cleaning my scrapbook room, relaxing, and hopefully, scrapbooking or cardmaking. :)

What I'm Reading: Blog Edition - August 2011

2011-09-03T11:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the first post in my new series, "What I've Been Reading!"

Once a month, I'm going to share a short blog roll -- sometimes there will a theme, and other times the only common denominator might be the fact that I love them all. This month, I'm going to share a list of my all-time favorites -- a selection of blogs I've been reading for at least the past year.

Blogs I've Been Reading: Long-time Favorites Edition:

Ali Edwards

I love pretty much everything Ali Edwards has ever done. She has an incredible talent for telling the story with both words and photos. For a girl with a newspaper background like me, telling a story through words and photos is important.

Jennifer McGuire Ink.

When I first started visiting Two Peas In A Bucket, I was drawn to Jennifer McGuire's projects in the Designer Garden because she was one of the youngest designers there. She was also single at the time, which made her projects extra special to me, a single college girl. Since that time, Jennifer has gotten married, had a baby who started kindergarten this fall, and transitioned primarily into making cards and other projects. I have always loved her work, and I hope you will, too.

Skinny Taste

I discovered Skinny Taste via Ali Edwards' Twitter account last year. Trevor and I love the recipes on Skinny Taste. Greek Zucchini Meatballs, Barbecoa Beef, Cilantro Lime Rice, Corn Salsa...It's all delicious, and it's all healthy!

The Project Girl

Jen Allyson is a designer at Design House Digitals and My Mind's Eye -- she's responsible for the darling Lime Twist line and the amazing, vintagey Lost & Found lines. Though I love her paper, her free printables are what have me following her blog. The Project Girl is almost a misnomer -- she's really The Organization Girl. Her printables have helped me through a move, packing for a honeymoon, planning for the holidays, and all sorts of things!

Kelly Purkey

Kelly Purkey first caught my eye on Two Peas in a Bucket for her bright projects, mostly featuring food and travel (two of my biggest loves as well). She is fun, upbeat, and courageous -- the girl picked up and moved to NYC from Chicago simply because it was her dream to do so!

Hacking Netflix

A great place to keep up to date on what's happening with Netflix, Roku, and various alternative sources for TV and movie content. Since we cancelled our cable six months ago, Hacking Netflix helps us figure out how to find content we want to watch via inexpensive and legal means. :)

PostSecret

A collection of touching, moving secrets mailed from anonymous people to Frank Warren. The cards are artfully done, well-written, and wonderfully moving. Note: This is usually not safe for work or sensitive eyes.

Things Organized Neatly

A collection of images featuring, well, things organized neatly. It appeals to the IKEA-loving part of me that values order, clean lines, and organization.

Unclutterer

A lot of great ideas for dealing with the extra "stuff" in our homes. Unitasker Wednesdays are my favorite -- a item with a single task is featured. More often than not, it's an item for the kitchen because, let's face it, we all fall for kitchen gadgets.

Fed Up With Lunch

In 2010, an anonymous teacher in the Chicago area ate school lunch every day and blogged about it, including the changes in her health, the way her students reacted to the food, and her concerns about what was served in schools. Now, she's working on a book, and blogs about school nutrition reform. (PS: I'll go ahead and "out" myself -- I'm the survey respondent who wrote about "lunner" last week!)

**************************************************

If you check out any of these blogs, please let me know! If you're already a reader, I'd love to know, too! And, if this list has made you think, "Oh! Lynsey would like this blog, too!" please let me know!

Happy reading!

What happened to the "read" part of this blog?

2011-08-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

I realized that I've neglected the very first word in my blog title for the nearly two and a half years I've had this blog. I'm not sure why. I spend plenty of time reading - books, blogs, magazines, message boards, etc. I suppose I've fallen into this trap of thinking that what I read isn't of the caliber to be shared, or that no one wants to know what I thought of the books I've been reading.

However, I'm going to try to start synthesizing my thoughts on what I've been reading. I have tons of thoughts on everything I read, but I'm really out of practice as far as putting things into "sharing form." I feel like I might need to join a book club or something, but the only one I know of right now would require me to participate via Skype, and frankly, that just seems wrong. Book clubs aren't meant to be disconnected like that. They should be fun, personal, meetings in someone's living room over appetizers and herbal tea, right?

Beginning in September, I'll post a rundown of what I've been reading and/or a book/magazine review each Saturday. I'm not sure if this will spoil or not, but I feel like I have to say it in the interest of full disclosure: most of these posts will be of the pre-scheduled variety, as I'll probably spend some time working on them in the week(s) before I post them, and I'll probably be busy on Saturdays doing fun things like going to see the Braves play at Turner Field, picking my little sister up at the airport for a fun-filled week in the ATL, going to Alpharetta for Buca di Beppo, or flying around the country to see friends and family.

I'll kick it off this Friday with a list of blogs I'm delighted to read -- just in time for a long weekend that might bring you some free time for blog hopping!

Cousins: 2011 Edition

2011-08-29T13:41:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: Studio Calico Lawn Party kit, Colorbox Ink. For exact details on the kit, please visit the website.}

I created this post for an Elle's Studio Thursday Sketch challenge back in July, and to my surprise, I won that week! I'm not sure how the winners are chosen, but I suspect it might be a random drawing. Regardless, I was proud of this layout because it came together quickly and simply for me, using the sketch from Elle's Studio and the kit from Studio Calico. I knew I wanted to use this photo of my sister, my four cousins, and myself. It was taken at my cousin Erin's high school graduation this past May. When I saw the sketch, I thought it would be perfect for me to use the number stamp along the side, with the girly patterned papers - a married lady without any daughters doesn't get a lot of chances to use butterflies and doilies! :)

I posted a layout a little over a year ago that featured the six of us with Grandma and Grandpa on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2007. It was fun to see how the six of us have changed in the past four years. There is another picture of the six of us from my 2009 wedding, so I think that one might merit a page of its own, too. I'm looking forward to my sister's wedding next year and another fabulous photo op with the cousins.

This was one of my first attempts at photographing one my layouts, and it's clear that I definitely need help with photographing my 12x12 layouts. Right now, I just lay them on the floor, zoom out as far as I can, get as high as I can, and snap the shot. I don't really get perfect photos that way. I think I might need to invest in a light box, or perhaps create a better "tableau" to photograph my pages within. I scan most of my smaller layouts when I intend to share them, and photographing cards isn't so hard because they stand up on their own. But these pages prove to be a bit problematic for me.

8.17.2011

2011-08-17T18:06:00.000-04:00

Here's what's been going on around here:

Week in the Life turned out to be a flop for me. Basically, as far as I got in posting the photo collages on my blog is as far as we got in the photo taking. We spent that Saturday at Valley Fair, which made carrying a camera (or even a phone) an impossibility. Sunday was spent at the Mall of America, and it was way too crowded to venture photos. Sad. So I might do something with my Monday through Friday collection, or I'll put the photos into other layouts.

School started for me on August 16. I will be working on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday each week for a teacher on maternity leave. She plans to be out 6-9 weeks. I'm going to love having a routine punctuated by craft days in between. It's a good way to get back into the classroom, that's for sure.

Travel is on a break until that maternity leave is over. We have some tentative plans to go to Chicago this fall and/or winter, we want to go see my family for awhile after I finish this leave, and there's quite a few friends spread around the country that we just haven't kept up with as we'd like to. And then there's a wedding coming up somewhere, sometime soon-ish. :)

I mailed 7 cards today that I will start sharing on the blog some time next week. One of them is a card you've already seen , but I think the rest are all originals. One is a duplicate of one of the other cards in the stack I mailed today. So, all together, that's five new cards I'll be sharing with you all.

10 Things on the 10th: Lunch Edition

2011-08-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

My first day of school is next Tuesday, so I've been busy trying to get ready for everything again. My biggest concern is always what to bring for lunch. I prefer to eat healthy food that doesn't require much once I get to school because there's just no way to guarantee a fridge or microwave when you're a substitute. So, in honor of school starting, my very first "10 Things on the 10th" post is going to be about lunch options that need no fridge and no microwave. I often carry an ice pack along, and those meals that may need one are marked with an asterisk.

1. GoPicnic boxed lunches

2. Pasta salads made with vinaigrette dressings, pepperoni, fresh vegetables, and hard cheeses; bread, and a bit of fruit or sturdy cookies for dessert.*

3. Pretzels with peanut butter, dried apricots, a granola bar, and applesauce.

4. Chicken salad pita with carrots and dip, fruit, and a granola bar.*

5. Spinach salad with bacon pieces, vidalia onion, cherry tomatoes, feta, and a vinaigrette dressing with toasted pita wedges, Laughing Cow cheese wedge, and fruit.*

6. Pita wedges and hummus, trail mix, fruit, and a baggie of pre-popped popcorn.*

7. Veggie wraps, baked potato chips, fruit, and veggies with dip.*

8. Tuna salad with crackers, veggies and dip, fruit, and a minty cookie or candy*

9. Inside out margarita pizza (chopped tomatoes, chopped basil, mozzarella, minced garlic and sauce inside a pita) with fruit and yogurt. *

10. Sandwiches on toast, chips, veggies and dip, and some fruit.*

Just typing that makes me hungry! I think it's time for me to go find some lunch for the day.:)

Week in the Life 2011: Day 3

2011-08-05T13:20:00.000-04:00

Left column: Crossroads Church and Trinity Christian High School (my workplace for the first quarter) and our house
Middle column: Lunch (turkey sandwich with cheddar, tomato and basil chips, and a brownie) and the view to the west of our backyard
Right column: Breakfast, view to the west of our house, what I wore, and my keys hanging in the ignition of the car

Week in the Life 2011: Day 2

2011-07-27T16:34:00.000-04:00

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Left column: cutting a vidalia for dinner, photo of what I was wearing
Middle column: Bible study on the table, dishwasher about to be emptied
Right column: Cream cheese frosting on a walnut fudge brownie, chicken & broccoli salad with a pita and cantaloupe, and Greek-style tilapia with couscous

Tuesday was really about the food/kitchen. I didn't leave the house, and I honestly kind of felt icky. It was a lot of browsing the internet, watching a movie, and just being a blob. I felt better towards evening, but then I sat around looking at syllabi for the classes I'll be teaching when school starts in two weeks (I had a meeting on Wednesday with the woman taking the maternity leave and her husband, the principal of the school). I went to bed really early because Trevor got to his hotel really early that night, so we were able to talk around 6 p.m. instead of our usual 8 p.m. or so.

Week in the Life 2011: Day 1

2011-07-27T16:26:00.000-04:00

Monday, July 25, 2011

Clockwise, beginning in the upper left corner: Yogli Mogli frozen yogurts, view of my side of the sink, Harry Potter movie posters outside of the theatre, Trevor's suitcase packed for his four day trip, self-portrait of Trevor & me at Thai Heaven (using takeout boxes as a tripod), Trevor packing his lunchbox for his four day, beef pad Thai at Thai Heaven, the view of Trevor's side of the bathroom, Trevor's meals for his four day stacked in the fridge, and new lunch box gear for the coming school year for me.

It was our two year wedding anniversary. We slept in, Trevor mowed the lawn, we went out for a late lunch at Thai Heaven, then Harry Potter at the Carmike in Newnan. Later on, we went to Yogli Mogli for "dinner." We ended up swinging into Target to look at bedding for the guest room, but instead came home with lunch box gear for me (school starts in just over two weeks). After we came home, Trevor packed his clothes and food for his four day trip that would begin early the next morning.

I haven't written much down so far. I think it's because I naturally remember so much of the stuff I would write down. Like when Trevor said, "Do I need to take a picture of my food because you're weird like that?" Seriously. Like I could forget something like that! I nearly made him take a camera along with him this week when he left for the trip, but I figured I'd probably get photos of cockpit instruments and clouds. The time that I reluctantly let him take the good camera along, though, he ended up getting his photo taken with Harry Reid, who was on one of Trevor's flights (he has also flown such illustrious celebrities as Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Erik Estrada, and an assortment of 80s has-beens for a festival in Valdosta last summer, while my friend Rachel has flown Michael Bolton and Selena Gomez).

Week in the Life 2011: My Format + Potential Products

2011-07-18T15:52:00.000-04:00

Week in the Life 2011 runs July 25-July 31, 2011. It is a project from Ali Edwards. It isn't class, but more of a guided project. For free resources and inspiration, as well as links to digital and physical products that might help you, check out AliEdwards.com.

First off all, I have to point out that this plan is flexible. It could easily change once I get into the actual documentation process, or once I start actually putting it all together in early August.

My plan is use 12x12 page protectors that have been divided for 4x6 photos. I'm going to alternate vertical and horizontal layouts so that each day will have one page of each. This means my photos won't really be chronological by the hour and minute, but they will still be chronological by date. The brands I'll be using are Pebbles/American Crafts for the horizontally-orientated pages and The Paper Studio for the vertically oriented. That's because I have some on hand, and I know these brands are available locally. I won't be scouring the internet for this project -- I'm keeping it simple.

Between my 12x12 pages, I think I'll be using baseball card sheets to hold bits of memorabilia, maybe some wallet-sized photos, and other little bits. I also plan to have some other sizes of page protectors ready in case some ephemera comes up that I'd rather not cut down, or would be best left whole (like the anniversary card I'll likely receive from Trevor on day one!).

My plan is to use products I have on hand for this. It might mean finishing off some Studio Calico kits, a set of Echo Park papers I've had for about a year, or just tossing things together. Most of my albums aren't cohesive because that just isn't how I scrap, so this one might not be coordinated, either. Again, this is something that will be determined once I get into the documenting/putting together stages of my album.

I have my box of journaling tags out and ready to go. I'm not sure if I'll journal on tags right away or if I'll pluck out bits from the notebook I'll be writing in during the week. I guess we'll see how next week goes. We never have a typical week, and next week is no exception -- our anniversary, prepping for school starting, finishing the unpacking/decorating, taking a quick trip to Minnesota, and maybe seeing our preschool students graduate to their next class at church on Sunday.

When browsing my box of journaling tags today, I found I had two sets of Elle's Studio Days of the Week tags from around 2008-2009. One set is black and white, and the other is bright colors. Some of these will almost definitely make it into my finished product. I might use one set or the other, or a mix of both. I'll definitely have these out as I go through my patterned papers and cardstock to choose what is going into the finished album.

If you're doing a Week in the Life this year, which products are you using?

Week in the Life 2011: I'm doing it

2011-07-18T14:46:00.000-04:00

I wasn't going to do Week in the Life 2011.

I didn't have time in 2009. I was sick all week in 2010 and never came back to it after the second or third day. 2011's Week in the Life falls during a busy time -- school starts about two weeks after the end of WITL, I'm not done unpacking from the move, and the house isn't decorated. Oh, and I'm way behind on all my other scrapbooking, too.

Then Ali Edwards posted a link to a past blog post about the basics of documenting a week in the life. As I scrolled down the page, I saw a reference to North Dakota, which made me scroll back, and this is what I found:

7.
APRIL 15, 2010
Lynsey said…
This is a very important time in my life document. Even though I think I’m boring, the truth is, my children will someday treasure this glimpse into my life right now: 9 months into our marriage, my husband is beginning his fourth year at a regional airline, I’m unemployed, I’m still learning our way around my new home in Georgia after moving from North Dakota when we got married last summer, and we’re in our first married home. I’ve heard stories about this time in my parents’ lives, but never seen photos of it. I think my future kids will be fascinated by this, even if I find it mundane.

My dad says I'm awesome

2011-07-16T11:08:00.000-04:00

{Supplies: patterned papers - Basic Grey, letter stickers - Sassafras (cream) and Cosmo Cricket (red tiny type), thread - Coats & Clark, border punch - Fiskars, paper piercer - Making Memories}

Once in a great while, something magical happens. The Twins come to Atlanta, and their fans, the thousands of upper midwestern transplants, flood the stadium. It's a sea of navy and red, but most of the emblems are those of the Minnesota Twins. In March, we joined a crew of northerners at a pre-season game at Turner Field. It was my first game at an outdoor stadium.

For this layout, I wanted to stick with the two teams' mutual colors. I knew I wanted to use some of my BG Boxer paper (from a mini pad) and that I wanted to stick with an obvious baseball theme. Once I chose the gridded/dotted background, I hand poked the holes for the lacing. It took something like five hours to do all the hand stitching.

I posted this layout to my Facebook album titled "Creative Works" because a few people had heard about it before I finished it. My dad was the only one to comment so far, and all he wrote was "Awesome!!"

Thanks for making me a baseball fan, Dad.

Reverb: July - Revising a goal

2011-07-15T14:57:00.000-04:00

Silver Mountain, near Lempster, New Hampshire. 7/12/11

I have to start with a confession.

I didn't climb Stone Mountain on July 3. I didn't even attempt it. As soon as I got out of the car, my clothes were sticking to me. It was so hot and humid, and I think my bronchitis was worse. Trevor said he didn't need to climb the mountain, so I decided I didn't need to either. When we reached the laser lawn inside the park, we found that it was already crowded. So, we trekked back to our car, grabbed our stuff, and started setting up our camp for the afternoon and evening while Becca and Mia made the trip.

But a week later, I had the chance to climb a different mountain, and I took it.

The photo above is Trevor & me on top of Silver Mountain in New Hampshire. One of my best friends has a cabin on Sand Pond Lake, near the base of the mountain. The five of us who stayed at the cabin this week climbed to the top and picked blueberries. It was exhilarating to climb to the top, amazing to find the blueberries, and incredibly exhausting. After we came back down, we ate a quick lunch and then jumped in the lake. I'm not ashamed to admit that I strapped on a life vest and just laid in the water with Rachel and Trevor. :)

I'm so glad I climbed Silver Mountain. I was even more glad this morning, when I was able to eat a handful of the blueberries I picked on my breakfast cereal. Amazing.

Reverb: July Prompt

2011-07-03T12:01:00.010-04:00

(For the Young Crafters Unite blog hop, scroll down one post)

What new thing will you try this month?

I love the wording of this prompt. It could have been "What new thing do you want to try this month?" or "What new thing will you think about trying this month?" Instead, it's a very certain, affirming, and forceful "What new thing will you try this month?" Putting it like that means that the respondents will be required to do what they stated. It becomes a promise in these terms.

Today, I will climb Stone Mountain. This is huge for me. I am not an athlete. I am scared of heights. To climb a mountain means putting myself against these two huge things. It's also going to mean overcoming the last lingering breathing issues related to bronchitis and bronchial spasms I had in June. Luckily, I'm going to be doing this with two of the most supportive people I know, my husband and my friend, Becca.

Later this month, I'm going to Valley Fair. It's going to be a new thing for me in that I cannot remember the last time I was on an amusement ride. Seriously. It might have been right after senior year of high school, when a group of us went to the state fair and an Our Lady Peace/3 Doors Down concert, but I'm not even sure we rode rides that night, either.

So, overall, I guess you could say that this month, I will try being adventurous.

Young Crafters Blog Hop

2011-07-01T00:31:00.001-04:00

Welcome to the Young Crafters Unite Favorite Things Blog Hop! If you're just stumbling through, I highly recommend you start at the main page to get some background on the hop, and then click on through to the end. I'm sure you'll see some great things!

If you're coming in order, you should have come to my page from New Ideas, a blog by Isha. I hope you looked around for awhile. She's got some gorgeous yet simple cards using border punches, rainbow colors, and twine. I love her work!

For those of you who are new to my blog, I'm a young crafter because I am, in fact, young. I'm 26, a relatively newlywed substitute teacher married to an airline pilot. We're building a life together in the suburbs of Atlanta, which is far from where we grew up -- I was raised on a cattle ranch in North Dakota, and he was raised in the suburbs of St. Paul, Minnesota. We still visit both frequently, but we save our visits for the spring and summer months, letting us enjoy the north at its best and leave the south at its worst! ;)

{Supplies: Studio Calico May Kit: Lawn Party, Fiskars Threading Water border punch, Marvy Uchida pennant punch, Martha Stewart Holidays Baker's Twine, Recollections kraft cardstock, various gems and pearls, Spellbinders Labels Eight die set, Stampabilities Pigment Ink Pad in Brown, and Unity Stamp Co. Bevy of Butterflies stamp set}

When I read that this would be a favorite things hop, I was a little distressed. How could I pick any small assortment of favorite things? I love this hobby too much to pick favorites! So, I realized I'd have to take a different approach. I picked a favorite person and decided to make a project for her. I chose my cousin Erin, who is starting college in about six weeks. I wanted to make a fun card to greet her shortly after she moved into her dorm at North Dakota State University. I had the Bevy of Butterflies set from Unity Stamp Co. on my desk and realized that the small "Best of Luck" stamp would be perfect for what I was planning. From there, I chose a favorite Studio Calico kit.

I loved this kit because it was full of delightful spring colors without being too heavy on pink, the little banners were a neat embellishment, and there were still some fun neutrals in the kit. Most of all, I loved all the orange in it, too. I decided it was time to let go of the last of my banners, so I snipped them from their toothpicks and punched pennants out of scraps to help fill out the area I intended for my banner. I decided how much of the card I wanted the banner to cover, and cut the black and white handwritten paper to cover that area. I then chose the bottom papers to bring in some color.

I traced around the outside of my Martha Stewart Circle Cutter to get the banner's arch. I had planned to use my Sew Easy to pierce the holes, but it didn't have the turn radius I needed, so I instead poked the holes by hand. I handstitched with brown and white twine, and then added my sentiment. I finished by dressing up some of the banners with my favorite simple, quick embellishment: pearls and gems.

I hadn't planned on having the banner overlap the page, but I loved how it looked when I started laying it down, so I decided to go with it. I think it's going to be really fun for Erin when she receives it, and it will be easy to just send it in a slightly larger envelope.

Thanks for stopping by my blog today! Please leave a comment letting me know you were here, and remember, commenters on the blog hop have the chance of winning some great prizes ( $20 from Simon Says Stamp, their choice of stamp set from Paper Smooches, or their choice of stamp set from Lawn Fawn)! Also, feel free to stop back in the future to see more cards, layouts, and some home decor projects I've got planned!

Next up on the blog hop: Neat & Tangled, a blog by Danielle Walls! Enjoy the rest of the hop!

Effer Dare #175 + 25 Random Things

2011-06-29T15:37:00.004-04:00

Effer Dare #179: "This week's challenge is to share a photo. Just a photo. Of something you love."

I chose this photo because it's one of my best friend* and me and we're wearing some of my favorite colors - black and white and bright green and yellow. I'm on a huge yellow kick right now, even though I can't really wear it, except in little doses, like on this dress. :)

I just rediscovered the Effer Dares a couple weeks ago. I worked on them in college, in the summer before I met Trevor. I had been through a rough year, and basically all my friends were gone that summer. The one who was in town was living with my (painfully, freshly) ex-boyfriend. Rough summer, indeed. I remember using some of the Dares to work through the pain that summer. It was incredible therapy.

*Best friend = husband = Trevor. :)

And since I feel the need to make this post a little more substantial, I present...

25 Random Things:

1. In the nearly four months since we moved into our house, we've watched them build four houses to the west and north of ours.

2. No one lives in any of these houses yet, though two are under contract.

3. Every house I have ever lived in, I have been one of the first occupants (obviously, this doesn't include trailers, apartments or dorms--all of which I have residents of when they were older).

4. I've also lived in two brand new apartment buildings.

5. I have travel planned in the next year to two states I've never been to, and I am super excited for both of these quick trips.

6. This year will be the first time since I started teaching that I will be returning to the same school in the fall, even as a substitute.

7. I can't remember the last time I bought a tube of lip stick or lip gloss.

8. I only own two tubes of nail polish -- a blue one and a clear one.

9. I consider myself super fortunate to have a husband who not only doesn't mind that I'm crafty, but actively encourages my craftiness.

10. I sell my extra cards, and my mother-in-law is my best customer.

11. I'm generally shocked by the reaction to my handmade cards. I never expect people to be as excited about them as they turn out to be.

12. I think calves are some of the sweetest creatures.

13. I really, honestly don't mind the Georgia heat nearly as bad as most northerners transplanted to Georgia seem to.

14. None of my closest friends from college will live in the state where we attended college as of December.

15. Also, as of December, there will be a baby that's part of that particular group of friends (Oh no, it definitely won't be mine!).

16. This year is the first time Trevor isn't working on Independence Day -- the airlines don't take the holidays off, so it's all about luck of the draw (and seniority) when it comes to getting a holiday off.

17. That also means it's the first time in our nearly five years together that we'll be in the same state on Independence Day. It's the last holiday we'll have together as a first -- we've been together on Christmas, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Valentines and Veterans Day, but never for Independence Day.

18. I can name more notable scrapbookers than I can athletes.

19. I see my amazing friend who lives in Detroit more than I see most of my friends who live around Atlanta.

20. I met most of my favorite people though the most random of coincidences, which has brought me to believe God plays a hand in everything.

21. It's pretty rare for there not to be at least one container of ice cream in our freezer. Usually, there's one for me and one for my husband.

22. I thought I liked chocolate until I met Trevor. Now I realize that I'm only okay with chocolate because his love of chocolate puts everyone else to shame.

23. One of the best things I've ever eaten was dark chocolate covered pomegranate seeds from Trader's Joes. OMG. Amazing.

24. I love Starbucks but I hardly ever go there because our only real one is in a horrible location and all the others are just kiosks in Krogers.

25. The first time I went to Lenox Square, I thought I'd found retail heaven. Crate & Barrel, Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters, Papyrus, Macy's, Hollister, American Eagle, J. Crew, Restoration Hardware, Pottery Barn, PB Kids...Retail Heaven, I tell you.

Ideas for using the Smash Pad & Pockets

2011-06-23T12:39:00.004-04:00

In this month's Studio Calico kit, there was a pair of items I knew I'd have a tough time using as soon as I cracked it open: the Smash pad and the Smash pockets. The pad was a set of 30 journaling tickets, three each of 10 patterns. I'm not sure how to use anything in triplicate, especially something I didn't pick myself. The pockets were a set of 6 eclectic designs that appealed to me, but I've just never had luck using pockets on my pages. I still have the cute KI Pockets from the January SC kit waiting for projects. I'm just not a pocket person, I guess? I mean, I never put anything in the pockets of my clothing, so I guess it would stand to reason I'd never put anything in pockets on my pages.

Once I started going through the Design Team's layouts, though, I started to get some good ideas for using both items. Since I'm stuck in bed, sick, today, I decided to do a long post putting all those ideas together in one spot so 1) you could see them, too, and 2) I could feel like I did something today.

Smash Pad ideas:

1. April Foster trimmed one ticket down to fit in the Smash pockets for her journaling.

2. April also used a piece of the Smash pad as her patterned paper on the same layout.

3. On another layout, April overlapped a Smash pad sheet on top of her photo to house some embellishment.

4. Celine Navarro used the tags for journaling and layering on her Brazil layout.

5. Celine also layered her photo over one of the tags on her Daydreamer layout.

6. Davinie Fiero used one to anchor her title on her Hula Hoop layout.

7. On her "Practice Campout" layout, a tag is layered beneath both the title and the photo.

8. On the "Summer Ready" page, Davinie stitched a tag down behind her small photos at the top of the page, drawing into her background patterned papers.

9. Jen Jockisch trimmed a tag down to just the journaling lines on one of her pages.

10. She also tucked a couple behind die cut pieces in different ways on two different layouts.

11. I can't tell for sure, but I think Kelly Purkey cut up some of her tags into circles for her "Sunday at the Brooklyn Flea" and punched some for her "Year Two" layout.

12. I think Laura Kurz stamped on one of her sheets and trimmed around it for the first layout in her gallery.

13. In her last, some are used as part of the design, some with and some without words added on.

14. Nicole Samuels trimmed the title piece off one of the "Away We Go!" journaling tickets to be the flag on her pinwheel on the cover of a mini book.

15. It appears Stephanie Howell also trimmed down a tag to just the lined area for one of her layouts, too.

16. Vee Jennings used one of the journaling tickets for the home for a small, round photo.

Smash Pocket ideas:

1. April Fostered used it as a home for her journaling spot.

2. Celeine Navarro used it as a home for some embellishments.

3. Sasha Farina layered a pocket behind a pair of photos to house something -- journaling, maybe?

4. Amy Tan isn't on the DT, but she used a pocket to anchor part of her title on a layout -- one I loved so much I will likely be scraplifting soon.

5. The pockets could also go into a card to house a little love note, a gift card, or something else.

Here's hoping these ideas can help you out!

A few random things today...

2011-06-17T13:49:00.003-04:00

Today is, I hope, the beginning of a new routine. I'm excited. It seemed to happen by accident, but I'll take it.

This morning, I woke up on my own at 8:30 a.m. I was awake before the construction workers showed up to work on the house next door. I know that has something to do with the NyQuil I had to take at 10:30 last night, but I'll take it. I was showered and dressed by noon after printing this week's e-mealz plan, making the grocery list, and pulling what we had on hand from the pantry (I keep the packaged items for e-mealz in blue baskets in the pantry so I can just grab them quickly). I was back from shopping by 1 p.m. and had lunch soon after. Since lunch, I've worked on editing some photos from the wedding we were at a couple weeks ago. Just 120 photos of the 800+ left to edit!

I had a cool discovery a couple days ago -- my Studio Calico Documentary line Window Seat paper goes well with the June kit. I'm working on the second layout that mixes that paper into the kit. The tiny airplanes look rather similar to the ones Trevor trained in and instructed in while we were at the University of North Dakota, so I've got a weak spot for this paper. I really hope the little airplane stamp is one of the ones SC is resurrecting in their new partnership with Hero Arts.

Okay, now I just need to figure out how to better photography my 12x12 layouts so I can actually share what I just wrote about above. I'm not happy with the results I've gotten so far. :)

And finally, I'm going to share today's grateful list. It's day 3 and I'm loving doing this.

Quiet mornings when I'm up before construction starts on the houses around us
Elle's Studio
E-mealz
Calendars
internet friends
garbage service (Today is garbage day)
air conditioning
Publix (the best grocery store out there)
IKEA
My grandparents (It's my paternal grandparents' 54th wedding anniversary and my maternal grandmother turns 71 next Friday).

3 months until 27

2011-06-15T15:12:00.003-04:00

Yep.

I realized it's three months, or 91 days, until my 27th birthday. I'm not sure why, but this one is sort of hitting me. I'm older than both my parents were when I was born. I'm older than my grandmothers were when each had her last child (though granted, my grandmothers had small families for their generation -- just two and three children, respectively). I'm not employed full-time, even though quite a bit of that stems from personal choices. I'm sort of feeling like I'm not where I should be in life. While discussing this with some friends last night, one of them mentioned that when you're searching for direction, feeling down about what you haven't accomplished or don't have, or just in general need focus, you should do a gratitude journal. Just write down what you're grateful for each day, and it leads to a change in perspective.

Starting today, and continuing for the next 91 days, I'll be writing down a list of things I'm grateful for. I'm not going to create constraints or rules for myself. I'm going to write down as many things as I feel like each day, even if it's only one thing. I'm not going to tell myself that I can never repeat anything in the 91 days between now and my birthday. There's only one real rule: I am literally going to write it down, on paper. I won't always share it on my blog, but I'll probably share it on the days when I actually write another blog post...which I hope to be doing more often as our house comes together and I work on some diy decorating projects.

Today's gratitude list:

Trevor
God
my house
flight benefits
pens
paper
animals
friends
Pinterest
Twitter

My Daily Routine

2011-06-09T13:12:00.001-04:00

I've basically been a housewife for two years. I say basically because I've been substitute teaching for much of that time. I'm still home more days than I'm at work, though. I struggle with setting up a daily routine for myself. When Trevor is away, I tend to just let myself sleep, waking up around 10:30 a.m. and going to bed somewhere around 1-2 a.m. I've always been a night owl, but it seems a little shameful to have reached my mid-20s and still be like that. I should have left that behind in college, right?

Once I wake up, I go to the fridge, get a Diet Coke, and start up my laptop. I usually spend an hour or so checking my email and Facebook, catching up on Twitter, and reading blogs on my Google Reader. After that, I shower, get ready for the day, and make lunch -- I'm not a breakfast person. In the afternoons, I do more internety stuff and scrapbook or make cards. Pandora or The PaperClipping Roundtable usually play in the background while I do this.

I make dinner somewhere between 5:30-7:30 p.m. After I eat, I usually call our families or friends to talk before the TV shows start -- not that I watch TV, mind you, as we canceled our cable, but our families do have some shows they watch. After that, I might watch something on Hulu Plus or Netflix or do some more artsy stuff. Trevor usually calls between 8-10 p.m. and we talk for 30-60 minutes. After I talk to him, I often get ready for bed and read until I'm tired or watch stuff on the Roku in the our bedroom.

BUT

I'm not happy with this routine. My sleep schedule isn't consistent if I have to go to work, especially if I have to go to an elementary school with a 7:15 a.m. report time. I feel like I spend too much time in my pajamas. I don't consistently clean, but instead tend to go in spurts where I do EVERYTHING over a couple days, and then I don't clean again for a long time because all I can think about is how much work it was when I did it all over a couple days. And I don't make time to exercise. I eat healthier choices than I used to, so I don't feel as bad about that one, but I do feel like I need to be doing more.

What I wish my routine looked like is something where I wake up around 7 in the morning, brew some green tea, check my email and Facebook and such in just under 30 minutes, workout, shower, and run errands before lunch. After lunch, I'd do some household cleaning, scrapbook, make cards, etc. until I make dinner. Then I'd make my phone calls, watch something on Hulu or Netflix until Trevor calls for the evening, get ready for bed, and read until about 11 p.m.

I know there's only one way I can this routine: I have to make myself conform to it. That goes against what I feel about routines, though -- I feel routines need to happen organically. Unfortunately, the organically-happening routine stinks right now. I think I'm going to work towards incorporating one or two new parts of the routine each week for the rest of the summer and try to keep up with these routines on the weekends when school starts (I'll be teaching pretty much daily for the first 12 weeks of school this fall). The biggest challenges are getting myself to do this stuff, and getting Trevor to help me establish the routine on his days off, too. Oh yeah, and then there's the whole matter of taking off on a trip every couple weeks that throws most of my progress out the window every time I try something like this. But other than those three big things, I think I can do this.

The first steps? Setting an alarm at night and doing some daily cleaning. I'll let you know how it goes.

Wedding Wishes for Paul & Maggie

2011-06-08T01:13:00.000-04:00

One of my husband's close friends since childhood, Paul was married this weekend. We both love him and his wife, Maggie. They are truly amazing people who will do whatever it takes to help others. Maggie just received her Masters in family counseling the day after their wedding, while Paul received his MD the previous weekend. Instead of the junky or sugary favors you'd get at most weddings, Paul and Maggie chose the most simple, meaningful favors I could imagine: pebbles. However, we weren't supposed to take the pebbles home. They were to be returned to Paul and Maggie via containers labeled with the names of three different charities. For each pebble returned, they donated a dollar to the organizations. Throughout the whole weekend, I was just touched, over and over again, by how fortunate we are to have these two in our lives.

About the card:

I wanted to make a really special card for this couple, so I asked Maggie several months ago what her wedding colors were. When she said "wasabi green" was one of the colors, I thought immediately of the Martha Stewart wasabi ribbon and ink that I've had for awhile. I had also just recently received the Paper Trey Ink stamp set from my friend, Rachel. I stamped it in wasabi, then used the outline stamp in black. I trimmed a 7x10 inch card base and folded it in half to make a 5x7 card. I stamped "wedding wishes" in wasabi ink on the one inch strip I trimmed off the cardstock sheet to make the card base. I trimmed around the car I'd stamped and matted it on a piece of the purple diecut paper. I trimmed a piece of paper from the January Studio Calico kit for the background and rounded the corners. I adhered it to the card, and then adhered my ribbon to the back of the purple scalloped piece before adhering both to the card base. I knotted the ribbon and trimmed the excess. I attached my sentiment, and then used foam squared to pop up the car.

Reflections on our first 3 months on E-Mealz

2011-04-17T18:19:00.004-04:00

When we decided to start seriously looking for a house, Trevor and I decided we should probably make some cuts in our spending. We knew buying a house would save us money in the long run, but we also knew it was going to cause some extra expenses in the short-term. About this time, we both ran across something called E-Mealz via separate websites we frequent. I read about it on a scrapbooking blog, while Trevor found it through Dave Ramsey's website. We knew our grocery bills were probably a little high for a couple with essentially one income and no kids. We went out to eat a lot because we often found ourselves without a plan for dinner. We figured that $15 for a three month trial might be worth it, especially once we found out that we could use a discount code from Dave Ramsey.

We initially signed up for the Publix Plan for Two. The store-specific plans are based on what's on sale each week, what is generally cheap, and what produce is in season. The plans for two consist of five nights of dinners, usually with leftovers. This works well for us because Trevor is only home 4-5 nights per week. We freeze the leftovers in individual Gladware containers for him to take on his trips.Most of the meals do freeze and reheat well, though we've run into a few that are horrible when reheated (like Grandma's Chop Suey -- eat all of that one at once and it's fine, but don't reheat it).

The first six weeks were amazing. There was a roasted chicken meal early on that had us roasting a whole chicken with lemon halves stuffed inside. We had a few other meals that we loved. There were some that seemed like a blatant cop-out, though. To be specific, twice in a three week span, there was a meal consisting of Manwiches, Doritos, and canned baked beans. Those were the nights when I found myself having little faith in the plan, even though the Manwiches were good. I just wasn't happy they were calling that a meal, you know?

However, after the first six weeks, the plan turned pork heavy. This is a pretty big problem for us. Even a couple bites of ham will make me sick, though pork bacon and pepperoni are, thankfully, not a problem for me. I found it difficult to substitute non-pork items into the meal plan, and did not get a satisfactory response when I complained to E-Mealz. They said to skip the meals, make substitutions, or switch to a different plan. I really don't feel that people should have to switch to a different plan because the one they prefer is heavy on something they are allergic to -- shouldn't a weekly meal plan be so varied as to only require substituting or skipping one meal a week? One would hope so.

After four weeks of pork heavy meals, we decided we'd have to switch meal plans, so we moved to the Any Store Plan for Two, which comes out on Fridays. There is a lot more variety on this plan. Since I switched on a Thursday after spending 24 hours trying to decide what to do with the pork-laden plan we'd received the day before, I was sort of a week behind on the Any Store Plan. This has actually worked really well to my advantage. I've been able to take two weeks' worth of plans with me shopping. I have more time to clip coupons, and I can catch non-perishable items for the following week on sale. This week, I spent about $72 on groceries, but it included all of this week's plan (about $30), some snacks, sodas, and lunch items (about $30), and quite a bit of next week's meal plan (about $10).

Since switching to the Any Store Plan, we've found ourselves saving more money, enjoying the meals more, and skipping the frozen pizza nights we still had a few times during our time on the Publix plan. Our favorite meal was probably the Creamy Crockpot Chicken we had last week -- it was a mixture of cream of mushroom soup, cream cheese, Italian seasoning, and white wine. The chicken was in the crockpot so long that it fell apart and basically shredded itself while I stirred it.

My biggest complaint with the meals is the reliance on convenience items like cream of mushroom soup, cream of potato soup, and other canned soups and meats. I discovered that canned soups and Doritos have something in common: Mono Sodium Glutamate, or MSG. My friend, a nurse, once said, "You could mix MSG into dirt, and people would eat it because MSG makes them think it tastes good." I did a little poking around the web after that, and I learned that MSG is a neurotoxin, and there is some evidence that it could trigger migraines or other reactions in MSG-sensitive individuals.

So, once again, I'm on a hunt for substitutes for the meal plan. I've found that Lay's Potato Chips don't contain MSG. I'm still hunting for a locally-available organic cream of mushroom soup. I'm not an organic food nazi, but there are just some things I don't want to be putting in my body or my husband's. MSG is one of them. High Fructose Corn Syrup is another -- which is also another frequent offender on the canned item list. If you know of any canned soups that don't use MSG, please let me know. After keeping track of what's in the E-Mealz plans from week to week, I'm starting to think I'll have to be taking a trip to a Whole Foods or Trader Joe's every month or so to stock up on soups that don't contain the harmful additives we try to avoid.

All in all, though, E-Mealz is alright. We're going to sign up for another three months and see how it goes. I've read that summer brings lighter recipes with more fresh produce on each of the meal plans, so I'm guessing I'll really enjoy the summer's meals. I enjoy the simplicity it brings as far as choosing a menu for the week, though the shopping portion can be a little frustrating at times, especially when substitutions are involved. We have enjoyed most of the meals, loved quite a few, and tossed a couple after only a few bites -- but we'd likely find that with any meal plan. Heck, we've even done that with Rachael Ray recipes that were four or five stars on her website! For $1.25 a week, I'm okay with having the planning done for me, even if I sometimes don't like the meals.

If you're interested in signing up for E-Mealz, you can check out their website by clicking on the referral link in my sidebar. E-Mealz does offer commissions to their subscribers who recruit new members, but my intent from this posting was NOT to profit from referrals. It was intended to explain one way in which we are saving (a tiny bit) of money, give you a rundown of how it works, and share my honest opinions of the service. It's almost more about putting my own personal reflections in writing for myself than for an audience, but isn't that where some of the most honest writing comes from? :)

One Little Word 2011: April Update

2011-04-07T14:58:00.002-04:00

Move.

What a whirlwind it's been! We closed on the house on February 28. We moved in on March 9, and I feel like I've been constantly on the move since. It's been a lot of trips to Lowe's, some social events (like a wedding this weekend), and a lot of working for both Trevor and me.

I've been able to do a lot of reading. I'm really moving through my to-read list. I just finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides, and I'm also working on the Sookie Stackhouse mystery series. It's very much "popcorn reading." The story sucks me in, even though the writing isn't that great. The story lines are sometimes thin or tied up a little haphazardly at the end, but I do enjoy the series. I think it's a bit like the grownup equivalent of Goosebumps.

I've really been on the move for work lately. I've lost count of how many days and how many schools I have taught in lately. I taught the same class for five days in late March, which was great because it gave me a chance to learn the students' names, get a feel for who they are, and learn more about the school. This was fabulous because I was offered a maternity leave for this fall at the end of the week. This is a huge move towards working full time as a teacher again.

Soon, we're going to be on the move again in the sense that we'll be traveling. We're hoping to see a shuttle launch -- we've got tickets for the one that was supposed to be on the 19th of this month. However, we learned that it's been delayed due to excessive traffic at the International Space Station. Right now, the projected launch date is April 29, and we're not sure my husband can get the time off to fly down. Days off are tight at work right now -- they are hiring lots of new pilots, but many of them are going to Detroit or Dulles, and none of them will be flying until June or July. It's disappointing how the company always brings pilots back from furlough or hires new pilots just a little too late to help with spring break, Easter, or even the summer's increased flying.

Pause

2011-02-17T08:42:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited for next week.

It's a very important week.

It's the week before we close on our house.

It's the week I plan to relax, do some packing, and do a lot of scrapbooking.

It's Late Winter Break at all the schools where I substitute teach!

That's right. I've got 9 days off. It's going to feel like a pause in the middle of a very hectic time -- and we still have a lot going on. We've got a birthday party on Saturday afternoon/evening, a planned visit with Rachel after the party, our normal Sunday church activities (service, serving in the preschool class, and Bible study group), and then our builder walk-through on Monday. That Friday, I've got an afternoon/evening crop at church, too. After the nine days off, I'll be subbing again, getting the house ready, and taking care of all the little details involved with moving from a two bedroom apartment into a four bedroom house.

A week after we close, a friend of ours reports to Atlanta for training at Trevor's company. We're waiting to hear if another friend will be joining him, and whether their time in Atlanta will be permanent or temporary, as the airline announced yesterday they'll be opening a new base in Detroit. We have tentative plans for guests in March, a wedding at the beginning of April, a chance to meet up with my sister in DC the day after that wedding (during my Spring Break), then six weeks of school left - part of which, I will miss because my cousin will be graduating high school in North Dakota the weekend before school is out here.

Between the sub jobs, the guests, the travel plans, and the house stuff, my planner is never far from my sight. I feel like I've written in something new several times a day, every day, since we began the house hunting process. The week off, the week with no school, will definitely feel like a much needed pause, and I can't wait.

One Little Word 2011: February Update

2011-02-06T15:15:00.002-05:00

I have made huge progress with my word, Move. I made an appointment to see our realtor (a good scrapbooking friend) towards the end of January. This spurred us to get pre-approved for a home loan and really look at our options. Once we were pre-approved, we saw 12 houses. Our third house, the one pictured above, was simply it. It was the only one that I could picture myself coming home to after a long day of work. I could picture pulling into the garage, going inside, hanging up my coat, and putting away my bag. It just felt like home.

At this point, we've still got to get an inspection and an appraisal, and we close at the end of February. Our last day at our apartment is April 5, so we likely won't be moving until sometime in mid to late March. I'll be spending the Super Bowl organizing my office and scrapbook room, trying to get it perfectly clean and organized before I start purging supplies and packing things up for the move.

I think I'm going to start working on a couple projects for our house in the coming weeks. I'd like to do some DIY decorating, and I'd like to do a scrapbook specifically about our home -- from the buying process to the moving, decorating, and settling in process. I remember Becky Higgins once had an album that was a sort of guest book for her home, and I like that idea. Living where we do, so far from our families, I think a guest book album would be kind of fun. We already have a few guests on the docket for when we move in, so I'd like to have the frame work at least designed before I move in. I'm thinking an 8x8 album, as I have a few on hand already, thanks to some great finds on Chatterbox at the dollar and more store in my hometown and on American Crafts at Big Lots last spring.

I'd like to close by thanking you all for the kind words on my last post. A has not been far from my mind in the last month. A couple weeks ago, they erected a cross with his name at the site of the accident, along a road I travel several times a week. It has had flowers and gifts there ever since it was erected.

A sad day...

2011-01-11T11:50:00.002-05:00

I always knew this day would come, but I hoped it wouldn't. As a teacher, you find yourself getting close to so many children and so many wonderful people. However, the more people you open yourself up to, the more likely it is that you will find yourself touched by tragedy and loss. Today is the day I find myself touched by both.

I worked at a small private school last year as a substitute teacher. The staff was so supportive and friendly, so welcoming. The most welcoming of the entire staff was M. She was the kind and loving preschool teacher who had two adorable sons, A and B. M was always quick to help me out, let me know where to go or what to do, and give me a quick break if I needed one.

I nearly always had either A or B in class because of the way the school was structured -- starting in third grade, A's grade, either the students or the teachers rotated with teach subject. The two boys were some of my favorite students -- A had a confidence and an athletic stride that lead me to imagine him as the quarterback at his high school one day. He was extremely bright and lively. He was the innocently mischievous type -- always up to something, but never anything malicious. B, on the other hand, was more of a sweet little boy. He was smaller than his brother and more soft spoken. Both boys were incredibly endearing.

The last day that I subbed at Orchard Hills, M stopped by the second grade class - B's class - where I was subbing. She asked Brett if he had shared his big news. He said no, and then announced he would be a big brother in the fall! I didn't see the family again until November. I was shopping at Target when I recognized a pair of big brown eyes peeking over a counter at the photography student. A waved to me, and I stopped to chat for a minute or two -- M was there with B, A, and three week old baby girl D for their Christmas photos. The boys told me they were at a public school this year, where my friend Deb teaches. I said I'd be subbing in the public schools and I hoped I'd see them around.

As it turns out, that is the last time I will ever see A. Last Monday, M, A and D were in a horrible car accident. They were hit by another vehicle and thrown into the ditch near the boys' new school. They, along with the other driver, were taken to hospitals, but A didn't survive. He was ten years old.

I just can't even put into words how unfair it feels. He was supposed to be a quarterback! He was supposed to be homecoming king! He was supposed to do incredible things because he was that athletic, that bright, that amazing. I'm struggling with the incredible injustice of it. My heart hurts for the whole family. My heart just hurts.

Snowpocalypse 2011

2011-01-10T15:25:00.000-05:00

Whenever it snows in Georgia, it's a minor crisis. However, the storm that hit last night and continues today with freezing rain is becoming a major crisis. As you can see from the photo above, my car is encased in ice. My apartment, the sidewalks, and everything else around the apartment complex has a similar coating on it. We really only got about an inch or two of snow in Newnan, but it's already been rained on and crusted over. Our friends in the northern suburbs got quite a bit more snow -- Sarah and Adam in Bethlehem got enough snow to come up their border collie's little doggie armpits, and Mike and Brittany in Alpharetta posted photos on Facebook of the snowman they were able to build. I'm honestly a little jealous. If I can't go anywhere, I'd like it to be caused by a pile of snow, not a sheet of ice!

Stay warm and be careful, Georgia. :)

Hawaii 2010

2011-01-08T19:29:00.000-05:00

Did I mention we flew to Hawaii for 10 days in October? It was amazing. We kayaked in Kealakekua Bay, drove to the summit of Mauna Kea, saw Volcano National Park, rode the boat to the Pearl Harbor Memorial, toured the USS Missouri and the USS Bowfin, drove around Oahu, sunk into the sand on the North Shore and discovered a black sand beach no one seemed to know existed. We picked up beautiful seashells and minute pieces of sea glass, and enjoyed our time with our friends Dave and Erin, and Erin's parents, Doug and Mary Jo.

The craziest part of our trip? Sharing the 8 hour flight from Detroit to Honolulu with Justin Bieber! No, I didn't get his autograph or a photo with him -- or even a decent photo of him. Trust me, I tried to be sneaky and get a photo with my cellphone. It didn't work. His body guard is the size of VW Beetle so I really didn't want to get too close.

One Little Word 2011

2011-01-03T00:03:00.002-05:00

I wrote in December that I was still mulling my One Little Word for 2011. It seemed to take more consideration than it has in the two previous years that I've chosen words. Ali Edwards has written about how, sometimes, you just have to let the word choose you. It seems to have happened to me this year.

My word is move.

I've been resisting move for weeks. It's ugly. I don't like the way it looks in writing. I don't like the way it sounds -- it sounds like the noise a cow makes. I don't like the meaning of the word.

And yet, that's exactly why it's the word for me in 2011. My word is supposed to be about growth and self-improvement. Move actually applies to a number of goals I'd like to accomplish this year. I'd like to move clutter out of our home. I'd like to move more by exercising. I'd like to move towards eliminating my student loan debt. I'd like to more on the move by traveling more and doing more with friends.

But the biggest goal, the one I've been keeping a secret for awhile, is this: I want to move into my first house this year!

I've been dreaming about home ownership almost since our wedding. It didn't seem like an achievable goal until this fall, when I stumbled on a house on Realtor.com that was cute and very, very inexpensive -- $75,000! Though it was cute, it was also a foreclosure, and we soon realized it wasn't the neighborhood for us. However, it made us both really interested in looking further into this business of buying a house. What we found after reading Homebuying for Dummies and reviewing some listings on Realtor.com was that we are actually in a good place to buy a home.

So, there's no New Year's resolution in our home this year, no lofty goals of losing 20 pounds or quitting sodas, but simply a goal: Move into our first house.

Reverb10: Things

2010-12-11T09:41:00.002-05:00

What are 11 things your life doesn’t need in 2011? How will you go about eliminating them? How will getting rid of these 11 things change your life? (Author: Sam Davidson)

1. Junk - I'll be weeding through several boxes of junk in December and January. If it doesn't have a place or a purpose, it will be going in the garbage or giveaway piles. My life will be changed by not having all this stuff cluttering up my apartment.

2. Clothes that are too small and shoes I don't wear - I'll be trying on a lot of things. What doesn't fit doesn't stay in my closet or dresser. It will go into three piles, based on condition: garbage, giveaway, or consignment. This will change my life by giving me a neater, roomier closet and less guilt each time I see clothes I can't fit into any longer.

3. Extra craft supplies - I'll be assessing everything and asking myself, "Do I still enjoy this hobby? If so, do I still enjoy this item?" If the answer to either is no, it's getting listed on ebay or etsy, given away, or tossed. My life will be changed by not having the stuff around, so it will easier to find what I do love and enjoy my hobby more.

4. Old magazines - Anything more than 6 months old will be going in the garbage. My apartment will be less cluttered, and I'll be happier.

5. Books I'll never read again - Our bookshelves are simply past capacity. An apartment can't hold many bookshelves, so I'll be picking through the collection and either donating books to Goodwill or selling them on Half.com. The resulting life change will be less stuff and room for more books that I'll be more likely to read again.

6. Printed versions of some teaching materials - I have all these worksheets and lesson plans I wrote while I was teaching full-time or while in college to satisfy course requirements. Some of these materials are now five years old, and unused since that time. I would like to use them someday, however, so I'll be transferring any and all non-copyrighted works into Google documents for storage. The results will be a couple less heavy boxes of stuff, and a lot of freed up binders and folders.

7. Unused school supplies - It's been a year and a half since I taught, and I have a couple years' worth of school supplies stashed away. I don't need them, and they are cheap. The whole lot is going to the Goodwill store so someone who can't afford notebooks and folders can use them. I'll have another empty box, and be satisfied with knowing I provided a child with school supplies.

8. The considerable amounts of pasta in my pantry - I'll be using it up by making yummy food, and my pantry will be less full. I'll be able to find what I want to cook more easily, and it will make cooking dinner go more quickly.

9. Volunteer work that doesn't feel fulfilling - Volunteering should never feel like a burden. It should make you happy to help others. I volunteer in a couple different capacities right now, and one of them simply isn't fulfilling my few requirements for a good volunteer opportunity in that it doesn't help the less fortunate, it doesn't give me a sense of pride in my work or in helping others, and it interferes with other daily activities. It, in fact, actually helps people who are in pretty good condition, financially-speaking. Cutting this activity will free up time to do other volunteer work that is more fulfilling, and will make me happy.

10. Partially-used bath and body products I don't like but feel guilty throwing away - I'm coming to terms with the fact that just because I paid for it doesn't mean I have to like it or use it all up. Anything that doesn't do its job or doesn't make me happy will go in the garbage. I'll have less stuff and be happy about that.

11. Cable television - Cancel the cable after the college hockey season is done. We've got a Roku with Netflix and Hulu Plus, so we'll be able to watch what we want when we want. The resulting life change will be not being tied down to the TV schedule and not having to watch TV shows on our laptops.

A lot of it simply boils down to extra stuff. I feel weighed down by it all. I've spent a good portion of the morning looking for my library card in a sea of junk. It's just time to get past all the junk in my life and stop feeling like each box of stuff is tied around my ankle, keeping me back from enjoying my life at home.

Reverb10: Wisdom

2010-12-10T09:37:00.000-05:00

What was the wisest decision you made this year, and how did it play out? (Author: Susannah Conway)

I took a part-time seasonal job in November, but at the same time,I received approval for our county school's substitute teacher list. I'd waited 13 months for the approval to come. My husband urged me to do both, and I found that the other job (which I totally loved) really interfered with me picking up substitute teaching jobs. I had to quit last week. It wasn't the easiest decision, but it was certainly the wisest. The difference in pay is huge - two days of substitute teaching pays more than two weeks of retail work would have, and this job actually furthers my career goals rather than simply giving me a paycheck and a nice discount.

Reverb10: Party

2010-12-09T13:19:00.002-05:00

What social gathering rocked your socks off in 2010? Describe the people, music, food, drink, clothes, shenanigans. (Author: Shauna Reid)

2010 was a quiet year for us, party-wise. Our friends are scattered throughout the metro area, and Trevor has a different work schedule than most of his friends, so it's tough to get together with people. I think the best party I went to this year, though, was my sister's college graduation party. It was the first time my whole family was together in nearly a year, and the only time I've seen some of my family members since my wedding in 2009. The food was simple, Midwestern party food - sandwiches, salads, and desserts. My mom ordered the same cheesecakes we'd had for our rehearsal dinner, and they were amazing! I think we all had the leftovers for breakfast the next day.

It wasn't a raucous bash. No one was really dressed up. There wasn't any booze served or any shenanigans, but it was my favorite party this year because we were all there together.

Reverb10: Beautifully Different

2010-12-08T13:11:00.001-05:00

Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful. (Author: Karen Walrond)

Maybe I should have titled this "A Beautiful Mind." You see, one of the qualities that makes me different is that I have a very, very good memory for people. Ask me where my keys are, and I'll probably tell you five wrong answers before I hit on the right spot, but ask me about the girl I met at the party Saturday night and talked to for five minutes, and I could tell you everything I learned about her. Ask me again in a year, and I'll probably still remember everything.

Where this talent really shines is at our church's preschool check-in, where I volunteer on Sunday mornings. People are genuinely touched when I remember them or their children's names, especially if I say something like "I always remember Kelsea because she always has such cute dresses." Of course, it's not the dresses that make me remember these kids, but I love to throw in the extra compliment. I know these parents probably had a hectic morning getting their kids ready for church, doing their hair just right, and maybe even ironing the little pleats in the tiny dresses, so someone simply must acknowledge their work, right? ;)

When I make them smile, I smile, and that's what makes me feel beautiful.

Reverb10: Community

2010-12-07T11:32:00.002-05:00

Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011? (Author: Cali Harris)

This prompt has sat in an open browser tab all day. It's hard for me to even begin to explain all the places I've found a sense of community this year, both online and in the real world. I began 2010 as a newlywed, in a new place, knowing no one except my husband and the apartment complex management staff. It was in 2010 when I started to try to find opportunities for us to meet people.

The first and most significant place with within the church we attend. We started going there in January, though it was March before Trevor began holding weekends off to join me at services regularly. We were immediately welcomed, and I got involved in a women's bible study group. I started to meet people, both from my group and from other groups. I started making connections, and eventually got involved with a scrapbook group at the church (my second one in this area -- another one invited me in October 2009).

The other significant places where I've found community have been online. The creative avenues are the most obvious ones, though -- blogs, TwoPeasInABucket.com, and even Split Coast Stampers have provided me with creative community. I've also used Twitter and Facebook to foster community with the people I left behind when I moved to Georgia. I've been in touch with so many people I never would have been able to keep up with otherwise.

Perhaps the most important place I've found community this year is among other pilot wives -- through online forums like JetGirls and Pilot Wives Club, and in person through meeting Trevor's former college friends and current coworkers (several of these people fit both categories). Knowing others who deal with this unpredictable and frustrating lifestyle helps to deal with it just a little bit better. It can be heartbreaking, like when we learn about marriages that can't withstand this career, or it can be uplifting, like when we hear about couples getting away somewhere exotic thanks to the benefits of this career. I would honestly say that this community is the one I'd like to more deeply connect with in 2011. I know there are a lot of connections to be made within the pilot wife community, and I'm eager to make them.

Reverb10: Make

2010-12-06T12:41:00.002-05:00

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it? (Author: Gretchen Rubin)

The last thing I made was a half dozen baby cards for my mother-in-law. Ever since I made the first batch of cards for her two years ago, she has been in love with my handmade cards. These were a special request because Trevor's cousins are all having babies (and a few of his close friends are adding to their families, too).

I finished the cards about ten minutes ago. My materials were rub-ons from Making Memories and American Crafts, Nana's Nursery paper line from DCWV, cardstock from Bazzill, Click 'n Stick Mounting Squares, Making Memories buttons, and thread.

The thing I would most like to make right now is my wedding scrapbook. It's been a year and a half since our wedding, and I really haven't started working on it. It is an intimidating task. Not only do I need to clear the time, but I have to clear perfectionism from my mind as well. I know that if I focus too much on making it perfect, I'll never be happy with it, and I'll never complete it.

Reverb10: Let Go

2010-12-05T23:41:00.002-05:00

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why? (Author: Alice Bradley)

My skinny jeans. Unused school supplies. Fear. Facebook "friends" I never speak to in real life. The pursuit of perfectionism. Guilt.

It was just time to unclutter my life.

Reverb10: Wonder

2010-12-04T10:33:00.000-05:00

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year? (Author: Jeffrey Davis)

There were two activities I participated in over this past year that cultivated a sense of wonder in my life: travel and working with children.

As I traveled around the US this year, I was constantly marveling over how airports are all different, but all feel the same. I felt as though keeping my mind open and imagination alive in the airports and airplanes kept me from becoming a jaded, female version of George Clooney's character in Up in the Air. Of course, there were also the wonderful sites I visited, too. Standing at the summit of Mauna Kea. Kayaking across Kealakekua Bay. Snorkeling with yellow and blue fish. Floating in the Pacific Ocean, holding hands with my husband. Sinking into powdery soft sand on Oahu. Staring into a mummy's empty eye sockets at the Field Museum in Chicago. Looking up at the teeth of a fossilized t-rex. Considering the concept that the learning doesn't end when your formal education does as I watched my sister and her boyfriend receive their degrees this spring. It is impossible to see these things and not be filled with wonder.

In July, I started a volunteer role at my church, assisting in the preschool Sunday school class. Working with the children fills me with a sense of wonder. I'm constantly wondering how much of the lesson they are absorbing, why they think they are in Sunday School, and what they are really thinking about. I love to see how they are full of wonder. Their lessons are presented in a theatrical format, with a low stage, sound effects, lighting, and sometimes, we have puppets. Though the effects are very minimal and easy to do, it seems like the children don't know that it isn't magic. Their reactions are a mix of wonder and excitement. Seeing my 30+ children (I'm just one of 10 adults in the room with them) is one of the highlights of my week. I like to think that they are helping me keep a sense of childlike wonder as I help them learn to be good citizens and disciples.

Reverb10: Moment

2010-12-03T10:32:00.000-05:00

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors). (Author: Ali Edwards)

The water was cold as it lapped up into the kayak. It was 7 a.m., and we were behind Dave and Erin's kayak by quite a bit. The four of us were crossing Kealakekua Bay to see Captain Cook's monument, which is only accessible by boat or hiking trails. As we approached the monument, I started to see little yellow things int the water. I thought they were dead leaves from the tree above.

When we reached the shore, my arms were killing me, and I was certain I had burned a bit, too. I reapplied the greasy, spray on sunscreen for the second time that day before putting on my snorkel gear and jumping in the water. I was startled to find that the yellow things were not leaves -- they were fish! Hundreds of yellow fish about the size of my hands were in the water, along with larger fish in all sorts of colors: brilliant blue, black, purple, the whole rainbow, it seemed! The coral was also brilliantly colored, completely unlike what we had seen off the coast of Jamaica the previous summer. I floated in the water, thanks to the smelly rented life jacket that came with our snorkel gear and kayaks. I could have spent all day watching the fish flitting about under the water, but soon, catamarans carrying hundreds of tourists began coming in, and it was time to leave the bay.

Reverb10: Writing

2010-12-02T10:32:00.001-05:00

What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it? (Author: Leo Babauta)

Playing all those silly Facebook games. Watching TV with Trevor. Twitter.

I'm pretty sure most of this can be eliminated, though watching TV together actually helps us connect after the busy days when he is home and after the trips he must go on for work.

Reverb10: One Word

2010-12-01T10:31:00.000-05:00

Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

Traveler. I've been very fortunate to be able to travel over the past year and a half, thanks to the flight benefits I receive through my husband's job. I have joined him on the spur of the moment when his work trips took him to Kileen, Omaha, Houston, and Tallahassee, as well as lesser known places like Columbus, Georgia and Dothan, Alabama. Our personal travel has taken us home to see our families and friends in Minnesota and North Dakota. We have also been able to visit friends in Chicago and Detroit, sneak off to Savannah for a one year anniversary trip, and spend 10 days in Hawaii with our Chicago friends. I've also been able to see the Atlanta area through new eyes as my parents visited us this fall and saw the big attractions we just don't make the time to see as we go about our day to day lives.

My One Little Word for 2010 was not Traveler. It was Organize. I feel like I have made huge strides in that aspect, though. Decluttering has become a huge priority. As I look back on the move to Atlanta and look forward towards the possibility of future moves across town, across the country, or even across this apartment complex, I have a strong desire to cut down on the amount of unnecessary, unloved items in our home.

I'm still mulling some words for 2011. A part of me wants to continue Organize into 2011 because there is still some work to do, but I feel like that would be cheating. One word I'm considering might be a "secret word," like Ali Edwards had this year with Athlete. The word relates to a goal I'm not quite ready to share with the world just yet, though my closest family and friends know about it (no, we're NOT having a baby, just to put that to rest right away). Over the rest of December, I'll be looking for words others are choosing for their One Little Word and considering them, as well as flipping through the dictionary to see if something really stands out to me. I'll be asking myself what my goals are for 2011, what passions I'd love to see take a firmer hold on my life, and what habits need to be built or broken.

2010 Christmas Card

2010-11-21T00:02:00.002-05:00

Winter Palms Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

Christmas Cards!

2010-11-17T15:54:00.002-05:00

Last Christmas, I made my first ever photo card for Christmas. I was kind of hesitant to do this, even though I was using a wedding photo. I had resisted doing it until I helped my mom make her holiday cards, using Shutterfly to place a family photo, a photo of my sister and me, a photo of my parents, and a photo of my husband and me on the card (this was our answer to the fact that our wedding photographer didn't take a single photo of all five of us!). Mom's cards were beautiful, professional, and easy to put together. I hadn't even seen them in person when I decided I would definitely be making my own.

And then I stumbled upon it. It was the perfect design. It was a cardstock, 5x7 card featuring a black and white damask design, just like we used at our wedding. It was a perfect complement to our wedding photos, it still said holiday, and it was incredibly sophisticated. I ordered the cards around Thanksgiving, and they arrived during the first week of December.

This year, with no weddings or special events, I was doubtful we would have photos I'd want to use for a card again. However, our trip to Hawaii in October changed that. We came home with a few photos that would be great on a card, so I started searching. I checked Snapfish and a few other sites, and I even looked into creating my own design. I just didn't know where I was going to find a holiday card design that wouldn't look silly with our photos of palm trees and sunsets on Waikiki Beach.

I should have known. Shutterfly had the perfect design again this year! Once again, it's a 5x7 card printed on cardstock, but this year, it's a muted, tropical blue with a brown sketch of palm trees and a greeting beside the photo. Once again, it's a sophisticated design that works with my photos, doesn't shout HOLIDAY, but still gives off the proper mood. I think the chances are very good that I will be sticking with Shutterfly for my holiday cards in the future.

Here's this year's card design. Unfortunately, it looks like the design I used last year has been discontinued, but there are several really cute damask designs for this year, too.

Disclaimer: Though I love Shutterfly a lot and post about my love for Shutterfly often on TwoPeasInABucket.com, there was a motivation behind this post. Shutterfly is currently doing a promotion for bloggers offering 50 free cards for writing about your experience with their holiday cards. If you're interested in joining in, check out the Shutterfly blog.

A small favor from my readers...if they exist ;)

2010-11-08T12:56:00.004-05:00

I've noticed a pattern in my blogging. I read a lot, but I don't comment often. A lot of it stems from viewing in Google Reader rather than on the actual site, but some of it stems from not having much to say.

It occurred to me today that there might be many others like me who are reading but not commenting. So, since I've noticed that I do have some viewers/readers (at least, according to Blogger's statistics tools), I'd like to ask a small favor.

A very small favor.

Could you please just leave a little comment on this post letting me know if you're reading my blog? "Reading" is all you've got to type. I'd just like to a read on what sort of readership numbers I might have.

Thanks!

Nov. 4: Thankful Thursdays

2010-11-04T14:16:00.002-04:00

A weekly gathering of people, things, and concepts I'm thankful for as we lead up to Thanksgiving Day.

Summit Urgent Care: I had to make my first ever trip to an urgent care facility yesterday after a horrible headache would not go away. I learned there that I had signs of infection in my ear and throat. I was in and out in under 10 minutes, which was stunning to me, considering that my experiences with primary care physicians in the area usually meant I'd be on hold for 10 minutes before learning they weren't accepting new patients or were booked for the next two weeks.

Friends: Upon learning I was suffering, Rachel offered either herself or Jake to fly down to be with me until Trevor came home. Though I'm fine with staying home until I'm off the Vicodin (yes, it was bad enough to get Vicodin from my doctor), I was touched that they would be willing to come stay with me until the infection and headache clears up.

Trevor: For calling repeatedly to check on me yesterday and today while I was feeling sick. I'm a lucky, lucky woman to have a man like that.

Today...

2010-10-20T09:25:00.003-04:00

Today...

...I am tackling two weeks of laundry.

...I am looking at flights to Houston for tomorrow night and return flights to Atlanta on Friday morning.

...I am excited for my friends Kitty and Blaise, who are halfway towards meeting baby number three.

...I am hoping to upload and start the process to edit 500+ photos from our time in Michigan and Hawaii over the past few weeks.

...I am wearing purple in support of a group of teens who face struggles above and beyond those of the typical teens. I am wearing purple to support those who choose to be themselves in a world where they may not be accepted for doing so.

365 Cards #45: Ann's Birthday

2010-09-25T13:51:00.002-04:00

About the card:

Inspired by a recent Make a Card Monday video from Kristina Werner, though I'm not so sure this looks a lot like her card now that it's completed. I didn't do buttons or hand stitching, my sentiment placement is different, and my background stamp is different, but it was still inspired by her. I LOVED the ribbon scraps hearts! I also loved that I used a lot of my "cheap stuff" on this card -- random ribbons from bargain bins at Target and Michael's, Hobby Lobby kraft cardstock, a Hobby Lobby background stamp, HL ink pads, a dollar bin stamp from Michael's, and half pearls I know I got half off at (you guessed it) Hobby Lobby.

I did the diecutting for these cards in a huge batch at a crop, and I was reminded how amazing the Cuttlebug is when my friend's almost five year old daughter asked what I was doing. I offered to let her try, and she not only was able to do it, but she loved it!

About Ann:

Ann is cousin #3 of four girls. She is the younger of Claire, mentioned in my last post, and older sister of Jill, who also has a birthday this month, but I forgot to scan the card I sent her. It's okay, though, because it was a variation of the Cards for Kids I made for their blog hop earlier this summer. Ann turned 13 this year, and on her 13th birthday, she won a Junior Varsity cross country meet. It was her second first place finish in her first cross country season. Later this fall, she will run varsity on a high school team. In addition to being a great runner, she's a great basketball player, volleyball player, and gives a whole new meaning to "throws a football like a girl." Needless to say, she's a very busy and talented girl!

365 Cards #44: Claire's Birthday

2010-09-10T12:23:00.003-04:00

{Supplies: Card - Archivers, Papers - American Crafts, Cardstock and ink - paper studio, Stamps - Studio G, ribbon - unknown}

Miss Claire is turning 14 today. She is my second oldest cousin (her older sister Erin turned 17 in June). I was just a few days shy of 12 when Claire was born. I barely remember visiting her when she was born, though I do recall declaring that we would spend my birthday visiting their family in Carrington. We actually went the day before, and it was a gorgeous day. My dad had already seen baby Claire because he and my grandfather had stopped at the hospital after their trip to the Big Iron Show in Valley City that year. My dad made a crack about how it worked out so well, he'd see my aunt same time, same place the next year. My cousin Ann was born one year and eight days later. We missed Ann's baptism, and my dad made a crack about how we'd catch the next one. Two years and 11 days later, my cousin Jill was born and my dad was forbidden from making any cracks about the family growing.

I was able to catch up with my aunt earlier this week, and she mentioned that her girls are starting to scrapbook. I am so excited about that, and I hope they'll bring their scrapbooks for me to see when they come to visit my family next weekend. I know my influence on them was indirect, at best. I started scrapbooking, then my sister started. She moved close to them about a year ago, so they've been exposed to her scrapbooking over that time, and that probably got them started. Regardless of why they started scrapbooking, I'm glad to see them doing it.

Organize Your Stuff Challenge: Week 1: Space Audit

2010-09-09T20:44:00.002-04:00

On the TwoPeasInABucket.com General Scrapping Messageboards, Crisann is hosting a very lengthy challenge designed to get all our scrapbook supplies organized, one step at a time. This is the third round of this challenge, originally begun in 2009 by a member known as wookiemouse. Crisann has since been the host of round two and is beginning round three this week.

I've decided to blog about my progress on Thursdays as we go through this challenge. It's 29 weeks, though not every topic will apply to me. For example, I don't keep die cut pieces around, so the die cut week won't really apply to me.

The first week is the "space audit," and I've been tasked with auditing my scrap space for convenience. Here's what I found:

1. My cardstock is very easy to reach.
2. My patterned papers are a little more difficult to reach, but still easy to get to.
3. My punches are within reach.
4. My stamps are decently within reach, though I have to roll and turn my chair to reach some of them.
5. My stickers are easy to reach.
6. My ribbon set-up is excellent for ease of use, but I don't use ribbon that much, anyway.
7. Most of my tools are easily within reach.
8. My desk is generally covered with stuff because this apartment doesn't lend itself to storage very easily.
9. Photos are scattered throughout this room because I've never come up with a good system for storing them.
10. My Slice machine is not in a good location right now. On the desk was convenient, but it took up space. Now it's on a shelf, but I can't have it charging or use it while it's plugged in.
11. My Cuttlebug stuff is really disorganized right now.
12. My embellishments are really spread out.
13. My tools and pens are mixed in the same bucket, making it difficult to find what I want quickly.
14. I simply have too much stuff.
15. Most embarassingly, I need to remember that my futon is NOT extra storage space.

There you have it. My space audit. Next week's challenge is on brainstorming, which is something I'm already working on, and will likely have plenty of thoughts to share.

Tomorrow I'll be back with my cousin Claire's birthday card. There will be lots of birthday cards over the next couple months - my cousins Claire, Ann, and Jill were all born in September, just like I was. I also share my birthday with my husband's paternal grandfather, Ed, who will turn 92 this year. October brings my brother-in-law Tyler's birthday, my mother-in-law's birthday, and my grandmother's birthday. All those birthdays together help to make autumn my favorite season. :)

my latest project

2010-09-03T16:45:00.003-04:00

Today, I began an ambitious project.

I am analyzing all of my scrapbook layouts for colors, patterns, embellishments, and themes in a spreadsheet. So far, I've gone through three albums containing about 90 layouts. Patterns are definitely emerging, as well as memories that have fallen to the wayside as I move through my life. I found a layout containing a photo I downloaded from a friend's Livejournal in 2004, before we had Facebook to share photos and ideas.

It's interesting to see who is in my scrapbooks compared to who I still talk to regularly now. There were no painful falling outs, just slow drifting aparts, caused by all of us moving around the country over the past six years. Those of us who were in the 2004-2005 scrapbooks now live in Canada, Nebraska, Texas, California, Michigan, and Georgia. None of us were originally from those places, and I doubt any of us could have imagined at that time that we would end up living where we are now. Thanks to the ever-volatile airline industry and the economy, I'm not sure any of us imagined we'd be working where we are right now. I never thought it would be difficult to find a teaching job.

It's almost as though this project is as much about analyzing how I've come along as a person as it is about how I've come along as a scrapbooker. I was surprised to see layouts using my wedding colors in the 2004 and 2005 scrapbooks, and to realize my love of American Crafts letter stickers began long before Thickers were introduced. Does anyone remember the loopy Sarah Script? The chunky, serifed letters? I hope I still have some in my stash. My love for them has been renewed after beginning this project.

What amazes me most is what I did with a limited set of supplies, limited space, and low tech tools. It seems like I've lost a little creativity with each new, more advanced tool I've added to my scrapbook stash. I was unconcerned about having layouts using the same papers touching each other in my albums, probably because those were the only papers I had on hand at that time. I know I wasn't measuring precise placements with my rulers, and I didn't have to pull up and re-place a sticker time after time until it looked just perfect (but didn't really stick any longer, anyway).

I've definitely evolved as a scrapbooker, but I'm wondering if maybe it isn't time to devolve a little?