Stories of Twenty-Fifteen – Week 7

Here’s this week’s story:

Title: Solar System Mobile
Story:
One of the presents Jake got for Nathaniel this Christmas was a box of Space Exploration projects. It wasn’t until Nathaniel asked him to help do some of the projects that he opened the box and realized how complicated each project was.

But he’d already promised to help.

So the boys got to work. They picked one of the simpler projects: a solar system mobile.

First they got a piece of yarn and put all the labels for each planet through. Then they tied a picture of the planet below each with a thread. Then, they blew up a yellow balloon to represent the sun. It sounds simple in the three sentences but these steps took quite some time. And then we had the challenge of where to put the finished project.

Jake and I took it upstairs very carefully and looked around Nathaniel’s room to find the perfect spot. As it turned out, we got lucky. We hung it right over his desk.

While the project is lovely, what I love most about this little story was watching the two boys work together. I love seeing how they are both so focused in the photo above. I love how Nathaniel’s not deterred by the difficulty of the task. I love how he wasn’t bored or didn’t get distracted and walk away. And, of course, I love what it taught him about science.

(I learned something, too. I had no idea how different the sizes of each of the planets were. And how much bigger Jupiter is than the others. )

I really enjoy watching the two boys play together and I love playing with them myself, but there’s something special, for me, in watching their dad play with them. Maybe it’s because it’s a father-son moment or maybe it’s because I love them both so much. Either way, these are special moments for me and I cherish every single one of them.

I love you so much, Nathaniel and Jake.

Stories of Twenty Fifteen is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 20, 2015 | Scrapbooking, Stories of Twenty Fifteen | One comment

You Choose – Week 7

Even though I like lattes as much as the next person, at heart, I’m a tea person. A cup of tea and a blanket to curl up in is enough to make me feel centered and serene. Add a good book to the combination and I won’t move from my spot for hours.

So thankful for simple pleasures in life.

here’s a closeup of the writing:

here is a side look for the shimmer:

here’s to remembering how my cup overflows.

You Choose is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 19, 2015 | Collage, Note to Self | One comment

A Book a Week – dreams of gods and monsters

Dreams of Gods and Monsters was the last of Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. One of my all time favorite young adult series. Something so different and the writing so imaginative.

This was the last book and it didn’t disappoint. To be honest, I felt like the high of the first book lasted all the way through for me. I found the whole plotline so unusual and the characters so interesting that I was willing to give the author a lot of the benefit of the doubt.

I loved this one.

February 18, 2015 | Books Read in 2014 | One comment

Fifty-Two Stamps – Week 7

For this week’s stamp, I took an idea from my favorite Whole Life Challenge challenge. It was called 1-2-3. You pick six things you want to do on that day. 1 Must Do, 2 Want to Do, 3 Nice to do items. So this stamp has 6 lines. One for each of these.

Here’s what the stamp looks like:

And here’s a closeup of it filled out:

I like this because it’s also reusable for other purposes. I can stamp it and list my 6 todos for the day. or 6 meetings, 6 clients, 6 things to clean up, 6 things i’m grateful for etc. etc. In my case, the top line is for the date, the next line has no divider, it’s the must-do item. the others are nice and want ones.

It can also be used for something i want to do every week day. I could write m, t, w, th, f in the divider sections and my weekly goal on the top undivided line. and the date on the very top. This way I can track how much I run each day, for example.

A fun little, useful one.

Fifty-two stamps is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 18, 2015 | Fifty-Two Stamps, Stamp Carving | One comment

Note to Self – Week 7

For this first page, I started out with Christy Tomlinson’s lesson from Life Book 2014 but then I just totally decided to do my own thing.

I wanted to draw a girl’s face. Something simple with wings and my word for 2015. I wanted a reminder to be brave that week so I just sat and drew her. And gave her some golden wings. I did it all pretty quickly and tried not to overthink it too much.

I loved the end result. Something simple and lovely.

here’s a sideways look to see all the shimmer:

I can never have enough reminders to be brave and to be me.

Note to Self is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 17, 2015 | Mixed Media, Note to Self | Leave a comment

David and Nathaniel’s Books of Happy Memories – Week 5

Here’s this week’s offering from David:

Another card from his friend Ari.

and here it is when open:

And one from Nathaniel:

Spanish colors rainbow.

David and Nathaniel’s Books of Happy Memories is a two projects I’m doing with my kids for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 14, 2015 | David's Book of Happy Memories 2015, Nathaniel's Book of Happy Memories | Leave a comment

Stories of Twenty-Fifteen – Week 6

Here’s this week’s story:

Title: Traveling to Zurich
Story:
When I joined the Transit Team, Holly said it would probably be a good idea for me to visit Zurich sooner than later. I knew she was right, but I was reluctant to and worried about leaving the kids for a week. As it works out, because the flight there takes such a long time, it’s not really feasible to leave for less than a week.

So a week it was.

I booked my flight but immediately started dreading it. Even up until the very last moment, I was not looking forward to it. But, alas, the day came and it was time for me to get on the plane.

The boys drove me to the airport and gave me big hugs goodbye. The plane ride was long, but uneventful. And, before I knew it, I was in Zurich. I found the train to the office relatively easily and the awesome Google Transit directions got me right to my hotel. I took a quick shower and headed off to work.

Even though the first day was a bit awkward and disorganized, the next three days were extremely helpful and very busy. I spent all my days in meetings, coming up with lists of things to do, and connecting with all the engineers.

I spent my nights getting organized, winding down, reading, and resting.

The first three days, I woke up no later than 3am. I was very jet lagged but I still managed to get through the days without a problem. Later in the week, we even went out at night for some socializing.

All in all it was a fantastically worthwhile trip. I felt a lot more connected to the team and good about my job. And the boys? They did wonderfully. We chatted a bit each day and, while I missed them, I was too busy to really worry about anything.

As with most things, the idea of this trip was much worse in my head than how it all worked out in reality. Note to future self: Stop worrying, things always work out.

February 13, 2015 | Scrapbooking, Stories of Twenty Fifteen | Leave a comment

You Choose – Week 6

This photo of the house by the sea makes me happy each time I look at it. To me, the sea is the culmination of all things that I want to feel. It simultaneously makes me feel serene and alive. The sea is also abundant and so very open. I am never happier than when I am by the sea.

Maybe one day, I’ll be lucky enough to have my own little house by the sea.

here’s a closeup of the writing:

here is a side look for the shimmer:

here’s to visiting the sea more often.

You Choose is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 12, 2015 | Collage, Note to Self | Leave a comment

A Book a Week – still life with bread crumbs

I read Still Life with Bread Crumbs because I like Anna Quindlen. I wanted to see if i liked her latest novel.

And i did.

It was a quick read. A small book about an older woman. Something you don’t read much in most novels (except those like Anne Tyler or Elizabeth Berg.) I really enjoyed the characters, the story, and Quindlen’s writing. Not a literary masterpiece but a lovely novel.

February 11, 2015 | Books Read in 2014 | One comment

Fifty-Two Stamps – Week 6

Now that all my words are finished, I wanted to make something I could use in my Everyday Brave book or just in my daily planner, etc. I decided to make a little “celebrate” stamp where I could write a few things I can celebrate form that week, day, month, etc.

Here’s what the stamp looks like:

And here’s a closeup of it filled out:

i like cute stamps as much as the next person but since I plan to carve 52 of them this year, I wanted to make sure I make stamps that I will use again and again. Though I probably will end up with some cutesy ones too, of course 🙂

Fifty-two stamps is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 11, 2015 | Fifty-Two Stamps, Stamp Carving | 2 comments

Note to Self – Week 6

For this first page, I used Tam’s lesson from Life Book 2014. She taught us how to make these very simple and beautiful flowers.

These are made using your fingers and without a lot of thought. I love the way they look. They made me really happy to make. So much so that I felt compelled to write “beauty is everywhere” on the bottom after I was done.

Because it really is, isn’t it? It’s everywhere. How incredibly beautiful is each flower. The magnificent trees. All the shades of green in each tree never cease to amaze me. I feel like I am surrounded by so much beauty and yet I take so much of it for granted. I do the same thing with my family, my health, my home. The things that are just here. Things I depend on deeply but don’t realize that they are such huge privileges.

I am so lucky. Beauty is everywhere around me. In nature, in the people I love, in the food I get to taste. In the body that houses my soul.

Everywhere.

Note to Self is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 10, 2015 | Mixed Media, Note to Self | 3 comments

Everyday Brave – Week 6

This week’s page is one of my favorites. Just because it’s so different for me. Both of these pages were done as an assignment to the Sketchbook Skool’s storytelling klass. The left side was to draw ingredients for a recipe. I was making a lot of omelette’s at the time so that’s what I drew. I don’t like how the omelette itself ended up but I like the ingredients.

The right side is supposed to be directions to make something. I thought for a long time because I couldn’t come up with an idea so I finally went with something simple I do all day long: make tea!

And there we are. Here’s another week.

Fifty-two stamps is a project for 2015. You can read more about it here.

February 9, 2015 | Everyday Brave, Journaling, Sketching | One comment

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