A lovely day here today. I woke up relatively early but only lay around for a short time before I exercised and got ready for our family shoot. I messed up the setup so Jake’s head got cut off more than I would have liked and the depth of field was a bit shallower than it should have been. But that’s just the way things go sometimes.
Nathaniel was still chasing after the remote. When he got it, he’d immediately say “Daddy” and give it to Jake. Each time. Here he is diving for it.
And laughing. Look at that laugh!
You can see my depth of field problem clearly here. David was out front so he got blurred.
tickle time.
After the shoot, David and I read our book as Nathaniel went through all the tupperware and got bored.
Here’s the obligatory “oh come on mom take the smiling shot already so I can be done” photo.
Then Nathaniel napped and David played wii. I sketched. It took a long time and just when I finished Nathaniel woke up so we went to the birthday of a neighbor’s daughter. When we got back, David played just a bit more and Nathaniel kept trying to get him to put the glasses on so I snapped a photo just for fun.
Then the boys went upstairs and played Atari (yes Atari!) with Dad while sketched once more. (yey for two sketches!!) Then we all went and got dinner, a bit more Atari and the boys went to bed. Jake and I worked together for a bit and then I did my art journal. Now I have to finish my leg exercises, journal and maybe I will read a bit or maybe I might sketch more. I am loving sketching so much. And I am grateful for such a full and wonderful day. Here’s to a tomorrow that’s just as good!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I did two sketches. They are different and they both make me happy.
2. I am grateful for feeling rested despite getting so much done.
3. I am grateful for all the little things: stickers on the toys from nathaniel’s obsession, nathaniel’s crazy laugh and the way he opens his arms all the way as he runs to hug you, his kisses. David’s excitement with Atari, his love of Star Wars, the way he likes to snuggle up with me. Jake’s tight, wonderful hugs, his beautiful smile, the way he plays with the boys and how much they all love him and he loves them. I am so grateful for so much today. Even the irritating moments are ones I look back upon with gratitude later so I am trying to enjoy them more and be grateful for them more. Life’s all about the little moments.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I played Atari . {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that we went out to dinner.
3. I am grateful that tomorrow is Mother’s Day.
jake
Jake had another good week. New clients who invested, domain registered, meetings, etc. etc. He’s also planning for his trip to NYC next week. Normally I’d say I wish I were going, too, but to be 100% truthful I like being at home right now and want to be here more than just about anywhere else. Anyway, he’s got a trip coming up and I think while he’s stressed a bit, he’s also excited and looking forward to some business meetings and seeing some good friends. He’s also helped me several times this week and I am very grateful that his new schedule accommodates my work craziness so much better than the old one did.
karen
This was crazy. Several last minute fires, emergencies and a lot of stressful work for me. It all worked out in the end (as it often does, thankfully) but it came down to the 11th hour several times this week. We did have some work friends over on Monday and had a lovely night of playing Startup Fever, a board game one of my co-workers created. It was one of the most fun nights I can remember in a long time. So, overall, I can’t say it was a terrible week but I was more stressed out than I would have liked. Here’s to hoping next week is calmer.
david
David had a good week at school. They had a scientist visit the school this week who brought some sea life with him so David got to hold a starfish and other animals and he loved it. He spent the week preparing for the Open House art show they have next week and for Mother’s Day. He made me a heart shink-a-dink with his own art and a very beautiful card. He also got a brand new Star Wars book from the library. Good week.
nathaniel
Nathaniel is getting to be bored more easily and goes through the drawers and things he shouldn’t be touching more and more often now. There are more meltdowns. But there is also more love. He runs around with his arms open saying “uuuug” and hugs and kisses each of us. He is so sweet that I forgive all the bad habits.
Us Right Now is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Well the emergency that started Wednesday did not end so I went to bed stressed last night and woke up to even more bad news this morning so I ended up working non stop with a large number of stresses all day. Just about anything that could go wrong, did. I stressed and stressed and stressed pretty much all day. And now I am a heap of tired mass.
The highlight of my day was David coming home and giving me his Mother’s Day presents. I got a wonderful shrink-a-dink heart pin with David’s art on it and this great card that says “I love you mom because you are super nice to me.”
Love my boy.
I tried to get a few photos of the little boy, too but he wasn’t really up for it. I snapped anyway and the light was just magnificent.
So I snapped more.
I got his attention.
And those huge eyes stared at me.
Isn’t he so very beautiful?
And I love his laugh.
This one, too, he’s so magnificent. I am so blessed and lucky.
And here we are. I still have to do some exercises and work on my art journal and journal journal. I haven’t done any of my todo list items for today either. Work came and clobbered everything else.
Some days are just like that. Thankfully, tomorrow is another day! Happy Friday to all of you!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that the push is out and we’re done for the moment. Even if just briefly.
2. I am grateful for my family. I just adore my family so much. My kids, my husband, my sister and nephews and brother in law, my mom and dad. I really have a good family. Yes of course we have ups and downs but in general I have so much more good than bad and I know that’s nothing to take for granted.
3. I am grateful for the weekend. I really need rest this weekend.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I got to pick a prize from the prize box . {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got a new Star Wars book from the library at school and read it to my class.
3. I am grateful that I played connect four with dadddy.
I can’t believe May is here. I remember thinking in January that I would raise the distance of exercise until June (to 3.1) and then hold it there. At the time June seemed so far away and here we are less than a month away to the stopping period. I am now exercising 3.0 miles a day. And I won’t lie, it’s been hard. Partly cause I am much more exhausted than usual lately. Partly due to stress at work which is affecting my sleep and my nutritional intake. Partly cause 3.0 miles a day is no joke. It’s hard but I still do it. Every single day and I am still so very proud of myself afterwards. That’s almost a 5K a day. Amazing for someone who never ever exercised before.
The food is not going as great. I’m still eating healthier than not but more graham crackers and less veggies than usual. I bought a bunch of salads for this week and have been eating those which is good and I think I will prioritize better nutrition for the summer so thinking about ways to work on it more actively. The weight progress hasn’t been huge in April but on the plus side I bought this dress from Anthro and it’s a size two. I know it doesn’t look so small in the photo but I swear it’s a two. I am quite amazed and grateful for that progress.
and here’s this week’s card:
Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
This layout is for Write.Click.Scrapbook’s May Gallery. The theme is to scrap a day in the life.
Journaling Reads:
7. After breakfast at 6am, we take David to the bus so he can go to school. 8. Then it’s time for me to exercise. Treadmill and nike+ for 2.8 miles. 9. After the morning exercise I take my peace time which is also breakfast. Coffee with graham crackers (but no chocolate.) If I am lucky I can also get in some quiet journaling time. 10. While I do all this Nathaniel plays quietly and reads books. Then it’s time for work. Lately it’s all about dev releases. 12. If it’s a weekend, we take this time to do a family shot. I love these. 3. David is ready to pick up at 2:45 so when we come home we read books together. 4. Then he works on his workbooks. Most days it’s reading, writing, or math. He really likes doing them. 5. Then it’s time to write the gratitude journal. One sentence. 5. If it’s Sunday, we have family night, if not it’s playtime. 6. The kids go to bed at six so I process the daily photos. 8. And finally it’s time for some art. I get a few quiet hours and then it’s time for bed around 10pm. I love my simple life.
Today was relatively uneventful up until the 11th hour. I worked while the little one played and just made a mess and had fun.
When his brother came home, he was feeling mischievous.
Gave him a lot of hugs.
And his brother was just as into it.
They played and laughed and then David and I read our book. Then he worked on his workbook. He’s in the math section, now.
here he is giving me the “ugh don’t want a photo now” look.
and then this super-weird look.
and finally a smile.
I wanted to capture the little one too but he got mad when I moved him toward the light.
And he still watched his movie anyway.
Alas, now there’s some last minute work at work. It’s been an interesting few weeks to say the least. But the weekend is almost here and I plan to relax. I’ve been thinking a lot about motivation and about what motivates me. Some days I get so much done and others I barely want to move from the couch. And inertia is so powerful so I am trying to dig a bit deeper here and see what’s making me poutier and less productive than usual.
I go back and forth between telling myself to just rest and not stress and telling myself to just get productive and the inertia will stop. Who knows which one is right…
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a mostly-quiet day.
2. I am grateful for support and kindness at work. I work with some great people.
3. I am grateful for the few hours of quiet time I have at night. Knowing my kids are well and in bed and the day is almost over but not just yet.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I touched sea life today (he had a scientist come to school with some fun sea animals and plants). {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got play with my legos a bit at bedtime.
3. I am grateful that my wii day is coming.
4. I am grateful for nathaniel and daddy and mommy.
I’m still sketching daily here. I’ve been experimenting a bunch more this week some hits and a bunch of misses. But I keep at it. It will get better with time and practice. I really believe it.
On Wendesday, I wanted to draw from a picture so I tried to recreate this bracelet and here’s my version.
and then on Thursday I tried to make this purse and realized again that I suck at the color pencils so I tried to add water and that turned out to be a disaster, too:
I felt bummed about my disaster so I made another quick one on Thursday night based on these ballet slippers.
on Friday I wanted to do something different and something that wasn’t a lift of someone’s sketch so I used this toaster:
on Saturday I went back to Andrea’s sketches. I did one half of this side mirror:
And then I did another quickie one based on this sketch of sleeping lovers. Not a huge success.
Sunday, I picked the journals by Andrea:
Monday I discovered Charlie Bowater and fell in love with the girl on a swing.
and Tuesday was another girl:
And here we are. Some experimenting this week. I am still enjoying the process even though some of my sketches make me cringe and I feel discouraged and frustrated more often than anything else, I am still really enjoying this process a lot!
I am still tired and whiny and unmotivated. But I finally decided to nip it in the bud. So I am going to write quickly today and go back to working hard so I can finish some nagging tasks. Today was relatively uneventful. The little boy played and I worked.
We went to get the big boy who had a nose bleed (from picking his nose!)
We read our book and the little one played and made a huge mess.
And here’s a much better looking big boy.
I exercised, I went to the TMJ doctor, I worked, I whined, I sat around trying to get myself motivated and I failed. I journaled and then I gave myself one more push. Some days are just like that. Going nowhere. It is what it is I suppose. Not fun but just part of life. Thank you for the feedback on the class. If you haven’t done so, feel free to still give feedback a few posts below this one. I am still thinking about it. But if I do it, it will be completely different than other courses. the point is not for you to have downloadables and for me to help you form a habit or to make pages about it. The goal will be to set a goal and achieve it. With hard work 🙂 and a bunch of other tools I hope to lay out. Let’s see if I can put it together and get organized a bit. More soon.
Sorry for the super short update today. More tomorrow.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a quick minute to sketch. Even if it’s not my favorite, I still did it.
2. I am grateful for my husband who made sure I was completely not disturbed as I worked really hard for an hour straight.
3. I am grateful for spring. I love to hear the birds chirping. It always always always makes me smile.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I did my workbook. {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I got a new game for the phone.
3. I am grateful that I sat with Alec on the bus.
I read Fly Away from Home because I was between books and wanted to read something light but not for kids and not too fluffy. Jennifer Weiner is usually good for that and she was this time, too. I can’t say that I loved the novel and am so glad I read it but it was definitely a pleasant book and I enjoyed the time I spent reading it.
I liked that most of the characters weren’t overly dramatic despite the situation and each had its own collection of strengths and weaknesses so they were three dimensional and easy to relate to. Overall, if you’re looking for a fun read that’s not fluffy I’d put this on the list.
Now that CHA is passed, I wanted to share some of my The Girls’ Paperie work I made for the show. All products are from The Girls’ Paperie Kitch or Mix and Match lines. I love this birdhouse.
If I taught a class on setting and achieving goals would you be interested in taking that? It would be taught in a private blog setup by me, likely with daily posts. It would not be specific to scrapbooking or even art or any particular field. It would apply to any and all areas of your life.
Is this something you’d be interested in? If you’d let me know either way in the comments or by emailing me (karen AT karenika DOT com) I would very much appreciate it.
Also if you are interested, here are four other things I would like to know?
1. When would be an ok time for you to take the course. As in would mid/end of May be ok? How about summer? Or fall?
2. How long would you like it to be 2-3-4 weeks?
3. How much would you think is a comfortable price for you for such a class?
4. Is there any particular content in that area you’d want to make sure I cover.
Feel free to post answers to as many as you feel comfortable. Please don’t take it personally if I end up not doing what you might prefer. I am just trying to collect information and do the very best I can.
We had a lot of fun with friends last night playing a game that one of my co-workers designed. It was called Startup Fever and it turned out to be super-fun. But it meant we played until late (for me) and I didn’t get a lot of sleep. I still tried to workout and got weighed and did my sketch and then got to work. After we picked up David, I wanted to keep Nathaniel entertained while we read and he was so sad not to watch Thomas on the big screen, so I put a new one on his ipod. And he was super happy.
I also snapped some shots of David. I particularly like this one but I am not even sure why.
He laughed and told me stories as always.
I love him so much.
Nathaniel, in the meantime, made a huge mess, too.
And when I told him no, all I got was this smile. Who can resist that?
I am going to take a quick break and grab some food with my family. It’s really nice here and I didn’t have lunch so I figure it’s ok. And then some time to do art and some planning and maybe even a layout.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for my boys. They make me so deeply happy.
2. I am grateful for a quick break i hope to take with my family.
3. I am grateful for no plans tonight. I am hoping and planning to go to bed early and get some of that rest I need deeply.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I played connect four by myself. {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played Indiana Jones with Julian.
3. I am grateful that I drew and colored a map at school.
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projects for twenty twenty-five
projects for twenty twenty-four
projects for twenty twenty-three
projects for twenty twenty-two
projects for twenty twenty-one
projects for twenty nineteen
projects for twenty eighteen
projects from twenty seventeen
monthly projects from previous years
some of my previous projects
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