Daily Diary – April 15 2011

Both boys were at home today and I had a bunch of work to do so the morning was quiet as David colored and Nathaniel played. David then came to show me some of his creations and explained them to me, which I enjoyed so so much.

There he is telling me the stories.

Nathaniel took a a long nap while his friends came to play here. I finally woke him up but then he just wanted to eat. Only after everyone left did he dig into the lego box.

He found a little car.

made some car noises.

and acted just like a little boy! Made me smile as I snapped.

Soon after, David joined in too and they played while I worked.

I rarely do black and white now but I loved this shot so I tried.

Between David’s sickness last week and my allergies, we blow our noses a lot here and Nathaniel has started imitating us often.

I got a lot of work done today and even had an hour of playtime with the neighbors and their kids. Now we’re off to the movies and then I get to art journal for a bit. This weekend is looking to be fun, I hope. I hope yours is too!

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for my kids’ stories and imagination.
2. I am grateful I had a bit of social time today. It’s nice to have friends over.
3. I am grateful for the weekend!

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I colored {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I told stories to mommy.
3. I am grateful for mommy and daddy and for playing with Nathaniel.

April 15, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | Leave a comment

Healthy For Life – Week 15

Yes, well, apparently last week’s loss was a fluke as expected. I knew something was off but it still made me sort of sad when I saw the number this week. Especially since I’d gained more than I lost last week so I’m at a gain net net. What a bummer. The good thing is that while I was sad and dejected, I didn’t go and drown my sorrows in some fries or chocolate. Instead I got mad and worked out. I had added 30 leg lifts on each side and 10 crunches to my work out even before I weighed myself and I just kept doing those. There are still 8 months in this year and I am in this for the long haul so we’re good but it still sort of sucks to see the sad numbers there on the screen..

Exercise is actually going ok. 2.9 is not kicking my butt as much as I worried it might and I am making it through day after day. I still dread it and hate it and blah blah but I do it and I am always grateful and proud of myself for doing it. So, there we go with that.

And here’s another shot of me with some clothes. These are the tights with a black shirt and some boots. It just shows me that I did lose weight and am getting thinner. One step at a time.

and here’s this week’s card:

Healthy for Life is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.

April 15, 2011 | Health, Healthy for Life | 4 comments

Still Sketching

About a week ago I discovered Andrea Joseph who blew my mind. She’s absolutely amazing and she inspired me to sketch. And right before that I had watched this amazing video and I had already decided to sketch daily after that. So when I found Andrea, that was it. I just started to sit and do it.

I did this ball using the tutorials here.

then I made a bottle.

the buttons were inspired by this.

and the pens are also inspired by her:

I did one while waiting for David’s bus and then added another later.

and then I tried the shoes.

I made one yesterday and one today.

Going slowly. Just trying to give it 30mins a day and see if I can progress. I love being inspired.

April 14, 2011 | Art, SG, Sketching | Leave a comment

Daily Diary – April 14 2011

Wow are we really almost halfway through April? This month is flying by.

Little boy decided to wake up early today so I woke up disoriented and tired but then I was delighted to find out that a guess I made at work was right. I exercised and decided to just turn my attitude around for the rest of the day. David was sweet and he seems to be ok thankfully.

He played on the computer some as I worked.

Nathaniel took a nice nap and then was delighted to have some stickers.

Here he is trying to smile at me so I will go away.

I am posting early today cause I am soon leaving for the dentist and then I have a BPC chat and I promised I will spend tonight with my hubby so here we are. Life is good here, I am thankful and I am trying to keep a positive attitude and remember how lucky i am. Hope you’re doing well, too.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am still grateful my son is ok. So so grateful.
2. I am grateful I got a bunch of tasks done so I can feel less stressed.
3. I am grateful for things working out ok at work. I feel proud of myself.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that mommy got me stickers {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I get to play on the computer.
3. I am grateful for mommy and daddy.

April 14, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | One comment

Daily Diary – April 13 2011

Well today was going great….I did my exercise and sketched and went to the jaw doctor and even made a layout. I got work done, Nathaniel took his nap. He woke up at 1:30 and as we walked down the stairs, the phone rang. I picked it up and it was David’s school. He was twirling at lunch they said and got dizzy and hit his head on the metal bench. He’s bleeding from the head. You should come pick him up.

Not words a mom wants to hear. So I rushed over to his school and thankfully he was more ok than I’d imagined. They’d cleaned it off and he was smiling. I took him to the pediatrician and they cleaned it more and decided to put strong bandaids and let it close on its own. There was no need for stitches and they thought there was too much tissue for the dermabond to work.

So we came back home. Nathaniel was mostly oblivious of course.

But he hadn’t eaten in hours and was mostly well behaved at the doctor’s office, especially considering how hungry he must have been.

But we already know how blessed I am when it comes to my kids.

David was brave and sweet the whole time. He held my hand and i told him he could squeeze me as much as he needed. I also tried to explain to him everything that was happening so he understood. He was calm and wonderful.

When we got home, he got to play on the computer.

I tried to take a photo of his deep gash but it’s all covered and thankfully inside his hair.

I am just so glad he’s ok. I worried all the way to school and kept calming myself down. And I was just so grateful he was ok and didn’t injure his head or anything else permanently. Life’s like that, it can change in a second. And I am so so so grateful.

I had some work stress this afternoon but I am trying to keep it in perspective. Then my friends Jim and Dan came and it was fun for all of us to just sit and chat for a while. The kids are sleeping now and David’s doctor even called to check on him (she is so so nice. she’s not even our regular doctor but she was making sure he was ok.) and I will wake him in a few hours to make sure he’s ok. I am just going to sit still for a while tonight and let the gratitude wash all over me.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful my son is ok. So so grateful.
2. I am grateful he didn’t need stitches, I know he was really scared and I am thankful he didn’t have to go through that today.
3. I am grateful for friends coming over, it proved to be a wonderful distraction, just what i needed.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I didn’t need stitches {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I get to read my book in bed.
3. I am grateful mommy’s friends came over.

April 13, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | 6 comments

Catalyst 130 – Miracles Happen – 21 Years Later

Catalyst One Hundred and Thirty is: Tell us about a Favorite/special piece of clothing.

Journaling Reads:
I have saved this pair of jeans for 21 years. They traveled with me from Turkey to Pittsburgh to New York to San Diego and to the Bay Area. People told me to throw them out several times. “You can never fit the jeans you wore at 17.” I heard again and again. But I couldn’t bear to give up. And now that I am finally losing all this weight, I can finally fit into them once again (they don’t close just yet but still.) miracles do happen.

Details:

April 13, 2011 | CGallery, Creative Therapy Catalysts, Layouts, Maya Road, Scrapbooking | 5 comments

A Book a Week – Raising Jake

I heard about Raising Jake from one of the women in my book club. She mentioned she liked it and I wrote it down to check it out.

I am so glad I did. While it wasn’t high literature, I actually really enjoyed it. I liked the parts with the son better than the Dad which made it a bummer for me that the dad was the narrator but, of course, I understand why he was. As the mom of a boy, I found the son exceptionally mature and good. I sure hope my sons grow up to be like that. (Except getting kicked out of school of course.)

It’s a relatively quick read but with some good bits. I’d recommend this book.

April 13, 2011 | Books Read in 2011, Literature | 3 comments

Daily Diary – April 12 2011

I think I’ve finally caught whatever David had last week. I am feeling achy and tired and worn out all over. I also have a sore throat which sucks. Well it shall pass, I spose. It was a nice day here so once we picked up David, I thought it might be nice to take a break and sit outside. I read to David outside.

While the little boy played.

I love the beauty of light. I love light. And I love this boy.

Then we went out to dinner but I was already feeling so achey and tired so we ate quickly and came back home.

The kids are in bed now and I do have a few items on my todo list for tonight but I think I will just return some emails, sketch a tiny bit, write in the art journal and snuggle in bed. I think a good night of sleep might likely heal me. (I can hope can’t i?)

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for another smooth release at work. So far, so good.
2. I am grateful for a delicious dinner with my family. I love sitting with them and enjoying our time together.
3. I am grateful for not having an overwhelming todo list so I can take the time to rest and sleep so I can get better quickly.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I read my book to the whole class {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I worked on my page for art show night for school.
3. I am grateful we went out to dinner.

April 12, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | Leave a comment

Weekly Art Journal – Weeklong for March 14

And here’s another one of my weeklong pages. This one was inspired by Ailsa Burke’s Sketchbooks Workshop. The first thing I did in this page was to draw the two flowers:

here they are closer up:

And here’s the filled page:


Here’s the left page:

As you can see, not much extra this week. It was a super-stressful week so I didn’t spend as much time each day, but I still love how it turned out. This process feels really natural and fun to me.

Weekly Art Journal is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here. And you can find out more about the weeklong daily journaling here.

April 12, 2011 | Art, WAJG, Weeklong Daily Art Journal, Weekly Art Journal | 6 comments

Daily Diary – April 11 2011

It seems some days just sort of spiral out of nowhere and then the day is over and you are left wondering what you did. Today was sort of like that for me. It was productive in bursts all over the place. But I didn’t get to take photos so all I got was this.

And this.

Alas, some days are like that. I have things that are on my list for tonight so I have to get to work before the night gets away from me. I promise to be pithier later this week.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a good conversation today. It’s rare to meet new, kind, and inspiring people.
2. I am grateful for some happy mail I got!
3. I am grateful for my schedule. I really like having routines, they keep me sane and consistent.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I got a ladybug at school {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that daddy came to my school today.
3. I am grateful that all my classmates were happy to have me back at school (yey!).

April 11, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | Leave a comment

It is Never Too Early to Love books My Son

This layout was for the March My Mind’s Eye newsletter.

Journaling Reads:
My sweet boy, I really love these photos because I can see your true interest and joy of looking at the books. You flip through the pages and really look at each detail. I can’t wait until you can talk and tell me what you think. And until you can read and enjoy books even more. I think it’s never too early to fall in love with the joy of books and the gifts of reading. It’s my very favorite thing to do in the world.

Everything on here is from the new Stella Rose line.

And some details:

April 11, 2011 | Layouts, My Mind's Eye, Scrapbooking | One comment

Daily Diary – April 10 2011

So, this morning, I decided enough was enough. I got up much calmer (at the crack of dawn thanks to the little boy who wasn’t able to sleep. I spent the whole day peaceful and calm. I did a lot of browsing on pinterest and elsewhere. I got inspired to sketch again. I read my book. I exercised. I did nothing but I enjoyed it very much. I also exercised and here’s me setting up the camera for family shots. Nathaniel’s smiling at the camera.

I took a few shots with the kids before Jake came downstairs.

We were giggling.

And hugging.

I truly love my family and feel blessed.

I love the faces Nathaniel makes. He always uses a plethora of expressions to communicate.

And here’s an almost-perfect shot. If only David was looking at the camera, too.

tickle time. Look at how excited David is. He starts screaming before we even tickle him.

After the photos, David and I read and Nathaniel settled in the couch with one of his favorite toys.

To be fair, anything that makes noise is his favorite. Much to mommy’s dismay.

While I was at it, I snapped a photo of the big boy, too.

And then we all relaxed some more. I read. I surfed. We had family night. I wasn’t whiny at all. I am going to keep doing that all night. I am going to read more. I might try to sketch or even journal. I will make a todo list right before I go to bed but until then I will just enjoy this night. I hope you do the same.

Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for family photos. I love love love love looking at them.
2. I am grateful for flowers. They bring so much joy and beauty into my life.
3. I am grateful for true inspiration. I saw some sketches today that truly blew my mind.

Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I played with my legos {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I spent time with daddy playing a new game.
3. I am grateful we played Monopoly Jr.

April 10, 2011 | Daily Diary - 2011, DPGallery | 2 comments

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