Today was a planned hectic day. I was scheduled to go to work so I woke up, did some work, checked into my class and then exercised. I did some more work while the kids played. David was on the iPhone and Nathaniel was curiously watching him.
Here’s a little depth of field fun: Nathaniel.
Here’s a little depth of field fun: David.
He went to get his legos but he’s still super curious about David.
Finally gives up and just plays next to his brother.
Then Jake came home so I went to work. I was there for five hours, more than I’ve spent there for all of 2010 likely. But it was fantastic. I learned a lot, got a lot of work done, saw some friends and came back home. Nathaniel was reading a Thomas book so I snapped a photo.
Then it was time to put the kids down and get to my personal todo list. David and I read and then he wrote his gratitudes. Now he’s doing his workbook and I am about to leave to go get my adapter (which I left at work!) and then come back and comment in my class. And then there’s the art journal, portrait, sketching, etc. I expect it to be a long night but i am still thankful for a good day.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for a great trip to work. Learned a lot, did a lot, and I feel great.
2. I am grateful for my new class. I love everything about it!
3. I am grateful that this has been such a week of growth for me. I feel so tired and fulfilled.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I was home all day {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played with my brother (still going)
3. I am grateful that I skipped my vegetables.
If you’ve been reading my blog anytime in 2010 or 2011, you know that I write three things I’m grateful for each day. This practice of gratitude has had a profound affect on my life. There are many moments in a day, now, where I have to sit down to take in all the gratitude I feel. I am fragile and strong and overwhelmed all at once.
Needless to say, I am really thankful for my life. And I try hard not to take a moment of it for granted. I also want to pay forward, outward as much as I can. So, along the way, I’ve decided to offer help any time I see an opportunity.
In the name of full disclosure, I think I’ve done this my whole life. If I see someone sad, I offer help, I try to be there, I ask what’s wrong. If I know someone has a problem I can fix, I try to. I’ve been a counselor, a resident assistant, a teacher. I think I just like to help others. It’s, in fact, how I ended up with my husband but that’s another story for another time. Anyway, so I’ve always been a helper but I am more mindful about it now. I purposefully reach out and offer and I pay attention to what pulls me to help.
We’re not talking about donating money to a cause here. Or even volunteering with a non profit. I’ve done both of those but this is about reaching out to individuals (often ones I don’t know and ones who don’t know me) and offering help. Technical, monetary, emotional, whatever. And here’s what I realized: it’s harder to accept help and to offer it.
I am often very delicate when I offer it. I try to write my qualifications (if it’s technical help) and go on and on enough so that the person knows I am authentic. I am often annoyed about how much up front work it is. I wish there was a way to just write “I can do this, trust me. Let me try.” Or “I care. I want to help. I swear I am a good person.” and know that the other person will just believe me. But, alas, trust is hard. Especially when you don’t know the person. And accepting help involves a lot of trust. Even professional help.
I’ve had some people ignore me, some refuse, and others accept the help. In each of the instances where the person accepted the help, I’ve benefited tenfold. I’ve been able to experience the joy and satisfaction of making a positive difference in someone’s life. That’s a huge huge reward. I do not discount it for a moment. I am deeply grateful when the person trusts me enough to accept it. Even more grateful when it’s successful help. And ecstatic when “it all works out.”
So, despite the fact that it’s hard work (and sometimes fragile), I still offer to help. I wish and pray with each offer that the other person can feel my genuine-ness. I am grateful when they do (or they just decide to give me a chance anyway.) It’s now an active and solid part of my 2011 goals.
Offer as much help as I can to as many people as I can. And be open to accepting help when offered.
ps: i wrote this a while ago and since then I’ve read this wonderful article by kelly rae roberts who puts my feelings into words so eloquently.
And here are the drawings for this week.
i ended up not doing most nights this week as I think I was too tired.
so they ended up being completed on Saturday.
I am still working on them. But I do still think that I need to change things up a bit and try some different things. I am just not sure what those are and have not had any time to dedicate to it. Soon.
Six Portraits a Week is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Another productive day at work. This feels great.
I woke up, exercised and then took some shots of David.
And he couldn’t resist of course.
Then, I again put my headphones on so that I wouldn’t be distracted while the kids played together.
And then the little boy played while David worked on his legos.
Then it was naptime. David played while I worked more with the headphones. After nap time, I read to David while the little one sat with us.
Then the mail came and David finally got his birthday present from my parents. He was ecstatic.
While he got to work right away, Nathaniel moved the chairs around and made himself a play area, too.
I worked and worked and worked. Now I am processing shots while Daddy gives them dinner and David works on his lego. I have to sketch a bit, work on my portrait (which I neglected yesterday) and then do my art journal. I am off to book club tonight so all of these have to get done soon. Feeling good, though, and happy about two productive days in a row. Let’s hope the streak continues.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for another productive day at work. I feel like I’m finally getting my groove back.
2. I am grateful for my husband who manages to get home right about when I’m ready to lose it. He’s magic.
3. I am grateful that my kids are so great at playing on their own and being so kind to me. They give me the room to get my work done and they are so wonderful.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for my new legos {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played with my brother (i see a trend here.)
3. I am grateful that I get to play Wii in two days.
The Maze Runner was scheduled for my young adult book club. Even though it’s a mixture of genres I don’t usually read: young adult and science fiction, I loved it and read the whole thing in one day.
It was an easy, interesting read. Not a huge amount of character-development as it’s mostly plot-driven. But enough character to keep me rooting and interested the whole time.
My only quip about it is that even though you find out some things at the end, you don’t get the whole story because this is planned to be a trilogy so the author is saving the rest for the next book. Which I understand.
And yet I still resent having to wait.
Now that CHA is passed, I wanted to share some of my The Girls’ Paperie work I made for the show.
Journaling Reads:
My sweet angel. All too often I get caught up in the little things and forget that you’re growing up so so fast. I need to slow down and enjoy my minutes with you.
All products are from The Girls’ Paperie Jubilee or Mix and Match lines.
Details:
My next Big Picture Classes workshop starts tomorrow. I’ve received several emails from different people asking questions and since some of the questions are the same, I thought others out there might be wondering too so I just decided to write it up just in case any of you have the same questions. These are not in any order. If you have more questions, send them over or leave a comment and I will add to this document.
You can sign up for the class here: http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/findyourway.php
- Do you have a syllabus or class outline?
The way this class works is that we’re going to explore an area of your process/layout each week. So the eight weeks break down to:
1. Things to do Before you Scrap
2. Foundations (layouts vs minibooks page sizes, etc.)
3. Photos
4. Journaling
5. Design/Placement
6. Color & Pattern
7. Embellishments
8. Final/unique touches, reviewing other designers with their “look” and your creative toolset
Each week, we talk in depth about the area. Explore all the different versions you can scrap and then you experiment deciding what you don’t like, what you do like, etc. The goal is to narrow down your preferences so you end up with the choices you like best and can put them together on your pages, minibooks and create your own personal style. For example on week 3 we talk about photos. We cover things like photo size, quantity of photos per page, color vs black and white, different styles of photos, etc.
- How much time each week do we need to dedicate to the class?
This is a process-based class. There’s no specific amount of homework. I make a lot of suggestions on things you can try, experiment with, and eliminate. As with most processes, the more you put into it, the more you’ll get out of it. You can do the whole class just by thinking things through, or reviewing the layouts you’ve already made, or scrapping regularly. How much you put in is completely up to you.
- Is this one lesson per week?
Yes. One pdf per week. One particular theme. Every Thursday, we have a new lesson with a new pdf and a new audio. Lessons build on each other, so it’s best to do them in order.
- I’m away one/two/three weeks during the class, is this a problem?
No. You can do the class at your own pace. I highly recommend you do them in order but if you want you can take 4 months to do the whole work. BPC gives you forever access so you can do it anytime. And if the class is officially finished and you’re still working on it, you can always email me and I will help you no matter what or when.
- I’m away taking another class at the same time, is this a problem?
No. Depending on what the other class is, you can apply my process class to the layouts/minis you create in that class. Experiment with photos while you do the other class’s homework.
- Do you expect to offer this class again?
Definitely not in 2011. Maybe or maybe not in late 2012 though I honestly have no plans to do this again at this point. It’s an 8-week course so it’s a commitment on my part and all I can say right now is that I am teaching it right now. I am sorry if this is too vague. I would tell you if I knew more.
- I love your style but it’s not “me!” Does the class mostly have your layouts?
That’s the whole point of this class: for you to discover what’s “you.” If you copied me, you would not be getting the value of the class. Having said that, most of the examples are my own layouts. But they are just to illustrate a point. You do not have to have or like my style at all. The last week of class, we do review several other scrappers and talk about their styles as well.
- I am a brand new scrapper, is your class good for someone like me?
Sure! It doesn’t require any prior knowledge of any kind. If I had done this work back when I started, I would have saved myself a lot of headache, time, and money.
- I am a digi/hybrid scrapper, is your class good for someone like me?
Absolutely. This class has nothing to do with paper vs digital scrapping. You can take it and gain from it regardless of your personal choice.
- Does your class require a layout a day?
No. I highly recommend that you commit to making a lot of layouts in the class but that’s mostly because I believe the best way to find your style is to scrap regularly for a number of days. That’s what I did and it worked magically for me, so I recommend it. However, I do believe you can get a lot of value out of the class without doing it. (Having said that, I still highly encourage you to do it!! 🙂 )
I want to re-iterate that this is a process-based class. The goal is for you to discover your own process! Your style, your taste, your preferences, your go-to supplies. The lessons make sense in the order they are presented. If you need to slow down, do so, take your time. But do NOT skip steps. Let the process work for you. There’s no medal for finishing the class when we all do. There’s no medal for being the first. The medal is the you get to have a unique style that feels your own at the end. Like a pair of shoes made exactly for you. That’s a big big reward, trust me.
(We will also have 3 chats and 2 giveaways from Maya Road during class. But the true giveaway is the reward of finding your own way!)
With that, I figure the last giveaway should be on my blog. Just comment on this post and I will announce a winner on Friday morning. If you’re already in the class, BPC will give you a refund, so don’t worry. Please make sure to leave your BPC name so that I can get you into the class immediately. While you’re here, I would love it if you subscribed to my newsletter too (upper right corner of the blog) as I have a new one coming next week with digital downloads. But that’s not a requirement at all. If you have questions about the class, leave those in the comments, too.
You can sign up for the class here: http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/findyourway.php
Thank you so much and I look forward to seeing you in my class!
One of the things I learned from my journaling this weekend is that what makes me most productive is actually being productive. And like I do with my art, I just need to show up at the table and do my work. So this morning, even though I was tired and felt like lying there more than anything else, I got up and worked. I exercised and then showered and got ready to do some work.
I put my headphones on so that I wouldn’t be distracted while the kids played. They were both in a good mood.
After a while, they decided to put all the pillows on the floor and fall on them. They laughed and laughed so much that I had to grab my camera and snap some shots. I know it looks scary but he was laughing. A lot. So was the older boy.
Then it was lunchtime, nap time, mommy work time. I did a lot lot lot of focused work. Then Jake came home and took them out to get their hair cuts and I had a meeting. And then I gave them dinner and David and I did workbooks. And now they are in bed and I am wiped. I still have my portrait, sketch, and journaling to do but I feel happy and fulfilled. I am no more or less tired than if I had spent the day whining on the couch and I got a lot more done so as I suspected stuff gets done when i sit to do it. I can’t wait for the mood to strike. I just do it.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for the kids today. They were wonderful about letting me work and having fun on their own.
2. I am grateful for a lot of work getting done at work. It was one of those good days.
3. I am grateful that I started a new book and it’s great so far. I love finding good books.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that mom and I are reading a nice book {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that I played with my legos
3. I am grateful that i played with my little brother (yet again!)
Today’s page was week six’s part 1 homework for the Soul Restoration class. I thought of doing them all together as one post but then I decided if I did each separately, I would take more time to focus on each so I decided to do that. Here’s the first one:
When I saw this exercise, I thought it was powerful-looking and that it would be easy. I didn’t think as much about how it might make me feel. I didn’t think it would be that strong because it was more of a “cut the words out and glue them on this photo” kind of assignment.
But, alas, I was wrong.
This exercise, as with the others, proved to be very very powerful. Just the act of cutting each word up and glueing them down one by one left me more impacted than I imagined. Glueing each of the “black” words made me sadder and sadder. I felt heavier and it took forever to finish the sections. I could almost feel each word taking its toll on me.
Then I did the white words and it went so much faster. I felt happier, lighter, and like a weight was lifted off of me.
I know it sounds corny but I really felt it. After I’d glued all my words down, I was left with a few words and a lot of space. The leftover words didn’t speak to me and I knew they wouldn’t fill the space anyway so I decided, instead, to put the blue tissue paper to make it seem more like the sky. And then I added my house which was red because I wanted it to stand out. I put the word “be” on it to remind myself to just be who I am. And a heart to remind myself that I am loved and that I need to love myself just the way I am.
Then to keep the feeling of light that the white words brought, I added the line “I will go where the peace is…in my heart and in my life.” I think this is the biggest lesson for me. The peaceful and happy words make me feel light and happy and I need to make a point to focus on them more. To remember to go where the good is. Where the peace is. Where all these wonderfully happy words take me. Where I feel unburdened, light, happy and at peace.
Because, there, I can be my best. I can be kind and loving to others and kind and loving to myself.
Weekly Art Journal is a weekly project for 2011. You can read more about it here.
Today started with exercise and then setting up the family shoot while the boys played.
And hugged.
We had an almost good shot here if it weren’t for David’s crazy face.
Nathaniel wrestled the remote from me so Daddy gave me a kiss.
And then the craziness began as Nathaniel hoped to leap out of my lap.
After that, we all went bowling together. The balls were too heavy for David and it took forever for each to roll down the lane.
Nathaniel had a great time watching and clapping and yelling “ball” each time.
I tried to keep David out of the way when it wasn’t his turn because he kept getting hit by the ball.
Then Nathaniel discovered the computer.
Which immediately became his favorite thing.
So he was not happy when David took his spot.
Then we came home and Nathaniel skipped his nap once more. David and I read, he did some workbooks and I did some of the todo items on my list.
Now we’re winding down as Jake gives them dinner. I am planning on going out to see “I am Number Four” with a few friends tonight and tomorrow we’re back to work. Even though I replied to some of the emails and comments, I am still really far behind on that. Alas, tomorrow is another day.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for family bowling!
2. I am grateful for great photos. I love taking these family shots so much.
3. I am grateful that I get to see a movie. Love love love movies.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I went bowling {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that we might play monopoly again
3. I am grateful that i played with my little brother again!
This was one of the layouts I made for Maya Road for CHA. I love that it contains no patterned paper. Nothing but Maya Road products (except the little Jenni Bowlin stickers.)
Journaling Reads:
I have been trying to act healthier and lose weight for over three months now. I work out every single day and I eat much more carefully. I went shopping for clothes last weekend and was shocked to find that I can now fit into a skirt sized four. Four! I have never been a size four in my life. It’s so nice to have proof of all the hard work I’ve been doing and the hours of sweat I put into it.
I went to bed last night deciding to get a better attitude. Most of this month has been me whining and I am done with that. Things are actually really good. I am doing art, I am exercising, I am reading to my kid, I am stretching at work, I am journaling and even sketching. I am reading. I am taking photos. I am kissing my kids. I am even going out occasionally. I need to just relax. I’ve been doing a lot of the work in Melody’s final lesson and it’s all about choices. So anyway. I woke up this morning, exercised and then got to work. I did a lot of the todo list items while the kids played. Well, Nathaniel just put stickers all over his legs. (His recent obsession.)
And David was on the computer.
Here’s Nathaniel smirking but not looking at me.
Then it was time for the family shot. The thing is, with four people almost always one boy is looking elsewhere.
And when he looks back, the other one gets obsessed with the remote.
We try a bunch more times and then it’s time to get crazy. Everyone laughs and enjoyes tickle time.
Then Jake left to work and David and I did workbooks and he read a book to me and we got organized. So now he knows which workbook to do on what day (he does 3-5 pages a day) and he also picked 6 books to read for the week (one a day). I’ve been meaning to do this for a while and I am glad we finally got organized.
Then tried to get a shot of David. He was smiling so much that his eyes got small.
So I told them to make them bigger. And this is what I got.
Followed by this.
I tried to get Nathaniel to nap several times today but alas it wasn’t to be. So we all played for a while, I journaled, etc. Then Daddy came back home and it was family game night. David just got Monopoly Jr. for his birthday so that was the game tonight.
We had a great time playing and then the kids went to bed and I did a bunch of art. Finished my Soul Restoration homework (all I have left to do is my truth cards which I have only done one of the whole time. This will have to be a project for March or April.) and I finished the art/journaling book page for this week (more on this soon) and made two more pages in my book. We also worked on all the tax work we’d still left to do. It’s now 9pm which means I only have 1-2 hours left in my night. We plan to spend some cuddle time and then maybe I will draw one portrait and likely that’s going to be it for tonight. Tomorrow’s big task is to return emails. I have been neglectful of emails and comments.
A really good Sunday all in all, though, and I wish every week was a 3-day-weekend!
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful for so much productivity today.
2. I am grateful for family game night. I love game night.
3. I am grateful that I get to have one more day tomorrow before the stress and craziness of work begins once more.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I played with my little brother {* his pick for the journal}
2. I am grateful that Daddy won Monopoly Jr.
3. I am grateful that we had game night!
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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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