Something a bit different. I am sorry if you don’t like flowers. I seem to have a thing for them.
Today was a bit better and I actually woke up with the drive to get things done. And I got a bunch done. And then tonight I finally got organized. I have a LOT on my plate but I feel like I can do it. It seems more possible now. Thankfully.
This is Nathaniel most of the time. He is in his seat and reaching for something other than what’s actually on his plate. It doesn’t even matter what, the other thing is more appealing.
And here’s David giving me “please please let me smile so she can leave me alone” face. Ugh. This made me feel bad. He looks so sad.
Here’s Nathaniel signing for food. He asks for food all day long. All day long. Literally.
And then I say, Nathaniel smile for me and I get this.
I love this. I don’t care that it looks funny. It’s perfect. It shows that he gets it. He knows that you smile. He’s been watching his brother practice and doing the same. He’s such a joy.
I’ve just finished writing the most of my lesson for the first class next year. I’ve replied to a slew of emails. If you’re awaiting an email from me, can I ask that you please please email me again? I might have totally missed it in the slump of the last ten days. I apologize. Please email me again.
I took today off work and tomorrow too. Not for a specific reason. Just to rest and not stress about work. And it worked. I felt more relaxed all day. Let’s see how tomorrow feels. How was your day? You’ve been quiet lately, I hope I’m not boring you to death.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am grateful that I finally got organized. I now have a schedule. I work well with a schedule. It’s agressive but I can do it.
2. I am grateful for a few days off work. I need the rest.
3. I am grateful kindness from so many people. At the least expected times. For no reason. People are amazing.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. taking the computer test (he took a test at school today apparently.)
2. playing cards with Daddy last night
3. coloring at school today
I was thinking about traditions last week. Since that’s the theme of this month and since the holiday season is fast approaching, traditions are on my mind lately. It seems many of our traditions surround the holidays and surround family. And yet, what’s a tradition but a recurring activity?
Something we do again and again just because someone, somewhere along the line, started it and we’re choosing to continue it. I must admit that being a routine and schedule-lover, I cherish our traditions. I see them coming every year and I can plan for them and doing them gives me a major sense of accomplishment.
In fact, I’ve been thinking recently that I love traditions so much that I want to create some of my own, just for myself. For example, I could start one called Wednesday Lunch where each Wednesday I go to a local cafe with a favorite book and my little boy. This way, I get to eat something I love, take a little break out of my work day and get out of the house on a regular basis. (I work from home so it’s easy to stay in all day long.) If I do it once or twice, I might stop doing it but if I call it my weekly tradition, then it feels like something more substantial. It feels more sacred and I am less likely to skip it. And it means I get to actually go out and enjoy the California sunshine weekly.
After all, it’s a tradition.
So here’s my plan: set two new traditions that encourage me to do something I love on a regular basis.
How about you set one with me, too? Maybe it’s having a cup of coffee somewhere I can people-watch. Or reserving some time to read. Or writing in my journal. Maybe it’s meeting a friend to go to the movies every Thursday. It can be a daily commitment or a monthly one. Or even a yearly one. As long as it’s something that makes you happy. What would be on your list?
The following is cross-posted from the Weekly Gratitude Blog. I will post there every Tuesday and decided to post those posts here, too. For those of you who read both blogs, I apologize in advance. Some weeks the content might be different and other weeks, exactly the same.
A few weeks ago Margie emailed me and asked me if I could do a few samples with one of her kits that were scheduled to sell on the Home Shopping Network (HSN). The kit had the Girls’ Paperie Paper Girl papers, ribbons, stamps, and die cuts. No alphabets! Can you imagine me doing a layout without alphabets? Well, I went off and bought the letter punch from MS and decided to step up to the challenge. I will post the 4 layouts I made in two days, over the next few weeks.
Journaling Reads:
If someone had told me that I would be lucky enough to get another happy, beautiful and sweet baby after David, I would have told them that the chances are low I get so lucky twice in a row. But here you are smiling and magical. I love you so much.
Details:
And here’s page eight.
This is made using Distress Inks and water. I stamped a bird from The Girls’ Paperie Toil and Trouble stamps using inks and water and then I “painted” the background using more ink and water.
This is what I realized yesterday as I was so down and then that package came. That we’re rarely as alone as we think we are. We might be like this bird sitting on a branch and seeing nothing in front of us but that doesn’t mean there isn’t another bird behind us, watching out for us and having our back. You’re Never as alone as you think you are.
I’ve had this image open on my computer for weeks. Didn’t feel like using it for some reason.
I’ve been thinking a lot about imperfection today. It’s the topic of one of my new classes for 2011. So how about some normal-life photos? Imperfect ones.
First up is David’s school photo. Remember the one we practiced smiling for, for so many days? Well you can decide if it worked.
I’ll leave my thoughts out of it. Here’s a photo I snapped of him when he came home from school. He’s growing up so fast.
We have a lot of this at home. David lying on the couch, Nathaniel walking up to him and showing him things and sharing.
David doing snow angels on the floor.
Nathaniel crying cause David put the cards away in a drawer he cannot reach.
David lying on the couch and smiling at me.
And Nathaniel making his “I know you’re going to take a photo of me so I’ll smile” face.
This is our life. The ordinary moments. Nathaniel gives hugs each time you ask now. I was having a rough morning so as I cried on the couch, he came up next to me and gave me a big hug. All on his own. And then kept hugging me. I’m afraid I did not just snap out of it this morning as I’d hoped but I am finally feeling better now. An amazing, kind gesture by Amber and My Mind’s Eye (as if they didn’t already spoil me way more than enough) was sort of the moment that tipped it over. It was such a surprise, so much kindness that I literally couldn’t take it. I wept and then I went walking and decided I needed to let it all go. I have such an overwhelming todo list now that I am not exactly sure where to begin and I am experiencing one of those paralysis moments. It doesn’t help that I am exhausted, too.
I have so many thoughts on my mind. About meeting needs. About feedback. About setting goals and accomplishing them. Values and feeding them. So much swimming in there. Good thing it’s art journaling month. I have so many posts I want to write, too. About exercising. About my journaling. About happiness month back in July. But for now I have to work on my class work. I need to buckle down and get it out of the way. I think it will lift most of the weight off my shoulders.
Here’s to hoping good mood, positivity, and productivity return. And soon.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am thankful for a completely unexpected package in the mail. Some wonderful, happy product from My Minds Eye. Pure kindness and generosity. I am deeply grateful.
2. I am grateful that I walked for the tenth day in a row. I am aching all over. Literally. But I am trying to keep going.
3. I am grateful that some of the undecided bits of my work are now decided. I am still more frustrated than I would have liked about some of it but at least there’s resolution and now I can move forward, hopefully.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. playing Star Wars with Hasen (David was Luke)
2. coloring my U puppet (Umbrella Bird)
3. Checking out a Star Wars book from the library
And here’s page seven.
I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately. It’s hard not to compare. Especially to someone who’s already reached your goals. Someone who’s ahead of the game. The thing is we always compare someone’s best with our worst. Isn’t that silly?
A few people have been asking me about my book. I’m using the same book I used a few months ago. It’s an old 7gypsies chipboard book filled with all sorts of pages. Chipboard, paper, watercolor paper, copic paper, normal paper, etc. I pick pages at random depending on my mood and just do whatever I feel like.
I have an awesome give away today!
Here’s the description from scrapbook.com:
Textured Fades Embossing Folders from Sizzix easily emboss in such a way that select areas of the image appear perfectly faded and distressed. You can turn ordinary cardstock, paper, metallic foil or vellum into an embossed, textured masterpiece. This set of Embossing Folders showcases the bold and edgy style of Tim Holtz. It contains two large A2 folders, measuring 5 3/4″ x 4 1/2″ x 1/8″. Texture Fades Embossing Folders are for use with the Texture Boutique, BIGkick, Big Shot and Vagabond machines only (used with a pair of Cutting Pads and the machine’s included Platform). Each sold separately. This Texture Fades Embossing Folders Set includes these two folder designs: Halloween Night (A2 Large); Poison (A2 Large).
Isn’t it awesome!?!
All you have to do is leave me a comment in this post. I will keep it open for a week so your deadline is Sunday night. I will announce the recipient next Monday.
Purple flowers. They are currently bringing joy into my home.
Happy 10.10.10. I hope yours went well. I’m still in the funk that seems to be enveloping me right now. I can easily list you many reasons for it but I think it’s time to just snap out of it. I’ve been thinking a lot about the “what you focus on flourishes” adage lately (I should make an art journal page on that one.) and I’ve been stuck on this negativity with one of the issues in my head and it’s time to let it go. I should either embrace the positive things about it or walk away from it. Both are viable options. Sitting and sulking and having conversations in my head over and over again is not a viable option. So expect a much better attitude tomorrow. Enough is enough.
I snapped very few photos today for some reason. This is one of the little boy.
And one of the big one.
And that’s it. Not sure why.
I did scrap, walk, and make an art journal page today. and I played cards with David. And we all went out to dinner together. So there was much activity. I just feel enveloped by negativity a bit. I am officially telling myself to let it go. let it go. let it go. do you think it will work if I just repeat?
Here’s to waking up with a better attitude tomorrow and hopefully finally getting to write all the thoughts on my mind. I hope your weekend was good. Giveaway coming tomorrow.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am thankful that I got my ring back. I don’t know if you remember but a few months ago, the diamond in my engagement ring had fallen off. We found it and sent it in to get fixed. It took a long while and more money than I would have liked but here it is, back on my finger and it’s buffed and shiny.
2. I am grateful that jake and I spent some time playing Wii last night. It was super fun to play just the two of us.
3. I am grateful that I got to play cards with David today. It was so much fun to watch him play and win and lose and just have a good time with me.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. coloring
2. playing crazy eight with mommy
3. going out to dinner together
And here’s page six.
back to paint. I’ve recently fallen in love with the color yellow. and orange. and I just decided it would be fun to honor it.
Details:
During last August, Big Picture Scrapbooking held a summer promotion where we were sent a Cocoa Daisy kit and each made three pieces of art. This is one of them.
details:
Today I had a hair appointment. While I always dread going there and sitting for hours, I always feel happier on the way home. I look better which instantly improves my mood. I wonder if exercise will ever become that way for me.
David had a doctor visit his school last week and he got these gloves, which he decided made neat socks. I couldn’t help but laugh, too.
After I came back from the appointment, I sat to scrap a bit and Nathaniel discovered this hat and decided he had to wear it.
And since he’s so beautiful, I let him do whatever he wanted.
While David played Wii, of course.
And I walked. And Jake got groceries and is now upstairs bathing the kids. Ordinary, uneventful day. I love it so. Still in the thinking process here but I haven’t produced much yet. Need focus to sit and type things up but seem to be lacking focus and energy. It shall come back at some point, right? My todo list is only getting bigger.
Three Things I’m Grateful For:
1. I am thankful about my hair. I wish I could make it so pretty myself.
2. I am grateful that I walked again. That brings my sum up to 12.5 miles and eight consecutive days.
3. I am grateful for my husband, who’s been pitching in a lot the last few days. I’ve been sick and unmotivated and tired so it really helps so much to have him and more significantly, his energy.
Three Things David’s Grateful For:
1. coloring – he really loves coloring lately and I loved it so much too so it’s fun seeing this on the list again and again
2. playing wii
3. building my lego with daddy
Here’s the item I did over the last few months:
60. Clean up the Garage.
When we first moved, I wasn’t sure how I was going to arrange everything so I decided that things that didn’t already have a known home were to be placed in the garage and we would slowly open the boxes from there as needed. Which meant that our garage ended up looking like this:
We left the right side empty just in case were going to put the car in there.
So the left side got all the boxes.
here’s a closeup
The photos do not do it justice. I cannot tell you how terrible it was. We could not get into any of the boxes. The door could not be opened. A few months ago I decided that was that and I was going to tackle it. I was told getting it professionally done would be around $6000. There was no way I was paying that.
So I found some metal shelves on Amazon and we measured the garage and I went to town. I bought one just to see if it would work. And when it did, I bought four more. Jake helped me move the boxes. We opened nearly all of them, threw out and/or donated a ton of stuff and then ended up with this.
I cannot take photos that do it justice. Especially since I didn’t have my wide-angle lens.
But trust me when I tell you that everything is 100% organized now. One section for less used stuff like luggage, camping gear, etc. Another section for office supplies, toilet paper, etc. Everything has its place and I can easily get to it all. Jake has his own area now too with two tables, lots of space and both garage doors open without problem. No smell. We still need to sweep in there but otherwise it’s completely happy and it was done for exactly $300. More money than I wish I’d spent but considerably less than the $6,0000 I was told.
The best part is that the garage is now 100% usable. And I feel so much more peaceful. Isn’t that what it’s all about after all.
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projects for twenty twenty-six
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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