Some days things just magically fall into place. On other days, doing
the right thing is a major struggle. Constant uphill battle.
Today was one of those days. In the grand scheme of things, I suppose it
doesn’t have to matter but it’s so frustrating that it taints the rest
of your day or your overall outlook on things.
That’s when you know it’s a good time to go to sleep and start over
tomorrow. Sorry for the short entry but I think I need a good dose of
sleep to feel full again.
One of the reasons I love having a little kid like David is his
incredible ability to share joy. He’s so expressive with his happiness
that it’s contagious. Last week, we went to the Google Halloween party
and they had an inflatable cauldron where a witch came in and out of it
and each time the witch came out, David shrieked with joy. Pure,
unadulterated joy. It was so amazing that everyone around him was
laughing at his intensity.
It’s funny how such things become socially unacceptable over time. It’s
sad how we don’t feel (or at least) express that kind of happiness
anymore. I honestly can’t remember the last time I felt that good and I
wonder if I ever expressed myself the way he does. But this is sort of
why I wish it was okay to be straightforward with people. Not only is
expressing outlandish joy pooh-poohed upon, but so is telling people you
think they’re great. If you say things like that you must either be
hitting on the person or have an ulterior motive.
Some days I wish it was okay to tell people that you think they’re
awesome and interesting and you’re glad they’re in your life. Like an
official “go tell people you like that you like them” day or something.
I wish people knew how to take compliments and say thank you. I wish
people heard you and believed you and it actually made them feel good. I
certainly value the bad more than the good. When someone compliments me,
they mustn’t know what they are talking about and when they bash me,
they must be right. But I wish I was good at listening and hearing, too.
Even if just for one day.
National express-joy-like-a-toddler and take-compliments-well day.
I’ve always had this theory that there’s no one like me out there. This
is not in the boasting, “aren’t I great” way. On the contrary, it’s more
like wondering “what’s wrong with me that there’s no one else like me?”
When I was in Turkey, I could use that as an excuse. Surely, there would
be more people like me in the United States. College would do the trick
for me. After all, people came from all over the world to go to college.
Well college came and went, New York came and went, and I never met
anyone who made me feel like I wasn’t a complete anomaly of a human being.
Until yesterday.
I was at my first ever scrapbooking event and the speaker went on and on
about her life, her approach to things (including scrapping) and I
couldn’t stop thinking how she was a kindred spirit to me. The funny
thing is, on the surface, I’ve met many others who seem to be much more
similar to me: people who love computers, books, writing, or anything
else I like to do. But this woman, she felt like she was similar
to who I am and not what I do.
To be honest, I don’t even know if she really is. I’ve only heard her
give a speech and maybe chatted with her for 30 minutes. We may have
almost nothing in common. But the few words she mentioned were exactly
what I’ve said/felt at times and that’s all I needed to hear for this
“aloneness” to disappear. And pooof! it went.
Amazing how great it feels to let go of something I’ve been carrying
around for over twenty years.
I just posted around twenty layouts that mean that the site is now
caught up to all my recent scrapbooking. I also separated the two sites
for those of you who don’t care for scrapbooking and those of you who
don’t care about my non-scrap related thoughts. The scrapping has its
own site and the link is permanently on the top right.
I also separated the rss feeds. If you want the main site, here’s the feed for all but
scrapbooking. If you want the scrapbooking one, here is the scrapbooking one.
If you want both in one rss, here is both.
At some point, I might join all back, but for November, this is how
things will be.
I’ve always wished I knew my parents as people so I could know all about
their childhood, their dreams, their fears, etc. I feel like they know
all about us but we rarely know about them. One of my biggest goals is
to have a few days of personal 1-1 time with each parent so I can get to
know them as the person they are and I will be crushed if, God forbid,
something happens to them before I get to do this.
So I wanted to make this challenge all about the layouts you will leave
to your kids, grand kids, your loved ones. The things about you that
make you uniquely you. It can be superficial stuff, fun stuff, serious
or sad stuff. Whatever you want. If you feel uncomfortable, feel free to
do hidden journaling. Cathy Z. has a section in her book about how
important it is to journal yourself for the other people in your life.
So here are the rules:
1. make a layout about you
2. use journaling spots, if you don’t have them, make them like i did
with stamps
3. handwrite (it’s ok, i hate my handwriting too but this is all about
giving the generations after you a way to know you and your handwriting
is a part of that)
4. use a layout size you don’t usually do. if you’re a 12×12’er do a
8.5×11 or a 6×6 or even an odd size like 10×7
Remember, this is not about making the prettiest layout with the latest
products. This is all about the journaling. I know there are those of
you out there who feel like they can’t write well or they don’t know
where to start. Just remember that your great-grand children won’t care
about any of that. They will be delighted to have any piece of you.
I did an 8×12. I purposefully left it plain to emphasize that it’s all
about the words.
One of my layouts for Design Team work on the AMM November Kit.
Journaling Reads:
Little boys don’t get to control much. They don’t get a say about when
they go to bed or when they eat lunch. Sometimes they don’t even get to
pick what they eat for lunch. They don’t get to decide when we go out
and when we come back home. They can throw fits, but, in the end, they
do what Mommy and Daddy want.
It must be frustrating to be trapped in a little body when you have
demands of your own. I bet that’s why little boys love to control other
people and get a reaction out of them. You’re no exception.
When you were little, I taught you the sign and sound for lions. Over
time you made it your own and now you bend the tips of all your fingers
and move your hand forward as if you’re attacking me while you make the
roaring sound. During one of our MyGym classes you were imitating a lion
and the teacher acted like she got scared. You thought this was the
funniest thing in the world and spent the rest of the class chasing her
around and scaring her over and over again. For hours.
Months later, you still get a kick out of scaring us with your roar.
Each time I have a tendency to get impatient, I remind myself that this
is one of the few ways you get to have control and you deserve that much.
My little boy, with time, you’ll want to have more and more of a say in
how you spend each moment of your life and I promise you that I will do
my best to respect your wishes each step of the way.
One of my layouts for Design Team work on the AMM November Kit.
Journaling Reads:
I have this theory that you do something new every single day and that
by working, I actually miss a lot more than your dad says I do. He says
each day is the same: you eat, you play, you sleep and then you do it
all over again. But I know he’s wrong.
These last few weeks, I’ve had the luxury of being home with you and
last week I took you to MyGym playtime instead of your dad. We’ve been
going there for months and you’ve never ever gone in the ball pit. For
the first few months, you wouldn’t even go near it. And then you started
sitting next to it and leaning over to play with the balls.
But you still wouldn’t go in. Each time I suggested it, you said, “No!”
and walked away. So imagine my surprise when, today, you walked right to
the ball pit and jumped in. I couldn’t believe my eyes. Even when you
started sinking, you didn’t panic. You played and played and played.
Maybe Daddy doesn’t notice these little things anymore cause he gets to
be home with you every day, but, to me, these little things are the best
part of being a mom and I am so sad that I miss them each and every
single day.
One of my layouts for Design Team work on the AMM November Kit.
It has hand journaling about how very much unprepared i am to watch
David skin his knee or any thing worse 🙁
Here’s the minibook from the Cloud 9 Spotlight for AMM.
It’s all about a day in David’s life and the different things we do
at different times of the day and what they mean to me.
Here’s another one of my layouts from the Cloud 9 Spotlight for AMM.
No journaling.
Here’s another one of my layouts from the Cloud 9 Spotlight for AMM.
Journaling Reads:
I don’t like traveling.
I definitely don’t like traveling on a plane. Not since you were born.
Not since security checks became hours long. And not since I have to
carry all your stuff and my stuff as a carry on. I used to love to fly,
but now, given the choice, I will always choose to drive somewhere than
fly there.
Last month, your dad’s brother got married in Nashville. Unfortunately,
driving there would have taken us days so we had no choice but to fly.
To make matters worse, there were no direct flights from here to there.
I may hate flying but I hate layovers ten times more. Rushing from one
plane to another, stressing about all our luggage, making it to the
flight on time, getting your car seat settled in and making sure we can
find a seat so all three of us can sit together. None of these are my
idea of fun.
So I’d been dreading the whole trip. And as we flew to Kansas City, I
whined the whole time. As I deplaned and found the next flight, I was
still twitchy and stressed out. I was so impatient that I managed to
find ways to get on your dad’s last nerve.
But, as always you came to the rescue.
While I was checking my watch to see when we’d board, you walked right
up to the metal box for checking your carryover size and climbed into
it. You sat your pretty bottom down and proceeded to read the brochure
you dad gave you. By the time I looked up, half the passengers were smiling.
I couldn’t help but do the same.
My wonderful boy, you constantly find wways to make me laugh and remind
me that there’s joy in every little moment with you.
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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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