This is My life

I got nothing done...

I am not sure what happened yesterday.  I had a whole mental list of things to accomplish and I can't say that I did any of them.  So what did I do?  I have no idea.  Probably changed diapers, nursed, filled sippy cups, cuddled, read books, talked, cleaned, etc. You wouldn't know it though from the diapers that still need to be changed, the baby that needs to eat again, the three little kids who want juice in their cups, the cuddles that still need to be given, the books that want to be read again, the house that needs a good cleaning. 

A mom's work is never done, is it?

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A few people emailed/commented about the photos from yesterday.  The post processing was all done in Lightroom. I LOVE this program.  I am still really have no idea what I am doing, but it sure is a lot of fun!  I used a mix of my own adjustments and then using presents (and then some more tweaking on my own).  My favorite part of the program is the copy/paste feature.  Say you have a lot of photos with the same lighting, etc (like I do when I take a lot of rapid fire shots).  You can adjust ONE to the way you like and then copy what you did and paste it on all the other photos.  TOTAL time saver!  I encourage you to try it (you can do a free 30 day trial).  And then if you like it, buy it!  I got mine from Academic Superstore for only $99!  If you work at school or have school age children, you qualify for the educational discount (even for work you do at home). You just have to send proof of eligibility and they keep it on file for one year.

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One LO before I go...this was for this weeks digi dare.  The dare was to scrap an obsession.  Here is my take on it:

Credits: paper and alpha by Dani Mogstad, staples by Shabby Princess, stitching (recolored) by Emily Merritt, date stamp by Katie Pertiet, brush strokes by Michelle Coleman, word art by Mandabean, fonts are Mom’s Typewriter and CK Ali’s Handwriting

Have a great Tuesday.  Here's hoping to getting things accomplished!

They Could Be Stars...

Two of my dorm boys have dreams of becoming Christian rap/hip hop artists.  They spend half their day drumming on something in the house and talking about "the album."  The album of their music is non-existent, but that doesn't stop them from regularly drawing new album covers and planning it all out.  They have called themselves "God's Soldiers" and have created many works of art depicting their art for the cover of their non-existent album.  They have lured Alaina in and I often find her beating on things, trying to rap, and making her own rendition of the album cover.  Hilarious, to say the least.  All of it.  But I am a good sport and support their dreams so yesterday we went out to take photos for their big debut (a talent show).  We had a blast and it was fun to see the boys try new things.  Alaina tagged along, of course, and we ended up with lots of fun shots.

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It was a good weekend. Our boys are going through some tough stuff but even in the hard moments, it is good to see small signs of growth and change. I love seeing them with our kids, letting their hearts be softened. I love talks with them when I see a small light turn on in their heads when they finally "get" something.  I love seeing their creativity and the innocence of childhood come through. 

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I am starting to gear of for interNATIONAL SCRAPBOOKING DAY (May 3).  I have a BUNCH of products in the works and I am so excited to see some of them start to come together.  I'll keep you updated in the new stuff and my plans for the big day.

In the meantime, do you want to see some of the AMAZING stuff my CT did with the April Grab Bag templates?  Seriously, these ladies blow me away.  I LOVE seeing all the different takes on the templates.  I should have all the individual products in the shop later today!

Talented group of gals, huh?

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Have a great Monday!

Clothes make the man...

This is the little man a few weeks back after he and Caleb decided they wanted to "play games."  It was the first day he wore his new shirt.  Really lives up to his potential, doesn't he?

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It's Thursday, so that means family day.  No real plan yet but I think we all need to get out of the house!  After a week of spring break we have been little hermits this week.  Time to feel the sunshine! 

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I ordered myself a little treat yesterday.  Well, actually, I RENTED myself a little treat.  I have been looking into a new lens for my camera.  I love my little 50 mm but can get a little annoying at times, especially in a really tiny house.  I hate having to stand so far back and have missed some good pictures because of it.  So I started doing some research and was dreaming of THIS lens. There was no way I was going to be able to convince myself to buy it right now, but I thought about putting away some money for it.  I had heard of a place called LENS RENTALS and decided that since it was such a huge purchase, it would be good to see if I really LOVED it first. But when I went to rent it I saw another lens.  And then I did a lot more research and found out that it is just as good of a lens with 1/3 of the price tag!  So I decided that I would rent that one, see if I like it, and then buy it.  At 1/3 the price of the Canon, I can definitely convince myself!

Here is one take on the lens: "The Tammie is the best lens nobody knows about, and possibly the best bang-for-the-buck of any camera lens, period. Its nearly as sharp as the Canon 24-70 or 24-105, at least on crop frame cameras, but much smaller, lighter, and cheaper. Think about it: you can get 3.5 of these for the price of a 24-70 f2.8 “L”."

I'll let you know what I think! At 28-75 f2.8 it should be a perfect, everyday lens that doesn't have to be changed.  Jason HATES the 50mm so I think I will be seeing some more pix from him with this one.

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Alrighty, I'm off.  Hope you have a fabulous Thursday!

Fresh Air is Blowing...

Taxes are done (big refund coming).
My desk and office are CLEAN (minus the pile of papers needing to find their rightful homes).
Photoshop and Illustrator finally installed on my Mac (it's been sitting unopened FOREVER).
My NEW Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac arrived and installed (LOVE the changes!)
A zillion project ideas spinning in my head (if I only had the time).

Yea, yesterday was a good day.

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The fog is lifting.  I can feel it.  The last ten months have really just been kind of crazy and I haven't felt like myself.  Between a busy move, pregnancy, and then a newborn I have just felt not *quite* myself. A good measure of that is that I just didn't really ENJOY scrapping that much.  I was glad to have pages done but the process itself wasn't much fun. I didn't have much time to scrap but when I did, I didn't usually feel like it.  And even when I made myself do it I didn't like what I created.  But the longing is coming back.  The desire. The enjoyment. The creativity. And it feels SO GOOD.

I know many people don't get this.  Any of you who read this who don't scrap will probably think I am crazy. But this "hobby" is so important to me.  All my life I knew I was creative and artistic but I couldn't find my niche.  I couldn't paint.  I couldn't draw.  I had lots of creative ideas but I couldn't bring them to fruition.  So three years ago, when I found this world of digital scrapbooking, it was like the real me came flooding out.  I could take all the creativity inside of me, mix it with my love for family and memories, and out would flow peace and contentment and happiness like I had never known.  I know it sounds crazy, but God made me a creative being and I have finally found a release for it.  He has blessed me with this art form.  It is truly my way to relax and refresh and to see my life the way God sees it...the good, the bad, and sometimes the downright ugly.

So to go for ten months and not feel what I used to feel was HARD.  Imagine a runner not being able to run for ten months.  Imagine a chef not being able to cook.  A painter not being able to paint.  A preacher not being able to preach. That is how I felt.  And I couldn't explain it and I knew no one would understand.

But the fog is lifting.  I feel freer in my spirit than I have for so long.  And not just in art.  But also in life.  In my relationship with God.  In my love for my husband.  In my longing to be a good mother.

There is a breath of fresh air blowing.

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After getting my new Photoshop Elements 6 for Mac (just released) installed last night I did some scrapping!

First, another one with FLOWER STAND by Scrapkitchen and SMJ.  This was Katelynn last night.  Totally breaks my heart and cracks me up at the same time!

And here are some I did with the fabulous APPRENTICE kits at Little Dreamer Designs.

Have a great day!

Still Having "fun"...

I am still knee-deep in tax stuff, so the blog will have to take a break today!

I'm a kit scrapper...

I like kits.  I really do.  I don't find nearly as much enjoyment as some people do by mixing and matching lots of stuff in my arsenal of digi goodies.  My scrapping time is limited and producing pretty pages that tell my story is what is important to me.  So, I usually choose to pick a kit and pretty much stick with it for a page.  I find it all just comes easier and faster that way.

So, finding a good kit is important to me.  I have gotten pretty picky.  So many kits look pretty in a preview but when you open them you realize that things just don't really "go" together.  This isn't a problem for a mixer/matcher but for someone who sticks to the kit, you really need items to fit together.  Some designers are fabulous at keeping their kits cohesive.  That's probably why I have loved Shabby Princess for so long and the reason I almost always use her kits in mini albums.  It all just works so well together.

Anyway, so like I said, I am picky.  And so in my kit snobbery :) I thought I would mention a great kit I picked up this weekend.  It is gorgeous, it all "works" together, and I know I will get LOTS of use out of it.

FLOWER STAND by Scrapkitchen Designs and the fabulous Shabby Miss Jenn.  I'm loving it! I have been in kind of a scrapping slump lately so late last night I broke open this baby and was determined to get at least one LO done.  Well, I got three :)

So there you go...if you need a kick to scrap a bit and you want a pretty, feminine kit to work with, there is my recommendation!

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So out boys were SUPPOSED to come back last night after a week of spring break.  But yesterday afternoon when we got back from church we found out that the sewage pipes in the dorm part of the house (our family apartment is attached to the boys part of the house) were backed up.  Well actually, our pipes were backed up too (wet bathroom) but not as bad as the dorm.  This happened over Christmas break, too, but after snaking the pipes a bit everything was better.  But this time, no such luck. So after Jason getting to spend his birthday cleaning up sewage water with a wet vac, we had to call the boys moms to tell them to wait until this morning to bring them back.  Jason just informed me that the pipes are backing up again so I have no idea what will happen now.  The pipes are all connected around campus but they can't figure out where the problem is. Oh well, that's life.  We'll take it as it comes.

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Hope you had a great weekend!  Today is tax day for me -- I absolutely cannot put it off any longer (and I don't really know why I have waited so long seeing as I know we will be getting a large refund).  I guess it's just more complicated this year with my business stuff and I haven't felt like trying to figure it all out.  But there are only a few more days and I have procrastinated long enough.

Hope your day is more eventful than mine!

Getting Away...

After years of being involved in camping ministry, it should come as no surprise to me that getting away -- retreating -- is good and healthy.  It is a kind of renewal that just can't be found anywhere else.  Sometimes we just have to leave all that is familiar and typical.  It is in these times, when all the regular routines of life are absent, that we can truly recharge.

And yet I was surprised.  I was surprised at how much I realized I NEEDED a few days of different.  A few days away from dishes, laundry, the computer, work, the people I see every day, cleaning, shopping, normal LIFE. A few days to spend my hours in different ways -- sleeping, playing, walking, reading, enjoying.

Our time away was just what I needed.  I was refreshed physically, emotionally, and especially spiritually.  So often I let the "noise" of everyday life drown out the sound of God's voice.  He wants to speak to me but I am too busy to stop and listen. But getting away and leaving the noise behind allowed me to soak in His promises and love.  Just what I needed.

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Family-wise, getting away was just what we needed too.  We have never been camping as a whole family before and, as expected, the kids loved it!  We rented an RV and decided to stay close to home -- Fort Wilderness at Disney. It was a perfect first camping trip for the family -- a great mix of the great outdoors AND enough stuff to keep the little ones busy.

I can't even begin to share all that we did.  But I will give some highlights...

* Katelynn started smiling :)
* I finally got to ride Space Mountain (haven't ridden that ride since I was ten!)
* Alaina finally hit the magic 44in so she got to ride space mountain with me!
* Watching the kids dance at the Chip 'n Dale sing-a-long
* Chicken cooked on the grill
* Time to re-read my all time favorite (and life changing) book. 
* Being able to loosen up on things like bedtime for the kids
* Katelynn sleeping 7.5 hours straight at night
* No internet access (at first this was not a highlight -- I was not pleased because I had work that I had planned on doing. But once I accepted it I was actually relieved and realized that work can wait.)
* Sun and fresh air

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Now that we are home I have a lot of catching up to do.  It's okay, though...the time away was worth it. But I will say that if you are waiting on an email from me I will get back to you in the next day or two.  I am wading through my inbox and my facebook wall (thanks for all the birthday wishes!) 

But before I get started on playing catch up, here are a few LO's I did last week before left.  The first is with the April SONGBIRD AVENUE April kit.

The second one is for this weeks DIGI DARE.  Here is the dare:

Rainbow days  I love the spring time when everything is full of flowers and colors. Well this week I want to see color, you can choose your favorite color, the one that identifies you or if you remember something associated with it… Be free to create with colors.

Dare flair:
Use one variety of color on your page (color scheme)
Play with some element of nature
Includes something glitters or shine
And finally enjoy creating with colors!!!

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And don't forget, the APRIL GRAB BAGS are in the store!

Hope you all have a great weekend!