~ park minibook ~

I'm not sure if it's wise or not but I've begun a new project!  A while back I downloaded Elise Blaha Cripe's BIG mini workshop.  Apparently I am obsessed with her stuff.  I've never created my very own mini book from start to finish -- so we'll see how this goes!  Woot!  Go me!

The idea started with a very early spring!  We are four to six weeks ahead of schedule in the weather department. This is really good news if you are B.  Why?  B. LOVES just about anything outside, but especially PARKS! With such beautiful weather, we have already gone to several different parks on multiple occasions. In fact, when I pick her up from daycare some of the first words I hear from her on a regular basis are, "Let's go to the park!".  When we go to the park, I usually have my camera and always have my iPhone, so pictures are taken, often too many.  Some of them are actually kinda good.  I decided I was going to have to do something with all these photos, and the mini book idea was born!

I revisited the BIG mini PDF that I downloaded from Elise and then watched a few of her Vimeo videos. She makes everything look so easy.  If you haven't checked out her blog, her etsy shop, or her workshops, you should give them a looksy.  I also like that she shows how to deal with mistakes.  She's probably almost 20 years younger than me (at least 15), but I could learn a few things from her in the "don't stress about it, just do it" department!

I've made some decisions (I know, hard to believe)!  I decided on a 6x6 mini book so that I can use 4x6 photos easily in both landscape and portrait form.  I also like the idea of a square mini book because I've become a bit addicted to Instagram, (easily follow me here) and most of my iPhone photos will be square, which works. I've also decided on a color scheme.  Orange (of course), pink (for B.), green (for my one true love), and I will likely throw in a bit of blue now and again.  I'm contemplating a chipboard cover, with funness inspired by this post by Elizabeth Kartchner.

I took a bit of time today to sort through my stash, gather and cut some papers to size, and I began the process of putting the papers together.  I also started looking through my photos and picking out my favorites.  I've even learned a few new things in photoshop, helping me get a few ready to print on the printer that I bought last month, when odd sizes are required.  I've only begun to think about the other photos that will be 4x6 and easily sent out for printing.  Because this is an ongoing project, lasting until the snow flies again, I imagine, it is going to be difficult to keep from making it too fat!  I think it may also be difficult to not get boring (there are only so many things at parks)!  To help with that, I decided (look at me, decisions all around!) that I will also include photos that I take of nature (and other stuff) while we are playing at these beautiful parks.

I have something rolling around in my head that I would love advice on, if someone is actually reading this!  Does anyone else worry about the fact that the mini book isn't really protected?  My traditional scrapbook layouts have plastic page protectors over each page.  But mini books seem so vulnerable!  Thoughts?  What do you do?

~ a week in photos and words ~

c is for contagious

d is for drinks

e is for enjoying the iPad with elmo

f is for fork

Friday, I got a call from daycare...fever and complaining of an owie in her ear.  So I made an appointment, and after an hour and a half of various tests (none of which made her happy) we came home with nothing but a 102.9 fever and a diagnosis of virus.


Saturday evening, my older daughter watched B. while we went out for supper to celebrate with friends.  A close friend of mine turned 40 and her husband pulled off a surprise party. We almost didn't go because about a half hour before we left, B. vomited. I like this iPhone photo because the drink is the focus, but the party is still shown in the background.  We came home after just a couple of hours to a kiddo with a 103.5 fever! Scary!

lime light (g is for green)

h is for hearts

Sunday was a little better.  Still a fever, and stomach things, but times of "normal". I love this photo because1) B. set it up. She wanted the blankie on the floor (I helped) and then she set up the gorilla, and they played with the iPad.  2) The hair twirl.  She twirls our hair and her own, especially when tired, or sick.



Monday, I was home with B all day.  While still a bit pale and cranky, overall much better and no fever! Yay!  Continuing with the alphabet theme...I chose a for, macro style  for "macro monday".





Tuesday was my first night of class for this semester, so a quick shot of a lime for g is for green!









Wednesday I decided to try an idea that my older daughter, H. found on Pinterest! Fun shape bokeh.  H is for heart, of course! (and I had to get a bit of orange in there somewhere)

I've been thinking a lot about my word; balance. Sometimes I think I even see it in the distance, but mostly it hasn't found me yet.  :-)  I need to go to a show or two I think!  I miss music and spending time with C., just the two of us.  Since B. has been sick I have gotten to spend more time with her, which is nice (the time, not the sick, of course).  And I even had a minute or two to work on a layout (not quite finished, but will post soon).  So maybe balance isn't so far away after all. Notice I haven't mentioned any sort of exercise though!

One thing is for sure, I have not been spending enough time with my parents.  And even more important, B. hasn't been spending enough time with them.  It doesn't help that she has spent the last two weekends with a fever!

Over the last few weeks my father has had several procedures to remove cancerous and pre cancerous cells on his skin.  He worked outside most of his life, so it isn't surprising that it would be catching up with him at this point!  This most recent procedure required quite a bit of tissue to be removed from his nose (dead center, of course), enough to necessitate skin grafting.  This is something they will actually need to knock him out for and it makes me nervous!  He suffered a stroke nearly 15 years ago, and we do believe that there have quite likely been other mini strokes in recent years (there are signs).  Also since the kidney transplant, over four years ago, his health has deteriorated a bit due to the drugs that they have him on to keep him from rejecting my kidney.  AND he has diabetes.  So all of these health concerns are why I am a bit anxious about this upcoming event.  It will be weighing heavy on my mind over the next week!

In my near future:
1.  A show (or two).  I have several on my calendar and I'm ready to go!
2.  A night away with my soul mate.  C. and I have several ideas about how to make this happen.  It involves grandparent babysitters and reservations!
3.  Finish that layout!

And I leave you with a B. story that makes this literacy coach very happy.

B. brings me a pile of books and says, "Mommy, talk these with your mouth."  And that's what I'll focus my orange-colored-glasses-view on this week!

~ news ~

As you may have noticed from my previous posts, my older daughter, H. and her daughter M. are staying with us for a while.  This means I will be taking more and more photos of my grandbaby, M. and sharing them here. B. is a bit confused when I'm called "Grandma", and always says, "You're not Grandma!", but overall we are adjusting the the change.  Aunt B. looks forward to the days that M. is here to see her when she gets home, and M. is always full of smiles when we walk in the door.  Here they are playing with hats...

Both girls have been a bit under the weather lately, and B. learned how to take her own temperature...

I have completed more of my December Daily album, but it's status is still incomplete!  I believe I've passed the halfway mark, and I'm needing to print (and/or reprint) some photos in order to finish.  I will finish!!  And when I complete it, I will share.

I am participating in a blog hop on Wednesday!  My first.  It's a One Little Word blog hop, and I will unveil my January page.  But...it's not done!  YIKES!  I'm having a difficult time fitting it all in -- balancing it all, if you will.  ;-) This 365 photo project is kicking my butt!  Since I was explored (six times in one week!) I really dislike posting photos that are not very good, even more than I did before.  Some sort of pressure that I am putting on myself (as usual) and it's really silly!  Same with the OLW project.  It should be quite easy.  I'm having problems making decisions like...Should I hand write it, or type it up?  Should I use a grey background for the assignment pieces, or white?  Should I write in grey or orange ink?  Etc.  Just when I think I've made a decision, I change my mind again.  I've done the same little 2.5x3.5 quote insert at least 8 times, and I'm still not sure it's right!  I do have one of the quote inserts completed (I think there will be two).  I have it basically planned out, but I haven't found the proper amount of time to implement. I haven't been able to make simple decisions -- pretty much about color, so it's holding me back.  It's so unbelievably silly!!!  I stayed up until 2 AM working on it Saturday night -- plenty of time for a person that can make decisions to complete it, but alas, not I!  Maybe my word should have been decide! :-)

I do know these things:
Orange and grey will be the main colors.
I enjoy the project, just not the decisions.
Next month will be easier, because the basic color decisions will have been made.
I am excited about the blog hop!  (So come back and visit Wednesday morning by 8 am)!

~ explored ~

Busy, busy, busy around here!  I've done a few of my December Daily pages, but I'm still not done!  I will finish!!  :-)  The good weather that we were having when I last posted has left us, and we are experiencing full on winter!  The girls have enjoyed playing outside on occasion.  More snow predicted for later this week!

12/365

M & B on sled

M saying "cheese"

 The last two days I've had photos "explored" on flickr.  This is all new to me, and kinda silly, but also kinda fun!  I find it interesting that I would consider both shots "over done" or a bit cliche.  But, oh well, I'll take it! Here are the two photos.

~ minimal liquid ~  16/365 and 2/52 weeks (theme "liquid") and "minimal" for We're Here! group

 ~ bright & colourful ~  17/365 and "bright and colourful for We're Here! and 112 pictures in 2012

I cannot leave you without a B. story.  She loves pistachios!  I have photos of her eating them.  She can even say the word, and it's quite cute!  Last night, we were watching Pinocchio and B. looked up at us and said, "Can I have some Pitocchios?"

~ If you pin it, they will come.~

Tonight, while putting B. to sleep...

Me: Do you know that I love you?
B:  (big binkie smile, nods yes)

Me: Do you know that your daddy loves you?

B: (big binkie smile, nods yes)

Then, as if I forgot to mention it, B (through the binkie, while twirling my hair): AND Gwamma loves me!


It's probably important to the story that I also tell you, she was holding her {Pinkalicious} magic wand at the time (apparently, this is now required for sleeping).

Also, I learned that I've been scraplifted on the Scrapbook Circle Blog.  Pretty cool.

One more thing...Pinterest is a powerful thing.  Not only do you get sucked in for hours at a time and it really seems as if it's only been minutes (similar to the story line of many a sci fi novel), if something gets "pinned" that links back to your blog, you get people looking at your blog!  Woah.

Why am I not sleeping?  Oh, right, Pinterest!  Sleeping now!

~ days 2, 3 and 4 ~

December 2

Friday.  That means pizza!  Most Fridays we make it easy for ourselves and have pizza for supper -- cheap, Target, cheese pizza, and we add fresh garlic and green olives.  Tonight we also had wine and beer!

My december 2011 in photos group asked us to take photos of trash today -- so the photo to the right is what I chose to upload to the group.

The rest of the books I ordered for our new family tradition came today!  Yay!  Now to wrap them and make the tags for them!  Also in the box are the books that I ordered to give as Christmas presents for my daughters, son-in-law and our nieces and nephews.  Also a yay!  Three other packages came today, one for my soul mate and two for me.  They are mostly gifts for the girls (M. and B.)!  Lots of wrapping to do, and the tree isn't even up!

Tonight we spent some time downstairs.  I was making tags for the books, C. was playing guitar, and we were both playing with our sweet B...multitasking.  We had coffee and tea and eggs and cupcakes all prepared and delivered by B.  She danced and used Daddy's electric guitar cables as a jump rope, or made 'snakes' with them.  I took a few pics of the evening, most didn't turn out as well as I'd like -- not sure which photo from this day I will use in my December Daily -- but my book isn't here yet, so I guess I have time.

December 3
I REALLY thought the album that I am using for my December Daily would be here today!! How long does it take to ship from California???  Seriously, Elise did her job -- it was shipped Monday morning.  Still not here.  I'm anxious to get started...until then, just the stories.

Today is CHRISTMAS TREE DAY!  It just so happens that another group I am in (called We're Here -- we call ourselves 'The Hereios'), had a "too much stuff" theme today.  Totally fit my day!!!!

too much stuff

We put up the tree and hung the stockings.  You'll have to wait for those pics, as I haven't had time to go through them much yet (and there are quite a few). (I like how I say "you'll have to wait" as if there are people waiting on pins and needles to read this stuff -- especially since I only have one follower -- well, two if you include me -- Hi Julie)! Here are the stories:

1.  We had a light emergency!  None of the strands we used last year worked!!!  Luckily my mom just purchased a lighted tree and was trying to get rid of the lights she no longer needs so she ran them down to me!  Whew!  Thanks Mom!
2.  After I got the lights the way I wanted them (I'm kinda picky about them), I noticed there was one burnt out.  I had some extras, so I pulled it out to replace it.  However, I think I wasn't supposed to do that because it didn't come out correctly.  SO....I had to take that strand off (in the middle of the tree, not the top, not the bottom, the middle) and replace the whole strand with another.  Bleh.  Minor setback.  We forged ahead.
3.  When the lights were satisfactory, we opened the box of ornaments.  B. noticed the two strands of beads and immediately decided we should jump rope with them!  (She is on a jumping rope kick -- it's really NOT jumping rope -- it's jumping up and down and flinging something like a rope around, sometimes hitting things with it)  After a few jumps and then tears when we put them on the tree, she was fine.  Whew!
4.  Next, the balls.  Our tree has pink, lime green, blue, red and orange (of course) balls on it.  The strand of beads is also lime green and so is the bow on the top!  I used to have a more "tranditional, country" type tree, but the last couple of years I decide on this change!  I like it, but may go back someday.  It fits us now, and matches the furniture!  LOL.  B. was hilarious helping with the balls!  She has been on this kick about colors, pink is her favorite, green is C.'s and orange, of course, is mine.  So...she thinks EVERYTHING pink is hers.  Likewise everything green is Daddy's and everything orange is Mommy's.  So, with each ball she would say, "That's my ball", "That's, B's", "That's Daddy's", etc.   AND, of course there were a zillion balls on the bottom third of the tree, multiple balls on each branch, and colors in bunches instead of spread across the tree.  But, I was proud of myself.  I'm usually pretty picky about that stuff, but I let them stay.  C. couldn't stand it, though.  He moved a few eventually.  It's still quite full on the bottom third though. She has had a difficult time keeping her hands off them.
5.  My photos didn't come out as well as I'd liked.  C. took some that were better.  At least I'll have some!
6.  B. wore a cute little Elmo top with a hood that has white fur on it today.  So...we decided the red balls on the tree were Elmo's.
7.  More packages arrived -- but no december daily album (but I already said that).
8.  While C. put B. down for bed, I made a quick run to Target for a few items.  When I went through check out, the lady (that I apparently see often) said, "I was worried that you weren't going to be here today".  I should probably go to Target less often!
9.  I finished all the tags for the books -- and got them all wrapped.  FUN!  Our book today was called Santa Duck and his merry helpers.  Also fun!

December 4
Today M. (my 20 month old granddaughter) was with us for about five hours while her daddy was working and her mommy was at a party watching the Vikings lose, again.  We enjoyed her.  The girls slept at the same time for nearly two hours, which was also good!  A miracle even.

We opened B.'s book of the day while M. was here.  I let her because I knew that today was actually four little board books with Elmo.  They read them.  I think I read Goodnight Moon nearly twenty times as well.  When we were done reading it, M. picked up the book and started saying, "Night, Night" and flipping the pages!  It was cute!  She doesn't talk as much as B., what a difference seven months makes!  But she is saying more words and phrases that I understand.  B. was extra bossy, of course. When B. was eating supper tonight she said (unsolicited), "I had fun with M."

My favorite part of the day was probably when we watched part of a movie on the couch. I was laying down with M snuggled up beside me.  Then B. had to be a part of it, so she laid kind of on me and on the pillows behind me, so she could still see, but also have access to my hair to play with it (wonder if she'll still be doing that when she goes to college)!  C. grabbed the camera a took a few shots.  Even though I have no make up on and look hideous, I may use it as my photo in my album (if it ever comes ;-)).

love those binkies

I decorated the house a bit more today, and now I am down to two boxes with Christmas stuff that I still need to decorate with.  It will need to wait for another day though.

Today we Skyped with my mom and dad.  B. loved showing off the Christmas tree to them and telling them about her day with M.  Next time I hope I remember to take a photograph of the Skyping so that I can record that in my December Daily album (wait for it....wait for it....if it ever gets here).  ;-)

The Hereios are all about candlelight today, so I lit a candle and placed it in front of the tree for a bit of bokeh.

But my favorite photo of the day is this one that I took with my iPhone.  While we were trying to cook supper, B. insisted on putting just about every "pretty" that she owns in her hair at the same time.  This isn't the first time she's done this, but it's been a while.  Then she wanted to see herself in the mirror.  I liked the way you could see two of each of us, at different angles, because the doors to the medicine cabinet were open slightly.  So, I had to take this photo.  Fun!

~boggle boggle boggle~

Yesterday we visited both sets of grandparents and ate two Thanksgiving feasts!  My parents had a bit of a full house, but not quite all of us at the same time.  My brother and his family were leaving as we arrived -- off to his in-laws.  My nephew, Seth, and his wife stayed just barely long enough to eat and then they were off to two more celebrations!  My nephew Rich and his two kiddos were there longer than we were, and my older daughter Hollyanne and her family were there for quite a bit as well.  It was good to see them all.  After supper, my sister Jeanne, my mom, B. and her Daddy, Rich and his two kiddos, and I walked up to the school a few blocks away to play on the playground.  I didn't need to wear a coat!  Amazing weather!  I took a few photos, of course.  I uploaded about 32 to facebook and flickr, but I'll try to keep it down to just a few here.  :-)

After my folks we went to Grandma and Grandpa B's house.  Grandma B. really  wanted a photo of B with her poinsettias.  I tried...but it was B's "run" time right before bed, so I mostly got blurry photos of her not looking at the camera.  This is what I'm left with:

More photos of the day on flickr.

We pretty much did NOTHING today, which was NICE!!!!  I did try to do a bit of work on my scrapbook space.  I wanted to fix up the bulletin board area so that it looked a bit nicer -- it was all cluttered up with a bunch of stuff I ripped out of magazines for inspiration.  So, I took all the magazine pages and put them in a clear envelope, used the Cricut to cut out the letters for the word "inspiration" and attached the word to the envelope with colorful paper clips.  I was going to glue them on, and I still might, I haven't decided if I like it or not.

B. "helped" me, and her daddy snapped this photo with his iPhone:

I don't like the way I blend in with the chair, making my butt look extra large...but overall, I like the photo and you can see the space a bit better.  The clear envelope is just under the bulletin board, hanging from it with a ribbon.  Now the bulletin board is ready for other bits of inspiration and photos!

B. made this turkey at daycare on Wednesday:

Here's the conversation...
Me:  B, what does a turkey say?
B: Boggle! Boggle! Boggle!

Hilarious.

~ november first ~

When we got home from work today, it was in the 70s and it's November!  I changed B's pants (after an EEEnormous poop -- her words) and she didn't want her jeans back on.  Before I knew it, she had put on her shoes and was outside with Daddy.  The sun was out, but beginning to lower in the sky, which made the lighting delicious.  So I grabbed my camera, loaded with my birthday lens, and took a few photos of the silly girl, outside, in November, without pants.

Bea, What happened to your pants?

Oh no!  I forgot my pants!

Rats!  I forgot my pants!

But I remembered my shoes!

~small girl, big thoughts~

This photo was taken on our trip to Northern Iowa one week before B. turned two.  I took the photo because I thought she looked sooo tiny on the big steps of the farmhouse.  She was coming out of the house, and I'm pretty sure she was looking for the two of us.  We were at a family reunion and so there were many, many new people and most of our trip she stayed pretty close to us, or Grandma and Grandpa. When I saw this week's sketch over at Sketchy Thursdays, I chose this photo as my focus.  Thank you to my Club CK friends for helping with the title!

I used hidden journaling for the first time on this layout!!  Here is the hidden story and then the reveal.

 

Many of the materials are from the October Scrapbook Circle Kit -- Fresh Picked, with a few additions from my personal stash.

~ imagine ~

I'm still home from work.  I wish that I had gotten a D and C instead of trying to let my body take care of it a bit more naturally.  It's been a long and painful process.  I've missed too much work and I'm fairly unmotivated to do anything.  Besides, I can't really do much other than sit around anyway.  Leaves way too much time for thinking...and I'm not even really thinking clearly.  Work and studying is pretty much out.  My brain isn't working properly.

I'm not sure what I would do without my mother right now.  She has been amazingly helpful.  On Monday, she just showed up at my house thinking I shouldn't be alone, and she was right!  I had no idea what I was in for, and I even blacked out on her at one point, falling gracefully at her feet.  Scared her to death! 

I'm also not sure what I would do without my soul mate.  I know he is trying his best to heal as well, and at the same time he has been supportive of me and understanding when I don't get out of my pajamas.  And work hasn't stopped for him, in fact it's been extra busy the last few weeks.  I am so thankful that he is in my life.

Yesterday I stepped outside for a minute or two because I saw that this flower on our deck was blooming and I wanted to try to capture it.

I have been eyeing a few scrapbooking layouts and each day I have gone downstairs to try to do something and most days I've failed - uninspired and my head just isn't there.  I decided to try one that I knew would be fairly easy to scraplift, and I wouldn't have to think too much.  I picked a layout that I discovered through pinterest.  Actually,  I believe I repinned this Allie Hamblin layout from my friend Kirsten who found it originally on Studio Calico's website!  Here's my take on it.

 

Everything except the flower is from the most recent Scrapbook Circle Kit called Fresh Picked, including the Pink Paislee Sawdust Wood Alphabet that I inked with orange and brown stamping pads.  The background paper is called Timeclock from the Memorandum collection by Lillybee Designs.  My favorite paper is the one behind the flower and letter B, it's the Cross Stitch Paper - Farmhouse by Crate Paper.  Right beside it is Random - Textile also by Crate Paper, and the last square in the upper right corner is Simple Joys from the Fresh Goods collection by Pebbles Inc.  (And yes, I actually stitched with the sewing machine around the edges.  I had to change the bobbin and everything)!  Overall, I'm not very happy with how this turned out.  The photo was too dark for the papers I chose, and the stitching didn't go as well as planned, but it was something -- way better than having a pity party!

I used a Picasso quote, "Everything you can imagine is real" for several reasons.  Partly, imagining fits this photo of my daughter in her butterfly wings, but also imagining is hopeful.