My Life as it Should Be

Another Layout and a Sketch!

Another layout with recent photos.  Brandon wanted to mix "things" together to make an "explosion" so we used baking soda and vinegar!  We have previously done the "Diet Coke and Mentos" experiment - which works really well - but this was exciting enough for Brandon, as shown by his wonderful smile.  I love candid pictures of him because this is the only way he will show his teeth in a picture! Otherwise he keeps his mouth shut tight when he smiles.  Do you think he will need braces? LOL!

I have included another sketch with this layout.  I love how this page came together and it is fun to break it down and see the different areas of the page design in the sketch.  I think it would be fun to see a paper scrapper take this and make a page with traditional products!  Any takers?

And here is the sketch:

 
 

Planning for Summer!

Can you believe there are only two more months of school?  That means summer vacation is right around the corner and it is time to start planning activities to fill up the long days.  A fun experience for Brandon last summer was attending a science camp at our local university.  They have week-long, half or full day camps on a variety of topics.  The Space and Rocketry camp was a perfect match for Brandon and to say he "had a blast" is an understatement! While these camps are a bit more expensive than the other day camps in our area, I really recommend them based on our experience.  The hands-on crafts the campers completed were really nice quality and Brandon came home with an increased knowledge of space and an excitement to keep learning even more!

Here is a layout I made about the rocket launch on the last day of camp - a simple design to let the pictures take center stage.  I picked up the red, from the counselor's shirt and the rocket, as an accent color in the small strips of paper and title, and kept the background dark to help the pictures "pop" off the page. The arrow is a custom shape pre-loaded in Adobe Photoshop which added to the theme of the page... a rocket shooting up into space!  This is an easy layout to duplicate either digitally or with paper and I have included a sketch of the design so you can imagine your own photos on the page and go from there! You can see the credits for this page here.

And here is the sketch:

Brandon has chosen the "Robot Factory" theme this year and I will be putting Alex in the camp as well.  This will give me a small break of my own for that week - dropping the kids off from 8:30am to 4:30pm each day!  Now to figure out what we will do with the other nine weeks of summer!

A Trampoline for Spring

Well now that the warmer weather seems to be staying around we wanted to get something that would keep the kids out in the back yard a little more. They love jumping on the trampolines at their friends' houses so we decided to go with that over some sort of play structure they will outgrow more quickly. The boxes arrived on a Saturday and even though we didn't have a lot of time that day, Brandon and Alex insisted the building get started! The boxes were a big hit as well and kept the kids occupied while Tony put together the pieces. We finished it the next day and then the real fun began! The kids would sit in a meditative pose while Tony started bouncing, and when the big bounce came they would fly up in the air!  You can see Alex trying to keep her legs crossed and her hands in the same position they started in, but Brandon went all over! He actually came down on his hand and bent his elbow back but he was out playing again after he calmed down. 

 

This is an all digital layout and the background paper is a from Katie Pertiet's growing collection of Classic Cardstock over at Designer Digitals.  These make a great starting point for any page and I love the subtle texture!  

I have been missing journaling in my own handwriting on digital layouts so I decided to give it a try on this page. After putting together the main parts of the design, I created a new layer in the layers palette. Then I selected the the brush tool and set the size to 4 pixels at 100% hardness. Using a stylus with my Wacom tablet, I wrote out the words. It took a couple tries but I am happy with the results! Give it a shot - you might like it too!  

You can see all the credits for this page here.

Clutter: My Purse

My purse.  What an amazing and horrible mess!  It is hard to tell from this picture how much stuff is in there, but just read on...

I went to a baby shower last year and they had a game where the lady with the heaviest purse wins a prize. I knew right away I would win, and not only because I had a full bottled water in there!  Other ladies had bigger, bulkier bags but mine tipped the scale and won!  So apparently I have known about my little purse problem for a while but have chosen to let it get worse and worse. There have been times where it has taken me a good minute to find my keys in this veritable black hole.  Several times I have actually given up, looked elsewhere for them, only to find they were in my purse the entire time... dropped into the wrong pocket or just hiding in a deep corner.  Uuugggh!  How frustrating.  Not to mention the red marks the straps often leave on my shoulder after a long shopping trip.  Children's backpack studies have shown the direct relationship of heavy backpacks to shoulder and back pain.  While not as heavy, I'm sure my purse is no different.  And since I already have hereditary back issues, I am definitely not doing myself any favors here.   

So, I decided to sit down last night and clean the darn thing out.  I made a list as I went, and while some of these items are a little embarrassing, I am posting it here for "the blogging world" to see.  Maybe if I record it, and come up with a few "rules of the purse" to make sure this won't happen again, I will have some motivation to hold myself accountable.  We will see.

The List: (cringing a bit here)

1. Comb - most likely from the kids' school pictures last fall.  It was dirty so I threw it out.
2. Small pencil from putt-putt last summer.
3. Dairy Queen kids meal bag, coupon already torn off.
4. 2 round pins from a visit to the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in August 2009.
5. Alex's achievement ribbons from her last TOPS gymnastics meet earlier this month.
6. 2 leather coasters and 1 leather key chain from a hands-on demonstration at the county fair in August 2009.
7. Thank you note for a girl who attended Alex's birthday party in February, on the off-chance we see her at gymnastics.
8. Fred Meyer rewards coupons - expire 4-24 which I would still like to use.
9. Very old (and crumbling) check holder with two empty books of checks, old receipts and a check register I haven't used in eight years!
10. Wrapped fortune cookie and wrapped chocolate chunk cookie from Panda Express three weeks ago.
11. Lollipop, band aid.
12. Point and shoot camera in a case and the battery charger.
13. Kids' shot records.
14. Blank deposit slips from two different banks.
15. Business cards for my photography business I closed over a year ago.
16. Business cards for MOMS club - they are dirty and I would never hand them out in this condition.
17. Metal business card holder - empty.
18. 3 free ice cream cone coupons for McDonalds.
19. Key chain w/eyeglass screwdriver.
20. REI report to members which had the dividend and 20% off coupons I used a week ago.
21. 2 empty (cardboard) gift card holders.
22. List of locations for lunch after bowling league (through 12-29-2009)
23. Receipt for the headboard in Brandon's room from one year ago.
24. Printout of vision benefits from 7-09
25. Free pass & schedule for the Gravity classes at the fitness center.
26. Oil change papers from 5-22-09.
27. Oil change papers from 8-21-09.
28. Receipt from tennis shoes ordered last week.
29. Written list of things to do in Washington D.C. for a trip last June.  I forgot to bring the list.
30. Spoon used for a yogurt snack... I know, gross.
31. Old grocery store shopping list.
32. Small journal to record quotes from the kids.  Pen.
33. MOMS club name tag and lanyard.
34. 9 small bow hair clips, which were taken out of Alex's hair at gymnastics several months ago.
35. 2 bobby pins, 2 AAA batteries, 1 screw, 1 rock, 1 nerf bullet, and 2 hair bands.
36. Feminine hygiene items, more band aids, and very old hand cream.
37. Cell phone.
38. Tickets to a Jon Schmidt piano concert from 1-7-2010.
39. Small pouch with a pearl from San Francisco, who knows how many Januarys ago!
40. My Wallet.  It deserved a picture.  See below.  It is ridiculous.

So now that my purse and wallet are cleaned out, what should I do?  I like my purse, but maybe I need something smaller.  I also like my wallet, but maybe I need a separate holder just for "the cards" and then one for my cash.  I will have to take a look somewhere this weekend and see what is out there.  As far as rules.... I think the first thing is to obviously keep less receipts.  At least some of the gas stations now give you the option for no receipt, which I gladly take!  I know I hold onto some receipts because I am afraid I will need to return something but there are several stores that have such a good return policy you really don't need to have the paper receipt.  Target and Costco for example... they take back anything it seems!  Another rule - if the kids give me something to hold onto while we are out, give it back to them once we are home.  And it would not be a bad idea to sit down once-a-week and clean out what is not needed.  I will be back with an update... for now, a few things I found searching the internet.

Purskeet - the Original Purse Organizer

Chic Fashion

The Butler Bag 

The first two above are purse inserts.  This allows you to take the insert out and change purses easily.  The Butler Bag is the purse and insert together, and a little more pricey.  I see there are a lot of other inserts out there, just search "neat purse" or "purse organizer" and a bunch of options come up!  

My Life as it Should Be: Clutter-free

If my life were as it should be, there would be no clutter.  None.  No piles of mail, school papers, bills, or papers waiting to be filed.  My projects would be put away when I am done, and things wouldn't accumulate where they are not supposed to.  Old clothes would be sorted and sold or donated, and my craft room would be organized and ready to work in.  Not only is clutter a physical problem but it causes mental clutter as well.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed with what needs to get done, nothing will get done.  I read a book recently that I really connected with called "The Clutter Cure: Three Steps to Letting Go of Stuff, Organizing Your Space, and Creating the Home of Your Dreams" by Judi Culbertson.  In her introduction she wrote these words:

"My own wake-up call came in 1976 when my extended family rented a vacation house in Rehoboth Beach, Deleware.  I was floored by the simplicity of the home.  The kitchen held only the items we needed to prepare a meal.  In the morning, after making the beds and washing the cereal bowls, we were done for the rest of the day. There was time to go to the beach, read, explore, or do anything else we wanted."

Now one of the reasons I connected with this is because my family spent a week at Rehoboth Beach every summer while I was growing up.  And some of the things I remember best were the lazy days spent playing at the beach, doing a puzzle inside, or reading a book on the screened in porch.  I know vacation days don't really resemble life, but wouldn't it be nice to get a little closer to that feeling?  To be rid of the clutter and keep only the things that really matter? To keep only the things that will improve your life as you are living it today?  I think it would be nice. 

So working toward a clutter-free living experience will be a regular part of this blog.  This is such a major topic that it is not something I can't cover on a Monday and expect to be on top of by the end of the week.  It will be a slow process for me, but hopefully something that I can tackle one cluttered area at a time!  I would love to wash the cereal bowls in the morning and have the entire day to spend as I wish! What would you do with your clutter-free time?

April Showers...

Well we have a little bit of rain this morning but the sun is making an appearance so hopefully the beautiful weather we have been having this week will continue.  The kids have been out jumping on the new trampoline every day and inviting the neighbor kids to jump with them.  I am just happy the wind has started to die down - it was getting ridiculous for a while.  I grabbed a couple pictures of the blooms on our apple tree yesterday... I always forget how pretty they are and it is interesting how the buds are pink and then the blooms are all white!  Unfortunately I have let another year pass without spraying and pruning the tree so most likely I will have a lot of apples to pick up and throw away by late summer!

I love the way this picture turned out.  I got out a chair to stand on so I could get a better perspective and then noticed our trampoline in the background. The cover for the springs is a greenish/teal so I changed my camera position to put that part in the background - a nice contrast against the pink of the buds!

This next picture I like because there is one opened white flower in the middle of the pink buds.  I was trying to get a picture with a bee collecting pollen but the bees were not cooperating with me!

 

Another Hobby - Crochet

This is what I do.  I go to the library with the kids and right before we checkout I look through the "new arrivals" section.  Inevitably I will find a book that catches my eye and grab it to continue looking through at home.  Sometimes it will be on parenting or pruning trees or pencil drawings.  This time it was a book with crochet projects titled Crocheted Gifts by Kim Werker  What drew me to this book is that some of the projects looked fairly simple and short... which means I might have a chance to actually finish what I start!  Yes, when it comes to crochet I am definitely a starter and usually not a finisher.  And since I know this about myself I chose one of the patterns that used yarn I already have - so even if I don't finish I will not beat myself up about wasting money.  But I AM going to finish.    

The pattern uses four colors but I only had three so I am using one pink, one green and two yellow sections.  I have the sections for the bottom complete (they are wrapped around each skein in the picture) so now I need to assemble the four pieces and then start the upper part of the bag.  Alex saw me working on this and has already claimed it as her own.  She would also like me to finish the blanket I said was hers but I have told myself that if I finish it in time for her first college dorm room I am doing good - she is six.

 

Sick Day

Brandon had kind of a rough day today.  He was feeling bad enough that I had to pick him up from school at 9:30am but not so bad that he needed to take it easy and nap.  It turned out to be just a bad headache so I had him to keep me company today!  We stopped by the local scrapbook store after picking him up (because I knew he wasn't really sick, and they are family friendly and have a couch and TV area) so I could get a few things to complete a layout to submit to Creating Keepsakes today.  He was pretty patient and actually enjoyed looking at some of the neat things they have for sale.  He noticed some pop-up soccer stickers and wanted me to get them to do a layout of him playing soccer. I guess I should print out the layout I have already done (of him playing soccer) so he has one to look at now!  Anyway, when we got home I worked on a couple different projects that needed to be finished today and he decided to make a practice spelling list for Alex.  He made two columns on the lined paper (from Grandma) and wrote out the words he wanted Alex to copy.  I told him not to be disappointed if she didn't want to do it but to my surprise she got right to it when Meghan dropped her off at 1:45pm!

In kindergarten Brandon got in the habit of circling his best letter when practicing them over and over so that is what the circles are below.  Brandon wrote the title, "Name" and "Date," and the the first word in each of the columns.  The rest is Alex's handwriting.

I was also presented with a work of art from Brandon... about butterflies.  He said it was for me to keep.  This is the topic of his class science chapter right now so the drawing is of the life cycle of the butterfly.  There is an egg and a caterpillar in there somewhere, and the cocoon/chrysalis (or pupa) is hanging from the highest branch and then finally the butterfly.  I was a little confused about the large winding tree trunk and he said it was a "question mark tree!"

Brandon's final project of the day started when he saw me in my craft room putting together a scrapbook page.  I handed him the 12x12 cardstock and he made his own "pictures" to scrap with... again, the life-cycle of the butterfly. This time with a little more detail, and he peeled off and stuck down each letter for the title all by himself!  He added a bit at the top to add the title so it is not your traditional 12x12 page anymore, but it looks great to me!

 

A Happy Page

My first post on the topic of scrapbooking.  I thought I would start with one of my favorite recent layouts! Now these are not the best photos - a little blurry at full resolution, but I was drawn to my daughter's infectious laugh, and the bright colors in her suit.  When Lynn Grieveson's Wild Weekend Kit, available at Designer Digitals, was released a couple weeks ago I had just seen these pictures (on my computer) and knew they would work perfectly with the colors in the kit.  I also love the papers in this kit that mimic rays of sunshine.  Not only do they add interest in the background but they draw the viewers' eye to the main subject area of the page.  The lack of journaling on this layout is an anomaly for me, but I really don't know the whys behind the hysterical laughter in these photos.  That's what I get for waiting over two years to document this! However, if I wanted to add journaling I could write about her laugh or mention that she was very into Disney's princesses at this time - specifically The Little Mermaid, hence her colorful bathing suit.  There is always something to jot down related to the pictures you are scrapping! 

Detail about why I love digital scrapbooking - fonts are super easy to turn into titles!  

 You can find the credits for this layout here.

Why "My Life as it Should Be"

I have wanted to start a blog for a while.  But not just a personal blog that only my family or friends will view...