Finally!

Remember this post?  Well, it has taken me a little time...but I finally am posting some pictures from my brother's wedding back in June.  It was definitely a memorable day with all the weather related inconveniences....but still a great day!

I am definitely a person who likes to combine and conquer as many things as I can into one project...and that is what you get in the pictures below.  Not only am I finally getting to post what I had promised weeks ago...but I am catching up on my memory keeping too.  I have finally been able to somewhat conquer  my severe "OCD" about having to scrapbook chronologically....or even that every picture must make it to a scrapbook...or that each scrapbook has to be made in a tradition 12x12 album....  So, now that I have been able to try some new things in my scrapbooking....it has been amazing at how much more I can accomplish in my few spare minutes each day.  Also, the fact that I have been gravitating toward doing more digital pages helps too....they are SOOOOO simple and easy for me to complete!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Make a Smilebox greeting

So if you remember my post from the other day....it listed 5 goals of mine to complete and then I will tackle the next 5?

1. Increase the amount of time I spend in prayer and bible study.
2. Get our family on a schedule and routine that works without us stressing over being somewhere at a specific time.
3. Make and document memories more about all the little things my kids are doing....this translates to scrapbooking for me!  I would like to set aside two hours a week to work on catching up on the kids scrapbooks.
4. Keep a journal of everyday events.
5. Recognize my talents and gifts and not focus on what I CAN'T do...(with that being said...my goal for this is to learn more about photography and improve on my designing abilities and hopefully make a full time hobby/business from it...)

 

As you can see...I have succeeded in at least beginning a process...not to say that I don't have room to improve and will continue to move forward on these items.  #1...well, that will always be my first and foremost area to improve upon....so it will never be crossed off the list.   I have started and we are working towards #2 and #5 and I will post about them tomorrow with some photos I took this afternoon and a new schedule that we are going to begin tomorrow.  So check back for that info!

Have a great evening everyone!

Five on Friday

Let me just start by saying that I am a LIST maker!  I feel most organized and able to complete projects if I have a list made in my handy little notebook that I carry around everywhere I go.  I started to post yesterday and get back on track with Thursday Thirteen...and I will get back to that next week...but decided that thirteen items in this next list was a little too much to start of with for me.    In the meantime, I wanted to share some thoughts with you about my goals for the near future.  Hear me out....don't go clicking that red X up in the top right corner of your screen and telling me goodbye just yet.  :)

Life is a balancing act.   Wow!   I know that the first statement comes as a real shock to most of you.  However, it has taken me 33 years, 4 months, and 1 day to learn this very important lesson!  I have been doing a lot of thinking lately and I am trying to do some self-renovating (is that a word?)  I have said all summer...as soon as I get both girls settled into the school routine...there are many things I want to focus on for myself.   So now that we have completed our first full week of the school year...I think it is time to begin!  I know most people set goals in January...but I have chosen to start fresh now....a new school year for my girls and a new year for me too!

Yesterday I was going to list 13 goals that I have set for myself to accomplish during the first semester of this new school year.  My goal is to have these things accomplished, active and working, or just plain finished by Christmas time. Do you think I will make it?  :)    After contemplating that for a long time....I decided to break it up into smaller, more attainable lists.  I don't want to feel overwhelmed!  I don't want to bite off more than I can chew (which is usually what I do  :) )  So, for today I thought I would share the first five goals I have set.  As I complete things or begin to see them working well....I will mark them off and list a new 5!

I believe we all have room for improvement in our lives...even in what seem to be the most insignificant areas... I KNOW that I do and this is just really something that I need to do for me to feel like I am improving ....but also for the good of my family.   I have always used this BLOG as sort of my journal....mainly because I find it very easy to sit and type and express my thoughts.  So, I plan to record and update progress on this site to help me stay on track.  Here we go!

Here are the first 5 things:

1. Increase the amount of time I spend in prayer and bible study.
2. Get our family on a schedule and routine that works without us stressing over being somewhere at a specific time.
3. Make and document memories more about all the little things my kids are doing....this translates to scrapbooking for me!  I would like to set aside two hours a week to work on catching up on the kids scrapbooks.
4. Keep a journal of everyday events.
5. Recognize my talents and gifts and not focus on what I CAN'T do...(with that being said...my goal for this is to learn more about photography and improve on my designing abilities and hopefully make a full time hobby/business from it...)

I know these first five are not quite as tangible as "Make the bed everyday."  But it is a starting point for me...and I am happy to say that I have already started making progress.  One last thing is this:  I know I am not perfect and don't think I have set unrealistic goals....these are just starting points and things I am going to try to focus and improve on one item at a time.  I still will have days where I don't feel like I accomplished many if any the goals...but I can wake up the next day ready to start fresh again!

See I can go ahead put a checkmark by #4 and #3...I am back to journaling here on the ole' blog and have scrapbooked a little this week.  Great start....I think!

 

 

Happy 4th! Family photos and a few more things...

Good morning!  The sun is shining bright and it is already hot here this morning in Alabama!  My hubby is working today and me and the kids are planning on spending the day out in the pool and having some fun.  I actually have secretly planned to scrapbook this afternoon ..... after I wear the kids out and bring them in for napping and/or watching a movie later this afternoon.  :)

 Old Glory....I love seeing this flag hanging from the front of our house each time I pull in the driveway!  It reminds me of the freedoms I have and of all the men and women that have fought and gave their lives for that freedom!  Pray for and remember OUR soldiers today....both past and present....AND be sure and thank God for this great country and the blessings we receive as a result of being citizens of this great country!

The last few days I have been printing lots of sketches off of some really cool sites that I have familiarized myself with lately....Pencil Lines and Page Maps are probably my two favorite....however, there are a few more that I have found and I will share with you soon. Oh and one that I found on my buddy Leah's blog....Little Book of Sketches....I am quickly growing fond of it!  Check these sites out!

I am working on some birthday gifts for some of the girls friends and some wooden letters and coasters for home decor.  I plan to share my finished projects with you soon!  Also, I have been printing pictures and getting pages together a little this week and really hope to be able to share some new layouts after the weekend is over.

I have gotten so far behind in my scrapping...and it makes me so mad at myself....because I DEFINITELY collect plenty of cool supplies to be able to do all the cool pages....and I have collected and continue to collect many idea book, magazines, and websites that I view and think....I can do that ....

However, I never seem to be able to start or finish a layout....it stresses me and makes me uninterested when I think of how far behind I am....IT IS TOTALLY OVERWHELMING TO ME!!! and the madness has to stop!!!  :)

I am so so tired of not getting any pages done....so, I have come up with a system that seems to be working for me....I will share it with you in the next post....I had to do something so that I would get my tail in gear and preserve all these precious memories that we have made as a family....maybe you can pull something from it and use it in your own scrapbooking.

I have some pictures to share with you today....I mean come on....is it really a post if there are no pictures?  LOL

First, we had our yearly family photo done this past weekend and I was pretty happy with the way turned out...we were supposed to get my mother and father -in -law with us in one of the sittings, but at the last minute they couldn't come....hopefully we can get one with them soon!  We went to Hollis Photography....which we have been going there for some time now....and as always they did a great job!  You can go to the above link and click on the button that says View Your Photographs Now and then our password number is 5678.  Type that in and you can view a slide show of our family photos.  Let me know which one you think is the best....cause I am having a hard time choosing!!!!!

Here are just a few others that I have taken over the last few days that I thought were cute!

Just "Croc" -ing around outside!  Parker finally got his first pair of Crocs and he is trying to figure them out....he will walk in them...but does not seem too sure about them... :)

Some outside fun in the backyard yesterday with the bubbles!

Good morning Sleepy Head!  Took these this morning when I went in to get Parker....he was in there singing and letting me know it is TIME to come and get me Mama!  :)

Have a great day and enjoy the festivities!

More later....

Grab a coke and dive on in!

Ok...so this post is going to be somewhat random and knowing me it will probably be lengthy too....I have so many things to catch up on around this house and with my blog and my blogging buddies.  I am sorry that I STILL have not got around to commenting much...but hopefully I will get to soon...maybe this evening...maybe by the end of the week.

What have we got going on right now?   WHEW!!!

• In the process of getting a fence built around our back yard...and I am beginning to wonder if that is going to happen.  Hopefully, we will hear today or tomorrow what day they are coming out to start the construction of the fence.  I am so ready to have the fence up!
• Shane is still putting the new swingset together...that had like 500 pieces and 99 steps in the instruction booklet

 

• In the middle still of redoing the girls room...have made a good start on it....but still have a little way to go....of course more pictures later when I am finished.  BTW, this is a totally different bedding than what I showed you a few months ago...we went a different direction with the decorating.

• Previously, as you can see, the room was themed in ladybugs...red, white and black...so these are some pictures from now and in the middle of changing things out....the red is going and going to change the colors up to pinks, purple, teal, pale yellow, and lavender....when I get it all finished I will post the final product!  :)
• Have finally cleaned out and purged a bunch of clothes and shoes in various closets around the house.  Feel good about that....and glad I am DONE!!!
• Parker is walking and a busy little boy....which in turn makes Mama a busy Mama!  Nuff said!  :)
• Had a great birthday on Friday the 13th....no bad luck here...just a nice evening celebrating with my family. Thank you to all who sent cards and well wishes.  It was so nice to have so many people thinking of me!  :) Sweet Amy sent me the coolest card....so nice of her to think of me!  I try to keep birthdays low key because I like the idea of stopping at 29 and not celebrating after that...LOL....but THANK YOU SO MUCH to everyone that wished me a Happy Birthday!  You all are too sweet!

• Have recently gotten several new scrapping items and I can't wait to use them all.  I need some help though from all you die hard scrappers.  I have PLENTY of supplies, have pretty cool ideas, love to scrapbook and alter things...no problems there...but how do you do it?  I always have such good intentions, but never seem to get any work done....and I just keep COLLECTING supplies and cool stuff....BUT????  Help me out and give me some suggestions....I thought about making a monthly calendar and identifying specific days to work on specific things...but not sure it that is practical??  I just want to be productive and get some pages done....but just can't seem to get it all together! I'll share more pictures of this in a later post.

• These little babies are so cool and were so cheap at Michael's...thanks to Telah and Leah for giving me the head's up on these!

 

• Have two birthdays coming up in the next few weeks...and I am trying to plan for those.  Mallory will be seven and Parker will be ONE!  Doesn't seem possible!  Makes me kind of sad that my little man is growing up so fast....well for that matter, all of them are....and I don't like it at all!  They are supposed to stay babies forever....aren't they?  :)

• and lastly, I am going to work on tidying up my blog a little and giving it a facelift...I need to update pictures and change some things around....obviously, I have not done a good job at taking a photo a day....so I am going to change that around too....so check back and take a look over the next little bit and let me know what you think about the changes.

That's enough for now...more later!  Have a great rest of the evening!

And the winner is....???

Ok...this will be a super short post and I will be back later to update on some more things that are happening....but I have some people that have been already messaging (bugging) me this morning wanting to know who the winner of my RAK from the other day is....let me just say that I put all the names in the bag last night and let Mallory draw out the winner (and no Jamie...I didn't put your name in twice...:)  )

Mallory was so excited and couldn't wait to do the drawing...we even took pictures of course...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How about that face?  Too funny!

 

 

 

 

So she drew a name out and I said read it...and she did...and I just started laughing!  The winner is .... TELAH!!!! 

Now, for those of you who don't already know...Telah is more than just one of my bloggin' buddies.  She lives about an hour from me....but we are good friends in "real life" too!  That is why I found it so funny!  Nope, this wasn't rigged....but I thought how funny and Mallory kept asking what was so funny and after I told her, she kept saying I can't believe Mrs. Telah won!  She was even saying that this morning as she walked out the door to school.

Well, after she went to bed last night...I was sitting here thinking....and decided that I would have Shane draw another name and give out two prizes.  I didn't want any of my loving blog friends to think it strange that some how Telah won...LOL...plus I was feeling generous I guess.

So the second winner will win this.....

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to my little box and tried to pick out some stuff that would be equivalent to the other prize....and the winner of that drawing was .... APRIL!!!

Congrats to both winners!  Thanks to everyone who left comments....I will do another RAK later in the weeks...but this one will require a little more thinking...so be watching!

More later!!!  Have a great day!

As promised...more to share!

UPDATED:  I decided not to draw the name for the RAK giveaway today.  I am going to wait until Monday morning to do that to give everyone a chance to leave a comment and have their names entered into the drawing.  Also, I guess I should have given a little more info about the products I am giving away.  The flowers are PRIMA...they rock!  The letters and the tags are not CHIPBOARD...sorry...but they are quality cardstock...and I have some that I have used and love them too...so I just wanted to clarify that for y'all!  :)

Well, it has been a busy day at our house and I am tired!  It started off early and pretty much stayed at a steady pace all day.  I had three kids home today, instead of just two.  I got the call that school was releasing early today and that meant I had to swing into gear and be ready to pick up Mallory in the car line at 11am.  Don't misunderstand...I am not complaining...with the weather like it was here today in Alabama...I want my babies home with us...I just feel better knowing that they are here with me. 

There were storms throughout most of Alabama today, but for the most part our storms were nothing compared to what areas south of us received.  There are many families that are suffering and need our prayers right now!  If you haven't already heard about it on the national news, just take a listen to the next newscast...I think the last I heard is that there are 5 confirmed deaths from where the tornado hit Enterprise High School earlier today.  We are being told that the number will most likely rise as they search through the night for others that are possibly trapped in the debris.  So sad and it just makes my heart ache for those families that are suffering.  It just reminds me to count my blessings each and every minute!

Ok..now on to some happier news...even though I haven't been posting a lot over the last couple of weeks...I have tried to keep reading my favorite blogs and commenting when I can...one trend I have noticed is a lot of blogger's doing RAK...so you guessed it...I have a RAK for all my readers!  Here is the key...if you don't leave a comment, you have NO chance of winning. That's it....ALL YOU HAVE TO DO is leave a comment!   I know there are still a lot of lurkers out there that visit my blog, but don't leave a comment when they visit.  So stop that lurking and show me some love!!!  I will have one of my little sweeties draw a name on Saturday and will post the winner sometime that day.  Now, since I have done a major clean-out of my scrapping area....my loss is going to be your gain...because I have a whole box full of goodies to give away in RAK's.  Here is what you will receive if you are the winner of this RAK:

Now here is what I need your help with...I bought this little beauty at my LSS a couple of weeks ago...and guess what I paid for it?  Six dollars...it was in the clearance section and regularly priced at like 29 dollars!  I was excited....I thought to myself, now surely I can alter this in some way and make it a beautiful piece of home decor.  So, leave me a comment and give me some of your ideas on what you might do with this.  There are four "coasters" that fit in the bottom wooden tray and sit up to display.  I think the measurements on the coasters are like 3.5 inches square...or something like that.  I finally pulled them out of the box last night and am ready to work on this project...so tell me....What do you think?

And finally, here are a few more things I have been creating while I was gone...

 a 6x6 fabric album all about my favorite quotes...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

altered paint can made to send to a good friend of mine that just recently had a new baby...

I am in the process of finishing these books for the girls...this one is Mallory's and the one below is Kennedy's...I made these books out of an 8x8 chipboard book...tore them apart  and covered all the pages of the book and then made it like a flip book by putting a metal ring in the top corner to hold it together....as soon as I finish these I will post the pages and show the whole thing to you.  I planned on having these finished much sooner, but just haven't got it all together yet.  I used two bedtime stories and each book is titled like the story and then when I did the journaling I altered it to fit either Mallory or Kennedy (using their names) and I can't wait for them to see them and to read the books to them. 

The one above is Kennedy's.  I really like how it turned out!

Well, I am off to bed for now...gotta get some rest and quit staying up so late.  :) 

More later...

WOW! Has it been two weeks?

Hi everyone!  I am finally back!  I didn't intentionally mean to take a break from Bloggin'...it just happened that way!  I have been really busy with a lot of different things.  From sick kids all the way to spending a lot of time in my little scrapping room creating some cool stuff.  I have missed y'all...but let me say that I am so touched by the sweet emails and comments I have received checking up on me.  Y'all are the best!!!

I have so much I want to share with you and if I tried to do it all right now in one post...well, you would probably fall asleep at your computer...so, I have decided to split it up into several posts.  I have added a bunch of new pictures to the blog sidebars and I am going to show you a few in this post too.  So, be sure to check out some of the new pictures!!!

I have MIA for so long that I have kept a list of topics I want to cover when I return to BLOGGIN'!  That is sad, I know...but true!  I am a list maker!  I carry a little notebook around in my purse constantly and have several different list going at all times.  Usually, I have a To Do list, a grocery list, a Projects I Am Working On list, a Scrapping - Want to get list....let's see....maybe that is it.  But I love to make lists...it helps to keep me organized and I just feel better when I have a list to look at!  :)  How about you?  Are you a list maker...do you feel lost without your list? This little beauty is my new notebook, that I just started writing in today, because my other was full, and here is how it looks already...

Now, if I can just mark some things off the lists...I will be doing good!  :)

Well, I mentioned that I have been spending a lot of time working on projects...which means I spent the majority of my time here...

Yep, this is my glorified closet...as I like to call it!  It serves the purpose though and it is majorly overcrowded...but I still manage to get projects done in there.   I think I told you all that I had done a major cleanout and purge on supplies and I am still finding things that I have no use for any longer...so I guess you could stay that I am still cleaning out...however, I do think that I have it pretty well organized and like I want it to stay...at least for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, since I have spent so much time in this room lately...let me share some of my projects that I have completed.  I'll admit, that I haven't done near as many layouts as I could be doing...instead I have been altering things and making....

Here is an Art Journal that I made for myself...to help me record sketches, ideas, etc...to aid in my creative process.  This was very simple to make and cost next to nothing.  I altered the front and  back and then put three different tabs on the inside pages...Ideas, Quotes and sayings, and sketches.  I left plenty of room for adjustment if want to add some different tabs in it as I fill it up and go along.  Next, since I was on the cleaning out and organizing trip...I made this to help with my over abundance of crafting magazines...I went through all my out of date magazines and decide to make a way to save what I liked from the magazine and donate the rest to Mallory's class....or some teacher at her school that would like to have these to use for class projects....this is what I came up with...

I bought this three ring binder at a local store a while back.  I actually bought 4 of them....and I have been working on the other three for another purpose...and I will share them with you soon...

Anyway, I went through my stash of supplies and this is what I had when I finished. (ignore my reflection against the plastic covering)  I used MM rub-ons, paper flowers, American Crafts tags, and various ribbons.  BTW, let me just say that I have never used my Cropadile on anything very thick...I punch holes right thought this binder with no problem whatsoever!  It ROCKS!!!

Here are a few more pix of the binder...I made tabbed inserts for the inside...and at this time I have only gone through two old magazines...but I have a pile to go through and now, I have a place to put all the things I want to keep from the magazines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am excited about this system and about cleaning out my magazine basket and only keeping special editions and current copies of magazines.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wanna know why we made these cards?  Yep, that is right!  My baby girl, Kennedy, has officially turned the BIG 4!!!  Her birthday is today!  Four years ago at this time, I was in amazement and awe...that God had blessed my life with another beautiful baby girl!  I am so thankful for the blessing of my children!  Kennedy is a precious gift from God and I can't even imagine how dull our lives would be without her presence!  I love you sweetie Peanut Kennedy!  Hope you had the best birthday ever!!!  Here is what she woke up this morning and found...

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, Mama let her eat a choc. iced cupcake for breakfast....after all, it is her birthday!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I feel better now that I have accomplished typing this post...but I still have so much more to share!!!  It is getting late and I am getting sleepy....so I will close this post in just a minute and post again tomorrow.  Oh and BTW, Tunes on Tuesday will be back I think....that is if you like it...I have wondered if it is just a silly thing to post or if it is at enjoyable at all  for y'all???  Just not sure right now...so let me know what you think???

Thanks for sticking with me over the last couple of weeks.  I am glad to be back and look forward to sharing some more with you tomorrow!

Much more later...  :)