{almost half of 2009...}

is gone!!!
I haven't updated my blog in over a month, I haven't sat down to scrap anything in over two months. There just isn't enough time in the day and I have to be honest I have been taking less and less pictures every week. If nothing else I certainly need to get back to picture taking because I don't get to get those moments back.
My solution? Well I always thought it was weird to see those moms/wives with the big organizers that had every minute of the week scheduled, but I think I need to be one of those moms. I need to alot time to scrap, time to play and time to relax otherwise it just won't happen.
Hopefully this will be the answer and at the same time should help me get it together all around.

{busy is an understatement}

Although I am not a fan of being a SAHM, I have come to learn that you miss out on a lot when your a working mom. I was taking pictures everyday and blogging, scrapping, etc when I didn't have a job. Now I have a temporary position and I haven't taken a picture in over a month.
I was able to get some really fun shots of "the princess" however they were taken by dad!!!
Hopefully I will find some balance during the month of May - no promises though.
Okay I am going to try to at least start on a page tonight... and by start I mean at least pick out the photos and paper and maybe find my 3 embellishments... wish me scrap luck.

{i sewed}

I am so excited about this... I feel like I'm actually making some scrapping progress. Today I pulled out my Provo Craft mini sewing machine and actually used it. My best friend purchased it for me years ago and I think I used it one time... well I have been seeing all these layouts with stitching so of course I want to run out and get a sewing machine. I decided if I can't use the one I got as a gift then I darn sure don't need another one. So I sewed!!!
Now of I could just get started on using up all of my stash.... I will be good to go. I hope everyone has a great week.

{29 + ?}

I can't say that this day was any different than the rest.....
I was surprised to receive a cupcake at work today. Of course I took a picture since I knew I wouldn't have a cake and of course I didn't get around to uploading it. So, as you guessed I have no pictures to share.
I would like to say (on a positive note) that traffic today was not too bad... my drive home was only 30 minutes; compared to 1 hour and 10 minutes yesterday!!! That little bit of difference made for a pretty good day.
So even though the plan was to get back into scrapping today, I have decided to just relax and enjoy today and just in feet first tomorrow. I have already found some great sketches that I want to use and I plan on getting some pictures printed off tomorrow. Hopefully I can get enough to last through the weekend. I don't really have anything planned so I have plenty of time to get some scrapping done.
Okay well, my special day is coming to a close so I'm off to the land of dreams... until next time.

{working 9 to 6...}

does anyone else see the problem with that title?
I started my temporary gig today and I can't express how much I HATE Atlanta traffic. It's almost like everybody in the entire state is on the highway at the exact same time.
Don't get me wrong it was so nice to get out of the house again and go to work but wow.... at least I know what to expect now.
The 9 to 6 thing is really throwing me off... I'm a 7 to 4 kinda girl and I will do 8 to 5 if you really need me to, but 9 to 6. By the time you get home and get settled; guess what? Bedtime. LOL!
So we finish with March and move into April tomorrow. I plan on keeping up with my blogging and hopefully adding pictures again. I realize this page is pretty boring; but right now I'm pretty boring. Hopefully with the start of a new year for me... things will change.

{saturday night life}

I think this is about the busiest weekend I have had since this time last year (not including the weekends when I've been moving).

We started the day pretty late and headed to Dave & Busters for a birthday party. We spent about 3 hours there and of course the little Princess was in heaven. She loved all of the lights and sounds and although she hadn't had her nap she did pretty well. She did finally crash and burn about 2 and 1/2 hours in. We came home so that the adults could rest for an hour or so... and off we went again.

Our next stop was Gladys and Ron's chicken and waffles. I must say I was not excited about the idea of chicken and waffles together and neither was DH. Apparently EVERYONE else in Atlanta is a fan because we waited for over an hour for a table! Myself and DH and my SIL ended up ordering chicken and waffles. I however could not bring myself to eat them both in the same sitting. The waffle was good... but the chicken I had to put in a to go box to eat later.

I of course had to take some pictures to remember the event... as I am sure we will not be returning. At least it's something we can mark off of our "Atlanta To Do List"... I think the next thing that we will tackle on the list will be The Varsity.

{been meaning to...}

Okay so I can't believe that a week has already gone by and I haven't updated. I must admit, it's been busy though and overall it was a pretty great week. I can't believe how fast the month is flying by. Only 4 more days until my birthday; not sure how I feel about it yet.
Anyway, I was pretty excited to find out that I won the theme contest over at Mosh Posh. I can't wait to see what the ladies come up with for the month... they always produce such great pages. If you get a chance check out the kit for April... I am lovin' the new Thickers!!!
Now if I could just win something in the Spring Fling online shop hop it really will be a good month.
We are getting ready to head out of the door but hopefully I will update again very soon, at least 2-3 more times before the week is out. I have been scrapping and I have been meaning to post a couple of layouts but I found out after I finally found the AA batteries that I knew I had purchased... that somehow I have managed to break my point and shoot camera. (it comes on, but won't take pictures... needless to say I am sad). Of course I have been fiddling with it for the past few days trying to make it work, not sure why because I don't know the first thing about digital camera. Wonder how much it would cost to get it fixed - however nowadays I can probably just buy a new one for next to nothing.
Okay... off we go.

{movie weekend}

Somehow I have figured out a way to watch three movies this weekend with hopefully one more tonight. All of the movies were pretty good and one of course had me crying for no reason at all.
I watched; Mirrors (horror), What happens in Vegas (comedy), Made of Honor (girly comedy) and I hope to finish the weekend off with Saw IV (horror - which I have already seen, but I love horror movies). You know sometimes I think I love movies too much but then I come to my senses and think - No Way! Oh and I almost forgot I watched Brown Sugar again.
As for scrapping - I got nothing done. I didn't even take a picture of the few pages that I have been able to complete because I can't seem to find one AA battery in this entire house. Maybe I will have better luck tomorrow because I know there is at least one pack somewhere in the house.
I was able to get my coupon binder all organized and ready for use again. I tried this whole coupon thing before and failed miserably. I just can't wrap my head around stockpiling things. However I am going to try to commit to at least use the coupons to save some money at the grocery store. I mean now a day we all want to save money right?
Okay, well while I am waiting on my movie to download from On Demand (greatest invention ever). I plan on organizing my old scrap sketches and idea pages. If nothing else when tomorrow morning comes I will 95% more organized then I was on Friday.

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!

{spring has arrived}

I must admit that I spent most of my day indoors. We did go do some bowling, which I am sure will me so much more fun once Lil C can bowl. Right now we divide our time between bowling and running after/entertaining the little one. Maybe we can find one of those fake bowling alleys that have the little balls so that she can participate.
Dad did take the princess to the playground to run around and play and slide so at least there was some outdoor fun for the day. I haven't had a chance to check and see if he took pictures yet. Of course dad isn't as anal about the camera and capturing everything on film. Although when he does grab it and take pictures he always gets great shots.
Okay well I don't feel like scrapping and believe it or not I am 85% organized at this point and my desk is 98% clean so I might just head to bed. I came to realize yesterday that I will be turning another year older in about 11 days... wow time is flying by.

Hope everyone had a great first day of Spring!!!

{st. patty's day}

Happy green day to everyone. It's been pretty quiet here today, we took a picture to compare with last year and although I haven't had a chance to do so, I know there is a major difference. Last year our baby girl was only 4 months old and now she's 16 months... time really does fly by.

I am still busy simplifying my process over here and my "ready made" kits are working wonders... I can just grab the one I think works best and add whatever extra embellishments I think I need and I'm done. Using my sketches has been helping as well and I went back to using my challenge can again.

I shake it up and pick the first three tiles that fall out - for my last project they were; bling, journal spot and rub-ons. It keeps me from using the same thing every time and from constantly trying to figure out exactly what to use. I have definitely had less scrap related stress and I don't waste time like I use to looking for ideas and wasting hours browsing the internet for inspiration.

Happy St. Patty's Day!!!

{caitlyn, no}

If I had to guess I would say that these two words are the words I say the most everyday.
Caitlyn, no don't hit the dog. Caitlyn, no don't play with that. Caitlyn, no don't put that in the toilet. Caitlyn, no don't touch the TV. Caitlyn, no don't throw that. Anyway you get my point.
I try to imagine if a boy would be this much trouble; there is no way. I mean I don't even want to be around when she hits 2 because if she gets any more mischievous I am going to SCREAM!!

Anywho, we had a family nite and went to the mall to window shop and then to the Cheesecake Factory for dinner (which we brought home to eat). I am pretty tired so other than doing some planning/sketching I think I might cut my night short and head to bed (which I am typing at 11:43pm; isn't it too late to say I'm cutting my night short?). I have been having trouble sleeping though so I guess it's not really up to me.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

{worst week of the year}

This week is turning out to be terrible and it's only Tuesday. I'm starting to wonder if this year is only going bad because I have stated that 2009 will be my year. So as a test, I am not going to sign my post with that anymore to see if there are any changes. Today was one for the books and I still have an hour to go so it may even get worse.
Other than that I did manage to get a layout done today - with my "new scrapbooking" attitude. It's not perfect, but it does exactly what it's supposed to do; tell the story. Anyway I used one of the sketches from 52 sketches as my inspiration. I love her sketches and they are so easy to use.
Alright so I'm off to finish the remaining 55 minutes of the day. Wish me luck!

{is it just me...}

or did today just fly by?
First things first; that time change thing did not help matters any. Why don't we get to do time change on a day other than the weekend, like Monday!!! I feel like it threw off my entire schedule. Don't get me wrong I love the fact that it was still nice and sunny outside at 7pm, but that doesn't help with the fact that I'm tired.

Anywho, I did manage to get some work done. I have really embraced what I set out to do, I am back to using sketches and planning my pages; and I must say it feels really good to know that something is getting done. I was able to pull out one of my Mosh Posh kits (from August 2006 - yes I said August 2006) and plan my pages so that I will get at least 6 pages out of the kit and still have scraps to work with. It made me realize that I obviously have way to much stuff and I really do need to start using it.

One more thing that I realized is that I don't think that traditional kit clubs are for me anymore. I have been doing some research and have found that I like the idea of smaller kits with different papers from different manufacturers (i.e Apron Strings, Flavor of the Month). You get 3-4 different mini kits (with a small amount of embellishments). At first I thought it was not enough stuff, but then I realized after I finished planning out my pages last night I pretty much have 6 pages that look quite a bit alike....just because of the similar look of the paper.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{work in progress}

I am happy to say that I have started on my cards for the 365 Card blog (2 down - 3 to go). Of course by tomorrow morning I will be behind yet another day. I am hoping to get all 3 of my remaining cards done tonight. I have a Coke and some yummy cinnamon graham crackers to keep my occupied; not to mention a couple of episodes of Law & Order SUV and Criminal Intent (my true scrapping companions).
Anyway I am fully planning to get some pictures posted tomorrow (of whatever I have finished). I need to get back in the habit of scrapping and keeping my blog updated.
On a totally different note... I have a new scrapping goal for 2009. I have noticed that in every issue of Creating Keepsakes this year the focus has been on getting more pages done, organizing, simplify your process, etc. All things that I need to adapt. I put off scrapping because I think I need the perfect photo and the perfect paper so that my page will be perfect (which it never is). I really need to get out of that mind set; remember why I'm doing this, get more journaling on my pages (for when I'm gone) and get those pages done.
So my goal is to find my style, get back in the habit of writing down ideas and drawing sketches, get the pages completed and remember who I'm doing this for.... Me and my Family!

Talk to you soon!

*Making 2009 My Year*

{already behind}

It's only the 3rd day of the month and I am already behind on something!!
I wanted to have my scraproom at least halfway complete so that I could sit down and create something. If I had to guess I would say its more than halfway finished but the stack of broken down cardboard boxes does not lend to a very creative environment.
Oh well, I will have to think of something.
As for the project I wanted to start - I found a new card site called 365 cards. Yes, that's a card a day and since I haven't started yet it means I am currently 3 cards behind AND a card box (holder) to hold all the cards. I will hopefully catch up by the end of the week. (that doesn't include the altered box!).
If you get a chance go check them out; the link is over there -------->

*Making 2009 My Year*

{march? - are you serious?}

I can't believe it's already March!!! Where does the time go?
Looking back; I see that I didn't do any better with keeping up with my blog last month.
I must say that I have been busy unpacking and job hunting so blogging wasn't priority 1.
I am making small steps in getting my scraproom in order so hopefully by the end of the week I can get started on something.
Today was an inside day -it pretty much snowed all day!! I was amazed and so was Caitlyn; we were so used to the 80 degree weather in Florida and then we get here and SNOW? I will say I was able to get an awesome picture of the house and yard all covered in the white stuff. This will be my first winter/snow layout in 3 years!!! Pretty excited.
Anyway I hope everyone had a fabulous February and that you have an even better March.
Talk to you soon.

*Making 2009 My Year!*

{...still unpacking}

So, we are in our house and I am surrounded by boxes.
I have no motivation to unpack; not even my scrap stuff. I am busy being a stay at home mom and that takes up 99% of my time. I can't even imagine what Caitlyn will be like when she gets 2 because right now she is wearing me out.
I have pulled out a few magazines so that I can browse through for some ideas, but I have no idea when I will actually get a chance to sit down and scrap. I can say proudly that I am keeping up with my project 365. The only drawback will be that when I do get a chance to sit down and work on it I will have almost 6 weeks worth of photos to scrap.
Anyway, I am going to get back to looking for a job - staying at home is driving me crazy.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{happy v day}

This will be a quick post as I am so tired from yesterdays move and the drive from Florida to Atlanta that I can barely keep my eyes open.
Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's day. I found a couple of pictures of my two loves to post in honor of the holiday.






As you can see I am still in love with black and white photos.

I will try to catch up once we get settled in the new home. I get one day of rest before we move so I'm going to take full advantage.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{tomorrow is the day}

Okay so I am nowhere near ready for the movers; but they will be here in the morning to start packing. I figure I can try to stay one step ahead of them and I should be okay. Not sure how that will work out with the "Little Princess" right next to me every step of the way, but we will see.
My plan was to clean the refrigerator but I decided to come update my blog instead and also do a little job hunting; there really aren't enough hours in the day. So I have now changed my plan to getting up at 7:00 am or so and cleaning it then (before the trash man comes). Keep your fingers crossed for me.
I figure it will be about a month before I have anything scrappy to share, however I did make a little "challenge book" last night (hope to post tomorrow) with some of my stash. This way I can keep a list of the challenges/prompts/sketches I see online and want to do and I can check them off as I get them done. This way I always have something type of inspiration close by.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{monday once again}

So it's Monday and it's really nice here in Florida. I am busy getting things ready for the move on Friday. I can't say that I'm enjoying it, but I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful daughter here to entertain me everyday. She just never ceases to amaze me.
Anyway, I was able to get some scrappin' done this weekend (only 1 page). I have found that that I have fallen back into the pattern of spending all my time on the internet; either looking at scrapbook stuff or looking for a job. I have got to step away from the laptop again.
Okay I am off to watch "Big Bang Theory" - thank goodness they moved it to 9:30 so that I wouldn't have to miss it due to the Presidential Address.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{february?}

I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I noticed that I only had a handful of posts last month which means I'm obviously not doing as well as I wanted to do this year with my blog upkeep.
Anywho... I am still in ATL and I am still job hunting so no scrapping or anything crafty for me right now although I am happy to report that I am keeping up with my project 365. I do hope that my year gets more interesting becuase right now it looks like we lead a pretty boring life.
Okay so we are scheduled to head back to Florida tomorrow and even though I will be busy getting packed/organized etc. I plan on scrapping at least on page. Wish me luck.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{ATL}

I guess you can tell by my title that I am in Atlanta.
The family loaded into the car yesterday and drove from Fort Myers to Atlanta. My DH seems to think it's not that bad of a drive.... I don't agree.
Anyway, that means a break from scrapping for about two weeks but I figure this will at least give me a chance to take a bunch of photos of Caitlyn and daddy. We will be here for about two weeks before we head back to pack up the house and make the "real move".
Okay well I'm off to make some memories to scrap - Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

*Making 2009 My Year*

{purge}

I'm sure you know what that means.... and it's not going very well.
It's amazing how I can continue to talk myself into keeping papers that I know I'm not going to use. I mean how long do I really need to keep this stack of vellum paper? What makes me think that a day will come along when I will be working on a layout and think "I need that striped sheet of chatterbox vellum"... It sounds even crazier now that I'm typing it.
I can say that I have established a stack of papers, stickers, rub-ons, etc. to get rid of, but I find it very difficult to actually throw them away. Maybe I will donate them or something.
Anyway, I'm off to continue my purging as I'm sure that when we move I will no longer have a scraproom (I can't even imagine).

*Making 2009 My Year*

{first page of 2009}

Okay, I am finally getting around to posting something scrappy.
If you wondering; no I still haven't gotten any photo editing software and I am realizing everyday that I really do need to buy some so that editing and resizing my photos wouldn't be so difficult.

Anyway this layout is based on the challenge over at The Design Experiment. This is the first challenge that I have ever done of theirs and I love it. They have challenges that are meaningful and that make you think. Hopefully I can keep it up now that they are doing twice a month challenges. Thanks to Sasha for turning me on to them. The ladies over there are super talented so if you get a chance go check them out.

I'm getting ready to do some Sunday "baby's naptime" scrapping while I have a couple of hours. Which means I might have some more scrappy posts tomorrow.

Hope everyone is having an excellent weekend.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{sugar free jello}

Okay where have I been?
Am I the only person out there that didn't know how delicious sugar free jello was?
I think it might have to do with getting older because I'm pretty sure that the last time I tried it; it wasn't this good. Anyway, I have to keep it in the house now. It's great when you get a craving for something sweet.
Okay enough about that....
I completed the challenge over at The Design Experiment (no I don't have the picture yet). The topic was "having one more hour in the day". I decided that I would try to find a "scrap home" this year. I don't really belong to any message boards right now and although I love looking at all the challenge/sketch sites I never actually sit down to complete them; so it's one of the scrapping goals that I'm adding to my list.
Anyway I hope everyone is having a great week and is getting a good start on the year.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{work in progress}

just wanted to check in... I have been cleaning and searching the net and reading some new scrapping magazines (loving the new changes that Creating Keepsakes made).

Anyway, I am scrapping...what am I working on? Yes, you guessed it - Project 365
I have always prided myself on being a leader and not a follower, but when it comes to this craft... I have no problem jumping on a band wagon or two.
I wasn't going to do the "picture a day thing" but I love the idea of capturing and scrapping your everyday memories so I thought this is PERFECT.
Anyway I totally lifted an idea from an idea I saw on Two Peas. I purchased a 1 year planner/calender and it has room for an entry everyday (including up to cropped 4x6 photo).
I can do a little scrapping with the picture on each day or just journaling if I want. I love that I get to use my scraps and I will capture an entire year in photos.
I of course don't have a photo right now, but hopefully I will have something for you by the end of the week.
I hope everyones week is going great so far.

*Making 2009 My Year*

{new year, new memories}

I can't believe it is actually 2009!!!
It's like 2008 just flew by. I can remember when I first started my blog while I was on maternity leave at the end of 2007 and now I have already been blogging for over a year. Even though I did have some "down" time every now and then.
After looking over my blog I have realized that I really need to do better job actually "making memories". I was going to make a list of resolutions/goals but then I decided to just settled with
"Make 2009 my year!!" I decided that this would not only apply to myself, but also to my marriage, my scrapping and everything else. I believe if I go into this year with a positive outlook then it will be a great year.
I hope 2009 is already turning into a great year for everyone.

*Making 2009 My Year*