Sunday, February 21, 2010

Project Life 2010

I finally started my project life 2010!! Well, I've been taking pictures but finally did my layouts. I'm really excited now that it's "in progress". I have become more aware of the little things in life, as well as how my life is often mundane. I think one of my biggest realizations is I need to bring meaning to my life. I need to look beyond the busy-ness and "mundaneness" of life to what brings beauty for the day and appreciate that.



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Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Accentuate the positive...

was the challenge for yesterday, but I had a migraine, so I'm doing it today!
Ten things that are positive in my life:
1)  I love my church. Love it. Love the pastors. Love the attitude. Love the gratitude. Love the humility. Love it.







2)  My children. They amaze me. Make me laugh. Make me cry. Make me pray more. Mostly make me thankful that they call me mom.
3)  The letting go of things/expectations and the freedom I feel as a result. Unburdened.
4)  My nieces and nephew. They are just fun to be around. They have grown to be people I like. I admire.


5)  I'm scrapping and creating more. I love it!! Love it. I feel like I'm doing something for me, but at the same time, it's almost always for someone else's benefit. I hope I can stay in the habit of doing it as often as I have been.



6)  My Soul Sisters. A group of ladies I get together with to eat and pray. Just share life together and a few laughs. Tears sometimes. But mostly just lovin each other.
7)  Plugging away at getting debt free. It feels good. It feels right. Ok, and a little late. But good. Definitely good.
8)  Judy. My die hard, great friend. Honest. Funny. Snippets or long talks. She is a treasure in my life and I pray always will be.
9)  Ronnie. Of course. My constant source of laughter, adoration, joy. Baby smell. Tenderness. Sweet. Beautiful boy.
10) Bet you thought I wouldn't include Paul. HA! I did. He's the person I've loved longest and most fiercely in life, except my brother Joe. Letting go has enabled me to be with him in a better, freer way. I like it. He is a hard worker, a good provider. He is learning to be more honest. He is a better dad to the kids than he used to be. He's a work in progress and I feel honored and humbled to be observing it. Loving him makes me pray more. And challenges me to be honest with myself more. And that makes me grow.
I could go on and on, I realize as I'm writing this. I'm blessed.

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Character is simply habit long continued--Plutarch
Great quote, eh? Well, I love it. It's been a hectic couple of weeks, and I am realizing that I need to peel away yet another layer of request/demands/expecations on my time. So I'm gonna contemplate here what is working well, and what I want to tweak, 6 weeks into this year of living my priorities:
Working well:
I'm seeing Cassie more (once a week). I'm talking to her more. Makes me happy to chat and hear her laugh.
I'm talking to both Melissa and Michelle more often. A couple rough weeks with Melissa with our schedules colliding, but all in all, it's working.
Stepping away from youth group is what has made me more available mentally and emotionally to my top priorities. I don't see going back for the foreseeable future.
Joseph is working crazy hours (like 7a-9p between the two jobs) and I don't see him much, but at least I'm totally available to him when I DO see him. I wonder if he notices. That was one of his big complaints to me before.
I've scrapped more at home in the last month than I did in the last 6 months, I think. I like it.
I feel like I've really let go my expectations with Paul. We've had some great conversations lately too. Maybe they are related. Maybe not. I just know I'm happier with the less expectations, and I'm enjoying the connection we do have. Is it cynical to add:  while it lasts!?!?!? LOL

What's not working so well:
getting sucked in to others' dramas. While I'm thankful it isn't my drama, I'm not enjoying this aspect of my life. Not sure where to go from here with that. I do care what happens to my friends, but I can't really help them other than listen. And with the kids I mentor...well, it's their stage in life...drama-central.
Still not connecting with Judy as much as I'd like. It seems like we only connect if I call her and if I'm busy it can be weeks between. Sigh.
I've been eating like crap and it reflects on how I feel. I started this week (ok, so it's only Tuesday!!) to eat better and about 10 last night I crack out the Doritos...and that is SUCH A NO NO!!! Ugh. Those individual bags I never am tempted to eat...but the big family sized bags...they should be labelled "TEMPTATION" not "Doritos"!!

Scrapping and cricuting...working on a train for Ronnie. Will probably be done tomorrow.  Pulled out these die cuts, from 1999, to use on Joseph's birthday layouts. The challenge was to use exactly 10 items. I had to add the red strip to make it ten items. And I made that light saber!! I was all proud of myself!!
This was another ancient compilation. The Gone Fishin' is an old page topper thing from 1999 also, but I trimmed it and chalked it and can live with it!! The fishing pole was an old die cut kit (make it yourself) from about 1999 also. I knew I had pix of Joseph fishing, and finally was able to get the fishing pix with the fishing embellie!! I posted this layout to a group online and a gal thought it was Ronnie, not Joseph. A sure sign I need to pick up my scrapping production. Joseph is barely 6 in this picture and Ronnie will be 6 in no time!!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Ugh and some layouts

Ok, so now not only did I lose my pix (Thanksgiving through Christmas celebrations), but I lost my darn blog post about it. UGH!! Sometimes I hate technology!! Short story, after 10 days of trying to retrieve lost pix, I have a few bad thanksgiving shots and family game day which I will use to recreate Christmas. I was pretty heartbroken, but what can I do but what I did to try to save them? Sooo...moving on to the layouts I did last night
A little rubon, a little border stickers, a sketch and voila!!
This one was from  his first driving experience, at Great America. He was so excited to be able to drive on his own!! New driver stickers, only 5 years old, combined with enen more ancient paper and a new journaling block and swirl from my cricut, bringing the old and new together!! LOL
This one was from Joseph's school program, but I liked the patriotic theme and continued with it. I think this border sticker is at least 7 years old. Works for me!!









And my favorite project so far this year... made with my Cricut!!