{around here}

This week sort of kicked my butt, so, honestly, I'm glad it's Friday. My calendar was busier than it needed be, but there wasn't really anything I could leave off. I had to tell good friends I couldn't hang out a couple times because I didn't have the mental capacity to do anything else. There was a rough night of sleep (or, lack of sleep, rather ...) followed by an excellent night that gave me fresh perspective and helped me feel like a new person.

Ah, real life with a newborn.

Rachel is doing well. She's the perfect addition to our family. She's going to be one month (!) next week, but for now I want to capture some of what's been going on around here ...

WATCHING :: I'm addicted to "Graceland." No, it's not about Elvis. It's about some undercover federal agents (FBI, immigration, DEA ...) who live and work together. I've been watching it in the mornings and afternoons when I'm at home feeding my baby. And I'm going to need season three to be added to Netflix soon, although I think it's airing in real life on USA, because I finished what's on Netflix this morning.

My DVR has also been recording "Quantico," "The Good Wife," "The Blacklist," "Madam Secretary," "Blue Bloods," and "The Wahlburgers." Clearly I have a show type, mostly. And I like Donnie Wahlberg.

READING :: I recently finished "Double Cross" by DiAnn Mills and started "My Southern Journey: True Stories from the Heart of the South" by Rick Bragg. I'm also in the middle of "A Beautiful Exchange" by Megan Nilsen. But, um, I just told you about my current TV addiction, so, well, that's taken away from my time with books.

EATING :: Y'all I have cooked very little since Rachel has been born. But we've eaten well, thanks to our friends who have been bringing us meals. Such a blessing!

EXPLORING :: I went with Ben's class to a field trip to The Homeplace at Land Between the Lakes. It was a perfectly beautiful day and a fun outing. I wore Rachel in a wrap and she slept though most of the morning.

REMEMBERING :: Newborn days (and nights!) can be exhausting but they're sweet. And I know this season won't last for long. I read an excellent post this week about how even when we reach our Promised Land, there can be hard days. And that's okay, especially when we cling to God. While the article is about the author's experience with a move, her words resonated with some of my adoption experiences throughout the years.

STUDYING :: I missed my every-other-week Bible study meeting this week because I just couldn't have another place to be, but I'm working through the Precept study on Covenants. It's been good.

FORGETTING :: I had a training session in Mayfield (about 30 minutes away) for a new continuous glucose monitor that goes with my new insulin pump. But I got there and realized I forgot one of the key components at home. So I did part of the training that day and then went back two days later.

PLANNING :: I somehow decided I needed to make Christmas plans. That was overwhelming for a tired momma who spent way too much time overthinking things, but I think I have a plan.

CREATING :: Scrapbook pages on the Project Life app. I'm printing some 12x12 for the scrapbooks and some 8x8 for Rachel's baby book. I have some paper stuff in progress on my craft table, but making pages from the palm of my hand is much more convenient right now.

So, what have you been up to?
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7 Things I Learned in August

I'm just going to skip the part about how fast August has gone and how I can't believe it's basically fall. Even so, August managed to teach me some things. In no particular order, here are seven things I learned this month ...

1. Having Rend Collective release one song a time when I pre-order the album is fun and frustrating.

I love getting an email from iTunes telling me I have new music, but I wanted all the songs quicker than they were available. Talk about a lesson in delayed gratification. {The whole new album is available now.}

And, for the record, Rend Collective isn't the first band to do this, just the one I've been playing over and over again.

2. One Tree Hill went off the deep in end for season nine, affirming the fact shows should end at their peak and not drag on.

I loved OTH ... for about seven seasons. And I certainly liked moments of the eighth and ninth seasons, but more than anything I just kept watching because the end was in sight and I needed to know what happened with my friends in Tree Hill, even if Lucas and Peyton had moved on. I could have done without most of the ninth season, but the finale episode itself was a good ending.

3. Sometimes books are exactly what you need when you open them up. 

Okay, so I didn't just learn this, but I remembered it as I read Emily Freeman's "Simply Tuesday: Small-Moment Living in a Fast-Moving World" and Kristen Strong's "Girl Meets Change: Truths to Carry You Through Life's Transitions" this month.

4. Sending the second-born child to kindergarten at a school that also housed his preschool is totally different than sending the first-born child to kindergarten at a new school four years earlier.

This is a story from my life this month. And, really, as much as I like order in my life, getting back into a school-time routine always comes with some resistance, even from me. So we just jumped in, although admittedly we're all missing being able to jump into the pool! But we're doing well and the new school year is off to a good start for both kids. I've been motivated to get some things done while they're at school before we add a baby to the mix!

Seasons are a-changing ... 

5. Right Now Media has some good Bible studies. 

Specifically, I've watched two video series :: "Living Life Together: The Rhythm of Grace, Rest and Community" by Shauna Niequist and "Pulling the Thread: Unraveling Your View of God's Calling" by Jen Hatmaker. Greg and I also are making our way through "Have a New Kid by Friday" by Kevin Leman.

While watching each of them, I've scribbled notes and questions and scriptures and quotes in my journal. I've quoted things to friends and send invites to Right Now Media because I don't want people missing out.

6. The Project Life App is awesome. 

I've never gotten into digital scrapbooking. Sure, sometimes I print out blog posts to include among the pictures. But I've loved the traditional paper and embellishments of scrapbooking, even if I'm mostly fitting pictures into divided page protectors that are the foundation of the Project Life philosophy. But I downloaded the app a couple months ago at the recommendation of a friend. And then this summer I started using my iPhone for more pictures.

One afternoon at the pool I decided to mess around with the Project Life App and ended up scrapbooking five pages right there. On my phone. At the pool. And then I ordered 12-by-12 pages that showed up in my mailbox and were then slipped into page projectors in an album. I made another layout while sitting on the couch at my mother-in-law's after a fun afternoon. Just this week, I made five layouts on the way home from Louisville.

The quality is superb and the convenience is amazing. I'm looking forward to the most recent batch arriving in my mailbox.

7. As I was thinking about coming to college 18 (!!!) years ago as college student moved back into our small town this month, I realized HALF OF MY LIFE has happened since then. 

HALF. Whoa. That's a crazy realization and place to be in time. {And, of course, I wrote about it and then I submitted the post as a letter to the editor for The Murray State News.}

How's your August been? Tell me about it. 
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This post contains affiliate links, but I only recommend books and other items I really love.  

I'm linking up with Emily Freeman for my favorite monthly recaps. Read other Things I Learned posts :: {From 2013} June. July. August. September. October. November. {From 2014} January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August. September. October. November. December. {From 2015} January. February. March. April. May. June. July.

Want more insights? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

Hello, 2015!

Since Christmas, I’ve left the house five times – a trip to the pediatrician and pharmacy, an overdue grocery shopping errand, another visit to the pediatrician, a dinner date with a friend who knew I was on the verge of cabin fever, and a date to the movie theater with my girl to see “Annie.” {By the way, Cate and I loved the remake. I think I’ll go find the soundtrack now ...}

I cancelled plans with friends – the ones who were going to come over before the Murray State basketball game for dinner, the ones who were coming over for New Year’s Eve, the ones who were going to cook deer my husband shot for us, and the extended family who hosts a New Year’s Day lunch.

This wasn’t how I expected to end one year or start another. But I have found myself remembering all that God has done.

I’m not complaining, because, despite my son’s fever and cough, it’s been a good week at home. The time being more unscheduled than I expected makes me feel freer. Sure, I’ve had to run the dishwasher a few times and am slowly working on all that laundry.

But I’ve finished scrapbooking 2012 and our trip to Disney earlier this year. I’ve finished reading “The Fringe Hours: Secrets to Making Time for You” by Jessica Turner. {You’ll hear more about this book here on the blog, but you can preorder it here. Any woman can benefit from its practical, encouraging words.}

This is our week in Instagram pictures ...

Let’s back up ...

Ben started running a fever late Christmas night. I made an appointment to see the pediatrician the next morning because I figured he picked up something from the cousins. It often happens after family gatherings.

Turns out he had strep throat. For a while, it was his go-to illness. But it’s been awhile. And his throat didn’t actually hurt. Armed with an antibiotic, we returned home and figured we had a couple days in the house.

When he was still running a fever on Monday morning, I called the pediatrician’s office again. Usually with strep, his fever is gone after 48 hours after starting the antibiotic. I was fine waiting longer, but it seemed strange that the thermometer was still reading 102. So back in we went.

This time he tested positive for flu. Those germs were probably there Friday too, but it may have been too early to show up on the test. The nurse said she had seen much strep and flu together recently. Ah, winter …

Admittedly, I wanted to cry when our favorite nurse practitioner delivered the news. And not just for Ben. But for our December.

You may remember Cate ran a fever for various reasons – walking pneumonia and then a virus – for 13 of the first 20 days of December. She missed half the days of school between Thanksgiving and Christmas. We cancelled plans and rearranged life.

All of that is fine and part of real life, but that’s been our whole December. Plus, as a momma, it gets old seeing your kids puny. And, yes, I miss my friends. I’ve seen them so much less than usual this month.

Nobody was sick the week of Christmas – praise God! – and Cate finally seems herself again. I’ve done my best to keep Ben’s flu germs contained to limited areas of the house, but there’s only so much control possible there. Ben’s temperature has been hovering around 99 and he’s perked up so much that he was pestering his sister and disobeying his parents yesterday. Either way, he’s hardly worn a shirt this week, which has in fact cut down on the amount of laundry.

We didn’t exactly ring in the new year either. Ben was in bed by 7 p.m. Cate, Greg and I played Phase 10 – well, the first five phases – until her bedtime and then us party-animal adults watched the most recent episode of “Hart of Dixie” so we could be caught up when it starts airing again next week. And we were asleep well before 2015 officially began.

This is life. And it’s often not what we expect. But there’s been beauty and rest this week anyway.

Happy new year, friends. May 2015 be full of your favorite people gathered close and unexpected beauty – and very few fevers. At least that’s what I’m hoping for mine.
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Want more stories? "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is available on Amazon. Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox."

{Three Word Wednesday} Document The Stories

Before I had kids, I scrapbooked regularly. Greg and I would live life – and then I would document it. When I had one baby, I kept up with the scrapbooks pretty well. And, trust me, I took many pictures!

Now, Greg and I are loving life with two kids, who are almost 5 and 7 years old. But there’s not as much time for preserving the memories in albums when we’re spending evenings at the soccer field, working on homework in the afternoons, and spending time with other families we love.

Even so, I still want to remember the memories we’re making. I want to document their words and moments. I want to tell stories about what God has done in our lives. The way I document stories has changed, but I’ve managed to find some ways that still work for me.

{Join me at Circles of Faith, where I share eight ways I document our family’s stories.}

A wise, older friend once told me she was finally organizing all the memories she had in boxes and albums once her kids were grown up and out of the house. She reminded me now is the time to make the memories and worry less about preserving them perfectly.

That’s something I think about when I see the piles of pictures and toss another paper into a box or binder. I know my family is going to be better off if we’re living this life God’s given us together rather than stressing out about documenting it.

Speaking of documenting stories, I’ve love sharing pieces of our adoption story all over the internet this month in honor of National Adoption Awareness Month and as part of my ebook launch. Today I'm sharing about my Thanksgiving baby at Britta LaFont's blog. 

You can see a list of all the posts here and "Peace in the Process: How Adoption Built My Faith & My Family" is on sale for $2.99 this month. 
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8 Things I Learned in September

I sound like a broken record here, but, seriously, where is this year going? How is September already over? Goodness.

But, hello, fall. Please stay a while. A long while. Like so long winter doesn't even happen. And, shh, nobody tell me how meterologists are predicted a no-good, terrible winter. I thought last year was bad ...

Moving on, September was lovely, even if it sped by so fast I could barely keep up. We spent many evenings and late mornings at the soccer field. We enjoyed the lovely weather. We lived our life in many small moments meshed together. We learned and loved and laughed. And, yes, we witnessed that lovely sunset while on Kentucky Lake.

In no particular order, here are some things I learned in my everyday life this month:

1. I can have household products delivered to my door step. I loved that when I ordered diapers from Diapers.com or Amazon. Now, thanks to ePantry, hand soap, laundry detergent, sponges, and trash bags will show up a few days after I place an order ... and at good prices. I received my first shipment this month and I believe I'm in love with this service.

2. I love life in my 30s, but sometimes I feel old ... and old-fashioned! For instance, I invited a college girl I've gotten to know through Bible study over for a home-cooked meal and realized I'm twice her age. She hasn't turned 18 yet, so she's only a decade older than my second-grader. Y'all my own college days don't seem that long ago.

More proof by the questions I ask myself: What's with all these movies that are rated PG-13 being promoted to kids? Like "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." Why do restaurants have TVs everywhere? Gathering to watch a sporting event is one thing, but I otherwise prefer no television while we're trying to eat dinner together.

3. My personality makes me like Snow White. We're both ESFJ. Find out here which Disney princess shares your personality. I'm OK with my assessment, but, really, Snow White likes animals much more than I do.

4. I could be the only person who doesn't care anything about pumpkin candles, desserts, coffee, or, well ... anything. Yes, I'm a summer girl, but I do love the transition to fall. Just bring on the apples, specifically Honeycrisp, and candy corn. You can keep your pumpkin spiced latte. Or whatever other hot beverage you're drinking.

Funny story: A delicious-smelling apple pie candle showed up in the mail for me from Amazon. I didn't know who sent it until my friend Jen texted me. She loves pumpkin spice candles but chose an apple one for me. God's in the details, I tell you. Apples over pumpkin any day, especially fall days, y'all.

{After I posted this on Facebook, I learned I'm not actually alone, but there are so many pumpkin fans out there.}

5. I don't like homework. I don't remember disliking homework when I was a kid, when it was required of me, personally. But, seriously, I could do without homework now that I'm a mom. My girl is a good student, but she's done with school when she gets home. That time between school and dinner is already a rocky time. That's not just true at my house, right?! So to add homework seems cruel. We're in year three of homework and I'm still not a fan. I'm guess if I didn't like it in kindergarten and first-grade and I'm still not liking it in second-grade, then hope is pretty much lost for me for her remaining decade of school, right? Plus I'll have those 13 years of school for my son, who, I'm guessing, will be even less into homework than his sister. {She's cute though.}

6. Little People toys are for little kids, which apparently I don't have anymore. That's according to my 4-year-old son. So we donated most of the Little People to his preschool. Yes, I'm curious if he's going to play with them there, unlike he did here.

7. The Blacklist is addicting. Hello, James Spader. Goodness gracious, he's good in that show. Greg and I just started watching it last week, but we're well into the first season. I know, I'm not sure what took me so long either.

8. Scrapbooking is still a hobby of mine, even if it doesn't happen often. Like riding a bike, I didn't forget how to document life with actual printed photos, Sharpies, cute paper, and page protectors. I managed to spend much of one weekday at my craft table. We didn't have anywhere to be and Ben was playing alone so well. I was out of my usual adhesive, so I broke out the Rubber Cement. I loved it so much I bought more next time I was at the store.
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I'm linking up this monthly post with Emily Freeman at Chatting at the Sky.  Here are previous month's recaps from 2013: June. July. August. September. October. November. And from 2014: January. February. March. April. May. June. July. August.

I'm also linking up with the weekly Soli Deo Gloria Sisterhood Gathering.

Want more stories? Like me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, peek into my life on Instagram, follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin', or subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox." This post contains affiliate links for products & services I love. 

{Adoption} Documenting the stories

My kids have baby books like many others. I took out the pages on pregnancy and added pages to document the adoption process details. Thankfully, the baby books I've used were able to be altered.

"Before You Were Mine: Discovering Your Adopted Child's Lifestory" inspired me to document the adoption part of my kids' story. I'm one who likes to document in stories and pictures anyway, so doing this was a natural project for me. "Before You Were Mine" by Susan Tebos and Carissa Woodwyk is a excellent resources that asks questions of adoptive parents so they can compile thorough information of their child's story, which truly begins at conception and not adoption.

Our adoptions were independent, open adoptions that allowed us to have our babies in our arms since the days they were born. While it didn't apply to us, "Before You Were Mine" does discuss international and older-child adoptions. It's also filled with scriptures that connect adoption to the way God accept us into his family.

Included in our kids' baby books are the usual first words and other firsts, favorite songs, weights and heights to document their growth, family trees, and nursery pictures. But there are also timelines of the adoption processes, details on their birth parents, blessings from our family and friends who celebrated the finalization of the legal part of the process, and pictures of their birth moms from the days they were born.
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Cate's book is titled "Chosen" and quotes Zephaniah 3:17 at the beginning. Ben's is called "Beloved," which I took from Deuteronomy 33:12. Here's a little story about Ben's book and how God showed up in the details:

I had Ben's adoption story book nearly finished before I found the name I wanted. One evening, I asked Greg for some suggestions and he rattled off a few that weren't meaningful enough to me. Then later, when I was bugging him again, he said, "What about beloved?"

Beloved.

Yes, that fits.

Then I was Googling Bible verses that used the word "beloved" that I could incorporate onto the title page of Ben's book. I skipped over several from Song of Solomon.

And then I read this:

About Benjamin he said: "Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders." {Deuteronomy 33:12}

I was thinking, SERIOUSLY? "About Benjamin ..." Really could it be more perfect? And the message is one I want Ben to know. He can rest secure in the Lord, who protects him.

Yes, God is definitely in the details.
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Documenting childhood
And while I'm sharing about documenting kids' lives, here are some other resources I use that have nothing to do with adoption specifically:

• Your Birthday Book: A Keepsake Journal by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• School Years: Record Book: Capture and Organize Memories from Preschool through 12th Grade by the Editors of Reader's Digest
• 12-inch-by-12-inch three-ring scrapbook albums -- American Crafts cloth albums and We R Memory Keepers faux leather albums are my favorites
• Divided page protectors of various sizes to slip in photos and do a little accompanying scrapbooking -- Project Life, American Crafts and We R Memory Keepers are the good ones.

And some notes about scrapbooking in terms of documenting their childhoods: My kids don't have their own scrapbooks. They have their adoption/baby books that I've added adoption-related things to as they learn more about their stories.

I've also started thick binders with plain 8 1/2-by-11 page protectors, where I slip in school work or certificates they bring home from school or extracurricular activities. I DO NOT SAVE ALL THOSE PAPERS THEY BRING HOME FROM SCHOOL.

I do choose to save some, like the occasional spelling tests, writing journals, special projects -- mostly because they'll be fun to look back at when they are older.

And then there is a family collection of scrapbooks organized chronologically with a few special books for vacations. I suppose they can fight over them or divide up the pages when they're adults. 

Adopted or not, how do you document childhood in your house? 

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This is the ninth post in a series of adoption posts this month. You can find them all here, as they are published throughout the month. 

Want more stories? Like 152 Insights on Facebook. Follow me on Twitter and Instagram. Follow 152 Insights at Bloglovin'. Subscribe to receive "Insights in Your Inbox." Affiliate links included, but these are books I love to use to document life.

And the winner is ...

Congratulations to LeeAnn, who won her own copy of My Memories Suite digital scrapbooking software! I've enjoyed playing around with it, and I'm sure she will too. LeeAnn, you should be getting an email with the details.
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My Memories {a giveaway}

I've been scrapbooking since 2004 after I returned from a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Greece and Rome and knew I wanted to do something with these beautiful photos I had on my camera. My friend Katy inspired me to move forward with this hobby I had been considering. And I haven't stopped since -- although, admittedly, the time spent sitting and focusing at my craft table has been significantly reduced in this season of mothering two small children. Even so, documenting our ordinary moments and trips, preserving memories and keeping myself from forgetting is still important to me.

This blog serves some of the documenting, preserving and remembering purposes, but I still like having tangible albums with photos and stories. Cutting and pasting and layering is therapeutic for me. Even though I like messing around with the computer and digital photos, I've never scrapped digitally. I know people do. I could see myself becoming one of those people who creates hybrid albums -- traditional scrapping mixed with digital elements.

All of this to say, I was intrigued when I got a giveaway offer from My Memories. And I think you will be too. Given the chance to have this software for free in exchange for a review, I dove in to My Memories Suite Scrapbook software, which is easy to use.

I am learning as I go, but I liked the way all the page elements {paper, embellishments, shapes, text, photo} were just to the right of the page I was working on. I also liked how you could choose colors from the photos or paper to use as text or shape colors. The program has photo layout templates or you can start from scratch and let the creativity flow.

I started from scratch and this is what I made:

I am sure I haven't maximized the software's full potential, but I like my start. And I'm looking forward to playing with it more.

Now I'm anxious to see what they'll look like printed out. And I'm thinking about if I'd like to make an entirely digital album, print it out and have a bound album. Or I could just print layouts and add them to my ongoing life books. But I don't have to decide those things today.

Today I have something for you. One of you will win your own copy of My Memories Suite Scrapbook software (a $40 value). To enter, leave a comment sharing your thoughts on digital vs. traditional scrapbooking. Be sure to include your e-mail address, unless you know with absolute certainty I have yours.

You can earn additional entries the following ways:

• Go to MyMemories.com and browse the digital kits available to supplement the software. Leave a comment on my blog telling me which one you'd love to have.
• Follow me on Twitter and leave a comment here telling me you've done so.
  
• Tweet about this giveaway. This can be done daily for an additional entry each time. Be sure to link the tweet in the comments here.
  

The winner of the digital scrapbooking software will be chosen at random and notified by e-mail. You have until Wednesday, Aug. 24 to enter.

But, wait, that's not all! Anyone can go to My Memories and use the code STMMMS33896 for $10 off the My Memories Suite Scrapbook software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store -- a $20 value! This offer is for U.S. and Canadian customers. And, while you're there, check out the free kits.
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My Memories is a new-to-me company that I just learned about last week when I received an e-mail about this product review and giveaway opportunity. The review is based on my initial experience with the software, which My Memories provided to me for free. I received no other compensation for this review.
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"lately"

Some recent scrap pages have been requested. I used to post what I was working on, but, well, then I had two kids. Lately, meaning the last month, I haven't really scrapped at all. You know, we've been busy with birthdays {Greg celebrated his 33rd birthday, I turned 32 and Cate is 4 now, but only hers made my blog ... twice.} and holidays.

But lately in a broader since, like the last six months, I have scrapped some. I *usually* scrap chronologically, so I'm into May 2010 in that sense. But before I dived into "Life in 2010," I worked on an album about our trip to New Zealand in August 2009. And now I'm starting to work on a "Trips of 2010" album, which will include our road trips to Hilton Head, Chicago and Branson.

I often remind myself that scrapbooking is a hobby. Yes, I want to preserve memories for our family as time flies by too quickly. Yes, I like to have a creative outlet. But it's also a hobby. I don't want to pressure myself to get "caught up."

But, yes, of course, I'd like to have more time to sit and scrapbook, but it's not worth sacrificing the actual making of memories to do so.

So, now, enough with the words, onto the pictures, which are not the highest quality because the layouts are in the page protectors. Oh, yes, page protectors. I'm finding myself using the divided ones of various sizes often. I just put them all in the same three-ring binder. It helps me organize multiple pictures from the same event and keeps me going once I do get a chance to sit down at that table of mine.

This is a 12-inch-by-12-inch layout with nine 4-inch squares.

I do some one-picture layouts. This one is a 6-inch-by-12-inch layout.

Again, a one-picture layout. This time it's a 8 1/2-inch-by-11-inch page.

And Ben makes plenty of appearance in the album. That's right, there are plenty of pictures of my second born. They just don't get scrapped as quickly as early years Cate's did.

And then the New Zealand album ....

A 12-inch-by-12-inch layout served well as the opening page.

This shows the layered look of using different sized page protectors. That 12-inch-by-12-inch layout leads into the 6-inch-by-12-inch divided layout. Another thing I liked about making the New Zealand album is I used one pack of patterned paper, so it's coordinated all the way through.

The divided page protectors make having a lot of photos much easier to display.

Some pages were just pictures.

I used one-photo layouts to highlight a photo I really loved.

I did make some traditional 12-inch-by-12-inch layouts, especially when I wanted to introduce a new place.

Play Room

And when I say play, I mean for me too.

The previous owners used the bonus room upstairs for storage, but as soon as I saw it [before we decided to buy the house] I knew I'd want a play room, partially for kids and partially for me. The hope is if I want to scrap, Cate [and sooner than later Ben] can play. Plus it's nice not to have all those toys out in her room or wherever else in the house.

[You can't see it, but my scrap table is perpendicular to the computer along the portion of the wall not shown.]

[Before]

To make it suitable for playing, we had to have new flooring installed, walls painted and a couple electrical outlets added. Conveniently, the heating and air duct work was already close, so we [not we actually, but you know, we had it done ...] were able to having heating and air conditioning vents added.

The one other thing I know I want to do in here is add a magnetic chalkboard on part of one of the walls for the kids. I have both the magnetic primer and chalkboard paint. I just need to decide where I want it. [Any suggestions?]

Nesting

I've been nesting, so they say. Most everything has a new home in our new home, which means we're feeling at home in this place we've lived for barely more than a week. My scrap area, which is taking over what would more generally be called an office, is in the process of being unpacked.

And, really, just so you know, I want to scrap. I have pictures from Texas. And Ben's ultrasound. And New Zealand. And lots of smaller moments. So I'm not short of inspiration, but rather time. I'm looking forward to [one day ...] scrapbooking while Cate plays.

Yes, that's right, this scrap area [um ... office ...] is housed in a lovely bonus room that also features a play room. Momma can play on one end while Cate plays in the other. Of course, Ben could be born soon and then I'll probably be too tired to scrap.

Really, you know, the thing about nesting: It's rather tiring too. Perhaps that's God's way of preparing me for a newborn. Well, at least sort of. Really there's no way to prepare for sleep deprivation, especially when if you're like me. Just ask my mom. I was grumpy after every slumber party I ever attended. Just ask my husband. I still get cranky when I don't sleep well.

People ask me if I'm nervous about having two kids, and, you know, some days I am. Other days not so much. But when I do think about it, sleep deprivation always rises [quickly] to the top of my concerns. Then I think about my friends who have been here in this season of life with a toddler and a newborn, and, somehow, they've managed to function. So I assume I can too. Somehow.

Meanwhile, I'm off to fold some laundry and maybe unpack some Sharpies and scissors. Oh, and yes, pictures of the renovated new house are on my to-do list. I thought I'd hang some pictures on the walls first, though.

Creative Memories

Quite some time ago, my sister-in-law Christine showed me a Creative Memories album she's scrapped. I really liked the format of the PicFolio album and was waiting for a project to come along. I decided Greg's cousin's wedding was a good project. Basically, there's different slots for pictures, so I scrapped some and filled others with pictures. Here's a sample of Zak and Alysha's wedding present, which I gave them at the Annual Taylor July 4th Gathering ...

[I had more pictures, but for whatever reason Blogger had a mind of its own and was turning a couple of the horizontal ones vertically, so this is what you've got for now ...]

freshness of variety

I finally sat down to scrap. The thing about having a fun, busy last couple of months is that I have a rather large pile of pictures. So when I started looking through the photos, I decided I wanted to try something new. I've never scrapped 6-by-12 pages, and, you know, I really liked it. I also like having the variety of sizes in my album.

Thursday's Thought

I scrapbook in my basement, so naturally my albums end up on a shelf down there. Convenience. But the other day I was thinking about why I scrapbook ...

... to capture the ordinary details of everyday life that are worth remembering.
... to tell stories.
... to remember people and places.
... to preserve memories.

And what good is it to capture, tell, remember and preserve if the albums are sitting on a shelf in the basement? So I finally found a place in our main living area that can house some albums. These albums are sitting on top of my china cabinet in the kitchen. They are up high enough that little hands can't reach them but on display where people can look at them. At first I thought it was weird to have something like this in the kitchen, but then I thought about how many times we gather in the kitchen ... to eat, to talk, to laugh, to play games ... and I decided that really there's probably not a better place to house memories.

Ice Storm: Scrap Pages

I scrapped three pages (the middle one is an 8 1/2-by-11 layout; the other two are 12-by-12 pages) about the ice storm in late January.



Yes, I know, I need to perfect taking pictures of pages. I had it down with my old camera, but I'm still finding the best setting with my new one.

Seeing myself ...

Recently, I finished 2008 pages and moved on to some 2009 stories I wanted to tell. This was a page I've had in my head for awhile. (Pardon the quality of the picture, but you get the idea ...) The journaling was inspired by a blog post, so it may sound familiar.

Some of Milla’s toddler pictures remind me of me. She definitely has Hill baby characteristics that show through, and in this picture from Christmas it’s our cheeks. I’ll take any resemblance to my niece as a compliment.

Then I watched her, and saw myself again. This time she was taking drink orders and helping set the table for dinner. Growing up, those were my jobs.

Think of all the stereotypes you know about first-borns: Bossy. Independent. Organized. Peace-keeper. Responsible. Yep, that's me. Sometimes to a fault.

I would help my mom just like Milla did: set the table, solicit drink orders and assign people seats by placing their drinks. Related to the kitchen, I also put away the groceries, probably because I liked restoring order in small ways.

Watching my 5-year-old niece was like looking into a time-warp mirror. Twice, Milla wanted to set the table and carry people's drinks (for which she solicited orders) to their places. Also, now that she has a younger brother and cousin, she has plenty of opportunities to be the bossy, know-it-all of the group. I'm sure my brother and sister can look at her in those moments and see a less flattering version of me.

December pages

Earlier in the week, before there was ice, I scrapped some. I've been working on December pages, and this one is my favorite. I just started playing with the page + realized I could make it look like a present because the page is about gifts Cate received in the mail from a couple of friends + my aunt.

new toys

I've got a pile of December pictures to scrap, and I'm enjoying a new toy. These colored inks are an accessory for the Cricut machine that I love, especially to cut out titles. I like how red around the edges helps the white letters pop. "Refusing Santa" is also cut out using my new font, Opposites Attract.

Thirty Days of Thanks: On Paper

Here is my Thirty Days of Thanks project as it is in the scrapbook album.


With 30 pictures, I ended up making two photo collages on my photo editing program so I could contain the month-long project in a two-page layout.

Instead of showering ...

... this is what I've done during naptime.



Then a two-page layout ...

(left)
(right)