Carpe Diem

Supplies Used: Suncatcher Kit - One Little Bird; Circle It No. 2 - Emily Merritt; The Contessa Font - Heather Joyce

Sometimes we need a reminder to carpe diem. (Or rather, carpe kairos.)

Encounter

Supplies Used: May 2013 Freebie Template - Amy Martin; Knockout Mask Woodgrain - Splendid Fiins; Birch Tree Elements, Nectar Paint, Trellis Borders - Sara Gleason; Layered Up In You Circles - Lauren Grier; Sunday Afternoon Papers - Laurie Ann; They Keep Falling Alpha - Allison Pennington; The Contessa Font - Heather Joyce; Lost in the Meadows Papers - Micheline Martin; School Is In Papers - Kaye Winiecki; Mini Miss Mess Alpha - CD Muckosky

He would've made a super tiny T-Rex snack, wouldn't he?

This Makes Me Happy

Supplies Used: Telling It Templates v3 - Amy Martin; Going Places Kit - One Little Bird/Ardent Sparrow; Wood Veneer Arrows - Sahlin Studio; Markerific Alpha

This.

Big Boy Bed

Supplies Used: Knockout Mask Which Way, Messy Stitches - Splendid Fiins; Take a Walk Paper Pack - Rachel Young; Birch Tree Elements - Sara Gleason; Dymo-Bet v2, They Keep Falling Alpha - Allison Pennington; The Contessa - Heather Joyce; Thumbs Way Up - Emily Merritt; Calendar Stamps - Designs by Lili; Messy Paint - Amy Martin

It was just earlier this year that Carter "graduated" to a toddler bed when we took the side off his crib. That change went more smoothly than I expected. We decided to go ahead and replace the uncomfortable crib mattress with a twin-sized "big boy bed". I can't say this change has gone quite as smoothly. He seems to feel a bit more empowered to get up and down from the bed now and he still doesn't sleep under the covers. But part of me realizes that battles over staying in bed will turn into battles over getting out of bed before I'm ready and this little face will be all grown up. Until then I'll enjoy cuddling up for book reading each night and relenting to requests for "just one more kiss".

Animal Lover

Supplies Used: Wishy Washi Brights - Splendid Fiins; Anchored Alphabet - Allison Pennington; Birch Tree Elements - Sara Gleason; Sunday Afternoon Papers - Laurie Ann; Calendar Stamps - Designs by Lili; The Contessa Font - Heather Joyce; Vintage Sunshine Alpha - Amy Wolff; Take a Walk Paper Pack - Rachel Young

Journaling reads: "You can be a pretty rough and tumble little boy, but when you are around animals your gentle side comes out. you met these goats and sheep at the Natural Science Center and spent a long time petting, hugging, and talking to them. A veterinarian in the works perhaps?"

Momspeak

Supplies Used: Mom Speak Journaling Cards, Wishy Washi Brights, Bring Your 'Brella Kit, Say What? Stamps, Make a Mess Overlays v1, Baker's Twine, Very Krafty Neutrals Paper Pack - Splendid Fiins; Chalklet Doodles - Valorie Wibbens; Four(x6) Frames v2 - Amy Martin; Embellish Arrows - Sahlin Studio

I'd be lying if I told you I've never said any of these things to my kids. (Particularly "How many times do I have to tell you?") Sometimes we Moms can be such buzz-killers. We just can't help it. But occasionally we will let our guard down and go along with some of the antics the kids dream up. I was outside this particular weeknight, watering the garden. The kids love to run under the spray of the hose, moving a little closer and closer each time, trying to get wet. Usually I tell them to stay away. But tonight I thought, "what the heck?" So I soaked them. They had a BLAST. And I enjoyed a few moments of being silly.

New Grass

Supplies Used: May Journaling Cards and Paper Pack - Splendid Fiins; Typography Templates No. 18 - Valorie Wibbens; Field Trip Kit - Sahlin Studio; Neutral Date Bits No. 1 - Katie Pertiet; Misty Alpha - Lynne-Marie

The other day the kids and I were enjoying a spring day outside (finally!) and we had a few patches of grass that were extremely tall. (This was before the first mow of the year.) Both of the boys seemed a bit entranced with sitting in it, feeling the blades between their fingers. There is something wonderful about enjoying nature, isn't there?

Stylin'

Supplies Used: Field Trip Kit - Sahlin Studio

Hard to believe it, but THIS little guy is going to be three next Wednesday. It's crazy to look back on a picture like this, taken not long after his first birthday, and realize how much he has changed in less than two years. What will the next two be like??

Happy Squared

Supplies Used: Hot Mess Template No. 2, Knockout Mask Skinny Stripe - Splendid Fiins; Happygram Kit - One Little Bird; Serendipity Alpha - CD Muckosky

Can't get enough of those two happy faces, those two giggling mouths, and those four arms hugging each other.

More Project Mouse!

They keep coming! (Hey, at least these pictures aren't just sitting on my hard drive anymore.)

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Papers, Project Mouse Characters, Project Mouse Character Wordbits; Project Mouse Elements; Project Mouse Basic Cards - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Knockout Mask Fat Diagonal - Splendid Fiins; Pockets No. 6 - Valorie Wibbens

left side page

right side page

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Papers, Project Mouse Basic Cards, Project Mouse Character Wordbits, Project Mouse A Day at the Park Wordbits - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Classic Album - Splendid Fiins

Ode to Oreo

Supplies Used: Time Capsule Papers, Scenes from Real Life Kit - One Little Bird; Press Cards No. 23 - Paislee Press; 4x6 Stitched Frames No. 2 - Amy Martin

Oh, Oreos. How do I love thee?

Captured

Supplies Used: Suncatcher Elements and Paper - One Little Bird; Nectar Paint Vol. 1 - Sara Gleason; Wood Veneer Arrows - Sahlin Studio; Kraft Photo Tabs 2 - Wild Blueberry Ink

Look at those two heads. Two brothers cuddled under the blanket together, watching TV together on a Thursday night. Love these moments.

Whatever the Weather

Supplies Used: Bring Your Brella Kit and Knockout Mask Rain, Messy Stitches - Splendid Fiins

Umbrellas are fascinating when you're two and four. It was worth it to stand in the cold rain to get this cute picture. And I am "gushing" over this kit, especially the Knockout Mask in the raindrop pattern. So fun!

Ready for School

Supplies Used: So Much to Say Papers and Cards - Splendid Fiins; Beige Like Me Papers - One Little Bird; Fresh Kit - One Little Bird/Sahlin Studio; For the Record Kit - One Little Bird/Paislee Press; Bottlecap Dates, Button it Up Fresh - Sahlin Studio; Mess It Right Up - Kaye Winiecki; Layered Up In You Circles Vol. 2 - Lauren Grier

I can hardly believe that my first baby will be starting kindergarten in the fall! We've been doing all sorts of things to start getting ready, including his first visit to the optometrist. He looked so tiny sitting in that chair, but he was an outstanding patient!

Pit Stop

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Paper, Project Mouse On Our Way, Project Mouse Elements, Project Mouse A Day at the Park Wordbits - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Make a Mess Overlays No. 1 - Splendid Fiins; Pockets No. 5 - Valorie Wibbens; Journaling Brushes - Katie Pertiet

I'm on a roll with these Project Mouse pages! Another page to record some of the fun we had on the drive down to Florida.

Bus Ride

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Papers, Project Mouse Rides and Attractions, Project Mouse Elements, Project Mouse Sticky Tabs - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Make a Mess Masks Vol. 1 - Splendid Fiins; Pretty Pockets No. 1 - Pink Reptile Designs; Journey Word Transfers No. 1, Spackle Texture Brushes No. 2, ArtPlay Bask Brush Set - Anna Aspnes

I love these pictures that I snapped of Carter riding the bus at WDW. He had just turned two when we went, and he looked so tiny sitting on the seat beside me. I'm going to miss these moments someday - I'll miss the smallness of them.

Countdown to WDW

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Papers, Project Mouse Reveal - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Templates No. 3 - Valorie Wibbens

More Project Mouse! We kept a countdown calendar in the weeks leading up to our trip. Getting excited about leaving is all part of the fun.

WDW 2012 Title Page

Supplies Used: Project Mouse Paper, Project Mouse Elements - Sahlin Studio/Brittish Designs; Pockets No. 2 - Valorie Wibbens/Lauren Reid

I just discovered the super-awesome Project Mouse collection the other day. For a Disney-phile like myself it's heaven! This page will be the title page for our trip last March (a whole year ago, sniff sniff!). I can't wait to work my way through documenting some of our prior trips using the Project Mouse products.

Being an Aunt

Supplies Used: April Card Kit and Paper Pack, Baker's Twine - Splendid Fiins; Clear Essentials - Karla Dudley; Skinny Stitches - Scotty Girl Design; Fastened Photo Frames No. 6 - Katie Pertiet

I love being an aunt. My nephews and niece are so precious to me...and I love the idea of watching them grow, hopefully side by side with their cousins. Love my sweet family.

Signed Sealed Delivered

Supplies Used: Snail Mail Collaboration Kit - Splendid Fiins/Valorie Wibbens; Marigold Templates - Sara Gleason; Text Bytes No. 36 - Pattie Knox

Love, love, love this "Snail Mail" collaboration kit - the latest release from Splendid Fiins and Valorie Wibbens. There is tons of goodness in this bundle - I barely scratched the surface with the items I used on this page! Thanks for the awesome kit, ladies!

Precious Number Three

Supplies Used: Funky Floral Stamps, February 2013 Paper Pack, Very Krafty Neutrals - Splendid Fiins; Typography Templates No. 18 - Valorie Wibbens; Serendipity Alpha - CD Muckosky; Corn Maze Collab Kit - One Little Bird/Emily Merritt

It's so nice to do a "girly" page once in a while! There's a rather noticeable lack of estrogen at my house. Thankfully I have my beautiful little niece to show off when I have to get the feminine urge out of my system!

Easter Morning

Supplies Used: March 2013 Paper Pack and Holiday Add-On Pack - Splendid Fiins; Artsy Layered Templates No. 48 - Anna Aspnes

Yep, that's me sporting my Easter best, along with my family. Our home church has long had a tradition of putting flowers on the cross each Easter Sunday as a reminder of the miracle we celebrate on that day. I'm not sure of the year this picture was taken - I'm guessing maybe 1986 or thereabouts.

Hero in the Family

Supplies Used: Artsy Layered Template No. 72, Art Play Bask Brush Set - Anna Aspnes; Mixed Media Papers No. 1 - Nancie Rowe Janitz; Random Alpha - Sue Cummings; Honor Mini Kit - Sara Gleason

I am so proud of this guy. My "little" brother is serving in the U.S. Navy, currently on a several month deployment overseas. I know that his absence is really difficult on his wife and three kids - it's a shared sacrifice that they all make as a family. Their life is a very special calling for very special people.

If you have the means, please consider giving to military families who need it most by visiting the Wounded EOD Warrior Project.

Project Life, Week 5

Supplies Used: January Journaling Card Kit, January Paper Pack, Horizontal Halvsies Journaling Cards, 2013 4x6 Calendard Cards, @ The Office Paper Pack No. 1 - Splendid Fiins; Pockets No. 3 Template - Valorie Wibbens

Last week of January! Hard to believe a month has gone by already. Most of the activity this week happened on the weekend - a visit to the Natural Science Center plus a Super Bowl party with my folks.

Project Life, Week 4

Supplies used: January Paper Pack, January Card Kit, 2013 4x6 Calendar Cards - Splendid Fiins; Pockets No. 6 Template - Valorie Wibbens

Not a whole lot of pictures to show for this week. Monday we were off for MLK holiday, the rest of the week consisted of the usual laps between school, work, and home. I did get to go clothes shopping with my  Mom, which was a nice way to wrap up the week.  And hey! I threw in a freebie recipe - one of our recent favorites.  :-)

I Love Us

Supplies used: February Paper Pack, February Journaling Card Kit, Border Punches No.2  - Splendid Fiins; Neutral Date Bits - Katie Pertiet; Mistletoe Magic Kit - Dani Mogstad; Olive Tree Kit - Sara Gleason; O Christmas Tree Kit - Carina Gardner; Template 006 - Karla Dudley

Need I say more?

What I Love About You

Supplies used: February Journaling Card Kit, Very Krafty Paper (Neutral), Baker's Twine, Border Line Frame Brushes, Knockout Mask Small Chevron, Messy Stitches, @ the Office Supplies, Wishy Washi Skies are Grey - Splendid Fiins; Tabbed Dates No1A - Katie Pertiet

He may drive me crazy from time to time with his "two-ness" but this is one sweet kid. Best way to end the day is with Carter sitting in my bed, patting the spot beside him saying "Come sit with me, Mommy" then wrapping his little arms around my neck and hugging me tight....

Yeah. Best thing ever.

Project Life, Week 3 - and a freebie!

Supplies used: January Paper Kit, January Card Kit, 2013 Calendar Cards, Journal Cards Blah Blah Blah, Journaling Cards Halvsies, Just My Type Sentiments - Splendid Fiins; The Mondays Card Kit - Amy Yarrington; Pockets No. 3 - Valorie Wibbens

One of the best things about Project Life is that it gives you the opportunity and the outlet to capture memories that would not otherwise be recorded. The first part of my week is not exactly a 96-hour period I'll look back fondly on. But as always the bad times don't stick around forever. We ended the week with a beautiful snowfall and a quiet, family-filled weekend at home.

Closeup of left side:

Closeup of right side:

I took inspiration from this week's "adventures" and created a freebie journaling card kit I'd like to share with you. Grab yourself a copy and save it for one of those weeks when the family has the flu, your workplace is in chaos, the car has been rear-ended, or you just can't get a good night's sleep. Use it to record any day you have a case of 'the Mondays'. Enjoy! I'd love to see how you use them!

Sun, Sand and Snow

Supplies used: Frosted Flakes Kit, Aloha Kit - Dani Mogstad; Make a Date No.1 - Katie Pertiet; DIY Acrylic Alphabet No.2 - Pattie Knox; Baker's Twine - Splendid Fiins; Layered Template No. 70 - Anna Aspnes

Journaling reads:
"Winters in North Carolina are definitely unpredictable. One day you're staring out at three inches of snow on the ground and two days later, you're outside in a short-sleeved shirt. The kids had never had a chance to play outside in the snow, so when we got the brief opportunity to do it, we were outside throwing snowballs, sledding, and...playing in the sandbox. Welcome to winter in the South!"

Bowl

Supplies used: Build Your Own Background - Giant Chevron Down, Brilliant Papers, Knockout Masks - Circle Explosion, Very Krafty Neutrals Paper - Splendid Fiins; Bottlecap Dates - Sahlin Studio; Sparkle Spills - Amy Wolff; Dialogue Collab Kit - One Little Bird/Paislee Press; Wants + Needs: Eyelets No.2 - livE.designs; Vintage Number Cards - Elles Studio; Torn Out Alpha - Sugarplum Paperie

Over Thanksgiving, we visited my husband's family in Virginia. We spent an afternoon out with my brother and sister and ended up going bowling. The bowling alley is a pretty swanky place - lots of very loungy retro-cool vibe. I tried to capture some of that feel on this page. I love how it turned out!

Project Life, Week 2

Supplies Used: January Journaling Card Kit, Jounaling Cards "Horizontal Halvsies", 2013 Calendar Cards, Look at This! Journaling Cards, Eclectic Journaling Cards No.2, Eclectic Paper Pack, Mixed Bag Sampler Kit, Border Line Journal Brushes - Splendid Fiins; For the Record Kit - One Little Bird; Hello Life Boxes Vol.3 - Ali Edwards; Make Your Own Postmarks Pack - Katie Pertiet; Project Life Templates - Becky Higgins

Overall, a pretty good week even though work was tough and I struggled with back pain most days. We were rewarded with a nice, relaxing weekend of football and family time. I plan to get back on the wagon with the workouts next week!

Closeup of left side:

Closeup of right side:

Project Life, Week 1

Any week with fewer work days is a good week, right? :-)

Supplies Used: Through the Viewfinder Kit, January Journaling Cards, Horizontal Halvsies Journaling Cards, 2013 Calendar Cards - Splendid Fiins; 6x4 Journalers - Ali Edwards; Project Life Templates - Becky Higgins

Close up of left page:

Close up of right page:

Project Life 2013

Supplies Used: January Journaling Cards, Halftone Splatters - Splendid Fiins, File it Under Everyday Life Frames , Narrative Kit - One Little Bird; Shabby Sugarland Kit, Happy Now Kit, Prairie Hill Kit - Pink Paislee; Beach House Wood Papers - Sahlin Studio; Fresh Air Kit - Lori Whitlock; Project Life Templates - Becky Higgins

I've finally decided to give Project Life a real, honest try again this year. I attempted doing my own version of it two summers ago using pocketed page protectors and my own inserts but I found it took too much time. This year I'm going all digital AND, in an attempt to keep myself honest, my Project Life album will also be closely tied to my "word of the year" and my personal goals. I'm not usually one for making resolutions, but there are too many nagging things that have needed to change. It's time to ACT.

2013 is going to be a big year for us, namely because we have our first child headed off to kindergarten in the fall. Things are going to be hopping for me at work, and given all of that plus the big changes ahead I think a little life balance is desperately needed. Here's to making promises and sticking to them and, in Becky Higgins' words, to cultivating a good life and recording it.

Want to know more about Project Life? Start here.