CAN NOT BELIEVE IT’S BEEN 11 YEARS…

I worked at Boulder Community Hospital, off and on, for 10 years.  I loved my time there.  I made great friends there.  I had my first baby there…  11 years ago.

When we were in Boulder over Memorial Day weekend and I thought about BCH and my time there, I thought, “I should go get a picture of my Boulder Baby in front of the hospital where he was born.”

So we did.  That’s my little tree-hugger!  Love that boy!!!

(Scotty said, “I guess it’s going to be a while before we get a picture of me, standing in front of the hospital in Iowa, huh?”  To which I replied, “It’ll be a couple of weeks.  We’re going right through there on the way home from Grandma’s house, next month!”)  He’s a happy boy!

Week in the Life 2012

I’m just going to share a few of my favorite pages.  I love this book, the whole process of putting it together and going back to look at it later.  This is the fourth time I’ve done Week in the Life and these are the books that I reach for most often.

It’s not nearly as time-consuming a process as the first two books were.  There was lots of traditional scrapbooking back then – painting, stamping, journaling.  Now it’s very un-complicated – lots of digital time-saving and easy journaling – even prompts to write about now.

I waited to see what Ali Edwards was going to do with the in-between pages before I started on mine and I’m so glad I did.  I think what she came up with is really special.  Baseball card page protectors, cropped and attached to a Hambly transparency.  Finally got to use Washi tape.  Ali provided some free download elements that keep things in an easy to follow format:  the days of the week round letters.

Not near as much “life stuff” this time.  (mail, receipts, bits and pieces of stuff)  I’m very picture heavy.  But that’s ok with me.  Ali is already talking about doing it all over again next year  (I’ll have other opportunities.)   I’ve always thought I’d love to do this project while on vacation too.  Of course that wouldn’t be documenting everyday life, but still fun.

I did LOTS with Photoshop this time, with the help of several video tutorials from Ali.  And once I got the hang of it, it was very cool!  I’m hoping to use it more often, especially so that I don’t lose the skill…  Been looking at digital elements that I can play around with on a regular basis.

Love that doggy page!

I ended up not buying a new album for this year.  Instead I just added 2012 to the 2010 book.  It’s full, but not to much.  (That’s what I did with the first two years also and it worked out great.)

It was a busy week:  the construction guys were working on our house, of course we were homeschooling too.  The journaling took a hit – but there’s still enough to get a good feel for what goes on around here.  And really – the pictures are the star, right?

I love this project.  I so, so enjoy playing along with Ali Edwards.  Looking forward to next time already!

Project Life, Week 17 and One Little Word May

My tendency is to leave Project Life pretty simple.  I like the look of simplicity and I want to get it done in a timely manner.  It’s important to me to record these things, and I remind myself all the time, “the pictures are really the stars.”

During week 17, I was also playing along with Ali Edwards and doing A Week in the Life too.  At first it seemed a little silly to do both – but they are not the same.  They don’t even look the same.  Especially this year, they won’t even look similar, because I used Ali’s Photoshop templates to do Week in the Life.  Project Life is old-fashioned scrapbooking.

I LOVE pictures from this time of year, full of beautiful colors:  flowers, trees, grass, garden.  So pretty…

Working on the May prompt for One Little Word this morning and hoping that the word “Joy” actually becomes a significant figure in all our lives again! 

It seems silly, but it’s proving to be difficult for me to set fun goals.  (Goals to have fun.)  Because it usually means skirting chores and responsibilities, which is stressful for me…

But I want to learn how to make fun a priority.  To realize that, especially while the boys are still young, NOW’S THE TIME to stop and smell the coffee.  Enjoy the people in my life and every minute God gives me with them.  Love and fun should be a priority – showing it, giving it, having it and receiving it!

Supposed to fill out two of these goals sheets…  I’m still working on the second one…  (old habits, you know…)

Right Now

: feeling really good – it’s been a full, busy day at home, with school and chores, but it was awesome!

:: thinking about a couple days off from school, at the end of the week.

:: appreciating the sun.  It was overcast and cold all day yesterday.  Our baby garden and new trees like the sun!

:: anticipating a fun birthday weekend for Bee this week!!  My baby’s going to be 10!

:: reminding myself to slow down and smell the coffee.

:: wondering when they’ll ever finish my house…

:: hoping to knit tonight, but it’s unlikely, I’m at a very good spot in my current book… 

:: getting very excited about a trip to Michigan, coming up in June!

:: planning on chicken pasta for dinner tonight.

:: loving watching “Game of Thrones” with my honey! (catching up on all the old episodes.)

:: looking at my most recent week in Project Life and loving this picture-heavy entry.

:: hearing the boys, playing together peacefully and my black puppies barking, in the backyard.

:: remembering that I need to pay for yearbooks at public school tomorrow.  (my boys attended 2/3 of the year and they’d like a yearbook too.)

:: wishing my family could stay healthy for a long time now!

:: wanting it to be evening and Scott and I are sitting in the living room with a glass of wine.

:: thinking I better go start dinner.

Right Now

Right now:

Reading – The Host,  Catching Fire,  (want to read  the latest Sookie Stackhouse book and Insurgent, both came out on May 1st.)

Listening to – “The  Most Relaxing Classical Music in the Universe”

Working on:  Shaking up home school, One Little Word, Week in the Life – in which I struggle to put the whole book together in Photoshop, Project Life, Photo Challenge, yard/garden

Drinking – Crystal Lite Appletini and Peach Bellini (Will loves it too – not sure how I feel about him drinking Aspartame, though.)

Wondering – what Thomas Jefferson Education is all about and if it’s what we should be doing, or at least adding to what we already do.

Seeing – LOTS of big, exciting changes to our little house!

Feeling grateful for – friends and family, the support system I have is UNBELIEVABLE!

Dreaming – of summer days at Big Elk with my Mom and Dad – happy and healthy and having fun!

Loving – Homeschool!  It makes me feel totally invested in my kids again – like when they were babies and toddlers – like they’re our responsibility, not someone else’s…  I love having them home with me everyday and learning stuff together and teaching them.

Feeling – Blessed and tired from full, fun days.