Me & Project Life

I am a lover of all things Project Life.  It has totally transformed the way I scrapbook...the way I THINK about scrapbooking :)  Here are just a few things I want to share...

• I am behind.  It's a fact.  But my attitude about being "behind" has changed.  I can live with it.  I can make it work.  When LIFE allows, I will finish up those areas of Project Life that I am not quite done with...
• I am totally doing a Project Life version of scrapbooking for both of my son's high school scrapbooks.  Its the ONLY way they will ever get completed & it is so EASY.  I love that the page protectors are so flexible...& easy enough to change if I want to add, subtract...you get the idea!
• In just a few hours this past weekend, I was able to finish the month of January 2012...I am loving the Clementine edition.  Here are photos of my January layouts.  VERY simple.  Very.much.done.

Week #1:

I am very much keeping it simple, especially because I am ALREADY behind for 2012.  Skipping the extra inserts at this point.  It is just a snapshot of our life and it is perfect...

Adding a few stickers here & there, but that is the only extra embellishing that I am doing.  I put the stickers directly on the photos or journaling cards. 

LOVE using the colored days of the week stickers on my journaling cards as a way to "bullet" journaling...it just adds a little something fun!

Here's Week #2 as a spread:

There are times when I go back through the photos that I took for a week & think, wow, we were busy and this is the best that I could do?  I found myself looking for photos on my cell phone and also using Facebook uploads as a resource.  Gotta love technology.  It is our everyday life :)

With Jeremy away at college, it is sometimes hard to find ways to include him in our Project Life...thats where Facebook comes in handy.  Here I was able to pull a basketball game photo that had Jeremy in the student fan section.  LOVE that!  I used the arrow stickers to point him out in the crowd.

Week #3 layout spread:

This week I included photos that I took of some of Joel's recent artwork.  He does amazing pencil drawings!

Basketball is in full swing, so I find that seems to be a weekly feature in our Project Life.  In my OLD ways of scrapbooking (before Project Life) basketball photos only ended up in the boys' school albums, but now they will be in BOTH.  Makes.me.a.happy.momma.

Week #4 layout spread:

I am really loving the clean & simple look.  I will be adding inserts when the photos call for  it, but for right now the priority is to get the weekly layouts DONE!

YES, more basketball...

Well, that pretty much takes me to the end of January 2012.  Did I say earlier how much I adore the Clementine edition?  It has just enough masculine design mixed in with a little feminine flair.  It's absolutely PERFECT :)

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care!  & hopefully I'm not away from my blog for an eternity again!

Stacy

a little Project Life love...

Thanks to Project Life, 2011 won't be quite the BLUR that living it has felt like!  Ugghh!  Seriously.  Having a senior in high school this past school year has been an emotional ROLLER COASTER!  Thanks for the memories Jeremy...we love you!

So back to Project Life...my last blog post was on FEB 1st my friends...my Project Life kit had just arrived.  Fast foward 5 months.  I'm still taking pictures...mostly everyday.  I'm still collecting bits & pieces from our everyday lives.  Is my album current?  That would be a negative.  Am I giving UP?  Not gonna happen!  January 2011 is completely documented in our album.  Our Febuary photos are chosen and being ordered this week & I started on the journaling this past weekend.  I'm full steam ahead.  I LOVE THIS PROJECT!

Here's a glance at what our January 2011 looked like:

I really like adding inserts into our album...here I have a page protector cut in half holding a total of 6 extra photos :)

 Next is a closeup of Jeremy's Facebook post after a disappointing loss in the league basketball tournament...

 More recently, this is what I just worked on over the weekend...February 2011.  I included an 8 1/2 x 11 insert on a child that we decided to sponsor...I wanted a way to add some journaling, so I chose to use a bi-fold journaling card.  I wrapped it around the papers so I could journal on both sides; I then stapled it once and then slid the papers into a page protector.  This also serves as a tab at the top of the page :)

Well, that is the quick update on our Project Life for 2011.  I've got a long ways to go...but have accepted that.  I love the process...documenting our everyday!

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care!

Stacy

I {heart} Project Life

So just a quick little update on Project Life * Milford Family 2011....

*Pictures for January are taken!  check!

*Project Life - Turquoise Edition arrived today!  check!

I just had to dive in and start playing!  check!

I {heart} Project Life!  check!

More to come...thanks for stopping by!  Take care!  Stacy

Project Life - Our Life * Milford 2011

Happy 2011 to my dear blogger friends!  I have been a horrible blogger...like, my last post was in August 2010.  YIKES.  That is probably some indication that my life, our life, has been overwhelmingly BUSY.  In a good way.  MOST of the time :)  I have many people tell me I need to learn to say NO.  Hmmm...doesn't seem to be in my vocabulary!

Project Life....

I love you Becky Higgins....

I want the turquoise album....

& so I wait....

patiently....

you can bet that I will not procrastinate one more second when I see those babies are back IN STOCK!!!

2011 seems like a perfect year for my family to document our life...everyday.  We did this with Project 365 in 2009 - LOVED IT.  Is the album completed?  not quite...but the majority is & it will get done :)

So back to why 2011 is the perfect year....

It's a year of many happy times....and for sure, sad ones too....

My oldest turns 18 in a matter of days....

He is smack in the middle of making decisions that will affect the rest of his life....

What an exciting time....

But I'm telling you right now, that Momma is gonna be crying like a baby come August 2011....

tears of joy, tears of sadness....

and then what?

Things will be different....

Joel will be missing his big brother like crazy....

& that, for me, will be the hardest part.

So my goal with Project Life - Our Life * Milford 2011 is to capture the everyday...& the big stuff too!  How about a peek at how things are looking so far:

Jan 1st (Saturday):  Lots of photos from this day!  My family waited to get together for Christmas this year over the New Years holiday...what a way to kick off 2011!  So I have decided that my opening pages of my album will feature photos from this day :)

Here I am talking to my brother on ooVoo...this is a first for me.  He is stationed in Africa & scheduled for leave at the end of January!  Thank you for your service to our country!

Me again...giving some lovin's to the newest addition to our family!  Little Miss Taelyn!  What a doll, right!?!  She was born with a heart defect, had surgery to fix her all up, and just recently went for a check up & is doing super-duper! 

The cousins all camped out in front of Grandma's tree...patiently waiting to open gifts!

My brother, Craig aka Mountain Man...& his girlfriend, Karen!  Cute couple, huh!?!  Craig doesn't make it home very often, so it is always fun to have him around.  & it was fun meeting Karen for the first time...hope we didn't scare her away!  ha, ha!

Another great shot of the cousins...I just couldn't resist including this one!

Jan 2nd (Sunday):  Celebrating Cousin Kambrey's 10th birthday!  Love ya kiddo!

Jan 3rd (Monday):  Joel got a pup this past summer...Cash aka THE BEAST is now 5 1/2 months old.  Isn't he beautiful???  Bird dog in training for sure....

Jan. 4th (Tuesday):  Grandma Kay and Grandma Sarah cheer on the boys at Bucklin.  They are the best Grandmas!

Another photo I had to include...Joel's first game back since breaking his foot in November.  Still hurts...

Jan. 5th (Wednesday):  The life of a cat!  I'm.SO.jealous.  Who do they think they are anyway?  That just happens to be my bed!

Jan. 7th (Friday):  Jeremy vs. Rolla - takin' it to the hoop!  Not the best photo...a little blurry...but I'm not going to sweat the small stuff.  It is our life.  (Did you notice no photo for Thursday?  Again, not sweating the small stuff...)

Jan. 8th (Saturday):  Took the boys out to eat @ Cruisers after church.  We had a gift certificate that just had to be used!  & no, Jeremy is not drinking a red beer.  LOL!

Jan. 9th (Sunday):  So with Jeremy on the verge of 18, Dad decided today was the day.  Jeremy's so-called peach fuzz was out of control.  LOVE that I got this photo...like father, like son.  Jeremy was about to KILL me, but that didn't phase me a bit :)

And another shot from Sunday...added 3 more patches to Jeremy's letter jacket...lookin' good kiddo!

Well, there you have it...a glance @ how the Milford gang is living life in 2011.  Week one is documented.  Turquoise album or not...it will be mine...soon...very soon :)

For those of you that I haven't visited in a while...I'm sorry!  I actually do pop in on occasion, but just haven't left you any LOVE!  I have missed you all!  There are no guarantees when my next post will show up...hopefully I can keep my Project Life updated....crossing my fingers!!!

Thanks for stopping by!  Feel free to leave me a quick comment...I'd love to hear how you are doing!

Take care!

Stacy

melt in your mouth good...

Did I get your attention with that blog post title!?!  ha, ha!  First things first though...

Yes.  It has SERIOUSLY been a month since my last blog post.  WHAT.THE.HECK.HAPPENED!?!  Hmmm...maybe I had a case of burnout.  Had to let the creative stuff go for a bit.  I don't know about the rest of you...but if I am honest with myself, this blog-creating-posting-visiting thing can really eat up any free time I might have...

ANWAY!  I have missed all of my online scrappy buddies...I still visit you ;o) but I don't always leave a comment...sorry about that little detail!

So back to the whole "melt in your mouth good"...

I have had 4 zucchinis laying on my kitchen counter for longer than I want to admit.  I made some zucchini bread that turned out pretty good.  Then, about a week ago, Joel asked me if I could make a chocolate zucchini cake.  Funny you ask kiddo, because I just happened to find a recipe...so, a week later, I finally found some FREE time (see above...) and made THE cake today.  Joel & I had a piece while it was still warm....OMG!!!  It was delish...

Looks good, huh?  You.have.no.idea.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

2 1/2 c. sifted flour
1/4 c. baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. margarine
1/2 c. cooking oil
1 3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 c. grated zucchini
1 (6 oz) pkg chocolate chips

Sift together flour, cocoa, soda, salt & cinnamon.  Cream together butter, oil & sugar in mixing bowl until light & fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Blend in vanilla.  Add dry ingredients, alternating with the buttermilk to creamed mixture.  Beat well.  Stir in zucchini.  Pour batter into a greased 13x9x2 inch pan.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips.  Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes (mine took closer to 50 minutes) or until cake tests done.  16 servings.

So that it for today.  No promises on my blogging.  The boys start school on Wednesday - Joel will be a sophomore & Jeremy a SENIOR!  Not possible!  We have his senior photo shoot scheduled with Amanda Johnson (she is going to take some family photos too!!!) and a couple of college visits coming up in September.  This year is going to fly...

As always, thanks for stopping by!  Take care!

a blog & giveaway...worth checking out!

Well, how about another QUICK post from me?  Ha, ha!  There appears to be no end in sight for the rat race of a life I am currently living...boy, I just can't wait for school to get started...with a SENIOR this year, I'm sure time will stand still....

So I recently discovered a new to me blog thru Ali Edwards' blog...she had many guest posts this summer and Miss Monika Wright was one of them...come to find out, Monika recently joined the Write.Click.Scrapbook design team (what a fun website if you haven't already found it!)

ANYWAY...Monika is doing a giveaway on her blog to celebrate one month of blogging...go check it out!

Thanks for stopping by!  Take care! 

a quick hello!

This is what I would call a "drive by" post...short, sweet & to the point!

1.  A quick hello to my blog readers!  I miss you all & just don't have ANY extra time lately!

2.  My son, Jeremy, made it home from Colombia!!!  & he has so many wonderful stories!!! & pictures :o)

3.  My latest Scrapjazz article can be found HERE.  I {heart} the Cosmo Cricket Tiny Type alphas!  & they have numbers coming out @ CHA!!!

Gotta go!  Thanks for stopping by!  Take care!