So I came across a WONDERFUL blog...

One of my friends over at Scrapbook Circle let me in on a little secret...A Cricut Expression is being given away by a fellow blogger!!! Plus her blog is WONDERFUL!!! Go check out Danielle's blog:

http://lifeonelayoutatatime.blogspot.com/2009/01/i-have-to-give-cricut-expression-away.html

Be sure & let her know who sent you over!

Project 365...good thing I didn't plan to post everyday...

So life sometimes gets in the way! & I knew that going into this project! I knew there was no way that I would be able to post my photos daily...it would more likely be that I would post them whenever I got a chance! So rather than focusing on getting laundry done today...grrr...I decided to get my Project 365 album started! Can I just say that I am loving this project? It will be so wonderful to have a completed album of 2009 photos @ the end of the year!

So here are the photos from Jan 9th thru Jan 18th: (yes, that's a lot of photos!!!)

Jan 9th: We traveled to Rolla (the edge of the earth or you can at least see it from there!!!) with Gpa & Gma Weber for Jeremy's basketball game. I just couldn't resist this photo of Joel & Jacelyn...she loves those junior high boys!

Jan 10th: It's Saturday & thought it would be nice to include our poor, lonely, forgotten dog in the backyard. Lucky couldn't believe that she was getting such attention! Thanks Joel for getting our photo of the day!

Jan 11th: Rhonda had the brilliant idea to celebrate January birthdays together! So we had a wonderful meal @ the shed and Pamela, Gpa Milford, Jeremy & Tia got to blow out the candles!

Jan 12th: It's Monday! Wish I didn't HATE Mondays so much! ha, ha Joel had a basketball game vs. Moscow tonight...took a photo of the team during a timeout. Funny to see the difference is the size of the boys at this age!

Jan 13th: It's Homecoming week so for 60's, 70's & 80's day, Jeremy decided to dig out Dad's letter jacket & wear it to school...how cool is that?

Jan 14th: Just a random photo for today...Kevin always has tons of "work" to do after hours @ home...

Jan 15th: Jeremy's 16th birthday! Can't believe how time has flown by...& he is growing up into a wonderful young man! Here he & Joel give mom a great birthday photo! Thanks kiddos!!!

Jan 16th: It's Homecoming & a huge game vs. S. Central...here's a snapshot of a timeout...this game was close all the way, but the Goldbugs came out on top! Great job guys!

Jan 17th: Jeremy is playing catch up on some school work on Saturday morning...that is kind of unusual for him...missed quite a bit of school this week with several funerals and a Swiss meet.

Jan 18th: What a crazy, busy weekend! Youth mass & fundraiser dinner today...we raised nearly $500 for our NCYC trip so that is a great start! I wasn't feeling too good so I took a nap this afternoon...hope I'm not getting sick!

And finally, here are my title page & layouts that I have completed so far in my album...this has been so easy to put together and goes right along with my "theme" for 2009...SIMPLICITY! I am not really adding much to this album...it is very SIMPLE!!! Love it!!!

Project 365 Kit Giveaway!

This super sweet blogger has an extra kit headed her way & wants to give it away on her blog! Go visit her to get all the details!

http://happydaisyaz.blogspot.com/2009/01/project-365-giveaway.html

Crossing my fingers...if I am the lucky one, then the kit will go to my mom!

Project 365...photos 1 thru 8

I am so excited about Project 365...what a fun, new way of taking photos & recording your daily routines & family happenings! The idea started with Becky Higgins' and her Creating Keepsakes Kit of the Month which you can see here:

http://community.creatingkeepsakes.com/store/products/project_365_kit

This kit went on sale on Jan. 1st & sold out in a matter of minutes...the website crashed, customer service has been so-so, just a real BIG mess. I tried to order 2 kits on the 1st, received 3 confirmation emails, and after holding for 2 hours on Monday....I have been told that only one of my confirmation #'s is valid and is in "fullfillment"...whatever that means! I'm still not 100% convinced that I am getting a kit...but either way, I am taking photos everyday & loving the process! If I don't get Becky's kit, then I will just create my own.

So on to the important stuff! My photos!

So this is obviously my photo for Jan. 1st...frustration @ the computer when trying to order the Project 365 kit...wonder how many have this photo for Day 1??? he, he, h e

But just as a backup for Jan. 1st, I couldn't resist this super cute photo of my niece @ her 8th Bday party...those darn candles just wouldn't stay blown out! The photo is a little hazy because the those candles created SO much smoke! Too funny!

I woke up on Jan. 2nd not feeling too great (fighting ANOTHER sinus infection...grrr...) but as soon as I took a look outside, I knew I just had to step outside for a quick photo...the sunrise was gorgeous with purples, pinks & oranges!

Have I said how hard it is choosing just one photo for each day??? Here's another photo for Jan. 2nd...my DH loves to scratch KitKat's ears...& can you tell how much she loves it???

Moving on to Jan. 3rd...my DH & oldest son are working together building a grill/smoker...lots of welding, thinking, planning & re-thinking are going into this project! But my DH has wanted to build this "dream grill" for quite a while, so I am glad he is finally doing it! He says he's scrapbooking...very funny...

Sunday, Jan. 4th: My youngest son lives to hunt...he got a brand new shotgun for Christmas, so he has been taking advantage of every possible opportunity to hunt over the Christmas break. Before they headed out, I said "Be sure and get our PHOTO OF THE DAY". Good job, Dad.

So it's Jan. 5th & it's MONDAY...my least favorite day of the week. Today's photo is pretty simple; just my desk and my 32 oz. Diet Pepsi...& yes, it's a necessity!!! I am sure that I could not function without it!

Moving on to Tuesday, Jan. 6th. Christmas break is over & the hectic pace of school has resumed! My oldest son had a basketball game out of town tonight, so I drove home from work to pickup my youngest (he's on the left) and 2 of his buddies. Before we headed out of town I said "Ok, I am taking at least one photo every day this year...so you are my photo today!" They didn't duck & run (I was shocked) They grinned & I love this photo! Not a photo I would normally think to take!

Photo of the day for Jan. 7th...this is not what I thought was going to be my photo. I stopped to fill up with gas today & decided to record for posterity the fact that gas is under $2.00 per gallon. Anyway, on Wed. night my youngest asked if I had taken a photo yet today...did I mention that my family has really gotten into this project??? Love it!!! I told him I had, etc. He sat there on the couch with KitKat with this cute look on his face & I just couldn't resist!

Finally, today's photo! We had a junior high basketball game tonight...my youngest is an 8th grader. My DH records the games for the coach...thought this would be perfect for Project 365! He just laughed when he saw I was taking his pic...probably thinking, jeez, what is she thinking?

Well, that's it so far! I am pretty pleased with my photos this week...& really enjoying this process! Check back in...my plan is to try to post my photos weekly. hopefully. oh yeah, GO SOONERS!!!

Happy New Year!!! & lots to share...

So how about some exciting news??? I was recently asked by Becky Fleck of PageMaps to create a layout for her January 2009 PageMaps....let me just say that I am a HUGE fan and of course, I said YES!!! She sent me a PageMap sketch by email and I soon found out that I would be working with a horizontal 8.5 X 11 PageMap...I normally do 12 x 12 layouts, so this would be a challenge for me, but I was up to it!

So here is what I created: "explore"

These are just fun photos of my family during our summer vacation to San Diego...loved that the PageMap I got to work with allowed me to use so many photos...just my style!!! Go to www.pagemaps.com to check out the January 09 newsletter, etc. You can also find me listed as a friend of PageMaps...more like a FAN of PageMaps!

This was so much fun...

So I came across a Design Team call for http://www.createmykeepsake.com/ and it really caught my eye...unlike any call I had come across previously. In order to apply for the Create My Keepsake Design Team, you had to create a kit from your personal scrap goodies & then create 2 or 3 projects using your kit. I decided to give it a try....& can I just say...I wish this was my full-time J-O-B!!! I had so much fun trying to decide what should be in my kit. I recently acquired a bunch of new patterned papers, so I really tried to push myself by including some papers I wouldn't normally reach for...especially since the majority of my scrapping includes photos of two teenage sons!

So here is my kit:

Included in my kit:

Cardstock - Pink, lime green, olive green & blue - unknown

Patterned Paper - Fancy Pants-Crush "Devoted"-double sided; Sassafras Lass-Serendipity "Owl Pals-double sided; Scenic Route-Ashville "Kraft Wildflower"; Cosmo Cricket-Twist & Shout/Get Happy:Crush-double sided; Wester's Pages-Sweet Charity Collection "Primrose Garden"; My Mind's Eye-Out & About-"No. 1 Floral Paper", "No. 1 Medallion Paper", & Front Porch "Screen Door Darling Stripe"

Journaling Paper - Making Memories Noteworthy - 3 designs

Alpha - Scrapworks-"Flea Market" cardstock stickers-black

Rubons - American Crafts-"Mini Marks-Summer"

Brads - K & Company-"Wild Saffron"-fabric brads

Buttons - Favorite Findings "Ocean"

Clip - Making Memories Pebble Clip "Travel"

Chipboard - K & Company-"Wild Saffron" Alphabet box; Creating Keepsakes-house, owl & tree branch

Flowers - Large green w/white brad; 2 small yellow silk

Stickers - Kelly Panacci-Journal Labels

Die Cut Shapes - K & Company-"Wild Saffron" Die-Cut cardstock tags

Ribbon - Martha Stewart "Playful"-yellow & brown, blue dotted; The Paper Studio-brown

And here are the layouts that I created using my kit! The first one is titled "A day in the LIFE" and captures my 13 year old son trying to avoid the camera...but I did get a few good ones!!! My favorite technique right now is hand stitching...I just love how it adds just that little something extra...a finishing touch!




And my second layout is titled "WHOO LOVES U" and highlights several photos taken during Thanksgiving 2006. The top photo is my youngest brother being loved by nieces & nephews, the middle photo is my family and the bottom photo is of a nephew & niece. I would never have thought to try pink with Thanksgiving photos...





Again, I can't tell you how much fun this was! It was a great challenge & I think I will do it again...just to see what I can come up with! Thanks for looking and good luck to everyone trying out for the CMK Design Team!

Wish things would slow down a little...

So I am sitting here wishing that I had put up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving weekend...I haven't had any time since then and this weekend is not looking good either! I did buy a new TRENDY red tinsel wreath for the front door & the cheerleaders were selling poinsettias...so there are a few festive touches around the house...but not near what I am used to!!! Oh well...

A quick share of a recent layout...some of my favorite photos from this past summer of my boys & their cousin @ Grandma Sarah's pool...wish it was that warm right now! ha, ha

And here is a project that I got very ambitious and did...now I am working on trying to take photos every day of December until Christmas...& journaling too! A wonderful project shared by the girls over at Scrapbook Circle from Ali Edwards' blog...

So that's it for now...need to get to bed for a good nights sleep!!! Here's to finding time in the very near future to getting my Christmas decorating done...or at least started!!!