Tackle it Tuesday

I've been tackling the organization of my scrapbooking supplies recently... mostly paper. I am re-sorting by color the papers I will keep.

Including putting my 8.5x11 sizes with the 12x12 sizes in color order.

I am sorting the papers I want to get rid of.

I am sorting supplies I can most likely use for Wendy's scrapbooking swap on her blog. Check that out here... sign-ups end this Saturday!

And I am putting aside things that can be sold on ebay... this step is by far not done, I still have a large rubbermaid bin to go thru...

This all helps with the overall look of my office (once it gets out of the hurricane stage) and it helps me get more actual scrapbooking done! Who'd a thunk?! :o)

Friday for Friends

My hope is that this will help more than one of you, but I got the idea from Rebecca (The not so desperate housewife) who commented asking how I decide the size of my photos, and if I already know my layout design before I choose sizes. Here is the method to my madness Becca...

I decide on my picture sizing by picking my main "favorite", a family shot, or the best of the bunch to make it a 8x10 or 5x7, sometimes I pick two.

Then the "others" end up being smaller sizes but usually all something similar like 2x2's, 4x3's, or some of both. The smaller ones give me more choices in photos also because they could be pictures that wouldn't look good huge or "normal' size (4x6) anyway, like a close-up on my daughter's head or a blurry smiley one of my son, you get my drift?

These are the steps I follow that work for me...

1. I pick my photos (usually all digital) unless I know a family member gave me doubles or memorabilia I know would go with them.
2. I pick 1-3 "favorites" to put them in a folder on my computer marked either 5x7 or 8x10 even though I might choose to make them a 5x5, 4x7 or 7x10.
3. Then I go through the rest that I chose in step 1 and kinda randomly pick their sizes knowing how much room I should have left on my 12x12 if I already have one 4x7 down. And I will put them in a folder marked 4x6 (so I know what size they will get sent to the printers as) but they will be 2x3's, 4x4's and so on.
4. I send them to my online printer, crop them when they get here.
5. Then I do a rough layout on two blank white 12x12's, sometimes I draw a sketch.
6. I pick my paper, my embellishments and so on, and when I put it my whole layout together my pictures will usually shift a little again to make the colors and shapes on the layout more pleasing to the eye... visual triangles, "color throwing" and such.

There is a pretty good video of a method similar to mine over at paperclipping.com that you could check out if you want.... have a GREAT friday!

Wordless Wednesday

New Project Update

Do I love control or I'm I just a woman of order?

I couldn't handle not having a full plan for my blankie project, so I made a chart on my computer.     

It helps me know how many rows I will have total, how many rows will be light purple, how many will be dark, where my rows are and how much yarn I will need.

I am currently completing row 32 and have run out of yarn, but now that I know how much I need of each color and have more peace about purchasing.   

Take a look at my progress... I am hoping to have this done for my daughter for Christmas.... I especially want it done before my baby is born, because I don't want to get too overwhelmed to finish it.

Wordless Wednesday

This one's for you Mary... this is when my crazy cat was a kitten, she fell asleep on a friend's lap at a crop at my house!  Yes! She is sleeping!

Forever Tackling Toys!

My kids like to dump out their toy bins in their room to use them to stand on, sit on, even have a picnic on?! I am starting to hate toys and am really not liking the teaching process so my daughter will learn to pick up after herself, but I know it will be better in the long run.

And this is a view of my constant pick up in the family room... my daughter moves ALL the pillows to the floor and puts her animals to "sleep" with ALL of the blankies from the blankie basket... at least this is an easier pick up :o)

A New Project for Me

Take a look at what I started last week...

...it's going to be a twin sized blankie for my dear daughter. I am crocheting it with my own directions because the last time I used a pattern with this stitch it went vertical and I totally messed up on it! That was with the blanket I made for my husband that he totally loves with ALL it's flaws. So now I'm adapting those directions to make the pattern horizontal.

My daughter says, "Oh mommy are you making me a blankie? Oh I like it!" ;o)

Bible Study

Last night was the start of a new Women's Bible Study I am joining, it was a wonderful night seeing old friends from another church, fellowshiping with close friends, getting to know my mentor more thru her testimony, and entering into a BEAUTIFUL time of prayer.

I was very encouraged by God continuing to tell me that I have His power, but since something hasn't quite been feeling right I asked my mentor what she sees for me in the Lord, she asked me what I am doing with the power He has given me, and I was like WHOH! DUH! See why don't I think of things like that for myself?

So today I was working on using the power God has provided within me thru the Holy Spirit. I ended up having more strength to handle my ever whining 2 year old, my grumpy 1 year old and my toy infested home, it was great.

But now that the day is almost over I am noticing the attack through discouragement and since I am SOOO not okay with that I thought I would change my thought process and remember on something that was encouraging today, plus I want to share it with all of you.

You see the Bible study we are starting is going thru a book called, "Lord is it Warfare? Teach me to Stand", but I will also be going thru another book with my Pastor's wife called "Healed and Set Free"... I spent some time in this book today and really wanted to share a poem that was in there, it is AWESOME!!! It was written by Dean Jay for his wife Tracey, it's adequately called

Healed and Set Free

A Pure white dove, You were learning to fly.

Crippled in flight, You were left to die.

No bandage or brace could heal the wound.

As you looked ahead, You felt you were doomed.

It is said God knows when even a sparrow falls.

He knew you were hurt, He answered your calls.

The bondage was removed and you now are free.

For a moment I thought you no longer needed me.

By grace God showed me, She's not saying good-bye.

She's spreading her wings and learning to fly.

So spread your wings and fly my dove.

We've truly been blessed with

God's Pure Love.

Isn't it wonderful?! That gave me so much encouragement not only in hoping to "learn how to stand", but also in growing wings to learn to be free and fly... it is possible and that is motivating!

I love you ladies... I hope you all are doing well.

Wordless Wednesday

This is my daughter's first haircut ever! AND... this is my first time cutting hair ever! It was a little scary, but my goal was to have a lot of baby hair to keep, so it turned out being a job well done... she just looks so grown up now :o( My baby girl.

Oh! And it was so cute, on Sunday at church a friend asked where my daughter's hair went and she told him it was in the kitchen :o)

Crop Progress

Just thought I would share something Scrappy with you since I am the Scrapping Servant :o) We had another crop at my old church yesterday, and since I have my new method of picking and printing photos (as shared HERE) I was actually able to be productive! I got 2 whole two-page layouts done in about 10 hours (yes, I'm a very slow scrapper). It was wonderful, here they are...

Journaling:Oh Joshie! I can't even begin to say just how much you blessed me this day. With your wonderful attitude on 3 hours of sleep, your constant encouragement, the endurance of 3 hours on your knees, the wonderful praise of "you did it!", the adorable pride when you wanted to take JJ and show her off, the cuteness when you fell asleep holding her in your arms. I could never have done it without you my love.

Journaling: JJ was born at 7lbs 3oz and 20 inches, she was beautiful and had perfect health.

Just the next day we found out her weight went down to 6lbs 14.5 oz, it was hard news but the doctor assured us this was a perfectly normal thing.

The problem was that our little girl was not nursing well. She would not open her mouth big enough to latch on correctly so she was not getting enough milk. She would cry all the time because she was frustrated, and so would I. Josh would have to take her from me and calm her down so I could calm down, then we would try feeding all over again. This was a painful experience.

When she was four days old we both had a check-up scheduled as well as a photo shoot planned at Kiddie Kandids. We had a feeling she had not gained any weight yet especially since she was still not filling her clothes in. We found out she was down another 10.5 ounces, and I was not encouraged to learn that all this was not healthy for me either. I cried at my appointment as they told me not to even get JJ's pictures taken that day, but to just go home try nursing again and rest. Josh calmed me down, assured me that God had this handled, we got some BEAUTIFUL pictures and were glad at the decision we made.

When she was 6 days old she was looking so skinny in the bath it made me so sad, but I received some good advise to enjoy her when we weren't both frustrated and annoyed, so I ended up just sitting on the couch holding her a lot and taking sweet naps with her.

It wasn't until JJ was 11 days old that she finally started going up in weight, she gained 4 ounces bringing her up to 6lbs 8oz, and just 8 days later she made it back to her birth weight plus an added 2 ounces. Things were still hard, but from this point on we were slowly trudging uphill.

Products Used: MMM! For the first layout I finally got to use some of those yummy Crystals from Prima, along with some of the chipboard they sent me, some patterned cardstock from Crate Paper, and more of my glossy accents glue from Ranger.

For the second layout I used the Phoebe Collection of papers and monogram letters from Basic Grey. I also made my own rub-on with a transparency for the first time!