Hello

We have settled into our new place, we're mostly unpacked and we're starting to get some kind of routine.  I am also completely unmotivated to do anything.  I haven't quite figured out how to set up my new craft space, and everytime I try to work on anything I sit at my desk for a few minutes and then just leave.  I hate that feeling.  But I know that everytime I move, it takes a few months for me to get going again. 

We did have a great Easter, the girls got a ton of candy, saw lots of family and we're having fun in our new place. 

We've got a lot of things coming up soon.  We leave for Disneyland in 10 days.  Yay!  And as soon as we get back, we're starting our first big project.  The backyard.  Not totally sure what we're going to do with it yet, but we've got lots of ideas floating around.  Here's a little sneak peak at what we're getting rid of.

Rocks, rocks and more rocks.  We've already had 6 or 7 truckloads taken out and it's hardly made a dent. 

It's Moving Day

It's finally here.  Today is officially moving day and I'm already tired.  I've been at the house every night this week cleaning so we won't have to do much after we bring in the furniture. 

Here are a few pictures of the new place:

I'll be without internet for the next few days but I'll be back with some better pictures later in the week.

7 More Days

This month has been full of ups and downs for us.  We've definitely had more "excitement" than I care to have in one month.  But now that it's starting to calm down we can get excited about moving.  We only have seven more days to wait!  This will be my 12th move in 13 years!  I can't believe I have moved that many times.  But I swear, this is it. 

We've started packing up the things we won't be using for the next few weeks . Here's a tiny portion of my Rite Aid stash:

My mom came to visit for the weekend so Mike and I could have some uninterrupted cleaning time in the garage.

And in between packing, we've been taking trips out to Roseville for lunch and shoe shopping.

I am going to update the last two weeks of my Project Life tonight before I pack up the rest of my craft supplies and then I'll be back with pictures of the new house.

Project Life Weeks 8 and 9

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything, but I have a good reason.  We've been house hunting!  We did make an offer and it was accepted, so now we're in the middle of home inspections and appraisals.  I am in love with this house even though it's stuck in the 80's.  But that just means I'll have lots of before and after pictures to show you.  In the meantime, here are my Project Life pages for weeks 8 and 9.

Week 8:

Week 9:

Project Life Week 7

Still not a lot going on around here.  One cold turned into three colds and we just hung out for most of the week.  I was able to finish Project Life week 7: 

Make one scrapbook layout:

And do my Rite Aid shopping on Sunday.  Yep, didn't cost me anything.  $-.04 and I got back $6.00 for next week. 



One of these days I'll actually have something good to share with you.  I've got a hutch in the garage just waiting for a good sanding and a fresh coat of paint.  Until then, I hope you don't get sick of my Project LIfe pages and my Rite Aid shopping.

Linking to:
The Mom Creative

Project Life Week 6

I've been a very lazy crafter/blogger lately.  We had a crazy week that started with 4 hours in the urgent care for an ear infection, and ended with lots of colds in our house.  But we made it through, and hopefully this week will be better.  Here is a look at my Project Life week 6:

I ended up ordering a second Project Life kit for all my 2010 pictures.  I spent most nights this week editing and uploading all our pictures from last year.  I can't wait to put it all together, finish a couple layouts for 2009 (yes, totally behind on my scrapbooking) and then I will finally be caught up!  I didn't think I would ever be able to say that, but I think by the end of March, I will be!

Linking to:
The Mom Creative

Project Life Week 5

My Project Life is still going strong.  I'm completely up to date, but can't get pictures of my most recent pages until this weekend when I've got some light.  So until then, here is a look at week 5.



I had so many pictures this week I couldn't narrow it down enough, so I added a 6x12 sheet in the middle.

I am still loving this project.  It is one of the best projects I've done.  I love how I will remember little details that usually slip by because I'm not thinking about documenting the little things, and because I usually scrapbook it a year later.  I love the daily pictures of the girls' clothes and hairstyles.  I love that I am up to date, still having fun, and still looking foward to Monday nights when I get to put the week together.

Linking to:
The Mom Creative

Rite Aid Coupon Shopping

I LOVE coupon shopping and my favorite store is Rite Aid.  It's been a couple months since I've done any coupon shopping and my stockpile is getting low, so I started it up again today.  Here's what I got:

2 Colgate Sensitive toothpastes ($3.50 each)
2 Dove Invisible Solid deoderants ($2.00 each)
1 Secret Clinical Strength ($7.99)
Total: $18.99 plus tax

Here are the coupons I used:
$4.00 off $20.00 purchase (Rite Aid video values coupon)
$2.00 off non-prescription purchase (Rite Aid video values coupon)
$1.00 off non-prescription purchase (Rite Aid video values coupon)
(2) $1.00 off Colgate Sensitive Toothpaste
(2) $2.00 off Dove deoderant
$1.00 off Secret Deoderant

Total after coupons (with tax): $4.16 and I got back $12 in +Up Rewards

I didn't have any +Up Rewards to use this time since I haven't done any coupon shopping lately, so my out of pocket was a little "expensive" for me, but I've got two more great transactions for next weekend that should be almost free.  I'll let you know my plan later in the week if you are interested in doing some Rite Aid shopping.

Holiday Decoration

I love decorating for holidays from Halloween through Sidney's birthday in January.  Once February hits, I kind of run out of steam and have no desire to put up anything for Valentine's Day.  This is a problem since Madison is all about decorating.  Everything.  She wants her room decorated, windows, doors, everything.  So the other day I found this tree thing at a thrift store.  I knew it would be perfect for Madison to decorate for all the holidays, but I wasn't crazy about the color.

After a little steel wool and some primer, I painted it with a pewter color and hung some paper hearts.  Madison loves it and I can easily hang something on it for all the upcoming holidays.

Linking to:

Just a Girl, The Shabby Nest, My Romantic Home, Finding Fabulous

Fingerprints on the Fridge, The Girl Creative, Kojo Designs

Project Life - January

January is complete in my book.  Since I ordered this project so late, I didn’t document as many things as I would have liked, but I’ll start working on that this week.  Here is a look at the first two weeks of January:

The last two weeks of January:

This has got to be one of the most fun projects I’ve ever done.  It is easy and with hardly any effort, the pages end up looking so cute.  Also, very easy to write down things I want to remember and stick them in the book right away.

At first, I had hoped to take at least a couple pictures every day.  As I have already found out, that is just not going to happen.  By the time we get home at night, we have just enough time to play with Sidney for a few minutes, make dinner, eat, sometimes squeeze in a bath, and get ready for bed.  I carried my camera around all day yesterday, from room to room last night and didn’t take a single picture until 9:00 at night.  So I’ve decided that if a great picture moment should arise during the week, then I’ll definitely be taking pictures, but mostly I’ll just be focusing on the weekends.  That’s when we have time to relax and have the most fun.

Linking to:
The Mom Creative

December Daily is Done!

My December Daily is finally done, only 30 days late.  And that’s not too bad for me.  I loved this project.  I just sat down and looked through the book again and kept reading funny things the girls did or said that I probably wouldn’t have remembered if I hadn’t written it down.  Writing things down is definitely something I’m working on this year.  I’ve always done it in the past, but it’s on little bits of paper scattered around the house, and I can never find it when I need it.

Here are a few of my favorite pages from my December Daily:

I also got my Project Life in the mail yesterday!  I was so excited I didn’t even change out of my cleaning clothes before I took a picture.  Hopefully this project will help me to write things down, keep everything in one place and stay on top of my scrapbooking.

Blog Critique Party

I came across a link party at My Repurposed Life and decided to join.  It's a blog critique, and since I've been making some changes over the past several weeks, it was perfect timing.  I've still got a lot of things I want to add/change, but let me know what you think so far.  Here's the blurb on Gail's post:

Please take a look around my blog, check out the layout, pages, buttons, sidebar and gadgets. I would love for you to gently critique my blog. I’m hoping you will leave me some positive feedback about my blog. It would be great if you could give me constructive criticism but be sure to tell me what you like about my blog too! Do you like my pictures? Does my blog load quickly for you? How about the font? All tips and tidbits welcome!

Scrapbooking with my Silhouette

A few months ago I got a new Silhouette machine for my anniversary.  Since it was so close to the holidays, I didn’t really get a chance to use it.  I pulled it out a few weeks ago and downloaded a few images from Donna Downey.  It is so fun.  Pretty much anything you can think of is in the Silhouette store.  Kind of like iTunes.  You search from their online database and save it to your library. 

Every few months I get focused on one craft and that is all I seem to want to do.  Right now it is obviously scrapbooking.  I know in a few months it will be knitting again, and then when the weather gets warmer it will be refinishing all the furniture I’ve stashed in the garage.  For now, I’m happy to be making a dent in all the pictures I’ve got laying around.

Two Year Scarf

I started this scarf two years ago.




Then I got pregnant, the morning sickness kicked in and I had no desire to do anything crafty.  By the time I was ready to start knitting again, I was too big to do it comfortably.  So it sat in my closet. After Sidney was born, I thought I’d have plenty of time to finish my scarf while she was napping.  Then I went back to work early, so it sat some more.  I finally picked it up again this fall determined to finish it while it was still cold.



I’m so happy with the way it turned out. It’s soft, light and very warm. You can never have too many scarves and I can’t wait until I start the next one.


Linking to:

Somewhat Simple, House of Hepworths, Today's Creative Blog, My Backyard Eden
Someday Crafts, Blue Cricket Design, Fireflies and Jellybeans, The Shabby Nest
Decor Mamma, Tidy Mom, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Kojo Designs, Plums Life
Fumky Junk, A Little Lovely, Be Different Act Normal, Tatertots and Jello