Update

Guess what. I am typing this as I speak using the new dictation feature on my new iPad. This is so cool! I got a new iPad last Friday, March 16. And we have been enjoying it.

I've been wanting the iPad since the original came out two years ago. But I have been patiently waiting for the new one to come out since Christmas. And I'm so glad I waited! I ordered the iPad as soon as possible when preorders were being taken and the I counted down the days until it on the doorstep.

Eric and I have both been using the iPad for the last week really been enjoying it. I'm looking forward to taking it on vacations, using the iPhoto and iMovie features, and just using it for everyday use with all the different apps. At this point I really wish I would've bought the original iPad 2 years ago when they first came out and then bought this iPad to add to our collection, but I can't really go back and change the past. I will know in the future if I fall in love with a new Apple product then maybe I should purchase it when I first want it because I won't be disappointed.




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Project Life - Feb 1-11

This is my week 6 project life post. My big Valentine's Day post will be next week. I'm not staying as current as some people, but that was never my intention from the very beginning. This spread documents how sick we have all been for much of the month of Feb and that is kind of the idea behind why I wanted to do this to begin with.






















- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Project Life–Jan Art Work

This week I only did 1/2 a “layout” to end January on, and I also included a 8.5x11 with some of Peyton and Ryan’s stuff from school that might be neat to look back on one day. 

I also scanned in and took a few pictures of Peyton’s art work to be included.  So not a normal layout but stuff that I would like to be included.

The picture of Mater – was really big so I scanned it in and printed it out.  The picture of Peyton’s artwork was really large as well, so I took a picture of it while he was holding it.

Oh and that quote is one of my favorites – and it is so very true – here is a picture of it…it was found on Pinterest.

This is the front of the insert I included:

and this is a picture of the back:

Nothing too fancy, but like I said, little bits of life I want to capture.  This is so much better than it sitting in a box waiting for me to scrapbook it one day. And you know what, I have these moments captured, now.  I so wish I would have kept up with this project back when I started it in 2008 when Peyton was 2 and in 2009 when he was 3.  Oh well, now is better than nothing!!!

See other projects here:

Today 2012 v1

Today… Feb 6th, 2012.  My grandma’s 82nd birthday

Outside my window…dreary Feb day. 

I am thinking…I should be trying to get a nap right now,  or cleaning instead of doing this!!!

I am thankful for…no migraines over the weekend.  had a really rough week last week

From the kitchen…nothing

I am wearing…pajamas

I am creating…not much, but I have done a few project life spreads, and that makes me happy!!

I am going…just got back from taking Ryan to the doctor. He has Hand Foot and Mouth virus, and it could get very icky around here for the next few days.  He is sleeping right now.

I am reading…not much lately.  Intuitive Eating is on the top of my bookstand

I am hoping…that I make it into work at some point this week

I am hearing…the computer hum.  Silence is so nice

Around the house…a big mess.  everywhere

One of my favorite things – NAPS, napping, sleeping in.  Rare around here lately.

A few plans for the rest of the week, to get some cleaning done while I’m off with Ryan.  And maybe a nap or two.

A picture I love:

Project Life Week 3-4

I have had a rough two weeks.  In the beginning I knew I wasn’t going to do a layout a week because that was just too much for me.  But I’m having a ton of fun with this, so I’m going to be keep up with it at a pace that is fun and manageable for me.

I have decided that I need to get my real camera out more.  So I have started doing that this week.  But this LO is mostly camera phone pictures, so you can kinda tell in the quality of the pictures.

 

Highlights from this week – Peyton’s obsession with the planets and space, and the death of one of Eric’s best friend’s mom’s. 

Printing Project Life 2x3 Pictures

At first, I was using Photoshop to edit/prepare my pictures into a 4x6 template to print 2 – 2x3 pictures in one 4x6 print.  Well, I noticed that my printer has options to make this sooooo much simpler and my life has gotten so much easier and printing pictures for Project Life has gotten so much FASTER!

I have 4 steps in my process for printing photos using the software that came with the printer. I don’t always use it. I often use Photoshop or Fireworks (yes, I’m odd, it is the programmer in me) to print my digital scrapbook pages. But below is a screen shot of my Photo Printer software.

Step 1.  Select Images

Step 2.  Select Paper (I select borderless 4x6)

Step 3.  Layout print – you can see the preview below.

Step 4.  Print.

So easy.  I knew printing my images at home was going to be the KEY to actually doing Project Life.  Short Cuts like this help as well.  Yes, I will still use Photoshop on occasion to edit a special photo, but I don’t have hours per week to edit my photos.  This makes it so much easier.

Thank You project Life for getting me scrapbooking again.  It feels great!!!

More about Project Life Here: http://beckyhiggins.com/ and

here: http://www.themomcreative.com/category/memory-keeping-and-crafts/project-life-tuesday

Project Life Tuesday - Week 2

Week 2.

Things I learned.

1.  I need to take notes to remember what I did each day, because the journaling was HARD.

2.  I need to figure out how to take better iphone pictures, or I need to get back out my SLR!

Sorry the pictures are blurry…

Project Life, Week 1

I haven’t done my title page, but I’m not stressing it.  I will get to it shortly.

What I have done, is set up my system.  YAY.  And completed my first week, which also happens to mainly be about Ryan’s first birthday.  I will do the first 2 weeks of January in the spread next week.  This is exactly what I envisioned Project Life being for me.  Not about a “picture a day” but about making the task of scrapbooking in the moment EASY. 

Lets see if I can actually do it for more than a few weeks.  {SMILE}

So…drumroll….my first layouts.  I have a feeling once I get in my groove, my layouts will get better, but this is a start. 

 

What do you think?

I still need to complete 2 journaling cards, will do that tonight.  But besides that, I have his first Birthday scrapbooked.  Feels good to be doing something creative again.

Blog your heart

One of the blogs I follow, has a blog your heart challenge monthly.  I’m going to try to start participating.

1.  Something happened last week that scared us both to our core.  Last Monday, the day after Christmas, we got a call because Eric's cousins wife passed away suddenly of a massive heart attack. She was in good shape, not over weight, and was young (in her 40’s). Eric’s cousin is only in his late 30’s, maybe early 40’s and they have a son that is still in high school. His cousin is taking it really really bad, which is understandable!

Death is so scary, and it can sneak up on you so quickly.  You can never truly be prepared and you never know when it is going to be your time.

This scared us both big time.  Neither of us slept well for 2 days.  And it is just a really sad situation as well. 

Unfortunately we haven’t seen his cousin in a long time because after he got married, he became distant and hasn’t come around in years.  I’ve been with Eric for over 17 years now and have only meet him once.  But what scares us so bad, is how quickly your life can change.  How precious it really is.  And Eric has a heart condition, it is more like a arrhythmia (murmur), so he was scared a bit more than the average person, because he has had heart episodes on a handful of occasions himself.  He takes special medications for it and has it under control, but he is only 32 so it definitely worries us for long term.

Just one more reason to get healthy, live everyday to the fullest, and make sure you really let those you love know.

2.  Family issues!  I actually went and talked with someone last month on base (for free) about our family issues.  Thanksgiving (and being around family) always stirs up stuff.  And I’m getting to the point that I’m tired of it and I just can’t stand being around certain family members.  It is just getting OLD.  Well the counselor helped me come to a few conclusions, I really need to blog about this in it’s own post.  But I need to let it go, or we need to stop going around the family functions until certain family members clean up their act.  It is hard.  Life is HARD.  But I don’t want to be stressing all the wonderful family holidays for years and years because these issues haven’t been dealt with.  The boys are young now, but eventually they will pick up on the stress and I don’t want to put them through all that.  Eric and I are going to continue praying about all this to figure out what we need to do.

3.  Biggest Loser Challenge – starts today!!!

I’m so pumped.  I’m down almost 20 lbs (from Sept).  My goal is 50 by July for the beach.  So I have approximately 30 lbs to go.  If I lose 15 lbs in this 12 week challenge (I lost 15 in the last challenge) and then if I lose 15 again in the next challenge I’ll be looking and feeling so great.  Just those 20 (OK – 18.6) lbs have me feeling soooooo much better.  I even posted some pictures of MYSELF on Facebook for the first time in a YEAR.  That is huge.  It feels so great to start feeling like myself again.

4.  Ryan is finally sleeping through the night most nights.  And I’m sleeping in my bed, in my room.  And those 2 glorious hours I get with Eric between the 8:00ish kids bedtime and our 10:00ish bedtime are priceless.  PRICELESS.

5.  I’m doing project life this year.  I posted about that a few times in December, this being the most detailed post.  I think I might even try to do the iPhone version of Project 365 because honestly, I take at least one iPhone picture a day anyway.  I failed miserably at Project 365 in 2009 and 2010, so we will see how Project 365-2012 goes.  I think I’m going to name it iPOTD.

If your interested in participating in Blog Your Heart , click the link/picture above which will take you to Stephanie’s blog. 

Christmas

Favorite pictures from Christmas…

First the collage

The boys had a blast.  We did end up getting an elf this year. Everyone seemed to have one and Peyton kept talking about the elf.  Santa sent us Christopher Pop-InKins late in the season and we only had him for about a week or so, but he was a BLAST while we had him.

Isn’t he cute???  We miss him already.  He really was a lot of fun.  Looking forward to his arrival next Thanksgiving. 

Ryan is soooo adorable.  He got some good Christmas loot.

 

And Peyton – age 5

Santa was good to Peyton as well…

I will TRY (we know how often I talk about TRYING to do something) to post more about Christmas before I forget it all.  :)