April 12

Last week was the 12th once again. I took my pictures and finished the layout. It doesn't happen in an instant, that's for sure... I spent small amounts of time a couple evenings last week and over the weekend editing the pictures and making the layout. Sometimes that's all I can get... a couple minutes here and a couple minutes there. But I LIKE scrapbooking and pictures. So it's actually a rewarding, rejuvenating way to spend a few minutes of my day.

I get asked a lot, "how do you have TIME to do all that?" Well, there's not much time. And with John out of town last week, there was really no time. I just started the week with the intention that my evening priorities after JT went to bed were one load of laundry each day and to finish this layout.

So JT and I spent some evening time with friends, played outside a lot, ate dinner, talked about everything, and watched Charlotte's Web. And I spent my "me time" before my bedtime doing three loads of laundry and scrapbooking this one simple day in the history of our lives.

The template I'm using for my 12 on the 12th project is from Ali Edwards' Yesterday Today class. It works out really well with plenty of spaces to put photos, paper, words, embellishments and still have lots of room for journaling. My emphasis this year is definitely on telling the stories about how we spend our days. The butterflies are from Vera Lim Designs.

Last year on this day, we celebrated Easter. And hung out with my parents. And I also used a butterfly for a page accent:

I love looking back and seeing how much has changed. Look at JT sitting in his high chair. Now he's almost too big for the booster seat.

digital vintage

I might have mentioned my fondness for Flickr Commons. Recently I noticed that the local Upper Arlington Public Library is now participating, too. Score!!

One of their images is a map of Franklin County with no known copyright restrictions. It's so interesting to me that our neighborhood and the surrounding area used to be owned by a couple families (I think they had horse farms here). And their names are familiar because present-day elementary schools and roads are named after these families.

I have loved maps forever. I probably took more geography classes in college than a business major really needs to. Incorporating maps into my scrapbook pages is a way to capture a sense of place and history. Here's a digital scrap layout I made of our little family using the map as the background paper:

On this layout, I used a small portion of the map as one of the squares in this template. I also included a bit of a scanned newspaper ad from 1944 - saved by my Grandma. There is also a bit of a canceled check signed by my Grandma's father. The check was written for oats! I paired these little bits of JT's heritage with pictures of him that I reworked this past week.

Now I'll just need to print it out and figure out if there is room for another page in his baby album.

October 12

There really isn't a good way to catch you up on what we've been doing since I last posted in July. You'll have to follow on Facebook or Twitter if you want to hear the latest updates. Those updates are a bit more real-time. So for the blog, let's just jump in with something recent.

I'm still capturing our lives each month on the 12th. I'm loving this project. It's very exciting to have 10 layouts completed for this year. I love seeing the little things change. Like when JT moved from the high chair to the booster seat. And when he started potty training.

There's also security in the things that stay the same... like playing at the park, morning and bedtime routines, and drinking coffee- mmm,mmm.

Next year I want to change the layout up so I can feature larger photos and more journaling. I always capture more details of the day than I am able to share in this 8.5x11 layout. I think a 2-page 12x12 layout may be more the ticket next year. And it will probably still be digital because I can get those completed pretty quickly.

So if I start posting again, is anyone going to read? If you are still reading, leave me a comment. I'd love to know you're here!

on the 12th

Because there isn't enough to do in my life, a new project! On the 12th of every month, I'll take pictures and scrapbook them. I'm following along folks on the 12 of 12 blog. I'm excited to have a year's worth of these. Later...

boys' toys

I managed to make one digital scrapbook layout while we were still at my parents' house for Christmas. So if I never get around to scrapping the other 296 pictures I took over the holidays, at least I'll have this...

The guys were seriously thrilled with their gifts. It's the first year my dad didn't tell us, "you really shouldn't buy me anything." John LOVES the gps. We call her Roxy. And JT loooooves trucks. If you didn't know that already, perhaps I have been remiss in mentioning it here.

balance and sore bottoms

JT has had the most annoying virus since Thursday. Yesterday was bad and today was worse. Runny nose, diarrhea, and a diaper rash I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. We must have changed poo diapers 12 times today. He pooped TWICE today as I was trying to put him down for a nap. Can you imagine... he was almost asleep and it hit him.

To make it worse, it takes two of us to change him. One to hold him down and one to do the diapering. He starts crying before we even get to the changing table in anticipation of the pain. I can't even begin to tell you how this is wrenching my heart out. I think I cried half the day at least.

Aside from that, I have been trying to find more balance in my life. Especially on the weekends. I want to get to the end of the weekend and feel like I got a lot done, had fun, and spent time engaged in the relationships I enjoy.

This weekend was heavy on the JT/Mama/Dada relationship. John and I have had to work together taking care of JT's bottom and figuring out what to feed him that won't make things worse. JT has been more clingy and cranky than usual, too. But we did find lots of time to play and had a little fun in between poops.

We met up with Becka, Jari, and Jessica for ice cream on Saturday after the pediatrician's office let us know that fattening foods would be good for his stomach. We like them a lot and they are not afraid of a little poo.

I also found some time to clean my car (it is SUCH a snappy-lookin' clunker now!). And I did a bit more towards completing the decorating of my house that I mentioned before. This was a seriously small bit of decorating in JT's room... I'll save photos for when it's finished. And lastly, I did some digital scrappin'. As evidenced here:

frosty times

Frosty Times, originally uploaded by brungrrl.

JT and I spent the night at my mom's house. He had a fabulous day playing with Nana! She has a blow-up globe that is bigger than he is... he played with that all over the place. He also spent a lot of time playing peak-a-boo with Nana. Good times.

When he went to bed, I got some time with my mom. She teaches digital scrapbooking classes. How convenient, I'm a digital scrapbooker! lol. Can you believe we've never sat down and done anything together? Sometimes she helps me out with phone support when I need to know how to do something, but that's been the extent of it.

So this weekend, she taught me how to make eyelets, buttons, metal frames, etc. And I learned a few useful things like transferring layers between files and how to draw a perfect circle.

Now I can take my digi-scrappin' to a whole new level. This page was my practice page for learning stuff. So after all the training I applied my new skills by finishing it up and adding embellishments. Pay close attention to all those eyelets... don't they look real? And can you believe I didn't even need a crop-a-dile?!

create(d)

My "one little word" for 2007 was CREATE. I'm not sure how well I did with that. I did manage to create a new life. I've created a lot of messes and some new fat cells over the past year, also.

And my 2007 resolutions... blah. I gained more than 30 lbs... and of course, it's not gone yet. I have 11 more pounds to go. So sad, that is probably the amount I gained by overeating ice cream. *Sigh* If I had behaved, I'd have made the goal already. I think I read three books this year. Sadly, that is better than last year. I have read a TON of baby information online and elsewhere, does that count? I put a few pictures in albums, but I wouldn't say I am caught up on that one, either.

Not sure what this year's word and resolution(s) will be. I am thinking one resolution this time around. Although, I do have a goal to ditch that 11 lbs by April. And I have another goal in mind. Maybe I will have it decided for posting by New Year's Day.

Well, in the creative department... I am carving out time to make stuff. I have done a little digital scrapping. Designer Digitals posted several very cool freebies recently that I totally dig. So I downloaded those and have been playing.


And you won't believe what I did today. I sewed. Still have a bit to finish. Maybe a photo by Tuesday. :-)

wrappin' presents

I told you we had lots of fun on Monday... here is one of our activities...


And certainly, don't let me catch any of you putting your baby in the Bumbo on the tabletop AND letting him chew on plastic wrap at the same time! I had to get the package away from him... he was seriously going to make a meal of it!