Calvinball #1

some of the pages I did over the weekend March 3-5.  documenting December 2016 for my big album.  I do a December Details book, but this year, I carried over some of those into the big book too.  

documenting our Christmas weekend & that I was sick for it. details of our gifts are in the DD.

documenting the snow globe collection this year, how & where it started.

Mail-- I love to get the mail in the month of December!!!  from packages, cards & orders! Love it all.

the dogs in the snow :) 

the green scraps sure worked out perfect to use behind my weather screen shots for this page documenting the daily temps.

Each program gets it's own page in the December Daily, but in the big book, they all go on one & with less detail.  the journaling is done in as close to a school color as possible for each. I may go back & add some acrylic music notes to the outside of the pockets as it looks a little lacking.

I needed a filler 12x12 & still hadn't scrapped these photos that I had played with in the Project Life App, so it all came together!  Journaling hidden on the 2 tags tucked in the right side, under the light glare-sorry.  Using up those tiny word stickers, scraps & old supplies!!

A tough one to create. there is another photos hidden in the glassine bag with the journaling. This page documents the loss our community faced in December of 3 teens to an accident after being missing for 3 or 4 days. Not something I want front & center but yet wanted documented.  All old supplies minus the glassine bag that came with goodies in it on an order. 

feeling the urge to scrap but not having the ambition? pop on over to the CalvinBall forum on the Get It Scrapped site & they will energize you! Look what they did for me!!!

2017

again, it's been a while, but I am planning to flood the blog w/scrapbook pages this month as I am playing along with Calvinball over at Get It Scrapped.  So how about a currently post to get things refreshed??

 PREPARING |  for our tax appointment tomorrow & for Tim's weekend hunting trip at the end of the month. 

UNPACKING |   from last weekend's scrap crop, a week later. 

LISTENING | to a wide assortment of podcasts- Young House Love, Criminal, & What Should I Read Next? depending on what's going on around me.  -still true!

WATCHING | lots & lots of scrapbooking YouTube videos any chance I get, catching up on my shows on the DVR, -NCIS(all 3), Blue Bloods, Madame Secretary, Grey's Anatomy, & Bull, to name a few- since I watched nothing but Bones on Netflix for the entire month of December, January & most of February!

PURCHASING |  albums to put my scrapped pages into so they can actually be viewed instead of laying in piles in my scrap room.  

READING |     The Kindle has kept me reading off & on all winter, unlike years past.  Currently reading Shelled & Shucked. 

LOADING & UNLOADING |  kids on Fridays in & out of the van to get the weekly groceries is totally worth it! today we even got to venture out to the local farm store to see the new baby chicks & then play at a city park for a bit!

GIVING THANKS |  to still have enough families to pay the bills & keep me busy for the next 6 months. 

Stay tuned for an overload of scrapbook pages! :) 

currently.

I know it's been 6ish months since I checked in, so here are a few things happening around here: 

PACKING & PREPARING | for the weekend of camping. It is finally cooling off a bit for fall & I am looking forward to sleeping with the camper windows open soon. 

UNPACKING |   Mentally unpacking about quitting childcare.  Many of the parents & I had the talk yesterday about the official quit date vs the possible sooner date & that if they find something good before either, to go b/c good childcare spots are sometimes hard to find in town. 

LISTENING | to a wide assortment of podcasts- Young House Love, Criminal, & What Should I Read Next? depending on what's going on around me.

WATCHING | lots & lots of scrapbooking YouTube videos any chance I get.

PURCHASING |  Pampered Chef bits & pieces for the camper, photos from Shutterfly to keep my 2016 current + 2013 folders to get it going this fall. Oh & LuLaRoe! cannot forget my current obsession with LLR clothes! 

READING |     This summer hasn't been as productive as last, but I have still made it through several books.  Currently, reading "My Grandmother asked me to tell you she's Sorry" in paper & about to start "Lost & Found in Cedar Cove" on my new-to-me kindle. 

LOADING & UNLOADING |  the camper is totally worth the effort it takes to get everything cleaned up & ready for the next trip!

GIVING THANKS |  for the life we have. We persevered when I wanted to give up on the house refinance, we paid off the truck & 2 credit cards all with in 45 days of each other. We are now putting good money into savings for the next phase of our lives with me getting ready to work out of the house, needing a different vehicle, & prepping to move to the country. And good coffee on the daily.

Hello... 2016..

It has been a while.. I haven't really felt the writing bug... I love to read but rarely comment on others' blogs ... I don't really post anything original on Facebook either,mostly shares or Iowa Food Coop news.... Let's just wing this first one...

I have been a scrapping FOOL! I completed my 2015 December Daily after getting a good start at it at my favorite scrapping crop in January.  Since then, I have 2015 complete, just need to borrow my mom's fuse tool then all the pages can go in their covers!  2014 is closing in as well. I am currently waiting on the 7 8x10s I ordered last week, picking up more pocket pages on March 12th & then I will be back in business. When 2014 is complete & in the covers, I will attack 2013, never fear; I am diligently keeping 2016 current as I go, or will when I get pocket pages on the 12th, but January is printed & February is in my cart for payday. DID YOU KNOW that the Shutterfly app lets you get unlimited FREE 4x6 or 4x4s?!?! currently I have 100ish in a combo of the sizes in my cart for the $10.xx shipping! WHOOOOOOOT!!  gotta love FREE, even if I emailed them w/a list of things to check into after my 3rd shipment-yes they have had this freebie sale since December, wait, maybe Just January 1 but STILLLLLLLL that's a long time for freebies. Not that I am complaining, just sayin'. If you have an account, get the app & get yourself some freebies :)  Also, I just cashed in on their 16 year anniversary $16 code to get half off my 8x10 order. I rarely order from Shutterfly when there isn't a code of SOME kind.

My phone says it is 55 outside but it feels amazing compared to the gusty icy wind we fought yesterday so I have 4 windows & 3 doors open airing the place OUT.

I have been eating entirely too much junk food, drinking too much coffee & not enough water. BLAH I am so ready for winter to be bye-bye. As I stuff more Lay's potato chips into my mouth... & think about the last 2 girl scout cookies upstairs.  Guess this Garmin I got for Christmas isn't keeping me nearly as accountable as I had hoped..

I don't think I have read a book yet this year... heading over to goodreads.com to find out...Oh I guess i read 3 in January.. good easy chic lits.. my favorites.

We got our taxes done & filed Saturday.. hoping someday to not look forward to that 'refund' quite so much.. this year we have a couple of big plans for it. I will update when they actually happen.

In November I was introduced to LulaRoe clothes. oh goodness these are the softest leggings I have ever touched.  I bought one pair & the yellow shirt at that November party, wearing them for Thanksgiving (x2), the Home Free concert in early December & every other weekend since then.  The week before my birthday, a childcare family gifted me the red & pink heart ones which I wore every weekend after that minus the past 2.  One of those, I went back to the pair from November with a black shirt I bought with these blue+yellow leggings I wore the other weekend. They are so soft & comfy, its like wearing pajamas I can wear out in public.  I am having a party for some more goodies March 19th. 

our 13 y/o kitty has gone blind in one eye.  I am just thankful it went slowly enough that he was able to learn to accommodate it & hasn't lost any mobility. Still jumps the baby gate to get in & out of the room w/his litter & food, jumps onto the deck rail & continues up the garage roof for an over all view of the neighborhood & runs at full speed around the house at unexpected times of day.

We had a super sunny day with no school a couple of weeks ago & for the afternoon, I only had 2 bigs, so after we got my weekly groceries, we hit the park where they played & ran & yelled for over an hour before they asked to go home.  I cannot wait for every Friday to be park days again. 

How is that for a super crazy, scattered, stream of consciousness, catch up post? 

More Scrappiness...

picking up where I left off ... MARCH:

still incomplete for journaling

 the end of the month of March, Tim's hog hunt with the journaling this time.

 this is the flip flap I had just inserted the photo into in the last post, here is complete, side a.

 flip flap, side b.

 April opening page photos from around the yard-signs of spring, getting a new clothesline & taking Sam for a haircut &along for my morning errands. a concert 12x12 page

 page 1 of a birthday chapter (12x12) pocket page 1 of 2 of the same birthday chapter.

 pocket page 2. 12x12 closing page of the birthday chapter The nieces' gym night performance

 gym night with the flap open (12x12+flap)

  a scrappy weekend in January 12x12 will go in the January chapter when the book is assembled.

I have April complete & May started, but I think I will save those for the next post.

Scrappiness

So I have been eyeballing these Project Life & similar products for a bit, & while I could never fully leave my paper & glue of the 12x12 pages behind, I am fully content with combining the 2 styles into one album.

So, here are some phone camera shots of what I've started in my 2015 album-current year?! whaaaaaaaat? that's so unheard of for me! :) LOVIN' IT!!! There is no journaling -or minimal- as I am just auditioning things in these spots for now... but so far it makes me happy!

this one is the opening page to the album, I love the wood veneer over the January calendar card, a food pic, a lounging pic & a weather screen shot. 

 this is that back side & I am totally cool w/the wood showing through, LOVED getting to use the tickets, wrist bands and the photo & throw in a pic of the childcare group that wouldn't have made it into our big book if I was doing this differently.

a birthday party calls for a full page spread! 

& another party, same family, same day, with a flip out pocket to not need a 3rd page.

the other side of the flip.

February opening page! the confetti from my party is still in baggies in the pocket until I get my fuse tool to close up the pocket forever, more screen shots.

bits of the surprise party w/a note to see the mini album for more details. 

the opposite page with a 6x6 flip out.  

the front of the flip.

 Tim's hunting trip that I also did a mini for but wanted to include a few shots & facts into our big album. 

So, what do you think?? over kill? just enough? think I will burn out on it soon? I hope not, I just ordered 2 more packs of the pocket pages :)  How do you scrap? do share.

Where I run(walk)

linking up with Jaime over at her blog talking about running in different places.

I haven't run in ages, but I have been walking in spurts.  I am really good for a couple of months & then I take a couple off, but currently, I am being semi-consistent! Here's this year's summary in photos:

  accountability treadmill photo from April.

 over Memorial Day Weekend, we found a few trails in the are of the cabin we rented to take the dogs for walks.  This is one of them They were a heck of a lot nicer than any walking trails we have around home.

 On most of our Field Trip Fridays we play at a park with a trail & the kids are always happy to go on a trail.

 for the past few weeks, I have been meeting my friend Melissa for some more early morning lap walking around our high school.  We both graduated from it & marvel about the changes that have been made to the building, as well as sharing stories of our times in it.  We get to see the sun rise every day we walk. I think its especially beautiful as it comes over the near by grain elevator.  We have also met up with a family of skunks and a couple of doe on our early  morning treks, as well as sharing 'good morning's with other fellow walkers or bikers that use the loop around the school in their personal routes.

thanks for this idea Jaime! I didn't think I had anything to report, but here you go :)