Feb 1, 2018

I'm trying to finish up some of last week's memory planning while I wait to leave to pick Evan up from his Robotics Executive meeting.  I'm really proud of that little boy.  I mean both of them are great kids but Evan really jumps in and tries everything (well except sports) and I love that.  I wish I had his outgoing personality, he never seems afraid to try new things.

Well here memory planner spread for Jan 15-21.  I was worried it was going to be a very white spread but it ended up with a lot of stuff to talk about after all.

Jan 25, 2018

Happiness really is in playing with my Happy Planner!! LOL!!  This week I was really worried that I wouldn't have enough pictures to fill up the planner and I am sure there will be a week in the future that we are boring and don't do anything.  So I am trying to make sure that even though there aren't pictures for every day to at least try to write down a story, even if it isn't from that day too.  It is a good thing I took a picture of this and looked at it because I realized after I took the picture that I had not finished the left side.  I had used some white out because I made a mistake and wanted to let it dry completely before I re-wrote the word.  And there was a white spot that I had wanted to add what I was streaming and I forgot to use my marker to write it in.  I even broke out the scrapbooking stickers today on this one to make a title work better for my picture!

Jan 19, 2018

So I have been working on a project since summer camp last year.  I wanted to make a war bonnet for my scouts so that we didn't always have to borrow the chapters regalia.  Everyone told me it was too much work but I really wanted to try and see if I could do it.  Well like I said, I started at summer camp last year, I got the feathers all sorted and straighten with my iron but then I froze and I was afraid to cut the feathers.  So after Christmas I decided I needed to get working on this because the boys were planning their OA call out ceremony for Jan 20th.

I am happy to say, with multiple pricks of my own blood, I have finally finished the war bonnet and while it was a lot of work, it looks great!!

Jan 18, 2018

I am loving that new little Sprocket printer that Darren got me for Christmas.  I have missed scrapbooking so much but just can't get back into make layouts with one picture on them.  I am loving this new format that is kind of like project life but for me so much easier.  I really hope I can keep it up.  I am also trying to break some old habits like hoarding all the stickers that I buy and instead just pulling out the ones that I love and using them so that I can put them in my memory planner.  I have also given myself permission that if I don't use all the stickers in the book because there are so many coffee cup stickers and other things that I know I won't ever use that it is okay.  I am pretty sure when I use up the pretty stickers that I like that there will be someone out there in internet land who would love to have all the coffee stickers that I don't use.

Jan 11, 2018

It is harder to keep up with all the things in life that I want to keep up with, I love my paper and digital just isn't for me.  I missed it and Darren got me a new present for Christmas and maybe it will get me back in to playing with my paper and scissors.

He got me a sprocket printer for the phone photos and a memory planner.  I decided there was so much happening the week of Christmas to New Year's Eve that I didn't want to skip that week and wait until Jan 1st, so I did a weekly spread already and I love it.

Right now life is busy, the boys are back in school and Darren is back to traveling again during the week.  I'm trying to make a war bonnet for the boys' Order of the Arrow regalia but for a few minutes I found peace while playing with stickers and washi tape.  (You can grow up, but I think once a sticker collector - always a sticker collector.)

This spread shows the guys all with Christmas presents and then the boys both went to NYLT camp at McGimsey, Ian as staff (ASPL - Service) and Evan as a participant since he was finally old enough.  I was lucky to be asked to come over to camp daily and take pictures for the newsletter and Facebook, so I got to see the boys daily which was nice since it was Christmas break and I missed them.  Evan did a great job and impressed all the adult staffers, he was asked to come serve on staff too but needs to wait because he has to be 14 to do it.  Ian was awarded by his peers and the adults a little stuffed fox for being the staffer who was the greatest asset to camp during the week.  I was very proud of them both.

I love FALL

Or as we know it here in Texas, less hot summer.  I'm not a fan of pumpkin spice or anything like that but I do like crisp mornings where you need a sweater (or in my case socks).  It is funny to watch the boys dress in the morning because I remember doing the same stuff when I was there age.  I didn't want to wear a jacket or pants (or socks) and I'm seeing them do stuff that I used to do like wear shorts and a sweatshirt or my favorite socks with sandals.  I know how to fight my battles and I know that it is either sweltering or freezing in the schools so I know they are doing their best.  They aren't into fashion anymore than I was at their ages so as long as they aren't getting sick, I let them be.  They'll figure it out when they grow up and move north where fall actually means freezing temperatures and snow.

I'm trying to get back into crafting after a long break.  I don't know really why I stopped, I know it happened when we moved to Korea and I can't explain what happened when people ask me why I stopped.  I think a lot of it is just that I was trying too hard to keep up with what everyone else was doing and it wasn't really my style and then I lost my style and my mojo.  So I am going back to my roots and my basics.  Simple layouts with pictures and words on them.  I don't know if it will stick but I hope that I can at least catch back up with all the pictures that I still haven't gotten into albums.  The last thing I want is to die one day and my kids only have a hard drive to remember all the stuff with did together.  I need to put things into albums for them to flip through and share with their families one day.

I know I said when it started that I wasn't going to get into the planner stuff but I broke down and bought the fitness planner in August and started using it to log my food and exercise when school started back up and I love it.  I love all the little stickers and stamps and decorating the pages.  So much that I now have a fitness planner, a menu planning planner, a recipe book and a budget planner. And I have a memory planner too but we'll see what I do with that once I figure out how to print out small photos.

44

So today is my 44th birthday.  I spent the day with the guys and they participated in their first shooting competition.  They borrowed a weapon from one of Darren's friends.  They did well for their first time.  It was fun to watch them.

Playing with Paper

None of these supplies are new, in fact they are probably as old as the photos (circa 2008).  I cut the honeycomb out with my Silhouette and added just bits and pieces from a box full of embellishments that I kept.

It felt good to play with paper again.

On turning 44.

So next Saturday is my birthday and I'll be 44 years old.  I don't know why but that seems old to me.  Like I still remember being my kids age and thinking that 44 year old people were old people and now I am one of them.

I think part of the reason I feel so old is my kids are getting older.  This past week, Ian spent at a JROTC cadet leadership camp.  He looks so grown up in his uniform and it scares me to think that I only have him to myself for so much more time and then he will be a grown up.

I mean seriously, stop growing up kid!!

I don't know that all the problems women my age have is hormonal.  I mean we just have so many emotions running through us all the time.  I'm proud of the people my kids are growing up to be but scared for them because the future is still uncertain and I want nothing but the best for them but I know I can't control everything and make it easy and perfect for them and I have to trust that I have done the right things for them when I can so that when they have to go out in to the world themselves they have the tools and smarts to make it all work out.  *deep breath*  Let's just say at almost 44, I cry a lot.

And because I don't want Evan to feel like I don't ever post pictures of him, here he is getting his star rank at our Boy Scout court of honor a couple of months ago.  I'm really proud of this kid too because he pretty much just does stuff on his own without us having to help him and he is SO SMART, I mean like crazy scary smart.  He wants to work for NASA building robots that will explore other planets and I have no doubt in my mind that if when he is done with college that is still what he wants to do that he will be doing it.

I've been getting the weird itch to scrapbook again.  I don't know if it is because my kids are growing up so fast and I still have so much to catch up on in scrapbook time but I might try it and just see what happens.  My problem is all the supplies and stuff that are out there now are so artsy and made for these layouts that use these tiny little photos instead of 4x6 photos that I have.  And have I told you I had to buy myself reading glasses this year so tiny prints isn't something I want to use!!  I'm going to pull out some paper and see what happens.  Maybe I can bring 4x6 back into vogue!

Last day in Dubuque

Before we went and had breakfast and then hit the road to head back home, I wanted to get a couple of pictures of the boys with my parents and also me and my parents.  I should have thought to get one with Sally and me with mom and dad on Thanksgiving day.  Next time!!

Happy Thanksgiving 2016

I ended up going home a week early to visit with my mom and dad because my dad was in the ICU for a couple of days because of some internal bleeding.  He's going to be fine and he was back home before I got there but it was nice to spend the time with my mom and dad and make sure that he was taking care of himself so he gets better.

It was also nice because I got to spend some extra time with my niece and nephew.  Evelyn and I went and saw the movie Fantastical Beasts and I taught 5 year Grey how to play chess or at least that in the rules it says that white always goes first (baby steps).

After Thanksgiving dinner once my boys were all there, we did a big family photo.  It is nice to see how the kids have changed over a year.