Happy Easter!

Dyed eggs today with friends in the backyard. So happy for beautiful weather and pretty soft pastel Easter eggs.

Sigh...

I really haven't done a scrapbook page since I completed the 4th week Sunday sketch over at Studio Calico. But truthfully didn't even take a photo of it. Just put it in the album.

Just to busy with sick kids. I swear we have all been sick off and on since November! And now I finally feel we are all getting better.
So here's to hoping I can do some more pages soon.
I did participate in a card swap with 20 scrap friends, but forgot to get photos of the cards before mailing them off to Katy. I should be getting a nice package of cards in the mail tough soon :0)
But otherwise, not a lot of scrap stuff to post lately.
Hopefully like I said that will change soon.

I've decided to purge and organize a closet that contains a lot of scrap and photo stuff. Plus I really need to straighten up the left side of my scrap office before I can let myself scrap a single thing!
I plan to work on that over the next week or so. If you are looking for scrap inspiration though, check out the Studio Calico link to the right. Always a lot of great work in the galleries there! :0)
To which I will hopefully be posting again soon ;0)

Scrapbook Layout Journal Ideas

Want to document for layouts to do in the very near future and do not want to forget.
I've been listening to the song "One" by U2 a lot lately and there are some lyrics in there that make me think of this photo from Chicago. I kind of want to wrap them around the photo...
"one life. with each other. Sisters. Brothers. One life but we're not the same. We have to carry each other. Carry each other. One."
Bedtime routine has really stood out to me lately. This is Evan's bed. He is all about comfort and routine. Ever since he was a baby. And really he does not have all those stuffed animals on it any more. This photo was taken in September of 2008. But he still lines up some against the wall (for protection). Dad's hockey jersey is also a source of comfort.
But really I just want to remember the routine we have right now. The nights Mike is not home because of work, Evan and I read books together - right now the Droon series Chapter books. It's an older series from the late '90's and early 2000's which he loves. After stories, we turn out the light, put on his music which right now is a compilation of his favorite "quiet" U2 songs, and say prayers. Then we "snuggle" for a bit. Just listening to the music and talking about the day. I always stay for the first three or four u2 songs and then leave the room with reassurances such as "I love you." "you're the best mom" "you're the best Evan" "sweet lego dreams" :0)
I really just want to remember how much I am cherishing this right now. Even the nights when I still have dishes or laundry to do, I don't take this routine for granted. I know it will not last forever.
And the nights Mike is home, he usually does stories with Evan. But when they are done, I still go in and do the second half of the routine. Music, prayers and snuggles.
And as for Erin, we also have a great little routine right now. She is in a mommy phase as far as bedtime. She just wants mommy to do stories and I think it's because I sing songs to her after stories.
This photo was taken when she wasn't feeling that great. She had a cold which turned into an ear infection. She started rocking her baby and giving her kisses saying "baby sick". It made me feel good because obviously she is learning from me, right? :0)
But that purple recliner rocker is where we have story time at night. Then I turn off the light and we rock for "one more minute" as Erin says. But it's a little longer than that. And I sing her songs. She happens to really like the Beatles right now. Especially "Take You Down" (a.k.a. Strawberry Fields) and Here Comes the song. Another favorite is "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" and Barney's "I Love You" song. I totally, totally cherish it! And I know partly it is losing my friend Kathy to cancer. Knowing that life isn't to be taken for granted. And knowing that these moments end eventually.
And these are the moments that I want to document :0)

I just checked this book out at the library for Erin and LOVE it! The art work is so beautiful and the language is amazing. I am simply in love with this book. You can see more pictures and text from inside the book hereAnother absolute favorite Children's book that I love for the artwork as well as the story is "Wink: The Ninja Who Wanted to Be Noticed." Such a great story! You can check it out here
Keeping these two books in mind for some future scrap projects!

Scrapping, but not really!

So this is the Feb. 7th Sunday sketch over at Studio Calico. And to be perfectly honest, I'm not going to get to it this week. I haven't done a single Sunday sketch since middle of January. Well, actually I did one, but didn't photograph it. Just stuck it in the album. Done!
We have all been pretty sick here off and on the past month. Colds, ear infections...etc... So I've been scrapping a bit here and there, but nothing big.
And Project 12, well I haven't even really looked at placing an order for January photos yet. So I probably won't make the deadline. But I will most likely start it eventually :0)
But at least I accomplished a head start on getting my scrap room cleaned. It was a DISASTER!
And if anything that just makes it harder for me to scrap when piles are laying around everywhere! So the right and middle side are clean.
The left side...not so much. But that's next! And then I will free to start scrapping regularly again. And maybe we will all finally be healthy. And maybe I'll have some scrap project photos to post.

Studio Calico Sunday Sketch

Here is the sketch from last Sunday...
and my layout. I pretty much followed the original completely this week! Not colors I'm used to or comfortable with so it got me out of my comfort zone. But that can be a good thing :0)
If you want to join along, there is a link to the Studio Calico blog on the right. They post a new sketch every week. And if you link a photo of your layout to the blog post by the following Saturday you have a chance to win a gift certificate to their store.

I'm going to an all day crop tomorrow, so hopefully I will have some more projects to post this week :0)

Sunday Sketch at Studio Calico

Here was the sketch put up on their blog Sunday, January 10th.
This is my take on it. My layout is 8 1/2 x 11 because most of the Ireland layouts are going to be in albums this size. And I say albums because I'm planning on doing one of just the trip. But then I am doing one just for me with my thoughts and feelings about the trip. This layout is going in my album :0)

Scrapping in 2010

Just a few scrap projects I am looking forward to this year besides scrapping Ireland photos :0)
1) Project 12 is something I found out about at the Studio Calico site and am really looking forward to giving it a try. I did something similar last year with a monthly recap layout page for our 2009 family album.
Anyway you can see more about Project 12 Here if you are interested. What I like about this project is the use of sketches. I am really loving sketches right now as a jump off point for designing my layouts. It just makes the whole process faster, but I can still make it "my own"

2.) And speaking of sketches and Studio Calico, I am so happy they have started this
Sketch Sunday :0) I plan on trying to participate as often as time allows! I wouldn't mind the chance to win an SC gift card so that sweetens the deal :0)

3) Another favorite scrap site, Two Peas in a Bucket, is offering free on-line scrap classes in 2010. Check the list of offered classes out here I am really intrigued by the mini-album a month class they are offering.
I tried a few of the classes in 2009 - Year of You, Cards, and the Super sketch classes. All had a different idea or project each month. Truthfully, I only completed an "assignment" here or there. I think I did two months worth of the cards class, one month from year of you, but I did the most from Super Sketches.
These classes didn't require you to participate every month so I was pretty happy with what I accomplished. I finished several layouts for the Sketches class that I really loved, had six cards to give to friends and family. Plus the Year of You class layout in January was a layout I used several times for my monthly recap layouts in my 2009 family album. Completely worth checking out!

4. And last but not least! I found a scrapbook challenge site through a few other blogs and I think it looks like a lot of fun. It's called scrapping the music I love music and I love using lyrics for journaling and titles. So I think this will be a good challenge site for me even though I'm usually not big on challenges. This one might be different :0)

How about you? What projects are you looking forward to in 2010?