Project 365 CTMH Stye

I'm still sad about not getting a kit, but love the idea. I decided to make my own with CTMH products--might as well support myself :)


Here are last week's and *most* of this week. I've been printing pics on Saturdays, but my pages run Sunday-Saturday, so I have to wait a week to finish.




I decided to choose on paper pack/set of colors per month. For January, I am using CTMH's Key To My Heart pack. It's the special for January. For this week's photos, I let everyone choose to take a picture of something important to them this week. I don't know if you can read the journaling, so here goes. Mike's was peanut butter--with the Salmonella/peanut butter problems, he's been very busy and working a lot of overtime. Me, I picked my fuzzy slippers that my grandma knits me. Austin picked his Webkinz. Brendan was the sweetest--when I asked him what does he love that he wants to take a picture of, he replied, "I want to take a picture of you, Mommy." It brought tears to my eyes. Not the greatest picture of me, but well worth it!!


Here's a couple pics of the boys I took in the van today. Austin wasn't too thrilled, but Brendan was hamming it up. The second picture is his "funny face".

So Much to Do

I've seen this on several blogs, so I thought what the heck. THis is a list of things to do in your life. The ones I've done are in pink. The ones I really WANT to do are in blue. There are quite a few that I have no desire to do!!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band--not unless singing into a hairbrush with my sisters counts
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis--seen them, but I don't touch bugs if I can help it!
10. Sang a solo--I wouldn't force anyone to suffer through that!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty--the three times I've been there, they've had the inside closed :(
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon--not in this lifetime!!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied?
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing--only on a climbing wall
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted--I was only five at the time
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling Went snorkeling in Hawaii on our honeymoon
52. Kissed in the rain--it rained our entire honeymoon--LOL!
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp--don't think I could--I'd be to upset
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial--passed it, but didn't go up to/in it
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible--read a lot of it, butnot all
86. Visited the White House--took pictures in front. They weren't allowing visitors that day
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox twice--just once
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Makes me realize how much I still want to do! Of course, if I could just take my dream trip to Italy or England/France, I could cross off a lot more :)

All right I'm off to my scrap room. I hope to post my last couple weeks of 365 pages soon!

Close To My Heart 40% Sale

Starting tomorrow, January 26th, at 8:00 am (MT), Close To My Heart will be offering a host of new products for 40% off retail prices! There will be everything from stamp sets to paper to accessories in the discounted section. Don’t miss out—last time the stamp sets were sold out within hours. To order, visit my website http://www.moments2treasure.myctmh.com/

Online orders qualify for the Stamp of the Month and Key To My Heart specials. The Key To My Heart kit (pictured below) includes the Key To My Heart paper pack and coordinat­ing E-Sized Stamp Set, a retail value of $47.90. You can earn it for FREE—just spend $130. If you spend $75, you can earn the kit for $20. You can also purchase the set for the $47.90.

You can also order they fabulous Art and Soul products online as well. Check them out at MYCTMH-TV. If you haven’t watched these Art and Soul episodes, they are wonder­ful—full of creative ideas.

Cards and 365

Two posts in one day?! Try not to fall off your computer chair :) As promised, here's a few of the cards I've been working on this week. I have oodles of cards to send out. To my lovely family members celebrating birthdays in January--they'll be on the way soon, I promise!!

These are made with CTMH's new Stardust papers, and the Shining Star stamp set. I love these papers. Such fun bright, BOY colors. I've got pictures just waiting to be scrapped with these papers.

Again I used Shining Star stamps, this time with Guy Thing papers. I love this big star, but I have had such a hard time creating with it. This card took hours and it still doesn't look like the one in my head. I hate when that happens.

These last two are simple, but I love them anyway. This is one of my all time favorite CTMH paper packs, Free Spirit. I didn't think I'd like it when it came out, but it is fabulous for layouts of my boys, and masculine cards. I've been through several packs since it came out.

A few more Project 365 pictures. I've given up on them re-releasing the kit for those of us who did not get in on it. I decided I'm going to make my own using CTMH papers, stamps, and six-pocket divider pages. I ordered all the supplies and they'll be here Monday. I can't wait. I may try to lay out some of it this weekend without the divider pages. I'll post when I get my first few pages done. I'm excited because I think this will be a manageable scrapbook project for me. I can jot notes and take pictures during the week, and print the pics and put it together every weekend.

Here's a couple of shots for this week:

School days are such a joy. This is how Brendan starts out every morning. He is NOT a morning person at all. Here he is ready to go, all bundled up, chocolate milk in hand. This week I downloaded the Cars soundtrack to listen to on the way to school and that has made him a little happier, but he'd still rather not get up for school.

Our Mii family. Here is what we look like on Wii fit. The Wii Fit, for those that don't know, takes your Mii's (online characters) and adjusts them for height and weight. No fun to watch you Mii grow outward--LOL! Mike absolutely hates his and will probably kill me for posting, but I love our cute little family. By the way, I totally stole the idea for taking our Mii picture from Keri G, someone who posted on Becky's site. We spend so much family time doing this, I loved the idea of recording it.

Have a great weekend! I'm hoping to create more this weekend to post, but no guarantees :)

Finding Balance

I never did post my word for 2009. I did this last year, inspired by Ali Edwards. Last year my word was "delight". I wanted to challenge myself to find delight in all of the little details that make up our life. While I still want to do this, especially by taking part in Project 365, my word for this year is a little different.

Going back to work full time has been a huge adjeustment for everyone in our family. The kids have had a hard time with Mommy not being around as much. Mike has had a tough time with the fact that I'm not around to get as much done. A lot has fallen on him these last few months, especially with the kids. I can't just leave and go get one of them if they get sick. I can't just go run the car in or any of the other tasks we took for granted before. For me the adjustment has been one I think most working moms face--trying to find enough hours in the day to get everything done. I love my job, and the kids I teach bring me a lot of joy (and yes a few headaches too :) ). However, after a full day teaching other people's children, I still need to come home and take care of my own--dinner, homework, family time, and still try to get papers graded and lesson plans done. I have (mostly) let go of my Close To My Heart business because I just don't have time to get it going again. I hardly scrapbook or stamp, as those loyal followers to my blog have seen. It's been tough, but I'm trying to focus on the positive. With these tough economic times, I know that I am blessed to have a job at a wonderful school. I still get to have weekends, summers and breaks off with my kids. I just need to work in a little more *me* time.

So after that long, rambling intro, my word for this year is BALANCE. My goal is to find balance between work and family and the fun stuff. I want to be able to find time to do the things that I enjoy, without letting go of any of the other things that need to be done. I'm hopeful. This week, I've focused on getting more done before I leave school and instead of grading papers while I catch my favorite shows, I've been stamping and making cards. I've been a happier person :) I'll post the fruits of my stamping labors in a few. The kids and I have been playing Wii fit everyday after school, which is fun, and making me feel good. Here's to a great 2009 and finding balance and joy in the little blessings in our everyday lives!

A few more Emporium Cards

I LOVE this new paper pack from CTMH. The colors are gorgeous! I used the "Creative Basics" pack, which is great for cards because it comes with two designs of B&T paper and a spool of matching ribbon. I used a template I got from another consultant on the CTMH board. Connie Mann's cards were so darling, I had to try and make my own. I ended up with fewer than her 11 cards (not sure how), and I changed up a couple of the cards.

Stamp sets used were: Happy Birthday, Butterfly Winngs (upcoming March SOTM), Card Commentary, and Thoughts of You.

We had a wonderful weekend hanging out with the family. We went bowling last night and managed to eat out a few times. Here's a couple fun shots from bowling:

If nothing else, my boys have their own unique style--LOL!

And this is what happens if Mommy is working on something and not watching closely (silly me, I thought they were playing Wii). The boys decided to take the yarn they picked out for scarves and make a "spider web," which went through every room in the house upstairs and down. It was pretty funny. Of course, Austin didn't think it was too funny after he had to roll it all back up.

CASE a Sister Challenge

I made this card for a challenge for my SBS4 group. The deal was to create a card inspired by a sister's site. I can't tell you which site because that would ruin the fun :)

I used Close TO My Heart's new Emporuim papers and the upcoming March SOTM, Butterfly Wings. It's very sparkly in person. Can't tell from the photo.

TGIF

I am so glad today is Friday! Even better, grades were due today so I don't have any grading to catch up on, so I'm hoping to not work too much this weekend. And the icing on the cupcake? It's a three day weekend--yippee :)

We celebrated tonight by going to the Spaghetti Factory with Grandma and Papa. We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Browned Butter and Mizithra--yummy! Here's the boys enjoying their pasta with Grandma:

Last weekend, my mom and I went to a crop hosted by a friend and fellow consultant. Both of us were feeling pretty crummy, but we tried to enjoy it anyway. I got all of three cards done. Yes, we were there almost 4 hours and I only got three cards, Sad! Here's my favorite card.

I used CTMH's new Emporium papers and their new Bella-esque stamps: Ms. On the Go. I paper pieced her outfit and all of the shopping bags. Still not loving the flower--may have to tweak it a bit.

A few more random pictures. Right before the end of Christmas break, I managed to get my hands on a Wii Fit. Meaning I stalked all the stores, got their delivery dates and times, then went store to store until I found one--LOL! Toys R Us was the lucky winner. We LOVE our Fit! The games are a lot of fun and *most* days, I've managed at least 30 minutes of exercise. We'll see if it pays off.

Austin walking the tight rope.

Daddy helping Brendan.

The other night we stopped in Bed, Bath, and Beyond and I found these for the boys. They are like the "Snuggies" you see advertised on TV (click on it if you've never had the pleasure of the infomercial). The Snuggies themselves have become an inside joke because we always make fun of the commercials, but Mike and I both know that I secretly want one--LOL! I mean, come one, it gets cold, and "a blanket slips and slides, and your hands get trapped inside." Anyway, I found these Cars ones, and the boys had to have them. Mommy caved because, after all, they were half off :) Now they proudly wear them over their jammies every night.

Last Day of Freedom

Oh the life of a teacher--tomorrow it's back to work. We've had such a nice break with all four of us off. That makes it even harder to go back. We've been catching up on movies and playing with all the new toys. Today, after over a month of searching, I finally got my hands on a Wii Fit, so that's been our fun for the day. I'm already feeling it, so I know I'm going to be sore tomorrow!



I wanted to share a couple things I've been working on. I attempted to make thank you cards for all my students who spoiled me with gifts, but gave up after about five. I can't do simple and quick, apparently. I went today and bought thank yous. I just knew I wasn't going to have time to make 20+ cards and still get everything I needed to done. Here's a couple of my completed cards. I used CTMH Caprice papers and Snow Friends stamps. You can't see in the pics, but I filled in the "snow" with Stickles.



For Christmas, I had photo calendars made at Costco for everyone. Well, I neglected to make one for myself, so I created this desk calendar over the last few days. I used CTMH's Display album, Moment in Time Stamp of the Month (calendar), Word Puzzle stamp sets and various paper packs. I love the way it turned out!
Now I can have beautiful reminders of my boys all day :)





Project 365:
Even though I couldn't get a kit since they were sold out by the time I could get the website to work, I still want to do this project. You can see all the info at Becky Higgins blog. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they will make this kit available again. If not, I may just have to make my own. In the meantime, I'm thinking that this is exactly the kind of scrapbooking that I have time for :) Here's a couple of pictures from my list so far.





Making pizza--this was the activity Austin wanted to do for New Year's Eve.




My Peppermint hot cocoa--complete with candy cane (and of course, my favorite mug--anyone else still miss this show?!)