document life now

2012 Scrapbook Projects: Florida 2012/Project Life

I've talked a bit here about this. I am thinking ahead to our big trip this summer -- two weeks in Florida doing theme parks, in part to celebrate the high school graduation of our oldest child. Like any good scrapbooker, I am thinking about how I want to document the trip. It's going beyond, "What camera do I want to take?" to "What do I want the documentation process to be?"

I came to the conclusion that one thing that sets a Florida trip apart from any other trip or event is that I come home with a lot of memorabilia. I'm still carrying around a Fastpass for the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland, for example. I have receipts (barely readable, but I have them) from our 2000 trip to the World. I want to be able to save those physical items without scanning and/or otherwise trying to incorporate them into a digital project.

I looked at some art journals and other ideas before I was reading one of my favorite blogs and saw this:

Could I possibly stay with my clean, graphic look and use the Project Life elements to create a trip album that will capture all those little stories we'll have to tell? 

I started thinking about it. Looking at the many physical products available for Project Life. Thought about how I would want my journaling done via computer in order to keep that clean, graphic look... so what digital products would I need in order to accomplish that?

Created my resource page:

Even did a little image to be the folder image for my supplies:

 

I purchased/wish listed a few things that I think are going to be essential to bringing my album together.

   

   

I'm pinning tutorials to Pinterest that I think may help me when it comes to the actual creation of the album, but since that's a long ways off, I'm OK with worrying about that this summer. 

In addition to thinking about the supplies I want to use, I put some things together to make capturing the memories a bit easier. First, my Deluxe Passporter refill arrived last week. I love this guidebook not so much for the text of the book, but for those yellow pass pockets at the back. They are filled with journal prompts to help you capture memories. 

Those passpockets alone aren't going to be enough, though. I need more space to write, so I downloaded and printed a great .pdf file I'd seen Ali Edwards post during her Week in the Life series. I was able to print her .pdfs half size, and punch holes so that they would fit into my Passporter. So I've got a Day 1 passpocket to collect memorabilia, then two sheets of Week in the Life prompts to help me remember what we did. In addition, I downloaded the Evernote app for my iPhone so I could take notes while we're traveling or in the parks. So many times my kids say something funny and I want to remember it. Evernote (and Twitter and Facebook) will help me do that. 

So, yes, I know I'm probably the only person who has an entire album planned before the trip. I know I'm definitely the only person who has a logo for her Disney trip. First... it's cute, right? And second... it makes me happy. Maybe I have too much time on my hands. Maybe I'm an over organized, controlling person. But I'm sure a happy one.

I'll update just before the trip with more on what we're planning to do to document and then of course, lots of the album in progress throughout the summer.

2012 Scrapbook Projects: Round Up

This year I decided that having failed in Project Life... three times... I would not put that pressure on myself again. What I would do instead was a variation on Katie Nelson's Round Up. Every month, Katie "rounds up" what her family has done/read/watched and creates a layout. I want to take that base and build an album out of it.

To start, I took her list of roundup questions and printed them and stuck the sheet of paper on our message center in the kitchen. I keep a pen handy and the whole family is invited to add significant events, books they've read, gifts they've given or received, etc. 

In addition, I'm taking a photo a day on my iPhone. I'll have those photos to use in my Round Up. I've also made myself start planning for the round up during the month. For example, after we watched an episode of The Big Bang Theory four times in one week, I knew I should include a photo from that episode in our Round Up. So while I was thinking about it, I went ahead and grabbed a photo from the internet.

Finally, I've created a folder on my EHD just for Round Up related items. Inside this folder are the templates I plan to use, a resource sheet that tells me which fonts and colors I should be using to maintain continuitiy, and photos, screen shots of texts, etc that I want to use.

  

I'm excited to sit down in a few days and do my January layout, which I'll share here. It makes me happy to have this very specific way to capture my family each month. I can't wait until a year from now when I have that album in my hands. It's gonna be great.

a little random

Just pulling a few photos off Facebook/Camera + to share here...

Got my order from Doctor Sweet Tooth yesterday. I finally ran out of my former scent -- Rock Star -- and wanted to try something new. I ordered a little sampler of scents and Mykiah and I had so much fun trying them. I kept coming back to Fizzy Pop. So did Mykiah, but she has so many sprays and scented bath items that it's ridiculous. I tend to be crazy loyal to one scent for a long time, then eventually try something new. Rock Star and My Boyfriend's T-Shirt had been my scents for at least three years, so it was time.

Fizzy Pop is a bright, happy little scent. I spray it and I smile. That's what I was looking for in a scent.

And maybe I'm a little crazy about this whole "signature scent" thing. But I'm seriously trying to cut out the negative and find the positive in my life. If a scent can make me smile, I'm buying it. In giant size.

Speaking of finding the happy, I'm sick. I'm trying to pretend I'm not. Faithfully taking cold medicine every 4-6 hours around the clock to drive up my sinus and prevent a sinus infection. Drinking a lot of water. Going about my daily routine as if I'm not feeling like walking death. I'm almost tricking myself into thinking I feel fine. Until I get all cranky, and then I know it's not working. So glad to have a weekend to rest and get better. I do not want to lose my voice before conferences next week. 

This was taken at one of our favorite walking places. In January, I have logged 45 miles walking. 45 miles, people. 

And speaking of New Year's Resolutions I didn't make, I've also kept up with my picture a day app. At least one photo every day so far this year.

I may have lost a little weight too. 

I'm doing pretty good for a person who didn't make any resolutions, huh? 

a few layouts

This weekend while I was messing with Photoshop, I got to do a few layouts. I love how Lynette's templates always inspire me to think outside my comfort zone. So much fun for me...

You can pick up these templates -- plus one more -- at Nettio Designs. Special sale pricing for a few days, too. 

life's a happy song

A silly little song from The Muppet Movie has become our family theme song. I don't know... there's just something about Jason Segal and a bunch of muppets that makes my heart happy. And I just can't read the song title without launching into song. 

I really believe life should just be one big Muppet movie. I'm seriously thinking of turning Hayden into a Muppet.

Anyway, this weekend I worked a little bit on putting things together for my Disney album... you know, the album for a trip that still five months away? Anyway, I decided I wanted to use the Project Life format/binder/page protectors to scrap the trip. I want it to be a combo of digital journaling and actual memorabilia and embellishments, and this offers me the most flexibility and opportunities for creativity.

I spent a good few hours browsing the Project Life products (I already have a bunch of the original page protectors since I'm lame and never finished last year's project) and choosing which color scheme I wanted to use.

Turns out I want to use the Cobalt edition. I went ahead and downloaded the digital edition from Jessice Sprague.

And then I played. And played some more.

While I was browsing, I found some downloadable Project Life wallpapers for iPhone. 

So I played again....

That's my lock screen. I selfishly wanted pictures of me happy, so that every time I unlock my phone, I remember my word -- magic -- and I know to find my happy place. 

I'm working hard this year to keep myself on track and making progress through my goals. Every little piece -- including iPhone wallpapers -- helps. 

for the love of keurig

For Christmas, my parents gave Brady a Keurig.

That thing is getting a serious workout. 

Brady loves to brew tea. He drinks English Breakfast Tea every morning. He's a frugal guy and can't see paying for K-cups when the machine will dispense hot water and he can drop in a tea bag for 1/4 the price. So he buys boxes of tea and just lets it steep. I did buy him a tea sampler pack, so he sometimes brews that. And he loves the Cinnamon Pastry coffee K-cups. 

Now Mykiah... she's become a coffee drinker. She brews herself a cup every morning. She likes it bold and without sweeteners. 

Ches makes hot chocolate or apple cider. Dan drinks the occasional cup of coffee or hot cocoa as well. 

Me? I'm not a huge fan of hot drinks. It freaks me out a bit to drink something hot. I know... I have issues. However, I did manage to buy myself a box of Perfect Iced Tea (unsweetened... because sweet drinks also freak me out a bit). Nothing I like better on a Saturday afternoon than to fill a cup up with ice and pop it under the Keurig and come away with strong, brewed iced tea in under a minute. 

So far our favorite K-cups seem to be Nantucket Blend, Gingerbread coffee, Pumpkin Spice coffee and Cranberry Green Tea. Any other suggestions? 

recipe: Tortellini Soup

Since my son has become a vegetarian, I've sort of been trying to broaden our horizons to include a few more vegetarian meals. Brady's OK with making a separate meal for himself, but it really doesn't hurt us to have one vegetarian friendly meal a week.

This week's recipe was Tortellini Soup. I found the recipe on the internet (actually I think it was on Facebook). I altered it to suit our tastes and decided to make it on Monday night. Baked some Schwans cheese and herb biscuits with it and it was a meal.

Tortellini Soup

4 cups tomato juice (or V8 if you really want to veggie load)

1/2 cup water

2 cans vegetable broth (about 4 cups) -- you could use beef broth here if you're not a vegetarian

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp oregano

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups frozen mixed vegetables

1 bag frozen cheese tortellini

some parsley flakes

Bring tomato juice, broth, water, basil, oregano and pepper to a boil. Add vegetables and tortellini. It will take quite a while to return to a boil (5+ minutes). Once it's back at a boil, turn the burner down to a simmer and let simmer about 5 minutes to cook the vegetables.

Serve warm with some nice crusty bread. Or cheese and herb biscuits. 

It was a hit. Mykiah, who has never eaten filled pasta, liked it. We all ate a big bowl and we had enough left over for Brady to eat the next day (when we had BLTs). Thumbs up to tortellini soup. 

a quickie photo shoot

Wanted to get a few shots of Chesney and the new outfits she got for her American Girls...

blow out the candles

Chesney was quite insistent that we had to sing Happy Birthday at exactly the time of her birth. I even set a timer to remind us.

It was about 3 minutes early but the frosting was demanding that it be eaten.

She may be a year away from being a teenager, but she's still a little giggly girl inside.

cupcakes!

We debated what to do for Chesney's birthday cake. I usually remember to start thinking about that during the week between Christmas and New Year and this year was no exception. 

Ches finally decided that she'd just like some cupcakes. She picked some fun liners and sprinkles and Kiah and I found a new recipe to try. 

For Christmas, my mom gave Ches a pancake/cupcake pitcher. It makes it so easy to get batter from the mixing bowl to the griddle or cupcake pans. 

I made my famous cool whip frosting and we all had fun sprinkling and eating.