ScrapTiffany Sketch Challenge

It’s time for another ScrapTiffany challenge. This time the Design Team was asked to work with this sketch by our own Bev. If you want to join in the fun, email your take on the sketch to Tiffany at Tiffany(at)ScrapTiffany(dot)com.

Here was my take on it with a couple of my more recent favorite pictures of me and my mama.

I picked out the pictures when I saw the sketch, but I have to admit, when it came time to journal I couldn’t do it, so I found some sentiment stickers that said something instead.

It’s funny how some days you can write or talk about someone you miss easier than others. The day I made this, just wasn’t one of those easier days. But I am okay with that.

Hope you have a great Saturday. And if you are a lucky one with a 3 day weekend (I’m not), enjoy!

School Time

Today our littlest man started pre-school….

We debated if he was too young. If it would be a good thing for him. 

He isn’t talking much yet,  and probably needs a bit more of a push and some social interaction.

We thought pre-school at 2 might be better than waiting until 3.  So today, we let go and watched our baby become a toddler….

He had a good first day and will go twice a week for now.

Nicholas gets his daddy to himself 2 mornings a week, too. Although I think he was sad not to be able to stay today when we dropped off Jackson. I think he missed his “may-me”.

Today was exactly one year ago that Nicholas started pre-school at 3.

And this afternoon we realized…they wore the same sweatshirt to their first day of school….

…maybe it’s happenstance…

…..I see it as good luck….

           …don’t you think?

This kid….

Planned to post this Sunday, but we were too busy spending time with this kid….

This kid…

…is a big lovebug

…is obsessed with trains

…can do a US map puzzle

…is enthusiastic about learning

…is curious and inquisitive

…talks about his extended family all the time

….has a mind like a steel trap

…loves to play with his Daddy

…is compassionate and kind

…is a protective big brother

…is sweet to his doggies

…loves to cuddle with his Mama

…is 4!

At his request he had a Thomas party on Saturday…

Nana and Grandpa C and Grandpa R were in attendance for his party…

Dinner was one of his favorites, hot dogs and chips….

presents were opened (that is the US puzzle that he figured out how to do in no time)…

cake was had (no frosting, please, mom)….

Sunday we headed up to North Phoenix to the Adobe Western Railroad where we road the train a couple of times….

Nicholas and Mike spent lots of time inside watching the small trains

and more time outside watching the train that looked like the one we had under the Christmas tree…

I hung out with this guy while he wore himself out running all over the place

and just a little something for Grandpa and Grandma J….

All in all a great birthday weekend.

Tuesday Tutorial at ScrapTiffany

I'm hosting the Tuesday Tutorial over at ScrapTiffany. Come on by and learn how to make this:

Peace–It’s Just One Little Word

On December 1st I wrote this from a journaling prompt to “encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?”

December 1 ~ One Word.

2010 in one word…Chaos. It has felt like we are chasing our tails all year. Our business was so consuming so we stopped, but the rest of the year has been a whirlwind. Some self imposed, some imposed on us. As we are winding up the year, work for me has been more crazy than normal with a structure reorganization. And November brought us heart break in the sudden bad turn in my mom’s health. Now that we are in December, I am spending my evenings in the hospital, my days at work, the few minutes I have in the morning with my boys and squeezing in Christmas shopping on my lunch hour.

As I look to 2011 I hope for Peace. Time to enjoy our life, time to enjoy our boys, and some freedom from everyday worries. No life is perfect, but I pray we have some peace in our days.

Little did I know when I wrote those words, that we would be faced with more before the year would end. Ten days after I wrote this, my mom left us. We dealt with the holidays grieving our huge loss, one we didn’t expect to happen so quickly.

I have never chosen a word of the year before, it is a “popular” thing for us scrapbookers to do. But this year it seemed so appropriate. I felt a need for calm, quiet, reflection, hope, and serenity.

Peace – (noun) – 1. a state of tranquility or quiet. 2. harmony in personal relationships

Synonyms – calm, quiet, stillness, silence, tranquility, harmony, serenity, agreement, friendship, love, order, unity, relaxation, rest, repose

Quotes that resonated with me  -

“Peace is not something you wish for; It's something you make, Something you do, Something you are, And something you give away.” ~ Robert Fulghum

“When you find peace within yourself, you become the kind of person who can live at peace with others.”  ~ Peace Pilgrim

“Peace is not the absence of conflict, but the ability to cope with it”

Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.”  ~ Hindu Prince Gautama Siddharta

“Each one has to find his peace from within. And peace to be real must be unaffected by outside circumstances.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Peace is its own reward.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“When we are unable to find tranquility within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere” ~ François de la Rochefoucauld

“Peace is the deliberate adjustment of my life to the will of God.”

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.” ~ John Lennon

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” ~ John Fitzgerald Kennedy

To help me remain committed to my word for 2011 I have signed up for Ali Edwards One Little Word class at Big Picture Classes. Each month we will receive an assignment to help us remember what we have committed to, I know this will be important for me this year.

ScrapTiffany…playing catch up

I think it’s about time I do a ScrapTiffany post again.

With the loss of my Mom last month, I have been off of my regular blogging routine, and Tiffany has been graciously understanding with my ScrapTiffany assignments.

I wasn’t sure I would have the desire to scrap, but found during the past few weeks I have found a bit of solace in a little scrap therapy.  So if you check in at ScrapTiffany regularly you would see I have had submissions posted most weeks, but hadn’t updated my blog .

Anyway, we are going to remedy that today with a big catch up post. First, today’s post over at ScrapTiffany is the kick off of the new Design Team and a brand new blog design. Our challenge for the week was to scraplift another design team member.  I chose a layout by one of the new designers, Sophie to scraplift. I still want to do a more thorough “Turning 40” post and layout, but other things took priority on my birthday and I just haven’t gotten to it. For now, I have the most important things documented on what I want to focus on at 40…

I used the Studio Calico December Metropolitan kit and add-on’s for this one.  This was Sophie’s layout that I lifted….

Next in the catching up department, a couple weeks back we did an All About Boys challenge. I was able to scrap one of my favorite pictures taken this year of Mike and Jackson using a Citrus Tree Studio kit I picked up over the summer. 

Check out the other designers here and here

And one last ScrapTiffany layout I have not posted.  Last week we had a Year in Review challenge which I happily used as an excuse to use my Studio Calico month stamps along with a quick collage and another layout from the Studio Calico December kit.

Check out the fun ideas the ScrapTiffany designers had to document 2010 here and here.

On Tuesday it is my turn to host the ScrapTiffany blog here is a peek at what I have coming….

See you soon….