Rain Rain Go Away!

I am so thrilled that spring is here! But I am also very tired of the rain. I want to see blue skies along with all the pretty blooms that are everywhere. We did get a taste of spring a few weeks ago. We spent the afternoon of March 7th at a local park enjoying the warm sunshine. Here are a few pictures from that near-80-degree day...

One of my Favorite Things!

Jessica, a new blog friend that I also met in real life last week, has a weekly feature called "Frugal Friday". How appropriate that today I went grocery shopping and took full advantage of this...


I love saving money... or I should say... paying the lowest price possible! Our budget is extra tight, so I am very happy when I can stretch my sweet husband's income, and feed our family well. I give God the glory for that!

Now, usually when I make a triple coupon run, I don't buy anything but the stuff which I am purchasing with coupons. I like to see how little I can spend and how much I can get! In fact, since they limit it to 20 coupons per day, I will go back and use some more coupons I have before this sale is over.

This time, I had some groceries I needed, so I didn't use coupons for the veggies, tortillas, creamer or the salsa that was on sale. My friend Jenny just shared a yummy recipe for White Chicken Chili that I want to cook this weekend, so I had to get the big yellow pepper! And I thought is was very cute that the corn tortillas I found were a new brand I hadn't seen before... called Celia's.

So here is everything I got! Lots of rice (mostly free), 4 boxes of cereal (about $.50 a box), lots of frozen veggies (no coupon there), frozen rolls (they were free), iced tea bags and green tea, mustard (free), creamer for my sweetie's coffee, salad dressing, and lots of fresh veggies. The "retail" price would have been around $116.

I don't know why people say HT is expensive! I just saved 74% on my grocery bill!!!

"Toddler to Teen Album"!

What is a Toddler to Teen album? This album captures 18 years of a person's life all in one book!!! It is great if you have someone who will soon be graduating from high school. If you have never scrapbooked, this is the perfect album for you to start with!!! Is your child or loved one already done with high school? Well, this album works well as a gift as they get married, graduate from college, or celebrate a milestone birthday! It's never too late to make this quick and easy album. You could also apply this concept to your own childhood photos and make it for yourself. The complete instructions are here.


The Toddler to Teen album can, of course, be made as a scrapbook. In fact, if you have never scrapbooked, it can be a good first project. Not a scrapbooker? That's ok -- you can also use this idea to make a slide-in PicFolio album. Love digital? This is a great project for a hardcover StoryBook or digital page prints.

This album uses a "windows in time" format, as opposed to a chronological, or year-by-year set up. What this means is that you will have 4 pages, or 2 two-page spreads, for each topic. Topic sections include things like "First Years", "Birthdays", "Places I've Been", "Family", and more. Using about 18 or so sections, with 4 pages each, you can fit an entire life in one album! However, you do need to get really picky if you have lots of photos. You will be limited to how many you can use in each section. But that is exactly what makes this such a do-able project!

I have handouts and instructions I am happy to share with you! Just send me an email or leave me a comment and I will be thrilled to help you out! If you are local, I can help you in person, too.

World's Largest Crop!

At least that is what it is called in Denver, CO! Here it was called:
Celebrate! Charlotte

Imagine 900 women (and maybe a man or two) in a large exhibit hall, all scrapbooking to their hearts' content!! This crop, or scrapbooking workshop, started at 9am and ended at 8pm this past Saturday. That is ELEVEN hours of scrapbooking time!!! Some decided to go for the deluxe package and were admitted an hour early AND got a chair massage, too!

This wonderful, well-organized event also included hundreds of page ideas on display, numerous classes, and several hands-on demos. In reality, you could spend the entire day partaking of all the offerings and never scrapbook a single page.

My dedicated attendees were very productive and got lots of pages completed! We all had a fabulous time! Let me know if you want to join us next year!!!

Sidetracked!

I had planned to write on Memory Manager software this week... but I am a little sidetracked!

Instead, I am immersed in piles of pretty papers, working on a precious project! Here is a sneak preview...

I will share more when I am done!

It's a Digital Life!

What do you do with all those photos on the memory card? Are they piling up on your hard drive? Is it overwhelming to figure out what to print, or even if you printed it already? With digital photos, I think we are taking more photos than ever before! Sadly, we are probably enjoying them less... especially if they are stuck on the camera or computer.

I have a great little video to watch that can give you hope and ideas for managing all those photos! Scroll to the bottom of this screen (click the link) and click on "It's a Digital Life" to see a 10 minute presentation on Memory Manager and StoryBook Creator software.

If you want more information, I'd love to help you! In fact, starting Monday, I am going to be sharing tips about the awesome features of Memory Manager! Better yet, Memory Manager is currently on sale for 25% off! I do love a bargain, don't you? And if you want to play with StoryBook Creator, here is a link for a free download! I have been using these programs for more than two years and would love to share them with you!

Where's Mom??!??

Monday night, I had a sweet lady here for my Power Palette Layout Class. In less than 4 hours, we had 21 album pages planned and layed out! The photos were family pictures from January through April 2008. One things we both noticed: there was not one picture of this wonderful woman! Plenty of pictures, of course, of her precious children, husband, and other family members. But none of her.


As moms, we often tend to be the photo-taker. That means that no one is taking pictures of us. And, honestly, I know many of us prefer it that way! While we love to take pictures, we don't like our picture taken. We are always concerned with how our hair looks, if we have makeup on or not, how much we weigh, what we are wearing, etc. Well, at least that is what is always going through my mind!


I would like to challenge us moms, or other camera-shy individuals, to be a little less self-focused. Think about those photos from today, and how they will be viewed years from now. Your absence will be noticed! You will be missed. Years from now, you won't care about how you looked... and you might even look back and say, "Hey, I actually looked pretty good, then!" Your children and other loved ones will want to see you, as they remember you. You are a vital part of their lives today; they will want to see you in photos tomorrow.

I have been working on filling in the gaps in my scrapbooks. Most recently, I have been working on my 2004 family album. It was fun to see this page from Jacob's 1st birthday! Especially since my baby is about to turn 6 next month! This is one of those pictures that I can now look back on and appreciate. I am glad we took it. I am glad we all know that I attended this event!

But what is interesting, is that when I turn the page, I see my hair all chopped off. And I remember.

I felt really bad about my appearance then. I had been in a car accident about 10 months before, and a neck injury from another car accident in 1999 had been aggravated. So in 2004 I had two steroid injections in my neck. I had gained a lot of weight. I was sick of my hair and ready for a change. I was also a little depressed. So I had my hair cut.

This photo was taken a few weeks later. I had the pleasure to see Beth Moore live in Colorado Springs with some of my closest, dearest friends. This was right after I had moved 90 miles away from these dear ladies. How many times do we forget to take photos of ourselves with our friends? It is so easy to take those times for granted. But we never know where we might end up in the future. Having this photo brings back a great memory of sweet fellowship!

Now, I don't like my hair in the picture with my friends at all. I was glad at the time to get it all cut off, but never really liked it. I still felt fat and ugly.... However, looking back, I realized a couple things. One, is never to cut my hair when I am feeling depressed! I will regret it! I also realized, that despite how I felt at the time, I didn't really look as bad as I thought I did... in either picture. And having those pictures today is important to me and my family.

How many times do you choose "not to attend an event" by not having your photo taken? Will your family see your precious face when they look back at family photos? I have a challenge for you. Hand someone else the camera... and smile!

I have a devotional book that was given to me for my birthday last year by my dear friend Connie. It is called, "Jesus Calling" by Sarah Young. The book is written as if Jesus was speaking right to me. This week, a couple of devotions especially spoke to my heart. I don't know if anyone else needs this encouragement, but I know I could visit these words over and over.

From February 21:
Trust and thankfulness will get you safely through this day. Trust protects you from worrying and obsessing. Thankfulness keeps you from criticizing and complaining, those sister sins that so easily entangle you.

Keeping your eyes on Me is the same thing as trusting Me. It is a free choice that you must make thousands of times daily. The more you choose to trust Me, the easier it becomes. Thought patterns of trust become etched into your brain. Relegate troubles to the periphery of your mind, so that I can be central in your thoughts. Thus you focus on Me, entrusting your concerns into My care.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ~Colossians 2:6-7

But my eyes are fixed on You, O Sovereign Lord; in You I take refuge--do not give me over to death. ~Psalm 141:8

From February 22:
You need me every moment. Your awareness of your constant need for Me is your greatest strength. Your neediness, properly handled, is a link to My Presence. However, there are pitfalls that you must be on guard against: self-pity, self-preoccupation, giving up. Your inadequacy presents you with a continual choice---deep dependence on Me, or despair. The emptiness you feel within will either be filled with problems or with My Presence. Make Me central in your consciousness by praying continually: simple, short prayers flowing out of the present moment. Use My Name liberally, to remind you of My Presence. Keep on asking and you will recieve, so that your gladness may be full and complete.

...pray continually; ~1 Thessalonians 5:17

Until now you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete. ~ John 16:24

Mom's Morning Off

I have to admit, I love Saturday mornings. Today it is clear, sunny, and gorgeous! It may be cold outside, but I am snug and warm inside. I am enjoying a peaceful, quiet breakfast. Alone. And I love it!

On Saturdays, my family gets up early. Gil takes the kids to church, where they then caravan to Uptown to serve breakfast as part of the street ministry. I am very proud of my family for serving the homeless each week. The kids look forward to going, and are the ones who make sure Daddy is up in time on Saturdays. They have been doing the homeless ministry for over a year, now.

This past fall, Abbie's class went to Uptown to see a play. As they left the bus, Abbie said, "Hey, there's one of my friends!" All her classmates were wondering what in the world she was talking about. She pointed out a homeless man, told the children his name, and said, "I serve breakfast to him every Saturday with our church." My nine-year-old had the opportunity to testify about serving Christ! Precious.

I have gone with my family once to the homeless breakfast. Sometimes I do feel guilty that I don't go with them regularly. I really like that my kids have this special thing they all do with Daddy every week. Part of me doesn't want to interfere with that. And a bigger part of me really needs the alone time.

Each morning during the week, I am up at 5:45 a.m., immediately immersed in the mad dash to get lunches made, clothes on, teeth and hair brushed, breakfast eaten, backpacks filled, and kids to school on time. Sundays, we don't have to get up as early, but still, we have to all get ready for church and get out of the door on time. Saturdays are the only unhurried, quiet mornings of the week, and my opportunity to have time to myself.

As a stay-at-home mom, I should have plenty of time to myself, right? Well, until this Fall, I always had at least one child at home. For much of the past 20 months, I have also had my husband at home. That was a huge adjustment for me! From this past August until about 5 weeks ago, Gil was gone during the day and all the kids were at school. Another adjustment. For the first time ever, I had the house to myself until school got out. But, after the morning rush, I had my To Do List to attend to... it never really felt like "me" time. It was my time to get stuff done.

So I look forward to Saturday mornings, my "mom's morning off". I am the type of person who needs time alone to recharge. I love, love, love being with people, especially outgoing, positive, fun people. But I have got to have the time to myself, too. It brings me back to center, refreshes me, and makes me a better wife and mom. I don't think it is selfish, but, for me, necessary.

What do you do for yourself?

10 Minute Makeover... with a Virtual Twist!

I am always encouraged by The Nester at Nesting Place! I love her ideas, her soothing, classy style, and the way she breaks down decorating to simple steps. In fact, her great "how to" posts inspired me to start my own blog (not that I compare myself to her in any way!)! Recently, she did a series called "10 minutes to a room you'll love" which gave great ideas for quickly making over a room like the family room, master bedroom, bathroom, or kitchen. Today, she invited readers to share a link to show off their own makeover, so this is my contribution to the "linky party"!

I decided to make over our entry area. And, because I can never do just one thing at a time... you know, one project overlaps into another... and then several spots are torn apart at once... I actually ended up getting the entry 90% done, made some changes to the family room, and got my office area (actually the formal living room) about 60% done! I will show off the entry today. I am also going to show you something really fun I did to make sure I would like the changes before I actually moved furniture!!!

Entry Makeover

Here is the before... not very soothing or welcoming. In fact, I think it is a pretty chaotic way to greet ourselves and our guests when we come in the front door. And, it was unfinished, never pulled together since we moved in this past September. The area is actually quite large, so it was a big, empty space, other than the disheveled shelves.

I moved out the bookshelves and replaced them with this gorgeous antique trunk. Now, this is a tailor's trunk that is meant to stand upright. I decided to turn it on its side. This photo makes it look kind of small, but it is really a very substantial piece! The plant was a gift from a friend. She brought it over at Christmas because it was taking over their house. It certainly doesn't take over this large space!


The trunk and the plant sit opposite the front door. That is where the bookshelves used to be. See how they were the first thing you would see as you walked in? See how much room there is? I think the trunk and plant are much more restful and welcoming. See the curtain in the background? It is actually a mistreatment, another idea from The Nester! This divides the entrance to my office area from the entry... I will show that off when it is done, in another post!

Here is a view from the "office" area into the entry. Another good friend gave me this great table -- here used as a storage bench. Several years ago, my mother made this wall quilt for me, for the entry of another house. I hung it before the bench came, so now I think I need to bring it down 18" or more. I was worried about the kids touching it, but it is way too high right now!

This was an easy makeover, using stuff I had. I love the results! I think it is peaceful and welcoming.

So where did the bookshelves go?

Virtual Makeover... No heavy lifting required!

I decided I wanted to move the bookshelves into the family room. But if you look closely, they really aren't in the room yet, at least not in this picture. Both bookshelves are actually the same shelf, copied and placed into my family room photo! This is my Virtual Makeover.

Here is the family room before:

I wanted to move the bookshelves, but it was a daunting task... unloading all the books, moving the shelves, reloading. And then what if I didn't like the results? I didn't want to be moving them again! So I decided I would do a Virtual Makeover first, using my StoryBook Creator software! This software is for making scrapbook pages, and other fun projects, but I had an inspiration that I could use it a very unique way!

I measured and I knew the shelves would fit beside my chairs in the family room. But I wanted to see if I would like the bookshelves in the family room. First, I took a photo of the family room. Then, attempting to use the same angle of viewing, I took a picture of the bookshelves.

I opened up StoryBook Creator and brought both photos in. Then, I used the Custom Cutting Tool to cut around and isolate one of the bookshelves. Step 1: Select the photo, then choose a cutting tool from the Tools menu.

Step 2 was to click each corner point in order to outline the shape of the bookshelf. The bookshelf is an easy shape to select since it is all straight lines. It only takes six or so clicks. This tool will also work on curved edges... you just need to enlarge the view and click smaller segments at a time. See the shading over the shelf image?

Step 3 is to use the little pop-up menu for the Custom Cutout tool to first "Invert the shaded area." This leaves the bookshelf alone, and reverses the selection to everything else. Next, I clicked on the "Cut around the shaded area" which deleted the background.

Now all I have is the bookshelf! I copied it so I would have two. Then I brought in the photo of the family room and placed the bookshelves on top. I resized each of them to make them fit into the room. And then I used the cutting tool again to cut away the parts of the bookshelf that covered up the furniture in the family room photo. Here is how it looked with the family room photo taken away...
Here is the final result. I really only played with it on the computer for about 1o minutes. I was really tickled with myself that I could "see" the room without moving furniture! And even better, my husband came home while I was playing. I was able to get his stamp of approval for the change! I moved the bookshelves the next day. Below is the virtual makeover... I will show off the family room, as it is now, another day.

p.s. The tutorial images were also made with StoryBook Creator Plus! Isn't it fun??!