Why I love to scrap...

When I am "in the zone", everything I see and experience becomes an idea, inspiration or trigger that makes me want to scrap and create something. I am so happy to say that that feeling and desire has returned to me in full force the past couple of months. I know it may sound crazy to some, but I will admit that I actually included scrapping in my prayer life. I have written about my struggle with depression and just feeling like life was getting the best of me from about the time Wyndham had her major surgery and I had a newborn plus  other kiddos to care for at the same time. I had already "let scrapping go" in a way because the site and friends I had been so active and close with at SIStv shut down and most of us went our seperate ways since we are actually miles and miles apart in the physical world.

So as things became progressively overwhelming in life and I became progressively bitter about parts of my life, the thing I felt least like doing at that time was documenting the details of my life. The details were not "pretty". They weren't fun. Or exciting. Or even different. There were stretches in that time of my life where I went days without even leaving the house. One stretch was a full 17 days! It wasn't for lack of my wanting to leave; but the fact was I couldn't leave. Chip and I were {and still are} Wyndham's full-time caregivers. When she was in double casts, we were the ones to change every diaper {and we still do}, administer pain meds round the clock, bathe her as best we could, and get anything and everything she needed, since she was immobile. It was and sometimes still is exhausting, just to meet her daily needs. Throw in 4 other rambunctious, growing, healthy kids and one newborn nursing baby into that equation, and it's no wonder I couldn't step foot out my front door to even get the mail at that time. Chip would grab groceries on his way home from work every couple of days, and other than dropping off and picking up the kids from school, we were stuck at home.

It was hard. It felt unfair. It was smothering. It was tiring.  I can't tell you the number of loads of laundry I did. I can't tell you the number of times I wished I had a different set of life circumstances at that point in time. I can't tell you how many months Chip and I didn't even get to sleep in the same room- much less go out and have some one-to-one couple time without worrying about meeting someone's needs.

It was a time when our world seemed very small. And yet our "problems" felt very big and real.

Flash forward through nearly 2 years and we have come a long, long way.

My attitude has started to come back to the one I remember and love best. The kind of attitude that says, "Yes, rough stuff happens, but we have it oh so GOOD!". The clouds have lifted in my heart one tiny bit at a time as I have watched Wyndham gain at least some strength back and finally gotten to the point where she can move around on her feet instead of a chair. She is not "the old Wyndham" that we had before in that she basically sits/stays in one place all day unless we help, ask or demand her to move. She used to walk around the house and play what sh wanted to play and interact with her siblings and do stuff like open the fridge and point to what she wanted to drink. She has an iPad that she loves now. She doesn't use a wheelchair at home, and she is close to herself at least when it comes to her sense of humor being back. So we are thrilled with that type of progress. But I wonder at this point if she will ever be like she used to be. I never want to hold her back, so I support her and push her and we continue to have her in therapies each week.

Teague has gone from newborn to a big 2 year old now. He wants nothing more than to do everything the "big kids" do around here. So that means he has mastered the iPad. And Angry Birds on our cell phones too. He plays hard, eats well, laughs lots, looks for trouble, gets in trouble, still takes daily naps, and basically continues to capture our hearts all while we try to find ways to wrangle him and keep him from too much trouble.

We have moved. We are not settled. But as I wrote earlier in a post about excuses in life, I knew that just because I didn't have spot set up or my scrap supplies unpacked didn't mean I had to give up the creative side of me that was craving the opportunity to make stuff. Between all the demands of life and the stress of not being settled in a home is about the time when I decided to take my 'cravings' to God. Why I didn't just come to Him with one of the great needs of my heart in the first place, I don't know. Maybe it's because I think in comparison to some problems in my own life and certainly in our big world around all of us, it just didn't seem to deserve a spot in my prayers. Maybe it's because I just felt like I should be able to meet my needs in that area of my life all on my own. Maybe it's because in all the Bible stories I have ever read since I was a little girl I don't ever recall anyone asking God to give them opportunities to scrap and create stuff.

But for me scrapping isn't just about cutting and gluing and playing around with cute stickers and ribbons and stuff. It has been so much more than that to me. The most important part of it has been the friendships I have established with other scrappers/creative people. These people have become a part of my life and connecting with people who have the same passion for the same kind of stuff is a truly wonderful thing to me. It has gone beyond sharing pictures and projects- to sharing hopes, fears and even wild dreams too. It's true I was missing the "stuff". But more than that I was missing the people who love to share that stuff and love to see me share too. It has been more than just putting memories and photos down on pages and in mini books. Scrapping in my life has opened doors and given me expereinces with people I would otherwise never have crossed paths with in my daily life. It has stretched me creatively and grown a part of my heart that I would have otherwise never have known existed.

It has become a way for me to share what's in my heart in a tangible way. It has become a wonderful outlet for me to express some of the funny or serious, or simple and quirky, or heartfelt and fleeting things that touch my heart and mind. I used to think that scrapping meant you took your kids' school photos and glued them to a page with stickers and the name of their teacher that year. But it is so much more than that. One of the things I love most about creating pages and other things is that there are no set rules. There are no 'right or wrong' ways of doing things. You don't have to put your pictures on a straight line. You don't have to match your alphabet letters to your paper. Anything goes. You don't even need pictures. You can just make what you want, how you want to, and out of whatever you want to use. And in the process of doing that stuff I have made some great friends and filled a few albums with pages of stories and pictures that I hope will give the people I love glimpses of what was on my heart and mind at that time.

Being a part of the Cocoa Daisy community has been an answer to my prayer. I was asking God to give me ways to connect with others {being a stuck-at-home mom is hard work!} and ways to tap into the creative side of life that I had been missing and craving. Without even knocking on it or looking for it, the door to Cocoa Daisy swung open. I felt from the first moment that it was God's way of answering my prayer. I am so thankful that He is a God who cares about the smallest details of our lives. I know I have bigger,pressing needs (like selling a house, for one) in life, but I love that God sees our hearts when we open them to Him and He even meets our needs in ways that surprise us.

The pages I share with you today are a couple that I created using the September kit called, He Said, She Said. It goes on sale to anyone that wants one on September 1st. That page about Teague in his sock monkey jammies just makes me happy. I cut strips and strips of paper and stapled them down and then added a bunch of little details that I thought were so fun. He has outgrown those little pajamas, but I couldn't help but want to hold on to my memory of him in them anyway. I called him, "Mr. Monkey Pants" in the morning when I would get him out of his crib. So the journaling reads, "You may grow up and hold a distinguished title someday, but I'll always be grateful that you started out as Mr.Monkey Pants to me."

The second page is a snapshot of some of us eating ice cream cones on the front step. We haven't taken big trips or done major summer outings as a family, but just seeing the smiles on our faces made me realize we have such an amazing life regardless of the stuff we might not have. Just recognizing that the ordinary days of summer- where we are all healthy and together and laughing and eating ice cream- is a gift and I am grateful for every ordinary day we have.

My heart is full right now. I love that scrapping fills it up a bit too.

Merry {early!} Christmas to you!

Christmas is going to be here before we know it and I have something fun to share with you to make the gift-giving part of Christmas easier, more fun and personable too! My very talented and creative friends, Kayla Aimee and Wilna F. have teamed up and are offering an online DIY Holiday Workshop. It offers so much inspiration as well as free downloads for creating projects and also gives you ideas for making everyone on your list gifts this year. They have this to say about their class (here's a link to the online classroom so you can see more for yourself!):

"Our goal for the class was to truly make it a DIY holiday. We've repurposed sweaters into armwarmers and baby leggings, ornaments into centerpieces and made sure that ease and affordability went hand in hand with high quality homemade gifts. We've even included some easy craft you can do with your kids!"

There will be more than 25 projects covered in this class, which starts on November 15th. Feel free to stop over to the classroom/website and see some more sneak peeks of the projects they will be creating as well as find answers to any questions you may have about this class. I am taking it myself and am so ready to spend a couple of extra weeks this year celebrating Christmas- it's such a special holiday. I am also excited to offer each of you the chance to win a spot in this online class. KA and Wilna are letting me give away a spot to one of you lucky Nitty.Gritty. readers. Just post a comment telling me one of your favorite Christmas gifts or holiday dish that you love and a winner will be chosen on Monday! Merry early Christmas to one of you! =)

{By the way, doesn't Kayla Aimee have great hair?! She will laugh at me for posting that...but it's so true. Love you, KA! You too, Wilna!}

Want to win a mini book?

I am so excited about all the colors and fun trims/fabrics in the next SIStv Collection called "The Social Butterfly". Don't the colors just make you happy?! I "stole" a layout made by one of my Fashionista friends, {Hi, Lucy!! Check out her awesome pages here!} just to show you a better example of how great this scrap collection truly is. Lucy has got so much talent and I am always smitten by her talent and designs. So fun!
The collection actually goes on sale on Monday, Sept. 15th, and I love being on the SIS Design Team because that meant I got mine early in order to have a chance to play around with it. I made the little mini album you see in the top two photos {the rest you can see by clicking here} and just for fun and to spread some more love, I want to give it to one of you! All you have to do for a chance at winning this blank book {and a few other scrap items that I will throw in the package as well} is leave me a comment on this post between now and Tuesday morning (I will do a random number draw that morning). Since the fall colors are just around the corner for many of us, in your comment, leave me your name, city and then tell me what your favorite fall dessert is. I love the changing season and all the produce and good food that comes from the bounty of this time of year. There's just something special about crisp apples, orange pumpkins and the cooler fall air. So that's it... leave me a note here and good luck!

One chin looks good on me...

{For lack of better title on this post...} I had good intentions to post a family picture here today. I was happy that my Mom could snap a few of us before we went to church yesterday. But, I had the camera on the wrong setting and they all came out very blurry. So, I played around with some 'self-portraits' yesterday afternoon and instead I have this picture of me to post for my Mom. =) Sorry. I have a feeling I will be glad to have this photo in a few months, as reference that I didn't have a double chin my whole pregnancy. At least not yet at 6 weeks. =)
My calendar is all painted and in my gallery here at SIStv if you want to click through all the pages. It was inspired by my talented artist friend, Sarah Bowen. You can see her awesome calendar here. As well as see that I have some techniques to learn with my watercolors- at least my calendar is finished! =)
I took Wyndham to one hour of her physical therapy session today. She is still so weak and tired, but we need to build her muscle strength up and see how much she can tolerate. Apparantly she cannot tolerate that much. She came home, pointed to her room and signed 'sleep'. I let her lay down for about 45 minutes and then got her up just long enough to eat a few bites of lunch. She was very disinterested...and wanted to go back to bed. She ended up taking a 3 1/2 hour nap.
When she woke she looked much better, and proceeded to eat 2 freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. That's about how things have been going for her for the past 4-5 days. She has little spurts of energy and eats alright every now and then. But she is definitely not up for her routine schedule or regular school days. We still appreciate your prayers for her recovery. And we are thrilled to see a few more smiles from her each day. I will make sure to catch some on my camera and update some pictures here soon.
Chip is supposed to be taking some pictures of Brock at lacrosse right now. He is just starting up again. I am happy that we can squeeze a few 'extra curricular' activities into our week. Even if we're not all operating at full-strength. We're getting there...and it feels good.

Love and chocolate~

My dear friend Wilna has the biggest heart and she is amazingly talented and creative too. I have so enjoyed getting to know her through Scrap In Style tv and feel our friendship is a gift to me. I can't believe how in less than a year's time I have grown to love and respect the whole Fashionista design team- individually and as a whole. I am humbled to know that my simple scrapbooking style somehow landed me in this place and I am blessed in so many ways, as a result.
Wilna is truly gifted and so I wanted to share with anyone of you who may be interested- the link to her blog. The scrap layout here is one that several of us put touches on in a round robin scrap this past July. On this page, Wilna painted our names and the background of the picture so that we sort of 'pop' on the photo. Even though she got to keep this particular page, I still think of it as 'partially mine'. Wilna is offering a Valentine class right now, where she is giving you some unique ideas for projects, delectable recipes, links to music, movies, books and more, than will gear you up and get your heart ready for one of her favorite holidays. =)
It's definitely worth a peek. The rest of the details and info about her class are on her blog.
I'm already loving it and excited about February 14th! And the wonderful thing is that her ideas go beyond just Valentine's. They are inspiring for many aspects of life and just get your creativity flowing!
This afternoon I found myself in the mood for chocolate...and so I searched the internet and found a new chocolate chip cookie recipe. I made a 1/2 batch and modified the following recipe just a bit. It calls for vanilla pudding mix...and I only had the sugar-free box on hand. So I used that, and I also added a 1/2 tsp. salt and 2 tsps. of vanilla. Let me tell you this...I could have eaten half the dough before it was baked! Mmmmmm!
So, as a treat from me, here's the recipe I made today~
Award-winning Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar.
Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla.
Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts.
Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown. Enjoy!

My scrappy side. =)

I have some of the most amazing friends ever in all the Fashionistas at SIStv. We have only been 'together' for 10 months and some I have yet to meet in person, but it doesn't matter because we have this bond that just keeps getting stronger and better day in and day out. I am fortunate to be able to be in this mix of creative souls. I'm still not sure how I ended up in the middle of it, and even as I scrapped today I found myself thinking, "how great is it that the papers I scrap with are often designed by my friends!". It's humbling really. Especially for those of you who know the number and abilities of people in the scrap industry. I really consider myself blessed for the friends I have and the team I am a part of in this business. I love it!
This month's Collection was created and dreamed into being by my friend, Ashley Wren. She named this new 'baby' of hers, "Rainbow Sushi" and I have been having so much fun scrapping with it the past few days. You can see my layout of Teagan here, and a bit more of the mini book I am making here.
Besides being one of the most down-to-earth, optomistic, out-going fun mom I know, Ashley just launched a really inspiring challenge blog which some of you might like to stop by and see for yourself. Even if you're not a scrapper, it is a cool concept. One that might make you reflect on your life in a new way. Go here...to "Overlooked" and check it out for yourself!
Another Fashionista friend of mine, Adrienne Looman, is offering a digital photo editing class {Artistic Edge} beginning Feb. 1st. I am excited about this and she makes it sound so fun and easy! I can't wait to start turning my pictures into little amazing creations themselves. If you want details on that you can check out her website and blog. And if you look closely you will see me in some of her funky pictures on occasion. I just love her style and eye for original composition.
One more person that I have to 'brag on' for a minute is my friend, Sarah, who has been inspiring me for several months now and is someone I've bragged on here at Nitty.Gritty. in recent weeks. On her blog, she is offering 'The Best Me' challenge and it is a great thing for those of you who are hoping to enhance your life in all sorts of ways this year. She has kicked it off already, but it is something you can get in on {there's no charge...just inspiration and encouragement!} and have fun doing all her prompts.
There you go. I love sharing some of my friends and inspiration with you. I am getting back into my teaching schedule and regular routine and may not be posting as often as I have been over my Christmas break. But I think with all these links {and I plan to post several on a sidebar so you can find them all in one place} you will have plenty to keep you busy and happy in the next several days. Have fun being creative and finding out a bit more of who you are and were created to be!

Weekend recap.

Saturday I spent the day with a really great group of friends that I met through SIStv website. I personally didn't get a whole lot scrapped or created, but I did enjoy our conversation over a leisure lunch, the inspiration we shared with each other, and most importantly the laughs and deepening relationships that filled our time together.

Thanks for so much fun girls! I love the gifts you gave to me. That felt polka dot bag was a gift from Christine, the blank journal {and Starbuck's tumbler and Hello Kitty cards/ribbon not pictured} from Nicole, the star ornament with initial was made by Jill... so much love and goodness from everyone! I did make the tags and birdie card you see here, as well as punched out lots of index tabs and scalloped circles. =) I have to admit, I could have gotten more done, but was happy to just relax and kick back for several hours. I have to thank Chip for getting some laundry done and baking while I was away. It made me feel like I had done so much more with my time. =)

Fun.

Happy Birthday to my nephew, Braden today. He is 6 and I send my love and wishes for lots of fun and happiness today. That's what 6 is all about, right?! Have a special day...and a fun year being six.

I've been having fun making some little atc's (which is short for 'artist's trading cards') and although I don't consider myself an artist, it is still fun to create and make up designs. I hope that this time of year is one that makes you want to create- whether it is baking, cooking, sewing, drawing, painting, crafting or just decorating trees and gingerbread houses- because I have to say, it seems to just make the season 'come to life'.

Sure, it can be fun to shop and watch movies too, but there is just something about creating that involves the heart and hands at the same time.

Tell me about something you have made- this year or in years' past- that has helped you get into the spirit of the season, and I will have a drawing this weekend and send you some Christmas gift tags and a few other little goodies that I love this time of year.

Sharing the love is so fun. I challenge you to do something with your heart and hands this week. Happy 21 days until Christmas!

Colorful scrappy stuff.

Just thought I'd share a few pics of the 'special project' I did with the kindergarten class last week. This was the sample I made...but I have to tell you some of the kids blew mine away! =) I especially loved the rainbow made solely of pinks and purples. I love that kids at that young age will simply make whatever is on their mind or makes them happy.
That's how I tried to scrap my latest page that you can view here. It really was a fun, quick page that I threw together without much thought except to scrap stuff I love. I find it's a really good thing to not overthink my scrapping and in so doing take the fun out of it. That's why I thought I'd temper my previous post with a lighter, more colorful one. =) I'm all about balance. At least when it's possible. As for mixing fun and art...click this link to see some of the most amazing 3-D chalk art I've ever seen. Now that's what I call fun art!

How I spent my 'day off''...

Now is the perfect time for you to get in on some fun of your own over at the Scrap In Style TV website. Jeanette has just opened a ScrapInStyle Boutique and has a whole lot of fun and games and sales and challenges going on over there. I am so happy that I made the decision to find out what scrapping is all about. This part of my life is what brings me a lot of happiness and it has been the perfect 'release' for me from my 'regular routine' in life.

On Saturday, a group of us who knew each other through the SIS message boards and some of us who met for the first time ever, spent the day together. It blows me away that we had instant friendships blossom through something as crazy as scrapping. Throw in some food, feet photos, jumping around between layouts and a few goodies like paint, glitter, cupcakes, inside jokes, owls, good coffee and some glue dots, and you basically have a recipe for 'my perfect stress-free day'. =)

I can't tell you enough how good it feels- even if it meant waking early and getting to bed late and coming home to extra loads of laundry to get caught up on- to have some refreshing, relaxing free time. I really think that everyone in life needs some sort of outlet. Whether it is their own time reading books at local bookstore or library, window shopping, bike riding through your neighborhood and spying deer and fox, going to an NFL game, drawing, playing an instrument, baking or sewing, sitting on the beach or hiking through the mountains, I think it was all a part of God's design. It is good for people to 'play' and be creative and/or commune with nature or just be. I find it truly restores and revives one's soul to tap into that part of you that so often gets the back seat to the busy lifestyles so many of us lead.

I am happy to be connecting with new friends, while at the same time getting more in touch with my own source of happiness. It's a good thing. Even if it does mean paying for it with extra laundry in the end.

As for that Redi-whip poll in the upper-left corner of my blog...it's just my Nitty.Gritty. gig-of-the-week. Meijer has the cans priced "buy one, get one free" this week. I had no idea corporate America was so in touch with creating happiness in their customers, but they nailed it for me and my family this week. =) Let's just say this...the cans are 'good through Feb. 20, '08'. I think I bought enough whipped cream to keep us happy through mid-December. And to all my local readers....my apologies to you if your favorite flavor is extra-creamy. I cleared out the shelf for now. If Meijer really cares about your happiness, I would assume they will be restocking before the end of this week. =)

Really. Life is good when you can see it through eyes that seek simple pleasures...and a heart that is in tune with what you were created for...and for whom you were created. I love it when life is in tune.

A little off-beat fun...

Maybe it's the fact that I realize I'll never have a spic & span clean house as long as my kids are young and at home. Maybe it's the fact that I've never really loved structure and routine and 'rules' or maybe it's the fact that I am just trying to make sure my kids understand that art and play and having fun really are some of the most important lessons to be learned as a kid. No matter what the reason, I think the best part is that I don't even have to have a rational explanation as to why me and my girls dyed Easter eggs today. We just did. It was really fun, exciting, and totally out-of-the norm for a September morning at our house.

My girls were thrilled with the idea when I told them what we were going to do for an activity today. They were even more thrilled when we did a mini lesson in mixing colors. =) All this fun for a mere 22 cents. Yep. I'm the crazy kind of mom who buys the clearance egg coloring kits 3 weeks after Easter. Then I put them away for use at a later date.

For no special reason. But it makes special memories. I have been particularly aware of all the things I long to do with Teagan but can't. Like getting up from my computer in the midst of blogging and walking over to wherever she might be playing in the house or yard and telling her I love you and I just wanted you to know you are amazing to me. I miss stuff like that. Or not even miss it...but just ache at times at the reality of those moments that will never be.

Coloring eggs was one of her favorite activities. When I woke up this morning it hit me yet again....as it does so many mornings, "Teagan's not here and I wonder what kind of fun stuff we could have done together today." Rather than let sadness wash over me with such thoughts, I have learned to use them as springboards for creating fun and embracing moments. All of my kids love eggs and hugs and kisses and mixing color and doing special holiday things on days that aren't even holidays too.

So don't think I'm some mom full of great ideas or filled with inspiration to do spontanoues outrageous things on a routine mid-week morning. It's true- I do love to shake things up in life a bit. My hubby knows this all too well. =) But mostly, my motives come from wanting to not miss a thing...wanting to love and live in the moment...and to do NOW what I may never get to do at a later date. Like color eggs and listen to the laughter and experience the untainted happiness and joy of my kids- on an ordinary fall day.

My kids love to 'do stuff'...

One activity after another. No wonder my blogposts have been a bit sparse!