Scrapbook share

Since completing my new scrap space, I have been pretty much scrapping and crafting non-stop.  It is just so nice to have everything organized and accessible - and to not be living out of my tote anymore.  Also, being organized just makes me feel more creative in general.  So, here are a few pages I've been working on:

On this page, I enjoyed using a feather for the first time on one of my layouts.  I also found the perfect spot for the acrylic dragonfly that I have been holding onto for several years.  

For this page, I pulled out an old piece of Sassafras Lass paper - my very last sheet.  I kept it really simple with some washi tape, a mistable border, and some glitter Thickers.

This was our official Christmas card for this past year.  Again, I kept it pretty simple.  I used a couple pieces of washi tape and some wood veneer stars from Basic Grey's most recent Christmas collection.

This page was fun to do for two reasons:  first of all, it was fun to capture my daughter's ridiculous tantrums on Christmas morning.  Second, I loved the heart that I filled with buttons.  It was part of the packaging on some buttons I bought from the Target dollar section.

My favorite part of this page was using the wood grain paper that was made by Basic Grey for Studio Calico.  I still have some scraps that I will be hoarding.

And finally, a cute shot of my kids while we were having Christmas with my side of the family.  The ornaments are from Basic Grey's latest Christmas collection.

Thanks for stopping by to look at my creations!

Scrapbook space

Ladies and gentlemen, drumroll please...

Here is my new scrapbooking/crafting corner!

As you can tell, I'm pretty excited about my little corner of our house!  I finally decided to stop living out of my scrapbooking tote.  It was so heavy and jam-packed with stuff that I could barely lift it anyway.  I usually throw together a kit of some sort now when I go scrapbook elsewhere.  That way I just have one small bag to carry with me.

I basically tricked out my space with one visit to Ikea.  I fell in love with the Raskog cart first, and it went from there.  I knew I wanted two shelves on the wall for my more decorative items, and I also needed some little containers to hold pens and adhesives and such.  I spent some time searching the IKEA website ahead of time because I knew I would be shopping with children.  It's always hard to make decisions when my children are clamoring for attention and begging to go to Children's Ikea.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the "before".  It is on my Ipad, and it refuses to be transferred to this blog.  Just imagine nothing on the walls, and a bunch of stuff on the desk - oh, and an overflowing tote.

Thanks for checking out my space!  I've created about ten scrapbook layouts since I finished it.  I'll be sharing some soon.

Blog Your Heart

Well, after a little over a year, I have decided that it is time to get back to blogging.  I read Stephanie Howell's blog yesterday morning and it encouraged me to blog what was currently on my heart, so here goes:

1.  I am, for the most part, really enjoying my kids right now.  Being a stay-at-home-mom is a difficult job, but they have been making it so worth while.  Today, after Caleb refused to do his homework, I stopped him and asked him what was going on (he usually does his work without complaining).  He said that he had a hard day, and came over and gave me a big hug.  I just held him for a few minutes and rubbed his back while he let it all out.  I was so thankful we could get right to the heart of the problem and not just argue about silly things like homework.

2.  I am doing a ladies' Bible study at my church right now called, "Enhancing Your Marriage".  I am really excited about it!  It has been very in-depth so far.  I know I am going to come out of this Bible study having learned a thing or two!

3.  We have had ridiculously cold temperatures here, and I have a declaration to make:  I hate winter.  For those of you who know me well, this may surprise you.  I usually enjoy winter because it is the only time of year I am not warm, but not this year baby!  I'm done being freezing cold all the time!

4.  Our Life Group is starting a Bible study on peace.  You may think all I ever do is sit around and do Bible studies.  Anyway, it promises to be a good one.

5.  Mark and I redid my scrapbooking space!!  I will post pictures of the before and after in my next post.  It is absolutely wonderful and beautiful, and I have already finished 7 layouts in two days.  :)

6.  My mom is coming for a visit tomorrow.  She recently celebrated a landmark birthday, and I can't wait to celebrate with her a little bit!

7.  My dear friend is moving 2,000 miles away.  Sigh.  I don't know what I'm going to do without her.

Hmmm... I think that is all for now.  Thanks for letting me share what is currently on my heart.  I hope to be back soon with some pictures of scrapbook layouts.  Stay tuned!

back to list-making

I've decided that if I'm going to blog somewhat regularly, it has to be in list form.  That is just the way I think, so here is a holiday list:  (remember I'm still on a holiday-induced high!)

1.  I'm thinking about doing a December Daily album this year.  Basically, you take a picture every day in December and put it in a little album with some journaling (and, of course, some cute embellishments).  It's a great way to document traditions, and I'm sure my kids would love looking back on it when they are older.  I think about doing this every year, but then I chicken out and tell myself that it's too hard to take a picture every day.  Pathetic.  So, this year I'm gearing up to do it!  I'm even going to start the album early so I just have to stick the picture on and write a little bit.  Easy-peasy.
2.  I'm so excited about our Christmas cards this year.  I've discovered the cards that have a picture on them AND let you write on them.  I wanted to do a Christmas letter this year, but all I had to do was type a paragraph and a few highlights of our year, and I was done! 
3.  I can't wait to dress my kids up for the holidays.  Especially Naomi.  She is too young to have an opinion, so I get to put her in whatever I want.  I'm going to enjoy every minute of dressing her up until she gets old enough to care.
4.  I'm REALLY excited about my birthday.  Even though it's close to Christmas (Dec 5), we always celebrate it.  I'm not too thrilled about turning 33, however.  It makes me wonder how soon I will want to ignore my birthdays...
and 5.  I got an early birthday present the other day - a beautiful scarf from my friend Kim.  It is warm and soft and a little bit shimmery, so it is perfect for me.  I keep imagining it as an accessory to every outfit I want to wear this winter.  I will definitely be getting a lot of use out of it.
Well, Mark is home early from his elder board meeting, so I'm going to go hang out with him for a little bit.  Have a great week and thanks for reading!

on a holiday-induced high

I absolutely love this time of year!  Even though I'm still struggling to get used to having three kids, and it's getting dark earlier every day, I am on a holiday-induced high.  I love getting together with family on Thanksgiving - eating all day and then playing games in the afternoon.  The kids play so nicely with their cousins.  It feels like a mini-vacation for us. 
And then there's Christmas.  I am in love with Christmas.  I look forward to it all year.  And then, the day after Christmas, I start thinking about next Christmas.  I think the reason I like this holiday so much is that it gives us an excuse to have extra family get-togethers. 
This year, I am excited to see Naomi's reaction to her first Christmas.  I'm sure she will love the twinkling lights, and try to eat her fair share of wrapping paper.  I will enjoy opening girl-themed gifts and taking a million pictures of her in a fancy-schmancy Christmas dress. 
The boys will so much fun because of their contagious enthusiasm.  They love opening the advent calendar every day, receiving stockings on St. Nichoas Day, and playing with their cousins during family get-togethers.  I love that Caleb asks so many questions about why Jesus came to earth to die for our sins.  He keeps reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas.
I could go on and on about Christmas, but right now I have a little boy who won't nap. 
Thanks for reading!

lazy this morning

Well, the boys are gone, and I'm at home with a baby who is supposed to be napping.  It is VBS week at church.  Caleb is participating in VBS, Mark is the speaker for the week, and Micah is going to the VBS childcare.  That leaves me at home with one cute little baby.  I have several things to accomplish this morning, and I haven't done anything yet except sit around and order things online.  I could do so much this week with the boys gone.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by the prospect of trying to do so much.  I think first I'll take a little nap...

Well, so much for my blog...

Okay, it's officially been a YEAR since I last blogged.  A lot has happened in this last year.  I'll try to recap, but I'll probably forget half of what has happened.

First, and most importantly, last August we found out we were going to have another BABY.  Yes, you read that right, another baby.  This from the girl who said over and over that she was done.  I actually had several friends laugh when they found out.  I completely deserved it:)  Anyway, around the same time we found out, three of my other friends also found out that they were expecting.  Then, a most exciting thing happened.  All four of us found out we were having girls!  As my friend stated on her blog, "we thought we were boy-breeders", so we were stunned at this wonderful news.

On March 21, 2012, (three weeks early - usually I go late, so we were stunned by this too) I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl with tons of dark curly hair.  (whose child is this anyway?)  We named her Naomi Noelle.  We brought her home and proceeded to fall more in love with her every day.  Her brothers have been so sweet with her.  It's been four months, and they still fawn over her constantly.

We also celebrated Micah's second birthday and Caleb's sixth birthday.  Mark and I celebrated our ninth anniversary. (kind of, I mean we had a new baby at the time)  The boys have been growing like weeds.  Caleb recently lost his two bottom front teeth, and Micah's vocabulary has been exploding.  He has been counting, identifying colors, and speaking in complete sentences.

Well, Naomi's crying to be fed, so I must go.  I'll try to come back and blog a bit more about our summer some other time.  Thanks for reading!