Design Your Life: Week 6

This week in Design Your Life, our topic was Unity, or combining elements to create a unified look using proximity, repetition, and continuation.

Layout 1: Pretend Harley Riders

Another single-page, 11 x 8.5 template that I made into a two-page 12 x 12.






Journaling Reads:
August 2009 - We were lucky enough to have Paula and Scott’s Harley to ride this summer. It was the first time I’d been on a motorcycle with Norm and I loved it. We had such a good time that we rode it several times. One day, we’re going to have to get our own.

Layout 2: Ohio River Trip


This was a two-page template, but I changed it to 12 x 12 and added a few pictures. This wasn't the Real World Color layout, but I actually ended up using some of the colors on this layout, and I guess on the first layout too. The RWC colors this week were orange, purple, green, black, and white. I ended up not using them at all on my RWC layout since I used them on these two.






Journaling Reads:
July 2009 - This year was the second annual boating trip from Rising Sun, Indiana to Cincinnati, Ohio with Rodney and Jacinda. We walked around Rising Sun Saturday afternoon and had supper with some friends from last year’s Cincinnati trip. We spent most of Sunday making our way upriver, stopping for lunch on the boat and to play in the water. We got to Cincinnati early enough to watch some of the Reds’ game from the boat, wander around looking for our hotel, and catch cat naps before heading downtown for supper and to check out the very happening Fountain Square. Monday we headed back to Rising Sun and home. Such a fun, relaxing weekend!

Layout 3 - Real World Color Layout: Two Years and Counting...


I made this into a two-page spread, used one of Ali Edwards' twills for the strip at the top, and made a second page with a big enlargement.






Journaling Reads:
Two years ago I married the love of my life and, most importantly, my best friend. It has been two years full of arguments, fun, and laughing until we cried. And I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Here’s to two more, and two more, and two more...

Check back later in the week to find out what I've been up to this weekend...

Friday Gratitudes

1. I’m thankful for a relaxing Saturday at home last weekend when I got a lot done.
2. I’m grateful for my husband who let me drag him all around the home show last Sunday so I didn’t have to go alone.
3. I’m so thankful to my Grandma for sending me a whole envelope full of stories about our family that she wrote down for me. Totally made my day!
4. I’m thankful that she and I put in a lot of work on my genealogy books when I was little. I didn’t think it was that cool then, but I’m loving going back through them now. The old pictures and stories from the 1800’s and 1900’s are SO awesome!
5. I’m so excited that my new online scrapbooking class, Library of Memories, started yesterday!
6. I’m thankful our first cow-baby made it into the world on her own this week. Helping a cow deliver a calf in February in 20-degree weather = Grumpy Norm.
7. I’m grateful to Cheryl for letting me borrow tons of old picture albums to scan some of Norm’s baby pictures before we got married. Going through the folder on my computer this week made my day!
8. I’m thankful that Norm and I both turned out to be halfway decent looking adults (check out those great photos below!).
9. I’m thankful to the three dead geese on the sidewalk outside the bar at Cheeseburger Night last night. Freaking hilarious…and only in Kingman!
10. So grateful for a little mini girls’ weekend away this weekend in Michigan with Cass!

January 2010 Round-Up

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I read my normal All You magazine, O Magazine, Family Circle, First Freedom (NRA magazine about 2nd Amendment Rights), and Better Homes & Gardens. I finally finished 48 Days to the Work You Love by Dan Miller. I read Scenic Route by Binnie Kirshenbaum. I started Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes and The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin (LOVING both of them!).

What movies, television shows, plays, etc. did I watch this month?
Still trying to not watch too much TV, but I did watch some Biggest Loser, American Idol, Greys Anatomy, and Property Virgins on HGTV. We watched a little of the Grammy’s (did you see Pink’s performance? Totally awesome!).

What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?
Spent an afternoon and evening with the Lamb family while Samuel’s wife gave birth to their twins. Cheeseburger Nights on Thursdays. Norm and I went to the Indianapolis Home Show.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
History of Rock and Roll book and Things game for Jenny’s birthday.

What special/unusual purchases did I make this month?
I bought a treadmill & new New Balance running shoes. I ordered a Shutterfly book of my 365 Project. I bought the Project Life scrapbook album kit and some more books to add to my “To Read” shelf: Storycatcher: Making Sense of Our Lives Through the Power and Practice of Story by Christina Baldwin and A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller, both recommended by Ali Edwards.

What were my accomplishments this month?
I got a big chunk done in my little genealogy book project. Scanning old pictures of ancestors out of my 4-H genealogy books and putting them back in. I’ve gotten a lot of my pictures resized, renamed, and organized on my computer getting ready for the Library of Memories online class I’m starting next week.

What were my disappointments this month?
We found my dream house for sale online this month. Too bad it was $100,000 over our budget and already under contract with another buyer.

My favorite picture from January:

Indianapolis Home Show

Sunday, Norm and I headed to Indy to check out the Home Show at the State Fairgrounds. But first, we had to stop at the shed to put some gas in my truck. Did anyone else see the beautiful glittery frost Sunday morning? I couldn't help myself and tramped across George and Irene's yard for these.




I made Norm stop in the middle of the road so I could get these.




We had to stop and feed Dad and Jenny's animals, and I had to tramp around their yard too.


Then it was time to finally head to the Home Show. These tulips were so nice to see in the middle of Indiana winter.


We walked past most of the booths, then it was on to the main attraction, the Centerpiece Home.


I loved these wooden beams and stone fireplace in the living room, and the warm browns, greens, and creams throughout the house.


I loved the black countertops in the kitchen. But I hated how the kitchen was totally blocked off from the living room, and I didn't think the antique wooden island matched the clean lines of the rest of the kitchen (and it was way too tall).


I LOVED this laundry room, with all the storage space and countertop for folding. There was tons of built in storage and shelves all over the house.


The master bedroom was really nice, and I LOVED the chandelier. I'm thinking I can find something like that at an antique store or junk store somewhere. Norm really liked that barn door, but I kept wondering what was behind it (nothing).


My favorite part of the master bath was the double sink with the huge marble countertop and the one huge mirror.

On the way home, we had to feed the animals again, and the horses were quite curious about my camera.

Design Your Life: Week 5

I'm officially caught up! Three solid hours of scrapbooking, but I'm ready for next week's new lesson, and my new class to start. This week in Design Your Life focused on White Space. I love the look of lots of white space on scrapbook layouts, but I have trouble implementing it, so I need to work on this week's lesson some more.

Layout 1: Amanda & Foo's Wedding


This was another single-page template and I had a lot more pictures than that to include, so I just duplicated the first page onto the second page, took out the title and journaling blocks, and added an extra picture.






Journaling reads:
September 19, 2009 - Cassandra and I shot Amanda and Foo’s wedding and we had a blast with them. We went to Wabash College to shoot on campus, and got shots on Foo’s Harley and all around outside their house. Their ceremony was held next to a waterfall by their house and was so beautiful. Definitely one my favorite weddings from 2009!

Layout 2: In the Month of...


This template originally only had one row of four small pictures. Since I normally take several hundred pictures a month, four little shots was not going to cut it. I added a second page, continued the row of pictures all the way across that page, then added another row above and one below. That's a lot better. Plenty of room for journaling, lots of pictures, a pop of pretty paper on the left, and plenty of white space.






Journaling reads:
In the month of April 2009, we: Went to supper with Rodney and Cheryl a few times. I got back from a trip to the Florida Keys with Cheryl and Tiff. Norm picked mushrooms and fried them. I took lots of pictures of the blooming spring flowers. I dyed Easter eggs, got a mammogram and baked mini muffins. I went dress shopping for a bridal gown and bridesmaid dresses with Tiff, Cheryl, Chelsea, Melissa, Kim, and Matt’s mom.

Layout 3: Hello Monday and For Today


I couldn't come up with any "event" to make a layout about with only three pictures, so I looked through my 2009 blog posts for something with a bit of a story to tell.






Journaling reads:
Hello Monday - Usually Monday mornings I wake up rested and rejuvenated from a weekend of sleeping in, getting things done around the house, and just trying to get a jump start on the week. However, this Monday I woke up exhausted (but happy). I am behind the eight ball already this week. I didn’t get my Sunday house cleaning done, there is still laundry in the basket where it was hurriedly pulled off the clothes line, there are dishes in the sink, and coupons to be clipped. But it’s because we had a weekend filled with fun with our dads, family, friends, and picture-taking. I stayed up too late last night editing pictures and posting them here. Just like vacations, some weekends require the week to rest and recover from. And I’m thankful for those weekends too. Blogged June 22, 2009

For Today - Outside my window…at home during breakfast - robins searching for worms. Here at work, no windows…so pictures of the Keys cover my walls. I am thinking…about all the awesome creative stuff I find at Ali Edwards’ blog…where I found this ‘For Today’ prompt. I am thankful for…an awesome weekend with Norm and both of our dads and family and friends. From the kitchen…looks like tacos tonight; Norm laid out ground beef before he left this morning. I am wearing…black gaucho capris (a summer staple), black flats, and a yellow Aeropostale tee. I am creating…blog posts. I can’t get enough lately. I am going…to CVS after work today to finally pick up my free 8x10 print that I ordered two weeks ago. I am reading…blogs, blogs, and more blogs. Plus countless books in progress at the same time. I am hoping…that I can get my house cleaning done before I crash tonight. I am hearing…the copier outside my office door. Around the house…coupons to be clipped on the kitchen table, laundry to be put away by the closet, and wild Tiger Lily in a Ball jar by the sink. One of my favorite things…sitting out in the yard after supper, reading as the sun goes down. A few plans for the rest of the week…catch up on house work, search for wedding photo inspiration for this weekend’s wedding shoot with Cass. A picture to share…a shot from Saturday's four-wheeler ride that Norm, Oscar, and I took to the buffer strips. Blogged June 22, 2009