Blogging & Project 365

One of my resolutions this year was to blog more regularly. Given the fact that my last blog was a month and a half ago and we are not even two months in to the new year, it does not appear that I have been really making blogging a priority.

The reason I want to blog more regularly is simple. With two little girls to look after every day, and my beloved who works 12-hour shifts, my scrap time is limited. If I were to blog more regularly, when that time does come up, the words and the photos will already have been chosen, and thus, the hard part done, seemingly effortlessly. If I don't write as a go, the thoughts linked to those moments captured are somewhat lost, inevitably tainted by hindsight.

Looking at everyone in cyberland's 365 day project really, really makes me want to try to join in. But I really don't want this to become an unfinished project. I am so inpired by Becky Higgins Project 365 kit. If I commit, I want to commit for the long haul. I know that to have an album to hold at the end of a year-long project like this would be so priceless to my family and me. But, after having worked on the December Daily project, I realize what a huge commitment this is, and I'm not sure I am ready for it.

First Layout of 2010: Resolutions 2010

Fonts: Garamond & CarbonType

Kraft & Graphed Paper: KPertiet at Designer Digitals

"Resolutions" Word Art" RFarrer at Two Peas In A Bucket

Brads: PKnox at Designer Digitals

Holidays...right.

Ahh, the holidays are over. It strikes me as particularly odd how the most hectic, crazy, sometimes stressful time of year can be referred to as the "holidays". Our holidays over here began on December 24th with a family supper that Ben and I prepared at my mom's for her side of the family,and ended the night of New Year's Eve at around 2am January 1st. All in all, it was a wonderful time, but I did lose my cool a few times with a few projects. Just ask Ben.

The most special part of this Christmas was celebrating with Aurelia, and being grateful for all the good things that have happened for us over the past year. I will write more about what I am grateful for another time, but suffice to say, it was such a wonderful moment to show this healthy little bundle off to our closest friends and family. She hardly slept the entire time, was completely off any sort of schedule, and yet she never made a peep. I suppose this is what she has been making up for over the last two days.

A significant milestone was also reached on Christmas night. After an impromptu fondue supper and Ben's brother's with their parents, we came home and I prepared Aurelia for bed. At one point she was nawing on my finger, and suddenly her gums felt sharper than usual. As Ben was walking into the house, I called him over, desperately trying to get a good look at what I had felt. Lo and behold, there was a little tooth making its appearance in the front of her lower gums. Of course, I cried. That beautiful gummy smile is beginning to disappear. Bittersweet moment.

Unfortunately, a little bit of dread also set in during this time of year. On Christmas morning, I had an instant of cramping pain that I immediately identified as stemming from my kidneys. It didn't significantly rear its ugly head again until January first, when I woke up with a definite aching in my flank. Took it easy that day and since, but am very anxious for the appointment I have with the urologist next week. I just hope I can get these stones out before the agony sets in.

I started taking down our Christmas decorations yesterday. All that is left is the Christmas tree, and I have decided to save that task for either tomorrow or Sunday, since the trash will only be going by Monday morning to pick up the tree. Another task I almost completed yesterday was the sorting of the huge stack of photos I had developed. Looking forward to having that job completed so I can get some creating done with that.

Off to watch a bit of Baby Einstein.

Pregnancy Album

Just a few pics of my latest "in-progress" project. While I was pregnant, I had the intention that I wanted to create a pregnancy scrapbook, but with illness and getting ready for the baby's arrival, it never got done. Now, just past Aurelia's six-month birthday, I am working on this album, and getting much of it done! I am certain I have forgotten some stuff, but I am focusing on what I do remember, and calling it good enough. Trying to get the pictures and stories down first, and worry about the embellishing later.

NYC Scrapbook Project

In February 2007, Mel and I took a three-day trip to NYC. It was awesome. Of course, if I had tried to make traditional layouts for this trip, they probably would have not yet been completed. Luckily, I came across an article in "Simple Scrapbooks" by Stacy Julian, who showed an original and simple way of scrapbooking many pics really quickly. By using a 'two-up album", I was able to scrap all my pics in a simple, yet effective way!

Starting Off

So, I have decided to start this blog as a means to journal what is going on in Aurelia's life, basically a way to keep track of everything in the everyday. The last six months since she was born have flown by, and I know there is so much I have forgotten already. Hopefully, this will be a great way for me to keep on top of things and to help me get things done when it comes to scrapbooking the thousands of pics I have already taken. I am still working on the pregnancy scrapbook I had planned to create while pregnant, and it is approaching completion. I am trying to focus more on the pics and the story - I know that is what will be most precious to Aurelia later on, not how I decorated a page. This is not always easy.

I have also started sorting my pics to begin documenting her life. This is so exciting to me.Imagine having documentation of your life, not random pics, without dates or names to go with them? I think this thought is one of the biggest motivators for me. I think it is one of the best gifts I can give her.

All this inspiration also means that I have to clean out my workspace in order for me to have a place to scrap when I do have a few minutes, rather than having to pull everything out, work on the living room floor, and then put it all away. This week has had me really contemplate what I need, what I can get rid of to make room for the stuff that inspires me.