Adorable Dear Lizzy mini kit for Digital Project Life

Did you all tune in to HSN when Project Life was featured? Well I did. Not only did I purchase the Jade Edition, but I also made sure to get the auto ship with the mini kits/albums. It included a darling, summery themed Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Mini Kit, which I adore. This very kit is available now in digital format! Here is one page I did with this mini kit:

available at digitalprojectlife.com

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Mini Kit

other products:

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Element Pack 1

Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Paper


The theme is to die for and the colors are so sweet ... like a pastel dream! Here is another page with the kit:

available at digitalprojectlife.com

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Mini Kit

other products:

Dear Lizzy Neapolitan Element Pack 1

Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Paper

Patti Knox Brad Bonanza

It's on sale through the weekend, so hurry! Sorry about the late notice, but I was on vacation last week.

twenty thirteen ... Back to Basics?

So, yesterday I mentioned that I was working on my list of goals for 2013. The Mister and I actually sat down and talked about what we want for our family for this year for a few hours (that hasn't really happened on such a broad scale for quite a while ... we've been sort of on autopilot & tend to focus on bits and pieces as need be).  As we wrapped up our talk, I felt invigorated and excited, but a little nervous too. So much to take on. Can we really do it? All we can do is try, right? And with both of us investing our hearts into it, both of us truly on the same page ... well, that has to make it a little easier.

And then I also felt a little nostalgic.

I know life brings us along a twisty, winding little road of a journey with hills, steeps mountains,
valleys and canons, but when did life get so incredibly busy? I feel like I accomplish less, while my list of "needs to get done" grows more... while I am aggressively being sucked into social media or the lastest email, advertising some sale that cannot be missed.

I affectionately remember a time (about 7 years back), when the kids were in preschool, the weather was near perfect most days, as we lived in California, and things were ... well relaxed.

We did what we wanted, when we wanted. 

School was only a few hours a day, a few days out of the week. We had one of the top ten children’s museums in the country, a small local zoo and amusement park,  literally 5 different community parks to walk to, all within about five minutes form our home.

 

We could even walk into our sweet little town for a frozen yogurt, Starbucks, or margaritas in the evening. Our community centers (like 7 or 8 of them!) offered every class imaginable for kids and we signed up
for a few interesting afternoon courses each season.

The weekends were ours ... to hit Santa Cruz, visit Monterey Aquarium, hike the redwoods, drive along the coast, bike the day away at the most amazing rail trails, explore hidden unpopulated beaches, spend a day in wine country.

Gosh i miss it.

We were always doing something, going somewhere but it wasn't busy. It wasn't stressful. It was fun and relaxing.

We were explorers and we did it together.

We were so active, so fit, so healthy. sigh.

Snapping back to reality ...
I realize that with two middle schoolers ... in all day classes, with piles of homework with honors classes, foreign language and exploratory classes, after school sports, activities, violin practice, school dances, birthday parties and sleepovers ... that twisty, winding road is meant to be very different today due to the life stage that my children are presently in. (Plus the cold weather at least 5 months out of the year, doesn't help!)

But darn it, can’t I get a little of those sweet toddler & preschool years back... or at least a small, teensy taste of that lifestyle back?

I want the family connections, the getting up and moving more together ... a chance to explore again.  I want to enjoy, really enjoy, some small part of each and every day together. And truthfully, most week days feel like a giant, stressful race to the finish line ... to get everything done, be everywhere we need to be, complete with me nagging every step of the way to beat that dreaded clock.


Hurry up, let's go, 5 more minutes, faster. We're gonna be late.


Seriously ... I need to count how many times a day I say these words between the hours of 3pm and 10 pm. It's not pretty!

To answer my own question, "Can’t I get a little taste of that lifestyle back?":   YES!

But I have to make it happen.

With our crammed schedules, it isn't going to be easy, but I do believe it can be done, even Monday through Friday!

 I want that feeling of everyday simple, back to basics, pleasures out of our life ... every day, not just on the weekends. Because, honestly, two days out of seven simply is not enough!

And to finish off the list of goals and wants for 2013 (after talking with the Mister yesterday), I want to:

-Exercise regularly (and lose the 15 lbs or so I gained since moving to NY)

-Make healthy meals, stick to a weekly meal planner, and limit take out to 2x per month

-Waste less Food by buying less but shopping more often if need be

-Stick to a Budget and track spending

-Make time for more meaningful family moments (like baking/cooking together, exercising together, etc)

-Get the kids to unplug more (TV and video games)

-Seriously limit online social media time (such a big time waster, imagine if I could get back all those minutes wasted and put them to good use. don't get me wrong, i like social media, but it really must be limited. that is the key.)

-Tackle something on my Home Project List every week. (even the smallest simplest project counts)

-Spend less time on laptop and more time with a book

-Become as comfortable with Illustrator as I am with Photoshop

-Actually complete the two classes on Surface Pattern Design that I signed up for last year (there are enough hours in the day, I just choose to waste them in frivolous ways... see four lines up, ahem!)

-Design more! (a long time personal goal that i have been neglecting)

-Purge! (basement/closets/storage areas/kitchen and my studio!)


So my WORD(s) for 2013 is Back to Basics. I know it's supposed to be ONE LITTLE WORD, but it's my year and my goals and I can use THREE LITTLE WORDS if I choose.

It's about paying attention to the things that really matter. Simplifying. Finding little pleasures in a rushed and hurried life. Remembering a time when life was relaxed, carefree and striving to bring that back in small, meaningful ways. It's about family connections. It's about home cooking, moving our bodies, and spending time in more gratifying ways. It's about doing the work to reach my own personal goals. It's about leaving out the unnecessary, saying NO to the frivolous.

Back to Basics.


Yeah, I think I like the sound of that.

The little girl gets crafty too ... A creative mom learns a valuable lesson about what it really means to raise "creatively-confident" kids.

I am such a control freak about the way things look. I know this about myself. But it hits you a little longer and a little harder, when your kids confess these things to you as well.

Yesterday I took my daughter out to the mall to pick out party favors for her upcoming sleepover birthday party. And on the drive back home we talked about how we were going to package them. (I love packaging! Don't you?) I told her that this year she could do it all by herself, since she was old enough to handle it. (Last year, I'm sure I whipped up some little design bits in Photoshop and had a decent role in planning what they looked like, even if she was the one who assembled it all.) She smiled from ear to ear upon hearing this ... and then she confided in me that a few years back ... while we were making Valentine's for her classmates (I designed these cute little cards and lollipop covers in Photoshop) that I basically took over her project, because everything had to be "just so". She confessed that she felt a little sad that I didn't trust her to make them look pretty enough.

What?!?! Oh my goodness. Sweet girl ... this isn't about you, or anything you do wrong; unfortunately I'm the one with the issues. Ugh.

Yes, I can totally see myself being like this, I mean I know I am. I guess I just didn't think about how my control issues affected my children. How my need to decorate and design and make things pretty might be hindering their creativity. I always thought that growing up with playdoh, fingerpaints and endless art supplies was the dream I never had. That I was doing everything so right. I mean my kids have wet felted. They have their own supply of canvas, acrylics, oil paints & pastels. Oh no, it's not just markers and crayolas in this household. They have tried embroidery darn it!

But at that moment I felt something of a failure. What she remembered was not all those fun, playful and creative moments. She remembered her school Valentine's and how I made that project all mine. Sigh.

So last night, I gave her the treat bags, her pick of my ribbons, stickers and blank tags (no Photoshop designed artwork that I whipped up) and let her have at it. And she lit up with excitement. She lit up with pride. She lit up ... because dear friends, this project was all hers.

And they are pretty. And they are perfect. And they are made with love.

--xoxo jenn

One Little Slip ... The Story Ends {on a happy note!}

So yesterday was the one year anniversary of my son's fall from a rope swing. That one little slip, left him pretty banged up (you can read last year's story here: http://prettyinposies.blogspot.com/2011/10/one-little-slip.html) ... 3 trips to the OR, 8 weeks of missing school, numerous x-rays & Dr. visits, a CT scan, radial nerve palsy, a dynamic splint, an arm brace, and 5 months of PT/OT ... and we can report that all is well!

I've finished documenting the big moments in this year long journey on this two-page digital layout. It matches the first two-page spread, with some new papers and elements thrown in from Pink Paislee and Dani Mogstad. (The first LO below is the one I did in Oct 2011.)

In the Making Designs:
Foto Template Pack
Gourmet Paper Pack
La Storia Elements Pack

Dani Mogstad:
Pumpkin Spiced Latte Complete Kit
Softly Falling Complete Kit
Take Me Away Complete Kit

Pink Paislee:
Caught On Camera Elements
Caught On Camera Papers

We had our last Dr. visit yesterday. While the Dr. sent us off with a clean bill of health, we presented the Dr. with a framed digital layout showing how far K has come & all the things he can do now, despite his injury.  The Dr. was thrilled was his recovery and pleased to receive this gift. He had his partner come in to take photos, and of course I snapped a few myself! 

Such a great ending! Here is the layout we did for the Dr.

The little "doctor" related elements were created by me, using clip art from the internet. They looked "finished" after popping them into Anna's adorable wood frames.

Anna Aspnes
FotoBlendz Album Template No 5D
ArtPlay Palette Socialize
ArtPlay Storm Solids
KardStock Neutrals No 1
Woodshop Frames No 1

So, yeah ... all is good again!

xoxo jenn

Friday Foto Frenzy summer photo share ... week 7

Getting this up a little late.
Our word of the week was Re-lax.
We tried to stay home as much as possible.
Enjoyed the house, the yard, just being in our space. Needed it.

 The girl making some handmade cards for friend's birthday parties.

 

Spending lots of time chilling watching the Olympics.

Women's soccer has been our absolute favorite to watch.

 Enjoying the Citronella Torches we put up all around the pool area.

 The boy just loves anything having to do with fire.

Since hanging around with the nephew at the race tracks, the boy has his heart set on a dirt bike. (We owe this all to my brother. Thank you D.)

Making waffles for brunch ... 'cause we can wake when we want. ;)

Family movie nights. 

Loving swims at sunset.

Loving swims in the dark.

And loving swims with friends.

Loving pups. We have a pet store near our house that lets you touch and pick up the little loves. We have a bad habit of going in there (a lot) to cuddle the poor things. We fall in love quickly and leave in tears often. 

Loving this ...  fun at soccer practice.

Our summer project this year is planting the slope on the side of the pool. Lots of nice trees, shrubs and grasses going in ...

A little sibling rivalry with a game of volleyball.

Not loving this! Remember that saying "Talk to the hand" ? Well I feel like these days it's "talk to the iphone". I see more of the back of their iphones than I do their faces some days. 

Now that's a face I could look at all day. She's kinda got that "talk to the hand (or ... err... paw)" thing going too.

And loving cool beams of light at sunset.

-xoxo jenn

Friday Foto Frenzy summer photo share ... week 6

Yeah, so camps finished up last week, but we've been non-stop since last Friday. I think I have sun-overload, if there is such a thing. My body, my skin, just want to snuggle up on the couch with a good book and a soft blanket and hide from sun exposure for at least a day. I take that as a sign that we we are having a good summer! ;)

So ... here's what we've been up to this week!

 We hit our local water park with some friends ... twice.

Tubes, slides and water = FUN!

 

Gotta love the lazy river.

The girl had an orthodontist appointment. She kept busy waiting for the Dr to come in by singing along with the classical music.

We also had a dentist appointment, same day. She kept busy waiting for her turn, by dancing in the middle of waiting room to the music. I don't know when she became such a character. The boy pretended he didn't know his sister.

Despite a good bit of rain during the week, we managed to have plenty of bright blue skies and fluffy clouds when we were out and about. Gotta love considerate weather. 

 We headed down to NJ again for a long weekend. The 4 yr old nephew now races MotoCross. 4 years is the youngest they let kids race. His class had 4, 5 and 6 year olds ... so some of these kids had been racing for 2 years. That didn't stop him from getting noticed. During one race the announcer must of said his name at least 4 times. He called him "one to watch out for in the future".

 In between races, he'd go from one set of wheels to another. True motocross boy.

I'm told he usually races on hard packed surfaces, not the loose, soft dirt of this track. That didn't stop him from tearing up the track. Just look at him! 

 

We all got really into it, and had such a fun day cheering him on. 

This boy came in 2nd overall in his class. He went home with a huge trophy and even received a medal for his efforts racing in the older class! Ah-mazing!

It started raining right as the races ended. It was a heavy but quick rain. We headed back to the parents house for a BBQ that evening.  And by the time we were ready to husk corn, the sun was shining. Again, love the considerate weather.

We spent the evenings watching the Olympics. And eating popcorn. Oh, and eating fresh berry pies from the local farm market. Melt in your mouth yummy. 

 

(Sorry no pic for the pies, trust me, you'd be drooling all over your keyboard anyway. )

The next day we went to a small local zoo that we had never been to before. You can buy a basket filled with popcorn, pretzels, animal crackers, nuts and some fruitloops. (??? not sure why fruitloops, but the animals loved it.)

They had spotted hyenas! These animals are so not pretty. Sorry, they just aren't. But very intersting to watch how they behave and walk around with their hunched backs and short back legs. Fierce!

We nicknamed this zoo, Monkey Zoo, because I have never seen so many species of monkeys in one place, ever!  They were so friendly, playful and fun to watch. 

 

The animals would come right up to us, waiting to be fed .... hoping for Fruitloops no doubt!

Even the sly fox came up to check out our loot and see what we had to feed him.

 It was a fun, relaxing way to spend a few hours, together.

Just don't feed the animals your fingers!

By the time we were ready to leave, it was so hot and sunny. We cooled off with some ice coffees and oreo coolattas. And stopped in for some pickin' at a local Flea Market and Antique Fair.

It was a fun day. None of it was really planned. We just drove around and went to where ever inspiration hit. We had a lot of laughs. Sometimes those are some of the best days.

The next day we hit the beach. 

 

For more sun. And surf and sand. Lots of sting rays spotted in the warm waters. 

Shore birds hoping to steal a snack. 

Back home for our second trip to the water park.  Love seeing them smiling and having fun. 

And then we enjoyed a day at the lake with friends. Once again the rain held out for us, until we were all ready to leave. 

They took turns burying each other in the sand.

Snuggling with pup after a long day. Very necessary after a busy week on the go!

That's it for this week. xoxo -jenn