sunday

"We are the hurdles we leap to be ourselves."  - Michael McClure

As I embark on a new year, I feel blessed and excited and ready to begin anew. I know any day could be a new start, but of course it seems most fitting since it is the start of a new year :)  2011 was wonderful & exhausting!!  Becoming a mother to a new little one has been amazing and difficult and joyful and tiring all rolled up in one.  I spent most of 2011 just trying to find a routine as mommy of two & of course it is ever changing as my 2 little boys grow older.   While concentrating on mommyhood, I have definitely allowed myself to take a back burner.  But I think that is typical for mommies to do that - right??  Anyways I have vowed to make 2012 a year of balance between being a mommy and being me - it is important to find a little time for me again.  I miss scrapbooking & being creative, recently I have only completed a few DT assignments here & there.  I want to just create & have fun & while I feel blessed to design for others, I want to design for myself too - without any restrictions or deadlines.  I want to run/exercise again & feel healthy.  I want to get a haircut (last haircut to date - a year ago - gasp!!).  I want to wear something other than sweats every day.  I want to read books again - I think the last one I read was in 2008???  I want to spend more time with my friends.  I want to go on date nights with my husband.


My biggest problem is really me - I am a worrisome mother, often guilt-ridden, and seldom willing to give up control of being in charge.  With 2 it seems I get pretty much nothing done during the day, so recently the late night hours which were once my own, are now filled with picking up toys, doing dishes, laundry, etc.  Most days I feel guilty, that I haven't done enough, that my time with them wasn't as "quality" as I would have liked it to be.   Trying to make meals happen, nap times, driving to school, picking up from school, etc. - go, go, go is how I feel most days.   By the end of the day I feel like I have survived it rather than enjoyed it, treasured it, experienced it.  I need to find how to change this, to slow down, to take care of me & my family . . . here's to 2012 & a new sense of balance!!


You may have noticed a few changes around here - the project is still in the works but I am exciting to be revamping my blog a bit :)  It is time to get out of the bloggin' slump and start posting!!!  I came across a great blog designer who had some fabulous clean & simple designs - just my style :)   Her name is Allison & you can see more of her work HERE.  Still a few more changes to go, but I am really liking it so far.  A great way to start off the new year & (hopefully) get me in the bloggin' groove!!!  

Speakin' of blogging slump - I totally missed posting my December assignments for Jillibean Soup - slacker!!!

First up, this holiday mini I made.  HERE is a link to the tutorial I used.  It actually looks way more complicated than it was & with the aid of my ScorPal, it was that much easier :)

This next page was super fun to make.  I'm not one to use stamps much (although you would think differently if you saw my collection - I'm such a scrappy hoarder!!), but I decided to break out a circle stamp from the Dutch Mustard/Unity set and use it to create a fun border around the page's edge.  I then used a circle punch to create circles from a variety of patterned papers and adhered those down within the stamped circles.

In the last layout I used a fun blocking design - love how they all were anchored together with a circular photo.  I don't often use circular photos but I really like how it added interest to the overall design.

This layout was also the sample for this December's sketch challenge.  Here is the sketch I created . . .

Tonight I am venturing into Project Life - I'm still scrapping regular pages but I am excited to use this project as a way to "complete the picture" so to speak of my year.  I will be back in the next day or two to show you what I've come up with & how I am planning on using it this year!!


Before I go . . . fun pics from our weekend - I enjoyed playing with my Christmas gift - an iPhone.  It was much needed as I dropped my old phone about a month ago & had to keep it in a plastic ziploc as all the glass had shattered but was still sitting there on the screen, just waiting to fall out.  Nothing like answering a phone call in the grocery store & talking into a cell phone inside a bag next to your ear.  Yes I got strange looks :)  Anyways - here's the pics!!