This weekend crafters from all over the country (world?) are gathering and revealing their new products at CHA (Craft and Hobby Association) Trade Show in LA.

OH how i wish i was there right now-- however i am really enjoying all the pics and interviews from my favorite manufacturers that are popping up all over the web.

Lily Bee has been offering sneak peaks of their new collections during the last week and day by day on the blog they are revealing their new lines. Stop by and check it out... and leave a comment here and here for your chance to win the entire collection!!!

First up, Lily Bee just revealed their first beautiful collection: Happily Lost.

Here is my CHA layout for this line:

I ADORE the colors in this collection- so bright and fun. I have been saving these photos of Jordan for awhile. Glad I did, because it went perfectly with Happily Lost.

Did you notice that Lily Bee now has STAMPS and ALPHAS!??! Sorry. I don't mean to yell, but i am just *a tad* excited.

Today Lily Bee revealed the second collection, Picket Fence, designed by Julia Stainton.

The color combos in Picket Fence are beyond perfect. Purples, greens, blue and reds. I love them all!

The blue woodgrain paper? Swoon. The red and blue "Alfresco" paper? to die for.

Here is another CHA layout I made using Picket Fence:

And can you believe there's more to come? Lily Bee will be revealing This & That tomorrow... make sure to swing by the Lily Bee blog and be a friend on Facebook (wink wink) for your chance at some prizes!

Thanks for stopping by!

Bulkheads and the Bachelor

So, lately i have been spending lots of time perusing the Nester's website.

And I have been so inspired.

I LOVE interior design, and in fact, it used to be my major at purdue. until the semester i had to take a class about interior electrical systems AND an art & design class that required me to make a piece of foam board into an object that would roll downhill.

the next day i switched my major to advertising.

anyway, interior design has always been something that interest me and that i enjoy (it's kind of like scrapbooking- but on walls-- and with out the mist... you know what i mean?)

But I have to admit-- bulkheads baffle me.

I have no idea what to do with the bulkheads above my kitchen cabinets. If i decorate them, it looks like clustered clutter, if i don't, it looks completely bare.

(before picture with our clustered clutter. nothing interesting is going on here besides the fact Todd is throwing pizza dough in the air. and he's pretty darn good at it, i might add)

So what's a girl to do?

This morning i woke up and realized i have NO PLAN for these poor bulkheads, so i spent most of my morning taking everything down (including the 4 layers of dust underneath said objects).

And let me say, the items i discovered on my bulkheads were... interesting to say the least.

A can of paint, a few phone books, a 4x4, a guitar (i am not kidding folks... many of these items were "propping items" but still...). My favorite?

Two signed wine bottles by Andrew Firestone the Bachelor.

Wow. I mean how long am i going to keep this?

Us with Andrew Firestone back in 2003. And me with crazy, curly hair.

ANYWAY. It's nice to have a clean slate (i am talking about the bulkheads here), and let it sit for a few days then rethink the decor process. and vacuum up the dust. any maybe crack open the wine.

How are your bulkheads decorated (or are they NOT decorated?) Help! I need advice!!

finding the balance

we had some brutally cold, snowy days late last week, leaving us inside and at home for most of thursday through sunday.

we did alot of fun activities

like writing our names in flour.

it was really messy, but also LOTS of fun. the kids both LOVED that i let them make a mess. (thank you Jennifer for this fabulous idea)

We then spent time coloring, playing dress up (see jonah in his buzz lightyear?) and played games.

and ignored housework for the day. well, except for cleaning up the flour that was all over everyone/everything.

i really enjoyed our special snow day on thursday. focused on fun and play. however, i have to admit, i felt *a little bit* guilty ignoring the house that was begging me to clean it up. i mean that's my job too isn't it? By no means to i think taking care of the house is anywhere close to the importance of spending time with my children (and especially during this short window of time that they are home with me), it's just hard to find that balance during the day.

Fast forward to yesterday. Both were in school and i was out running errands. I was waiting for the mall to open to get a few errands open (why can't the mall open before 10?) when an email popped in my inbox from The Simple Mom (which is a wonderful site)

The title? Fighting the Tyranny of the Urgent at Home. You can read it here. In a nutshell, it described the battle between the urgent and important in our homes. The urgent being things that need our attention immediately-- sick kids, messes, returning emails/phone calls, bills, spills, errands, while the important includes spending time with children and spouse, developing relationships with friends and neighbors, fostering a spirit of creativity in the home.

"Far too often, we focus on the urgent things in front of us, and at the end of the day, the things we really care about — the important — were barely given a glance."

This is so me. Sometimes i feel like i can barely manage to complete the "urgent" (or those things i think may be urgent) and fail to engage in the important.

It was such a wake up call and blessing to read that post, especially on the heels of my recent revelation.

I have come to fully believe that finding the balance has to be an intentional decision or goal. Coasting through the day will NOT bring about a healthy balance between urgent and important-- that mode of operation will always favor the urgent.

How do you balance the urgent and important?

a mother's heart

Photo Credits: Carpenter Photography & Design. Photo taken May 2009

When we first discovered jonah might have a speech delay, it was the fall of 2009.

He was enrolled in preschool, and jordan was enrolled in mother's day out. i remember the day so clearly. I picked up little 18 month old jordan first. her teachers began to tell me how incredibly well she was doing with her speech skills. she was talking in sentences, asking questions, conversing with her classmates. i was thrilled with the compliment. I then walked down the hallway to Jonah's 3 year old preschool classroom, which is where his teacher pulled me aside to express her concern over Jonah's speech, or rather, the lack of his expressive speech and communication.

Really???

How is it possible that within five minutes my heart could be elated for one child's success, then be completely shattered over the fact that one child was struggling? And furthermore, over the same topic.

It really sent me on an emotional whirlwind. How do I celebrate the joy of one's successes, while at the same time focus my attention on the needs of the one who is struggling? how do i balance the feelings and emotions that are welling up inside my heart? I then began to realize that this is the heart of a mother. And truthfully, this is the heart of every woman (and person for that fact!).

When will the lives my children, or my family, of my friends...all of my loved ones just be "easy"?? and all at the same time for cryin' out loud!?!?

The more i contemplate that question, the more i realize that is not what life or how life is intended (or promised) to be. Rather, it's how you choose to respond that matters.

We have no control over what life brings us. We do however have control over our response to situations (those desirable and not-so-desirable). We do have control over where we place our Hope and Trust.

"For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all of your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him..." Romans 8:28

So this mother's heart will be focused on truth's I know to be true with every fiber of my being. I will hold on to the truth that He is in control and has mapped out a plan for my children, my husband, my family, my friends, and me.

A plan that is for our good. A plan that will prosper us. A plan that will give us a hope and a future.

That alone is the only thing that brings peace to this emotional whirlwind that is my heart.

four confessions.

1. I DO NOT go through car washes.
Meaning, I am not behind the wheel during said car-wash due to an unfortunate/embarrasing/now hilarious incident in high school. which left me permanently scarred i might add.

Let's just say the incident involved me somehow getting off the car wash tracks, cars behind me honking, and lots of tears. I was able to get back on the tracks-- which is a good thing, because i was a mere two seconds away from bailing out of my car and running through the car wash to escape the horrid situation.

If it were not for Todd, my car would never be washed. He usually takes it out during weekend errands and will have it washed. Well, this weekend we happened to ALL be in the car as we went through the car wash, and i turned around and saw jordan doing this:

Apparently she feels the same way I do about car washes. And she sat silently with her de-de over her face the.entire.time.

I never really knew her response to car washes since I never drive through them with her! Isn't that funny/crazy that i never knew she hated them so much????

and while we are on the subject of cars, that brings me to confession number two...
2. I now drive a mini-van.

i swore i would never do it, but alas, i am in the swagger wagon club, and i couldn't be happier. Gone are the days that i really care what i drive, or feel like i need to keep up with some sort of image. i am so over it. so i guess that makes me the mom who drives a mini van and scrapbooks- and that's exactly who i want to be :) i must to tell you though, this is one kickin' ride. We bought it used and with low mileage-- it is beyond perfect for our family. I am SO thankful.

HOWEVER that is not the story I want to share with you right now. What i really want to share is what we found in our new mini van.

Like I said, this vehicle was bought used. It was exactly everything we wanted (color, milage, brand, etc). There were a few minor things that needed to be repaired- one being the stereo system and DVD player.

We finally got the CD player up and running, popped open the 6-disc changer, and WOULDN'T YOU KNOW IT, the previous owner forgot to remove their CDs...... SCORE!

First, an R.E.M cd popped out (one I already had- boo).

It was then followed by this:

Which was immediately followed by THIS:

now, not to be insensitive to other peoples struggles, but ARE YOU KIDDING ME??!!?!???? i think what made this so hilarious (and had this to the point of tears) was that 1) this came out after a CD of 65 kids songs (which is enough to send anyone over the edge to the point of insanity), and 2) we were sitting in a mini van. 'nuff said.

3. We just took down our Christmas Tree Saturday.

With two birthdays immediately following Christmas, i like to keep the house nice and festive by keeping our tree up a few more days (i take all other christmas decor down after new years). So here are the remnants. It was a great tree. Although i am ready to get our house back to normal, i am always sad to pack away all the ornaments and pretty decor for a whole year.

and finally,
4. I just bought this on Etsy for Jordan's room : )

And that's the end of this incredibly random post.

Scrappy Saturday

Happy Saturday!!

I have a few Scrappy related items to share with you today!!

First, my Ella Friend Brenda is hosting a series of posts over at Ella Publishing titled, "Versatile Sketches" (day one and day two). Ella's Fabulous ebook, Double Page Design offers many incredible two page sketches to work from. The Ella Friends were given the same sketch to work from, and it's been really fun to see what everyone has come up with-- many different looks for one sketch! Sketches are a wonderful way to scrapbook-- you can follow it exactly or use it as a starting point.

This is my interpretation based of the following sketch found in Double Page Design.

I really love this sketch. I didn't have enough photos for the 3x3 photo section so I simply added pattern paper, twine and butterfly embellishments instead of photos. (for my supplies I used Studio Calico's Drafting Table add-on, for the most part).

I just love this series of photos of Jordan. It's just so her right now. I blogged these photos and my thoughts back in October and I pretty much used my blog post as the journaling portion of my layout. One of the many reasons I love to blog is that it makes journaling in scrapbooks so much easier :)

In case you haven't noticed I am really into twine these days... i think i have used twine on about 8 of my last 10 layouts-- slightly predictable, eh?? ha! I keep the twine rolled in a tight circle, so when i unroll it, it twists very easily. It falls in a "natural" pattern which is slightly manipulated by me ;) I use a tape runner and adhere the twine to the paper in once it's laid out (i do NOT try to adhere the whole piece of twine, just bits and pieces here and there).

Switching subjects a little bit, have you seen all the CHA sneaks out there???? AHHH i love this time of year (and in the summer) where we get peeks of all the new products that are coming out- makes me happy (and makes Todd scared to death at the thought of more scrapbooking paper coming into our house HA;).

Lily Bee has some BEAUTIFUL new lines coming out... i adore everything. A little sneak of the first line, "Happily Lost" was posted on the Lily Bee blog yesterday. Isn't she pretty???

Keep your eye on the Lily Bee blog for more sneaks to come! :)

letting go.

Last night we went to a Kindergarten open house at a local Christian School.

As I sat there listening about the Kindergarten curriculum and how the foundation of their education is based on the Word of God (which I love) I started feeling dizzy. Is it really *almost* time for my boy to be going to kindergarten?

I looked around the kindergarten classrooms and couldn't help but think of how much Jonah will love it. He thrives at a school. He has exceeded beyond my expectations with the preschools he has attended (regular preschool and one for his speech delay). He has a heart that desires to learn. I couldn't help but get so excited for him as I got to peek into his near future. But at the same time I was sad for me. Sad that this phase of him being home with me is almost over.

We have not yet decided where he will be going to school, but this much I know: last night was huge reminder that I have eight short months left of this time where he is home with me.

I thought of my one little word-- go. And then it hit me.

Part of this year will be letting go.

But before I let go of one phase of our lives and head into another, I have eight short months left to cherish, savor, and be intentional about our time together at home. As crazy as our days may be, I am determined to cherish every minute of it.

And for that, I am thankful.

Snow Day and the Pink Eye

Happy Tuesday!

We are gearing up for a bunch of snow here in the Mid-West (and it seems so many places in the US are as well!). Coincidentally, I have a SNOW layout up over at the Lily Bee blog!

Stop by Lily Bee to check out a few thoughts on the creative and journaling process behind this one.

Have I ever mentioned I love my circle punch? Well, (as you can see) i do. I use it all the time and it's kind of my go-to tool for creating grids! I love it!! It helps create a clean design. Me like.

In unrelated news, my little jordan came down with THE PINK EYE yesterday morning. ugh, goo.... literally.

And what is really odd is the fact that last year she came down with pink eye the day after the Colts lost the super bowl. And then this year she came down with pink eye the day after the Colts lost in the play off game. Coincidence? Maybe?

Have a great Tuesday! Is it snowing where you live today? If so, go out and play!!!

32 and one little word...

Today is my 32nd birthday. Me and Elvis Presley.

Well, Elvis isn't 32, we just share the day. But you know what i mean. :)

Having a birthday right after Christmas was kind of a bummer when I was little, but i like it now. It's like an EXTRA fresh start at the new year. I can set goals that coincide with the calendar year and my age- i like how that matches up. :)

So I thought today would be the perfect time to share my one little word for 2011...

Go.

The word came to me recently and just resonated within my heart that this would be my theme for 2011. For so long i struggled with anxiety and fear and it robbed me from so much-- so much joy, so much (quality and engaged) time with my kids, and from deepening my marriage during those 18 months I struggled. I am SO thankful that season was not long and that it's over. However, i am thankful that i experienced it. (i cringe saying that). Because i learned so much. I learned that fear (which is something i still struggle with but not on such an intense level) makes me numb and inward focused. I don't want to live that way.

Which is why i chose the word Go for 2011 and for my 32nd year.

Go do those things I am afraid to do.

Go do those things I have been putting off.

Go on dates with my husband

Go serve someone in need.

Go spend quality time with my children (especially since this is the last few months Jonah will be home before kindergarten).

Go slower.

Go to New Zealand. :)

Go exercise.

Be able to confidently respond to the Lord's calling for my life with "I will go."

Mark 16:15-16 "He (Jesus) said to them, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved'..."

Supplies: Notecards by Studio Calico, October Afternoon, and Sassafras. Pattern Paper: Studio Calico and Crate Paper. Chipboard arrow and Brad: Crate Paper. Circle Journal Tag and January Calendar: Elle's Studio. House Stamp, Bird Stamp, and Stickers: Studio Calico. Ink, Circle Alphabet, and Yellow Ledger: Jenni Bowlin. Bakers Twine: Martha Stewart. White Alphas: American Crafts. Woodgrain Alphas: Cosmo Cricket.

I can't wait to see the impact this word will have in my life this year!! Thanks for stopping by today!!

wordless few words wednesday thursday

What could be better than a Toy Story Birthday Cake?

Perhaps the look on his face when he saw it?

Or...

the fact

my mom

unknowingly



put

trick

candles

on

his

birthday

cake?



you decide. :)