Scattered Thoughts

I've spent the last week + battling a super awesome cough that my husband was kind enough to give me after battling it himself for 3+ weeks. I honestly haven't felt sick necessarily, just really annoyed by this stupid cough. And exhausted after a day spent coughing. Thus, I haven't blogged for a week. I thought I'd catch you up on the last week, in my typical random train of thought fashion {this is a scary glimpse into how my mind is usually spinning.}

- Cherry is a gross flavor. After all these cough drops, I'm done with cherry for awhile. Anyone have any really awesome cough drop recommendations to share with me?

- Many thanks to everyone who visited my blog and commented on my March Blog Hop post on Monday! Thanks to Jill for hosting the blog hop and doing all the behind the scenes work to get us organized.

- I think I promised to have weeks 8 & 9 caught up in my Project Life last week. Um...that didn't happen. Maybe this week.

- Monday's post happened to be my 200th on the blog. Yay me for noticing it a week late!

- I'm finishing up these beach themed wedding invitations, and they're making me really want to take a trip to the Outer Banks {where the wedding will be}. Who wants to carpool south?

- I'd spent my down time the last week {when I'm too tired to actually do things that have to be done} making notes on my iPad about organization and home improvement and whatnot. I bought this magazine/book {bookazine?} the other day and I'm devouring all the ideas.

- Spring fever hit hard a couple weeks ago and I'm dying to clean out & organize everything I can get my hands on. Getting sick put a crimp in that, but even yesterday, I found myself completely reorganizing our spice cupboard because I'm sick of not being able to find what I want in there.

- I am seriously so excited for St. Patrick's Day. Last year was the first year I'd ever had corned beef & cabbage {I led a VERY sheltered life}, and I LOVE it. I can't wait to make it again on Saturday.

- Why does being sick make me suddenly inspired to do all sorts of things I'm not really up to doing? I really wanted to get in the store this weekend and get some work done while I was in Elmwood, and I just didn't have the energy after a long day on Saturday.

Okay...that's all. Nothing terribly interesting, except that I'm feeling motivated about a lot of things that I haven't felt motivated about for a long time. It's a really nice feeling and I think we're getting a lot accomplished! This is such a busy time for Mike & me {at work, at home, in our businesses}...it's great to feel energized about everything!

Have an awesome week!

March Project Life Blog Hop

Hi everyone!

Welcome to the March Project Life Blog Hop!

For those of you who haven't visited my blog, I want to introduce myself very quickly. My name is Jen and I've been scrapbooking since I was 16 {13 years now!} Even though I call myself a scrapbooker, I hadn't actually completed a layout for more than 5 years...until Project Life came along. I participated in Project 365 2 years ago and failed miserably. I purchased my first Project Life kit last year, but haven't actually put a single picture in that album yet. This year I got the Clementine core kit, and the project has been successful so far. I can't say enough how much I love this project!

I've been married to my wonderful husband, Mike, for over 2 years now, and we have 2 furbabies: Molly who is a pug, and Abby who is a husky. We live in on farm in small-town Nebraska. Mike works with investments, and I work for senior living communities doing marketing & fundraising. We raise cattle on our farm, and we're opening a small boutique called Gather that will sell home decor, vintage goods, wedding stationery, party decor and just about anything else I think is interesting!

On to the Project Life layouts! I had fallen behind on my layouts because I ran out of page protectors and was waiting on them to get back in stock. I finally caught up on Weeks 4-7 on Sunday, and should have weeks 8 & 9 done by the end of this week!

During Week 4, I decided to try something different with my photos and go all black and white. It turned out I didn't like the way it looked, so I tried to add some extra color with embellishments. The stamps on the journaling cards are from an Ali Edwards' set, Life in Pictures.

Week 5 was full of color, which I loved after all that black and white! On the left side, I took a photo of Buffalo Enchiladas I made for the anniversary of our first date. Next to it, I used a folded journaling card to write the recipe down. {To get the recipe, visit my Pinterest page: www.pinterest.com/gatherboutique}

On the right side, I asked Mike to do some journaling with me. I'm really blessed to have Mike's help on this project whenever I ask for it, and I'm glad that when we look back over these stories, I'll have his perspective as well.

Week 6 was a different kind of layout for me. I decided to focus on one main story, my nephew's 6th birthday party. I took a lot of pictures of details and of all the activities we did. I also included the Pit Passes that I made for the guests at the party. On the right side, I used Design D photo pocket pages and did some journaling on 3x4 grid cards. I used the top card to tell a shorter story, and the bottom two cards to tell a longer story.

I liked this kind of layout for a change. After being a traditional scrapbooker for so long, it was comforting to focus on one main story from an important event in our lives. In the grand scheme of things, this album won't feel like it's missing some of the other stories that happened during the week.

And finally, week 7. I added some embellishments to the grid cards on the left side just to give them a little more color. On the right side, I photographed some paints at work that reminded me of an art project I used to do with my grandmother. I wrote the memory on a journaling card to go with the photo of the paints. 



All in all, these updates took maybe 2 hours for me to complete. I love that I was able to get so much done in such a short period of time!

I tend to keep my Project Life album open on my dining room table so it's always accessible and it reminds me to be on the lookout for picture taking opportunities. I have some Martha Stewart organizational products to hold all my core kit elements and other embellishments. I want to make this project as simple as it can be so I'm sure to keep up with it throughout the year.

For more information on my Project Life, visit my Project Life related posts. You can also check out some of my Project Life inspiration on Pinterest.

Make sure you visit the other participants and see what they have to show you next week. Up next is Sarah.

Don't forget to visit the other participants:

Arlene

Jill

Margie

Donna

Tamara

Natalie

Devon

Alissa

April

Noelia

Sharon

Have a great day & thanks for visiting my blog!

March Blog Hop Reminder

Hi all!

I'm popping in quickly to remind you about the Project Life blog hop that's going on here on Monday. It will be full of Project Life inspiration from some very talented folks, and I'm proud to be a part of the group. Check in Monday morning for all the details {and TONS of Project Life updates from yours truly!}

Have a great weekend!

112 in 2012 Progress: February

Happy Leap Day!

It's the last day of the month, so that means it's time for an update again. If you don't want to read through the whole list, I don't blame you! Scroll down to the bottom though for info about something fun coming up!

Normal text - haven't started

Italics - making progress
Strikethrough - failed miserably
Bold - completed




1. Pack or eat a healthy breakfast on days I have to work {don’t stop for fast food or skip it} {2/12}
2. Pack or eat a healthy lunch on days I have to work {don’t stop for fast food or skip it} {0/12, I am so terrible at this, but have had a good week so far...maybe I'm making progress}
3. Plan dinners the night before so we can stop for necessary ingredients or take things out of the freezer to thaw {1/12} {This month was rough for us, lots of commitments}
4. Move closer to Elmwood {So glad to finally have some hope of this happening soon}
5. Donate at least 20 boxes of things to the thrift store before moving
6. Sort and organize all holiday decorations so they are easily accessible
7. Donate holiday decorations that won’t be used prior to the next holiday
8. Start a family
9. Complete 2011 Project Life Album
10. Start & complete 2012 Project Life Album {I'm behind, but should be caught up this week!}
11. Complete at least one additional Project Life Album from a previous year
12. Print pictures at least once a month from the previous month {I'm actually printing pictures weekly, which is helping me keep up on with PL}
13. Work with nieces on Project Life albums, including printing pictures for them monthly
14. Grow my business
15. Blog at least 3 times per week { 0/12, I think I managed 2 times per week again this month, but hopefully I'll work my way up to 3 next month!}
16. Engage in at least one activity per month to promote my business {1/12}
17. Take at least 1 picture per day {I figured out this doesn't really work for me...I've been doing weekly PL layouts, which is much more attainable}
18. Take pictures during important events/gatherings
19. Plan 1 date night per month with Mike {2/12, had a date night at home this month to save some money, but had a yummy dinner and movie!}
20. Complete 1 project per month from inspiration found on Pinterest {2/12, see my baby shower post from Monday to see two cupcake recipes I've tried}
21. Start an idea binder to keep inspiration from magazines, etc.
22. Visit grandparents at least 1 time a month {2/12}
23. Plan and work on 1 craft project per month with nieces and nephews {0/12, I suck as an Auntie this year}
24. Take at least 1 vacation out of state {Uh, yeah...I thought we had things in process, not so much now}
25. Take at least 1 vacation in state
26. Visit 1 place I’ve never been before
27. Pay off at least 1 credit card {Sooo close!}
28. Use at least 1 coupon with every grocery purchase
29. Try one new recipe per month {1/12, I tried at least 4 new ones this month, go me}
30. Learn to sew
31. Donate items from couponing to an organization in need
32. Take a photography class
33. Make our new house feel like our home
34. Purchase/borrow bikes and go riding on the trail this summer
35. Plan an outing/visit with friends at least once a month {1/12. February was INSANE}
36. Take pictures for my blog posts
37. Create a video to post on my blog {Working on it finally}
38. Send birthday cards on time to important people when we can’t celebrate in person
39. Create a stash of cards for multiple occasions to have on hand
40. Frame pictures for our home and display them
41. Create a gallery wall in our new house of important/sentimental pictures
42. Work on creating Christmas decorations throughout the year
43. Relax and enjoy December and Christmas preparations
44. Finish all holiday shopping by December 1
45. Wrap and label Christmas gifts so they are under the tree by the end of the first week in December
46. Use my iPhone calendar to help keep me organized
47. Build a stockpile and only shop for perishable items as needed - otherwise, use the stockpile {We're definitely rebuilding our stockpile, it's been a good couple of weeks for couponing}
48. Plant a garden or work with family to have a garden
49. Freeze or can fresh produce to use throughout the following year
50. Take a family picture to display in our home, including both puppies
51. Attend 1 Christmas event in the community {tree lighting, Santa visit, etc.}
52. Visit the local library
53. Become a member of Mike’s church
54. Take all my nieces and nephews to the zoo for the day
55. Go to the Farmer’s Market at least once a month during June/July/August
56. Make homemade rolls for a holiday dinner
57. Drink at least 3 big glasses of water daily {2/12, I haven't been keeping track to know if it's 3 or not, but I've been drinking a lot more water}
58. Find at least 1 new blog per month to follow {2/12, turns out, this isn't hard for me...check out these awesome blogs: Maple & Magnolia and Tattered Tiques}
59. Comment on at least 1 blog post per week {8/52, I've been trying to do this every day I catch up on my Reader}
60. Host 1 holiday celebration at my house
61. Have a family dinner for no special reason at least every other month {This one doesn't seem super realistic now that we're in the middle of packing/cleaning for a move}
62. Identify a space in our new home for books and make use of it
63. Visit a large flea market/antique show {I have plans!!}
64. File important paperwork so it’s easily accessible
65. Organize my spice cupboard so it’s not overly full and difficult to find what I’m looking for
66. Utilize my closet
67. Make a plan to complete chores/housekeeping responsibilities on a routine basis
68. Purchase a new vacuum cleaner and use it!
69. Begin filling my home with meaningful decorations that make us happy
70. Make time weekly to create for myself {rather than for customers or gifts} {4/52, it's been a bad month for this sort of thing...lots of parties and customer orders}
71. Attempt to make contact with the people who received organs from my mom
72. Send Christmas cards
73. Carve a pumpkin
74. Attend a training/seminar to learn a new skill for work
75. Take a picnic
76. Learn how to use Photoshop
77. Take flowers to the graves of loved ones who have passed away
78. Use my time wisely to eliminate stress {I'm getting much better}
79. Check Etsy and local stores first for gift giving options {So far, so good}
80. Plan ahead for gift giving to allow time for shipping or searching for the right gift
81. Complete the Week in the Life project and get photographs into an album or Project Life layout
82. Get my house into a state where I would be comfortable with people dropping in
83. Keep my new house in a state where I’m comfortable with people dropping in
84. Change my mindset that people can drop in on a house that is not perfectly spotless
85. Strive to be more patient with people {February wasn't my best month for this}
86. Get up at least 3 times per week after hitting the snooze button only once {set alarm for the time I want to get out of bed instead of 45 minutes early} {I feel physically ill if I don't hit the snooze buttons a couple of times...I tried it, I'd rather just wake up at my own pace}
87. Become more active in an attempt to be healthier {and lose weight in the process}
88. Purchase a pair of dress shoes that are cute and do not hurt my feet

89. Send at least 1 “thinking of you” card to someone for no particular reason

90. Make and display an advent calendar

91. Organize my pantry {Did it last weekend...looks great!}

92. Don’t give up on taking photographs daily if I happen to miss one day {I missed a couple days and came up with a solution that works for me...weekly photo layouts in PL}

93. Don’t complain about anything for a week

94. Watch a movie I’ve always wanted to see but have never made time to watch
95. Make a custom recipe book {or find my favorite online recipes and pin them onto my Food board on Pinterest}

96. Eat 3 things I’ve never tried before
97. Learn to knit or crochet
98. Make Cold Cookies for Grandma {and Mike & me}

99. Make my own cleaning product rather than buying something

100. Go to the county fair

101. Go to Groundhog Days {We got snowed in sadly...heard it was a blast. Next year!}

102. Don’t swear for a week

103. Identify 25 things that make me happy and find a way to incorporate those things into Project Life

104. Journal in Project Life as I take pictures - complete journaling for the previous month at the start of a month}

105. Visit at least 1 photo booth {This is from my nephew's birthday party...the 4th picture is probably one of my favorites with him. It reminds me a lot of the first picture I ever took with him on the day he was born. Love that kid!}

106. Take vitamins daily {I honestly forgot this was on my list...whoops}

107. Organize the photos on my computer

108. Clean out refrigerator weekly {2/52...the last two weeks have been great!}109. Send thank you notes in a timely manner

110. Donate expired coupons for military use

111. Create/purchase a family calendar to be used by both Mike & me

112. Say no to things when I don’t have time or am feeling overwhelmed {I tried...it didn't work. I need to be more assertive. I'll keep trying.}

Making more progress...glad to see a few more completed things on my list after this month! And I have a pretty good idea of what I need to focus on next month!

So, I told you above that I have something fun coming up and I do! On Monday, March 5, I'll be participating in a Project Life blog hop. After seeing who participated in the blog hop last month, I know I'll be joining a talented group of ladies sharing their Project Life layouts, processes, and progress for this amazing project. It's such an honor to be a part of it! Once I have more details, I'll be sure to share them here. And, if you're interested in seeing where I'm at with Project Life, check in later this week...I should be able to update you on the last 4-5 weeks shortly!

Today, my husband & I are doing our Day in the Life project...I thought it might be a fun project for Leap Day {even though there's nothing typical about this day!} I'll hopefully share that during my post for the blog hop on March 5, if not sooner!

Have a great extra day all!

Baby Shower Brunch for Twin Boys

Hi everyone!

I mentioned awhile back that my husband and I were throwing a baby shower for his cousin Sean and his wife Danielle, who are expecting twin boys soon. The shower was postponed due to snow earlier this month, but we finally got to have it last weekend! I just wanted to share a few pictures and the menu for our brunch.

{I wrote a little about the invitation for the shower in this post}

I didn't really have a theme for the shower but I guess it's sort of vintage country. Basically, I just stuck to navy blue, stripes, burlap, and any other things to make a boring room feel more country-fied {I doubt that's a real word}.

I had fun with this party. I'm loving navy this year for some reason, and two baby boys seemed like the perfect occasion to haul it out! Working from the top left, going left to right:

1. One side of the table, with my mason glass jars, vintage inspired paper straws {in navy stripes}, of course, and a cabinet from my "keep forever" collection, that I purchased from the amazing Becky Novacek.

2. Vintage-inspired mason jars from Better Homes & Gardens. I'll bought these with the intention of actually canning in them, but they're so cute and have a really fun shape. I may be saving them for future parties.

3. Part of the spread, that really didn't fit on the table space we had allotted {see my menu below}.

4. Blueberry pancake cupcakes, found here on Pinterest.

5. Cinnamon toast crunch cupcakes, found here on Pinterest.

6. A close-up of my silverware/napkin display, and the only decent picture of the flower arrangements I put together.

Menu:

We kept the menu very simple so it could be prepared the morning of the shower without too much trouble. We had individual fruit salad cups and yogurt cups, and made bacon strips and breakfast sausage meatballs. We also made Belgian waffles, and had a bunch of toppings available for them or the yogurt {strawberries, blueberries, peaches, fresh whipped cream, granola and strawberry, blueberry & butter syrups}. For dessert, there were blueberry pancake cupcakes and cinnamon toasty crunch cupcakes {see above for the links to the recipes.} To drink, we had water with lemon, pineapple orange juice and citrus champagne sangria {recipe here from Pinterest}.

All in all, we had a great time. We don't get to see this side of Mike's family all that often, so it was really special to be able to hang out with them and celebrate such a special event. This didn't resemble the typical baby shower in any way {other than the gorgeous pregnant lady opening gifts!} Just lots of talk and catching up and celebrating two people who are going to make amazing parents. I can't wait to meet their baby boys!

Supplies:

Table linens {not pictured, but they were plain navy clothes}: AAA Rents in Lincoln, NE

Mason jars: Better Homes & Gardens line at Walmart

Paper straws: DimeStoreBuddy on Etsy

Food: All made by Mike & me, except for the glazed cashews, which I actually got from Bass Pro in Council Bluffs, IA

Flowers: Bouquets from Trader Joe's & Sam's Club, arranged by me in vintage mason jars

If you have questions about anything else pictured, comment or send me an e-mail!

Have a great day!

Project Life: Organization

Yesterday, I mentioned that I had purchased a few organizational items to keep my Project Life supplies in line. Even though it was really dreary yesterday, I took some pictures and wanted to share them with you so you can see how I've set up my space.

First, a little about what I was doing before I purchased these. As far as the elements to the core kit, I basically sorted them by how I wanted to use them {my anal Annie tendencies made me sort all the journaling cards and title cards so I wasn't using 2 of the same card too close to one another}. Then I simply just put them back in the core kit box. I will say that I love this year's core kit box and how it's possible to use it as an organizational tool. If you've ordered Project Life kits in the past, you know how giant the Big White Box was, and it's basically just a place to keep everything corralled, but not really organized. So, I was thrilled with this year's Little White Box. But, it still wasn't meeting my needs.

I typically finish up my Project Life layouts on go because I take my photos of them at work. I don't see daylight during the winter unless I'm at work, so that's where the pictures happened. Which meant I was carrying my album, Corner Chomper, Tiny Attacher, and maybe some Thickers or other stickers from the PL core kit with me to work and back every week. This system worked for a little bit, but I got tired of lugging everything around and not really having a place to keep everything in one spot. For example, I realized last night that my date stamper was still laying on my desk at work, and I couldn't put it in my new organizational system.

Enter these boxes I purchased the other day. All of them are Martha Stewart with Avery {which are sold at Staples}. I had a coupon for this weekend so I thought I'd try them out, and I'm really glad I did. They come in 3 colors {white, brown and a teal color}. This is the white, despite the ugly lighting in this picture. I purchased a tray with a drawer and 2 of the long divided boxes {which came with lids, but I won't be using them}.

The divided boxes are perfect for my journaling cards. On the left, I have my filler cards {to be used for the 8th 3x4 inch spot}. In the center there are the grid journaling cards, that I haven't used yet...looking forward to breaking them out when I get some of my new plastics tomorrow! And on the right I have my journaling cards, sorted in order so all I have to do is pull from the front when I put them in my album. I'm kind of surprised at how well everything fit - I wasn't bright enough to look at the measurements of the boxes before I purchased them. And there's room to grow, which is nice. I'll put my date flags in one of these dividers as I cut them out, I'll put my date stamp in another, and so on.

Then there is the tray & drawer. On the left side of the tray there are my title cards {sorted in the correct order, of course}. I can just pull a title card from the top when I'm ready to use it, if I want to go that route. I'll probably put a bunch of title cards in their layouts as soon as I get the plastics so I can have that step done. In the middle are the folded journaling cards that tell longer stories. On the right are all the stickers that came in the core kit.

And here's the open drawer. There's plenty or room for bigger items {like the Thickers} and the tools I turn to over and over again. You can't see in the picture, but I also have some extra photos waiting to go in layouts in the drawer so they don't get misplaced. And throughout the organizational system, there's still plenty or room to grow, which I love!

To be honest, I haven't figured out where exactly this will go at home. I'm looking for a place I regularly pass by so I'm reminded to take photos and save memorabilia. I'm also looking for somewhere safe where the dogs won't jump all over it and nothing will get spilled on it. I will find a place eventually, and for now, at least my supplies are all together and not at the bottom of a reusable shopping bag.

How do you organize your Project Life supplies? There's a ton of inspiration out there if you're looking for ideas. I have a few of them on my Project Life Pinterest board.

Happy Thursday!

Don't Wait! {Documenting Daily Life}

Instagram photo of a piece of delish chocolate cake & strawberry sauce my friend at work brought me yesterday

Last week, Ali Edwards documented a day in her life and asked who wanted to join up. I had initially planned on documenting mine the same day she did hers, but work got away from me and it didn't happen. The rest of the week was pretty crazy, and well...that's my life. You can see her initial post here, and her documentation the next day here.


I was bummed that I didn't do this project while "everyone" else was {it seemed like everyone anyway!}, but I've committed to documenting a day this month. Since there's only a few days left, I'd better get cracking. I had the day off Monday and thought it would be a great day to do something like this since I didn't have any major plans. But then I talked myself out of it because it wasn't a "typical" day.

I wish I hadn't.

If you're doing Project Life, or a Project 365 or any other kind of everyday moment documentation this year, the advice I have for you is DON'T WAIT! If you feel like preserving a memory, do it. Don't wait for the perfect time or a typical day. Just get it captured through photographs or journaling!

I didn't take a single photo Monday. I had my good camera with me and my iPhone and didn't use either of them once. Nothing was typical about Monday. I slept in til 8am, I spent some time hanging out with the dogs, it was a rainy spring-like day. I did dishes, I did laundry, I returned some things to a rental company, I shopped for some organizational tools {none of these things ever happen when I'm involved, though I realize they're probably typical for most people.}. I'm completely bummed because as atypical as my day was, it was great. I kept thinking I shouldn't only focus on myself, or I didn't take pictures as soon as I woke up.

I was making excuses for myself that don't matter.

I've been doing some version of Project Life or P365 for 3 years now, and every year I've failed miserably {with the exception of this year...I'm not failing this year}. The entire reason is because I set these lofty expectations for myself that I can't really meet, and as soon as I fail, I give up. My P365 2 years ago lasted maybe a month. My PL from 2011 STILL doesn't have a single photo in it. It's really sad.

My desire to be perfect took over my desire to preserve memories of our everyday life.


I guess what I'm trying to say in all this rambling and regret is that I hope you learn from my mistakes rather than waiting to make them yourself. It took me a long time {not that I even believe I've truly learned my lesson} to realize that memory keeping doesn't have to be a perfect, complete picture. One photo of one ordinary thing is so much better than no photos at all. If you've started one of these projects or have plans to start, please please please learn from my stupidity on this matter!

On a related note...one of the organizational things I bought Monday was to organize my Project Life supplies so I can keep them out all the time and focus on getting my photos in the album. I'll hopefully get it set up tonight and share some photos with you!

And, on another related note...many of the Project Life supplies that had been sold out came in this weekend {and subsequently sold out again!} I did get a couple things, but I waited too long to get everything I wanted. I can't wait until my shipment arrives from Amazon so I can get back into this project! Did you get everything you'd been waiting for??