3*2*5 - Jaime Warren

Back At It...

We are back from our mini vacation...and honestly, it went by WAY too fast.  It always does.  Time crawls by when you are waiting to leave, but, while you are there it just flies by.  We had a wonderful time.  Lots of shopping, hiking, relaxing in the hot tub, playing pool & ping pong and just having fun.  Now it's back to work and school - the girls are doing really well this semester.  I think we have finally gotten used to this new homeschool program - it only took an entire semester lol! 

I have some fun scrappy news to share too - I am back over at the Basic Grey Blog with a new project - a Valentine's paper bag mini album tutorial.  I have to say again how excited I am to be guest designing for them this month!

I am also being featured over at shimelle.com.  I am sharing my rather chaotic scrapbooking process.  If you get a second and want to check out either post I'd be super happy to have you do so ;)

Here are a couple of sneak peeks of what you will find!

Have a fantastic day friends! ♥

 

Pardon me while I go all fan girl for a moment...

be prepared for me to dork out for just a second ok? I have had mad love for this company for a long time.  When I first started scrapbooking I would go into my LSS and just pray that they had some of the papers (which they did not so I had to buy them off of Ebay, but anyway...)  Some of my very first scrapbooking pages were created with Basic Grey.  When Melanie asked me to be the guest designer for January over on the Basic Grey blog I immediately said YES. 

I am in love with the True Love collection - the colors, the designs, all of it are right up my alley.  I couldn't be more excited to share my work over on the Basic Grey Blog.  If you'd head over there and check it out I'd love you for forever.  You are also going to want to check out all of the new releases if you haven't already.  Uh, Hipster?  Get in ma buggy!  Seriously, I love all of them.

Thank you Basic Grey for the awesome opportunity to design for you this month! 

Ok, I'm off to get our school day started (although the girls don't seem to be getting the message.)  Have a fantastic, beautiful Thursday my friends!

Yeah...I've got nothing.

I suck at coming up with clever titles.  I draw a blank every single time. 

I have a lot on my mind right now.  Mostly my father's health.  We will know more tomorrow morning after he has a sonogram on his abdomen.  The waiting is what I hate.  I just want to know so that we can move on to the next step of his treatment. On the other hand, there's a part of me that doesn't want to know.  That doesn't want to face that reality.  I don't know if I will ever be ready for it. I want to do whatever it takes so that we can make him comfortable.  Right now he's suffering.  Watching someone you love suffer?  It's gut wrenching and maddening.  It makes me want to scream in frustration.  Tomorrow will change things...we will know then what we are dealing with.  We will know if we are dealing with a 90% mortality rate or not. For the past 5 years he has been in bad shape, in one form or another.  Everytime we adjust to something, his health detoriates.  It's been a never ending cycle of ups and downs.  And he's tired.  So, so tired.  He's been suffering for way too long.  If you can spare any prayers, positive thoughts, blessings, anything...please send some his way.  I would appreciate it more than I can express. 

I know that this post is kind of a downer...I needed to get this out.  To get it out of my head, off my chest and off my heart.  If anything, it has made me realize how important it is to embrace the every day moments of life. To hold onto them, to cherish them, to document them.  It has made me realize that we aren't guaranteed anything in this life.  It has made me more aware of how fragile life is.

It has made me want to embrace life more.  To live as if I don't have another moment to spare.  To love like I don't have another moment to spare. 

In lighter news, I know I promised to share who I will be guest designing for...but, I can't until the blog post goes live - I'm sorry!  As soon as it does I will :)  CHA has thrown everyone's schedules for a loop, but hopefully I can reveal very soon! 

Now that I have unloaded on you (sorry!) I will leave you with a photo (because a post feels naked without them!)  An every day moment in our house...the girls watching Kickin' It while I edit...I love our couch and living room.  It is our central family space where we all hang out together.  I love these every day, simple moments.

Have a beautiful evening friends ♥

Some Webster's love and other Monday ramblings

Hellloooo Monday - you sure got here fast.  Typically I would be all *Monday, grumble, grumble, sucks, grumble, grumble* but, we leave at the end of the week for a long weekend trip to the mountains.  So, Monday was a welcome event this week.  It means we are one day closer to a weekend of relaxing, hot tubbing, hiking, game playing fun.  It feels like going home every. single. time we go up there.  It's just...it's home, you know?

We spent our weekend enjoying the glorious warmer temps and sunshine.  We had two sessions on Saturday and then spent the evening with friends.  Sunday we went hiking with friends...it was so nice to get out!  We stay fairly cooped up during the week because of school (well, me and the girls do) so even a trip to the grocery store can feel like an adventure lol!

Tomorrow I will be guesting for one of my favorite companies..I can't wait to share!  I have wanted to work with this manufacturer since I started scrapbooking 8 years ago!  SO excited.

I have been working with the gorgeous new Webster's Pages lines.  I am in LOVE with these new goodies!  Trust me..you are going to want every single piece of paper, transparency and embellishment!

Notice the oldy, but goody Heidi Swapp bling hearts!  I was hoarding those lol!  Still love them ;)  Time to hop off and cook this rowdy bunch some dinner.  Have a great day friends!

 

Alright 2013, let's talk about this...

Anyone else had a totally crazy start to their new year?  I need to have a looooong talk with good old 2013 to sort a few things out.  We had to take this sweet girl to the doctor on Tuesday:

She had a poison ivy rash (she's extremely allergic) that looked like it was healing like it should...but she woke up Tuesday morning in pain and the rash looked horrible.  It had turned into a staph infection.  So, it was antibiotics, steroids, creams...the works.  It's looking a bit better and it isn't causing pain anymore.  Hopefully by Monday it will be gone. 

We are back at it with school - Addy is starting to read like a champ (total proud mommy over here!!) and we are planning her 6th birthday party.  Yep...6.  My baby is going to be 6.  She wants another American Girl doll :) I love that she loves those dolls as much as she does.  It's so sweet.

We will be heading to the cabin in the mountains next weekend with friends.  Can. not. wait.  We were hoping to see snow, but, with the crazy weather I highly doubt that we will.  I know the girls were hoping for at least a couple of inches!  I'm looking forward to some quality time together, some laughter and some relaxing.  It will be nice to have a few days to decompress.  Snow would just be icing on the cake!

Alrighty, I know this is a short, drive by post...but, I'm off to get ready for two sessions today!  Have a great weekend friends!

Hello 2013...let's do this.

So, I had this huge post all typed out and then bam!  Computer froze and I lost all of it.  So frustrating.  Stupid technology! 

Anyway, we brought in the new year with family, friends, food, fireworks and a fire pit.  We had a blast - even though my best friend almost set my shoes on fire with a firework.  That was...interesting to say the least lol!

I've been thinking hard about my resolutions for 2013.  I know for a fact that we have decided that I won't be taking on the same work load with my photography business that I did in 2012.  I have a really hard time saying no...but I know my limits now.  I can't do that to myself or to my family again.  That was a rough few months and I would rather not go through that ever again.  It was just to a point where it wasn't healthy for any of us.

Some of my other resolutions:

1. project life.  I bought all of the stuff last year and never. did. it.  Pathetic much?  Yep.  Thats me.  I am determined to tackle it this year and make it happen.

2.  journal more.  I have a journal for me and one for the girls.  I must start writing in it daily and not monthly!  I want them to have that piece of me...my heart.

3.  document more.  I need to pull out my "real" camera and not my iphone and capture the every day.  Stop worrying about the messy house in the background or the fact that my girls live in their pajamas.  Just do it.  Capture the real us.  Messy hair, dishes in the sink..all of it.

4.  scrapbook for me.  I love working for companies, but I really need to pull out the scrapbooking supplies and do it for me.

5.  take time for me.  Whether it's reading.  A bubble bath.  A trip to the grocery store by myself...taking time just for me is essential.  I have to remember that.

I am extremely excited about 2013, I can't wait to see what this year brings.  I hope everyone had a wonderful new years celebration.  What are some of the resolutions you made?  I'd love to hear them!