Quest to Perfect Imperfection

Things we should say to our children

2012-03-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

I love when a blog post or a pin on pinterest can inspire you. That is what happened when I say this pin and went to read the blog post, over at the Maternal Lens. I just love it. It was such a wonderful remember. It's easy to forget the little things when you are in the trenches with your little ones. I know there are days that I crawl into bed and wonder if I told my kids just how amazing they are and how lucky I am to have them in my life.

Since I'm taking the Jessica Sprague Art of Poster Design class I decided you use the inspiration from that post to make this poster.

Family x12 Blog Hop

2012-03-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

It's that time again. Time to share our family photo. I really do love this blog hop because it makes me try to get at least one photo of my gang together each month. It's so hard to see the changes in everyone when you are with them every day, but when you look back at photos it's amazing to see the growth and change.

This months photo was taken with my iphone. Lately that has been my camera of choice because it's with me all the time. We were at a Pistons game and I had us all pile in together and I tried to get us all in the frame. After I shot the photo I noticed the couple behind us decided to put on a show for our photo and they were dead center making out. I was so worried about getting us all in, I didn't look to see what was happening elsewhere. I downloaded an app called Big Lens to help me edit the picture. I love how it turned out because you can not tell someone was there.

Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Ruth's Blog. Here is the complete list of participants encase you get lost. Thanks for stopping by, hope to see you again soon.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog

Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com<---You Are Here

Ruth http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com

Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

Jill http://jillconyers.com

Patricia http://patoliveira.woodpress.com/

Round Up Time

2012-03-03T16:59:00.000-05:00

1. What types of media did I enjoy this month?

Watched: Leap Year (again), Wunderlust

TV: Super Bowl, Oscars. Also watched a couple of episodes of Restaurant Nightmare - I was almost sick during one of them and had to stop watching.

Listened to: Paperclipping Round Table, the DigiShow, NPR Wait, Wait don't tell me, Another mother runner

Reading:

Colors for your every mood by Leatrice Eiseman

I'm bored by Christine Schneider

Cookiing with Henry & Elliebelly by Carolyn Parkhurst

Alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. by Judith Viorst

Thank you bear by Greg Foley

DH & Boys : Puss in Boots

2. What did my kids do/learn this month?

William went with friends (Dante, Andrew and Bobby) to see Star Wars 3D.

The boys learned the life lesson of death. Their Great Grandma passed away at the age of 99.

All the boys are busy learning new songs for their instruments.

William playing basketball. Kyle & Logan in Gymnastics

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Play soccer once a week in over 30 women's league.

Kyle had big friends birthday party at Zap Zone.

Helped out in Kyle’s class for Valentine’s Day party.

We all went to the Pistons vs. Celtics game

4. What creative things have I done this month?

On-line classes:

Twelve: Finished 5 layouts

OLW: February prompt finished

Poster Design: Three completed posters

Finding Photo Flow: Finished converting my photos from iphoto

Continuing with my classes. Did the required drawings and Illustrator assignments.

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Side Table and lamps for living room.

Window treatments for living room.

Garage door broke…had to purchase new motor.

6. What were my fitness/health accomplishments this month?

Ran/Walk: 16.08 miles

Worked Out: 5 soccer games

Rockin Body Fitness DVDs: 4 days

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Finished the conversation of my photos from iphoto to Lightroom.

8. What were my disappointments this month?

Didn’t get my fitness plan worked out. This is a top priority for next month.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

Fell short on my fitness goals

Finished my conversion of iphoto to lightroom

Have budget in place…trying to follow it.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

Goals for April (in no particular order):

Make morning routine a habit.

Go through recipes on delicious account and clean them out and reorganize as needed.

Finish the complete Rockin Body DVD workout

One Little Word Blog Hop

2012-03-01T11:00:00.003-05:00

Welcome to this months One Little Word Blog Hop! February has gone by in the flurry of unknown. I was busy, but I feel like I didn't get much done. So I'm so glad that I was able to work on the prompt for this months One Little Word.

I've been thinking about my word - Define - quite often. I'm really trying to figure out what defines me and the life I want to live. I have hit many road blocks, mainly because of my own thinking. I worry too much about what other people might think and I worry too much about following the rules and doing things the right way. The problem with that is I don't know who made the rules, so why I'm I following them. I'm questioning many things and trying to work them out. During this journey I have to make sure the rules work for me, but also my family. I can not turn their world upside down, but I can slowly work on changing the way we spend time, money and energy. It's definitely a long process. But I know it will be worth it in the end.

This months prompts to photograph your word was not easy. How to you take photos of define?? I looked at what areas of my life I need to define or change. From there I tried to find something that would represent that area. I took all my photos with my iPhone, which I'm in love with. Since the photos come out to be about a 2x2, it was perfect for the little canvases. I typed the main area of focus before printing and then I added some walnut stain and wrote something about the area of focus to help me work on that theme.

Here's a quick description of each card:

Organize: Create work flows to get more done. I use work flows for different areas of work, but I never really applied them to things in my home life. I want to see if creating some work flows at home will help me achieve more in less time.

Spirit: Acknowledge and Feed. I'm not sure how I'm going to do this. I'm not a huge spiritual person, but I feel a lose in that area. I need to explore some different ways of being more spiritual, whether thru prayer, mediation or reflection, I'm not sure on that yet.

Family: Spend more time. I should put quality time. We are so busy and running around that we don't spend enough time just being together. I want to start having Sunday morning outings, like walks or bike rides to incorporate time together with exercise and nature.

Simplify: Want Less. Be More. I love the idea of having less. Less to clean and sort and organize. I want to do more, not have more.

Nutrition: Fuel my body with REAL food. This is something I've been doing for years, but lately I haven't been great about planning our meals. I'm going to start meal planning again and want to start teaching my boys more about cooking.

Routine: Create a flow for my day. This works with Organize. I created a morning routine for me and so far I love it but it's still not a habit. I picked 5 things that energize me and start my day off right. I do this things before anything else. Drink glass of water, exercise, shower, Cup of Coffee, Create To Do list for day. I'm working on my evening routine next.

Design: Feed my desire to learn more. I realized I'm spending my time doing things I don't really enjoy. I want to work on my love of photography, design and art.

Balance: Don't empty on tank... This is a reminder to me to not deplete myself. If I don't take care of Mom then no one is happy.

Health: Take care of myself. I want to get stronger and healthier this year.

So that is how I'm defining DEFINE in photos. I almost forgot about the large photo for the opening page. So I did something I normally would not do. I took a photo of me right at this moment. No shower, No make-up, Just me. I'm actually surprised because I don't mind the picture. I think all those self-portraits are making me kinder to myself.

The quote on the photo reads: It is never too late to be what you might have been. -George Eliot.

Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Veronica's blog. If you get lost here is a list of all the blog hop participants.

Margie           http://xnomads.typepad.com
Melissa S         http://blog.mshanhun.com
Sharyn            http://LaVieEnChic.com
Kimberlee         http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com
Jill              http://jillconyers.com/
Cheri            http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Cindy            www.cynthiacrysdale.com
Jenn              www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Monica            http://scrapinspired.com/
Catherine         http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com/
Naomi            http://poeticaperture.com/
Jamie              jmpgirl.blogspot.com
Coley              www.coleybelle.blogspot.com
Melissa C          www.smudgetime.com
Donna              http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Monica B           http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/ <----YOU ARE HERE
Veronica           www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Heidi D            http://mommy.heidimdavis.com/
Lisa               http://backtoallen.com/category/one-little-word/
Nikki              www.inkyart.com.au
Devon              http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com
Amanda             http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Brooklyn           www.everysnapshot.com
Kristina           http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/
Jen R              http://jenritchie.com
Kara               http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com
Eydie              www.whatwecreate.net
Ruth               http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com
Missus W           http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
Marilee            http://rose-brier.blogspot.com
Cindy              http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Kaylea            http://www.myscrappylife.com
Dawn G            www.sunshineandcreativity.com
Rebekah            http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Becky              www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com
Orange Gearle      orangegearle.blogspot.com
Katrina            www.katrinasimeck.com
Jo                 http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
Nicky              Www.seejanebake.blogspot.com
Beth               www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com
Kelly              http://mindingmynest.com
Tere               http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Twleve on 12

2012-02-23T09:40:00.000-05:00

I know this is very late, but it's been crazy around here. I finally got my photos off the camera and I wanted to put together my Twelve on 12 layout before it was put "in the pile" of things to do. This month I decided to take 12 photos of the technology we use on a daily bases. All of this ideas did not exist when I was a child and I wish I knew what were the "big" everyday ideas from when I was growing-up. I can remember a few like the first microwave that took up the whole counter and you could only warm things up and our first dishwasher that you had to hook up to the sink with a hose. I'll have to see if I can remember 12 things and find pictures for them. It would be very interesting to compare.

In Memory of...

2012-02-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

We received some sad news last week. My husbands grandmother passed away. She was 2 months away from being 100 years old. She lived a long and amazing life and we are all truly blessed to have had the amount of time we had with her, even though it never seems like enough. This is the first person my children were close to to pass away. Their reactions and some of the things they have said to me have really touched me. I'm not sure how they will handle the funeral, they don't really understand the idea of Great Grandma being there and that we get to say good-bye.

I'm sure the whole experience will bring up many questions and I'm just hoping I do a good job explaining things in a way that they can understand. I just hope I can live such a long and health life so that I can experience my family grow. She had a total of 4 children, 14 grand children and 23 great grandchildren.

We will all miss you Grandma.

Another Class

2012-02-17T14:16:00.000-05:00

I know at the beginning of the year I said I was not going to sign up for any more classes. I meant it when I said it. I just didn't know that Jessica Sprague was going to have The Art of Poster Design class. This looked like so much fun and something I really like to do, so I decided to break what I said and go for it.

I'm a little behind on the assignments but really loved the first poster and I'm excited to get working on the next one. So this post is going to be short, so I can get back to work.

We were suppose to just highlight our initial but since my OLW this year is Define I wanted a reminder to just be me.

Project 365

2012-02-15T07:28:00.004-05:00

I give people a lot of credit for doing Project 365. Taking a photo a day for a year is a lot of work. A few years ago I tried and after only 10 days I forgot to take a photo and it went down hill quickly after that and then I just gave up. I just didn't always have a camera with me, so I crossed that project off my list of to do's for good.

Or so I thought....

I saw a post over at the Daily Digi, called Confessions of a Project 365 Quitter. When I read the title, I had to smile because I could relate to it. But as I read, I got very excited about trying Project 365 again. Armed with my iPhone and a few trusty apps and decided to give it another go. I couldn't believe it when I reached the end of January and took at least one photo every single day. It was so exciting!

The best part was looking at the calendar in my Photo365 app and seeing them all together.

I love seeing these little pieces of my daily life all together. I'm not sure if I will do anything with the photos and at this point I'm not worrying about it. And I'm glad to report that February is going strong too...so look for an update next month.

Have you ever done Project365? What helped you get that photo each day?

Ten on 10

2012-02-10T09:00:00.002-05:00

I've been thinking off and on about my One Little Word, DEFINE, the past few weeks. I've been looking at what things define me and I thought it would be fun to do a list of 10 names I'm often called.

10. Mrs. Burglar (this is not my last name, but most people pronoun it this way)
9. Hey You! (what can I say)
8. Ma'am (I hate this, makes me feel old)
7. Mrs. B (using my correct last name)
6. so and so's Mom (where so and so is add one of my three boys names)
5. Mrs. Monica (my kids close friends call me this)
4. Monica (for obvious reasons)
3. Darling (my mom calls everyone Darling)
2. Boo (my husbands nickname for me - long story)
1. Mom (25-50% of the time this is said in a whiny voice)

So what unique names define you??

Thanks for stopping by.

Family x12 Blog Hop

2012-02-05T09:00:00.002-05:00

I'm so excited to do another year of Family x12. It's a wonderful motivation to get a family photo each month and I'm looking forward to having a whole year to compare. My kids are growing up so fast that I see so many changes in just a few months. If you would like more information about this blog hop head over the Margie's blog.

My photo for this month is not the greatest. My boys didn't really want to do it, they were busy playing video games. The lighting was horrible in our living room, we are still remodeling it and we don't have all the lighting done or the window blinds installed. But I have my photos! ;)

I realize every month isn't going to be a hang on the wall worthy photo, but that's our life. The boys have their hair sticking up more days then not. We are sitting around in sweat pants and t-shirts. It's just normal everyday stuff. I wanted this photo to welcome our new couch. It's big enough for all of us to lay around on - I love it.

Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Jill's wonderful blog. Please stop by the other participates of this blog hop. It's a short list so it won't take you long. :) Thanks for stopping by.

Margie     http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Monica    http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com <----You are Here
Jill       http://jillconyers.com
Ruth        http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com

Round Up Time

2012-02-03T08:55:00.002-05:00

It's been a busy month. I'm so glad for this round up because so many of these things would have easily slipped through my mind.

1. What types of media did I enjoy this month?

Read: Flat out Love (Jessica Park), Oxygen, Clean Eating

Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy (EL James), Providence, Requiem (Jamie McGuire)

Watched: Dan in Real Life, Roommates, Leap Year, Ghost Town

DH & Boys went to see Tin Tin

2. What did my kids do/learn this month?

Oldest: Guitar Learning Crazy Train; Playing Basketball

Middle: Piano – This Old Man plus many others; Gymnastics

Youngest: Violin – Three Blind Mice and Mary Had a Little Lamb

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Went to Georgia to help my sister with my Mom’s recovery from her brain surgery. My mom is doing great and it was so nice to visit with everyone. All the girls were home from school so we got to hang out and to “girlie” things.

Still playing soccer once a week with my friends.

Movie at School: Mr. Popper’s Penguins

Went to Blue Collar Comedy Concert with Ken and Jeremy & Dennis. Ate at Mitchel’s Fish Market – very delicious.

Had lunch with RHS friends at Panera

Went roller skating with my family.

4. What creative things have I done this month?

Took the following on-line classes:

Twelve Class: Finished 6 layouts

OLW: January prompt finished

Round up class

Finding Photo Flow

Also started my Illustration Fundamentals have done 10 perspective illustrations so far and Digital Illustration Class on assignment 5.

I'm also using my iPhone to capture a photo a day. I'm amazed that I actually have a photo for each day on January.

For Christmas I received a 5 year journal. I've been good about writing one sentence a day, but I can tell it's going to be hard. I know the reward will be when I'm looking at it in a few years and can compare things, so I'm going to keep on trying.

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

CS5 Creative Suite

New Couch

New Carpet in Great Room

6. What were my fitness/health accomplishments this month?

I didn’t start tracking my workouts until 1/12

Ran/Walk: 27.33 miles

Worked out: 3 soccer games

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Getting 6 layouts done. This was an accomplishment even though I didn’t hit the 12 mark, because 6 is better then what I’ve been doing.

I've set up a backup plan, thanks to finding photo flow.

Goals for next month (in no particular order):

Have plan for working out

Get our budget set for the year

Convert my photo library from iphoto to Lightroom

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

2012 One Little Word Blog Hop

2012-02-01T11:00:00.000-05:00

Welcome to the 2012 edition of One Little Word Blog Hop! I'm so glad you are stopping by. I also want to welcome all the new blog hopper that we have joining us this year. This is actually my third year with a word. I started doing this in 2010 with my word Clean. This was before Ali started the class over at Big Picture and let me just say, I wasn't very successful with my word. Last year I was so excited about the class and this blog hop, both of them made me stay focused and helped me with my word Ignite. If you would like to see what I did last year check out these posts. So this year I knew I would sign up for the class and participate in this blog hop.

If you are new to One Little Word, it's a way to bring change into your life with out your typically resolutions. You focus on one word throughout the year to inspire you.

My word this year is Define. I decided to use black, brown, gray and white for my colors this year. They just seem to fit the word and I do love those colors. They are solid, dependable and abundant.

This word did not come to me as quickly as last years word, but over time it kept popping up. When I looked closer at the word, I knew this would help me with my aspirations for the year. January's prompt is to get to know your word better. I enjoy doing this prompt because it's a good mixture of words and creativity.

So what is define

It is to state or set forth with meaning
To explain or identify the nature or essential qualities
To fix or lay down definitely
To determine or fix the boundaries
To make clear the outline or form

Wow, so many possibilities! This year my focus is to define my life. What's important and where I should be spending my time. I feel that I'm going in every direction and not doing what makes me feel happy and productive.

I chose this word because I need to figure out who I am now. Not who I use to be or who everyone thinks I should be - ME NOW. I need to figure out what is most important and give it my all. I need to live by my rules not what others have defined for me.

When I was looking for a quote, I couldn't believe how perfect this quote was for me.

Never be bullied into silence,
Never allow yourself to be made a victim,
Accept no one's definition of your life;
Define yourself.
-Harvey Fierstein

So that is what I'm hoping my One Little Word will do for me this year, help me define myself.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed yourself and we come back soon. If you are following the blog hop your next stop is Lisa's blog. Here is the list of everyone that joined in this months blog hop.

ONE LITTLE WORD Feb 1, 2012 Blog Hop

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com
Sharyn            www.lavieenchic.com
Jill                          http://jillconyers.com
Lynn                        www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Jenn                        www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Carmen            http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com
Marilee            http://rose-brier.blogspot.com
Kristina            http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/
Cindy            C            http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com
Kelly                        http://mindingmynest.com
Cheri                        http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Cindy                        http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Brooke            www.everysnapshot.com
Naomi                        www.poeticaperture.com
Melissa            http://www.smudgetime.com
Karen                        http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com
Melissa S            http://blog.mshanhun.com
Devon                        http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com
Donna                         http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Dawn                        sunshineandcreativity.com
Katrina             www.katrinasimeck.com
Sam                        http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com
Monica             http://scrapinspired.com
Kimberlee              http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com
Missus W            http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
Kaylea                         http://www.myscrappylife.com
Nikki                        Www.inkyart.com.au
Erin                        http://erinsparkes.typepad.com
Jo                        www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com
Coley                        http://coleybelle.blogspot.com
Beth                        www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com
Veronica            www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Jamie                        http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/
Monica B            http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Lisa                   http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Rebekah         http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Jan                  http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Cate                        www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com
Stephanie              www.scrapworthylives.com
Orange Gearle            http://orangegearle.blogspot.com
Tere                           http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Junelle                  http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/
Ruth                  http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com
Becky                  www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

Organization

2012-01-20T21:33:00.000-05:00

I finally did it. After years of trying different things and losing what I started and redoing it again, just to lose it. I finally did it! I have all my digital scrap booking supplies organized in Lightroom. I have say a BIG Thank You to Kayle Lamoreaux over at digiscrap101 for her fabulous free Lightroom class. It wasn't easy, well, it was easy but it took a lot of time. But now everything is in one place and tagged so I can find what I need when I want it. Is it perfect? No. I'm sure I will tweak things as I use it, to fit my ever changing needs, but it's a big, big start.

If you have been trying to figure out your digital organization check out DigiScrap 101. Kayla is the best at organization. I'm also taking her Finding Photo Flow which focuses on organizing your digital photos. She is a fountain of knowledge on all kinds of different software packages and goes into the pros and cons of each one. She is very involved with the class and is always there to help out the students individual needs. I'm so happy that I found her.

What has helped you get your digital supplies in order? What person/classes has really changed your workflow/organization?

Twleve on 12

2012-01-15T16:20:00.000-05:00

Since it's 2012 there has been a lot of talk about doing projects focusing on 12. One such project is taking 12 photos on the 12th month of the year. I tried doing something like this last year but I didn't get very far, so I thought I would try again. I'm using my iphone and the Instagram app to capture my everyday happenings on the 12th of each month. For January I decided to set my alarm for every hour for 12 hours. When the alarm went off I would snap a photo. The alarm really made a difference.

I used the kit: Everyday Moments from Sweet Shoppe Designs for this layout.

Status Update

2012-01-10T08:53:00.001-05:00

I'm trying to get back to a "normal" routine around here. We have been dealing with some medical issues in my family that have been taking up a lot of my time. Over the last year we have been noticing a decline in my mom's health. Words like depression and Alzheimer were being tossed around by us and her doctors. But the last few months of 2011 we noticed her decline accelerate.

She had a fall at the end on November and she couldn't get back up. Luckily she lives with my sister and was found not too long after the fall. While at the ER we requested an MRI because we knew something was not quite right. To everyone's surprise they found a brain tumor. The doctor confirmed that many of the issues we have been noticing over the year were probably due to this tumor. He told us that he has seen many people that supposedly had severe depression or Alzheimer that actually had a brain tumor.

The type of tumor she had is becoming more common and it shows up more in women than men. It is not cancerous, but the only way to treat it, is to remove it. So she had brain surgery two week before Christmas.

My Mom on the day we went to get the 45 staples removed from her head surgery.

I went down (they live in a different state) to help my sister out, with my mom's recovery, last week. She is doing great. She is still weak, but getting stronger every day. Her vision is still blurred and double, but they said that could take up to 6 months to get better. I was glad that I could go down there and help them out, even if it was just cooking and cleaning. My sister is a wonderful person to be handling the stress of my mom's care. I know it's very difficult and frustrating.

Even though my trip to my sisters was not for a reason I would like to visit, we had a wonderful time. My sister has 3 girls (I have 3 boys), so it was nice to do girlie things for a week. Now that I'm back home and trying to catch up with my life and get back on schedule.

Family x12 Blog Hop

2012-01-05T09:00:00.003-05:00

I hope everyone is having a great 2012 so far. If this is your first time visiting, I'm glad you could stop by. If your are returning visitor, welcome back.

I really do love this monthly project. It's so easy to forget to get in front of the camera with my family and this reminder each month is paying off in so many ways. I'm a person who loves to see the passage of time and this project will really feed that love. I also remember trying to find photos for school projects or just for something I wanted to make and I could not find any pictures of my husband and I in the same picture. It was crazy. I couldn't believe a whole year went by without both of us being in the same picture. This happened a few years ago and since then I've been trying to be better, but I would still have large gaps of time between photos. Then came Family x12. I'm really looking forward to having a complete year of photos to look back on.

If you are not familiar with Family x12, the goal is to get at least one family photo per month for a year. It's that simple.

December is usually the time I would get a photo of the family, so I knew this month wouldn't be a struggle. I was lucky enough to get two photos of everyone together. The first was on Christmas Day with everyone showing off their new sweaters.

The second photo was taken at a family party a few days later.

One thing I realized is that I'm going to have to stop having my son stand next to me because he is getting too tall.

I hope you were able to capture a few photos with all your loved ones. Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Patricia.

If you get lost here is a list of everyone that is joining in on the fun.

Margie
Ruth
Jo
Monica. <-----You are herePatricia
Carol Anne

Monthly Recap...

2012-01-03T09:03:00.005-05:00

It's that time again.... Here's what I've been up to.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Reread the Hunger Game Triology
Lessons Learned - Nora Roberts
Clutter Rehab - Laura Wittman

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

Arthur Christmas

The Help

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

The boys were in their first Christmas recital

Had Company Christmas Dinner

Ken & William went to Lions Game on Xmas Eve

Went to 2 extended family Xmas Parties

Played Laser Tag with some friends over xmas break

Rang in the New Year with some friends.

4. What gifts did I give and/or receive?

Time Turner (Harry Potter). DH brought it back from London for me.

Received a sewing machine for Xmas

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

New furniture for living room.
New carpet for living room.

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

We discovered that my mom had a brain tumor the first week of December. She had surgery the following week to remove the tumor. She is doing great.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Finished first semester back to school with a 4.0

Signed up for some scrapbooking classes for the new year (12, One Little Word, Find Photo Flow, Round Up)

8. What disappointments this month?

Our remodel went slower then we thought, so we had to put the Xmas tree in the basement and we didn't put up any other decorations.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

I sent out my Xmas Cards two weeks before Xmas.
I finished my classes with a 4.0.
I ordered my furniture and carpet for the living room.
I enjoyed the holidays.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

Our wall units and stone work was completed on our remodel. It looks so great!!
Re screwed down the living room floor - no more squeaks!!

Helped at Bone Marrow Drive for 6th grader at our school.

Goals for next month:

Pick out curtains and light fixtures for living room.
Make chore chart and allowance rules for the boys.
Set up a cleaning schedule for me.

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

New Love

2012-01-02T07:56:00.001-05:00

I knew when I got my iphone that it would help me capture more of the everyday memories that happen when I don't have my big camera with me. I had fun taking some photos here and there but I wasn't overly excited about it. But then I was introduced to a new obsession, Instagram. I love this little app. It can take an ordinary photo and make it so cool. After taking the photo you can add one of the Instagram filters and you can instantly share your photos with others. It supports most of social media sites and you can also follow your friends so you can see all the cool photos they take. Here are some of the gems I took in December.

My plan is to use these templates from Cathy Zielske to document my favorite photos each month with the notes I typed when I took them.

The other love I discovered was thanks to the Daily Digi. Steph did a post about quitting project 365. I marked it as a must read because I too loved the idea about project 365, but could never get past the first few days. Little did I know she would introduce me to another fun app, Photo 365. This app shows you a monthly calendar that you add your photos to each day. I love how easy it is and that it's an instant visual of my month.

So what apps can you not live without?

One Little Word Blog Hop

2012-01-01T11:00:00.035-05:00

Happy 2012!!!!

It's hard to believe another year has come to an end. I hope your 2012 we be safe, happy and filled with joy.

This also marks the last of the 2011 One Little Word Blog Hop. I'm happy to say that I actually completed each assignment and was able to join in on the Blog Hop all year. That was a huge milestone for me, because I usually lose steam and let my projects fall to the bottom of the pile. This blog hop kept me accountable, but my word really kept me motivated.

My word was Ignite. When the first talk of OLW started happening this word kept showing itself to me. In song, in print, in conversation. I didn't really pay much attention until I had to choice my word. My gut told me this was my word but I keep looking. I thought I could find something better. I'm so glad I finally listened to my gut and went with Ignite.

My word has been good for me. And really this class has been good for my word. It made me at least think about my word for a short time each month. Some months I was more focused then other, but that is life. Over all, I would have to say this was a wonderful year.

Our final assignment for Ali's One Little Word class was our ending thoughts and feelings about our word. At first I wasn't that excited about this task. But once I sat down and put pen to paper I was really happy with what I learned this year. Here is a scan on my final page:

So now it's time to look forward. Ignite will always be a part of me, but it's time to welcome a new word into my life. Over the last few weeks I've been looking for my word. I've written a few on a post-it note and would keep revisiting the list. Sometimes I would add a new one or cross off an old one. Most of the time I would just look at them and see how they felt to me. One of these words keep calling me. Every time I read it, it felt good. It feels like the right time for this word. I know some of the things I would like to work on this year and this new word will help me focus on those items and I'm sure much, much more.

So what is the word.......

DEFINE. I love it already!!

For my title page I tore out the definition of define in an old dictionary and attached it to the page. I used some Harry Potter letter stickers for the word. I'm excited to see where me and my OLW will go this year. I hope you will come back to find out.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you will visit all the participants of this blog hop. Your next stop is Nikki's wonderful blog. If you get lost here is the complete list of blog hoppers.

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com
Cheri                 http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Veronica            www.veronicanorris.typepad.com
Kara                  http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/
Rebekah            http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Sharyn               http://www.LaVieEnChic.com
Jill                     http://jillconyers.com
Lynn                 www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Monica           http://scrapinspired.com/
Lisa                  http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Rebekah            http://istamscrapcraft.blogspot.com
Cynthia H         http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com
Lee                   http://thelinarstudio.typepad.com/embracelife/
Abbey               http://athomewiththerichardsfamily.blogspot.com/
Monica B          www.questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com <-----YOU ARE HERE
Nikki                 http://www.inkyart.com.au
Tere                   http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Melissa S          http://blog.mshanhun.com
Nicky                http://seejanebake.blogspot.com
Stephanie          http://www.scrapworthylives.com/
Jenn L              www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Cindy                http://seriousplay.typepad.com
Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Sam                  http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jan                    http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Jamie                http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com
Karen               http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year

2011-12-28T20:20:00.001-05:00

I will not be around for a few days, so I wanted to send out a special wish that your New Year is filled with joy, happiness and love. Hope to see you around in 2012!!

The snowflake image is from FredSheSaid.

If you are heading to a party for New Years Eve here are two of my favorite dip recipes.

Spinach Dip (pampered chef)

1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed/drained
1 cup mayonnaise
1 1/4 cup sour cream
1 8 oz. can water chestnuts, drained chopped
1 1.4 oz. package Knorr vegetable soup mix
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients. To serve hot, spread on little bread slices and place in 375 oven for 10 minutes. or serve cold with crackers or bread slices.

Chicken Spread

8 oz. cream cheese
small onion, finely chopped
small can 4.25 oz canned chicken
1 T. mayonnaise
1 T. soy sauce

Blend all ingredients together with a hand mixer until creamy. Serve with crackers.

Enjoy!

Holiday Time = Creative Time

2011-12-26T23:33:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry and Joyful Holiday. My boys have been filling their time building Legos and eating as many cookies as they can. It's been lots of fun! I know I haven't been on my blog much but that will be changing. I've been busy with some projects around the house and I'm hoping to be able to show them to you in a few weeks when the project is finished. I've also been busy working on some assignments for the classes I signed up for next year. I'm hoping I didn't bite off more then I can chew, but I'm really motivated and looking forward to the classes.

One thing that I haven't done in a long, long time was to do a scrapbook challenge. I've been busy organizing my supplies and when I get into my cleaning mode, I don't do much creating. I really needed to do something fun and creative so what better way then a challenge from Scrap the Boys. The challenge was to use 1 or 2 photos on a Christmas themed layout using Green, Red, White and Blue.

I actually had a kit by Dianne Rigdon Designs called Be Merry that used those four colors. The template was from Ali Edwards.

Enjoy the last few days of 2011. What are your plans for ringing in the new year? Do you do something quiet or head out to a big party?

School Update

2011-12-24T09:56:00.000-05:00

Happy Xmas Eve!

This has been the first day in weeks that I haven't been baking, shopping, wrapping, making, cooking, etc... You know the feeling. It's time to relax and enjoy the season.

Since I had some down time I thought it was time to post something on my blog that I've been absent from since earlier in the month. I finished my first semester back at school and loved every minute of it. The last few weeks were stressful, trying to get all my final project ready, but I really love this program.

I took three classes: Intro to Photography, Fundamentals of Design and Intro to Photoshop.

Our last assignment in Photography was a model shot. We had to compile a Model Comp card. We only had 5 minutes with the model in the first outfit and then only 3 minutes in the second. The third outfit we only had one minute but the last outfit we could only take 3 photos but had as much time as we wanted. You really had to have a good item what you wanted so you could move the lights and pose the model in the time allowed. Here is the Comp Card I did:

Our final project for this class was a slide show of our best pictures showing our range of style. I would share the slideshow but I have no idea on how to add a Lightroom Slideshow to blogger. Sorry!

My Photoshop class was amazing. Our final two projects pushed us to use the skills we learned in class to create something of our own. I was excited when we were told we had to design our own movie poster. We could pick any movie that has been out in the last 10 years. We needed to find good quality images and make it look like something Hollywood would use. Anyone that knows me knows I did a Harry Potter movie poster. I had so much fun with this and I plan on getting it printed and hanging it in our basement.

Then our final project was to combine two images into one and make it look like it's always been that way. So I did a snake whose body turns into an orange peel.

My boys really liked this assignment they were asking me to combine all kinds of things, not realizing how much time it took me to do this one picture.

My third class, Fundamentals of Design was my messy class. We used pencils and paint for all our projects. I haven't taken any photos of the final matted items, but maybe some day I'll get around to showing them. I did learn so many of the rules of design and how they work together to create something amazing.

I'm just hoping I remember all the wonderful things I learned this semester. Next semester I decided to only take two classes, three was too much. I will be learning Fundamentals of Illustration and Digital Illustration.

I will be back after the holiday, so until then, have a safe and Happy Christmas! Thank you for being a part of my life through this blog.

Ten on 10

2011-12-10T06:59:00.000-05:00

Ten favorite holiday movies:

It's a Wonderful Life
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Carol
Elf
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Miracle on 34th Street
The Santa Clause
Scrooged
The Year without a Santa Clause
All the other cartoon classics (Frosty, Rudolph, Drummer Boy)

What's on your must see list every year?

This post is part of Shimelle's month blog challenge.

Plan for the New Year

2011-12-07T06:48:00.000-05:00

Do you have a plan for the New Year? Are there classes or projects that you are signing up for? I've been trying to decide which classes/projects I'm going to jump into, but it's really hard! I want to do them all. Everything looks so cool and fresh and exciting. I'm trying to be good and not over commit but here is what I'm doing so far:

Over at Big Picture I've signed up for

Twelve - Stacy Julian

This class was a jump for me. I wasn't sure about the commitment, but I love Stacy's classes. They are always worth the money and you get so much more than you release from them. I'm going to do my best to keep up with this class, but I'm a little worried.

One Little Word 2012 - Ali Edwards

I really enjoyed the 2011 version of this class. I struggled a little at the end to keep motivated but because of the blog hop I was in, I keep going and have a wonderful journey documented. I still don't know what my word will be, but I'm looking forward to exploring it.

Round Up Your Memories - Katie Nelson

I've been doing Katie's round up for a few months now and really enjoy them. I'm taking the class to get more ideas on gather my information and using them in my books.

Classes I'm thinking about:

Finding Your Photo Flow over at Digi Scraps 101.

I'm taking Kayla's free lightroom digi organization class and I'm loving it. I'm really curious to see how she organizes here photos and keeps them organized. She is going to look at all types of software, not just lightroom, so this might help me decide which software will work best for me in the long run.

The Art of Poster Design and Digi-In Deep over at Jessica Sprague.

It's been a while since I took anything over at Jessica's site. I've loved the classes I took in the past and I think it's time to learn some more Photoshop skills.

Project Life - Becky Higgins
This would be a huge jump for me. I love seeing everyone's projects but it's a big, big commitment. I'm not sure if I'm ready for it yet. She also has a class coming to Big Picture called Project Real Life that I might look into.

I also have my college course I have to keep up, so I can not forget about those. What classes/projects are you really looking forward to doing in the new year?

Family x12 Blog Hop

2011-12-05T09:00:00.004-05:00

Happy December!! I'm glad you had a few minutes in your busy holiday schedule to stop by. If you been following along with the blog hop you just came from Melissa's blog - don't you just love her blog!! If your not familiar with this blog hop, the idea is to get a family portrait each month. Now it doesn't have to be a formal portrait, it just has to be a photo with everyone in your family included.

This month I'm a little embarrassed by my photo. I was suppose to get a nice picture of all of us after our Thanksgiving dinner. The problem was I forgot my tri-pod and my kids were too cold to wait for mom to figure something out. So the photo I have is us at the restaurant we had dinner at. The photo is blurry, only one child is looking at the camera, my husband and I are in the mirror and you can not really see me because I have the camera in front of my face, but we are all there!!

Oh well, they can not all be masterpieces. :) Even thought this is not the best picture, I still really like it. This was the first time we had Thanksgiving dinner out. I usually cook, but my siblings either had other plans or don't live here anymore. It seemed like a lot of effort to cook a huge meal when in reality only my husband and I would eat most of it. The meal at the restaurant was wonderful and who knows maybe this will be our new tradition.

If you haven't stopped by the other blog hop participates please stop in and say hello. It's a small group so it won't take you long. Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful holiday season.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
Melissa http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com
Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com

Monthly Recap...

2011-12-03T10:54:00.003-05:00

It's that time again.... Here's what I've been up to.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Oxygen & Clean Eating - my usually monthly magazines
Irish Dreams – Nora Roberts

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

Footloose

Breaking Dawn

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Coached my sons Lego Robotics Team. Competition was so much fun and it was amazing to see what these kids come up with for their projects.

Had lunch with my good friend Laura. Went to Pottery Barn with her after for some shopping.

Went furniture shopping for our living room remodel.

Went out to dinner with my friends from High School. Always a wonderful time.

Went to Keuse and Muir on Main for Thanksgiving dinner.

4. What gifts did I give and/or recieve?

Bought many gifts but did not give them yet.

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

New Sump Pump – not expected. Lucky we caught the problem before there was too much water in the basement.

Wall Units for our living room remodel.

New windows for first floor of house.

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

Logan had his annual check up at the heart doctor. He still has the hole in his heart, but it hasn’t changed in size. So we will come back again next year to get it checked again.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Registered for next semesters classes.

Organizing my digi supplies in LightRoom. Imported everything and tagged by kit and designer.

8. What disappointments this month?

Haven’t had the time to workout like I would like to.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

Did great on goals. Almost done with Xmas shopping. Just need to get DH gift and my mom something. But the boys are done.

I also took a photo of the boys on Thanksgiving that I will use in our Christmas Cards.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

Had teacher conferences with the boys teachers. They are all doing great.

William football team tied for first place. William started basketball.

Kyle was in his first piano recital. Kyle started gymnastics.

Logan started violin lessons.

Goals for next month:

Mail out Xmas cards.

Finish my classes with a bang!!

Order furniture and pick our carpeting for living room

Enjoy the holiday season

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

One Little Word Blog Hop

2011-12-01T11:00:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe it's December. This is the 11 OLW Blog Hop and I'm happy to say I've stuck with it and did all the assignments. Yippeee!!! I'm so glad that you have stopped by to see what I've been up to. If you would like to see the other months check this out.

This months prompt was to do some writing using some "I" statements. My scan came up very yellow, they are slightly more to the orange side then the bright yellow.

If you stopped by from Jill's blog and would like to continue on, your next stop is over at Nikki's. If you would like to start at the beginning of the blog just click on Margie's blog link below. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you again soon.

Margie    http://xnomads.typepad.com
Julie Ann    http://julieannshahin2.blogpsot.com
Jill        http://jillconyers.typepad.com
Monica B    http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
Nikki        http://www.inkyart.com.au
Debra    http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com
Amanda    http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Sam        http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com
Lynn        http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Cynthia    http://paperpapereverywhere.blogspot.com
Jan        http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Jenn        http://studiojenn.blogspot.com
Cindy    http://seriousplay.typepad.com
LIsa        http://backtoallen.com

Your Name in Photos

2011-11-30T10:02:00.000-05:00

This is the last photography assignment I have to share with you. Spelling your name in photos. At first I was not to thrilled about doing this, but I love the end result so much that now I want to go find other letters and make a collage for each of my boys. This would also make an amazing holiday gift for those people that have everything.

All these photos were taking on the same nature walk with my family. I love how all the photos seem to go together. Each photo by themselves were not that great but together they are so much more.

If you decide to do this please let me know. I would love to see what you do.

Putting it All Together

2011-11-28T21:42:00.000-05:00

The last half of my photograph class has been putting all the rules and techniques we have learned to use. We were introduced to the studio and all the lights, back drops and tables that can be used. Let me just say, I would love to have a studio in my home. I loved doing the studio work.

We learned about the six different ways to light a person for a portrait. The best way to do a model shoot and how take photographs of objects.

My favorite studio shoot was for an advertising ad. Our assignment was to bring in our own props and design and shoot a magazine ad. I really enjoyed making this assignment come together. The best part was helping other people, I really learned so much by doing that. I think this was my kids favorite assignment too, because I needed to make cookies for my props. Here is the final photo that was edited for a magazine page.

I could serious see doing this type of photography for a living. It was that much fun!!

Jumping in with Both Feet

2011-11-27T21:33:00.000-05:00

When I fall off the wagon, I really fall. Yes, I fell off the imperfection wagon. My perfectionism was winning out and my life started to fall apart. I don't understand why that happens. You would think if you were trying to be perfect, everything would be perfect. My problem is that I get so caught up in doing everything perfect that I don't start anything if I can not finish it to the 110% standard my perfectionist nature sets. So I've neglected myself, my blog, my home, my crafting and so many other things that I feel like I dug myself into a hole, a big hole.

As they say, admitting you have a problem is the first step. So I'm back on my quest and setting my sights on the things that are important to me and just doing my best, not being perfect, and enjoying myself.

One thing that I was thinking about doing, but the perfectionist was telling me I was crazy, was to sign up for Stacy Julian's class Twelve.

I love Stacy's classes. She rocks!! I also know that her classes have a lot of content. After signing up and looking at the pre-class assignment, I kinda went "Oh, what did I just do." But I also feel the excitement on were this class will go and the new things that I will learn.

So now I'm off to figure out what type of muffins I'm going to make for the class - it's part of the pre-class assignment. But before I go I have a question for my fellow bloggers. I want to share more photos and stories on my blog, the problem I run into is getting the photos from my camera into blogger in a quick and easy way. What is your process for getting your photos ready to be blogged?

Night Shots

2011-11-23T17:11:00.000-05:00

This was a fun assignment. My family and I went to a downtown area near by at night. I set up my tri-pod at one of the intersections and started taking photos. It was funny how many people stopped to see what I was doing.

Here are some of the "rules" of taking a night (city) shot.

Set you white balance to Day Light. This is because the mix of lights that you will have in the photo.
Set your apeture around F8-F11
Use a super slow shutter speed 1 or 2 seconds
Keep ISO at 400 or lower
Turn off Auto Focus
and the most important - You must use a tripod or set your camera on something.

Another fun night shot is what my instructor called How many faces. You set your shutter speed to 30 seconds and using a flashlight you see how many faces you can get into one photo. You shine the light on your face, then turn the light off and move. Turn the light on again, then turn it off and move. Keep doing this until the shutter is released. I did the following picture with one of my jack-o-lanterns.

My kids really enjoyed trying to get as many faces as they could in 30 seconds and it was very funny looking at the end results.

Do you have a favorite go to technique when taking photos in low light or do you just avoid those type of photos?

Landscape Photos

2011-11-21T17:10:00.000-05:00

For a traditional style landscape photo, you need to consider three things:

You want Lots of Depth of Field. To get this remember these things

Use a big f-stop
Focus far away - distance increase depth of field
Use a short focal length - zoom out

You want good light. Early morning or evening will give you the softest light.
Composition. Use the Rule of thirds. Do not place your horizon in the middle of the photo. Place it either a third up or down.

For this assignment I took dozens of photos at a local park. Some were good others not so good. But I learned so much just playing around. Another thing to consider when taking a landscape is to use a tri-pod. When shooting in low light you might need to use a slower shutter speed and you don't want any hand shake showing up in your photo.

For my class we could only turn in one photo with three edits using Light room to edit the photo. Here is the original photo.

And here are the three edits.

This one I wanted to bring out the cool tones in the picture.

For this photo I was going for old fashion with added noise for that antique look.

And finally I wanted to go dramatic with lots of contrast.

This was the first time I used lightroom to edit photos and I have to say I love it!! Because I love it so much I decided I wanted to organize my supplies and photos in Light Room, so I'm currently going through the Free Light Room Class over at DigiSrcap 101. So far this is a wonderful class. I'm still in the beginning stages because I had a lot of supplies to organize. If you are in need of a good system to organize your stash check this out, it might be just what your looking for.

Back lit Photography

2011-11-20T12:30:00.000-05:00

I know some of the photograph assignments sound like Greek to some and I know the feeling. I wish I knew how to describe these assignment in a better way, but I hope these short descriptions inspire you to explore and play with your camera.

The course I'm taking through our Community College has made all the difference. It was well worth the time and money. It's a 16 week class that meets for 6 hours a week. I've learned so much about my photography by doing the assignment and seeing what others have done. If you ever get a chance to take a course like this, do it, you will learn so much.

Now on to the lesson. I was so excited to learn about back lit photography. I've had my share of pictures were the person was in silhouette because I didn't understand the proper way to shoot when my background was brighter then my subject. Our assignment was to take three photos.

Subject that is Backlit (background will be bright)
Subject is silhouetted
Even exposure for background and subject

For this photo, I metered my camera on the branches. This caused the back ground to be overexposed, but the subject to be in proper exposure.

For this photo, I metered my camera on the sky. This caused the sky to be in proper exposure but my subject to be underexposed.

For this photo, I metered on the sky again, but I used my flash to fill in the subject for an even exposure of my subject. This will only work if your subject is close enough for the flash to work on it.

Coming up is landscape and night scape photos.

In Focus

2011-11-18T06:23:00.000-05:00

Here is the next lesson from my photography class I'm taking at our local college. If you missed the other lesson go here to check it out.

Our next assignment in my photography class was Depth of Field. This is what will be in focus in your picture and you use the aperture setting (or F-stop) to set your depth of field.

F-stop has always been a very confusing issue for me. I still have to think hard about it but here is what you need to remember.

Bigger Aperture (or small F-stop) = shallow depth of field (less in focus)
Small Aperture (or large F-stop) = deep depth of field (more in focus)

Three things effect depth of field

1. camera to subject distance. The farther away you are the more depth of field
2. focal length of the lens. The shorter the focal length the more depth of field.
3. Aperture setting. Bigger aperture more depth of field.

For the assignment. Take two photos of the same scene. Keep the focal length of the lens and distance from subject the same. Use extreme aperture settings to really see the difference.

f/5.0 1/500 sec. ISO 400 35 mm lens

f/25.0 1/60 sec ISO 800 35 mm lens

I wanted the tree in the forefront to be in focus both times. When you change your F-stop you must also change your shutter speed (if you are in manual mode). The shutter speed and F-stop have a reciprocal relationship. That means if you move your aperture down one F-stop, you need to increase you shutter speed by one stop too. The reason the ISO changed in the photos was because I couldn't get the photo I wanted at ISO 400 with that large of an F-stop. I just didn't have enough light, so I increased the ISO to help.

Play around with your aperture and see what results you get. Remember if you use Aperture Priory setting on your camera, you only need to set the aperture and the camera will set everything else for you. This is a good way to start to get out of the Automatic Mode on your camera.

Capturing Motion

2011-11-11T06:44:00.000-05:00

My first graded assignment in my photography class was all about shutter speed and the different ways to capture motion.

There are three ways to capture motion in a photo.

Freeze the action

To freeze the action into a still image you need to shot at a fast shutter speed.

Blur the action

This type of photo has a clear background but the action is blurred. For this type of image you shoot at the slowest shutter speed for your settings, without breaking the Golden Rule. (see below for Golden Rule). The trick to this shot is that the background should be clear and crisp.

Pan with the action

This shot breaks the Golden Rule big time. Once again you will shot at a slow shutter speed. It's best to set your camera to continuous shot to help capture the subject. As the subject moves into view you will pan your camera with the motion. The end result will be a clear subject and a blurred background.

So what is this Golden Rule?

The Golden Rule states:

Generally speaking, when hand holding a camera, your shutter speed should be equal to or greater then the focal length of your lens.

You might be saying What?? right now. That was my reaction the first 5 or 6 times my instructor said this. For most people this will mean you should shoot at 1/60 or faster when you are holding your camera. This will eliminate hand shake in your photos.

There are two other rules my instructor taught us.

1. Follow the Rules.
2. Break the Rules.

Learn the rules and how to use them and once you understand them, break them to expand your knowledge.

Ten on 10

2011-11-10T06:40:00.000-05:00

Ten things I must complete before Christmas:

1. Finish my final projects in my three college courses.

2. Buy gifts.

3. Make gifts.

4. Take Family photo for Christmas Cards or I might use one from the 12x Family Blog Hop.

5. Making cards and Sending them out.

6. Making lots of homemade cinnamon rolls. These are gifts to teachers and friends so I mean LOTS
and LOTS of rolls.

7. Pick out paint and carpet color for living room and hope we get it done before Christmas.

8. Hang Christmas lights up outside (before it gets too cold).

9. Watch A Christmas Story, It's a Wonderful Life, A Christmas Carol and the Grinch that
Stole Christmas.

10. Drink hot chocolate and watch the snow fall.

This post is linked back to Shimelle.com. She will be starting her Journal your Christmas soon, so stop by to find out how you can join in on the fun.

Family x12 Blog Hop

2011-11-05T09:00:00.015-04:00

Welcome to the next Family x12 Blog Hop!! If you are new to this blog hop there is a brief description of what we are doing.

What is FAMILY x 12?
The goal is at least one family photo per month for a year. It's not that easy getting everyone in front of the camera at the same time. This blog hop has been helping me make sure I get a snapshot of my whole family each month. It will be wonderful to see all the changes during the year with these photos. Thanks to Margie for inspiring this blog hop and project.

So let me start this month by saying "Yipeeee!!". This process of taking a family photo is becoming more natural. I actually have two photos of all of us this month. In the past these activities would have come and gone and I would have been behind the camera instead of running in front of it. It's so nice when something starts to become normal.

Our photos for the month are a quick one where I set the camera on a picnic table, set the timer and ran. It's not centered or the greatest photo but I still love it because it's my lovely family enjoying our day together.

The next photo is everyone ready for Halloween.

Thanks for stopping by, this is the end of the blog hop. If you didn't start from the beginning, please head over to Margie's Blog to see her lovely family. Here is the complete list of participants:

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Melissa http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com
Carol Anne http://www.scrappingthoughts.com
Patricia http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/
MonicaB http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Monthly Recap...

2011-11-04T07:55:00.000-04:00

October is my favorite month. Not only is the landscape turning into brilliant colors, but the days are the perfect temperature. I love the crisp, clean feel of a fall day. To add to the enjoyment, I also celebrated another birthday and there is Halloween to top it all off. Here's what else I've been up to this past month.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Oxygen & Clean Eating - my usually monthly magazines
Design Fundamentals for the Digital Age - by Linda Holtzchue, Edward Noriega
A Short Course in Digital Photography by Barbara London and Jim Stone
Irish Dreams by Nora Roberts

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

Bridemaids
Crazy, Stupid Love

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Dinner with my Brothers
Date Night with Hubby - dinner and a movie
Friday Night Crop - Did homework, but still had a great time
Surprise party for my Brother's 50th at Bowling Alley

Corn Maze

Food Allergy Walk

Craving Pumpkins

4. What gifts did I give and/or recieve?

I received 2 Script CDs, a DS game - Professor Layton, North Face jacket and an everyday watch.

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Halloween Costumes - Policeman, Faceless Phantom and Joker
Hubby bought large animated witch and skeleton
Turbo Fire workout
Down payment on replacing the rest of our windows

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

EEG and MRI came back fine. Working on getting more sleep and reducing my stress. That is helping with the problems.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Ran another 5K. This time with my 8 year old.

8. What disappointments this month?

Had to drop my Pilates class - it just wasn't at a good time.
I've also had to cut back on my personal trainer - it was not working into the budget.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

I did great on my goals this month. I wanted to do one more race before winter and I did that with my son.

My other goal was to do deep breathing to relax. I've been doing that in the morning.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

Had meeting with interior designer and carpenters. Phase one of living room remodel has started.
Coaching Lego robotics team.

Goals for next month:

Start my Christmas shopping early, so I'm not running around trying to find that special gift.

Take pictures for Christmas cards

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

One Little Word Blog Hop

2011-11-01T11:00:00.006-04:00

It's November 1st. Only a few more months to explore my One Little Word - Ignite. I have to admit I haven't been looking at my word much the last few months. I have been scrambling at the last minute to pull together my prompts. I actually worked on this months prompt on October 30th. But I realized even thought I haven't been focusing on my word, my word has been in full bloom.

The prompt this month was to re-do the prompt from February which was to explore your word in photos. Here are the photos that I took eight months ago.

For this months photos I went back and looked at pictures I took over the last eight months that represented my word, using the nine themes I typed on the original photos.

Strength - I'm still working hard at transforming my body. Getting stronger and faster. It's a part of my life now.

Love - Of my family, of being outside, of being active.

Joy -Enjoying being with friends and celebrating the things in life that make me happy.

Adventure - Seeing new places and things. Going back to school and learning new things. Exploring my life and the world around me.

Creativity - Learning new ways of being creative.

Balance - Making time for my loved ones and myself. Finding balance with the computer and real life.

Health - Eating healthy. Learning to preserve my own food. Taking little steps.

Faith - Having faith in me. Cutting down on the negative talk within my our mind.

Peace - Finding the peace in me time and on the race trail.

All these themes ignite the power within me. I've really come to love my word. It's helped me so much this year and it's not even over. Who knows what will be ignited in the next two month?? You'll have to come back to find out.

Thanks for stopping by on the One Little Word Blog Hop. Your next stop is over at Rebekah's blog

Here is a list of all the participants.

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com/
Julie Ann          http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com
Lisa                   http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Sam                   http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com
Jenn                   http://studiojenn.blogspot.com
Cheri                 http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Jan                     http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Debra                 http://blakleyhomeplace.blogspot.com
Nikki                  http://www.inkyart.com.au
Monica              http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com
Rebekah            http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com
Lynn                  http://crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Amanda            http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Jill                     http://jillconyers.typepad.com/

Photography

2011-10-26T09:13:00.000-04:00

Today I thought I would start sharing some of my work from my photography class. I'm taking this class as part of my program and I'm loving it. At first I was slightly nervous. Then I got very nervous when the professor said we will only be using Manual setting in the class. What?? I never use Manual setting.

The first thing we had to learn was the golden rule of photography:

Generally speaking, when hand holding a camera, your shutter speed should be equal to or greater than the focal length of your lens.

What does that mean? That means if you are using a standard 50mm lens and you are holding your camera, you should not set your shutter speed to be slower than 1/60. You can break this rule if you are using a tri-pod or if you have image stabilization you can break it slightly. By following this rule, you will eliminate camera movement blur that can happen if the natural shake of your hand.

Our first assignment was to take 24 photos of anything, using manual mode and getting a proper exposure. You could not delete any photos, they had to be 24 pictures in a roll, without any editing. Here are a few of my favorites:

I'm really loving this class because I'm finally understanding aperture and shutter speed and how they work together. I've taken on-line classes before but I never really got it. But being in a class that meets twice a week and seeing other examples of work have really helped me get a better understand. So if you struggle with understanding your camera, don't give up! Take classes. Experiment. And take lots and lots of photos.

What mode do you usually shot in? I was always a program mode person, but now I can see using my other setting more to get the photo I want.

Remember Me

2011-10-25T06:59:00.000-04:00

I was the person that blogged often. I was the person that read my google reader daily. I was the person that did some crafts every week. I guess I'm still that person, I'm just not doing the things I use to do. I realized how bad it was when I went to my google reader and I had over 200 unread post!! Wow! I couldn't believe it. How did it get so out of control?? I made the decision to mark everything as read and move forward.

So why haven't I been around. Most of the reason has been my school schedule. It's mid-term time and I've had a lot of studying and projects to get done. I'm also a coach for my son's Lego Robitics team. I've never done that before and it's a huge learning curve. And finally (and the most frustrating) is our external hard drive died. We finally got it back and now we are having problems with it communicating with my laptop. It was working fine for a few weeks, it works with my mac, but for some reason my laptop cannot map to it. This is a huge problem because my laptop has my organizing software (ACDSee) on it, but the files are on the hard drive. My husband spent about 4 hours yesterday trying to figure it out and now he has given up. So my normal work flow has been extremely interrupted and it's still not back to normal.

Well enough of my excuses. I need to get back into a regular work flow to keep up with all my digi friends and to document my life. Wish me luck getting my laptop to work again, I really need it!!

More school work...

2011-10-12T20:38:00.000-04:00

I thought I would share with you another assignment that I completed in my Photoshop class. Most of the assignments are not really exciting to look at, they are meant to teach you about a tool or technique so we can complete our final project. This lesson was to get us comfortable with tinting a photo. The trick was to zoom in really close and adjust the paint brush. It was time consuming but not very difficult.

The final photo is split in half. One side was the original color, the other is what I colored.

Here's how this was done.

Open the photo and make a new adjustment layer. Choose Hue/Saturation and slide the saturation slider all the way to the left. This will make the image appear gray.

Next, add a new layer and change the blend mode to color for that layer. Now, grab your brush tool, select a color, and start to paint.

This is a great technique if you want to add a "pop" of color to a photo.

One of my inspirations...

2011-10-05T21:03:00.000-04:00

Not to be forgotten...

Steve Jobs changed the world. He will be missed. 1955-2011.

Have the courage to follow your heart & intuition, they somehow already know what you truly want to become. - Steve Jobs

Family x12 Blog Hop

2011-10-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

Welcome to the next Family x12 Blog Hop!!

What is FAMILY x 12?
The goal is at least one family photo per month for a year. It's not that easy getting everyone in front of the camera at the same time. This blog hop has been helping me make sure I get a snapshot of my whole family each month. It will be wonderful to see all the changes during the year with these photos. Thanks to Margie for inspiring this blog hop and project.

This month we have a very small group in the blog hop. This task is so much harder then it sounds. We don't take enough pictures of our families all together. I'm so thankful for this hop because I would have missed some gems like this months picture. I would have been so easy to just take pictures of my boys and husband without handing the camera to someone and getting a group photo. I love this picture. It's our first family race.

This was such an amazing day. This was my second race and since the boys could walk for free I thought it would make a great family outing. I figured I would run and all the boys could walk the course. When I finished the race I turned around and started walking back to join my family. I was so surprised when I saw my middle boy running towards me. He had a huge smile on his face and was so excited. We ran the rest of the way and I had a hard time keeping up with him. Shortly after him his big brother came running over the finish line. We didn't have to wait long before my youngest came running. Then we all cheered their Dad on over the line.

They were all so excited about the race. My middle child's excitement did not end at the finish line. He wants to run a race were he will have a number so he knows his time and sees his name on the list. He has been asking me daily if I found another race for us to run. I told him we will run a local race at the end of October and he is so ready to try a 5K race. I'm just hoping I can keep up with him.

Thanks for stopping by this month. Your next stop is Jo. Here is the rest of the people that have joined us this month. Like I said it's a small list, so please stop by each to congratulate them for keeping the Family x12 blog hop going.

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Melissa http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com
Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com <----- YOU ARE HERE
Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com

Monthly Recap

2011-10-03T06:44:00.002-04:00

September! Where did you go?? It's definitely feeling like Fall here in Michigan. That means the colors will soon be blazing on the trees and the air will be cool and crisp. I love the Fall! But back to September, it went by so fast. The start of the school year is always crazy and slightly stressful. I think things will start to settle out (a little) and we have our routines down. So here is what I've been up to this month.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Oxygen & Clean Eating - my usually monthly magazines
Good Housekeeping & Family Fun - love the Halloween ideas
Reread Western Sky by Nora RobertsMy text books

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

The story of Pixar - great documentary

History of American photography (watched in class, really interesting)

Wipeout - our family favorite

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Boys started school
Celebrate oldest & youngest birthday
Open house at school
We all did a 4K walk/run

4. What gifts did I give and/or recieve?

Oldest child recieved a new bike
Youngest child received a LeapPad

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Lightroom
New 70-300 Zoom Lens for camera

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

Had EEG to see what's going on with Headaches.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Ran my first 5K and 4K.
Started Pilates Class

8. What disappointments this month?

Still not drinking enough water
Haven't been doing meal plans and I really miss them.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

Ran 5K in 30:52. Ran 4K in 26.28.
Organizing supplies did not go well. My ext. harddrive broke. I had to send it out to get it replaced because it's under warrenty. The files are there it just will not "talk" to the computer.
Did some baking and froze some snacks.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

I'm the robot coach for one of our FIRST Lego Robotics Teams. I've never done this and I'm learning as I go, but I think it will be fun once we get a better understand of what we need to do.

Goals for next month:

Sign up for a least one more race before winter.
Spend at least 5 minutes each day doing deep breathing to relax.

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

OLW Blog Hop

2011-10-01T11:00:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to the 9th OLW blog Hop! September has been a big blur. My schedule has been so packed with activities, work, meetings, appointment and assignments. I have to admit I did this months OLW project just two days ago. I printed out the worksheet at the beginning of the month but it just sat there until I found time.

Our project for this month was to pick our battles. Choose one battle I'm willing to fight for and one that I'm surrendering.

I choose to fight for my health. Exercise was my main focus this year and I've come so far and I'm worried I might slide backwards. I need to keep this battle a top priority. I need to make my health a priority. A step I took to help with this battle was to join a pilates class. So now I have three scheduled in stone appointments that support my battle.

The battle I'm surrendering is my goal to go weekly challenges. This was adding too much stress and not enough joy to my creative outlet. I'm not saying I won't do any challenges, I'm just not putting them on my to do list.

Thanks for stopping by. Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Lynn's lovely blog. Here is a complete list of all the blogs that are participating this month.

Margie      http://xnomads.typepad.com
Julie Ann http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com
Cheri       http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Nikki        www.inkyart.com.au
Sam          http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jan            http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Jenn          www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Nicky        www.seejanebake.blogspot.com
Jill             http://jillconyers.typepad.com/
Monica      http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/ <---- YOU ARE HERE
Lynn          www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Lisa           http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Cindy        http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Fitness Friday

2011-09-30T08:06:00.001-04:00

I completed my second race, but this time it was a family affair. The race was a 4K walk/run & 8K run. I signed up for the 4K run and I signed my husband up the 4K walk. Kids under 12 could walk for free, so our boys walked with their Dad. Well, they walked for most of the way.

It was a beautiful trail run, with cool, dry weather. I still don't like the hills. I placed 3rd in my age group!!! I couldn't believe it. And I placed 15 overall. I was so happy. My time was slower but still a good pace at 10:35 and I walked up many of the hills. This was great because I really haven't ran sense my last race.

When I finished the race I walked back to join up with the rest of my family. To my surprise I came across my middle child running along the trail. He said he wanted to run and Dad said that's fine go for it. He did great and now he wants to run a "real" race so he can have a number and get his name on the list. The rest of the boys ran up ahead of their Dad too and we all stood and cheered him on when he finished the race. It was a great family outing and I will be looking for more races to do in the future.

Did I just type that?? Yes, I enjoy the races. I'm not to crazy about training for a race, but I love race day. And I can not wait to run with my little boy, even though he might whip me.

I'm linking this post up to the Fitness Friday post over at Life...As I See It. This is a wonderful site for health and fitness information and inspiration.

Still alive and kicking

2011-09-25T17:29:00.000-04:00

Wow, time sure flies when your really, really busy!!

Going back to school full-time is really taking it's toll on me and my free time. I'm really enjoying my classes and I'm learning so much. I thought since I haven't had time to do anything crafty because of my homework, that I would share my homework with you.

One of the classes I'm taking is Intro to Photoshop. I love Photoshop and I've used Elements for my digi-scrapbooking. This class is so exciting to me because I know I'll use everything I learn. Since this is a basic Intro class we have to start out slow, so the first lesson was to get us comfortable with the tools and working in layers. We had to select 3 coloring book pages that were scanned into the computer. Then we had to color them using layers and then use the Dodge and Burn tools to create shading and interest.

The first one I did was Beauty and the Beast.

Then the Harry Potter fan in me wanted to do Dumbledore.

And finally my love of Mickey Mouse pervailed.

This was such a fun assignment and I enjoyed doing it. Each lesson builds on each other and our final project is to create a movie poster. But you will have to wait about 14 weeks before I'll have that to show you.

End of Summer

2011-09-12T16:43:00.000-04:00

My boys started school last week, so I figured it was time to retire the Summer Fun List. This was a list we created at the beginning of summer. The list was created during a brain storm family meeting to help avoid the long days of "what should we do." I really enjoyed the list and the boys had fun crossing things off. As you can see we didn't get to everything, but we did cross most things off the list. It will be interesting to compare list from year to year.

Ten on 10

2011-09-10T05:45:00.003-04:00

What is Ten on 10? It is a prompted/blog hop that Shimelle host every month over at her blog. The ten things can be anything you want. It can be words or pictures or both. It can be serious or silly. You just make up your list of 10 and then post your link over at her blog. You can join in whenever you feel like it, no pressure. It's always interesting to see what people come up with for their list of ten.

My list of 10 Random pieces of information.

1. I'm a LOAD flunky! Yes, I joined the Mother Load class. Yes, I have the badge on my side bar. No, I haven't done a single layout. This is just a bad time of year to do something like this. I knew this going in but it sounded so fun. I am saving all the prompts and I might do the project at a later time when things at school slow down (which might be never, but I can dream).

2. My boys love their teachers this year. I'm super happy too! Open House was on Wednesday, so we got to met the teachers and hear how they run their classrooms. All their teachers are super sweet but they are also organized and structured which I love. You can also tell they are very dedicated to their career and the kids.

3. Soccer session started. Unfortunately the first game was called early because one of the little boys broken something. The EMS was on the way, so we don't know exactly what happened but our prays go out to that little guy and his family.

4. Once again our family is walking to support FAAN (The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network). They provide food allergy awareness, advocacy, and education, and they support research for the 12 million Americans, including 3 million children, with a potentially life-threatening food allergy.
As you know this is a cause that is very close to home for us. Our son was diagnosed with severe food allergies when he was 18 months old. That was a very scary time for our family. FAAN and it's members were there to help us figure out how to live a normal life and keep him safe.

If you would like to help out our team please visit our team page for more information.

5. I forgot how tiring school can be. The days I have classes, I'm so tired that I want to go to bed before the boys are all tucked in.

6. Even though school is tiring. I'm loving it. I promise to show some of my work once I get it back from the instructor.

7. Our dinners have not been the greatest the past week. Sandwiches, hot dogs, eggs, you get the picture. I need to plan some quick, easy meals, some freezer meals and/or start using my crock pot more. If you have any good web-sites or cookbooks for meals like that please let me know.

8. We are in birthday mood around here. Two of my children have birthday's in the next few weeks. Look for post about the big events coming soon.

9. I signed up for a pilates class. My workouts have been slipping down my to do list lately. I figure if I pay for a class and have a set time for it, I will show up. Now with this class, I have three activities I have to show up for each week. As long as I do 1-2 other things at home I'll be happy with the outcome.

10. Life is great. I love when you have those moments that you truly realize you are blessed and that things are terrific. Even in my crazy, busy day and when I'm stressed out and tired, I love when my heart is just ready to explode because I look around and just feel so lucky to be who I am and to have the people I have in my life. Thanks for being a part of it!!

Family x12 Blog Hop

2011-09-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

Welcome to the next Family x12 Blog Hop!! If you have been following the blog hop you have reached the last stop. If you are just starting here make sure to check out the list at the end of this post for all the participants.

What is FAMILY x 12?
The goal is at least one family photo per month for a year. It's not that easy getting everyone in front of the camera at the same time. This blog hop has been helping me make sure I get a snapshot of my whole family each month. It will be wonderful to see all the changes during the year with these photos. Thanks to Margie for inspiring this blog hop and project.

If it wasn't for this blog hop, I know August would have come and gone without a photo of my family. It only took a few minutes to gather everyone up and click the shutter button a few times. Why do we find it so hard? I'm so glad I'm documenting my family each month. My kids are growing so fast that each month I see some type of change.

Here is the photo of US for the month of August:

Thanks for stopping by my blog. If you haven't seen everyone's post start back at Margie's Blog. It's never to late to join this blog hop for next month. If you are interested make sure to leave a comment for Margie to add you to next months hop.

In case you miss someone, here is the list of everyone that is participating in this month's hop.

Margie       http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Melissa      http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com
Ruth http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com
Jo               http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com
Patricia    http://patoliveira.wordpress.com/
MonicaB   http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Monthly Recap

2011-09-03T16:38:00.000-04:00

August. Summer did fly by so quickly. Our weather around here has not been very summer like. We've had so much rain and cooler temperatures. I'm sure we will have a heat wave again before Fall settles in for the year.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Oxygen & Clean Eating - my usually monthly magazines
Distant Hours - Kate Morton (finished)
The Help - Kathryn Stockett
My text books

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

Black Swan only watched half then went to bed. Strange movie.
Kings Speech - Loved this movie. Colin Firth was amazing, as always.
Babies - wonderful documentary. Really made our boys appreciated what they have.
The Help - Great movie. Saw it before I read the book. I love movies that make me laugh out loud and cry.

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Went on 4 mile bike ride with the whole family
My oldest had his first slumber party
Movie night with Moms Club friends
Crop Night

4. What gifts did I give and/or recieve?

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

School Supplies
Photoshop CS5.5
Lightroom
New Circuit cartage from CTMH
More School Supplies

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

Few weeks of virago - hate that.
Problems with Headaches.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Officially signed up for my 5K
Did Mom 2 Mom sale - sold most of my stuff, everything else was donated
Did Scrapbook Garage Sale at local store - sold a lot of stuff, spent it on CTMH order. :)

8. What disappointments this month?

Still not drinking enough water
Not keeping up with my online classes

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

Training for 5K. Ran 4 miles in 36:32. Feeling good for the race.
15 minutes organizing photos and digi supplies 3x a week

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

I started school and I'm loving it. It's a lot of work and everyone is going to have to pitch in to make this work.

Won a blog give-away at Organized Junkie. I won her book Clutter Rehab.

Goals for next month:

Run and complete 5K
Continue 15 minutes organizing supplies 3x a week
Work on drinking 64 oz water daily
Pre make snacks and freeze them

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

Fitness Friday

2011-09-02T07:09:00.000-04:00

I did it! I ran my first 5K. What's the verdict? I loved it! I'll admit when I was slowly going up some of the hills I questioned my sanity. I usually run on some pretty flat terrain so the bigger hills were something. I only walked twice for a very short time. One was to get a drink. I can not run and drink at the same time. The other was at the last big hill, for just a part of it. I learned that I really need to bring a small water bottle with me on the run because my dry mouth was causing me more problems then anything physical.

One of the things I loved the most about this run was that some of the houses we ran past had people in their lawn chairs yelling and cheering us on. During those times that I was questioning why anyone would want to do this, those cheers of "You can do it" and "Your doing great" really helped motivate me. So thank you to all those nameless people that took the time out of their day to rally us crazy runners on.

Not a great photo, but the only one I have of me finishing the race.

So how did I do....I finished in 30:52.4! That's 9:57/M pace and I was 17th in my age group (out of 54). I'm super happy and proud of myself. I was so glad my boys were their to see all those people of every age running and enjoying themselves. The youngest racer was 5 and the oldest 79. How inspiring!!

Now the question is will I do it again? I'm already looking at two races coming up this month. I'm trying to decide which one I should do. Or maybe I should do both. You will just have to wait and see what I decide.

OLW Blog Hop

2011-09-01T11:00:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to the 8th OLW blog Hop! It's hard to believe August has come to an end. My children start school in a few days and we go back to our normal routines. Normal is relative, but you know what I mean. We have been doing our last minute supply shopping and labeling everything.

This months OLW project was very simple. A photo. No writing. No creating. Easy, Peasy. Or so I thought. I almost didn't get the assignment done in time. Two days ago I decided I better get a photo of me. I took a couple of photos and hoped I liked one. I didn't have time to mess around too much.

That same day I was looking at my mail and went over to Designer Digitals to see the new free downloads. I was so happy when I saw the Type Inspiration. I knew this would be the words for my photo.

The saying that really spoke to me was "I believe in you". I realized the other day that I missed too many things in life because I was afraid. I didn't have enough faith in myself to put myself out there. Now that I've done some new things this year and faced those fears I'm feeling wonderful. I'm still afraid and I still get butterflies in my stomach but I'm also feeling free and inspired and proud. I believe in myself. Just saying those words starts a fire deep down that makes me push aside those fears and try my best.

Has your word taken you out of your comfort zone? If you don't have a word, what helps you over come your fears of the new and unknown?

Your next stop on the blog hop is over at Julie Ann's lovely blog. Here is a complete list of all the blogs that are participating this month.

Margie               http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Monica B           http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/ <----You Are Here
Julie Ann           http://julieannshahin2.blogspot.com
Jill                      http://jillconyers.typepad.com/
Cheri                  http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Melissa              http://blog.mshanhun.com
Kathryn             http://www.katlodesigns.com
Amanda             http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Sam                   http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Chrissy              http://getcraftywithchrissy.blogspot.com/
Lynn                  www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Lisa                   http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Jen                     http://www.by-jen.blogspot.com/
Nikki                 http://www.inkyart.com.au/
Cassie                http://craftycassiescorner.blogspot.com/
Jamie                 http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com
Cindy    http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Fitness Friday

2011-08-26T19:20:00.000-04:00

I love when I surprise myself!

I've said it before, I'm not a runner. I love weight training or a group fitness class. I enjoy going for walks or walking on my treadmill (because I can read while I walk). I would run on my treadmill on days that I couldn't do anything else. So this summer I committed to running a 5K so I started running outside and I'm enjoying it. I could do one mile and still be smiling. Than I started going 2 miles. That was fine but I had to really try to keep my mind in the right mood. Even with my music I had a "mind" fight on my hands. I stuck at 2 miles for months. I kept telling myself that I couldn't run more than that. One day I went on a 2 mile run, during the run I decided to take a different turn at the corner. I ended up running 2.6 miles. I was so thrilled. I finally ran more than 2 miles and didn't die. Over the next few weeks I would rotate between 1, 2 and 2.6 miles.

Then reality hit me. My 5K is less then 2 weeks away and I haven't run 5K yet. The thought of running over 3 miles was not something I was looking foward to doing, but I need to do it before the race. I headed out to a local bike trail to run a 4 mile run. This is more than the race but I figure if I can do that then the race will not be a problem. I was so thirsty for most of the race and the wind was pickiing up. I had to keep tlaking to myself to just keep running. I really didn't think it would be a good run. But this is where I surprised myself, when I hit the stop button on my watch and saw my time - 36:32! My first thought was WHAT? Then I questioned the distance. I checked it on Map My Run and yes it was still 4 miles.

That's when I realized how much stronger I have become and I was very proud that I just kept going. It was a wonderful feeling.

I'm really looking forward to my 5K on September 1st.

Just keep Going!! You can do it!

This post is linked up to:

Starting School as an Adult

2011-08-24T20:03:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday I went back to school. I'm a full time student again! I'm totally switching gears. My BA is in Computer Information Systems and my Masters is in Management. I always said that when I stayed home with my children that would be my time to figure out what I want to do with my life. It took some time and a lot of courage for me to admit that I wanted to do something creative. So I'm a student in the Media Arts department.

I was extremely nervous and anxious on my first day. I feel like I need to know everything before class begins. I have to keep reminding myself, I'm going to school to learn so it's okay not to know it already. It's the perfectionist in me screaming that I have to be the best but I just need to be me. Learn from my mistakes. Not be afraid to try. Not be afraid to think outside the box. Not be afraid because I'm 40 in a class with a bunch of teenagers and 20 somethings. It's all good and things will work out and be fun.

Because of this big change in my life you will notice some changes around my blog. The most noticeable will be the decline in post. I still plan on doing some of the month blog hops that I do and if I find time to create a card or layout I will post it but I don't know how often that will happen. I'm going to do my best to keep my blog active but I don't want to put unnecessary pressure on me. So I'm not setting any goals when it comes to my blog.

I hope you will still check in even if I'm not posting like I have been.

Challenges - Scrapbookers Anonymous

2011-08-20T10:49:00.000-04:00

I found another challenge site that looks wonderful. I was inspired to give both of their challenges a try. Over at Scrapbookers Anonymous they do two challenges a month. The challenges encourage you to use your stash and I have plenty of stash that needs to be used up. I also love that you have more then one week to create something. I don't always have time every week, so some of the weekly challenges can be a little much for me.

On the first of the month they post their main challenge. This month it was to use your journaling spots or labels. Here's the card I made for this challenge:

Credits: Background paper and journaling paper: Making Memories. Felt Leaf Sticker: Queen & Co. Ink and Stamp:Tim Holtz. Alpha Sticker: My Minds Eye.

The second challenge is posted on the 15th of the month and it's an Alphabet challenge. Being this is the first month they have done this challenge the letter is 'A'. So the manufacturer you use either has to begin with an 'A' or you need to use something like an airplane. I used an Apple for my inspiration.

Credits: Credits: Pattern papers: Making Memories. Ink and Stamp:Tim Holtz. Twine: My Minds Eye.

I'd love to know what your favorite challenge blogs are, please leave a comment and let me know the site and why you enjoy their challenges.

Week in the Life...Final

2011-08-20T09:19:00.000-04:00

I finished this years week in the life project. I'm so glad that I didn't toss this years project. I'm really happy with how this project tuned out. I think I like it so much because it didn't follow the exact layout or plan.

Now on to the last 3 themes.

Theme 5: Learn

Journaling reads:
Each week we learn. It’s a part of our life.
Life is not interesting unless you are learning. Over the summer, our learning doesn’t stop. The boys were busy with camps: Bug Camp, Soccer, Basketball, Football and Springhill Day Camp. So much learning about nature, sports, morals, and teamwork. The boys enjoyed a visit to the Detroit Science Museum with Dad. We went on our first long bike ride now that we have a tandem bike. I got my order from Amazon with my new software for school. There is always something to learn.

Theme 6: Relax

Journaling reads:

Each week we relax. It’s a part of our life.
Sleep is always a part of life. In the summer we stay up later and on most days just wake up when we feel like it. That means 9:30 bed time for the boys, 11 for me and getting up from 7 - 9 in the morning. The lazy days of summer are still very busy, so we try to get in some relaxing time. My favorite is always reading a book or doing crafts. As a family we enjoy being outside and being coach potatoes and watching a movie. I try to get at least 30 minutes of quiet time each day just to refresh and breath.

Theme 7: Go

Journaling reads:

Each week we go. It’s a part of our life.
Go. Go. Go. Even though I keep trying to simplify our life, it still seems we are always on the go. This week we went to so many places. ACE, Camp, Staples, Friends House, Aunt Betty’s Apartment, Doctor, Music Lesson, Beach, Meijer, Target, Chiropractor, Gym, Soccer, Salvation Army, Irma’s Custard Shop, Stony Creek, Movies, Bike Trail, Museum, Restaurant. I’m getting better at combining trips so that we are not running everyday.

So do you have any big projects that turned out differently then how you envisioned them?

Clear the Clutter

2011-08-19T12:31:00.000-04:00

Still working on my basement. In case you don't remember what it looked like here is the before picture:

As a family we went down there and did some big time cleaning this past week. We made five different piles.

Toss
Donate to Goodwill
Donate to Library
Electronic Recycling
Craig's List/EBay

In the end we had 4 large boxes of books and videos for our local library. We put those directly into the car and they were dropped off when we went to the library.

We had 5 lawn size garbage bags of things that just needed to be tossed. They were not in any shape to donate.

We have a large collection of old computers, video game systems and other electronic items. Our city does a electronic recycling once a month, so we piled these items in the garage. In two weeks they will be loaded into the car and taken to the recycling program.

Items to be donated to Goodwill were moved to the gargage. Now that the books are out of my car, I can loaded these boxes and drop them off.

What was left in the basement are the items we are going to try to sell on Ebay/Craig's list. I need to take pictures and post them. If we do not do this by mid-October then they will just be donated too.

Here is a photo of our current basement:

It felt so great to get all that junk out of my house. The amazing thing is that I now have 4 large storage totes and several small storage boxes that are empty now. I don't think I'll need to buy any storage containers for quite some time.

This post is being linked to organized junkie for the 52 weeks of organizing.

Week in the Life - Continue...

2011-08-17T14:10:00.002-04:00

Hello,

I'm on a roll!! I have the next two themes for my week in a life complete.

Theme 3: Clean

Journaling reads:
Each week we clean. It’s a part of our life.
It seems never ending and I guess it is. Piles of laundry. Wash. Dry. Fold. Iron. Well, not much ironing. Cook. Wash Dishes. Load Dishes. Put Away Dishes. Bake. Dishes Again. Scrub. Sweep. Vacuum. Dust. Organize. Declutter. Make List. Then do it all again. The boys are now old enough to help with the cleaning, but it’s still a huge part of my everyday life.

Theme 4: Eat

Journaling Reads:
Each week we eat. It’s a part of our life.
Food glorious food!! Feeding my family healthy, delicious, nature food is so important to me. I’ve always loved to cook and bake and that love have grown over the years. I’m learning so much more about clean eating and reducing the amount of white sugar in our lives. The boys are getting more interested in baking with me. I eat breakfast with the boys every morning and we all eat dinner together every night. We do not eat fast food, except for Sub Way or if we are out of town. I don’t mind the time or mess when I know that I’m nourishing the boy’s hearts and souls.

Stay tuned for the final themes coming soon..... :)

Week in the Life

2011-08-16T07:50:00.001-04:00

The Week in the Life project. I have a love/hate relationship with it. Every year when Ali announces the week that she is doing this project, I get excited. I love the concept. I love the fact that my very first Week In the Life project was done with Ali right in the room with me at CKU-Detroit.

I still treasure the album that was created that day back in 2007. My life is so different now just four short years later. I did the project again in 2010. Once again I loved it. So why was I reluctant to join in this year. This time she picked a week in the summer. We don't have a "normal" way of life in the summer. Some weeks someone has camp or we might be going to the beach. Other weeks we might just be sitting around the house relaxing. But this problem also intrigued me because I don't remember what we did four summers ago.What was the same and what is different.

So I jumped on the bandwagon. I printed out the worksheets to help me gather my information. I charged up my camera batteries. And I marked Week in a Life on my calendar for July 25 - July 31. I started out with gusto. Taking pictures of different things. Using the timer to get me in the action. When I uploaded my photos at the end of the week I realized I really didn't take many photos over the week. The last few days there wasn't very many at all. I was going to call it a wash and just move on, but I really liked some of the images I captured. I realized I might not have documented our days very well, but I documented our lives at this moment just fine.

I've been letting these photos sit. I've been looking at them off and on. I've come to the conclusion I need to make my Week in a Life pages. I'm not doing them based on the days of the week. I'm doing them based on the themes in our lives. I have the first two pages done.

Theme One: Work

The journaling reads:

Each week we work. It’s a part of our life.
Monday’s I go into the office. The boys come with me during the summer. They get to enjoy some videos or extra game time on their game systems. I workout. I try for 5-6 days a week. It could be running, weight training or a group class. This has become a priority in my life. Even thought it’s summer the boys still have work to do. They have workbooks to do during the summer to keep their math, reading and writing skills fresh.

Theme Two: Play

The journaling reads:
Each week we play. It’s a part of our life.
Much of our play is the same year round. Building Lego. Playing board games. Playing basketball or soccer or other sports. Playing video games. Playing with Pokémon cards. Playing pretend. And Mom’s favorite: Playing with my stamping and scrapping supplies. But in the summer we get to add other fun times. Playing in water. Playing at the beach. We are a family that loves to play.

Once I get the other pages complete I'll posted them, so you will just have to wait to find out what the other themes would be.

Credits for layouts:
AEdwards_CapturingMoments
AEdwards_EverydaySentimentStrip_DaysOfTheWeek
Background
CVW_SupplyTracker
KPertiet_YellowWordBitsNo1-besttimeever
KPertiet_YellowWordBitsNo1-family
KPertiet_YellowWordBitsNo1-onedayatatime
TDD_GoodLife_Steph_PaperSolid_Red
TDD_goodlife_evakipler_pp1
KPertiet_TemplateInspiration81411
KPertiet_Template73111

Card Challenges

2011-08-12T21:57:00.001-04:00

Over the last few days I've been looking at the different challenge sites that I like and some new ones that I found. At first, nothing was jumping out at me. I haven't been in a very creative mood. I've been focusing on decluttering, organizing and getting ready for school.

After putting the kids to bed I looked at the challenges again and I just got very inspired. So I had to create! The card I made is actually for 4 challenges.

I used two stamp sets from CTMH: X-treme and Shining Star. I used Distress Ink in Fired Brick and Faded Jeans. The stripes were made using a scor-buddy.

Over at Less is More the challenge was use the Colors of Your Nations Flag. I not only used the colors but used the stars and stripes as inspiration. (edited later: I missed posting this challenge by 5 minutes...I need to work on my challenges a little earlier)

At CAS-ual Fridays the challenge was a 2-in-1 challenge with Clean & Simple Stamping. The challenge was to create a clean and simple card using this sketch:

And a new challenge for me is Cards for men. The challenge was Clean & Simple.

Clear the Clutter

2011-08-12T06:13:00.000-04:00

It's been awhile sense I've joined in on the 52 weeks of decluttering, but I have been working. A drawer here, a cabinet there, a closet here. But here is my elephant:

Our basement. It's a mess. I started pulling things out for a garage sale over a year ago. Then the piles just kept growing and things would be thrown on top and you know the story. As the saying goes, the way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. So this is my elephant, and I just need to take it one bite at a time.

I decided to sign up for a Mom-2-Mom Sale, which I'm doing tomorrow. This forced me to go through the bins and bags of clothing and baby items we know longer need. I have 12 big items going to the sale tomorrow along with 4 bins full of clothing and other baby items. Here is what I decided should go start to Good Will:

Yes, that is nine lawn size bags full of children clothing. After the sale tomorrow, I'm donating any of the clothing and toys that do not sell. I might donate some of the big items, but a few I'm going to try on Craig's list.

Another step I took is to find out when our city is doing their next electronic equipment recycling day. We have quite a collection of old computers, printers, scanner, game consoles, etc. I just couldn't throw these items away, but they are so old that they really will not benefit anyone. I'm pulling all those items out so that they are ready for the next recycling day.

The next few bites of the elephant will be:

donate books and movies to library
photograph items to sell on craig's list
donate everything else

I know longer plan on having a garage sale. I just want my basement back in some type of usable order. It might take a month or more, but if I keep chipping away it will get there.

This post is link over to organized junkie.

Back to School

2011-08-10T07:44:00.000-04:00

It's almost back to school time around here. This year it has a whole new meaning for me because I'm also heading back to school. That's right I'm a college student once again. I finished my degrees back in the 90s and I had my career until 2001 when I switched careers and became a full time mom. I always said that when I stayed home that was my time to figure out what I wanted to be when I grow up.

Now all my children are in school full time and I feel that it's time that I grow up - just a little. I signed up for three classes at our local community college and I'm so excited about starting, but nervous at the same time.

The last week I've been getting ready for the big change. I'm not talking about shopping for supplies or clothes. I'm talking about getting my house in order and figuring out a manageable schedule for me. I cleaned out my "spare" supply cabinet and went to a local scrapbook store for their garage sale. I think I did well, I'll find out today when I stop by to get the money. But I did come back with less boxes, so that's a really good sign. This weekend I'm doing a mom2mom sale and selling the last of the baby gear and clothing that the boys have out grown.

I also worked on my weekly schedule yesterday. I like to see what I need to do on a daily bases. I worked out when I have time to do my cleaning and run errands and volunteer at the boys school. If it's laid out I work better and don't waste a lot of time thinking about what I should do.

This are not the typical ways to get ready for back to school, but I know it will help me when the time comes. I plan on sitting down with each of my children and help them make a morning and after school routine to help them. I'm tired of napping about brushing your teeth and emptying your lunch box. I figure if they help with the routine they might follow it a little better...at least I can hope!

Are you doing anything out of the ordinary to get ready for school?

Family x12 Blog Hop

2011-08-05T09:00:00.006-04:00

Welcome to the FAMILY x 12 Blog Hop! This is actually two months in one. As a group, we decided to postpone the hop last month due to a family emergency of our host. If you are stopping by from Patricia's blog, thanks for continuing on the blog hop. If you started from the beginning this will be your last stop, so sit back and enjoy!

What is FAMILY x 12?
The goal is at least one family photo per month for a year. It's not that easy getting everyone in front of the camera at the same time. This blog hop has been helping me make sure I get a snapshot of my whole family each month. It will be wonderful to see all the changes during the year with these photos. Thanks to Margie for inspiring this blog hop and project.

I have two pictures for the month of June. I guess technically I only have one because this shot was taken on Mother's Day, but it didn't get it downloaded until June. It was on a memory stick I forgot about.

The next picture was the one I was planning on getting and almost forgot. We went to Frankenmuth for our annual Oma's Birthday dinner and I figured it would be easy to get a family picture. After dinner we made our usual stop at Bronner's Christmas Store and as we were leaving the store it dawned on me that I didn't take my picture. So we gathered around the nearest Santa Claus and got this family photo.

Now for July. This was actually an easy one for us because we had a family wedding. We were all cleaned and shined up for the event, so we got many photos before leaving the house. I'm glad we did this before we went because those were the only photos of us all together for the rest of the night.

Thanks for stopping by. Here is a complete list of blog hop sites. If you didn't start at the beginning, head on over to Margie's blog. If you did start at the beginning, you have finished the hop. Now go take a picture of your family! :)

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Melissa http://www.melissagross.blogspot.com
Carol Anne http://www.scrappingthoughts.com
Ruth http://www.chattycraftyartypig.blogspot.com
Patricia http://patoliveira.wordpress.com
Monica http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com <----You Are Here

On another note: I have a guest blog post over at Heartland Living on a Budget. The post is about making greeting cards on a budget. If you are stopping by from that post, I'm glad you took the time to check out my blog. I hope you will come back soon.

Addiction

2011-08-04T07:43:00.004-04:00

Hello. My name is Monica and I'm a pinterest addict.

Yes, I took the plunge and signed up for pinterest. I resisted for months because I knew it could be a huge time waster. But.....I'm finding so many cool things. I do have to limit the amount of time I play on the boards but I love looking at all the interesting homes, posters, silly things, you name it. Here are some thing I found recently that I just love.

http://thecraftingchicks.com

I want this house rules posted in my house.

From ericasweettooth.com

Love the Mouse.

From hpstuffs.tumblr.co

Wonderful poster to see how they have grown up.

From hpstuffs.tumblr.co

What is your excuse? Inspiring.

Do you pin?? What are your favorite things to look for when searching boards?

Monthly Recap - July

2011-08-03T11:15:00.025-04:00

July has come and gone. So much has happened this month it hard to remember everything. I'm glad I started these month recaps to help me remember not only the big things but the little things that have happened during the month.

1. What books and/or magazines did I read this month?

Oxygen & Clean Eating - my usually monthly magazines
Distant Hours - Kate Morton (almost finished)
Rereading parts of 1-2-3 Magic

2. What movies, television shows, plays, etc. Did I watch this month?

Cars 2 and Mr. Popper's Penguins

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 and 2 on opening night.
King Corn via Netflix
Friends with Benefits - Girls night out.

3. What fun things did I do with my family and/or friends?

Drive-in Movie
Trenton & Arlies wedding
Friday Night Crop with Anita
Surprise Birthday party at our house for Nana
Sister's family in town for visit

All the cousins together!

Coffee with RHS girlfriends
Midnight showing of Harry Potter
Boys went to Spring Hill Day Camp
DH took two oldest to Air Show
Movie night with RHS girlfriends
Went to Stony Creek to play on giant water slide and on the beach
William & I went to Harry Potter and out to lunch and school shopping

4. What gifts did I give and/or recieve?

Photo book for Nana's 70th birthday.

5. What special or unusual purchases did I make?

Text books
Mother LOAD Class

6. What illness or health concerns did I have?

Oldest burned his foot with a sparkler.

7. What were my accomplishments this month?

Registered for school - 3 classes.
Up to 2 mile run.
Signed up for Mom2Mom sale and Scrapbook Garage Sale.

8. What disappointments this month?

I've been short tempered with the boys.
I haven't been keeping to my workout schedule.
I'm not drinking all my water.

9. How did I do on my goals for the month?

I'm still working on Finding Photo Freedom. I'm behind on the creating task, but I'm still working on organizing and sorting my photos.

I'm still not drinking 64 oz of water each day. I'm realizing how import this is for me because it really effects my mood.

We have had a few game nights, but I would like to try for more.

10. Anything else noteworthy to include?

I was asked to do a guest blog post. It will be going live on August 8th at Heartland Living on a Budget.

Goals for next month:

Continue training for 5K
15 minutes organizing supplies 3x a week
Drink 64 oz water daily

This idea is from Katie the Scrapbook lady.

Card Challenge

2011-08-02T08:20:00.000-04:00

I'm really getting into these challenge blogs. I love the ideas they come up with and how it really makes me think outside my comfort zone. For this card I did a challenge combo:

First is Less is More, the challenge is

FEELING FRUITY

The second is a new challenge for me, CAS-ual Fridays, their challenge is

The Long and Short of it: Create a 4 x 9 card and
keep it Clean And Simple!

When I opened up my work around I noticed a package of Maya Road felt fruit. I knew right away that I need to use these on the card. The rest of the inspiration was probably from our school shopping.

Supplies:

Felt Sticker - Maya Road
Stamp - CTMH September Word Puzzle
Border Punch - Fiskars
Ribbon - Unknown
Paper - Bazzill Cardstock
Staples - Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher

OLW Blog Hop

2011-08-01T11:00:00.003-04:00

I don't believe it's August 1st already. I really don't believe that I'm still working on my One Little Word, Ignite. I usually lose steam in any on-line class that runs over 3 weeks. Life just gets busy and things get pushed to the side. Once again I'm so thankful to this little blog hop for keeping me going and of course to Ali for her inspiring words each month in the classroom.

The task this month was to make the play list of your life. At first I thought this would be so easy, but then I realized that some songs I love the music, but I'm not too crazy about the words. I looked at my current downloads and started looking up lyrics. My life is divided into three types of music. First and foremost, top 40. That can be top 40 of the 70s, 80s, 90s or today. Second, Kids Place Live on satellite radio. This is the station of choice in the car when the kids are with me. Third, Classic Piano Music. No words, just beautiful music. I really need to listen to this more because it really makes me happy.

After reading many song lyrics and deciding which songs ignite some type of spark in me, whether that spark is to laugh, smile, run faster or dance, I narrowed down my choices. Each song brings something different to my heart and mind when I listen to it.

I used my computer to print out the lyrics and then inked the edges with Distressing Ink so they matched my yellow/orange theme of my book. I still need to burn a CD to add to my album, but it's on my To Do list and I will get to it soon. Thanks for stopping by for another peek inside my One Little Word. I hope you come by again soon. Now, on to the next blog. You will be heading over to Cheri's lovely blog.

If you get lost here is a list of all the participates this month.

Margie              http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog
Nikki                http://www.inkyart.com.au/
Monica B         http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/ <---You Are Here
Cheri            http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com
Jamie                http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com
Jill                     http://jillconyers.typepad.com/
Monica B1        http://scraplifters.blogspot.com
Lynn                 www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com
Melissa             http://blog.mshanhun.com
Sam                  http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com/
Jenn                  www.studiojenn.blogspot.com
Maureen           http://cookingmylife.blogspot.com
Chrissy           http://getcraftywithchrissy.blogspot.com/
Jan                    http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com
Kimberly          http://foreverdaisies.blogspot.com/
Kathryn            http://www.katlodesigns.com
Lisa                  http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog
Amanda           http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com
Cassie              http://craftycassiescorner.blogspot.com/

Fitness Friday

2011-07-29T08:23:00.001-04:00

Well I did it! I decided to run a 5K in the Fall. I've been trying to run at least 4 times a week. I did my first 2 mile run a few days ago and it felt great. I don't consider myself a runner. I can run fast, just not far, so this is a big challenge for me. My biggest problem is boredom. I can walk on my treadmill for an hour with no problem because I can read, but staring at a wall for that long drives me crazy.

I did venture out and ran outside for the first time. I loved it. I actually ran a minute faster than when I'm on the treadmill and I didn't get so bored. The fresh air was wonderful and the peace and quiet so early in the morning was a great mood enhancer for the rest of the day.

Later in the day I came across this nike t-shirt and had to have it. This is going to my mantra when I'm feeling down or telling myself I can not do something. Practice Victory. The more you practice the better you get.

I'm taking small steps and using the Coach to 5K plan to help me increase my distance. My next challenge is to up my distance to 2.5 and then 3.2 miles.

This post is linked to Fitness Friday Blog Hop over at Life as I See It.

Less is More Challenge

2011-07-27T07:35:00.000-04:00

I'm really enjoying the Less is More challenges each week. The challenge this week was to use ribbon or buttons on your creations. I used the Basic Grey stamp set called cup of tea for all the cards. The paper and ribbon were just from my stash.

Play Date Cafe Challenge

2011-07-26T07:05:00.000-04:00

I decided to play at the Play Date Cafe for their weekly challenge.

The challenge was to create something using black and white with one color of my choice, but only a splash of the color. So here's my card:

I used the TLC stamp set from CTMH. The ink was CTMH black and Tim Holtz's Distress Ink in Tattered Rose.

Meal Plan Monday

2011-07-25T07:37:00.000-04:00

It's Monday again! Last week I didn't follow my meal plan very well, but that's okay. I never was worried about what we would have for dinner, it's just that it was so hot around here that we didn't have much of an appetite for a big meal. We had a few nights were we would just snack on fresh fruit, some cheese and crackers and cut up veggies. It was perfect during the 104 (114 with heat index) temperatures we were having.

This week it's not suppose to be that hot, but in Michigan you just never know. I did make my plan for the week and I plan on using my crock pot to help keep the heat down in the house.

Monday: Garden Fresh Pasta

Tuesday: Rice Cooker (Crock Pot) mac & cheese with Salad

Wednesday: Clean Eating Tacos

Thursday: Hot Dogs & Alpha Tots with fruit

Friday: Homemade Pizza with Clean Eating Rice Crisper Treats

Saturday: Clean Eating Crock pot Pineapple Chicken

Sunday: Eating Out

If you want more meal plan ideas or want to share your plan go to Organized Junkie.

Once Upon A Sketch Challenge

2011-07-22T13:10:00.001-04:00

I decided to try my hand at the Once Upon A Sketch Challenge again this week. I enjoy these challenges for two reasons: 1) Sometimes I have to think outside my comfort zone to work with the Sketch and 2) I actually get a page done.

Here's the sketch:

I used some of the photo strips we took at my husband's cousin's wedding. This is a paper layout, which I haven't done in a long time. I would say I'm 90% digital now, but when I have the photos in hand, I don't see the reason to scan them in my computer to scrapbook them. I like to use what I have.

The background paper is Brazzill Swiss Dot and the pattern papers are Basic Grey. Butterflies are Amy Butler for K&Company and Bling is from Hero Arts. The rub-ons were in my stash but I didn't have the packaging so I'm not sure who made those.

Clear the Clutter

2011-07-22T07:45:00.003-04:00

Something blew up in my laundry room!

Well, not really, but it looked that way. Every time I walked into that room I would just cringe at the chaos in this room. I would tell myself that I really need to clean and organize the room to help make my laundry days a little less crazy. This discussion with myself went on for weeks and then I had some visitors that made me stop talking and start doing. Ants! Lots of Ants!

We keep our garbage can in this room so I made sure no one missed the can and made a picnic for the ants. There were a few little spots and I cleaned them up. But the ants kept coming. I don't like spraying chemicals all around so I decided to remove everything I could and do a top to bottom cleaning.

I was amazed at what I found. I had two large Sams Club size boxes of ziplock bags, which I didn't know I had. I also had over 7 bottles of laundry detergent, so I don't think I need any for quite some time. Some items need to be moved into the basement or garage and others just needed to be put away. After washing everything down and putting things were they belong, I now have a clear space on my counter which I haven't seen in months.

I tossed the old brooms, mops and sweeper because I really only need one mop and one broom. I also recycled the piles of plastic bags I would stuff into one of the cabinets, which freed up the cabinet for what it should be used for.

I'm always amazed at how much better I feel when a room is not full of clutter. I have to say thank you to the ants. If it wasn't for their visit I would probably still be grumbling every time I walked into this room. Even though I'm thankful, I hope they don't come back for a return visit.

This post is linked back to Organized Junkie for the 52 weeks of organizing challenge.

Photo Clutter

2011-07-20T20:26:00.001-04:00

I have been a little behind on posting. With all the summer activities and taking three on-line scrapbooking classes, I've been busy with other issues. Life is full of give and take, so I needed to take the time for my family and classes. I'm sure you understand.

I'm taking classes over at Big Picture Classes and I had some time today to work on my assignments. I was happy that I could do one layout for two assignments plus a challenge I came across at Scrap the Boy. Having three boys I think this might become one of my favorite challenge blogs.

The challenge rules this month is to use TAPE on your layout, this can be decorative tape, masking tape, or even think outside of the square and make your own. You also need to use PLAY in your title.

For my Finding Photo Freedom class our assignment was to make a layout using our catogory files and since I have a catagory labeled Play, I knew this would work great. I was able to gather several photos over a four year period in a matter of seconds because of the Photo Freeedom class. It's so exciting!!

The third part of this was for my class the Mother LOAD. The assignment was to make a layout and take notes on our process. My process changes based on the inspiration but in general my process goes this way.

Have an idea or get inspired by challenge
Get photos
Select template or layout photos
Select paper
Select embellishments or kit to use
Add Title and journaling

Most papers and embellishments from Sahlin Studios - Grunge Set

To find out what I've been up to in my other class come back on August 1st for the One Little Word Blog Hop.

This post is being posted at Sandy's Challenge #5.

Meal Plan Monday

2011-07-18T07:27:00.000-04:00

It's Monday again so that means it's time to do my meal plan. This week my kids are at day camp and I've made a long list of things I want/need to get done while they are gone. I don't want to be spending those precious few hours in the kitchen, so this weeks menu is quick and easy.

Monday: Turkey Burgers (frozen), Baked Beans (can), fruit salad.

Tuesday: Meatballs (frozen) over Egg Noodles, salad.

Wednesday: Leftovers

Thursday: Hot Dogs, Alpha Tots, Salad

Friday: Clean Eating Crock Pot Pineapple Chicken (new recipe)

Saturday: Homemade Pizza

Sunday: Leftovers or Sandwiches

For more great meal plans go to Organized Junkie or link up your own meal plan for others to see.

Less is More Challenge

2011-07-17T16:54:00.000-04:00

I made this card in record time. I think it took me more time to get a picture and upload it then it did to make it. It's simple, but that's the idea. The challenge this week at Less Is More was Circles. More than one circle, lots of white space and simple....Yep that's my card.

I've had these small letter stickers forever in my stash and they were the first thing that came to my mind when I saw the challenge. I was inspired by all the banner products I've been seeing in the paper crafting community. I just drew the line and placed the stickers. Fast, easy, simple! Love it!

Thank You Harry

2011-07-15T10:13:00.001-04:00

Having a "geeky" HP moment at the Midnight showing of Deathly Hallows Part 2

It all started with a simple request from a little girl. To read a book she thought I would like. Who would have known that it would turn into a 10+ year obsession with the life of a little boy named Harry.

I was one of the lucky ones that had to wait for each new book to come out. I got to guess and discuss what was going to happen. I got to live each book with fresh eyes that no movie or person interrupted for me. I loved the waiting and wondering, the ups and downs, the new twist and turns. I LOVE HARRY POTTER!

I still remember when the last book was published. I waited by my door for the mail to be delivered. I pre-order the book on Amazon and it was guaranteed on that Saturday. When it arrived, my husband was away with the boys, so I settled into my favorite reading chair and devoured the book. I only got up when nature called and when dinner was ready. I stayed up all night to finish this wonderful book.

I've never read a book so fast, but I didn't want anyone to ruin it for me. I remember different parts that I cried and others that I laughed. I was amazed by some of the truths that were reveled and sad that it was over.

Me and Hedwig

Last night I went to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. This was another bittersweet moment. After the books, I had the movies to look forward to, but now that too has come to a close. The evening was so much fun. Waiting in line at 5:00 to watch Part 1 at 9:00 and then Part 2 at 12 Midnight. Seeing the different people dressed up. Talking to people that love Harry just as much as I do. But I have to admit I do love Ron Weasley more. The movie was wonderful. Of course, there were things left out, but it was a glorious finish to the movie series.

I just love Ron!!

I'm lucky that I will be able to relive the books again as I read them to my children. I don't know if they will have the same effect on them. They already know the outcome and there is no suspence in waiting for the answers. Will they ever get to live through something so magical as Harry Potter? It's hard to imaging, but there is always hope.

Thank you J.K. Rowling for writing such a magical, entertaining story. You have brought many, many hours of happiness to my life and I will always cherish my memories of the boy that lived.

Less is More Challenge + Once Upon A Sketch

2011-07-13T09:11:00.000-04:00

I'm working hard to keep with my goal of doing at least one challenge per week. Last night I had some time to play and work on the Less is More Challenge. The challenge was a One Layer challenger with a twist. The twist is that it had to have Something With Legs. I actually did three cards. The first was horrible and I won't even show that one.

The first card I stamped the web and spider with Versamark and added black embossing powder. I drew the line connecting the web and spider. I stamped the words with black ink.

Inkadinkado - Creepy Crawly CTMH - letter stamps

For this card I masked the circle and used distressing ink to color it in. I stamped the three monsters with black ink and added goggle eyes. I drew the stitching marks around the circle and stamped the sentiment in black ink.

CTMH - Party Animal Set

I also decided to try my hand at a sketch challenge over at Once Upon A Sketch. I love sketches and templates, so I figured this would be right up my alley.

I'm really happy how this page came together. I'm going to have to try my hand at the sketch challenge again.

New Wedding Trend

2011-07-12T20:41:00.000-04:00

I love the new trend that is happening in weddings around here. Photo Booths!! What scrapbooker, memory keeper wouldn't love this idea. My two younger boys couldn't get enough of going into the booth to make silly faces and get a print out. I had to twist my oldest arm to come in with us at first, but then he started getting into the fun. The best part was that two copies would come out, one for us and one for the bride and groom. Just think about the great album the married couple will have with all these fun, candid shots of their guests.

I'm sure they might get a little tired of seeing my family, because we have over 10 photo strips. But I have to admit, I was having so much fun!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-07-11T08:23:00.001-04:00

This week I'm trying to eat out of our pantry and freezer. I need to clear things out and take stock of what I have and what we need. So here is the menu for this week.

Monday: Clean Eating Tacos

Tuesday: Turkey Burger's with Baked Beans and veggies

Wednesday: Tilapia with Quinoa Pilaf and Salad

Thursday: Pizza Night (Mom will be at the Harry Potter Opening)

Friday: Leftovers

Saturday: Dinner Out

Sunday: Leftovers

If you want to join in or see other meal plans head over to Organized Junkie.

Ten on 10

2011-07-10T07:25:00.001-04:00

Welcome back to the second month of Ten on 10. This month is a quick list for me.

Ten reasons I haven't blogged lately.

1. Trying to get back into our routine after long holiday weekend.
2. Catching up on much needed house work.
3. Ants in the laundry room. Deep cleaning of laundry room because of the ants.
4. Staying on track with on-line classes (Finding Photo Freedom, Mother LOAD and OLW).
5. In-laws in town.
6. My mom goes back down south next week - spending extra time with her.
7. Weather has been great - playing with kids.
8. Decided to run my first 5K - been running everyday.
9. Went scrapbooking on Friday night.
10. Family wedding on Saturday night.

I have a lot of material to blog about I just need to find the time to get the photos uploaded and some writing done. Come back soon to see if I've gotten back on schedule. Thanks for stopping by.

If you would like to join in stop by Shimelle's blog to play along.

Less is More Challenge

2011-07-06T08:09:00.001-04:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. I'll be posting about our adventures tomorrow.

This week at Less Is More the challenge was a color challenge.

SHADES of BLUE

Love It! Blue is my favorite color so I knew I would have plenty of blue items to work with, but I had to keep it simple. The first idea that came to my mind would not leave, so I went with it. It's been really hot and humid here so I'm sure that's why I couldn't get water off my mind.

The whole card was made with some scraps I had in my blue section of my scrap box. The ball is just scraps that I punched with a circle punch and then cut and glued together. Thanks for stopping by, come back soon!

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Project 365

Ten on 10

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Twleve on 12

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Family x12 Blog Hop

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Plan for the New Year

Family x12 Blog Hop

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Landscape Photos

Back lit Photography

In Focus

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Ten on 10

Family x12 Blog Hop

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Photography

Remember Me

More school work...

One of my inspirations...

Family x12 Blog Hop

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Still alive and kicking

End of Summer

Ten on 10

Family x12 Blog Hop

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Fitness Friday

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Fitness Friday

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Week in the Life...Final

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Clear the Clutter

Photo Clutter

Meal Plan Monday

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