This week's life on our farm...

Well, apparently one week old baby chicks can't get a wee lil' bit wet...AT ALL. Even with a heat lamp directly above them. This was yet another note to self moment. I should know this by now...but I'm always on a learning curve. This is also a horrible way to start one of my childrens' day out-bad! 

 

 SO round two of chicks I went to three different stores to find yesterday.  Bought fifteen chicks and was given two extras by the sweet lady who helped me at the farm and feed store after I told her what happened.  So now seventeen chicks later, as of an hour ago-they're all still alive.  But I am hoping for no fried chicks because the heat lamp feels really warm to me. But they seem to like it...so far. I guess if they go off to the big chicken coop in the sky...they'll be warm this time and not frozen stiff.

We got bum lambs last week from a friend.  My oldest son wants to try to have one ready for 4-H Fair.  We're pushing it, but we'll see.  In the past some of our bum lambs have turned out to be 180 pounds.  Granted that's too heavy, but if we can get to 120-130 pounds (should be more, but we'll call it good if we get there)-perfect.  However with bum lambs, there's always one.   One that needs the exta babying, feeding and a little more love because 'something' is wrong with them.  One hour they're fine, the next-ah, not so good.  Which I gladly give and try to show to my children. Unfortunately one of my son's named our 'punky' one, Lucky.  I posted on Facebook earlier this week my top two reasons not to name an animal Lucky.  Those were: 1.  There's never anything 'Lucky' about an animal named Lucky, and 2.  Refer to #1.  But he's been drinking his bottle, and I've been giving him a supplement along with plenty of medicine, actually probably enought to fuel a team of horses.  So, 'Lucky' the lamb is still vertical and on all four legs, and even sporting a stylish sweater I made for him-above.  By the way, it was super easy to make.

 

It's a joy to watch ours kids hold the pop bottles filled with milk-replacer and feed these little friends. And soon enough our ewes will have some of their own lambs, so we'll have a barnyard nursery of new critters.  Maybe I'll even try for some more little chicks if these manage to live long enough to flitter and fluff their feathers around here.  You may have noticed, I'm not a 'great' chicken steward.

And on the home front, while doing laundry today I had another apparent 'Rockstar' mom moment when I caught the washer on fire. Yep...lots of smoke, and I do truly mean ALOT of smoke...it was that 'one' last sweatshirt I threw in. NO one tell my husband yet, he hasn't noticed the smog in here and the burnt rubber smell.  But then again, he didn't notice the seventeen new chicks chirping in his office either.  He's got a cold so the smell is understandable, but I'm not sure how to explain the 'invisible chicks'.  Oh well! 

 

Stay tuned...the day is yet young, and there's always something happening when you live on a small farm.

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The "T" of our Day

Blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:7

The steam rolls off my tea. Condesation of the divine treat bubbles agains the soft green ceramic. (Okay the image is red ceramic, but imagine it's green.)

How does the Lord warm you? Does He fill you full of rolling warmth through out your body. Or is it luke warm, constantly having to be reheated?

It's lush scent fills my senses as the bag floats on top of the murkey liquid. I trust the ingredients combined in the little bag are blended together to make this rich blend. How do I trust that the Lord combined the 'just right' ingredients for me?

For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;^[b]
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.

Psalm 139:13-14

Wonderfully made, this bit of heaven in my cup, just as I was-said the Lord.

When I trust his wonder and glory is that not the relationship he wants every moment, even if it's seen in a cup of tea. My tea bag floats and is held against the side of the cup with a string, just in case it decides to slide loose for one reason or the other. Sometimes the bag hits the bottom and I stir its essense about it's holding. It eventually comes up for air and floats once more.

God's stirring. He knows we'll come up for air and see his holy breath wafting from the cup which runs over. He places strings of faith all around us for security, but it is trust that even without the string it is He who lifts us up and we float-not hitting the bottom, not stuck in one spot, but floating and filling up with the richness of Him.

God Bless your day!

Jelly Roll

Little Debbie snacks made these amazing little sweet treats called Jelly Rolls.  My mom would buy them for us every once in a while for afternoon snacks.  I loved them.  Last year I was introduced to another jelly roll, and that's the quilt pattern.  Now I am the first to admit, I am a tragic sewer.  I've been known to hot glue, super glue or duct tape sewing projects all for the sake of getting it done, but I've started to enjoy it more and more since I was introduced to the jelly roll quilts. 

Now in layman's terms, simply it's pre-cut rolls of coordinating fabric you sew in a train, fold back up, connect, sew down the edges, and do this over and over again until you have the square-ish shape you're looking for.  Recently I found out how you can cut and corner, and flip these pre-sewn strips into more of a design, but it's baby steps for me.  I'm still on the sew the straight-line part,  however it's fun and a great way for me to feel as if I accomplished something.  It's taken me about an hour and a half to complete the top.  I haven't figured out how to do the back or the binding, so stay tuned for how that evolves.  Hopefully I won't have to bust out the hot glue or liquid stitch, but the project is still in it's young stages.

Also, there's a new quilt shop in Red Lodge, and Wanda, the owner, has been 'sew' helpful in my art of newbie sewer/quilter.  She has easy kits (and advanced), jelly rolls and beautiful fabric, and shares great tips and tricks to the trade.  I've found myself wandering in there just to admire her beautiful talent hanging on the wall, or the charming fabrics she has in ensembles.  Here's her web-site; Quilt Lodge

And...so I don't completely destroy the true description of the jelly roll quilt, here's a web-site I found with the 'proper' definitions about quilting.
Quilt Bug

The image is my first jelly roll quilt top, with my special 'jelly bean' helping me model.  Wishing you 'SEW' much fun if you try creating a jelly roll quilt!

Ring on my finger

My left hand houses the heart of four of the most important rings I could wear.   Three are my wedding bands, and the fourth is an itty-bitty sterling silver pinkie ring.  Etched on top if it is a cross.  My pinkie finger is molded around this ring.  It's lived there since junior high.  It's the only ring I never take off, not even while I was pregnant with my four children.  All of my other fingers puffed to this size of sausages, but not this finger, therefore leaving my ever present symbol of my first priority to my relationship with the good Lord.  This ring's physical value is maybe $10, but it's eternal value is priceless.  I don't have to have it as a talisman for belief, but as a reminding symbol or for another to glance down and see.  Who knows how one symbol can change someones heart and lead them towards their eternal priceless gift of knowing and believing in our Good and Gracious Lord and Saviour. 

As I move inward, my wedding rings symbolize my next, most important, commitment I made before God and my husband.  While these are worth more than $10 they too symbolize my marriage.  I don't have to wear them to know my commitment and to know I'm married, but again it's a reminder of love, integrity, dedication, trust, faithfulness and PaTiEnCe.  I don't take them off to wash dishes, take a shower, while gardening, or for any reason at all.  They stay on my finger, maybe out of stubbornness, laziness or fear of loosing them.  But honestly, because I feel they stay on-no matter what.  That's what it's meant for...no matter what.  We're committed and these rings reiterate this symbol.  Now I can't say that without being real.  There are times I would love to huck them at my husband and hope for some cataclysmic residual thumping on the head by one sparkly band, and he whips into what I want him to do or be.  But that's not my place at all, it's just real and a real feeling of being in any relationship, it's Gods place.  It's fun to ponder on though, and goodness knows I'm sure he has a list a mile long he'd love for me to 'whip' myself into also.

If you choose to place your life in this order-Faith, Family and Friends, you can often be a symbol yourself.  So may I challenge you...what do you want to be a symbol of or for? 

Oh...And I don't have a 'friendship' ring, that to me, goes right along with the heart of the symbol on my pinkie ring.

Why does the turkey cross the road?

If you're driving in Red Lodge you're sure to see two predominant species of wild game just about everywhere...the wild turkey's and deer.  The turkey's have been somewhat a cause for deep discussion in and around town..."what to do, what to do about these turkeys?" Not to make light, I'm sure it's bothersome to some folks in town.  We live out of town, and personally love to see those turkey-lurkey's cruising through town, often stopping traffic-well our kind of traffic since we don't have any stop lights, and hunkered together making their prized turkey calls.  However it was called to my attention the other day about Montana's new road kill permits.  Yes, here you can legally take possession of road kill with permits.  Ha-dinner just got much simpler...especially Thanksgiving dinner, wild turkey anyone?

But as I type this, I have to disclose from my interpretation of what Fish, Wildlife and Parks allows of these permits it doesn't look like turkeys are actually deemed 'true' roadkill.  One article I found said only deer, moose, antelope and elk are 'true' roadkill available for these salvage permits.  Here's the link:  FWP serves up roadkill permits.

So, why did the turkey cross the road? 
To lead the deer across the road, of course.

Roadkill for dinner..going once, going twice....grab your shovel.

Destination B n' B

AVAILABLE:  Exclusive time share offer.  Destination resort.  Forget the bush planes, just need a helicopter or an industrial size motor grader available with a plow to bust through concrete like snow drifts.  A full winter wonderland package included in this quaint little get-a-way just north of Red Lodge.  Cozy wood burning stove, several sledding hills, snowshoeing and cross country available and recommended for entrance into this all inclusive bed and breakfast, and let's not forget the custom ice rink...made with authentic Montana farm flair of thawed then refrozen steer and sheep poop.  Dog sledding courtesy of our personal corgi dream team-known to be faster than any dogs in the Iditarod especially when chasing chickens.  Para sailing behind our 'tricked out' four wheeler makes an ultimate vacation.  In all certainty while partaking in the activity, you can also visit Canada because our East Bench wind is guaranteed to get you there.  We encourage you bring your passport.  Helmets are provided for this experience.  Mouthwatering gourmet meals are an excellent way to continue to bask in luxury-they're all in the freezer (please don't mind some of the freezer burned portions) and they'll just need to be set out overnight to thaw, and adult beverages are encouraged if  you plan on staying a while.  The howling wind and wind chill creates an environment of need for warm Cowboy comfort food and a hot totty at the end of the day.  The views of the Beartooth Mountains, Crazy Mountains and the Pryor's are breath-taking.  All of this great package for an even trade.... ANYWHERE south of the equator with no wind, snow to plow, ice to slip on, wood to haul, freezing sleet or frozen pipes!

Open wide

Baby proofing your house when you have three little boys is pert near impossible.  They have their Lego's, marbles, crayons, Erector set wheels, screws, bolts, and then there's the bonus food on the floor-the corner of a Doritos, a couple raisins, and possibly something once resembling a french fry that probably fell out of someones pocket from the car ride home from Billings.  Other than that...oh yeah...it's perfectly safe.  My daughter is 21 months old and has been pretty good about not putting things in her mouth.  She'll pop a couple Lego's in, but she shakes her head and says "uck".  Great...we're learning. 

One evening she came to me shaking her head "uck" but she had two marbles in her mouth.  Marbles make me pretty nervous, so before I could even say anything my face must have reflected my anxiety because she plopped them out.  But then I heard a funny 'thunk' noise.  The kind you hear when you hit your front teeth hit against a real glass-glass.  She started laughing in her mischievous laugh.  And she started swallowing hard.  Uh-oh!  I think a marble went down the hatch.  I texted a good friend and thankfully she's really level headed, and shared with me what she'd googled.  I thought it would be fine because she seemed fine, and was drinking a bunch of water.  But you just never know if it was ER worthy. 

My third son did about the same thing, except it was a penny and he was four.  You'd think four is old enough to know not to put a penny in your mouth-apparently not.  He did actually choke.  I had to flip him upside down and whack his back.  When went to the doctor to make sure it was in his stomach, and the x-rays showed...sure enough.  A penny was growing in this tummy.  I also had the doc check his back bones in the x-ray too since I whacked him so hard trying to get the silly penny dislodged I was afraid I broke something, but it was fine.  I'm not sure how or when that trusty copper penny removed itself, but when we went back for a follow up x-ray it was gone.  

This time hopefully we'll 'pass' the time and marble, and see how this comes out in the end...the real 'end'.

Drifts

Snow, wind, drifts + more snow, 50 mph gusts, bigger drifts = up to this year's Montana winter.  While it's created a plowing nightmare for my husband, many stranded mornings for my boys getting to school, and a quality hike with my daughter and car seat, it has had some up's-literally-due to the snow drifts building 'up'.

It's a playground for kids.  My boys are constantly outside, when the wind isn't blowing them towards Canada, sledding, snowboarding or making snow caves.  One of my favorite scenes with the boys was of them using a metal snow shovel as their sled.  It got creative towards the end of the run especially when the stop was pretty abrupt, but they had big beaming smiles on their faces.  And my most favorite scene with our animals has been, when our pup, Bess, was running to the house.  The boys built a snow cave, with tunnels along the side and up top.  Well, the pup didn't see the 'up top' tunnel. 

Bess raced towards the house.  Her eyes were wide with the excitement.  She was finally being let inside on the blustery winter day. While scaling the great drift she leaped.  Her corgi legs spread out like super-dog soaring through the air.  But her bound didn't quite get her over the drift.  She did get a surprise.  "Thump" down she went into the tunnel.  One minute there, next minute gone.  Little Bess appeared confused as she ambled out of the tunnel.  She looked both ways before she exited.  Then went about her merry way to the door.  But I'll not forget her wide eyes in sheer surprise as she dropped into the snowy cave.

A little wax goes a long way

It all comes flooding back to me, why home waxing kits are a HUGE-note to self-not to do.  My original note to self moment, was-oh eight years ago, when I removed one of my eyebrows.  I looked AwEsOmE!  All I said was, "oh no, oh no" and came running out into the living room.  My husband looked at me and said, "w-h-a-t did you do?" really slow and with huge eyes as he looked at my bald patch above my eye.  I left a little tuft of hair towards the center of my noggin, but not much.  I had to draw it in for months with an eyeliner pencil.  But thankfully it grew back-whew!

I don't know what came over me when I went to the beauty supply store to get a new curling iron.  Walked out with microwavable wax and no curling iron...hum?!  Definitely a gap in the connective synapses. It took me about two months to try it-somewhere in my subconscious I must have known this was a bad idea or it was holding on to suppressed memories of the last time. 

Obviously this is not how a professional applies it, but it worked.  The box said to leave enough to grab ahold of and pull in a 45 degree angle the opposite direction.  I darn near had a handle crafted on this bad boy, and I could rip with vigor.  Enough vigor to remove the top layer of skin, maybe even the second, and have a little war wound present itself.  Good thing is, I have both eye brows and the redness went away after a day or three.  So a little wax went a long way and did it's job with minimal long term affects.   I will pass this extra tid-bit of advice along which is somewhat related.  I'd encourage you to never play beach volleyball right after waxing your eyebrows.  On the off chance you fall into the sand face first, as a result of your super beach volleyball skills, the sand will stick, like a fly to fly paper (or something else), to your ever so soft and supple freshly waxed eye brows.  From my illustrious first hand experience, it is a super model look...let me just tell ya.

Chicken Licken'

I've written about this before, but yet again I share with you about my dog's hankering for chicken.  The live, squawking, bwacking, egg laying type housed in my chicken coop.  That is...once live.  He didn't get them all, but did do some damage on two and a half.  The story about the 'half' part is, she was   alive but I think she was in shock or had a heart attack-or both. There wasn't a mark on her, and all digits and neck were present and accounted for.  Although, she was sort of shaking...not a little but a lot.  So it seemed to be an impressive and obvious bad sign.  Then the next morning when I checked on her, she'd gone to the big hen house in the sky to lay the ultimate golden eggs.  With that, however, it angered me some what greatly.

My mission began, teach 'em rat dogs a lesson.  You can't beat them, that's not right or effective.  You can't do the 'old hang the chicken around their neck', they'll just want more.  I'm not going to get rid of them over a couple chickens, because they're sweet little dogs and actually help me with my ewes.  So I decided I needed to scare the chicken licken' cravings out of them.  "How does one do that?"  I say to myself.  None other than...fireworks.  Black cats to be exact.  They're terrified of gun shot sounds, and I knew I had to act fast upon finding the remnants of one particular chicken.  Running instinctively to their kennel, they knew they were in trouble.  And I ran directly to the shop where we had some left over fireworks.  Promptly grabbed a metal bucket and fire starter, and away I went. 

It took me all of a few minutes to line up the multiple packets of 100 black cats and light away.  I forgot how fast they fizzle and start popping.  So my kids got a great spectators view from the house of me leaping out of the way onto a snow bank, backwards with arms flailing.  But it worked!  Dogs jumped into their house, and didn't show their chicken licken' lips until the next day.  (They were fine, just scared. No permanent damage, and they had plenty of food and water).  They sure don't go close to the chicken coop anymore....time will tell.  But for the meanwhile all my hens are alive, well and laying some yummy big eggs.

Flying insect management

Forget the sprays, the fly swatter, the sticky paper or the bug zappers.  I have found the ultimate way to kill flies humanely.  Hold on...it's uncoventional.

With the New Year I've decided I need to try my Zumba game on our Wii.  Not as a New Year's resolution, because those simply don't work for me.  But as a highly recommended suggestion from myself to myself.  Hence, here comes my confession.  There is absolutely NO need for any sprays, swatters, sticky paper or zappers...the flies barrel off the walls dying of laughter as they watch me attempt my highly recommended suggestion to myself.  So they die happy and in giant quantities...it's awesome.  Well, not for the fly.  And thankfully the fly on the wall can't talk from all my vast entimology knowledge.

Zumba has to be one of the most hilarious attempts at exercise I have ever done.  I have a girlfried who loves it.  She's tried for years to get me to go to the gym and take a class.  Weeellll...there is absolutely, positiviely, NO way I will ever do Zumba in front of anyone besides my 20 month old daughter.  And that will only be until she starts talking in full sentences, and can tell me how embarrassed I should be at myself. 

I've had four children, so doing the Samba, samba, cha-cha-cha doesn't look right, at all.  Let me reiterate that note...not at all a good visual.  There are pieces and parts of me that literally go the opposite direction they're supposed to as well as there are parts still moving from the suggested 'dance' move three steps back.  Paints a pretty picture, don't it now. It's Awesome!  I'm being sarcastic.  I mean it is, not really, but kind of.  Clear as mud-huh?

I admit it is fun, and a great exercise.  And if you can't laugh out-loud at yourself, then who else should it be...that's a fact.  The greater part of it is sweeping up the dead flies.  At least they had their last laugh about it all, and I burned a few calories.

The month of LUV

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (NIV)

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

 

Love, love, love...all you need is Love!  That's what the Beatles said, right?  Yes, they did-but Love comes in so many realms don't you think?  I wish it was a longer word so I could make a curvy roller coaster analogy with all it's letters in a cool clip art cartoony metaphor, but our English language gives us only four letters. 

 

So I wanted to share the different spellings of love in various languages and cultures.  There are many different forms of the meaning in different cultures but it's a snippet of trivia.

• Greek, one form is Agape
• Latin, one form is Amo (with a line above the o)
• Persian, shares a few which are Rumi, Hafiz and Sa'di
• Chinese, one form is Ai
• French, is Amour

I like to lean towards the meaning of Agape which means "unconditional love",  It is often referred in Christian theology as referring to God's unconditional love for man kind as well as reciprocating love to each other. 

• Wikipedia states-In the New Testament, agapē is charitable, selfless, altruistic, and unconditional. It is parental love, seen as creating goodness in the world; it is the way God is seen to love humanity, and it is seen as the kind of love that Christians aspire to have for one another.

In the spirit of the month of love, I want to share a Christian website a good friend tapped me into, and toss a couple challenges your way.  Family Life  This site has invaluable resources, especially in the art of LOVE.  The radio broadcasts are great-filled with authentic conversations and powerful tools for your heart's tool belt.  I'm thinking that's what cupid has wrapped around his waist too...

How Do I Love Thee-this broadcast gives a wonderful perspective on the verse above; 1 Corinthians 13: 4-7

God's Extravagant Love-Your kids!-this was a great broadcast for perspective with your children.  The speakers wrote the Love Dare for Parents.

10 Valentines Ideas for your Family - AWESOME, AWESOME ideas to share with your family for showing Love!

14 Ways to Love Others-I found these ideas to be easy, everyday things we do to show love as well as respect to others.

My first challenge to you is listen to these broadcasts, pod casts or however you can make these digital bytes sync into you.  I encourage you to be filled with the joy this information can open up to you-gotta think on a deeper perspective.

My second challenge to you is to implement at least 50% of these Valentine ideas for your family and others.  Having fun and paying it forward fills your heart more than any'thing'.

My last and final challenge for you is to go rub your dog behind it's ears.   If you don't have a dog, grab a cat (they have it there-under their independence), and if you don't can't find a cat-a horse works, but I wouldn't suggest a fish.  So maybe go borrow a friends pet, if all you have is a google-eyed fish, like one of the above...but back to the dog.  He'll look at you with those big puppy eyes, lean into your hand, and show you a truly grateful and loving response for the simple gesture. Often their response is much more genuinely loving than many people react for far greater physical efforts.  That'd be one form of Agape love-unconditional love.  This is a simple snippet of the blessing God gives us with His pure unconditional love-given freely and filled with Him.  Look to Him, lean into his hand, share your gratefulness and be filled with L-O-V-E.

Bunko

Over the New Year we learned how to play Bunko or (Bunco).  What a fun game!  And an easy game to catch onto.  I often hear my mom, say she's going to her Bunko night.  I let it roll over my brain because I automatically thought it was a concetrating game of card 'something' or other.  But it wasn't.  Our children even wanted to learn, of course minus the betting aspect and alcohol that are often involved.  But I found it is a great way for them to hone in on math skills for all their ages, too.  I'm not a card player, besides Go-Fish.  I am even a tragic UNO player.  I always have to reread the instructions, which is just fine.  But Poker, Bridge or Rook are just out of my league, and honestly-my interest. I like word and action type games-Scrabble, Apples to Apples, Guesstures and some Trivial Pursuits. 

My nine year old and I started playing, I'm sure we adapted the 'true' rules for this.  But it gave us a little one-on one-time doing something new,  and sneaking in-again-some math.  Here's a link to a You-Tube  (sorry about the ads) video on how to play.

Your turn to roll...

What's for Dinner?!

The classic nightly question,  What's for Dinner?  My forehead crinkles in pain as I rack my brain for what to do, what's new, what's healthy, and what to thaw?  It often ends up being the fool-proof tacos.  But alas, we can't have that everynight, so I pulled out my cookbooks, went to Pinterest for some of those new fangled fun recipes I've seen and drummed up some weekly menu plans for dinner.  I've done this on and off throughout raising kidos, and once I start this regimin again I wonder why I don't conistently stick with it, because IT IS SO HELPFUL!

Not only on the evening planning side, but budget side.  I'm not guessing what I need at the store to round everything out.  I know what I'm going to need.  I also try to look even further than just this week, and see how I can use like ingredients for future meals or even some substitions in recipes.  That way I don't open some fancy sauce to use a teaspoon and then it sits in my fridge creating it's own being.  This has 'saved my bacon' and pulled in my pocket book budget.  I started this again the first of January, and I have four months of menus to share-so far.  I'll work on more.  The 15 minutes of brain damage reduction for me has gone to more attentive helping with homework, reading outloud or listening to kidos day's.  In the long run, the deeper side to this planning tool benefits little and big hearts as well.

I don't have it on this month's calendar, but freezer meals are huge too.  Or just double some of your recipes this month, and toss them into a freezer bag for next month when a 'surprise' busy evening presents itself.  I really like the Six Sisters Stuff site.  They have some great recipes, menu plans, and loads of other helpful resources.

Here's my February Menu Plan (my apologies it's an image below, and I need to figure out how to upload a pdf to this blog)! 
Wishing you a helpful, healthy and happy dinner!

February Weekly Menu Plan

Just a Scrappin'

The art of scrapbooking truly is an art.  I have a few friends who cut, crop and tape their photos into amazing books, then I have friends who do the most beautiful, awe inspiring works of art with digital scrapbooking, and then I have friends who have awesome tubs full of 'scrapbooking somedays'.  I happen to be one who attempts, kind of, all of them.  My goal is getting caught up on my digital scrapbooks, and off load the paper into something-time to eliminate the trusty tubs.  I'm only six years behind on photos and keepsakes, but who's counting. 

 

I love the digital realm.  It gives me a ton more freedom to create.  I'm a quotable quote nut.  So I love to find inspiring and fun quotes for to document my children's youth and our family.  I also enjoy the fact of scanning artwork and memorabilia so they can go into the books as well-and multiple books.  This is only a couple reasons why I love digital scrappin'.

 

The physical books I've made are extremely generic.  I have the paper from preschool to 12th grade that I'm filling only a couple pages for each with school, team and other extracurricular photos.  But I'm trying not to over do it, because I have so much room to work in the digital scrapbook world.  

 

 The next thing about scrapbooking as anyone will say is 'time'.  That's been my excuse, well for 11 years now.  But again with digital I can create ten pages in the time it would take me to make two.  And I can duplicate these books tailored for each child, event, or whatever needs may be.  Which is a GREAT option!  But back to time....a girlfriend and I committed to one day a week last year.  We choose Thursday, and we've stuck to it-minus summer , however.  During the winter is an ample time to crunch out not only some pages but books.  This has been an immense check off my 'mommy guilt' to do list.  Not only the 'mommy guilt' but just some 'me' creative time.  Two hours goes a loooong way for my sanity, or lack there of.  Even if I'm only able to meet for that amount of time, I've been able to get mass pages done.  I've already finished one book this year, started inputting 2014 and going back through choosing my photos for 2013.  My friend and I switch houses, every other week, and make it super easy.  She's a whiz at the digital and an amazing designer.  So it's also great to learn more efficient and creative means to crafting these books.

Moral of my story is in reverse...take a couple hours for yourself to be creative.  Scrapbooking digitally is my idea of the absolute way to go now-a-days.  And have some fun with all those precious memories you made in pictures.  For digital products check out my friend Gina's blog at Back Road Scrappin.

Happy Scrappin'!

Blogging Delinquent returns with a Christmas tale

Well it's been over three months since I plopped something upon my blog...hence the blogging delinquent title.  I'll blame it on the holiday season-not my procrastination. But thankfully in my untimely scribing a good friend showed me some extra features for my blog, and I have a slew of more things to write about-then post to the schedule.  Yeah for automated push buttons function's like that.  So..I'll rewind to Christmas and begin with a highlight that will go down in baby books and are etched in to memories of the masses...literally.

Christmas Eve-Does this little ham look like she'd single handedly change the course of the entire Christmas Eve service?  Weeeell...she did.  My daughter with one simple jerk-pulled the main electrical cord out of the wall which supplied 'juice' to ALL the bells and whistles for the Christmas eve service. Right in the middle of the sermon, with a packed house, all the amplifiers, electric everything POPPED, ZAPPED and BOOMED as they lost ALL the audio and video elements to the service. It was a true Rock star mom moment. We were the delinquents sitting in the back of the church, so no one saw but everyone jumped up to fix it. I was mortified, but laughing so hard I was crying. I held her in front of my face trying to hide my roller coaster of emotion.  I couldn't believe she yanked the black cord with such little effort and it pulled out of the wall...THEN... there went the entire thing. Just like that...POP!  It happened so fast I couldn't do anything about it. People were scrambling.  Our poor Pastor was scrambling for what he had planned.  Thankfully, they got the sound and visual PowerPoint up for the very last song.  At least they were Christmas carols, most folks know those, and if you don't you can lip sync easy enough.  But more thankfully when I told our Pastor he laughed, whew!  At first it was a nervous laugh, like "Really?" but he is a gracious man and saw it was a true accident.   I do suppose when it comes right down to it, just another lesson that someone else is in charge.  And He gave our Pastor the words, as well as composure, to deliver a inspirational Christmas message.  I know I'll never forget it.