Part One :)

Overdue
What do I do?
What do I do?
This library book is 42
Years overdue.
I admit that it's mine
But I can't pay the fine--
Should I turn it in
Or hide it again?
What do I do?
What do I do?

Shel Silverstein

This little poem perfectly sums up how I feel about blogging right now... I want to, but it's been so long that it seems a bit overwhelming at the same time. I decided that the best way to catch up was to just post a little bit as I have time over the next couple of days.

Let's see... first happy thing is that I have a new little niece. I'm going to go see her again tomorrow, so I'll be sure to take some photos. She's so sweet and little and all of a sudden my boys seem a lot older and bigger!

I added a couple more CT's this month, and Shen invited me to stay after my guest term was up. I ended up winning the Hodge Podge challenge that I'd entered with her designs, and the kit is now available in both of her shop. I still can't believe how fortunate I am to get to scrap with her stuff! Here's a page I made this month with her Green collab and underneath are a few of her new kits that are just gorgeous!




The other fun thing I did was join the team at The Hybrid Chick blog. You can see the blinkie over on the side there. I feel a bit as if I jumped into water that is way over my head because there are some seriously talented girls on the team, but it's been so fun and the more hybrid I do, the more I am loving the flexibility of using the computer to plan out a project! It's also been fun to actually use some of my physical scrapbooking stash again. In fact, today was my first day to post to the blog and I created a fun little goodie can... click on the photo if you want to go check it out!


Well, the boys are up from their naps now so I'll have to share about my Ebay foibles later

Hodge Podge challenge

I've been watching all of the challenges over at the Hodge Podge blog for a couple of months now, and finally decided to join in the fun and play. This week's challenge was to scrap a page listing 10 simple pleasures and use a white background. Here's what I came up with:



The journaling reads:

As I sit down to make a list of life’s simple pleasures, the first thing
to come to mind is holding Simon’s hand. Maybe it’s because
I associate that with the joy of those early days of our engagement,
or maybe it’s because of the feeling of reassurance his warm, strong
grip provides, or maybe it’s a combination of those things plus lots of
other little factors, but whatever the reasons, there’s nothing like
reaching over and tucking my hand into his.
I’m ashamed to confess that dark chocolate made my list as
number two. Call me shallow, but there’s something so satisfying about
the smooth taste of it in my mouth, and if it has nuts in it, even
better! Right up there with chocolate is a good cup of coffee.
Maybe I should have put that as number two, because I love the
comfort of the smooth taste and the warmth of the mug between
my hands first thing in the morning.
The joys of family also made my list in a variety of ways: sweet, honest
compliments from James, who simply delights in making me
smile, and spontaneous hugs from Peter, whose childlike
affection has a way of lifting my spirits no matter how hard the day
has been. These remind me of the Lord’s daily blessings in my life with
his gracious gift of children. Another blessing is my mom, and her
willingness to speak the truth to me when I need to hear it and her
constant love for me and my family. Perhaps the treasure of this
relationship is close to my heart today because of the providental timing
of her call to encourage me to choose carefully what battles to fight
with the boys, and the anticipation of a family dinner tomorrow night.
It’s not just the sense of taste that provides pleasure in life,
certainly. As I hear the dryer buzzer sound, I am reminded of the
very great pleasure I find in sliding into a bed made with clean,
white linens. I also appreciate the warmth of the sun when I
step outside. I know that in a few months, I’ll be sweating in the heat
and wishing for the winter again, but for right now, I’m thankful for
the gentle spring sun warming the air and causing the plants
to burst into bloom.
Rounding out my list of simple pleasures that I’m enjoying this day are
two that relate to finishing something that I started. The first is the
little finished hybrid album that I can see from my spot at
the kitchen table. Remembering the delight of my boys when I handed it
to them and the number of times we’ve already read it aloud together
gives me incentive to finish the other assorted projects that are
currently cluttering my craft table! Lastly is a simple pleasure that I
haven’t experienced yet today, but certainly plan to... the satisfaction
of a clean kitchen. Although right now the counter is covered in
unwashed dishes, and they’re overflowing out of the sink, I know how
productive I will feel when I get them all washed and put
away, and the sense of accomplishment that a clean
kitchen provides is enough to motivate me to
put away the computer for a while, and
take care of my responsibilities.
April 27, 2009

I used Creashen's Pure paper pack for the background, and her brand new Sprung kit available only in The Digi Files this month. It was a lot of fun to make, and I had forgotten how much I enjoy the journaling process when I'm able to just sit and write as the thoughts occur to me. Anyway, wish me luck!