Sunday, June 29, 2014

Let's get on with Project Life..


shall we? I'm feeling down and out about not even attempting it. Overwhelmed at the beginning of the year didn't help. And now with it being the middle of June and I only just finished January's PL, I was a bit overwhelmed again. Well, at first I downloaded some PL journal pages to try and figure out each spread. I had at least 3 different page types and I purchased this kit....
 

So, design A was the one I started with back in 2012 and did my title pages with.

I also have 3 or 4 other designs. Well, it takes a lot of planning. Which pictures to put where, what size to print, since some will be 4x6 and some 3x4.
Like I said, I did get January completed...

So, I kept putting it off and I would print a picture here and there and somewhere along the line it all turned into a muddled mess.

So, recently I discovered an app called Collect, in which the pics taken with my iPhone will look exactly like a Polaroid and allow me to actually journal right on the picture!!

This solved 2 of my problems-one being the landscape vs portrait mode and what day was that pic taken. In my never ending search to make the process seem not so daunting, I stumbled upon a blog post  (I spent about 15 minutes searching on line so I could link it here but to no avail)  about using Design F pocket pages. Now here's where I started getting excited...


Oh my!! Now I can use the 4x6 pocket at the top to create my monthly title (like I always have) and just print 3x4's everywhere!! The Collect App will come in handy and I don't even have to use that all the time...just when I want to have some fun!

Pics aren't askew irl like they are here

I figure eventually I'll go back to switching up the styles of pages once I get caught up. I'm pretty excited about it!! As always....

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Farwell 2 Peas!!


I can honestly say I'm surprised. I really am.
They are closing their doors.
It was the first online scrap-booking place where I met so many of my current friends. So, alright most of them are cyber friends but who cares? I did get a chance to meet a few of those friends in person over the years and I value their friendship and always will.
Me and Wanda at ScrapFest Mall of America!
A banner I made at one of the classes Wanda and I attended. 
The above picture is of the banner on my wall when you enter my scrap-room. I never did make a layout of our adventures with the die cut I got so I put it with the banner and picture of Wanda & Me :) I'll have to ask her what 3 letters she made her banner with as I don't remember. I think they were "FUN".

Some of the friends I met at 2Peas online that went to Scrapfest also... Nylene, Toni, Cindy, Theresa, Theresa's friend, Tammy, Wanda and Tina.

Oh did we have fun at Mall of America!! Top L-R; Linda, me, Cindy, Toni, Tina
Bottom L-R; Tammy, Nylene, Theresa and Wanda.
So, I won't even show pics of the fun we had in the whirlpool etc. Let's just say what happened in Minnesota, will stay in Minnesota :)

When we found out we lived close to each other..only about 45 minutes away, Cindy and her daughter Kelly came to visit me! I took them to the Tree House for lunch. 

Paul and I took trip down south and since we were going through Kentucky, I got to meet Theresa! 

So, I was a member of the 2 peas community for about 7 years...I think. I haven't really been on there in the last year or so, which is a good thing so I'm not all broken up about it. But I really feel for the people that still spend most of their days on there (are there people that still do that?). There was a time when I spent countless hours on 2peas. I mean HOURS! I joined several groups, the two main ones that I loved were The Pokey Peas and The Calendar Girls. I would post my latest scrapbook pages or pics of my finished scrap space in the basement! I even spent almost 3 whole years working on circle journals! Me and about 8- (the first one) 16- (the second one) other girls  would mail to each other every month.
My first Circle Journal. The theme was "When I'm Not Scrapping' I'm..."


My 2nd Circle Journal was "Tell Me About Your Hometown Life'

2 Peas was the place where I heard about the latest and greatest new things in scrap-booking. Chalk those edges of photos! Journal on pages using your computer! Staple, stamp and put grommets on pages! I downloaded some very cool fonts from there too!

So, I guess with the thousands of online scrapbooking groups through Facebook, Twitter and the like, this was bound to happen. Most of the time when I was on 2peas, it was to get inspiration, learn new techniques but mostly to chat with my pea-buds. 2peas's message boards had thousands of peas chatting up a storm. But...they were actually an online scrapbooking "store" and not enough people have been purchasing for the past few years. With Michaels and JoAnns carrying the latest and greatest in supplies, it was just so much easier and cost-effective with those coupons, to just hop in your car and go.

Well, I bid a fond farewell 2peas. As always...


Sunday, June 15, 2014

Random!

So many times I wish my dad were here. I do notice though that my friends that still have their dads, are truly making wonderful memories and are treasuring their times together. I think when you get to a certain age...maybe after 30? 40? you start realize that time is precious. Time is precious with any family member, be it a sibling, parent, or child/grandchild.

I miss you dad! xoxo


Man I didn't remember that head of hair! He did have some thick locks that's for sure.

I had a nice day today. Went to church this morning and sat with Di. Then went on a bike ride with Paul. It's a gorgeous day! Sunny-blue skies and 80! Wow!
Did I mention Cheesecake Factory? I took Jason last week and tried a new one...S'More Cheesecake....Oh my!



While the kids were staying with us before their move, Emmy drew Paul a picture. It's actually a "color chart". Paul is color blind and Emmy is fascinated by that fact. Whenever she sees him, she give him a little test.."grandpa, what color do you think this is". If he gets it right, she praises him! It's the cutest thing. 


Our little hibiscus bloomed...



I decided that I HATED my hair. I hated the mousy brown it had turned into after many highlights and then colorings. So, I colored it a nice medium brown...


So, the other day I got woke up by a screeching blue jay outside my bedroom window. Come to find out, Kitty killed one of their babies. It was heartbreaking (for me and the adult bird). I decided Kitty was going to stay inside for a while...


The next day, I see Toby so intent by the sliding door that he didn't even want to leave to come eat. I then saw why...




I thought that was the strangest thing. Random! I hope you had a pleasant weekend! As always....

Friday, June 13, 2014

And they're off...

Eric and their dog Lucy are in the U-Haul truck. Logan, Emmy, Jessie and their cat Onyx are all in the car down the street. Such a sad day for me.
I'm really trying to look at the bright side. I've had a lot of help today from Paul, my sister Wendy and my niece Nicole. They know I'm heartbroken.

I'm hoping to write more this weekend and even spruce up my blog a bit. I came up with the name from years ago when I was babysitting Logan and Emmy (Emmy was still in diapers) and Eric would say to Logan...use your inside voice. A lot on my blog was about them so now I'm thinking of changing the name. I will keep my license plate as MiMi to2. I'll always be their MiMi but I don't think my blog is going to be heavily influenced by my 2 little loves.

Ah! I'm crying again. I'll be back soon. As always....

Friday, June 6, 2014

Look on the bright side...

That's what I've been trying to do ever since I found out my grand-babies are moving to Virginia! Actually, I only look at the bright side when I think about it and most of the time I try NOT to do that. So, the bright side? Ugh, there isn't one. I just couldn't think of a better title.

Paul and I babysat Logan and Emmy last weekend while Eric and Jess went to VA to look for a place to rent once they get there the weekend of the 13th.

Logan and I went to the Rocky River Nature Center (which he has always LOVED) and we had an enjoyable day together.

 Logan loved feeding the baby praying Mantis'


This week has been both Logan and Emmy's last days of school parties and programs...

Emmy did really well remembering her lines for the song.
Logan had fun and games. In the right photo, the object of the game was to see how many mini marshmallows you can toss in the bucket on your partners head. They were suppose to throw
"one at a time" LOL!


Logan's teacher has been a wonderful influence on Logan. Very patient and kind. I wanted to do something special for her so I made her a coffee cup sleeve. I thought of it on a whim and of course I stayed up until midnight to get it done since Wednesday was their last day at school and it was Tuesday I started on it!
I found the pattern online here pencil-drink-sleeve.

I can't remember the last time I embroidered...man was that fun!!!

Suppose to look like a pencil haha. This is the outside.
This is the inside.
TaDa! 
The back.
The front. 
So, it has this insulating material inside. The kind inside of oven mitts. It will actually work! I gave her a Starbucks gift card with it. I don't even know if she drinks coffee LOL. Doesn't matter, she can use it for something else and buy herself some danishes or something.

As always....