Pure joy & side by side

Hello, well here is my other page I did with the rest of the pictures I had of Samuel from the layout I did of him before. So this is the second page. There were just too many stinkin cute pictures of him, I had to use most of them! so this was how I decided to do it.

And here are the two pages side-by-side.

I wonder if maybe I don't have an updated version of Picasa, b/c I can't for the life of me figure out how to post two pictures at the same time??? There were NO options ANYWHERE, it would only let me do one at a time. So I just used regular blogger for posting these.

26 years of life

Okay, honestly, I'm not sure if I like this page. I really am not too crazy about the last few pages I've done lately. But one thing I know is, that at least I'm scrapping them and getting them done! But I do want to like my pages and have a purpose for why I'm scrapping them. But I figure even if I get the things scrapped now and get them done with, I can always come back to them another time and redo them if I have a better idea for them.

This was from my birthday in December. I have more from that day, but I think I will scrap those on another page, or two. One thing I love about digital scrapping is it's soooo versatile and you can pretty much do whatever you what!! Redo it, and not have a torn up mess. You can change the colors of anything to have it match your layout, resizing anything you want whatever size you want, and if you have pictures from a certain day or event you can make multiple pages, (not that you can't do that with traditional), but it's just so much fun and easy! And who says you only have to have one page from that day?? Oh, the possibilities are endless!
P.S. this is my first time blogging from Picasa... Yeah, seriously, the FIRST. I've wanted to use Picasa so bad in the past but I could NEVER get it to work for me when I wanted to blog from it. So I just haven't tried in a really, really long time. So it's working now! Yay! But I don't notice as many options I normally have when going through regular blogger... Am I not noticing everything?
Dreamland is calling my name! Goodnight!

Picnic

Here is a page I created last night of the boys and I, having our last picnic outside at our old house.

This page was a little challenging. It turned out differently than I first planned. Sometimes I find it difficult to use so many pictures on  a layout. So I mostly just wanted the pictures to be the focal point of this layout. I kept it pretty simple. I tried adding other things (elements and such), but it just didn't look right.
Designer Digitals has this new kit out that I think I fell in love with! I really like it! It's a collaborative kit that several different designers contributed to, and Ali Edwards and Katie Pertiet are two of them, along with many others, I really like their work! All the proceeds go to the victims of the Haiti earthquake. While it's a little more than what I normally spend on a kit, I just might have to get it! But I can't this week. So I will have to wait. I have my eye on some other digital goodness I've seen lately as well!

Tupperware Mess + 2010 word

Hello!! Here I am with another page!! Yup! I am really trying to force myself to get into a scrapping routine so that I can get some of my scrapping underway here. I just have way too many pictures and I feel SO FAR behind. And I am tired of procrastinating. So instead of really having an order of what I'm scrapping right now, I just go through my pictures and find ones I would like to scrap and go from there.

So this is a page of my sweet little baby back in the summer, I can't believe how young and little he was here and how FAST time has gone! It almost makes me want to cry! So this page went together rather fast. I kind of had an idea in mind. And these frames I purchased from Designer Digitals a few weeks back are nice for doing a quick page. I'm not totally sure if I'm sold on this page, I don't know, maybe it has to grow on me.

So ever since December I had been pondering on what my word for 2010 was going to be. I prayed about it and thought about it a lot. And nothing would come to me. So many things came to mind that I wanted to work on and change in my life. Last year my word was "grow", and in many ways I felt I didn't achieve that goal as much as I had hoped. But when I sat down and thought about it, I think the Lord showed me that I did grow, but not necessarily in the areas I expected to, but in the areas that the Lord needed me to! So it's amazing the things he shows us and ways he humbles us.

And while there are a lot of things I still carry from last year, things I want to change and work on in my life, as I'm sure there will always be some. It's not like everything magically disappears over night right when the clock turns midnight and the new year begins! Of course to God it's just another new day to serve him and follow him. And really, we should treat everyday like a new year, a day to start fresh, to be forgiven (if need be) and learn to forgive yourself (again, if need be), (A friend really encouraged me in this! You know who you are! ;) and move on throughout the day. Allow God to be our strength and might throughout the day.

Too many a time I find myself these days really getting down on myself for failing in the areas I really want to change in. Areas that I don't like about myself. If I make it a point to not give into these things throughout the day, and then fail to do so, I really, REALLY beat myself up about it. I have a little battle in my mind with myself. And I know I don't want to keep doing this over and over again. And I know the enemy wants to bring me down and get me depressed. But it's my choice to be depressed and let him get me down. And that's something I DO NOT want to give into. I know I will always be growing and changing and moving forward. But sometimes it's really frustrating when you feel like you're going through the same things everyday and feel like you're never going to learn. Like HOW MANY TIMES IS IT GOING TO TAKE ME BEFORE I GET IT THROUGH MY HEAD!?!

But really, it all comes down to overcoming. God wants us to be over comers of our bad habits, areas that aren't necessarily sin, but that could eventually become sin if we continue to hold onto it. And only by the Holy Spirit and God's strength can we overcome these habits in our lives.

And lately, there are just a lot of things I believe the Lord has shown me that I need to work on and change about myself.

There's' so many things that I want to work on.

I'm just tired of being a slacker and procrastinator and not being organized and punctual or have any kind of normal functioning routine... waiting until the last minute to do things, putting things off and waiting for that "perfect" time (in my mind) to come, which if I do that I will never finish all the things I want to.

I'm tired of getting upset with my boys and giving into anger and frustration.

I'm tired of being lazy, not giving myself a routine to go by each day. Sitting around doing nothing because I feel overwhelmed.

Feeling like a bad wife and mother. God wants me to love myself and be happy with who I am (not in a haughty and prideful way). But because I am a child of him and his creation, it is his will that we love ourselves and we love others and love him.
I want to give all I can and be all I can for HIM, to grow stronger and deeper in HIM and his truth. To be all he wants me to be. No more or no less. And this will be a continual thing throughout my entire life as I walk with HIM.
So during this past week, my word came to me. It was really cool too! I had been studying the word "STRENGTH" throughout this past week. I would look up different verses on it and then write them down. It was very encouraging. A VERY great word to study. If you ever want to study that word I highly encourage you too, or any word for that matter. It's just so encouraging to have a word to look up in the bible, read all the many verses on that word and write them down, it really helps for it to sink in. There were so many verses that really spoke to me and stuck out to me.

And while it was actually when I was reading a little daily inspirational book I have by Joyce Meyer when my word came to me. And I hadn't read this book in a long time, but thought I would open it and read some. So I read one page, and what was the word that stuck out???

CHANGE.

Yup.

simply.

CHANGE.

And that pretty much covers it all! Ha!

God wants me to change the areas of my life that I have allowed to become bad habits and that could become something even worse if I don't do something about it. And I want to change because I am unhappy with my bad habits and things I have given into.

And I realize this is a pretty big feat for me. And in some ways it kind of scares me. Because I know that this will take A LOT of discipline. And probably a lot of trial and error.

This verse was my last verse I wrote down for the week. And it really just spoke to me. So I want to share what I got from it.

Colossians 1:10-12 "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;"

That I walk worthy of the Lord in ALL pleasing!

I sure don't feel like I do much.

To be fruitful in every good work and increasing in knowledge of God..

I sure want to be more like this!

strengthened with all might, according to God's GLORIOUS power, unto all patience and longsuffering with JOYFULNESS.

That's what I want to be, to be strengthened and to allow God's strength to strengthen me through his glorious power, and with patience I can get through these times and changes one at a time, instead of trying to change all at once..

While having the longsuffering of working through it all, and while going through it to have joyfulness and even more joyfulness coming out of it!

Whew!! Okay, so now I really wrote a book here. And I really don't know how many of you out there still visit me and my little blog, but for those of you few that do, THANK YOU! Thank you for taking the time to read all of this and what I have to say! I pray that God is showing you things and encouraging you in areas of your life that you would like to change or even make better! Because you CAN do ALL things through Christ which strengthens YOU!

I will end here.

Living life

Hello there! Happy Saturday to you! I know I have been MIA a lot these days. So sorry about that!

I've just been trying to get my priorities right and be a good wife and mommy. However, I really have been wanting to scrap and I've felt like I've been in a rut for a really long time. I purchased some new stuff a few nights ago and really wanted to use it. I really haven't had a whole lot of chances to scrap, especially during the day, because I know if I do I will have my face stuck to the computer for TOO LONG and it will take away from my time with my boys and getting things done around the house. So I scrap at night, when I can get myself to stay up, but not always good, because I pay for it later! Anyway. I hope you all haven't forsaken me totally. I wanted to share this page I created last night of my son, Samuel.

He's always so full of life and energy and happiness! I just love this little man! I have more pictures I wanted to add to this and I wanted to add journaling. But I may just make another page that matches it so that I will have them side by side in an album, not necessarily a two-page spread attached but just two separate pages that go together or coordinate. I love all the bright cheerful colors in this layout! I think I am happy with how it turned out! I will decide later when I''m creating the other page if I want to change it any. So thanks for taking the time to visit me! And I hope you all forgive me for my absences... I know I had mentioned in some earlier posts that I wouldn't be posting quite as much, so hopefully you all understand!! Hope you have a terrific weekend!! God bless!

Here is a list of the elements I used for this page:
Bring on the Grunge Vol 2 - Lines
A Lovely Afternoon {Kit}
With Love
Stitched by Anna White No. 02
CurvyCorners Stitched Borders No. 01 12 X 12
Photo Clusters No. 16

Home remodeling- Part 3

I think my posts are out of order, but all well. Anyway..

We painted the boys room shortly after we moved in. Here are a few before pictures. They're really dark and bad looking, but none the less here they are..

The lighter blue "splotch" was the blue we first bought, but didn't like it. So we went with the darker color.

 This is the view of their room from their doorway standing in the hallway.

Once in, to the left is the dormer window which is painted with a really light pretty pastel blue.

Then to the right is the other end of the room with closet.

A few more views of the dormer window...

A view standing in the room looking to the wall with their door into the hallway. There will eventually be a regular size bed put where the crib is. We're thinking of a bunk bed with a full size bottom bed. We also need to change out the light switches, outlets and plates to white. We will be buying furniture and other things like a rug for their room in a few months.

Home remodeling- Part 2

Here are some more views of the room.

This one is kind of dark, sorry.

My cutie looking out the window!

Matthew repainted our fan light. This is what it looked like before. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the whole thing up close before he took it down. But you get the idea of what it looked like.

It was an interesting color.

And here it is after!!

I think it looks much better black! It's amazing what $3 can do!! And it looks like we bought a new fan!

A view of the room with the "new" black fan light.

Home remodeling- Part 1

Hello there and Happy 2010!!!! Wow, it's crazy to think we're already to '10! I hope you all did something fun to ring in the new year! We had a little party here at our house with family and a couple friends, lots of yummy snacks and fun games! I feel like I'm still living in last year and I need reality to hit! I feel so behind and have so many things I want to do! I really want to get back into scrapping and making cards again too!! Yes, I said "making cards!!" I have had a craving to make them again! I knew it would come back some time! I know I still have my "Merry Christmas" banner up, I guess I should do something about that. I think I am having a hard time letting go of the fact that Christmas has come and gone already. I feel like we go through so much fuss and stress to have things "just so", and perfect and pretty looking. Only to have it gone in what seems just minutes! Time goes far too fast these days! Does that mean I'm getting older??? My birthday was on December 13th, I guess I didn't mention that before. Yeah, I turned 26. I know I am still so young! And I don't want to feel old or say that I feel old. I should be thankful for my youth! But sometimes I don't feel very young. So anyway, enough rambling on... I think a new year makes me feel like I want everything nice and fresh and new and to start things over or at least start new goals! I have so many goals I want to reach this year! And for now, I thought a newly painted room was a good start! Soo, We've been doing a little "remodeling" in our home. Over the weekend Matthew and I decided to paint our livingroom. So here are the before pictures...

Our whole house is painted the same color, cream walls with white trim. It makes the house look more open and spacious, but I like to personalize it to my liking and make it look more like "us". My favorite thing about this house is all the wonderful white trim we have! It looks great when you had a color up to it!

So this is the other end of the room before painting.

And here are the beginning stages of the painting. Matthew cutting in..

Me trying to cut in.. I am really awful at it! So I leave it to my husband! We both dislike cutting in but he's better at it then I am! I prefer rolling!

First wall finished!

The color is called "Milk Chocolate!". It really does remind me of a milk chocolate shake from McDonald's! Does it make you want chocolate now?

Working our way to the rest of the room...

Finished room in the daylight! We stayed up until 4:00 am finishing it!

This is just the beginning stages of our remodeling the room. We will eventually get a new couch, and some other furniture, a rug and new curtains. We'll also be repainting our trim to freshen it up, it's stained a little yellow, I did wipe it all down, which made it look a lot better, so it's fine for now. But the fireplace bricks and hearth we'll be painting white soon. Those are really stained yellow.

I'm having Mr. Keller redo the built in shelves for me. Mostly just that decorative thingy will be torn out and he'll make something more my style, and the little cupboard doors will be redone, they're really poorly done.