Thankful for What I Have

Posted on | December 27, 2009 | 6 Comments

And not what I don’t have.

I hope to live a long life but in all honestly if I have to leave this world today I’d be happy and content. I’d have no regrets because I’ve gotten everything that one human being could ever ask for: love, family, friends, happiness, health, laughter, education, food, shelter, clothing, talent, accomplishments, and a bit of adventure. I have been truly blessed in this life and it’s a great feeling!

Here’s a page that I did last night. Love them to pieces!!! Again I used more Dec.’08 Scarlet Lime stuff.

Like many of you who feels like their family’s the best, I feel like my family is the best. I think I have the best husband. He loves me to pieces, makes ma laugh out loud almost everyday, and the best part about him is that he doesn’t mind my wonkiness (and I’ve got a lot of ‘em too – let’s just say he sometimes wonder how he became attracted to be in the first place he he…). After 7+ years we still often feel the butterflies.

I have the best kids too. They’re perfect in many different ways, even when I want to duck tape one and give the other NyQuil. I always thought life with the hubby was perfect but the invasion of children brought a new meaning to my life and made me a new person. Yes there’s no more spontaneous just him and I weekend getaways or 1-2 weeks trips to Europe for a long while but that’s ok. Those things can wait and in all honesty I rather go on vacation with the kiddos than just with him — so many things I want to share with them!! I am blessed and it is TOUGH to live with two of the most adorable kids (ha).

If hubby didn’t want kids and we agreed on it I’d be fine, he is loads of fun and can be a handful anyways. There will be many other things to occupy my free time. Plus I wouldn’t know what life with kids would be like. But now that I know being a mom is the best feeling. They can make any terrible day look bright.

I’m glad I could spend another Christmas with them and I do hope that I get to spend at least 40 more!!! This break has been nice because it’s given me more time to do what I love best about paper crafting: scrapbooking my family. Very very thankful for everything!

Merry Christmas!!

Posted on | December 25, 2009 | 2 Comments

I hope it was a great one for you! It was for us, from the time we got up until now… full tummy stuffed with yummy ham and other goodies. Since we had M we always made it a habit to be home for Christmas. This way M, and now Jovie, can always experience Christmas mornings at home. It’s so nice to just play and hang out in our PJs… even during Christmas dinner {::SMILES}.

I’ll make it short for today! Have a great one!!!

PS: The other day I posted a photography tip on capturing the details instead of the whole. Another good way to make your photo stand out (I learned this in my photography class) is to crop tight(er). You can see M’s original photo in this post (the last of her set) and by cropping (and making it b/w) the photo looks a tad bit more polished.

Photography Tip: The Details

Posted on | December 23, 2009 | 10 Comments

I’m not a pro at photography but I love to learn anything in this area in order to improve my own skills. A few weeks ago I read Scott Kelby’s The Digital Photography Book, and learned lots (I love that my work’s library has access to full blown e-books now… new release books too… I’ve been reading a bunch!!). One thing that caught my attention was this: Instead of trying to capture the whole thing take photos of the details. Even though Kelby’s suggestion was for travel photography the concept can be used for anything. Here’s an excerpt:

“I’ve heard a lot of photographers complain about the results of their urban shooting, and much of the time it’s because they try to capture too much. What I mean by that is that they try to capture the entirety of a majestic building or the grandeur of a magnifcent cathedral, but even with an ultra-wide-angle lens this is very, very hard to pull of . That’s why the pros shoot details instead. For example, instead of shooting to capture the entire cathedral at Notre Dame in Paris, instead capture details that suggest the whole—shoot the doors, a window, a spire, a gargoyle, the pigeons gathered on the steps, or an interesting architectural element of the church, rather than trying to capture the entire structure at once. Let your photo suggest the height, or suggest the craftsmanship, and the mind’s eye will f ll in the blanks. By shooting just the details, you can engage in some very compelling storytelling, where a piece is often stronger than the whole. After all, if you want a photo of the entire cathedral, you can just buy one from the dozen or so gift shops just steps away. Instead, show your impression, your view, and your take on Notre Dame.” (pg. 166)

So the other day I went and put his words into practice when I took these ornament photos. Instead of taking a picture of the whole tree I took photos of my favorite parts of the tree.

In a way this is how I like to scrapbook too — the details or have a focus on one thing. There are different styles of scrapbooking and the one that fits me best is where my page shows one or a few similar/related photos that tells one story. This way I am also forced to choose the best photo(s) — digital photography has made it so easy to take 100 photos of the same event and you don’t need them all to scrapbook or even put into an album.

For the page I used some Nov & Dec’08 Scarlet Lime goodies and new My Mind’s Eyes pattern paper (the base) and Christmas die-cuts + American Craft alpha.

Have a great one and I hope you get a chance this holiday season to grab some awesome photos of the event.

Too Stinkin’ Cute

Posted on | December 22, 2009 | 9 Comments

The last few days I’ve been eating this thing… even before breakfast. But they’re so good!!! I’ve been using this recipe and another one since 2007. It just depends whether or not I have pudding and if I want soft or a bit more crunchy (one with pudding is softer/more moist). For this below I used butterscotch instead of vanilla pudding. The taste is still delish even though the cookie is a tad bit more brown. YUM! Today I’m going to attempt Laura’s bon bons. I want to give some to the neighbors and also Jovie’s daycare ladies.

Chocolate Chips Cookies

I did some scrapbooking too last night. It’s one of the photos I shared yesterday. I made some prints on my Selphy (fun printer!) for friends of the kids and had this one extra photo. I can’t waste it, right? If you’re looking to buy a portable photo printer go get the Selphy! It only does up to 4×6 but with a click of a few buttons you can have 2-8 pictures on one 4×6 paper (the picture below was 1 out of 2… it’s wallet size basically). Very fun! If you click on the above link you’ll be on B&H’s site and the printer is selling there for $89.95 + FREE shipping. Or if you want the older model, one I have, you can buy it from Adorama for $50. If you happen to need a new digital camera, a Canon, there’s an extra $50 mail-in rebate. I should have bought another printer when we bought M’s camera!

This page was doing using Scarlet Lime’s Oct. ’08 kit. Can you see the other side of that October Afternoon paper? Monsters! I had a hard time using this paper cause both sides are nice but I finally told myself to quit hoarding.

I hope you all have a great day. It’s 3 more days until Christmas!!!! Thursday M and I have a date. We’re going to the ballet to see the Nutcracker. Dad and Jovie will be home. I can’t wait, M’s first ballet!!

Ha Bwah + Candy Winner

Posted on | December 21, 2009 | 13 Comments

That wasn’t a foreign language. That’s Jovie’s language. The girl can talk! I thought M was pretty bad… although yesterday morning I could have duck taped M’s mouth he he he…

Let me get to M first… I have these flute glass that I rarely use and Saturday I felt like using them for breakfast. Saturday night we did dishes and M’s in charge of putting dishes away. So in the middle of putting dishes away:

M: Mommy, would you like a fancy drink?
Me: No.
M: Mommy, can I make you a fancy drink?
Me: No, I’m ok.
M: Mommy, I can make a fancy drink for you.
Me: Fine, fine. You’re never going to quit asking until I say yes. So sure, go make me a fancy drink.
M: Ok, mommy, it’ll be very fancy.
…..
M: Mommy, come over it’s ready (dining table).
Me: (Reluctantly getting up) Wow, that looks very fancy!
M: Thank you mommy. Go drink it.
Me: (Drinking my fancy water in the fancy glass with a fancy straw) Yuuuum, M, this is delicious!
M: Thank you!

I just got up. All I wanted to do was just sit on the couch and be left alone. I can be a grumpy morning person {::SMILE}.

Jovie… she’s been babbling non-stop and we all think she can already say mama. She only uses mama when she’s not with me and in serious need of her mom. She’s been doing this the last couple of days but we all think that she might be a bit young to say her first word. Jovvie does know the word “milk.” Oh does she get excited and I think she’s starting to sign it too. I can see her little hand moving. A little more! I taught M sign language and M signed milk at about Jovie’s age. She signed right on my face. She obviously wanted her milk!

I did make a card today. Just some last minute extras. Quite easy and I used KaiserCraft PennyRoyale stamps + Waltzingmouse’s sentiment for it. The KC stamps are cute and stamps better after a few gentle rub with the eraser unlike the Waltzingmouse ones which are good from the start.

Here are my crazy kids. The first set are M… I was trying to get a nice Christmas photo but then gave up. The second set are from Jovie and I yesterday when we were home alone. She’s 6.5 months now! Laters!

Emma