Make It Monday

Dude, I'm a terrible blogger, lol... but honestly, I'm loving being with my kiddos and keeping busy this summer. It's been so hot that we've been taking our daily walk super early. I'm kind of looking forward to the Fall so that I can pick up some of my other hobbies again. I haven't done anything photography wise and realized last week while I was doing my CT pages that I'm in need of some current pics to scrap, lol. I have been enjoying a little bit of cooking and think I may bring back Scrumptious Sunday. But, even that seems to come and go... my mojo for anything seems to be coming and going. I haven't even really downloaded and converted pics from several weeks ago yet. I totally need to do that.

I have my next OB appt tomorrow... I can't believe it's been 4 weeks since seeing the little one. I'm totally nervous still and really hope that after this appt I'll start feeling better and maybe I'll actually start believing that we're having a little one in January. It still doesn't seem real to me, especially since I've been feeling better and the huge belly has gotten much smaller and I no longer look super pregnant.

Today I'm hoping to go to the library and pick out some books to take on vacation with us. I'm so looking forward to vacation and hanging out so much family. This will be Isaac's first time to WI and I can't wait for him to meet everyone. We didn't get to go last year because we were moving into our house. I still can't believe we've been here a year. We still have a long ways to go with fixing up the house and some days it feels like we haven't done anything, but then I look back at how much we've actually done and am thrilled with how much we've accomplished in a year.

OK, back to Make It Monday... here are my pages I did last week... Oh, and I forgot to mention that Susan Robinson who I had previously been on her creative team until she retired, is back to making her awesome templates and I'm excited to be a part of her creative team again.

peek-a-boo 2 template by Jaclyn Bernardo (available at Funky Playground Designs)
Not What I Expected by Lauren Grier (available at Sweet Shoppe Designs)
DJB Coffee Shoppe Buzzed by Shawna Clingerman and Darcy Baldwin (available at Sweet Shoppe Designs)
DJB Coffee Shoppe Espresso by Shwana Clingerman and Darcy Baldwin (available at Sweet Shoppe Designs)

It's My World by Eva Kipler

Hi-Tech Life by Traci Reed and Libby Weifenbach

Bad Sewing Machine XXIII - Doodle Me Square by Traci Reed
Bad Sewing Machine XXII - Doodle Me Straight by Traci Reed
Teeny Type Alpha by Zoe Pearn
DJB Coffee Shoppe Espresso by Darcy Baldwin and Shawna Clingerman

Available at Sweet Shoppe Designs and Scrap Orchard
Born In My Heart by Melissa Bennett and Meghan Mullens

Available at Scrap Orchard
This N That template by NeeNee Designs
Funky Font Amy's Chubby by NeeNee Designs

available at Sweet Shoppe Designs
Life's A Beach by Melissa Bennett, Shawna Clingerman and Libby Weifenbach
DJB Coffee Shoppe Espresso and Buzzed by Shawna Clingerman and Darcy Baldwin
4 My Boys: Chippy Alpha by Shawna Clingerman
Art and Soul Alpha: Neutrals by Julie Billingsley
Don't Leave Home Without It Alpha by Lauren Grier
Teeny Type Alpha by Zoe Pearn

available at The Digichick
Memories. Preserved templates 13-16 by Susan Robinson

Connect With Me by Traci Reed
Bad Sewing Machine Round N Round, Have A Heart, Gimme A Swirlie and Fleuriffic by Traci Reed
DJB Constance Beuregard by Darcy Baldwin
grey alpha from A Lot Like Love by Traci Reed
Cardboard Construction Mega Alpha pack by Traci Reed

Scrappin' Saturday

I know I've been pretty quiet lately in the blogging world. I'm hoping my mojo comes back soon now that I'm in my 2nd trimester. I think my scrapping mojo is finally coming back, WOOT! I'm so excited to be on Traci's team for another term. She's become my preggo belly buddy and I'm so excited to be going through this journey with her. I still have a couple more kits I need to work with to catch up and will hopefully post them on Monday. I'm hoping to have a little date night with Mark tonight. I've been really wanting to watch Food, Inc... but knew I needed to wait until after my first trimester nausea was over with. I'm thinking that after watching it not only will the baby turn me into a vegetarian because he/she does not like meat at all... the movie I'm sure will push me over the edge, lol.

Anyways, here are my creative team pages for this week.

Pages w/ Traci goodies:

With Or Without You by Traci Reed and MandaBean
Bad Sewing Machine XXIII - Doodle Me Square by Traci Reed
DJB Constance Beauregard by Darcy Baldwin

Bad Sewing Machine XXIII - Doodle Me Square by Traci Reed
Exuberance Irrepressible by Traci Reed
Circle Templates by Cindy Schneider
DJB Constance Beauregard by Darcy Baldwin

this page I did for a blog post on the Hawt Mama blog this week, I <3 my Dad and was seriously emotional doing this page, which I did on his birthday :)

He's The Man by Traci Reed and Dani Mogstad
Edgy by Traci Reed
Inspired by Juliana templates by Darcy Baldwin
Coffee Shoppe Espresso by Darcy Baldwin and Shawna Clingerman
Pharmacy font (my)

and here's one with Melissa's new stunner of a kit and a little bit of Traci's new stitches

Free Spirit by Melissa Bennett
Bad Sewing Machine XXII - Doodle Me Straight by Traci Reed
Edgy by Traci Reed

and Eva's new kit

All The Little Things by Eva Kipler
Teeny Type Alpha by Zoe Pearn

Awesome new template by NeeNee that coordinates with the kit by Faith True

Pirate Party by Faith True

Pirate Party Templatez by NeeNee Designs

and some fun paper stackers and kit by Jac and Amanda Carlson

Sticky Sweet by Amanda Carlson and Jaclyn Bernardo

Paper Stackers: Circles by Jaclyn Bernardo

Trim Down Tuesday

Well, I'm no longer trying to trim down physically, but I wanted to share a little bit about some other trimming down I've done in my life. It all came about around the time of the ICHE convention. I was feeling really overwhelmed and stressed and I of course didn't go to the one person I really needed at the time to really show me how I should be living my life. It took a convention to make me realize that I needed to trim down. I'm talking about my time online and more importantly my time on parenting forums. While I enjoyed the friendships I made on TBW, CMF and MGR... I realized that parenting forums were keeping me from going to God for advice and guidance. This is a personal problem for me and nothing against any of the forums at all or anyone I've gotten to know and love from those forums. I guess I realized that for me personally when I was having a parenting issue instead of going to God and trusting him to help me with parenting I was going to these forums. I needed the eye opener that God is the one and only person I should be going to for advice. I decided to take a break from the parenting forums to see how things went. I found that I'm not so stressed and overwhelmed anymore. I found that since I'm not comparing my children to any other children that I'm trusting God more and more that my kids are doing what they're supposed to do and it's ok if they are "late" learners.

I went to a Preschool/Kindergarten workshop at the convention that was the biggest eye opener to all of this... just all the neurological reasonings to wait until your child is ready to learn to read and the connections that are so important that come from just playing outside just blew me away. Really, it all made our call to homeschool our kids even more evident. I was finally "free". I was finally listening to what God was trying to tell me. God was trying to tell me to just be dependent on what he has to say and not on what everyone else expects or what everyone else says your child is supposed to be doing right now. It confirmed for me everything I knew in my heart. I was finally putting my children on the altar and totally trusting God with them, which you would think would be a daily reminder to me considering their names... but no, sigh...

Does this mean I won't frequent the parenting forums anymore? I'm not sure yet. For now I suppose not... but maybe one day again. Maybe one day when I don't feel that it personally takes me away from trusting God with everything... maybe one day when I feel strong enough to share with others my findings... maybe one day. It does make me thankful for Facebook... at least I can keep up with the good friends I've made from those forums. That has been the nice part of my time away... feeling like I still have a means to keep in touch... it makes me not miss the parenting forums as much. Facebook has been a great means for me to pray for those who need prayer, weep with those who weep, laugh with those who laugh and mourn with those who mourn, etc...

I love my kiddos and am so thankful for God's wonderful gifts to me!