Making room for MORE!

So, one night at dinner at the Schlitzkus house, the dad says to the mom, with an idle wave to the corner of the room, "I'm really tired of looking at all that stuff. We should get a cabinet, so it's all behind closed doors." Since she knew it was more of a direction than a suggestion, she aside her own desires to have all her stuff out where she could see it and let it pile up at her convenience, and picked out a new pantry cabinet with the dad. This pantry cabinet cost about twice as much as the catalog said it would...but that mattered not to the dad. For he had a vision of a clean, clutter-free dining room.

So I'm mostly moved in now, and at first I thought I'd be miserable for the rest of my life, having all my scrapbooking stuff packed away, having to move 3-5 objects to get to one thing, and not having a good place to leave my stuff out when something isn't finished (which I think was the whole point), but now it's growing on me. The cabinet is pretty, and well-organized (for now), and I have a good place for my gift wrapping stuff, which had been in the shed--necessitating my going out in the cold and digging through a trunk, surrounded by tools and lawn equipment, to find a gift bag.

But I did have a point when I started this entry.

Now that I have specific space confines, it's imperative that I keep my stash under control. So I'm challenging myself (and anyone who wants to join me) to make room for MORE scrapbooking supplies! I have a long list of things I want to buy from the most recent product releases, as well as my monthly HSC kit and supplies for classes and store samples at Ben Franklin. And I'm committed to NOT outgrowing my space--no more paper holders, no more ribbon cards, no more embellishment containers. I have more than I can use already, so I need to use what I have or get rid of it.

And in case you're wondering, I'm NOT giving up shopping! I'm just trying to get the revolving door to revolve a little faster. :)

Anyway, if you're with me, I've started a challenge on the HSC board--this week the goal is to use at least 1 yard of ribbon on a layout or card! There are RAKs involved...but if you don't want to participate over there, you can post a link in my comment section to your ribbony goodness--I'd love to see it!

Black, red and cream--for Valentine's Day???

Oh, yes.

I probably wouldn't have gone there on my own, but Mary Anne at Ben Franklin suggested it. I like the key one the best.

February HSC kit

This last week has been a terrific scrapping week! For those of you who have belonged to a kit club, you'll know what I mean when I say that this is a terrific way to scrap using up-to-date products without the "what do I do now" factor. The most time consuming part of scrapbooking for me is always deciding on which supplies to use. Cutting out that step makes it so much easier to enjoy the process of working with my photos and recording my story, which is what makes scrapbooking meaningful to me. The act of creating something that is based on love and memories, that will allow us to look back on this part of our lives and remember what it was really like.

Anyway, here are my pages from the kit:

This is my most recent one...I had put everything away, then drug it all back out to make this page! We're doing a challenge based on it (sanding + numbers) on the MyScrapbookNook forums. You're welcome to come check it out! Photo by emages photography studio in Auburn, WA.












If you know Mariah (or if you have or have known a sassy 3-year-old), you will be able to relate to this one! My husband, who is a much better graphic designer than I could hope to be, didn't like the letters all squished up on the side. I like it though and decided to override his opinion this time.













The kit comes with a tin of Maya Road chipboard. The tin itself is adorable, and the chipboard hearts are enough for about 5 Valentine's Days! 36 circles, and they each have 2 or 3 nesting pieces, so you end up with a LOT of hearts!









My dear friends Ben and Jana, who if they heard me whining about the NW weather of late would probably disown me. As we speak the sun still isn't up in Fairbanks and won't be for hours, and it's probably at least -20 degrees. We just got to see them last week, it's so neat to see them so happy together despite the challenges of living where they live and doing what they're doing.













And a card. I loved this little guy so much, it seemed fitting to give him a place of honor.







Have a great day!

Got a case of the Mondays....

I'm feeling a little blah this morning, I think mostly because it'll be a busy week for Dan. He'll be in Seattle 2 days this week directing a video for a client's upcoming trade show. Cool for him, long days for both of us though.

So....this is what I'm looking forward to today:

• Watching the snow melt--it's supposed to get up to a balmy 38 degrees today!
  
• Playing with new(ish) foof-a-la papers for some store samples at Ben Franklin.
• Uploading a new weekly challenge at My Scrapbook Nook.
• The next chapter of Charlotte's Web.
• A couple organizing projects.
• Maybe taking the kids to the play area at Top Foods and loitering in the magazine aisle.
• A nap this afternoon.
• Getting back into my Exodus Bible study...I think lesson 8 has been cancelled 3 times now for various reasons, which works for me because I still haven't finished it.
• Seeing whether the band-aid on Esther's thumb prevents her from sucking it. We're not actively trying to get her to break the habit, but if it happens we won't be disappointed. Sensitive skin + constant moisture = not good.
• Watching Jack Bauer save the world again.
  

Have a great day!

Weather drama

One of the reasons I've always loved living in the Pacific Northwest is because of the lack of weather drama. Things are usually pretty low-maintenance here. No extremes. I don't have to do anything out-of-the-ordinary to make sure my home and my things are protected from summer or winter weather. I love that 95% of the time, layers work--I'm almost always comfortable in a hooded sweatshirt and don't even own a winter coat.

So *all this* is getting a little annoying. Ok, a lot annoying. My tolerance for not being able to drive and having to dig out the snow clothes and knowing at all times where the flashlight and butane lighter are is wearing thin. I didn't sign up for this. Rain for 90 days straight, sure. But not this. And it doesn't help that the kids "want to play outside", but Shiloh is the only one who will actually stay outside for more than 10 minutes...but she doesn't want to play alone...so if I locate all the snow clothes and get everyone dressed to go outside it will take at least 45 min., and they'll only play for 10 before they start whining. But if I don't, I have to live with the guilt of being the mom who made her kids stay inside on a snow day.

Anyway, on the list today....

• Finishing a couple Home Scrap Club projects...I've already met my requirement, but I just can't stop using this kit!
• Finishing up some class samples that were due yesterday (I guess there are a few benefits to limited mobility)
• Another chapter of Charlotte's Web
• A little schoolwork
• And yes, digging out the snow clothes, getting everyone dressed, and playing outside for 10 minutes will have to happen.

I'm also hoping to hook up with our babysitter at some point. She was supposed to watch the kids tonight, but I'm not sure we'll want to go anywhere. However, she lent me her copy of Gilmore Girls Season 4, minus the last DVD, and I watched the others in an embarrassingly short amount of time (call it lack of self control). And if you're a fan of the show *coughcatcough*, you know that the last episode of Season 4 contains The Moment We've All Been Waiting For. How do I know that? Well, after finishing Season 2 I couldn't stand the thought of waiting 3 or 4 or however many days until Netflix brought another DVD and decided to go to GilmoreGirls.org to get some hints as to what would happen next (again, call it lack of self control)--and got WAY too much information without intending to. Anyway, the last two nights I've woken up in the middle of the night because of dreams about The Moment We've All Been Waiting For. Seriously. So I need to get that DVD from our babysitter so I can start sleeping at night again.

Have a great day!

Monday Monday

...so good to me...

I do love Mondays. The house is (usually) clean (it is today), usually I can get away with a little extra quiet time in the morning before the kids melt down, and I'm rested. And in one week, Monday night will be 24 night again.

Right now:
*Elijah's going to save someone from the fire (there's a car alarm going off in our neighborhood). He has his "fire jacket" and Spiderman fire boots on. Oh, wait. Now I guess it's too cold outside for him to save someone. Ah, the self-preservation instinct.
*Esther's running around without a diaper. She likes taking it off these days. I'm wondering if she'll get used to the diaper-free life and learn to use the toilet. One can hope, right?
*Shiloh and Mariah are playing quietly.
*I'm making my mental list for today. Gilmore Girls, school, scrapping, lunch, more scrapping, more Gilmore Girls, testing our phone line, updating the budget, possibly teaching a class tonight...
*And Dan is at work, no doubt working hard on someone's tradeshow booth or someone else's promotional materials.

Have a great day!

Reading

After months of seeing it in the side column of Sara's blog, I finally got my hands on a copy of The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease. If you are a parent, a grandparent, or someone who has regular contact with children, there is no possible way to recommend this book highly enough. I'm feeling like I'm taking on the world by reading to my kids every day. I hope we're able to continue the practice of reading together long into their teen years, and I'm grateful for the many opportunities we have to do so throughout the day.

Happy Thursday!

Did you hear that?

That was the sound of me letting out the breath I've been holding for two days, since Leah called me to invite me to be a part of the Home Scrap Club DT at myscrapbooknook.com!! HSC is a super cool kit club that is undergoing a major transformation, and I'm really excited to be a part of it. The message board is super friendly and they have some fun crops and contests planned.

This is a sneak peek of my first kit...should be arriving Friday or Saturday! But who's keeping track? Certainly not me. There's no reason for my mailperson to feel uncomfortable or threatened when they come by. Nope. (Yes, that is Maya Road chipboard!)

Anyway, if you're interested in subscribing to the kit, mention my name at checkout and I'll send you a RAK! A good one too, not just some old paper I've been meaning to get rid of. :)

Happy Humpday to you all!

Real Men

If grace is getting what we don't deserve, than I have truly been given grace through my husband. Before Dan and I got married, I knew he was open to having a big family (maybe not the 6 kids I wanted, but that in and of itself is evidence of God's grace as well!), and I knew that he liked kids and was good with them, but I didn't know that he would truly enjoy our family time, that he would enjoy the zoo and the children's museum and kid movies--and mostly, that he would be willing to sacrifice so many of his dreams and goals for the good of our family. God truly does give good gifts.