Sunday is over (almost)

And so is my extended weekend as a bachelorette/single mom. And I'm amazed at how much more productive I am without Dan here! I'm sure having the kids play outside as much as they have been is a factor too, but I really do invest a lot of time and energy in my marriage, and while I am sure I get more back than I give, having a couple days of complete autonomy has been pretty refreshing.

Anyway, so much for a "day of rest"! After church we hit the Old Navy sale and got a couple things for Dan and a couple things for me (one which will be returned posthaste), played at the play area, came home, ate lunch and took naps. I finished up a couple layouts that were in the early stages--one is for a handstitching class that I'm super excited about! We had dinner and made a DQ run (I firmly believe that ice cream is mandatory on above-90-degree days). And it took until about 15 minutes ago to get the kids settled (the like to switch bedrooms on "special nights", and the change in sleeping arrangements always means extra talking). I don't think moms ever truly get a day of rest...but I did make a point of saving my cleaning/organizing projects until tomorrow and sticking with things that would reenergize us as a family.

Anyway, I'm off to make the most of this last night of staying up late, falling asleep with the TV on and missing my best friend. :)

The "slipping slide"

She loves it.









So do they.

And while I've never been overly fond of the heat (85 is my limit), I am thrilled that it's finally truly summer weather. The kids are in and out all day long, playing in the hose (and leaving it running when they're done), making up games, declaring today "best sister and brother day"....life is good. :)

I'm flying solo this weekend. Dan is in Illinois paying his respects to his grandfather, who went to be with the Lord last Thursday. Dan's enjoying seeing family he hasn't seen since he was a kid. It's too bad it takes a death in the family to bring people together like that...but it's good that they're together.

Anyway, I think this is the easiest time I've ever had alone with the kids for overnight or longer. Other than an annoying visit from the wake-up fairy two mornings in a row, the kids have been happy and behaving themselves (mostly, though my neighbors might have disagreed with that last statement at 8:30 this morning when Elijah was screaming at the top of his lungs). I'm getting tons of stuff done, way more than on a normal day at home.

However, the one thing that hasn't made it to the top of my list yet is tackling some scrapbooking projects. I have some Kits & Pieces kits burning a hole in...something (my dining table, perhaps?). And my first online class to prepare. And tomorrow to do it all in. I really try to honor Sunday as a day of rest...is it cheating to do my scrap work on a day of rest? I usually try not to, but this week it can't be helped.

I'll leave you with a couple recent layouts, one with each of the new K&P kits:

Vacation

This is why I suck at blogging...I've been meaning to blog and post vacation pictures since we got back, but vacation pictures are on the laptop, and every time I thought about blogging I wasn't near my laptop, so I haven't blogged for almost a month. It's got to be easier than I'm making it.

Anyway, here are some pictures. We spend the first 3 nights at Jedidiah Smith Redwoods State Park, 9 miles east of Crescent City, CA (the northernmost city on the California Coast). We found a great playground, learned about bears, drove through a tree, played frisbee, took little hikes, played on the beach...and then got rained out.

Fortunately we were able to get our reservations changed at the one-star motel we were staying at in Ashland, OR. We went to the park, went to the ScienceWorks museum, went to Applegate Christian Fellowship, had pizza and bagels (I miss bagel shops--for some reason there are none nearby) and headed home.

We did make it in time for Shiloh's dance dress rehearsal, which was good. And we had a great time and made lots of great memories. It seems like we're wanting to do more family stuff these days instead of getting caught up in getting stuff done around the house or going off by ourselves to get some peace and quiet. And definitely hoping to camp again this summer...probably just weekend trips, but something to get us outside and away from the house. :)

Kits & Pieces DT Call

Kits & Pieces is looking for talented designers! We are looking to add two people to our fabulous design team, as well as identifying future guest designers.

Kits & Pieces offers expandable kits (2 per month), which means you choose how much you get of many key products. This accommodates scrappers who are watching their budgets and want a fabulous kit for under $20, scrappers who want more than one kit without having to pay for shipping twice, scrappers who want a kit jam-packed with all the latest and greatest products, and everyone in between!

We are looking for people who:
*are creative, dependable and flexible
*are willing to be active in our online community
*like to share their work
*are willing to give feedback about kits, contests, classes, etc.

Our DT members are expected to:
*create 3 layouts with one of our monthly kits
*write a brief article for our semi-monthly newsletter (check past newsletters for examples)
*add 25 posts per week to our message board on average
*participate in hosting online crops (every 6 months or so) and help with contests
*post their layouts on their blog and on other websites, crediting K&P when possible
*take 2-3 months off per year--this gives designers a creative break and allows us to keep things fresh

You will receive:
*one kit each month
*a discount to the store
*access to online classes
*in some cases, the ability to teach classes (for cash)

To apply, please provide the following information:

Name, address, phone #, and e-mail
A brief bio and headshot (which will be used if we select you)
A link to your online gallery
Your blog address (if you have one) and any forums in which you are active
List your 3 favorite products to work with,
3 strengths as a scrapper,
and 3 reasons why you would like to design for My Kits and Pieces.
Getting to know us on the message board and sharing your work in our gallery isn't required, but is always helpful!

**International designers are welcome to apply--however, we will need you to pay the difference in shipping, as well as provide an estimated shipping time from the US (if you know)**

Please e-mail your information to mykitsandpieces@gmail.com by July 10. New DT members will be announced by July 15 and will begin with our August kits. Thanks, and good luck!

Busy busy

We're getting ready for a trip to Northern California--and I must say, this "cheap" vacation is costing us a fortune! Booking the campsite and the place we're staying in Ashland (our vacation from the vacation), getting a DVD player for the car, snack food, a 2nd tent, a cargo carrier for the van...not to mention the $300 we expect to spend on gas and our food money and play money...by the time we're done, we may have been better off going to Disneyland! Though much of what we're getting we'll be able to reuse next time we want to camp. Assuming there is a next time...we'll see how next week goes.

Anyway, I've been cranking out Kits & Pieces projects so I'd be done with my June stuff before we leave....though I'm having so much fun with them I'm sure I'll have to do a few more when we get back. Here's what I have so far.

Enjoy your week!

I'm back

If there's anyone out there who is still linked to me, I'm going to give this blogging thing a try one more time...I love blogs, I read them daily, I see their value, I have a hard time thinking of things to talk about that other people would find interesting, but what the heck.

Sooo.....hi. :)

This is what I've been up to for the last year:

*I successfully completed another year of homeschooling, the first year in which I actually felt any pressure to accomplish anything academic (1st grade means you need to actually learn stuff). We're using The Well-Trained Mind as a base...it's way too intense for me to do everything in it, but it has given us some good direction. Shiloh is a great homeschooler--she knows what she needs to do and does it with little supervision, leaving me free to chase after the other kids, pretend to clean my house, scrapbook, lay down for a couple minutes in the afternoon, etc. And she's made more than a year's worth of progress, so I'm feeling pretty good about things. Maximum results for minimum effort is always a good thing. :) Elijah's sounding out words, reading Bob books, learning basic math, and most importantly, doesn't hate school and does his work when I tell him to, so I'm putting that one in the success column as well. Mariah's learning handwriting and numbers (mostly on her own) and Esther has learned a ton through a combination of osmosis and PBS.

*I am managing a scrapbooking kit club called Kits & Pieces, offering expandable kits (kits as big or small as you want them, which as much or as little of your favorite producs as you like). I oversee the message board and the design team, edit a semi-monthly newsletter and design the monthly kits. It's super fun. :) I've also been able to facilitate the manufacturing of an exclusive stamp line for K&P that will be released with our June kits, which has been very exciting. I also finished a 2nd term at Scrapbook Nook and have done a lousy job staying connected there. I miss those girls. :( And I'm still working Scrapmanias at Ben Franklin in Bonney Lake.

*We finished a year of ACTS Homeschool Co-op in Puyallup. I got to teach some great kids about the political process and paper mache (no, they're not related) (not directly, anyway) and the kids learned about anything from cooking to legos to Spanish to horses to the 4 seasons to nursery rhymes. Fun times. :)

*Dan is still working as a graphic designer and grows in his work every day. He's currently learning AfterEffects, which allows him to make movies--mostly for trade shows now, but maybe someday TV commercials? We shall see. He's been at his job for over 4 years now with no desire to leave, which I love.

*I got a Canon Rebel XTi for Christmas and am learning photography. I'm not great at it, but I have fun.

Ok, that's about it...my next blog post will be more interesting, I promise! And now I'm remember why I haven't updated in 9 months....here's a layout with a recent K&P kit.

Bye for now!