Life is Just Plain Crazy Sometimes, Especially When You Are Buying a HUD Home and Fighting With Your Lender!!

Just wanted to say that "I'm still alive!" In case you were wondering...

Brain-Fried But Happy, Imagine That!

We are house hunting and selling. Isn't that exciting?? And exhausting?? And mentally challenging?? Oh, yeah...it is...but just to us. I forgot. Please forgive me. I'm brain-fried.

But oh-so-excited!!

Twelve years we've lived in our current home. Bought it before we had any children. Now we have four. When we bought it we had 2 cats. Now we have 1 cat, 1 dog. I look around and so many things have changed. What used to be a 10 x 10 formal living area is now a spacious, albeit messy, office. What used to be old dingy carpet is now semi-clean laminate. What used to be a perfectly landscaped front and backyard is now a limping along sorta green lawn with lots of kid equipment lying around.

Most importantly, what used to be a quiet, empty home is now a very noisy, loved-filled place with loads of happy and hard memories. All our home groups, friends, karaoke parties, invited overnight guests, uninvited ones, bar-b-ques, babies being born, laying in the hammocks, beloved pets buried in the backyard, family get-togethers, Christmases with children, Christmases without them, birthday parties, lots of laughter and tears.

And here I thought I wouldn't miss living in this house. So many things have become so annoying lately. But I will. I certainly will.

God did lots of stuff with my heart here. How could I ever forget?

Sometimes it's good to let your heart ache a little, ya know?

Thanks for listening,
Jen

What I REALLY Enjoy About Scrapbooking

(Originally written in January 2006)

1. I really like accomplishing a great layout quickly.
2. I really enjoy using awesome embellishments. (I especially like eyelets!) Update: I really like incorporating paper or fabric flowers in my work now.)
3. I really enjoy creating one-of-a-kind handmade themed books!!
4. I really enjoy getting caught up on a project in one night!
5. I really love looking at my scrapbooks later or sharing with others.

I just can't seem to really stay in a place of satisfaction with the hobby. What does this mean? Should I call it quits? Always be behind, struggling to catch up? It's January - should I RESOLVE to start our Family Album, completing at least one page a month, and work on others if I have time? I know I have to decide something about this hobby. I do love it, but I won't be compelled to do it - it just takes away the very reason I started - to vent my creativity into something lasting and beneficial. I hope I can resolve it soon...

Update: Isn't this funny? I have a idea notebook I write in. I stumbled across this entry recently. I just got back from a scrapbooking retreat and I have to say scrapbooking is one of my favorite things to do.

Just had to share.

Blame it on Branson

We went to Branson over the weekend. Very crowded, tourist-y place. Thankfully, my uncle lives there so we had a place to relax (as much as someone can relax with 4 young children).

I was hanging out with my mom and SIL one day and we happened upon a scrapbook store. (I love going to scrapbook stores in other cities or states. It's always fun to see the different sort of stuff they have.) Anyway, I saw one of those new fangled ribbon organizers.

If you have a lot of craft ribbon too, you may have at one time contemplated the various solutions out there or come up with one of your own. I did. I made a really cute ribbon holder from a round dessert plate box. I loved how cute it was, all customized with patterned paper and buttons. Unfortunately, once I started adding the ribbon (the point of the whole thing) I quickly realized it wasn't gonna hold much. It was just too small! And as I looked at other options out there, I came to the same conclusion. Portability is also important to me, so a freestanding desktop contraption wouldn't work either.

But this organizer I saw on vacation, and I think I also saw it at the recent scrapbook convention I attended, looked like just what I needed! Turned it over, looked at the price and decided maybe I didn't need it THAT much! Put it out of my mind, went on with my day/vacation.

Fast forward to Wednesday night. I was at Target, perusing the Dollar Spot (love it!). Some of the bins are pretty empty, just a few summer items left - beach hats, jellies (can't believe I used to wear those!), vinyl tote bags, WAIT!!. Vinyl tote bags??? Instantly I see it in my mind. My future ribbon tote! Check it out! It cost me $2.50 and about 30 minutes to make. Wha-la, instant ribbon organizer, totally portable!

The Gift of a Midwife

Okay, so I'm obviously a horrible blogger...but nevermind that! Check out this wonderful picture I stumbled across in my Picasa the other day. This was taken during labor with my last child. He turned one in May (can't believe it!). I was looking through my pics and choosing for his first year scrapbook when this photo caught my eye. I love it. To me, it's such a picture of God's design for midwife-assisted birth.

Hope your day includes a little something unexpected.