project life weeks 1-2

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Emily Kate

Towards the last few months of 2011 I started noticing a lot of talk about Becky Higgins’ Project Life. I was familiar with the project. My mom did the original version when it was called Project 365. I loved her album but never felt like I wanted to take it on. I gave up paper scrapbooking 5+ years ago and never really looked back. It’s messy and expensive. But something about Project Life was calling my name. I take so many photos of our days, especially little snapshots of Adelaide, that never make it anywhere. They’re not blog worthy or photobook worthy. But they’re often the most accurate portrayal of what our everyday life is like. Project Life was the answer.

If you’re not familiar with Project Life, Becky Higgins explains it here better than I can.

I was very hesitant about jumping back into paper scrapbooking. It’s still messy. And expensive if I’m not very careful, which I haven’t been this month with all the cool new products. Must be better about that. But so far I love my album. So many little details captured. I’ve set myself up to be successful by not requiring that every day be captured in the layout- there doesn’t have to be a photo or journaling card for EVERY day of the week. I just record what I most want to remember from the week. I like that I have a place to include little bits of our life like mail, receipts, drawings, etc. Before I always wondered what to do with things like that since I didn’t scrapbook anymore.

Organization

I’m using the Momento app to help me keep track of things. It automatically imports my posts from facebook, twitter and instagram, which helps a lot. I can also write updates and add pictures to it each day. I also have my journal entries from Ohlife.com to help me fill in the week, though I tend to only write entries for that a few times a week.

I don’t have any dedicated space to work on this. My computer desk is already full but if I put aside the keyboard I can do small projects there. I try and keep my album open on my bed, next to the desk, every day so I can work on it as I feel like it. For the time being I just tuck things into the page protectors during the week if I have something I want to keep.

My goal is to have the previous week’s layout finished by the following Wednesday. If it’s not done then I’m going to used the kit exclusively to fill it in so I don’t get behind.

Supplies

I have all the supplies I plan to use in a drawer organizer from IKEA (that didn’t fit the drawer I bought it for, duh.) I put it out when I’m working and I can take it into the living room to work too if I need to.

I’m using mostly washi tape (american crafts, martha stewart, some I got in Japantown in San Francisco…) and the Tim Holtz Tiny Attacher (thank you hobby lobby coupon) because I don’t want to mess with glue if I can avoid it. I use the Corner Chomper Tool (thank you again hobby lobby coupon) to round corners. I have the Smash Date Stamp. I didn’t use it at all in week 1 but used it several times in week 2.

I’m using a bunch of American Crafts stickers and such that I got at the warehouse sale. I try and use a lot of the Clementine Kit I got for Christmas. I’m mostly planning to stick with the Design A page protectors, even though there are some others I really like, just because I want to keep it simple. I may change that later. I got some goodies from Ormolu too.

Obviously I use my new Silhouette CAMEO from Christmas as much as I can. It helps keep me from thinking I need to buy letter stickers!

Week 1

Here’s a hybrid of the first two pages to give you an idea of the whole layout. Sorry about the glare. I’ll try a new photo set up next time I photograph.


I didn’t do a close up of the title card but I plan to do that Silhouette cut of the date range for awhile. I may do it just for this month and do something different next month. Or I might do it all year. Not sure how I feel yet.


The Hello Life 2012 is from Ali Edwards.


I was planning to use only one of the spoon photos so I cut them both out and rounded the corners. Then decided to put both into one 4×6 slot. I taped on the back of them later so they’d be secure.


Did a 4 in x 4 in grid of photos and then cut out the “first haircut” arrow with my silhouette and put that on a grid journaling card from the kit. The photo grid covers the part of the card so that total it’s 4×6.


Really liked having photos in the 3×4 slots. The “No!” was cut out with the silhouette (thanks Lisa for the idea). I decided to do a “This Week” recap on the bottom right 4×6 slot. I just made the journaling card in photoshop (as well as the 4×6 journaling card about Addie’s haircut.) The digital paper I used was from Crystal Wilkerson.

Week 2


Lots of chevron this week. Not intentional but I’m ok with it. The far right middle is a little paper bag from Michelle W. Inside is a few little strips from the “30 Reasons You Rock” I made for Jacob as part of our 30 Rock date night that week.


Left photo from my new Fujifilm Instax MINI 7s (by the way I did NOT pay as much as it’s listed for on Amazon right now. And I used Christmas gift cards.) Washi Tape is Amy Tangerine. Free journaling card from Cathy Z. (By the way, I really love her clean take on Project Life.)


Used Liz Tamanaha’s free 4×6 templates to put those two photos onto one 4×6. The “Remember This” flag is a KI Memories design for the Silhouette.


Another Liz Tamanaha template.


Hard to tell in this photo but the “red day” photo is actually an extra 4×6 American Crafts page protector. I had to punch a hole in it myself to make it match up with the big page protector but that was easy. You can see a snippet of the photo underneath in the next shot but I forgot to photograph the back page of the turning 4×6. It’s a small photo of Addie and details of our “Mommy School.”


The “U Have Some Explaining To Do” sticker is cut down from a bigger sticker from American Crafts.

My Thoughts on the Process so Far

This is working for me. I enjoy the process. I’m satisfied with the totally imperfect product. It’s not the way I normally create. I’m a perfectionist when it comes to projects in general which means I usually just don’t finish them because I can’t keep up with my own expectations. I think being okay with “done” and not “perfect” is the key. (More on that thought process soon, since it’s part of my “one little word” for 2012.) There are a lot of handwriting mess-ups and scribbles and smears, but I’m okay with it.

Week 2 has more photos than not and that is a good fit for me. We’ll see how Week 3 shakes out. I somewhat sketch it out when I start working but mostly just put it together as I go. I print out more photos than I use since I get them from Costco and don’t want to make return trips. Plus I like to have options.

My pinterest board for project life is where I get lots of ideas and inspiration. My favorite thing about this project is everybody’s unique take on it. And everybody writing about the project has the same sentiments as me: it’s their favorite memory keeping project because it’s about REAL LIFE and not just the special days.

I’m linked up at Project Life Tuesday.

Posted in Project Life | 17 Comments

mother of the year

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Emily Kate

So here’s the story.

Jacob left today for an interview in San Diego. Come dinner time I was starving and not at all in the mood to cook. Cafe Rio was the only thing that sounded good. So I called in an order and Addie and I drove over to pick it up. She was in a super chipper mood on the drive and I figured since she was so happy (and I had time to kill before bedtime…) I’d drive over to Costco and fill up the gas tank.

When I pulled up to the pump I took the keys out of the car and put them in the cup holder. I remember thinking, “That’s not where I normally put the keys. Where do I normally put them? I know I don’t leave them in the ignition.” But that was just a split second thought and I pushed the button to open the gas tank and got out. I filled the tank, periodically making silly faces at Addie through the window.

After putting the cap back on the tank, I attempted to open the front door and discovered it was locked. I immediately circled the car to find all the doors locked as well. And my cell phone sitting in my purse in the passenger seat. I got the attention of the young station attendant and told him the problem. He handed me his phone and I called Jacob. If he had been in town he could have just driven over and brought the extra key. But of course, he was in San Diego. He recommended that I call 911 because we didn’t know how long a locksmith would take. We just (as in last week) switched insurance from Geico and no longer had roadside assistance. And even if we did, I wouldn’t have known a number to call without being able to get into the car for the papers.

So I ask the attendant if there’s anybody there that can help me. He said they had a number for a locksmith but then he couldn’t find it and was trying to look up one on his phone. After a few minutes I was getting antsy and asked if we could just call 911. He handed me his phone to do it. When the operator answered I told her that I’d locked my keys in the car with my daughter. I half expected her to tell me to call a locksmith. But she immediately asked my location and some details to send over the fire department.

Oh that’s right, they showed up (10 or so minutes later) in a freaking fire truck. Because I wasn’t embarrassed enough already. Four handsome firefighters hopped out of the truck (rescuing my child makes a guy extra handsome.) I was so mortified about the whole thing but they were incredibly nice. They assured me that they do this ALL the time. (I almost believed them.) They went right to work on the car, trying different methods on different doors. I was so grateful Addie is still rear-facing because she didn’t see the fire truck at all. She covered her face when she saw them by her window, that’s what she does when she feels shy. But she didn’t cry. In fact, she was really great the whole time she was in there. Normally she’d be getting upset that I wasn’t getting her out of her carseat right away. But we’d happened to bring her baby with us and she was playing with that and taking her shoes off.

It took about 5 minutes to get the door open. I grabbed my keys AND unlocked the door before opening Addie’s door to check on her. The middle-aged woman in the car next to me (watching the whole episode) exclaimed, “She’s not even upset!” And she really wasn’t. I gave her some kisses and decided to skip getting her out and just hurry home.

Did I mention that I had the station attendant take that photo up top and e-mail it to me? I just knew I’d want photographic evidence of the event.

When we got home I let her eat all the crunchy tortilla strips off of my Cafe Rio salad (her fave) and dip it in as much dressing as she wanted (a lot). I let her stay up a little late and didn’t make her brush her teeth before bed (her most hated of all tasks.) Hopefully that made it up to her.

I just can’t get over how crazy it was that this happened. I was supposed to be visiting teaching tonight, but we had to cancel it. Normally Jacob would have been in town to help. And I always put my keys in my pocket and UNLOCK the car completely from the drivers door when I get out and lock it from the passenger side when I get Addie out. The one time I don’t follow my own protocol, this is what happens. But I am so grateful that there were people around when it happened so I could easily get to a phone. I’m grateful that the fire department could help and that they got there pretty quickly. And I’m really grateful that this happened in January and not during the summer!

And I only momentarily felt like doing this.

Here is some more photographic evidence that Adelaide survived the ordeal.

Guess I’ve got a good story for this week’s Project Life!

Posted in Adelaide | 9 Comments

family photos

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Emily Kate

Getting family photos done is important to me. It’s the one time a year I force myself to get in front of the camera instead of behind it. The day before Thanksgiving we had our family photos taken in Utah by my dear friend Marci. We went to Memory Grove in Salt Lake for the shoot. I was so amazed when we got the photos back because we’d given Marci a tough situation by arriving late when the light was fading fast not to mention the fact that Adelaide was being a serious stinker. She was running all over the place and telling Marci “No!” when she saw her holding up the camera. (My life was so much easier before she learned that word.) But Marci is so talented, I shouldn’t have worried for a second. She got some wonderful shots. The one of Addie squatting down in front of the camera is my absolute favorite from the whole shoot. Thanks Marci for taking our photos!


(NO idea why these first two shots look so grey here. They look fantastic in the original files.)


Addie’s face in this shot? Awesome.

Posted in Family | 16 Comments

christmas

Posted on December 30, 2011 by Emily Kate

Remember Christmas? Since so much of the holiday is documented in my personal journal (Ohlife.com) and my Christmas journal, I don’t feel the need to write much about it here. But I do want to share the images, particularly for my family.

Adelaide and I rode to Utah on the 19th with my friend Melynda + daughter. Our husbands had to work until the 22nd and they drove up together that day. We spend the week doing some last minute Christmas stuff and spending time with family. Addie could always find a lap to read a book on or someone to snuggle with for some Sesame Street viewing. Jacob and I even squeezed in a date night (we saw New Years Eve). Unfortunately for my parents, that was the night Addie decided to wake up multiple times! Sorry Mom and Dad!

Pre-Christmas


Addie LOVES the “Let’s Eat” book my mom got her- a used copy from online. We had that book as kids so I get such a kick out of her enjoying it like we did. The text in the book is simple, and not particularly well written, but the illustrations are darling.

Christmas Eve

Addie found where all the goodies were in the kitchen. Jackpot!

Opening up her jammies before bed.

Christmas

We woke up and went to 9 AM church before doing any Christmas activities. (Although, Addie found her new Little People Zoo in the computer room and did some playing with it before church!) I tried to get Addie to cooperate for some photos of her Christmas dress but she was feeling very picked on.

Addie loved the table + chairs, dishes, and play food she got. She also had fun with the zoo.

After Addie went down for her nap, we opened the bulk of everybody else’s gifts. In fact, she pretty much woke up exactly when we finished (a few hours later!) Every year Heidi and I do something creative for the gift tags on her gifts from Dad (which we wrap for him.) This year we did pictionary and it was pretty hilarious!


(The Twilight book was a decoy. He really got a gift certificate.)

Mom’s big surprise gift from my Dad was an ipad. He purposely drew an impossible to guess clue. Then I used her ipod to set off a noise on her ipad, which was hidden under the couch. The pinging sound went off until she found it. Check out her perplexed face. She was expecting maybe a Kindle so she was looking at it for a bit before she said, “Is this an ipad??”

Jacob got lots of running/biking stuff including a new ipad nano and a nike+. I got the Silhouette Cameo (eek! Yes, I just said eek.) and some supplies for Project Life. I also got a white square cake stand and some other fun goodies. Heidi made me a muffin tin meal kit that is SO fun. I’ll be blogging about it on our Second Story Window blog soon.


Some of my presents!

When Addie woke up she opened her presents. I think she was a little overwhelmed by it all! She stopped to take a reading break with Grandma. (The book was her “read” gift from us.)

It was a really wonderful Christmas and Addie made it magical. We stayed up late nights watching Kid History on You Tube and chatting. Heidi shared a room with Addie (sweet!) And we had lots of delicious food. We were sad to have to head home to Utah on the 26th but coming home to warm weather wasn’t so bad.

P.S. All photos edited in batches in Lightroom, if you’re curious. For a quick and dirty editing job, LR can’t be beat!

Posted in Christmas | 6 Comments

ten on tuesday

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Emily Kate

Hello blog. Haven’t seen you in a month. Sorry about that. But you know, life’s been a bit crazy. Lots of big things to blog about but here are some small things I’ve been meaning to post.

1. Addie still hates nursery. It’s torture for everyone involved. I’ve tried staying. I’ve tried leaving. It doesn’t seem to matter much. When I stay she doesn’t scream but whines the whole time and goes to the door trying to escape. When I leave there’s much more screaming involved. Last time I heard her 4 different times during Sunday School, meaning the poor nursery leader was having to take her for a walk in the halls to try and calm her down. I’m really torn about the whole thing and just keep hoping one of these Sundays she starts to like it.

2. The other day at Target this woman (probably in her 50s) told me I was a “model mother” and that Addie would grow up to be smart and sweet because of my parenting. Wow! Addie was pointing things out and saying them, like saying and signing dog when she saw the little Target dog on a sign and I was just acknowledging her with comments like, “Yes, you found a dog!” Apparently that was pretty impressive. Good thing she didn’t see me forcing her, screaming, into her carseat 20 minutes later. She might have changed her mind about the “model mother” thing.

3. I’m pretty tickled with how verbal Addie’s become lately. She was such a reluctant talker. Now she says lots of words, although I’m usually the only one who picks up on a lot of them. Like “Uh!” is Elmo. But by Elmo she usually means the “Another Monster at the End of This Book” app on my ipad, which she is obsessed with.

4. I wish I’d continue to write monthly summaries for Adelaide for her second year. I got held up the first month trying to get her to cooperate for pictures and then I just let it not happen. I regret it now because she really does change a lot monthly still. 20 months isn’t a particularly significant milestone but I think I’ll write up a summary soon just because she’s doing so much fun stuff these days.

5. I took some hospital & newborn photos for my friend Alisha back in November when she had her third child. I don’t see myself doing a lot of shoots in the future, but these were a fun project for me. Here are a couple of my favorites from the shoot, with Alisha’s permission.

6. We had to replace the battery in the CR-V earlier this month and the Camry started acting weird at the end of our trip home yesterday. Today I noticed the maint. req. light flashing occasionally so fingers crossed we’re not in for a big expense there.

7. Addie’s started hooking her bottom lip around her binky sometimes and it’s the weirdest, funniest thing. We don’t let her have it a lot during the day but I usually let her when we’re running errands because it keeps her happy so I got to laugh at her doing it at Trader Joe’s today. I must get a photo because my description is not doing it justice.

8. More on Christmas later, but I received the Project Life Clementine edition I asked for and I’m getting really excited to start next week. Anybody doing Project Life this year?

9. Jacob’s had an interesting rotation this month. He was supposed to be schedule for lap band surgery, which we assumed would be easy because who wants lap band surgery in December? But at the last minute he found out they’re closed this month and he was reassigned to ENT surgery. He actually hasn’t done a ton of surgeries. Mostly he’s in the office but the hours have been long. He says there’s often no appointments for stretches of time during the day yet they commonly have appointments scheduled until 6:00 PM. Luckily there’s no call or weekends so we can’t complain. Except I did when he only had the 23rd-26th off work and then at the last minute his dr. started talking about surgeries on the morning of the 26th, which hadn’t been on the schedule. But he was excused from them so we avoided having to drive home on Christmas day!

10. Jacob was given an old 42 inch (I think) TV from the doctor’s office this month. Here’s the kicker: it’s a TUBE tv. But he was so happy to have a bigger tv screen for free that he doesn’t care at all. I’m less than crazy about it. I didn’t mind our little tv that was light and skinny!

More on Christmas (and all the fun Christmasy things we did this month) soon.

Posted in Lists | 7 Comments