Challenged...

...And not in a good way. Seems this parenting thing is getting more difficult. Kei played golf all afternoon on Saturday and Thomas was a challenge at best. He has finally realized that he has an opinion and is not afraid to express it. Don't get me wrong, I want him to become an independent child with a mind of his own - but not if EVERYTHING is the opposite of what I want. I wanted him to eat lunch at the table, HE wanted to eat on the floor. I gave him fish crackers, HE wanted peanut butter crackers. I wanted him to have a bath, HE didn't want a bath. HE wanted me to out on a diaper, I started to put on the diaper, HE wanted me to stop. Just one struggle after another. Exhausting.

Makes me wonder about a 20 hour trip to Australia...alone...with Thomas...Hmmm. That DVD battery had better sustain his attention.

I ordered Parenting with Love and Logic from Amazon. Should arrive just in time for the plane ride. I am expecting miracles.

I did get some scrapping though. I was feeling particularly creative on Saturday night and finshed three layouts - in addition to the two I finished on Friday. I am only able to share one right now. It is using Dani's new Stitches over at the Sweet Shoppe. I am always a sucker for good stitches, especially if they are a little funky and fun and these don't disappoint. She has some circles as well. Will definitely have to use those soon.

Credits

Have a great Monday!

Nicole

Busy Busy Busy

Seems those weeks of procrastination at work are finally catching up with me. I have so much to do that I am finding it difficult to get started on anything. I have to fly to Seattle a week from Monday for two days (Mon, Tues) and then I am flying to Australia on the Wednesday. So much to do in so little time.

But I thought I should at least share a couple of layout to keep this blog going in the meantime.

This layout is using the new Summer Breeze Colab kit at MDM. Such beautiful colors in this kit and lots of great embellishments.

See the kit here and here, and credits for the layout here.

Next up is a LO I made for the challenge hosted by Emily Merritt on Nancy's blog this week - Share your Summer traditions. I had created a similar LO for the Scrap Outside the Box challenge at MDM so I reworkd it to include some of Nancy's stuff. I really like how it turned out.

Credits and journaling here

And last but definitely not least is for another challenge on Nancy's blog. This time it was Nancy doing the challenging and asked us make a LO of our goals. I not a big person for thinking too far in the future. That doesn't mean I don't have any goals, just that I prefer to focus on what I want to achieve in the near future rather than a 10 year plan. But this turned out to be very cathartic experience. Who knew?

You can view a larger version of the page and credits here.

Thanks for stopping by - hope your day is a great one!

Nicole

Revising my To Do List

I had a very productive weekend! I crossed four things off my to do list - whoo hoo! But the best thing is that I had fun doing it. I guess it wasn't such a bad thing that our weekend plans fell through (although I do still need a vacation - don't get me wrong).

I spoke with my brother tonight for the first time in probably a year. He only has a cell phone in Australia and it's too expensive for me to call so I try and catch up with him while he's visiting my parents. It made me want to leave to go home NOW - I can't believe I still have to wait for 2 and a half weeks. It's killing me.

But, back to my list. Here are the things I marked off the list:

• Photo Swap layout
• Layout with Dani's new kit
• Small Project for Digi Scrapping Race (Dani's Girls blog is a stop)
• Layout with the new MDM Collab Kit (coming soon)

And here are the results - well the two I can share anyway.

First of all, the photo swap challenge. This one was..well...challenging. There is so much more pressure when you are scrapping with someone else's photos, especially when that person is as talented as Traci Reed. In the end, though, I like how it turned out. IThe colors worked well togetehr and I think I used a good mix of elements. I just love that overlay from the Scrapartist Reverie kit. And it only took me three weeks!

Credits

And this one is my layout with Dani's new MVP kit. Fantastic kit and one I can see myself coming back to time and again as Thomas continues his sporting "career". There are just so many goodies in this kit that it's impossible to show them all in one layout. I love it when one kit allows for so many different pages. This was actually a re-scrap. I wasn't happy with my previous attempt but I was so proud of the journaling that I went back to try again.

Credits

Still remaining on my list...

• Shopping with what remains of my GCs ($10 from Jen Wilson, $5 from Nancy Comelab)
• Jen Wilson Challenge 4
• Nancy Comelab Blog Challenge Goal LO (I think this will be a tough one)

Best get to bed now- another work week beckons... sigh...

Nicole

What's a girl to do? Shop!

We were supposed to head to the coast for the weekend but when I called last night to confirm, I found they had no record of our reservation. Even though I had an email confirmation. I did tried to call when I made the reservation orginally but they never called me back and then I received an email message so I thought it was confirmed. But I guess not...


And finding last-minute accomodation on the Oregon Coast on a weekend in the middle of the summer is an impossible task.


So instead I shopped. I LOVE the Nordstrom anniversary sale. I bought these shoes - the heel is way too high and they are totally impractical but look how cute!


And then of course I had to buy some new jeans to wear them with. And a new top to finish off the whole outfit (couldn't find a pic of that).

I bought some sensible shoes as well. Still very cute, but sensible.

And it's all completely justified because they were on sale! Ahhh... I feel so much better. :) It has been so long since I bought something for myself.

I was supposed to be on leave today but since we're no longer going away I didn't want to waste it. So I do have to do some work. Then I think I'll pick Thomas up from daycare a little early and we can all go and get some sushi for dinner.


The weekend is looking better and better. Besides, I think it's going to rain all weekend on the coast.


See how I just turned that frown upside down?? :) Have a great weekend!


Nicole

I almost forgot...

My Photography challenge is happening right now at MDM. You have until bnext Wednesday at midnight to be in the running for a GC to the store. Click on the image for details.

Lastly: Please indulge me as I update my task list here - it makes me personally accountable. :)

• Photo Swap layout
• Write article for the September Muse
• Layout with Dani's new kit (coming soon)
• Small Project for Digi Scrapping Race (Dani's Girls blog is a stop)
• Layout with the new MDM Collab Kit (coming soon)
• Shopping with all of my GCs :)
• Jen Wilson Challenge 4
• Nancy Comelab Blog Challenge Goal LO (I am determined to keep up with these)

Phew - busy days ahead and a vacation weekend in the middle. Best get started!

Nicole

The light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm having one of those mornings. I hate uncertainty and there is a lot of that with my job right now. I just want to know what my job IS I guess - too much to ask? Didn't think so.

Well, enough of my cryptic ramblings (you never know who might be reading this). The good news is that we are heading to the coast for a few days tomorrow. I can't wait. I really need a vacation and it will be so nice for us to spend time together as a family.

Oh, and it's now less that three weeks before I head home for a quick Aussie visit. I am so excited. My parents haven't seen Thomas since last October which was before he was even walking. He has changed so much since then and I can't wait for them to see how much he has grown up. I am also looking forward to catching up weith my brotehrs and some friends. Should be fun! If anyone has ideas for some magic products to keep a toddler occupied on a 20 hour flight I would appreciate it. I am going to buy a portable DVD player and went shopping for some new books yesterday, but I am looking for ideas for small, portable toys that will occupy an almost 2 year old. Preferably for a good 5 hours. (Hahaha).

Of course I can't leave without an image of some kind. Here my LO for Jen Wilson's Challenge week 3. The challenge was to couple things on a layout that you usually wouldn't put together. I chose to place a graphic brush and some bling (glitter border and sequins) on a fairly rustic layout. It's also a photo of my son with flowers - which I have never done before. This was a tough one for me but I think it turned out quite well.

Credits

Until next time

Nicole

A Quickie but a Cutie

Nancy's Blog challenge this week (hosted by Darla) is to use some color. Little did I know that it would be the perfect inspiration for this little layout.

Credits here

Have a great day!

Nicole

Loads of Digi Love

I have been so fortunate lately to have my addiction funded in part by some wonderful designers. Here's a list of the GCs currently burning a hole in my pocket:

• $5 GC for Jen Wilson Layout of the week
• $10 GC for Jen Wilson week 1 attire challenge
• $5 GC to Shabby Elements for being named Gypsy Gem of the day today at ScrapGypsies (!). I love all of the inspiration on this site - digital and hybrid.
• and a $5 GC just for leaving a message on Nancy Comelab's blog - I think she is the most generous designer in digi land. Seriously!

I told you - I am a very lucky girl. :)

Here is the page that won Gypsy Gem of the day. I actually pulled it together for the challenge on Nancy's blog. Dani was hosting this week and challenged us to put at least 4 photos from different angles on the page. I ended up with seven. :)

I was actually a little nervous about the color scheme for this page. I was dying to use some of Tara's new papers but that much Orange was a little scary - and THEN I added the orange alpha (also from Tara). But in the end I think it looks great - the colors worked out perfectly and it was all finished off beautifully with those adorable animals from Shannon Lee's grab bag this month.

Credits

Speaking of grab bags: I have had to cut down on my grab bag splurges so I am trying to prevent myself from buying every single one. It;s incredibly difficult because they are such great value. I always buy Holly's (just because..) and then of course I already have Tara's (one of the CT perks) and then I try and mix it up with two additional bags each month. This month I decided to get Shannon's and Royanna's. I was so glad I did! Each of the bags had a bunch of stuff I can use right away and I absolutely LOVE Shannon's jungle kit. Seriously - these bags are getting better and better each month.

I also have to share this before I go. I was paired up for a photo swap with Traci Reed on the Dani's Girls CT. While I am ashamed to say that I still have her photos sitting in a folder on my desktop, Traci has definitely come through with a gorgeous layout of Thomas. I just love it!

Click on the image to see credits and to leave her some much-deserved love. I promise mine is coming soon. It is just so nerve wracking to scrap someone else's photos. I want to do a really good job. Plus I think the heat may have zapped some of my mojo this week.

Now that I am on 3 CTs I understand why people start keeping lists on their blog. I have a long to do list - things that I HAVE to get done before the end of the month.

• Photo Swap layout
• Write article for the September Muse
• At least one Dani layout
• Jen Wilson week three Attire challenge (as soon as I know what it is)
• Nancy Comelab blog challenge (ditto)
• Shopping with all of my GCs :)

I will post more about what I actually DID achieve this weekend later this week when I can show the pages. Besides, this post is just getting way too long.

Thanks for making it to the end.

Nicole

Zoo Perspectives

Thomas has been asking do go to the zoo for days. As soon as I realized he was not saying "shoe" and he started asking to "See Animals?" I figured it was time to visit again. We have a zoo membership so there's no pressure to go and spend a full day until we are all exhausted and Zoo'd out just to get our money's worth.

The forecast said we were expecting a hot day in Portland (100 degrees - close to 40C - and humid!) so Thomas and I were at the zoo gates practically when they opened (8am). If you have never been to the zoo when it opens before, then I HIGHLY recommend it. No one to block a toddler's view of the animals, no worrying about the next person that Thomas will bump into while he's wandering around and no fear of losing him in crowds of people. Perfect!

Here are a few of highlights from the day:

• The Giraffe was still in his little room when we arrived, rather than out in the grassed area, so we were able to get a close up look at him through the glass. Of course then we had to stick around for quite some time.
• The penguins were a favourite as always.
• The butterfly enclosure was open and we got to see it for the first time since we have been visiting the zoo. OK, this was more of a highlight for me than Thomas.
• Petting the goats AGAIN and seeing some running ducks from about 30cm away.
• The Owl eating a real mouse right in front of us - more of a highlight for Thomas, than me.
• The Northwest section where Thomas took some time to jump in puddles.

We spent about 3.5 hours there and Thomas walked around for about 2.5 of them. A very good effort. Of course he fell asleep as soon as we got in the car.

I also took the opportunity to take photos for the challenge that Dani Mogstad is currently hosting on Nancy Comelab's blog. The challenge is to take photos from many different angles and I took quite a few throughout the day. Now I just have to scrap them. :)

Here are a few of my favs.

Have a great day

Nicole

Two Great Opportunities

Creative Team Call at MDM - Hybrid Artists Needed
You have until July 15th to apply. The call is out for Hybrid Artists in addition to pure digital so don't waste any time. Click here for details and scroll down to the bottom. And to look at past hybrid challenges to give you an idea of the fun projects you could be working on, click here.

Grab Bag Weekend
love MDMs Grab Bag weekends. You'd think that since I'm on the CT over there that I wouldn't need the grab bags but you would be wrong. They are such great value that I just can't help myself.

The next one is this coming Friday and Saturday and highly recommend this little bit of Retail therapy. I have already seen a preview of Tara's bag and it looks fantastic.

Auf Weidersehn

Nicole

A Favourite

I just love this photo and I'm really pleased with how this page turned out, so I'm sharing...

Credits

Thanks for stopping by.

Nicole

Overindulged

(sp?) I'm a little embarrassed to post my weekend recap. Mainly because, well, I'm well into my 30s (32!) and should really know better.

Let's start with the good stuff. On Saturday morning I got up bright and early and cleaned the upstairs portion of our house - as soon as I woke up! Nothing like getting it over and done with before it got too hot and before I lost the motivation.

Next, Thomas and I headed to the park for the monthly catch up with the mums and kids from my baby and me group. Small turnout this weekend due to vacation, but nevertheless it is fun seeing these now nearly two-year-olds who have known each other practically since birth. I am so glad we have maintained these get togethers since the kids outgrew the official group. And congrats to one friend who is now expecting baby number two. I think there must be something in the water.

After the park I returned home and finished cleaning the house in preparation for game night with some friends. 5 couples with three of them expecting babies (I told you there was something in the water).

Well it seems that I was trying to make up for the fact that three of the ladies could not drink because I drank enough for everyone! I seriously don't know how it happened. I think a lack of food, not enough water during the day and hosting duties blurred my ability to judge how much I was drinking. I managed to hold it together until everyone left - Kei said I didn't start acting drunk until then (lucky him!). Shortly after I went to bed I had to get up again and... I'll spare you the details. Needless to say I spent all day Sunday feeling under the weather which was much harder than it was in college when I didn't have a child demanding my attention. Luckily Thomas seemed content with crawling all over me as I lay on the grass outside, unwilling to move very much for fear of awakening the creature that was pounding the inside of my skull.

Note to self: hangovers are even less fun in your 30s. A hard learned lesson, that's for sure.

So, not much scrapping for me this weekend. I did submit one fun project for MDM which I can't show yet. And I am working on a LO for Jen Wilson's new challenge which is shaping up nicely.

This week is supposed to be a hot one! Two days over 100 degrees (that's almost 40 for those who subscribe to the Metric system). So look for many whining posts about the heat and how I can't use my laptop for fear of drowning in perspiration.

I will finish with a couple of quick photos that I took on July 4th. Not that you can tell that it's July 4th from the pictures. Who says boys and flowers don't go together? I think they work together beautifully. :)

Thanks for stopping by. :)

Nicole

Decisions, Decisions

If you've ever been through a major renovation project then you will surely relate to my morning adventure. We are about to embark on a renovation project that involves changing our 4 bedroom 1 bath house into a 5 bedroom 2 bath house - mostly by ripping off our top floor (almost - we're putting in a dormer right across the back of the house). And when I read through that I realize the house sounds much bigger than it is - It's really not, which is why we need to renovate.

Anyway, my point? Oh yes. I had to choose bathroom tile this morning. What a difficult process. I mean this is a major decision. If I don't like the end product then there's really no turning back right? But I did settle on a couple of key things - basically the bathroom will be white and I will add color with paint and accessories. I know it sounds boring but as my Mum always said - better to be safe than sorry. I also chose subway tile which may prove to be beyond our budget and will require some negotiation, but may as well reach for the stars right?

I also chose carpet, but that was somewhat easier. Plush, soft and neutral - can't go wrong right? The hardwood floors will be another story and I am very much in denial about that right now. So that was my morning in a nutshell. Jealous? :)

So if you're still awake, I have a couple of layouts to share. These are both for challenges - The first is for the Multi Photo Challenge at My Digital Muse. Tiff provides a template for this challenge and it contains a couple of little felt goodies.

Credits

The next is for the Focus on Photos Challenge on the Little Dreamer Designs blog. Now THAT's a challenge that I can definitely do. :) Sometimes you just need a bog photo on a page.

Credits

And quickly before I go. I totally stole this from Christine Smith's blog. It just so much fun to play with http://www.wildcard.jp.org/. :) Enjoy!

Until next time

Nicole

4th of July Bargains

Just have to share...

It's $2 Wednesday at MDM and Tara is selling THIS for $2. Crazy! (Papers included but not shown)

You should also know about this.

And don't forget the Bargain bin at Dani's store. Everything will be gone at the end of the month.

Happy Independence Day to my American friends.

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

A Jen Wilson Toot!

I have the layout of the week over at Jen Wilson Designs! :) I was nervous about uploading the page actually because it's so far from what I usually create - very messy and random. I should do more of these types of layouts though. I mean, really, it's just replicating what is in my head. :)

So... Here it is.

Credits here

Thanks for stopping by

Nicole

Happy Holiday Week Monday

It’s Monday morning and for the first time in a long time I feel like a really had a weekend. I feel like I actually achieved some things this weekend – and, wait for it – I exercised!! Some exercise was planned (bike riding) and some was as bi-product of working around the house. But that counts too! So here are the things I checked off on my list this weekend. I know you will be impressed. :)

1. Saturday morning: OR Zoo. Highlights were the elephants (aren’t they always?) and the goats in the petting zoo. Exercise: Walking. The OR zoo has many hills.
2. Saturday afternoon: Gardening – that’s if you count weeding as actual gardening. Exercise: 2 hours of bending and pulling things from the ground.
3. Saturday night – dinner at a neighbor’s house. Exercise: Pulling the kids off each other and walking up her stairs to take a look around the house (OK that was a stretch)
4. Sunday Morning: Bike ride to a local park and then down to the river. Exercise: 1 hour of bike riding – hills involved and often short of breath.
5. Sunday early afternoon: Walk to the grocery store for the weekly shopping. Exercise: 4 miles of walking (albeit at a slow pace), including 2 miles of pushing a very heavy stroller filled with groceries and one toddler.
6. Sunday late afternoon: Cleaned a VERY dirty BBQ. Exercise: 1 hour of rapid arm movements and squats to reach the difficult spots under the grill.

So there you have it – A very productive weekend balanced with lots of fun family time and PLENTY of exercise. Now if I could just stop eating chocolate…

Unfortunately it didn’t leave a lot of time for scrapping but I do have some Digi news to share. My Digital Muse is having a CT call for Digi and Hybrid artists. Details are in the July Muse – right at the very end so make sure you scroll down. And if you’re reading this blog then it is a given that you are very intelligent and creative so we would love to have you join the team. J

In other MDM news, there are a couple of great sales right now – you can find all the details in the July Muse. Make sure you don’t miss this crazy deal. Tara is selling her store for just $25. I hear a couple of other stores are up for grabs too so don’t miss out. Click on the image to go directly to her store.

And finally, my photo of the day – an ode to Oral Hygeine and Father/Son bonding.

Have a great Monday.
Nicole