In the Storm

project life | week 43

Wow! Week 43 documented. I love Project Life! If I don't ever scrap again any other way (which isn't going to happen - but if...) I want to continue Project Life. It truly is the photos + the stories.

I kept this week super simple - as per my usual - using elements and papers from Paislee Press's Day Planner kit. Little to no embellishments - just the photos and the stories.

When I ask Jeff to get pictures he does pretty darn good about doing just that. I was able to highlight fully their Saturday filled with working for the Lord by building Bethlehem for our church's Christmas production - the Journey (which is coming up in the beginning of December).

Another week down - and this week I completed quickly, just a couple of hours and called it good. Having it completed on Monday means I can concentrate on documenting the current week. Let's see how this goes.

project life | week 42

I think I'm back in the groove and I'm lovin' it.

I still love this project immensely and I see myself continuing to document our lives this way for years to come.

This week, as usual, I kept it super simple using mostly the Seafoam edition of Project Life with some 'matching' additional 3 x 4 journal cards in my digital stash. I also revisited a favorite technique of titling the photos, adding a dividing line, and a short journal piece. It just means I don't need to play with embellishments as the journal 'spot' becomes the embellishment. Fun for me!

I got a kick out of catching John and Jarrod all bundled up, in the house, doing their homework...and those gloves...what a riot! They are such silly gooses sometimes. And sure do make me laugh out loud.

Another busy weekend here at the Bowers household with lots of serving opportunities. Nothing was down to right our bedroom back into order and put the living room back together. Oh well, there is always next week.

project life | week 41

I've read a few posts on project life and how to stay on track and what to do if you do get off track, miss a few weeks because life gets super busy, or your just overwhelmed from life.

The one thing that seemed to be repeated in these particular posts by other project life scrapbookers, who are documenting their own crazy lives every week is, if you get behind complete the most recent week first. So that's what I did. I was a bit more purposeful about photos and catching at least some of our week so I could document the week.

As usual, even on weeks I am not behind, or rushed, or straining to keep up I kept it simple. We are deep engrained in a living room redo with wood flooring and new, but simple color. Some of that color showed up this week in the mail with some pillows and throws full of gorgeous hues. And, our small group came on Saturday and helped Jeff with the wood flooring in the master bedroom. Gorgeous! as Jeff put in the last plank of wood.

The cats give all of us, but especially Jeff, much pleasure. While we still are a family with five cats I wanted to make sure I documented their time with us.

I love my wood floors!!! I love my colorful living room!!!

project life | week 38

Still behind.

And because I've seen others do this and thought, "yeah, that would give me a breather"...I did it too, for week 38. And I'll do it for Week 39 and Week 40 to get caught up.

What did I do?

A one-page project life spread instead of two pages. And I'm sooo ok with that. I'll mean I'll have to work in some more one pagers so the album isn't off, but looking at the last two blurry weeks it won't be a problem.

All I remember about this week was preparations for wood flooring and the flooring going in plus a wonderful date night with Jeff that we squeezed in. That's what happens when I get behind and the days move into one.

And I'm ok with that. Except I really would like to be caught up by the end of the week.

project life | 37

I chickened out.

This week, week 37 was supposed to be A Week in Our LIfe. I have a ton of pictures to prove that I (we) participated. Lacking in the daily routine and journaling though.

And then there was the issue of being behind. Working full time leaves me little time for scrapbooking. Little time for 'stuff'. I get the important stuff done: homeschool, time with God, relationship but it is the other 'stuff' that gets left behind. I think this is, and there are seasons of life that we go through that this happens. In the last couple weeks I've been able to blog some and scrapbook some. Not quite caught up on project life (still a week behind) but getting there.

So I used Project Life Template A, Paislee Press papers and embellishments, and Ali Edwards days of the week journal cards. And that is it. I kept the photos 'as is' straight out of the camera. And this week turned out as one of my favorites. I love love the days of the week, unified in the center of the pages.

I mimicked 'circles' on the photos, the chevron patterned paper, and the uniform days of the week journal cards. So excited that it turned out this way.

more & less.

Inspired as usual by Lee from her post on more & less I knew that I had words to say about MORE & LESS. I don't always agree with Lee, but she sure does inspire me creatively, literarily, digitally (as she is a digital scrapbooker), and photographically (as she is an amazing photographer).

This exercise aligns beautifully with my One Little Word for 2013 - Simplify. And I agree wholeheartedly with Lee's understanding that there needs to be a balance between MORE & LESS.

It became a list of sorts of where I am right now. I was intentional about the MORE I included. I hope this list will serve as more than a reminder but a source for action.

I love both my lists of MORE & LESS and would like to revisit them in a month or so to see how I've applied them to my life.

On a side note, I plan on inserting these into my Project Life for this week. I purposefully made them white and gold - those will be my color choices for the week.

project life | 36 (playing catch up)

I am behind on Project Life and I hate that feeling. This brings me up to one week (last week) left to document and it was A Week in the Life with intense photos and documentation. Frankly, I put this week off because I had so few photos and I just didn't remember what happened in the week.

So, my solution?

I used this week to document our life right now. How we're doing school? The classes the boys are taking. All about homeschool co-op. Those little kittens that have taken over our front stoop. Our dates.

What we're reading. How we're reading. Cloud photos - of course. My walking habits. The boys' walking habits.

A little bit of this life and that life. And I love the colors of the pages together too. 

project life | 35

I do so love project life but it is hard to keep up with right now. But, I was able to push myself to get it done yesterday morning.

Primarily, I kept it super simple; my usual go-to scrapbooking style. I'm definitely not an embellishment girl. Give me the stories and the photos - although photos were pretty lacking this week.

We did, however happen to capture photos of all things food. Go figure.

Although the kittens seemed to be growing nicely as attested by the great picture, they are all gone now. We think a wild cat in the neighborhood had a paw in the action - just don't know.

And last night I ran over Thom in the drive way. I'd stopped to shoo him out of the way since he likes to plant himself right in the middle of the driveway where I need to pull in at night. He shooed but I didn't realize he didn't shoo enough. Heartwrenching.

project life | week 34

1. I choose black and white for the Week 34, 2-page project life.

2. Brownie had kittens

3. Our small group came over to help pull up the old, dingy, gross carpet and pad in preparation for our wood flooring.

4. I made them lunch of smoked pulled pork sandwiches.

5. Jeff and the boys attended a Men's Christian Conference, PIVOT - Battle Ready at the Civic Center with 1600 other men.

6. I'm adjusting to work and the boys are gaining alot of cooking experience.

7. We began Homeschool co-op on Friday - first day back of the school year. It went very well. Boys love all their teachers and meeting them and attending the first day of classes alleviated some stress and concern for the upcoming year of additional classes.

8. I'm super excited about this years Meteorology class that I'm teaching. I have 8 students who seem astute and like they are going to be a fun bunch.

Again - because this is how I'm rolling - kept it super simple creatively. Mostly, because I don't have the creative genes to do much else. But, love the black and white take on this weeks pages.

Help from our beloved small group. We had the most pictures of the week from the work done ripping out the carpet. Just a really huge blessing 

project life | week 33

I am forever on the lookout for inspiring Project Life pages and recently, while I was pinning and perusing the amazing project life pages that are out there I came across a page in which the Project Lifer used big white letter titles for each photo.

That totally captured my attention. Unfortunately, I don't remember where I saw it, or who it was and when I went back into my Project Life pinterest board it was nowhere to be found. I'm stumped why I didn't pin it!

But, it stuck in my mind. This week I knew I had to mimic the inspiration.

Sometimes, a week just comes together perfectly. I love everything about both pages of this week. The hints of red and yellow, with the big bold photo titles, I think, look amazing together.

...and our wood flooring is going to be amazing. And our date nights are fantastic. And school is crazy - but good. And my working full time still feels like an adjustment.

After few photos to choose from, Jeff came through with some iphone photos from our date - Go Hoosier Man! Just a normal, good week