find joy in the journey

5 tips for new Cub Scout moms

After a 5 1/2 year run, we recently closed the Cub Scout chapter in our family.  Payton turned 11 which means he is officially in Boy Scouts.  And with Scott as the Scoutmaster I couldn't be more excited for the 3 of them and the fun things they will get to do together.

Part of me was a little sad to say good-bye to Cub Scouts.  Just look at those sweet boys ready to cheer on their cars at the pinewood derby! I really enjoyed the program and I was even a Den Leader over a group of 12 Bears and Wolves for a year or so.  

When we attended Payton's crossover at the Blue & Gold Banquet this month it was so fun to watch a whole new group of boys enter the program and receive their Bobcat.  To look at those boys and look at Payton now -- I thought of all the growing, learning, and doing that has occurred over the past 3 years.  A lot!  There were so many great opportunities for him to learn and explore and play and serve.

So, as a veteran Cub Scout mom I thought I would share a few helpful tips for new Cub Scout moms as you begin this chapter.

1.  Buy a BIG Cub Scout shirt.  I'm talking 2 sizes too big.  Yes, they will look a little ridiculous at first.  But over the course of 3 years and they will grow into it.  Otherwise, you reach the beginning of the Webelos year and they can't even button their shirt closed (which looks really silly at pack meeting) and you will have to remove the patches from the 1st shirt and sew them a second time onto the new shirt.  That is way too much work.  Just get a big shirt to begin with and you'll be happier.

2.  Read the handbook.  Just about any question that you have in Cub Scouts will be answered by reading the Wolf/Bear/Webelos handbook.  It's all there, I promise.  Patch placement . . . how to earn gold/silver arrows . . . how to pronounce Akela . . . The Cub Scout program and the process of earning achievements may seem confusing at first, but if you sit down and read the handbook it will all make sense.

3.  Work on achievements at home.  From experience I know that the den leaders cannot do it all.  There's not enough time.  And the group attention span is very short.  There happen to be several requirements each year that have to be done at home - family outings, creating a fire escape plan, inspect the home for safety hazards, etc.  When my boys were in Cub Scouts I enjoyed turning the achievements into a family activity -- cover a Character Connection topic at Family Home Evening, work on activity badges or belt loops as a family during spring or summer break.  The younger kids always love participating in this stuff.

4.  Wear layers to pack meeting.  This is for you, mom.  When your boy earns a badge, you will also earn a mother's pin and your boy will need to pin it on your shirt in front of everyone at pack meeting.  Nothing is more awkward than your 8 year old son having to stick his hand down (or up) your shirt to affix a pin.  To avoid flashing the other parents & scouts at pack meeting please wear a cardigan.  It works perfectly.  

Or better yet, purchase (or make) a "mother's pin brag ribbon".  I learned about these in just the past year and it is genius!  The pins go straight on the ribbon and not your shirt. Plus it keeps them all safe in one place.  Those little buggers can get lost easily.  The hardest part is just remembering to bring it to pack meeting.  Search pinterest for ideas or visit your local Scout shop or etsy to purchase one.  I finally bought one last month . . . there will be more mother's pins to come in Boy Scouts.

5.  Have fun.  Maybe I was ahead of the curve because I was raised in a family of 4 boys, but I know that sometimes it can be hard for moms to embrace the boy stuff because it is messy, high-energy, and loud.  (But you know what, girls are crazy too.)  I found that when I just accepted the 8 year old boy mindset, remembering that it's all about having a party and helping my son to learn & achieve goals, it all just worked.  Cub Scouts will be crazy, goofy, and silly at times.  I say belt out your best sea lion cheer and enjoy it!

One more p.s. note . . . . Volunteer to assist your den & pack however much you are able -- be an extra helper at den meetings, Scouting for Food, hikes, field trips, and especially day camp.  Your boys will love you for it.

today I . . .

. . . . woke up at 5:30am.  I was supposed to wake up at 5:15 and get on the elliptical machine for 20 minutes.  But instead I ignored my alarm, and finally after Scott's prodding I dressed in my workout clothes, a sweater (we've turned off the heater), and crept downstairs to take care of emails and such.

. . . . walked the kids to school.  We found a teeny tiny baby scorpion on our way. And then I continued on a walk/jog by myself while listening to a Power of Moms podcast.  Total distance: 3.34 miles.

. . . . had a major shampoo/conditioner fail which left my hair super greasy after blow-drying.  Yuck.  Ponytail to the rescue.

. . . . went to religion class and sat with my empty nester friends.  We chatted about church activities and why it's so great for the young moms to be friends with the old moms/grandmas and vice versa.  Wish more young moms understood that.  Then we learned all about Samuel the Lamanite, Gadianton robbers, signs of Christ's coming, and what happens when you forget God.  Bad things.

. . . . ate my 300 calorie Healthy Choice lunch outside by the pool.  Because I can.

. . . . planned, schemed, and dreamed with friends over social media.  

. . . . opened up the doors to let the fresh air in.  I've got to enjoy this weather as much as I can before it gets too HOT.

. . . . toted the boys to and from piano lessons.  Piano festival is this weekend!  I think they are ready, but still there will be lots of practicing this week.

. . . . tried to teach a piano lesson to Anna.  But then she got really huffy so we ended it.  An hour later we tried again and she was much more agreeable.  Today she learned all about staccato.  Last week we covered legato.

. . . . cooked up some spaghetti, peas, and a baguette for dinner.  Anna loves peas.  Payton loves the hamburger meat in the sauce.  Conner loves the plain sauce and picks out the meat. I just love it when they eat and don't complain.

. . . . did a few loads of laundry, some pool cleaning, broke up the ceiling-rattling commotion from the kids, delivered berry order forms for Relief Society, reminded Payton to memorize the Preamble, listened to the kids jump on the trampoline after sunset, assigned Anna to empty all the trash cans, thanked Conner for setting the table on his own initiative, dished out ice cream after dinner, and waited for Scott to come home from a late meeting.

Just a normal, wonderful day.

project life 2014 // grand canyon to PDX

For this spread I decided to combine two little trips that happened on the same weekend, but with our family split in half.

Scott and I were enjoying our layover in Portland with friends.

And the kids were off exploring the Hoover Dam, Grand Canyon, and Bearizona with my parents.

 

Because I was not part of the kids' trip, I asked each of them to write about one of the places they visited.  I handed over my Jade core kit and they each got to choose a card and write whatever they wanted.  (Penmanship and spelling are not among our strengths.)

And here is the right side -- our afternoon in Portland.  That 3-photo pocket in the middle was the perfect way to separate the two trips and provide space for more photos.

Some journaling around the photo below.  This was an instagram photo I swiped from Paige and re-sized to 3x5 inches.  I liked the way the white frame around this photo and the one on the bottom right helped to create a little more visual space.

I knew that these "around town" photos would make a perfect backdrop for one of Ali Edwards' digital stamps.  So much fun!

PRODUCTS USED:

Core Kit - Jade Edition

Photo Pocket Pages - Design A

American Crafts 6x12 (3-4x6) Photo Pocket

Project Life Journaling Pens

Ali Edwards - No Day Like Today 4x6 Sentiment Boxes

Project Life is a back to basics approach to memory keeping. I've been dabbling in Project Life since Becky Higgins released the first kit in 2009.  I love that it is simple, streamlined, and keeps the focus on the photos and the memories. (The extra supplies & design-y stuff is totally optional.)  Learn more about it HERE.

sunday thoughts: temple doors

I posted this photo on instagram a few weeks ago with the caption:  "Through these doors we gain a window to heaven."

I truly felt that way when I walked out of the temple that day.  It was a special day -- I felt touched by the Spirit, I felt like I had been taught, I felt the immense love of my Heavenly Father and Savior.

And then I was reminded of those feelings when I read this quote in our lesson that Sunday:

"The gratitude of our hearts should be filled to overflowing in love and obedience for [the Savior’s] great and tender mercy. For what he has done we should never fail him." -Joseph Fielding Smith

My gratitude overflows when I think of all that Jesus Christ has done for me.  I know that he prepared a way for me and my family to return to live with him someday.  And that path is through the temple.  

Each day in our family prayers we pray that the kids will prepare now to be worthy to go to the temple someday.  That is the goal.  And beyond that the task is to live a life that is righteous and good, keeping the commandments, enduring to the end.

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men.  Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.  2 Nephi 31:20

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * 

More about temples HERE

photobombing 101

Have you ever watched Studio C?  It's a sketch comedy show on BYUTV -- very clean humor, very silly.  And my kids think it is hilarious.  They love the Awkward Viking, the Shoulder Angel, and so much more.  There was a sketch called Photobombing 101 (watch it HERE) and they have since taken it upon themselves to photobomb whenever and however possible.

I have to say that Payton's most recent execution of photobombing is by far the most creative.  And pretty epic.

When I later pulled up this photo on my phone I could not stop laughing.  Little stinker!

So this is my blog friend Camille from Friday We're in Love.  She's from Arizona but we just happened to run into each other at the Salt Lake Tabernacle while watching Music and the Spoken Word.  How crazy, right?!  At the end of the program I stood, clapping for the choir, when I glanced up to the balcony and spotted Camille & her husband Jacob.  I thought, "I know her!"  So while Scott ran Anna to a bathroom, the boys and I made our way over to her.  And snapped this photo to remember.

Camille runs a great blog chock full of dating ideas.  That is how we "met" online.  After seeing my Year of Dates she put one together for her husband as a Christmas gift, and I followed along.  She & her husband have made a commitment to date weekly and I am ever impressed with the creative, unique, and fun things they do.  Check her out!

10 things right now // Payton

 

1.  At least 10 times a day we can count on you saying, "I know, right?"  It's kind of your phrase and every time you say it dad and I just look at each other and try not to laugh.  Especially after recently reading an article about current slang and "I know right??" was number 2.

2.  You love ferrets and your dream is to own 10 ferrets when you are a grown up.  Last week you told us that you plan to have 5 boy ferrets and 5 girl ferrets to which dad replied, "Well I guess that means you're going to have 600 ferrets."  We recently discovered that someone in our ward actually owns a ferret and we are planning to visit their house soon.

3.  One of your lunch favorites is a bagel with cream cheese.

4.  Your life pretty much revolves around Pokemon and one character in particular . . . . Rotom.  You talk endlessly about having a Rotom themed bedroom -- sheets, posters, FatHead, lampshade, etc. In fact you took it upon yourself to print out Rotom images and tape them to your lampshade.  

5. In art class you got to create a paper mache mask and you decided to design yours after . . . . Rotom.  Of course.  It turned out pretty amazing and was chosen with just 3 or 4 others to hang in the front office of the school. 

6. You have spent the last 5 weeks learning everything there is to know about Steve Jobs, writing a paper about him, making a poster, and presenting a memorized script in a Living Museum.  You did a fantastic job in all parts.

7.  You turned 11 this month which means that you have finished Cub Scouts and moved onto Boy Scouts!  I asked if you were happy or sad to be done with Cub Scouts and you said "in the middle."  At last month's pack meeting you received your Arrow of Light and tonight at the Blue & Gold dinner you got to Cross-over.

8.  Other than squabbles with your sister, these days you are generally happy, easy going, and quick to obey.  I quite like it very, very much.

9.  You have made some great friends at school.  In fact, one of them took it upon himself to collect extra candy from the Valentine's party when you missed it (I pulled you out early to go to Utah).  And then he saved the candy over the long weekend to give to you.

10.  Your birthday date request this year is to go to the LEGO movie and dinner at T.G.I.Friday's.  We checked off the LEGO movie with a family matinee and I think the movie was everything you hoped it would be.  "Everything is awesome!"  

our ski and waffle weekend

When we saw a 4 day weekend on the February school calendar it didn't take long for us to decide that we needed to spend it skiing in Utah.  And eating waffles.

THURSDAY:

I pulled the kids out of school at lunch time so we could get a head start on the road.  Can you believe that I have never pulled my kids out of school early?  I had a hard time believing it.  They thought it was pretty awesome.  Anna said that when they called her name over the classroom intercom her entire class erupted into a choir of sad voices, "Ahh, we'll miss you Anna!  We love you Anna!"  She was loving it.

6 hours later we made it to Provo and our first order of business was to visit Waffle Love.  Ohhh, they are amazing.  Do you see that scoop of cream?  Ah-mazing.  If ever in Provo you must visit their shop or track down one of the Waffle Love trucks.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.

FRIDAY:

Ski day!  But first, some Valentine love for the kids.  They each got some warm socks and chocolate.

Papa Dennis was able to join us for skiing.  Which was great because this was the first year that all 3 kids were going to be on the mountain and Scott would definitely need an extra set of hands.  I planted myself in my usual spot -- in the lodge, with a book -- and sent everyone off with a hug and smiles.

Anna did great. She had great balance.  She was going for it.  Gliding right along

And then on her 3rd run she had a big crash and that was it for her.  I consoled her in the lodge for a short while and then Scott made her go out for one more run.  His philosophy is that you can't end the day with a bad run.  Gotta get out there one more time!

And she did, but after that she was really done.

The boys kept skiing and had a great time.  I think the final run count was 10 or 12.  Conner made sure to get in a few races -- with Papa and then with dad -- and Scott said that he was able to hold his own.  I can tell that Conner is going to be a great skier.  He just loves it.

We piled in the car to drive back down to Salt Lake and Anna was asleep in less than 5 minutes.  Back at the hotel we hit the hot tub and then joined Dennis & Valerie in the hotel lobby for a Valentine's Day dinner of pizza and visiting.  We love hanging out on the big leather couches by the fireplace.  It's a great place to just chill.

SATURDAY:

We met Dennis & Valerie and Randy & Kate at the Grand America Hotel for breakfast.  Two words . . . crepe bar.  It was wonderful!  Anna thought that the hotel was too fancy -- it made her uncomfortable for some reason.  Looks like I need to work on teaching that girl about the finer things in life!  And Payton thought the artwork was creepy.  Which really, it kinda was.

The rest of the day we spent driving around hitting up some of our favorite spots and some new spots:  the ferris wheel at Scheel's, J-Dawgs for lunch, Dear Lizzie shop in Alpine, Sweet Tooth Fairy for cupcakes, a LEGO Movie matinee,

. . . . and more waffles!  

Seriously, this was not in our plan to do waffles a second time.  But we pulled into the parking lot at Dear Lizzie and what do you know, the Waffle Love truck was sitting right there!  It was meant to be.  When the universe tells me to eat waffles, I obey.

SUNDAY:

Before leaving town we thought it would be great to go watch a taping of Music and the Spoken Word in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.  This is a weekly program that is broadcast every Sunday -- the Mormon Tabernacle Choir sings several songs & hymns, and there is an uplifting spoken message to go along with it.  We watch it most Sundays on BYUTV while we are getting ready for church. Anybody, age 8 and older, can attend the live 30 minute broadcast.  No tickets needed.

Anyways, because Anna is now 8 years old our family was finally checked out to attend the live broadcast.  We arrived early and got great seats.  It was really interesting to watch the choir and orchestra do a rehearsal run-through.  The kids loved watching the cameras moving around.

It was a beautiful program!  Scott fell in love with the song "Sunrise, Sunset" from the Fiddler on the Roof.  The John Rutter arrangement of "For the Beauty of the Earth" was just magical.  And Payton was bopping his head along to the final number, "This Land is Your Land". 

When it ended we took a quick picture, but Anna was sporting her I-need-to-go-to-the-bathroom-right-now face.  Half-way into the live program she pokes us to let us know she needs the bathroom.  Sorry, girly.  You just gotta hold it!

One more photo and we were out of there.

It was a great family getaway.  We got to experience a little bit of winter, which was great, because we returned home to 81 degree temps.  Seriously?  It's February!

story sunday // ski

This weekend we took the family to Utah for skiing.  We make sure the kids get to ski at least once a year -- and usually it is just that, once a year.  When telling others about an upcoming ski trip inevitably I get the question, "do you ski?"  

My answer: "No. I just sit in the lodge, help with wet/tired kids, or I walk outside to watch Scott and the kids come down the slope."

I did try skiing once.  Let me tell you about it.

In 2001 we were visiting Scott's parents in Idaho for Christmas, I believe.  His brother Kevin and wife Lisa were also there.  The boys wanted to go skiing, but neither Lisa nor I had ever been.  They convinced us that this was a perfect opportunity to try it out.

So Dennis (my father-in-law), Scott, Kevin, Lisa and I packed up in the suburban and headed up to Pomerelle for a day of skiing.  The photo above was taken in the parking lot after we arrived and got geared up.  The boys checked us girls into a ski lesson for the day and off they went to have some fun.

(I was recently telling this story to Anna and she said, "They have ski lessons for grown-ups?"  Yep.) 

I believe that Lisa and I were the only two people in the ski class that day.  Which was great.  We had some good individualized attention from the ski instructor.  We learned how to make a "pizza", how to walk in skis, and I learned that the poles are really of no use and the boots really hurt.  Then over and over again we held onto the tow rope as it pulled us to the top of the bunny hill and we tested our new skills as we glided down.

It was somewhat doable.  But a little nerve-wracking for this girl who does not necessarily do adventure sports.

At lunchtime the boys found us and they decided that we needed to try the real mountain.  Of course they would be right at our sides to help us all along the way.  Right?

Up we went on the chair lift.  When we got to the top I was surprised to learn that the ski run wasn't just right there.  We had to walk (or in my case, shimmy) over to the run.  I was not so great at walking in the skis so it was a real challenge and I was nearly frustrated before we even began.  

Once we got to the top of the run I looked down and thought, what have I got myself into.  Even though it was the easiest rated slop on the hill it just looked scary!  Scott coaxed me to follow him (which sounded crazy -- what if I fall and you don't even know because I'm in your snow dust and I'm stuck and I can't get up?!).  Somehow he finally convinced me to go.  I guess because it was my only option.

As so we began.  As you can imagine there was a lot of falling.  I couldn't get myself to stand back up.  Then I couldn't figure out how to steer.  I couldn't slow myself down.  I'm sure I ran into 1 or 2 people, yelling the whole time "watch out!" because any attempts to change direction on my part was useless.  When we got to the bottom of the slope, even though we were on level-ish ground, I still couldn't stop and ended up running into the orange fence netting by the chair lift.  And falling.  Of course there was a line of people there to watch it all.

Scott, even though seeing my struggle down the hill, was still optimistic.  Want to go down again?

Ha.  Ha-ha. Ha-ha-ha ha.  No.

Scott, "But everyone falls and has a hard time their first day skiing."

I'm sure they do.  I basically told him that I could not see myself enjoying this.  It was not fun.  And more-so I did not like the speed combined with feeling out of control.  He conceded that yes, that is a part of skiing (but he likes that feeling).

And then I saw all the hopes & dreams of "having a family that skis" fade from his eyes.  He was seriously disappointed that I was not into it.  I apologized, but there really wasn't anything else I could do.  I gave it a shot and I really did not like it.  Terror does not equal fun for me.

I tried to reassure him that there were plenty of other things our family could do or that our family could "be". And we had plenty of years ahead of us to discover just what.

We went back home and for the next 2 days I couldn't walk.

Over the years Scott has taken it upon himself to get the kids into skiing -- beginning at age 5-ish he placed them in a full-day lesson, and then somewhere around age 8 they start on the slopes.  And I come along as the helper.  I hang out in the lodge.  I take care of kids who are wet, tired, or need to use the bathroom.  I spend the day walking back and forth to check on whichever child is in ski lessons.  I usually bring a book, but not much reading happens.  And somewhere in there I drink a hot chocolate or two.

So even though I don't get on the slopes, we are still a skiing family.

In conjunction with Story Sunday I plan to share one idea, resource, or bit of inspiration to assist others with sharing & recording their story.

RootsTech is a family history and technology conference that was held in Salt Lake City last week.    "RootsTech is a unique conference to help you discover and share your family stories and connections."

When I first heard about this conference my heart jumped.  It fits my one little word - story - perfectly! I would have loved to have attended, but we were going to be in Utah one week too late.  :(

But, I learned that now you can access many of the keynote addresses and class presentations through videos online!  Sweet!

Check out the videos HERE

The opening keynote was given by Ree Drummond, aka The Pioneer Woman.  And the Saturday keynote was given by Stephanie Nielson of the NieNie Dialogues.  She blogs about her experience HERE.

What a great line-up!  I haven't watched any of the videos yet, but I plan to very soon.

On Saturday of the conference they held a free Family Discovery Day for families to come take classes and explore the exhibit hall.  In a keynote titled "Find Your Cousins", by Neil L. Andersen he talked to youth about the exciting role that they can have in discovering their own family history.  I think that is awesome that it can become a family project.

If you want to know why we (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) care about Family History go HERE.

photo walk // downtown portland

A cold, but sunny January morning in downtown Portland.

Things that caught my attention: brilliant sunlight, sidewalk pavers, old architecture & detail, decorative manhole covers, wide open green spaces, tree-lined streets, red brick

the best 6 hour layover

One of the coolest parts of our recent trip to Maui was that we were able to fit in a stop to Portland, courtesy of a 6 hour layover in our itinerary.  It was like two trips in one!

We made plans to meet up with our dear friends in downtown Portland for lunch.  Scott and I hopped on the MAX at the airport and enjoyed the 40 minute ride into downtown.  Can I just tell you . . . being back in that city just puts a huge smile on my face and fills my heart.  I just can't help it!

And when we reunited at the corner of 2nd and Morrison it was just plain awesome.

Seriously, I always pinch myself for being lucky enough to hook up with this group of ladies years ago.

So the 8 of us -- Mark & Jenn, Scott & I, Brian & Paige, Spencer & Nicole -- enjoyed a great lunch at Rock Bottom.  The boys on one end of the table and the girls on the other end.  :)  (Sheila & Brian weren't able to join us - they were missed!)

Plus it was such a beautiful day!  It was cold, but the sun was shining and the sky was full of blue.

After lunch Brian & Paige needed to head back home, but we still had a few hours to kill so the rest of us went to the Portland Chinese Garden.  Why not?  We're into trying new things.  And we couldn't say goodbye just yet!

The best part of walking around the garden was knowing how much it pained the men.  Haha!  But they were really good sports and we could count on plenty of sarcastic comments from the bunch.

My favorite though, was when we decided to pose for this photo

And this was our view.

This photo makes me giggle.  But really, I think how lucky we are to have such patient, understanding, and supportive husbands who go along with our whims to visit Chinese gardens and know what to do when we hand over our phones & cameras.  And I think of all the times they have held down the fort at home so that we could have our girls' nights, scrapbook & craft nights, Bunco, crazy Twilight adventures, pedi-parties, roadtrips, a beach weekend, and Christmas weekends in Portland.  (Okay, getting a bit misty here!)  Seriously lucky that they have supported - and continue to support - our friendship.  I think that is huge.

Soon it was time for us to go back to the airport.  Kinda sad.  But really, I was feeling more giddy and happy than anything!  This couldn't have worked out more perfectly.  Truly.

What a fantastic start to our vacation.

churros for everyone

On Saturday night we all went to Costco.  Because we were out of toilet paper.  Like, competely out.

So we figured, what the hey, let's have dinner while we're at it.

Everyone got to choose one menu item - pizza, hot dog, ice cream, or smoothie - and then Scott threw in a churro for everyone just to make it feel special.

And then Payton had me cracking up with a totally random nacho impersonation (you probably had to be there) and it took me about 6 takes before I finally captured it on video.

Sometimes I just really love random nights like this.

cheesy onion bread

Hey there.

Earlier this year I set up a facebook page for this blog.  I was totally going out on a wing there (scary!), but it was something I had been thinking about for a while.  And so far it has gone really well!  Thanks to everyone who has taken a second to "like" my page!

I use the page primarily to share links to new blog posts.  But, for those who are not following me on facebook I thought I would let you know that from time to time I share little tips, recipes, or simple ideas.  Things that I think others might find interesting or useful.

One of those little things was this:   

Doesn't it look amazing?  It's called Bloomin' Onion bread and I made it to go along with dinner the other night.  And I can tell you that it most definitely tasted ah-mazing.  I found the recipe HERE.

So if you'd like to get mouth-watering photos like this in your newsfeed head on over and check out my Facebook page.  I wouldn't want anyone to feel like they are missing out.

project life 2014 // maui

Here's a little secret . . . . our last two vacations to Hawaii are not documented in a scrapbook or photo album anywhere.  Yes, I wrote about those trips on my blog.  But I have zero tangible real-life photos or albums in existence at this point.  Ack!

So when we returned from our trip last month I was determined to get some highlight photos into our 2014 Project Life album.  Pronto.

And that was the focus for my spread this week -- the photos.  I took almost 300 photos on our trip so I could have filled up many pages in this album.  But I decided to keep it to just one spread, with one small insert.  Here's a look:

The left hand page is super simple.  Photos and one 3x4 card from the Jade edition.  Anna helped me choose it.  I turn to her often when I'm trying to decide on a 3x4 card for a particular layout.  She's my little design assistant.

The insert is a Design J photo pocket page.  The 4x4 pockets fit some of my favorite instagram shots.  I created the "Maui" card in Photoshop Elements -- I used the eye-dropper tool to select a blue from the ocean photo and used that as the background layer.  The other 3x4 slots are filled with cardstock and post-its from our hotel that I cut down to size and journaled on.  I love the nature art elements -- they complement the photos so perfectly!

 And the backside of the insert.

For the last page I used a Design D photo pocket page and all the photos are from our drive on the road to Hana.  I used my big camera the most that day, and got the best photos of our trip, so this was a perfect way to showcase some of my favorites.

The photo on the bottom right was created in Photoshop Elements on a 4x6 canvas.  I included a 3x4 photo, colored the remaining 3x4 background layer to a dark brown/grey that matched the photos (again, using the eyedropper tool), and added a title and text.  Flatten all the layers and print it out as a single 4x6 photo.

I love how this spread turned out.  Very, very little journaling, but the variety of photos is enough to trigger a wealth of memories and remind me exactly how this vacation felt.  

Additionally, this is just another reason why Project Life is so great.  You can add photos and journaling about the day to day stuff - which is awesome.  But you can also simplify it even further and just fill it with photos - which is also awesome.  It truly works with whatever your needs are.

 

PRODUCTS USED:

Jade Edition

Photo Pocket Pages - Design A

Photo Pocket Pages - Design D

Photo Pocket Pages - Design J

Project Life Journaling Pens

Font - Bebas Neue 

 

Project Life is a back to basics approach to memory keeping. I've been dabbling in Project Life since Becky Higgins released the first kit in 2009.  I love that it is simple, streamlined, and keeps the focus on the photos and the memories. (The extra supplies & design-y stuff is totally optional.)  Learn more about it HERE.

women of god

The above quotes & frames were part of the amazing decor for a Women's Conference that I attended yesterday.  Someone with some amazing art skills hand-wrote all those quotes.  Really.

The keynote speaker was Margaret Nadauld, former General Young Women President for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (1997-2002).  She has a quote -- referenced above -- that is quite popular among women in the church.

"Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity."  -Margaret Nadauld, The Joy of Womanhood

What a powerful message and reminder that we truly need to be women of God and different from women of the world.  She was quoted again in our last General Conference by D. Todd Christofferson when he spoke about the moral force of women.

She was such a sweet lady and it was wonderful to hear her words about womanhood, our value, our role, and how we can work to improve ourselves by making a plan and setting goals.

Do you have a vision of what you'd like to become?

master bedroom fireplace

I am so excited to share our new fireplace with you today!!

This Christmas my family did a whole handmade Christmas thing for our gift exchange.  As a gift my dad offered us free labor for one home improvement project.  Sweet!  My dad is about as handy as it comes.  He can design, build, fix, and renovate just about anything.  Anything.  So when he gave us this gift my wheels started turning.

AND I knew that they were coming just a few weeks later to watch the kids while we were in Hawaii so it would be perfect timing to fit in a little project.

I settled on our master bedroom fireplace.  It was doable in just a few days, I had a design idea, and it would cross something off my "home to-do" list that would probably never make it to the top.

Let me give you a look at the BEFORE

Just blah.  Cheap tile.  Ugly grout.  That brass.  (And yes, the carpet and baseboards are on my "home to-do" list as well.)

But seriously, the grout.  Let me give you a closer look.

Why would you ever EVER choose that color of grout?  Orange, terracotta.  Yuck.  And if you'll notice on the far left, the previous homeowners painted right over the tiles.  Yep!  Not exactly sure what the plan was there.

You see that we have vaulted ceilings and the fireplace takes up a big corner of the room.  It's what you see when you first walk in the room.  It needed some serious help!

I searched around Pinterest a bit and chose THIS as my inspiration photo.  I loved the blue glass tile, the trim on the hearth, and the rustic wooden mantle.  THIS was another example of what I was going for -- glass tile, crisp white trim.  

Because it was a small project I could splurge a bit on nicer tiles.  I found these 12x12 mosaic glass tiles at Home Depot for $8.97.  They were perfect with just a hint of blue/green and I loved the staggered rectangular shape.  Like a mini subway tile.

In the beginning I considered white stacked stone (which is gorgeous), but I'm glad I went with glass tile.  Because, look at this!

 

Isn't it beautiful?!  It totally changes the room and pushes the sophistication up a few notches.

Clean whites, spa blue, greys, light natural woods . . . . that has been our master bedroom color scheme for a while now and I just love it.  It is so relaxing.  

Now that this project is done I am itching to paint the master bedroom!  In a perfect world we would have painted the bedroom before this project, but there just wasn't enough time.

That beige on the walls will become a very light, cool grey.  And I want to use a dark shade of blue/green (in the same color family as the tiles) on the wall behind our bed.  Our bed & bedding are white so it should look really cool.  A nice pop in the room.

One of my favorite parts about the fireplace is the white trim on the base.  By trimming out the "bench" and filling in the empty space with white paint it makes the entire unit look like a built-in piece.  More substantial and intentional.  I like it.

I would like to install a mantle like the one in my inspiration photo.  But that will be a project for another time.

For the hearth I chose these porcelain tiles from local tile shop (at $2.50 each).  It is a perfect base because it doesn't compete with the glass tile

At first we were going to use the glass tiles on the hearth but then I got to thinking about how easily they might scratch or crack if we dropped something there, or threw our keys on the bench or whatever.  Makes me cringe just thinking about it.  So I'm glad we switched to this.

My dad did such a wonderful job on this project!  And can I just tell you how fun it was to come home from Hawaii to find this in our bedroom?  What a great gift after a wonderful vacation.  So spoiled!

And now I get to enjoy this view from my bed.  It is pretty amazing.  Thanks dad!

 One last look: