Moms Are Awesome

I've come to realize over the course of this year, how important regular interjections of scripture are for my life. I prefer to have them come to me as opposed to seeking them... and for me, the best place to give up my woes and receive the Word is in church. Thank goodness my local MOPS group meets at a very close to my home church; I can usually attend the once-a-month meetings. In fact, there are times when I know, I need to be there.

Being a mom can involve a lot of hard work. Gratifying of course, but still. For someone like me who is for the most part quite selfish, all this giving of myself without expectation of return can at times be trying. Enter my fellow moms who are experiencing the very same trials. Blessings from Heaven, these acquaintances who have become friends help me to cherish these times instead of constantly counting down "how much longer till they move out?"
So, meetings usually go something like this:

One of my favorite smiling faced friends
with one of my favorite craft projects  <3
WINNER!

Kids and I arrive ten minutes after the official start time of 9:30. My seat is always saved, and I sometimes drop a dish off at the overflowing brunch potluck table and then escort my children downstairs to spend time with devoted childcare volunteers. Back up I go to fill my plate with yummies and then make my way smiling and helloing to the table I've been assigned to.
There are prizes for getting pregnant, having babies, being born yourself, and speakers galore to gain wisdom and insight from. There are hilarious stories shared, as well as grief stricken implorations to enjoy every day as if it were your last one to love with.
Amongst my table mates there are also discussion questions that allow us to share as much or as little as we're comfortable with. I usually can't keep my mouth shut or my tears from flowing, and there are listening ears and tissues at the ready too. Finally, after all the plates are collected and we're feeling quite giddy with the atmosphere of love that has been built up by an hour of celebrating life's realities- or maybe it's just a sugar high- we break for CRAFTS!
Can you guess this is always an exciting moment for me :-)
I usually try to leave a few moments before closing to avoid the rush of collecting the kiddo's and then it's home for lunch and reflection on all the values I recognize as being part of the joy of living. It's truly awesome, how many times I get just what I need from that Monday morning to carry me through to the next month's get together.
Sometimes I need the comfort of being part of a larger crowd of like-minded individuals to feel like, all this- the ups, the downs, the joy and sadness, the waiting and the wishing it was overs, the being afraid, the knowing how well I'm doing- all this is so worth being a part of. Who could ask for anything more?

 

Color Wheel Challenge, Kit Reveal, & CK Portland Review

 

 If you were to click on the word "challenge" from the search list on the right hand side of this blog, you'd be able to tell by the number of posts that came up, how much I love a good challenge. A few years ago, I even challenged myself to scrapbooking 30 layouts in the month of June- and succeeded!

The latest challenge over at Shimelle.com is to scrapbook with the color wheel in an unusual way; using split complimentary colors. "Split complementary means choosing one colour to start, then going straight across the wheel to the opposing colour and instead of that central colour, choosing the one either side."- Shimelle.

I also love to be resourceful when it comes to my patterned paper. Truth be told, it's a compulsion to savor each pretty printed sheet in it's entirety. I've been working on using the beauty I have in supply instead of continuing to hoard the ones I've pay money for. The physical cost, the joy of purchasing remembered when I see favorites, the textures of some, like the Indi Chic print from My Mind's Eye, at left.

When I went down to Portland for the Creative Keepsakes Convention with my mom and brother a few weeks ago,  it was with the intent to bring home some intel on what's to come over the next couple months in the scrapbooking industry. That, and to sit in on some classes as a volunteer. Oh, and to celebrate my younger brother's upcoming 30th birthday. Let me tell you how thrilled he was to be helping out when all 10 of the drying tools wouldn't work in our mixed media assist! And you know the ladies enjoyed seeing his smile- we shared the same orthodontist.

You'll see the artsy layout I made to commemorate that trip tomorrow, when I (gasp!) guest blog for my scrapbooking savior (Glitter Girl) Shimelle Lain. Today, I played with the contents of my Bible Journal Society kits. The die cuts are vivid and have a doodled or handrawn look that is so on trend, I can't help but adore them! Bo Bunny in bright, watercolored hues of turquoise and green are offset by orange and brown.

The focal photo is of my Grandmother's side of the family reunion, and the large arrow in the middle points to her and my Great Uncle, Grant. Preserving the handwritten year and family name were essential.

 Stretching my supplies is also a must for me, and there are layers of cut-apart frames behind the large quote at the right. All of these colors from Basic Grey in the background compliment the vibrantly hued curtain behind this group photo.
Complimenting the story of this family's migration to North America from Norway are a big bold globe, with arrows pointing to the respective countries. Word sentiments included in the set are so versatile, I don't even have to include journaling :-) But one thing I will do is put this pic up on facebook and ask my  relatives to identify their kin. Technologically enhanced scrapbooking, will this be my next big focus? hmmm.


Once I'd finished this layout, I couldn't just put my leftover pieces of paper away, of course I had to create one more layout! It has been a beautiful summer day, I was scrappin' outside in all of God's glory (read:bikini) and here I had the die cuts to exclaim my appreciation. Couple these bits with a devotional read through written by one of my favorite kit designers, and it was easy to whip up another page with a single candid photo of my girls about a year and a half ago.

That look on Sunday's face... What a little toughie.

Growing up isn't easy. There are all sorts of fears that young children face. There are simple times of joy when I want to sing it from the back pasture, Girls, don't ever feel alone!, and the watercolor quote on the left with the printed sentiment is then perfectly echoed by that pretty block on the right.   It would be fun to get some colored pencils, markers, or paints out to play against that bold black doodled designs Shelby came up with.

The amount of love that is included in each of these kits has actually been a little moving. From the sentiments, book marks, rub-ons, washi-tape, die-cuts etc, to the words and references in the included devotionals, my thoughts naturally gravitated towards appreciation for my family - and the time they afford me to pursue my pursuit for Craft Diva Superstardom!
I've had a surprising amount of mini albums surface from the depths of my craft space, and put a little kraft covered, twine closing cutie from Close To My Heart to good use with little 3x3 pics.

 

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