Thankful for Projects

I am loving this series, and over the past few years have found great joy in becomine part of a bigger community celebrating life together.

In the past couple of years Facebook Lovebook, One Little Word, Yesterday and Today, Week in the Life, Take 12 and various other projects that get me thinking and documenting our lives. It gives me a change to look on the bright side when things get overwhelming… like yesterday!

I didn’t manage to Take 12 photos this month, but I got several pics in there!

Here’s my Take 12 images so far this year…

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

I’m posting a quick thankful thought each night as part of Cathy Zielske’s 30 days of thankful project

Digital Scrapbooking Layout: This I believe

This week’s challenge in the Memory Logbook is about sharing your personal truth, which was also similar to the topic in Week 10 of the Yesterday and Today class at Big Picture Classes.

Here’s my take on it:

This I what I believe. I believe in God, I believe His plans for me are beyond my wildest dreams. I believe He is in control. I believe I can be joyful in all situations, I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I believe God's timing is perfect and He is never late. I believe that my emotion can be a part of my life without ruling it. I believe God designed me to live with passion. I believe I can be loving wife and mother, I believe I can run a successful business to share my love of art. I believe I can serve others in practical ways. I believe I can lead by example and speak wise words when they are needed. I believe my creativity is a vital part of my gift to this world. I believe my positive outlook on life can encourage others. I have learnt that to be good does not mean I have to be boring. I have learnt I can hold my tongue, I have learnt to laugh at myself. I have learnt to allow the tears to come and with God's help they will turn into joy in the morning. I have learnt that each day is a new day with no mistakes in it.

Template – Ali Edwards from the Yesterday and Today Workshop Week 10

Fonts Melissa’s hand and 1942 Report

Kit Impressions of Comfort at Home and Anna Aspnes Yesterday and Today Kit from the class.

I love it when something comes back around to inspire me. And now I’ve got another layout for my Yesterday and Today Album.

• Yesterday and Today–Day in our life
• Yesterday and Today–Random Childhood Memories
• Yesterday and Today–Album cover

I’d love to see your layouts – link me up in the comments!

Melissa

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Yesterday and Today–Day in our life

This week Ali Edwards encouraged us to document a day in great detail as part of the workshop Yesterday and Today Class over at Big Picture Classes.
In the spirit of not waiting for the ‘perfect day’ and we are currently sharing a camera, I decided to document Monday, when we had our tiler’s meeting for the house, and I’d have the camera there already. In my usual style I ended up with 4 pages. I never could keep to a word limit!



Credits:
Ali Edwards Template from the Yesterday and Today class
CVW SupplyTracker 
Garden Whimsy Kit by Flergs and Sugarplum Paperie
Here’s the journalling:

5:45 Heard Phill’s alarm. Phill jumps in the shower and I snooze for a couple more minutes. Then I get up and quickly dress. Ate my porridge (Phill makes it for Emily and I each morning)
I wrapped up some pita bread chips and some vegemite bread to eat on the way up.
Woke Emily at 7:45 – she was fast asleep. “Wet, Suit” – so we changed her nappy and popped on the dress I’d promised her she could wear the night before. She loves to choose what to wear.
Couldn’t convince her to eat porridge, so she had her Brownes Deluxe Mango Passion Yoghurt.
Off to our new home at 69 Timberlane for the Tiler’s meeting with our Building Supervisor (Vince) at 8am. The traffic was slow up til Perth – Canning highway is always bad with drivers pulling out without indicating etc as usual! I remembered I wanted to document this day, so started to take a few pictures.
The Mitchell Freeway was quick and we arrived at 7:38 tiler was there already. The house was cool (even without insulations) we looked around for a bit – the bath was in. Emily loves running around and checking out all the cupboards and doors. Meeting with Vince to check all the cabinetry, paint colours and tiles. The border tiles weren’t the one from the board we selected but they were the ones written on the addenda. Vince to follow up with tiles, and also check about our electricity meter number so we can get the solar panels in.
A bit before 9am Philomena from Solomon’s carpet came to do the check measure and for us to sign the paperwork for the carpet for out new house – she thought Emily was teething looking at her pink cheeks – but she was just hot! I was so tired from carrying Emily but she kept trying to run around in the garage (the grano was in) so I had to hold her. Phill was hot too. I told Emily we could have an ice-cream.
After signing off on the meeting we went to the nearby BP, must have sold out of most icecreams. It’s been so hot in Perth lately. Bought two icecream sandwiches.
Drop Phill of at the “kiss and ride” at Whitfords Train Station a bit after 9 Emily is upset Daddy is leaving. Puts her icecream on the car seat Informs me that her “inger” is dirty and wants it wiped. Calms down and eats her icecream after a while.
Arrive at Sherwin Rise, move the car under the garage, unpack and sit down. Mum, Lauren, John and Cait home. Lauren doing Uni, Cait doing school.
10am Emily had a dry nappy and did a big wee on the potty! Emily and I ate some fudge brownies leftover from Lauren’s lifegroup meeting on Sunday night
11:10 Put Emily down for a sleep, after Mum reminded me we needed to drop John off. Nursed Emily as she’d missed out on her morning feed in the rush.
Dropped John off at YouthCare for work experience. Went via Bishop Rd to the Galleria, saw big huntsman spider on my window. Freaked out a little. Phill had noticed it on Sunday, but forget to get rid of it, I was surprised it was still there.
~12pm Parked close to Myer, after fitting into a spot next to a concrete pier. Got Mum to check before I got out but spider now safely on the boot. went in and noticed 50% off marked down clothing, so mum looked for dresses for Cait’s ball and I went to the Clinique counter and got some Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel and my gift. Had a look at Forever New and saw some beautiful dresses Cait may like took photos on my phone, forgetting I had the camera in my bag!! I noticed that a couple of my older dresses are now in fashion again and Mum said how Cait is now reusing some of my old outfits. I bought some size 10 shorts from Temt and a little tatted/lace vest. Mum got milk from Coles then we went back to the car – checked for spider and didn’t find it. Drove home. Saw Commitment = Satisfaction on the water truck at the Reid Hwy/Alex Driver overpass construction site.
1pm Arrived home, ate salad roll on multigrain bun. Had a cup of tea and a muffin. Chatted to Cait, Mum and Lauren about various things. Did some reading of Isaiah.
3pm A storm came up – a little bit of rain. Emily woke, Mum, Cait and I got her up and changed her nappy. Mum read her books and we watched a video of Emily playing on my iPod while feeding her lunch and calling Phill to check arrangements for tea. After 2 nights out we decided to go home for tea.
3:15pm left Mum and Dad’s – Emily wasn’t impressed by the traffic on Hepburn Ave (it was really slow due to roadworks, and demanded I put on “This Little Light of Mine” rather than
3:45 Saw 3 trains waiting between the stations on the freeway. Listened to 4pm news of ABC Perth (720 AM), nothing on the trains. Damage to Ellenbrook and Midland from the storm. Emily was wanting her music on
4:20ish get home to Foss St. Say hi to Grandma & Grandad. Grandad, Grandma and Emily all sit on the bed and read from her favourite “Monk” 5 Little Monkeys Book
Read emails and RSS reader for a little while. Emails from Dale Alcock confirming the change to the tiles (no cost to us thankfully!) Took screenshots of arial pictures of our house under construction from Nearmap.com. Took some photos of the sky.
5:06 Phill rang and said he was walking up from the bus. I grabbed Emily’s shoes and headed over the road to meet Daddy. Phill asks if I can make hime some bread, so I put on a white loaf.
5:30 Dinner is t-bone steak, potato salad, fried pumpkin and onion with almonds and balsamic vinegar, coleslaw.5:20 Start Emily on leftover patties from Friday. She wants to go outside with Daddy. It’s hot but I let her go out. She does the watering and plays with Daddy. I sit on the hammock for a minute.
Dinner was BBQ sausages, t-bone steak, potato salad, fried pumpkin and onion with almonds and balsamic vinegar, coleslaw. Delicious.
6:45 As Grandad is taking over the dishes, Emily calls “Ray” for Grandad to clear up her plate too,. Grandma and Phill think this is hilarious and keep encouraging her.
7:10 Bath, Emily loves drawing with her bath crayons. Daddy teaches her to smile for the camera. Wants Mummy to do everything.
7:30 Emily in jammies for bed, “nap , suit, dummy, bunny”. I nurse her (“hair” she likes to hold onto my hair lately while I feed her) and then she settles to sleep herself. “Bank, teddy bank” wants her two blankets with her in bed AND a quilt. I decide to let her have them and work on getting rid of them later in the week.
We sat and relaxed with some ice-cream topped with Cherry ripe bits and watched the Valentine’s episode of Modern Family and finished watching an episode of NCIS:LA. Have my vitamins, magnesium, ginkgo.
9:15 Bread is ready, but a bit flat, I forgot the bread improver! Never mind.
9:30 Shower and bed.

What a day! I feel tired just reading it! I think looking back I would have like to capture more of the conversations of the day, and perhaps next time I’ll capture a more normal day. But then I’m sure it will be interesting to look back on this time living in the ‘apartment’ and waiting for our new home.
Melissa
**Disclaimer: For each new account created with my Registration Code as a "friend", a 10% off code will be issued once the new account has purchased one class. Code will be available under "My Rewards". 10% off code can be used towards Self-Paced classes and Workshops. Code cannot be used towards gift certificate purchases. Melissa’s registration code is D952F179 - or click on http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/register.php?refer=D952F179

Yesterday and Today–Random Childhood Memories

A few weeks ago in the workshop Yesterday and Today Class over at Big Picture Classes we were working on documenting our childhood memories. Just getting them written down with a supporting picture if we had them.

Driving down to Warnboro with Daniel, Grandma and Grandad Kerr in the 1973 blue Honda Civic wagon. Tossing up whether to pretend to be asleep and get carried in to Warnboro or whether to stay awake and hopefully get some golden fruitcake and milk for supper before bed.

Sitting for hours trying to write with my calligraphy pen without smudging it. I received it as a gift from Misty-Jane McGinley from 3 Claredon Court, for my 10th birthday. Writing the sentiment for almost every card, cheque etc that left the house for many years after this just to practise!
Making and selling craft things both in Merredin and No Ordinary Art Exhibition Aunty Rosalie’s place.
Hours making paper, painting, doing decoupage, quilling, scherenschnitte, flannel dollies, corn dollies, embroidering, knitting, sewing, Thanks to Mum, Grandma, Nana, Mrs Loneragan,Mrs Arthur, Christine Christensen for their time and patience!

At 7, Getting lots of wasp bites on my knee while collecting red gumnut covers out the from of 33 Foyle Rd. Also coming out in hives after touching a caterpillar cocoon. At 12, Getting a bee-sting on my bottom while doing up my shoelaces on the net ball court across from Kingsway Christian College.

Taking Lauren home from the King Edward Memorial hospital and sitting in the “backest back” on the Ford Falcon XF to be able to see her.January 1991

I had so much fun with all my brothers and sisters!

Lots of reading! I’d read till late into the night., if I could! I’d often spend more of the weekend reading. Grandma and Dad would read us stories from Narnia to Anne of Green Gables.

Playing in the garage at Claredon Court with a shop, library, golf course and petrol station. We had the little Epson HX-20 machines with a barcode scanner, printer and cassette drive for saving the programs!
Spending hours and hours working on the little Epsons trying to program them.
We got to draw on the concrete in the car port with chalk!

 

Credits: Ali Edwards Template from the Yesterday and Today class
CVW SupplyTracker 
Impressions of Comfort at Home, Impressions of Heritage, Impressions of Tradition digital kits
Modern No.20

It’s amazing how many memories start to flow when you start writing them down. Do you identify with any of my stories – link me up to your pages if you are doing the class too!

Melissa
**Disclaimer: For each new account created with my Registration Code as a "friend", a 10% off code will be issued once the new account has purchased one class. Code will be available under "My Rewards". 10% off code can be used towards Self-Paced classes and Workshops. Code cannot be used towards gift certificate purchases. Melissa’s registration code is D952F179 - or click on http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/register.php?refer=D952F179

Yesterday and Today–Album cover

I’ve been able to find time to work on the Yesterday and Today Class over at Big Picture Classes. Ali is so inspiring and I love watching the videos each week. As we are housesitting, I’ve not watched week 3 or 4 yet (I don’t want to use up all their bandwidth with 2hrs of video!).
Week 2’s layout was the cover for our album.

Me at birth,4yrs, 6yrs, 19yrs, 25yrs (wedding photo) and 27yrs
Credits: Ali Edwards Template from the Yesterday and Today class for week 2
CVW SupplyTracker 
IOComfort_Flergs_Paper1
Yesterday Today Word Art
Ztampf Alpha StitchedPaleYellow_M
Ztampf Paper Naturae
Kristin Cronin-Barrow I Love Cocoa Ribbon – from a previous The Digi Game
I’d love to see your latest page, so please leave a comment Are you part of the class too?
Melissa
**Disclaimer: For each new account created with my Registration Code as a "friend", a 10% off code will be issued once the new account has purchased one class. Code will be available under "My Rewards". 10% off code can be used towards Self-Paced classes and Workshops. Code cannot be used towards gift certificate purchases. Melissa’s registration code is D952F179 - or click on http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/register.php?refer=D952F179

I signed up for Yesterday and Today with Ali Edwards

After listening to Pile on Ali, I was thinking I’d really love to take Yesterday and Today at Big Picture Classes. Here’s more about it from the Big Picture blog

Yesterday + Today
Ali Edwards | author and blogger
When we asked our BPC community to share their favorite workshops of all time, Ali Edward's Yesterday + Today is at the top of the list. We are therefore delighted to bring Ali and Yesterday + Today back to kick off our 2011 4Experts series. This information and inspiration packed course is dedicated to helping you tell your story, past and present. The New Year is brimming with fresh-start motivation and year-gone-by reflection and Ali will help you recognize and commemorate both as you compile a self-affirming life project that celebrates you in the context of your everyday life. Look forward to infusing your 2011 with all the things Ali believes in practicing: words + photos = scrapbooking, embracing imperfection, and going with the flow. You'll even tackle the tough questions like, "What stories are really going to matter 10, 20, 30 years from now?"
Join us in January, February and March for a remarkable journey with Ali Edwards. You can learn more about Ali at aliedwards.com.
Audio Message from Ali:  

After much thought, we decided to click on buy! I’ve already heard some of my online friends are taking the class, and of course in Pile on Ali Izzy wants us all to join in, so no doubt I’ll meet a lot of Roundtable listeners in the class. It should be fun!
This is my first “paid for” class at Big Picture, but I’ve participated in the Big Ideas Festival and done a couple of free classes and I like their style, so I can’t wait! Want to join me?
If you decide to register at Big Picture using my link and purchase your first class, we'll both receive a code for 10% off** your next order of your choice. Of course you can always just sign up and select from one of the free classes.
If you are looking to get a discount off your first class, listen to any recent Paperclipping Rountable episode for details. Ali also has a coupon code for Yesterday and Today on her Facebook page.
I’m excited to start the class, and I’ve just downloaded pre-workshop PDFs. I hope to blog about my progress on the class. So stay tuned people!
Melissa
**Disclaimer: For each new account created with your Registration Code as a "friend", a 10% off code will be issued once the new account has purchased one class. Code will be available under "My Rewards". 10% off code can be used towards Self-Paced classes and Workshops. Code cannot be used towards gift certificate purchases. Melissa’s registration code is D952F179 - or click on http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/register.php?refer=D952F179