A Matter of MemoriesA Matter of MemoriesA personal blog about a working moms everyday life as well as her scrapbooking and photography pursuits. Also includes a weekly scrapbooking meme or challenge. 
Articles
Quotes to Ponder
2008-03-29 01:45:00 Dr. Seuss:"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go."Walt Disney:"When you are curious you find lots of interesting things to do."Confucius:"Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." More About: Quotes
She's going through withdrawal!
2008-03-28 01:58:00 Beauty & the Beast has certainly NOT 'left the building' at our house.Kaitlin's singing the songs more now than even before...I think it might her way of dealing with her 'loss'. :-)There are two songs that she is especially breaking out into song on."Belle"In this scene, she was a village child. The part in this clip where Belle is singing,"Oh! Isn't this amazing? It's my favorite because you'll see. Here's where she meets prince charming. But she won't discover that it's him till chapter three."to the sheep by the fountain is her favorite part and often just sings this part over and over again. After all, in her play there were no sheep and Belle was actually singing this portion of the song to the village children.However, she DOES not the who thing and she can sing ALL the parts - the baker, the women who needs three eggs - all of it. It really gets entertaining when she starts using different voices for the different characters!!"Be Our Guest"In this scene, Kaitl... More About: Withdrawal
Goodies in my mailbox...
2008-03-26 01:59:00 I got some goodies in my mailbox from Scrapbook.com the other day...I really like the new Art Nouveau Collection from Dream Street Papers. The papers are double-sided and nice and heavy...beautiful. Can't wait to use them!I also got some Teresa Collins papers from the Journal-it line. This is the first time I have gotten any products by Teresa, but really like them...I already have some ideas about how to use some of these cute journaling spots - especially the little calendar blocks.These Teen Chic papers from Bo Bunny looked so cute online, but I have to say that I am a little disappointed after receiving them. The colors online looked a little softer than they are in real life...they're actually a little too bright for my taste. Also, they ARE NOT heavyweight papers, which I tend to prefer as they add more texture and depth. But, I'll still probably find a use for them. :-) However, I do really like the new rubons by BoBunny...might have to get some more of those! Now I just n... More About: Goodies
Fun-filled Easter
2008-03-24 18:06:00 I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend!It sure was a busy one for us...doing laundry, making salads and dying eggs was on the agenda for Saturday.Kaitlin spent most of the day cleaning her room...it had gotten into SERIOUS disrepair over the past several weeks since she had been so busy with the play. She did a wonderful job - we can see carpet again! Evidently sticking out your tongue is very helpful when being creative... This egg dying kit came with face stickers. Here's Kaitlin's imitation of this eggs face: The Easter Bunny didn't forget Kaitlin this Easter...and he remembered the tradition of bringing her a pair of new pajamas for spring and summer. He also brought her a new swimsuit (evidently he's as anxious for some warmer weather as we are around here), stickers, pencils, The Tale of Peter Rabbit, the movie "Enchanted" and, of course, a few chocolate eggs. We went to my parents house first for dinner...just a relaxing morning and early afternoon. Unfortunately, ...
REVIEW: Scrap Simple: Using Minimal Design to Create Beautiful Scrapbook Pa
2008-03-22 03:08:00 I have been admiring Hillary Heidelberg's scrapbooking style for quite some time and was not surprised when she was chosen as a Memory Makers Master for 2007.So, when I found out about Hillary's book, Scrap Simple: Using Minimal Design to Create Beautiful Scrapbook Pages, scheduled to come out, I added it to my wish list right away.The book is divided into 6 chapters:1) Creating with Cardstock2) Incorporating Patterned Paper3) Adding Embellishments4) Creating 2-page Layouts5) Test as a Design Element6) Utilizing White SpaceThere are over 100 fab layouts included within this book from Hilary and five other very talented contributors - Severine di Giacomo, Tracey Odachowski, Nichole Pereira, Amanda Probst, and Celeste Smith.There are single photo and mulit-photo layouts in 12 x 12 and 8 1/2 x 11's. Hillary focuses on the craft of scrapbooking in a way that is liberating. One does not need to use a plethora of embellishments to create a stunning and memorable layout. My favorite pie... More About: Review
Quotes for Spring
2008-03-20 21:26:00 In honor of the first day of Spring , here's some spring quotes that I've come across recently that I really like.Kahlil Gibram"Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet and the winds long toplay with your hair." Hans Christian Anderson"Just living is not enough...One must have sunshine, freedom, and a littleflower."e.e. cummings"The world is mud-luscious and puddle-wonderful." I can't say that we've quite yet hit full-fledged Spring yet here in South Dakota, but it's getting closer...thank goodness!! More About: Quotes
More publication news...
2008-03-20 04:16:00 I had a pretty long draught, but it seems that the saying "when it rains, it pours" is true!!When I submitted to the Memory Makers Masters contest last year, I really had no aspirations of actually being chosen. Good thing...'cause I wasn't.One of the requirement of submitting to this contest, though, is that you have to submit one real layout (the rest are just copies) on an assigned theme. Last year's theme was "I wish." So I created a layout following that theme and sent it in.The bad part is that you don't get the layout back - unless they decided to publish it that is - so, I had pretty much figured that the layout was lost to me and actually just reorder the picture I had used on the layout so that I could recreate it.Then, I got an email from Patty from Memory Makers on Friday telling me that they wanted to publish the layout in the Best of the Masters 2008 feature that will run in their Scrapbook Idea Gallery which is set to hit newsstands on July 8th!Pretty excited to h... More About: News , Publication
The final curtain call...
2008-03-17 01:53:00 This afternoon was the last curtain call for Beauty & the Beast.Justin and I attended the full show again. My sister also came again and Kaitlin's cousins - Nick, Emily and Rachel - were there also. Kaitlin was really excited.This was her favorite part in the whole play...because Belle is singing to the village children. She calls it "Belle's Song" and she knows it by heart. Or maybe she liked it because she had cute little boys whispering sweet nothings in her ear!! :-) Here she is as the gingerbread cookie...she's the one on the right with the purple trim on her costume. Here's her final bow...like a true princess...It was a little bittersweet though, Kaitlin got flowers from a few of her older cast mates...it always amazes me how easily she makes new friends.Although it was sad to be ending this show, it's now pretty clear that Kaitlin will be back on stage soon. The director said she's already looking for a new show for this summer and she told Kaitlin she'd better be... More About: Final , Call
A Layout: fall beauty
2008-03-15 16:22:00 Thought I'd share a layout here today. I created this layout not too long ago based off of a Becky Fleck PageMap...LOVE her sketches!Supplies:Cardstock: BazzillPatterned Paper, Cardstock Letters: Basic GreyRub ons: Making MemoriesInk: ColorboxCircle Punches: MarvyFont: Unnamed MelodyJournaling:I wanted to make sure that I got some good pictures of Kaitlin before the fall foliage completely disappeared this fall and we cut it quite close. This tree at the College still had some brilliant red leaves and we were lucky we got our shoot in because within days, they were gone.Kaitlin was so cute on this day. I basically just told her to pose near the rock and she did all the rest herself. She kept saying “Why don’t we try this?” and she’d let me shoot away……. It’s certainly a rare occurrence for her to be this cooperative and it was a very fun shoot! Thanks, Sweetie!Comments & Techniques:This was a fun layout with the combination of colors and the layering of circles. T... More About: Beauty , Layout , Fall
The spoof run...
2008-03-14 16:50:00 Kaitlin has no school today, so I took the day, too. Hoping to get some scrapping done later.It's been another busy week. Last night the gals in my office had a small baby shower for one of my co-workers who just adopted a beautiful little baby girl. It's always nice to hang out with the girls a little outside of work!Kaitlin had a break from play practice early this week, but they had a run-thru practice before this weekend's run of shows. I left the shower at about 8 p.m. thinking they should be close to getting done with practice, but they had only finished the first act when I got there.However, I was glad I got there in time to watch some of it as it seems that last night was unofficially designated the spoof run. In almost every scene there was someone in costume who wasn't supposed to be there (one of the mothers, one of the stage hands), things didn't go quite as they were supposed to, or certain events were exaggerated to the point of pure silliness.During the castle b... More About: Spoof
The Color Sense Game from Pittsburgh Paints The Voice of Color
2008-03-12 03:04:00 Just something a little fun tonight...now I guess I know why I'm always drawn to rooms that are shades of green and orange!The Color Sense Game I am Al Fresco - Fresh and balanced, the al Fresco greens are a natural and versitile choice for all interiors. They recreate nature and put the essence of renewal in our everyday lives.My secondary harmony family:Desert Spice - If you are in search of warmth and friendship, look to the muted or radient orange that emanate from the Desert Spice Harmony collection. Known to enhance conversation, teracottas and oranges are a perfect match for evening and candlelight, and work especially well in dining and living rooms.What were your results? Were you surprised or what you expected? Are you tempted to repaint your entire house now? :-) More About: Voice , Pittsburgh
Her Village Girl Debut...
2008-03-10 02:22:00 Here's my little village girl! Since they had their show in the afternoon today, there was a little more time for pictures afterward, so tried to catch a few before the costumes came off.Here's Kaitlin with Week 1 Belle (next weekend a different girl has the part). Waiting for the cast photo with a few of her village children friends... Here's the whole cast - over 90 children were involved in this production.Four shows down...three to go next weekend.I asked Kaitlin today if she will be sad when the play is over."Yeah...I'm gonna be crying." More About: Girl , Village , Debut
For my scrappy readers...
2008-03-08 02:34:00 Let your Creativity Bloom!Catch Spring Fever with weScrap's (International Scrapbooking Association) On-line Crop. We are holding our 2nd Online Crop here at the ISA! It starts tonight and runs through Sunday.It will be a weekend full of great challenges, games, make and takes, and best of all - fabulous prizes!! The crop will officially began at 6:00pm (EST).We're bringing back favorites from the last crop: new rounds of Scattegories, Bingo, loads of fun challenges, plus lots of new stuff! You won't want to miss this! Come on over! I have a special quote challenge that I will be posting tomorrow.weScrap On-line Crop More About: Readers
Still alive...
2008-03-07 17:32:00 Yes, I am still alive. It's been one crazy week. I think this is the longest period between posts in a LONG time. So, here's an update:KAITLINKaitlin had practice for Beauty and the Beast every night this week. The earliest that I had her home and in bed was 10:30 p.m.! Needless to say, I've had one tired little girl this week.On Wednesday, Kaitlin's teacher emailed me to say that she fell asleep immediately during quiet time (around noon - remember, she's NOT a napper) and she ended up sleeping until 3:15 p.m...right through activity station time which is the loudest part of the day! Mrs. Moser and her children have all been in play productions before, so she understood that perhaps on that one day, sleep was more important. :-) Gotta love great teachers!!Beauty and the Beast opened last night. It was a sold out show and it was wonderful!! It was so awesome to see it all 'put together'. Kaitlin did a great job - I couldn't stop beaming during her three little scenes!! Six m... More About: Alive
5 NEW Scrapbooking Idea Books
2008-03-03 03:46:00 This should come as no surprise to any of you...I'm as addicted to scrapbooking idea books as I am to scrapbooking (maybe even more!).Here are some sneak peaks at a few idea books coming out later this year that I am quite excited about:Show It Off!: Scrapbook Pages And Projects To Display by Memory MakersScrapbook Page Maps: Sketches For Creative Layouts by Becky Fleck Get It Scrapped!: Organize, Visualize, Create by Debbie Hodge Oh, Baby!: Precious, Adorable, Lovable Idea s For Scrapbooking Baby Pages by Memory Makers Modern Memory Keeper: A New Approach To Scrapbooking Your Family Legacy by Ronee Parsons You might be wondering why I am so excited about books that aren't even available yet. Well, I'm just weird that way, I guess...excited about scrapbooking inspiration yet to come. BUT, I also wanted to make sure that you were aware of one VERY neat feature at Amazon.com. Another way to save even more money by buying your books through Amazon.com is to PRE-ORDER your books. On m... More About: Books
The good and the bad...
2008-03-01 02:18:00 The bad news for today:Kaitlin's still under the weather. She seemed better this morning and wanted to go to school, but I got a call about noon and her fever was back in full force, so home again we went. More snuggling on the couch, orange juice and crackers and she seems to be perking up within the last hour or so...hopefully, we're nearing the end of this bought of illness. The good news for today:I got an email from Pat at Memory Makers Magazine requesting three of my layouts I recently submitted for their upcoming annual Scrapbook Idea Gallery!! It has been awhile since I've gotten a layout picked up, so I'm super excited!!I don't know when it will be coming out yet, but will be sure to let you know. More About: Good , The Good
The return of the polka dots and computer woes...
2008-02-29 03:17:00 Home from work and school today with a sick little girl...she's been running a pretty good fever all day. This is her...sleeping at 1 p.m. in the afternoon. This girl never naps...yup, she's sick. See those rosy cheeks?Unfortunately, she's not showing signs of significant improvement yet. I gave her a bath tonight and she got polka dots.Poor girl. So, I spent the day trying to do a little work from home, catching up on laundry and attempting to solve our computer issues between requested snuggle sessions. The computer issues are not with my new laptop...I'm LOVING it. The issues are with our old desktop. Obviously, it's issues are a major part of the reason I decided to get a new laptop in the first place, but we're not quite ready to lay it to rest just yet.The first known issue I was having that I can't seen to get the two computers linked in on a network so that my laptop can share the printer. I spent two hours on the phone with Dell on Sunday and still didn't get this ... More About: Computer , Return , The Return , Dots , Return of the
Brush like the monkey, sweetie...
2008-02-28 01:40:00 Kaitlin's class really enjoyed their field trip to the dentist's office yesterday.When they first arrived, the gal showed the kids a demonstration. This Styrofoam cup is a healthy, pearly white tooth. This is your tooth after eating too many sugary snacks and drinks (add chocolate syrup and sprinkles). This is what your own saliva will do to your teeth if you eat too many sugary snacks and drinks and/or do not brush your teeth properly. It is somewhat hard to see in the picture, but after squirting some 'saliva' (acetone) onto the 'tooth' (cup), it began to disintegrate.Judging from all exclamations of 'Ewww!', 'Gross!', and 'Yucky!', I would have to say that the demonstration was successful.All the kids also got to test out the dentist's chair.And the best part was when they got to watch a video of a monkey showing them how to properly brush their teeth. She is suddenly more interested in brushing her teeth. Monkey see, monkey do... More About: Brush
Trip down memory lane...
2008-01-31 01:10:00 I'm not sure how it started, but last night at the dinner table we started down memory lane and were talking about all the cute little things that Kaitlin used to do......like scooting across the floor so that she could make music with the spring door stopper...and then when she was a little bigger she used to crawl into the space beneath the TV in our entertainment center and 'peak' at anyone willing to pay attention to her (see blast-from-my-scrapbooking-past layout below... (This is a rare peak at my very first scrapbook - created in 2002. Most scrappers have heard of 'sticker sneeze'. Well, this is an example of one of my early, and highly innovative, scrapbooking techniques called 'photo sneeze'...how things have changed!)...and then when she starting talking, the first thing she said was 'mama' (which referred to both Mommy & Daddy until she was about eighteen months old - didn't make Daddy happy, by the way) ...and then her speech got much better, but had a litt... More About: Memory , Lane , Trip
CHA Winter 2008 sneak peaks...
2008-01-30 03:58:00 I've been watching the sneak peaks that many of the manufacturers have been posting in the last couple of week in preparation for the CHA Winter 2008 show coming up February 10-13.I have to say, there doesn't seem to be quite as much that I am just 'oohing and ahhing' over this time around...which is probably good because I certainly still have plenty in my stash left to use anyway.Then, I saw Karen Russell's sneak peak post this morning and that was all over!If you like this...you should check out her post - there is even more to this beautiful new line of additions to her Narratives collections.
A layout and a little shelf cleaning...
2008-01-28 00:23:00 A LAYOUT:Here's a layout I finished recently with pictures from our late summer trip to Omaha last year.LAYOUT TITLE: {heartland of America park} Supplies:Cardstock: BazzillPatterned Paper: American CraftsLetter Stickers: Mrs. Elizabeth’sPen: SakuraCorner Rounder: MarvyAdhesive: DuckComments & Techniques:The striped patterned paper mimic the rainbow in the main picture and also create a visual triangle on the page.SOME SHELF CLEANING:There are definitely pros and cons to having a limited scrapbook space...a pro is that I have to go through my stuff periodically and purge so I don't overflow...a con is that I have to go through my stuff periodically and purge! :-)This weekend it was my bookshelf...it was overflowing! If you're interested in a bunch of great inspiration at a low price, check out the scrapbooking book and special issue magazines I posted today in my eBay store. More About: Cleaning , Layout , Shelf
I'm 83% wired...
2008-01-26 02:45:00 for creativity, that is!!83% How 'bout you? Take the quiz...leave a comment with your percentage (or a link to the blog post with your results). More About: Wired
A little wisdom from John Lubbock...
2008-01-25 01:52:00 Here's a recent favorite quote:"The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn."— John Lubbock I love quotes...if you do too, you might want to sign up for these:Real Simple's Daily ThoughtThe Foundation for a Better Life Daily QuoteMy Daily Insights More About: Wisdom
Good reads and great mail...
2008-01-24 01:37:00 GOOD READS:I'm not reading as much as I used to these days (other than scrapbooking mags and idea books, that is), but when I read Mary Lawson's Crow Lake last year I knew I had found a writer I loved. If you'd like, you can see what I had to say about that book here. It was her first book, so had to wait for a second.The Other Side of the Bridge was published late last August, but I just purchased it recently and finished it just the other night. It is similar to her first book in a couple ways. It is again set in Canada and also weaves together two time periods through its main characters.This book follows brothers Arthur and Jake in the 1930's and Ian in the late-50's, early 60's and it is amazing how she entwines the plots of these character together without becoming confusing or giving away too much/too little of the final outcome in the process. I am a sucker for good historical fiction and Mary Lawson can write it!I hope another book comes sooner...there was a five year... More About: Mail , Great , Good
REVIEW: The Organized & Inspired Scrapbooker by Wendy Smedley & Aby
2008-01-22 03:30:00 The Organ ized & Inspired Scrapbooker by Wendy Smedley and Aby Garvey is certainly a different kind of idea book with an entirely different type of eye candy.Usually the books I read and review here in relation to scrapbooking involve a plethora of product, design, theme, color and/or journaling ideas in relation to the creation of scrapbook layouts. This book has none of those...at least not in the same context.It certainly does have product, theme, color and more, but it the context of the 'space' in which one scraps. The eye candy in this book are scrapbooking spaces and storage solutions themselves!Wendy and Aby divided the book into three sections. The first section deals with discovering your 'process' which, in turn, helps you discover the organization of space and supplies that will help you to be as efficient as possible in your crafting endeavours. It includes the following chapters:1 - Getting Organized2 - Getting Inspired3 - Approach4 - Photos5 - Memorabilia6 - St... More About: Review
Oh, sweet nibblets!
2008-01-19 16:32:00 My little girl is definitely growing up!The days of Clifford, Arthur, Dragon Tales, and even George being the 'go-to' favorite shows have past. Sorry PBS. Kaitlin has moved on.She has moved on to Disney and Nickelodeon to the likes of Suite Life of Zach & Cody, Drake & Josh and Hannah Montana...especially Hannah Montana! These aren't even cartoons!! They're 'big kid' shows...and she LOVES them!Even her vocabulary has changed.Almost everything these days is 'AWESOME' or 'SWEET'!And over the past few days, I've noticed a new phrase has made it's way into her everyday conversations. To illustrate:I might be worried about this insurgence of 'big kid' pop culture in my 5-year-old daughter, if it wasn't just so darn cute when she says it. More About: Sweet
The plague of the false alarms…
2008-01-18 02:04:00 My husband has to be to work by 6 a.m. He is not, nor never has been, a morning person. And he sleeps like the dead. So, every morning his cell phone alarm goes off at about 5 a.m. He has no real intention of getting up at that time as he pretty much just throws on some cloths, brushes his teeth and leaves, but this early alarm is supposed to help him ‘start to wake up’.It doesn’t work. He sleeps right through it, but it always wakes me up, so it usually involves me having to shake him awake to ask him to shut it off.This morning’s ‘false alarm’ routine was a little different than usual, so thought I would share.This morning it woke up Kaitlin who, luckily, usually sleeps right through it all. (If only I could be so lucky.) She came in our bedroom before I had mustered the energy to shake Justin away.“Daaaad! You phone is ringing and it’s really loud.”To which he mumbled something and shifted.“Daaaadddd!”A gruff and faint, “Hmmm…”“Dad, shut that thing o...
Busy times and fun stuff in the mailbox...
2008-01-17 01:02:00 This past week has sure been a busy one at work and home.Our new semester started this Monday, so the week leading up to and following a start of a semester are always a bit of a whirlwind with last minute preparations with students. It sure keeps things interesting though.Last Friday my friend Julie hosted a MemoryWorks party at her house and it went VERY well! She earned $45 in free product through her sales, plus a $10 hostess gift. It was a great party, too! A great way to relax after a long week.Saturday was a marathon laundry day and Kaitlin had play practice from 3-7 p.m. That's a long time for a 5-year-old, but she seemed pretty happy about it when I picked her up. We'll see what she thinks of it after two months of practices...Sunday Kaitlin and I headed to Sioux Falls for a bridal show with my mom and sister. She got some great ideas for a few of the things she has left to plan like her cake, programs and invitations. We also fit in a trip to Michael's for some scrapboo... More About: Stuff , Times , Busy
A Layout: BOOM!
2008-01-15 01:36:00 Just a simple layout I completed recently about a fireworks display during Riverboat Days last summer.Yes, I'm still a ways behind, but determined to catch up and stay there. I completed my layout for the week on Saturday and made it to the end of August, so I'm getting closer! Hopefully, I can complete a few this week.Supplies:Cardstock: BazzillPatterned Paper: Autumn Leaves, Basic GreyChipboard Letters & Accents: American CraftsClear Stamp: Autumn LeavesInk: ColorboxPen: Zig More About: Boom , Layout
A granny-walker saved my life...
More articles from this author:2008-01-12 16:54:00 Last Sunday, we took my niece, Emily to the rink down the street for a birthday party her friend was having there and we all decided to give ice skating a go.Let me just say, I never learned how to roller skate (at least not well) and this was the first time in my life that I'd ever even had ice skates on my feet...Kaitlin's first time, too.This difference between us, it seems, is that she has NO fear! Me, on the other hand, have never had a broken bone (yes, lucky, I know) and don't really have any desire to get one at this point in my life.There is probably a more 'technical' term for them, but they had these 'granny-walkers' there for people who had no idea what they were doing (that's us) to help them stay upright. We weren't the only ones using them, so it wasn't too embarrassing.Here's Kaitlin with my sister. She wanted to ditch the walker many times, but I wouldn't let her. She still fell from time to time and I don't think she quite understood how much it was br... More About: Life , My Life , Walker , Granny 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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