justem: little bits of this and that

Project Life, Week 2

Happy Monday! If you follow me on Instagram, you know that our entire family was hit with the flu last week.  All five of us...all week long. It was definitely the longest amount of time I have ever been sick. I still don't feel great, but at least my high fever is finally gone - at one point it was 103.2. Inanity!!  There is still a lot of coughing around here, but slowly we are getting better!!  Last week really set me back in terms of scrapping.  I had almost finished my PL Week 2 last Sunday when I started getting sick. It then sat on my desk all week without being touched.  I had hoped to go back and "decorate" it up a bit more, but in my effort to just "get it done" each week, I just forced myself to leave it as it is and move on.  I really don't love it, but I'm already a week behind thanks to the flu...I can't afford to let myself get even MORE behind!! I blurred out a couple of details for privacy...but the rest of it is pretty self explanatory! ;)  There are Gossamer Blue, Pebbles, and Studio Calico cards.   I feel like I was all pumped up about Project Life this year, and the flu kinda killed it.  I have to get back on track this week!! 

#workspacewednesday

Happy Wednesday! So, I've never played along with Workspace Wednesday before, and I highly doubt this will become a "regular" blog feature, but I thought maybe today I could show you a photo of my current scrap space - which is completely a work in progress!! As most of you know, we moved into our new home less than two months ago.  Packing scrap stuff was insane.  I'm truly embarrassed at how much I have. Before we moved, I purged a ton. I donated several huge boxes of product to a local home for girls that I used to volunteer at, and I also sold about 10 flat rate boxes jam packed with product. I feel like I still have enough product to start my own store. ;)  One of the things we love about our new home is the attic, which was renovated by the previous owners.  It it a perfect space for a scrap area, a small workspace for my husband, and someday it will probably also serve as our playroom.  

Here is the picture from the house listing: 

In our old house, I had tons of cabinet space and room for a few shelves. This space is fantastic, with lots of natural light, but it doesn't have nearly as much room for shelving.  We put our IKEA Expedit shelf up here, because it was truly the only place in the house that it would fit!!  Here was the "bare bones" of my workspace a couple of weeks before Christmas:

Looks nice and clean, right? That's because nothing was unpacked yet. ;)  Here is a look at it yesterday.  If you can believe it, I've already packed probably 15 boxes in addition to all of THESE boxes!!

The shelves look like they are decently put together, but I actually just threw stuff up there haphazardly as I unpacked it, and I haven't even unpacked the "bulk" of my product yet - that's all packed in about 10 individual pizza boxes.  

And finally, a close up of what is on my desk right now - Project Life, Week 2!

I have a LONG way to go in this space. It feels wrong spending time organizing my scrap space when there are still other sections of our home that are in disarray!!  But, I am happy that it's gotten unpacked this much, and that I have a place of my own to create!  I think when it's finally finished it will be pretty fantastic!  I will continue to share photos of the progress, as well as photos of other parts of our house!  Have a great day, and link me up if you, too have a Workspace Wednesday post!

Polar Vortex Creativity! {Tape-Resist Snowflake Art}

So, you may heard about this little thing called the "polar vortex" that happened last week? ;)  Our low was -22 actual temperature with wind chills around -45.  My daughter had two days off of school, so we decided to do a fun little art project to keep us busy! (This also was part of my "bring back the creativity" plan of my OLW!)  We have done some tape resist projects in the past, but I recently saw this snowflake idea on Pinterest, so we thought we'd give it a try. The kids helped design their snowflakes...this was all about them having fun, and clearly not so much about them being realistic! ;) We didn't have any thin tape, so I just ripped the blue painters tape we had in half...they are VERY imperfect!

Next I let them loose with the watercolors.  I tried to encourage the use of "wintery" colors, but they pretty much scoffed at that. ;)

 

Henry is wearing his long underwear. It was that cold. ;) And, one good thing about moving? You have eight bajillion empty boxes to use under your art projects!

Here are our final products...

M stole my phone while I wasn't looking and took this photo of her favorite snowflake:

Finally, I grabbed some washi tape and stuck them to the door in our kitchen that leads out to the mudroom. I have to say, I'm kind of glad they didn't take my advice about the "winter" colors, because they are beautiful, even the one that looks nothing like a snowflake. ;)

This was a super cute and easy project that totally brightened up our kitchen!  We may need to do versions for all the holidays now!

Mac & Cheese Mondays + Meal Planning + Lists with Friends #2

Hello! Happy Sunday. I can't believe it's practically halfway through January already! Tonight's post is like a giant conglomerate of things I've been wanting to share!!  First - Mac and Cheese Mondays!!  Barb and I have started a new weekly (or whenever we can get it in) meal challenge featuring my all time favorite food (and a true Wisconsin classic!) - Mac and Cheese!  We alternate choosing a recipe and purchasing the ingredients. Barb chose the first week: Martha's Macaroni and Cheese from Smitten Kitchen. It was...in a word..amazing. ;) In fact, part of me feels like maybe we should just quit now, because I'm not quite sure that any other mac can top this one. ;)

Here is Barb enjoying her delicious dish...

...and here is me, feeling sorry for myself that my bowl is empty!

This all brings me to the topic of meal planning AND my second list of the year!  One of my goals this year as part of my "One Little Word"  *Routine* is meal planning and cooking real meals for my family.  I realize that cooking with three little ones underfoot is not always the easiest (ask Barb, she got to see the madness firsthand last week...I was worried she might not come back again this week!), so I'm trying to pick meals that will be decently quick and easy AND that my kids will like - totally doable, right?! ;)  Here is my meal plan and my shopping list from last week...yes it's an actual list!

I'm happy to say I made everything on the list! (Okay, I didn't exactly make the grilled cheese rolls, but we DID have grilled cheese one day.) One thing I learned...I need to leave a LOT of room for leftovers. We probably could have eaten Mac and Cheese leftovers for three nights!  Here is a rundown of the meals I made last week, as well as the meals that I am planing for this week!

Garlicky White Bean Soup - This was our Sunday Soup, which we ate on Saturday, because on Sunday I was driving in a ginormous blizzard (seriously) to Illinois and back for a baby shower. This was super tasty and relatively easy to make. I LOVE soup with white beans in it, and this one was a winner!

Skillet Baked Ziti - Okay, I thought this looked pretty good...but it was delicious. So, so, so, so, so good. AND it was easy to make. AND both of my kids ate it. Winner!!

Grilled Cheese Rolls - We will probably make these this week. It cracks me up a little that there is an actual recipe for this. Ingredients? Bread and cheese. Genius. ;)

Pretzel Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars - We made these at Bake-a-palooza, and they were so good that I had to make them again. The kids had fun crushing the pretzels and helping out.  I had fun eating the entire pan in like two days. No lie.

Greek Spinach and Orzo Soup - We made this today for Sunday soup. This recipe is (gasp!) from an actual cookbook.  Every recipe I've made from it has been excellent. In Justin's words, "it tastes like something you'd get ina  restaurant!"  That's a good review, right?!  Here is a similar recipe I found online. I can't promise that it's as good as the original, thought!

Creamy Brie Four Cheese Mac and Cheese - This is my choice for this week's Mac and Cheese Monday. You are supposed to use Ritz crackers for the topping, however I am planning on getting all crazy and using Townhouse crackers instead. Or maybe Club crackers. I'm such a daredevil!

Mexican Lagsagna - This is one of my favorite recipes. It's a little big time consuming, but it's so good and both my kids like it!  Pray for smiley, happy children the day I make this!

**Disclaimer for anyone new to my blog - I don't eat meat, and my husband, who is rarely home during the week for dinner, cannot eat dairy! Therefore, the vast majority of our meals are meatless.  When he is home, I try to make something with meat in it!! I know most of these meals are full of dairy and carbs and all that is bad for you...but...it could be worse. ;)**

Week one of my 2014 ROUTINE went well. Hopefully things will only continue to get better this week! Have a great night!

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This list is brought to you by "Lists with Friends," which is a collaborative effort between a number of smart, talented, and fun women that I am lucky to be a part of. Throughout the year we will all be posting various lists on our blogs. This is one of them.

So many beautiful reasons...

Happy Friday!!  Today I have a Pinspired post up on the Gossamer Blue blog!  I used two different pieces of Pinterest inspiration, including an Etsy print and a music poster. I had a really fun time making this layout, and I even include a short tutorial (along with some uber crappy iPhone pics taken at like 1 am) on how I created it. I am totally a sucker for handwritten text paper, and I LOVE this one from the new Studio Calico Print Shop line! I also wanted to have *most* of my layout be black and white with little pops of color, which was easy since the Gossamer Blue January kit was filled with all kinds of colorful goodies!

For more information on my process/inspiration/tutorial, hop on over to the Gossamer Blue blog!  Have a great day!

If at first you don't succeed... {or Take 2 at Project Life}

Two years ago, I sat down and attempted Project Life for the first time. I made myself a very detailed list of rules. I *knew* if I just followed my rules, I would be successful. But, I was not...and I threw in the towel around week 16.  I wanted to continue; I just couldn't find the time.  The problem - I didn't follow the rules. I got caught up in making my Project Life spreads look so cute and perfect and wonderful. I let myself be swayed by everybody else's Project Life...always wanting it to be bigger and better.  It became too time consuming, and that was completely my fault.  I honestly don't think I ever used a single "filler" card, because I felt like I had to use photos and stories and fill it all up with US. I made every photo and every journaling card detailed and fun. It was awesome...until it wasn't!!  

Here's the thing, though...I love looking at those 16 weeks that I did finish. In fact, they are some of my most favorite pages to look at. I love remembering all the little details of everyday life that I would have otherwise forgotten. So, this year I am trying again. I've made another set of "rules" - well, one rule - Keep It Simple.  Rounded corners? Square corners? Doesn't matter. Every photo doesn't need some kind of embellishment. Filler cards are okay. In fact I need to force myself to use them...because they are quick and easy...and cute!  I HAVE to keep it simple. In fact, it pained me not to add more to this spread. I really wanted to make it cuter, better...but I know it' s like an evil time-consuming vortex. Once I get pulled in...I'm a goner. ;) So, here it is...Week 1. It's nothing to write home about, but I love it nonetheless. I am DETERMINED to succeed this year! Most of the products comes from the January Gossamer Blue kit, but I added in some of my own washi and a few other things! The only thing that is missing is the dates on my "Week One" card...I still haven't found my box with ink in it yet!!  I've got roller date stamps galore, but zero ink. ;)

Are you tackling Project Life this year?  I'd love to see your Week One!  Link me up, and have a great day!

what i learned...

Good Morning!  Finally our "cold" spell is over (and by over I mean, it was still -8 this morning, but at least the windchill is no longer -40!) and M is off to school!  This means I can actually put into play our "routine" that I talked about last week!  Wish me luck!!  Today I have a layout to share made with my Gossamer Blue January kit.  If you follow me on Instagram, you probably noticed that I posted a selfie shot around the first of every month (sometimes I was a day early or late!!). This was a part of a challenge with my "Ventage" girls - Angie, Barb, Katrina and Stephanie.  At the end of the year I looked back at them, and it really made me think a little about myself and my looks. I have to be honest...I have never been a person who thought I looked very good. I have always hated photos of myself. I wouldn't say I had low self-esteem...it's not like I was crying in the bathroom over my ugliness, ha! It just wasn't something I really worried or cared about. I was not exactly attractive...and that was that. But, looking back at my photos from the past year...I actually thought to myself, "Well, emily...you don't look half bad!"  Even in the pictures where I haven't done my hair, and I'm not wearing any make-up, I realize that I look okay. I'm not a "young" woman anymore. I am a married mother of three. I am not as skinny as I used to be. I've got a ridiculous number of gray hairs. I don't have a clue how to look fashionable. But...it's okay.  I think I like this new me. She's not so bad. ;)  But anyway...this is supposed to be a post about the layout...

It's a pretty simple layout. It was already "busy" with all the pictures, I didn't think I needed to make it much crazier by adding a lot of paper and embellishments. :)  AND...it's 12x12 - shocking!!!  It was the only way to get all the pictures to fit! ;)  Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

#bakeapalooza2013

I'm really behind on blogging about my holidays!  Back in early December, my good friends (Barb, Josie, and Kelly) and I held our annual bake-a-palooza in my new house.  We each picked a recipe and made them. We had one, sadly absent member (Stephanie), so the four of us made five recipes.  It was a fun day filled with laughs and lots of good food!  If you follow me on Instagram, you noticed a LOT of photos posted that day. Here are some of my favorites!

*crazy amount of ingredients*

 *barb in the first of many "angled stove shots."*

 *i told you...*

 *an essential ingredient in josie's recipe*

 *i am so not creative when it come to taking photos...*

 *ollie was skeptical that we could finish all five recipes...*

 *kelly's iPhone timer app...genius*

 *white chocolate cranberry oatmeal cookies*

 *the loot - photo stolen from kelly*

 

We have been holidng bake-a-palooza for a LONG time. Barb and Stephanie started the tradition maybe 6 years ago??  I've been a part of it since the second year. It's something I look forward to every year. I'm so happy I have such wonderful friends to share the holidays with!

My friend & my buddy...

Happy Sunday!  Last day of "vacation" before Justin goes back to work!  I'm headed to Illinois today in the snow and the cold to go to a baby shower. It's a 6 hour (round-trip) drive for a 3 hour shower. I might be crazy...or just a person who wants to support a good friend in the same way she has supported me all these years - you can decide!  Today I have my Gossamer Blue Main-Kit Only layout to share.  My son has a bunch of little catch-phrases that he likes to say over...and over...and over again!  Multiple times a day he will beckon his daddy, only to remind him, "You're my friend and my buddy."  I knew I had to make a layout that used his little statement as a title. All these fun Studio Calico Print Shop papers are perfect! :)

I'm finding myself outlining a lot lately, which is something I used to do on every single layout a couple of years ago. What goes around, comes around, I guess! This layout fits my "kinda crazy" layout style I fall into once in awhile. ;)  I really love it. It's funny (and I SWEAR I'm not complaining about this, just observing) that the layouts of mine that are really "out there" are the ones that never get comments or likes on public gallery sites. It's a good thing that I don't scrapbook for comments and likes. ;)  

Hope everybody is staying warm and having a great weekend!

one little word + lists with friends #1

Well, here it is...the obligatory "One Little Word" post - aka: the post in which I talk about all the things I hope to accomplish this year..of which I will actually accomplish approximately 12.42%.  If you've been a reader of my blog for awhile, you might already know that I am not really fan of the whole OLW phenomenon.  I usually (rather sarcastically) choose a word, knowing that I'm doomed to fail miserably by about the 10th day of the new year.  A couple of years, I completely shunned the ONE little word, and instead made  lists of {what I thought were} manageable goals...most of which I also failed at. What can I say? I'm pretty much a failure when it comes to self-improvement...no one but myself to blame. ;) But, this year a single (one little, I suppose) word jumped out at me when I started thinking about the new year. This is a word that I NEED to be successful in the upcoming new year that is filled with so many changes and new things. It's important for both me and my family. It's not a fun word...a cool or trendy word. But it's a necessary word. And that word is...

That's right...the key to my success this year is establishing routines in just about every area of my life.  When we were living in IL, we may not have been doing things perfectly, but we had routines...and since we've moved to WI, they've all been thrown out the window.  Next week my daughter has her first full week of school (check that - since I started typing this the district called a "cold day"...so much for starting fresh on Monday!), and I plan to begin implementing some new routines to make things run a little smoother around here. A few of them include:

1. Morning/School: M has school every day from 9-11:30. That means we need to get up, (maybe I should shower, huh?!), get dressed and ready, eat breakfast, and be out the door to get her there on time. Then, Henry, Ollie, and I will have 2.5 hours of Miri-free time. ;) We will likely use this as a time to run errands when necessary, but it will also be a time when (hopefully) O will nap and H and I can do some "academic" work.  I feel like I've been neglecting him lately in that field. We need to read more books, do some puzzles, talk about the alphabet, sing some songs, and just have some fun together!!

2. Quiet time: I am officially reinstating "quiet time" in our house.  We had a GREAT system in IL...however that was when H was still in a crib. Now that he's in his "big boy bed" well...nap time hasn't been going very smoothly. Oh, who am I kidding...nap time is now non-existent!! My new plan is similar to the old plan, which is simply that the kids do not need to sleep, but they DO need to stay upstairs (bedroom or playroom) for the time.  This will give me time to get things cleaned up from lunch and do something really fun and exciting...like laundry. ;)

3. Creative kid time: I used to feel like a pretty good mom when I was at home with my kids...creating art projects, cooking things, and doing lots of fun activities with my kids.  The newborn + trying keep the house clean when we were showing it + moving really put a damper on that. I'm not saying we need to do something super cool and creative every single day, but I want to bring the creativity back to our afternoons!! This also includes exploring and getting out to meet new people.  This is one thing I'm a little nervous about. I'm totally not a shy person...once I know you. ;)  But meeting new people is kind of tough on me. I'm just not the person that jumps up and says hi...but, I guess I might need to start being that person.

4. Dinner: Meal planning has returned!!  Over the past three months, our dinners have been pretty dismal. We've had more frozen Trader Joe's meals than I care to admit...and um, so apples, yogurt, a couple pretzels, and a half a hot dog is totally a "meal" right?! ;)  Starting next week, I will follow a plan so that we can eat healthier and more consistently, not to mention I actually really like and want to cook dinner!

5. Bedtime routine: This is the only routine that has remained fairly normal since we moved. Ollie goes to bed at seven (or before), and the other two are in bed by eight. Thank goodness. ;)

6. Me time: Blogging, scrapping, working out, and reading. These are the four things I want to make sure I am making time for in my evenings.  There is no reason that I can't do at least one or two of the four every night. Right now I'm usually so tired that I either go to bed or just sit up and mess around on the internet.  Not good. The time I have "to myself" is pretty slim, and I need to make the most of it!!

I realize that all of these things are not going to magically happen overnight, but I really want to make this work!!  Perhaps I will revisit my word every month or two to see how I'm doing. Did you choose a word this year? I'd love to hear it!!

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Finally, this is my first list in a {what is supposed to be} weekly blog series called "Lists with Friends," which is a collaborative effort between a number of smart, talented, and fun women that I am lucky to be a part of. Throughout the year we will all be posting various lists on our blogs. I will post mine both here and on my personal (private) blog. For those of you who read both, I apologize for the repeated content. I'm working right now to figure out a balance between the two blogs, now that I am not working and have the freedom to include more personal items on the this blog! The majority of my family posts, however, will remain private. If you'd like to play along and makes some lists, link me up! :)