dream big.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2011!

I am completely excited about the idea of having a fresh start and that includes a new word to kick off the New Year! Ali Edwards has been doing this for several years now and this is the second year I am joining in.

My word for the year is EXPERIENCE. This word found me as I spent the last few months of 2010 discussing how I want to experience more with my family. I want LESS stuff and more memorable moments. That is why at Christmas the entire family received season ski passes. My youngest on Christmas morning said, “Mom, we didn’t get that many toys this year.”  No, they didn’t. Most everything under our tree was ski gear… plus one toy, one book, and stockings. Less stuff that will soon be forgotten, but an entire winter season of our family together, experiencing the mountains, snow and skiing!

 

 

I am wondering how many directions this new word will take me this year. I am excited to find out.

Write It Wednesday!

After a wonderful Christmas holiday at my house this past week, I have been thinking about the story I want to write this week. Christmas brings forth wonderful memories of the past that include values and traditions that I want to share with my kids. That is why this weeks story prompt is all about holiday values and traditions that are important to you and how you choose to pass them on.

This will be different for each person, but my memory is one of being outdoors, and it is an activity that we started when I lived in Alaska. It is a holiday memory, because it started one Christmas and even after moving away from Alaska and living in Arizona, my parents tried to continue this new family tradition. I am excited to write this story, because this is the year that I am passing this tradition on to my children and I am thrilled that they are loving it as much as I did.

Remember when writing your story to share why this holiday value or tradition left such an impression on your life. Adding moments like these to your story bring a sense of reality and you into your scrapbooking.

Enjoy writing your story.

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Write it Wednesday - Holiday Food

Today I am thinking about food. So, hey...why not write about holiday food this week.

I know, my first thought is wow a story about food? Really, are you nuts? Of course I am, but why not write a story about holiday food?

The first time I truly realized the importance of food was the first time I spent a holiday away from my family. I had a lovely time, but something was missing, and it went beyond missing my family. I had a hard time enjoying the holiday, because the food was so DIFFERENT that it didn't feel like a holiday meal to me.

Today, think about holiday food and its importance to your holiday traditions. and write about it. Then, this weekend take photos of the food that is important and maybe even food that you could do without. This will be a fun page to create next week when the holiday crazies are over with!

Merry Christmas!

Limits on Time ... Write it Wednesday

With the craziness of the season in full force and because I am all for saving a little sanity, I am going to only be doing the Write It Wednesday portion of Illustrate Your Life until the new year. Ah, there I said it and I feel so much better. You see I have not had time to get my new scanner, but I did enjoy attending two Christmas parties last weekend. So, I will be writing stories and then when all of the fun gatherings of family and friends slow down after the holidays I will spend a couple of weeks illustrating the stories and sharing the results with you.

Today I am going to write a story about a fun holiday experience. The holidays are full of gifts that can fill your home and since I have been on a mission to end clutter and chaos in my home, I am trying to give the gift of experiences this year. This experience may be a family tradition, or something new that you are experiencing for the first time. Remember that experiences are all about doing something, and experiencing something. The great thing is you get to decide what that experience is. Maybe you want to focus on an experience from the past, or maybe you have one from the present holiday, and you may even want to think of a holiday experience you would like to do in the future. Simply write the story and share what this experience means to you and why it is important.

Okay, have fun, and write about a holiday experience.

Scanner Woes...Illustrate it!

So, I am still having scanner issues...this is just not fun. Good news is I can return my scanner, get a new one. Just not in time to post my Illustrate it Friday photos and layout.

Good news is that I have a story and I know what pictures I am using, plus I have my story printed and most photos printed. It feels good to be prepared and by the end of the weekend I hope to have my new scanner up and functioning. Sigh.

So, I thought I would post a couple of pictures I have taken this holiday season.

 

 
 
 
 

Completely loving this holiday season. Today I am taking my girls to a darling little place called the Java Clay Cafe. We are headed there to create some Christmas gifts for family members. Should be LOTS of fun.

And even though I do not have my scanner working to finish my Illustrate it Friday page. I hope you get some time today or this weekend to finish yours!

Print it Thursday!

I am having scanner issues. Grrr. I am going to re-load my scanner to my computer and hope that solves the errors. It is a brand new scanner. I shouldn't be having issues, yet here I am.

Anyway, the reason I bring up my scanner woes is that I really wanted to upload some pics of my grandmother for you to see, as she is the BEST person I have ever met, and I want to share her with you.But you will have to wait until tomorrow ( I say with my fingers crossed) once my scanner is up and running.

Today, I will be taking a few final shots of my angel ornaments and scanning some shots of me and my grandmother to illustrate my story. That is what today is for. Simply read through your story and either take photos or gather photos that will help you illustrate your story. Oh, and print out your story!

 

Speaking of stories here is my story that I wrote yesterday.

My grandmother and I did everything together. Every weekend we would get together to craft, create, and share life with each other.

In November of 1998 my grandma Irma and I were making these darling Raggedy Ann and Andy angels to add to my Christmas tree decorations. It was my grandmother and her eye for spotting anything cute that found the pattern at Ben Franklin. I had been spending lots of extra time with my grandmother because she was not feeling well, but she seemed to light up and enjoy our time creating together. I had hoped that this project would lift her spirits.

That year time together would not be enough, as she passed away before Thanksgiving and before we had a chance to finish these darling ornaments. This moment was the most difficult and heart wrenching moments of my life. It was as if my grandmother knew I would need these little ornaments to help me get through it all. I finished making these ornaments by myself that year. It was hard, sad and therapeutic all at the same time.

I cherish these ornaments as I alone know their real story and purpose, and I make certain I get to put a few of these angels on the tree myself before the hands of little girls grab them and place them haphazardly on the tree.

As I hang these angels on the tree and look at them over the Christmas season I am reminded of the importance of family, especially my grandmother, as these ornaments are the last thing we created together…angels.

Care to share your story? Leave a link in the comment section, I'd love to read your story.

Write It Wednesday!

Well, the holidays are obviously here! Getting a simple photo of a completed page needs to be scheduled into my day. Here are some pics from my finished Illustrate Your Life page from last week.

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

Today I am inspired to write about a holiday memory. As I snapped a shot of this simple ornament this week, a flood of memories came back to me.

 

My kids also love these ornaments and asked about them. So, I am feeling truly compelled to write the story behind the ornament.

Today think about a holiday memory that you have, which most in your family are unaware of. They may not be aware of it because they were not born yet, or because it was a moment that happened to you at another time in your life, or simply when you were off by yourself. Any holiday moment will do as long as your moment is one that truly has touched your heart. It is funny how writing has this easy way of feeling so magical when a moment or story is told from the heart.

This week I will be posting my story tomorrow once I have it printed, along with the photos I am going to include to illustrate the story.

 

WRITE IT WEDNESDAY!

Gratitude is such a big word. It can mean so much. Writing about it can make you feel as if you are writing an acceptance speech for winning your first Oscar.

“So, many people made this possible…” Blah, blah, blah.

What are you grateful for right now? On this day if you had to create a list of items or things you are grateful for what would they be? The list doesn’t need to be long just truthful.

Stories can be told with a simple list. So, today, write a simple list of what you are grateful for now. The items do not need to be deep, they just need to be honest.

Once you have your list write a brief description as to why or how you are grateful for each item. Show how the item is important to you today.

Here is my list.

Gratitude – November 30^th, 2010

My memory foam pillow – completely grateful you were on sale and I splurged on something for me as you have brought me another night of good sleep.

Cuisinart – thankful my husband realizes how much I use this kitchen tool and wanted me to replace my recently broken one!

Iced tea – love that you are so easy to make when I am thirsty and water doesn’t sound appetizing.

Whipped cream – grateful that this simple addition to breakfast foods and hot chocolate lights up my children’s tired eyes.

Animal crackers – happy to have a snack in my home that my five year old is ALWAYS ready to eat.

Cheese – oh, how I love you, Natalie and I couldn’t survive a day without a slice of cheddar.

Early morning quiet – peace and quiet in the early hours of the morning are what I treasure most and make me a better mother at the end of a long day.

Left overs – they were never that appetizing as a child, but I live for left overs now as I see them as less work and fabulous taste.

Giggles – I am so grateful for little girls who giggle and get along…most of the time.

Friends – I have the BEST friends, and as we experience each new day together, I am even more grateful to have them in my life.

Family – having a family is the best thing I have ever done…growing together is what I am grateful for today.

My computer – ordering Christmas gifts online, I can’t say just how grateful I am for my computer as it has kept me from standing in LONG lines at the store.

My land line – cell phones are fine, but I LOVE the sound I have on my land line.

Cash – completely grateful for payday and the fact that I paying for things in cash and not credit.

Catalogues – grateful for the catalogues that pour into my mailbox and give my kids a wish list beyond Target and Toys –R-Us

So that wasn’t difficult. I had my story finished in 22 minutes. Not that it’s a race, but just that I like to be productive. If it works better for you to see it as a race that’s cool too. Post your time in the comments, but don’t cheat yourself out of a good list and explanation in the process! Leave a link so I can read your list story too!

Print it Thursday!

 
Printing days usher in a thoughtful process. I give thought to the size of the page I will need to create to best share the story I have written. I give thought to the images that I can use to illustrate my story, and determine the size and quantities of the photos as well. It is also a day where I re-read what I have written, because it is from the words in the story that will guide me to finding the perfect photos to illustrate my story.

Today as I print I have decided to create a 12” X 12” double page to capture this story. I needed to do this because my words allowed me to incorporate a lot of photos throughout this holiday season and my story is long enough that it requires a bit of real estate on my page. I also changed the font color and printed it onto white card stock. I printed enlargements and wallet size photos to really focus on illustrating my story. I hope I can fit all of the photos onto my page, but if not I will use them somewhere else at another time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I selected my photos to print I wanted to truly illustrate my story with photos of loved ones and objects that will remind me of this season of life for my family. Instead of grabbing photos by theme I am grabbing photos from many different themes and events because all of them combined illustrate the point of my story.

In the end I printed 1 - 8"x 10", 2 - 5"x 7", 2- 4"x 6", 1 - 3" x 5" and 4 wallet sized photos. I am not sure if all of them will fit on the double page spread, but I would rather have too many photos rather than too few when I begin illustrating tomorrow.

Today, take time to print your story, gather and print images and enlargements so tomorrow you will be ready to Illustrate Your Life.

Welcome to Write it Wednesday!

Today’s theme brings season’s front and center. Now, at first glance seasons may get you thinking about just spring, summer, winter and fall. This is a great place to start thinking about stories, but my goal is to dig a little deeper and find a story beneath the surface of a simple theme like seasons.

 

I am diving into to the theme of seasons and looking at how each season shapes and changes my life, love and joy. As I ponder this idea, I find myself asking questions like how is this season different from those in the past? How can I capture the true joy of this season now? Are there parts of my life that can change like the leaves of every season?

 Today I am capturing one of these seasonal life moments with words. Also, as I write the story I want to make certain that I am telling the story from a personal perspective. I plan on capturing this personal perspective by sharing the story either through what I perceive to be occurring or from my own personal desires. I have found that my writing is more honest when I approach a story in this manner.

Here is my story for today’s theme:

Right now the fall of 2010 marks a time in my life when I want to do more with my family as a family. I want to do more than just live in the same house with them. I want to create experiences and memories that will last a life time.

Maybe it is because Olivia just turned eleven and I am realizing for the first time that she has fewer years left with me than she has already spent. Maybe it is because I see that Natalie and Ella are both finally at an age where we can truly all go and do things together, without either Eric or I needing to stay home with the baby, since the baby just turned five and really isn’t a baby any more.

Regardless of the reason I know that this fall is filled with time together as a family, as we enjoyed going to our first Apple Squeeze Festival, traveling on the ferry and spending a fall day on the beach building driftwood forts, making handmade Halloween decorations, going to find pumpkins at Maris Farms and hosting our first annual Halloween party.

I want to completely enjoy this season of our lives as a family. Fall marks the beginning of a “new year” and a new set of traditions and ways to spend time together as a family. Fall, 2010 has blown in more than leaves; it has blown my family towards spending more time actively being involved with each other. All of us need this.

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Now, as I was writing down my thoughts on today’s theme I actually came up with a couple of stories that I want to capture. I started writing both stories and decided that the story above moved me more in the moment of writing. I have saved the beginning of another story and will come back to it when I am ready and feel moved to complete it. I LOVE that I was able to find more than one story for this topic.

I hope you share your stories on your blog or in the comments. Reading what others write is very inspiring.