thankful thursday: generosity of others

i didn't participate in posting something i was thankful for everyday this november,
but i surely THOUGHT of something i was thankful for!
so yesterday.. while i was thinking about what i was going to post today..
considering making it 'thoughtful thursday', a situation that happened the day before, instantly popped into my mind, and decided to make it 'thankful thursday' instead.
(hopefully i can keep up this blogging thing & by next year will have 52 weeks of things i am thankful for!)

so this week i am thankful for the generosity of others.
i am constantly humbled by it.
i was doing some online research on a kitchen playset, as that was what we/i decided to get the babe for his 'want' gift.
he LOVED playing with my little cousins set, and he is ALWAYS underneath me in the kitchen.
so i was comparing all the different features, and sizes, and prices, across the toy trinity,
ya know walmart, target, toys r us.
and i decided to post on facebook asking for anyone's input that had experience with one.
what i ended up with was not what i expected.

i ended up with an offer for the very same set i was looking at, from a friend of a friend, for FREE.
FREE.
i wanted to cry.
this person can't possibly understand how much this meant to me,
'cause to be honest, i wasn't entirely sure i was going to be able to pull of getting it in the first place.
i TRIED to get her to take money from me, and she wouldn't hear of it.
i am so grateful. i can't even begin to express my thanks to her.
(but i'm sure gonna try! i have a little 'thank you' in the works for her two girls when we pick up the set)

this may seem entirely silly, given my son does not NEED a kitchen set.
but for me, it doesn't lessen the gesture.
i'm working with a tight budget, and trying to make sure that my kids experience a little of that magic on christmas morning is important.
the biggest kiddo is excited about having money to spend on others, because we aren't spending it on ourselves.

paying it forward this season.

happy thursday.
xo-k

wordless wednesday: long lashes

tasty tuesday: apple fritter cake

looks good doesn't it?
i can tell you, it was!
it's an apple fritter cake.. and man,  it was like a giant donut in a pan.
crazy good.
like a cinnamon bun & apple fritter had a baby & put glaze on it.
i made it for my family for our thanksgiving get together.
i am one of the go-to dessert people, and i LOVE it.
this year, a few people had already beat me to deciding what they were bringing..
and as i like to make sure we have a variety
(read: dad doesn't like cheesecake, the hubs doesn't like coconut, and mom usually skips the chocolate)
i had to contend with a german chocolate cake, and an oreo cheesecake dessert this year.
so i decided on something fall-ish, and sans chocolate.

i stumbled on this apple fritter cake on pinterest (of course)
and followed the link to cookies & cups blog, and after reading the ingredients, decided to go for it.
the only thing that i had trouble with was the batter...
it was a thick batter, and spreading it out in a greased pan was a NIGHTMARE.
in the end i managed to use more than 1/2 of the batter which meant that i didn't have enough for the top cake layer,
but that didn't seem to make a difference to anyone else, and it tasted just as good.
i also think i might skip the dark brown sugar & go for light brown next time, as the flavor wasn't my favorite.

check out cookies & cups blog for this awesome recipe!

what new recipes have you tried lately?

happy tuesday!
xo-k

music monday: bruno mars

i've decided to try and persuade myself to get back into blogging.
i've been blogging since 2006, and it seems to ebb & flow, this blogging drive.
i reinvented my blog in 2010, intent on providing craft tutorials & recipes.
convinced i wanted to be apart of mommy-bloggers everywhere.
but the truth is.. i'm not a mommy blogger.
and i can't afford to do a craft every week.
i don't always have great things to say.
i sometimes repeat the same meals over & over every week much to my husband's dismay.

and since there is facebook, and instagram, and project life...
sometimes i feel like i'm repeating the same things soo many times, i get bored.

i get bored easy sometimes.

and especially since project life has come into my life i feel like if i don't spend every free moment on that
i'm incredibly behind.
i have HIGH hopes of being caught up by the end of the year.
at 20 something weeks behind.. i better get a move on it.

but i have decided to implement a schedule for myself..
because i seem to do better when i have one.
project life, cleaning, blogging, etc.
so here goes nothing.
no promises.. just good intentions.

mondays will be music mondays..
because it's easy to post a video, type a few lines & get on with my day.

so here's my first music monday video.
bruno mars: locked out of heaven.
saw it on SNL & fell instantly in love.
if you like it, you should google his SNL performance.
his band is awesome. a throw back to the big brass bands of the 50s & 60s.
AWESOME.



happy monday!
xo-k

project life: weeks 23,24 , & 25

i am no where near being caught up on my project life album.

but, i'm making a huge effort to wrap it up before the end of this year.

i have photos through the end of september already IN the album.

and i have my 'planning' out done through the beginning of october.

i worked out sorting through photos for the last three weeks of october yesterday,

and that was a HUGE task.

carnival. corn maze. halloween.

holy cow.

but i worked through & kept telling myself

'pick only what tells the story'

it's my little mantra i repeat while i'm working on my PL album.

'only what tells the story'

i say it to myself 100 times over.

it's a layered message,

reminding me to KISS.

ya know, keep it simple stupid.

a few months ago i was getting all bogged down in having everything perfect in my album.

it was wearing me thin, as well as my inspiration.

i LOVE seeing everyone post pictures of their happy mail..

but it makes me covet stuff i really don't need..

and because i'm a pretty simple, repetitive scrapper..

likely won't use anyways!

so, i tried to spend some time reconnecting to myself & my style.

sounds silly, i know..

but every once in a while i need a good swift kick in the kiester to remind myself i do this for me,

not for awards or recognition.

a 3x4 card that isn't 'just right' is NOT an issue in the big picture

and seriously, as long as it's telling the flippin' story, MOVE ON.

so anyways, with that mantra in mind,

i sat down & busted out a week each day last week.

well, almost.

monday i worked on my title page..

saturday i knocked out a bunch of stuff i needed to print

& yesterday i planned out the last few weeks.

i have two more spreads completed, but i figured i'd wait since there were always a TON of photos here.

week 23: 

I think one of my favorite things about this method is that I scrap MORE of the everyday stuff that wouldn't have earned it's own page the old way.. a random quote i said this week, our obsession with jaws, how much in love with washi i am. all part of the story.

i fought with my need for 'perfection' just a bit on that 'summer bucket list' card i had the dude fill out for me. in the end i know i'll appreciate his handwriting much more than straight lines in the years to come! i asked him what were some things he wanted to do over the summer.. (i feel bad that we only managed 2 of the 6.. but the kid had a tall order!)

may 30th was this kiddo's actual birthday, but due to some scheduling conflicts in both papa & dad's working schedule, we had to push back his party a week. he wanted a 'pirates of the caribbean' birthday.. so a pirate birthday it was.. i loved this shot of him with the candle so i blew it up to a 6x12 and made it more prominent in the spread.

i always love those '20 questions' things i see people do with their kiddos, so i decided to give it a go with the dude. i wanted him to write out his answers, but i know how this lack of space would have gone over with his 8 year old larger than life handwriting, so i just wrote it out myself! :)

i had a second insert this week with some pictures & info from the party. i always like to keep a list of who was there.. & i work so hard on a menu that matches the theme, that goes in there too! (especially when my pictures of said items are less than stellar!)

my original plan was to put an "8" in that top pocket wear the balloon is. put some confetti & one of the gold coins from the treasure decorations in there.... but that got nixed when i remembered i salvaged this balloon from the party. simple simple simple. just a picture, a label sticker & some journaling. BAM. i find it easiest for me to do something universal when i have several pictures from one event. i feel like keeping the embellishment, or journaling spot the same helps to tie them all in together, AND makes the 'getting it done' part move along faster.

week 24:

this was a week i was really struggling to pull it together. i felt like it just wasn't jiving for me. i muddled through it, reevaluated what the important pieces of the story were for us this week, and then took some stuff out, and added new stuff in. like the EW twilight cover? hello. has to go in. my entire family knows i'm a twi-hard, so they don't even flinch at my geeking out. (see the dude's drawing of a vampire for me early this year, proof enough?)

and here is the right side. tried to remind myself the STORY is what is important, the embellishments & titles are just MY artistic expression. get it down & get it done when the inspiration isn't there.

week 25:

this spread ended up being one of my favorites of this year so far. i've tried to break myself out of this color combo thing, and it just doesn't happen for me. even as a traditional scrapper, the paper had to 'match' the picture. (and if im honest, most of the weeks i am NOT happy with a certain piece, it's because i feel like it doesn't 'match'. it's ridiculous.) so this week i spread my pictures out, like i usually do, and stood back & took in what colors hit me first. green, black, pink. now i'm not much of a pink person, but i am in love with the amy tangerine sketchbook line, and was desperate to use some of it. it went PERFECTLY with  my photos for this week, so i was instantly inspired and moving forward. i felt like i was channeling my inner 80s child with the hot pink/bright green color combo, and somehow that got me moving.

two things i've come to embrace. not EVERY picture needs a 3 page story to go with it. sometimes just a simple date is sufficient. (i'm the EXACT opposite of someone who has a tough time journaling...!!) learning to appreciate those pictures that i can just date stamp & move on. finding the balance between our 'family' life & my story. sometimes it's more my story some weeks, when i'm away from my family... if i could get the boys in my life to contribute more to this, i totally would.. but for now they'll just have MY perspective on everything.. and that's okay too ;)

i'm also embracing hidden journaling & quote cards. some weeks there is just 'less', and i'm okay with that. not every pocket needs a story. if it's not vital to our story, than it gets left out. that quote pocket came as a result of pulling out some less significant 'pocket filler' crap & inserting a quote i shared on facebook during this week as i was struggling with some emotions & frustrations about a situation out of my control. no one else may appreciate that quote, but i am instantly reminded of why i shared it, and what situation it was about. for someone else, it won't have the same meaning, but it's still a valuable reminder!

and with that spread, i have one FULL album, complete with 25 weeks of project life spreads.
one album that contains pictures and stories and quotes & the paraphernalia of life.
not one single scrap of memorabilia is sitting in a crate waiting for a home this year.
and i seriously can't tell you how WONDERFUL that feels.
not to have a ticket stub or arm band, or map floating around waiting for a final resting place.
THAT is the key to why i started this method.
and man that feels good.

onto my second album.
keep your fingers crossed i crank it out before the end of the year.
i'm determined, and making it my goal to catch up.
hopefully with this new less is more mantra in my head pushing me forward that'll be a goal realized.

xo-k

christmas: less is more

yes, it's november 9th, and i'm going to talk about christmas.
last christmas this idea sat heavy on my heart.

the idea of less being more.

we were struggling with what to buy the babe, cause let's face it..
he was one, and WAY more interested in his brother's toys & everything he wasn't supposed to get into than baby toys.
add to that that the dude is approaching that age were he plays less & less with toys.
and attempting to keep things equal & fair.
and being a one income family....
and we are firm believers if you can't pay cash, you can't have it.

and as i looked around at christmas time last year, i felt like something need to change.

mind you, we have NEVER been a family of extravagance at christmas.
as a child there were times when we had little to nothing under the tree,
and i can clearly remember everything we got those years when presents were sparse,
and i know in my heart how much i appreciated those things KNOWING how hard it was for my parents those years.
and now as an adult, i have always tried to remain reasonable about my urge to shower my kids with gifts.
('cause lets be honest, watching kids open presents on christmas morning is THE best)

but, were before we were able to eek out a little extra to give to family
& do a tree angel, or drop off a homemade item to a friend, or give something small to a teacher..
as a one income family, that's expanded to two children..
it's gotten much more tight at christmas.

the last two years we've cut out the 'extra' giving.
and when i think about all the blessings we ALREADY have in the form of jobs, health care, heat & food...
it seems ungrateful to get MORE, when others have LESS.

so, when i ran across this idea last christmas, i knew i was going this direction this year.
i knew it would allow us to GIVE more to those in need.
and i wanted the opportunity to teach my kids, especially the dude since he understands now..
how AWESOME it is to know you are doing something nice for someone who NEEDS it.

the idea i'm talking about consists of making a list with your kids of the following items:

something they WANT.
something they NEED.
something they'll WEAR.
something they'll READ.

i've seen some variations where they add/substitute something they'll WATCH, or PLAY, all geared towards the child's age..
and then i've seen some where they will add, "and I'd REALLY like it if you brought me..."
(and in our house, santa will still come with a small gift, and stocking treats)

so i sprung this idea on mason the other day.
i explained that instead of just giving me a list of a bunch of toys that he likely wouldn't play with anyways...
we were going to focus on something in each category, like how he needs a new soccer ball, or how he wants a nintendo DS.
i have to admit, i didn't give him (or myself) much credit.. and expected some whining.
i explained that by getting a couple of things he REALLY wanted, we'd be able to give to people we loved, or people who had less.

if i could have fallen on the floor (we were in the car) after his response, i would have.
he simply said 'it's okay mama, i'd rather have the things we need like food & electricity, and this way we can get presents for people so they know they are loved.'
i was SHOCKED.

i explained that he was going to be my big helper this year, and help us do for others.
he was TOTALLY on board, and has been asking me non-stop when he gets to start helping me out.
(sometimes i wonder how i'm getting this parenting thing right, especially when i feel like i'm always failing miserably!)

so, first on the list is Operation Christmas Child.
i won't go into too much detail, but you can look it up here.
there are locations EVERYWHERE to drop off.
(and the deadline is November 19th, so hurry!)
i hope you'll take a few minutes & check it out...
and maybe, if you're able (i know times are tough, but they are soo much tougher for someone else)..
you'll put together a box or two for a little girl or boy.
we are doing two boxes, one for each boy.

and i am ALREADY more excited about this christmas than i have been of any past.

xo-k

ps. i just have to share, because it broke my heart, and showed me how much he really does love his uncle. he said he wanted to use the money we had to buy uncle ricky a present so he won't be so sad. it made me sad & so proud at the same time. having to explain divorce to a child is a horrible heart-breaking experience.