Inspiration from the parking lot called the 403

OLW Blog Hop - March

2012-03-02T07:41:00.001-08:00

Or how my friend ScrappnBee has saved my procrastinating butt!! Thanks Amanda J

I will completely admit to my epic fail. I thought about this month’s prompt. Really I did. But the pictures didn’t come. And I forgot I signed up for this blog hop because I am (still!) so excited about this project, I think I signed up on the first day and then totally forgot about the deadline.

I decided this morning to have a bit of a break from reading Company Procedures and the first updated blog on my list was Amanda’s (ScrappnBee). All I can say is thank goodness, someone was on the ball!!! I was in panic mode because HOLY BATMAN I completely forgot to post!

So here’s my photo spread for my word : FOCUS

**Edited to add, this will be even later because I can't get the pictures to show up :( So sorry!

I will admit that due to my procrastination, other then the picture of my family …. The rest of these pictures were linked up from Pinterest or Google Images. I’ll link up exactly where this weekend.

Again, sorry for being late and dropping the ball here. Thank goodness March is a longer month ;)

Here’s where you’re going next J

Jen R http://jenritchie.com/

Thanks so much for stopping by and seeing what we are up to! (hop live at 8AM PST)

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com/
Brooklyn http://www.everysnapshot.com/
Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/<---you are here!!!
Jen R http://jenritchie.com/<---next
Kara http://iwannabemewhenigrowup.blogspot.com/
Eydie http://www.whatwecreate.net/
Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com/
Missus W http://www.mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/
Marilee http://rose-brier.blogspot.com/
Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com/
Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com/
Dawn G http://www.sunshineandcreativity.com/
Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/
Becky http://www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com/
Orange Gearle http://orangegearle.blogspot.com/
Katrina http://www.katrinasimeck.com/
Jo http://www.mrsbeee.blogspot.com/
Nicky http://www.seejanebake.blogspot.com/
Beth http://www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com/
Kelly http://mindingmynest.com/
Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/
Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/ (START/ Lost & Found)
Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com/
Sharyn http://lavieenchic.com/
Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com/
Jill http://jillconyers.com/
Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com/
Cindy http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com/
Jenn http://www.studiojenn.blogspot.com/
Monica http://scrapinspired.com/
Catherine http://myview-catherine.blogspot.com/
Naomi http://poeticaperture.com/
Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/
Coley http://www.coleybelle.blogspot.com/
Melissa C http://www.smudgetime.com/
Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/
Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/
Veronica http://www.veronicanorris.typepad.com/
Heidi D http://mommy.heidimdavis.com/

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/category/one-little-word/
Nikki http://www.inkyart.com.au/

Eye on the prize

2012-02-10T22:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight, being a typical Friday night, I'm scrapping. It's my "distressing, not worrying about the hell-ish week that just happpenned" thing to do. The wine flows, the ideas flow .. if it weren't for my scraproom and (very) loud Cricut being right under DS's room, I'd have 4. YES 4 more layouts DONE! (All that's left is the titles, and I want to use the Cricut ;)) **I will take some pictures once they're actually done!

Also to blogland I'm admitting that I have 30 weeks left. This week at work was complete hell. To say that I work in a "man's world" is an understatement. I finally made the realization WHY I never got comfortable here. And I figured out I'd like to give it 30 weeks. More for me to save the cash to be able to quit. But at least I have a plan. And an X on the calendar so it's a concrete plan. DH will be inpressed as I'm sure he's not too thrilled with my mood as of late ;) We'll see how the saving plan goes - hopefully the plan works and I'm "free" as of Labour Day. That's the prize my eye is on ;)

Cheers!

Welcome to the February OLW Blog Hop!!!

2012-02-01T05:00:00.000-08:00

So last year, I tried to do One Little Word, (OLW) and it was an epic fail. Towards the end of last year one of my scrappy friend told me about a blog hop that Margie organizes every month and it helped keep HER i check. (Thanks ScrappnBee!!) So I figured I'd give OLW another try and here I am.

My word this year is FOCUS. As I've said in an earlier blog post, by the end of last year I felt like I was pulled in too many directions all the time. And not being able to give 100% with whatever I was working on. IT. WAS. FRUSTRATING. One day, I was trying to clean up the kitchen while listening to DS reading. I was frustrated with him (the situation) because I still had a million and five things to tackle before bedtime. DS's reading was taking a long time because he was struggling. The missing key was FOCUS. If I would just focus on DS's reading, he'd go off tp play and I could focus on what I had to get done. DUH! Lightbulb moment!! And my One Little Word for 2012 was born :)

In the short 31+ days since I've chosen my word I've really tried to spend some time really focusing on a task every day. Folding a load of laundry only takes about 4 minutes, unloading the dishwasher takes about 3. I've found I'm also calmer. More at peace and less stressed. So far so good for 2012.

Here's a picture of January's assignment. I was so inspired, I think it was done within the first couple days of being uploaded at BPC!!

We have a total of 46 wonderful scrappers on the blog hop for this month, apparently it's the biggest hop yet!! You will be going to Cindy's blog next.

ONE LITTLE WORD Feb 1, 2012 Blog Hop

Margie http://xnomads.typepad.com/

Sharyn www.lavieenchic.com

Jill http://jillconyers.com/

Lynn www.crafty-creativity.blogspot.com

Jenn www.studiojenn.blogspot.com

Carmen http://www.carmenpaulsorthner.com

Marilee http://rose-brier.blogspot.com/

Kristina http://hrinspirationfromthe403.blogspot.com/ ***YOU ARE HERE***

Cindy C http://www.cynthiacrysdale.com Next stop

Kelly http://mindingmynest.com

Cheri http://cheriandrews.blogspot.com

Amanda http://scrappnbee.blogspot.com

Cindy http://seriousplay.typepad.com

Brooke http://www.everysnapshot.com/

Naomi http://www.poeticaperture.com/

Melissa http://www.smudgetime.com

Karen http://breathenowsmile.blogspot.com

Melissa S http://blog.mshanhun.com

Devon http://www.youhadmeatneurotic.com

Donna http://holimess.blogspot.com/

Dawn sunshineandcreativity.com

Katrina http://www.katrinasimeck.com/

Sam http://learncreatedo.wordpress.com

Monica http://scrapinspired.com

Kimberlee http://scrapsandsass.blogspot.com

Missus W http://mrswookieswanderings.blogspot.com/

Kaylea http://www.myscrappylife.com

Nikki Www.inkyart.com.au

Erin http://erinsparkes.typepad.com/optimstic-fascination/

Jo www.curlyscrapbooker.blogspot.com

Coley http://coleybelle.blogspot.com/2012/01/focus-word-for-2012.html

Beth www.thesingularlyordinary.blogspot.com

Veronica www.veronicanorris.typepad.com

Jamie http://jmpgirl.blogspot.com/

Monica B http://questtoperfectimperfection.blogspot.com/

Lisa http://backtoallen.com/writers_blog

Rebekah http://istampscrapcraft.blogspot.com/

Jan http://mysimplelittlelife.typepad.com

Cate www.lifebehindthepurpledoor.com

Stephanie www.scrapworthylives.com

Orange Gearle http://orangegearle.blogspot.com

Tere http://terecontodomicorazon.blogspot.com/

Junelle http://yesandamenblog.blogspot.com/

Ruth http://suburbansahm.blogspot.com

Becky www.becky-handforth.blogspot.com

Preparing for the busy month ahead ...

2012-01-29T18:56:00.000-08:00

My "nesting" started on Thursday evening. I requested my favorite freezer cooking cookbooks from the library. Made a plan for a Costco run on Saturday with DH. Spent a couple of hours this afternoon getting a bunch of freezer meals ready to go. Spent the evening catching up on the blog hop from Friday about LOAD. Why all the preparation?? I'm SCRAPPING baby!!!

I have 10 out of 12 layouts done for Twelve, and the new month starts on Weds so the clock starts all over again. On top of that I thought it would be fun to tgive LOAD a try. If you haven't heard of it before it's doing a layout a day. There are LOTS of great reviews out there, and the blogs I've been reading have me even more excited!!

Here's where the blog hop starts if you're interested in having a peek : http://xnomads.typepad.com/blog/2012/01/welcome-to-the-pre-load-layout-a-day-blog-hop.html#tp

Don't forget to come back on Wednesday for the OLW Blog Hop starting at 8am PST.

Cheers!

January classes - status update :)

2012-01-26T16:41:00.000-08:00

I have to admit that as busy as life is right now, I would not change a thing.

Because of Move More, Eat Well, I am getting on the bike *almost* every night after dinner. Pop in a DVD (usually an old episode of One Tree Hill or How I Met Your Mother), bring my water bottle and Kindle (for blog reading) and I am good for 30-40 minutes. I still need to work on the *eating well* part of the plan.... Somehow, having a Quarter Pounder with cheese combo for lunch yesterday does not fit well into the *eating well* plan. I also need to work on the actual layouts for this class ..... that is definitely on the list for this weekend!! YIKES - canèt believe I forgot about the scrapping part!

I finished my January page for One Little Word in record time :) I think it was done shortly after my last blog post!! I will be participating in a blog hop on February 1st. Come back and have a peek - I am THRILLED with how my page turned out!!

Project Life is a bit on the back burner (for now). DH had set up our new computer just after Christmas and it has taken me UNTIL NOW to figure out how to make my albums and tag photos and such. But I have been taking loads of notes and keeping bits of details of our lives. I might try and play some catch-up this weekend if the boys cooperate (aka if they entertain themselves with video games as usual).

But the one class I am so SUPER DUPER excited about is Twelve.

I LOVE that there is something new to think about almost every day.
I LOVE that the message board is hopping and there is so much inspiration there.
I LOVE how excited Stacy is in her messages and you can *hear* her hyper voice, even in the written material.
I LOVE that I have more then 200 page ideas floating around and I have somewhere to be keeping all these fabulous ideas!!!
LOVE LOVE LOVE this class!!!

I have completed 8 of the 12 layouts for this month. I am SOOOOO going to meet that 12 layouts a month!!

Now that we are all back into the routine of life as we know it .... All activities are back in full swing - karate, swimming, school and work. I should be getting back into the habit of posting. Next update, Ièll be sure to have some pictures!!

Cheers!!

First week of the year is going pretty smooth, so far ;)

2012-01-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

Because our lives aren't crazy enough, I decided to spend some time this year taking some really great online scrapbooking courses and start some amazing projects. Most of these are through http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/ , if you haven't checked them out yet and you're into scrapbooking or photography YOU SHOULD!!! Fabulous teachers, interesting topics, so much incredible inspiration!!

If you decide to sign up for a class (or several as I tend to do), use this referral code http://www.bigpictureclasses.com/register.php?refer=3A1BE2B3 that way WE BOTH get 10% off of our next class!! How awesome is that!?!?

Anyway, the classes I'm working on through this fabulous site are:
One Little Word
Twelve
Move More, Eat Well
Design your Life (self paced class)
Reclaiming Your Time

I can't say I like any of these classes more or less then another. Why? They are ALL so different, yet they intermingle quite a bit!! I'm finding lately that I'm really enjoying the more thought provoking classes versus the "here follow this sketch" kind of classes. I love sketches, and I love new inspiration. But as I seem to be spending quite a bit of time commuting lately, and that seems to be the only time that someone doesn't need me for something right. that. second. I enjoy the fact that I can ponder something I read, or a trigger I saw and think of a story I'd like to tell on my scrapbook page.

Seeing as this post has taken me over 3 days to type up, I'll save my reviews of the classes for down the road otherwise this will never get up! But I promise, you will start seeing some pictures of my progress ... it's all about getting this new routine under my belt first.

Next week we're adding swimming lessons - for both DS and DH. This should make an interested twist to our lives!

Have a great week!!

Happy New Year - Happy New Me :)

2012-01-01T09:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!

The turning of the calendar was rung in without much fanfare at our home this year. In our younger years we went all out - fancy clothes, dinners, parties, too many cocktails, even limos once.

Now we're much more laid back.

Early dinner at The Keg with DH, DS stayed home with MIL (who he adores). After dinner we headed out to the casino and racetrack to donate a bit of money to the Ontario government ;) Then came home to the happiest kid ever!! No idea on the cause of the happiness, but if I could have bottled up those smiles and giggles last night I'd never have to work again!!

After DS was safely tucked into bed, DH & I had some wine, watched some New Year's "stuff" on tv while surfing on our laptops (Me : Scrapbooking, Him : Poker and electronic sales). A decent night with no nasty hangovers this morning, which really is the ultimate gift after the craziest night of the year.

But I'm brought back to the happiest kid of last night. He is always a great kid, a happy kid. But last night sparked something amazing. Why aren't we happy ALL. THE. TIME. ???

I can understand as adults we need to do stuff that we don't like to do. Be responsible and go to a job even if you hate it. Choke down broccoli because someone says you need to eat more vegetables. Pay your bills instead of buying that new toy you really really want. Blah, blah, blah ...

But in between all of the "have to's" we really need to focus on the "want to's". Or sometimes even turn a "have to" into a "want to". Yes, I have to run. For my mood. To work on my weight issues. As one of my new "habits". There's a lot of "have to's". But I also "want to" run. I love how strong my legs feel after a run. I love how my mind is clear and I walk in the house with a thousand ideas about anything and everything and I can't wait to get it all down. I love how HAPPY I feel after a run, how content and that because I beat that last hill, or went a litlle faster - I feel invincible.

So on that happy note, I'm off to build a trap (for some unseen Batman villian of course), because making DS giggle is #1 for me today. And hearing that giggle truly makes my heart happy. Cheers!

Scrappy Resolutions ahem Habits

2011-12-30T17:34:00.000-08:00

So while I do have some scrapbooking related habits in my "list of twelve", I thought I should add a few more.

The trick with goals is for them to be challenging, yet attainable. Measureable yet reachable. But not have too many that by March I'm feeling like a failure because I haven't followed through with some of my habits and haven't even given the others a second glance.

So for 2012, my habits I hope to make are:
1. Photo organizing -
Tuesday evenings is the plan. Minimum of 30 minutes to sort through the digital files, organize for Project Life, purge as necessary, upload to Costco, sort through category drawers and storage albums. I'm not planning to print pictures unless I'm really inspired or don't actually have much organizing to do ;)

2. Scrappy date with moi -
Friday evenings. I'll bring the wine ;) Again, I'd like to plan for at least an hour - but depending on whether DH wants to hang out and watch a movie or not, it might be more.

3. UFO Challenge -
I have so many unfinished projects on the go. On two peas, there seems to be a huge interest for a support group so I'm going to have to plan out all my UFO's and figure out how I'm going to get them all done.

4. Journaling -
As much as I like to talk, I'm surprised I'm having so many issues with this one!! I have probably 3 inches of un-journaled layouts just sitting and waiting for the story to be told. I can't let myself file unfinished layouts in their albums. I'm a little anal that way. My layouts have to be finished before they see the inside of an album. I'd like to have these layouts in an album by year's end.

5. Photography -
Get better. I take lots and lots and lots of pictures. Most of them are OK. The odd one is amazing. I believe two peas has a 12 week photography course, and I know Big Picture Classes has photography workshops. Hopefully by the summer, when my "must do" classes die down, and I'm faced with lots of sunshine in the summer, I can focus (haha) on photography.

6. Classes/Projects -
There are several classes on my "must do" list and some on the "they sound good but..." list.
Must Do:
BPC - Cathy's Move More, Eat Less
BPC - Ali's One Little Word
*** - Project Life (2012)
??? - Photography class - no idea which one yet.

Sound Good:
BPC - Stacy's Twelve
BPC - May's Technique book

So a small-ish plan, but a plan nonetheless.

Twelve habits for twenty twelve

2011-12-29T18:23:00.000-08:00

I'm not one for making New Year's Resolutions. In my mind, they're just there to set you up for failure. The year's I've vowed to quit smoking/lose weight/be "better" ... all gone by the wayside by March. So I haven't made "resolutions" for years.

But I do aim for better habits ;)

Thanks to an online class I'm taking at Big Picture Classes, (Reclaiming my Time), I've come to 2 realizations. 1) I multitask. A LOT!! 2) I waste a lot of time .... surfing, watching mindless TV, doing nothing really ... So I'm hoping these new habits will help me stay focused on what's important in my life.

Following the fabulous Crisann's lead, these are my twelve new habits for twenty twelve.

Daily:
1. Pack my lunch and make it a good one. Seriously. There are days when all I want to grab is a can of Chunky Soup out of the cupboard, but I *know* I need something more substantial and by 4pm I'm tired and cranky. Noone needs to see that!!
2. Take a picture. I'd like to work on my Project Life and have a picture for everyday.
3. Write more. Whether it be a journal at bedtime, this blog, or a list for groceries. Something needs to be written every single day.
4. Declutter for 15 minutes and clean for 15 minutes. If I just focus a little bit at a time, this house will look amazing in no time.

Weekly:
5. Save money. Since I currently get paid weekly, I need to save weekly. Enough said.
6. Make exercise a priority at least 4 times a week. Whether it's that I drag my butt out of bed at 5:30am or spend a beautiful Saturday morning running, I'm doing something. AND it's going to get scheduled in my calendar.
7. Do something scrappy every week - whether it's class related, making some cards or a layout or purging that ever groing paper pile, I WILL spend time working in my room. As of now, I'm scheduling Friday nights for scrapping.
8. Keep up to date on my pictures - either purging, uploading or going through my Category Drawers, it needs to get done. And on a regular basis is the only way this little beast will get under control. I'm thinking Tuesday evenings will be the plan for this while the boys are playing video games ;)

Monthly:
9. Plan (and schedule) a super duper scrapping session. Whether it's a weekend with my girls, or an online crop or a crop at the Memory Keeper ... something to help me focus on scrapping and keep my mojo going. This will be a toughie once the nice weather hits so I'll have to get into a good groove over the next couple of chilly months.
10. Take a load to the consignment store. Whether it's some bins of outgrown clothes, or something being donated to Goodwill ... at least one box of something is leaving this house every month.
11. Date nights with hubby. We do go on dates often, but more often then getting out of the house, we end up watching a movie with some vino. But there's no talking, no connecting .... and we need to get back to having our great connection.
12. Coupons - I'd still like to coupon and I need to find a bit of an avenue to help me get even more organized with this There's a balance between buying a bunch of stuff to store for awhile and saving a crapload of money. I need to work on finding that balance.

So here's to a wonderful, healthy, clutterless 2012. Cheers!

Better late then never ...

2011-12-28T15:19:00.000-08:00

So what is it exactly about winter, and maybe even the holidays that brings my mind back to (ahem) "starting" a blog??

Could it be the chilly temperatures causing me to spend more time on the couch with my laptop??
Could it be that the early dark filled evenings are perfect for a cup of tea and some reading??
Could it be that I'm tired of TV, the movies we have and actually focus on what I'm reading for a change??

Who knows, maybe it's even a little of all 3. But THIS year (well, 2012 that starts in exactly 3 days and a couple of hours), I will be working on keeping this little blog a little more then regular.

I'm participating in several online scrapbooking classes and I'm hoping that sharing some of my class info will help to keep me on track ;)

Stay tuned to see whether my experiment works this time ;)

And so it starts ...

2011-02-12T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hello, and welcome to my little place in the world.

I've been so inspired lately from my daily blogs I read, so I thought I'd start my own. My first bit of inspiration is this - The journey of change starts with a single step. I'm not sure who originally penned that sentiment, but it's been on my mind lately.

And it's so very true.

Want to change careers or in career transition?
Go back to school or meet with a recruiter or polish your resume.

Want to start a hobby?
Take a class, join a group or (as usually in my case) go shopping for new supplies ;)

Want to bake a cake?
Look for a cake mix in your pantry, a cookbook or dust the bunnies off the sack of flour in the cupboard.

Want to start a business?
Research, you talk to people, you read books....

It doesn't matter if it's business or fun. You always start with a single step.

Think about it - and make that step count!