Birthdays :: 2018

Hello!

It's been a long time...a very long time since I've posted, but I thought I would add some birthday pages of my kids since I finally had them all completed for 2018.

Project Life 2018 :: April

Hello!

Cough.  Yeah...it's been a while.

But alas...I'm starting to spend more time scrapbooking once again.

I've got some catching up to do!

Project Life 2018 :: March

Hello!

I finished this spread last week.  Now I am back to editing photos and setting up a new template.

Project Life 2018 :: February

Hello!

I didn't realize I hadn't posted this spread yet.  Oops!

I haven't been scrapbooking as much lately.

But alas, here are is February.

Project Life 2018 :: January

Hello!

Project Life is off to a slow start.  It's a lone, one-page layout since we didn't take a lot of photos this month.  I also wasn't sure if this was the "template" I wanted to settle with for the year.  I changed some fonts and some other elements.  But not a whole lot has changed.

I love the quote from Joshua for this month.  He's a funny guy!  I like to write down the things they say when I remember to do it.

To my 21 year old self...

This is a letter to my 21 year old self in regards to my body image. I'm being super vulnerable here.  I've battled with a negative body image for many years.  I was recently encouraged to write a letter to my younger self, when I started to have body image issues.  I know as soon as I post this that I will be uncomfortable with this vulnerability, but I'm serious about my recovery.  I share this because maybe someone else out there is reading this and struggles with the same negativity.  I want you to know there's hope. We don't have to follow the culture's opinion of what's deemed "acceptable".  Through this journey, I've learned to see through eyes of love, grace, and compassion, instead of judgment and criticism. I'm on a journey toward recovery.  There will probably be more posts about this, but it takes me awhile to work up to being vulnerable.  It's scary. But I know it's part of recovering.

Dear Christina,

I sense you feel uncomfortable in your body.  You saw that number on the scale and how it was not the number you were expecting to see.  I see you trying to grip everything to change that number.  Exercise more.  Eat less.  But can I tell you something?  Please listen to me.  There is nothing wrong with your body.  Ditch the scale.  Throw it out.  It’s the tool of a chronic dieter. The number it spits out does NOT define you.  There is nothing wrong with your body.  Diet culture is wrong.  It says to be a certain size and to have that bikini body.  Don’t buy the diet book.  Don’t check out the library books about diet.  When life feels out of control around you, coping with a diet plan will not make it better, it will only exacerbate the issues.  A diet won’t make it better.  Changing your body will not make you more accepted or worthy.  You are already love-able.  That tummy you are so negative toward—it will one day house three babies and stretch in ways you wouldn’t believe were possible.  And one day it will carry a scar about 8 inches long in proof that your life was saved.  Bikini body—it’s not necessary.  You are more than your body.  You are a multi-faceted person and your weight and size DO NOT define you.  Be you.  Be your beautiful self.  A diet won’t fix it.  Excessive exercise won’t fix it.  Remember who you are in God’s eyes—who He created you to be.  Please stop focusing on restricting and counting; eat the donut and move on.  All food is good.  It’s fuel and nutrition for your body.  Let go of the pressure to be a certain size.  Let go of the diet talk.  Smile.  Thank God for all of your parts.  You are fearfully and wonderfully made.  There is nothing wrong with you.  If you diet, every diet will mess more with your head.  It will cause obsession.  It will make you fixate on your body.  And it will cause you to gain more weight. Leave the diets alone.  Walk away.  Do not turn back to them.  Enjoy your life.  You are blessed.  Move your body in ways that feel good.  Enjoy satisfying food.  Be you.

Love, Your Beautiful Self

Project Life 2017 :: December

Hello!

Here's my last Project Life spread for 2017.  Now it's time to plan for 2018.  I wouldn't mind getting some new brushes to work with.  I need to set aside some time to think about what I want to change.  Or maybe I'll keep some things the same.  The sky is the limit!

Project Life 2017 :: November

Hello!

I'm still alive...

Just haven't been on the computer much.

About a month ago our computer updated and our main hard drive crashed.  Thankfully, most of everything was already backed up on our external hard drive.  I do have to redo a couple of scrapbook pages that I hadn't saved to our external hard drive.  Oh well.

Here's November:

Jeralyn's 6th birthday

Hello!

I've been working on this spread for weeks (not kidding).  Of course, I wasn't working on it the whole time.  I started it, but then I got stuck.  I made a minor change and decided I was done.

Jeralyn probably thought her 6th birthday was the most pathetic birthday so far (no party), but she was a pretty happy girl anyway.  I just love that easy-going way about her.

Project Life 2017 :: October

Hello!

Well, now I'm caught up with Project Life.  October has 5 pages!  I decided that was okay since I have that regular scrapbook page about the pumpkin patch that I can have next to the 5th page in the album (once the pages are printed).

Speaking of having pages printed.  I had some pages printed through Persnickety Prints a couple of weeks ago and I realized that I haven't scrapped Jeralyn's 6th birthday.  So I guess that's next!

October:

Pumpkin Patch

Hello!

My favorite season is fall.  And it's also something I love to scrapbook about.  Maybe it's all of the fall colors (especially orange). It's been awhile since I've created a regular scrapbook page.  I was working on Project Life's October spread and I stopped what I was doing to create this page.  I just couldn't resist!

Project Life 2017 :: September

Hello!

I'm back with another Project Life spread.  This time it's a 4-page spread since we had so many photos for the month.

Project Life 2017 :: August

Hello!

I'm back again with another monthly Project Life layout.  I didn't take a lot of photos in August with my regular camera, but I did with my phone camera.  It feels good to be caught up again!

We started our new homeschool school year in August.  Joshua is doing "learning time" with us as a pre-preschooler and Jeralyn is in 1st grade.  So far it's been a good year!

Be Your Beautiful Self

I used to write these muses, encouraging blog readers to "be yourself, it's the best person you can be". I still feel very passionate about that, but probably even more so these days as I've sort of come out of this transformation journey.  I suppose I will always be on this journey toward self-acceptance, seeing my true value, and learning to be loving and compassionate toward myself (and toward others).  I feel like I have a lot to say on this topic.  I have no idea who reads this blog.  I'm not going for popularity. It started as a place to share the cards and scrapbook pages I was creating.  I would like it to be so much more than that.  Over the years, I've shared lots and lots of my creations, but I would also like to share my heart.  I know so many women struggle with body image and thinking they aren't good enough.  There are so many lies out there saying we are too much or not enough.  The pressure to have this ideal body or to look a certain way feels insurmountable.  It's in our face.  All.the.time. We are more than our body.  In fact, our body is the vessel that carries us, but it does not define us.  I have a lot to say on this topic.  In fact, I sort of have been saying things about this in little sprinkles over the years, and I've labeled those posts with a label you will see attached to this post: beyourbeautifulself

I feel like God has given me a voice in this.  I love to create. I love to write.  I also love to read.*  I love to encourage.  I'm tired of the lies and ugly voices out there brought on by diet culture.  So if you are interested, as I am inspired, I will be writing posts all about encouraging you to be your beautiful self.

Until next time, be your beautiful self!  Be you, it's the best person you can be!

*I've always been a reader, but in the last year and a half, I've really become even more of a reader.  It's something I should share more about on this blog.

Project Life 2017: Week July

Hello!

I finished the pages for July a couple of weeks ago, but haven't had a chance to sit down and post them until today.  July had a lot of photos, so I made a double spread.