This is Why...

I scrapbook. 

This is why I document our every day. 

You have no idea how heart warming it is, to walk into the room and see your kids, both of them, sitting on the couch, looking through albums.  I don't scrapbook every single picture. I try to document main events. I wish I had more time and supplies at the ready, but I'm afraid I don't. I wish I could pump out a layout each and every week, but that doesn't happen. I wish I could be more spontaneous, capture even more memories. But I'm doing what I can do. My kids love looking through these, when I walk into the room and it's silent, and both are sitting reading... Stories about them... Stories about us... It makes me so glad that I keep fairly up to date, and reminds me once again what I love so much about this hobby.

Project Life - Week 10

The last couple of weeks have kind of gone by in a blur. I've had two sick kiddos, and a sick husband. Sometimes I would just like to go home to my Mum. Sometimes it seems like it's all just a little bit too much... Do you get that? Thankfully we're on the mend. In the mean time, here is week 10:

  

I  received my very first, Project Life Package from Studio Calico in the mail this week. It took two days before I could find time, sit down, open it up and really check it out. I'm so excited, and at the same time, I feel like I've finally got my head around my own digital style... And I love how the last few weeks have come together. Now I'll have to figure out how to incorporate physical elements into the mix. 

My favourite photo from this two page spread, is the blurry one of Mason. [Upper Right hand corner] I took a picture of him with my iphone, at the Hitmen hockey game. Because the lighting was low, and there was some movement, it turned out blurry. However, any one who knows Mason, KNOWS that's his profile. I love how this book allows me to use a blurry picture. At some point in time [in the past] I would have not have kept it or used it. There was a time, when I would have considered this photo 'imperfect' and unusable. There was a time I would have deleted it. That makes me laugh, because I don't know if it's my age, but I seem to be looking at things a little differently these days. [I'm sure it's because I'm getting wiser...]

I'm halfway through week 11. I need to finish that up, and will most likely attempt to begin using some of my new stash for week 12. Eeks!  

52 Lists - Week 9

Here is my list for week 9. Places I want to go. There were so many things that went through my head. The first, and most obvious were places.... You know, destinations... Cities. Countries. At least, that's the first thing I thought when I began considering some of the 'places' I want to go... But I'm longing to go on a date with my sweet heart. Somewhere that doesn't involve a kids menu or plastic, naugahyde, pleather seats... So, that got me a little bit out of the box. A little bit. Mostly, there are dreamy locations I long to get to... [And truth be told, there's at least half that don't involve children. Shhh, don't tell them that...]

Project Life & Other Random Stuff

Lately I've totally been 'in the zone' with scrapbooking. I love it when that happens. I love to scrapbook, but sometimes I just feel rather 'meh' about it.

Why is that? I don't know. But the last few days, I've done a bunch of catch up, and all I want to do is sit in front of my computer and scrapbook. Yes... That's right. I scrapbook mostly digitally now.

There was a time that I would have snubbed those 'digital scrapbookers' but not any more. I love it. The one thing I should caution you about however, when you all of a sudden go overboard... You get what I refer to as Sore Wrist Syndrome... Or probably, more like a mild case of carpel tunnel syndrome. I'm pretty sure my desk/chair/computer/keyboard are all at improper angles, so after a couple of days I get sore...

That stops me only a little bit... I try not to over do it, but I admit, sometimes I over do it... Any way, I have done 16 pages, and now I'm caught up to January. Whew... I have a rather serious aversion to getting too far behind.  I try not to. I don't scrap every single picture. Who could? Well, I know some do, but not me. I've been able to capture smaller things in Project Life. Things I know would have been forgotten, had I not taken the time to jot the story down.

And speaking of Project Life - I have weeks 8 & 9 done. Here they are:

 

I kind of feel like I'm 'in the groove' now, more than ever. I also received this email in the past week:

Eeks!! The March Project Life Kit is on it's way to me!! I am beyond excited. I have checked the mail box EVERY DAY, since receiving this email. I will also have to figure out how to incorporate the different elements into my project life album. Can't wait to start playing around with that!

52 Lists - Week 8

I was fiddling with my blog, and I'm pretty sure I deleted some posts by accident. Oops-a-Daisy... What evs. Not much I can do about it now.

This weeks list was tough for me. It was to list your favourite albums. I love music. Love. It. So there was no way I could narrow it down to my favourite album. I decided to list my favourite artists instead. I am sure I missed some. I'm sure I missed more than 'some'. But here is a pretty comprehensive list of some of my favs: 

More Project Life ' Catch Up'

I am trying to catch up. My intention this year, was not to post groups of weeks at a time. But hey, I guess if I have to, I have to... Here are weeks 5, 6 and 7.

I also know that the Studio Calico Project Life Kit for March is making it's way to me, as I type... I'm anxious to see how I can add that to my weekly pages. Can't wait.

Project Life - Weeks 3 & 4

Before I started up project life again this year, I wanted to chill out a little bit about it. My main goal was not stress out about something I love doing. I decided that if I got behind, or just didn't have enough info/pictures/happenings to create a weekly layout, that I would combine a week or two. That's hard for me somehow... I see so many great examples on peoples blogs and popping up on Pinterest, but when it comes to me, and my layouts,  it seems like I'm 'giving up'. Nonsense I say. Here are weeks 3 & 4, and you guessed it, they are combined into a 2 page spread.

My New Splurge

I spoiled myself last week. I splurged on a new lens for my camera. I've been wanting to do it for quite some time, but just haven't gotten around to it. Have I mentioned how much I love my camera? I do. Love it. Having said that, these days the iphone gets used way more. Way. More. Though the quality of the pictures doesn't compare to that of my Nikon, it's certainly pretty good. And I have my camera, phone with me all the time. All. The. Time. It's funny actually, because 90% of the time I identify the iphone as my 'camera'. "Did someone see my little camera?" "Mason, please pass me my little camera" "Hey... is that my little 'camera' ringing?" I joke. Sort of. I knew I wanted to have the 'iphone' for 2 reasons. The first naturally being, the making and receiving phone calls.  The 2nd reason, for the camera. [Not to mention all those camera apps you can find]

It didn't take me long to figure out that receiving and sending email was a delight... [Once it got set up properly that is]

I'm also now a member of the texting world... I realize that's not new just to the iphone, but it's certainly new to me. I didn't do it on my last phone, so I've come leaps and bounds.

But by far, the thing I love most about my phone is the pictures. The taking. The editing. The sending. The sharing. Love it. Absolutely love it. So, it's maybe no surprise that I have 6 different camera apps and 7 different editing apps on my phone. [For the time being that is... There's a new editing app out, that I'm suitably impressed with, PicTapGo. It might be on my phone in the very near future]

I have one game app. Angry Birds. And I've never played it. It's the one app that I have, so that in an emergency situation, I can hand the phone over to my kids. And I can count on one hand how many times I've done that. That's right. One hand. Yes, I'm that Mum. It's my camera iphone, and no one else's... Yup, that's the way I role people, and guess what, my kids seem to be okay with that.

Any way, I digress... This was supposed to be a post about my fancy-schmancy new lens. Back to that. I took a photo class 2 years ago. Learning how to use my fancy new camera. Getting out of auto and into manual mode, yaddah, yaddah, yaddah...  One thing that stood out most from that class, was them saying to get a lens that would be able to get the smallest f-stop possible. My other lens, a 18 - 55 mm had a depth of field range from 3.5-5.6. I wanted a smaller depth of field.

I found a 50 mm lens on sale in a recent flyer. It has a depth of field of 1.8. I have been coveting it for quite some time, so when I saw it was $40 off, I couldn't resist. [I  know there is also a 50 mm that offers a depth of field of 1.4, that's initially what I kind of had my eye on, but this lens was too good a price to pass up]

I've been using this new lens over the past week. I have 14 days to take it back if I'm not satisfied, so of course, I needed to try it out.

I have to say, this little lens, has found a new home. It takes some getting used to, because in the past I've always been able to zoom in and out a little bit. This is just one fixed setting, 50 mm. So if you're subject is too close, you physically need to move back. But the depth of field, is exactly what I'd hoped for. [You know, your subject in focus, and the background blurred] It's lovely. So it will remain. Here are a few shots.

 There it is! Welcome!

Blurry cupboards in the background

Focused on his hand, so slightly blurry face and background totally blurred.

Don't think these two will fit in the same chair for much longer.

And lastly, this is just a great picture, celebrating Gigi's 96th Birthday yesterday. 

But it was using the new lens. Mason didn't come fast enough to get included. He was busy playing with another little cousin. Perhaps I can photoshop his little head in the picture somehow, because now it seems like he should have been in there with us.