What I've Been Scrapping ...

Well, I've started out 2010 with 10 layouts. If I kept that up ... that'd be 120 layouts for the year. My goal is 150, so I'll have to step it up a little bit to make it, but that shouldn't be hard with ADSR coming up!

Here is what I've been scrapping using Unforgettable by Spinky Dink Scraps - available at Gotta Pixel:




(this layout also uses You Make Me Smile template by Connie Prince)

And using Towel Dried by Sweet Digi Scraps - available at Gotta Pixel:




(also uses Perfectly Centered Templates by Connie Prince)

Thanks for peeking!

~Melinda

Day 30 - Jan 30 2010

Day_29
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

I need to fix the label on this as it says Jan 29th, but it was taken on Saturday. The other kids were in bed, and I wanted to take a shower, so I visited starfall.com and let Chase play. I ended up deciding to just hang out with him as he practiced his letters instead of taking a shower. I'll take it on Sunday instead. :)

Day 28 - Jan 28, 2010

Day_28
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Chase loves CARS, and his brother and sister have been kindly checking out this book from the school library for him. Here he is finding a tire off the "I Spy" list. :)

Day 27 - Jan 27 - Runaway

Day_27
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

We had a run-away today. I went to check the mailbox right outside our door, and she ran out. I chased her for blocks and blocks. It was cold and dark ... between 10 and 11pm. I screamed for help because I kept getting so close and then she'd dash off again. She thought we were playing.

I finally caught her, but the adrenaline was gone. I ended up catching a ride home with a police officer as I had been out in just my socks (meaning, no shoes) and I was afraid I'd drop her if I slipped, and my feet were freezing.

I didn't take a picture that night ... went straight to bed, completely exhausted. So, I took this picture of her empty kennel to signify what we would have had if I hadn't caught her.

Day 26 - Jan 26

Day_26
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

I did a "catch-up" photo for the 26th because I wasn't in the photo taking mood. Here is a picture of the crayons in their holder ... you can notice which colors are used more than others! :)

Day 25 - Jan 25, 2010

Day_25
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Chase colored after the big kids went to bed. I had to capture this because he sticks his tongue out, and I remember that my Grandpa Frederick did that. I got a few really great shots of this, but this is the one I decided to share. :)


I also took this alternate photo at the PlayPlace at McDonald's:

Day 24 - Jan 24, 2010

Day_24
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Tyler and Chase were playing in the bedroom, so I grabbed my camera. This is one of the shots I took trying to capture the movement of Tyler flipping Chase over. Chase was gripping his legs so hard before he was flipped that you can see the finger marks on his legs if you look close! LOL!

Day 23 - Jan 23, 2010

Day_23
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Today's prompt was to do a group photo, and it just so happened that I did this today anyway! One of the boys was trying to make a "fort" using a blanket draped from the couch, and the other joined him. I thought it was cute, so I went to take a picture, but Julia couldn't stand the idea of not being included, so she climbed under the blanket, too, and I captured this. :)

Day 22 - Jan 22, 2010 Bath Day

Day_22
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Lexi needed a bath, and today she got one. Tyler gave her a bath in the bathroom. He was resourceful. He used a leash tied to the faucet to keep Lexi from bolting, and he used the hair dryer for when she was done since it's winter and all. She looked all shiny and sleek and smelled better, too, when she was done! :)

Day 21 - Jan 21, 2010

Day_21
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

A masterpiece: This is one of Blake's coloring creations that has been on the fridge for a while. I decided to document it today because I'm not sure how long it will survive before it ends up getting ripped and then recycled. Look at the details he puts into everything! I wonder how long it took him to finish this page ....

I have a new 'puter!!

I bought a new computer at Best Buy yesterday. I am slowly learning Windows 7. I think I can get around for my basic stuff. I am sure, though, that I am not using it to its best potential. I am looking forward to having Lightroom 3 Beta and PSE 7 running side-by-side, with Yahoo, and a chat on Gotta Pixel going all at the same time with no sweat. ... yes, I am definitely a digi-holic and computer nerd!!!! LOL!


(added to post on 1/27/2010)

I don't have pictures on the computer yet. I need to figure out how to get ZoomBrowser set up on here. I am wondering if that stuff was backed up on Carbonite, and desperately hoping so as I also have Winzip which I paid for and I really don't want to pay for that again. It is not having winzip, though, that is preventing me from having Lightroom 3 Beta downloaded on my new computer!

I was SO excited when I saw that Best Buy had the computer I wanted in stock. They got me hook, line and sinker on their protection plans ... I bought it for the monitor, the CPU, and the printer ... yeah, I bought a printer too, and a year's subscription to Kaspersky Labs which I haven't figured out how to activate yet because I can't find the "activation key" that was supposed to be in the package, supposedly. *sigh*

In spite of the cost (which gave my husband a minor coronary this afternoon), I think this will totally be worth it. The computer is already proving how much faster it is than the old one, and I have hopes and dreams of learning more about designing all those digital goodies that I love to collect and play with so much. the prospect is all together just way too exciting, hee hee.

Well, believe it or not folks, I think I am going to call it a night. What?! It's 9:30 pm, Melinda! Well, this Melinda did not go to bed last night, errr, this morning until 1 am because this Melinda was getting info off the old computer written down (favorite web sites, passwords and stuff) ... and guess what, totally forgot to write down my contacts from my email program (crap!) and then moving that all out of the way to get the new one hooked up.

I had no idea of how much work went into that. It was always Tyler who ended up doing set-up in the past.

But, so far so good ... now I'm gonna go get some shut-eye. :)

G'night, all!

Day 19 - Jan 19, 2010

Day_19
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

FROST

We had a beautiful frost this morning. It made for slippery sidewalks that led Julia to fall on her way to school on the sidewalk, but she was ok. I really liked how pretty the crab apple tree looked with the frost on it!

Day 18 - Jan 18, 2010

Day_18
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

This was the view as I left work on Monday, January 18th. The sky was a beautiful purplish hue, and the moon stood out beautifully in the sky. I couldn't pick just one, so I made a little collage to share today's photo!

Day 17 - Jan 17, 2010 Potty SUCCESS!!!

Day_17
Originally uploaded by MindynKids

Chase stayed dry ALL day today! He had NO accidents! Chase has had the ability to do this for a long time, but has been lazy about using his diaper when he was watching TV or doing something he didn't want to take a break from. BUT, today he did it ... dry ALL day! Could this be the beginning of the end of diapers??!

New computer shopping woes continue ...

Really need to vent ... I can't GET one!! Apparently HP didn't meet deadlines in getting their computers out to stores, because it says they are on back-order on the Best Buy site, and only available online. Guess who has to pay for shipping if she wants to order it online?

And, it wouldn't get here till next weekend or early next week anyway.

So, now I get to wait ... another week.

The only plus to this is that I feel pretty well educated about the computers out there. I don't know how much of a difference it is to go from a dual-core to a quad-core, but I know quad-core is higher tech, and is supposed to help with multi-tasking. I know that DDR3 SDRAM is newer and supposed to be faster that DDR2, even if it is the same amount. Of course, any increase in hard drive size without an increase in price ROCKS, and I am finding that is true already. What was $599 before had a 640 or 750 GB hard drive, and now it has 1 TB. So, I am glad I was forced to wait for that.

But, darn it all ... the new stuff is out there for me to see, and I can't go get it!!

I think I'll call Best Buy and see just how long of a wait we're talking, and I'm going to check out HP online whom just sent me an email about a Martin Luther King JR Day sale!

Made the Friday Fab 5 at Elemental Scraps

My layout, "Squeal!" was chosen as one of the Friday Fab 5 at Elemental Scraps! I'm pretty new to the site, and was really honored to have a layout of mine chosen! Here it is:



You can see what other layouts were chosen right HERE. A fellow CT member, Terry, also had a fabulous layout chosen!

Just had to share, and now I'm off to bed! :)

Day 14, 15, & 16

Day 16 - January 16, 2010
Today after a bath, I took this picture using natural light in our living room. Then I spiced up the original in Lightroom 3 Beta:


Day 15 - January 15, 2010
Yesterday, I made potato dumplings for us to have at a meal later. Probably tomorrow. I made them with the left-over mashed potatoes that Tyler made. I'm not a cook, so this was rather notable ... hee hee:




Day 14 - January 14, 2010
Blake lost another tooth today ... one of his front teeth on the lower right in this picture. It had been staying in just barely for several days. Finally today he pushed one last time with his
tongue and it came right out! Oh! I almost forgot! Blake also got a MUCH needed hair cut today too! :)

Day 11, 12, 13

Another set of 3 ... I am getting old. It's almost 10 pm and I feel like I'm going to turn into a pumpkin any second! LOL!


Another failed attempt at getting a new computer. The guy on Sunday said to come in on Wednesday if I wanted to get the model I wanted on Sunday, and said they could do a comparison to see if something similar was coming out this weekend ... my model was not there, and they could not tell me anything. FAIL!


Tuesday: I waited till late again to get a picture ... decided to photograph Lexi. Would she go into my freshly mopped kitchen so that I could take her picture?? NO! She decided that Tuesday was the time to decide she is afraid of my camera. *sigh* BUT, I got this half-way decent shot of her. I'm keeping the rest of them too ... got some interesting pictures of her trying to get away, lol ... poor puppy.


Remember these?? Chase found this in the basement on Monday when I had Blake and Julia helping to take the last of the Christmas decorations to the basement ... you don't see these very often anymore do you? My mom got this on ebay or at a thrift sale ...

And now I am caught up again! :)

My Dad's Christmas Present

Click here to view this photo book larger

I can share now that Christmas is over! This is the book I made for my dad (and mom) for Christmas ... it is pictures from their trip to Alaska this summer! Shutterfly did an AWESOME job printing this book, and everyone is raving about it. I can't wait to make more books with them! It is not cheap, but it was so worth it. :) I plan to do year in review books now of my kids' photos!

~Melinda

Day 10

My computer shut down and re-started on me for what I decided would be my last time today ... as my computer was re-starting, I went and got ready and took Chase with me to Best Buy to buy a new computer ...



It didn't work out. They were severly understocked because they are getting NEW models this next weekend. SO ... I left empty-handed. I was sad!!!!

But, now I have new models to look forward to picking from ... I just hope I can afford one!

~Melinda

Day 09

Blake and Chase played on the Leapsters together on the loveseat before bed tonight. :)

Day 6, 7, 8

So, I warned I'd fall behind. I did. I wasn't feeling well. I'm finally starting to feel better today! Yay!!! I haven't been feeling good till the 9th day of 2010 ... that's pretty pathetic, lol.

Anyway, here are my catch-up photos for Project 365!


Chase playing while I speed-scrapped at Gotta Pixel. Interestingly enough, we were talking about the Leapster during our chat! :)


A wreath my mom bought me to match my dining room's theme ... and I really like it!


my work-space as we were prompted ... I was so glad for an easy prompt because I was not feeling well and just wanted to get to bed!

Thanks for peeking!

~Melinda

Day Five -- dinner for one :)

Tyler has been working days the last two days. My mother-in-law took care of Chase for us because our babysitter only does after-school (and we have to find a new one starting February 1st because she's decided she's going back to school!) ... anyway, tonight Tyler picked up the kids from daycare and then headed to his mom's to get Chase, and they all had supper there. SO ... I got to have dinner all to myself, and a house all to myself for about 30 minutes. It was nice and relaxing, and I started making MORE chocolate chip cookies right before they got home, lol. I needed chocolate after this salad! There wasn't much dressing, and there were onions and bacon in the salad and I needed chocolate to balance out the salad. I need chocolate every day ... yeah, I know ... weird, huh?

The good news is that there are no more chocolate chips in the house ... if there were, I might end up gaining weight if I kept up this baking trend for the rest of 2010!;)

I am starting to feel a little better. My intestines had a "traffic jam", so I get to add a powdery concoction to my daily rituals until everything is back to normal. I feel the worst right after I eat, I've noticed ... hoping I feel better within a few days or I'll have to go back to make sure I haven't messed up my gall bladder too. :-p

Wish me luck! I don't like being (literally) full of crap! ROFL!

~Melinda

Day Four - an awesome Christmas gift :)

I'm not feeling the greatest, so I'm making this as short as I can ... my Aunt made this for my family ... a great big bag to carry stuff, and 5 water bottle carriers -- one for each of us! It was a great idea for our family ... can't wait to put it to use for all our running around next spring, summer, and fall!

Day 3 - proof that I baked

So yesterday a fellow P365 scrapper noted that I'd shared my supplies, but not proof that I'd followed through ... hee hee. So, I took that as a challenge to share proof of my labor.

And here is my proof! :)



Are you hungry now?

Last of 2009, first of 2010

Last digital scrapbook page created in 2009:

Julia got her very own Leapster for Christmas. I scrapped about it using Plugged In by Connie Prince. You can pick your favorite store to pick it up ... Gotta Pixel, Elemental Scraps, or ScrapMatters. :)


First created in 2010:

Chase was a Rock Star for Halloween ... he loves music, and loves to rock out to it. :) I used Connie's I Love Rock and Roll Kit and Shabby Paper Pack which you can also find at your favorite shop mentioned above. :)

I had a bit of stretch there with no scrapping going on. I downloaded Adobe Lightroom 3 Beta and between that taking up loads of my (very aged) memory, and working on some other things with a designer friend of mine, I didn't get much scrapping done. But, it was a welcome little break. I am going to aim, once again, for 150 layouts. I made it to 133 in 2009. It shouldn't be too hard to reach that goal this year if I continue on the CT's I am currently on! :)

I will post my 365 photo later ... as another 365 participant and friend, Katie, said on her blog, I may not always post my photos daily, but I will take them and share. Until I fall off the bandwagon ... that's coming from me! ;)

Do I Dare? Project 365 Day 1 ... & 2

Ok, so today on January 2, 2010, I decided to participate in the 365 challenge. The last time I started this project was in April ... of 2007. I didn't last very long because I got a job, finally, and life got hectic and I let the challenge slip by.

I'm making no guarantees right from the start, but the Project 365 Challenge at Gotta Pixel is going to motivate me to try again. The photo prompts are helpful, because after a while you look at what you are photographing and go ... how will this look any different than day X or day Z? Or at least that is what happened to me. It also doesn't help if you feel like your house is a mess and you don't want any photographs to document that mess, and so you find yourself stuck on where you can take pictures. ROFL!

Anyway, in order to keep on track I am going to share two photos I took today. One is something that could be taken any day ... a toy of my youngest son's, so I chose that to be my Day 1 photograph (but the idea for the photo was posted today by Stacy for the Gotta Pixel 365 Challenge prompt) for the photo I missed taking yesterday (because I decided to actually attempt the challenge today).

Today's photo ... is "historic" because I don't bake very often. I know... my poor, deprived children. I was waiting patiently for my butter to reach room temperature (yeah ... ended up sticking it in the microwave for a bit), so I snapped a picture of my collection of ingredients. Not a bad Day 2 photo, if I do say so myself! :)






So there ... I am now on track, and now the challenge truly begins ... to see if I can follow through with this challenge! LOL!