Some New Digital LO | 2013 Yearbook

I've been working hard trying to get my 2013 album all finished up. I still have lots to do, but at the same time, I feel like I have a lot accomplished. It's getting exciting though, as this will be my first printed (and complete) album.

I started 'seriously' scrapbooking after Marshall was born & I have a FULL album from just his birth day until he was about maybe 4 months old, haha!! Perhaps I was a little over zealous?! It took me a bit to realize that you can not scrap absolutely every picture you take...and even then, when you 'down size' the allotted pictures you want to print, you should go through and do that process again...and one more time for good measure!

I have fallen in love with digital scrapbooking! Here are some new pages I have completed lately :)

I had the opportunity to run in the Color Me Rad race in Calgary (so.much.fun)

 

 We had a lot of Court Cousin time this summer, the kids were in Heaven!

 Took a day trip out to Writing on Stone with the Fam Jam

 Spent Thanksgiving out at 'the Farm' in Rosemary, with our Lilburn Cousins.

 I decided to make our announcement for baby #4 a 12x12 page, so that it could be apart of our yearbook!

That's it for now, I better get back at it!!

Digital Scrapbooking

Last week my SIL came to visit with her two boys. Whenever we get together the days usually go a little something like this: a fun energy engaging activity for the kids in the a.m, lunch, naps for the littles with a movie or some sort of quiet time for the bigger kids (while trying to squeeze in some scrapbook time for the moms before all of the supper prep needs to be done), supper, clean up, a little bit of craziness play time and then a super good attempt at getting the kiddos IN bed ON TIME! Because after bedtime...comes SCRAPBOOK time for us!

My SIL introduced me to Digital Scrapbooking just after Benson was born, and I must say I LOVE IT! There is NO mess, all I have to pack with me when I go to her house is my laptop (instead of multiple storage containers of paper, tape, embellishments, pictures, etc). Annnnd you wouldn't believe how many FREE items there are out there!! It also pays off to be on the newsletter mailing list for your favorite designer...they usually have incredible discounts and free items included!

At first it took me a little while to get into the 'digital scrapbooking thinking mode'. But once I got all of my 'supplies' organized and familiarized my self what I had, it became easier.

This past week was probably my most successful scrapbook time. I think I completed something like six pages?! I was very happy with myself!

This is one of my favorite pages!

This is Marshall and his Best Bud Zach. Zach's family moved to Lethbridge (about 4 blocks away from us) two years ago. They conveniently had a boy Marshall's age, twin girls a little older than Paisley and we had our last babies at the same time...20 days apart (we're obviously on the same 'schedule'...haha).

Anyways, these two boys get a long so well, and love playing with each other. Marshall is constantly asking to go to Zach's or if Zach can come to our house! We have really enjoyed them living so close these last few years! Zach's Mom has become one of my best friends! Soon they will be moving to Cardston, and I feel as though a little piece of me will be empty!! I know Marshall doesn't fully understand what this means, and it probably won't 'sink in' until the day he asks to play with Zach and I tell him that it probably won't work because they don't live down the street anymore. BUT we WILL get together LOTS in the summer (Right Amelia!?!), and we will still have playdates...it just won't be the same spur of the moment:
A: wanna park it after school?
K: sure do!
A: school or straight park?
K: school would prob be best.


or


A: can marshall come play, zach is bored
K: yes, yes he can, your house or mine


etc, etc, etc

I didn't vanish!

My oh my! I have not posted in a WHILE! Let's just say we've been a little busy! Saying that I feel as though appointments have taken over our lives would be an understatement!! We have chiropractor for myself (which for six weeks was THREE times a week, then down to twice a week for I can't even remember how long, and now I am finally able to go once a week. Currently trying to make it two weeks between visits) Chiropractor for the kids (Starting in January, they went once a week for 10 weeks), massage for me (whenever I can fit it in & find someone to watch my kids for an hour and a half), dentist for me...multiple visits (I was having some jaw/clenching issues since the accident, and as a result a tooth on the bottom started to shift/'pop' out of place. I now wear an 'adorable' little splint at night...it is very attractive!). 

Then we were seeing a pediatrician for Benson as he has had a partial tongue tie since birth and I was worried that it was getting in the way of his intake of solid foods...back in December. After a feeding assessment done by a Speech Therapist, in March, it was decided that we did not need to take any action regarding his tongue tie as he was managing quite well for his age, with good movement of his tongue. They said that hopefully as he continues to use his tongue, the tie will stretch out even more. (Of course there was a space of 3 months from the time that I went to my family Dr with the initial concern of his tongue tie, to getting in with the Pediatrician, to be referred for the appointment with the Speech Therapist)

Oh, and let's not forget about Marshall's appointments with the Ears, Nose, Throat Surgeon...it has been decided that he needs to get his Adenoids removed! We are still in the waiting process for this one, but it should be a 'fun' two weeks after the surgery trying to get that boy to sit still and not be active!

Soooo, mix all of that in with the daily 'monotony' of house work, school runs, errands, and just trying to be a good mom and wife...I haven't felt like I've had that much time, or energy to keep up on the blog or be creative in any way.

I DID however, the other day, find some time to squeeze in a Digital Lay Out! OH, it felt so good to actually finish a page! I love it, let me share it with you!

The pages that I have finished this year have been for my Year in Review Pages. At the end of the year I try to have one page per month highlighting a little of what we did each month. While it is still satisfactory to have those pages done, it is even more so to do a random page about my kids!!

I love this girl and all of her goofy faces!!

First Digital LO

We recently bought me a laptop so that I could start Digitally Scrapbooking. I haven't had that much time to sit down and really play around with it, but what I have started doing, I have enjoyed! This past weekend a few of my sister in-laws, and friends got together to craft! I brought my laptop! Let me tell you, it was SO much nicer to only have to bring ONE item...instead of multiple boxes/storage containers with all my scrapbook supplies. These are my first two LO's (Lay Outs) that I have completed!

This is my very first lay out...I'm not extremely happy with it...but I don't think it's horrible either. I know I will get better at it over time...going from paper scraping to digital almost feels like starting over...You have to learn how to do everything all over again, become familiar with all the product you have (you wouldn't believe how many FREE digital supplies there are out there, it's awesome!!)

This is my second Layout. I like this one better! Perhaps because of all the coordinating paper? Or maybe because it's all about Miss P and her silliness :) (I think if you click on it, it will open to the correct size...that way you can read about each picture!)

I'm Excited...and I just can't hide it

I'm excited because I think I just made my life a little easier!

I love to scrapbook, or rather I think I like the idea of scrapbooking! The one thing that always 'weighs me down' is first figuring out a place to start...you have to start somewhere! I while ago, I decided I would start scrapbooking pictures from the time Irish and I were married (and I will still do one album dedicated to just that)...it just seemed logical! But then I look at, and think about alllll the pictures I have not even touched! All the 'catching up' I would eventually have to do. The idea of possibly having multiple albums for ONE year!...as I currently have ONE album full of the first FOUR months of Marshall's life!!...Ya Once I realized that, I knew I had to get pretty particular on which pictures I would actually print!!

For the last little while I had kind of decided to go away from scrapbooking chronologically...and just pick what ever pictures I wanted to do...after all if you are not inspired by your pictures, you are not going to do a good job. In the back of your head you are always going to be thinking about those other pictures that you really really want to be scrapbooking!

Then came a time where I just didn't feel like scrapbooking...at all! I didn't get excited about it, I didn't think about it, in fact I tried not to think about it!

And then today, I found this. It is called Project life. I don't know who the 'first one' to come up with this idea was, nor does it really matter. I found this blog from Ali Edwards. She seems like such a fun and creative gal! On her blog she has explains and gives you a glimpse of her Project Life.

It is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Something to simplify my scrapbooking dilemmas!!! A simple, but yet fun one or two page spread for an entire week. Something where everything comes together. Pictures, journaling, stories, postcards, souveniers, pamphlets, maps, wedding invites, Christmas letters from family...etc etc....they all get incorporated into this ONE book!

This ONE book is all I will have to work on. I now don't have to worry about whether or not I am going to scrapbook an individual book for each of my kids, what size it will be, and for how long I will do it. I'm excited to complete my first year of Project Life, and then sit down and reminisce about the past year with it!

This is the place where those pictures finally have a home. You know the ones you take, where there are maybe only one or two...so not enough for an entire scrapbook layout...just perfect for one spot in your weekly page, with a little journaling explaining it!

Sorry this is going on really long...but I'm just SO EXCITED!

The other thing I'm really excited about is my One Little Word for this year. I have never done this before, heard about it, but never really 'got into it'.

I was reading my SIL's blog (Kaly Court) and she inspired me to choose a word for this year. At first I was having a hard time, thinking it was going to take me f o r e v e r....as I wanted to find the perfect word.

When finally I decided I would think about it later, and that is when this word popped into my head.

INTUNE

I guess technically it's two words...but this year, for me...it will be my two word combined into one....so I am going to hyphenate it...to make it my ONE word.

First and foremost I want to be more in-tune with my Heavenly Father. I feel as though I have kinda let this one slip while trying to juggle being a mom...a working mom, being a wife, a cook, a 'maid', a disciplinary-er, a 'scrapbook-er', blogger, sew-er...just being ME...etc...etc...etc I have come to realize that this was NOT the thing to let slide. In fact if I put more time and effort into this one...so many other things in my life would fall into place! I can and will feel more 'on top of things' (One thing I am also focusing more specifically on this year is coming to a greater knowledge and understanding of the Atonement)

Second, I want to be more in-tune with my children. I need to slow down and enjoy them. Love them. Listen to them, be patient with them, and teach them. They are only completely 'mine' for a short little while. I need to take this time to instill in them the knowledge that I have, to better prepare them for this world they are about to be "thrown" into.

Third, I want to be more in-tune with my husband. I want to become more of a unit than we already are, so that we can stand united on every level...well most levels...it's okay to be different! I want to go on more dates with him, spend more quality time with him, get to know my husband better (I know this may sound weird...but we as human beings constantly change, grow and develop...catch my drift now?) and just love everything about him!

Fourth, I want to be more in-tune with ME. I want to be more aware of the way I, Karley Lilburn, feel about things. I want to be able to express those thoughts/feelings/desires more often without thinking of feeling that someone is going to think 'I'm dumb'. I want to like things be cause I like them, not because so-and-so likes it, or this person thinks this is really cool...etc. I want to be more in-tune with the things I want to do. I want to make more ME time. Just because I am married, doesn't mean i need to spend every waking minute (okay so maybe it's more like every waking minute AFTER the kids are in bed) doing something with my husband...we both need our ME time.

Well off the top of my head, those are the main things that my 'one word' makes me think about. I may add some more to it later...and I might just let you know about it! :)

Thanks for sticking with me through the loooong post!

Finally

I have been wanting to make a pillow for Marshall for a while now, and it is finally done! I'm so impressed with myself (yay for self praise!). I made two pillow cases for him, a cute turtle one and one out of the same material I made his quilt with (I had just enough too!). My wonderful Mother-in-law was nice enough to give me some of the material she uses to make pillows and enough stuffing to go inside it! I can't wait for him to use it tonight!!



I've also had this idea for a scrapbook page ever since I took this picture of Marshall...which was waaaaay back in Jan of 2008!! I've finally gotten to it, and I love it...mostly because I LOVE this picture of Marshall AND because it has the lyrics to one of my most favorite songs, by my most favorite country group! (Rascal Flatts - My Wish)



Here are the lyrics:

I hope that the days come easy and the moments pass slow,
And each road leads you where you want to go,
And if you're faced with a choice, and you have to choose,
I hope you choose the one that means the most to you.
And if one door opens to another door closed,
I hope you keep on walkin' till you find the window,
If it's cold outside, show the world the warmth of your smile,

But more than anything, more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.

I hope you never look back, but ya never forget,
All the ones who love you, in the place you left,
I hope you always forgive, and you never regret,
And you help somebody every chance you get,
Oh, you find God's grace, in every mistake,
And you always give more than you take.

But more than anything, yeah, and more than anything,
My wish, for you, is that this life becomes all that you want it to,
Your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small,
You never need to carry more than you can hold,
And while you're out there getting where you're getting to,
I hope you know somebody loves you, and wants the same things too,
Yeah, this, is my wish.