Contest Entries

On Tuesday Stampin' Up! announced the winners of their My Digital Studio contest. You can view the winning entries here. Even though I did not win, I thought I'd share my entries, which were 2 scrapbook pages and a card.

This was the first time I entered a big scrapbooking contest. It can be challenging to meet the contest rules and still create the things that you want to create. The good thing was that it motivated me to create more pages with some of my favorite photos. I do not know if I will enter any more scrapbooking or card contests. It is important to me to just keep my scrapbooking and card making for FUN.

one weekend 2 shots (January 1-2)

We had a quiet New Year after being in Ohio for a week. We are mostly unpacked, but I am still catching up on laundry. We also have plans to reorganize part of the house in the new year. John and I both went back to work today, but we could have used another week off just to get things done around the house.

My dad brought over two framed samplers from his family, specifically from Nana's family. One of them dates back to 1834, and they survived a fire at Nana's house. They have a new home in our kitchen. My photo does not do it justice, but I still wanted to share. (My parents have a sampler that Nana made in the 1940's.)

I needed a second photo, so I took one of my very MESSY desk. It turns out that a bigger desk can just mean a bigger mess. I got some great crafty Christmas gifts that I need to use. My desk is on the list of reorganization projects...

For you fellow Mac users: I liked Becky Higgin's blog post about editing photos in iPhoto. I used more of the features on these two photos and am happy with the results.
Have a good week!

22 Months

Alex is 22 months today, and lately we just tell people that he is "almost 2" when they ask how hold he is. Here is a (digital) scrapbook page about toddlerhood that was based on a previous blog entry.

Last Christmas Celebration 12/27/10

Our Christmas celebrations lasted for over a week and wrapped up with John's family on Monday. His mom's side of the family likes to play cards, so Alex had his dinner and watched them play Euchre. Gotta start them young!

Sledding

The fun part of snow is sledding. Alex went sledding in his grandma's yard on December 27th, and we went to the Englewood Reserve on December 28th to find a small hill for more sledding. Alex had fun and did not seem to mind the cold. By the time we left Ohio, the snow had melted.

More Christmas 12/26/10

On December 26th, we celebrated Christmas with my extended family and continued to celebrate with John's family.

Most of my extended family made to my aunt's house for our "white elephant" gift exchange, dinner, and good times. It was great to catch up and introduce Alex to many of them. I am thankful for time with my Oma and that Alex got to meet her. Alex is pictured playing with Heather (my cousin's wife) and John.

We headed back to John's mom house for more time with family. Alex had fun playing with his Uncle Nate.

I cannot forget about the dogs. Sammie belongs to John's mom and Bella belongs to John's sister, and they are both great with kids. We get a kick out of how Sammie sits with her hind legs straight back.

10 Highlights of 2010

In no particular order:

Alex learned to walk and talk.
Alex moved from the Infant Room to the Young Toddler Room at the Child Development Center.
Alex turned 1 and shares a birthday with his daddy.
Sara taught her first college class, a freshmen seminar.
John's softball team, the .com/Padres had a winning fall season.
We paid off a car loan.
We paid off Sara's student loan.
Thanks to John's hard work and some help from our neighbors, we have a great backyard.
Alex took his first plane ride to Evansville for his Aunt Jenni's graduation in May.
We had a great trip to Ohio for Christmas.

2011 & Happiness

Happy 2011!

My goal for 2011 is to "Eat Less and Move More." I am borrowing this phrase from another scrapbooker/blogger, Cathy Zielske. I have 16 more pounds to lose to reach my goal. I am mixed about giving myself a deadline, but my next birthday (June) does sound reasonable. To reach my goal, I am using the Weight Watchers Online program and the Rowdy New U Wellness program at work. Weight Watchers recently changed how they calculate their points, so I am relearning the program. At first this was annoying, but it will help me refocus. (I ate more and moved less over the holidays...)

In the past, I have chosen One Little Word to focus on for the year. I learned about this concept from Ali Edwards' blog. My 2007 word was DISCOVER and my 2008 word was CHALLENGE. I have not chosen a word the last couple of years. (My unofficial words were BABY and ALEX.)

I have chosen the word HAPPINESS for 2011 and will be working on the book The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. I heard about this book a few times throughout the last year and like the concept of finding happiness within your own life. While little changes may help me be happier, I do not need to make large changes in my life. I was excited to have the opportunity to choose this book for our January book club. I plan to use and blog about the book throughout 2011.

For January, Boost Vitality, Gretchen set these goals for her Happiness Project:
1. Go to sleep earlier
2. Exercise better
3. Toss, restore, organize
4. Tackle a nagging task
5. Act more energetic

I like her list, so I will work on these items this months. Some months I may change it up a bit.

I think that connecting my word and a book with help me focus on the word throughout the year. Here's to happiness in the new year!