Project Life - Week Three

So I got my album.

I got my inserts.

I got my journaling cards.

They're all simple and sweet.

And that's how I'm going to try to keep this album.

You see I have this problem with my scrapbooks.  

I take WAY TOO LONG to do a page.

And because of that, the last time I scrapped 

(except for an assignment at preschool)

was about a year ago.

Sad I know.  Pathetic really.

I had almost lost hope in ever picking up and piecing it all together again.

But alas.  Project LIfe is going to save me.

And I tell you I will keep it simple.

And I will have an album of 2011!  I will.

One way I think it will happen is my best friend and I have made a date.

Every Monday from 5:00-7:45 our kids get to play 

(and have a very rare movie night on a school night.. 
which just about blew them over at the prospect).

And we will scrap.

Because if I don't schedule it, it just won't happen.

And Monday nights the week isn't quite crazy yet.

So we started last night.

And guess what.  

In that 2 hour 45 minute block of time.

Guess how much I got done?

One Page.

Uggghhhh.  

Even with Project Life I stink at going fast.

So lets just give me a little grace.

There was the getting everything out.

There was realizing I no longer remember my system and couldn't find things.

There was the fact that both of us discovered our adhesives had run out or the glue was clogged and wouldn't work.  Ugh.

Productivity FAIL.

Oh and there's that little problem of chatting.

We women like to chat.

And we rarely get to finish a sentence without interruptions. 

So the chatting commenced (mostly uninterrupted).

We discussed everything from early childhood 
(we've been friends since the first grade), 

to high school, 
to motherhood, 
to raising our kids, 
to wanting them so badly to have their 
identity rooted in Christ 
and Christ alone, 
to pondering the desires of our hearts, 
to the future.  
Oh boy, yes we covered a lot of territory.
  
Just not lots of scrapping territory.   

 I realized I just can't manage to talk and scrap at the same time.  

It's something about needing to make eye contact.  

And perhaps needing my hands to talk.

And I certainly can't journal and talk or listen at the same time.

So I didn't make much progress.  

But it's a beginning.  
Now my dining room is a mess.. again.  

But it's ok.  It's ok.

So here we go for this week's life in pictures.  

I did a little collaging in the new (to me) iphoto program.... 

because I needed to tell the story with more than one photo.  

Oh.. I hope I get better at this streamlining thing.

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Remember the new playhouse was being built last week.  

As each section was complete the excitement grew.  

The kids would go out there as soon as they woke, 

still in their jammies, in the cold morning air.  

They didn't care.  

They were so excited.  

We had to warn them to keep it down, to not wake up the neighbors.

 Tuesday is the day my youngest daughter and I go to Community Bible Study.  

There's some downtime in between dropping off the bigger kids at school.  

Just the perfect window for a car wash.  

It's usually when I manage to fit it in.  

This one was LONG overdue.  

We're talking since before Christmas overdue.

She loves watching the cars get washed and move along the water and bubble sprays.

Wednesday night and the play-yard is FINISHED. 

 It was late and dark.  

But working by a bright work light brought outside, 

daddy finished the last part of the slide and it was time to give it a whirl.  

To say they loved it is an understatement.  

The sheer screams of delight 

and watching their bodies zip through the air down the slide.  

It's a good one.  

Fast enough to keep my big boy coming back for more.  

It made every minute 

of every hour 

my husband spent piecing it together worth it.

  

And he said, "You know when you suggest something I must listen to you.  

When I finally do, I always wonder why I didn't sooner."

Hmm.. I like that. ;)

Party prep was in full swing on Thursday.  

A friend asked me to watch her daughter who was home sick 

while she had a meeting.  

So I put her to work.  

She was happy to help with the assembling of boxes, 

chef hat flowers & garlands.  

My little Audrey did her best to help too.  

Friday during the day I had my rheumatologist appointment at UCLA.  

My blood work looked perfect she said.  

No signs of the lupus in my blood praise God.  

But that meant my free time was taken during the day 

and I stayed up late getting everything set for the party.  

It never fails, as much pre-prep you do, 

there are always last minute things to do.  

I followed the pdf at One Charming Party.  

They really have great ideas if you'd like to check them out.

 Ava's sixth birthday party finally got under way on Saturday afternoon.  

It was so much fun seeing the girls enjoy all the baking stations.  

I feel so blessed to be able to do these kinds of things.  

I was praising God for how well I'm feeling this year 

and for the fact that I can be present and 

enjoy these special moments.

Sunday mornings have become our stay home and start slow day.  

We have shifted gears to going to the 12 noon service.  

It's the only morning of the week where we don't have to rush out of the house.  

I need it.  

I love it.  

And it's the morning we make sure to always have eggs.  

Three out of the five of us like sunny side up and the other two scrambled 

with a little bit of salt and a little bit of pepper.  

That's exactly how the orders come in every time.

Oh and do you see the little hands and head peaking out from the table. 

 And the sister giggling over it all.  

You see my son is quickly realizing if mom has the camera 

he's going to wind up on the blog.  

He'll yell, "Duck or she'll put you on her blog!"

So for the most part he's dashing away from me at the site of my lens.  

Oh.. I'll break him in sooner or later.  

Happy Project Life Tuesday Everyone!