January's Challenges Completed

WOW...it has been one busy and crazy month, but somehow I managed to get a few more challenges done!!

RIVER
Created for the Multiple Photo Challenge
Kit: Old Sweater Cozy Days (DD) by Patty B Scraps
Template by MTurnidge

 
YOUNG AT HEART
Created for the January Progressive Challenge
Kit: Eclectic by Dana's Footprint Digital Design, Studio4 Designworks & Ginger's Scraps N Pixels.

CAPTURED MY HEART
Created for Designer Spotlight Challenge (Jan 24-31)
Kit: Molly's Monkeys (offered as DD) and Add-On
by A Fish Design
Photos of my granddaughter, River

YOU MAKE ME SMILE
Created for Designer Spotlight Challenge (Jan 24-31)
Molly's Monkeys Template 1 by A Fish Design
Kit: King of Cool (DD) - Created by Jill
Photos of me and my daughter Kat

A House Of Poverty

I came across a blog post this evening titled The Upsetting Reality Of Modern Day Poverty. It brought tears to my eyes for many different reasons but mainly because it was as if she had written it about me. It hit me hard and knocked the breath out of me.Though I don't think of our family as poor, it is an overwhelming truth. We may not be struggling as hard as some but my family is part of the modern day poverty.

POOR. (let that sink in for a moment) Even as I typed the word it is a hard thing to admit. So much is associated with that one word. Government Assistance (welfare, foodstamps) mostly comes to mind. Years ago, when my children were young, I had to rely on it to feed and clothe them. At that time, I was working 2 jobs (1 FT & 1 PT) and it was such a struggle. Eventually, I was able to get off of assistance and accumulate a nice little rainy day fund.

Times have changed. The poverty line has shifted. What once was considered working middle class is now in the poverty level. When I was growing up, if the word poor was mentioned, images of "shotgun houses" in the rougher areas of town would flood my mind. That is no longer the case. I don't have a fancy home by today's standards, but it's a decent size on a decent sized piece of land. It's paid for. It keeps the elements out and us safely in. And yet, it is a house of poverty.

Within the past decade, my health went south. I was diagnosed with high BP, suffered a mild stroke, diagnosed with diabetes and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease along with dealing with my rheumatoid arthritis. It took it's toil. Not only on my body but our finances. I was no longer able to work. That meant I had to watch what I spent. I had to carefully plan out meals. I had to get creative with items in our home. I had to watch my rainy day fund get smaller and smaller until it was non-existent.

To Pinch Pennies:

• I keep the thermostat on our central heat between 65°F and 68°F during the winter. That way the gas backup doesn't kick on as often. I have 2 ceramic, oscillating, electric heaters. During the day they keep the den and kitchen nice and toasty. At night they keep mine and the Grands bedrooms warm enough that we don't need a billion layers of blankets. We also wear fuzzy socks, fuzzy houseshoes and warm enough layers to feel comfortable. Rugs on the floors, blankets within arms reach and weatherproofing doors and windows each Fall also helps keep the drafts to a minimum..
• To also save on the gas bill, I now wash all of our clothes in cold water and use homemade laundry soap. It was a trial by error for a couple of months until I found the perfect recipe that worked for our clothes.
• When my dishwasher stopped working, I decided not to replace it. Not only did it save me money on my power bill, but I don't use as much water or gas to heat it. WIN WIN
• Thrift Stores have become my GO-TO for all of our clothes, furniture and decorative items. I also get most of my Grands toys and books from there as well. A lot of the times I will come across an item that have seen better days as it's intended purpose but I can see potential of using it as something else within our home. (Repurposing is great when you have a little bit of imagination and some workspace. Pinterest also helps for inspiration.) However, I will ONLY purchase if those items have one of the "color tag discounts of the week" in order to save 30%, 50% or 80% off of the sticker price.
• Sometimes I also get lucky finding items through a local, yardsale group online.
•  I buy our groceries at several grocery stores to take advantage of the weekly sales in combination with a LOT of coupons. I cook One Pot Meals (pasta or rice, with veggies & chicken) and make enough of it that it will last for dinner that night, lunch the next day and sometimes the next day's dinner as well. Usually I spend $100 for the entire week, but sometimes we have to get by on a lot less. By the end of those weeks, I am eating only one meal a day to make sure there is enough for the Grands.
• We drive used vehicles that require some form of daily maintenance, but gets us from point A to point B in one piece.

In regards to our electronic devices:

• I removed cable TV but have kept the internet because it was much cheaper to stream movies and TV shows from Netflix.
• To keep in touch with each other, we have prepaid phones which worked out to be cheaper than going with a family plan.
• I subscribed to BookBub for a daily email of all of the ebooks that are free from Amazon and B&N. I also signed up through the library to check out ebooks which I can read on my computer.
• Our computer was found at the thrift store and then slowly rebuilt by my oldest son with parts he found on ebay.

 We have learned to do without a lot of things. And if push comes to shove, I'm sure we will learn to do without a lot more. Over the years, we have lived without power on more than one occasion. (We played a lot of board games by kerosene lamps during those times.) We have made-do without gas for a period of 2 months. (Thankfully it was during the summer where we could take cold showers and cook with an electric skillet or an electric burner.) We went without a working washing machine for over a year. (I would haul everything to the laundrymat and wash 8 loads all at once in the supersized washer then bring it back home wet, to hang all over the bathroom, laundry room and outside on the clotheslines while a small load would be drying in the dryer.) I have walked 2 miles to the nearest grocery store and 2 miles back because we didn't have a running vehicle at the time. Those days are in the past, but could easily be our future if someone lost their job and we went a couple of weeks without a paycheck.

For now we are just surviving day to day, week to week, paycheck to paycheck.
...and now my time is up.

LilyAnn is the Spotlight Designer

A message from LilyAnn:
Hi ladies! I've had no time to monkey around lately. I've been very busy getting ready for this exciting week. I'm the Spotlight Designer at goDigitalScrapbooking.com (GDS). That means there is a lot going on to keep you busy! There's a speed scrap, a game of bingo, a chance to win $10 to my store by completing a layout with my product, a 30% off sale, a raffle for a price match coupon for all sales during this week, and a special challenge (create a Bingo layout - instructions to be posted soon) and don't forget my daily download.  Here is what I have for you to snag for free (a part a day for 8 days)!

This kit was inspired by my daughter, Molly, and her love of sock monkeys!  As you can see the kit is versatile and can be used for boy layouts as well because of the teals and browns.

I also have a few add-ons... a paper pack, a mini kit and a template set.  The templates feature Peek-A-Boo spots as you can see here and in the layouts made by my CT and the ST (Supreme Team).

And the amazing layouts by my team of "Stars."

There's a lot going on so I will summarize!!!

I have one more thing to share before I go eat my banana.  LOL!

Want to work with my designs for free, or any GDS designer for that matter? Then sign up for the Supreme Team contest.  Sign ups are here.

Oh, and there may be some random coupons on my Facebook page or in the store forum so keep your eyes peeled.  LOL

Completely And Utterly Exhausted...

For the past 3 days I have worked non-stop to organize, rearrange and reduce the amount of clutter in my house. And by clutter I mean furniture, toys, clothes, kitchen items and Knick-Knacks. Who knew that we had so much STUFF that we hardly/never use!! Having two grown children and 2 Grands live in the home with me, it makes for a tight living space. So, I looked around my house to see what I could do about making our lives a bit easier and less crowded. I took a LONG look at my dining room. It's a rather formal room, and one we only used on Thanksgiving and sometimes Christmas Eve. The rest of the year it was just a pass-thru or catch-all room. That was living space just being wasted.

My first task was to clean off the back porch so that everything I was getting rid of had a place to go until the local thrift store could come out and pick up all of our donations. Cleaning that area proved to be an ALL DAY task as there was an already growing pile of clothing, shoes and toys that needed to go. Having a new puppy that chose to use it as his potty area meant also having to remove everything, grab the hose and Dawn dish soap and do a thorough scrubbing before anything could be placed on the back porch. At the end of the day I literally fell in bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

The next day's task was to start moving furniture and items out of the dining room and place on the back porch. For the most part, it was an easy task. Lots of old paperwork to sort through...most of it going to the burn pile. Out went the chest freezer and the open china hutch. With just those two pieces gone, I had nearly an entire free wall. It was a nice start. I then took a long look at my kitchen chairs. One was falling apart, another was being used for Rowan's portable highchair and the remaining two should've been retired years ago. So I moved them out, replaced them with the chairs from the dining room and LOVE the arrangement. 4 chairs at the table, the captain's chair holding the portable highchair and the extra chair put in storage as an extra. With that came the end of day two...and the second day of me falling into bed and asleep before my head hit my pillow.

The third day found me clearing out the long 9 drawer dresser that I had converted into a buffet. It was great storage for both kitchen and dining items, but knew if I truly wanted to turn the dining room into a dedicated playroom, then it had to go. Cleaning it out was easy enough...it was moving the monstrosity that was nearly my undoing! It's heavy. VERY HEAVY. But I was bound and determined to get it moved out on my own. I pushed, I pulled and after half an hour, I made it to the back porch with minor damage inflicted upon myself. (In the back of my mind I KNEW I should have waited for help and that I would be paying for it later, but it was a risk I was willing to take.) All kitchen and dining items were moved to the kitchen to be sorted later. With a second wall free of space, it was time to start moving in the toys. EEGADS...where did all of these toys come from and HOW did it all fit in my den?!?!?! An hour later and the majority of the toys and a loveseat had been moved from the den to the playroom. Took a quick break to take daughter and the Grands to work (LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact she has a job where she is able to take the babes to work with her on certain nights!!) That gave me a full 4 hours of peace and quiet to finish moving out the dining room table, organize all of the toys, put the toy chest in front of the loveseat as a coffee table, add side tables and lamps, put stuffed animals on shelves, set up the ball pit, and place all of the riding toys. Then it was off to the den to rearrange some furniture, the large dog kennel, the Grands small table and chairs, then finally dust and vacuum both rooms. As soon as everyone arrived back at home, I led the Grands to their playroom and knew it was worth it when the oldest entered and said in a very excited voice, "Woooowwwww"!! Well worth it, but it all started catching up with me...I could hardly move by the end of the day. No quick bath for me...I was due for a long, hot soak to ease my joints and muscles.

It's now the 4th day. The Grands are enjoying their playroom and I've slowly started to organize the kitchen to conceal all of the items that are now homeless with the loss of the open china hutch and the dresser/buffet. (For now, I've chosen to leave the piano in the playroom until I can find another place for it.) I say slowly because my body is now trying to recover from all I've accomplished over the past 3 days. For a normal, healthy person they would be able to bounce back with no problem, but with my health issues it's not so quick for me. So today isn't as rushed, I'm taking my time, and making plans for the next area of the house to be cleaned out. (My storage room is on the top of that list.)

That's all folks...my time is up.

Playing With Shading

Today was dreary and cold...and NOT good for my joints. Spent much of the day in pain. It's days like these that I either catch up on my reading or I catch up on scrapbooking. Scrapbooking won today. With an entire day to play, I first browsed several galleries to get some inspiration. Came across THIS layout.

 

The color is what first grabbed my attention, then the depth of the layers and the shadows. This type of layout is completely out of my comfort zone since I know NOTHING about shading. And so...today was a good day to do something about it. I browsed through my "stash" and decided to work with...

UNFORGETTABLE by SweetMade

 

Since I also had to complete a couple of challenges at GDS, I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. I chose the TURNING A NEW LEAF challenge, where we were asked to find an old layout, using the same photo(s) and create an entirely new layout. I searched through my old galleries and came across this one...

 

Me with my daughter, Kat...Photo taken in March 2007

KIT: Solitary Meditation, Fur Trim Freebie by Lorene Hill
FONT: Angsana New
LAYOUT DESIGNER: AlabamaStoneThrower Creations©
TITLE: Our Wildlife Outing
CREATED: May 6, 2007
PHOTO: Kat & Me
PROGRAM: PSP9

(EEGAD!! This was back when I was a newbie, and it shows. God bless all of the designers that had me on their CT, cause it is so obvious I had no clue what I was doing back them LOL)

THIS is what I created after several hours.

Ehhh...not bad for my first attempt. (I'm sure I will be redoing this one in a few years LOL) As I was uploading it to the gallery, I noticed that this week's Designer Spotlight was SweetMade, so decided to grab another one of her kits to upload for the Designer Spotlight Challenge.

MY BIG YEAR - January by SweetMade.

 

Several more hours passed. I tweaked. I twisted elements. I played with blending techniques. THEN I tried my hand at adding depth through the layers with the shadows again. This time I was happier with the results, though I still need more improvement.

Eventually, I will learn it. Until then, I will just have to keep practicing.
My time is now up...

I Am An Artist

I have been digitally scrapping for over 7 1/2 years. I have learned a lot of techniques, but know I still have so much to learn. Every year the program changes and adds new features. However, due to me being on a 2 year hiatus has caused me to be a bit behind on everything. It has been a slow process to get to where I am since September 2014. I have had to relearn certain techniques, and which program functions create it.

Even still, I am happy. When I create a LO (layout), I usually have an idea in mind before I add papers and elements. The moment I see a kit, a mask, a splatter, a template or a border, ideas have formed. 95% of the time what I end up with exactly what I've seen in my mind before I've started.

Years ago, I participated in a challenge called 40 Days of Scrapping Purpose. It was hosted by my friend Royanna Hohl Fritschmann at Divine Digital. I managed to create 9 of the challenges until real life got in the way and I put it aside with the hopes of one day of finishing. (Sadly, that day never came and now I've lost all of the prompts.) ::sigh::

Day 1 was called: The Artist Within Me

I titled my LO: I AM AN ARTIST

My journalling said:

Creating a layout goes beyond the decals and swirls,

it's a way to express the thoughts I had

when I was a little girl.

Each of the items on the page

were chosen with the utmost care.

Every paper and every element

has a reason for being there.

It's not about how the page will look

filled with flowers, doodles and bees,

But how well I've been able to recreate

all of my memories.

It was and still is one of my favorite LO's. I poured my entire heart into it. I wasn't limited to a deadline. I didn't have rules and regulations placed on it from a designer or a website. I just had the freedom of expressing myself. And because of that, it was a stress-free process. It's how I'd like to create all of my layouts.

This has placed a hard decision before me. I am truly grateful to have been asked by two awesome designers to be a part of their CT (creative team). But the rules and regulations and trying to remember deadlines and where to post, and keeping up with links and creating documents is too much for my mind to grasp while still dealing with my everyday life. My mind doesn't work the way it used to...and me trying to remember everything has only caused me stress. I just want the freedom to create a page and know it was a true expression of me. And so, it is with deep sadness that I am removing myself from all CT duties. I just don't have it in me. I used to look forward to creating LO's, but now am so stressed over it that it is no longer fun or filled with my entire heart. That's not fair to either one of us.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your designs...
My time is now up and I must rush off again...

Catching Up On A Few Challenges

It's already January 12th and I'm so far behind on my challenges at goDigitalScrapbooking. Out of 16 challenges that I want to participate in, I've only managed to complete 7. Yeah, that's almost HALF, but normally by now, I would've had at least 3/4ths of them done. With sick babies, getting over the holidays and dealing with a new puppy I'm shocked I completed ANY of them LOL!!

LEARN FROM YESTERDAY
Created for the Quote Challenge
Kit: Pretty Flirt (Daily Download) by Sweet Made
Font: Edwardian Script ITC

SURPRISE SNOW-Feb 2010
Created for the Be Inspired Challenge
BG & Cluster Frame from Magical Wonders Mini Bonus by Studio4
Icicles and Silver Leaf from My Big Year-January by Sweet Made
Silver and Blue Snowflakes, Sprig and Bow from My Big Year-November by Sweet Made









Easter 2011
Created for the Template Challenge
Kit: A Paon Noel by Ginger's Scraps N Pixels

FIRST BATH - Feb 2012
Created for the Designer Spotlight Challenge
I used Old Sweater Cozy Days by Patty B Designs
Template: Megan Turnidge
Fonts: Edwardian Script, Baby Kruffy, Franklin Gothic







I Am...God's Masterpiece
Newsprint BG - Just My Type (DD) by Altered Amanda Altered Amanda's Studio
Paint Splatter - Who I Am by Andrea Gold
Tag - Reason & Chaos by Andrea Gold
Rafia Frame - Fabulous Fall Add On by Studio4
Butterfly - Pretty Flirt by SweetMade
Leaf- King Of Cool by Created By Jill
Flower - Paon Noel by Ginger's Scraps N Pixels
Stars - Bouquet de Noel by Maria Designs
Bird - Unforgettable by Maria Designs
Paper Flower - A Moment In Time (DD) by Maria H Designs
Tape - Boy's World by A Fish Designs
Fonts: Croobie, DFKai-SB 

Simply Me
Created for the USE IT ALL Challenge
Simplicity Posting Bonus by Seoul 2 Soul Scraps
Template by MTurnidge

Almost Time For Santa
Merry Little Christmas Hope - December Mixology by Ginger's Scraps N Pixels
Merry Little Christmas - Faith December Mixology by Ginger's Scraps N Pixels
Merry Little Christmas Peace - December Mixology by Giner's Scraps N Pixels
Template by MTurnidge

A Very Unhappy Birthday

 Miss River's day began with her in the bed, sick.

Though she managed to be awake most of the day, she didn't have even a tenth of her normal energy.

For lunch, she managed to eat half a bowl of dry cereal, a sliced banana and a serving of mac n cheese.

She was trying to say cheese with a mouth full of banana...LOL

Even though we had to cancel her birthday party due to fever and a stuffy nose, she still got to eat a cupcake and open a few presents from me, her Mommie and Aunt FeFe.

Miss River's day ended as it began...with her in the bed, sick.

Before 7pm, she was out like a light...

My time is now up...good night.

Please Make Time Stop...

It was three years ago today that you came into this world. We stayed up most of the night before, making sure your mommie's bags were packed, the camera's batteries were charged and everything was in order before we had to be at the hospital at 5am. You were several days late, so mommie's doctor scheduled to have her induced.

We were all so excited...me, your mommie, Aunt Hay-Hay and Aunt T-Chele. We kept your mommie entertained as the nurses gave her all the medicines she needed...and we waited. It was a slow process, but finally after 6 hours, your mommie was ready.

 You were born and my heart was filled with so much love.

My sweet angel baby...

 

Happy Birthday River

Nana loves you!!

I Lost It...

The old saying, "If you don't use it you will lose it" is so true! It has been YEARS since I've written CSS or HTML code, designed a blog header or background. It seems I've forgotten so much!! I spent the better part of a day just trying to update my blog's look...but most of it was actually me being frustrated and stressed out because I couldn't remember anything. :Sigh: Another sign of me getting older, I guess.

Hours later, and I've made a bit of progress. It's still needs some tweaking, but hopefully I can have it finished by this weekend. In the meantime, please pardon the mess...

Looks like my time is up...