Filofax Friday

As you know, I've changed to a day per page layout, and I'm LOVING it.  I wasn't sure if I'd like it or not, but I really, really do!  So, instead of decorating a week at a time, I've been doing it every other day.  Here's this past week:

I love these little sticky notes by SMASH.  They are absolutely awesome.

This one's gotta be my favorite this week.  :)

And I was RAK'ed this week!  I love everything I got, and I can't wait to use them.

The day per page has really been working for me.  I feel so much more organized and I love the To Do list on the side of every day.  I've been able to stay on top of things even though I haven't been feeling well.  My color coding system seems to work better here, too.  YAY for experimenting with new things!

Thankful Thursday: Week 13

I've been a little under the weather this week, so it's been  a bit more difficult to stay positive.  But, hey, I think it's during the times that one doesn't really feel thankful that more effort should be directed toward being thankful.  Even when it's tough.

1.  Book lights.  I found one for my oldest son at the Dollar Tree, and he loves it.  I'm just glad to find something for him that gets him to read more.
2.  Blossoms on my tree.

Aren't they pretty?  Yay for Spring!

3.  Singing toothbrushes.  Seriously, why didn't they make those when I was a kid?  I think I may buy one for myself so I can rock out while I'm brushing my teeth.

4.  Washi tape.  I love the stuff.  And it's quickly becoming an obsession.  Here's my small collection:

5.  Mango lotion.  O.P.I. makes some that is absolutely amazing.

6.  A messy kitchen.  My family is fed and happy, my sink is full, and my counters have crumbs on them.  And it's a reminder that we are provided for.

7.  The periodic table. (this one is personal.  Only my husband will know why I'm thankful for it.)

8.  Inside jokes. 

9.  That Jay looks out for Asher at school.  Apparently he sees Asher's teacher everyday at lunch and asks her how the Asher-man did that day.

10.  BBQ weather!  We're having our first barbecue of the season on Saturday. 

11.  Swiffer.  

12.  Positive comments.

13.  Lessons in being on time.

14.  Gifts given.

15.  My laid back Asher-man.  I love how easy going that boy is.  

16.  Packages in the mail.

17.  My paper shredder.

18  Spring decor.  I put away all my winter decorations and put up all my spring time things.  It's so cheery in here now!

19.  Pretty paper.

20.  Colored pens.  

The last two are of course regarding my Filofax.  I'm finding it to be a constant companion, and I love making it pretty. 

I hope you all have a great day and are finding things to be thankful for.  The joy is in the journey!

Make Something Monday~ Baby Stuff!

I'm putting together a little package for a friend of a friend.  A few handmade baby goodies.  So much fun!
This is a "Crinkle Me"  It's crinkly when a baby rubs it, and they love the sound and the texture.  I also embroidered his name on it, and it's got all sorts of cute little ribbon tags on it.  The back fabric is blue minky, so it's super soft.

This one's not quite done yet, and it's my first attempt at appliqué.  Lots of fun!  I just need to add some buttons, but I need to run to the craft store to get those.

I plan on doing one more onesie with suspenders and a bow tie appliquéd on them.  Stay tuned!

Filofax Friday~ More Paper Adventures.

So, I decided to try a Day per Page layout, with times listed on the sides, because I was finding that with my Week on Two Pages, things would get lost in all the other stuff I had written down.  Even with my color coding.
I found a layout that I really liked from the Philofaxy blog.  Here's the link: http://philofaxy.blogspot.com/p/diary-inserts.html
Even though I have A LOT of A5 paper cut, I wanted to see how it works printing on regular letter paper.  Let me tell you, it was an adventure.  One I lost sleep over.  One which my husband laughingly calls "pathetic."
There are some amazing tutorials on how to print double sided.  My printer has that function.  I can get things to print double sided without an issue.  But to print booklet style?  No go.  I literally spent hours trying to get it to work.  I read numerous tutorials.  But, I didn't see any that were for my particular issue.
I even called Staples to see how much it would cost to have them print it for me.  And it really wasn't that much, (Around $20.) But, seeing that I had the ink and the paper and the hole punch... I just couldn't justify spending the money when I had everything I needed to print them here.
I had downloaded them in Word, and had everything all laid out how I wanted, but it just wouldn't work.
I had my husband try for a while.  He couldn't get it.  Finally, I just decided to give it up for the night, but I couldn't get my brain to turn off.  I just knew there had to be a way to do it! Page ranges!
 So, as I was supposed to be sleeping, it finally came to me.  At 3:30 AM.  I really should've just gotten up and tried it right then and there, but I talked myself into waiting until morning.  Which, was probably a bad idea, because I STILL couldn't go to sleep.
Anyway, when I got up, I was still pretty fuzzy headed even after my second cup of coffee... I had to write down my page ranges.

And adjust my printer settings:

I DID IT!  And I like the page per day so far.  We'll see how it all works out!  I hope this helps someone else.

Thankful Thursday, week 12

Thursdays are quickly becoming my favorite day to blog.  I LOVE looking over all my "thankfuls."  It just sets the tone for a great day!

1.  Sleepless nights.  An odd thing to be thankful for?  Well...
2.  Problems solved.  I couldn't figure something out.  It was driving me crazy.... To the point that I couldn't sleep last night.  But, hey, at 3 AM, the answer was there!
3.  Improved grades for both of my boys.
5.  Time off of school!
6.  Haven's fashion sense.  Check her out:

Those are leg warmers she has around her calves.  Awesome.

7. Parent/Teacher conferences.  It's so good to know exactly where my kids are at and how they're doing.

8.  Rental cars.  I had to get one last weekend when I went down to ID, and it was just nice to have something reliable and that got excellent gas mileage for the weekend!

9.  St. Patrick's Day recitals.

Jay had a ball!  And St. Patrick's Day is his favorite day because not only does he get to wear all the green he wants, but everyone else wears green, too!  

10.  To Do lists.  It just feels so good to check those things off.

11. Ceiling fans

12.  The weekend is almost here!

13.  Funny videos.

14.   Jay's FINALLY enjoying reading. (sometimes)

15. It's the first day of Spring!

16.  Jim's strength and stability.  I'm really blessed in the husband that I have.

17.  Fundraisers

18.  Lined clips.

Yes, these things.  When I'm making bows, they save me SO MUCH TIME!  I love that I can buy them already lined and I don't have to do it myself anymore!

19.  Picnics.

20.  Home sweet home.  I <3 home!

Make Something Monday (Past Projects)

I was gone all weekend, so I didn't really have time to make anything new.  But, hey, here's a few things that I've done within the last few months.

Baby doll sling.  Haven LOVES hers.  She uses it all the time.  And it really doesn't take much fabric at all!  This was made from scraps.

This is a head piece that belongs to one of the dancers from Haven's dance team.  It matches her costume for her solo, and I'm really proud of it.  It turned out GORGEOUS, and the picture really doesn't do it justice.  There's appliqués on it that match the appliqués on her costume.  I started from a pile of feathers, a couple of flowers (that I tore completely apart, a broach, some rhinestones, and THREE different kinds of glue.  It was so much fun to make, and definitely more complicated than a simple hair bow.  

This little hat actually belongs to Haven's competition costume.  They were just plain hats (I did a couple of them) and I dressed them up with the band, bow, and rhinestones.  SO cute!

This picture was actually sent to the owner of the boutique that I sell things in.  It's such a cute little girl's room!  And the only thing in it that I can take credit for is the bunting banner that's on the wall.  These are really fun to make, too.  They have several different kinds of coordinated fabric incorporated for the flags, and if you look closely, you can see vintage handkerchiefs and doilies sewn to a few of the flags.  I love these.  

Happy Monday!  Go make something!

Filofax Friday

Wow, this is a blurry Picture!  Sorry about that!

My filofax all filled in this week.  I LOVED having the little envelope.  I have a private "To Do" list in there.  My checklist stamp also was pretty handy.

Since it's St. Patrick's Day this week, I went with green striped washi.

And marked the day with a craft paper sticker from Target.  I also used my tooth sticker that came in a RAK I received.

It's kind of a crazy week with the kids being out of school for a good portion of it.  They have some half days thrown in there, too.

 I made the four-leaf clover with some heart stickers.  I wish I would have had 4 of the same kind, but alas, I didn't.  The two tone is sorta cute, eh?

I haven't put all my chores down yet.  I think I'll wait until Monday morning to do that.  I do, however, really like my new cleaning system.  And my house has stayed clean.  My husband has even noticed it! (YAY!)



There's my upcoming week!  Have a wonderful weekend!

Thankful Thursday: In Loving Memory

Yesterday was a rough day.  My friend Amber, from high school passed away.  She fought long and hard against Ovarian Cancer, and it took her Home much too soon.  But, I know that God has a plan.  And we can already see the way that He has used Amber's life to make this world a better place.  Rest in Peace, my beautiful friend!  Until we meet again...

Amber Rumpel 1982-2014

1. I'm thankful for childhood friends.  All the memories in Jr. High and High School that I have of Amber are filled with laughter.  I honestly don't remember her being sad.  She seemed to always be laughing about something.  What a gift!
2.  The legacy of laughter left behind.
3.  A WONDERFUL sense of humor.
4. A life lived to the fullest, even though she was so young.
5. Happy Memories.
6. The nostalgic feelings that looking through old yearbooks brings.

7.  God's provision and hand through all of this.

8.  Trust without borders.  Those words keep playing in my head... Although it's impossible to understand why she's gone, I pray that I can trust God without borders.

9.  I'm thankful that we didn't move.  That I'm still close enough that I can go celebrate Amber's life with our friends.

10. Amber's family.  She has two little boys.  Her family has shown such as example of love and support through this journey.

11.  Her best friend Amanda.  Unconditional love right there.  The other friends that Amber was surrounded by.  She was one of those people that you just couldn't help loving.

12. Photographs. 

Homecoming 1998

13.  Facebook.  I'm so thankful that we all can keep in touch.

14.  That Amber is no longer suffering. She fought hard, but she doesn't hurt anymore.

15.  Funny stories shared between friends.

16.  Peace that passes all understanding.

Regional Competition 1996 (I think)

17. Regional competition.  This was such a fun trip!  Such good memories there!
18.  The weddings of friends.  Amber was in several more weddings. This is definitely a special group of women.

Stephanie Sherard's Wedding.

19,  Friendships that last a lifetime.

20.  Love that transcends time.  These girls are all dear to me.  Although the years have taken us in different directions, although life has thrown us some curve balls, even though some of us are no longer as close as we used to be, Amber will always be a part of us.  

Thank you, God, for sharing Amber with us.  She's free now.

Tip Tuesday (A5 Paper)

I've written quite a bit about my filofax.  I love it.  I use it every day, all day long.  The one thing that is difficult about it is that the inserts are paper size A5.  It's not a huge deal, and I use the Filofax Week on Two Pages inserts for my everyday planning, but there are so many printables out there so you can customize your filofax to fit your specific needs.  I have printed several things, but was getting frustrated by the paper size.  I have a personal paper cutter, but it doesn't do more than two sheets at a time.
On the Philofaxy Facebook page, I asked if anyone knew where in the US to buy A5 paper.  I did get some suggestions, but the best one (in my opinion) was to go to an office supply store, buy a ream of paper, and have them cut it to the A5 size.  It was $5 more for them to cut it for me, but I was able to find the paper weight that I wanted, and now I have 1000 sheets of A5 paper.
My printer does have a setting for A5 paper, so I just popped it in, and printed this cute "Important Date" printable from Organise with Katie on Etsy.

I used my new hole punch from Rakuten to punch my holes.  I love this thing!  It's adjustable, so it'll punch just about any size of paper that I need.

And it's in my Filofax!  Now to fill it in!

I hope this tip helped!  Happy Tuesday!

Make Something Monday (Embroidery & Bandana Bibs)

I spent a good portion of the day on Saturday down at Haven's dance studio, embroidering names on the team's competition bags and jackets.   They turned out so well!  Here's Haven's bag:

And her jacket:

They say "Synergy Dance Company" on the backs, while the bags have it printed on the sides.  I'm LOVING my embroidery machine, and I'm learning so much.  Especially patience.  I never realized how long it would take to pick out a design if you mess it up right towards the end...  I've since learned that I can save myself if I had a different type of interfacing.  I plan on getting some ASAP.

I've also been working on some Bandana bibs to take down to the boutique.  I found some really fun fabric, including this one:

I just love the little mustaches!  The bibs attach at the back with snaps.  They're absolutely adorable!

Have a fabulous Monday!  I plan to!

Filofax Friday

Here's my week last week all filled in.  I did implement a new cleaning schedule this week, which I really like.  It goes by 'job' instead of by 'room.'  For instance, one day, I will clean all the counters in the house. (Kitchens, bathrooms, etc.)  It seems to be going very well.  Both my house and I like it a lot.

I just got a new stamp, and I've been waiting all week to use it.  I bought it from Muji Online.  Here's the link: Check List Stamp
I love it!  And it was really affordable.  Only $3.75

I also bought the Hello Coco stickers from Ebay.  They're SO cute! 

I stamped my checklist on every day.  It really helps me keep track of my to do's when I check them off.

I got both kinds of washi tapes from the JoAnn's clearance section this week.

The little envelope is from the Target Dollar Spot. I don't have a clue what I'm going to put in it yet, but it's darn cute, isn't it?  The owl sticky note is from a RAK I received.  And there's my schedule for the week!  As usual, it'll fill up pretty quickly as the week progresses.  

Have a fabulous weekend!

Thankful Thursday, Week 10

I love this quote:

It's SO true!  And such a good thing to remember...

1. I'm thankful for my new embroidery machine.  I'm having so much fun with it and have so many ideas running through my head that it's kept me up at night!

2. Reimbursement checks.

3. Serenity.  This is an essential oil blend that I just ordered, and it's wonderful! It really helps me relax at night.

4. Homemade coffee creamer.  For the recipe, see this post.

5. Warmer weather

6.  For dr. appointments.

7. Big dreams and decisions to make.  I'm contemplating re-opening my Etsy shop.  I still haven't completely decided whether or not to do it yet, though.

8.  Dance competitions.

9.  Flowers and chocolate from my husband after a hard day.

10.  For my new hop punch for my Filofax.  It's awesome and it makes everything so much easier!  I got it here: Rakuten

11.  My new cleaning schedule.  I found this on Pinterest, and I love it so far!  (And so does my house)  Here's the link for the printable: Pinterest

12.  Glasses adjustments

13.  Sunshine!  FINALLY!

14.  That I don't have to wear my heavy winter coat to set foot outside!

15.  New shoes.  Both my boys got new shoes yesterday and they both think they're Olympic runners now.

16.  Haven's sleepy eyes first thing in the morning.

17.  Quick snacks

18.  The "Force."  I was sitting in the drive-thru at Starbucks yesterday, and Asher is convinced he used the force to make the car in front of us move. :)

19.  Flowers from my Jay-man.

20.  GREAT days at school!  Jay struggles with staying in his seat and keeping his mouth closed.  He had an AMAZING day yesterday!  I'm so proud of him!

Wowzers...

Busy, busy, couple of days.  Not that I mind.  I like to be busy, but these few days have been nuts.  I have managed to fit in a few things in spite of all the craziness.
I have several things to share with you in this post.  Sit back, relax, have a cup of joe.
With some homemade FLAVORED coffee creamer!  (That sounded like a commercial announcer in my head.)
I threw these together yesterday afternoon.  There's two different kinds here: Chocolate Raspberry and Mexican Mocha.  They're actually pretty good.  And they don't have all the processed junk in them that the store bought kinds have.

There's 25 different recipes here: http://blog.greendeals.org/go-green/homemade-flavored-coffee-creamer-recipes/

I can't wait to try them all!  

This is my girl right before she went on stage this weekend.  We were at a dance competition.  Our very first.  It was so much fun!  And Haven had a ball!  And, of course, she looked adorable!

And her trio took TOP FIRST PLACE!!!  Go Synergy!  

She looks like she's bearing her teeth there.  She was really saying "Cheese."

And I got a new toy this weekend.  I new (to me) embroidery machine!  I'm already having so much fun with it!  I made this cute hair bow for Haven yesterday.

And the Asher-man wanted something, so I put his name on his craft apron.

I also did a pillowcase for Jay, and put Haven's name on her dance company jacket.  I was having so much fun that I forgot that I had put dinner in the oven.  I burned it.  Badly.  It was completely inedible...  So, we had to eat out.  Not that the kids minded much, but I'm really tired of fast food after being gone all weekend...  But, hey, it was a productive day.

I'm so excited about my new toy!  Next on the to learn list is appliqué.  It should be fun!  Wish me luck!