a conversation with matthew

When I saw this post on Ali Edwards' blog, I knew I had to do the same. In fact, I've had an interview style layout in the back of my mind for years now, I was just never able to make it come to fruition. All the day-to-day things always got in the way -- dishes, laundry, meals, you know the drill. These are the things that usually get in the way of my creative time. I'm not complaining, though. ::smile::

This time, however, since it was mostly digital, I decided to get this layout done while I was organizing the files on my computer. Multi-tasking is a wonderful skill to have! ::laugh::

digital layout

I later decided that I didn't want to print out the entire digital layout -- I wanted to make it a hybrid layout as Cathy Zielske did with hers. I followed her instructions and I love the way it turned out. The photo of how it turned out is not so great:

hybrid layout

This layout was so much fun and I'm so glad that I was able to capture this information! I've done the same thing with Anberly, however it's not quite finished. I plan on adding it to the same week in my Project Life because the interview was done that same week.

I am hoping that I remember to do this project at least once a year. Kids' opinions and tastes change so frequently that it would be wonderful if there was a record of it that they could look back on later in life.

Thank you for stopping by. I hope to see you again soon!

project life ::: vol 1 | issue 2

Yup, I fell off the Project Life wagon for a little while, but I'm trying my hardest to hop back on!

This was a fairly normal week for us, so this layout really captured a week-in-the-life of us.

I am currently reading Mercy by Jodi Picoult. It's taking much longer than usual to get through this book. Mostly because I can only read it on Thursdays when the kiddos have their music lessons. Those flowers are from their music teacher's yard. So lovely.

Matthew loves to make silly faces. Love that kid.
All the kitties like to cuddle up in one small tiny bed. I'm going to have to make them a bigger one as the kitties are growing fast.

The insert this week is a conversation with Matthew. I'll talk a little bit more about this layout tomorrow.

Matthew made himself a delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich this week and precisely cut off the crust. He was so proud of his creation that he asked me, "Doesn't it look like we bought it at Starbucks?"

I love the look on hubby's face when Matthew showed him what he's been working on the past few days. Glad I captured that!

Yes, my son made a scythe. ::gasp::

The photo of my computer screen shows what it usually looks like: lots of tabs open at once. I don't think I can ever get on a computer and have only one tab open. It drives my hubby crazy when he wants to use my computer for a quick task.

That's all for now. Thank you so much for stopping by. ::wave::

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Project Life is a fabulous product by Becky Higgins. You can find out more information about Project Life on Becky Higgins' website. You can also view all of my Project Life posts here.

our new dining table

Last week we finished up a quick and easy project: A new dining table!

Our old dining table wasn't cutting it anymore. We bought it when we first got married almost 16 years ago. It was just the two of us, and we didn't need anything big. The finish on the tabletop was wearing off and there were plenty of marks that indicated that we have two growing children in the house. They've done their art projects on this table and left paint and glue stains behind. They've done craft projects that left nicks and dents behind. It was a well-loved dining table and has served it's purpose in our family.

For a few years now, I've been begging asking that we start saving for a new dining table. I knew the size and quality that I wanted and I was expecting it to cost thousands of dollars.

Recently, I came across a fabulous website that offers free plans for furniture! And wouldn't you know it, there are plans for dining tables. I immediately printed off the plans to show to my hubby when he got home from work. I was full of excitement and asked him if he thought it was do-able. Yes, he said! YAY! So I dragged him out of the house the very next day to go buy our materials.

It only took 4-6 hours to do all the cutting and assembling. The staining took less than 30 minutes to apply. We let it dry overnight and applied several layers of polyurethane (sanding between layers). Then I painted the bottom part of the table with a satin finish of Valspar's Cake Batter and gave it a distressed finish.

We absolutely love this table! One of the next projects on the list is to make a matching bench and slipcovers with cushions for our old chairs.

Another piece that we plan on building for our dining room is this awesome corner hutch!

This is just one of many many projects on my to-do list. Stay tuned to see what else we build!

buzz on over for a honey of a baby shower

Like my play on words? Yeah... I thought so.

In the middle of March my beautiful new nephew was born.

He is the third boy blessing of my brother's. He and his wife have been trying for a girl and have had a girl name picked out since their first boy was born nearly 10 years ago. Their first boy was mistaken for a girl during an ultrasound... and ever since then, they've had their hearts set on a girl. Not that they don't feel lucky to have their three boys!

Baby JJ was born a little early, and we were lucky to have thrown a shower just one week prior.

goodie bags

My mom and I had a lot of fun putting together this little shindig and I think the guests had a lot of fun, too! It wasn't a shower just for women; entire families were invited and even kids were allowed to participate in our food tasting contests, relays, and races. I was uber-busy playing hostess, so I wasn't able to take photos of the guests making fools of themselves playing games, but I assure you... it was a lot of fun!

gift table

My mom made the arrangement in the photo above. They are actually pens altered with silk flowers. This was a huge hit -- the arrangement was supposed to be a gift for the mom-to-be, however the other guests decided they liked them too much to allow that.

food table

I don't know if any of you have ever had Filipino food. If not, you sure are missing out on some yummy goodness. My mom made pretty much all the food at the party. We were all in Heaven.

close up bee hive cake

There is a delicious Italian bakery that we frequently visit and always get our party cakes at. They created this gorgeous Bee Hive head cake especially for us. Some of the guests couldn't believe that it was a real cake. It didn't take long to convince them, though. Especially once we cut into it!

favors

These adorable little favor boxes were made from the Tucked Away template and all contained gourmet chocolate. I used some Basic Grey patterned paper, Martha Stewart beehive brads, and doilies that I purchased at Miniature Sweet. To finish them off I wrapped them in baker's twine and yellow ric-rac. And of course, these little gifts would not be complete without tags.

favor box close up

It's very difficult for me to complete any project without sewing on it somewhere.

cloth diaper cake

I didn't realize this until I was going through my photos on my computer at home: I didn't get a good photo of the cloth diaper cakes that I made. I made two of these and they were both different from each other. Both of my kiddos were cloth diapered and I finally converted a family member to use cloth -- so happy about this.

Hopefully we'll have more opportunities to throw baby showers... maybe even a girl-y one? (My daughter is the only grand-daughter on my side, so another girl would be welcomed!)

hello blog + photo shoot

I've been behind again. With everything. As usual. ::laugh::

There has been a lot happening on the home front and I'm thankful that I have enough to stay busy.

Several updates will be taking place on my blog this coming week, so I hope you come back to see what I've been up to!

In the meantime, I'd like to share some fabulous photos with you. My very dear friend, Lisa Correia, shot these photos of my kiddos in May. They were a Father's Day gift for my hubby. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately ::smile::), I had to share them with T (my hubby) a little early. Here are some of our favorites:

If you are ever in Central California, you should book a shoot with Lisa! She's a fantastic photographer! Her email address is LDCPhotos@yahoo.com