CURRENT PINS

1. Love not only seeing art in progress but the same image in sequence//idea for a layout. 2. Replace draw with make//that's me. 3. Toddler advice I need to read//quiet time for toddlers who no longer nap. 4. I can't say that I'm a huge lover of pb&j's but in the form of a donut, well now that's a different story. 5. Color inspiration//pops of pink. 6. Light. Light. Shadow & light. 7. The wonton soup I made & put up on my IG this week//SO GOOD. *added less ginger to the wonton mixture and a little more cabbage. also added soy sauce + Sriracha to the broth. 8. More color inspiratoin//pastel + pop. 9. Couldn't be more perfect. (can't find the original source. pin)

Happy Weekend. xot

 

currents//loving

+Skyfall by AdeleI've been wanting to see a good action movie so we watched Skyfall over the weekend. I think my favorite parts are the beginning with Adele singing Skyfall + when they showed the Skyfall location. Really beautiful setting + song.  I purchased the single today + haven't stopped listening to it.

+Seeing Tyler after he's been away for a few hours.  I found a great in home daycare for Tyler a few weeks ago. I can't tell you had difficult it was for me to find someone to watch my son. Not only finding someone but the over-protectiveness I felt about having Tyler being cared for by another person. I've learned to let that go now. This little bit of time apart has done wonders for all of us. I get time to work and get things done that are a million times easier to get done when you don't have your kid(s) with you. He gets play + engage with kids his age. He loves it + looks forward to HIS time. And when I pick him up...it's a one of those magical happy parent moments that make all those tantrums + fussing + crying for not apparent reason meaningless.

+this layout. This is just a little snippet of the one my layouts created for the March Studio Calico kit. The Kesi'art paper in the Hook (#4) add on is gorg + I love the actual texture of the paper. Remember this tutorial? I applied it to a very photo taken a few weeks ago. Love the results but I hate that I botched the typed journaling below. You'll see after the full release. I'm thinking I may have to track this paper down and recreate it again.

Your turn. xot

Currents//Happy Things

Time: 11:30 PM Location: living room//couch Watching: Sex & the City//Season 3//Episode 11 Eating: an apple Drinking: water Feeling: good now that the sun has set and I'm finally cooled off Thinking: I need to get to bed so I can be up early tomorrow Wanting: at this very moment, nothing Needing: a better memory Making: editing photos for print//working on the SC July kit Loving: (see photo)

currents

time: 1:01 pm location: kitchen counter aka my new office eating: nothing yet drinking: rootbeer thinking: about Tyler's testing tomorrow wondering: how he'll do wanting: everything to be ok needing: to streamline my routine creating: my own Project Life & a few digital layouts listening: to nothing. it's completely quiet and I love it. watching: the neighbor unload her groceries wishing: I could snap my fingers & the whole house would be clean

I wasn't sure if I wanted to blog about Tyler's testing or not...I can't even remember if I mentioned this whole ordeal about his kidney when he was born. I think I did, maybe? I can't remember anything anymore. Tyler was born with a severely dialted kidney and we had gone through several tests the day after his birth to figure out the why and how bad it was. 3 months later, more tests. Unfortunately it wasn't good news. Our specialist recommends waiting a year until any type of surgery can be done with the possibility that this may correct itself. So here we are a little over a year later and back to testing. This time it's going to be hard. He's not just a little baby who lies still. I'm told they will forcefully hold down his legs to insert the catheter. That not only makes me cringe but makes my heart sink. The thought of him being held down kills me. The nurse assured me that this will be quick and that it's almost always harder on the parents than the child. Then it's waiting on the results. I'm shaking my head at the possibility of surgery. Jeff and I have this inside joke about Tyler being like the Wolverine. That he heals faster than a normal human and he is a little on the hairy side. :) If you all could do us the favor of sending your positive thoughts and prayers, we would be so grateful.

CURRENTS

time: 9:24pm location: bed eating: cheerios w/bananas drinking: water watching: TopChef thinking: about how weird it will be to not be employed wanting: a mouse + stylus for my Mac needing: to take my camera in for repairs creating: a chalkboard with MS paint + an old pin board. wondering: how awkward it's going to be on my last day loving: Tyler learning his body parts, can now show me where his belly is

2 days left. It's starting to feel surreal and odd. What I'm about to write is not meant to offend...it's just something I feel like I need to say out load. I never ever thought I would be a stay at home mom. Never say never, right? When I was pregnant with Tyler, I remember being adamant about working after he was born. I've always worked. At the time, I liked my job. I liked getting up in the morning with a purpose and using my head to solve a multitude a problems. Tackling various tasks, chit chatting around the water cooler...all of those things you do when you work in an office. I thought I had it all figured it out. That was the Tina who was niave and had no effing clue about motherhood. Not one. I had my own idea but it's no where near the reality of actually being a mom. People (other moms) warned me about the possibility of wanting to stay home after Tyler was born. Nope, I told them. Not me. I will be returning to work in 3 months, ready + willing. I was neither. The day Tyler was put into my arms, everything changed. EVERYTHING. That's not just some cliche from a Gerber commercial. My hopes, my dreams, my heart....it all became more significant. I no longer just wanted to live coasting by like I've always done. I didn't want to tuck away goals or brush away ideas. My job was no longer satisfying and quite frankly, the frustration I felt was starting to wear on me. Then my grandmother passed away last fall. So there's the equation. The birth of my son after 4 years of trying + a job I no longer enjoyed + the loss of my grandmother, whose influence helped shape the person I am today = ONE HELLAVA LIFE CHANGE. I'm always weary about bringing up this whole stay at home versus working mom thing. Not trying to start any kind of debate. Really, there's no debate to be had. Each choice is so very personal and no one person can ever say which is right or wrong. I already feel as though I'm defending my choice to people who ask me, "what are you going to do now?" Some one actually mentioned something about me watching soap operas in my pjs. Are you kidding me? You think I'm quitting my job to stay home and watch tv? How do you reply to something like that? I feel like I'm babbling now so I'll leave off by giving you a peek at the Currents downloadable PL cards available this Friday.

I'm already working on the next round of cards and yes, I will have the first series restocked soon. :) Oh and one last thing. My blog is a bit of a mess right now. Working with Wordpress is quite the learning experience. So please excuse the mess. :)

xot.

**the image was pinned from Tumblr but I can't find the original source. If you know that person or you are that person, please contact me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com.

currents

Tima: 6:13 pm Location: kitchen counter Eating: minestrone soup Drinking: diet rootbeer Watching: 50/50 Reading: new issue of Professional Photographer Loving: the support of friends Needing: paper towels, a loaf of bread + a new washer Thinking: if 600 film was reproduced,  it would make the top 5 greatest moments of my life Wondering: if I can handle another project Enjoying: a handful of m&m's after dinner

Well well..look who caved and bought some Impossible film. I was being pouty after the death of 600 film and did not want anything to do with Impossible. It's going to take them sometime to duplicate 600 film but until then, I'll play around with the Color Shade specifically made for SX-70. He's been lonely so I thought it was time to dust him off and let him do his thing. It felt incredibly good to get behind my Land but the results weren't what I'd hope as you can see. I'm sure it's just going to take some getting use to, not only with the exposure but with the overall look. It does have this weird but cool looking splotches...almost like when you put salt on watercolor.

ETA on Currents paper packs: Monday 1-30-11 :) Can't wait to show the full reveal!

Lastly one of my goals with Currents is to get you all involved! I want to see what you doing so don't forget to link me up! This week's Currents blogger is Megan Powell, a college student who wears cowboy boots and eats pepperoni sandwiches. :)

Megan, please email me at lifelovepaper@gmail.com. You've got a Currents paper pack with your name on it. Thanks to everyone who participated last week!

xot

Currents preview

A peek at what I've been working on. Being a novice at this, it's taking me a wee bit more time than I would have hoped but it's only because I want to give you the best that I can create. I'm hoping to have some Currents paper packs in the shop by the end of this week. They will consist of various 3x4 cards that will fit perfectly in your Project Life book. You'll see some polaroid prints as well as the Currents journaling cards. Stay tuned!

xot.

currents

time: 11:21 am location: work weather: COLD. 1 degree F. guess it warmed up a bit. eating: chicken + wild rice soup (perfect on this extremely cold day) drinking: water (keeping up on my resolution!) loving: my boys fake smile wondering: if I can make it until 2/15 enjoying: the feeling of lightness on my shoulders (for now) accomplishing: a lot thinking: BIG ...I love this bit I got from Tara Gentile's email this morning... It was time to stop playing small & start playing big: bigger clients, bigger goals, bigger ways of operating, bigger ideas. Small could only serve me for so long.

 Playing big has serious long-term potential. Ok people, the first of many big announcements. I QUIT MY DAY JOB. I know.. that's huge, right? I've been going back and forth on this for awhile now, making sure it was something we could manage financially. We factored in everything. I've got notes and post its everywhere with numbers and lists. The final outcome was to leave my current position. The major factor? Tyler. Would I want to work just to pay for daycare? No. This daily schedule we have now is hard on Jeff and I. He works nights to watch Tyler during the day, then I came home and he's off leaving me alone with Tyler which is fine but it gets lonely and leaves no time for anything else. I found when I was off for more than a few days, things were a lot less stressful on us. Life flowed better, we were all happier not only as a family but as individuals. With Jeff's position, he will most likely be put back on the dayshift which would leave us to put Tyler in daycare. It's not only the cost but a personal preference not to have Tyler go to daycare. Now before you get upset with me thinking I'm opposed to daycare, I'm not. We as parents have to do we what's best for our children and if I have the option to have Tyler at home, then that is the option I'm taking. Plus the cost?! It would pretty much be like having another mortgage payment and that is not an option. The other factors are of course moving forward with LifeLovePaper. My photography business did well last year and with some looming opportunities, it's only going to do better. It comes down to putting everything I have into my business for me to succeed. Not just the weekends. I also have several things I'm working on to get my Etsy shop stocked with goods. There will be some changes here on my blog as you can already see. It's taking some time and learning experience but when I have friends like Jamaica and Liz cheering me on and helping me out, it makes it easier and worth every curse word spat at my laptop and Photoshop.  :) One thing that will change is Currents. It's going to get bigger. I am working on some Project Life cards and a few other items with the Currents theme. I want to invite you to partake in Currents. You can do it weekly, monthly or whenever the moment strikes you. Link back to me not only because I want to know what's currently happening in your part of the world but I want to feature your Currents here! Now go forth and Current it up! xot.

currents

time: 9:35 pm location: cozy bed weather: warmer @ 19 degrees and windy again eating: Fage yogurt with strawberry preserves drinking: water wearing: gray tank/shorts feeling: good needing: a few more supplies from Home Depot for an upcoming project wanting: to make a terrarium thinking: I will make a terrarium enjoying: my quiet time blogging currents and watching Dexter wondering: how my meeting will go next week

xot.

(image)

 

 

currents (and a sneak)

time: 8:57 pmlocation: in bed (I really love blogging in bed, esp. in the winter) watching: Top Chef (again...it's background noise) eating/drinking: nothing/water (I'm on a must drink as much water kick) feeling: tired. (my body feels like jello) wondering: if the free ship option from Amazon will arrive before Christmas. (better not chance it) loving: how white it is outside (the roads are crap but the beauty of my surroundings makes up for it) thinking: about what I'm going to wear to the Friday's Christmas party. (I've purchased 3 dresses...none of them make me feel good)

a quickie peek before I turn in...

There's not one thing I don't love about this particular add on. The colors, the alphas, the Amy Tan stickers and the stamp. Oh..the stamp. xot.

edited...I had to pop back in to post the release of a new class starting January 2012 at Studio Calico.

check out that line up! It's going to be amazing guys and if you're planning on starting your Project Life for 2012, I would highly reccommend this class. And for $12 there's really no excuse not to sign up!

currents: december edition

 

time: 11.08pm location: in bed weather: getting colder, snow is in the forecast. ( we had some nasty wind and rain this past weekend. looks ugly out now) watching: Top Chef (not really into it this year but there's nothing else on) loving: white twinkle lights (I should say obsessed) thinking: about how awesome I am for getting the majority of my Christmas shopping done early and online. wondering: if the dress I ordered will show up in time for next weeks office party. (MYHABIT is addicting) enjoying: this quiet time by myself. (I love my boy and my mans but I've really grown to appreciate the little time I get to myself.) drinking: water eating: nothing. (tummy is a little upset from the pulled pork. I over did it but it was so tasty!)

I was going to explain why I love this quote so much but I'm getting teary...in a good way and in a sad way. The good? Knowing that vacancy in my heart is now occupied with kisses and full belly laughs and the tightest hugs from my baby boy. The way he wraps his arms around my neck makes me week in the knees. The sad? Knowing this will be the first Christmas since my Grandmothers passing this fall. I pray that my family, mostly my Grandfather will be able to cope with her absence. This was her time to shine with the numerous recipes under her belt  apron that made so many people happy. I miss her Divinity...that stuff was so sweet and fluffy. I see it at the grocery store but I know it doesn't come near what my Grandma made. I've been doing what I can in her honor. Like bake Tyler's first birthday cake from scratch. No way I would buy a cake. She would be so dissappointed. I wore one of her vintage aprons while I mixed and frosted. She's here with me, I know it. I feel her, I can still smell her distinct smell, I hear her voice in my head like she were in the other room. "Tina!" in that thick Georgian accent. It's strange and comforting at the same time. Leave it to the Holidays to bring out this range of emotions. You miss loved ones who are gone. You find happiness in the loved one who are here. You reconnect with friends. Your heart feels lighter but heavy too. Christmas is so much more than decorations and presents. It's certainly a state of mind. Hmph. Guess I ended up explaining myself after all. :) xot.

p.s. the "currents" method of journaling is a quick and easy way to add to your December Daily. Give it a try, especially great on days when your mind is buzzing with all the holiday to dos.

currents

Time: 10:33 p.m. Location: In bed Mood: Energized (shouldn't have had that last cup of joe) Watching: How To Make It In America (I love Domingo) Loving: a lot Thinking: I can Knowing: I will Thankful: for those who believe in me

xot.

currents

loving: Tyler's first time in the snow. He had a blast. Just need to get a proper snowsuit.

Watching: Sons of Anarchy on Netflix. Kind of addicted now. Eating: oatmeal with blueberries. Drinking: OJ Thinking: only a few more things to cross off my to do list for the week. Feeling:  relaxed. Needing: some insight on a big decision. Wondering: how much snow is going to fall tonight. not going to be a fun drive to work in the morning.

xot.

Currents.

Time: 10:04 pmLocation: In bed Mood: Tired, relaxed. Weather: COLD. with a blink of an eye, it's winter. Watching: Fashion Hunters. just background noise. What I'm really doing: exploring Pinterest What I should be doing: calling it a night.

I found this quote on my Pinterest and thought to myself, "yes." This is something I do quite often, more this year than any other. Just recently, I had a "stop and think moment" when I was giving Tyler a bath. I sat back and watched him play in the water with such joy. After splashing the water with a toy, he looked up at me with the biggest smile. Even if I had the worst day of my life, there was no way I could not smile back. That is more happiness than I can ever ask for. xot.

life right now.

I'm not even going to lie...I am the exact opposite of healthy living right now. Ice cream + coffee for dinner, tv watching, staying up way past my bed time. Instead of doing 6+ things during Tyler's nap, I crash on the couch for a siesta. Funny thing is I feel guilty for doing so. My body is telling me to slow down. I'm running in so many different directions at 100 miles an hour most days. I shouldn't feel guilty for closing my eyes and resting for an hour, right? But I do. I'm sure all my unhealthy choices may be contributing to my tiredness lately. That and the onset of winter. And can I just say that with all the books I've read on babies, not one hinted on how busy I would be chasing and taking things away. My goodness, that kid runs me ragged. He is such a busy body, moving every which way. It's craziness I tell you and I was not prepared. Not in the way I like to be. The craziest part is that he's now entered into temper-tantrum territory. If you pull him away from something he's trying to get into, watch out. I couldn't help but sit back and laugh when I witnessed this for the first time. Ah..good times.

xot. ps. I forgot to add that the concoction above is my husband's creation. I've always been a plain vanilla girl but he proclaimed this to be the best thing since white bread. I fought it for awhile until I thought, what the hell. OMG. Deliciousness at it's finest people. If you're into the salty/sweet combo, I would highly recommend this.

 

 

***

listening: Kesha mix on Pandora. I'm really feeling pop music lately which is really out of the norm for me. eating: Emerald cocoa roasted almonds. Love these little gems. drinking: water. wearing: nothing special. jeans, black top, black flats. feeling: neutral. weather: dark and gloomy but the rain is needed. needing: shoes.  feeling these. enjoying: the photo Jeff just sent me of the little dude. wondering: what a G6 is. I feel old.

NSD is in full effect at Studio Calico. Join us this weekend for challenges, chats and tons of special give aways. Above is a little preview of my challenge. FYI, get out your paints. :)

The Dares should be up shortly with a cool prompt for your creating pleasure. Here's mine:

Happy Wednesday! xot

PS...can you all do me a favor when you post a comment? I noticed a lot of you don't include your own blog and I like to visit after reading your lovely comment. Thank you!

***

listening: watching: Pregnant in Heels. Getting a little teary-eyed when she talks about her miscarriage. And it really really really makes me want to have another baby asap. eating: a bowl of cereal. Special K w/strawberries. drinking: water wearing: black jersey skirt, gray tee and my Ugg slippers feeling: good...now that I'm home with my loves and I've made great progress on my eating habits. weather: overcast needing: an attitude adjustment. I was in a bad mood today. Right from the get go. There's been so much swirling around in my mind. Funny thing is I thought having a baby would make everything life easier. LOL. Man, was I wrong. It's not that I thought raising a child would be easy. I just thought that my life in general would be easier. That all the negative crap would just roll off my back because I finally got the baby I wanted for so long. Anything after battling infertility would be a piece of pie. Nope. The battle goes on. I am proud though, for pulling myself together for Tyler. Pre-babe, I would probably be taking 3 hour naps and stuffing my face with chocolate, ice cream and candy. I don't ever want him to feel the stress I feel while he's a young. He'll have plenty of time to deal with that as an adult. thinking: see above. enjoying: a little quiet time. Jeff's at work, Tyler's down for his last nap of the day and the dog is next to me having puppy dreams. wondering: if we'll need to find a daycare for Tyler. Jeff may have to go back to working the day shift. We're dreading it.

I missed the Sorrioso release last week due to working on my new blog. Here's a layout I created with this lovely digital kit from Paislee Press.

Love this kit. It's available at Oscraps now.

xot.