Project Life - Week 2

I am so far behind with Project Life already - it makes me sad. I cannot wait to get back in to a normal routine at the farm then clean and organize my studio so I can sit down and play catch up with everything. 2013 has definitely started off horribly with the loss of my dad but I know I want to document it all - it will be a real treasure to look back on thru the years, especially for my future babies when they want to know more about their grandpa in heaven.

I managed to complete Week 2 of my Project Life album when I was home with a cold in January and have had the photos of it on my computer but never got to posting them - til now! So bear with me..I'm trying to get caught up as I'm currently about 14 weeks behind, so posts will be random and weeks will definitely not be in order!!

 

Week 2 - gosh seems like such a long time ago already! Hard to remember the week but so thankful for this project, just looking at the photos, I'm instantly brought back to January and this week in particular..

 

 

Above is the left side of the week, which was the week I came home to the farm from being in the city with my Daddio due to a sore throat and all around just feeling ill. The stress of Dad's situation finally took its toll on my body and I felt absolutely horrible that I wasn't strong enough. I came home to rest but also so that dad could come home for his day passes without worrying about catching a sore throat on top of everything else. I settled in with lots of tea and homemade soups and revelled in my time just being still. This was also the week I received my "I Wear Blue for My Dad" colon cancer awareness sweater in the mail. I took those series of photos and sent them to my dad and it sure made him smile :)

 

This is the right hand side of the page - full of snow, construction, crab legs and of course, this was the week I lost my sweet Dharma. She was such a sweetheart! I love seeing these photos of our crab leg night that we had with my inlaws, so yummy!!

 

Just a few close ups..please double click to enlarge if you'd like!

 

And that was Week 2, in the books! So glad I'm still working on this project and not letting the fact that I'm so far behind get me down. Can't wait to get more weeks under my belt!!

 

 

 

Project Life - Week 8

Its another week in the books for me and I cannot tell you how much I'm loving this project this year! So, so, SO happy I am sticking with it! It excites me to sit down and go thru my photos and just record our life. Looking back on my album just makes me smile..what a treasure this will be for our family for years to come! What I loved most about week 8? Nothing significant happened. I mean it. I loved that it was just a quiet, regular week..nothing big, nothing news-worthy..just photos of us, our family..our animals..our life. I love it.

Here is my 2 page spread

  

Here's the left side of this week

 



This was the week of near white - out conditions and bone chilling cold so we stayed in most days and I didn't complain one bit. The dome was quiet, we were together...it was perfect.

And the right side of my spread

 

The right hand side feels very "Spring in the Country" to me, which I love. Of course it isn't quite Spring yet but I do live in the country ;)

 

 

My title card this week was really just plain fun for me. I have so many embellishments that I decided I needed to start bringing them out and using them. I'm hoarding them, if you must know, and it isn't healthy!

 

 

I snapped this photo of my farmer with my phone one random morning and just fell in love with it. When he wears his rabbit hat {its usually freezing} I, for some reason or another, find him adorable. I added an Ali Edwards brush on top of the photo that is totally how I feel about Adam, "my life is awesome because you are in it"...*sigh*, so true

 

 

Ahh, my Jakey. How I love him. And how I love that "dogsicle" beard of his!! I swear, less than 20 mins outside on a cold day and this is what you'll open the door to..its hilarious!

 

 

As y'all know, I love my chickens dearly. They are my pets, my babies...and sometimes the ones I hang out with the most around here, besides my farmer {worry about me folks!} and when I realized I hadn't been spending any time down with them since being gone all the time..I made a point to be with them every day, a few times a day. I just love that I have chickens!

 

 

On Sunday, Adam & I took a roadtrip down thru Montana! I love going down there, especially since we are so close to the border here. Montana is truly a beautiful State and it really inspired me while we were there {more on that soon!} This photo was a snapshot of our drinks on date night! Love it

 



 

This photo truly was a random one to add in to this weeks spread as, technically, it was taken last Summer. But, I like to bend the rules ;) I found it on my computer this week and it made me excited for Spring..so there it is!

 

 

 

I know, I know..a lot of chicken stuff going on this weekend {remember, woman obsessed!} but I HAD to include this as this week was the week I found out my big lady, Lacy..is in fact..a Lance! Yup, another rooster that has been quietly hiding out under the disguise of a big ol hen. Way too funny!

 

 

Again, kind of random but also worth documenting. Friday morning, Adam serenaded me as per usual and I snapped this shot of him when the morning sun came streaming in to our place..it just seems so serene to me! Also on Friday, I planted my first seeds of the year: Tomatoes, Chives, Basil and Parsley..so far the tomatoes have just taken off and the chives are coming up already too!

 

 

And, finally, my week in review card as well as yet another photo of me and one of my barred rock hens. The bottom of this picture was going to be all about how much I missed my chickens but then, when I started typing everything out..it just came pouring out of me about how much I just want my own home and how badly I just want to be settled for once. Guess theres nothing better than raw emotions for an album like this..so I left it and I love it!

 

Thats Week 8 friends! Thank you so much for stopping by and staying for awhile..your visits and comments are so appreciated, I can't even tell you how much! Hope you had an amazing weekend and are looking forward to a great week!



Project Life - Week 7

So, so, SO happy I am getting back in to Project Life. I'm currently 5 weeks behind but thats okay, I'm still here..still going! Week 7 marked the week after we lost my sweet Daddio, dealing with the emotions that came with that as well as marked the day I left my momma to come back home to the farm. I didn't really realize it but I hadn't been living at the farm for almost 2 months..it was strange getting back into normalcy here but I am loving it once again! This week I included an insert that holds the newspaper clipping for Daddio's "card of thanks" that I wrote from our family. I'm still not sure exactly what I want to write beside the clipping so I've left it blank and will go back to it when I'm ready. Weeks 5 & 6 haven't been started yet but they include Daddio's passing and his memorial and again, I'm going to take my time with those as well.

On to Week 7!

Here is the full week spread, with the insert:

 

I'm really loving going thru the weeks I have completed and reminding myself of what all we've already gone thru this year..in just 7 short weeks!

 

Here is the 2 page spread, minus the insert:

 

 

The left hand page starts with one of my favorite weekly date cards..ever. I think these wood veneer alphas came in a December Daily kit, but I'm not sure. Also the 4x6 card itself id from the Seafoam kit..

 

 

The bottom of the left side showcases a little cutie that I had the pleasure of hanging out with this week, Grayson. His mom and I go way back to the summer before grade 3 but thru the years our friendship, like many others, went thru some ups and downs. The health of my Daddio and eventually, his passing, reunited us and I can't help but think my Daddio knew what he was doing all along ;)

 

 

and the bottom right photo was something I knew I wanted to record: all the flowers, cards, food and love we received from so many friends during this hard time. It blew us away!! I also made sure to record the hilarious incident that within one day of my Daddio passing, we received 3 hams. Now, its very much appreciated but the reason its humorous? My dad asked mom to make sure she cooked a ham after he passed so that she could feed everyone who came to visit her..that man thought of everything, let me tell you. So, once again, I'm pretty sure he had a hand in that as well!!

 

 

Off to the right hand side of the week - my uncle shared this photo with me of him and his brother, my Daddio, when Dad was still in Calgary - just after his surgery. I love it so much and I just had to include it in my album! Also included, a snapshot of mom and I before our Valentines Day movie date, a snapshot of the email Adam sent me for Valentines Day {he was at the farm and I was in the city} - he recorded himself singing a song for me and sent it to me by 4:30 am to make sure I'd wake up to it *sigh*

 

 

Daddio wanted Adam to have his guns so Saturday, after coming home from a lunch date, we went on to our deck and Adam shot off a few rounds...and absolutely loved it!

 

 

Sunday marked two weeks since Daddio passed and we spent the day quietly at the farm. On our way to the chickens, a beautiful snow was falling and Adam pulled me behind him in our little water sled..he grabbed this shot of me and I still love it to this day..

 

 

and last but not least, the insert. Very simple, very plain. I'm not sure what all I want to put on here but I'll wait til I'm positive..for now its just this..

 

 

and at the back of the insert, I attached a photo of the snowbanks we have here at the farm. Pretty sure we're going to want to remember this in the coming years!!

 

 

Project Life 2013 - Week 1

I can't believe it. I have currently begun week 3 of Project Life...and I've stuck with it! Its a miracle, y'all! If you've stuck with me since last years meager attempt, you'll know that I posted oh..1, maybe 2 spreads of my Project Life? Sure I put more photos in to the page protectors..but its a sad, sad state of affairs my friends. Just plain, sad. So, you can imagine my surprise at how excited I was for 2013 to begin so I could start off fresh! Maybe it was my excitement for the Seafoam Edition {ordered and currently on its way to me} but whatever it was, I'm glad I decided to go for it.

Once everything happened in December with my family, I had a moment where I seriously doubted wanting to record 2013. It looked pretty dark and scary to me and I just wasn't sure if I wanted a year like that to be documented. But then I snapped out of it and I realized that, you know what? Its part of my life story. Whatever happens this year is going to happen, but I would always regret not taking the hour or 2 a week it takes to just print off my photos and record our daily happenings. So I made a deal with myself that I would give it a try. and I don't know why, but I feel the urge to document more than ever this year. I believe my dads illness has woken me up to how precious time is and to make the most out of every day, no matter what comes our way. And, although its only 4 pages at the moment, this album already makes me happy. Its fully of memories, stories, heartbreak, joy....life! I've made a point to journal every thought, every emotion and I know that, years from now, this album, this year..is going to be one of my most valuable treasures.

Week 1 was kind of dark for our family. It began with hope that a new year would automatically cure all the pains of 2012 but that hope was blown away by Jan 3rd when a family meeting kicked us in the stomach, leaving us gasping for air. But we survived it. We made it thru...and we even did so with a few smiles on our faces

{click on the photos to see a larger version of each photo}

On the left hand side I documented dads first hair cut since his surgery - it had been driving him nuts and that's all he wanted to do when he got home, was get a hair cut! I also included a photo of Adam & I when he came back thru town on his way to help his brother. The bottom photo is the first day my Daddio got to eat yogurt..man, you should've seen his face! He was thrilled at the taste of it

  

The 3x4 cards (above) this week are a mix of photos and random fillers. The little photo on the left is the view from dads hospital room, I shot that New Years Day when we came to bring him home for the day {so grateful for Day Passes!}, the calendar is a new must have for me in my PL album, it highlights the days I'm focusing on that week and just gives my pages that little added something. The bathing suit was an image from the internet. I've wanted one of these vintage style suits for such a long time and this one finally came on sale! And the weather shot - I've seen this done in many albums and wanted it as well for mine. So far its already pretty interesting to look back and see how much the weather differs week to week!

Look at my Daddio eating his yogurt, makes me smile

 

The right hand side of the page...full of emotions, good and bad! The top portion of the page speaks volumes to me. The left hand photo was taken the night of Jan 3rd, after our family meeting with the doctors. I was devastated. I was crying. I felt utterly hopeless. Then, we started Friday as a brand new day. Dad came home for the day and my best friend brought my beautiful nieces over to visit and cheer us up. I love this photo of my niece Makiya & I, she made me feel happy again and I reveled in every moment of it!

 

The 3x4 card for this side's spread are full of hope and beautiful things that happened. On the left was my dads beautiful piece of artwork that my friends 1 yr old daughter finger painted for him. Isn't it gorgeous? I took a photo of the artwork and put it in a 4x6 slot below as well because I really wanted to remember this thoughtful gift. The Week in Review card is also a new must have for my weekly spreads. I created it in Photoshop using Studio Calico brushes and just jotted down the most important things I wanted to remember from this week. The next 2 cards are quotes that hold a lot meaning for me. The colorful one was from Pinterest and the blk/white one is Elise Blaha Cripes. I love them both so much!

and finally, I added a small 5x7 insert for this week. My beautiful niece, when she came for a visit on Friday, brought this coloring for my dad to cheer him up. She has been working so hard on staying within the lines and I am pretty sure this is her best work yet! She gave it to my dad with a huge beam on her face, letting him know she made she to make it look like a rainbow, just for him. The original is hanging in his hospital room so I scanned the page in to my computer and made sure it went in to my album. I knew this was yet another piece of art I didn't want to forget!

and that, my friends, is week 1 of Project Life 2013! I have Week 2 already photographed and in the album, I plan to upload that post in a few days. Tomorrow I am off to the city, I have finally kicked this cold enough that I can rejoin my family and be with my mom and dad. Hope that wherever you are, you are enjoying a beautiful week!

Currently

I did a few of these posts last year and really enjoyed them, especially when it came to looking back over my year and seeing how things changed {or didn't!} I am hoping to get at least one of these posts in every month or maybe even a few! We'll see...how about you?

Photo taken yesterday when Adam surprised me for breakfast before heading out again

 

Drinking: coffee! I used to hate the stuff growing up but now I've grown to actually enjoy it in the mornings. I find it to be a quiet, calm way to start my mornings before all the hustle/bustle begins! Also drinking more water every day. I was never much of a soda drinker til I met Adam and then I was getting to drink 2-3/day in 2012 and that just isn't healthy for anyone! So, while my diet coke will still be stocked in the fridge..water will be my drink of choice in 2013!

Eating: a lot of soups lately. With mom and I being at the hospital 8-10 hours every day, we haven't being cooking much and are enjoying some hot soups at the hospital or those that are homemade by family

Listening: actually, I'm enjoying the quiet this morning. The sounds of the hospital can get to you pretty fast! And being a girl from the country..I like my quiet moments ;)

Wearing: super soft PJ pants from Jacob and a favorite plain white old tee

Reading: I haven't read in awhile and I'd like to start again. Am thinking of re-reading Pride & Prejudice again to start me off..any one else read some good books lately?

Feeling: Stressed, anxious, nervous and hopeful. Its a ball of emotions up in here lemme tell y'all!

Weather: Gorgeous! For January at least. There is snow on the ground but its just below freezing and we actually have birds chirping outside our window...its a rare sight to behold!

Wanting: to clear the clutter, to keep up with Project Life and to get my dad home and healthy again

Needing: my dad to get better

Wishing: our current situation wasn't really our current situation

Thinking: about ways to incorporate my one little word: BRAVE in to my every day life

Enjoying: sleeping in most mornings and not hearing construction below me

Loving: the start of a fresh, new year

 

list of currents inspired by Amy