Project Life Week 6

Hello Everyone!  Welcome to Week 6 of my Project Life Album.  This week, I made another one page layout for the week.  I also shared this layout last week on The Pocket Source along with some photo tips.  The Pocket Source is an amazing community filled with a lot of Pocket Page inspiration and ideas.  I invite you all to check it out and create a profile on their page.

For this Week's spread, I used Clique Kits April Kit, "Happy Everything."  April is Clique Kits' Anniversary month and this kit rocks!  It is loaded with a ton of cute papers and embellishments from Pink Fresh Studio.  The kit is sold out but please go here to put your name on the subscriber wait list. There are some cute goodies in the Clique Store as well.  If you buy any of those items, please enter the discount code MARIAH10 for ten percent off of your purchase.  

I love this kit!  I also used some of the cutfiles that come with the kit...Those are the clouds.  I'll be posting more projects featuring those cute clouds so you can get a better look at them.  I'm also going to share a video of What's inside the April Kit so you can get a closeup look at all the goodies!  I hope you all have a great day!

Clique Kits Pep Rally: J'Adore

Welcome!  You should have arrived here from Kim's Blog.  Who loved this kit?  I did!  It is such an amazing kit!  I love the blacks and other colors.  I especially loved the black doilies!  I have a layout and process video for you today.  Please make sure to check out my Youtube Channel.  I'm posting videos of layouts and Project Life spreads on there as often as possible.  Hopefully, it will be much easier when I get new Internet Service!  I'm going from 12 mbs to 105 mbs.  hopefully today.  Sorry, I'm just really excited.  If all works out today, I will post the process video for this layout later this evening.  Okay so here's my layout.

I actually tried to stitch on this layout.  Where the sticker says, "I think you're pretty neat"  There are a few stitches and then the bobbin came out and there was no stitching...EEks.  I used that sticker to cover up the holes. Ha.  I just wanted to share that because not every layout you do is perfect, and that doesn't matter.  It's the story that matters.  So cover up the mistakes, don't strive to be perfect, but always tell the story.  The story for this layout is that Maddie, my older son, raked all of the leaves into a pile so JoJo could jump in them.  Even though he "hates" JoJo.  In 20 years no one will care that my stitching didn't work, or that my writing isn't perfect.  They will appreciate the story.

Now you're off to Carolina's Blog.  She has some treats in store for you!

Clique Kits https://cliquekits.wordpress.com/
Erica http://ericarosecreates.blogspot.com/
Lacey  http://laceybugcreations.blogspot.com/
Tyra http://www.justtyra.com/
Danielle http://picsandcheesecake.blogspot.nl/
Nicole M http://www.nicolemartel.blogspot.com/
Charity http://www.scrapfaire.blogspot.com/ 
Cassandra H. http://www.fortheloveofscrap.com
Kat  http://kraftykat9.blogspot.com/
Kim http://kimsscrappyblog.blogspot.com/---You came from here.
Mariah www.fun2scrap.blogspot.com---You are here.
Carolina http://www.carolinaschulz.com/-Go here next.
Sarah M http://sarahmoore4.blogspot.com/
Marcia  http://www.onescrapatatime-bymumsie.blogspot.com/ 
Sandy G http://www.thepinkcamera.com/

Look Who Used Her Big Girl Camera

I finally broke out my "Real Camera" for the first time since Christmas.  I actually used it to document some lifestyle photos for my family, not just snap shots.  It was nice to do, and I've challenged myself to only use Manual Mode from now on.  Since deciding not to do professional photography, I've been thinking about taking pictures in general a lot.  I realize that part of the reason I don't use my regular camera often is because it is so much easier to use my phone.  I love the convenience of it.  When I use my regular camera, I have to upload the photos.  Then, convert them to JPEG, and make any final edits in PhotoShop.

I also have been thinking about my return to professional photography and if it's something I ever want to do.  And the honest truth is I just don't know.  I know that if I do, it will be on my terms.  It will be sessions and portraits of what I want to create, not the regular run of the mill portrait session.  I also know that I need to define who I am and work on myself as a photographer.  There is so much knowledge to be learned.  I've been trying to immerse myself in that knowledge.

Okay, okay, enough of the self reflection.  Ha.  Here are the photos I promised.  This first one is my absolute favorite.

JoJo made his first confession on Saturday but Erik wasn't able to make it because of work.  He dropped in the church for about a minute and then had to run out to his car to go to a call.  When he got home he gave JoJo a big hug for passing his Sacrament of confession.

Erik and Wolfie working on a demonstration Wolfie had to make for school.  

Maddie working on his art.

 JoJo is really enjoying word searches lately.  

So there you have it a few photos from around here lately using my "big girl camera." Ha.  Enjoy your Sunday.

#ThisWeek: In the Evening, and Dinnertime

Hello all.  I'm a week behind for #ThisWeek hosted by Mandy Elliot.  I was really busy with some issues with my son last week and didn't have a chance to post, though, I did take the photos.  I will share those with you first.

This week, I documented a few things we do around here in the evening.  Evenings are very busy around here.  I get home from school, then leave the house shortly after to pick up Wolfie from school.  We get home and wait for Erik to come home, or three days out of the week he is here.  We recently started running as a family so we usually spend about an hour doing that.  The kids love doing it.  Erik and I run and the boys ride their bikes or scooters.  After that, it's time for dinner and dishes and homework.  The boys go to bed around 8:00...when they aren't coming out to go to the bathroom or get water.  Once the kids are settled, we usually watch our own shows.  We've been alternating between Dexter and Breaking Bad.  Wednesdays and Thursdays are really busy because we have catechism and piano lessons.

Watching Breaking Bad

Packing lunch for the next day.

Watching Dexter

JoJo doing homework.  The other two boys do it on their own now.

Wrestling with dad.

Now, this week's prompt was Dinnertime.  I took a few pictures to document that.

We usually cook at home most nights.  There might be an occasional week were we go out, but it's not very often.  We did go out this week because my friend invited us out.  I usually make a list and plan dinners weekly.  We are on the Real Food Diet, so we use a lot of Lisa Leake's recipe when we cook. 

My Weekly List

We usually have homemade pizza once a week.

Wolfie helping to cook dinner. 

At BDubs on Tuesday

Taco Salad

Homemade Ice Cream.  The light isn't great.

Erik makes me homemade popcorn a few nights a week while we watch our shows.  It's not dinner but still food.

Project Life Week 5

Hello Everyone!  I have my Project Life Week 5 layout to share with you today as well as the process video.  For this week's spread, I used Clique Kits March Kit Jadore.  I love this kit!  It is sold out, but you can still purchase some of the add ons in the Clique Store.  Make sure to enter the discount code MARIAH10 for ten percent off of your purchases.  If you are interested in subscribing make sure you head over to Clique Kits to get on the waiting list for April's Kit!

I used the We R Memory Keepers Cards from the kit for the middle row.  Every Clique Kits kit always includes something for Project Life.  The kits are just so versatile.  Here is the video for this week.  

Hope you enjoyed it.  Join me next Wednesday for the Clique Kits Pep Rally!

Clique Kits March Challenge

Hello there everyone!  I hope you are having an awesome Sunday.  Clique Kits has their March Challenge up and running.  Here is my layout for the challenge.  I made it with some of the products from the Clique Kits Store.  If you ever make a purchase, make sure to use my discount code, MARIAH10, for ten percent off of your purchases.

Now onto the goodies.  This month's sponsor is Sweet Stamp Shop!!!  You can enter up to three projects and one lucky winner will be randomly chosen to win a $25 gift certificate to Sweet Stamp Shop.

Here is a great sketch by my fellow design team member, Kat, that you can use as a starting point if you wish.

Here are a few details to go along with this months challenge!

• You may combine our challenge with other challenges
• You may enter our challenge up to 3 times
• Link up your projects by March 31, 11:55 pm CST
• You are not required to use a Clique Kit to link up
• You are not required to use Sweet Stamp Shop products to link up but doing so does give you an extra entry
• You are not required to use the sketch to link up
• Create any type of project
• Link directly to your challenge project entry post

Project Life Week 4

Here is Week 4's spread.  I used Clique Kits December Kit to complete the layout.  You will find a process video on how I made this layout here.

I used 3x3 photos for this spread.  It's only a one page spread for this week.  We had a busy week with Maddie's Science Fair Project and Science Night.  We hung out with some friends.  It was a good week.  And here is the video on my Youtube Channel.  It's only my second one so cut me some slack. Ha!

Around Here

It's been a few months since I posted an "Around Here' post, so I thought I'd do it today.  I'm home today because Maddie has strep throat...again.  He feels fine, but he's contagious.  Plus Wolfie didn't have school because of Parent Teacher Conferences.

Making stuff

Going through all of my photos and came across this one.

 Observing the most beautiful sunrises.

Dealing with illness

Appreciating Maddie's artistic abilities.

Found this gem of a hat for "A-Game"

Spending lots of time with this chick! (not the photobomber in the back..haha)

Getting asked to use this photo for Olive Garden's social media!

Documenting the natural vegetation for a new friend in Australia.

Shopping at Costco

Deciding if I like this damn tape runner....I don't know.

My You Tube Channel

Hello There!  I've been wanting to post videos on Youtube of layout processes and techniques.  I finally got my Youtube Channel up and running!  It's been a complete chore because my Internet service is horrendous.  We are hoping to change service providers and this should rectify that.  Today, I wanted to share with you a quick process video for this layout.  I know you've seen this layout before in the Clique Kits Pep Rally but I was unable to get the video uploaded.  It actually took a week to get that done.  So here is the video below.  Make sure to subscribe to my channel. I'm planning on having a lot more videos for you in the future.