2006 rolling to an end

I am glad that Christmas is over. It was one big STRESS this year (balancing family, etc) - it seemed to never FEEL like Christmas even though I did all the shopping for it, etc. Mike and I never got our picture done which means that we didn't get our Christmas letter finished so I will be putting together a NEW YEAR'S thing to send out - a review of our 2006!
That makes me think… I need to finish my 2005 Scrapbook before the 1st so that I can start my 2006 (it’s easier than getting further behind!)
What happened in 2006 (they are not in any order):
Corolla Died
Lyndsey’s Baby Shower
Tore my ACL in my left Knee (February on Crutches)
Baker Love Note "PRICELESS"
Vicki’s 50th and the scavenger hunt I sent her on
Anniversary – Aquarium/Seattle Site Seeing
Vegas/Grand Canyon
4th of July
Easter
Mother’s Day
Convention
Camping
Regionals
Women’s Retreat
Mike/My Birthday
Christmas
New Truck
Mike transferred to Food Department
Baker’s First Birthday
Russell & Tracy’s Wedding (make blurbs for Terra’s Wedding, Shawna’s Wedding, Mike’s Wedding, and Laura’s Wedding)
New Year’s Eve

Something I want to start doing in 2007 is doing a weekly scrapbook challenge (I got the 52 Scrapbooking Challenges book for Christmas). The first one is WORK THOSE WORDS – Whether it’s a quote, a list of your favorite adjectives or a computer-generated phrases, journaling on strips of cardstock is a great way to add visual excitement to your page. Be creative and cut a favorite quote into pieces to add to your design. I am giving myself enough time to figure out what I want to do and not do any last minute pressure (journaling is harder for me – I put it off until the VERY last and need take this moment and decide what I want to put in there). Thinking I will be doing something for New Year’s Eve – maybe find some type of poem or a phrase to put in there… Anyway I really wanted this book because I find that I have tendencies to do the same thing over and over but a little different each time and I want to break out of my box and try something new! I am HOPING to post my challenge each week on here and then later with a sample of my creation – if anyone wants to join me on this challenge I would love to see your results or just knowing your interested is exciting! Scrapbooking is something that I really enjoy but have to really force myself to take time to do it. One person has recommended planning your pages so that you can take the only 10 minutes you have each day to do something to get that page a week done (gathering up the paper, making accents/journaling boxes, borders, etc). My goal is to make a weekly time that I can spend a few hours Scrapbooking. Right now it will probably be Sunday evenings – what a great way to relax and begin a new week (of course Sunday’s won’t ALWAYS work, but they are a good start for now!) I have so many pictures to catch up on and am committed to finishing the book for Kim that I made her for Christmas (I haven’t taken pictures of what I have completed, but I can)
Okay – I have to admit how much of a geek I am. After I was looking through my book of challenges I got to thinking about what we have with SU! and in my own collection that I do not use but want to put into a "jar" to draw from and challenge myself to use regularly. So I went to Creating Keepsakes websites and bookmarked some of my favorite layouts and then have used those to add additional "inspiration/ideas" for me to try during that week. I will not always have a chance to this weekly or for that fact do it regularly but I want to get as much "different" things in that I can on my scrapbooks (they start to look uniform and that drives me bonkers!) I was on one of my other scrapbook sites and got an idea for a mini album – it just totally cracks me up! So I am going to try to figure out a way to take my 2006 memories and make a themed mini album from it and will be VERY excited to share the results with everyone! Okay back to the pictures I bookmarked – I tried to find SOMETHING that drew me to the picture (was it color, layout, the use of an embellishment, photograph – WHAT?) and that is what I wrote down that I want to try! For example one of my pages I chose had a big letter D with journaling on the right side of it. The only place there was a picture was on the inside of the letter. The page looked VERY crisp and clean (I like a busy page but not a cluttered page – big difference!)

I have started to think about what I want to improve on in the next year (not New Year’s Resolutions but small changes that can really make a big difference in my life):
*Read more (that’s why I started the book club at church!)
*Lose some weight (I gained back all the weight I lost but have learned how to live again with my knee limitations)
*Stay organized (whether it’s 15 minutes a day or one evening a week, or one day in a month – I find it crucial to keep order and balance in my life!)
*Send birthday/occasion cards – even just random thinking of you ones! (all you with early Jan birthdays – they are probably going to be late – just WARNING You now….)
*Don’t overbook myself – these turn into battles with the spouse because everyone wants my time - and I love to help people, but I need to carve out time that I say NO for him
*Make an album about ME – sounds kind of selfish doesn’t it?! Something that shares WHO I am- my opinions on shtuff, my likes and dislikes. Haven’t decided how I will format it, if it’s going to be an A to Z type of album or use other prompts.

Right now I am debating on purchasing a Cricut. I have a sizzix that I got as a gift a few years ago but don’t use it (I have an alphabet set but it’s only ONE size – the cricut does multiple sizes!) It’s one of those BIG choices to make – so I am sitting and waiting until I have a firm yes (I hate jumping in head first just because it is something fun or new- have to have my validations for it first!) I should find out if anyone I know has one and then I can get different cartridges than what they have and we can borrow from each other…. Good idea!
Yesterday I caught up with a friend I haven’t spoken with for awhile. She is doing great and will be moving in the next few months. Just talking with her made me miss the times we used to spend in Junior High and High School – she was a good friend (she still is a good friend, we just aren’t as close as we were back then)..

Mike is going with his dad on a trip in March – might do a weekend crop at my house during that time. Have a girls party – NO BOYS allowed! LOL (except my Baker doggie!) I am still not sure on the dates – seems like they keep changing (it looks like the weekend of the 16-18th according to Google).

Okay I have probably said way to much here and need to wrap it up (this blog started yesterday and I am just now getting it finished to post today…. Yes I am Chatty McChatterson today!)

I can't remember what I wrote last but am SO full of positive energy today!

Here's a quick catch up!
Baker had his FIRST birthday on November 1st! It was a fun evening of trying to get him to keep on his birthday hat so that I could take his picture!
We had the big SNOW storm on MOnday the 28th - I was taking Ann to the airport and got stuck in the snow for 1.5 hours (usually only takes me 10 mintues from the airport!) When I got home I found a package in my mailbox from my friend Crystal! It's always nice to have suprises! Crystal is my SU! friend who lives in ID and remembered from Convention that I LOVE the Body Butter (Bath & Body)
Then a few days later we had a ice storm (not as bad as predicted)
AND then... November finished with me celebrating my birthday. It was a great day!
December started off smooth and is just now catching up with me! We had the BIG WIND STORM and we lost power from Thurday night until Monday afternoon.
Monday night I picked up Ann from the airport and Tuesday Kim came home!
Yesterday was also my last day of volleyball until next year which is exciting but sad. I am finally confident in my limits with my knee (wearing my brace) and have to wait awhile before I can play again! *BUMMER*
We are in the process of moving my office (merging it with the other office...)

Starting January 1st I am doing a BIGGEST LOSER challege with some friends of mine. There are 11 of us involved so far.
I also have some fun things in store for my new year. I will be doing a weekly Scrapbooking challenge (and hope to post pictures!). There is a book on my Christmas list for challenges (52 scrapbooking challenges which means ONE per week!)

I will also be doing another personal thing but can't mention it until I get the items mailed off to the proper people and KNOW that they have recieved them. Thanks to the weather I am farther behind than expected but they will get to them when they get to them.
This year I am doing Secret Sisters at church and am in the middle of making the gift (it's a frame art thing!) Once it's done then I will share pictuers with you! :-)

The Sell-A-Bration sets have kept my mind TWIRLING with ideas! I just WISH I had all the time in the world to make them and that they weren't EXCLUSIVE.... I want to use them ALL year, not just now!!!!!

The count is up to 11. 11 people that I know are expecting this next year. Now I just have to figure out gifts to give them that I can do that are different but still the same....

I am thinking about making shirts for volleyball. Haven't decided if I am going to do a few for just me or also for my team members. One guy I wanted to do "Speedy Jeffzalez!" and another guy "I am not afraid of the floor..." (because he always hits the floor in a dive or something strange- it's totally funny!) and the gal that is the wife of the floor guy "CLING - that was YOUR ball....." it's just the other 3 I don't know what to do for yet...

Okay - not much else going on. Didn't get the scrapbook finished that I was working on but plan on giving that to her anyway (and have her reorganize the pictures that aren't done in order so I know how they go together....) - I will take quick pictures of my pages, give her the gift and then post them.

Something I just thought of... is I should put up a curtain bar in my stamp room to hang fabric on to make a "photo studio". It would be ontop of my counter so I couldn't use it for people or anything but for all my projects and other items. Get a solid fabric background to hang as needed (white for now with a lining to so you don't see my bright green walls behind it!)

Tonight hubby and I are going to dinner and invited Kim and Ann to join us. Not sure what time but we will be going to Azteca. That's after I put up my Christmas tree (I have the tree up, just not the ornaments on it - it was supposed to happen over the weekend!)

Okay - that's all for now!