Reverb 10: December 6th: Make

This post is part of Reverb 10.

December 6 – Make.

What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

(Author: Gretchen Rubin)

I needed this prompt more than anyone can know. Digital scrapbooking has been a part of my life for 5 years and it has been the perfect hobby for me...there for me when I need it, and fairly easy enough to cast aside when life is just too much for hobbies.

2010 was too busy in spots for hobbies, but in a good way. Still, I mourn for the opportunities I missed to be creative.

Prior to today, the last thing I made was a poster. I'll share it in another post, but it was a 16x20 poster for our house rules. I was instructed to make one by the behavioral therapist we're working with. I whipped it together yesterday fairly quickly, and it was just enough to whet my appetite for creativity. Prior to the poster I hadn't created anything in literally 3 months. It was sad.

Today, in preparation for this blog post, I sucked it up, put my big girl panties on, and took the plunge. Re-entry into the digital world can be tough. You get rusty, you lose confidence and creativity and if you're gone long enough, styles can even change.

I made this:

It felt good.

Reverb 10: December 5th: Let Go

This post is part of Reverb 10.

December 5 – Let Go.

What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

(Author: Alice Bradley)

I made great strides this year to let go of other people's behavior. It sounds so cliche and well...way more grown up than I feel--but it's true!

I've always heard people say that as you get older, you care much less about the petty crap. While it sounds nice, I always doubted my own personal ability to experience this. I am type-A to the max. I am sensitive, have high expectations for myself and others, and well...I *do* care about stuff. Even if I shouldn't.

This year, though, I made a decision...it wasn't in one moment but over several months this past Spring. I decided to stop wasting my time and energy caring about other people's problems, behavior, and issues.

Wow, that sounds so easy doesn't it? Well it hasn't been that pat, trust me. It is a daily process. But I have stuck with it. For about 7 months now, I've worked hard at taking care of myself and spend little energy worrying about other people's issues. It has been very freeing, and as I get better at it, I think my happiness will increase exponentially.

Reverb 10: December 4th: Wonder

This post is part of Reverb 10

December 4 – Wonder.

How did you cultivate a sense of wonder in your life this year?

(Author: Jeffrey Davis)

This is a good prompt and my answer is two-fold.

The first thing I've done to cultivate wonder is to learn. I've read several books on several things, but the fact is I've come out on the other side more knowledgable. Some of the material was dry, but my new knowledge and experience is something no one can take from me! Nothing promotes wonder better than learning!

The second thing I did in 2010 to cultivate wonder is to take time to just 'be'. I can't tell you how many times James and I went to the Arboretum just to lay in the grass and stare at the clouds. It makes me feel small every time. We found a spot in Rockcastle County to lay on the hood of the car this summer and stare at the stars. And just since it has gotten bitter cold, we've spent plenty of time laying on the living room floor gazing at the fire in the fireplace. Taking time to just enjoy peace and allow your imagination to wander is awesome! I want to find even more time in 2011 to enjoy quiet moments.

Reverb 10: December 3rd: Moment

This post is part of Reverb 10

December 3 – Moment.

Pick one moment during which you felt most alive this year. Describe it in vivid detail (texture, smells, voices, noises, colors).

(Author: Ali Edwards)

This is an easy peasy one. Considering that I got married in 2010, it stands to reason that there is one moment that stood out from the others.

"I do."

I need to look at this from a different angle. I can't say it any better than right here. If you want details and pictures, I've already blogged this moment, and recently. Just in October I finally blogged the details of our big day, and the moment when James and I shared our vows was momentous.

I love Ali's prompt, though, because of her attention to detail.

(texture, smells, voices, noises, colors)

Texture...

The silk of my dress was getting heavy by the time we said our vows. I didn't realize this! I said to my photographer, "it feels like my dress is getting longer!" And she said back to me..."it is!" See, you learn something new every day.

Smells...

I loved the smell of our outdoor wedding. I ordered some perfume to be our wedding scent...I chose Vera Wang's Princess to wear that day and have it be my signature scent. However, I forgot to put it on. So what I smelled was... honeysuckle. From the honeysuckle bush beside the house. Lemon...because there were SO many lemons as part of our day. Fresh cut grass. It was truly amazing scent mixture.

Colors...

Pink and yellow, baby :) Since we were having an outdoor wedding, I wanted to be sure our day was filled with organic colors. Brown was our neutral, and everything else was pink and yellow...like a sunset! I kept calling it our 'strawberry lemonade' wedding.

We had a great wedding day, and the memories of that exact moment seem burned into my memory so precisely that it is hard to imagine ever forgetting any of it. But in case I ever do, I'm glad I have blog posts like this as backup.

Reverb 10: December 2nd: Writing

This post is part of Reverb 10

December 2 - Writing.
What do you do each day that doesn’t contribute to your writing — and can you eliminate it?
(Author: Leo Babauta)

I'm choosing to modify this prompt (as is within my rights LOL). I'm not a writer...well I'm a blogger but only casually so...so writing isn't really my passion. I'm going to modify this to say "scrapping" where "writing" is.

Scrapping isn't just a casual hobby for me. It's a passion that really only another scrapper can understand. I dream about it, I think about it every day, and occasionally make life modifications to support my hobby. Illustration: I read a journaling prompt about scrapping your bedtime routine. Normally I wouldn't photograph my kids' bedtime routine...but in this instance, in the name of art, I chase my children around with a camera one evening...pretending to be a photojournalist so that I can fulfill my scrapping desires :)

Nearly every other thing that I do every day...work, cleaning, sleeping, eating...gets in the way of my scrapping LOL! There really isn't anything I can do to clear out my schedule... I'm not giving up sleep or eating so that I can scrap.

What I *CAN* do, however, is make sure that I scrap some every day, even if it's only 1/2 a layout. I'm going to have to realize, going into the next year, that if I have to pull up a layout and leave it in progress for 2 days on my laptop, Paisley, that it's ok. Doing one layout over the course of three days is better than going for three weeks without scrapping before I have one full block of time to scrap with.

A lesson I can take away from this...is that all or nothing often leaves us with nothing.

Reverb 10: December 1st: One Word

I am participating in Reverb 10. Will you participate with me? I am looking forward to some reflection.

December 1 - One Word.
Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you?
(Author: Gwen Bell)

My word is CHANGE.

2010 has been a really big year for me and my family. During the winter, I was experiencing a lot of change physically, mentally and emotionally. After having a complete surgical hysterectomy on Dec 29, 2009, I was recovering slowly at home during the first few months of 2010. There were so many changes to deal with, but over time they all leveled out and I am relieved to have it behind me. I am taking hormone replacement therapy, I am physically feeling fine and feel just like my normal old self, just with a closed baby factory! ;)

During the Spring, I experienced a lot of changes with the way I view my world. I relied heavily on my family and friends. I worked hard at personal growth. I began to feel the need for change...I began to feel ambitious, like I was ready for a career change. I started updating my resume. I changed the way my family ran our day...streamlined our schedules and worked hard to fall into a groove.

During the Summer, I worked my tail off! My graphic design business was hopping and I designed sometimes for 15 hours a day. I can't say it was a change from normal, but it was a change in the makeup of my day. In addition to work, work, work...I planned, planned, planned! James and I got engaged, and married. Change much?

During the Fall, I moved to Lexington and enjoyed life with my new husband. I started a new job. More changed. :) James and I really didn't live together before being married, so that was a big change for us. A good one! And our new apartment was a welcomed change as well. After much deliberation, I decided to rejoin the rat race. I had been working from home for 5 years and enjoyed it very much but was ready for a change. The change was great. I accepted a job with HP and have been enjoying my job very much.

However, I found out shortly after accepting the job that most of the location was facing an unexpected layoff. Myself included...and soon. I'll only have this job for a few more months. It was a shock, but it has been a learning experience too. HP has handled themselves very gracefully throughout the ordeal. It wasn't in HP's control...the result of a broken contract removing business that had been at the location for over 5 years. I harbor no ill will towards the company--it's business. I get that. They are offering a respectable severance package that helps ease the burden of the impending layoff, and I'm making the most of the job while I still have it. But it's a bit crazy that admidst all the change, more is coming.

What do I think my 2011 word will be?

Balance.

At least that is my goal. In the middle of all the crazy changes that 2010 brought me, I lost balance many times. I spent the last 6 months of 2010 without my hobbies. Sometimes I look at my clean house and wonder when cleaning became my hobby. Well duh...it's not...yet sometimes by the time I'm done getting the house cleaned, I don't have the energy to scrap or read or just veg out. Which is a problem...because all work and no play makes Lena a dull girl. I really should be mindful...too much of anything isn't good...so here's to some balance in 2011.

Paper, Snow, A Ghost!

Do you get my reference? If you do, you're giggling with me now.

I don't have much time today, this week is insanely busy. But today we woke up to a snowglobe outside our window. It didn't stick much, just in a few patchy spots. But it reminded me to check my camera to see the last time I took a photo! I found a few from this weekend, but I also found this photo from a month ago.

It was sprinkling outside (that's what you see on the top of her hood), but Naomi INSISTED that I take her photo anyway. It was such an odd request, so who was I to deny her?

Rain or snow, I know one thing...I have got to dust off the DSLR and get back to recording these cute kidlets. They grow up so fast! *sniff*

We had family portraits taken Friday and I'll share them soonish! But TTFN...it's time for me to venture out into this snowglobe and see what I can get into!