Project Life Week 17: Hello There School Vacation Week

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The challenge of documenting this week was because it included school vacation week (April 20 – 26)and we were out doing more things than normal. So I added an insert. Something I don’t want to do too often for it will make the album thicker than it should be. Some people split a year of Project Life between 2 albums. I don’t want to do that, so I will have to plan more when working on future weeks and keep it to a minimum.

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We did some crafts and Nicholas worked on his comics. Apollo worked on his ATCs for swap and I worked on a few craft projects in my craft room. It was just great to have a break from school drop off/pick up and the whole routine and just relax with the boys. 

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We spent a lot of time outdoors since the weather was actually warming up nicely. The construction of the boy’s clubhouse (now called Fernandes Studio) is coming along nicely so we spent time on their deck, talking and planning. At the beginning of the week, Leao’s Passat finally said goodbye so Leao being the amazing researcher and negotiator found what he liked and within days had a brand new Jeep.  He hung on to his car as long as he could but the commute is long and safety is a priority.  So it happened at a great time in terms of the kids were out for vacation week so we could drive and drop him to pick up his new Jeep.  I took a picture of Apollo saying his goodbyes to the Passat at the dealership.

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We also went to the Zoo. Which for me is a mixed feeling experience because of the treatment of captive animals. But Apollo enjoyed seeing the animals.  I also took a picture of Apollo who loves to be around Leao when he is working in his office. So while Leao was on a conference call, Apollo camped out on our weight bench with his iPad. It was so cute I had to take a picture.

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Above is the other side of the insert. Of course a trip to the bookstore was a must while the boys were on vacation. I scored three great books at the used bookstore. Two which I had on my TBR so that made me so happy. We spent time with Vovo and Papa and Apollo joined us to play this great dice game (Greed). The picture above he is celebrating with them, his win. He rolled 5 fives in one roll!  He was so happy. We also took them to Rainforest Cafe for dinner one night since they reminded me that the last time we went was in San Antonio!! Kids know just how to stick it to you when they want to.

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I rarely use this page protector with four 6×6 pockets but I wanted to shake it up a bit. The top right photo above is so darn cute that I had to include them. It’s Apollo jumping around when we were at the Zoo. Doesn’t it look like he is dancing? In case you can’t see it, I included an enlarged copy below.
week17fI am slowly getting back to my craft table to work on my Project Life catch up. I will be back next week with Week 18. Happy crafting my friends.

Belinda

Project Life Week 16: Happy week

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Another great week. It’s great to look back in pictures in our life. One thing to note that I don’t think we memory keepers/family historians rarely do is that we most often capture the fun and good in our lives. The fussing and fighting and angry faces rarely make an appearance in our scrapbooks. It can leave viewers wondering why their life isn’t always so happy. So have no fear, we are not perfect and we have tough moments in our lives too. However, I treat my scrapbooks like my visual gratitude journal. I try to capture the things that give me joy. I like this process because it helps me to slow down and find good not just in the extravagant but the ordinary. So when I start off saying another great week, it was not without hiccups but overall I am forever grateful for the time.

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Now, onto week 16, I liked this title card because I simply had to add the numbers and the word April to make it work.  I used this cute wooden embellishment for the photo I took of the lake I walk. I love how you can still see the lake through the letters in it. Very cool.

The weather finally warmed enough for me to start taking the boys to the playground again. So Apollo took the opportunity to play on this spinning wheel. I don’t know what they call it. Do you? I always think back to my hamster Hamilton I had growing up and watching him run in his wheel.  I also captured them sitting on the deck steps soaking in a little sun.

Nicholas loves his comics and one day he lined up Apollo’s stuffed animals and put the corresponding hats on them and lined them up on the couch to look like Huey, Dewey and Louie! Of course I also captured my dinner at the Yardhouse. A new favorite dinner for me.

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My insert this week was a print out from a blog post talking about my evolution of my e-readers. I figured, why reinvent the wheel when I don’t have to?  I attached the packaging for my newest tablet/e-reader – Kindle HD Tablet to the back of this insert. It will be fun to look back 5 years from now at what was the “cool” technology we had.

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I included pictures from my day-long crop with my crafty gal pals. It’s always so much fun. I can’t go back until the fall because from this point forward, my weekends are dedicated to family. But when I go, I love the talk, the crafting and the food we all bring – yummy!

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This time around my first book I downloaded on my Kindle is a book about cooking. Not really a cookbook but a book about how our habits around food and cooking have changed over the past 50 years. I find it fascinating and it is helping me to redefine my own habits. I included a picture from my Zumba video. I have been doing pretty good incorporating it into my workouts.

week16eRarely does Nicholas smile for my pictures so I was all over this one and processed it in black and white.  We visit my in-laws most Sundays and on this week, I had music playing and it was so great to see Vovo and Nicholas dance and then Apollo danced with her too. It’s a great memory for us all. They are blessed to have able-bodied grandparents that can play and dance with them. I never take that for granted. Especially since both of my parents have passed on, I try to ensure our boys spend lots of time with Leao’s parents.

Great week. I’ll see you next week with Week 17.

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

Project Life Week 15 – A Week of Books, Crafts and Me time

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Hello! Happy Monday! I am back. I have been struggling to get back to some semblance of a schedule but this time of year, I just try to stay afloat.  This past weekend I was working with Nicholas on his science project for science fair. I love when I can use my Silhouette on one of his projects. But I did manage to squeeze in a Project Life session with my friend Ashley on Saturday.

Ok, enough babbling and on to week 15, shall we? This week I had a lot focused around my other love – reading.  I ended up with an insert to hold a little extra. Keeping the number of photos down is challenging for me since this is pretty much the only scrapbook I work on for the year. I don’t want to leave things out.

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The first page has a picture of our Words of Wisdom chalkboard in our kitchen. I usually put a quote or poem and Nicholas also contributes. When it is a quote we all memorize it and recite it to each other without looking. I make it fun while sneaking in some education. I also made two cards with my new elephant stamps from WPlus9.  Treat yourself Tuesday was something I made up for myself to have a time during the day for reflection and relaxation. So that Tuesday, I got my Chai and the NYT and headed for my reading nook.  So nice to take that time to myself. No work,laundry nothing but me, my paper connecting me to the world happenings and the serenity of sipping hot tea.  Pure bliss!!

I also included a photo of my letter writing challenge. I have still continued with it but not on that scale. I have a little bin with all of my pretty card sets, stamps and addresses, so I can start whenever. Makes it easier for me to do it.

And  I took a picture of my new book bag that I ordered on Etsy. Lovin it!!!!

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The insert this time was directly from a blog post. I printed it and included it in an 8 1/2 x 11 page protector. It saved me a lot of time and I loved the information about Apollo with his circuits and watercolor set.

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On the back side of the insert, I included pattern paper and some embellies along with a 3×4 card acting as part of the title of the insert. Since all those photos happened at home, I wanted to show our love for our home.

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The last page shared a great book haul as well as my first graphic novels I got from the library that focus on the civil rights movement. I also included a photo of a cute happy mail I received from Birchbox that addressed me as Delightful Belinda. Great marketing I tell you. I also included a photo of me using MayDay for the first time with my Kindle. I think this such a cool feature. Instead of talking on the phone, I talk through my device and the technical consultant can actually take control of my screen if necessary to help me. And I liked that it was lovely brown lady that was my first helper.

week15eOverall, a great week and I am glad I documented it for us to look back on. I will be back next week with week 16. Hope you all are well.

Belinda

Project Life Week 13 – My Week into Wellness

projectlifelogo1Week thirteen was a week that was filled with my journey towards living a more clean lifestyle. If you remember one of my goals in my One Little Word project is to Connect more with my body.  What I mean is to find ways to learn more about improving my health, moving more through exercise, really connecting to what’s going on right now with my body so that I can treat it right, and of course connecting to better nutrition on a daily basis.  I really wish that nutrition were really taken seriously in school when I was growing up as well as today. Just think how much healthier our country would be if we all knew more. Like the saying, “If you know better, you do better”.  Knowing and truly understanding are critical so I have begun a journey diving into nutrition books to learn more.

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I started buying cute smaller plates for my meals to keep it fun and to help with my portion control. Because, I am pretty sure you might find that ‘Seconds’ is my middle name on my birth certificate since I love going back for seconds at dinner!! I also started looking up clean breakfast options. I found a cute 3×4 card that was titled, “Hello my name is” and it made me think of the sticker you put on your blouse when you go to a meeting so people can see your name. I took it a step further and added letter stickers for my name and wrote a brief description underneath and included it in this layout.week13b

This winter we had so much snow that my plow guy, pushed too far and damaged one of my pots and raised vegetable bed. I knew it as soon as I saw the snow line and had to wait until the snow melted so I could see how bad the damage my raised bed took.  Not as bad as I thought and Leao said he will fix it despite the fact that my plow guy said he would fix it.

week13cSince books are a large part of my life, I had to include pictures of a great book haul I had that week. I realize now that this week was primarily about me. Which isn’t a bad thing. But it still feels strange to only have one picture of Nicholas and noone else.

I also bought a foam roller to start to help release the tension in my shoulder area as well as other areas of the body. I will say this, it is not for the weak at heart!  It hurts like when you get deep tissue massage because that is exactly what it does. I will figure out how frequently I will do it but glad to add it to my arsenal of wellness.

My sister always finds the funniest cards and sends them to me. Easter was no exception and I pretty much wet my pants the first time I read this one so I included a photo.

This week, was a hard week for Nicholas who came down with something viral that left him without energy and appetite. Eventhough I knew he would recover, it didn’t make it less stressful. It’s the worst thing to witness your child unwell.

The last photo is a Zumba photo I sent for check in with my workout partner and friend, Maria.  We have been doing this for a long time now and she keeps me motivated and honest on this journey. Everybody should have someone in your corner when you are trying to get in shape because it is essential to long-term fitness. I fess up when I cheat and share when I am doing good. It’s great to know someone else is there and going through the journey with me. Love it!!

Ok, I have to go enjoy the sun. 80 today!!

Have a blessed day!

Belinda

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