SETTING SOME GOALS

CONFESSION: I love online scrapbooking classes.

CONFESSION: I have bought a ton of online scrapbooking classes

CONFESSION: I am really bad at completing (and sometimes even starting) all those wonderful scrapbook classes that I now have

My List of Scrapbook Classes

Hybrid by Ali Edwards

31 Things by Ali Edwards

Yesterday & Today by Ali Edwards

Hello Story by Ali Edwards

Lens of Joy by Ali Edwards

Storytelling with Project Life® by Ali Edwards

31 More Things by All Edwards

Type by Ali Edwards

Photo Triage: Vacation Photos Class by Jen Schow

Ready, Sketch, Go! (volume 1 and 2) by Jen Schow and Tracie Claiborne

Zap Your Scraps by Jen Schow

My One Little Word® for 2017 is Change. One of the changes that I am going to attempt to make this year is taking the time to complete some of those online classes that I have on that big list of mine. 

My plan of attack is to pick one of the classes off my list and complete it. My goal is to not complete this whole list by the end of the year, but that would be pretty awesome. I just want to start with one class and after I get done with that one I'll pick another. No pressure what so ever.

The first class I decided to work on is 31 things. It is a self-paced workshop the includes 31 prompts about your life right now. One photo + some words all in one album. I actually can't wait to get started. I haven't totally thought about the creative side of this project. Just in story modest this point. I am sure that once I get going I will start to get some ideas about how I want this album to look. 

I plan on sharing all of my stories here on this blog. They may actually live on this blog until I figure out what to do with them. The goal is to work on one story per day, but we will see what actually ends up happening. Progress, not perfection. 

And just incase you were wondering, here are the links to all of the classes on my list

All the Ali Edwards classes

All the Jen Schow classes

Thanks so much for stopping by, and we will see you soon!

-Dannielle

AND JUST LIKE THAT SHE IS 5

London turned 5 in December, and I think I have been in total denial about it. She is growing up so fast and I find myself wanting to hold her so tight in hopes that time will slow down. 

The past five years seem to have flown by in just a blink of an eye. I know everybody says that, but it is so painfully true. I have always told myself to enjoy whatever season of life that I was in, because all too soon that season would be over and I would want it back. And it is so true, I want all the tiny little moments of that last five years back. 

I know all too soon my little five year old will be a growing six year old, and these are the things I want to remember about her right now

One | She loves color, and she loves it in rainbow order. 

Two | Eating is still a struggle most of the time. Her favorite go to choices are noodles, PB&J, fruit, cheesy crackers, noodles, nuts and cherries | potato chips| and strawberry milkshakes.

Three | She is smart, and likes to learn. At school she is on the 100 shelf and is learning how to add and subtract. She is also learning some basic words, and is working so hard to get to the purple shelf where she will get to read actual books.

Four | Anything that is crafty, she is on it. She likes to glue, and cut, and paint, and stamp, and color, and anything else she can get her hands on. New craft supplies get her so excited, and I totally get that.

Five | She wants a baby sister or brother so bad. She tells me about her friends at school who have brothers and sisters, and asks why she doesn't. It's a hard thing to try and explain to a 5 year old, but hopefully one day she will get to be a big sister.

Six | Watching TV is definitely something she does WAY to much of. Even if she is not watching it, she still likes to have it on. Her favorite shows right now are Rugrats, Sophia the first, Curious George, and sometimes Sesame Street. 

Seven | She is all about pretend play, and listening to her have conversations for her toys is probably one of my favorite things to do. 

Eight | She is still such a good sleeper, and it is so rare that she will ever get up at night for anything.

Nine | She hates taking a bath, and will fight me on it every time. But once she actually gets in the bath she doesn't want to get out. Washing all her bath toys with as much shampoo as possible is probably her favorite thing to do during bath time.

Ten | Her favorite person in the whole world is probably her Daddy. She gets so excited when he comes home from work, or has a day off. What is so cute though, is that she never wants me to feel that she loves him any more that she loves me. She will never say your the bestest Daddy without looking over at me to tell me that I am the bestest Mommy. Her Daddy will always be special to her because her Daddy is special. She is a lucky little girl.

I want to remember every little detail about London whole life, but the thing I want her to remember the most is just how loved she is. I know my life would not be as full without her in it. 

2017 SCRAPPY PLANS

I give myself the month of January to really think about what I want my year to look like and what goals I need to set for myself to make that happen. One of things that really helps with that process is starting the One Little Word project® (you can find more details about Ali Edwards One Little Word® here). 

This year my OLW is:

I have so many things that I want to change about my little world that I live in. Some of them are big, and some of them are small, but all of them are needed! You'll probably see me talk about some of those changes here on my blog throughout the year, but in this post I am just going to talk about my scrappy plans for 2017 and some of the changes with my approach to memory keeping!

PROJECT LIFE®

I have started a Project Life® album for the last 3 years. I say started, because I don't think I have actually fully completed any of them. I have done mostly 12x12 albums, but last year I decided to switch things up and use a 6x8 album. I really loved working with the smaller size, and to be honest if I could still get my hands on the same albums I used last year I would probably continue using it for this year too. Right now I am thinking about switching back to a 12x12 album for this year, and have already completed a couple weeks in that size. I will be documenting my year using a weekly format and I am planning on using this grey album from Becky Higgins to house all my spreads. My favorite products to work with when I am using pocket pages are from One Little Bird and Felicity Jane. You can probably expect to see a lot from both brands mixed throughout this years album. I will also be posting weekly process videos on my YouTube channel. Most importantly, I will be trying to stay pretty current with this project, because when I let myself fall too far behind it just becomes more of chore and less enjoyable. 

TRADITINAL PAGES

I am also definitley going to be telling my stories through traditional pages as well. I have never really had a plan when it came to my scrapbook layouts, at least not one that has stuck. This year I plan on being more intentional with my stories and photos that I scrapbook. I have subscribed to Ali Edwards Story Kits™ and Stamps since the very beginning and my plan of attack is to take most of my story telling inspiration from the themes of those kits every month. Of course I will get inspiration from other places along the way, but my main goal is to just scrap with purpose. I will probably use the same grey album that I am using for my Project Life® album, or maybe this white one? I also want to use a variety of page protectors and maybe even mix a few pocket pages in as well! Along with my Story Kits™, I definitely plan on using my Felicity Jane kits to create my layouts. I have had my eye on the Gossamer Blue kits, and want maybe try them out at one point this year too! Just like my Project Life® spreads, I will also have process videos for most of my traditional scrapbook pages over on my YouTube channel. 

CAMPING ALBUM

Last year I documented our family camping trips in Traveler's Notebooks. I didn't really share too much of that process. It was really new to me and I didn't know if it was going to stick, but I ended up loving it and plan on doing the same this year. The reason why I picked a Traveler's Notebook was that they were small and I could put them in our trailer. I actually can't wait to bring them out on our first camping trip this year. When I work on little side projects like this, I take the opportunity to use up my stash. I will probably share these notebooks this year by either sharing a few process videos or doing a album share.

FINISH OLD PROJECTS

Most of my albums on my shelf are not complete. Some of them I need to add just a few finishing touches, and others are just in the beginning stages and need a lot of work. My biggest goal for 2017 is to finish each project that I start, and to finish all my unfinished albums!! I know I will need to sit down and figure out what my action plan will be for the unfinished projects, but it is definitely something I want to work hard towards. 

I think that pretty much sums up all the scrappy goals for the new year. I really am excited and hopeful that this year will be a really productive year and that I will have a few new albums on my shelf as my reward!

I would love to have you along on this memory keeping adventure, and this is where you can find me.

YouTube: Banning Lane
Instagram: @BanningLane
Facebook: you guessed it... Banning Lane

and of course right here on this blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and hopefully we will see you all very soon.
-Dannielle

Week In The Life™ 2016 | Monday

When I woke up this morning the first thing that popped into my head was take a picture. I was totally ready for this full week of documenting our lives. Ask me if I am that excited come Sunday!

London was already downstairs eating her breakfast, and I could hear that she was watching Shrek. I decided to lay in bed for a few more minutes and chat withTony while he finished getting ready for work. After he left I went downstairs to help London finish eating her breakfast. Today was a bath day so she didn't have too much time to linger.

London was a good listener this morning and we got ready with a few minutes to spare. I asked  if I could take her picture before heading out the door. 

She always wants to open the gate by herself, always. She also always runs down the sidewalk and yells "beat you" when we get to her door. Everything is always a race these days.

London's teacher is always so exited to see her and London is so happy to be there. It makes dropping her off so much easier.

I drop off our payment at the office before heading home.

I have breakfast first thing when I get home. I usually have the same breakfast everyday, berries with plain greek yogurt. I usually will sweeten the berries with a bit of sugar, but I am in a weight loss competition with Tony and my brother, so I have been skipping the sugar.

Most days I eat my breakfast at the computer so I can check out YouTube, but today I decided to eat in the living room and watch an episode of Matlock.

On Monday's, the house is always a little more messy. I don't do much cleaning on the weekends besides dishes, and maybe a nightly tidy up. I have created the routine of doing my daily chores before anything else, especially on the days that London is in school. Sometimes I stick to that routine, and sometimes I don't. Today I did!

I still have a little under and hour before I have to get London from school, so I sit down at my scrap desk to either check out YouTube, or work on a layout that is on my desk. I check Facebook first and read that a one of my fellow Felicity Jane design team members lost her sweet baby over the weekend. My heart broke for her, and I found it hard to work or watch anything after that.

I am always excited to pick up London from school. Even though she only goes for a half a day, I still miss her! Can you guess what she learned about today?

This girl is all about comfort and will strip down to her undies the second she walks through the door if I let her. Today she ditched the jeans and the shoes, but kept that dress on.

I was ready for lunch, and just like I have the same breakfast, I usually have the same lunch too. Cottage cheese, and tomatoes for the win. I added the almonds today because they sounded good. This is the time of day I also take my vitamins.

After watching Aladdin and Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood (at the same time) for a bit, London was done relaxing and off to find something better to do. She decided she wanted to play with some stickers, and had a certain set in mind. I was grateful that she was able to find them on her own. That is usually not the case

Soon after she was off to sorting her beads. She loves to organize her beads by size, shape, and color in anything thing she can get her hands on. Today she chose her kitchen.

Most days London will ask for a snack in the afternoon. Today she wanted some M&M's. I told her I would let her have the candy as long as she ate nuts and cherries with it too. She thought that would be fine, and I counted that as a win!

London had her snack while she watched a movie (one she picked on Netflix) while I did some scrapbooking. It is our usual afternoon activity.

London no longer takes regular naps. She only really takes one on days that she really needs one. Most days she needs just a little snuggle in the afternoon, and I always have time for a snuggle.

Tony got home around 6:00 and decided he wanted to go out to Cabela's to look for some new camping shoes. He went up to change his clothes, and London was close behind him. It is pretty normal for London to keep him company after work.

No luck with the shoes, but London loved looking at all the animals, so it wasn't a complete loss.

As soon as we got home it was time for dinner, past time actually. Most meals are a struggle for London. Often times Tony and I are still sitting at the table well beyond our meal waiting for London to eat even half of hers. I remind myself to take deep breaths and think of the progress she has made. This is part of our story.

Soon after dinner Shea came over to get a haircut. He brought Nora and Rosey over with him, and London was happy to play fetch with them while I cut hair. 

If Tony is home at night, he usually puts London to bed. The boys wanted to clean the guns so I did night time routine. That includes changing into PJ's, brushing teeth, reading a book or two, and saying prayers before getting tucked into bed. 

After getting London to bed, I browsed the internet and uploaded all my photos from the day to the computer. Shea got called home around midnight and I decided to give Tony a quick haircut before going to bed. Super glad to have that chore done!

Handmade Halloween

I have always wanted to be the mom that made London's Halloween costume each year. I just love how cute, creative, and different handmade costumes are. I usually wait until the last minute to start actually making her outfit each year, which makes the whole process so much more stressful then it needs to be. In the end, when I see how cute my little London looks, all the stress is totally worth it.

So far London has been a ghost, a kitty, and a bee. Ok, so I'll admit the bee is mostly store bought (because that skirt and cute little headband were soooo cheap.) I did however make her wings and her neckless which I think are the perfect little finishing touch.

Picking out what London will be each year is half the fun. By the time September hits I find myself searching Pinterest for the perfect choice. This year when that time came I decided to let London in on the process. She had it narrowed down pretty quickly to Woody from Toy Story and Jake from Jake and the Neverland Pirates. 

In the end she decided on Jake, and I still can't get over how cute she looked.

London was so particular about all the pieces of her costume. It seriously was the cutest thing ever and made me smile so much. My Mom helped with her vest, and by help I mean she sewed the whole dang thing. London was so happy with how everything turned out. I can't hardly wait for next years Halloween to get here.

So on to the next holiday and the next project. This year I am going to be participating in Cathy Zielske's 30 days of Thankful. I plan on doing an album share some time in December. 

Thanks for stopping by!!

Some Days Are Hard

Most days it is easy to forget that London has a heart defect. Some days though, it hits me like a ton of bricks. Today was one of those days.

I will always remember the week that London was born like it was yesterday. I remember feeling almost numb. Everybody was just living life, but my whole world had just come to a screeching stop. That feeling really didn't go away for a good year or so. The hardest part of the whole thing was that that doctors really couldn't tell us what was in store for London's little life. We were definitely in good hands, and her team of doctors had a really good plan, but it was the unknown that kept me up at night.

London is now almost four. The days that were once spent going to cardiology check ups, therapy appointments, and weigh ins with her dietitian are now filled with all kinds of crazy little girl adventures. She runs, and plays just like any other little three year old. In fact, unless you catch a glimpse of her scar, you would never know that anything was ever wrong with her. 

Because she has such a normal little life, it's always a little surprising how anxious I get in the days that lead up to her yearly cardiology appointments. I know that we have so much to be thankful for, and that for the most part London is doing really well. But I also know, it is at these appointments that we will learn if something isn't going quite right. That is why I can't sleep the week before her appointment. That is why I say a million little prayers on the car ride to the hospital, and that is when it hits me that my little girl has a heart defect. 

This part of London's life is hard, and sometimes really scary. No matter how many echo's, EKG's, heart cath's, or lung scan's she gets, it will always take my breath away to look at photos like these. Even now, it just doesn't seem real. But this is part of her story, and I thank God everyday that she is mine. 

For the record, everything came back fine. Her cardiologist is really happy with her progress, and says he will see us again in one year!

Best Camping Trip Ever

This camping trip to Priest Lake had been planned for a long time. Tony and my Dad planned and reserved our camp sites months ago. It may have just been the best camping trip ever and this is what I want to remember.

I want to remember how awesome it was to camp by a lake with a beach. Everyday we made a trip down to the water to play. 

I want to remember the look of pure joy on London's face every time she got brave enough to walk out into the lake and sit down.

I want to remember how cute it was when a little girl asked London if she wanted to play. They were the only little girls on the beach that day, and it was so fun to see them play together.

I want to remember how much London wanted to catch a squirrel. She walked through the woods with a rope so that she could tie him up and take him home if she happened to catch one.

I want to remember how fun it was to play sequence over and over again. It's been a while since we have all played that game and it looks like it is still a family favorite. 

I want to remember our morning bike ride down to the lake in our jammies. I wanted to get a picture of the lake, and the view was worth the ride (and walk) back up that hill.

I want to remember how cute Tony looked in his camping shoes that we got him for Fathers Day. They just made every outfit look great. He is still just so darn handsome.

I want to remember the cute little resort we went to for dinner one night. It had a very Dirty Dancing feel to it. I told Tony more than once that it would be a great place for us to get away to for the weekend. We will see if he picked up on my not to subtle hints.

I want to remember watching Tony and my Dad having way to much fun siting on tubes out in the water while flying London's shark kite.

I want to remember stopping for ice cream on our way up to camp, and thought it was such a good treat that we made sure to go back down later that week for an after dinner snack.

I want to remember playing games in the trailers at night. We were told a bear and her cub had been coming into camp and being outside in the dark scared me.

I want to remember how London wanted to go watch a movie in Poppy's trailer every night. It seems like that has become the norm when we camp with my parents. During the day I like her to play outside and enjoy being in the woods, but watching a movie before bed seems to be a nice way for her to end the day.

I want to remember how good it felt to have five whole days to spend as a family with absolutely no plans.

I want to remember how nice it felt to be home in our own bed after that five days.

It was an awesome camping trip. The longest one we have ever been on with our trailer. We will definitely be going back next year, a maybe even try to make another small trip before this summer ends.