Project Life 2013: Weeks Nine and Ten

Posted: March 26, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 3 Comments

WEEK 9

Got a little adventurous for me color wise this week; as a result, it took foreverrrrr for it to come together:

Finally found someone brave enough to try a trail hike I have been dying to check out, it required conquering this massive incline. Our legs were burning but we did it. Celebrating Jakey’s wacky dressing ways while I can. LOVING that Jake is finally starting to draw family portraits. I find it amazing how different the boys artsy styles are…

Rope climb WOD kicked my butt: rope climb + burpees = YOWZA. Tyson started Little League this year and practices started Friday. Lucky to have friends who call at the exact perfect moment: girl time + 3 miles = the perfect cure to a bad day.

A special Jake love note, tucked inside the mini bag:

WEEK 10

Another week of color experimentation. I have never been a pink girl, but I was inspired by the spring colors of this particular My Minds Eye journal card paper. I struggled with the pink but fell in love with the final outcome. It took me a little longer to finish, likely because the colors were very much outside of my comfort zone…but it’s DONE:

We have been spending a lot of time outside, enjoying the sunshine. I wanted to document the little note Ty made me and tucked inside of my wallet: it makes me smile every time I catch a glimpse of it:

After two weeks of color experimentation. My week 11 color palette is my tried and true blue/kraft/white with a splash of yellow or brown. I like to gather the journal cards first and then work from there…

Linking up with The Mom Creative:

Project Life: DIY Washi Speech Bubble Journal Card

Posted: March 12, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life, Scrapbooking | 16 Comments

I have been slightly obsessed with speech bubble journal cards. I love using them to keep track of the funny things the boys say…but, I am extremely picky about colors and color schemes. I like to have an overall theme or color that runs throughout each weekly layout. I was having a hard time finding the right color speech bubble cards for certain weeks. After altering one of the Studio Calico cards with washi tape, I figured I’d try to make my own…

And soon learned that it is SO SO easy. And fun. And justifies my “washi collection” that seems to be growing constantly. All you need: pencil, washi tape, grid cards or card stock cut to 3 x 4, exacto knife, and scissors.

Draw a speech bubble line freehand. Light enough to be erased if need be, but dark enough to show through the washi:

Layer on the washi tape:

If you look closely enough, you can see the pencil outline. Cut along the line using the exacto knife:

Peel back washi tape on top, erase pencil lines if needed:

Done. Finished product:

Project Life 2013: Week Eight

Posted: March 12, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 5 Comments

WEEK EIGHT:

Absolutely LOVING Olive in spite of living in a land of boys. The blues and greens are my comfort colors, my go-to’s almost every week. The flowers and butterflies add a little touch of girly to my otherwise boy-filled world:

Not a super crazy week, but a lot of “everyday” things: playing out front with cozy coupes- there is something so magical and timeless about their not-so-little feet peeking out of the bottom of the cars. A special “me” time treat: run + coffee date- hoping to make that a more regular weekend occurrence. Bubble fun and speech prep at work…

With the gorgeous weather, we spent nearly every afternoon out front. I found myself grabbing our picnic blanket and lying by the boys as they played…heaven. More basketball for Ty, my first Crossfit injury…OUCH, and a sweet moment I wanted to capture and remember:

I had a lot of fun with the journal cards this week. LOOOOOOVE the super easy washi tape speech bubble:

Can’t get enough of these colors:

Linking up with The Mom Creative…

50 in 2013: Book Two

Posted: March 6, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Book Review | Leave a comment

Please Look After Mom by Kyung-Sook Shin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

While a great deal of poetic language is lost in translation and there is difficulty adjusting to a storyline written in second person, there is something tragically stunning about this novel.

Somewhere amongst the crowded, bustling chaos that is the Seoul subway, sixty-nine year old So-Nyo is separated from her husband. He boards the train assuming she is behind him. She is not. Before he can board another train and return to the station, she vanishes.

The family immediately begins a search. As the children search, they unveil hidden truths, secrets, and dreams sheltered by a woman they barely know. How well do children really know their parents?

The depths to which So-Nyo sacrifices and loses herself for her children is startling and difficult to read. Even more so when coupled with the admissions of her children and husband, none of whom realize her presence in their lives until she is missing. She devoted her whole being, her entire life to looking after everyone. In the end, who was looking out for her?

A true testament to the intricate woven tapestries that make up our family’s story and a reminder to cherish the hands that sacrificed something to place each stitch and write each story.

Project Life 2013: Weeks Six and Seven

Posted: March 2, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 6 Comments

WEEK SIX

Jake’s birthday…FOUR years old. In the blink of an eye…

Left side. The date card dictated this week’s color scheme. I wanted to use the Studio Calico February wood grain card. After embellishing, layering, and stitching…it was a brown, teal, kraft week.

I am still working on his “all about him” insert, but wanted to include a few of my favorite things that Jake says. Mostly because I know he’ll be saying them all correctly far too soon. It’s a little sad when the boys’ finally get words right. I already miss Ty’s “likes” instead of lights and “magazints” instead of magazine.

Managed to get cupcake candle pics of both boys this year…love how he scrunches up his face and closes his eyes. He’s done that every year so far…

LOTS of washi tape fun this week. LOVE the simple little birthday cake:

Lots of outdoor play this week, the weather was gorgeous. I survived debate team judging. Snuck in a few miles. And most importantly, was reunited with my latte maker carafe…heh.

WEEK SEVEN

Valentine’s week…

Jake’s first attempt at a family portrait and HIS NAME…swoon:

Super simple way to incorporate the boys’ class valentines. Simple doily layering and wood veneer letter:

Ty’s basketball picture makes me smile every time I see it. The boys’ loved their Green Kids Craft box this month. A low-key, uneventful Valentine’s day for us:

I actually struggled a lot with this week’s layout. It just wasn’t coming together- mostly, because of the Studio Calico speech bubble card. The color was slightly off, more orange than red. And it was driving me crazy. It occurred to me to try and layer washi tape over…and voila, problem SOLVED:

And inspiration started. Grid cards + washi = DIY speech bubble journal cards. LOVE these to keep track of the funny things the boys say:

And I also discovered that washi tape fits perfectly inside the back of Ali Edward’s Technique Tuesday cards…

Project Life 2013: Weeks Four and Five

Posted: February 19, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 6 Comments

WEEK FOUR

Had a lot of fun experimenting with red and hand stitching this week…red plus teal plus kraft is one of my favorite color combinations:

The boys enjoyed playing with all of Ty’s new birthday presents this week. The Hexbug Habitat was a huuuuuuuge hit. The boys were enthralled with it for hours. LOVE seeing the two of them in awe of something together. So sweet. I also stepped up my running this week. After taking much of the winter off, “starting over” is always incredibly humbling. And hard.

I added an insert this week. I really wanted to include a blog post. If I had an ounce more internet-y knowhow I would have typed it up all pretty. There is something so timeless about a handwritten story though…I am happy I invested the time to write it out.

Right side without the insert: packaging from our new snack subscription box, a snapshot of Daddy on TV, a latte machine tragedy, and people watching at the Target Bux. All in a week’s work, heh:

Backside of insert: our power went out for just over 2.5 hours. Once the boys’ fear wore down, we had fun playing in the dark. Of course, it happened on a night when Mark was working late…the boys still talk about it.

WEEK FIVE

Otherwise known as the week I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE OLIVE EDITION:

Living in the land of boys, I feared Olive would be too girly. I was so so wrong. I LOVE it. The greens and blues are so pretty and work so well with all that is boy-ish in my life:

The boys were absolutely hilarious outside showing me their “intimidation” look. More basketball, a weekday afternoon birthday party, fancy coffee, and a TV night all to myself:

I am so so so in love with the colors…and the butterfly:

Added a little dimension with a punch + washi + word sticker…the colors and textures of this week are making this one of my favorite layouts to date. So much fun.

Linking up with The Mom Creative:

50 in 2013: Book One

Posted: February 17, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Book Review | Leave a comment

A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The tale of two brothers, Jess and Christopher “Stump” Hall, and the various repercussions that come with seeing things that are meant to be seen. Curiosity can lead to answers and adventure, but also danger. Some questions aren’t meant to be answered, especially by the naive investigation of children. One stolen peek into a window changes the paths of the Hall boys’ lives forever…

The eccentric and slightly mysterious Carson Chambliss immediately takes over the church in the small town of Asheville following the prior pastor’s death. He takes down signs, covers the windows with newspaper, and pens a simple verse in black paint on a small sign outside. Those drawn in, stay. Those who question or remain skeptical, stay far away.

Ben and Julie Hall’s marriage changed the day Stump was born. He never cried. He was quiet. Too quiet. Time would soon reveal he was mute. Ben understood Stump’s quiet ways, often relating, while Julie believed she could bring the words out of him. She also believed in Pastor Chambliss.

Adelaide Lyle had called Asheville home long enough to know all there was to know about the small town’s inhabitants. She knew Ben Hall as a child. She knew the church before it was overhauled by Carson Chambliss. She helped bring Stump Hall into this world. And she knew her town well enough to know when trouble was in the air.

On a hot September night, the life stories of Jess, Stump, Pastor Chambliss, Ben, Julie, and Adelaide all intersect with an ending that ultimately teaches two of the small town’s residents that “it’s a good thing to see that people can heal after they’ve been broken, that they can change and become something different from what they were before.”

Slow moving in parts, I found many of the story lines to be incredibly poignant: the repercussions of a child’s curiosity and how it can change his life in unforeseen ways, the resonating effect of a parent’s decision, the power of restoration, and the gripping control of revenge. The first book this year to keep and hold my attention the whole way through.

Project Life 2013: Week Three

Posted: February 5, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 9 Comments

Week Three: COLD weather, a birthday, happy mail, and basketball…

Trying to incorporate more of my story this year. Enjoyed looking back at last year’s Project Life and seeing some of our favorite family recipes. I plan to continue including them this year. Our newest discovery: roasted chickpeas. SO YUMMY!! And I realize I am a totally wimpy California girl, but I MISSSSSSS my flip flop weather. A lot. I had to breakdown and buy real coats for our family this year, heh.

Two additional inserts this month featuring the birthday boy:

Back side of 6 x 12 includes an annual birthday letter. I cut down the design F page by one fourth and highlighted Ty’s birthday day…

Back side will be an “All About You” type page. I want him to draw me a couple more pictures and I need to take some photos of his current favorite toys/outfits:

He is having so much fun with basketball this year. It is really amazing how quickly they are all learning to dribble and picking up the game. Poor Jakey wants to play so so bad

Funny things the boys say are one of my favorite things to include…I still laugh when I read their interaction about birthday presents:

Linking up with The Mom Creative this week:

And make sure to check out a super fun Project Life blog hop…extremely honored to have been featured:

I Bought Shorts Today…

Posted: February 2, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Running | 7 Comments

I bought shorts today…

In order to understand why this is such a huge milestone, I’ll back up a little bit.

I have always been an “active” person. I have always loved being outside. I have always been what many would consider athletic.

However, I have always had a thing about my legs. Specifically, a thing about my legs in shorts. My thighs have eaten many pairs of shorts alive. Running in shorts has never been a graceful, model-esque experience. Instead, it’s a slow, painful thigh wedge-y filled endeavor. I am vertically challenged and that will never change. Despite my wishes, I will never have long, dancer legs.

But recently, I’ve learned that I can certainly have strong legs. Legs that can carry me through box jumps, prowler pushes, and 400 meter sprints.

My fitness journey has been years in the making. I stepped foot into a gym for the first time a little over two years ago. I was skeptical, but made it my goal to try every class. From Zumba, to UJam, to spin, to body pump…I did it all at least once. I discovered my favorites and quickly fell in love with the boot camp class. The camaraderie, shared suffering, and familiar faces soon became the highlight of my Tuesdays. And then, the gym cancelled the class. All the while, I was still training for half marathons, but the loneliness of running was getting old. I had lost the joy in running. I loved the company of quick gym friends and the accountability the familiarity brought.

The gym had become my escape. With a husband who works a ton, it was a place I could bring the kids and “escape” for two hours. It had become my happy place. Unfortunately, an incident with kid care forced me to re-evaluate my current gym membership and I chose not to renew. I found myself at a gym membership crossroads but looked forward to the opportunity to try something new.

Crossfit entered the picture. I’ll admit I was intimidated. If you Google Crossfit, images of mad crazy muscular people come up. Along with images of said mad crazy muscular people lifting crazy heavy weights.

I convinced a friend to join me and we both signed up for the initial intro classes, diving in head first having no clue what we were getting ourselves into. Four weeks later, here I am. Hooked. More than seeing results, I am FEELING them. I am doing things I never thought I could. I am doing things I never knew existed. I am feeling things I never thought I would. A year ago, I would have looked at this picture and picked it apart. Now, I look and see a strong, driven, motivated mama…

Last week I walked into the gym and saw the WOD on the board:

As we began, fatigue and doubt started to creep in. I happened to look over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of my youngest son watching me. A smile on his face. He was in awe at the tire work and weight lifting going on all around. And it was no longer about being tired or sore. I would finish. I had to. I had to show Jake that one day when I tell him that we don’t quit or give up, I mean it. I live it. One of the greatest gifts brought to me after canceling my prior gym membership is the ability for my boys to now SEE what I am doing. As they watch, I can teach them about strong women, perseverance, and hard work.

Before walking into my local Crossfit, I had talked to many different people who had tried it. Not one had anything negative to say. I get that it is definitely something you either love or hate. It is not for everyone. For me, it has been everything I loved about my old boot camp but more. The pain and suffering of an extraordinarily hard workout is lessened when done alongside others. The first two weeks, I was often the last one done, but instead of leaving, people would grab their water bottles and cheer me on.

The numbers on a piece of clothing or on the scale no longer haunt me. Instead, I now search for the numbers that truly matter: the time on the clock, the number of reps, the weight on the bar. Hours after the above workout, I was outside playing with my boys and my oldest happened to snap a picture of me…

For years, I hid from the camera. I have never loved being in front of it. But this day, this moment, I smiled and I am grateful that I got to see a glimpse of myself through their eyes. Working out, running, crossfit…have all brought me to where I am right at this moment. I am often happiest after a butt kicking, hard workout. Conquering a WOD, leaves me thinking I can conquer just about anything. A little time for me: happy mama, happy wife = happy life. Starting over and rebuilding a decent running base mileage is humbling, but running is joyful again. Often painful and slow and ugly, but joyful.

I am stronger now in so many ways than I was a month ago…

And I bought shorts today.

Project Life 2013: Week 2

Posted: January 29, 2013 | Author: momruncraft | Filed under: Project Life | 7 Comments

Some weeks come together easier than others, I really struggled with week two…a week of one icky sicky and one stir crazy mama:

My first working mama sick kiddo moment, I felt awful. Awful. I thought he was just tired from waking up super early, turns out poor kiddo had a bad ear and sinus infection. I didn’t take enough photos this week but loved that his prescription happened to fit the color scheme: