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Late again and I'm only popping in for a photo share. Since it was Juan's b-day today I decided to use the picture of him blowing out the candles for my 365 shot. However, I loved these two pics of my boys coming home from hunting in the rain so I thought I'd share them here.

Posted by Meg at 11:14 PM 0 Blessings  

Topics: Hunting, Jake, Juan, Photos

I'm just a little late to have this count as a Friday post but oh well. My DH only has a few precious days left before he has to return to work so we've been enjoying time together as a family. Its been quite an adventure for the past two weeks. Our schedule pretty much went out the window the first day of his vacation and chaos has reigned. I will miss having him here all the time but it will be nice to get back to our regularly scheduled programming :).

In other news I absolutely hate winter time in the south! Its chilly, drab, and dreary but rarely, if ever, do we see a single flake of snow. I'd love to have a gorgeous winter scene to photograph. I did manage to take photos for my 365 today but as I expected I was disappointed in the results. It was too dark outside for pictures without flash and I DESPISE using flash. I think I've reached the point where I have to move beyond the kit lens for my Nikon and research external flashes.

Well I know this is short once again but its all I have time for. I'm hoping to have some LO's to share tomorrow. Blessings to you and yours.

Posted by Meg at 9:15 PM 0 Blessings  

The blog is "all dressed up" and ready to go. In 2008 I think I managed to make seventeen measly posts. Pretty pitiful! However, its 2009 now so enough with the neglect. I would like to commit to updating here in some form six days a week. After all even our blessed Hashem needed a day of rest. This will have to suffice as today's post but I will be back soon with some scraps to share and perhaps a few goals or two.

Posted by Meg at 9:33 PM 0 Blessings  

Topics: Blogging, New Year, Update

1. Name your two favorite scrapbooking topics:
My Family and Faith

2. Where are the two best places you've been to?
Talladega (Nascar Race) and the Smokies(which we are very lucky to live within a hour/hour and half from)

3. Name two things you do every day: Read and Scrapbook


4. Tell us two things that pretty much everyone knows about you: I am a avid reader and scrapper


5. Tell us two things that everyone DOESN'T know about you: I am the queen of procrastination (working on this) and reality TV is my guilty pleasure.

6. Tell us two things that got you into the hobby of scrapping: I love creative stuff embroidery, needlework, sewing, etc. and I started paper scrapping as another form of creative outlet. I discovered digiscrapping through making sig tags and though I still "tag" from time to time I digiscrap more often now.

7. Tell us two things that you want to accomplish in the next six months: I want to finish up our current curriculum and get my digiscrap LO's printed(I'm horrible about just leaving them on the computer :) ).


8. Name your two favorite scrapping tools: Lightroom to enhance photos and PSPX2 to scrap with.


9. Name your two favorite sources of scrapping inspiration: My photos in that they determine what type of LO I do and various scrapbook galleries when I just can't get inspired.

10. How has your scrapping changed since you started? 1)I've got to agree with Nikki on this I am trying to make simpler LO's when I first started digiscrapping I had this awful habit of trying to use everything in the kit...LOL...those LO's will probably never be posted online. 2)Since I have discovered digiscrapping I rarely ever paper scrap.

11. What scrapbooking project have you yet to try but would love to? Hmmm...I've seen a few altered journals, wooden letters, and such that I would like to try to make someday. Does that count?

Thank you, Nikki, for the tag which allowed me to update my once again neglected blog. I believe this is the goal that I am having the most trouble keeping up with. However, there are only so many hours in a day so I guess something has to go on the back burner.

In other areas of life my hubby and I are leaving for Florida on Thursday. He surprised me with tickets to the Nascar race in Daytona for our anniversary. WOOHOO!! I can hardly wait!! I mentioned a few months ago that it would be a awesome gift but since the race was sold out I didn't think he'd actually get them. One of his employees had something come up and couldn't go so he ended buying his tickets. We will be gone for five days and I don't have a laptop so that is five days with no net or scrapping. On one hand I think I might have minor withdrawal symptoms but then again my dh and I haven't been on a vacation alone in several years so maybe I won't miss it to much.

I had another bit of excitement last week when my biological aunt was finally found after 40 years of separation from her siblings. My dad was adopted at age 5 and he and his twin sister went to the the same home. Two other siblings bounced around from foster home to foster home and the youngest two boys were adopted. In the mid-eighties five of the siblings were reunited. They had grown up within hours of each other though they never met until this point. My biological grandmother was also found but they never made contact with my bio grandfather before his death in '95. They searched for Cindy(my aunt) for many years but had absolutely no luck even with the invention of the internet. My biological grandmother passed away two weeks ago and my aunt decided to have their story posted in the local paper. Within a few days someone that attended school contacted my Aunt Kim with two phone numbers and they were able to contact Cindy who now resides in Michigan. One of my aunts and one Uncle live in Ohio, one Uncle in Michigan, and my dad and his twin sister live in Ga. so a immediate reunion isn't possible. Everyone has been in contact by phone, IM, and email and they are planning a reunion sometime next month. Much to my disappointment my Aunt Cindy doesn't have any digital pics to send but I should be receiving some "regular pics" in the mail in the next few days. I am so excited to put a face to this aunt who I have heard about all these years and even more excited to meet her IRL. I do have some scanned pictures of them as children so I am hoping for some really good reunion pictures to make some scrap pages with. I am thanking the Lord that he answered our prayers and is reuniting our family!!!
Well I've got to get my behind in the bed. I've had a sinus cold for the last two weeks and finally broke down and went to the doctor today. He prescribed some cold medicine that has me wound up tight as a clock and it looks like I am going to have to force myself to go to sleep. Have a blessed day everyone!!!

Posted by Meg at 11:01 PM 1 Blessings  

Topics: Digiscrap, Reunion, Tag

...its been quite awhile since I've posted and even longer since I updated my layout. I was still wishing everyone a happy fall even though we are several weeks into the winter season. Life has been quite busy here lately even though we took a extended vacation from homeschooling during the holiday season. We will start schooling again Monday and although I have enjoyed the break I will be glad to get back on a "normal" schedule.
Tuesday evening we got our first snow of the year and winter season. It began at about 10:30 and my children insisted on going outside to play in it. Since we rarely get any snow here and when we do it doesn't last long I relented and let them enjoy it while it lasted. There was only a 1/2-1 inch of snow but my dc made mini snowmen, snow angels, jumped on the snow covered trampoline, and had a blast. Of course Mom grabbed here camera and snapped away. You can see photos of us enjoying the winter wonderland HERE. It was gone by 9 a.m. the next morning but it was sure fun while it lasted.
In November my husband bought me a new digital camera which I quickly put to use taking pictures of the kids. As time went by this hobby has become my new passion. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on that pertains to photography and carrying the camera with me at all times since I always seem to be taking pictures of something. This has been a great learning camera but I hope to purchase a digital SLR camera sometime within the next year. I'm still researching which SLR cameras are best for beginners so if there are any photographers out there that can give me any suggestions I would greatly appreciate it. Since I've been taking so many photos I have been doing quite a bit of scrapbooking. While I enjoy paper scrapping I have found digiscrapping to be a lot easier, neater, and cheaper. I've purchased many lovely kits and have a gallery of some of my layouts at Digichick. As time allows I hope to upload more of my layouts and add a link to my gallery and some of my favorite digiscrap artists in the sidebar.

I'm a little late posting my goals for 2008 but it is better to be late than never post at all.

Read through the Bible-I will be using the Narrated Bible in Chronological Order. I started this late last year and wasn't able to finish.
Pray at the appointed times of prayer-I bought the Artscroll Women's Siddur about a year ago and I have used it periodically. However, I really want to commit to praying at the three appointed times a day. There is something very powerful about praying this liturgy each day and knowing there are so many people around the world doing the same.
Continue studying the weekly parshahs using Torah Club Volume Five-I am so grateful for the FFOZ ministry. I have learned so much through their materials and cannot rave about them enough.
Complete two Torah Resource Course Studies- I have been meaning to do this for some time but just have not gotten around to it. They offer distant learning courses that I would love to do in the future but for the time being I would like to try a few course studies on my own.

Spend more quality time with my hubby-In order for me to be able to stay at home my husband often has to work a lot of hours. Add to that a a houseful of children and it adds up to nearly no quality time for my dh and I. I'd love to have one night a month where we can go out or stay home without the children. However, it isn't always possible for us to find someone to stay with the children so I commit to finding ways to make quality time for us.
Have a weekly game night- This year our dc decided they wanted only board games for Hanukkah so we obliged them. We have had so much fun trying out their new games and I've found its a wonderful way to spend some quality family time.
Go bowling several times a month-We took all of the children bowling several weeks ago and we had so much fun. Its a hobby we all enjoy and I'd love to have this family outing as often as possible.

Revamp my home management binder and use it daily-I do really well with a schedule that is until I miss using it for a few days and it throws everything off track. This year I intend to use my binder everyday and keep it coming from a pretty thing I made that collects dust on the shelf.
Get in bed earlier-I am a night owl by nature and this irks my hubby to no end. I know I that I will be a happier and more productive person if I get in bed earlier but I have to follow through and make myself do it. I tend to lose track of time when I grab a "little" time to scrap, read, or blog in evenings when everyone is in bed. I could do this in the morning before the children wake up or perhaps set a timer in the evening to get myself back on track.
Excercise-I am still carrying around "baby weight" from four years ago that I really need to lose. While it probably will not be feasible for me to join a gym I plan to purchase a few workout DVD's and walk around our yard or through the woods several times a week.
Blog more-I tend to neglect this blog and I really would like to be more disciplined about posting. I plan to write something about our homeschooling each day and a post about our weekend on Sunday. I also saw a "challenge" around the blogosphere this past year that included sharing a photo a day which I'd love to do.
Read more-I already read a lot but oftentimes I stick to fiction. This year I would like to read a wider variety of material.
Scrap more-I have a lot of photos that need to be scrapped and I add to that list nearly daily. I am setting a goal to complete at least 100 layouts this year.

Whew...that is a long list but I truly hope I can accomplish everything. To keep me accountable I think I will commit to posting each week about my progress on this years goal. Now I really have to get caught up on lesson planning so I am ready for Monday. Thank you for stopping by my blog and have a blessed day!!

Posted by Meg at 6:49 PM 0 Blessings  

My Assignment:

I commit to visiting as many fellow "BFSers" as I can during the next week and praying for each one.

1.Please pray for my father that he may come to know the Savior and have a peace that passes understanding fill his life.

2. My second prayer request is for my cousin who has been struggling to find purpose and direction in his life. May he open his heart to Yeshua(Jesus) and know in his heart the plan that Hashem(God) has for him.

3. Pray for my husband who is dealing with very stressful situations at work right now and is very conflicted about a possible job promotion.

4. Pray for my cousin who is newly saved that she may grow in her walk with Hashem and be a light to her family.

5. For myself please pray that I can learn to better prioritize my time and become more organized. This is a struggle that I am constantly battling and just when I seem to be overcoming it life happens and I get off track. This situation is getting to the point where I am becoming discouraged and losing my joy. May I learn to choose joy everyday and lean on Hashem for the diligence to follow through with scheduling and prioritizing.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and have a blessed day.

Posted by Meg at 6:45 AM 0 Blessings  

Doug Phillips and Vision Forum are sponsoring a giveaway at inashoe.com to help get word out about the FREE SHIPPING Vision Forum is offering until Midnight tonight

Help spread the word on your website or blog then leave a comment at LIFE IN A SHOE.

Hurry on over and check it out. Thanks for stopping by my blog and have a blessed day!

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Posted by Meg at 3:03 PM 0 Blessings  

Topics: Giveaway