Creative Memories Inspirational Video

Dislocation

Yesterday was my dear hubbies 27th birthday!
All he wanted was a really clean house and I thought that was something I could certainly do since I'd been doing a pretty good job keeping up on everything this week. My grandma had come on Thursday for our big laundry day and I faithfully kept up on dishes and tried to keep up with the 18 month old messes (which is a formidable task). So, I felt like I could handle having the house really, really clean when Caleb got home from work.
What I didn't count on was that while shopping for one last bday gift for Caleb, Aubrey, who was holding my hand, would drop and dislocate her little arm. I spent the next two hours or so at my in-laws house trying to comfort her and care for her and suddenly she got better. So, when I got home I rushed to clean the girls room and before I knew it he was pulling up in the driveway. I was excited to see him but my heart sank because I wanted it to look really nice when he walked in the door and it didn't. So, I quickly went to the door to warn him before he walked in and of course he was all grace and concern for Aubrey but I still wished I had been able to finish everything before he got home. The thing was that after dad got home I finished up the girls room, put them down for naps and the birthday boy decided to take a nap as well so I had a couple of hours of quiet time to work like a wild banshee and so the house did get clean, the pizzas and brownie were made (the best whole wheat crust I've ever made) and I was reminded (by a very gracious God) that I can't do things in my own strength and why would I even want to when I have access to His strength? I'm so thankful for this reminder right before we're leaving for the Philippines. The stress of getting everything ready, the flight, the time change, not to mention the busy days when we're there are all completely under control when I'm resting in my Lord's will and His strength. But these next few weeks would be impossibly difficult if I tried to rely on my own resources.
Anyhow, I thought I'd post a few pictures that a very kind friend took the other day for us so that we could make a prayer card for our trip.

Mondays, runny noses and hidden pictures

So, I haven't really written any blogs about what is going on in our lives. I feel a little overwhelmed like I should write a book but really I know that isn't necessary. Let me just cover a couple of things.
Sophie
She cracks us up all the time. Yesterday she was commenting on how Uncle Kritter calls Aubrey "Crusty" and she doesn't like it. Caleb told her it's okay that's just his nickname for Aubrey and Sophie said "oh, you mean like Nick" (a guy who was over at our house Friday night).
She said something else last night that I can't remember.
Aubrey, well, she just walks around most of the time with a big grin on her face and her hands going up and down in the air. She thinks she's jumping when she does this.
They both love the sandbox Great Grandpa Cattermole set up for them last week and they both have extremely runny noses at the moment.
As for me, I'm excited about us going to the Philippines this summer (probably if God continues to open doors). We applied for passports this weekend. Boy, was that a big job. I finally got all of the birth certificates and everything all taken care of and we got to the post office and saw we had a rather long wait so we decided to take the girls over to my in-laws to take their nap and Caleb and I could wait in line and get everything taken care. Unfortunately, we didn't realize the girls had to be there for their passports. So, I went back to my in-laws woke the girls and brought them over to the post office. The whole process took from 1 until 4pm. But the girls did surprisingly well. I guess with all of our travel plans flexible children is a must.
I'm wanting to get a bunch of stuff done as usual today. Mondays are always an ambitious day for me. And I'm ready for my household to be healthy once again. Thankfully, it is at least clean.
I'm going to make the whole Corned Beef and Cabbage meal tonight for dinner. Maybe I'll try to do something fun and green for the girls, too. We will see. Oh, I highly recommend the Family fun magazine website. It is great for good, wholesome ideas for families.
Oh, speaking of that, when I was a kid we always got Highlights magazine and our 'highlight' of the magazine was the hidden pictures thing. Well, a couple of weeks ago we got a trial hidden pictures magazine geared for kids Sophie's age so we subscribed and this weekend we got the first one. It is so much fun. The new improved version is still black and white but you put colored stickers on the pictures when you find them. We've already had a lot of fun with it. You all should try it!

#71 Completed but not here

I forgot that ordering business cards was on my 1001 list. I did this last week. They're not here yet but I finally did it. I've had my Creative Memories business for two years and this is the first time I've actually done real business cards. I'm excited!

#27 Take the girls to the snow

I combined two of my goals last week and took the girls up to Wrightwood with my friend Elsie and her daughter. The other goal of seeing my grandma more regularly was accomplished as well. We went to visit her, had lunch and then headed up to Verdugo Pine's Bible camp where there was plenty of snow. We had a blast! We borrowed an inner tube from the Moss family and on Sophie's first trip down the hill she had a terrified look on her face but every trip after that she giggled and carried on the whole way down the hill. Then, we put Sophie and Soren in the inner tube together and they loved it. Next, Aubrey begged, signing 'please' repeatedly, with great enthusiasm pointing up the hill whenever the girls would ride the inner tube so we put Sophie and Soren on the bottom of the inner tube with their arms around each other and Aubrey on top. Sophie and Soren each held onto Aubrey with their free hand and all three girls rode down together giggling delightedly. It was so much fun! Elsie and I talked on the way home about how much fun it is to see your child having fun. I could never imagine that before I was a parent but I get it now. I suppose this trip was as much for me as it was for them.

#67 and #68

Well, I did have my first framing Get Together and I convinced my photographer sister to try getting one of her pieces framed. So there are two in one. Yeah! I actually had a couple of my little sister's pieces framed, too. I can't wait to see how they turn out! I'll try to post a picture.

#50 Completed

#50 Complete a toy organization system for my children
I've done it! Unfortunately, I'm to disorganized to know where my camera is to take a picture but it is cool. The bins from IKEA all have photos of the toys that belong on the inside taped to the outside. I'm hoping this will really help!

101 in 1001

FOR MY RELATIONSHIP WITH MY SAVIOR

1. Read through the New Testament in a quarter

2. Read through the entire bible in the 1001 days

3. Memorize a chapter of the Bible

4. Fill my current Journal

5. Keep a regular prayer journal for one year

6. Spend an extended part (6 hours or more) of one day totally alone with the Lord

FOR MY HUBBY

7. Speak Caleb’s love language more effectively by keeping laundry completely caught up for two weeks (without him touching it except to put it on).

8. Pay for the laptop using money I made from Creative Memories

9. Plan a Jr High Youth group party or event

10. Hire someone to fix something Caleb’s worried about as a surprise and pay for it using CM money (don’t tell him either, let him discover it).

11. Plan a romantic date on the beach with my Love.

12. Earn CM’s 2009 Incentive Trip to Ireland

13. Go on a family road trip across the US

14. Establish a ROTH IRA for him and I

15. Visit a cultural or historical place in Los Angeles that we’ve never been before

16. Take Caleb cross country skiing

17. Go to a RHS football game

FOR MY CHILDREN

18. Read to my children daily for a month.

19. Go to the library weekly for a month.

20. Teach Sophie how to ride a 2 wheeler bike.

21. Teach Sophie how to read

22. Teach Aubrey to sing the actual ABC’s (not just her version, which currently includes lots of “I”s and “E”s).

23. Play outside with my children at least 3x per week for a month

24. Finish Aubrey’s Baby Album

25. Help Sophie finish her zoo album

26. Get caught up in 2008 with my albums

27. Take the girls to the snow

28. Take Sophie and Aubrey to Disneyland

29. Teach Sophie and Aubrey to do a new chore and enforce it for a week

30. Write letters to my children on each birthday during the 1001 days

31. Teach the girls the verse and hand motions for Psalm 1

FOR MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY

32. Have a different friend over once a week for tea for a month (one that I’ve never had over before)

33. Give only homemade Christmas and New Year’s gifts one year.

34. Visit Grandma Beam, Grandma Lois, Grandma Nanu, and Grammie specifically to help them with something.

35. Read one of the books dad tells me about.

36. Get foot detoxification done with mom

37. Have each sibling over for dinner, separately (we have like 13 all together)

38. Plan a trip to Yosemite for the entire family

39. Convince Karissa and Karl to let me watch Ani for them for an evening

40. Help mom get current on her albums

41. Help my mom-in-love do her wedding album

42. Make a Mummy Tummy Workout video with Malyn

43. Send Amie Rempe (friend from Kindergarten) a package when her baby is born

44. Visit the Currado’s in their new home in Weldon

45. Make a current and much more complete Christmas card list by Christmas 2008

46.

FOR MY CUSTOMERS

47. Celebrate customers’ birthdays at workshops that they attend.

48. Paint and fix up my workshop making it an inspiring place to work

49. Find 100 new people to help get their photos in albums

FOR MY HOUSEHOLD

50. Complete a toy organization system for toys

51. Paint and fix up the office

52. Hire someone to help clean once a week and pay using Cm money

53. Get current on my family albums

54. Have a successful mulch pile

55. Plant a beautiful garden

56. Save $100 per month while I’m doing the 101 in 1001

FOR MY HEALTH/FITNESS

57. Complete a mini triathlon

58. Stay faithful (no cheating) to the Fat Flush Plan for 2 weeks

59. Do my egoscue’s everyday for a month

60. Lose 15 more pounds

61. Go running in 10 states I’ve never been before

62. Run a sub 25 minute 3 mile race again

63. Swim a mile

FOR MY BUSINESS

64. Send a quarterly newsletter to all my customers

65. Send a monthly reminder about my workshops

66. Get to the point where I can afford direct ship so that my customers see new products

67. Hold a custom framing get together

68. Convince Jocelyn to frame one of her photos using custom framing

69. Approach a new business or company about using CM Custom framing for their décor

70. Get a nice canon camera (can be a gift)

71. Get real business cards made

72. Keep regular records in 2008

73. Try to get on to the “ideas” board for CM

74. Attend Showcase

FOR MINISTRY

75. Go on a vision trip

76. Keep my MOPS box organized

77. Make a pie and give it to a homeless person

78. Send a fun package to a missionary friend

79. Come up with and submit a new charity for Creative Memories to support

80. Donate blood

FOR EXPANDING MY HORIZONS AND/OR GROWING MY MIND (FOR TAKING ME OUT OF MY COMFORT ZONE)

81. Take a dance class with Caleb

82. Take a pottery class from the Currados

83. Become a Unit Leader by April

84. Finish my watercolor

85. Finish my pencil drawing

86. Read a Stephen Covey book

JUST BECAUSE

87. Do a jigsaw puzzle

88. Read all of the Jane Austin novels (finished Emma May 2008)

89. Write a children’s book and actually send it to a publisher

90. Go geocashing

91. Read an Agatha Christy book

92. Train Maisey (my dog) to do a trick just for fun

93. Use my planner faithfully for a year

94. Attend Wicked

95. Make it a habit to lock all the doors in my house when my husband is gone and at night (28 days and it’s a habit)

96. Figure out what a 26 things project is and do it if it sounds fun

97. Go to Discanso Gardens in the spring time

98. Visit the Huntington Library

99. Repost and try to sell An’s books on Amazon

100. Make a homemade Advent calendar at a level my kids can understand

101. Let someone choose one of my items for me to complete