New Year, New Plans, New Resolutions

 Yes, today is the first day of a new year! Who can believe that it is really 2015? I know that I can't. Time keeps going along, my kids keep getting older & so do I! PDC is going to be 5 in three weeks! That one makes me stop & think. Then again, Bubba just turned 16 the beginning of December! I can still remember the day I brought him home from the hospital like it was yesterday. Time flies when you are having fun, & being driven insane by your kids, that's for sure.

 I have spent the last week or so working out a lot of details on how we are going to try to make things run a little smoother in our house this coming year. I made a daily schedule for myself, found a bunch of great downloads for helpful forms & plans from some great web sites. I have also decided that PDC needs to have a chore chart & allowance starting today, I am so tired of having to pick up behind her everyday & then everyone else in the house thinks that I don't do anything all day! :( I am also revamping how we do our menu every month. I do make one up at the first of the month so I know what to buy for groceries, but it is just a loose planned one, not one that actually tells what the dinner is really going to be that night. I decided this month to take the time to actually make it right & assign what is going to be for dinner that night.

 We have a schedule when everyone is supposed to make dinner each month but that also never seems to work out every day either. Bubba is supposed to make dinner 2 Wednesdays a month, Stitch was supposed to switch off the other 2 with him (but try making a nearly 21 year old who thinks that just paying rent to live here is all that is expected of him, & I don't have the backbone to just kick him to the curb either.) I make dinner Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays, while DH makes dinner on the weekends ( I still think I am getting the short end of the stick here but since I stay home...) :)

 My wonderful in-laws gave me an electric roaster for Christmas that I have a feeling is going to be my new best friend, along with my crock pot. I have been trying for the last few months to tighten up our grocery list seeing as how prices in the stores are going up & our budget for food isn't. I have about $600 a month to feed 5 people ( one of them eats like two & another eats enough for at least three people.) All that combined makes it hard to work out every month but hopefully with the new roaster & the tried & true crock pot it will all work out a little better.

 I also have tried to work out a way to better spend my days & hopefully get every thing done without feeling like a chicken with my head cut off. I am looking at starting to work with PDC on preschool stuff a couple times a week too. She will be heading off to kindergarten this next fall, so I want to make sure she is ready (although I am not sure I am going to be 100% ready for that.) Hopefully all of this combined will make life in my crazy little world a little bit easier.

 I will share some of the ideas that I have found as we go along & see how they all work out. I know from the sites that I found that they seem to work for other people pretty well but I don't want to endorse anything on here that I have not tried myself & found to work well. I have been saying that I want to take this blog slightly in a different direction & not just have it be about my scrapbooking (although that will always be the original reason that I started it.) That is not the only way that I have to escape my crazy life everyday.

 So here is to a New Year & please join me for the journey that I have with all the new plans & new resolutions. Maybe they will help you as much as I am hoping they help me! :)

 Thank you for joining me today,

 Kim

BIG Changes

 So the last couple of weeks have been pretty crazy for me. I have come to a decision that I have been sitting on the fence over for quite some time, but was unsure what to do. I have decided to quit the CT for Ginger's Scraps N Pixels. I have not been happy with the way the kit designs have been going for quite some time lately. I like the cutsie kits, but due to reasons that Ginger has she has changed the kits that she designs. When I joined the team the cutsie kits are what she designed & unfortunately the kits that she does now are not the type or style that I would chose. That being said I felt that it was time to move on from Ginger's team. We both wished each other well & now it is time to move on.
 So now that I have given you the bad news, how about some good news? I have been invited to join a new CT! I have joined BoomersGirl Designs CT. I am so excited for the chance to play with the wonderful kits that Lori makes. I am having more fun than I have had in a long time (I believe that being a member of a CT should not really be work to come up with a layout.) Her kits are so cute & just the type that I want to use to scrap pictures of Princess Demon Child. I have some new layouts that I have made with her kits & feel so excited that it only took me a half hour or so to do each of them. When a kit is right it just all seems to come together!
 I have also decided to get back into doing the challenges at GingerScraps. i have really missed doing all of that but have had a hard time even getting up the feeling to want to scrap. Hopefully all of these changes will make that enjoyment return. Keep your fingers crossed. :)
 Now onto those pages that I have done for BoomersGirl.

Dragonfly Dreams

                                                                 

Naughty or Nice

Farm Friends

Monkey Business

 Winter Wonderland

 All of these kits can be found at Daisies & Dimples, Scrappy Bee, Kitten Scraps, & My Memories. The last four pages have another thing in common, they were all made using LissyKay templates. I will have some other pages to show you using her templates tomorrow. Her kits can be found at GoDigital Scrapbooking & GingerScraps.

 I hope you have enjoyed the new layouts as much as I enjoyed doing them. Lori comes out with 6-8 or so kits a month so I am quite sure that I am going to have plenty more to share with you in the near future.

 Stay scrappy! :)

Just in time for NSD and a freebie border!

Just in time for NSD

Ginger has a

New Release

Wisdom and Friendship

If you purchase the kit

you will receive this special

Cluster Pack for FREE

What could make this deal any better

is that you get it at the NSD price of

 50% off

Starting Nov. 1 thru the 10th

Check out some of these great

Layouts by our awesome

creative team!

She still isn't done

with the surprises and deals

Plus Special NSD FLASH SALES!!!

Be checking her Blog 

for a Freebie as

 well ! ! !

                                And now for your freebie. 

                                I have a great border from 

                                  Wisdom & Friendship.

                    Just click on the preview to download. :)

Stay Scrappy & see you soon!! :)

My Magnificent Fall and a freebie

 Ginger's Scraps N Pixels has a new kit for the October mixology at GDS, My Magnificent Fall. This kit was so much fun to work with, or should I say the kit & 2 minis, along with the masks & splatters. There is a lot to this month's mixology! So without further ado here is a look at the kit:

 I have a ton (literally) of LOs to share with you from this kit, I had a hard time figuring out which pictures I wanted to use so I decided to just make LOs with all the pictures & post all of them. It has taken so long for fall to finally make it's appearance here in Montana, the leaves finally started changing in just l the last two weeks, so I am really enjoying the beauty of the colors of the Big Sky State.

 I can honestly say that the girls had a blast having all the fun that we captured in these pictures. I am having a very good friend of mine take pictures of all of my kidlettes. I wasn't happy with Bubba's school pictures the last couple of years & Classy Does does such a good job. (Not to mention it only costs me the price of printing out the pictures, lol) I will be showing you plenty more of the pictures that we have captured of my greatest joys, my children, in the coming months.

 So now I am sure that you are chomping at the bit for me to get to that freebie. I am sure that you will recognize this cluster from the first LO on here. It is a beautiful template of LissyKay's that I used. I love her templates & as many of you know from this post, she has been having some troubles, so please go pick up the wonderful collab that so many of the designers made & take a look at her store while you are there. I never get tired of using her templates & I am sure once you try them you won't either. :)

 Now for that freebie:

Click on the preview to be taken to download. :)

                                            (Link has been fixed. I am so sorry about that.)
 Have a wonderful Fall & stay scrappy! :)

That's What Friends Are For collab and a Freebie

The wonderful thing about being a part of the digi-scrap community is the way we come together from all over the world to raise money for a cause, a catastrophe or a friend in need.

This time we come together for one of our own.

Melissa Melanson-Dawes (aka LissyKay Designs) just underwent her 14th spine operation and now has to face yet another operation.  She has had to take her 3rd leave of absence from work and will have to stay on bed rest following this next operation through the end of the year.  With all the medical bills and cost of living, the family is not in a financial position to do this, but has no choice as Melissa's spine damage has worsened to the point that she was losing the ability to walk.

Still recovering from the last round of surgeries, the family now finds themselves in an even worse position than before.  Melissa still needs more treatment and the family is facing losing their small condo due to their finances being drained.  We hope that you will join in and help the Dawes family during their time of need so that Melissa can continue to receive the life-saving care she requires.  They have kept the drastic nature of their situation quite private, but it is at a point they stand to lose what little they have and this will impact the further care Melissa needs.

Many know Melissa has struggled for years, but most don't know this all started when she was in a car accident as a teenager.  Her husband, Alan, works 2 jobs but this barely touches the debt they have had to take on for Melissa's medical treatment.  Doctors believe they finally have a solution to prolong Melissa's physical abilities and with all things going right, she will be able to work for a few more years.  The doctor does not expect her to have many years left of employment and she will have to take a permanent disability. 

Many thanks to the 22 amazing designers have come together to help raise money for this wonderful family:

2 Curly Headed Monsters, A Fish Designs, A Little Giggles Designs, Angel Wing Scraps, Anne-Marie Designs, Arizona Girl, Cajun Diva Scraps, Christine Martin, Created by Jill Scraps, Dana's Footprints, Dream4Ever Designs, Ginger's Scraps N Pixels, Jilbert's Bits of Bytes, LouCee Creations, Manu Scraps, NBK Designs, Patty B Scraps, Studio Wendy, The Urban Fairy, Studio4 Designworks, Dagi's Temp-tations & Zesty Designs and their super talented Creative Teams who have created such wonderful layouts for your inspiration!

Because.....

Available for for a limited time for just $15 at:

GingerScraps & GDS

Take a look at this AMAZING Collaboration! 

All proceeds (less Paypal fees) from the sale will be donated to the Dawes family.

If you care to donate privately, please visit their family page HERE

Here's a peek at just a few of the wonderful layouts created with this amazing kit!

While you're grabbing up this wonderful collab at
GingerScraps or GDS, make sure to visit Melissa's stores while you are there:
 GDS | GingerScraps
(she has some incredible templates!)

Many thanks from us to you!
                                                                                                                                                                     Here are some more layouts from our beautiful CT:                                                                                

 And now for your freebie from this wonderful kit.                                                                              
                                                                                  

Click preview to be taken to download. :)

 Don't forget to check the other blogs for Ginger's CT members to find more wonderful freebies from this beautiful kit:                                                                                                                                      
Ginger- Ginger's Scrap N Pixels
Lisa- The Cherry on Top
Chandra- Mom 2 A Princess

 Please do go pick up this wonderful kit that these designers have created for this worthwhile cause & by all means... Stay Scrappy! :)