2018....Self Care = Renewal

I decided that 2018 would be the year I get ME back.  I would do all of the things I need to do to make sure that I am taken care of:

• pamper myself
• work on spiritual growth
• emotional well-being
• get a yearly physical including mammogram
• maybe even start working out again
• get back to scrapbooking 
• read more

All of the self care I had avoided over the last few years....afterall, everyone and everything else took priority. 

What has come out of this big decision?  

I had my first mammogram where they found a hard mass in my right breast.
After a biopsy, we found out that it was a fibro-adenoma.  They tagged it during the biopsy, they plan to keep an eye on it and do another mammogram before year's end.  

I got a new prescription for eyeglasses which are now called progressives, not bi-focals.

January 7th, I stepped into a local church after not attending for years.  I felt at home immediately.  Now, it is a church that I had watched online a few times over the years, I had heard good things about it from people here and decided it was time to renew my faith.  I joined the church back in February and have jumped into serving with both feet.  I find that I feel better when I serve.  I have found joy in serving.  I joined a women's small group from church. It has been such a year for growth for me.  Sophie and I were baptized on July 1st this year.  It means so very much that she believes in God and that she accepts Jesus as her personal saviour.  Margie would be so proud.  

Friends have told me that I have my "GLOW" back and it looks good on me.  

I have not had the heart to get back to scrapbooking yet, but it is coming. I was able to go into my spare room and organize the bins a bit.  Looking at photos still hurts a little.  So, I haven't spent much time looking at photos unless they are recent photos that I took on my cell phone.  

Dating.....now dating is a totally other animal.  I don't even know where to begin with that.  But that is definitely a story for another time.  

Maybe one day....



Until then, 
BE BLESSED

~C~

Fear is a Liar...

Fear Is a Liar

Zach Williams

When he told you you're not good enough
When he told you you're not right
When he told you you're not strong enough
To put up a good fight
When he told you you're not worthy
When he told you you're not loved
When he told you you're not beautiful
That you'll never be enough

Fear, he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear he is a liar

When he told you were troubled
You'll forever be alone
When he told you you should run away
You'll never find a home
When he told you you were dirty
And you should be ashamed
When he told you you could be the one
That grace could never change

Fear he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear he is a liar

Let Your fire fall and cast out all my fears
Let Your fire fall Your love is all I feel

Let Your fire fall and cast out all my fears
Let Your fire fall Your love is all I feel

Let Your fire fall and cast out all my fears
Let Your fire fall Your love is all I feel

Oh, let Your fire fall and cast out all my fears
Let Your fire fall Your love is all I feel

Oh, fear he is a liar
He will take your breath
Stop you in your steps
Fear he is a liar
He will rob your rest
Steal your happiness
Cast your fear in the fire
'Cause fear he is a liar

'Cause fear he is a liar

Songwriters: Jason Ingram / Zach Williams / Jonathan Lindley Smith

Fear Is a Liar lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Essential Music Publishing

Life Changes

A few years ago, you would have thought that I was crazy.....

I would plan these scrapbooking retreats for a bunch of ladies and then attend them.  While there at the retreats around women who loved me, I would feel these feelings of dread and fear. These episodes would make my body shake, my bowels to empty and sleep to evade me.  I would be a basket-case for 4 days while I was at these retreats and not have any way to chill out or calm myself.  The fight or flight in me would have me wanting to leave the retreat I had planned to go home.  I had no clue where they came from or why I was feeling that way.

Even my regular day to day life, was full of all sorts of anxiety and feelings of abandonment. I was living with my husband, our two children and 5 animals, but felt alone. 
Little did I know, I was seeing and feeling my future....
Fear playing a huge role in that future.

But also, a great deal of inner-strength found within...strength I didn't realize I had.

It has been well over a year since my last scrapbooking retreat.  It feels like a lifetime ago.  I haven't touched a scrapbooking supply in almost two years because life has changed so much.

I will share more in the days to come.....

Until then,

~CM~

Image is from an etsy shop......

Project Life Cards - Organization PART 2

Hello all!

As I said in PART 1 of the organization posts, I have had a really hard time trying to find which cards would work in my page layouts.  I previously had the cards sorted and stored in Medium CTMH Organizers by kit.  Both 4x6 cards and 3x4 cards were stored together.  

It just wasn't working for me.

If you ever feel like something isn't working for you in your creative space, you change it right?  Well, I decided to take matters into my own hands and change the way I had the cards. 

I have found that I use the 3x4 cards a little more than I use the 4x6 cards.  

I decided to organize my cards alphabetically by kit and then by size.  The first CTMH box was used solely for 4x6 cards - alphabetically by kit name.

Half of the second CTMH box was used for the rest of the 4x6 cards I had.  

The other half of the CTMH box, I started over with the 3x4 cards.  Again, I organized the cards alphabetically by kit name.  

Now, I also have some themed cards from Hobby Lobby that really didn't fit into a kit but are used throughout my albums for specific trips, school functions, birthdays, etc.  I have an Antonius plastic organizer from IKEA that I used just for these kinds of cards.  It is arranged alphabetically and sorted by size as well.  I have even stored the grid and lined 3x4 and 4x6 cards in the Antonius organizer. 

I guess I will see how it all works when I get my daughter's scrapbook out and try to get some layouts done!  Wish me luck!

Until Next time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

Project Life Cards - Organization PART 1

I have been a busy chick lately and haven't been writing at all.

I have tried to get to work on some albums but have found that the way I am set up, I really can't find the ones I want to use quickly.  It was taking forever to find just the right card to use in my daughter's album.

A friend of mine told me about this website from a fantastic woman who has been keeping up with the PDF's of each of the kits that Becky Higgins has released in her Project Life line and has been updating it with each release!

So, I saved and printed each of the PDF Files and created a project Life Binder.

The PDF's have a picture of each of the cards that come in each kit and there is also a checklist so that you can keep track of the kits that you have.  For those of you who have a dozen or less kits, it is easy to keep track.  But for those of us who have a dozen or more to pull from, this checklist is PHENOMENAL!!!!

I used page protectors and sorted the kits alphabetically.  Now, when I work on albums, I can just flip through the book and find the proper card to suit the layout.

Pretty awesome, eh?

Until Next Time...
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

It's Like Herding A Bunch of Kittens!!!!

Well, it is definitely harder than I thought it would be!  Teaching the 2's I mean!
At the beginning of the school year, I was supposed to have one person as my parapro.  As it turns out, my good friend, Dawn, was hired to work with me.  It has been great to hang with her every day and do this 2's thing together!  We know each other really well and can "read" each other fairly well with regards to when we have had enough with certain children, when we need to take "a second" to calm down - it has been a good year so far!

I subbed in the 2's room last year.  When you are the teacher of the 2's, you can start out the year by showing them what you want from them and most of them will fall in line.  There are a few children that are a challenge in our classroom and it has been hard to be consistent, but we have been on it from the beginning.  

I have planned for all kinds of art and learning opportunities for the kidlets and they have done really well so far!  It is only when we get off-schedule that it feels a little HECTIC and CRAZY!  It turns into a "herding kittens" kind of day and both Dawn and I are relieved when the last child leaves for the day.  I think all the teachers have this sort of feeling though. I also think that after the first year, you get your real groove as a teacher, so next year will be a LOT better!  

I am not sure how the rest of the year will go, but I am hoping that I have proven to the preschool administration what I can do and how well I do it. Maybe next year I will get the Pre-K4 class (which is my goal).  

What worries me is, that Dawn and I will do such a good job this year, that they will want us to stay in the 2's class and repeat what we are doing this year again next year!  

Wish us luck!

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

New Job!

At the end of this school year, I was asked by my two bosses if I would teach the 2 year old class for the 2014-2015 school year.  I was told that I could use this year to prove to the preschool administrators what I can do as an Early Childhood Educator from Canada and prove to them that I can lead a class.  
I had to make a decision and I decided to do it.  I have to admit that working with the 2's is more of a challenge than working with the 4's and K's this past year because they don't have the verbal skills or the attention span.  It isn't really where I want to be, but to show them what I can do, I can do it for a year.  Who knows, it may be something that I want to continue doing!  The best thing is:  It's MY classroom and I can do exactly what I did in Canada with the 2's I worked with there!  

My classroom theme:  ERIC CARLE

I think the hardest part was the planning that I spent the majority of my summer doing. Who knows, it may not be the hardest part....but the bulk of the planning is done for the year.  It is just my job to execute the planning!!!!
Wish me luck!!!

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~