steph's stuff

Why didn't anyone ever tell me this?

When my kids were little and my biggest accomplishment was getting out of the grocery store alive with a newborn, a 2 year old, and a 5 year old, I used to look at the parents of older kids with pity. Maybe it was lack of sleep (27 straight months of not sleeping through the night destroys a lot of brain cells) or maybe it was just my post-post-post pregnancy haze that made me feel sorry for them but for whatever reason, I was sad that they were past all the baby and preschool stages.

Those moms would come out of the grocery store pushing a cart with an elementary kid, a pre-teen and a teenager all trailing behind. And those kids were definitely not as cute as my angelic precious little babies. They had on scuffed-up, untied shoes, messy hair and were rolling their eyes at their mother and fighting behind her back. I used to think to myself, "Those poor moms." They were on the down side of parenthood as far as I could tell and I dreaded getting to that stage. I just didn't see how that could possibly be fulfilling or fun in the slightest little bit.

And friends' comments didn't do anything to dispell those notions. I heard a lot of comments like "Ugh. Wait until you have three teenagers! You won't think your kids are so cute then." Or "That independence is cute now but wait until she's a teenager - she'll be the one arguing with you constantly." And "Enjoy them while they're little and you can still boss them around. It just gets worse as they get older."

Well, they were wrong. And I was wrong. So incredibly wrong that I can't even fathom how I used to think that way. And I'll be the first one to admit that I would NEVER want to go back to that stage of having 3 kids in five years. I don't know how any of us survived, especially my husband.

Because, while I don't quite have three teenagers, I have a pre-teen, a tween, and a teen and this is the most fun I've ever had! Having older kids ROCKS!!! And in all those years, no one ever told me that. So to those of you with little kids who might be dreading the years to come, let me tell you this - it just gets better as they get older.

My kids are fun to be with, so articulate that I'm often the one getting corrected now, and hysterically funny. They are smart, energetic, enthusiastic, and completely engaged in their own activities and lives. And getting to witness it all and cheer them on is the best part of parenting!

Now, I realize that I still have a long way to go. The kids are 15, 12, and 10 and I know there will be a lot of not-so-fun moments and days where we all won't be able to stand the sight of each other. But right now - well - it's just the best!

And in all fairness, this stage is also very, very busy. So busy that it's taken me almost a week to write this and get it posted. And while I've been trying to find time to finish it, I've had many instances that weren't great parenting moments. One child came home from school ranting and yelling about her classmates and their attitudes, another child came home complaining that it wasn't fair that he couldn't play with his friend longer and that I had picked him up too early and the last child came home pouting and irrational about a perceived injustice delivered to her by a teacher. It is not perfect and it is certainly not fun and games all the time - it's crazy and busy and we yell and run around the house looking for lost books and shoes and gym clothes - but we're doing it together and when it's good, it's downright amazing. :)

P.S. And Erin Cobb just posted this on her blog - big kids - so I know I'm not the only mom who realizes this as your kids get older. :)

Blogging? What's that?

Yeah, so for those of you who are still faithful enough to still read this, I'm sorry. This hasn't exactly been the year of blogging for me. Or the year to post my Project Life layouts and I know most of you are here for scrapbooking in some form. And goodness, my blog header is still a picture of our snowy backyard. Guess I have even more updating to do. 

Life has just kind of taken off this year. In some respects, I have more alone time than ever before because the kids are busier than ever. But my alone time is not spent at home as much as it used to be. It's spent in the car. And so when I'm home, I'm either planning dinner, cleaning up, doing laundry, taking care of the crazy puppy and the silly kitties, writing or scrapbooking for my various jobs, or planning out all of our schedules and making list after list in an attempt to stay on top of everything. :)

And so for many reasons, blogging has taken a back seat. I'm not going to promise (again) that I'll be back here more often but I am going to share some layouts I've done in the past couple of months. For more details on any of these layouts or to see the journaling, you can go to my gallery here: Stephanie Vetne Gallery | Designer Digitals.

Re-entry is hard

Good morning, kittens! They are doing so well with their little cat door that takes them down to the basement. They are only locked in overnight so that we can all get some sleep and they are free to come and go, upstairs and downstairs, all day long. Every morning when we unlock their door, I get excited to see them again. If they had been sleeping on my head all night long, I would not be so excited to see them. So the cat door was a good investment. 

Every once in a while, though, that little cat door swings back towards them and smacks them in the head. And they back up, shake their head and try to push it open again.

I felt like that little cat door smacked me in the head yesterday. The kids went back to school after being home on Spring Break for 10 days and my re-entry was hard. I like them being home with me. A lot. I love my kids with all of my heart but I also like them with all of my heart. They are smart and funny and loving and so level-headed. And they talk to me about their likes and dislikes, about their friends, their classes, their teachers, about their dreams, hopes, and goals, and about their worries and fears. They share themselves with me and I am so honored that they do. 

So when they go back to school, I miss them terribly and it's hard to get back into a rhythm. I was just off all day - trying to get through that kitty door - and then also had to compose and send two very difficult emails today, effectively saying good-bye to some parts of my life. On top of that, my vet told me yesterday that he's leaving the area for another opportunity. Because of all the health issues that our crazy puppy has had, I've spent a lot of time with Dr. R over the past three years - a LOT. He had tears in his eyes when he told me and it was all I could do not to break down and cry over his departure. He has been so wonderful to work with and I will miss him a lot.

So, yeah. Re-entry was hard. I had some hard, hard moments during the day and I missed my kids more than I can say. But that little kitty door has to give at some point and I'll start over with a shake of my head and try to push it open again tomorrow.

A new chapter

(my view driving Emily to school one day)

I've been nostalgic a lot lately and it's because something in our house has shifted this year - this school year. Both girls started new schools - high school and middle school. And gradually over the past few months, we've realized that we're in an entirely new chapter of our lives. Emily will be a sophomore next year, Libby will be entering seventh grade (which I still think is the grade Emily should be in), and Andrew will be starting his last year in elementary school. 

There's so much new about all of this - the changes have brought driver's ed, boyfriends, worries about GPAs and AP classes and colleges already, a few more minor medical issues for Libby as she grows older, very different interests and friends for the girls as they mature, and my baby turns 10 in a couple of days. And it's all new in a very good and positive way. It's really exciting to see them grow and have more mature conversations with them and *gulp* even get ready to move on in just three years, in Emily's case.

But it's also bittersweet as well as fun and happy and exciting. There's really only eight years left of our lives with a child home with us full-time. We've been parenting for over 15 years and we're 2/3 of the way to having the kids all out of the house. That's daunting and makes me miss the kids being younger.

And with all of these thoughts comes the reality that we don't know if we have forever. I lost two friends to cancer during the month of March. And with those shocks and that grief comes the desire to cherish every moment I have with my kids and my husband. It all goes by too quickly and I want to enjoy every little bit of it that I can. And try to look forward to all the fun we have ahead of us instead of what's almost over. And appreciate each new chapter as it comes. 

Project Life 2013 | February

Welcome to Project Life February 2013! This was my second full month of doing this project on a monthly basis rather than a weekly basis and I'm even more in love with it than I was in January. This month's pages include 3 two-page spreads plus 1 one-page spread. No inserts. As you'll see, I had a furry photography assistant. 

Hi Becky. :)

I subscribed to Studio Calico's Project Life Kit and I'm not sure how long I'll keep it up. I absolutely LOVE most of the journaling cards and other cards but I'll never use the stamps and other embellishments. Watch here for a blog sale on some of those in the next month or two. 

I loved this woodgrain card and really like how it paired with the photos from Libby's cello competition. 

I think my absolute favorite thing about doing this Project by the month is that I feel much more free to group by photos by subject, by child, by animal (we do have a menagerie, after all), and totally out of chronological order. As long as it happened during that month, the individual weeks don't matter.

I'm including a lot of photos that the kids have taken, too, like this photo of Libby's bulletin board that she took. It will be so much fun to look back at her interests in a few years. 

And done! So simple, so easy and no pressure. :) My kind of project!

Five Photo Friday

1. I've been trying to photograph and blog February's project life pages for over a week but this keeps happening when I bring out the album. Becky is definitely coming out of her shell and has started following us around. 

2. I snapped this photo of Tom last weekend and it's my new favorite. I think I'm going to convert it to black and white and put this on my nightstand. :)

3. Poor Emily has another massive sinus infection and spent a day at home on the couch. These silly animals thought it was heaven - a sick child who wants cuddling and lots of quilts. They had a much better day than she did. 

4. I tried to be productive this week. I really, really did. But it really wasn't my best week.

5. This was the funniest moment of my week. The children have decided that I make chicken for dinner far too often. Especially Lemon Chicken. So this text to Daddy happened earlier this week. Oh, and Messy Sams = Sloppy Joes. They long ago decided that Joe was not a good name for our meal and renamed it. Unfortunately, their plan backfired a wee bit. They attempted to overthrow me, cook their favorite dinner instead, and demand that Daddy bring home ice cream for dessert. But Daddy and I always have each other's backs and Daddy instead told them that the only way they would get ice cream was if they ate their Lemon Chicken without complaining. He's a good man. ;)

Five Photo Friday

1. While I was gone last weekend for Pattie's funeral, my husband installed a cat door in our basement door so that the cats can come and go and get to their litter box and food without worrying about the dog. Unfortunately, they can't figure out how to push open the flap so we have it taped up for now. And the crazy puppy stands guard over it 24/7 and cries because he can't fit through the hole. 

2. Emily has had the best week and I'm so proud of her. She absolutely loves her academic super bowl team and was told earlier this week that she made the competition team AND varsity. As a freshman. They got 24/25 questions correct at their first competition, won the invitational and are working their way towards a state title. 

3. Neither Tom nor I have had the best of weeks. I've tried to make lists and get back into the routine, but it just hasn't happened. Luckily, we have each other when these types of things hit and we always find a way to pull each other through. 

4. I sat and watched Libby practice both her cello and guitar one night this week. And caught her rolling her eyes at me as I took a bunch of photos. :)

5. We had a huge snowstorm earlier this week and I'm kind of done with winter now. This hasn't been a bad winter at all but it can be over now. It's time for good news, sunshine, daffodils, and the sounds of the birds returning to the backyard. 

Have a great weekend!

Thank you, Pattie

Pattie Knox was a designer at Designer Digitals but more importantly, she was a dear, dear friend. We had to say a very unexpected good-bye to her last week. I traveled with some friends to her service this weekend and I am honored to have been able to be there, even though it was a very difficult thing to do.

My dear Pattie, I was a better person because you were my friend. Rest in peace.

Journaling:
Dear Pattie, This is just so hard to write and I really don’t believe that I’ll never have another of your fabulous hugs or hear your laugh again but I wanted to thank you for your friendship. You first reached out to me six years ago about our girls and diabetes and we sent many, many emails back and forth about the worries that motherhood sometimes placed on us. And you sent me too many virtual hugs to count and assured me that all would be well. And it was. Our friendship continued and grew and meeting you in Disney was a highlight of the trip for me. Before we went to Vegas, you sent me an email out of the blue saying that I was “warm, funny and real … and I can’t WAIT to see you again. One of my great regrets about Disney was that I really didn’t feel like I saw much of you.” I don’t know if you had any idea how much that email meant to me. But we did spent a lot more time together in Vegas. Sitting on your bed with you and Lynnie and the rest of the group filled my heart up the brim and will forever be one of my favorite memories. And I know you did the same with others. You made us all feel like we had a special connection with you and that we had a special place in your heart. You even made a digital kit for me. Right after my family adopted our golden retriever puppy, you sent me a link to the brand new “Ruff ‘N Ready” Kit and said you made it with me in mind and that your Izzie had brought so much joy to your life and that you hoped that Sawyer brought the same joy to me. And you put up with all of my whining and complaining about that horrid puppy stage. Your encouraging emails always meant the world to me. I don’t know that I ever told you in these exact words how much your friendship meant to me over the years but I like to think that you knew. In the last email exchange we had, you told me that you were honored that I had thought of you for an article I was writing. My dear friend, the honor was all mine. Thank you for your friendship. I will miss you forever. 

You can see more info here. 

{Some of} the weekend in photos

Our weekend started with a family dance on Friday night at Andrew's elementary school. It was the first of its kind and I sure hope that they have more of them. What a great time! Of course, I have no pictures of Andrew and it's his school because he has suddenly decided that he won't acknowledge his parents in public. And it happened overnight. The last school function I was at with him, he sat on my lap and hugged me. But we all had fun regardless. Emily was attacked all evening by the wonderful kids that she babysits for and she loved it. Libby found a lot of friends to hang out with. And Tom and I learned how to take duck-face selfies like all the cool kids.

I spent much of Saturday making strawberry jam - one of our absolute staples. 

The kids were very busy with speech team (Emily), guitar lessons (Libby), and football practice (Andrew) and Tom was able to spend some time planning what we'll do with 8 wooden pallets that his client gave us (more on this later!!!) so it was a great day to be home and chained to the stove.

And then on Sunday morning, my honey made us Jordan Pond popovers to go with the jam. There is no better combination in this world!

And Sunday was spent in the car, as it always seems to be these days. Football games and Academic Super Bowl practice consume our Sundays these days. And homework. As Harry Potter. :)

And now onto another very busy week! Happy Monday!

 

Project Life 2013 | January

If you'd like to know more about why I'm doing Project Life on a monthly basis rather than a weekly basis, you might want to read this first: Project Life 2013 | By the month.

And since I explained it all in that post, I'm going to cut right to the chase and post the pages. *with one small apology for the glare - it has been dark and dreary here for months and that makes it incredibly hard to photograph this project without putting it directly under a window - next month, i'll photograph the pages outside of the page protectors.*

You may be wondering why there are 3 1/2 pages and multiple two-page spreads. Because yes, I said yesterday that one of the main reasons I wanted to use a monthly format was so that it look up less space - which leads to the obvious conclusion that I would use fewer pages. And I have. In January of 2012, I used 4 two-page spreads and 8 inserts for a total of 12 pages of thickness in that album.

I don't expect every month to use this many two-page spreads. But this month, we had two new kittens, a presidential inauguration, Emily's first high school dance, Emily's first high school speech meet, and Emily's birthday. It made for an unusually busy and photo-heavy month. I'm sure that other months won't be this full. And regardless, this is still far fewer pages than I would have otherwise used. Last year, the norm was for me to do a two-page spread plus two inserts every single week. So follow me for a second with some math. When you're talking about taking up space in an album, that's 4 pages every week. On a slow week, it might be 3 pages/week. Times 4 times/month = 12 - 16 pages every month. For January of this year, I used 3 1/2 two-page spreads and 2 inserts. Which = 6 pages/month and exactly half of the space used in January of 2012. So even if I keep using this many pages for every month, I should still fit my pages in one album for the year and that's my primary goal with space-saving.  

Here's the individual pages up close. You'll see that I didn't have a weekly or monthly journaling card - I simply journaled the stories beside each photo or directly on each photo. 

I also embellished a lot less and left a lot of white space. It feels less cluttered and much more my style than what I did last year.

When I did want to add an embellishment, I stuck with small arrows, some heart stickers, and some word stickers. Many of them are digital supplies that I used from Designer Digitals and some are traditional supplies that I found at Target.

My two inserts are trimmed down page protectors and I put them at the end of the month - one for the inauguration and one for Emily's birthday and extra-cute kitten photos that I just couldn't leave out. :)

And there you go! If you have any questions about my supplies, leave me a comment and check back later - I answer all the questions in the comment section. :)