RaptorMama

As per usual, I’m running a wee bit (OK, a full year) behind.  Better late than never, right?  Here’s part 1 of last year’s December Daily.

 

I used the October Afternoon Daily Flash line for the page protectors and I’m having a love/ hate relationship with them.

They’re good quality, and I like the variety of pockets, but they are far from true to size and, as a result, I’ve had to mat everything.

I like the way everything looks matted, but it’s adding a lot more time and expense to the project.

One of the things that I’m loving about the pocket pages though, is that it’s forcing me to be more creative about the layouts.  I have to think about the layout of 2 days at a time since they share the same page protector layout.

Like here where I wanted to use the photo strip.

This is one of my favorite layouts!  I love the tiny 2×2 pockets.  I stitched confetti in some of them and I think it turned out super cool.  🙂

Luckily it worked out that I had lots of pictures to include for both of these days.

One of the other challenges is that I’m limiting myself to 1 page per day.  In the past, I’ve just added as many pages as I needed to use all of the photos that I wanted, but it ends up taking a lot longer to assemble so this time I decided no more!  Of course, some days, I had no photos.  I’m trying not to let it bother me.

I’m also trying to include some twine on each page.  There have been a few that I’ve missed, but I like that it’s giving some consistency to the book as a whole.

I’m also trying to include more everyday stories and not just focus on Raptor.

She was a bit under the weather for part of December so we had a bit more TV watching that usual.

I always think that maybe someday it’ll be interesting to see what we buy at HEB?  With that said, I’m making more of an effort to take a pic every day this year.  🙂

I included some of Kate’s art supplies on this page.  🙂  She loves it when I do that.

So, what’s the plan for 2013 and 2014 DDs.  Currently, I’m making sure to take a pic every day and write down what we do.  I’m toying with the idea of making this year’s DD 4×6.  It will just be one photo each day that I’ve (potentially) added some text/ embellishment to either in photoshop or with traditional materials.  That seems so boring, but with me working full time this year, there’s just not as much to photograph.  If I decide to do more than that, I’m pretty sure it will be using divided page protectors again.

I’m hoping to finish 2013 up in the next week or 2; I hate being so far behind.  I don’t anticipate posting (or even working on) any layouts from 2014 until I’ve finished 2013.

Until Raptor and I are off for a week!  I had the Teacher Talent Show last night and between that, Raptor’s ear infection, and, well, incubating 2 babies, I dont have anything super exciting to post today.  So, I leave you with a link to my Thanksgiving Pinterest Board.  I’m planning on doing some fun Thanksgiving activities with Raptor next week.  🙂

In twin news, it looks like we’re having a boy and a girl!  We’re so excited.  My other big goal next week is to make some serious progress cleaning out the room that will be there nursery so I can convince RaptorDad to paint it.  I’m thinking teal and orange.  With an octopus theme.  It’ll be cuter than it sounds, promise.  🙂

While I was looking through my Thanksgiving pinterest board, I saw bunches of cute lunches like this one.  I’m just not a sandwich girl though.  So Raptor and I decided to make tostada turkeys.  🙂

They were yummy.  Raptor even ate the lettuce.  #winning

 

Raptor and I decided that we needed some new Thanksgiving stuff.  After taking a look at my pinterest board, I decided on this turkey math game.  But of course, we have no M&Ms because, duh, I ate them all.  😉  I decided to cut it all out of construction paper and laminate it.  I also simplified the rules a bit since Raptor is only 5.

 

The turkey is preassembled (and laminated), then the feathers are laminated separately.  I made 6 cards (I’m thinking of bringing this over to the ILs on Thanksgiving for Raptor to play with her cousins) and I made 9 feathers for each turkey.  That’s a lot of feathers y’all.

The way you play is this, you roll 2 dice (die?) and then add them together.  That’s me sneaking in the math.  😉  If you roll between 2-5, you can add a yellow feather to your turkey.  Between 6-8, you can add an orange feather.  Between 9-12, you can add a red.  Whoever makes their turkey first, wins!

It was a hit over here.

In addition to the new job, there’s been another reason for the slowdown on the blogging front.

We’re having twins!  I’m 14 weeks now, so I’m finally feeling better and being able to stay awake past 8:30.  lol.  Expect lots more baby blogging on the horizon.  🙂  I have lots of projects I want to make for the babies.

 

Check it out, I made a page!  🙂

Supplies are some older October Afternoon and Apothocary.  Washi tape is from Target.

I also just ordered some fun new supplies that should be here on Friday.  Yay!  There’s nothing more motivating that a big box of new supplies.  Here’s hoping for some scrapping this weekend.  🙂

 

Wow.  Long time no see.  As predicted, having both RaptorDad and I working full time out of the house has been a crazy transition.  Still, I’d love to ease back into the ol’ blogosphere.  Maybe with a goal of once a week posting?  We’ll see.  😉

Today, I had to pop over and tell you about an awesome new app for Project Life.  It came out yesterday and obviously I bought it immediately.  (Sadly, no.  They’re not paying me to say this.  But Becky, are you listening?  I can be bought!  Cheaply!)  I’ve been playing around with it a bit this morning and it’s so easy!  It’s literally drag and drop for photos and cards.  Since I haven’t done a single Project Life layout in 2014, I have a lot to be catching up on!  I think where the app is really going to shine is those weeks that I only took pics with my phone, so I’m going to start with this week and move backwards.  If nothing else, I should be able to get the weeks since has school started knocked out.  And maybe that will motivate me to edit some of the backlog of DSLR pics from this spring and summer.

I’m finally getting a bit of my crafting mojo back, just in time for my favorite season, Halloween!  Raptor and I are going to go buy supplies to make her costume tomorrow, and yes, I’m going to let her help this year.  I think it will be fun project to do together.  🙂

So, you guys may have noticed that things have slowed down here on the blog.  Raptor and I were soaking up her last summer before she heads off to the wide blue yonder, by which I mean kindergarten.  Kindergarten y’all!  Holy crap, when did this happen?!?  There’s about to be a lot more changes around the Raptor household this fall.  Not only is Raptor going off to school, I’m going to be going back to work full time.  In fact, today is my first day!  I was vaguley tempted to take a picture on the front porch with the chalkboard, but ain’t nobody got time for that.

I’m pretty excited actually.  And scared.  I’m going to be working as a para at our top choice charter school which bumped Raptor up to the top of the wait list.  After sitting on pins and needles all summer, we found out a few weeks ago that she got a spot!  There was much rejoicing in the Raptor household.

I’m not sure how much time I’m going to have to devote to the blog.  Right now I’m kind of loving instagram.  It’s so much easier and quicker than blogging, plus I can do it anywhere so if you’re missing out on your Raptor craftiness, check me out at RaptorMama09.  (And yes, I’m still bitter that someone took the RaptorMama handle.  Kidding.  Kind of.)

I’m hoping that once we get into a good rhythm with the whole school/ work thing that I’ll be able to get back to the blogging.  We’ll see.  🙂

Sorry for the excessive exclamation points, but I am really excited!  Here are the front and back pages.

Now I just need to figure out how to get it printed.  Any suggestions?  It’s 40 layouts which I’m thinking might be a bit more than a shutterfly book can be.  I’d love to do a blurb book, but I’m concerned it will end up costing a million dollars.  Thoughts?

 

 

I’m almost done!  All I have left to do are the front and back pages.  Here’s week 39.