Just as we got this one out, the other front tooth started to wiggle.

::Heaven help me::

I've been have so much fun digging through my stash lately. I keep finding all sorts of fun pieces that I want to use.

Zoe has actually taken an interest in scrapbooking, which is why I've really started to use my stash. She asks for supplies to use and I have to sort through the boxes of stuff I have, deciding what I am willing to share and what I'm keeping for myself.

Do you share your supplies? Or do you keep a tight guard on your boxes?

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

So you will never guess what I did last night?

Yep, I made page 1/52 for 2015.

I haven't scrapbooked in months. Yes, months.

In the Fall of 2014, we started seeing a fertility specialist which caused a chain reaction I was not ready for. These appointments, tests and procedures brought to the surface depression and anxiety, both which I've been able to cope with without medication or therapy for 10 years.

Scrapbooking and creating has been a form of therapy for me since I was introduced to it in my early teenage years. I didn't realize the therapy it provided until I was about 18 - but it has been a serious part of my life ever since then.

With the new year, goal setting and narrowing in on my one little word, I realized that in 2014, I let infertility take this special part of my life away. The creative process that I love and cherish, I had been robbed of - which is why I decided to make creative goals this year.

I decided I was going to take back the joy of creating.

So I did.

I made this page last night. I was worried that I would be lacking in layout ideas or feel lost, especially since I have been sewing so much lately. Nope. This page came together fairly quickly. I think it only took 2 episodes on Netflix. (Yes, I use episodes on Netflix to keep time. Don't you?)
I shopped my stash for this layout. It felt so good to dig through my boxes and boxes of supplies (more on that in a different post...) and find unopened sheets of stickers and uncut paper.

I have plenty of pictures from the last 7 months that haven't made it onto a scrapbook page yet, I'm anticipating that I'll reach my 52 page goal much ahead of schedule.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Square corners!

When we moved to Texas, we had to get a new bed for Zoe. We contemplated whether to purchase her a twin or queen size bed. Ultimately, we decided to give her our old queen mattress and purchase a new memory foam mattress for ourselves. (It was a good choice for both parties)

She adores the giant bed, and we have a nice big bed for visitors to stay in. However, we don't have extra queen size bedding. Rather than purchase new bedding, I decided to make some for her with this gorgeous fabric I've been holding onto for quite some time.

Her quilt is in the works right now. I'll share more on that when it's completed. While I was waiting on some extra fabric to arrive, I had enough scraps to start making some pillows.

Fabric: Briar Rose by Heather Ross for Windham Fabrics - it is out of print, but you can find various prints available on etsy, ebay & Fort Worth Fabric Studio

These pillows are a staple on her bed right now. They currently hold these adorable abridged and illustrated classics from the Target $1 spot.

The pattern for these pillows is available in this book. I've had it for almost two years now. I love it, but I've never made anything from it - until now!

On a side note - If you are new to sewing or are looking for easy to follow patterns, Allison Harris from Cluck, Cluck, Sew, is by far my favorite. Her designs are beautiful and clean, and her patterns are so user friendly!

As part of my One Little Word for 2015, I have a mini goal to do something creative everyday. This should be fairly easy considering I have a dedicated craft corner in my room and several projects already in the works or in mind.

While not all creativity can be quantified - for my purposes I am going to try.

Sewing

• Complete 6 quilts - this shouldn't really be that hard, considering I have 4 already in various stages on completion. 
• Sew 6 garments for Zoe - I got a serger for my birthday, and I am determined to make it worth it. I have plenty of patterns and fabric to make clothes for Zoe.
• Sew 6 garments for Myself - Last year, I sewed a dress for myself. It wasn't perfect, in fact, there are a lot of things that needed improvement in it, but, it was good enough to wear to my brother-in-law's wedding reception, and I even got a few compliments on it. This is also in effort to improve the quality of my wardrobe, making items that fit me well. View my Pinterest board of wardrobe patterns here.

Here I am in the not-so-perfect dress.

Scrapbooking

• Make 52 pages in 2015 - The reason this is a yearly goal, is I scrapbook in waves. I can complete 3 pages in a day, and then none for weeks on end, so I making this a yearly tally.
• Sort and Purge supplies - I do better with less options. I have boxes overflowing with supplies that I haven't touched in too long. Watch for some sale boxes and giveaways!

My favorite scrapbook page from 2014

It's no secret that life around here has been anything but calm lately.

2014 was a year of movement. Lots of change. Lots of adjustments. It has left me feeling weathered down. Towards the end of the year, I've been struggling with keeping my anxiety and depression at bay - something that I have had under control for 10+ years. The battle of infertility has really dominated my life and I've been too beaten down with life to really fight against those feelings.

As I spent the majority of the last day of 2014 in a car, I thought so much about what I wanted my life to look like 12 months from now. There is a lot of stuff that I need to let go of to get there. There is a lot of work that I need to do - on all fronts, physical, emotional, mental and spiritual.

The end goal? Peace. Being Ok with not always being Ok. Letting go of things I cannot control.

So how am I going to do that?

Well, after reading an awesome post on goal setting by my cousin, I realized I'm an action-focused person. I have made a plan about what small steps I need to take to work towards peace on all fronts.

Physical
- Exercise 3x a week.
- Drink a glass of water 1st thing in the morning and last thing at night

Emotional
- Meditate 2x a week.
- Keep a Journal

Mental
- Do something creative 1x a day
- Read/Listen for 30 minutes a day

Spiritual
- Read/Listen to scriptures 30 minutes a day
- Visit the Temple once a month

By simple and small means, can we achieve great things.
This is my plan.
Small and simple. All of these things are doable for me.

I will not be perfect, but even on my bad days, I can do these things. I have plans for other things in the future, but for now, I'm starting with this.

XOXO,
Holly & CO.

I spent the last several hours of 2014 in car. I was driving to Texas from Utah, after attending the services for my Grandfather. We spent a total of 44 hours in a car on the trip there and back, which led to a lot of time for thought and review.

This year has been really hard in a lot of ways. We have endured the loss of family members and pregnancies. We have uprooted our lives, leaving behind close friends and family. We both started new jobs, which bring challenges.

But true to my One Little Word, I chose at the beginning of 2014, it has been an adventure. I grabbed a few of my favorites from 2014 to share.

Favorite Acheivement - Ryan Graduating Cum Laude

Just two days before Christmas, I got a phone call - the kind of phone call no one wants to get. My Grandfather passed away. I feel lucky to have had as many years with him as I did. All 29 of my years, he was around. Most people don't get that long with their grandparents, a lot of people don't get time with their grandparents at all. I was lucky to not only have grandparents alive, but to actually share a special bond with them.

My Grandpa gave me my nickname. It started as "Holly-Hugs" because I was an especially affectionate child. It morphed into Holly-Bug, some years into it. He still called me that. Even as a married mother, I was still his Holly-Bug. The nickname has lovingly been passed onto Zoe, and she is now known often as, Zoe-Bug.

He was present at all my big life events, but many of the small ones too. Many of my close friends have met my grandparents, and probably even shared a meal or two with them. They have always been involved in our lives, even when we have been separated by hundreds of miles.

I was asked to speak for one minute at his funeral. My topic, "What I learned from my Grandfather." It is very hard to condense such a special relationship into 60 seconds. How can I possibly convey all my feelings and thoughts into such a tiny window. When I thought about what to say, there are a few memories that came to mind.

As a child, I remember one Christmas in particular, my sisters and I had received the game, "Pretty, Pretty, Princess." The point of the game was to collect all the jewelry pieces and then the winner would receive the crown - becoming the Prettiest Princess. The other adults at our Christmas celebration must have been all played out, but Grandpa agreed to play; and he didn't just half-hardheartedly spin the wheel, he won the game! He wore all the jewelry pieces, including the crown. I'm sure we had a good laugh about it then, but that was the kind of Grandfather he was.

He officiated our wedding in the Sacramento Temple. He married us for time and all eternity - what a special gift he gave to us.


We have been fortunate to live near my grandparents for several months during our married life, and Zoe was able to create a such a unique friendship with her Great-Grandfather. She has spent many hours helping Grandpa in the garden. He was so sweet to her. He would give her special tasks in the garden to make her feel included. He would walk with her up and down the rows and pick raspberries with her. When she got hot and needed a break, he would come inside and color with her or do puzzles.

Like all years and all people, in 2014, we have had our ups and downs. This year has felt so broken up into pieces, just based on what has been happening in our circumstances. I feel as though this year has been 3 separate years, each defined by different moments, good and bad.

I am grateful for so many things, and could list pages and pages of things, but I will stick to just a few highlights for this year.

Life is always busy. If it's not homework and laundry, that time fills with other things.

Pulling back the curtain a bit here, we seem full up to the brim with things happening around here, and when push comes to shove, a home-cooked meal is the thing that goes out the window.

Recently I've been trying to have things that we can easily make at home, where some of the ingredients are already made. Which was working sometimes, but we were still hitting the drive-thru more often than I'd like to admit.

In an effort to save money and our waistlines, I spent an hour yesterday searching my Pinterest boards for meal ideas and recipes. I spent another hour at the grocery store, shopping for the items that we needed for this week.

On the menu for this week:

Sunday
Balsamic Roast Beef

Monday
Baked Potato Soup with Ham

Tuesday
Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Wednesday
Kabobs with Chicken, Red Peppers and Onions

Thursday
Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken

Friday
Macaroni and Cheese with Chicken and Broccoli

Saturday
Homemade Pizza

Today, I spent another hour washing, cutting, cooking and dividing up items for our meals this week. On Sunday Afternoons I usually enjoy an uninterrupted 3 hour nap, that recharges me for the whole week. Today, I shortened the nap to 1.5 hours to make sure that our prep for the week was done.

I have high hopes for this new process. I'll let you know how it goes. With all my preparation today, I should only be spending less than 10 minutes a day on dinner, which is a huge incentive for me. Gone are the days of "What should we have for dinner?" at 5:00pm, at least that's what I'm hoping for.

Is dinnertime a struggle at your house? Do you meal plan? I would love any and all advice or resource suggestions.

XOXO,
Holly & Co.

Does anyone else have lettering envy? I'm so guilty. I could look at hand lettered canvases and invitations for hours.

Purchase Here. Use coupon code "howdydarby" for $10 off.

1. Shop sales and coupons - Obvious right? Besides the tradition holiday sales times (Christmas, Labor Day, Memorial Day, etc) scrapbooking stores have big sales right around CHA time (December-January and June-July) They are clearing out last CHA's product to make way for the new stuff. Also, look for  promotions during National Scrapbooking Day (May)

Don't forget to watch for photo printing deals, Snapfish and Shutterfly offer lots of great promotions throughout the year.
*Beware of buying just because it's on sale. You can blow through your craft budget with products you're not really in love with*

2. DIY - Some products are easier than other to re-create, but many are easy to replicate with a little time and a trip to the office supply store/printer. The best part about DIY embellishments is that you have more freedom with colors, themes, and amounts.

Here are some tutorials I've made replicating popular scrapbooking products.
DIY Transparency Alphabets
DIY Foldover Tabs
DIY Stitched pockets

Page using the DIY transparency alphas

3. Check big box stores - Joann's and Michael's only carry certain name brands, but with their weekly coupons, you can get some great products and tools for cheap! I tend to use those for staple products, cardstock, ink pads, colored cardstock, paper cutter blades, etc.
* Don't forget your coupons!*

4. Warehouse Sales - If you have a favorite brand, check out their blogs or Facebook pages to see if they do a yearly box sale. Most of the companies offer a great discount and a partial list of what may be included. Some also have brick and mortar places set up, where you can pick and choose which products you want.  * My favorite warehouse sale is the American Crafts. It's located in Utah every years and is open from Thanksgiving to New Year's. If you have an opportunity to go, I would highly recommend it. Not just because of the great prices but because they have four different brands located there (Crate Paper, American Crafts, Studio Calico, Pebbles) We shall see what 2014 brings with their recent acquisition of Pink Paislee and Imaginesce*

5. Be Picky - When a new line rolls out that I am in love with, I have a tendency to want every.single.piece of it, especially the papers (my weakness) Logistically, that is impossible to afford and store in my less than 1000 sq. feet apartment. I tend to window shop the line. Review each piece over and over online and narrow down my selections. I usually end up with 3-5 papers and 1-3 embellishments. This cost is at most $20, which is much for affordable then the $75+ of the entire line. Also, Before making an embellishment purchase (meaning anything other than patterned paper), I ask myself, "How long with this last me?" For example, I can spend $4 on a roll of washi or a pack of decorative brads. Depending on the colors, themes etc, one will probably last me way more than the other.
*Try to buy products that can be used for more than one event/category/holiday.*

6. Tools - In the short run, tools cost more, sometimes a lot. Over the course of a year or more, they can save you lots of $$$. Specifically, an electronic diecutting machine (Cricut, Silhouette, etc) can allow you to make alphabets, stencils, even your own patterned papers, which reduces your need to buy. Color mists and inks can also help you create unique backgrounds, change embellishments and enhance products your already have.
* Tools are great for DIY embellishments.*

7. Sell/Share - There are Facebook groups and message boards where you can sell your unused products and boost your craft budget by a little. You can also try to sell locally on Craigslist or at your local scrapbook store. Also, you can sign up for swaps or share a pack of embellishments with a friend.

8. Buy with a project in mind - Mindlessly buying can lead to unused products and wasted money. I used to do this. It's cute, I'll buy it. I'm much more conscious of what products I'll be using for which projects. This stops me from buying just because it's cute or trendy.

9. Know Thyself - Go back through your scrapbooks and look at what products your gravitate towards. Think about what you're always running out of, or your favorite things to add to a page. Stick to those things. If there are certain products that you love, but rarely end up using on a page, keep those purchases to a minimum or not at all. For example, I have a hard time using ribbon. I love it, it's pretty, but it rarely makes it onto a page. Once I realized this, I stopped buying ribbon. 
*If you are new to scrapbooking and aren't sure what products to use or which ones you like the best, I would recommend purchasing from a kit club which will allow you to try a sampling of products without a huge financial commitment. *

10. Splurge - Every once in awhile, a product comes along that I am just dying to use. It doesn't follow my 9 previous rules, but for whatever reason, I just can't talk myself out of it.  Save up your craft budget and spend it on that thing you've been dying to have. The reason I say this is actually a mental thing. Budgeting can be hard. Giving up freely spending isn't fun. And rather than try to supplement with products and DIY's that aren't going to satisfy you, it's ok to splurge every once in a while.

Wow, that went by fast. I wanted to post a quick update from our three months in Texas!

• Things still feel partially unsettled here, I feel like we just haven't hit our groove quite yet. We're still adjusted to Ryan's funky work schedule and trying to fit in homework, the Y, and dinner all before 7:30p. Most nights, we are unsuccessful. But that's ok.
• It's still not Fall here. And by Fall, I mean sweater weather. Not a single hot chocolate has been drunk. Not a scarf worn. . We've got some falling leaves and I might even be able to get a fall photo or two soon, but I'm disappointed it's still hot.
• I love my job! The more I work there, the longer I realize that there was most likely divine intervention with me getting this job. It is just so perfect.
• We've started a new tradition. Almost every week, we try a new BBQ place. I'm thinking we need to make a score card or something to bring with us. Ryan and I don't agree on our favorite place for BBQ, so we're still searching for a place we both just love.
• I posted this photo on instagram, but on my way to work every day I see this utility boxes painted to look like famous cowboys. This man is Roy Rogers. I looked it up and apparently there are 13 total in the area. I think this might becoming a scavenger hunt for us to do one day.

• My sister moved to Lubbock, TX a few weeks ago. It's still 5 hours away, but it's nice to have family in the same state. We are planning another visit next month to celebrate my niece's birthday. 

 After we had decided to accept the job in For Worth, I immediately started looking up things to do in the area. Legoland Discovery Center was on almost every list. While Zoe isn't Lego crazy, it is one toy she has continued to play with throughout the years. We knew she would enjoy it.