project life, catching up again...

The weather finally cuts us a break and I disappear. Such is Mama life with two very active boys who want to go, go, go! And go we have. To the parks, to the zoo (over and over), on our weekly errands, scheduled activities and play dates. Jack even went on his first flight when we visited my sister and her family across the state two weeks ago (more on that soon). On. the. move.

Being outside means far less time dedicated to getting what we are doing down on paper. It's an adjustment every spring to balance that outside time with inside chores and crafting. Juggling nighttime priorities to make room for Project Life again. I'm getting there! I have three weeks of Project Life to share today. Two weeks are missing because they are Citrus Twist work so, they will wait until next week after the May kit reveal. Here we go!

{March 18-24}

First day of Spring happened but, no one knew it here! Documenting how we kept bust inside. Again. Broken record much? George put on his own shoes, the boys played nicely and some artwork was created. The bottom right is a recipe I created and the bottom left is the receipt from my best grocery savings ever.

 Pirate spotting, couch cushion forts, baking adventures and iPhone silliness.

 

 {March 25-31}

The week started off on a bad note. Stomach virus for G, stress from a few sources and Mr. Boom and I even had to put off our cheesecake indulgence for a day due to something that came up. Grr... Thankfully it all turned around by mid-week. The bottom pics are of G looking through Project Life and Jack playing peek-a-boo from the Thomas the train pop up tent.

 

 Out like a lamb, indeed! The weekend was beautiful just in time for a visit from my parents and our village egg hunt. The middle photo and card tell a hilarious story about George learning to spell and making associations.

{April 15-21}

Here's the two week skip ahead mentioned above. The week before this was so photo heavy that I ended up using one Design A and one Design F page to accommodate more pics and stories without adding an insert. Using the back of Design F for this week was perfect for documenting our very busy week of THREE zoo visits (yes, seriously). The date card is from the PL Jade digital kit with the addition of a digi stamp and family photo from one of the zoo visits. The green geotag, teal arrow and star tab are Silhouette cuts. Kept this very simple with hybrid cards and some quick handwritten journaling (a BIG, BIG announcement involving my handwriting coming very soon...squee!!!).

I knew I needed to include the Boston Marathon terror attack this week somehow. I chose to use a graphic that I came across on Instagram/Tumblr that week with a quote by Fred Rogers on helpers. Behind this card, I added more details (just the facts and some feelings about keeping the boys safe and innocent) on a graph card with a pull tab. The rest is just some favorite photos from the week and a bit of gratitude about our everyday life and routine.

I'll be back next week with more shares using the upcoming CTK May kits...so fun!

scrappy sunday share...

Today, I'm sharing my monthly non-PL projects using the April Citrus Twist Kits - a 12x12" layout and a card. Although it has been a long time since I have scrapped traditionally, or made cards, and do consider myself a dedicated Project Lifer at this point, it is fun to break out of that a bit each month to experiment with a larger canvas or a different type of creative outlet.

{Thanks}

A simple thank you for a friend using several pieces from the Maggie & Crate 6x6" paper pad in the CTK April PL kit and accented with an alphabet, stickers, metal tab and flair from the April Embellishment kit...

{On the Hunt} 

I had an itch to scrap the photos from our village Egg Hunt as soon as they were uploaded from my memory card. I love the shot of the boys - George reaching for an egg and Jack shadowing his every move. Although it was a beautiful spring day, it was still very much brown outside. Playing up the bright blue sky with papers and adding a few Easter-y pops of color brought it all together. The title was cut with my Cameo and all other supplies came in the CTK PL and Embellishment kits...

Here is a close up of my embellishment cluster at the top...

I'll be sharing more PL pages soon. Just working on catching up from a busy few weeks and haven't had time to shoot anything new!

project life: two weeks of shares and citrus twist kits reveal...

Happy Friday! I'm sharing two weeks of Project Life today, both are spreads using the April Citrus Twist PL and Embellishment kits. The colors this month were perfect timing for the weeks I was working on, transitioning from our blustery winter to (finally!) spring. Light, bright and pretty!

{March 4 - 10} started us off with a snow storm and freezing temperatures and left us with a nearly 60 degree Sunday, perfect for our village St. Paddy's Day parade and playtime at the park...what a change!! Everyone was getting over being sick in our house, Mr. Boom built a snowman on the hood of his car at work one day, my Silhouette Cameo arrived and George completed his first 48 piece puzzle, all by himself in less than 10 minutes. "March" was cut with my Cameo. And that yellow/grey chevron card? One of my favorite cards ever. So much that I am hoarding a second piece for a future page ;)

We baked muffins, a big cardboard box became a beloved fort for a few days, we enjoyed a parade and George had his first trip to the emergency room (for croup, he's fine!)...

 {March 11-17} brought us back inside with the cold and wind so we had a play date, made pita pizzas for dinner and noted some of the regular happenings here. The "right now" circle is a Cameo cut...

At the end of the week, we took a family trip to the aquarium and attended and egg hunt organized by friends...

 And, it's CTK reveal day! Here is a look at the full kit contents...

 ^^Main Kit "Play Land"^^

 ^^Project Life Kit "Captured"^^

 ^^Embellishment Kit "Indulge Yourself"^^

 

If you have been thinking about joining a kit club, Citrus Twist Kits has a fantastic offer going on right now: This month for  new subscribers with a 3-month Main kit subscription you’ll get a $5 Citrus Twist gift certificate. With a 6-month Main kit subscription you’ll get a $10 Citrus Twist gift certificate and a set of Thickers. You can use our gift certificates toward kit add-ons and in the Citrus Twist store. If this piques your interest, e-mail Trina at citrustwistkits@yahoo.com to subscribe!

wordless wednesday: recent insta-favorites...

 

 

 

project life: week, well, a week back in february...

We've been battling one virus after another in this house so, there hasn't been much time for blogging. Spring has finally decided to make an appearance here in NY and we are hoping that will also mean a return to good health. Hooray for sunshine and fresh air!

Today, I want to do a quick share of another week in my Project Life album that I hadn't been able to post until now. This was my second spread using the March Citrus Twist PL Kit. I used up nearly every bit of this kit and was sad to see it come to an end. Even the sequins!

{February 18 - 24}

Still in winter mode. lots of indoor photos and keep busy play...

 Jack's first drawing, donuts, train play and a library trip...

project life: can you really go back? a tale of falling behind...

I have been getting numerous comments from people wondering how I keep up and how great it must feel to be on top of Project Life. And it does. Last year and this year. What people do not realize is the dirty little secret that has been sitting in a crop bag under my bed for the last 16 months.

2011 is only half complete.

And when I say half, I'm not talking about a missing photo or journaling card here or there. Nope. From July through December? Pretty much empty pages. It's been bothering me for weeks as I diligently keep up with this year. I'm okay with not having touched 2010, George's first year, because I will be using the baby kit to do a first year album. But, having the following year just sit empty was something I couldn't let go. So, I'm doing something about it.

I'm printing photos in batches, slipping them in the pockets, jotting down a few notes on the journaling cards from the notebook I kept and that's it. Photos + pen + core kit. Just getting it done. Like this...

 and this...

and this...

 and this...

So why not just let it go? Leave the album half done, call it good and continue moving forward? Simple. There are so many family memories in the last several months of that year that deserve to be off the hard drive and in a place where this magic can happen...

As I was photographing the pages above, G sat down and started flipping through the album. I heard, "That is baby George!" and "Look, Mommy, we are at the park!" When he got to the blank pages, he said, "Oh no! The pictures are gone!"

Not for long...

The best thing about Project Life? Going back is do-able. Fast. And for anyone who wants to do it. Print photos, slip them in the pockets. Write a note or even just the date (guesstimates count!) and it's still beautiful. The extras I add to my current album? Completely optional. Don't have photos from every week? That's fine too!

***Disclaimer: This is NOT a sponsored post. I am simply a loyal user of the Project Life products and system. I received no compensation for this post.

recipe: tangy slow cooker pork chops

Some weeks I have a meal plan all set. Others, I have a vague idea and then kind of wing it day by day with the proteins and staples we have on hand. This week I'm winging it.

After feeding the boys breakfast this morning, I opened the fridge and the cupboards to brainstorm for dinner. I had a package of boneless center cut pork chops in the fridge but, no ideas. Asking my moms Facebook group for suggestions resulted in several delicious recipes but, I didn't have all of the ingredients for a single one.

{insert improvisation}

One of the shared links was for a pork roast, cooked in the crock pot with sweet potatoes, onion and apple. No sweet potatoes here and only the chops but, I did have apples and onion. Rummaging through the veggie drawer I discovered a bag of carrots. This could work. Back to the cupboard, I looked through my seasoning packets. The ingredients listed on a McCormick envelope of Pot Roast seasoning sounded promising. Since the packet contained brown sugar, I decided to play that up, always a great pairing with apples and pork. The result? Fantastic. The pork chops were fork tender, yet held their shape. The vegetable and fruit mixture was tangy with just a hint of sweetness, a perfect complement to the chops. Easy prep and heavenly scents wafting through the house all day were bonuses. Mr. Boom and I both loved this dish, served with a side of stuffing.

Step 1: Chop up the carrots, onions and apples. Toss in the bottom of the crock.

Step 2: Whisk together the seasoning packet, brown sugar and liquids.

Step 3: Place chops on top of the chopped veggies and apples. Pour sauce mixture on top. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.

 The delicious end result...

Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Chops

6-8 carrots, chopped
2 medium sweet onions, roughly chopped
2 green apples, cut in wedges

1 packet McCormick Savory Pot Roast Seasoning
3 heaping tsp brown sugar
1 dash worcestershire sauce
1 cup water

2-3 pounds boneless center cut pork chops (I used 2.6 pounds = seven 3/4" thick chops)

Add first three ingredients (vegetables through apple) to bottom of the crock. Arrange pork chops on top of veggies and apples. Whisk together seasonings in a small bowl, pour over chops. Cook on LOW 6-8 hours.