2014 Project Life January

I finished up my January spreads even though it's not quite February yet (I am giving myself these small liberties).  January was a whole lot of everyday life and home time, especially with all the snow, overtime and cold cold cold.  Highlights from the month include - cold, sonograms, 14 on 14, new projects, Kane's birthday, and a handful of other things.  I kept with the black/white/gold combo of my cover page.  I also used up a bunch of my sunshine kit cards (thanks to my SIL Kate for those). I cut down pages again and even have one that's 6x12 rather than 9x12.

Something I will change up for Feb is I will likely print these 14 on 14 much smaller. While they tell the story they are not that great of photos. 

Next month I also want to use photos taken with my SLR camera. 

Last page is all sonogram the prints from the hospital fit perfectly in the sleeves and I just put stickers outside the sleeves (just in case I make that baby book).

2014 Project Life Cover Page

I'm pretty excited to finally have started this year's Project Life.  I actually printed these photos like 1/11 with big plans to make my cover page a few weeks ago.  It never happened.  But I did do a lot of prep-work for 2014 Project Life like pre-printing cards.  I also splatter painted these for fun.   I created a sequin pocket filled with white sparkle sequins sealed closed with washi tape.  This is also a trimmed sleeve sealed with washi as well.  I used some cards from the Sunshine kit.  Added a few Thickers from like 2009, and ribbon and boom it's done, cover page for 2014.  Photos are from our big 12 inch snowstorm day.   
Kathleen and I also got a whole bunch of loot at the nearby closing Archiver's which we intend to share to make our 2014 Project Life pages together.  Should be fun!

A few things about my Project Life 2014 – 

• I’m continuing to use the kits and sleeves I already have although I’m not planning on having any be 12x12. It’s just too big and bulky. My cover page is BH PL A sleeve and I just sliced off the last 3 inches. I closed up the open pockets with washi tape and it’s now 12x9. I am thinking this will be my standard go to size however I do know I want to continue to use the baseball card sleeves with the 9 pockets/page these are 8.5x11 and will likely also have some 12x6 pages mixed in there. 
• I have note found an album yet but have put this into just a plain old work binder for safe keeping for now.  
• I’m NOT documenting each week individually. Some weeks are just plain dull, while I might use a print from each week and possibly some notes/story on each week I’m not interested in the 52 weeks it just gets to be too hard to keep up.  Instead I’ll probably have several pages for each month. 
• I went ahead and pre-printed monthly Erika Eagle's calendars for each month, as well as Elise’s quote cards to include throughout the book. Sometimes I’ll alter these, like I did here and sometimes I’ll leave them as is. I think they will help unite the whole book. 
• I hope to find other free printables that work for me to add into the mix. I also hope to keep creating themselves like the Burford, let’s do this and 2014 cards seen here on the cover page. I think they help personalize this a little more. 
• I may decide that I want to do a PL baby book too. Although I don’t mind if PL2014 becomes overwhelmingly baby because our family is changing this year so it’s likely to happen.

Bread #2 - Artisan Bread

For bread #2 I had originally planned to make Irish brown bread, but I was missing a few ingredients.  So instead I went with Artisan no knead bread (ps I did knead it).  It was a simple bread however the cook time was long and my bread came out looking like vintage footballs (or so says my husband).  I was so sad and almost decided to toss them in the trash and make a second bread #2.  But we opted to slice it anyway and eat it with our beef stew.  And you know what when dipped in stew the extra crispy crust is not noticed.  The insides were moist and delicious.  So it wasn't such a fail after all. 

Ingredients: 

3 1/2 cups flour 

1 package yeast 

1 tsp salt

1 tblsp sugar

1 1/2  cups warm water (I ended up needing like an extra 1/2 cup because the dough was so dry)

Directions: 

1. Mix water and yeast allow to dissolve for a minute.  Meanwhile mix all dry ingredients, then add water and yeast.  Mix together until a dough is formed. I had to go ahead and get my hands in there and add that extra water.

2. Cover with Saran Wrap and let rest for 8-24 hours.

3. The dough will be sticky and moist when you uncover it.  Add flour and divide into two equal portions, formed into loaves.

4. Place on baking sheet or warm cooking stone (I think I was supposed to grease or flour this but since it good and slick I avoided that).  Cover with a towel and let rise 1-2 hours in warm spot.  

5.  Preheat oven 450.  In a baking dish add 1-2 cups of water place on bottom shelf (I used a lasagna pan).  Then put bread on the higher rack.

6.  This is where I should have been paying attention and I cooked it for 40 per the recipe and thus the dark crunchy crust.  I think perhaps next time I will check it at 25 and 30 minutes.  Remove from oven when crust is Golden Brown cool and serve. 

 

It's a...

boy!

Yep that's right.  We're having a boy.  We are overly excitied about the news so I am surprised if you haven't heard about it on some other media outlet.  We also learned that he's a little on the big side where as at Christmas he was just on track so he's growing.  

Now that we know we will probably be getting his room together soon.  I am pretty much sold on it being mostly black and white with some blue accents.  But I change my mind regularly.  Watch for more on that as we start getting things together.

Baby's First Photos

This past week we had our thrid ultrasound.  And this was the real one we are past the 18 week mark so we should have been able to tell the sex of the baby.    But our little baby was not having it!  It was hanging out all Indian style or tucking its legs over our view.  Then when they poked at the baby with the probe it kept kicking its legs up at us.  Refusing to let us know boy or girl.  We did get to see its active heartbeat, and little feet and hands but we have to go back next week for another ultrasound.  The doctor did give us the babies first photos though.  One in which you can see its tiny little precious hand,  which is probably smaller than a dime still.  It's quite the miracle.  We are so excited to meet our little one, of course we still have a while to wait so we'll be patient.  

(Can you see its hand there in the middle) 

Here you can see the profile.  

PS we now have the baby hanging on the fridge although eventually we'll get it in project life

January -14 on 14

Since I am not doing a Photo a day this year I thought I might mix it up a bit and still try and document the everyday another way so instead I am taking 14 photos on the 14th of each month.  

My first adventure in this yesterday I almost failed, but JJ reminded me about 9:30 and thus my remaining 4 photos got taken.  As I review these my life seems really dull on a Tuesday when I work late from home and Dustin works late.  And the highlights were folding laundry,  finishing a quilt top, and finding a Lincoln wheat penny.  Real party animals here I tell you.  

Here are the 14.

1 - My breakfast V8 fruit/veg juice and multigrain Cheerios.

2 - my laptop work.

3 - prenatal vitamins and calcium the gummy variety (my doctor has me terrified I don't get enough calcium and the baby get enough but it will rot out my teeth you.  Pregant people you need 3 cups of calcium a day).

4 - lunch break quilting

5 - actual lunch eaten - salad with eggs, apples, walnuts & other goodies oh and calcium in cheese (because I am scared).

6 - folding laundry these towels are white I swear.

7 - my mismatched socks and the afghan on the floor

8 - Dustin's sushi from dinner

9 - Milk (told you I am terrified I tell you).

10 - Lincoln wheat penny found in my pocket circa 1920.

11 - post face wash crazy face

12 - Bedtime iPad reading here I come.

13 - married people share a pillow.  Well really I just creep in on his space.

14 - goodnight.  Ps I am pretty sure he told me to turn off my iPad several times. (Who can blame him when I position it on his chin and shoulder).

That's a wrap!  Hopefully 2/14 will be more interesting at least it's valentines day.  

At the Bungalow

Around here I am piecing a new quilt.

I love the sushi and bike prints in it. 

I am feeling the baby move.

I am enjoying a slow morning start.

Around here we survived subzero temps.

And also 12+ inches of snow.

Cabin fever for 3 days.

And we are blessed because Dustin willingly wants to shovel out the cars and walk.

Around here I kind of like seeing everything covered in pretty white snow.

We started a library for the baby with 140+ books Dustin bought on a yard sale site.  

I started making plans for the nursery.

I am ready for the weekend.  

Project Life Week 52

 Week 52 was the last week of the year.  This was Christmas Week as well as a whole bunch of birthdays, and then I tossed NYE in there too!   Super fun week although i didn't take many photos most of these I stole from friends.  I used my new Sunshine Project Life Kit for this which made things a whole lot easier.  I included a small pocket in the end with our Christmas card.   

And with this Project Life 2013 is a wrap! (PS i didn't share all the layouts but some of the more fun weeks). 
 In 2014 I'm not sure how I will chose to document it I do think that if I go with the weekly that if I skip a week where not much happened that I won't lose sleep over it and if I switch to monthly it might be a whole LOT easier. But the verdict is out. As I thumb through both 2012 and 2013 I do love the idea of having the entire year documented - so I may stick with the same for 2014 - Stay tuned.

Project Life Week 49, 50, and 51

 Week 49 was 1/2 NYC and 1/2 home.  I baked cookies with Kathleen as well as wandered around NYC a bit so that was the feature of the page.  i used some fun sparkle paper as well as this fun paper I had been saving that is is flocked in velvet. 

 Week 50 was all about the Christmas Tree and the Jingle Bell Run where Dustin wore the turkey suit.  I used some old old old paper with this which is nice to use up.  

 Week 51 I broke out the sparkle and velvet paper again.  This was a week of family Lo and Jono were here for Christmas and we celebrated Lo and her shower.  We also celebrated Christmas with our Citigroup at a nursing home.  PS I love that little sparkle Christmas tree I made for the last page.