Mm, family photos, respite

Mary and #14 snuggling.  #14 loved Mary.  He wanted to hold her as much as I would let him.

A couple weekends ago, we picked up 2 more foster children for respite (children #14 and 15,I believe), and Cheetah embarked on a 1 week journey with the church youth group, and .   We briefly had all 3 foster children plus Mary at one time.  Haha!  We had to borrow a car just to be able to drive our whole family around!  Eventually Chase and I are planning on buying a second vehicle, but for right now we are sharing 1 car (5 person capacity).  We are trying to handle our finances Dave Ramsey-style, but it's very challenging!  It would be so much easier with 2 cars now instead of saving and waiting to buy one... 

One of my favorite pictures from Tiger Paw Photography

To help out our finances, I sell cards made from my artwork.  I put aside money for these sales for fun and family stuff.  I saved up enough for a family photo shoot, and I'm very excited about the pictures.  Since Cheetah was out of town during this shoot, we scheduled a mini-shoot for September to include him in our family pictures.   He was surprised to hear we wanted him to be a part of family pictures.  I actually thought about this very thing, and decided that our family pictures will be of our family how it exists at that moment.  That is obviously going to vary.  It's a challenge to both make foster children part of your family, while remembering they are part of another family.  They are mine, but they are not mine.  I am raising another mother's pride and joy.  I must never forget that.  Just as I held Mary for the first time, and my heart overflowed with wonder and love...I'm sure my foster child's mother felt the same way at some point.

My planner this week has a little help from some minions.

In other news, I joined another creative endeavor.  Since I don't have a computer, and I have a 7 month old baby...I don't have much time for scrapbooking!  My good friend, Jen Wright Designs just opened a sticker shop on Etsy.   She makes stickers to put in your planner.  I love planners, and I love stickers!  So I can't wait to combine the two loves for a prettier planner :) 

Here's a link to the sticker shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/theeverydayplanner

New Blog Title, Life With a New Baby, and Fostering

Can you believe I've been a mommy for 5 weeks now?  My little MM is growing way too fast!   I'm so blessed I get 3 months of leave to spend with her.    I've been scrapbooking up a storm (in between rocking a baby and nursing).    It looks like this year my Project Life weekly layouts will be double pages!  I can't seem to limit pictures to just one page.   Full credits to these pages are in my Facebook gallery

 

  I have to mention this is a kit by Jen Wright Designs called Sweet Baby Girl.  She made it for me to document our new little one's early days.  I love it!  Thank you, Jen.  The next 2 layouts are also with Sweet Baby Girl.

 

 

 

2015!!

 

This one is all about taking MM home.  What a way to start 2015, right?!

 

Our first couple days at home!  I look so exhausted!

 

Week 2!  BELLY BUTTON TIME!  We're still learning to be parents. 

 

The second page for week 2.  My mother watched MM while Chase and I went on a date.  He almost had to wrestle the cell phone out of my hands I was so nervous leaving MM at home!

Week 3!  Look how big she's getting!  This week it was really clear that she adores her daddy!

iphones probably weren't created for photo-obsessed, new moms...but I love mine for documenting how fast MM is growing!  Look at that little face!  I just can't take enough pictures!


 In other news, we recently had an update on one of our former foster children.   Let's just say we have a huge decision to make, and we could use your prayers for wisdom...and a job for Chase!  We're not sure what the future holds...or what we are called to do.  My heart goes out to this little one, and I pray God will clarify what our role in his life should be.   Actually...we need prayers to figure out in what capacity we are called to help the foster children.  Are we ready to become full time fosters?  Am I ready to start doing weekend respite again?  I sure do miss them all...Lego Luke & Lando, the 3 Little Bears, Princess Peach, and Scooby & Shaggy.  I hold all of them so dear in my heart.  How does it all fit together?

Peace and Love, y'all!

PS  did you notice I changed the title of our blog?  We are a family of 3 now!

Current Happenings, Project Life, New Digital Scrapbooking Store

It's a lazy Wednesday morning.  In my dreams this morning, Chase and I had just gotten through a long line for a ride in Disney World.  Just as the ride was starting, a loud clap of thunder woke me up.    The cats are both sleeping on their respective couches, Gary's sleeping in his bed, and Ruby is taking cover in the hall bathroom.   I just finished drinking my first cup of coffee and a bagel while watching the morning news.  It's a lazy morning.   After I finish this post, I'll evaluate our Dave Ramsey Style budget.  

Here are some recent layouts I've done for my "Project Life"  I'm attempting to document everyday life by making 1 layout for every week of the year.  :)

 

Here's Week 10.  Chase and I went to go see the Lego Movie.  Much to our surprise, we loved it!  We had little expectation that it would be any good at all, but it ended up being a very creative, enjoyable movie.  This layout was made with a kit by Jen Wright Designs called Life Series March 2014.   It's available at the brand new digital scrapbooking store: Scrappy Bee.

Here's the next layout:

This one is for Week 11.  I used a kit by Keep in Touch Designs: Document March.

Here's Week 12.   This one is with Jen Wright's kit again :) 

I can't believe it's April!   This is the 14th week of 2014.  

Well I'm off to take a look at our budget.  Chase and I are taking Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace.  We're trying to pay off the astronomical amount of student debt I carry from Veterinary School.  When I was a student, I had no idea how it would feel to carry this much debt.  There are days, the burden feels so heavy.  How did I get in this much debt...drag my family into this deep hole?  Even working to pay off my debt with "Gazelle-like intensity" (think of eating ramen multiple times per week...selling off belongings on Craigslist....and picking up a second job on top of my full time job), we'll still be paying for many years.   Just making the minimum payments...my debt free date is 11/02/2037.  If Chase gets a better paying job (ie, a paying job at all) after graduation this June, I'm hoping to be able to make double payments.  Right now we are living almost entirely off my income.  So everything he makes can go toward our debt.  

If any budding veterinary students have stumbled across my blog, drop me a line and I'll share some tips with you.

Peace and Love, y'all

Some recent scrapbook pages

I've been scrapping up a storm lately.  I'm trying to keep up with weekly layouts just documenting everyday life.  Nothing fancy...just simple recording life as it occurs. 

Here's one with Keep in Touch Design's kit Simply a Love Story.

This one is with her kit Document February.

This are with some of Jen Wright's kits Life Series: February.

This is one I made with Keep in Touch Designs' mini kit - Just a Moment.  It's a layout from 2011 when we said goodbye to Mr. Bailey.

 

It seems like I'm doing a lot of catch up with scrapbooking :)  Here's one with Dee's My Endless Love kit. 

 

I'm having a ton of fun with the kits by all 3 of those designers :) 

Peace and Love, y'all!

CT# 2: Jen Wright Designs

The second CT (creative team) I joined is Jen Wright Designs. 

Here's a layout I made with her kit, Little Town.  I really like the concept of Little Town.  She designed it after her favorite hymn.  My momma used to sing "O Little Town of Bethlehem" as a lullaby so it holds a very special place in my heart. 


Here's my project life style layout!    The Journal Cards (I designed them with her kit) is available for purchase here.

Here's the preview of the kit.  Isn't it cute?  Available here.

Jen is giving away a matching tag on her Facebook :)