Ali Edwards's Blog, page 210

December Daily® 2014 | Inside The Kit Video + Overlays + Printables

Ah my friends, it's getting closer! 

As many of you have noticed I'm getting going on this project a lot later than I have in previous years. It's definitely not my first choice, and there are a number of different reasons for that, some within my control and some out of it (read below for a shipping update). 

As always December Daily® for me is about capturing one story per day from December 1 through December 25th. I love focusing on the words and the photos, looking for things to capture via my lens (especially things that twinkle and sparkle - oh, I can't wait for those twinkle lights), finding things to be thankful for in the middle of the mess, capturing Simon and Anna's joy, and reflecting on this past year. I love that this is an album that can hold all those stories. 

While I wait for my full kit with the album to arrive here's what I'm working on: 

1. Re-reading my past December Daily® posts and reflecting (you can see the albums in one place here and you can read all the past posts here). What did I love? What do I want to do again and what do I want to skip? How can I simplify or how can I tell more if that's my intent this year? I think having a general awareness of the stories you want to capture is a great way to being this process and something to keep in mind throughout the month. 

2. Listen to this fun podcast: 
The Scrap Gals Podcast With Tiffany And Tracie. Katie and I listened to this the other day and it was so great and we were laughing right along with Tiffany and Tracie throughout - full of history and thoughts and tips about this project. 

3. Listen to Christmas music. Katie and I haven't started playing it in the office yet - which is unusual for us. But I think this will be the week we start. 

4. Gather up supplies you think you might be playing with in December and corral them into one place. I'm gathering things like gold embossing glitter and red embossing powder (always), white or cream paint, pens, etc. 

5. Print out any printable cards you might be including. Read below for information on my 2014 sets. 

Here's a look at all the fun things that should be on their way to you very soon if you've ordered the kit this year: 

December Daily® 2014 Kit from Ali Edwards on Vimeo.

So many fun things that I can't wait to start playing with - especially those big gold letters, the masking tape and the stamps. 

PRINTABLES + OVERLAYS

In addition I've got my annual packages of digital overlays and printables now available for those of you who like to incorporate those into your albums. 

This year I've included 6x8, 4x6, and 3x4 - sold in individual packages - as well as offering a combo pack for the first time that includes all three sizes. Each package includes 31 individual PNG files for each day in December + easy to print PDF's in black, gray and red. For 2014 I decided to go back to one of my favorite overlay designs and have updated it to correspond to 2014 dates. What's cool about these overlays is that you can also use them for different times of the year simply by erasing/removing/covering up the day of the week. 

I'll have some new layered templates and additional holiday themed items up next week.

KIT SHIPPING UPDATE

If you have purchased the December Daily® kit, please check your email today for a shipping update. 

It has always been our intention that this kit arrive to you in time to begin working on it before December arrives. 

Unfortunately we are experiencing a delay with the albums as they are stuck in customs in LA and we are waiting for them to be released. Please know that these were initially slated for arrival to the warehouse in October.  

As you can imagine, we are seriously unhappy with this situation and we are doing everything in our power to get these kits and albums to you (including exploring a variety of options to make that happen). Your patience as we assess the best path forward is greatly appreciated. 

Because this is supposed to be a really fun, joy-filled positive experience. 

If you have additional questions or issues related to your order (such as wanting it shipped to a different location) or would like other accommodations please start a conversation with Customer Service.

Hoping to have it in your hands very soon!

Practicing Gratitude In The Middle Of The Mess

I start a lot of blog posts that I don't finish right away. Sometimes I don't finish them at all. 

Some are about memory keeping or specific techniques or stories of our everyday lives I want to share. Many are thoughts/threads I'd like to follow or research or investigate. Some are one sentence and some are significantly more flushed out. 

Last night I took some time to look back through a few of my partially finished posts and came across this one that included two different threads about gratitude. The first I wrote right after a weekend with Aaron and all the kids more than a year and a half ago which is why I refer to him as "a friend" (he's significantly more than that now). The other is writing I did for a post on The Gratitude Project that I intended to share here at one time or another.

I'm in a different place emotionally then when I wrote the words below, yet they ring true to me now just the same. Some of my messes are still the same and others are new (or new versions of the old ones). Reading through the words about practicing gratitude in the middle of the mess all over again was a great reminder to check back in with myself and my current gratitude habits. 

This month there's a lot of people leading gratitude projects and talking about developing the practice of gratitude. Like Cathy. Like Rhonna. And probably many others I don't know about specifically. 

Now feels like a good time to share. 

I was chatting with a friend at the park last week and he made the comment that it's hard to savor the moment (beautiful sunshine, fresh air, good company) when the kids are all having their own individual meltdowns (throwing rocks, sulking, being unkind, etc).

Deep breath.

That was my answer. At least the answer in my head and my body's reaction to his words.

For me, taking that big deep breath is both a pause and a taking it all in. It's a recognition that all of this - the mess and the joy - is a part of my life. 

Learning to savor moments even in the middle of a mess is a practice that starts with a recognition that this is how I want to live my life. I want that for myself - to be the person who, even in the middle of all the crazy, can take a deep breath and be thankful. 

It's so not easy, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it. 

One of the ways I savor moments even in the middle of mess is to practice gratitude. Somewhere during that deep breath or immediately following, I identify one thing I'm thankful for, one thing that's good in my life. It might be right in front of my face or something I can't see at all. 

The key, I think, is to practice savoring moments and being grateful both when you're in the mess and when you're not in the mess.

Do it when it's hard. Do it when it's easy. That's what makes it a practice. 

I tell myself, "Look around, what's good? There is always, always something."
Always. 

What are you grateful for?

Ah, gratitude. My old friend.

I’m obviously grateful for the beautiful basics of my life like my kids, my family, my friends and my home. I’m also really grateful for my work and for the many opportunities I’ve had to travel over the years both personally and professionally.

But at the heart of it I’m actually really grateful for the mess.

Even when I’m knee deep in the messes of life I’m thankful for the opportunity to simply be alive - to learn and grow and make-it-through and be a witness to humanity and all the broken beauty it presents. I’ve been in that place where I was doubled over with sadness and fear and it’s tough to keep an eye on gratitude in those moments, but it’s possible. It takes practice and a commitment to coming back to it again and again even when I fail miserably.

Expressing gratitude is my lifeline. The process of identifying the things that I’m thankful for in the middle of the mess gives me so much perspective. It’s a tool I learned from my Mom. She’s awesome at practicing gratitude in the middle of it all. She writes handwritten letters, she calls to say thank you, she’s conscious of her blessings, she’s amazing at forgiveness and she’s so very real about it all and the struggles she encounters on her own journey.

One of the significant ways I practice gratitude in the middle of the mess is through memory keeping. I use photos and words to document my life and express gratitude as I live my story from one day to the next.  It’s through this process of documentation that I truly see (make visible to myself) all the things I have to be thankful for every day of my life.

Here’s to second chances, forgiveness, compassion, embracing imperfections and gratitude in the mess.

Originally written for The Gratitude Project.

I also love this message from Danielle LaPorte about loving your sadness. It's all about living the length and the width.

As I re-read the above writing I can't help but think of Brene and the conversation we had during the filming of her Oprah class on The Gifts Of Imperfection. We talked about how photography is a big piece of my personal gratitude practice and how that has helped me through many challenges, including divorce. 

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Working On The Album + Video Overview

Before you jump into seeing the photos or watching the video I want to remind you that there's no right or wrong way to approach bringing all this together into an album. Tell the stories that matter to you in a way that's enjoyable to you. That might mean you use a ton more product or a lot more handwriting or a lot less photos or no words right on your photos and a whole lot more pattern paper. Take my ideas as a jumping off point but make the process work for you and your family and what makes you happy. 

Here's what was rattling around in my brain as I began the process of putting this together this past: 

What is the story I want to tell? How do I want to communicate that?  Let the story take the lead.

My basic process is this: 

Choose photos. For me this includes looking back at my blog posts for the week. I figured that I put effort into those posts (choosing photos + writing words) so why not use that as the jumping off point for my album. I'm doing it one day at a time because each day had it's own feel and I like focusing on one day at a time. Resize photos in Photoshop and add words directly to the photos using the Type tool. Again, my words are coming directly from my blog posts with a few additions here and there. Print photos. I print at home using either an Epson PictureMate Show for 4x6 and smaller or an Epson R2000 for enlargements. Add embellishments. This includes stamping on the photos.  

Getting one day done really helped solidify my process for the rest of the days and I think it will go quicker as I move forward. I'll continue the pattern of dealing with the photos and the words first and then add embellishments. 

Most of the products I'm using came with the Week In The Life™ kit. I've added a supply list at the bottom of this post for any additional things I used. 

As you will see, I like repetition and I like keeping things simple. Here's a look at what I've put together so far: 

If you are following along with my design plan for 2014 and using the album/kit option you should have one or two extra page protectors. I decided to start my album with one of the 3x4 pocket pages that I cut in half (making sure to maintain the pockets by cutting on the outside of the seam) because I like to vary the size of the page protectors I include in my album.

Adding this pocket page gave me the chance to introduce this album and include "my reason why" and "who we are right now." 

TOP POCKET | Week In The Life™ patch adhered to the star transparency. 

WOOD VENEER DAYS OF THE WEEK | Along the edge of the pockets I adhered the wood veneer days of the week using 1/8 inch red line tape. You can paint this or emboss it or cut it up or just leave it plain and attach or adhere. I decided to simply adhere it along the edge of the cut page protector. Whenever I include a cut page protector (or another insert that is smaller) I like to add something to the edge. The red line tape seems to be holding it in place just fine and it's totally transparent from the other side. 

BOTTOM POCKET | Begin with your "reason why." I took one of the cards from the kit and stapled the "my reason why" (you can find this on the perforated phrase/word sheet) on top of the other word that was there originally. For the title of the card I stamped and embossed (with the Gold Glitter Zing) "stories of life" which is part of the stamp set that came with the kit. 

To print directly onto a journal card I simply set up a 3x4 inch canvas in Photoshop, measure the space I have for my text, and then print a test print on regular printer paper. After that I temporarily adhere the actual journal card onto the printer paper and run the card through the printer again - out comes the journal card with my words right where I want them on the card. 

Here's a look at the back of the first pocket page: 

Behind the Week In The Life™ patch I used the circle stamp + the "this is our life" stamp from the kit + Gold Glitter Zing. A 1.5 inch circle punch is just the right size for that stamp. 

MAKE A "WHO YOU/WE ARE" CARD | Another thing I wanted to include at the beginning of the album (and part of the reason I added this title page) was a simple journal card that included our ages and just a few things we are each into right now. The big "E" is from this set of Pebbles Gold Foil Letter Stickers. I use them a couple more times on other photos this day. 

As you will see throughout Monday I'm using the perforated phrases/words on just about every photo (seen above under the "E"). I love those things. 

For my title photo I went with a full page 6x8 + digital word art from my What Today Looked Like set. 

I adhered the blue star above the title using some red line tape.

And then we move into the first day of the week: 

In the video tutorial last week I walked you through the process of working with the Week In The Life™ Layered Templates. 

One of the things I mention in that video is the ability to remove (turn off the layer or erase it completely) to customize it to what you want. For Monday I decided to remove the lines - one click hid all the lines, another click hid the logo and the third click hid the year - and add some of my journaling right to this main page. 

All the journaling throughout this first day came directly from my blog post sharing my words and photos for Monday. On the perforated strips there are days 01 thorough 07 so I'm planning to add those to each day of the week on the first page. 

A simple and easy way to add more photos to your album is to adhere them back to back. I printed out these two photos, adhered them together with rolling adhesive and then used a Crop-A-Dile to punch holes that match the rings in the album. I do that by simply laying a page protector on top of the photos and using those holes as a guide. 

Next I cut the chipboard "AM" and added it right above the journaling. 

I really like the look of the printed journaling directly on the photos + a physical embellishment on top. I'll be repeating this simple concept throughout the album. 

In general I like to add photos chronologically, starting at the beginning of the day and moving throughout the day towards the evening. 

It's not a hard and fast rule for me though, as you'll see as I share the rest of Monday. 

You might choose to group yours in totally different ways - such as by time of day, theme, etc. 

Next up in my album is the 3x8 page protector. Which I love. Which I can't wait to have more of in the shop. I'm a big fan of inserting these kinds of pages in Project Life® (pages that are shorter widths than the rest) and was excited to include these in the album/kit option. 

Also included in the kit were these 3x8 timeline cards. For Monday I decided to print small photos and add them right onto the timeline card vs. journaling. It's likely that I will write or print on these on other days, but it's nice to show a different way of approaching them. 

On top of each photo I added 1/2 of a label along with a couple words about the photo itself. Cutting those labels in half will give me more options as I move forward with the week. 

The last thing I added to the 3x8 page protector was a small index tab (also included in the kit). Instead of using what's printed on there I stamped on the inside using ">> stories" ("remember" would also fit) in red ink. I stapled that in place using the Tiny Attacher. 

On the back I went for a full page 3x8 photo. I cropped this image in Photoshop (3x8 at 300dpi), added the text and then printed it here at home. 

I might not do this same thing each day because this is a great space to be able to add more words, but it works awesome for when you have a lot of photos. We'll see as I tackle the other days what makes the most sense for each individual day.

I cropped my photo in Photoshop and then printed on 8.5x11 photo paper and cut it out. 

For future days I'll likely do two 3x8 photos on one 8.5x11 inch piece of photo paper just to save some paper. 

Next up is a 4-3x4 pocket page. 

I'm including a chipboard number for each day of the week and using the Gold Glitter Zing on the front and back before stapling them into a pocket. I love keeping some things see-through. 

On the photo of Anna in the bottom left pocket I stamped "love this" from my Photos Stamp Set and added "be fearless" from this awesome Tim Holtz rub on sheet. To stamp on the photo I used Black Cherry StazOn ink. 

On the To-Do list journal card I just added a few simple things I knew were on my list that day.

On the back side of the 4-3x4 page protector I included the "Monday" card and two more photos. 

I stamped "this is my life" from the kit stamp set using Black Cherry StazOn ink on the top photo.

As I looked through my photos from Monday there were two more that I really wanted to enlarge. They didn't fit into my original design plan (hello, be flexible) so I simply enlarged them using the actual size of the page protectors as a starting point (so larger than 6x8) and decided to make the width just a bit smaller. The images ended up being 5 inches wide x 8.25 inches tall. I printed both out, adhered them back to back and used the Crop-A-Dile again to punch the holes. I did take into account where the holes would be when I was placing my type on my photos. 

There have been many mini-albums where I've done this sort of thing in the past. I'm remembering how much I like to have some other kinds of pages mixed in with the page protectors (I'll be doing this same thing in December Daily® again next month). 

In addition to the journaling I added a gold letter sticker + a perforated phase to each photo. 

You'll notice that I also added a larger index tab + stamped "this photo has my heart" from my Photos Stamp Set. 

Photos + words people. Sigh. I just love it. 

Next up is a 2-4x6 pocket page protector. I went super simple and just added four 4x6 photos with journaling + the perforated phrases. 

In the coming days in this album I'll add more of the labels, the chipboard pieces (like I did for "AM" above), and the longer label stickers. 

Another thing I did a little different is rather than use one of the 6x8 Layered Templates for the last page of my Monday, I decided to do another full-page 6x8 and add a list of my gratitudes for the day. These came right off my Daily Sheet. It's likely that I'll use one of the photo collages on another day, but this felt right for Monday. 

I also love how this page turned out - being able to add both these images next to each other makes me really happy. It's such a standard routine in our house at bedtime - a treasured part of the day for all of us.

"Filled with gratitude" comes from my Just Thankful Word Art set. 

One thing I didn't add, as you might notice, are the times of day. I usually add those in some way and to be honest, I forgot because I was simply copying and pasting my text from my blog posts. I will be adding my daily sheets in the pocket behind the last 6x8 photo so they can be accessed in the future. 

Remember, make this project work for you!

VIDEO OVERVIEW

Here's a 22-minute video that walks you through some of my choices and talks about my process:

SUPPLIES

In addition to the supplies in the Week In The Life™ kit I'm using:

Pebbles Gold Foil Letter StickersGold Glitter Zing (available in my shop)Versamark Embossing InkMemento Luxe Love Letter Stamping Ink (available in my shop)Tiny Attacher StaplerCrop-A-Dile1.5 inch Circle Punch1/8 inch Red Line TapeBlack Cherry StazOn Ink (great for on top of photos)Photos Stamp Set (available in my shop)Tim Holtz Remnant Words Rub Ons (these are awesome)2-inch Index Tabs

Digital Supplies

6x8 Week In The Life™ Layered TemplatesWhat Today Looked LikeJust Thankful Word ArtFont used for journaling is Remington NoiselessTHANK YOU

Thanks again for playing along again this year! I'll share more from my album as I complete the additional days. 

Want to check out past Week In The Life™ posts? Check out my archives here. You can also see examples of past albums under the Week In The Life™ Projects Tab. 

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Working With The Layered Template Set

Hey guys! I started the process of building my Week In The Life™ 2014 album yesterday. 

For me that begins with dealing with the photos and figuring out how many I want to use in album, what sizes, etc. 

Part of my process also includes using some layered templates in the 6x8 pockets. I put together a 20 minute video that walks you through the basic steps of working with the WITL 6x8 Layered Templates. In the video I show you how easy it is to change the date (if you didn't do the same dates as me), re-color the layers, adjust the sizes of the text boxes and mask your photos into the photo boxes. 

If you have any specific questions about working with the templates after watching the video please feel free to ask them below. 

In addition, the Layered Template sets also include PDF files that can be easily printed. I showed examples of that in the 2014 Getting Ready post. 

I'll be sharing more about my process of working with my images and the kit in the next couple of days. 

If you are looking to learn more about working with digital scrapbook products check out  my series of posts on Getting Started here.

December Daily® 2014 | Kit Updates

I'm interrupting my Week In The Life™ posting to share some updates on the 2014 December Daily® kit. 

There are now real-live photos of the products available the kit on the pre-order page and I'm getting super excited to play with these fun holiday products. 

In addition I've got a couple cool announcements: 

1. While supplies last, all pre-orders will include double the original amount of papers. Rather than 20 double-sided papers, you'll get 40 double-sided papers which will allow you to use all the designs. 

2. All international orders will be upgraded to expedited shipping, free of charge. That's pretty awesome. If you are international customer who already paid for expedited shipping we will refund you. Please note that you will still pay the $8 basic international shipping fee but we'll cover the cost to upgrade it to the expedited shipping option ($30). Shipping is free to US addresses.    

3. The 6x8 albums are cloth covered in your choice of red or cream - swatches of those two options should be up on the sale page sometime today (it's in progress). I'll be using the red album this year. If you've already pre-ordered and decided you'd like to change to a different color you can start a conversation with Customer Service and they will take care of you!

Take a look at the full content list and order your kit here. Kits will be shipping mid-November. 

I'll be tackling some foundation pages soon along with releasing some new overlays and templates for 2014. 

Want to learn more about December Daily®? If you want to start getting in the holiday documenting mood go here to watch a video and check out my past albums. You can also scroll through my December Daily® blog archives here. 

Here's a closer look at the items: 

Double-sided pattern papers. Again, if you pre-order you'll get two sets so you can use both the front and the back. 

Really awesome TALL gold-foil chipboard alphabet. 

Sticker sheets including a white white alpha, kraft postage stamp and super cool word tabs. 

The kit includes three chipboard pages - this year I plan to mix in some other pages besides the ones in the page protectors. The chipboard pages include a checklist, a calendar + a circle die-cut page that I can't wait to use. 

There are die-cut gold foil labels (in the top image they look black or a very dark red - it's because they are hard to photograph) and plastic words in my handwriting: tradition, twinkle, twentyfive, december, and celebrate. 

A 4x6 stamp set.

Wood veneer numbers that go up to 31 + gold glitter chipboard trees, hearts and stars + 3 rubber banners (like the December Daily® one shown above).

December Daily® is a registered trademark of Ali Edwards Design Inc. The only companies that have permission to use the trademark on any memory keeping products is Studio Calico or Ali Edwards Design Inc. 

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Sunday Words & Photos

Thank you so much for playing along this past week for my annual Week In The Life™ adventure. 

I hope that you enjoyed the process. I hope that you took some images that tell the story of your life right now in just the way you want to communicate it. I hope that you learned something about yourself in the process of documenting via photos and words. 

As you will see below, I took the least amount of photos of any day this week yesterday. I embrace that fully. What I did capture is very much what most of my day entailed. 

Sometimes when I don't pick up the camera, for this reason or that, I like to approach the story by writing about the photos I didn't take. It's a different way to capture the story that's a nice option for those days and times when you might have simply take photos with your mind. I'll add that writing below my photos. 

Later this week I'll be back to share my process for putting this all together into a tangible album. Bring on the next phase of this project! 

PS | In case you've been wondering all week I've been using my Daily Stories And Photos word art on my main photos. If you like that look and want to add it to your own photos you can purchase it here. 

SUNDAY PHOTOS & WORDS

About 30 DSLR + 18 iphone. 

The story of today is that the clocks fell back an hour as part of Daylight Savings time. 

Sundays are for sleeping in. 

The story of today is that my parents stopped by on their way to Tacoma. I love when they stop by, even for just a short visit. Stopping by usually entails lots of hugs and conversation and kids yelling with excitement and a hot cup of coffee. 

The story of today includes conversations around my table. I love Sundays for lingering table conversations. I love that some of my favorite people were all together in one spot. You can read more about the story of this table here. It's a great example of the power of repetitive photography in storytelling.

The story of today includes noticing shapes as I look through the lens. And dishes. Always dishes. 

The story of today is that I spent a lot of time at my desk from early afternoon into the late evening catching up on work and getting ready for my Lens Of Joy workshop to begin today (registration is open until November 8th). The truth is this is a place I'm very comfortable. 

One of these days I'd love to do a time-lapse in this space. I like how these three shots show the changing light outside over the course of the day. 

THE PHOTOS I DIDN'T TAKE

Dropping Simon and Anna off at Chris' house for the night to help celebrate his birthday. Stopping at Taco Bell because they really wanted to get him a burrito and a taco - it goes along with a song they sing with him (or something he says to them - need to get clarification on that). Simon was really excited to take lunch to him. 
The egg scramble my sister made for breakfast that was delicious. 
My cup of coffee at 7pm to help me get through my evening workload. 
More photos of the girls (Anna and her cousin Gabrielle) playing and arguing, playing and arguing. 
Me eating leftover Halloween candy. 
Me hugging my sister as we said goodbye before she and Gabrielle leave early tomorrow morning. I'm so thankful to have her visit. 

SHARE YOUR SUNDAY

I'd love to have you share a link to your SUNDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.

Week In The Life™ 2014 | Saturday Words & Photos

Words matter. 

They add context and personalize our overall memory keeping experience. They also answer the reason why like I mentioned on Thursday's photos - the why adds so much. Thanks for playing along with my reminder yesterday and I appreciate those of you who are taking it to heart for your own words and stories. I hope it encourages you to tell more. 

Today I'm going to share what Saturdays are for around here. 

My weekends aren't always the same. Chris and I share weekend time with the kids so there are many weekends I'm on my own. This weekend the kids are here with me (last year when I did this project they were with Chris). Most weekends with the kids are really low key - hanging out, recharging, relaxing. Today was a little outside the norm, but it was awesome.

As I know many of you are, I'm looking forward to being done with the intensity of the documentation. I let up quite a bit by this time in the week and I'm totally okay with that. Take some time today to see what images you might be missing or what photos would make good fill-ins if you haven't taken as many as you'd like over the course of the week. 

I'll be back tomorrow to share my final day of words and photos and then later next week I'll share my process for getting all the content into an album. 

SATURDAY PHOTOS & WORDS

About 130 DSLR photos + 28 iphone.

Saturdays are for waking up later than the usual 5:30am or 6am alarm for kids and school during the week. 

Of course, everyday is for coffee. 

Saturdays are for all kinds of imaginative play. This is especially more fun when your cousin is in town and you are both wearing pink bathrobes. 

Saturdays are for computer games in your robe at Mom's desk. 

Saturdays are for baths in the middle of the day. 

Saturdays are for trips to Home Depot for new exterior door hardware. 

Saturdays are for lounging on the couch. Or in the case of this story, Anna needing some quiet time away from her cousin. 

Saturdays are for these kinds of looks. 

Sometimes Saturdays are for staying home all day and sometimes Saturdays are for adventures. This particular Saturday included a big adventure for my sister, Aaron, Simon and I as Jessica got tickets to the University of Oregon football game against Stanford. 

We took a cab from my house over to the Stadium and Simon jumped right in the front seat. 

Many of you know that I went to Oregon State and I'm definitely a Beaver fan. I will always be a Beaver fan. But man it was fun to go to Autzen and watch the Ducks. 

And I loved having my sister be the one to take me. 

Saturdays are for meeting up with friends who know just how to engage Simon. 

Saturdays are for laughing. 

Saturdays are for capturing life in whole new environments. 

This is right up there as a favorite photo for the whole week. This is precisely why I carry that big camera around. 

Jessica and Simon sat together one row in front of us and a few seats down the aisle. At first he was completely disinterested and we'd brought along his headphones and phone on the likely chance the whole thing would be too much for him. He ended up doing awesome and so much of it had to do with Jessica's support and encouragement and teaching him different aspects of the game. 

The moment I saw him engaged and interested I was so, so happy. 

Saturdays are for getting out of the house. 

Saturdays are for doing things together. 

Saturdays are for moments. 

Jessica took this shot of Simon and shared the following on Instagram, "That moment - when your sweet little nephew - who really wasn't interested in going to the game - embraces his first football experience, learns some of the rules of the game, and totally gets into the excitement of it all."

Now that is absolutely what Saturday's are for. Love you Jessica. 

SHARE YOUR SATURDAY

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Week In The Life™ 2014 | Friday Words & Photos

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween. 

In honor of a crazy-full day of work and family and friends, I'm skipping the words and just sharing the photos today. 

There are definitely things I want to say about these images and stories to tell (like how both the girls had meltdowns way before it was time to trick-or-treat which left me carving the pumpkins on my own with my Coors Light). 

As you look through the photos I invite you to think about the difference the words make. If I do tell you more, how does that impact your experience? 

My house was full again this year for Halloween and for that I am so very thankful. 

FRIDAY WORDS & PHOTOS

About 116 DSLR shots + 28 iPhone shots. 

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Week In The Life™ 2014 | Thursday Words & Photos

Happy Friday (and Happy Halloween). 

As I went back through my photos today I decided to tell the story of each photo using the phrase "The Reason Why." 

Why did I take this photo? What's the story? How does it add to the overall story of this week in our life? Or simply, why did I want to take a moment of my life to record this? 

This is a good tool as you begin editing your own photos from the week and solidify the stories you want to tell. 

THURSDAY PHOTOS & STORIES

About 50 DSLR shots + 18 iphone shots. All the ones shown below are from my DSLR.

The Reason Why | Rather than take another photo of me at my desk I looked around for a different story. Three cups of coffee on my desk first thing in the morning tells the story of long work hours. Two cold cups from yesterday and one hot cup from this morning. 

The Reason Why | Tennis shoes. Flip flops. Moccasins. Each pair of shoes carries their own story - of miles and trips and sandy beaches and hours sitting at my desk. I also like the composition of this shot because it gives me room to write on the left side. 

The Reason Why | This is the view outside my kids bathroom window. There are some days I walk by and turn my head to look out and my breath is taken away by the colors in the sky. Looking out the windows of my house are pause points in my day. They remind me to take a breath and bring me back to the present moment vs. whatever is rattling around and around in my head. 

The Reason Why | Simply because I love these car shots (camera on the dashboard using the self-timer). Anna's in her jammies and bathrobe (another no-school day for conferences). I took a shower. Simon looking down at his phone and pursing his lips (which is a tic, not a funny face for the camera). 

The Reason Why | Because I like documenting what she's into. I love that she still plays with the Playmobil people. I'm a big fan setting the camera down on the counter for a completely different angle vs. me just holding up the camera to my face. 

The Reason Why | For the love of fall color. 

The Reason Why | Because I like that she wants to make stuff. Today she made a sign welcoming her cousin to our house. 

The Reason Why | Because I love her excitement and her love. 

The Reason Why | This could be my favorite of the day. The way she sits on the stool with her feet tucked under. The fact that this is a quiet play spot for her. It's the place she often flies under the radar in the evening. 

The Reason Why | Simon's room is another spot I walk by throughout the day and am always interested in the light and the lines of the blinds. I also often find George here, snuggled into the unmade bedding. 

The Reason Why | Because I curled my hair in preparation to do a Google Hangout for Creative Live. The video ended up not working quite right so the students just see a photo of me. 

The Reason Why | Evidence that Anna was here. 

The Reason Why | There I am. Again. Better focus today. Things crossed off my list. 

The Reason Why | I love this spot. When I opened the front door I saw her sitting on the front porch waiting for Jessica and Gabrielle to arrive. She had the pink headphones on and was playing a game. She had asked a million and one times when they would be arriving. It's so hard to wait when you are a kid (and sometimes when you are an adult too). 

The Reason Why | Because there can never be enough cousin shots. These two were born a month apart and live on opposite coasts. I've loved documenting the two of them anytime they are together. 

The Reason Why | I changed my shirt for my on camera time on Creative Live but the video didn't end up working so the students just saw a headshot of me while I chatted with Nicole Samuels about memory keeping. 

The Reason Why | There are so many tasks we do throughout the day. Laundry. Dishes. Helping. Working. Fixing. Reminding. Hugging. Reinforcing. Redirecting. This one involved taken some of the un-eaten popcorn and saving it for later. The girls had needed a snack and some quiet time so we did hot cocoa and popcorn while they watched Mr. Peabody & Sherman. 

The Reason Why | Because once they reach a certain age those bathtub shots just aren't appropriate. It so reminded me of all the shots I took when both were babies and toddlers in the bathtub. 

The Reason Why | Another favorite. I love capturing my kids doing what they do. The light in Simon's room is so great for lighting Simon as he reads or plays with legos. I've taken this kind of shot so many times over the years and it remains one of my favorite things to photograph. 

I stopped documenting earlier in the evening tonight to give myself a little break from the late night blog post writing. 

Be safe tonight and have fun!

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Week In The Life™ 2014 | Wednesday Words & Photos

For Week In The Life™, Wednesdays seem to be the day people find their groove or give up. 

Don't give up. 

There's a middle ground. After doing this many times I expect to let up on my enthusiasm a bit by mid-week, but I keep going. 

And as you've seen over the last few days, I do a whole lot of the same stuff every day. Some people might find it boring, I find it normal. I actually like that I can take almost the exact same shot of me sitting at my desk or waiting for my coffee or saying the prayer for the kids at night. Those activities are my life, little things (and bigger things like sitting at my desk to work) are what make up most of my days. 

One of the reasons I do this project annually is to celebrate those little everyday repetitions. 

Some of you have heard me tell the story of being in the middle of Week In The Life™ in 2011 and that being the week that Chris decided for sure that he was leaving. It wasn't intentional or mean-spirited to make his final decision during that week, it's just what happened. Was it crazy to keep going and documenting? Probably, but it's a big part of my job and it just happens to be that my job includes sharing the stories of my life. If I wasn't doing this as part of my job I might have just bagged it for that year because it's hard to make sense of anything at a time like that (a very big understatement). Of course at the time I didn't come on here and write it all out because it wasn't the time or the place for that specific story. But I know when I look back through those photos and that album exactly how I felt. 

What I learned (and knew already to a certain extent) is that the process of documenting our lives helps to shed light on what is good even in the middle of the most challenging times. It can teach us to look for the best parts of our lives, of ourselves, if we are simply willing to watch and listen and open up. 

If you are looking for more support and ideas for working through this project please remember we've got an awesome, active Week In The Life™ community set up that you can access for free here. 

WEDNESDAY PHOTOS & STORIES

About 70 with my DSLR + 30 with my iPhone.

The story of today is that it felt really normal. 

Simon might have eaten two chocolate chip cookies for breakfast and Anna might have begged me to take her to the mall because she could not go another day without having glasses like everyone else in the house, but other than that it was quiet and the kind of pace I like to have during the week. 

The story of today is that after dropping Simon off at school, Anna and I came back and I took the garbage out, broke down that big pile of cardboard boxes for recycling, and ate oatmeal with almonds, raisins, cranberries and bananas. 

The story of today includes Anna being off school for conferences. She made it for a bit playing in her room until the idea about going to the mall popped into her head. I'm not a big mall-goer so I'm not sure exactly where "take me to the mall" came from but she was pretty intent on making that happen. 

Before we ventured over there to find her some play glasses she got dressed - head to toe pink naturally - including very pink lipstick. I'm cool with her wearing lipstick around the house generally but not to school or other activities. Again, the lipstick is really not my influence (ahem, Katie) but I gotta appreciate that she's got her own ideas about who and what and where and why. 

So with all that pink going on I asked her if I could take a couple photos and not surprisingly she thought that was an okay idea. 

Yeah. 

She's five. And she's awesome. 

There's a little room outside my office where we shoot most of my projects. It's got really nice light and white walls.

For the two images above I switched my lens to the fixed 50mm 1.4 - people often refer to it as a portrait lens. 

Above you can see (in Aperture - the photo management program I use) all the shots I took of her. Some silly. Some serious. Some blurry. 

I don't take these kind of photos all the time because I usually trend towards more everyday environment shots, but man I'm so glad I did this today. This project is a great reminder and chance to take some shots like this of family members or friends. Hoping to get Simon in front of that wall this week too. 

The story of today includes a trip to Costco for Halloween candy and hot dogs. We did quickly hit the mall before this where she found those glasses at Claire's. 

The story of today includes four giant bags of Halloween candy for Friday night. 

The story of today includes a nap. 

And a ride home on the bus. I can't wait to do some sort of comparison with this shot and others I've taken of him and the bus over the years. These days he only rides it home once a week and I (or Chris or Katie) pick him up on the other days. He could ride it everyday but it's long (because it's a special needs bus). He doesn't seem to mind. Mainly I just want to keep him on there at least once a week so it continues to be part of his routine in case we needed to adjust it to more days a week for one reason or another.

Some of the photos I took today I ended up editing using Milk & Cookies BW in Rad Lab.

Rad Lab is super easy because all I have to do is open a photo in Photoshop, click a button to launch it and then click once more to select an adjustment/filter for the photo. My consistent personal favorite is “lights on” which seems to lighten and brighten just enough.

The story of today included Simon calling my Mom to interview her for a school project on family trees. He talked to her for a half hour or so, asking questions about her parents and grandparents and who they were and where they lived and what they did. I loved listening to him talk to her and I know she was happy on the other end. They have a special relationship those two. He's also getting easier to understand on the phone which makes these kinds of conversations more fun. 

The story of today includes chicken drumsticks, rice, and fruit for dinner. 

The story of today includes me taking a little nap while the kids watched TV after dinner. I like our hang out time. I like our big brown couch. 

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I'd love to have you share a link to your WEDNESDAY words and photos below. Please link directly to your post vs. a general blog link. In addition you're invited to come over to the free Week In The Life™ Community Gallery & Message Board.