Maybe you've heard of it...

Project Life. Becky Higgins---part of the original Creating Keepsakes team---developed this concept a few years ago.  Janet, mom and I met her on a scrapbook cruise in the early 2000's. It was in the early days of scrapbooking. She was newly married and had no children. She was working on her book---Sketches for Scrapbooking---I remember seeing it in the rough. She was quiet, shy and very sweet. We liked her right away. I've followed her blog for years.

Project Life. I never thought I would do it. I wasn't interested. I was resistant. Make a double page layout each week of the year? Crazy! Too time consuming. Besides, what in the heck are you going to do with all of those books (assuming you are still doing other scrapbooking.) I was totally NOT on board with it. But then, I saw the layouts. Something hit me. I'm all about telling the stories of our every day. I decided that I would give it a try. I knew that with all of my classes, stitching, book club and everything else I do, a layout a week was too lofty of a goal for me. Plus I didn't want to feel like I was just "manufacturing" pages to keep up. They had to be meaningful.

Instead, I decided to give it a try on a monthly basis. Totally doable. Just a single double-page spread documenting our life and the little things that go along with it. If one of the Project Life albums can hold 52 double page layouts, then one album can hold 4 YEARS!!! Totally up my alley. I'm doing it.

Here we go. January.

 2013 Title Page. I explain in the journaling about how I'm planning on approaching this. The title on the upper right card says: "Project Life: Month by Month."

Here's my first layout for January. It includes movie tickets from the 3 movies I saw, theater production of "Catch Me if You Can", my addiction to Downton Abbey, and an old black and white movie. There's the postcard Morgan sent us from Killarney, a shot of a restaurant we visited, the fact that my 61st birthday was on the 11th, part of the box from my Twinings Commemorative blend tea from William and Catherine's wedding, Operation Organization and one of my AYM classes. And, I added all the journaling. You can really get a lot in to a single spread.

This month by month thing is going to work for me! If you would like to give it a try, check it out here:
Project Life.

If you are already doing it---I'd love hear about it. I would love to post some of your layouts here. Just email me your photos.

I have another year long project up my sleeve. I'll share that another time.

Tomorrow: Operation Organization---that which I have been dreading!

Wassup?

Outside my window: Still dark here in Edwards, Colorado (Beaver Creek). Directly out the window is a fir tree covered in tiny white lights. You can see them glistening on the snow.

I am thinking: About how much work I intended to accomplish while out here---that's not getting done. By next year, I'm hoping to be back on the slopes. I did get all my photos organized and deleted 725 from my phone. Since you have to do them one at a time, it took awhile. In my organizational classes, I preach about dealing with and organizing your photots EVERY time you take them---and I love that they are instantly on my computer---I never bothered with them on my phone. I don't use them from there. Still, I've only had my phone since November and I've already taken 784 pictures. Won't be making the mistake of waiting that long again.

I am thankful for:  Good friends to travel with and places to go and the money to do it with.

Barb, Karolyn, Bruce and Butch

These little boys were sitting across from us at the airport. They had been running around, wrestling and being typical boys when their parents made them settle down. They all had some sort of video game. Reminded us of when we started these ski trips with our own children 18 years ago. Time has sure flown by.

From the kitchen: We're having some good meals here, but keeping it simple. Last night, we grilled some lean pork and had a salad and baked potato. Tonight, it's BBQ shrimp---love that and it's Lent---you know---no meat on Fridays. However, I think when you are over 60, technically you do not have to fast or abstain. Speaking of religion, I just have to share a few jokes. Since I'm Catholic, I can do that!

An Irishman goes into the confessional box after years of being away from the Church.

Inside he finds a fully equipped bar with Guinness on tap. On one wall there's a row of decanters with fine Irish whiskey and Waterford crystal glasses. On the other wall is a dazzling array of the finest cigars and chocolates. Then the priest comes in.

"Father, forgive me, for it's been a very long time since I've been to confession, but Imust first admit that the confessional box is much more inviting than it used to be."

The priest replies: "Get out, you moron, you're on my side".

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What do you call a pope that resigns?

 Ex-Benedict

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The word is out. Pope Benedict is too pooped to pope.

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I am wearing: red sweatshirt, black cords, socks and slippers.

I am hoping: that the few hives I have popping up are not an indication of worse to come. Not worried---I'll get along just fine. Just thought it was over. 

I am reading: The Peach Keeper---very good so far, but I'm only a quarter in to it. There's some mystery to uncover.

I am busy creating: class handouts and plans for future classes. Finished yo-yo tutorial.

I am hearing: piano music Kiss the Rain by Yiruma.

Around the house and garden: Since I got home on Sunday and turned around and left on Wednesday, all I had time to do was pay bills and prepare class kits from January and February for a few new members of my--- A Year of Memories workshop.

In other news: I've offered to help Mindy and Stephanie create a net worth statement. I thought that might be a good motivator to see their assets growing---for them to keep up the good work. 

Mindy's response:

"What do you mean 'it's quick and easy at my age'? Are you trying to say my "net worth" is low?!? Just Kidding... That sounds good to me. I have never heard of such a thing so I'm up for learning it. Plus I would like to get an idea of how much disposable income I can spend on shoes and other various accessories." 

I think she's confusing this with a budget. My good intentions just might backfire.

One of my favorite things right now: Learning new things on my iPhone. When we landed in Denver, I was wondering how my hair looked after the 2 1/2 hour flight. I typed "mirror" in the apps search and---there ya' go. Free mirror app. Working on putting all of my frequent shopper and loyalty cards on the "keyring" app. I won't have to carry those cards around anymore. Thanks, Sharon, for that tip.

I appreciate -the Kid President that I just discovered from Ali Edwards. You MUST check him out here:  A Pep Talk. I am inspired and learn so much from the blogs I follow.

I remember -that I have to prepare my blog post for Operation Organization for Monday. Not looking forward to this assignment---it's what I've been putting off, but no more. It's time to tackle it and knock it out! Who's with me?? Come on, you can do it---and you'll feel so good after!

I forget -names all too frequently---especially when I see someone out of the context of when I normally see them. Wish I could be better.

I regret -that I haven't yet discovered what "big thing" I need to do next in my life. It can be a little thing---I just want to know what I'm meant to do. I'm thinking it has to do with "old people."

How the weekend is shaping up: We'll be coming home from out ski trip on Sunday to dinner with the family. Since neither Mindy or Stephanie are really cooks, it will be interesting.

Looking forward to Monday---President's Day and spending time with my little girlies who aren't so little any more. We're doing lunch at Cheeseburger Charley's and the movie Identity Theft.

St. Louis

My trip to St. Louis seems so long ago now. Still, I want to re-cap the highlights so I can always remind myself of all the people most important to me.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and went straight to Walter and Chris' where we were spending the weekend. Friday night, friends, Ed,  Jane, Walt, Chris, Butch and I went to Paul Manno's for dinner. Afterwards, we went back to Walt and Chris' for a few games of Sequence. Just like old times. With Ed and Jane in Minneapolis, we don't get to see them often enough. We really need to do something about that. Jane snapped a few cute pictures. I'll have to see if I can get a copy.

Saturday, Chris and I went to Macy's then watched Imitation of Life an old black and white while we stitched.

The whole reason we came to town was for a party at Helen Fitzgeralds Restaurant for Ronnie's 60th birthday and retirement. It was so much fun seeing everybody---old friends I haven't seen in years and family that I get to see pretty regularly. All of my siblings were in town.My brother, Matt tried to embarrass me by trying to get Butch and a couple of my old boyfriends to pose for a photo of me. Of course, I talked to the "boys"---one of whom I hadn't seen in at least 40 years. I barely recognized him---he probably felt the same way about me. Luckily, Matt just kept after Butch and me, but didn't approach the guys. I've requested some pictures from the party, but haven't gotten any yet. That's why I take my own pictures. I try not to rely on other people for the pictures I want. It just never works out for me.

Sunday Mass at St. Francis Xavier on the St. Louis University campus. It dates back to 1849.

 Then I saw this:

Seriously---talking on your cell phone in Church? Mass hadn't started, but still, I've never seen anything like this before. You might think it strange that I would pull out my phone to take this photo, but I was already taking photos of the Church. That's allowed. Once Mass starts, not so much.

That's Chris and me standing out front. You can see how big this church is. There are so many old, gorgeous churches in St. Louis. I told Chris, that from now on, when we visit, I want to go to a different one.

We had brunch right around the corner at the Triumph Grill---there was a motorcycle theme and a little museum attached. Afterwards, we took a tour through Forest Park---another half bigger than Central Park in NYC. There are so many things to do there including the FREE world class St. Louis Zoo.

We headed to Jeanne's for Superbowl. All of my sisters and brothers were there (7 of us) along with a few nieces and nephews. We played Tripoly, poker, bet on the game and ate.

Travis and Evie checking each other out. I carried them both around just to take in their precious-ness. But after about 10 minutes, my arm was about to break. I'm just out of the habit of toting babies around.

 The betting board. Matt was responsible for this. It was pretty amazing. I ended up losing $6.50 of my $10.00 bet.

Evie getting ready to leave. I've never seen either baby in a bad mood. Granted, I'm not around a lot, but in this family, you have to get used to the loud chaos fast. I think the babies are so enthralled with everything going on around them, they don't even think about themselves.

The party continued on in to the early hours of the morning. It was a lot of fun. People were camped out at Jeanne's everywhere. There wasn't a spare couch or chair around.


Monday we went down to Ronnie and Janets. I consulted with Ronnie on Janet's scrapbook room. Since he didn't really want my help, I won't send him a bill. We girls went to Steak and Shake for lunch before the movie. I love to go there whenever I'm in St. Louis. Jeanne smuggled my malt in the movie for me. We saw Silver Lining Playbook---it was really good---well, at least the parts I saw. I dozed off 3 times due to being up until 2 a.m. and then getting up at 6:30 a.m.

On Tuesday, Jeanne, Ronnie, Janice and I took a bucket of chicken over to visit Elmer in "the home." He's an old family friend and 92 now, but still as sharp as a tack. It's kind of sad---he said he was the last of his friends left. He said he's ready to go whenever...I'm just glad we took some time to stop by and see him. It's always fun to reminisce. He was the last person we could ask about what REALLY happened to our dog, Shadow. He didn't know (or wouldn't tell). Either way, it's a mystery we'll have to wait to find out. Believe me, I have a list---when I get to Heaven, I'm going straight to the "Answer Man."

 Jeanne and I stopped by for one last visit with Travis. He was full of energy and showed off for us. What a cutie! He's just about walking. Little half-pint...

 Here he is hamming it up for my camera with his mommy, Angie.

A final lunch before Janice had to leave for the airport. A crazy, fun, busy week. Such are the Zimmermann gatherings.

My friends, Karolyn and Pam arrived that afternoon for our scrapbook retreat. And you know all about that!

Finally caught up! Something new tomorrow. Head on over to the AYM Blog for a little tutorial on making "yo-yos"---an old quilting technique we're now using on scrapbook pages.

Just had to share!

I just had to share this. More regular stuff later!!
Bear disrupts photo shoot.

What a Great Weekend!

I just love the retreats put on by Creative Haven! These two gals really know how to pamper us.

Gina and Leah have been doing several of these retreats for over 5 years now. Check out the website and join us sometime. You can count on a good time, great food, friends, a few drinks and lots of late night/early morning scrapbooking.

Here are some of the gals that were there:

 Pam and Erin Cjakowski are Leah's mom and sister. Erin finished her very first scrapbook page---below.

These fun ladies---Carla, Erin and another Carla were at the table next to ours. They were so intrigued by my workshop---A Year of Memories---that they decided to join. Glad to have them!

 Erin's very first layout. Easy to do when you have such darling children to work with.

 My niece Bridget with me! She and Leah are childhood friends.

 Connie and Beth---Beth is my niece, Jessica's sister-in-law. I guess you could say that scrapbookers tend to be an incestuous bunch!

 My sister, Jeanne and sister-in-law, Janet. Janet has been my scrapbooking buddy since the beginning.

 On the right is Heather. I'm sorry, but I can't remember this other very interesting lady's name. She had some very unusual stories that could NOT be told on a scrapbook page. If you were there, you know what I'm talking about. They can't even be repeated on my blog!

 These ladies were very nice to talk to at dinner, but they were not near us in the crop room, so I don't remember their names.

Sherrie and her daughter, Devon have been coming to every retreat since the very beginning.

 Here are Kim and Mel. There other table mate---the very cute and friendly, Jennifer, had already gone to bed:( I'll have to be sure to get her picture next year. She was a lot of fun!

I don't know how I managed to NOT get a picture of Pam and Karolyn at the retreat, but here's one---even if it's from here in Nashville!

I always learn so much at scrapbook retreats. Nothing about scrapbooking, but all kinds of other things including drinking!!!
This year:
I learned that Cake Vodka mixed with orange soda tastes like a dream sickle.
I learned that Rum Chata tastes like Baileys.
I learned that  chocolate wine is delicious!
I learned that Pam and Karolyn had never had a Limearita.
I learned that locks and teen boys don't always go together.
I learned that there are some really unusual methods to relieve constipation that don't always work!

And lastly, I learned that we just can't always rely on our navigations systems. Pam drove. We made it home 9 hours later---after what should have been a 7 hour trip. We did stop for lunch, but this was an unexpected delay.

We somehow wound up on a ferry in Illinois. After 3 hours on winding country roads, we made it BACK to St. Louis (the retreat was only 2 hours away from St. Louis)!! By the time we got on to Highway 64, it was as though we were just starting out. Turns out, Pam had OnStar! We should have used it. Apparently, her GPS was set for shortest route rather than fastest.

 Pam's car on the ferry.

It was a great weekend. Thanks everyone for the fun!!

I still have to tell you about my St. Louis trip, but that's going to have to wait. Plus, I'm going to give you a week off from Operation Organization. If you haven't finished the earlier assignments, then you  can easily go back. Just go to the right above and check out the labels for Operation Organization.

We're heading to Colorado on Wednesday for our annual ski trip. I plan to really catch up on my blogs and blog writing.
Stay tuned...

What's Goin' On...

By now, I had hoped to give you a rundown on my time in St. Louis. But the photos are not cooperating. Since arriving at Jeanne's, none of my pictures have been able to download. It must have something to do with her internet access. So, I'll have to give you the weekend details when I get back home.

Outside Jeanne's window: The sun is shining and it looks gorgeous outside. I'm not letting that fool me---I know it's going to be frigid!

I am thinking: How much I need to do before my friends arrive this afternoon. They are coming earlier than I had planned. That means Jeanne and I have a lot of errands to do this morning while sneaking in our last lunch with sisters and brother before they get here. No extra down time for me today.

I am thankful for: Getting this chance to see all of my family and the out-of-towners too.

From the kitchen: Just my tea and leftover carrot cake for breakfast.

I am wearing: My pajamas while I wait for all of my clothes to come out of the wash.

I am hoping: that my hair is going to turn out all right, but I don't think it will. I used some styling stuff that I found when I cleaned out my vanity at home. I don't know if it was old or what, but it's all stiff and gummy feeling. Plus, the blow dryer in the guest bath here only blew out cold air. I haven't tried to style it yet, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to re-wash it and start all over again. Ugh!

I am reading: Out of Time---the jury is till out. I'm nearing the end and had hoped to finish it today. I don't think that's going to happen. 

I am busy creating: Nothing at the moment, but hope to---starting tomorrow afternoon when we get to the scrapbook retreat.

I am hearing: the hum of the dryer and the bubbling of Jim's fish tank. But now that I've been reminded, I'm putting some music on.

Around the house and garden: It's been way too cold to take a stroll through Jeanne's garden. She hasn't done anything new in the house recently.

In other news: Tonight is Morgan's Ring Mass. Juniors get their class rings blessed. Butch is going with her and Steph. I can't believe my "grands" are growing up so fast. It was only yesterday when they moved in with us...

One of my favorite things right now: hanging out with my sisters. I don't get to do it often enough. All seven of us were together this past weekend. Joyce left on Monday and Janice leaves today. I'll miss them until our sister's weekend this summer. 

How the weekend is shaping up: We leave tomorrow for our scrapbook retreat. I'm teaching a class on Saturday and having a massage that afternoon. Scrapbook retreats are all about hanging out with your friends/family, sharing memories and just relaxing. Can't wait!

I'm not sure when my next post will be. Stay tuned....

Operation Organization

I'm so happy to hear that many of you are following along and getting your self and house in order.

I said that I was going to give an assignment that you could do while you were away from home. Assignment #1 is to clean out your purse. I said before that it only takes 5 minutes. I usually do this while on long car rides.

Assignment #2---How about organizing your photos on your computer? That's the perfect thing for me to do when the rest of the family is sleeping. If you've never sorted photos before, don't let it overwhelm you. Just start small. Here are a few tips to get your started.

1. Set up some albums/folders on your computer. I have several albums. One for each of the girls, Butch and myself, both of us, home and garden---you get the idea. However you would like to sort your photos is how you should set up your albums. Here's a shot of mine:

2. Start dragging your photos into the albums you've created. If you come across photos that you don't think you need or will never use again, put them in to a "burn to dvd" folder/album. I say "dvd" because you can fit thousands on to a dvd versus a cd. At the end of the sorting process, you will burn this dvd as a back-up. You never intend to retrieve photos from this dvd unless there is some sort of catastrophy and all your photos are lost.

3. Sometimes a photo can go in to more than one album. You might have a photo that you love that can work in two or more albums. For example, say you have a picture of two of your children together. You would put the same picture in each of their albums.

4. Set up a "Print Now" album/folder. If you put photos you intend to print in this album as you go along, then you are ready for any "deal" that comes along from Snapfish, Walgreens or Shutterfly. How often do you miss a deal because you don't have the time to figure out what photos you need/want to print? Now they are just a click away.

5. Burn your dvd. Once you burn what you'd like to save, you can safely delete these from your computer. Remember, you can delete albums, but the photos still remain in your main photo library. If you delete them from your main library, they are gone---even if you had them in several albums. Once I've burned the dvd, I empty the "burn to dvd" album so that I don't end up duplicating the same pictures, the next time you burn some. Once you have your photos organized, then burn a dvd each year. Be sure to date the dvd---2012 and include some highlights---a wedding, graduation or vacations, so you will have some sort of idea as to what's on it. The very best place to keep these would be a safe deposit box. That way, if something horrible happens (flood or fire) you have the original tucked safely away.

If your photos are an unorganized mess, this is going to take some time to set up. Just start small. Spend 30 minutes here and there throughout the week and you will get it done. You will be glad you did.

Once you have your photos organized on your computer, I suggest you download new ones at least once a week, or EVERY time you use your camera. It's much easier to sort 10 or 20 photos right away than to wait until you have 200.

Good luck and get started!!