Scrapbooking Your Baby's First Year (giveaway)

Update: Random.org picked commenters #7 and #2 as the winners! Keli (#7) and Delaina (#2), e-mail me for the FREE class info!

My goal was to finish the scrapbook about Annalyn’s first year by her first birthday party. I wanted to put the scrapbook on display, so people could enjoy photos of her and remember how tiny she used to be.

That didn’t happen.

I did end up finishing the album the next month, though, and I am so glad. It’s not just about how cute the layouts are {although, they are}. It’s because it’s no longer sitting on my to-do list, mocking me.

{What? Your to-do list doesn’t mock you? Because mine is a snarky little punk!}

However, you know what IS on my to-do list? Besides file old bills, write to my Compassion child and for the love, clean the bathtub? Finish Annalyn’s albums.

See, I have scrapbooks for each of Annalyn’s first two years. And they’re both semi-finished. For her first year, I slapped the gajillions of pictures I took onto pages like scrapbooking was going out of style (and don’t you even tell me that!), not taking time to journal or add embellishments or, honestly, even make sure all the page protectors were the same size (they’re not).

And so these projects that I so badly wanted to have finished by now are not.

It’s too late for me (I’m kidding. It’s never too late to start or finish a scrapbooking project.), but perhaps we can save YOU.

Do you have boxes of photos, waiting to be organized and enjoyed? Do they mock you? Are you overwhelmed by the thought of finding time or knowing where to start? My friend Jessica has the perfect solution for you.

As a new mom who works full-time, writes The Mom Creative blog and loves to scrapbook, Jessica Turner's life is a constant juggling act. After not finding any baby scrapbooking resources she loved and with a commitment to completing her son's first-year album while he was still a baby, she developed Don't Blink: Scrapbooking Your Baby's First Year.

Finding time to scrapbook amidst milestones and diaper changes can be a challenge, but it is possible! In the self-paced class Don't Blink: Scrapbooking Your Baby's First Year, you'll receive tips, tricks and inspiration to complete your baby's first year album – while he or she is still a baby. And don't worry; if your baby is walking and talking, Don't Blink will still inspire you to complete his album before he graduates from high school.

After taking Don't Blink, I know you'll be inspired to create dozens of layouts for your baby's scrapbook. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by the amount of pictures you have taken and the layouts you could make, you'll have the tools needed to create a scrapbook that will be cherished for years by your child. AND, you will be able to get it done during naptimes, at night and whenever else you can squeeze in 15 to 30 minutes to scrapbook!

Here’s my favorite part: Jessica has been sweet enough to give us a coupon code for the class AND two free classes for me to give away!

Coupon Code: For a 20% discount for Don’t Blink, use the code blogblink at checkout.

Giveaway: To enter the giveaway for one of two free classes (in other words, two people will win this class), tell me in the comments if you like to scrapbook and what’s kept you from finishing your albums.

For additional entries, subscribe to Giving Up on Perfect, follow me on Twitter or join my Facebook page – and then tell me about it in a separate comment. I’ll draw a winner after midnight (CST) on Friday, July 2.

This post will be linked to We Are THAT Family's Works for Me Wednesday, because scrapbooking my baby's first year works for me. 

Disclaimer: The coupon code only applies to the Don’t Blink self-paced class; coupon does not apply towards other self-paced projects, workshops or gift certificates. Good for one time use, per student. Expires December 20, 2010, at 10 p.m. PST. Cannot be combined with any other offer. Coupon must be entered in the “Promo Code” box during checkout and press “apply” button; discount will be applied immediately. Not applicable towards previous purchases. Other terms and restrictions may apply.

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Under the influence

I spent Saturday and most of Sunday driving and scrapbooking. (Not at the same time! Don't be crazy.) My two cousins and I went to a scrapbooking retreat at a crafting bed and breakfast place a couple blocks away from my cousin's town - three hours away from my house.

The original plan was for Mark and Annalyn to go with me and spend the weekend with my cousin's husband and four kids. Unfortunately, said husband and kids spent last week puking and fighting a nasty fever. So I was on my own.

And I didn't mind at all. Driving alone for hours gave me the opportunity to sing at the top of my lungs to a ridiculous variety of music, from Lady Gaga to Hall & Oates to Kid Rock to Ronnie Milsap.

Hey, don't judge. I had to do something to distract me from the view.

As much as I appreciate the beauty of the Kansas plains - and I do - it's a little easier to enjoy the view in the spring. Or the fall. Or, basically, any season but the winter without snow.

Although I did see several calves - jumping and frolicking. Before you ask, no, I didn't get any pictures of that. Actually, the only other picture I got since Friday was one that captures what the weekend was about:

My cousins are five and six years older than me, and when we were growing up, I idolized looked up to them. Until I outgrew them (AHEM.), I wore their cool hand-me-down clothes. I practiced - for hours - the simple dance routine they taught me from their drill team days. And even this weekend, they were taking care of me - letting me borrow their scrapbooking tools and encouraging me that my layouts looked fine when I was sure they looked terrible.

And teaching me to drink wine.

Oh, I didn't mention that before? Yeah. On Saturday night, they ran to Walmart to pick up some photos and came back with two brown bags. I don't remember what kind of wine it was, but believe you me, I will find out.

I don't like the taste of alcohol, so it's never been a temptation to me. This is a good thing, considering my family history, and I've never argued with the fact. But this wine? Deeelish.

Fruity drinks - like rum punch or Smirnoff apple - are great, but I can only drink one or two, because they're just too sweet. But this wonderful sweet wine wasn't overly sweet. It was just right.

Maybe I won't find out what it was called. This could be dangerous.

Kind of like that time I went to Oceans of Fun with my cousins and wore one of their swimsuits. It was cut higher on the legs than mine that I'd worn all summer. That wouldn't have been a problem - except when I saw them slathering on baby oil, I had to do it, too. And if there's one place you don't want the worst sunburn of your young life, it's the space on your legs between your swimsuit and your borrowed swimsuit.

Who did you look up to as a child? And what did you do this weekend?

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It was a napping kind of weekend.

You know what I wonder? Why do I have a calendar? I mean, I occasionally write things in it, but then I close it up, stick it in my stack of stuff that I tote back and forth every day, and never look at it again.

Case in point: last Friday. Though just two days before, I’d sent my friend Christelle a note on Facebook saying how much I was looking forward to our scrapbooking date on Friday, I sat at my desk that afternoon and thought, “Hmmm, what am I going to do tonight?”

And then, because my life is so very exciting, I logged onto TVGuide.com to see what was playing on the old boob tube.

Thankfully I had an occasion later on to open my calendar, where I saw “Scrapbook with Christelle” written on my Friday box. I say thankfully, because a) it would have been quite embarrassing to have Christelle find me in my usual Friday routine (you know, lounging on the couch in my stretchy pants watching Wife Swap), and b) it was pretty slim pickings on TV and I had decided I’d just watch Kate & Leopold again.

I didn’t even like it that much the first time. Mainly because Meg Ryan has her weird fish lips in that one, and it’s just too distracting for me.

Let’s pause for an important disclaimer: Yes, Pysch is on Friday nights, but I tape it, so Mark and I can watch it together over the weekend. Now, carry on.

So, I remembered my scrapbooking date in time to order pizza and pick up the toys decorating our floors. And more important than organizing my photos and picking out the perfect rub-on or brad, I had a great time catching up with my friend.

Which is a good thing, because I wasn’t so successful in the scrapbooking part of our evening. I am either on or off with that stuff, and I was off.

I don’t really remember what we did on Saturday, although I distinctly recall it involved an extremely pleasant afternoon nap.

Oh yes, we also went to the park – for 15 minutes. Because by the time we got there, somebody was getting cranky and needed a nap.

No, I don’t mean me.

But kind of.

Anyway, Saturday night was a big deal: Mark’s dad watched Annalyn for the first time, while we went with Smitty to a birthday party. I could bore you with details about how the restaurant we went to used to be called Johnny O’Quigley’s but now it’s Paddy O’Quigley’s but I didn’t know that and assumed the invitation had the wrong name but then I saw it was right but still Smitty wanted to mock me and assume that I was crazy.

But really, all you need to know is that they served green tortilla chips – because dying the Mexican food green makes it Irish. And Annalyn had a great time with her Grandpa Jim.

We wrapped up Sunday with choir practice and church, the longest 90 minutes ever (also known as our monthly service in the toddler nursery), another nap for the whole family, lots of giggles and Mark’s awesome grilled chicken.

How was your weekend?

Hello, Monday. How did you get here so fast?

I realize it would be better to write, “How did you get here so quickly?” but I really felt like saying fast.

How was your weekend? Mine was busy, so as usual, I don’t have much blog brilliance for you this morning. Let’s just go with a list . . .

• First, we will have a live chat tonight at 8 p.m. CST to discuss Me, Myself & Lies. ALL are welcome, and you’re welcome no matter where you are in the study. Let's get back to cleaning out our thought closets!
• This weekend's scrapbooking retreat was a success. I finished 26 pages, or 13 layouts. Oh, all right, fine. So I still need to go back and journal and fancy them up, but the pictures are slapped down onto pretty paper. So I still call that a success!
• And wow, the facility we were at was fantastic! I’ve done a handful of scrapping weekends, and this place was by far the best I’ve been to. If you live around these parts and like to scrapbook (or craft something – it’s for quilters, cardmakers, seamstresses, anyone!), I highly suggest you check out Maple Memories in McPherson.
• Since I consider chips and salsa to be our fifth food group, it’s no wonder Annalyn also appreciates the salt and the spice. But it always cracks me up just how much she loves chips and salsa – or, as she was calling them last night, “bips and dotdot.”
• And speaking of my baby girl – we’ve had a major development. Starting on Friday night – and huge thanks to her Aunt Smitty – Annalyn started walking behind her baby stroller. She even let Smitty hold her hands and walk her around the house – something she’s refused (complete with going limp, flailing around fits) to do with us for these last 8 months. Then on Saturday morning, she decided that she actually enjoyed walking behind her “beep beep strawer” (that’s the stroller, to those of you who don’t speak toddler) and hasn’t stopped since. Honestly, after months of frustration, this feels like a miracle. Especially since it’s happened just days before we go back to the physical therapist to see if she’s made any progress!
• Last – and probably least – I had a 3-hour drive between the scrapbooking retreat and my house. And after several nights in a row of not nearly enough sleep, I needed help. Of course that included a gigantic Coke from McDonald’s, but I also found a burst of energy by listening to my Mamma Mia soundtrack. I just love that movie.

And that’s all. How’s your Monday? Manic? Monotonous? Mild? Moving? Something that doesn’t start with “m” or make me think of an 80s song?

Photo of bips and dotdot by Photo Mojo.

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date!

More specifically, I've taken procrastination way too far this time. And put off printing photos of Annalyn way too long.

I'm going to a scrapbooking retreat with my cousin Sarah this weekend, and I haven't printed a single picture since October.

Nine months ago.

And apparently, sorting through hundreds of photos, editing them and sending them to print is not the easiest thing to accomplish the week after a week-long vacation.

All that to say . . . I need to spend my Thursday night blogging time on this "little" project. So how about we take a litlte poll in the meantime?

How do you print your photos? Every month? Once a year? On your printer at home? With an online service like Shutterfly or Snapfish? At the drugstore or scrapbooking shop? Tell me - obviously my system isn't working so well!

It’s a bit like watching your great-grandmother do a strip tease.

Sarah at The Mom Chronicles does a great post every week called Thursday Ten. Since I’m a fan of putting my thoughts into important-looking bullets – you hush, it helps me think! – I thought I’d give this a try.

Except it’s Friday. And “Friday Ten” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. So I give you the very wordy Friday Five. As Nigel says, “And . . . cue music!”

• Last night was the big night. Yes, it was my mom’s birthday (helloooo, spice cake!). But it was also the night my beloved So You Think You Can Dance returned. And it did not disappoint. From Cat Deeley and her furry white vest to Nigel’s crazy British insults (Exhibit A: the title of this post), all my favorite folks were back in my living room, where they belong. Although . . . the six-time men’s baton twirling champion, Crazy Kate, creepy “joint-tortionists” and the same-sex ballroom dancers don’t actually belong in my living room.
• I have given in to peer pressure and started doing the 30-Day Shred. Day 1 (also known as Monday) was wretched. I thought I was going to die, and I was okay with that. Day 2 (yes, I am a glutton for punishment) was also torture, but in a different way. Working out didn’t make me feel like puking, but my muscles made it very clear how unhappy they were to be woken after years of inactivity. Day 3 actually took place on Day 4, because I had an allergy attack that wouldn’t be stopped. But by last night (Thursday, or Day 4), I almost felt normal again. Unfortunately, Annalyn woke up an hour early this morning, so I wasn’t able to shred myself. Thankfully, I’m quite sure Jillian will still be there come 6:00 tomorrow morning.
• Annalyn has a new game, and it’s adorable. It’s called “Night Night,” and it has two versions. In version one, she grabs a pillow and/or a blanket, lays down and says, “Night, night!” Then she pretends to sleep. Because when it’s not actually bedtime, this apparently is a fun thing to do. The other version involves Mommy and Daddy pretending to sleep (and snore), then waking up. For some reason, that makes the kiddo giggle her head off. Which, you know, makes us laugh, too.
• Tonight I’m going to scrapbook with my friend Christelle. I said I was finished with Annalyn’s one-year album last month, but really, I’ll finish it tonight. I still have to journal and embellish and generally polish it up. I still won’t be completely finished, though. (Will this project ever end??) I need to make a trip to the scrapbooking store sometime this weekend to buy extra page protectors and album extenders . . . because I had a LOT of pictures to deal with! And while I’m there, I think I’ll find someone to help me put the whole album together. I have a feeling it will involve screwdrivers, and I’m not so good with the tools.
• Jessie has started a fun carnival over at her blog, The Vanderbilt Wife. She’s asking everyone to share their favorite family recipes – and already, I’m seeing a lot of yummy food! I had hoped to post about the Cheesy Chicken I make, based on a recipe from Mark’s mom. But thanks to a little chicken misunderstanding in our house, it just didn’t happen this week. Go check it out anyway! After all, you probably need a good dish to take to a potluck or BBQ this weekend, and I bet you’ll find something there!

All right, that’s all the randomness I can manage for now. It’s your turn – what’s your week been like? Do you have plans for the holiday weekend? Am I the only one who wishes Mary Murphy and her annoying-as-all-get-out scream would get booted off of SYTYCD?

Tag! You're it.

Last week, Rochelle tagged me to write a post about 8 Things. I’ve never actually been tagged before, so this was exciting. Really. I'm so easily excited. Anyway, in just a moment, I’ll start my listing (you know how I love lists!).

But first, I want to encourage you, ask you, beg you (!) to come back tomorrow. I know most people check out of the blog world and into real life on the weekends. I do, too, and I think that’s great. But tomorrow, I’m going to share with you some of the most touching posts I’ve read about this week’s Compassion trip to India, and I don’t want you to miss it.

And now . . . (drumroll, if you like) . . . The Lists of 8 Things.

8 things I'm looking forward to:

• Date night with Mark tomorrow. We’re finally using the movie passes I got for my birthday (in December)!
• Finishing Annalyn’s scrapbook in a couple weeks at my monthly crop with my friend, Christelle
• Smitty finishing her teaching program and moving back home
• Going to Columbia for a weekend getaway to celebrate our 10th anniversary
• Starting a new Bible study with our small group (We’re plowing through our current, church-mandated study now – I’ll just say that it’s not what we would have picked!)
• Vacation in Florida this summer
• Seeing Annalyn take her first steps
• Season 5 of So You Think You Can Dance

8 things I did yesterday (also known as Wednesday, because sometimes it takes me two days to finish a post):

• Ate a bagel for breakfast (Not donuts, thankyouverymuch, and that’s my point.)
• Sent several press releases to various newspapers across the country
• Went home for lunch to see Mark and Annalyn
• Talked to the CEO of our company about a new project
• Complained about the rain
• Watched reruns of Will & Grace instead of the President’s address
• Halfheartedly watched the American Idol results show (Why can’t they just say who’s kicked off and let us get on with our night?)
• Read a couple chapters of In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day (Already I can tell, this one is going to be life-changing.)

8 things I wish I could do:

• Lose weight
• Spend more time with Annalyn
• Dance
• Develop my photography skills
• Pay off our debt
• Go on a Compassion bloggers’ trip
• Sell our house
• Move to Nashville

8 TV shows I watch:

• How I Met Your Mother
• Chuck
• Castle
• American Idol
• NCIS
• Bones
• Grey’s Anatomy
• My Boys

And during the summer, I can add So You Think You Can Dance, Burn Notice and Psych. Is it a bad thing that I can come up with more than eight shows I watch but had a hard time thinking of eight things I did yesterday…?

8 bloggers I tagged:

• I’m not going to tag anyone, because I don’t want anyone to feel obligated.
• However, if it makes you feel special, then maybe I should tag you.
• I’ll start with Chelley, Mel, Busy and HM. Then I’ll add Amy, Brenda, Erin and Kimberly.
• And then I’ll feel guilty for not tagging every single one of my readers.
• So I’ll consider deleting this whole list.
• But then I’ll decide that I just want to get this post posted!
• So I’ll ask forgiveness from everyone – those who were tagged and are now annoyed, and those who were not tagged and are now sad.
• Then I’ll say that I think if you want to use this meme on your blog, just go for it, tagged or not!

The end. Please come back tomorrow.

All right, stop, collaborate and listen.

Our house is under an Emergency Laundry Warning today. In other words, nobody has clothes to wear. And that’s because I spent my entire weekend scrapbooking.

The good news is that I’m just about finished with Annalyn’s first year album (yes, only six months late). The bad news is that two out of the three of us are in winter wear today, despite the Weather Channel’s insistence that spring has sprung.

Laundry issues aside, I had a fantastic time scrapbooking with friends. Yes, I was productive and more importantly, yes, I took the opportunity to eat many, many tasty snacks. (And why not? Heather promised that she’d removed all the calories from both the tortilla rolls and the cookies.) But the best part of scrapping for 12 hours in a 24-hour period? Laughing my head off with my girlfriends.

Remember when I talked (whined, okay, maybe I whined) about how hard it is to make friends as an adult? Well, for me, one cure has been working part-time at a scrapbooking store. The girls I met there made working that second job enjoyable and even now that some of us no longer work there, they’re still sweet friends who I enjoy so much.

Actually, it’s possible I enjoyed them a little too much. Because I’m not sure I would have stopped my cutting and gluing to bust a rhyme with anyone else. But on Saturday morning, Debbie, Melanie and Heather got quite the treat when Vanilla Ice blared out of the iPod speakers. I couldn’t help it. They all talked a good game about knowing their 90s white rap, but when the time came, my funny friends became shy.

So what could I do? I had to help them out. Or show them up. Or…okay…crack them up! And I don’t mean in a “we’re-laughing-with-you” sort of way, either. No, my dear friends were most certainly laughing AT me. But that’s okay – I was laughing at me, too.

We laughed a lot more that day. From our husbands’ driving habits to early-morning malt beverage to the virtues of canned chili, we talked and laughed about everything under the sun.

By the time I got home Saturday night, I was exhausted. I told Mark that I felt like I’d worked all day. Because I’d already informed him that Annalyn’s album was almost completely finished, he said, “Well, you did work all day.”

Yep, I sure did. Rapping’s harder than it looks!

How was your weekend?

Yes, I'm one of those people. I'm a scrapbooker.

Seven years ago, my cousin invited me to a Creative Memories party. She sold the scrapbooking products, and even though I was broke and had no business buying paper and stickers, I went to spend time with her. While I was there, two things happened.

I realized my cousin is a good salesperson. And I began scrapbooking.

I’ve always loved taking and collecting photos, and I had journals, albums and even a few scrapbooks from years before. But this type of scrapbooking was purposeful, creative and addictive. And I haven’t stopped doing it since.

I’m happy to say that my scrapbooking style has changed since that day I glued a few graduation pictures and a purple border on a page. Since working at Archiver’s part-time, I’ve even started getting fancy and using ribbon and (I can’t believe I’m saying this) stamps and ink on my pages. I have more paper than I could ever use, more projects than I could ever finish, and more stacks of photos than I can get organized.

But I love it. I’ve even tried to make a business out of it. (You can see a few books I made – and hoped to sell – below.) I’m glad that didn’t take off, though, because this way, scrapping is still a hobby. Still something FUN. I’m thankful for scrapbooking. It’s a way to preserve and honor memories, but also a way to connect with other women and spend time with friends.

Do any of you scrapbook?