Inspired by Stacy Julian blog of 12 pics in 12 minutes. I like the idea of 9 in 9 minutes for 2009. Here are mine! Welcome to 2010!

Taking a moment to reflect on the last few months here and the prep work that I always put into the holiday season. Maybe this will help others too. I hope so! This year has been one of challenge for lots of people out there with the economy dumping setbacks on so many. Our own family has been fortunate to still have our employment and our health and both kids well etc. Even so, I decided we were going to scale back on spending as a preventative measure. I don't believe in scaling back on gift giving though. I still give gifts and give them to many. I just decided I wasn't going to strain myself or my budget shopping for them the three months before the holidays. Forewarning, this is going to be one of those stories of how God helps us keep it simple, yet great... :) I decided early in the Fall this year to make my 2009 Christmas gifts with things I had on hand. It just seemed like there must be a simple abundance in my life that I could somehow share better if I looked at ...

Here are a few of my recent layouts. Get inspired to scrap a page! Enjoy!

a classic layout from Scrapgirls But really the classics never went out of style! Just like the little black dress for fashion, some techniques are timeless. Scrapbooking classics are always in style--especially when you want to do pages on a budget. I have been scrapping about 17 years now and have seen a LOT of trends--and can pick out the classics too: tearing inking brads and ribbons journaling and titling by hand handcut shapes and paper piecing by hand color blocking paper folding with your scraps computer journaling computer border printing and titling I heard someone comment yesterday they were never going to scrapbook because it costs too much! ??? Of course you CAN spend oodles on a page layout--but you don't HAVE to! How do you save pennies on your scrapbooking these days? Rockester

It is the second week of April! Is your kitchen out of control? It's time to try to decrease our extras in the kitchen area! Clutter freaks--come out of that pantry!!! Yes you! I can see the Tupperware and plastics exploding out of the cabinet. I can see the old stale cereal behind the maple syrup bottle! Let's get busy this week in the kitchen zone. Foods : If it is old and stale --toss it. If you really don't like it (think salad dressings, marmalades, sauces, mustards, food gifts from December that you haven't even opened, etc) but it is still good, then donate to a food shelf TODAY! It's not getting any more tasty or fresh sitting in your cupboards. Kitchenware: you know we all accumulate a LOT of it over time. Seems like every fast food and gas station chain has a promo and a plastic cup collection. LOL Recycle the cups and plastics or donate them. HALF is the goal. Decrease the food storage plastics in your kitchen by HALF this week. Keep the sizes that WOR...

In a Funk? Let's chat... All right. It's just you and me here. Me typing on my end and you reading on your end. Let's ignore the other 9900 people on the SC list that read this at other times during the day and chat a minute. You and me being real. As the moderator you hear my little speeches and emails almost daily. I try to encourage everyone as a group every day to MOVE toward those goals that we have in common. Now, I am just talking to you. You may not know me in person. But I can tell you are waiting for something. You are waiting for some sort of a 'go' signal from the cosmos, from me, from the groups you belong to, or from yourself before you really kick start yourself and make a change. You might say you are waiting for the loved ones in your life to do x, y, or Z before you tidy up your life. You might be waiting for a raise before you can 'afford' to organize. You might be waiting for the kids to move out so you can have more space. There are lo...

Make sure you keep a sense of balance in the room. Don't weigh it down with furnishings or with wall clutter or with too heavy a drape. Rugs pull a big room together but are not as vital in a small dining room. The color of the wood doesn't matter as much as getting rid of the 'extras' in the room. Let a few pieces shine instead of filling the room up. Be picky. Put out only your best. I like the balance in these rooms. They have very different decor styles and budgets--but still look nice. Do you see how even the red Victorian room looks cohesive-- but not cluttered?