I need to make a list.

Feeling a bit overwhelmed of late. You'd think that after a month of crazy creating for the visuals for my book, I'd be ready for a creative break and content to just focus on other stuff. That's what I thought. I was wrong. For some reason, now I just have heaps and buckets of ideas going through my head practically all the time. I need to figure out a way to jot them down. I love lists but this seems to call for something more "loose" than a list. (Gasp! Did I say that? Me? The queen of lists!)

So. I'm in search of a cool way to record my random thoughts...which vary from simple title treatment ideas to full projects...from other book ideas (yes, I am a glutton for punishment but am so inspired right now) to games to make the boys using scrapping materials...from Christmas gift ideas (things to make) to layout designs...and everything in between. What do you do? Anyone have any ideas that work well for them? I've seen lots of inspiration journals and actually have one myself. But. I don't seem to ever look at it again after I jot down things in it. So...thoughts? 

ETA: Incidentally, since purging and cleaning my scrap space, I also find myself doing a good bit of window shopping for new supplies to overfill my space with. I've been having great fun looking through Etsy stores and my local scrapbook store and everywhere else. All this merely fuels the idea overload. So. Do me a favor, and *don't* tell me your favorite places to shop. Okay? Okay. ;) 

Family History

Whoa. Another post from me in less than 24 hours. Weird. :)

In any case, this was just pointed out to me, so I wanted to point it out to you because it's just darn cool. Creating Keepsakes' new Family History Workbook is now available for preorder! There's a sneak peek up on the CK site this week only that you should see...check out the cute pictures of my dad as a kid. ;)  Now, I still haven't seen this book in person, but I hear it's awesome. I have 12 layouts in there plus a mini album and it was just great fun working on it all! Since this, I've been inspired to finally start pulling out the family history pictures and documenting them...something I think everyone "means" to do but doesn't always get around to. Yay!

Okay, now go back and make sure to read my post from last night. :) 

Various "schtuff"

First of all, I just made the most adorable little mini album! It was for my design team duties at The Treasure Box (my local scrapping store), but it's so cute and easy that I'm making one for myself also. After a month of making stuff for the book, this was a welcome little distraction. I'll post pictures this weekend!

Second, my layouts and projects for my book go postal (okay, not through the post office, though, so does that mean they're going UPS-al?) TOMORROW morning! Woooohooo! I'm sad to see them go, but it's also a relief to just have them out of my hands. By the way, the release date on my book got moved to November 2008. Complicated story, but it'll be good. :) So sorry for the additional wait, though. Trust me, I'll be waiting just as impatiently as everyone else! *laugh*

Third, does anyone know of any good kids books (like for toddlers) with lots of pictures of planes? Micah's a bit obsessed of late (gee, wonder where he gets that?) with planes of any sort. He wore a tee shirt with a car on it today and went around making car noises all day and pointing out cars everywhere but kept asking for planes. He prefers things that fly. :) (Yes, need to find more shirts with planes also.)

Okay, that was all for now. :) 

Kid stories...

Time for some kid stories... ;)

***
Walking along the other day, Noah and Asher both insist that we all avoid stepping on any cracks. I'm sure you've heard that before, right? Curious, I asked them what would happen if I *did* step on a crack. I know I haven't ever said anything along those lines to them but I figured maybe they'd heard something along the lines of "step on a crack, break your mother's back". Isn't that what you've always heard?

So. Without missing a breath, the boys replied (in unison), "if you step on a crack a bear will come out and eat you up!" Really. Where do they come up with these things? Just to test this, I deliberately stepped on a crack. Since I obviously wasn't eaten by a bear, I looked at them for explanation. Their answer? "The bear is invisible!" How silly of me.

***
Another one. The boys were in the kitchen and I overheard them talking. Noah asked Ash, "what are you afraid of?" Asher thought and answered, "ghosts." (Seems reasonable to me.) Asher then, of course, asked Noah in turn what he was afraid of. Noah's response? "Extinction." Honest. What were you afraid of at six?

***
Just as another example of how atypical Noah can be...he was looking out the window earlier this week and saw some birds and a rabbit in the backyard. He turns to me and says, "My estimation of the age of that bird is 4 years." No joke. That's exactly what he said.

***
I'm sure any other mothers of young kids can relate...you're out shopping or running errands and you're trying to keep track of your kids. My general rule is that the boys are to stay where I can see them and they can hear me. So, we were at a store the other day and Asher kept ducking behind displays. I asked him to stay where I could see him. He says, exasperated, "but, Mommy, I'm a secret agent!" Oh. Pardon me. ;)

***
Okay, that's enough for now. Here are a couple pictures of the boys Friday down in Boulder. We met up with friends and threw rocks in the creek and wandered Pearl Street Mall where they had this strange rock playground (not very safe by any means, but the kids all seemed to enjoy it). Great fun!

 

 

Oh, and if you were wondering about funny Micah stories, well, let's just say he's a little mimic of late...totally copying everything his brothers do. And, since getting the big boy haircut, he seems magically to have decided he now *is* a big boy and won't let me hold his hand going down stairs or open doors for him or help him into the van or any number of other things...yeah, totally into the independent thing. Good thing he's cute. ;) 

It was time, but I don't have to like it.

Yesterday Micah got a big boy haircut...just like his brothers. They all needed haircuts (their hair grows like crazy) and we decided that it was finally time to let go of my sweet Micah's "baby" haircut and let him join the ranks of the big boys...he was just so hot and sweaty with all that hair that stood up everywhere and worked well as a napkin still. So. I knew that this day would come, just like the very first time he got a haircut. No going back. I'm still getting used to it, and I know he's still adorable. But he just looks so much older now! Here are pictures from Tuesday and Wednesday...what a difference a day makes:

 

At least he seems happy about it all. :)

In other news, still pretty busy here with tying up things and making revisions and general life. Oy. I'll try to post more this weekend, okay?

Oh, and if you were one of my RAK winners below and haven't contacted me yet, could you please do that today-ish? I'd like to get this stuff out of my office, so if I don't hear from you I may just split up the five piles into however many I hear from (two so far) and ship it. (And if you've already contacted me, huge apologies for not having this in the mail already, but this may work to your advantage, LOL!) :)

Okay, happy Thursday to all!