I finally figured it out!

How to survive the trips to visit in the inlaws in Tehachapi, CA that is AND (most importantly) how to scrapbook in the car!!!!! It's a 2.5 hour drive for us at the minimum and once there, it's quiet and sloooowwww. Too slow for my apparent never-take-a-second-to relax self at least.

So this past Friday we piled in the car and began our trek up to visit the hubby's parents and some family that was in town from the East Coast. As I mentioned in my last post, I just had a ton of pictures printed and have been aching for time to dig into a scrapbook kit I got last month (from Noel Mignon). I have literally been trying to carve out time to work with it but have found excuse after excuse not to. So I decided this weekend was going to be THE ONE.

I packed a small bag (see below for a more detailed list of items I took with me) with my pictures, the scrapbook kit, and a few tools. I climbed into the front seat and we weren't on the road more than 5 minutes before I began to pull the stuff out. It was so awesome! I created one layout on the way there and one on the way home. And I made two up there while laying in bed before we hit the sack! That totals FOUR layouts people! That's more layouts than I have created in several months. The only other time I have been as productive was at last April's scrapbook weekend.

One of the nice surprises that I hadn't really thought about was that I was still able to participate in coversation with the husband and the girls. So often when I scrap at home and they're awake, I feel guilt over the fact that maybe I should be spending time with them. This way, I was still with them and taking advantage of the opportunity to get something done.

Some of you may be reading this and saying, "Oh heck no! I get carsick!" I too am one that can't read in the car without a wave of nausea overwhelming me. And I would be lying if I didn't say there were a couple of times where I had to pause and look straight ahead and take some deep breaths. But I think it was all very manageable. Namely because when scrapping, you have plenty of opportunities to lift your head up and take in the surroundings. It's much different than reading. I do suppose that someone who suffers from really bad motion sicknes might not be able to car scrap. But don't let that stop you from packing a bag so you can scrap when you reach your destination.

Here are my layouts (and please excuse the PATHETIC photos - my DSLR broke and I am in the process of determining which new one I want to get; in the meantime I am stuck with a point and shoot and let's just say BLECK - yes, I am an SLR snob - sorry):

Layout #1 made on the ride up.

Layout #2 made in bed.

Layout #3 made in bed.

Layout #4 made on the ride home.

List of things I packed:

1. pictures

2. scrapbook kit by Noel Mignon

3. paper trimmer

4. box of inks (I have some plastic box with dividers that perfectly stores many Colorbox Cat's Eye inks)

5. lap desk (essential for car scrapping) - got mine from Barnes & Noble

6. scizzors

7. black and brown pen

8. corner rounder

9. ruler never used this

10. glue (Scotch Tack Dry Adhesive)

11. one stamp (a journaling block stamp) never used this

12. acrylic block for stamp never used this

13. one color of stamping ink never used this

14. one pair of decorative scizzors never used this

Things I learned I should have also packed:

pop dots - because when you're working with only a kit, they'll help to give some added dimension when needed

tape runner - I survived the liquid adhesive but let's just say that in a moving car, it could have gotten bad; a tape runner will allow for more precise gluing

glue dots - this is a much better and quicker way to adhere something rather than the liquid adhesive

pencil - this can help make marks on where you want to glue something down or to draft your journaling (since you should not attempt to permanently journal while in a moving car)

extra cardstock - most kits only provide a few pieces of cardstock; for those that like to use CS as a background to their page, you'll need more; and if you're a two-page layout scrapper, then you'll need two pieces of each color

Over the past year I have learned a lot about myself as a scrapbooker. The #1 thing I have learned is when I have too many options, I don't get anything done. So this method of travel scrapping worked SO SO SO well for me. All I had were the contents of the kit. No fears of that perfect product being missed because I can't see it. A dream come true for me.

I can't wait to employ this new method on our upcoming vacation to Utah and Colorado. It's great to have that creative outlet, get some layouts accomplished, and still get to be part of everything going on.

By the way, this kit I got still has SO many pieces left to it. I think I could easily create another 6- 10 layouts with it. Highly recommend following Noel Mignon's blog and some of her designers. They do amazing things and the kits are very much worth every penny.

Gasp!

I just edited and uploaded 308 photos to Costco. I am having them all printed. No excuses for no scrapbooking projects now. I can't wait to create something!

For Preslee's Parents

I think this will be the last post about sweet Preslee. I am still saddened by her passing but feel one last need to draw attention to her parents' blog. A beautiful woman has written and performed a song in Preslee's honor. It is available for download with a $1 donation that will go to her parents. You can find it here.

Thank you for reading and hopefully understanding my need to bring light to this sweet little girl. I feel like I have been busy lately and hope to be posting some craftiness soon. I have made several cards and not taken a picture of one. This is because I am usually throwing them together at the last minute. I am anxious to dig into a scrapbooking kit I got soon. I have been uploading and editing pictures for printing so I have some good material. So many memories to get documented!

Broken Hearted

I am sad to update that little Preslee lost her battle here on Earth and is in God's loving arms. I posted about her the other day if you want to go to her parent's blog.

I know I shouldn't be sad about the fact that she is in Heaven now, but I am. Terribly sad. I feel as if I lost a child. Tears have been flowing for days now, thinking about the anguish of this little angel and her parents. I don't even know them! I am trying to find a sense of peace in all of this and I know it will come at some point, but for now, I am DEVASTATED!!!!! I am shocked by the amount of tears I have shed. It's moments like this, I just feel like I can't handle reality. It seems as though every which way I turn there is sadness, loss, pain, and unanswerable questions. And I know it's times like this when I need to also look around and see all the good and happiness that is out there. And I wouldn't trade my reality for anything. But dammit, I am just so upset about this little girl!!!! Sorry for the crazy rant. Just feel the need to get it out there in order to help myself heal from this loss.

A friend directed me to this song by Amy Grant. It's beautiful! And I think will help me.

A Little Girl In Need of Strong Prayers

I don't know if anyone reads my blog, but if you do, please please PLEASE take a moment to send your prayers to a little girl named Preslee who is struggling to heal from a near drowning. I stumbled upon her story while blog hopping here. I don't know this girl or her family or the gal who writes the blog on which this was discovered. But I can't recall a time where my heart has ached so immediately and I have become overwhelmed with a need to pray with all my might. So please, if you have time, check out her parents' blog. And if not, please just take a small moment of your day to send prayers Preslee's way. Thank you!

Happy 4th of July!

Just popping in a quick moment to wish everyone a very Happy and SAFE 4th of July. Thanks to all of those service men and women who are out there protecting our freedoms. We may not be a perfect country, but there's no other place I would rather live. God Bless America ... land that I love!

Thank You Teacher

Two quick gifts I made for Hannah's teachers. The first is a book documenting some of her answers to questions I asked her about school and her teacher.

This one is simply a pillow box, wrapped in some paper. I stuffed a gift card inside. Super simple!

"Our Baby" album

I had so much fun making this baby album. Sadly, I didn't get to watch the mommy open it, but I am sure she loved it. It features the paper line "Garden Party" by My Mind's Eye. Once again, my handy dandy Silhouette helped me out.

Here's the cover:

Here's a look at the open book from above:

The inside cover:

Each page is an envelope I cut out using my Silhouette. I am not sure of the exact measurement here, but I would say the envelope dimensions are around 3.5"x8". Smaller and longer than what I usually do:

I designed the book so there's a place for a photo of the baby at each month in the first year:

In between a couple of the envelope pages, I tucked odd shaped pieces. This is a chipboard scalloped square cut down to fit the book:

And the other side of the piece (toes are another Silhouette shape):

Not the greatest shot of the flower, but it's actually several Silhouette flowers layered together and topped with a button:

This is my most favorite piece of the album! It's another odd shaped piece tucked in between two of the pages. You know how penant banners are all the rage in scrapbooking? Well I couldn't resist doing a similar thing only with the baby clothes on a clothesline. These shapes are all QuicKutz shapes:

The backside of that piece:

And a final odd shaped piece. This time using acetate. The little monkey is a Silhouette shape. Sorry the picture is so dark:

The back side:

The last page ... a place to quickly record those important milestones:

The inside of the back cover:

And because I had to put something INside those envelopes ... little journaling cards to document what the little one is up to:

A peek at what they look like inside the envelope:

The ribbon on the binding rings:

Another view of the whole thing:

It's a jungle out there

Just a couple of things I recently finished up. Going to a double, co-ed baby shower this weekend. One mommy has done the room in jungle theme (gender unknown). The other mommy just monkeys and giraffes. I have had these wooden door hangers for years now. Same for the animals -- got them at Michael's. Fortunately a couple of weeks ago I was digging through some boxes that had moved over from our old house (a year and a half ago) and came across all of them. I hope they'll be used and enjoyed.

I just have to say ...

... that Disneyland rocks! Or to be more exact, CA Adventure rocks! And not because they offer good rides, eateries, a clean and safe place to take your kids. But because their First Aid station is amazing. I took both girls there today in the hopes of having a wonderful time. We were meeting good friends there too. On the way there, Hannah complained of her throat hurting. Hmmm ... I thought perhaps a cold was coming on. Both girls have seemed a little sniffly and/or slightly congested lately, though I thought that was behind us. So on we went. After being there a couple of hours, she complained of a headache. Uh oh! She does this very rarely and yet because of past experiences, I know she knows what they are enough to be telling me an accurate truth. I felt her forehead and fortunately she was not warm. But I needed to get her something to alleviate the discomfort if we were going to be there until closing time (the plan was to stay in CA Adventure until it closed and then head into Disneyland for a few hours). I asked one of the wonderful employees if any of the stores sold a children's Tylenol. He wasn't positive but recommended going to First Aid first. I guess I knew somewhere in my brain that these type of parks have to have a First Aid, but hadn't ever given it much of a thought. So off we went. I walked in with poor little Hannah who was quietly sobbing and explained the problem. Two of the nicest doctors quickly said I had come to the right place because it was cheaper than buying something. They gave her the appropriate amount of Junior's Tylenol Meltaways (because apparently the Children's ones have been recalled). They gave her a Nurse Minnie sticker and 3 more for her sister and two friends, offered up a cot if I felt the need to have her rest, and told me to come back in 4 hours if she was experiencing another headache. It was so wonderful to be treated with compassion and friendly smiles. Three cheers for CA Adventure's First Aid!!!! I am sure they can be of assistance for Tylenol if a grownup is in need as well. Because we all know, it sucks to get older due to body aches and pains. And Lord knows trucking around a theme park is not always easy on the body.

And another AMAZING part of CA Adventure that I discovered today was that they have a Baby Care Center. I had no idea such a thing existed. BUT, if you are looking for a clean and peaceful place to change a baby's diaper, need a place to breast feed with comfort, a place to feed your child with the convenience of a clean high chair, a place to microwave some water or food for the baby, or need an emergency supply of formula (liquid or powder) or baby food, this is the place to go! I couldn't believe it when I walked in there. I should have taken pictures! I'll have to go back and ask if I can for my blog. The breastfeeding area has a nice rocking recliner with ottoman and a curtain you can draw around the whole thing so no one can see. The changing center has 3 very nice changing tables with soft pads and a nice thick sheet of paper you can place on top to protect baby. There's also a small, child sized, low to the ground potty for toddlers and a low sink so they can wash their hands. In another room, there's 3 nice wooden highchairs set up with a counter equipped with a sink and microwave. In the cabinets above are formula and baby food. I assume this is at a cost though because they were locked and I did spy a cash register. But hey, when emergencies call, you'll pay right? I hear Disneyland has one of these as well so look for the pacifier symbol on your map or ask one of the friendly employees where the Baby Care Center is. Almost makes me want to have a 3rd, just so I can take advantage of this convenience. I said almost! This gal also shares her experiences with it.

And another hopefully useful thing to provide you with is this. The Children's Tylenol recall. Honestly, I had no idea about this. I am not sure which rock I have been hiding under, but I will confess my bad mommy moment. Had the First Aid doctors not mentioned anything about it being recalled, I would have had no idea. Of course I mention this to my friend who knows all about it and proceeded to tell me that they had to throw all of theirs out and request coupons for new stuff. Yikes! So she tells me I can look it up online. So when I got home, I pulled out all of my Infant Tylenol, Infant Motrin, Children's Tylenol, and Children's Motrin bottles. I Googled "Children's Tylenol Recall 2010" and sure enough ... there was one. So onto my helpfulness regarding this issue. Here are two websites you can go to that will allow you to input the LOT NUMBER, entered directly on your label to determine if your stuff was recalled.

Children's Tylenol
Children's Motrin

Fortunately, none of my bottles were recalled and I was able to give my Hannah some before bedtime.

So there you go. I hope this helps someone. Did I mention that Hannah threw up immediately after getting her strapped into her car seat? And once on the way home, in the midst of traffic? {sigh} So needless to say, I am pulling a late night washing car seat coverings. Joy! I feel bad for making her stay the whole time. She's such a little trooper.