Sketchabilities

Now folks, it is time for my final sketch as part of the Sketchabilities design team. Would it be wrong to say, this sketch might be my favorite? Of course, they are all great, but I really like the way this one turned out.

And here's my take:

The journaling says: I ever so gently suggested to Max that he’s been spending too much time on electronics, to the exclusion of all other hobbies. He agreed (yay!), and went to the library for some books. As he sat down to read The Hobbit, he said, "Where's the button to turn this thing on?" 

Which reminded me of this book:

Which is basically about this:

And while I am sharing a layout about Max reading, I can also share this one about Sam. I also framed his reading picture with the same adorable Polaroid frame (Which is available for FREE from Persnickety Prints.)

I know kids and their reading habits is a common layout topic. I've seem lots of them. The funny thing is, this one about Sam was going to be about why it was okay that Sam was not that fond of reading. And then he started to read more often. Which I was glad about, but really forced me to rethink all of my journaling. 

Have you ever made a page about a child discovering the joys of reading?

Write.Click.Scrapbook. Sneak

It's time for the gallery sneak peaks over at Write.Click.Scrapbook.  Can you guess this month's theme? If you need more clues, keep checking WCS and Facebook for more sneaks!

Here's mine:

The full reveal will be on December 1st. Can you stand it?

November Take 12 Layout

I wrote in more detail about the photos here. I have noticed with this project that I tend to write more about my Take 12 photos on this blog than I do on the actual page. I think I am fine with that, though I suppose only time will really tell. Will the story still feel complete in a year or two when I look back at these pages? I'll let you  know. I  think, perhaps, I will print out what I have written here, and keep that in the page protector behind each layout. No one can tell me I can't, right?

You still have time to link your photos at the Ella Publishing Blog, for a chance to win a hand-made camera strap from Bluebird Chic.

Don't forget to check out the creations from the rest of the Take 12 Team!

Elizabeth Dillow

Van Nguyen

Margie Scarpignato

Janette Kincaid

Monica Bradford

Jennie McGarvey

Lisa Day

Valerie Bishop

Amy Prior

Stephanie Medley-Rath

Angela Gutshall

Lisa Ottoson

Sketchabilities Sketch!

What's this? Another hurricane inspired layout? Why yes, it is.

Here's the delightful sketch from Sketchabilites.

And here is my take on the sketch:

Time moved a little more slowly with only a little light, and no TV to keep the evenings moving. But we did get some reading done. And it was kind of cozy. At first. Dave noticed that I stopped taking cute candlelight pictures after a few days. The candles sure were pretty, though. I sure am  glad that we light Shabbat candles every Friday night, and therefore we had a box of 200 tea lights. ( Dave actually  managed to get those the day after the storm from the local Kosher store.)

Link up your sketch over at Sketchabilities for a chance to win a prize from this month's sponsor:

Good Luck!

Take Twelve November. What November?! Yes. November.

Except for the last two photos, which are pictures of Max and Sam,  just 'cause I like 'em, the rest of this month's Take Twelve photos are in response to Hurricane Sandy. When we went for 4 days without power, and New York City was a little broken, it struck me, and lots of others like me, how good we have it. And even when we didn't have it all, we still could trust that we would have it all back pretty soon. (Of course, some people are still without homes, power, water, and food.) 

So, here we go:

1. Our cell phones, and the ability to charge them as we desire. They are good for keeping us entertained, but also connected. Service was spotty for a few days, and communication with the rest of the world was difficult.

2. Computer, like cell phones, keep us working, entertained, and connected.

3. TV. No news was tricky, but man, did we miss our TV, just because it's fun.

4. Light. There's a reason it's the first to be created in the Bible. It is good.

5. This fridge kept our food cold much longer than we expected. Being able to eat fresh food after several days was good for our soul. It's old, and the shelves are falling apart, but she is good at keeping cold air in.

6. Water. Running water. Good for cleaning, showering, and flushing toilets. So glad to have that back.

7-8: Stocked shelves at the supermarket: It was a good week before we could freely shop for things like produce and dairy products. We were never in danger of starving, and other areas of the city did have some deliveries during the week, but it made us realize how dependent we are on a lot of people, places, and things to have access to ginormous amounts of food. Pretty much always.

9. Before the storm, I made some veggie soup. We were able to cook on our gas stove, and that hot soup was comforting on day 2.

10. Subway system. You rock.

11-12. Remember, I just like'em.

Isn't it lucky for me that Take Twelve November happened the week before Thanksgiving? Lucky again!

More Post Hurricane Catch Up

Earlier in the month of October I received an email from Marnie Flores asking me to be part of the Write.Click.Scrapbook team. It still makes me a little breathless to type that. But, yes, it happened. When I first ventured into the online scrapbooking world,  I found Write. Click.Scrapbook, and I thought, "Ooh, how do I get to be there? That would be a dream come true." And, now I am there, so this is a complete and utter thrill for me.

The November gallery is all about "Favorite Colors." Hearing those two words, the first thing that pops into my head is "black." And then, "gray." Really, most of my wardrobe is a variation of those two colors, with an occasional splash of another color. And every day, I have to decide which gray or black clothing to wear:

It's quite a conundrum. What's your favorite color?

Post Hurricane Catch-Up

Well, it's been quite a week since hurricane Sandy came to town. After four days without power, we are still reeling from the experience. And there are people who were hit so much worse, and are still without power or gas, and food is hard to come by or to get to. I was pretty sure, as we stocked up on water and batteries and non-perishables that we were all over-reacting. New York City never gets hit that hard with severe weather. Well, weather, you win this round. But, I am glad that we over-reacted because all those flashlights and candles and bottles of water helped us get through those four days. And really, it was mostly very inconvenient, and nothing more. But still...

But, let's catch up on some scrappy news, shall we. First, during the power outage, The new Sketchabilities sketch was posted:

I think I'll hold my other scrappy news for another day!! It will get it's own post. Stay tuned...