Layouts to Share

Now that I have my scrapbooking space all set up in our new place, I have found the time to get a few pages done. I do design work for 2 companies. The first is Coordinates Collections. (coordinatescollections.com) It's an online scrapbooking kit club that I make page samples for. They put together 2 coordinating kits each month and I get to play with one of them. I got a really fun one for September called "Goodbye Summer".






I also do work for a cardstock company called Prism Papers. They have the most beautiful line of textured cardstock called Prismatics. I have also fallen in love with their metallic line of paper. It really fun to play with!

This page was done using Prismatics in Suede Brown Medium, Suede Brown Dark, Tawney Medium, Blush Red Dark, and Blush Red Light


This is using Prismatics Stormy Dark, Spring Willow Medium, and Wizard Light.


This one is a combination of 3 of their lines. The orange is Prismatics Papaya Puree Medium, the blue is a specialty line in Celest, and the darker greenish black is a metallic called Rusted.

Photos to share!

My first love camera has been replaced. Yes, I can't believe I could love another camera more than my Canon G5, but yes, it is possible. Mark was able to buy a Canon 30D DSLR for work and I have been learning to use it when he doesn't have it. Amazing thing it is and so much fun to have more control over my photo taking. I have tons to learn still, but I have really been enjoying it. Here are a few photos from my first few practice shoots with the kids.

Impressions

I bet you are wondering what it is like to move across the country to a completely different state than you have ever lived in before. What is different, what is the same, what is completely weird. LOL! Well, I have been collecting some impressions of this new home of ours. Everything from shopping to nature to cement trucks. Remember, I did say weird!

Nature: TREES! Wow, does this place have trees. We have a wonderful view of trees from our living room window. There are trees everywhere we go. They are taller than my 3 story condo. AND, it is green outside. Now remember, we did move from the semi-desert area of Southern California. Summers were very dry and brown. I love the green and the trees!

Shopping: OK, in California, Costco was always packed. I mean packed from the time they opened till closing every day, but particularly on weekends. It seemed that everyone in town had a Costco membership. We are lucky enough to live within 10 minutes of the I think only Costco in Indianapolis. It's deserted. I don't understand the concept of not having to wait in a huge line with hundreds of other people at the checkout. I can go there any time of the day and it's not crowded. No one is at the food court. Oh, and the food court is INSIDE the buidling. Weird.

Food: One word: Panera. Love Panera Bread. Fabulous food. We have only been there once since moving and that has to change really soon. Another word: Trader Joes! Yay, there is a Trader Joe's even closer than Costco. One more word: Marsh. It's a super market. Not only just a super market but a really cool, never before seen type of supermarket. I walked in and just started laughing. In all my time living in California, I have never come across a market like that. I think it might be like Whole Foods Market on steroids. They even had good music piped throughout the store AND the parking lot. My checkbook tells me I won't be shopping there very often though.

Target: has a category all its own. See, we don't have "Super Target" in California. If you can imagine making an already wonderful store even better. GROCERIES! in my Target! Yay, only have to make one stop to strap and unstrap 3 kids carseats! I don't even want to tell you how much money I have already spent at that place.

People: They are so nice here. I can't get over how nice everyone is to us. People we have never met before like the sales guy at Ace Hardware. I mean, perfect strangers at Wendy's have spent half their meal telling us about all the great things we could take our kids to in Indinapolis. Maybe it's the humidity? Whatever it is, Hoosiers are very nice people.

Recreation: I am not sure why, but people here really know how to do recreation. Maybe because they don't take the good weather they get for granted like people that live in places that the sun shines 360 days of the year. We have been to some of the most amazing parks. These are not just "parks". We visited a water park/pool facility complete with 2 water slides, spraying features, kiddie slides all in a graduated entry pool. There are also a number of regular city parks that have water features in them, along with a fishing pond, sledding hill (for the winter, of course), bike and hiking trails, nature garden and really awesome playground.

Last but not least, Cement trucks. Well, the cement spinner thingy is backwards, meaning that the skinny part that tips out the cement is above the cab where the driver sits. It is tilting up and the fat end is tilting down at the back of the truck. Everytime I see one it looks like the truck is driving backwards. I have to do a double take. As you can guess, it's the other way around in California. Just an observation.

So far, we really like Indianapolis and could see ourselves living here long term. That won't happen, but we sure will enjoy it while we are here this year. Good news on the land front. We have found our dream piece of land in Middlebury, IN. 60 acres that includes woods, wetlands, ponds, and meadow that we will be building our house on this year. We feel so blessed that the Lord has dropped this property in our laps. We hope we can use it to bless other people. We are so excited about it!