Calendar: June Revisited

Boy, I wish it really were June! :)

I had a few people this week ask me to reupload June, because the link wasn't working right. No idea what happened to it, but I deleted the old file and put in this new one. Here is the fixed file. (link removed)

Sorry to my faithful friends -- but this isn't a NEW link/template -- just the old one fixed. I WISH I had time to scrap, but I'm still not there yet.

OK, for those of you who asked for life updates....

Here's my newest revelation. We lived in our last home/state for 2.5 years. We didn't really like it there all that much. The people were wonderful, but it just never felt like "home" to us and was really a challenging 2.5 years for us for many reasons. We felt like God led us there, but never really understood why.

As we were preparing to leave, I felt that the reason why He had us move there was because during those 2.5 years, I was very conscious of His presence in the daily things. You know how you can look back over your life and see His fingerprints on it, but you can't always see them when you're "in the moment?" Well... in our last home, despite the challenges, I could always see His fingerprints in the moment. There were so many immediate answers to prayer; both mine and those of friends around me who blessed me with sharing it. So that's why I thought He moved us there -- so we could be witness to and of His constant presence.

But now I think that was only part of it.

We've now been in our new home for about 2.5 months. My husband has been here 5.5 weeks. During that time, he's probably put out 100 resumes. He really has had ZERO calls back. He was offered a position back in December in his field (he works w/ troubled kids). However, the pay was ridiculously low (i.e. couldn't pay the bills), and the position was one he could have done in his sleep (though he would have enjoyed it). He turned them down and it has been quiet ever since.

It has been a frustrating time for both of us... my husband not understanding why no one is calling, and me not quite knowing how to respond, offer hope, help without annoying, etc. God gave my husband a VERY strong provider gene, and I know that's a gift from God -- one that He will be faithful to fulfill. But when?

And that's what I realized tonight that I learned at our last home: to trust God for His perfection, His timing, and His plan. If we try to control things in our own time, will, and comfort zone, we'll get things done... but they'll be good, not great. However, if we wait for God, we have limitless possibilities.

So about a week ago, my husband went to a staffing agency, which really wasn't the direction he wanted to go. One of the places he went was doing pro-bono HR work for a non-profit homeless shelter. They're looking to hire an Executive Director/CEO. Within his field, that would have been his next step, but this is a whole different non-profit realm than he's ever been in. Is this the challenge, the "greatness" that God wants to use Jon to do His work? He had a casual interview today to see if he was still interested after hearing their spiel. Then he'll be called in later for an official interview.

Who knows if it's what God has in store... what I do know is that in our old home, almost every Women's study I did dealt with waiting on God's timing. Not taking control into our own hands -- in doing so, we close the door on God's greatness. I'm proud of my husband for being patient even in the face of doubt and frustration. This move has been the most stressful one to date (it's our 6th state in 9.5 years of marriage). It's the move that has us saying, "This is it -- we're not moving again." Yet... if God moves us... we'll listen and obey.

Anyway... that's a WHOLE lot more than the June you asked for! :) Blessings to you all...

Layered Template - December 2008 Planner

We're almost there! The last month, the last template, and you may just be able to finish your Christmas gifts before Thanksgiving! Now wouldn't that be nice!?

I have to laugh at mine - these pictures are from LAST year, so I'll need to take some Christmas-y shots here soon, so that the planners aren't 2 years old by next Christmas.

In good news, my daughter slept pretty much all night (woke up at 9:30pm is all). She's doing alright with lower doses of pain meds today, which is great, since I can't get her to take them anyway! Now just to get her eating/drinking some more! Thanks for all your prayers!

And now for the December Template: HERE it is! (link removed)

Layered Template - November 2008 Planner

Well, she did it! She's a trooper and the surgery went well. Thank you so much for all the prayers. The only time she even asked for food was when she discovered a wayward M&M in the car and when the nurse asked what foods she likes for recovery. Other than that, she didn't ever even mention she was hungry. Amazing! And now she's in recovery watching "Cinderelly" and eating a popsicle. All things considered, she's doing wonderful. Hopefully the coming days will be speedy recovery as well!

And another hurray -- I have an internet connection in the hospital. That means I can upload the November Calendar page! Wohoo! :)

So HERE it is. (link removed) We're almost done with the year!

Layered Template - October 2008 Planner

Well.... I got more done today than I intended. I had planned to take the family to the pumpkin patch today, but the kids REALLY needed a nap after church. So we came home and I put them down for naps at about 12:30, hoping they'd be up by 3 and we could leave. They didn't wake up until 3:50! I thought the farm closed at 5pm, but that was just the doors -- the farm was open until 6pm. So we had a fun day at the pumpkin patch. At least the kids and I did. Jon went because I asked him to -- but he hates things like that. In the end, I think he enjoyed himself though, too -- it's always fun to see things through your kids' eyes.

Anyway, as I listened to football today, I got a pretty decent start on October's kit, as well as the template for October 2008. So today, you can grab the planner layered template. Hopefully I'll have a chance to upload the kit tomorrow -- if not tomorrow, by midweek it'll be up!

You can download the template HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - September 2008 Planner

We're almost into the current month (for next year)! Sadly -- I haven't taken even ONE photo yet this month. With Halloween right around the corner, I know I *will* take some, but sheesh -- get on the ball, Mom! :)

September's template got flipped horizontally by me again for my LO. I also rotated the center photo so that it's vertical instead of horizontal. I'm tellin' you -- that's the beauty of templates -- they just give you a good starting point!

You can download this template HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - August 2008 Planner

Happy August! :) I had fun with this word art -- I hope you enjoy it, too. And a little note about the photo of the kiddos -- lets just say I love Photoshop! This is 2 photos compiled together so both kids are on the slide together. It's amazing what you can do with a little photo manipulation! LOL!

I have a serious question for you guys... when you're on either my blog or the 4shared site, do you see ads? Either pop-up or on-site? The reason I ask: a person left a comment at 4shared that essentially said, "I love your kits, but the porn isn't my thing" (she described the image). I'm appalled that somehow someone may see anything even remotely offensive/sexual attached to my site/work. So first off: I apologize! But second -- has anyone else had porn thrown in their face when visiting my site? If so, please let me know further details (where it came from, what kind, etc) -- because I absolutely want to address it with either Blogger or 4shared (or wherever it's coming from). That's appalling to me, and I'm deeply sorry if anyone has seen something they didn't expect to see. I absolutely don't endorse that either!

Anyway... August can be downloaded HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - July 2008 Planner

Yes... I'm putting up a Cubbies LO right after they lost.... Nobody go rubbing that in now, OK? :)

Here is the layered template for July. You can see from my LO how easily "edited" it can be. I've had a few people email me and say, "I changed it a bit from the template; I hope that's OK." I answer with a resounding YES!!!! Feel absolutely free to change the templates for your LO (just not for redistribution as templates). That's the beauty of templates and sketches. They're jumping off points -- they get you started and save immense amounts of time for you to create your OWN masterpiece. I'm absolutely tickled when someone shares a link to a LO using my template -- and it's completely unrecognizable to me! Way to go!!!

So HERE (link removed) is the link for today's template.... to tweak or not-tweak... that is the question! ;)

Layered Template - June 2008 Planner

Tomorrow's Friday... tomorrow's Friday!!! Hear me singing!? :) What a long week. I'm so ready for the weekend.

Alrighty... here's today's template. I hope you enjoy it! We're halfway through the year now! WOW! Bit of news: I'm only done with calendar templates through July. That means I better get crankin! :)

A little tidbit about this word art.... Well, first... All the word art I tried to match the "theme" of the verse with the "theme" of the month. So I went for the whole summer thing with this one. Then the other thing: when I created it, it was one block. I had to split it to fit the template. SO... that means that you can really do it either way to make it work for you.

ENJOY! And download it HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - May 2008 Planner

Here is May! I just WISH it were May again and we were on the brink of summer instead of closing in on winter. Just a side note on the photo -- this was my family reunion this summer -- celebrating my Grandparent's 60th Anniversary!

I started kind of rocky on the May kit, but I'm excited about where it ended up. I hope you like it, too. The paper and jeweled flower are from the May kit, "Spring Garden." I'll upload it tomorrow.

That leads me to a question -- specifically for Photoshop CS2 users/experts. I've created a lot of papers for the May kit using "Pattern Fill." The result is a 13MB+ file. One of them was even 20MB!!! Just for one paper!!! And the papers are nothing crazy -- just mini polka dots. So my question: how do I compress the file size without losing quality, taking it down from 300dpi, etc? I've tried flattening it. Flattening it and moving it to another document. I'm just at a loss for how to shrink the size!

Anyway, I'd love to hear any suggestions. But in the meantime, you can download the calendar template HERE. (link removed)

Now I'm off to the zoo. It's a beautiful day; on days like this, it's a crime to be inside!

Layered Template - April 2008 Planner

Welcome to April 2008. I hope you enjoy this layered template, created at 8.5x11, 300dpi. The papers used are going to be available starting tomorrow evening on this blog. For now, you can download the template HERE. (link removed)

And other than that... would you believe I'm so tired I'm at a complete loss for more words? :) So it's short and sweet tonight. :)

Layered Template - March 2008 Planner

OK, I have to admit it.... I'm kind of excited about this kit! You've got shamrocks galore -- luck coming out your ears! :) But you'll have to wait. The calendar template comes first.

In my LO using the calendar template, I flipped the design horizontally. I also used papers and one element from the upcoming "Lucky Me" kit. I'll be sharing the kit either LATE tonight or first thing tomorrow morning.

I also have to add: this is my personal favorite Bible verse -- always has been. If this verse doesn't empower you and give you confidence, nothing will!

One more thing -- thank you for all of the wonderful well-wishes for my daughter. I was absolutely blow away by all the message of prayer and concern. Humbled would be another great description. My daughter is milking her injury for all it's worth! She doesn't HAVE to wear the sling and ACE bandage, but WANTS to. So she wore it to church. When the nursery attendants asked what happened, she matter of factly said, "I broke the collar bone." Yes, she loves attention! She seems to be a little clingier than normal, indicating the pain is still there. However, that's the only clue I have to her pain level -- she's playing, sleeping, and acting just like normal. All things considered, she's doing wonderful. As I keep reminding myself through this hectic week -- it could have been SO much worse!

And onto the download. Again, it's 8.5x11 at 300dpi. Download is available HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - Februay 2008 Planner

OK, today I have bad news, and then I have two bits of good news.

The BAD NEWS:
My daughter (age barely 3) fell out of bed yesterday while she was napping... onto a hardwood floor... landed on her shoulder... broke her collar bone. Ugh! Thankfully, she isn't in much pain. Isn't crying at all. Sleeps through the night despite it all. Really the only time we can tell she hurts is if we touch her collar bone or pick her up too high on her armpit. Spent the day at Urgent Care and the docs... in other words, got a LOT of work done (yeah right). As I mentioned, this month was already crammed full. Extra doctor's visits were not supposed to be part of the equasion. One little "Thankful Thursday" -- for some reason, she LOVES going to the doctor! Guess she doesn't remember her last shot. That's OK by me!

OK, now the GOOD NEWS:

#1: While I was in the hospital waiting room, I could see the staff computer in the back room. Their screen saver was their hospital web info. It included some cool color blocking pages. I now have about 10 more template idea! LOL! (Yes, scrapping even in hospital waiting rooms!)

#2: This is the obvious -- here's today's freebie! LOL! OK, weak effort on that "good news" -- but hey, I'll take what I can get right now. I'm stressin' a bit! My head is spinning from "life." Why is it just when you think you've got things under control, Satan comes at you to make sure you know you don't -- that you truly only have God to rely on, because you just can't do it yourself! Get behind me, Satan!

Anyway, onto the LO. My thoughts are getting random, and I can "hear" you all laughing at me. :) tee hee...

Today's page is for February 2008. I just realized I didn't even include any holidays on these, but I guess I was figuring you could add your own. Yeah... sure... that's what I was figuring... I didn't FORGET or anything! :)

The papers, hearts, and word art are all part of my February kit, "Chocolate Covered Cherries," which I'm currently stuck on, but hope to have to you sometime this weekend.

You can download February right HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - January 2008 Planner

Let the Planner Pages begin! Of course, we're starting with January. I thought this Bible verse was appropriate for the start of a NEW year. In my LO, you can see a couple pieces (snowflakes and paper) from the January mini-kit, which I'll upload later this week.

The planner page is created at 300dpi, 8.5x11 in Adobe Photoshop CS2. To download your layered template, click HERE. (link removed)

Layered Template - 2008 Planner "Weekly" Pages

Here is the next installment of the 2008 Planner. This is the weekly calendar that can be used or not used, depending on how you want your planner to look. I plan to print 52 of these for mine, so I have planning pages for each week of the year. You can use the same photos for each page, or change them up -- imagine how many different photos you can have for your 2008 planner!

The zip file for this contains one left page and one right page. These are 8.5x11 layered templates created at 300dpi in Photoshop CS2. My example is the top part of the photo. The pages you'll receive are the bottom part of the photo above.

Have fun creating!!! :) Hope you're all having a wonderful weekend. This just happens to be the ONE day of September that has no writing on our calendar -- so we're getting a babysitter and enjoying us a date night. I think we'll go to a Mongolian grill and out to a movie. And that means, I need to get ready!

HERE. (link removed) is where you download these 2 pages.

(Added 9/9/07): I received this really cool idea from Heidi about how she plans to use these pages: Sarah, I am loving these!! What a great idea!! I think I may make one of the picture spots a "Notes" box (you know, for those misc. things that don't really go on a day), oh I just figured it out--a notes box on one side and a grocery list on the other side.....thank you!! :)

Layered Template - 2008 Planner / Calendar

Papers & Ribbon Border by Bren Boone "Summer Afternoon"

Alright, I'm ready to reveal the "teaser" I referred to a month or so ago. It's not complete yet, so it won't probably be a template-a-day, as I did before. But for some reason, life got more busy than it was before, too... :) My goal is to release a little mini-kit with each month. This could prove to be interesting, as I've really never done kits, and I don't use a lot of elements! So we'll see what comes of all of this.

To date, I've got templates done through July, but kits only complete for January and February. In other words, I can guarantee the month templates, but not the kits. I may get frustrated with those before I get finished! And you guys may have to tell me not to even bother with the kits if they prove to be no good! LOL!

These templates are all 8.5 x 11 (300dpi), so you can print them on regular paper and bind them however you choose. I've been hunting for printers who bind this size in portrait orientation for a reasonable price. Shutterfly, whose Photo Books I absolutely adore, only does landscape orientation in the 8.5x11 size, which unfortunately won't work. I have emailed them asking if they plan to do portrait orientation, however they do not do it at this time, nor do they see it on their upcoming horizon. Perhaps if enough of us email them.... :) If anyone knows of any reasonably priced printers/binders, I'd love to hear about them and I'll certainly recommend them/link to them here.

Another little "disclaimer" of sorts on this 2008 planner. I'm designing it the way that I intend to use it. Because my faith is my center, I am choosing to design this with a bible verse word art for each month and the cover. As always this will be on its own layer, so you may remove it if you choose. However, it WILL be included on every page.

And with all that mumbo jumbo... HERE. (link removed) is the link to the template.

Now back to catching up with real work! :)