








So, as she said, I'm not sure why this word came to me, but the word I've chosen is SEEK. For whatever reason, it was the first thing that came to me and I'm willing to see where it takes me! Should be fun!To celebrate the new year I wanted to share the one little word concept which is also featured in this weeks newsletter:
one little word
A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.
Last fall in issue two of this newsletter I wrote about the power of words and gave my top ten tips for getting those words down when you are scrapbooking. Today I want to introduce you to the idea that a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life as well as your scrapbook layouts.
Last year I began a tradition of chosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. Last year my word was something I wanted to bring into my life in a more tangible way. My word was play. I thought a lot about play and what it means to me. I tried to incorporate it more
into my everyday and on my adventures out in the crazy world. For me, it was a lot about living without fear - about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness. The word play found its way onto many scrapbook pages and into many stories I told throughout the year.
Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007?
It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word.
One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit.
I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.You may be wondering, what in the heck does this all have to do with scrapbooking? For me, words are at the heart of what I do. The photos are a huge part, but the words bring it all home. Often times I will begin a layout with a single word. That word becomes my guide as I create my page. It helps me focus the story I am trying to tell and gives me an instant, easy graphic title approach. How often has a word directed your creativity when working on layouts?
Take some time this week to think about your own word for 2007 and read on for a related weekly challenge.
And in case you were wondering, my word for 2007 is peace.
Seek the wisdom of the ages, but look at the world through the eyes of a child.I want to work on a scrapbook page for this as well and see what happens. Oh I really do love being creative these days!
Ron Wild
Julie and I met what seems like an eternity ago in a Japanese lesson here. She had been in Japan teaching as had I and we were both looking to keep up our Japanese after learning so much while we were there. Hers was better than mine, but what we quickly found was that ours was better than the other people in the class too. The teacher also got a bit lazy when it was the 2 of us after a while since she figured she could "chat" with us, but we wanted to actually be learning - especially for the price!!
I think our friendship was concreted when I ended up in emergency with her one day! She was quite sick and had this coughing thing if I remember correctly (feel free to correct/add to the story in a comment Julie!). We ended up there at St Paul's for quite a while and have been amazing friends ever since. She has since moved to Australia, but it doesn't mean our friendship has changed other than that we can't get together for a good coffee and a chat anymore. I was lucky enough to beasked to her Maid of Honour at her wedding to Simon when they got married in Hawaii. I was also extremely happy that she, Simon and only Alex at the time made it up for our wedding so that she could be in my bridal party too! We've been through dating, marriage, kids, hob changes, etc together and she's always there to support me when I need it and just to listen when I need that too!!
It's just one of those things...no matter the distance, I know she's right there for me in a heartbeat if I need someone. Thanks Julie for being an amazing friend and Happy Birthday!


OK, so some of you already know that Kyle is hooked on Deal or No Deal. He loves it and asks for it now and is quite disappointed if it's not on! He also asked us to make-up songs and stories when he goes to bed, so one night he asked me to do a Deal or No Deal song. Needless to say, I was struggling a little and being tired that night didn't help. Well, the song that came out of it stuck and we now have to sing it at least once a day, but generally more than that. To the tune of "You are my Sunshine", it goes a little something like this ...
You are my deal,
My deal or no deal,
You make me happy
When there's lots of money.
So what do you think, Kyle
Deal or noooo Deal??
What was I thinking?? And now the worst part is that I have to sing it all the time!!
Cheers,
Colleen

This was the layout I was working on from our camping trip this summer. I almost have another page done with pics from the same trip, but my problem is that I have too much journaling about our crazy camping trip, so I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of that!
Well, Nathan didn't have a great sleep last night, but I think the fever is down. He was up at 5am and didn't go back down. George thankfully got up with the kids this morning and I slept a little more. He went back to bed after I got up, so it's been a slow morning around here! Nathan is down for a nap now too and is having a good one for him (not the best napper), but he should considering he got up at 5!
So far, it's been a slow start and I think the whole day might be a lazy one! Nothing too much planned and I might not even get out of my jammies. With any luck, I'll get a little more scrapping in this afternoon when the boys nap. I could clean, but that's not what holidays are for! There's always tomorrow for that!
Cheers,
Colleen