Run With Scissors

Prompt 2

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 13:06:00 +0000

You all are already blowing me away and it's only been one day! There are over 100 people signed up for the challenge which makes me so happy. This kind of thing is so much fun when you are doing it with friends right?

Are you ready for your second prompt?

Journal Prompt: This is something that I do in all of my journals. I love making tangible goals and I love writing out lists so this is always a perfect page for me. Use this page to create 3-5 tangible goals for this journal challenge.

My Page:

Mine are short and sweet yet they are also challenging in their way. When I have goals in place, and written, I tend to stick to them better :)

I can't wait to see your goals!

janel

a manifesto.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 02:14:00 +0000

Ali Edwards issued a challenge to create a Summer Manifesto for 2012. I love lists and I love goals so a manifesto was a perfect idea.

Adam and I talked about some "must-do's" for our summer together.

We wanted to make sure that they were things that we knew we could very well accomplish.

Here is our manifesto...

I can't wait to have our first summer with a baby :) There are so many fun family oriented things that I want to do. This little manifesto will be something that we hang on our refrigerator to keep us on track!! Do any of you have a cute way that you list your summer goals??

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Prompt 1!!!

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:49:00 +0000

Well, it's finally here!!!

Seriously ya'll I am so blown away by the response of this challenge every single year. You are amazing!!

Ok, so as I stated before, I will try my very hardest to have these journal prompts posted by 10:00 am CST or earlier, every morning.
I like to do my journaling first thing in the morning so I feel motivated to be creative for the rest of the day :)

Are you ready?

Let's do this.
Here it is Prompt number one!!

Journal Prompt 1: Create an introduction page. This can be an introduction of yourself or of your journal. This is kind of like the title page for your journal.

My page:

Okay, two reminders:

1. If you haven't signed in for this challenge yet, do so here!! This way we can all connect and check out each other's blogs and stuff.

2. Don't forget to join the Run With Scissors Flickr group!! This is a great place for everyone to upload their journal pages and to connect as a community and encourage each other.

Yay!! Game on friends.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life Week 15, 16, and 17 Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Wed, 30 May 2012 13:30:00 +0000

Week 15 was an emotional week filled with a lot of ups and downs. Some of the spaces are blurred out for this reason :)

I wanted to try breaking a large photo up into sections to create the BIG photo look here. I used a tutorial from Elise that made it sooo easy.

I will let the photos tell the rest :)

Week 16 included my first week back to school since my maternity leave started, a major hair cut, a baby shower for Amelia and I thrown by my co-workers, a few DIY projects and a lot of reading.
I received the sweetest card from a co-worker that was special and needed to be kept so I slipped it into one of the pockets.
I did blur out one little pocket because of some personal writing there :)

Next up is week 17. Week 17 was another great week. I decided I wanted to try my hand at cross-stitch and made a little heart that I placed in one of the pockets. I attended a baby shower for my sister and Jack and we got our CD's with the photos from our two photo shoots!!

The first insert is Amelia's Birth Announcement and one of the envelops that I decorated to send them in.

The back of that insert is just the backs of the announcement and the envelope :)

The second insert is of photos from Amelia's birth night that Jodie took!!
We had just gotten the CD's with all 100 photos from the night. I did a quick front and back spread of some of the highlights from the night :)

Since I had to start a new album for the next few months of my Project Life (Vol. 2), I was stuck with an end page in Vol. 1. After I saw this page, I knew that it was EXACTLY what I wanted to do with my end page. (BTW- Her blog is amazing and her Project Life pages are really inspiring so you should totally check her out :D)
So, here is the end page of my Vol. 1 album for Project Life:

I think I am pretty much caught up with all of my flashback posts. We are currently in week 22 of this project and its most definitely the best project, like this, that I have ever participated in.
Adam even told me that my Project Life albums were a treasure :)

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

3 months

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 29 May 2012 21:52:00 +0000

3 months.

Best three months of my life.

* she has complete neck and head control, all of the time.

* she is constantly trying to talk. She watches our mouths when we talk and then tries to copy it.

* Her "I love you" sounds like "ah la oo" I know it's what she means because when we say I love you, that is what she always says back.

* she squeals with delight A LOT

* she is doing this thing where she will scream as loud as she can and then laugh and then do it over and over.

* she has been in her little pool twice and loves it.

* she still loves baths.

* she is LEGIT sleeping 12 hours straight at night. We feed her at 7:15, she's asleep by 8:00 pm and she wakes up at 8:00 am every single day...we are blessed!!

* she has switched from newborn formula to infant formula.

* She doesn't have a pediatrician appointment until her 4 month checkup so Im not sure on her weight and height unfortunately.

* she is wearing a 2 in diapers.

* she smiles and laughs constantly.

* She even smiles in her sleep :)

* my favorite time of day is when I am feeding her and she stares at me.

* she is the love of my life

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Top Baby Blogs!!

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 29 May 2012 13:54:00 +0000

Just a short while ago, I decided to add this blog to the Top Baby Blog directory. With our adoption just getting started and my brain kicking into baby mode, I thought it would be fun to try out and to meet like minded bloggers.

Little did I know, my little blog would top the charts at #4 by the end of our first cycle on the list and #7 during the second cycle. I think that is pretty amazing considering the fact that there are almost 3000 blogs total in the directory.

There are no "prizes" for being on top, and there are no "perks" either. The one thing that I cherished from being on top was meeting so many awesome people, moms, and adoptive parents.

It has been a blessing for our little family.

I also enjoy the traffic that it brings to Run With Scissors and the sweet giveaways I am able to offer you all.

That is why I am asking you, just this once, if you could please hop on over and vote for us.

If every reader of this blog voted, just once, we would be #1.

All you have to do, to vote, is click on this banner below

and then the owl on the left.

That is it.

You can vote every single day if you want.

Each vote is appreciated. Each comment you leave, each message, each friendship...a blessing.

Vote for us!

Vote for Amelia :)

Thank you so much for blessing us and for taking a minute out of your day to do this.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

May Sponsor Spotlight

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 29 May 2012 02:07:00 +0000

Happy End of May!

I seriously can't believe how quickly this month has flown by and that it's almost June.

As I mentioned before, I will no longer be accepting ad spaces for Run With Scissors so this is the last Sponsor Spotlight!

Be sure to take some time and check out our amazing May sponsors.

So much cuteness and so much inspiration!!

Thank you all for supporting Run With Scissors this month.

Loves

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Insta-Baby

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:30:00 +0000

Happy Memorial Day everyone!!

We had a great day at my parent's house with my whole family.

We barbecued and had good family time.

I had a chance to look at my Instagram feed and there are soooo many photos of Amelia that I just love (duh!)

* a family walk with A's new carrier

* her Memorial day dress

* a cute little random face

* Harajuku Baby in her little pool.

* rocking the leg warmers

* being the best little paper weight ever

* and another fun day in the pool in the back yard.

Also, really quick, after looking through my blog last night I realized that my blog is for me, and for documenting my life. It's for making new friends and sharing with old friends. It's so many things. I decided that I am not going to be offering ad spaces anymore. Making money is not what I want this blog to be about. After this month, no more ad spaces...sorry!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project LIfe Week 13 and 14 Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Mon, 28 May 2012 04:40:00 +0000

Week 13 was a full week.

This week included gardening, a baby shower, and The Hunger Games.

I used an insert to document my lovely Bee themed shower that my sister threw for Amelia.

And here is Week 14 too.

This was my birthday week!!

These pages are so fun to look back on! I hope one day Amelia will look back on all of these pages and enjoy seeing them!!

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

a celebration.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Mon, 28 May 2012 01:36:00 +0000

My mom took my sister, Amelia, and I to the American Girl Store and Bistro to celebrate Amelia and her spot in our family. The day was amazing. The whole experience was a childhood dream come true.

They gave Amelia and her little Bitty Baby the prettiest little crowns to wear during the lunch.

My sister and I even had our childhood American Girls for the celebration. It was really cute :)

At the end, they brought Amelia out a little cake and THE WHOLE store sang "Happy Adpoption to You" to Amelia. It was the most special little moment ever.

I hope this little girl knows how much of a blessing she is to all of us and just how much we love her.

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

have you accepted the challenge?

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sun, 27 May 2012 02:23:00 +0000

If so, make sure to grab the button below to add to your blog!! Spread the word.

Let the world know that YOU are creating a beautiful documentation of your life this June :)

Also, if you haven't signed in yet, make sure to do so on this post!!
xojanel

Project Life Week 12 Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sun, 27 May 2012 02:14:00 +0000

Week 12.

The photos can speak for themselves :)

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life Week 11- Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Fri, 25 May 2012 17:28:00 +0000

Oh this one was a great week :)

Adam's parents came down from Massachusetts to spend the weekend with us and to meet Amelia.

I added Amelia's stats from her pediatrician appointment on a little journaling card. I used glitter and glue dots to create my little St. Patrick's Day journaling square.
The weather was super amazingly warm for mid-March so that had to be documented. For each of the 4x6 pockets I wanted to add a daily pic of Amelia this week.

This week had one insert. This insert was a 6x12 pocket that I used to showcase all of my Instagrams from the week. I covered the front and the back with the Instagram photos and added wash tape down the two sides of the pocket for extra details.

On the last page of this spread I have a folded journal card where I wrote down some "personal" feelings I was having that week. Life isn't always perfect and I wanted to write down how I was feeling at the time. I also have a photo of the Mr. Monk book that I was reading and more photos of Amelia!

Week 11 was a success :)
xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life Week 10- Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Fri, 25 May 2012 02:11:00 +0000

Week 10.

A great week.

Our first week home with the little miss.

A week full of photos :)

I used the white uni-ball signo pen to write on my photos and it worked so well. This was our first week with Amelia at home and it was amazing.

I added a flip pocket where I listed all of Amelia's firsts that happened that week.

I loved this photo that my sister in law sent me of her kiddos with a sign for Amelia, it had to be documented :) I also threw my sister a baby shower that week as well so there are photos from that too.
Finally, I added Amelia's first little foot prints to the spread as well.
Like I said, these pages were super photo heavy but that is the best part about this project. I love that I can just grab a pen and journal right on the photos to tell the story.
Love this project.

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

you are my sunshine.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Wed, 23 May 2012 21:45:00 +0000

Today was my first official day of summer :) Hooray!

Adam also had the day off which made it even better.

We decided to have a cook out and picnic since the weather was gorgeous.

It was amazing. Amelia loves being outside so much.

Here are some of my favorite shots from the day...

Can we just talk about how cute she is?!?

Today has been such a blessing. Day one of summer break = success!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life Week 9-Flashback

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 22 May 2012 14:28:00 +0000

Welcome to the first of many flashback posts this week from Project Life!!
First up, Week Nine.

Can we say best week ever?? The week our dreams came true and little Amelia was brought into this world and began blessing our lives. This was a week full of emotion and excitement and a million little details that needed to be recorded.
The two blurred out images are emails from our social worker giving us details as how things were going and were going to go. Im very happy to have those documented because they really illustrate the excitement of the day. Her little hospital bracelet is in the lower left corner blurred as well with our visitor pass and her little ID card from her hospital bassinet.

On the left, I have an insert that tells her birth night story. A little time line of EVERYTHING. It's front and back. I also have a month divider since March 1 happened this week too :)

This insert is full of instax photos from our hospital stay. The first thing my sister handed me when she got to the hospital was her instax camera. She was all, "I knew you would want this," and she was so right!! It was something that I was so bummed that I hadn't brought.

I also hole punched all of the cards that we received in the mail or at the hospital and added them to this week's spread. Before this project, I probably would have held on to these cards for about a month and then tossed them because I had no where to go with them. Now, I can hole punch them, stick them in the binder, and have them forever.

On the last page I have photos of her leaving the hospital and our first little family photo from home.
I also created a little 3x4 of all of Adam's Facebook status updates from the day which ended up so cute.

Yes, that was pretty much the greatest week of our lives. This is one of those times where this project really shines because I am so happy that I was able to document all of this, even the little details.
Love.

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

3rd Annual: 30 Day Journal Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 22 May 2012 00:47:00 +0000

The 30 Day Journal Challenge is BACK

and seriously

I am sooooo excited!!!!

It looks like many of you want to do the 30 day journal challenge along with me and that makes me soooo happy!!

This challenge will begin June 1 and take us all the way to the end of the month.

30 Days of prompts and journaling :)

Here is the skinny on how this will work:

* I will post the prompt and my journal page each morning (before 10:00 am cst)

* I will be posting all of these here, on my blog for everyone to see :)

* My pages are going to strictly be pen and paper but I want you to feel creatively free to add in whatever you want :)

* Run with Scissors has a Flickr group where we can all share our pages right here. Join it now! There are soooo many inspiring pages from challenges past that you can check out!

* I also would love for you to post your pages on your blog as well with a link in the comments so that we can check them out as soon as they are posted!!

* Some people asked about supplies and prefrences. Here are my personal picks:

My very favorite pen, that I have used in my journals, since college, are the Papermate flair felt tip pens. These pens come in a varitey of colors:

You can use them all, or you can choose your signature color :) I am pretty boring I guess because my signature color is always black.

And for journals, I seriously have no preference. I have tried out so many different types of journals this year and I have realized that I pretty much love them all :)

I'm a fan of thicker pages so I tend to buy watercolor journals lately .

I'm stoked!

Here is a little snippet of my pages from the past to give you a taste of what you are in for this summer :)

Eeek!

I am really excited about this little adventure that we will be taking together!!

The first prompt will be going live June 1:) Be there or be square.

Love you.

janel

Leave me a comment if you are in!!!

Spread the word, get your supplies, and be ready :)

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project life week 20

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:02:00 +0000

Week 20 and this project keeps getting better and better.

I love when I find new products to use in my book and new ideas for things to add.

Love love love.

This week has three added inserts (the inserts are one of my favorite parts of this whole project).

This week I started documenting my TOMS collection on Instagram. I thought it would be fun to add all of these to my page to remind me of how much I love these shoes :)

I also signed up for The Color Run this week which excites me and scares me at the same time.

My first insert this week is all about Mother's Day. Since it was my first mother's day, I thought it definitely deserved it's own insert :)

On the back of the Mother's Day insert, I added photos of my AMAZING mother's day present. We were really blessed with a hail storm that left us with a car that would cost more money to fix then it was worth. Plus we were able to get that car to someone who really needed it so it was a win/win situation.

The next two inserts are of all of the Instagram photos that I have taken of Amelia for a 365 book (that I talked more about two posts down).
I love these because her growth is so obvious in them. Plus I could stare at a million photos of her face all day every day.

Finally, I added a favorite shot of Amelia, the pattern of my new bag, and progress of my recent projects. I also added some photos of the succulents because they are gorgeous and a photo of Adam's ONE collection. He has one collection, I have like 100.

This week, I plan on posting all of my pages from the weeks where I wasn't able to post photos of Amelia. There were a lot of really great pages and now that I can share them, I want to. So check back daily for a Project Life flash back post :)
Have a great day!!
It's the last day of school for me...holla!

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Being Productive.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Mon, 21 May 2012 01:59:00 +0000

This has been a very productive weekend over here:)

I have been crocheting granny squares like a fool. This is such a peaceful task and it's also really fulfilling too when you see the outcome of them all laying out like this.

I still have two more colors to make granny squares with and then I can start crocheting all of these squares together to make an afghan like this one!!

I have also made some progress on my cross-stitched blanket for A. I don't have a photo of everything that I have done but I have specifically been working on this little teddy bear this weekend. Again, a tedious project but relaxing and rewarding :)

Today, my sister (who is sooo adorably pregnant these days) came over to make burp cloths for her little soon-to-be Jack!!
I LOVE the ones that I had made for Amelia. They are seriously the best burp cloths that we have, better than any of the store bought ones.
Nicole loved them too and wanted to learn to make some for Jack before he gets here (NEXT month!!!)

Seriously didn't she bring the cutest fabrics? I especially love the Thor one :) Her dog's name is Thor so it's even more perfect. I can't wait for my little nephew to get here!

And speaking of how cute my sister is, check out her "Hospital Checklist" that she made.

I totally wish that I had something like this when I was getting ready to go the hospital for Amelia's birth. I was soooo unprepared. Like, I had my purse and my phone and then a ton of stuff for the baby. I had nothing for myself or Adam. This list is not only helpful and serves a purpose, but it's super cute. love it.

Like I said, I was able to get a lot done this weekend. Plus, tomorrow is the LAST day of school for this school year and I will have two whole months to get my craft on. I can't wait!!

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Now Accepting June Sponsors!

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:56:00 +0000

Run With Scissors is now accepting Sponsors for the month of June!!

We are looking for great blogs and shops to partner with this summer :)

We love that we are able to offer AFFORDABLE advertising and are excited to partner with YOU!

This month, we are offering three different packages that you can choose from.

* X-Large Feature /$40
160x200

This package includes:

• the top ad space, all month, on Run With Scissors

• plus a seperate feature post

• Tweeted post

• You also get the option of hosting a giveaway (which is another great way to bring readers to your blog)

*Large Ad/$25:
160x120

This package includes:

• This gives you a prime ad space on Run with Scissors

• A spot in a group feature blog post with tweet

*Small Ad/$15:
160x60

This package Includes:

• ad space under the large ads

If you are interested in partnering with us email me at

janel(dot)maclean(at)gmail(dot)com.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

80 days.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Sun, 20 May 2012 00:22:00 +0000

I have been taking a daily photo of Amelia since her birth.

I plan on making an Instagram book of her first year for a fun little documentation.

I had taken the photos but didn't get most of them uploaded to Instagram until this week. Looking at all of the photos together is unreal.

My little girl has changed so much in the past 80 days.

Have a look for yourself!

Here are the ones that I have documented so far:

She is getting so big!! Her little face is getting so defined. It has been so amazing to watch her grow so far and change, and get more and more beautiful every single day.

I think this book is going to be such a treasure at the end of the year. These moments are all so precious and I am so blessed to have them all documented :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Fri, 18 May 2012 23:01:00 +0000

Hello there friends and welcome to another edition of "Little Pins."
I am so in love with finding cute little things for the little ones in our lives.
Here are some of the latest little pins...

* sweet little capes

* sister love

* the sweetest little blanket

* a lovely little doll

* adorable little blabla pillows

* and finally, and awesome little toy chest

I hope you enjoyed the cuteness as much as I do!!
You can follow me on Pinterest right here if you would like to!!
Have a great night :)
xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the color run

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Wed, 16 May 2012 03:14:00 +0000

Today I signed up for The Color Run!!!
Check out this video below if you are curious as to what the color run is...

I honestly never thought I would EVER sign up for a 5k and I definitely never thought I would be THIS excited about it :)
Adam's sister is even coming down from Mass to walk/run with us!!
I can not wait.
Have any of you ever run The Color Run before?

xo
janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

Project Life- Week 19

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 15 May 2012 20:07:00 +0000

In case you couldn't guess...I LOVE this project still.

It seriously gets more fun each and every week. I love planning out my spreads and finding little inserts to add this week.

This week was mostly about the photos. Actually, since Amelia has come to be, most of this book is consumed with photos of her...which is just the way I like it :)

I found some 8x8 page protectors that fit perfectly in my book. I also love that I can print out instagrams in 8x8 to display in them!!

I've already got a LOT done in my pages for this week and a very cute Mother's day insert!! I can't wait to share :)

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.

the bedroom.

noreply@blogger.com (janel.) — Tue, 15 May 2012 03:22:00 +0000

As I mentioned in my last post, my sister found me the BEST garage sale find of the season this weekend.

She knows that I have been searching for the perfect mid century modern bedroom set for about the past five years. I have searched everywhere but have never found the perfect set for us.

Plus, all of the ones I find in the shops are always over $1000 and that's just not in the ole budget when we had perfectly good bedroom furniture to begin with.

So, my sister calls me Saturday and says she found a bedroom set with my name written all over it for $100. I was so excited!!

My sister, being the wheeler and dealer that she is talked them down to $75 which made me even more excited.

It all worked out so perfectly. She and her husband had borrowed a truck and were able to bring right over to us...

With a coat of Old English, my new bedroom has now been transformed to a little piece of heaven on earth....

This little yellow shelf was originally from nursery when I was a baby. My mom said that it came with their house when they bought it in the 70's. I love the shapes and color of it and I use it to house special little pieces from our lives...It's definitely one of my favorite pieces in our house.

I am so in love with it and it just makes the whole room more "us."

Our bedroom is now officially my favorite room in the house.

A HUGE thank you to Nicole for scoring me such a great deal and being the best sister ever.

I hope you enjoyed this little bedroom tour.

janel

P.S. Don't forget to vote :) All it takes it two little clicks.