Happy Purim!

Tonight (well, right about now actually) begins the Jewish holiday of Purim.

I've always been a BIG fan of Purim. Take candy + costumes + a good story + great food + jam-filled cookies + lots of rocking parties and you have a great holiday, in my opinion.

If you ask my friends, they'll attest to the fact that I like to go all out for my costumes whenever possible. One year (in high school no less) I showed up as a cluster of grapes. Annoying to get around, but entertaining. This year's costume is a bit more slapped together--life's been a tad hectic to say the least. But I can't wait to show it off to y'all very soon!

If you need a refresher, this was us last year:

As much as we're smiling in this photo, when I think of last year's Purim, I can't help but remember how hard it was. We had just had some big disappointments in our infertility journey, and being surrounded by families on such a kid holiday was difficult. I remember praying so hard that this year would be different.

And this year? I can barely find time to hear the megillah because I'm busy nursing and cuddling my little girl. I wouldn't even attempt my cake balls of last year--I'm not crazy! My life is still stressful and hard sometimes, but that empty hole that was prominent last year is gone. I'm grateful.

One of the themes of Purim is hiddeness. G-d's name does not appear at all in the megillah (which, btw, is a scroll telling the story of Esther--find out more here) just like G-d's actions and purposes are hidden in the world. Last year, I didn't know how my story would play out, but He did. And just like in the Purim story, all will work for the best, even if I can't see it at the time.

Wishing you a happy, happy Purim if you celebrate it. And a happy, happy Thursday if you don't. Make it a good one!

One Month Old!

It's official, folks--Ellie is now one month old! Or at least, she was a few days ago, but we're running on Jewish time + mommy time here, so you'll have to forgive me:) Ellie was born on February 1, so that makes remembering her month-aversaries that much easier!

At one month, Ellie is.....

• 8 lbs, 7 oz. and 20 inches long
• Nursing very nicely (though we have chats every so often on how it's not nice to beat up Mama at the same time....)
• Getting started on tummy time and picking her head up completely
• Showing us she's hungry by "woodpeckering" on our shoulders and trying to eat our noses
• Still loving her bouncy seat
• Still hating on bathtime. She looks almost insulted when I squeak the rubber ducky at her to keep her happy!
• So much more alert and awake
• Starting to look us in the eye and snuggle more
• Smiling in her sleep:)

I'm still working on my photo shoot technique (AHEM--see photo below), but so far I'm using belly stickers from BuddhaBellies on Etsy, my chalkboard photo prop, and matching accessories.

And do you see that adorable quilt? That was handmade just for little e by the super sweet (and so talented!) Holly Humbert! It makes me want to take up quilting, although truthfully, I don't think I could make something more "me" than this gorgeous blanket.

I'll be back soon with my Write. Click. Scrapbook. project for March! And tell me, what are YOU looking forward to in March?

Before I go, looking for some help on learning how to run actions on PSE 9. Can anyone recommend a good tutorial?

My week in pictures

As I was printing my Project Life photos for last week, I figured I'd share them with y'all! This week has been full of crying, crying and more crying (mommy and baby both) so I'll spare you the details and focus on LAST week. Ha!

A mommy self portrait:

My mom and siblings were visiting last weekend, so we spent Sunday with my grandparents. Little E was dressed up for the occasion, naturally.

While my family watched the baby, S and I went to our favorite restaurant for lunch and ordered our classics--portobello cream cheese sushi (I came up with it to replace fish when I was pregnant, and it's AWESOME) and ravioli funghi and salad. Mmmmm.

I've been finally organizing Ellie's closet and I'm loving all of the PINK!

Little ladybug feet. . . . .

This was a new mommy "first" for me. Our synagogue coordinates two weeks of meals for all new moms, so this was my first Shabbos making my own food. I was a bit nervous, but E cooperated very nicely. She must have learned in the womb that Fridays are crazy enough without lots of crying.

{meatballs and garlic bread--it was Italian night here at the Starr house}

I tortured my little one a bit by dressing her in a frou-frou headwrap. I love the crazy face she's making here. Totally that "Mom what are you DOING?" look. Ha!

And last but not least, another photo of my mush:) We took her out to lunch at a friend's on Saturday and she looked SO cute, but alas, we don't take photos on the Sabbath. I just might dress her in it for a photo shoot one of these days.

What was the best moment of YOUR week? (Or worst--we're open here:))

Kissing booth love!

Two (?) months ago, I missed out on the Studio Calico add-on that everyone was chasing after, so I ended up with my other choice--the pretty Kissing Booth add-on. Which should have been a natural winner for me, being a lover-of-all-things girly and a new girl mama!

Here's the pretty kit:

And here's what I did with it!

My first layout is one of the few I've made "just for fun" these past few months. Between work, doctor's appointments, and general pregnancy tiredness, my scrapping productivity has gone WAY down. We'll see how it goes with a newborn, ha! (Speaking of said newborn, she just shouted when I wrote that--a hint?)

I had so much fun with the soft, romantic colors in this kit. The doilies are added in from my stash because what girly layout is complete without doilies?

I wrote about how lucky I felt to be pregnant with a healthy baby, even with the stresses of the last few weeks of the pregnancy. I love that this is the last layout I created before my little one was born.

My second layout uses a sweet photo from one of my best friends and her little baby (photography by Sheena Dishaw-Levi). I had fun with the gray and red/pink color combination! I thought this page really called for some sewing, but sadly my sewing machine is currently broken. And in terms of getting fixed, it's waiting in line behind the printer, diaper pail, shower clock, and necklace rack....so it may be a while. Sigh.

And a sneak--I got this butterfly in the packaging from an etsy store and have been saving it for a project ever since!

So there you have it! What's your favorite kit or product line that YOU've been playing with lately?

Project Life--a bit about the bandwagon

There's been so much talk about Project Life in blogland lately, but I've been mostly staying quiet about it. I wanted to try it in my own way and just see how that worked. So without further ado, here's my "Keshet-ized" version of Project Life. . . . .

My title page:

As you can see, I'm using mostly the Clementine kit from Becky Higgins LLC, and adding in bits from my stash. My main concerns about trying Project Life were that (a) it would feel like homework (and I had enough of that in law school, thank you!) and (b) it would be a crazy thing to attempt with a new baby. My solution? I decided to do only one side of a page protector every week. I also have more of a "week at a glance" than daily approach--I don't care if all my photos are from one day of the week.

Here is my Week One:

As you can see, it's pretty basic. Photos, label stickers, journaling cards, washi tape, and a bit of life ephemera (I'm going to do a follow up post on my "must have" supplies for Project Life, so stay tuned for that!).

Week Two:

As you can see, I love those label stickers! I also included our weekly menu plan for some fun variation.

Week Three:

I had fun focusing on mundane things this week--a grocery store, my lunch, even the anti-itch cream I was using (I had a nasty case of PUPPS if you care to know).

Week Four:

I photographed some granola bars for this one--in my defense, they were really good and extra exciting because they were diabetic friendly! I also used a bunch of Elle's Studio tags on this one--I've been breaking them out more and more over the weeks. And in the top left, you can see a shot from our hospital tour! Who would have thought we'd be back just a few days later...

Week Five:

I normally use a single side of a page protector, but Ellie's surprise birth warranted a double page spread! I have bits of the birth story here and some hospital photos. I also added in a "white space" card to this layout, and I love the effect! I kept it really simple and reinforced the color scheme.

Week Six:
One of the great things about doing Project Life with a baby is that there is no shortage of photos to choose from! I printed a few of my favorites of the approximately 12 billion photos I took of e that week and added them in with some decor elements. I'm a big fan of the decor elements because they let the eye rest AND make doing a weekly PL page even more manageable. Double win!

Although I mostly use the kit, I love adding in elements from my stash, like this October Afternoon journaling card and button:

Each week, I create a "title page" journaling card that I keep pretty standard. I mix up the journaling card and decorative elements, but I always use little Sassafrass stickers for the title (I have around 40 of those from kits!) and stamp the date with my Smash roller stamp (although the new Dear Lizzy one would be super cute too!).

I also like to note how many weeks pregnant I was, or how many weeks old Ellie is. Helps me keep track:)

And again, the Elle's Studio tags are a fantastic addition--add to the story and so much fun to use design-wise!

And there you have it--my approach to Project Life. Quick, easy and doable in a leisurely hour on a Sunday. I'm hoping I can keep up with it when I go back to work!

Are YOU doing Project LIfe? Why or why not?

Things I Heart...

Well, I'm a bit late on the Valentine's Day theme, but I do have a "things I heart" list to share today! Just a few of the things I'm loving lately. . . . .

This adorable Lisa Leonard necklace--perfect for a new mama, don't you think? S ordered it for me after I had Ellie:)

These insanely cute badges (or buttons? or flair? What do you call these exactly?) from Baers Garten Designs, a new etsy favorite. I'm using one of their kits for a journal for Ellie, and having so much fun with it!

As you can see, I love the kits she has in her shop! Here's another cute one:
I'm also loving this top from Ann Taylor Loft, which is on its way to me right now--here's hoping it gives me some good post-baby coverage:)

Along with this beauty from Downeast Basics--love!

In the non-things category, I'm loving watching this guy as a daddy--he's awesome at swaddling, burping, diaper changing, and calming down a crying Ellie. It's so sweet to watch them together.

And last but (of course) not least, I'm head over heels in love with this little munchkin, who I've taken to calling "Crabby von Crabmeister" this week.

You see, I didn't realize that onions were a thing of evil that would turn my sweet, content baby into an angry ANGRY baby--that is, not until I ate tons of onions for three days straight. Still paying for that decision, and it will be a long time before I eat onions again. Yikes!

What do YOU heart right now?

PS--Some new Ellie photos are up on the photographer's blog right here! Yippee!

Write Click Scrapbook February

Luckily, I did get a chance to play along with the Write Click Scrapbook February gallery before Ellie came along! I'm also working on a special project for the March gallery, but that may show up a little late, ahem.

Our gallery theme was music. Now I have always wanted to be really, really good at an instrument. I knew it was key to start early, so beginning in elementary school, I tried to learn the violin, the flute, the ukulele (I lived in Hawaii, if you're wondering) and even the harmonica. No luck--my violin playing sounded like a frog in its death throes, and the others weren't much better. I even spent an entire year playing the flute in the school band without knowing how to make the sound come out! I was very good at the hand motions, though.

So I may be terrible at all instruments, but I love to sing, so I created my layout about how excited I was to sing to Bunny.

Now that she's here, I'm enjoying my captive audience--although she does wrinkle her nose at me sometimes.

For this layout, I used my January Studio Calico kit and kept the design pretty simple. I love that woodgrain background, so I hope that trend stays alive!

Check out the rest of the WCS gallery right here!

And because it feels wrong to leave out a photo, here are some new shots of Ellie:

(my baby burrito)

(tushy in the air--ha!)

(We get this face A LOT. I think she thinks we're crazy)

I hope this Monday is treating you well! And help make me feel better (or worse?)--do YOU play instruments?