Gearing up for LOAD May 2011

Wow. I can't believe it is almost time to start another round of LOAD (Lay Out A Day - and no, this has nothing to do with soaking up some rays.)

I am a little anxious about it this go round because I have done so little scrapping since the last LOAD. Am I burnt out? Have all my ideas been used up? Are there no more memories I want to preserve? Is my scrapping mojo no mo' ?

I am sure once I get back into it those creative juices will start flowing and the wonderful people on the forums will be inspiring. I have been putting a few pictures I would like to scrap into a folder on my laptop, labeled LOAD May 2011. And I have some old photos pulled to scan. I have a few new kits ready to play with as well. Plus the newest edition of the Digi Files will be out on May 1st so I will have even more inspiration waiting for me in my inbox, besides the daily prompts from Lain. So there is really no need to worry.

In looking over the layouts I have completed recently I am noticing a trend. As I look back at older layouts I find the same trend in the ones that I really love. Big focal photo + smaller supporting photos + a decent amount of journaling. This is my style at the moment. Photos I love and words to capture the feelings and memories they evoke. The other stuff are added garnishes for presentation purposes, nice but not necessary.
Here is an example of what I am talking about:

And another example:

And another, just to illustrate the point:

Same basic style. I think I will check my stash of templates for this type of layout since I know I like it. Then I won't have to reinvent the wheel when I get stuck for layout ideas.

I guess I am more ready for LOAD than I thought. Woohoo!

Friday Night Fun

So my adventurous, always moving boy messed up his knee on the trampoline the other day. Which means he can't go adventuring in the woods, hunting for petrified pieces of timber. Nor can he resume the nightly game of Blind Man's Bluff on the trampoline. So how do we cater to his need for excitement, without physical exertion? We break out the stash of fireworks that Papa has laid by for just such a time as this.

The boy loves taking pictures of everything in the world around him with the handy dandy phone (no cell service) that his Papa handed down to him. I love taking pictures of the boy while he is taking pictures.

Like when he is getting a shot of the dragon that was supposed to be just a regular fizzy firework. Notice the defensive posture that all good photographers assume when shooting pictures of dragons. He's a natural.

Not one to hog all the firework fun, at least not when Papa is there to say, "Give everyone a turn at the fireworks, Matt," here is the younger brother firing off a Roman candle.

I love how cool this photo of big sister turned out.
I did some reading on hyperextended knee. It looks like the boy is through jumping for a couple of weeks at least. And the petrified wood is gonna have to wait as well. No fears though, that stuff weighs a TON so we know it isn't going anywhere while Matt recovers.