I don’t know if you’ve had the chance to read through everyone else’s comments on Jan. 3 but … WOW. I think it’s worth pouring through all 800+ comments because you just may be inspired by someone’s personal resolution. I totally am. And so is Eden, who wants to give away prizes. Not just to “the” winner, but several others (yay!).

The following is from Eden:

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Grand Prize winner: KELLY (posted on January 3, 2008 at 7:34 am (didn’t leave where she is from) Her goal is to PAUSE.

“Good morning, this is mine…to pause. Basically to slow down and live more consciously. To pause, before I react to something my children have done, before purchasing something impulsively, before putting the second (insert appropriate comfort food here) in my body. To really experience my life, not let it go flying by (like the way it has been since having my boys).”

I LOVE this! It made me think to pause and listen to what my children have to say. To pause and play with them when they ask. To pause and tell my husband I love him. To pause and ponder my scriptures after I read them. To pause and take in the moment, the time, the memory.

Kelly will be receiving the Best of Becky Higgins Sketches book, Cinnamon We R Memory Keepers Album, Cosmo Cricket Jitterbug Chipboard Alphabet, Blue Making Memories Shimmer Stickers, and Heidi Swapp Icee Bling Accents. (See Jan. 3 post picture.)

I am giving away two copies of the Organized and Inspired Scrapbooker to:

1. Christine from Southern California. She has 4 year old triplets, and two teens and is bound and determined to get organized this year. Hope this can help her.

2. Kristi from Alberta. She is going to have great food storage this year. I thought that was awesome! Hope this book can help her too!

AND I am giving away 3 real red 6×6 albums to:

1. Shelly Moots from Plainfield, IL. Her husband was diagnosed with cancer this past year, and so her goal is to take nothing for granted and to fill this year will memories, so I am giving her an album to fill this year to help her cherish the memories they make together this year.

2. Stephanie from southwestern Indiana. Her goal is to start and finish an album for the next year while her husband is deployed to Iraq that will be filled with their 2 year old daughter and her life while he is gone so that he can share those memories when he gets home in 2009.

3. Jenny from Anchorage, Alaska. Her goal is to take photos with each of her children on their birthdays and special holidays. She forgets to do this (as all scrapbookers who are busy taking photos) and every year ends up wishing she had those memories to scrapbook.

Kyl in Malaysia can email me too, I want to chat with her. What an example of love to her parents!

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A HUGE thank-you to Eden from Scrapbook Away who is giving away all the prizes. Be sure to check out her online shop. If you are a winner, send an e-mail to blogwinner@scrapbookaway.com, giving your mailing address so Eden can get those goodies out to you!

Just a quick update to let you know what I just heard: Robin Johnson’s The Greatest Love Story Ever Told kit is going fast. A third of them sold in the first 4 days, so just remember that when they’re gone, they’re gone. Robin is also teaching a class at Big Picture Scrapbooking to go along with the kit and there is more information about that here.

PS – I am overwhelmed in the most wonderful way with all of your comments/goals/resolutions. Please continue to share (in the comments for the Jan. 3 post) and we’ll announce the winner on Monday. More importantly, read through those comments and be inspired. : )

You guys are awesome. I am inspired. Have a wonderful weekend.

For those of you who happen to be online right now (it’s Thursday afternoon), Lisa Bearnson is on QVC right now (selling cool scrapbooking products, of course). If you click on this link right HERE, you can just watch it live right from your computer.

Her show is on until 5:00 pm EST and then she’s on again tomorrow at 4:00 pm EST, I believe.

This whole idea of giving away things is just too much fun. So guess what? Let’s do it some more!

Back on Dec. 7 here on my blog, there was a “blog conversation” based on a Canadian-based online scrapbooking store. Eden with Scrapbook Away (the store) wants to give some product away to … one of you! She has a package ready to send to the winner. It includes a copy of my new Sketches book, one of the We R Memory Keepers albums that I use and LOVE, as well as some other really fun things.

So this is what I’m thinking. I know we all inspire each OTHER and if you’re one to read the comments, you’ve likely found yourself quite a bit of great ideas from your fellow blog readers. So in the spirit of influencing each other for good, post a comment to enter yourself in the drawing. Tell us your first name & where you live and then tell us ONE very specific goal/resolution you have for the New Year. By specific, I don’t mean “I want to be healthier”. I mean “I will stop adding salt to everything I eat” or “I will eat out just once a week now”.

Tell me one specific thing you’re going to do this year to make your life better. Got it? Good. This will be fun.

WeI will choose a random winner & announce on Monday. By the way, you can check out her online store here. And no, you don’t have to live in Canada to win.

I really am serious about getting 31 layouts completed this month. While I won’t be posting/sharing all of them (I think I share a lot through my published work already, and most of these layouts I’m getting done right now aren’t meant to share with the world. They’re just for us. Thanks for understanding. : )

But I will share a few that I get done this month. Here’s one.

In addition to all the layouts I’ve completed (they were mostly done, but just needed finishing touches or journaling) in the past couple of days, this is my official Jan. 1 layout that I did “from scratch”. And as you can see – I’m in this to get layouts DONE, and to enjoy the process too. This month’s layouts will not likely be masterpieces, but I know I’ll love every one. For this layout (which is from our first trip to South Africa in 2004 – see? I’m really behind), I kept it as simple as can be. No products. Just pictures and journaling.

Happy New Year to you!

Yesterday I mentioned that I wanted to create a layout a day in January. Guess what I did yesterday? Completed nine layouts (18 pages). Yay for that. I wanted to get a jump-start on the month and thought I’d do a little catching-up before January officially arrived, but didn’t realized I’d be so productive. The key word is completed. All of the pages were ones that I had started, but hadn’t finished or journaled on. But still … seriously productive and a great way to start of my scrapbooking goal. I’m still going to try to do 31 layouts (62 pages) in January.

Today I’m thinking about LOVE. I took some engagement pictures for some friends recently and finally got around to really going through them this week.

Photographing Aimee & Vaughn definitely ranks as one of my all-time favorite photo shoots. Hanging out with two young people who are so fun, so willing to do “whatever” for the camera, so in love, and beginning their lives together … that’s just cool. And I happen to love them too! I’ve known both of them since they were 12 years old, and … fast-forward several years … Aimee was a huge help to me/our family for about a year recently. I made her a little scrapbook, which some of you may remember (see July 17 post).

By the way, this is them. : )

And speaking of love, be sure to check out the brand-new KOTM here. Robin Johnson designed a scrapbook kit called “The Greatest Love Story”. Since David’s and my love story is already well-documented (I started scrapbooking around the time that we met), I put this album together for my parents who just celebrated their 39th wedding anniversary last week.

It comes in this beautiful tin.

The cover page.

And a few inside layouts.

I love how it turned out and the fact that it took me only an hour & a half to put together, including pictures. Now it’s off to my parents & with a little encouragement, they’re going to fill in the blanks and write their own love story. In their own handwriting, of course.

Do you have your love story documented? (You don’t have to answer that. Just something to think about.) Robin’s kit could help you get it done.

May 2008 be filled with love in your life!