Prompt 12 ...continued....

so for prompt 12, we continute to focus on expectations. I know this such a hard one to do. What do people expect from us? Do we care? Does it affect how we perceive ourselves and our actions?

I just love how Peggy talks openly here about how we feel the need to know and understand why we are so curious about what other people think of us. I know I feel this way, too.

Peggy's Layout:

You Rock, Peggy!

Make sure you link us up if you have done this challenge, we would love to see....

Winner for Prompt 11

I am here for an update to post the winners for Promt 11





The winners are.................................................





for our first prize goes to Drea!!!!!!!!!!!!!








and for the second prize......Bessie!



Congratulations, ladies!!!!

DON'T FORGET TO CHECK THIS MONTH'S PROMPT {PROMPT 12} AND another HUGE thank you to Genuinely Jane Studios for sponsoring us this month!!!

Make sure you email me your addresses so I can get these awesome albums out to you!

Prompt 12

I cannot believe Prompt 12 is here! It is so crazy how fast time goes. We are sponsor free this month. I have been involved in a Breast Cancer crop over at Serendipty Scrapbooks and my time and energy has been poured into that this month so I hope you join us over there to raise money for Breast Cancer. It is so very important. And a huge thank you to Kim who won last month's prompt...I was a bit late getting her prize package to her.

So who is ready for this month's prompt!? We have one of the nicest and most talented people I have ever met joining us today....Lucy Edson. PLEASE check out her blog here...just oodles of gorgeousness!

We are focusing on letting go this month and how we free ourselves from the expectations of others.

I feel at times that I sacrifice things that are the most appealing to me because of what other people expect of me. For me, a lot of it surrounds working. I tend to bare a large amount of guilt for wanting to work and loving it and finding satisfaction in my success in my career.

Think about it...how many times have you done something because of what someone else implied or because that is just how it has always been done? And this behavior, to me, is self defeating. When we do what we choose b/c that is what we want, we free them of their expectations too, liberating them of their judgments.

I am not sure when we became a society that constantly just judges each other...maybe now I just notice it more b/c I am older but regardless...I think it is liberating to be able to free yourself from expectations of others...whether it's society...your friends...you parents...whoever.

Now go forward...progress...I hope you enjoy this one ;)

Lisa

{journaling reads} Once I let go of the expectations of others, life became simpler...better





Lucy

{journaling under photo reads} Expectations, they can weigh on us from birth, some good, some bad. As an adult I try to live up to my own expectations now, and not be controlled by other's ideas of what my life should be. Living up to your own expectations is hard work, so give yourself a break and just do the best you can.





PS...we will have a winner for you in a few days from Prompt 11!

I spy...

Some of you know I am an active member over at Serendipity Scrapbooks and I was in the gallery last night and came across this layout from Rebecca. Rebecca has been a long time member there and I have gotten to know her and this layout just touched me and I instantly thought of our prompt on forgiveness here.

Thank you so much for letting us share this Rebecca! Please visit her gallery here and blog here for some more wonderful inspiration!

Don't forget...you have a couple days left for Prompt 11 and a chance to win a prize package from Genuinely Jane Studios! Make sure you check out their blog...they just posted some NEW releases!

The Fabulous Peggy...

I have been really sick lately and finally got to the dr. yesterday for some antibiotics...no flu though! phew.

so i have peggy's layout here for you...it is amazing!

i know how hard this prompt is...it really hits home about how we touch the people around us and if we really do at all? And when I read what Peggy wrote and these lyrics, I cried and cried. It just touched me so much. I mean the part about "her rescuing me"..how true is that? I don't know about you but I just blogged about how I never saw myself as a mom, that I dreamed of a life of traveling and adventure but then came along this whole new life that well, saved me.

THANK YOU PEGGY!

Here is what Peggy had to say about her layout and the process:

Well, do I really, I wonder? The only persons I could really think of, of course, were my children. But then again, they touched my life as well, they changed me completely, they changed the way I feel about things, how I think, how I love, they changed the way I look upon life itself. I didn't really know how to put this into words, so I used the lyrics to a Martina McBride song, "In my daughter's eyes".

I used to think a lot about my place here in this world. When I was younger, I really wanted to matter, to make a difference in the world. I never did of course, which made me wonder about the meaning of it all. All of this changed when I had my children. I didn't have to look for a purpose, for "the meaning of life" anymore, I had all the purpose I needed and still need. The only thing that matters to me now is creating a warm, loving and safe home for my children, giving them a good start in life, teaching them to be good and strong. I guess I still want to matter, but now in my own little world, I don't feel the need to matter in the whole world anymore. I guess to me the meaning of life is just being happy, and trying my best to make sure that the ones I love are happy as well.

Lyrics:

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
World is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
Strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand
Around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about

It's hangin' on when your heart
Has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daugter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
She made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

DON'T FORGET....GENUINELY JANE STUDIOS IS OUR SPONSOR THIS MONTH!

We have a WINNER!

We have a winner from Prompt 10 and it's

KIM!

wahoo, Kim!

in case you didn't see, this is Kim's layout:

here is her journaling, Please take the time to read it:

To forgive and forget is much easier said than done. I think that’s because most people thing when you forgive someone, it’s for the other person. And while that is partly true, it is so, so much more for you. To forgive someone means you will no longer hold on to the hurt, anger, resentment and unhealed wounds. It means to let go and free your-self of those feelings. It takes a lot of energy to hold on to the negative, to forgive is to put that energy to better use. Forgiveness is choosing to love.

don't forget to email me, Kim...my email is on the right and scroll down a bit...

and a HUGE thanks to Scrapadilly for sponsoring us this month!!!

Make sure you click here for Prompt 11...it's aWeSomE! it's not who you touch but how...

Thanks so much to everyone that participated. Here are the other layouts, Please make sure to check out the blog links we provided so we can continue to support each other:

Bessie



Karen



Drea


Chris



Dawn

Prompt 11

{winner for prompt 10 will be announed by the end of this week}

kal barteski.

amazing. inspiring. art. she introduced me to pencil crayons and taking a look deeper into my life and what my spirit tells me. during her class we celebrated each other and that is what we do here. lift each other up.

let me introduce you to prompt # 9

LoveLife/057

our purpse undefinded and intrinsic. impalpable pulse-beat past echoes in time. your unwitting effect-so profound. how do we fit-and where? the lines between who we hope we are-and how we're thought of-so blurry. maybe it's not what you do-but why. not who you touch-but how...

you are infinitely more than you think. inspire

have a great weekend. spread joy. love life

This month's prompt is about touching people's lives...it's not who you touch but how...

i have always felt that me, as a person and as intense as i am, left an immediate and definitive mark on where i have been and whom i have met. but do i? am i profound? am i in my lines? or do i blur them?

i love that Kal gets me thinking and leaves me thinking all at the same time. I hope you can find that inspiration in her work, too.

go. forward. now.progress.

AND our sponsor for this month is ... GENUINELY JANE STUDIOS!!! We have TWO prizes to give away! A "grand" prize and a "runner up" prize and if you visit their site...you have a good idea of what we have in store for you...

Here is Lisa's take:

When I first read this prompt, I wondered how I would ever be able to put all my feelings about this subject into one layout. After much consideration, I kept coming back to the same word...IMPACT. How do I impact my world? Be it chance meetings or powerful moments, am I being a positive influence?








Once I had my LO complete, I sat down to write my journaling. But try as I might, I couldn't express myself in a concise manner. So, I decided to include all that I had written on the back of the LO.



"We all have them. Those times that forever leave a mark on our hearts...our souls...our being. Be it a good or bad time, it shapes and molds the person we become. Much of the impact it has on us is defined by how we approach that moment and the choices we make regarding it. I've had many such moments. Big, huge, earth moving moments. Marriage, children, divorced parents...a divorced me. Children moving away and then returning. The death of someone very dear. Some of these were cause for celebration and others were the cause of much pain. But through them all, I learned more about me and became stronger and hopefully wiser as a result.

But not all defining moments are as enormous in size. There are also the little things that can affect us. Little chance moments such as an encounter with another person that leave us with a life lesson all because we crossed paths. There can be inspiring moments of awe and wonder. And there can be misunderstandings or misguided intentions that leave us in a position to choose how we will move forward and whether or not we will allow it to cause harm or good to a relationship.

Lately I have been facing many defining moments. Times that are testing my character and my strength. I'm facing decisions that are almost impossible to make as there is really no good answer. Some days I feel victorious in these situations and other days leave me struggling to not feel defeat. But I am most thankful for these trying times. I know that even on the down days, I am building strength. God has given me the ability to rise above by trusting in Him. And I'm learning with each test and working harder to be a more positive influence."


Jocelyn:



There is Hidden Journaling Behind the Picture. It reads:

This is one of my favorite songs and every time I hear this song I think of you two boys!
When I look at the two of you, I see Me...the way that we say things and our funny little smiles....All of these things make me know that I will forever hold you in my heart! My Wish is that someday when you sit
down with your children and grandchildren....you will teach them what I have taught you!!!! Kindness, Empathy, Faith and Love. You both are my life, and I hope with all my heart, that what has been taught
to you, will bring you everything you could ever imagine!!! You are my legacy, you are my Heart
and I LOVE YOU!!!!!

All i have to say is...

WOW!

we have been visiting the blogs of the entries and you guys rock and totally inspire me. I hope working through some of this was therapuetic for everyone. I know it was for me. People look at me strange {well at least I feel them through cyberspace, LOL} when I tell them that it is no surprise to find me laughing or crying in my scraproom at times.

And, as I sit here typing with tears in my eyes like total weirdo, lol... I have made plans to go see my grandmother. Thanks for those of you who have reminded me that even though she is not there mentally, that there is still a part of her that knows me and knows I am there.

I wanted to add the second half of the month's layout from Peggy and Jocelyn. Make sure you put us on your blogger feed b/c in the next few weeks we will post the entry layouts.

Jocelyn:

The journaling reads

Do I want to hold onto the hurt......

the pain that was so deep I thought I could

never take a deep breath again...Will I give

you this much control over my life. NO!

I must move forward....I must forgive.

I can breathe again...I can Smile.....

for this experience I have grown to be

the person that I know Today.....Forgive....

Peggy:



My journaling:
"I would give a lot to see you just one more time. I would tell you how much I love you, and how much I miss you.
You never asked for much, but I was too occupied with myself to even give you the little you asked.
You've always been there for me. I'm so sorry I haven't always been there for you."

Forgiveness Prompt 10

We have special news for this prompt today! We have our very FIRST sponsor! a HUGE thanks to Bonnie over at Scrapadilly and Green Greco products. These products hold a special place in my heart. The first reason is because they have totally cute products;) and the other is that their products are Eco friendly. So please check out the links above and support them. Bonnie is donating an awesome prize package of Green Geco products for one lucky winner who completes Prompt 10 and links it back to this post by September 10, 2009. We will promptly select a winner just in time for the next prompt.



with that being said...let's get started!!! Here is prompt 10:

I found this scandanavian proverb while thumbing through a book and i just knew it was perfect for us here at Forward Progress.

he who lets the small things bind him leaves the great undone behind him


how can we move forward in life if we have not forgiven {someone, something, ourselves, etc} for something in the past?

Now, you might be thinking that this is about the past but i want us to focus on what we need to do in order for us to forgive and forget ...a promise to ourselves....to let go of so we can move forward.


you might not want to forget but there is a process we go through for forgiveness and it starts today. for me, it starts now:

Here is ellen's take on today's prompt:

I used a heart from Clear Scraps and made a mask with the flowers on the back with Glimmer Mists and Color Washes. I sure wish it showed up better but this is the best photo I can get with it. I hid my journaling in the scroll. There is a little Magistical Memories chipboard drink on the back, LOL! I find I like to have a glass of wine when these things start going through my head.




in the scroll i wrote this:

it seems as if everyday i ask myself, "what if i would not have done that, would my life be different"? i often think, "will my children be punished for the decisions i have made"? if so, how can i live with myself? i am not sure why, til this day, i am so hard on myself. i seek perfection in everything i do and even when i receive constructive criticism, i take it so hard. i am not perfect. i am not perfect. i am not perfect. ellen, you made those decisions b/c at the time, it is what you needed to do to survive. maybe you got lucky, maybe there is a grand scheme for you. you are touching lives now, you are making a difference. let that be good enough. let that be enough so you can forgive the hurt you caused and allow yourself to heal and be forgiven. you must forgive yourself or that negative energy will destroy you. it will consume you. it has consumed you. don't give it the power you are now. it starts today. it starts now.


Lisa's:

This topic, for me, was easy. In life, we are all exposed to teachable moments. Some we recognize as such, others might slide right past us going unnoticed. Well, I'm hear to tell you, divorce is not one of those unnoticeable moments. There are lessons to be learned at every turn. While I am certain I failed in many ways in my struggle to get through the most painful experience of my life, I am proud to say, I worked hard at forgiving from the beginning. And I firmly believe that it was only by forgiving that I was able to let go and move on.

Title reads: Letting Go of hurt, anger, resentment

Journaling: "moving forward means letting go of the past if the past fosters nothing more than pain and anger. learning to truly forgive...and in the process, letting go, has brought healing and freedom."


The Howards: married 5-24-86 separated 1-9-05 divorced 2006:

coming soon...

prompt 9 and it's a "thinker"!!!

Until then i wanted to share this layout about change from Devon.



We are all about changing for the better here. thanks for letting us share, devon!

Jocelyn & Peggy

We asked Jocelyn to join us for a few months and do the next 3 prompts with us and this is her layout for our Taking Stock prompt {prompt 9}.

I always enjoy Jocelyn's candor and this layout is no exception. And look at that gorgeous picture of her!

Thanks Jocelyn!

Peggy is joining us as well for awhile and this is her take on Taking Stock. Take a look at this cooool detail! Peggy sent some instructions with this so I will be posting those at a later date or you can visit her blog from some more details {click on her name}.







Journaling left page:
When I think about where I am at this point in my life, I can only come to the conclusion that I have everything I have ever wanted ... My family. Although in my childhood dreams I definitely was a mom, but never a SAHM, I now can't imagine nor ever wish for another life. Maybe this fact, the fact that I'm a SAHM, is the reason that I still have so many plans for our house, our home, the place where I am at most of my time. Nothing in my house is 100% the way I want it to be. Still, I wouldn't want to live anywhere else, I love my home and my life in it. But then, sometimes from one minute to the other, I get frustrated because the bathroom isn't big enough, or the electricity is playing up again... How can a person go from intense happiness to utter dissatisfaction in just a moment's time? But then I turn on the TV and watch a documentary about homeless people, or poor people in Africa or other poor countries, and I am reminded once again, for a minute anyway, how good life has been to me. Still, I don't think it's so unusual for a person to want more, I think we all do from time to time, it's in our nature. What would we be without our dreams, without goals in our lives?

Journaling right page:
Yes, 3 different kind of bricks. The exterior of our home definitely leaves room for improvement. However, this ugly exterior houses a safe haven for our family. It's our own cozy little place, where we are building our own happy memories. Our bathroom ("the little white room") definitely could do with a make-over... but ... it provides us with everything we need: water, just by turning the tap ... what a luxury! Yes, there are way to many weeds in our garden, and we so need to replace our fences. But, when our kids are playing here, and the garden is filled with laughter, this garden feels like paradise!

P.S. I WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW WE HAVE A SPONSOR COMING UP FOR NEXT MONTH! A NEW COMPANY WITH WAY COOL PRODUCTS!

A Layout to Share

This month's prompt was about taking stock of ourselves. Looking at where we are right now with regard to who we are, our goals or where we want to be. Kim created this wonderful layout that expresses how she sees herself. I love that she intentionally used a blurry photo to place emphasis on the fact that the lines that define us are often unclear.



Her journaling reads: "Here I am. I am not perfect. I can be moody, impatient and stubborn. I'm also loving, creative and loyal. I am real, I am me. And that's enough. Right now I am stopping and taking a moment for this...and to just breath."

Thank you Kim for participating and taking the time to take a closer look at yourself.

Goals

I like to hang out over at CMK and I am so glad I do b/c the inspiration over there just drips from the gallery.

The other day I spotted this layout by Joli when she got picked for LOTD. It's about change and accountability so I asked her if we could post it here b/c, well, this is what we are about...right?!

Thanks for letting us be a part of your journey, Joli! I am right there with you, this is something that i battle everyday and have come to the realization that it will be part of my life forever. I found that having a partner to help me get motivated has helped. Mmy best friend stacy has lost 34 lbs over the past year and when i am feeling "bleh" i call her, she yells at me to go to the gym and i feel better for it.

Thanks again, Joli!


If you have a layout about a journey you are on, let us know! we want to post it here and follow you on that journey. we are all here for each other, lord knows i need it ;)

Prompt 9

taking Stock...Assessing my personal well being. How can we expect to have forward progress if we are not looking after our state of well being. peace within ourselves..

I have goals...dreams...aspirations...but how do I expect to reach those if i don't have "stock" in myself.

These means evaluating your present position. Are you happy? Probably. Could you say you are even if aren't? Are we honest with our present self?

If you could put a monetary number on how much one share of stock in yourself would cost, what would it be?

Are you worth it?

Okay! I got Lisa's Loaded and hopefully I can get mine loaded soon.

Here is Lisa's layout:



And Ellen's:

Exciting News!

Hi! It's me, Lisa. Just stopping in to let you know we have some exciting things coming your way. Be sure to come back on the 15th for our next prompt and we will be having some announcements to make later in the month. I promise you are in for a treat!

I also wanted to share one more layout that was submitted for our June prompt about realizing our goals. This layout was submitted by Jocelyn.



Her journaling reads:

"Taking time to nurture our marriage! Spending time doing the things that makes us happy...date night, conversation, laughing...enjoying one another's company. It's time for us. It's time to nurture."

Thanks to everyone who played along. Can't wait to see what everyone does with our next prompt.

See you Wednesday!

just wanted to share...

this layout that Kim did for Prompt 7.

her journaling reads: I have started on the journey, I am working out again, back on the treadmill, trying for 5 days a week, building confidence each day, one step at a time, one day at a time, on the journey for a lifetime.

Thanks for joining us, Kim! Good luck and make sure you let us know how it goes.

Prompt 8

For the past 3-4 prompts we have been working towards goals. goals, goals and more goals! i am a firm believer that you can never have too many but the idea is to make them attainable. reaching for the stars is one thing but making every goal you have so huge, you will eventually give up and be dissapointed. so small steps towards achievable goals is what we have been doing and it is working.

for this prompt, we want you to scrap the goals you have reached so far! yes, you heard me right. our 5 months are almost up and we want to see progress. if you haven't reached any yet than scrap a goal you have met in the past and you are prowd of or scrap your progress you have made toward a goal you have right now.

here is what we have done:

***********************************************************************************
Lisa:


*********************************************************************************

Sasha:


*********************************************************************************

Ellen:

i used a little symbolism here...since i got a job teaching through the state, i thought {with some help from Lisa, that a photo of an apple would be perfect. and i had my son model it for me since he told me he was glad i was going to teach b/c teachers are smart and dress nice.

let's welcome....

I just wanted to share some news with everyone....

the amazingly talented and inspiration Lisa T. Howard has joined us...i am not sure if you have been to her blog but if you haven't been there...you should. she has a way with words that  i have never seen before.  

people visit her blog just to "hear her voice".  and when i say that, i mean her words come off the page like she is talking to you.  we found out we had a lot in common and i am not sure if that is good or bad for either of us...but i found her talking a lot about the things we do on this blog...the future, goals, we were are in the world now versus where we want to be....

i find so much inspiration at her blog  so .... stay tuned for her inspiration with us here on the Forward Progress blog. 

Prompt 7

We have been talking {scrapping} a lot about goals and what our goals will be in the next few months, 1 year and 5 years...

with all that, it has me thinking...even with these goals..what specific things can you do to shape your future? and if you do these things...where do you think you will be in 10 years? if you meet all the goals we have been talking about...where will that put you in your life specifically in 10 years. maybe you need specific goals to get you there or you can work off of the last goal set we did last prompt....

Will you live in the same town? Will you have the same job? Will your kids still be in school or maybe you will homeschool them b/c you met a financial goal?

the idea is to ENVISION your life and what it will be like specifically not just, " i want to be happy" what goals will you acheive to ensure your happiness? will you have to supercede your 5 year goals? i know...we gotta think about this one!!! ;)

This is what i came up with.....

Prompt 6

Now that we are working on 5 short term goals it is time to focus on long term goals. This month prompt is to get 10 goals for yourself in the next year. YES! 10, it may seem like a lot but keep in mind, we are already on our way with 5. So, you can look at it as making 10 new ones or keeping your 5 if you aren't there yet and adding 5 more. In my case, I have completed 2 goals so i will need to come up with 8.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am to be working on these goals and making progress. It just amazes me how you can hold yourself accountable when you write it down.


Staci's:


Journaling:
My goals for the next year: By August 2009 - start a garden (started indoors 2/09, to be transferred outdoors when blossoming), lose 10 pounds (working on it), finish Twilight book series (on Book 3), continue to have lots of silly moments with my kids (on-going), do weekly menu planning (haven't started); By April 2010 - organize basement, sew a camera strap, purge magazines, file layouts in albums, blog at least 3x/week, go through old toys and sell what is no longer being used.

Greta's:

I added to my already 5 goals. I have been wanting to finally do the stuff around my house and now that the weather is warming up i have spring cleaning fever.

Journaling:
my previous 5:
Lose weight- down 5 pounds
get organized- in progress
clip coupons-done and still doing
read more books- 5 more down on my list
get a bike and ride it- not yet
new list:
repaint whole house-in progress already
replace cabinet doors:
replace countertops:
get landscaping done:
work on me as a whole: this is going to take a whole lot of work ;)


Elizabeth's



i'm sad to report that i really haven't crossed anything off of my previous list (but i'm working on it) so i added five more things to do before this time next year.

my long term goals:

1. have a successful garden and cook from it.
2. plan a disney trip.
3. start a game night.
4. learn a new skill or hobby.
5. landscape the yard

as soon as i get some things crossed off, i'll update y'all :)

Ellen's

I made a journal for mine. This way i can document my progress on each one. since i am still working on a few from last month, i just included them in here. I made a page for each one so i can just stuff down and CROSS THEM OFF! ;) i am happy to report that i am doing well towards my 5 month goals!

*Plant a garden {WIP}
*Get a teaching job at a local university {WIP}
*Get out & meet some neighbors
*Run a 5k {WIP}
*Lose 15 lbs. {WIP}
*Take a class
*Get all the rooms painted in the house {bought paint yesterday!}
*Stay debt free
*Find an organization to volunteer
*Make one new friend
*Continue to create for myself
*continue to work on controlling my anger