BYSS World Series 2022: COVID Sucks

We're on a roll! My team for the BYSS World Series 2022, the Scrappin' Banshees, won Game 2! 

For Game 3, we earn a base hit (1 point) for each of the four following elements: metal, stenciling, punches, and Project Life cards. If you get the home run, you can add the grand slam element, which is creating a 2-element mixed media background. 

This was not an easy challenge for me. Well, parts were easy. I use punches all the time and, while I don't have many, it's not hard to work a Project Life card into a layout. Stenciling is not my favorite, but metal was the hardest element for me. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to substitute metallic paint, or embossing powder, or anything like that. It had to be a chunk of metal. Fortunately, staples were on the approved list. Mixed media is totally not my thing, but I gave it a go. This is the page I made:

COVID Sucks (affiliate link)

I wanted to tell the story of our COVID experience. After avoiding it for nearly 2.5 years, we finally got COVID this summer. Trevor (vaccinated with one booster) came home from summer camp with it in mid-July. He had almost no symptoms and we wouldn't have even known to test him if other Scouts hadn't tested positive. Steve (vaccinated with one booster) and I (vaccinated with two boosters, because I'm over 50 and Steve isn't) stayed healthy for another month, but tested positive within a day of each other in August. I had three miserable days and then felt fine. Steve had five miserable days and continued to test positive for another 5 days. 

I started the page by stenciling the background paper using modeling paste. When it was dry, I added ink. Then I added the patterned paper, photos, title block, and embellishments. The metal staples are at the top left and bottom right. The circles are my punches. I actually used three Project Life cards (2 for the title block and ribbon behind it, then another for the blue in the bottom right). I'm really happy with how this page turned out. And it's my first grand slam!

I had time, so I went for a second grand slam... and failed. I'll tell you about that tomorrow. 

COVID Hair

Two to three months into the pandemic, COVID Hair was affecting practically everyone I knew. On each Zoom call, I saw hair that was much longer, grayer, or straighter than pre-pandemic. I saw a lot of blog posts and videos about how to cut hair at home. It was very interesting to see how different people reacted to hairdressers being closed. 

It's been even more interesting seeing who immediately headed back to the stylists the moment they reopened and who kept their COVID Hair. Steve and Trevor let their hair grow for the better part of a year, then each went to get it cut as soon as they were fully vaccinated. The before and after photos are dramatic. 

COVID Hair (affiliate link)

While I am really glad both Trevor and Steve are back to having short hair, I've actually kept mine long. Steve likes it long and I'm enjoying the chance to braid it or wear it in a long ponytail again. I'm not sure when I'll cut it shorter, but I'm sure I will eventually. 

What was your experience with COVID Hair? Let me know in the comments!

Team Pfizer

I used the leftover papers and sticker from my Canceled by COVID layout to make this page about our COVID vaccines. The deRosier family is #TeamPfizer. Steve and I have been fully vaccinated since mid-May and Trevor since mid-June. 

Team Pfizer (affiliate link)

I'm really happy with how this layout came out... almost as happy as I am that our family is fully vaccinated and can get back to spending time with friends and family, eating in restaurants, and traveling!

Church in the Red Tier

We have been to church for in-person worship exactly once over the past 15 months, for Trevor's delayed confirmation on March 28. (The rest of the time we've been attending from home via livestream.) Our county had just moved from the very restrictive Purple Tier (Widespread) to the slightly less restrictive Red Tier (Substantial), which allowed for in-person worship at up to 25% capacity. Besides the blocked off pews and mask requirement, there were dozens of other changes in place to help keep everyone safe. These included things like self-serve communion, signing in for contract tracing, closed drinking fountains and bathroom restrictions, a stationary offering basket vs. the usual passed plates, and signs reminding us to stay 'at least one polar bear apart.'

Church in the Red Tier (affiliate link)

Trevor recently had his second vaccination, which means we're closing in on the day when the family is officially considered fully vaccinated. Our county has been at the Orange Tier (Moderate) for a couple of weeks, and today California is ending the tiered system. I don't know that we'll be returning to church right away, as online worship has worked well for us. But when we do it, will be interesting to see which changes from the COVID era remain in place.  

Scenes from Quarantine

The Punch it Out challenge during the Victoria Marie Designs crop required us to knock out the challenge by using punches. Here is my page:

Scenes from Quarantine (affiliate link)

I grabbed six photos representing different things we've been doing (or not doing, in the case of haircuts) during our time in quarantine. I put them in a grid, then used a circle punch to create journaling spaces. What I like most about this page is that I told six small stories that, when together, give a look at life in Casa de deRosier during the lockdown. I wouldn't necessarily have given any of the photos their own page. 

I'm also happy with how I did the title. I started with this journaling card and blocked out the words I didn't want by covering them with red cardstock and then layering the stickers on top. I love when I'm able to take product and adapt it so that it works for me. 

Canceled by COVID

When all normal activities came screeching to a halt in March 2020 and vacations and other special events were canceled, I started thinking about how I wanted to convey that in my scrapbook album. I toyed with the idea of just putting a single sheet of plain black cardstock chronologically in the album to represent the pandemic, but that seemed far too bleak. Life continued, of course, just in a different way. We filled our days with family walks, lots of books, games nights, cooking all meals from scratch... all things we love. 

Still, I did want a page that acknowledged that life was not the same, and that events we had been looking forward to for a long time were canceled. This is what I made:

Canceled by COVID (affiliate link)

It has the black background I'd imagined, but the text breaks it up and the colorful stickers give it life and help tell the story. The way I did my journaling was inspired by the Flip It Out challenge at the Victoria Marie Designs crop, which required an interactive element that flips or moves. The card flips open like a door....

... revealing the sold out toilet paper, just like you'd find in an actual store! Fortunately, we always keep plenty (of everything, including toilet paper) on hand, so that wasn't an issue for us. I'm really happy with this page. 

Pandemic Scouting

COVID-19 has had an effect on pretty much every aspect of our lives, including Scouting. Trevor's troop hasn't met in person since early March and it doesn't look like we'll be getting together anytime soon. The Scouts now meet weekly via Zoom, and their monthly campouts have turned into 'camp-ins.' I made this layout to document what Pandemic Scouting looks like in the deRosier house: 

Pandemic Scouting (affiliate link)

Steve bought a new family tent online recently, so we set it up for the first time in the backyard for Trevor's first camp-in. It is laughably huge. Our family of three could do aerobics in that tent with plenty of space for others to join us. That's it in the top two photos. The other two photos show Trevor in a Scout Zoom meeting and us roasting marshmallows over our gas stove. We're doing our best to make sure Trevor continues to have a great experience in Scouting. 

You might not have noticed my absolute favorite part of the layout. If you look carefully, you can see that I dotted the i in Scouting with a tiny little campfire sticker. It makes me smile. 

Family Zoom

Neither Trevor nor I had used Zoom before the pandemic hit (Steve had used it for work) and now it's pretty much a daily thing around here. When school went virtual, Trevor's teachers taught via Zoom. Weekly Scout meetings and monthly 'camp-ins' are on Zoom. Our church fellowship hour is on Zoom, immediately after the service (which is live on YouTube). Meetings for work and the various committees we're on take place via Zoom. We use Zoom to keep in touch and play games with friends and family. 

When our extended families did calls via Zoom, we took screenshots. I used those to make this layout. 

Family Zoom (affiliate link)

The top photo is my extended family, calling in from their homes in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, plus us in California. The bottom photo is Steve's extended family, chatting from Texas, South Dakota, and Washington DC, in addition to California. Thank goodness for technology. I can't imagine going through this pandemic without seeing the faces of friends and family. It's not the same as seeing them in person, but it's the next best thing. 

When Life Gives You Lemons... Celebrating a #Quaranteen Birthday

Yesterday was Trevor's 14th birthday. Obviously, hosting a party was out of the question because of COVID-19, but it was really important to me that we make the day as special as possible. It had been twelve long weeks since Trevor had seen his friends, so we made plans to bring cupcakes and goodie bags to nearby friends' houses for a socially-distanced drive-by birthday celebration. Trevor had requested lemon cupcakes with lemon frosting, so we went with a lemon theme.

Specifically, our theme was: When life give you lemons... share them with friends. 

We contacted his friends to make sure they'd be home, then mapped out a route that would take us from house to house. We made seven stops. At each house, we handed off the cupcakes and goodie bags and backed away to a proper social distance for a quick chat. It was a wonderful way to celebrate and I'd definitely recommend it if your #Quaranteen has a birthday.  

Happy birthday, Trevor!