good stuff

a few weeks ago i took over the kitchen table. for an entire day we did not eat at it. instead we had picnics in front of the fireplace. fortuntately it is not an everyday occurence, so no one complained. not that they dared!! haha



because i was creating this.....



i was selected to feature a project on the Making Memories blog today!!!
it was the biggest scrapbooking honor i've had up until now. it was like bringing home the gold medal at the olympics for me. huge! exciting! one of my dreams come true!!!!



i wrote up some brief instructions that also were posted at MM. however i took a few photos along the way and also wrote out some detailed instructions on my scrapbooking blog. go here if you want that info.


anyways...this is a major hilight for me right now. thanks to those that have encouraged me to be brave and step outside of my comfy little world. i'm not Becky Higgins or Donna Downey....but this is exciting for little ol' me!

yay

for me!

i am so excited because i will be teaching my first class at my favourite scrapbook store. so happy!! the date is not set yet. but i posted some pics of the project on my projects blog. that kept me busy last week!

still weird this week. tonight is the third night that Kris has worked from 4pm to 4am. kids and i are handling it surprisingly well. i'm sure his previous job prepared us for this. he sleeps during the morning and then is awake for part of the afternoon. not much time to spend with him. i'm hoping he'll be feeling more rested tomorrow. he slept until about 2:30pm today, so we only got to see him for an hour before he left. two or three more nights of this and then back to daytime hours. and some time off in lieu will help. this is just part of a rotation he's doing with the new company. thankfully this won't be a regular thing! at least this is what he's been told.

and we're still sick with this spring cold. it seems like everyone managed to get it. hopefully a few more days and then the coughing can stop! except for me. i have spring allergies. and they are always preceded by a cold. once July is here, i'm feeling much better. all the more reason for summer to get here quickly!

Kiara has been changing so much these past few months. it is amazing to see what she is actually comprehending these days. Aidan is quite a verbal kid. but Kiara kicks his but with talking. and singing. she is already trying to recite the alphabet. and she knows her animal sounds! Aidan would never cooperate when we asked him to tell us what cows say. and we never even attempted to have Kiara do it. nope, she just did it on her own.

she also has this amazing power to make a shopping trip an entirely delightful experience. or an incredibly awful one. speaking of shopping....i realized this week that they are both ready for more responsibility on our grocery days. i had them load grocery bags. the help was awesome. and Kiara didn't try to climb out of the cart. and Aidan was too busy to figure out new ways to annoy everyone.

lots of side notes here....man my brain is having trouble sticking to one topic!

last week, on a trip to the "W" store...hadn't gone in months. she squirmed her way out of the seatbelt. their new carts are dual leveled. she decided to sit on the upper level. great. nearly fell out twice. gave a couple of the clerks near heart attacks one of the times. on the other hand, she put herself into greater danger squirming out of the seat she was supposed to be in. i could not get that belt tighter. who designs these things anyway?! so that little princess somehow forgot where she was or something....ended up falling and fortunately landing on the lower level of the cart. on the diaper bag. miracle. one of those moments where you are unsure whether to cry, scream or fall to your knees in gratitude that she is not hurt.

she is starting to have more moments where she stays close to us when we let her have freedom. and i'm saying more moments. not every moment.

stopped by PayLess to get running shoes for Aidan. ($7 for one of them!) by the time we left, i think the manager/?owner was ready to pay us to leave. Aidan was great. Kiara had other plans. and to make the trip even more enjoyable. i had to change a diaper. yes. one of those. and i had changed one just before we left the house. can she not do it all at once?! then she wanted to run up and down the aisles. that was when i saw the manager/owner guy get a little antsy. well a lot antsy. he made a comment about the "number of children who have injured themselves on the merchandise hooks." hmmm.... apparently he was unaware of the good luck that seems to follow this girl. i'm just hoping her luck does not run out. [the day before she thought the wire racks at Urban looked fun to climb....eeeeek! thank goodness i happened to be right beside her when she took that first test step. i could just picture all the racks going down like dominoes...and my daughter on top of the pile - if she was lucky.]

so days when you are left wondering why you bothered....you come across a scene like this...

notice the correct hand position on the mouse? notice her hands are no where near my screen? nothing is getting thrown? yeah. why can't those moments last all day? all week? all month?


so spring seems to have arrived. although the afternoon sure turned ugly fast. i snapped these while the sun was still shining. after we had our lunch in the backyard. for the second time this week.


amazing what two days can do!

and the spider has not been seen for two days. but the buds are sure opening. i predict we could have some blooms in a week. this is the apple tree that Kris and Aidan planted last year.

and the larch. not a pretty tree during the winter. spring is so unique. those needles are so soft. and stay soft all winter. then they turn colour in the fall. i hope i have photos of that season. this tree will be gone in a month. at the most.

and the pear tree. aren't those buds crazy?!

and the clematis. two days ago i saw no signs of this. if you need a vine that takes care of itself, get one of these. it never needs to be cut down. pruned, nope! it literally takes care of itself. and it is gorgeous. kind of makes me feel guilty. it is probably the one plant that i get the most compliments on...and i've totally done nothing to it. just planted it. okay maybe admiration counts for something. but i admire my irises....and no compliments.

oh the psychology of plants. certainly not a career for me! i took one botany class at university. my one science option for my degree. i think i would have flunked if my lab partner had not been a science major.

and yes i was raised on a farm. a grain farm. and we had a garden. somehow the green thumb didn't stick to me.

now maybe had they had me make paper from the dead plants.....there's a life lesson!

yup. definitely time to go back to my corner and do something not related to green. or people. and perhaps i should stay a safe distance from journalling for awhile too.

or sleep. that actually might be a smart choice.

in the meantime still waiting for my fat...oops!...i mean prego sister to have her baby! {wink} it is still over a week. but this girl seems to be liking the present nest. she is hearing things now. she may be hearing stuff her big brother is up to....really makes you wonder. two friends just gave birth to girls a few weeks ago. seems to be the season to have a daughter.

sigh. babies are so nice.

beauty

is all around us

love this time of life when Kiara watches me get ready. when she spies me taking out the basket of make-up, she hops up onto the toilet seat and copies me. Aidan used to enjoy this as well (although we encouraged him to copy daddy and shave the hair off his face!), but he didn't ever catch on to the details of the make-up process. Kiara knows what brush to use on her eyes and where to get the colour to do it! it is amazing what she is already noticing.

translated: i am in trouble!!!

it is also fun now as Kiara's hair is getting some length and thickness to it. i'm trying to get up the courage to do her first hair cut. it isn't the worry about doing it right, or keeping her still long enough to finish the job. it is all about the courage to cut that first strand of baby hair. once you make the first cut...you are committed...no turning back...no chance for a second chance at the first haircut...and sad to see the hair she was born with cut away... for now my challenge is to put in the pig tails and keep them. which she is improving on.

i got to go out this afternoon to a community ladies event that Ingrid invited me to. for a $15 entry fee you could get a massage, manicure, foot treatment, reflexology, hair styled, talk to nutritionist, etc. so for 3 hours we were pampered and spoiled. it was great! at the end there were door prizes and i think most of the ladies got something.

i got this basket of goodies from a store called the Painted Porch. so cool! my friends got a gift certificate and bag from Curves (ladies gym) and a 30 minute massage. how happy were we!! and it is always nice when everyone you came with gets something. i remember waiting after fun runs when they did the draws. and hoping for a pair of socks - at least! i think i have as much (if not more!) fun in the winning than the prize itself. this is probably good to know. you see my face in the crowd, know there will be a draw, get my name, and award me with a prize of something like the poster advertising the event! or some old lipstick you had in your purse! well...you get the idea! there must be some psychology behind all of this. right? okay now i'm getting scared! hehe and speaking of winning i have to interrupt myself. was i ever thrilled to have Leica post my spring layouts and a photo of mine on her blog yesterday. she had a contest or random draw. and before you get the idea that i won (which i did not), but she posted a few things from all of us that sent her something. is that not sweet?! see i was happy and didn't even have to win anything!

i got to have a glass of wine while i was pampered. so i chose to have a parafin treatment on my feet, get my feet analyzed - and my feet are normal! yahoo!! then i had a manicure. chose red polish to match my sweater (or my wine). i just had a haircut yesterday and today i confess that all i did was do the wash, blowdry and go before i went to this event. how happy was i when i also got to have my hair styled.

see how cute it looked!

i just never would have tried this on my own. and now i have a new challenge.

at this point i ate a brownie, drank some starbucks coffee, spoke with the nutritionists (who are probably in the same class as Roslyn, one of the amazing urban girls). then i had some reflexology done on a foot. drank some lemongrass tea. yummy! visited with my friends and some other super nice ladies. and ended the afternoon by winning a prize!

i also have to mention how much fun it is coming home after being gone for a length of time. i'm like a celebrity. they run and say hi. i get hugs. i get oohs and aahs. they listen to me as if i am about to share some amazing word. that goes for Kristian too! (yeah he is a sweetie)

Kristian had wanted to get out and take the kids to the local bike store, so we did that when i returned home. then he drove off in the opposite direction of home.

a few blocks later, Aidan askes, "where are we going now?"

i replied, "i don't know. Daddy hasn't told me either."

Kristian solves the mystery. "Aidan when you are married and your wife comes home looking amazing, you make sure you take her somewhere special to eat supper."

ahhhh....sigh. is that all i have to do?! this is good to know.

now a perfect ending to this day is to work on some scrapbooking. especially since the kids are sound asleep. and Kristian is enjoying some alone time as well. (our desks are in the same room beside each other, so it is fun to chat while we do our own thing. it reminds me of when we were dating and used to do our homework together...good times.)

friendship

is starting to bloom

i caught these two hanging out a few days ago. and managed to snap a picture before they knew i saw them. they have their moments where they are each annoying and causing a problem. but it warms my heart when i see stuff like this happening.

and this was just today.

their mother must be in an excellent mood because they both got some candy. for no reason other than they wanted it. i happened to glance at them, and they were sitting beside each other discussing the candy. (i'm sure there were words about their amazing and generous mother as well)

we won't mention that Kiara should have been having a nap. Aidan should be having a quiet time. some days it just doesn't work out that way.

i got my list of supplies and required photos for the girls night out scrapbooking event i'm attending. this is a huge stretch for me. i am going "by myself". i signed up not knowing anything more than the cost and the number of projects we're doing. we have gotten hints lately, but it is still anyones' guess what we are making. it is less than 2 weeks away. i am quite sure it will be good and i'll know i'll be glad i went. breathing deeply.

and the election is over. this is an interesting riding. another close finish. i think there were less than 50 votes between the PC candidate who won and the LIB candidate. wow. and it turns out that there were more posted signs for the PC than i had seen. not that it makes a difference...

well the sun is shining. it is starting to feel like summer. i viewed a page yesterday at SIS where the title was "Spring has arrived...it's a quarter to summer." i like that viewpoint. and i wish i had that layout on my wall reminding me of the fact....i think i need to sit next to Jan when i scrapbook. perhaps some of her talent will float over to me.....i'm sure that is how it works. there is so much talent at that store. Sheri is teaching a card class tomorrow night. check them out on her blog or here. there may be space left. hurry!

i got distracted thinking about summer coming. maybe we will head outside and enjoy the sunshine today. get vitamin d the old fashioned way. and better take the camera!

provincial election day

in Alberta.

this one will be interesting i think. will the PC stay in power, or will the LIB become the leaders. personally i doubt the NDP or Alliance have strong enough platform or candidates to gain enough seats. our LIB candidate came to our door yesterday. he also served the previous term. nothing to complain about there. but the PC candidate seems to be interesting. if the winner who sent out the greatest amount of advertising and who put up the greatest number of signs takes it, then the LIB will stay in this riding. hmmm....wonder what the results will be?!

so i managed to add months 3 and 4 to the baby albums in my projects blog.

it has been so long since i've put any layouts up....
Aidans are pages from 2005 to 2006.
Kiara's pages were done in 2007 (the ones posted so far).

it has been fun to compare their photos. i tend to scrapbook based on emotion of the events. so the design of the layout means something to me too. and i'm relieved to know that my style is not stuck. phew! that is the way i was feeling lately. i was starting to think that i did the same kind of thing over and over. it is crazy how many new techniques are out there now.


this layout i finished just last week. the photos are from when Aidan was around 18 months old.

i have a lot of new supplies to work with...just need to brave my cold basement and get my groove going.

happy

leap day!

i do love this day. it is somehow so cool to have this extra day in february. a day that doesn't normally exist.

so my plan was to take 29 pictures today in celebration. maybe i need to rethink my goals.

i didn't even take one. i didn't even look at the camera. perhaps it would help if i wrote a memo to myself to remind me of these silly goals? or maybe if i made them the day i wanted to achieve the goal?

regardless i enjoyed my leapday. i visited a new art store. am i the only one that gets crazy when i see paper, paints and brushes? yikes! it seriously was like a kid in a candy store. and i had a small glass of my favourite tawny port while i did some blogging and hanging out with Kristian. this was all out of the ordinary stuff for me.

our house has been so quiet. the kids are happy enough, but they do miss their playmate Malachi. and i miss my visits with Sarah.

Aidan spent some time outside today. he does enjoy the outdoors. but i don't think he likes the hassel of wet mittens. smart boy he is.

since i was neglectful of photos today... although the best one might have been of me at the art store with glazed eyes and art supplies in the background...i'll let you imagine that one yourself. it's probably better that way.

what was i saying?

right. i have to mention that i love to visit this blog. Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. it is one of the best forms of entertainment. she also has a cooking blog. and soon a photography blog. she has the most incredible photos of country life. i've actually been reading her ongoing story of how she met her husband and marriage, etc. she refers to herself as the pioneer woman, her husband is marlboro man and her kids are punks. so much fun to read as i drink my morning coffee. so far my own punks have not complained about this ritual of mine! it has gotten me thinking about a nickname for Kristian...maybe i need more coffee.

and another blog that i recently came across in my blogging and mentioned earlier: Heather Bailey is an extraordinary woman. i honestly have wondered who designs things like paper and fabric. well i now "know" one. she also has a couple of free patterns on her site. one is for baby booties...an adorable kind made of felt....so hot right now. and another favourite of mine is for these paper globes. i downloaded the pattern...so need to make some one day. Easter might be a fun time for these. her husband is a professional photographer. she has a link to his website on her blog. again amazing photos.

another blog i stay in touch with is Nitty Gritty. you have to find the link on her sidebar and read her story. wow. it will make you cry. just a warning. at the same time, i love reading her blog and being inspired about the important things in life. she is a great God loving gal who shares her heart with anyone who listens. she also scrapbooks and is a more well known artist. she is also incredibly humble and seems takes any fame all in stride. i think she would be a lot of fun to hang out with.

another scrapbooker/crafter is Melissa Phillips. she has a very feminine style. so inspiring. definitely an eye for detail. she comes across as someone with a lot of energy and enthusiasm. i don't know where she finds the time for everything.

i just heard about One Little Word. i only wish i had heard of it sooner. so inspiring. one of the urban girls had the winning entry for "STILL". scroll down or find it in the winners gallery. she is an amazing artist. she has a great eye for detail. i love that she uses roxy as her web name too. i have not entered any layouts on it. i'm still trying to work on the photos for the kids! but i think i will have to try this out soon. they also have some tip/technique entries that are unique.

i am so fortunate to be around some very talented ladies. one of the places i go to for help or inspiration is the Urban Scrapbook. it is kind of like my scrapbook version of "Cheers". you know, the place where everyone knows your name, where they're all glad you came..... except we admire paper and ribbon instead of drinking beer. (well sometimes we drink coffee!) i really missed seeing their wall of their DT projects yesterday. it just takes your breath away. amazing projects....cool girls.....so much to love.

this leads me to the last great website of the day....ScrapInStyle. (one of the top urban girls told me about this site first...see they truly do care about me!) this is one is a place where you can post your layouts. check out other layouts and projects. shop. watch their free webisodes. again some of these are so funny. (Jeanette's husband, Bob, was one of the band members of audio adrenalin if you remember that group. my younger sisters thought he was the best of the group. Jeanette is the producer and original SISter) scrapbooking is not just for girls. one of the members is a "little brother". he is the husband of one of the SISters. his wife should be proud. if i can find his link again, i'll post it.

i'm sure you have had to read this paragraph fifty times already. yeah it is tough to understand.

to confuse you even more, the website is similar to other scrapbook posting sites where you get labeled by how many projects or postings you have. i need to be more social here. i'm only a baby SISter so far! i do intend to work my way up to big SIS. or maybe i'll aim high for favourite SISter. if you haven't caught on yet...the acronym for this site is SIS. and the members are SISters.

if this is completely new to you i can hear your groaning already.

and those of you who do have a clue are shaking their heads at me.

seriously....isn't it better to be a SIS than a PEA? (referring to Two Peas In A Bucket).
and if you think i've lost my marbles, then go to these websites and figure it out yourself!

and if you are still confused. don't worry. you probably aren't alone. go eat some chocolate. watch a little Cheers. have a cup of coffee. one day it may just make sense. just not today. try again next week.

these and other websites or blogs are listed on the sidebar on this page. check them out too. i'm sorry i can't list and give details on them all. but you read them and leave a comment. let them know what you think. and i would love to spend even more time at my computer...so if you have any favourite blogs, please leave a comment.