Heading Out.....

on a road trip with my hubby. We're taking the bike and going wherever the roads take us! My parents are taking the kids for a couple of days so we're totally taking advantage of it. ;D

We leave tomorrow which also happens to be my hubby's birthday! So from now until the end of September, he will be OLDer than me!!!!! Hee Hee!

So here's what we're riding :

Lovely isn't it?

Not my style though.

I'd rather have a Harley.

Someday, when I finally have my motorcycle licence.

Have a great one!

Oh for heavens sake.....

it's July. I'm a terrible blogger.

Well, it's summer vacation!! I look forward to this time of the year every year because I'm off for the whole summer - the #1 perk of being a bus driver!! No schedule, no rushing to get out the door on time in the morning. I love it!

We just got back from a 5 day get away in Niagara Falls. My Mom and Dad are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary (tomorrow, actually!) and they took us all to the Falls for a family reunion/celebration. While we were there, we had a photo shoot done by the SUPER talented Stacy of Stacy's Creations Photography. You can see a few of the pics on her blog post here. I'm so glad we did this - I couldn't think of another way to document this special time. This is not the first time I've worked with Stacy, in fact she did our 12.5 anniversary shoot in April of 2010. I'd love to another shoot with her sometime; maybe for our 15th anniversary next year!

I haven't been up to too much in the creativity department lately; I'm feeling rather uninspired. I've been trying submitting, but so far, it's a no go. I think I'll keep trying though. I'll leave you with this LO which I made for the summer SCT sketch call :

I wanted to document how much my youngest daughter looks like at did at age two - she's sweet isn't she?

Have a great night!

I'm Still Here.....

just not too much to say lately.

I am working.

I am driving children from place to place.

I am trying to keep the house somewhat decent.

I am saying goodbye to long-time friends as they move 3 provinces away.

I am finished with the school's fund raising auction for another year. (YAY!!!)

I am sharing my love of all things scrappy with others.

I am trying to make it to the gym regularly.

I am going for a nap.

But first, I'll share something scrappy.

This is my oldest daughter. This LO was made for CCG #180. I wanted to let her know that she doesn't need to wear makeup or high heels to be beautiful, she's beautiful just the way she is. The lyrics (without the swear words) from Pink's song "Perfect" just fit perfectly. Then, today on Stephanie's blog, I followed THIS link, and realized that all the fighting that we are doing right now about what she wears (or doesn't wear) will all be worth it in the end.

Have a fantastic day!

I'm Wondering.....

if any of my scrappy friends out there has any advice to offer about being published. I'm feeling a bit discouraged here. See, I love to scrapbook. And people tell me that I do alright with it. But, it seems to me that being alright is not enough. I look at what's being published in my favorite magazines, and, while many of the layouts are beautiful, (perhaps selfishly) I feel like mine are just as good.

So then, what am I doing wrong?

Sigh.

Here's my latest reject - loved this sketch and chose to use some pictures of my hubby and myself from our family photo shoot last summer :

Guess I'll just have to keep trying.

Happy Valentines Day.....

to you! I wish that I could say that my hubby and I are doing something special today, but alas! Real life has gotten in the way (alas? what the heck?) and we are not.

Anyways, the combo over at CCG this week is (in my humble opinion) perfect for Valentines Day, plus they challenged us to scrap about our sweeties! So in honour of my love, here's my page :

I hope you have a beautiful day with your significant other!

Getting.....

scrappy today. I've been really inspired by colour lately, and the challenge boards over at Color Combos Galore have really helped push me creatively.

Like this page made for Combo #176

I took these pictures on my Halifax trip 2 summers ago, but working on layouts related to it has stalled for the last year and a half. The challenge to use clouds on a layout combined with the colours swatch really helped this one come together.

This one made for Combo #174

I loved this pic of my youngest on the first day of school this year.

And this one made for Combo #175

I love every picture that Stacy took for us last April for our 12.5 anniversary. This colour combo was hard for me, but the challenge to use the word comfort in the journaling or title made it easier to put the page together.

I'm also determined to use up more my stash this year instead of buying more. This has come about for a few reasons :

1. The LSS in my city closed. I now have to drive to the closest one.
2. My kit club closed up shop too. I have so much left over to use up, I don't need to shop right now.
3. I don't have the funds to shop as much as I used to.

If you've never checked out Color Combos Galore, I encourage you to go & have a peek! With 176 different combos, I'm sure you'll find one that will inspire you!!

2010 Top Ten.....

layouts. I did this last year thanks to Stephanie. I loved the idea last year and so I'm going to steal it again. So when I looked in my computer to make my favorite picks, I was shocked to see how little I actually created this year in comparison to 2009. It was really hard to pick ten!

There were big changes for me in 2010 it seems. Like working more outside the home and thereby having less creative time. Like being without a creative space for the entire summer - the time of year when I had more time to devote to crafty-ness. Like a change in my creative style & being even more fussy about the product I use. Like being even more choosy about WHAT I document - I noticed less celebratory pages and more everyday and historical pages. Like using this passion for paper to bless others with, rather than just myself and my family.

And so, in no particular order, here's my top ten projects of 2010 :

#1) Well Loved - I found myself using more sketches this year; both directly and being inspired by parts of a sketch. For this LO I used a sketch created by Aphra Boyler. Love how soft it turned out & documenting the love affair between my youngest daughter and her favorite friend was a fun page to make. Also, I noticed that this page happened to be on the background home page advertisement over at 2 Peas in a Bucket - that was exciting for me!

#2) Perfectly You - My husband bought me these figurines from Willow Tree for Christmas 2009 - they perfectly represent all three of my kids. This 24x12 was to document why each figurine suits them so well. For this LO I used my favorite pictures of my children as well, making it more special.

3) Adoration - 2010 also brought sadness to our family as my husband lost his maternal Grandmother this year. My mother-in-law brought back a ton of heritage photos when she came back from the funeral. When I saw this one of her sister Mary with her Dad, I just HAD to document it. It's so beautiful!

#4) A New Ride - I used another sketch for this LO; one from Scrapbook and Cards today. When each of our oldest kids turned ten, we went to Canadian Tire and "bought" them a new bike using our Canadian Tire money. This was our sons bike that he picked. His birthday is not until late summer, but we got the bike in the spring so he could enjoy it all year long. I used a lot of older product here, but I love the colours.

#5) Solitary - I snapped this picture of our youngest daughter at our annual family camping trip this past summer during one of her solo colouring sessions. I love the way the light is filtering through the trees. I made this LO for Combo #168 over at Colour Combos Galore. Love these colours together and the extra challenge of using a bird allowed me to use up some supplies that have been in my stash for awhile.

#6) Beppe (love you) - This one is my newest LO, also made for a Colour Combo (#172). I found this picture of my paternal Grandmother and just wanted to journal a few things that I remember about her. She passed away almost 12 years ago & I still miss her. To my surprise, this LO was chosen as Debbi's gallery fave on Dec 31, 2010 - that totally made my day!!


#7) Inner struggle - This LO documents my ongoing inner struggle with my faith, my purpose and my roles as wife and mother. I wanted to keep the journaling private so it's in a pocket on the back of the LO. This was also made for another colour combo - #164.

#8) Just Breathe - This past year my husband and I celebrated 12.5 years of marriage with a quick getaway to Niagara on the Lake and a photo shoot with the fabulous Stacy. Later on, he told me that whenever he hears the song Just Breathe by Pearl Jam, he thinks of me. So I made this LO using the lyrics of the song and a picture from the shoot. I used another colour combo (#145) and another sketch by Aphra Boyler for this LO. You can hear the song in the video link in my side bar.

#9) Adjust - this was my Word for the year 2010. I wish that I could say that I kept it in mind all year long, but there were many times that "adjusting" was the last thing on my list. I do, however, still having it hanging in my scrap space as I haven't chosen a new word yet. I still love to look at it though, I think my scrappin' style started to change with this LO.

#10) Remember Mini - this year I also found a new kit club to replace Sweet Pea Scraps. However, the owner of the club Aphra, decided to focus on her family and other commitments, and so Paper Poppy is now closed. During the time that it was running, Aphra asked me to be the guest blogger for the month of May. So, I used my May kit and pictures from our anniversary photo shoot to make this mini album for my husband. This project made me realize that I really miss being part of a DT, so maybe sometime in the future, I'll try out for another one.

So that's my top 10 for this year! If you've stayed with me this far, thanks for stopping by! I hope that 2011 is good to you! I myself am looking forward to whatever this new year is going to bring. Have a good one!

Today I'm Sharing.....

what I've been up to in my crafty corner of the living room.

This one for Colour Combo #168 - my youngest daughter at camping this past summer. Can I say how much I love that flower by Maya Road? I bought the ribbon so I can make my own recently - love how they add just the right finishing touch!

This one for Colour Combo #171 - my great Uncle Uiltje. My family doesn't have very many pictures of him as he passed away when he was just three years old. My Dad tells me he was never a healthy child and had a multitude of things happening all at the same time.

And this one which I made as a gift for my husband. Recently he went to his first live NFL game in Buffalo & I wanted to make this to remember it. The logo is not quite right, but I did the best I could with it.

I'm loving having the extra time to sit and create without watching the clock. Next week Monday school starts again and my vacation will be over. Sigh. We have one more "Christmas" get - together to finish up yet, but that won't happen until the middle of January or so.

Looking forward to a new year starting & wondering what it will bring.

Have a good one!

Wishing you a.....

very Merry Christmas from my family to yours.

The lilac tree.....

can't take it anymore. Here's what it looks like at my house today.

Snow day #3 this week for everyone but me. I have an in-town route and so I drove this morning. Not terrible except for unplowed streets. They're working on it though, so hopefully it will be better this afternoon.

The kids annual Christmas musical is on tonight - can't wait to go see my kids sing their hearts out! Also looking forward to this weekend with a Christmas get-together with friends, and my hubby's staff Christmas. It's going to be kid free thanks to my in-laws...=D


Have a great one!

I got to.....

sleep in today!

Yep, that's right - snow day #2. Still in my pj's as I type this - again. But I have NOT worn them for 48 hours straight, I did get dressed for a little while yesterday. =D

It's still miserable here. It has gotten better since I woke up, but they say more is coming. Today my husband was forced to stay home as well, since the highway he takes to work is currently closed.

Still loving the snow days!!

Snow Day #1.....

today. I'm glad to be home with the kiddos - it's nasty out there. This picture was taken at 10:30 this morning & it hasn't quit yet.

I'm still in my pjs - love that. I'm gonna take some time and scrapbook a little.

I love a snow day!

Well, so much.....

for random babbling eh? I can't believe that it's been so long since I posted! I've changed up the look of the blog again - what do you think?

My daughter and I entered our guinea pig Toby into a Furbaby contest over at Eclectique Butterfly's Facebook Fan Page a few weeks ago, and this week we found out that we won!! You can see his super cute pic here over at Julie's blog. She makes the cutest bags out of the "booty's" of recycled jeans - LOVE them!

Otherwise not too much has been happening - working every day, trying to keep up with the house, finishing up the finicky finishing details of the living room and contemplating what the next project MIGHT be.....I know I said I was finished with renovating, but this summer, the tiles starting falling off the walls in the main bathroom, so this next summer might be filled with yet another renovation. Sigh.

I'm trying to find a few moments everyday to be creative - I've been making more cards than layouts as they take a little less time. When I have made a LO they've mostly been for other people, and so I haven't got too much to share right now. Hopefully over the next month that will change, as in three weeks, we start Christmas vacation!! =D Recently, my SIL asked me to come share card making with her women's group. I have never really "taught" anyone in that way before, but it was fun. It helped that it was a small group, & that the ladies were really friendly. We had a great time, and maybe we'll do it again sometime.

We finally got our first taste of winter this week with some snow and colder temperatures. We have had it fairly easy so far, but I hear rumors of a miserable winter ahead. The word "Yuck" sums up how I feel about winter. As I type this, my two youngest kiddos are outside shovelling up a storm. THEY love the snow. More power to them, I say.

We recently attended our fourth (yep, 4th) wedding of the year. While I enjoyed every one, I was glad for the getaways with my hubby, and I am very happy for each couple, I am sick of weddings now and are glad that they are done.

So that about sums up the last month or so here in our household. Have a great day & stay warm!!

Remembering that.....

It is the VETERAN, not the preacher

Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the VETERAN, not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the VETERAN, not the poet,

Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the VETERAN, not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to assemble.

It is the VETERAN, not the lawyer,

Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the VETERAN, not the politician,

Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the VETERAN, who salutes the flag,

It is the VETERAN, who serves under the flag.

I wanted.....

to link this post and this video today.

They will make you think. I encourage you to re-post & spread the word.

Have a beautiful day.

Celebrating

thirty - five today. How is it possible that yet another year has gone by? I don't feel 35, heck, I don't think I even LOOK 35!!! Wasn't high school just yesterday??

At any rate, I'm ok with it. Really.

ETA - I read THIS beautiful post today. I want to encourage you to take a few minutes to read it too.

Have a beautiful day!

Still Alive.....

So, while I know I should be blogging, quite honestly, I don't even know where to start!

The days fly by so quickly & this September I'm having trouble "getting it together". Does anyone else out there feel like they're at a standstill while life just passes them by? I'm seriously thinking that I might, underneath it all, be slightly depressed. I KNOW I'm sleep deprived, so that's not helping & I KNOW I'm feeling stressed. I think that these last few weeks of rainy days are also not helping.

In the midst of it all, I've managed a little creativity, but way less than usual. I've been asked to help a group of fellow scrappers from my church put together a memory album for a widow in our congregation, so that's mostly where my efforts have been lately. I wish I could let you see them, but I just can't share those pages with you all. Here's a few pages that I've created more for myself :

For Color Combo #159

For the September Paper Poppy Sketch & Challenge

Have a happy day!

When it rains.....

it pours!

The reno is moving along - this week we put in carpet and are slowly refurnishing the room as time and energy permits. Next week the trim is going up & then the room will officially be done!!!!!!!!!!! Thank goodness it's almost over!

I have made sure that the one piece that is in the living room is my desk - and a new (to me) one at that! I found it in my Dad's barn and have painted the top to match the darkest colour in my dining room wallpaper. Here's the before and after (well, after one coat anyways, but you get the idea).

Since we're not totally finished yet, I'll save the after pic of the living room for later.

So, since my creativity can now be released, I've made another page. I have had LOTS of time to think about the pages I'm going to do over the summer and this is just one.



Literally, we heard those dreaded words over and over again on the way to camping this year. Since it was a perfect fit for the theme of the page, I used the July Paper Poppy Main kit and Liz Qualmans August Paper Poppy Sketch for this one.

Off to keep on going with the living room, have a great day!

I couldn't wait.....

anymore. The living room isn't completley together yet, but i just HAD to make something. So, this is my first LO since June.

These are all my Grandparents. They have all passed away now, but I regret, among other things, that they never met any of my children before they went. I also made it for Colour Combo #157 and Pencil Lines Sketch #200.

Now, I've got to get back to getting the house together! Have a good one!

IT'S DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The living room is FINALLY finished!!!!!!!! The last coat of paint went on this afternoon, so the rest of the weekend will be spent cleaning up the room, hanging lights and putting the living room together. SO excited to sit in there again - it's been 8 -- yep that's right -- EIGHT weeks since we've been able to use that room properly.

Pictures to come soon - have a great night!