It's the most.....

wonderful time of the year!!!

It's back to school shopping today - and yes, I actually am looking forward to it!! It's Ericas first time going. Although she really doesn't need much - just indoor shoes and a lunch pail - I think she'll have fun. All three ladies are getting haircuts today too, as we are in desperate need of them! Ethan just needs a little trim around his ears, but I can do that at home.

Jack the dog and the Wii should be going home sometime this weekend as well. Thank goodness about Jack - I'm not sure I like having a larger dog here when we live in the city. Maybe it's just because of the shedding. I'm not so happy about the Wii going back to my MIL's though, I've rather enjoyed doing yoga on the Wii Fit. Maybe we will have to save up to get our own system.

I've been working at the school everyday this week so far. I'm sore and tired, but the good news is that 4 more classrooms are done! Whew, just one more to go!! Then it's on to bathrooms and the gym. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! It's very faint, but it's there.....

I'll leave you with a LO. This is my brother and my mother dancing at his wedding last May :


Have a great day!

We're Done.....

with all the kids sporting activities for the summer!!!!! Renee's last soccer game was this morning. She played net & was VERY good if I do say so myself. The field was soaked, but she had a great time & her whole team did really well.

Also tonight we saw this concert at one of our local high schools. My kids though it was FAN-FREAKIN-TASTIC!!! And so did I! They were funny and they had high energy songs with a little bit of dancing and a good solid message about God & Jesus. I'm so glad we went!!!

It's been an interesting week here in our neck of the woods, with several tornadoes rolling thorough - pretty unusual for us in Southern Ontario. One came pretty close to my hometown - way too close for comfort really. They say they were F2's but after seeing the damage caused and several videos online, I cannot imagine what it would be like to have a stronger one!!

Have a great weekend!

Changing up.....

the blog for a different look - what do you think?

Well, we have a dog again. Not really our own, but we sent Jack to live at the in-laws several years ago - he's a country dog at heart - and now we have him back for about 10 days while they are out West. The kids think it's great. I'm not looking forward to cleaning up the hair. He sheds. Alot. Good times. Really. I'm smiling on the inside.

Not much else is new - we're enjoying the last few days of summer. It's finally been a bit hot - the kids and my niece and nephew were in the pool ALL DAY yesterday; literally. I think they only got out to eat and pee. This time we even remembered the sun screen. Last time this happened, everyone was as red as a lobster by the end of the day.

Maybe I'll go and scrap.
Have a great day!

Enjoying.....

a few minutes of peace and quiet. This week is VBS week, but at a different church (not our own) and in the evening! They are feeding my kids supper (at 5pm) and doing the program (until 7:30 pm) after that. Unique eh? I'm loving it! This is usually what I like to call the "witching hour" where everyone is starting to get hungry, cranky and tired, but it's not supper or bedtime yet....you know what I mean.

I say thank goodness for VBS - it's saving my sanity!!!

Also, it's Happy Birthday to my buddy boy Ethan today - he's now big number 9!! Only one year to go until he's in double digits too!! Time just keeps flying along, sigh.

We went to the (outdoor) wedding on Saturday and had a blast in spite of the constant rain!! But here's my guilty secret : I (the scrapbooker) did NOT take my camera (forgot it, really) and I did NOT take one picture. And I LIKED it!!!!! It was fun to go to a wedding and just go! I flirted with my hubby, danced a few dances and slept in with no little feet thumping to wake me up!! We need to do that again sometime soon!!

Have a great night!

August SPS Projects.....

Ok, so I'm late posting these. I'm going to claim busyness, but that's not the real reason, I'm just feeling lazy about blogging lately.

Anyways, here's a pic of the August Sweet Pea Scraps kit :

Isn't it lovely? And here's my projects:

Otherwise, things around here are good, but still pretty busy. Hubby and I have a wedding to go to this weekend, and next weekend is my family reunion - really looking forward to both events!! Swimming lessons finish up this week too - I'm SO glad that summer activities are starting to wrap up! I'm ready for school to start again.

If you get a minute, pop by the August gallery - lots of great projects to help inspire again this month - have I ever said how much the Sweet Pea Girls rock?

Have a great weekend, all!

Ok, so this is getting......

ridiculous. I just can't seem to keep up with it all.

Yesterday we had a TON of people over for coffee and lunch after church, the three days before that were spent cleaning up after 4 days of camping and cleaning my house to get ready for said get together, and we went to the Science Centre in Toronto during that time too. It's been raining for 5 days and I can't get good pictures of my August SPS kit projects because the light is low. Swimming lessons start this week and in 2 weeks it's a week of VBS mornings, PLUS today I'm going to rewrite my driver's test to renew my licence - essential if I'm going to drive school bus in the fall again. Sigh. This sucks. I thought it was supposed to be summer vacation!!! I think I need to go back to work to go on vacation from vacation.

I'll be back soon with a happier post, I promise! ;)
Have a great day!

3 days to go.....

until our annual camping trip with the Cloutiers! I guess I should start getting ready for that eh? But, I'm not. As per usual, I'm leaving it to the last minute, although I have most of it planned in my head & one very quick list jotted down that even I can't make sense of anymore; although at the time, it seemed pretty good. I'm trying to get the house cleaned up before we go, so that I don't come home to a mess. There's nothing worse than coming home from a vacation to find even more work waiting for you there. Man, I hope the weather is good this year!

The sneak peek is up for August. I love this kit & already have a few layouts planned in my head. Last month I didn't do any heritage LOs, so keep your eyes open for at least one next month! Also, Renee took some great pictures for me in June, so I'm using them as well.

Today my parents are leaving for their semi-annual trip to The Netherlands. I say semi annual, because they try to get back every other year, as my Mom's whole family lives there still. They have an evening flight, so by the time they get there it will be early morning! With the time change, they'll spend about 12 hours in the plane, although in reality, it's only a six hour flight.

It's library day here again, thank goodness! The kids have been arguing and pesting each other this week something awful & I've had my fill of the nonsense. Once a week the library has an hour long free program for my older two, and then Erica and I hang out in the kids wing picking books, playing on the computers and in the toy yard while we wait. You HAVE to be quiet in the library - HOORAY!

Have a great day all!

I'm Baaaa-ck..... (picture heavy post)

so sorry that I've been gone! I can't believe that it's been so long since I've posted - AGAIN!!! The kids and I have been enjoying summer stuff together and they've been visiting with grandparents while I've been summer cleaning at the school.

As promised, here's some of my Peggy's Cove pictures - my sister and I both really loved this place.

And, here's my July SPS projects - I loved the bright, summery colours in this kit!! But first, here's a picture of the kit :

And, here's my projects. I was so inspired by my Peggy's Cove pictures and the colours of the kit fit them so well, that I made these right away as soon as I got home. The journaling on the picture is a quote from Max Lucado and is actually a Daisy D's rubon that I found in Halifax at one of the LSS's there. I felt it fit the mood of the page, even though the sea isn't mentioned :

And, because my brother's wedding colours just happened to be blue, I made this one. The little file folder at the bottom opens up to reveal more pictures. I like it so much that I think I'm going to keep it for myself!! I'll make another one for them later ;), sorry guys :

It was super windy and Erica had so much fun being her silly self at the beach while camping last summer :

And another page for my Family Reunion album - snowball fights in August. Huh. Who'da thought it??

And, because I had so much of the kit left over, I thought I'd make up a few more cards for my ever growing card stash!

I spent a lovely afternoon with my best friend from high school last weekend. It was my high school's 40th reunion, and while I didn't end up going to many reunion things, it was really nice to see her again. I hope we'll get together again soon.

I guess that's it for now, have a great night!

I'm here.....

but I've been really busy finishing up my July SPS projects and cleaning up after my family. I just KNEW there was going to be a downside to my going on vacation alone!!!

But, I digress. =D

Next time I post I'll share some of my Peggy's Cove pictures.

Have a great day!

One More Day.....

here in Halifax. My sister and I are planning a day of sightseeing if the weather is good and shopping at one of the LSSs.

Yesterday it poured, but we were at Pier 21 which is all indoor. What an amazing place!! They have photocopies of all the passenger lists from all the boats that brought immigrants to Pier 21 over from Europe over a 40 year period. My Dad stopped in at the research centre and found our family's names on one of the lists, so he signed his name next to it. I've really been into learning more about my family and our history, so yesterday was one of the highlights of the trip for me.


I'm starting to look forward to going home. I miss my hubby and kids and am sad that they're not here to share all of this with me. On the other hand, it's been fun to be by myself and not have to worry about the kids. It's been an experience that I'll never forget! Stay tuned for many, many pages about these last 5 days. =D

Have a great day!

In Halifax.....

Well, I'm here and it's beautiful!!

I've already taken 130 pictures and eaten a lobster. My sister and I both think it tastes like buttered corn on the cob. Weird, I know, but it's sweet and salty and yummy!

Today is the wedding day so I'm sure by the end of the day I'll have 130 more pictures.

Sunday we're heading to Pier 21; that's where my Dad landed when he immigrated to Canada. Can't wait for that!

I'll leave you with a picture.
Have a great day!

I'm Not Ready Yet.....

for this trip to Halifax. I leave on Thursday morning - yep that's right, Thursday. That's less than 2 days away. The suitcase is open on my bedroom floor, but nothing's in it yet. I guess I should decide what I'm taking eh? In spite of what you may be thinking, I really am looking forward to the trip, this is just how I roll. Leave it to the last minute as much as I can!! =D

I got my July kit in the mail on Tuesday, and it's fab!!! I have one single page LO and one double page LO almost done. But. I have run out of the one essential thing for scrapbooking - adhesive!!!! Duh. I really don't know how I managed that one! Anyways, it'll have to wait until I get back now.

I'll "see" you all on Wednesday!

Just a quick check in.....

to share my newest LO :

This is my best friends SO and their new little one - such an awesome pic of the two of them, eh? It totally inspired this whole LO which is also for Colour Combo #124. I'm planning on giving them this one too. The photo jotter is from Jenn's Etsy shop and will be for them to fill out later.

It's going to be a busy week this week, with extra bus driving almost every day. My mother nicely took my YDD home with her yesterday after church because today was my sons class trip. She'll come home tomorrow sometime. It's been different not having her here. Not bad, just different. On Thursday I'm driving my ODD and her class to here. I'm really looking forward to having the day to spend together, just her and I.

Only 10 days to go until my Halifax trip - I'm really getting excited now!

Have a great night!

So This.....

is sitting in the backyard.

It's a 13 person, 222sq foot, 4 room tent. It's HUGE!! It took us less than 1/2 an hour to set up.

It stands OVER 6 feet tall in the centre. Perfect for my tall hubby. And I love it! They were on sale at Canadian Tire this week for $150. It's the deal of the decade I swear!

Now I can't wait for camping this summer! There's so many beautiful places to camp in Ontario. Every year we pick a spot that's about halfway between were we live and were my sister lives (she's 8 hours north of me) and we get together and camp for about 4 days. Here's were we're going this year.

Otherwise nothing much is happening this weekend. About 2 more weeks of school and then I'm off for the summer - Woo Hoo!!

I'm off to work on my LO for Color Combos Galore. Have a great night all!

Bad.....

blogger, bad blogger!!!!!! I've been so lazy not posting lately, my apologies to you all.

OK, so first, I gotta ask, have you SEEN the New Moon Trailer???? Oh. My. Goodness. November cannot get here fast enough. From the little sneak peek they show, I think this movie will be even better than Twilight. Sigh. If you haven't seen it yet, you can see it here.

And, here's my last few projects with the June kit :
This is my best friends little guy & I plan on framing it for her :


And, more cards! Who knew that cardmaking could be so much fun? I'm loving having different types on hand ready to go.


Otherwise, it's the same busy-ness as usual around here. The kids church groups are finished for the summer, but now we have soccer and baseball(both hubbys games and Ethans games) instead. And they are on the same night. At opposite ends of the city. At the same time. Yeah. Fun times. So, because I still cannot split myself into 4 different people (a talent that God has chosen not to give to me) I changed the days that I work again, so that we can get the kids where they need to go. The last two Tuesdays I have frozen my butt of at the side of a soccer field. But, in a few weeks, I'll be sweating buckets, so that'll be fun. Who decided that summer sports was a good thing again? ;)

Just 3 weeks left and then summer vacation starts.......

Also, in about 2 weeks, my brother is getting married, so I'm really looking forward to that trip. I've never been out to the Maritimes, so I'm so excited to go! Monica and I have cancelled the trip to PEI though, too far and too expensive to go for half of a day. So, we'll do that province together another time!

Take a minute and have a peek at the June gallery over at SPS! Have a great day all!

Woah.....

I can't believe that it's been over a week since I posted last!! There really hasn't been too much new news to report actually, it's still just as busy as ever. I thought that things would slow down by now, but nope, not so much. I'm now looking forward to the end of school, when my two jobs will be done for the summer and I can relax and not rush, rush, rush all the time.

In the meantime, I've been working some more with the fab June kit :




& here's my projects :



I love the versatility of this kit - I've been able to scrap spring, summer and heritage pictures!

This weekend Richard and I have plans to go golfing. Now, those who know me will know that we had the first argument of our married life on the golf course during our honeymoon. I'm not a very good golfer, in fact, I really don't see the point behind that particular sport. But, it's a work thing and I'll go if we can find someone to look after the kids for the afternoon. I'll just deal with making a fool out of myself in front of Richard's boss later.

If the weather is good, we might take the bike - it'll be my first ride of the summer! THAT I'm looking forward to! You just can't fit 5 people on a motorbike and Richard refuses to get a sidecar, so I don't ride as much as I used to anymore. I guess I'll just have to get my bike licence and my own bike, then. ;)

Have a great day!

Another.....

quick update on the dining room reno - the paint and wallpaper are done!! Here's a couple of pics (which aren't great, sorry) :

the wallpaper wall.

the textured ceiling.

I'm so blessed to have Dads that are handy and are willing to work for lunch and coffee. Now we just have to finish the trim and baseboards and then we're done!!

Also, I'm going to share my mothers day layout, which will give you a little sneak peek at the awesome June kit :

Believe it or not, I've never done pictures with my kids on Mother's Day before, but I think I'll try to do some every year from now on! It's a good chance to finally be in front of the camera.

Have a great day!

A Stinky Visitor.....

so yesterday Richard was cleaning up (I know, imagine that!!!) in the mud room, he looked outside, and he saw this :

Yep right on the porch. At 7:30 at night. In the city. Yuck. I felt bad for him though, as he was missing his right front paw. He had a funny limpy kind of gait when sniffing around the garbage pail. Thank goodness he moved on without spraying. Please excuse the construction garbage; it comes with the territory when you're renovating.

And here I am with my beautiful kids - perfect time to get some pics - a rare event as I'm usually behind the camera.

Happy Mothers Day, everyone!

Finally.....

the rest of my May projects!! This one is my favorite :

That's my hubby and my youngest daughter on a hike a few weeks ago.

Another page for my brother's wedding album - don't they look so happy? :


My oldest daughter's new bike :


I loved the card that Cathy Blackstone made on pg 69 of the newest SBE, so I lifted it to make this one :

Last night my new textured ceiling went up, thanks to my hubby and my Dad - I'll post more pictures next week when the work is all done!! Thank goodness that little project is almost finished!

Have a great day all!!

Just a little toot.....

for me....Basic Grey added my "Vision" page to their gallery last week! It's just a little thing, but they are very selective!

Also, the dining room is well on it's way - only one more sand and then we can prime, paint and wallpaper. Here's a little photo of what's going on my wall opposite the window :


What do you think? Too bold? Maybe a bit, since the ceilings are now ten feet high. But, it goes really well with the red colour in the kitchen, and it's only one wall. Plus, I really love it!! I'll take some pictures when it's up.

My Dad is mixing a paint to match the background colour of the wallpaper and we're going to repaint the "fugly" (thanks, Stephanie for my new favorite word) panelling in the living room to freshen it up until we have the funds to reno that room too. I can't wait to just get the house CLEAN again. Sigh. Reno-ing sucks.

Have a great night!