Musings on Life

Check This Out!

2012-01-31T14:21:00.002-06:00

In January, the ScrapMatters Design Team came out with a FABULOUS new collaboration called Snippets of Life. It is a stunning kit in purple and yellow - one of my favourite colour combinations! I have made the cover for my 2012 P366 book from this kit and you should check it out...here's the kit and here's my layout!

Until next time...

Wanna Join Me?

2012-01-22T15:06:00.001-06:00

So, it's that time of year again...we're having a ScrapMatters Girls call over at ScrapMatters!! This is one of my favourite "jobs"! I get to be inspired, meet new people and earn free scrapbooking kits! What could be better? See the ad below for details and send in your applications!

If you are unable to see this ad, here are the details:

Needed:
Friendly, chatty people willing to monitor and leave love in our gallery, hangout in the community forum, SMG forum, and be available for a 6 month term.

Rewards:
Monthly: One free kit from selected designers, opportunity to earn up to $30 in gift codes to the SM store, all site SM designer collab kits AND the SM Stack Exchange kit!! WOOT!

Apply:
Send email app to: smgteamcall@gmail.com
Include screen name, real name, link to most active gallery, current CT duties and why you should be considered to be a ScrapMatters Girl! Newbies welcome to apply, no experience necessary!

Only applications received by 11:59pm (PST) January 28, 2012 will be considered! Don't delay!! =)

I will be back in the next couple of days to post my 2012 P366 layouts that I've DONE!! Can you believe it?

Until next time...

The Stack Exchange is Back!!

2012-01-19T00:21:00.002-06:00

That's right. The ScrapMatters Stack Exchange is back for January. You can create a stack or cluster using the featured kit and will receive all the others in return at the end of the month! You can check out the details here.

Challenge Details:
*open from Jan 9th to Jan 31st
*entries must be in by Jan 31st at 11:50pm PST
*prize will be links for all entries submitted
*kit will be 30% off during the challenge

This month we are using this fabulous kit - Snowy Tales - by Down This Road Designs! It's 30$ off for the rest of the month and you can pick it up here.

Also, here is a little sneak peek of the cluster I made for this challenge!

Until next time...

I'm Back!

2012-01-08T23:57:00.006-06:00

Hi all! I know this blog is sadly neglected but the craziness of December is done now, so hopefully I will post some more. I also am hoping to finish my oldest's first year book this year so I'm hoping to do more scrapping that way.

I also have some exciting news that I hadn't yet shared! In addition to be a ScrapMatters Girl, I have also joined the Cheery-O team over at Oscraps. I am really excited about this. It's a different style of scrapping and I've really been enjoying the new look to some of my pages! Here are a few I've done for that store.

Kit: Embrace by paislee press designs

Date Marker: Abstract Token Months by Anna Aspnes Designs

Font: Suzy's Hand

Kit: This Much by paislee press

Font: SMD Heather by Stolen Moments

Kit: Family by Oscraps Collaboration

Date Stamp: date me no 3 by paislee press designs

Kit: Baby Love by Biograffiti

Background Paper: PotPourri Paperie No 3 by Anna Aspnes Designs

Template: Artsy Layered Template No 31 by Anna Aspnes Designs

Font: SMD Delightfully Ordinary by Stolen Moments

Kit: cOzy by Oscraps Collaboration

Font: Just Realize

Until next time...

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T11:48:00.002-06:00

Kit: ArtPlay Palette Nativity by Anna Aspnes Designs

Kit: Joyful by Jennifer Labre

Background paper: PotPourri Paperie No 3 by Anna Aspnes Designs

Word Art: Scripture WordTransfers Christmas No 1 by Anna Aspnes Designs

Template: Artsy Layered Template No. 33 by Anna Aspnes Designs

Font: Typewriter

Until next time...

Coming Soon...

2011-10-31T15:29:00.002-06:00

Be sure to check it out here!

Until next time...

Do You Remember Me?

2011-10-13T23:06:00.003-06:00

It's been forever since I posted any layouts here (mostly because the last ones I was doing were for gifts and I didn't want to spoil the surprise!). Anyway, I have just completed a momentous layout (and a couple other really cute ones) and I decided that I want to share!

First I made this sweet page from the ScrapMatters Collaboration Kit Unforgettable. I thought it turned out really precious and just how I intended.

I've finally been working on some of the photoless pages that I want to do. They're just stories (mostly regarding my kids) that I want to document but don't really have any photos for. This is one of them, talking about one of my youngest's nicknames.

Kit - Explore Exhibits by Jady Day Studio & Meg Mullens

Arrow - Candy Shop Freebie by Sahlin Studio

Date Element - Simply Dated v13 by WM[Squared]

Template - My Words Only V5 by Captivated Visions

Font - Pea Sarah Lynne

This next one is the momentous layout...the very LAST one for my Indianapolis book!!! Now, I just have to assemble and print it. I'm so excited to be done another book. I really need to be dedicated to a project so I can finally see some progress...now to pick the next one!

Kit - Journey of the Heart & Add-On by Elise's Pieces and KimB

Frame (recoloured) - Sunburn Savvy by Erica Zane

Template - On the House April 2011 by Jenn Lindsay

Photo by Lilyfield Photography

I hope you've enjoyed my brief resurgence!

Until next time...

Just a Teaser...

2011-09-13T13:40:00.001-06:00

If you think I haven't been busy with those gorgeous kits I've posted...I sure have been! I love these colours and there are some gorgeous patterns in there. I used Brown Eyed Girl for this layout of my grandpa and his brother...just a sneak peek at the extra credit project I'm working on. Oh, and see how versatile it is? No girls on this page, even ;).

Until next time...

The Last Part!

2011-09-11T12:56:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, I promised you the last instalment of these fabulous kits so here it is! This part of the collab is Unforgettable. It is so elegant and who doesn't love that peacock feather? You can find it at ScrapMatters and it's even on sale right now!

Until next time...

Here Comes Part 2!

2011-09-10T10:25:00.003-06:00

OK, I promised you another kit today so here I go! This kit matches the palette of yesterday's Vintage Surf Shop but has a completely different theme. These kits will make it so fun to mix and match or use as is! The one is called Brown Eyed Girl and is also available at ScrapMatters. Check out this adorable preview!

Perfect for those sweet little girl or, really, any photos!

Be sure to come back tomorrow for the final installation of this series!!

Until next time...

I've Been MIA but this is worth it!

2011-09-09T09:57:00.002-06:00

I have been MIA lately. Summer really does that to a person. I am working on a fabulous project as a birthday present for my grandmother but I'm not sure if I'll post those until it's all done and given. It has been keeping me busy, though. I've also (almost) completed my Indianapolis book (I have ONE more page) and I will post a few more of those pages or maybe a preview of the book when I have it uploaded, if I can!

Anyway, I'm here to tell you about some fabulous new goodness over at ScrapMatters. The designers have gotten together this month to do not one, not two but three collabs with the same colour scheme. This is just a teaser and I'm only going to post the first one...you'll have to come back tomorrow to see the next one (or just head over to the ScrapMatters store to check them all out!!)

This first one is perfect for one of the pages for the gift I'm working on so I'll show it off first. It's called Vintage Surf Shop and is totally adorable!

I've Barely Had Time...

2011-08-09T11:08:00.004-06:00

to scrap much of anything! However, I did get a couple layouts done on the weekend and I have another almost done. I've also got one to post that I did last month with the kit in the below post! Summer has really been crazy around here. I always think it will be slow but it NEVER is!! We've been running around pretty much the whole time and the brief breaks in between are filled with preparation for the next thing! I think fall will be a nice break!

This was for a challenge to scrap a vacation itinerary. I think I'll use this as the first page of my Hawaii book. I love how it turned out, even though I was unsure right up to the last second.

Kit - Tropical Float by ScrapMatters Design Team

Template - More than Just Curves by Happy Scrap Girl

Date element - Date Swirls by Jenn Barrette

I did this page for a speed scrap. All the instructions were lining up and I had this vision in my head of a nice clean page with the focus on this adorable photo of my two youngest and then she threw in an instruction to use 20 elements!! That threw a monkey wrench in but I managed.

Kit - For the Love of Boys and For the Love Add-On by Jady Day Studio and Stolen Moments

Template - Template 9 by Gwenipooh Designs

This last page is about my youngest's first word. I know it's strange, but it was purple. Yep, you got it. Purple. I had also gotten this kit with such gorgeous purple colours in it that I had to use it for something! Have I mentioned that I love purple?

Kit - Mulberry Fields by KimB

Alpha - Foam Stamp Alphabet: White by Sahlin Studio

Alpha - Alphlets by Stolen Moments

Template - Sweet Spring Template Set 1 by True Blue Studio

Scatter - For the Love of Boys by Stolen Moments and Jady Day Studio

Font - sf Natalie

So, that's basically what I've got done in the last few weeks (except one I'm not posting...gotta have some surprises when people see my book!) and one I'm working on now (and it's a doozy!).

Until next time...

Summer Time and the Cruisin' is Fine!

2011-07-18T10:16:00.001-06:00

So, I got back from vacation last night and, while I didn't go on a cruise, I'm still lovin' this kit from the ScrapMatters Design Team that's just come out! There are still some summery elements and fun pieces that I'm sure I'll use for my vacation and the tropical theme is great for some old photos I still have to scrap! Be sure to check out Tropical Float in the shop!

Until next time...

Some random pages that I love!

2011-06-25T13:49:00.003-06:00

Here are just a couple of the pages that I've done lately. I'm going to post the non-Indy related ones right now. I totally love how these turned out!

I so adore this one. I love the photo and everything. I even made the word art myself and I'm very proud of that!

Kit - Serenity by Happy Scrap Girl
Date elements - Border Dates by Erica Zane
Word art by me
Template - iDSD Freebie by BusyBee Designs

This was following instructions from a speed scrap, even though I didn't actually attend. They were just such clean, simple instructions that I had to give them a go.

Kit - Sultry Summer Newsletter Freebie by Erica Zane and LDrag Designs
Alpha - just the basics: cream gel alpha by Mari Koegelenberg
Template - Simple Painted Template by Designs by Anita
Font - Written on His Hands

This was for a template challenge at ScrapMatters. I love how the page turned out - just so bright and fun!

Kit - Best Day Ever by Inspirations from Day
White paper - Back to Basics White Paper Pack by Denise Beatty Originals
Frames - Chrome Frames by Mye de Leon
Arrow - 365: International Edition Take 2 by Studio mgl
Date element - Handwritten Dates by Haynay Designs
Font - SMD Kimby by Stolen Moments
Template - Tuesday Template May 31 by MHK Scrap Bytes

So there are a few things I've been scrapping lately!

Until next time...

A Little Indy

2011-06-03T15:54:00.004-06:00

Well, I am really trying to concentrate on scrapping my Indianapolis book and it seems to be working. I have redone almost everything that I need to redo and then I just have about six or so sets of pages to do and I can print it. I'm not going to post everything I've redone but here are a couple that I have just finished.

This one was a complete redo and I really like this version better. It has the same blocking theme but in a much more cohesive way.

Kit - Play the Game (plus Blue Team add on) by Chelle's Creations
Grass Scatter - Growing Something Good by Jennifer Barrette
Splatter - Penalty Box:Team Blue by Chelle's Creations
Alpha - Into the Night by Stolen Moments
Template - Project 365 Template No 6 by Scrapmuss Designs
Font - Dawning of a New Day

These next two pages go together and I never had completed them so I sorta redid them but sorta finished them. I did change pretty much everything that I had done so you can call it what you want. I love how they turned out.

Kit - Butterfly's Whisper by LDrag Designs
String & laces - Play the Game (plus blue add on) by Chelle's Creations
Alpha (recoloured) - Put Me In, Coach by Julie Billingsly
Template (altered) - Blueprints No 30 by DeCrow Designs
Font - Impact Label

Kit - Butterfly's Whisper by LDrag Designs
Alpha (recoloured) and Brad - Put Me In, Coach by Julie Billingsly
Template (altered) - Blueprints No 30 by DeCrow Designs
Font - Impact Label

I am so excited to be making such good progress. Can't wait 'til I can get the book printed!

Until next time...

Back at it Again

2011-05-26T23:20:00.004-06:00

So, I guess I really did burn myself out in March because I did not scrap at all in April! It felt good to take a break but also felt really good when I got back. In fact, international scrapbooking day was at the beginning of May so I got some layouts done that weekend (only 1/2 as much as last time but still...). I have a few more since then - I really am trying to get my Indianapolis book done - so hold on for a ride! Here are my layouts:

My poor baby was so tired after church one day that when we brought him in from the car, he simply rolled over and went on sleeping!

Kit - Winter Wishes by Jennifer Labre Designs
Frame - Here & Now by Stolen Moments and Studio Rosey Posey
Stitches (recoloured) - Stitch Me Up by Chelle's Creations
Button alpha (recoloured) - Alphabits Neutrals by Trixie Scraps
Font - Typewriter

This was a fun page to do because I had actually gone through my photos and realized that I had scanned in a very similar one from my parents' negatives. Then and now!

Kit - Timeless by Scrap Matters Design Team
Template - House Blends TDD Sampler by Jenn Lindsey
Fonts - Typewriter and Blackjack

All my boys love playing with potatoes. They're just like balls! However, my youngest didn't actually get the chance until just recently. I love how this page turned out. I got the kit especially for it!

Kit - Growing Something Good by Jennifer Barrette
Potatoes - Cuisine d'autrefois by Cajoline Scrap
Stitching - Bad Sewing Machine XVIII: Kinda Kleen by Traci Reed
Date Element - Simply Dated v13 by WM[Squared]
Template - Hodge Podge No1 by Fizzy Pop Designs
Font - Pea Daniel San

This page will be the inside front page of our France book once I get the negatives scanned in so I can scrap them!

Kit - Une Parfait Printemps by Laura Burger
Stitches - Blessings by Chelle's Creations
Alpha - Sugar Sand Beach by etc. by Danyale
Templates (altered) - Summer Daze by Fizzy Pop Designs
Font - Pea Karen's Print

I got another page for my wedding album done (this is page #2!) I just love how it is looking with the white backgrounds! It is a long list of credits, though.

Kit - Serenity by Andilynn Designs
Background paper - Back to Basics White Paper Pack by Denise Beatty Originals
Gem Glitter, String - True Blessings by LDrag Designs
Pearl Swirl - Moments that Matter by Scrap Matters Design Team
Dark blue paper, rolled flowers (some recoloured), white bow - A Dream Within A Dream by Laitha's Designs
Frame - Sugar Sand Beach by Etc. by Danyale
Tag (recoloured) - Embossed Bits by Stolen Moments
Template - Fuss Free: Funky Paper Play 2 by Fiddle-Dee-Dee Designs

I am working on Indy - this is a brand new page that I have done for my book. I really love how this turned out.

Kit - Winter Wishes by Jennifer Labre Designs
Kit - Missing You by Jady Day Studio
Alpha - Typecast by Stolen Moments
Font - smd Kimby by Stolen Moments

Scrapping is really all about the stories and this one is the story of how my dear son fell out of the shopping cart. Oy.

Kit - Going Place by Stolen Moments
Word bits - Success Story by Stolen Moments
Date element - Simply Dated v14 by WM[Squared]
Bubblewrap Stamps (recoloured) - Spring is Here by WM[Squared]
Font - Wannabe Teacher by Stolen Moments
Template by Kat designed

I redid another of my pages for the Indy book so this is yet one more page closer!!

Kit - Play the Game by Chelle's Creations (plus blue add-on)
Grass Scatter - Growing Something Good by Jennifer Barrette
Alpha - Into the Night by Stolen Moments
Template - Temp Blends Vol2 by Jenn Lindsey

Hopefully I can keep pluggin' on and getting more of these pages done! I hope you enjoy what's here, too.

Until next time...

The Rest of The Layouts

2011-04-17T23:31:00.005-06:00

I am going to post the rest of the LOs I did while on my guest stint at ScrapMatters (I think I overdid it because I have had NO inspiration this month...haven't scrapped a thing!) Anyway, I have six more layouts that I love and I am going to share! All items are available at ScrapMatters.

This is my boy at the corn maze last fall. It was an abnormally gorgeous day and they just loved the maze!!

Kit - Second Spring: Bundle by Stolen Moments & Captivated Visions

Alpha - Retro Alphabet by Inspirations from Day

Greenery - Makin' Me Happy by Stolen Moments

Template - Sweet Spring Template Set 3 by True Blue Studio

Font - Slim Sans Serif

There was this cute Easter kit that I really fell in love with by one of our guest designers for April. The only problem is, I didn't have cute Easter pics in the right colours but then I found this one! The DQ we stopped at had great Easter colours and it was Good Friday!

Kit - April Grace by HGD by Laurie Ann

Date element - Handwritten Dates by Haynay Designs

Template - Simply Stated v1 by geniaBeana Scraps

Font - Vaguely Repulsive

I am in love with how this one turned out! I adore the tiny photos and the big frames - especially since the details in the photos are not that important!

Kit - Drift Away - The Sweet Deal by Graham Like the Cracker and By Becca

Font - sf Rachel

This one took quite awhile to put together (for a template challenge) but it was SO much fun!

Kit - A Boy's Perfect Birthday Bundle by Jady Day Studio

Splat (recoloured) - Forget-Me-Not by Andilynn Designs

String (recoloured) - Drift Away by Graham Like the Cracker & By Becca

Stitches - Essentials Collection by Jady Day Studio

Alphas (recoloured) - Preppy Alphabet and Antique Glass Alphabet both by Inspirations from Day

Date element - Crazy Date Stamps by Plum Dumpling Designs

Template - Tuesday Template challenge freebie by Krafted by Kim

This one I actually threw together in just about an hour (that's super fast for me!!) I totally love how it turned out, though...it's so fun!

Kit - What's Cooking? (the whole batch) by Erica Zane

Font - Scrap Kids

This seemed like the perfect template for a feature photo! I had the perfect one of Mt. Rushmore to go with this kit, too!

Kit - Celebrate Independence by WM[Squared]

Ribbon flowers (recoloured) - Je t'aime by WM [Squared]

Flat flowers (recoloured) - Great Escape by WM[Squared]

Greenery - A Time to Learn by Stolen Moments

Template - Sweet Spring Templates Set 1 by True Blue Studio

Font - Typewriter

So that was the last of my mojo. I'm hoping to get some back after Easter so I can finish a book I'm working on!

Until next time...

Totally Adorable!!

2011-04-12T10:07:00.003-06:00

I have a new kit to show you today! It is a really pretty new collab from the ScrapMatters Design Team! This is an "uplifting" kit, perfect for outdoors-y layouts and can really be used for anything! It's called Up, Up and Away and is available at ScrapMatters now! Here's a preview of it!

Until next time...

More fun layouts!

2011-03-28T16:50:00.006-06:00

OK, I'm back! I'm finally feeling good enough that I feel like posting on this blog. I have been having a great time as a guest CT member over at ScrapMatters and my month is just about up! However, I have gotten to play with so many fun goodies and I have gotten so many layouts done this month! I have a few more of them to show you here (once again, product previews follow and are linked to the store):

This is a scraplift of Haynay's Layout "I Heart You". I'd been wanting to do a layout like this for a while so this was a perfect opportunity! I love the colours and how they work with Jonathan's eyes! I used "Wanted-Hugs and Kisses" by KimB's Designs (she's new to ScrapMatters!) and Jen Reed, as well as "Great Escape Alpha" by WM[Squared] Designs.

This next one is fun because it's from my trip to Hawaii in 2000! It gave me an excuse to get around to scanning in some photos, finally! I used "Emboss Me" paper pack by Chelle's Creations and "Hawaiian Happy Hour" by the ScrapMatters Design Team - I also used a template by WM[Squared] (Fun & Funky v1).

This page took me forever!! I love how it turned out, though! There was a lot of bits and pieces from different kits and recolouring that went on here - it was very time consuming! The main kit I used "A Dream Within A Dream" by Laitha's Designs and Lilacs in Bloom is no longer available at ScrapMatters. The rest of this credit list is available there: "Emboss Me" by Chelle's Creations, Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio, Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes by Stolen Moments, Resolutionary by Stolen Moments, Blessings Alpha by Chelle's Creations, Tropical Sunshine by LDrag Designs and Siamese Studio and template from Tuesday Template challenge by colson.

Last, but not least, I redid an old page for the Extreme Makeover challenge. I got to play with a beautiful Easter Kit called "Easter Joys" by Andilynn Designs. I also used her FREE add-on and a template pack called "Brackety Templates v1" by geniaBeana scraps.
This is the layout I redid:

Well, thanks for looking and I will be back in a few days with the rest of the pages I did this month!

Until next time...

Guest CT!!

2011-03-17T21:32:00.005-06:00

So, it's about time I updated this blog!! I applied for the ScrapMatters Creative Team last month and wasn't really expecting much. There were a TON of talented ladies that applied and it was only a one day call! I was so excited when I found out that I'd been selected to be a Guest CT Member for the month of March!! I just love ScrapMatters and they have such talented designers so the only question was...what to scrap with!! I have three layouts that I want to show off right now (and there are more on the way!) Each layout is followed by a preview of the kit, which is linked to the store.

The first layout was done with a gorgeous kit by LDrag Designs called Happy Days! I just knew that the soft colours would be perfect for this page of my youngest boy! I also used Alpha Snips by Stolen Moments Designs and Bigs & Littles Template by Connie Prince.

The next page I did was for our Indianapolis book, which I am so hoping to get done sometime soon so I can send it off to print! I gotta stop redoing those pages!! LOL I used Winter Wishes by the very talented Jennifer Labre and a template by canadianmommy for the Tuesday Template challenge over at ScrapMatters.

The last page I did was one from our trip to France. I had to resurrect the negatives and scan this photo in, but I knew when I saw Amy Stoffel's kit Where Poppies Bloom, that I just had to use it to scrap this photo! I also used Plain Alpha by Flowerscraps.

These are just some of the completely gorgeous kits I've gotten to play with so far and I can't wait to show you what else I've done! But, that will have to wait for another day!

Until next time...

A Layout!

2011-02-16T00:21:00.002-06:00

I haven't had much time to scrap lately...life has been too busy with other stuff!! You can read about that on my family blog if you want. However, I did do this layout the other day with a gorgeous kit and I just had to share it! I love it more every time I look at it! Isn't he adorable?

Kit - Blessings by Chelle's Creations

Dotted circles, brackets - Bits 'n Bots by Stolen Moments and Nikki Beaudreau

Stitched Circle - Essential Collection by Jady Day Studio

Metal Grid - Resolutionary by Stolen Moments

Glitter Frame (recoloured) - Magical Winterland by ScrapMatters Design Team

Month Circle - 365: International Edition by Studio mgl

Template by Trixie Scraps

Until next time...

February Monthly Collab!! (It's a Secret...shhh)

2011-02-11T11:07:00.002-06:00

So, the ScrapMatters Design team has put together another fabulous collab for us...the secret part is that we don't get to find out everything that's in it until February 18th. However, it's on sale RIGHT NOW for 50% OFF!! That's a steal of a deal and you know these ladies always do fantastic work!! You can find the kit here.

Until next time...

Some Layouts

2011-02-07T23:31:00.003-06:00

Hi all! I haven't been a particularly busy scrapper lately. I'm trying to rework some of my Indianapolis pages and get that done up but it seems like a long way to go!! Here are a few pages that I have done, though, and I thought I'd share:

My cutie sleeping baby:

Kit - Losin' Big by Scraps of Ellay

I'm also trying to get some of my (shhh...2009) P365 pages done and these templates are so fun!! (Also, the kit is the one is my previous post)

Kit - Embrace the Day by Scrap Matters Design Team

Template - Super Seven: Set 5 by Cindy Schneider

This is of my oldest when he was a baby and this was a challenge on toning your photo to match the layout and I love how it turned out!

Kit - For the Love Add-On by Stolen Moments and Jady Day Studio

Alpha - Everyday Metal Alpha by Krisi's Kreations

Date element - EZ Date Bands by Erica Zane

Template - DIY Stitched Pennants by Chelle's Creations

Template - Scrap by Number: Just Call Me Alli (newletter freebie) by Stolen Moments

Hopefully I'll have more layouts to show you before too long!

Until next time...

Embrace the Day!

2011-01-14T16:20:00.002-06:00

The ScrapMatters Design Team has come out with a fabulous new kit today! It's called Embrace the Day and is a P365 kit (maybe I can use it to scrap my 2009 hee hee!!) It's also a great kit for many other scrap pages and has some fantastic colours and elements! You pick it up here and it's on sale right now for only $5.99!

Until next time...

New name and speed scrap LO!

2011-01-09T00:54:00.005-06:00

Hi everybody. Well, firstly, since this is now my scrapping blog and I have a different family blog, I thought this one should have a new name...I'm not sure what yet...I suck at naming things! Any ideas out there?

I also wanted to share this layout with you that I did last night at a slooooow speed scrap (it's the only way I got it done :) ). It took me a LONG time to do this page but I am now trying to get my Indianapolis book done and I really wanted to redo the first page (I don't like the original!) So, since this speed scrap called for a photoless layout, I thought this was the perfect chance!

Here is the original layout:

Kraft paper - 365 International Edition Take 2 by mgl Scraps

Kit - Rustic Grass by Digi-Designs by Nicole

Football - Coach Cocoa by Scrappy Cocoa

Books - Paint Your Life by Cali

This is my redo (with a really long list of credits!):

Flowers (some recoloured) & Paper - Pure Tendresse by Galiscrap

Football & mud splat - Play the Game by Chelle's Creations

Greenery - Fresh Attitue by Chouk77

String - Pimp My Picture by Dilo Designs

Frame - Go Green by WM[Squared] and Sarah Bennett

Bead Scatter - Forget-Me-Not by Andilynn Designs

Book - Into My Home by Cali Design

Date element - Fill in the Blank by Erica Zane

Brick wall (recoloured) - Ready for School Collab by Chriscrap

Rubon Alpha - Easter Morning by Stolen Moments & Man in the Moon Designs

I LOVE how it turned out!!

Until next time...

First Layout of the New Year!

2011-01-04T16:49:00.005-06:00

I finished up a second layout, using Scraps of Ellays Holly and Cheer to go with the first page I posted below! (It also uses Temp Blends Vol 3 (modified) by Jenn Lindsey). I think this two page spread for my son's Christmas concert turned out really cute! I blurred the photos of any other kids, in case you're wondering what's wrong with the pics! This Christmas kit is just so cute and perfect for these pages!

Until next time...

Great WInter and Christmas Kits!!

2010-12-30T01:16:00.002-06:00

I've actually got two kits that I want to show you today. I've been so busy lately that I haven't gotten to my blog!! With Christmas and weddings and New Year's there has been very little time. Not to mention that I was very busily trying to finish scrapping my calendar!! The first kit I have to show you I used to do my November calendar top.

This is a gorgeous winter kit with a bit of sparkle from the ScrapMatters Design team, called Magical Winterland. I love the colours here and it was perfect for my winter photos! You can find it here. Here is my calendar page (using a template by WM[Squared] Designs) followed by the preview.

This next kit is a beautiful Christmas one by Scraps of Ellay! It is full of traditional colours and fun elements. Now is the perfect time to pick it up so that you can scrap all those photos you just took at Christmas! You can find this kit here. Next is my layout (using a template by Jenn Lindsey and alphas by LDrag Designs and Denise Beatty Originals) followed by the preview!

Hopefully I can get some more layouts posted and scrapping done when I return from the last Christmas we're having this weekend!

Until next time...

My First Year

2010-12-06T22:34:00.003-06:00

OK. I seriously forgot to blog this! Oy, it's been too busy around here this Christmas season and it's only the 6th of December! I'm also frantically trying to finish my calendar so that's taking up scrapping time!

Anyway, Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out...My First Year. There are tons of add-ons and a mega bundle available at Stuff to Scrap here. I had some fun with this and did both a baby and non-baby layout. Here are my pages, followed by a preview of the kit!

The template here is from WM[Squared] Designs and the sequins are recoloured from Ellay's Spring Bling kit.

This template is from Sabrina's Creations.

Here is the preview.

Until next time...

More Pages...

2010-11-25T22:29:00.006-06:00

Well, these are old layouts but I've never posted them so I thought I'd give you some more eye candy today (there's A LOT of them!)...

These are mostly self-explanatory layouts...you can click on them to see a bigger version.

Kit - A Touch of Winter by Erica Zane

Kit - Connect by the Scrap Matters Design Team

Template - Fabulously Negative v4 by WM[Squared] Designs

Kit - Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio

Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha by Jady Day Studio

Date Bits - EZ Date Bits v1 by Erica Zane

Kit - Just One More Story by Graham Like the Cracker and Chelle's Creations

Metal Alpha & stitches - Sleep Tight by Jennifer Barrette

Round Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha (recoloured) by Jady Day Studio

Metal Date Bits - Metal Date Bits by Stolen Moments

This is a double page layout. The photos were just so cute and this kit just so perfect that I had to do both pages. The first will be the left side and the second, the right side.

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Leaf scatters - Magic Autumn by BL Design

Frame - Harvest Happiness by Jady Day Studio

Date swirl - Perfect Date Monthly Date Swirls by Jennifer Barrette

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Leaf scatters - Magic Autumn by BL Design

Raffia bow - Early for Autumn by Thalaris

Template by Liz (Tuesday Template Challenge)

This next page was for the Extreme Makeover Challenge so I will show you the page I was remaking, as well.

This was the original:

Kit - Wynken, Blynken and Nod by Stolen Moments and Scraps by Jenn

This is the redo:

Kit - True Blessings by LDrag Designs

Precious WA - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Clipping Mask - So This is Love by Sahlin Studios

I don't like the title on this one so I think I'll have to rework it!

Kit - The Three R's by Threeology

This one was also for an Extreme Makeover Challenge and I LOVE LOVE LOVE the redo!!

The original:

Kit - Christmas Morning Train parts by Sweet as Mel, Random Inspirations by Monica, Latte'Dah Designs and Kim's Scrappin'

This is the redo - can you even tell it's the same?

Kit - Season of Giving by Sahlin Studios

Word Bits - Season of Giving Snipettes by Sahlin Studios

Date Element - Simply Dated v.8 by WM[Squared] Designs

Template - temp blends sampler by Jenn Lindsey

Kit - Modish (some recoloured) by GeniaBeana Scraps

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by GeniaBeana Scraps

Flower buds (recoloured) - Easter Morning by Stolen Moments and Man in the Moon Designs

Leaf - Sweet 'n Blue by Elo Designs

Stones - Ohe Matelot by Cjournet13

Template - Fine Waves Template by A'nyi

Kit - Coastal Getaway by the Scrap Matters Design Team

Alpha - Vintage Summer Bonus Alpha by WM[Squared] Designs

Template by Happy Scrap Girl

Kit - Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow by Plum Dumpling Designs

That's all for now! I'm currently working on my 2011 calendar and it's taking me WAY too long! Hopefully I'll finish it soon so I can print it!

Until next time...

Some Layouts...

2010-11-15T22:56:00.005-06:00

(The link to my family blog is in the post below this!)

I'm going to post the 10 layouts I did on Digital Scrapbooking Day (well, weekend most places :) ). ScrapMatters had a Scrap-A-Thon and I managed to get 5 of the 10 challenges done and I did 5 speed scraps, as well. I must say, after doing that in just over 2 days, I was a little burned out. I barely touched my computer the whole next day!! I was really happy with how most of them turned out...here they are...

First the speed scrap pages:

Kit - Pumpkin Spice by Jennifer Barrette

Frames - Sweet 'n blue by Elo Designs

Corn - Magic Autumn by BL Designs

Small green sprig - Early for Autumn by Thalaris

Alpha - Rustic Chic Alpha by Jady Day Studios

Kit - Sleep Tight by Jennifer Barrette

Scallop Frame (recoloured) - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Ricrac - Planes, Trains and Automobiles by Scrappin' Serenity

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by geniaBeana Scraps

Kit - Many Thanks by the ScrapMatters Design Team

Date Element - Pinned and Dated by Stolen Moments

Kit - Perfect Moments by Erica Zane

Bib (recoloured) - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Fork & Spoon (recoloured) - Cookie Monster by Jenasis Designs

Date Elements - Pinned and Dated by Stolen Moments

Template - Wonky Grid Template by Melody (WM[Squared] CT)

This one was a little difficult because it was the last speed scrap of the weekend (one Friday, two Saturday and two Sunday). Also, we had to work the number 12 or the word twelve into the page...so I came up with this slightly cheesy title!

Kit - Into the Night by Stolen Moments

String (recoloured) - Dandelion Wishes by Jennifer Barrette

Template - Thursday Challenge by Trixie's Scrap Star Carrin

Photograph by Lilyfield Photography

Now for the Scrap-A-Thon Challenges:

This challenge was to ask a question and scrap the answers. There needed to be at least three answers so it could be one question to three different people or three (or more) questions to one person. I had a little conversation with Xander about school!

Kit - A Time to Learn by Stolen Moments

Template - Building Blocks v1 by Chelle's Creations

This challenge was to use the "cut out" technique. This is where you cut shapes out of a top paper to reveal the paper underneath.

Kit - Dandelion Wishes by Jennifer Barrette

Alpha - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Word Art - Perfect Moments by Erica Zane

Template - Fabulously Negative v6 by WM[Squared] Designs

This challenge was a colour challenge. You were given a colour palette and had to pick shades of the colours to use in your layout. The palette was a brown/cream/green/burgundy palette.

Kit - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Alpha - A Touch of Winter by Erica Zane

Red ornament - Christmas Essentials by The Maltese Scrapper

This challenge was a double scraplift. Basically, you find two layouts you like and combine elements of both of them (plus your own interpretation) to create your own layout. If you're interested I lifted Sweet as Sugar by slurpeegirl13 - inspired by the colours and band of paper - and Happiness is... by Strange.Bird - inspired by the line of little photos- to get this page:

White paper - Fun and Frosty by Cinnamon Designs

Navy paper - Just One More Story by Chelle's Creations

Photo Mask - Mask Collection 1 - WaterColors by LawTeeDa Designs

Word strip - Une Chanson Douce by Pitchouk82

Ribbon and clouds - Rose de Mai by Manue Designs

Photograph by Lilyfield Photography

My favourite challenge (and the last of the 5) is an extreme makeover challenge. In this one, you were to take a layout from your first 6 months of digi-scrapping and redo it. One photo had to stay the same. Most of my first pages were for my Mexico scrap book, which is already printed so I didn't want to touch them. If I did, I knew I'd want to redo the whole book as my skills have improved SO MUCH since then! However, I realized that, in my annual books for the boys, they would have some pages from Mexico as that is a big event in a 2 year old's life! So, I redid this one for Xander's annual book (I didn't keep track of credits back then because I figured I'd never post them...just do this one book then quit! Yeah.):

I came up with this:

Kit - Tropical Sunshine by LDrag Designs and Siamese Studio

Template - Fabulously Negative v6 by WM[Squared] Designs

It was a fun weekend and I love the pages I came up with!

Until next time...

Changes Around Here...

2010-11-14T00:58:00.002-06:00

I've decided to make a few changes around here. I'm going to be splitting up my blogs. This will now be my scrapping blog (which, by the way, I have A LOT of layouts to post...maybe tomorrow) and I created a new blog Life With The Berkans for my family photos/stories. So, if you're interested in one or the other or both, be sure to bookmark them. I just posted my first post at the new blog and you can find it here. I'll be back with some new layouts tomorrow (I think!).

Until next time...

This Little Piggy

2010-10-25T23:34:00.004-06:00

Hi there! It has been a long time but the days have been crazy busy with painting, birthday parties and the rest of life. I'm also trying to get my blogs organized. I want to leave this blog as my scrapping blog and start a new one as my family blog. I started one but I'm trying to get it pretty and stuff so I'm not sure when I'll get to posting there...hopefully soon because I have a ton of photos to share (and a lot of LOs)!

Anyway, this week, Scraps of Ellay has a new collab out. It's an adorable kit with KnittenJen Designs called This Little Piggy, which you can pick up right now at STS. I had a lot of fun working with this cute little thing and here is what I came up with:

Here is the full preview of this wonderful kit...

Hopefully I will be back soon with some photos for you on one blog or another because I have some really adorable ones!

Until next time...

Thankful!

2010-10-11T09:54:00.002-06:00

Today (and all days) I am thankful (in no particular order)...

for my husband

for my kids

for my childhood

for family in general

for my house

for turkey

for friends

for our church

for our wonderful world

for sunshine

for rain

for babies that sleep

for flowers

for raspberries

for creativity

...and above all...for the God who has created it all and made all these things possible.

O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever. Ps 30:12b

Until next time...

So There Was School...

2010-10-02T01:15:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a strange day. Just thought I'd share our little school adventures!

This summer, I go the calendar from the school division listing all the days off etc. for the year. Dutifully, I marked them on my calendar. Other than stat holidays, the first day off would be October 1. OK. That'll be a good break. So, I'm planning things to do...I have to paint my bedroom so I'll work on that...then, because our bedroom will be totally covered in plastic and drop cloths, we'll have a camp out in the living room with the boys...this sounds like a good idea. I tell the kids and it's all planned. Then Thursday comes. Xander gets home from school and tells me teacher says tomorrow's library day...really? I ask him, are you sure she didn't say next school day? Nope. He insists it's tomorrow. Well, I wanted to call the school, anyway, so I thought I'd just check into it. Sure enough, I talk to the secretary...the division messed up...we have October 8th off, not October 1st! Good thing I called! Then comes Friday...we're ready for school and waiting for the bus... I thought I saw Xander's bus go by but there are several that drive by our house every morning and he insisted it wasn't so OK. Time passes and the bus is ten minutes late...that shouldn't be - the weather's fine. So I call dispatch. She puts me on hold to find out what's up. The bus driver forgot to stop! I'm not upset...it's kinda amusing (though I was hoping not too hard on Xander). She says he'll be by in a couple minutes...10 minutes later - he's late for school by now - I call to see where the bus is. He's five minutes out, still. So much for a couple minutes...I may as well drive him to school now...the regular doors will be locked and he'll have to go in a different door and go to the office etc. So, I drive him...Evan is in heaven, getting to go to school...and throws a fit when I make him put back the toy and leave - poor boy...he's really kinda jealous! But, Xander got to school fine and all was good...we'll chalk that up to another adventure! Just thought I'd share :).

I did get some painting done - well, priming actually...tomorrow will be painting the main colour! I'm so excited! Off to bed now!

Until next time...

Some other pages (Mom that picture is in here)...

2010-09-25T00:22:00.005-06:00

OK, I keep saying I'll do more posts and that I was going to schedule this but by the time I got to posting my last post, I'd forgotten. It's late and I should go but I'm going to put this up. Things have been busy, getting used to the new kindergarten routine and care groups starting back up and FaithBuilders (kids club at church) starting again...we have to find the new groove. It's so weird how it feels like I have so much less time with school on. I guess it's just because I now have times that I HAVE to be home, otherwise, I'll miss Xander's bus. Xander is having fun at school and learning lots so that is awesome!

My exciting scrapping news is that I'm now a ScrapMatters Girl!! A new forum I've been hanging out at, ScrapMatters, has a team of us that encourage people with compliments on their work, police the gallery and things like that. We get "paid" with scrapping stuff and the amazing inspiration we get from looking at everybody's work. I've learned so much and gotten so many ideas already and am loving the fun chatter we get to have in our forums!

Out house renos are finally coming along, too. The roof was re-shingled Friday and the deck is well -formed...it just needs the top! The roofers came Thursday to prep - drop off shingles, put them where they'd need them, get the ladders set up etc. But, it only took them Friday (and not even all of it) to do the actual shingling. It was very impressive. I thought we'd be without the satellite dish for a couple days but it turned out to be more like a couple hours! We were very pleased and we really like the new shingles. Now, I'm just super excited for the deck to be done!

Here are some other pages I've done recently.

This picture was for a photo challenge to try to emphasize the eyes. I really like how the photo turned out! The layout might be a little girlie but I just loved the cute little flowers!

Kit - Forget-Me-Not by Andilynn Designs

This was for a ScrapMatters Girl speed scrap (or chat and scrap later :) ). I love how it turned out!

Kit - True Blessings by LDrag Designs

Brown, Green & Music papers, sparkles - Into the Night by Stolen Moments

Template - Scraps by Number B.L.O.C.K.E.D. by Stolen Moments

This was a kit I won and I love the colours. I simply adore this photo of Rene and Jonathan!

Kit - Modish by geniaBeana Scraps

Template by Connie Prince Digital Scrapbook Designs

OK Mom - this is it...the photo I was telling you about. I totally LOVE this photo of Xander at the beach! I didn't even do very much editing on it - just a little lightening!

Kit - Vintage Summer by WM[Sqaured] Designs

Background Paper - Wynken, Blynken & Nod by Stolen Moments and Scraps by Jenn

Alpha - Modish Acrylic Alpha by geniaBeana Scraps

Date Element - Simply Dated v8 by WM[Squared] Designs

OK - so now you're sort of up to date. I may type more in a bit and we have some fabulous family photos that I will post at some point in time! I am actually thinking of starting up a second blog for all my photos and talking and just leaving this as a scrap blog to post kits and pages on...I haven't decided for sure but we'll see how that goes!

Until next time...

Yesterday...

2010-09-23T21:50:00.004-06:00

OK, OK...I'm late with this kit again but I promise it really is a beautiful kit! Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out this week called Yesterday. It's a really pretty heritage kit and I had a lot of fun playing with it!! It's still on sale for 25% off at Stuff to Scrap for the rest of this week. Here are a couple of layouts I've done with it and the preview of the kit...

The boys and I, Mother's Day 2009:

This is for you, Mom! My Mom and her sisters...circa 1976ish, I think? Isn't it a cute photo?
And here is the preview of the entire kit...

We've been settling in to our new routine and I haven't quite got everything down yet but I promise I'll post some updates and other pages tomorrow! (In fact, I'll go schedule the post right now!)

Until next time...

Child's Play Revamped

2010-09-16T00:16:00.003-06:00

Hi all. Just a quick post (see Colette, told you I'd post)! Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out this week (well, a new old kit!!) This is a revamp of her Child's Play kit. I just love the bright colours! It's such a fun kit for all those kid pictures and it's available at Stuff to Scrap. Here are the two pages I did with it and the full preview! It's on sale this week so hurry over and snag it!

This one uses some snowflake brushes by hawksmont. I love how this turned out for a winter page!

This uses a template by Man in the Moon Designs...my poor, accident prone little Evan!

And the full kit...

It's late now! Off to bed or something like that!

Until next time...

Asian Beauty...FINALLY!

2010-09-06T21:44:00.004-06:00

OK...I am so late posting this kit. Hopefully I'll be forgiven! It was a busy week with kindergarten starting and swimming lessons and plans for the long weekend! Kindergarten is going well, so far. Xander seems to be really enjoying it, though insists he'll be talking "normal" (he's in French immersion). The bus is going well so far so that's good, too. He's growing up so fast, it's hard to believe. He keeps surprising me with new things that he'll do...all by himself! Swimming lessons also started well...we'll see how they progress.

The long weekend was good, too, though I now know why I'm not a camper - it's WAY too much work to get ready for just a couple days! We went up to northern SK to spend the weekend at the lake with my family. All the kids (but not quite all the in-laws) were there for a brief period of time, anyway. It was a gorgeous day on Saturday and (due to a forgetful Mom) we got a bit sunburned. It wasn't that hot so I didn't think to put on suntan lotion. The kids also went mini-golfing and we had a bit of a campfire. It wasn't as nice the rest of the weekend. It rained Sunday morning but we did get in our bonfire with wieners and s'mores so that was good! The kids also went off to play in the bush and it was fun to see them do that. I remember how much fun I had in the bush! My one niece got sick so she and her Mom stayed in town Sunday night. It rained hard Monday but we checked out that day, anyway. We made it home (somewhat tired but glad to be home). Now it's back to the routine and school again!

Now for the kit. Scrap of Ellay had a new kit out last week that I never got around to blogging about (due to the above). It's actually a collab with Misty O'Brien scraps and is a beautiful Asian-themed kit called Asian Beauty. It's available at Stuff to Scrap here. You can do so much more than just Asian themed pages with this. Here are the two I did...followed by the kit preview!

Well, I think that's all I have for now.

Until next time...

The Big Day!!

2010-08-29T23:32:00.007-06:00

Well, tomorrow is it...it's the big day...kindergarten!! I can't believe it's here. In some ways it seems to have snuck up on me but Xander's gotten so big that it really is time! I have mixed emotions...I'm not ready for it but I loved school and hope he will, too. I scrapped this page last week. I did it for a challenge on blending but it seemed so appropriate with the baby fading into the background and the little boy now the focus. I just love how it turned out, too, I've been trying to refine my pages and this one actually turned out almost how I envisioned!

Kit - A Time to Learn by Stolen Moments

Word Art by Scraps 'n Pieces

Date Stamp - The Only Date Stamps You'll Ever Need by Stolen Moments

This is what the journalling says, if you're curious:

You have made life an adventure for us all. The first born child is such a new and different thing that there is no way to describe it but as a daring adventure. It seems like you have been ours for forever and yet for such a short time. You are now 4 1/2...almost 5, really and you are about to go off to kindergarten. You are so excited but I'm not so sure that I'm ready to be sending you off so soon! I know you will do great and this will just lead to so many more daring adventures in both your life and in ours!

I also made this page this week and I think it is super cute! It was for a speed scrap over at Stuff to Scrap - it seems like forever since I've speed scrapped and I've missed them!

Kit - Wynken, Blynken & Nod by Stolen Moments and Scraps by Jenn

Last but definitely not least...today is another big day because it is my husband's birthday! We had an evening with his family and he got to play some of the fun games he got (or had previously). Despite the rest of my post, I'm not so good with the sappy stuff so just suffice it to say that I love you Jason and I'm glad that I'm the one who gets to celebrate all your birthdays with you!

I'll sign off now but I'll be back tomorrow with another new kit and some layouts (and hopefully good news of the first day!!)

Until next time...

Girls' Night Out!??

2010-08-17T00:22:00.003-06:00

Curious? No, I did not have a girls' night out...I don't remember the last time I had one of those! It's a new kit from Scraps of Ellay called Happy Hour (available at Stuff to Scrap)! It's a kit full of really pretty colours and elements great for scrapping, well, girls' nights out. Since I don't have picture of anything like that, I did manage to find other uses for it! I dug out some old negatives from a trip to Hawai'i I took back in 2000 with a friend of mine. Once I finally found them, I scanned them in and then edited them to finally come up with these layouts! It took me longer than I thought but I think the pages are really fun! This'll be a two page layout when I finally do up this book. Here they are (the first uses a template from Trixie Scraps):

Here's a look at the full preview (Ellay may also have a freebie on her blog later this week - you can check it out here):

Now, we'll say that I'm done posting because I'm quite tired tonight!! We started VBS this week at our church and I'm in charge of registration. We had just under 250 kids this week so it was absolutely crazy (in a good sort of way)!! Xander got to go for the first time and he had a blast. At one point in time, he saw me standing by the door and instead of a "hi" I got "why are you standin' there Mom?" He was quite suspicious that I had come to pick him up before it was all over! Most certainly not! Anyway, four more days to go!

Until next time...

Whew! We're done for now...

2010-08-06T22:25:00.003-06:00

Well, I have a couple of pages that I've scrapped just for fun that I want to show you so I thought I'd post. I'm also looking for validation as I showed my husband the lighthouse page (you'll see it soon) and asked him if it was pretty. His comment..."It's a picture, with words below it." I think it's better than that! That's what I get for asking a computer geek who's in the middle of a video game ;).

I am exhausted though. We've just finished the two weeks of swimming lessons (which usually included 30 to 60 minutes of play in the park). I had to go in the water with Evan and that was really tiring. They kids really enjoyed it. Xander didn't pass his level so I think we'll try again in the fall. We had some talks about the level of effort he put in but I think it was too little, too late. I didn't know we needed to until the second week, as I was in the water and unable to actually watch his lesson. He has made really good progress, though, and just has a couple more things he needs to work on. He wants to be in the same level as his cousin next summer, though, so we'll have to see what we can do (she's a bit of a fish). Evan's levels are solely based on age so as long as he's old enough, he can pass. They are really tired, though. It's good to have this break because it got us out and active a bit more. There was barely any TV these past two weeks and they hardly even objected for nap time! Evan does have a giant bump where he slipped and hit his head on the tile floor but he seems to have recovered. Now we have a week off before VBS starts up at church and another crazy week begins!

I'm really actually supposed to be cleaning so I'll just post those pictures already and get going!

This is a bunch of Jonathan smiling - he really is an easy baby and is such a good smiler...though we have pictures tomorrow so he probably won't smile at all! ;)

Kit - So Big! by Man in the Moon Designs

Leaves - Easter Morning by Man in the Moon Designs and Stolen Moments

Template by YB Designs

This is the lighthouse one...it's from my trip to Hawaii back in 2000.

Kit - Coastal Getaway by Scrap Matters Design Team

Well, I really should get back to the work I should be doing!

Until next time...

New (and Newish) Kits!

2010-08-02T23:16:00.004-06:00

OK, I've been delinquent in posting again... What can I say? We've had company and swimming lessons and I've actually got a bit of cleaning and organizing done! I love when I seem organized and start getting projects done. I can't wait to actually be finished some (namely my bedroom and my Indianapolis photo book and cross-stitch afghan). I picked up my creative team work with Scraps of Ellay again so that has got me doing a bit more scrapping! I have two kits to share with you (since I forgot to post last Monday!)

This week's kit is perfect for summer and all the pool pictures that you have! It also has plenty of adorable elements and papers that can be used for more general pictures. Now, it just so happens that we're in the middle of swimming lessons and had been out playing in my sister-in-law's pool so my pictures are all pool related! The kit is called Jump Right In and is available at Stuff to Scrap. It's 25% off this week, too!! Here are my layouts:

First time Evan has taken swimming lessons (he's a Duck):

This one uses a template by WM[Squared] Designs.

Here's a preview of the whole kit:

This next is last week's kit (also available at Stuff to Scrap), called Waiting for the Stork. I figured this was the perfect kit for my return from maternity leave! It's a departure from Ellay's regular style as she has used pastels for this one but it turned out SO cute!! Here are my layouts and a preview of the entire kit!

These are "pictures" of Jonathan. Template is by Shel Belle Scraps.

This is when I was pregnant with Evan. I didn't have any pics of me pregnant with Xander so I made sure to get a few with Evan!

The whole kit:

There, now I'm caught up on my kits!

Until next time...

Musings...

2010-07-23T22:41:00.002-06:00

There are no pictures this time, I just thought I should post. Life has suddenly become crazy. You know how summers have a way of doing that. It always seems that there are few summer plans and they are all so far away...then, all of a sudden they're on top of you and life is crazy and then the summer's gone. Maybe it's because my oldest starts school in the fall but this summer has gone by way too fast. It's kind of a bittersweet summer because of the approaching school. I'm sure I'll get over it and it'll all be good but it just seems too soon to be tied up in school stuff. Though I was at Staples yesterday and just had to look at some school supplies. I just had to pick them up and touch them and remember how great it felt the night before school started when I had all my new school supplies laid out in the living room so pretty and new. It was so exciting. I know that's incredibly nerdy but I hope my kids at least feel some of the excitement I did at going to school.

Anyway, before school starts there is still much to be done. We're still waiting for our roof to be redone...hopefully soon as we're starting to get some days (maybe even a week) with no rain. I've booked in for our fence to be replaced at the end of August and hopefully our deck will go in at the same time. I also need to get my butt in gear on painting the master bedroom. First, walls need to be washed and things hauled out and then I figure it should take me two to three weekends to paint everything. My fabric came in, though, so my cushions should be done soon. I'm getting very excited!

Swimming lessons start Monday, too. I can't believe they're here. It seems like just yesterday my sister-in-law and I were deciding which groups and times to put the kids in. We have two weeks of those (which should be fun), then a week off, then a week of VBS, another week off and then school starts. Also, in the middle of swimming lessons is the football game that some of my family will come into town to go to. I think Xander wants to go so I'll probably end up staying home but they'll have fun. I'm assuming that those two weeks off will end up being crazy, too. This week wasn't supposed to be too bad but we had Jonathan's vaccinations, then a doctor's appointment. Then my sister-in-law and I went out to buy the kids outfits that co-ordinated for their annual picture (we managed to do it mostly at one store, even!). Then we went over to play in their pool and Xander ended up having a sleep over so I ended up going back there today. I think Monday was the only day we weren't out of the house. Oh yeah, in there somewhere an appraiser came to look at the house. Life would just be boring if it weren't crazy, eh? The amazing thing is, we didn't even have a vacation planned and one of our kids is still an infant so we'll have to add one more set of activities in the future!

I'm actually sad that we aren't going on a vacation this year. It wasn't practical to plan one with me having a baby near the end of May. There were too many unknowns. Now, he's turned out to be such an easy baby that I'm antsy to go away. It just won't work with our other commitments, though. A LEGO store opened up in Calgary this past week and I'd love to take the kids to Calaway Park so that is so tempting but I guess it'll have to wait until next summer!

Well, I've typed a lot without really saying too much but I just felt like putting in a life update so I hope you enjoy this if you're reading it and I'll be back with some scrapbook pages on Monday!

Until next time...

Scrapbooking...

2010-07-15T23:58:00.003-06:00

Well, I've taken a bit of a break from scrapbooking due to the time I've been spending getting accustomed to having three kids, instead of two. I have done a few pages but they were mostly for a vacation book, which usually means I'm not as creative because I'm trying to get a million pictures on each page! However, I just finished this page for a challenge over at Scrap Matters and I thought the template was perfect for pictures of Jonathan's first smile. i thought I'd share the layout with you.

Papers - Baby on Board by Scraps by Andrea

Buttons - Someone to Love by Stolen Moments

String - A Bear's Winter by Kristi Westling

Charm - Baby Boy by A Work in Progress

Greenery - Orchidees by Corinne Designs

Date - Simply Dated v.8 by WM2 Designs

Alpha - Summer Come Early by Stacey Towers

Template by Stefanie

I really like how it turned out and I had a lot of fun doing it. It took me forever, too, because I usually only work with one kit or maybe two per page. This one I searched out things from a ton of places, as you can tell! Now to go post it on the forum!

Until next time...

More Cuteness...

2010-07-13T15:15:00.000-06:00

OK, I got through the rest of the pictures that I wanted to post for June (and a bit of July). Just some more cuteness that's random. Some of these do need explaining so I will put in a few comments. Just figured that since I was sitting in a storm, waiting for it to let up before I go get the boys, I'd update this. I don't feel like chatting (can't think of anything to say) so I'll just get on with the visuals!

All 3 in my new stroller. We can all go to the store and even bring back a few groceries!

The two bigger boys really love their baby brother (and seem so HUGE next to him)!

Here's some random Xander cuteness.

OK, these are OptiMash Prime potato head parts that Xander was using to pretend he was a Transformer.

Some random Evan cuteness.

So this picture below is actually a tribute to my Uncle Murray. I think most people who were at my wedding remember him. The outfit Evan is wearing is pretty much what Uncle Mur looked like at our wedding so we decided to do this tribute at Uncle Mur's daughter's wedding.

What everyone's really waiting for...random Jonathan cuteness.

This is his very first smile.

This is one of my absolute favourites!

Now you've had more random cuteness than you know what to do with! One of these days I'll get back to the more boring weekly pictures...maybe after I actually finish my Indianapolis book!

Until next time...

Random Cuteness

2010-07-06T00:27:00.006-06:00

Well, I've decided to take a break from trying to do up my pictures for my P52. I just wanted to edit some cute pictures of the kids and put up some random cuteness. I will do this in a few posts, I think, starting with this one. This is what I could get edited in the past hour so I will post them now. I actually had some time last night to do up another scrapbook page for my Indianapolis book so I'm hopeful that I may actually get it done sometime soon! Anyway, here are some pictures from late June.

I tried some more "artistic" editing so if you have any opinions on it (ones you like, ones you hate) let me know! I'll have some more from June in the next couple of days, so stay tuned!

Until next time...

Time Sure Flies!

2010-06-23T16:07:00.006-06:00

Well, it's been a little over a month since the newest member of our family arrived and I've blogged once. I feel a little guilty when I read the blog of an acquaintance who had preemie twins about a week before Jonathan was born and she has blogged way more than I have! I even got some pictures edited and have just got to post them.

Things have been going well. The boys still love Jonathan and he is still very relaxed for the most part (as long as he gets some cuddle time in). We are still working at getting into a routine but I can slowly see it starting to come together. We're looking forward to my sister coming for a visit tomorrow so I have a lot to do, still (they need a cleanish place to sleep, after all).

Xander has been loving t-ball (which is done tomorrow) when he actually gets to play. I bet half the games have been rained out this year. It's pretty crazy, the amount of rain we're getting. In fact, we were supposed to go to a wedding in Cypress Hills on July 1 but due to the flooding there, it's been moved to Regina. Good for us but not as good for my cousin who has to find venues before then! Xander went for a kindergarten test drive last week, too, and had a ton of fun. I think he'll be really excited to go in the fall. I was getting excited, too, as I hung around the school hallways. I used to love school...I know, I know, I'm such a nerd.

Anyway, here are a couple weeks of photos:

Week 7 (Feb 7-13)

Super Bowl Sunday is always fun in our house. We eat pizza and appys in the basement and watch the game in our jerseys. At least, the boys were in their jerseys. I don't believe that I actually fit into mine at this point in time!

Evan will probably hate me for this picture someday but isn't he so cute with that big ol' smile? He was just hamming it up for me when I got the camera and he has such a great smile.

It was such a moist winter that we had hoar frost for a good number of days. It really does make the bare tree branches (and hedges) look a lot prettier, though.

Blood work - I believe. I don't usually get a mark but I guess I did this time. I think this was likely for my glucose test. It went better than last pregnancy, so that was great.

Winter Olympics opening ceremonies. Wayne Gretzky lighting the outdoor flame. For those of you who knew me back when...need I say more? PS this was on TV, so it's actually a picture of my TV.

I wanted to make cupcakes for Valentine's Day and do something fun with the boys. Xander was more interested in this than Evan (though I think Evan's big cheeks are due to a mouthful of icing) so, of course, pink was not allowed and we had blue Valentine's cupcakes! They tasted just as good, though.

Week 8 (Feb 14-20)
Valentine's Day was spent with my sister and brother-in-law. We had Taco Del Mar...it was no surprise given that Tyler has to have it whenever he comes to town and we like the restaurant quite a bit, as well. They were on their way back through from vacation in Arizona and hung out for the day before heading back to Manitoba.

A favourite game in our house...Candy Land. It's so easy for the kids to play so they love being able to do it themselves. Also, I suck at random games so they almost always beat me.

More frosty pictures. I thought the tree was really pretty with our house in the foreground.

Ah, February with the stroller out. I had booked the boys haircuts but Jason ended up having a meeting of some sort that evening so I took them by myself. Since we're a single vehicle family, I got out the stroller and we walked the three or so blocks it is to the salon (have I ever mentioned that I live in the BEST location in the city?). It went really well...Xander sat by himself and let me sit with Evan and they both behaved! We even made it through the back alley with the stroller - though it was kind of hard to push at times.

My mother-in-law on her birthday. She had a great idea to go bowling. It's not so much that she loves it but the kids had so much fun. It was the first time that my kids had been bowling and Xander was so excited. I don't know if he even had a piece of this cake, or not. It was a lot of fun!

Here they are at Evan's turn. Xander is "helping" too. Jason spent a good portion of his time pushing their balls just a little so they'd make it to the end. They had bumpers in so that the balls wouldn't go in the gutter.

Fish...I love good seafood. Notice how I said GOOD seafood? The stuff in the grocery store is usually not particularly fresh and quite fishy and just not very good. So, if we want seafood, we go to Pacific Fresh Fish. This was Walleye...their fresh fish that day. It takes me back to my childhood and eating fresh caught fish at home. I couldn't catch them but I did love to eat them...usually like this. A simple batter and pan fried. So good.

There you go...two more weeks of photos. I kinda want to post some of the really cute pictures I got of the boys this morning but they are still on my camera (along with about 1000 other pictures - I really need to get those on the computer). Maybe I'll find some time in the not too distant future (or maybe not, since my sister will be here!)

Anyway,

Until next time...

He's Here!

2010-05-26T23:49:00.005-06:00

Well, it's actually been almost a week now but we finally have the newest addition to our family. Jonathan Glenn Berkan was born Thursday May 20, 2010 at 9:48 a.m. He was 8lbs 14oz and about 22" long. He came into this world very quickly so it was good I was prepared this time (I didn't have to pack my bag while I was in labour, like I did with Evan). My first contraction came less than two hours earlier at 8 a.m. Luckily, the boys were on their way out the door to Auntie's house anyway (I'd been sending them off to play as I was only getting about an hour and a half to three hours of sleep per night). My doctor managed to make it there at about 9:35 and we started pushing a couple minutes later. We were much too quick to get to use any drugs and that was an experience in and of itself. It went super well, though, and both of us came through it well. I have recovered much more quickly than with either of the other two children and he has been an amazingly laid back baby. This is all making the adjustment to three kids easier than I thought it might be. We were also blessed to have my sister and her husband come for a quick visit (and to help out) and my Mom is here now for a few days. Hopefully all will continue to go well. Even our experience in the mother baby unit at the hospital was considerably more pleasant than the last two (other than the heat being unbearable - so much for the air conditioned hospital).

Anyway, that's probably enough chatting...if you want more of the story, you can ask ;). Likely, what everyone would like more is to see some pictures...and here they are.

Just moments after he was born (in Labour & Delivery but after he was cleaned up!).

What a sweet little face...I think he looks like his brothers - mouth and chin are so similar to Evan.

Getting checked in at the nursery - all the measurements and everything done. That hand is headed for the mouth already!

Sweet little feet!

Such a cutie...he has been so calm and laid back!

I love this picture but it was dark so there's a lot of camera shake. I still couldn't resist!

Proud big brother Xander - he wants to help with everything. He even told me that when he's older he'll look after Evan and the baby so I don't have to do anything!!

The newest big brother - loving his little baby!

How could you not love the cute little "Thinker" pose?

I'm sure there will be tons more pictures to post over time but these should give you a glimpse of our newest little one.

Until next time...

Killin' Time...

2010-05-15T22:19:00.007-06:00

Well, I'm 39 1/2 weeks pregnant and I have zero motivation to do anything. In fact, I uploaded these pictures over an hour ago and am now forcing myself to write this blog post. I am so ready for this baby to get here. I am hot, itchy and sleep deprived (and yes, generally, I get more sleep with a newborn than at the end of my pregnancy). I am not looking forward to the 27 degrees it's supposed to be for the next 4 days or so and hope to spend at least some of that in an air conditioned hospital! Oh, well, there's not a lot that I can really do but try to be patient (key word there is try).

Anyway, I have another two weeks of pictures to show you.

Week 5 Jan 24-30
My parents drove down through a snowstorm for a retreat they were attending/organizing. They happened to come on Dad's birthday so I made him an angel food cake with 7 minute frosting. It was my first ever attempt and my Mom thought I did even better than hers! It was yummy. Here's Grandpa with his birthday present hat and his two cute grandsons.

Here is the results of the snowstorm. We got a crazy amount of snow. Actual snowfall was about a foot but the drifts in our backyard were more like 5 feet.

Jason and Xander building a train track. This set is really a lot of fun to build with...I just think we need some more pieces!

Care group night. We put the chairs out in the living room for people to use and the boys think they make great tunnels to crawl under. It's really cute until someone tries to stand up, anyway!

Jason has this old NASCAR track that he pulled out for the boys. They had some fun with it but the batteries were almost dead so it couldn't really run both cars at once!

My two boys playing Wii. They are so cute when they play together. Xander is actually playing while Evan just has a "dead" controller. They had to sit on the gaming bean bag, just like Daddy does.

Another one of those cute pictures of them sitting together nicely. This actually started with Xander putting his arm around Evan but I didn't get that pic!

Week 6 Jan 31 - Feb 6
This is a picture of the purse I got for Christmas from my parents. It's so cool - made out of old seatbelts. I really like it because they are stiff and give it some form, even if it's not full. It's just the right size, too, not too big, not too small.

Here is my wonderful husband doing dishes for me. My back really bothered me this pregnancy so he was doing dishes even back then, since I couldn't stand in front of the sink that long. I would try to do some of them and then just leave him the rest but I think he did them all this day.

Our old front door. This is the day before it was getting replaced. Goodbye to the ugly, drafty door. Though, I do think the kids loved the mail slot for looking through but they seem to have adjusted.

Here are the window/door guys with our new upstairs windows and front door. It has made a huge difference having these new windows and I just love how they look!

Here is my sister and brother-in-law's car. This is the only evidence that they stayed night at our house. They pulled in late one night and met up with my other sister and brother-in-law to head to Phoenix. They left at some unearthly hour like 3 a.m., after sleeping for about 4 or 5 hours. They're crazy.

The Scotties Tournament of Hearts was on this weekend. This was the semi-final - PEI was the surprise story of the week. They made it this far with a 4th rock thrower who was only 21 or something like that (as was one of their other players). They did incredibly well for the age of the team and it's too bad they didn't win!

Well, I did it. I made myself finish this post, though my hands are getting really warm and starting to bug me so I'd best go. Hopefully I'll be back soon telling you about our new baby but I won't hold my breath!!

Until next time...

Too Far Behind...

2010-05-12T23:45:00.003-06:00

Well, I hate to say this but there is a FREE kit out right now that I haven't yet told you about. It's a really awesome kit, too and it's a COLLAB between Scraps of Ellay and Nibbles Skribbles. I managed to work with it but the whole being 9 months pregnant thing is making me too tired to be creative or scrap. I did get a couple pages done, though. It's a mother's day kit and is great. I had a good mother's day of doing nothing. We actually ordered in food Saturday night because that's when I was craving it. Jason's parents were over on Friday to celebrate with his Mom so Sunday was just quiet and we did very little. I was gonna scrap those pics but I was too tired to download them. Instead, here are a couple pages that I did and then the previews of the kit.

This one was from when I was in the hospital with Evan...once again becoming a Mommy.

This picture is from Mother's Day 2009. My lovely boys and the flowers they gave me!

You can go to Scraps of Ellay's blog to pick up her part of the collab and there are links to Nibbles Skribbles part there, as well. Here are the previews:

Scraps of Ellay

Nibbles Skribbles

I do have some photos edited but I don't have the energy to post them right now. Maybe tomorrow if I feel up to it!!

Until next time...

I Hate This Part...

2010-04-30T12:05:00.002-06:00

I hate this part...really I do. I am absolutely exhausted today. I slept horribly last night - and that was after I moved to the couch, where I usually sleep better. I guess I should have moved another floor down to the basement. I will make a confession, as well, I'm horrible when I'm tired. I don't even want to be around me - think of what that's like for my poor kids. Today, I hate toy cars, I hate lunch and I'm getting quotes for a new furnace (not going so well). It's days like today that the kids always seem to fight more and be more cranky. It's been the cars, again. You'd think with, something like 100 toys cars and 1850 square feet of house, they could each take a few and play in different parts of the room, even...but no, they have to have the same car and play exactly where their brother is sitting. I also hate lunch because I have no good ideas...I am sick of the same 4 things over and over. Can you tell I'm cranky today? I think I need a vacation. But, when it comes down to it, I have to keep going.

It's easier when you remember the sweet things and cute things they do...like Xander getting down in his "ready" position at ball and chasing that ball no matter where it's hit. Or Evan, playing with his truck at the ball game and, when he finds a ladybug, putting the ladybug in the driver's seat. Then I feel really bad. Good thing that God promises to forgive us if only we ask. Luckily, our children usually do, too.

Maybe I'll get a nap in this afternoon. First, one more furnace guy... this is getting expensive!

Until next time...

Why are they cute when they're in trouble?

2010-04-24T23:06:00.002-06:00

Well, I've picked out pictures for the next few weeks of the year but I have to edit them so I haven't put them up yet. Everything just seems to take so much energy lately. I went to the grocery store to pick up a few things today (and by that I mean I only had to go down 3 aisles) and it totally wiped me out. In fact, I think I've had three separate naps already and am considering going to bed soon! Anyway, I just thought I'd share a cute story from today (also, then I can look back and remember it!).

Evan got in trouble today. That's nothing new. For screaming. Again, nothing new (if anyone has ideas on how to get him to stop, I'd love to hear them!) Anyway, once he gets over the fact that he's in time out, he's quiet. Then I hear this talking from the corner. Once I start listening, I realize that he's reciting his Thomas' ABC Book. We read this a fair bit and I knew he knew at least some of them but I didn't realize he knew it this well! "A is for All Aboard. All aboard calls Thomas the Tank Engine. B is for Bertie the Bus. Bertie is Thomas' friend. Beep, beep." and on and on he went. He got all the way to Q but then the timer went so he stopped. Of course, this was when I was supposed to go over and give him the stern talking to but it was oh so hard when all I could think was that's so cute and I had to hide my smile the whole time!

Anyway, I think I'll go have some ice cream and then get ready for bed!

Until next time...

New Kits...I'm Finally Posting!

2010-04-20T11:17:00.005-06:00

I'm sitting here listening to my 2 year old play guitar and sing a song he made up...it seems to be about the people in our family and how Dad went to work. It's really incredibly cute. I'm trying to enjoy these times as I'm sure that in a few weeks, when the new baby gets here, it will be much harder to sit and enjoy the serenades!

I have been so bad about posting lately but I have been very physically exhausted this last bit. I even ended up starting my mat leave a couple weeks early because it just was not working to get out of the house and get to work and then be productive. I was totally useless for the first couple hours of the day! This means that the list of things I'd like to do (which is a mile long and includes scrapbooking and photo posting on my blog) has not been getting done, either. I basically slept last week.

This means that I'm actually going to post two new kits today. The first was was released yesterday and is on sale for 25% off this week at Stuff to Scrap! This is a collab between Scraps of Ellay and IvoryKeys Digital Dreams and is an absolutely adorable kit called Muddy Buddies! It's kinda grungy and dirty for all those great outdoor pictures you have! It was perfect for me as I had just finished taking pictures of the boys playing in the puddles... here are my two layouts and a preview of the kit.

This is the aftermath of the storm we had April 9th...home renos have been re-prioritized for this summer, I think! This is for the template challenge at STS.
This was done for a speed scrap at STS. We took the boys out on Good Friday after our church service and played in some puddles. It was a lot of fun!

Here is the preview of the whole kit.

Now, for the second kit. Scraps of Ellay created this kit called Three R's to celebrate Earth Day and it is on sale for 50% off TODAY ONLY! I didn't have a lot of pictures along that theme but the colours were SO pretty that I just loved working with this kit!

Here are my layouts:

This was for the recipe challenge at STS.

This one uses a template by Gwenipooh Designs and I really like how it turned out with the contrast in elegant pictures and more rustic background!

Here is a preview of the full kit and you can pick it up at Stuff to Scrap.

Until next time...(which hopefully won't be so long!!)

Hmmm...Do You Think I'm Still Alive?

2010-04-08T14:44:00.006-06:00

OK...it has been a short eon since I have updated my blog. I don't even know where I am at the moment. I have had such good intentions but, alas, working 3 days a week, chasing two small boys and being about 7 1/2 months pregnant seems to have gotten the best of me. For example, Easter weekend was great...Friday I napped, Saturday I napped, Sunday we had company, then I napped. I know I need it but it is kind of frustrating in that there are things I would like to get done. Xander and I did go for a kindergarten test drive about a week and a half ago and he is so excited about school now. It took him a bit to warm up to it but then he really enjoyed it (we were only there about an hour). I also found out that one of the other Moms is someone that I knew at university about 13 years ago! That was kinda cool. Now I think we'll get Xander out in T-ball and see how he likes that. We bought him a glove and bat and tee. He likes to hit the ball but is not so keen on the glove things. Oh well, he's still young.

I think I'm on week 3 of my pictures (actually, I had to go back and check the blog because it's been so long). I have two weeks ready to go so I will give you weeks 3 and 4 and we'll try to get out of January before too long!

Week 3 January 10 - 16
I introduced my kids to "it's Sunday supper - I'm not making food" night. We usually did this growing up...nobody really wanted to cook supper Sunday night so we would have sandwiches or leftovers or whatever you wanted to make for yourself, once you got older. This was an old standby, too - popcorn. Xander's old enough to enjoy it but Evan's still a bit too young as he really hates getting it in his teeth!
There's a lot of food this week! This was another childhood food I introduced Xander to...cinnamon toast. Mix a little brown sugar and a little cinnamon, put it on buttered toast and YUM! Again, Evan doesn't like cinnamon yet, still a bit too young. Xander, however, one day ate three pieces of this for lunch. I was amazed!
The 12th was my birthday - I already blogged about this so here's the select pictures that are going in the album...me and my cake (above) and the gorgeous weather (below).

This also happened on my birthday. The Haiti earthquake...I blogged about this already, too, so there's not much to say. I heard that kids are finally returning to school in Port-au-Prince, though (three months later) so that's a good sign that people are trying to find normalcy again.
This was the sky one evening...it was so pretty and this picture isn't even altered! I found the sunrise setting on my camera and it takes amazing pictures of the sunrise/sunset. The colours are so much better and more accurate than the auto setting gives!
Xander wouldn't let me take his picture so I had to sneak this one. He's getting ready for his very first sleepover at Nana and Papa's house. He had a lot of fun but did have some trouble sleeping (as he often does in a new place). He came home and declared he didn't want anymore sleepovers because he didn't sleep! Silly kid.
This is my Evan with his smushed up face. He took a header down the cement stairs outside and landed on his nose. It looked horrible but he didn't seem to care too much. In fact, he gave me the cutest smiles when I asked to take a picture of his nose!

Week 4 - January 17-23

We bought this new stroller (I actually got a triple this weekend, too) but these are the travel ones we like best and they are about twice the price of an umbrella stroller but go on sale for half price, which makes them a steal. Evan loves it, too, as he climbed in when I set it up and sat there to watch TV. He even wanted to be buckled in and refused to get out. It was pretty cute!
Here is my husband playing Wii. The was MarioKart Wii. He has pretty much beaten the game. Xander loves to play it, too, and I'm even getting not that bad at it!
We needed something to do this day as the kids were kind of antsy. I decided that baking is a good thing to do. It keeps at least Xander busy and out of Evan's hair. This time, Evan even joined in the fun for a bit!
This is what we baked...three kinds of muffins...blueberry, raspberry and banana chocolate chip (the favourite). Muffins are so quick and easy to make so it's a great thing to do with the kids!
My boys rockin' it out to Rock Band. Evan loves to "play guitar" - he's definitely our little musician - and Xander decided to do vocals this time. He likes to sing certain songs and was even referring to the Backyardigans karaoke DVD as Rock Band today!

Saturday we went, though the blizzard, to the Rider store at the north end of the city (after Xander had his blood taken and got sick - but he still wanted to go). We spent Jason's Christmas present and got the boys Rider jerseys. They love to wear their football jerseys, especially if Jason's wearing his.

And, it looks like that's the end of week 4. Now I just need to get a few more weeks caught up (and get the old stuff scrapped - but that's another story). It doesn't seem as daunting when I do it by week instead of by day!

Until next time...

Blog Train!!

2010-03-30T08:30:00.002-06:00

OK. That amazing kit I showed you yesterday? Well, here's your chance to get some awesome freebies! Ellay and Nicole's CTs have gotten together to hand out some fabulous free quick pages! You can just about have a book when you're done with all of these!

Here is a preview of mine:

You can download it from 4shared here.

Here is the rest of the blog hop (if they're not up when you get there, please be patient and return as we're all in different time zones):

Sandra<---You are here

Ellay has a link on her blog to Nicole's for Nicole's CT pages!

Until next time...

Food of Love...

2010-03-29T21:24:00.003-06:00

Here's another great kit...this time it's a collab by Scraps of Ellay and Digi-Designs by Nicole. This is a beautiful, romantic, musical kit called Food of Love. However, it has so much more than that and can be used with other things, too! Here are a couple of layouts I've done up with the kit.

This first one uses a template by Poupy and is from our trip to Indianapolis.

Here is a preview of the entire kit, which you can pick up at Stuff to Scrap.

If you come back tomorrow (Tuesday) I'll have a special treat for you, too!!

Until next time...

In the Woods...

2010-03-24T22:37:00.002-06:00

Well, Scraps of Ellay has come out with another new release this week! It is a very cute and springy kit called In the Woods. I love the colours in this kit and come up with, what I think, is a couple really cute layouts! This first is for a desktop challenge at Stuff to Scrap. This is what I will look at for April.

I really like how this page turned out with the black and white family picture!
Here is a preview of the kit that you can pick up at Stuff to Scrap. It is 25% off right now! Also, Ellay has a freebie alpha on her blog right now!!
Until next time...

Some Layouts I've Done...

2010-03-18T15:00:00.005-06:00

I realize now that I haven't really posted much for layouts lately, other than my CT stuff so I figured it's time to show off some of the things I've done! I've done some pages I really like lately.

Here they are:

This one was for a speed scrap and is from our trip to Indianapolis.

Blue paper, mattes, glitter and rope - Greased Lightning by Scraps of Ellay

Staples - Just Scrap It by Scraps of Ellay

Striped paper, Checkered ribbon, float - Fabulous '50s by Kathy Winters Designs and Laurinda's Digiscraps

Alphas - Plain Alpha by Flowerscraps and Tiny Tin Alpha by Nibbles Skribbles

This next one is from the speed scrap at STS a couple days ago and I love how it turned out.

Kit - In His Pockets by Scrapalicious Cereal

Alpha - Plain Alpha by Flowerscraps

This was a challenge to feature green in your layout and I really love how it turned out!

Kit - Green Romance by Fanette Designs

This next set is a two page layout that I did for a motto challenge (Microsoft - Where Do You Want to Go Today?) featuring the snow storm we had in January. It snowed about 12" but our drifts were about 5' high in places!

Kit - Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes by Stolen Moments Designs

Template - CD#10 by Senovia Designs

Alpha - My Life by Stolen Moments Designs

Kit - Chocolate Frosted Snowflakes by Stolen Moments Designs

Template - CD#10 by Senovia Designs

This one was for a template challenge.

Kit - Lovely Mini by Eva Marina Designs

Template by WM2 Designs

This was of Xander's first dentist visit but I didn't actually get a shot of him in the chair that time!

Kit - Toothiness by Eva Marina Scraps and Creations by Rachel

I worked really hard to earn this kit free simply because I really wanted to use it to redo Evan's first bath page and I love how it turned out! This was a speed scrap, too.

Kit - In the Tub by TotallyD Designs

Torn Edge by Becky's Scraps

This was done for a scraplift over at Scrap Matters and I simple LOVE how it turned out. This is probably one of my all-time favourite pages.

Background paper, frame (recoloured) - Meliage by Petit Moineaux

Stitching - Hello Easter by Scrappy Cocoa

Greenery, flower stamp - Stop the Time by Melancolie

Seashells - Sea Life by Cajoline Scraps

Pearls - Remember Me by Sarah Bennett

Bow (recoloured) - Like No Other by Eva Marina Scraps

This one was also for a speed scrap but I think it turned out pretty cute.

Kit - Santa's List by Every Ever After Moment

Glitter - Thompson's Room by Scraps of Ellay

Tag - Beach Bum by Digi-Designs by Nicole

Alpha - Dandelion Dreams by A Work in Progress

There are several pages that I've been pretty happy with. Now, I've got pictures picked out for my next batch of weeks, I just have to edit and post. I hope I can do that sometime soon.

Until next time...

Fairy's Garden!

2010-03-17T22:26:00.004-06:00

Well, Christie Dawn (who is also on the Scraps of Ellay CT) is one of Stuff to Scrap's newest designers under the name Scrappin' Serenity. She has some absolutely adorable kits but this is her newest one. It just went into the store today and she was nice enough to let some of us play with it! Here is a preview of the kit (followed by a LO I made with it).

Isn't it cute? You can check out her store at STS for this kit!

Until next time...

SPEED SCRAP!!

2010-03-11T22:53:00.002-06:00

I just thought I'd drop a quick note to let you all know that there's a speed scrap over at Stuff to Scrap tomorrow and Lori from Scraps of Ellay is hosting it! She's got an adorable participation prize of quick pages from With All My Art. I'm hoping to make it...I probably will, if I don't forget about it! Sometimes my memory fails me ;). The details are all in the poster below!

Until next time...

New Kit - With All My Art!

2010-03-07T23:45:00.004-06:00

Well, the days continue to fly by. I can't believe it's March already! Also, the Olympics are done but the curling's back today! I'm happy that the Brier started so we get another week of curling. Xander's been loving this, too, though he just watches a bit and then goes to "play curling" with some wooden alphabet blocks. He's so cute and even "cleans" his rocks and talks strategy while doing this. He wants to go see a real game sometime - maybe next year when the men's Worlds are here in Regina!

Anyway, the point of this post is to tell you that Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out this week! It's called With All My Art and is a collab with Knittenjen from our CT! At first I wasn't sure what to scrap...my boys are not the most art-y (probably because I never think to do crafts). Evan's just starting to get into it and does love to colour but we do very little at home. Then, the perfect situation presented itself. Xander coloured parts for a house and then glued them together at church on Thursday and his teacher was telling me how impressed she was. This led to him wanting me to show him how to draw a house on Friday and then him drawing houses all weekend! I even took some pictures of his pictures, which I think is a great way to "save" them without the paper clutter!

Anyway, here are the two LOs I did with this kit. This is a two page spread and I thought the corkboard was perfect for this!!

Page 1

Page 2

Here is the preview of Ellay's part, which you can pick up in the store here. It's 25% off right now! Also, if you go to her blog here, she has a freebie for everyone!

I didn't get a chance to do a page with Jen's part but she is GIVING HER PART AWAY FOR FREE on her blog here. So, you can pick it up in parts this week and check out some pages done with hers. Here is a preview of that part:

I've done a bunch of other LOs that I really should post at some point in time (I really love some of them) but not tonight!

Until next time...

I Guess I Should Start 2010...

2010-03-03T22:55:00.007-06:00

Well, I haven't been on here much lately. I'm not sure why - partly it's because my back gets sore sitting at the computer and partly I've been trying to get other things done (oh yeah, and falling asleep with the boys when they nap and...that's right CURLING!!) I figured that I should at least get a couple of weeks posted for 2010. I actually have a lot of photos for week 2 but that's OK. There's a couple of days before the Brier starts and I have to go back to watching curling again so I have a bit of time. That was the best thing about the Olympics this year...there was curling to fill the gap between the Scotties and the Brier...can you tell I like curling? The boys are even getting into it. Xander is SO cute curling with his wooden blocks and showing me what his strategy and path is going to be and how it will curl. Even Evan walked around the other day saying "I wanna watch curling". He mostly likes when it's yellow's turn.

I'm also getting more pregnant by the day. I'm really starting to feel huge and it's getting harder to get the boys around. Luckily, they can both now climb into the car by themselves and that really does help...especially with their motivation to actually get in the car. Xander has made it into a booster seat so he can get himself out of the car, too. Work is so-so. I'm definitely not enjoying it like I once did and am ready for the end of April...8 more weeks of "winter" ;).

Anyway here are some pictures and I'll organize them by week.

Week 1 - January 1-2

This was Jan 1. Auntie Rona stayed with us for a day or two before she left town for visiting and, eventually, Edmonton. Here she is helping Xander build some LEGO.On Jan 2 (really early for me) we took down the Christmas tree. I'm not sure why, but I was ready for it to come down this year. I guess I just wanted my space back. Xander did a really good job helping me take down the ornaments and the lights. I also liked the looks of the pile of ornaments below so I thought I'd add it to week 1!

Week 2 - January 3-9

This was the final for our fantasy football league. The last game of the year and my husband played my dad. Oh the tension! Not really but my husband won for the third time in four years. This trophy hasn't been out of our house since we started the league!

Here is Evan doing actions to "12 Men Went to Spy on Canaan". He is so incredibly cute when he sings this and he is doing "spy" here. The cutest is when he sings 10 were bad and 2 were good and his thumbs up ends up being more like an arm swing to big band music (or maybe Carlton-style if you know what I'm talking about ;) ).

Xander had to go get his 4 year immunizations. He's so good about needles and he did really well. He did freak out a little bit because the nurse made Jason hold him down. It was the holding down that made him cry and he could have cared less about the needle. She should have just let him sit nicely. Anyway, here he's showing me the gum he got for a treat while we wait our 15 minutes before leaving.

This is Xander's Mii from the Wii. He finished all of the cups on 50cc in MarioKart Wii (pretty good for a 4 year old) and it "took" this picture of him with Mario and Peach. I'm finally getting to the point where I can beat him (sometimes) but it has taken a LOT of practice.

My brother-in-law Tyler got to run with the Olympic torch in Manitoba and he posed by this giant pumpkin at the end of his run. It was great for exposure, since he made the news and even the Olympic website, I believe. We didn't get to see him run in real life but this is a picture of the TV from the news coverage that night.

The Saturday of this week was the day that the Olympic torch came through Regina. Now, it really no longer means that much to me but I remember my parents taking us to see things like this if they were coming by and those were great childhood memories of things I got to experience. I kind of wanted that for my kids, too. As I was thinking we should do this, Jason's parents invited us to come watch it from the balcony of their building as the torch would run right past it. Now we definitely couldn't pass that up. I think this might get a separate page as I'd like to get in pictures of all of us there (even new baby).

Here we all are waiting for the torch to come by:

Me (and new baby) - my mother-in-law actually took this picture because I am never in my own pictures!

Jason and Evan watching for the torch:

Xander waiting in the slightly chilly evening:

Then came the torch. It was dark and we were on a second floor balcony so my pictures didn't turn out that great, even though I had my good flash on. They are OK for what they are, though.

This is probably my best one. It's a bit foggy but you can actually see the person and everything.

This is without the flash. It's not bad lighting-wise but it really is quite blurry.

This one was from a distance so the flash didn't do much but light up the reflective parts of their uniforms. I actually kind of like how it turned out because I ended up with a good picture of the flame and the Olympic rings lit from behind. Kinda neat, I think.

And that was the second week in January. So, I guess you can see how my photo project for 2010 will turn out. Some days may have multiple pictures and some days may not have any but I'll try to capture a slice of life.

Now, the boys slept horribly last night (and in my bed so I had very little sleep, too) so I should really go to bed now.

Until next time...

New Kit and Luggage Tag Blog Train Freebie!!

2010-02-15T00:55:00.002-06:00

Hey Dude! Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out! She's teamed up with The Scrappy Kat to bring you a great teenaged boy themed kit. It's full of cool elements and great boy colours! It was a lot of fun to work with. I've got this LO to show you (I did it for the STS template challenge).

You can click on the preview below to check this out in the store - it's even 35% off right now!...but don't leave yet! If you scroll down a bit, you can pick up my contribution to the luggage tag blog train!

Here it is. Scraps of Ellay's CT has teamed up with the Scrappy Kat's CT to offer you a ton of free luggage tags with this kit. You can pick up mine by clicking the link below my preview. I've included a list of Scraps of Ellay's CT but if you head over to Ellay's blog, you can hop to Kat's CTs, as well!
Download here

The blog hop:

Sandra <---You are here

Ellay

Until next time...

Time to Finish 2009!!!

2010-02-11T15:42:00.005-06:00

Well, today has not been the best day that I've ever had. I am cranky and tired and taking it out on my boys, which makes me feel even worse. I think I need a nap but they started theirs so late that I thought I'd take some time to do a few things I wanted to on the computer. Though, even this is getting more difficult because my back is starting to bother me when I sit at the computer too long. I am now 6 months pregnant and while this pregnancy has been pretty easy, it's definitely felt different than the others, which makes it harder, in some ways! I am looking forward to a long weekend and hopefully getting some rest and a few things done around the house!

Now, here is the final batch of pictures from 2009. I can't believe I finally got them all on here - now to just get them all scrapped! I'm done up to week 5 so I have made some progress.

Day 354 (Dec 20):

The day after Christmas, we went to church and then just hung out at my parents' place and at my brothers' place. Most people left so it was very low key but enjoyable! We played some new games (like my niece's Extreme Jenga above) and snacked. It was great to hang out and that Extreme Jenga is kinda crazy!

Day 355 (Dec 21):

Really, my picture should have been of the fried fish lunch that I finally got to have at Mom & Dad's thanks to a gentleman from their church! I've been trying to snag some fresh lake fish for a meal for a while now both because I love it and Xander wanted to try it. It was a yummy lunch, even though I wasn't feeling particularly good. However, this was the first round of the playoffs for our football pool. My Dad, brother, husband and I all play in it and the four of us were the ones who made it past the first round! I am NA, my husband is TC, my brother is PH and my Dad is TD. After that, it was a family affair that my husband won for the third time in four years! (I won the other year :) ).

Day 356 (Dec 22):

That not feeling well turned into actual sickness. Tonsillitis or some such thing. I used to get it all the time when I was little and doctors threatened to remove my tonsils but I wouldn't let them. Anyway, I was pretty impressed that I called the doctor's office and was able to get in the same morning. My mother-in-law came and stayed with the boys and I got to go get these lovely pills. I love the fact that I can get pills, too - I used to hate that banana flavoured medicine. As soon as I could convince the doctor (about gr 1 or so) that yes, I CAN swallow a pill, I never had to have it again. All is took was another day and I was feeling much better (after wasting two vacation days from work sick).

Day 357 (Dec 23):

This was the day we got a big dump of snow. I was really glad that we didn't have to go anywhere. I guess it was a good thing that we'd been at my parents the weekend before. We got several inches of snow, as you can see on the picnic table and got this nice drift right outside our dining room doors.

Day 358 (Dec 24):

This was after the Christmas Eve service (but before supper, I think). We do our celebration then. It was a tradition in my family and I like the coziness of doing the presents and stuff at night. I figured we needed a family picture, too, and I think it turned out really well! The boys loved the timer on the camera and would grin like crazy while the lights were flashing so we got great smiles from everyone (even though Evan wouldn't put down his trains - oh well!)

Day 359 (Dec 25):

We had Christmas Day at our house with Jason's family. His mom wanted to start a new tradition of reading the Christmas story and having each grandkid be a character. When their character came into the story, they would light a candle on these cupcakes. I wasn't sure about the lighting the candle part (the oldest is 7 and the youngest 2) but it worked out OK. Evan was baby Jesus and he just ate the cupcake instead. What do you expect when you ask a 2 year old to hold a chocolate cupcake for the duration of the Christmas story? He devoured it, too - it was kinda cute. Then, everyone sang happy birthday to Jesus. It was kinda nice.

Day 360 (Dec 26):

Boxing Day was a day to just relax and hang out...yeah!! Xander even slept in until 10:15! Here he is have a relaxing jammie time just playing video games.

Day 361 (Dec 27):

This was my niece's birthday (isn't she cute?). She picked that cake out all by herself! We went swimming with my brother and his family to celebrate her birthday that day. Man, do the kids all love that! We need to do it more often. Then, we went back to her grandparents' for pizza and cake. It was a lot of fun and the kids always have fun playing together.

Day 362 (Dec 28):

Here is Xander tucking Evan in for the night. It is so cute when they do this but I'm glad that Evan usually still needs some cuddles from Mom afterwards. They're getting so big and independent!

Day 363 (Dec 29):

These were my nails after the manicure (or my "new nails" as Xander called them). I took my sister-in-law for her gift this day and we went and got manicures and then went for lunch. It was nice to get the pampering and to be able to just hang out and visit. My brother brought all the kids to our house and they all hung out together, too, so it was a good day had by all!

Day 364 (Dec 30):

This is a friend of ours who came over with her husband to visit. They seriously live not very far away but we hadn't seen them in ages. Jason & Allison are also friends with them so they came over, too. It was our friend's birthday so my nieces picked her out this adorable pink ice cream cake (not really her style so I had to take a pic). The moment Evan saw it, he beelined for it and tried to stick his finger in it. He loves ice cream cake! Hence, he got in all the pictures, too!

Now...DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

Day 365 (Dec 31):

New Year's Eve and the last of my pictures. New Year's Eve means very little in our house since we had kids. It didn't mean much more before then, either. We spent the evening playing video games with the boys. Evan really love Mario Kart Wii and was so excited when Xander was playing it. Then, I remembered that we had this plush Mario that we'd bought a few years back. I dug it out and Evan was so excited to see it! He was smiling and hugging it - so cute!

Wow - that's a year's worth of pictures. I'm glad I did this project. I think it turned out well..now I can't wait to get the book done up. Now, I'll have to start posting my 2010 stuff. It's not really a P365 or a P52 so I'll just call it my year by the week!

Until next time...

Quick Note About a Freebie

2010-02-06T15:47:00.003-06:00

Hi! I'm a bit late with this but Ellay of Scraps of Ellay and her CT have put together a blog train to celebrate her birthday this weekend! Life has been too crazy so I didn't participate but there are a tonne of goodies out there. Not only is it her birthday, but we just started up the CT blog this weekend, too so there's double to celebrate. Ellay has a full kit to give away for free and there are mini-kits and quickpages from the CT, too. I have a preview of Ellay's part and I will show you a few pages I've done with this kit - then you can pop over to her blog here and start collecting!! This is a grungy kit called Streets of Ellay and is a lot of fun. I used it to scrap two of my pages for my 2009 P365 book:

This one also uses a template from Scraps 'n Pieces.

This one uses parts from Ellay, Ginger's House, Scrappin' Serenity and IvoryKeys Digital Dreams, as well as a template from Scrapalicious Cereal.

The cardstock and glitter is sold separately in the store but I love them and these painted elements so I wanted to do a softer page to show that grunge isn't always manly! I love how this page turned out!

Here is a look at Ellay's preview!

I'm really tired so that's all I'm going to post today.

Until next time...

Rachel's Room

2010-02-03T23:28:00.003-06:00

Hi everyone! It's been a while since I've posted any scrapbooking stuff but there's a new kit out this week that I have to tell you about! It's an incredibly cute baby/little girl kit by Scraps of Ellay. It's the counterpart to her adorable Thompson's Room kit that was released a couple weeks ago. I don't have a lot of little girl pictures but I did manage to snag a few of myself as a week tyke from some slides I scanned in of my parents. Editing them was a bit of a challenge but I think these pages turned out awfully cute!

The word art on the second one is by Wordart World by Jennifer. It was fun to do some girl layouts! This kit is on sale this week for 25% off so if you hurry, you can still grab it. You can see the full kit preview below. As well, Ellay has done up some additional parts (glitter, age markers and...my favorite...quilted papers). I've shown the quilted papers below - you can get these all as a bundle and save! Make sure you scroll down for the store link and some further excitement...

You can find these in the store here.

But...this weekend is also Ellay's birthday and, to celebrate, she is having a big sale that started today. Everything in her store is 38% off! See the flyer below and click here to go to her store.

I've done a little bit of other scrapping, but mostly simple P365 from 2009 stuff. I'm lazy tonight and don't feel like posting more LOs for now but I'll be back later this weekend, maybe with pictures or LOs or both!

Until next time...

Almost done 2009!!

2010-01-30T00:40:00.005-06:00

Well, I have the rest of my 2009 pictures edited so I will have to try to get them all posted! I have about two more weeks to post and then I am back on to my 2010 pictures. I love getting caught up on stuff and I slowly but surely seem to be doing that lately. I even seem to have gotten a couple things organized in my craft room so that's progress! Anyway, here are my pictures for this couple of weeks.

Day 340 (Dec 6):

Here is Evan playing with part of Xander's birthday present...Mario Kart for the Wii...or, as the boys call it...Mario Kart Wii Woohoo! Evan actually sounds quite a bit like Mario. It's pretty cute. Evan was having fun playing with the steering wheel that comes with the game.

Day 341 (Dec 7):

Here are Xander and Jason playing another of Xander's birthday presents...Hullabaloo. It took him a while to take to this game but he seems to really like it now. It's kind of a random game but it's for kids so it's all good.

Day 342 (Dec 8):

Even Evan can play Hullabaloo. It was the end of a round and somebody won so he was smiling and clapping like everyone else. Such a cute little face!

Day 343 (Dec 9):

Evan learned to peel the Christmas oranges that he so greatly loves. The only problem then was that he always wanted an orange...even when he didn't want to eat it but just peel it!

Day 344 (Dec 10):

This is one of my new Christmas decorations this year. I think this one is so pretty and I finally got them on my tree! They're more sparkly than they look in the pictures, too. I love pretty decorations!

Day 345 (Dec 11):

What's so good about Christmas? And so horrible? The candy!! I love chocolate and sweets so Christmas can be a real challenge for me! These are incredibly good, too. So yummy (except the white ones!)

Day 346 (Dec 12):

Jason and I went Christmas shopping for the boys and we got to go out for lunch, too. We went to Red Lobster, because I was craving seafood. This was actually pretty good, but the scallops had a peach glaze on them that was SO sweet that even I could barely stand it. Really, scallops should be seared in some butter and maybe wrapped in bacon.

Day 347 (Dec 13):

Check out these temperatures. Usually we expect really cold weather in January but not so much December. This went on for a few days, too. The windchill was nasty!

Day 348 (Dec 14):

Evan was just sitting here so cute with his Wiimote. He just "plays" with them as everyone else does but he's not usually hooked up to the Wii. It's pretty cute!

Day 349 (Dec 15):

This was the first Christmas present that I wrapped this year. It was actually for our care group gift exchange that night. I love things getting all pretty and wrapped up but I put it off this year for fear that the boys wouldn't be able to leave them alone!

Day 350 (Dec 16):

This was my new haircut. It was a lot shorter than I thought but I liked how it turned out. I had it done at lunchtime (that's the great thing about working in a mall) so it was a new hairdresser. She straightened it for me, too, just to see was Xander would say (he didn't like it last time). He thought it looked good but it only stayed like that a couple days.

Day 351 (Dec 17):

Here is Evan opening his very first present of the Christmas season. It was from Auntie and Uncle and they got them the day before so I let them open them in the morning. Evan got a great train set...Auntie sure knows what they like!

Day 352 (Dec 18):

We went up to my parents' place for the weekend to celebrate Christmas. I always love going to visit and it gave us an opportunity to go see how their new house was shaping up. It's come a long way from a hole in the ground and I think it will be a really nice house when they are done!

Day 353 (Dec 19):

We celebrated Christmas this day. It was a lot of fun with brunch, sledding down my brother's hill, supper with all the trimmings and gifts! It's always a great time, getting together with family and just getting to hang out and enjoy each other. We try to get a picture of the crew each year. As the kids get a bit older, it gets a bit easier! This is our picture from this year!

Well, now I'm almost to the end of the year. I just have the last 12 days or so from the year to post. I'll do that next week, sometime. I'm just off to watch the Scotties - Xander and I are both excited to have curling back on TV this week!

Until next time...

Snow Day...Great Time to Get on the Blog!!

2010-01-25T14:54:00.007-06:00

Well, it has been crazy winter weather all weekend. It has snowed (A LOT) and we had blizzard conditions for the past day or so. The roads are crazy and so is our yard. I will post some pictures but I want to get some people in them for scale, first. I declared it a snow day today because my babysitter lives on residential streets and I was NOT going to try to get the kids there! I could just see me getting stuck. In fact, the city buses were getting stuck both yesterday and today. My parents drove down yesterday for a retreat (and didn't check the road reports). It was my Dad's birthday so they spent the evening with us and we got to celebrate with him. It was actually really cute. On Saturday Xander asked how many presents Grandpa would get. I told him not many (we don't really do presents) and so he asked why. I told him Grandpa's a big person and they don't get many presents like kids. So Xander said, big people only get big presents? and I asked him what he thought we should get Grandpa for his birthday. His response - a house. It was very cute! They didn't have to be at the retreat until today, so it was nice.

I decided that the miserable weather would be a good time to update my blog with some LOs and pictures. First the LOs. This is a new kit that Scraps of Ellay has in her store at STS. It's called Thompson's Room and was inspired by the little boy she nannies for. It is so cute and goes great with the boys' baby pictures. I especially LOVE the quilted papers. She also has a new set of templates in the store called "Dress Me Up". I used one of the Six Months LO. You can find links to the store following the previews.

Six months - this is Evan's photo shoot from when he was six months old. I have learned so much about editing photos that they seem so amateur before this!!

Kit - Thompson's Room by Scraps of Ellay

Template - Dress Me Up by Scraps of Ellay

This next one was of New Year's Eve 2007 - not that we do anything but that was when these were dated!!

Kit - Thompson's Room by Scraps of Ellay

Here are the kit and template previews. You can pick up the kit here and the templates here.

The kit:

The templates:

And now...my pictures. I have two more weeks to show you and that will bring us into December of 2009, which means I'm getting close to caught up. I love being caught up on things. I am also working on scrapping these and I will show you those pages another day.

Day 326 (Nov 22):

This was the last day of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series for 2009. Papa invited Xander and his cousin over to watch the final race and see who won the championship (not that there was much question). Of course, Jimmie Johnson won the championship and Papa and Nana gave the boys these bumper sticker to commemorate. It's the first thing that Xander's stuck on my nice, painted white bed. My first gut instinct was no...not my pretty bed! Then, I remembered how we used to do the same thing as kids and its no big deal!

Day 327 (Nov 23):

Here are the boys playing computer together. Really, Xander's playing and Evan's watching. I am loving it now that they are old enough to play together. They do fight and rough-house a bit too much at times, but that's boys for you (and siblings). It makes me smile when I do see the times that they just sit there together and play. Or (like today) Xander will sit on the couch beside Evan and put his arm around him or cuddle with him and it is SO cute but it never lasts very long so I have yet to get it on film!

Day 328 (Nov 24):

This is the day we have entitled:

Illustration - I Guess Nobody's Perfect

I got all my pictures off my camera and, apparently, did not have a single picture for this day. I don't think anything out of the ordinary happened, it was just not meant to be! Oh well, nobody is perfect...not even me ;).

Day 329 (Nov 25):

Xander wanted Daddy to read to him and Evan (who rarely goes to sleep before Xander goes to bed) had to hop up on Daddy's lap and join in, too. It's a pain when they're supposed to be in bed already but it really is a cute little scene!

Day 330 (Nov 26):

Illustration - I Guess Nobody's Perfect part 2

Apparently, I do not have a picture from this day, either. I guess I might sort of have an excuse since it was a very long day of just me and the boys. Jason had a client reception at work so he didn't come home until after bedtime. Maybe it was just a long, rather than cute, day!

Day 331 (Nov 27):

This is a representation of what we did on Friday. I went to the church and cleaned toys with a couple other ladies. I didn't take my camera to church so this is just a representation using our toys at home. During flu season this year, we have decided to clean the toys from our infant/toddler/preschool areas once a week just to help put parents' minds at ease. Due to H1N1, everybody has been a little more concerned this year and we want them to be comfortable bringing their kids to church. Germs, H1N1, that kind of stuff has never been that big a deal to me, personally, but I want to help make others comfortable, too. Actually, since the whole H1N1 thing has kinda died down, my co-worker and I (neither of whom got vaccinated) were joking that you should just watch us come down with it now. So far, nothing but regular winter colds!

Day 332 (Nov 28):

This was a crazy day...kids' Christmas party through Jason's work, quick naps, pictures for Xander...couldn't stuff much more in. I think I've regaled you with the tales of the kids' Christmas party so I won't go into much detail here. This is Xander picking his golf ball out of hole #14 - the one he got a hole-in-one on. That is one more hole-in-one than I got that day. He has a bit of trouble with the concept because he thinks that it's not a hole-in-one since it bounced off the wall!

Day 333 (Nov 29):

This was Grey Cup Sunday...the Riders made it to the final again and they were playing the Montreal Alouettes. It was a closer game than it should have been and ended up being lost on a too-many-men on the field penalty on the very last play of the game. While the Riders would not release the name of the extra player (kudos to them after other incidents that have taken place in this town after other playoff losses), the focus was all on this play. However, if you want to be fair, there were many other chances during the game that they had to put it away so that it would not have come down to the last play of the game. Still, it was a tough loss to take, especially after we watched Duval miss that first field goal!!

Day 334 (Nov 30):

One of Xander's favourite new games is Go Fish. He loves to play it. Evan wants to get in on the fun, too, but is too small so we give him the jokers to play with and he can play "Go Fish" by himself. Here are the boys having fun playing with Dad.

Day 335 (Dec 1):

I decorated in stages this year. Jason doesn't like me to put up the Christmas decorations before December 1st. I cheated a little and put the tree up before so that Xander and I could get in the decorating before bedtime. This is our small tree that we put in the basement this year to make the basement feel a little more cheery and Christmassy. The big tree didn't get done until much later!

Day 336 (Dec 2):

I tried taking a picture of the snow on the tree in the backyard after dark. I kinda like how the brightness of the snow still picks up so well with the flash, even after dark. The contrast was what I was going for. I didn't get exactly what I wanted, but I think it's still pretty!

Day 337 (Dec 3):

This was the day I decorated Xander's cake. December is such a busy month for us with his birthday and Christmas all in there! He wanted an Ewok forest cake with storm troopers and speeder bikes and a walker (please forgive me Jason, as I've probably used a wrong name in here ;) ). So, we recreated the bunker from the movie with these things and put a little Ewok hiding in the forest. I thought that was really cute so that's my picture today. What you don't see in either picture is that Jason also built a LEGO death star to hang from the ceiling above the cake. It turned out really cute!

Day 338 (Dec 4):

Here is Xander at his birthday party. It's really just family that comes at this point in time. He was so excited for cake and presents and to have people sing Happy Birthday to him. It was really cute and he had a great time!!

Day 339 (Dec 5):

This was Xander's actual birthday so we had one of his favourite meals (that's too hard to make for 25 or so people)...steak and corn on the cob. He absolutely loves it so I managed to find some corn on the cob and we had a great meal with Grandma and Grandpa Stein.

Well, there's two more weeks of pictures. I can't believe I'm into December...YAY!! Pretty soon I'll actually be current - won't that be great.

I think I may go do some scrapping now...see if I can't knock out a few more of those weeks.

Until next time...

My Birthday...

2010-01-16T21:06:00.005-06:00

Well, I meant to blog about this earlier - but you know how life goes... It was my birthday on Tuesday - January 12, 2010. I turned 32 this year. Now, I'm not big on birthdays...I hold nothing against them, either. They just are...or so mine is. Really, it's another year older but it's just a day older than you were the day before. :) I enjoy my birthday (it's a great excuse to do very little) but I don't make a big deal about it. It also seems like so many people spend their youth wishing they were old enough to (fill in the blank) and then spend their adult years lamenting the loss of youth. For now, I'm just comfortable where I am (it probably doesn't hurt that, for the most part, I have to think hard about how old I am - I always feel younger ;) ). Anyway, I thought I'd share with you my birthday in pictures this year. It wasn't a huge thing but my family made it special and God has so blessed me to have my husband and two boys.

First, this was a wonderful gift for the day...do you see that? 4 C on my birthday (may I remind you it was January 12th!). Now, this wasn't a record but isn't really common for this time of the year. It was so lovely that my co-worker and I took a walk at lunch time just because a day like that shouldn't be wasted in the office!

When I got home from work, we went outside. My boys spent some time playing in the snow (which mostly consists of shovelling it), while my dear husband made supper for us!

Here was the special part of the day! We BBQ'd steak! Now, I know there are many people out there who BBQ when it's cold or year round but my husband is not one of them. He doesn't see the difference between the BBQ and our indoor grill so he'd rather not stand out in the cold! However, for me, he (by himself) decided that we would BBQ steak for my birthday! I love a good steak, though the store was out of the cut we usually buy but it was all good, anyway.

Next I opened my presents. My boys got me a movie and my husband got me a CD. It was very sweet of them, though I have yet had time to watch/listen to them. Don't you love the wrapping paper?

On to the birthday cake... In fine tradition, we had DQ ice cream cake. This is probably the only birthday tradition that we have. When my brother and I moved here to go to university, we started buying each other ice cream cakes for our birthdays. We didn't do anything big, but it just made things a little bit special. It's carried on and, when my family is together for a birthday, we often (but not always) have ice cream cake. This one is a Turtles and pecan blizzard cake. It was very yummy!

These are the flowers that my Mother-in-Law bought me. She brought them to my office during the day. It was very nice of her. I love flowers, especially in the winter because they make things seem a little brighter and more spring-like!

That was my birthday in pictures. It was a good day, for me anyway.

Several countries away, though, there was an earthquake on my birthday. I'm not sure why, but Haiti caught my attention. There are many disasters in the world on an ongoing basis, but I don't usually pay too much attention. Quite frankly, I find the news very depressing so I read the newspaper and only read the headlines I want to. For some reason, Haiti touched me. I don't know if it's the side effect of studying an amazing book called "Crazy Love" this fall, but I think it might be. I was just so aware of how much we have and how much devastation they were facing. I think maybe it's also God broadening my horizons and giving me a bit more of a world view, lately. I even made a donation. It's not something I usually respond to, because it seems so superficial at times (who's going to pay attention in a couple weeks). If you've had any thought of doing the same and haven't acted on it, I urge you to. Just be sure to check out the charity you're donating to before you do it. See how they spend their money...how much really goes to those in need? Then give, as generously as you feel led to (because I know how easy it is to ignore those little promptings). OK...apparently I felt the need to preach a bit here but I hope you'll forgive me. This is also part of wanting to use my blog to record some deeper thoughts I have!

Really, my birthday was a bit of a contrast to events in the world but I am so glad that God gave me a great day to just relax and be with my family!

Until next time...

Catching Up...

2010-01-08T21:35:00.005-06:00

OK, so I'm trying to catch up on my pictures. I'm hoping to get these things done up so that I can start on the new year. Life has been busy as always, though. Another thing I'm hoping to do this year is get a little more open and a little more personal on my blog. It doesn't really come naturally to me but I think it's good to do "outside my comfort zone" things sometimes. We'll see how that goes...

This was my first week back at work after two weeks off and, to be honest, I would have rather been at home. Oh well, four more months and then I will be! Anyway, we didn't have Moms group on Thursday, which was OK because it's hard getting back to everything in the schedule all at once! We had our Wednesday night group and it was great to see everybody, again. Then Thursday I had booked a bunch of appointments, anyway. Xander had his final immunizations before he goes to school. He did really well, but kinda freaked out when the nurse had Jason hold him down. I know they need to do that with lots of kids but Xander doesn't care about needles at all and I think being held was the real problem. He didn't even notice the needle. Then, we dropped off the boys and I had my ultrasound. It was actually neat, because I went to a doctor's office, rather than the main radiology office to have it done. It was quicker, likely because the doctor actually did it and could see what he needed to see on the screen and didn't have to take a million pictures. Also, the techs aren't allowed to tell you anything, because they're not trained to interpret the ultrasounds. This doctor showed me where stuff was on the screen and told me what he was looking at and how it was all right then and there. It was interesting, actually, rather than just being a nap time. Unfortunately, the baby was hiding so he couldn't get a good picture...we just got a picture of the leg. Oh well, no big deal, really (at least not to me). Now, it's the weekend again and I'm trying to enjoy it rather than thinking that I have to go back to work in a couple days.

I think that tomorrow we'll take the boys to see the Olympic Torch, as it runs right by their Nana and Papa's house. My brother-in-law actually got to carry it yesterday in Manitoba and it was kinda cool to see him on the news last night. Apparently, he even made Sportsnet! Anyway, here are two more weeks of pictures.

Day 312 (Nov 8):

Candyland has been a really big game around our house, though now that he knows how to play Go Fish and Crazy Eights, Xander doesn't really play it as much. We found this old computer version that came out of a cereal box once and the boys really love it. Xander plays and Evan watches. It has neat extras where you can decorate sundaes and stuff like that.

Day 313 (Nov 9):

I finally found my cards! Not to say that I'm unorganized at times or that I don't always care, but I had "lost" my credit card and my new Air Miles card for about a month or so. I kept forgetting to look for them and I always check things online so I knew no one else was using them. I did find them, though, pretty much where I thought they would be so it was all good!

Day 314 (Nov 10):

I guess Candyland had been a big deal since the CD was my photo of the day a couple days later! The boys must have been playing it A LOT in that time period!

Day 315 (Nov 11):

This was Remembrance Day. A time to remember all those who fought for our country and the rights that we enjoy now days. It has become apparent to me how easy it is to forget something that we never knew in the first place (at least my generation). At least in school there was a program or a poster contest that we had to participate in. As an adult, it's so easy to just skip the program the city puts on and take it as another day off that we get to enjoy. I'll admit, we didn't go to any programs this year, though I strongly considered it. I wasn't sure that the boys would sit through the long one and it was too cold for the little kids to stand in the park for the wreath laying. I did try to tell Xander what it was about but he only grasped bits and pieces. Maybe next year we can go out to a program.

Day 316 (Nov 12):

OK, so you can't get the effect from this one picture but I plan to scrap a page with a couple pictures in a row. Evan can be so cute. He has taken to making the "beep...beep...beep" noise every time he backs up or he backs up one of his toys or we back the car up. It's quite funny. Here he was walking backwards through the dining room going "beep...beep...beep".

Day 317 (Nov 13):

This Friday we took the bus downtown (the boys and I), though not this particular bus. This is just a bus that goes by our house (possibly the same route we took, possibly not). We went to have lunch with Daddy. The boys enjoy doing this sometimes and we just meet Jason at the food court and have a nice little lunch. If it's in the summer and warm, sometimes we'll go to the park for a picnic.

Day 318 (Nov 14):

I made buns on my own for the first time ever. Not that they were hard to make but it was nice to have fresh buns in the house (I could eat them forever). These buns were the cheese buns that I made and they went so well with the hamburger soup we had for supper!

Day 319 (Nov 15):

I bought my wrapping paper for this year. I've never been really picky about wrapping paper but I've tried to co-ordinate it the last couple of years. I went traditional this year with red, green and silver and I thought it looked really pretty (though some of this wrapping paper was definitely NOT quality made). I really don't like the Santa Clause papers that always come in the bulk packages so I stopped buying those but I think it makes the presents look a little more like decorations!

Day 320 (Nov 16):

Here is Xander playing "usher". At our church, the staff and certain volunteers (like ushers, info booth people etc.) wear name tags on lanyards Sunday morning. It makes them easy to identify to new people or anyone. Jason wears one every week as he ushers and hands out bulletins. My uncle was in town for the Wintergreen craft show and left one of his passes at our place. Xander latched onto it as his "ushering thing". So, he wears it and hands out those little cards as bulletins and sometimes makes us play ushering.

Day 321 (Nov 17):

I broke my Swiffer WetJet. It was a very sad day...I was just a little careless and snapped it off in my hands. It was sad, because we use it ALL THE TIME!! Now, granted, it doesn't always do the best job (I find I still have to wash the floor periodically - which for me is every 3 or 4 months - to get all the corners and little spots) but we use it every week when we clean for care group. It really was sad and difficult to use in a couple pieces like this!

Day 322 (Nov 18):

This is Xander. He's being a goofball, hiding under his blanket. He got Evan going at it, too. They're just so much fun, sometimes!

Day 323 (Nov 19):

This was another one of those cute moments. I had put a movie on for them, it must have been Cars, and Xander crawled up on the couch under a blanket. Then, he called to Evan to come up, sit beside him and go under the blanket too. They usually get along pretty well but it really does warm my heart to see them care about each other!

Day 324 (Nov 20):

Ah, we're back to the oranges. Christmas oranges, as I call them, mandarin oranges to many other people. I just love them and this is truly one smell that I associate with Christmas. In fact, they were out so early this year that I resisted buying them because I didn't want the smell to become "average". I figured if we ate them too early, they wouldn't feel so Christmassy any more!

Day 325 (Nov 21):

I went upstairs to check on the boys one night (likely on my way to bed) and this is how I found Xander. Sometimes you just wonder about kids and how they fall asleep...like what were they doing and how can they possibly sleep like that. When I was a kid, I could sleep anywhere, anytime. I even once slept on a cement floor! I guess that makes it not so amazing that my kid can do it, too!

Wow, I guess that's another two weeks worth of pictures and we're through to the end of November. Now, if I could just get some of these things scrapped, that'd be great!!

Until next time...

Scrappy News...

2010-01-04T22:01:00.005-06:00

Well, I have some news for you...Eva Marina Scraps has out a new grab bag this week! It's out for a limited time only but is packed full of tons of goodies. There's a lot of stuff in there to help if you're doing P365 (some great frames, photomasks, elements and alphas), as well as a TONNE of other stuff. I'm just downloading it all now and sneaking a peak. I can't wait to work with it!! Hopefully I'll get some LOs done in the next couple days. You can go to Eva's store here to check it out!

Speaking of Enchanted Studio Scraps, they're turning 1 this month! There are big things going on and they're starting it off with a sale. Eva has her store 35% off until January 9th so hurry here and check out the great deals on gorgeous kits!!

Scraps of Ellay has a new kit out this week, too. It's a FREEBIE!! Not only that, but it's also a collab with Katie of Always Be Neighbors Designs. It's a fun kit with a mob theme! I didn't get a chance to work with it but you can check out the awesome LOs when you head over to Ellay's blog. It's really a fun, but still versatile kit. You can see a preview below.

Also, Stuff to Scrap has their January collab out. It's called You Color My World and is full of bright colours and creative elements. You can check it out in the store here and see the preview below. The quick pages are sold separately.

Hopefully, I'll be able to get some LOs and pictures done up this week but things are back to work and back to normal so I'll have to see when I make the time!! Also, we have doctor's appointments and play dates this week so it should be busy!

Until next time...