A fun Q&A

I saw this on Heather's blog and decided to play along:

1. Name your two favorite scrapbooking topics:
My kids & family events

2. Where are the two best places you've been to?
Walt Disney World & B.C.

3. Name two things you do every day:
Surf the net and cuddle my kids

4. Tell us two things that pretty much everyone knows about you:
I like scrapbooking and teaching at R.O.X.

5. Tell us two things that everyone DOESN'T know about you:
I don't like hot drinks or scary movies

6. Tell us two things that got you into the hobby of scrapping:
My friend, Anita, and my love of photos & crafting

7. Tell us two things that you want to accomplish in the next six months:
Get our basement bathroom finished and buy a new computer

8. Name your two favorite scrapping tools:
My Tonic trimmer and my ruler

9. Name your two favorite sources of scrapping inspiration:
Online sites like MSS and magazines

10. How has your scrapping changed since you started?
I don't do as many two-page layouts anymore and I use a lot more patterned paper and embellishments.

11. What scrapbooking project have you yet to try but would love to?
I'd love to make a mini-album with the clear 12x12 piece of Hambly that I bought.

If you're reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Project 366, week 4

Wow, four weeks into the year already-- January is flying by! (And a good thing, too, because I'm really looking forward to spring!)

Here are my pictures for the last week:

Tuesday, January 22: My friend, Val, set up her scrabble board with words to take a picture for the mini-album craft I planned for our women's retreat.


Wednesday, January 23: My favourite soft-drink. Seven years ago, I was addicted to drinking Coca-Cola. I would have a glass or two every day. Then I started on a weight loss program where I gave up sugar (including Coke!) and haven't drank any since. Diet rootbeer has been my substitute, but I don't drink it every day.

Thursday, January 24: For Family Literacy Day, our library held a pyjama party. All three of my kids wore their jammies brought a stuffed friends with them, where they listened to guest readers read them stories. So cute!


Friday, January 25: My first picture at Camp Arnes for our women's retreat. I was on the planning committee, so we drove up a little earlier to set up the rooms. Each women got a folder for the weekend and amazing gift bags (think cool hair product, tanning stuff and chocolate!)

Saturday, January 26: (Day two of the retreat.) My friends, Val (in blue) and Pam (in pink), making mini-albums (my craft). It was so cool to see Val scrapbooking-- I've been trying to get her to try it for almost 5 years!

Sunday, January 27: The forty-two women who attended our retreat, plus our speaker. I set up my camera on a table and used the timer to take this shot (so I could be in it, too!)

Monday, January 28: So, I was sick all weekend with a terrible cold and Monday was the worst day. So I pretty much spent the day trying to function, keeping my kids alive and reading this book, which was very good.

So, there are my pictures for the week. Any favourites?

Retreat!!

What a day. It feels like I bundled the kids up in their snowsuits & buckled them into their booster seats at least fourteen times today. Piano lessons in the morning. Come home. Run to Coop for Tide. Go pick up the boys for lunch. Come home. Take Austin back to school. Come home. Take Jonah for a haircut. Pick up Austin from school. Come home. Take the kids to skating lessons. Come home. Eat supper. Take the kids to Family Literacy Night at the library. Drop them off at home. Go pack treat bags for the Women's Retreat tomorrow. Come home.

Sigh. I need a break.

The good news is that I'm getting one-- this weekend! I'm going on our church's women's retreat to Camp Arnes for the next three days. Yay! I'm rooming with my friend Val, so that guarantees a good time. I'm on the committee and am charge of the craft. (Would you be shocked if I told you it's scrapbook related? ;) ) A speaker, food not cooked by me, skits, a craft, an indoor pool, a spa room (with a chocolate fondue fountain), cross-country skiing, games, snacks... I'm totally looking forward to it.

When I told Sage that I was going away for the weekend, she asked me: "Who's going to take care of us?"

"Who would be a good person to take care of you?" I asked her.

"Daddy takes good care of us!" she said.

"Then Daddy will take care of you."

"Good. He's fun."

So, it looks like I don't have to worry about the kids at home this weekend-- apparently they'll be in very good hands.

Project 366, week 3

Well, I'm done week three of Project 366-- taking a photo a day for the year. It's been okay. Some days, though, I've been quickly taking a photo before bed, just to get it done. It's not really how I wanted to do the challenge, but hey, that's life.

So here are my pictures for week 3:


Tuesday, January 15: Love this picture of Jonah on our livingroom couch, playing with some Star Wars toys-- check out his gorgeous eyelashes!


Wednesday, January 16: The Soft Molasses Cookies that Jonah, Sage & I baked.


Thursday, January 17: Abbie & Sage-- great buddies!


Friday, January 18: Sage, in all her little girl glory. Note the missing sock (it was left in her boot) and the green on her knee (playdough from helping in Jonah's class that morning.) I also love how she's touching her belly-button.


Saturday, January 19: Sage wanted it to be her "special day" (a.k.a. she wanted to wear her pyjamas all day.)


Sunday, January 20: I found this guy (Rexy) in our bed before going to sleep. The kids go to sleep in their own beds, but usually one, two or three of them end up in our bed sometime during the night. And of course, they bring their friends along.


Monday, January 21: Sage & Jonah, reading books, sitting side by side.

The picture I really wanted to take, but didn't, was on Sunday. It was of four grade six boys at R.O.X. during the worship. They had put their arms around each other's shoulders and were swaying from side to side to the music. Unfortunately, I was on stage leading worship at the time, so I couldn't take a picture. But, it would have been great.

So there are my photos of the week. Any favourites?

I did it... I said "no"

On my list for 2008, I wrote that one of the things that I'd like to do this year is say no to something, at least once.

I struggle with this, because I want to be helpful and genereally, when someone asks me to do something, I usually think, that's not a big deal, I can do that. The problem, however, is that when I say yes to too many things, it does become a big deal. Because then I get stressed about every "little" thing that I need to do and it is usually my family who suffers the consequences.

So yesterday, when someone called and asked me to make some posters for a Congo Coffee House that our church is having, I thought: "That's wouldn't be a big deal", but then I remembered all of the things that I need to do this week before our women's retreat on the weekend and how I'd like to spend sometime with my family before I go away and I realized that I wouln't be able to do it.

So I said: "No."

It's strange howI felt good and guilty at the same time.

But, I'm really glad that I said no.

And really, that's part of simplifying, don't you think?

Today...

would have been my dad's 72nd birthday. He's been gone over 7 1/2 years now. He has missed so many things in my life. He never met Jonah or Sage. He's never seen the house we live in now. He knew Austin for less than a year. He was such a great grandad.

He was such a great dad.

I can still hear his voice. His chuckle. His sneeze. The sound he'd make when he'd towel us off after a bath when we were kids.

I think of him everytime I see a soccer game, hear an Andrew Lloyd Webber song or eat a Cadbury Fruit & Nut bar. Every time I could use some advice or would just like to sit with someone in comfortable silence.

I made this layout almost two years ago. But I thought I'd post it.



Because I'm just a Daddy's girl who missed her dad.

Project 366, week 2

Here are my "photos of the day" for the second week of 2008:


Tuesday, January 8: I had gone to Anita's that morning to play with her new camera and decided to use some of the information that Anita shared with me on my own camera. The kids were watching tv on the love seat (we have a big three cushion couch , too, but I love it when they all sit side by side together!) and this is the best picture that I've taken in my livingroom in the evening-- the secret: adjusting the white balance. ;)


Wednesday, January 9: My friend, Val, coming to pick me up for a day of shopping in Winnipeg.


Thursday, January 10: Jonah and his remote control car.


Friday, January 11: Sage sliding down the hill when we went tobbogganing with friends.


Saturday, January 12: Jonah, sitting on Cam's shoulders and the back of the couch while they watched tv.


Sunday, January 13: Jonah, showing off some skill, before church.


Monday, January 14: I love it when the kids "rediscover" their toys. They hadn't played with the train set in a while, but pulled it out on Sunday and have been enjoying it again.

(Btw, I found some interesting information here: Joanna Bolick's 12 week photography course. If you're looking to improve your photography skills, you might want to check it out. (Thanks again for the link, Heather!) )

So those of my photos for the week. Which one is your favourite?

One more...

I got another layout done this afternoon. This one was inspired by the January inspiration piece that was posted by Marcy:

Online Crop

We had an online crop at My Scrap Shoppe this weekend. Feel free to click on the link to check out the great challenges, inspiration & projects.

Here's the layout that I posted for my challenge (3 times 3), which was to use 3 things on your layout 3 times. So 3 photos, 3 patterned papers, 3 embellishments, 3 points in your journaling, etc.-- 3 of these. And here's my layout, where I used 3 photos, 3 word stickers and 3 points in my journaling (I'd thought I'd had three pp, too, but I had four.)



For Anita's challenge to try something new (I tied buttons onto the die-cuts) & using Liz's sketch, I made this layout:



And for Marcy's challenge to used raw chipboard, some sparkle & polka dots and the challenge to scraplift someone from the MSS Gallery, I made this layout:



which was a scraplift of Marcy's layout called chew.

Thanks for looking!

Trying out the new jacket & ski pants

On Wednesday, my friend Val & I went to Winnipeg. Our mission: to find a new winter jacket and matching ski pants for me. And we were successful! :)

I found a Columbia winter jacket in my favourite colour-combo (chocolate brown & blue-- just like my living room ;) ) at Sport Mart. Unfortunately, they didn't carry the matching ski pants, so we searched high and low to find an acceptable pair. I ended up settling for a pair of men's ski pants that were the same brand and colour, but "not as flattering as women's ski pants" (said Val.)

But then, yesterday morning, I went to Time Out Sports in Winkler, where I bought the last pair of women's Columbia brown ski pants that match perfectly with my jacket! I was so thrilled, it was a little sad. ;) But I really wanted a matching winter set, something that I haven't had since I was a teenager.

So, after volunteering in Jonah's kindergarten class this morning, Sage and I met up with friends at the park to go tobbogganing. And I was warm!! :) In fact, the only part of me that got cold was my right hand-- when I took off my mitten to take pictures. ;)


Sage and me, photo taken by my friend, Susan.



Abbie, age 5, trying to pull Sage and Claire (almost 3) up the hill.


Adam, Susan's son-- a real cutie-pie!


I really like this shot-- Sage going down the hill backwards on her tummy.


Susan, Abbie and Adam.


Sage and me.


Tamara and her son, Sammy (another cutie-pie!),


And her daughter, Claire.


And Sage, after having slid to a stop on a crazy carpet. Love how daring and brave, but not reckless, my daughter is!

Choices

So many choices every day...

What to wear... what to eat... what to do... what to say... how to act...

I wonder how many choices we consciously (& unconsciously) make in a day.

Just been thinking about this lately. About the choices I make to act the way I do, or say the things I say, using the tones that I use.

I think I need to be more conscious of the choices I make. So, for 2008, I chose for my verse the following passage from Deuteronomy 30:19:

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!"

I want to remember that the choices I make everyday can bring life or they can bring death. And I want to be more conscious of making choices that bring life (i.e. choosing to love, reach out, encourage, forgive...) & how they affect the people around me.

Project 365, week 1

Trying to simplify a little today. Saw this link on Ali Edward's blog about the "Four Laws of Simplicity." It was great to read-- very inspiring in a hey-I-can-do-this kind of way.

I started on this process earlier today by taking down my Christmas decorations (including my tree). I think this is the longest that I've ever left it up! As I went through my stuff I decided that whatever didn't get put up/out this year, would be gotten rid of. Easier said than done, however. Do I get rid of the old stockings that I made when we first got married and when each baby arrived (even though I made new ones this year that we didn't use)? And what about the tree skirt that my mom made me over 10 years ago (that I don't really like anymore)? There's way too much guilt that comes with possessions, don't you think? So, these items I did pack up with my stuff-- I figure I can deal with them next year. But I did get rid of some other stuff-- ornaments and the like. And that, along with a clean house, feels really good.

So, I decided with the new year that I would participate in Project 365-- take a picture every day this year (which, now that I think about it should be Project 366, because it's a leap year.) So here are my pictures from the first seven days 2008:


I started off the New Year with some new-year-cleaning. I tackled my kitchen-- organizing and wiping down cabinets, etc.


Sage, at the bottom of our basement stairs waiting patiently for me to go with her upstairs.


Jonah & Cameron watching TV in the evening.


My scrap table.


We took the kids tobbogganing on Saturday morning and one of Austin's friends joined us. I just love their faces when they're sledding-- I never have to ask them to smile!


This one I took through Sage's bedroom window. I love the spray of snow.

An aside: I don't have a "snow setting" on my camera. I'm just wondering what settings I should use on my camera (ISO, WB, etc.) to take better pictures outside in winter. The snow always looks blue and their jackets look grainy. Any advice would be very much appreciated.


And today's shot-- back to school. I didn't realize how well my boys' jackets and backpacks coordinated with each other! :)

Something to think about...

I saw this quote on Ali Edwards' blog today and it struck me:

"Language does have the power to change reality. Therefore, treat your words as the mighty instruments they are - to heal, to bring into being, to remove, as if by magic, the terrible violations of childhood, to nurture, to cherish, to bless, to forgive - to create from the whole cloth of your soul, true love." Daphne Rose Kingma

A good reminder of the power of words (& tone) in my life. How people's words affect me and how my words affect others. Especially the precious little people God has placed in my life.

So, today, will my words bring death or life (healing, encouragement & love)?

January kit

Here are the layouts (& cards) that I created with the January kit this month at MSS:



















Thanks for looking!