Look what I did!

We moved Sage into a "big girl bed" this week.

I have been waiting for two years for this moment!

I finally got to decorate her room "girl".

So, I bought bedding at IKEA in spring and the walls looked a little bare, so I did this:

I was actually inspired by Vicki Boutin's layout in the October CK. I used Wallies, IKEA stickers and MM flower stamps and paint. There are also a few glow-in-the-dark stars, too.

I made the fairy princess out of cardstock, rhinestone brads, wire and KI paper. The head and hands were from a birthday card that Sage got in the mail from her Uncle Chris & Auntie Cheryl. When she saw the card, she said: "That's me!"

So now she thinks she's flying on her wall!

Custom scrapbook

On Saturday, a woman from my church came over and commissioned me to make a scrapbook for her sister.

So exciting!

I love scrapbooking. When I started over 3 years ago, something just clicked. It was like: "This is the thing I've been waiting my whole life to find."

Then, I thought, how great it would be to make some money doing what I love. So I started lpdesigns. I've been selling my cards in three local businesses, I've had a few of orders for cards & invitations and I've created two scrapbooks for our church when pastors have left.

And now I have this order.

I'm hoping this will lead to more. It's so great to be able to do something I really love to do and get paid for it.

Ready for kindergarten?

For her birthday, Sage received a Dora backpack from her friend, Annika.

She was absolutely over the moon!

She puts it on with her jacket and says: "Go ride on Daddy's schoolbus."

I guess she figures she's ready for school.

Sorry, hon, another 3 years to go!

Sage is two!

Yesterday, my baby girl turned two!

And despite the fact that I wasn't feeling well (& was still quite sore from the Terry Fox Run on Sunday), I still managed to host a party for her and take some pictures.

She is such a cutie. I caught her singing "Happy Birthday" to herself (or to other people) during the day and also managed to get it on video.

I did it!!

I did it! I can’t believe it!

I actually ran the Terry Fox Run.

10 km.

I was so tempted to just do five, but I didn’t. I did the whole thing.

Running when I could. Walking when I needed to.

So unbelievable.

I’d hoped to run it in less than 1 hour 20 minutes and I actually did: 1 hour 17 min.

I’m so pleased that I stuck with it and met one of my goals for the year.

Thanks to everyone who supported and sponsored me!

Bad Blogger

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things got kind of crazy over the weekend and probably won't return to normal for a while...

On Saturday, my best friend, Val's, son was rushed to the Children's hospital in Winnipeg. He has been diagnosed with pre-t cell leukemia. Please pray for him. For healing. For his family. For peace.

On a related note, I'm participating in the Terry Fox Run, to raise money for cancer research. If you would like to support me by pledging online, please click here.

Thanks so much!

Pies

Cameron picked apples from our tree yesterday morning and suggested I make some pies with them. I thought: "Sure, I can make some pies this morning."

Well, by 4:15pm, I was done.

I had to wash my floor because it was so sticky and clean my oven.

But I baked 8 pies and one platz (I hope I spelled that right! It's a pie made in a cookie sheet.)

But when I don't want to eat sugar, baking pies is probably not the best idea...

Corn & Apple Festival

It's the Morden Corn & Apple Festival this weekend. We live just over a block away from the festivities, so we usually head downtown for all three days of the festival. I never had anything like this growing up, and it's so cool to see my kids get excited about it. So, of course, I bring my camera along...

Cameron is on the Corn & Apple committee and is in charge of the shuttle bus. We walked a block and a half to catch the shuttle, which drives around the town.



Today, at the festival, we ate some free corn,



went to the petting zoo,

the boys went on the pony rides,

and all three kids went on the mid-way rides.

Tomorrow is the parade in the morning and I'm sure we'll walk downtown after Sage's nap (we all love the free corn, petting zoo, pony rides, etc.) In the evening, I'll be helping out at our church booth, selling caramel apple cheesecake.

Aren't these adorable?

I bought a brown floral skirt for Sage at Old Navy a week ago and wanted to find some shoes for her to wear with it. We went to several stores in the mall, but could not find a lot of brown.

Then we went to Children's Place and found these.

Sage was in heaven when we tried on shoes. We tried on the size eight, which were a little small and she cried when I took them off. When we tried on the nine, I figured they fit well, but didn't dare try to take them off. So I pulled the tag off and paid for them at the till, saying: "I guess we'll be buying these."

She's been wearing them around the house and insists on wearing them instead of her sandals when we go out.

She's very cute, this little girl of mine.

Home Alone

I'm actually alone in my house right now.

This never happens.

This evening, I took my kids to my MIL's so I could go help make cheesecakes at my church for our mission project to the Congo (we'll sell them at the Corn and Apple Festival this weekend.) And we were done at 8:15, but Cameron was at the farm, so he said he'd bring the kids home. I totally didn't expect to be done so early, so I actually feel a little guilty for not going to pick up my kids, but I really didn't want to waste gas driving out there.

And okay, I'll admit it, a little alone time is quite nice.

So I guess I'll just enjoy it while it lasts.

Keeping it real

Anita, my friend and fellow Design Team member at My Scrap Shoppe, posted a challenge recently to be real on a layout.

I'd like to think that I don't lie on my pages. I know I used actual photos of my kids and document the events in our life truthfully.

But I don't always show the "not so great" stuff.

The times I get angry, or impatient, or fed up.

It's a lot easier to write about how much I love my kids (which I do!) and the cute things they do (and let's face it, they are adorable!)

But I don't always include the "real."

So I took Anita up on her challenge and made the following page.



It's called "Today."

And here's the journaling:

"I was too tired to get up early and go for a run, so I stayed in bed… I hurt Austin accidentally, but was too stubborn to apologize right away… I tickled, laughed & played hide & seek… I visited with a friend and got to be helpful…I got impatient and frustrated with my kids when they wouldn’t obey… I organized my space & finished up a few projects I’d been putting off… I had the opportunity to help my husband, but then got disappointed & mad when I felt my help wasn’t appreciated… I let my kids watch TV so I could get some things done in peace… I baked some muffins because we were out of baking, but I ate some, even though I’m trying to lose weight…I spent time colouring & reading with my kids before bedtime, staying up with Austin an extra hour, even though I was quite tired… I stayed up later than I should to finish the novel I was reading…I ended my day in prayer, ever thankful for God’s love, mercy & grace… "

So, there it is...

The good. The bad. The real.

Bad Mommy

I had signed up for the reading program for my boys at the library this summer and noticed last week that it was coming to a close. What registered in my head was that Tues. and Wed. were the last days to redeem the "money" they got and to count their minutes. So yesterday (Wed.) we walked to the library in the morning and Austin runs in and comes out in tears, saying he can't buy anything. I went in and sure enough, everything is taken down! The librarian said that yesterday was the last day and they've put everything away. I started to cry, I felt so bad. I'd convinced my son to save his money until the end so he could get a good prize. So both Austin and I were crying outside the library and I was apologizing for getting the date wrong. I still feel really bad.

I did take them to the dollar store so they could get a reward for all the reading they'd done. But it wasn't the same.

Anyway, next year I'll know better, hopefully.

Happy Birthday, Jonah!

We celebrated Jonah's fourth birthday on the weekend.

It was actually a weekend long celebration, with supper at Cam's mom's on Friday night with the cousins.

And then my mom came out on Saturday and spent the night.

Then on Sunday, Jonah officially turned four. We invited Sonya and her family to join us for mini-golfing and supper, which included an orange cat cake for dessert.



After supper, we took the kids outside to play with one of the birthday presents Jonah got: a bubble blower. (The other present was a lizard shovel.) The kids got along well and had a good time.

A little get to know me

My friend, Heather, sent me this in an email and I thought it would make a good post for my blog:

1. First Name: Leigh

2. Were you named after anyone? No.

3. When did you last cry? I can't remember.

4. Do you like your handwriting? yes

5. What is your favorite lunch meat? balogna (I know, I know...)

6. Kids? 3 beautiful ones

7. If you were another person would you be friends with you? Yes

8. Do you have a journal? Mostly it's my blog.

9. Do you use sarcasm a lot? A fair bit.

10. Do you still have your tonsils? yes

11. Would you bungee jump? Maybe.

12. What is your favorite cereal? Captain Crunch, but I haven't bought it in a long time!

13. Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Yes (finally! Did you hear that, Mom?)

14. Do you think you are strong? Yes

15. What is your favorite ice cream? Anything with chocolate and without coffee

16. Shoe size? 8

17. Red or Pink? lately, it's pink

18. What is the least favorite thing about yourself? The extra 15 lbs I'm trying to lose!

19. Who do you miss the most? my dad

20.What color pants and shoes are you wearing? light blue shoes and barefoot

21. Last thing you ate? sugar-free neopolitan ice-cream

22. What are you listening to right now? Rescue Heroes (Austin and Jonah are watching it on tape.)

23. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?midnight blue

24. What is your favorite smell? newborn baby

25. Who was the last person you talked to on thephone? My friend, Anita.

26. The first thing you notice about people you areattracted to? their eyes

27. Do you like the person who sent this to you?absolutely!

28. Favorite drink? milk

29. Favorite sport? Softball

30. Favorite color? Sage green (of course!)

31. Do you wear contacts? Yes, but rarely, because my eyes are too dry and uncomfortable when I do.

32. Favorite food? It's a toss-up between chocolate and french fries (I know, I'm such a gourmet!)

33. Scary movies or happy endings? happy endings, for sure

34. Last movie you watched? Glory Road, not wait, The Princess Bride with my kids.

35. What color shirt are you wearing? black

36. Summer or Winter? without question, SUMMER!

37. Hugs or kisses? Hugs!

38. Favorite dessert? Sex in a pan

39. Who is most likely to respond? Good question!

40. What books are you reading? I just finished one called Claire Knows Best by Tracey Bateman. A fun read!

41. What is on your mouse Pad? a photo of my family

42. What did you watch last night on TV? I can'tremember the last time I watched TV

43. Favorite sounds? quiet

44. Rolling stone or Beatles? neither

45. The furthest you have been from home? England, when I was five

46. Do you have a special talent? I can make up new words to songs off the top of my head

47. When and where were you born? August 14, 1972, Winnipeg, Manitoba

48. Any words you don't like? scrapping

Addiction

I think I might have an addict on my hands.

Sage is addicted to her soother.

I'm not kidding. Cameron threw out one of them a couple of days ago and then, this morning, she lost hers at the park.

Come nap time, she was quite upset about not having a soother, so I told her we'd buy a new one at Wal-Mart when she woke up. When she woke up, she was saying: "Soother, soother." She didn't really stop until she had the package of 2 in her hands. Then she started saying: "Open it, open it." I tried to explain that we couldn't open it until we'd paid for it. So she tried to suck on it... through the plastic! By the time we got to the till, she had crushed the plastic covering them.

But now, the owner of two brand new soothers, my Sage is a happy girl once more.

Another first for our family

It's Cameron's 36th birthday today.

So, to celebrate, we went and had supper with his dad (they share the same birthday) and mom. Then, we went go-cart racing.

We had a blast!

Austin rode with me (because he wanted to win!) We started out first and managed by the end to catch up to Cameron & Jonah, so we drove an extra lap than they did. Austin really enjoyed it and each time we drove past Jonah and Cameron on the turns, Jonah had the biggest smile!

So fun!

The kids also wanted to go mini-golfing, but we decided to save that for next weekend, for Jonah's birthday.

Not much new

Our summer is trucking along nicely.

In the mornings, we do errands, or stay home, or go for a bike ride. This morning a friend who I haven't seen in a while came over and it was nice to reconnect with her.

This week, Jonah has been going to a Vacation Bible School put on by a church in town. It runs from 9:30 to 11:30 am. Then Austin has been going in the evening, from 6:15 to 8:45pm. Both have been enjoying it.

After lunch, Sage naps. I scrapbook or go on the computer. The boys watch tv. Or play. Or fight. Or ask to do computer.

When Sage wakes up (or I wake her), we go to the beach. Two more lessons left. It's been good to get out of the house and I'm sure we'll still go to the beach in Aug, but not everyday.

Tonight, we're going to Winkler to where Cam's dad lives, to have supper with Cam's family to celebrate his and his dad's birthdays (both on July 30th.) I'm looking forward to an evening out. And not cooking!

That's about all for now.

Fishing

My boys have been asking to go fishing for a long time.

On Saturday, after supper, Cameron found two rods and we drove to the lake to take them fishing.

Another first for the Penner family!

The bad thing? I didn't charge my camera battery before we left, so my picture taking got cut short while we were there. The good thing? They didn't catch anything, so I don't have to feel bad about not getting a picture of them holding the fish they caught!

Here are some pictures I did get, though.





It was fun, but I'm so aware of how long they can handle things. As soon as they put down the rods and started playing on the large rocks along the shore, I told Cameron: "Okay, they're done. Let's go." It just keeps everyone much happier.

Even if we didn't catch any fish.

On the mend

Well, we're feeling better.

Yay!

Went for a bike ride yesterday to my friend, Susan's house. The kids played in her pool and amazing back yard and we visited. Nice.

Today, we biked to Coop for groceries (Jonah's still not 100% yet, so he rode in the bike trailer with Sage.) Then we stopped at the library before going to the farm (my MIL's) for lunch.

Now we're home. Sage is napping. And we're planning on biking to the park (and wading pool) when she wakes up.

After supper tonight, there's talk of going fishing.

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

Sick!

Well, after months of hearing that other people have the flu (and being thankful that we don't!) we got it.

Well, not all of us.

Jonah got sick on Tuesday night (he threw up all over the floor right before I was leaving to go see a movie with my friend, Susan.)

Then, at 3:40am, I got sick.

Austin and Sage were fine.

Cameron came home from work, feeling sick.

Jonah and I were definitely on the mend today. Cameron spent the day sleeping, so I took the kids to the beach. Jonah fell asleep on my lap there for a bit, which was probably a good thing.

Hopefully by tomorrow we'll be 100%.