Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Sketch 22 and Another Storage Idea


Its reveal day! Yipee! Here's another layout I made of us enjoying the play park over Fathers Day. Auntie and Uncle both helped Addison down the slide because she's afraid of going down by herself. When she's ready to come down, she'll tell us she 'needs a hand'. Head on over to Heather's blog to check out sketch 22 (this time its a two pager, but I only kept mine one), and see all the beautiful work the other girls have done. You won't be disappointed!

And, once again, this layout is made completely with scraps, minus the purple card stock everything is mounted on.



What a fabulous way to store your brads and eyelets! I think this is ingenious, and I can hardly wait to hit the store to buy another one of these! Now I have an excuse to go out and buy more brads and eyelets- with such a cute and smart way to store them, how could you not?! (I may or may not cover the Rexall logo on the front- just to make it prettier!!)

(The inspiration for this came from BHG. You can also find it on my Pinterest, under 'All Things Scrappy').

~a


Scrap Notion Giveaway

Just wanted to share quickly- Lydia, over at scrap notions is having a giveaway!

Go say hello, share the great news, and good luck!!


I'll be back later on with another post- its reveal day (Miracles' Momma's Diva's), so I've got another layout to share!


ttfn


~a

Monday, July 30, 2012

Chore Chart and a Layout

I've been researching ways to visually stimulate the kids to become more involved in tasks around the house. I'm getting irritated that everything is always up to me- my husband doesn't even help out (though he does offer to cook on a regular basis). So, I'm enlisting the girls' help around the house. They are getting to the age, anyways, where its time to start learning about responsibility, and contributing to the household chores.

I came across a really neat site- its free- for printable chore charts. They're empty, so you can add which chores you desire. There's also behaviour charts, and a multitude of other tips and hints to help us point our children in the right direction. All you need to do is sign up in order to print what you want (which I didn't care much for, but its a small price to pay for what I wanted).

My plan is to use magnets with their chore mod-podged to them, and a sticker system for every chore they complete. At the end of the week, they'll be able to pick a prize from the goody box for being such a big helper. I haven't figured out yet how I'm going to implement the chore chart. I am not crazy about printing out a new chart every week- I'd rather laminate it and use it over and over again, but then I don't know how to implement the stickers!! The girls are really into stickers right now, which is why I want to use them.


On a different note, here's the latest layout I created. This was the week 4 bonus sketch over at scrapbook.com for the monthly sketch challenge.

The polka dot background patterned paper is Recollections, and the brown patterned paper is K&Co designer paper. I took the brackets that you see, and pop dotted them for some dimension, as well as blended them in with Basic Black ink (SU) using a sponge dauber. They were a black and white damask pattern.

Its very simple, but I'm in love with it!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Post Air Show Outtakes

**Today marks 3 years since the unfortunate tragedy took you from us and you arrived on heaven's doorstep. You were a ray of sunshine while you were here, and now you're basking in His sunshine! You are a treasure that's sincerely loved and incredibly missed. Here's to you, M**





As promised, here's a couple pictures from our day out at Whitecourt Airport, for the air show:


Before the show, Addison looking all pretty with a barrette in her hair (it somehow managed to come out before we left the house)


On the school bus on our way to the air show. THe girls loved riding it so much, they've been talking about it all day. Maren is pretty excited about school- she wants to ride the bus and she wants her backpack!!


Maren


Ever ride in one of these?


Maren just totally chilled out! She was off in orbit somewhere...


Both girls relaxing in their stroller


The tickle monster got them!

 F-18 Hornet


vintage plane, not sure what kind it was


Addison in the midst of throwing a temper tantrum. She was looking to see if anyone was paying attention lol


Cuddling up to daddy after the F-18's flight

  Maren asleep in daddy's lap. That white blanket you see- that was my baby blanket!


Cranky pants Maren just woke up from her nap. That sour face just cracks me up!


The parade before the show started. A lot of the American military was up to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Alaska Highway


Early in the morning, I used my lipstick to bribe the girls out of our room (daddy brought them in when they woke up because I had just gotten out of the shower) so I could get them dressed. I promised them I'd put lipstick on them if they came with me. It worked! And yes, I put a little bit on each of them lol. Thank goodness its a neutral colour!


Checking out the fire truck




Saturday, July 28, 2012

And There You Have it

I'm bushed tonight. What a great day! The air show was amazing, and the girls really seemed to like it. The F-18 Hornet scared poor Maren, but we were prepared for it, so she sat in daddy's lap and he covered her ears with his hands. The way he cradled her made her feel so safe, I think, that she wouldn't let him take his hands away from her ears. She wanted to stay that way. And then, she fell asleep. So adorably sweet! Pictures will follow tomorrow. Promise!!

I just wanted to share one quick layout with you tonight, then I'm going to bed myself.


This is another 'just for fun' layout. I used the week 4 sketch for the monthly sketch challenge over at scrapbook.com. I also submitted this layout to Scrapping the Music- the 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow' challenge. All because sweet Sharon suggested it. {Thanks, Sharon!!}

Addison and I were checking things out way up in the sky. She was telling me there were clouds, and birds, and the moon...I'm not sure what I was pointing at (because I can't remember), but I was pointing something else out to her that lives way up there. She likes referring to things up there as 'up sky', and other times its, 'up so high'. So, I mixed the two, and came up with 'the sky so high'!

And, the little 'joy' tag--just a little subliminal message there. Addison really is my pride and joy, and I wanted to let her know, in a subtle way, that's what she is to me.

Every single piece of patterned paper on this project is scraps. The strip that appears to be white, is actually light blue; it and the red/dark pink are from the Sweet Nectar 6x6 paper pad, the green strip is SU (a christmas paper pack), and the green/teal is Autumn Leaves card stock. The journalling spot was stamped using Old Olive SU ink on a scrap piece of Sweet Nectar patterned paper, and I spruced up a dollar store wedding tag by punching a circle and stamping the word joy on it (from the mini phrases SU stamp set) in Basic Black ink. The flower is Prima.

Oh! And the butterfly- its one I printed off the internet. It was used as a template for this layout, and I decided to hang onto it in case I ever wanted to use those particular butterflies ever again. At that time. Since I've been re-organizing the craft space and cleaning it up again, I just figured I'd use it and get it out of the way. It worked perfectly on this layout- the colours were just right.

While this was in the works, I really struggled with it. I didn't know what direction to take it, or which direction to let it naturally take on its own. After ignoring it for a few days, and pondering it, I was ready to tackle it again, and it (wonderfully) came together rather quickly. And, the final product is swoon worthy, IMHO. I just love it...

I'm starting to think that I'm loving...loving brights against white backgrounds. I can't get enough of it. I want to do more and more, and I've been trying to figure out what I could use for white backgrounds, since I've run out of white card stock. Ha. I've actually been reverted to using the sheets that come in the page protectors when you buy new post bound albums. Anyone else do that? For the time being, that is...

Well, its time to go, but I'll be back again tomorrow.

Till then...

~a


Friday, July 27, 2012

Sketch # 142 LCTS


Ahh this has been a long time in coming. This is the final layout from my sister and brother in law's last visit over Father's Day. I think this is the sweetest shot ever of my BIL and Addison- I love it!

Its reveal day over at Lets Capture These Sketches- sketch #142. Head on over and see what all the other girls have done, and link up your projects using this sketch while you're at it. We'd love to see what you come up with!

(If you like the chevron design element I used, you can find a mini tutorial for it here and here)

For another variation, if you don't like the folded edges of the patch work chevron, why not cut the folded portions off? (That idea just dawned on me the other day...I'll be trying it out one of these days very soon!!)

Enjoy your weekend!

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Simple Storage Solutions

I've been trying to find innovative ways to store my embellishments, especially my sticker embellishments. I've got my sticker letters cleaned up, as I've already mentioned. But, I wasn't satisfied with the rest of my sticker storage.

I hopped onto google and typed in a query for embellishment storage for a small space, and I came across separating everything into sheet protectors and then storing them in a 3-ring binder. Ingenious! (But, I need to head out and find more 3-ring binders, now. I had only one empty one kicking around). Unless the girls in the office at Total have binders they want to get rid of? I'll have to ask Kyle! He brought home an armful of page protectors that they were otherwise going to throw out. I told him it was unnecessary (at the time), because I foresaw no use for them. Hum. I was wrong. On the other hand, what a shame to waste perfectly good page protectors! There was nothing wrong with them!

Now, happily, there are two empty drawers in the caddy that stored my stickers, sticker letters, vellum, rub-ons, etc.



There are two boxes devoted to each letter in the tackle box storage, though some of them (like u,v,w- which are all stored together) need three or more spaces. I put all like letters together: b and d, i and j and l, m and n, p and q, u and v and w, for these reasons: 1) save space, and 2) in case I am short a particular letter, like i, for instance, I can use the j or l to make another 'i'.



I'm not quite sure yet how well this will all work, but I'm willing to give it a try. Its a great solution to my problem.

There's three other things I am going to implement in my haven: small clear jars to store short strips of ribbon, and the shelving unit that needs to be put up on the wall is going to display the block stamps that I use on a regular basis- my "go-to's" if you will...Kyle has homework when he gets home tonight- as long as he isn't too late! And lastly, a pill box/blister pack to store brads and eyelets. Ingenious! Thanks to BHG for such fantastic storage ideas. I've got to remember to add that to the ever expanding grocery list, too.

(on a total side note-- the snow birds just flew overhead. The Whitecourt airshow is happening this weekend, and they must be practicing. I quickly scooted into the living room, and saw them in formation flying overtop the houses across the street. Oh, they must be coming around again... I hear them once more! Keep your eyes peeled for pictures from the air show--they'll be coming either Sunday or early next week. We are heading out to the show with my parents on Saturday).

Well, that's all I've got to share with you today. Hopefully you find something here inspiring!

~a

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Something Old, Something New

Hi everyone!

Tonight, I've got a card to share rather than a layout. My MIL texted the other day to let me know that our niece, who is getting married the first of September, is having her wedding shower at our family reunion (which is coming up August long weekend). So, in roughly a week.

I don't have much wedding themed stuff in my stash, but I do have some, and I began thinking about what items I would want to use to create a card for her with. There was a tag that I played around with for quite some time, but it just didn't feel right to me. So, I dropped it, and tried another one. And, there it was! I find it funny how sometimes the smallest thing can make the biggest difference!


The die cut frame was cut with the Sweet Shop Cricut cartridge (as was the oval inside the frame mat). The wedding dress form is K&Co and the gold patterned paper is Martha Stewart. For a little bit of bling, I added white rhinestones around the waist, and clear and a black rhinestone to mimic a necklace.  The joy stamp is from SU (mini phrases) and was stamped with Basic Black ink. All the rhinestones are Recollections.

I still need to make her an actual wedding card, but I'll save that for after our camping trip. There's other goodies that needs to be completed in the mean time!

Has anyone ever attempted making homemade croutons? (Hows that for a change of topic?!) The idea dawned on me earlier this week because I noticed the girls have begun eating around the bread crust. Rather than wasting it, I'm going to make croutons!! Since the reunion is coming up fairly quickly, I began thinking that it would be nice to bring out a nice caesar salad for everyone to munch on one day for lunch- that would be the perfect excuse to use up the homemade croutons I'm going to make. (I've just been saving them in a ziploc baggy and freezing them until a time that I would need them). The place we'll be camping is close enough to home that we'll be coming home every night, so this shouldn't be too hard to do. Hopefully!

And, speaking of food, I'm not sure if I mentioned this or not, but I've been thinking for a while that I wanted to try spinach in my smoothies- at least, mixing more veggies into the fruity mix. (Have I even mentioned that I'm on a huge fruit smoothie kick these days??) If not, I so am!! I did buy spinach, and I froze it (so that it wouldn't go bad, because otherwise it would, in this house!!) I can't even taste it. Neither can the girls, and as of today, neither can Kyle. Ding, Ding, Ding! Bonus points for mama! I'm pretty pumped. The girls don't even realize they're eating something super healthy. That makes it even better!

Why am I so insanely crazy about something that's so not something to get excited over?

After feeling disappointed in my appearance for quite some time- especially more so since the twins came along, I've decided to commit to do something about it. The first step actually began with the fruit smoothies. I figured if I could make it a regular thing in my household, it would help all four of us (but unfortunately its just the girls and I at the moment), get the nutrition we need. Because, lets face it, we don't always eat as healthy as we should. Then, I bought the girls vitamins. Which, is great, but I've learned that if Addison wants one, she'll ask for one. Otherwise, don't bother. She'll carry it around with her until she eventually drops it and forgets about it. Maren loves them, on the other hand. To her, its candy, and candy is goooood. Now I need to go out and find vitamins for Kyle and I.

The biggest change, though, is my own eating habits, and (previously) the lack of exercise. I'm starting to ache in strange places, for no apparent reason at all, and all I can think is at my age, I shouldn't be feeling this way. So, I'm changing it. This is still very, very new- as in only three days old, but I am more motivated now than I have been my entire life. I want to feel better about myself, and my appearance! I asked Kyle to hold me accountable to what I eat and when, and I promised him that along with this change, I would start making salads at most, if not every, meal. (I despise salads. I hate lettuce, but don't mind the veggies and fruit that can be added to salads- as long as they're not peppers. Bleh. They revisit in the most terrible of ways!!) And, I've succeeded! Tonight there was no salad, but there was yesterday and the day before that. (Just veggies tonight). :)

So, having said that, I am beginning a weight loss blog. Would you join me there?

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Haven

I am suddenly in a phase where I want to re-organize and better utilize my scrapping space. My little haven is the smallest room in the house, and I'm certain that it isn't being used to its most organizational and utilitarian potential. I am on a mission! Of course, I'll be pinning the neato things I find to my Pinterest- what better way to keep track of things you want to remember than by Pinterest?! (...and then implementing, of course!!)

The first neato item I came across a couple days ago, reading this blog post. I already had a tackle box in my possession, but it was to store the (very) minimal brads that are in my stash. Even though it wasn't a large tackle box, by any means, it was way too large for the amount of brads and eyelets I have. So, I took them out, and put them in a little white container (for the time being), and began cutting up the oodles of sticker letters I've got, and separating them into their own compartments, just as that particular post shows. In fact, I have so much, that I had to go out and buy another one, just to make room for them all! And, as I was cutting, it dawned on me that it would be cool (and a great way to use up every possible inch of those sticker letters) to use up the negative portions of the letters already used. Duh!! How could I not have thought of that sooner?! Especially when I'm in a bind, and want to use a particular style of font? Sometimes its the simplest things that are overlooked.

This will help me to 1) maximize the amount of space that's being used up in the white storage containers I have the majority of my goodies stored in (at least as far as my sticker letters go), 2) free myself from the nightmare of opening that particular drawer and fighting the hoards of sticker letters that just want to jump out at me, and 3) organize!!!!


I'm not quite done yet, but I do have to say it feels so much better! Its inspired me to find other unique and creative ways to store and organize the rest of my embellishments. What are some of your favourite ways to store and organize your embellishments and paper stash--and scraps? I'd love to know!

(And, on a side note, in the rest of that post, she showed us the magic thin foam and the cuttlebug makes. I was so inspired by it, I went out and bought my own thin foam. I want to try it, too!)

You'll also know that washi tape is like huge these days, and everyone has it, and if you don't, you're on your way out the door to purchase it. I'm among those, too, but haven't actually bought any washi tape yet. I want to...one day! For now, I came across this neato technique. Brilliant, right??!

The only problem is, I don't own any spray inks. So, my first impulse was to write off even trying this technique because I didn't have all the essential items to make it work. Then I thought, why does it have to be spray ink? Why wouldn't regular ink and a sponge dauber work? Happily, it does!

Keep your eyes peeled for it appearing on future projects. It looks wicked so cool!! This little heart just skipped a beat, I'm so excited!

I've got another layout to share with you today:


And...this is the last layout from the day before Fathers Day series. When I finish getting things spruced up (for now), I'll be working on layouts of Fathers Day (which won't be very many) and then I can move on with my scrappy life.

This particular layout I absolutely adore. This picture of my BIL just moves me. Or something. I just love it. I love the point of view, I love the composition, I love that he's so chill. I love that its so candid. I love it in sepia!!

I scraplifted Kimberly.kalil's layout, "holy cows", which you can find here.

In particular, I loved the strips of patterned paper matted behind the photo (great opportunity to use up more scrap paper!!), and I loved her usage of a large picture. I'm pretty sure I have mentioned before that I love using extra big pictures. It should be common knowledge. Ha!

The patterned paper strips are Martha Stewart (the gold), the cotton tail paper is K&Co, and the red card stock is Autumn Leaves (Walmart). The little dream sticker is also K&Co.

There is some hidden journalling, but its just a little quote by Helen Keller: "Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows." Profound, and beautiful. Just like my picture!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Near the End

Phew- what an incredible day, weather wise today! There was severe weather all over the place. Did you have any severe weather?


For something a little different today, this layout is a scrap lift of Heathers' We Never Get Any Sleep! layout. I absolutely adored the shapes of her photos- love the retro, flower/leafy look the rounded edges on the opposite corners looks. Instead of going with bold, dark prints like Heather did, I wanted to mimic the look of the grass in the bottom picture- bright green, contrasted with the white fluff of dandelions. Doesn't it just scream summer?!

Once again, I turned to the Sweet Nectar paper pad that's been lurking in the depths of my stash, and recently popping up on a lot of my projects. Some scraps were used, like the punched strip of floral paper, and the yellow card stock its matted on. (On that piece of yellow card stock, I used my 'baby's breath' cuttlebug embossing folder for some interest and dimension).

I can't remember where I got the blue buttons from, but the 'free' sticker at the top is K&Co, and the little 'sweet' sticker at the bottom (nestled next to the flowers) is also K&Co. I made the flowers myself: they're easy peasy!!

All you do is take your circle punch (or punches), punch as many circles as you like; crumple them, then layer them. Voila, instant flowers! The punch sizes I used were .5" and 1.5" by Creative Memories. The pearl rhinestones are Recollections. And, to create a 'mat' that the photo's are adhered to, I just took a black pen and drew a border around the outside edge, mirroring the same shape the patterned paper/photo mats are.

Once again, the girls were playing at the park. These pictures were taken near the end of our excursion there. I wasn't near enough to them to know fully what was going on, but I imagine they were playing' super bunny...to the rescue!' Addison's arms spread out beside her suggests that (I'll give you a little hint: her arms are mimicking a cape!!) Hee isn't that the darlingest thing ever??!

Yes, a mother in love. For sure.

Tomorrow, I'll have one last layout from our play date at the park over Fathers' Day. After that, there'll be some pictures from Father's Day.

Stay tuned!!

~a

Sunday, July 22, 2012

Prepare to be Amazed!

On a whim, I brought out one of my scrapbook albums this afternoon, and showed it to the girls. I never imagined that at this age (2.5) they would be so into looking at the pictures in my albums. In total, we browsed through 4 entire scrapbook albums! And, I've concluded that I need to do it a little more often- so they learn the faces of the people in them, and a little bit about who they are. In that respect, its better to start now than when they are older. For example, there's a few layouts with my Oma- the girls' great Oma- and they wouldn't know who she is from Adam. They have met her- when they were tiny little infants, but they don't remember her. And, they'll never know her intimately like I did growing up. But, they can learn about her and love her through the pages that are dedicated to her.

On another note, I'm deeply touched that what I've been dedicated {obsessively} to working on for my family and those still to come, is so special to the girls. Already.  I was almost moved to tears this evening when I was talking with Kyle about it! Of course they would appreciate it, but in my mind, that appreciation would be many years down the road. I never thought that it would be this soon. Wow. Just. Wow!! At least I know (thankfully) none of what's in those albums is in vain. KWIM???!

I have another layout to share tonight:



This was such a fun layout to make! Its based on the Monthly Sketch Challenges' Bonus Sketch for week 3, which you can find right here. I flipped the sketch upside down and turned it backwards so that it would work better with the photo I chose to scrapbook.

And, the picture I chose is still from the Father's Day weekend bash. Here, Auntie is walking with Dear Maren in her arms. I just adore this picture of the two of them! And, I love that she's taking such a keen  interest in spending time with them. But, how could she not? She's my person, after all! She helped bring them into the world- by extension, they're almost like her own children!

I began thinking that when we look back on this picture, we're going to wonder exactly how old Maren was when this picture was taken. So, in the journalling spot, I jotted down the magical number (which is 29 months old. But, I realized that's a typo after I got it scanned. She's actually 28 months old in this picture. My bad!! I still have to fix that).

All the papers I used are K& Co, but not from the same lines. (The one that the title is matted on is from the 'best of' paper pad, and the rest are from the Brenda Walton Designer paper pack). The black card stock is Recollections, I think.

Have a great night, everyone! I'm off to work on another layout before heading off to bed.

~a

Saturday, July 21, 2012

DIY Chevron

I've been sitting on this lo for a while, and I've just been itching to share it with you!

I came across a really neat tutorial over at Creating Keepsakes' Blog on making your very own chevron  design from your stash! What a great idea--and I love adore how it looks! In addition to making each letter in my titles blocked (another favourite technique), you'll be finding a lot of this in my projects, as well!

One thing I learned while trying to figure out how to do this: the size of paper doesn't matter. In this particular project, each piece of patterned paper to make up the sides of the chevron are 1'(w) by 3'(l). The longer and wider they are, the higher and deeper your chevrons become! Also, remember to alternate which sides you fold down with each strip of patterned paper you use. It took me quite a while to figure out why it wasn't working...it wasn't until the first half were adhered to the card stock background that the little proverbial lightbulb came on.

So, to explain a little more precisely: with your first piece of patterned paper, fold down the top left corner, so it makes a triangle shape, then fold the bottom right edge up; on your next strip of patterned paper, fold the bottom left portion up, and the top right portion down, always making little triangles. When you fit the folded edges together, it should make the chevron pattern. (If I am not making sense, head on over to Creating Keepsakes--it'll make sense there).


(You can see a ton of fold lines in this strip of patterned paper because I was using it to practice)


Top left corner folded down


Bottom right corner folded up


This is the second strip of patterned paper; fold the bottom left portion up


Fold the top right portion down


When both strips of patterned paper are aligned, you've got the chevron pattern! Voila!

And, here's the masterpiece I made using this technique:


This was made using sketch #141 over at Let's Capture These Sketches. Definitely head over there and see what the girls have done with this beautiful sketch!

If you make any projects using this technique, send me the link so I can see too! I'd love to see how you use it. And, don't forget to drop by Creating Keepsakes and link your project to their blog, too!

Friday, July 20, 2012

Once, Many Moons Ago...

Thought I'd share a fun layout with you today!

While auntie and uncle were down here last celebrating Fathers' Day with us (you may remember that I've been referencing that a lot lately!!) we played at the park with the kids until their bedtime. Auntie and daddy got the bright idea to try and go down the twisty slide like the kids (auntie, mainly as a way to encourage the girls to go down it with her. They still think its a pretty scary thing!!!) Daddy- just because he was showing off. LOL

He did mention that we may need to call 911 if he got stuck. Thankfully--he didn't! It was a tight squeeze, though.

Hilarious, right?

The sketch I used for this layout was done by Melissa over at What's Scrappenin'? You can also find her over at scrapbook.com. I did this for the Monthly Sketch challenge (which is where the sketch came from), week 3.

I did a lot of stamping on this one, and everything that's stamped or inked was done using SU's chocolate chip. The stamps I used on the grey card stock are Autumn Leaves (Walmart), the journalling spot is also Autumn Leaves; the ties and the 'best dad ever' stamps are all from SU's Best Dad Ever set.

The blue gingham pp is SU (from many, many moons ago), and the alpha stickers in my title work are probably also from Walmart. (They're half used up- from my MIL...I am not sure where they came from!) I fussy cut the banner on which my title work is adhered.

There you have it! Simple, but loads of fun! (And a laugh or two)

ANother weekend is here. We are laying low this weekend. What are your plans?

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Here's to You, Kid

I don't have any layouts or other projects to share with you today, however I do have some great news to share on the home front: today was a momentous day in the potty training department! Holy cow, I'm so happyelatedsurprised proud of Miss Maren!

What she saw in the pot scared her, poor thing, so she cried, but the look of absolute pleasure on her face when her daddy and I praised her for such a job well done was worth it. Of course, a treat (chocolate) for doing such a big girl thing helped too!

My MIL mentioned on Monday when we picked the girls up that she thought Maren would be easier to potty train than Addison (she echoed my own suspicion that I think she doesn't understand the concept of it yet, therefore she isn't ready). So, with a renewed vigour, we're trying (yet again) to consistently potty train. I think Maren is absolutely ready. To tell us continually that she's got to go (#2 mind you), must mean its about time. And she did it! Now to make #1 in there, and we'll at least have a foundation to work from!

Here's to next time, and the time after that!

***

341* moving forward
342* that the whole situation thing was dropped last weekend
343* for some more temperate weather
344* a day for myself
345* a clean vehicle
346* growth
347* friends
348* popcorn twists
349* the impromptu game of 'eye spy' we played on the trip home from grandma's
350* new words and phrases we've learned
351* hearing Addison singing new songs (ie. head and shoulders)
352* how she's turned 'twinkle twinkle' into rap (LOL)
353* favourite summer time tv shows
354* that 'who's going to be who' is totally backwards, once again
355* that Addison is such a clown
356* that Maren is so sweet and tenderhearted


Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Utter Determination


A few weeks back, my family came out to celebrate Fathers' Day. Maybe it was a month ago, already. My sister and brother in law decided to come out early to celebrate, and I'm glad they did. We had a lot of fun hanging out at the park with the kids just before their bedtime. It was the perfect way for them (auntie and uncle) to play with the kids.

While we were there, Maren decided to climb up this monkey bar thing that starts at the ground and curves upwards towards the main play structure. I'm not really sure what to call it, so I've dubbed it the 'half monkey bars'. I could hardly wait to get this picture onto paper and into the girls' scrapbook album. The look of sheer determination/concentration on Maren's face is absolutely incredible. I kind of think its one of those pictures you'd find in a motivational/inspirational type poster hanging on a wall somewhere. Yeah, I think this shot is that good. Its also one of the pictures that's really making me think that taking a photography class would be so fun and rewarding.

This particular layout is based on the monthly sketch challenge over at Scrapbook.com. Its the bonus sketch for week 2, mind you, but its the only one I can share with you right now, because everything else I've been working on is for DT's. On Friday I'll have one of them to share...I can hardly wait for it. Eek!

The floral paper is K&Co (Sweet Nectar), and they're scraps; so is the yellow card stock that's matted underneath it. The pink and beige card stock (on which the navy blue is matted on) are all Autumn Leaves (Walmart) card stock. I think the navy card stock is from DeSerres, my LSS. If you haven't been there before, you should check them out- in store at West Edmonton Mall, or online.  They've got everything for your crafty/hobby needs! Its a pretty neato store. Thanks to a dear friend for the heads up!

The little bit of punch work on the pink card stock strip is with a Martha Stewart scallop punch. Rhinestones are Recollections.

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Monster Jam

Good morning! Incredibly, its 9:30 am and my children are still sleeping!! What's up with that?!

It was a late night for us last night. The kids were scheduled to come home from their grandparents place. Originally, the plan was to take them out for dinner, but it didn't work out that way. We waited and waited to hear from them (to find out when they were coming), and never heard from them. So, at 5 yesterday afternoon, I finally texted Grandma to see where they were. She texted back saying they were just eating supper then were going to hit the road. Bummer.

Kyle and I were getting grocery shopping done while we waited for (as it turned out) Grandma and the kids. Grandpa had to go to work. He was able to meet up with me after my massage yesterday (yes...mmmm bliss!) and we got the grocery shopping done together. It was fun! After getting what I could from Walmart, we headed over to IGA (Sobey's) to get what I can't from Walmart- basically fruit, veggies and meat. (And a couple scrapbook albums because my lo's desperately needed to be bound!! I was afraid they were going to get mixed up if I didn't do it SOON! It was a big job, but I just.finished.it. Phew!)

Grandma called while we were in the checkout line saying she was broken down three blocks from home, and we needed to come pick up the kids. Ok! Zip home, quickly unload the Yukon, re-stock my fridge and freezer, hit up McDonalds (which I am so.sick of junk food!!! We've eaten way too much fast food this weekend. Enough already. I can hardly wait to cook a square meal tonight!) and 'beep beep, zoomy zoomy' down to Grandma's.

We got home at 10 last night, got the kids changed and ready for bed, made them some porridge for a snack (upon their request), read their bedtime stories and turned out the lights. All by 10:30. And, they slept right away, I think. I'm impressed- they didn't even nap on our way home. I think they were too excited about mama and daddy and going home. They chattered most of the way home- until it turned into fussing and whining (only on Maren's behalf, thankfully).

We were definitely tired when we got home! I had wanted to scrapbook last night, but obviously it didn't work out that way! My goal is to play for a bit this afternoon, should I decide to put the kids down for a nap. Since they're sleeping in, I might not get the chance. If not, there's always tonight!!

So, here's the few pictures that actually turned out from Monster Jam:


On our way into Edmonton on Friday, the girls fell asleep. Naturally. I was driving, and daddy turned around to have a peek at the girls, and he found Addison sleeping still hanging onto her Manny (Happy Meal toy)


I didn't get a picture of it, and now I really wish that I had. Maren had her first tumble at Oma and Poppa's house (we needed to stop there before meeting up with Grandma and Grandpa K to pick up the girls' playpens). She was walking along the sidewalk to the backyard, and tripped on an uneven piece and scraped her knee. She cried, daddy picked her up, and mama made it all better. I gave her a big hug, brought her to the bathroom, cleaned it up and put a 'doctor' on it. Then kissed it all better. As I put the band-aid on, she told me 'thank you, mama'. It melted my heart.

Then, on our way out of the house, we stopped to leave Oma a love note. She scribbled on some paper, and said 'thank you, Oma' while she was colouring. (So, I wrote on Maren's note that she said thank you for the 'doctor'). I wish I had a picture of that too, but alas, I left my camera in the Yukon. I guess there'll be many more boo boo's right?


Just gotten seated at the show.

Uncle- after the cranky pants face he pulled :)

Uncle and J (we--ok I experienced some confusion between these two boys. If Kyle and I talked about either one of them, I always had to clarify exactly.who we were talking about--they both have the same name!!)


This little guy was so.stinking.cute! He was sitting in front of us and is 7 months old (his mommy told us, after I guessed him to be 6-8 months old). He was just going nuts on an empty water bottle that his mommy let him play with, but as soon as his ear muffs were put on, he went cuh-razy!!! Just talking, and squealing and carrying on- he was such a sweet, happy baby boy! My heart really aches when I see babies like this, and husband gets all fuzzy and mushy over them. It always makes me think, 'seriously?? You're done? We could have this again, you know???' But, I never say it. Maybe one day I will, but that's truly what's in my heart.


And, of course, husbands' absolute favourite monster truck. Too bad Dennis Anderson wasn't driving, though! That'd be like the icing on the cake! We did, however, buy the girls each a Grave Digger tee, and a little Grave Digger stuffy toy. (They'll have to share it, though. We only got one).


Other than the motor x stunt team, a jet car came out and burnt a car to the ground. Literally. Pieces from it were flying all over the place, and at one point, the force of the fire coming out actually pushed the car backwards a few yards. Yeah, it was incredible!


Shortly after this, the batteries to the camera died, and I had no back ups, so this is where the pictures end. Not that much else exciting happened, other than the jet car taking an 8 second cruise down the quarter mile drag strip.

We bumped into friends (k, not really. I found out via Facebook that they were planning to surprise their boys- also twins- with a trip to see the Monster Trucks. We did manage to see them, amidst the crowd of 3000 + spectators, and I happened to see my cousin, her husband and their kids, though I'm not sure they saw me. So, small world when it comes to stuff like this!

In a nutshell, that's the majority of our weekend. Its at least the highlights of our weekend. I also got my Yukon washed and vacuumed- inside and out and we had brunch with my sister, BIL (who is in the pictures above) mom and dad. Then, we spent a nice evening to ourselves, and an incredibly quiet and too fast day by myself.

Having said that, though, I'm so happy to have my kids back at home.

On that note, its time to go. Kidlets are finally awake!

Monday, July 16, 2012

Reveal Day

Reveal day for Team B over at Lets Capture These Sketches was last Friday. You can find sketch #140 and everyone's incredible work right here.

This is my take on the sketch:


Good things come to those that wait: some of the layouts I made of the kids' twin cousins' birthday party were a bit of a surprise- I had done them for DT assignments! This is one of them. Obviously, mama and daddy are helping P and O blow out their candles.

Because there were some people in the background that I didn't necessarily want in the picture (and cropping them out wasn't an option), I decided to blur the edges of the picture to help keep the focus on the subjects I wanted: the birthday kids and their parents.

Also, reveal day for Miracle's Momma's Design Diva's was over the weekend, too! If you haven't already, you should really go and check out her wonderful blog; you'll find Sketch #21 (the latest sketch template) and the design teams' gorgeous work!

This is my interpretation of her sketch:


Addison told me, after wanting to 'jump' out of their playhouse into my arms that she loves me and I'm '...her hero'. If she ever wants to melt my heart, all she needs to do is say mushy stuff like that. I'm defenceless against it! Hence the title of my layout. I took a picture of the rock wall leading up to the playhouse to help illustrate the fact that Addison jumped out of (though I would have rathered her go down the slide instead of exiting the wrong way) the playhouse.

There is hidden journalling to help tell the story as it actually happened (behind the photo mat), but the journalling that's obviously out in the open is a brief heartfelt note to my sweet daughter, letting her know that if anyone's the hero around here, it would be her sister and herself, hands down. Being their mother is teaching me to be more patient, diligent, considerate, problem solver extraordinaire, creative...the list goes on. They are incredibly special and even more incredibly loved!

Well, this is all I have to share for right now. I don't quite understand why the pictures I took this weekend aren't loading to the computer. So, I guess I'll have those for you (keep your fingers crossed!) tomorrow!

Until then...

~a