All About Family

Once again, time has gotten away from me! Where does time go?!

I want to highlight a few of my favorite layouts from my scap binge last weekend. I got so many done, that there's just way too many to post here.

You'll be able to find all my layouts in various places- either here, here or here. My Pinterest also includes all the items that inspired me, too.

First up, First Snow. Way back in October, the first flakes of snow fell. The girls and I got all dressed up and headed outside to make our very first snowman, and attempt showing them how to make snowballs. Both turned out to be a project for mommy only, but we still had fun. They love catching snowflakes on their tongues- that was something else mama taught them while we gallavanted in the snow.

I absolutely love the papers I chose to use on this layout. Blue and red is another fave color combo. And the patterns on this one? Out of this world! I just LOVE it!!! All papers used are Jillibean Soup, from the Winter Tortellini collection. Oh, except for the one strip of blue polka dot paper that's punched. That's from Carta Bella (Merry and Bright Collection).

Another favorite is my Family layout. The content is fairly intimate; its another layout dealing with my struggle with Post Partum Depression. A song that has come to mean a lot to me during this period in my life is I Will Not Give Up, by Jason Mraz. I wanted to find a design that saved a lot of room for journalling (so I would write out the lyrics to the song), and the one I chose for this layout met that requirement beautifully.

My favorite part about that layout is all the white space! Its short and sweet, and to the point. A lot like me, now that I think about it.

You are Beautiful. We frequently tell our girls that. We may be a little biased, but I think its 100% true. My hope is that if the girls hear it enough throughout their lives, they'll believe it, and not think less of themselves. Part of that hope is also instilling in them the trust that their mama and daddy are incredibly proud of them (which we are), and we tell them that often, too. I never heard it much from either of my parents growing up; I don't want my children growing up without hearing those important words from the most important people in their lives.

The sticker sentiment that makes up the title on this layout sums up how I feel about both of the girls perfectly. I couldn't have said it better myself!

Next comes my Cozy layout. Its another layout of Neruda, the cat we're taking care of for my sister. She just looks so snug and cozy all curled up under the curtains like that! All I had to do was lie on the floor (a short distance from her), zoom in, and snap away. She didn't even notice a thing! Lucky for me :)

The title is my favorite part of this layout. It has a real home spun, cozy sort of feel. LOVE!!

Lastly begins the Boudoir photo layouts! I won't actually post any pictures of my boudoir photos, but I will post (and scrap) some of the lifestyle pics I had done with my bestie (I was able to sneak a few of those into my boudoir shoot, too). All the layouts I've done of those up to date are located in the three links I provided at the top of my post.

Enjoy and take care!

~a

DIlemma

Hey peeps, I have a dilemma, and I would love your help (or advice- or both!!)

I attempted to write a post previous to this one, and found out (unfortunately), that I have no more space to add photos to this blog. Unless, that is, I buy more storage. I am not up for that. I found out because I have some exciting news to share, and a picture is necessary to the news I want to share. I will tell you what the news is, because I just can't keep it to myself anymore, but there won't be a picture to accompany it. I don't want to wade through the mounds of posts I've made in the last year trying to locate the photographic item I want to share.

On the other hand, you'll just have to go out and purchase what I am about to share with you. Ha!

I bet I've got you wondering now, LOL.

I got published!

One of my layouts will appear in the next issue (which is out on new stands on the first) of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine. GO out and buy it and look for me! I'd love that!

And, since I have no more photo storage, I am unable to show you my most recent layout, which is sketch #159 over at LCTS. However, you can find it at my online gallery.

Maren (and now Addison) are in this phase where everything is 'theirs'. Maren's 'my' phase has expanded to include the word 'friend' now, so everything and everyone is 'her friend_______...' Its pretty darn cute! I love it especially when she asks about 'her friend daddy'. It warms my heart knowing she thinks that way of her daddy. I just hope she feels the same about her mama!

Till next time,

xo

~a

Spoiled Rotten

My birthday this year was probably the best one I've ever had. Seriously. I was spoiled.rotten. by the bestest husband in the universe!

On Friday night, we had dinner at Jubilations, a dinner theatre at West Edmonton Mall. To sum it up in one word: fun!! Dinner was delicious, and the show was superb. (We saw the musical version of NCIS, for those that are interested).

Saturday, husband let me shop: I needed new clothes and bras and undies, so I hit up Old Navy for some new clothes, and La Senza for the rest. For dinner Saturday night, we went to the Melting Pot. For those that live in the Edmonton area, and want to have a romantic, out of this world FONDUE meal, go to the Melting Pot. I have a few pictures from our romantic meal:

First up came the cheese fondue

I didn't get a picture of the salad, which came before the entree, which was an oil fondue

the flowers Kyle bought for me (apparently you can have them arrange flowers for you, and placed at your table before you get there).

Your picture is also taken during your meal, too, and they give you a copy of it, placed in a nice photo folder. Here's the picture they snapped for us, just before dessert.

Oops- what's left of our dessert. I highly recommend the brownies with milk chocolate fondue. In my humble opinion- and please excuse me- but its better than sex. No word of a lie. I had three plates of it. All complimentary, by the way.

This last picture was taken just tonight- the girls sang me happy birthday. We put candles in each of our cheese cakes (that was my birthday cake) so that the girls could blow out their candles, too. It was actually kind of funny watching them try to blow it out. Addison somehow blew hers out, but poor Maren (in the purple jammies) couldn't blow hers out. (The cheesecake was delicious, by the way). Hit up Costco for one of those...

In other news, Friday happened to be reveal day over at Lets Capture These Sketches. You can find sketch #156 there.

Here is my take on this awesome sketch:

I had a lot of fun working with this beautiful sketch. I think its one of my favourites! For a little added interest, I stamped the white card stock in the background- I felt that it was too white. I used SU ink in Summer Sun. The hearts are also stamped using the same ink.

My new favourite colour combo (after making this layout) is red and teal- what a gorgeous combination! Yummy! THe one piece of teal card stock is stamped using SU Not Quite Navy ink. Looking back at it now, I kind of think I should have stamped the other teal piece of card stock with the same stamp and ink, but at the time, I like the contrast.

When we took the kids to the air show in town this past summer, one of them fell to sleep in daddy's arms. I think it was Maren, but my memory has become a bit rusty. Anyways, I love this picture and just needed to scrap it! The journalling reads, 'we love to snuggle with you!' The chipboard 'favourite things' helped to reinforce our love of snuggling with the girls, as did the hearts.

Some of you may be wondering how things for me have been going in the recent past. I thought I'd share a bit of an update with you.

At the beginning of September, Kyle and I began seeing a marriage counsellor, to help us break the communication barriers, and improve our relationship. Its helped us out immensely! During the course of our counselling, it became apparent that I've been suffering from Post Partum Depression. I knew that I had it- my ob/gyn told me I was displaying symptoms already when I was pregnant. We let it go, because I couldn't take anything while I was pregnant, and the symptoms worsened after the kids were born. Mind you, Addisons' colic and terrible constipation for their first year didn't help matters, either. Every doctor I talked with after the kids were  born wouldn't listen. They kept telling me I was just stressed out, anxious, and they didn't necessarily think it was PPD. Not until my counsellor asked me about it. She encouraged me to see my family doctor again (which I did- and brought along the depression scale questionnaire I filled out at the beginning of counselling as proof that I did indeed have depression- which she says is severe).

I've been on medication now since the beginning of October, and honestly began to notice a difference immediately. I've progressed to the point where I'm doing things again that I haven't since before the kids were born. I feel like myself again; human again.

I am also researching different discipline/raising methods in regards to the kids. I've began to implement  1-2-3 Magic- which is working beautifully with the kids, and I seriously want to read Raising A Spirited Child. (Though I'd like to read 1-2-3 Magic, too). Any other material/child rearing methods are definitely welcome!

Lastly, we received news today that Kyle is diabetic. Things went south again after I got straightened out. It seemed like we switched roles. As soon as I lost the grizzly bear persona, my husband picked it up. I strongly encouraged him to talk with his doctor again, and have blood work done, and this is the final result. His fasting glucose levels are slightly above what the doctor would like to see, but no matter how high or slightly high it is, its still diabetes.

Life is about to change drastically for us! But, in a good way! Its unfortunate Kyle has diabetes (its hereditary), but now that we've had this wake up call, it'll do us all some good, I think. Once I"m done this post, I'm going to print out some diabetic friendly dinner recipes. Even though it'll be a few weeks till we meet with the dietician, there's no reason why we can't start making lifestyle changes now!

Sorry for the novel!

~a

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween everyone! Did you little ghosts and goblins score a lot of loot tonight? Mine sure did! We filled an entire Walmart reusable shopping bag- to the brim- with goodies! My word- they still have goodies left over from last year! All this sweet goodness will last us the next couple of years, I think. Did you stay warm while your little gaffers ran from door to door? We nearly froze- the wind is bitter!! We've all got wind burnt cheeks! I'll have pictures up here one of these days. It'll probably (most likely) have to wait until next week.

As promised, here is one of two DT assignments that were due recently. The other will be posted in the next day or so. Hopefully it'll be posted before the weekend, which is shaping up to be another whirlwind adventure for this gal. Only this time, it'll be solely for dear husband and I. Its my birthday, and he's treating me to a weekend for ourselves. I'm so happy that he heard what I said when I would love- just once- to have a birthday that wasn't all about hunting. I have the best man in the universe!

Don't you just love the simplicity of this design?! I sure do- it came together so quickly and effortlessly- Heather did a remarkable job on the sketch behind this layout. She's such a talented lady! You can find the sketch by going to her blog, Miracles Momma Designs. But, you won't find it there tonight. Check back in a few days, and you'll certainly find it there! I'm getting this up early because I'm certain I won't have the time until next week to jump back onto the computer. There's no better time like the present!

Great Shots

I got so many good shots of the kids the day we hung out in the garage cleaning up over the summer! Here, Maren is helping her daddy sweep the floor. I love that little tongue hanging out of her mouth!

The latest sketch (#26) is up over at Heathers blog; you should go and check it out! Seriously, the design team is fantabulous! The designs they come up with are incredibly creative, and Heather's sketches are beyond amazing! They are a lot of fun to work with.

As always, if you decide to use Heather's sketch, please let me know. I'd love to see how it inspires you!

And, once again, all the papers here are scraps (and incredibly ancient), except for the green card stock base. The ribbon isn't a scrap either- it came from a bargain basket over at DeSerres. Seriously, I love that store! I could definitely go crazy there...

Another layout will be coming up in the next few days...until then, take care!

~a

Hop Scotch

Hi everyone!

Have I mentioned before the 'sidewalk that leads to nowhere' that was located in our backyard? I say 'was', because its now been torn out. Or, most of it. When we put the shed in the backyard (yes, we bought a shed and had it delivered a couple of weeks ago), Kyle used the sidewalk blocks to level it. Now, we have to re-seed it before the snow flies, so next spring we'll have new grass growing in!

Before the fence was put up, the original owners used the backdoor as their main entrance- which, if you think about it, is a real nuisance, considering you're entering right into the kitchen/dining room. But, that's just me. To other people, its no big deal. There was no grass in the backyard either, so they parked back there- hence the sidewalk.

After it was further developed and closed in, the sidewalk just plain didn't make sense. Why leave the sidewalk when it leads smack dab into the middle of your backyard fence? Silly, if you ask me, but it lead to tons of hours of fun for the girls. They loved taking their sidewalk chalk out into the backyard and play with it. The first thing they always asked for was hop scotch (after I showed them what it was all about one afternoon). Having that sidewalk was a bonus for me, too- I didn't have to worry about my little toddlers playing out in the driveway or along our street, where it is quiet, but local traffic is a constant worry for me.

At first, I didn't really want to cover up as much of this picture as I did, but in the end, I wound up really liking it. I wanted to mimic the numbers in the hop scotch in the picture, so I used my Cricut to cut out the numbers. (I searched high and low for sticker numbers that weren't minuscule or monstrously huge, and apparently I have none! Cricut to the rescue!!) I thought the floral background worked well to highlight the outdoors- even though there were scant flowers growing in my backyard. One day I will remedy that!! (At a time in the kids' life where it isn't fun picking all the heads off the flowers anymore, or playing in the dirt...)

For the title work, I traced out wood veneer letters that I found at Walmart (because the package contains only one of every letter in the alphabet) onto foam and cut them out. To cover up the pencil lines, I used a sponge dauber and inked the outer edges of the letters with SU's Cherry Cobbler ink.

All the papers used on this layout (minus the kraft base) are from my scrap stash- including the papers I used to cut the numbers with.

In a lot of ways, the season change is welcome, but in some ways, I'm sad to see summer leave us already. The kids sure have enjoyed the changes the weather has brought- they loved playing in the snow, and just the other day Maren asked when it was going to snow again. I cringed a little at the thought of cold weather and the white, fluffy stuff, but told her it was coming soon enough. Halloween has me excited enough as it is; don't get me started on Christmas! I'm really looking forward to Christmas this year. Its going to be so much more meaningful for the kids! Eeek! I can hardly wait to put up the tree and decorate!

What are you looking forward to at this time of year?

~a

Pumpkin Lanterns

Hi everyone!

As usual, life has been pretty busy around here. Last weekend was Thanksgiving, and I had the privilege of cooking my first ever Thanksgiving dinners (times two!!) It was a success! Kyle and I both tackled the turkey together; it was delicious! I also tried out a few new recipes- homemade dinner rolls (which will also be served at Christmas when the family-entire step family and my entire immediate family- comes out) and a yummy way to cook carrots. Both are new family favourites!

The carrots were so amazing, I just have to share the recipe:

Balsamic Glazed Carrots

10 carrots peeled, quartered lengthwise
1/4 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. butter (though I prefer margarine)
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

1) cook carrots in boiling water in large saucepan on medium heat 4 to 6 minutes or until crisp-tender. Meanwhile, cook dressing, sugar and butter in small saucepan on low heat 3 to 5 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally.
2) drain carrots; return to saucepan. Add sauce, stir. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until carrots are heated through and evenly coated with sauce.
3) sprinkle with parsley

Thanks to Kraft Canada for that delicious recipe! When looking for delicious, simple, new recipes to try out, Kraft Canada is my go-to source. What's yours?

Anyways, it was Sooo (yes--with a capital S--it was that great!!) incredibly delicious!!

There are also a lot of pictures to share over the last little while- Thanksgiving, our first snowfall (and the kids excitement over it- Addison kept saying that the sky was dripping--how cute is that??!), pumpkins (and things affectionately known as pumpkin lanterns--LOL), northern lights and a few other highlights of our humble days. That'll be coming in another post!!

In the meantime, I have another layout to share with everyone. This one is another that I did on my own- without the help of sketches and DT assignments! Ahh I love that my brain is starting to clear up enough that I can churn out some of my own designs, rather than relying on someone else's ideas. Though, don't get me wrong, I LOVE using sketches, too! I love that they take the guesswork (or most of it) out of making up your design.

Way back in July, we spent one afternoon in the garage with Kyle, just hanging out and {kind of} helping him try and organize his 'man cave' a little better. That is, until the kids got distracted with the toys he played with during his childhood. I think he's pretty proud- his girls like trucks. I think they like anything that moves and looks interesting. One day they'll turn into girly girls; at least, one of them is bound to be- their mama is, so one of them has to be, too. I said so.

Speaking of I said you so's, the girls were pretty excited about going to play outside in the snow yesterday. They were even more excited about the hot chocolate I promised I'd make them once they came inside. All I heard the entire time I mixed it and heated it in the microwave was 'you're amazing, mommy!'

So...I have it on good authority that I'm pretty amazing!

That makes a mommy feel pretty good- even if it was over something as simple as a cup of hot chocolate!

~a

Re-Connect

I did some of my own scrapping last night! Woohoo! No sketches, dt assignments on this one, just my regular old brain power. And, I have to say I'm quite proud of the finished product!

I mentioned in my last post, that I had printed out a couple of pictures for my last dt assignment, but at the last minute, two others screamed at me to be used. This is one of the pictures that was originally going to be scrapped. The other isn't very clear, so I opted not to use it at all (at this time).

In the picture, Maren is playing in her tunnel- they love it when mommy and daddy drape a blanket between the couches in the living room, and they can crawl in and out of it at will. Up until everything was secured to the white card stock, that was the direction this layout was going to take. Then, I got to thinking about my relationship with Maren, and the recent re-'connection' we've made- and how relieved and incredibly happy I am that positive changes are occurring between us.

All the paper on this layout is scraps (none of which I remember where they came from- its been so long), though the little strawberry came off a barrette that the girls got as babies. One of them tore it apart, and I've been hanging on to it for quite some time- for the very purpose of being used on a layout, somewhere, some time.

School!

Have I mentioned how crazy obsessed with school that my kids are? If I haven't--they are. It all began back in July when we took them to the Whitecourt Airshow. The airport was flooded out, so no parking was allowed. We had to drive up to the rodeo grounds (which is another 5 minutes up the highway), park, and then ride a shuttle bus (which happened to be a good, old fashioned yellow school bus), and my kids were smitten. Next, We took the kids to the jet boat races, and we rode another shuttle bus from a frac site down to the river (which is literally only a 2 minute ride). There is not enough room down at the river for spectators to park. There's only enough room for the competitors, with their boats.

I've began thinking, in the recent past, that getting the kids involved in toddler groups up at the leisure centre would be a good idea. #1- it gets them out of the house; #2, it burns off some of their endless energy; #3- they get to hang out with other kids their age; and lastly, I get to get out and meet some other mama's. Today was our first day. While I was getting ready for the day, I began wondering how I was going to tell the girls what my plans were- and make sure it was in terms or in words that they understood. So, going to our play group has become 'going to school'.

When I first told Maren, she told me she didn't want to go because she was scared. I assured her mommy would be there, her sister, lots of other kids her age, and that it would be a lot of fun. What I didn't bargain for: daddy being there with us!! He called me at 1, and sounded incredibly ODD. I knew right away that he had something up his sleeve; when I heard the train blow its horn through his phone (and clear as day by my own ears), I knew that he was in town, and on his way home. Yup. He got delayed by the train.

I am SO thankful he was there with me on our first day. I wouldn't have gotten the kids out of there on my own! Miss Addison can be so stubborn- I don't know how to properly handle her. Oi!

So, in honour of our first day of 'school', I've got a picture or two to share with you (which will eventually be scrapped, naturally):

We are also adjusting to life with another kitty in the house. And, this kitty is neurotic, to say the least. She keeps us pretty entertained, and on our toes. She's still adjusting to two little people that aren't always the gentlest, so we've had a few scratchy mishaps, but otherwise, we're adjusting pretty well!

Since the girls are still recuperating from the nasty colds they caught, we plugged in the humidifier in the hallway, so that all four of us would benefit from it (its in-between our bedrooms). Neruda was enthralled with it- especially when it gurgled.

I still giggle every time I see these pictures. Silly kitty!

Dr. Addison is in the House

Daddy took us all out for lunch today, and while we were out, Addison began to give her 'Germy' a medical check up- checking his ears and throat ('say aaahhh'). The funniest part: when she told him "good girl". LOL

The last few sketches that have come from Lets Capture Our Memories have been so fun to work with- and this one is no exception. There were two reasons I wanted to {finally} use hexagons on this layout: first, because I haven't used them yet (and they are on my scrappy bucket list), and because you'll find them in that pillow right behind Maren's head.

To see what the rest of the design team did with sketch #149, head on over to LCOM

If you decide to use this sketch on one of your own layouts, let me know- I'd love to see what you do with it! I know I had a lot of fun working with it- I hope you do, too!

Break

One of the biggest highlights of the day for the girls is when their daddy comes home from work. That's no secret- you've seen me post layouts in the past covering this very subject. To say the girls love their daddy is an understatement. I think they adore him!

The inspiration behind this layout came from a card. My first thought, upon seeing it, was whether it would convert well into a layout. Well, I think it did. I love the simplicity of it, and I love the clustering of elements off to the side. And, did you know--everything on this layout is scraps? Every.single.piece.of.paper. Yep, you bet. What have you made with your scraps lately?

(You can find the original here or saved to my Pinterest, under "To Scraplift").

We have been incredibly busy over here the last few days. The girls are out at their grandparents, having a good old time hanging out with grandma and their little cousin. I mentioned before (I think???) that I had big plans for while they were gone- sorting through toys and donating them, a few home improvement projects, etc. And, we've made good on that promise, so far.

Some of the improvements I've done/made: buying a tension rod and putting it in the cupboard beneath my kitchen sink, to help un-clutter the clutter down there. Its made a bit of difference, but not much. I need to find a new place to store my cutting boards (I've got a TON of them) and cookie sheets/pans. They don't all fit underneath my stove, and my cupboards are pretty well full already. I bought shoe storage units that hang from the tension rod inside your closet to de-clutter my front closet- which has made a HUGE difference! All my extra shoes where thrown haphazardly into a basket that I had wanted to use to store hats/toques/mittens/etc. Now, my dress shoes are stored in my closet in our bedroom, and my every day shoes are stored in the front closet. My basket is now for all those other miscellaneous items (including my umbrella), and I bought a shoe mat to put the winter boots on (when they aren't going to be stored on the other shoe mat I bought that's just inside the front door). I needed to buy a new plastic shoe mat because it was all cracked and falling apart. I also bought two shelving units to help clean up my laundry room- non perishable food, blankets, comforters, etc. will be stored in them...

Still left on the list: re-painting the fence and deck, sanding and making over Kyle's grandpa's book shelf, and hopefully pulling out the flowers from my flower bed, and the weeds from the bush at the foot of our front lawn. And, come next week, we'll be the proud owners of a brand new shed!

(I'm saving the biggest surprise of all for Friday. A few things need to be completed yet before I can tell you about that. Lets just say, something like this doesn't happen to too many people- or very often- and we are so incredibly blessed that we were able to do it!!)

Small Gestures

Did you hear? I'm having a giveaway! For more details, scroll down, or click on this link to head straight over there, and click here to see what's included in the RAK!

One of the things that I've wanted to cross off my scrappy bucket list is painting/chalking/inking (and for those of you that have mists- misting) using a template of some kind. Since I have none of those things in my arsenal as of yet, I used what I had on hand. While it may not look as nice as spray inks and proper templates do, I still really like the effect this created.

I used what I had on hand- being Stampin' Up ink, and a paper (dollar store) doily. Then, I took a sponge dauber and inked away! Once that was done, I layered on the elements and called it done.

Before that, though, I altered a few other items. The bird within the frame is a K& Co chipboard frame, and it was fairly blah being an off-white with barely there script scrolling across it. If you were going for a monochromatic colour scheme, it would be beautiful. I wanted more colour, so I used Summer Sun ink (SU) to fill in the scalloped edge, then Cameo Coral for the flowers, and lastly Old Olive for the leaves. For the bird, I used Martha Stewart glitter in Peridot. (I used Always Artichoke ink for blending in the shape of the doily).

The butterflies are vellum, and they're also K&Co. We all know what vellum looks like, and they seemed to be a little lost on the layout- blending in with the white background. Once again, perfect if you're going for a monochromatic colour scheme. With my sponge dauber, I painted them in using Cameo Coral and Ruby Red.

To ground my picture, I threw on a piece of scrap patterned paper (from K&Co's Itsy Bitsy 6x6 paper pad), and then flipped over a smaller piece of the same patterned paper for the sentiment, which is a rub-on and I'm not sure where it came from anymore.

I think the girls sat outside one evening with their daddy while he had his 'yucky smoke', and when they came back in, they were holding some flowers that had come from the flowerbed underneath my living room window. Never mind they came from my own garden- they're still beautiful, and I loved the gesture!

Somebody...

Did you hear? I'm having a giveaway! For more details, scroll down, or click on this link to head straight over there, and click here to see what's included in the RAK!

I wanted to find a layout with room for lots of journalling on this one (and, as it turns out, there still wasn't enough room, lol). There is a small piece of orange card stock thats peeking out from behind all the other layers of patterned paper, at the top of the page. That little piece of paper looks as though its part of the layering, but it isn't! Its actually more journalling. I figured it would work, since the title work is also in the same colour.

Oi. Where do I start on this one? I've alluded to personal struggles in my blog before. I am not sure if I've alluded to the marital problems we are also facing. The bottom line is our communication sucks, and in a few short days, we'll be seeing someone that hopefully will be able to help us straighten things out and get us (eventually) back to where we started- or even better- beyond where we started.

The personal struggles- all stem back to feeling overwhelmed raising the twins on my own. At least, that's the way it feels. When Kyle is busy with work, he's rarely around. When he is around, he offers very little help around the house and with raising the kids. My plate is full and its wearing me down- and out. I can't help but feel incredibly jealous of the freedom he has in coming and going- as he pleases and when he pleases. I don't get that luxury anymore. In fact, all the 'luxuries' that I took for granted when we were dating, married (and when I was single) have all been stripped from me. My whole world day, night and otherwise, is KIDS- dirty diapers, fighting toddlers, wiping up messes, trying to stay on top of my own messes and HIS to boot, keeping everyone happy (though miserably failing in that department) and somehow, in between everything else, magically finding time for myself.

The luxury of friends, the freedom to 'pick up and go' as I please, being alone, doing what I want and what I like- all of that takes the back seat because I have to ensure everyone else is cared for first. So much so, that I don't even remember who I was, what I was like, what I liked to do (other than scrapbooking, naturally). Now all I know is constant anger, frustration, and unhappiness.

When everything is stripped away- the frustration, the exhaustion, the depression, the loneliness--I LOVE what I have- a husband and two beautiful children. I still want more.

But, what I need is for my husband to realize that I need help, and I need to carve out some time for myself- alone- and time with him, as a couple. There are several key areas in our relationship that's been lacking for a number of years, and no matter how often I bring up the subject, and tell him what I need, nothing ever changes. I don't know how to get through and how to open his eyes to the reality of what things are. The thing is, I want his help with some things before I go to someone else for help. This is his family, not somebody else's. When he takes responsibility for his kids too, one hurdle will be overcome. All that means is I want him to offer to bath the kids every once in a while, change dirty diapers every once in a while, bring the dishes to the sink for me and rinse them off (or better yet, if I'm not feeling good, or if I've run out of time and need to do something else, jump in and get the dishes/vacuuming/ tidying up, etc. done without me even having to ask!) clean up his own messes instead of waiting for me to do it for him, and realize that I need to get out (and getting a job isn't my idea of 'free time' and 'personal time') and give me the freedom to do that without feeling pressure to get home as soon as possible, or guilt for even wanting some time for myself.

While it sounds like he's massively lazy, he does do a few things to help me out (such as mowing the lawn and every once in a while, cooking supper, and taking the garbage to the curb), there isn't much else that he willingly does around the house. I mentioned above that I want him/need him to take responsibility for his family. He also needs to take responsibility for himself. The only thing (in my opinion) he prides himself on is his job. He devotes all of his time to his job, and has little- if anything at all- left for anything else after he comes home. Its to the point where I need to figure out how I would be able to get the lawn mowed myself, with the kids hanging around, or how I'm going to get weeding done (in the front yard) with the kids around, or even how I could wash my own vehicle in the driveway without worrying about them running away. Some things just aren't possible for me to do right now, and because of his lack of enthusiasm/motivation/dedication, I have to figure out how to do even that on my own. Everything just keeps piling on top of everything else.

And, I'm drowning in it.

Well, in a pretty bit nutshell, that's what this layout is about. Though, the journalling in my layout is the abridged version of what I've written here. Truthfully, I could write a whole lot more- nasty, hurtful, vengeful- all types of words, but I won't. I don't need to. The day is coming where I can get everything off my chest- in a controlled, and safe environment. And, that's not to say I'll be rude and mean (intentionally) about it. I can't say where our relationship will be after all is said and done, but hopefully we can work through it all!

Visit

Did you hear? I'm having a giveaway! For more details, scroll down, or click on this link to head straight over there, and click here to see what's included in the RAK!

I thought I'd share a big photo post because I'm starting to find that I'm getting mixed up the farther behind I am posting here to my blog! So, if I can keep up with my online gallery posts, I shouldn't hopefully get confused anymore. There's two layouts that I'm pretty sure I haven't posted, but I am not 100% sure. I need to go back through my posts and double check, but I'm too lazy. Maybe one day I will, but not now lol. 

These three layouts occurred back at the end of June, when Kyle's mom and step dad came up to visit. In the first layout, Addison was saying hi to grandma- they had just arrived. I wanted to stick with a green and yellow colour palette, and when I adhered the block sticker letters (they're actually the negative of the letters that were there at one time), they just didn't look right to me. I doodled the stitching onto each of the letters- I kind of like it. I love the homespun look, and that's how this looks to me.

Every piece of paper on that layout is scraps, save for the green polka dotted patterned paper in the background, and the grey piece of card stock everything is matted to. The flower embellies and the sentiment are Sandy Lion (dollar store), and the button is miscellaneous. This layout was also made using the week 1 sketch (July's) over at the monthly sketch challenge on scrapbook.com.

The next layout was made using another sketch, but this time I found it over at Page Maps (July 2009). A little later on that afternoon (when the grandparents arrived), the kids played in their pool and chased the new dog (to the grandparents) around. I wanted to especially highlight the picture of Addison switching hats with her grandpa- it just shouts all kinds of adorable to me!! Once again, all the embellishments on that layout are from the Dollar Store. (I have to admit, I'm quite impressed with the scrapbooking goodies our local Dollar Store carries...I think I should shop there a little more often!)

The last layout was done with my own brain power. I wanted to make this layout look like a magazine spread, because honestly, I {humbly} think it should be in a magazine! While the in-laws were here, they finally got my bed finished. 

Bed finished you're asking yourself. Yes, finished. What began as a project that I wanted done while I was pregnant and living in Saskatchewan (I couldn't do it myself because of said pregnancy), wasn't actually tackled AND/OR finished until 2.5 years later and in a totally new province. Kyle had been hanging onto his waterbed frame (who knows why), and he asked me if I would like to use it as the frame for our bed. Yes, I told him, but only as long as it was made over. I loathed the 80's finish on it, and the horrid 80's frosted mirror that came along with it. Tacckkkyyyyy was all I could think. 

I was a little afraid of how the mirror would look in it after we stripped the varnish, re-painted and aged the wood (which apparently was super simple- just mix half water and half paint, and once that dries, take steel wool and rub it over the wood. The more you steel wool your wood, the more antiqued/aged it becomes). But, it actually looks surprisingly good! (Now if only the mirror wasn't cracked). 

(And, on a side note, the red blanket that's on our bed in the picture doesn't actually belong there. My colour scheme in our bedroom is grey and aquamarine/bluey...the comforter that matches the pillows on the bed is too hot in the summer, hence the red blanket...)

I bought new curtains so that our room wouldn't feel so heavy and dark (because everything that belongs on our bed actually came in a bed in a bag- including curtains), and I love how airy and summery it feels. These were clearance at Fields, because they were (are) closing out. I also bought brown ones, which are still yet to be hung in my living room. Maybe one day! Mayyybeee...when I get the custom shelving units that my dad is kindly going to build for me, which will be placed on either side of my living room window! That would be the most opportune time! (Pictures will follow when said project is actually completed!)

OK, back on task. The strips of patterned paper are both Recollections (My Favorite Things), and the buttons are once again miscellaneous. The title work was stamped using Basic Black ink (SU), and the banner sticking out from the side of the picture is hidden journalling. The scalloped border punch is Martha Stewart.

And, speaking of visits, my sister and brother in law were down for the night, as I mentioned in yesterdays post. I got spoiled again today! The kids and I had a rotten sleep last night- we were up every hour overnight, for one reason or another. Just before noon, J noticed me trying to stay awake while we were hanging out in the living room. The kids began asking for lunch, and he offered to make the mac and cheese while I went for an hours' nap. Bless his heart! I actually got to sleep for an hour and fifteen minutes, and it was the most well spent (personal) hour I've had all week! 

I'm thinking that I'll have to go out and buy them some hershey's kisses and make them a card to thank them for their kindness to me over the last two days. Its really meant a lot! (Though, I'm sure they feel indebted to us because we're taking their kitty in as our own until further notice). On a brighter note, make sure you watch for more layouts with Neruda (kitty) in them from now on...once she gets accustomed to the kids and our house, I'm sure there'll be a lot of her! To help you remember who I'm talking about, here she is: 

A Touch of Whimsy

Did you hear? I'm having a giveaway! For more details, scroll down, or click on this link to head straight over there! Also, due to a slight oversight, I've edited my last post to include HOW to enter into my draw!

I've alluded to it time and again, but if you didn't know or were unsure, I've been blessed with twins. And, a blessing they are for sure, even though I've been struggling and finding things incredibly tough these days. Obviously, they are pictured above.

We were both pretty overwhelmed with the news that twins were on the way. Neither of us really thought about it during my pregnancy, but when they did arrive, two big questions loomed large in our minds: 1) how were we going to tell them apart, and 2) what sides of the truck were we going to put them? Both very important questions!

Luckily, there was no difficulty for us telling them apart- unfortunately for Maren, she looked fairly sickly and unwell until she had a blood transfusion- her platelets were low and she was incredibly pale. After that, she pinked up nicely. But, there was no mistaking the two- Maren was still smaller and either malnourished-looking or under-developed. (Once again, thankfully, that quickly changed!! My girl STILL loves her food!) Some people nowadays, are able to tell them apart, but most people can't, which kind of baffles me, because I think the difference between them is like night and day!

Still, we mutually decided that to keep any confusion at bay (and help other people easily remember who was who), we gave the girls colour coded soothers, winter coats, shoes- anything that would help distinguish one from the other. Maren's colour was predominantly pink, and Addisons was purple. You'll see in older pictures of the girls, that we tried to adhere to that rule as much as possible. (For instance, last winter, both girls had pink and purple snowsuits, but their 'dressier' winter coats were purple and brown). Their summer shoes are dark pink (Maren) and white/lighter pink (Addison). I don't think they're ever going to escape the colour coding!

In the picture above, they're almost in their colours. But, not quite. They're backwards. Addison is wearing the pink dress and yellow shirt, and Maren is wearing the blue dress and pink shirt. LOL Just to keep you on your toes, I guess.

So, in that light, the colour scheme I chose to do this layout with echoes their colour scheme almost perfectly. (I have trouble determining whether the flowers in the patterned paper are purple or blue. It could go either way).

As to which side of the truck the girls would sit on--I came up with the idea to use an.... what's the correct term? I can't think of it??? MR AL. MR= Maren right and AL= Addison left. That's never changed, either. Unless, of course, I have a brain fart and put them on the wrong sides by accident. Like that's never happened. LOL (And leave it to my sister to connect the girls initials to my moms maiden name- ABMA.  Addison Brie, Maren Avery. Crazy!! Seriously. That wasn't planned!)

Geez, what's with the bunny trails today? Ask me about my girls, and I'll tell you everything I can about them!

Anyhow, this layout is based on a card I saw that I loved and wanted to translate into a layout. You can find it here. Seriously, inspiration is everywhere!!! And, thank goodness for Pinterest! Otherwise, I'd forget where I find anything!

The floral paper is scraps that I used up, and its Recollections (My Favorite Things collection. How fitting, right?!) The hot pink paper is also from Michaels (ugh- never, I repeat never purchase the sticky back card stock from there. Blech. Not.fun.to.play.with. I keep the lining on the back ON, and use my adhesive to stick it to anything. Much nicer- and easier to keep your alignments straight!! Unless you plan on using it for small items, then maybe using it might not be so frustrating).

The patterned papers making up the circles are all miscellaneous- K&Co, and Stampin' Up.

The chandelier was part of the floral paper- I fussy cut it out and adhered it on its own. I can now cross using a chandelier off of my scrappy 'bucket list'. I had wanted to use one somewhere for so long, and now I finally did! Whoo! (I love the little birdie sitting on it. Adds just a touch of whimsy).

That's all I've got for now.

Take care,

~a

Happy To See You

Friday means reveal day! Yipee!

Head on over to Lets Capture These Sketches for the latest sketch and all the beautiful work the girls put into their interpretations of it! Truly inspiring!

This is what I did with the sketch:

I created the background using Stampin' Up's Summer Sun ink and Stampendous stamp (from Michaels) Bird Post. I just love it! I used a mixture of scrap papers- some Stampin' Up, some Recollections, some basic card stock, some K&Co. The flower stamp (Hampton Arts Fab Flowers- also from Michaels) in the foreground was done also using the Summer Sun yellow from Stampin' Up.

The finishing touches include using my Creative Memories tag punch, and the cloud I've had for so long I can't remember where it came from. It was the last of its kind, and I'm sad that they're finally all used up. They were so fun to work with! (I had foam stars, clouds, and a few other odds and ends). Luckily I went and bought more foam- now I just need to create my own shapes with it!

Speaking of the cloud, I wanted to mimic the cloud in Addisons sweater, so I created raindrops on my layout using clear rhinestones. And, as we all know, water replenishes the earth, so I positioned it above the strip of flowers!

Finally, the title work is one of Addisons most favourite phrases. It defines who she is- and reminds me so much of myself. I guess its her version of my 'hey, hows it going?' I love it!

I'm about to get pretty personal here, so if you're not interested, then see you tomorrow! If you are, thanks for sticking through, my friend!

**********           ***********            *************              ***********        *****

And, on a personal note, how do you deal with daily, motherly frustrations? Kids not listening, the house in a constant state of disastrous mess, accident upon accident upon accident...I feel like I'm going to crack under the pressure! The worst days always seem to occur when a) Kyle's working late or b) I feel like I've just spent too much time with the kids with no relief.

Which is always the case, since I rarely get out on my own. If I do, its always 'don't be too long' or 'please hurry'.

I give myself 'time outs' during the day but that doesn't seem to work anymore either, because while I'm trying to keep my emotions under control, the kids have gotten into something else that sends it sky rocketing again! I finally reached by boiling point by 8:30 tonight because the kids just didn't seem interested in listening to me. I gave them numerous chances to listen, and options to choose from, and they wouldn't acknowledge any of what I said to them. I even threatened to turn off their beloved Toopy and Binoo (bedtime ritual) and send them straight to bed. That didn't work either. So, they went to bed, with no T and P. They got stories, but that was it.

Maybe there's something to having only two children, but I desperately don't want that to be the case.

I am so devoid of any happiness, I'm utterly at my ropes' end. I am in an incredibly dark spot in my life, right now. So dark, I've reached a point where I hate my life. I hate being a mother more days that I like it, I hate my marriage (more the state its in rather than my actual marriage), I hate my life. All my life is is MOMMYING. There's no room in it for the girl who used to be- just.simply.Alison. Just scrapping every night isn't enough anymore. Sleeping right along with the girls at nap time isn't enough anymore (I think its more an escape than anything else). The two friendships I made when we first moved here have both disintegrated. I'm too shy to go out and make new friends. I'm too shy to even bring my kids to moms and tots groups.

I don't foresee things getting any better, either. Kyle appears to be in the 'up-swing' of work again. There's been nothing through the entire summer, and now that its winding down, work seems to be picking up. Notice how there hasn't been any 'thankfuls' in a long time? I haven't forgotten about it; I haven't given up on it; I still want to work on my list. But, in my current emotional state of mind, I'm finding it incredibly difficult to think of anything positive to be thankful for.

I rarely mention things like this here, and I'll continue to do so. But, I just needed to get off my chest that the girl that used to be is disintegrating, and getting lost in the shuffle and forgotten. And, it sucks and hurts. The.End.

A Layout and Christmas Candy

Hi everyone!

Ever get totally side tracked while you're trying to compose a post? It never happens to me. I want to share a layout with you; its a scrap lift of another layout I saw on Scrapbook.com, and I saved it to my Pinterest for future reference. Well, in the natural course of things, I went to the board that I wanted--well, not quite. Not before I browsed through the home page and pinned a few other things that really caught my eye. Obviously Christmas is on everyone's minds- because the Christmas theme isn't just showing up on cards! (Maybe it has something to do with how hot its been all over the place? Just taking a stab in the dark on that one...) Then I went to the particular board that I wanted.

The inspiration behind my layout came from Sasload4's layout 'Domestic Princess'. I absolutely loved the way she placed her pictures, and the strip of card stock bordering them with the stars inset in it. So pretty. I wanted to replicate it!

Here's what I came up with:

Rather than using three pictures, like Sandra did, I only used one- which is a 5x7. I put the border strip along the top- in an attempt to create a night-like sky. I also used black card stock to further enhance the theme. My girls like playing 'night-night'- they pretend to sleep; they'll lay on the floor, pretend to snore, then jump up shouting, 'wake up, wake up'! They get even more excited when mama and daddy play along with them. (I think its actually mama and daddy that inspired them to play this game in the first place!!)

The purple strip of card stock was stamped with an SU Easter set- the polka dots reminded me of stars in the sky that are far, far away and clear rhinestones help add the sparkle factor to my night sky. Pop a few stars up there, and a cloud or two, and voila! You're basically done!

So, now that I mentioned it, are you wondering what the items were that I found on Pinterest that snagged my attention?

I thought so.

 candles, adorable cutlery, and two fabulous cards- one of which I want to scrap lift into a layout.

Aren't the candles and the cutlery fabulous??! I have a grocery bag full of pine cones that mom collected for me, then gave me, and I've been somewhat cruising around looking for creative uses for them. This is definitely one that I want to try out! Also, I've found a way to use up this one particular set of cutlery that we don't like using! Yay!

Have a great night everyone. See y'all again tomorrow!

~a

Recipe for Goodness

For those of you that know of my recent breakfast smoothie/fruit and veggie smoothie addiction, I've got a new concoction for you: blend together a couple florets of broccoli, a small handful of (frozen) spinach, frozen blueberries (I freeze all most of my store-bought fruit and veggies), bananas, and watermelon, 1/3 -1/2 cup plain yogurt, and 1/4-1/3 cup milk. (The milk was added to thin it out a little bit- its quite thick! Instead of milk, you could also add more yogurt and some ice if you prefer). This will yield just enough for a small glass for you and two full (or four half cups, taking more than one child into account) toddler cups for your littles (if its just you, I would guess it would yield about 1 large glass full, or two-3 medium sized glasses).

YUM!

Try it out. The broccoli makes it a bit gritty- sort of like oranges do when you leave too much of the skin on, but otherwise it's delish!!

Here are some more pictures from Fathers Day. Maren gave me a huge hug and told me she loves me in the first pic, and in the second, she's playing with my necklace. You know, kids are so amazing- they're quick to point out to you when something is out of the ordinary. When we went to pick up the kids from their grandma's a few weeks back, I had taken off my locket because of the massage I'd been to earlier that day. I hadn't put it back on. Maren kept telling me over and over that it was 'gone'. Then, the other day, we were loading up to head out somewhere, and I put the girls in the wrong seats- on the wrong side of the truck, and Maren informed me, when I was putting Addison into her seat, that the seat that she was occupying was actually hers.  Oops! Maren always sits on the drivers' side, and Addison always sits on the passenger side. I rectified the problem after we'd finished shopping at our first destination that day. But, how funny!

Back on topic now. This layout was completed for the monthly sketch challenge over at scrapbook.com. This was the week 4 sketch, based on a sketch from Pagemaps July 2009. You can find the sketch here, along with some other gorgeous sketches, too. I'm going to have to remember that website!!

I stamped the entire title- first one some left over packaging, and then underneath the second photo. I've had the stamps for quite a while, and don't know where I got them. Probably at Michaels. The black polka dot paper in the background is Recollections, and the brown patterned paper is K&Co. I used white card stock for the journalling spot, and I blended in the brackets (which have also been in my stash for so long that I don't know where they came from) with basic black ink (SU). Originally, they were patterned, but I didn't feel the pattern on it worked with my design. It was too loud and busy.

Enjoy your Tuesday evening, everyone.

~a

Heinz 57

LIttle cousin C

Addison- this was taken Friday afternoon, just after we got to the lake. Grandma and Grandpa were the only ones there- it was a nice, quiet visit before everyone else arrived. The first thing Addison did was begin playing hide and seek. She counts, '1, 2...6, 7, 8, 9, 10!'

Addison played like this all weekend. She's always happy to sit on her own and 'make'.

Maren was playing a game with Grandma when we first got to the campsite.

Addison enjoying riding in their dinghy. Thanks to B for snapping some pictures for me.

Maren *really* enjoying the dinghy ride. She almost fell to sleep!

Maren pulling her boat around all on her own. She was pretty brave with that life jacket on- she'd go out fairly deep- at least chest height- before she'd start losing her balance. Daddy rescued her a time or two before she went face first into the water. They (both girls) certainly enjoyed the lake, though. We were down there for a good solid couple of hours on Saturday afternoon.

Maren 'driving' grandpa's motorboat.

Addison 'driving' grandpa's motorboat.

One of S's wedding shower gifts- an apron that all of the family signed. I thought it would be cute to let Addison and Maren 'sign' her apron, then I 'translated' what they wrote.

Better view of the apron.

We've decided that the kids are going to accompany grandma and grandpa on another camping trip- one by themselves- in a few weeks' time (the end of August). And, its got me stupidly excited.

Why?

I'm in 'home improvement' mode again. Yup. I'm gonna paint. I'm a go-getter- lets see if I've bitten off more than I can chew- I'm going to paint the half bath and the hallway upstairs. I'm going to DIY a bookshelf. I'm also going to sort through the kids' toys and donate a lot of it. I've been on the net, researching colours to paint the girls' bathroom (make it kidsy, but also classy enough to be used as an adult bathroom), and also came across a new colour to try out in the hallway. Kyle doesn't really want to use the same yellow in the hallway that I did in the kitchen, but I do for continuity's sake. I also think it will brighten up the hallway, because it feels really dark and murky. I looked at other colours, anyways, and I think I've come up with a compromise: I told him that if the hallway is going to be painted something other than what I want, then its going to stay somewhere in the same family that its currently painted (which is beige). I came across two colours (Behr brand): winter garden and/or willow herb. They sound pretty, right? Serene and calming- which I like. Both colours are beige, but are heavy on the green- so it will coordinate with both my living room (which is a beautiful olive kind of green) and kitchen, which is yellow, but heavy on the green. (Its seaweed something or rather). I'm stoked. Now I need an excuse to head into Edmonton while the kids are gone to pick up the paint.

Eek! I love home improvements!!

I suppose I have a little of everything tonight. I whipped this card up in mere minutes on Saturday morning for S, our niece. She'll be getting married on September 1, but her wedding shower was at the camping trip this weekend. I had already made one for her from myself and Kyle, but I made one for my MIL to give her. I also picked up her shower gift for the both of us and then slid theirs in along with the card I made for MIL to give to S. (Long winded and confusing? Yeah, sometimes- that's how I roll).

It was very simple and easy to make.  (It would have to be if I got it done in 20 minutes or less!) I used Whisper White Ink (SU) and my large polka dot stamp to stamp the bottom half of the card stock base. The green card stock strip 3/4 of the way up is scraps (Autumn Leaves brand), and the white tag is Martha Stewart. The blue and green one thats inset is unknown. The wedding bells- Sandy Lion (Dollar Store), and I also used the mini phrases from SU for the 'celebrate' sentiment. I stamped that with Old Olive Ink (SU). Lastly, so that the white of the MS tag wasn't so stark and austere, I inked it with a sponge dauber and Old Olive Ink, so that it would blend in a bit better!

Tune in tomorrow for more goodies!

~a

Shining Bank Lake

Fewf, I'm tired tonight! This post will be just a quick little update and 'hey how're you doing' then I'm going to bed. Oi. We'll be back at it again tomorrow before I even know it!!

Yep, it was another action packed, fun-filled day. The girls did awesome- no naps, and no major meltdowns! They got to go swimming in a lake for their very first time- which they loved (of course), and they rode in their very first motorboat. We thought Maren would for sure panic and dislike the sound of it, but it didn't bother her one bit. In fact, I think she loved it. When we returned to the dock, she asked if she could go again. Unfortunately, some of the family wanted to head out for some more fishing, so that ended our motor boating for the day.

Well...from then on, Maren was fairly fussy- but not in the usual way- if there is such a thing. Mostly, if anything caught her off guard, or if she had a little accident the tears would flood out of those sweet blues faster than a flash of lightning- and those sweet tears would just keep coming. Kind of like tears just hovering beneath the surface, waiting for any old excuse to come rolling out, and when they do, they just won't stop.

We hardly left the campground on our way home before she'd fallen to sleep. She.was.pooped.


Now, it could just be hearsay and gossip, but apparently, there was a tornado at the top of the hill tonight. We are only half an hour out of town (at the campground), so we knew there were thunderstorms around because we could see the clouds and hear the thunder. At one point, we thought we were going to be rained out, but they (two storms) went around us. There was one to the north, and another to the south of us lol. We're thinking it was probably just strong winds associated with the thunderstorms, but we're going to go check it out for ourselves tomorrow. Its made us curious. If I have anything to report back, you'll see it in pictures!

Ummm...any other highlights from the day? Nope, I think that was pretty much it. It was just a relaxed day, full of good visits, laughs and fabulous memories! Our niece and the girls' cousin is spending the night tonight- probably because staying in the motorhome with grandma and grandpa wasn't the most conducive to C sleeping through the night. I mean, she's only 5 months older than the girls. They've got it made tonight, boy. Sleeping in the basement where its nice and cool- they'll not want to go home!

Now I'm turning in, speaking of sleeping. I'll be back again sometime tomorrow- probably tomorrow night- with another little hello. Depending on how late we come home, there may or may not be pictures. Most likely, that'll wait until Monday! Kyle has plans to tinker on the drag truck, and I plan to scrap when I've got a spare moment on Monday, so at the very least, I'll be back in full force then!

Take care,

~a