Fascinate{d}

I love this shot of Addison. It was kind of a fluke, really, but a happy fluke. I get all giddy inside when stuff like this happens!

We were out in the garage helping Kyle clean up and sort through the loads of junk and garbage we've got kicking around, and after a while, the kids discovered daddy had some of his old toys kicking around the garage. They also discovered there were some neato things in there- such as sand paper- which is what Addison is holding in this photo.

Everything on this layout is from scraps- in one way or another. The orange and gold flower sticker is actually a 12 inch border strip (K&Co) that I cut into four strips (all varying lengths), to get more mileage from. The white netting is packaging from toys that I bought from Walmart for the kids' prizes (for their weekly chore charts). You'll see it popping up on a few different projects in the near future!

The flower I am especially fond of. It came from a cheapo flower arrangement that my MIL bought the kids for their bedroom when they were first born. Truthfully, I was never keen on them (there were three), but now they seem to have grown on me a little. Now that the kids (aka Addison) tore them all to  shreds (except for one). I kept some of the flowers from one of them, and plan to incorporate them into my layouts. Here, you can see one of them- I used a black rhinestone for the centre of the flower.

For the title work, I threw together some sticker letters (I don't know where they came from- my sister gave them to me!), but the green banner is MS. The phrase sticker in the top right corner is K&Co.

All this was done for sketch #153 over at Lets Capture These Sketches. If you get the chance, head over there, and see what the design team has come up with. If you choose to use the sketch, let me know- I'd love to see how it inspires you!

~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.

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

Grass Slipper

How incredibly fun is this nail polish?! I splurged a bit on myself this morning during our grocery shopping trip. This is what I got! I can hardly wait to doll up the toe nails with this fun colour! Its called Grass Slipper. (Cute, right?!)

I just thought I'd share what our chore chart looks like (right now). My mind might be changing as far as the printable chore charts go- this system seems to be working really well for Addison- getting a sticker as a reward for helping out seems to be really good incentive for her. I am not sure yet if its working for Maren- she just kind of seems to be neutral to the whole idea. But, maybe its just that she needs a bit more time to warm up to the idea, or catch on to the whole idea.

Its fairly vague, and the chores that the kids help with needs to be elaborated on, but they each have their own 'chore' that is just theirs; Addisons is helping mama set the table at supper time and taking our dirty dishes to the sink (after supper), and Marens is helping mama load and unload the dishwasher. Both girls need to help mama clean up their toys, and come to bed at bedtime  and nap time without fighting (especially Addison. She's so defiant these days! Terrible two's I think- I hope!! Maren is such an obedient girl.) They can also get 'bonus' stickers, if they help with things like picking up garbage off the floor and putting it into the 'dirty box', as we call it, helping put groceries onto the grocery belt at the till, helping bring the groceries into the house, etc.

Of everything I've found on Pinterest and the internet, this seems to be working and I don't want to mess with it. Maybe as the kids get older and their chores change and they are able to help out more, the way it works will change too. But for now- don't fix what isn't broken!

Lastly, here's another layout I made. This began as another scrap lift, but quickly kind of took its own direction. At least, the inspiration came from sasload4's layout 'Domestic Princess', which you can find by following this link.

Because the kids like playing 'nighty night', I wanted to keep the colour scheme cool and night-like. Also, to play up a starry night sky, I used a polka dot stamp with whisper white ink to create far away stars. I also used some clear rhinestones to help add a little twinkle to the night sky. The white, purple and blue card stock are scraps, as are the blues for the clouds and the stars. (The blue stars were cut with my cricut, and the paper I used was from the Sweet Nectar 6x6 paper pad by K&Co, and the blue of the clouds are from a SU Christmas line). The title work was made also using the same blue paper from the Sweet Nectar paper pad. Lastly, the damask patterned paper in the very back background is Recollections.

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!

Snap Happy

Phew, uploading the pictures from this past weekend was a HUGE job! I took over 100 pictures over the last three days. Insane!!

Here's a few of my favourites:

This picture just makes me laugh. I'm actually a little speechless--this was the first thing Addison did when I was pulling their panties out of the packages so they could be washed. My crazy child!

Miss Addison in the tunnel at the play park just around the corner from our place

Maren soaking up the swings at the play park

Addison digging her slide

Look at those blues, huh? I may be a little biased, and I'm certainly not trying to brag, but WOW my children are so photogenic!!

Maren asking for assistance

I just can't.get.enough of their blue, blue eyes!!

Strike a pose. There's nothing to it!

Oma and Maren

After the play park, enjoying some ice cream

Both girls enjoying their ice cream. I think Addison is trying to share with my mom

OK. So, here's the story on this one: Addison went down the slide on their new play set, made a bee line for her poppa, gave him a high five, and then high tailed it back to the slide. It was the cutest and funniest thing ever! She cracks me up!

The only shots I have of Addison enjoying her swing. Every time after this, she'd jump out as fast as you put her in it, and say 'enough'.

And, last but not least, the entire play set. Pretty swanky, if I do say so myself. All of these pictures, except for the one with Addison wearing her undies on her head, were taken on the same day. Miss Addison had a clothing change, because she fell into the river down at Rotary Park. The river is man made, along with rapids, and it was the hot spot of the weekend on Sunday because it was such a gorgeous (hot) day. I didn't realize so many people used it. Actually, I didn't even realize it was used for entertainment. I have no pictures of us there, because it was too dang slippery, and I wouldn't let go of Addison's hand for fear of her being swept away by the rapids. There was a pretty strong current, and it looked a bit deeper than Addison is tall in the middle of it (and, of course, she wanted to wade further into it than I would let her). They thoroughly enjoyed that too, and when I have another helping hand, we will head back down there, and pictures will be taken!

I also just wanted to share with you another layout that I made:

This is based on the December 2011 sketch over at Canadian Scrapbooker. There's a few minor modifications, but its pretty close to the original sketch! I cut up some watermelon for a snack a couple days ago, and Maren was more interested in eating the rind rather than the actual fruit. Thankfully, she threw them in the garbage not long after these pictures were taken. Watermelon has to be my most favourite fruit to snack on over the summer. Its so sweet and juicy! Mmm...Addison really enjoys it, too. When she's got the choice, she'd rather have watermelon, then grapes. (Which is a huge feat for her, because for the longest time, she couldn't get them down. She'd always choke on them. Now, she loves them!) Like mother, like daughter I suppose!

BIG Deal

Cleanliness and organization. I mentioned that yesterday at the tail end of my post.

I had been talking with some friends about the state of our scrap rooms and how neat and/or tidy they are (or remain). I try, but mine always ends up being on the catastrophic end of things. Until yesterday.

I could not, for the life of me, find the bills. They needed to be paid, and I knew they were in the office somewhere. Its pretty awful, but that's how terribly bad my craft space was. It is also the office, but it was so disorganized and cluttered and just plain messy, that virtually every disappears, and absolutely everything can- and does- get lost.

So, instead of playing, which usually is what happens when I enter this room, I sat down and overhauled the office and scrap room. I have no before pictures (I'm too ashamed to share them, actually...I'm pretty ashamed to admit this here, too, truthfully! But, on the other hand, its pretty satisfying. I'm pretty excited to share how good it feels to have a room that I'm proud of once again!) I mean really. The rest of the house gives me anxiety when it isn't tidy. Well...so does this room, but its easy to hide when you can just shut the door. The anxiety is still there, though. Just easier to ignore :)

Here's some of the after pictures. It isn't totally cleaned up. There's still a few odds and ends that need to be removed or just put away, but here it is at 99.2 % completed:

(don't judge me--we have no batteries in the house for the camera, so i've been using my iPhone for everything, and I abhor the quality of pictures it takes. please bear with me!!) 


Seriously. What a relief! The paint card in the first picture--I'm working on choosing another paint colour for the office, and I'm thinking of going with an orangey/peachey colour called autumn mist. It'll coordinate beautifully with the flowers I've got in the window! And, its going to brighten up this room immensely! (That's to come after I've got the hallway and stairwell to the basement painted).

I've been bitten by the bug again. I've been thinking about painting....

Hey! Guess what decided to come out and play the other day???

Isn't she pretty?! She's the first of the four or five tulips that are along this side of the house. I think they're all going to be red, but we'll see. There's another one that's sooo ready to bloom, but hasn't yet. I can see that it's red, too. Now to keep the kids and cat out of there!! I don't want any more bulbs dug up! The one that I did find and transplant--it isn't doing so well. Maybe next summer.

And, now for the news I just couldn't wait to share! Eek! Eeeeee (*hopping from one foot to the other*)

This is the layout I created as my first design team assignment for Miracles' Momma's Diva's. I'm pretty excited (though I think that's an understatement. I'm pretty elated about it, actually!!) about this opportunity, and challenged by it!! You can find the sketch for this particular project here. Head on over to Miracle's Momma's Blog, and see what the other Diva's have shared, too! You'll love them- Heathers' got an incredible group of talented ladies there!

The picture I was working on here is recording what my house looks like on a daily basis. Mess everywhere. All of the time. Multiple times throughout the day. And, I can't help but run {in}to their messes all the time. While I'm cooking supper, walking about the house, even while I'm moving about the yard. Its everywhere. And, if it isn't their toys, its them or the cat. I can't escape it!! LOL And, as soon as its picked up, it starts all over again. I'm sure all you mama's out there can relate!


I have a dear friends' comment ring through my ears constantly--and now it mirrors my own wish: having a house as clean as my own mothers'. (Because we have small children, our houses are never clean). I know that one day it will be in the shape I'd like it to be- but that won't be for many years to come, I think!!

I also had the song, 'Run to You' (Lady Antebellum) playing in my head while I made this layout. Those words in particular, kept replaying in my brain. I wonder why?! And, that's why I made it my title. Because its true. And, it explains the picture perfectly!!

You know what goes perfectly with warm, summer-like weather?

Pudding pops!!

(and baths!!)


Maren is still fairly clean in this picture (on the right)--you should have seen her after this picture was taken! Talk about messes! 


They sure did love their 'ice cream' though!!! (and I love the trail of chocolate right up Addisons' nose. Too cute!!)


85* pudding pops
86* new opportunities
87* new friends!
88* a space I can be proud of

Frugalista

This mama has a new obsession.

She (I) learned about it on the evening news last night, and it seemed like a great idea. It IS a great idea. It's for anyone- male, female, young, old and those in between. It's for anyone CANADIAN that wants to save a buck or two here and there.

This mama does. This mama IS Canadian.

And, she's begun COUPONING!!!

The website I came across (in the news) is specifically for any and all canadians; naturally, though, everyone is equally able to do it. They just need to start!!

So, dear Canadian friends and Canadian mamas that want to become frugalicious, look up www.mrsjanuary.com. Her website is a great place to begin!

(on a side note, since I don't have a computer and printer hooked up yet, I instead went out
and picked up a coupon book and flyer from the local pharmasave and began there. As I go out
to the various stores in town, I'll make a point to look for them!!)

.........

~ 123 ~ she's begun walking with her walker!!!

~ 124 ~ she's also picked up " ah- choo", "puppy" and one other word that escapes me at the moment

~ 125 ~ her sister has begun practicing saying their names

~ 126 ~ the little moments (here and there) that she takes to help her mommy- putting something in the garbage, putting something on the belt at the till in the grocery store, the random things she hands me for random reasons

~ 127 ~ 9 days!!!!

~ 128 ~ shopping for Christmas presents (yes!!!!! I've begun...)

~ 129 ~ "love you like a love song"- it's a good song- for a teeny bopper :)

~ 130 ~ having said that, MUSIC!!

~ 131 ~ ELLEN <3

.......

We're In!

Getting settled in the new temporary place is a little more challenging than I anticipated with two little babies on tow. When the girls were fed and {somewhat} napped early this afternoon, we finally brought them to the apartment so they would have time to adjust before going to bed, and OH MY WORD were they cranky!! There was no relief, and very little got done while my parents were around, but as soon as they left and the girls and I were alone, they seemed to settle a little more. I did get a little more done when my parents left to go home, but by then it was time to cook the kids' supper and shortly after bathe them and put them to bed (which felt like an eternity waiting for the clock to reach 7:30)... The next challenge now (personally, for me) is adjusting to life with no microwave. Reheating left-overs is going to take some creativity!! Overall, the little bit I did finish today is impressive, considering all the trips that were made back and forth from the trailer back here to the apartment. It's beginning to feel like home, and I'm confident this space will be easy to make feel cozy and comfortable. It's old and severely lacks LIFE, but I can make it welcoming and FULL of life. It's impressive, and I'm exhausted! Husband just asked me if I was ready for bed and I told him I was ready a couple hours ago! Nut, it feels hood, and I am proud of myself for accomplishing so much. The next couple days are going to be a whirlwind, too...cheers to getting settled! I LOVE this part of moving!

BPPV

...or in other words, vertigo.

Over the last few months, there have been occasions of unusual motion sickness and car sickness, but it's never lasted more than a day. Driving erratically caused it; other unknown reasons caused it. The next day was always better.

Severe nausea was never a symptom until this weekend- only dizziness. For the past three days, the only thing that's held the nausea at bay is sheer determination (I haven't thrown up yet). Nothing has prevented the dizziness.

It's the worst feeling in the world.

Web MD says that symptoms go away on their own (for some people) in a few weeks.

For the rest, just get used to it.

Neither of those are options when you have two busy children and a husband and household to watch over.

I suppose tomorrow means another trip to the doctor...

Leap of Faith

The first step of many to come in the near future was taken last week, making me--officially--a stay at home mom!

My dream--what I've wanted for as long as I can remember--has finally come to be.

Now if only I could perfect the art of domestication!!

Well, I suppose I have the next five years- maybe more- to do it!

Next on that list, while I am working at Maren-proofing the house, is decluttering and 'thinning out'. We have too much junk and stuff we never look at--and no longer need--and it all is either being thrown out or going to the Salvation Army.

Or being sold.

I have a Rubbermaid container full of scrubs that I am fairly positive I will never wear again. Truthfully, I didn't need them to begin with. I just liked the idea behind them- not having to think about what to wear on a particular morning before heading to work. Besides, some unit clerks in the hospitals wear scrubs, so why couldn't I? They're comfortable and a lot of them out there are fairly flattering...

All this will help when the final step is taken...