Good evening! Did y'all get snow today, too? It was warm, but we still got a couple centimetres of the white stuff. I didn't want to go out and shovel it- I didn't even want to brush it off my car! I guess other things around the house were more important.
Last weekend, and the weekend before, were fabulous. The girls thoroughly enjoyed their grandpa M's 70th birthday, and they enjoyed even more their own birthday, which was the following Friday. We spent the day at home, just by ourselves, and spoiled the girls rotten. They got their most favourite foods at every meal on Friday, they got to open their presents, and their mama made them each a birthday cake (one cake mix, but two round cake pans) with the color of icing of their own choice. It was a really good day.
Saturday was an absolute blast. We threw a party for them, and invited the rest of the family (grandparents, aunties and uncle, and some new friends- to the girls). We had quite a few guests grace our house (and spoil my children rotten), but it was a really great time of visiting, catching up with old friends (and making new friends in the process! Our children had never met, and they're only a week apart!!), eating fabulous food (and no, I'm not trying to toot my own horn! LOL), and beating a pinata senseless. It was just very simple affair- a fruit platter, veggie platter, grilled cheese for lunch, some finger foods, and the best.idea.ever. for a birthday cake.
Dairy Queen blizzard cupcakes.
Ever heard of them?? Ever had one??
I think that was the biggest hit. The kids loved it, and I'm pretty sure the adults enjoyed them, too. There's still a few left over, and one of them is calling my name. Unfortunately, its too late at night to enjoy them!! Maybe tomorrow night...
Now that I've caught you up on the events in our lives this past week, I can share with you a new layout that I made.
Not that long ago, I decided to go out and buy acrylic paint from the Dollar Store. I wasn't sure how much use I would get out of it, so I only stuck to purchasing a couple bottles. (I wound up having to buy another one, because one of my girls got a hold of it, and emptied the entire bottle on herself and the love seat in the living room. It was the end.of.the.world.) No word of a lie. There's still some faint blue stains in the carpet (leading to the bathroom), but every ounce of the blue stuff came out of the love seat. Phew!! I know that both can be replaced, but I'm not as concerned about the carpet as I am the love seat. I don't want to replace the love seat any time soon; one of these days I would love to replace the carpeting in the living room with hardwood or something else. One of these days, we do plan on tearing out the carpet on the main level of our home. Having said that, though, I'm elated that most of the blue paint came out of the carpet, too. We need it to last until we CAN replace it!
Anyways...
On the last few layouts (two of which aren't being posted because they are not cooperating), I've been using my acrylic paint. I've been using my acrylic paint to paint wood veneers that I've been finding down at Walmart recently. In the scrap candy aisle. They're only a $1.00 each, and there's maybe 6-7 pieces in each little packet. I've got everything from leaves to crowns to helicopters and wedding dresses. I urge you to go and pick some up if you haven't already! They make great accents to any project!
So, on this project, I found a crown and painted it Island Blue (DecoArt brand). Its such a pretty colour! I had done part of the title in blue alphas, so I wanted to pick up more of the blue throughout, which is why I chose to paint the crown blue. To bling it up a little, I added some Recollections pearl rhinestones, and a clear rhinestone.
The centre part of the layout originally was dedicated to journalling (on the sketch that I used that inspired this layout), but as I was trying to figure out how I was going to make the journalling portion pretty, I came up with the idea of layering a few strips of scallop punched paper, on an angle, for some interest. I liked the way it looked so much, I decided not to cover it up (after adhering journalling strips and not liking that it was covering up the prettiness). Instead, the smaller blue half circle that's beside the larger circle (matting the crown) is actually a pull tab for hidden journalling. It also includes the date of the event we attended.
You're probably wondering what the deal is with the hats. Our niece got married on the first of September (2012), and silly hats were encouraged at the ceremony. The guests that came up with the most unique/goofiest hats would win prizes (which wound up being a bottle of wine. Pretty nice prize, actually!) There's a story behind Kyle's tacky piggy hat, but that'll be shared in a future layout. The girls, and their cousin Chloe, all got hats from the Dollar Store, so they could participate, too. Not that the hats lasted long.
I'm also trying to use up some of my older paper lately. The patterned papers I used on this project came from K&Co's Best Of Collection. There's 360 sheets of paper in it, and its great, but my only issue with it is its thin. Not always very functional if you want to...say...die cut something with your Cricut. Grr. Minor pet peeve. Sometimes even my paper trimmer messes up the paper. Anyways, there's a lot of gorgeous patterned paper in there, and I wanted to find something that would work well with red card stock, since red is the color of love, and since the major theme of this particular layout (though maybe understated) is a wedding.
You may or may not see more of it in future layouts. We'll have to see!
You WILL see more paint in the future- and in more colors than the three I currently own (blue, green, and antique white). Eek! I feel a Dollar Store shopping spree coming on!
See you next time,
~a
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label growth. Show all posts
Monday, February 25, 2013
Monday, November 19, 2012
Deep Within
Guess what? I've got another layout to share with you tonight!
I'm in absolute.love with this one- the sketch (#158 over at Lets Capture These Sketches) was stinkin' awesome, and what came of it just blows my mind away!
Here is my take.
Rather than making the left hand column a vertical photo, I changed it to include hidden journalling. I made a booklet, of sorts, by punching two holes at the top, and tying ribbon through to secure it. Then, I adhered the bottom page to my layout, and the top page flips open from the bottom.
I'm completely in love with the K&Co embellies that have been appearing in my projects as of late. Aren't they gorgeous!? I added some pop dots to the bird to give her a little more dimension, and make her stand out from the other bird that I adhered just below my title work. Everything works so well with the neutral background I chose- I wanted the title block to shine- and the self portraits.
I won't go into details as far as the journalling is concerned, but I will say that it (basically) outlines the feelings and turmoil I felt at my lowest point(s) before things finally turned around. The title work hints at it, too.
Have a fabulous evening!
I'm in absolute.love with this one- the sketch (#158 over at Lets Capture These Sketches) was stinkin' awesome, and what came of it just blows my mind away!
Here is my take.
Rather than making the left hand column a vertical photo, I changed it to include hidden journalling. I made a booklet, of sorts, by punching two holes at the top, and tying ribbon through to secure it. Then, I adhered the bottom page to my layout, and the top page flips open from the bottom.
I'm completely in love with the K&Co embellies that have been appearing in my projects as of late. Aren't they gorgeous!? I added some pop dots to the bird to give her a little more dimension, and make her stand out from the other bird that I adhered just below my title work. Everything works so well with the neutral background I chose- I wanted the title block to shine- and the self portraits.
I won't go into details as far as the journalling is concerned, but I will say that it (basically) outlines the feelings and turmoil I felt at my lowest point(s) before things finally turned around. The title work hints at it, too.
Have a fabulous evening!
Friday, November 9, 2012
Baby C's
Hello from chilly, wintery central Alberta! My goodness we've been getting a lot of snow over the last week. I can deal with it as long as we don't have any more freezing rain. Its made life pretty interesting when you're attempting to travel from place to place. I highly DON'T recommend it!
When the girls first began learning songs and singing, one of the first I shared with them was the ABC's. They still don't have every single letter down pat, but they have the majority of it. They are also starting to sing along to the theme songs of some of their favourite tv shows- especially miss Maren. I love listening, and I love that she's trying to sing along. It makes my heart happy. They are learning so much and growing so incredibly fast!
Anywho, Addison affectionately sang the 'Baby C's', at the beginning, because that's what it sounded like to her. Now she knows that the song is actually ABC, but I thought it was so stinking cute! I never want to forget some of the sweet things they said and did. I'm so thankful for this hobby of mine.
Why do I say that? I scrapped about it. Naturally!
Reveal day at Lets Capture Our Memories is today, which means I have another layout to share with you.
I'm not sure that Addison was actually singing the ABC's to her Oma in this picture, but she could definitely be doing it- the toy that's in the middle of the bottom part of the picture, is a leap frog fridge magnet that sings the ABC's (including magnetic letters- all 26 of them- from the alphabet). That's what they sing along to now. This picture was taken the morning of our outing to the air show this past summer.
Its incredibly hard to see (I should have stamped it in a darker shade of ink, but I was afraid to try it over again, for fear of it looking bad), but I stamped 'I love you' in SU's Close to Cocoa along the upper right hand side of the picture. The scalloped circles were first stamped using SU's Always Artichoke ink, then cut out with a pair of ridiculously sharp scissors. The journalling spot was also stamped, using SU's Chocolate Chip ink.
The lady bugs and flower are all from the Susan Winget collection of K&Co.
The patterned papers are all fab scraps. Yay!
The sketch? Can be found at the LCTS blog. As always, please let me know if you played along with the sketch challenge this week, and don't forget to post your finished masterpiece to the website, using the link tool there. I'd love to see how this sketch inspires you!
~a
When the girls first began learning songs and singing, one of the first I shared with them was the ABC's. They still don't have every single letter down pat, but they have the majority of it. They are also starting to sing along to the theme songs of some of their favourite tv shows- especially miss Maren. I love listening, and I love that she's trying to sing along. It makes my heart happy. They are learning so much and growing so incredibly fast!
Anywho, Addison affectionately sang the 'Baby C's', at the beginning, because that's what it sounded like to her. Now she knows that the song is actually ABC, but I thought it was so stinking cute! I never want to forget some of the sweet things they said and did. I'm so thankful for this hobby of mine.
Why do I say that? I scrapped about it. Naturally!
Reveal day at Lets Capture Our Memories is today, which means I have another layout to share with you.
I'm not sure that Addison was actually singing the ABC's to her Oma in this picture, but she could definitely be doing it- the toy that's in the middle of the bottom part of the picture, is a leap frog fridge magnet that sings the ABC's (including magnetic letters- all 26 of them- from the alphabet). That's what they sing along to now. This picture was taken the morning of our outing to the air show this past summer.
Its incredibly hard to see (I should have stamped it in a darker shade of ink, but I was afraid to try it over again, for fear of it looking bad), but I stamped 'I love you' in SU's Close to Cocoa along the upper right hand side of the picture. The scalloped circles were first stamped using SU's Always Artichoke ink, then cut out with a pair of ridiculously sharp scissors. The journalling spot was also stamped, using SU's Chocolate Chip ink.
The lady bugs and flower are all from the Susan Winget collection of K&Co.
The patterned papers are all fab scraps. Yay!
The sketch? Can be found at the LCTS blog. As always, please let me know if you played along with the sketch challenge this week, and don't forget to post your finished masterpiece to the website, using the link tool there. I'd love to see how this sketch inspires you!
~a
Sunday, October 14, 2012
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
Friday, October 5, 2012
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.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
My Spirit{ed} Child
These pictures just screamed at me to be used when I sat down to complete my layout for the LCTS latest sketch (#151). You can find the sketch here.
I originally had other pictures picked out, and after I got them printed, I looked through the rest of the album that they came from, and decided that these pictures of Addison playing in the living room curtains needed to be scrapped instead.
The chipboard 'spirit' piece defines Addison to a tee. She's head strong, and knows what she wants and doesn't want- and when she wants it (or not), and nothing else will persuade her to think or believe otherwise. Learning how to raise her and discipline her has me stumped, but thankfully I've come across some resources lately that will hopefully help out with that!
Having said that, she's also our fun-loving clown in the family. She sure knows how to make us laugh- and she sure knows how to have fun! She isn't shy- she's a bigger social butterfly than her daddy and I combined!
To sum up, I just wanted to capture the essence of Addison in this layout. I think this defines her perfectly!!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
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!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
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.
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!
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!
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 happy, elated, surprised 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
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
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Watery Bliss
How is everyone enjoying their weekend?? We are having an absolute blast with this hot weather (literally!!) The kids and I headed out to the spray park yesterday- along with daddy- to cool off, and it was soo much fun! The absolute favourite (not necessarily amongst my children, mind you) is this giant tub that fills with water and when it reaches a certain level, it tips spilling water onto a mock roof. Everyone would wait anxiously underneath it for it to fill with water and spill onto them. If you wanted to get wet, that was the way to do it!
Rotary Park was a chaotic zoo yesterday. Everyone was out enjoying the rapids, the pond, the spray park, and getting annoyed with the construction that's also going on at the gates to the park. Oi. But, your reward, once you make it through construction and find a parking space is pure, watery bliss!
I got a tiny bit of sun yesterday- not as much as I felt like I had, but I am happy. I'm slowly roasting to perfection!
We will be heading out again this afternoon, I think, with daddy in tow, and the girls' little playmate P. We've (her mama and I) been trying to coordinate a play date for over a month, but with P's mama's work schedule, it just wouldn't cooperate! Now that her busy month is over, and her routine should settle into something a little more human, they'll get the chance to play, and we'll finally have the chance to visit. Yay!
I've got a layout to share with you today:
One of the joys trials of sibling hood is fighting. Fighting over toys, over daddy, over mama, over anything and everything they feel is unjust and unfair. Its also one of my banes of existence! Their screeching- even if its playfully- and not intended to be due to frustration- always makes me hold my breath and wait- for crying, or the sound of skin slapping skin. Not usually in that order, either.
Before this picture was taken, Maren and Addison were playing in their swimming pool in the backyard. I don't know what they wound up fighting over, but Maren had something in her hand that she ended up using as a weapon against her sister. Yup, that's right. She hit Addison with whatever item it was.
I don't always think of it- and I'm trying to get better at it-, but I always try to affirm to my kids that its ok to get angry over something. But, its never ok to let your anger get to the point where it boils over and you feel as though physical force is the answer. In other words, hitting is very bad. Especially if its with something that isn't your hand. Also, getting that angry isn't good, either.
So, as a result, Miss Maren got a time out. I sat her down in one of her Adirondack chairs on the deck, and told her not to move until I said so. I feel bad, because I feel like I kind of missed something when I punished Maren and gave her a time out, and not her sister. I think that's what the tears in this picture are really about. She feels like what I did wasn't fair. I didn't see what caused the fight to begin with; I explained to Maren after her time out that the reason she got it wasn't for fighting with her sister. It was for hitting her.
And, it breaks my heart when she does this, but when she's mad at me for giving her a hecking, she won't hug me or let me give her a kiss. I've found that if I just let it be for a bit (after her hecking), she's more willing to let me hug her and reaffirm to her that I love her. Probably because she's forgotten about it, and what I say then is kind of mute. Or, is it? Is that just a natural part of parenthood, or am I really a big, mean ogre?
The journalling in this layout is pretty mushy. I think if you click on the picture, it will appear bigger, but I'm not sure how easy it is to read it:
"My original plan for this layout was to highlight the "mom-isms" you'll encounter as you grow, but instead, I just want to affirm that you are TRULY and INCREDIBLY loved- no matter what happens, whether discipline, disagreements and otherwise. There will always be love, trust, forgiveness, hugs and kisses. I am learning, just like you are. I just hope you never doubt our (my) love for you and how crazy proud of you we are!"
Growing up, my sister and I never heard our parents tell us how proud of us they were (I know of only once that dad told that to me). They say that we, as humans are more prone to remember the negative over the positive, and I believe that with every fibre of my being. We didn't hear much positive stuff from our parents; I am trying to change that with my own children. I tell them often how proud I am of them; how beautiful, how sweet, how wonderful they really are. I will not call my children names, and I will try my hardest to do everything in my power to build up their self esteem rather than destroy it.
(That paragraph could be its own post- multitude of posts- detailing our childhood and how its affected me as a child and now as an adult- and a married adult at that, too. Maybe one day I will, but not now). But, every time I try and write something positive for my children, my own upbringing is always in the back of my mind. I hope I don't fail my children as a parent!
There is also hidden journalling on my layout. I pulled it out and snapped a picture of it so you could see. On this journalling spot is the story behind the picture. Its a personal little note to Maren,:
"In this particular case, Mommy gave you a time out for hitting Addison- with another object. I want you to learn that hitting is never ok- even if you're upset."
I kept the papers natural and earthy because first of all, the kids were playing outside, so it just seemed right to use papers that reflected that, and secondly, I liked how muted and soft the colours were. I felt as though the picture would take centre stage then, because of Maren's brightly coloured bathing suit. I didn't want too much to compete with it.
Maren and butterflies are synonymous. I've mentioned her love of butterflies before, and if you've been following me for a while, you'll know that! So, it only seemed natural to add butterflies to her layout. I think they work beautifully here! (They're K & Co).
The inspiration for my layout is for July's Monthly Sketch Challenge at Scrapbook.com (week one). To see where I posted it, and everyone else's' beautiful work, come over here.
Meet me back here tomorrow to see another layout I completed recently. Hope you enjoy what's left of your weekend!
**
341* the spray park
342* not burning
343* improving my 'tanning' skills
344* having the opportunity to head over there again this afternoon
345* play dates!
346* that the spray park opened (officially) on Canada Day
347* the beautiful country I live in (speaking of Canada Day...)
348* Rotary Park
349* time to chill as a family
350* a babysitter for next weekend
Meet me back here tomorrow to see another layout I completed recently. Hope you enjoy what's left of your weekend!
**
341* the spray park
342* not burning
343* improving my 'tanning' skills
344* having the opportunity to head over there again this afternoon
345* play dates!
346* that the spray park opened (officially) on Canada Day
347* the beautiful country I live in (speaking of Canada Day...)
348* Rotary Park
349* time to chill as a family
350* a babysitter for next weekend
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
First of Many
My kids are pretty awesome.
They scrapbooked for the first time the other day!
And they've completed their first altered art project, something their mama hasn't even done, yet!
Wanna see?
And, with their mama's help, they put their names on it, too:
I'm so glad I bought two of them!!
With the left over stickers that they didn't use, they made their first 'layout':
They still haven't used up all the stickers off this sheet; there's another one, too, that they haven't even touched yet. I'm keeping them in a safe place so they can do it again one day soon!
(I even told them that they were scrapbooking when they were doing this)
They're going to love it yet. I'm sure of it!!
They scrapbooked for the first time the other day!
And they've completed their first altered art project, something their mama hasn't even done, yet!
Wanna see?
And, with their mama's help, they put their names on it, too:
I'm so glad I bought two of them!!
With the left over stickers that they didn't use, they made their first 'layout':
They still haven't used up all the stickers off this sheet; there's another one, too, that they haven't even touched yet. I'm keeping them in a safe place so they can do it again one day soon!
(I even told them that they were scrapbooking when they were doing this)
They're going to love it yet. I'm sure of it!!
Friday, June 1, 2012
Another Stage
192* for Dr. Naidu
193* the ambulance trip to Regina from Estevan (even though it was a gong show!!)
194* for the awesome nursing staff in labor and delivery at Regina General (and, ironically, how many of them were pregnant at the time!!! LOL)
195* that they only spent 12 hours in critical care after their birth
196* for the great team in the NICU (once again, how ironic it was that so many of them were pregnant at the time!!!)
197* that they were able to make room for us in the NICU
198* that I didn't have to deliver my children in an unknown place( ie. Toronto)
199* for the blood transfusion they gave her
200* and how well she responded to it after it was done
201* that my blood pressure didn't get any higher than it already was before they were born
202* that I had no seizures from said high blood pressure
203* that I didn't need a blood transfusion (my platelets were low)
204* there were no complications from HELLP
205* that they smartened up after realizing I'd become dehydrated from waiting in Triage for 12+ hours waiting to find out what was going to happen to us (when I was first admitted to Regina General)
206* that her brads were nothing serious
207* entering another growth stage
208* potty training
209* big girl panties!!!!
210* (even if they are thick waffle panties)
211* big girl beds!!!!!!
212* play sets!!!!!!!
Yep. Thinking about pregnancy again. And how I am not. Laying in bed last night, while my thoughts were obsessing on the friends who are pregnant, they eventually turned to how thankful I am that me, the twins and my husband were so well taken care of when I was admitted to the hospital and they were born. Honestly, those two weeks were the longest I've ever had to endure in my life, but the reward at the end of it was PRICELESS!!!! (I do, however, wish that I never need to spend time in a hospital- anywhere- for a length of time that's longer than 8 hours- ever again!) Ugh. How boring!!!!!
Yes. Potty training. The last two days Maren's been complaining about being itchy, and I've noticed its every time she pees in her diaper. So, I've been putting her in pull ups, but I went out this afternoon and bought her big girl underwear. We are starting FOR REAL potty training tomorrow. I'm tired of changing diapers, so I figure its about time! I think Maren is tired of them, too. And, I'm sure, Addison will follow suit very shortly. I'm so glad I found waffle underwear at Walmart! I've never seen them there before. I thought the only place I'd ever be able to find them is at Babies R Us. Thankfully I was wrong!
We are also going to convert the kids' cribs into big girl beds. I'm hoping it will make story time at bed time go a little more smoothly. I also realize my nightly scrappy routine is going to fly out the window. I'll probably not get as much done when their beds are converted! We also picked up safety railings (or whatever they are called) to put in front of them so they don't roll out of bed).
Big, big changes are happening in this household! Its pretty exciting!
The last big change, is finally biting the bullet and purchasing a play set for the kids. They'll now have their own swing set, slide, sand box, rock wall, play house and (I think) rings. Phew! I felt kind of bad for them, watching them chase each other around the yard. I couldn't help but think how boring for them that must be! (Luckily there's two swings on this set, so there'll be no fighting over who gets to swing first!) Pictures will follow. Promise!
This happy little number is based on Canadian Scrapbookers' February sketch, and features my sweet little Maren. It will also work perfectly as the last entry over at Scrapbook.com, for the circle challenge, which is the last national scrapbooking month challenge over there. Its my one last chance to win some goodies! Here's to hoping, and if not, there's always next year!!
The picture is another of the ones that my sister took on Mothers' Day up at my parents'. And, from that day, I think this is the last one of my faves. Pretty cute, isn't it?
I embossed the circles with my cuttle bug, using the 'baby's breath' embossing folder
The happy sticker is k & company, and the white letter stickers are...unknown...
I used decorative edge scissors to cut the scalloped circle, and then regular straight edge scissors for the circle inside it.
And, of course, journalling in my own hand. Nothing personalizes it better, I think! Also, the hearts were punched with my Creative Memories heart punch.
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Its going to be a crazy one in my household!
193* the ambulance trip to Regina from Estevan (even though it was a gong show!!)
194* for the awesome nursing staff in labor and delivery at Regina General (and, ironically, how many of them were pregnant at the time!!! LOL)
195* that they only spent 12 hours in critical care after their birth
196* for the great team in the NICU (once again, how ironic it was that so many of them were pregnant at the time!!!)
197* that they were able to make room for us in the NICU
198* that I didn't have to deliver my children in an unknown place( ie. Toronto)
199* for the blood transfusion they gave her
200* and how well she responded to it after it was done
201* that my blood pressure didn't get any higher than it already was before they were born
202* that I had no seizures from said high blood pressure
203* that I didn't need a blood transfusion (my platelets were low)
204* there were no complications from HELLP
205* that they smartened up after realizing I'd become dehydrated from waiting in Triage for 12+ hours waiting to find out what was going to happen to us (when I was first admitted to Regina General)
206* that her brads were nothing serious
207* entering another growth stage
208* potty training
209* big girl panties!!!!
210* (even if they are thick waffle panties)
211* big girl beds!!!!!!
212* play sets!!!!!!!
Yep. Thinking about pregnancy again. And how I am not. Laying in bed last night, while my thoughts were obsessing on the friends who are pregnant, they eventually turned to how thankful I am that me, the twins and my husband were so well taken care of when I was admitted to the hospital and they were born. Honestly, those two weeks were the longest I've ever had to endure in my life, but the reward at the end of it was PRICELESS!!!! (I do, however, wish that I never need to spend time in a hospital- anywhere- for a length of time that's longer than 8 hours- ever again!) Ugh. How boring!!!!!
Yes. Potty training. The last two days Maren's been complaining about being itchy, and I've noticed its every time she pees in her diaper. So, I've been putting her in pull ups, but I went out this afternoon and bought her big girl underwear. We are starting FOR REAL potty training tomorrow. I'm tired of changing diapers, so I figure its about time! I think Maren is tired of them, too. And, I'm sure, Addison will follow suit very shortly. I'm so glad I found waffle underwear at Walmart! I've never seen them there before. I thought the only place I'd ever be able to find them is at Babies R Us. Thankfully I was wrong!
We are also going to convert the kids' cribs into big girl beds. I'm hoping it will make story time at bed time go a little more smoothly. I also realize my nightly scrappy routine is going to fly out the window. I'll probably not get as much done when their beds are converted! We also picked up safety railings (or whatever they are called) to put in front of them so they don't roll out of bed).
Big, big changes are happening in this household! Its pretty exciting!
The last big change, is finally biting the bullet and purchasing a play set for the kids. They'll now have their own swing set, slide, sand box, rock wall, play house and (I think) rings. Phew! I felt kind of bad for them, watching them chase each other around the yard. I couldn't help but think how boring for them that must be! (Luckily there's two swings on this set, so there'll be no fighting over who gets to swing first!) Pictures will follow. Promise!
This happy little number is based on Canadian Scrapbookers' February sketch, and features my sweet little Maren. It will also work perfectly as the last entry over at Scrapbook.com, for the circle challenge, which is the last national scrapbooking month challenge over there. Its my one last chance to win some goodies! Here's to hoping, and if not, there's always next year!!
The picture is another of the ones that my sister took on Mothers' Day up at my parents'. And, from that day, I think this is the last one of my faves. Pretty cute, isn't it?
I embossed the circles with my cuttle bug, using the 'baby's breath' embossing folder
The happy sticker is k & company, and the white letter stickers are...unknown...
I used decorative edge scissors to cut the scalloped circle, and then regular straight edge scissors for the circle inside it.
And, of course, journalling in my own hand. Nothing personalizes it better, I think! Also, the hearts were punched with my Creative Memories heart punch.
Hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Its going to be a crazy one in my household!
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Growth
Just wanted to share a couple lo's with you, including one with some close ups!!
I didn't get any close ups of this one, and I probably should have. The girl and the metro sign were fussy cut from the white patterned paper that the pictures are matted on. Then I added pop dots to the girl to raise her up a bit, give her a more 3d appearance. It worked perfectly for what I wanted to title this lo: zoomy!!! (Thankfully I didn't, because I think metro works just as well!!)
As my journaling suggests, I put a can of pop in the freezer to chill for dh, and we both forgot about it. What my journaling didn't include was that it blew up at 6:30 in the morning, while the kids were still sleeping, and I was sitting here at my desk, either cruising sb.com or writing a blog post. It scared me- I had no idea what that sound was! Then, I was worried it would have woken the kids up. It didn't. Phew!! I shrugged it off, then I forgot all about it; by the time I headed to the freezer to pull something out for supper, this is what I found. OH YEAH. Oops!! LOL (On a side note, now we stick our pop in the ice machine- it does a remarkable job of chilling our drinks- and they don't freeze!...or explode)
The background paper on this one is MS. I thought the design in it worked well to highlight the mess the frozen pop made of my freezer; not to mention, it was a similar colour to the liquid diet Pepsi is anyways! The explosion die cuts were made with my cricut, as was the title. I used my paper tearer to rip the strip of patterned paper the title is on. The journalling strips are inked in SU's chocolate chip ink.
Also, this is a scrap lift of Erikia Ghumm's 'Follow the Signs' lo in the October 2009 issue of SBE.
This last lo is my take on the 'do you kiva' made in minutes lo in the August 2010 SBE issue.
Last summer, while visiting my parents, Addison stood in roughly the same spot in their yard, doing exactly what she's doing in the pictures in this lo. Both of the girls were enamoured with water right from the first moment; the bird bath draws them like metal to a magnet. I was sitting on their deck steps, watching Addison from my perch, and I couldn't help but step back in time, and think of this past year, all the changes she (and we) have been through, and how much better things are now. Not only that, but my baby isn't a baby anymore! I'm a bit devastated...
I added pop dots to the title sticker (pop dots were already on the butterfly) to help them stand out a bit more, and decided after I'd gotten everything adhered to the blue card stock, that it would be nice to stamp lines onto my lo rather than draw them on with a pencil and go back to erase them after I was done journalling. (Nobody has to know that the stamp I used is actually a recipe stamp!! I rubbed out the inked 'recipe' portion of the stamp for this particular project). My journalling was written with Recollections Citron journalling/shading pens.
129* happy accidents
130* SBE (even though they are no more)--and for those that don't know what SBE is or what it stands for, its only my most favourite magazine on the face of the planet: Scrapbooks Etc.
Yes, the magazine that holds (edit: held) the key to my scrap happy heart <3
131* white ink
132* good, steady rain over the last two days
133* batteries to make things work
134* freshly washed bed sheets
135* summertime swimming lessons!
136* and the credit on our account over at the leisure centre (which will pay for said summertime swimming lessons!)
137* pretty, decorative keys
138* (every time I see this number, I stop: its my parents' address number)
139* growth
I didn't get any close ups of this one, and I probably should have. The girl and the metro sign were fussy cut from the white patterned paper that the pictures are matted on. Then I added pop dots to the girl to raise her up a bit, give her a more 3d appearance. It worked perfectly for what I wanted to title this lo: zoomy!!! (Thankfully I didn't, because I think metro works just as well!!)
As my journaling suggests, I put a can of pop in the freezer to chill for dh, and we both forgot about it. What my journaling didn't include was that it blew up at 6:30 in the morning, while the kids were still sleeping, and I was sitting here at my desk, either cruising sb.com or writing a blog post. It scared me- I had no idea what that sound was! Then, I was worried it would have woken the kids up. It didn't. Phew!! I shrugged it off, then I forgot all about it; by the time I headed to the freezer to pull something out for supper, this is what I found. OH YEAH. Oops!! LOL (On a side note, now we stick our pop in the ice machine- it does a remarkable job of chilling our drinks- and they don't freeze!...or explode)
The background paper on this one is MS. I thought the design in it worked well to highlight the mess the frozen pop made of my freezer; not to mention, it was a similar colour to the liquid diet Pepsi is anyways! The explosion die cuts were made with my cricut, as was the title. I used my paper tearer to rip the strip of patterned paper the title is on. The journalling strips are inked in SU's chocolate chip ink.
Also, this is a scrap lift of Erikia Ghumm's 'Follow the Signs' lo in the October 2009 issue of SBE.
This last lo is my take on the 'do you kiva' made in minutes lo in the August 2010 SBE issue.
Last summer, while visiting my parents, Addison stood in roughly the same spot in their yard, doing exactly what she's doing in the pictures in this lo. Both of the girls were enamoured with water right from the first moment; the bird bath draws them like metal to a magnet. I was sitting on their deck steps, watching Addison from my perch, and I couldn't help but step back in time, and think of this past year, all the changes she (and we) have been through, and how much better things are now. Not only that, but my baby isn't a baby anymore! I'm a bit devastated...
I added pop dots to the title sticker (pop dots were already on the butterfly) to help them stand out a bit more, and decided after I'd gotten everything adhered to the blue card stock, that it would be nice to stamp lines onto my lo rather than draw them on with a pencil and go back to erase them after I was done journalling. (Nobody has to know that the stamp I used is actually a recipe stamp!! I rubbed out the inked 'recipe' portion of the stamp for this particular project). My journalling was written with Recollections Citron journalling/shading pens.
129* happy accidents
130* SBE (even though they are no more)--and for those that don't know what SBE is or what it stands for, its only my most favourite magazine on the face of the planet: Scrapbooks Etc.
Yes, the magazine that holds (edit: held) the key to my scrap happy heart <3
131* white ink
132* good, steady rain over the last two days
133* batteries to make things work
134* freshly washed bed sheets
135* summertime swimming lessons!
136* and the credit on our account over at the leisure centre (which will pay for said summertime swimming lessons!)
137* pretty, decorative keys
138* (every time I see this number, I stop: its my parents' address number)
139* growth
Monday, May 14, 2012
Back Then...
How was your Mothers' Day?
Ours was great. The weather was beautiful, we had good visiting over at my parents place, and the food was fantastic!
The kids played outside all day long. Literally. No naps, not a lot of fussing, lots of laughs and giggling and squealing...and for mama, a quick solo trip to Michaels for some retail therapy. You know, the upside to Michaels selling off all their brand name stock is that its all massively marked down!!! I bagged a lot of goodies- including a really great sheet of rooster paper and a rooster stamp for an upcoming lo i'm doing about my other obsession: roosters! Unfortunately, a lot of goodies were still left behind. Hmm...I foresee another trip in the near future!!
My favourite picture of the day?...
...is this!!:
Isn't he cute???!
He asked mom if there was anything he could do to help her get supper ready, so she sent him to the barbecue to grill the delicious turkey burgers she'd made for us. Yum! She also dressed him up in Oma's {my Oma--the kids' great Oma} old apron. So, in a way, she was celebrating with us, too, though she wasn't there with us in person. And, on a side note, mom says she's doing good. She went to visit her the other day, and she was quite chipper and talkative- repeatedly mentioning something about flowers. Mom's not sure if she has a bunch of flowers in her room at Miller, or if she's in another place and time in her memories. She said she was sitting at the table in the dining room, which is really great news.
(And, for those that don't know, my Oma is going to be 93 on the 24th. She's suffering from dementia and lives in a long term care facility. Its actually the same place Grandma Murray lived- and on the same floor, even!!- before she passed away a couple of years ago).
And, its another painful reminder that I've got to get over to Miller and visit Oma...She's only seen the kids a couple of times. The last time we saw her, she asked me when I'd gotten so big. LOL. Apparently she remembers me as a little street urchin. And, she wondered who the little kids belonged to. Me, of course, but to her it didn't make sense :)
I have a lot more pictures to share- that my beloved sister took- but I don't have them to the computer yet. I'll get them up here sooner or later!! (The batteries to the camera died after a few pictures were taken, so the rest were taken with our iPhones, and the shots sister got were while I was gallivanting around Michaels').
It was a long day- but a good day!- and we got home about 10 o'clock last night. It was about 11:30 when the kids finally settled and fell asleep. Oi! Kyle and I were beat when we got home! We thought the kids would crash, because they'd gone nonstop all day long, but that wasn't the case. They still wanted to play outside- at 11 o'clock at night!! Maren kept saying while the sun set, 'mama, its dark!', and I kept telling her that it was getting to be mommy and daddy's bed time; when it gets dark like that everyone goes to sleep. She mustn't have believed me!
Hope you all had a fabulous Mothers Day, and I'd love to hear in which ways you got spoiled!
My own mama spoiled me with a beautiful hanging basket. I can hardly wait to get it hung up!!
78* solo anything
79* massive savings when shopping
80* good food
81* hot weather
82* memories
Ohhhhhh memories!
The picture I really wanted to use I can't find, so these will have to suffice. THese are from our move back to Alberta from Saskatchewan. The kids were still babies in these pictures! I can't believe how much growing and maturing they've done in the last year. It totally blows me away! The kids were 14 months old when we made the trek up here, and now they are just over two.
I couldn't help but reminisce while I was sitting in moms' back yard yesterday, thinking about when we had just moved here. Addison hadn't learned to crawl yet, she was still very clingy and sensitive. Maren had mastered crawling not long before we moved, and it wasn't long before she began walking on her own. They were just beginning to talk- at least Maren was. Addison was still fairly behind, and we were concerned about her development. Looking back now, I realize we had nothing to worry about. She just did things in her own time; when she was ready for it. Its amazing how quickly she's catching up to her sister!
Now, Addison is as talkative, busy, goofy, mobile, accident prone, stubborn, cuddly, sensitive and outgoing as her sister.
And Maren, well, when she discovered her legs, and she began kicking them, there was no stopping her. There's still no stopping her!
83* flowers
84* neatness and organization
...but, more on that later :)
Ours was great. The weather was beautiful, we had good visiting over at my parents place, and the food was fantastic!
The kids played outside all day long. Literally. No naps, not a lot of fussing, lots of laughs and giggling and squealing...and for mama, a quick solo trip to Michaels for some retail therapy. You know, the upside to Michaels selling off all their brand name stock is that its all massively marked down!!! I bagged a lot of goodies- including a really great sheet of rooster paper and a rooster stamp for an upcoming lo i'm doing about my other obsession: roosters! Unfortunately, a lot of goodies were still left behind. Hmm...I foresee another trip in the near future!!
My favourite picture of the day?...
...is this!!:
Isn't he cute???!
He asked mom if there was anything he could do to help her get supper ready, so she sent him to the barbecue to grill the delicious turkey burgers she'd made for us. Yum! She also dressed him up in Oma's {my Oma--the kids' great Oma} old apron. So, in a way, she was celebrating with us, too, though she wasn't there with us in person. And, on a side note, mom says she's doing good. She went to visit her the other day, and she was quite chipper and talkative- repeatedly mentioning something about flowers. Mom's not sure if she has a bunch of flowers in her room at Miller, or if she's in another place and time in her memories. She said she was sitting at the table in the dining room, which is really great news.
(And, for those that don't know, my Oma is going to be 93 on the 24th. She's suffering from dementia and lives in a long term care facility. Its actually the same place Grandma Murray lived- and on the same floor, even!!- before she passed away a couple of years ago).
And, its another painful reminder that I've got to get over to Miller and visit Oma...She's only seen the kids a couple of times. The last time we saw her, she asked me when I'd gotten so big. LOL. Apparently she remembers me as a little street urchin. And, she wondered who the little kids belonged to. Me, of course, but to her it didn't make sense :)
I have a lot more pictures to share- that my beloved sister took- but I don't have them to the computer yet. I'll get them up here sooner or later!! (The batteries to the camera died after a few pictures were taken, so the rest were taken with our iPhones, and the shots sister got were while I was gallivanting around Michaels').
It was a long day- but a good day!- and we got home about 10 o'clock last night. It was about 11:30 when the kids finally settled and fell asleep. Oi! Kyle and I were beat when we got home! We thought the kids would crash, because they'd gone nonstop all day long, but that wasn't the case. They still wanted to play outside- at 11 o'clock at night!! Maren kept saying while the sun set, 'mama, its dark!', and I kept telling her that it was getting to be mommy and daddy's bed time; when it gets dark like that everyone goes to sleep. She mustn't have believed me!
Hope you all had a fabulous Mothers Day, and I'd love to hear in which ways you got spoiled!
My own mama spoiled me with a beautiful hanging basket. I can hardly wait to get it hung up!!
78* solo anything
79* massive savings when shopping
80* good food
81* hot weather
82* memories
Ohhhhhh memories!
The picture I really wanted to use I can't find, so these will have to suffice. THese are from our move back to Alberta from Saskatchewan. The kids were still babies in these pictures! I can't believe how much growing and maturing they've done in the last year. It totally blows me away! The kids were 14 months old when we made the trek up here, and now they are just over two.
I couldn't help but reminisce while I was sitting in moms' back yard yesterday, thinking about when we had just moved here. Addison hadn't learned to crawl yet, she was still very clingy and sensitive. Maren had mastered crawling not long before we moved, and it wasn't long before she began walking on her own. They were just beginning to talk- at least Maren was. Addison was still fairly behind, and we were concerned about her development. Looking back now, I realize we had nothing to worry about. She just did things in her own time; when she was ready for it. Its amazing how quickly she's catching up to her sister!
Now, Addison is as talkative, busy, goofy, mobile, accident prone, stubborn, cuddly, sensitive and outgoing as her sister.
And Maren, well, when she discovered her legs, and she began kicking them, there was no stopping her. There's still no stopping her!
83* flowers
84* neatness and organization
...but, more on that later :)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Lights Out
The kids experienced their first power outage late this afternoon. Actually, the power went out twice; first while they were napping, and it was still quite light out so it wouldn't have made a difference to them, other than they couldn't watch Toopy and Binoo on tv. It was still out when they woke from their nap. By then, light was beginning to fade, and I changed their wet diapers in a fairly dark room. (We went for a late nap because we slept until 9:30 this morning...and our trip to the pharmacy took longer than anticipated).
And, the entire time they napped, I kept wondering to myself if it was just our house that was experiencing the power outage (and consequently, if I needed to go and flip the breaker)- I couldn't tell, because no one else in our neighbourhood appeared to be home from work. Finally, I began texting around and before I knew it, I had confirmation that no, it wasn't just me. A friend had seen on Facebook that there was going to be an outage that would last a couple hours.
I wasn't quite sure how the kids were going to deal with it, when it went out again after the fading light gave way to a black sky filled with clouds and the odd star, but they dealt with it super well. They are not afraid of the dark one bit. (I should have known, because my children have been known to play in their bedroom with no lights on. They've even played in the basement in near pitch black conditions, and it still didn't bother them). In fact, when I began searching the house for every available candle I could find, Addison oohed. She liked it. Maren kept saying 'uh oh'. But, once she got a hold of the little LED flashlight, she had an absolute riot with it. The three of us sat at the table together enjoying the closeness the light of the candles brought; we talked and laughed together while we waited for the power to come back on. It was fun.
In the back of my mind, I kept worrying about supper. I had stew cooking in the slow cooker, and I was worried that the power wouldn't come back on in time for it to finish. (In the end, I had nothing to worry about). The other corner of my mind was occupied with ways I could make the power outage something special for the kids when it came time to eat. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
********************************************
~ 315 ~ the power outage (at least today)
~ 316 ~ more beautiful weather
~ 317 ~ catching up with a dear friend while having our hairs done
~ 318 ~ the hair dresser that happily does our hair at the same time
~ 319 ~ how much Addison enjoys playing her game on my phone
*******************************************
You know, the kids are so smart. They're incredible!! I downloaded a game called sound touch to my iPhone, thanks to the recommendation of a friend. There are different categories- animals, exotic animals, instruments, vehicles, household and one other, I think. In each of the categories are comical pictures and when one of them is touched, a real life photo of that animal (or whatever it is, depending on the category) appears, along with the sound it makes. I think its a great learning tool for the kids. Well, Addison has it down pat. She takes her time and decides which animal she's going to pick; she selects it, and lets it play its sound. Then she carefully chooses another one. I was amazed at her! And, any time I told her what animal it was she chose, she'd shush me!! Little goof...I think she did that so she could hear what the animal sounded like. It was pretty cute, anyways. Oh, and for each animal or instrument or household item that's chosen, five different pictures and sounds come up every time the same animal is hit more than once. Its pretty cool. They're picking up so much, so fast. Unreal.
********************************************
~ 320 ~ my plants- the spider plant that keeps growing, and the creeper that's taken up residence above the stove. I killed the poor thing, and yet it came back to life and has stayed strong ever since. Yay for my plants!
And, the entire time they napped, I kept wondering to myself if it was just our house that was experiencing the power outage (and consequently, if I needed to go and flip the breaker)- I couldn't tell, because no one else in our neighbourhood appeared to be home from work. Finally, I began texting around and before I knew it, I had confirmation that no, it wasn't just me. A friend had seen on Facebook that there was going to be an outage that would last a couple hours.
I wasn't quite sure how the kids were going to deal with it, when it went out again after the fading light gave way to a black sky filled with clouds and the odd star, but they dealt with it super well. They are not afraid of the dark one bit. (I should have known, because my children have been known to play in their bedroom with no lights on. They've even played in the basement in near pitch black conditions, and it still didn't bother them). In fact, when I began searching the house for every available candle I could find, Addison oohed. She liked it. Maren kept saying 'uh oh'. But, once she got a hold of the little LED flashlight, she had an absolute riot with it. The three of us sat at the table together enjoying the closeness the light of the candles brought; we talked and laughed together while we waited for the power to come back on. It was fun.
In the back of my mind, I kept worrying about supper. I had stew cooking in the slow cooker, and I was worried that the power wouldn't come back on in time for it to finish. (In the end, I had nothing to worry about). The other corner of my mind was occupied with ways I could make the power outage something special for the kids when it came time to eat. Unfortunately, that didn't happen.
********************************************
~ 315 ~ the power outage (at least today)
~ 316 ~ more beautiful weather
~ 317 ~ catching up with a dear friend while having our hairs done
~ 318 ~ the hair dresser that happily does our hair at the same time
~ 319 ~ how much Addison enjoys playing her game on my phone
*******************************************
You know, the kids are so smart. They're incredible!! I downloaded a game called sound touch to my iPhone, thanks to the recommendation of a friend. There are different categories- animals, exotic animals, instruments, vehicles, household and one other, I think. In each of the categories are comical pictures and when one of them is touched, a real life photo of that animal (or whatever it is, depending on the category) appears, along with the sound it makes. I think its a great learning tool for the kids. Well, Addison has it down pat. She takes her time and decides which animal she's going to pick; she selects it, and lets it play its sound. Then she carefully chooses another one. I was amazed at her! And, any time I told her what animal it was she chose, she'd shush me!! Little goof...I think she did that so she could hear what the animal sounded like. It was pretty cute, anyways. Oh, and for each animal or instrument or household item that's chosen, five different pictures and sounds come up every time the same animal is hit more than once. Its pretty cool. They're picking up so much, so fast. Unreal.
********************************************
~ 320 ~ my plants- the spider plant that keeps growing, and the creeper that's taken up residence above the stove. I killed the poor thing, and yet it came back to life and has stayed strong ever since. Yay for my plants!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
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
.......
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
.......
Monday, September 19, 2011
Looking Forward
~ 51 ~ her non stop talking
~ 52 ~ showing mama she can eat all on her own, no help required!
~ 53 ~ announcing when she made a poopy
~ 54 ~ the way she holds both hands in the air, palms up, when she's finished eating
~ 55 ~ hearing her sweetly say daddy, no and hi
~ 56 ~ finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
~ 57 ~ making new connections in unexpected ways
~ 58 ~ picking paint colors (and the fun it is dreaming up decor ideas for our house)
~ 59 ~ snuggling up to him when I'm cold
~ 60 ~ listening to them squealing as they chase each other through the kitchen, under the kitchen table, out the other side and down the hallway--and back again
~ 61 ~ not to mention when they do that in the hall outside the apartment
~ 62 ~ nutella
~ 63 ~ frost warnings
.....
Fall is most definitely in the air. Over the last few weeks, my thoughts have kept returning to Christmas- and the subsequent baking that is always inevitably related to the season, birthdays that are coming up, and the warmer clothes that the cooler weather requires.
A list is being compiled of treats that I want baked for the holiday season- a mixture of old favorites and some attempts at new ones; I've even sub-consciously began making a dinner menu for Christmas, too, should we be having the family at our place. It is customary, apparently, that whoever has the newest house gets the honor of hosting Christmas. If it's us (which I am certain it will be), I'm glad we will have the room!! Our new house has FIVE entire bedrooms!!
The only item on that menu, at the moment, is my cheesy potato casserole (thanks Kraft Canada!!) it was a huge hit the first time I made it, and an even bigger hit the next time I made it. I may just have to share the recipe one day! (I improvised the second time I made it...wise choice, apparently!)
The kids are growing so fast; they need new winter clothes and new snowsuits. Winter boots are an essential this year, too. Maren is walking-nearly running- and Addison is so close. We are practicing by taking just one hand and walking her down the hall from the living room, the living room to the table, and from the living room to their bedroom. In the meantime, she's walking on her hands and feet. It's pretty darn cute!
Finally having a house to move in to is a relief, but the bigger relief is that we can get moved and settled before (hopefully) the snow flies. And, I really hope it holds off. When the skies cloud over and threaten rain, the color looks suspiciously like snow to me.
Did I just say it??
...s.n.o.w.???
I know, it's sad, rotten, dirty word. But, in all honesty I think I am finally ready for it. Now that I know we won't be in an apartment till spring, I can relax. Yeah, our summer was kind of rotten living in the fifth wheel, dealing with a monsoon for the majority of it, and having only one week, really, of nice weather (in September again...last year was the same). Now I'm just looking forward!!
~ 52 ~ showing mama she can eat all on her own, no help required!
~ 53 ~ announcing when she made a poopy
~ 54 ~ the way she holds both hands in the air, palms up, when she's finished eating
~ 55 ~ hearing her sweetly say daddy, no and hi
~ 56 ~ finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel
~ 57 ~ making new connections in unexpected ways
~ 58 ~ picking paint colors (and the fun it is dreaming up decor ideas for our house)
~ 59 ~ snuggling up to him when I'm cold
~ 60 ~ listening to them squealing as they chase each other through the kitchen, under the kitchen table, out the other side and down the hallway--and back again
~ 61 ~ not to mention when they do that in the hall outside the apartment
~ 62 ~ nutella
~ 63 ~ frost warnings
.....
Fall is most definitely in the air. Over the last few weeks, my thoughts have kept returning to Christmas- and the subsequent baking that is always inevitably related to the season, birthdays that are coming up, and the warmer clothes that the cooler weather requires.
A list is being compiled of treats that I want baked for the holiday season- a mixture of old favorites and some attempts at new ones; I've even sub-consciously began making a dinner menu for Christmas, too, should we be having the family at our place. It is customary, apparently, that whoever has the newest house gets the honor of hosting Christmas. If it's us (which I am certain it will be), I'm glad we will have the room!! Our new house has FIVE entire bedrooms!!
The only item on that menu, at the moment, is my cheesy potato casserole (thanks Kraft Canada!!) it was a huge hit the first time I made it, and an even bigger hit the next time I made it. I may just have to share the recipe one day! (I improvised the second time I made it...wise choice, apparently!)
The kids are growing so fast; they need new winter clothes and new snowsuits. Winter boots are an essential this year, too. Maren is walking-nearly running- and Addison is so close. We are practicing by taking just one hand and walking her down the hall from the living room, the living room to the table, and from the living room to their bedroom. In the meantime, she's walking on her hands and feet. It's pretty darn cute!
Finally having a house to move in to is a relief, but the bigger relief is that we can get moved and settled before (hopefully) the snow flies. And, I really hope it holds off. When the skies cloud over and threaten rain, the color looks suspiciously like snow to me.
Did I just say it??
...s.n.o.w.???
I know, it's sad, rotten, dirty word. But, in all honesty I think I am finally ready for it. Now that I know we won't be in an apartment till spring, I can relax. Yeah, our summer was kind of rotten living in the fifth wheel, dealing with a monsoon for the majority of it, and having only one week, really, of nice weather (in September again...last year was the same). Now I'm just looking forward!!
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