Welcome 2008~!!!

Tons to be thankful for...don't forget to thank God for this wonderful year and look forward to everything coming in the new one! My scrapbook classes start again 3rd week in January and we are SO excited to begin some new techniques thanks to all the amazing donations we have been receiving. More about that in the New year though...many people to thank! Each one will get a special day on the blog just for them. My belly is getting pretty big but thanks to wonderful modern technology I can say for sure that it's not twins! I think I startled the nurse because when the doctor said there was only one in there I shouted "Praise the LORD!!!" It was pretty funny because my 3 year old was there and shouted it right after me. He is very into copying right now. So a good chuckle was had by all. Did tons of scrapping for gifts this year...and have no time to post it on here right now so I hope nobody minds waiting a bit. I'll be taking a nice long break from the world, see you all in 2008!!!

Christmas came early!

Can I toot my own horn again? I am still pretty excited about the layout that Leica Forrest did for Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Page 20 if you haven't checked it out yet! And for our American friends who don't get the magazine, you can check out a brief write up on the Crop N Craft Room Website. This website is still under construction but some links are ready to go. Check out the Design Team link...in the write up CS did, they put out a call for used supplies. Well, you never know how that is going to go. People have been hugely generous! And I believe there are 30,000 copies of Canadian Scrapbooker printed each issue (please correct me if I am wrong) so I am a little afraid at how much is going to come flooding into the office! We live in a remote area so we do not have a post office box, we get our mail at my husband's office. I think the secretaries who pick up the mail are getting a little worn out now! The magazine article was not out even 3 weeks and people have started sending things already. The kids are so excited to start class again in January! So even though she has no way of finding my blog unless she googled me, I still really wanted to recognize

GAIL from SARNIA, ONTARIO.

hers was the very first box of stuff for the kids due to the article in CS and she wrote me a lovely letter along with it! The stuff covered half my dining table!!! Check out Gail's generosity:
I swear the stack of paper she sent was 3 inches thick!



It's so funny that this stuff is coming in right now...for one thing it feels like early Christmas! But just the other day at our last class of the season some of the girls were looking at an album I am doing for my niece and they were pointing out specific stickers and embellishments I had used that are fairly recent (like in the last 6 months or so) and were asking if we had that so they could scrapjack the page they liked. I said unfortunately no, we didn't have stuff like that but maybe we could work on it in the New Year and see if we could buy a few things. Well, no need! Several things came right in Gail's package! Thank-you! Thank-you! Thank-you!!!

Other packages have been arriving almost daily so every other day or so I'll thank a new person! This class has gotten so much bigger than I ever expected...I can NOT thank everyone enough! Classes are done now until mid January when school gets back into full swing. Our last hurrah is on Dec 21st...the high school asked me to come in and be one of the stations for their Christmas Extravaganza. It's the last day of school so the kids get to sign up for different fun activities. I'll take some pictures and post them next week.

Family Scrapboooking at it's finest

Once a month I head over to the DuMont Technical Institute building and teach a scrapbooking class for the Dene K'oe (Pronounced KWAY) Family Acitivity Night. This is a great program led by Leona, the Dene K'oe Self Help Council Inc's Youth/Family Support Worker. This is a very enthusiastic bunch! Our first couple of classes we started out with simple cards but are now into full scrapbook pages. Numbers vary with the insanely cold weather and the ages range from the very small (3yrs) to the very tall (Um, no age mentioned here!!!) and even the Dads get in on the creating.



This program is held every Tuesday night and it is to promote family togetherness through crafts. Ornaments, painting, you name it...but the first Tuesday of every month is scrapbooking. So this week I taught everyone how to work off of a sketch. I absolutely LOVE the Pencil Lines website for this. If you are stuck for inspiration, just head over there and find amazing ideas with just one click! I hear it all the time...I don't scrapbook because I'm not creative. I want to scrapbook but I can never think of what to do. I have a bunch of supplies but I don't know how to use them. Well, the pencil lines site cures that and more! Working from a sketch is not a road map...it's meant to inspire you and cultivate your own interpretation of the sketch. Well, the kids certainly had their own interpretation! Following directions, not so much a priority for the little guys but boy, did they ever have FUN. And that is what it is all about! Some beautiful work was done and I can't thank my fellow scrapbookers enough for all the donations of used supplies! Especially Leica Forrest for her crops held at Yesterday's Memories and Jeanette and the amazing people over at Scrap In Style!!! Couldn't have done it without you girls. Take a look at what the kids were up to (stickers are very popular!):






And with such long waits for photos way up here, a main focus on the class was how to do a blank layout and that it's ok to add pictures later. Here is the main sketch from the Pencil Lines site and the example I came up with. I kept it very simple and to the point to show how fast and easy it can be. Voila! 15 minutes later you have a scrapbook page:

Thanks to everyone who participated and I am so looking forward to our classes in the new year! Leona and I have some ideas up our sleeves for a twice monthly adults only scrapbook class starting in late January. Watch for the flyers and come on out to finish up those projects!!!

A Layout About Me...published!

So this is supposed to be a scrapbooking blog...but where is the scrapbooking stuff, you ask? I have been asking myself that very same question. I am finally over the sickness part of this pregnancy and it seems I am scrapbooking more than I ever have but the blog is still lacking. Well, that is because I have been saving all my projects for other things. Exciting things. FAB things that everyone needs to check out! A long, LONG time ago I promised fantastic scrapbooking news to come in December. Well, there are 2 great things. First, I was asked to be on a design team for the Crop N Craft Room which is my former LSS. A small team but we are plugging along with some great ideas. Bear with us, the website is a work in progress right now but so far I think it's coming along great. I have been doing a few things for the website which I can't post on my blog...so that is where at least some of my projects are going! Second, the amazingly talented and huge hearted Leica Forrest did a layout about me and my scrapbooking class for kids and it was published in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. Check out page 20, you won't be disappointed. I know I wasn't!!! Just goes to show that a small town girl can make a difference with a little Faith and the right people in her corner. Don't give up on things just because you think it's difficult!!! Keep striving for your goals, you'll get there. A HUGE thank-you to Leica for all her hard work...there are just no words to thank her enough for what she did for me. Currently, she is soaking up the rays off the coast of Mexico teaching on the Canadian Crop and Cruise. Oh how I wish I was there with her!!! Check out her blog and send her some love. This girl is seriously out of control in the amazing scrapbooking category. I can't wait to have coffee with her again sometime soon. Be safe Leica!
A couple projects on the go right now...I did a mini book with my fantabulous Zutter Machine that I won at the JSI Spring Crop in April and it actually turned out~! Thanks to Ralna for her tutorial, this thing was giving me serious trouble. But now I'm a Zuttering fool.
Check out me and my bad self: (This original idea came from Wilna Furstenberg's Make N Take at the JSI Spring Fling)


There are lots more pages but it's the same idea.
I love all the tags and funky ribbon.
Don't forget to put a little something on the back!

I'm also working on other altered projects like scrapbooked Christmas ornaments, other mini books and homemade Christmas cards/letters/envelopes/all in one type of thing. Thank-you to Wilna Furstenberg for her wonderful RAK. She sent me Season of Joy book by MM and it is really outstanding. I am doing 2 of the projects in there right now! And Wilna is in the book which is great too...I love her style. This book is a must have for the holiday scrapper.

What else to tell??? I'll have LOTS of trip LOs coming your way before Christmas...I have grand plans of finishing (did I just say the F word???) my 2003 trip to Mexico, 2007 trip to the Dominican and my son's first year album all before the baby comes in April. Plus all the Christmas projects I am into right now. Am I crazy? Yes, yes I am.
And loving every minute of it.

Green turns to Greener

Our beloved Roughriders have taken the Grey Cup!!! Now it's time to turn our thoughts to Christ's birth which for most means beating the crowds, accumulating debt and stressing about parties, outfits and travels. Let's try something different this year. Stay focused on the reason we celebrate. Let's try keeping things simple. Hot cider, homemade cookies and good friends and family. Wear last year's Christmas outfit (believe me, nobody will notice) and save yourself a few dollars. Take that money and sponsor a local family who can't afford a Christmas meal. Don't think about timing. Don't think "I'll donate in the New Year when it is more convenient for me." If we think like that, it'll never be convenient. Give now, whatever you can. Shovel the walk for an elderly neighbour. Bring some baking to a local care home. Giving means more than just money. Give of yourself. Let's make Christmas merry for everyone this year.

I'm a GREEN Girl!!!

WILL DEFEAT


In the 2007 Grey Cup! And while they do, we'll be scarfing down mini calzones (both regular pizza AND 4 cheese spinach for the more refined palette), hot wings, chips and dip, hot cheese dip with homemade bread, garlic toast, shrimp and fudge. So here is a little known fact about me...I love Football. I'm not a die hard during the regular season, I just keep up. But if my team makes it to the CUP?!!? Break out the Green Paint, get something in the deep fryer and crank up the volume 'cause there's going to be a PARTY!!!

A few interesting tidbits on tomorrow's game:

It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 4 million.

In 1909, the Grey Cup was donated by the then Governor General of Canada, Earl Grey, to recognize the top amateur rugby football team in Canada.Over time, the Grey Cup became the property of the Canadian Football League as it evolved into a professional football league.

The Grey Cup has been broken several times. The trophy was broken in 1978 when Tom Wilkinson and Danny Kepley dropped it, and in 1987 when a celebrating Edmonton Eskimos player sat on it. It was again broken in 1993 when it was head-butted by Edmonton's Blake Dermott. During the victory celebration immediately following the 94th Grey Cup game in 2006, the winning BC Lions accidentally broke the cup from its base, which contains the engraved names of the players on each years' winning team. It was repaired the following Monday.[3] Other notable events include a 1947 fire which almost destroyed the trophy and a 1969 theft in which the trophy was held for ransom.

Saskatchewan has only won the cup twice THIS IS OUR YEAR FOR #3!~ Saskatchewan defeated the Ottawa Rough Riders 29 to 14 in 1966. The game was played in Vancouver.
The 1989 game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats is widely believed to have been the best Grey Cup game of recent times. Saskatchewan won the game by a score of 43 to 40, capped by a game-winning field goal by Dave Ridgway.

Yeah, so I'm a geek and I love trivia...and no, I haven't gone crazy with my taste in music. DJ Khaled's "We Takin' Over" is the Roughrider's song!!!

GO SASKATCHEWAN GO!

Sing to your babes tonight

My son has several fave songs. There are the standards: Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABC and Old McDonald. But he also likes the song Levon by Elton John. I am a huge Elton John fan, my son's middle name is Levon and I listened to the song continually when he was in the womb. So it seemed only natural to continue singing the song to him when he was born and it was AMAZING how fast it would calm him down. He's 3 now and still loves the song. But normally when he is crawling into bed and says "Mummy, sing me Levon." I say no, it's too long. We'll sing Itsy Bitsy Spider instead. Most times he is ok with this. I'm going to try to stop doing this. Because sometimes there are reminders in life of how short and precious our time is here. Heaven is going to be great...but I'm not ready to leave just yet. Last night I was stopped at a stop sign and my son and I were hit by a drunk driver. And he drove away. I did get the plate # and he was later arrested, we weren't hurt and the damage to my van is disappointing but it's totally drivable. Seriously, things could have been so much worse. But this baby is only 4 1/2 months old in the womb and it's already been in 2 car accidents (we hit a deer last month in the truck). So please kiss your babes...squeeze them...try to have a little more patience. Sing to them and love on them. Because you don't know when it will be gone. And in their final moments, I can guarantee you that not one person has ever said they wish their house would have been cleaner, they would have spent more time at the office or they wish they would have been sterner with their kids. Praise God for little miracles.

Say a prayer for all

who fought, died, are fighting, are dying. Say a prayer for those who fight overseas in our military and for our law enforcement who fight to keep our streets safe at home. Say a prayer for the spouses who hold down the fort, raise children, carry on with life a little lonely at times... Kelly, Ruth, Brianna, Erin, Viola, Charlene to name only a very small intimate few. Say a prayer for your family members who fought to give us freedom. No matter who you are, you will have a tie to war somewhere. My husband's grandfather was in World War II. He returned home only to die from cancer. There is no fairness, no reason. Thank a veteran today for their sacrifice. Not only in body, but in mind, spirit and soul.
War is not only a memory...
We face it today.

And not only are we perishing overseas. But here at home as well.
Today is dedicated to those who sacrifice. Please remember.

What if it was too late?

Imagine sitting down in your warm, cozy home to a lovely dinner with the family. Maybe Grandma and Grandpa are over...not for any particular reason. Just to enjoy some special time. Mom has taken a delicious looking casserole out of the oven and Dad makes a joke about undoing his belt. The kids are showing Grandma their latest art project from school. Just as supper is being served, a dozen heavily armed men break down your front door and order you from your home. Take nothing. It's not yours anymore. You have no home. No possessions. You are separated from the rest of the family. You have no identity. No freedom of expression. No rights. They are all gone.

This is not fiction. This happened to many, many people. And because of over 40,000 Canadian lives laid down for us (and another 50,000+ injuries), we have an identity. We have freedom of expression. We have rights. They are a reality. So don't give me excuses about not having time, not knowing enough about it or not caring "because my one vote doesn't matter." It does matter. Because if your right to vote was taken away in a heartbeat, wouldn't that matter?

GO VOTE.

Baby Ticker - The Baby Countdown Pregnancy Tick 2

Always willing to share the wisdom

As some of you know, I live in Northern Canada. We do things a little differently up here sometimes. I like to fish. And camp. And we love our boat. Now for some women, that may not be so weird. But up here it is not uncommon for us to have a picnic at the lake when it is around 10 degrees celcius. This is a fairly decent fall day for us. So I thought I'd pass along the number one BEST, most delicious, fattening camping dessert out there. I have no idea if this is strictly a Canadian thing...or if lots of you have heard of this but I am talking about the wonderful, amazing, out of this world PUDGY PIE. The name says it all. Here's how you wow your taste buds. This recipe is courtesy of my good friend Megan who introduced me to this wonderful little marvel just this summer on our families camping trip together:

First you need a bush pie maker. Cast iron is the best. It's like a camp fire version of a sandwich maker. You can do ham & cheese, pizza, any pie filling, etc but the Pudgy Pie is hands down my fave. Butter the outsides of the bread, place into the bush pie maker butter side down. Now spread a generous amount of peanut butter on the inside. We have a double pie maker so it saves a lot of time and arguing over who gets the first one. They are a bit more expensive but trust me, it's a sound investment.

Put some squares of chocolate on top of that and then balance your marshmallows on top of that. Then drizzle caramel sauce all over everything. Drooling yet? Now butter more bread and put it on top butter side up. That keeps it from sticking.

Now here's where it gets tricky. Close the contraption so everything squishes together but try not to lose any of the good stuff. Now place it on a cozy camp fire for a few minutes. Make sure you stand there and turn it every so often and you have to open it to see how close you are to golden brown perfection. And if it's dark out, you need a good friend to hold a flashlight for you while you open it and check. Thanks Megan. Love ya baby.

And thus, the pudgy pie comes to life. It is 100% essential that you eat it on a chilly Canadian evening with a mug of hot chocolate. Enjoy! And if you have already heard of the bush pie maker...give a shout out and tell me what your favourite recipe is for using this brilliant invention. I have a feeling we have one more pudgy pie picnic in us before the snow falls. Oh I hope. :0)

I think I forget my own name

No, this is not a figment of your imagination...it is a brand new blog post by Kate. Yes, I got the computer back (it's about time) and yesterday I spent most of the day setting it back up with all my settings, faves, etc. So blogging had to wait until today. Where to begin??? Here's a quick rundown of the last month:

* My darling little son turned 3 and we had a HUGE birthday bash for him. 14 little kids...I am certifiable insane!

* I had my 5th wedding anniversary

* My kids scrapbook class is starting

* Leica Forrest donated so many scrap supplies to the class I had to store some of them at my in laws!

* I was sorely disappointed about missing the Canada's Scrapbooking Crop for Kids in Edmonton last weekend

* I was asked to be on a store design team (website launches soon!)

* December will bring BIG scrapbooking news (but it's a secret until then!)

* I'm pregnant

* I got a great haircut at my sister's salon (nothing drastically different, just nice)

* We hit a deer on the way home last week ($6000 damage to the truck...ouch!)

* I got into the Harvest Crop at Just Scrap It with Keli. Last crop I won the Zutter machine!

HOLD THE PHONE...REWIND....Did she say she was PREGNANT?!?!?

Yes, yes I am! After a whole year of deep discussion with the hubs, we decided to take the plunge again. I am about 13 weeks and I was never this sick with my first one. Lord help me. It seems to be lessening but still comes all of a sudden at the most inopportune moments!

So those are the general happenings in a nut shell. The kids scrapbooking class starts next Thursday and I couldn't be more excited. We'll be starting out making name tags and I'll have plenty of pictures to post next week. Stay tuned!!!

It'll all be over soon...

Well, I guess that depends on your own personal definition of soon. My definition of soon is 5 minutes. The computer company's definition of soon is 3 to 5 weeks. The actual definition is a little lost in translation I suppose. The long and the short of it is the computer gets shipped off for repairs again today and I probably won't see it again until Christmas. Ok, I may be exaggerating just a tad but it'll be the end of October for sure. So there will be no blogging to read unless my gorgeous and oh so talented friend Keli takes pity on me and decides to take dictation over the phone. Chances of that...slim to none unless I send her jam. Then I may have a shot. So you'll have to amuse yourself at other blog sites for the time being but beware...when I come back I'll have more great stuff on here then you can shake a stick at. Where did that expression come from anyway? Depending on the stick, you could shake it at a lot of stuff...

Diamonds and Scrapbooking...I am living the high life people!

Almost 10 years together. 5 years of marriage. 4 moves. One little boy. Many, many compromises. I'm still in love and he still treats me like a princess. I'm one carat heavier on my left hand. Check it out:


Our anniversary is actually on the 21st but the hubs is working nights all next week so we decided to celebrate today. I put up with his job and bought him a really nice motorcycle jacket. He puts up with my scrapbooking and bought me diamonds. And that's why we work.

Presents, Blessings and all kinds of good things

I finally got around to drawing the winner of my RAK! Thanks for all the great comments and FAB ideas for my kids class. You girls seriously ROCK the free world!

The winner of my RAK is .... drumroll please ....


CRICKET!!!

Check out her profile on Scrap In Style. She's doing some great digi stuff these days! Thanks so much for your participation! Please PM me at SIS so I can get your gift mailed out ASAP. Which translates of course to "Please e-mail me as soon as you can before I have to send this blinkin' machine back for it's second repair in as many months." Yes, I'm bitter and darn it I'm not ready to be okay with it yet!

Ok, so enough pouting. I've got big news...that has to wait a little while. I've also named the kids class and it should get rolling next week. So I'll have one great big post with some FAB photos because I'll have my camera back by then. So stay tuned...

Without Photos...does life really even exists???

Still no camera. And I think the mail girls are getting tired of seeing my face. I've become a mail truck stalker. The worst kind. At least in a bigger city, you can sit by your front window and jump on the UPS guy when he comes up the walk. Nobody really knew you were prowling around the front door for 11 hours prior to said pouncing. Your craziness is contained and somewhat secret until of course the next "UPS guy get together" when they talk about that insane woman on Smith Street that attacks you for a box from someone called Scenic Route, Basic Grey or Scrap In Style. Then they make a face and ask "What's a scrap and how do you do it in style anyway?" Crazy women need to get a life. But in general, your loopiness isn't out for the neighbours to see and it's not embarassing your husband. Mine on the other hand, is all hangin' out for the world to mock. Where I live we have to go to the post office to receive packages or the secretaries at my husband's office sign for them and bring them to the detachment. So I either have to pester the Canada Post employees who say "NO! Nothing for you today!" before I even have the door all the way open. OR I have to walk into the hub's office where his partners and secretaries ask me for the millionth time "What are you waiting for this time?" I try to be nonchalant about it but really, is there any life without a camera??? I mean, if an event happens and nobody takes a picture does anyone know it truly occured? I'm rambling...

Get to the good stuff...OK, fine. A while back I promised a RAK when I got back from camping. Due to some technical difficulties that RAK had been delayed but I'm totally ready for it now and I have to get it sent away before I have to send the computer away again. So, leave a comment here with your best idea for a name for my kid's crop and you're entered to WIN! Plus, I will be adding the previous comments from the first RAK post into the draw as well. Enter once, enter twice, leave as many comments as you want. Share the LUB baby...share the LUB.

So I've got good news and bad news...

Which would you like first? The bad news? Ok, here goes. My computer is doing the exact same thing it was doing before I sent it away. For 3 weeks. To get fixed. This includes but is not limited to restarting itself randomly (mostly during the typing of long e-mails), the keyboard shutting down (which causes me to have to shut down and restart), e-mail working only when it wants to, etc, etc, etc. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? How the heck am I supposed to get published this year if I spend half of it without a computer? And my camera is having it's shutter assembly replaced so I won't have that back for about a week either. I sent that away at the beginning of August. I know. What a month.

As for good news...I spent the better part of last Friday being entertained and simply AMAZED by the one and only Leica Forrest. And of course her darling little men Riley and Jager. My son was in heaven. They beat each other with sports equipment, got dirty, made lots of noise and had a generally all around "boy" good time. Leica is such a great person. Just a normal, down to earth Mommy who happens to be an amazing scrapbooker. Who happens to have been published a million times. Who happens to be teaching at the Crop and Cruise. Who happens to be such an inspirational person. Wow, did she give me some good advice. Thanks for a wonderful day Leica! Let's do it again soon!

Cross your fingers...I am meeting with the principal of the highschool this week to try to get some money out of him so I can buy albums and trimmers for my kids crop. Which I still haven't named yet. Any ideas? It's a class for underpriviledged kids from grades 7 to 12. I need a cool, short name. I am having a terrible time with it. Stay tuned for much more about the class...I'll have weekly updates and photos of all of the amazing creations! Showing the scrapbooking world what your donations can do! Thanks for all the support of supplies, encouragment and prayers! More later!

Oh my word, oh my word, oh my WORD~!~!~!

So, about a million things have happened since I sent my computer away on August 3rd (I just got it back tonight). But there is one HUGE, AMAZING, SPECTACULAR thing that happened that just knocked my socks off that I had to blog about right away and it went a little something like this:

We were all set to leave August 8th for MeadowLake Provincial Park to do some camping with the Thiele family. On August 6th Keli called me at 9:45pm. Keli never calls me that late. So I immediately though something bad had happened. It was just the opposite.

Kel: "Um, hi...where are you going to be on Saturday?"
Me: "Meadow Lake, why?"
Kel: "Anyway you can get to P.A. that day?"
Me: "Probably not, why?
Kel: "Are you sure you can't get to P.A. on that day?
Me: "WHY?!?!?"

That's a little abbreviated but you get the idea. And so the conversation went on to reveal that Wilna Furstenberg, scrapbook diva extraordinaire, Scrap In Style Fashionista, MM Designer, etc, etc, etc (who also happens to be one of my most FAVE scrapbookers) was inviting some people to her house for a special class. Shut UP, I know!!! I almost dropped the phone. But then came the call to the hubby to ask if it was ok to ditch the wonderful family campers on Saturday to drive the 3.5 hours (turned into 4 due to the rain) and attend the amazing class. He said it was ok if it was that important to me. Is he kidding? Important, uh yes it is. Wilna has this free spirit type of style that I love and have wanted to learn for some time. So it was very important to me. I worked the details out with Keli and sure enough on Saturday I found myself sitting at Wilna Furstenberg's kitchen table cutting and gluing and...well the rest is top secret because the reason she held the class was to test it out before she taught it to a thousand scrapbookers in South Africa at the end of the month so I can't spoil it. No, that is not a typo. A thousand. Gorgeous South Africa. Check out this site for all the details of what sounds like an incredible convention!!! I can't say what the project was or post pictures of it yet but I can say this...No matter what type of scrapbooker you are, from beginner to advanced, wild to conservative, die hard or occasional dabbler, this project is fun, completely doable and will certainly impress. The instructions were very clear and easy to understand, it's adaptable (my pictures didn't quite fit with the requirements and it didn't matter one bit-it still turned out great) and the materials we used were 100% new and exciting! Wilna has excellent taste and I think she really has her finger on the pulse of the scrapbooking community. If I attended the South African Convention (Oh my, I wish!) I would be thrilled with her as a teacher and the project is a huge pleaser. Way to go Wilna! Thank-you SO MUCH for being so warm and welcoming. It was a pleasure to be a part of this. If you ever need a guinea pig...for anything at all...don't even hesitate to call!!! Count me IN!

I always joke that I stalk Wilna. Her blog, her profile on SIS, the MM blog, etc. Am I still considered a stalker if I was invited to her house? ;0) And so my scrapbooking adventures continue...until next time.

Will the problems NEVER END???

Jeepers, I might as well not even have a blog...I can't put anything good on it right now!!! More computer problems plague me...the machine shuts down randomly, the keyboard freezes, the e-mail only works periodically and I never did get my speakers up and running even though the computer tells me the audio is working fine. Yeah Right. It's a brand new computer. SIGH. So I'm boxing it up tonight and off it goes to Toronto for a little TLC. Which is fine really since we're on holidays anyway starting on the 8th. So when I get back, look for LOTS of new stuff like layouts, info about my Fall Kid's Class and some FAB happenings in and around Saskatoon! And in honour of holidays, camping with good friends, shopping, eating S'Mores and other great stuff I don't get to do at home...I'll be sending out a little RAK when I get back. So leave a comment here to be entered to WIN! Don't worry, I'll post the RAK again the day before I draw the winner. Lots of chances to win great stuff!

Just a few layouts I did in the last week:

First LO using the Love, Elsie line. I LOVE it!!! Elsie Flannigan is my current scrap crush.

Trying to use up some of my mountains of ribbon. Still lovin' the American Craft Thickers.

Still working on my niece's birth to 5 years album...used a bit of the Love, Elsie stuff on here. But I am also IN LOVE with these new little Epoxy Sticker pebbly things by Cloud 9 Design. I have them in every colour Just Scrap It carries. They're the cat's pajamas baby!

Scrap happy and enjoy the rest of this glorious summer!!!

***If you want to read the journaling on the first layout go to my profile on SCRAP IN STYLE TV!***

Another Fabulous Scrapbooking Diva

A HUGE round of applause and many pats on the back for

Diana Daijogo!

She sent me the most wonderful package of scrapbooking supplies for my kids crop which starts in the Fall. Diana, you are a DOLL! Thank-you SO MUCH! Everyone please check out Diana's creative goodness on Scrap In Style and be sure to visit her blog and leave her TONS of comments about how awesome and generous she is! I will have much better posts regarding the kids class at the end of August when school starts up again. The class itself starts the first week in September and I can hardly wait! Grades 7 through 12, look out! 'Cause here I COME!

I'm Completely DROWNING in...

DONATIONS!!! Thank-you SO MUCH to everyone who is sending me gently used scrapbooking supplies for my Fall class for underpriviledged kids. The class is for grades 7 through 12 and I am sorting, sorting, sorting all the great stuff you have sent!!! It's absolutely overwhelming how generous people are in the scrapbooking world. If the world leaders were scrapbookers we wouldn't have any war :0)

So I have another ultra FAB, totally amazing artist to give a HUGE shout out to for her kind heart and generosity:

CATHY PASCUAL ~ ~ ~ *Cheer!*

You rock the world girl! Thank you from the very bottom of my heart for your donation.

Please check out Cathy's Blog and her awesome profile on Scrap In Style. Find some really wonderful inspiration and leave lots of comments for her about how fantastic she is!!!

Please Remember...

You are loved. You are blessed. You are a child of God.

Tomorrow marks the 6th anniversary of the untimely and certainly unjust death of Jody Ferlaak's beloved daughter Teagan. Jody is an amazing inspiration to me as a Mother, a woman and a scrapbooker. I stumbled across her blog quite by accident one day earlier this year and read her heartbreaking story. Now I read her blog daily and am reminded each and every day of how precious my life is. The lives of my child and husband and how important our walk with the Lord is. Please remember how special small moments are. Like 25 kisses. And when your child is begging for your attention to look at their latest drawing and you sternly say "Out of my kitchen! Mummy is making supper!" It only takes a moment. A precious moment of connecting one heart to another. The chicken won't burn. Just kneel down and appreciate the little life you created. That 12 seconds will leave an imprint on their heart. {And it's so much easier than chasing them out of the kitchen for the next 45 minutes.} Appreciate. Love. Learn. Open your heart to the amazing things God has given you and has in store for you in the future. Scrapbooking is an outlet for Jody and she inspires us all as a Fashionista on the Scrap In Style TV website. Check her out. Your life will change. I guarantee it. We love you Jody and our prayers are with you this weekend.

"If happiness were tangible, I think you could have grabbed a handful of it in our place yesterday." ~Jody Ferlaak after her daughter Bella's 5th birthday party. Keep reaching for that Joy.

Can you die from Camera Withdrawl?

My camera is broken. Again. This is the second time I've had to send it away for the same problem! SO frustrating. No taking pics of the family, my layouts, nothing. No new pics for the blog. Zip, zero, ziltch. It took 2 weeks for it to come back last time. Can I die from this??? What is up with all these elctronic problems in my life? I'll have to start scrapping in smaller sizes just so I can scan my layouts. My life has been one big long computer glitch lately.

Cool Things You Should Totally Check Out

I haven't mentioned this in a while, but I SO want to go on this Cruise. Leica Forrest is one of the instructors and it just looks like it's going to be a BLAST! Can you imagine being on a cruise ship with a bunch of crazy canuck scrapbookers? Boggles the mind! I just wanted to give the Cruise and especially LEICA a huge shout out today because she is helping me out with my scrapbooking class that starts in the fall. I'll post many more details about that later in the summer but it's for kids grades 7 through 12 who otherwise would not be able to afford to scrapbook. I am going to help them with that along with some of my fellow scrapdivas! So please check out Leica's blog, tell her Kate sent you and tell her how fabulous she is. Also, check out the details for a crop that is being held in Saskatoon to help her with sponsorship of some of her class materials for the cruise. Wish I could be there Leica! You're a doll, thank-you SO MUCH!

Help me, I'm melting

It's really muggy and hot here today. I'm trying to do all the great challenges on the SIS website but all I can think about is one of these:



MMMMM...Starbucks Grande Mocha Frappuccino.

How fast can UPS deliver?!?

Doesn't EVERYone know Mr. Vuitton???

So we got our floors replaced this week. That's a good thing...the carpets were starting to emit an odor in this heat. Yup, gross. Now we have new lino in the kitchen and laminate throughout the rest of the upstairs. Not what I would have chosen but it's not our house and we didn't pay for it. But in the process, my house was a disaster. With a capital D. So to cut down on the amount of damage to my nice stuff, I piled it all up in the linen closet because in my world nobody needs to mess with a closet to replace flooring. Apparently I am not up on how to replace flooring because I came back to get my keys and the closet door was removed. And there was a bunch of gross tools piled in there. Right on top of my Louis Vuitton purse. Yes, you read that correctly. I mean, come on...even ex-con, nose been broken 12 times, smokes like a chimney, guy named Biff knows a brand name like Louis Vuitton, RIGHT??? Um, No. Now this is the part where the angel on my shoulder insists I reveal that the handbag in question is a knock off from Thailand but let's face it folks, if it looks like Vuitton, smells like Vuitton and walks like Vuitton...you can totally pass it off as Vuitton. And it's as close as I'm ever going to get to the $1200 original. So in my world, that is my Luis Vuitton purse. And they put tools on it. That is my rant for the day. I have new floors and Louis seems to be none the worse for wear. I'll never leave him alone again.

Off Line and Out of Control

In true RCMP form, we were told very last minute that our new floors are getting installed on Thursday. My hubby just called the flooring place, turns out they will be here in 2 hours. I have to unhook all the electronics and move them downstairs so the blog will be dead for a couple of days. But I get new floors! It's an okay trade off. Blessings and peace to all until Thursday.

And by tommorow I of course meant Monday

I said I'd post pictures on Saturday...well I just found out that we are getting our entire upstairs flooring replaced this week. Like in 4 days...oh the joys of Force Housing. So I have a lot of stuff to move and clean. Blogging has been pushed aside a little (doesn't it always?) but I just had to get these pictures on today. My RAK turned out pretty good, if I do say so myself! Cosmo Cricket rocks! I picked out a little CC folded mini album that can be folded 2 different ways to get 2 different colour combos and comes complete with punch out tabs! I thought it was totally cute. So I threw in some ribbon, buttons, bling and a package of matching CC tags from the Jitterbug Collection. Here's the RAK in it's "raw" form:

And here's the little album I threw together with the kit. It's supposed to have pictures of my niece in it but I live in the middle of nowhere and have to get my pictures mailed to me. So in all the blank spots just imagine pictures of a totally cute and goofy 6 year old.




It was just a quick little project so I could show it finished, but I love stuff like that. Quick and simple. Ladies, thank-you for dropping by my blog and enjoy your RAK!

Stay tuned this week for some great featured artists who have contributed to my scrapbooking class project. Many blessings today everyone!

All kinds of COOL stuff!

Ok, ok, so I'm a bad blogger. It's been sweltering hot here and I have to spend my days chasing my half naked son through the yard with the hose. It's the little things we should appreciate! So check this out if you want to tell the world you are blessed and if you want to bless someone in return by lending your support! I've ordered mine...where is yours?!?

P.S. I am working on sending out my RAKs as well. They weren't cool enough last week so I decided to wait until this week to send them out. I'll post a pic tomorrow of the RAK goodness!!!

Pray And Hold Your Loved Ones Close

My Best Friend Keli told me over the weekend that a friend of hers from highschool lost her husband in an accident over the weekend. They have 2 small children. Please take a moment to pray for this family. I won't be posting scrap stuff today. Let's hold our families close and thank God for our blessings. Please also pray for Keli who is traveling to Lethbridge to be with Andrea in her time of need. Pray for safety, comfort and strength.

Still Singin' With Willie

On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again...

We're still in S'toon and won't be leaving until next week. Gotta get a little hot tubin' in with Keli before we go home! I'm still workin' on that Kel! Just wanted to pop in and say I'm still alive even in this heat which I secretly do love. It's great for the skin. I found a little bit of gorgeousness to wear to my SIL's wedding and I can't believe it's actually a dress. That makes me feel pretty. The last dress that actually did that was my wedding dress. 4.5 years ago. So a woo hoo for me! I'll post totally FAB pictures of my darn cute self when I get home. Just had to brag a little about Monday's shopping trip to JSI where I picked up some FANTASTIC stuff. Mostly paper but a few other fun things as well. Totally got my hands on some Sah-WEET Scenic Route paper. Can't wait to get home to scrap! Also like to warn everyone of the talents of Laura the enabler. She and Keli helped me spend...oh, a LOT in just over 30 minutes. My husband may decide one day to read this blog so I better plead the 5th on the exact amount. It was a fun, fun day. Look for lots of new LOs to be posted next week!

Not So Random Acts of Kindness

Ok, so today I'm drawing the winner of my "Welcome Back" RAK. BUT FIRST I have to tell you how truly amazing and heartwarming all the scrappers are on the Scrap In Style website. SISters and MISters alike, they are caring, compassionate people who just want to make a difference and share their love of creating. Why the gushiness so early in the day you ask? I just received my first package of donated items for the scrapbooking class I am starting in the fall for under priviledged kids. I put out a general call on SIS (with the whole hearted support of Big SIS) and I got an overwhelming response! You can read the initial thread here and the second thread here. I will be posting more about the class itself as the summer draws to a close as sign up isn't until the last week in August. As my eyes welled up opening the box, I thought to myself "Self...I have to try to pay these people back in some kind of way." Really, nothing I can do can even come close to equaling the amount of gratitude I feel right now but I'm going to try. So I'm going to send out warm fuzzies to each person who donates and feature their gorgeous goodness on my blog so you all can click on their links and leave them lots of happy, gushing compliments about how fabulous they are! It's a small thing but it's an action of thank-you I can take RIGHT NOW!!! My first fan-tab-u-lous gift giver is...drumroll please...

STACEY FIKE!!! *Cheer!*

Stacey, thank-you so SO much for your more than generous donation!!! People, you should see what this dear woman put together. So many sticker letters I couldn't even begin to count! Many blessings to you and yours Stacey. Thanks again! Now please help me thank Stacey even more by checking out her wonderful blog and SIS profile. She does great work so browse through her gallery and leave excellent comments for her amazing thoughtfulness!

Okay...now for my RAK. I have this thing with the number 3. My Grandfather played pro hockey a whole lot of years ago and wore the number 3. My Mum wore it when she played on the first all girls hockey team in Saskatoon. I wore that number for every sport imaginable growing up and I have a very strong compulsion to always have my LO embellishments in groups of threes. Weird? Yes. Borderline OCD? Probably. But I love 3. So to get to the point, I decided my first giveaway had to be special so I need to give out 3 wonderful RAKs for all the sweet comments left here. And the winners are...

LORI B (Straitfan10)

Laurie (Little Lulu)

Brianna (Taylor130)

Please PM me your mailing addresses on the SIS website. Congrats ladies and thank-you SO MUCH for participating! It was fun! My first RAK! yeah, I'm cool now...

Scrap happy and enjoy the day!

RAK Goodness and Some Little Warm Fuzzies

It's nice to hear from everyone! I'll be drawing the name for my "Welcome Back To The Blogging World" RAK on FRIDAY. It'll be in the mail by Tuesday. If you haven't heard, I am drawing for a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) to celebrate getting my computer up and running and being part of the world again! Leave me a comment and get your name in to win! I'm heading South on Saturday and oh I just can't wait to get my hands on some new stuff!!! I just got a whole whack of stuff at the Spring Fling at JSI in April but you know how it is. When you actually DO projects your stuff tends to disappear a little faster! I am loving the gallery on the Scrap In Style website...scraplift city baby! It's nice to cheat a little (Or can we call it gaining inspiration?) when you are working on a multitude of projects for other people.

So on to the warm fuzzies...what gives you that warm, wonderful fuzzy feeling inside? What melts your heart and makes you thank God for what He has given you on this earth? These are a few of mine:

"What's For Lunch???" Little men and their big appetites warm my heart. I love to cook for my family and I feel very blessed that God provides more than enough for us to share with others. (This is my son and his little buddy from across the street) As an aside, I used a couple of techniques in Picasa to warm the picture up and make it look a little worn. I really like the effects!

Give a man a fish and he eats for one day. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime. Pass on those treasured passtimes and talents. God has given each of us a special gift. Use it and pass it on to someone you care about! Spend time with your babies...they won't be babies for long!

Who doesn't love a good smooch on the cheek? Share your love around, try to keep your negative thoughts in check and see how much better your day goes! Our children imitate us at every step. Let them imitate kindness, love and compassion.

No scrapbooking to show off today...we are getting ready to PARTY! Having some friends over tonight for an end of school year bash. Should be a grrrrreat time! Look for some totally FAB pages tomorrow!

I'll Hang My Head In Shame!

It has been so crazy around here...I have a computer now and my blog is still being sorely neglected. Shame on me! I haven't been scrapping anything very interesting lately...just working on some Christmas presents. I tend to scraplift A LOT when I work on gifts for my family. Mainly because they all want EVERY picture they have ever taken put into a scrapbook. Are you kidding me??? My Mum literally dumped over 1000 pictures in my lap last year. So I sort and I scraplift. Does anyone else do this? Feel like you're cheating??? Here are a couple I did for my niece's book. She's 6 now and I'm working on her 0 to 5 year book. I'm up to age 3...go me go!

I scraplifted this font from Elsie Flannigan's "52 Scrapbooking Challenges". What a fantastic book! She has a stamp set like this that has just come out. I think it's so cute and funky for kids pages! I don't have the stamps so I just grabbed a pen and started drawing it up freehand. I know, shut up I'm getting so brave!

Skylar's first time roller skating. I am so sad that the roller rink is closed down now. It's part of my childhood! We used to live right down the block. I'm so happy we got a picture of at least one of the kids there. You can't really see the bling very well...the photo does not do it justice. I made my own disco ball!

Check out the FAB new members of the DT on the Pencil Lines website!!! It was so exciting waiting to see who would be chosen. And check out my cute self in the gallery! I know, the picture sucks but my computer was down when I applied...I didn't want to let that stop me! It was really fun and if I find other things that appeal to me as much (or more!) as Pencil Lines I won't hesitate to apply again!

Don't forget to give someone you love a big fat smoochie kiss today. It'll make you smile!

It's All About The Scrapbooking

So all I have left to set up on the new computer are the speakers and printer. I set up Picasa yesterday so now I can start posting my LOs again. OH HAPPY DAY!!! I cannot wait to see who Pencil Lines chooses for their new design team member. I didn't expect to get chosen but it was SO fun to apply. I love the concept of their blog.

Andy Warhol ain't got nothin' on me baby!

Just a better photo of this LO. Journaling is here.

Journaling reads: What do you get when you cross an RCMP officer with a Hell's Angel who doesn't know he's with an RCM P officer? A great day of fishing (even though they didn't catch anything) and some very interesting conversation...

Better photo of the LO I did for the Pencil Lines competition. Journaling reads: God made us sisters. But that sure didn't make us friends. Gorwing up was rough but as we traveled the road to adulthood we grudgingly realized each had something to offer the other--something only a sister can give and receive. A meeting of the minds, a lifting of the spirit, a healing of the soul. Maturity helped...but becoming mothers bridged what was left of the gap. Our babies brought us closer together and now that that bond has formed, nothing will ever break it. Unconditional love. Unfailing loyalty. My sister. My best friend. xox