It's just never simple

Why OH WHY can we not just go eat out as a family quietly and unobtrusively? It is literally impossible. First off, the kids come galloping into the restaurant (one of their local favourites) yelling "DAD'S HERE!" Daddy is on nights and they knew he would be there but had to announce it to the world and launch themselves at him. That part is fine, people think it's cute. Then there is the shoving match of who will sit with who in the booth. They already know what they want so they try to order as the waitress pours our water. Loudly. (The boys, not the waitress) And of course being a small town we were sitting right beside people we know so there is chatter going back and forth across the aisle and the boys want to know "Who is that? Whose Dad is that? They are in my class! I know them! What's their name again?" And so on and so forth. This is all within 15 minutes of sitting down and at a level of noise one generally reserves for being heard over the music at a rock concert.  The food comes and a lengthy discussion about vinegar ensues. What is it? What is it made of? Is it acid? Does it taste good? Why do we eat it? Again, none of this is quiet but people are still smiling around us, so I think all is well. Silly me. After being told no less than 912 times to stop flailing his arms, the 5 year old spills his entire glass of water and I am reduced to wiping the floor, the table, the bench, jackets, my keys and most of said 5 year old. So sorry. I am SO sorry. A few jokes from other patrons that I can come do their floors next. Yeah, ok. Chuckle, chuckle. Finally, we settle back down to eat. The 5 year then announces he is full after 2 chicken fingers which is really weird but he is being fairly good so I let it go. More chatter across the aisle. A few minutes later I am getting poked in the back. Mum. Mum. MUMMY! I NEED TO PUKE! You want to see a mama jump? Have a kid yell something about vomit. Up we went, flying to the back and thankfully it's a small restaurant with a very accessible bathroom. I am not generally squeamish but it was like the exorcist, people. Good grief. All I can say is I am so thankful this child rarely misses the toilet. And then matter of factly: "Ok, I am better now. I need to wash my hands. With soap." Well, I should think so. Then we do the walk of shame back to the table and he promptly announces to everyone within earshot (which is, of course, every single person in the place except maybe the cook but who knows, she could have heard too) that he had to puke but don't worry, he is better now and he got it all in the toilet. Sigh.  {Insert awkward, embarrassed head shake here.} And I had to tell the owner that the bathroom is now out of paper towel. Fantastic. At that point several tables got up to leave. I am truly hoping they were done their meals and not just fleeing the scene. We finished up and turned the wet jackets inside out for the trip home which caused some loud comments from the boys as well. At that point you just want to quietly pay your bill and slink out...but no. You can't. Another table recognized Hubs so he went over to shake hands quickly followed by the 9 year old who snuck past me as I was at the debit machine. I caught the 5 year old before he could follow, apologizing to the owner the whole time. She is a mama too and was not concerned, thank goodness. Still wanting to slink out without being seen by anyone else, we gathered everything and everyone up, heading for the door when the town greeter had to say bye to every single table. Fabulous. "BYE EVERYONE! We will see you next time!" I am certain most of them wanted a warning of when "next time" would be. Either to come for the entertainment or stay away from the chaos. Far, FAR away.
The thing is, they aren't bad kids. They sit nicely and don't fling their food. They are respectful and they don't {often} beat each other in public. It's not a behaviour thing, they are just curious. And busy. And loud. And friendly. And trouble follows them absolutely everywhere. I always feel like I need to wear a shirt that says "I apologize in advance for what is about to happen." and then just leave blank cheques in my wake, either to cover the damage or the emotional distress. Because some people just can't handle it at all. But...they are kids. No, no, they are boys. I guess it's a mum thing that I am hoping and praying will pass. Soon. Very soon. And until then, I just pour another cup of coffee and shrug. C'est la vie. A little embarrassment never killed anyone, did it?

Small towns just stay close

Really no matter how far you move away from your small town...it never leaves you. You can take the girl off the farm, but you will NEVER drag the farm out of the girl. I grew up on a small acreage in Saskatchewan. I can milk cows and goats, herd sheep, ride horses, shovel all kinds of poop and as much as a kid will complain about that at the time...in my adulthood I do appreciate those skills. I still love the smell of the farm and I remember with a certain amount of fondness the hard work that went into that life. In my teenage years there were 2 ways to make money. You could pick chickens or you could babysit. Both had their own separate hazards. LOL I babysat for lots of families but some of my favourites were the Roy brothers. There were 5 of them. Oh pick your jaw up off the ground my friend, they were the sweetest kids you could meet. Rowdy, but sweet as can be.  They had every animal in God's creation and I loved them all. The Roy kids will forever be just that in my mind. Kids. But you know the funny thing about that? They grew up. As much as my mind holds onto all the fun, fond memories...they just grew up. They grew and learned and fell in love. Got married, had babies of their own. They own property, have jobs and are teaching a new generation.

Alright then, enough with my nostalgia. I have a point.  Really, I do.

One of the boys recently sustained a very serious injury. He is a top rated bull rider, was having the most amazing year of his career and it was put on hold when he was stepped on by a bull. I am simplifying the situation terribly but what it comes down to is this: Bull Riders never have guaranteed income. And there is no insurance. If you are great, you make a living. If you get injured...well...you don't. And that is where that tight knit community comes in that I was talking about before. People all over the country are rallying around this family to make sure ends are met while this young man recovers from his injuries. And what kind of babysitter would I be if I didn't join in?  They have a closed group on Facebook (only 3,500+ close, personal friends) where people can donate items to be bid on by the other members of the group and all proceeds go to this wonderful family to help with expenses. Check out the story CTV News did this past week.

So. Point of this blog post. I am donating a custom piece of home décor (12x12 canvas) to be put up in the auction and I wanted a spot for people to come and check out the rest of my work. Here is a 9 canvas piece I did for my front entrance.

This piece is huge. Each canvas is 12"x12" and as you can see, there are 9 of them. And of course this photo does it no justice at all because I am no photographer and my sis is at lake. LOL

It's not much, but it's my small way of helping. I wish this family all the very best life has to offer.

Ugh really? My apologies.

So the last time I blogged I talked about posting Spring layouts and cards...then uploaded a photo that I blogged just 2 posts before. Ugh really Kate? Seriously? There is really something to be said about proofing before you post! LOL So the post below is old...but the photo is new. It was what I meant to upload. And if I blogged just a tiny bit more I would have caught it sooner. I will work on that. xo

No shadow...come on SPRING!

The groundhog did not see his shadow...so if we post spring layouts and cards will it call the warm weather to us faster?! My apologies to our creator but seriously God, this winter has been RIDICULOUS. If it's going to be this cold and snowy (-40 for a week. Yikes!) at least lower the prices of hot vacations so we can escape for a while. LOL But of course it is supply and demand. Last years mild winter saw hot vacays at rock bottom prices. This year, not so much because we are all scurrying south faster than rats deserting a sinking ship! But I digress...

What have you been creating lately? Do you work with wool? Are you a paper crafter? Do you sew? Show it! Tell all about it! This is the time to get projects off your desk in time to hit the dusty summer camping trail. I create FUN in the summer. Not projects. LOL So let's let that creativity run wild and destroy the art room!

2013...you and I are going to get along juuuust fine!

Do you make New Years resolutions? In my maturing years (older age? lol) I have learned not to. Your whole life should be a work in progress...ever evolving and always improving. You should not base your success on making 50 changes all in one day. It's impossible for anyone! But if you continually work on things a little at a time, that is what success is to me.

So what will 2013 bring for me? There is usually one thing, a big thing, that I have been mulling over, wanting to change, improve, etc throughout the year. Last year it was my health and my weight. I don't know if I have it conquered entirely (time will tell!) but I have an excellent start and am well on my way. So what for 2013? Actually, it's my blog! No big plans to post every day or anything...I just want to post what I have done. I find I scrapbook something, photograph it, then it sits in my camera...forever...doing nothing. Ugh. So 2013 is the year of the blog! Do you have a blog? Leave a comment below with the address so I can check you out!

Here is a double 12x12 layout I did a couple months ago. It didn't come out exactly how I had planned...but the story did. In the coming year, OWN YOUR TIMELINE. We have all done stupid things. Made rash decisions, been embarrassed, hurt someone's feelings or had our own feelings hurt. We've had good things come our way. No matter what it is, just own it honestly and move on. Bad hair days and all.

Be blessed in 2013. And more importantly...be a blessing to someone else. xo

Snow brings beautiful time

A little of this and a little of that...the summer was jam packed with 5000km put on the motorhome and tons of fishing. Sigh. It really is the best life!  Fall is time for school and getting the bus sorted out and then BAM. An early snowfall has put us into the depths of winter a wee bit too soon for my taste. But Hubs installed a mini fireplace in my art room, I got some MORE stuff purged and put away and I have been doing things here and there that make me really happy. This card took some time with all the layers of stickles needing to dry before I could continue on but I love the simplicity of it and the bright sparkle. Kaisercraft wooden cupcake shape, some cardstock cut to match, tiny flowers, rhinestones and whole lot of stickles. Done and done.

 

So while the snow could have held off for a bit longer...it's also welcome because it helps me settle down and create things as I go about my day. And doesn't a little glue and paper make every day better? Yes. Yes it does.

 

Summer is poking its head around the corner...

Can you smell it? The whiff of oil as Hubs pulls my convertible out of storage in the garage. Can you hear it? The birds going crazy in the trees behind the house. The sun is shining {most days} and I have said good-bye to socks {woo hoo!}. But I also say good-bye to free time in May and June as sports take over! But that is ok, it's such a riot to be out with the kids, running around and having FUN. It's weird but I have been scrapbooking more lately...which explains the 2 posts in one week! LOL

I did this layout a while ago and it was the first time trying the Sew Stampers. Have you seen these?

 We R Memory Keepers has always been a favourite of mine. I use their beautiful leather D-ring albums. They come in the most delicious colours! Quite a bit ago they came out with the Sew Easy...it was these little roller things that pierced a pattern on your paper so you could sew things onto your pages with stitching floss. A really cute tool but I didn't buy it because I stitch freehand on my layouts most times and didn't feel the need to spend the extra money. Then the Sew STAMPERS came out. Well bestill my heart. They are the greatest thing since sliced bread!!!  My review...a big 4.5 stars for sure! I love that I can press as hard {or not} as I want giving the option of tons of different looks. I love all the different stitches. I love the light weight handle. It is just love all the way around! The only snag I have had {and why I took away half a star} is the teal star stitch that I bought doesn't work very well. It sticks and then drags on the page, completely ruining the look. But a quick e-mail to the company will solve that, I will keep you posted. Head on down to the Scrapbook Studio and pick these little babies up. Cards, layouts, whatever. Stitch away!