Beauty~from~Ashes

Getting there.....

2012-01-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

So I am slowly working towards downsizing some of my stuff as I try to live up to the word simplicity for this year......I am thinking that it may take me several years of living with this word to truly get through everything I have to get through YEESH! I wouldn't call myself a packrat by any stretch of the imagination. I do regularly try to get rid of stuff, but we haven't moved in the last 6 years and that has really thrown off my game.

I used to purge our stuff every time we moved and I really did have it down to a managable bit for awhile. Not so now......I have decided that while I am living with the theme simplicity this year, I am going to think as if we are moving so everytime I see something I am going to ask myself- "do I really need this" I hope this will really help me let go of some of the stuff in the house and take a realistic view and our posessions.

So as I was cleaning out the office today- I still have a long way to go- I came across these business cards.....they are mine from a former position 6 years ago. I have had 3 position changes since then......I don't know why I felt the need to hang onto a whole pile of them. Maybe I thought that I would scrapbook one of them on a LO, but seriously a WHOLE PILE?!?!?!? what are you thinking woman? I really don't know, that's the sad part. So into the garbage all but one of these went. I will add it to a LO I am working on about the job I had back then. :)

So wish me luck as I continue embracing simplicity- this could be a wild year! If I don't burn out from purging exhaustion!- just joking, I hope!

Pacing Myself for the New Year

2012-01-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

So I will admit that I indeed failed for the December daily posting. I don't know why it's so hard for me to commit to a blog post a day but I guess at this point in my life, it's not really my thing. I have to be okay with that!

For the new year- wow 2012 already!- I didn't make a new year's resolution. I never keep those things and they always end up weighing me down. I am however adopting another word of the year. This year my word is simplify and this is what I am focusing on this year.

Basically if it crowds my life I am getting rid of it. Now more holding on to baggage and extra's that hold me down. I am also starting into some routines that will help simplify and create an easier life for our household. I am going to undertake 1 achieveable goal each month to align with my word- simplify

So far I am working on a 12 week rotational meal plan complete with shopping lists. So far I have completed 7 weeks of that rotation and will be completing the shopping lists this weekend.

For January I am committing to downsizing my closets. I have worked hard over the last while to send some things to consignment and it paid off $60 in my pocket. I have more that I need to get rid of and am going to work on that. By the end of this month I want to have all my clothes in one closet.....yikes! I admit I have a full closet and then am using 1/2 of another. There are dresses that I'm holding on to that I'll never wear again and odds and ends that need to go. So this is my goal for this month. Should be able to make that happen!

Please stop by and cheer me on throughout the year!

December Daily

2011-12-01T20:21:00.001-08:00

Hello Blogging World! I know it's been awhile. I think of you often but haven't made my way to actually posting in a bit. So on Skrap N Chat one of our fabulous ladies has challenged us to do a blogger version of December Daily.

The concept is basically this, it started out as an idea that you would scrapbook about each of your days into an album for the month of December. I would love to do that- keep track of grocery lists, outings, receipts, shows, etc. for the month, but somehow I just can never find the time.......so the twist is that we've been challenged to do the blogger version. Basically document our month through our blog- now that I can do. It can be as long or short as you want. Really whatever you are doing that day and would like to look back on at some point.

So here it is:

Today--> the first day of December. Which is awesome. It's warm with a bit of snow on the ground. It feels like Christmas without the freezing of fingers. The first of the month means new challenges over at scrap n chat and since it was my month for a challenge. I also came up with a December Daily version. I have challenged everyone to create a LO that they will journal on for the month. So instead of doing an entire album you only have to do one single LO. Very EASY PEASY!!! and totally something I can actually accomplish. I have a need to finish what I start otherwise I get frustrated with myself!

So here's my LO that I will be writing on throughout the month.

What do you think???

Great news and a great crop!

2011-09-20T20:42:00.001-07:00

So I can finally let the secret out of the bag! I am officially designing for SkrapnChat! SkrapnChat or SnC as we affectionately call it is just a really great group of scrappin' ladies!! I have never felt so loved and supported as I do in this community. And the bonus is that inspiration oozes out of every pore of that site! So stoked to be a part of the DT there now!!!!!

So we just had a weekend long crop this past weekend called Lights, Camera, Skrap! As you can guess the challenges were based on movies. My challenge was Beauty and the Beast. I challenged participants to be "beastly" with their photos. For my example LO I actually tore my photo in half! HOW FUN!!!! It's something I've always wanted to do!! I love trying new things and thinking outside the box and this was definitely one of those challenges.

Check out my LO!

Would love to see your LOs based on my challenge! It's so fun thinking out of the box! and of course come check us out at SnC!

Running Again

2011-08-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been around much but I am really hoping to change that. June 28th I went for surgery and as a result I was unable to run for several weeks. That was the hardest part. I would look longingly at my runners and running gear at the bottom of my closet and wish so badly to strap them on and take flight.

Well this week I went for my 6 week check up and was cleared to start running again!!!! Can you say awesome?!?!? so this week I got back into the groove. I started out wednesday with a short 2 Km walk/run. walking 3 mins then running 2 mins. It was nice. Today I went out for a longer run/walk and made 4Km. Feeling pretty good. I tried to run as much as I could, but man is it difficult to keep going when you muscles and lungs tell you that they do not want to keep going!!

My second step this week was to sign up for a running group with the local running room. It's a 5Km group- starting slow and steady. I am actually looking forward to working up to running and hoping to pick up some tips along the way as well.

The big challenge will be this May. I want to run a 1/2 marathon on May 27th. Check the details out here. I am very excited to be working towards this!! I will try to keep you all updated on my progress so watch here!!

Glad to be back and glad to be running again!!!!

Date Night with Hubby

2011-04-08T13:58:00.000-07:00

Life is going faster and faster every day and year. When we first got married we barely had two pennies to rub together and were home a lot more. We indulged in tv date nights and even a walk around the block with each other. Now days we are both traveling more and more for work and that means a lot more nights where we don't see each other. It is definitely hard sometimes but we've gotten creative in the ways we connect.

Thank God for unlimited text messaging!! Seriously this is the primary way we communicate while one or both of us are away. The best part about both of us traveling so much is the intentionality and purpose with which we approach our marriage. It's fun to know that we have a definite date night planned when we are both around and the anticipation of speaking with each other and actually being in the same room is awesome! We no longer take for granted the times we are together and the stolen text messaging moments that we share. Although sometimes I text someone by mistake thinking it's Jeremy. My sister-in-law was the recent recipient of one of my wayward text messages about the blender I won in a silent auction! Ha, Ha!!! Sorry Jae!

So this week while we we were both away we had a skype date night. It was a little cheesy and totally geeky, but it was a date night none the less. The best part was that we got to actually see each other and make funny faces between dialogue on our days and the work we were both doing.

So what am I thankful for today? Well, today I am thankful for a husband that indulges his wife in Skype dates and for technology that enables us to "see" each other from the other side of the country! Here's to many more Skype dates.

Grandpa

2011-02-27T07:48:00.000-08:00

Nearly a year ago I lost my Grandpa. This was really difficult for me as my Grandpa had been a part of my life since I can remember. He built us our first sandbox and helped me learn to drive. I even lived with my grandparents for a short time after highschool. His hard work ethic and his love of people are traits that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. My Grandpa was a man of character and the world is a better place because he was in it!

So as you can imagine I wanted to great a tribute page for my Grandpa that would be special. It took me forever because I wanted it to be absolutely perfect. This page was a labour of a weeks worth of love. I would do bit by bit when I was inspired and when I didn't know where to go next I sat the page down. I didn't want to rush the process. I also used one of Anam's amazing sketches from twisted sketches and a challenge from SkrapnChat.

Here's what I ended up with. Thanks for looking!

Procrastination and Pressure

2010-11-14T17:37:00.000-08:00

I am continually inspired by my friends who seem to keep up a blog AND a hectic life. I am finding more and more that the hectic life seems to be bumping right along but it's the blog that seems to suffer in the day to day bustle.

This has got me thinking about why I am completely unable to tackle the blog world with the same passion I do in my day to day life and the answer is (drumroll please)..............PRESSURE!!!! I have put far too much pressure on myself to maintain this blog and will only post when I think I have something incredibly inspiring to say or if I have a layout that I've worked on that I absolutely love.

So no more! I am going to tackle this blog and ride it like a wild horse with abadon. Whatever is on my mind is what will come out on the page and I think I like it better that way anyways.

So today.....we purchased this fantastic vase for our hallway yesterday and some twigs to go into the top of it. I am in love with the vase. I love decorating but haven't always had the funds to do so as a student. Slowly I am starting to decorate and make our "house into a home" as my husband would put it.

So here's the picture of our vase. What do you think?

Altered Chipboard Alphas

2010-10-03T18:29:00.000-07:00

I was inspired this morning to start creating a LO and then I thought I would get even more creative and try out something fun with my chipboard letters. Since this was something I hadn't tried before I thought I would take pictures along the way in the event that it turned out so I could share on my blog. Fortunately it did turn out so here it is.

I first took my chipboard letters and painted them white.

Then I gathered my versamark stamp pad and my dot stamp. The idea here is that I wanted a polka dot look but you could really use whatever shape you wanted here.

Stamped the alphas with the stamp and then poured on clear embossing powder. I wanted the white to show through.

Heat set the embossing powder. At this stage you will want to let the melted embossing powder set before going on to the next stage.

Then selected an ink, in this case I used brown and just started inking all over the letter.

Once you are done you will notice that you have some ink on the embossing as well. This is easily removed with a kleenex.

Keep going until all the letters are inked. and voila a nicely decorated title.

And then the really fun part- creating the LO to go with these alphas and attaching them!!

Thanks for looking!!!

Sweet Joys of September

2010-09-04T13:48:00.000-07:00

Well I am back from a fantastic vacation to London, Scotland, and Ireland. We had a blast!! The country side was incredible and the people were so friendly. It was a fabulous trip and I cannot wait to do it again sometime.

So back to the grind this week, unfortunately I brought home a cold from Europe so I spent most of last weekend in bed but I am determined to make up for it this weekend! Last night I spent some time with my fantastic girlfriend...seriously we always have a blast together. In fact last night was so much fun that I was literally crying from laughing so hard!

This morning I got up early and got some dishes done and then headed into the kitchen to try my hand at some monster cookies. I have a nut allergy but have found this "pea butter" that works perfectly as a substitute for peanut butter. I am completely addicted!! Check it out here

And check out pictures of the yummy cookies I made! We have a family BBQ tonight so I hope they all enjoy them!

The Yummy Batter: I modified the recipe and added craisins as well!

And the finished product! YUMMY!!!

Cricut scrapping out of the box

2010-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

So I just completed one of the August challenges over at SkrapNChat! I know I am a keener this month. I am trying to make up for my lack of creativity in the month of July! :) Anyway, the challenge was to scrap using white space. I like this design element although it is definitely not my "go to" and so therefore I typically admire it from a distance rather than actually use it!

So here is the LO that I created. The fun thing that I used to still keep the page open with white space was to use a stencil. I know what you're thinking, I picked up an expensive stencil and some glimmer mist at the scrapbook store that I am only going to use a few times and it may not be worth the money. If that is your conclusion I am happy to report that you would be wrong.....I used my cricut to cut a large star out and then held it down while I spritzed the shape with my spritzer tool I bought from Stampin' up and my markers. It turned out awesome and the benefit of the cricut shape is that I can cut out just about anything to use as a stencil!! WHOOO HOOOO! Also the spritzer tool from Stampin' Up! can be used with any of the markers so you really have unlimited color choices which is awesome and reasonably priced. Marker= $5 Glimmer mist= $10 Don't get me wrong, I am not giving up my glimmer mists anytime soon but at this point they are cost prohibitive to own in all the colors I would like so I am happy to be using my markers to fill in the color gaps!

Scrap Your Crap

2010-07-21T20:33:00.000-07:00

So I totally forgot to post here, but I am guest designer for Scrap Your Crap blog this month! Really cool!!! Come check out my LO and their blog here: http://scrapyourcrap.blogspot.com/ The girls are super talented and so much fun! This month the challenge is "5" so gimme five and get your butt over there to check the fun out!!!

Family in Florida

2010-07-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

So I am finally getting around to more of our vacation pictures from Florida....I say finally because we took this trip in June of 2008. There is nothing like taking your sweet time to get to trip pictures lol!

SO here is one that I just finished up tonight, I had most of it done but added the journalling and some more bling (you can never have enough sparkle on your pages!!). I had fun with the glimmer mist on this one mixing the orange and brown together to accent the paper colors. I also used the Big Shot to cut out and emboss the butterflies- I absolutely love the butterflies and the embossing on them just adds that something special. The flower on the left hand side is a cuttlebug embossing folder strip. I had no idea they made embossing folders in strips-SOOOOOOO incredibly COOL!!

Thanks for stopping by!!

Close up of glimmer mist and butterflies.

Playing with Flocking

2010-07-11T20:47:00.000-07:00

So I finally got some scrappy time with my Mom this weekend and it felt GREAT!!!! There is something about fun colors and textured papers that just makes me happy!!

So I broke out the bottle of flocking that I have had for sometime now and gave it a play and this is where it lead.....just a tiny touch of flocking but now I think I will be a bit more brave and add more on following pages, so that means stay tuned for what hopefully will be flocking mania!! lol!

I used my glue pen from Stampin'Up! To trace the lines over my stamped image and then added the flocking to the stamped image in three lines. I like the effect and the flocking actually worked with the glue, which was great. I have a few other colors of flocking that I am now dying to try out so hopefully I can get to that sometime this week!

Here's the close up.

Needed a break

2010-07-01T11:09:00.000-07:00

So I know it's been awhile and I do apologize for that....it's just that the last month has been a difficult one. We lost a member of our family at the end of May and I guess it just hit me hard. It's been a trying time, but I am feeling better and getting back on my feet. I haven't been scrapbooking or creating as much and I am going to get back to that as well. So please stay tuned and yes, I promise that I will be around more!

Stress Monkey!!!

2010-05-20T20:17:00.000-07:00

Okay so I offered to make this card for one of the Executive Directors in my area that is leaving....why I do things like this I will never know. I think I am addicted to stress, so on top of getting ready for vacation, painting walls in my home, being crazy busy at work and getting sick, I had to make this card. NO PRESSURE!!! lol!

So infact I did stress about it for several days/weeks but tonight I final told myself "make the darn card already" so I did and I am quite please with how it turned out. You can't tell in the picture but that base of the card is a bit shimmery which makes for a nice effect. The patterned paper is Basic Grey and the butterflies I cut out using my Cricut. Jeremy loves it when I actually use the darn thing since it was my Christmas gift a few years ago and he is so proud of himself for buying me "the best gift ever!"

Thanks for stopping by!!

Man do I ever miss NYC!!!!

2010-05-12T19:30:00.001-07:00

Have you ever been somewhere that touched you so deeply that you feel like you left a piece of yourself behind when you returned home? That's how I feel about New York. I went there last summer with two of my girlfriends to celebrate one of the girls 30th birthdays! We had a BLAST!!!!! Seriously, best trip of my life. Anyways, this LO just came together and I loved how it turned out. I had a little help though from the beautiful and totally creative Design Team at Scrap Your Crap you can check them out HERE

Anyways, I was totally inspired to use some of my alphas that I didn't have enough letters for the title so I improvised and used some of my alphas along with two shapes a puzzle piece and a heart the title reads "I lost a piece of my heart in NYC". Hope you like it!!

This is the new me!!!!

2010-05-04T19:42:00.000-07:00

So I did it, I bit the bullet and here is my new blog template. The colors make me happy but the white background for posts makes me even happier!!! It's simple and clean with enough funkiness for me! Thanks for checking it out and I hope to have a couple LOs posted soon! ;)

Bloggie Makeover

2010-05-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

I really am feeling the need for a bloggie make over.....something cleaner and more streamlined but I am aprehensive about making changes for fear that I may loose some of my badges, etc......Any hints or strategies about how to make a seamless change over would be welcome!!!! Hopefully I can have it changed over by the end of the weekend, that is my grand plan anyways!

Crop, Glue, and Paint oh my!

2010-04-25T14:44:00.001-07:00

So I started the weekend off with a crop with my bestest scrapping friend Jessica! She's a ton of fun and we always laugh our butts off!! So she tends to scrap all night at the crops and then goes home and scraps some more so she gets TONS done the nights we go out....so this time I vowed I would go home and continue to scrap this time. So I did....I only got 3/4 of the way done the LO though b/c I was EXHAUSTED.....so well- I finished up this LO today and here it is! I should also mention that it was inspired by the incredible collage challenge for April over at Nerdy Victorious Scrappers blog. Such a fun blog and you can check it out HERE
They've partnered with Snobby Walrus for the prize this month!! Super fun goodies up for grabs!

And you might just be saying "why did you list paint in your blog title? This LO has no paint on it!" and you would be right! There is no paint on this LO but there is a first coat of paint on my dinning room walls!! Yes siree, I am determined to finish painting the main floor of my house this summer and I thought today was a better day than any to start. So once these walls are done, they will be done tomorrow night after I go to the store to pick up a can of paint, then I will only have 6- count them- only 6 more walls left to do and then I will be DONE!!!! Ahhhhh-the taste of sweet victory!

Thanks for popping by!

It feels like summer

2010-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

So it is +24 today, smokin' hot! Which is totally awesome! I love the warm weather as long as it doesn't get too hot. I have been scrapping a bit more lately and thought I would share this one that I did for a SkrapNChat challenge.

It's funny but I have been drawn to two different types of photos lately. They've either been Christmas or heart of the summer photos....strange how opposite and how I've been into scrapping both lately.

So here is a LO from the Calgary Stampede in 2006...yes, I am that far behind in my photos but I am determined to catch up one of these days!

A bright and fun LO

2010-03-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

I am trying to do my best to update at least once a week with a LO I have created. Life has been a little hectic lately but I still wanted to get one of my recent LOs posted for your viewing pleasure. I really like this picture of Jeremy and I taken a number of Christmas' ago while visiting his parents. I have wanted to journal about how opposite we are for some time. This LO reminds me of those differences and how we used to view them as the reasons for our arguements and fights and how I now see them as opportunities for us to learn from each other and grow.

This LO is a lot brighter than I usually do, but I am pleased with it. I actually made the background paper myself with my watercolor pencils. Thanks for checking it out!!

On a roll and twisted sketches challenge

2010-03-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

So I am back in the game and scrapping away. I was feeling kind of burnt out lately with everything that is going on but definitely thought that I needed some creativity in my life to get me going again.

Today was a good day. Jeremy and I slept in, set up the lamps I bought for the living room, started a new renovation project, took a trip to costco, stopped by Michaels (I just HAD to go, I had a coupon) and then came home and I finished off this LO that I started this morning.

The frame idea was taken from a magazine I was looking at awhile ago and I am sorry I don't remember which one or who the artist was. I just loved the idea of filling a frame with buttons. In my LO I also used a few of those pebble embellishments and filled in some spaces with stickles. Who doesn't love stickles?!?!?!

The sketch is the latest from TWISTED SKETCHES I just love Anam's stuff!!! The twist was staples and I've added them on the top to attach the heart and to attach the lace as well.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Close UP #1
Close UP #2

Two Challenges= one great LO

2010-03-08T20:57:00.000-08:00

So I have been in a slump lately so I guess my creative juices have been all saved up and I seem to be back on a roll. YEAH!!!

So here is my LO inspired by design goodness at SkrapNChat and Scrap The Girls. It's LOAD (Layout a Day) at SkrapNChat if you want to come and check out the fun! It's always a good time!

Opposites Challenge

2010-03-07T08:29:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile since I posted. I actually haven't scrapbooked much in the last little bit as my Grandpa has been pretty sick and in the hospital. However, I did sneak away for a few hours yesterday to get in some much needed scrap therapy!

This LO was created for a challenge at ScrapNChat called opposites. You had to use 3 opposites from a list of 10. I used fav/not fav color, even and odd embellishment numbers, and soft and hard embellishment.

The tree in the LO is a whole package of prima flowers. Gotta love those Primas!!! I am pretty happy with this page. THanks for looking!!!

Christmas in January and Project 12

2010-02-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

So I am participating in scrapbook and cards today Project 12. You can find all the details of the year long challenge HERE

I think it's a great idea and hey, that means I will likely stay caught up for this year! Total BOnus!

Anyways, totally loved the sketch for January and have been working on this LO for awhile. SPent a lot of time sewing around the LO and punching out details. The circle with the snoflake is chipboard that I painted and then embossed with blue embossing powder. Really loved how it turned out!!!

Thanks for checking out my work and hey.../..head over to Project 12 and come play along!!!

This LO is from our Christmas in January. We always get so busy in December so my sister decided that she would host Christmas in January. It was a blast! We went sledding and then back to her place for good eats and a gift exchange. It was the perfect way to celebrate Christmas stress free!!!

Design Dollies

2010-02-07T14:40:00.000-08:00

So this marks my first time playing along with the Design DOllies as well, although I watch their blog quite closely. Their challenge was vintage so I busted out the lace, an oldish picture, and some beige cardstock. Thanks for checking this out and be sure to check the dollies out Here

Mission to Create 009

2010-02-07T14:05:00.001-08:00

I am embarassed to say that this is the first mission I have participated in. THese ladies are so incredibly talented and if you haven't had a change to check out their blog please do so HERE

Here is my LO for mission 009 using raw chipboard, fabric (sticker), and three flowers (prima pebble and two stamped flowers). Strength is my word of the year, so here is the LO that I am hoping will inspire me all year long!

Come Out and Vote!!!!!

2010-02-02T17:44:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone! I made a LO for the Nerdy Victorious Scrapbookers Blog January challenge. Voting is now going on for the winner and I would love to win!!!

So please come out and vote for me!!!!! I'm the third LO!!

Here's the link:

http://nvsgirls.blogspot.com/2010/02/vote-for-january-winner.html

Thanks! Love you all!!

Weekend Party at ScrapNChat

2010-01-30T12:54:00.000-08:00

So we are celebrating SkrapNChat's first birthday check it out HERE

So one of the challenges that was posted by the fabby design team is a layer challenge and this is my LO for it! I just am so happy with how it turned out that I had to share.

Here's the LO:

And a couple close ups. I added the pink ribbon to the popsicle stick by hand. It was a labour of love but I love the pink loops!!

Feeling a Bit Better

2010-01-29T20:47:00.000-08:00

So I haven't been doing much of anything lately. I have been sick with Bronchitis since last Saturday and today is really the first day in the last week that I have felt like doing much of anything.

I wanted to do this challenge at the Nerdy Victorious Scrapbookers blog for sometime now and had the perfect pics for it. My last office was as nerdy as they come and I loved them for that. I will never have an office quite like this one and never have officemates that are the same. We had some wild, crazy fun that I will never even dream of having in any other job. The best part is that we still keep in touch! Love all my nerdy gal pals! Thanks for looking!!

Check out the Nerdy Victorious Scrapbookers blog

HERE

Sorry!

2010-01-25T08:15:00.000-08:00

It's been awhile, I know......I am sick. I would love to post another lovely LO but it's all I can do to hold my head up....my darling husband got sick and decided that it would be a good idea to infect me.....I still love him, but I would rather not be sick. Hopefully I can update something for you all by the end of the week! (insert me crossing my fingers here)

All things pretty

2010-01-13T17:38:00.000-08:00

So I have had this picture sitting on my desk since I came back from a girls trip to NYC. I love this pic of my friend and wanted to do something special with it for her. SO here is the layout that I created (helped along from a challenge issued at SkrapnChat by Jenn!- you rock Jenn). The title and lyrics are taken from the broadway musical Wicked. Totally go see it if you ever have the chance! I am going to pick up a frame this week for it so she can display it.

Skrap the Girls

2010-01-10T18:35:00.001-08:00

So I came across this blog awhile back, totally by accident called Scrap The Girls The whole concept of the blog is to scrap LOs of girls. THey have a strict "no boys allowed" rule which is cool. I figured their blog will help me scrapbook my girls trip to NYC and other such girliness that I have hanging around waiting to be scrapped. SO here is the first challenge I completed on their blog. It's for the January sketch, so ABSOLUTELY perfect for these pics of my girlfriends skipping through Central Park!!!

Thanks for looking!

Pup Pup and Twisted Sketches challange #31

2010-01-10T18:19:00.000-08:00

So I guess you could call us puppy foster parents. Jeremy's family lost both of thier dogs in a short period of time; they had been a part of the family for many, many years so you can imagine how hard it was when they both had to be put down. So as a Christmas present in 2007 we all pitched in and purchased Mom a brand new puppy. He stayed at our place for a few weeks before he headed home to Saskatchewan. We just called him Pup Pup so that Mom could pick a name that she loved when they finally met. His name ended up being Morley and he is a wirey, full of life, dog. This page is a tribute to the time he spent at our place. Thanks to the sketch challenge at Twisted Sketches I really love how it turned out!!

And a close up of some of the detail.

Twisted Sketches Transparency Twist

2010-01-04T18:11:00.000-08:00

So I had to join in on the fun over at Twisted Sketches again!! This sketch was the perfect fit for this LO of my sister and I. When we were in Vancouver in 2007 we wanted to go scrapbook shopping so bad that we ripped the page out of the phonebook (we didn't have any paper on us) and took a $60 cab ride on our way to the airport just to go scrapbook shopping!! I love to tell this story and I am so happy to finally have this fun picture scrapped and the story written down! What a fun memory!

First LO of the year

2010-01-01T11:24:00.000-08:00

So I think that I am doing fairly well keeping my blog updated....I think it helps that I have a better idea of what I am doing! lol!

Anyways I just posted my Guest Design Team Challenge at Skrap N Chat I am really quite please at how this LO turned out! It actually started out as an entry for My Minds Eye challenge on their blog here MY MINDS EYE I love working with these sketches! What a talented sketch artist that Anam is!!

but as December would have it, I was super busy and didn't have time to finish it up so I decided that I would at least get it completed by January 1 to post it as my challenge at Skrap N Chat . The flowers on the LO are all handmade by MOI!!!! I am pretty proud of myself. It was a bit of a trial and error but when I had the idea, I just had to complete these. The tulle is hand twisted and wrapped to make roses and the paper flowers are hearts punched out using Stampin' Up! heart punch and then glued inward on a circle base. If you give these techniques a try I would love if you would post back here so I could check out your work and a shout out to my blog would be fabulous too!

Here is the LO! Thanks for looking!

And of course a close up of the flowers!

So this is Christmas

2009-12-28T08:51:00.001-08:00

I was recently looking through my Christmas and winter pictures from the last several years and commenting that I rarely take any outdoor pictures and boring it is to scrapbook the same people in the same indoor space EVERY year. I am pleasantly pleased that my Christmas pages are definitely going to be different this year!! We spent the holidays in sunny California in the Palm Desert. Christmas was a day spent in the sunshine; climbing the mountains and driving through Joshua Tree National Park. It was fabulous! Jeremy and I had a blast and were glad that we chose to do something a little different this year. Here are some pictures that I am very much looking forward to scrapping!

Challenges

2009-12-20T11:50:00.001-08:00

Who doesn't love a challenge!!!! I love to hang out and create especially when it's for a challenge. I find that challenges really get my mojo going and gets me trying this that I wouldn't necessarily try on my own. :)

So this year I am going to join in on the fun that the fabulous ladies over at Scrapbook and Cards Today are hosting! It's called Project 12 and I cannot wait!!! :)

'Tis the Season

2009-12-13T20:55:00.000-08:00

So I joined an ornament swap over at SkrapnChat.....I haven't ever made ornaments before so I thought it would be a good challenge to get me crafting outside of my box. I came across this super cute idea for reindeer made out of puzzle pieces and just had to give it a try. :) I think they turned out super cute and without a huge price tag attached. I just had to share some pictures here for you!! These little guys are definitely getting me into the Christmas spirit!

Entry into Freedom

2009-12-09T20:39:00.001-08:00

It's been awhile, and now I am free so likely I will be updating my blog with some exciting new pictures and the very near future. :) A lot has happened in the last month and I am excited to share it with you all. I had a fabulous girls trip to Jasper in November and the story includes a bit about a mouse in our hotel room which I will share all about when I post pics but suffice it to say it will be worth the wait.

I had to blog today though. I had a fantastic day. Wrote a 3 hour final this morning which I think I aced. I was totally prepared and calm which, if you ask my husband is totally unlike me, don't get me wrong I am usually prepared but not usually that calm. It was an incredible feeling to go through the exam and come out on the other end feeling like I had just climbed to the peak of a very tall mountain. This semester started out pretty rough with a change in class after my grad school realized I was in the wrong section, so between the change in classes I actually missed some lectures so felt a little like I played catch up this semester. Thankfully the semester ended out really well and I felt like I was walking on clouds by the end of the exam! Sweet victory!!

The next greatest thing today was that I finally got to see my best friend. Her and I typically see each other every day or at least every other day. We work together so lunches are usually spent dreaming about our next vacation or chatting about the new stuff that is happening in our lives. You don't often meet someone who changes your life and who understands you at a level that you may not understand yourself at. I cherish the time I spend with her and love that we got to finally see each other after not seeing each other for almost a week or what, in my reality, seemed like 10 years!!!

And finally to top my day off. I had the absolute honor of meeting with the CEO of my organization. I know that may not seem like a huge thing, but when you work for a nearly 100 000 person organization it is huge. Not everyone who works in the organization will get that type of oportunity and I am quite happy to have had the chance to both shake his hand and pick his brain for over an hour.

So today was a bunch of little moments that all rolled up to create an incredible whole. It's a fabulous thing when you wake up calm and relaxed and go to bed smiling. It's EPIC and it's these days that make life the most incredible journey. I hope for many of these days over the course of my life.

Weekend Crop

2009-11-20T10:53:00.000-08:00

So SkrapnChat is having a weekend crop that starts tonight. Come check it out!!! Having a blast this weekend

The board is a ton of fun and the ladies are fabulous!!! Hope to see you at the crop!

Here is a sneak peak for the challenges I will be issuing this Saturday morning!

Wicked Fun

2009-11-17T20:20:00.000-08:00

So I was working on my photos from my trip to NYC. The best part of the whole trip was our night on Broadway. We went to see the musical Wicked and it was completely worth every stinking penny! What an incredible treat! We all said that we would totally pay to see it again. It was fun putting it together in a LO to show off the night of Wickedness! Can't wait to do it again!

Twisted Sketches Sketch #23

2009-11-15T21:23:00.000-08:00

So there is a super fun blog called Twisted Sketches which I have silently stalked for some time but have finally participated in one of their challenges! It was totally the sketch that I needed for this page!

Here's my take and thanks for an awesome challenge!!

Winter's beauty

2009-11-08T20:07:00.001-08:00

So I know that it is pretty risky to say that Winter has any sort of beauty at all especially here in the great white north, but I will openly admit that winter is definitely my favorite season! I love skiing, skating, tobogganing, snowballs fights, etc. I have always found winter to be romantic and I love nothing more than a walk in the snow on a winter evening. I was going through some winter pictures tonight on my computer and came across these that I had taken in January 2007 when we were in Saskatchewan. These pictures remind me why I love winter so much. Pictures like this make the snow shoveling and car scrapping moments all worth it!!

Yummy new candy

2009-11-06T22:41:00.000-08:00

So I love Jr. Mints and they have a new candy flavor. Junior Mints Peppermint Crunch. YUM!!!! Just picked up a box today. I feel some inspiration coming on as an ode to this incredible candy and their maker!

So as I sit here on a Friday feel tired and yearning for bed I had a fantastic moment with my cup of peppermint tea and my box of Peppermint Crunch Junior Mints. YUM!! What could be better? NOW GO CHECK THEM OUT!!!!

New Junior Mints

new Layout

2009-08-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

So there was a challenge over at Skrapnchat (Skrapnchat.com) and I decided to give it a whirl. THe challenge was to use something old, something new, something borrowed, and something blue. Well for my "new" I decided to give my spritzer tool from Stampin' Up! a go. I must say I really like this tool. It works with the markers and all you have to do is secure your marker in the tool and spritz away! I used red to add a bit of color to my background. THanks for checking my LO out!

2009-05-31T13:10:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile and as I sit here I realize so many things have happened in the last little bit and life is continuing it's hectic route. I am working on my research proposal this week for class so this has to be short but I just thought that I might share a LO that I worked on recently. Enjoy and I'll be back soon to do some writing!

I DID IT!!!!

2009-03-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

So today is the first official day that I made 10km in one run! I was able to squeeze 10.3K in 1 hour and 10 mins. I cannot believe it!!! I started working out early Jan with the goal of just getting in shape and then my friend at work (Julia) said that we should challenge a 5k this summer. I thought that I could potentially get there. 5K seemed like a huge deal and then I started running and would report to her how far I was running. I got to a steady 4.5-4.8 and of course, Julia then said "well 5K is going to be too easy for you, we should do 10K". I, being the challenge loving person that I am agreed and so started pushing myself harder and harder and bumping up what I could do each time I went to the gym. This afternoon I went to the gym with the intent of running on my treadmill until someone came and kicked me off (it's quiet on Sundays so I wasn't sure how long that would be). Well it amount to an hour and 10mins and at that point I had run 10.3K. I actually got in my car and let out a huge WHOOP!!!! I don't think I ever could have done this! It's incredible to make your goal. :) Now all I have to do is get to 10K in 60 mins! lol! This year I am learning to keep reaching higher, pushing harder, and eventually I'll learn how to fly!

In the Moment

2009-02-25T19:51:00.000-08:00

I just cannot believe that it is the end of February already.......time is sure flying. It's funny how that happens. I want to hang on to the present for fear that I will forget all the neat stuff that is happening around me but I am looking to the future with anticipation as well! A good friend of mine told me that I may live in the future and the big picture too much so I am trying to live in the moment. She said that I have to be "a little more Budist" and while I am not about to try budism, I am okay working on my ability to stay present and enjoy the moment for what it is.

This is what I have come up with so far. A piece of my life is not at it's peek right now and I have really been, at times, dwelling on it. This dwelling has the potential to ruin my day and dominate my outlook on life for a particular day, which leads to a lot of meaningless rumination and emotional suffering. So today as I was working through my day I tried to "stay in the moment" as much as I could. As I was sitting in class today and my thoughts would wander to my particular "wound" as I will call it, I forced myself to look at where I was and what I appreciated about where I was at that particular moment. I was able to think about the great stuff we were discussing and really appreciate the opportunity of graduate school and this particular class at this moment. I found that I instantly thought about how school, learning, and engaging with peers makes me happy and guess what? I actually smiled. I am glad that my 7 classmates already know that I am crazy. I also used this same practice at work today. Again, if I caught my mind wandering I would pull it back to the opportunities I have at work and my fabulous coworkers and again I would smile.

I am amazed at the power we have to control our thoughts and thus control our emotions to some extent. I am glad that my friend cared enough to speak into my life and that I had the foresight to listen. :) And if you ever catch me smiling and laughing to myself you will know that I am probably just caught up in enjoying the moment......and what a wonderful moment it will be! So here is to the beautiful present and the wonderful future to come with each moment appreciated for what it is!

A thousand lessons in a month

2009-01-30T21:54:00.000-08:00

I am not even sure what to say beyond that I am learning so much. I am discovering things about myself that I never thought possible. Do you have those people in your life that you think you are reaching out to or helping but in the end they are the ones who reach out and touch you? This is my journey of discovery this month. My friend Miriam is absolutely incredible. Her and her wonderful family share my home with me and I have always thought of them living here as an opportunity for me to help them in some meaningful way. However, it is I who have been touched and helped by them a thousand fold. Her and her husband have been my voice of reason in the last month and a listening ear when I needed to vent. Even in the last few weeks they have completely reached out to me in real and practical ways such as inviting me to join them for supper, joining me for my workouts, helping me chip ice on the sidewalks, and hooking up my cable.

They are also teaching me the values of connectedness, community and family. They love each other deeply and out of that love flows the ability to connect with others and bless them. They make the impossible seem feasible and spending time with them has cultivated within me a deep desire for community. They make it easy to be myself without all the layers of pretense. We have been through a lot together and I really cherish their friendship, more than I think I realized. It is true what they say that during the times of hardship you truly learn who your friends are and these two are true friends.

Solace

2009-01-28T19:04:00.000-08:00

I am sitting here being a bit of a grump. I had class today which meant staying late at work so today turned into another long day and on top of that I have an assignment due for class next week that I really need to get my butt in gear for but for whatever reason I just don't feel like working on tonight. I have some dishes in the sink, clothes in the washer, and bags of junk that need to go to Goodwill. I am not feeling like much of a champion today.

I don't know why, but somehow writing things down seems to make it all better. :) Especially when you push the publish post button. It is a weird phenomenon that our generation feels compelled to electronically publish their lives for others viewing pleasure. I find it strange too that I get so much satisfaction over seeing my life in print. Somehow by publishing what is bothering me I somehow remove it from myself and it becomes a collective problem. I don't think that I comprehend it as throwing away my problem but it almost seems that as soon as I can reflect on my problem it somehow morphs from the mountain it used to be to a manageable crumb. It provides a renewed perspective about the severity of the problem and my skills for tackling it. I guess something like therapy although I don't get to talk and I have no idea who is receiving the information on the other end. Like I said, it's weird. But it works. It's a deeply ingrained need for remote connection with those around me, now matter how little I know about them. I still try to connect with them through electronic means and hope that somehow they can relate to what I am going through.

I heard a really good quote today "we strive for progress, not perfection." I think it is something that I need to take to heart. And today I will try. I have had a long day so it is okay if there are dishes in the sink, laundry in the washer, and bags of stuff to go to Goodwill. Today I went to class, went to work, ate well, and loved myself. That is progress so I guess that will have to do. And yes, I do feel better. Now to push that publish button..........

Nearly February

2009-01-25T16:38:00.000-08:00

Check out the new hair do!

I don't think I realized how dead inside I really was......it's been a while since I have really opened up to my creative, spiritual or positive emotional side. In the last month I think I have found myself again. I feel more alive than I have felt in a long time. I have a new purpose and a freedom and happiness that I haven't felt in a long time. I used to write lots of poetry and I forgot how much I missed that quiet time to pour out my thoughts, feelings and struggles. I forgot how good it feels to bond with others and to set daily goals for yourself that are attainable and enjoyable. :) It's the simple things really that we forget to do and really it is the simple things that mean soooo much!

I have also started working out and am pushing myself to hopefully do a 5km run this summer. I would love to accomplish that! Today I got to 4km in 30 mins so I think I can do it.

Thanks for stopping by!

Post Christmas_Pre New Years

2008-12-27T23:34:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was really different for me. In so many ways, some big and others small. I definitely miss some of my previous years traditions such as putting up the tree, opening gifts first thing in the morning, and taking pictures of the new Christmas ornament that was purchased to reflect the past year. This year was different in that I did none of these things however, I did make some new memories from this year and may have even started some new traditions.

This year I spent Christmas eve with my Dad, like many years before, except this year was spent with him, his new wife, and her son. They officially tied the knot this year so we had a true family Christmas on that side. It was fabulous to just share food and talk until the wee hours of the morning. I drove home at 2am but every moment of the heart to heart conversations we were able to have were worth it!

It was Christmas that was definitely the most different this year. I slept in, which never happens on Christmas- I blame this abnormality on the exceptionally late Christmas eve festivities! This year too, unlike others, my sister called me at 8am to see when I would be heading to Mom's. My sister doesn't have social boundaries when it comes extremely late or early phone calls especially when I am the one she is calling- and I love her for this! This year was also the first time where I didn't open any gifts until Christmas night. I can't believe we were able to wait that long! We had a lot of fun though playing games, laughing and eating together as a family.

This year too was the first that I think I have really stopped to reflect on the importance of my family in my life. I don't think I have fully appreciated the family moments before this year, however I plan to never let another Christmas pass without stopping to reflect on the importance of my family and the incredible way in which all the little things we do with each other mean so much.

So here's to both sides of my family: Mom, Dad, step-Mom and Dad, brother, and sister, step brother, and brother-in-law. Merry Christmas and here is to many more family Christmas' with all the small family moments that add up to an incredible season!

Christmas Cheer

2008-12-21T18:48:00.000-08:00

I just got back from spending the day with my Dad and his family. Our day was filled to the brim with food, presents, laughs, and even some close to crying moments. And although this was all really great I was struck by the cold hard reality that my Grandparents are getting older.....Several things have happened over the last year that has changed my relationship with them. They have moved to a smaller house to be closer to my Dad so they can receive help when needed, my Grandpa's eyesight is not what it used to be and most recently my Grandma broke her arm (this is just to name a few). As we were sitting around today visiting it hit me that their days on this earth are getting to be fewer and fewer. It is sad to know that at some point I will have to morn their passing and will look back and the photos and memories that are held in my head and heart.

I don't really want to think about it but how can I not? It is coming quicker than I would wish and it won't be easy. I grew up with my Grandparents, they were there to nuture me and love me. They would come to all my school and church plays, invite us over for suppers, and I even ended living with them for awhile after highschool. They have been a rock and fortress in my life that will forever impact the way I relate to others and how I view myself. My Grandpa has always had incredible work ethic and believes in a job well done more so than just a job that is done. My Grandma is the most organized and prepared person I know. She has spent her life giving to so many around her and has really had a positive impact on my life.

I guess I just wanted to pay tribute to my Grandparents and let them know that I am a better person, not only for having their jeans, but because I actually got to hang out with them and experience life with them! I love you Grandma and Grandpa and I thank you for everything you've given, time, money, love, friendship, guidance, and wisdom!

And now off to write them a letter as they don't have internet!

Christmas is Coming

2008-12-20T10:12:00.001-08:00

So it's been awhile but now with Christmas coming I decided that maybe it was time to post again. Everytime I look out the window I am reminded that winter is definitely here. There is snow on the trees and layers of the white stuff all over the ground. I love the snow! Winter is my absolutely favorite season! I have fantastic memories of winter.......skating, romantic walks through the falling snow, ski trips in the mountains and fabulous family Christmases. I couldn't imagine life without snow and without this wonderful season. Well, off to find my slippers and cozy up with a good book for the weekend! Happy Winter everyone!

The life you wish to live

2008-09-14T00:38:00.001-07:00

I just read the most touching article. It is about a girl named Jessie who has CF. Incredible story of courage and the embracing of life to it's fullest.
http://en.chatelaine.com/english/weekend/article.jsp?content=20080808_120014_13808

Many of us take it for granted that we will live to see our 50th birthday and many others may even get to see their 80th or their 100th birthday. So what would you do if you knew that your life was to be cut short? Would you live differently than you do today? Are we just filling our lives with meaningless endevors because we "think" we have tons of time left to do the important things. How would your life change if you knew you wouldn't live to see your 50th? Would you continue to spend your time the way you do now or would you make some substantial changes?

The theme of living life seems to keep popping up for me. As I have reflected for sometime now I believe that life is about time management. It is not about doing more in less time but instead about living better. It's about making each day count and going to bed each night knowing that you put the important things first. This doesn't mean not taking the garbage out or cleaning the house but it does mean ensuring that our time is focussed to include time with friends and family. It means having fun and time spent appreciating the world around us. For me this means planning trips to explore the world and keeping on top of the issues affecting humanity on a global scale. It also means warm pancakes on a Saturday morning and late nights reading journal articles. It's about taking pictures to capture the beauty around me and spending time loving my pets. It's about worship through song and quiet moments before bed. It's about combining the incredible with the day to day to create an integrated whole.

So what will you do today? Are you living a life of balance and healthy priorities? A few small changes may be all that is needed. Let Jessie's life inspire you. :)

2008-08-17T16:12:00.001-07:00

Life is getting sweeter by the day! My DH and I just welcomed two new additions to our family and we couldn't be happier! It's something else to experience the pitter patter of little feet on the hardwood and have to watch where you walk so you don't end up tripping over the small balls of fur that never tire of chasing you around.

This one here is Rida. Her name comes from the Saskatchewan Rough Riders. Rider just wasn't much of a girls name so she ended up being Rida. She is fully of energy and loves to tease her brother. :) She will bark at him and then yelps when he pounces to play. She is also a real cuddle bug and will often climb into your lap to sleep.

And this sweet one is Sketch. He's named after my love of scrapbooking and scrapbooking sketches! He is sweet as well but has less energy than his crazy sister. :) He loves to have his belly rubbed and is a little shy when it comes to loud noises and other dogs. He's very hard to get a picture of though because his fur is so dark.

These two love to cuddle as well. They sleep curled up in a ball every night. I guess that is the way it was in the litter so the tradition continues!

Here's to our two balls of loveable fur and our live that will never be the same!

Already July

2008-07-08T06:14:00.001-07:00

So here I am sitting in the airport in North Carolina and wondering what to do........what better time to blog. I have been up since 3am MST and running on a bag of Doritos along with a raspberry cereal bar that I had while getting dressed this morning.

We are heading back from vacation today. It seems like they always pass by so fast in a whirlwind of suitcases, suntans, attractions and plane rides. I write down what I do each day on vacation so that later I can reminisce about all the fun I had that I don't remember as clearly as I would like to. Don't misinterpret what I am saying here, drunken binges are not the reason I have problems remembering. It is really more about doing so many new things in such a short amount of time that I have problems remembering all the details about what happened when and where I say "such and such". For this reason I am thoroughly thankful for my camera. I love looking back at the freeze frames of my vacation. These pictures help take me back to the way the water smelled during the moonlit walk on the beach or how fun that third loop in the rollercoaster was and most importantly reminds me of all the reasons I take vacations. They are not only a get away from everyday life but a chance to discover yourself within the context of a new culture or a new setting.

I learn a lot about myself while on vacation and force myself to stretch my comfort boundaries that everyday life provides. It is really for these reasons, more than just an escape from everyday life, that I love vacations. It also doesn't hurt that I find it therapeutic to look through all the pictures and chose which ones I will forever pay homage to through my scrapbook pages.

So please watch here for pics of my vacation. I will post shortly after I get home. Just two more flights. :) Until then, here's to enjoying the journeys we embark on and to discovery of the people inside.

Some Pictures

2008-06-02T17:39:00.001-07:00

I just picked up a new Cannon Rebel XSi and played with it on a walk around the river valley. Here are a few shots from the walk. Enjoy!

And here we are.......

2008-06-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to start a blog for some time now. I have a passion to create and to have others create with me. Creativity allows for discovery and questioning of who we are and our purpose in this life. Enjoy visiting here and feel free to leave your comments and links to your creations in whatever form they exist: word, picture, etc.