Halloween from years gone by...

I just got this in a box of stuff that my grandma returned to us of pictures, letters and cards that Tracy and I have sent to her over the years. This was taken in 1982 at Wong's in Matsqui. Our neighbour used to work for the Mission paper, so I'm assuming that was how we ended up getting our picture taken for it. This just made me laugh! I think this was the last year I went trick or treating.

Today's 2Peas Blogger Challenge:
Are you the type of person who thinks you need to have journaling on every layout you create?
I would have to say that I always feel like my layout is missing something without the journaling. Telling the story is a big part of the reason I scrap and I want people to be able to look at my layouts years from now without me and know what's going on in the pictures and who everyone is. I also want my layouts to give people a little idea of what our life is like.

Not too much going on here really today. I'm doing duty at Kyle's preschool, so mum is coming to watch Nathan and that's really about it. I took George to work so I could have the car and when I pick him up, I think we might stop by a farm and get a pumpkin. Unfortunately, the one Kyle got at the pumpkin patch 2 weeks ago is going bad!!

Hope everyone has a great Monday!
Cheers,
Colleen

Another work day...

Yes, it's Sunday, but not your typical one in the sense that a person would have it off because I'm working at the store today! This is my 4th day in a row and I'll be honest is saying I'll be glad when I'm finished today since I think I'm also getting sick again (or the last cold that hasn't completely gone away is running into whatever I'm getting now with this sore throat).


I did manage to get this done this weekend. Just a fairly quick one done with my Scrapperie kit this month and the only thing extra were the American Crafts vinyl letters I think. I was so excited to try them and then was very disappointed - so much so that I e-mailed American Crafts that night to tell them. Most of the adhesive didn't even stick to the lettering and when I tried to move the letters on my page, what did stick to the letters then stuck to my page and made a mess. Anyway, I did have fun doing this layout and it's great to be able to scrap some pictures of mum and I. This was the third year we'd gone to this retreat, but we're not going this year (it would have been in a couple of weeks). Maybe we'll have to plan our own weekend scrap together with Tracy!

Well, guess I'd better go do a few other things today before I have to go to work. Wanna go spend some time with the boys (who are now playing "horsey" with Kyle being the horse!).

Have a fantastic day everyone!
Cheers,
Colleen

Friday again already...

Sometimes I really just don't know where the week goes! It seems like it was just Monday! It's been a busy week though and having the kids all day can make it go very quickly sometimes when it seems like it's one meal or one diaper change after another!




This is my new little project for the Secret Garden section at Scrapperie where you get a few little bonuses if you get their kit. I just did a little online class for how to make this file folder mini tag album and it was fun and fairly easy to do too. The idea has been coming up all over the place! I saw it first when Tobi did one one night at a store crop. She gave me the info about Kristina Werner's blog tutorial which then also mentions Taylor VanBruggen! So, I was armed with all that info and then I was planning on doing this little project night they have at Scrapshotz once a week and guess what it was - you got it, the same thing! So, this is a popular project in deed and someone seemed to be telling me this would be a good project! I hope some people try it so I can see some more! This was all done with my October kit from Scrapperie as well!

There's also a new challenge going on for the next 2 months at Scrapperie! This will be an eight week challenge. There will be a new challenge posted each week. You will have one week to create your layout and get it posted to the Gallerie, linking it back to the challenge thread. And the best part is that there are no ELIMINATIONS! It works on a points system! Come on over and sign up now!!

We've got a fun day here with Gina bringing the boys over for a play date and then naps this afternoon! I'll be getting read for work while they nap since I work 4 hours tonight. Work all weekend though too!

Have a fantastic day!
Cheers,
Colleen

Kyle's favourite!

This is one of Kyle's favourite things to do - cook/bake. If he can help in the kitchen, he's all over that. I was hoping that if I got him to help with some things like casseroles with vegetables that he might actually eat that too, but no luck yet! Vegetables are really not his thing!

Chocolate muffins on the other hand...a hit! We practically had a meltdown over this too because I'd sort of told him we could do this if he had a bath, but George didn't know that and when Kyle asked after his bath, Daddy said no because he didn't want him to get all dirty again. I made a deal with Kyle that we could do them as long as he wore the apron that Grandma made him! He agreed and off we went.

I have to admit that we did "cheater" muffins as you can plainly see. I do make them from scratch too, but we get the mix when it's on sale because it's an easy thing to have in case someone drops by or Kyle wants to make something. We had fun and Kyle was happy!

Not too much going on around here today. The little ones are down for their nap/rest, so I'm going to go get a cup of coffee and hang with Kyle! We'll see if we can manage to get out for a bit maybe since it's not pouring rain today! Maybe even just in the backyard since I can't really get the stroller out because the garage door won't go up! There's a spring that we need to get replaced and the place that sells them is only open weekdays!


I'm also going to be participating in a "Scrapper's Amazing Race" challenge over at Transparent Tags and Touches that starts November 3rd, so you might want to go check it out!!

Cheers and have a great day!
Colleen

I've been TAGGED!

Some of you have seen this layout before since it's not a new one, but thought I'd steal Debbi's idea since it was her that first tagged me and she posted an older layout she'd done about herself when she posted her answers too. The funny thing is that Darlene (webdee) then also tagged me with the same thing!

1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
2. Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself (on your blog, we all want to know them).

OK, here we go with the random/weird facts though I'm not sure how weird they'll be!
1. I've tried eating the sashimi in Japan that they take out of the tank and fillet in front of you and is so "fresh" that it's still moving when it arrives at your table.
2. I've had my dental bridge knocked out my a very large can of beer.
3. I've dislocated my knee twice (playing basketball and goofing around dancing) - yes, excrutiatingly painful!!
4. I managed women's basketball teams at the junior and senior high school level as well as college and university.
5. I can't start the day if the kitchen is a mess and have to deal with it first thing if it is - eve before my morning coffee!
6. I have stitches around the end of my pinky finger after putting it in a door as a kid and someone closing the door with my finger in it!
7. I'm allergic to shellfish.

3. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
As for who to tag, I need to find some people that haven't done this so...
Kristin
Sandi
Christina
Joelle
Lynn
Toni (toners)
Heather

4. Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
I'm off to let them all know!

Hope everyone has a fantastic day!
Cheers,
Colleen

And the winner is...

For those of you that thought I'd forgotten about this today - not quite! It's just been a busy one and taken me some time to post it, so without further ado, the winner is....

cathy!!!

Thanks so much to everyone that posted and tole me what they're thankful for. I've been thinking about this a lot lately and trying to remember to regularly appreciate the little things.

Cathy, please e-mail me your info, so I can send a few goodies out to you!
Cheers,
Colleen

Gratitude - again!

This seems to be something on not only my mind lately! One of the DT members at Scrapperie came up with an idea for a challenge based on this idea the very day that I posted my thing about being grateful a couple of days ago. So... to get you think about some of the things you're thankful for and could scrap about once the details of the challenge are posted (I'll let you know!), this is the blog topic at Scrapperie today!

Topic: Since some of us have been talking/thinking about this lately, blog about one thing you're thankful for for every letter in the word "gratitude"!

Great cuddles and kisses from Nathan and Kyle
Really good coffee in the morning
A loving husband
Time with the boys and Sophia to just play and be silly
Incredible parents
Ttime for myself just for a coffee or some creating
Understanding friends
Days off
Excitement about the holidays to come

OK, now let's see you try! Post a comment or link me up to your blog if you do!

"Feeling grateful or appreciative of someone or something in your life actually attracts more of the things that you appreciate and value into your life."
-Christiane Northrup

Cheers,
Colleen

Patch Pictures

OK, so it's taken me a while to get these posted, but here they are. All of the kids at preschool (3 classes) got together and went to the pumpkin patch last Monday. I was very thankful that the rain held off until the afternoon and that we had plans to go in the morning.

We'd never been to this place before, but it was easy enough to find. George's mum was nice enough to come and watch Nathan so I didn't have to try and keep track of him as well. All the kids got little safety vests to wear so that we could keep track of them. Kyle was really excited about going and was bouncing all over the place. We went inside and they got to plant a flower first - a paper white. I think they had as much fun with this as anything else! I also managed to get a couple of pictures of Kyle outside before we got started.

After the flower planting, all the kids went outside to a grassy area where they'd brought pumpkins in from the field since it was so muddy. They all got to pick one and then we went back inside for juice and crackers. A fun morning for sure! The only bad thing was that I didn't get some of the pictures I wanted because the batteries in my camera died!

Better be off as I'm going to a staff crop at the store tonight. I'm hoping to get the invitations I'm working on for George's grandpa's 100th birthday party finshed as well as a few Christmas cards!

Have a great day!
Cheers,
Colleen

PS Don't forget about the blog candy post below!!

Gratitude and a little overdue blog candy!

Well, it's just sort of another day around here. I've got the boys and Sophia, but the little ones are down for a nap/rest. Kyle is busy playing on pbskids.org and lovin' it, so I have a few minutes here.

I had a friend pop in yesterday and she was just having "one of those days". We all have them when the kids aren't cooperating and everything just seems bad and maybe even worse than it is. She just wanted someone else to chat with, so we relaxed for an hour or so while the kids played. It got me thinking last night though that even on days like that, it's important to be thankful. I was keeping a gratitude journal for a while and might start again, but here are a few things I was thankful for yesterday:

1. getting a shower and organized before Nathan got up.
2. Sophia being her silly self.
3. being here when a friend needed someone to talk to.
4. a great cup of coffee.
5. being able to go to work and have fun.
6. great cuddles and kisses from Nathan and Kyle.



There are many more things to be thankful for, but that'll do! So, that leads me to my long overdue 5,000 hit blog candy! All you need to do to enter is leave me a comment telling me a couple of things you're grateful for today and you're in! I'll leave this open until Sunday evening and put everyone in random.org on Monday and find a winner!

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos into order, confusion into clarity.... It turns problems into gifts, failures into success, the unexpected into perfect timing, and mistakes into important events. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.
- Melodie Beattie

Cheers and have a great weekend!
Colleen

Awesome mail day!

This is what arrived this morning from Scrapperie and I'm so excited to get at it! I just need to find a little time to play with it now! It's going to be fun to see what everyone creates using the kit this month! Inside was also a beautiful bracelet that Sandi (site owner) made for the Tres Chic DT girls.



The picture was taken by Angela who's another one of the Tres Chic Girls! Thanks!



This is the last layout I did with the Sept Scrapperie kit as well and it was a lift of Debbi T! Had fun scrapping this old pic and it's about how I rode my bike to school on our old country road until a guy in a milk truck honked to warn me he was behind me!

Better run for now and will add pics of the boys soon!
Cheers,
Colleen

It's been a while again...

Wow! Can't believe it's been this long since I blogged! There seems to have been so much going on just with everyday life stuff and then we've all had another round of colds that we're getting over finally.

Looks like I can't upload pics right now because of some Blogger error, but I do have lots of those to share too. Nathan had his hair cut again about a week and a half ago and I had mine done a little over a week ago too! Kyle was at the pumpkin patch this Monday though my camera batteries died halfway through the trip - serious bummer.

I'm finally getting over these bugs we've had. Kyle got it first and I wasn't surprised when he did since all the kids at school were sick and I figured it was only a matter of time. Nathan then got sick and I thought I was fighting it and actually getting better until Saturday and them BAM! The weekend was bad and I worked both days! Even better was that I had a staff meeting on Sunday after work and we took pictures for the local paper for some reason... Oh well, the staff meeting was fine and I'm feeling better now too.

I'm hoping to be able to play with my new Scrapperie kit that I got this morning. So exciting! The colours are gorgeous. I'll post a pic later when I can. I also got a gorgeous bracelet in my stuff made by Sandi (Scrapperie owner) and all the Tres Chic DT Girls got one. You can check it out on Angela's blog! Thanks Sandi!

You should also check out the amazing cards and work that Tobi does! She teaches at the store I work at (Precious Memories) and her stuff is fabulous!

I'll post again later when I can post some new pics as well!
Cheers,
Colleen

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just wanted to wish all my friends and family a wonderful Thanksgiving! I know we have so many things to be thankful for and it's important to be reminded of that since it can get lost in the day to day things that we get wrapped up in.

We got invited to Tracy and Brian's last night for a fantastic dinner. Mum and dad were missed since they're away right now, but they'll be home soon and we'll just have to have a nice family dinner (or at least a good visit!) after they get back! Tracy and Brian did ham and roast chicken with all the Thanksgiving trimmings and it was awesome. I worked yesterday and hadn't eaten much, so I was looking forward to it all day and it was worth the wait! It was just nice to be together too.

Today, we've been running around here already trying to get some things done and organized for dinner here tonight with George's family. I have a task in front if me in that I need to clean off my scrapping table so we can use it for dinner! Not sure what I'm going to do with all my stuff... Already cleaned the kitchen and George just did the floor in there, so yeah for that being done early! I have sweet potatoes to cook today too, so I'd better not forget about that!

Hope everyone has a great day! I'd love to hear who/what you're thankful for today!
Cheers,
Colleen

Rough morning...

OK, the good news is that I scrapped last night and had fun putting together this layout that came together very quickly. It was great to use a bunch of stuff in my stash that's been there for a while too. The topic made it a great layout to do too since we had such a fun evening on the deck that night having okonomiyaki with Masaki, Kayoko and Shihoko (friends from Japan).

My morning hasn't been so great though. The little ones are down for a nap (well, Sophia for a rest and Nathan for a nap) and I'm very thankful! Nathan has been to the naughty chair more times than I can count this morning for hitting. It's just not like him and I'm not sure what's up, but it's just not OK. The worst part was that he thumped Kyle in the head with a wooden spoon the kids had been playing with and went I went to cuddle him for a minute because he was crying, Nathan decided that was a good time to hit Sophia too. Trying hard to be patient and not lose my mind this morning!



Not too much going on here really. I have my foot all taped up since seeing the podiatrist on Monday. He does think I need orthotics, but I guess this is a little test. He taped it to simulate what orthotics would do and asked me to wear the tape for 3 days and then take it off for 3 and come back and see him. If there's improvement with the tape and things get worse again without, then I need the orthotics. I guess is things improve, which they have, and then don't get worse again, we talk about what happens then?? I have a sneaking suspicion that it's not going to be good once the tape comes off though!

2Peas Blogger Challenge for today is
When you are stuck and need some inspiration. Where do you turn?
I love the internet for inspiration because there are a few boards I like to check out as well as a few books that I love: The new 101 Things You Can Do With Your Scrapbooking Supplies and Ali Edwards' Designers Eye for Patterned Paper. I also go bak and refer to my Simple Scrapbooking Magazines and my DW calendar.

Scrapperie Blog Topic: Blog about how you feel about sketches when you scrap. Useful? Not? Why?
I do like to use sketches, but haven't used too many of late for some reason. There are so many sources for them now and they're so much fun to play with. SketchLover.com has some great sketches and a ton of links to others a well! Think I need to get out a sketch again!

Better run for now and go do something with Kyle before the little ones wake up!
Cheers,
Colleen