An End and a Beginning...

I have to admit that I love this time of year. It's a time to reflect and appreciate all that's happened over the last year, but it's also a time full of possibility for what is to come in the new year. I feel so inspired here this morning going through all the goodness on my list of Google Reader blogs, so I'm going to post a few things that I'll be thinking about in the new year.

The first is Ali Edwards "One Little Word" idea. I have been thinking about this for a bit and the first word that came to me was simply "do". I have changed my mind a few times and have had different variations of the word like achieve, but the reality is that these two tiny letters sum up so much that I've decided to keep them as my word for 2009 and I'll be posting more about this soon! Check out the One Little Word blog for inspiration too!

I also got inspired by an online friend, Kim, and her post about Project 365. I started this last year too and quickly bailed in frustration with my camera largely. The idea is that you take a picture a day and another friend, Joelle, has done an amazing job with this this year! Way to go girl! Now that I do have a new camera, I think Kim's helped inspire me to get back to this and see if I can put 2009 in pictures!

I know that the feeling I have now won't last every day of 2009 and there will no doubt be good and bad days, but it's important to remind yourself on those bad days that there is optimism on the good ones and so much possibility. I feel like this is going to be a year of action and decision somehow though I'm not even sure I know the parameters of that yet. It's time to make some changes in my day to day and I'm ready for that.

I'm also realizing that getting in front of the camera is a priority this year. Now that I have my new camera, I've given my old one to Kyle and he wants to take my picture all the time. George has been taking some pictures of the boys and I lately too and though I don't really like the way I look in terms of my weight, the reality is that that is the here and now and the boys still deserve pictures of me and of us together.

Changing that here and now weight is also on the list of things to work on this year. I know it is for so many people and that nothing will change overnight and without some decisions and action on my part. I know what I need to do and it's a matter of action. Not every day will be perfect, but the doing is the important part.

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.
~Benjamin Franklin

I hope that everyone has a wonderful 2009 and I look forward to seeing what it holds!
Happy New Year everyone!
Cheers,


PS I'm going to try and post a little 2008 summary in the next day or so as well - hopefully with some pictures!

Need to figure out...

how to download the pictures off my camera now! Of course, I have my new camera and have been playing with taking pics, but haven't set it up on the computer yet, so I guess I'd better think about doing that and sooner rather than later!

We quite unbelieveably are getting more snow here tonight and the winds are supposed to pick up too. I won't be surprised if George gets called into work in the middle of the night! And with my luck, end up working late tomorrow or even tomorrow night! Wait and see...

Not too much new around here really. Trach came and dropped Sophia off a little later this morning and we had a nice coffee and a chat. The kids played for a bit and then had lunch and Fia and Nathan had naps. I got some sorting of my scrap area done this afternoon too since I have classes I'm working on prepping for February (yes, already!).

Think I'll pack it in since the last day of the year will no doubt be an early one like all the others! Amazing how quickly this year has gone by and so many wonderful little moments that have filled our lives. I'm thankful...

Enjoy the last day of the year and leave me a comment about what you're thankful for from 2008 and there might be a little something going out to someone that does!

Night!
Cheers,

Would you like to design for Scrapperie?

This is the message that Sandi has just posted over at Scrapperie, so check it out! She's wonderful to work for and her kits are amazing!

Hiyas girls!! It's that time again!

As most of you know, I'm the owner of Scrapperie. Starting right now, I am looking for a new way of doing my design team, who are currently known as the Très Chic Girls.

In the past, I've had the normal design team "rules" - terms run from 4-6 months and compensation is a monthly kit. But I think that is not working for most people anymore- especially in today's hectic society and crazy economy.

For this next while, I think I would like to go back to having something along the lines of "Guest Designers" who would work with the monthly kits, etc. I may ask you to work one or two months with my kits, or longer.

Anyone who has ever worked with me knows I'm pretty laid back and I don't require a zillion projects or demand you to post on the boards every day. I know life is first and foremost and our hobbies and other things come later...

So, if you would be interested in applying and working with one (or more) of my monthly kits, please drop me an email at sandiminchuk@yahoo.com Please provide a link to an online gallery and tell me a little bit about yourself. Scrappers of all creative levels are always welcome. The only thing we ask is that you encourage creativity and share what you love doing with the rest of the Scrapperie community.

Any questions, please don't hesitate to ask, PM or email me.

Thanks so much,
Sandi

**International scrappers also welcome to apply!

Cheers,

Busy Sunday!

Well, not much news here really since I spent the better part of the day at work! Got up early with the boys and then got ready and headed off to work for 11am. Spent a busy day there with 40% pretty much everything!

Came home and George went out grocery shopping, so I got the kids ready for bed and then have spent the rest of the evening making some cards and getting them addressed - not Christmas cards!! I'll post a picture soon after I think most everyone (mostly family) has received them!

Better run and get some sleep and hope to post some more scrappy stuff soon though I'm busy planning classes again too!
Cheers,

Check out my new camera!

OK, I'm so excited I'm practically jumping up and down! George gave me an IOU for money for a camera for Christmas and we went to look today. I had expected to be getting a camera that was less than this and with a lot fewer featues. I just asked to look at this one for comparison to the one I thought I was getting and when George heard what the differences were, he got me this one!!! I haven't stopped grinning! I can't wait to go play!!

Cheers,

MORE Snow!

I know I sound like a broken record, but that's how I feel too! Yes, we got even more snow again today!

I got up with Kyle when he got up since George had been up more than I had with Nathan last night. Did our usual morning thing and then I needed to start getting ready for work.

I was scheduled to work today from 9:45-4:30, so off I went about 8:45 this morning. As I was leaving, I saw the snow starting. I wasn't too worried because the roads were essentially clear and they were calling for some snow yesterday too, but we only ended up with a little on and off all day. I made the silly assumption that today would be the same. Well, by the time I got to work, it was really coming down and after being there a couple of hours, George called and suggested heading home. They asked to stay until breaks were done, so that was an hour and a half and I headed home a little before 2pm.

The roads near the store were quite good, but as soon as I went up the hill a little, it got worse. It took me about an hour for a 25 minute trip, but I made it home safe and sound. It has basically been snowing since this morning! I thought I saw a little rain mixed in for a bit, but at almost 11pm, we're back to snow. This is just nuts!

Anyway, after I got home, I puttered with dishes, laundry and general picking up after the Christmas craziness! Nathan had a good nap and seems to be back to his old self including the whining of an almost 3 year old who wants what he wants NOW! I'm glad he's feeling better and have to chalk it up to all the excitement and snacking yesterday.

We were invited to a get together at George's parents, but with Nathan having been sick and the weather, we decided we weren't going. George and Kyle went out to shovel snow after dinner instead! hee hee The snowman above was done after all the shoveling was done and though the light was bad, I thought I'd better take a picture in case it rained tonight and wasn't there in the morning. The way things are going, it may just be covered in snow again!

Well, I'm hoping to get out to do some shopping tomorrow! I got an IOU for money for Christmas and it's going toward a new camera!! I know what I want and I just hope we get a chance to get out there tomorrow, especially since I work again Sunday!

Better be off to bed here! Have a fabulous weekend!
Night!
Cheers,

Not the way I expected the day to end...

We had a really nice day here and picked mum and dad up at the airport at the crack of dawn after their 6 weeks in Australia. We did our tree and the boys wanted everything in the house opened to play with of course. We decided not to go to our extended family dinner since it's over an hour away and we have a ton of snow and it was snowing again when we made our decision.

We had turkey (done on the bbq in all the snow!) and all the trimmings here though and that was awesome. The boys had baths and got their jammies on. Nathan was complaining that something hurt on his side, but I thought it was because we were looking at where Kyle hurt his knee. Well, not too long after he went to bed... we had throwing up - X2! Niiiice way to spend Christmas evening - doing puke laundry!

I don't know if it was what he ate (though he didn't seem to have too much junk today honestly and had turkey, apple, some veg, etc at dinner), the excitement, too much running around, no nap (from being wound up) or maybe all of the the above!

Anyway, both he and Kyle are tucked in and seem fine and George and I are just hanging out and relaxing a bit before we call it an early night I think. I'm working tomorrow and We were up at 4:30am this morning to get George and Kyle out the door to the airport and so I could call mum and dad and tell them the boys were on their way! Thankfully, Nathan slept a little later until his usual 6am!

I hope everyone had a wonderful day! I really enjoyed ours though it was a little different without all of the family as well. It was fun watching the kids and the presents this morning! And one of the great things about staying at home is that I was in my sweats all day!

Merry Christmas everyone!
Night!
Cheers,

Merry Christmas!

Our little elf just wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas

from our family to yours!

This was the kind of day it was - more snow! A record in fact! I don't remember having this much snow at Christmas EVER! It has just snowed on top of snow on top of snow! And there's supposed to be more to come before it turned to rain! I spent my afternoon shoveling with Kyle with Nathan was taking his nap.

Tracy, Brian and the kids managed to get over here in their car and picked up the Chinese food on the way over. I ordered it and they managed to get it on their way so we didn't have to go out again. We ordered from a fairly new place near us and it was good, but I'm really full now!

After that, we had to whip up a few cookies for Santa! Tonight, it's peanut butter for Santa, so I hope he doesn't have an allergy to peanuts! The kids and I had fun doing that and leaving carrots out for the reindeer.

Then it was time to open their one present from Nana and Grandpa, which was jammies of course. Nana even managed to find the onesies jammies in Kyle's size!! The last pair she bought him I think he about wore out, so she knew he'd be happy and he is. Nathan loves that their are dinosaurs on his.

George went out and shoveled out mum and dad's car because he's decided to go pick them up at the crack of dawn at the airport with Kyle! He knows how much Kyle wants to see them and also knows that my mum and dad aren't really prepared for this cold weather, so he's going to go get them. I finished wrapping and we made our wifesaver french toast type breakfast together, so it's good to go for the morning now too.

Off to bed so Santa can come! Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!
Night!
Cheers,

The weather held off...

They were calling for more snow that would start later in the day, but I thankfully managed to get to work and back without too much trouble. Just took it easy since they were saying there was black ice out there and I'd also seen someone off the road in the bushes on my way to work!

Sophia was here first thing this morning and we had a fun time just playing and hanging out. Kyle and Nathan now like to climb into bed with me first thing and watch a bit of TV now that we have the one in the bedroom hooked up. I was up this morning when they got up though, so after Sophia got here, the 3 of them went and took all their friends (aka stuffed animals) and their own pillows and got in the bed in our room. They were so cute and I actually did manage to get a picture of them and it's a good thing since the batteries died after that and are recharging now! At least I got one picture today.

Trace came and got Fia about 11ish and then I got the boys lunch and we took Kyle to the Dr for a follow-up on his nose/adenoid surgery. The doctor said there's still a little puss in there that might be from the surgery, so we're going to try a few weeks of saline nose spray to try and clear it and if it doesn't clear that way, then we need to put him on an antibiotic to try and get it cleared up. The doctor said it wasn't anything to worry about though and may account for some of the stuffiness that he still has sometimes.

Came home and Nathan had a nap. Kyle laid down for a little bit, but didn't sleep. He wanted to go out and play, so I finally got him all bundled up and he was out there for a while in the cold when Nathan woke up and wanted to head out too, so they were both out there playing. Tried to take pictures of Kyle digging out the toy car and Nathan sitting in it afterwards, but that was when I realized the batteries were dead in the camera!

I did this really cool thing with the kids where you enter some info and then Santa sends them a personal message! Kyle was absolutely dumb-founded and has watched it a few times!
http://portablenorthpole.sympatico.msn.ca/home

As we were finishing up with that and checking his e-mail that we set up so mum and dad could e-mail him while they were away, he had a big meltdown. I figured it was coming and it waited longer than I expected, but it was because my parents were supposed to be home this morning and their flight didn't leave on time, so they're going to be late. He's missing them soooo much and has been counting the days to when they were coming home today and he lost it this evening and we had a lot of tears and some cuddles. I told him they were on their way and that they should be home Christmas morning which wasn't long now... I just feel so badly because there's not much I can do and he really misses them!

Then, it was time for me to get ready for work! As I said, the drive wasn't too bad as long as you took it easy and weren't driving like a maniac, but there are always some...

Better get some sleep since the kids'll be up early again. Hope to get some Chinese food for dinner tomorrow night one way or another too!

Night!
Cheers,


PS I will get caught up some time on my December daily and this stuff will all go in there!!

Santa Photo Day!

We FINALLY managed to get to the mall today and get a picture of the kids with Santa! We've been talking about it for ages, but wanted to get the boys a haircut before we did it and that didn't happen until later last week and then with the crazy weekend with me working and the snow, we didn't get there until today! The advantage was that because so many people are snowed in, there sure wasn't any line-up!

When I called the photo place that does the pictures to see when they opened, the guy said he was hoping Santa would make it in because 2 staff members had already said they couldn't make it. We headed up about 11 and I was surprised to see very few cars in the lot. Sure enough, when we got inside, there was almost no one there! We had had the boys wear their boots in so they wouldn't get Santa all wet and after changing them into their shoes, we sauntered right up and had the picture done.

I was a little worried about Nathan because when we got close to Santa, he started to cry and say "No, no", but Kyle went right on over and jumped in Santa's lap! Thankfully that seemed to make it OK for Nathan too and he changed his mind and sat next to Kyle very nicely. As it turned out, I think Nathan ended up with the better smile in the picture since Kyle was doing his sort of fake smile. It's all good though since that's just him these days! We'll get it back on Christmas eve, so I'm hoping George can pop back in there on his way home that day and pick it up.

Got a call from mum and dad today from Australia when they should have been on a plane home saying that they're suck there a little longer! Since the weather has been so bad here and there's only been one runway open at the airport, their plane never left Vancouver last night, so it wasn't there for them to get on this afternoon. Looks like the earliest they might get home is Christmas morning now, so we'll hope that's the case!

I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow... I'm looking after Sophia in the morning and then Kyle is supposed to go to the doctor at about 1pm. It'll depend on the roads tomorrow whether or not I decide to try and get him there to that. I'm also supposed to work tomorrow night, but with the forecast being for more snow in the evening, we'll see if I can get there.

The weather has been madness for sure! We've got over 35cm of snow (about 14 inches) and they're calling for more starting Tuesday evening and through Wednesday and then again Christmas Day (Thursday). There's no doubt it'll be a white Christmas here for sure! We're playing it by ear on whether or not we're going to my aunt and uncle's for dinner since that's over an hour away. I talked to my grandma about mum and dad being delayed and us maybe not making it for Christmas dinner and I know she's disappointed. Wait and see is all we can do...

George's mum called tonight too. She was out visiting family about an hour east of us and they hardly got any snow she was saying! She was a little shocked to see what was here when she got home today. She called to tell us that they're not going to do our usual dinner on Boxing Day what with the weather and people travelling in for it and then the issue with no parking anywhere because of all the snow. Have to do it another time when the weather gets better!

Looks like no matter what happens, we'll be having turkey! I thought George got a chicken the other night as our emergency meal, but I see now that he got a turkey since he said they were a good deal. I know that'll make him happy!

Anyway, after our trip to the mall, we stopped for lunch on the way home. I got George a gift certificate last Christmas for Sammy J Peppers and we'd never used it, so we all went for lunch today and had a really nice time. Afterwards, we popped into the Chinese food place in the same area and got a menu in case we order from there on Christmas eve since having Chinese food on Christmas eve is a family tradition for us! We also popped into the dollar store and had a little look around and then came home and got a few things done around here!

The boys even went out to play in the snow tonight. If I take Kyle to the Dr., I need to take mum and dad's car, but it was snowed in where it was, so George went to dig it out and the boys "helped". They went to go get me a coffee after and got some doughnuts at the same time! We got them ready for bed and then they got into our bed and watched Shrek the Halls before calling it a night!

I love that time just before bed when I go to tuck them in and we read stories and sing. They both wanted Frère Jacques tonight and Nathan also wanted the ABC song and You are my Sunshine. I'll be sad when the day comes that they don't want to sing before bed...

Speaking of bed, I'd better get myself there since I need to be up early and ready to go for the kids in the morning! George will be off to work again and let's hope he makes it safely! He loves driving in that white stuff and I wish I did...

Night!
Cheers,

Welcome to Winter!

Yes, this was the first day of winter though it's looked like winter for longer than that here. Mother Nature had us greeting winter with more than 24 hours of snow that still hasn't stopped! I worked last night and as I was coming home, it started and hasn't stopped since other than maybe an hour this morning when it was at least lighter.

George went out to shovel some this evening and the boys went out with him to play. They had fun out there! There is now a "snow mountain", as Kyle calls it, in our front yard where George was piling the snow from the driveway. The funny thing is that now, you'd never really know he did it.

I was scheduled to work at the scrapbooking store today and thought I'd venture out and try and get to work for at least a while today. The further I got from home, the worse it got and it was coming down hard then and I decided that there just wasn't any way I was going to make the 30ish minute drive. Thankfully, 2 of the other girls managed to make it in and it sounds like they were OK without me though I sure feel badly doing that. The worst part is that there's more snow to come and I work again Tuesday night as well, so we'll have to see.

Mum and dad are also in for a shock when they get home from their trip to Australia on Tuesday morning! They've been bathing in the summer sun down under, so I sent them some pictures the other day to show them what they're in for! I hope they don't have any delays...

Well, George has one more day off before he needs to try and venture out in this mess to go to work, so we'll enjoy it tomorrow! Better go get some sleep!

Cheers,

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

Yes, the predicted storm is now wafting snow all over the place and we've heard that it could be up to 25 cm (almost 10 inches) and they're calling it a blizzard, so it's not going to be nice. I'm supposed to work tomorrow, but not sure I'll be able to get there to be honest, so we'll have to wait and see. See how much of a winter wonderland there is in the morning.

We did manage to get our tree up today and that was fun! Nathan was really excited when George got the tree out. Kyle had fun putting his decorations that he made in Kindergarten on the tree and I need to get a picture of them too come to think of it. I do have some pictures, but I'm too tired to be bothered with them right now.

I worked this evening. I didn't think it'd be that busy, but it was steady anyway and we had some things to do as well, so it made the evening go by pretty quickly. I stopped for one last thing for the boys on the way home since it wasn't snowing yet. I went into Shoppers Drug Mart and when I came out 10 minutes later, the snow had started. An hour later (long after I was home), the roads were covered!

I think it's time to go get snuggled up in bed on this cold, cold windy and snowy night and see what's what in the morning!

Cheers,

Bind It All Desktop Calendar

OK, so as I mentioned in my post last night, I was trying to figure out what to do for a little gift for Kyle's teacher when I was looking through all the blogs on my Google Reader and found something on Kristina Werner's that clicked! She had linked up her roommate's blog and she had little calendars and I thought this would be perfect.

My original plan was to put it in a CD case, but decided I didn't like the look of that. Just before I went to work, I looked up desktop calendars made with the Bind It All and found some great stuff on the Bind It All blog. That then linked up to a little video on how to make this type of calendar. When I went to work, I picked up the paper I'd need and then did this when I got home at 10pm after work last night. You'll notice I lifted the cover design from the one on the BIA blog because when I was finishing at almost midnight, I was a little lacking in creative inspiration! I so love how it turned out though that I want to make more!

Supplies: Calendar from Jen. Cardstock is Bazzill. Patterned paper is Sandylion. Chipboard for covers. Bind it All machine and O-wires. Polka dot paper on cover is American Crafts. Numbers on cover are American Crafts Vinyl Thickers. Gemstones are Hero Arts. Flower punch is McGill. Scalloped punch used on cover is Fiskars Threading Water Punch. Misc gem for flower. Ink for distressing is Palette Noir Black.

Please feel free to ask any questions you have, but this was a surprisingly easy project and only took about 2 hours (other than printing off the calendar and that didn't take long)! I think I need to make more! And maybe even one for me!

Cheers,

A Project Almost Finished!

Just popping in quickly since I'm almost finished a gift for Kyle's teacher that I decided I was going to make today, but I LOVE how it's turning out, so I'll try and take pictures before I send it off to her with Kyle tomorrow!

Had busy one with the boys today and then Sophia was just here this afternoon. George went and took the boys for haircuts this afternoon and Nathan fell asleep in the car on the way home and I was worried about him going to bed again after the cry for the binkies the last time that happened, but we put him in bed and....nothing! Went right to sleep! Yeah! We are binkie free! Now to get rid of the diapers too!

I worked tonight and had fun with Diane and Jackie at work. The roads weren't too too bad for getting there, but no one was really driving crazy fast either thankfully. I even managed to get my cheque deposited tonight when I went out too!

Came home and have been working on this little project that I decided to do this afternoon and will give details tomorrow when I post it!

And here's a little something in the way of Christmas music for ya!


Have a great Friday!
Cheers,

Scrapdango Reveal and a lot of Snow!

OK, so after a few delays for poor Carrie and Dana with the kits this month at Scrapdango, we had our reveal today! These were done with the December Spice kit that had Rose Moka papers in it.

This second one was based on a sketch by another Scrapdango DTer - Kathi!

We got another blast of snow today to go along with all the cold weather we've been having. They were saying it could get as low as -20C with the wind chill tonight. Yikes! The kids were out in the snow though I mostly got pics of Kyle when he was out earlier and Nathan and Sophia were still napping. Kyle is such a poser!

Well, better go put the boys to bed since it's about that time! Hope the weather gets better for tomorrow evening since I'm supposed to be going in to work!

Have a great Thursday!
Cheers,

A Very Christmassy Day!

We had a really good day today and it started with me sleeping until about 8:30! George let me sleep even on a day when Sophia was here at 7! I heard the kids playing and yelling and I think that's what woke me up.

I got up and did some picking up and getting the house in order while the kids played and hung out. Kyle had his Christmas concert today, so only had class in the afternoon. I did an early lunch so he could have something before class at 12:30 and then George took him to school while the little ones went down for naps. Nathan took a little while, but did go to sleep. Little Miss Fia was another story since she heard Tracy and Matthew come to hang out while we were at the concert and then she just wanted to get up and never did have a nap!

The concert was so cute! The Kindergarten kids sang 2 songs. I admit that when they started, a tear welled up. Kyle's just getting so big and I was also really proud of him because he was actually singing and doing all the actions. He was right in there! The gym was really poorly lit though and I didn't really get a good picture, but we did get some video that was better, so we can show everyone that wasn't able to be there! Kyle has already seen it and wanted to watch it again right after he'd just seen it!





This evening, George told the boys that we'd go to the so called "Rock and Roll" house to look at the lights. Took us a few minutes to find it, but we did. The only problem was that it was so cold. Kyle insisted on wearing his pjs since he'd worn them to school for his concert and didn't want to change. He didn't last long in the cold though as a result and it was really very cold! The funny part was that I didn't get a good picture of him either because he said he was too cold to smile!

Now, the weather outside is saying we might have a white Christmas yet because it has started snowing just like they said it would! I'm so glad George is home this week and can help with getting Kyle to school with it being so darn cold! The kids'll no doubt be wanting to get out there and play it in, but it's so cold, it probably won't last long.

Well, better go get some sleep before the kids are up and raring to go again!
Cheers,

Scrapdango Scrappy Goodness at my Doorstep

This is what recently arrived at my door - the December Scrapdango kit featuring Rose Moka ~ Equinoxe. The colours are fabulous and I need to find some more time to play with it and soon! The reveal will be shortly on the board and I'll post my layouts here and link you up to the others by the talented ladies on the design team when that happens!

Busy day again today! George got called into work last night in the middle of the night. The call actually came at about 5pm which was a good thing because it meant he got a little sleep beforehand. I was on bath/shower and bed duty last night as a result. I was so exhausted that I admit that I ended up watching the finale of Survivor and just getting a few household things done.

The kids were up around 6:30 this morning and George wasn't even home for an hour after that! I got myself ready for work and got Kyle sorted for school. I dropped him at school on my way to work and that's where I spent the day. George took Nathan and they picked Kyle up today which he loves: days when Daddy picks him up!

I didn't even get home until about 7 tonight and had a bite to eat and helped the kids get ready for bed. Read Kyle's Star Wars library book again which is apparently his favourite now. And then I knew I just had to get the layout tag done from Scrapdango that I'd been sitting on for a couple of days! I sure hadn't planned it that way and I'm sorry for slowing things down girls, but I did mine and sent it off tonight!

I think it's time to pack it in here tonight. Kyle only has Kindergarten in the afternoon tomorrow as it's their Christmas concert! Fun!

Cheers,

A Movie Night!

Well, George got a call late this afternoon asking if he wanted to go in to work tonight at about 2am to do some salting and prep work for the morning. He accepted even though his holidays actually start tomorrow as well! As a result, he went to bed at about 6pm and the boys and I hung out and watched a movie.

I'd never seen Polar Express, but it was on CBC tonight. Kyle had watched a little one night, but hadn't seen the whole thing and I admit that I was quite quickly drawn in. The boys and I had a great time hanging out and watching it tonight and I'm sure it won't be the last time!

Just to leave you with a little something for the holidays from the most recent addition to my Christmas music collection...


Have a fabulous week!
Cheers,

Wonderful Day with the Boys!

Well, wasn't sure what we were going to get up to today, but it was a great day! I slept in after working late for Midnight Madness last night at the store. I had been trying to figure out what I was going to do today because George got called into work for the Olympic oval opening ceremony today and I was already scheduled to work. I was talking about it at work and one of my wonderful co-workers, Pauline, offered to switch today and Monday with me. Then, I could stay home with the boys today and she could go do Christmas shopping on Monday when it wouldn't be as busy! With a very appreciative thanks, I said "Done!".

As a result, I got to sleep in this morning and got up at 9am. George was busy getting ready shortly after I got up, so I didn't see much of him. After he left, I was trying to figure out what we were going to do for the day and decided maybe we'd head out to the store and visit the girls at work and I could get Matthew's Christmas present. I also told them we'd go out for lunch, so they were excited. By the time we were all ready, it was about 11am, so we headed out a little later than I would have liked, but whatever! We went to work and took the girls coffee and then I got what I needed for my gift. I also got the boys some inexpensive paper and then we spent a while die cutting some things for art projects and had a ton of fun playing!

We then sent off for lunch at McDonald's. The traffic was awful and then the line-up at McDonald's (even inside) was bad too, but the boys were very good and remarkably patient. Kyle was a little disappointed they were out of the Bionicles that went with the kid's meals, but he even took that in stride really. Once we had lunch, we headed off home again. I stopped for a coffee at Tim's and the boys each got 2 TimBits. I admit to having a delicious candy cane doughnut too!

Nathan fell asleep on the way home since it was just after 2 then and he should've been in bed by 1! Today was the first tears we had over the no more binkie too because he was half-asleep and tired, he really wanted his binkie. I just rubbed his forehead for a minute like my mum used to do when I was sick or upset and that seemed to calm him down and he went to sleep. Kyle went for a "rest" and that turned into a nap too since he was up early. I was still sort of tired from being up so late last night since I left work at 12:30am and then went shopping at Walmart! I think I got to bed a little after 2am! I ended up watching TV in bed for a bit and think I even dozed off for a half hour or so!

I woke the boys up so that they'd actually sleep tonight and then we just had dinner and sort of hung out. They were great! I let them play on the Build-A-Bear website for a bit and then it was jammies, teeth and a story. We read Kyle's Star Wars book that he got from the school library. I think we might just be starting the hit the Star Wars stage in our house finally. I figured it would come...

Well, it's a bit of a winter wonderland out there again. It started snowing within the last couple of hours again and Kyle's really excited. The snow we got the other day didn't last long because it rained after, but who knows about this since they're calling for snow for tomorrow too! Not going anywhere tomorrow anyway and I'm just hoping to get the tree up, so that may end up being the plan for the day! Well, that and a snowball fight maybe!

Have a fabulous Sunday!
Cheers,

Snow Day!

OK, it's not actually a snow day in the sense that anyone stayed home, but it is the first snowfall of the year. It's sort of been off and on again with some rain mixed in too and I'm hoping it stays that way since I'm going to work tonight and will be there until late for Midnight Madness!

We had a fun day and Kyle has, of course already been out in the snow! He wanted to head out as soon as he got home from school, but I managed to get him to wait until the kids had had lunch and then as soon as Nathan and Sophia were in bed, he was geared up and ready to go! Was out there for about 15 or 20 minutes before he was cold and wet (since it's also been sort of raining) enough to come in and have some hot chocolate!

It was a nice morning all around actually since Trace and Matthew came over as well. She was nice enough to come before Kyle went to school and she took him up and I stayed here with the other 3 kids. He was very excited about auntie taking him to school! Trace stopped at Tim Horton's before she came back and we had a coffee and a bagel! The kids got Timbits of course! We hung out and then Trace even went and got Kyle before heading home to put Matthew down for a nap! Thanks again Trace!

I would like to try and get a few things done here during naptime and before I need to get ready for work, so I'd better run! Have a fabulous weekend!

Cheers,

Another Milestone Day...

this time for Kyle since it was his first report card day!! Of course, since it's Kindergarten, it's all comments and without grades, but it was exciting nonetheless. OK, I should qualify that and say exciting for me. To him, it was just another piece of paper being sent home!

OK, and I'd also be lying if I said I wasn't hoping there'd be a few "exceeding expectations" rather than the "meeting expectations", but that's just the competitive girl in me that was always out for good marks when I was in school! Kyle is doing well and doesn't need that kind of pressure and I'm very sure to be conscious of that streak in me when it comes to dealing with his school stuff!

Wow! I'm the parent of a boy with a report card! Unbelievable! Where does the time go?! I'm so proud!

Cheers,

A Momentous Night

Well, I'm certainly not proud to say that Nathan still has a binkie (soother) at night and we've been talking about getting rid of it for ages. We told ourselves we wouldn't wait as long as we did with Kyle, but yet here we are!

If he takes it out of bed, I've been telling him to put it back or I'll put it in the garbage because he's a big boy and he really doesn't need it. Went to make dinner tonight and put some things in the garbage and I think I literally gasped! There it was, one of the 2 binkies we have left in the garbage! He wanted it back and I told him no way!

Now, fast forward to bedtime... can't find the other one! He went to bed fine and without any tears! He's apparently ready or something because it's sooo not like it was with Kyle when we had days and nights of crying when he finally lost his last one. Nathan was up for quite a while tonight and I had to put him back in bed a couple of times, but he finally just went to sleep without it and without much fanfare either! *shock*

Now the only thing is to find the missing one before he does! Oh and I did take a picture of the binkie in the garbage, but I'm too tired to post it right now!

Cheers,

File Folder Tag Album Tutorial

This is my project that I posted at Scrapdango for our 12 Days of Christmas Gift Giving.


File Folder Tag Book

1 letter sized manila folder
2 pieces of coordinating patterned paper (or more depending on how you embellish it)
1 piece of coordinating cardstock
4 large eyelets
2 ft coordinating ribbon
1 brad
coordinating flowers or embellishments

1. cut folder in half along the fold so that you now have 2 halves
2. I used the half that's shorter so the measurements are for that half though you could use the other as well
3. score 3 inches from the bottom horizontally and fold that section up.


4. fold the file folder in half (vertically)


5. fold each of those halves in half again to give you 4 parts to your album




6. from cardstock (blue in mine) or a patterned paper cut the following sizes:
2 ¾ ” x 5 ½” (trace and trim left corner)
2 ¾ ” x 5 ½”
2 ¾ ” x 5
2 ¾ ” x 5 (trace and trim right corner)
Adhere these pieces to sections as shown in photo

7.Cut the coordinating piece of patterned paper (2 ¾” x 27/8”) that you're going to fold over and attach it to the inside bottom panel second from the left.


8.From patterned paper (little trees in mine), cut 4 pieces sized at 2 ¾” x 2 7/8”
Adhere these pieces to front panels as shown in photo


9. fold your album in half and, using a Cropadile or some other eyelet tool, punch a hole through all 4 layers of your album (front, back and the 2 layers of the folded up piece).

10. Decorate the front of your album as you wish.
11. Set large eyelets into the 4 holes that you've punched (so that the insides of the eyelets will face each other on the inside and be hidden). Thread ribbon around album.
12. Decorate the inside of the album however you want!

13. cut tags (or pictures) the following sizes from cardstock:
1 ¾” x 5 ¼”
2 ¼” x 5 ¼”
2 ¼” x 4 ¾”
1 ¾” x 4 ¾”
(The width of 2 is smaller because of the eyelets you set.)


Hope you try it and I can see what you've created!

This idea originally came from a couple of people:
Taylor VanBruggen
Kristina Werner

Please feel free to ask questions or clarify anything that doesn't make sense to you!
Cheers,