creative escape!

Wow...what can I say? I am back from Creative Escape in Phoenix and it was AWESOME!! I am so tired, I'm still trying to catch up on my sleep, but it was soooo worth it. Where do I begin? I went with Kim and my mom, who was willing to watch Gabby for me while I was in classes....thanks, momma! I honestly couldn't have done it without her. And Kim was so patient with the baby and I the whole trip...I'm sure she was glad to get home to some peace and quiet. hehe! Anyways, the weekend was just awesome. All of the classes and teachers were amazing and we came home with some beautiful projects. I just couldn't believe all of the little details that went into this weekend...from everything being perfectly coordinated in pink and green, to the popcorn and bubble bath left in our rooms at night, to the amazing food, to the matching flip flops that we all got...aahhh! It honestly WAS an escape of a weekend for all those who attended. I am feeling so inspired and just wanting to SCRAP...but we all know how little time there is in the day to do that!! Heidi and Mr. Bazzill were so much fun...I just can't believe how hard they worked to put this weekend together. I think my fave classes were Heidi's clock and Allison Tyler-Jones' photography class. She was so amazing...i was balling during her slideshows. Aaaahhh! And yes, Gabby was included in all of this...I cannot believe how much attention one little baby got this weekend! All the ladies were just amazed by her hair. It was fun to show her off, but also so NICE to have my mom there helping me...like I said, there's no way i would have gotten anything done in the classes if it weren't for her!
So anyways, here sre some pictures from Heidi's class...she is so awesome. This picture is of my clock, not quite finished...but how fun, hey???




We also went to this store called Lucky 15 and it is sooooo cute! It's like a specialty store with scrapbook stuff as well as other paper artsy stuff. And they give you a little fortune cookie in your bag when you buy your stuff! So much fun...I couldn't resist taking a ton of pictures in there.



You can see more pictures of Lucky 15 here.

This is a picture of Kim and I in class....


...and Wendy Smedley and I from Simple Scrapbooks. She is the creative editor of SS mag and we sat and talked one night...she is so sweet and answered tons of questions I had for her. Thanks, Wendy!


And the one and only Donna Downey was there, too! This chick just meets soooo many people in her travels...and she is always willing to chat with people and take pictures. I'm sure it gets old fast, but she is an awesome sport. So here she is with Gabby and I.


The last night was so much fun. We were all served a big sit-down dinner and since the theme of the weekend was "indulgence" we were served our dessert first. Isn't that cute? So all the waiters came out with our plates of chocolate cake and we got to eat that before dinner was served. I loved that. After dinner, Stacey Julian from SS and Big Picture Scrapbooking spoke to all of us and it was so amazing. She is just this totally inspiring woman and it was so cool to hear her talk. I could have listened to her all night. Seriously.


And last but not least, here is a picture of Heidi and I with our babies. Gabby is only about a week and a half older than Capri...how cute are they? This was such a neat way to end off the weekend...Kim and I just managed (somehow) to catch Heidi on her own and we were able to visit with her a bit and thank her for the weekend...and then we went to our room to pack ALL OF OUR STUFF!! All I can say is, it's a darn good thing I brought an empty suitcase with me! We got so much stuff and of course I had to buy stuff, too!


So now I home and it really is time to get back to normal life and to get in some sort of schedule with my girls. It's nice knowing that i don't have anything happening for the next little while. I still have pictures to share of Gabby's baby blessing last weekend...I will get to that as soon as I can!! Bye for now!!

i'm home!!

So we got home from Montana yesterday, and I am exhausted...funny how a vacation can do that to you, hey? Hehe. We had a great time at the lake with both of our family's and I had so many pictures to share that i didn't even know where to begin...so I posted them here for those who want to take a look. Gabby is growing and Payton is BUSY.... she kept us all very entertained. She's learning new words (and coming up with her own as well!) so we had lots of good laughs. I love this picture of Payton and daddy in the boat...totally captures how much fun Payton was having and how enamored daddy is with his little girl.

So now I am home and trying to get my life organised. We are in the middle of some renovations in our house, so needless to say it is a disaster...awesome new floors, but now there's tons of painting and reorganising to be done. It'll be awesome when it's all finished, but for the time being I am living in chaos....and I miss my bathroom sink and countertop...2 things I never really appreciated till they were gone! And of course, we are crunched for time. There are always other things coming up...Gabby is being blessed on Sunday, we're having a big family brunch for it. Then we have a funeral on Monday for Graham's grandpa and I leave for Phoenix on Wednesday for Creative Escape (another scrapbooking weekend). AAaahhhh! I guess it's the rule that everything happens at once. So I'm trying to take deep breaths and just do as much as I can. I'll be away from the computer again for a while, but thanks for stopping by!

I guess the summer is officially over...

new baby pages...

So I actually got around to getting some scrappin' done. Crazy, hey? I went to the scrapbook store on the weekend and picked up some new stuff...and then with all the cute baby pictures I've been taking, I HAD to do a couple pages. I totally sacrificed precious sleeping time to get these done, but it was fun and worth it! I have another page of Payton and Gabby in progress...but I can't seem to find a half hour to finish it up...so we'll see how long that'll take. Hehe!

We are all doing really well. Gabby is just a champion sleeper. Nights with her have been so easy so far (knock on wood!) so I hope it stays this way. I have to get up once in the night to feed her, but she always goes right back to sleep, so it's been great. Graham hasn't been losing any sleep at all!! (note minor resentment here on my part...hehe) But I guess he can't very well feed her in the middle of the night, so that's okay. :)

Payton is adjusting so well to being a big sister. She just loves Gabby and is always wanting to give her kisses and cuddles. She is such a big girl now...she has grown up so much in these past 2 weeks! Makes me sad, but I'm also so proud of her for how she has been handling things.

Well, this will probably be my last post for about 2 weeks...we're heading to Montana to spend some time with our families at the lake. I'm looking forward to chilling out and hopefully getting some naps in! I'll check back in as soon as I can, but until then, everyone enjoy the rest of the summer!

SOOOOO much to share...

Well, this past week with Gabby at home has been wonderful, busy and tiring! I just wanted to thank everyone for all the nice comments and emails...it means a lot to me! These two pictures of Gabby's little head and feet were taken by Kim at the hospital when she came to see us...there was this perfect evening sun coming in through the window so we took advantage of it and did a little photo shoot. Such cute pictures, hey?

And here is Payton and Gabby...sisters. So cool! I love saying that! Payton is such a good big sister and loves Gabby to death...always wanting to kiss and cuddle and help the baby burp. P just cracks me up...she likes to take Gabby's soother and hide it on me. But she always knows exactly where to find it when I ask her to get it!

And here's Gabby and I when she was 2 days old...my little girl...so fun to have a baby around again...

Gabby is just like Payton was and looooves to be wrapped up tight in her blankets...her eyes aren't open that often (she is an AWESOME sleeper!) so I had to take this picture of her when she was lounging on the couch, looking around. So sweet!!

Okay, don't laugh at me...Gabby sleeps in a laundry basket beside our bed right now. She has a beautiful crib, but I would just rather have her close to me right now so I can hear her and not have to get out of bed at night...and look how cute she is in there! This little bed is the perfect size! hehe! I may have to borrow a cradle from someone soon...


And here is Graham with his girls...he is so cute with them, there's nothing like seeing your hubby love and cuddle his kiddies. Makes my heart so happy.

And last but not least, I took this picture today...I left the room for about 2 minutes and when I came back, Payton was decorating her little sister with stickers. How hillairious is that? I had to take a picture of course, it was so funny. Glad that Payton was willing to share her stickers (one of her FAVE things to play with) with her little sister. Again, it made my heart so happy. So things are going well...we're all learning and adjusting to the changes in our family, and I know that's all a part of the process. I just keep telling myself that the only thing that matters is that my kids are happy. I know I am....tired....but also very happy.

Welcome, Gabriella...

Well, we had Gabriella Mae on Saturday, July 29th at 9 am and we're all home now and doing awesome. Gabby is such a good little eater, so that makes life easy for me! I just can't believe that I am all of the sudden a mother of two...scary, but wonderful. Gabby was exactly 6 pounds and measured 19 3/4 inches in length. A small, but good little size...I'm glad she wasn't any bigger!

So now we are all just adjusting to life as a family of four. Payton is doing really well, she already loves her little sister. She gets mad when I put the baby in the crib...I think she still remembers sleeping in it and isn't too happy when she sees the little intruder in there. So cute. Graham is thrilled with his two little girls and I'm just trying to keep up! Hehe! All things considered, though, I'm actually feeling really good...just a tad sleep deprived!

Here are some more pictures from the hospital...guaranteed there will be lots and lots more to share!! Bye for now!

payton and me

So I had this great idea on the weekend to do a little photo shoot of Payton and I before the baby comes...just some shots of her and I, all happy and cute...ya, it didn't exactly turn out that way. Try explaining to a 1 year old that you want to take tons of pictures and she needs to smile and look at the camera and be cute and happy. Haha! So this is one of the best shots. Notice how I'm in it, but not in it, and Payton looks cute but still isn't looking right at the camera. Ah, well, I tried, right?

Now I'm just sitting here waiting for this baby to come...I went a little crazy on the weekend and this past couple days cleaning and organizing and doing things that in my head HAD to get done before the baby comes, but really in the long run, won't make a difference. But, oh, well...my house is organised and clean...it just took being 9 months pregnant to get all this stuff done! I have clean closets, clean laundry and a clean kitchen...hopefully that'll last for a few days at least??

Anyways, just wanted to check in and let ya all know that I'm still here and I'm still WAITING...
I'll keep ya posted if anything happens!!

i made a font!!!

I am soooo excited! I have been keeping this a secret for a while now, but a while back, I submitted a font that I designed to Creating Keepsakes, and they chose it to make into a font for the scrapNfonts website. Cool, hey? You can check out my font, "CK Taliatype" here...I hope to see you scrapbookers using it on your pages! Hehe! I used it for the writing on the above card...so weird to see my writing as a font. Kinda fun.

As usual, I've just been busy busy. I'm finally getting things a little better organized on my new computer...it's so different and it's taking me a while to re-learn everything...hopefully I'll be a pro soon. So I'm going a little cross-eyed right now, I've been sitting looking at the computer screen for hours. It's definately time for bed!

I did have a good day, though...I got a pedicure tonight which was so relaxing. If it didn't cost so much I would get them all the time! Nice to be pampered a little bit. And has anyone been watching "So You Think You Can Dance"??? Ah, I freakin' love that show. Donyelle, Travis and Benji are my faves. They are just so amazing. AAAahhh! So glad I still have another month of viewing pleasure.

Anyways, I'm honestly going to pass out if I don't get to bed NOW...I need to take advantage of the fact that I get to sleep thru the whole night. Not much longer till I'm up all the time! Craziness! Catch ya later.

been so busy!

Well....I guess it's been another week of bad blogging for me! But I've been super-busy and also super-successful in getting things ready around the house for the baby. First of all, Payton's totally moved into her new room and loving it...she's sleeping in her big girl bed now...I'm so proud of her, but sad at the same time. I'm still trying to come to terms with the fact that she's going to be a big sister soon! But her room is so cute and she loves to play with her toys in there. A nice change.

I also got the baby's room totally set up and organized and it feels so great to know that I am ready. It was so fun to go thru all of my newborn stuff and get it all out again...but scary to think that I'm already doing this for a second time! I embellished these little onesies thanks to Heidi Swapp's iron-on letters...how cute are they?? I am so excited to get them on my little girl.




So now we're just waiting for this baby to come...I am 37 weeks and I keep telling myself that I WILL have this baby in July! Hehe! We're just so excited and my back is very sore...I can't wait to sleep normally again! And speaking of sleep, I'm apparently not getting any of it tonight. It's 2:45am and i am wide awake. Gotta love the pregnancy insomnia. Ah, well...that's what naps are for, right?

Oh, and P.S...we just got a Mac last week, so I'm desperately trying to figure this thing out. I know once I get used to it, it will be awesome, but for the time being, I am anything BUT computer savvy. So it may take me awhile to get back into the swing of things. Anyways...that's all for tonight I guess...maybe I'll try to get some sleep!!?!

lots to share...

Okay, so I know I have been a bad blogger this week! But I have been so busy and have just had so much to do...I'm almost 36 weeks (yay!) so this pregnancy is coming to an end and I'm just trying to prepare for another little one in the house. Right now I'm in the process of moving Payton into her new room...it's taking awhile 'cause I can only do it when she's awake (not that easy to be organizing and moving stuff when she's trying to sleep in her crib)...but...when she's awake, let's face it, how much can I actually get done?? So it's taking me a while. Hopefully I'll be able to finish that up tonight, then it's on to organizing through all of my newborn stuff and getting the baby's room ready. And of course I have to make everything "cute"...decorating, etc...so this is a big job for me! Hehe!!
Graham has been camping this week and then he had to go to Red Deer to so some painting, so I'm looking forward to him coming home tonight. Thank goodness for my sister and her kids...they've kept Payton and I company and are awesome baby-sitters. I find after a couple days without my husband around I start to get BORED...and I think Payton feels it, too. So we're excited for daddy to come home!
I also just wanted to share some layouts I did last week:












And then here's a couple pictures from last weekend when we were in Red Deer...Payton and Mya hangin' out in the hammock...
...and Mya, Kedan, Payton and Ochiel...sadly, this is the best picture I could get of the 4 of them! Payton refused to look at the camera, so this is what I ended up with! Hehe!!

If I'm MIA again for a while, it's just 'cause I'm busy "nesting"...I have a whole list of things I want to get done before the baby comes, so I'm slowly working on all that. Wish me luck!!

happy canada day!

We're off to Red Deer today to spend some time with Graham's family and just chill out...I'm hoping this good weather lasts so Payton can play outside with her cousins all weekend...did I mention how much I love summer?

I took these pictures of Payton last week...she is so funny. Photo shoots with her are always interesting...I have to take a million pictures so I guarantee that there's at least 2 or 3 pictures where she's actually looking at the camera! Hehe! Seriously, though, what the heck did we do before digital cameras?? I made that little Canadian flag with my mom last week, too...it looks really cute outside at the front of the house....we've been living here for 3 years and I'm finally just starting to make the outside of my house cute in the summertime. I even have flowers!! Whoa!!

I'm getting so anxious, nervous, excited and impatient about having this baby!! I can't believe it's only weeks away now that we'll have another little person in our family. So crazy. I don't know if it's really hit me yet...I still have so much to do before the baby comes...switching rooms, organizing closets and baby stuff...leave it to me to leave it till the last minute. Ah, well, that's the best time to get things done, right??

Anyways, I'm off...have an awesome weekend everyone!!

it's so hot!

Normally I would be all about the hot weather, but being 8 and a half months pregnant makes me not want to be outside as much! It is beautiful weather, though...and Payton loves it. The 3 of us have all moved to the basement to sleep...it's just way to stinkin' hot upstairs to even consider sleeping up there. So, since we have no air conditioning, we're grateful for the basement!

Yesterday was fun...Payton loves the water so I filled her little baby bathtub (I know, I know, I need to go out and actually buy a pool!) with water and her toys and she splashed and played all morning. I even had the hose out and loved running through the water. Then last night, Gray, Payton and I went to the legislative grounds with my sister's family so the kids could play in the water...it was sooooo nice! Evenings are the best! By the point it was cooling off and a bit shadier outside, but Payton was determined she was going to swim...she wouldn't let us take her out of the water...when her lips were blue and she wouldn't stop shivering, we decided it was time to go home. I love summer...even though I'm boiling hot, I hope this weather lasts!

I did this page last week...just inspired by Ali Edwards who loves scrapbooking those "everyday" moments. I want to do more pages like this...ones where the pictures aren't necessarily perfect, but thet tell a story and mean something to Gray and I.

Happy summer, I hope everyone is out getting a tan!

baby announcement

I made this announcement for my bro-in-law and his wife of their little boy, Ochiel! He's such a cutie, seriously the tiniest baby I have ever seen. Payton and I went to a baby shower for him and Jody last night and it was lots of fun...always fun to hold babies and visit and Payton had a blast running around and playing with her cousins. Just a short post today...it's sooooo nice outside, I gotta get out there with Payton!!

payton and izzy

I just wanted to share these cute pictures of Payton and my friend Laurie's, little girl Isabe. How cute are they? Laurie is in town visiting from Winnipeg and we had such a nice night last night. She stopped by for a little bit and we *attempted* to take these pictures of the girls...notice how the 7 month old is smiling nice for the camera and my 1 year old isn't looking at the camera at all?? Yup, that's my kid! Anyways, they were so cute...Payton just wanted to kiss and tickle Izzy...I'm hoping she'll feel the same way about her little sister as she has about these other baby girls lately! Then we went to a performance put on by a local dance company called "Freefall" and it was awesome. Awesome dancers, awesome choreography and awesome to have a night out! Just made me think....hmmm....maybe after this baby I'll get back in shape and audition for the company next year. That would be cool. It was just neat 'cause in the show the dancers ages ranged from like 22-40...just a bunch of awesome, fit chicks who love to dance and wanted to perform. That's what I miss about dancing. Lots of people ask me why I don't teach more, and it's hard to explain that it's just not the same...it's one thing to be in a classroom setting and then it's totally another thing to be performing on stage. Both are great...but I miss performing....the nerves, the rehearsals, the hair, the makeup, the costumes, and then the rush of being onstage. I think since I started performing when I was 3 years old, it's hard to let go of! There are still times when I'm listening to music in my car and I'm choreographing in my head and designing cotumes and stuff. Haha! So funny. I guess that will always be a part of me, though, and I love that. My life is different now, but I'll always have a love and appreciation for dancing and all that I was able to accomplish. So...then I came home and watched "So You Think You Can Dance" which my sweetie hubby taped for me. AAhhh!! I love that show! I'm definately liking and disliking certain couples now...nothing personal, just from my dancer point of view! I though Danielle and Benji and Travis and Martha were awesome. And I still love Allsion, I think it's too bad that Ivan's her partner...he definately won't be able to carry her thru some of the other styles. Oh, so much fun. But...I gotta get going. Lots to do in the precious time that Payton's asleep!!

scrap therapy

Okay, so people who read my blog who don't scrapbook probably think I am the biggest geek ever because I am so into it, but I can't help it...this is what I do! This is what makes me happy and helps me to unwind. This past week and a half has not been fun...Payton and I have been sick with colds and we are just not getting better and I am SO OVER IT!! I feel totally useless and unproductive and Payton's getting bored being in the house all day...to top it all of it's been rainy rainy weather everyday (literally) so we haven't been able to do anything outside...*sigh*. So, while Payton was sleeping this afternoon I decided to do a little something fun, and this is what I came up with. Yay! Gray had Maggie with him today so I was all by myself in my room for a few hours which never happens. So...my nose is still completley stuffed up, my tooth is still aching (did I mention that, too??) and my house is still a mess but I created a pretty page. So all is good. Time to wake Payton up and see if I can get some food in her tummy. Oh, and did anyone tune in for "So You Think You Can Dance?" last night? I am sooooooooo excited that this show is on again, and 2 nights a week this year. Yay! I haven't decided who my favorites are yet, but there are definatley some amazing dancers. Last night I liked Benji and his partner (he wasn't at the top of my list before, but I like him now) and Travis and Martha. So awesome!! Who will be voted off tonight??? Can't wait to see!!

photo shoot...

I've had such a busy week! My sister was in town from Houston with her baby, Molly, so of course we had to take advantage of the opportunity and take pictures of all the grandkids. And, oh, what fun that was....hehe. (note the sarcasm in my voice!) Oh, it wasn't that bad...how many kids do you know that actually WANT to sit and get a hundred pictures taken of themselves? Not many. But I did manage to get some cute shots. I'm by no means a pro photographer or anything like that, but with good lighting and a good camera, I'm ready to go! So these are some of my faves from the shoot...you can check out some more cute ones here.

Today was a looong day....both Payton and I have colds and it's been raining like crazy outside, so there wasn't much for us to do other than laze around today...while the day was a bit long, we definatley had some nice moments...cuddling on the couch and watching Dora was one of the highlights. Payton is so busy lately that I treasure those moments when she'll sit and snuggle...so that was nice.

Just thought I'd share these pictures and now it's off to bed for me!

havin' some fun...

...in my scrap room the other night. It seems like forever since I've just sat down and done a couple pages. So that was nice. Didn't get to bed till about 1 or 2am...I lose track when I'm down in the basement all by myself!

I also thought I'd share that I've been added to The Urban Scrapbook's design team (my local scrapbook store) so I'm excited about that. I'll complete 1 page a month to be displayed in their store as well as teach classes whenever I can. I've also added a link to the right where you can click to see the classes I have taught and upcoming ones as well...so take a look if you're interested!

Happy Father's Day!

So, this project was for a class that I taught at my LSS, The Urban Scrapbook, this morning, and I just thought I'd share some pics! It was lots of fun to teach and I'm *pretty* sure all the ladies in my class were happy with the results. Hehe!! Besides all of the sanding (I'm sorry ladies!!) it was a fun project to do. All the patterned papers are KI memories, the cardstock is Bazzill and the silhouette words are Heidi Swapp...probably one of my top 10 fave scrapping products right now. The album is assembled using ribbon and plastic zipties...another fun thing to use! So thanks so everyone who came to class this morning, you guys were all awesome!! Hope all of your daddies, grandpa's and hubby's love' em!