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Okay, so I've finally found a few minutes to share about my "SHE" experiance at CKU. Let's just hope Payton doesn't manage to destroy too much while I'm on the computer. Hehe! Anyways, to put it simply, it was amazing. The class was taught by Heidi Swapp, and she totally created and came up with the concept of the "SHE" album. She was inspired by this book by Kobi Yamada, and then she just took it from there.
The class had about 114 women in it, so there was alot of us! On our first day we were all given these plastic containers FULL of Heidi Swapp products and everything that we would need to make our album...so fun! Everyone was super excited.
You can see in this picture the little instruction booklet that came with all of our stuff...it made it so easy to follow along. Heidi's page is on the left hand side and all the insructions are on the right so it's pretty fool-proof and makes it possible to work at home. This album is so involved with lots of techniques and stuff that there really was no way to finish it in the 2 short days we had there.
This picture of Heidi speaking isn't the greatest, but it just gives you an idea of what it was like...she was at the front with a microphone and she would explain certain teachniques and whatever else we were working on, and she had images up on the screen for all of us to follow, etc. So cool! It was such a neat experiance 'cause at the beginning of our first class, Heidi just explained about the album and what it means to her and stuff...the whole room was crying within the first 5 minutes! I liked that this wasn't just a "cut and paste" type of class...it really made everyone think about that certain "she" in her life that she was doing the album for...whether it was for a mother or a sister, or a daughter or a grandmother, or even ourselves...we all had to come up with "She" statements for each page. Some of mine for example, are "She is a woman", "She is in love", "She loves to dance", "She has a life within her", "She lives for her daughter"...and then I'll do journallin on each page. I'm excited to get working on my album and
do all of my journalling, and of course I'll share the finished product. It may take a while, though! So anyways, here's a picture of my workspace and then Kim and I with Heidi and her team (Liz, Emily and Jodi). They were awesome and just helped out with everything. Liz even made all the ladies in the class "she" rings. You can check them out here. There were just so many extra things that we got out of this class that made it so fun!! On our one night where we had an evening class that was supposed to finish at 9pm, Heidi and her team all stayed with us till about midnight (Kim and I left a little earlier than that!) but they ordered us pizza and just chatted with all of the students. It was so laidback and fun and neat to chat with Heidi and share stories.
And finally, here are 3 of my almost-finished pages! These were the ones I completed at CKU, and I'll have to finish the rest on my own time. Most of our class time was filled up with learning different techniques using Heidi's products, and then we have the instruction booklet to actually finish our pages.
Whew! So....lost of photos and blabbing today. But I didn't want to leave anything out...for me and for anyone who's interested!! You can check out Heidi's blog here for her take on the weekend and some more pictures. FYI...the picture of all the little piles of projects that we were working on is my stuff! I feel so special she took a picture of my little work area. Hehe! Anyways, on our last class with Heidi, she let anyone who wanted to share one of their "she" statements, or who they were doing the album about and it was so great to hear what people had to share. Of course there were more tears...one woman shared how her mother has beat breast cancer 3 times, another one shared how strong her mother was when her brother passed away...all things that people were including in their albums. Who are the "SHE'S" in your life? Who are those special women who inspire, uplift and motivate you? The whole weekend just really made me think...I'm doing this particular album about myself, but I want to do another "SHE" album about all those "SHE'S" who are so special to me...my mom, my daughter...my grandmas and my sisters...my mother-in-law, my friends...I get teary just thinking about all of the things I want to write about them! Anyone who's reading this, I challenge you to do a "SHE" album of your own...maybe it'll just be a little journal that you can write about all the "she's" in your life, including yourself. Trust me...you'll love it!
Okay, so here are some pics from CKU in Chicago...like I said, this weekend was definately an experiance! Kim and I didn't really know what to expect since we'd never been to one before, but it was lots of fun. There were definatley more 30 and over women than there were 30 and under...but my mother-in-law pointed out that maybe lots of people more my age can't easily afford to go to this kind of thing, which I didn't even think of. But there was lots of fun energy. On our first day we registered and arrived at the hotel to this HUGE line up...we bought our CKU T-shirts instead of waiting in line and it worked out well...once registration started the line went quickly and we went into the main ballroom where there were a bunch of tables set up to make all kinds of different 6x6 pages. We did a page with Ali Edwards (she was so cool!), Heidi Swapp, Becky Higgins and a few others. I have to say, Becky Higgins was soooo sweet. Just so humble and sincere and really made an honest effort to help everyone at her table. So cool. So there are a couple pics of Becky and I. Actually it was funny, Kim and I didn't even recognize her, we were wandering around the room trying to find her table...her hair is longer now, she looks so different. And I have a cool little story...we actually skipped a few classes one afternoon to go shopping, and on our way back to the hotel we were on the same shuttle as Becky, her mom and her little baby Claire. They were so sweet...just blabbed the whole way back with us in the shuttle and asked Kim and I lots of questions...it was cool. It seems silly, but you do see these people as minor "celebrities" when you're seeing them in books and magazines constantly, so it was cool to see that they're just normal people like everyone else! So that was fun.These pictures of Kim and I with the pom-poms were at the "Tailgate Party" on our first night there. We were pretty exhausted...we had gone into downtown Chicago with our friend Lisa that day, so once again we were just overwhelmed by all the energy in the ballroom! Everyone was given pom-poms to wave around, and some people had like, cheers all organized that they performed and stuff. So funny. Another thing about CKU that we expected, but I don't think we really GOT IT till we were there was how much STUFF they give you. Literally bags of info and products and supplies and stuff. It was cool, but we really had to go thru all of our stuff on our last night there and only take home what we really knew we would use. It was just too heavy to take it all!!I'll talk more about my "SHE" album I did with Heidi Swapp later, but the other classes were fun, too. What I really got from all the classes was a better understanding for teaching methods and techniques. The projects I did were all pretty simple (you had to work SO FAST to get anything done, and I'm a pretty capable scrapbooker!), but they are cute and have given me some ideas. Like I said, we skipped a few classes to shop and chill out, 'cause the schedule was pretty jam-packed. It was kind of tough not staying in the hotel where the convention was being held, definatley something I would do differently next time (unless I have a car to drive around!). We just had so much STUFF to carry around that our arms and backs were so sore! Like I said...I learned alot over the weekend and I'm so glad Kim and I went together. We had some good laughs. More pics and stuff later!!
Whew! I made it home in one piece...I don't even know where to begin, I had an awesome and BUSY trip...lots of walking and carrying heavy bags...that's when it's nice to have your husband around! Hehe! Anyways, I got home from New York last night and it was amazing. Kim and I went to see the musical "Wicked" on our last night there and it was freakin' AMAZING....words seriously can't even describe how awesome it was...the story, the music, the sets, the characters, the costumes, the choreography...EVERYTHING. So unbelieveable. I could have gone to it two nights in a row. It's a good thing we got our tickets online ahead of time...the show is completley sold out, so it was worth the price we paid (which was very high!!). I've been listening to the soundtrack all day and just get chills...aaaaahhh!! Love it!So yes, the trip began with CKU in Chicago and was so much fun. Definately a learning experiance...it was cool to take classes and see how different people taught...there were just so many crazy scrapbooking ladies there, it was hillairious. Got to meet lots of scrapbook celebs...Heidi Swapp, Becky Higgins, Ali Edwards...so weird to see them in person instead of on a layout in a magazine! Hehe! Want to talk more about the "She" album class I did with Heidi Swapp...totally inspiring and made me think...but that's a whole post for another day...I don't want to leave anything out!!I missed Graham and Payton tons...it was so wonderful to see Payton when I got off the plane and she ran right up to me...I was scared she wouldn't like me anymore! Hehe! Trips are always fun, but it's always so great to come home. So now I'm right back in the swing of things...had a doctor's appt today, had to go to the bank, cleaned the house, made supper, chasing Payton around constantly...nothing's changed! I'll update more on my trip within the next few days and post lots of pictures...but for now, I'm home and I'm happy and I'm TIRED!!
Well, after a totally BRUTAL weekend, I think I'm just about ready to head out for my trip tomorrow. On Saturday morning we were woken up before 5 am by Payton throwing up...and it didn't stop all day long. Poor little thing. My heart was just breaking for her, but after the third full load of dirty laundry, I was pretty exhausted. I got this picture of her zonked out in front of the TV...notice how about after hour 3 or 4 of throwing up we figured out that wherever she was, a towel had to be nearby! So we made it through the day and by Sunday morning I thought we were past the whole flu thing....when I started throwing up. And I just got sicker and sicker as the day went on, it was soooooo BRUTAL! Honestly, I count Sunday as one of the worst days of my entire life. Not only was I just totally sick and feeling awful, but I was worried I wouldn't be well enough to leave for my trip and I was worried about the baby...I couldn't keep anything down, not even a sip of water. Literally. By 10 pm after Payton got sick (again) and I was still nowhere near being able to eat or drink anything, I'd had enough and my mom took me to the hospital while Gray stayed home to take care of P. I'm soooo glad I went...since I'm about 21 weeks preggy, they sent me straight up to the maternity wing and I didn't have to wait in the waiting room in emergency at all...so lovely. I was completley dehydrated, and I tell ya, that IV with the Gravol was complete HEAVEN. It was so nice to be relieved of that nausea and to get some fluids in me. AAaahhh! So I slept till 4pm on Monday, and today I've felt better, just a little weak...but good enough to go. I figure I'll just take some more Gravol on the plane tomorrow (sorry, Kim! I won't be too fun on the way there!) and just sleep the whole way. Whew...just glad I got sick in time to actually get better!! I'm dreading saying goodbye to Payton tomorrow at the airport, but so excited to get away at the same time. I'm not sure if I'll be able to check in to the ole' blog while I'm away, so if not, I'll be back on the 6th with lots and lots of pictures, I'm sure! Have a good week, everyone!!
So.......I had my ultrasound today..... and we're having a GIRL!!!! Gray and I are just totally excited and thrilled. I've thought from day one that this baby was a girl, so I would have been in complete shock if it were a boy. So now I guess I get to put all those baby girl clothes to use again! Yay!The ultrasound was awesome, the technician was so nice and FAST...I had to pee so bad! hehe! It was just amazing to actually see the little baby in there...it's definately a reality now. She was kicking and turning all over the place and her little hand and leg movements were so cute. I actually got a little teary-eyed, I was surprised...I've been through all this before! It was just so great to see her little moving body and heartbeat. Wow.So now I get to start thinking about decorating another little girls room and Graham gets to wrap his head around having a house full of chicks. Haha! He's really excited, though...the way he and Payton are together I know this little one will be in love with him, too. So that's that...one little Audenart girl comin' right up!!P.S. Love you, Nik...thinkin' of you today...
I actually did these pages a few days ago but I'm just getting around to posting them today. I got an awesome package FULL of new American Crafts products on Wednesday so I wanted to use some of the new stuff. So much fun! The weather here has been pretty crazy. It totally snowed like crazy this weekend...I think Graham helped a million people get their cars out of the snow and he shovelled our walk so many times...the snow just kept on falling! But, it's warmed up today and hasn't snowed anymore, so hopefully it'll just start melting. Please!! I'm looking forward to decent weather so I can take Maggie and Payton on walks everyday. I'm feeling (and watching) my stomach get bigger everyday and it would be nice to get some excersise!I go for my ultra-sound on Wednesday afternoon...yay!! Looking forward to finding out if I see more pink or more blue in the near future...
So I had a breakthrough with Payton today. I've been having a hard time getting her to eat actual FOOD. She'll eat snacky things all the time, and she actually really likes eating fruit, but trying to get a warm meal in her tummy or even a PB and J sandwich can be a major fight...that I never win! She's pretty hands on right now with everything...just really curious and discovering new things and needs to touch EVERYTHING...so I thought, maybe if I actually let her MAKE HER SUPPER she'll eat it. So, we got out the Easy-Mac (I've learned not to waste a whole package of Kraft Dinner!) and I had her help me with everything...she got the packet out of the box, poured the noodles into the bowl, pushed the buttons on the microwave, mixed in the cheese, got the ketchup out of the fridge, (all this includes opening and shutting doors, walking around different parts of the kitchen, etc) and when all was said and done, she happily ATE HER SUPPER! I was so proud of her and just happy that she ate some food that wasn't yogurt or caramel rice cakes. So....we'll see how tomorrow goes. Don't know if this was a one time thing or not!I have a busy weekend ahead of me and I still have so much to do to get ready for my trip. I need to get a bunch of pictures together for my classes at CKU, get all of my supplies together, that kind of thing...aahhhh! Getting so excited. AND, I have my ultrasound on Wednesday...the boy-or-girl mystery will hopefully be over! It'll be fun to know what we're having and make that connection with the baby...so excited.
...clap your hands!!I thought I should post a picture of Payton...my sister told me I haven't been posting enough pictures of her (which is true) but in all honesty, it is HARD to take pictures of this little gal lately! She is seriously, always moving and as SOON as I get the camera out, she starts crying. She KNOWS what I'm to and she just doesn't want to cooperate! hehe! So this was a cute shot I got of her the other day. Her hair is growing so much, I'm trying to decide if I want to keep her bangs or let them grow...oh, what big decisions a mother needs to make! (totally laughing at myself!) Anyways, Payton is so much fun. Graham and I are always laughing at her...she loves to play with her dolly's...she drags them around everywhere, gives them hugs and kisses and cover them up with a blankie...sooo cute! But it makes me sad, too. Payton is officially a toddler. She says "uh-oh" all the time, and is even starting to discipline Maggie (shakes her finger at her) when she thinks she's being bad. Hillairious. And this girl can dance! I've taught her to do arabesques (it's when you lift up your leg behind you) and she loves to turn and bounce when music comes on. When she's in the mood...watch out! Anyways, I just love, love, love this little girl (who is STILL MY BABY till August!!) and just wanted to share some "Payton-ism's" with ya. Later!! Tal:)
I wanted to share this wedding album I made for Robin and Dave a couple weeks ago...I had to wait till they got it in the mail before I could post it! Anyways, you can view the entire album here if you want to get a closer look.
I also thought I'd share this envelope I made a few months back...it's published in the April '06 issue of Creating Keepsakes, and it's also posted on the CK website now if you want to check it out. My name is spelled wrong on the website, though...they've told me they're gonna correct it, so hopefully that happens soon! Hehe!Anyways, I've just been busy as usual the past couple days...busy in my house, that is. It's been snowing pretty bad here...of course we're getting our worst weather in March! AAaahh! So I've been working on getting all of my pictures and supplies together that I need to take with me to CKU. I can't believe I already leave for my trip in a couple weeks. I'm so excited to go, but I'm also nervous about leaving Payton. Nervous for ME, that is...I've never been away from her so I know I'm gonna miss her. But, I'll be so busy that I know it's gonna go by so fast. March is already getting away from me so quickly...where does the time go? Anyways, looking forward to tonight...I'm going to a baby shower and then Kim, Cody, Gray and I are going to a movie. Which one, I don't know and I don't really care right now! It's been FOREVER since I've been to a show so I'm just looking forward to a night out!
what I was working on yesterday. I've had this idea to do a "Birthday Box" for a while now...between mine and Graham's family and friends and stuff, it can be really hard to keep track of everyone's special day. So, the idea with this project was, there's a divider for each month where I can fill in people's bdays, anniversay's, etc, and then I can tuck cards into each month...so at the beginning of every month, I check out who I need to send cards to and.... Voila! Done. So just thought I'd share. You can see more pic's here if you want to get a closer look.I didn't do too much today...I'm just noticing how big my stomach is getting!! I feel so huge today. Graham keeps telling me I look cute, but my tight jeans and short, tight shirts are telling me otherwise. The maternity clothes are still just a bit too big...so I'm still in that awkward "fat" stage. Oh, the joys of being pregnant. Sometimes I can't believe that I'm pregnant again...it's different the second time around in the sense that I'm so busy with Payton that I don't have much time to think or ponder about the pregnancy...whereas last time I had my books out every night, reading up on what stage I was at...I'm still totally excited, it's just different. It's going by so fast this time, though and I like that. Again, the anticipation with the first pregnancy just seemed to drag it out forever, and now I'm feeling like the baby will be here in no time. I have my ultrasound on the 22nd, so I'm so so excited to find out what we're having. For some reason I just feel like it's a girl...I'll honestly be surprised if it's a boy. Guesses, anyone? My sister Niki has always been right with my sister and I about what we're having...let me know what you think, Nik! I'll be thrilled with either, but a girl would be a whole lot cheaper considering the huge rubbermaid containers we have full of girls baby clothes (literally). AAaahhh! So, if you feel like takin' a guess on whether we're having a boy or girl, I'd love to hear them!!
alot about scrapbooking lately (is that a surprise??). Hehe. I just have so many ideas and so many things I want to do. I've gotten a few really sweet emails lately from some gals who have seen my stuff on my blog or on 2 peas...so cool. Just nice to know that after putting all this stuff out there, there are people (aside from my hubby and family!) who appreciate my work, and get that this is a passion, not just a hobby. So thanks to all those who check out my stuff. This has been a good year so far, and already lots of exciting things are happening for me. I've finally started getting published here and there again after taking a very long break from submitting my work to magazines, and I have a few pages yet to be published coming up in the next few months (I'll keep you posted!!). I have the awesome opportunity to be a part of the American Crafts design team, I'm going to CKU at the end of this month and the Urban Scrapbook Convention in April...lots to look forward to. I'm so pumped to take classes from women like Heidi Swapp and Donna Downey who are so crazy talented and experianced. There will always be things to learn. My hope is to take these classes and then be inspired and motivated to teach some classes locally. There's also another convention that Kim and I want to go to in Pheonix in Septemer...it's like we've just realized that there are so many fun fun things to do in this crazy and obsessive industry. Anyways, just some thoughts going through my head tonight. Just wanting to be better at what I love to do. Hoping that I will be published some more in the near future...all I can so is keep trying!! I'll post some photos tomorrow of a fun project I was working on today!!Tal:)
So this is my new little niece, Molly Jaye. How cute is she?? She was born on February 7th and I love her so much! It breaks my heart that I haven't even met her yet...my sister lives in Houston, so we're hoping that they'll be able to come and visit us within the next couple months. My mom has been in Houston with Niki since she had the baby, so they've had lots of time to spend together. It's so weird how quickly families grow...it seems like on my side of the family we've gone from 2 to 4 grandkids in no time at all, and by summer there will be 5. So fun. Graham's family is just exploding, too...both Jody and I will be having our babies just a few weeks apart, and there is so much potential with the rest of the kids for more babies to be poppin' up all over the place. AAaahhh! With how quickly all these nieces and nephews will be coming, I'll be able to treat my bouts of baby fever pretty easily! Haha!! Anyways, I just wanted to share this cutie little pic of Molly. What a doll. See more pictures of Molly here
I got together with Kim on Friday night so we could scrapbook together...these are some of the cards I made. It was so much fun to just sit and chat and create. Only I don't know how much Kim got done...Payton just wanted to be on her lap all night, so I was scrappin' away while Kim had Payton. Hehe! Kim was such a good sport about it...thanks, girl! Our hubbies were in the garage working on their bikes while we were inside scrapping, so it was fun. Only next time, boys...YOU guys get to baby-sit! Haha!!
This has been a pretty normal weekend...I totally cleaned the house on Saturday morning (with the help of Graham) and it felt soooo good to get that done. Clean bathrooms, clean floors, clean kitchen, clean laundry...it's amazing how quickly the house can get out of control. So that was nice. Now I'm just about to get ready for church...it's always questionable what Payton's going to be like on Sundays since church starts right at her naptime. She definatley keeps us busy! But that's okay, we love it. So I just thought I'd stop in and share my cards! If you want to see some more images of my them, you can check out them out here!
Catch ya later! Tal:)
Just thought I'd share the invitations I was working on tonight (in between watching Survivor, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars!!). Thursday nights are ridiculous! Hehe! Anyways, I did these invites for a ward party my sister is in charge of, so I thought I'd help her out. At first I was just going to print them out for her and then one thing led to another and they're done...it was almost easier for me to just do them from start to finish then to share the work. I think they turned out cute and it was a fun little project to work on.
Payton was so funny tonight...it was one of those evenings where she was happy to entertain herself (I looove that!!) and she walked around with her princess crown on (upside down) like she ruled the world. Maggie just follows her around in hopes that Payton will drop something that she's snacking on...most of the time Payton just shares her snacks with her. So cute. She was also dancing and babbling away...I can't wait till she actually talks so I know what she's saying! So it was a good day...both Payton and I had our afternoon naps (I know, I know...but I'm pregnant!) and then Gray took us out for dinner tonight. Now it's time to tidy up the house before it gets messed up again tomorrow...I DO like it to be clean SOMETIMES, even if it's only when I'm sleeping! Hehe!
...again!! I'm sure most of you know already, but I haven't really officially announced it, so here it is...I'm pregnant! I'm 15 weeks along and feeling pretty good, just tired...I have a hard time skipping my afternoon naps. Hehe! Needless to say, Gray and I are very excited, and hope that Payton won't mind being a big sister. I'm due at the beginning of August, so I get to be nice and fat at the hottest time of the year. Aaaahh! Oh, well it's worth it. Payton has just been as busy as ever and Graham and I often find ourselves saying, "so HOW exactly are we going to handle 2??" But from what I've heard many a mother say, you just DO it. I'm excited the kids will be close together in age...fun for them and I would rather just do all the diapers and potty-training close together. I still find myself sometimes saying, "wow, I'm actually a mother" and now I will have 2. AAaaahhh! I'm just happy and excited. My sister just had a little girl, Molly on Tuesday and she is so cute...I am so excited to have a little newborn again. Looking at Molly's pictures, Payton just looks so BIG now...but she is still my baby. So there's my news...stay tuned for pictures of me getting bigger and bigger!! Tal:)
I have a page published in the February issue of Creating Keepsakes for anyone who wants to check it out...I actually forgot this page was going to be in this issue till a couple people told me they saw it and I was like, "Oh, ya! I better go buy a copy!" Hehe. It's on page 46. So anyways, it's been a long time since I've posted....yikes! Over a month! But things just get crazy over Christmas. Payton had her first birthday and it was lots of fun. She got way too much stuff and was more interested in the wrapping paper than anything else! Haha! She was so cute. I'll have to post some pictures. Christmas was good, too...my sister was here from Texas...she's due in February and it was fun to see her pregnant tummy. Can't wait till she has her baby! We all got spoiled and Payton was so cute...like I said, she got tons of presents and didn't really understand what was going on, but it was fun! We went to Red Deer to spend time with Gray's family. Both his brother and sister got engaged at Christmas so that was exciting...my mother in law was is heaven! payton had lots of fun in Red Deer playing with the kids and exploring...she is a walking machine now so this is a whole new world for her! She is constantly on the move and getting into something or pressing buttons or climbing the stairs or whatever! She is hillairious...her favorite song is the alphabet...whenever she hears it she drops everything and starts bouncing up and down. So funny. She is such a little girl now with her own personality. She pretty much runs the house. Hehe! Anyways, there is still so much going on...I'll post again soon!
The class had about 114 women in it, so there was alot of us! On our first day we were all given these plastic containers FULL of Heidi Swapp products and everything that we would need to make our album...so fun! Everyone was super excited.
do all of my journalling, and of course I'll share the finished product. It may take a while, though! So anyways, here's a picture of my workspace and then Kim and I with Heidi and her team (Liz, Emily and Jodi). They were awesome and just helped out with everything. Liz even made all the ladies in the class "she" rings. You can check them out here. There were just so many extra things that we got out of this class that made it so fun!! On our one night where we had an evening class that was supposed to finish at 9pm, Heidi and her team all stayed with us till about midnight (Kim and I left a little earlier than that!) but they ordered us pizza and just chatted with all of the students. It was so laidback and fun and neat to chat with Heidi and share stories.
