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Okay, so how long has it been since I've blogged? Over a week?? Yikes. And what a week it has been. The flu hit us HARD here and we are finally recovering. Amazingly Gabby didn't get it like the rest of us, so that's a good thing, but Gray and I were totally out of commission for the first part of this week....it was not fun and I am hoping that it is just totally OVER. As if getting settled in this new house hasn't been enough to deal with and then with Christmas coming....ah, life is crazy as always.
So the other night when we were all feeling a bit better we decided to make some Christmas cookies. It was so fun to do something as a little family. The girls loved playing with the flour and dough (Gabby just shoved as much in her mouth as she possibly could), and after they had a bath we decorated the cookies. Payton thought this was the greatest thing. I love how children are so happy with the simplest of activities...what mattered was that we were doing something together. After the cookies we read some Christmas books by the tree...another activity that the girls loved. We have a few Christmas books and I want to buy one every Christmas so we always have lots of Christmas stories to read. Just a tradition that I'm in the beginning stages of.
I can't believe it is almost December. The main thing I've been trying to tell myself lately is to not stress out....I really just want to keep things simple this year and focus on the things that matter. I think we tend to put tons of pressure on ourselves over things that don't matter...lets just focus on the things that do.
Okay, so Kim and I just worked on some Goodie Box stuff this afternoon...it was very fun and I'm very excited for December. Scrapbooking rocks.
Have an awesome weekend.
:)
So we've discovered the "Where's Gabby?" game...I realize this video is totally repetitive, but I just had to share...and she gets distracted at the end by the cartoons that were on the TV. Oh, how I love this little punk! She is a handful and a half but I don't know what I would do without her!
I've been busy busy busy this week getting all of my scrapbook stuff unpacked and my room organized. I have alot of stuff...the joke on moving day was that if you weren't sure where a box was supposed to go, just send it to the scrapbook room! Ha ha. I love being in a new space and finding new homes for all of my stuff. It's totally refreshing...love it.
Just a short one tonight...I promise that I will be back soon with scrapbooking stuff to share. I feel like I'm boring everyone here lately on the ol' blog, but I just haven't had much free time! I cannot believe that it is the end of November. That is seriously scary. I haven't given one thought to Christmas shopping or Payton's birthday. Yikes. Next week, right???
So I just had to share something totally fun and cool....
This is my sister-in-law, Robin and her husband Dave and they've just started a way cool business called The Photobooth Co....if you're planning any kind of event you can rent this fun digital booth and people can take pictures in it all night long!! It's so cool, very retro looking and funky. Anyways, I'm excited for them and just wanted to spread the word....so if you're in Alberta and are interested, then check them out!So, the move was a success....I'm just glad it's over! No pictures to share yet, but hopefully I'll get on that soon. Last week was just nuts with all the last minute packing and everything else. Like I said, I'm just glad it's over and now we're just trying to get settled in. We actually have alot done, it's just finding that routine that we all need to feel sane and normal. And the house is beautiful, so I'm excited to start living in it and making it feel like home....I think that's one of the hardest things about moving....you can get all your stuff in and get unpacked, but it takes a while to actually feel like home and to create memories. Payton is loving it....we have the basement all set up with their toys so she is in heaven. Gabby is another story.....oh, Gabby....she's been sleeping great at night, but the days aren't so smooth....just very clingy and grumpy and not happy. So, we're working on that. I'm trying to be more patient and needing to remind myself that her little world has been somewhat turned upside-down...poor little baby. She's hilairious, though. A total and complete disaster. Always crawling, climbing, falling, rolling, pushing....aaahhhh! I don't think I'll ever need a boy 'cause she's proving to be very rough and tough...and she has the goose-eggs and bruises to prove it! My goal for this weekend is to get my scrapbook room unpacked and somewhat "work-able"...I am itching to get going to on some Christmas stuff and my new table is to die for! I got one that I can sit or stand....I love it!! Can't wait to share pictures of my room when it's all done. Later!!T:)
Kim and I are doing things a little bit differently at the Goodie Box this month and I just wanted to share.....instead of doing our typical challenge we're doing a Christmas Card Exchange and I'm so excited about it!! Kim has all of the "rules" up at the Goodie Box, but basically what you do is make 5 identical cards, mail them to us, and we'll mix them all up and you'll recieve 5 different cards in the mail. Everyone is welcome to join in, no matter where you're from, so go on over to the Goodie Box to get the scoop!! It would be awesome to have tons of people in on the exchange!We are officially getting closer to moving...finally! This has been the longest 3 weeks of my life with all the packing and anxiety and anticipation. Can't wait till it's done! It's starting to look like Christmas in the stores and stuff, so I'm wanting to get my decorations out and get my house all Christmasy....I'm sure that'll take a while but I'm looking forward to that.And speaking of things "feeling like Christmas"...it snowed yesterday! I'm actually amazed that it held out this long, usually by Halloween the kids are trick-or-treating in the snow, so this was a nice change this year. Anyways, Payton was very excited that it's "winter now" so we got her dressed up yesterday morning so she could play in the backyard. It took about 15 full minutes to get her ready and she was outside for maybe 10. Haha!T:)
My friend sent this to me today by email and I just thought I'd share...so cute! All these answers were given by second grade school children. I'm sure you'll laugh like I did!!
Why did God make mothers?1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.2. Mostly to clean the house.3. To help us out of there when we were getting born. How did God make mothers?1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts. What ingredients are mothers made of?1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think. Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?1. We're related.2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me. What kind of little girl was your mom?1. My Mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.3. They say she used to be nice. What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?1. His last name.2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores? Why did your mom marry your dad?1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.2. She got too old to do anything else with him.3. My grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on. Who's the boss at your house?1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad. What's the difference between moms & dads?1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.! What does your mom do in her spare time?1. Mothers don't do spare time.2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long. What would it take to make your mom perfect?1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue. If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Haha!! Cute, hey?? Anyways...I totally should not be playing on the computer right now, it's time to get the girls ready for bed. Daddy's upstairs doing bathtime. Have a good night!!
T:)
I hope everyone has a fun Halloween!!!I took these pictures of the girls a couple weeks ago on a really warm day...I couldn't pass up the good weather, although it's still quite nice here. It usually snows on Halloween so we're feelin' lucky....payton's very excited to go Trick or Treating with daddy and Gabby's going to pass out candy with me!I love their costumes....I saw these red shoes at target this summer and knew that Pay had to be Dorothy...she loves the Wizard of Oz, so it worked out great. And we borrowed Gabby's lion costume from her cousin, Osh and just added the bows...thank you!!So the packing has taken over my life....but it's going pretty good. My walls are bare and there's boxes everywhere...just over a week till we're in the new house! It's still kinda hard to believe but will be great once we're all settled in.Okay, I gotta get thr girls up and ready...Payton gets to wear her costume to ballet today!T:)
Aaahhh!!!Having a hard time blogging and feeling very overwhelmed with the "move". I cannot believe the amount of STUFF we have accumulated in this house over the last 4 and a half years. It is ridiculous! People that have seen my house are probably like, what is she talking about...but trust me. It is the storage room. Oh, the storage room. Kay, the best way to explain this is, you know that episode on Friends where Chandler got into that closet of Monica's that was always locked and saw that it was totally jam-packed with junk? Well, that is my storage room. Haha! And it's not that I'm pack-rat (I'm more than happy to get rid of stuff) it's just that our storage room in this house is so huge that we just got into the habit of putting stuff in there and not actually dealing with it. So now we are. Graham and I spent all day Saturday sorting through everything there and it was awesome....but alot of work and still lots to do. It's a shame that we didn't have a bit more time, we would have made a killing at a garage sale...but what do ya do? Value Village got a whole truckload of stuff from us!! (and more to come, too!)Here is the baby stuff that I am keeping:
Would you believe me if I told you I got rid of almost 3 garbage bags of baby stuff? I'm keeping all the special stuff...baby blankets from Grandma's and cute little outfits and sleepers...clothes for Gabby to still grow in to...I think the girls will love to go thru it all one day and see how tiny they were. So...my house is chaos right now, but it is great to finally be dealing with alot of stuff that has been put on the back-burner for too long. Kim was supposed to come over tonight to help me start on my scrapbook room but I'm just not ready. And Graham is out of town (again) so it's too much to deal with the girls at bed-time and try to pack. Oh, life. I can do this right?? I am telling myself that it is possible. Haha!! I already have a huge box of scrapbook supplies that I don't want and I have to figure out what to do with it...I'll keep you all posted on that.For now, forgive me if I'm not around much....just imagine me in piles and piles of boxes!!!Tal:)P.S. You have one more week over at the Goodie Box to submit to this months challenge....I love all the Halloween stuff this month. So much fun!
Just a photo of our front entrance...I totally love it...I'll miss this little area when we move! I am a bit of a freak today...I have so many things on my mind because of the move and I have no idea where to begin!! I'm one of those people that has a VERY hard time relaxing when there is stuff to be done, so I will be a major stress-case this month to say the least. I feel sorry for my husband!I've been looking online at ideas for my new scrap room and I am sooo excited. I called Kim 'cause I was so excited about the table I want. haha! I'm sure my friends will be getting many random phone calls from me over the next little while! Kim is actually going to help me purge and pack up my scrapbook room so I am very grateful for that. Are you sure you're ready for that, girl? My room looks organized, but there really is so much to go thru and get rid of. yay!! I can't wait. We're tackling the storage room this weekend.....aaaahhhhhh! That will be a humungo job...can't wait to get started.Did I mention how obsessed I am with the show "Heroes" lately?? Gray and I just finished season 1 on DVD last night and I am excited to watch more. LOOOOOOOVE it! I also did my Goodie Box projects for November last night, so now I can officially pack up my room. It will suck to not be able to sit down and play whenever I want! But....nice to start crossing things off my list.Have a good Wednesday! (Private Practice tonight...yay!):)
!!!!!!!!!!!!Well, needless to say, we sold our house this morning! Yesterday was crazy...we were in and out of the house all day long with people looking and we got the offer last night. Crazy, crazy, crazy. I have very mixed feelings, and the tears have finally stopped.(for now!) It is time to move but I am very attached to this home. This is our first house. I brought both of my babies home from the hospital to this house. We have totally fixed it up and made so many changes. So many memories...but it is time. This is a starter home, not one that we ever could have planned on staying in forever. The teeny-tiny bathroom that we all share and not having a garage are the main things right now. *sigh*....change is good, right? Don't get me wrong, I am so excited about our new house. It will be perfect for us and somehwere that we can be forever if we wanted to. And I'm excited to decorate and get organised....but I am emotional today. Is this normal?? This is our first big move and it is a big deal. We have one month till we move. One month to clean up, pack, organise.....ahhhh! I am tired just thinking about it. I am giving myself today to be sad and emotional, then it is time to get to work!!
Life is crazy. In a good way.
Wow, I'm actually doing this! I saw my camera as I was at the computer this morning and thought, "Time to take a picture!"Just one of Payton playing on my bed as I was cleaning this morning...she was playing with a bracelet and laughing at Ellen Degeneres with me. Tried to get Gabby in a shot but that girl is next to impossible to get photos of lately. Maybe I'll get a good one of her sometime in the next month???We'll see.Have a good weekend, everyone!!Tal:)
Okay, so I've decided to do the "a photo a day" challenge for my Year to Remember class. I love this idea and it's actually something I've wanted to do for a long time. And since I've been so crappy at taking pictures lately I thought this would help! So, we'll see if I can stay on top of it...but for the next 30 days I'll be posting "a photo a day." I'm excited to see how it turns out...little pieces of my life documented day by day...kinda cool. If anyone else wants to do it, let me know! So here is day one:
I thought I'd try a self portrait...kinda funny, both of the girls were crawling all over me, so it lasted all of about 5 seconds! But that's good. No stress, just trying to snap a quick photo!So our weekend was awesome. It was so great for Graham and I to get away together....we actually haven't done that since before Gabby was born. Crazy!! We seem to take little trips away seperatley, but that was the first time we've been alone. Sleeping in was the best....aaahhh! Oh, how I miss sleeping in! I'm sad to say that I really didn't take any pictures in Vancouver...it was so rainy both days that we were there that I was in no mood to get camera happy. So just "remembering" our weekend is good enough for me. Shopping, driving, walking hand in hand, sushi, movies, coffee shops, watching "Heroes" in the car...it was awesome. But...we totally missed the girls, of course. It was so nice to come home to them!!!Wow, I can't believe it is already Thursday already. We just got back and we are already heading to Red Deer this weekend for Thanksgiving with Graham's family. I think I will stop eating now so I can make room for all the food we'll be having!Haha!!!Happy Thursday,T:)
....to Vancouver tomorrow to pick up my little brother, Billy and bring him home. He's been there for the past year going to film school and he's coming home till Christmas and then he's off to Montreal to pursue his career. He is the cutest and I am so proud of him...I love that he is totally going for it and doing something he loves...but I've missed him! So I'm looking forward to this weekend...Gray and I will get a little alone time and then we just get to play around Vancouver with Billy. I love that city and it has been forever since I've been. When I was working on the cruise ship we used to port there every 2 weeks...it was always fun to go shopping!! Anyways...we're comin', Billy!
I couldn't help myself...I had to do a little scrapping today...SOOOO not the time to be doing it when there's so much to do before we leave tomorrow, but isn't that always when you feel the most creative? Right when you have a huge list of things to do. But oh, well...these pages make me happy!This one is using all the fun new Elsie stuff...
...and my October page for Heidi's class...(I am totally on the ball this month!)
I love this layout....we're focusing on "time" this month and we had to choose photos that make you happy and that have shown the passage of time...these pictures were taken when Payton was only 5 days old. I just remember feeling so tired, overwhelmed and totally IN HEAVEN. Now it's almost 3 years later and I have a sassy 2 (almost 3!) year old as well as another little one running around...so crazy. It's such a cliche, but I really do wish that time would slow down...I know I will look back on these days and yearn for them...I don't want my girls to grow up! I love where my little family is at.Anyways....also thinking about things I am grateful for as it is Thanksgiving this weekend...I'm thankful that my husband is (finally) home from working out of town. It is lonely without him!I'm thankful for scrapbooking, magazines, books and anything that inspires me to create.I'm thankful that my mom is watching my kids this weekend so I can have a break with my hubby.I'm thankful that my Grandma is taking the dog...we always seem to forget about her until the last minute when we are heading out of town!I'm thankful for my girls...I will save you all from my gushing and just simply say that they are my life.I'm thankful for my husband...he is so dedicated and truly lives for his girls.I'm thankful for the best family and best friends in the world! Yes, we are ALL a little crazy at times, but I couldn't live without all of these people in mine and Graham's life!!
(me, Adria and Kim at Starbuck's last weekend)Kay...it really is time to get packing and doing laundry and all that fun stuff. Hope everyone has a good weekend, head on over to the Goodie Box if you're needing some Fall and Halloween inspiration!!T:)
( a conversation with Payton on Saturday afternoon while Gabby was asleep )Payton: "Mommy?"Me: "Yes, sweetie?"[she pauses from her coloring and looks up at me with her beautiful blue eyes]Payton: "Isn't it just lovely to spend time together?"Me: "Yes, sweetie...it sure is."*sigh*....oh, how I love special little moments like this. Made me stop and realise how truly lucky I am to be a mama.(stay tuned for more pics from our photoshoot with Kim the other night)
...of the photoshoot we did with Kim yesterday.I am IN LOVE with these pictures. Very typical of how the evening went....Payton taking off, just wanting to dance....Gabby not wanting to look at the camera, and not enjoying laying in the grass...Daddy with his eyes closed....and Mommy just trying to hold it all together.Did I mention that I love these pictures????Thank you, Kimmy. (even Gray is happy that we took them!!)
I have been sooooo bad at taking pictures of my kids lately. I got out of the habit of snapping pictures when my camera wasn't working and then away being fixed, so I am trying to get back into it. Here a few pictures of the girls that I took in our front yard on Saturday morning. And I have to say....so cute! My girls make me so happy. I could eat 'em both!! (and notice their "skinny jeans"....haha!! I love them!!)I just can't believe how old they are getting. Payton is totally a little girl. So grown up and sassy and determined. And Gabby is slowly but surely transitioning from a baby to a toddler. Starting to have meltdowns. Oy. Gray and I always laugh after we put them both to bed...we love them so much, but oh, it is SO NICE to have a little peace and quiet once they are in bed! Haha!!I was just folding laundry and once again my mind went to scrapbooking...it hit me as to why alot of people DON'T scrapbook...they feel like there's no way they could ever scrapbook ALL of their pictures, and therefore, they don't scrapbook at all. Guess what????YOU WILL NEVER SCRAPBOOK ALL OF YOUR PHOTOS!! NOT IN A MILLION YEARS!!!I think that is another misconception that people have about scrapbooking....that you have to scrapbook every single one of your photos. But we all know that that is just not possible and THAT'S OKAY. I personally just scrapbook the photos that I love and that are speaking to me at that moment. No pressure. No worries. Just FUN. The only expectations that have to be met when it comes to scrapbooking are THE ONES THAT YOU SET FOR YOURSELF. Don't worry what other people are doing. JUST DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. If you tell yourself that you have to scrapbook all 200 photos from your family vacation this summer, then obviously you'll get discouraged and quit before you even begin. Just pick the 2 or 3 that are your faves and have fun!!Sound good?For some reason I am just wanting to "free" people when it comes to putting their pictures in scrapbooks lately...don't know why, but it's been on my mind alot.Okay, I had a root canal done on my tooth today, so time to take some tylenol and get to work...I'm working on some CUTE stuff for the Goodie Box next month. I can't wait to share!!T:)
Okay, so I have been waaaaay behind on my "Year to Remember" class...Just to refresh your memories, every month we have an "art challenge" and we're supposed to complete a layout for that month. This summer was just crazy and I got so behind...but since I got back from Phoenix I've caught the scrappin' bug and I've just been wanting to scrapbook like crazy!! So here are my July, August and September layouts for my calendar. As always, I shamelessy "lift" Heidi's work. There is something about her stuff that when she shows us a project or a page I cannot get it out of my brain....so I just copy her work and then learn from the techniques that we've been taught and make it my own later. Whew! I have to say, I am loving these pages, especially the September one...so fun!
On to other things....Graham got home last night after being gone for almost a week for work....oh, how nice it is to have my husband home!! It's always surprising to me that I actually AM capable of being on my own with the girls, but it is definatley way better to have help and just makes me appreciate my husband so much more. I am truly lucky. I've been wanting to blog constantly lately as well, but time just doesn't allow it...if I had about 5 more hours in everyday (and if I didn't need sleep) then I'd be good...everything would get crossed off my list!Kim and I went for lunch yesterday to good ole' McDonald's with our kids (she mentioned this on her blog) and we just chatted like crazy. We have some fuuuunnnn things planned for the Goodie Box over the next couple months, so you won't want to miss out! It's always fun to bounce ideas off of each other....we are just so on the same wavelength when it comes to scrapbooking that it's super easy to agree on things and come up with fun stuff...I can't wait!! I truly love this hobby. I wish that non-scrapbookers could really understand what it means to me, and how much MORE it is than just sticking pictures on paper. It is about living, capturing and remembering everyday moments. It's about recording our lives in more than just a journal. It's an art form, an expression of who I am. It's my creative outlet...something that I can do for ME, yet my whole family can enjoy it, too. I just love, love, love it. And I'm grateful for a husband who supports me in it, too. I totally remember the first time I showed Graham my scrabooking stuff before we got married. I had 2 sets of those little 8.5x11 plastic drawers filled with cardstock, patterned paper, some punches, pens and diecuts and that was it. I thought I was big-time, totally happenin'...haha!! I remember Gray was like, " I don't get it, it's just paper." and now he totally loves and appreciates what I do. (Oh, and those 2 sets of drawers have turned in to this:)
On Stacy's blog a while back she asked the question: "If you could change one thing about scrapbooking (and/or our industry in general) that would allow more people to embrace and enjoy this amazing hobby, what would it be?"This totally got me thinking.....what would I possibly change about this industry that would make more people WANT TO SCRAPBOOK??? My answer is this....I wish people would just embrace the hobby without worrying about "how good" their work is compared to other people's. Isn't that one of the things you hear people say the most when they look at your scrapbooks?? "Oh, I could never do this as well as you can", or "I'm just not creative at all" or "no matter how hard I try, my pages are never as nice as yours." Responses like this just make me so sad!! I would hate for my girls to miss out on albums full of memories just 'cause I was comparing myself and thinking that I wasn't good enough.Guess what girls????You ARE good enough!!!No matter what your style or budget is, no matter if you have 1 hour a month to scrapbook, or 1 hour a day to scrapbook...your work is awesome! I think Donna Downey said it perfectly when she said "I am perfect just the way I create." I wish that everyone would embrace their style and just go with it and be proud of it....'cause guess what? Your family will way rather look thru albums than look thru none at all...and I can guarantee you'll never hear your kids say, "Um, mommy....this page isn't as good as (insert a scrabooker that you admire here)." Haha!!! Trust me....all of our work is perfect in our own special way...and when in doubt....just scraplift!!! (*see above pages*) Whether you're a hardcore scrapper or not....I challenge you all to do a little scrappin' this weekend...trust me, it'll be worth it!T:)
