Sprucing Things Up

If you looked closely, you'll notice something different around here :) Yes, I've launched a new name, and I hope you like the way things look! Like always, this blog will contain all things crafty, from my work as a digital scrapbook designer to my side-line love of furniture refinishing.

As for the digital scrapbooking, I'll share with you a few of my recent kits. These are the bundles, though the kits and add-ons are also available separately instore :)

CAREFREE Savings Bundle


BLOSSOM Savings Bundle


HADLEY Savings Bundle




Lots of stuff being worked on, I'm having a ball, and even have some furniture goodness to share with you all, but I will do that in the next post :)

Ciao, peeps :)

And then it was June.....

... and HOT! Life with two boys, even as a stay at home, work at home, mom... is BUSY! And, given the rough start to the year, I've needed to stay busy. I am missing Dad terribly, and though I still have moments where I can hardly catch my breath when I re-realize he's gone, there are more moments in between where I am smiling at the happy memories and remembering him for his bigger than life presence and joie de vivre. May 24th was his birthday, and we commemorated in our own special way... I'll let the scrapbook page do the talking :)

Template from Kate Designs at MyLifeAndScrap.com, BG paper from my All Worn Out paper pack (SBB), Photo Matt paper from Amanda Rockwell's Back In Black collection, Journal Tag from Jen Wilson, Leaves from Vera Lim (Daily Digi) and Shabby Miss Jenn, Poppy Flowers behind photo from FotoSusu, Alpha from Shabby Miss Jenn, Butterfly from MissTiina's xoxo kit
Fonts are GiseleScript and Cheapskate


Anyways, the boys are doing incredibly well. I am very proud to announce that I am the mother of an HONOUR ROLL student! Yes, that's right, our boy Blake achieved Honour Roll standing in his second term! He's made huge, great strides in the last few months since officially being diagnosed with ADD, after several (5+) years of different programs, testing etc. We started him on a carefully selected low-dose medication and it is like night and day! He can focus and all the stuff that has been in his head is now able to come out on paper in an organized way, and he is just blossoming in ways we only dreamed of! I was leery of medication, but now so so glad that we (Blake included) made the choice to try it. He is very proud of himself and his self-confidence is making huge gains also! He was selected as part of our school's Environmental Mind Grind team and competed in April against 14 other schools, also! Cole is in the top reading group in his class and is an avid artist. He spends hours drawing detailed sketches , usually Pokemon and other mythical creatures, but we're usually blown away by the intricacies of his penmanship. He's an excellent speller and quite the little math whiz... and he's often bringing home recognition awards in various areas of his school work. *insert beaming mommy here*

I have been quite involved with school activities as well. I am the treasurer for the Parent Advisory Council, and we've been hard at work getting the funds together for our school's new playground. We only have 105 kids in the school for K-7, but we also are a community school, meaning the Parks and Rec Community Centre is located right in the school, as is the Preschool and the StrongStart Program, for kids ages 6 months to 3 years old, so it makes us kind of unique. So, we managaed a $20,000 grant from the BC government towards the playground, and we managed to raise funds to match that, so this next week we meet with the playground company to finalize the designs and place the order so that the playground will be in place by the September start to the school year :) I think it will make for some happy munchkins, considering what is out there now :)

Eric has been enjoying some beautiful riding weather.. my uncle in Newfoundland has been kind enough to customize Eric's fenders and gas tank with some STUNNING custom flame airbrushing, and he's been getting so many compliments already. We are hoping to get pictures taken tonight (if it ever cools down) or tomorrow, so I will post some then!

I better run now, I have kids hanging over my shoulders to get on the computer.. hehe. I will leave you with a couple more pages before I go :)

BG paper, from my paper pack imPERFECTION, Ribbon from SBB's April Mega "Lullaby", Rainbow from Valorie Brown, Stitched Circles from Kate Hadfield, White paper from Gina Miller "BYOBB", Doodled Circles from Lauraskathi "Suzie"


BG paper from Nancie Rowe-Janitz, String from Nikki Beaedreau, Flowers from Lisa Whitney (Beautiful Mess), Cloud from Carrie Stephens, Sun from Valorie Brown, Alpha from Marcie Reckinger (Scribbled and Sketched), Font is Cheapskate

I haven't fallen off the face of the planet!

Let's get business out of the way first! I have been super busy designing and having a great time within the digital community in the last few months. I would like to congratulate Karyn C. on being the grand prize winner of $150 in PayPal cash for my 2 year anniversary contest!!! Also, may I extend my congratulations to Michael for winning the $20 SBB Gift Card and to dgoody for winning the free 8x8 Shutterfly book! Happy scrapping everyone!

Also, I am pleased to announce that today is the GRAND OPENING of a brand new digital shoppe, MY LIFE AND SCRAP!! I decided to take on a new shoppe and I am really excited about it! Stop on over and take a lookie, there's a tonne of challenges, a great gallery and some beautiful stuff in store! Use code MLASblog for 50% off your order this weekend! We even have a February collaborative kit called PURE PASSION

It's a beautiful kit and so much fun to work with! I even made a layout with it here:


But now, on to more important and sad news. On February 4th, at 1:42 pm, my dear father lost his 3 year battle with cancer.. just 6 days after receiving the terminal diagnosis. My heart is heavy.... I flew out January 30 to St Johns, and spent his final 5 days with him in the hospice, by his side the entire time. I wish things could have worked out differently, I really do... but I am just relieved that he is no longer in any pain. He fought and fought up to the final breath, but this wicked disease had it's way, and now we are left with only memories.
It's hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, I made this page:

.... and now he's gone. I don't think the full extent of everything has quite hit me yet, but I know that it will be difficult not to be able to call him up and hear his voice, to say hello and hear his latest jokes.
You can view the obituary here: http://carnells.com/notices_details.php?id=1499

Here is a poem I wrote the night after he passed away:

Softly and gracefully - on the wings of a dove,
You broke free from the pain - into the arms of love.
With grace and strength - just like in life,
You escaped from the struggle - released from the strife.

Not for a moment - would my heart ever ponder,
That the first man I loved - would be here no longer.
You taught me to dream - to hold my head high,
To keep my feet on the ground - and reach for the sky.

You helped me to laugh - when hope had been broken,
And gave me a voice - when words couldn't be spoken.
You gave up so much - so we wouldn't be without,
And showed me what faith - was truly about.

You embraced each day - with an open soul,
To receive the love - that made you whole.
You were tender and loyal, stubborn and kind,
Not wanting for a moment - to leave us behind.

And now we have memories - to hold in our hearts,
To carry us through - the time we're apart.
Until the day comes, I can hold you once more,
May you rest with the angels - beyond heaven's door.

Written in love, to our dear Dad, and Poppy... by your daughter, Kari

Wow... change is exhausting! :)

Well... it has been a HECTIC few months, hence my neglect of this blog :) The kids are back to school, we bought a new house (!) and moved in, and enjoyed an amazing visit with Dad! I will elaborate more later in this post, but business first!

Digital Scrapbooking Day is coming fast (November 1st), and many sales are happening in the digi world. At ScrapbookBytes.com, we have put together a super fun collaboration kit called Modern Boy... that will be FREE with any $10 purchase from the participating designers from Oct 30 to Nov 3! I will show you the previews so you can get your creative juices flowing. I have already scrapped a couple of pages with this kit, and might I just say, this kit is super fun and super easy to work with, whether you have boys or not!
Here is the main kit preview:



The papers (which are gorgeous!)



The elements (super fun!)



And the add-ons, which make for super easy scrapping :)



I will have a new fun kit out very soon, also... for next week's sale... so be on the lookout!

So, back to our busy-ness around here! First of all, here is the new house!

It is in a quiet small subdivision called ValleyView Estates... because, really, we do have a gorgeous valley-view.... the people just up the hill from us have a beautiful view of the farmland in the valley-bottom, along with the gorgeous mountains.. and we have a view of the vineyards and beautiful Peach Cliff...

The picture doesn't really do it justice... but it's BEAUTIFUL up here! We have an entire 1/2 acre that has yet to be landscaped, but we got such a screaming deal on this place, we could easily overlook that! We have 4 bedrooms
, 3 baths, slate gas fireplace, dining nook, dining room, living room, family room, Eric finally has a man-cave, also! The appliances are beautiful, stainless steel everything (which is annoying for fingerprints! lol).. and my Electrolux Pro Series Oven/Range is phenomenal. Oh, and we have central air, finally! That is a very very big necessity here in the Okanagan when it reaches over 40 degrees celsius! The house is only 2 years old, and the previous owners (house has been empty for 10 months) took immaculate care of it!

Anyways, Dad was able to take a break from chemo and come out for a 3 week visit... he was here when we put the offer in on the house, signed everything and moved in! It was SO nice to have him here, to visit and just spend time together. The boys are already asking when he can come back, or when they can go back to Newfoundland to visit! He even gained 16 pounds while he was out here (which is good, because he needed to!)... partly in thanks to a newly-acquired addiction to Tickleberry's Kettle Corn! :)

Anyways, the boys are doing really really well in school... Blake has adjusted and is really beginning to show major gains in all areas. Cole is apparently "a joy to have in the classroom and a sweet, sweet boy". I'm one proud mama! We're waiting to hear about some tests for Cole... an echocardiogram and ekg, as well as an MRI to rule out a Tethered Spinal Cord. Yikes... I thought I had dodged the "bullet" with the boys! So, if ya'll could spare a prayer for him and for Dad, I would very much appreciate it!

So, I should sign off for now, I have to 'puter-vultures hanging over my shoulder biting at the bit to browse Bionicles on eBay! lol... take care, and I will be back soon!

Small Update...

Well, things have settled a teensy tiny bit.. we're still busy as all heck, but managing a bit better now!
I thought I would make a quick post with some of the recent products in my shoppe at Scrapbook-Bytes.com ...

See It InStore


See It InStore


See It InStore

And I have several more coming into shoppe in the next couple of days.. whenever SBB's server is all transferred over!

And, some layouts for today...

Credits HERE


Credits HERE


Credits HERE

Rest sweetly, Grandpa.... 11/2/1921 - 4/27/2008

On the morning of April 27, 2008... my much loved grandfather "Bob" Burleigh passed away after a valiant and courageous fight with cancer. My Mom and I were in the room with him... and I feel honoured to have been able to hold his hand as he took his final breaths on this earth. He was an amazing person, humble, loving and very much determined... I will miss him terribly, but I know that he and Gran are together again, and he can breathe with ease now.

His funeral has come and gone, and we are just left with clearing out his apartment, sifting through old memories and making final arrangements.
Grandpa served in WWII in Italy as well as Holland, being one of the liberating forces at Apeldoorn. He was a career soldier, an amazing man and I was lucky enough to have known him for nearly 31 beautiful years. "A Pittance of Time" played at his funeral, May 2... I hope you all will take a few moments to watch this video and pay homage to another soldier whoe helped to pave the way for all of us in this beautiful and free country we live in today.

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If we cannot do his honour while he’s here to hear the praise,
then at least let’s give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper it could say,
Our country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.

Seriously Chaotic!!!!

So, here I am again, totally slacking on the blog-front! LOL. I have been so busy here, with the boys' school activities, designing, getting ready for Christmas, and most of all.... waiting anxiously for Eric to arrive.. on FRIDAY! Woohoo! I am so beyond thrilled. No, the house hasn't sold yet, but he's spending 3 weeks at Christmas with us.. so I will take what I can get. We've relisted with a new realtor, Edmonton's best, apparently.. so let's hope this is the magic key!

A few weeks ago, Blake's class sang at the Penticton Vee's game. They did the opening "Oh Canada" and they were adorable! We stuck around to watch the game and cheered on #9, Austin Smith, who just happens to be billeting at Eric's Aunt Irene's place in Penticton. We met him a couple months back while visiting there... he's from Dallas, Texas, and his parents happened to be up visitng that night, also. The game was a draw, 3-3 after 2 overtime periods! The boys had fun at their first game..

(Papers by Shelleyrae Cusbert, alphas by Carrie Stephens and Kellie Mize)

I haven't scrapped a WHOLE lot in the last little bit, but I have some FAB photos that I totally am dying to scrap! So, expect so see some more rolling onto here soon!

Anyways, I wish you all the best of health and happiness this CHRISTMAS... not this holiday season, this Christmas. May 2008 bring nothing but love and prosperity for each and every one of you!

Whew, where have I been?!!?!?

Hey everyone.. sorry I haven't been around, life has been hectic and crazy and tiring! But, I'm here and ready to share some photos of the last 6 weeks or so....

I decided to take the boys' photos outside one day a few weeks ago...

Credits here

And here is my niece/goddaughter, Emma... isn't she just beautiful?!

Credits here

And a couple for Hallowe'en!



Credits here


Credits here

And our lovely visitors that visit pretty much daily...

Credits here

Sooo, anyways, the house in Edmonton still hasn't sold, so if ya'll could muster as many house-selling vibes as you possibly can... that would be FAB! I miss Eric terribly and can't wait until he's here for good!!!!

Getting Settled!

Well, we made it through the mountains in the UHaul.. whew.. what an experience! It was okay though, no problems, the driving was okay.. just like driving a car with no rear view mirror and a huge blind spot. :) I didn't realize JUST how much Cole loved to talk until I was sat next to him for 16 hours straight with nothing to do but stare out the window! We sang silly songs, played eye-spy, told stories, he told me ALL the things he wanted for Christmas... we talked about the adventures we would have and I broke up the odd arguement.
We stayed overnight along the way and all in all, it was as good of trip as I would ever have planned for.

Credits: Michelle Coleman BG paper (Genuine Spirit), Flowers from Sara Carling (Aero) and Angie Briggs, Natalie Braxton ribbon, alpha from Agnes Lahur (recolored), font is Cheapskate).

We are here, and slowly getting settled. Eric, sadly, had to fly back to Edmonton on the 29th of August. He has to go back and wait for the house to sell.. and work in the meantime. I think his saddest moment was leaving his Harley at his Mom and Dad's.. LOL. Naww.. we miss him... here are some pictures we took about 10 minutes before he left :(

Credits: Everything by myself, Kari Hentzelt, available at MemoirMarket.com

I miss you, Spanky :(

School started on September 4th, and, knock on wood... the boys absolutely LOVE it. Like, I mean.. Blake is disappointed when Saturday comes around and there's no school! He's in a 3/4 split (there are only 6 grade 3's in the entire school) and his teacher is extremely upbeat and positive.. and he just loves the school. He is thrilled that he has a locker, has gym strip, and has made a whack of new friends already. Cole is in a 1/2 split class and is taught by the same teacher that taught his Uncle Steven 25 years ago. She's an awesome teacher as well. Cole loves school too, and is now starting to get used to the whole-day school. The first few days he was WIPED right out! LOL.

Credits: BG paper and woven ribbon by myself, flower doodles by Eve Recinella, screws by Rina, felt alpha by Robin Carlton, font is Cheapskate.

On the weekends, we have been taking in the sights and attractions while the weather (aka: amazing indian summer) is good. Last weekend we went to the Farmer's Market with Grandpa, found some amazing deals on fresh organic fruits and veggies (hey Eric, you will LOVE it.. lol). On Sunday, we took Stella to the beach for a swim and had a nice picnic.....

Credits: Everything by myself, except notepaper alpha by Doris Castle

I am at work on the basement here, filling the little nicks in the walls and re-painting.. it's looking nice. I have also been hard at work getting my shoppe at
SCRAPBOOKBYTES opened up.. and I am happy to say.. it is!

ScrapbookBytes was the first Digital Scrapbooking website I came across when I started back in 2004 and it is a highly esteemed and high-traffic website.. so I am over the moon to be selling there. I am also in the tail end of having MemoirMarket redesigned by the talented Lauren Barden of Injader... her and her husband Ben are an amazing team. I sent them my graphics and they are working on making my website look exactly how I have it in my head. It is looking quite smashing, if I say so myself!

SO, I guess that's a big enough update for now.... if ya'll could spare some ~^*^~^*^~^*~^ SELL HOUSE, SELL ~^*^~^*^~^*^~ vibes, so I can have my Pooky back.. that would be very much appreciated. And, if you're the praying kind.. please spare some for my Dad, Grandpa and friend, S... it would be very much appreciated.
I hope you're all well and in good spirits... 'til next time :)

Okay, so that long winded rant...

Even though it is a few days late...
We were at the park last week. We decided to take the kids there.. it's in a residential area (kind of a hoity toity area, but it's the kids' favourite park, so we decided to pick up a pizza for dinner and go). Within about 20 minutes of getting there, I noticed 2 obnoxious, loud boys, about 9 & 10 years old, that wouldn't let Blake and Cole.. or ANY other kids on some of the playground equipment. I let it go for about 4 or 5 minutes, see if Blake could handle it.. but these kids were just getting even worse.
So, I truck my big ol' butt over there and just say to them (highly unlike me) "Hey, you know what, this playground is kinda meant for everyone, and so maybe you should let everyone have a turn. There's lots of room for all the kids to have a turn".

Kids stares at me.

I stare at kid.

30 seconds or more pass. He looks away.

I walk back to the picnic table where my husband sits a bit shocked. Blake and Cole move onto the swings about 20 feet away... the annoying boys move over to another area... continue to be obnoxious.. just a teensy bit less.

MEANWHILE, all the while I notice these two women on the opposite side of the playground, sitting on a bench, never looked over once, deeply engrossed in conversation. 30 minutes pass... 30 minutes of hearing these kids and their ever-growing ignorance. 3 gorgeous pre-teen or young teen asian girls show up and take seat on some swings. They are talking amongst themselves and giggling, telling stories and basically having fun. The aforementioned boys are joined by two other boys, probably aged 11 and 12, and a young girl of about 7 years old who remain ont he playground equipment 20 feet away. I am pushing my boys on the tire swings 10 feet from that.

What happens next makes my blood boil. The older boys begin to talk across the playground, quite loudly, to these girls on the swings. When I say "talk".. I mean, through racial slurs at, call wh*res, laugh at, make fun of their culture, their 'mamas' and anything else they could possibly think of. In shock... I make sure my children are distracted and not paying attention. After 5 minutes and scraping my chin up off the ground (and giving these boys the glare of doom).. I walked over to these girls and asked if I knew if the ladies sitting on the other side of the playground were these boys' parents.
They didn't know, but went with me to find out. We walked over, and I asked

"The boys over there, *pointing*, are they yours?"

Lady #1 (in thick accent): "Which ones?"
Lady #2 (perfect English): "Ummm, Huh? I don't know"

Me: "The one in the blue shirt, the one in the orange shirt, and the two bigger boys... aka: the only 4 boys on the playground right now"

Lady #1: "WHY?"

Me: "Because they are being slanderous, ignorant, rude and using racial slurs against these girls, and other parents in this park, don't want their children hearing these things, nor should these girls have to put up with that kind of stuff"

Lady #1: "I don't know, I don't come from this country"

Me: "Then you would think you might be extra-sensitive to this type of racial/cultural slandering"

Lady #2 proceeds to call 2 of the kids over who start making up sorry excuses. NONE of the kids get reprimanded for their behaviour... the girl who came with me (and her two friends) certainly put their two cents in and are hurt by the degredation by these people to their culture... the girls leave and I am shocked by these people who, instead of disciplining their children.. continue to let them play another 45 minutes before WE leave. Who knows how much longer after that.
If my kids EVER said what these kids said... they would have been in that car and out of that park SO quickly their heads would spin.
I'm also shocked I had the gaul to say anything... but my kids are getting to the age they are really picking up on things and need to know what I stand and don't stand for... and that's one of them.

So, onto some photos.... last Thursday Eric and I celebrated our TEN year anniversary! I still can't believe it.. wow. We went to Dante's Bistro for the last time...

Credits HERE

They boys are wrapping up their summer... hard to believe in a week and a half they'll be in school IN A DIFFERENT province! We have the move coming up this Sunday... I am so stressed.. lol. I went and had some Crystal Light.. it has Aspartame.. so now my dang joints are all swollen up and sore (stupid me).. and I am really hoping that goes away by Sunday!
Here is a picture of Blake enjoying the last lazy days of summer.... (recognize the lyrics?)

HERE

Trying to say goodbye to everyone here is really really hard. I have made some wonderful friends. Yes, while there are so many ways to keep in touch, it is still not the same. I went out with some girlfriends the other night for dinner..

Credits HERE

And one more from my ongoing "Trip to Newfoundland" series... my Dad and the boys...

Credits HERE

Well, this will probably be my lsat post from Alberta... next time, will probably be from British Columbia.... as for things from the digital front..........


So until then.... ciao! Wish us safety and luck on our trip... I wish I could wave a magic wand and have us all magically, safely (and cheaply!) moved there!!!
See you in about a week!!!

A couple of pictures.. and a long winded rant!

Just thought I would pop on here with a bit of an update... some photos.. a vent... and so forth... :) I hope you're all well and in good spirits... I know a lot has been going on for you all...

First off.. here are some photos of our trip out East.. there are a LOT more to come.. so this is just a few to start!

Credits HERE

and here is one of the boys at the most eastern point in Canada....

Credits HERE

And, of course, my sweet boy Blake turned NINE years old on the 7th of August. Wow, can you believe it?! I still haven't grasped that concept yet. We had a little soiree for him on Tuesday night... Uncle Carl came, as well as Michol and the kids, and my cousin Shawn and his beautiful wife, Sarbi. We had BBQ chicken, bake salmon, sushi and all the fixin's. The day before, we spent the day at the WEM waterpark and the boys had a blast in the wave pool and going down alll the rides.. even the scariest of rides! (Ones that *I* wouldn't even do!)

Well, I will have to follow up tomorrow for the long-winded rant.. I am off now to read the boys a story for bed... I will try my hardest to remember to post again in the a.m.! Ciao peoples!

Happy Birthday to our BLAKIE!!!

I cannot believe that 9 years ago this morning.. I was in labour with Blake... unbeknownst to me, just how much my world would change at 6:45 pm on August 7th, 1998. Wow.. what an amazing journey it has been so far.. he is an amazing child whom I feel so blessed to have in my life.
I made a page for his scrapbook this morning....

Tonight we're having a few friends and family over... for dinner and to kinda say goodbye before we move... so everything today is a little bittersweet on so many levels!
Anyways, I have to go clean house, prepare sushi, pick up the cake and so on.... most of all, to spend some time with my new nine year old :)

Busy busy busy...........

First things first.....

I am an Aunty again! Woot!! Emma Lily Ann is here and beautiful and I am SO happy!!!!! June 15th.. and I cannot wait to see her in July. *Sigh*.. baby girls are so precious!

Today is the last day of school for the kids... which means report cards... which means... I am crossing my fingers and praying like mad! It's been a busy few weeks and it is not going to slow down anytime soon.

First I will share a painting Blake did in school... that's some talent!!! *insert beaming Mommy here*

He's really got some talent, I think... I am going to find the perfect square frame to put it in and add it to our Art Wall.

Second... our house is now listed... See our House I still cannot believe it. A lot of work getting everything done, but it's up there and now we wait. *yikes*

On Monday.. I turn the big 3-0.... I still cannot fathom it. How come the first 15 years of your life seem to take FOREVER.. and the second 15 fly by at warpspeed? I can only assume it's going to get faster and faster from here on out. On Tuesday, we finally leave for Newfoundland.. it's been a long time coming and we're really excited. Eric has to work and stick around because of the house.. but the boys and I (wish me luck) will be there for 2 weeks.

Anyways, Cole is nagging me to let him on here to play Battle Bdaman.. so I best be signing off (it's not like I don't have houseowrk to do, too.. lol). Take care and talk soon!

New Babyyyyyyyy

So, right now, Jen is getting her c-section done to deliver her little bundle of JOY! I am anxiously awaiting the phone call from her husband Eric to see if everything went well, if mom and baby are healthy.. and if baby really IS a girl.. lol. I am on pins and needles!

In other news, I am now the mommy of two bespectacled boys... aren't they just adorable!?

Credits HERE

So, I need to gather up Cole's Thomas trains that are involved in the recall..... and ship 'em on out. Talk to you soon!

Wheweeeeeeee :)

It's been a looong time... I apologize. I know there have been a few that have emailed wondering if all is okay since I haven't updated in a while.. and I assure you.. all is okay!
We have been super busy around here, finishing up the basement (trimwork, window treatments, putting in the third bathroom.. etc etc), yardwork and such. It's all starting to finally come together.. yay!
We've been pushing through it quickly, using all our spare time to do it.. as, well, we're going to be putting it on the market. In Edmonton's booming economy, our house is worth nearly $500,000 and we stand to make a huge profit. Now, where will we go? Why, the south Okanagan, of course! That's where most of our family lives, and where we have wanted to be for quite a while. I will update more later as to the entirety of our plans.. but wanted ya'll to know what we've been up to!

The website is doing well, I am having fun stepping outside my comfort zone with what I am used to designing, and have enjoyed the positive feedback. I am making plans to expand the website/business into other areas as well... custom invitations and announcements, memorial cards and what not. That might have to wait until after the move though, because right now, there's just too much g oing on!

Soo.... it looks as though I will be an "Aunty" again by June 15th! That's the date of Jennifer's c-section, should the little bub not come earlier. She had already had Logan by this far along in her pregnancy (he was 5 wks early)... so who knows. I am thrilled.. excited and just so happy!

Just before I go, I want to say how much I am loving the whole Facebook.com experience.. lol. It is fun finding old faces and reconnecting. I have even found the family I used to babysit for in the early/mid 90's! James was 2-3 years old then and is now 16! *gulp* Just wild how time flies. Sooo.. if you're on Facebook, and you know me... add me:) I've even touched base with my cousin Shawn and his lovely wife Sarbi, they live right here in Edmonton, and we'll be going over there for a BBQ tomorrow night:) Yay!

And.. of course, here are some obligatory scrap pages:)


Credits here


Credits here


Credits here

He's SIX....

Who would have thought 6 years could go by so quickly?! And... who SAID he could grow up so darn fast? Cole's smitten that he's six now.. here are a few pics:)

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Credits: Papers and bows are my own (MemoirMarket), ribbon, trains, screws and train sign from Kathryn Balint.

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Credits: Template by Rachel Giallongo, papers from Meredith Fenwick, Gina Cabrera, Katie Pertiet, beaded hemp from Jen Wilson, horseshoe from Rina, corderoy alpha from Shannon Lee

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Credits: Template on first from Rachel Giallongo, all papers and elements by myself


So yeah.. he got spoiled.. hehe.

On to other notes, I found the boys a school for next year. A REAL school, with morals and ethics and RESPECT! They will be going to Major General Griesbach on the old base just 5 minutes down the road.. and I could not be happier. I have heard nothing but great things about this school and I am eager for them to go in September.

It's FINALLY Spring here.. after a final (hopefully, final) snowfall last week. Eric has his bike out on the road and and ear to ear grin, proudly displaying the true sign of a happy biker..... bugs in the teeth.. lol. We are expecting Eric's parents and Aunt Irene next week for a visit, so that will be nice. Right now I am busy finishing up the painting of the trim and what not.. along with general cleaning and so forth, so I am busy!

Okay, so I don't THINK I am missing anything, but if so.. I will just post back here later! Take care, and hope you're all well and in good spirits!

Ciao :)