A Pod of Perkins

Sunday Seven

2011-07-24T10:05:00.000-07:00

How did the week go by already? Spent half of it up the coast with the kids. We had a mix of sun with rainy days, but they stayed behind for a few days while I've come home for a little mama time. So without further ado, my Sunday seven:

1. The Grandparents: Eternally there to love our children, give me a break and spoil them beautifully. The kids love spending time with them and everyone wins. I grew up with a lovely grandma that spent a lot of time with me and had me over for sleepovers almost weekly and would play for hours. I have very fond memories of her and I'm so happy that my children are having a chance to build the same memories with their grandparents.

2. Music: I've been spending quite a bit of time exploring music the past week. Checking out some of the chart toppers and reconnecting with old favorites. I love having music play in our house as I get some things done around here. I downloaded a great mix of Adele, Lady Antebellum, Paul Brandt, Lady Gaga and more and enjoyed the drive to and from Powell River with it cranked. Nothing like music to pull you out of a mood or at least create a good one.

3. The Sun: it finally showed up this weekend. I'm refreshing the Fijian tan and lovin' laying around it, reading my book and relaxing.

4. Tatiana and Alexander: I'm on the final book of Paullina Simons trilogy that begins with the Bronze Horseman. I love escaping into this book. The characters are real, there is so much loss and hope and it's been a great way to spend my summer.

5. Laughs with Girlfriends: I wanted to get out of the house yesterday afternoon and Doug wanted to stay in. Perfect time to connect with a girlfriend and I knew exactly who to call. SUE! So for one hour we laid out on her front lawn, gabbed and laughed as we picked weeds out of her lawn. We don't get together enough, but when we do, we pick up right where we were last time and laugh as always.

6. Ego Boosts: Who knew the ferry and front lawns could be such rewarding experiences. On Thursday, I had the benefit of two men sharing their interests with me on the ferry. Amazing what comes when a women is kid free and completely relaxed. And then while lounging on the lawn at a friends yesterday, the men driving by were happy to extend their glances and smiles our way again. Nothing like a few lingering glances, whistles and mhmmms to put a smile on a women's face.

7. Freshly mowed lawn: Doug mowed the back yard yesterday and it just brings the beauty of our back yard all together. It's why I wanted this house.

And there we have this week's list of blessings and gratitudes.

Sunday's Seven

2011-07-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

I belong to a book club and I didn't even bother getting last months book to read. It was The Book of Awesome.

It's loaded with the little things in life that are, well, awesome. Things like being the first dip into a new jar of peanut butter, or when it's raining and sunny at the same time. Both are awesome and I'm sure there is lots in there that I'd agree with, but I think life is pretty awesome already. I look around every day and see the awesomeness around me. There is a blog that you can check out if you are in need of a little reminding.

But here's my Sunday Seven:

1. Day Camps - the kids had a great time this week at their camps. They made some new friends, learned how to do some cool things, played new games and we all got some time away from each other so our time together was that much sweeter.

2. Chats with old Friends - I keep being reminded how happy I am that I went to my reunion last weekend. So many people had remained friends since they met 25 or more years ago and are still in each others lives. I still have my bff from high school and we've had a great friendship for 25 years. Facebook has really helped me to reconnect with others too and catch up even further with each other. It's been a tremendous gift.

3. Fabulous Finds - I love thrift store shopping. I find so many fabulous things for my home, clothes for the kids, and I just look at everything and imagine the story of it's life. Like how many batches of cookies a woman made in a simple glass mixing bowl. I'm nostalgic like that.

4. Music - I've gotten back to having music playing in my home a lot more. I find it soothes my soul, calms or lifts my spirit (depending on what is needed), or sends me singing and dancing around my house.

5. Speech Therapy Successes - I've spent a lot of hours working with my kids on speech. Don't know the causes, but both have had speech difficulties. Talking to Morgan, you'd never know that he dropped sounds out of words until he was about 4 yrs old. Tess speaks only with front sounds, so it's been difficult to understand her too, but after so many months of hard work, this week, we're finally hearing the proper sounds in so many of her words. It makes my heart smile and I can tell she's so proud too.

6. Oprah Re-runs - I used to watch Oprah regularly, then I became a mom and the content wasn't always appropriate or Rolie Polie Olie trumped her, so I stopped watching. I had regretted not making an effort to PVR and watch her 25th and final season, but the episodes are re-airing and I'm loving watching them when I have some time to. So many ah-ha moments and reminders of living my best life. Thank you Oprah.

7. Simple Summer Meals - nothing better than a piece of grilled chicken over a yummy salad of mixed greens, goat cheese, berries and spiced pecans.

Where better to find the sun ...

2011-07-14T15:24:00.000-07:00

than the Sunshine Coast. Seeing that summer if failing to show up in the Lower Mainland this year, we decided to spend the Canada Day long weekend up the coast at our home away from home. This year our friends Jacq, Steve and their son Bailey joined us. The first few days were cool, but at least not wet, but the sun really came out on Sunday (too be our guests had to leave that day).

There's always lots of time spent out on the beach and this time of year the tide goes really low, so we did some beach combing in the sinking sand.

Doug did some pondering out on the rocks.

And Tess caught up on some work in her Lang Bay office.

Once the sun started to shine, Tess and Daddy got the kite up flying (love the wind at the beach).

And Morgan got the feel for his new skimboard.

While I shot some photos of some of the birds that visit us up there ... fabulous hummingbird and eagles.

Another successful get-away and I get to go back in just a few days with the kids.

Sunday's Seven - Reinstated

2011-07-11T00:57:00.000-07:00

A chance to reflect on the week and emphasize the positives.

1. 20th Grad Reunion - After my last post, I stand corrected. What a great night I had on Friday with so many of my classmates. Lots of laughs, lots of stories and very little sleep. Can't believe how good everyone looks too. There's a rumor going that we won't wait 10 years next time because we had so much darn fun.

2. Clean car - Thanks mom.

3. Visit with Kathie - just 24 hours long, but wonderful. Great food, good coffee and lovely chats as always.

4. A new stylist - love that I have finally found a fabulous hair stylist and right in Port Moody. Thanks Courtney for hiding all the grey again.

5. Skills Development - Morgan was chosen for a summer skills development camp for baseball this summer and after only one season in the league. He thinks it's totally boring, but will go again if it means he gets to bat.

6. Time with Friends - Had so much fun with the Ewonus family last weekend in Powell River. Truly some of the best people I know.

7. Blowing off Birthdays - I'm so happy that Morgan decided his Saturday afternoon was better spent with Nana and playing with his close friends than going to a birthday party of a kid he barely likes. It was just an hour before the party and he said, " I don't really want to go". Sweet darling, do what makes you happy.

High School Reunions

2011-07-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

What exactly is the fascination with our pasts? And I don't mean the fascination with our ancestry, I mean the interest in reminiscing with people from high school. How did it come about that every 10 years we feel it's necessary to get together with people we survived our teen years with? Those are some of the hardest years in our lives, seriously, anyone want to sign up to do their teens again? Not me. Do we really need to all come together to remember the time so and so back stabbed so and so, or the drama of teenaged angst? I'm sure we're all past all the drama, but those weren't my happiest years and life does just keep getting better and better. Is that the point of the reunions? To show everyone who we've become? Share our accomplishments, parade photos of our cute kids about? Why bother, do these people really matter? Do I really care what they think about my kids, my husband, where I live now and what I'm doing with my life? No. But yet, I'm going ... again.

Ten years ago I went to my first high school reunion. It wasn't what I'd call a great event, but I heard the pub night the night before was better (I missed out seeing the cool kids I guess). So here I sit, just two days away from my 20th high school reunion which I've been convinced to go to and I'm wondering why I said yes. At least this time I'm going to the pub night, but really, it's not exciting me all that much.

With Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites, most of the people I have any desire to stay in touch with I've already added to my friends lists and even then, we never arrange to get together. I have two high school friends that are truly still friends. We went to each other's weddings (we were even a part of the ceremony), we celebrated the births of our babies, and we get together somewhat regularly. If I truly cared about the other people I graduated with, wouldn't I be trying harder to stay in touch instead of just commentating on their latest photo from holidays and where they are eating lunch?

But I'm never one to shy away from something that could go either way, and my bff and I have decided that if it's lame, we'll go make some fun elsewhere. Here's to high school friends 20 years later.

Insect DEFEND Patch

2011-07-04T21:59:00.000-07:00

Last summer we had a ball at the beach on the Sunshine Coast, but we learned in the process that Tess is incredibly attractive to mosquitoes (she gets bit more than 4x what I get) and she reacts to the bites with monstrous and incredibly itchy welts. I spent last summer trying a number of different options for defending her from the pesky bugs... various bug sprays and wipes that washed off the minute she went swimming and had to be reapplied often, homeopathic options to prevent biting and also treat the reaction, as well as nightly doses of Benadryl to stop the itching so she wouldn't wake up bleeding.

A few weeks ago, I was looking through the weekly flyers and saw an ad for the Insect DEFEND Patch.

It's advertised as an all-natural patch that is DEET free (a must for most people) and safe for children age 1 and older. I figured I'd try it as nothing had proved to work well yet. The patch is waterproof, lasts up to 36 hours and is effective about 2 hours after applying it. It contains 75mg Thiamine (vitamin B1).I did do a little research about Thiamine and learned that it is found mainly in fortified breads and cereals, whole grains, pasta, lean meats, fish, dried beans, peas and soybeans. So if you have a low carb diet or don't eat fish and lean meats, chances are you are missing this crucial vitamin. Also good to know is that most supplements contain 50 - 100 mg of thiamine and because it is water soluble it is unlikely to reach toxic levels (we just pee out what we don't need).

We just got back home after four nights away and the mosquitoes were about the same as they usually are (well Doug says there seemed to be less, but they were bigger than usual). We used two patches on Tess over the weekend, the first we put in between her shoulder blades and after a couple of days, we changed it and put the next one lower on her back. The second choice wasn't so good as the edges lifted up and sand got under the edges of the patch. But Tess has less bites than the rest of us (she may have four or five bites) which I think is because we didn't put the patch on before we got up there allowing for the two hours pre-exposure, and she slept without the patch on one night after her bath. The bites she did get are normal sized too and not as intensely itchy as they were last year.

At the price of $6.99 (at Canadian Tire) for 5 patches, they are a bit pricey, but worth every penny.

Here is a link for the company.

Insect DEFEND Patch

If you want happiness ...

2011-06-13T10:23:00.000-07:00

From the Mouths of Babes

2011-05-24T12:43:00.001-07:00

I hear a "MOM!" from Tess as she's using the toilet (she often has her most profound thoughts there).

Me: "Yes Tess?"
Tess: "I wonder why they call 'cowboys' cowboys ..."

I sit here thinking she's about to have a feminist moment.

Tess: " ... when they have horses too?"
Me: "That's a good question darlin'."

My Fijian Family

2011-05-23T11:13:00.000-07:00

I just got a quick note from my Fijian friend Elenoa (pictured with us here just as we were leaving for the airport to come home).

Elenoa was the concierge and duty manager at the Naviti Resort. She is the same age as I am, married to Siri, and has four children, Iowane,Alberta (named after her grandfather Albert, not after one of the Canadian provinces), Paulene (my Fijian baby), and Miriam. We got to know Elenoa quite well at the Resort, but we really got to know everyone over two days of driving around Viti Levu and shopping in Suva.

Iowane is 8 years old and although it took him and Morgan some time to bond, once they started playing Uno and Pictureka together, they were solid.

Alberta is 5 years old, so her and Tess were instant friends.

Pauline is 3 and I said I'd take her to Canada with me as we instantly connected and I fell right in love with her strong spirit.

And the baby Miriam (happy in Elenoa's arms) is one.

Somehow I missed getting Siri in any of our photos, but I will have plenty of chance when he comes to Surrey, BC in July for the Fijian Soccer tournament and Fiji Day celebrations. He plays in a band that will be coming to play here during those celebrations.

And this is what my cuddles would look like if I had 5 kids. I think I could pull it off. Pauline fell asleep in my arms, I think Alberta had a snooze on me too, but woke up just before we took this photo and the rest just piled in around us.

And the four fast friends...I really need to organize some pen-pal activities between these kids, I can only imagine how the friendship could grow and last.

Fiji 2011 - The Humanitarian Bent Part II

2011-05-17T21:19:00.000-07:00

After our warm welcome into Komave Village, seeing the kindergarten and meeting the elders over Kava, we stopped for a quick lunch at the Warwick Resort, a sister resort to the Naviti, where we were staying. After lunch we headed to St. Peter Primary School. Again we took a box of much needed school supplies. Although the fees at this school are reasonable, families also need to purchase uniforms and school supplies, and cover transport fees if they are not walking distance. When the teacher that met with us saw the coloured crayons she expressed that they were in big demand as some families couldn't afford to buy their own.

There was a class of students on a break and although we were heading into the winter season (I guess we were technically there in autumn), the sun was still quite hot and bright and the students were all gathered in the shade of the only, and thankfully big, tree on the school grounds.

The students were more than happy to pose for photos as the teachers welcomed us into their classrooms to look around and see what the students were learning. Much of the writing on the boards were simple sentences introducing simple verb tenses and nouns. I could tell they were very proud of the work they were doing and the progress of their students as English is the second language for the students with Fijian being spoken at home.

When we came to a Class 5 room, there were a few students at the window waving quietly and I spied a world map on the wall, I asked them if they could find Canada on the map. A group of four or five students quickly went to the map and were looking at Australia and the surrounding islands. I said, no farther away, the big pink country, when one student realized, he said, "The Americas?" and the students were awed by how far away we were from. That's one of my favourite memories from the trip, the moment of awareness the student had.

I was surprised to hear that there are class size regulations in Fiji (I didn't give much thought to this being an international issue), but due to demand, they don't turn students away and one teacher (the one below) had 52 students in her class! Teachers are heroes aren't they?

I love these two photos...the boys all roughing it out fighing for a prominent spot while the girls hang in the background. The girls stuck pretty close to Tess touching her hair and cheeks. Although tourism is big in Fiji and I'm sure the students had all seen "white" kids before, I don't think many families come to the schools and villages and hang out like we did allowing for those face-to-face encounters.

Goodness, those faces ... I love them!

Fiji 2011 - The Humanitarian Bent Part I

2011-05-14T00:30:00.000-07:00

So not all of our Fiji vacation was about frolicking in the sun and surf or getting the golden glow going. We also went with loads of school supplies for a local kindergarten and elementary school ... although when we got to the schools, we realized how much more they were in need and that we wish we had taken more with us.

So thank you to a couple of friends that sent some story books and contributed to the school supply stash, know that your gifts were very appreciated and will be well used.

Our first stop on our educational day was Komave Village. We were welcomed and presented with banana leaf and flower necklaces and shown the kindergarten. The teacher has been away for the weekend and had not returned yet, so no students were in attendance, but were given a tour of the classroom and village by Saviri (who we renamed the Fijian Snoop-dog ... eerily accurate dontcha think?). Komave is home to three groups that live together harmoniously under one chief totally about 200 residents. Many of the kindergarten students come from the village, but about 1/3 of the students come from nearby villages and settlements.

The inside of the kindergarten classroom is quite similar to most. A mat for "circle time", tables and seats for some academic work, the alphabet poster on the wall, days of the week posted in English and Fijian, and several songs written on the board. The shelf of books is quite filled, but they books are quite old and many are not age appropriate; I think the shelf might serve also as a village library for residents to borrow and trade books for their own pleasure. There are a few toys, but nothing like we have here. The dolphins hanging from the ceiling reminded me of the preschool and kindergartens back home with various seasonal things hanging from the ceilings. I missed taking a photograph of it, but there was a copy of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child posted on the wall. It's the first time I've ever seen one posted in a classroom and it nearly brought me to tears (of happiness of course), but only those who understand the significance of that document in developing countries would understand. Due to a growing number of children attending the kindergarten, the village is in the process of moving to a larger space on the village land.

There is a Catholic church on site as this village is of the Catholic faith. Christianity is the most followed religion in Fiji (thanks to those brave missionaries that kept coming to Fiji in the 1800s to bring God to the Islands ... I say "brave", because Fiji was a cannabilistic society and some missionaries were eaten before their faith grew). From the Fijians I met, Catholicism and Methodist appear to the be the largest of the faiths, but I also saw Seventh Day Adventist churches along our drive. I'm sure there are other Christian groups, but not as prevalent in the area we were staying in.

Here is a standard home in the village and some of the kids that followed us around. I think this village was a bit more affluent (I can't remember if a resort leased some of their land or not) as the homes were in better condition than many we say elsewhere.

After a tour around the village, we were welcomed into the community hall where the elders along with some of the men and women of the village were just finishing up a meeting regarding the wedding of someone's son. The drink Kava is used during these meetings to help with negotiations. Kava was also used in welcoming us and making us honorary members of the village. It was an interesting process and I definitely felt honored by everyone. You can see me sitting up front with Doug and Dan on either side of me. We are presenting a box of items to the chief and elders sitting along the wall on the left. In front of us, you can just make out the rim of a bowl which holds the Kava.

In my next post I'll share some photos from the elementary school visit.

Fiji 2011

2011-05-10T17:11:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, April 21st our family flew to Viti Levu, one of the Fiji Islands, with my birth-father, Dan. Despite a bout or two of troublesome tummies, heat rashes and mosquito bites, it was a trip of a lifetime and one our family will treasure and remember forever. We stayed at the Naviti Resort on the Coral Coast, which was a perfect vacation spot for a family with kids as they had a great beach that was shallow enough to not have to worry about the kids, a big pool, all-inclusive deals, a kid's club, and so much else to offer families.

Here are a few of my favourite photos...

Of palm trees ...

Of animals ...

Of the kids and us ...

Of the underwater world ...

Of Fiji's other offerings ...

Still to come!

"What? I'm 7 Now!"

2011-04-18T15:51:00.000-07:00

So this morning, Morgan eats a big bowl of cereal and then asks for more. Doug said, "really? you're still hungry?" because one bowl usually is good for Morgan, but today he replied, "What? I'm 7 now!" like we should have known his appetite should have been expected. Man that kid makes me laugh.

And so here we are with our first born turning 7 already. We celebrated with a Lego themed party yesterday as Lego is Morgan's most favourite thing these days (well after hockey anyway). So it was Lego spoon races, Lego bingo, and a Lego building competition with 10 of his buddies at our house.

I didn't have a whole lot of time to snap photos, but I did get some shots of some of the creations the kids made.

The cake turned out okay...it didn't look perfect, but it tasted mighty yummy. It was way harder to make then I every would have thought. The bumps on top are mini Oreos dipped in icing.

But my marshmallow Lego pops turned out perfectly. If you ever make these don't bother with the Wilton edible writers they don't work at all, but I bought some black icing in a tube, thinned it with water and used it like paint.

And although the party was crazy loud and some were very difficult and I have sworn off home parties for the boys from now on, his smile made it all worth it.

Baby to Big Girl

2011-04-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

How has the time gone so fast? I remember the day five years ago when I woke up to mild contractions and spent the rest of the day wondering just when this baby would arrive. Finally at 11:15 pm after just an hour of active labour Tess Eva-Rose entered our lives and we've been smiling ever since. You can't look at her, listen to her or watch her without a smile coming to your face and the warmth of my heart just radiates. She is such a joy and brings so much joy to our lives.

She requested a Barbie party for her special day and a Barbie party we did. I didn't take many photos as I was busy hosting, but I got plenty of the cake! There was a moment when I started icing it at 12:30 am last night that I truly thought I'd be sending Doug out this morning for a prefab cake, but after giving up on things around 2:30 am and starting again at 7 am this morning, I felt much better and love the final result. Tess had chosen the colours purple, pink, orange and white for her party (there are streamers and balloons in those colours in our living room), so I went with those for the cake too.

We played Pin the Pendant on the Barbie's necklace ... isn't the mask hilarious?

Then Hide the Barbie ... we hid two Barbies and the kids had to find them (this game was Tess' idea and the kids loved it) which we played way too many times. Followed by a rendition of Simon Says called Barbie Says, not too original, but half the kids were up for it and loved taking turns being Barbie.

And that smile is says it all, she was so happy and loved her day. I asked her what her favourite part of the day was and she said, playing Barbies, I guess she picked the right theme then.

Thank you to everyone who helped celebrate Tess' birthday either in person or with your phone calls and message of birthday wishes. She loved hearing them all and I know she feels very loved and honored.

Introducing My Newest Nephew

2011-01-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Day, one of my sisters gave us all an amazing Christmas present...Baby Noel Lennon.

I had the chance to see him when he was just 6 days old and then again this past weekend when I was asked to come stay with them. He is the sweetest little boy. So cuddly and cute. He has a very calm, inquisitive look that just soothes your soul. Doug, Morgan and Tess also got to meet Noel this past weekend and I snapped a few photos that I would love to share.

Morgan was particularly enthralled with this little baby and wanted to hold him a ton.

Tess liked him well enough, but got done with him pretty quickly.

Doesn't Naomi look fabulous for a sleep deprived mom of a four week old. Heck she looks good all the time anyway.

And then there is this one that just makes me laugh. I call it Milk Drunk, I'm sure you can tell why.

So welcome Noel, you've evened up my nephew to niece ratio of 3 a piece. Goodness, how did I get so many nieces and nephews after being an only child. God love it!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2010-12-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

How exactly does this happen? I started shopping in November, was way on top of things, then I wake up this morning and the kids eat their advent and jump around saying, "Only 5 more sleeps 'til Christmas!" WHAT? 5 more sleeps. But I haven't written my Christmas cards or the Christmas letter, the baking isn't done, the house is a mess with wrapping, and there is still more wrapping to do. I even have a wee bit of gifts still to finish. YIKES!

So from being on top of things to feeling the stress of the season over one night....quite the ride. Well, I'm letting it go. I have 7 Christmas cards made by me ready to go. Those will go to those I've received cards from already, I'll write the letter and post it here and e-mail it to others, and the baking (well maybe we'll stop at what we have) and anyone who matters if my house is a mess, you aren't welcome to stop by, but if you can crash on a couch in a house full of love, good food and company, you are welcome to come by, enjoy a glass of wine and some laughs. And I hope that you do.

Oh and PS...to the anonymous commenter from my last post regarding my nurse. I suspect you are a troll, if you aren't, feel free to phone or e-mail me directly, I'd love to hear why you don't see it. I know it's right and that I'll rock it.

What do you want to be ...

2010-12-06T20:58:00.000-08:00

when you grow up?

Last spring, my dear concerned step-dad G (aka Gary) pulled me aside to chat. I have to say that after 20 years, the affect of him wanting to "chat" hasn't changed, I still get a little nervous and feel a little small as I wonder what sort of "chat" this will be about. Will it be about my grades (well, seeing I wasn't in school, I knew it wasn't that)? But it wasn't too far off, G decided that it was time to put a bee in my bonnet about what exactly I was planning to do once the kids were both in school and seeing that come September Tess will be starting kindergarten (all-day), I better start thinking.

I came away from our chat with a clear understanding that G thought it to be a great idea that I go back to school and follow what had been an idea way back when. To get my Master's, maybe even my PhD and get a job at a university (well, teaching at that level was never an idea of mine, rather, getting my Master's and becoming a counsellor was, but it's along the same lines).

For the next few months I looked into Master's programs and was thinking, "ya, I could do this, but it sounded really boring to me". Not exciting like it once was. During a conversation with Doug one night, well, let's be honest, I was talking, he was watching tv and I really didn't need feedback, just a sounding board, I said, "ya know? I'm really most happy in the delivery room. I think I need to do a nursing degree."

Now here I sit, after information sessions attended, advisors met with, English assessments written and applications submitted, waiting for an answer as to weather I've been accepted into the BSc Nursing at Douglas College. Application deadline is Feb. 01/11, so I have a long wait yet, but I'm feeling pretty confident that it will happen. I've registered for an English class for the winter session and hopefully I'll get into the Biology class I need as well, but for now I wait and hope that it all comes together.

When Your Sister E-mails ...

2010-11-30T21:42:00.000-08:00

to tell you that she checks your blog every day, that she still hasn't seen pics of the kids in their Halloween costumes and that she is in withdrawal, it's hard not to do something about it.

My computer has been dead for about a week, which means that I haven't had access to my photos, now that doesn't explain the months of no posts, but it does explain why this post is extra special. Thanks to my IT dept (aka our buddy Dave), I've learned that you can run your computer without your hard drive (I may have this all wrong, but I think that's what I'm doing). I'm using some program called Ubuntu (which might just be an African word for cheating), but I like it. I've been able to check e-mail throughout the day, send people our wish lists, check on Facebook and now I'm hoping update my blog.

So finally, on the eve of December 1st, here are the kids Halloween pics!

Tess dressed up as a witch for her preschool and a neighbour's party, but a yadybud (ladybug) for trick or treating.

Morgan was a Ninja this year. We laughed when he chose a ninja costume because Doug and I call him the sleep ninja. We'll wake up some mornings and he's in our bed with us. We have no idea when he joins us and he just sneaks right in and is discovered in the morning.

Here are the kids about to head off trick or treating...it was a great night for trick or treating. The rain that was supposed to fall didn't, the streets were packed with kids and the kids ran into friends from school and the neighbourhood all evening. They got so much loot, they are still eating it.

I'll work on catching up on pumpkin patch trips and soccer photos and anything else I can access while I'm waiting for a new hard drive.

Tiny Fundraiser Goes Big

2010-10-08T12:14:00.000-07:00

We were contacted on Monday by Jennifer McFee at the Coquitlam Now newspaper. She had heard that Morgan had raised quite a large part of the school's Terry Fox funds and wanted to share his story with the community. So she spoke to me, then she spoke to Morgan and the next day the photographer, Paul met us at the school for a photo op. Morgan was pretty humble about the whole thing, but I know he'll be excited when he sees the paper today. But I thought I'd share the link to the online version as well.

http://www.thenownews.com/health/Tiny+fundraiser+goes/3643482/story.html

Life Around Here

2010-10-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one that was completely deceived by the start of the school year? Am I the only one that truly thought that the routine of school and activities would give me more time and that things would be less busy than the comings and goings of the summer? Well, if I was, then I feel like a fool. Next September, I'll know better won't I to think that.

So here I am, already in October with no idea where September went. I know what happened last month, but I don't know how it all happened so quickly.

Morgan started school again. He's in grade one and loves his teacher. Here's a few photos we snapped over the long weekend to avoid the crush on the first day of school (the last one is from our walk to school on the first day).

Tess returned to preschool for her final year there. We switched her to the morning class, so there are new friends to make and a new teacher to get to know. Here she is on her first day.

The rest of the month is a blur...with soccer season starting for Morgan and Tess, art classes over at 4Cats art studio, lots of errands, purging the house of it's clutter, and I trully don't know what else.

New Look, New Posts, New Reasons to Come Back

2010-09-17T13:56:00.000-07:00

Goodness, where did the summer go? Between hopping back and forth from the Sunshine Coast and home, summer day camps, the hot weather and my guest design gig over at ScrapShotz, I barely had time to sit down at the computer, let alone update our blog much. So I figured with my favourite season looming, I better update the blog template and get back at 'er. So if you're still checking in with me. Let me know and I'll be sure to feed your curiousity about our lives, my creations and struggles here again.

Creativity of Late

2010-08-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

So month two of my ScrapShotz Guest DT post has come and gone and this past month I got to play with Echo Park's new line A Walk in the Park. If you haven't seen the papers from this great new manufacturer, check them out at ScrapShotz. There are three paper lines to choose from. I got a shwack of patterned paper, a big sheet of stickers with four different alphas, and a sheet of sentiments/titles too.

Here are the projects I made with them.

The paper is high quality, the stickers stick well, but you can move them a bit if needed, the alphas are a great size and the colours are gorgeous.

Happiness is...

2010-08-03T13:14:00.000-07:00

an evening spent with a wonderful couple that laugh together and are about to start a fabulous life together; time with family rarely seen; sharing laughs and enjoying good food together.

We spent the last night and day of our family vacation celebrating the marriage of my sister Naomi and new brother-in-law, Ben Overvoorde. I took quite a few photos and have been having fun with photoshop dressing some of them up a bit. I thought I'd share some here.

Negligent Blogger

2010-07-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

I promise, there are a bunch of really good posts coming in the next couple of days. Summer is such a hard time to stay on top of things here as we've been greatly enjoying our summer heatwaves that have had us at the local pools, beaches and up to the Sunshine Coast too.

What Did You Do All Day?

2010-07-09T18:07:00.000-07:00

A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pyjamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and 20 wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, and so the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pyjamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'

Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Happy News

2010-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

In all the chaos and ado of this past month, I totally forgot to tell you all happy news for me. I was asked to be a Guest Designer for a 3 month stint over at ScrapShotz. So for July, August and September, I'm being sent a wonderful package of new product to work with.

This month I received a box of BoBunny's Sunkissed papers, rub-ons, bling/buttons, chipboard, stickers and co-ordinating cardstock. The reveal is tonight, so go check out a few of my creations and the other design team members. Here are some sneek peeks.

I can't say enough how great the crew is over at ScrapShotz. It's a great group of women (and maybe the odd lurking guy) with so much talent to go around.

Where to begin?

2010-06-29T13:39:00.000-07:00

June ended up being a ridiculously busy month. My last post covers the weekend of the 11th - 13th, but we also had both kid's sports days, Tess' ballet finished, end of the school year presentations, Doug's played a lot of ball, I attended a birth, and I also went to Saskatchewan to attend a funeral. Let's see how much I can cover in this post without boring you all (and by all, I mean the four people who read this).

Morgan and Tess both had so much fun at their sports days.

Tess finished school on the 21st. Although she has one more year, there is an annual completion ceremony for all the students. Tess will also be moving to the morning class next year.

Tess had her final ballet show for the parents on the 23rd. I loved watching what she had learned and memorized (although never practiced). I was surprised that during the free time, she was the only one doing what the teacher asked (like skipping and gallopping). She is asking to do more ballet.

Morgan's last day is today (one more hour of quiet mommy time until September). Here he is with his fabulous teacher, Mme James.

I spent a few days in Saskatchewan celebrating the life of my Grandpa Ford. There were a lot of tears and lots of laughs. Here I am with my Granny Ford.

Here are the girl cousins (from left to right)...Me, sister Cara, sister Naomi, cousin by marriage Alicia (with Jenna), Heidi, Granny, Lana, Jennie, cousin by marriage Dianna (with baby), and cousin by marriage Alicia (#2).

Here are most of the boy cousins (I think we're missing two here).

That's the month in a nutshell.

Fun in the Sun (warning - Photo Heavy)

2010-06-15T23:33:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd share a few pics from this past weekend. Doug, the kids and I took off to Lang Bay again up on the Sunshine Coast. This time it lived up to it's name. We walked and walked in the low tides in the bright sun (even got a bit of a sunburn to show for it - Yikes!).

I couldn't believe the sand dollars we found, there were tons and tons of them. Of course when they are fuzzy like these, they are still living beings, so we left them in the sand, but we did find a couple of dozen empty ones to take home. I was in heaven as I adore sand dollars...childhood memories revisited.

And the starfish, they were just laying in the sand when the tide went out...poor things, but the kids loved exploring them.

Doug jokes about getting us with his lobster toes; he had fun teasing this crab. We found one crab in an area of the low tide, and then a couple more surprised me by checking out my feet, I was laughing and screeching at the same time. Then we realized there were a bunch of them in that area. The kids wouldn't go anywhere near there.

I couldn't believe it when the kids decided to go for a swim. And Doug too. The water was freezing. I kept to lying in the sun reading my book.

The kids even made us dinner one night...well, they roasted our dogs for us.

And then we roasted and ate a couple of marshmallows (American sized).

We also headed to a local beach near Powell River to play at a playground, where I made Tess a daisy chain headband.

It truly is a wonderful spot to be and we are loving spending time up there.

Oh and if anyone can tell me what flower this is, I'll be eternally grateful. Isn't it just one of the prettiest things you've ever seen? I must have it in my garden.

Project 12 - All Caught Up

2010-06-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

After a very busy April, I somehow had no time in May to get my Project 12 layout done for April. So I didn't get it posted by the May 20th deadline, but I finally finished it this weekend. Don't you LOVE the October Afternoon papers. So fresh, bright and clean. They were perfect for this page.

I also managed to get my May layout done too this weekend (thanks to dh being out at his ball games). And I used RAW chipboard. That's right, I didn't ink it, mist it, or cover it with paper. And you know what? I love it like this. Reminds me of the driftwood on the beach in Lang Bay, it reminds me to keep it simple, and I love how it just blends with the cardstock, yet gives a bit of dimension and shadow. And I'm lovin' how perfect the MamaRazzi line from Bo Bunny is with beach photos. (oh and did you know you can get a closer look of the layouts by clicking on them...give it a try).

If you don't know about Project 12, you can read about it over on the Scrapbook and Cards Today blog by clicking here. I am really enjoying capturing our lives in photos a month at a time. The sketches from Becky Fleck or so easy to work with, simple and clean looking. I hope they do a similar project next year too because this has been easy to commit to while still leaving tons of time for other projects.

Challenge Day

2010-06-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

It's Challenge Day over at the Inspired Scrapper. Cari Locken and I completed some wedding projects for this weeks challenge. Here's a sneak peek at my projects.

You can check them out here.

And yet another birthday party ...

2010-05-30T10:43:00.000-07:00

Morgan's party pics never made it here either from last month, so I thought I better share those too. Morgan asked for a dinosaur themed party... and it came together beautifully. It was a very rainy day, so we were limited to inside games and such. I had really hoped to bury bones in the sandbox for an archeological dig...it didn't happen, but we had tons of fun anyway. I served dinosaur shaped chicken nuggests, lava bites (bagel bites), veggies for the herbivore dinosaurs, and fossil crisps (chips). The goodie bags were filled with dinosaur tattoos, stickers, mini dinosaurs, dinosaur shaped candies, and dinosaur colouring pages.

I found these great mini fossil explorer kits at The Daiso. A couple of days before the party, Morgan and I made all the kids a fossil rock with a fossil in it that they had to dig out. It was messy and dusty as they scraped the rock away, but the kids loved it! They all took home their fossil, the mini tools, and a little book that talks about the different fossils.

The traditional stick the Pteradactyl to the Picture game.

We played some Dinosaur Freeze Stomp.

Then there was the T-Rex Says game (down to the final two).

And some Hot Meteor passing (like hot potato).

And Morgan asked for cupcakes so I made these quick and easy things.

He loved it! He's already talking about his next party...at home of course.

Overdue birthday photos....

2010-05-29T17:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Christine and I finally had a crossing of paths (well sort of) and I got the photos from Tess' Hello Kitty Birthday party in April. The party was so cute and so much fun. I had to turn to ebay to get the Hello Kitty supplies and such. I bought the Hello Kitty Cricut cartridge to make invites and things for the games. The goodie bags were filled with Hello Kitty tattoos, pencils and stickers all from e-bay, then I hit a few of the asian stores for Hello Kitty wash clothes, buttons, Hello Kitty cookies, lollipops and strawberry jam filled marshmallows. The boys got Keroppi the Frog clothes and buttons. And I put colouring pages in the bags too.

Here are some pics from her special day...

Hello Kitty and her twin sister, Mimi, were playing hide and seek and everyone need to find a pair:

We played "Pin the Bow on Hello Kitty" (thank you auntie Erin for the poster):

There was a round of Hello Kitty Says:

And a couple favourite presents:

And of course the cake (yes I made it...the bow is done with rolled out gum drops)

She was a very happy birthday girl!

Palm Beach in Lang Bay

2010-05-24T21:15:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get to go "camping" for the May Long weekend. And I have to say although I love tent camping, camping in a motorhome with a stove, fridge, heat and hot water is way more up my alley with kids. Especially the view we had.

This is Palm Beach in Lang Bay on the Sunshine Coast, where my folks have parked their 30 foot motorhome for the summer. They have a perfect spot right by the beach, so the kids can be on the beach and we can either sit inside where it's warm on these colder spring days and still see them beachcombing, or we can sit on the beach and enjoy the sun and view only a few steps from our next cold beer.

The kids had tons of fun climbing on the rocks.

Playing on the beach in the winds:

Exploring the tidal pools.

Playing on one of nature's teeter totters.

And Morgan got to fish in Powell Lake when we took the boat out for the afternoon.

And the sea creatures we found.

A sea cucumber (we think):

A sea urchin:

Starfishes (in green and purple):

And the birds... the eagle flew over every day, twice a day and a heron too.

I can only imagine how wonderful it will be in the summer when the sun is hot and the water refreshing!

When the Cat's Away...

2010-05-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

the mouse will play. And in this case, I was the mouse while my kids were away with LouLou and Grandpa on the Sunshine Coast on the weekend. I did a bit of scrapping Friday night...okay a LOT of scrapping Friday night. Then got the kids off bright and early Saturday morning. Scrapped a bit on Saturday, between gettig a ton of other things accomplished, plus a long nap in there, and then spend most of Sunday scrapping again. ScrapShotz had the Family Game Night on-line Crop and if you didn't have a chance to play along, you can still go and check out the challenges because they were incredibly inspiring and there is tons to see and do over there. I wanted to share what I managed to get done over the weekend. Each challenge was inspired by a family game, like Monopoly, Rummoli, etc. Either based on colours, pieces, game shapes, or what have you.

I'll start with my Go Fish card challenge ... as a current member of the card crew, I got to post my own challenge and I chose to do a fishy/water themed card:

One of my fav things at ScrapShotz on-line crops is there is always a charity challenge and this time it was a game of tag. For every layout created in the tag (each person can do ONE), Sandy will donate $5 to the Ronald McDonald House Charity (the charity of the crop). I came up with this in my hour of allotted time:

Othello Challenge (has to have green, bonus if it has grids and/or circles):

Rummoli Card Challenge (use red, blank white and the shapes from the board):

Pictionary Challenge (do a layout, then make a sketch for it):

Cranium Card Challenge (be inspired by the box):

Headbanz Make and Take (making felt flowers..super duper easy):

Candyland Project Challenge (anything "sweet", but not a layout):

Scrabble Tile Challenge (use letter tiles):

Tripoley Challenge (things in 3):

Twister Challenge (lots of circles):

I got so much done and I love all of my projects. The ScrapShotz on-line crops are not to be missed. Now just keep your fingers crossed that I win the Grand Prize (you are entered to win if you complete the Charity Challenge, as well as 6 other challenges).

The Video Store

2010-05-17T09:54:00.000-07:00

The kids were away all weekend, (thanks Mom and G) and although Doug and I had a few committments this weekend, like a ball game and a birthday party (happy 1st birthday Kylie), we did make time Saturday night for some time together. We went out for a dinner at a pub and then decided to pick up a movie to watch. Well, I realized we hadn't been in a video store together in YEARS! We decided on watching The Hurt Locker and I have to say although it was a hard movie to watch in so many ways, it is superbly done. I commented during the movie that I wasn't sure I wanted to know so much about war and my adrenaline was pumping so much that I actually got cold, like teeth chattering cold, at one point.

Doug and I realized though that we are so behind on movie watching, like the movies we want to see are already moving over to the "old" shelves in the store. So my question is what movies are must see movies. Please share your fav movies from the past few years, I want to put together a list so it's easier to chose next time we're at the store.

A Sneek Peek

2010-05-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after hearing that so many people are stopping by the blog still, I thought I'd share a little peek at what I made the other day. To see the whole thing, head over to The Inspired Scrapper.

Also, there's an on-line crop over at ScrapShotz this weekend with some serious fun and games going on to inspire you and get your mojo going...check out my Go Fish challenge coming Saturday morning.

Where's the Love...

2010-05-10T22:15:00.000-07:00

Now don't get me wrong, I'm feeling the love from Jo and Lacintha...I always do, but does no one else read my blog? Does no one else stop by here once in a while? I guess not, or maybe no one wants a RAK, ya that's it. People stop by all the time to see my work, read about my kids and catch up on my life, but you just don't want the RAK, so no comment right? RIGHT? Hello? This thing on?

I'll take a moment here to take some responsibility for not updating my blog more often, for slagging a bit on the posts these days (especially this week), but come on people. There was even a RAK on the line, but you didn't want that, so you didn't comment.

Which before I forget, goes to ...

JO!

Congrats Jo and let me know when you are next at the store, or pm me your addy to erkperkins@hotmail.com and I'll send you your RAK.

You just lurking? Stopping by, sipping a coffee, but keepin' to yourself? I get it, I do it too, but you know what? I'm going to catch up on my blogs more often, and maybe I'll even leave a comment or two, to show my love and spread it around. Take a minute to do that too once in a while, let me know you came by. I promise I'll be blogging a lot more from now on.

National Scrapbooking Day (aka NSD)

2010-05-01T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well if you are like me, the kids are in bed, the sun is setting and you are tired from a busy full day. Maybe you were lucky to get to spend your day in your scrap room celebrating NSD. But not me, it's rare that I get the opportunity to scrap during the day, so doing any today was unlikely, but I'm considering pulling out some stuff to work on tonight. It's the evenings when the house if finally quiet enough and the dining room table is no longer needed that I can pull out some paper and photos and get creative. And who knows it might not even happen until tomorrow night, as I'm feeling a little spent already.

So in honor of NSD, I decided to do a little give away on my blog, but because I didn't really have time to celebrate today...I'm extending NSD to NSW (National Scrapbooking Week). That gives you a week to leave me gobs of comments on my blog and become a follower. What's in it for you? I know you were wondering because us scrapbookers like a little reward for taking the time out of our paper playing and reading those blogs...

I'll have a Rockin' RAK for the winner!

Chosen randomly from those that comment on today's post (anytime before Friday, May 7th) and any other post you happen to like, but you must also become a follower too. I'll post the winner on Saturday, May 8th.

Don't worry it'll be good, but it's a surprise!

Also if you haven't had a chance to check out the new THE INSPIRED SCRAPPER blog (we moved from Typepad to Blogger), I highly recommend you make a visit over there for a little lovin' from the DT, plus an oppotunity for you to join us on the DT too, that's right we're looking for a couple more inspired scrappers.

I'll leave you with a few of my scrappy creations from when I started 4 years ago.

I remember doing this layout and having no idea how to use raw chipboard, so I just left it plain.

I loved American Crafts and this was a kit from Pick of the Patch (no longer an on-line store, but still a brick and mortar here in town). Still love to handcut things.

I went a little circle crazy on this one, but using one of my fav manufacturers ever...Scenic Route (so sad they are no longer around).

And even a two pager. Lovin' those paint splatters aren't you?

Thanks for stopping by...Happy Scrappin'!

Project 12 - March and Christmas in April

2010-04-27T11:14:00.000-07:00

April 20th came awfully quickly and I didn't manage to get my Project 12 layout for March done until this past weekend, but I'm still caught up and am happy with the results. I didn't have many photos from March, but I had enough to do this layout. You can see the sketches and the Project 12 details here at the Scrapbook & Cards Today website/blog.

Supplies used: Bazill and Coredinations cardstock; My Mind's Eye patterned paper, stickers and bird; Basic Grey brads; American Crafts Thickers; Making Memories mini alphas; and Stampin' Up glitter.

I'm really eager to get my April photos printed so I can do the next layout.

One of my goals is to create an album of our family's Christmases. I want a double page layout for every year that will be in chronological order to see what tradtitions we acquire, gifts we got, decorations we had, events we attended. I wanted to start the year Morgan was born, so we've had 6 Christmas, I think I now have three done. I need to catch up. I quickly put together 2009 over the weekend using a sketch from Scrapbooks Etc. I find double page layouts challenging, so I use a sketch to get me started and it makes it less of a challenge to get these done.

Supplies used: Bazzil cardstock; My Mind's Eye patterned paper; Basic Grey Chipboard alphas; misc eyelets; Making Memories holly leaves/berries; and Fontwerks label stickers.

The kids are so cute...

2010-04-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Morgan and Tess were lucky to be invited to be the ring bearer and flower girl at my sister's wedding this past October. The photographer was fabulous and got so many wonderful shots of the kids. I finally got some printed and have started to scrap them...here's the first two.

photo credit to Kira Nelson Photography 2009 Copyright.

I also worked on one of the Card Crew Challenges over at ScrapShotz last night and came up with this card.

The challenge was a recipe challenge to use: a background stamp, a chipboard element, ribbon and deco scissors (or border punch).

Latest Creations

2010-04-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a few things lately...

A couple of cards for the Card Crew Challenges over at ScrapShotz.

A layout I made for a friend. We're trading creative services...her stuff is worth checking out here.

He's a Lover Not a Biter...

2010-04-18T12:18:00.000-07:00

When we were in the thick of the biting toddler stage, I couldn't see the possibility that I'd be sitting here today on the 6th birthday of Morgan describing him as a calm, gentle, sweet natured boy.

Morgan's labour started during the longest Canucks game in history (at least I think it was). It was a play off game, don't ask me against who, or what the score was but I realized sometime in the 3rd period that my labour was starting, so I went to bed and slept for a few hours. I was able to sleep and soak in the bath and do all that I could at home. At one point Doug thought it was time to head into Vancouver, I didn't think I was ready to, but off we went. After a brief stop at our friends place (they were out of town, but we were using their place as an option for being closer to the hospital) we arrived at the hosital aroud 10 am. I was 7 cm dilated and Morgan was born at 12:29pm. I still say it was a relatively easy birth and pretty pain free. I was over the moon when we discovered it was a boy and I recall saying, "It's a boy! We have a son!" Which is exactly how I wanted to start my family.

Morgan was an easy baby that loved being held and cuddled (thankfully there was always a set of arms for him), he was also very happy.

He didn't get into much trouble as a baby, just the usual sort. Like playing in the bathroom.

He did go through a terrible biting stage. Bit kids at daycare, kids at the playground and us. Then he started to talk, he started to be able to express himself in other ways and it disappeared. He was also a bit of a fighter, but that's pretty much gone too.

As he grew, his love of the the earth and learning was evident. He speaks often of wanting to "take care of the earth". Although he has reservations (okay, we'll call them fears) of watching most Disney movies, he'll spend hours watching Animal Planet and Planet Earth with animals devouring others ones. His favourite places to go are the Aquarium and Science World (we were so happy to receive memberships from LouLou and Granddad for gifts this year).

Morgan has also loves arts and crafts, you name it he wants to try it. Rarely does a day go by that he doesn't ask to do crafts.

Morgan also loves sports. He plays street hockey with the neighbourhood kids, soccer on the pitch, although he is finding a new love for baseball this spring. Fishing has become a new interest too.

Morgan started kindergarten in the fall and his love for school has not waned. He is doing well in his French Immersion and learning so much.

He loves life. He loves to try new things. He loves the outdoors. And we love him. Happy 6th birthday to the best little man we could have ever wished for.

Thirty-six years ago ...

2010-04-12T16:52:00.000-07:00

my gift of patience, love, care, understanding, laughter, warm feet, and good genes to make gorgeous little people was born. Happy Birthday Doug!

A friend of mine once said that her husband wasn't Mr. Right, but Mr. Right-for-me. I like that and the same can be said for Doug. Doug and I compliment each other well. He makes me laugh like very few people can.

He takes the time to read with the kids so much more than I do. I do other things with the kids, but this is a place where Doug has stepped up to increase their love of reading, their imagination and love of learning (I bet Doug didn't even know he was doing all these things in the half hour he spends most days reading to them).

Doug is still happy to throw Tess up on his shoulders when she says, "teas daddy". Even though he might say his back hurts from it, he'll do it again and again.

Doug's relationship with his kids has grown so much lately, they know they can depend on him and go to him for any help. He's my equal in life. They love their daddy.

After 13 years, this man still makes my heart beat a little faster (the dude will climb anything)...

and in other ways too....

I love our life (bumps and all) and couldn't have chosen a better man for me to marry. He'll fish with my dad, loves hockey, and still loves to spend time with me. He appreciates how hard I work for our family and the role I play being home with the kids and tells me often. He never complains about what I do or don't do in the home each day, or what meal is put in front of him. He is Mr. Right-For-Me.

Here's to your 36th and too all those still to come.

LOVE YA BABE!

And the Pink One Turns Four!

2010-04-02T10:40:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me that the years go by fast, but the days are long. And yes some days raising children seem like they will never end, but Tess is such a happy, good-natured little girl, that the days often go by quickly too. And here we sit this morning looking at our baby that joined our family at a whopping 8lb 6oz on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2006, now four years old.

Tess was quickly dubbed "The Pink One" balancing out our little family with her brother Morgan that loved her right from the start.

She was an easy baby, slept well, didn't cry often and was all smiles sitting on my hip in her carrier.

Over the years she definitely got into her fair amount of trouble and she could definitely be called mischevious or impish. There was the yoghurt incident.

And the famous Vaseline morning.

One of her favourite spots has always been atop Daddy's shoulders.

As she's got older her wisdom and easy ability to learn shone. I knew watching her play that she needed more than I could offer her at school, so off to preschool she went before her third birthday. She was writing her name then and has quickly learned how to write Morgan, Mommy, Daddy and more words. She knows all of her letters by sight and is now asking how to spell other words.

She loves riding her bike (well her brother's hand-me-down bike) and her scooter. She's great in the water and love to climb trees. And soon she'll add ballet to her list of activities (after asking for lessons for over a year).

I actually wondered when Tess was a baby if she was really cute. Or was it just mother's love that made me think she was. But I have no doubt now at how beautiful she is...both inside and out.

Tess you are the love of my life, the sunshine on my raining days and we love you to the moon and back.

My Mojo is Aflowing

2010-03-24T17:25:00.000-07:00

I picked up some of My Mind's Eye new Quite Contrary line last week and I kept pulling it out, but couldn't come up with any ideas of what to do with it. Well, over the last few days I finally started cutting it up. So far I've done three layouts and two cards (they are the same as one is being given in a card swap).

I started with this layout about Tess who is our eternal bit of happiness:

Then I made another for Tess using a beautiful photo from my sister's wedding (photo credit to Kira Nelson photography 2009 copyright) focusing on her lovely curls:

I sat and stared at this layout for a couple of nights and was not inspired to do anything else with it. I'm pretty sure it's the simplest fastest layout I've ever done. Morgan was learning to hula hoop:

And the card I whipped up with these papers.

I also pulled out an old Autumn Leaves paper to make this card for a friend who thanked me for helping her to turn her lemons into lemonade (stamp is Stampin' Up):

I've got the bug to scrap again, but I need to take a night off or my husband will think I've deserted him.

Project 12 - February 2010

2010-03-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

If you haven't already checked it out, and you are a scrapbooker, Scrapbook and Cards Today along with Davinie Fiero and Becky Fleck are inspiring us to create a year in review one month at a time, called Project 12. Each month Becky Fleck supplies us with a sketch we can use, or we can go it on our own. By the 20th of the following month, so by March 20th we need to complete the February layout, you link your finished project to the appropriate posts on the SCT blog and Divinie's blog and wait and see if you win some goodies or if you're layout is highlighted on their blogs. If you don't, you still have some amazing layouts to look back at the Year 2010.

Here's my take on February's sketch (click on it to see it big):

Although the sketch is all heart laden, when I looked at my February photos, they were all about the Olympics here in Vancouver, I knew I had to go that route with our red and maple leaves. The patterned paper is Reminisce. I picked up the ribbon last weekend over at The Daiso. The maple leaves and Canada were cut over at Pick of the Patch on their Accucut. The journaling spots are Fontwerks.

Growth/Renewal Challenge

2010-03-05T21:29:00.000-08:00

I posted a project for today's challenge over at The Inspired Scrapper. Here's a little peek.

I also made this card today for a friend of mine...who commissioned me to make a HOPE card for a friend. And I got a bottle of wine for it...I think I'm liking the card making business.

All Yelled Out...

2010-02-25T18:04:00.000-08:00

and no, not from yelling at the kids. Doug and I were so fortunate to score two tickets to yesterday's USA/Swiss hockey game (thanks Dan) and my mom was willing to kidsit again (thank you mom), so into Vancouver we went.

We got away early enough to make it to the Bay and find it with just a 5 or 10 minute lineup. So in we went to powershop before having to head to Hockey Place. I bought myself a red Canada t-shirt and a black quilted Canada jacket. Doug picked up a black pullover hoodie, a long sleeve dry fit shirt and a baseball cap.

Then off to the arena.

The Sardis Falcons Drumline was playing outside the arena, if you ever get a chance to see this crew in action...check it out, it was fabulous. I can only hope that my kids get the opportunity to be a part of a drumline because it was rockin'.

It was pretty much a cheer for Switzerland crowd, well except for the few hundred Americans that made the journey up to watch. But the sea of red (Team Canada red) was definitely cheering for the Swiss and could often be heard chanting GO SUISSE GO SUISSE. Switzerland definitely held there own and made USA work for their goals. I think we're seeing a tide of change in the ability and competition in International hockey.

After that we hit Dix, but didn't like our seats, so we headed up Robson street to Hamilton because Doug thought he knew a place up there, but then we saw Rosies on Robson and got fabulous seats in there. That place was wild.When Canada scored the first goal, I was sure I would be voiceless and deaf by the end of the night. I nearly was.

Then off to the Four Nations pavillion. They have a great 9 minute show on the First Nations of Canada, especially the four of the Vancouver area.

Olympic Kid Zone at Granville Island

2010-02-22T22:21:00.000-08:00

My mom and I took the kids to Granville Island today to check out the Olympic fun there. It was a day of trains ... skytrain from Lougheed to Science World station, walk to Cambia to take the Bombardia to Granville Island, then back the same way (oh with a little lift on the Canada Line to cut out the long walk on the way back. (why I took no pics of that, I don't know). I wish the trains on the Canada line were on all the lines, they are lovely.

But I did get pics of the kids with Quatchie and Miga (sort of).

And hula hooping (well, sort of).

And juggling (again, sort of).

But it was all defintely a fun time for the kids. Atlantic House, just a bar. Swiss House, just an expensive fondue place with a pricey raclette taster outside.

Olympics at Night

2010-02-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my mom and G were so sweet to take the kids for most of the day and overnight so Doug and I could head into Vancouver to watch the Canada vs USA hockey game with a few friends and my brother Michael. Let's not dwell on the results of that game and move on to the rest of the evening. I pulled these two pics off Mark's Facebook page. This is from the deck at the Wicklow.

So we leave the Wicklow pub to head downtown and realize getting a cab might not be easy, so we hop on an Aquabus to get across the inlet. We had some fun playing around with the city lights while we were waiting.

Then we headed down to the Cauldron and the Olympic rings.

Michael and our friend Mark took more photos than I did and once I have the photos from them, I'll share even more.

Sunday's Seven

2010-02-21T10:48:00.000-08:00

I don't even want to look back in the archives to see when the last time I did this was, but I knew I was due. Today I am thankful for:

1. LouLou and Grandpa G. They love having our children with them and help us to have child free days and nights so we can enjoy some adult time.

2. My Tassimo. It is saving me gobs of money as I have cut down my Starbucks purchases by about 85%. And we all know what that means, more money for scrapbooking supplies.

3. Walks with my BFF. We are spending more time with each other, not spending money, really connecting and sharing the struggles and joys of our lives. That is all I ever want in life.

4. A doctor on the North Shore. Who three years ago didn't like doulas and now provides me with about half of my clientelle through referrals. (note to self, send her a card)

5. For the sunshine that has been streaming through my windows all week. That has shown the Olympic guests just how beautiful our city is and allowed us all to be outside so much more. Lifts my spirits.

6. For Cold Fx. Man that stuff really does work.

7. My dear husband. His patience and understanding. His presence.

I Did It!

2010-02-20T08:49:00.000-08:00

In eight days the design team over at ScrapShotz closes. Last night, I submitted my application. Every since Pick of the Patch closed I have felt like a big piece of my hobby was missing, the community. Very few of my daily friends scrapbook, so I was connecting with my scrapbooking friends as often. One of my favourite pieces of this craft is getting together with a group of women, in person or by distance and sharing our lives. It's the same concept of the traditional quilting bee that our grandmothers used to join. Did they really need another quilt? No. They needed the connection with like minded woman, a chance to share the joys and struggles of their lives and to preserve memories (in quilt form). That is what a good scrapbooking community gives me.

When I was reading Heather's blog in January, she was commenting again on ScrapShotz, so I clicked over, joined and hopped right into the mix. It is a great community of women (if there are men, they are quiet) with tons to share both creatively and personally. I felt right at home. So naturally, when the call came out for two new designers, I knew I had to apply. It just felt right.

The only challenge with my application was picking three pieces of my best work. I definitely have favourites, but I wanted pieces that showed the different styles and creative directions my mind goes. I'll share the three I submitted, if I make the team, and even if I don't, here are a few others that were in the running.

Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Project 12

2010-02-19T18:08:00.000-08:00

Have you heard about Project 12? Scrapbook & Cards Today has started it and they describe it on their blog like this ... "The idea is to create a layout on a monthly basis which recaps what you’ve been doing. Whether you took 31 photos, no photos, or 100 photos, simply choose your favorites that best described what you were doing that month, and create a layout".

Every month they release a double page sketch from Becky Fleck to base your design on, or you can do your own design, you complete your layout, and post it to their blog by the 20th of the following month. The motivation...getting your life scrapped, further motivation ... PRIZES.

I thought that sounded fun. I've been meaning to get mine done for a couple of weeks, but being a lifelong procrastinator, I work best under the pressure of looming deadlines, so I finally got mine done last night.

In my constant attempt to use up my stash, I pulled out some of my many collections of Scenic Route paper (I love the Cape Town line) and worked with that. The chipboard rings are covered with glue, then glitter. To keep the glitter from coming off on everything it touches, I sprayed it with spray adhesive. Once it was dry, I could handle it glitter free.

Let me know if you are playing along too, I'd love to see other's Project 12 layouts.

Check it Out

2010-02-19T13:53:00.000-08:00

It's challenge day over at The Inspired Scrapper....go check out this little creation of mine over there.

Olympic Fever

2010-02-13T23:34:00.000-08:00

We spent the day in Vancouver today. We got away a little late and didn't get into the city until about noon. The skytrain was a quick way into the city and the kids played a game of counting all the Canadian flags they saw on the way in.

We were supposed to meet my mom and Gary at the Russia Pavillion (Science World), but we made a quick stop at McDonald's first for a quick lunch. Where the kids had a chance meeting with a celebrity. They were so excited and kept hiding, waiting to jump out and surprise him.

Well, a McDonald's celebrity.

Then it was off to the Russian Pavillion where Morgan and Doug tried their best to score on a Russian goalie. Morgan got more goals than Doug. I guess in the evenings it's a lovely vodka lounge, but during the afternoon, it's a great place to watch some events on the big screen.

The kids also played a really fun game called box hockey and then in true Olympic spirit, Canada took on Russia when Morgan played a game of box hockey against a little boy from Russia.

From there, we hopped back onto the skytrain to Granville. With a quick stop at the Bay, no not for Olympic merchandise, but to buy Morgan new shoes, as we learned Morgan's soles had cracked and his feet were cold and wet. The Bay was a zoo. We had hoped to check out the Four Nations village, but it was closed for a private event (grrrrr), so we turned the corner to LiveCity Downtown where the Canadian Pavillion and Manitoba Pavillion are. It was a ridiculously long line, but we saw these great stilt walkers...

Then did some of the interactive things in the Canadian Pavillion.

Mom and Gary headed home from there and we headed back up to Granville street to find some supper. LunarFest is on Granville Street with some neat lanterns and pieces of artwork.

And somehow we managed to run into my cousin Michelle and her godfather Claude in the middle of all of this. Then we ended up on the same skytrain as our friends Marnie and Renn on their way home from the women's hockey game. The kids were amazing all day. No complaining or whining, just lots of fun. We were so proud of how good they were and how much they seemed to enjoy the day too. Can't wait to go back there is still so much to see and do.

Love Notes Sneak Peek

2010-02-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Challenge Friday over at The Inspired Scrapper. I hadn't signed up for the Love Notes Challenge, but when I finally found something I'd been looking for, I decided to play along.

Have I got your attention? Piqued your interest? Well go check it out!

Paint the Town Red

2010-02-11T09:58:00.000-08:00

I have supported the Olympics since VANOC put together the proposal. I love the sports at the winter Olympics, I love how it can bring out people's patriatism. Do I love what it's costing our Province? No. Do I love the ridiculous rules and bureaucracy around it. No. But I love the celebrations, the patriotism that is in the air like thick fog, the winter sports, the people flooding to our home, and getting to be a part of it all.

This morning, at 7 am, Doug, the kids and I joined our neighbours for a walk up to where the torch relay would be going by. It was still dark and it was raining (hopefully that means snow on the local mountains), but it was great to see all the people lining the streets to show their support and be a part of the Olympics. My photos didn't turn out too well with the low light and rain, my lens has a big smear on it from trying to wipe away the rain drop, and the photos are blurry, but I don't care.

This torch bearer rain in November in Nova Scotia and decided yesterday morning at 10am to hop on a plane and come out here to continue the Olympic support and continue to be a part of it all. He was so great spending time with everyone for photos and letting people hold his torch (I wonder how those get through airport security?)

Celebration

2010-02-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

I am often proud of my kids. The way they connect and engage with people, use their manners behave when we are out, but I'm seeing a change and a look ahead and what is to come as they grow and develop and take on new challenges.

Tess and Morgan had their last swimming class of this session yesterday and they both passed. Tess will be moving into Tots 3 and Morgan will move into Tykes 3. I was so proud at how well they listened to their instructors, practiced and worked hard to achieve this goal. Tess was struggling with her front floats and just couldn't do it on her own. So on Tuesday we headed to the pool while Morgan was at school and worked on her front floats until she could do it. That determination and desire to pass was enough for Tess to finally get it. Morgan had attempted this level at least twice before and just couldn't get a couple of aspects. This time; however, he not only met all requirements, his instructor said, "he is quite a bit beyond where he needs to be in this level". Let's hope the next level goes so smoothly.

What has brought me even more joy is Morgan's success at school this week. The school holds an annual fundraiser based on pledges for a _____-a-thon. This year was a Math-a-Thon. Morgan received a few pledges (we didn't do much phoning around this time). The students are tested on their math abilities at the grade level they are at. In kindergarten they need to be able to recognize their numbers in numeric and dot form and through one-to-one counting of objects. At this point in kindergarten they are expected to recognize and know numbers 0-10. They were also tested up to number 20 so the teacher would have a better idea of where they are and what help they might be needing. Morgan got 100%... 19/19 on his 0-10 recognition and 35/35 on his 0-20 recognition. Let's not forget this is in French, not in English. Wow. I'm just hoping this is proof that he got the Perkins math gene, it's a good one.

What a Weekend

2010-02-01T10:20:00.000-08:00

I had been hearing a lot about an on-line scrapbook store called ScrapShotz and then when I was reading my friend Heather's blog, she mentioned it too (she's on the DT), so I headed over to their forum one day last week and talk about timing. They were hosting an on-line crop over the weekend. So I jumped right in, stayed up way too late two nights in a row, but I got a ton done, had lots of fun and feel completely ready to tackle the week, Here are all my creations from just two nights (oh and an extra card I whipped together for Doug's uncle 5 minutes before we met them for lunch on Saturday).

Card for Doug's uncle:

Challenge to use red for the give back to the Red Cross challenge:

Walk on the Wild Side Challenge (use animal print):

Peek-a-boo Valentine card challenge:

80s Big is Better challenge (pop dot up some elements):

Mad for Plaid challenge (use plaid):

Backpack Purse Mini Album make and take:

Branching out Challenge (use a branch):

Ruffle Inspired Challenge:

Sneak Peek

2010-01-28T14:15:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is post day over at The Inspired Scrapper. I was lucky enough to be given a few sheets of Crate Paper's Season paper line. It's more whimsical than I would usually choose to work with, but the colours are totally me. So I volunteered rather quickly for this challenge and I had so much fun working with it. Although you'll have to head over to the Inspired Scrapper blog tomorrow to see my creations in full, I thought I'd give you a couple of little sneak peeks.

Christmas in January

2010-01-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

Every January, Dan, my birthfather, comes to visit. He's here for Rendezvous, a mining show and conference. For a few days he's at the conference in Vancouver and then he adds a few days to his trip to have a visit with us. We always delay our Christmas between each other for when he is here, this year I did send a scrapbooked calendar early so he'd have something to open from us on Christmas day.

We always have a lovely visit. We stayed in quite a bit the past few days. We did go out for a lovely supper at Shyun Sushi House last night. I have to say that I am tired out, but from nothing too stenuous, it's been a pretty laid back few days.

But I wanted to share what Dan gave Doug and I ....

That's right. Olympic tickets. We've got a pair of tickets to a curling event, but we've also got a couple of single hockey tickets coming. One to a women's game and one to a men's. We'll know more on Monday which one's we'll be going to. But Doug and I will definitely be taking in an Olympic Sport. So exciting! We are so spoiled. Oh and we even have the red mittens to where to them.

My Creative Juices

2010-01-19T16:07:00.000-08:00

are starting to flow again.

Before Christmas I found this ugly little thing at Michael's. It's a mini accordian file inside that I can sort my coupons by store, product type, expiry date, whatever my wee heart desires...well within the limits of coupon sorting.

I thought it was a great idea, as I've got a little box on my microwave that I throw coupons into and then never think to grab some as I head out to the grocery store. I thought something like this might actually help me to use the coupons rather than forget them. But why did it have to be so sickenly ugly.

So I altered it. Simply mind you, I didn't want the elastic to catch on things and although I think I could have done better with it, it's good enough. It's a perfect way to use up some scraps.

PS. I have more creations coming soon.

My Quiet Time

2010-01-10T16:20:00.000-08:00

I had about an hour or so of a quiet house, so after a few minutes of e-mail and facebook catch ups I decided to hang some pictures. I've known where they would go for a while now, but we we were waiting to get our new mattress set, a new dresser for me and night tables (which ended up being tall bookshelves) in our bedroom first (that's where the pictures ended up). Doug and I bought them when we were in Kelowna last summer. At first I saw this one and had to have it.

The quote was just so fabulous and I am waiting for the perfect layout to use the quote on.

Doug and I were walking around Kelowna's downtown streets a bit more trying to figure out where we'd hang that one piece and decided that it might be easier to find a home for a row of them rather than just one. So we went and bought the other two, still not exactly sure where they would go.

Now all three are hanging above our bed in lieu of a headboard and I'm so happy with the choices we made. They are a little out of our usual art buying character, but they totally speak to me.

I just love them all. And trust me, the more I see these pieces in stores, the more I want them all. Thank goodness there are magnets, journals, calendars, stationary sets, cards and more. You can find them all here at Papaya Art. Here's what I've put on my wish list:

Made it Through to the Other Side

2010-01-03T17:02:00.000-08:00

So my mom e-mailed me today to tell me that I hadn't been on my blog in a while and she hoped that I am "feeling better emotionally than reflected in my last entry".

Well of course I am. I'm still tired, still feeling overwelmed by some things, but it's definitely improved. My December client finally started to labour, childcare was arranged and managed, and the baby was born very late on Dec. 22nd. It was a little too close to Christmas for my liking, but that is the nature of my work and I learned a lot from the experience.

Christmas shopping and wrapping got done, Christmas cards were written and sent in time for Christmas. Christmas Day itself was lovely. We had our friend Mark join us for Christmas morning (he spoiled us and I hope that he felt our love too). The kids loved their presents (the pics of the kids are my fav from the day these were spontaneous hugs for their gifts to each other). I love that the tree wasn't over burdened with gifts and filled with so many handmade creations (the kids and I have been busy).

We got out for a walk around the local park and fed the ducks.

Then we joined the Perkins family at Midori's in the late afternoon. We were home by 9pm and no one was over tired or burnt out by the end of the day.

I also had my birthday last week and my dear husband spoiled me with a sleep in, coffee made when I got up, lunch out, an birthday ice cream cake that read, "Happy 29th Birthday....Again Erica", and a wonderful gift that is on back order and eargerly awaited. This is my new present. If you have had one on your wish list, I highly recommend hitting Future Shop, we're picking one up for $119 (Sears price is $239). Can't wait to start making me some lattes at home. I won't be using the latte T-disc, but I'll be brewing espresso, while warming up my own milk and adding my sugar free caramel at home. It's time to stop throwing money at Starbucks and saving some for us.
New Years was a lovely night in with friends (I forgot to pull out the camera). Our annual game of Trivial Pursuit. This year it was Doug and I versus the Dalzells. We won. It was Morgan's first sleep over with someone sleeping in his room and although the talking and giggling didn't cease until around 10:30pm, everyone made it through.

So another holiday season celebrated and survived and a little brighter now that I'm on this side of it.

Tis the Season....Bah Humbug!

2009-12-22T14:13:00.001-08:00

of stress, fatigue and crankiness.

This past week has been so weird...emotional, draining, trying. I've been awaiting a client to start her labour since the 11th, that's a really long time to be on call...that's exhausting and stressful. Then there is the shopping that needs to get done...which still isn't all completed. And the wrapping, which is nearly complete. But then the cleaning and baking and Christmas card writing. Lets not forget the whining (the kids and I both), and wining (yes I've been drinking my share).

I'm absolutely done. So tired that each night my eyes are closing on themselves by about 9pm and I can easily sleep until 8am the next morning. I'm at the point where I don't even care about Christmas. I don't care if anyone is happy with what I buy them, I don't care about going anywhere, I dont' care if I sleep right through it. That's pretty sad.

The kids have been so cranky and I have too. They finally got outside yesterday for a few minutes inbetween rain falls and are outside again today (thank goodness) which helps everyone's mental health. Now all I need is a coffee for this birth to be done and I can focus on the things that are supposed to be important and joyful this holiday season.

December 18th - Preschool Christmas Party

2009-12-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

And yet one more thing to post about today.

Tess had her Christmas party at preschool today. They do a wonderful job of entertaining the parents with a string of songs, some regular ones, some Christmassy ones. I love going and Tess loves entertaining. A parent afterward asked if anyone has ever said how much Tess is like Shirley Temple. Well, I have a vague picture of what Shirley Temple looks like, but I know that Tess with her curly hair and eagerness to entertain fits the bill. This mom wasn't the first person to say that to us, and I reallly need to pick up some of her movies for all of us to watch.

And then I took the kids to Chapters to play and read books while I had a refueling coffee where Tess proceeded to don a bunch of headbands, necklaces and bracelets and then do a ta da!

December 18th - Acknowledgment

2009-12-18T20:07:00.000-08:00

Back in October I may have let it be known that Morgan had raised $830 for his school's contribution to the Terry Fox foundation. A goal of $5500 had been set by the school and the principal, Mr. Pasaglia, said that if that goal was reached he'd shave his head. Then Mrs. Williams, a teacher, said she'd cut her long gorgeous hair too if the school reached there goal. Well, the goal wasn't reached at the end of the run month. But Morgan did get a recognition award for his efforts.

But this morning, I got a call from Mme James, Morgan's teacher, saying that they found out today that the school had indeed met there goal and they were going to use the Christmas sing-along assembly as a chance to announce it to the school and do the hair cutting. She asked if I could get Morgan there. Well, I was dressed, but I had wet hair and three kids still in their jammies. So she offered to pick Morgan up and take him. So I quickly got the boys dressed and Mme James took both boys (both her students) to the school and I'd come as quickly as I could. I arrived with Tess 1/2 an hour later to a wonderful sing along by the kids at the school. Then Santa arrived, the kids were so excited.

Then they announced the Terry Fox goal had been reached. The principal didn't look impressed, a week before Christmas and he'd have a shaved head. Well, first the teacher was going to have her hair cut and guess who got to do the cutting? MORGAN. When he was on his way to school with Mme James, he said he didn't want to do, but then when I got there he decided he did want to do it. He got up on the stage in front of all the kids and cut a teachers hair. I was so darn proud of him.

Santa guided his hand with the big pair of scissors and Morgan just kept cutting until the job was done. I think he got really into it. And that's his teacher standing behind him beaming.

When I told him later how proud I was, he said that he didn't like being up in front of all those kids, but that's exactly why I was proud of him. He did it! And he did it well!

For Today . . . December 18, 2009

2009-12-18T07:36:00.000-08:00

Outside my window... it's dark. The sun has yet to come up.

I am thankful... for dear friends and family in my life that reminds me I'm normal in my struggles and not weak.

I am praying... for patience.

I am thinking... about how to spend tomorrow, we have a few commitments and I need to make a decision about what I'll be doing.

I am celebrating... the last day of school and not having to get somewhere every day over the holidays.

From the kitchen... likely cold cereal for the kids and an omelet for me this morning.

I am wearing... my pjs and a blanket of Tess' over my shoulders.

I am reading... the fifth book in the Outlander series by Diane Gabaldon.

I am hearing... the furnace blowing air and the boys playing cars/trucks in Morgan's bedroom.

I am creating... not much these days. Looking forward to a quiet night to get some Christmas layouts done.

Around the house... is a mess. Lot of things need to be put away or moved out of the house.

One of my favorite things... coffee. I have developed a love for coffee. Am even making it at home more often. I am looking into buying a Bosch Tassimo to make it that much better.

A few plans for the rest of the week... awaiting a client's birth that should happen in the next few days. And I've been wanting to get some Christmas baking done.

Here is a picture thought I'm sharing with you... I'm finally figuring out how to adjust things on my camera to take better photos in low light by playing around with my camera.

December 17th - Le Bonhomme de Pain d'Epice

2009-12-17T19:58:00.000-08:00

It was Morgan's last day of kindergarten before the Christmas break. Due to the move to the new school over the break, the school cancelled the Christmas Concert (yes they still call it that) this year, as much of the school was boxed up and the gym and library were full of boxes. His teacher still prepared a wonderful "spectacle" for their last day.

Morgan was L'amie Speciale for the last day in the old school. He was more excited about that than the Christmas show. It was neat to see him in front of the class.

There were three craft tables set up and most kids managed to finish all three crafts. A marionette de Pere Noel , la Petite Nez Rouge, et une chaine des bonhommes de pain d'epice.

Even Tess got right into the action.

Then the kids performed for the parents. They did the story of Le Bonhomme de Pain d'Epice (the Gingerbread Man). Morgan was the renard (fox) and had to say, "Je peux t'aider. Traverse la riviere sur mon dos!" He had so much trouble remembering it for the play, but took Mme James cues well, but now he has it down and was saying in the evening unprompted. I guess he could have used one more day. Then they sang a song. I didn't catch the title.

Sitting next to Morgan is Logan, one of his bestest friends at school.

December 14th - 12 Days of Christmas

2009-12-14T20:02:00.000-08:00

Well, here it goes...the 12 Days of Christmas starts today. Can you believe it? I can't, for many, maybe there true love is giving them partridges in pear trees, but that sort of gift giving isn't happening here. I wouldn't know what to do with one drummer drumming, let alone ten, or a maid milking, granted, the kids could take care of the milk, but really, that's a little too much milk even for 2 growing children. Now the five golden rings, I'm into that, but they better be white gold and be donning a few diamonds too. Oh, and I guess the three french hens would cover us for a few meals too, hmmm, maybe that song was onto something. And lords a leaping, well, that could make for some good entertainment.

But alas, my true love is sacked on the couch watching hockey. What he doesn't know is that his stressed, overwhelmed true love is about to plant a pile of Christmas cards and photos in front of him to do, I'm also about to wrap a few gifts, package them and he'll have the job of getting them mailed and on the bus to their appropriate destinations tomorrow.

I do know of one place where the 12 Days of Christmas aren't bringing added pressure of getting things done, or the looming feeling of dread as the time dwindles, but the to do list barely does. It's over at The Inspired Scrapper. Over there, we're posting some lovely little gift ideas, decorations and the like each day until Christmas and it all started today. I posted a little lovely today, you should go check it out.

December 13th - First Snow and Tree Trimming

2009-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

How fitting that the first snow falls on the day we plan to trim the tree. Made for a perfect day. Snow means kids outside. Kids outside means they stop asking me when we are decorating the tree. Stop being asked about tree means mama stays sane. Like I said, the perfect day.

Here are a few pics of the kids playing in the snow...and by snow I mean the dusting plus one (as Doug calls it) that we got.

Here are some shots of the tree trimming. I do the lights (5 strings on that baby), then let everyone go at it. I've completely given up on having a designer tree and this year confirmed it when Morgan was heard saying several times, I remember making this over and over again. Okay, we'll keep those green dyed bowtie pasta wreaths on the tree for another year.

Morgan and I also played around with taking pictures of him in an ornament. Tess couldn't figure it out.

There are a large number of ornaments that I have made over the years, here are a few too.

December 12th - O Christmas Tree

2009-12-12T18:47:00.000-08:00

One of the best days of the holiday season, finding our perfect tree. We've found a great little tree farm in Maple Ridge. I can't even tell you if it has a name, or exactly where it is, we just seem to find it every year. But if you really wanted to know, I'm sure I could track the name or address for you. It has no extras. The owner meets you in the field of trees, directs you to the trees you might be interested in and that's about it. He'll saw for you if you want, but there is no hot chocolate, no carols playing, it's simple. And we love it.

Tess wanted this tree, um, too big around.

And there she is...our Perfect tree. A fraser fir, nice and thin around and tall. A whopping $35.

Doug likes to do his own sawing and with our newly inherited saw it was a quick job.

There she is atop the car...nice face Morgan!

December 11th - Gingerbread House

2009-12-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

My favourite grandma, Minnie, used to have a gingerbread house each Christmas. It would be beautiful. I never knew if she decorated it herself, but I suspect she bought it already decorated from a friend or bakery. I would look at it, imagining I was Gretel from the Brothers Grimm's tale, coming upon a sugared house to eat. I don't ever remember getting to actually break off a piece of roof, but knowing my grandma she probably did let me.

Well, gingerbread houses have become a tradition in our house as well and for the past few years, I've bought a kit from Michael's Craft store and let the kids decorate it. Well, each time, I give up more of the decorating to the kids. I do help, but I follow their directions and do what they can't for them. They seem to really be getting the hang of it and I have to say that it turned out great!

The cup is holding up the front door awning until it dries. There are piles of candy and icing on the side of the house that are log piles and such. It's a perfect mess. We love it.

December 6th - Bright Nights at Stanley Park

2009-12-07T09:05:00.001-08:00

Doug and I loaded the kids up yesterday and headed into Vancouver to take in the Fire Fighters amazing display of lights in Stanley Park and to ride the Christmas train through the park. Our first stop though was the Old Spaghetti Factory for supper. Doug loves that restaurant, it's not one of my favs, but it really is a great family restaurant and one that we should go to more often.

We got to the park, found parking quickly and then started to take in the lights. Man what an incredibly job they do to get it all set up. And the few people in costume are a neat add on too. The kids were especially enthralled with the Gingerbread man (who was a french woman that spoke to Morgan a wee bit). Santa also came by to say hello.

Now, I'm betting you would love to see some photos. I would too, but can you imagine that I hauled my camera out there and took my first photo to see NO CARD display on my LCD screen. Input sinking heart here. Ugh. I really wish I had some photos to share with you, but I have to say it was nice to enjoy the evening without seeing it all through my lens. Doug managed to snap a few photos with his phone, but they really aren't worth showing.

I have to add that I am seriously considering going back with the kids to take photos again...not on the train again of course, but the lights are open to see by donation any time.

December 5th - GLBC Kids Christmas Party

2009-12-05T19:52:00.000-08:00

Every year Doug's work, the Great Little Box Co., throws a Christmas party for the kids and grandkids of the staff (12 year olds and under). They have a lunch (which had the best potato salad ever) with lots of goodies, an entertainer (a clown, magician or such which changes every couple of years) and Santa comes bearing gifts.

The kids weren't overly interested in the entertainment and would go back and forth between watching and eating their lunch, but they were all ears and eyes when Santa arrived. The patiently waited for their names to be called to receive their gift and sit on Santa's knee. Morgan went up calmly, sat and left, Tess ran and hopped right up there so quickly, it was adorable.

The company is so generous with their gifts and asks the parents for ideas for the kids. Morgan was given the Star Wars Lego set Armored Assault Tank with Yoda, and Tess received four shimmering Disney Princesses (Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White and Cinderella). Both kids were over the moon.

December 4th - The Inspired Scrapper

2009-12-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

Well, I for one am happy the week is over and it's finally Friday. It's been a very busy week. I had three evenings in a row of doula interviews (one I've already been hired for) and meetings, lots of running around and the Christmas events have already started (as you can see in previous posts). I also got my hair cut and coloured today, so my greys are hidden for another couple of months and won't be making any appearances at the upcoming parties. Morgan had requested red and green for the holidays, we did the red, but skipped the green. (as a side note, I'm very excited about what we'll be doing in February...there'll be photos for sure because I've never done this before)

Today also brings you my very first post over at The Inspired Scrapper. It's a great challenge today about teacher's gifts or gifts for anyone in your life in fact. Check it out, you may get some last minute ideas for some quick gifts for teachers, co-workers, or the folks next door.

December 3rd - North Pole BC

2009-12-03T20:52:00.000-08:00

Last week, or so, was an article on a new Christmas event created in Port Moody called North Pole BC. I checked out the website and thought it sounded interesting, but rather expensive for it's first year and questioned if it would be worth the money. I was telling grandma LouLou about it and she decided that we would check it out, her treat. So I booked us in for 4:30pm. The kids got special invitations from Santa and we headed out to Sassamat Lake, parked our car, and waiting at the North Pole check-in for the North Pole bus.

Well, we arrived 3 minutes late and had just missed a bus, that we learned later was completely full, so we had to wait about 20 minutes for the next one. We hopped on the bus, which took us to the North Pole BC (formerly Sassamat Outdoor Centre). The elves on board did neat things like we'd only be allowed through the gates if we'd been good all year. We all made it through, just!

Once we checked in (where I was asked a couple of things about the kids that Santa would know when they saw him), we were taken to the Elf Academy where the kids donned elf tunics and made a decoration to take home. If they finished early, they could colour a picture or two.

Then it was off to Santa's workshop, where the elves had fallen behind getting enough teddy bears stuffed for Christmas, so the newest elves each needed to stuff a teddy bear, which they also got to take home.

Next stop was the mail room where letters to Santa could be written, stamped and mailed. We also had a tour of where the polar bears lived, other little scenes under the elves huts and the "North Pole".

Mrs. Claus also made an appearance for some story telling about how she met Santa, and answering questions about Santa's favourite things.

Finally we were ready to see the big man himself. Although we were with a small group of others for the rest of the tour, our time with Santa was our own. The kids arrived and Santa was sleeping (ahem, resting his eyes) and they got to wake him up. Then they sat with him, asked him questions and he gave them an orange and cookie.

Overall, it was a fun experience. The kids really enjoyed it. Was it worth the money, not quite seeing that adults pay the same as kids. I had an opportunity to speak to the organizer who asked for feedback. It had been longer than I expected it to be and the kids did lose interest a bit, but I learned that we had been the biggest time slot and were just on day 5, so they were still working things out and trying to add more things to keep the kids interested. I would recommend a time earlier in the day. I'm also sending an e-mail with a few other ideas for them regarding fee structure and keeping things moving.

December 1st - Jammie Day

2009-12-01T19:54:00.000-08:00

For the past few years we've started the Christmas Advent with new jammies. The kids love this tradition...they get all excited about their new jammies and the start of one fabulous month. This year I was lucky to be in Vegas just a couple of weeks before December and found a pair of matching jammies for the kids at POTTERY BARN KIDS. They were 30% off and still more than I would usually spend, but I couldn't resist them.

Dear Santa...

2009-11-29T15:43:00.001-08:00

Although many people think that Christmas hits the malls too early, I for one am thankful that Santa and the decorations arrive sometime in November. It gives me a chance to beat the crowds and get the season started. It also makes it easier to get motivated to do the Christmas shopping a bit earlier; December 1st is still 2 days away and I feel I've made a bit of a dent in my shopping.The kids and I went to the mall on Friday morning, with them dressed in their Christmas finery. There was absolutely no line-ups, so the kids got a chance to really chat to Santa. Morgan had about a 5 minute list of things, while Tess asked for a balloon and finger paints (her needs have always been minimal). Notice Santa's face of disbelief of how much he was asking for.

We then had a few minutes to ride the Christmas train before eating a fun lunch at McDonalds before heading off to school (with quick clothes changes in the car).

The Official Santa Portrait of 2009:

Two smiling faces, hands placed nicely in their laps, clean clothes with no rips or tears...perfect children. Well except for...two missing front teeth, one dirty knee on pair of tights, bump and bruise on one forhead, 20 minutes of whining about having to wear nice clothes that itched and were too big before getting out of the house in the morning. Like I said, perfect children.

Have you checked out Stampin' Up lately?

2009-11-27T19:43:00.000-08:00

Seeing that my wreaths are all sold...Goodness...I figured I better update my blog again.

My dear friend Chrissann recently became a demonstrator for Stampin' Up and hosted her first card workshop last weekend. It had been a few years since I last looked at a Stampin' Up catalogue, or played with their stamps and inks. They really are of high quality and design.

Needless to say I've built a rather large wish list.

Who could resist this lovely Christmas stamp set (I've already got a different one on it's way with a matching punch, but this was definitely a contender):

And then there's this die cut for my new Big Shot (I'm totally ordering this next):

And I've decided to slowly purchase pretty much all of their inks (in craft style so I can emboss with them) starting with my favourite colour combo - Earth Elements:

This punch is a must have, along with all of their circle punches:

Oh, and this darling Pendant Park stamp set ... so cute:

Who can resist their vinyl wall art either. I'm sure I can find a spot for this in my home somewhere:

I'm going to host a workshop in the spring, so start saving your pennies and let me know if you'd be interested in attending.

An Old Hobby - Revisited

2009-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

I finally got around to putting the Halloween decorations put away a few days ago, which led to a reorganizing of our laundry/storage room. I came across a couple of bins of craft supplies from years ago; pre-scrapbooking days. A few things were immediately put into the donation pile, a few things were put into the "to-alter or repurpose" pile and a few other things inspired me to create a couple of things I haven't made in a long time.

I used to have a wreath passion. In fact, I still kind of do. (** see upcoming issue of Simply Handmade for the latest creation) But back in the day, I would buy a variety of ornaments and other wreath making picks and props, a few fake pine wreaths (always on sale) and make wreaths. I gave away many as gifts, but now I've put a few on Craigslist. The latest ones I made a couple of nights ago I did with what I have on hand, I don't want to buy any new things as I wanted to clear out the supplies to create more storage for other things. If you know anyone in the market for a wreath, send them my way.

Frosted (large wreath) - $30

Canadiana (small wreath) - $25

These other three were ones that I've had in storage for a few years, but also need to move out of my house.

Snow and Ice (small wreath) - $30

Rustic Traditional (large wreath) - $35

Victorian (small wreath) - $30

It's Official...

2009-11-23T00:22:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I've known for a few days, but I didn't want to share until it was officially announced on The Inspired Scrapper blog. So go check it out...click here.

I'm uber-excited to be on the Design Team for this fantastic scrapbook challenge blog. I am going to be working with some of Canada's most talented scrapbook artists...some familiar and favourite people and a few new faces and friends that I can't wait to get to know better.

I have been needing to be a part of something in this field again since I stopped working at Pick of the Patch and feel so motivated again to be creating more and playing with my paper and glue again more regularly.

Here are the projects I submitted for the design team call...

And yes, my kids do really use these altered tins. The labels are getting a bit bent up, but I love how much quicker it is to tidy up after arts and crafts and the kids can get what they need off the shelf too without digging through a bunch of things.

Vegas Part 2

2009-11-21T08:38:00.000-08:00

Cheesy Tourist Trips, you know the ones you dreaded as a teenager? Well, that's my second reason why you should rent a car when you are in Vegas. I don't know why, but I was interested in heading out to the Hoover Dam. Thankfully everyone else was into it too. It's about an hour out of Vegas, easy to find and well worth the drive.

Because I had no idea how they managed to build a dam of this size in the 1930s, or why they attempted to do it (it is considered one of America's Seven Modern Civil Engineering Wonders), we also checked out the visitor information centre, worth the $8.00 price tag.

Things I learned at the Hoover Dam...

1. There is enough cement in the Dam, spillways and turbine towers to build a two lane highway between San Fransisco and New York City, or a sidewalk along the Equator.

2. When you go to the Dam, you experience a time change of one hour when you are either in Nevada or Arizona.

3. Electricity was a bi-product of building the Dam. It was built in order to control the flow of water and aid the farms along the Colorado so they would no longer experience flood and drought seasons.

4. The river had to be diverted in four areas before the Dam could be built. The diversion tunnelling crews would compete during their 8 hour shifts for which team could tunnel the furthest during their shift.

It's a pretty neat place. Although we were there just last weekend, I think the best time to see it would be during the floods in the spring when the spillways might be working to let the water flow and keeping the waters from getting too high in Lake Mead. (Check out the high water line).

Also, they are currently building a bridge that will bypass the dam, which looks like it is going to be pretty stunning itself.

As for the cheesy tourist bit, take a pass on the gift shop, unless you want to hear things like, "Are you buying that dam souvenir?", "Can you please sign this dam receipt", and "Have a dam nice day".

Check it Out!

2009-11-19T09:44:00.000-08:00

Have you got your copy of the Holidays Idea Book from Scrapbook Trends yet? I have mine and the first thing I did was to go and find this...

It's on page 50. And it's mine.

I was so excited when the brown UPS truck pulled up in front of our house. The package contained my returned advent calendar, two copies (sorry folks, the extra copy is already spoken for) of the Holidays book, a sweet pile of Creative Imaginations products and some Basic Grey Bling-it-on.

I have one more publication due this year and hopefully next year continues to bring happy mail.

Vegas Part 1

2009-11-18T20:48:00.000-08:00

We just got back after 4 fabulous nights in Las Vegas. It's the second time Doug and I have been down there together and it never ceases to amaze us how much there is to see and do. I knew that I wanted to get off the strip a couple of times while were there because I wanted to see what else Vegas had to offer. I was not disappointed. One of the highlights of our weekend was Red Rock Canyon National Park.

One afternoon, we jumped in the car with the Sutherlands and took off to Red Rock. We knew there was a gorgeous casino in the area and that it was named because of a big red rock out in the desert, what we didn't know was just how spectacular it was. The rock is truly red due to the high levels of iron in it. What is amazing though is the line of red through the rock, leaving the top a pale yellow in some area and how little red is in the surrounding rocky mountains. We didn't have the proper footwear to hike on the rocks, but there are a variety of hikes ranging from easy/moderate to strenuous that we will definitely come prepared to do next time. It is also set up for rock climbing and there were dozen of people on the rock faces as well.

I couldn't get over the contasting colours of the rock and sky (these are unedited, straight out of the camera shots)
Oh and I loved this palm just at the side of the road.
My dear husband climbed onto this impossibly pointed rock. I couldn't watch. He literally scrambled up it from a fence, I'm pretty sure this isn't allowed.

And then another one that I wouldn't join him on. I couldn't have gotten on it, but would have had no idea how to get down again.

And then finally a safer one with me.

This shot I got as we drove the 13 mile scenic route around the park. Stunning.

Next time you're in Vegas, rent a car, go to Red Rock Canyon. It's stunning. We followed it up with a visit to the Casino for a bite to eat; LBS is an awesome place to grab a burger. And then some shopping in the area before a little more slot play. In the next couple of days, I'll post another reason, you'll want to rent a car next time you're in Vegas.

If Young Children Could Talk

2009-11-15T12:02:00.000-08:00

...here is what they might say:

My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make my bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so I can keep up with you.

My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely. Don’t restrict me unnecessarily.

Housework will always be there. I’m only little for a short time-please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.

My feelings are tender; please be sensitive to my needs. Don’t nag me all day long…treat me as you would like to be treated.

I am a special gift from God; please treasure me as God intended you to do, by holding me accountable for my actions, giving me guidelines to live by, and disciplining me in a loving manner.

I need your encouragement to grow. Please go easy on the criticism; remember you can criticize the things I do without criticizing me.

Please give me the freedom to make decisions concerning myself. Permit me to fail, so that I can learn from my mistakes. Then someday I’ll be prepared to make the kind of decisions life requires of me.

Please don’t do things over for me. Somehow that makes me feel that my efforts didn’t quite measure up to your expectations. I know it’s hard, but please don’t try to compare me with my brother or my sister.

Please don’t be afraid to leave for a weekend together. Kids need vacations from parents, just as parents need vacations from kids. Besides, it’s a great way to show us kids that your marriage is very special.

I found this over at my friend Heather's blog and it was definitely a reminder that I needed. I thought if I needed this reminder, chances are that you do too.

Growing Up

2009-11-13T00:26:00.000-08:00

Well, according to Morgan, his growing up officially started today. He lost his first tooth.

I have to say I'm a little sad because it is a mark of the end of my little boy. He's lost his first baby tooth, a second one is quite wiggly and the big tooth is already growing in. Where did the time go?

And I'm a lot sad because I don't even get to keep the tooth. This is how it went. Morgan and Tess are eating lunch (noodle soup, cheese and oranges). Morgan comes into the kitchen and says, "hey mom, look". I look to see him pull a bloody napkin out of a hole in his mouth. He's bleeding. There's no tooth. I'm happy to see the tooth is gone. I say, "where's your tooth?" I get back, "I dunno know". So we look through the soup, the bloody orange (evidence it caused the pop of the tooth), the cheese is all eaten, and assume so is his tooth. So there goes the first baby tooth. A couple people reminded me that the tooth would show up again down south, but I ain't that sad. I guess I'll just hope the same outcome doesn't occur with the next one.

It's a Pittance of Time

2009-11-11T07:47:00.000-08:00

May we never forget that the freedoms we have were made and are protected by the lives and on the backs of men and women. Men and women that leave their loved ones knowing they might not return. Knowing they are going to endure horrors and more death than one person should in one lifetime. It is the men and women of yesteryear and of today that we need to remember.

Please check out this great video and remember to sit in silence for two minutes, It's a Pittance of Time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYlrrAWCTRg

Proud Mama

2009-11-04T13:56:00.000-08:00

My kids make me proud all the time. They are such lovely little people and I hear it often how well-behaved and polite they are...from the teachers at school, to friends of my mom's who spend some time with them.

Two or three years ago, I worried that Morgan would never behave, I couldn't take that kid anywhere because it was guaranteed that he'd hurt (eg: bite, scratch or generally take down) one kid or another. I got better at pinpointing which kid would be his target and would shadow and redirect Morgan before it led down the scary road to blood shed. It was hard work; constant and it seemed like it would never improve...many tears were shed, mostly mine, over our guilt laden failure and questioning what we were doing wrong.

Obviously we were doing something right because here we are today. Morgan can easily make friends, has great manners, shares well and is getting better at turn taking and playing co-operatively. So today came the recognition he needed, okay, let me be honest, the recognition I needed too. Morgan was recognized at school today for his rocking fundraising of over $800 for the Terry Fox run, but also for his enthusiasm in school (the exact words escape me, but once I have the certificate in hand, I'll let you know). Mme. James was unfortunately ill today, so the TOC presented the certificate, but it was still a great moment. Check out the fake smile, he didn't know he was being called up today, so I think he was a little unsure of the whole experience.

I am so proud of him. Mme James has said that Morgan has adjusted so well to kindergarten, he participates in all the discussions, shares with and takes care of his classmates and is a pleasure to have in class. Oh, how I've hoped his teacher would get the best of him. And that the lovely little man, who loves life, that Doug and I get to enjoy would also be seen by others.

**Sorry for the crummy photos, I haven't figured out how to get rid of grainy photos in bad school lighting yet.

So I did it!

2009-11-01T12:25:00.001-08:00

I submitted an application to join The Inspired Scrapper. It's a scrapbook challenge blog by Canadian scrapbook designers. They have had two designers leave the design team, and are now looking for three new designers to join the team. I submitted a few of my latest designs, you know my favourite and best ones from the past two weeks. But I've had a few more that I've done quickly. There are times when I like to add lots of details and there are times when it's all about the photo and title and maybe a little journaling. Here are some of my simpler style creations.

Also I'm not sure if I ever shared this canvas with you. When I found out our dear friends added a baby girl to their family and that her room was decorated with butterflies, I knew just what I wanted to do, so I made this.

It can be hung side by side or up and down. I love it and hope to make more in the near future. Especially now that I have a lovely butterfly die (thanks Sandra B.)

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

As I type this Doug is out trick or treating with the kids. They left at 6:30pm, came back 45 minutes later for a bathroom break and to empty their buckets and were heading out for a refill. They are so excited and doing so well.

So far we've had 31 (make that 75 final tally) kids now, polite and a variety of ages. No costume that really sticks out, but definitely some cute ones. [except I just had a headless guy, that was pretty cool]

Talking about cute ones, how about these two...?

I guess we could say Tess is the Itsy Bitsy spider and Morgan is a Candyosaurus. And then post door-knocking with all their loot.

The kids have been having a blast the past couple of days getting ready, going to parties, making decorations. Here's a few snapshots of them.

Decorating our gingerbread haunted house:

Decorating halloween cupcakes:

Tess at her school stretching her "legs":

Tess and I at her school's costume party (yes I became a green witch for the day):

Sir Morgan the Knight at his school's costume parade:

Tess as a fairy princess at our neighbour's party on Friday.

Yesterday was the perfect...

2009-10-28T09:34:00.000-07:00

FALL DAY. Cool, crisp air with a gorgeous bright warm sun and blue blue skies. My favourite type of day. If you know me, you know I think I live on the best street. We've got the cul-de-sac that gives kids free reign playing as there is no traffic going fast or through to somewhere else, there are a bunch of great kids from wonderful families and then yesterday we were reminded how fabulous one of the trees on our little street is.

Our neighbours have a wonderful huge Maple tree that is dropping it's leaves at alarming rates this week, and the kids were out playing in them. Raking them up and jumping in them, throwing them up in the air and at each other, rolling down the lawn in them. Well, is there a better opportunity for photos. I don't think so. I'll share them over a few posts as I'm having a hard time determining my favs. So here is round one...