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Fun photo

2009-04-14T21:45:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago after my photography class started, I wanted to use my new tutu (it's so cute and polka dotted and I made it!), so I set all the settings on my camera and had Adam take photos of me. For some reason my camera was taking really blue photos (I've reset it now and it seems to be better), but I edited it a little (can you believe that...remember when I was posting sideways photos because I didn't know how to turn them around??) and it's a little better.

Tomorrow I'll post some photos that I took of Sarah (and she took of me in my tutu again :)) with my new camera. I love it.

Have a great evening!!

Sorry!

2009-03-01T20:42:00.002-08:00

I can't find the cord for my camera, so I didn't even take the photos of my stuff. I have scrapped a little on a banner that I'm making to teach at the store, so I'll have more stuff to post when I find the cord.

I went to the store to get the fabric for the skirt and didn't find exactly what I was looking for (I did end up buying one fabric) and then fell in love with all the Amy Butler heavy weight fabric. I was trying to decide what could be made with it, and I was thinking an apron and a baby sling. So we'll see if I can find a free pattern for a baby sling and then I might attempt it.

I'm taking Colin for x-rays after school/work tomorrow and then going to yoga, so I definitely wont' be posting anything tomorrow.

Hugs ~ Cate

6 more random things

2009-02-28T03:19:00.000-08:00

Maybe it's because it's way too late, but those random things about me seem lame, but since I've already posted them I'll leave them and post better ones.

1. I'd say 80% of my clothes come from American Eagle Outfitters. The other 20% are mostly Roxy, Billabong, Gap and Lululemon. Almost all of them I've bought on sale.

2. Sarah McLachlan has been my favourite singer for over ten years. And the Barenaked Ladies have been my favourite band for over 15 years. I'm sad that Steven left the band, but am excited to see what he does on his own and what the band will do without him.

3. I'm addicted to the Bubble Bazinga widget on my dashboard. My high score is 187500 and that had me in the top 1000 players at first. Now I'm number 1139.

4. I'm also addicted to the Flickr Interestingness widget. I've favourited a ton of photos from it.

5. I've been up for almost three hours and still don't feel tired. I think I'm going to start watching a movie to see if that will put me to sleep. I haven't left my bed except to get my laptop though. :)

6. In that three hours I think I've gone pee at least three times and have actually gotten Colin and his friend to go to sleep. It's normal that they try to stay up all night, so I'm happy that they're sleeping.

6 Random Things About Me

2009-02-28T01:50:00.000-08:00

Heather tagged me forever ago (January 21st actually...Colin's 15th birthday) and I'm finally getting to it now. Chloe woke me up barking over an hour ago when some cats were fighting outside. One of them was my parents cat, Belle, and Chloe barked until I got up and let her in. Now Chloe's happily snoring away and I'm wide awake. So what better time to do 6 random things about me??

1. I was born in Germany (West Germany actually...but that doesn't exist anymore...I think that's kind of cool). I am a Canadian citizen. I don't have a passport...because I lost my "Registration of Birth Abroad" card. So I now have to get a "Landed Immigrants" card so that I can get a passport. I think that's stupid when I'm a Canadian citizen and do have a Canadian military birth certificate. So I'm procrastinating, but Adam and I are going to Florida in November and so I really have to think about getting one soon.

2. Every time I hear the Our Lady Peace song "Innocent" I think of being at the Tsunami Relief Concert a few years ago in Vancouver with Tracey, who lived in the Maldives at the time and experienced the Tsunami. Raine Maida was at the concert with his wife Chantal Kreviazuk and he played the piano and sang that song and the whole crowd sang the chorus with him (We are, we are all innocent, we are all innocent, we are, we are, we are all innocent, we are all innocent, we are , we are all...). And then it reminds me of how much I get sad that our news never covers things around the world (I don't think a 30 second news "story" counts as covering it) unless it affects "Westerners". How are they now? Have they rebuilt already? Will it take years to rebuild? Do they still need us to donate money?

3. I watched a documentary called Sharkwater the other day and it made me feel good about not liking fish. Not necessarily because they're bad for you (which they are starting to be because of all the mercury in the water), but because of the way some kinds of fish are caught. There's lots of "waste" caught and killed (not necessarily on purpose) and I don't like that. I think that eating free range meat (because they're treated better) or kosher (because it's supposed to be killed "painlessly) is better.

4. I bought this awesome soap at yoga called Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap in lavender scent. I seriously think this stuff is magic! I put it in a Bath and Body Works pump so it comes out foamy (I just put about an inch in the bottom of the container and then filled the rest up with water). I use it on my hair and my body. I haven't been using anything else in my hair (no conditioner or other products at all!!) and it doesn't get frizzy anymore. I washed Chloe with it a couple of days ago and she's still super soft. And I wash all my yoga clothes with it. I really love the scent of lavender now too. And it's vegan.

5. Even though I'm not a vegetarian I saw a sticker on someone's water bottle at yoga a few weeks ago that I can't stop thinking about. It said "Wings Are for Flying, Not Frying". I personally don't like eating meat off of bones, so it's appealing to me partly because of that, but I just love the idea of "Wings Are for Flying"...it makes me think that we can do anything we want.

6. I love hot yoga. I love the studio I go to. I love most of the teachers. I like that they all have different styles. Some push you more. Some are super mellow. Some always have insightful things to say that make you think the rest of the day. Some are so dang flexible it makes me excited to see how I will progress (I can't believe what two months has done already!). I didn't think I would like the "meditation" part of it, but I do! I love staying in savasana and feeling the sweat drip down and ignoring it. It really does get easier if you concentrate. I've read about teacher training and am in awe of them. They go to 11 classes a week (two a day Monday-Friday and then one on Saturday with Sunday off). One day I want to try two classes. I just don't know if I want to go in the morning and evening, or two in a row.

I promised Jenn that I'd post some stuff I've made lately this weekend, so look for something on Sunday (if I can find my cord for the camera so I can download the photos that I will hopefully take tomorrow...and I have Photoshop now so hopefully the photos won't be sideways anymore...if I can remember how to rotate them). There's a cute mini album (I think it's cute anyway) and some projects I've made at my Stampin' Up club meetings (I have the best Stampin' Up demonstrator that I'll introduce you to on Sunday) and I really want to sew a skirt tomorrow. I think I might head on down to my favourite local quilt shop (a perfect place for all things Amy Butler...heaven!!!!!) and get some fabric to sew this skirt. They ordered the pattern for me a few weeks ago and I've been dying to make it, but none of the fabric I have has been jumping out to me.

Have a great weekend!!

2009-01-13T22:03:00.000-08:00

So, it's January and that time of the year for setting goals, making resolutions and picking a word of the year. It was harder this year for me to think of a word, but I think I'm going to go with 'balance'. I've been going to hot yoga and I figure that's a good word for yoga, but also just for life.

I get weekly email updates from Lululemon and when I was reading the email this evening I saw that they're having a life coach come to the store in Victoria next Tuesday to talk about setting goals. They even have a section on their site where you can record and track your goals. I think that's an awesome idea and how cool that it's right there and easy to use.

I hope you're having a great week! And the photos from the last post were taken with Adam's Nikon fisheye lens as well as this photo from Seattle last May. I LOVE this lens!!!!

Surprise, suprprise!!

2009-01-11T17:59:00.000-08:00

I decided to update my blog. I've been trying to decide if I want to continue blogging because I'm horrible at it, but I love reading everyone else's blogs and thought that if one person likes to read mine, then it's worth it.

I've been spending the weekend designing a couple of classes for the store. I'm hoping to have them done by tomorrow night and if I do I'll snap a couple of photos and post them.

The snow is pretty much gone now. There's still big piles in parking lots where they cleared the snow and piled it high. I'm so glad that it's gone. I like the snow for a day or two, but that's about it. :)

And I've started going to yoga classes. I LOVE it! I'm doing Bikram yoga (or hot yoga). I'm humming and hawing about doing the 30 day challenge that starts on January 19th. The idea is that you go to 30 classes in 30 days. So if you want a day off you have to go to two classes on one day. It was a challenge drinking enough water at first, but now I think I have it down. And I can definitely tell that my flexibility has improved since I started going. Adam has even been to a couple of classes with me and enjoys it.

Adam and I went to Seattle again in November (the end of November). We went down to go to a Seattle Seahawks game. The game was way more fun than I thought it would be. And this time we decided to go up the Space Needle. I do not like heights and was not looking forward to the elevator ride, but it wasn't bad at all. And the weather was so nice that I started watching the game in my tank top. Once the sun set below the stadium it cooled off fast though, and I was happy to have a warm coat.

Do you sew?

2008-09-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

I forgot how much I love sewing. I haven't really sewn much besides a straight line in about ten years, and nothing with a pattern (I've just measured and made up patterns myself...which is easy if you're just sewing curtains or simple aprons), but last week I decided to sit down and sew a couple bags that I had the patterns and fabric for.

They are both sewn with Amy Butler fabrics and even though they are both different I love them both!

This bag is the Birdie Sling. It's so big and comfy to carry. I seriously LOVE it!

This bag was a pattern at my favourite local quilt shop, Satin Moon Quilts. It was so easy to make and only took three hours from the time I started cutting until I had sewn the last stitch. The other one took about 13 hours, but the cutting out was a good chunk of that.

I hope you have a great day!! I joined a Stampin' Up club and we made a super cute mini book at our first get together, so I'll finish it up and share it in a few days.

Back to School

2008-09-02T21:38:00.000-07:00

Colin just went off to bed and I realized that I didn't get a photo of him on his first day of high school! He seemed to have a good day and tomorrow he goes to all his classes and finds out what he needs to buy for his classes. He's in art this semester (we thought it would be computers) so I can imagine the fun things we'll have to go buy for that.

I'm having a scrapbook garage sale at my place a week from Saturday (September 13 10-noon for you local girls) and I was going through my kits last night and taking them all apart. I had the paper piled up and then all the embellishments piled up. After I was done I looked at the pile of embellishments and realized that I felt like a kid on Halloween with all my candy dumped out in front of me. There were so many fun chipboard alphabets and packages of buttons and ribbons and other fun stuff.

Anyway, off to finish watching 90210.

And just because I can't do a post without a photo (but I haven't taken many lately), here's Colin with Chloe last winter. She loves cuddling!

Dragon boating

2008-07-21T20:39:00.000-07:00

I know it's hard to tell in the photo, but that's me up front. Our drummer dropped out and we were scrambling to find someone ASAP. We needed to have the team roster in by Friday and our team captain managed to get us an extension until today. So I tried it today and had a blast! So it looks like I'm the new drummer for the boat. My throat is a tad sore tonight from shouting so everyone in the boat could hear me, but it was fun. We're racing on August 9th and it's going to be so much fun! Adam is on the team too and it's lots of fun having him there. I's my work team and we needed a few more people, so I asked if he wanted to do it. I'm so glad he did!

Summer

2008-07-09T22:35:00.001-07:00

Adam bought me Cirque de Soleil tickets for my birthday in February and this past weekend we finally went! It was such a great day! It was all five of us (Adam, myself and the three kids). The kids didn't fight all day. We were totally happy about that! And Colin didn't ask to bring any video games. He grabbed a notebook and a pen on the way out of the house and he and Quinn spent the day drawing comic books. They each drew a frame or two and then passed it to the other one.

The show we saw was Corteo. It was about a funeral and was awesome. I can't get over how they can move their bodies!

While we were in Vancouver we also went to Science World. That was fun for the kids. Even though they'd all been there before it had been a few years, so it was like the first time for all of them. Even Colin, at 14 had a blast. We pretty much had to drag them all out of there, but not before they all bought Astronaut Ice Cream in the gift shop (yuck!!!).

Colin had the camera for a while at Science World and got this photo of me. My hair dresser moved to Saskatchewan two weeks ago, so I thought I'd get my hair cut off again before she left.

How depressing is this photo? Not the fact that the Olympics are that far away still (or that close), but the fact that I am almost the shortest one now. I think Quinn just has to grow and inch or two and he'll pass me. Colin and Else already have (and Colin keeps calling me shorty now).

Adam took these of Else and I during the intermission at Cirque. The shopping tent had a ton of masks and shirts and fun hats and wings and everything else you could imagine from the show. We managed to not spend a penny there though (except for the licorice that Quinn bought).

When Cirque was over we decided to just head for the ferries and eat dinner there (there's quite the food market there now if you haven't been in a few years). It was kind of a rainy day, but it had cleared up quite a bit by then. So we tossed a ball around and played on the beach for a while. I love this shot I got of Else there!

My poor neglected blog...

2008-06-18T15:24:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a little post a day for the next few days and then I'm going away for the weekend, and then I'm going to catch up with some fun things that we've done over the last month.

I've been finding so many things totally inspiring lately! This site has some fun sewing patterns on it, but I absolutely love the sewing/craft rooms she's posted. Pink Penguin

And we went to Seattle a few weeks ago and here's a peek at one of the photos that Adam took of me. I'm snapping a photo of the bar where Tom Hanks hangs out with his friend in Sleepless in Seatle at Pike Place Market. I loved Seattle SO much!!

Photos for a day

2008-04-24T20:38:00.000-07:00

So Shimelle has come up with this great idea. To take photos all day long on the 25th of the month for a year and scrap them. So I'm plugging in my camera battery tonight to make sure it's all charged up and I plan on taking photos all day tomorrow. I'm actually looking forward to when the 25th doesn't fall on a Friday (Fridays are pretty boring for me because I work at two jobs all day long) but I'll make it fun.

- photo taken by Shimelle (this is her Flickr account)

I've started working my way through my list of things to do this spring. I bought Colin a new bike and then Adam and I bought me a new bike (it even has a basket, that Chloe doesn't really like). I took it to work one day this week and it's my plan to start taking it almost every day. It's just been a busy week for me where I had to get home for something. And it's been windy and cold. Where is our spring??

And I figured out why I love that new cleaning stuff so much. It smells like fresh cut grass. I think that's one of my favourite "fresh" smells, so I love using it!

Adam and I went to Sooke last weekend and stayed in a super cute B&B. We stayed in the Garden Spa Room. And then we ate dinner at the Sooke Harbour House, which was totally amazing. The food was like art and tasted amazing! We also biked around and walked out on Whiffen Spit. If you ever get the chance to go there, make sure you do it! We're going to go back for sure!!

Here's a few photos from the weekend (all taken by Adam).

This is the view from our room. The last row of bushes you see has an 80 foot drop on the other side right down to the rocks. And then it's all ocean until you see the mountains. That's Washington.

This is in a huge mirror that was out on the patio in front of the Sooke Harbour House. They have a great "gift shop" (it was really more like an art gallery with all local artists...gorgeous stuff!) that spreads out to the deck (I'm assuming they don't do that in the rainy winter though). If you look closely you can see the whale carving on top of the fence that hides the parking lot. And in the gift shop I bought a super cute candle holder that they had on the tables in the restaurant. It has a little bird perching on it.

When we were walking out on Whiffen Spit we found this great washed up row boat.

Things I want to do this spring

2008-04-15T17:40:00.000-07:00

I was thinking today of some things I want to do this spring. Here's a few of them...

- Make aprons.
- Finish Shannon's camera strap (I'm still on the look out).
- Make my first quilt (I bought the fabric today...it's called Celebrate Spring).
- Buy Colin a new bike and go on more bike rides, and maybe put a basket on mine so Chloe can come with us.
- Keep up the spring cleaning. I bought some yummy smelling biodegradable all purpose cleaner at Shoppers that smells good enough that I love cleaning right now. Pear and violet...yummy!
- Take a photo a day (I'm going to try it again).
- Read more. We've been going to the library tons lately and I'm loving all the books. I just walk up and down the fiction section and look for the "fluff" books. If it's pink, purple, yellow, light green or light blue, I'll probably enjoy it as a quick read.

Has anyone read Marley & Me? It's SO good! I'm loving it. And realizing that Chloe is not as bad as I thought she was. She's a smart one though. It's amazing how our pets can manipulate us to get what they want. She knows how to get a treat, every time!

Girls Just Want to Have Fun was delayed until April 29th. Juno came out today though, so I'm sure I can watch that a sufficient amount of times to tide me over.

Hope everyone is enjoying April!!

Five more sleeps

2008-04-03T13:15:00.000-07:00

Girls Just Want to Have Fun is coming out on dvd! I'm so excited!! Does anyone remember this movie? It has Sarah Jessica Parker, Helen Hunt and Shannon Doherty in it. I remember it being my favourite movie when I was 12. And a week later Juno comes out on dvd. So April is a good month for movies. :)

I was at Old Navy and got the cutest dress. It looks cute over jeans or on it's own.

And then I saw a sweatshirt that is really similar to this that I had to have too. It was only $20 for both though. Not bad, eh? I love getting great deals (and fitting in children's clothes).

I called in sick to work today because I have a yucky cough and am just feeling blah. So after I take Colin to the dentist I plan on coming home and scrapbooking. If I get anything made I'll be sure to share it! Hugs!!

Garage Sale...

2008-03-12T19:46:00.000-07:00

at my place on Saturday morning!! If you live in town and want to come by between 8:30 and 10:30, then send me an email, call me or pm me (my user name is Cate) on POTP to get my address. I have a TON of stuff I'm getting rid of (we're talking 9+ boxes). As of right now there is nothing over $7, with most of it between $1 and $3, and I'm not quite done going through my stuff or pricing.

Hope to see you here Saturday morning! And don't forget to watch the video in the post below. She's SO cute!!!!!!

Star Wars according to a 3 year old.

2008-03-12T16:27:00.001-07:00

This is seriously my favourite video lately! She is so dang cute!!!!!!

I'm home...

2008-02-16T20:49:00.001-08:00

and SO tired!!! I've been sleeping a lot since I got home, trying to make up for what I didn't get when I was gone I guess. I suppose that's what happens when you have six women staying in a hotel room together. It was fun from the time I got dropped off at Tara's last Thursday until I got home this Thursday morning. Here's just kind of a mishmash of fun photos from the trip. Enjoy!! (and apparently iPhoto doesn't like me yet again...argh!!!)

My suitcase with the LAX tag on it. There's a little glare, but I know what it says. :)

Tara, Kim (Moreno) and I in California Adventure. This was the first time I'd met Kim and she had me laughing constantly!

Me and Colin's favourite, Pluto. He is adorable, isn't he? And I noticed that his ear is flipped up like Chloe's get (which drives me nuts and I always have to flip it down). And you can see my newest pink streaks in this photo. I LOVE the colour of them!

Me in my pink jammies getting the press release ready for the press room. We were punching and adding keychains to things late into Saturday night.

Me in my birthday hat from Sandra. Isn't it adorable (maybe not me in it, but the hat)? It totally reminds me of the unbirthday hat from Alice in Wonderland. I'm going to think that every time I see it now.

This is a blurry photo of the eight of us going on on Sunday night (my birthday). It's myself, Natalia, Kim, Holly, Sandra, Tara, Becky and Anna. Sandra and Anna ended up having to leave the Cheesecake Factory because Anna had a migraine, but we had a ton f fun before they left.

The very pretty table in the Pageframes booth. The stuff that the DT made was unbelievable!

And Colin and his friend Nigel picked a number from the posts on my last blog entry, and number 10 wins. That's karenmc. So I'll contact you to see what pattern you want.

Pageframes CHA sneak peek

2008-02-09T01:37:00.001-08:00

Pageframes has some cool new products coming out!! Tara is releasing patterned shapes, albums and pages in the same material that you've grown to love, and a super cool thinner material (same thickness as the Hambly Heavy Overlays). I played with them (see the album) and cut it myself with my Tonic trimmer (and it cuts with scissors great also!!). These are going to be available in 12x12 sheets so you can cut it and make your own album or shapes. I cut the 12x12 sheet in half for the 6x12 album.

Tell me what you think and your name will be entered to win a heavy overlay of your choice.

Saltspring

2008-02-04T18:39:00.000-08:00

On Saturday Adam and I took the kids and went to Saltspring for the day. I think Saltspring Island is one of my favourite places ever. When you go there you can feel yourself relaxing. Adam's brother, Josh, lives there and had told Adam about a lake there that was frozen. So we decided to head over for the day and check it out. When we got there it was like a winter wonderland. Saltspring itself was green, like Victoria, but once we started driving up the mountain there was snow everywhere.

So we got to the lake and it was still frozen and covered in snow, so the guys used hockey sticks and boards to clean it off. After playing on a smaller section for three hours someone else showed up with shovels and they shoveled and played for another hour. It was just an awesome day!

Chloe trying to stay warm in Adam's bag. My mom knit her this sweater for her birthday this year.

Josh and the kids walking up the mountain after Josh and Adam both got their cars stuck on the way up. Then they rode those crazy carpets all the way back down to the cars when we left.

Colin spent the four hours at the lake playing with Bobby. He absolutely loved him! (and I had my camera on ISO 800 the whole time I was there, so the good ones are shot on automatic...this one obviously wasn't. Live and learn though, right?)

I love Chloe's tongue here!!

Adam and his brother playing hockey together.

More JUNO Love

2008-01-31T20:27:00.001-08:00

I could watch this trailer 1000 times and not get bored of it. I think I'm going to go again this weekend. Even if I have to go by myself.

Oh, and seven more sleeps 'til CHA!!

Anyone Else But You

2008-01-30T20:44:00.001-08:00

This just makes me happy.

Juno is my new favourite movie. If I could go to the theater every day until it's not in theaters anymore, then I probably would. Sigh...

January 27th

2008-01-27T11:35:00.000-08:00

I've been snapping photos, I just haven't been uploading them. :)

Poor Colin was sick all week with the flu. Last Monday (Jan 21st) he turned 14. We went out to dinner, even though I tried talking him out of it because I knew he was feeling lousy, to Montana's. He didn't really eat anything, but it was still a fun night.

Other than that we haven't been up to much. I really, really want to go see Juno, so I'm hoping to do that today. Colin is at his dad's, so today I've been snapping photos of Chloe (what else is new, right??). Even when he's around I've been snapping photos of her, because he always covers up his face. I'm trying to think of what I could
bribe him with to get him to go out and do a fun photo shoot with me.

I've been looking at new lenses for my camera, and am totally torn between two. The 55-250 IS ($349) and the 85mm/1.8 ($599). I went to the store yesterday and tried them both out, and i"m still just as torn as I was before I went to look at them.

iPhoto still hates me. I'm going to leave the photos like this for now because I don't have the energy to try to fix them (ie...I'm lazy).

Adam gave me this tin heart last year for Christmas. Chloe was sitting in one of her favourite spots on the back of the couch, an I thought this photo would be a cute one. I think she's a little too blurry though.

This is just her being cute. Dont' you love the colour of my living room walls? I' going to miss this colour when I move.

My favourite Starbucks drink. Passion Iced Tea Lemonade. Colin said he's going to have a Starbucks intervention and move me somewhere that doesn't have Starbucks. I said "good luck".

My cutie patootie nephew, Logan, with their new puppy, Lola. We went last night to get her. I get to babysit her today!

My dad took this one of me at Montana's on Colin's birthday, with my camera. It's a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Winged Thing...

2008-01-13T10:23:00.000-08:00

This was a Poppy Project from Poppy Ink. I can never resist her stuff, especially when she has fabric in the kit. I started it at a crop in September (or was it this summer?) and finished it the next day, but never got around to uploading it. Isn't it beautiful?? I seriously just keep looking at it.

And just because I think it's cute...here's Else and Chloe.

More photos.

2008-01-12T21:54:00.000-08:00

So, I've taken a photo a day, but I started using Aperture and I haven't been able to figure out how to upload from there. So tonight I dragged (is that a word...it sounds weird) all the photos back into iPhoto, which apparently likes me again! All these photos were taken today with my new 50mm/1.8 lens. Seriously, I love this lens!

This first photo is Adam's "commuting" bike. I got down low and took the photo. This photo feels like the "artsyist" photo I've ever taken I think, and I like it.

This one is Colin (with that crazy hair that won't do anything but stick up) on Adam's computer. He'll be 14 in just over a week, and won't let me take any photos of him. Although Adam told both the boys today that they really only have a right to complain if we're asking them to pose al the time, so hopefully that will work for a while. Since we both have new cameras, we've both been snapping photos of the kids constantly.

And this is Max. He's my parents Bichon. He's a little bigger than most Bichons (okay...a lot bigger...he's over 30 pounds) and he's not the cutest dog around, but this photo actually makes him look cute, so I like it.

And I have to figure out how to make the banner photo a little smaller, but I think she's so cute that it might stay that way for a while. I love her shiny lower lip and pompom white nose, and the way that her hair will not stay off her face. Even if I cut it, the stuff further back just falls forward.

It's windy out tonight!

2008-01-07T22:48:00.000-08:00

I was just blog surfing and was looking at Emily's blog. Last year she did an art journal challenge on her blog, but by the time I found her blog she was more than halfway done and I just didn't jump in and start it. But she's doing another art journal this year, and each week (or two) she's going to give a word to inspire your page. This week's word is commit. So tomorrow I think I'm going to dig out the paint and paper and start my first art journal. This should be fun!!!

Aperture

2008-01-07T18:22:00.000-08:00

A friend at work today told me about Aperture. So hopefully my problems with rotating photos is going to be fixed. Except that I can't figure out how to get the photos from Aperture to Blogger yet. So I think today's photo will have to be seen tomorrow (hopefully!).

Today I met Adam at a camera store where he bought a Nikon D80 with a 55-200 zoom lens. The lens is so awesome! I have no idea at all what lens I want to get when I decide to get a lens. I want it to be by summertime probably though.

Hope everyone had a great Monday!!!

January 6th

2008-01-06T17:19:00.000-08:00

Last May I won a $1000 shopping spree at Heirloom Linens. I bought Colin a duvet and then gave him $200 to buy whatever he wanted (he picked a camouflage duvet cover and then two queen sized pillows and pillow cases to match his duvet cover and an alarm clock that moos). Then I bought some things...and didn't ever post them. So today my photo is my bed, and the patchwork quilt I bought with the money. And I happened to take the photo in the three minutes that the lazy mutt wasn't sleeping on it. Too bad, because she really spices up photos (but I guess you guys already know I think that *S*).

I took the photo the lengthwise instead of horizontal, so if it is still sideways then Blogger doesn't like me. *S*

January 4th

2008-01-05T12:36:00.000-08:00

I've been taking my camera to work with me this year (2008). I've been noticing that since I've had my camera with me, I've seen so many things that would be great photos. We've had really blustery, stormy weather for the last few days (lots of wind warnings) and it's been really cloudy. Yesterday the wind blew the clouds away and the sun was out for a few minutes. I happened to be driving around the corner and saw this church lit up by the sun. You can't really tell how dark the clouds are behind it, but they are dark storm clouds, and I thought it was so cool to see the light shining on the church with the dark clouds behind it.

As a side note...I rotated this in iPhoto and it is still sideways, so until I can get Photoshop for my MacBook, I have no idea how to get it rotated and keep it that way. Sorry!! If anyone has any advice, feel free to share it! I'm still getting use to a Mac. *S*

Happy New Year!!

2008-01-03T19:28:00.000-08:00

So, on Boxing Day Adam and I ventured out, early in the morning, to Future Shop. We set the alarm for 4am and were at Future Shop by 4:30. The doors were set to open at 6am, but we were lucky and they opened about 15 minutes before that. Adam went straight to the tv's to get himself a 42' Plasma flat screen while I went straight to the cameras where I was able to get a Canon Rebel XT for only $400! Those things went fast too!! If I hadn't asked the guy in line behind us where the camera section was in that particular store, I probably would have missed out on it. I totally love it and have been dragging it everywhere with me.

So now that I have a fancy new camera I plan on doing the photo a day for the year. I'll post a bunch of them here hopefully. For the first few days that I had the camera, Colin was at his dad's, so can you guess who my subject was?

(oops...sorry...I have to figure out how to rotate the photos)

Once he got home I managed to get a photo of him (I don't remember what I might have bribed him with to get one though!).

And I've picked a word for 2008 (Ali's blog) : SIMPLIFY.

Happy New Year to all! I'm off to watch Notting Hill. Sigh.

Wow...

2007-09-02T09:08:00.000-07:00

So much has happened since I posted last. I think the most exciting thing was spending a week in Penticton with Adam for Ironman. Last Sunday was the race, but the whole week was super inspiring. We arrived on Wednesday afternoon (after a stop at Precious Memories in Langley...even though Adam so wanted to get to Penticton he stopped for me *S*). Adam took full advantage of everything that was going on that week. On Thursday morning there was an underwear run, on Friday night there was a carbo load dinner and then an Ironman/Oldtimers NHL hockey game. There were people running and cycling everywhere you looked. On Sunday we were up by 4:30 and downtown by just after 5am. The race started at 7am and Adam wanted to finish the 3.8km swim, 180km bike and 42.2km run in about 12 hours. His time ended up being 11:08:12. It was totally amazing to see him pass by me while I was watching way before he kept expecting ot be passing by me. He had an amazing race! There were 2445 finishers and Adam came in 415 overall.

On our way ohome on Tuesday we all went to the PNE. We had spent the whole week in Penticton with some friends and had a great time. Chloe was so excited to see me when I came home. She's kind of been following me around like she thinks I'm going to leave again.

I'll update more later. School starts again on Tuesday and I'm really looking forward to having that time back (as much as I love moody 13 year olds *S*).

Have a great lond weekend!!

Six more sleeps

2007-07-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

That's all I have to wait until Harry Potter comes out. And this time when I'm leaving Costco with my book, I'm not going to flip to the back pages to find out what happens (yep...I did it last time and cried all the way home). Or at least I'm going to try my hardest not to do that.

Is anyone else getting it this weekend?

It's 11:30, Friday night

2007-07-06T23:33:00.000-07:00

and I have three more badges to sew on Colin's sash before I go to bed so I can get up at 5:30 tomorrow morning to help him get ready to leave for camp. The things mom's do, eh?

I'm watching the Live Earth concert on CTV and Missy Higgins is playing right now in Australia. I've been loving her music. She is absolutely amazing! You can tell that she's popular because everyone seems to know the words to her songs. It's neat to see what music is popular in each country too. I'll be curious to see who plays in the rest of the concerts tomorrow. I'm sure the British one will be great, although Al Gore is supposed to show up at the US one, so I'm sure that will be exciting too. How great to be able to pull something like this off to make people more aware of the earth and global warming!

Well, I guess my fingers have had a little break now. I should get back to sewing. Have a great weekend!!

Hello!!!

2007-07-02T22:21:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a great Canada Day! Colin was at his dad's and he called me last night to let me know that Titanic was on tv and we talked about how sad it was that Tracey and Allana don't live in Vancouver anymore because we used to always spend Canada Day with them. I'm sure they can't stay away from Vancouver long though!!

I was just looking for a photo of Adam doing his half iron triathlon a couple of weeks ago when I found this photo of me at work. I needed a photo for a class I was taking from Kah-Mei at the POTP retreat of myself at work. So that's the truck I drive. It's new and nice! I love it! It's big too!!

So here's Adam racing a couple of weeks ago. He wanted to qualify for the Ironman Canda race in Penticton in August. Here he is waiting for the swim to start. Swimming is his least favourite part of a triathlon, so he's always nervous right before the race starts.

After the swim he goes on the bike ride, which I can rarely get good photos of because they are in transition and out of transition and gone on their bikes before you know it and I'd rather cheer for him than try to get a great photo of that. So I didn't get a good photo...just a blurry one that I won't inflict on you. But here he is after his bike ride getting on his runners for the run.

The swim was about 2kms, the bike was 80kms adn the run was 20kms. Here he is after the first 10km of the run.

So when Adam crossed the finish line he was pretty sure he hadn't qualified for the Ironman. But the next night he got an email telling him they had a spot for him! So we're heading to Penticton in August for the Ironman! I'm SO dang excited!! My man is going to be in Ironman!!

Well, it's totally late and I have to be at work early tomorrow. Have a great week everyone!!

Lots to catch up on!

2007-06-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Okay...wow...it's been a while since I've posted. Let's see what I've been up to in the last month.

I went to the Pick of the Patch retreat. It was so much fun! It's great to get together with friends that you don't get to see often. I got to meet Angelo. He is SO CUTE!!!!!! Like, seriously! So smiley. It was cute, when Jenn's husband, Jim, came to pick him up so she could scrap the night away, Angelo just stared at him smiling. I thought that was adorable! Shannon and Danielle shared a room with Julia and I (we spent the whole weekend scrapping and playing together). We had great ambitions of getting up early to run and scrap, but when you don't make it to bed before 2am, it doesn't quite work out that way. *S* I took some amazing classes! Yolanda Robinson is amazing (she designs for Fontwerks)! I would take another class with her in a second! I'll make sure I take photos of the cute felt book we made and post it soon. I also took a class from Kah-Mei from Fontwerks. I love her new rub-ons!!!! She is so sweet and uber talented! I was totally blown away with all the techniques that she used in the class. Everyone I show the book to is in awe too! And then the super crazy talented Tracy Kyle. I didn't finish all the layouts, but that was a fun class too. I pretty much won back in prizes what I paid for the classes too, which was a total bonus!

I promise that I'll post photos of the stuff I got (really Jenn...I promise!), but I won a $1000 shopping spree at a great linen and bath store in Victoria, Heirloom Linens. I received a phone call while I was sorting my mail on a Monday morning and the guy from the station asked if I would hold and talk to him on the air for a minute. I really didn't think anything of it, because it's a talk radio station. When he came back on he said that when I had called a few weeks earlier I had been entered into a draw for a prize, and I had won a really great one. It was kind of exciting, and a great way to start a Monday morning off!

Oh, and I'm the June guest designer over at POTP. I had fun with the kit. There's a super cute Maya Road scalloped mini book that came with it too, but I made my own mini book with the cardstock in the kit.

Next Sunday is the New Balance Half Iron triathlon here in Victoria. Adam is racing it and trying to qualify for a spot in Ironman Canada in Penticton this year. I'm sure he can do it and I'm so dang excited to go to Ironman! We were talking about it with some friends the other day. It's going to be awesome!!

Here's a layout I made at Karen's crop last weekend. It was a fun day! I think this has become one of my favourite layouts! I love those MM glitter stickers!

And I'm still running. I'm so glad I signed up for Heidi's BPS class just because it gave me the boost I needed to start. I've enjoyed it more than I thought.

Oh, ya. And poor Colin broke his collar bone almost three weeks ago. It was the holiday Monday in May and he was out skateboarding with a friend and fell off his skateboard. He got up crying and walked over to his friend and told him that he thought he had broken a bone. His friend walked him home, which I thought was really nice. When Colin walked into the house (I actually heard the dogs upstairs barking and had opened the door to see if Colin was home and heard him crying as he walked up the side of the house) he told me that he fell off his skateboard and had a bunch of road rash. I don't remember him saying that he thought he broke a bone, but when I helped him take his t-shirt off he winced and I could tell right away that he had a broken collar bone. So we were at the hospital probably 20 minutes after it happened. He was wearing a helmet though, SO i'm really happy about that! A week later I washed his sling and shrunk it (silly mom!) and we had to go back to the hospital to get him a new one. The nurse there recognized me and remembered Adam and his accident last summer (she said she felt really bad putting the two slings on him). Pretty funny that my two guys have both broken their collar bones now. Everyone at work says it'll be my turn next summer. I hope not!! He's doing really well now and you can hardly tell that he broke it. He just can't carry a back pack on it yet, or climb up his bunk bed.

Well, I'm watching Blue Crush and scrapping, so I'm off to do that. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of summer!

Happy NSD!!

2007-05-05T12:47:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great day! There's some fun stuff going on online today!

So, Adam pointed out that I hadn't posted about my 10km time yet. Last Sunday, April 29th, I ran my first 10km in 67:33. My goal was under 70:00, so I'm happy with it. I'm going to keep running though, and hopefully improve. There are a few girls in our run clinic who I ran with and next year we all want to break an hour. We've started running together on Saturday mornings (well...today was the first day since the race, but it will be a regular thing), and we might join the clinic again next year. Right now my goal is to start training for the Seattle halfmarathon in November though. Jenn and I are taking Heidi's class and when she said that was her goal I thought it was so fabulous that I copied her. I'm glad I did, because I enjoy running way more than I thought I would.

Well, off to scrap (and nap)! Have a great day!!!!

Inspiration

2007-03-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

So, I've been watching Ali's blog lots in the last few days. Especially today. Today is the deadline for the Six Degrees contest. She's rocking this thing! I think in the last 24 hours, she's had almost 500 donations. Isn't that amazing? I was chatting with her about it last weekend. She had posted that she wanted to get 1000 donations by the end of March and then she said she deleted that, because she never thought she'd get there. I think she's such an inspiring, awesome, great person, that people want to give back to her. So cool!

So Artistry. It was amazing! Inspiring. Creative. Fun. I met some great people. They came from everywhere! That was cool. Long Beach Claifornia, Washington DC, Winnipeg...to name a few.

It started on Friday morning, but I headed over on Thursday afternoon. I made it to Shannon's by 5ish. Danielle was there already and we convinced Shannon to come down to Treasury of Memories with us instead of going to yogalates. Yeah! That was fun! We hit the mall and Bath and Body Works...best store ever! Then we headed over to Treasury, and even though we got there right as they were closing, they let us shop for 30 minutes. That was fun. Quick, but fun. I think by the time we got home and I got in bed, it was wll after midnight. Poor Shannon started getting sick on our way down and by the time we got home pretty muchhad a full on cold.

Friday morning I woke up and headed over to Richmond (from Port Coquitlam...if you know the area) early. I got there around 9am. Ali's class started at 10 that morning. So Jenn and I picked up our goodie bags and wandered around the Richmond Arts Center (is that what it was called?) until Ali's classroom ws ready for us to go hang out in. When I walked into Ali's class, she said "Hey Cate!". Ummm...how cool is that? She had remembered me from January! I was happy. *S*

The album we made that day was amazing. It's her Evolution album. The photo is on the Artistry site. It was ambitious actually. We spent all morning painting. And then the afternoon we started putting it together. I'm not actually sure if anyone finished it, but I know that Jenn and I didn't. Oh, and I'm SO mad! I didn't get a photo of Jenn, nine months pregnant! She's all belly. Looks like there's a basketball up her shirt. *S* Super cute!! So we spent the day with Ali, and left around 5pm. I went backt o Shannon's house, where I met her husband Jon (he was on a business trip the night before). Jon, Danielle and I went out for sushi that night (poor Shannon was sick). I can say with confidance, that I do not like sushi. But I gave it a try again and so that was good. And then we hit the mall so Danielle could pick up some photos, so I ran into Old Navy and bought this shirt. We hit McDonald's on the way home for a creme egg McFlurry. Yum!

Saturday we had classes all day with Donna Downey. We made two mini books. One in the morning and another in the afternoon. I really have to take photos of them, but again they are shown on the Artistry site. Super cute and easy to make. Donna is the funniest person I have ever met. She's real and honest and a total hoot. That was another great day of classes. Oh, and she had some TamTams. Her favourite cookies from Down Under. And she shared them with us. Yummy!!

Saturday night there was a crop at Clipper Street. It was at the Langley location, so almost an hour away, but a fun night. I was one of ony five of us maybe that made it to midnight. I think I made it to bed around 2am that morning...which is why I slept in the next morning and didn't wake up until 10:40am. And Claudine's class started at 10:00...an hour away. *S* Oops! I made it there by noon though. And it was fun. This is the one thing that I actually do have a photo of (see above...I don't know how to move the photos around in the new blogger). My Poppet. I had to use Chloe. I think it's kind of cute. Claudine is super sweet and at the crop on Saturday night she commented that scrapbookers take lots of photos. Isn't that funny?

So that's Artistry in a nut shell. I'd definitely go back again. They sent out a sheet for our feedbacka dn asked who we'd love to have next year, and I said Emily Falconbridge and Tia Bennett. Can you imagine taking a class from Emily? I bet it would be messy and super creative!

Hope you're having a great weekend!!

I have the stomach flu

2007-03-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

So I'll update on Artistry, but it may take a couple of days. I went for a run yesterday and had absolutely no energy. Then I fell asleep before 9:00pm (without dinner) and woke up at 12:20am. By 1:00am I was getting sick. I'm feeling better than I was (ie...not throwing up anymore) but I still feel icky. I hope I can go back to work tomorrow. The weather was beautiful today!

And my sweet letter carrier, Michelle, came around to my side door to give me my Scrapologie kit because I wasn't at work. Isn't that sweet?

Well, off to bed again. I'm going to take another gravol tonight so I can sleep the night away!

Artistry

2007-03-25T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm home.

It was fabulous.

I'm really tired. *S*

I love Ali, Donna and Claudine (she thinks scrapbookers take lots of pictures *S*).

I'll post more tomorrow.

Five kilometers

2007-03-12T22:32:00.000-07:00

Yep...I ran it!

Back in January I joined a run clinic. In Heidi's class this year we had to set a goal and Jenn came up with the idea to run the Seattle half marathon. I loved that goal so I asked if she minded if I did it too. So I joined a run clinic to run a 10km race in April (the last Sunday...eek, I'm nervous!). And with the entry fee into the clinic we got this 5 km race yesterday.

So I did it.

I wanted to beat the 40:00 mark.

I ran it in 33:27.

I'm just a little excited!!!

It's not by any means going to win me any races, but I'm feeling like I'll be able to finish the 10km in less than an hour and a half now.

And when I finshed the race I told myself that I had just ran one quarter of a half marathon. And when I do the 10km in April, that's pretty much half of a half marathon (a half marathon is 21 kms). So I'll be able to do it by November. *S*

And only a week and a half until Artistry...and Ali...and seeing Jenn's super cute baby belly! I really hope the baby has a little foot sticking out so I can feel it! She's due so soon! I'm just a little excited for her. I'll be counting down the days until the Pick of the Patch retreat at the end of May so I can see the baby. He/she should be about six weeks old by then.

Have a great week!!!!!

Mini book

2007-02-18T17:44:00.000-08:00

In only five weeks Artistry happens! I'm so excited. Ali's class was so fabulous a month ago that I can hardly wait for the next one. And it's her last planned class, except CKU, for the next year or two. She said she's not going to be teaching for a while.

And because Artistry is only five weeks away, that means that Jenn's baby is only about seven weeks away. I'm so excited for her!!

Here's a little mini book I made with Memory Lane's February store kit. I love the papers! I added a few of my own things too. Enjoy! I took the title from 10 Things I Hate About You (cute movie) and changed it to Love.

Isn't that nose adorable! And those little teeth are too cute. Tiny and so white.

CHA

2007-01-24T21:44:00.000-08:00

So, I'm LOVING all the sneak peeks coming out! I think I saw an owl on some of the new Basic Grey! How super cute is that going to be? And here's a sneak peek for Karen's newest Tin Box Creations stamps. How cool are those clock stamps!?!

Ali Edwards stepped on my photo!!

2007-01-15T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sunday was the BEST day! This whole weekend was amazing!

Jenn picked me up from the ferry terminal at 12:45 and we drove down to Bellingham, WA for a class with Karen Russell. She is SO sweet and creative and we got a TON of stuff in the class kit! The class projects are amazingly beautiful and I'll try to take photos that due them justice (probably on the weekend). I left the class feeling creative and excited. And we still had Ali on Sunday!

Sunday we went to Ali. We got there just a few minutes before it started and got our seats. There were some other people there that we knew so we chatted and waited anxiously for the class to start. You know all those wonderfully beautiful mini books that Ali posts on her blog and that are in the magazine (that amazingly beautiful one made out of transparencies). She had brought them for us to look at! Holding those and looking through them is an experience! They are SO amazing! She has got to be one of the most talented scrappers ever! It was so awesome to look at them all. We were in both classes so we made a mini book in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning one was Favourite Photos and the afternoon one was Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, Always. I'm pretty much finished the morning one, except for the journalling. The afternoon one is not quite done because I need smaller photos for it. I'm going to look throught everything tomorrow because I found some super cute baby photos of Colin today that might look cute in it.

Jenn and I were in the class and Karen was supposed to come from Princeton, but she got the stomach flu and couldn't make it and I was so disappointed that Tammy wasn't there. Luckily she had just gotten lost on her way there (that happened to me last time so I sympathized *S*) and she was just a little late (and caught up really well!!). Pretty much everyone was in both classes and Jenn, Tammy and I were the only ones who hung around at lunch. Ali decided to give away some stuff to us, so that was exciting. It was awesome to have such an intimate conversation with her. She's so real and down to earth and makes everyone feel like you're her best friend.

Ali stepped on my photo in the morning class and there was a funny joke about it (a comment about how I wouldn't be caring because it was Ali Edwards *S*), but I wasn't there to hear it (maybe Jenn can tell that story). The photo is in my book now and everytime a scrapper looks at my album I'll be pointing out the photo and saying "Ali Edwards stepped on that photo!", so whatever the whole class was laughing about it justified. *S*

I'm happy to be home now, with all the fun stuff I bought this weekend, including some brand new, being released at CHA next week, Fontwerks paper...jealous?...it's super cool, my Hambly transparencies and some fun new 7 Gypsies rub-ons. What is it with being inspired and having to buy new stuff? *S* Not that I need an excuse to buy Hambly or 7 Gypsies! We were having fun seeing what was in Ali's basket and buying that so we can copy all her projects when she makes them.

Well, off to bed. I'm hoping to be able to scrap right from when I get home from work tomorrow until bed time. Have a great week everyone! Hugs!!

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-04T15:43:00.000-08:00

Today Heidi Swapp's class started on Big Picture Scrapbooking. The class is called A Year to Remember. When I was listening to Heidi audio message today, I was so excited for the next year. I'll try to share what I make each week. This week I just have to figure out what I want my goal to be. Something to work on throughout the year.

Colin is going to be thirteen in a couple of weeks. That's just crazy! He will officially be a teenager. Three more years until he's old enough to get his drivers licence.

Here's a few more photos from our trip. Colin was so cute and took my camera to take pictures when we drove through the tree in the Redwood Forest in California. He took eight photos, some close, some further away. Definitely my kid. *S*

Here's Colin in front of the Golden Gate bridge. I absoloutely fell in love with San Francisco! It's a gorgeous city. The traffic, leaving the city during rush hour, was crazy though!

This is the kids in the pool at our hotel in Vegas (the Luxor). They loved Vegas! We let them roam in the hotel (the second floor had a double level arcade).

This is me walking in, I think, California Adventure. The weather was gorgeous the whole time we were there!

This is me in the Hollywood hills, taking a picture of the Hollywood sign. We didn't see any celebrities, but we drove on Mullholland Drive and went to the Chinese Theater. The hill that we hiked is where all the famous celebrities get caught by cameras when they are trying to walk their dogs. No such lucky sightings for us though.

This is Colin on Venice Beach. We went to the Venice Beach boardwalk and walked around. It's the boardwalk that's famous in movies. We also went to the Santa Cruz boardwalk. The rides were closed because it was evening, but the kids played games in a huge arcade.

We got stuck in rush hour in Malibu too. I kind of wish we had pulled over and hung out on the beach for a while because it was so pretty, but we had had not much sleep that night (we thought California would be warmer for camping in December...apparently not), so we weren't really thinking clearly.

We're home!

2006-12-16T23:28:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to be home. I totally missed Chloe! It's so nice to cuddle with her again. I think she's happy I'm home too. *S*

Coming home was quite an adventure. Our rental van broke down when we were two hours away from returning it in Seattle (we were still in southern Washington) and then we had a massive rain/wind storm. We missed the last ferry to Victoria so we took a ferry to Nanaimo (an hour and a half north of Victoria) and drove home. The ferry was a two hour ride and didn't land until 12:45, so it was after 2:00am when we got home. And when we were driving over the Malahat (the mountain that seperates Victoria from the rest of the Island), we were hit by a huge branch that ripped the drivers side windshield wiper off the car and we couldn't get the other one off to put on it (with trees creaking and falling around us) so Adam drove with his body leaning over to the passenger side. It was a nail biting ride but we got home safe and sound.

Here's a few of my favourite photos until I can tell you a little about the vacation. A few of them are blurry, but I still love them. *S*

San Diego Zoo...

Universal Studios

Sea World (that's Shamu)

This is Colin petting a sting ray!

Oregon Coast...

If I'd seen this sign first...

then I wouldn't have done this. I climbed up there after Adam, Quinn and Else did. While I was up there a huge wave came up behind me and crashed against the rocks and made it's way up to me (about 20 feet up). My back and butt got soaked. Adam said it didn't look like much from where he was, but it scared me! Those rocks are sharp!

Sea Lion caves...there were hundreds of them in there. It was a little stinky, but super cool!

Holidays!!

2006-11-27T19:01:00.000-08:00

So, it's been way too long since I've updated my blog.

The first weekend of November I went to CKC with Jenn in Bellevue Washington. We went to Amuse and Anthropologie (loved that store!!!). At Anthropologie I bought an adorable owl tea pot. Oh, I love it! I'm hoping I get a chance to go there on our vacation next week.

CKC was okay. I don't know that I'd go back again. The best part was spending time with Jenn and shopping at Bellevue Square (awesome shopping there!) where we got to go to Paper Source. That's an awesome store too!

November 19th I was supposed to go to an Ali class, but she was sick so it was canceled. It worked out for me because I was sick too. I'll enjoy her class much more on January 14th then I would have being sick. And now there's something fun to look forward to after Christmas. Plus, Jenn's belly will be that much bigger.

And in March Jenn and I are going to Artistry 2007! Three whole days of fun! I'm really looking forward to that.

On Saturday we (Adam, the kids and I) leave for sunny California! We're driving down the Oregon coast and going to Disneyland and the Grand Canyon. I'm so excited! I haven't even started packing yet though. Colin is packing up his suitcase right now.

Well, off to do more dishes. I'm trying to get caught up on everything before I leave so when we come home I can get ready for Christmas.

Hi Colin!

2006-10-16T16:40:00.000-07:00

He reads my blog. How cute is that? Today he asked about the mini book and then he picked it up and looked through it. What a cutie!

Mini book

2006-10-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

So, I took a class yesterday at Memory Lane (where I work) with Sandra Ash. This mini book is AMAZING!!!!! I had signed up for it sight unseen because I absolutley love everything that she makes and then when I saw the book on Thursday night when I went to work I was so excited for Saturday to finally be here. It was a two part class with the second part on Tuesday night, but I'm taking a class with Trudy on Wednesday night (Christmas tags...I'll share them on Wednesday) and didn't want to leave Colin alone two nights in a row, so I brought the book home and finished it last night. The pictures are blurry so I'll try to take better ones tomorrow if the light is better (it's cloudy and rainy today). There were eight chipboard pages in the book and they are all used so I just took a photo of a few of them. I still have to add pictures. On one of the last pages there's a whole notebook so you can write what you feel you are blessed with. The theme of the book is gratitude and we used the 7 Gypsies 97% complete stickers. I want to make a couple for gifts with different stickers now.

I seriously am addicted to crackling now! The crackle came in our store kit in August and it's hard for me not to crackle every piece of chipboard I have in the house. Sandra crackled the cover of this and I was happy about that. *S*

I signed up for Shimelle's You Think YOu Know Me class and am really looking forward to that. I may or may not post what I make. We'll see.

And in seven weeks we are going on vacation!!! Adam and I are taking Colin, Quinn and Else and spending two weeks on the road. We are driving down the Oregon coast (I've always wanted to do that) and going to Disneyland, Vegas, the Grand Canton adn Yellowstone National Park (if we have time for it all). I'm really looking forward to it. I wonder if Adam will let me go to a scrapbook store or two on the way? *S*

I hope everyone is having a fantastic fall!

Crazy mom...

2006-09-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

That's what I am. Yesterday Colin came home with this super cute, tiny little creature, that I assumed was a salamander. It is tiny (1 1/2 inches and super slim). So he takes it upstairs in a tupperware container and shows it to my dad, who suggests Colin get a tank for it and keep it. So less than an hour before Scouts we are running around, spending money on a tank for this tiny little "salamander".

Today I went to work and was telling a guy about the "salamander" that Colin caught and he said, "I bet it's an alligator lizard." (Colin caught it on the road, not in water) So I called Colin before he left for school and told him that it was probably an alligator lizard that he has (he has been begging me for a lizard for a long time).

When I got home from work I googled alligator lizard and found out that they live on Vancouver Island (and are Canada's largest lizard). This one is just a baby so it doesn't look like the pictures, but it sounds like it might actually be the lizard.

So I go to work at Memory Lane and I get a phone call at 3:30 from Colin. A very excited Colin. Apparently when he was walking home from school he took the same road he was on with his friend playing yesterday, and caught an even bigger lizard! This one does look like an alligator lizard. Right now I'd say it's about 4 inches, but I was reading and they get up to 22 cm in length! I don't find it half as cute as the little one (and I had to lift the lid off the tank to get the divider in because he was trying to eat the litte one). And now Colin is at his dad's for the weekend, and I'm stuck with two alligator lizards.

I had thought of two more weird things about myself, but having a tank with two alligator lizards in it sitting at my feet is a little distrating, so I've forgotten them. I'll write them down if I think of them again so I don't forget again.

Five Weird Things About Me

2006-09-29T06:52:00.000-07:00

1. I don't like bread...I'll eat bagels and buns that are fresh, but very rarely will I eat bread. It makes me want to throw up just thinking about it.

2. I love how Lululemon Names their clothes.

3. I don't like bridges, at all. I'm always thinking while I'm on one (walking or driving) that we're going to have the big one, and the bridge will plummet into the water below (is that a tad dramatic?).

I'll have to do two more when I get home from work. I'm supposed to be thre in six minutes. *S*

Oops!

2006-09-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I don't realize how long it's been since I've posted. This weekend has been the most exciting weekend in a while.

Yesterday we went to Saltspring Island for the day (Adam, Quinn, Else and I...Colin was at Scout camp). We went to the local market and then wandered around Ganges (the town on Saltspring). Adam's brother, Josh, lives on the Island so on out way back to the ferry we stopped to visit him. I must say, I'm really jealous! They have a view of the harbour where the ferry comes and goes, and a huge forest behind them where there are deer constantly coming right into the backyard. Trails to explore (with stinging nettle...I walked through with flip flops and only got a little on one of my toes...Josh stomped it down for me so I wouldn't get stung) and school is only four days a week. They just go a little longer each day (8:30-3:15 with a 10 minute recess/break and a 45 minute lunch). My camera had dead batteries, but Adam took a couple of pictures at Josh's house. When he sends them to me I'll see if I can post some.

Today Adam and I went downtown and went for ice cream with Adam's cousin and her husband. They live in Seattle and were on the Island for a wedding yesterday. So today when they were done and waiting for the ferry to go back to Seattle we went downtown to spend an hour with them. I met Michelle just about a month ago, and she's really sweet. So that was a fun afternoon.

Before we went downtown I had Adam take a few photos of me with my new haircut, and I wanted him to take one of us too. I love this photo! It's nice having a boyfriend with long arms! I can hardly wait to scrap this.

And here's my new haircut. I love it! I may even go a little shorter next time.

Carm tagged me to list five weird things about myself. I'm sure I have WAY more than five...I just have to think about it. I'll definitely post them tomorrow though.

Clothes

2006-09-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

So, I love clothes! And shoes. And today I've been getting rid of them. Not just a few, but a TON! I have a big pile for the consignment store and bags and bags for the Salvation Army.

And I'm going to a crop in a couple of weeks where there's going to be a garage sale, so I've been going through all that stuff too. Wow...it feels good to get rid of stuff. And I'm sure there will be more that I'll be wanting to get rid of in a few weeks when I realize that I don't really need it as much as I think I do today.

Hope everyone else is having a good Labour Day!

Look what we did today...

2006-08-27T17:48:00.000-07:00

Colin and I had so much fun! I was given a whale watching tour from a customer for a late Christmas tip and we finally used it today. They said it was the best day they've had all season. There are ninety resident whales that live in the Juan de Fuca Strait, and we saw all of them! Including the two week old baby. I was so overwhelmed when they popped up out of a deep dive only 20-30 meters away from our boat that I got a little misty eyed (that's the last three photos...I had to zoom out to get so many in one shot). It was a perfect afternoon. And to top it all off Colin was a joy today! That's a great day for mom!

I hope everyone else had a fantastic day too! :)

Sometimes I wish I had a video camera!

2006-08-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

Chloe has this stick that she wants to bring into the house. She's standing at the deck door and puts the stick down so I keep getting up to open the screen and then she leans down and picks up the stick so I close the screen again. She's done it about 20 times so far.

So, I guess it's been a while since I updated my blog. Adam is doing way better. He had a little "run in" with something on Saturday and his collar bone is a little more sore than it had been, but his left arm is doing much better. He's used to how much he can use his arms now so that's easier. And he's driving again.

We went to Parksville a week ago and had a blast. The kids played on the beach and the water park and we went mini golfing and went in bumper boats (where I somehow ended up being the target for the water guns). Here's some photos from that trip.

This Saturday I think we are going to try to go to Saltspring. Last weekend we ended up staying up too late so we didn't make it, but hopefully we will this week. They have an awesome market there with all local artists. I could easily live over there. Canada Post doesn't have any employees over there though...well, maybe one or two, but not too many.

And speaking of Canada Post...I started my new mail route yesterday. I drive a truck now. Like the ones that deliver parcels (big...with the sliding doors). It's weird to be driving such a big truck. Maybe one day I'll see if I can take a photo of my car next to it so I can see the difference. So I've had two long days at work (yesterday was worse than today) but I'm sure in the next couple of weeks I'll have it down pat (I hope anyway!).

HI!!!

2006-08-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our girls weekend was FANTASTIC! Jenn and Karen are SO inspiring! I loved every minute I spent with them. Karen can put together an amazing layout in no time at all and have it look like she spent forever on it and Jenn is just plain amazing! She is so inspiring! I had a great time and finally convinced them to go to the tunnels to take photos. They are of course on my camera at home and I'm at Adam's helping him out this week so I'll post some as soon as I get home.

So if I don't post much for the next week it's because I'm busy helping Adam. And he's going to help me add a banner to my blog. :)

Have a great week!

Adam's injuries

2006-07-24T21:48:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Adam's injuries. This is just the road rash...obviously you can't see the broken bones. Poor guy! And believe me...the pictures don't do it justice! It's WAY grosser in real life! And way more...this is just the worst of it. He's most worrkied about his nose scarring.

And here's lazy little Chloe after we took her to the lake. She was too cute swimming out to me and then back to the beach. Over and over again. She's really learned to love the beach this year!

Can't sleep

2006-07-23T06:38:00.000-07:00

Last night Adam was racing at the velodrome. It was really exciting because it was his first time racing out there! The bike's are different than a road bicycle. They only have one gear and no brakes, so if you stop pedaling you crash.

So...Adam raced AWESOME! He came in third in his first race! And then he won his second race! And then he won his third race!!!! And after he won his third race he was so tired from the effort of the sprint, that he started coasting...or so he thought! I'm SO happy that I missed the crash because the guys at the track later told me that two people that were right on the side of the track immediately called 911 because they knew it was bad. It was so hot that I had taken the kids to McDonalds for half an hour. And if I knew I was going to miss a race I would have headed back earlier than we did. Poor Adam has road rash on his forehead, nose, chin, both shoulders, center of his back, right hip, both knees and both ankles. How in the world he got that much everywhere, instead of just sliding on one side, I'm not sure. He also broke his left shoulder and his right collar bone. So today when I pick him up from the hospital he's going to have both arms in slings (or he better if he knows what's good for him!). He said last night that the worst part was actually his back. All the muscles in it. It was horrible to see him in such total pain. I'm hoping that he lets me bring him back here for a few days. He can't even really sit up on his own, so I don't think he really has a choice.

Well, I'm off to call the hospital, clean my room and pick up his car. Have a good day!

A necklace and a purse

2006-07-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

So I was blog reading yesterday and went to Elsie's (it's ALWAYS my first one to read every day) and she had pictures posted of herself signing her first book, and she was wearing these amazing necklaces that I'm pretty sure she made. So I felt inspired to make some myself. I went downtown today to get the stuff to make it and now we'll see if I can turn this...

into what she was wearing.

And as I was walking from one beaad store to another I saw this in a store window and had to have it. It was made locally and has pink flannel lining. Too cute!

Photoshop fun

2006-07-18T22:30:00.000-07:00

So, I look at Tara Whitney's blog all the time and I absolutely LOVE her photographs! The colour just blows me away! So tonight I decided to try it (after reinstalling Photoshop because it was missing off my computer). The above photo is my before and the one below is my after. It's not perfect, but I love it! I can see myself doing this to all my photos now!

We had a great weekend with the kids. Once I get the photos from Adam I'll post one or two. We ended up riding our bikes downtown to a paint in (a street was closed for about 10 blocks and lined with painters). It was fun. Then we went to the old Spaghetti Factory for dinner and stopped at the Inner Harbour to watch the street performers.

After we got back to Adam's house we went to a barbecue that a friend of mine from work was having. It was Elvis themed and they even had an Elvis impersonator come. It was a fun night! Of course we both forgot our cameras for that.

Happy birthday!

2006-07-09T21:08:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday Adam!

Today he did a triathlon upIsland. We went up yesterday with his bike racks that he's made that all the triathlons around are using and set them up (actually...it was him and a couple of volunteers). Then we went camping. He was thinking campsite or motel and I said either. I turned down a motel. What was I thining? Camping was so much fun though. And when you get up and leave at 6am then paying for a room isn't worth it.

So Adam raced today and the kids and I made this sign for him this morning, sitting in the back of the van. I know it's hard to see, but we used the 97% Complete stickers (Wow) from 7 Gypsies around the edge and then Elsie alphabet Fontwerks stamps with the polka dots and some AC ribbon. And I have some Technique Tuesday stamps that have a couple of stamps that say #1 and ATHLETE, so we used those after his name. And the arrows are SassaFrassLass stamps.

And then here's Adam crossing the finish line in 23rd place. The kids wanted him to be #1 (it even says so on the sign) and he was aiming for 37th (that's how old he turned today...I hope it's okay to tell people that!).

Colin went sailing with my parents Friday night after being at a birthday party Thursday night. He came home from sailing with a cold and has been asleep since at least 5:30 tonight. Maybe he's going to sleep like I did last weekend. He has a fun skimboarding camp to go to on Tuesday so I hope he's feeling better by then.

And check out this kit. Memory Lane (the scrapbook store I work at) does monthly kits and this one has been flying out of the store. I love it!

I hope everyone else had a great weekend!

Fun weekend!

2006-07-04T16:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! This weekend was full of fun! Saturday we went to a cabin with a friend of mine from work. There were tons of people there and so Adam and I kind of just hung out and Colin and Else had a blast in the lake. I don't think they were out for more than about half an hour the whole seven hours we were there! And the three of them went tubing together and had a blast!

When we got home I had a nap and then Colin and I went to Adam's and we rode our bike's downtown to watch the fireworks.

Sunday i didn't do much of anything but I fell asleep at 6:30 and woke up Monday morning just after 8:00! I can't believe I slept for more than 13 1/2 hours! I must have needed it!

Monday Colin and I played on the trampoline and made up a couple of games for it. We played War and I won (but I totally cheated!!!). Then we went to see Click (better than i thought it would be...we both cried!). Last night I was expecting Adam to come by and watch the Tour de France for a few hours and then we were going to go to the lake, but he showed up with flowers that he picked on his way over and after 20 minutes of watching cycling he suggested that we go to the driving range. Between the three of us we hit 135 balls. Adam is pretty good! He was getting them far!

That was SO much fun! I haven't been since high school and I really enjoyed it. Then we went to the lake with Chloe. This is the first year that I've been able to get her into the water and she seems to really enjoy it. And Colin loves flipping off Adam's shoulders and being tossed into back flips.

So it was an awesome start to summer!

I still want strawberries!

2006-06-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

So I just went outside to check my strawberry plants in daylight. And they have strawberries. And then I see a spider! And a whole bunch of spider web down in the strawberry pot.

I just watched a documentary about spiders with my dad. They move FAST.

So I decide to come inside and get a very long wooden spoon to help me lift the strawberries up high enough that I can grab them without having to put my hand inside the pot where the spider can pounce (or crawl) from it's web nest it's created. I lift the strawberry up, grab it and it slips from my hand and falls right in the dirt beside the web. I only ended up with ONE teeny, tiny strawberry! The rest are all sitting right beside the web, where I'm too scared to grab them.

No more insect documentaries for me!

Strawberries...

2006-06-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yummy! I LOVE local strawberries! But it's 10:41pm and I can't go get any now. So I thought I'd check my strawberry plants outside. If I can buy local strawberries then I should be able to pick them too, right? Nope! I have REALLY big strawberry plants, but NO strawberries on them! Argh! So now I'm totally craving strawberries and I have to wait until tomorrow morning.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It's a gorgeous day!

2006-06-19T15:09:00.000-07:00

As soon as Colin gets home from school I'm taking Chloe and Colin to the beach. I'll let Chloe swim to tire her out (awesome new discovery!!!) and Colin will have a blast with her.

I had so much fun with my camera and the trampoline today! Here's a pic of me jumping. Not the most flattering picture and I do love the bright colours lately!

And here's Chloe in the super cute argyle sweater from Sue! Isn't she a cutie pie?

Oh...and I've discovered how to wear out a Jack Russell!

2006-06-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

Take her swimming! Twice in the last week I've taken Chloe to the lake and thrown sticks and pinecones in for her to fetch. And when we get home she spends the rest of the evening sleeping. Today she couldn't find a stick I threw in and I thought she was going to keep going out until she found it but she luckily turned around. She is just too cute with her little legs paddling! I'll have to remember my camera next time!

Have you seen this?

2006-06-18T18:33:00.000-07:00

Mail box

I love it! I've ordered one from Shauna's Shabby Shoppe and she should be getting them this week. I'm so excited! I can hardly wait to decorate it and then leave mail for Colin when I go to work in the morning. I just wish he was still young and would get really excited about it. i'll just have to jazz up the mail once in a while. *S*

Yesterday I spent the day scrapping with Karen. It was atotally fun day! She had a few new sets of stamps that I couldn't say no too! I couldn't find them on her site yet so I'll have to use them and then post it. SO cute though!

Then Adam and I went to a wedding and reception last night. Man...you should have seen the food at this reception! Five or six different salads, turkey, ham, chicken corden bleu, rice potatoes and a huge amount of other food! We ended up leaving around 9:00ish though because...

Adam did the Half Ironman Triathlon today! Adam is so funny! He has been so busy organizing all these other races that he had no time to train. So two weeks ago he went on a bike ride or two and then last Sunday he decided to go for a swim. He went on another swim on Monday (only two swims since labour day) and he's done a few runs (none as long as today's though). His time was around 5:27. I'll post when I know the exact time. And being the lovely girlfriend that I am I forgot my camera. But his friends girlfriend said she got 4 good photos of him so I'll post one when he sends them to me (which you will...right *S*).

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

Yesterday was awesome!

2006-06-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

Trudy, Sandra, Julia and I all went to the mainland for scrapbook shopping. Spending the day with the three of them was so much fun! Here's a pic of Sandra, Trudy and I (with my new haircut).

I got the cutest wicker purse from Bath & Body Works while we were down there. SO cheap too! I looked on the site and didn't see it there so when I get home from work tonight I'll post a pic. It's so cute! I also got the new MM Photo Decor chipboard. SO cool! I think all four of us bought the flower and then we all bought a letter. I got the "C" of course!

Hope your all having a great weekend!

Hero Arts stamps

2006-05-15T20:43:00.000-07:00

I have some of their boxed sets and I'm wondering if you guys keep them in the boxes, or if you break the sets apart and just stick them in with all your other stamps? I am trying to decide what to do and I need help! I have a couple of old jars that I got from a garage sale and I remember seeing or hearing recently that someone was keeping wooden mounter stamps in them and I love that idea. So help me please!

It's six o'clock

2006-05-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

on Mother's Day and Colin has been asleep since 11:30 this morning. He doesn't have a fever, but he obviously isn't feeling well. He did get up and make me breakfast in bed though. Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Frozen waffles of course. Cute though!

And he had made me a card too. Here's the inside.

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms and moms to be!*S*

And look what I found on Colin's camera. I had to use his to take a photo of his card and thought this was funny! And y'all thought I was bad! *S*

National Scrapbooking Day

2006-05-07T22:04:00.000-07:00

Did everyone have fun yesterday? I did! I totally scrapped! I only got two layouts done, but that's really good for me!

The first one is one I started in Tia Bennett's class at the Pick of the Patch retreat (her Scriptologie class) a couple of weeks ago. I had actually lost the layout and started it over and finished it yesterday. It was for Elsie's show the love contest. I really like how it turned out. Adam helped me with it too! *S*

The second one is one that was a challenge on Two Peas. It was to use as many manufacturers as you could on one layout. I used 31 (not including adhesive). It was so much fun! The winner used something like 58! Crazy!!!

Have a great week! Hugs!!

So, I am standing at my deck door...

2006-05-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

and what do I see? Chloe is eating cat poop!!!! YUCK!!! I was talking on the phone with Adam and I said I would have to call him back and went chasing after her. Where did she run? Into the house!!! And when she runs into the house that usually means onto my bed (with bird pieces and snakes that the cat leaves her)! Luckily she dropped it (right on the carpet) and I grabbed her and put her into the bathroom. And the poop is now in the backyard where she won't get it...hopefully! No puppy kisses for me for a while!

And to make Mary happy I'm finally posting a layout! I promise there will be more! Colin is going camping tomorrow afternoon so when I get home from working at Memory Lane I'm planning on getting on my pj's and staying in them until late on Saturday afternoon. So I will take pics of a bunch of things and then post them over the next couple of days.

This is Colin with his head leaning against his skateboard. I think I've scrapped it before, but I love the picture! I put Glossy Accents on the arrows and painted the cardstock and then put on one of Rhonna's rub-ons.

I'm so blonde sometimes!

2006-04-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

So, Saturday I put my contacts in and they were totally bothering me. I wore them for 12 hours anyway. Then I wore them for 12 hours yesterday. This morning I went to the optometrist. I had them in the wrong eyes! I don't know how I did it because i was sure I'm really careful...I guess not. So they feel much better now.

Colin survived camp. He seemed to enjoy himself and came home with VERY dirty clothes.

I went to the Pick of the Patch retreat with Jenn and
Tammy this weekend. Tammy was there as a representative of Canadian Scrapbooker magazine.

Those girls make me laugh! I seriously love them both. Jenn's friend Danielle too! She was so much fun to have around. I enjoyed the whole weekend. Jenn and I took all three of Tia's classes. And then we took one from Tracy Kyle with Tammy (Tammy took five classes I think, including both of Kate Teague's classes). I loved all of them! Tia taught a Freestyle class, Ribbonerie class and then put together her Stampilicious class with her Scriptologie class for another great class. I seriously loved the Scriptologie class! I'm going to be doodling every chance I get! She taught us how to shadow things and how to write a word with tails. So awesome! If I ever do it then I'll post it! I asked her for her photocopied transparency after the class was done because then I'll be able to do what she taught us (hopefully!!!!).

I think we only got eight hours sleep all weekend (Jenn and I had 8:30 classes both days), and I was SO tired when I left on Sunday, but it was seriously the best weekend (I look bad in the photos because of no sleep. And that's Tia's Cafe Press sweatshirt I'm wearing!)! I think we are planning a Modge Podge meeting (tee, hee) in June so we can go down to Treasury of Memories. That should be a fun day!!!!

Here's a picture of Elsie and I from a few weeks ago. When I showed it to some girls at the scrapbook store they said we looked like sisters!!! I was excited about that!

Karen is coming this weekend. I'm so excited to see her! And I hope Kelsey comes! I miss her! She's always fun to hang out with!

I'll post some layouts from both weekends sometime soon. I just have to take some good pictures of them. :)

This weekend was AWESOME!

2006-04-23T21:04:00.000-07:00

I'm on my way to bed right now because I have to be up by 5:30 tomorrow morning, but I had the absolute best weekend ever! I got no sleep, took great classes, scrapped with awesome friends and just had the best time ever! I'll post some pics tomorrow when I'm a little rested. Good night!

Eeek!

2006-04-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

I am a worry wart! Colin just left to go camping with his Scout group. I borrowed Adam's headlamp for him to use because I thought it would be a lot easier for him to do stuff at night with it instead of a flashlight. He forgot it. And now that he's gone I'm all worried about him camping for the weekend. They were supposed to meet at 3:45 but one boy showed up 45 minutes late so they will probably be setting up camp at night. And his pack is over 25 pounds...and he weighs 71. That's a lot to carry. I know he'll be okay. The two leaders that went are pretty cool and young and the boys will love them (they are substitutes for teh real ones). I just have to breathe!

BUT...Colin left his Oh Henry Easter egg on the counter (I had asked him to help me with something). And it's open. I can't leave open candy sitting in the kitchen until he comes home, right? :)

One more sleep!

2006-04-20T05:37:00.000-07:00

I am SO excited for the Pick of the Patch retreat! It's going to be so much fun! I'm taking three Tia Bennett classes and I'm so excited for them! And I sewed some aprons for Jenn and I. I'll post a picture later. I really hope she likes it!

Look at this picture! Tracy bought a puppy! When I was over in Vancouver she was actively searching but hadn't found anything. Isn't she cute? Her name is Bella (I think). Chloe will be so excited next time we go over!

Mary was in Victoria last weekend and it was SO awesome meeting her and Derrick! She seriously has the cutest laugh ever! And she laughs all the time! It's awesome!

And next weekend Karen comes to visit! I'm so excited about that! I love spending the day scrapping wih her. And I can hardly wait to see her newest stamps!Tin Box Creations has some super cute stuff! I love the hibiscus flower ones! I've probably used them the most.

I have to be at work in seven minutes. Oops!

Remember that 12 yr old boy I was going to sell?

2006-04-12T18:28:00.000-07:00

How soon do you want him?

He quit band. Without telling me. My question is why does the school let a 12 yr old boy in grade six quit band without getting something signed by his parents? He's going back. Like it or not. He's not liking me very much right now!

And that "no homework" he's had for three weeks. It's just not done. The project on the Australian government that's due tomorrow. Apparently lost. Spelling that they haven't had since spring break. Unfinished.

Why can't he be two again? I'd take the terrible two's over this anyday!

Dog for Sale

2006-04-10T22:12:00.000-07:00

She eats scrapbook supplies, pencils, socks and lip gloss (preferably the really expensive stuff). She brings worms and slugs onto your bed and rolls in them. She barks at cats, chews through her leash, sneaks through the fence, is a picky eater and steals your pillow.

Sometimes when she's on the back of the couch she hangs a leg down each side and it looks so cute! When you rub her tummy and you stop, she'll take her paw and scratch your hand until you rub her tummy again. When she steals your pillow she usually doesn't mind if you take part of it back to sleep with her. She rings the bells on the back of the door when she wants to go out and loves sitting on your lap whenever she can. She lets kids wet her hair and put barettes in it and will wear any clothes you put on her (she won't wear hats though).

Okay...maybe I'll keep her...for now anyway!

Tomorrow, 12 yr old boy for sale. :)

Day 7...

2006-04-02T20:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seen a dog stick her tongue out at you? She's such a cutie!!!! (and is actually just licking her lips)

It's dark out and I was thinking of not going running, but I'm feeling guilty now, so I think I'm going to go for a very short run now. I figure very short is better than not at all.

I've been kind of unsure about my art journal. Not really sure what to do. I think I'm just going to take the quotes that Rhonna gives us every day and write them in and try to do something "artsy" with it (because I really want to!). I was looking at Tia's art journal and she BLOWS me away! I could totally tell how she was feeling each day about her goal. That's a talent that I wish I had! So that's what I'll do and if I feel more comfortable doing something else then I'll do it. So hopefully tomorrow I'll have something more than just my cover to post!

Day 6...

2006-04-01T21:53:00.000-08:00

Here's the picture of my cover (I printed Rhonna's quote from the day before we started and put it on the cover). And I have day 1 done. I'm just not *loving* it. But I'm happy to say I'm doing better with my habit than with my art journal. And that's the important thing, right?

Wednesday I took a break because I was sore. Thursday I went for a run and then yesterday I realized that Fridays aren't good days for running! Next week will be better when I have the extra hour of daylight in the evening. I start work at 6 am and then on Wednesdays and Fridays I work at Memory Lane, one of the local scrapbook stores. I usually work from 1:00ish until the store closes at 5:30. By the time I get home it is usually 6:00. And this week I had worked on Thursday night from 5:00-9:00. But I went running today and i plan on running tomorrow!!

Have a great night!

I did it...

2006-03-28T20:13:00.000-08:00

and actually went a little further than yesterday. Only by about two minutes, but it was further. I'm going to take tomorrow off because my legs are sore (if they're still sore tomorrow). And being a letter carrier and all it's not like a really don't get any exercise. :) And I'm still working on my art journal, but tomorrow I should get more of it done. I'll definitely post a pic of something done in it tomorrow.

Colin had a dentist appointment today and he was in with the dentist and hygenist and they were laughing like crazy. The hygenist came out and said that Colin was pretty funny. When we left the dentist office I asked him what he was doing to make them laugh so much and he said just being himself. What a funny guy! He left enjoying the dentist though...and he's always hated going! He has one cavity so at least it'll be easier to get him there next time!

I got all responsible last Friday morning and made an appointment for him to get his eye's checked too. He goes on Saturday at 9:00. He's supposed to wear glasses and never does, so I'm curious to see if his eyes are any worse. I've never really noticed him squinting to read things or play on the computer, so we'll see. When he first got the glasses he chewed one of the arms off (the part that curls behind his ear) and said they broke. They were $400+ glasses so I was NOT a happy mom. Amazing how smart they are in grade 2! So my dad fixed them and it was a constant battle to get him to wear them. So he never really wore them at school.

Well, off to go scrap! Have a great evening!

Day 2...

2006-03-28T18:07:00.000-08:00

It's 6pm and the last thing I feel like doing right now is running. I've been going all day long. But I'm going to go right now and I'll post later. I've also been working on the cover of my art journal. I'll post that too! :)

Day 1

2006-03-27T20:02:00.000-08:00

I did it...went for a short run! Short, but done. I'm actually looking forward to tomorrow now! Let's just see if I can do 21 days.

I'm going to work on my art journal tonight, so if I get anything done I will post it tomorrow. I'm tired too so I may just go to bed.

Good night!

I know what I'll do!

2006-03-27T14:32:00.000-08:00

I think I'm going to start running. Adam really wants me to run so that we have something in common, and I would love to be able to run again. I used to run, but haven't in years and will admit that I don't really like it anymore. But that's what I'm going to do. And hopefully I'll love it again!

Now, realistically I won't run every day for 21 days, but I plan on running 16 of them. And then I also want to work on something else. Thinking before I spend money. I want to buy a laptop and my goal is to buy it in July. I *LOVE* spending money, so this is going to be a hard one. But I think becoming more aware of what I spend my money on for 21 days will make it easier to be more aware of it from now on.

I'm *SO* glad that Rhonna has started this! Thank you for being such an inspiring person!

The {21} Challenge

2006-03-26T17:58:00.000-08:00

Still trying to think of what to do. I don't want to stress about it, but want to have it to start tomorrow when Rhonna starts posting. Eek!

2006-03-26T09:11:00.000-08:00

So, I've been a bad blogger. I guess there's lots of us out there. But I just signed up for Rhonna's 21 day challnge so now I'll be better...at least for 21 days. And then that'll be my habit I guess! I can't think of what I want to work on yet. Maybe organizing my house.

And did anyone see her stamps!?! I *need* them! SO gorgeous! I seriously want those flower and bird sets! http://rhonnafarrer.typepad.com/dreamy/

Last weekend Jenn and I went to Treasury of Memories for four Elsie Flannigan classes. I would seriously travel the world taking her classes if I could! I *loved* it SO much! I'll post the stuff I made on my blog later. I still haven't taken pctures of it yet.

Oh, and Jenn and I have some Ali stuff coming to us. Fun! I can hardly wait to get it at the Pick of the Patch retreat weekend (which is going to be AWESOME...I'm taking three Tia Bennett classes and I'm thinking of taking her fourth.)

Have a great Sunday!

Funny, funny, funny!

2006-01-29T20:13:00.000-08:00

This is an email that my mom sent Colin. I was trying to read it out loud to Adam but was seriously laughing to hard to read it properly. Colin kept telling me to stop laughing and read it properly.

***********************************************************************

Here then, are the glorious Darwin Award Winners for
2005:

1. When his 38-caliber revolver failed to fire at his
intended victim during a holdup in Long Beach,
California, would-be robber James Elliot did something
that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the
barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it
worked..

And now, the honorable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in
a meat cutting machine and, after a little hopping
around, submitted a claim to his insurance company.
The company expecting negligence, sent out one of its
men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine
and lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shoveled snow for an hour to clear a
space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago
returned with his Vehicle to find a woman had taken
the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a
Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental
patients he was supposed to be transporting from
Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit
his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop
and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He
then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital,
telling the staff that the patients were very
excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies. The
deception wasn't discovered for 3 days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering
from serious head wounds received from an oncoming
train. When asked how he received the injuries, the
lad told police that he was simply trying to see how
close he could get his head to a moving train before
he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20
bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the
clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and
asked for all the cash in the register, which the
clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from
the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the
counter. The total amount of cash he got from the
drawer...$15. (If someone points a gun at you and
gives you money, is a crime committed?)

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty
badly. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block
through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and
run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over
his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back
and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him
unconscious. The liquor store window was made of
Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience
store, man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk
called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give
them a detailed description of the snatcher. Within
minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put
him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief
was then taken out of the car and told to stand there
for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes,
officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse
from."
< I>
9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man
walked into a Burger King in Ypsilanti, Michigan, at 5
a.m., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk
turned him down because he said he couldn't open the
cash register without a food order. When the man
ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't
available for breakfast. The man, frustrated, walked
away.

A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER!

10. When a man attempted to siphon gasoline from a
motor home parked on a Seattle street, he got much
more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene
to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home
near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the
man admitted to trying to steal gasoline and plugged
his siphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by
mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press
charges, saying that it was
the best laugh he'd ever had.

******************************************************************

Isn't it hard to believe that any of this could be true?

Tagged by Rhonda...

2006-01-26T17:19:00.000-08:00

I saw this on her blog a couple of days ago, but I've just been a little too busy to post. So here goes. I'm going to cut and paste a little of it so I don't have to go back and forth between the blogs to type it out.

The rules for this particular tagging are as follows:
Remove the blog name in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place.
Then add yourself to the bottom slot.

Leah
Amy
Rebecca
Rhonda
Cate

Then you get to select five people to pass the love on to.
Here you go ladies!!! (I don't know if five people read this, but I'll list five names anyway)

Jenn
Patti
Mel G
Kimmie
Okay, that's only four, but that's all I can think of right now.

Here are the questions.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

Hmmm...I was almost 22 and had a two year old. I was going to school to be an office assistant, but that was SO not me! I make a MUCH better letter carrier! I was almost divorced and just hanging out with some really good friends!

What were you doing 1 year ago?

Pretty much the same thing as now, but not working at the scrapbook store. So not much. Scrapbooking less I think.

Five snacks you enjoy (in no particular order, as all snacks are created equal):

Only five???
1. Lays Salt and Pepper chips
2. Twix
3. Cinnamon bagels with cinnamon spread...yum, yum, yum!
4. Raw mushrooms with dill dip.
5. Gummy bears

Five songs to which you KNOW all the lyrics:

Tomorrow - Annie
If I Had a Million Dollars - BNL
Wide Opem Spaces - Dixie Chicks
Before You - Chantal Kreviazuk
Buffalo Soldies - Bob Marley

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. Quit my job and open a dog store.
2. Buy a brand new convertible.
3. Pay off all my debts and buy a house.
4. Go to Paris!!!
5. Travel, travel, travel!

Five bad habits:

1. PROCRASTINATING
2. Talking too much.
3. Spending too much money.
4. Being impatient.
5. Lately I'm REALLY forgetful.

Five things you like doing:

1. Playing games with Colin
2. Cuddling with Adam
3. knitting
4. scrapbooking
5. Laying on a beach

Five things you would never wear, buy, or get again:

1. Jeans that aren't low rise.
2. Heidi Swapp rub-ons!!!!
3. A Jack Russell...just kidding (most of the time)!!!!!
4. Anything polyester!
5. Bread that's not made THAT day (I have a thing with bread...Adam will take advantage of it to take half of my Panini's too! :) )

Five favorite toys:

1. My car...especially in the summer when the top is down!
2. My camera.
3. My computer.
4. Chloe (is she a toy?)
5. My stove from parents for Christmas. It makes my house SO warma dn I'm so in love with it!

I'm SO excited!!!!!!!

2006-01-26T17:12:00.000-08:00

Jenn and I have been trying to register for Elsie Flannigan's classes in Bellingham on March 17-18. Luckily she's persistant because it still wasn't posted on the site but she called the store (how many times??) and they are taking registrations!!!! So we are registered to take THREE classes and go to the crop from 7-midnight on the 18th!!!!!! How totally cool is that!?!?!?! I can't even tell you how excited I am!!!!! I REALLY want it to be March 17th right now so I can catch the ferry to Vancouver! Then we'll be heading down to Bellingham the next morning! Woo, hoo!

I'm going to Vancouver!!!!

2006-01-19T13:18:00.000-08:00

I was just looking through some photos for one for a circle journal and found this one of Chloe in her Gap sweater. When I'm at work at Memory Lane and Colin is alone with her I often come home to find her clothes (she has two coats, two sweaters and a poncho) thrown on the back of the living room chair. He loves to dress her up. Luckily she doesn't seem to mind!

I'm going to Vancouver tomorrow! I'm so excited! I get to see Tammy and Carmen when I drop off a cj for Carmen at Tammy's house, and I get to go scrap with Jenn at Clipper Street with my friend Tracey (who I haven't seen in a year so I'm SO excited!!!!). And Colin turns 12!!! He's a teenager now! I'm so lucky to say that he is a nice teenager though (so far , anyway)!

Oh, and Elsie Flannigan, who's stuff I just LOVE is coming to Washington State, and it looks like I'll be going (once i know for sure I'll be jumping all over the place. I already have the time off work too!!!). Trudy, who I work with at the scrapbook store, has threatened to "warn her about me" if she sees her at CHA next week. And to tell Ali Edwards that she's not my favourite anymore. A girl can have more than one favourite!!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!!! Hugs!

Yippee!

2006-01-15T15:47:00.000-08:00

Adam just taught me to add links! He's so smart!

I've been tagged!

2006-01-15T13:44:00.000-08:00

Jenn and Rhonda tagged me!!! I'd post links to their blogs, but I'm kind of useless at all this stuff. I will learn how to do it though! And anyone who reads this probably knows who they are anyway! :)

So here goes...

Four jobs you have had in your life...
- worked in two bookstores (Coles and Bolen Books...a local Victoria book store...loved it so much!
- night worker at Montreux (an eating disorder clininc that had to close because of controversy over the methods of treatment. VERY well known in the news and on Dateline and 20/20)
- letter carrier (love it when it's not raining or too cold)
- Memory Lane (lss)...my BEST job EVER! Never want to stop working there!

Four movies you would watch over and over...
- Blue Crush (surprised?)
- Step into Liquid (a surf documentary)
- Stepmom
- Legally Blonde (I have to buy this one!)

Four places you have lived...
- Germany (I was born there)
- Fredricton, New Brunswick
- Yellowknife, NWT
- Lethbridge Alberta

Four tv shows you love to watch...
- Gilmore Girls
- The OC
- ER
- Desperate Housewives

Four places you have been on vacation...
- Washington, DC (when I was 12)
- Hawaii
- Disneyland
- Las Vegas

Four of my favourite foods...
- tacos (I could eat 8 in one sitting...LOVE them!!!)
- Mickey Mouse waffles with whipped cream and strawberries (I always eat his ears first!)
- pink grapefruit
- Salt and Pepper chips

Four websites I visit daily...
- Scraptivity.com
- The Weather Network (goes with the job)
- Elsie Flannigan's blog
- Ali Edwards blog

Four places I would rather be right now...
- Tofino
- Hawaii
- CKU (any of them)
- scrapping with my S! friends :)

Four bloggers I'm tagging...
I think everyone who reads this is already tagged. So if you haven't been tagged and you are reading this then you're it!

Blue Crush...

2006-01-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

is on tv tonight. I love this movie! I saw it in the theatre three times and have watched it on dvd probably 200 times more. I can't get enough if it!! Plus, with all the skinny girls in bikinis, it makes me want to work out more so I'll look like that in a bathing suit (yeah, right!). :)

Here's the photo...

2006-01-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

I guess there'll be some growing pains thrying to learn this! Here she is! :)

Blonde!

2006-01-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

Tee, hee! Apparently I am TOTALLY blonde! My friend Jenn sent me her blog address and I tried to post on it and couldn't so I had to sign up to have a blog. Every name I tried wouldn't work, even my "secret" one, so I went to her blog and tried to post with my "secret" name and it worked. I guess I signed up for a blog and then totally forgot! So now I'm on the blog bandwagon too! Happy reading!

And this is a cute pic of Chloe getting dirty yesterday. Colin thought she looked like a zombie. :)

the park

2005-03-25T19:37:00.000-08:00

today was a beautiful day! i took Colin and Chloe to the park. Colin was so cute! i guess being an only child he treats Chloe as his sibling sometimes. he was holding her on his lap as he was going down the slide, and running through the daisies with her. it was so sweet!