Friday, June 22, 2007

Happy Anniversary!!!

Happy 50th Anniversary Mom and Dad! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you!! We Love you!!!

Monday, June 18, 2007

It's a Picture Post!









Pictures from Grandpa's visit: (The order is reversed a bit.)









Thursday, June 14, 2007

Here's one for the sport parents...

Whether it's soccer, football, baseball, basketball, _(insert your sport here), OR T-ball, here's a few things you should remember:

1. It's all about the kids. You aren't the one out there playing, so you really should find out if your child is happy BEFORE you go shooting your mouth off!

2. If you are unhappy about how things are going, politely talk to the coach/asst. coaches and tell them, in your kindest voice, what you are unhappy about.

3. If you are going to complain, have a solution to the problem you are complaining about ready to go. You know they are going to ask. Don't be a B___ about it, ok?!

4. When YOUR suggestion is implemented to satisfy YOU because, after all, YOU are the one who complained, please don't start criticizing how it is going. Be happy that the coaches listened and tried their best to satisfy YOUR (yes, YOURs, not your child's) wishes.

5. If you have a complaint about something that is said or done, please go to that person, face to face, rather than sending a "friend" to complain AND go to the administration.

6. When the person you are complaining about swallows her/his pride and tries to apologize for the thing that YOU conceived was "rude", even though he/she does not think so, please don't be a B____ and walk away, saying rude things and not letting that person finish their sentence. Want to talk rude? Looking in the mirror is ALWAYS a good thing.

7. When your opinion is asked for, and you refuse to give any type of opinion because you just want to be a B____, please don't turn around and complain about it....Remember, if you don't vote, you have no right to complain!

And finally...

8. Remember, this is for the children, NOT the parents

Whew, so glad to get that off my chest. So sorry the people that really need to see it never will.

I'll be back later to update on us!

(((HUGS))) and love!

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Let's chat...

Well, really, let me chat. It's virtually impossible for us to have a two-way conversation on my blog, but I figured I'd enlighten you to everything that has been going on in our lives lately. Besides the obvious - bald head - there have been other thing going on here. But, let's talk about the baldness first. I know that this may seem strange, but shaving my head has been a bit empowering. The first day I did it, I was proud of myself for having gone through with it. I didn't really think about how it affected me - it's just hair, right? Well, that changed the next morning. I woke up, went to the bathroom and caught a glimpse of this stranger in the mirror. It changed the way I look - I no longer look like my mom but now I bare a striking resemblance to my dad. How weird is that? The complete change of looks. It seems very strange to me. What also seems strange to me is the way I feel, as if I have a new start, new possibilities, etc. So, in light of that, I've decided to make a pictorial diary for the next year. So last week was week 1. As we go through the year, I hope to discover more about myself - not just me as a wife and mother, but me. Who knows what changes I'll discover or what truths about myself. I hope you don't mind, but you are all going to be along for the ride! LOL

OK, lets move off the hair topic and on to the wonderful time we had when my dad came up to visit. I know we didn't talk as much as we usually do when he comes up, and we didn't get to go many places as we usually would, but I can't tell you how much it meant to me, let alone the boys, to have him up here. To see him, spend time with him and watch him spend time with the boys! They loved having grandpa here, and their favorite thing was having Grandpa "pull" them on the swings. Everyday we hear, "pull us like grandpa did" - it's just not the same without him here now, even Nicho ("adopted" son and the boys best friend and Grandpa's third grandson in Canada! LOL) feels it - he asks every time we see him when Grandpa Ralph is coming back. We miss you daddy! Come back soon!!!

So, the boys have both joined a T-ball team and as of yesterday, I am now the assistant coach! Stop laughing right now, Linda - and yes, I know you are. LOL Liam has become amazingly good at batting and fielding the ball, when he gets the chance. We have a couple of boys on the team that are bigger and older, and a little better coordinated and they like to get the ball...every time. Liam has handled it very well and really looks forward to his T-ball nights. Then there is Conor. He's more interested in digging in the dirt and picking dandelions, but hey - it's getting him out there and he's getting pretty good at batting himself. Most nights he's pretty tired and fussy so we let him do what he decides he will - he's a bit young, but if you'd seen the fit he through the first time we went and he wasn't on the team. Holy cow! So, twice a week, from 6 - 6:45 I am a "T-Ball mom". What fun!

I have also branched out - 2 nights a week I'm now taking a photography class. It's been so much fun and I'm actually learning how to use the beautiful camera Glenn bought me last year! LOL So, you know you can count on seeing some pictures from me in the future! Hopefully some new and improved pictures!

On the really, really personal side, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I've been having a lot of "female" problems, lots of pain and other things going on. I am "scheduled" to go for a laproscopic procedure sometime in the next 2 months to see (hopefully) what is wrong and how to treat it. There is a chance that it could be something that is not treatable, which means I'll be facing this pain basically forever, which I just don't think I know how to handle. So, a few prayers would really help!

Oh yes...and then there's this: (Please knock on wood and cross your fingers before reading the rest) Liam is potty trained! Yay! This is seriously cause for HUGE celebration! We've tried so long and nothing worked, so I was talking to a friend (thank you, Luanna!) who was telling me about a friend that had been as fed up as me and decided to just suck it up and put their child in underwear and deal with things as they came. Well, we did it and within the first 24 hours we had gone through almost all of the underwear and shorts Liam has, but the next day we only had 2 accidents. And the day after that we only had 1. It's been over a week now and he has an occasional mishap, but overall, he's got it down! WAHOO! Now he can go to preschool in the fall and, with any luck, it will rub off on Conor!

Other than that, life is good. It's been really hot up here - in the high 80's and 90's. We've even had a couple of Thunderstorms! Yay! Those are really rare up here and something I love! We are planning our vacation - going to Edmonton for Klondike days and some fun in the big city! The boys are really looking forward to it - Chuckee Cheese, the Zoo, the Waterpark and, best of all (according to Conor), we get to stay in a hotel. LOL The kid is hooked on hotels ever since our trip last year - he even asks if we can stay at one of the local ones here, "Just for tonight". LOL I just love my funny little dudes!

Of course I have tons of pictures to share, from dad being here, T-Ball and general backyard play, but you'll have to come back to see that! It's too late to dig them all out tonight!

Love and (((HUGS))) to everyone - I hope you are all doing well!

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Bluey Day






Well everyone, I am proud to say I did it! I honestly thought I was going to chicken out this morning, but I went through with what I said I would do! I am now a very bald chicka!



It's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was quite sick to my stomach right before getting it done, but I'm fine with it now - Conor on the other hand is a wee bit upset. LOL He thinks his mommy "isn't a girl anymore" and cried as he said, "Bye-bye mommy's hair, I'll miss you". We'll see how he does tonight - my hair has always been his security blanket!

There is so much news and so many pictures to share, I promise I'll come back later to update, but for right now, I have 2 little boys waiting to play with me! Can't turn down an awesome opportunity like that, now, can I?!

Love and (((HUGS)))!

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Do you know what you get when you have 7 months of snow?

Mold. A thick covering of mold all over the grass. It's disgusting and, apparently, very high on the allergy list. Lovely. Hopefully we'll have 3 or 4 more days of beautiful weather and all the snow will go away and I can spray the snow mold away!

So, I was informed that it was time, way past time, for my blog to be updated! LOL Thanks, Rebecca, for that subtle reminder! LMBO This post should keep you entertained for another 3 weeks, don't ya think? :P

There are actually a couple of new items for me to share with you. The first is that my dad is coming up to visit in 2 1/2 weeks! The boys are absolutely over the moon! Every morning they come out to the kitchen and ask what day it is on the calendar and then they ask how many days until Grandpa comes. I try not to talk about it too much because I know if I do they will never, never, never shut up about it! LOL

The other piece of news is: I'm shaving my head! a`la Brittney Spears? No. Mine is actually for a great cause - Cancer Research. There is a thing they do in certain parts of the world called "Bluey Day" - you get sponsors to make donations and for their money, you shave your head! I don't know if I'm nuts or sane, but I'm actually looking forward to it! The big event is happening on June 2nd, so stay tuned for pictures!

Easter was total mayhem in our house - Conor became the ultimate Chocolate Monster - he ate as much as he could shovel into his mouth before I could catch him and put a stop to it. He took from his basket, Liam's basket, Glenn's basket and mine! Little stinker! You can see that he really enjoyed his chocolate below. So did Liam, but he was much more reserved and actually put part of his chocolate egg away for later! Where the heck does that instinct come from? Certainly not Glenn or I - we are much more like Conor! LOL



After Easter fun at our house, we headed over to Sonya, Mar and Nicho's for an Easter Treasure Hunt - The boys got clues and then had to find their "treats" Here are a couple of pictures of Liam and Conor modeling a couple of their "treats".


On Saturday, we decorated Easter eggs - somehow, Conor ended up more "colored" than some of his eggs...hmmmm...wonder how that happend? LOL


Liam, on the other hand, was very precise - he wanted all of his egg decorated and actually turned out some really nice eggs!



Tae Kwon Do-n't:

I haven't updated lately about Liam's Tae Kwon Do experience - he was doing great - the instructor even said it was time for him to get his uniform...isn't he cute?


Yeah, well, the next class they started doing hand to hand combat and Liam freaked - no way, no how was he ready for that. Needless to say, thank goodness the outfit is VERY big on him because he won't be using it until September! It's funny, because he talks about it all the time now and is anxious for September to come!

Here's a bonus of Conor - when he saw that I was taking pictures of Liam in his outfit, he had to hop up on the bench and be part of the photo soot! LOL Isn't he just the cutest little stinker you've ever seen?! Can you say, I look just like my cousin, Tommy???!!!


OK, it's time for some digi-talk:

I am SO excited because one of the wonderful, fantabulous designer's I work with has asked me to make Quick Pages to sell in her shoppe. How exciting is that?? Our first set is up at Plain Digital Wrapper and the 2nd set, which is ultra-romantic, will be up in a few days! So, so, so exciting!

Speaking of that fantabulous designer...LOOK at these ribbons!!!! Are they not to die for??? They are up in her shop at Plain Digital Wrapper - don't miss out!!!



That same fantabulous designer also has this beautiful kit in her shoppe - and, it's named for me!!! Yay, Rebecca! YOU RAWK!!!!



And finally, I'll show you some of my most recent layouts - hope you enjoy! (credits can be found here)





That's all for now! Love and (((HUGS))) to everyone!

Saturday, March 24, 2007

Oh for the love of pete!

I am seriously over the illness that has struck our house. The boys have been sick for 5 weeks now. Every time I think it's getting a little better, they get worse the next day! Liam has this runny nose that just won't seem to stop. On the cute side of that - I think he has channeled Gram into his life. He insists on carrying tissues with him always, and if he doesn't have a pocket he rolls them in the cuff of his sleeve! It's so sweet! Conor is just a mess. He's got the runny nose, but his coughing is out of control! It's mostly at night so none of us are getting any sleep! It is much better than it would be if he still had his tonsils, though. I take a bit of comfort in that. But, seriously, how long does this bug last? Very frustrating!

Other than the sickies, life has been busy. We've had the boys little buddie Nicho over a lot this week and they've been having a great time playing! Glenn has gone back to work, which is a totally GREAT thing, but I'm not too happy about where he's working. He's gone back to the hotel for "now". Last night was his first night back, so we'll see how it goes. I seriously can't even talk about it right now.

A new gym has opened in town - it's called the "World Gym" and I guess they have locations all over the world. Glenn and I went to look at it yesterday, because I seriously need to start working out. It is REALLY nice! They offer babysitting which is HUGE and you can see the boys through the glass door. They also have a co-ed section AND a ladies only section, which bumps this place up way far, in my books! Membership allows you to attend the classes they offer, also. I was afraid to find out how much because most places in town (much smaller places with no babysitting) are around $100/person/month. This would be just at $100/month for both of us! We talked it over last night and I think we will definitely be joining next week! Yay!

Little break into reality:

Conor is currently sitting beside me in "protest" because Liam is watching the Upside Down Show and Conor wants to watch Jakers! Piggly Winks. He says he won't watch tv until he can watch Jakers!. LMBO What a guy!

I hate to type this next part, because I am SO afraid I will jinx myself...but...THE SNOW IS MELTING!!!! It's been in the +'s for 3 days now and the roads are running like a river! There are actual parts of our yard (OK, where Glenn had shoveled the path, but still) where I can see brown grass and mud! I so hope this is the beginning of spring. My sanity can't take the cold snowy days we've had since September!

Onto my scrappin' update:

I've been really working with some of the pictures that I brought home last summer from mom's. There have been a few BIG challenges! Here's my most recent transformations:

Here's the original senior picture of mom's. For some reason I couldn't get it to scan straight and, if you click on it, you'll see lots of worn spots, etc.

Here's my "restored" copy. I think it turned out pretty good!



OK, here's the original of a picture of the family in 1972 while vacationing in Washington DC. I've cropped the original, and you'll have to click on it to see the "whole picture".

Now, here's where I need your help: Which of these do you like better? I have a definite favorite already! But I'd love to hear some input as to what others think!

A:

or
B:


And here's a few new scrap pages I've done:



Credits can be seen here.

On other scrappin' news:

I am so happy and excited that I got invited to be on the PDW Creative Team! Yipeee! There's so many talented designers at PDW and I feel so lucky!

That's all for now. Love and (((HUGS))) to everyone!

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Finally!

All week I've been working on the elements and alpha to go with the "The Line Between Black and White" paper pack. I haven't been truly satisfied with anything that I did - the alpha has changed at least 4 times! I finally got it done and I'm pretty happy with how it looks - the elements are still "under construction"! I hope you enjoy this alpha! Please leave a little love if you grab it!


Download TheLineBetweenBlackAndWhiteA.ZIP

Monday, February 26, 2007

A little 'bout the Oscars, a little 'bout the snow and a few LO's , too!

OK, I seriously have to talk about the snow thing first. When will it stop??? Yesterday (I kid you not) I went outside, looked up at the sky and shouted, "GIVE ME A BREAK, we've had enough already". I am seriously starting to get the snow blues. There has been steady snow on the ground up here since the end of September/begining of October. We get these spurts of beautiful weather - sun shiny, snow melty weather - then we go right back into the snow. It has been snowing on and off for 3 days now. Not the heavy, blizzardy snow, but the light, fluffy snow that's supposed to be so beautiful, but when you've seen it for months on end it's just really disgusting. I wish I were a snow person. You know, one of those people who thrive on the cold snowy thing that is winter. One that straps on the old snowshoes and heads out with a whistle and a smile. Yeah - I'm definitely NOT one of those people. I hate those people. (OK, so not hate, but the do really disgust me! LOL) I'm sure my regular blog readers are really, seriously tired of hearing about this every few weeks, but really, how do you think I feel having to LIVE with it? ;D

I have only one thing to say about last nights Oscars: HOW DID CARS NOT WIN???? *sigh* Other than that, Ellen did great and Reese Witherspoon, Helen Mirren and Camryn Diaz looked awesome! My top 3 beauties. OH, and of course, George Clooney was drool worthy yet again!

Here are my 2 newest LO's. Both are using the new kits Lena Brandenburg just released at TDS - Teal Berry Trend and Fuschia Berry Fun. Gorgeous kits, aren't they?



The rest of the credits for these LO's can be seen here




Until next time...Love and (((HUGS))) to everyone!!!