THE TIME HAS COME!!!!!

Just a few more hours and its here!!! JUST LIKE SNOWFLAKES will be going live on January 1, 2007. The store and the kits won't be up and running for a couple more weeks yet, but we want you to get a feel of the site and what we want to do!!! Come check us out - see what we are up to and where we want to go! This is an exciting venture for us and we hope that you will come and try us out. Give us some feedback - tell us what you think! Just make sure you come and check us out! Can't wait to see you there.

So here it is!!!

Here are the first of my creations from our first kit! I am so excited about it. I have always loved these bottle caps and have never been able to find them in the lss, so when we decided to do this as our first kit I was really thrilled about it. I can't wait to show you the rest of them. They are very cool!

So, how was your Christmas? Did Santa bring you everything you asked for? We had a really nice Christmas over here. Chris bought me accessories, including a new lens for my camera - its on special order so we are still waiting for it, but I CANNOT WAIT to get it. The kids were spoiled (as is usual) this year again. They got everything they wanted on their list and then some. We also had a nice Christmas Day dinner with another family in our church from Winnipeg. That happens mostly every year - we spend Christmas with another Winnipeg family who didn't go home and spend Christmas with their family either. We had alot of fun and the kids enjoyed it too.

Then yesterday we took the kids to the Royal Alberta Museum. They had some really cool displays called: Lego Ocean Adventure and Bob the Builder: Build it Project.

Malachi really loved it - it was neat to see all the cool things they made out of lego. They had a hammerhead shark, dolphins, squid, and as you can see octopi and stingrays. They also had portions of a submarine made out of lego and the kids could put on underwater gear and pretend that they were under the sea.

They also had a cool Bob the Builder room where the kids could ride the machinery, play with Bob's tool and draw blueprints for Bob's new project. All in all the kids had alot of fun. I will have to post pictures of the Bob the Builder room and some more of the other lego stuff later. It was really cool. I really wanted to take the kids to see this lego stuff because this is the last time that the Lego display will be touring Canada. After that its going into retirement. I am waiting to see when it goes to Winnipeg - hopefully we will be in Winnipeg when it is there and then the kids can go and see it one more time.

And finally, even though I always break them, I am going to try AGAIN to make some New Year's Resolutions. I figure ONE of these years I am going to have to try and keep them anyway. I just got a membership at a gym and I am determined that I am going to work out and lose that 50 lbs that I have had on me for the past year. I need to be in shape - whether I ever get to the size I would like to be (ya, like when I was 25-lol) is only a pipe dream, but I really would LOVE to be in better shape.

So tell me, what are your New Year's Resolutions? Do you make them? Why or why not? Share them with me - I would love to see how you are doing with them later this year!!!

I don't make New Years Resolutions - I have hopes!

Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual New Year's Resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them. Mark Twain

Merry Christmas!!!

This has been a really busy week! Finishing up the stocking stuffers and taking the kids to Toys-R-Us so that they could buy themselves something from Grampa(cuz he sent them money) and doing the usual Snowflakes stuff has made life crazy. I must have been in some alternate universal delusions because I tried to get into our Walmart the other day!! I was in line for about 1/2 hr. How crazy is that - and I was in the shortest line. My mistake, thats for sure.

This is what I have been working on for Snowflakes this week. I am SOOOOO EXCITED to be opening up in the next couple of weeks. So here it is - a sneak peek of the yummy things we are working on. Oh wait, I can't show it to you until the 1st. Sorry, you're gonna have to wait a little longer!

I am also really excited about tonite. A few weeks back I mentioned that our church is doing a Christmas dinner for the community and tonite is the night. I am excited to see how many people will come. For some people this is the only Christmas dinner they are going to have, so I think this is going to be a really excellent experience for all of us.

To all of you I want to wish you a very merry Christmas. I love you all and hope you have a wonderful holiday with your families.

May the light that shone in Bethlehem shine in your hearts this Christmas season.

Lots of wisdom today!

I saw this on a friend's website today and it says alot to me. I hope it says the same to you!!!

Maya Angelou said:

"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

"I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage, and tangled Christmas tree lights."

"I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."

"I've learned that making a 'living' is not the same thing as 'making a life'."

"I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."

"I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."

"I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."

"I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."

"I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone.People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."

"I've learned that I still have a lot to learn.""I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

Christmas underway!

So, the parties have started. Last weekend was the first one - the IKEA party. Man, I never knew a Christmas party could make you feel old, but there wasn't a person at our table that was over 25. Everybody in Chris' department are between 19-25. Makes you feel like an old woman, let me tell you.

My gf kindly offered to babysit our children for the evening so that we could enjoy ourselves. Not a great photo, but it gives you the idea of how we looked that night. All in all, it was a pretty fun evening - even though we didn't win the big screen tv, satellite radio or any other fabulous prizes they were giving away.

Kiana is really excited today. We are going to the premiere showing of "Charlotte's Web" It doesn't come out in theatres until the 15th, but our landlord got these great tickets and thought we might enjoy it. I loved the book when I was a kid so I think we'll really enjoy it.

Malachi got me started on a new project for him. He is really interested in this new project I am undertaking and had this great idea for a new mini-book for him. Only its turning out not to be so mini. These are some of the photos that I have been taking for the last couple of days:
















He decided that it would be a good idea to recreate all 6 of the "Star Wars" movies with his lego. So, I have taken about 50 pictures of them. Now we are in the process of writing the story. Once that is finished, he decided that I am going to create a mini book for him of the pictures and the story together. He is so excited you wouldn't believe it. Its quite a project, but he's so excited that I just get swept into it with him. The photos are in the wrong order, but you can tell who lost the battle based on the photos above.

But the most exciting thing was the kit pieces that we got from our wholesalers on Friday! YUMMMY!!! Scrapbook stuff is always yummy, but when you get it in the quantity that we did, you just want to swim in it. Its really real now! Here's a sneak peak and just one of the yummy things we received in our box of goodies! Can't wait to show and share more!

TADA!!! HERE IT IS!!!!

This is what I have been working on for the last little while! Anam and I were looking for a place where we could get some great mini-kits and couldn't find what we were looking for, so , after complaining about what we couldn't get, we put our minds(and a wonderful financial gift from my parents) together and this is what we came up with: JUST LIKE SNOWFLAKES. Our website itself isn't live yet, but the blog is to get the word out and get you all (hopefully) as excited as we are for our new venture. Please come over there, visit us and tell us what you think!

Its here!

Christmas has come to our house a little earlier than normal this year. Usually we wait until 1st Advent to put up our tree, but this year we decided that we didn't want to wait any longer. Its cold and snowy outside that the kids have been begging for weeks to put them up already. They LOVED putting up the tree this year. My tree looks like Disney and Star Wars threw up on it, but I figure I can have my stylish tree when the kids are older. They love all the decorations that they have on the tree and they can't seem to get enough of it - they are constantly sitting next to it and admiring all the ornaments.


And I got my Christmas cards done too. I have totally impressed myself as I am really on top of things this year. Usually I am rushing to get my cards done so that I can stick them in the mail the first week of December, but I got done early this year. As is the situation with my Christmas shopping - thats all done too. Now I can really sit back and enjoy the Christmas season. And its filled with exciting things that will bring even more Christmas spirit into our hearts. Chris and I are going to the "The Nativity" next weekend. I really would like to see it and I think its important to support movies like that when they hit the theatre - maybe then they'll do more of those and less of some of the other garbage thats out there. Anyway, the kids are also really busy practising for their Christmas program at church. Kiana is an angel and Malachi is playing Malachi the prophet. They both have solos and are very excited. We also have the IKEA Christmas party this weekend. That's always alot of fun and IKEA does a fabulous job of putting out a great spread. But the most exciting thing we are doing this Christmas is a big Christmas dinner. Usually our Church has a Christmas dinner for ourselves and we just enjoy being together. This year we have decided to put together our Christmas dinner but to serve it to the community. Its really exciting to know that we will be providing dinner for others instead of focussing on ourselves this season. I mean that's what Christmas is really about right - its all about the giving.

Time to catch up!

Whoo - its been a busy week, but finally I get a second to catch up. Life has been really busy but really good the last few weeks. First of all, dad is back at work again and is happy that the pacemaker is in and doing its job. He gets his license back in the next week or two so he's really excited about that. He is settling into normal life again - which hasn't happened since last spring when all these problems with his heart started.

I have been scrappin' like a dog the last little while. Between cjs and Christmas Cards and SS Swap stuff, an Edmonton Rush album and our "new project" life has been crazy. I can't wait - only 12 more days until our secret is revealed. I am looking forward to it - can't wait to see how it is accepted. I really want this to work.

And we welcomed another member to our family a couple of weeks ago. Hank's brother wasn't coping well, now that Hank was gone, so the owner asked us if we could take another little kitty. So, Jack came to live with us too. I will post a picture as soon as I have one, but he doesn't sit still long enough for me to actually take one. He's a pretty skittish kitty, so he's hiding more than he's out right now. But he loves his momma so he spends nights in bed with me while I sleep. The kids are thrilled to have 2 cats and its really helped Kiana get over her terror of animals.

I am working on a chipboard album for my new "project" and had to look thru some old slides of me and my sisters. I came across some photos that just made me smile and brought back some great memories.
The one on the right is: me, Tanya and Nanette. The one on top is Tanya and I. These photos bring back some great memories. Can't wait to show you how my chipboard album turns out. Have a good day!

Memories are the most beautiful pictures our minds can paint that cannot be erased.

Finally get to catch up

Its great to be able to catch up over here - its been awhile. There are alot of things going on in my life right now, some of which I will share with you and others that I have to keep a secret for just a little while longer. My dad is having his pacemaker inserted as I am typing this. Hope all goes well for him. He is pretty excited because that means he gets his drivers license back next week. He no longer has to depend on other people to drive him around.

My sister called earlier this week - she's having another baby! This is #5 for her - she is a brave woman. I don't think I could have 5. But I am soooooooo excited for her. It's so exciting to know another niece or nephew is on the way.


Worked on a new layout yesterday. It's called "He Says" and its all the wonderful things my husband Chris says about me that I am learning to believe about myself. Its the first step into seeing who I really am.

Been working on a couple of things behind the scenes too! Keep watching my blog - hopefully I will have an announcement to make in the next little while. I have a new endeavor that a girlfriend and I are playing around with and would LOVE for you to know about it. Keep watching.

Our Newest Family member

I would like to introduce you to our newest family member - Hank! We got him a couple of days before we headed to Winnipeg. We are all in love. Chris thinks he's like me - he's got definite attitude and when he wants to be cuddled, he is so sweet and loving and affectionate. But when he wants to be left alone, you just better do it! I actually got his name from a tv commercial with a human pretending to be a cat named Hank. Anyway, that's our new baby. We decided to get a cat because Kiana has such a fear of animals of any kind that perhaps a cat would help allay those fears just a little. It's been really great for her - she actually seeks him out to touch him. She is really becoming brave.

Now that I am back I can finally get back into the groove. I have alot of things that I want to get done before Christmas and now is the time to find my mojo. We got our Christmas shopping done yesterday - Chris is the only one that I have left to shop for. I am so glad that we got finished early - I hate the rush of the stores come holiday time. I still want to check IKEA out for their Christmas decorations - they always have a great selection of unique things.

Finally, I just want to say thanks to everyone for their cards, flowers, emails and phonecalls after the death of Oma. It's been a difficult time, but I appreciate your friendship during this time.

Well, off to find my mojo - have a lovely day everyone!

Wakeup call!

How many cares someone loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone. Coco Chanel.

That's what I got yesterday! Let me tell you, if you have a friend that has enough courage to tell you things that you don't necessarily want to hear, but need to hear, you are a lucky person. Fortunately I have just such a friend. I have been unhappy in my skin, in my life for a while now and couldn't put my finger on what I could do about it. Then I went to a friend's for tea and she started asking the hard questions. She pushed me to dig deep inside me and forgive myself, accept myself, but more importantly to accept the life I have in front of me. It's not a mistake, it's not something wrong, it's different and it's beautiful. I don't have to try so hard to be what I think other people want me to be. I don't have to bend over backwards to try and get people to like me and I don't have to accept bad behaviours toward me. What I see in the mirror is not the same thing other people see. I am not nothing - I am actually something.

To that friend I say thank you. And to everyone else who is reading this, I apologize from deep in my heart. I apologize for being obnoxious, for trying too hard, for trying to be something that I'm not. Today, I am going to start to try and really like the person that I am. Because I don't like the person that I am turning into!

Until you make peace with who you are, you will never be content with what you have. Doris Mortman

UGH!!!!!

I knew there was a reason that I hated coming back here - and this morning I woke up to it!!! SNOW - and not just that but freezing rain!!!! We had to run our car for about 15 minutes before the doors were thawed enough to get in!!! And try scraping the windows - FORGET IT!!!! LOL - Chris was freezing - we just wore our leather jackets out here and it is just a little too cold for that now!!! I'm not sure Edmonton is any better, but its easy to say it is when you are away from home!!!

Well, dad's surgery was successful so now we wait. That's always the hardest part - the waiting. I really don't want him to have another blackout, but thats the only way they are going to figure anything out! Anyway, he's taking it easy for the next few days and then we'll see. i will keep you all up on what's happening. But tomorrow we leave. As happy as I am that we are going home, its kind of a downer cuz I would love to stay here and keep an eye on my dad. But, we have to continue with our lives and hope that he will have a loooooooooooong life to come yet. Anyway, enough doom and gloom - i come home tomorrow!!!! I will be updating with pictures when i get home. Talk to you soon ladies!!!

Well, we're here

we are in Winnipeg and the cold has set in here too. It really feels like fall - but boy is it great to see my nieces and nephews again. My dad has surgery on Tuesday. They are implanting a microchip into his hand. When he feels another blackout coming all he does is push the button beneath his skin and it will record what is going on in his body. The hope is that this will cause them to finally figure out what is causing his blackouts and why. Hopefully it won't take long and the drs. can finally get to the bottom of it.

Thanx to you all for continually coming and reading my blog and my saga of whats been happening in my life. I really feel the love and support from you when you read and comment here. Sometimes I think that this blog is all doom and gloom, but you women are amazingly supportive and I am so grateful that I have you here to support me.

I will be in touch thru here again soon. I miss you all and can't wait to catch you online soon.

Thanx again to you all - I LOVE YOU GUYS!!!

Well, I didn't make it,

This day and your life are God's gift to you., so give thanks and be joyful always.

and thats just one more thing to add to an absolutely fabulous week!!!! Can you tell I'm being sarcastic?! I (obviously) didn't make the top 20 of MMIdol, Kiana is dealing with a bully at school and now the parents are harassing us and we have to get the police involved. And dad blacked out again yesterday. That's 5 since June and they STILL don't know what's wrong with him. But at least we get to go back to Winnipeg for Thanksgiving and see him again.
On that note, I decided to come up with 10 things that I am especially thankful for today!


1. My wonderful children who crawl into my bed and wake me with kisses in the morning.

2. My amazing husband who calls me no less than 3x a day to remind me that he loves me.

3. My two beautiful nieces Brianna and Aliyah who LOVE their Tante Mona so much and are counting how many sleeps until I get to come visit again.

4. My friends - their unconditional love and support is something that gets me thru anything.

5. The fall - even though its getting colder, I LOOOOVE the beautiful colours that God created in the fall.

6. Autism - it has taught me to love the little things and appreciate all the wonderful things that life has to offer!

7. God - my faith and love for God and continuing search and knowledge of him!

8. My sister Nanette - its great to have a sister that I can confide and share with. Someone who thinks the way I do (sometimes) and we both deal with things in a similar manner.

9. My dad - for our football phonecalls that last 3 hours during a game and for his love and support. And for his adoring love of his grandchildren.

10.Life - just that I have the opportunity to walk this path that has been chosen for me, meet the people I do and experience what I experience. It makes me the person that I am!


What are you thankful for?!

I did it!

Pretty sure that I won't get into the top 20 but you're never gonna know if you try right? I'm talking about the MM Idol. My 3 projects were due yesterday at noon. I had to enter 2 los and an altered item. I altered some ceramic tiles and turned them into coasters with my Gel-a-tins stamps. This is what I ended up coming up with:





The announcement is on Monday! At least we don't have to wait too long. I have decided that I want to do more of this and try to get published. I have made connections who are willing to help me and if I don't take the chance now, I never will! Tell me what you think about this - give me criticism - tell me whats wrong with it. I'll never get better if I don't know what I am doing wrong.

Pictures of Scrapfest

Had a really good time at Scrapfest last weekend! Met some really great new ladies from out of town that I hope join Scraptivity real soon. At the crop on Saturday night, we participated in a scavenger hunt and our table won!!!We got some cool stuff and got the chance to get to know these fabulous new ladies Laura and Jessie - they are really sweet and I am so glad that they decided to join our Scraptivity family. I also had the chance to meet Heather M, Carla(goonette) Leslie, Rosalie(altabrat) and Altafarmgirl while we were there. It was great to finally put names and faces together since we all know each other online already!
Taking classes from Ali was amazing. She is sooooo funny and sweet and kind. Not to mention uber talented! I didn't get alot done in one of her classes because I just enjoyed chatting with her so much!


I also had the opportunity to meet a few other women that I have admired for a long time. From the left you see Caroline Lau as well as the lovely ladies that design at Fontwerks-Kate Teague and Melissa Diekma. And of course the lovely Kah-Mei, owner of Fontwerks herself. What a lovely bunch of ladies. Caroline is as ute and sweet as she appears online and the Fontwerks ladies were wonderful and helpful and of course uber talented.

After reading Rhonda's blog

All things come from God. We should use our blessings as blessings to others. Ardith Knechtel

I decided to take her advice and celebrate the good things in my life today.

1. Chris! My wonderful husband and his phone calls during the day to tell me that he loves me and he misses me.

2. The enthusiasm that Kiana has for life. She woke up this morning excited about the rain. She has a positive outlook on EVERYTHING!

3. Malachi's kisses and hugs. He crawls into bed with me each morning and wakes me with a kiss on my nose, each cheek and my eyes. He is soooo gentle.

4. Lea and Anam. They are great friends and so much fun to be with! I looooove Anam's english - it makes me laugh and I learn new words every day. Lea is sweet and kind and has such a big heart for her friends

5. Ali Edwards - I get to go to Scrapfest tomorrow!!!! I look forward to learning from her and improving my work.

6. A clean house - its great to have my house in order and ready so that I can go away tomorrow knowing that my home is ready for dh and kids to have a ton of fun in and really mess up while I am gone! In our home a messy house created by dad and the kids means there has been a TON OF FUN going on over here!

7. Family - I am so excited to be spending our Thanksgiving holiday with my family. This is our first thanksgiving with my parents since Chris and I have been married. He actually got it off from work so that we can be with my family.

8. My dad! With his health having been bad lately, I have learned to appreciate him alot more. I love the 3 hours we spend on the phone every weekend while we watch the Blue Bombers play football on television. I love his emotional side and the fact that the little things in life make him cry. I love how much he adores my two kids. I have never met a grandfather who makes his grandkids such a vital part of his life.

9. New clothes - with having put on ALOT of weight lately, I have had to buy new clothes. As unhappy as I am with my size, I think I still look pretty good. And buying new clothes ALWAYS makes you feel better!

10. Winning a draw - I got $100 in free product at the lss. Cool - I was able to pick up some things that I normally wouldn't have. What a great feeling to win something!


I got tagged by Sue!

5 WEIRD THINGS ABOUT ME!

1. The plastic cups in my kitchen have to be stacked in a colour coded order: pink, yellow, orange, lt. green, dk. green, blue. No other way!

2. I iron my undies

3. When I windex the mirrors in my house, I have to wipe them 7 times, not 8, 6 or 3. If I do them more or less than 7 times, I have to wash them again.

4. I LOOOOOOOOVE to eat cooked tomatoes in ANYTHING. I also love tomato soup and salsa but I HATE raw tomatoes. I cannot even tolerate the smell.

5. I am physically afraid of corn. You know, corn on the cob, kernal corn. I will not touch or go near any food that contains corn of any kind.

Alright - I am tagging Anam, Rhonda, JennD and Heather M

Getting older

There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of the people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age. Sophia Loren

Well, here I am - another year older. My sister Tanya called me the other day and said "Do you realize that you are now closer to 40 than you are to 30?" Thanx for reminding me?! But surprisingly enough I am enjoying getting older. When I turned 30 I was really quite sad about it and it very much depressed me, but today I woke up thinking "Hey, I am a hot chick for 36. it could be much worse" So what do I want this year? What do I want to do? What do I want to accomplish? This year I want to work hard at getting published - I would LOVE to have just one publication under my belt before my 37th birthday. I want to be meaningful - I want what I say and do this year to REALLY mean something. I want to give my kids the strength and the freedom to let me go(just a little) and to exert a little more independance. I want my faith to shine and to really mean something. I want to love God in a newer, deeper way. I want to be an open vessel to change and to be the person He wants me to be! I leave you with this photo - I think it portrays my maturity and outlook on this year quite well.

Never forget

I got an email from Tante Nell today. We NEED to remember - its important that we think and pray for our Canadian Soldiers every day. Whether we agree with the war in Afghanistan and Iraq or not, Canadian and American Soldiers are fighting for our rights each and every day!!! Where were you on 9/11? what was going thru your mind? what were your thots? I remember getting Kiana ready for school and when I saw the news and the first plane hit I remember thinking "What kind of IDIOT pilot didn't see that building? What are you, STUPID?" And then the 2nd plane hit and I remember feeling utter fear and "we are NEVER going to be the same again!!!! WE are at war!!!!!"

Anyway, if you can, please watch this video. Post to me and tell me what you think. We have men and women who are courageous and are worth remembering. We need to support the families of the lost and remember that, no matter what, they are fighting for our freedoms. Whether we agree or not! Support our troops!!!!
Canadian Forces Tribute

I LOVE YOU!

To love is to find pleasure in the happiness of the person loved!

10 years ago today I married the man of my dreams! You doesn't always read my blog, but I wanted to come here and tell you how much I love you and the last 10 years that we have been together. You make me laugh with just a look, you know just what to say when I am sad, you are my strength, you think I am beautiful even when I am at my worst and you make me feel strong even when I am weak. You have given me 2 beautiful children that I adore. You have been my champion, my defender, my lover and my friend. You have been strong even when others felt it was wrong for us to be together. For a long time it was you and me against the world trying to show the world that we should be together and that we WOULD make it. I hope that we have 50 more years together - you make my life complete.

MY DAUGHTER IS AUTISTIC!!!!!

Sensory is a key part of autism and its extremely important to know when working with autistic children. Elizabeth Gregory

Its amazing how autism affects the entire family. Kevin Krueger

Alright, I love my family. They are there when you need them and they will walk through fire if anyone were to do anything to me or my kids, but sometimes they are just the most ignorant people on the planet!!!! Kiana is back to having toileting accidents again. Turns out that my parents didn't give Kiana her meds ALL SUMMER LONG!!!! And now, we are dealing with toileting issues again. We had FINALLY ended those accidents last spring and rather than having accidents every day we had problems once or twice a month. NOW we are back to one or two a day!!!! My mother mentioned that Kiana did "FINE" without her meds and that maybe she doesn't really need them. The way she spoke to me about it made me question my parenting skills but AGAIN!!!! I was starting to think that maybe she was right and that she didn't really need the Ritalin and the Prozac. And now this. The worst part is that she starts school again tomorrow. Last spring we were fighting with the school because every time there was a regression they were telling us that these were not issues in school and that maybe we were doing something wrong at home. They were indirectly accusing me of not being able to handle my child and have the structure she needed at home. By May or June she was virtually accident free. Now after a full summer away from school, she is having daily accidents again. What's the school gonna think now?! They are TOTALLY going to believe that we have no control of our children at home and we are going to begin this fight with the school all over again. I love my parents very much, but they just make our lives with the kids sooo much more difficult. When are they going to accept the fact that my children are AUTISTIC and that they aren't gonna be like everyone else!!!! I KNOW THEY ARE DISABLED - WHEN ARE YOU GONNA GET IT TOO?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Looking thru my parents eyes

Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant with the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these. --Lloyd Shearer


This is my dad when he was young - he looks like such a kid in this picture, it kinda makes me laugh!

I remember being a kid and going to the hospital with my parents when my grandparents were sick. I could see the concern, the worry and the distress on their faces as they were faced with the mortality of their parents. As a kid, even as I had my own kids, I always expected that my parents would always be around. I mean, my grandparents died and I knew my parents would eventually too, but that seemed sooooo far away that it wasn't a concept that truly entered my mind. That is, until the last month. Everytime my dad blacks out, his heart stops temporarily. Now I see why my parents were concerned, worried and distressed when something happened to their parents. I am looking at my life thru my parents eyes. I have become my parents.

Blast from the past

A friend of ours is moving back to Winnipeg next week and he brought over a blast from my past:

This is a bar that I used to frequent on Thursday nights when I was young. He happened to have this shirt from a buddy who used to work there. He brought it over after he remembered that I met Chris there. Its kind of a funny story actually. I was with a girlfriend at Bullwinkle's for Ladies Nite one Thursday night when dh Chris walked by. As he passed me I leaned over to my girlfriend and said "I'd like one of those please?!" and she replied by saying she would bring him over cuz she knew him. We started dating shortly thereafter. I ended up dumping him a month later when he said "I want to marry you someday." I mean, I was 21 and in NO WAY ready to get married. But 4 years later we met up again and 11 years after that, here we are celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in September and 2 kids later. Funny to look back at what we were like at that age. I can't wait to scrapbook this picture - brings back alot of old memories!

Memories are the greatest of artists. Maurice Baring

They are home!

Well, the kids are finally home and I am soooo glad that they are. I never realized how much I missed them. They had a fabulous time and came home with twice the amount of toys and clothes that they left with, but they are back. Its amazing how much grandparents spoil them.

And the contest at S! is wrapping up. It was alot of fun celebrating another year. There were great RAKs and the points game was a total hit. Everything seems to be winding up now - just a few more weeks until school starts and life gets back to normal. I am looking forward to school starting again.

So today we are headed to West Edmonton Mall. We usually only head over there when we have company visiting, but Kiana really wants to go and check out the sealions, penguins and sharks. She loves the aquariam and the sea lion show, so thats where we are headed today. Chris is off and she really wants some family time before he goes back to work and the kids head back to school. Should be fun.

Hope you all have a great day and thanx for taking the time to read my blog- I love you guys!

Good morning

Alright - I am a terrible person! Malachi called from Winnipeg complaining that he was sick. I felt terrible for him and I wished I could be there to make him feel better. There is nothing a child needs more than his mom when he is sick. So I felt terrible for him and wished I could help. So I called home this morning to see how he was feeling. My mom said the only reason that he was feeling ill is because he is homesick!!! I was sooo happy about that. Its only been about 10 days since he's been gone, but I am soooo happy to know that he is missing me so terribly much. Now, how terrible is that?!

My sister send me some pictures of all the things the kids are doing and they look like they are having a great time. Kiana decided that she wanted to be the next "Canadian Idol" so she needed to practise. She and her cousins decided that they would be the next hot group to hit the charts. They had a wonderful time practising all the Praise and Worship music that they sing in church.

The kids all wanted to have a fun picture taken and this was the pose they decided to have taken of them. I miss them all so much - this makes me wish that I lived closer to our family so the kids could spend more time with their cousins. The funnest part is that we are surprising our kids and my nieces and nephew on Saturday when my kids come home. My parents and sister are bringing my nieces and nephew are coming here with my kids when they come home.

On a less pleasant note, Uncle Greg and Tante Karin, Shane and Amber lost everything they had at the lake over the weekend when an F3 tornado hit Gull Lake. Thank goodness everyone was across the lake at the Poker Derby or there would have been alot more casualties and fatalities. I have contacted them to find out about account information for those of you who have requested it for donations. Hopefully we will be able to help them soon. There are alot of people who have lost everything. It makes me grateful and I appreciate the family that I have. Things are just that, things - but family is all you have. Thanks to those of you who have passed on prayers and support for all of them. Things like this make you realize that everything we have is just fleeting - appreciate what you have while you have it.

We are often too ready to believe that the present is the only possible state of things. Proust

Good Morning

I am part of all that I have met. Alfred Tennyson

Have you ever had a friend that makes consistantly stupid decisions? Someone who knows they are making a mistake in that decision and then comes running to you to pick up the pieces when they are hurt and need somone to help them?! I have one of those friends and I am at the point where I have about had enough. The problem is, I fell bad for her when she is hurting and I stll want to be there to help her. And she has done STUPID!!!!! things. She made some friends that "adopted" her as their daughter and her daughter as their granddaughter. Then she fell in love with the husband. He gave her (unbeknownst to the wife) $6000 for the downpayment for a house. Anyway, this is just the beginning of stupid things she has done and when I called her on her stupid choices she says "Oh, thats okay. If you end up being right, I can always cry on your shoulder! You're always there when I need you!!!" Do I have the right to be ticked off, or should I be a true friend when she is hurting and support her?!

Alright enough of my vent. I am LOVING the fact that my children are gone!!! I haven't gotten to the point where I miss them too much yet. (does that make me a bad mom?) They are having such a wonderful time that they don't even miss me yet. This is a real break that I have needed though. Especially with S! birthday this week - its gonna be a fun crazy time!!! Can't wait to celebrate.

Hope you ladies have a wonderful day! I love you all!!

I am home!

What a great holiday we had in Winnipeg, but it is always good to be home! The highlight of my trip was DEFINITELY getting to meet another of my S! friends - Tracy(stitchfan18). We had fun shopping and having lunch. She is so much fun - I felt like I have known her for years. I love her to bits.
One of the places that we love to go while we are home is to Fun Mountain Water Park. It was soooo hot - about 43 degrees but the heat didn't even affect us as we went down the slides. I must have lost about 10 lbs. climing up the hill with the tube so that Malachi could slide down again and again. He and his 3 yo cousin Brianna had me climbing up and sliding down the slide with them at least 100 times. I got a nice tan out of the whole deal, so that was a bonus too. But man, I bruised my feet on the pebble walkway every time that we walked up the path to wait in line again.
This cute little creature that Chris is holding is the newest member of my sister's family. I TOTALLY fell in love with her. Her name is Simba and she is a Border Collie/German Shepherd mix. She is the runt of the litter and she along with her 9 siblings were rejected by their mother when she was 2 weeks old. The owners decided to give them away to good homes so my sister decided she needed a puppy. It took everything in me not to bring her home. She is very sweet and cuddly and loveable. She is a really smart dog too - my sister started training here while we were there and Simba caught on VERY QUICKLY!!! We could always tell when she was hungry tho, because she would latch onto the boob of whoever was holding her and tried to nurse. It was kinda funny actually!
Kiana loved being at the beach. Another of my sisters has a cabin on Lake Winnipeg and Kiana LOVED to be there. She spent hours in the water and when she wasn't in the water she was building sand castles with her cousins. There was NO WAY she was leaving the beach. This was the best thing for her because she could control the water level that she was comfortable with and there wasn't the echo-like sounds that you get from being in a pool or waterslide. She told me that one day she wanted to live at the beach. Too bad that summers are so short and winters are so long - especially in Winnipeg. LOL!!!

But I think the most exciting part of the trip happened in the first few days that we were there. Chris and I think that we should write a book about the craziness that is my family. I want to share with you a quick snapshot into the first couple of days that were my holidays:

1. I went to the CFL football game with my dad and dh. There was a drunk guy sitting in front of us and he started cursing a blue streak. There was a 4 yo boy behind us who got tired of him cursing and asked him to be quiet. He started yelling at the kid and tried to hit him. I got up and blocked him so he turned on me. Then he tried to hit Chris and threatened us. Then he poured his beer on my friend sitting next to us. By the time security showed up, they wanted to throw the lot of us in jail. Anyway, they got him out of the game and I thot the excitement for the night was over. But, not so!!! In the 3rd quarter, some drunk chick in the row ahead of me got bored and decided to flash the crowd. Problem was she was sitting directly ahead of me so I got some booby to the face!!!! Now, for those of you who haven't experienced that - you have NO IDEA what you are missing!!! So, there was my first night in Winnipeg!

2. My second night in Winnipeg, my aunt called my parents house needing Chris' legal help. Her and my uncle are getting a divorce and my uncle's gf got a restraining order against my aunt. My aunt broke the restraining order so at 1 a.m the police came to her home to arrest her. She has crippled hands and feet from her arthritis, so when she held out her hands for them to handcuff her the police explained that because of her health condition it wasn't neccessary because she wasn't a flight risk. Then they took her to the police car and gently put her in. They took her to the station, fingerprinted her and took her mug shots. She asked the police for copies of the mug shots because she wants to use them for her Christmas cards this year and she also wanted a recent picture for her wallet. The reason she called my dh is because she wants to know how to press charges against the Winnipeg Police Force for discrimination. Apparently, because they didn't handcuff her, throw her into the cop car and lock her up in jail she is charging them with discrimination because they were gentle with her because of her arthritis.

After the adventure that I have experienced in the past couple of weeks this is my final thought:

It may be that the satisfaction I need depends on my going away, so that when I've gone and come back, I'll find it at home. Jalal ad-Din Rumi

Hidey ho from Friendly Manitoba!!!

Well, we have had an exciting week so far. Between family spending time in jail, and incidences with drunks and flashers at the football game, there is never a dull moment at home. It was great to spend some time with Tracy(stitchfan) from S! the other day. She is sooo sweet and so easy to chat with. By the time I left, I felt like we had been friends forever. It was alot of fun just hanging out!!!

But both Chris and I have determined that the time has come to go home. We still have 6 days left and we are both ready to leave already! His mother is driving us crazy. And then to top it all off we have to spend an entire day with her tomorrow because of the family wedding. UGH!!!!! It's time to come home and get busy with the S! party.

I am missing all my girlies a TON!!!!! I wish I could spend time chatting and reading your blogs, but dial up is a nightmare and I just don't have that kind of time to spend waiting to get things done on the computer. I am happy that I am able to at least update my blog. I am uploading pictures tomorrow so hopefully I will have some great pictures to show of my time here so far. Love to all my friends - I miss chatting. Will check up again soon!!!!

Well, we're here

in Sunny Manitoba. Haven't been back here in about a year so its nice to see family again. The trip is about 14 hours long and Kiana cried for the last 2 hours of the trip, complaining about how long it was taking. It drove me crazy, but at last we are here and ready to start our vacation. I can't wait to show you all pictures of my newest love out here. My ds and her dh got my nieces a dog. Its a border collie/german shepherd mix and her name is Simba. She is only 4 weeks old - the mother wouldn't nurse the babies anymore, so the owner had to get rid of the 10 puppies. She is the runt of the litter and she is the sweetest thing. She spent the entire evening sleeping on my lap - that is when she wasn't trying to nurse off me. LOL - as soon as I get a photo I will post it up so you can all see my new love.

Anywhoo - I am hoping to meet one of the ladies from S! next week while I am here. We are hopefully going to be going scrapbook shopping (what else?!) and out for coffee. Can't wait to post some pictures of that as well.

To my lovely girlies - I miss you all like crazy and I can't wait to chat with you again!!!! TTYS!!!

Family and Friends

People are like stained glass windows: they sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is a light within. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross

This is what I learned today. People aren't always what they seem. They will say all the things that you want to hear and make you think that they love you. Then they turn around and bad mouth you to the first person who will listen. If you have a problem, wouldn't it be more grown up to face the problem head on and talk about it rather than complain to others (who don't even know them) and give them a bad opinion without even knowing them or trying to get to know them. The hardest part is being the bigger person, not confronting them on it and trying to love them just the same!!! GRRRRRRR!

Kids really do listen!!!

You never realize just how much your kids listen until you see and hear them. The other day the kids and I went to pick up Chris from work. It was a TERRIBLY HOT day and I have been avoiding turning on the stove at all costs. Well, the kids asked if we could take them to McDonalds for supper and we gave them the typical parent answer "We'll see!" As Chris and I are in the front seat of the car deciding whether we should take them or not, we hear a little voice whispering in the back seat, saying "Dear God, please please please let mommy and daddy take us to McDonalds for supper. We have been really good today and its really hot outside and mommy shouldn't have to cook. I promise that I'll be good, just please let us go to McDonalds for supper." Chris and I had tears rolling from our eyes we were laughing so hard. We have always taught our children that we could pray to God for anything and that if there are things we want or need that we should pray for that too and God will listen to you! I just never thot they heard us!

GOOD MORNING!

My dh can be soooo sweet when he wants to be. To the average woman, this probably wouldn't mean a ton, but he just made my week. We are leaving for Winnipeg next week for a holiday and he was trying to think about what we would like to do when we are out there. So he went out and bought me sideline tickets to the Winnipeg Blue Bomber game!!! Like I say, it doesn't seem like much, but I CANNOT WAIT to go. I miss going to games in Winnipeg since moving to Alberta. I am the biggest fan, so I really can't wait to go!!!!

This morning when I woke up, I took this picture of my beautiful little girl. After nights like yesterday, sometimes I need a reminder to show me how out of line I was with the anger I was feeling, but also to remind me how beautiful and wonderful and loving and innocent and LIKE ME she really is. I was so angry last night, so when I saw her sleeping so beautifully I had to take a picture.

A man should never be ashamed to say he has been in the wrong, which he is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday. Alexander Pope

What a LOOOOONG night!!!

This turned out to be one of the longest evenings of my life. Kiana decided to FREAK OUT on me tonite. She slapped me, kicked me, bit me, pulled my hair and basically beat the crap out of me in the course of about 20 minutes. The psychiatrist thought that being out of school and being scheduled at home would improve her behaviour with the ADHD but its not working. For the last week or so I have been doing some research and I am beginning to think that Kiana may actually have been misdiagnosed. I presently have a call in to the psychiatrist and I am hoping to see if we can have her tested for Bi-Polar Disorder. Turns out that children with Bi-Polar disorder are often misdiagnosed as ADHD children and I am starting to wonder if it isn't true. We have to do something because I am afraid to hug and kiss my child for fear of being hurt. I went to give her a hug and kiss at bedtime and she grabbed my hair and pulled while biting on my shoulder. Something is DEFINITELY wrong. Neither Chris nor I know what set her off. She was happy about 20 minutes earlier and then this. She is soooo terribly remorseful after and she asked me tonite if we could help her. As she was sobbing in my lap she said "Mommy, can the doctor make me better?" She wants help and doesn't know whats wrong with her. Well, I am going to spend some time praying and reading and finding out where to turn and what to do next. I am not sure whats going to happen, but it can't get much worse than this. I am feeling like a failure as a parent because I can't help my daughter and I can't help her to feel better. Well, tomorrow is another day!

Scrappers Block

Creativity is essentially a lonely art. It is in reality the ability to reach inside yourself and drag forth from your very soul an idea. Lou Dorfsman

Today I am suffering from scrappers' block - the well has run dry! In the past week, I have finished 5 los and 3 cjs and I am dead. Today is a day that I WANT to scrap and I have nothing inside me. No ideas, no passion, nothing. I have 3 boxes of pictures and NOTHING is inspiring me. So, I guess that means I will clean - maybe that will get my juices flowing. We are dropping the kids off with my parents in Winnipeg in about 12 days so I NEED to get my house in order. There is nothing worse than leaving on a holiday and leaving your house in disarray. The problem is that it is sooooo HOT!!!! that I really have a hard time getting motivated to do anything. I LOVE this weather, but days like today I wish we had a pool! Thankfully we are heading to Winnipeg and we can spend all our time at the beach. I am soooo looking forward to that.

This weekend has turned out quite differently than I have expected. My dd Kiana is 8 going on 16 and the attitude that we have had to deal with this weekend is killing me. She is all about being "THE BOSS" and being in control of the home. So yesterday, Chris and I decided to oblige her. She announced that she was the boss and that she would be the one to make all the decisions in our home. So, Chris went across the street and picked up a newspaper. Then he sat down with her and told her that they had to find her a job, because as the head of the house she needed to earn money for all of us to live. Then I told her she better figure out what she was going to be making Malachi, Chris and I for dinner. And finally Chris told her that the dishwasher needed to be loaded and the laundry needed to be done. She looked at us like we had all lost our minds. Obviously she very quickly recanted her announcement and decided that maybe being an 8 year old kid was alot more fun than running the house. Dontcha just love the wisdom of children?! Given the options, they DO make right choices. Thankfully I was able to keep a straight face through it all and not completely lose it and laugh at her. And when she got out of bed this morning, she thanked me for letting her be a kid and she was glad that Dad and I decided to be the boss after all. KIDS!!!!!

Have a beautiful day off everyone!

Never let me go

There are perhaps no days we lived so fully as those we spent with a good book. Marcel Proust

For me, there is nothing more satisfying than finishing a really good book. This morning I did that - I read a book called "Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro. The book is a mystery of sorts, in that you need to read further into the book to realize who the characters really are. It is a book that examines how memories and the past play an impact on the people that we become. Ishiguro wrote a very modern/futuristic book that shows how the vulnerable or "different" people in society are treated. I HIGHLY recommend that if you have the opportunity to read it that you do so. I actually read it because it was the first book on the top 1000 books list. I really didn't think I would enjoy it because I read Ishiguro's "Remains of the Day" and had a difficult time with that book, but he wrote this book in a highly interesting and mysterious way. You don't truly get the full magnitude of the characters and their lives until the very last page. An author who is able to do that is definitely worth his weight.

So, now that I have finished praising and rambling on, I want to wish everyone a very HAPPY CANADA DAY! We are actually having a quiet Canada Day weekend at home this year. My kids dislike the noise of the fireworks so we are staying home. Anyway, hope you all have a wonderful long weekend!!!!! ENJOY IT!

Friendship

A friend is the hand that is always holding yours., no matter how close or far apart you may be. A friend is someone who is always there and will always, always care. A friend is a feeling of forever in your heart.

This is how I am feeling today. I spoke with dear friend of mine today and she is having a really hard time. She has had a rough few months in her personal life which has been difficult. And then yesterday she went to the dr. and now is going through testing for a serious disease. The poor thing - it just seems like one thing after another. I wish I could do something to help her. I feel helpless when I see my friends going through a difficult time and there is nothing that I can do to help. I am the kind of person who needs to jump in and do something, fix it, make my friends feel better. And this time I can't do anything. All I can do is hope and pray that the doctors are wrong. And if they aren't, I can only be there to help her if she needs it. I only wish that I could do more. What do you say, what do you do when your friends are going through this and you want to help? It seems like no matter what I say or do, its not going to be enough.

I pray that God will protect and care for her - more than that I don't know what to do. I feel helpless - I want to do something!

What a great day!

This morning I was getting my kids old toys and clothes packed up to take to Winnipeg for my nieces and nephew when I got a phone call from 2 of my darling nieces. Brianna is 3 1/2 and Aliyah is 22 months. Brianna was phoning to invite me over for supper ("we haf fre fries and kicken") and Aliyah was watching her favourite movie "Annie" and wanted to sing the song "Gum Gog"(Dumb Dog) to me. Then my sister sent me this photo. I miss them sooooo terribly much. I haven't seen them for a year and I am so excited to get to spend a couple of weeks with them. Outside of my own kids, there are no kids that can put a smile on my face like these two little girls. They are so excited that we are coming to visit. The countdown has already started in our house. Only 18 more sleeps until we go to Winnipeg

And then to make things even better my Scraptivity kit came today. I can't wait to start playing with it. Between that and the 3 cjs I am working on, life is pretty busy this week.

I want to leave you with this thought today! I really liked it and wanted to pass it on:

God has put something noble and good into every heart His hand has created. Mark Twain

Good Morning

What a wonderful husband I have. I have been having terrible back pain for the last 3 days and sometimes I can barely move. This morning I woke up to him rubbing my back. He said that he figured that if he started rubbing it while I was sleeping then I would wake up and maybe it wouldn't hurt! What a guy - didn't actually work, but the thought was there. Then he made me breakfast and headed off to work. I am still trying to figure out what I did to deserve that this morning. Then I read my "Quote of the day" that I get in my email and thot I had to post it here because it was perfect for how I am feeling about Chris today.

When I say I love you, its not because I want you or because I can't have you, it has nothing to do with me. I love what you are, what you do, and how you try. I've seen your kindness and your strength. I've seen the best and the worst of you. And I understand with perfect clarity who you really are.


I realized today, just how lucky I really am

Get to know me

I saw this on Mary's blog this morning and thot it would be fun to do it myself, so here goes:

1. First Name: Ramona
2. Were you named after anyone: no - I was supposed to be named Maria after my grandmother, but my mom decided to end the tradition at me.
3. When did you last cry: While reading the book "A Slant of the Sun"
4. Do you like your handwriting: Absolutely not
5. What is your favourite lunch meat: Tomato Basil Chicken
6. Do you have kids: yep 2 of them
7. If you were another person, would you be friends with you? not sure - I am very stubborn and can be difficult to get along with
8. Do you have a journal? Yep, right here
9. Do you use sarcasm alot? Definitely
10.Do you still have your tonsils? yes
11.Would you bungee jump? Not in this lifetime
12.Do you untie your shoes before you take them off? Never altho most of my shoes are backless
13.Do you think you are strong? I have to be
14.What is your favourite ice cream flavour? Strawberry Banana
15.What is your shoe size? 9 or 10 depending on the designer
16.Red or pink? Definitely red!!!
17.What is the LEAST favourite thing about yourself? I am OCD and I am a LARGE woman
18. Who do you miss the most? My grandfather - he died when I was 14 and i wish my children and he would have gotten the chance to know each other
19.When and where were you born? Women's Pavilion in Winnipeg Manitoba in 1970
20.What colour pants and shoes are you wearing right now? Pink camoflage pjs and a white tshirt
21.What is the last thing you ate? chocolate
22.What are you listening to right now? My kids talking to each other and to me
23.If you were a crayon what colour would you be? Dark blue
24.Favourite smell? Brewing coffee
25.Who was the last person you spoke with on the phone? my mom
26.The first thing you notice about the people you meet? I can be very superficial - I give them a once over to see how they carry themselves
27.Do you have a special talent? nope
28.Favourite Drink? Beer
29.Favourite Sport? I watch but don't play. Love CFL football
30.Hair colour? red
31.Eye Colour? hazel - they change from green to blue depending on what I am wearing
32.Do you wear contact lenses? Yep - I couldn't live without them
33.Favourite food? Chinese food
34.Scary Movies or happy ending? Happy ending
35.Last movie you watched? The Family Stone
36.What colour shirt are you wearing? white
37.Summer or Winter? Summer
38.Hugs or Kisses? Hugs
39.Favourite Dessert? Kahlua Cheesecake
40.What books are you reading? The Boy who Loved Windows, Every Woman's Battle
41.What's on your mouse pad? just my mouse
42.Favourite sounds? sound of thunder, my son's giggle, music
43.Rolling Stones or the Beatles? The Beatles
44.The Furthest you have been from home? Montreal, Quebec
45.If you could pick any two people to have dinner with, who would they be? Temple Grandin and C.S. Lewis

What a day!

All kids are gifted. Some just open their packages earlier than others.

Yesterday was quite a day. Harder than I hoped it would be. Because it is the end of the school year, we always take the kids to see their paediatric autism psychiatrist before we leave for summer holidays. You keep hoping that they are getting noticeably better and that they have major improvements and its always disappointing when they don't. Kiana hasn't really improved over the past year. She has regressed in alot of ways and her "comprehensive" age hasn't really improved much. Sure, she's got an 8 yo body, but she has a 4-5 yo mind. I keep hoping that her mind will catch up with her body, and maybe it will, but its not happening at the speed that I want it too. Thank goodness the school year is almost over because they aren't helping one bit. They just point the finger at me and bad parenting. Hopefully next year we will get a better teacher - one who will understand what Kiana is actually going through.

And so, we keep on keeping on. It just means more rigid scheduling with less "free" time to do what we want. It means making sure Kiana knows what is going on every second of every day. Well, we gotta do, what we gotta do!

We read to know that we are not alone. C.S> Lewis

Reading is one of my favourite things to do. Next to scrapbooking, I read virtually everything that I can get my hands on. I just finished a book called "A Slant of the Sun" It was a moving book about a mother who has to deal with the fact that her child has just been diagnosed with autism. It looks inside the mother to see her struggle to accept the diagnosis of her son, while still attempting to find the best therapies that will perhaps teach him to speak and to learn. It isn't necessarily a book for parents of autistic children, but also for anyone who wants to get a small glimpse into the life of a family with autism.

A friend emailed me a list of the top 1000 books you need to read before you die. Not sure where she got it from, but I have decided that I am going to read through this list if I can. I have perused through the list and realized there are about half a dozen that I have read that are wonderful reads so I am sure there are more to come. Some of my favourite books from this list are: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, The Poisonwood Bible, Memoirs of a Geisha, A Prayer for Owen Meany, Beloved, Schindler's Ark(original title of Schindler's List), To Kill a Mockingbird, Lord of the Flies, The Little Prince, Of Human Bondage and Tess of the D'Urbervilles.

If you have the desire or the time, I challenge you to read through this list. Post here and let me know - I can give you a copy of the list. I think there is NOTHING better than to read a good book. It takes you to a different world if only for a little while. Even though life is extremely busy and time is extremely short, never forget to take the time for yourself to relax. If I didn't have that, I would have been locked up a LOOOOONG time ago. Kay, I am coming down off my soapbox now. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

UYO!!!

Today I noticed a Unidentified Yellow Object in the sky! I am not quite sure what it is, but it is making for some warm weather thats for sure! I think its about 2 weeks since this object has made its appearance in the sky. I am hoping that this phenomenon lasts a while longer.

Anyway, I was looking for motivation today! I wanted to scrap but I think I am blocked. Then I was reading A Designer's Eye (for like the 3rd time) and I came across this quote that I have placed on my computer moniter:

Mu ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living. Anais Nin
And sure enough, not 1/2 hr later, my ds lost his first tooth. Naturally I took a picture and I printed it and its going to be one of my next pages. Then my dh looked at me and said "You can find inspiration in ANYTHING!" Maybe I'm not blocked, I am just spending too much time looking at my computer screen. I have been blocked for a few days and I was spending so much time online looking at other los hoping that they would inspire me that I forgot to look at my little inspirations sitting at my feet. I will definitely have to post the lost tooth lo when I get finished.

Thanx for listening to my rambling. I really feel like I don't have alot to say, but I say it anyway! Have a nice day.

I am turning into a duck!

We have had so much grey and wet weather that I am starting to grow webbed feet. Its ridiculous. I forget what the sun looks like these days. So I thot since the weather is crummy I would go and buy myself the new Crop-a-dile. But, of course, there isn't a store in town that has them. WHY didn't I pick one up a month ago when they had 20 on the shelf?!?! Because I didn't know anyone who had them and I wanted to find out if they were worth the buy!! Now that I know they are, I can't find one anywhere. Isn't that just the way?! But, on a positive note, I got my tickets for Scrapfest today. I CAN'T BELIEVE that I am taking 2 of Ali's classes. I love love love her work and I cannot wait to learn from her. I am also looking forward to meeting Roslyn, Anam, Rosalie, Carol, Carla, Jayme, Caroline and Melissa from S! Its going to be sooooo much fun. Only 3 more months.

Want to leave you all with this quote today. I really love it:

Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. Oliver Goldsmith

Today is a thinking day!

The sky is grey today and has been for the last few days. I think it kind of matches my mood. Today really is a thinking day. For the last few months I have been contemplating the person that I am. Where have I come from, who am I now and where am I going?! I found this great quote from e.e. cummings that says

It takes courage to grow up and be who you really are.

I think that is what I am trying to figure out. Who am I really? I know that I am Chris' wife and Kiana and Malachi's mom, but who am I. I know I am a child of God and that He created me to be the being I am. I want to be true to me and to my family and friends. I want to be a person that people feel better for having known me. I want to be able to look in the mirror and really be happy with what I see. I just want to BE!

Well, here I am

I think I am finally starting to "get" this blogger thing. I was a little confused(being the computer illiterate that I am) but I think it's coming to me. I just think I need a place where I can post my thots, you can see my stuff and I can just post what's on my mind. So, my thot for today is this:

I am afraid to show you who I really am, because if I show you who I really am, you might not like it -- and that's all I've got. Sabrina Ward Harrison

Alright, here we go

I too have taken the plunge and started my own blog. Not sure if anyone will even read this but, its a start anyway. This is the perfect time of day to do this. The kids and Chris are all sleeping - we got a house full of sickies right now so its really quiet around here. Drop me a note to say hello - it would be great to hear from you!