It's Monday again

and MAN is it coooooold. Its -25 with the windchill. It's amazing how the temperature can get sooooo cold so quickly. And we have snow - so I guess the winter is officially here. On a sad note, my Blue Bombers lost the Grey Cup yesterday. Our guys were great - they gave the Riders a run for their money, but it just wasn't to be. Maybe next year guys! And Milt - here's to praying that you'll put in one last year with the Blue and Gold. We're not ready to lose Turtleman yet!!! Please come back!

Today is Monday, so here are my 7:

1. I am so grateful for Kiana's enthusiasm. She had her singing competition last weekend. It didn't phase her that she was the only one in her voice class, she was thrilled with the fact that her certificate had 1st place on it. She scored an 83 on both her pieces and did quite well. Her confidence is soaring. She is ready for her next competition - I think we have created a monster.

2. I am so pleased with Malachi's determination. In June of last year he was at a grade one reading level, even though he was in grade two. We tried to encourage him to read more and in 5 months he has improved up to a grade three reading level. I am so proud of him and his perseverance.

3. I am so grateful for a God that loves me no matter how I screw up. Without grace and mercy I don't know where I would be.

4. Sherri is an amazing woman. In the last month she has been sweet and loving and supportive and bringing me out of my shell again. I love you for the person that you are!

5. Kelly is an amazing and encouraging friend. She is funny and makes me laugh. She is an inspiration to me and I love that I can tell her anything on the phone and she just listens. I love you too girl!!!

6. I so admire my husband's work ethic. I'm not sure that I could get called into work between 1:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. and still have such a positive attitude about it. He is a far better person than I

7. I appreciate the teachers and teachers' aides that work with my kids. It's Parent Teacher this week and I so appreciate all the understanding and support they give to my kids. So much of how my kids are is because of the teachers they work with. They have so much love and compassion for the kids - it just fills my heart.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

It's Monday again

and I am a happy camper. My Winnipeg Blue Bombers have made it - they are going to the Cup!!!! We are ONE WIN AWAY!!!!!!



Alright, now back to my sane side. Since today is Monday, here is my list of 7 things I'm thankful for:

1. Chris is still healthy and bloodclot free after 2 years. We had a scare last week that he might have another bloodclot, but his health is good. He has to make a few minor changes in his life to be healthier, but that is much easier than worrying about bloodclots and the like.

2. Kiana has her voice competition on Saturday. God has blessed her with a gift and a natural ability and I hope she does well on Saturday. Please keep her in your thoughts this week.

3. Mom is getting better every day. She is still really sore and really bruised but she is getting better every day. She can't go out in public yet because she scares small children with her bruises, but she says that she is feeling much better.

4. My favourite season will soon be upon us and I can't wait. Christmas is such a wonderful time of celebration. Its a great time for me to contemplate the past year and the blessings God has bestowed upon me. It also gives me time to ponder what the next year will hold. I am grateful that God has given me another wonderful year with my family.

5. How is it that your friends always know when you need them? Thanx to Joey for being an amazing man and friend to both Chris and I. We love ya man.

6. Malachi is my soft hearted little boy. He and his best friend Polar(a stuffed puppy)sat in my lap and cried because he didn't want to grow up, get married and move away from me. I asked him what he wanted to do. He said "I want to grow up, live with you and Polar and just be myself. " What a kid!

7. my coffee - I cannot live without it. There is nothing better than waking up in the morning and smelling my coffee brewing.

What a weekend!

My friends Heather and Rhonda have done there 7 things on Sundays, but since I started mine on a Monday, think I will continue with my thankful list today.

1. I am grateful to all the military men and women who have served and are serving at home and abroad for their incredible sacrifice to me and millions of other people all over the world. Without your bravery and strength, we wouldn't have the life we have today. I watched a video called "Somebody's husband, Somebody's son" yesterday. I wasn't aware that my cousin Paul was included in this video. He was killed in Afghanistan 20 months ago. Remembrance Day has become a much more difficult day for our family since his death. Check out the video here.

2. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won the semi-finals in the CFL East yesterday. We are one step closer to the Grey Cup. GO BLUE!!!!!!

3. I have an unbelieveable circle of friends that truly blessed me this week. Marguerite, Kelly and Sherri I want to thank you for your love and support. Thanks for having my back and letting me know that you love me.

4. My faith in the Father. I have really felt God has been with me this week and that he's taken care of me and only wants His best for me.

5. My mom had a fall down 25 concrete stairs last week and only has bruises. No concussion, no broken bones. I am so grateful that she is going to be okay and is healing well.

6. My children have such empathetic hearts. I am touched by the love and care that they show to the world around them. They weep for those who are less fortunate and want to help everyone they can.

7. It doesn't matter how I look at myself, Chris loves me passionately every day. I may not like what I see in the mirror, but my unbelieveable husband makes me feel like a queen. He sees me in the best light always.

Daisy D's Design Team

I am very excited - got an email from Jodi Stacey at Daisy D's. I am a finalist for their DT!!!! Can you hear the excitement in my voice?! So, I'm off to choose 2 of my favourite layouts and a favourite altered item. Keep your fingers crossed for me please?!?!?!

My amazing little girl!

Well, Kiana taught me something again this week. Every day when we drive Chris to work, we pass a small bush behind Superstore. In this bush is a tent where some homeless people live. Kiana pointed to it the other day and asked what it was. I explained that there were people in Edmonton who didn't have money for a house or clothes or even food and that they lived in tents to try and stay warm. Well, her little heart was broken and she cried. When she got home she wrote a letter to God in her diary and prayed for the poor people. Later on she came to me and said that it was sad and unfair that people didn't have a home and beds and fun things like we did. I explained to her that we were lucky because we had money for all the things we needed plus the extra snacks and toys that we didn't need. So she decided that it was our job to help. She asked if we could spend some of the money that we would use on toys and games for food for these people who lived in the tent. SO, today we are going grocery shopping and buying food for the people who live in this tent and then Chris is going to bring it to them. I can't believe the heart beating inside that little girl. She is teaching me to look past my "ideas" about these people to see that we need to help out once in awhile.

Another week!

So, my friend Rhonda inspired me today. I love reading her blog and her lists of the stuff she's thankful for and the stuff she loves. So, today I decided to focus on that myself.

1. I am thankful for Malachi's compassion. He has the softest heart imaginable. While watching "Meet The Robinsons" he started to cry. He was touched by the happy ending and he was crying because the little boy finally got his own family.

2. I love that Kiana wakes up in the morning with a smile and an excitement to face the new day. It doesn't matter what she is facing in her day, she always does it with a grin and chattering 100 miles a minute.

3. I love that people love my kids. People who watch and really see them can see their amazing gifts and love for us and each other

4. I am thankful for the things that Chris and the kids show me everyday. Their amazing capability to love me - especially when i am unloveable is such a gift to me.

5. I love my friends - both online and at home. I have such a circle of amazing supportive people that encourage me, inspire me and love me. Juanita, Sue, Mylene, Sherri, Rhonda, Carmen, Jayme, Anne, Lisa, Lisa, Joey and Julie and Paul - you have all been strong and supportive. I am truly blessed.

6. I am thankful that I am learning new things every day. I was reading my friend Mylene's blog and she inspired me today. "I count myself lucky to have hurt so deeply at so many losses - I feel them all, I miss them all, I love them all still."

Busy week!

What a busy week this is turning out to be. Chris has been gone since last Wednesday. I spent the weekend getting our place ready for spraying yesterday - bugs again!!! Why do people have to be such pigs. So I spent Saturday and Sunday moving furniture, emptying cupboards and getting everything away from the baseboards in the whole place. Today I am busy putting everything back. UGH - what a job. Thankfully Chris will be home tomorrow night.


I am also working with Kiana to memorize her music for the competition. She is such a little smartie - she's got both songs memorized. Now its all about expression. She is determined that she wants to win this thing!


I was pretty excited too as I got to be the October Guest DT for my dear friend Kelly at Memories in Motion. The kit included the Jack and Abby line from Love, Elsie. It was so much fun - I loved the papers. And this is what I came up with:

It was cool to work with this. Not something that I would be drawn to or something that I would have picked up on my own. Kelly was so sweet to choose me - I love her to bits.

I am working really hard on Christmas stuff this week. I have 2 - 12x12 calendars on the go and some ornaments as well. We are fortunate that we get to go home for Christmas this year, so I have to get busy and get stuff done. I can't believe that there are only 63 days until Christmas!

Love ya - have a great week everyone!!!

A new week!

So, Thanksgiving is over and done and a new week has begun. It was a wonderful weekend. Saturday I spent the day at Scrapalicious at "The Park" church scrapping. Got to hang out with some great friends, scrap a little, eat a little more and laugh a whole lot. It was great to see Renee, Sherri, Marguerite, Dawn and Kelly. And of course I got barely any scrappin' done. But I bought some cool new stuff from Kelly and had a ton of fun just hanging out.

We are also looking for a new church so we tried one on Sunday. And then it was Turkey Dinner. I ate WAAAAAAAYYYYYY too much and probably put on a ton of weight. But it was worth it - especially the pumpkin cheesecake. I LOOOOOOOOVE thanksgiving - especially the leftovers the day after.

Now its back to the daily grind of laundry, dishes etc. And my dear Chris is on holidays this week, so its not as quiet at home as it normally would be. We are hoping to get the kids costumes this week. Kiana has decided that she needs to be Princess Aurora/Sleeping Beauty and Malachi's life will not be complete if he doesn't get an Optimus Prime costume. So, that's what we need to find this week. And I am working on Christmas stuff too: cards, ornaments, 2008 calendars, etc.

Kiana got some exciting news last week too. She has been taking voice lessons at Alberta College for about a month now. Well, her voice instructor informed us that she is ready for competition. So, the week of November 20-24 she will be competing in the 12 and under category. She was given the option of whether she wanted to compete in one category or in two categories. So she will be competing in two categories: Classical Piece(a Royal Conservatory piece) and Pop and Television Piece(Disney's "Bambi" movie piece). She is so excited and I, of course, am being a proud mama!

Busy Busy Busy!

Life has been nuts the past few weeks. Getting into the swing of things with school and activities has been crazy. Kiana started voice lessons at the Alberta Conservatory of Music through Grant McEwan College last week. She has a natural ability and she LOVES to sing so I think we may have found her niche. But her ego has ALREADY become almost impossible to deal with - LOL!! She is convinced she will be the next Canadian Idol or something. She thinks she is DEFINITELY all that.

Fall has come and its only a little better than a week until Thanksgiving is here. So I have been thinking about all the wonderful things in my life.

I am thankful for a God who loves me no matter what stupid things I do.

I am thankful for a devoted and amazing husband.

I am thankful for autism - brought to me in the shape of my two beautiful angels

I am thankful for my friends - both at home and online - who have supported me, hugged me, cared for me and carried me especially in the last month.

I am thankful for the ability to be creative.


So, tell me, what are you thankful for?!

The weekend!

TGIF - I am so happy the week is over - its been a long one. This weekend is going to be kinda quiet I think. My girlfriend is taking me out for lunch tomorrow and my kids and husband have something planned for me, but I'm not sure what. I would rather forget that I am turning 37 - that much closer to 40.

I got a pretty exciting offer today. Since getting my new SLR I have been taking ALOT of practise photos as well as putting together slide shows for different people, organizations and for our church. I guess somebody saw the work I have been doing and has asked me to do a slide show for a conference. Its a Christian organization that is doing something called an "Urban Plunge" and they want a slide presentation done for their conference presentation. Its not a paying job, but at least I get to show my work and who knows where it could go from here. I know its not much, but I am pretty excited about it!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

I Love you!

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and pray to me and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart." - Jeremiah 29:11-13

You have been my strength, my support, my champion, my lover, my friend and my soulmate. You make me laugh so hard my gut aches, you hold me when I cry and need to fall apart, you encourage me when I can't take another step, you lift me up when I am down, and you love me no matter how ugly I can get. Thank you for an amazing 11 years. I love you!

I'm back again!

So, I am home from Winnipeg again and I just wanted to post a photo of the woman whose life I went to celebrate. I thank God for the opportunity to have this amazing woman in my life.

NOW to get busy and get ready for the fall. I cannot WAIT until Tuesday of next week - whooo hoooo - school is coming and the Scott household is busy getting ready. I can't believe that my little ones aren't so little anymore - Kiana is in grade 4 and Malachi is in grade 3. Unbelieveable!!! And we are busy enrolling the kids in their new programs - Kiana is starting voice lessons at the Alberta Academy of Music in a couple of weeks. I don't know who's more excited, her or me.

And you need to go check out the new Memories in Motion website. Its a cool new site with a great forum and cool stuff. Check it out, will ya?!?!?

And finally, I have not forgotten the RAK. My ds Malachi randomly chose a name out of a hat and the winner is: CARMEN!!!!! Whooo hooo girl - email me your snailmail and I will get that out to you ASAP!!! Have a good day all!

Goodbye Ma

Yesterday my dear friend Marie Horsman died of cancer. She was my friend, mentor, confidante and ma. She let me cry on her shoulder when I needed it, she yelled at me and kicked me in the butt when I needed it, and she took my advice seriously when she needed it. She held my hand when I was dealing with and accepting my kids disabilities and she allowed me to hold her hand and give her a shoulder to cry on when she became estranged from her son. She was a strong, feisty woman with an attitude yet she was very soft-hearted. She was generous and kind and loving. She loved God more than anything and that was apparent in every part of her life. She was a gifted quilter and my family has been the recipients of her wonderful handwork. I am the woman that I am today in large part because of her. My life will never be the same now that she is gone. There is a large hole in my heart now that she is gone - she was an amazing woman who will be dearly missed. I love you ma!

I AM BAAAACK!!!!!

So, I am back from Winnipeg and settling into life in Edmonton once again. We had such a wonderful time in Winnipeg - despite the heat. It was 49 degrees (with the humidity) which made it difficult to breathe. But that didn't stop us. The kids had such a fabulous time and we got to do alot of fun things. We took the kids to Fun Mountain Waterslides by 9 a.m. so that by 1:00 in the afternoon when it got too hot we could go home. We also took the kids to Birds Hill Beach. In the heat we found that the best place to be was in the water. The kids didn't come out of the water all morning. They loved it - but my poor husband got 2nd degree burns on his shoulders and back(even with sunscreen).

We also took the kids to the car races. Malachi LOVED it - the Alcohol cars scared him a little but he loooooved the races. But I think the best part of the trip was my dad's surprise 65th birthday party. I can't believe we pulled off the surprise, but 3 months of planning and almost 200 people later we did it. And he loved it. I was lucky enough to be the person who gave a speech about and for my dad. What a wonderful day that was.

And now its back to regular life. My parents will be here this weekend to drop the kids off and then its time to get ready for school again.

So, post a message to me telling me the best part of your summer. Then I'll get my kids to pick a name for a RAK!

Have a wonderful week!

I am SUCH a bad blogger!!!

I can't believe that its been almost 10 days since I was here last. Last week was such a crazy week. The kids had 3 sleepovers last week. 2 were with some friends from Ontario and one was with a friend of Kiana's from her old school. Having five autistic kids for a sleepover is NUTS!!!! Not necessarily something that I will do again. But from the pictures you can see that they had a great time.

I am really excited to be taking a class to learn how to use my new SLR camera. Scrapability is a website started by some friends of mine, and my dear Patti Miller (who is a PHENOMENAL photographer btw) is teaching a class online. I have started playing a little bit and I look forward to getting of the automatic setting and use my camera to its full capabilities.

Only one more week until we are off to Winnipeg. I have been asked to give a speech at my dad's 65th birthday celebration. I am excited to just to head to the beach and relax.

And finally next week the winners for the ScrapFan ScrapJam will be announced. I am certain that I'm not winning this one, but it was fun and challenging. And I got some great free product which is always a positive thing.

Love, ya!!!!

Among Thieves

I am very proud to present to you the premiere of my dear friend Paul Boge's first feature length movie "Among Thieves" He has been working on this movie for a long time and I cannot wait to see it. Check out the trailer. I am excited for you Paul and I hope it is a great success.

It's been awhile

but here I am again. Life has been nuts the last few weeks. Finishing up the last weeks of school and getting some projects finished for Scrapbooking Fanatics ScrapJam. We are also participating in another autism study through the University of Alberta. Busy, busy, busy!

Finished another great project for Scrapbooking Fanatics. This contest challenge was sponsored by Upsy Daisy Designs and we were asked to do something in which we describe laughter. Well, here is my contest entry:

I really enjoyed this particular project. It was alot of fun to do. Upsy Daisy was very generous with the product they sent us. I REALLY love them.

And we are getting ready to head back home for holidays again. It's always fun to go, but leaving the kids behind for two weeks is the real holiday for Chris and I. That's the only real time we get to spend together. The rest of our lives are devoted to our kids and making sure they have everything they need. What a wonderful break that will be.

So, what are your Canada Day plans? We will be watching the fireworks from our balcony. They are close enough to enjoy, yet far enough away that the noise doesn't affect Kiana adversely. IKEA is having a sale this weekend so of course Chris is working. Take care this weekend guys! Be safe and enjoy the long weekend.

HAPPY 140th BIRTHDAY CANADA!!!!

Upsy Daisy Designs

These are my entries for the Upsy Daisy Designs Contest that I didn't win. I LOVE these papers - they are toooooo cool. Love the fact that its a Canadian company too. The lo on the left is one I did for my dad for Fathers Day. These papers are just toooo yummy and I love the rubons too. Very cool!!!

Working on my next challenge for the SF contest too - have to do a lo that describes the feeling of laughter. Wow - how's that for a challenge. Should be interesting - and thanx to Upsy Daisy Designs for providing the papers and rubons for this challenge. Sooooo yummy!

And there are only 6 full days of school left until summer holidays. The kids are excited to be able to sleep in. I am having a heck of a time getting them out of bed every morning. I think they are just getting really excited about Winnipeg. They have a whole list of things they want to do when they get there. They love to hit Fun Mountain, Grand Beach(one of the most beautiful beaches in Canada), Tinkertown, the Zoo and Lake of the Woods. And Chris and I get to leave the kids behind for a couple of extra weeks, so we get a nice break after our holiday too.

Working out is going well too. Yesterday I managed to squeeze back into a pair of size 12 capris. Another week or two and they will actually be fitting comfortably again. It's nice to know that I might actually make it to the beach this summer without looking like a hippo!!! YAH ME!!!!

Anyway, Happy Hump Day! LOVE YA!!!

Interesting day!

So, I went on a field trip with Malachi's class today. We went to "Grandma's Place" - its a "chore" based museum. It takes the kids back to the 1930s and lets them experience life back then. Malachi loved it - they got to clean wheat and grind it into flour, they used an old washing machine, hung laundry and ironed it, made toast on an old stove and bought candy in the old store. They had alot of fun. Most of the kids thot the chores were fun, but one kid said "I don't DO chores - only girls do chores in our house."

And , as some of you know, I became an auntie on Tuesday. My sister Nanette had another baby girl. Her name is Ella Charity. I love the name Ella and can't wait to meet her this summer. The kids are pretty excited too - Ella is Kiana's favourite name - from the movie "Ella Enchanted".

Busy weekend here. Trying to get my challenge layout finished for the "Scrapfan Summer Jam" contest. This week you have to do a layout on your fear - be it a fear in your life or a technique that you have always been afraid to try. I am focussing on a technique I have been afraid to try. We'll see how it goes.

Hope you all have a glorious weekend and that you have beautiful weather to enjoy it!

Feeling good!

So, after 2 weeks of working out I am feeling really good! Usually by the two week mark of my workout I give up and quit, but here I am still going. I missed yesterday for the first time in two weeks and I REALLY missed it! All day long I had this nagging feeling that something wasn't right, that I forgot something. I realized that I just missed working out. What a great feeling.

So, my first challenge for the Scrapbooking Fanatics ScrapJam is finished and posted. Not sure its my absolute best work, but I'm happy with it. I LOVE the Rouge de Garance papers and was TERRIFIED to cut them because I bought the Limited Edition line and I was afraid that I would be unhappy with what I did or that I would regret cutting the paper, but I love it. You can check it out here.

And next week I am going to be an auntie again! My sister's baby is breech so they have scheduled a c-section for Tuesday morning. It'll be great when I go home this summer - totally surrounded by babies!!!

Today is another beautiful day - I am excited about the warm weather and the summer! I am so grateful for today because I am alive to enjoy it. What are you excited about today?! I'd love to hear about it!!!