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!!!

Another glorious day!!!

It is another beautiful day in Edmonton - 28 degrees. I am loving the heat. I have been really busy in the last week or so too. I am waiting to hear back from a couple of design teams hoping that I can get a DT position again. Entered a couple of contests as well. The one I am really excited about is the " Scrapfan Summer ScrapJam" and the prize is a lo published in Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. I was one of the 12 that were chosen to continue on. I am really excited about it. It'll run for the next 6 weeks and the winner will be in the Winter '07 magazine. I have also been selling off the remaining Snowflakes kits that I have in my house. They are pretty cool actually. One kit is a Corina accordian album with Luxe papers and the other is a Maya Road album with WRMK papers. They are actually selling like crazy.

I have also begun working out hard core. I have gotten quite large in the last 6 months or so and it is affecting my health. My doc told me that if I didn't lose the weight now, I would end up in a wheelchair. Hmm, let's see, Phlebitis and a wheelchair or working out 3-4x a week. The choice was obvious.

I want to leave you with these photos that I took at the park with my kids the other day. They are beautiful, but then everybody is when it comes to their kids I guess!

Bad Blogger

I have been a terrible blogger - haven't posted in awhile, but I am finally getting back here. We have had a beautiful weekend and since Chris had it off, we spent some time with the kids. Friday night we took the kids to see "Shrek the Third" They absolutely loved it - I was a little disappointed - not as good as the other ones. Saturday we took the kids to the park with my gf and her dd. They had alot of fun and I got to play with my camera a little bit. Today is a quiet day - church and hopefully finishing some los for the Upsy Daisy Designs contest. How was your weekend? Hope you have a wonderful day.

I love this photo of my kids - I can't believe how big they have gotten. And they still enjoy spending time with us - Kiana's almost 10 so I know that won't happen much longer. So I am appreciating every minute I have with them. I have been very blessed to have some really amazing kids - they surprise me and make me proud every day. These photos aren't from yesterday, but I wanted to finally post them.


Honesty is telling the truth to ourselves and others. Integrity is living that truth.

I'm an auntie again!!!

My ds Tanya and her husband finally had their 5th child yesterday! She was only a week overdue, but our family has been waiting anxiously for her to come. Her name is Adalia Stephanie. I am waiting for photos - can't wait to see her. I love babies - as long as I am not the one having them, and now I have another baby to spoil. I can't wait to get back to Winnipeg and see the little angel.

Malachi was disappointed. There are 7 girls and 2 boys in the clan of grandchildren so he was hoping for a little girl. My sister Nanette is due in 5 weeks so he's keeping his fingers crossed for a little boy. In the meanwhile, we are all very excited to have another little one to love in the family.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love this day - I love celebrating with my wonderful husband and beautiful children. I have been so blessed to be given these two amazing children. I have never enjoyed a day as much as it realizes that what I do is the most wonderful job in the world. Chris is making dinner, the kids each made me gifts at school and we spent the day together as a family.

I also called my mom today. This year, I looked at her really differently. If any of you had the opportunity to watch Oprah on Friday, Demi Moore was on and she discussed her dysfunctional relationship with her mother. She said something that was particularly interesting to me. When her mother was dying she said that she was hoping to get an apology for the childhood she had and the way her mother treated her. But when her mother died, instead of getting an apology, her mother took with her what was hers. Whatever wrongdoings her mother did to her she took with her and Demi no longer had anywhere she could push her anger, frustration or negativity. That was Demi's to hang on to. She said "Forgive, before its too late, because once they are gone, they are gone. There is nowhere to push your negative feelings." The other thing she said was that this mother's day she's going to ask her mother to forgive her for her "righteousness" as a daughter. What a great message for me - and my mom is still here so I have time to get it right with her.

So, tell me - did you all have a wonderful mother's day? To all my dear friends who are mothers I wish you a wonderful day. The job is long and hard but the most fulfilling thing you will ever experience.

When God thought of mothers, He must have laughed with satisfaction and framed it quickly - so rich, so deep, so divine, so full of soul, power and beauty was the conception.--Henry Ward Beecher

Congratulations

to my dear friend Melissa Buhler and her husband. On Monday May 7 they welcomed their beautiful daughter Taryn into the world. She is a stunning little girl. Congrats to you both -may she be a real blessing to your lives.

Good Monday morning

Here is one of just many projects I got done this weekend for NSD! Had a great cropping weekend and I got alot of stuff done. Haven't scrapped that much in a long time. All in all a fun weekend.

Ugh, I don't like Mondays and this one more so than most. I have a meeting with the Principal at school this morning. My dd and her bully have been going at it again but this time my dd was the one to start it. She called the girl and her family trash and now the mother wants to have a meeting with all of us. GREAT - just what I need. This kid has tormented Kiana so much that I think she had it coming, but I can't tell her or the principal that. Poor Kiana - she has to apologize to the little girl and who knows what else the mother will want from us. But only about 6 weeks of school left and then this will all be over.

Someone sent me this over the weekend and I just loved it, so I wanted to post it here:

TOP 10 TERRIFIC TRAITS OF PEOPLE WITH AUTISM

1. THEY RARELY LIE: To them truth is truth--a good word from them is the real deal.

2. THEY LIVE IN THE MOMENT: They truly attend to the sensory input that surrounds them. Many have achieved the ideal of mindfulness.

3. THEY RARELY JUDGE OTHERS: People on the spectrum often see through surface appearances such as size, wealth or colour to discover the real person.

4. THEY ARE PASSIONATE: They are truly passionate about the things, ideas and people in their lives.

5. THEY ARE NOT TIED TO SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS: Social expectations can be honestly irrelevant. What matters is true liking, interest and passion -- not keeping up with the Jones's.

6. THEY HAVE TERRIFIC MEMORIES: They are much more tuned in to details. They may have a much better memory than their typical peers for all kind of critical details.

7. THEY ARE OFTEN LESS MATERIALISTIC: They are often less concerned with outward appearance than their typical peers. As a result, they worry less about brand names, hairstyles and other expensive but unimportant externals than most people do.

8. THEY PLAY FEWER HEAD GAMES: Who was that woman, and why were you looking at her? I know I TOLD you I didn't mind if you went out, but why did you believe me? Most autistic people don't play games like these -- and they assume that you won't either. It's a refreshing and wonderful change from the Peyton Place emotional roller coaster that mars too many typical relationships!

9. THEY HAVE FEWER HIDDEN AGENDAS: If he tells you what he wants -- he is telling you what he wants. No need to beat around the bush, second guess, and hope you're reading between the lines!

10. THEY OPEN NEW DOORS FOR NEUROTYPICALS: For some of us neurotypicals, having an autistic person in our lives has had a profound positive impact on our perceptions, beliefs and expectations. For me, at least, being the mom of two kids on the autism spectrum has released me from a lifetime of "should" -- and offered me a new world of "is."

Have a wonderful day everyone!

Have you ever wondered

how you can be raised by the same people as other family members and yet be sooooo different? I mean, morally different?!?!? I have been thinking of that ALOT in the last couple of days. I don't understand how two people in one family raised in the exact same way, by the exact same parents could be as different as night and day. One is a functioning member of society, married to a wonderful spouse, great kids and a successful career. The other has spent the last 20 years in and out of jail, abandoned his wife and children, is a drug addict, has never held a job for more than 3 days and has such little moral conscience that he assaulted someone and left them for dead (thankfully this person is okay) without so much as a glance or a moment of guilt. And they were both raised by God fearing parents who, even though they made mistakes, tried their best. I just don't get it. What makes him so different than me? Why is he the one that turned out that way and I didn't. He's not my brother, but we were raised in the same way, we grew up together and he was like a brother to me. I just don't get it.

Enough of my dusty thoughts in my mind - what are y'all doing for NSD?! Anything exciting going on? Well, my favourite place to shop - Scrapbooking Fanatics is having a weekend of fun. I am really looking forward to hanging out there. They are starting Friday night. There will be some classes, prizes, challenges and more. Come and check it out if you have a minute - its a great place to hang out and it would be great to see you there.

Tell me, what are you doing for NSD?!?!?!

AMAZING HUSBAND!!!

Look at what my dh came home with yesterday:

I was totally shocked. I had spoken to him about wanting one for either my birthday or Christmas this year and showed it to him yesterday. The next thing I knew he came home with it. I couldn't believe it - what an incredible man!!! Needless to say, that'll be it for Christmas this year. I have been playing with it a bit. Its gonna take me awhile to get the hang of it, but I am having a ton of fun with it.

7 things about me

Alright, since Laura tagged me, I figured I would do this and pass it on.

Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog! OK, here goes:

1. When I was 12 years old I was in a movie/documentary that was shown on television and in movie theatres in more than 4 countries.
2. I was on "Hockey Night in Canada" at the last home game that the Winnipeg Jets ever played. And I caught the puck. It was such a highlight for me that I still have that hockey puck
3. I obsessively collect anything to do with monkeys
4. I met Wayne Gretzky when I was in the 6th grade and sold his autograph for $50 after I got it cuz I didn't like him.
5. I am addicted to coffee - I drink about 2 pots a day
6. In person I am NOTHING like I am online - many of my scrappin' friends who have met me cannot believe how different I am in person
7. As much as I complain about my family, I have spoken to my parents on the telephone everyday since I moved to Edmonton 10 1/2 years ago.

Alright - I am tagging: Carmen, Julie, Rhonda, Stacy, Tammy, Ki and Tammy B.

Getting alot done

I am amazed with how much I am getting done these days. This is a lo that I did for my girlfriend - its her dd's 2 year photo. She is sooooo cute. The journalling is the song "In My Daughter's Eyes" by Martina McBride. The photo is so cute that I didn't want to add to much stuff to the lo and take away from the photo.

And a huge congratulations to Jen D. and her dh Jim on the birth of their beautiful son Angelo. He is a real cutie. I am so happy for you all and wish you lots of blessings. LOVE YA!!!

Please check this out!!!

Autism Speaks created a music video of the Five for Fighting song, "World", which features images of autistic children and their families. It is a truly moving video and was the work of Bill Shea.
The band is generously donating $0.49 to Autism Speaks for each time the video is viewed - the funding goes toward research studies to help find a cure. When you have a moment, please visit the link below to watch the video and pass it along to your friends and family. They are aiming for 10,000 hits, but hopefully we can help them to surpass this goal. Click here to check out the video!

This is what I was working on today:
I love this photo. Its kind of a simple lo, but I like it. This photo speaks alot to me actually. It shows how far my sisters and I have come. I remember how we used to beat the crap out of each other and teased each other and just genereally annoyed each other. But now, we shop together and talk on the phone and complain about husbands and kids and friendship. We may still argue and fight and call each other names, but only we can do that. If anyone else does it they'd be dead. Anyway, I did it for a challenge for this site. Check it out - it looks like it'll be alot of fun!

It seems that for success in science and art, a dash of autism is essential. -Dr. Hans Aspberger

Happy Easter!

Well, how is your Easter weekend going? I hope you are all having a great weekend. I LOVE Easter. Its the foundation of my faith and I love all the weekend festivities that it entails. Look what my kids just did:
We also got some sad news yesterday. A friend from back home was killed in a car accident on Good Friday. She was so young - only 25 and married a couple of years. She swerved to miss an animal on the highway and ran into a bridge abutment. She was killed instantly. Its so hard when someone so young is killed. I held my dh and kids and gave them an extra big hug.

I hope you all have a blessed Easter filled with lots of chocolate and fun!

Changes

So, we have been living in Edmonton for 10 1/2 years now and boy has the cost of living gone up here. It is unbelieveable what people will pay for a house. So, Chris and I have begun looking into moving back home again. Chris has applied for a couple of MPI Investigator and Auditor jobs. Keeping our fingers crossed - I think at this point it would be a good time for us to go back to Winnipeg. The kids would really thrive there - Kiana and Malachi's biggest improvements always seem to come after a summer in Winnipeg. It would be extremely difficult to leave our church family and our friends that we have made here, but at this point we need to think and do what is best for our family. We can still afford to live in Edmonton right now, but for how much longer?! It won't be long before we can't do it on Chris' income. And even though the kids aren't home anymore, Kiana's anxieties don't allow for me to have a job because we never know what her days at school are going to be like and when I am going to get a call to go pick her up because of her inability to cope. So, that's where we're at. Kinda scary to think about, but exciting at the same time. I'll keep you updated as we know what's going on!

Happy Monday!

Man am I tired! It was such a busy weekend, but alot of fun. My parents flew in on Thursday morning for the weekend and they left yesterday. We had to cram a TON of stuff into just 3 days. They flew in Thursday at 7:30 a.m. and took us out for breakfast. We took the kids to Chuck E Cheese for a birthday party for Malachi - a little late, but he wanted to celebrate with Oma and Opa. Did I tell you how much I LOOOOOOVE Chuck E Cheese(can you hear the sarcasm? ) Oh well, once a year for the kids is okay.

Friday we spent the day at the West Edmonton Mall Waterpark. Malachi loved the wave pool. Kiana was a little more wary and wasn't all that excited about being there. We couldn't get Malachi out of the water. Kiana was content to sit on her chair and watch us all play.

My parents spoiled Chris and I as well. They gave us money so that we could go out for dinner and my mom also took me shopping for some spring clothes. All in all, a pretty exciting weekend. But I am sooooo tired - I need sleep to recover from it.

Poor Kiana tho - she always has such a hard time when they leave - so we have lots of tears this week because we miss Oma and Opa so much!

So, this month is Autism month. Go over to Technique Tuesday and buy your autism stamps and support the cause.
Well, I hope you all have a wonderful week - got a couple of projects on the go and get my house back to normal now that my folks are gone. And today is the perfect day for it because its cold and snowing. UGH - I wish that spring would finally come.

On that note, I would love to know three things that you look forward to in spring - what do you love about spring? What can you NOT wait for?!

Here are 3 things I LOVE about spring:

1. Blooming flowers
2. The smell of the first cut grass
3. The sounds of birds chirping thru my open window as I am just waking up.

Ciao for now!