Chaotic Creativity

It's always amazing to me that I can actually get anything accomplished in such a mess... but I do! And I'm also amazed when I see my crafty friends' organized craft spaces, and that they seem to have the time and patience to put things away as they use them. I can't work that way when I'm stamping... I need everything out and within arms reach at all times. Maybe it's because I have no plan when I start, and they do?? And somehow I (mostly) know where everything is.




Today I'm working on my Christmas Card workshop cards, and this is what I've come up with:



I may tweak them a bit but I think they're okay... what do you think? Comments? I have a couple of "virgin" stampers coming, as well as experienced ones so it's always a challenge to come up with cards that cater to everyone. I'm excited about Thursday night - it's been a long time since I've had a Card Night here and I've missed playing with my friends!! Better go out and get a big bag of Ju Jubes for the party - they're a staple for these kinds of nights!

In memory of a beautiful girl

We had just moved to Deep Cove, and Simon was just 7 months old. We were in need of a babysitter and one day I noticed an ad at the Deep Cove store, from a young girl who lived just down the road... "I love kids and I want to be your babysitter!" it read. I was nervous leaving my baby but I took a chance on Megan, who was a shy, very sweet young teenager. That was the beginning of an 8 year babysitting relationship, and during that time our family grew and so did Megan... into a beautiful, confident young woman. She still enjoyed babysitting even though she had a job at Safeway and went to college. We haven't needed her much over the past few years, as we don't go out much. But the kids would always want to stop in at Safeway, to the meat counter and say HI to Megan. She joined me for Card-making nights and sometimes brought her friends, grandma or mom. A lovely girl.

Today I bumped into Megan's mom while Ruby and I were going for a walk. I cheerfully said "hello" and asked how she was doing... tears welled up in her eyes as she told me that one morning, 2 months ago, Megan never woke up. She had died in her sleep and they don't even know why... they say perhaps it was similar to SIDS for adults. Her heart just simply stopped, at 22 years of age.

I am so very sad today. And when I tell the boys after school, they will be too. We will miss you Megan.

Halloween

Halloween cannot start before we take our annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch. The weather was terrible so I was worried that a) we would never find a time to go when it wasn't raining, and 2) once we got there, would all the pumpkins be rotting in the field?? Well, I managed to find a time right after school one day to get them to the patch before it rained again, and even though some of the pumpkins were gross, there were still plenty of nice ones to choose from.

Cameron insisted on finding the biggest one he could. Isn't there a rule out there that says "if you can't carry it, you can't take it?" I somehow forgot about that rule, or maybe I was flustered by the constant whining, so I gave in and lugged the pumpkin to the wagon for him, getting my coat muddy in the process. Simon found a nice medium one, Ruby found a perfectly round little one, and we got a few assorted fun ones to look at and/or eat.


I left the photo-taking in Rodger's hands on Halloween, so we have 2 dark photos where you can hardly see what their costumes are! Oh well. Simon is a wizard, Cameron is a bat and Ruby is a ladybug.

We trick-or-treated with the neighbor kids behind us, and had a great time!! We managed to hit about 15 houses, which is alot given the distance between each house around here! And since there are very few kids in our neck of the woods, our kids benefited greatly with huge handfuls from each home. Ruby even ended up with more than the boys because she chatted and charmed each neighbor... as she loudly announced "I'm a ladybug!" and "I have 2 lollipops already" and on it went. After a leisure hour we headed to the bonfire and fireworks at the fire hall.

Halloween seemed to last from Friday to Sunday this year. It was a fun evening but I'm sure glad it's over for another year!

This and that for October

I don't know what I've been up to for the past couple of weeks, but apparently I was busy enough NOT to post anything. Let's see if I can remember some stuff...

Cameron's Grade 1 class is finally on the mend after having a lousy beginning. Long story short: his new teacher (who was also new to Deep Cove) ended up being sick all of September, except for maybe 5 days? As a result, he had a different teacher literally every day for the first month, which caused alot of anxiety with some of the kids and parents. (Cameron was fine, I was not!) So anyway, after 5 weeks of craziness, sick teacher when on leave of absence (no reason given) and we now have a lovely new teacher who is working out just great so far! I cannot wait for parent-teacher interviews next week though, it should be interesting. Other Cameron news: He lost his first 2 teeth within a few days of each other. Very exciting indeed, and I just love his goofy little smile!

(Yes, I do have 2 other kiddos: Simon and Ruby are fine! Nothing earth-shattering to report, which is good! :-) )

I hosted a Jolica Jewellery party and just received the order yesterday. Awesome, fairly traded jewellery, handbags, scarvs.... I love everything about this company's products and what they stand for. If you're interested, check out their website! http://www.jolica.com/

Neil, Shihgee, Jade and Sonja came to visit last weekend! We had a fantastic time together... filled with lots of good eating, drinking, playing and just hanging out! Wonton soup, beachcombing, Scrabble, wine, caramel apples, thrift stores, chips, pasta, playing with goats.... all in all, a fun-filled weekend! I hope they don't wait another 2 years to visit!

This digital scrapbooking design customized with Smilebox

Mood Swings

It's amazing how getting a parcel in the mail can significantly alter one's mood!

Today I was feeling a little bummed because I'm suffering from a bit of buyer's remorse... or maybe it's more that I set myself up for high expectations and it didn't work out the way I planned? I don't know.

I finally got a new pair of glasses after wanting a new pair for years. My old ones are 9 years old, super boring and chipped. I didn't want to go boring this time, I wanted some funkiness in my life without breaking the bank or getting tired of them in 3 years. So, long story short: I tried on 100's of glasses before I finally chose the winner... but really, there were only 3 pairs to ultimately choose from because my face is "wonky". Anyways, I get my new glasses, bring them home and decide they are BORING! I went the safe, conservative route again. And I'm disappointed.

I can't see the difference...



Can you see the difference??



So.... on to the mood swing! :-)


I put Ruby down for her nap and decided to go for a long power walk in the rain. On my way home I stopped at the mailbox.... my JELLY ROLL HAS ARRIVED!!! And I love the colours, fabrics and patterns. I can't wait to get started on Cameron's quilt!

I guess I should look at the bright side of all of this... at least I'll be able to see more clearly while I quilt.

Just post it...

I just checked, and I have 3 "draft" posts, waiting to be finished. Why can't I just get them done and move on?? Maybe I keep thinking I have more to say, or a better way to say it, or have pictures to add to the story.... any one of those could be the answer to my procrastination.

So my mom said "just post something"... so here is what I'm doing today, or at least what I'm thinking about these days!

In a few minutes Ruby and I are going to Gramma Jan's house to exercise on her Wii Fit and I'm totally excited about it! There are so many possibilities... yoga, strength training, aerobics, sports....

(oops... have to wipe a bumm.... maybe another reason for the lack of posts???)

Anyway, after that I have to bake some bread and get dinner in the crockpot. I'm going to try a new Weight Watchers chicken recipe - I'll let you know how it turns out.

Speaking of weight watchers, I've starting going back to the meetings as I have a friend who recently joined and is all gung-ho about the program. I am back to being a paying customer because I'm way over my goal weight. Let's just say it was a good summer, with lots of happy hours, cheetos, no exercise, camping food, etc, etc. I am officially busted out of my clothes so I better get back on track because a) I cannot afford to pay WW every week and 2) I certainly cannot afford to buy a BIGGER wardrobe! Augh... why does this have to be such a difficulty in my life? Why can't I be like Rodger and only eat to survive??

I'm madly working on my scrappy lap quilt which I am dying to get done! I'm so tired of looking at those flannel, plaid fabrics!! They have been used in our winter queen-size quilt, a wall-hanging, 5 Christmas stockings, and now the lap quilt... like I said, I'm anxious to be done with those fabrics so I can eagerly await my JELLY ROLL!! I ordered it online and I have no idea how long it takes to be shipped from the U.S., but I hope it's soon because I want to start on the boys' quilts this Fall.

Tonight Simon is going to Cadets and he's so excited!! I think he's the most excited about going to bed late every second Wednesday night, to be honest! It's his 3rd year and unfortunately Cameron still has to wait one more year - poor guy.

Well, I'm out of time because it's time for Wii Fit! And I promise to hit "post" this time!

Off to School

Wow... I cannot believe it's time to send the kids to school today. Summer is officially over, with a BANG... a wet, soggy, bang. No gradual entry into Fall. Yuck.

However, I am trying to find the excitement, because the boys are. Cameron is the most excited about eating lunch at school and having big recess... that's what it's all about for a First Grader after all! Simon is looking forward to being with friends again and is anxious to know who will be in his class this year. Having said that, he doesn't really care that much, because at this point in his Grade 3 life, he doesn't have only 1 buddy that he "needs" to be with... he just enjoys playing with any kid who will pick up a hockey stick or soccer ball and join in the game!

It's going to be an interesting year, with having Ruby all to myself during the day. She's going to really miss her buddies but I'm hoping she'll also enjoy some time to herself, with no sharing of toys! There may be the odd occasion when I may have to actually entertain her though.... yikes. I don't do that.