...don't know when i'll be back again...
well, yes i do. tee hee.
i will be back on the 1st. wednesday.
plane at 2:00pm tomorrow.
since the world is going crazy, i have to be at the airport at 11:00am.
hope to see lotsa fun stuff,
do lotsa fun stuff,
eat lotsa fun stuff,
and JUST HAVE LOTSA FUN!!!
back in 4 days with lotsa pix!
and with two more days off work - yeah baby!!!
bye for now!
IT'S GONNA BE A WILD RIDE!!!!
Countdown to Vegas...
less than 3 days...
1 work day
1 saturday
and not even a whole sunday
i am looking SO forward to meeting people and experiencing vegas for the first time ever.
sooo...a little small itty bit of shopping was in order, yes?
check it...
are we ready?
I think not. Supposedly today is the most depressing day of the year. Here in Vancouver it is gorgeous. Sunny and crisp.
The beautiful weather compelled me to go for a small stroll today. I left work and ventured outside. the breeze and fresh air were amazing. It reminded me of a couple things. One, I do not go for enough walks. Yes, it's been wintery and rainy and disgusting out. But still. I would survive a walk or ten, and probably be way better off for it. I have not found out a way to fit exercise into my life, and it's not good. Two, it reminded me so much of the wonderful clean air and peaceful walks on Saturna. That place is like a sanctuary for me. I feel like a different human when I'm there. Calm. No stress. I sleep like a rock.
Thinking about Saturna makes me think of my mama. Her heart is so hurting right now. My parents have been on a difficult spin for just over a year now. It was shortly after the shit hit the fan with them that I found scrapbooking. Can I just say how insanely lucky that is?? My life has gotten so much better over the last year. I am a better person, a nicer human, a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend. Of course I've got a million issues still...but I'm in a way better frame of mind to deal with them.
While my life has changed for the better due to the therapy of scrapbooking (I am NOT kidding), my parents have been on a long and painful road to...? Who knows what is going to happen. They are both reluctant to let go of 30+ years of marriage without a lot of time, effort, and thought. They know that if they split up they will not get back together.
While I am certainly holding my own pain in my heart (man, I actually FEEL it), I really just want to be there for my mum. She is just so sad. And that makes me so sad. I want to be where she is. I want to hug her and take her pain away. I know that's not possible. I know she has to go through this. And is she ever the epitome of strength. Holy cow. I tell her I'm here, I listen when she speaks, and I try to bring some sunshine into her life. I'm glad she's getting stronger. I look forward to the day when they are released...one way or another.
And though I now realize I have no relationship with my father, who I thought I was so close to, I know that will come later. Or not. More than ever, I am focused on the existing relationships. Dren. Jaxon. My mum, sisters, friends. People who I love and who love me back.
We had Vietnamese for lunch today. I got a fortune cookie and opened it at the end of the meal. It said "Look deeply within to root out negative attitudes". Yessir.
That's it that's all. Happy (sunshiny!!!) Tuesday.
this made my heart smile the moment i saw it in j's cubby on thursday.
this made my whole day.
this made my life feel so good.
and then, i found out. i have no brain.
of course, there is a funny story to go along with it too.
you see the ball thingies above two of the heads?
i asked jaxon in the car on the way home..."what is this above daddy's head?"
jaxon: "that's daddy's brain"
me: "oh! wow!"
dren: "what do you think it means that you have no brain?"
sooo...apparently daddy has half a brain, jaxon has a whole brain, and mama has no brain. :(
Loving listening to this man's music right now...James Blunt
Amazing stuff.
Tomorrow's Friday - yipee!
Today was a good day.
I was off work at a reasonable time; yet felt I accomplished a lot.
Came home with Jaxon, who was in a horrible mood.
About 15 seconds after we walked in the door, a neighbour came by with her 3 year old and asked if Jaxon could come play at their house. Um...hell ya!
Dren and I were alone. In our house. At the same time. Wow.
Then he made dinner and I went to fetch Jaxon.
Then it was bathtime. I had some good moments with him today and some not-so-great moments. One minute he loves me, the next he's being a total evil 4 year old.
"Ya!? SO!?" ... "I hate stuff"...<---- now THAT was hilarious ... "well I'm not going to play with you"
Anyway, got him off to bed.
Hopped over to the previously-known-as Dining Room Table to create.
I need to complete my hof entry. Yep. Goin for it.
I have a couple photo swaps in the works and a couple gifts to make.
All the while watching a movie w/ D.
I'm a multi-tasker while scrapping or cleaning. Half-listen half-watch.
And yes, that's why when you ask me to remember some specific part of a movie, I may not be able to, unless it's a favourite and I've watched it twenty times.
Good day. Long...worked hard...but good. I think that's what makes me appreciate its goodness.
Can't share hof stuff, but I can share the page I did tonight for my dear friend Sandrine. What a talented lil scrap this girl is. Her beatiful boys Hugo and Logan...sur la plage.
(sorta like bamboozled but different)
got caught by the lovely erika and the lovely christina and the lovely erin...
4 jobs you have had in your life
1. graphics coordinator for cdmanufacturing (just about as vague as it sounds)
2. legal secretary (now here was a THRILLING job)
3. retail - vintage clothing store (I loved this job but it didn't pay enough...sigh)
4. meat&cheese seller person @ a deli on granville island (which is not really an island)
4 Movies You Could Watch Over and Over
1. heat
2. the princess bride
3. pay it forward (and i cry EVERY time)
4. not sure this counts as a movie but i don't care...sex & the city on dvd
4 Places You Have Lived
1. Vancouver, BC - that's it that's all!
4 Shows You Love To Watch
1. Project Runway (2nd season just started woo hoo!)
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. The First 48
4. Boston Legal (this show is freakin hilarious...looove James Spader and the)
4 Places You Have Been On Vacation
1. down the W. Coast (so, you know, WA, OR, CA), watching baseball the whole way
2. New York (this is my 2nd home but it just doesn't know it yet)
3. Toronto
4. various gulf islands and places around BC
4 Websites You Visit Daily
1. www.leaving-memories.com
2. www.twopeasinabucket.com (i try...i reallyreally do)
3. www.cnn.com
4. all my buddie's blogs and the blogs i stalk :)
4 Of Your Favorite Foods
1. Sushi - bring it ON!
2. coffee (food?)
3. Steak grilled to perfection
4. take out from Nancy wonton house
4 Places You Would Rather Be Right Now
1. @ home making art, hangin w/ my honey
2. New York
3. Saturna Island
4. hmmmm....travelling to all the places i want to check out?
4 Bloggers You Are Tagging
I'm so following April's lead and thinking I must be one of the last losers to do this...shall we end the misery OH I mean FUN here?
FREAK OUT WITH EXCITEMENT WHERE APPROPRIATE!!!!
This is copied directly from Tia's blog because I'm so excited I can barely type...
i am pleased to announce the arrival of a new book by Autumn Leaves, FREESTYLE
featuring the artistry of:
Ashley Calder
Ashley Wren
Brenda-Mae Ong
Chris Ford
Danielle Thompson
Emily Falconbridge
Genevieve Simmonds
Jenn Bertsch
Kelli Crowe
Linda Albrecht
Marilyn Healy
Rhonna Farrer
Severine Decosterd Di Giacomo
Tia Bennett
Zina Wright
Look for this eye popping masterpiece compiled by the amazing Tracy Kyle to be released late February!
THIS BOOK IS GOING TO ROCK YOU SOCKS OFF...IT IS A M A Z I N G (AND THAT'S JUST FROM THE PEEKS WE'VE SEEN...)
I'm so full of love and excitement and tears of joy....I will write later once it's sunk in that this is PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE NOW.
Lately I've often felt that my brain is going a million miles a minute. Thinking about things...coming up with things to say...to myself. Ideas, inspiratioin, words of wisdom...they're everywhere! This is a new experience...I'm so not good at the whole "self-talk" thing. I'm thinking this means I'm actually becoming a bit more aware...of myself, my actions, my thoughts, and the world around me. I believe this is a good thing for one like me - wanting a little change in life. Might as well start with me right?
*brushes from rebel-heart.net
i wish i was snoring!!!
i have come to the realization that i loooove to sleep in winter.
do you know that it has rained every single day since the 19th of december?
i heard that on the radio yesterday...and yep...still raining.
granted...it hasn't rained all day every day since then...but at least a bit...every day.
truth be told...i don't hate the rain.
i don't have to work outside.
i am lucky enough to have a car so i don't get too wet and/or miserable.
i don't hate the rain...as long as i don't have to deal with it too much.
but still...since the 19th of december?
on friday night i had a bad headache when i went to bed (around 12:30)
i woke up early-ish (6:30) and still had the headache.
went back to sleep.
woke up at....11:45!!!!
there is no WAY i could sleep that long in summer.
winter...ahhh...cozy cozy bed w/ our new duvet cover.
mmmm...too bad i'm at work :(
today, i vow to work. hard.
get lots of stuff done.
i want to feel good about my day and my job.
i want to leave my work here when i go home, feeling like i accomplished a lot.
i want to go home after work today and enjoy my family and make some art.
yeeeee haw!
hope everyone has a very happy monday.
a photo shoot of jaxon as a cat.
I asked him if I could take a picture of him as a ghost (because, afterall, that's what he normally is after his bath when the towel drapes atop his head and hangs down around him) but he said no, and crouched down. All bent over. I hear his muffled voice, coming from within the green lump on the floor..."take a picture of a cat. I'm a cat - way down here"
and man...
We just had the BEST bedtime. We read "Dinosaur 123 ABC". It's an old-ish book, resurrected from the shelf tonight. I saw it and immediately thought "hmm...he might actually really enjoy this now". He is full-on (okay, half-way-on) recognizing numbers and letters now. He can recognize numbers up to 39 (his teacher showed me this before Christmas - my jaw almost hit the floor) and the writing is...well...beginning. He still has to ask about lots of the letters, but that's OK. He's so interested - and that makes me smile out loud. I just love his spong-ey-ness right now - it's totally amazing and fun. SO...back to the book. He read it. ALL of it to me. Not entirely exactly word for word...but he recognized each number and then told a story about the dinosaur beside the number. He loooves dinosaurs and knows all these bizarre names that I've never heard before, let alone used in a sentence. A M A Z I N G. Bedtime was so fun tonight.
He's not sleeping yet. But bedtime was fun :)
Off to create. G'night all my lil scraps...
So I did it...really really really trying to NOT procrastinate, although it just oh-so-goes against my nature...sigh...
I wanted to do this page, and guess what...today I actually accomplished that. I bit the bullet, I plunged ahead, I did the scary thing and put the want-tos, the need-tos and the absolutes down on paper, and here it is.
The strips in the library pocket read...
• exercise - get out for walks...(you know it makes you feel good!)
• apologize - be softer - be fair
• kiss & hug my boys multiple times every day and tell them i love them always
• eat healthier foods...cook more
• do something creative every day
• send more cards, write more notes & letters
• live in the moment
Kathy @ Leaving Memories is totally to blame for the inspiration - the "challenge" and the goodies that created this page. I love my DT gig there and it's really pushed me to get creative.
...yep, it is.
I have been WAY too on-the-go the last few days and it's time to settle down and enjoy the last two days of holidays I have...just relaxing and reflecting...scrapping and planning.
Today was a huge waste of a day since I was feeling "icky" and couldn't muster up the energy to do anything at all except for a walk around the block. Now that I'm feeling a teeny bit better and coming out of the funk, I can think about the year to come.
simplify...organize...go for it...love...enjoy life...be happy
I was tying my hair up for the millionth time today because the elastic was pulling on it and hurting my scalp. Once the ball of hair on top of my head becomes loose, it starts to pull. I looked at the elastic - all stretched out with that one part that just holds it together...like the elastic is mostly gone. It's just like the other 3 elastics I MIGHT be able to find if I really really looked for them hard.
1) when the elastic breaks, throw it away
2) when you don't have many left, buy more
Following those two simple "rules" if you will, would result in me NOT having a million moments where I get irritated because my head hurts and the elastic is all ugly and broken. NOT having those moments would mean me=happy.
Kinda like...on the floor today I found airplane headphones. I didn't know where I should put them that I might actually find them should we happen to fly on the same airline again (having been on a plane like 2 times in the last 5 years). I couldn't think of the right place, so I threw them into the semi-hidden corner of my bedroom. Is this the home for the headphones? NO. I thought about throwing them away, but then I thought...wasteful. I don't like to be wasteful. Is that why I keep half the crap I keep? Probably. What does keeping the crap do for me? Not much, except irritate me when it's cluttering up my space and then when I can't find a home for it. Here is a HUGE goal for me for this year, which I honestly believe will make me happier...
CLEAR THE CLUTTER
IT WILL MEAN I CAN CLEAR THE MENTAL CLUTTER.
For me...all the STUFF that I honest truly don't need is stressing me out!! Really...it's affecting my brain...the way I think, whether I can get motivated.
What is still good and useable will be going to Big Brothers, a local organization that collects used goods (clothing, household stuff...pretty much anything sell-able) and uses the money to fund their organization. They phone and tell you when they'll be in your area and come to pick everything up. No more "oh, I'll have a garage sale" or "someone might want this" or "i think i will definitely use this soon". No more of that!
K...enough ranting for now. I'm looking forward to doing my reflective/soul-searching/goals page (thanks Kathy!).
