happy pumpkin day.

it was a good one.
jaxon had a great time.
me too.
now i'm soooo tired.
long day.
time for bed.


here is the ninja in all his glory.
i was alble to put an undershirt, long-sleeve turtleneck and a sweater under this bad-boy of a costume. so he made for a chubby little ninja. he didn't mind. and he was warm and cozy. and yes, he sucked on the mask we made him out of a t-shirt. you should have seen it by the end of the night. he showed off ninja moves, said trick or treat and thank you and have a super happy halloween to almost every house we visited. and we now have way too much candy for one household to have. next year, my goal will be to actually carve some pumpkins (oh the shame) and experience a little more of the lead-up fun prior to the day. but for this year, the day was just perfect for us. g'night.

happy place

wanted to share my happy place from last night.
so happy.
today, monday, at work...not quite as happy. but trying ;)
had a g-chat w/ g1 today...she will be landing in vancouver in just 7 sleeps.
i can't wait!!!!!!!!

tonight

i did a little blogging.
checked up on online friends and aquaintances and people i just admire.
i really enjoyed my time doing that tonight.
i wanted to throw a post up before bed to document that.
to document that, and the fact that i'm glad i have a blog.
there's lots of changes it seems in the blogging world lately.
i've seen them here and there...around and about.
but for right now, i wanted to just be thankful for blogging,
for what it's brought to my life, others' lives.
i feel really grateful for being able to connect to so many people this way.
it's really wonderful.

small things

I'm trying to appreciate the small things in life...looking at the glass half-full and all that. When I was a teenager and in my early twenties, I was a pretty pessimistic character, and pretty damn miserable, to boot. It still takes effort to remain positive and productive, even after lots of practice. But I can certainly say that as the years pass by, making the effort is worth it, and that my life is a happier place to be.

So, small things:

1. While I don't have the luxury of being a stay at home mama, I have a job flexible enough that it will allow me the day off tomorrrow to accompany Jaxon's class on a field trip to Science World. I can't wait!
2. While we don't have a receptionist and it's proving very difficult to find one, being more involved with the customers on the phone is reminding me that they are human beings and not just dumb people who can't follow instructions and try to make that your fault.
3. I've been watching a huge tree outside my office window turn from green to yellow over the last week...it's gorgeous.
4. Black cherry vanilla coke. Yum.
5. Carmex lip balm.
6. I think yesterday I banged my head on something and then realized if I hadn't done that then something good wouldn't have happened, but right now I can't remember what that thing was, so I'm thinking that maybe I'm wrong. I don't know, but at least that thought made me smile when it came to me.
7. A cute rubber pig that one of my neices left on my desk months ago and so it's stayed with me. It's tiny...like 1/2 an inch tall and maybe 1 inch in length. I wish I had my camera to take a cute little picture of it, but it's cute, trust me. It's like my pet now.
8. Rescue Me last night...watched with D and we both laughed our asses of. I love Dennis Leary.
9. Glysomed glycerine-silicone-camomile hand cream. It's the bomb-diggity.
10. Pho for lunch today.
11. ANTM on tonight. Guilty pleasure #75209037.
12. Grey's Anatomy and ER tomorrow. Guilty pleasures #75209038 and 75209039.
13. Scrapbooking, painting art, generally getting messy and creative while participating in above-said guilty pleasures.
14. Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro. Newish find. Yum.
15. Re-discovering a bunch of classical music CDs that my dad gave me years ago. I must be getting older. I actually appreciated the couple I listened to yesterday.

Holy smokes...I started and I just couldn't stop! I suppose I should quote Ms. Stewart...

it's a good thing.

kit lovins.

I can now say with confidence that I love kits. I used to be bothered by them. I'm sure I've said this before, but now I just go with the flow and do whatever I want. I'll add to them...but I try not to. I've FOUND the versatility that I NEED when I scrap. I can use a little and not worry. For this reason, kits are really cool too...you can make them last and last. They contain little random bits of a bunch of stuff (eg. ONE little pad of journalling spots...without having to buy the whole set). Anyway, I'm done my little "I love kits" speech now. Here are some pages I made with the Memory Creators November kit.

The photo in the bottom one was me buttoning up my oldest sister's dress before her highschool graduation. One of my most favourite photos ever. My dad took it. I printed an extra one when I printed a large one to use in her birthday present. (the 60s party, on a side note was AWESOME...i forgot my camera *gasp* but lots of people have great photos that i'll have to steal and share).

Friday...and I'm so thankful.

Same as every week...Friday comes along and I'm happy happy happy. I wonder if that means I don't like my job anymore? I hadn't really looked at it from that perspective before.

I am excited to play with some new stamps I got...I'm excited about a new project...I'm excited to scrapbook with the November kit from Memory Creators...I'm excited to make my sister's birthday present (her birthday is...uhm...tomorrow)...I'm excited to be @ home tonight w/ my boys and go for ice cream. I'm excited to sleep in later than 6:30 tomorrow morning...I'm excited to watch The Notebook and maybe even Love Jones (again) on my laptop while I scrapbook. I'm excited to drink my coffee tomorrow morning in front of the computer at home...I'm excited to get ready for (and attend) my sister's 40th birthday bash...60's style.

And I'm also excited to share this week's dare...brought to you by the one and only Laura Kurz. Love the girl and her style. Memorabilia y'all...scrapit. Dangit.


The scan is horrible terrible no good very bad day, I know, but it's a lumpy page...forgive me. The memorabilia bits are from the box of Freestyle books I got way back when. I kept them, knowing the opportunity would present itself to scrap 'em. Dotty line rubons by Fontwerks, sticker strip thingy by 7Gypsies, the canvas flowers are AL and the round circle stamp is Lazar StudioWERX. Hmm...interesting. There's more stuff on this page than it looks like.

OK over and out and have an awesome weekend!

it's so dark

in the mornings...definitely fall...all foggy and chilly and misty and spooky. We're going to figure out Jaxon's Halloween costume this weekend. When I suggested making a bionicles costume for Jaxon, he thought perhaps we should see what they have at the store to buy. Hmph. Yee of little faith.

My oldest sister Rhi is turning 40 on Saturday. To celebrate her birth in the hippie-lovin 60s, there will be a bash like no other. She's been ordering peace necklaces, John Lennon glasses in all hues, elastic flower beaded children's necklaces to wear as headbands, tie-died bandanas, lava lamps, and beaded curtains off the internet for like 2 months. She's putting her children in a hotel with a babysitter. She's got drinks planned to last for years. It shall be fun, I'm sure.

I'm really excited. I signed up for ARTistry, happening here in beautiful BC in March. Three full days of classes taught by Donna D, Claudine Hellmuth, and the one and only AE. I can't wait. I've only taken one class before in my life, and this will be around 18 hours of them in 3 days. Plus, I get an extra day off work to go play with a bunch of like-minded people. Yeah baby.

OK gotta work. Mmmmmmwah!

Oh and PS. So the movie wasn't exactly what I was expecting. But I enjoyed it. And it fully solidified how much I love Vince Vaughan. And I loved just hangin on the couch with my babe and I didn't even fall asleep. Money.

dust yourself off

and try again.
ebb and flow.
ups and downs.
all that jazz.
tonight me and the man have a date with the couch.
and vince vaughan and jennifer aniston.
and maybe some chocolate cake.

it was such a monday

Ugh. My anxiety levels were through the roof today. All I wanted to do from the minute I crawled out of bed was crawl back in and sleep the day away, cocooned up in a safe place of warm blankets and cozy pillows. And rest for my body and brain. I don't know why some days are like that...they just are. Sick. I hate it...I'm discouraged with it, I'm frustrated by it. I don't understand it and I don't even really care to. Blah.

I pushed through the day, slowly but surely getting through. I saw Dr. M and she was fabulous as usual, going to check up on me soon. Hoping things start to work soon. I got home and crawled into bed. Neither my mind or body would let me really rest, but I think I got a small cat-nap in.

The boys came home and brightened my mood. Brought my energy levels up. I built Star Wars Lego with J until dinner. Tacos. Made by Dren. Yum. Then, more Star Wars tacos along with Project Runway. There were some good parts of this oh so Mondayish Monday. There were.
Gotta remember that.

lazy(ish) sunday

The morning started off with us waking up to the sound of rain falling on leaves outside our window. It is one of my favourite things, for sure, to hear that sound. So relaxing.

The first thing out of Jaxon's mouth was "dad, you'll never be like the hulk."

D got up and made coffee. I got up and poured a cup and cleaned the bathroom.

Checking emails, tidying, J playing with all his new birthday booty, D grocery shopping...I'm getting ready to vaccuum.

Leftover Chinese in the fridge.

I have a movie from the Toronto Film Festival and I'll set up my laptop over at the table and more than likely play the rest of the day away.

Perfect Sunday.

free hugs

Fridays make me happy. They just do.

On this particular Friday, I have some sharing to do. Oh, and I've done a bunch of stuff with that 2906 album that I need to scan in.

First, Free Hugs. This video is totally warm and fuzzy. Guaranteed to make you smile. Check it out.

I'm in obsessive love with new rubber from Lasar StudioWERX. We're talking Polaroid Transfer Edges, Flourishoodled swirlies, and Evidence Sketches with lots of places to fill in the blanks, to be exact. They speak to me and make me want to make stuff. Those are the best kind of products, in my opinion. Once again, I find myself at work, thinking of new, freshly mounted rubber stamps strewn about my table and what I can make with them ASAP.

This page had been brewing in my head for a few days. Reflecting on my mini-break from cyber-land and thinking about how I was feeling. Remembering how therapeutic scrapping is for me, and trying to make sure I document everything I think is significant.


This page is for this week's Dare. To use wrapping paper on a page. Totally fun...and man...there is some kick-ass wrapping paper out there! So make sure if you ever get something wrapped in cool paper, save it. And use it on a page. Even a smidgen.

Tomorrow is Jaxon's birthday party. 12 krazykids running around in their white glowing t-shirts with bowling balls. The little ones. 5 pin I think it is? Yes, I'm obviously an expert bowler. Wow. That's a whole lotta children. Any suggestions about glow-in-the-dark-bowling photos? Right then.

I'm really excited about seeing G1 in November. She sent me her flight dates today and I can't wait to squeal and run up to her and give her a big huge i-love-you-and-i-know-your-life-has-sometimes-been-the-shits-over-the-last-little-while-but-here-we-are-and-i'm-glad-you're-my-friend kinda hugs. So you get ready for that missus G1! You and your bum!


And that layout was made entirely with the October kit at Memory Creators. Oh and of course with the addition of a teeny bit of Fontwerks georgeys because i love george. And staples. I love those too. And they didn't come in the kit.

And now, my friends, I think I have spent long enough away from actual work (as opposed to the pretend work I'm doing right now). So back to it.

Love and peace and happy weekend to all.

almost back

Today, I am feeling a LOT more sane than I was. Today, I am feeling motivated and energetic and happy. I'm not totally back, because I do have a lot to share and yet don't quite have the time. One step at a time. But I have been surfing a little bit, getting inspired, and I have been busy getting stuff organized. I went through papers and artwork and purged. A LOT. Last night, my sister Aley helped me sort through two drawers of wasted space in my very useful vertical drawer thing that I'm hoping to actually put to good use soon. I'm learning to make small, attainable goals and take one day at a time. It will be a life-long process, I'm sure. I've also been doing a little bit of really fun scrapbooky stuff.

However, the REAL reason I'm compelled to post today is because my little boy is finally 5. He's been waiting (not entirely patiently) for this day for a long time. He's already enjoyed some birthday lovins in the way of lego that turns into 6 different vehicles, amazing amounts of dragons and dragon stuff, and a book about a cobra that has a model built right into it. from grandpa, granny, gramma Anne and auntie Aley. Glow in the dark bowling will commence Saturday at 11:30am. Lucky, beautiful, 5 year old boy. I love you.

going on hiatus

As piles of paper and child's art continue to encroach upon my living space and virtual piles are encroaching upon my brain, and the busy-ness is not going away, I've decided I need to cut back on some things. I'm going to be officially neglecting my blog for a little while. I figure if I make the decision to just be less present online I can get caught up in other areas of my life. Like a big fat purge and some deep cleaning at home. Like projects. Like mail that needs to be sent. Then, I'll be back. With a vengeance. I'm thinking that I'll probably miss blogging and surfing so much that it will motivate me to get all caught up. What do you think? Do you think I can do it?