Leaving... (but not on a jetplane)

Okay, so I know I've been a bad blogger lately, but hopefully this post makes up for it.  I've been super busy, we had a great weekend.  Our house felt like it had a revolving door with people coming and going, but we loved every minute of it.  We were majorly exhausted by Sunday night, but agreed that spending time with friends and family is so important and we love sharing our home with them.  Since we know this life is just temporary, we'd like to spend it making memories, building relationships, and enjoying what our good God has given us here.  I've been spending lots of time with the boys, reading stories, playing games and hugging and snuggling them as we'll be gone for a few days.  Thank you Jaco for taking this photo last night, I don't get many photos of me with the boys as I'm usually the one behind the camera.
 So, like I said, I'm going away.  I'm taking a little trip to the Big City.  Jaco has training for three days in Vancouver, so I'll be tagging along.  I'll have the days all to myself, and I'm totally excited.  Having grown up in the Lower Mainland my whole life, it's kind of embarassing that I don't even know Vancouver all that well.  So I've planned out bus/skytrain routes to some of the key places I'd like to visit/shop.  I'm meeting a friend for one of the days, and I'm so excited to check out "The Drive" and sip caffè espressos while we shop the day away!    Okay, so you're wondering what the suitcase is all about, right?  I thought of bringing some scrapbooking/card making stuff along, but how could I coop myself up in the hotel room and scrapbook when there is a whole city right outside for me to explore?? I'll scrapbook when I get back, I thought.  But then I remembered something that inspired me a very long time ago.  2006 to be exact.  In the January 2006 issue of Creating Keepsakes, Ali Edwards made a very impressive little travel journal.  It was the simplest, coolest thing ever, and I've always wanted to try it out.  So, I've packed a few things in this pretty suitcase I picked up at the BFM, and I'll hopefully have a neat little mini book to show you when I get back!  (and yes, that is really all that I'm bringing, LOL). 

Here are also some photos of Lucas flying his kite at the park the other day.  He's a real pro at this kite flying business.  It was a perfect way to spend an afternoon.

    Well, Ciao Bellas!! I'm off to "Little Italy" in the "Big City"!!

Thank you "berry much"

  I had the chance recently to play with my new stamp set from PaperTrey Ink, "Green Thumb".  I just love it.  There is so much to this set, it is unreal.  For this card I used the small and large strawberries, and stems and the "Thank you berry much" sentiment.  I love the cleanness and simplicity of this one.  The total size of this card is 5.5"x5.5".  I created the dotted background using my Cuttlebug embossing folder "Swiss Dots".  I was able to cover the area of 4.75"x4.75" by running my white cardstock through the Cuttlebug twice, carefully lining up the dots to continue the pattern the second time.  TFL! 

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Timestamp: 2008-05-20 05:56:07 UTC

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Hmmmm, I was in emergency with Lucas all day. I would have LOVED to enjoy the sun instead! Oh well, the kids had a great time playing at grandmas in the pool :)
Posted by: Laura | May 16, 2008 at 10:24 PM 

Congratulations Laura!  Just drop me an email and I will get you your prize asap.  Thanks everyone for participating in my first give-away!  That was fun, I loved reading your comments - I think I'll do it again soon! :)

Sunny Day Give-Away!

Isn't the weather fabulous!??! Bring out the patio chairs and a pitcher of Iced Tea, it feels like summer!!  This is a major cause for celebration!  We've already spent the whole morning outside, it's just beautiful.  Tomorrow we hope to plant flowers and shrubs to get the backyard in shape for summer.  I can't wait!!
So to celebrate this beautiful day, I decided to do a give-away!  Post a comment before Saturday, May 17 at 7pm PST, and you will be entered to win this "Paper Crafting with Photos" publication from PaperCrafts Magazine.  It's a great little magazine full of some very cool and inspiring ideas!  I just happen to have an extra copy here, so I'm hoping someone out there will enjoy it too!  Good luck, and have a great day!

Another double layout

I've been busy scrapbooking lately, and it's so nice to get more of Nathan's album accomplished!  When I took these photos, I already knew what the title of my layout would be.. this really was so "him" at 7 months.  Always with his fingers in the mouth.  Lately I've been asked why I do so many double layouts.  Well, I probably would prefer to do one page layouts, (they are in my opinion easier and quicker!)  however, when leafing through my finished albums I much prefer the look of a two page spread over a one pager.  It just flows so nicely, and is much more pleasing to my eye.  So that's why I do it.  And that's just what I do right now, my style is subject to change at any time, without notice! And that's the beauty of being a scrapbooker... there are no rules - you can do whatever you want for whatever reason.  :)

Asleep on the swing?...

The boys have been hit with more sickies the last few days, and I guess Lucas isn't totally one hundred percent yet.  He begged me today to go outside and play.  He was swinging nicely on the airplane swing, when I noticed the squeaking sound of the swing had stopped.  I looked outside to see him slumped over the front of the airplane.  At first I didn't know what to think... was he okay?  Did he get hurt?  Upon closer inspection I heard snoring.  He had actually fallen asleep while on the swing.  Wow, I've never seen this before!

Papertrey Ink Stamp Set!

I came home to a pleasant surprise this afternoon, my free Papertrey Ink stamp set from the BlogHop challenge arrived!  I picked the Green Thumb set, and I am so excited to ink these up!  I love how cute and versatile this set is.  I'm hoping to make something with these stamps later on today, maybe when the boys are napping.  ;-)  Thank you Papertrey!

Water Slides

Last night I pulled out some waterslide photos from last summer, and put together this double layout.  I was just a few weeks post partum when we went last year, and I still remember laughing hysterically as I got tossed around going down the tube ride.  Whoever said "Laughter is the best medicine" has a good point.  I remember I was feeling a little worn out, trying to establish breastfeeding, not getting much sleep, and still tired from all the changes my body was going through.  Going to the water slides was a turning point, exactly what I needed to lift my spirits and get me enjoying the good times once again.  Lucas loved it so much, he still asks when we can go again.  We are all very much looking forward to going sliding again this summer.  Water slides '08 here we come!

Mom-in-Law card & Nathan

Here's a Mother's Day card I made last night at our Tuesday night craft session.  I used some patterned papers I got from my Secret Pal for my birthday, (thank you whoever you are!!)  and the bird is from the "Birds Galore" Inkadinkadoo stamp set.  The flowers are from Prima, and the sentiments are from the "Women of Life" set from PaperTrey Ink.
Sorry I had to bail "early" on you girls  last night, sleep hasn't been great lately and it's really taking its toll.  Nathan has been waking up two, three times a night.  And last night was no exception.  I brought him in to the doctor yesterday because I thought his ingrown toenail was bugging him, as it turns out his throat was very red.  (Go figure!)  So, the doc had me bring a swab to the lab to check for strep throat.  I'm hoping he'll recover quickly with a bit of Tylenol and Advil.  That's all for today!  I'll leave you with a photo of my Mom-in-law with Nathan.

Springtime Scrappin'

The other night I was sorting and came across a group of photos of Lucas from last Spring.  Back when Jaco kept up our family blog he wrote a little story to go along with this sequence of pictures.  The story is written from Lucas' point of view.  It's really quite funny.  So, I wanted to incorporate it into this scrapbook layout.  I used a picture from a child's story book and some photo turns, to hide the story underneath.  The patterned papers are from Stampin Up! as well as the felt flowers.  The "Spring"  tag is from My Mind's Eye, and the brackets are diecuts from our local scrapbook store.  I embossed 2 inch squares of cardstock with my Cuttlebug, inked them up and adhered them in a row along the bottom.  I love the vibrant colors, reminds me of spring.
Story: ( I know it's long, but it's quite funny if you have the time to read it)

Saturday, June 2, 2007 - submitted by Lucas – 2 years old
It was a warm summer day and Mom and Dad have decided it's time to pull the pool out of the garage.  After some searching we found it bundled and tucked away on a shelf among the rollerblades and hockey gear.  The bright pink, yellow, and green colors gave it away. I'm hoping maybe later this year we can upgrade to a Vancouver Canucks or Chilliwack Bruins pool -- something a bit more “guy'ish”.  Our next problem was finding the right tool to inflate this enormous water bearing creature. Dad soon located the pump that was hanging on the wall nearby, so he pulled it down and handed it to me so I could carry it outside for him (he keeps me busy).

The first step involved getting some instructions from the old man.  Dad was trying to tell me to put my foot somewhere, but I just wanted to start pumping the thing.  This was cool!  It was making all kinds of whistling noises.  Eventually dad managed to get the nozzle into the pool and away I went.. up.. down.. up.. down.. up.. down.  This was a lot of work, so I asked dad to show me how it was done.  It was definitely easier watching him than doing it myself.  I did pose for the camera to prove I had some involvement in the inflation process.

It was slow going, but I knew I'd get there eventually.  For some reason the pool looked much smaller than it was last year.  Dad said it probably shrunk a bit over the winter.

After several minutes of toiling behind the pump I was satisfied to see that all three rings and the bottom of the pool were inflated.  It was now time to fill 'er up.   The hose had a lot of kick on it but I managed to hang on and aim the water into the pool.  Dad stood back about 15 feet (a few weeks ago I "accidentally" soaked Dad when I was helping him wash the truck).  It was only a matter of time before I could relax on my air mattress with cold cup of juice in my hand.

Ahhh... the clear and tranquil waters of the backyard pool.  After about 15 minutes of testing the waters I finally got in at the shallow end and stood there for a while pondering my next move.  I inquired about the diving board, but Dad said that this model did not have that feature.  I'd have to wait until we upgraded.

I looked to my left and saw Dad had gone back to putting up the fence. On my right Mom (who is 8-months pregnant) continues to relax in her chair. I notice the camera has been put away.  The batteries have probably died again.  Life is good... I'm one spoiled little guy.

SO blessed.

Had my 26th yesterday and it was such a wonderful day.  What a huge blessing to hear God's Word preached, have some nice weather, and to be with family.  I never experienced it before, but it was actually pretty cool to have the whole congregation sing to me, we are so blessed with a great church family.  The afternoon was spent at Devisser's, where we heard the very exciting news that Erik & Jete are expecting a baby!  We are so happy for them, we know this is something they've been hoping for.. words can't describe it.  I've been the receiver of many wonderful gifts in the last couple days, but the gift of a new life to Erik & Jete is the one I'm the most excited about.  Praise God!  My kitchen and dining room are turning into a garden centre thanks to all the beautiful flowers I've received.  I also am pretty excited about the gift of Photography lessons from Karen Russell.  Thanks Mom, for making this possible.  I actually got my registration in on time morning!  I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to have my photos critiqued by Karen.  She is very talented.  Classes start June 2nd, for  8 weeks, so you'll be hearing lots more about it, I'm sure. ;-)  Well, that's it for today, so many good things happening in the last couple days, so many blessings.  I'll leave you with a photo of my gorgeous flowers!