Merry Christmas to YOU!!

Wishing all my wonderful friends and family a very Merry Christmas! Peace, love, health and happiness for all!

Love Char

Christmas Eve Setback

Christmas Eve is a busy day in general for people. We usually have an easygoing day, but still full with traditions - we bake, watch White Christmas, Christmas stories and family time.

I was baking a ham, Sean's fave, and getting things ready when Sean yelled for me to grab a bucket. Out of the hood of the range water was trickling out - at a fast pace I might add. This is not something we needed - especially on Christmas Eve! We have had a lot of snow and it was raining out. I thought we were going to have serious water damage somewhere but was trying to maintain calmness.

Sean removed the hood of the range and found.......

....yes, that is a birds nest. The whole time I kept saying, "Please dont let there be a bird there, please don't let there be a bird there!" No bird, just some feathers.

We cleaned it all up and in the process I found TWELVE cookbooks that I haven't looked at or used in years. So they will be freecycled. But more importantly, no more leak!!

We didn't get around to watching White Christmas because we were behind "schedule". Still lots of wrapping to do. White Christmas will need to be another day.

Happy wrapping, happy santa tracking, happy night to you!

Laughing, Scrapping and more Laughing

I spent a fabulous day in Mississauga with two freaking fantastic women - Lee and Cyn!

Cyn came up from Georgia to visit her family in Guelph so we HAD to plan a scrapbook day! We went to this store called Scrapalicious - if you haven't been there, you MUST check it out. It is a husband and wife team. We had the pleasure of scrapping on a day when the hubby was there - his name is Mike. He is wonderful! He actually did me a HUGE favour of picking up a movie for me that I had forgotten to buy, which meant I had to do it on Christmas Eve - the WORST day to shop! But he had errands to run and said it was no problem!! How sweet!

OK, back to my girls. It is so amazing to me when women can get together and talk....about ANYTHING. Nothing is ever off the table, our conversations are always so frank and we can throw out opinions with no holds barred and still laugh and smile with each other - even if we dont agree! We even talk about taboo subjects - politics, religion, money, you name it, we can discuss it! It is so refreshing.

Our intention of the day was to scrap together. But I think we gabbed and laughed more than anything! We were there 7 hours and I got one page done - LOL. Regardless, it was so much fun.

And of course, there were Christmas gifts! I love the reactions I was able to capture from them!

For Cyn, I got her the Tonic Border Punch set that she has been wanting and had on her wish list. I think she was surprised.....what do you think?

And for Lee, hers was a non-scrapping gift (perish the thought, eh?!?). A couple of months ago, Lee had a tragic event occur in her kitchen - her pampered chef food chopper passed on in an accident LOL And when we had stayed over for dinner one night, her thermometer joined the chopper. So I had been hoping neither had been replaced - luckily they hadn't! So I bought Lee the chopper, a thermometer, mini recipe book and a "Believe" ornament.

Now, I already knew what Cyn was bringing for me, but to see it in person is much different than a webcam. LOL. Cyn made me a beautiful altered "C" and an altered notebook for my sketches and quotes!! They are beautiful! She also gifted me a sketch magazine now that I have been sketch cured! Lee also gave me a wonderful generous gift certificate to Scrapalicious, which I had NO trouble using thanks to the enabling! My sincere thanks to you both.

Here is a pick of my presents:

And here we all are! The cupcake pillow is there because that is the store logo.

I was sad to see our day together come to a close. We had so much fun and I didn't want to leave. But we were getting hit with another snow storm so we needed to head out. It took me 3 hours to get home, but it was so worth it!!

To my Cyn and Lee - thank you for a wonderful day, you are true friends and I just love ya!

My Boy and Santa

A Family Tradition

Every year my family carries out a tradition. We have dinner and we hang our "Name Balls" on Mom's "Do not touch" tree. Santa does not visit this tree, it is only for admiring ;)

My sister Dawn and I have balls (I usually call them bulbs, but people think I mean lights), anyway, we have balls that are dated 1982. That seems like forever ago! We all also have personalized balls that we hang.

My ball from 1982

Everyone gathers in the living room and one by one, Mom calls your name and you hang your ball on the tree. There is often competition to have your ball front and center, or at the very top!

Jonah loves when his name is called!

Jonah shows off his name ball.

Jonah hangs his beside his Momma's ;)

Jonah also loves to watch Papa's special train run around the Christmas Tree. And of course, we have to have a family picture for the scrapbook!

Christmas is such a magical time and it is my favourite time of year. Sometimes traditions fade and it really is a shame. Whatever traditions we have with Jonah, I want them to last and be meaningful, just like my family traditions growing up were. I remember my Dad reading to my sister and I on Christmas Eve. The last time we did this, I was 22 - YES 22!! It was the year before I was married. And in all honesty, I really miss it.

So here's to all family traditions! May they be passed on thru all generations.

Do you have traditions? I would love to hear about them!

Sweet Gesture = Mail Present for me!

What a pleasant surprise I had in the mail today. It has been a yucky week with me having this chest infection and feeling so drained and just plain BLAH. But today I had a great pick me up!!

In the mail was a package for me!! It was a very thoughtful and generous gift from Kari Ann, whom I had met at Feeling Scrappy. Kari Ann has been one of the very talented gals who have inspired the change in my scrapping style. She is also so very sweet and I miss the daily chat with her!

So what was inside, you ask?

THIS!

A FISKARS Leave it to Weaver Border Punch!! How great is that!!

Kari Ann knew I had wanted this punch (after she enabled me on it! LOL) and she went out and picked it up for me! I knew it was on its way because KariAnn needed to know where to send it, but it was still a nice surprise for me today.

So thank you Kari Ann! I promise to make a wonderful layout and send you a picture of it!!

MWAH!!

I missed the moment :(

I am such an idiot. Maybe I can blame it on being sick, I don't know.
I had created a special video message for Jonah from the big guy - SANTA.
It was offered thru Sympatico and it was free of charge. Even better, it was personalized. You put in your childs name, province, age, something he wants for Christmas and something he did this year (i.e did well at school, listened to Mom and Dad). Then you upload a picture and voila! It was the cutest video.

Here is the link to Jonahs if you are interested in viewing it:http://portablenorthpole.sympatico.msn.ca/watch/4132cfd83859930ca6a2821c3e81e1f9

Anyway, Jonah was so surprised! So excited! The look on his face was PRICELESS!!! And guess how I....Char....the one who loves to scrapbook......the one who takes pictures of EVERYTHING....c'mon....guess how I captured the amazing moment......give up?? Well, I'll tell you...... I FRIGGIN DIDN'T!!! UGH! I am so mad at myself. I was so excited to show him that I didn't grab the video camera and I didn't grab my digital camera. What the flying frig was I thinking?? Apparently I wasn't.

I hate not capturing those moments.

Sigh......

Just one thing to say.....

Being sick... SUCKS ASS LARGE!!!

That's all...just had to say it.

Just Fabulous!

Adding a twist to a famous quote by Coco Chanel, "A Blog should be two things - Classy and Fabulous".

My friend Shirley has bestowed upon me the Fabulous Blog Award! Thanks Shirley! I think I will need to get a new pair of shoes to go with my new fabulous award!

Here are the rules for this Award.

#1 - You have to pass it on to 5 other fabulous blogs in a post.

#2 - You have to list 5 of your fabulous addictions in the post.

#3 - On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.

So here are my 5 Fabulous Addictions:

#1 - I am addicted to my husband and son. Some may find this crazy, but I miss them every moment. I think about them all day at work, anywhere I am without them.

#2 - I am addicted to Scrapbooking - I love it, everything about it. The pictures, the memories, the creativity, the circle of friends - it just rocks!

#3 - I am addicted to Jelly Tots candy. I blogged about these before. LalalaLOVE them. Unfortunately, they no longer sell them in Canada :(

#4 - I am addicted to TEA - I am doing better on cutting down. I used to drink about 10-15 cups a day. LOVE the tea farmers. In particular, I love my Tetley. It is the best.

#5 - I am addicted to my shows! In particular, Grey's Anatomy! I love this show and get very excited for Greys night. Even have a special dip to eat when it is on!

Now for the nomination of my peer Bloggers (who made this award possible in the first place):

#1 - Cyn

#2 - Carrie

#3 - Brynn

#4 - Nadya

#5 - Trudy

We've been Elfed!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

More of my Layouts

I'm a Freak

OK, so that statement could be taken in so many ways. We all know I am a freak. But I have a new freak title......I'm a.....SKETCHAPALOOZA FREAK!

I just finished the Sketchapalooza 2 class over at Feeling Scrappy. I am so sad this class is over. The women there are so talented, so creative and the friendliest bunch - I wish I could meet them in person! Good news is....there is a Sketchapalooza 3. Bad news is.....I have to wait until March!!! LOL. So until then, I will just keep working on it. I freaked over sketches before, not really getting them. Now, I love them. LalalaLOVE them. My scrapping style has changed so much over this past year and I give credit to Jayne and her team, my creative friends Cyndi and Lee who are always telling me to try something new and step outside the box and all of my blog friends who share their creations with me (Kari Ann, Amy, Becky, Stacey, Megan, Trudy - so many of you!)

Here are some layouts that I created in this class.

For Brynn

Here you go Brynn! My ugly Mitties!

Now, they worked perfectly when I was using them to cheer on my Ry-Ry. And I have to say they are friggin warm - they're just....ugly!

Gratitude - My Mitts!!

Holy Frig, it is COLD out this morning!!
I had to go out to warm up the car because it was covered in FROST! My hands seized they were so cold! I had to go back in and look for a pair of mitties. They are not the most attractive mitts. I actually bought them when my nephew was playing football last year because they were his school colours and they look like pom-poms! But hey, they are warm.

So today my gratitude goes to my ever so tacky, yet warm mitties.
I really should take a pic of them so you can see how tacky.

Gratitude - Choice because of a Friend

As many of you know, I lalalaLOVE scrapbooking. I started out a few years ago with a Creative Memories class and I was HOOKED! I eventually joined as a consultant, mainly to save money so I didnt have to pay retail, but also because I stood by the products. And I still stand by them. So, for the past 6 plus years, I did not look at another companies coversets or pages. I didn't need too as I have ALWAYS said that I will NEVER EVER use a different kind of album for my scrapbooking.

Can you sense that I am about to eat my words??

It took a visit to my good friend Lee's house. Have I ever mentioned that she is just as big an enabler as Cyn (have you seen this? or this?), Jayne (Stickles) and Becky (Threading Water Tool)??

I asked Lee a question about Close to my Heart albums. They are completely different from CM albums. I didn't get the postbound, or the top loading, or the fact that you don't work on pages. Lee gives me the sales pitch on the albums, the features, what she likes, how they work, the benefits and next thing you know - PLUNK - in my arms are 2 CTMH albums and the page sleeve thingys (I'll eventually learn what they are called). Just like that she gifted them to me. I tried to say no, but Lee would have none of it. She wanted me to try them as she thought I would really like them. I think Lee also knew that I would not fork out the dough to just try something. She is beyond generous.

Fast foward 2 months - I am enrolled in a fantastic class thru Feeling Scrappy and I have been using the CTMH albums to keep the layouts in since I am scrapping out of order. And you know what?? I LOVE THE ALBUMS!!!!

Munch, munch, chew, chew - thats me eating my words :)

Now don't get me wrong, I still love my CM albums, but now I have CHOICE!! All thanks to Lee!
There are so many scrapbooking "things" out there and I am not always open to trying them. I am learning! It's nice to have enabler friends ;) Thanks again Lee.

I also have to mention, that this is not the first time I have been a recipient of Lee's generousity. And I am not just speaking of the huge box of scrapbook supplies I have received. I am talking about the gift of her friendship. Lee does not bat an eyelash to help someone out, willing to do over and above, always supportive, always encouraging. I know she has given so much more - and she does it without rules or exceptions! Lee expects nothing in return. And sadly, there are some people who just don't appreciate her generousity, even when they have been the lucky recipient. The fact that someone could say anything negative about Lee is just so foreign to me. In fact, they are not worth the words in my blog.

So, my gratitude to Lee for shedding the light on choice, being an enabler and a fantastic friend!

Keeping it REAL Award

Marie Antoinette Award

"The Real Person Award"

My very good friend Lee, has given me the "Real Person Award"! I am quite honoured to receive this from Lee as she has to be the most REAL person I have ever known. Being real is an important quality and sometimes people just can't handle it - it's unfortunate, because I would rather have the people who can truly be real in my life.

Thank you Lee!

So without further ado . . . I will pass along the Marie Antoinette Award to.....drum roll please.......

Cyn

Jayne

Becky

Sherry

Amy

Stacey

Stacy

I check these ladies blogs each and every day or chat on MSN with them and they are unbelievably real - and other than Cyn, I haven't even met them in REAL LIFE. Funny how you can feel that way about someone who essentially lives in your computer ;)

The award also goes to anyone else who wishes to grab it up and pass it on.
(The rules for this award are to display the icon, and pass it along to seven (7) other bloggers that you feel are real in who they are. )

Be real!

Gratitude - Nov 13th

I have some friends who are not able to be with their significant others everyday due to various reasons - living out of state, serving in the Canadian/American Armed Forces, attending to a sick relative out of town - and I feel for them.
For the last couple of weeks, Sean has been working on nights. If I did not work from home, I would only see him on weekends. That would drive me nuts. I don't know how my friends do it, but I commend them on their strength.
So today, I am grateful for the opportunity to be able to work at home and see my husband everyday :)

Gratitude - Nov 12th

Yesterday, the Daddy of Jonah's little girlfriend Olivia (who lives in England) popped by since he was in Canada for work. He dropped by to deliver a package from Olivias mom Tess. It was full of treats for Jonah, but also for ME!!

Do you remember these candies? JELLY TOTS!!!!

I used to eat these all the time as a kid and also when I was pregnant with Jonah. I absolutely love them! Sadly, they dont sell them in Canada anymore :( But they are sold in the UK!

So there was lots of Jellytots in my goodie bag. I am eating some right now as I type this.

So my thanks today are for my very good friend Tess - who I miss terribly - and her handsome hubby Barry who took time out of his scheduled to bring us the goodie bag.

Thank you so much! MUAH!

Gratitude - Nov 11th

Today I am thankful for all the men and women who fought and died for our freedom.
It is not a holiday here in Canada, but it should be. But I am happy that they are still doing assemblies at schools to teach children about the history and respect. I remember participating in those assemblies and hope they never end.

Feeling Scrappy Challenge

This is a layout I did for the Feeling Scrappy Challenge. Check out the details here.

I am dabbling in digital to give it a try, but I think I will always love the hands on aspect of traditional. Unless of course Tracy can share some of her talent with me! LOL.

Wish me luck! The prize is a free feeling scrappy class in January!

Gratitude - Nov 10th

My Gratitude for today is simple.....US.

Gratitude - Nov 9th

Today, I am giving my love to TEA!! As some of you know, I am a huge tea fan. Can't live without it. Actually, both my husband and I are huge tea fans. I used to drink about 15 cups a day (no wonder I had the shakes often!), but my doctor told me I HAVE to cut down. I am doing a lot better. I have between 3-5 a day. LOVE MY TEA!!

And it can't be just any tea......it HAS to be Tetley Tea.

Now, I am going to have some tea!!

Have a great day!!

For my mom :)

Gratitude - Nov 8th

Today is going to be a difficult day as we are going to see Seans parents who we haven't talked to in 6 years. They have never met Jonah. I dont know how today will turn out, but I am trying to stay positive.
So today, I am very thankful for my parents. I could not imagine not having them in life.

Gratitude - Nov 7th

Today - well, not just today - EVERYDAY I am thankful for my family. They are always supportive, full of love and a part of my everyday being. Here is a picture of us from Thanksgiving of this year.

My thanks to Pain Relievers!

Today, I am thankful for the pain relief medications that we have available to us! LOL. I am so not kidding!!!

Yesterday I went to the gym - did I tell you I joined a gym - anyway, I went to do a workout, a real workout. The kind where you feel like you couldn't possibly sweat anymore and you feel like throwing up. I went with my cousins Pam and Sarah so they could show me some machines. Sarah introduced me to a machine called Hammer Strength or something like that. I think I did 5 reps only! It nearly killed me. I felt like I was hit by a hammer. I assume that is where the name is from! I'm rambling, I know.....anyway this morning when I woke up.....my body and I were NOT friends. I did not like stairs today, lifting, pulling, didn't like moving at all actually. So, I took a pain reliever earlier and also a muscle relaxant. I am starting to feel better. No pain, no gain, right?

Friday morning, I am going back and will keep on pushing.

Wish me luck!

Gratitude - Nov 5th

Today I am thankful that things are going to pick up for my American friends now that Obama will be president! I am beyond excited. I had stayed up to watch the results and I bawled my eyes out. History was made yesterday. I am still speechless about it........

Rock the Vote

Today my US friends are FINALLY ready to go to the polls. Man that is one long campaign. But I have been following it as if I live in the US. I feel the emotions, I feel the needs, I am waiting to hear the final results, hoping that it will be the best choice for my american friends.

I blogged a while ago about the horrible turnout we had for our election. So I am imploring my friends, get out and vote. Take that time, it is important for your country, your well being.

Rock the vote!! Whichever way you are voting, I hope it is the right choice for you.

And I know that whatever the result is, it will be an emotional one. If Barack wins, I will cry. If Mc Cain wins, I will cry. Both for completely different reasons, but still, I know I will cry.

Thinking of my friends today.....please vote and make a difference, have your say. It's important.

Cyn M - Nov 4th

Today's Daily gratitude goes to my friend Cyn.

It never fails that Cyn can make me laugh OUT LOUD while we are chatting on MSN or on the phone. And even though she wasn't aware of my miserable mood, she definately lifted it up. This has happened twice in a matter of days. I just love her for it.

Cyn is a Canadian gal who is living in Georgia. And boy, do I wish that she still lived here! But at least I get to see her in December along with Lee! And thankfully, we still have the means to communicate and feel like we are with each other. Phone, Internet, Webcams - thank goodness for technology!

December 23rd can't come soon enough! I love ya Cyn!

My Gratitude - Nov 3rd

A virtual friend of mine, Sherry has posted a gratitude challenge on her blog. With having quite a few ups and downs lately, I thought this was a perfect challenge to take on. We should ALL do it!

So today, I want to express my gratitude to my cousin-in-law, my very good friend Lianne. We had a wonderful dinner last night and very open conversation. I love that we can talk about anything, express our views, give advice without ever feeling negative about the situation. It is open, honest, full of love and always, best interests at heart when having these frank conversations. I greatly appreciate this true relationship.

Thanks for a great night Lianne! Love you!

Trick or Treat!

Jonah was beyond excited for Hallowe'en. He was bounding around everywhere like he had already gorfed all his candy! Many times we had to tell him to calm down, trick or treat time will be here soon.

We picked him up from school and took him out for lunch. Then home to decorate and carve the pumpkins. The weather could not have been better!

Jonah asked me to dress with him and Daddy so it was a family affair! We went trick or treating with Auntie Bun and Haley and also met up with Tricia, Mark and their boys Jayden and Joshua.

Here are some photos of our day!

A sign from Santa??

This morning, Nana called Jonah to give him some exciting news. My mom saw a reindeer beside her car this morning as she left for work. She thought it would be fun to give Jonah a call to tell him that Santa must be nearby!

"Hi Nana!"















Listening intently to what Nana has to say.....

......could it be true??














*SHOCK* A REINDEER??


















So the talk of the morning at our house before school was...

* Do you think Santa is close?
* Can we go to Nanas to see the reindeer?
* Do you think it will fly to Ajax?
* Can I tell my friends at school?
* How many more sleeps till Santa comes?
* Can Nana tell the reindeer to tell Santa that I really want Mario Kart?

I have 2 more months of this.....gotta love the excitement of a little boy.

6 Random Things

The Rules:
1. Link to the person who tagged you (Menjiness tagged me).
2. Post the rules on your blog (this is what you are now reading).
3. List 6 random things about yourself.
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.!

Ok. Now that we have THAT out of the way...
The Randomness:

1. I have 4 tattoos - My first tattoo on my right side above my hip is a Claddagh. My left wrist is a celtic aquarius symbol. Sean has the same one in the same spot to symbolize Jonah. My lower back has a very unique tiger butterfly and my right foot has script writing that says "Faith, Hope, Charity".
2. I cannot scrapbook or do anything that involves a lot of thought in bare feet. If I can "feel" my feet, I get distracted. So even in the summer, I will bring socks to my crops.
3. I have a huge fear of airplanes. Ironically, I would love to go skydiving. I have no problem jumping out of the plane, just getting in it! Sean was actually going to propose to me on the flight to our cruise, but when he saw the fear in me, he didnt want that to be the memory!
4. I am currently enrolled in a fantastic class on Feeling Scrappy called Sketchapalooza to get over my ridiculous (and unexplainable) fear of sketches!
5. I once entered a contest to win Elton John Tickets in London England. If I was chosen to complete, I would have had to shave my head and colour my head green and keep it like that for a month. I wasn't chosen.
6. I once swam with Dolphins in St. Thomas (I think) and it was the most amazing experience!

Now I tag Lee, Becky, Cyn, Brynn, Jane, Carrie, get going ladies :)

One Year Ago

One year ago today, I was in the hospital.

You may wonder why I would remember this exact date, but it is stamped in my brain because it was such an emotional situation for me. I was having surgery to remove a mass out of my uterus. A mass that was 4 inches in size, a mass that they thought may be a tumor, a mass that could cause me to have a hysterectomy, the mass that caused my miscarriage a few months earlier. On the day of surgery, this mass.......was not there.


How could that be?? I saw it myself on the pre-surgery ultrasound.

To take you back, this is what happened......

Around May of 2007, I was having "woman issues" and went to the doctor to have it checked out. They did an internal ultrasound and told me if they found anything, they would give me a call. No call came, but my symptoms continued to get worse. In July I received a call from my doctor. He apologized that no one got back to me as he had been off himself due to surgery. He was saving his son's life by donating his kidney. I was told there was a very small "lump" in my uterus and I needed to go for another test. I did the test and it showed that the lump was bigger. While having this test, I was asked repeatedly if I was pregnant. I said no because I honestly didn't know that I was pregnant at the time. My body was so messed up there was no way to track. I was in no way regular at the time. I was sent to see a specialist as they were concerned that the lump was getting bigger so quickly. After the second test, they started referring to it as a "mass" and "potential tumor". While waiting to get into the specialist, I suffered a miscarriage. I was devastated, but for some reason felt like I couldn't show that feeling to my family, just because of everything else that was happening and because it happened the day after my friends wedding - where I had been drinking and dancing.

When I did get in to see the specialist, he told me that the pregnancy "didn't have a hope" with all that had been going on inside me. I was sent to another office to have another internal test. So I am now on my 3rd test, all different technicians. The lump was now 4 inches in size. I saw it myself on the screen, I KNOW it was there. I was scheduled for a uterus mapping and put on the priority list for surgery. I had to wait about 3 weeks after the uterus mapping. Finally surgery day approached. I was scared, I was worried, I had so many things running thru my mind. I was afraid it was cancer, I was given that impression with how things were being handled. My family was at the hospital with me, waiting. It was a long day. The doctor came out and said that they were behind schedule and that they had some earlier emergencies and that we may have to reschedule my surgery. I started to cry. I didn't have the emotional strength to wait and go thru the pre-op prep again. I said I would wait as long as I had to. Thankfully, my wonderful surgeon asked the nurses to stay later so he could do this surgery. So in I went.....

I woke up crying and very sore. My doctor said everything is ok and to rest. I was relieved that they had removed the mass.

After being in recovery, the doctor came back to talk to me now that my head was a little more clear. I was surprised when he told me that there was NO MASS! They went in to remove it and it was not there. There were 2 other small lumps that they removed, they took a piece of my uterus out to test for cancer cells and they performed a D&C because of my miscarriage. But no 4 inch mass. Gone. Vanished.

At first I thought, ok, they made a mistake on the ultrasound. But I had tests done at 3 different facilities. I saw it myself with my own eyes! It was not a cyst because those show up as a bubble. This was a mass. A 4 inch mass in my uterus that they were testing for cancer. And now it was gone.

What happened? Where did it go? Was it a medical error? Was it a miracle?

Whatever it may be, I am thankful that it was not cancer. The tests came back 6 weeks later and showed the lumps were benign. Thank God! I went back for an ultrasound, no mass. Thank God again! I don't know what happened, but I know it is no longer there. I can let go off all the bad feelings, bad thoughts, worries. I could finally sleep!

So that is my story on why this date is always on my mind. It was a date that potentially could have changed my whole life. In a way, it did change my life. For the better.

I've Been Featured!

A couple of weeks ago, I received a very sweet email from Jayne of Feeling Scrappy asking me to be the first featured scrapper on her new website!
Isn't that exciting?? I was beyond honoured!
I have come a long way in my scrapping technique and am still trying to find my confidence with it. Being asked to be the featured scrapper has boosted that confidence. The comments people have left on the post are so very sweet and greatly appreciated.
Jaynes site shows a picture of me with my hubby Sean and my sweet Jonah, an interview with me and 2 of my favorite layouts.

I am very proud!!

Here is the site if you want to check it out: http://feelingscrappyclasses.blogspot.com

Thanks again to Jayne for the honour and for introducing me to the wonderful people at Feeling Scrappy.

Politics

For the thrid time in a row, we have a minority government. This does not surprise me since only 59% of us voted!! 59%!! That is horrendous. Here is my take on this - if you don't vote, then shut up. Plain and simple. Everyday I hear of someone complaining about our government. When I ask, did you vote? The answer, 90% of the time is No or there was no point. uh...hello? How do you expect it to change if you don't speak up??
We had 41% NOT vote. That could have made a change. A big change. Perhaps a change that everyone is crying about.

My friends in the US are still going thru their campaigns - man, that must be painful. They only have 2 to choose from. You are either Republican or Democrat. The US campaign, in my opinion, has become a circus. Is McCain too old? Is Obama a muslim? Let's get to the things that matter! Will the candidate you vote for embody the values you are looking for? What is their platform about? Will they address the issues that are important - health care, economy, the war??

Harvard University conducted an interesting study that they are NOT allowed to publish. Luckily newspapers can report on it!
It had 2 portfolios - 1 was the Republican platform, the other Democrat. The portfolios were not titled, they were unnamed, so those participating in the study did not know which belonged to each candidate. For this study, you had to indicate what you were voting before reading the platform. Then they read the portfolios and selected which one would be the one they are voting for, based on what was in their platform.
This is the shocking part - 72% of those who said they were voting Republican selected the DEMOCRAT portfolio!! 21% of those who said Democrat, selected REPUBLICAN!!

What does this mean?? I think people get caught up in what they are "supposed" to vote and don't actually choose for themselves. This is sad!

So here is my 2 cents for my US friends......

1) Please learn from our last election - GET OUT AND VOTE!!

2) KNOW your candidate. Do not choose someone that you do not believe in. Do not choose someone because they will be the first black president. Do not choose someone because they picked a female VP. Do not vote based on race. Do not vote based on sex. Vote with your gut and heart.

Good luck to my friends south of the border. I hope the circus will be over for you soon!

9 Hours

There are a lot of things you can do in 9 hours:

Complete all the laundry

Clean the house

Clean out the garden in the backyard

Pack away summer furniture to prepare for winter

We could have hopped in the car and drove to Boston!

This sunday, we didn't use 9 hours to do any of that.

Instead, we stayed in our jammies, didn't answer the phone, didn't answer the door. Sean, Jonah and I got under the blankets and we played this game - Super Mario Galaxy - for the very first time. Needless to say, we LOVED it! Jonah thought it was so much fun to stay in our jammies and just play the game. We all took turns and laughed the whole day. We play for 9 hours!

So yes, the laundry is still piled up and yes some things should be cleaned up, but those 9 hours of laughter, smiles, giggles and family fun time was just not worth giving up.

Today, not Tomorrow

In the days of the World Wide Internet, there are millions and millions of places we can visit. Being an avid scrapbooker, I belong to a few online scrapbook communities. It is a place to learn techniques, chat, learn about yourself as well as others. You sometimes become very good friends with these cyber acquaintences, sometimes not. But when something tragic happens in the online community, the outpour of love and support is overwhelming - sometimes unbelievable. This week, I saw it happen firsthand.

A fellow scrapper experienced a tragedy this week that no parent should ever have to endure.
Her young son, all of 5 years old woke up sick, throwing up and dizzy. His mom knew something was wrong and took him to critical care. It was found that her young son had a 4cm tumor on his brain stem. He made it thru the surgery, but sadly did not wake up from the coma. He was declared brain dead and was pronounced yesterday with his family at his side. I cannot fathom what this family is going thru.

He was five years old. Only five.
His name was Danny.
Jonah is five years old, same age as Danny.

When I found out, I went upstairs to Jonah's room and lied in his bed with him while he slept. I wrapped my arms around him, caressed his sweet face and watched every breath he took.

My heart breaks for this family that I have never met. I only know Donnann thru the online community and admiring her works of art. Still, I hurt for my cyber friend and her family.

Our little community on the web will be releasing a red balloon in the air from their hometowns at the start of Danny's service. There will be balloons floating all over the world for Danny. He loved the color red because Speed McQueen of Cars was his favorite.
And there will absolutely be a red balloon floating thru the sky in Ajax Canada.

The messages of love, support for Donnann are never ending. Blogs bearing Danny's picture, Status messages reflecting the condolences, people contributing to a fund set up in Danny's name. The outpour from all over the world - amazing to me. I hope that this brings Donnann and her family some kind of comfort. They are in my thoughts.

Remember, appreciate life today, not tomorrow. Love today, not tomorrow. Laugh today, not tomorrow. Do everything today, not tomorrow.

Today, not tomorrow.......

Thanksgiving Tradition

It has become a tradition at Thanksgiving that Jonah and Nana create the centerpiece for the dinner table. We walk thru local greenspaces and pick out some beautifully coloured leaves, wild flowers and pine cones. We make sure we get something of every colour.

Here are some photos of our leaf collection:

The finished product.

Our family picture - my parents, my sister, my nephews, friend of the family, my family and of course, my sisters puppy Zeus.
Hope everyone had a great long weekend!