Friday Fill Ins - August 28th

Another round of Friday Fill-ins. My answers are in bold!

He was a Democratic Lion. RIP Mr. Kennedy.

Lazy summer days, fresh fruit and outdoor play is what I look forward to most this time of year.

My best friend will forever be a part of my life.

As I hope you would be with me, I promise to be honest with you.

Appearances can be misleading.

The last person I gave a hug to was my Jonah.

And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to seeing the band with my sister, Ian and mom and Dad, tomorrow my plans include Christian's 1st birthday party! and Sunday, I want to rejuvenate and enjoy some family time!

I hope you all have a wonderful Friday!

Oh the things he will say......

One thing I know other momma's have experienced is when your child says something embarrassing at the most inconvenient time. I predict a lot more in my future.

Yesterday I was at my Gyne Specialist (that is another post) and I took Jonah with me as I knew the appointment outcome would be sad. He could be my distraction. It was only for a talk so I was fine with him being in the room with me. I knew there would be no trou-dropping.
Now Jonah has been in many doctors offices that have had graphic posters. He asks what they are and I tell him. I figure it is best to be honest as to not confuse them. On the wall was a poster of a woman's reproductive make-up. It was very detailed. Jonah was staring at it and asked what it was. I told him that was what my inside looked like. Showed him where he lived in my uterus, how he was fed, etc. The poster also showed the baby coming out. Jonah always knew that he grew in my belly, but he never asked how he got out.

Well, today was the day......

I told him that I had some tummy cramps and that I knew he was ready to come out. Then I went to the hospital and had to push him thru the tunnel - which I showed him on the poster.
Now on the poster, as I said, it was pretty graphic. Jonah sees a "hole" and was visably upset. Mouth open and all. He stammers out, "You mean I came out of your Butthole?? Like a big piece of pooh???"
I didn't want to laugh because I wanted him to take this seriously. I should note that I deserve some kind of award for not laughing hysterically!
I assured him I did not pooh him out. I waited for his next reaction.
"No way I came out of the Gina, right Mommy?"
"Well, yes, you did."
"I CAME OUT OF YOUR GINA??" I am sure the ladies in the waiting room heard this.
"Yes you did. Keep your voice down"

At this point the doctor came in and Jonah jumps up and says "Did you know that I came out of my Mommys gina?"
She laughed and said, "I do know that. That is my job."
Jonah looked shocked. "You take babies out of ginas??"
It seemed so unreal to him. Thru the whole appointment and walk to the car, Jonah kept saying "I can't believe I came out of your gina."
He let it go for the ride home....or so I thought. I pull into the driveway and we get out of the car. A neighbour walking by says hello and Jonah tells HIM - "Did you know I came out of my mom's gina?"

Oh, the embarrassment!

I took him inside and told him that if he has any questions, to ask me. I also explained to him that we do not discuss this with anyone else. All I could think of was what he was going to talk about the first day of school!!

Oh the things he will say..........

My Best Shot Monday 8/24

Many of my friends are participating in the Best Shot Monday Challenge. I am often saying that I would like to better my photography skills, whether it be by taking a course or reading photo blogs, etc. When I have asked others where they learned to take great photos, their responses were usually "Keep taking pictures"- so that is what I am going to do! This challenge is perfect!

When I was a kid, I loved seeing these "Hot Dog Bushes". To be honest with you, the real name has escaped my brain. Hmmm.....will have to come back to that......I can't explain why I liked them, they just made me smile.

There is a beautiful conservation area near our house and Hot Dog Bushes are lined up along the pier. Jonah said to me "Those look like those thingies I had at that place that had the, you know, rides and stuff?" - Translation - Corn Dogs at the C.N.E.

They looked beautiful blowing in the summer breeze and it immediately brought a smile to my face. I had to capture them. So glad I did :o)

Bullrushes?? hmmmm......help!

Manic Monday Interview - August 24, 2009

What is the first thing you notice about people? Their smile or their laugh. It always leaves a lasting impression.

What song always makes you happy when you hear it? Oh there are so many. I think anything by Elton John and my boyfriend Bon Jovi is a given, but another one that always makes me smile is "I Swear" which is the very first song Sean and I danced to.

What fashion trend do you just not get? The one where kids wear their pants around their legs so that their whole ass is hanging out showing some ridiculously colored boxer shorts. I do not like the way it looks and I cannot understand how it is comfortable!

Enjoy your Manic Monday! If you participate, please leave me a comment. I would love to get to know you better!

Eating My Words

When I go to my monthly scrapbook class at Sandy's, I ALWAYS learn something new. Usually it has to do with scrapbooking as would be expected, however, last night I learned something not scrappy related!

I have always disliked Crocs, the shoes. Dislike is not a strong enough word.....LOATHE them. They are big and clunky and I didn't understand the rave of comfort. Sean and Jonah have them and they LOVE them. Me, not so much. I swore up and down that I would NEVER EVER own a pair of Crocs. Never.....big.....clunky.......yucky.....croc faced....big.......ugh.

I digress....

At my class, Sandy and her daughter Lyndsay had Sandals on that looked comfy. I asked about them and they told me they were....yup, you guessed it....CROCS! I immediately said, "Oh, I won't like them then" but I still tried them on confident that I would NEVER EVER want them (Am I clear on this point? LOL)

Well.......they were like mini pillows for my feet. Sandals that hug your tootsies. I wanted to take them home. It became my mission to find them. I had to have them....today. Not tomorrow, not next week. T.O.D.A.Y!!

I called a dozen stores but they are all bringing in winter crap. God forbid someone needs sandals during the summer months. Sheesh.....
I finally found a pair at a very local store - yay! They had ONE pair left.

MINE MINE MINE!!!!

Off I went to Sportsmart and picked up a new lover for my feet. The lovers name is Cleo. If you haven't seen the Cleo style, here they are:

I have had them on since I got them. LalalaLOVE them!

Munch, munch, crunch, gulp........that's me happily eating my words.......wearing my sandals of course!

T.G.I.F - Aug 21

I am trusting that the discipline choices Sean and I make for Jonah are the right ones and will help us get thru this "I can have the same bad attitude as other kids" phase.

I am grateful for my friends who offer their unconditional support, love and boost that I need when I am feeling down and struggling.

I am inspired by my Auntie Elaine who reminded me yesterday after I received bad news from physio, that she was told by doctors that she will not walk and have limited use of her arms after an accident. Today she is walking, dancing and living life as she always has - with gusto!

Enjoy your Friday!

Jonah feeding a chipmunk he named Alvin :)

Here are my Friday Fill-Ins for today!

I remember, I remember, every major milestone of mine as well as my family.

2. Dear Uncle Ken, I want you to know that I miss you everyday and wish you were still here with us. You have had a huge impact on my life. Thank you.

3. Is that my ass!!??? Good Lord it is big!!

4. I'm trying to resist the temptation of inhaling the leftover "Sex in a Pan" that is in my fridge. It would also explain #3.

5. I'm saving a special something just for you!

6. If I made a birthday list scrapbooking stuff would definitely be on it!!!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling out, maybe scrapping, tomorrow my plans include a dinner party at the Sy house and Sunday, I want to go to Wonderland, but not sure that will go thru!

The Next Julie Andrews?

I was shocked when I saw this. Love the look on Simon's face. Priceless!

He did it!

Jonah finally conquered riding a 2 wheeler! We took the training wheels off at the beginning of the summer, but we had a tumble that scared him. So we bought some knee and elbow pads to sheild any falls that may happen again. We went to an empty parking lot a few weeks ago and on the 3rd try.....HE DID IT!!

Here is a video of my little riding man!

GO JONAH!!!

I took a leap.....

...and FINALLY signed up for the latest Cathy Zielske class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking.
I know, you are saying, so what's the big deal? You've taken classes before!
True....but the classes I have taken are about scrapbooking in general. Techniques, new ideas, etc.
This class is called ME: The Abridged Version.

Ack!

Panic set in. ME? Why would I want to scrapbook about me, JUST ME? It actually made me nervous. Yes, I often say "I'm Fabulous" (in a joking manner) but come on.....this hasn't exactly been my most fabulous year. I was also concerned about whether I would have the time. Then I had a chat with Lee, who has taken many classes and she offered a very valid point - I would still be learning, which was my goal this year! So I took the leap and registered.

The course is an A to Z of ME. It will be exploring myself. I am generally a "put it all out there" kind of gal, but there is aways more to it than we know right?

I can describe myself in many words, good and bad. But often we see ourselves differently than others. We were given a pre-class assignment to make a tag book with the letters Ato Z and use it to jot down words or phases that characterize me. Ideally, this is going to help in creating the album, assisting with the journalling and essentially giving a true reflection of who I am. I have started to do this, but came across a fantastic idea that would take this to another level.

This is where YOU come in!

I am borrowing this idea from my brilliant friend, Lee who borrowed from her brilliant friend Brenda! Gotta love the land of blogging! To take it to another level, Lee and Brenda have asked family and friends to participate in order to achieve that true reflection.

I would like to ask the same of you, no pressure!
Is there a word that comes to mind when you think of me? A phrase maybe?
Only think I ask is that you be brutally honest! And before you all jump, I already have Bitch under the "B" tag! LOL.

Please leave a comment here or feel free to email me at ohara.c at rogers dot com with your word or phase and why it is, if an explanation is necessary.

I appreciate your honesty and helping me achieve my goal in this class.
I am continuing to strive!

Much Love
Char

Another one gone.....

I was disheartened this morning when I logged onto Two Spotted Dogs (http://www.twospotteddogs.com), an online scrap community and store, to find out that they too are closing and will no longer be making their fantastic monthly kits. The owner Diane has a new career opportunity and she is going for it. Good for her!

If you haven't tried their kits, now is a great time! Diane has marked down a lot of stuff in her store. Grab them before they are all gone!

Good luck Diane! I wish you all the best and will miss your fantastic kits!

July Month in Review

July was a very busy month for us and we enjoyed it! Here is a cap of some of the things we did or learned.

• Our July started off with wishing our wonderful country a happy birthday! We spent the day with our friends Mark and Tricia and their kiddies Jayden and Joshua at Rotary Park for some celebrations, off for a swim at their friends place and then the holiday cap off of fireworks!
• Sean and I were honoured to be a part of Mark and Sandra's wedding. They day was beautiful and we had an awesome time. This was one of the best weddings we had been to.
• I can't believe this, but I had never seen the movie Sharktales from beginning to end. I finally got around to watching it with Jonah and you know what? It was really good!
• Realizing how busy all of our family really is. I broke my elbow on my sisters birthday in April so celebrations had to be post poned. Since we couldnt really get together because of my surgery, schedules, etc, we finally found a day to catch up. In all, we celebrated: Dawn's birthday, my Dad's birthday, mothers day, our anniversary, Ryan's birthday and Fathers Day! WHEW!
• Enjoyed a wonderful day with Michelle and Ian. Jonah loves visiting Auntie Michelle and thinks it is super cool that Ian is a cop! We had a lovely visit and yummy dinner. The day was too short and our visits are too far between. Must change that.
• Jonah made a new friend on the street. I am learning to let go and let him figure things out on his own. I also needed to learn to loosen my grip. Not an easy thing to do.
• We went camping with our friends Mark and Tricia and their family. Unfortunately, the weekend started with a lot of stress. Sean had trouble with work, our campsite was taken when we got there so we had to set up in the rain and we didnt get to stay as long as we had planned. But we still had fun being out in the tents.
• This month I was taking another Feeling Scrappy class - Sketchapalooza! As always, I learned something new and really enjoyed the class. I just wish I had more time to participate more!
• I learned that my husband really does understand my need of scrapbooking. He understands it is my happy place and he knows how much I love it. He also realized I needed a bigger space. So I have moved out of my space under the stairs and have a bigger space in the rec room. I love him for this :)
• I took a week of vacation to spend with Jonah and I realized even more how much I love being his Momma. He truly is the joy of my life.
• As part of the Jonah and Momma's week of fun, we enjoyed another day at Canada's Wonderland with James. I loved hearing Jonah laugh and scream as he tried new rides.
• Enjoyed many couch cuddles with Jonah. It is NOT a waste of time :o)
• Saw Ice Age 3 with Jonah and Sean. We all laughed out loud in the theatre. A must see!
• Spent an afternoon with Sheri and Christian at Lynde Shores. Such a beautiful conservation area. We fed the chipmunks, the swans, the ducks and even birds flew into our hands. It was fabulous!!
  
  It was a fantastic month! So hard to believe we are in August already!

My First 12 of 12 - FINALLY!

Here I am for my very first 12 of 12!!

Now, I have to say, I really did do this on the 12th. Blogger was not co-operating with me so I am only getting to posting today!

For those of you who don't know, 12 of 12 is a challenge that I have been following in the sense of reading other peoples 12 of 12, never doing the participating. I finally decided to give it a shot. The idea is to take 12 pictures of your life on the 12th of every month and either blog about it or scrapbook it! To read more about it, or to get the reminders, check out Susan's site: http://www.twelve-of-twelve.blogspot.com

So here is how my 12th of August went.......

Today was an interesting day to start with. Generally, I work at home. But today I had to go into the office. I am very impressed with myself that I stuck to it.
My day started with my alarm going off at 5:30am. WHich I have to say is just gross. Every morning I HAVE to watch Breakfast Television, a local breakfast show here in Toronto. They make me laugh everyday and its just a great way to get my day going.

Because it is summer and I had been on holidays, I have been sleeping in a wee bit longer than I normally would. My goal was to be on the highway by 7am to beat most of the traffic. I was a tad late. Oops.

We have a Go Train that runs into downtown, but I do not like public transit and usually get myself into some kind of situation on the train. For some reason, people think it is ok to drool or sneeze on me, touch me, breath on me because clearly they do not know me. For those of you who DO know me, know that I will not keep my mouth shut and will say something to them. So in order to avoid that, I drive downtown. It is a nice drive with my music, in my car, no one to bug me. One of the things I love about driving downtown is when I come around a particular bend and I can see the CN Tower. I am still fascinated by it. It occurred to me today that I have not taken Jonah to the top of the tower. Must plan to do that.

I make it downtown in good timing and off to work I go - after having breakfast with Ian, my sisters boyfriend!

Have you seen these before? They are to DIE for. This was a Skor Apple. It was coated in caramel, chocolate and Skor pieces. THey are expensive and of course not good for my diet. This was a treat, luckily I am not downtown everyday! And to be honest, I got a tummy ache from it.

Sean picked up Jonah and he had a bit of a bad day and brought home major attitude. So he earned a trip to his room! I had to sneak in and grab a pic of it!

Since no one was home to grab groceries or make dinner, we opted for take-out. Tonight we chose Thai Garden. Beef Fried Rice, Chili Chicken and Garlic Beef. Yum!

A nightly ritual at our house - bedtime prayers. Jonah gets very upset with us if one of us misses them. We have a regular prayer we say everynight and then at the end of the prayer we each say a personal prayer for someone. Jonah prayed for my elbow, Daddy prayed for Uncle Mark and Mommy prayed for Mr. Sibley and Jenkins McCullum who both just had surgery.
Jonah is doing well with his reading so tonight he read to Henry and I. It was a Diego Animal Rescue story. I am so proud at how far Jonah has come with his reading. His confidence is growing - thank God!

After storytime, I went downstairs to enjoy a cup of tea while I sat in my brace. I have had the brace for a few months, it was recommended I wear it 6 times a day for 30 minutes each time. Because of the type of surgery I had on my elbow, I know I will not get the full use or extension back, but this brace will help me get close. Unfortunately, on days that I have client meetings and have to go downtown, I only get in 2 sittings. It is uncomfortable and my elbow aches a lot after I have been in it. No one said this would be easy.

While I sat in my brace, it gave Sean and I a chance to catch each other on our day. When you drive downtown, you see a lot of interesting things. And for some strange reason, when I am away for the day working downtown, it seems like Sean and I were apart longer. So we always have something to talk about!

After our catching up time, we settled down to watch So You Think You Can Dance Canada. We had it recorded and needed to catch up since they moved on to Day 2. So far, I have to say, kinda boring.....even with Mary Murphy on it.

After my long day, it was off to bed!

I hope you enjoyed my 12 of 12. Please let me know what you think? Was it boring? Should I do it differently next time?

If you participate, let me know so I can check it out!

New Feeling Scrappy Class!

You have all heard me rave about my wonderful friend Jayne and her online classes at Feeling Scrappy. I wanted to put a plug in so you can all join me in this new class and fun group of ladies!!

Here are the deets!

Simplify the Season!
September 14 to October 12, 2009

This class is designed to help you take some of the hustle out of your holidays. We will decrease your stress and leave you more time to enjoy the little things by completing items from your holiday to-do list now.

During this four-week course you will be provided with sketches and samples to help you complete all of your holiday cards, tools to keep you organized and help you pre-plan plus you will make at least 4 handmade gifts. As always, you can expect loads of samples and tips from our design team to inspire and motivate you! (The talented Lee Currie will be our guest designer for this class!)

During this course you can expect:
A full four weeks of class running from Sept 14th until Oct 12th
Detailed card sketches made exclusively for you by our design team
At least 7 different card sketches with tips on “mass” production
4 gift projects with detailed step by step instructions
Challenges with prizes each week of class
Tips and tid-bits to keep your creative juices flowing
Tools to help you organize your holidays
Fabulous creative examples for each project and card sketch by our talented design team
A private class forum with lots of support and friendly conversation
Self paced class - do as much or as little as you would like
A PDF file including all the sketches from class for you to keep for future reference
Graduation crop with projects, challenges, games and prizes
Plus a few surprises :)

Cost for this four-week course is $25.00. What a deal!

So.....what are you waiting for?? Head on over to the Feeling Scrappy Site to register - Link is HERE.

I hope you will all be joining me!

More Sketchapalooza layouts

Here are 2 more layouts I completed in the Sketchapalooza Class over at Feeling Scrappy.

I woke up one morning to Jonah's smiling face on my pillow. So glad my camera was right beside me. Sketch was by Stacey Lokovic.

These pictures were taken just last friday! They were perfect for the Sketch created by Jayne Jones. My nephew and husband share a birthday month, so they are the Boys of August :)

I hope you enjoyed my layouts!

A few layouts from Sketchapalooza

Here are a few layouts I completed for the Sketchapalooza Class I am taking over at Feeling Scrappy.

Our Wish - so happy that hubby had the camera in hand to capture this. Sometimes the unposed pictures are the best! Sketch inspiration by Tracy Kosofsky


Bug Bites - poor Jonah was a feast for the mosquitos las t summer when we went camping. Even with repellent on, they found a way to bite thru. We tried "AfterBite" but it is just not the same or as effective as good ol' Calamine lotion. Sketch inspiration by Stacey Lokovic.



This is one of my favourite layouts. I am so glad Jonah's school takes a picture in September and then again at the end of the school year. What a difference a school year makes! Sketch inspiration by Stacey Curry.



I hope you like my layouts!
Enjoy your day!