The Gifts!

The Gifts!
How could I forget to share the gifts we got!!!!
It was a good Christmas for the Roberts family! My son got almost everything on his list. You know.. Docking station for his Ipod, headphones for his Ipod, headphones for his computer, mic for his computer, (he and his friends spend all of their time chatting together on the computer... when they're not together in real life!), money (he likes clothes from Hollister and Abercrombie & Fitch, of course), yahoo music allowance, twister cell phone with fun package, wireless keyboard and mouse, g/c to ciniplex, mobile drive, router, latest HP movie, etc etc etc. Only child syndrome, I think!!!! Hubby? I bought him a fireplace for his office! He really wanted one.. so hey.. I got him one! Plus clothes. AND.. I got him a Pedometer! I want one too! Me? Loved that Santa bought me scrap stuff for my stocking! I got adhesives! Lots of adhesives!!! I got money for scrap stuff now, and flatwear (really wanted it), kitchenware, makeup, perfume, nail stuff, footbath, sewing machine... etc. Spoiled family! Ah.. and hubby and I bought each other a fireplace for the house! Yeah!!!
A fun and successful Christmas, I'd say!

I'm On a NEW Design Team!!! Scrappin Parlour!

Whew! I feel like I'm moving in the Fast Lane lately! I was invited to be the Design Team Coordinator for an offline/online store... The Scrappin Parlour! I'm honoured to have been invited to hold this position, and we have a LOT of fun things going on in the future! So.. if you are looking for a good time! Keep an eye out for this fab site... and all the fun we'll be having!

Ho Ho Ho!
I love Christmas! My family loves Christmas. And is there a more fun, tiring, unending, stressful, time of the year? Nope. But... still... we look forward to it each and every year, without fail.
Family Traditions
I grew up with these same traditions, and raised my son on them. He's loved them, and so did I. It stretches Christmas day out, and makes it much more fun and long-lasting.
Christmas Eve
We head out to Mass, and then to our local Chinese restaurant, to enjoy Christmas Eve buffet. We love that. We then come home, and open one present each... new Christmas jammies. We head upstairs, put on our new jammies, and our son snacks and goes to bed, while his Dad and I stay up and wrap all the presents. In our house... Santa wraps every single item in the stocking and out... and so... so do we. We usually get to bed around 3am or later, once everything is done and put under the tree.
Christmas Day
We get up early (don't you all?)... and all go to our stockings. We get to open our stockings right away. Fun, Fun, Fun. Then.. we go upstairs, get dressed... and head to Mass again. After Mass, we come back home... make breakfast and coffee... and after eating... we head back to the tree with our drinks (coffee, hot chocolate, juice). Mommy hands out the gifts... one at a time, so that we can watch each other open them. By the time we're done opening our gifts... it's 11:30 or 12:00 pm!!!!! How fun is that? Most of my son's friends are finished by 7:30am...and we go on so much longer!!! I love that!

Another Kit!

Another Kit!

So, I want you to see this other kit club I design for. OMG. It's just too much goodness to speak of... really! You will want to drop what you are doing, and head over there, to pick up this kit. I promise you!

Some of the things I've designed with this kit are the following:

So.. come on! What are ya waiting for? Head on over to

Oh Where Oh Where Have I Been?

Nowhere, actually. I've been *doing other things* apparently. But doing nothing at all, of any interest to others. I think that's why I have a hard time blogging at times... nothing really goes on in my life! I have been scrapbooking.

I've been busy with the Sassacraft kit. (www.sassacraft.com) It was an incredibly bright kit that goes on sale tomorrow. The ever popular Cherry Arte!!! This kit is perfect for the person who loves brights on their layouts.. or who loves chipboard, paint, bling, bright! What I liked about this paper, is that it's double sided!! It always feels like you have 2x the paper, when it's double sided. If you aren't able to use side one.. you can always use side two! Here are a couple of simple layouts that I did. The one is a sketch Angie (site owner) did. And the other is just one I threw together last night. You may recognize the new Cherry Arte paper... it's Cosmic Energy!!! This kit goes on sale March 15th at Sassacraft. Go have a look. There is ALSO an AMAZING ***SUPER kit*** this month. You might want to check that out as well! You can find the kits right here... http://www.sassacraft.com.

2Peas Challenge

Feb 26th... MONDAY

SO.. it's Monday. Another week of daily dailies. Don't get me wrong. I love those weeks. Why? Because there isn't anything AWFUL to report. I'm game for the drudgery. I'll take the same ole same ole any day of the week... even.. or maybe especially.. Mondays.
Sophia on 2Peas issued a challenge. .. SO.. I'm gonna take that challenge.

Name your all-time top five favorite movies.
Hmmm. Greece, Parent Trap (the 1st and 2nd one), McClintock (John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara.. funny), A Few Good Men. (Jack Nicholson yelling.. "You Can't Handle the truth". WOW), Pillow Talk (or anything Doris Day/Rock Hudson)

What’s your favorite movie line?
Again.. Jack Nicholson yelling.. "You Can't Handle the truth".

Who’s your favorite movie character?
McClintock.. John Wayne

What movie do you love that most people hate?
I don't know. I love anything from the 50's that's a romantic comedy?

What movie do you hate that most people love?
The latest Pirates of the Caribbean Movie. UGH I slept thru much of it.

What was the last movie you saw?
Because I Said So... loved it.

What’s your least favorite movie ever?
I can't remember it.. something about a group of people in space.. there was a book about it... stupid, long name. The kids loved that book. The movie.. was SO bad. The other least fave movie was Van Helsing. My son and I left after 1/2 hour. bad. OH.. I remember.. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. I HATED that movie!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What’s one movie have you seen that you would never ever watch again?
I won't watch movies where the star dies at the end. I hate that. No matter how good the movie is.. why? Life is hard enough, without having that in my fantasy world.

What was the last DVD you saw?
The Pink Panther with Steve Martin

What was the first DVD you remember buying?
No idea. Probably something child related.. ie Harry Potter.

What movie do you relate to more than any other?
Older movies. Doris Day movies. That kind of thing. I was born in the wrong time, I think.

What actor/actress would you like to look like?
Jennifer Connelly

What classic movie have you never seen?
African Queen

What song would you choose be the theme song to the movie of your life story?
What a Wonderful World AND 500 Miles Away from Home

What’s your favorite movie genre?
Romantic Comedies and Horrors

Who’s your favorite actor/actress?
I love John Wayne/Maureen O'Hara and I love Robin Williams and Sandra Bullock

What actor/actress do you refuse to see their movies?
Larry the Cable Guy.. or any like kind of movie

What genre would you choose not to watch?
Rap/Gang movie

What’s your favorite theater concession combo?
Popcorn, pop and candy. The old staple.

Front row, Back row, Side Seats, Aisle or center?
We site down front... where you can put your feet up on the gate/fence area. Love it.

Thank God it's Friday!

Thank God it's Friday

... and I don't work outside the home! How do you ladies do it? I'm behind in everything this week. And I don't know how I got that way. I think I've been spending too much time scrapping. I posted some new stuff in my gallery, if you're interested in having a look. The link is on the side panel.

We're doing some challenges over on Sassacraft. Come by and check them out. They're called 1-2-3-Follow-Me, and they're a ton of fun. I won't tell you how they are played, cuz you gotta go over there, and have a look for yourself. They are in the challenges section of www.sassacraft.com.
I'll post more in a bit!

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

"Real happiness is not dependent on external things. The pond is fed from within. The kind of happiness that stays with you is the happiness that springs from inward thoughts and emotions. You must cultivate your mind if you wish to achieve enduring happiness."
-William Lyon Phelps

Loss

So.. it's the 17th of February. I swear I will not let this blog go like this again. Not sure what's been happening in my world.. but it's been busy. Again.. I went to the funeral of a child yesterday. Crazy! He was 10 years old. If you listen to Hockey tonight, Don Cherry will probably talk about him. He got hit in the head with a hockey puck, while playing outside with some friends.. and he didn't make it. Unreal. Andrew and Sue donated his organs so that other children would live. I think their act of courage should be sung out loud. I can't imagine making that decision.

Valentines Day

Did you do anything? I was sick. Can you believe it? blah. Of course you can. Well.. Hubby got me perfuce, body lotion, and my son got me the body lotion I LOVE.. which is Olay Quench. Awesome stuff, if you're in the market. And their hand lotion is to die for. Wowee.

What did I get them? Well... I made Dana a box, and filled it with some candy for him. Here's the box

For Gary... I made him a tray. It's the first tray I've ever done, but I think it turned out ok. I hope it did. He liked it anyway.

So that's my Valentines Day. Next up? Lent. Not as much fun as Valentines for sure.

Great Ideas

Great Ideas


Great Ideas!
Ok.. so I got an idea from a Pea. I think it's magnificent, and I'm going to do it. I'm going to create myself a Success Box. I am determined to lose weight, and get as fit as I can be. It will improve how I feel, so it just makes sense. This is where the Success Box is going to come in.

For every week I stay on track with exercise and healthy eating, I will pay myself some money. Not sure how much yet... but I'll figure it out soon. I could end up with a great paycheque at the end of this.. AND a lot healthier. So, it's a win/win situation. And I love money, so it's a great motivator. You'd think that the healthier me would be motivation enough, wouldn't you? Not sure I 100% believe there will be a healthier me at the end. I think that's the issue. But I'm worth the try. Since I've taken ill, exercise is not easy. (Is it easy for anyone?) Ok.. I'm downplaying this. It's hard. Very hard. Getting on and off the machines on my cane.. tough. Walking afterwards... tough. Putting myself thru the excruciating pain of it? Tough. But.. you gotta do what you gotta do. And I'm feeling like this could be a blast.

Money. Some say it's the root of all evil. See.. I don't believe that. I follow more along the path of the Secret. Did you guys see the Oprah shows on the Secret? One of the guys that goes around the world teaching this is Bob Proctor. My husband and I saw him, and did a few workshops with him, back when we were just dating. Great workshops. Anyway.. in the Secret.. money is not the root of all evil.. and I agree. I think how it can change you, if you let it.. that can be bad. But I promise all you guys, when I become filthy rich.. I won't let it change me. Of course.. some may say I'm already miserable??? :D Nah. I'm not.

Back! And I wasn't even Away!

Ok.. I'm Back! And I wasn't even Away...

and my Miracle!!!!!

I can't believe I haven't posted on this for so long. I've been busy. Honest. I've actually joined 2 Design Teams.. and they're both Kit teams. I feel more pressure on a kit team.. not sure why. LOVE it.. but I feel more pressure.

I think I'm stuck... scrapwise. I need to get my mojo going. First of all.. the camera is in the shop. How bad does that suck??? And I'm putting so much pressure on myself to do better.. that I can barely do at all. Today.. I've been playing at 2Peas. It's the big Wish you were at Cha, but having fun here, replacement day... and these ladies are so awesome. I hardly miss being at Cha. I never win at these things.. but that's ok. I'm having fun.. and working on my mojo. Although.. I did do a circle layout... blah.

I'm WARM Again!!! or... It's a Authentic Honest-to-goodness Miracle!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So.. in -18C weather.. our furnace died. We had no furnace for 4 days.. in that cold. brrrrrrrrr. We had 2 space heaters.. but that's it. This body needs more heat than that. And you wanna hear this? We had an honest-to-goodness miracle
Here's the story...

Last week, we smelled gas around my furnace. I didn't worry about it. Neither did Gary. We figured it was just the furnace firing. Then the smell got worse. Monday came, and I called. It was bad. The smell of gas was everywhere. Yikes. They wanted me to leave the house until an emergency response unit came to handle it. I couldn't because nowhere for my dog to go. He's a 90 pounder, and they won't enter the house if there's a dog there, and no owner. SO.. stuck. They arrived. IMMEDIATELY shut down the furnace. Ok.. no worry. It's not like I live in Ontario, and it's the dead of winter or anything. SO.. the emergency response unit left and had the furnace tagged.. which means, it can't be re-fired, until it's been fixed. They couldn't come until Tuesday. SO.. we WERE going to a hotel.. but again.. nowhere for the dog to go.. and it was going to be too cold in the house for him and the 2 cats. so.. we stayed. We got 2 space heaters, and pulled out a ton of blankets and hunkered down. We didn't much leave the livingroom... cuz it was just too cold. Hence me not being on the computer. THEN... today.. the repair guys comes. He can't repair it. Know why?????????????????????????????????

We were SO INCREDIBILY BLESSED... it's unbelievable. Why was our furnace smelling of gas? The gas leak? Sure. but that's not even the BIG issue. It was complete carbon backup. He said that the fire from the furnace, filled with carbon backup, and burned BACKWARDS and OUTSIDE of the unit!!!!! AND... caught fire, and burned all external wiring on the unit, and burned the inside and the heat return. It's astounding that it didn't explode, and demolish the house. $5,000 and a whole new furnace unit had to be bought. It couldn't be repaired. He said.. "Wow. I'm not a religious guy, but if I lived in this house, I sure would be. I cannot figure out how this didn't cause a catastrophe."

??????????????????????????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We just stood there silently looking at him. My heart in my throat. All I can think of is my son, sleeping peacefully in his bed, me thinking he was safe there... and it could have been the end of him. OMG . 4 days with no furnace.. but it's in now.. and ... I'm warm again.. and grateful for the miracle!!!

Aside from the Pain

Aside From the Pain


Aside From the Pain
Aside from the pain, life is. I convince myself sometimes, that tomorrow isn't going to mean what it does today. Tomorrow is going to be a today I can live in. A today that holds promise. That's alright. I have my family. And I have my scrapbooking. I'm nowhere near caught up with either. So much to do. I would like my son's story told, so that he has that balance. He can be a firsthand witness to a magnificent life. I've been the lucky witness of that life of his, and it's been the greatest blessing in my world. It's scary and magnificent, to love another human being enough, that at any given minute you would throw yourself in front of a train for him. Throw yourself into a burning building, if you had a moment's thought that he might be in there. Without question or thought, you would die for that person. Scary and magnificent.
I've been inspired today. Ispired to clean out my space. Get rid of *things*. I'm the queen of clutter. My Mom, God rest her soul, was the queen of clutter... and I acquired her clutter, and it had babies and grandbabies. I'm decluttering my life. I know where the clutter comes from. I know why I hold it. But it's time to let go. Hold onto better and brighter things. Throw my energy into better, purer, cleaner areas. Throw my energy into life, and not clutter. That's my project. I'm setting aside so much time each and every day, and getting rid of it all. Whew. I cannot wait.


Resolutions.
Did I share my resolutions? These are them.. all set up in a nice, orderly, uncluttered list...
This year, I resolve to:
1. MOVE
2. Unclutter my life and home
3. Lose weight
4. Regain some of my health
5. Open myself up to love more
6. Finish my book
7. Cook more, better, and healthier
8. Exercise, even when it hurts
9. Scrapbook every day
10. Get more of my pages published.
Some of these are easier than others.. but they'll each, in their own way, make my life better. So.. why would I not want a better life? I DO want a better life. And I will resolve to fight for that better life.
Yay me.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year.......... 2007!!!!!!!
I cannot believe how fast the years go, once you are past 35. Honestly... it's like one minute it's New Years Day.. and the next.. I'm planning Christmas again. Just yesterday, my baby was a baby.. and now? Now he's not. I'll come back and post all kinds of deep thoughts on 2006, and 2007. For now..
So... I haven't done much of anything here for a couple of weeks.. but I've been tagged by my friend Jessica...
A - Available/Single? Nope. I'm married forever to my love, Gary.
B- Best Friend? Gary
C- Cake or Pie? pie. (can't I say both?)
D - Drink Of Choice? WATER. I live for water. I drink bottle after bottle of water. Ice cold.
E - Essential Item You Use Everyday? Lipstick. I gotta have it.
F - Favorite Color? Pink
G - Gummy Bears Or Worms? Definitely Worms
H - Home or Homesick? I'm always homesick. And I'm always Home
I - Indulgence? Scratch ticket. I'm a bit of an addict
J - January Or February? January. A new start. A new beginning
K- Kids & Their Names? Dana Joseph Maximillian. My life
L - Life Is Incomplete Without? My husband, my son, my faith
M - Marriage date? May 21st, 1988 (My Mom's birthday. We got married the year after her death)
N - Number Of Siblings? I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters. I'm the youngest by far
O - Oranges Or Apples? Ohhhh... Oranges all the way.
P - Phobias/Fears? Spiders and painful death. I'm stealing this answer from Jess, cuz it's perfect for me.
Q - Favorite Quote: Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
R-Real Hair Color? Red.. no really.
S - Season? Spring
T - Tag 3 or 4 people? Chrissy, Dorothy, Mellie
U - Unknown Fact About Me? I was tested with an IQ of 147. Crazy eh. That should be all the proof you need that IQ is no indicator of smarts.
V - Vegetable you don’t like? Beets. Who on earth found beets were edible???
W - Worst Habit? My housekeeping. It's not so good.
X - X-rays You’ve Had? Geez.. there's not enough time in the day. Let's just say yes.
Y - Your Favorite Food? Well done, but moist steak... baked potatoe with toppings, and a roll with butter. I'm salivating now.
Z - Zodiac Sign? I'm Scorpio. And I'm a Tiger in the Chinese horoscope. Did you know they used to kill baby girls born as Scorpio OR Tiger??? They thought they were too strong. Hmmm. Odd