Themed Tuesdays - Takes on ME

Since it's cold outside, (in a LOT of places)... you may want to get down to getting those books on YOU done, for your kids. I know it's tough. And some of you have done your baby pics, and pics on the parents... but what about *other things*...

1.  Scrap your Bucket List.
2.  Scrap Top 10 Lists...  a)  Fave Movies
                                        b)  Fave TV Shows
                                        c)  Top 10 reasons you wanted children
                                        d)  Top 10 fave things about each of your family members
                                        e)  Top 10 fave dishes to make
                                        f)  Top 10 things to do with your family
                                        g)  Top 10 wishes for each family member
                                        h)  Top 10 vacation wants for the future.
3.  Scrap your Moods
4.  Scrap your Horoscope and Chinese Horoscope
5.  Scrap a name page... how you got your name, and what it means
6.  Scrap your most defining moments

7.  Scrap the most influencing people in your world
8.  Scrap "If I could do it again.."
9.  Scrap what each holiday means to you
10. Scrap your best and worst points

Last Night!

Hubby and I were sitting in the family room watching The Bachelor! Puppies were lounging beside me on the sectional... and we decided to have popcorn. We had this big thing in the office, so thought it would be great to have it in the home too. Yeah. Um... GREAT popcorn. But in a 135 year old home? We played POP goes the breaker!!!!  LOL

We managed a bowl of popcorn apiece... but not without some stair-walking. LOL

-------------------

The Big Ole Popcorn Popper

Beauregard and Mischa resting together

A Mini Book

A Mini Book I'm working on. It's about me. I've been experimenting with it, trying to sort out how I want it to be. So, I'm creating one after another page, from scratch. I'm cutting cardboard, and whatever.

When I'm done, I'll post it. This is what I've done so far.

Good Monday Morning!!!

Wish I was at Cha!!! Wow. I REALLY wish I was hanging out at all of the booths. And I mean ALL of them!!!!

A New Layout 

I created a new page, and put it in a frame. The page is a picture of my son playing with the Dolphin on his last Disney trip. I love the picture. And I love that my 19 year old son loves Disney so much, he took his girlfriend there, and on a Disney cruise. We really are a Disney family.

Here's my layout. The frame was a dark wine colour, and it didn't suit the picture. So I painted it blue and green. I won the Fancy Pants paper from Fancy Pants, and just used it. I also used some Zva blling to create the water effect.

Who's playing along with Cha challenges this week?

Check THIS out!!!! Fun stuff. GORGEOUS!!!!! Giveaway chance!!! Don't miss out!

I like this layout!!! It's called Sweet Summer Hike. The pic is of my hubby and son. It was on a hiking path we'd never been on before, so it was great fun!!! Normally when I look at my layouts, I see 10 things I wish I could remove or add. Not sure why. lol. This one? I just like it. Funny  how you get those layouts, eh? It isn't as though I think it's the perfect layout... it's just exactly what I want. That's a good feeling. I don't have it often in my scrapbooking. Maybe that's a good thing. Maybe not..

Do usually love your layouts just the way they are?

My Very First Mothers Day

These pictures make me laugh when I think about the story. He hated grass at this age, so my husband would pick him up and put him at the far side of the yard, and he'd crawl on fingertips and tippytoes all the way back, complaining and grunting the whole way... and then when he'd make it, my hubby would scoop him up and run him back. What a meanie. We'd laugh so hard, that the baby would laugh.. and start back.. complaining the whole way. Sometimes parents can be so bad.  My hubby teases him like that to this day.

You can't tell... but the flags have the words My First on them... so that the title is "My First Mothers Day"

Having Fun With my Layouts!

Layout #1  "How to Grow a Tim Horton's Boy". This is a funny layout of my son. What makes it funny? He's drinking out of a Tim Horton's cup as a baby. 16 years later, he will be working at Tim Horton's as a Baker and a Supervisor. Hence the title "How to Grow a Tim Horton's Boy".  Funny! The other layout is called Life and Fate. It's interesting where life and fate takes us. For those of you who are not Canadian, you should know that Tim Horton's is a Donut//Coffee place that is the most popular in Canada. It was started by a hockey player named Tim Hortons.   The way he's looking at the cup makes me laugh. It really does look like he sees his future.    I need to get a pic of him today, in his uniform. But I don't have it.  I will get a picture the next day he goes into work.  I think I'll add it to the 2nd layout. Not quite sure. :)                                                           

Layout #2   "Fate and Life"

I did this layout first.. with the intentions of putting a pic of him in his uniform today. Then, I got the idea to do the "How to grow" layout, and I did that one too. I had to. It literally called out to me.

                                                                           I'm getting addicted to making those flowers. Love doing that. I'm making them by the dozens I think. I now have a box full of various types. lol

This Face!

I get such a kick out of Beauregard's face. He looks at me, and I laugh. His face melts my heart. All wrinkly and sad-eyed.  You can hear him say it.. "Don't you love me anymore??" "I just don't got no friends no how."  What a dawg.

Mischa Has Taken to the Bottle!

This little doggie loves her bottles. Every time I finish a bottle of water.. and I drink a LOT in a day... she takes the bottle.. and is all about it. And yes.. it's NOISY. I think that might be part of the charm. The noise. Mischa loves to make noise. She loves to bark. And she loves to chat. You can hear words coming from her, she chats so much. I'll have to video a chat one day and put it on here.

It's A Disney World... well... CRUISE!

 The Disney Magic!

December 10 to 17th, 2011

So.. as many of you know, my son went on the Disney Cruise in December, with his girlfriend. We've done the cruise as a family, when he was younger, and we've done Disney World a number of times, of course. This just goes to show that once you are a Disney person... you are always a Disney person. He works full time, is in University in Toronto, full time, studying to be a Television journalist, and he is paying for his own education. Yet.. he budgets to go to Walt Disney World, and on the cruise. I can't help but get a kick out of that fact. We really do teach our kids a lot by our own likes and dislikes... and by what we expose them to.  I got these pics from him yesterday, and thought I'd post them for those of you who've never been on a Disney cruise. I highly recommend it! It's amazing. What is nice for those like my son, who travel with no kids, there are adult only pools, restaurants, and areas, that make it as fun for anyone who is going.

My son Dana in white shorts, walking onto the cruise ship

Dana walking the deck

The Mickey Pool and Slide

Dana, Victoria and Sorcerer Mickey

Dana and his girlfriend before a formal dinner on the ship

Dana and his girlfriend

Dana, Victoria, Chip and Dale

The Disney Magic

Santa in the lobby of  cruise ship

      

Dana, Victoria, Pinnochio and Jiminy Cricket

Animators Palate restaurant. It goes from B/W to colour during meal

On the deck

The lobby decorated for Christmas

Their cabin

Themed Tuesdays

Ok.. So.. I thought I'd try and make this blog a bit more interesting. So each Tuesday, I'm going to go back to giving a sketch, and some themes, related to the month/week we are in.

So... A Sketch!

Here is this week's Titles:

• A Cold Day Makes for Warm Hearts
• A silvery Homestead
• A snowflake is winter’s butterfly
• Arctic Blast
• On a Cold Winter's Day
• Winter and Wine go hand in hand
• Snow Angel
• Snow Flurries
• Cold Winter Nights
• January Cold
• Baby, it’s cold outside
• Better inside then out
• Baby It's Cold Outside
• Cold frosty morning
• Cold hands, Warm heart
• Cold, gray light of dawn
• Snowy Life
• Dashing thru the snow
• Dressed to chill
• Frosty & Friends
• Fun in the snow
• Snow Baby
• Brrr
• Give me Hot Chocolate anyday
• Hazy shade of winter
• Headed South for Winter
• In the frosty air
• Is it too cold for dancing?
• It doesn’t take much snow for a little flake to have fun
• It’s a brrrand new day
• Jack Frost nipping at your nose
• Jack Frost was here
• Let the cold winds blow
• Making new friends
• Winter Bliss
• Our winter love
• Out in the cold again
• God's Wonderland
• Ready for Winter
• Romping in the snow
• Mittens and Scarves and Hats, Oh My
• Slip, Sliding Away
• Snowbody loves you like I do
• Snowbody Knows the trouble I've seen...
• Snowmen fall from heaven.  Some assembly required
• Some Assembly Required
• What's Up Jack? (Jack Frost)
• Sub Zero
• Silver and Snow
• The fire is so delightful
• The ice man cometh
• Snowflake City
• Snowflakes and Heaven
• The polar express
• Polar Bear Land
• The weather outside is frightful
• There’s a chill in the air
• There’s no business like snow business
• There’s snow place like home
• Walking in a winter wonderland
• Where's the fireplace?
• Warm socks and mittens here
• Snowball fights and laughter
• Warm wooley mittens
• Warm Winter Gloves
• Welcome Winter
• Don't Eat the Snow
• Winter Wonderland
• Puppies and Snow
• Sledding Fun
• Glistening Snow
• Time for Indoor Fun
• Frosty and Me
• Blue and Silver
• Silver and White
• Listen to the Snow fall

A Winter Layout

Here's a Winter Layout that I did awhile ago. I like this layout. It's of my hubby back in Sault Ste. Marie, where I was born. We were just dating here. 

January Picks

I'm loving the fact that it's January. All of my favourite shows are back on tv. The more tv I watch? The more I NEED to watch. I have that magical beast called 'PVR'. I can tape any  number of tv shows on it. When I want to check some out, I tape them and look later. Well.. when they are good... I get really caught up in them... and I have to tape them ALL the time. Now I'm addicted to 

1. Supernatural

2.  Grey's Anatomy

3.  Once Upon a Time

4.  Flashpoint

5. NCIS

6. NCIS: Los Angeles

7. Criminal Minds

8. Personal Interest

9. Hawaii 5-0

10. Bachelor

I'm sure there are others, but I might have forgotten them. It's funny how taste's change too. I used to watch mostly all reality tv. Now? Not so much. Although.. I am watching The Bachelor.. and I'l watch Big Brother. LOVE those. I like PVR, because I watch the shows while I scrap, or while I can't sleep. I don't have the time to watch them when they're on. So... I watch them when I have time. :) What can I say. What about you? What's the show you can't go without watching? Any? None?

Here's a layout of my son. I love these pictures because he's so bright-eyed. Happy. Fun. 

Sunday Sunday

So, I do love a good weekend. Tomorrow? We go back to our weekly grind. But today? It's Sunday! ahhh.

I'm going to spend the day Scrapping, I think. And doing laundry, and washing some floors. But Scrapping will be my main thing.  I won't know what I'm going to work on, until I get in there. But it'll be fun. Why? Cuz it's Sunday!

What are you doing with Sunday?

I'm fooling around with the cover of my art journal. It's not much.. but it's just how I've started. I'm going to add to it whenever I work on the journal. Maybe I'll cover it in gesso, and start over. But for sure.. I'll add something. Glitter?? Colour? shimmer?  Who knows.

I came downstairs to the family room in the middle of the night, and ended up falling back asleep. Beauregard and Mischa decided that I was the perfect sleeping companion. This is what I woke up to...

 Mischa snuggled at my arm

That's Beauregard at my feet                                                         

                                                                                                                  

Another Day

So I got working on a page last night.. and got distracted. I'm REALLY getting into this art journal. It's become a tad obsessive. So.. I put my page down.. and headed into the kitchen to grab my art journal. (Ok.. so it's in the kitchen.  I have a large marble table in my kitchen, that I use to prepare food on... keep MANY things on.. and take photos on. What can I say)
So.. anyway.. I went and grabbed it, and INTENDED on working on the cover. But nope. I did a page. The first page. I had to. It was there mocking me in it's dirty whiteness. (dirty because I'd gotten paint on it from the other days work).  Mocking me. Dirty whiteness.

So here it is. Notice I journalled a bit more with this page. And I added stuff to it. I'm just going with it. I was anal at first. (Ok.. so the day before yesterday)_ but now? Not so much! It's MY art journal. So why am I looking elsewhere for the rules on what I can and can't do? That sounds silly yes? So.. I am currently making the rules for said art journal. And I've said... Go Ahead, Sandie! Use whatever you feel like! Fun! That just opens things up, doesn't it!

Anybody else working on an art journal they want to share???  I'd LOVE to see yours!

My doggies are beside me, and looking kinda cute. So, I snapped a pic or two of the monsters. We've all gained a bit of weight. Ok.. so Beauregard the Problematic Puggle of Perpetual Need and I have gained weight and it shows. Mischa? She's gained. It's just she WAS so darn tiny to start with, it looks different on her. That's my story... and I'm sticking to it.

Beauregard                   Mischa       

Bearegard and Mischa

My Christmas Adventure

or aka
SO Glad This Didn't Happen When He Was FIVE!
(check out my art journal attempt under this post)

Let me tell you all a story about my Christmas! It's a doozy. I promise. Four days before Christmas, our 19 year old son got so sick, we had to call an Ambulance for him. He'd just gotten home from a Disney Cruise, and we were concerned about Norwalk Virus. He was VIOLENTLY ill. It was awful. I had to stay a bit away from him because we didn't want me to get it. I am a bit immuno-compromised. Not a big deal, but it can be, if I get something like this. So... hubby stepped up and took care of our son Dana. Well... here in Canada... if our doc is off, we have something called Tele-health. You call and speak to a Nurse, and they give you advise. her advice? Get him to the hospital pronto, and she would call the ambulance. So.. off he went.

And I cleaned the house with bleach. Lots and lots of bleach. I washed doors, and walls, and handles, and taps, and toilets.. and ... well, you get it.

Yeah... you KNOW what I'm about to say next, right?

3:00 or 3:20 am. Christmas morning, I was done wrapping, presents were under the tree, and voila.. I noticed stockings hung with care, and filled. What's this? Hubby is downstairs saying... "Where's the gravol?" Huh? It's CHRISTMAS MORNING in a few hours. Surely  not? "Well... I'm not sure", he says... but it feels suspicious.   So.. we'd gone out for our usual Christmas Eve chinese buffet, so that could be it, I reasoned with myself.  My own tummy was upset. Not a ton.. but it was upset. I'm now thinking... Geez.. I betcha I'm just scared. There's nothing wrong with me. I repeated that to myself as I got my jammies on. 15 minutes had passed, and I grabbed a garbage can with a bag in it, and brought it to the family room with me. (I didn't want to go into that diseased bed with hubby).  Oh oh. I'm sick, I thought. I'm really sick! I better take Gravol. I lay down... took gravol x 2 and ugh. It began.

Just after 4:00 am, my son came downstairs... and no, it wasn't in excitedment to see what Santa had brought. Nope. My 19 year old son was asking for gravol for his dad, who was pretty sick. He's concerned about Dad, cuz he knows how sick HE was. But he's not scared. Just thinking well.. this isn't a great Christmas!  That is.. until he saw me. I said "We have no more gravol!"  oh oh.

And that was when he saw I was throwing up too. And he got scared. As I said... NOBODY wants me sick. When a person is immuno-compromised.. what makes a normal person sick, can make them .. ok.. just much more so than the *normal* person.  Now, the poor boy is running back and forth between his Dad and me. And our friends? (we have NO family near us) They are away... or with little ones. We've moved to the country recently, and don't know our neighbours enough to interrupt Christmas. So.. he contacts one of our oldest friends who moved away.. but who is in town visiting. Joanne Martini Pezzano runs around town looking for the ONE pharmacy that is open. Several hours have gone by since we ran out of gravol. She comes with some fresh supply, Bless her heart. What a godsend friends are at times like this. Our son Dana commutes to University in Toronto, so he never went past his first license. Here in Ontario it's a graduated license system, and he never went past having to drive with someone else in the car, cuz he wasn't driving in Toronto. (most don't, cuz transit is easier). So he couldn't drive without us in the car. He's getting his full license this month now. He doesn't want that to happen again. lol

Finally... around 5pm, Christmas evening, Gary and I get up and sit in the livingroom for present opening. I had made my way from the couch in the family room... to the couch in the living room where the tree is. I was still throwing up. I continued to be sick until the next day. It took me 4 MORE days to be up and around. New Years Eve I was up finally. But immediately got sick again. New Years Day I was back down.

We are finally up and around, but it was NOT a very good Christmas. Thankfully, our 19 year old son Dana wasn't 5. He was able to manage thru Christmas. But here he was... just us. No family around.. .and stuck out in the country Christmas day... with sick throwing up parents, and that's it .. for company.
sigh. I won't post pics, cuz the only ones taken were by me, as I lay with my head down on the couch, sick, and my poor boy looks stressed and unhappy. When they are 19, they don't want you posting that.

I was SO ready for 2012.  Are you ready for the positive side of this???  LOL  Here it is!  We've already gotten this nasty.. so we don't have to live in fear of getting it now. It's OVER! :)))

What a Christmas! Wash your hands. There's some nasty viruses going around!

One of my Resolutions is to work on an Art Journal this year. So.. I made one to start with. And I attempted my first page. Not a lot of journaling. But this next page will have more. I got lost in the colour and the material. I'm going to do another page tomorrow... and begin to work on the cover.  Here it is. What do you think? Am I way off base? Free for all? thoughts?

New Years 2012

Happy New Years!
Can you believe it?  It is a new year! 2012! It's hard to believe that we are leaving 2011 behind, and grabbing onto an entirely new year. I will not be sad to say good-bye to 2011. In fact... I do so, happily. This New Year, I am all about the Resolution, and keeping said resolution. What are my resolutions?  So glad you asked!

2012 New Years Resolutions

I've been sick this last part of December. Ok.. I've been sick much of the year. That leads me into my biggest resolution...

1.  I resolve to take better care of my health.  I intend to eat better, exercise more, and ensure that I take a keener interest in how I feel. Ok, so yes. I have resolved this before. But THIS time, I resolve to seriously resolve it. Is that possible?

2.  I resolve to lose weight.  Yeah, ok. This is connected to my first resolution... and who doesn't make these two resolutions. However... this year, I really mean it. Am I repeating myself?

3.  I resolve to be stronger.  I need to embrace my inner strength, and my outer strength. I need to accept that part of me, embrace it... and throw it out there.

4.  I resolve to keep an art journal. What is an art journal?  There is a girl who does art journals on youtube, who is fantastic and freespirited.   She goes by the name suziblutube. Check her out. Here's her blog too!

Great saying of the week!


What we do for ourselves
Dies with us...
What we do for others... and the world...
remains... and is...
immortal.


Albert Pine