oh you know, this and that

1. Happy birthday to my lovely SIL Lindsay on Oct 1.


2. Happy Birthday to my little brother Justin today on oct 2nd


3. Since it's October 1st, there is a new kit at Scraptivity.... here are some of my creations from this month. The last one is a mini album I made using envelopes I made. It was super duper easy. All the instructions will be on Scraptivity if your interested. :)




4. I've started editing photos from my last super duper fun wedding.


5. My finger feels like it is going to explode. And I've realized how much I used my pointer finger on my left hand. Especially in typing.

Whatha been up to??

Sunday Seven

A new thing I'm starting, totally taking my good friend Heather's idea.

Seven things I am grateful for this week.

1. My sister in law Susie had her first little baby. Who I can not WAIT to meet on Thanksgiving. And take pictures of! It's wonderful to have her experience those special moments that come with your first child. Something you can't explain to anyone. They have to live it to really get it. I am thankful Susie and Ryan had a sweet healthy little girl!! (When I showed Lucy the blog post of the new baby, Lucy says "Cute, I hold it?" )

2. Sunday's. With my family. Residency and clerkship are getting a lot closer.... and becoming very real for Regan and me. I am glad right now Regan is still home on Sundays with us. I know in the not too distant future that will not always be the case!

3. Taking pictures for people. love it. Had a great engagement shoot this week. Shot a great couple in Canmore. Amazing scenery. And good company. Fun times!

4. That my momma is only a daily phone call away. Love that. Love her. She was in fact the first person I called after I sliced off my finger tip on friday. She quickly directed me to someone who actually lives in my city. :)

5. I get scrapbook supplies in the mail every month. We couldn't afford supplies right now... so I love that I get the benefits of designing for scraptivity. And the friends I have made thru doing it. A new kit will be posted tomorrow. and I had fun with it this month!!!!

6. Having good friends. I had 3 ladies over for lunch on Wednesday. It is my new thing. Ladies lunch. We had fun. All of them had little babies. Lucy was in heaven. :) She woke up all there were three babies to hold. Although she was smitten with one in particiular. She held her for a long time. And would hug her. It was adorable!!!! The next morning when she woke up from her nap she asked "Babies her today?"

7. That I still have all my fingers.... despite one being badly damaged. (see my last post for details.) Seriously, though I am sooo lucky. For being how clutzy I am nothing really bad has ever happened to me. I've always healed from everything. That is something to be grateful for!

What's on your list this week???

ATTENTION

Quilting can be hazardous to your health.......




Those rotary cutters are REALLY sharp.
I know. Trust me!!!
5 hours in the ER and I ended up with 6 stitches.
ouchie!!!


Looks like I am out of doing dishes for a few days eh?

Guess who....

is finally getting how to ride his bike????

Happy Birthday!!

I wanted to send out a big Happy Birthday to my brother and photo partner Sean!!
Here are a few tidbits about him.
1. He is my oldest brother.
2. He is a paramedic
3. He has two kiddos.
4. He is a GREAT writer - he really has a way with words.
5. One my memories of him when we were younger involve me trying to do his laundry with his new red coat and me using bleach on the coat. Making it pink. whoops.
6. He is so perfectly suited to his wonderful wife Val.
7. He knows a LOT about our cameras. And I reap all the benefits.
8. We have lots of fun shooting weddings together and really work well together.
9. He is S-M-R-T. ;)
10. He loves loud music.
I wish I had a photo of the two of us from lately, but I don't.
Looks like I better take on at the next wedding.
He is super talented ... so check him out!
Sean's blog

I loved getting all the comments on last week's photos.... so looks like I need to ask ya'll questions to get you to comment eh??
Here is that cutie pie baby from the cutie pie pregnant belly in the last post.

This picture cracks me up since mom and dad are kissing the background and he is like eeeeewwwwwww, my mom and dad are kissing. heeheehee
What do you think?

opinions please

Which profile do you like better?
one.



or two.


i like the first cause her arm is down and the full whiteout background.
but number two i kinda like those horizontal lines (they were blinds) and her arms up with her rings showing.

which one is your favorite and why?

Confession time

I don't understand what people mean when they say they are going to "work on" a stain. What does THAT mean? The only thing I know how to do with stained clothes is to keep spraying it with oxy clean. If that doesn't work. I'm hooped.

I bake waaaaaay to much. In the last 4 days I have made banana chocolate muffins, rice krispie squares, about 7 loaves of bread, these amazing chocolate chip squares with caramilk bars on the top (thanks Susie), a cheesecake and a loaf of pumpkin bread. It just gets worse in the winter when it's too cold to go outside. Anyone want to come over for treats?

When I was up at Scrapfest I learned something. I used to really want to be a "famous" scrapbooker. But the weekend made me realize that I enjoy it, I think it's fun, but it's not about that. It's about my kids. And my wonderful husband. Not that I don't enjoy meeting great other scrapbookers, have fun momma alone time. Not that it isn't totally cool when my pages have been in magazines. But it's not about that. A good realization from Heavenly Father. To make sure my priorities are in order.

I think anything, besides books, with cartoon characters on it is lame. Ties. Lame. Shirts. Lame. Scrapbook paper. Lame. Dresses. Lame. Wait, I just thought of another situation. In the cartoons and in coloring books. So no. I don't want to see the new scrapbook paper with princesses on it. And no I don't want to see the dresses with princess on them. Lame.

I'm just so happily married. And so completely oblivious to how people have unhappy marriages. I know they are out there. But I just don't understand it. We were talking with some good friends about this last night. About how many people are unhappy in the most important relationship you have. We believe that when you are married in the temple then you are sealed for eternity. That's a long time.
My mom always told me that her and my dad had three things (among a lot of others) that really help their marriage succeed.
one - they never blaim each other or rub it in their face. We all know when we've done something stupid or wrong. No one likes to be reminded of it.
two- never talk about your spouse negatively to someone else. including your mom (or maybe I should say especially your family.)
three- every time a disagreement comes up my mom says to herself "is this more important than my marriage" the answer has always been no. so get over it.
My mom and dad have always been so happily married. My inlaws are happily married. I am happily married. Aren't i so lucky!

Food and Pictures

Doesn't that just sound like a GREAT combo??
food
mmmmm
pictures
aaaaawwwwwww
food and pictures..
mmmmmm aawwwwww mmmm awwww
:)

I've been adding a LOT of recipes to our recipe blog.
So there are lots of things to make. yummy things.
www.everydaymeals.blogspot.com
You can check for tags and find desserts
or breads
or things with chocolate
or quick things.
So give a look see and tell me what you make from it.
So all my work is not in vain. :)

And i've been adding photo shoots on my photo blog.
www.rsteedphotography.blogspot.com
this one is one of my favorites.

although you know I am behind on my editing when this lovely pregnant belly is now skinny and looks as if she never WAS pregnant. And the little boy is 4 weeks old.
And pictures of him yesterday turned out GREAT. I am excited to finish editing all the others between so I can post some of the new little Nash.

Tomorrow I am teaching a photography class.
So wish me luck.

i love this

Lucy says
"mommy, I hold you."
and
"mommy, I carry you."
and
"mommy, I snuggle you".

Regan took this picture yesterday on our sunday walk.

i love it.
love being back with the kids.

5 things

I am at it again with my lists.

1. I have had another busy week. I am looking forward to school starting so that things settle down around here. :) I am off to Edmonton (with no kiddos) to help out at Scrapfest. Grandma to the rescue so that Regan's school schedule is not thrown off and so I can do this. I have never been to anything like this so we will see how it goes. QUITE strange to go driving somewhere that far without kiddos or Reg.

2. Alden is starting preschool tomorrow and we had his first music class today. Strange. But good. His music class teacher is AMAZING. I love her so much. Her name is Wendy. It is an ORFF music program and I would recommend it to anyone!!!

3. Since it is the first of September, a new kit at Scraptivity. So here are some pages to check out.




4. I painted my living room and have even hung up a few pictures. It's starting to look like we've lived here for a while. :)

5. This past weekend, on Saturday morning Alden woke up and announced that it was Sasquatch's birthday. (Sasquatch is this stuffed animal/ creature thing that was my little sister Kelly's and has become Alden's.) So we had a birthday party for him. And conveniently we had cousins in town for the day, so they all came to his party. We had a bear shaped cake. And one of the cousins, Lundyn even made him a card. :) Every day since that Alden has announced that it is another animals birthday, so he thinks we need to have another party. I told him that party was for all his animals.
On Saturday night when we were putting Alden to bed he says, "But guys, Sasquatch didn't get any presents." I told him that just wasn't going to happen.

100 things

I've been reading a few of these on different blogs and I think they are super fun to read. So I'm totally following suit. :)

1. I am a list maker. I have lists about my lists.
2. I love to write things. Journaling, lists (see #1), stories, scrapbook pages, blog posts, mail. I loooove writing.
3. I wanted to be an author when I was younger. I started a few different books at different ages.
4. I also wanted to be a ballerina.
5. In fact I would go to sleep in a ballerina pose, in case someone took my covers off me REALLY fast.
6. I also wanted to be a barrel racer.
7. I went through spurts of wanting to be other things. A nurse, a teacher.
8. This not knowing continued into college. I was in quite a few different programs. General Studies, Massage Therapy, Early Childhood Education, until I finally actually graduated from something. Advertising and Public Relations.
9. I used to work at a newspaper. I loved what I did. But hated where I did it.
10. I am a really fast dish washer.
11. I am fast at most things. Except running. I am really slow at that.
12. I love ultamite frisbee. A lot. A real lot. Besides being fun, I am good at it. And that makes me like it more. (at least I used to be.)
13. I would play in an ultamite frisbee league if they weren't on Sundays.
14. I love to read recipe books. And magazines. A web pages.
15. I love food. Making it, buying it, organizing it in my cupboards and fridge, feeding it to others, reading about it. Everything about it. love it.
16. I love magazines. My top picks are Creating Keepsakes, Everyday Food, Real Simple, Scrapbooks Etc and Martha Stewart.
17. My parents owned a restaurant when I was in jr high. A small town country cafe. And I loved it. Loved working in it after school and on saturdays. Loved making the food, serving it.
18. Because of that I've always wanted to own my own restaurant. I think it would be totally cool.
19. I've worked in the food industry a lot.
20. And realized I don't like being a server. They deal with too many cranky people.
21. I've had lots of different types of jobs. Server, greeter, Picture framer, graphic artist, tour guide, chamber maid, public relations, housekeeper, ironing, sandwich artist :).
22. My favorite job I've had is my current. A mommy.
23. I wish my kids were closer in age.
24. And I wish I had more kiddos.
25. I love being married to Regan.
26. I love that Regan has a quiet nature, that he is calm and humble and so very smart. And I think he is the most wonderful father.
27. I see good parts of my dad and Regan's dad in Regan. And it makes me giggle some times.
28. I love laughing. Most people can get a chuckle out of me. But certain people can make me REALLY laugh.
29. I think about Kelly every day since she has died. And I miss her every day.
30. My relationship with my mom has grown and gotten so much better since Kelly died.
31. My mom is now one of my best friends. We talk on the phone almost every day. About everything.
32. I'd rather put down the toilet seat every time, then have to wipe it before I can sit every time.
33. I think I get along with most people, but lots of time I feel like I don't fit in.
34. I can see that I have been so very blessed with people who care about me and I still don't quite see how I could deserve them.
34. I love that Alden is polite to other adults. I hate in when kids don't respect adults.
35. I love Alden's vocabulary and his love of books.
36. I love to see Alden and Lucy together. Enjoying each other. It makes my heart swell.
37. I think my kids are both very beautiful. They were as babies and they are as they get older.
38. I love having a little girl.
39. I love the name Lucy.
40. Every time I say it, I think about how cute it is. And how much it suits my little Lucy.
41. I love buying clothes for both my kids. Button up shirts for Alden and dresses for Lucy.
42. Both my kids are named after siblings who had passed away. Alden Ryan after Regan's brother Ryan. And Lucy Ann after my sister Kelly Ann.
43. I love the name Forrest. Never for a first name. But for a middle name.
44. I love how much Lucy can say. And her little cheese face.
45. I love how Lucy says "hi mom. morning mom" when I get her up.
46. I have never tasted alcohol. Not only because of religious reasons. But I think it smells bad. It makes you change into someone else. I see no positives in it. Never have.
47. I hate smoking. Everything about it.
48. Especially when people stand right outside doors and smoke. Then you have to walk through it. Are they oblivious that we don't WANT to breath that crap??
49. I'd love to decorate my whole house super cute. But I can't afford it.
50. I think about my house in Nova Scotia a lot. And how much I liked it better than the place we live now.
51. But I love being in Alberta again.
52. I love my family. We totally have issues and are so loud and crazy. And sometimes I go crazy when they are around. But I love them a lot.
53. I've always wanted to go to France. To see the Mona Lisa.
54. I love art. I love to go to galleries and spend time there. I wish I did it more.
55. I was Miss CHS. Miss Cardston High School. Classic.
56. I like public speaking.
57. I love teaching things.
58. I am a guilt ridden person. I can find reason to feel guilty about almost anything. Except in the kitchen.
59. I never make apologies about my cooking. If I messed up, you are still welcome that I made it.
60. I have 8 sister in laws and they are all completely different from me.
61. My feet are size 12.I can not begin to express how much I dislike that.
62. I'm glad having my kids gave me a chest.
63. I worry about social situations with my kids. A lot. I am super duper nervous about school for Alden next week.
64. That is because of my unpleasant elementary experiences. Jr wasn't so hot either.
65. But I really found my niche in high school. A great group of girls.
66. And none of us knew anything about boys. Except that we didn't date them.
67. If I could pick my neighbors, I'd have Kelly & Rob live on one side and Sarah & Tom live on the other.
68. I dream a lot about my future house. The dreams have gotten pretty extravagent over the years. Which makes Regan nervous. I just like to dream. When we get to the real thing it will be quite a bit different I am sure.
69. If I could learn two skills today, I'd pick woodworking/carpentry skills and budgeting.
70. I am a people pleaser.
71. If you ask me to do it, I probably will.
72. I worry about my mom.
73. I can't wait until we move out of the city.
74.I can get a lot done during the day, but I am not very good at just being present with my kiddos.
75. I have a million ideas of things to do in my head. So I have journals for different ideas.
76. Even though I know I weigh a healthy weight for my height, I wish I was 10-15 pounds lighter.
77. I'd love to take Yoga again.
78. I've always wished that I keep closer contact with some of my high school friends.
79. I can't wait until we are all out of debt from school. It sure seems like a long way off.
80. I miss my friend Shannon in Nova Scotia and think about her a lot.
81. I am totally a daddy's girl.
82. Oil makes me think of my dad.
83. I don't like running where people can see me. Cause they can see how slow and gangly I am.
84. For those reasons, I want a treadmill.
85. I'd love to travel more with Regan.
86. I loooove avacados. mmmmm.
87. If I am driving in the car alone, I never listen to music. I like the silence. Or I listen to talk tapes.
88. I am horribly forgetful.
89. I always wanted to adopt kids, We'll see if we do one day.
90. My mom taught me to do a lot of things. And I like that.
91. I really like scrapbooking. A lot.
92. I love my fancy camera. A lot.
93. I worry about my job as a mom all the time.
94. I painted my bathroom last night. And hung up most of the wall stuff today.
95. I'm totally looking for bedroom stuff. A nice quilt. And sheets that match. I'd love to make it but I can't find the exact fabric I want. I've come to believe they don't make it. So I want to buy something instead.
96. I love making quilts.
97. We will never have a pet. Unless it is a fish or a horse. Ever.
98. I think recycling is important.
99. I've recently discovered I really like Dave Mathews band.
100. This list took me entirely too long.

hi!

Sorry I got side tracked the last few days.
So I haven't updated for a whole week.
wow.

What we have been up to the last week.

1. My sister in law and four of her kiddos came for a two night three day sleep over. We had the toy room full of blow up mattresses. It was soooo fun. Alden and Lucy were in heaven. Alden always says his favorite cousin is Seth. Even though they are 4 years apart, they played and enjoyed each other. It was great. And so great to have my SIL here with me. Spending time with her.

2. Which brings me to number 2. We went to the Creative Kids Museum. Which was fun. But there were a group of kids that were like 8 or 9. And they were yelling and 2 year olds. And throwing toy food down at them. They were pretending to be robbers apparently. And in the process they were scaring every other child. Lucy even got a black eye from being smacked in the face by one of them. Let's just say I may have yelled at a few of them. I don't care who's kids they were, that is unacceptable. And sadly adding to Lucy's fear of kids. She gets beat up a bit cause she is too nice. And well, she is scared of most kids lately. When I try and set her down with kids in the room, she clings to me and says "no kids, no kids." I've been trying to teach her to fight back and stand up for herself. But she isn't getting the idea yet.

3.I have been making lots of scrapbooking pages. The September kit is around the corner with Scraptivity. AND doing some promo pages for Tin Box Creations. Which has been fun. :)

4. I've been proofing lots and lots of photos. And I have more to do. And quickly. It is one of my goals for today to get one, maybe two more sessions done. Here's one of my latest favorites.


That's what we've been up to around here, I mean besides the normal, laundry, dishes, every life kind of stuff. What have you been up to??

mr funny is back

So I am a bit behind on laundry, so Alden is sleeping in one of Regan's t-shirts.
Which is, of course, too big.



Last night, as REgan was putting him to bed, the too big t-shirt fell off his shoulder.
He says to his dad, "Look my privates are showing."
Dad responds:" No, Alden that is your shoulder."
Alden: "I know dad, that's part of my privates."

:)

And I am glad to hear there are lots of other Joe fans out there.
Love the price.
Love that they fit me and my kiddos and reg so well.
two thumbs up at our house!!!!

Have I mentioned....

that I am in loooooove with this.....

http://www.joe.ca/Categories_en.aspx?catid=45&p=45

um.
hello.
I buy my clothes there.
And some for Reg.

And NOW they have kids clothes.
ah.
I couldn't BE any happier about it.

**edited to add two photos of Lucy before churc h yesterday... her total outfit is Joe. including the shoes**

Cookies for breakfast

You know how sometimes in the morning,
you are too tired to get up when the kiddos want to get up?
Well, they decided to play in the playroom
(which is the new spare bedroom we have now)
so I decided to lay on my bed while they played.
And I may of dozed off again.

I wake up hearing a cookie jar lid noise.

So I go downstairs
Alden and Lucy have eaten all the rest of the cookies in the cookie jar
that dad left in the living room on the floor.

They both had chocolate rings around their mouths.

Alden must have eaten more,
since he wasn't hungry again until around 1:30pm,
(not that him not eating is a sign of anything...)
but Lucy ate some breakfast anyway.

When I asked Alden about it later, all he said was
"they were good."

I'm glad he enjoyed it. :)

we're moved

Still have a lot of things to totally finish.
But we are set up.
And today I cleaned the old place.
So I am done with it (besides the walk thru).

Now on to painting the new place and making it ours.
:)

the weekend

Thanks for all the nice comments.
Yes, it is pretty special to have Kelly's art.
Isn't she talented!!
You should see them in real life. Even better!

This weekend we moving.
Not far. But it's still a move.
We started out in a two bedroom when we first moved into our complex in alberta.
Then just before Christmas we moved into a three bedroom.

Now we are moving to a 4 bedroom.
(And it has a dining room and a pantry - both of which I am realllly excited about.)
Packing up all the stuff tonight and moving it all tomorrow, not so much.
Regan is being good about it, since he doesn't want to do it AT ALL.
But if we are spending two more years living here, I wanna take this opportunity to get more room. They don't come open very often.

So I'm off to pack up here at my inlaws so we can drive 3 hours and pack again.
sigh.
Wish me luck. :)


And since posts are no fun without photos, here is another from the most recent wedding shoot.


peace out.

my sister

I made this page a couple years ago.... but I still feel exactaly the same. This is what I wrote on it.
"I realized something today. I'm starting to forget. To forget the way your hair hung around your face. How light your freckles were getting as you got older. The blueness of your eyes. It's fading. I wanted to smell vanilla. The smell of you. To see if it would bring memories back. The every day memories that keep you around me.
I saw someone and she made me think of you. I'm not sure why. She didn't look like you. She didn't talk like you. I can't place my finger on why she made me think of you. Is that evidence that those every day moments are slipping away? I wish I could freeze them. The memories. The heart to hearts and late night talks. Me and you. Our bond. Something I've looked for in relationships ever since you died. How I judge others. Every thing is compared to you. Replaying things in my head. But between those replayed memories, the spaces are getting bigger. It's only been five years. But those spaces are growing and that scares me. I want to keep you. If you can't be in my life, I want you still in my head. In my heart. To be able to call up memories in a second. And remember distinctly what you wore and how you said it. How you had your hair. God saw it fit to take you home. And I have come to accept that. But even though your not here, I still need you. "


I just wanted to make a little post today because 7 years ago today Kelly died.

This post really hit home with me yesterday. Melissa wrote it very well. Loss over time.

My sister Kelly.
Love her.
Miss her daily.

Thought I would share some of Kelly's amazing art.
These aren't the best photos of them.





She did this one for me. Since Nelson Mandella is one of my heros.
I have the original. And i LOVE it.




This is an 8 foot tall chalk pastel that hangs in my parents bedroom.

A unfinished picture she was working on when she died. She was looking at a picture I had taken a few months earlier of one of our nieces.

This was a picture Kelly would draw for people she loved when they got married. She didn't get mine finished cause she passed away weeks before my wedding. But I luckily was given an original from someone else that she had done.

We have an art scholarship in her name at our high school.
We sell her art and I really like that she lives on with her art in people's homes all over.
Some very special people have some of her art.
She would think that was the coolest thing.
Me and my mom agree.

mr funny

While getting ready to drive home from the mountains tonight, Alden and Lucy wanted to watch a movie in the van. I had taken the dvds out so they didn't have anything to watch, but uncle brad had a baby enistien video we could borrow.

Alden looks at it and says "oh this is my favorite"
Then while I was putting it in, he was doing a little giggle and he says "I am cheering and shouting for joy."

The movie starts, and part of the beginning the lady says something about how this is made for your baby and toddler enjoyment and Alden says "i am going have enjoyment from this show."

:)

Then when we were almost home I told the kids to look out the window and see the beautiful colors around us. I asked them to tell me a color they saw. Alden picked yellow for all the grass. I told them to look back to the beautiful sunset and see the pink and blue.

I asked Alden who made that sky.
he said "I don't know"
I said "Heavenly Father did. Didn't he do a good job with that sky?"
Alden: "oh yes."
Me: "It kinda looks like He painted the sky."
Alden: "But mom, He doesn't have any paint cans."

projects on the go

I've been working on a couple of projects since I have been down at my inlaws.
We haven't been at home in 4 weeks.
We have one more to go.
(So if some of you are trying to call me...i'm not there. Email me instead.)

Anyway, I always like to have a project on the go.
So I have been doing.... (I mean besides editing photos...)

1. the August Scraptivity kit






There are lots of great pages in the Design team gallery in Scraptivity ( here

2. I've been making a cookbook with my grandma. She has been a cater, bakery owner, etc for years and years. She loves with food. My love of cooking totally comes from her. We have been compiling recipes and i have been typing. a lot. We have 120+ pages so far. With lots more to type. And we've been making the food too.

Which has been great. :)

3. I am making a quilt for Lucy's bed. When she gets a twin bed. Not any time soon. But I usually get a bit sidetracked when I start things like this so I thought i'd get started early. :) I post a picture but I don't have one yet. But as soon as it is done I will.

We are off to the mountains in waterton today. Meeting my family for canoe rides and picnics. Should be a hoot. And lots of photo opportunities too.