A fun post

Heather has this on her blog and I thought I'd share my answers just for fun!


1. Name your two favorite scrapbooking topics:
alden and lucy

2. Where are the two best places you've been to?
PEI and Cape Breton

3. Name two things you do every day:
Eat and read stories

4. Tell us two things that pretty much everyone knows about you:
I like photography and i like to bake.

5. Tell us two things that everyone DOESN'T know about you:
I hate black licorice (just like Heather) and really cold weather.

6. Tell us two things that got you into the hobby of scrapping:
My mom and my love of writing, art and photography.

7. Tell us two things that you want to accomplish in the next six months:
Have a healthy baby with a good delivery and um... i don't know... maybe I need to make some plans. :)

8. Name your two favorite scrapping tools:
My computer and my exacto knife

9. Name your two favorite sources of scrapping inspiration:
Online sites and magazines

10. How has your scrapping changed since you started?
I play a lot more with it. I don't feel forced into making pages a certain way. I just do them however I want and that makes it more fun.

11. What scrapbooking project have you yet to try but would love to?
hmmmm I have all my pictures printed for making a mini album about our LA trip but I haven't done it yet... so that?

And here are a couple little scrapbook pages from a couple nights ago. :)

Pregnancy

I felt the baby move last week. At like 4 am. After I had been up for a while with Lucy who was having a BAD night. A whole week ago today cause it was last Saturday. It's always nice to feel those little fluttering feelings. :) I felt him/her move again last night while laying and trying to get to sleep. Makes it all the more exciting!

I always forget how hungry I get. Some days (kinda of like right now) I am hungry but I have run out of things to eat. It's a funny phenomenon. I have to keep eating all day to keep the pukies away (that rhymes) so after a while you get tired of eating.

Lucy and Alden are kind of getting the whole baby thing. Alden more than Lucy. She still can't figure out where in my body the baby is. Still always asks if the baby is in my chest. I'm sure the bigger my tummy gets, she won't be able to ignore where the baby is. :)

Names are a hot topic. Not only with Regan and me but with everyone else. I have lots of names I enjoy. All are older. I don't like spell them funny or make up names. Just good solid old fashioned names. Like Lucy. And Alden. (A lot of people don't know but Alden is actually an old name. You meet old men in nursing homes named it.) We'll see who wins out with this one. :) Regan picked Alden and I picked Lucy.

It is always funny to me people's comments about my body during pregnancy. I was a house with Alden. I gained 50 lbs. I got really big. And my legs went straight from my knees to my toes. So attractive! But with Lucy I had a cute little basketball belly.I gained under 25 pounds.
And with both pregnancies people said differing things.
"Oh you're looking small"
"You can't be that far along, where is your belly"
And there are always those kind people who tell you the opposite.
"When are you due??" (Like you can't possibly make it another month being THAT LARGE. :)
Already this pregnancy I have heard both. That I am "punchy" already and others that "you can't tell at all". It just goes to show that it's all in the eye of the beholder. And that as long as your husband tells you you look beautiful at the end of the day WHO cares what those other people say :)

mothering is...

i think there are times when you are so full of love for your kids,
so aware that you are doing okay
and the right thing
that it is bursting out of you.

childbirth.
the first moment they place that baby in your arms.
when your five year old asks for a blessing, on his own, because he is sick.
the first time your daughter tells you she loves you, on her own.
watching your children play together lovingly and enjoy it.
seeing your child sing with his primary class.
the snuggles and cuddles before nap time.
there are lots of those moments.
soul-filling,
all most unexplainable moments.


but some days there are those other moments.
when you can't help but think that you
are the worst mother that ever lived on the earth.
no one can possibly be doing a worse job than you.
when your daughter screams "i don't like mommy, i want daddy" in her crib for 30 minutes.
or you carry your children out of the mall screaming, one in each arm.
some days it seems that they are lots of those moments too.


so it comes down to,
what do you do?
how do you make those unhappy moments,
where you're feeling so at your wits end
that tears or laughter is all you can do,
okay?
do you cry?
do you laugh?

sometimes both.
sometimes neither.

how do you make those soul filling moments carry you over?

it is hard to understand how mothering is
really you can't until you have kids.
i've said that before.

some days are hard.
some days are easy.
i don't know what the best thing to do.
the thing i try to do is remember those soul-filling,
all most unexplainable moments.

remember them and hold onto them.
and if they aren't helping,
there is always chocolate.
:)

I'd love to....

Are there things you always dream about doing?
One of the things I am always interested in is learning stuff.
I am sure that comes from my momma.
She dropped out of high school to marry my dad.
Then went back to school, after having 7 kids, finished high school and went on to university to become a teacher.
But besides that learning, the lady knows how to do everything.
Carpentry.
Baking.
Cake Decorating.
Quilting.
Cooking all types of ethnic foods and regular everyday food.
Painting
Photography (like real dark room developing)
Bookkeeping.
Sculpture.
Woodworking.
Dry walling.
Plumbing.
Seriously it's almost overwhelming the stuff she knows how to do.
She's trained to be a fitness trainer.
Really anything.

She's taught me a lot of stuff.
But mostly she's taught me that you can always learn to do more.
There are lots of things I'd love to do. Lots include learning. Some don't.
But here is my current list of things I'd love to do.


1. Attend a photography workshop. Like this one here or take this class or this one would RULE or another similar.

2. Take a french cooking class. That would be so cool.

3. Take a foreign language class. Like French or Spanish.

4. Travel Europe. There are so many cool things to see there and learn about history and art. I've wanted to see this Mueseum since I was younger. I want to see the Mona Lisa. One day.

5. Take another quilting or sewing class. I did one in Nova Scotia and it was totally cool. And I learned lots about my machine. I'd probably be better if I took a sewing one so I could finally learn how to follow the directions on clothing patterns. Those things might as well be in another language.

6. Attending this would be totally cool.

How about you? Anything you'd love to learn?
Are you finding ways to expand your mind already?

Saturday Seven

1. Thankful that I could go visit and spend a while with friend Heather yesterday. It was so great to spend time with her and her cutie pie little girl. Got to visit another friend after that too, Sarah. So I was lucky to have good women around me all day. (Heather added a picture here of our visit.

2. Thankful this week to be starting to feel better. I am down to one dicletin pill a day. :) That is GREAT.

3. Thankful for good movies. Watched Stardust this week. And really enjoyed it. It's hard to find clean, good movies. And this is one. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet! (Other good movies we've seen lately are August Rush and The Ultimate Gift (this one is a little cheesy, but good.)

4. Thankful that Regan is working so hard in Medical School. Sometimes I realize all that stuff he has to learn in such a short amount of time. It is overwhelming to me and I'm not in med school. Thankful that he is a hard worker.

5. Thankful that I have scrapbook supplies. We aren't really in the stage of life where I can spend money on things like scrapbook supplies. But I love doing it A LOT. And I have been given some from friends (like Heather and Connie and Crystal and Mary and others) Such kindness. And I have been designing with Scraptivity for 3 years now (wow that's quite a while eh?) and now I get to design for Tin Box stamps so I get stuff for free. Which REALLY cuts down on the price for me. It works out well and I have been lucky enough to be able to do all this without putting us into the poor house (or at least more than we already are. :) ) Makes me very much want when we have an income to be as generous to others as so many ladies have been to me!

6. Thankful for a good day with Lucy. (She's hitting the tantrum stage... which is NOT fun.) And that she slept for 14 hours in a row last night. Hello. Wowzers eh??

7. Thankful that my kids go to ORFF . It is SO cool that Alden is learning to read music. And Lucy just loves it too. I'd recommend it to ANYONE!!!!

Scrap, Scrap, Scrap

Some pages as of late.
A lot of these are for Tin Box Creation Stamps.

On this one, I used Lower Impact Alphabet for the title and the Block This set for that journaling block.


Used Tin Box Lower Impact Stamp set and the Doodle Stitch set (both of which ROCK!).
This was made for an inspiration challenge...

from this piece of art....


This was using the Tropical Punch stamp set....


And so was this one...


And this was a digi page I made from the Jan sketch from scraptivity.
I made everything on it, except a few brushes that I used.

Some photos to share

I thought I'd share some of the photos we took while were in Waterton for our pre-christmas trip. It was beautiful. And it snowed a lot the second night we were there. Which added to the beauty!!!
And if it looks Regan is standing out in the middle of nowhere... he is. HE is actually standing at the edge of Cameron Lake.

Today

Well thanks for all the well wishes!
We are quite excited.

This morning I had a drs appointment.
Which I took Lucy too.
And it was fine. (Alden was in school.)
And to make sure of my dates, they asked if I could go to an ultrasound today at 3pm. So I said sure.

I went and I had both my kids with me.
The receptionist lady looks at me and says "don't you have anyone to watch your kids?"
I said "can't they just come with me?"
(I've had my fair share of ultrasounds... i lie there, they squirt warm blue gel on my tummy and poke a monitor thing into my tummy until my bladder is going to explode, while we sit and watch a computer screen... nothing a kid can't see..)

She stares at me like I am the BIGGEST idiot she has ever seen.
Says nothing.... just keeps staring.
Her: "How old are your kids?"
ME: "two and five"
Stares at me.
Says: "well did you actually drink the water?"
me: "Yes." (Obviously... i can READ and follow instructions)
Her: "We might have to rebook your appointment"
Stares at me.
Her: "Do you have your alberta health care card?"
Me: "Yes, it's right here"
Her: "Fine, take a seat"

So they give my kids some coloring books and tell them to sit behind the desk with them while I get my appointment. I explained it to the kiddos and they are fine.

When I come out, Lucy is crying and holding on to Alden.

None of the three ladies standing beside her are even looking at her or trying to see if they could console her. They are chit chatting about music and the recptionist's new tatoo.

So I try to set up my next appointment she says to me.
"So try and find someone to watch your kids."
Really? Don't you think I figured that out by then?

I'm not saying kids are perfect. Far from it.
But they are good at sitting there beside me.
And no where on the paper from the dr does it say ANYTHING about not bringing kids.

The kicker was after the lady was so rude to me, they had a sign that said something about how unkind words will not be tolerated.
Apparently that only applies to the patients.


Good news after all that.... I am actually at 15 weeks and 1 day.
So further along that we thought. :)

three things

1. We are back from the funeral. It was emotional for me. Not because of Grandma. She was in such bad health. It was a relief for her to go. And she will be MUCH happier where she is now. But that we were burying her next to my little sister. She died in 2000 and it still gets to me. I have only visited the grave yard twice in the 8 years since her death. Still don't like to be there. Just reminds me of the loss. Some people like to remember their lost loves ones in grave yards. Not me. I'd rather think of her life. Of good memories. Not of loss. And on friday i was standing knee deep in sad reminders.

2. On a much happier note, It was interesting being at someone else's house for Christmas this year in particular. Since I am pregnant and just at the three month mark, I was sick not at home. With lots of people around all the time. Made Christmas a little different for me. (i'm due in july) And yes, we are quite excited. The kids have differing things to say about the coming baby. Lucy now says she also has a baby in her tummy too. And whenever I am holding her she puts her hands on my chest and says "Babies in here?" (always awkward!) Where as Alden only wants twin brothers. (No idea where he learned what twins were....)

3. Got some new pictures of my brother and sil and their kiddos on my photo blog. Just love them. (I mean the family.)

Happy New Year!!

Well, we are back from a great Christmas holidays.
It was packed busy with family things.
Some highlights.

1. Making a long all day craft with my sister inlaws and mother in law (and a girlfriend too) that turned out super duper cute. I made sure all of them gone theirs done (since I will for sure finish mine. :) ) So as soon as I finish mine I will post a picture of it. :)

2. A full day of Davis fun. A new annual tradition. We did sledding, bowling and then swimming. We do it the last Saturday before Christmas. And I just love it. My kids love it.

3. The night of the 23rd (Sunday night) we all got together at my mom and dad's house and acted out the nativity and opened presents from each other. My parents have a three bedroom house. And we had 2 great grandmas, one grandma and grandpa, six husband and wive couples (12) and 15 grandkids ranging in age from 11 years to 9 months. It was mayhem to say the least! Lucy was supposed to be Mary but she was over tired and not into dressing up with a towel on her head. She threw it on the floor and yelled "I hate Mary. I don't wanna be Mary." (Consequently a cousin stepped in the be Mary.) The shepherds lost interest after about page one (there were six pages of acting to do) and one little shepherd just wanted to keep dumping baby Jesus out of the Manger. :) It was crazy and oh so funny.

4. For Regan for Christmas, my gift was that me and him went and stayed in Waterton (sans kiddos) for two nights before Christmas. We went cross country skiing and ate and a nice restaurant and watched some tv and movies. It was super duper fun. (And I am super duper out of shape!) :)

It is good to be home for a few days. We have to go back down south for a funeral as my grandma passed away on the 30th. Hope you had a good holidays and got lots of good time with loved ones!

We are off

for Christmas.
I might post, but I might just be enjoying all my Regan time. (and the rest of the family too!!)
Hope you all have a merry holidays!!

(I added some more pictures on my photo blog too)

In the Craft Room: Aren't these cool

somethings i think that rule..

Some Tim Holtz products.

isn't that the coolest little hammer? It makes texture on things. cool eh??

(to see how to use all his cool products you can check his blog. He's got skills!! Pretty much anything he makes, I'd try it out! :)

I'd love one of these.... ( a dishwasher...)

but that's not going to happen right now....

I love books.
A bit of an obsession really.
I'd love these ones.


I even have a wish list on here? Yep. I like books. A lot.

This would RULE.

(It's a Nikkor AF-S 55-200mm DX f4-5.6 G ED)
you can read more about it here.

One of these would come in handy.

(it's a reflector seen here)

one of these would be cool


so impractical.. but hello a FOUNTAIN of chocolate???

um that would rule.

a scrapbooking calendar....


there are lots of cool things on etsy....
like this
and her stuff is always awesome


that's enough i'd say.....

In the Craft Room: Scrapbook Pages

a few recent scrapbook pages....




this one the color is all funny but i am tooooo lazy to scan it or retake the picture......

Sunday Seven

Really I should start calling these Monday's seven... since they are often up on Monday. But doesn't Sunday Seven just have a better ring to it??

1. Thankful that we are only five days away from Regan's Christmas break. Five more days of him being gone a LOT and then we have him 24 hours a day until January 2nd. It's going to be a good christmas holidays.

2. Thankful for sister in laws who phone me to see how I am. Or to see what I think. Or to tell me about their kiddos. Or whatever. Just glad I have sister in laws.

3. Thankful for good sleepers. We got up today at 9:30. Yes, I know I am spoiled. That is why school mornings are so hard around here.... cause we all like to sleep in. Kindergarden next year should be interesting!!

4. Thankful for the Christmas season. Love the music. Love giving presents. Love the decorations. Love Christmas cards. Love turkey dinner....mmmmmmm. Love the true meaning. Love it all.

5. Thankful that I thought of the BEST presents for Regan this year. I always struggle getting him things since he doesn't want anything. But MAN think I did good this year. :) (I'd tell you but he reads this sometimes.)

6. Thankful for our little Sunday tradition of 10 questions. Regan and I alternate weeks asking each other questions. About anything. Really it is just planned conversation. We go thru spurts of consistency. But it is just so fun to just sit and talk and talk.

7. Thankful for a clean kitchen.

some rhonda rants

So I've been thinking lately that there are a few things that can really get me going. I am not one of those people. That has an opinion about EVERYTHING. Some things I really don't have an opinion on. And some I might have an opinion on, but I really don't feel a need to tell others about it. (besides Regan)

Some things I can really go off about.....

1. Edpidurals. It makes no sense to me AT ALL to want to be tough to have a baby. Why put yourself through more pain. I just don't get it. As soon as I get to the hospital I tell whoever sees me - find the anesthesiologist and bring them to me. I want drugs. There are no awards - I mean besides the baby, and everyone gets that. I haven't heard of anyone going into the dentist and asking for no freezing, I mean just to see how it feels. To see if you can do it. You could. But why would you want to?

2. Potty Training. I've recently heard of the diaperless baby. Essentially it is using the same principle as Pavlov's dogs. You start from birth and take them to the toilet. So you start potting training them at birth. And you make this noise to teach them when to pee. I absolutely see no advantage to this. Not even a little bit. At first I thought it was cause I was lazy. But then I realized - wait. that means for 2 YEARS (instead of 2 weeks) you have to run to a toilet with a child. You have to watch their every facial expression so that you can see the cues when they have to go. That is NOT potty training. That is mommy training. To me a child who is potty trained goes into the bathroom and pulls down their pants and gets onto the toilet with NO help. THAT is potty training. Hello diapers were invented for a reason. A good one. Our sanity and sleep. I have other opinions about potty training... but I'll save you the read. :)

3. Expressing Opinions about parenting before you have a baby. I just think it is silly. The more I hear girls tell me their kids won't do this and they'll never do that, I just think you are setting yourself up for some painful experiences. Your kids ARE going to do that. And so are you.

I have no idea why I felt like sharing these.
Maybe I am getting more opinionated the older I get. :)
What can you go off about??

Two things

I thought I'd share.
Things that have been weighing heavily on my mind....

1. Why does Elmo's dad have to wear clothes but Elmo doesn't? Isn't Elmo running around naked?



2. The really need directions on cereal? Really?
"oh so THAT's what you do with this stuff"....

(If you can't read from that crappy picture and NEED directions for eating Turboz cereal, it says: Directions for use: PLace 40 g (325 ml, 1/3 cup) of Tony's Turboz meal replacement in a bowl. Add 175 ml (3/4 cup) milk.)

Happy Birthday!!

to me :)
Every year I always think of my momma on this day.
At least now that I have kiddos.
I'm glad she went thru the long (for her) 3 hour birth
(where I rolled in the middle of hard labour.) OUCH!
Thanks mom!

And thanks for all the birthday wishes I've been getting.
On the phone.
On facebook.
In emails.

And on a side note.
Had a fun photo shoot for my good friend Leah.
Who is so that cute pregnant lady every other pregnant lady hates cause she looks so good.

yep that's her!

um hello there!

yes. we are still alive around here.
yes. we've been super duper sick.
no, it doesn't help (at times like this) to have a doctor in the house.
you just gotta live out the flu.
it does help to have regan around though.
as dad.
and house cleaner
and dishes washer.
and laundry doer.
he's done a lot around the house the last few weeks.
for which I am sooooo thankful.
he works all day at school and then comes home and was working here too.
poor guy.

i am a tiny bit swamped with waaay to many things that i said i would do.
i have a slight problem of not being able to say no.
wonder where that comes from.... (right mom???)

one thing I have been working on is this....

Okotoks Scrapbook Convention
Check out this article about it here.
I am helping with the classes.
Trying to get them all together and arranged and teachers and sponsors.
It's a GREAT cause!!

And photos.
And regular mommy stuff and wifey stuff.
Plus we had our Primary Presentation at church (glad it's over!!)


Tonight Regan and I are going on a date.
And I am super excited. :)
Dinner.

What have you been up too?

we've got the flu going around at our house......

Sunday Seven (on Monday)

1. I am so very thankful for my sweet husband Regan. When I have nonsensical ideas he talks me out of them. When I am upset about something he calms me down and helps me see the right way to act. He is just so good.

2. I am thankful for my momma. We talk about a lot of stuff. And that she is always backing me up.

3. I am thankful for the sunshine. I'm not ready to cave into winter yet....

4. I am thankful for Lucy Ann. Her complete non stop talking and silliness. While waiting in costco for photos this week, a lady was pushing a cart with a baby in it. I pointed out the baby, to which Lucy yells at the top of her lungs "I NEED ONE OF THOSE!" heee heee. A few days ago she decided she really wanted a baby monkey. I have no idea where that idea came from but she talked about it all day. She "needed" a baby monkey. She goes into the play room now and shuts the door, when I check on her she says (totally coping Alden) "I play by myself!"

5. I am thankful my kids play. They really enjoy their toys. And I can get stuff done too.

6. I am thankful for Alden's quiet manner. I love that about his dad too. And it is such a nice trait.

7. I am thankful for prayer. To be able to know how to talk with a loving Heavenly Father and get answers.

And what is a post without a picture?