What A Great Week

I am enjoying Christmas break up here  in Fort McMurray.  It is so true that this place does grow on you.  I love my friends up here.  The people of Fort McMurray are a tough breed.  They have to be.  This gives them a lot of character.

  Tracy is a wonderful person.   I met her in Fort McMurray when I lived up here.  She is so kind and giving of herself.  Her son Connor and my son Clayton went to preschool and kindergarten together.  Tracy was always very involved at the school and now she is an anchorwoman at Kaos 91.1 in Fort McMurray and also a school trustee for the Fort McMurray Catholic School Board.  She makes a difference in the spirit of Fort McMurray and I am so proud of her and admire her so much.  Fort McMurray has always had an undeserved bad reputation.  Tracy is the kind of person that doesn't like to see Fort McMurray get a bad rap and it's meeting people like her that makes you realize that there are wonderful people here and they make Fort McMurray so nice. 

Fort McMurray has a new sports centre that is very impressive.  They needed and deserved it for a long time!  Tracy and I took the boys to the pool there and had a good visit.  Clayton loves all the things there are to do here.  There is always snow to build forts and they have outstanding cross country skiing trails and snowshoe trails.  The buzz of snowmobiles are heard in the distance and the tubing hill and ski hill at Vista Ridge are awesome.  Rick, Clay and I went to look at Christmas lights the other night and saw some foxes and deer just hanging out in the residential areas.  The culture here is different, and you will notice it when you first arrive.  There are probably more men and pick up trucks in this city than anywhere in Canada.  There are no snow days here.  I do remember Clayton still going to school when the temperatures were at -45.  There is a very large maritime population here and they have such a nice, friendly disposition.  There is also a good number of scrapbookers here as it is perfect climate for lots of crafting.

Housing is very expensive here and we owned a home here for 5 years.  Unfortunately that home has tripled in price since we bought it in 2001.  Rick rents a basement suite here and it's nice to be able to come and stay when he is working shifts when Clayton is off school.  We moved to Okotoks in 2006 and though it is nice to be back home and close to the parents, we realize now that we should have stayed here and not sold our home.  Hindsight is 20/20.  It isn't the most ideal of situations, but we do what we have to do.  Maybe some day it will be possible for us to afford to come back here and live together as a family.  If not that, then for Rick to come home to the Calgary area and work.  I realize now that we have to make the best of our situation.

A Realization

Christmas is history now for 2010 and this year was the year to "keep it simple".  Christmas to me is a recipe for stress and I didn't want no part of the stress.  It was a realization that Christmas has become something so much more different than it was intended to be.  Yes, it is a Christian celebration that has turned into many twists.

This year was the first Christmas in a long time where I felt peace inside.  Usually Christmas to me is happy and sad because we don't get to see both my older kids for Christmas.  It has been that way since my divorce to Rod in 1999.  It has become very different but I try to make the best of it.  I am still thankful that I have family whom I love and that there is a sense of belonging.  Family and belonging.  Wow what a concept!

As I sit in the rented basement suite of Rick's home away from home and ponder the last four years, I have come to the realization that the most important thing about my marriage and family is to be together.  Rick has travelled that long and dangerous highway 63 from Fort McMurray to Okotoks for over four years now and it is a bittersweet thing.  I truly love my home and the beauty of Okotoks and being close to shopping and the mountains and parents, but I also realize that it is a recipe for lonlieness for both Rick and I and Clayton is missing out on his Dad at probably the most formative years.  It saddens me and I realize that I have made a big mistake by moving back home.  It really wasn't my idea, but my husband suggested it as he didn't think I was doing well in the great white north.  Little did he know he would grow to hate the long 8 hour drive every 6 days and we would miss the simple things like eating a meal together and being able to give each other a hug every day and snuggle in bed every day.  I have realized that things are not that important and that I am willing to get back to the basics.  The simplicity of family life with not a lot of things, but having each other.  I never realized how materialism can be a curse.  Now I know.

I do not look forward to the isolation and the cold winters, but I do look forward to the "belonging" and the hugs and laughter in person instead of over Facetime on our iPhones.

I have also realized if a person wants to be happy, then be..... 

It's Been A While...

Things have been very busy lately with Christmas preparations so I haven't really been doing too much scrapbooking.  I did make my Christmas cards this year.  They took about 45 minutes for each card, but I really enjoyed making them.

Today was the first day of trying the new Weight Watcher's program.  I went to my first meeting last night to sign up for the third time.  I am hoping that I will have the strength this time to go the long haul.  The first time I decided to do this lifestyle change was about 6 years ago.  I lost 60 lbs. and felt great.  The second time I tried was about two years ago.  I lost about 25 lbs. and felt great, but was discouraged that the weight was not coming off well.   It does get harder the older a person gets, but I will be 50 next year and I really would rather be fit and 50 than to be fat and 50.  I know signing up for this lifestyle change two weeks before Christmas is crazy, but is it?  I may have to rethink all the baking I would have done and the extra helpings of turkey, but if I can not gain over the holidays, I will be very happy.  I am hoping by the new year I will be very familiar with the new program and be on my way.  It is a matter of being healthy or being unhealthy and I truly am so fed up with my weight problems.

An Inspirational Week

This week has been so inspirational to me.  Life is too short not to take every opportunity to get out there and enjoy all the beauty in it.  Although it has been very cold and snowy here for the last ten days or so, it was gorgeous outside and I love taking photos in the winter just as much as the summer.  Christmas is a wonderful opportunity to capture all the love and happiness in our homes...and also all the stress leading up to the big day.  Then there is getting outdoors to enjoy some winter activities such as sledding and possibly snowshoeing.  It would be great to go in the mountains closeby and take in the wonderful fresh air and get some exercise at the same time.  I can totally see my youngest son Clay and my husband joining me in that activity.

Christmas is only a month away and it was nice to get out and go to the mall and see all the decorations.  It will be fun to put up the tree.  Oh the photo opportunities!  I bought a star filter for my DSLR and I am so stoked to try it out on the tree and the lights at Christmas.    Here is one from last night of my home.  I see we have a few bulbs burned out already, but I love low-light photography.  A person just has to keep warm and make sure the batteries are charged up good.

Scrapbooker's Paradise is a scrapbook store in Calgary that I usually shop at.  The ladies are so great there and they are always a breath of fresh air.  I always leave there smiling as they are so much fun and have a great sense of humor.  They are all very knowledgeable and share that same passion I have for the wonderful hobby.

My mom and I went to Jack Astor's for lunch.

  It  was great to connect and have some laughs.  Doesn't she look wonderful in red?  My mom is so pretty!

Well off to make some Beef Barley Soup and get the house in shape.  My husband will be coming home today and I sure hope he has a safe trip.

Day Three

Today was the final day of  Tamara Lackey's "Children's Portrait Photography".  It was such an inspiration and I took a ton of notes.  It really put it all in perspective for me as far as blending all the components of becoming  a professional photographer.  It is something that I want to work towards and see where it takes me.  I really want to pursue my diploma in photography and this course reinforced that for me.

Little by little I will work towards that goal.  It is really an excited time of my life and I truly believe that the sky is the limit.  I am not afraid of hard work to achieve this goal.

Day Two

Today was day two of the CreativeLive Children's Portrait Photography by Tamara Lackey.  It was great!  I have so much respect for her and her work.  She truly is a smart lady and very good with children.  It is opening a whole new realm in photography for me as I have mostly taken an interest in landscape and macro photography.  I really like the quote ``the dictionary is the only place where success is before work``.  Love that.  I am a true believer that hard work pays off in every aspect of life.  I also like the satisfaction you get from hard work.

Looking forward to tomorrow`s show as it will be critiquing photos and the `business`side of photography and the work and home balance.

Children's Portrait Photography

Lisa, a friend of mine told me about some wonderful photography courses that were online.  She told me about a livestream course that was taking place all weekend called "Children's Portrait Photography" by Tamara Lackey.

www.tamaralackey.com

   It is awesome!  Tamara definitely has a way with getting children to be comfortable around the camera and shows some of her techniques.  Today's course was seven hours long and discussed more of a hands on approach.  It was like a little psychology class. 

Tomorrow she will have some family photo shoots and also discuss establishing a studio and a budget design challenge.  I am looking forward to it.

Dean

Here is a layout on my little brother who passed away four years ago at the age of 38.  It was such a shock to my family and I wanted to pay tribute to him and also because it is such good therapy for me to scrapbook.  This layout was of Dean when he was about 4 years old.  Wasn't he cute?  His daughter Laine, who is now 8 looks so much like him.

I'm Getting Published Again!

In August this year I had a layout published in  and I was so flattered.  Today I received another email saying that my "Winter Joy" mini album is going to be published in the same online magazine.  It was the perfect start of a perfect day!

www.scrapbooking.com/

Winter and Flowers

The last two days there has been a lot of snow and although I hate driving in the winter, I love the beauty of the snow blanketing everything.  I had some library books to return so I snapped a few photos.

Rick bought me these yellow roses on Sunday as he knows I always get sad on the anniversary date of my brother's passing.  Yellow roses symbolize sympathy.  Aren't they pretty?

Moving Right Along

I can't believe it has been over a month since I've blogged.  To be honest I haven't done much scrapbooking since I started my photography course.  It has been exciting, fun and challenging to take this course.  It makes me look at things in a totally different way and I am much more aware of all the beauty around me.

Tomorrow is my youngest son's birthday.  He is going to be 11 years old.  Where has the time gone?  He gives me so much to live for.  He really is a good kid and we have a special bond since we spend so much time together while his dad works away.

It is also Halloween this weekend so I better buy the candy and get the pumpkin carved.

First Day Of Fall

I find it hard to believe that it is the first day of fall when we really didn't have a summer this year and we have already had snow once.


Last September I took an Anatomy and Physiology course as I was considering studying for my nursing degree.  I realized that it wouldn't fit in my life too well with having to attend classes full time this year and have to commute into Calgary and be at class by 8:30 a.m. when we get a lot of snowy days and I didn't want to leave my 10 year old alone 5 days a week.

Photography is something that I have enjoyed so much since I received my Canon DSLR camera three years ago.  It has just been in the last few months that I am using the creative settings on my camera to take photographs. 

Today I finally took the plunge and signed up with the Photography Institute for their photography diploma online course.  I am soooo excited as it will keep me busy and motivated this winter.  It totally works for me and my family. I like online learning as it is so flexible.

I really want to take my photos to the next level and see where it takes me.  I love having goals.

Winter Joy

This last weekend I went to a new crop and enjoyed it very much.  It's always nice to meet new people and I love the way this hobby brings so many women together.

Bo Bunny has a new winter paper collection called "Winter Joy".  I love the pretty colors of aqua, purple and green and this combination coordinates very well.

Here is a mini album I made with some of the winter photos I took last winter.

I also altered a box with the same paper for my Christmas cards this year.

Thanks for looking.

Altered Magnetic Dry Erase Board

Two Peas In a Bucket has a back to school challenge that I wanted to participate in.  The first assignment/challenge was to make something school related that is used for tracking.

This altered magnetic memo board was bought from Michael's.  It was 40% off so I got it for about $8.00.  I then used some Moxie School Zone paper and stickers, some Cosmo Cricket Boyfriend paper and some Scenic Route papers.

It was a lot of fun to do and I hope it keeps Clayton organized better.

Back In The Groove

I always find September is a time of getting back on track.  I know a lot of people think January is, but I find when school starts, I can get back into a routine.

One of the things I have started doing is going on the crosstrainer again.  Right now it's just 20 minutes a day, but it is amazing how much better a person feels both physically and mentally.  I already feel that I have a bit more energy.

Today is Sunday and I try to make it a day of rest.  I cooked my usual breakfast of blueberry pancakes and turkey sausages and then sat down to work on some layouts.

This one was the first day of grade six.  Clayton was really nervous about the mystery of who was going to be his teacher.  It turned out he got Mrs. Connell.  He was so happy as she was his part time teacher in grade four.

I also wanted to scrapbook some of my Punta Cana photos.  I used the Bo Bunny Paradise papers for this.

Here is yet another one I did on Punta Cana today.

Tonight I will be watching the Canadian Country Music Awards.  Johnny Reid and Doc Walker stand out for me.  It would be nice to see them get an award.

K-Ci & JoJo - All My Life

This was our wedding song as we went up the aisle.  I love it!

London beat - I've Been Thinking About You

Just a song that I heard today that I loved in the 90's.  The video isn't the greatest, but I still like the song.

Anniversary

Rick and I celebrated our 11th Wedding Anniversary yesterday.  It was so nice to have him home.  He bought me a gorgeous bouquet of roses and we went for dinner to The Keg and went to see the movie "Inception".  Clayton stayed at my folks so it was nice to have a date.   Time sure does fly!  So much has happened in those 11 years.  It definitely has been the best years of my life so far.  Rick truly is my soulmate and best friend.

Where Did Summer Go?

Wow!  This is the fastest summer that I can ever remember. 
The weather was cooler than usual and it was the first year that Clayton wasn't saying he was bored.  I kept him busy this summer.  First he went to a basketball camp the first week of July and then we went to Fort McMurray for a week to see where Rick stays while he works. Then we went to Osoyoos,B.C. for a week and then Clay went to Camp Rivendell for 5 days.  Clay and I then went back to Fort Mac to see Rick and spend a week there as Rick has worked the entire month of August.  We spent a night with Shannon and Rob and a night with Brandon on the way back.  It was great!

It was back to school yesterday and I can't believe Clay is in grade six this year!  Wow!  He was a little nervous as he wanted to know whom his teacher was going to be.  It turned out that he got a teacher that he had in grade four, part-time, so they know each other.  It is a great feeling to know when your kids are happy!

Wedding Layout

I promised both of my married children that I would make them a wedding album.  Slowly but surely it is getting done.

Here is one of my daughter and my son-in-law saying their vows:

New Home

Brandon and Lori bought a new home last Christmas and I finally found the perfect paper to scrapbook it.

Tomorrow they will be married 2 years.  Wow!  Where does the time go?

They Make A Perfect Pair

I really have to smile when I look at these two.  They are so in love at the moment.  A person can only hope that their love gets stronger every day.  Here is another one with the "Delovely" collection by Cosmo Cricket.

A Nice Summer Day

Summer hasn't been as warm here in Alberta, as it has in previous years.  That is quite all right with me!  Our house gets extremely hot upstairs and I move my scrap area to the dining area for the summer so I can keep scrapbooking.

My daughter got married in May and I am having fun doing some girly layouts.  This one is one of my favorites this summer.  It is "Delovely" by Cosmo Cricket.

Have a wonderful scrap happy day!

Some More Layouts

I don't mind if the weather is a bit cool and rainy as I love to scrapbook whenever it's not too hot.  Here are some more recent layouts.

This one is from a new company called "Echo Park".  I can tell I am going to look forward to more of their designs in the future.  This paper collection is "A Walk In The Park".

Another layout I did is from Fancy Pants Designs "Rusted Sun" Collection.  I liked the yellow, sunny feel to this one.

A Layout On Punta Cana

Last winter we took our very first tropical vacation to Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  It was a wonderful, gorgeous place.  Here is a layout using Echo Park's "A Walk In The Park" paper collection.

Summer Berries

Sometimes I just want to play with my camera and play in the kitchen.  This week I made waffles and Blueberry French Toast because the berries are in season right now and they make great photo opportunities.

Scrapbooking Time

My husband Rick has just gone back to work after having three weeks vacation and my son is at camp until tomorrow so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do some scrapbooking.

This photo was taken last week and I just love the expression on my daughter's face.  Shannon and Rob have just been married for 2 1/2 months and I wanted to capture the sweet love they have.  I had some old Bo Bunny papers and some K and Company chipboard stickers of fruit that I thought would go perfect with the layout.

So Behind In My Blog

I can't believe it's been over a month since I blogged.  Summer gets busy.  Here are a few things that have happened since I blogged in June.

1. Clayton went to a basketball camp for the first week of July.  He came home every night and was    exhausted, but happy. 
2. Went to Fort McMurray for a week to spend time with Rick and hang with some old friends.  It has been 4 years since I left and I can't believe how it's changed.  It's growing a lot!
3. We went on a week vacation to Osoyoos, B.C. and had a very nice time.  My brother and his family met us there for two days.  It was great to relax.  We rented a condo for a week.
4. Got back from B.C. and my daughter and her husband stayed a night.  It was great to see them!
5. Now it's off to get Clayton some cargo pants for a camp that he is going to tomorrow.
6. I had a layout published in Scrapbooking.com and am very excited about that.  Here is a link:  http://scrapbooking.com/article/74680

I have loved all the photo opportunities this summer and look so forward to sitting and scrapbooking soon.

My New Find

I read on a blog somewhere that there is these new fringe scissors in the scrapbook stores now.  They are Martha Stewart Fringe Scissors and I can just see the creative possibilities with these.

School's Out For Summer

My youngest son Clayton, who is ten years old, is done school for this year.  He will be going into grade 6 now.  I always remember how great it was to empty out my desk and leave school for the summer.  Wouldn't it be great to be a kid again?

In Honor Of Fathers

Today is Father's Day and it means a lot to me.  My Dad is special to me and I'm sure, many daughters can relate.  Father's Day also means a lot to me because of my husband being a stepfather to my older son and daughter.  It wasn't always easy, but he really tried to be there for them when they were teenagers.  I remember him surprising my daughter on her 11th birthday with a bouquet of flowers.  It was her very first bouquet that she had received.  I also remember when Brandon went to college for two years and Rick felt bad because Brandon's car was wearing out.  He bought him a car to use so he could get to school and work.

Father's Day also can be sad to me too.  My own Dad lost his son four years ago, so I'm sure that is on my dad's mind today.  Also, my niece and nephew are now 5 and 8 and they miss their daddy very much.

Dads are a special part of the dynamics of a family and as the family changes in our society, dad's roles change too.  More mothers are working outside the home and the dad isn't the sole breadwinner anymore.  He sometimes is the main cook and changes the diapers.  Boy things have changed since I was little!

Today I am making dinner for my Dad and the weather is beautiful so we will have a barbeque.  I have made the potato salad, husked the corn on the cob, make his favorite chocolate mousse pie and a banana cream pie.  He will just have to grill the hamburgers as Rick isn't home this Father's Day.  It will be nice to spend the day with him and my mom.  Happy Father's Day!

My Favorite Things

As I'm sure everyone knows, I like to dote on my family. I like the new Bo Bunny's Peacock Lane papers so I got busy cutting and making some roses. I didn't know what photo I was going to use with the layout until I saw this one with my daughter and I. The colors seemed to go well.

Sweet Summer

I am just loving October Afternoon's "Fly A Kite" collection at the moment.  It brings me back to my childhood somehow.

Last year we went to Osoyoos and had such a great time.  My favorite part is all the orchards, fruit stands, wineries and beaches.  I thought this paper with the strawberries would be appropriate.

Clayton has one week left of school and then summer will officially begin.  Hopefully the weather will start to feel like summer.  Happy Friday!

I'm So Excited....And I Just Can't Hide It...

I got an email, or shall we say "Peamail" from Two Peas In A Bucket last night while I was up late scrapbooking.  It totally surprised me.  The editor-in-chief of Scrapbooking Magazine.com wrote me and saw my layouts on Two Peas and wanted to know if she could publish my artwork.  The one she wanted was a layout I did last week on my husband Rick and his new car.  I didn't think this layout was anything special, but it was something that she wanted.  It was my original work and it was fun to do.  I think the photo was a fun one and she liked it.  I am so flattered!

I told my youngest son Clayton the news this morning when he woke up and he said he wanted me to do some pages on him.  Too funny!  Usually I can't get a decent photo of Clayton lately as he always puts on a goofy face, but I think he wants his five minutes of fame.

Have a great weekend!

Another Layout of Kelsi and Shannon

This one had a lot of cutting and I popdotted all the flowers.  I love My Mind's Eye and this is the "Bloom and Grow" Collection.  These colors make me feel happy.

Shannon & Kelsi

Today I wanted to do a girly layout with these new Prima flowers that I bought.  It was a lot of fun and I love this photo of Shannon and her best friend Kelsi.

They met a few years back when Shannon and Kelsi were working as Operating Room Attendants.  They soon became the best of friends.  Kelsi is now a Registered Psychiatric Nurse and Shannon is studying and on her way to being a nurse too.

Shannon got married three weeks ago and Kelsi was the maid of honor for her wedding.  I love Kelsi.  She is always positive and cheerful and sweet.  She is a great friend for Shannon.

Dad IS His Hero

I love the age when little boys think their dad's are superheroes.  It is so funny to hear him talking about his dad to friends when he doesn't think I'm listening.  It is so cute to hear them try to outdo the other by saying things like "my dad is an electrician and he has a very important job".

Clayton has never said, until now, what he would like to be when he grows up.  He said out of the blue the other day that he wanted to be a electrician just like his dad.  He has been taking electricity in science and Rick has been coaching him along.   I find it is a difficult subject, and boring too, but he can appreciate the hard work and danger of the trade his dad does.

I just want Clayton to do good in school and be what he wants to be as long as he is doing his best and gets a deep satisfaction from his career.

My older son is a power engineer and my daughter works in a hospital and is training to be a nurse in her spare time, which she doesn't have a lot of.  I am proud of my kids, but they really didn't "get it" when they were in school until they lived a little and had to pay their bills.  Now they realize that the nagging their parents did was just to save them a few years.

Clayton has a lot of role models and it will be interesting to see what he ends up doing.  It will just have to unfold on its own.

Here is a layout I did last night with a new paper collection from Fancy Pants Designs named "Like
Father Like Son".  I thought it would be perfect for this kind of layout as well as some masculine cards.   Father's Day is a little more than a week away and I thought this would be a perfect time to honor fathers.

Handsome Groom

I know I want to scrapbook about my daughter right now as she is a new bride, but I do know that if it wasn't for the groom, there wouldn't be a bride so I looked at some paper and got started creating a layout on Rob my son-in-law.

Rob is a great guy and I am so happy Shannon has found someone so amazing.  He is a real gem...sweet, kind, fun-loving, patient,  and a real good guy.  He looked so handsome in his wedding tuxedo while he was getting ready for the wedding.  I am truly blessed to have such a great son-in-law and daughter-in-law.  Life is good.

Another June Day

Sometimes the scrapbooking mojo comes at weird times.  I find that nights are not when I feel as creative as first thing in the morning.  I started this layout last night, but left all my supplies in my kitchen overnight and came back to work on it this morning.  Sometimes a break from it gives a person more ideas.  I just love Webster's Pages Bloomers.  They are the roses.  I also wanted to try working with all black and white patterned papers to see if I could come up with something that went well together.   The Slice Machine is the next best thing to "sliced bread" and I used it for the letters "dance" and also for the diecut of the couple dancing and the music note.  It came together well, I think.  It will be another one to put in the album for Shannon and Rob's wedding day.

Back To The Grind

Rick has left today so I am a "semi widow" for a while.  We had a great time together going for drives in the new car and I am so excited because I got a new macro lens for my camera.

It is going to be so much fun playing with my new lens.  It will be good for close-ups of flowers and insects and really good for portraits too.  I also got a new tripod as my other one was a little scary when I would put my 70-200 mm lens on the tripod.  If a wind came up, I would be SOL.

It is now June and Clayton will be out of school on June 25 for the summer.  Wow!  It sure has gone by very fast this year.  Here are Ten Random Things I Am Looking Forward To Summer

1.  Not making bagged lunches - except when Clayton goes to a basketball camp in July.

2.  Scrapbooking on the deck on a nice, calm day.

3.  Going for lots of drives in the mountains and country with Rick and Clay.

4.  Taking lots of photos of flowers with my new lens.

5.  Going to Fort Mac to visit some old friends and stay with Rick at his home away from home.  

6.  Having a garage sale.

7.  Going to the new spray park with Clayton.

8.  Going to Osoyoos for a week of R&R.

9.  Outdoor BBQ's and picnics.

10.  Clayton's camp in August.  Rick and I can have a little mini honeymoon.

Changes

School is almost over for Clayton and summer is on the horizon.  I think.  Our weather has been anything but normal for spring.  I haven't even bought bedding out plants as it hasn't really been weather for planting.  We are supposed to get rain this week and the temperatures are well below normal for this time of year.  Is this global warming?

Last night I got a terrible headache and excrutiating pain in my jaw.  Today I woke up with a swollen face and it hurts to chew.  I will have to get it looked at as I don't know if it is a tooth issue or not.  Why do these things always seem to happen on weekends?

Rick, Clayton and I were going to go for a drive today, but the weather isn't great so we are going to stay home.  Rick is working on my truck and Clayton is playing downstairs on XBox so scrapbooking is calling out to me.  I have learned how to make these cute little paper roses for my layouts and it is perfect for wedding layouts and girl layouts.

Rob On The News

My son-in-law Rob was on the news tonight.   Shannon and Rob are having issues with a gas well being under their land in Calmar.

http://www.globaltvedmonton.com/video/index.html?releasePID=oeaBMnxDm_NqVP__B5l_s8h0t3fEn6QX

It's A Slice

I must say that I love my Making Memories Slice Machine that I got for Christmas from Rick a year and a half ago.  It's so portable and fun.

I was having some problems with the cutting mechanism.  I phoned Making Memories Customer Service Hotline and they helped me solve the problem.  It turns out that it just needed some WD40.  Yay!  I am back in business.  I just bought nine new cartridges at 70% off so I am anxious to try them out.  Now I just have to get the Hands Free Kit and I won't have to hold it down on the mat to cut.

Some Wedding Layouts

I have begun the fun task of making an album for Shannon and Rob. It is so much fun to do some girly pages and use some bling and lace. Here are the beginning of the layouts. There will be a lot more to come. I am just waiting on photos from their photographer. These are photos I took with my camera.

and also this one:

and a page on the bridesmaids, Lori and Kelsi:

Basic Grey is one of my favorite paper companies and I used "Porcelain for two of these wedding layouts and also bought the new collection of Max and Whiskers which is just perfect for pet layouts and these cards.  Here are some other projects I have worked on in the last month:

I have a lot of acrylic albums sitting around just waiting to be used for something creative.  This is an album I made of my home.  I stamped with Staz On Ink and just had fun with it:

Well that's it for today.  Now to go for a walk as I am about to take on a new journey of getting healthier as I have some health issues I have to address.