LIFE unscripted

Some great Whiff of Joy Blog Candy

2009-10-02T11:04:00.000-07:00

Can be found right here - I don't have any of these stamps yet, but would love to win me some for sure.

2 Sketches 4 you - Laura's Sketch 34

2009-09-11T20:43:00.000-07:00

Although I should be working, I decided I rather be making some cards :P
I made this one with my new snowman stamp (stampingbella) for the sketch challenge at 2 Sketches 4 You.

Crazy 4 Challenges C4C1

2009-09-09T13:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, I haven't participated in a challenge for a while, and this one was FUN!!

My card is based on the sketch over at Crazy4Challenges and I used my brand new Cornish Heritage Farms stamps and some of my favorite BoBunny christmas papers from last year. For colouring I used my SU markers, and stickles for the snowman / snowwoman :0)

Magnolia stamps are in da house

2009-02-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

....and that makes me happy!! I got Sitting Tilda and Edwin with Balloon a couple of days ago and I am doing the happy dance! There is so many great images - and I want them all! But for now, the 2 of them will do.

Tis the Night before Christmas...

2008-12-24T23:17:00.000-08:00

and not a creature is stirring.........

So, the gifts are under the tree, the kids are snug in their beds and I am excited for the big day tomorrow. It'll be fun and a white christmas to boot!! My first white one in the 10 years here in Canada - yay!

From our family to yours - MERRY CHRISTMAS.

All the Way from California

2008-12-11T12:58:00.000-08:00

For the last little while we could hear those barking sounds as soon as we went outside the house, and we had no idea where it is coming from and what they were.

Well, turns out that a bunch of California Sea Lions made Cowichan Bay their home for the winter - how cool is this? Basically right at our front door LOL. They are huge, loud and extremely stinky, but it was fun to walk down to the bay and see them for ourselves.

And of course, no trip down to the Bay without visiting the Udder Guys Ice Cream and Candy Store :)

Child Labour???

2008-12-10T12:00:00.000-08:00

My kids were home the last couple of days - they both came down with a nasty cold and we all decided it was better to have a pj day and chill at home. As it always goes however, after a couple of hours on the couch watching tv, they both perked up and felt sooo much better. And because I was busy scrapbooking, I told them that if they would do a few extra chores around the house, they could each earn some serious $$. Now that got them going LOL.

So, I told them that the bathroom needed cleaning, the kitchen cupboards could use a good scrubbin' and the fridge - oh boy, did the fridge ever need some attention.

So, off they went and they did it all LOL. I think we have to have those kind of sick days more often :)

December's Project

2008-12-05T11:25:00.000-08:00

I managed to whip up a super fun little project for December ladies - looking forward to seeing you at class again. For sign up, please email me at sbell99@shaw.ca
I have 10 spots available, first come first serve :)

Cost: $20

Morning class:
Thursday, December 11th
9:30am - noon
Paper Crate

Night class:
Friday, December 12th
7:30pm - 10pm
Paper Crate

And here some individual pictures of the frame, little gift bag and card (click on pictures to enlarge)

Another blog candy

2008-12-02T14:10:00.001-08:00

And I am loving it!! Check it out here:
http://bevscrafts.blogspot.com/2008/11/whiff-of-joy-blog-candy-from-katharina.html

And on another note - I just bought the best christmas gift for my kids! They are gonna freak. Haven't told hubby yet - because I know he is gonna freak too LOL.
I am not gonna tell you what it is - gotta wait til christmas. I am soo friggin' excited LOL.

Happy Birthday Liam

2008-11-24T10:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know where the time went - but my little baby boy is turning 8 today. Happy Happy Birthday Liam - we love you :)

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On another note, hubby dug out some old video tapes from when the kids were little - and all I can say is Holy Moly!! It is sooo awesome - I laughed, I cried and seriously wish I could turn back time. They were so little and so cute and so darn funny!! If you have some videotapes - get them out and watch them again! Great entertainment for the whole family.

100 Things Blog Go-Round

2008-11-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

I found this on Erica's blog and it looked like a lot of fun, so I decided to play along.
I did 54 out of the 100 - not bad :)
If you wanna play, just copy and paste the list to your own blog and highlight in some way which ones you've done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumpe
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous (Anthony from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers)
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Blog Candy

2008-11-20T07:41:00.001-08:00

that I would LOVE to win:
http://franmade.blogspot.com/2008/11/blogoversary-candy-time.html
Go and check it out :)

Pick of the Patch - November Kit

2008-11-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

The November kit at the Patch is fun fun fun!! Papers from Pink Paislee's Vintage Moon Collection are great to work with. Here is what I did with it.

November Project - SOLD OUT

2008-11-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Hello ladies,
This great flip/stand-up album will be our November's Project - and please note - the colours shown here are not the same than in real life. The lighting is just not the best lately, I tried with flash and without, not sure which ones were better. But these pics should give you a general idea of what we will be doing.
I have 7 spots available, so this will be a first come first serve. I have set up 2 classes, one in the morning and one at night - please let me know which ones you would like to sign up for.
Once I have your sign up, I will give you more instructions as to what size pictures you will need to bring. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me.

Night class:
Friday, November 21, 2008
7:30pm -10:30pm (maybe earlier)

Morning class:
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
9.30am - 12.30pm (maybe earlier)

Location: The Papercrate in Cobble Hill (Valleyview Center)
Cost: $28

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T15:52:00.001-07:00

Be safe and happy trick or treating!!!

Blog Candies

2008-10-21T22:34:00.001-07:00

Oh, and who doesn't love them???? I know I do - so here are a few - go and check them out:

Kreativ Kristin from Norway
Rach
Danny in Germany
Anni from Germany
Regina from Germany
Jill has some great stuff too.

That's it for tonight :)

Annual trip to Oldfield Farm

2008-10-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

Today we went for our annual visit to Oldfield Farm in Victoria and again - it was awesome.
Here are some of my favorite pics:

Can't wait to scrap them all :)

New card

2008-10-14T21:48:00.001-07:00

I am soo into card making right now - I am loving it!!

I made this card based on a sketch that can be found right here:

http://everybody-art-challenge.blogspot.com/ - they post a new sketch every Tuesday and this week I thought I might just give it a try. I can't believe how cute and gorgeous all those cards there are. I am having a blast checking out all the german blogs out there- so different and sooooo nice!

Blog Candy from Germany

2008-10-08T14:34:00.000-07:00

great blog and really cute stuff - she will accept international posts - so go and check it out:
http://stempelelfejayjay.blogspot.com/2008/10/blog-candy.html

10 years ago....

2008-10-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

....today I arrived in Canada.
I arrived after a long and painful flight straight from Thailand with my new man, 8 months pregnant, 9 backpacks, a bunch of cash and and the firm belief that we could make it work.

I still remember as it was yesterday - the fear of the unknown but also the excitement of a new life.
Stepping out of the Vancouver airport to meet my new sister in law Debbie.
Driving to her house in White Rock, looking at the landscape and thinking I am in an {all american} movie.
Meeting my Mother in law at the airport.
Being welcomed with open arms.
My very first Thanksgiving dinner with my new family.
Endless hours of trying to follow the conversations around me ended with me being completely exhausted.
The excitement of seeing a bakery only to be disappointed to find that the sweets were nothing like back 'home'.
Being too shy to ask for the Salami at the Butcher.
Laughing my butt of when my MIL ordered "Potatoe Skins" at the restaurant.
Being totally shocked to see a map of the world with Europe not being in the centre.

It's been 10 years and it hasn't been easy all the time.
Getting to know my husband (as silly as this might sound), having a baby without any (close to me) family or friends, overcoming cultural and language barriers, making friends and losing friends and the never ending attacks of homesickness'.

And here I am now- still getting to know my husband, still raising a family without much extended family around us, still trying to overcome some of the differences between me and my fellow canadians, still making and losing friends - but it's so much easier now. So so much easier.
I can now not only order salami at the butcher, I can also get into an argument with him LOL.

It's been a good 10 years - and I never once regretted making the big move.
We made it all work. And I think we did a pretty damn good job.

Blog Candy...

2008-09-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

.....can be won right here - some really cute stamps, check it out.

2 boys, 1 tube and the river

2008-08-15T12:46:00.000-07:00

Life is good :)

Camping trip to Coombs

2008-08-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

For the August long weekend we went up to Coombs. We heard that the campground up there is a nice one, and right next door at the Rodeo Grounds was a Bluegrass festival that we wanted to go to, so off we went.

We bought tickets for saturday and had fun listening to lots of older people playing the fiddle, banjo, mandolin, base and guitar. We loved it, the kids not so much LOL.

The campground was very nice - with pool and hot tub and also a 2.5 acre man-made lake. It;s definitely a family place - I think there was double as many kids as adults. Our kids loved it and made new friends right away.

Here is Paula with her new friends - and a fish that they caught in the lake.

When you are in Coombs, you sure have to go to the little market square - what a fabulous place. Tons of little stores, lots of fancy gift stores and it even has a stamp store. The market store itself is out of this world - so many cool things to look at and I could have easily spent a couple of hours in there if it wouldn't have been for the thousands and thousands of people that were there as well. I really enjoyed the lanterns that were hanging all over the store - made for such a nice picture:

One of the many attractions in Coombs are the goats that live on the rooftop - always a favorite thing for the kids to see.

And of course we also went to play Minigolf - a must do when in Parksville:

Sunday we spent the day at the Parksville beach and the playground there. I entertained myself by watching numerous kids all happy with their ice cream cones - only to drop them like a few seconds after - cracked me up LOL.

Rob brought a kite and him and the kids flew it for at least a couple of hours - it is a two string one, so you can really do some great moves with it.

So, that is it for now - I better go and clean up around here a bit - dishes need to be done even when you are out camping :)

See ya :)

Catching up - yet again

2008-08-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

Well, would you believe it has been almost 3 months since my last post??? Geez huh? But, I didn't expect anything else from me LOL.

At the moment I am sitting at the our campsite, a nice roaring campfire going, the kids are watching a movie and I figured now is as good as ever to update this lonely and sad blog of mine.

Have I told you that I am just so in love with camping here at Country Maples Campground? No? well, let me tell you that I totally love it here - I think I want to live here - like forever!! It has everything we need - large private campsites, the Chemainus River, a big pool, minigolf, a clubhouse, laundromat, a little store -it's so nice to go for walks here, the kids are out and about all day on their bikes making new friends........it's heaven I tell you.

We just bought our Holiday Trails Membership and we can now enjoy many many times of basically free camping all over the place- it's the coolest thing ever!! There is so many advantages and if you would like more info on this membership (no timeshare), just drop me a note :)

In July the kids and I went to Germany to see family and friends and it was such a nice and special time!! I treasure these times, they are rare.

Here are some of my favourite pictures:

Liam very proud with his german flag after the youth tournament he could participate in - love that picture!!

Paula cheering after Germany's win over Turkey in the Euro Cup 2008!!

The kids in their full attire - ready for the Final game in the Euro Cup - Germany vs. Spain.

A very sad and disappointed Liam - Germany lost!!

This is a pharmacy in downtown Schwaebisch Gmuend - those paintings are just the coolest and just so pretty.

This is the horse that pulls a water wagon around downtown to water all the plants - ever since I remember - soo cool.

This is the 'Johanniskirche' - it has been built around 1250 and they just now finished repairs and it is finally open for the public again. It is right smack downtown and just such a pretty little church.

Only in Europe can you find pretty houses like this!!

This is called the "Waescherschloss" - it has a very interesting museum and also hosts little concerts - I went to a medieval one and it was great.

This is us enjoying coffee and cake at a little restaurant that we had to walk about 2.5km to get to.

This is the "Hl. Kreuz Muenster" cathedral - and to go there on Christmas Eve is an experience like no other!! There is just candles all over and when everyone sings "Silent Night", accompanied by the huge and beautiful organ - goosebumps for sure.

This is my brother flying the biggest german helicopter over my parents house - it was incredible to say the least.

Those gingerbread hearts are very typical for Germany - all kids get them at the fairs and then they hang in their rooms til the next fair comes around.

Well, here is Liam sucking down a half glass of beer -

and then he is smooching me right after!!! Geez - here is what I have to look forward to!! TROUBLE I am sure!

Liam making friends with a pigeon :)

Liam with his very favorite uncle Micha.

My mom and the kids :)

The kids loved to help Oma in the kitchen.

Paula and her auntie Sandra.

Me and my dad :)

My brother, me and my sister.

BFF!!!!!!

So. that is it for now - hope you enjoyed my pictures :)

Fieldtrip to Eves Park

2008-05-15T13:32:00.000-07:00

Eves Park is just outside Crofton - and I had no idea that it even exists! One of the ladies said that it was also called the "hidden jewel of the cowichan valley" - how appropriate.

Here are some of the pictures i took:

This is Lorna - she guided our group and what a fabulous job she did - she had a nice and quiet voice and the kids enjoyed listening to her stories and explanations.

Here we found out that Banana slugs are both - female and male - and, if you get slime on your hand it is best to let it dry and then just wipe off - do not use water - it makes the slime even slimier!!

This is a mushroom growing on a tree - with - what I assume - are sap drops - totally cool.

One of the girls in our group spotted this little guy - and Lorna thinks it is a little newt - so cute.

This is a gorgeous field of Vanilla flowers - it looked so much prettier in real life!

Just a little mushroom, all alone and all perked up - in the middle of the forest - with all the pretty moss around it - I love it.

But wait - what is this - right there on top of the mushroom - let's zoom in and see (sigh - how I would love to get a totally sharp picture - not matter how much you zoom in ):

Guess the mushroom was not all alone after all ;)

These little guys are centapedes (spelling?? I have no idea) - and apparently they are mating at the moment - so I excused myself and let them go on with their business without my flash interrupting them any further!

Last but not least - there was this really black guy - and no - this picture is not sideways- he/she was really standing up!

Fun fun times!!

This is the Life

2008-04-18T20:04:00.000-07:00

Oh man, I cannot even begin to describe how good it feels to be home every day. It has been a week now and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it:

~ nice to sleep in til 7.15am

~ kids have a chance to wake up slowly without being rushed in order to catch the bus (even if it means we are a bit late sometimes..)

~we have porridge for breakfast

~ we ride our bikes to school sometimes

~ we have a good homemade meal every day (even with salad and all - go me LOL)

~ we go for walks

~ kids can have playdates at our house after school

~ spring cleaning has officially started: I cleaned my whole kitchen, inside and out - and lemmetallya -it feels good!!!!

~ I am caught up with laundry!!!!!!!!!! WoooOOOOooooohoooOOOOOoooo!

~ we do homework together - before 7.30pm actually!

~ we plan trips to the library and to the pool

~ learning how to budget

~ going on fieldtrips and just to be around at school again

........and so much more - it's been good.

Oh, and I also occupied myself with the Pioneer Woman's Photoshop Actions, and I am having a lot of fun!

Then, I discoverd flickr - and oh well - there go a couple of hours LOL!! So much gorgeous photography there.

Now, it's a beautiful friday night, Paula is at a sleepover, Liam and Rob are watching "the dark chrystal" (remember that one?? i love it.), and I am here ready to do some scrappin'. I have 3 girlie movies here and better pop the first one in.

See ya :)

Out of it

2008-04-16T11:13:00.001-07:00

that was me yesterday - woke up at around 5am with a major headache and an upset stomach - bleh. Spent all day on the couch sleeping. The kids decided to stay home too until Liam got bored at around 11am and wanted to go to school.

Paula spent all day in her room crafting - just being in her own little world. She also made tea for us and even cooked herself Kraft Dinner for lunch - very impressive.

Glad that I am feeling so much better.

So, I decided to take it easy today and do some scrappin - I am working on my first Pageframes album with pictures of our weekend trip to Hornby Island.

Fun weekend

2008-04-12T22:38:00.000-07:00

So, I figured today is just as good as any day to update my blog LOL - I knew that I wouldn't be posting every day - but this has been a long stretch.

It is now sunday evening and what a great weekend we have had. Sunshine and warm temperatures and a house full of happy kids. Lots of walks and bikerides, some housecleaning, lots of laundry, wiener roasts, roasted marshmellows and a ton of new pictures for me to scrapbook. Good stuff.

This is my niece who was here for a sleepover - soooo cute:

The girls making mudpies:

Uncle Robi teaching Mikayla how to roast a hot dog:

And the girls:

This one has to be my favorite shot -Liam and Colten by the fire - BFF for sure:

Obviously this picture has been taken after the marshmellows LOL:

Mikayla eating her first ever (!) roasted marshmellow - this kid has to come over more often - she is missing out on a lot of fun stuff LOL:

And here is the whole sleepover crew:

Now, the house is clean again and all is quiet - nice. Put the kids to bed early today - they sure need a good nights sleep.
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On another note - I have quit my job last week and I am now officially a stay at home mom again - and it rocks!!!! I feel soo good - I could yell it out loud for the whole world to hear! Such a weight lifted off my shoulders - I can't even begin to describe it.

I tried to cut back hours in January - but the bosses said no. They did agree to every second friday off tho - and I thought that would be okay for me.
Then, a couple of weeks ago i asked if it would be possible for me to have an extra 2 weeks off this year so the kids and I can go and visit family in Germany. Well, you could have thought I would have asked for their firstborn!!! The huffing and puffing - it was rather ridicolous.
They did agree tho, but let me know that this will not be happening next year or the years thereafter. Apparently all I do is 'want want want'!! I just thought I would have to barf - it made me sick to my stomach! I have given this job my all - I stayed late when the senior boss decided stuff had to be done by tomorrow, I sent my kids to school when they were not feeling good because I knew we had a lot of work, I couldn''t be helper or go on fieldtrips, I put 150% in everything I did there - and she has the nerve to tell me that all i do is 'want' - give me a fukin' break!
So, after taking it out with rob - we decided to be broke but have me home with the kids! Yay for my husband - I know he is freakin' out a bit right now as the money will be tight - but hey, we'll make do until something better comes along.
i told the boss about my decision on tuesday and gave my 2 weeks notice. She tried to be friendly about it - but you know - bitch is bitch.

Went back to work on wednesday - and if you kow nasty - that's how my day was. I thought a few times I am just gonna tell her to fuck off and walk out, but I thought I am a grown up and I am way better than this. I stayed friendly to the bitter end LOL. Then, at 4.15 she calls me to tell me that they decided it would be better if I just packed my stuff and leave and not come back - with full pay of course. All I could do is laugh and shake my head. What a bunch of fukin' retards!! Excuse my language. We got along for 2 years - and then to be so immature - it's freaky really.

BUT, I am now home enjoying my kids and my freedom - with full benefits and pay for another week LOL!!! SCORE!! LOL. LOVING every minute of it.
The stuff that I organized and cleaned in my house already feels soo good. The kids and I ride our bikes to school and back. Tomorrow I go for breakfast with 2 good friends - this is the life I tell ya.
i will take it easy for a bit now and then look into taking some courses at the local college - doing someting that will allow me to work from home. I am not compromising the childhood of my kids for a few extra $$ - this is a lesson I learned from all that! So is life.

So, there is a quick update - and now I am gonna hop in my pj's and do some scrappin;.

PS: Still smoke free :)

Day 3

2008-03-05T20:11:00.000-08:00

Well, it was a good one!!! YAY!!!
The last couple of days I had some weird symptoms in the morning - blurry eyes and headache - and today - nothing!!! The not smoking didn't bother me all day! I am so happy. The only rough time I still have is after work - but, it does pass after a little while (I guess the second pill is kicking in), and the early bedtime is doing me good too as I am not tired during the day and have more energy than ususal.
We also go for nice walks at our lunch hour - so, all in all - all is good :)

Spring must be just around the corner

2008-03-03T18:05:00.001-08:00

Now that we have at least a little bit of sunshine once in while, I felt like it is time for us to get out and about as a family. So, on Sunday, we packed up the bikes and headed out the the Kinsol Trestle Trail and it was really nice. Good to be out, good to bike again, good to smell the fresh, spring air.
Here are a few pictures I took:

It was fun and felt really good :)

Day one

2008-03-03T17:55:00.000-08:00

Well, so far so good! I have not smoked today - and I am proud of myself. I had a bit of a rough time after I got to work, but then was okay for the day. Then after work - it was a bit of a challenge again - but I am trying to keep myself busy - I think that helps a lot.
And, I think I will be going to bed early too LOL :)

Thanks ladies for all your words of encouragement and for cheering me on - this means a lot to me - and makes the journey a bit easier and I appreciate it a lot :)

A new beginning!!!

2008-03-02T19:28:00.000-08:00

This is my last pack of smokes! It is empty now!! I am done.

Tomorrow will be the first day for me with no smokes - after over 20 years of smoking - I quit!

I am on Champix for the last 8 days and I cannot believe the results!! After only a few days of taking the pills, my cravings lessened and smoking sure didn't taste very good anymore. I had to set a date and I chose Monday, March 3rd. I am excited and optimistic that I can do it but a bit nervous too! The morning smoke is gonna be the hardest one. But, I need to do it for myself and my family!

I am well prepared for tomorrow, I bought a ton of water, have a bunch of very healthy snacks packed for work and instead of a smoke on my lunchbreak we will be going for a walk. The girl I work with jsut quit a couple of weeks ago - so we are in this together. I will also drink a lot of green tea instead of coffee for a while - I heard this is good for you.

Anyhow, I will update my success (hopefully) here and hope you keep your fingers crossed for me :)

Got game?

2008-02-24T19:56:00.001-08:00

I saw this idea on Cyndi's blog and I thought it was really funny.

I actually wanted to use the "Maxim" cover, but unfortunately I couldn't find my 'hot' picture !! ;)

You can try it out here:

Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Yay me!!!

2008-02-17T21:37:00.000-08:00

It took me a day and a half - but I did it - I reorganized and cleaned my scraproom!! Oh, it was a lot of work - but it was so worth it.
Last night I went to Michaels to buy a bunch of baskets (50% off) and I started working on my room first thing this morning - well, maybe not 'first' thing LOL - considering that I didn't get up til 9.30! Anyhow......
I still have some minor details to figure out - but for now it is as good as it gets - and it is pretty good! I am one happy scrapper!
The only difficult part for me to organize are my sheets of stickers/rubons/alphabets! Drives me nutso. I know that a clip it up would be great, but I am not willing to spend that kind of money. So, I did some research and found this blog! This lady came up with her own 'sticker gripper' and I am sooo gonna do this!! So easy and inexpensive - I love it.

Anyhow, here are some pics of my new and clean room - should have taken some before shots as well - but forgot.

And my best purchase - the MM Desktop Organizer - yipieh!!! I wanted this one for so long already and with a 40% coupon - a dream has come true! This is one handy storage solution.

Some layouts

2008-02-17T21:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a few layouts I have completed lately:

yep, I know, I forgot the 'the" - still have to fix this!

It's been a while

2008-02-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

I know, I have not updated my blog, I have not posted my daily pictures - I am a bad bad girl!!

I will post some random pictures from the last little while, no particular order, just some pics I have taken recently.

Liam and his friends Colten and Ryan - Nintendo Madness LOL. Liam saved up for a long time and finally had enough to buy a Nintendo DS himself!

Skinny Jeans, who would have thought they'd come back!!????

After a long and wet winter, soccer is back on and Liam is as good at it as usual. He's got the moves, he is a fair player, he passes to his team mates and he has lots of break aways - and he scores!! So proud!

A good read

2008-01-28T22:04:00.000-08:00

When I found this book by Ken Follett at Chapters the other day - I was sooo excited. I read "The Pillars of the Earth" years and years ago and now there is a second book. I bought it immediatly and it is just as good. I love it when I have a good book to read.

Paulas's Birthday Skating Party

2008-01-27T21:56:00.000-08:00

Paula had her Birthday Skating Party today - she loves to figure skate - and ever since she is taking lessons, she is really good at it too. Her Birthday is on Wednesday, January 30th but we celebrated with her friends a few days early.

Finally another layout

2008-01-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

I managed to take the time to scrapbook for almost a whole day - and produced one little layout LOL. It was good to be creative again.

My new laptop

2008-01-25T21:50:00.000-08:00

This is it - my brand spanking new laptop. Love the 17" screen - totally rocks. Gotta get used to the new keypad and Vista program tho. I am busy organizing and re-installing software - lots of work but also fun.

Christmas in January

2008-01-24T21:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it took a long long looooooOOOOoooooong time - but it finally arrived. Our christmas parcel from my family in Germany. It has been sent off on November 30th 2007 and it arrived now at the end of January. We were really worried that it might have been lost (or stolen) but we were lucky and it arrived safe and sound.

The kids were uber excited! They got a lot of fun stuff and money. Liam even put on his Santa hat that didn't make it in the christmas box and we had fun celebrating our 2nd christmas LOL.

Liam got a bunch of german soccer stuff (Euro Cup 2008) and was - of course in heaven. He then decided to spread all his new (and old) sporting goods on the living room floor, and as you can see he was in his glory - too funny.

Remember Memory?

2008-01-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

I used to play it for hours - either with a friend or by myself. Such a fantastic and simple game.

The boys were bored the other day and when I suggested a round of Memory - they were up for it. They decided to use all the cards - which at first I thought was a bad idea (knowing their attention span and all LOL) - but they did it and they had a lot of fun. I heard a lot of giggling and laughter and they made it through all the cards - not only once, but three times.

Makes me Happy

2008-01-22T21:02:00.000-08:00

This is my favorite cup EVER! Our babysitter of many years gave it to me for Christmas 2006 (filled with a bunch of homemade cookies) and it is my favorite cup for my coffee in the morning. It has the perfect shape and I love the happy and cheery littel message on it.

Thank you Erica

2008-01-21T20:56:00.000-08:00

I received this beautiful thank you card from Erica - totally made my day :) Isn't it so pretty?

Sorry for posting so late Erica, but I have it sitting on my window sill every since I revceived it.

Stickles

2008-01-20T20:39:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing :)

January 19, 2008

2008-01-19T15:02:00.000-08:00

This is my new jewelry lady. I wanted one of these for a long time already and Rob gave this one to me for christmas. I love her :)

Playing catch up

2008-01-18T19:03:00.000-08:00

Okay, here are the pictures of the last 7 days - I just don't manage to upload every day. I guess it would have been more realistic to do this "a picture a week" LOL. But, I am trying :)

And thanks to Cyndi - I found out that I posted the picture on Day 11 before LOL - DUH big time.
I can't believe I did that!

Anyhow, here is a new batch :)

January 18, 2007

Well, it's a picture - a picture of a layout that I posted on the POTP Blog today.

January 17, 2008

This picture is not new - it has been taken last year in spring when my parents from Germany came to visit us. I just thought about them lots today and really miss them, sucks to not have them close by :(

January 16, 2008

This picture is not new either - it has been taken last year at Thanksgiving. It shows my dd Paula and my SIL. I just came across it again the other day and the resemblance of the 2 of them just blows me away - holy crap!! I know it's not the best picture - but man - it's basically the same face. Those "Bell" genes are strong genes for sure. Paula just looks nothing like me at all!!

This is how I look:

See - no resemblance WHATSOEVER!!

January 15, 2008

Neverending laundry - it's crazy - it's just NEVER EVER ending. And, see the 2 large piles in the back there - the ones that are tipping over already? That's all Liams stuff! He undresses, throws everything on the floor and when I ask him to bring me his laundry, he scoops it all up and brings it to me - if it's dirty or not. Drives me nuts LOL And guess what - there is almost no underwear in his pile!!! A boys life I guess LOL.

January 14, 2008

I love walking in the living room and finding both my kids snuggled up with their blankies reading their books. This is not something that happens too often, I usually have to remind them, force them threaten them to go and read. They argue, fight, cry and all that stuff, and in the end they don't want to put their books down - little goofheads!

January 13, 2008

My kids do get along most of the time - but they don't really play together. Their interests are just really different - Liam loves all kinds of sports and shooting Nerfs at people and Paula loves to talk a lot and hang around us, or sit and colour. So, I thought I better capture this rare moment of playing together - I love when they do that.

January 12, 2008

You'll be seeing a lot of pictures of these 2 little adorable girls - Paula and her BFF Cassie. They cannot do without each other and are always up to have their picture taken. I love it.

Day 11

2008-01-11T20:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I am slacking already with my photo a day LOL, but the last few days have been busy and I had no energy to do anything but do what had to be done and then go to bed.

Anywho............I took this picture a couple of days ago and it shows that we always have a lot of kids at our house LOL. My children are very social and we don't mind having their friends over. There is hardly ever a weekend where there is not at least one sleepover or numerous playdates.
The only problem is that the noise level is sometimes more than I can handle and I wish I had a down/upstairs for the kids. And those boys are so much louder than the girls LOL. There is endless hockey and soccer games happening in my hallway - but oh well, I know one day they will be out and about and I 'might' miss the hussle and bussle (no idea on how to spell that LOL).

On another note, I am so glad it is friday and the weekend is here. The first week back at work seemed to drag on forever and not every day was a good day - but I have calmed down and I am back in the routine. Just gotta make sure I make time for the 'important' things in life and be more involved in the kids' school life and so on. Some decisions and compromises need to be made and then I'll go from there.

Happy weekend everyone :)

Day 7

2008-01-07T20:40:00.001-08:00

Well, this has been a shitty day all around - so I went and got myself a bottle of beer.

Nothing like using alcohol to get over a shitty day - huh? That's real classy, isn't it LOL?

But... like ...whatever!!

A Picture a Day

2008-01-06T16:12:00.000-08:00

After reading about a "Picture a Day" on POTP, I decided to give this a try as well. Seems like a great idea to document those little things of our daily life.
So, here it goes - January 1 - January 6, 2008.

January 6, 2008

I am finally in the mood again to scrapbook - and that now that my 2 weeks of vacation are over - sigh!

January 5, 2008

Well, this is Paula's room - and I miss her. She is such a little social butterfly - always out and about, being with her friends. She has been gone for the last 2 nights - she sure loves her sleepovers.

January 4, 2008:

This picture shows just one of the many days that our house is full of friends. Seems like there is always someone over - the kids love it tho and we don't mind.

January 3, 2008

There is a big group of ducks that live in a little pond right in front of the hotel, and they are just the cutest thing.

January 2, 2008:

This is us on driving around in Victoria looking for a Tim Hortons - and we found one - yay :)

Love how The Empress Hotel is all lit up - so pretty.

January 1, 2008:

Rob's christmas gift to me was a 2 night, 3 days stay at the beautiful Grand Pacific Hotel in Victoria -

it was fabulous to get away for a few days. This picture is taken from our balcony on the 6th floor overlooking the Inner Harbour.

2008 - A new Beginning

2008-01-06T15:24:00.001-08:00

Well, I am still here and I promise to try my very best to be a better blogger in 2008. Apparently there is still people out there that come to check what I am up to - so, here I am.

Christmas was a beautiful time yet again at our house, everyone got spoiled, we spent some major quality time as a family and enjoyed being lazy.

Tomorrow is back to school/work and we all have to adjust to a routine again.

I had a not so good time at work just before christmas and it made me realize that I am spreading myself a bit too thin. I can't be full time and still make time for kids and family. Work is getting to the point that the responsibility and pressure is getting to much for me and it was stressing me out quite a bit. So, after thinking and talking to Rob, we decided that I need to talk to my bosses and tell them that I have to cut back - will see how that goes. I am not even sure if I will be keeping my job or if they then decide to rather let me go. But, either way, I have to look out and see that first things come first.

Here are a few pics of our christmas family

Introducing...

2007-09-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

our new travel trailer!!!!!!!!!! Woohooooo - I am sooo friggin excited - I could burst.

After many hours of checking out all kinds of trailers, we decided to buy this baby and I can't wait to get out and use it.
It is a 2006 Terry Dakota - and has been used only 3 or 4 times! Score I tell ya.

I am not a camper at all, so this one is gonna be fun. No tenting, no getting rained out, no living out of a cooler - we'll be camping in style now! And that;s the way I like it :)

This unit has it all: air con and heat, queen size bed, bunks for the kids, super slide out, bathroom, beautiful kitchen, microwave, fridge, freezer, stove, stereo and dvd player ----the whole nine yards!

We now have to build a new driveway to park that beauty here in our front yard, and I can't wait to load it and get it all ready. Oh the fun we'll have; spending the summers at the lake, taking the boat out, tubing, swimming, relaxing and all this while living in comfort! I think this is a very good thing for our family.

Here are some of the pics I took at the RV lot the other day:

Camp Imadene

2007-08-12T18:36:00.001-07:00

This is where I dropped Paula off today - her first summer camp ever. She'll be gone for 7 days and 6 sleeps - that seems like a long time. And I can't even call there. But, I can definitly send her a fax every day - which she is expecting for sure.

And, because I won't be in contact with her for all this time - I took this picture of the schedule so I know what she is doing and when LOL.

What a fabulous place tho - right on Mesachie Lake in Cowichan Lake here on Vancouver Island.

We dropped her and her best little friend off, checked out the cabin and helped the girls settle in. A little drama about who sleeps where - but we did get if figured out.

They did a little craft and then had to get ready for their swimming test. We all went down to the Lake, and waited our turn. The whole group had to jump in together, dreading water for 30 secs. and then swim over to the ladder.

She made it and was excited beyond words with her accomplishment! And so was I!

WTG Paula!

If you make it, you get a yellow wrist band and can participate in activities like tubing, water skieing, kajaking,.... Here she is receiving her yellow band!

Then it was time for the parents to leave and I was surprised that it went so smoothly! There was no time for tears (which I was sure we would have) and all there was on her sweet little face was this beaming smile!!

Hope you have the best summer ever Pauli!

Miss ya :)

Savary Island Part 2

2007-08-07T20:48:00.000-07:00

So, we survived our first night on the futon bed (who ever came up with that idea - shoot 'em LOL). We hopped on the bikes and started exploring the island. And what a truly beautiful and breathtaking island it is!

Here are my favorite wildlife shots:

This cute little owl swooped over heads while we were bikeriding! I LOVE owls.

We were lucky enough to have this giant eagles nest right behind our cabin - how cool is that?

Here you can see momma eagle (or daddy eagle - what do I know?) calling for the little guy.

The little one wasn't ready to leave the safety of home tho - can't blame him.

I talked to a lady a few days after, and she said to keep watching as sometimes the parents will literally push the little ones out of the nest in order to make them fly. And guess what?? Yep, I saw it, I saw daddy eagle (well, I am sure it was the dad, as mom's would NEVER EVER do such a horrible thing!) open his giant wings and push that poor little guy right out of the nest! It was incredible. The little one screamed and complained while he slowly flew right over my head. Is that cool or what?

While walking along the beach, we found mommy and daddy hanging out on the beach as well.

The tidal pools are fantastic and this is one of the many things we found:

The kids were obsessed with the jelly fish - they loved finding them and
poking the dead ones!

This little crab was in the water - blows me away how clear the ocean is on Savary!

And a couple more of beautiful Mermaid Beach:

And in case you were wondering why "Mermaid" Beach - this is why -
she sits on this huge boulder - all serene and looks like she's keeping
a watchful eye over the ocean. I like her.

Well, there is a ton more - and I will share some more of my favorites next time.
Toodles :)

Savary Island

2007-07-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

We just got back from Savary Island and again, we had a fabulous and relaxed time. The weather cooperated nicely and I feel good and rejuvenated. Although, I wish I had another week off, but, I had to get back to work today - oh well, so is life.

Here is a little recap and some pics from our trip.

We left on Sunday, July 22nd, and everybody was super excited. After a little drive to Comox, an hour and a half of ferry ride and another little drive to Lund, we boarded the water taxi to Savary.

The kids couldn't wait to see our cabin and ran in as soon as we got ther. What a cute little place, it was just perfect.

Isn't it cute?? We chucked our stuff inside, hopped on the bikes and headed to the beach. It was a bit overcast, and the ocean was rough, but that didn't keep us from going out and enjoying the beach anyways.

It felt so good, watching the kids check it out all out, the fresh ocean breeze and knowing that we still have a whole week ahead of us.

Well, this is it for now, I am off to bed, after all I have to go to work again tomorrow.

I took a ton more pictures, and will share some more next time :)

See ya.

Tagged

2007-04-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Jessi and Jeani - I know it took me a long time - sorry gals, but here it goes:

This one in english for Jessi:

Here are the rules...
Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to blog about their seven things and post the rules as well . At the end of your blog, you need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!OK, here goes...

1.) I don't like the way my husband cuts apples - I have a certain way of cutting them and when I see him doing it different, I get mad LOL.

2.)I have a Tim Hortons large Iced Capp with chocolate milk every day.

3.) I always have a cup of lemon tea with honey before I go to bed.

4.) I love to watch "Little people Big world".

5.) If it would be up to me - it could be fall all year long.

6.) I love to be home alone.

7.) I spoil my kids rotten - just can't help it.

Und hier in Deutsch fuer Jeani:

Hier sind die Regeln:
Jeder Spieler startet mit 7 zufälligen Fakten/Eigenarten über sich selbst. Jeder Spieler, der getagged wurde muss seine sieben Fakten niederschreiben. Diese müssen wieder 7 Spieler auwählen. Vergiss nicht ihren Blog zu besuchen um ihnen mitzuteilen, dass sie getagged wurden und Deinen Blog lesen sollen.

1.) Ich mag's nicht wie mein Mann Aepfel schneidet. Ich habe eine besondere Art Aepfel zu schneiden und wenn ich sehe wie mein Mann sie schneidet - regt mich das tierisch auf.

2.) Ich kaufe mir jeden Tag einen grossen Eiscappuccino mit Kaba bei Tim Hortons (so ein Kaffee und Donut laden hier in Kanada).

3.) Jeden abend bevor ich in's Bett gehe trinke ich eine Tasse Zitronentee mit Honig.

4.) Wenn es nach mir gehen wuerde koennte es das ganze Jahr Herbst sein.

5.) Ich liebe es das Haus fuer mich alleine zu haben - ich bin gerne alleine.

6.) Ich verwoehne meine Kinder - kann's nicht aenders.

7.) Ich sollte viel oefter deutsch reden! Hoffe ich verlerne es nicht.

There ya go and now I am tagging:
Cori, Mary, Sandra F., Yolanda, Debby V., Kimberly G, Jen V.

Play Ball

2007-04-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Today was Paula's first Ball Game and it was awesome. She and her team did extremely well and won the first match - GO STINGRAYS!

I love the ballfield - feels good and just right for spring time. Paula hits the ball well and made it to first base every time she was up to bat. She was beaming and totally happy and excited that she did so well. And so was I of course.

Liam's T-ball coach just called and it's a go after all. Apparently there was no coaches, but one brave mom stepped up to the plate and will be teaching the kids how to play ball. Right on. Now our schedule is even busier than before - phew, not sure how we are gonna do it. Oh well, we could have 4 kids and then we would really be busy LOL.

At POTP I said the other day that my goal is to take more pictures and I was true to my word. Feels good to know that I have some good ones to scrapbook again:

And here is my Hockey Fanatic - Liam. With the play offs on right now, he is dressed up and ready to play LOL. He made his own Luongo shirt (with Sharpie and all) and it doesn't matter to him if he plays goalie with a ball glove or not. And because our big nice tv in the living room is not working (it's all good tho - thank god for Costcos customer service) we have to watch the games on my tiny tv in my scraproom.

Here is a couple more that I took a couple of days ago - can't beat a Bouquet of Love!!

Well, that's it from me, I have lunches to make, kitchen to clean, laundry to fold and all the things we moms do every day - you know what I mean - it just never ends, does it?

Some new layouts

2007-04-08T22:39:00.000-07:00

These are layouts that I did with the POTP April kit. Loved those A2Z papers, and they went so good with my Thailand pictures. Those colours made me feel good and I loved to reminisce and think about the good times we had there. I wonder when we will be able to go back. Not in a while that's for sure, so I have to make due with the pictures and memories I have. And that's what scrapbooking is all about, right? It's a good thing :)

Happy Easter

2007-04-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

It's nice to know that spring is just around the corner and the kids can go outside again. My daffodils are blooming and I can;t wait for our new ornamental cherry trees to blossom.

We had a fabulous Easter. Kids got up all excited at 7.30am and the hunt began. The easter bunny has been good to us - the kids got some much needed new bikes, new helmets and some other little goodies. We went for a family walk and the kids checked out their new bikes and they sure enjoyed them.

At noon we went to the nearby park for the annual easter hunt put on by the local firefighters. We just made it home in time before it started raining.

Then we went swimming down at the bay - so convenient to have the pool 2 minutes away from home. Anyhow, there was this young couple in the hottub and it looked like they were making out big time. Then they left he hottub and I couldn't believe my eyes - the guy had a huge hard on and the nerves to jump into the pool!! Oh my god, I had enough right there and then - now that is just disgusting. If he would have been at least good looking LOL. But nope, really gross.

After a while Paula and Liam thought it was funny to go underwater and spy on those guys. I wasn;t sure if that was a good idea or not, but it seemed like nothing more was going on - so whatever. Then Paula and I went to the change room and she said to me very casually " hey mom, those two in the pool were humping!!

EXCUSE ME??????

I asked her what that means and she said well, it's when you rub your bodies together or when the man is naked and the woman is naked too. "Isn't this gross Mom???" "Yeah Paula - totally" LOL.

I was shocked to say the least and asked her where she got that information from. Well, her best friends older sister is in Grade 5 and she told her (not sure where the word 'humping' came from tho). Apparently she is having the talk at school and that's what came from it LOL. And to think that Paula is only 8 and she brought it up so casually LOL. Oh man, I guess she might be asking more question soon. I better be prepared.

I am enjoying my 4 days off and need to relax. I am not even scrappin, just vegging. Feels good. Watched the DaVinci Code last night - creepy movie but good. I was planning on scrappin tonite but decided to update my blog as I have been a bad blogger lately. But somehow nothing really interesting happens around here!

Oh, and I got the okay from hubby to get a cleaning lady for every other week. OMG I am soo friggin exited! Because I am working so much now - the house gets really neglected and we decided that it is money well spent. I also booked a window cleaner who will come and clean all my windows inside and out for about $60!! Come on, can't beat that. I will never ever gonna clean my own windows EVAH again. Gotta have it all clean and tidy for when my parents get here. Woohoo - this is soo awesome.

Anyhow, hope all your Easter was good and I hope you didnt' eat too much chocolate LOL - I have been pretty good so far.

Long days...

2007-03-27T21:23:00.000-07:00

..and not enough hours in a day. I come home late from work, gotta clean and do the household stuff, hang with the kids and poof - it's past 9 and I am pooped. I am lucky tho that Rob is such a good hubby and does most of the cooking lately. Am I ever grateful for that. I think we have to get back to meal plans and maybe even pre-cook and freeze. But then, our freezer just died, so we need to buy a new one. Just great LOL.

Anyhow, what's new? Oh, the kids have started taking the bus to and from school. What an adventure let me tell you LOL. We decided to do a trial run on monday. Rob went to school at 2.30, put the kids on the bus and then drove back to pick them up at the busstop. So, there he is waiting for the bus, the bus arrives, Paula and a bunch of other kids get out of the bus, the bus drives on. No Liam and no Colty LOL. Well, the 2 little goofheads missed the stop and kept on riding the bus LOL!! Rob is then following the bus and catches it at the next stop! Talk about panick LOL. The ride from school to our stop is only about 2 minutes, so the boys did not realize that the stop comes so fast. And apparently Paula didn't sit with them and didn't notice that she left without the boys. Both boys were a bit shaken and needed reassurance that things will be alright even if they don't get out on time and today all went well. We do have to get up earlier tho, but we just found out that the bus also stops right in front of our neighbors house.

Kids are growing up for sure and after it was all successfull today they are all excited now to go on the bus again tomorrow. Rob took some pics this morning, but I will have to take some more tomorrow. Gotta scrap this for sure.

On the weekend was the online crop at Pick of the Patch and it was a lot of fun. Margo came over to scrap with me and it was great - haven't done that in long time.

Here is what I got done:

This is one was all about shapes, so i did a big fat triangle which I have never done before - like the way it turned out.

This one was for a challenge called "Laugh out Loud". We had to use funny/silly/goofy pics, so well, these are definitely goofy LOL.

This one was for a stamping challenge and I used my new Fontwerks "elsie" stamps -good stuff.

This one is a lift of Kim Moreno's layout - but well, let's just say hers is soooooooooo much better. I wasn't pleased with my paper on hand and it all went downhill from there LOL. I totally dont; have enough 'boy' papers!! I have girly stuff coming out of my ying yang, so I am planning on stocking up on some new paper. I haven't bought a whole bunch in quite some time, so this will have to change (pssst, don't tell hubby) LOL.

I just got my April kit from POTP yesterday and a bunch of other goodies that I ordered. Woohoo, go and check out these awesome chipboards from Everlasting Keepsakes -LOVE LOVE LOVE them. I am glad I got a ton LOL. Now I just have to find the time to start playing. But by the way this week looks like - probably not gonna happen.

The kids are signed up for baseball, it's the last weekend of soccer and Paula's Hip Hop Dance is starting on saturday too - it'll be a lot of driving around. Oh well, what can you do.

And, because I told Jessi that I will do this - here it is (a bit late I know, but better late than never, right?)

Two Names You Go 1. Mom 2 .Bine

Two Things You Are Wearing Right 1. Jeans 2. sweater

Two Things You Have in a Relationship 1.love 2.fun

Two of Your Favorite Things to do 1. scrapbook...duh!!!!2. watch tv

Two Things You Want Very Badly At The Moment 1. going to Germany 2. more time

Two Pets You Had 1. a dog named Luca 2. a bunny named Jacob

Two People Who Will Fill This I have no clue

Two Things You Did Last Night 1. went out for dinner 2. folded laundry and cleaned the house

Two Things You Ate Today 1. a chocolate chip muffin 2. spaghetti and chicken cooked by hubby - very yummy

Two People You Last Talked To 1. Margo 2. Margo LOL - seriously, the last 3 or 4 calls have been with Margo LOL

Two Favorite Places 1. home 2. the mall LOL - sorry couldn't think of anything else right now

Two Things You're Doing Tomorrow 1. going to work 2. going to Paula's first ball practice

Two Longest Car Rides 1. Vancouver Island to Edmonton 2. Germany to Greece in a bus (took about 28 hours)

Two Favorite Holidays 1. Savary Island . 2.a tradtional holiday...christmas!!

Two Guilty Pleasures 1. Iced Cap 2. chocolate chip cookies

Two Things that Make Me Laugh 1. my hubby 2. my boss (he is the funniest ever LOL)

Two Things I Last Got in the Mail 1. my big fat pizza box from Pick of the Patch 2. bank statement

Okay, if you read this, take it and put it on your blog and leave a comment so I can come and check it out, okay?

Wow, it's 10pm already and I haven't scrapped a thing. Darnit. But I know 6.30am is coming fast, so I better head to bed. Lunches for tomorrow are made, kitchen is clean, laundry is done and the floors are as clean as they are gonna get LOL. So, it's all good.

Nighty night all :)

And the winner is..........

2007-03-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

MARGO!! LOL.
Because Margo was the only one participating in my little Freestyle contest, she will get some gorgeous ribbon and some other goodies from me :) Thanks for playing Margo - you rock GF and I am super proud of you doing this totally 'rulerless' layout - I love it.

Parent Teacher Interview, Report Cards and stuff

2007-03-16T21:23:00.000-07:00

We had our Parent Teacher interview yesterday and I love this kind of stuff. We get to go and get the inside scoop on how and what the kids are doing all day. Because when I ask them what they did at school I get an "I dunno" LOL. Well, Paula does tell but her stories are more like what happened during recess and who was mean and that kinda stuff.
So, we went to Paula's class first, and because they are now doing "Student led conferences" she got to tell and show us some of the things they are doing; eagle and salmon studies, math, reading, computers,.... lots of fun stuff.

My favorite thing was a little sheet of paper that read:
I like kittens
I like Tim Hortons
I LOVE my littel brother.

Awwwwwwwwww - it warmed my heart and I cannot stop thinking about it - so wonderful.
It's the little things for sure.
Then Ms T. came and talked to us and told us that Paula is doing a wonderful job at school, she is paying attention, she is considerate and helpful. Things that every parent loves to hear.
Paulas report card is one to be proud of, she got mostly exceeds with a few fully meets. It just comes very easy to her and I hope she'll keep up the good work.

Then we went on to Liams class and I just love his teacher Mrs. Robison. She is a young woman, and she does wonders. I love the way she interacts with the kids and the way Liam improved overall ever since she is his Grade 1 teacher. He came a long way in his reading, he is great at math and apparently he is the only one who gets her jokes LOL. No wonder as we are a 'joke' kinda family and we do lots of it here at home as well. Just cracked me up when she said it.
Anyhow, he was kinda emberassed showing us all his work, but I was majorly impressed. He does stuff at school that I had no idea he is even capable of!!! Unbelievable. At home he does do his spelling words and he reads the occasional book, but that's it. He is not big into colouring and stuff and seeing his artwork and all - it blew me away.

My favorite thing from him was a story he wrote all by himself. The task was to write a story with a problem and solve it.
His story was that of a soccerball that was all alone and very sad. He sat in a big basket and nobody would ever take him out and play with him. He would call out to the children and tell them to take him out, but nobody ever did. ANd then, one day came this boy (I am guessing that boy is called Liam LOL) and he took the ball out and started playing with that soccerball. More and more kids would come, play too and have a lot of fun. The soocer ball was now very happy -[and I quote] problem solved!!

How friggin cute is that??? I almost cried and couldn't believe that my little boy can write a story like this!!
His teacher said that she truly enjoys Liam, he is smart, listens very nicely, has a great sense of humour and if somebody needs help or a little support, Liam is there to lend a helping hand.
How lucky are we??? His report card was also very good, he improved in so many ways and he has fully meets everywhere this time. WTG my little man!

When I went to bed last night I thought to myself that many a times I am wondering if I am a good enough mother and if I am doing things the right way, but you know, after hearing all this positive feedback and seeing how our children behave when they are with other people, I think I can safely say that we are doing things right. We never get any complaints about misbehaving, they are both very considerate and both are trying their very best. They care about other people, they make sure that things are fair and they look out for their friends. We are truly blessed and I am so very thankful for my children.

Okay, what else? Oh, my parents are coming the beginning of May and I am sooo flipping excited. My mom and my dad, and my whole family can't wait. It's been 2 years since we have seen each other - blows me away that I am living my life this way LOL. If you would have ever told me that this would happen, I would have called you crazy. I miss them so much and sure wish we wouldn't be so far away from each other. BUT, that;s just how it is and there is nothing we can do about it, so we do cherish the times we get to spend together.
They are gonna be here with us for about 2 1/2 weeks and then they will be renting a car and driving to Calgary and fly home from there.
It's gonna be so good, and I know I am in dire need of some motherly loving.
But now I have to stop writing about this, I am crying already LOL.

Well, and yesterday I had another good day at work. Remember a while back I was thinking about working more hours? One of the reasons for that was that they were thinking about hiring a new full time person. And I knew if that is the case, my chances of 'getting somewhere' at work was getting slimmer. So, I stepped up, offered to work more and just did the best job I possibly could do. I showed them time and time again that I am doing quality work and that they can trust my work to be good and accurate. They still hired a new lady tho, but well, I left her way behind LOL. I am taking over some of the bosses work, I am fully informed on what's going on (me speaking german is awesome - I can hear and understand just everything that goes on LOL) I am training the new sales reps, I am training the new lady, and I am working on million dollar projects.
So, to make a long story short - I got another raise!!!! They told me that they can see the effort I am putting in, they see that I do quality work and that they appreciate all the things that I am doing. ANd because I am taking on more responsibility, they think it;s only fair that I should be making more money. Oh yeah baby, bring it on LOL. I am now getting $2 more an hour - holy crap I was speechless. I am soooooo excited - I could not think about anything else all day yesterday. I am making serious money now, I can pay for the mortgage, pay for groceries and more - it feels so good. I basically doubled my hourly wage in the last year! Not bad huh?

It was a great day for me yesterday!! Hope yours was just as good.

Day off

2007-03-14T10:22:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I had a day off (other than weekends of course), so it feels good and I am planning to scrap the morning away. Can't believe it's 10.30am already, time flies when you are having fun. I better get cracking, but that little Chameleon grabs my attention all the time, I could just sit there and watch it for hours. Liam decided that his name is Tony - girl or not LOL. I thought Tony is cute. So, Tony it is. We are taking him out a couple of times a day now and Liam is sooo good at it. And I think Tony likes Liam, as he never makes any trouble when Liam goes to take him out. I can't wait til Tony is bigger and easier to handle. This is gonna be so much fun. Best pet yet :)

Anyhow, enough rambleing, I am off to scrap.

A new family member

2007-03-10T16:50:00.000-08:00

Well, now that all of Liams fish are dead, he got his long awaited new pet - a little chameleon!! He - well actually she is the cutest thing ever! OMG soooo cute. Liam is on cloud 9 at the moment - well actually, we all are! I will take pics later and show here. The little thing is about 6 weeks old and it looks like she likes her new home. She is crawling around the leaf things, licking water and now we'll have to go and feed her some live crickets dipped in some kind of calcium powder.
This is gonna be fun!!

Okay, here she is - we watched her eat some crickets - totally wicked LOL. Hope I will get a good shot of that one day.

Benji...

2007-03-10T08:26:00.000-08:00

has passed on too. Another sad day here at our house.

Savary - here we come

2007-03-07T20:38:00.000-08:00

I am soo excited - we booked our cabin for Savary Island today. I was worried that we wouldn't get one this year - but, we were lucky and it all worked out. Phew.

We went to Savary for the first time 2 years ago - and it is heaven. No cars, gravel roads, endless sandy beaches, not much electricity (it's all solar panels), beautiful blue ocean, lots of wildlife and relaxation pur. It's like being in a different country and all this only 5 hours away from home.

Here is the cabin we rented - isn't it cute? Now I just wonder if this cabin does have electricity at all LOL - dinner by candlelight? Oh well, just adds to it :) I guess lots of early nights.

The kids are soo excited too - we'll do tons of exploring, swimming, relaxing, hiking and playing - I cannot wait. We'll be going for a week, July 22 - 29th. Oh yeah, life is good.

Just got home from a full day at work and then dentist (had a new dental hygenist - and man, not liking it!!) and now I will try and catch up on what needs to be done around the house. Chores just never end...............

Have a good one.

Fish Trouble at the Bell house

2007-03-05T20:24:00.000-08:00

Oh man, these fish are giving us grief! First Gary the snail passed away - big drama with tears and all and this morning Liam noticed that Patrick- his new (black) goldfish was missing all its scales on one side. So, I called the pet store and they figured that the other goldfish (Benji) might be a bully. By the time I got home from work, Patrick was laying on the bottom of the tank, missing all its scales - but still alive. I moved him to a different bowl but - he didn't make it. When I asked Liam tonight if he fed Benji he said 'no, he is a bully and is not getting any food tonite" LOL.
So, here is to dear Patrick - may he find his way over the rainbow bridge and be happy - the poor thing.

On to happier things .....I got this new office cart thing for all my paper ...I will be doing some reorganizing and tidying - my scraproom looks like a bomb hit it! I can't even be creative right now with this mess in here. I think I should call Margo to the rescue, she is a pro when it comes to organizing and such. Margo, if you are reading this - anytime GF!! ;) I am ready for ya LOL.

What else? Nothing really LOL, so I better go and see what's on tv and get started on my paper.

Take care and have a good night :)

This one's for Jessi :)

2007-03-04T13:00:00.000-08:00

Jessi reminded me that my blog is lacking some update (shame on me LOL), so here it goes:

It's been busy to say the least! I was working a lot of hours in February - totally loving it tho - and made enough money to pay the mortgage and more - YAY me!! Made me feel so good I can't even tell ya. So, I decided to work 2 full days a week -and the rest half days. Fun stuff. I am soo lucky to have the work I have, I get treated very nicely, love the work I am doing and the people too. Now we also have full benefits - which just rocks. Got another little raise - BONUS! I am very thankful and blessed :)

My house is suffering tho - it ain't pretty :( Where are those little fairies that come at night and do the cleaning?

I asked Rob for a cleaning lady for christmas and because he figured we can't afford it, he made me a little coupon book with chores in it that he will do for me. And I am pulling them out now! I am using coupons for cleaning kitchen cupboards, living room windows, floors and fridge, so the whole front of the house is good looking and clean again :) LOVE coupon books.

Went to a local school fundraiser crop yesterday and had a lot of fun. Gotta love scrappin' and socializing for 12 hours straight. I accomplished 2 layouts and 3 cards.

Oh, and there was this CM lady there and I bought the circle cutter sytems thingi. I had asked for it for christmas, but didn't get it, because the lady hubby called was on vacation. So, I told the lady that yesterday and she said - that was me LOL. Apparently she called Rob back in the middle of January and he told her that she was too late now - WHAT??? So, I showed him and bought it myself LOL. Put it right on the VISA :) Oh yeah!

Anhow, here are the 2 layouts that I did yesterday.

If you have these Cosmo Cricket papers - use them - they rock. And the Daisy rub ons - LOVE them!! They rub on like butter and are so very pretty and versatile.

This one was so much fun :) The pics are of Margo and I on our way home from Hope last year and we posed like Elsie does. So, I thought I should do a freestyle kinda layout with it. Well, I still need some practise with the freestyle thang - but like I said, it was so much fun and I kinda like the way it turned out.

So, this got me thinking -how about a little ELSIE CONTEST????

Make an Elsie inspired freestyle layout, Email it to me and I will upload to my blog here. By the end of next week I will draw a name - I have some nice new ribbon and some other goodies to send out :)

Hope you are up for it and I can't wait to see whatcha got :)

Okay, we have layout #1 by Margo :) Thanks for giving it a try Margo - I think it looks fantastic - considering you are a 'ruler' kinda gal ;)

I got this from Jessi's blog and thought it was cool and very interesting; all the ones in green are the ones I have done:

1. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
2. Swam with dolphins
3. Climbed a mountain
4. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
5. Been inside the Great Pyramid
6. Held a tarantula
7. Taken a candle lit bath with someone
8. Said "I love you" and meant it
9. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa -almost LOL, we got there and it was closed for restoration.
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby's diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day - my gf and I used to do that when we were teens - it was hilarious LOL
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was shit faced - not sure what that means???? Okay, update - I did now that Margo told me what it means LOL.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger's table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke - at home tho LOL
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Posed nude in front of strangers
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie7
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an expert
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Eaten fugu (pufferfish)
89. Had a one-night stand
90. Gone to Thailand
91. Bought a house
92. Been in a combat zone
93. Buried one/both of your parents
94. Been on a cruise ship
95. Spoken more than one language fluently
96. Performed in Rocky Horror Picture Show
97. Raised children (raising still)
98. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn't stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn't have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds (45.5 kilograms)
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray
110. Broken someone's heart
111. Ridden a bike
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol... does a pellet gun count??
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone's mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad and The Odyssey
135. Selected one important author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you're living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn't know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone's life

So, if you like it, copy and put it on your blog :)

And, tomorrow is Show Time at Pick of the Patch - the March kit is the Making Memories Kraft paper and it RAWKS!!!! We, the DT are uploading our layouts tomorrow and I am looking forward of seeing what the other gals did with it.

So, that's it from me now, I am gonna go and do some more scrappin' and then I definitely will have to do some laundry and tidying. BLEH.

Have a good one :)

What a beautiful sight

2007-02-15T21:59:00.000-08:00

This is my little boy reading his very first chapter book - I am soo happy and excited. I noticed that his light was on after bedtime and went in to see what he was doing (I expected him to be playing Gameboy LOL) and there he was - all cozy in his bed reading away!! He is in Grade 1 and does read some very easy first reader books but today at school he got to pick a chapter book as he reached his 150 nights of home reading.

There is a whole new world opening up for you my sweet little boy - I hope you keep on reading!!

Then, some not so good news, he's got Strep throat :( Sucks man. He is complaining about a sore throat for a couple of days now and just to be sure I took him for a swap and sure enough it's strep. But nothing compared to last time he had it, a bit of a sore throat is all he's got. No fever no nothing. So, I went to Walmart to get his antibiotics tonight and because I had to wait like 35 minutes - I did some shopping LOL. I found a great pair of green pants for $7!! $7 - pfft, can't beat that LOL. Then I also bought a new blouse and voila - a new outfit LOL. Loving it :)

And while I was at Walmart Margo called telling me that both her boys have strep too. Apparently it's going around .

I also bought a Harry Potter movie (#3) and because we all will be home tomorrw we'll have something fun to watch. Paula and I just finished reading the book and it's just sooo good.

Sure can't wait for the next (and last) book to come out - July 31st. I am not sure if I am ready for the ending of HP and I have a feeling it;s not gonna end to my liking. We'll see I guess.

I am soooo excited for the POTP retreat - signed up last night and now it's just gonna be waiting til the end of May. I told work already that I need that friday and monday off LOL. Gotta be prepared. Can't wait - a weekend away with a bunch of fabulous girls scrappin' to our hearts content - wooho.

I haven't scrapped all week and it doesn't look like it's happening this weekend either. Boooo. Brother in law and niece are coming tomorrow, we have the School dance, maybe soccer on saturday, and just lots of family stuff. But that's alright too.

Here is a little thought about Happiness :) Enjoy.

Happiness is essentially a state of going somewhere, wholeheartedly,one-directionally, without regret or reservation.

-- William H. Sheldon

For the love of scrapbooking...

2007-02-11T07:14:00.000-08:00

....I got up at 7am on a sunday morning! Go figure LOL.
Because both kids are gone for sleepovers, I thought it would be fun to get up early and scrapbook. Hubby is at work, so it's just me and all my stuff - heaven I tell ya.
Soo quiet.
Soo peaceful.
Soo fun.

There is an online crop at Sarah's Shoppe and I am planning on making a little mini book about the things that I am blessed with. Should be fun.

Proud soccer Mom

2007-02-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

That's me - a very proud soccer mom. Liam had another soccer game again and he scored - 6 times!! Woooooohhooo GO LIAM GO!! He loves to do hat tricks and today he did two. Soooo very exciting. And it wasn't like the other team was weak, they were actually very good and they scored 4 goals. This is just way exciting.

Liam lives for soccer and he is convinced that he is 'soo good' because he's got the german blood. How cute is that LOL??!! So much fun.

Margo, Colten and I cheered for him (and for all the other kids of course), we threw our hats in the air - and Margo said we'll 'moon' for him if he gets 20 goals ROFLMAO! Liam was mortified LOL, but he knows us too well and played along nicely. what a little guy.

Oh, and there is another story, but shhhh, don't let him know I wrote that here LOL.

After the game he came and said to me that there is this boy on the other team that he used to go to Beavers with and he doesn't like him (apparently he wasn't playing fair).

Right at this moment Margo said - from behind us- hey guys, do you remember 'soandso' from Beavers? Liam turns around and says (quite loud) - yeah - and I don't like him!!! Well, turns out 'soandsos' mom was standing right there next to Margo!! OMG!!!!!!!!!! The look on Margo's face was priceless!! Liam of course was totally embarrassed, and almost crawled into me. I apologized for him - and Margo apologized LOL - but we all got a good laugh out of it. The mom was not mad and it was all okay.

I told Liam that he can't just yell these things out and that he surely learned a lesson. Maybe I should have been more serious with this - but it was just way too funny - and we laughed all the way home. Oh man, it was sooo funny.

Now both my kids are out for sleepovers - oh yay - I am gonna BBQ some chicken now - throw it on a bun and be done with it. Then it's gonna be a night of scrappin - oh double yay!!

Oh, and I went to Robyn's PaperCrate last night for some croppin' and I managed to do another page for my BOM. I am quite happy with it and I just love these Cherry Arte papers.

Decision, decisions

2007-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I have this really great job and I am totally happy there. It's a small family business called T&T Windows (check it out if you are looking for high quality european tilt and turn windows LOL). I work part time there and they totally accomodate me and my hours so I can drop off and pick up my kids before and after school. It rocks - seriously. The business is growing every day and I would be able to work more hours. I was thinking maybe I am ready for a full time job - I mean we definitly could use the money - but hubby thinks the kids are still so little ( 6 and 8yo) and that I shouldn't. I agree with him, but was thinking of maybe working 2 full days and 3 half days.
I know some of you have small children and work full time and was wondering what your thoughts are on this??!! Pros and cons?
Will it really hurt my kids to be in daycare 2 afternoons for a couple of hours??? I just have trouble making up my mind and I am unsure of what would be best for us. I would love to work a bit more and have more money - but then - first things first, right?

Edited:
Well, thank you all for your advice and comments (I am loving that blog thang LOL), it is deeply appreciated. And you were all very helpful.
I think I made up my mind and will do 2 full days and 3 half days once the office is reorganized (new employees and computer systems and such). I am all for social interactions and my kids went to daycare some days even when I didn't work. I think it's good for them to go out and socialize. And I know that I can still have days off to be parent helper and participate that way in their school life. I am also very lucky that my hubby is involved and takes a lot of time to do things with the kids - so I don't think they'll miss out on too much.
So, thanks again for taking the time to respond - like I said, very much appreciated.

I've been tagged!!

2007-02-06T20:59:00.000-08:00

Oh my, I am sooo new to this blogging and I have been tagged by Jessi!!
Now I am not sure if I am doing this right, but here it goes:

A=Available? It depends LOL ;)......just kidding I am happily married to Rob since 1999
B=Best Friend? I have my best friend Simi from way back when in Germany and my best friend here in Canada is Margo :) Love them both dearly.
C= Cake or pie - Hmmm, that is a tricky one - I don't think I can choose LOL. I love all the german cakes my mom makes, but then - a good apple pie or peach pie - I mean who can resist??
D= Drink of choice - Oh, easy peasy - definitly a Tim Horton's Iced Cappuccino with chocolate milk - it's heaven I tell ya.
E= Essential item you use everyday - My computer! I am lost without it.
F= Favorite color: Oh man, my kids ask me all the time and i never know. I just can't pick just one. But my favorites are browns and blues and pinks I guess.
G= gummie bears or worms- worms all the way
H= Hometown - Schwaebisch Gmuend, Germany - it's beautiful there.
I= Indulgences - time by myself - never get tired of it and never get enough.
J= January or February - January, Paula's birthday and the idea of a new start.
K= Kids and Names - Paula AND Liam
L= Life is incomplete without... friends and family
M= Marriage date - August 7, 1999
N=Number of siblings- 1 sister 23 yo and a brother 26yo.
O= Oranges or apples - Not a big fruit fan here - but I do it Gala apples (and "Gala" only LOL)
P= Phobias or Fears - Hmm, I guess that something bad would happen to my kids - can't really think of anything else.
Q= Favorite Quote - I LOVE quotes and have a lot that I totally love but this is probably my favorite: It's our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities (Says Professor Dumbledore to Harry)
R= Reason to smile -picking up my kids from school and seeing their excited faces when they see me.
S= Season - EASY - Fall all the way. Cozy and rainy, colourful and knowing that christmas is just around the corner.
T= Tag 3 or 4 people - Cori, Mary P , Debbie V and Kimberly G. Have fun ladies, can't wait to see your answers.
U= Unknown fact about me: Hmm, let's see - I watched the '98 Superbowl with Anthony from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers in southern Thailand (there was a bunch of other people there too tho LOL)
V= Vegetable you don’t like - beets (don;t even know how to spell it LOL) but it's jsut bleh.
W= Worst habit -smoking :( but 2007 is the year that I will try to stop!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
X= X-rays - Yep had some before - but seriously can't remember for what LOL.
Y= Your favorite food - My mom's german cooking and hubby's fabulous Thai cuisine.
Z= Zodiac Sign - Cancer

2007-02-05T20:39:00.000-08:00

To succeed... you need to find something to hold on to, something to motivate you, something to inspire you. –Tony Dorsett

Gotta love quotes. This one would definitly make for a good layout.

2007-02-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at the mall. Here are the girls in front of their favorite store - LaSenza girl. It's amazing how much money you can spend and only have a few things in the bag.

We browsed a lot of stores, looked at a lot of stuff and I think the girls did awesome with their shopping. They got matching hats, sweaters and shirts and even a pair of shoes each. They were both super happy! Oh to be a little girl again :)
We also ate a lot of food and ended the day with a big ice cream sunday from DQ! It was a great day. Totally enjoyed it.

And - I did get my ears pierced!! And it didn't even hurt, not one little bit. I like earrings - they just add a nice little sparkle. Now I have to wait 6 weeks before I can change them - looks like I have to go earring shopping as I have only 1 pair.

Aren't we all just soo cute??? The 'little' girls with matching hats and the 'big' girls with matching hats too!!! Girls just wanna have fun ;)

Today is a lazy day - I am just spending the day in front of the computer, trying to figure out that blogging stuff. I added what I wanted, but would love to add a picture to the top for the title - but so far no luck. If anybody knows how to do this - please let me know, I would soooo appreciate it.

EDIT: Jessi - thanks so much for you help with the banner!!! I could have never figured it out LOL.

Off to put on a pot of coffee and then I'll do some scrappin.

Shopping Party

2007-02-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today is the day of Paula's 'Shopping Party'. How very exciting :) She decided that she doesn't want a 'regular' party for her 8th birthday, she wants to go to the mall!! Just her and her best friend Cassie (well, and me as a chaperone of course). And so that I am not 'alone' she invited Margo as well. So, the four of us will head to Nanaimo today and spend the day at the mall. I mean, can it get any better??? She has a $40 gift card for LaSenza girl that she got for her christmas and she can't wait to finally spend it. This is gonna be fun. My kind of party LOL. She doesn't know it yet, but I am gonna have my ears pierced at the mall today - something that she is begging me to do (why, I don't know, bt she wants me to wear earrings), so, I am gonna do that. I hope it doesn't hurt LOL.
I will take my camera and document the day at the mall - I bet it'll make for a great page ;)
I will upload pics later.

I can't believe my little girl is old enough to be wanting a day at the mall ---- wohhooooooooo, this rocks!!

I am doing it :)

2007-01-31T22:07:00.000-08:00

Well, I decided to start my own blog!! Wohoo - but how in the world will I ever figure out how to do this???? OMG - it looks sooo complicated and I dont't even know where to start LOL. I guess I have some learning to do. Wish me luck :)