To all of our Family & Friends

May all your dreams and wishes come true this year.

My your hearts desires become a wonderful reality.

May you and yours have lives filled with great love and good health.

All the best for 2009.

From Our Home To Yours

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and all the best that 2009 has to offer.

9

Merry Christmas

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

AaatteeeeeeeennnTION! Company HALT!

Things are finally starting to wind down on the Christmas front. I am officially on holidays until the new year. For the first time in my life, I am prepared to not have to spend the week before Christmas busting my hump to get everything done. I have two gift left - one is cash, the other is a gift certificate. Then I just have to wrap. Shouldn't be too horrible an experience, I don't think.

On an exciting note, Rachel is now officially a Master Corporal. Yay you!!! So happy and excited and proud for you. CONGRATULATIONS MCpl Tops. You do Canada proud. She sent a couple of pictures but I don't want to post them without her permission so, if you keep checking in, I am sure they will be on her blog sooner or later.

In scrapping news, I met up with Meg and Renee at Stéphanie's class on Wednesday. Had a great time and so many laughs! Not to mention the creativity that started flowing with ideas for our Donna Downey weekend in April. I can not wait!!

For those about to embark on their holiday trips, travel safe, stay warm and celebrate merrily. Happy Holidays to you all

T'was the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas,

And all through the home,

Only one creature was stirring,

A late night scrapper alone.

While she cropped and she trimmed,

Under her breath she was muttering,

"He hid my darn Hermafix",

The poor wife was stuttering!

When out on the lawn,

There arose such a clatter,

She sprang from her table,

And dropped her Magic Matter.

Away to the window

She flew like a flash

Thinking maybe it was UPS

Bringing more for her stash!

But what to her wandering eyes

Should appear

But a miniature (die cut) sleigh

And eight (punchie) reindeer!

With a little old driver

So lively and quick

She knew right away

It was Jolee old St Nick

He carried a sack

Filled up to the brim

With paper packs, cardstock

And templates crammed in.

There were punches, and stickers

And eyelets galore

There was even a Sizzix font

Not yet in the stores!

He went quickly to work

Storing it all under the tree

The wire, the fibres

And all acid free!

"Those whale Punches are heavy"

She heard him exclaim

Then he turned to his reindeer

And called them by name:

On Buyer and Stasher

Puncher and Cropper,

On Scrapper, on Matter,

On Trimmer, On Cutter"

And he sprang to his sleigh

But before he could leave,

The woman yelled "STOP",

And pulled a camera from her sleeve

She snapped some quick photos

For future keepsake,

Thinking all the while,

Of the layout she'd make!

And she heard him exclaim,

When she finally let him go,

"Happy Scrapping to All"

And to all "HO HO HO"

Sometimes things just make you wonder ...

Like when you think something is one thing only to realize down the road that maybe it wasn't really what you thought it was in the first place. And then, finally, more things happen and open it all up for debate. Then the imagination runs wild and questions pop in and out of heads which are either a reality of truth or fiction but you will never really know. I hate it when life hits you in the face. (how's that for some Monday Morning 'food for thought') :o)

Have You Been Naughty ... or Nice?

Alexa

Angelina

Cody

Kayleigh

Kasey

Hadley

Abigail

Boston Bruins 7, New York Islanders 2

Here are a few of the photos that I took from the game. What great seats we had. Fabulous!! Unfortunately there was no aquariam. We got lost one too many times that weekend and, when he missed the turn off, we just headed home - - but not without a stop in Salem New Hampshire, first. A quick stop at Michaels found me some goodies, including a new Cuttlebug. It's not something I would pay full price for but, with the 50% off coupon and the lower US price, I walked away with one. In haste, I grabbed two die folders for it. When I was at AC Moore, I tool a bit closer of a look and bought 3 more. Turns out two of the were the ones I picked up at Michaels. DUH! So, I have the D'vine Swirl and the Spots & Dots available for trade if there are any takers. (they were $5.50 USD) I would really like to get a couple of the Christmas dies but can't find them. (I havent checked the Scrapbox yet) If anyone can give me a heads up, I would be thankful.

Happy Thursday. One more day until the weekend. Am I the only one who didn't think this week would even end?

Hello from Massachusetts!

Here I sit, in the glorious Harbourside Hyatt, in Boston, MA. We arrived at about 1am and left again around 9:30. I can't believe how busy the Garden was more than two hours before the game but it energy was so thrilling. Out seats were fabulous - 4 rows off the ice, right beside the Bruin's bench. If you look through the photos closely, you will even see me looking at Kevin with excitement as the players started their skate onto the ice. There is also a photo which shows Kevin after a goal was scored. I was blocked by the person in front of me ... but my camera wasn't -- woohooo! lol Unfortunately, we aren't allowed to bring in DSLRs so I had to use my point & shoot. Great to have it but I don't miss it now that I know the difference, that is for sure. It appears that I may have gotten some great shots but I wont know for sure until I upload them when I get home. As for the rest of the day, we spent most of it getting lost and finding malls here and there to kill time. Tomorrow we are going to the the New England Aquarium before heading home. I can't wait. It looks so interesting. (and it will give me a few more opportunities to enjoy the Boston accent. Ohhh, I love it!! )

I will update later with photos and more stories. (yes, about my personal side ... pick youself up, Katie. HA! HA!) I have a craft fair Sunday and want to get started on my decorations when I get home so maybe Tuesday or Wednesday?

Until then, you will just have to enjoy sifting through the Bruin's link above and seeing if you can find me.

When you can live forever, what do you live for?

I have never ventured into a book about Vampires but let me tell you, I am beyond hooked on this one. It they are all this good, then I have been missing out.

Stephenie Meyer had a dream one night and, of that dream came 4 books about Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. It was originally intended for 14 year olds but it has truly become a phenomenon. Introduced to it by my 16 year old niece, Mega, I have to say I am quite hooked. More so than I have been on any other series. It is 4 books long (Twilight, Eclipse, New Moon, Breaking Dawn) and each one gets thicker as you read, ranging from about 600 pages to 900 pages. I read them in 8 days. I would have finished sooner but leave it to work and other obligations to get in the way. I love the characters involved and have to admit to be totally crushing on Edward. At first I thought it weird and wrong to be totally crushing on a 17 year old character but, technically, he is a 108 year old in a 17 year olds body so, technically, he just looks good for his age. (that's my story and I am sticking to it) If you haven't read these books, I highly recommend them. If you haven't heard of Twilight ... where have you been, my friends?

Tomorrow night I will be seeing the movie version of Twilight with Megan. There is a midnight showing of it at Silvercity however, my responsible niece has informed me that she has a major project due Friday so it wouldnt be wise to go to a movie that late. I am left to hide my disappointment and raise my pride above it for her mature decision. Good girl, my apple. I know if it were me, I would have gone! If I had someone to go with tonight, I would have seen it tonight and tomorrow but alas, I have to wait patiently until 6:45 tomorrow where, popcorn and drink in hand, I will watch as the book unfolds in front of me and hope that it lives up to everyones expectations.

Guess Who's Comin' to Town?

Okay .. so Santa is coming to town but that is not to whom I am referring. It's not the Easter Bunny either but it is in April. The weekend of April 18th & 19th, to be exact. During that weekend I am going to be attending Tomorrow's Treasures at their Smiths Falls location, for three glorious classes with none other than one mrs. DONNA DOWNEY!! I love her work, her style, her creativity. I have 3 of her books that I am constantly looking at and admiring and now I get to take three classes with her. I am so stoked - - in case you havent noticed. Even better, Renee, Meg, and Steph will be there. I have a hunch that there will be a laugh or two happening this weekend!!

In the meantime, I am about to go card happy as I am have decided to get a table at our school's first Craft & Bake sale on Nov. 30th. I don't have time to do anything extravagent but hopefully, I will make a few bucks. Now that Donna Downey is coming April 18th/19th and I am away at NavCan the following weekend, it would definitely help offset the costs! :-)

On a Christmas note, I am looking forward to decorating. Its been many years since I have felt the itch this early in the season. Usually I wont decorate until December. I think I may spend Saturday Fa-la-la ing my way through the day and getting the house in gear for the festivities. This year I am going to be sure to take many pics of my decor. It is something that I have want ed to do over the years and now, with Stéphanie's class at the Scrapbox, I will capture it for years to come. When I have photos, I will post them.

It's A Boy!!

Ahhh - - if only in real life!! :)

I got this from Barbara's blog and had to give it a shot. My first baby was identical to hers - hmmmmmm? lol

Lest We Forget

In honour of those who have fought, and fight, for the lives and freedom in which we live our lives, and with love and gratitude, I thank you.

A Taste of Asia

... and a wonderful night with my Ya-Ya's.

We all gathered at Tanya's new house (and a gorgeous house it is) to break it in with some good ole Ya-Ya love. The evening was supposed to much more Asian themed than it was but, either way, the fun was still there. Lots of laughs around the kitchen table over food and sake. We each brought 2 items and wound up with a great feast. Then the ladies moved on to Apple Martini's. Afterwards we headed downstairs to begin our make and take. I picked up the Asian-style boxes and used my Urban Couture paper pack and matching ribbon. Stephanie was kind enough to do the prep work while I ran out to develop photos at 11pm. Rach pulled out the glimmer mist and Tanya glimmer misted all of the boxes. We only got the essence of what was the start of our mini albums but, hopefully, we will all be done them soon and I will post about them here. In the meantime ... Tan - can you please send me the pics? As soon as I get photos (and doctor them up so I look 'better' ... I am fighting a cold and looked like death walked over me - ugh!) I will post them for all to see.

This morning the ladies enjoyed a nice waffle, fresh fruit and whipped cream breakfast topped off with white chocolate cappacinos. Sounded heavenly however, I slipped out and went home just after 3am because I was stuffed up and uncomfortable. I wish I would have stayed but I was just better off at home.

Now, I am off to do the much neglected housework and try out my new vacuum ... hopefully I picked the right one. K is nursing what he thinks is the flu (aka a hangover, I think) so I am on my own to wash, dust, vacuum and mop. Who's with me .. c'mon. You know you wanna clean. Soo fun!!!

Happy Sunday

m.

PS - yes. I know. I random post about life ... not scrapping. not photography. about life. you can pick yourselves off the floor now!! lol

My Blog List

A new feature on Blogger ... and I *heart* it. Depending on how many sites you want to track, it can be a bit of a long process. But, in the end, it really is a great feature. It tracks all the blogs I stalk and runs and update. If there has been an update, it will show me how long ago and I can go visit. If there isnt an update, nada. Nothing to report. Now, for those of us who hate that the others of us don't update our blogs at a regular rate, this is a great option. No watching the pages upload only to see the same thing that you have been looking at for the past month - - now everyone should have it and I should be in the clear!! :)

Thanks Laurie, for sharing your infinite computer genious with me. (shhhh .. no one has to know ;) ) It is because of her blog, that I have this on my blog. Now I no longer have to go Diva Loca to see who has (or has not) updated. lol

Rock On, Sistahs!!!!

Finally, I post. I haven't really been on the internet as of late. A quick check here and a fast peek there. Truth be told, I have been curled up, in front of the laptop, watching dvd after dvd after dvd. Hello Sex and the City. This is the 3rd tv series I have watched since the summer began. Grey's and Desperate Housewives were definitely my favourites (hello McDreamy! 4 seasons in a week and a half. I love it!) and, while I am enjoying them, I am not head over heels, I have to admit. I am in Season 4 now - - Miranda just had her baby and Big just moved to Nappa. (anyone else think he isn't the greatest - - or sexiest - - of actors?) Because of this, my blog has been lacking, even though it wasnt my intention. That being said, I bring you the overdue Halloween post. Better late than never!

I went a little more over-the-top for our school's afternoon activities celebrating this spook-tacular day ... and boy, was it fun! Because it is only a half day, I usually don't have time to do more than than throw a costume on and make a few adjustments. This year, however, with the help of my friend and colleague Natasha, I was able to spend a bit more time prepping and was ready for the noon hour. I shocked many of the students and even made poor Nathaniel in JK back peddle with buldging eyes when I walked into the JK/SK room. My nephew was a little caught off guard and quickly stated that he didnt like my new look. (I have to admit ... I don't get many of them but I am loving those stolen moments that I get seeing him in the hallway or passing by his classroom quickly. It would be so easy to show favouritism but I am doing a great job maintining that professional side - if I do say so myself lol) A few of the younger students weren't quite sure what I was but one of the sweet dears in grade 4 loudly and excitedly exclaimed, " I know what you are. You're a TEENAGER!!!!!!!!!!!" It's was quite funny. Unfortunately, I forgot to switch out my lenses before I left in the morning so I had to make do with my 70-300mm and my 50mm which isnt great for self- portraits, as you can see. You can still get the jist of what I looked like ... some of the kids even think I should keep that look. My poor hair would never support it!!

i *HEART* autumn

Definitely my favourite season. Here are a few more photos from my day in the Gatineau's.

Autumn Splendor

What an incredible day in the Gatineau's. I was awe struck by the beautiful colours that surrounded me. I honestly can't imagine what it would be like to live on a country that didn't have 4 seasons. To not see or know the true warmth fall colours bring. A day like yesterday is the only thing that makes me sad about my August wedding day. I had always wanted a fall wedding but, being my first year working in the school system, I didn't think it would be okay to take off work. I also knew that I didn't want to take off Friday and go back Monday only to honeymoon at a later day. Now, I wish I had. What a magnificent season.

Originally, I was supposed to meet up with Marlene and her Flickr friend, Helen but that didn't work out so well. I drove around for 1.5-2 hours trying to find Pink Lake, where they were, with no luck. The only thing I can think that happened was that it was one f the 3 parks I drove by that were closed. The Parks people were flagging everyone by. I didn't look to see if maybe those were one of them .. I just kept on driving. All in all, I think it worked out for the better as Marlene had to leave earlier than expected and I wound up not feeling so well so I didn't do any trails. Desite that, as you can see above, I did manage to get some photos taken, thankfully. Meech lake was my favourite and all I could think while I drove around it was how lucky these people owned homes/cottages on such a perfect place. Definitely something I too would want.

Happy Thanksgiving!

When In Rome ....

Yes. It is true. I have decided to join the ranks of musical blogs. It is only recently that I am no longer scared out of my wits when I music suddenly appears and I scramble for the mute button trying to find the source. I still have a habit, though, of opening multiple blog windows at once (I tend to go to my blog and link to everyone's from there) which means I am bombarded with a variety of sounds creating an interesting musical mish mash. I still have many songs I want to add to my playlist but, for now, you are going to have to settle for about 50 songs from the 50's to now.

On a photography note - - - the bride and groom received an album filled with their photos and were thrilled with the results. Phew! Until the final product was approved of, it was hard to rest and relax about it all. I have some more photos I want to play with just for fun, still. Hopefully I can come up with some interesting looks. Now that I know they like them, I can honestly say I had fun with it all on the actual day ... despite my nerves. Thank you, Ronda & Lou for your easy going and relaxed demeanor .. it settled me more than you know. Congratulations again.

Congratulations Ronda & Lou

On Saturday, September 20th, I attended the wedding of Kevin's business partner, Lou. Months ago I found out who Lou was marrying - a woman by the name of Ronda. Ronda, it turns out, was a classmate of mine in grade 7 & 8 at Glashan. We hung with the same crowd and were in the same class in 7 but went to different friends and different classes for 8. Fast forward 20 years. We start talking creativity - which she has none, she says - and wedding plans. I planned all the decorations for the hall. They did all the decorating. It was beautiful. Thousands of white lights everywhere. Black toule. White toule. Thick tree branches painted white and strung with toule and lights. (A touch from my wedding/my Momma's idea 9 years ago). Not only was a the decorative planner, I wound up being the photographer as well. How nerve racking. I felt alot of pressure and alot of stress. What made it easier was that none of this was coming from the bride and groom. They had complete faith. I was putting the pressure on myself. Despite those feelings, it wound up being alot of fun. They were so easy going, happy and in love. What a great time. I didnt hit the nail on the head with every shot but I think I was able to get my point across and, hopefully, they will have memories to look back on forever.

So Very Proud

This is my entry for class two of Bad Girl's Top Designer. The goal was to use a minimum of two patterened papers. For me, this layout was all about simpliticity and letting the moment speak for itself. It was a reflection of a time and age - when life was so simple and sweet and wonderful and innocent. Because of it's simplicity, I doubt it will be the one to get me to round three but at least TD got me scrapping again. Let's hope it sticks! A total of 4 patterened papers were used - 2 of which were home made. I used a website template to create primary paper in which I attempted my very best school-worthy writing to journal with. The second home made pattern paper was also downloaded from the internet and printed on cardstock. I then had my nephew colour the animals and write his name. He was given two papers 'just in case' and wound up doing them both. I cut out the animals of the second paper (I even cut out where he went out of the lines) and used pop-up dots to add dimension to the page.