Spider's web

40 something

Grandma's Hydrangeas

Whenever I see these beautiful blue hydrangeas blooming in my yard I think of my grandma. She had some hydrangeas by her front door and as a little girl I just loved them. I always thought they were so pretty.

Well there is a story that goes with these hydrangeas. When Jason and I bought our first house in Castlegar, we like all others starting out, did not have a lot of disposable income. I wanted to add some flower gardens around the yard. Of course that can be expensive. My grandma started quite a few hydrangea plants for me from hers. I planted them all over and always loved them. When we moved back to Port Alberni, I was sad to leave our house. Yes it did have its problems but many great memories there. I really hated leaving my hydrangeas, they meant so much to me, because my grandma had passed away a few years before us moving back, and these hydrangeas were a part of her that I had. I had a wonderful neighbor, named Robyn, who knew how much I loved these plants, that she took it upon herself to go ask the new owners if she could just take a piece of the plant (I didn't know she did this). One day on one of our visits to Castlegar, Robyn gave me this plant. I couldn't believe it, how thoughtful of her. Now this beautiful plant is blooming in my yard in Port Alberni. It has come full circle, like me. I still miss my grandma but she will always be with me.

Butterfly and Phlox

Busy Bee

Waterbombers

No matter many times I hear these beauties I always stop to watch them.

Time to Sell this

Jason doesn't really want to but it is time to sell this. Realistically he doesn't ride it enough to make it worth insuring it. He does want another one someday though.

I love ferns

Oceanview

Another Track Meet done

Spring just whizzes past us as we are gone almost every weekend for a Track Meet somewhere on the Island. This one (Duncan) was great, Danica got a Personal Best in almost every event she went in, and Jaimee got one in Shot Put. So fun!

Ahhh, love this

I so love when this clematis is in bloom! Only wish I was home more to enjoy it!

It's Been Awhile!

Man, it has been so long! Well I hope to be more regular in my posting! Here are a couple of pics from Easter.

Ahhh, happiness

I love shopping in the storage department in stores. There is just something about all those organizing options that I just love. Nothing makes more happy (well other than buying great craft stuff!) than finding some great storage things, that look good and are for my craft things. I found these baskets today at Michael's for 50% off, I bought 3 (and realize should have gotten 4- darn), and love them! I am a visual person. Things have to be within easy reach and visible or I forget about them. BUT, they have to be organized otherwise it drives me crazy! I am so loving this! Now to get back down to my craft desk to create!

Morning routine

I love dipping my graham wafers in my tea while blog surfing!

Aren't the pretty

We had some guests here this past weekend. They always bring us a bouquet of fresh flowers, how sweet!

Danica's 11th Birthday today

Danica did her own goodie bags, all her own ideas and creating. She even made the chocolate lollipops to go into them. What a great job!

Doesn't anyone know how to close these?

This closet is ALWAYS left open, I must close it 100 times a day! I HATE that!

Enough Already!

February 1st and more snow! I want it gone, I want Spring! I guess the Groundhog won't see his shadow though and that is a good thing!

Got Hamster

This is how we found our kitten last night. Good thing the hamster is in another cage!
Cleo is such a goof!

Miss my painting

I painted this quite a few years ago. I love painting. However, I told myself that I needed to catch up on my scrapping before I did anymore painting, that was about 4 years ago! I am almost caught up, perhaps this summer I may pull out the paints again.

Come on Over

This is on the bulkhead above our bay window in our living room, I love it. Come on over and visit me.

Sunday - Laundry Day

I really don't mind laundry day - really. It means (usually) that I get to spend the day in my craft room while listening for the dryer so I can change the load.

Lines

I am a straight line kinda gal. As you look around the house the things that I love the most contain straight lines. No curves, scallops or curlies I like linear.

I love the look of these brances in a pot.
Who says you can't paint wood. This used to be a shiny (I mean shiny cedar ceiling). It was a lot of work but I painted it one weekend. LOVE it!

Blinds, love blinds, hate curtains.

A Lazy Saturday afternoon

Danica is like me, she likes her lazy days at home. We welcome a Saturday when we can hang out in our jammies all day. She usually is up in her room, creating something, whether it be some reports, drawings or just organizing. Today she decided to play a bit of Webkinz, she hasn't done that in awhile.

What will it be?

I am not into New Years Resolutions but this year I really want to make a conscious effort to lose some of the weight I gained over the years. My Hypothyroid problem didn't help but I am determined to get back into shape and be more fit. Will I do it this year? I hope so. I am hoping to lose about 20 pounds. We shall see how this year goes. I am walking again regularly so only time will tell.

Grande Non Fat Chai Tea Latte

What more can I say? Yummy! Makes me happy.

It's a Cat's Life

Cleo is such a good little kitten but goofy. She likes to snuggle up in cozy warm spaces to sleep - we often find her buried under a blanket. Today we found her in a basket!

Sunday...

Cooking is not one of my passions! In fact I don't even like to do it! However, having a family means that it must be done. Although Sunday is usually my favorite day of the week, once in awhile it is not. It is also the day I devote to cooking up a batch of 'something' so that it can be frozen and brought out later for quick meals. More often than not, my something is homemade soup... Vegetable, Turkey or in this case Clam Chowder. There is great satisfaction when I don't feel like cooking after a long day at work, and coming home to only having to heat up some soup and make some toast... now that is cooking!

Nice Day but...

I so love having the morning sun, it is just so beautiful. However, I am ready to have the morning sun without the morning frost! It is cold here again (well cold for us!), I am so looking forward to the warm spring days.

Kind of cheating!

I didn't manage to get a pic yesterday so I took 2 today, does that count?

These are my ink pads all set and ready to go. I often get color combos just by how they end up being stacked. One combo I have yet to try is Juniper, Olive and Star Spangled Blue, it seemed interesting when stacked together.

Ahhh... I love my laundry room. Am I crazy? I don't even mind doing laundry. Sunday is my favorite day of the week. It is the day I am usually at home, doing my laundry. Of course the laundry room is beside my scraproom. And of course I HAVE to hear when the dryer is done, so I HAVE to hang out in my scraproom right? Well, that 's my story and I'm sticking to it!

That beautiful Barnboard color on the walls again... just so comforting.

Don't ask me why....

Call me crazy but I love the look of my toilet paper stacked so neatly on the back of the toilet. So pure, white and so pillowy looking. I just like it!

Love these colors

I LOVE the color of our main bathroom, in fact I love it so much I painted the laundry room, my craft room and we got the outside of the house done with it as well. Barnboard.... even the name I love! This print is hanging in our main bathroom, I love the colors, the simplicity and the organic nature of it. So calming!

Man Room

Jason is busy transforming our old video camera tapes onto CD's. It is so great to see some of them again, the kids are growing up so fast I forget how cute they were! I did have to laugh at the table full of remotes though... only in a Man Room!

Ahhh, so welcoming!

I love it when my scraproom looks like this when I walk in!

It's a Cat's Life

Unfortunately a couple of months ago Belle disappeared and didn't return. We decided to get another kitten a few weeks later. Cleo is a good little kitten but much more rambunctious than Belle ever was. She likes to play in water, stalk stuffies and go after feet! She looked so content here that I just had to take a picture!

When?

So aptly named due to our current winter weathe,r is when am I going to be able to get out walking again?! I don't really make New Years Resolutions but in the back of my mind is always the thought to continue to eat healthy (and regularly), get in shape (or more in shape) and perhaps lose some weight. Now since hitting that big 4-0 mark, I have learned to not dwell on any of these items, they used to be so consuming and depressing, but not now. I am happy with who I am but who wouldn't like to be a bit better? I know I would! We shall see what 2009 brings!

Ribbon, ribbon, ribbon

One of my favorite embellishments lately, I use it all the time!

My Chair

If I need to 'get away' from it all this is where you can find me (if I'm not in my craft room). I love sitting in my living room, having my tea, browsing the latest Paper Crafts, Cards or Creating Keepsakes magazines. I have to admit though I haven't been here much lately, have been spending more time in the craft room - that's a good thing!

Love this mug

My SIL gave me this mug for my birthday last year. I love this mug! I am a tea drinker but no dainty china tea cups for me. I like the big, heavy mugs so you actually get a CUP of tea! This is part of my morning routine, having tea while blog surfing, what could be better than that!

Ready for Action

I love walking into my scraproom when my desk looks like this. My room is clean, my desk is clean and everything is in its place, just waiting for me to see what I will do next! My happy place!

A Me Page

Most of my scrapbooking is about my kids and for my kids. I hope to do a 'ME' album since I am not normally in photos (I am our family photographer), I want some proof that I did exist! I got my first full time teaching position this year at Maquinna Elementary teaching K/1. It is busy but very rewarding. As a teacher we get a free package of school photos. Well I have no idea what I will do with the wallet size pictures but I decided to do up a quick page on myself using the 5 X 7. The Notebook papers make it so easy!

Couple days late

So I decided to jump on the Project 365 bandwagon. Not sure if I will be able to keep it up daily but will try my best. This is just basically going to be a blog about me, my life and my own personal diary. I scrapbook my kids and have a blog dedicated to my cards and scrapbooking. This will be my own blog for my own journey, my own journal. Let's see where it takes me!

So Project 365 is to take a picture a day. I took this the other day on our sledding day. Just a friendly reminder of our weather here lately.