Is it hot enough for you?

Man! It's been really hot here for the past couple of days. Summer is here! The humidity is here, and so are the smog warnings. The other day as we were driving into Toronto the air was so thick with smog that it looked like fog.

With the arrival of the hot weather, I had to take Cameron and Spencer out last night to get new summer clothes. Cameron is in desparate need, and Spencer always lives in hand-me-downs so I wanted to make sure he got new clothes for a change. They both fought me on going. They told me just to get them whatever, but I wanted them to actually pick the clothes out themselves. Well ... once they got into it, they really got into it. Cameron loves anything shiney, and loves the big sleeveless basketball shirts. He managed to find quite a bit that he liked. Spencer (the one who really never cared what he wore) headed straight for the Nike, Adidas, Brooks, and any other brand names he could find. Kinda funny how his tune changed. To be honest, I was happy that he actually showed a preference. Obviously he has been noticing what his friends are wearing.

On the scrapbooking front, here are two of my latest layouts.

This layout was a sketch challenge on one of the scrapbooking web sites. I love the sketch.



This layout was an ad challenge that was posted on Scrapping Buddies. Cool ad. I attached it to the layout so you could see it.




Well, Cameron just phoned from school with a stomach ache. He's never sick, so I hope it's just the heat getting to him. He told me that he didn't eat much at lunch.

Did you think I forgot about my Blog?

I know it's been over a week since I posted last. I guess with the onset of the nice weather life has gotten a tad busier than before. It seems that there are more assignments that are coming due, more parties for the kids to attend as things are wrapping up for another year, more recitals and concerts, more class trips, not to mention that my gardens have been screaming my name and I couldn't ignore them any longer. Whew! I'm living proof that life for a stay-at-home-mom is just as busy and tiring as my work-outside-the-home couterparts.

I've also had some health issues lately as I recently discovered that I am severly anaemic. My feritin level (which in a normal person is around 300) is a whopping 3! Yes, that's right. Hey, at least I'm still in the possitive, LOL! When the Dr. phoned to tell me this she asked me how I could possibly function. "Are you not tired?" she asked. "Ummmm .... yeah, I'm a mother! I'm always tired." "Well," she said, "you shouldn't even be able to get out of bed!" Somehow, after I got off the phone with her, I felt exhausted all of a sudden. Since then, I've discovered that people with thyroid conditions (I have Grave's Disease) have problems with iron absorption. Why didn't I know this before now????

I finally got some pictures back of our trip to Ottawa. Here are a few of them:


Spencer always look so happy when I take his picture!


This is the Halton Junior Jazz Band minus three who were performing with their own school at the time.


What a great bunch of kids.


Still not smiling!! Who's kid is he anyway???


Here it is. Proof that the kid can smile!

What a mess!

My house is a mess! The gardens are a mess! The cars are a mess! I HATE LIVING IN A MESS!!! Life with three boys is always messy. There is so much I need to do today and no way I'm going to get it all done so I'm taking a sanity break right now.

It's Victoria Day weekend. Yay! First long weekend of the summer and time to open the trailer. We will head up tonight (after piano lessons and a Junior Music Camp meeting). It will be dark when we finally arrive, but that's OK. I'm looking forward to getting it ready for the summer and spending the weekend working and relaxing around the trailer. Somehow work up there is not like work. (except for cutting the grass ... but that's not my job!) The weather will be nice, not hot, but nice. No rain. I think we've had enough of that this week.

I've had very little play time this week. I feel like I've been running or crashing. I've been dieing to play with my new cutting system, but just haven't had the time.

Last weekend I managed to get some layouts done for an on-line crop. These are some of my latest creations:


My boys! Aren't they so handsome? This was done from an ad.


This one was a scraplift challenge. The original artist is Cheryl on Cherished Scrapbooks.


Finally got Spencer's 13th birthday scrapbooked.

Well, I'm home after a very busy couple of days in Ottawa. Spencer was there with the Halton Junior Jazz Band and I went along as a parent chaparone. We were only there for two days, one night and so there was a lot of activity crammed in there. We left at 5 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The HJJB had to be there at noon to practise, change and then perform at 1 p.m. Then there was the adjudication and pictures. They played so well and ended up with a Gold. The judges were blown away by the ability of these 13 year olds.

We were there with the Director's home school as they were also there to perform. They did their bit on Wednesday, so while they were busy with that, we were able to take the HJJB kids out to Parliment Hill and the Rideau Center for lunch and shopping. I was able to meet a good friend, whom I haven't seen in about 3 years, for lunch. It was great to meet up with her and catch up on things. It's like we were back in Barbados, sitting around the pool yacking while the kids played. I miss those days!

When the other group finished their events (they got Gold too) we all loaded back ont he busses and headed back to Oakville. It was midnight when we finally arrived back home. We were totally exhausted but elated after a fabulous trip and two Golds. I don't think too many of the kids went to school today, but Spencer had to as he has a performance tonight with his own home school at Band Share. The HJJB will be playing at that as well.

I don't think I will ever tire of hearing him play his instrument!

Well, yesterday was Mother's Day as you know. We spent the weekend celebrating our mothers. On Saturday I went to London to be with my Mom and attend a Mother/Daughter banquet. It felt so good to be sharing that with her again as it's been about three or four years since attending it. My mom is a great lady who always sacrificed for her family. I remember growing up and money was always tight with 7 children in the house. Mom always wore old shoes and old coats, so that we wouldn't have to. She is a shining example of a mother's unconditional love for her children ... an example that I fall very short of. She taught us how to love the unloved, and how to stand up for your principles no matter what. When I'm sitting ont he couch watching TV I often try to remember seeing my own mom doing that, and I can't. She was always busy doing something for one of us and taking care of someone. She is a great mom!

While I was in London, John was in Guelph taking his Mom out for dinner. There's something very special about boys and their moms! (I know, I have three of them.) I am very blessed to have a wonderful mother-in-law who also sacrificed greatly for her children. She is a wonderful giving person who is always happy and enjoys her children greatly. She did a fine job in raising John to be a wonderful, giving husband who only wants the best for his family.

Yesterday was my turn. While I know that my boys are still fairly young and don't fully grasp the significance of the day, I know that they love me and the bond that we share is unlike any other bond that either of us will have with anyone else. When something happens in their life, I'm the one they run to - whether it's good or bad.

When Matthew was 10 he gave me the best present ever. He wrote me a letter:

"If it weren't for you mom, I wouldn't be in school.
If it weren't for you mom, I wouldn't clean my room.
If it weren't for you mom. I would watch TV 24/7.
If it weren't for you mom, I would not do my chores.
If it weren't for you mom, I would stay up all night.
If it weren't for you mom, I wouldn't get shouted at. (ouch!)
If it weren't for you mom, I would have more free time.
If it weren't for you mom, I would eat whatever I wanted.
But if it weren't for you mom, I don't know where I would be now.

After giving me this letter in a card, he played a Backstreet Boys song on his CD player called "The perfect fan."

The Perfect Fan
It takes a lot to know what is love
It's not the big things, but the little things
That can mean enough
A lot of prayers to get me through
And there is never a day that passes by
I don't think of you
You were always there for me
Pushing me and guiding me
Always to succeed

Chorus:
You showed me
When I was young just how to grow
You showed me
Everything that I should know
You showed me
Just how to walk without your hands
Cause mom you always were
The perfect fan

God has been so good
Blessing me with a family
Who did all they could
And I've had many years of grace
And it flatters me when I see a smile on your face
I wanna thank you for what you've done
In hopes I can give back to you
And be the perfect son

Chorus

You showed me how to love
You showed me how to care
And you showed me that you would
Always be there
I wanna thank you for that time
And I'm proud to say you're mine

Chorus

Cause mom you always were
Mom you always were
Mom you always were
You know you always were
Cause mom you always were
The perfect fan

I love you mom

There were a lot of tears flowing that morning. For a 10 year old he had so much sensitivity and insight. Now, everytime I hear that song, I choke up!

Happy Mother's Day to all women out there. I want to especially include the women I know who don't have their own children because I know how much effort they put into helping me out in mothering my children ... in advice, help, support, and love for my own children.

LOL! Life in my house.

As seen on Break.com

Where did this week go?

I can't believe it's Friday already! I haven't really accomplished much this week except getting the front and side gardens done. That was a chore in itself! I had hoped to have had them all done by the end of the week, but the rain has moved in and it looks like it's here for the weekend, so I have a good excuse to stay inside and scrapbook and play with my new toy.

Oh! By the way. I got a new toy, LOL! The Cricut personal cutting machine just hit the market in Canada this week and John told me to go ahead and get it for Mother's Day. Wow! I certainly wasn't going to complain.

From Provo Craft, a leader and innovator in scrapbook materials and designs, comes Cricut, a revolutionary breakthrough in paper shaping. Cricut™ is your personal cutting system that does not require a computer. Its cartridge-based system allows you to cut thousands of beautiful shapes, letters, and phrases in a variety of sizes and styles with just the touch of a button.

It's a very cool machine that will cut letters, shapes, and dies the size you want and in different styles. I've only played with it a little bit ... and so has John.

What a great weekend we had. John is still away so we had a really relaxing weekend at home. Saturday was opening day for baseball so we were at the diamond for 10 a.m. It was freezing out there. The parents were all huddled in the bleachers, while the boys played (some in short sleeves). As is always the case with kids, they didn't seem to feel the cold the way we did.

After that Cameron had a birthday party to go to so we had to hit toys r us and then run home for a quick shower and change of clothes. Saturday night we all went to see "RV" with Robin Williams. It was a fun movie and when we left Matthew said "I think we should rent an RV."

Sunday afternoon was relaxing at home. The boys did their homework so it was very quiet around here. I actually got some scrapbooking done. I did four layouts and played with my new toy. I got the "Cropodile" which is a very cool tool for setting eyelets and snaps without a hammer. NO NOISE!!



I put nine snaps into this layout in no time and with no noise! I love it.

Well, this weekend is National Scrapbook Day. Yes, they actually have a day to celebrate this wonderful hobby. As far as I'm concerned, everyday is National Scrapbook day. So, what will I be doing? Not going to one of the many crops that will be going on tomorrow. John is away this weekend so I will be at the baseball diamond tomorrow morning for opening day and then shuttling Cameron to and from a birthday party. I was supposed to be going shopping, but that's not happening now. Maybe it's for the better, because I really need to use up the huge stash that is accumulating in my room. I should be able to get some scrapping in tomorrow and Sunday.

Check out this Scrap space!

Wow! I don't think I would ever leave it if I had a room like that. I believe this is from some catalogue ... maybe Pottery Barn or something.

Check out this one!
Scrap Space at Two Peas
This room is actually closer to mine with the dark furniture, but mine looks nowhere as good as this one. Maybe that's what I should be doing this weekend ... cleaning and organizing again. ...well, maybe not!

What a weekend! I had so much fun. It was our bi-annual scrapbooking retreat at Jackson's Point. While it's a lot of work to put together each time, it is more than worth it in the amount of fun, relaxation, and fellowship we all share together.

This time we extended it by a day. We were there for three nights and it just flew by. I didn't get a lot accomplished layout wise, but I spent a lot of time relaxing and socializing which is just what I needed. The weather was perfect ... sunny and warm so there was some time spent walking on the beach.

Our theme for this weekend was Flower Power and Women Power. Friday night a bunch of the ladies dressed in 60s garb. It was hillarious. We also had ladies who decorated their tables and doors. What a fantastic group of ladies! They are so much fun. I didn't want to come home.




Check out these two! Rosalind and Zoe are mother and daughter. They have such a cool relationship and truly enjoy spending time together. They really got into character!


I will post more pictures as I get them.

Since the weekend I've been trying to catch up on my sleep. It's not really working too well. Fortunately this is a fairly quiet week as far as the boys' schedules, so I don't have a lot of running around to do.