A Star is Born... (my star anyway)

The whole group.... aren't they adorable?

So yesterday was Avery's "real" dance recital. It was at the University Theatre at the U of C in Calgary, and as much as I bitched and complained about having to go there, I totally get why they do it there.

Avery puckering up for the mirror... LOVE this picture. It is going to be showcased immediately in my album. Immediately.
The dressing rooms are "real" dressing rooms, complete with private bathrooms, showers, and lighted mirrors (which make the room ridiculously hot btw...). And the stage and theatre itself are prefect for small dance groups. And it wasn't that bad to get to, and parking wasn't really an issue either, so....... I kind of feel that Avery might go in dance again next year. (YIKES!!! did i really just say that?)

i am actually hoping to put her in dance in Champion, but I am not sure if there will actually be dance there next year.... so, fingers crossed, but it looks like I am raising a dancer.

So these pictures are from her dress rehearsal yesterday. I am glad I took them during rehearsal because I was too weepy during the actual performance.

This is Avery's interpretation of what third position looks like. Note the overdramatic look on her face. She thinks this is what ballerinas do in third. It generated quite a few giggles at the performance. ;)

First and Last

Today was Avery's last day of preschool. I can't believe that she has already done a year of school. She loved every minute of it. The first day she cried because she didn't want to leave, and today, she said she couldn't wait until fall, because that meant she got to come back to school. I really hope she continues to love school. I did, and I think it really helps to actually like it. So, in a moment of reminiscing, I am posting her first and last day of pre-k. *sniff sniff*

(at least she didn't lose that smirky grin.....)

Fall Leaves Me Happy... MNC Kit

I think I got my mojo back..... This kit came together so quickly yesterday, despite all of the knit picky distressing, and paper piecing, and all that stuff. I love love love the Maya Road trees. They are too cute. And the Little Sprout paper? Can you say adorable??? Uh huh.


TFL.

10 Random reasons why my 10 Randoms are two days late...

I am rarely late. i don't like to be late. I always leave with plenty of time to get somewhere, I usually arrive early, and then end up waiting. But i would rather wait, than be late. That said, I have been late for lots of things lately, and my 10 randoms are also late. Here are some excuses as to why they might have been delinquent.

1. I have been very busy working. (scrapbooking is work non?)
2. I have been swallowed up by the ever mounting piles of laundry, and only just came up for air.
3. I had to go to Calgary on Sunday for my niece's birthday. Cake and ice cream trump everything.
4. I have had so many late nights this past week, that blogging has been the least of my worries. My new worries include how many Pomtinis a gal should consume before she should stop, and also, how does one old lady (me) function after a night where she thinks she is a young lady (me 15 years ago).
5. It is the end of the May/June Crazies, and despite the fact that I am not a teacher anymore, there are still a million and one things that need to be done at this time of year including last day of preschool, dance recitals, SU! groups...... endless... ;)
6. I have been busy submitting layouts to random publications and design teams and getting rejected. Who has time to blog when they are nursing a bruised ego?
7. I have been spending as much time with Grant and the kids as i can. He is going back to work on Tuesday.... and that only leaves us a week.
8. I had to finish the preschool mini albums for Avery's teachers. They rock. (If I do say so myself.) (Ususally I don't toot my own horn, but they really do rock.)
9. I have been trying to stay caught up on my housekeeping. I have failed miserably at that. Whateve.
10. Who says they always have to be on Sunday??? (Well, I used to say that, but apparently, life happens.)

Happy Father's Day Honey...

Today is Grant's fourth Father's Day. For four years he has been a father, and at the risk of sounding mushy, corny, and twitterpated, I am going to rave about what an amazing dad he is.

I only have my dad to compare fatherhood to, and as much as I love him, even he admits he was a bit of a dud when it came to the parenting aspect of his life. My dad was the stereotypical dad of the 70s, 80s and 90s. He was there, but he wasn't really there. He was a teacher, and a farmer. But we didn't live on the farm, so he was always gone. It was my mom who took us to dance, baseball, volleyball, basketball, piano. My dad was just busy doing work type things.

When I first met Grant, the type of father he would become was not as important to me as how cute he looked in jeans. But, now.... now that he is a father.... I really hit the jackpot. He loves our kids. LOVES them. He loves to spend time with them, take them places, loves to watch Avery dance or play ball. He loves to roughhouse with Cohen, and make him giggle. He has patience. More patience with them than I will ever have. And he misses them when he goes away to work. He probably misses them more than I miss him. He wants our kids to have the things we didn't when we were growing up, but he also wants them to understand that they won't just get something because they want it. I know that he will instill an amazing work ethic in both of our kids, and I am grateful for that. He sacrifices hours of sleep just so he can be with them. He will spend the day with the kids, help get them to bed, and then go and do his farm work until 1 or 2 in the morning.... just so he gets a chance to be with them. That is dedication.
I hope that Avery and Cohen will grow to understand just how much their daddy does for them, how much he cares for them, and how he would do anything to protect them. I am so blessed to have this man in my life, and in the lives of our kids.
I love you Grant.

I am bursting at the seams!

I am soooooo proud of Avery. So very proud.


She danced in her first dance recital tonight at the Senior Center in our town, and she and the rest of the girls in her group totally rocked it.... Out of the younger groups; heck even out of some of the older girls, their group performed really well. The weeks of fighting with her to go to dance, and the months of driving in crappy weather, and the wicked expensive costume were all worth it. She was proud of herself, and I couldn't contain my pride either......
Congratulations Monkey!

the Mini's are Done!

i finished the two floppy disk mini albums for Avery's preschool teachers this morning. i love love love them. they look so cute. i am going to make one for Avery now for sure.
i love minis because you can use up a whole lot of your stash, and they come together so quickly. i used up a ton of ribbon, some chipboard that i got for free from Paradise and didn't think I would ever use, buttons, rub-ons, tickets..... what didn't i use??? love them.
i am going to make Avery hers after her final wind up day on Wednesday. I can't wait!

tfl, and have a great weekend.

There are no words....

There really aren't. I have been trying to put into words how incredibly amazing the Coldplay/Snow Patrol show was on Wednesday, and I can't. The word I need doesn't exist. I love when bands interact with the audience. I like to see a little personality, a little humor, and both did that. The special effects were simple, but powerful. I can't describe the butterflies I felt watching 50 some yellow balloons simply bob around the Saddledome. I got chills. Is that weird? Both bands were excellent performers, excellent singers, and honestly.... any other concert I go to for the rest of my life will just be gravy. The show the other night ranks in my top two concerts EVER. Ever.... U2 Beautiful Day, and Coldplay Viva La Vida.... two of the best shows. Ever.

MNC kit teasers...

Here are a couple of closeups of a layout I just finished. It is MME (shocking....) and paper pack chipboard. I have kind of turned into a reuser, and repurposer. Rose would be proud.....
So... if the stars all align, perhaps this kit will come to fruition... perhaps. ;)

My Life's Work

A while ago i posted a status update on facebook saying that I wanted to make seeing Coldplay in concert my life's work. A couple of days later a friend of mine told me they were touring Canada, and more specifically, they would be in Calgary. I immediately set to work to get myself tickets. Do you know how hard it was to get tickets? They sold out in seconds. Seriously. Can you imagine being that popular that not only will people pay to see you, but pay big amounts of money, and that tens of thousands will do it all at once??? Amazing.
Anyhoo, the other day I got an email reminder about the concert, and I was thrilled to see that Snow Patrol is opening for Coldplay! They are another band that I would have liked to go and see... and what do you know??
So, tonight, my dear friend Haley and I are going to have a delicious supper, and then sing at the top of our lungs..... and then not have voices tomorrow. I love that I have a friend who enjoys concerts as much as I do. And, convieniently likes the same music as well.....
Ahhh Coldplay.

Avery just asked me what I was doing today. I told her I was going to a concert, and she asked if I was "doing" it. I said, no, I was going to listen to someone else sing. She then said, "then when they are done, you can sing. And you can go in the front." Ahhhh

Holla!

So, Haley was going to do shout outs. I am going to one up her. I am going to do "HOLLA!"s. Just a little hey hey to some people who made the previous week fun, interesting, or whatever.
So - Holla! Haley. We had a fantastic time at the birthday party yesterday. It was great. Really great. Thanks for the invite.

Holla! Wendy. For selling me a new body for my camera at a wicked wicked awesome deal. I love it.

Holla! MNC. The Scraptacular was scraptastic!

Holla! Cohen. For learning to say "peace out", and "ah man!". Makes me giggle every time.

10 Randoms on the '80's.

Last week was 80's day at school, and my friend Catherine made a list of 10 things she loved about the 80's, so, as a child of that particular decade, I am doing the same. With a twist

FAVORITE SONGS- (in no particular order)

• Sweet Dreams - Eurythmics
• Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
• I Just Died in Your Arms Tonight - Cutting Crew
• Billie Jean/Beat It/Thriller - MJ
  
• Please Don't Go Girl - NKOTB
  
• Karma Chameleon - Culture Club
• Papa Don't Preach - Madonna
• Take On Me - a-ha
  
• Walk Like An Egyptian - The Bangles
• I Think We're Alone Now - Tiffany

FAVORITE MOVIES - (in no particular order)

• ET
• Dirty Dancing
• Footloose
• The Karate Kid
• Police Academy
• Top Gun
• Rain Man
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure
• License to Drive
• Adventures in Babysitting

FAVORITE BANDS - (in no particular order)

• U2
• NKOTB
• The Cure
• Duran Duran
• INXS
• Depeche Mode
• Pet Shop Boys
• Banarama
• Erasure
• Red Hot Chili Peppers

FAVORITE TV SHOWS - (in no particular order)

• Facts of Life
• Diff'rent Strokes
• Three's Company
• ALF
• Growing Pains
• Family Ties
• The Cosby Show
• Degrassi Junior High
  
• Charles in Charge
• Kate and Allie

FAVORITE 80's PHRASES - (in no particular order)

• Gag me with a spoon
• Totally Awesome
• Barf me out
• Totally Radical
• Don't have a cow
• Grody
• Gross me out
• wicked
• Like, totally
• to the max

FAVORITE 80's FASHION TRENDS - (in no particular order)

• Leg Warmers
• Neon
• Slouch socks
• acid wash
• friendship pins
• parachute pants
• Swatch watches
• shoulder pads
• fingerless gloves

FAVORITE TOYS - (in no particular order)

• Rubik's Cube
• Trivial Pursuit
• Rainbow Bright
• Cabbage Patch Kids
• Pound Puppies
• Strawberry Shortcake
• Jem and the Holograms
• Care Bears
• Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
• Lite Brite

FAVORITE CARTOONS - (in no particular orders) (and not to be confused with favorite TV shows)

• The Smurfs
• Alvin & the Chipmunks
• Barbapapa
  
• Garfield and Friends
• The Littles
• Muppet Babies
• Transformers
• He-Man and She-Ra
• Strawberry Shortcake
• TMNT

FAVORITE VIDEOS - (in no particular order)

• Take on Me - a-ha
• Thriller - MJ
• Bille Jean - MJ
• Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
• Where the Streets Have No Name - U2
  
• We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
• Footloose - Kenny Loggins
• Wake Me Up (Before you Go Go) - Wham
• Broken Wings - Mr. Mister
• Sweet Child o' Mine - Guns 'n Roses

SONGS THAT I NOW LOVE THAT I WOULD NEVER ADMIT TO BACK THEN - (in no particular order)

• Every Rose Has It's Thorn - Poison
• Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
• Patience - Guns 'n Roses
• Listen to your Heart - Roxette
• Final Countdown - Europe
• Thunderdome - Tina Turner
• Heaven - Warrant
• Here I Go Again - Whitesnake
• Drive - The Cars
• The Flame - Cheap Trick

So there you have it..... 100 things about the 80s that I loved. Phew!

Sucker...

So yesterday I went to the old store I used to work at. It is a Portrait Studio/Photo lab/Camera Store. I went to print some t-ball pictures of Avery's team. I left with a new Pentax body. I have been dreaming about buying a new lens in time for Jani's wedding, but the one I want is discontinued, and if I still want it I would have to go and buy it from someone who isn't going to give me a killer deal like Wendy would. So, instead, I am upgrading my body. (wouldn't life be sweet if you could just upgrade your own body by stepping into a store, and get something better for a few hundred dollars???) Hmmmmm.
Anyhoo, this camera has more mega pixels, better programming options, an easier menu to follow, self cleaning, and tons of other stuff... I love stimulating the Rimbey economy.
Now I just need to sell my own DSLR to make this work. Any takers?
I couldn't get rid of my film SLR, but this my *ist is a sweet DSLR for anyone looking to step into the camera lens world!

Take me out to the ball game.....

Avery had her second to last t-ball practice/game today. I offered to take team and individual photos of her team mates because I was selfish and wanted something to scrapbook... so, I took pictures of all of the other kids too. Anyhoo, these are a couple of Avery's shots. She was so funny today. She is intent on catching the ball whenever it is hit, so, despite the fact that she was playing first today, she would run for the ball.... even if it was hit to third. Too cute. I love it.

10 Randoms....two days late

So being sick sucks. Hard. And for that reason, my randoms are late, and will be very random, because I still can't get it together enough to actually think of 10 things related to each other.

1. No matter how old you get, you always want your Mommy when you get sick. Both the kids and I got sick over the weekend. All at once. And Grant is still at work (he always seems to be whenever we are sick...). So, I finally gave in to the fact that I couldn't do it anymore. My kids didn't eat or drink anything for a whole day because I couldn't get off the couch to get them anything without something coming out of my body... so I called my Mom. She was at my sister's in Calgary to help her with her new baby... and I took her away from all of that. Guilty as charged.

2. Kids are more resilient than adults. Avery and Cohen were up and at 'em much quicker than I was.

3. I am falling further and further behind..... yikes. I have a lot of work to catch up on before the weekend. When will that happen?

4. Grant is home in four sleeps!!!! I am so excited. This has been the longest he has been away in a really long time. 19 days. 19 is way longer than 15. Way longer.

5. I can't wait for Jani's stagette. I plan on having a really good time. That is, if I can actually make it.....

6. Broccoli is so good. Why did it take me 30 some years to learn that it is my favorite vegetable? I love it.

7. Pepsi is also so good. Why is it so high in calories? Why can't pepsi be more like Broccoli?

8. I don't have any more sub days booked for June. I am actually quite sad about it all. But I did get asked to apply for the English teaching job at the high school. That was a compliment. As was the phone call saying that if I couldn't sub, the teacher wasn't going on her workshop.... It feels good to be wanted.

9. I am really enjoying the book Haley chose for our online book club. I think it will be a great summer read. If summer ever actually comes that is...

10. Was that random enough? I need a shower. Gonna go and do that.

Layout #87

This is one of the last pages that I wanted to include in Cohen's first year album. It took this long because I only recently got the picture of Grant's dad from his mom. This is not a style that I am used to, and there are WAY too many pictures on the page for my liking, but I only had space for a single page layout in the album, and I didn't really want to shrink the pictures if I could help it. So, Cohen Robert (my dad and Grant's dad) Evan (Evan Williams) now has a name sake page in his album.

Old stuff you ask? Why yes. Scenic Route chipboard, Maya Road chipboard, old brads, and tiny alphas!

tfl

That's what friends are for....

in good times, and bad times, okay, fine. Dionne Warwick I am not. But I do have to give a huge shout out to Catherine and Arren.
Grant is away at work again, and there are days that this single parenting thing makes me want to quit it all. I have soooooooo much respect for the single parents who make it work out there. SO much.
Needless to say, today was a predicament for me. I have had major back and neck and shoulder pain, and had another massage booked for this evening. Well, my MIL has been the one to take my kids when Grant is gone, and I have an appointment. Unfortunately, she left for her cabin this morning, and I had no one. So, Catherine swoops in, and offers to take my kids. I didn't ask... she offered. And she has three of her own. Amazing. So I took my kids in to Champion this evening, and left them there. And they were good! Avery even ate supper. (Despite the fact she told me she only had ginger ale ;)
And earlier in the day, Arren picked Avery up, and brought her home from preschool. And she took pictures at the school today for the mini albums, so that I wouldn't have to go in early and take some.
I am so lucky that I have friends who understand that it is hard some days, and who are more than willing to help out for a few hours so I can get a break.
So, in the words of Ellen... HOLLA!!!!
(and sorry that the picture is so hot.......;)

Yikes

There are two things about my body I like. One is my eyelashes, and the other is my hair. I have great long lashes. I am quite pleased with them. The other thing I love (most days) is my hair. I like that I have a cut that allows me to do it in less time than it takes me shave my legs.... wash, dry, product, done. That's it. I also like that I have a new hairdresser who will just cut it, and not make me think about it. I hate having to come up with a style. I don't tell the dentist which teeth to look at, or tell the garbage man which bag should be taken, so why should I have to tell my hairdresser what to do with my hair? needless to say, Kacey is now that girl for me. Anyhoo, a while back I cut my own hair because I was too impatient to wait for it to grow to allow me to have an asymmetrical cut. So, Kacey fixed it for me. And I have been going to her ever since. Today, she put some tinsel in my hair. It is some crazy thing that is huge in Asia... and she is the only one around here that can do it. So... today I drove to High River so she could bling out Avery and myself. You can't really see it in this photo, but it is sparkly, and I love it. This picture is here to explain the next picture. The other day, my sister Nicole said,"You realize that is the same hair cut you had in grade eight." My reply was, "Not exactly." And then I looked in my high school photo albums, and found the following picture. I would like to defend myself by saying, I have no idea what these pictures were for, and I have no idea where I got lipstick like that, or for that matter, that fugly top. Anyhoo, with a few minor alterations, apparently I do have the same hair cut... So either I was way ahead of my time in 1989, or I am way behind the times today.