Vegas Baby!

One more sleep until Grant and I have the chance to spend some time together without kids, farm, dogs, or any other distraction. I can't wait. It has been well over a year since we actually had some quality time together.
I am really excited to be going, but honestly, I would be just as happy to drop the kiddies off at my parents' and come back home and sleep for four days. But alas.... I will be in Sin City instead.... oh well.
I will be back next week! I can't wait to scrapbook this trip!

Christmas Already??!!??

We started to set up for Christmas last night. When I was growing up, we didn't set up our tree until about a week before Christmas, but since marrying Grant, and buying an artificial tree, it seems that we set up for the holidays earlier and earlier every year. This year is no exception. It is the 19th of November and we have our tree up. However, this year's holiday decorating is all because of circumstance. Last night was the only night that we would all be home together before Grant goes back to work at the beginning of December. I curl tonight, have an epicure party at Tara's tomorrow and Saturday we head to Rimbey to drop off the kids. Sunday we leave for Vegas, and won't be home until Thursday, and then I am going scrapbooking for the weekend once we do get home. So, last night it was. That said, we aren't fully set up, and Avery is driving me insane by her constant badgering to put stuff on the tree (the decorations that I never put up, because they don't match my theme.... .yep, I am that mom), and wanting to decorate the house, even though we still have autumn decor still up.......That said, I did spend some time taking pictures last night, and I got this one of the kids! I love it, Grant thinks it is weird, but I think it actually showcases the love that my kids have for each other, and every once in a while will show to each other.......

toot toot!!

I usually don't like to toot my own horn, but I just have to on this one... I was recently asked if the My Mind's Eye blog could feature a couple of my layouts. Perhaps you heard me screaming.....????
Anyhoo, two of my layouts I completed with the Abbey Road Stomp line are on their blog.
Check it out!
www.mymindseye.typepad.com

K

10 Random reasons why I likely won't get any scrapbooking done this week... :(

1. I sub today, Avery has preschool, Grant is home tonight, and I am supposed to go to my Stampers 10 group....but I think I will have to skip that.
2. I sub tomorrow, & Avery has dance.
3. I sub on Wednesday, and it is Avery's special day at preschool.
4. I have a hair appointment on Thursday morning, and I curl that night.
5. Friday is Tara's epicure party at her house.... and I am the epicure girl.
6. We have to take the kids to my parent's house on Saturday, and I also have a portrait sitting booked that day in Rimbey.
7. We leave for Vegas on Sunday.
8. I have to get two sittings worth of photos to edit, and then deliver.
9. I have to get my scrapbook room organized so I can be packed and ready to go to the Bloomin' Inn on the Friday we get home from Vegas.
10. I still have a ton of laundry to finish, and then need to pack for the kids and ourselves.
11. I have epicure and discovery toys orders that need to be placed.
12. I have to get to the bank and buy some American money.
13. The house needs a major huge tidy fest.....

And there are a million more little things I have to do.....
So, really I should get my tushy off the computer and get cracking on the other stuff.

MME Blog Challenge

There is yet another challenge on the My Mind's Eye blog, and I jumped on it. It is once again a sketch challenge, and I am really happy with the way this layout came together. I used The Spider's Web line, and love how it turned out. The layout that I mentioned in my last post...

the one I spent a whole morning on and hated? Well, it is the same photo, and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this one so much more. I also got a little wild and crazy and crumpled some acetate and then layered it over my photo. It makes it a lot harder to photograph, but looks really great up close!

TFL!

So, when we went scrapbooking in Blairmore a couple of weeks ago, everyone around me was packing up. I started to panic because I hadn't even thought about that yet, but I was constantly reassured, "Don't worry... you have an hour." or "I'm just packing up because I didn't want to start something new." or "Your stuff has to go in last anyhow, so don't panic."

So I didn't panic. But then, I started to see that I was the only one still scrapbooking. And I started to panic. You see, I wanted to actually accomplish something on Sunday. I spent a huge chunk of the morning on a layout that I ended up hating, and really has nothing going on on it, so, I thought, "Hey! Why not pump out a little mini album!" Seems easy enough, but time kept ticking, and I clearly wasn't working quickly enough, so needless to say, I had packed up everything except my basic tool kit, and some ribbon, and on our way home I was still scrapbooking........ diehard, you say???

Anyhoo, I finally got some pictures from Halloween printed to put on this puppy, and I really love how it all came together!

It is made with the MME Boo To You! line, and some random ribbons, and the name badge holders that you have to wear around your neck at conferences and such.

Cool huh?

A day at the zoo (#122)

When this paper first came out, Haley and I immediately started to plan a trip to Drumheller. Yep. We were going to go to Drum just to take some pictures of dinosaurs and hoodoos so we could scrapbook. Crazy. I don't think so. Needless to say, we still haven't made it to the museum, but I did have these pictures from our trip to the Calgary Zoo a couple of summers ago that are perfect!
TFL

Layout #121......creeping closer HMR.....

It has been a few days since I posted something that was actually mine to post, but this is a layout that I did with .... you guessed it.... the MME Stomp line. It worked so well with this picture of Avery at the cabin this summer, and the Rock On title... well, it was perfect too. When we first got to the cabin, and every day we were there, the kid spent hours and hours throwing rocks into the lake, looking for agates, collecting the perfect rock for skipping, and so, rocks were a big theme of that holiday..... ;)

TFL!

10 Randoms.....things from the weekend.

So, the Weekend to Unwind has come and gone, and let me tell you. I didn't unwind. Nope. I think I might have even got a little wound up! I did stuff this weekend I have never done before, and learned a few things as well... so here goes.

1. 14 hours of hardcore, no talking, no real breaks for Nibs, get your hands dirty scrapbooking is a lot harder than it sounds. I am WORN out. But so happy about it.

2. Unfortunately, there are women in this hobby who take things way too seriously. I will share the punch with you. I promise. You don't have to a) hover over my shoulder to make sure I don't give it to someone else, or b) sigh heavily because I ask to borrow the punch you are not using, or c) get snooty when you ask for the punch that I have, and previously asked if anyone else needed it, or was everyone finished. Seriously ladies. It is a punch, and paper, and is supposed to be fun.

3. Bobby pins are harder to come by than I originally thought. And as a result, sometimes people confuse you for Pocahontas.

4. I can get a lot of Christmas shopping done in 20 minutes when I don't have my kids.

5. Even though I didn't have my "peeps" there with me this weekend, I had a really good time. (Most of the time.... when I wasn't wishing some people weren't so far behind.....)

6. It is okay to step out of your box. I learned a lot of new stuff.... and now I can use all of the product I bought a long time ago, and didn't know how to use. (Yep, I am that girl>)

7. I learned that after 13 hours of scrapping, and nearing exhaustion, I can still scream with major excitement when I think my name is called for a prize, and then come to my senses and realize it wasn't actually my name that was called.

8. Some people are wicked good at the things they do. Some look good, others make yummy cupcakes, others are cute and funny, some are crazy talented, and a few throw a wicked ass party.

9. I have a great mom. She understands my situation, and knows that a break is sometimes all it takes to rejuvinate me. She gives me that break.

10. I am impatient. Oh wait. I already knew that.

Phew! What a lot of work!

After working on the family canvas. I have never been so dirty.

Wow is all I have to say. I really didn't think scrapbooking could be that intense! I am truly exhausted from the day I had yesterday! I was up at 6am so I could be in Okotoks by my class time at 8:30. And I was home last night by 11:30. Four classes, tons of techniqes, and millions of tidbits of useful information. Truly worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.

Haley sure did things up nice and purdy for the event, and I can't wait to see what Trisha come up with for the *ahem* future project. :)

I hoped that if I licked the Grand Prize and then told people I had H1N1, no one would want it.... the plan backfired.

Trisha and myself with a snippet of my favorite class of the day.

One More Sleep!

Tomorrow night is the cocktail party at Sheep River Scrapbook Co. Trisha Ladouceur from MME will be there, and so will a ton of Crave cupcakes. (that in itself is reason enough for me to go....) Bevvys, make and takes, chocolate, MME goodness..... Seriously, does it get any better? Well, Saturday maybe. Because that is the day that I get to take four classes with Trisha. I can't wait. I have seen little snippets and sneak peeks at the projects, and I gotta say... I am so happy I have a spot in each class. I can't wait!!!!

#119 and #120 - thirty more to go!

So the challenge that Haley issued to herself and myself was to post 150 layouts in a year. I've got to tell you, I am starting to feel the pressure to get there.... after all, there are only two months left in this year..... I am going scrapbooking again on the last weekend of November, so hopefully I can accomplish a little then, and I still have a few more from my Blairmore weekend to post, but I am not going to stress too much, because Haley is much further behind than I am. Yep, I said it. So what?

# 118 from last weekend

I love love love this photo. It is one that I had a little fun with from my sister's wedding. I love the focal point on her bouquet. I also love that this allowed me to use some beautiful MME paper, and embellish with vibrant flowers. Simple, but classy I think.

10 Randoms.... Things that I am looking forward to in November

I can't believe that it is already November. I swear it was just the other day that Avery was telling me it was going to be October on her next preschool day. And now... it is November. So, this is a crazy month around the Cummins' place. There are a million things happening and the majority are things I am pumped about...

1. The Weekend To Unwind - My mom is coming here for a few days so I can spend a couple days at Sheep River Scrapbook Co., to learn things from My Mind's Eye endorsed educator Trisha Ladouceur. Hell's yeah! Can't wait.

2. My mom is coming here..... even a teensy tinsy break is in my future on those days. I might even sleep in!

3. Curling on Thursdays. I am so glad the curling season is underway. I am not as glad that we may or may not have a real team..... I am hoping that we can figure things out so we aren't curling with spares every single week... but for the moment, that is what it looks like.

4. Turkey Supper - tonight, at the United Church in Vulcan. (That is, unless Catpoo starts to feel like, well.... poo.)

5. A cut and color. It isn't bad yet. But it also isn't good. One side of my hair is quite short... or is supposed to be, but it is growing over my ears, and it getting quite mullety on one side. So.... I need to get that done.

6. The 16th.... That is the day that Grant comes home from work, I have SU!, and Catherine is taking Cohen for the afternoon so I can sub.....

7. Scrapbooking in Pincher Creek at the end of November. Ahhhh.... you would think I hadn't just gone away for a weekend. Yahoo!!!

8. The kids' Christmas gifts have shipped. And the best part.... We didn't have to pay for them! Good old airmiles came in handy again this year! Last year I used them for Grant's gift, and this year, we got something each kid wanted with them. Double yahoo!

9. Las Vegas Baby!!!! We leave for four nights on the 22nd. I can not wait. I am so excited. We got a great seat sale, have reservations at the Mirage hotel, and it is just the two of us. I can't wait for some quality time with my hubby. We both really need it.

10. Some retail therapy. I have some gift cards, and coupons left from my birthday, and I really really really want to spend some money.......

So.... there you have it!