I am not a pickler... I am a scrapbooker.

I am becoming accutely aware of what is a talent of mine, and what isn't. Pickling isn't a talent. I have had to reseal over half of my jars...twice. I don't have patience. I want them to seal immediately, and whenever one of Tara's would pop, a little bit of me was jealous. Is that weird? So this is the third year that Tara and I have made pickles. It was super hard to find pickling cucumbers though. I only was able to get my hands on 15 pounds of pickles. There was too much hail this year. So to make up for it, I also pickled some carrots from my garden. The dill was mine too! So I guess I can't make the pickles, but I can grow the dill for them. Some compromise.

So if pickling isn't a talent, maybe scrapbooking is? I think I might be better at it than

pickling...which isn't saying much. This layout is done with my new fave... Sassafras Lass. Too pretty to cover up, so I didn't really. But I did use a ton of stickles. I think I love stickles. And I love the MM tiny alphas. So the only new thing about this layout was the paper. Old buttons, flowers, alphabet stickers, and thickers. yay!

OASIS!!! I am going to Oasis tonight! I can't wait. I have loved these guys forever. Since my high school days at least. I never thought I would have the chance to see them, and tonight is the night. I only wish that Grant was able to come with me. He also likes them...he even liked them before I had a chance to improve his taste in music. A redeeming quality because he used to listen almost exclusively to country and heavy metal. How did Oasis fit in there? anyhoo, he has volunteered to stay home with the kids tonight because... being the long weekend and all, there weren't too many sitters available. I am really excited to have a night out, but I really need to try to have one with him soon.

lately...

so it has been a few days, and a few things have happened. The good thing is Grant got his winter wheat off before the rain came, off and already hauled. That is really good news. Now we just need it to dry up so he can swath all the rest of the crops... He wants to go away for a few days so that he doesn't sit and stew until it is ready to swath. I was thinking Fairmont....???!!!
I was my birthday on Sunday. Uneventful considering I have a birthday that happens to be during harvest. It is either that, or Grant is away at work. Seems that I have spent many of the last birthdays alone (or with the kids...) Avery was really disappointed. She couldn't understand why there was no cake, no balloons, no presents... She came to the conclusion that it really wasn't my birthday.

I managed to get both kids out into the field to take some pictures by the bales before Mark hauls them to their place. Cohen was very cooperative. Avery... not so much. All I needed was for her to look at the camera, and just look happy - I wasn't even asking for a smile! Needless to say... this is the best of the worst. The worst being all the rest. If I get out there again, I will probably take pictures of them separately, but if not, this will have to do.

I had an epicure party last night, and boy did we have fun. Who knew that veggie dips and salsa could be so much fun??? Or maybe it was the pomegranate martinis. They were so good. I knew I kept my "practically best friend" around for a reason... it was her recipe! (and a really good one!)

Anyhoo, this layout is one I have had in my project pile. It was Cohen's first trip to the zoo...the trip where he slept for the majority of the day... I struggled with the Maya Road family. I wish they didn't have holes in their heads for the chain to hold them together. Anyway, this is what I was able to accomplish today while the kids slept. Hopefully I will get to do another layout tomorrow. I am feeling the crunch. I was done Avery's first year album when she was 14 months old. Cohen will be that in two weeks, and I am not even close.

My Latest Kit!

I am on the design team for Monday Night Class http://www.mondaynightclass.ca/

This is the latest of my creations. I love the Kaiser paper. The colors are so very boyishy, and the grittiness and worn look of it are appropriate for most of the boys in my life.

I find that I have been using paper as an embellishment more and more. I only used paper, buttons, and chipboard, and I think it looks pretty good. Now that Cohen has started walking, he really is my "wild child" so I know I have pictures for this layout.

good friends, good food, good fun

You know when things just fall into place? That happened last night. We had a great night with our friends Mark and Tami and their two boys.

The weather has finally cooled off here, so that means we can eat something besides BBQ and fruit salad. So I decided to make Grant's new favorite; Shepard's Pie for supper. Mark was here baling, and Grant had promised their son John a ride on the combine, so Tami came out with the boys later in the afternoon. Well, the skies opened up, and the rain fell, and instead of Mark and Tami leaving, they stayed for supper. The kids played, and danced, and picked at each other, and us adults had some really good adult conversation! I miss that some days. We laughed at Grant's "jokes", Riley's dance moves, and Avery's rendition of "Mr. Sun". It was a lot of fun. I wish it happened more often.

The sad thing is, the rain didn't stop, so that means that Grant will have to wait at least a day, (and probably more) to get back out in the field. (The good thing is, I have a hair appointment today, and don't have to cancel because he won't be here to watch the kids!)

So, like father like son. Riley and Cohen were entertained for a long time with two beer cans. The funny thing is, Cohen took the Kokanne can, and Riley took the Pilsner. Just like their daddies.

Avery and John get along really well. That is until John decides to play trains... then the yelling begins. These two had fun playing hide and seek, and dress up yesterday. I hope that as they get older, they will continue to be really good friends.

Cardstock, cardstock, cardstock

I don't remember the last time that I used more cardstock than patterned paper on a layout. Maybe that is why I am struggling to like this one. You know when you have great pictures and an amazing idea in your head, but then you can't get it out on the layout? That happened with some of my Vegas pics as well. I think the page is going to rock, and then I end up disappointed. With the exception of the cardstock, the whole layout is old stuff. The felt came in a swag bag at a workshop I was at. The chipboard stars are old, the ribbon is old, and the patterned paper that I did use was all scraps from another John Deere layout. I don't know... Maybe it is just so much solid color that I feel that this one is boring.

TFL.

Why didn't I think of that?

I find it truly ironic that Alberta is running short of fuel. I mean, seriously... this is a little ridiculous. Anyhoo, I was in town last night, and the Petro Can was completely out of all gas, and Esso only had a little supreme and diesel left. UFA was closing in 10 minutes. I didn't need gas, thank goodness. But my friend Kathy said that if she had been in town, she would have been at UFA with her card and would sell people her cardlock gas. I am sure it is completely illiegal, but not a bad idea!

We are in the middle of a heat wave. the temp hasn't been below 30 for 5 days. So hot. Today is supposed to be 33 in Calgary, and it is always a little hotter at our place. I am so happy that we have air conditioning. So very happy. I can't remember what we used to do without it! I haven't turned it off for three days. We even had a thunderstorm go through last night, but it did nothing to cool things off. Way too hot to cook supper, not that I have much of an appetite in this heat, so back to town we go to get pizza. I don't know how restaurants manage in this heat. Everyone I know is getting take out.

As for a layout today. I am so close to getting one done, but I don't know how much I like it. We'll see.

Oh yeah. Another little gem from Avery. She came over to me yesterday and asked me if I had any snuggles left to give her because she really needed one. (how cute, and who could run out of snuggles for their daughter when she is sweet like that?) (I know she will be bugging her brother again soon, and the screaming will commence, but until then...)

Does a kit count?

This is my take on the Monday Night Class September calendar page. I somehow got page extenders for the next three months, so I was on my own for the second page. This is one of the more labor intensive calendar layouts I have done. It took me a little over two hours to complete, which isn't too bad for a two page layout. I plan on filling it with pictures of everything we accomplish this fall, with harvest hopefully being the first thing we accomplish. I would love for this year to be quick and speedy, and prosperous. So far we haven't encountered the same hardships that neighbors have so, here's hoping!

I also think I am going to enroll Avery in preschool for one day a week. Ever since her dayhome closed, I have noticed that she is really lacking in the "sharing, and taking turns, and not bossing others around" department. So maybe a little back to school shopping is in order.

TFL. I hope to do something of my own tomorrow. But I also have October and November kits to complete so...