37 Today...

Yup, that's me.
Woke up at 6h15 (not my choice, of course, but fun fun fun :))

- Ate a lot of stuff I really shoudn't be eating, for breakfast (think Pork dumplings and a spicy sauce);
- Got spoiled rotten by the shorties (oh, how they try, and do a dang good job at it too);
- Spoke to my parents (and my Dad made me weepy by his sweet words: "Darling, 37 years ago, you made me the happiest man in the world") *sniff*;
- Got down got down with the fam and played Dance Dance Revolution on the Wii (I'm proud to say I still have it, baby!) *wink*

Now I'm getting ready for birthday cake and a chocolate fondue (life's too short not to have both)... and then more Dance Dance...

Later 'gators!

Lynette, whom, I should add, looks waaaay to young to be a grandma (for real, girl!) gave me this cool blog award:



Here are the rules:
1. The winner may put the logo on their blog.
2. Put a link to the person who sent you the award.
3. Nominate 5 blogs.
4. Provide links to their blogs.
5. Leave a message for your nominees.

Okay, so this was a toughie. I love reading blogs. The ones I follow are all so different, but so enriching in what they offer. I was hard-pressed to pick 5... or even 50 actually.

So for this award I decided to go literally with 5 creative blogs I love.
But again, I had a tough time picking just five.
Anyway, all that thinking completely did in my last two remaining brain cells...so here goes (in no particular order):

1. Christine
This lady layers and layers and layers like nobody else I know. Her photography is awsome, and she is a woman of courage and great strength.

2. Ranjini
Ranjini actually ignited the scrapbooking spark in me, way back when she started Scrapologie Kits. A sweet and inspiring individual...I *heart* her :)

3. Sasha
What can I say; Sasha kills with colour...kills kills kills...in the best possible way. Look how vibrant and alive her pages are...and she's a sweetie-pie to boot!

4. Heather
Did you see her fabric prints?
She is the reason I need a sewing machine...pronto...even though I cannot thread a needle to save my life...must have sewing machine

5. Wendy
She makes graphic clean and simple look easy..and it's not!
Trust me, I tried copying Wendy's style.
It just looked ...umm...unfinished...lol
But she ROCKS it!
HARD.

Now, if you read this and start oohing and aaahing over these five, then don't forget to hook me up with your fave creative blogs too okay?
Doesn't have to be scrappy..anything creative will do :)

What a cool thing to wake up to this morning!
Check *this out*.
Thanks so much Kim :)

My one year term at Piggy Tales came to an end recently.I had so much fun working with the
"Piggy Tales" family, and the fabulous Design Team.

Thanks to Ryan and Debbie Juden, the owners, for giving me such a wonderful opportunity; and to Trina Linford, our fearless leader :), for providing us with great ideas for projects every month.

And now...here's my first entry into the second round of the Magisitical Memories Chipboard Artist Challenge



I loved using that cute lil'"Owl Hang Around" piece so much.



I also have the "Film strip" chipboard piece on this page...


Okay, I need to hop into the shower..catch ya'll tomorrow :)

Chandelier Shopping

...not like Britney Spears though (hee-hee)

We've been busy picking out the lighting,door levers, thermostart registers and finalising the little details.

The house is coming along great!
We've passed our possession date.
By 6 weeks
*sigh*

I took my camera yesterday but completely forget to get some pics...

But here's a look at the Chandelier we finally found for our entrance hall:


Love it!

P.S**Turn on your speakers ya'll**

Today we're having Nalysnky and perogies for lunch.
I bought both these yummy treats from a local Farmer's Market.All I have to do now is make my own sauce, of butter, onion and cream and we're set to go.

It's been such a lovely,lazy Sunday.
Although the children were up at 6h00, it still turned out great.
We spent the morning watching Bollywood music videos.
The kids are always so fascinated by the colours, the beautiful outfits, the stunningly beautiful women...

Here's a peek at a movie I have in the DVD player at the moment.
I love this movie.The stories are so real, so emotional, so beautiful...
"Salaam-e-Ishq" means a salute/tribute to love...



I have a tantalising chicken curry on the stove for supper, with steamed Basmati Rice.
Yikes!
Today is all about the food.
Just like Sundays should be :)

Have a great week everyone.

Happy Birthday...

to Cai the Guy...


How the past three years have flown!

Rea, budding photog that she is, took this fabulous shot of the birthday boy and I:


and one of the proud Dad and his brood (I'm putting this pic on his Facebook profile in case any old girlfriends try to contact him...bwaahahahaha (yeah, that's my super-evil laugh ;))


and one last "blurry-makes-your-eyes-do-the-jig" kinda pic, just because we have so few together, and the kids like this one too :)


Have a wonderful week everyone :)

A few Peeks...

of a couple Busy Bee pages.
Our DT pages belong to Busy Bee for 30 days before we can post them elsewhere, so I have to sneak peeks on here ;)

And while I'm feeling "sneaky"...lol..here's a sneek shot of moi, taken today, by moi :)


Okay enough.
I'm bagged.

But before I go, look at these cute things I discovered at a local Christmas fair...

Super-cute spreader:


and stem glasses:


Okie doke..Ciao for now :)

Copycat

I spotted this while on my morning blog hopping adventures and thought I'd give it a whirl.
If I've done something on the list, I'll highlight it.
Play along if you'd like and come back here and link me.I'd love to see everyone's lists :)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain (small one in the KZN midlands)
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Oh boy!
Cannot believe I've been to other places (countries) and not seen important stuff, like the changing of the guard in London, and going to the top of the Statue of Liberty in New York.
(I must have been shopping too hard...tee-hee)

Snowy Day

It started snowing this morning, just after 8 am.
I managed to get a few pics, although they're not as clear as I'd hoped.
But you get the idea, right?

The first two pics were taken from my front door.You can see part of the walkway to the door and part of our driveway...




The view from the front of our house:



A pic from the deck:

Today is Poppy Day here in Canada, and as such, a public holiday.
I'm so glad my entire herd is home (and asleep at this moment).
The weather is awful...snowy and slippery.

Great day to stay indoors and watch a movie; curl up with a good book; play a boardgame; scrapbook...

I watched Atonement a few nights ago. It was a fantastic movie...very rich and moving. If you get a chance to, catch it on DVD. It's well worth a viewing.

I also have a James Patterson book ready to go.
It's called Sail and promises to be a good read.

Thanks to everyone for the good wishes on the previous post. My head is bigger than usual now...lol

Have a great day everyone!

I have to share some cool news.

I, together with 26 other talented ladies, have made it to round 2 of the Magistical Memories DT search.

Now I'm waiting on a package of chipboard, of which we're all receiving the same, to create 3 new projects.
After that, the entries will be judged and the new additons will be announced.

Very exciting!
Very nerve-wrecking!

Did you see the rest of the names?

Amy Coose
Jennifer Hansen
Shannon Blinn
Kelly Evans
Norma Kennedy
Corien vd Oever
Lacintha Naidoo
Madeline Fox
Jacqueline Walker
Juliana Michaels
Annie Brown
Mary Patterson
Traci Wutke
Celeste Brodnik
Anna Sigga
Selena Kimsey
Amy Teets
Betsy Sammarco
Trish Adams
Annelie Maddock
Julie Detlef
Rita Shimniok
Beth Root
Lisa Dorsey
Pearl Liu
Hilde Stolk
Kristi Bergin-Smith

On other news, thanks to everyone who heard about our accident, and passed along the sweet words.
The girls and I are fine.
Fortunately nobody was hurt.
Thank goodness.

I'm going to leave with a page using Upsy Daisy's "Spirit" line.
Can you believe it's almost that time of year again?

History was made Tonight

Never has one election captured the attention of the entire world, as this one did.
The U.S.A, thought to be the bedrock of Western Democracy and Freedom, elected its FIRST black president tonight.

Exciting times to be alive.

Halloween

...was great!
No snow this year...in fact it wasn't even that cold.

The three trick-or-treaters:



The lone Trickster:


We actually only had 4 kids drop by. Our neighbours had the same four...lol...I'm guessing us living so far away from the action led to that.

Our kids took a loooong walk to get tons of candy.
When they got back home I took them to our old neighbourhood, where we are building our new house, to trick-or-treat with some of the old neighbours.

Here are some post TOT pics:

In the past few weeks I've gotten to chatting to other scrapbookers, and newbies to this hobby about kit clubs.

Back in the day I used to subscribe to a bunch of kits, but as my time to scrapbook decreased and my personal stash increased I dropped all my subs.
Lately though I've been looking into kits again, mainly because there are a few clubs out there who really mix things up the way I like, so I don't end up buying every sheet in every line and not using anything.

Over the past few months I've been sampling a bunch of kits from a bunch of places and these are the ones which "spoke" to me in terms of the varied mix of manufacturers and product, and most importantly, one-of-a-kind customer service.

These are the kit clubs I love:

Cocoa Daisy Kits



Create My Keepsake




Label Tulip



Studio Calico




Bad Girls Kits



So, check them out. You'll find shipping rates very comparable.
If anyone knows of a great kit club you'd like to recommend to me, please post here in the comments :)

Happy November!
I'll be back with some Halloween pics from yesterday...