Best Beach Ever!

At the bottom of this post, which gives sneaks of a few New York layouts, I snuck in a peek at one scraplift I created while I was up at Uncle Danny's last summer.  This page - which was a travel layout, but about the Bahamas, not New York - is a page I created using a layout in Scrapbook Trends as inspiration. I've lost track of the original designer, but if it's you (or if you know who it is), let me know and I'll give the proper credit.

By the way, if you've never been to the Bahamas, it truly does have one of the very best beaches ever! :-}

Scrapping my New York Trip

Last fall, I posted a few peeks at the pages I created about my trip to New York last summer, which was a wonderful, memorable, quick trip.  I took a bit of a blogging hiatus shortly afterward, and didn't post these, so here they are!  I scrapped most of these up at Uncle Danny's right before Labour Day, so it's funny that I'm posting them around the same time of year.  This page documents my first steps in Central Park.

Once upon a time I used to work for the Le Meridien hotel chain.  It was a wonderful place to work.  One of my colleagues visited New York and stayed at the Parker Meridien, so I researched it as I planned my trip.  How unexpected is it that there is a  burger joint hidden away in a corner of the lobby in this luxurious hotel?  I would never have expected it, but I'm sure glad I found it.  The burgers, fries and shakes are amazing!

Here is my plane as it approaches New York City.  This page is a scraplift of a layout I saw last year in a copy of Scrapbook Trends magazine.  I loved the multiple hanging banners and wanted to make a page just like it.  In the time it's taken me to post this page, I've lost track of the original artist, but if it's you (or you know who I can give credit to) please leave a comment and I will properly thank the original designer.

Since I was alone at the gate on my way home (my brother was flying directly to Edmonton) I brought some scrapbooking supplies with me to keep me busy while I waited to depart. What better thing to scrap about while at an airport than the city you visited!  The Smash album I used was compact and easy to work with on my lap.  I completed two, double-page spreads on my lap at the gate!  It was truly the icing on the cake of a fantastic trip.

A Few More Overdue Layouts

If I'm ever going to get caught up with the layouts I want to post, I'm going to have to get cracking! Here is the layout I mentioned in this post.  The photos here are older photos back when Evan was still playing soccer.

If I wait until I have the journaling complete for many of my layouts, I'll never get them up.  So here is a page I created from a Basic Grey page kit by Kelly Goree, which I showed a peek of here.  This is one of the first pages I created about Merlin.  Basic Grey page kits are sure an easy way to get layouts completed at crops when there is a ton of chatting going on while scrapping!




I posted about this layout here. I had a lot of fun creating this page about the trip Stephen and I took to the Bahamas, just the two of us.  I will get around to journaling on this layout one of these days. 

You can see more about our vacation to the Bahamas here.

Alberta Adventures

Back in this post about our trip to Edmonton, I mentioned that I had so many more pictures to share about our travels throughout Alberta. Here is a little look at all the fun we had.

The kids and I went to Banff with my brother Chris and visited the beautiful Banff Springs Hotel.

The lobby was stunning. The kids thought it looked spectacular and posed for this shot!

While we were there we took a trip to the hot springs. Chris had been there before, but it was a first for me and for the kids.

One of the most fun things for the kids about visiting with Grannie is telling her stories, bringing her pizza, ice tea and cookies and just having fun!  Grannie sure loves seeing the kids, as you can see in her face here!

We took a couple of trips to West Edmonton Mall, including a trip to Galaxyland for rides, games and junk food, another for waterpark fun and - of course - shopping!

We were lucky enough to spend a day with Chris' in-laws in Calgary and enjoyed some time at the beach near their home.

The next day we drove to Drumheller to spend the day at the Royal Tyrrell Museum.  Once again, it was a first for me as well as for the kids, and we absolutely loved it.

The kids each poured a fossil cast and they spent some time learning about fossils.

Here we are with the badlands in the background.  Notice something in the lower left corner of this photo?  The kids thought it was adorable that he popped into the photo with them! :-}

My brother Howard, his wife Trish and their two boys met us in Drumheller and we had dinner together at a local restaurant before heading back to Edmonton.  Here, the kids have fun together posing outside the restaurant with a dinosaur friend. It was definitely a whirlwind trip.  We packed a lot of fun into the week.  Although the sights and shopping were fun, visiting with family was definitely the highlight of the trip.

After our week in Edmonton, we almost needed a rest!  But a few weeks later we took a trip to Montreal to drop the kids off at camp and to visit with my Mom's side of the family on the South Shore.


I'll share a few photos of that visit sometime soon!

Summertime in Edmonton

I have a lot of photos from our Edmonton visit in July; too many to post them all, but I do want to share some highlights. We were lucky enough to have a lot of family together at the same time, so I thought I would start with some of the family shots.

First, here I am with Mom and my three. It's too bad that Stephen wasn't able to make the trip and be in the photo with us.

Part way through our visit, my Mom's two sisters, Juliet and Marion, along with Marion's husband Bill, arrived in Edmonton to visit with Mom and all of us too. Left in the next photo are Chris and his wife Lisa, along with daughter Aeden, followed by Marion and Juliet behind Mom's wheelchair.  Marion's husband, Bill, is behind Evan.

When my Mom and her sisters were young, someone somehow coined a funny phrase, referring to them as "three smart girls."  Well, through the years, every time they are together, one of us inevitably brings up the topic, which is a great reminder for us to take a photo of the three of them.  So, here is the "three smart girls" photo from the trip!

Most of the time we were too large a group to visit in Mom's room, so we were downstairs in the lobby area of her building.  We did spend a few afternoon visits upstairs though.  Here, the kids and I visit with Aeden and their Grannie.

This turned out to be the only photo I managed to get of just the six grandchildren together.  Unfortunately, it's not a stellar shot, but they kids do seem to be enjoying one anothers' company.

Below is Chris, Lisa and Aeden with Mom.

And next, Howard, Trish with Grannie along with their two boys, Jared and Nathan.

And finally, here is one of my favourites - Mom with her three kids and her six grandkids.  What a fantastic bunch!  The day this photo was taken, Mom sure had a fantastic time soaking in all of the family togetherness (not to mention the pizza and ice tea!)

I have more photos of some of the sights we saw and things we did, which I will share in a separate post.  Thanks for looking!

A Peek at our Summer Vacation

In early July, the kids and I traveled to Edmonton for a visit with my side of the family. My Mom is in Edmonton along with both of my brothers and their families. We were lucky enough while we were there travel to Calgary and Banff with my brother Chris and his daughter, and to then Drumheller with my brother Howard and his family. My Mom's sisters also traveled from Vancouver to be there while we were, and we visited with a number of close family friends as well.

It was an amazing experience for the kids! Seeing my Mom every day for a week is something that hasn't happened for a couple of years. Now that she cannot travel anymore, it's tough to see her if we don't go to her. I've traveled to Edmonton on my own three or four times since Mom stopped flying, but it's been on my own. The kids sure miss her when they don't see her often, and they had a lot of fun with her. Here, the kids enjoy taking their Grannie for a garden stroll.

They also really enjoyed spending time with their cousins. Below a look at our three, along with their cousin Aeden, enjoying the lake in Calgary, close to Chris' wife Lisa's parents' home. They had a fantastic time.

 I have so many more photos of this trip that I would love to share, but haven't even downloaded some of them yet! I hope to add them over the weekend, so stay tuned!

Summer Camp Time

It's fantastic to be blogging again after such a lengthy hiatus! If you're wondering what has made me suddenly able to start posting regularly after so much time away, here's the answer - the we dropped the kids off for two weeks of sleepover summer camp this weekend!



Evan is off at Air Cadet camp for two weeks. Doesn't he look so grown up in his uniform? We will have minimal contact with him while he is away, so it will be exciting to hear all about it when he gets back. This is his first year in Air Cadets and as such his first summer camp with them. He was a bit apprehensive about the degree of discipline required, not to mention the early mornings (they're up at 6:00am!!), but I sure he will thrive under the pressure!



The above photo was taken the day before Evan's departure. Here we are at the girls' equestrian camp, where they will also be for two weeks. This is their first foray into horseback riding and they are both really looking forward to it. It's been a few years since Stephen and I have had all three kids away at the same time, so it's very quiet around our house. We're sure not accustomed to the slow down in activity, but it will be a fantastic opportunity for us to connect and just be a couple for a while.

And of course - I'm looking forward to getting in some scrapbooking time! :-}

A Weekend of Scrapbooking

We didn't have a lot of time to get packed for the weekend we spent at Stephen's Uncle Danny's lakeside retreat back in August, so I decided to limit the scrap supplies I brought to one small shoulder tote and whatever I could pack in it! Wow - I think it was really a case of less is more...

I scrapped seven pages that weekend, with fewer supplies on hand than I've had in a very long time! I brought one patterned paper collection - American Crafts Letterbox, as well as a few puffy title alphas from AC and Making Memories, some journaling tiny alphas, a bit of cardstock, a few packs of embellishments and - of course my Smash tape.

I did as much as I could to create shortcuts, including a few sketches and ideas for scraplifting. I made a few pages about my New York trip and a few on other topics as well. I clicked these preview shots but still need to photograph each page for posting - stay tuned and I'll reveal all of the pages sometime soon.

Smashing New York

I've been intrigued by the idea of Smash albums ever since I first saw one, but didn't think I had a good excuse for purchasing one - that is until my New York trip. What a perfect thing to Smash about! I took this book on the trip and scrapped at he airport waiting for my flight home.

I decided to cover both the front and back covers of the book, and had fun finally using the gorgeous ribbon I've been coveting the collaborative release of it from Pink Paisley and House of 3. Love it! I just love the puffy AC Thickers too! This is the front cover of my New York album.

I think my favourite item in this entire release is the awesome Smash tape! It's so bright, colourful and spunky! I think I could use it on almost anything! Isn't it fun?

Here is a peek at the first page with its delightful strip of my beloved Smash tape. I will have more of this album to post - soon, I hope - so stay tuned. I also scrapped the weekend away while we were at Uncle Danny's back in August, so I will have a peek at some of those layouts coming up too.


Thanks so much for stopping by and have a great week! :-}

9/11 Memorial

While my brother Chris and I were in New York last month, we were fortunate enough to visit the 9/11 memorial site. It was a very moving experience. I can't imagine how emotional a visit to the site would be for families who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. My thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragic event.

Like so many of us today, I am very conscious of and grateful for all of the wonderful things I have in my life.

I hope you are able to take a moment today to reflect on how truly fortunate we are to live in the abundant, safe and prosperous country we call home.

Here's Lookin' at You, New York!

It's long overdue, I know, but here is a quick peek at my trip to NY in August.  It was a wonderful whirlwind few days filled with sightseeing, scrap shopping, a Broadway (and a drum corps) show, celebrity sightings, tons of walking, VERY little sleep and of course, being in the audience to see Brene Brown on the Katie Couric show.

My brother Chris met me in New York and while he got his fill of about a hundred (OK, maybe just four) Broadway shows, I hit the Manhattan must-see scrapbook shops, The Ink Pad and Tinsel Trading Company.  I would have LOVED a chance to attend some of the classes at The Ink Pad - they have quite the fantastic line up.

Our celebrity sightings included Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman, Kristin Davis, James Earl Jones and (best for last....) John Stamos.  Chris and I took in the musical Once together.  I also managed to see DCI quarter finals in the theatre near Union Square, which was a great, nostalgic experience.

Of course, the real reason for the trip was being in the audience for Brene Brown's appearance on the Katie show, which should be airing sometime in the next few weeks.  Chris took a shot of me in the lineup to get in.  A few ladies and I were interviewed on camera before the show, but I'm not sure what they will end up using.

Look for me if you're watching Katie in September.

In other news:

• Back to school went very smoothly at our house, and since I'm still at my Project 365 - I've never made it this far into the year so woo hoo - I have back to school photos of the kids to post sometime soon. They are still on the camera and I haven't uploaded them yet, but I hope I can get to them soon.
• I'm really excited about Scrapfest Oshawa coming in less than a month! 
• Here's to Sue's cookie dough recipe, which I'm sure will leave us feeling like we don't need any dinner! :} 
• I'm also lucky enough to be heading out on a photo walk with Lee Currie in October.  Hooray!
• I have a layout coming out in Canadian Scrapbooker's winter 2012 issue - toot! :-}
• Scrapping Nook's 100 Photos of Summer deadline is fast approaching and I still have a TON of photos to upload. 
• And, believe it or not, I have at least a dozen scrapbook pages and part of my New York trip Smash album scrapped that I haven't had a chance to post yet.   I'm hoping to get something photographed and posted soon.  Stay tuned!

I hope the back to school transition went as smoothly at your house as it did at ours.  Fall weather is here reminding us that summer is truly over, much to our chagrin.

Thanks for checking in and have a fantastic fall!

My State of Mind...

Can you guess where I'm headed next week? :-}

I'm lucky enough to be going to New York to see Brene Brown interviewed for the new Katie Couric show that will air in September.  Are you a Brene fan?  Want to come too?  I'm still looking for a taker for the second seat, so drop me a line!  My brother Chris is meeting me in New York, but can't come to the taping since they're having an all-female audience.

While we're there, we're also seeing the musical Once on Broadway, as well as DCI prelims through Fathom Events in the theatre right in Manhattan!  That's sure a lot crammed into one short and unexpected trip.  I'm so excited!

image credit

(Don't know what DCI and Drum Corps are?  This video is a few years old, but it's a fantastic and informative clip.  The theatre showing is mentioned starting at about 3:10).

Since this has all come together very last minute, I'm sure I'll be packing into the wee hours the night before we leave.  I'm planning on doing a Smashbook style mini album on the trip, so I have to get scrap shopping!

Oh, and if you're a travel buff and/or have been to Manhattan - restaurant, sightseeing and scrapbook store recommendations are totally welcome! Tinsel Trading Company and The Ink Pad are already on the list!

Have a fantastic long weekend!  Details about the trip (and hopefully some nice NY photos) to follow soon!

Whirlwind Edmonton Trip

I had big plans to get a lot done this past weekend, but instead I took a last minute trip to Edmonton. My Mom had a stroke last Wednesday and had to be hospitalized, so by Thursday I was unexpectedly on a flight out west. In my haste I forgot to pack mittens and a hat, so fortunately it was only about -24 there!

By the time I landed late Thursday (the wee hours of Friday morning, actually) it was too late to go to the hospital, so we went over on Friday morning. Mom had finally been moved from the ER to a room. Although she still has a way to go, I was relieved that she looked healthier than I expected.

By lunch time Mom was given the OK to each pureed food. She didn't have the strength to feed herself so I had to feed her, but she was hungry and ate well. By Saturday she was sitting up and feeding herself, and on Sunday morning she was able to go out into the hall in a wheelchair.

My niece and nephews spend a lot of time at the hospital over the weekend, and kept their Grannie entertained with drawings and puppet shows featuring their many stuffed animals. Our kids sent hand-made cards and photos - it's sure good to have card-makers in the family! :-P

Mom still has a long way to go and will be in the hospital and undergoing physiotherapy for a while yet, but fortunately the prognosis looks good. I arrived home late Sunday night, just in time to get ready for the work week. If I missed seeing you while I was in Edmonton, I'm hoping my next trip will have more notice.

I'll keep you up to date on how Mom is doing, so please check back for that, as well as for the January pages that I haven't yet posted. Please keep my Mom in your thoughts and prayers. We are all praying for her to get stronger and be able to go home soon.