FUN - Days 4, 5 AND 6!

Obviously I am not very good at posting daily am I?! (ie: I started this post yesterday and never finished it!!!) Well, Sam has been fed and is down for a wee nap, my other boys are gone for the day, I'm on my second cup of coffee and I have maybe 15 minutes before I need to grab a shower! So, here are some more FUN ideas to make up for the past couple of days.


#1 - FUN foods - what kinds of foods do you remember enjoying from your childhood? What was a special treat or reserved for special occasions? AND, which foods remind you totally of summer?


*popsicles...especially the homemade kind on plastic sticks


*freezies - love the long ones


*big hunks of watermelon eaten outside


*toasted marshmallows, hot dogs and s'mores over a backyard fire


*milkshakes and smoothies with crazy straws


*icy lemonade and lemonade stands


What other fun foods can you think of (no really...I need some more ideas!!!) Let me know!


#2 - Another thing that I think is fun is dollar stores...especially Everything for a Buck or Dollarama where everything really IS just $!! I like to take Grayson there and have a look around. He gets a couple of new toys without breaking the bank, and I usually find a few trinkets myself!


Why not take $1 or $5 or $10 (whatever you can "blow") and take a trip to your local dollar store. I bought all these scrapbooking embellishments for just $10!

I loved the colors of the chipboard letters so I had to have 4 different kinds, and the decorated brads were too cute to pass up. Now, it's true I use mostly Creative Memories products, but if you find something fun to add some variety to your pages or to make some cute cards with, go for it! There are no rules in this hobby...that's what is so great about it! (Just please make sure any products you buy for use in your scrapbooks are acid and lignin free!!!)

#3 - This whole site is full of FUN ideas for you and your kids! Lucky for me, Grayson has still been going to his dayhome since Sam was born, but today is his last day since Mel (our fabulous dayhome provider) is going on holidays, so Mr. G. will be home with me for a couple of weeks. Now since my back is still not 100% and Sam is a greedy little feeder (sometimes every 1.5 hours during the day!) I thought I should have a lot of little activities ready to go to keep G. busy. I got a tonne of good ones from this "Let's Explore" site and am looking forward to trying our quite a few over the next two weeks.

So that catches me up on posting my FUN ideas! Now I have to catch up on some FUN scrapbooking projects using one of my favorite tools -punches! I am working on a layout to be displayed (I think I will use CM Everyday Display instead of a shadow box) and one where you "create" your background paper by using up your scraps with your punches! Cool! Will post as I finish up.

I'll leave off today with a few new photos that I love...my good friend and gifted photographer Tracy McLeod came to photograph Sammy as a newborn and do some family shots. They are all precious and I can't wait to scrap them! Here are just a couple of my faves!

Have a great Friday and Happy Scrapping!

Noreen

PS...I changed the look of my blog to reflect some of my favorite fun colors. Lime green rules! I'm also going to try to add a slide show and re-organize some of my blogs and websites to make better sense (if I can figure it all out!)

FUN - Days 2 and 3

OOOPS...didn't get to post yesterday...someone (namely Sam) didn't want to be put down all day long!


BUT, I do have TWO fun things for today!


First...FLIP FLOPS! I have to tell you that Stacy Julian asked us to buy or create a fun and crazy pair of flip flops to wear while we were doing the online class. Well, I wear flip flops regularly around the house anyway! They are nothing special - mostly from Old Navy or Wal-Mart and cheap like borscht, but I love 'em! I seem to have one of every color, and during the summertime especially I love to wear the bright ones! I love to see that pop of bright color when I glance down at my feet, and all the better if I have bright toenail polish on as well! Here are a few that are in rotation right now:

And speaking of color, my second fun thing for today are these plastic plates, bowls and cutlery from IKEA:

Again, so cheap ( $1.99 for 6 plates or bowls or cutlery sets etc.), but so much FUN! I bought them for Grayson, but I pull them out to use for myself anytime I am having a little snack. I love the stauration of color, and the royal blue, turquoise and lime green are my favorites! (Hey that one of my favorite color combinatons as well!)

It's a grayish sort of day here, so I need an extra boost of color...lunch on a turquoise plate please and I think I'll wear my polka dot flip flops!

Happy Scrapping!

Noreen

What's Fun to you?

Stacy Julian asked us to think about our definition of FUN this week...what does FUN mean to you? I haven't come up with my definition yet, but I am mulling it over! I decided I would try to think of at least one FUN thing each day for the rest of July. And I will try to post them for YOUR consideration as well! Hopefully it will inspire us all to have a great, FUN summer!

First up, a no-brainer...SCRAPBOOKING! It is such a fun hobby, but if you are finding yourself booged down with guilt or overburdened by the time factor, challenge yourself to set a timer for 30 minutes, grab some product you never use and like NIKE...JUST DO IT! Send me your page so I can post them as FAST AND FUN layouts!

Here's a FUN layout based on a Stacy Julian challenge:


Goggle Man, by Noreen Smith. 8x5 x 11 layout. Creative Memories paper, Sharpie pen.

Bonus FUN idea for today: USE FUN COLORS...visit http://kuler.adobe.com/ and try out some new fun color combinations. I made some using MY favorite fun, bright colors...
search "noreensmith" to see them. And why not wear a fun, bright color yourself!

Happy Scrapping!
Noreen

Having some FUN this summer

So in the midst of everything else that has been going on, I signed up to take an online class through Big Picture Scrapbooking taught by the fabulous Stacy Julian! It's called "Have More Fun" and that's exactly what I have been doing!

The class started last week and so far we have done three challenge layouts, a mini album, had lots of fun online chats, started a project with a book called "Wreck This Journal" (SUPER FUN!!!) and are now onto another project using an Altoids tin!!! All the projects have been fast and easy, and are designed to make you rediscover the fun of scrapbooking instead of worrying about designing THE perfect layout or getting "caught up". It has been very satisfying and I am actually thinking everyday about how I can have more fun in my LIFE..not just in my scrapbooking. (Let's face it, this past year has NOT been that much fun for me, and life is too dang short!) In the spirit of fun, did you kow that tomorrow (7-11) Slurpees are free at participating 7-11 stores? And did you know that you can find out all about the HISTORY of the SLURPEE online? (Thanks to fellow BPS'er Tamara for this info!) What fun!

So here are just a couple of my fun projects:

This was Friday's 30 minute challenge...grab some photos and don't worry about decorative products, perfect layout etc, and use a one word title. I completed this in just 22 minutes!!

This is the mini-album project we created. I used photos of baby Sam and made a little album of his first hours/days. Each page has a little pocket for additional photos or journaling. Sweet!

I am having so much fun, and I'll definitely keep posting what we are working on. Go have some fun!

Happy Scrapping...

Noreen

Life is Good

Life is crazy, but oh so good. My back still has me down so I can't do as much as I would like, and Shane has been working overtime, so there has been just a little stress around here! But I just have to take one look at little Sam's face and the stress melts away. He is such a sweet angel (most times)! We are still trying to figure him out, but here's what we know about him so far:

He is pretty content and relaxed overall.

He likes - no, LOVES to eat! He weighed 9 lbs 2.5 oz at his two week check-up, up from 8 lbs 14 oz birth weight.

He has some gas issues that make him fussy, probably because he loves to eat.

He likes to fall asleep eating.

He can sleep 4 -5 hours at night, but only 2 -3 during the day. (I'm glad it's not the other way around.)

He seems to be practicing baby Tai Chi moves when awake.

He doesn't like soothers.

He likes car rides.

He likes the fuzzy blanket with the cars on it.

He likes baths.

He likes to pee in the bath.

He likes to pee as soon as his diaper is off.

He responds to voices by turning his head to look at you.

He is a growler, not a grunter.

He is a little lovey and is adored by us all!


Here are a few more pics:

Grayson and his new "baby brother"

First bath...he was not so sure if he liked it during the bath, but boy was he relaxed after!

My three boys...aren't I a lucky woman!

In the midst of this new love affair with Sam, life continues around us. Grayson got a new big boy bed and tried out some big boy underwear. Our friend Tracy McLeod came to take some GREAT newborn pictures. My God-daughter Payton celebrated her first communion. We have been visiting with some friends and family and enjoying the warm weather. But perhaps the best (but bittersweet) news is that mom finally has a placement in a wonderful nursing home. It is one that Dad and I really hoped she would get into, as it is specifically for dementia and Alzheimers patients. The care is great and the setting is homey and pleasant. She will move in on Wednesday and we will bring in some of her furniture and pictures so she will have some familiar things around her. It will be so much better for her than being in the hospital.

So, in between feeding my little greedy guts, I have been working on my website (yes, I know I thought it would be up a long time ago!!!!) and putzing around the house as much as possible. I'm doing lots of reading and resting when I can, but no scrapbooking yet as I can't really navigate the stairs to the basement very well. I am positively itching to do some layouts of my sweet boy(s)!

All in all, life is crazy, but yes, oh so good. I feel very blessed.

Happy Scrapping! Oh...and Happy Canada Day tomorrow!

Noreen

SAM

He has arrived! We are so excited to finally have our much awaited little guy at home! Well...actually he has been at home a whole week now, but I haven't been able to post. Here's the scoop...

I went into labour around 3:00/4:00 in the morning on Thursday June 12th (right on my due date - imagine that!!!) We called my dad to come and stay at the house with Grayson and we headed to the hospital around 6:30 am. My contractions were about 5 minutes apart. My water hadn't broken, but I was 3 centimetres dilated. Labour progressed quickly and was very good...no epidural or drugs needed. I had a lot of back labour, as Sam was positioned sideways and his shoulder was caught under the pubic bone. The nurses were great at applying pressure to my back and hips (perhaps some of the cause of my present back pains now???) and Shane was so supportive and kept letting me know the timing of each contraction...I found I was able to get through each one if I knew how long I had to go.

Sam was born at 11:00 am, and was quite bruised from being turned and jostled on his way out, but all in all he was fantastic! He wanted to start feeding pretty much right away, and had fed twice before we left the delivery room. I had a sandwich and a shower and by the time we were admitted to a regular room, I was ready to go home! The doc's checked us out a few hours later, and we were discharged at 6:00 pm, and spent our first night at home in peace. How lucky we were, eh?

I felt great, and everything was going so well. Then late Friday night I started to feel my back seize up. I took some Tylenol and went to bed, but the next time I woke up to feed Sam I couldn't get out of bed...I was literally stuck! Shane had to help me up and since then I have been pretty much in the same boat...extremely limited mobility and more pain than I had during labour it seems! Finally I called a friend and former neighbour, Tonya Schmolke whose husband Michael is a chiropractor. So I made an appointment and went to see him at his clinic. He ran a complete series of tests and was able to determine that my sacrum was locked and my hips had become out of alignment. So, I have had two adjustments and am feeling somewhat better, but I have a long way to go to regain my former mobility...I have to re-develop a lot of muscles and will need to correct my "J-Lo" swayback posterior among other things!!!

Shane has been great at taking care of all of us, and Grayson SEEMS to like his new baby brother a lot - he kisses him and comes over to make faces at him when Sam is awake. Very cute! Sam is doing so well, eating like a fiend and sleeping very well...3 to 5 hours at this point, so we can't complain!

So that's our story! Thanks for all your calls and emails of care and concern, and I'm sorry if I didn't get back to you - I literally couldn't get to the phone or computer! And now I better get off the computer because I have my orders not to sit too long! (Thanks Dr. Schmolke!!!)

Before I go, here are some a few pics:

Sam, just minutes old. Quite bruised and blue
Shane, Sam and I in the delivery room

Resting in our bed just before being discharged to go home
I will definitely post more pics soon.


Happy Scrapping! (Hmmmm....I wonder if I can raise my scrapping table so I can scrapbook standing up!!!!)

Noreen

Rain Rain Go Away

This is one of Grayson's favorite songs to sing...although he always sings "come and GET another day" instead of "come AGAIN another day"! What a Q-T-PIE! Well anyway...it has been raining for a few days now and it is just miserable. This is not June weather. This is not summer. I protest! I was surfing some of my favorite blogs last night when I couldn't sleep and gals were complaining that it was getting too hot for them...I can only wish! The joys of living in the sub-tundra, eh?

Having said that, I did get a lot done in the past couple of days. Not being able to stand (my back is killing me since the baby dropped) I have been spending a lot of time sitting at my computer and scrap table. This is what I accomplished:

• Did a digital layout to include in a colleagues retirement album
• Finished and ordered a hard bound Storybook of the family photos taken LAST FALL!
  
• Sorted 2 years of photos into Storage Binders, and set up my Category Drawers for special photos (a la Stacy Julian's LOM system!)


• Completed an article I have been working on for submission to Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine (did I mention I am nervous as heck???)


• Did a layout that I am contemplating submitting to SimpleScrapbooks Magazine (the deadline is today, so I have to decide!!! Still nervous!) Edited....OK...I DID submit my LO to Simple Scrapbooksalong with a couple of others that I had originally posted on my blog (so I had to remove them until I hear back) Wish me luck!


• Sorted and organized some new embellishments and alphabet sets and continued to label and organize bins inside my scrapping cupboards


• Wrote a newsletter for my CM Customers (going out today)


• Worked on some photos in my computer...deleting doubles and touching up others


• Surfed some blogs and websites and looked through some magazines for ideas
• Edited...I forgot...I also made up a digital baby announcement template so when the little guy arrives I can pop in the pertinent info and send it of! I hope you get to see it soon!!!
  

Not bad for a rainy weekend eh? I think I got so much done because I have a space dedicated to my scrapbooking. I can leave out work in progress and when I have time I can come back to it. It helps, even when you only have 5 or 10 spare minutes. I LOVE IT! And I am so glad it is in our new rec room so G. and I can be down there togeher...he playing in his playroom (or where I found him yesterday - in the storage room playing with Shane's tools- yikes!) and me working on projects. When baby # 2 comes, I think it will be a good space to spend our days. Life is good eh?Now if that rain would just go away...

Happy Scrapping!

Noreen