Found My MoJo...

I have been BUSY today pumping out the LO's. I hadn't really scrapped all week long, so today I made up for it. I had a BLAST doing Tyson's b-day picture, and pictures from sledding taken only a few days ago. After reading a blog entry by Heather, she admitted that she is simplifying her personal scrapbooking so she can get caught up. I though that was a GREAT idea. I am sick and tired of putting hours and hours into a LO, and seeing the stack of photos I have not diminishing very fast. So today I just did simple, easy LO's. I am happy with the results, and even more happy with how many I was able to get done :) I am also VERY happy that I have been able to use a lot of my "old" product. I have been itching to go to the LSS though...I would love to get my hands on some new product. But I have so much, and I really should try and use what I have.

TFL!

What Scrapbooking Item Are You???

I found this cute quiz off of another blog, and had to give it a try. Here is what it said about me:

You are STICKERS!

Who would have thought?? LOL!

You like brightening things up in life and
decorating your living space with your own
personal style. You are versatile and able to
get things done with a stick-to-it attitude.
People love your colorful personality and
personal flair! You like exploring new things
and are willing to try anything once. But
Stickers beware - sometimes you like to stick
to someone that you like a little too much
and take them into your confidence a little
too easily. Your personality tends to make
you a steadfast friend, but make sure the
friends you choose are worth your efforts!


What scrapbooking item are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

I was suprised at how it was almost dead on. So go ahead...give it a try.

Here is a LO I did last night...and today. Don't know why it took me SO long. LOL! The scan isn't that great...but you get the idea. :)

The Perfect Snow Angel...

Today was a Great "family" centered day. We woke up to see that the ground was covered with beautiful white, fluffy snow. The sun was shining and there was NO wind. That doesn't happen too often in southern Alberta. After a quick breakfast I bundled up the kids and we headed across the street to go sledding. Carson had fun riding in the little sled as I pulled him behind me. Tyson loved to tromp around in his snowsuit in the snow. While sledding Tyson met up with a friend from Parent Pre-School. Him and Brody had SO much fun together. I can't count how many times they went up and down the hill. Here are a few pictures of the 2 of them.

I asked the boys if they knew how to make a snow angel, and they immediately got down on the ground and began making one. Brody made the most perfect snow angel I have ever seen. I just had to take a picture of it. I remember as a little girl making snow angels. It was SO fun to see if you could make one just perfect. It brought back memories as I saw my little boy playing in the snow, being so carefree and enjoying every minute of it!

It is great to see Tyson making friends. He is a very affectionate and loving boy. I am glad that he gets along well with others, and that he is out going and likes to meet new people. I guess he gets that from me. My mom tells me that he is EXACTLY like me when I was his age. Outgoing, outspoken, not afraid of anything or anyone, stubborn, witty, manipulative, loving, and compassionate. I guess most of these qualities are good to have. LOL!

Later in the afternoon we went public skating. This has become one of our most favorite activities to do as a family. It is SO fun to see Tyson progress. I can't believe how well he is doing. I am happy that we have found an activity to do as a family that we all enjoy and that we can do together. :)

Night by Elie Wiesel...

I am usually not an Oprah bookclub follower, I'm not one to run right out and buy the latest book added to her list. But as I watched her show a few days ago and she announced her next book called, "Night," it intrigued me and I knew that I wanted to go out and buy it. So I stayed up until I had finished reading all 120 pages of the book. It is a gripping, terrifying tale of a young Jewish boy and his family who are forced to leave their home in Hungary to be taken to a concentration camp. With every word that I read, my heart broke more and more for these people who had to suffer such a terrible atrocity. It is really hard for me to even comprehend the amount of suffering, the starvation, the fear, and the humility these innocent people had to endure. How someone could believe that these horrific events did not take place is beyond me. This was an act against humanity, against religion, against a way of life. It was a barbaric act, one that should have NEVER taken place. Reading this book opened my eyes to this great travesty. I always thought I understood it, but now I have a better understanding. I would recommend this book to everyone! The young, and to the old. For it will give you a better understanding, it will bring your emotions to the surface, it will make you ask yourself the question, "Why did this have to happen?" I pray with every fiber of my being that I will never have to witness these types of cicumstances in my life time. But that I will never forget those who suffered, and died, and for those who survived. The survivors of the Holocoust are slowly beginning to dwindle in numbers, we must never, ever forget them!

Happy For...

While stumbling across a blog by Rhonda, (whom I went to high school with), I just LOVED her HAPPY list. So I thought I would blog what I am happy for right now.

1. I am happy because Tyson, my 3 1/2 year old is learning how to ice skate. He is so determined, and I am amazed at how quickly he is progressing. The saying "Try, try again," is so very, very true. If at first you don't succeed you must try, try again. I will post photos later.
2. I am happy that I am scrapbooking again. That my creative juices are finally coming back to me.
3. I am happy that I am able to be a SAHM. Some days are hard and challenging, but most days are so rewarding. My children bring me so much joy and happiness!
4. I am happy for family who is so close. I love being able to get together so often. I know that my best support system comes from my family.

Here are a few LO's I have been working on :)

1. 

Fun Sites...and...Some Ramblings

My intentions for today, were to get the kids to have a nap after lunch and then spend the rest of the afternoon either curled up infront of a cozy fire watching a church movie, or curled up on the couch reading a book I got from the library. I have been SO into Karen Kingsbury books lately. She is a Christian author, and her stories are so moving, I just love them. If you want a good book to read of hers I recommend "One Tuesday Morning, and also Beyond Tuesday Morning." These two books are in a series about September 11th. They are about 2 very different families who's lives cross paths and take some very unexpected turn. They are a MUST read in my opinion, you won't be able to put them down. My intentions were good...but they didn't happen. I got side tracked when I came downstairs to read Sophia's blog. I just love to read what she has to say. She shared today some fun sites that she stumbled across and I thought I would share them too. I did...and had a BLAST! And thus the reason why I didn't get to reading my book, or watching a movie. LOL!

1. Typing Test this was SO much fun. Here is what it said about my score.

Your score: 346 keys per minute ~ 69 words per minute

Ranking: That was fast - you can still improve, though.

Comparison: 24% of registered TyperA users using this language have typed a better result; 76% have a lower or equal result.

2. Birthday Statistics

As of 1/15/2006 6:52:28 PM EST

You are 28 years old.

You are 337 months old.

You are 1,466 weeks old.

You are 10,262 days old.

You are 246,306 hours old.

You are 14,778,412 minutes old.

You are 886,704,748 seconds old.

Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 4.01643835616438 years old. (You're still chasing cats!)
There are 330 days till your next birthday on which your cake will have 29 candles. Those 29 candles produce 29 BTUs,or 7,308 calories of heat (that's only 7.3080 food Calories!) .

Thanks again Sophia for all the fun links today!

Another person who I adore is Teri Fode. She is an amazing person, whom I have gotten to know through her blog, and I had the priviledged of meeting her briefly at Memory Trends in October. She always has wonderful words of wisdom, and is a GREAT photographer. She shared this website on her blog a few days ago, and I too wanted to share it with you. The song on this site is what I can't STOP playing! You can't help but be happy when you hear it. Even Tyson has started to sing it. Thanks Teri for finding this catchy little tune :) So go to this site, and CRANK up the volume...and most of all BE HAPPY!

Update: My sister Kimberley is doing AWESOME! She has 2 job interviews next week, and I couldn't be more excited for her. Also she went on a double date last night with my other sister. She said she had a blast. The future is looking bright for her, and I always have a prayer in my heart that she will be strong and make good decisions for her and her daughter.

Tonight Tyson and I popped some popcorn, drank diet coke with lime (well I did), he had chocolate milk (his favorite) and we watched Monsters Inc. in front of a blazing fire. It was the BEST! It was 100% un-interrupted quality time together. I had never seen the movie before and he picked it out. It was so darn cute, loved every minute of it. Now he is supposed to be sound asleep, because tomorrow we are going to another b-day party at 10am! WOWZERS! That is very early for a b-day party. Oh well, at least it will be over and done with (is that nice of me to say?) and then we can have the rest of the afternoon to do things together. DH isn't working so maybe we can go to the movie theater (as Tyson likes to call it.)

I am green with envy tonight...why you may be thinking. Well 2 of our really close friends are in PUERTO VALLARTA right now :( They are SO lucky. I wish that Tyler and I could have gone, we could have used the vacation. But circumstances didn't permit us to go. Instead we are here enjoying a beautiful snow storm in front of a cozy fire. I am happy for our friends, they needed and deserved the vacation!

So I have been toying with the idea of finding a part-time job. I am really missing my "mad" money. I haven't been very busy with designing anything lately, I am kind of out of the loop I guess. There are just so many "fun" things I would love to buy our family, but we just can't justify using Tyler's primary income to do so. I would love to get a laptop for our house. I think we could really benefit from one. I would also like to get an iPod. And then there is that vacation that I would LOVE to take. Of course there are always things for the kids I would love to get, like a battery operated vehicle for Tyson. I know he would LOVE one, it would be so fun for him to drive around in the summer. I just wish there was something I could do from home. It would be hard to justify going back to work just to pay for daycare for my boys. And then there is the question that is forever on my mind, "Would I really want someone else to take care of them?"

Here is a LO I did tonight...while doing many, many other things. I was multi-tasking. LOL!

Things He Finds...Potty Training...And Accidents...

My little 1 year old Carson is my personal vacuum! I have forgotten what it is like to have a baby crawling all over the place. That little boy can find everything that has been hiding in my carpet. He has found everything from lifesavers, jelly beans, bobby pins, coins, pieces of plastic, cherrios, tacks, paper, play doh, macaroni...oh the list goes on an on. Now you may think from the above list that I don't vacuum very often, but I do, almost every day! Carson is SO tiny, only 16 lbs, that he can fit anywhere! And I mean anywhere! So naturally he finds all of the "goods" that I have long gone forgotten about. Today I found him sucking on a jelly bean, which I'm sure he was LOVING! But needless to say he didn't get to savor all of it, because I took it away from him. I have to keep my eyes on him ALL the time...just to see what he will put in his mouth next.

The potty training with Tyson is still on going! He goes for a few days and does really well. I have even caught him on the potty all by himself! But then...days like today...he has major accidents...all over my computer chair! AGHHHHHHHH! Oh well, I know that it will be baby steps until he is 100%. I am proud of him though, he has done really well so far, except for a few little mishaps, which are bound to happen.

Here are my 2 LO's for today. I had fun doing these 2. Man if feels good to scrapbook again! I was happy that I was able to start using pictures from our camping trips in the summer. Sorry the scan isn't 100% in the 2nd LO, it is crooked. And the circle picture isn't the one I wanted to use. I had a really cute picture of Tyler and Tyson out on the lake in the rubber dingy. But when I went to put it on the LO it was NO WHERE to be found on my very messy scrap desk. So I used the picture of myself in its place. But as soon as I find the original picture I will replace it. LOL!

10 Things I Like About...

MYSELF! Wow that is a hard one. This was the challenge that I read about on Sophia's blog this morning. So I decided to take the challenge. As I was showering I was contemplating the things that I like about myself. 10 things...what could they be. I find that I really don't think about "Me" all that often. Do I even really know who I am? It is a question that weighs on my mind from time to time. I am thankful for this challenge today, I believe that it will help me to really think about myself, and who knows maybe I will discover something about "me" that I didn't know. So here is my list:

1. I am loyal. Loyal to my family, friends, and to my Church.
2. I am dependable. Ask me to do something, and I will do it!
3. I am organized. Although there are a few cupboards that need to be cleaned out. LOL! I love to organize parties, and functions. I have pulled off 2 very important 50th b-day parties in the last few years. I must say I was quite proud of myself. Hee hee!!
4. I am a great hostess. I love having people over for supper, to play cards, to have a party.
5. I am a good homemaker. I take pride in my house and try to have it semi presentable at all times, just incase someone drops by. (thanks mom for teaching me that this is important.)
6. I am creative. I have been scrapbooking for well over 10 years, and I still find enjoyment from it, and manage to pull out a few creative LO's and projects every now and then.
7. I am a good cook. If I have groceries in the fridge and in the cupboard, no gourmet meal is too difficult for me. I love that fact that Tyler brags about all the good home cooked meals he get. That really puts a smile on my face.
8. I am outgoing. I love to meet new people, and don't find it hard to talk to strangers.
9. I am spontaneous. It is easy for me to decide on the spur of the moment to pull a party together, or go on a picnic, to the beach, or on a shopping trip to the city. Although my DH holds me back a bit on this quality, he is SUCH a planner. LOL
10. I am a good friend.

WOW that was 10, and that was HARD! Thanks Sophia for the challenge!

I Am Challenging Myself...

I haven't scrapbooked in FOREVER! I feel totally out of the loop, and that my creativity went out the window long, long ago. I have a stack of pictures that I MUST scrapbook, so I offered a challenge to myself today and it is:

I will complete 2 LO's per day, atleast 5 days a week.

Now this may seem a little over the top, but I need a challenge to get my creative juices flowing. Not to mention...again...the growing stack of photos I have to get through. I have more to pick up to add to the collection. (insert eyes rolling here). Not only do I have an ever growing stack of photos, but I have an ever growing supply of SB items that I must use. It is SO hard for me to use up old product. I always want the latest and greatest. But I just can't justify letting all of these products go to waste just to use the newest products. So another challenge I have offered myself is to:

Use up some old product before I buy anything new!

I am also feeling terribly guilty of the lack of LO's I have done for Carson. The poor kid is 1 years old and I have only done a dozen or so LO's for him. So I will be focusing on getting his album fuller. The poor 2nd child. How many things I have let slide with him...but that is a whole other blog in itself. :( So challenge yourself to do something today!

p.s. I will be sure and post my LO's once they are complete :) HAPPY SCRAPPIN!!

EDIT:

Well I was able to complet my goal for today, and here are my LO's. Nothing fancy AT ALL. In fact I am a bit embarrased by these LO's. But oh well. 2 completed, and I managed to use up some OLD product. WOO HOO. I have my paper picked out as well as my photos for tomorrow's LO's. Who know...maybe I will try and tackle them tonight. LOL!

While going through my morning ritual of reading blogs, I came upon this sentence that Sophia wrote. "Every decision we make today impacts tomorrow." How very true this statement is! Once again her remarkable words got me to thinking. Many of my decisions have affected my life...some for the better...others for the worst. I guess in thinking back, one of the best and hardest decisions I have ever made in my life was to get out of a relationship that only lead me to trouble and heartache, and distance myself from friends who weren't really my friends. I was lonely without these people in my life, but soon that void was filled by the greatest person in my life today. My husband Tyler. He is the reason that I changed my life! That and because I was slowly realizing that I was miserable living the way I was. The day he walked into the dentist office where I worked I knew that I had some changing to do, and he gave me a reason too. I wanted to be the type of girl that would be worthy of dating him. The changing I had to do wasn't anything earth shattering. I didn't have any bad habits that I needed to quit. But I did have to change the way I thought about myself, and change my attitude towards life. I knew that I wanted better for myself but I didn't think that I deserved it. Tyler made me feel happy and he made me feel special. I knew that he truly cared for me. Gradually my out look on life changed and I realized that I was "good enough" to be his wife. The together we would be happy going through life's journey together. The day I married him was the happiest day of my life. There have been many more happy days like that...like when our two sons were born. The 3 men in my life have brought me more joy than I ever though possible. Now I pray that when my boys are old enough to make decisions they will make ones for the good. Ones that will bring them happiness and joy.

Pet Names...

I always wake up in the morning and instead of getting a cup of coffee (which I don't drink) I head to my computer instead to read blogs. One person that I am becoming very fond of is Sophia. I love what she writes and I love her style of writing. I look forward to what she will say next. Today her topic was Love Names. It got me thinking about the "love" names or "pet" names that I use and that people use for me. So here they are:

Jeebez: My dad started calling me as far back as I can remember. I don't know why, or where he even got it from. But is has stuck. He is the only one that calls me that...and I love that he and I share this term of endearment.

Jodes: Tyler started calling me this, a shortened version of my name I guess. Now close friends and family members call me it. I like it, but I don't like it when Tyler calls me that in public. I wouldn't want people to think that was my actual name.

Honey: This is the "pet" name that Tyler and I have used for each other since we got married. I like it better than "dear", or "babe" or any other "love" names, but those are good names too, don't get me wrong.

Ever since Tyson was born Tyler has called him Cowboy. I love it! I think it is so cute. I call him Bud. So far for Carson we haven't really started to call him anything, but I'm sure that will change. Peanut would have been a good name for him...because he was so small when he was born.

So what are your "love or pet" names you use in your home?

Sometimes I Wonder...WHY??

On days like today I wonder, "why do I even bother with dragging 2 kids to church by myself." Today was chaotic to say the least. I woke up in plenty of time to get myself and the kids ready for church. That part was easy. But once we got there...well...like I said, why did I even bother. Carson was so squirmy, he wouldn't stay in his carseat and just drink his bottle and go to sleep like he usually does. He wanted to be crawling ALL over the place getting into things that he shouldn't. Then he had to throw up on my 3 times...yes 3 times! Tyson was figity as well. He usually will do a puzzle or play quietly...but not today. He was fighting over treats with his cousin. He had to go potty in the middle of the service just as I was cleaning the throw-up of my skirt for the 3rd time. So Tiffany had to take him. I ended up spending 3/4 of the time in the hallway watching Carson crawl all over. And at the same time I was trying to make Tyson sit quietly on the seat instead of jumping from seat to seat (insert eyes rolling). Finally after the 1st service, I was able to take Tyson to Sunbeams. And I only had to deal with Carson. He wouldn't fall asleep while I rocked him. He put up a fight crying. Finally he had a little cat nap. Then I had to go and do music appreciation. Then it was back out in the hallway watching Carson crawl all over. Man did I get anything out of today...NO. But I went because church is where I know I should be on Sunday. Even if I didn't get anything out of the meetings, atleast Tyson did in his little Sunbeam class. He loves it, and so that makes all of the above worth it. I am thankful and happy to be home now. Carson is sleeping quietly, and Tyson is watching a movie. Who knows...maybe I will even get a nap in today.

Teaching The Gift Of Giving...

Today Tyson was invited to a birthday party. So early this morning we headed into Lethbridge to buy a gift for the birthday boy. All the way into town we discussed what we should buy. Tyson had lots of ideas. He asked if he was going to be able to open the presents, and I had to tell him no, that this was Dawson's birthday not his, and that he was invited to help him celebrate his special day. We had a great time walking up and down the isles in the Walmart toy section. We chose several items that Tyson thought Dawson would like. Then we narrowed it down to a : Chicken Little Eye Spy Book, Spiderman Puzzle, and a playdoh figurine. Tyson is very excited. It is great to see him learning that it is fun to give and that we don't always need to be the one on the receiving end. I can't believe how grown up he is becoming. I asked him if he was going to be a good boy at that party and he said, "yes!" I then asked him what it meant to be a good boy, and he replied, "Not fight, and use my manners." WOW, he really does know what it means to be a good boy. He truly is a good boy, and I cherish the moments I get to spend with him everyday.

Making A Change For The Better...

Let me explain the title for my blog entry today. My youngest sister Kimberley has had a rough couple of years. When she was 17 she got pregnant, which caused an upset in our family, but in the end I have never seen my parents accept and love anyone more through such a hard time. In the end I gained a beautiful niece, and my sister became a mother. She then moved in with her boyfriend and they began their life together. Although none of us approved of their living arrangement, we all just kept hoping and praying that one day she would see the light and realize that she deserved better. The walls were up for her, and no matter what we did or said she wouldn't listen. The more we were negative towards her situation the more she resented and kept her distance from us. It has been tough, there are no other words to describe it. We have really tried, tried to include her, tried to accept her "boyfriend", tried to make them all apart of our family. I have seen my sister come to many family events with endless excuses why her "other half" wasn't there. She had every excuse in the book, it was beginning to become repetitive, and none of us were falling for it. But still we persisted, and tried the best we could. Over Christmas we did see "him" although it was only for a very short time. It seemed like maybe, just maybe he was going to start coming around. We tried not to bring the subject up and just enjoy the holidays together. I guess that is the short end of it, but you get the idea.

Then a few days ago I get a call that Kimberley has moved out and she is moving in with my middle sister. She has left "him" for good and she wants more for her life. I couldn't believe it! I was shocked and in the back of my mind I really didn't think that it would last. That they probably had a big fight and she just needed to get away for awhile. So far I have been wrong. She really wants more out of life. She has admitted that she isn't in love with "him" and she know "he" isn't the one she wants to spend the rest of her life with. She wants to start coming to church, and she wants better for her daughter. We are all elated! Her whole countenance has changed. It is like night and day. She is happy, excited about what the future holds for her and her precious little girl. I am proud of her for making this change, a change I know will bring her happiness. The future for her is bright, there is no limit to what he can achieve. She only needs to make a decision and go for it! The hardest decision has already been made, the rest will only lead to more happy endings.

A New Year...A Fresh Start...

I love January! I love the fact that it is a new year and that we have a clean slate and a fresh start to what lies ahead. The road hasn't been traveled and we can choose any path we wish. It is a great time to set goals, to reflect on the year that has passed, and make plans for the future. I have been reflecting on the past year and have been counting my abundant blessings. Tyler and I have truly been blessed! My heart if full when I think about how good God has been to us over the past year, and how He continues to be there for us and bless us.

I have made resolutions in the past, only to break them a few months later...but I'm sure I'm not the only one who does that. But never the less, I still think it is a good idea to make some commitments for change, or goals that I would like to attain. So here is my list so far:

1. Spend more time with Tyson and Carson. The house will always need to be cleaned, laundry will always need to be done, so why not let it wait a moment so I can spend time to "play" with my boys.

2. Do more physical activity/exercise. A few friends and I want to do the Moonlight Run in March, so I need to train for that.

3. Stay on a financial budget

I know I haven't made a lot of goal, but I am sure my list will keep growing. I believe it is important that I make attainable goals, ones that I can easily reach, so that I won't be disappointed if I don't succeed. But as the saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again."