Scrapbook Supplies & Easter...

Yesterday Tiffany and I went to check out the new scrapbook store. It has been open for about a month and I have stayed away that long, and I surprised myself by doing so. But now that I am back in the scrappin groove I was in need of some new supplies. Embellished Memories was just what I needed to cure my need for some new supplies. It is a darling, small store with lots of character and great products. I love the fact that if they carry a line, they have ALL of the line. Not just bits and pieces. They had a ton of chipboard and that was my main purpose of going there. I had heard that they carried the whole Maya Road line...and they did. Such cute stuff. I'll post some LO's with the new supplies when I get them done. For those of you in the Lethbridge area you should seriously check this cute store out!

Tyson was as proud as punch to take the Easter baskets to school for his teachers today. We even dropped one by to his teacher who will be on sick leave for a month. They think she might have cancer. He really misses her, but we see her on Sunday's at church, so that is nice that Tyson still has contact with her. She wasn't home so we just left it on the door step. His other teacher's loved their gift, and Tyson was beaming. It is great to see him so happy and proud of himself. I must say I loved making the gifts, and still have 2 more to make for our good friends. I need to cute out more flowers. AGHHH!! That is the only crappy thing about the project. I don't have a paper flower punch. Oh well, maybe if I do them again I will invest in one. Tyson came home today with a cute Bunny headband on. He said, "I'm not Tyson, I'm a bunny today." It was so cute. I'll have to take a picture of him and post it.

It has been a LONG week for me. Tyler hasn't been home and I am finding that my patience with the kids has about run out. Mostly they have been fine, it has just been today that Carson was being a little stinker. He was into everything! And I was trying to keep the house clean because my parents are coming over for supper. To top it off I had a headache that wouldn't go away. I have to admit...I'm addicted to Diet Coke! I can't go even 1 day without it. I'm an addict!! I tried today, and at 2:00 the massive headache came on. I took some pain med's but it still persisted. So what did I do...drank a Coke, and now as I write this I am feeling much better! WOW what am I going to do. I do admit that I love the taste of Coke, nothing quenches my thirst better. But now I am dependent on it or I get a massive headache and am a total bear. I'm not ready to give it up completely just yet...but maybe in the future. But I know I need to limit how much I do drink in a day. Okay that is my confession for today. I admitted it mom, I'm addicted!

I thought I would give a little movie update. If you haven't seen Charlotte's Web, you MUST! It is so cute, and my kids love it. Even Carson, who doesn't pay any attention to the t.v. We have watched it 2 times in the last 2 days. It is on right now, but Tyson is asleep. So that means he isn't going to go to bed any time soon. Oh well, he must have needed a little nap. As far a "The Good Shepherd", don't waste your time or your money watching this flick. Totally boring, at least to me. We are still waiting to take Tyson to see "TMNT." Probably tomorrow we will go.

And in conclusion I leave you with a few more LO's I have done. These pictures are taken of Tyson last year at his skating carnival.

Candy Bouqets...

While reading Sophia's blog the other day I found this adorable craft that she had made. Spring Candy Bouquets. I thought this would be a great present for Tyson's 4 pre-school teachers. After rushing around the city trying to find what I needed I had to email Sophia and ask her exactly how she put the baskets together and what supplies she used. I never thought she would give me a personal phone call all the way from Utah...but she did! She is just that kind of person...always willing to help someone. Even though we have never met in person I have been an avid blog reader of hers for about 2 years now, so I feel I know her, just by reading about her daily life. She is a great example to me! So THANKS Sophia for taking time out of your busy day to give me a call. So this is what my baskets look like. I had fun making them, although they were a bit time consuming. I didn't' have a handy flower punch like Sophia so I had to hand cut all the flowers. But it was worth it. I found most of the other stuff at a new dollar store called "Dollarama." It is awesome...except when I went to pay I found out that they don't accept debit, only cash. Who carries cash around with them these days? I sure don't. So I had to load the kids back up and head to the nearest bank where I paid a $1.50 just to get cash out because it wasn't the bank I bank at. Oh well I had to have the stuff at the store so I spared no expense.

Supplies: Baskets from Dollorama, Green Easter Grass, Flowers were cut our of Stampin Up paper, BBQ Skewers, Florist Tape, Floral Foam, Ribbon, Glue Gun, and of course CANDY!

Instructions: Cut floral foam to fit inside the basket. Stuff with grass. Using floral tape wrap it tightly around each BBQ skewer, cut to desired lengths. Cut out flowers either with a punch or trace them on and hand cut them out. Take a skewer and pierce it through the paper flower and then through the chocolate. Poke through the grass and into the foam. Repeat until basket is full with flowers. Tie bows with ribbon and glue gun them on to the flower stems. This candy bouquet can be adapted for many occasions. Have fun!

When They Won't Take NO For An Answer!!

Okay I am starting to count down till our family vacation. I am SO looking forward to it!! I thought Spring had come until 2 days ago when it started to SNOW!! Yes we have Winter again. Thankfully though it isn't bitter cold and the wind isn't blowing. It is warm enough that the snow is melting once it hits the ground, so that is good. But man I wish the weather would stop playing tricks on us. I want Spring to be here...and then SUMMER!!

Okay what is with tella marketers?? Seriously, I have had so many call me today. The one guy would not QUIT!! He was calling from Rogers (a cell phone company) and told me that he could give me a better phone and a better plan than what I had. I kept telling him that I had the newest Razor phone and it had everything I could possibly want: camera, mp3 player ect. But he just wouldn't give up. He was a nice guy and I felt bad that he had such a crummy job, but I was getting a bit annoyed with him. Finally I just politely said " Have a nice day," and hung up on him. I am SO thankful that I don't have his job. Then about 1/2 an hour later another person called. This time I didn't even listen to who it was I just hung up. I know...I'm rude, but I didn't' want to talk to another person who wouldn't take NO for an answer.

Today I did some more scrapbooking. YEAH! Here are the results:

Tonight I am SO happy that we were invited over for supper at the Wolfe's. I LOVE how Heather makes her lasagna, there is NO BETTER, and that is what we are having. I am so happy, but a little sad because Tyler won't be home to share it with us. He is out of town for a few days. But we will be thinking about him. Also I am happy for the season finale of Prison Break. This is one show that Tyler and I have watched most episodes together, and we LOVE it. We look forward to Monday nights when it comes and on and we spend that 1 hour vegging together in front of the boob tube. But sadly he won't be home tonight, but I'm sure we will be chatting on the phone to each other while it is on. I also LOVE Dancing with the Stars and that is on tonight as well. I hope it isn't on at the same time as Prison Break. Looks like I will be folding laundry while watching t.v. tonight.

Playing Catch Up Again!

Wowzers it has been a LONG time since I blogged! Seems like these days I am always playing catch up. But I do have quite a few things to report on, so here is my update.

Did you notice I changed the look of my blog? Yes I needed a change. I like the new template and hope to get the kinks worked out eventually. But for now it is okay how it is.

I have been sick lately. No appetite, and a woozie, swirly stomach. No throwing up...but it is coming out the other end like water. Sorry to be so graphic. I am hoping to start feeling better tomorrow, but for now nothing I eat seems to satisfy me, and nothing really tastes good. But hey on the bright side, maybe I am loosing a little weight because of it. LOL!!

Last night was Tyson's skating carnival. I really wasn't feeling up to going, but I am glad that I did. He did such a great job, I was a proud momma. I was smiling from ear to ear as I watched him try to rally his little group together so they could preform their routine. It really was cute to watch them. Skating this year has been SO much more enjoyable for him. He really can boogie when he wants to. Next year it is Carson's turn to put on the skates. I'm hoping though that I won't have to go out on the ice with him like I did Tyson. The kicking and throwing a fit really does get embarrassing week after week. But persistence really does pay off, now Tyson loves it!

I have been scrapbooking lately. I need to get some pages done before I feel totally overwhelmed with that I need to do. It was fun for me to go back and look at the pictures from Christmas. Wow the kids have even grown since then! Especially Carson. Here are a few pages I have done this week:

The candle business is going great! I have entered a few more trade shows and hope they will bring me more contacts. Hopefully I can get some people signed up to be demonstrators. I love having a home based business. Although at times it can be a lot of work, it is very rewarding to build something from nothing and see is succeed. Next week I am going to start calling the contacts from the Home & Garden show. Hopefully that will turn into more parties, and more customers!

So that's about it from the Pilling home. We are doing well and are all happy & heathly (well most of us are healthy lol!)

Catching Up...

Okay I'll say it again...man time sure does fly by. It has been awhile since I have blogged but really nothing too interesting is happening. Just he usually day to day stuff. I am busy getting ready for the Home & Garden trade show on the 21st. I am nervous and anxious to get it over with. I hope that the Salt City candles are received well and that if nothing else I get some more contacts for open houses, or even to get a few more demonstrators. This next week will be busy as I have a few major things on my plate to get ready for. On Saturday is our Relief Society 17th of March party and I am making the gift for all the sisters. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the vinyl makes it here on time!! Our theme for the party is "The Seasons of our Lives." So I had vinyl cut with the scripture in Ecclesiastes that says there is a season and a purpose to everything under heaven, or something close to that. The vinyl will go on little 6x6 tiles and then tied with pink tulle. I think they are going to be darling. I HOPE they vinyl gets here. Even if it gets here on Friday night, I will be up ALL night getting them done, but it will be worth it.

I recently had something very awesome happen. I was able to get in touch with 2 of my very closest childhood friends from Utah. I had lost touch with them over the years and just over the last few days got in touch with both of them. It was so fun to talk with them and email them. It seems life has been both good and bad for both. The one girl in particular has had it very rough the last few years, but she seems strong. I hope that I will be able to keep in better contact with them. Even though we are miles apart I still remember all the fun we had together and how much we had in common. I'm sure that those bonds will continue to grow if we make the effort to keep in touch. Who knows maybe I will make a trip to Utah.

Today was a beautiful day, and we spend a few hours in the afternoon outside at the park. The kids had a blast! We even took our kites and it was a perfect day for that. It is fun to see the kids enjoying them outside. I am SO looking forward to this summer when both my boys will be old enough to play in the back yard. They both enjoy being outside, especially Carson. He cries when I have to bring him in. They days are getting longer thanks to daylight savings time being last night. So now we can enjoy being outside even longer.

A New Do!

Today I spent 3 hours getting my hair done. Colored & Cut. I decided to be bold and go darker. My natural hair color is a mousy brown, so the blonde you see all the time isn't natural. Fooled ya didn't I? LOL! I was ready for a change and didn't want to do anything really drastic like cut it short, so I opted to change the color. I like it, it is something different that I can live with. I also had bangs cut, shorter bangs. So that will be fun to play around with. On thing I do really like that I got were 3 highlights in the front (bang area) and one on each side next to my face. Just for a little contrast. You can kinda see them in the picture, which is NOT a good picture of me! My cheeks look like chipmunk cheeks! Anyway you get the idea. I was thankful that my sister took Carson, and a friend form church took Tyson while I went. I was shocked when they told me it would take 3 hours to color/cut my hair...but I think it was worth it. I spoiled myself, usually I color my hair myself. But once in awhile I think it is fun to go to a salon and get it professionally done. Here is to a GOOD hair day!!

After I came home at 2:00 I made myself a pita. I usually don't buy them but I thought I would for something different. NEVER again! You can't put anything in them with out the darn things totally falling apart. You might as well just stack all your sandwich stuff on top of each other and try and eat it that way. So I guess I will just have to use the leftover pita's to make pizza on top of them. I think that is the ONLY thing they are good for. I have NO clue how the "pita guys" manage to stuff all the toppings and meat into a pita and not have it totally fall apart. There must be some kind of art for too it that I don't know about. Oh well...back to regular old sandwiches for me.

NO KIDDOS...and Why Was I SO Tired!

Today I woke up on my own for the first time in 4.5 years. The house was very quiet, and still is. There was no sound of little feet racing to their door and calling out, "good morning mom." Or a baby in his crib jabbering and asking for more bottle. It was weird! Yesterday it was Tyler's 33rd birthday! So we headed down to my parents for a little birthday lunch. Then we left Tyson & Carson there for a sleep over so Tyler and I could have a night together...alone. It was much appreciated...and much needed! Tyler and I haven't spent a night alone together for a very long time. It was nice. Tyler had to get to bed early so he could wake up at 3:20 a.m.! Yes that is SO DARN early. But he had to travel quite a ways for work this morning so he sacrificed his sleep to stay at home for the night. I love that guy...he is always sacrificing his sleep for us. It was nice to be together with no interruptions. Just time together to talk and cuddle. Once again it was very appreciated...THANKS MOM!

I MUST be productive today while the kids are gone. Sitting here blogging I am waisting time when I could be doing other productive things. But blogging is important too and it is nice to write without little people clinging to me wanting to play on the "puger." I have quite a few things planned for my day alone. I want to get there 3 walls of Tyson's room painted, which shouldn't take long. Taping everything off is what takes the most time. He will be excited to come home to a "new" room. He loves the aqua blue wall already. It will look so much better once the other walls get painted and the curtains are up. Another thing I MUST get done is tackle the mountain of laundry that is taking over my laundry room. I must have 10 loads to fold. Have I ever mentioned how much I HATE folding laundry...I think I have! Once I get those 2 things done I will have the rest of the day to myself...to relax. HAPPY DAY. I am missing my little ones though. Their happy smiling faces in the morning. Climbing into bed to watch Curious George, and snuggling. But I am sure they are having a fun time at Grandma's.

I tried to watch Grey's last night...but kept falling asleep, so really the whole thing is a blur, and I really have NO idea what happened. I am bummed! I had been looking forward to it all week, and then sleep took over and I missed it. Why was I SO tired, I have no idea. But obviously my body needed the sleep. I will have to wait until the DVD's come out to see what happened to Meredith, but I have a good idea that she didn't die. Which I am very HAPPY about!

Space Bags...A GREAT Invention!

WHEW where does the time go? It goes by WAY TO FAST! I have been busy...but what else is new. I am happy to report that I have all the candles unpack and on the shelves and ...ready to be SOLD. Yipee!! I had to share one of the best inventions. A while ago at Costco Tyler saw these bags. They are called Space Bags. You place your items in the bag and then attach the vacuum to it and it sucks all the air out making the items in the bag at least 1/2 the size. So we bought some with the intent on using them for our extra blankets in the spare bedroom closet, to make room for the junk I didn't need in the computer room...so I would have more room for the candles. Here is a picture of the before and after:

I don't know if you can really tell in the picture just how much smaller the "after" is, but these bags really do work. I should have taken a picture of the closet before the blankets were in the bags. Now there is extra room in the closet, where before you could hardly close the door. I am thinking of putting the kids old clothes in the bags and shrinking them down too. These space bags are a great storage idea. I am a happy girl to have 2 closets that were once a disaster neat and organized now!

For the past few weeks I have been getting ready for an enrichment class. We were going to be making FHE Boards, THANKS Heather for the GREAT idea! I was happy to have the night finally arrive and see all the sisters complete their projects. It was fun to see everyone express themselves through the colors they chose. I have to admit though... I was happy when the night was over. It takes so much time and preparation to pull a big project off, but in the end it was so rewarding. The girls were so thankful for all the time we put into getting the project together. My only regret is that I didn't take my camera! But here is a picture of my completed board. It will hang in my kitchen. I LOVE it!

I also made another craft this past week. I guess I have been in the "crafty" mood. This was a kit I purchased from Joanne, (thanks again Heather!) Joanne is a great person, and SO fun to work with. I feel bad for her cause she had to put up with me changing my mind a dozen times. But I am very happy with this wreath. I most importantly LOVE the quote. " Where there is Love in the heart, there is Joy in the home." How true this quote is! I am glad that I came across it, and that it is displayed in my home where I see it many, many times a day. It is a good reminder for me to be happy!

The Candles Are In!!

Last night I got my first BIG shipment of Salt City Candles. It was JUST like Christmas opening all 12 boxes (2 didn't come.) Carson of course had to get right into the action and help me. He is such a little helper. He did a great job and not 1 candle got broken, accept for the one that was broken in shipping. So now I am officially open for business! I have a party next week and I am SO excited to get this awesome product on the market. I know it is going to be a BIG hit in the Southern Alberta area. What woman doesn't like her house to smell like cinnamon, or baked apple, Tahitian mango, or garden lilac. I can't think of one! So bring on the business!!

1. Today I have a list of things that need to get done.

1. Paint Tyson's 1 wall in his bedroom. I have it all taped off, all I need to do is take down the shelf and put Carson down for a nap.

2. Drill holes in 100 2" round disks for my class on Tuesday night.

1. 3. Clean my DISASTER of a house! Holy cow does this house get dirty and cluttered fast. Or do I just not notice how quickly time is going by and how few and far between since I have vacuumed?

4. Mop the kitchen, dining room and front entry way.

5. De junk our coat closet and coat hangers. How many coats do we need? I think we have a few too many out. And did I mention baseball hats? How many can you wear at a time...I think it is only one. Yet we seem to have about 10 hanging around here and there. I say GOODBYE to the hats. You only need one out!

6. Laundry, laundry, laundry. Have I mentioned how much I HATE laundry. The easy part is sorting it and putting it in the washer and dryer. The part I HATE the most is folding it! AGHHH, I have 3 laundry baskets to fold.

7. Clean out my computer room closet. Yes it is full of....JUNK! I am starting to feel like a pack rat. I seem to put everything in this closet. It needs to be de-junked so that I can fit more candles in there.

Well it looks like I have a lot to accomplish today, I wonder how much I am ACTUALLY going to get done. Not much, if I keep spending my time on the computer.

Accepted...

I created 4 cards for Paper Crafts upcoming issue of Card Creations #5 and 1 of my designs was accepted. 1 out of 4 isn't bad. I am happy to be back in the scrapbooking world. It has been a LONG time since I have tried to have anything published. Here are pictures of the 3 cards that weren't accepted. I can't show a picture of the one that was though...you will have to wait for the magazine to come out.

I am trying to be patient and wait for the greyhound bus to arrive from up north. I am expecting my 1st large shipment of Salt City Candles! It is going to feel just like Christmas opening all those boxes and taking out the inventory. I am excited about getting started. I have registered to be in the Home & Garden show in March. Hopefully by then I will have lots of stock, and feel confident about selling the products. I love these candles, I have never found one that produces as intense fragrance as these ones do. I know that others will love them as much as I do once they give them a try. There are so many possibilities with having your own company. I am happy for the challenge, and excited about everything that is to come.

I LOVE this sweet little boy! He is just so darn cute! He is the most mellow child I have ever know. He is happy go lucky all day...everyday. His favorite thing to do is play with his cars and trucks. He will do that all day long, moving his cars from one place to another, lining them up all in a row. It is so funny to watch him. He plays by himself way better than Tyson did. And even now Tyson wants someone to play with him. He is the BEST sleeper too. He usually goes to bed by 7 and sleeps till 7:30 a.m. And in the afternoon has a nap for about 3 hours. It is heaven to have those 3 hours to do what I want. It is such a blessing to have children. I am thankful everyday that my boys are healthy and happy. It truly is a miracle to have healthy kids! Life wouldn't be complete for me without these 2 special angels in my life. They bring me such joy and happiness!

A Surprise!

So after yesterday's post I wasn't planning on getting anything from Tyler for Valentine's Day. But he never disappoints me, and this year was no different. I love the present he gave me, something small but very thoughtful. I love the card to, the words written were just what I needed to hear. We had my parents over for supper, they came to town bearing gifts for all of us for Valentine's. It was nice to spend time with them. After my parents went home and the kids were settled in bed I made chocolate fondue for Tyler and I which we ate in bed watching some t.v. It was so yummy! I love fondue, we need to do it more. I even have left overs, so who knows maybe tonight we will have a repeat while we watch Grey's Anatomy!

Speaking of Grey's I am SO excited for tonight's episode. What is going to happen to Meredith? What about Izzy and the guy trapped under the car. Is Izzy going to go over the edge, will she be able to handle it? Only 2.5 hours to go until all is revealed. I LOVE Thursday night, it is the BEST night for t.v. I don't plan on anything on Thursday nights, yes my life revolves around certain t.v. shows. Pathetic I know. But I look forward to Thursday every week, and I enjoy my down time while watching the shows that I am addicted too!

My kids crack me up! Tonight while I was uploading the picture of my v-day gift Carson started saying "Cheese." So I took a few pictures of the boys. They are rowdy, rambunctious, and busy, but I love them to pieces. Life is never dull when you have a 4.5 & 2 year old around. Everyday brings more challenges, and surprises and so much JOY!

Kind of a Bummer!

Okay I usually try not to complain on my blog, but this is my journal in a way and so I feel that I need to express my feelings, even the feelings of complaint. So today is Valentine's Day, a day to express your love to those you love, and show extra appreciation. Well I called my DH today to see what he wanted to do tonight and he said this to me. "I have to be honest with you, I'm really not feeling Valentine's today. I don't have anything planned, so I hope your not disappointed." How could I not be disappointed! We had already discussed that we weren't going to buy any gifts for each other cause we just bought a van, and that would be our gift to each other. But we could have still gone out to supper or a movie. But now we aren't doing anything! Just staying home like it is a regular day. I must admit I am bummed out by it, and even more bummed that I was told that nothing was planned. It kind of made me feel very unimportant and I surly wasn't feeling the love from my husband.

So I decided to take matters into my own hands. I went out and bought some expensive chocolate to have fondue tonight after the kids went to bed. I also bought a bottle of sparkling raspberry drink. I love chocolate fondue, so if this treat isn't really appreciated by my DH, then at least I will enjoy it. Hopefully though this will put him in a better mood. I know that he has been stressed out quite a bit over work. Last week another operator in Swift Current quite, so that means double the work for Tyler until they hire another person. I have also decided that I am not going to complain about him being gone. It really doesn't help matters. I know that he wants to be home with us, and sometimes he just can't manage it. Me complaining only adds to his stress. So I am praying hard every day for extra strength with managing the house and the kids while he works. So far...so good.

So although this didn't start out as a very good Valentine's day, hopefully by the little effort I put out will pay off.

Busy Girl

I have been SO busy today. I can't believe all the things I have accomplished. Here is what I have been up to:

1. Shovel the sidewalk & driveway (it has been snowing here for DAYS, and there is TONS of snow!)
2. Made stew in the crock pot (it smells SO yummy.)
3. Laundry
4. Put together Tyson's teacher gifts for Valentine's Day
5. Cleaned out my computer room to make room for all my stock! It should be here on Friday. Then I will be ready for business!
6. Dishes
7. Errands down town
8. Vacuum
9. Organized my FHE files for the swap next Tuesday
10. Computer work for Candle Scentsations
11. Organized our Enrichment night activity for next Tuesday
12. Paper work for an upcoming trade show I am going to attend
13. Put an ad in the auto trader to sell our car

Whew...I am tired, and it is only 4:30! There was still more that I wanted to accomplish today like paint Tyson's wall in his room. But that will have to be done on another day. I love the feeling I get when I have been productive and things have gotten checked off my "to do" list. I have a feeling that the next few weeks are going to be quite busy for me. I am excited to really get into being a distributor for Salt City Candles. The product is awesome!

It always feels good to come home! We left on Wednesday to go to Edmonton to meet up with Tyler. He spent the week there doing maintenance on his rig. So we thought we would join him for a much needed holiday. The kids were excited to go the West Edmonton mall and go to the water park. It was quite a long drive, 5.5 hours, in not the best weather, but we made it there safe and sound. We were happy to be with daddy again, and he was happy we came! After a quick dip in the pool we put the kids to bed. We were happy to be staying at the same hotel as out good friends the Wolfe's. Our kids get along so well together and we love spending time with them. The next day we headed to the mall, and decided not to go to the water park but to go to Galaxy land instead. Before the rides opened though we went to China town. Tyson liked this huge turtle, and I couldn't resist taking his picture while sitting on it. All through out the mall there are beautiful fountains. Carson was amazed by them. I was surprised at how well the kids cooperated when I wanted to take their pictures. Usually they are little monkeys!

The kids had a BLAST at Galaxyland. Tyson is an amusement park junkie. He loves the rides, and would go on all of them if he was allowed to. He couldn't get enough of it. He loved the roller coaster, (he was just barley tall enough to go on it...only because his hair was sticking up in the back). He didn't cry at all, in fact he had his are raised above his head and was waving to us. It was so fun to see him having such a great time. Even Carson loved the little rides that he could go on. He would cry each time we took him off the little car ride.

I think the funnest ride for Tyson was the bumper cars. It was so funny to watch him and Lizzy try to drive these cars. I am surprised those kids didn't have whip lash when they were done. We all had a good laugh over it!

Anther exciting thing we did while in Edmonton was buy a new mini van! Yes I am now in the mini van club. I used to say that I would NEVER, EVER have a mini van...well never say never! I love it! It is so nice and comfortable...and there is SO much room! I am very thankful that we were able to find what we were looking for and that we got a pretty good deal on it. I must admit though, it is more than what we really needed. But we justified the leather seats, dvd player, and the sun roof because we plan on having this van FOREVER! So I think we deserve it and it isn't like we are going to be looking for a new vehicle any time soon. So I am very happy with our purchase, and the kids love it too. I will have to take a picture of it when it is clean. Oh and Tyler named her Nancy. He always has to name our vehicles. LOL...he is a funny man...but I LOVE HIM!

We had a GREAT time, and now I am happy to be home, sleeping in my own bed. There is no place like home!

Christmas Layouts!

Just a quick post to show the 3 LO's that I made today. I love these pictures of the boys!

It feels GREAT to be scrapbooking again. I think the creative juices are flowing. Check back for more Christmas layouts!

A Man's Job...

Who says a woman can't do a man's job? Well today I proved that theory wrong! I noticed yesterday that my front drives headlight was out. My husband is gone all week, so he isn't able to fix it. I got out the owner's manual for the car and looked up "replace headlight." The instructions were fairly easy to follow. So I lifted up the hood and began to look for the bolts that I needed to unscrew. Funny thing is...I couldn't find the right bolt. So while running errands I ran into the local mechanic shop and just asked them if they could show me which bolts to take out. Which they kindly did...and they didn't charge me. Then I crossed the street and went to the auto parts store to pick up a new headlight. Then I came home, Carson fell asleep bless his little heart, so I had time to fiddle with the headlight. I managed to get the 2 bolts out using a pair of pliers, probably not the right tool, but it worked. Then after a little persuasion I was finally able to get the headlight out, and in went the new one. Screwed int he bolts and tested the light out...and it worked. I must say I am quite the handy girl. Now I have a bit more confidence in myself that I can take care of things when Tyler is gone. I would way rather have him home to take care of stuff like that, but at least I know I can do it if I have too. So for $8.96 I have a new headlight!

Busy, Hectic LIFE!

WOW! Time sure has gone by FAST! My life as been busy. Busy especially with setting up a new business! Yes I am an entrepreneur again! I can't wait. I have been a demonstrator for Salt City Candles for about 3 months and now I am a DISTRIBUTOR. I've hit the big time now! I have my "own" little company I guess you would say. I chose the name Candle Scentsations. I think it is cute and catchy. Tyler wanted me to call it Burning Scentsations, but that was after I had already registered the name. So Candle Scentsations it is. I will be a distributor for Salt City Candles in the Southern Alberta Area. There is SO much potential for me to make this business very successful. I have set some short term goals and I am anxious to begin crossing them off my list. This past week has been hectic with getting all the business end of things set up. Bank accounts, savings accounts and credit cards. Also getting used to Quick Books, and inputting all my info into that program. It is exciting and overwhelming all at the same time. I can hardly wait to get my inventory, all $xxxx.xx of it! Yes it was a large investment, but it will SO be worth it. I have also placed a few ads in local papers looking for demonstrators, so hopefully I will get some leads out if those. The next few weeks are going to be especially busy when I do get my inventory. There will be my "warehouse" to set up, just my computer room cleaned out, and re-organized to make room for all the products. Then I have a few parties booked. So I am very excited about all the possibilities.

I have also been busy creating cards to submit for an upcoming idea book. Hopefully they will like some of my designs, and choose to use the cards. This week in the mail I got ALL of my goodies I had ordered off of eBay several weeks ago. It was so fun to open that packages and see all the fun scrapbooking products. I can't wait to have some time to scrap out Christmas pictures. But seeing how hectic life has been, I can't really see me finding the time soon. But when I do get time I will have some GREAT photos and awesome product to work with!

The kids have been good, and busy as usual. Seems like I am always running here and there taking them somewhere. Tyson is getting ready for his skating carnival in March and he is much more excited this year than he was last year. He has improved SO much over the year. He is loving skating and that brings me much joy.

Life is good, life is busy and I wouldn't want it any other way!

Making a Difference!

On Friday night we had a "girls night out," with my mom, Tiffany, me and my sisters friend. We went out for supper to East Side Mario's (LOVE that place) and then off to a movie. For any of you who haven't seen "The Pursuit of Happiness," it is a MUST see! The determination of some people just blows me away. The things that people go through in order to gain a better life amazes me. My heart ached for "Chris" as he struggled to provide for his family. Ultimately his wife couldn't take it anymore and left him. But he would NOT give up. He wanted a better life for himself and his son, and in the end that is exactly what he got. It was a happy emotional end, and such a great movie about how the human race really can over come any obstacle, it just depends on how bad you want something! As I watched the movie I was thinking about how BLESSED I am! I have strong, beautiful children, who really want for nothing. They never have to worry about their next meal. They always know that they will go to bed with a full tummy. They never have to worry about clothes on their back...in fact some clothes they never get a chance to wear because they have out grown it. They have WAY to many clothes, my weakness I guess. They never have to worry about where they are going to sleep at night. The have the assureity that there will be a warm, safe bed to sleep in. In a home where there is love and protection. They never have to worry about going to a daycare where people don't "care" for them. They have a mother who chooses to stay home and make sure they get the very best of everything. I am grateful, in every way that my children don't have to suffer. They have what they need, and more. I have a husband who loves me and is a very hard worker and an excellent provider for his family. I live in a country where there is peace and harmony where I can choose and act for myself. Still in my mind I am constantly in the pursuit of happiness. I want to be happy with who I am, and the way I live my life. I want to better myself in so many ways, for I am not yet perfect nor with I ever be. I think that in life we need to constantly be trying to be a little better, more kind to those we love. We need to reach out to our community and help where we can. There is so much MORE I could be doing. More time I could give. So I have decided that I AM going to do MORE. I have a little project in my mind that I would like to start doing. And if everything turns out I will be able to do a little good in the community. Although I am a busy mother I know that others could benefit from what I could give them. Even if it is just a listening ear, or a shoulder to cry on. That could be my service, my gift back, for all that I have been given. So in the coming weeks I am going to have this in the for front of my mind as I go about my day. I will be looking for ways I can serve others, and maybe make a difference in someones life. We all have a lot we can give. We just have to make the commitment to do something!

2 = BIG TROUBLE!

Today Tyson went to school with a good attitude about telling his teacher he was sorry. He knew that he didn't behave properly and that the right thing to do was to apologize. When he came home he was all smiles and a very happy boy. He told me he was very good, and told Miss Rita that he was sorry and that he would try very hard not to act naughty again. He also came home with his artwork, which was BEAUTIFUL! So it was a great day at pre-school, and I think Tyson learned a valuable lesson. One that I hope he remembers for a long time.

Have you ever stopped to watch two 2 year olds together? They can get into ALOT of trouble in a very short amount of time! I was watching my nephew yesterday and Tyson and I decided to go outside and shovel the driveway. Both babies (Carson & Hunter) were happy to stay inside and watch us work through the window. There were entertained by watching us and the dog play outside. Most of the time I could see them through the window, but there was a brief period of time when they were now where to be seen. Needless to say when I came into the house...there was a disaster! The little monkeys had gotten in to the pantry and pulled out a new roll of tin foil and had it unrolled ALL over the place. They had opened a can of cashews and spilled them everywhere. They tipped over a plant and had a hay day playing in the dirt. WOW my semi clean house now looked like a tornado had hit. These two boys are sure mischievous and now just how to push my buttons. I have to constantly be watching them like a hawk or a disaster with strike. I am happy thought that these two cousins play (get into trouble) so well. They will grow up and be the best of friends. But man can they ever MAKE A MESS!

I have been baking and cooking up a store ALL day, while trying to watch 6 boys! Yes I know I am CRAZY. But it is my day to take snack to our parent pre-school group so that meant making mini banana muffins, and a to die for Almond Bunt Cake for the adults. Well I guess we will see how "to die for " it is tomorrow when we eat it. I decided to try something new. I didn't want to have to go to the grocery store so I had to find a recipe with ingredients I had on hand. Amongst all this I managed to make 6 dozen double chocolate chip cookies. And this morning I pre-made out supper for the evening. Yes I was busy!

The past few days I have been able to do a few more layouts. It feels great to be scrapbooking again! I have purchased some new supplies off of eBay and can't wait for them to start coming in the mail so I can PLAY!

What A Day!

I got this little blurb from my dad this morning and though that it was SO true. If only a woman's life were as easy as a man's. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.

Men Are Just Happier People

What do you expect from such simple creatures? Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. The occasional well-rendered belch is practically expected. New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet. One mood all the time.Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, he or she can still be your friend.Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack. Three pairs of shoes are more than enough. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck.You can play with toys all your life. Your belly usually hides your big hips. One wallet and one pair of shoes one color for all seasons.You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can "do" your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache..You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.No wonder men are happier.

On another note, today was NOT a good day at pre-school for Tyson. He came out of the room sobbing. His teacher abruptly told me that he got his art work taken away because he was shooting with it and playing guns. I didn't like the way she told me, even though I'm sure what she told me was the truth. I felt that she should have taken me aside with Tyson and told me what happened and what her and Tyson decided they were going to do about the situation for the next day. So I had to deal with a sobbing child, and the humiliation that "MY CHILD" wasn't a perfect little angel at school. I totally agree with his teacher that that behavior is NOT accepted. I don't know what has gotten into him lately. Is it only my child that doesn't behave properly at school? I am beginning to wonder. I have spoken to him many times about how we should act at school, about what is acceptable behaviour and what isn't. So why isn't he getting it? I have totally cut back on his t.v. watching and have been monitoring what he has been watching. I am cutting out ALL violent shows completely. He just catches on to things way to easily and then he tells me he was just using his imagination. LOL, he is a clever kid. All the way home today he cried as I talked to him about his punishment. No t.v. for the rest of the day, and he was getting X's through is left over square, so that means NO MONEY. He was upset, but hey when you don't behave you have a punishment. I am hoping and praying that he will clue in and that Thursday will be a better day! I registered Tyson for Kindergarten on Monday, now I am wondering if he is ready for it. I know there is still 5 months left of pre-school and hopefully by then we will have ironed out any little kinks he has. I am hoping that he will be ready for Kindergarten and that I won't regret my decision for not holding him back in pre-school for another year.

Edit: I wish I could have recorded Tyson's prayer tonight. He was so sincere when he asked Heavenly Father to please help him be a better boy at school, and not be so naughty. He said he was really, really, super duper sorry for being a bad boy. Tonight as we read the story about Alma The Younger and how he learned to apologize sincerely, it was a perfect story to end out of crazy day. It was easy to teach Tyson that once we say we are sorry and are really sorry for it, that we must never do it again. So he could relate easily to this story. We spoke about how he needed to apologize to Miss Rita and then never disobey her again. I told him that I new he was a good boy, but sometimes we make mistakes and we need to apologize and then try very hard not to make the same mistake. I told him to look at his CTR ring (yes I went and bought another one) and that would remind him to always choose the right. It was a great teaching opportunity, and I actually think he understood it. So we will see how Thursday goes when he apologizes to his teacher.

As for my day I was able to scrapbook a page. Yahoo! I love how it turned out! I love the picture of Carson. I remember the day well, he was so happy to be playing. Even looking at this picture I realize just how much he HAS grown in 6 months. I am hoping to complete some more pages in the next few days. I realized just how much I have missed scrapbooking. It is such a relaxing thing for me to do. Most of all I love how I am capturing my children's childhood and putting all of our fun memories to paper. I hope one day they will enjoy looking through these books as much as do.

Today I saw the cutest craft! Every morning I look forward to reading a few blogs. These are people I have come to know strictly through their blog and the very casual email. These two girls totally inspire me. One is young with a busy young family like me and I can totally relate to her. She is SUPER talented and accomplishes more in 1 day than I do in a week. She always has good advice and great scrapbooking/craft ideas. So here the craft she made the other day. I fell in love with the wreath, and wanted to find a LOVE quote of my own for the plaque in the middle. I found this quote and man how true it is! It really struck home for me. "Where there is LOVE in the heart, there is JOY in the home." I don't know who said it, but it has become my new motto. The other girl who I look forward to reading about is Sophia. She is spunky, and full of the BEST advice. She is so organized. I don't think I know of a more organized person than her. She has a list for everything. She is such a genuine person, and I wish that I new her in person. But as I have read these 2 blogs for the past year, I really do feel I know them.

EDIT: Tonight after I put the kids to bed I finished ANOTHER layout. Yippee. I'll share it tomorrow. Anyway I was browsing a few blogs and I had to share this picture with you. Isn't it the most beautiful picture! Teri is such an AMAZING photographer! If I lived closer I would have her take pictures of my beauties too. Anyway, just had to share :)