Serious Play

December Daily 2008

So, last year was the first that I participated in Ali Edwards' December Daily project. It was so great!

As promised, I am posting the pics of last year's album that I made. Being it was my first time, I kinda fudged my way through some of the pages and those ones are not my favorites. But I am learning to let go and not want everything 'just so' all of the time in my scrapbooking pages. It is really freeing. When I started scrapbooking I always took so much time to position everything just right and make sure that all of the colors matched with the pictures featured. Often I would fuss so much that I didn't end up getting it done at all - it never was good enough! Now, especially with the format of this book, I am practicing letting go and realizing that whatever emerges is just fine.

As you can see, it is really a mix of papers, formats, materials and sizes. I love this about the album. This inspiration comes from Ali Edwards. I like her style, so I have adopted many of her ideas in my own album. Using all of this mish mash really frees me up to focus on one LO at a time. I am not trying to make one page match another (although the perfectionist in me wanted to make sure that the blue color was spread throughout the book and not two pages with blue too close together!)

Looking back over my album there were things that I loved and things that I didn't. Having said the bit about letting go, I am making some changes in my December Daily book this year.  I will post the structure of my book tomorrow! Are you as excited as I am?

December Daily Sneak A Peek

So, I started a new Christmas tradition last year. I discovered a great mini album created by Ali Edwards that documents the whole month of December (or at least the first 25 days) and not just Christmas Day. I like this because, there are often exciting events, parties, baking nights, etc. that deserve to be remembered too!

The premise of this book is to prepare all of the pages ahead of time so that once December hits, the framework for the book is already finished and all I have to do is add a photo or two and some journaling! So simple. I completed a book like this last year and it really was quick and easy. I will share the pages of my book from Christmas 2008 with you tomorrow. For now, you can browse through Ali's books...here is 2008...and here is 2009 (empty of course!)

I have started the pages for my book and will be ready to share them later this week. I am not quite finished, but I do have a few pages for you to sneak a peek (without embellishments)!

I am actually humming Christmas carols as I work away at my album!

Before & After

So, I left my husband and the framer home this weekend to get some work done - and they did! When I was pulling away from the house to leave for my uncle's funeral, there was a gaping hole in the front of my house! But when I returned I was greeted by a most delightful sight!

 

Digital Template: AliEdwards_BreadandButter (modified)

Patterned Paper: AndreaVictoria_modbaby_girl (modified)

Solid Paper: KatiePertiet_Color100409

Taped Tag: KPertiet_AdChallenge110809Tag

"The Details" overlay: AliEdwards_TitleJournal

They even cleaned up the mess! I was impressed all around. Now the debate between my husband and I is...do we finish the floor on the inside, or have a custom bench made to create a window seat??

The Ties That Bind

On Sunday, November 1, 2009 my dad's brother passed away of a massive heart attack. He is the first of all my aunts and uncles. My dad is part of a family of seven children. There were four boys and three girls. Now, they are down to six.

It was a tough week for many last week. Because my parents shared the same yard with my uncle and it was a bit difficult for my cousins to stay at their dad's place, my uncle's three children stayed at my parent's house all week. There was a constant stream of family and community well-wishers providing meals and comfort. The kindness of people never ceases to amaze me. Several flower bouquets adorn the rooms in my parent's house to brighten the spirits of those in the house.

The house was buzzing with people and activity. There were five families sleeping there at one time for several nights. Most meals were served in shifts!

The funeral for my uncle was held on Friday, November 6, 2009 at 2pm. My cousins had asked me to give the eulogy and I was honored to do so. My uncle had restored an old wagon which was employed to carry his body from the service to the grave site. We all know that he would have liked that special touch.

The coolest thing for me, is how our family came together for this unfortunate event. I have five sets of aunts and uncles left, they were all there. I have 20 first cousins and they were all there, except for two, one of which is currently in a coma. Of the cousins that attended, many of their spouses were there and their children also. Several of the extended family came around us as well. I love my family. 

After the funeral, I am sure that there were the most people to ever be in my parent's house at one time! There had to have been over 60 people! I think that is so cool. The members of our family are invested in one another. We care, we get along, we support each other, we love each other through and through. There are no rifts, no back-stabbing, no name-calling, no strife. I can have a meaningful conversation with an aunt just as easily as with one of my cousin's husbands or one of their kids. We are interested in one another's lives and it shows. I feel blessed to be part of such a strong and meaningful organization. 

After the dust had settled some, and a few of us were still hanging around, I grabbed a bunch of us girls and had this taken...what a precious time we spent together this past weekend.

May God bless you, Debbie, Carmen & Aaron. May you find comfort and peace in your family and in God's arms which are extended to you.

Apologies

So, I will be scarce this week as we had a sudden death in the family. I will be traveling tomorrow and gone all weekend. I hope to be back to posting either Monday or Tuesday.

Blessings

Childhood Memories

So, as I mentioned, I am enrolled in Ali Edwards' online class at Big Picture Scrapbooking called "Yesterday & Today". It is so great! I have wanted to document some of my story, my childhood somewhere, but wasn't sure where to start. Ali makes it so easy. Signing up for the course back in August, meant I had time to prepare...I had to buy a scanner, get all the slides from my parents and gather supplies. It has forced me to do what I have intended to do for a long time!

Here I am. Enrolled. New scanner. Supplies. Special scrapbook binder for all the materials from the class. Eager to learn and create.

This is what I created this past week...

So lovin' it! I have only just begun scanning in the slides from my parents. Tons more to go! What fun!

My Epson Perfection V700

So, I bought a scanner. I have contemplated it for a long time. I have almost gone many times. I have dreamt it over and over. So, I just went and bought it. The salesman was ready to really sell me a scanner, but I sure showed him. I think I knew more about it than he did! It was the quickest sale the guy ever made, I'm sure!

Anyway, the scanner has barely had a chance to cool off over the past couple of days. With all the rolls of slides that I took from my parents' place, I am seeing my childhood unfold before my eyes. It is like seeing myself grow up. It is so much fun.

I saw a few pics of my grandparents (both of whom have passed away now) and could not wait to put a layout together right in the midst of scanning. Here is how it turned out...

 

Yep, so if I don't answer the phone for a few days, you know where I am.

In Limbo

So, I don't want to complain, but renovating a home is frustrating! I am trying to stay ahead of the plan in order to have things roll smoothly once they start rolling, but all of the unknowns keep getting in the way!

Here are the facts:

1. We need to rip out the cupboards and lay tile on the kitchen floor before they call to say that the new cabinets are ready.
2. Before we rip out the existing cupboards, I need to empty them of their contents.
3. Before we rip out the existing cupboards, we need to set up a temporary kitchen. Sean figures we could set up in the laundry room. We could cut out the existing sink and countertop and move the whole thing down to the laundry room, along with the dishwasher which he can set up temporarily. We can also move the microwave down and put it on the countertop that is going with the sink!
4. Before we can move the sink, etc. downstairs, we need to replace our existing washer and dryer (they are on their way out after 16 years!) with a stackable front-load set in order to have room for the temporary sink and countertop!
5. So, we went to buy a new washer/dryer set. Easy, right? We thought that within a day or two, we could have the new set moved in, the sink, countertop, dishwasher, microwave and dishes moved into the laundry room. Not so! There are no washer/dryer sets (that we ordered) available on the continent! They have to be shipped from Germany - a wait of about 3 weeks!
6. In the meantime, I started packing up the dishes and such from my cupboards. All cooking paraphernalia is now in various places on the lower two levels of our house. But everything else is still in the kitchen! Cooking is not my favorite to begin with, but having to dash all over the house just to make a cup of tea is a tad too much!

I am actually curious, what event is going to come first and begin the flood that will follow?

The Waiting Game

So, it has been over a month now. They told me it was a long process, but something deep within me would not accept it. We have the perfect scenario so everything should go smoothly. But, no. We are playing the waiting game. Our renovations have all but come to a standstill. I know what is going to happen. It always does. Suddenly everything will start happening at once and then our heads will spin. Our plan for the renovation has long been tossed by the wayside as we are discovering that renovations in one's home are not according to one's wishes, but rather at the mercy of someone else's schedule!

Here is where we are...our walls are down, our cabinets are being constructed, the bay window is resting in the garage, the basement is torn apart and we are waiting. Every time the phone rings I have one of two thoughts. Either it's our framer saying he is ready to install the bay window, or it's our cabinet guy calling to say they are finished. We are waiting.

Tired of waiting and wanting to be ahead of the game, Sean and I went to look at floor tile and granite. How overwhelming! There are so many options. All we had to go on was the color of our cabinets. From there the possibilities are staggering. We had four stops on our list the other day. We made it to only two! The good news is, we have chosen the granite that we want. I feel good about this since the countertop really does dictate a lot in a kitchen. After that decision, I felt more confident in choosing the grey tile for the floor that both Sean and I had our hearts set on. The granite ties everything in for me now. Here is our choice...

The coloring is not exactly accurate as it is difficult to take photos in the warehouse lighting, but you get the idea. It is kind of like you are standing in a river and looking at the myriad of pebbles as the water rushes over them. Sean and I stood in front of the slab for some time, mesmerized. We had almost gone with another style altogether but this one caught us both by surprise and from then on, we were hooked. At one point Sean commented that it was so real that it felt like we were looking at a photograph!

After making a solid decision on the granite, I was feeling a bit giddy. We are finally moving forward again! But no, they cannot even come to template the countertop until the cabinets are completely installed. And then, it will be up to three more weeks until they can come to install it! Now, in my mind, we were picking our granite in order to get the ball rolling, so that it could be ready by the time the cabinets are installed and then...presto, we would be well on our way to a new kitchen. I was sorely mistaken. This too, is all part of the waiting game.

Ladies Retreat

So, I believe that all women need a weekend away once in a while. I was fortunate enough to get away last weekend. Not only was it a chance to walk away from all of the household responsibilities, and not only was it a chance to connect with other women of faith, but it was a weekend away with my sister and my mom! This has not happened in forever!

We drove out to Camp Caroline on the Friday night with our friend Lynda, who is a hoot! There we were greeted with our humble accommodations which we were glad to occupy for a few nights - good ol' bunkbeds!

The best part was that each room had its own bathroom with shower. How sweet!

On Saturday, there was a group of women who decided to go for a hike. It was peaceful and relaxing to walk in the calm fresh air and look at the colors surrounding me. I have not stopped to appreciate fall this year as much as I should have - something to do with the early arrival of snow in Calgary.

At one point, we stopped to take a few group shots...

This one was captured with my self-timer!

While walking through a field we came across some horses which started following us because they thought we had something to feed them.

There were many activities for us ladies to participate in...volleyball, swimming, badminton, broomball, relay races, crafts, singing, reading, resting, visiting... Of course, I participated in as many events as I possibly could. I love to live life to the fullest. I went home sore from all the moving around that my aging body has not had the opportunity to participate enough in lately!

On Sunday, there was a church service in this great little church across a babbling brook from the main building. We took a shot of the four of us, my sister, my mom, Lynda and I.

And then Lynda took one of just the three of us...

I absolutely love how this one turned out, especially with the church in the background.

Upon returning home, and with all my responsibilities rushing back on my lap, I have these photos and a story to tell. I am happy.