April Tidbitz

Wow — time flies when you aren’t blogging! :O

It is good though, when your life is full of more doing and less blogging, instead of the other way around.  I certainly am never short of things to do.  However, I seem to be a little short of time to blog about them.

So what have I been up to, besides five-foot-two-and-a-half? (Har-har, that was cheesy!)

Well, chauffeur is one of the jobs I am doing a lot of.  With hockey, bowling, guitar, piano, violin, band, and all those other lovely things we do, I would swear I’m logging more miles in my car than a taxi driver.  Maybe I should put a meter in the Pathfinder and start charging?  Methinks my arse is starting to take on permanent silhouettes of the stitching in my driver seat.  :P  I do enjoy it, even though it seems like I bounce from place to place almost every day.

My lifeline most days is our Cozi calendar.  If you don’t have one, then you need to!  At least check it out.  Cozi is an internet based calendar for busy families — and it’s free.  It rocks my world, and most days, keeps it together!  Love me our Cozi!

I have finally returned to teaching scrappy classes on a regular basis!  Yay!  It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten how much I loved it.  I taught a class at Scrapbook Studio a few weeks ago — a handmade accordion mini-album — and the class was almost full and I had so much fun!  Lori’s asked me to start teaching the Studio’s beginner classes and I’m excited about that.  Wanna see the first layout?  It’s this one:

It doesn’t look like a beginner layout, but that’s the awesome thing — it is!  We’ll be just cutting, stamping, pasting — and the most advanced techniques we will do are freehand doodling and making photo corners from scratch.  Craziness!

I’m also teaching another class at the Studio — it’s a lacy, feminine, soft layout.  A two-pager.  That one is in a couple of weeks, April 17th.

What else?  I just finished a photography session with a dance club — and I have another big dance club coming up in May that I am getting ready for.  Love the dance clubs — costumes and curls and sparkle and lots of beautiful smiles.  I would really like to find a couple more clubs to do each year.  They make such lovely photos!

OH!  And, I couldn’t forget my awesome news — I have two layouts coming in the Summer Canadian Scrapbooker magazine!  One digital and one paper — I am so excited for that issue!  It’s going to be a great one.

There’s always so much more to share, but I have to be off.  Chauffeur duty calls!  Today is Junior Jazz band in Clavet.  Must pick up the aspiring musicians from school and get them safely to their venue.

Thanks for visiting — hugs!  And much scrappiness!

Amanda

Christmas Scraps

As I went through my house today and started putting away all of the Christmas bits and pieces that I use to decorate my house, I thought about how quickly the last few weeks have passed.  This year, it seemed like the kids had very little time off of school and they were back in class way before I was ready to end my holiday with them!

I did a lot of scrapbooking over the holiday, and that was just awesome.  After more than 2 years of merely picking at my scrapping stuff, I finally feel like that inspirational MOJO has returned!  Part of that, I think, is being finished treatment.  Stress is a big creative-killer.  Part of it is that my friend’s new store, The Scrapbook Studio, is just so full of MOJO-inducing goodies and layouts.  And I can’t keep myself out of there!  But the biggest reason I have been scrapping is that I feel good.  Good about my life and who I am and where I am going.  Life is just so good, and I am thankful every single day that it is.

Here are a few layouts I created over the last few weeks.  I thought that sharing the holiday ones might bring on the snow we need so much!

All About The Puck -- Paper Layout

Celebrate 2011 -- Paper Layout

Missing Grandma -- Paper Layout

It’s been an interesting few days here.  As of yesterday, Russ’ position in our company has shifted to more management duties than on-site, so he is now working from home.  It is a pretty big change — simply because I have had the house to myself for 5 years as a stay-at-home mom, and now I have company.  I’m hoping we have time to finish the renos on Russ’ new office, attached to the dining room so that I can have my scrappiroom to myself.  It would be nice.  But I am just glad that our company (we are partners with my parents) is moving forward with new and improved ways of getting things done.

Next week I have my first big follow up with the plastic surgeon who did my reconstructive surgery.  I am excited!  He will be doing “fills” — that is, injecting saline into the tissue expander that he placed during surgery to achieve “balance and symmetry”.  In plain words, “the girls” are different sizes now that the swelling has gone down and he is going to fix it.  Yay for symmetry!

That’s about all that is new in my house, anyway.  I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on people in my life who are having difficult times.  Every time I hear of others in hardship, grief, or crisis, I almost feel guilty at the blessings I do have.  But I continue to pray for those special people that they find peace in what their life has in store for them, and that they continue to shine, despite the hardships they must face.

Take care and count your blessings!

Always,

Amanda

One Awesome Word, Many Happy Thoughts, and Other Life Tidbitz

Another year is here, and in Saskatchewan (in my backyard, anyway) it is being blown in by a crazy bunch of wind!  Today is grey and flat and cold — but I don’t mind at all.  It’s one of those days where you stay in your fuzzy pyjama pants, wrap your fingers around a toasty warm coffee cup and enjoy the fact that you don’t have to go outside.

And that is what kind of day I am having.  A couple of loads of laundry.  Some bits of housework.  I also baked bread today, for the first time in quite a while.  With Christmas and surgery and everything going on, it’s been at the bottom of my priority list.  I’m glad I did get the chance to do it today, though.  There is just something extraordinary about the smell of fresh baked bread on a snowy day — almost like you can feel the love in the house.

Mmmmm....fresh bread....marvellous!

Part of the reason today is so awesome is that I am thoroughly enjoying my Christmas gift…yup…it’s the reason for that cozy feeling today!

There's nothing a steaming cuppa coffee won't fix!

This year, from Russ (and almost from my dad too! lol) I received a Keurig — the perfect gift for a crazy coffee lady like myself.  I just love the instantly brewed coffee, right on my counter.  Want coffee?  BAM!  There you go.  :)  My favourite right now is the Timothy’s Kahlua brew with a dash of milk and sugar.  I’m liking the Van Houtte Chocolate Raspberry too.  When I registered the machine, I got to order two free boxes of K-cups from Keurig.com, so I am excitedly waiting the package to come!

Speaking of Christmas, we had a great holiday.  This year, our families came here and celebrated with us at our house which was very different from the usual hustle and bustle.  We spent Christmas Eve with my aunt and uncle, and on Christmas Day we just stayed home.  My father-in-law came to hang out for a while, but for the most part it was just the four of us.  We opened presents, went to Mass, and enjoyed a quiet, happy day.  We finished the day off with a skate at the newly renovated Vonda Rink.  Boxing Day was a Lepage Christmas with my in-laws and on the 27th, my family, the Wesers and the Kerneys, came to celebrate.  Overall, it was a lovely, lovely Christmas.

The kids really enjoyed their gifts, but I think Renee had the best time of all of us.  She was surprised and excited by every gift — lucky little lady — and is enjoying them still.  She received her own broomball stick and ball — which she was really hoping for.  We surprised her with a new guitar so she doesn’t have to use her dad’s for lessons anymore.  And she did not expect the gift of a violin and lessons from my aunt and uncle.  She just can’t wait to start!

A new beautiful blue guitar for Renee.

New Years Eve was one of the best we’ve had.  Friends called us up and invited us to join them at Wapiti for a ski and snowboard day.  It was last minute, spontaneous, and a perfect way to spend the last day of the year.  We packed up and drove two hours, and it was worth every minute.  Curtis conquered his fear of the chair lift and graduated from the bunny hill to the green and blue runs on the main hill.  Russ got some good snowboarding in — almost too much maybe — he’s a bit sore still.  :)  And Renee tried every run at the ski hill, including the black diamond runs, with one of her best friends who happened to show up to ski while we were there.  Sadly, I couldn’t ski this time, being only three weeks out of surgery, but I did have a great time cozied up in the lodge with my hot chocolate and my laptop, digi-scrapping the day away.  Our skiing friends joined us for cards at our place after we were finished at the ski hill, and the kids danced with the Playstation Move until 1:30 in the morning.  It was a good one, for sure.  Here’s one of the layouts I scrapped at the lodge…it’s a simple one of Curtis and his almost-brother.

Almost Brothers -- Digital Layout

Well, my cup is empty and my laundry buzzer just went off.  Time to get up and go do something like fold laundry or finish dishes.  Or curl up and take a nap.  :)

Today life is good.

Happy New Year and Many Blessings to you in 2012!

Always,

Amanda

Digi From The Ski Lodge

So today I have a whole day to do whatever I like.  That is, whatever I can do with my laptop and free wifi at the Wapiti Ski Lodge while my family enjoys the hill outside the window.

I would love to go skiing today.   The weather is beautiful and the snow is fresh.  Yes, I sure would luuuuuurve to go skiing today.  It’s not in the cards, though, because about three weeks ago I had my first reconstructive surgery.  I’m doing really well in my recovery — I feel great and have lots and lots of mobility.  But I’m thinking that if I fell on my left arm and pulled that muscle they moved, something might go r-r-r-r-i-i-i-i-i-p, and I would be very, very sorry.

So, here I sit with my cuppa coffee in the cozy lodge with my earphones in and my laptop humming away in photoshop.  I just organized all of my Christmas photos (yes, from THIS year!) and am working on some layouts with new kits I bought from the Daily Digi.  Just can’t get any better than this!

Last night I was scrapping at The Scrapbook Studio and the girls were asking to see some of my digi stuff I’ve been doing.  I’ve been paper scrapping like crazy too, but most of those will have to wait because I’ve lent them out and I have to wait until they come back.  But I can share the digi ones and a couple of paper projects!  So, here’s a little peek at what I’ve been doing.  You can click on them to see the full size images.  Hope you like them!

Always,

Amanda

Totally Tubular -- Digital Layout

The Coke Experiment -- Digital Layout

Instant Friends -- Digital Layout

Little Boy Dream -- Digital Layout

Dear Little Me -- Paper Layout

Be Who You Are -- Paper Layout

Page One

Me:  Hello World!  I’m back!

World:  Well, it’s about damn time you showed up.  What took you so long?

Me:  Well…I was kind of busy…(mumblemumble)…sick…(mumblemumble)…no mojo…(mumblemumble)…unorganized…(mumble)…getting caught up…

World:  Whatever.  Nothing but excuses.

Me:  But…

World:  No buts.

Me:  But…

World:  Zipit!  Get your arse in gear and say something meaningful already!

Me:  Hmph!

That’s pretty much the bizarre conversation that’s been brewing in my head for a while.  When I was at my high a couple of years ago — designing, creating, publishing — and talking about it, blogging was such a great outlet and I loved it.  I loved to be creative.  I loved to write.  And I loved to get people talking and sharing and, especially, scrapping.

And then The Hiccup.  I call it that, but it wasn’t really a hiccup.  It was more like a case of global indigestion in which my world got chewed up, partially digested, and spit out again.  I am in the process of putting it all back together but it’s a long haul.  To make a long story short, I got cancer.  I fought it.  I beat it.  And now, I am dealing with all the crap it left behind.

So I started thinking about putting myself out there again.  I even made a few pathetic attempts to revitalize my old blog.  Meh.  Wasn’t happening.

I think it’s because I am not the same person I was two years ago.  Aside from the glaringly obvious fact that I am missing a couple of important body parts, I’ve also made a number of changes to my life and how I see it.  I’ve become more outspoken.  I’ve weeded a lot of garbage out of my world and my mind.  I’ve re-prioritized.  And I like what I’ve come up with.  It’s a much improved version of the person I used to be.

So there’s a new Amanda in the house — and I think she likes blogging just as much as the old one did.  And scrapping.  And taking pictures.  She also talks about her cancer and her life in a real i-don’t-care-if-you-don’t-like-it kind of way — to enlighten, to educate and to encourage.  She’s trying to get healthy.  And I think if she doesn’t stop talking about herself in the third person, she’s going to scare people away.  (sorry!)

So, welcome to Storybook35.  It’s a place where thirty-five year old me is pitching my tent and building my soapbox.  It’s a place where I will scrapbook and get creative.  Where I will show off the photos I love.  Where I will bitch and be real about my cancer.  Where I will write whatever is on my heart and mind.  Sometimes it will be a little and sometimes it will be a lot.  Sometimes you will like it, and there will probably be times when you won’t.  Thanks for joining me — I am glad you are here.  :D

Always,

Amanda