Scrapbook Corner

I finally deleted my scrapbooking software today and bought/uploaded a different kind...one that is compatible with Windows 7, which my old one wasn't.
I'm fiddling around with it and learning more and more each time I try it out, but it will take a long time as I used my last software for 7 years.  I couldn't print my beloved 12x12 pages any longer, however, and it was starting to piss me off quite frankly.  I would also forget to randomly save my progress as well; after Windows 7 entered our lives my program would just quit in the middle of my work and I had to start saving as I worked a layout.  And I forgot to save every time.  I lost quite a few hours of my life to that frustration.
So today I said no more, after a frustrating weekend of trying to print out Christmas projects to no avail.
Here are some samples of what Polaroid's My Memories 4 2013 has to offer:

Happenings around here these last few weeks have been crazy.
Jacelyn had to get the back of her earring dug out of the back of her ear lobe at the ER: it was not a pleasant experience.  Now it will have to grow over and be re pierced at a later date.  I always have had to get after her in the past for squeezing the backs on too tight close to her ear lobe, and I guess she had to learn the hard way why.  That was Monday.  Also the day I discovered Jacelyn, who's been on medication since July for flat warts all over her pretty face, had to get more as well as an acid to dab on top of them to be more aggressive on the warts.  And Charlie is starting to get them too: flat warts are viral, therefore contagious, and hereditary.  Not so happy about it all but what can I do.  Charlie had to go on the same treatment; of which I haven't started yet due to the stomach bug currently dancing around the house.
That was Wednesday.  And Thursday.  And Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and now today, Monday.  After school it was all I could do to pull up to the curb outside the house before Brandon was bolting open the door of the van.  Ugh, gross.
Now my rock of a hubby announced he is doing not very well.  And he never, ever gets sick, and has never been physically ill in the 13 years we've been together.  Well tonight he's laying in bed, ice cream pail by his bedside.
Brandon is snoring on the couch.  The girls are tucked in their beds; having been the ones sick during last week and weekend they are fine now.
And me, I'm sipping my lovely tea, sitting among the bedridden now that I'm well, and alone, by myself, in the quiet.
I'm really hoping this bug doesn't make another go around in this house.

House Build Post 8

Framing is almost complete, and excitement is settling into the kids finally. Things are moving along and our doors and windows have been ordered. Looks like a house!




Sent from my iPhone

House Build Post 7...Rafters, Walls, and Sawdust, Oh My!

The Rafters are here...the Rafters are here! :) 

November 18

 And today we have a shell, and should have walls up in a few days inside.

Mike's been up there to walk around, and the kids are dying too as well.. I will let them in a few weeks or so.  Things are moving along!

House Build Post 6

Mobile blogging again tonight...man I love technology even while I curse it.
Lots has been happening but I want to start off updating the house build. We finally have been getting some quotes coming in and I have been fine with some of them and amazed at others. Never before have I considered the amount of money it takes to light up one's home. Now I know. And I'm over budget on that. Thankfully some good news came in today about the flooring for both floors of the house and we are under budget there. Even with my subway tile backslash in the kitchen. I'm still waiting for the cabinet quote to come in and so far for the main floor the last count was at $14,000 and change. There is still a bar and double vanity to figure in there along with the pantry. We still have wiggle room as well as some budget left so I will hold my breath until Monday when the quote comes in.
And I'm not stressed out. Yet.
Part of that is because I had everything written down that I wanted and researched to get the most for our money. I'm thinking that any stress I may experience will be if something goes horribly wrong, such as the wrong carpet being installed which happened to a friend of mine.

Ghosts and Goblins and Wintery Cheer??

Oh my Lord, I'm so far behind on my blog. And with my scrapbooking.

I have no idea why, other than the excuse that by the time my children decide to get to bed and stop coming out of it to "just ask me something", it's always after 10:00 pm and all I want to do after that is snuggle up to Mike and do nothing.

Winter has officially arrived, like, three weeks ago.  All I feel like doing is hibernating in my cozy Alpaca socks and my sweatpants.

So tonight I decided to catch up the blog, update my background to something more suited to the season, and drink me some tea.

I know most of my readers are local Saskatchewanians living along Highway 16 like me, so I don't have to go into details too much other than say: "Holy Snowballs, Batman!"

I have no idea how much has fallen since the week before Halloween, but we estimated the amount of snow accumulation tonight to be somewhere around 22 cm and counting, as it is still falling as I type.

Don't get me wrong, I love this time of year, and getting out into the snow with the kids is great.  I even like shoveling.   But the roads have been so horrible and there have been a lot of accidents and that I don't like.  Halloween felt like a bit of a bust with the wind making noses and little fingers so cold that we had to quit after a half an hour.

Brandon and I went back out after we warmed up around 7:00, and went until 8:30.  The wind had died down and other than being super slippery we had a good time.  Then we went through all his loot and he put into a big bowl what he didn't want (7 pounds worth) and we bagged it into one pound portions to donate to a local dentist's office.  They were doing a draw for an iPad and each kid who donated would get a ticket for each pound they brought in.  Brandon happily entered in his 7 tickets, and is patiently waiting for them to draw his name.  If you're wondering what the dentist is going to do with all the candy, they are going to donate it all to the Canadian Military.  Last I heard they had over 180 lbs of it in 8 large garbage bags.  Insane!!!

Charlie and Jacelyn both had fun at their school Halloween parties, even though we had to change Jacey's costume from a devil into something a bit more "friendly" for school (they go to a Catholic school).  As long as she got to wear her horns and tail for trick or treating, she was alright with it.

not impressed with the slimy pumpkin guts

"eeeewwwwww"

scary spiderweb woman

Brandon's 7 pounds of loot

Since then we have had another dump of snow, which stopped us from going anywhere on the highways and which also blanketed everything again in heavy, wet snow.  And tonight yet again after a few days reprieve.  While it fell so early, it sure makes people in the Christmas spirit.  On November 1st Mike and I were surprised at the amount of lights on around the city, as well as trees up in the windows.  At least there is comfort in knowing we won't be the only ones who like to decorate early!  Although I'm pretty sure Mike has more Griswold in him than most and so our yard will boast our North Pole theme with pride.  Not this year, but next year! :)

I've been making Christmas ornaments out of gingerbread for the last while and finally finished up yesterday with a large popcorn string to drape around the tree when the time comes to decorate it.  With this house being so little there is no room for our rather large tree.  We bought a 4.5ft potted pre-lit tree last week and so will decorate that up with a gingerbread theme...our decorations are all packed away and to make the gingerbread was almost free.  Bonus: the tree should smell pretty amazing whenever we walk by it!

Jacelyn's take on "Gingy" from 'Shrek'

The kids and I decorated them up at the end of September, and they've been drying ever since.  I made a tree topper out of felt and decorated it to look like a big, stuffed gingerbread star.

After starting on our Christmas shopping to the beat of Christmas carols over the loudspeaker it's starting to feel like the holiday season.  

Bring it on!!!!

And finally some more things have been slowing happening over at the house; the concrete has been poured for the garage grade beam and the framers can start soon.  I'm hoping that by next week we will have more than just a box in the ground and start to see the house get some shape to it.  The entire basement is enclosed and there is a small furnace down there to get things nice and dry and warm for the concrete to be poured and set.  We are excited to see more!