My laptop died last week

so I took it in to Laptop Depot and they wanted $300 to replace the hard drive and get it up and running again. So I was like okay, not as bad as I thought, but as I turned my head I saw an Acer computer with 3 GB, 250 GB, 2.16 GHz with a dual core processor on sale from $899 to $699...so in my mind I am thinking...well for an extra $400 I could get a brand new one...so then they said they would fix my old one, back up all the data on discs and get it up and running for only $99, instead of $300 (if I bought the Acer)! So I was like okay because this gives me two laptops for $1000 (time you add on extended warranty and taxes). SOLD! Now the kids can use the 'old' one and with Jacie entering Grade 3, she will need it more and more...I am just so happy to get them off my laptop...even Dennis is showing more interest and we were having to share my other one...I KNOW...Share?...no more of that now! So happy!

I haven't made a scrappy page in so long I think I forget how! I need to get my butt back down there and get into my zone! I miss it!

We are still under a tornado watch and it freaks me out. One of my biggest fears is tornados!

The kids are in VBS this week and the theme is Truth Trek. VBS is a summer Bible camp that runs for one week from 9am-12pm. The kids just love it and it is so good for them! After VBS on Friday we are leaving to go camping till Monday of Tuesday...just the 6 of us! I can't wait. Money Mountain here we come! The pictures below are from when I took the kids camping solo mee-oh (by myself). We had a lot of fun...can't wait till Friday to go back there!

I made stew tonight for supper. I forgot to do it in the crockpot, so it was stove top method and it turned out really good.

I should be...

making supper but ehhh...I am too tired. I will get to it later. I am listening the the thudding of the TV in the basement as I sit on the main level typing...Kael is bugging them so he is crying off and on down there. I really should go get him, but again I am too tired. I had a busy day of errands and the daily stuff, so here I sit wishing I was having a bath listening to Spa music and just letting my mind drift. Ohhh wouldn't that be nice!
The kids soccer is now over, which Jacie is sad and Travis is happy. Near the end he didn't want to go at all. I thought about how to keep him motivated to go and came up with 'you joined a team and when a team player, like you, doesn't show up it hurts the team. You don't want to do that right?!' I have no idea if he got it, but at least he went. Dennis said soccer wasn't his thing...he said Travis would run along and then get unfocused and look around and say oh, daddy what a beautiful butterfly/bird/airplane. LOL Next year we will put him in tee-ball.


My surgery went well. It took about a week for everything to get back to normal and to get off Tylenol 3's...LOVE THOSE! The only bad thing is the Codeine making a person constipated...yes folks, constipated! Be prepared to shit a brick if you take it for that long! Totally worth it though...I sometimes want to take one just for the heck of it...they made me kinda out of it and put me in a constant state of happiness! While daydreaming about taking some, I would glance ahead and see myself on Oprah as one of those moms addicted to prescription drugs and there I would be in the big yellow chair saying ' it started with Tylenol 3's, and once those didn't do it for me anymore I went to...'

Danika is sleeping and I really should get her up if I want to get her back down at a decent time tonight. The kids are staying up WAY too late these days -even Kael- and it is not like them. I used to have them in bed sleeping by 8:30pm at the latest. These days I am lucky if it 10pm! It isn't like they are running around here...they are upstairs in their rooms by 8:30pm and then let the games begin...I'm hungry, I'm thirsty, I'm not tired, I'm bored, I'm sure I already slept and it is morning out-so can I come down (it doesn't get dark here until 10ish!)! Good Grief! I think this is when I start to daydream about taking T3's! :)

Mom will be here soon...

She flies in today at noon for a week. I have my surgery (to get my left ovary out) on Monday. I am getting nervous about it already, but hopefully everything will go smoothly and I have a speedy recovery.

This week has been a super busy week...Monday I got a much needed hair cut. I just love it. Travis took this picture of me after he got home from soccer. I typically get my hair cut at Beaners out of convenience because the kids can play around while I can get my hair cut stress free...for those of you that don't know Beaners specialize in kids hair cuts...they have the jeeps, etc for the kids to sit on (while they get their hair cut), plus the ball pit to play in so it just makes sense. BUT this time I went to a newly acquired friends place that has her salon in the basement of her home. I had to take 3 kids with me, but whatever, I got a great hair cut. Man it feels good to have a hair style again. Tuesday I stayed home and cleaned the basement up for my mom. Did the whole works. Wednesday and Thursday was more errands for Dennis. Geesh he had me running all over the city this week, but hey at least he is busy! Good news! Friday I stayed home and didn't leave the house! I am super tired from this week.

Some exciting news...I joined up to be an Epicure Consultant! I love their spices and products, so I thought why not! I am not looking to do party's after party's right now, I am just wanting to let friends and family know and if they want to order they can place it through me. Their website is www.epicureselections.com .

I did this layout for the Gettin Sketchy challenge yesterday. I used everything, except for the cardboard piece, from Created with Paper June kit. I love this kit. This is the first time I used that bling and I love it! The tricky part is you have to make sure not to get any of it on your paper while you try to place it...good luck trying to unstick it! I took the picture outside and it is a bit shadowed from the sun rising...but I am tired of the layouts looking blurry and dull.

For family movie night we watched Marley and Me with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. It was really good. Way better then I expected. Even Dennis, who said NO to watching it, stayed up and watched the whole thing. It had some good funny parts. Totally worth the watch!

Tonight it is steak, mushrooms, and veggie pack...yum-o! Ps. Happy Birthday goes out to my friend Loryssa and my nephew Jayden!

Another wonderful weather day

today. Dennis went riding last night so I had Jacie and Travis' friends over for supper. When they were done that I loaded them up with chocolate milk and goodies and sent them downstairs to watch a movie while I stayed upstairs and tended to the little ones. It was a fun night for the kids and myself as well. I was glad to do it (and it was a rare thing to do-as it was a school night) for the kids.

I started and finished a layout yesterday as well. It was a sketch challenge from the blog Pencil Lines. The layout also qualifies for a challenge over at The Creative Type. I ran out of e's so I used 3's and turned them upside down. Everything from this layout was from Created with Paper Pocket Full of Posies kit. I just altered the white letters with Glimmermist to make it match the colours in this layout. I also received my prize from Lara over at Gutter Girlz...my name was picked and let me say look at all that goodness! WOW! Thank you Lara!!

The kids and their friends are playing on the slip n slip right now. They are giggling and having fun. Love that they are outside a lot...it wears them out and best of all they are having so much fun. Tonight they have soccer. On Monday Jacie had to come home early from soccer as she was having trouble breathing. I felt bad for her because she didn't want to miss out. She was pretty upset, crying and saying how she missed the goal cause she had to slow down and then someone kicked the ball away. Break my heart!! I will now pack her inhalers with her, so she can take it if needed and then play again. I grew up with asthma since I was about 5, so I can relate to how much in can hinder a person. The embarrassment of having to take it in front of people and suffering when you forget the inhaler at home...and it never fails that those were the times when you would have an asthma attack. I hope Jacie doesn't get in near as bad as I had it. When I was pregnant with Jacie my asthma improved and with each baby after. It improved so much that I would say I don't have it anymore. :) I hope she will grow out of it!

I didn't take anything out for supper...d'oh! It will be an easy supper anyways as the kids need to eat something quick and get their hine-ees to soccer!

Yeehaw to

summer weather arriving! What a difference it makes. Camping, the sun warming your skin, kids playing outside, chatting outside with the neighbours...it all makes me feel human again. I bought a 3 kid slip N slide from Walmart yesterday and it lasted 3 minutes before it got a rip...so I will have to take it back today and get a one kid one. I think it would be more durable than the 3 kid one. It is too bad, as it was a good idea...
I did this layout for a challenge over at How Much is Too Much...it was a tough challenge but I really enjoyed it. I used everything from Just Cre8 May kit except 'bennett' 'family'. It is great to get back in my scrap room. I admit I have been in a funk lately and just didn't have the energy to go down stairs and scrapp. I would rather read, watch tv, be on the computer...which is really weird for me.

I brought up my, now filled up, binder of my layouts for Dennis to look at. He thinks will be so good for the kids when they get older and I think he really appreciates what I do now and sees it more than just a hobby of mine...which makes me happy.

For supper we had soft taco's which we haven't had in a long time but man are they yum-o! Kael inhaled them and the big kids were made to eat them. They liked them too...after the initial shock of it. KIDS!! HA After the 2 little ones went to bed we tried to watch Harry Potter 2 last night (with Jacieand Travis) but the disc was scratched up and froze up too much to watch it..of course this all happened an hour into the movie...just when you get into it! Oh well...we'll have to rent it sometime to finish it, as we haven't seen it before. I would like to have a movie night with Dennis tonight...but we'll see. Tonight is steak, mushrooms and potatoes.

Sitting here relaxing

while Kael and Danika are sleeping. I am ready for a nap as well, but I wanted to post Travis' birthday cards I made this morning...they are very simple but I wanted to get them done. Travis' birthday is in July but I am thinking of having his 'friends' birthday in June so it is easier to hand out invitations and also the kids are still around...but we'll see.

Last night it was our monthly Stampin' Up! get together...all the gals were all able to attend and it was great to see everybody. The kids had soccer last night as well, so I got Dennis to take Kael with them and I took Danika with me. After I got home and put Danika to bed I watched the Jon and Kate Plus 8 premier and Prison Break finale (and final show as they are off air now). I stayed up way too late but I wanted to watch those shows. It is amazing the difference between Jon and Kate since the finale to the premier! I am sad that they are only together for the kids...my mouth dropped a few times and I feel so sad for them. I hope they can find their way back to one another. Prison Break is over and it was one I watched faithfully, but it was over the top...and pretty unrealistic, but I still watched it. The way they ended it was a jaw dropper as well and can't believe they ended it the way they did...I can't decide if it was brilliant (from a writers perspective) or a rip-off (because I like happy endings).

Tonight is steak, shrooms, onions, and pasta & sauce for supper...can hardly wait! I am starving already...

ps. we watched Body of Lies with Leonardo and Russell Crowe sometime last week...it was a really good show.

Blessed all around

to have a husband that loves me, children that are healthy, friends to call, a house to live in, a beautiful day to enjoy, freedom to make decisions, etc...I just had to say those things as sometimes I can go through a day and forget what it is all about. So yeehaw and thanks be to God for all that He provides for us! Hmmm did I make any of you out there uncomfortable with that last statement???

Okay, so last night I started a layout based on a challenge over at DesignX, where they want you to write about something you miss...well this one was SO easy for me and it felt great to journal my feelings...although I don't like my hand writing, I wrote it anyway. Everything, except the black and white flower page and key stamp is from JustCre8 May 2009 kit. I also used a sketch from the Pencil Lines Blog for my inspiration. Love both those blogs! While I was working on that the kids did their own project and I am so happy that Jacie decided to do her very first 'real' scrapbook page. I am not sure if you can read her writing but it is SOOO funny and very cute. I am proud of her and hope she keeps it up. Travis did a page as well, but it was on printing...which is just fine by me! We spent over 1.5 hours together in the craft room...just the three of us...it was time very well spent!

Here is Danika today...can you believe she is 6 months old already!