from a friend's email signature:

"Live simple, Love generously,Care deeply, Speak kindly,Leave the rest to God"

I plan on kayaking this year. Can't wait. Part of my LIVE plan.

DD driving. I only freaked out twice.

The pictures below are from our local park, downtown. Damage from the windstorm a few weeks ago. Pictures do not do justice to the size of these trees.

"There are natural consequences that accompany every choice we make in life. Some opportunities inevitably pass us by, but we can take advantage of others. Many people feel powerless but this is rarely the case--some opportunities just require a little thinking outside the box. Today, reflect on the doors you are opening in your world and which ones are closing. You have the power to create the life you want if you are willing to set goals and take steps toward them. Rarely does fulfilling our hopes and dreams happen overnight, but daily you can take one tiny move towards them. " Spark

I am pretty frustrated with the new printer and scanner. Most of the pictures are coming out quite orange. I have used the Adobe Photoshop program that came with the printer and I have used Picasa and it doesn't seem to make a difference. Is it the new printer? My cheap HP had so much better quality pictures. The computer is also running very slowly and that is frustrating as well. I am just about 3/4 of the way through all the albums, so that is positive news. Too bad the pictures aren't always so great.

Me and my big brother.

Have scanned in nearly 100 photo's and printed them off, for my big project. What a job. Some colours for the pictures turn out great, some, not so much. The pictures I'm working with, are 30 to 50 years old and I can certainly see the damage from cigarette smoke use.

Went to church with my g/f "C" and it was good. Whenever I go, I always feel like the pastor is speaking just to me. And today's sermon really hit close. But, I got the message.

Have taken on this huge scrapbooking project that needs to be done in six weeks. One of the joys in it is finding pictures of me. My mom has some scrapbooker in her!: this is my first day of Kindergarten!

Just got home from my girlfriend "K"s 30th birthday party. Had such a good time. Lots of laughs, good company, lots of photo ops. The theme: pj party. Totally up my alley! Was really good to get out. Quality friends.

My first scan with my new scanner: a Canon 8600F. Haven't read the manual. Just pushed copy. This is me with our family dog, 35 years ago.

A few weeks ago we had a horrible windstorm. I thought it was a hurricane. This is the kind of thing you can see all over town. This is a BIG tree.

Need I say anything more?

"Do all the good you can,in all the ways you can,to all the souls you can,in every place you can,at all the times you can,With all the zeal you can,as long as ever you can." John Wesley

Friday's picture of the day. A beach in Cancun, Mexico. Anyone want to join me on a little trip?

We all have a handful of acquaintances--those people with whom we work or see at the store and casually say hello to and move on. But a friend is someone you confide in, bring over for an afternoon cup of coffee, invite to your wedding, or cry with when a loved one passes away. You just feel a sense of safety with a friend. Don't wait until a rainy day to express how much a good friend means to you. Often we are unaware of how much we mean to others until they speak up, and likewise we never know how much another person might truly need to hear such affirmations. An approving, cheerful word of encouragement can thrill a heart. Be sure to always say kind words before you part, show sympathy during hard times and affection during wonderful ones. Life would not be the same without positive friendships. Express your gratitude to someone today who has made a difference in your world! Spark

I am so thankful for my friends. I am blessed with good quality people in my life.

For those of you who would like to bake martini glass shaped cookies to have on hand when serving real martini's, here's the cookie cutter for you!

"Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones. And when you have finished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake." - Victor Hugo

What a day. Came on to 7 admitted patients in the ER. SEVEN! Unheard of. Made for some interesting moments. Home, quite tired, ankle ginormous and painful. My friend "P" dropped off the new CTMH catalogue, so I'm going to head to bed soon with that. It looks GOOD.

A productive day. Changed the sheets. Nothing like climbing into bed with fresh sheets. Six loads of laundry. Vacuumed. Put all my laundry away. Errands downtown. Scrapbooked four pages. Sorted pictures. Tidied up the kitchen. Emptied the dishwasher. Good thing I slept in til 11am this morning!

I have decided that a scrapbooker just can't have enough 1) flowers 2) floral stamps 3) cardstock 4) buttons and 5) ribbons!

Happiness is: new flowers in the mail

I got a beautiful card from my friend "D" last week, made with this stamp. Thanks!!!

My new pretty spring flowers from Michaels.

"For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there are always some obstacles in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life." - Alfred D. Souza

Michaels had some of their "funky" yarn on sale. Regular $8 a roll, on for $2 a roll. So I thought I'd see just how they would be to crochet into funky scarves.

My first dishcloth, done!

What to say? Should I blog or not? Who actually reads this thing? What is the point of it all? These are some of the questions running through my mind.

Today I had lunch with a dear friend. She is so good to me. Haven't seen her in ages so was nice to have a catch up. She has a new grandson and had a beautiful brag book that I need to get the directions for; I think they are called Explosion Books.

Went to Michaels and got a few deals. Have to use that coupon, you know! Pretty spring ribbon. Yarn on sale. The Cuttlebug "thank you" embossing die, acrylic paints and brushes on sale.

Work is busy. Staff shortages in the WORST way. Came home today to FOUR messages, asking me to work over the week-end. If I do, it will be a total of 40 hours of extra work, on my five days off. I'm back on Tuesday. I think it would wipe me out for WEEKS. Will see how I sleep tonight and call in the morning to see what the status is.

Stress level is high. Don't know when it will change.

My printer died, so I need to get a new one. Can't do much scrapbooking without it. Looking online at Canon printers. Any suggestions?

Before the printer died, I got quite a few pics printed (maybe that's what did it in) for my joy journal. And yes, it does bring me JOY to look at it.

Working on the journaling for a layout about LIVE for my BOM.

Weather has been miserable. Not so much fun to take my boy out for his daily walks.

a great way to start the day....

CLICK HERE: Da Doo Ron Ron

I loved this song! Da doo ron ron!

CLICK HERE: remember Shaun Cassidy?

Did you have his poster up on your wall?

“Sometimes you just have to take the leap, and build your wings on the way down.” -Kobi Yamada

“Every human being has a great, yet often unknown gift . . . to care, to be compassionate, to become present to the other, to listen, to hear, and to receive.” – Henri Nouwen

"The choices you make today will determine the path that your life will take. When you sit back and look at the decisions you've made in your life, are you happy with the route you've paved? If you're not, make a change today. The next time you make a choice, ask yourself if this decision will lead you to the path you want to travel along. Set some new goals that will lead you to your dreams and then plan your course." Spark

"Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamps of the approximate, the not-quite, the not-yet, the not-at-all. Do not let the hero in your soul perish, in lonely frustration for the life you deserved, but have never been able to reach. Check your road and the nature of your battle. The world you desired can be won. It exists, it is real, it is possible, it is yours." Ayn Rand

carried over from a few months ago. I post inspirational quotes that speak to me but find I forget the message soon after. so I will be going through old posts and bringing some forward again.

I love this dog.

About posting comments

It is kind of neat to read the comments that are sometimes posted on the blog. I just want to ask that if you leave a comment that you don't put down my real name. I'm kind of funny about that. Thanks in advance!

My mom taught me how to crochet when I was young. This is the only thing I know how to make. In high school, I was in a class where we made "condo sweaters"; knitted sweaters with HUGE needles. My mom helped a lot with that project. As a young adult, my MIL tried to teach me to knit; I just couldn't get it. She made some beautiful sweaters for DD. Have passed them down now to the youngest granddaughter. So, you can see above, my exciting dishcloth!

I am pretty sure a girl can't have enough Crocs. Especially silver ones. My friend "J" would have a heart attack if I bought the gold ones....

The past week has been an emotional hell. I'm not going to write about it on my blog though. Have talked to a friend and wrote in my other journal. I don't see that it's going to get better any time soon. I am so sad, hurt and feel really down. But I am going to try to be positive.

I was desperate to get out of town yesterday. Just to get "out". Treated myself to the journaling acrylic stamps by Autumn Leaves. Got some acrylic paints at Walmart. Three cotton sweaters and SILVER Crocs at Cotton Ginny. I added up the regular prices and the savings was over $100! I got some great sales there. And magazines. Scrapbooking and home decor. Bought a pink binder that I'm going to put all my decorating ideas into; ideas from magazines, online, catalogues, whatever. Sectioned into: colour, furniture, design, decor, misc. Also bought a new journal to create a new JOY journal for 2007. Oh and don't get freaked out, but I also bought yarn and am sitting here crocheting dish cloths. How Martha!

from my dear friend "D"

Yesterday was a great mail day! A parcel from Rivercity Rubberworks with the abovc stamps. How fun! My iPod shuffle came (on sale for only $49.99), and a scrapbooking order from one of my favorite online stores. I was lucky enough to have won a $50 gift certificate with them, so had fun picking out a scrapbooking wallet by All My Memories, some chipboard and Autumn Leaves acrylic stamps.

Have no idea how to work the iPod. It will hold 120 songs. I figured that would be a great way to get me out walking or riding my bike. Fast beat dance music, mostly from the 1980's! I can't believe how small it is. Charging in the computer as I type. Will have to read the manual to figure how to get the music on to it, later.

23 hours later and power has been restored. I don't know which is worse; a cold house or no internet.

Am without power; lost it yesterday at 3pm. House is so cold. HORRIBLE storm yesterday; was like a hurricane. Branches and trees coming down everywhere. Scarey. I thought my trees in the front were going to end up on my house. Luckily my parents have power this am so I'm here to warm up and check email. :)

from Elsie Flanningan's website

"Often our days are busied with worry, stress, complaining, work, and a general wasting of time. Once we finally realize the value of our time, often for many of us it is too late. While your life might seem like a long time in the midst of it, truly it is a blink of an eye. Today, make more time to be present in your life. Even small moments--enjoying a cup of tea, calling a friend, reading a favorite book--should be enjoyed. Restructure your day so that you can get all of your work done, but allow for extra time to be spent on personal matters. Stop procrastinating! " Spark


"Consider the things in your life that you feel are irreversible or too embarrassing to touch upon. The path of least resistance is often the wrong choice, especially when admitting to someone else that you were wrong. Is there anyone in your life that you need to apologize to? Clearing up disagreements--no matter how far removed--frees both parties to move forward in a more healthy way. Not to mention it improves relationships of all kinds. Pride isn't something that is easy to part with, but being unforgiving can eat away at a friendship or marriage. Good relationships have boundless benefits, so work to make them the best they can be! " Spark


"Life is like a marathon. We run and run, not knowing where (or how far) the finish line lies. We focus so intensely on prolonging the race but sometimes--despite our best efforts--the race is cut short. Too often we don't relish the path of and enjoy the details instead of just pounding the pavement of life. What personal boundaries can you expand to help you enjoy your life? Today meditate on the simple joys: a warm bath, reading a book to a sleepy toddler, or spending quality time with your family and friends. All of life contains bumps in the road such as losing your job or an unforeseen illness. But it is up to us to determine the quality of our lives. Remember, we don't always determine the distance, but we can determine the path. " Spark

a cute and paste from Ali Edwards' newsletter

"A single word can be a powerful thing. It can be the ripple in the pond that changes everything. It can be sharp and biting or rich and soft and slow.Last fall in issue two of this newsletter I wrote about the power of words and gave my top ten tips for getting those words down when you are scrapbooking. Today I want to introduce you to the idea that a single word can be a catalyst for enriching your life as well as your scrapbook layouts.Last year I began a tradition of chosing one word for myself each January - a word that I can focus on, mediate on, and reflect upon as I go about my daily life. Last year my word was something I wanted to bring into my life in a more tangible way. My word was play. I thought a lot about play and what it means to me. I tried to incorporate it more into my everyday and on my adventures out in the crazy world. For me, it was a lot about living without fear - about being more open to experiences with an attitude of playfulness. The word play found its way onto many scrapbook pages and into many stories I told throughout the year.Can you identify a single word that sums up what you want for yourself in 2007?It can be something tangible or intangible. It could be a thought or a feeling or an emotion. It can be singular or plural. The key is to find something that has personal meaning for you. This is not your mother's word or your spouse's word or your child's word - this is YOUR word. One little word can have big meaning in your life if you allow yourself to be open to the possibilities. And here's one thing that is totally interesting: sometimes a word will pop into your brain and it will not make any sense to you right now. Give it some time. Let it percolate a bit. I have often found that our hearts speak to us in very unique ways. Maybe this is a word you need to hear but just aren't ready for it yet. Again, be open to the possibilities.You may be wondering, what in the heck does this all have to do with scrapbooking? For me, words are at the heart of what I do. The photos are a huge part, but the words bring it all home. Often times I will begin a layout with a single word. That word becomes my guide as I create my page. It helps me focus the story I am trying to tell and gives me an instant, easy graphic title approach. How often has a word directed your creativity when working on layouts?Take some time this week to think about your own word for 2007 and read on for a related weekly challenge."

I already know what my word is for 2007.

LIVE.

A cheating husband's influence on his teenage daughter: "I will lie, cheat and steal until I get what I want" quote unquote from my daughter today. Makes me so sad.

"Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer." Lion from Wizard of Oz

I spent New Year's Eve alone. Alone honestly, not like last year where I felt all alone, with my husband beside me in our bed. To look back now and remember, how hurt I was that night. What is it they say about hindsight?

2007 is going to be a better year.