and, if you ask nicely, I'll share my famous recipe with you!

just because

hell on earth is loving someone who doesn't love you back, never did, and never will

Leo - September 28, 2009

While you may not have been feeling quite your usual self over the past day or two, dear Leo, today you're likely to be feeling stronger and more focused, both mentally and physically. New ideas for future projects, either your own or business-related, could be discussed, and plans of action will be formulated. Your financial future is on your mind, and this is just the day to look into ways to insure it.

Have a great frickin Monday!

I love that I have inherited the love of taking pictures of flowers, from my father. Patients last night let me take a few pics of some of their lovely arrangements. Happy Sunday!

you know who you are......

meow

You Are Calm and Comforting

You're the type of person who can sit all day in order to keep someone in need company. You are kind and giving. Helping other people is your one, true person in life. You give a first impression of blending in. And it's somewhat true - you need to be drawn out. You are an armchair spiritual leader. You can bring peace to those who can't usually be comforted.

The Chair Test

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes and 3 Stupid Ones

My handsome boy has been gone for a year and a half and it just feels like yesterday that we held him in our arms while he took his last breaths. I know he's not suffering anymore but the heartache is still there, missing him so. Driving home today looking at the fall leaves changing made me think about how much he loved to go for walks in the nearby trails. Ever since his "dad" abandoned him, it was me and Gunnar for walks and we had many many many good trips through the trails, up at the tunnels, by some lakes and the usual different loops around town. The best loyal four legged friend a girl could ask for. I love you Gunnar!

Love her adorable face.

How do you think this will look in my new home???

Yes!!! The rumours are true! I have finally sold the house! I am finally going to be able to move out of this personal hell that I've been trapped in for over three years.

released today and I love it!

“Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self-confident and more and more successful.” —Mark Victor Hansenauthor, speaker

today, and every day....

Leo - September 12, 2009

Today you might be feeling a little out of sorts, dear Leo, and most likely will want to stay home. Crashing in front of the TV seems a lot more tempting than going out socializing. Friends, however, may try to talk you into partying with them. Don't let yourself be talked into anything you don't feel like doing. Make your friends understand that you'd best relax tonight, and that you can go out with them another time.

This is how I'm feeling at work. I don't know what has happened but I feel like the black crayon. And it's very stressful. On top of a very stressful few weeks. On top of some stressful huge cutbacks at work yesterday. I just don't know what to do, how to cope, who to go to.

I had a wonderful childhood. Raised by good loving parents. Nothing is more important than family.

Got this great parcel in the mail today. Mainly because, well, I discovered a LEOPARD PRINT background stamp on someone's blog and then followed backwards where the stamper wrote her products and discovered Rubbernecker Stamps. I am not used to unmounted stamps but they seem really think and are meant to go on to acrylic mounts, so I will give them a try. Also liking the coffee bean background as well; lots of cute stamps!

http://www.rubbernecker.com/default.aspx

8 months have gone by and it just seems to get harder. I miss you so much Pappa.

Friends. It's what it's all about. Good times in Vegas!

Vegas was wonderful. Hot weather. Mornings poolside. Shopping. Good meals and drinks. Lots and lots of laughter. So good for the soul. Love my girls!

One of the plans, things I looked forward to most, while I was on vacation, was tidying up my studio and doing some scrapbooking layouts. Hopefully, I will get a few pages done, starting to miss it. I bet it will take a full day to cleansweep it. The good news though, is, I finally finished a surprise project I've been working on for about 6 weeks. My friend seemed pretty please. :)

Got some freakin fantastic tongue in cheek stamps from Viva Las Vegas Stamps, while we were done there. Could have stayed there all day looking at all the wonderful humuour stamps!!!

Your Soul Is Connected to the Fall

You are a somewhat sensitive soul with a tough exterior. You are street smart and wise about the world. You have the heart of a poet, but you're not too eager to let anyone else see it. You are very creative and deeply talented. You are still looking for the perfect outlet for your expression. You embrace change and think the cycles of life are beautiful. You don't shrink away from the darker elements of life.

What Season is Your Soul Connected To?

it just makes me smile....

Picked up the disposable waterproof camera pictures from the rafting trip. This one just makes me laugh. I'm not sure if I'm screaming or laughing. Probably both. And there's my daughter, posing for the picture, as we go through rapids....

Me on my 43rd Birthday.

First one without Pappa. Fourth one without my ex.

Birthdays aren't what they used to be.

“All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.”

Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Guess it's time for an update?

I have been on vacation for a week now and what have I done?

• slept for nearly two days
• felt sad and guilty on finding out a dear family friend had passed away and I didn't get to see him. I lived with he and his wife for my Grade 1 year; we had moved back from Norway and our home wasn't built and so my parents and brother lived in a trailer on the work site where my father worked. My parents wanted me to start school in the right town. So during the week I lived with them and then on the weekends went home to the trailer.
• did some yearly errands and chores about the house and in town
• My mom's birthday was on Friday and the three generations spent most of the day together. My daughter took her to a specialist appt while I attended a work baby shower for one of our GPs. That baby is so adorable and mom is glowing! Had a nice birthday lunch with my mom and then she wanted to go to Costco!
• Saturday had to clean the house, as we had a showing. Spent the afternoon with my daughter in the next city, nice dinner out.
• Sunday I went river rafting with my daughter and a group from the hospital. On my bucketlist. Faced fear and anxiety in the face. Screamed and laughed, like a little girl, every time we went back and did the rapids. Again! Again!
• Today? Well I can barely walk, every muscle is stiff and sore and my legs are covered in bruises. I think maybe I'm a bit of a weekend warrior!
• What will this week bring...........

guess what I did today with my daughter?

This came last week, with the Spellbinders. New Bazzill textured Swiss Dot. Gorgeous colours. I know a certain someone who would love how they feel!

Happy Birthday Mamma!!!

Happy Thursday

Happiness is....

new Spellbinders!!!

You Need Security

To be happy in life, you need to feel as secure and grounded as possible. You have to know that things will be okay no matter what. You plan for the worst. You tend to be cautious, and you always think of the long term consequences before you act. Living a low-key, responsible life is the only way to ensure that you can truly relax.

What Do You Need Most?

Made this 4x4 card for a dear friend of mine, with whom I've been friends with since grade 1. She's a keeper! I found an old stash of embossed cards, I think DCVW, distressed the embossed blowers. Using the new colours from SU. The butterfly is a new stamp, I believe from Inkadoo? Stamped it on a different kind of paper (free from the hospital). Not cardstock, not cardboard, not chipboard. I dunno. Shiney surface. Butterfly background stamp, one of my favs, from Viva Las Vegas stamps. Then, I sprayed the three top layers with silver Glimmer Mist. Added dewdrops and matching ribbons.

“Listening is such a simple act. It requires us to be present, and that takes practice, but we don't have to do anything else. We don't have to advise, or coach, or sound wise. We just have to be willing to sit there and listen.” —Margaret J. Wheatley; writer, consultant

“Each day when I awake I know I have one more day to make a difference in someone's life.” —James Mann (b. 1946); writer

another leopard print purse I will be keeping my eye open for, this one by Kate Spade...

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” —Marian Wright Edelman (b. 1939); activist, president and founder Children's Defense Fund

the results of a home decorating "style" quiz is...

You are a Bohemian Casual

You are interested in creating a place where people feel relaxed. You have a variety of interests and influences and so appreciate different styles, cultures, and objects. Your home is cozy, with comfy chairs, throw pillows and places to set a drink or a book. But it also feels creative and visually intriguing, because you have an artist's eye that allows you to find objects that appeal to you in a unique and personal way—whether from your travels or from a local shop. This gives your home a feeling of being laid-back, and maybe even a bit quirky with its mix of pieces—some of which are classic, some handmade, some ethnic, and some just rich in meaning to you.
You value comfort. Your home is a warm and open friendly place, and you feel happiest when everyone is cared for and relaxed in your space. Elements like pillows, throws, overstuffed furniture, and good lighting set the mood. You may also enjoy layering different fabrics or mixing patterns to create a cozy effect.

These beautiful flowers were waiting for me in my bathroom at my friends' place................

New SU in colour stamp inks and cardstock, SU stamps, cuttlebug and unknown button. Same for the card below as well as SU ribbon and nestabilities label die and dewdrops.