The Beauty of Winter

I just finished reading through some email for the past couple of days. I was pleasantly surprise to find out that my Christmas Traditions layout won last month's challenge at Blush-n-Dusty. I really do appreciate the people who took the time to vote for my page. There are some very talented ladies in that group and it means a lot to me.
I love this picture of Ayden, so I decided to do a page with it. I actually took it with my cell phone one day, just before I took her to playschool. She looked very adorable in her fuzzy pink coat, that she loves to wear. It was snowing quite heavily that day and she was very happy about it. Ayden was sticking out her tongue and tasting the flakes, it was so cute. I think sometimes as we grow older we forget to enjoy the beauty of winter and this is a good reminder for me of how beautiful and fun it can be.

Snow Angel digital kit credit: Snow Flakes winter kit, Softness and Angels for print and crafts 5 from Blushbutter.
Fonts used: Snowdrift and Fontleroy Brown.

We've had some unseasonably warm weather the past couple of weeks. Most of the snow in the picture has now melted, although I'm certain we will get some more soon. It was rather nice to have such mild weather in the middle of winter. Everyone at our house has been settling back into their normal routines, now that the holiday season is over. We've had couple busy weeks with several dentist appointments. As well, Raquel has been taking swimming lessons again and was thrilled when she passed into the next level a few days ago. And Ayden is looking forward to heading back to playschool tomorrow, so she can see her friends again. I hope your week is going well, thanks for dropping by my blog.

Traditions

It has been ages since I actually finished a page and posted it here, but sometimes life just takes it's own course. The past few months have been busy. The girls have been enjoying school. Although it has taken a while for Ayden to get used to the idea that I leave her at playschool, but she is finally starting to it like. Now she actually is beginning to look forward to going every week, to see her friends.

I decided to participate in this month's challenge at Blush-n-Dusty, as it was about family traditions and I have lots of pictures to use from Christmas. The other part of the challenge was to use something from Blushbutter's newest mini kit, Softness.

Ayden loved helping to decorate the tree and enjoyed playing with the decorations, rearranging them almost daily as she played with her favorites. Now it's almost time to take it down, I'm sure she is going to miss it. We had a good but quiet Christmas. I think the best part of Christmas, really has got to be watching the children open their gifts. It is such a delight to see the expressions on their faces. It really makes all the preparations worthwhile.


Family Traditions digital kit credits: Softness Mini, Merry Christmas kit & Scratched & Creased Overlay 1 from Blushbutter
Fonts used: Westwood LET, Perpetua & Kayleigh

Raquel spent the New Year's weekend with her dad, so we have to go pick her up later today. The rest of us went out for Chinese food on New Years Eve and decided it might be a good tradition to start, instead of cooking at home that night. Ayden loved staying up to watch the countdown and it was fun to welcome in the new year with her.

I wish you all health, happiness, love and prosperity in the new year. May 2010 be a wonderful year. Happy New Years!

My friend, Lara has closed down her Dusty Bear shop and is now selling her designs through Gotta Pixel. These are a couple of pages I finished recently using one of her latest kits. I been trying to get these uploaded for a few days, but just never seemed to get around finish posting it.

This is a page I made for my parents. The picture was taken just before my dad left for Tanzania, at his going away supper. Unfortunately he had to come back early, as he had a fairly serious heart attack while he was there. So it was really nice to see them, when they came down a couple of weeks ago. They also brought my niece Madison along with them and the girls all had a wonderful time together.

Cherish digital kit credits: Affinity 1 & 2 by Lara Payton available at Gotta Pixel.
Fonts used: Monsieur La Doulaise, Monotype Corsiva & Kayleigh

I love these picture of Ayden. She has so much fun picking flowers and dandelions are one of her favorites. I guess most of us consider them weeds and forget how bright and sunny they are. She loves this page and I had to print it off for her, so she could put it on the fridge. The quote I used is from Henry Ward Beecher, ... the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass like a spark from the sun.

Dandelion digital kit credits: Affinity 2 by Lara Payton available at Gotta Pixel.
Fonts used: Tabor Handwriting & Kayleigh

We've had several busy weeks. Not only did my parents drop in for a visit, but my son Kyle stopped in for a few days as well. We had a good visit with him and the girls really enjoyed spending a little time with their big brother. Raquel started grade 5 at the beginning of the month and was a little disappointed that she wasn't in the same class as her best friends. She seems to be liking it in spite of that, as she still gets to see them at recess. Ayden started playschool this week. It was a bit difficult for her to let me leave, but once I went to pick her up she seemed to enjoy it. It seems like summer is trying to last as long as possible, as we have been enjoying some beautiful weather. We had a few frosty mornings though, so fall is definitely on the way and a few leaves are starting change colour.

Thanks for dropping by my blog and for leaving me a few comments. I hope you have a good weekend.

Time Stretches Still

Summer is going by so quickly, it's hard to believe the days are getting shorter already. The girls have been keeping me busy and Raquel has been monopolizing the computer. I actually feel a little guilty that I haven't gotten around to finishing a page for quite some time and updating my blog.
When I had a few moments, I've been working on another page for my children's heritage album. I finally got it finished after a call to my aunt yesterday to establish a date on it. This is a picture of my grandmother and my great aunt, it was taken a few years before my grandma passed away. The quote I used is by Nick Edelstein, it reads "When lilies fade, memories flood and time stretches still."


Time Stretches Still digital kit credits: Secret Garden from The Dapper Doxie
Font used: Heather & Park Avenue PT

We've been busy enjoying the summer weather and spending lots of time outdoors. The girls also enjoyed going to the Calgary Stampede and watching the fireworks a couple of weeks ago. Last weekend we finally went and did a little camping. Ayden enjoyed the park at the campground the most. It was nice just to sit by the campfire and look at the stars and get away from the yard for a few days. Raquel spent the weekend riding in the mountains with her dad again and she is away this week spending some time with him. Ayden and I are spending a few quiet days without her. It's been a rather gray and rainy week so far and it's not supposed to turn sunny till the weekend, so we are stuck inside trying to keep busy, much to Ayden's disappointment. Hope your summer is going well!

It's My Life

This month's challenge at Blush-n-Dusty is to do a graduation LO using Blushbutter's new kit, Graduation. Since I have quite a few pictures from my son's graduation last year, I decided to do several pages, as I have been meaning to get them done for some time now. The quote I used on the last page is from Geraldine Kenney-Wallace.



Valediction Ceremony digital kit credits: Graduation Mini Kit, Digital Essential Frames Packet and Faery Kisses in Blue mega kit from Blushbutter.
Fonts used: Monsieur La Doulaise and Fontleroy Brown.

We've had a busy couple of weeks that included a trip to the zoo and a day at the local rodeo. Ayden really enjoyed the rodeo's parade and getting the candy that was thrown from the floats. Raquel's summer holidays have begun, her last day of school was yesterday and she is happy to be done for a few months. She had a good report card and has talked me into getting her a few magazine subscriptions for passing into grade 5. Ayden and I got to go to Raquel's year end party on Thursday at her teacher's place. We all had a great time playing games outside and had some delicious hamburgers for lunch. Ayden's swimming lessons finished this week as well. She is definitely ready to move on to the next level, but will have to wait until she turns 3 before that can happen. I sure we will be making a few trips to the pool this summer, as both girls really enjoy the water. It has be nice and sunny here for the last little while. The beautiful weather is supposed to continue for the next week or so, although we could use a little rain as it is quite dry. The occasional thunderstorm comes through in the afternoons, but we haven't gotten very much precipitation. It has been a wonderful start to the summer. Hope you have a terrific summer also!

The Moments We Share

I haven't really been in much of a mood for doing any pages lately. That and I had some problems with one of my external hard drives and had to download some graphics again and reorganize them. That was a bit of a frustrating experience to say the least. It definitely was a good reminder to back up all my files a little more regularly.

Lara, at Dusty Bear, has another new mini kit in her shop, that coordinates with the one I used on my last page. I decided I would use it, to do this page of myself and my children. I always enjoy it when I get to spend time with all my children at once, as it doesn't happen very often. This picture of us was taken a few months ago when we went on a trip to my parents.
The Moments We Share digital kit credits: Sprightly Mini Kit 1 from Dusty Bear
Fonts Used: La Bamba LET and Adine Kimberg script.

The girls and I took a quick trip up to my parents this past weekend. We went to say goodbye to my dad, who is going to Tanzania for 3 months. We had a delicious supper with the whole family and it was great to see them all. Both girls had lots of fun with their cousins and got to play in the parks, (one of the highlights of the trip for Ayden, I think). The last couple of weeks have been rather busy around here. Ayden and I went with Raquel on her field trip to the Rocky Mountain House National Historic Site of Canada. All the kids seemed to enjoy the 2 1/2 hour walk around the site and got to do some role playing of characters from 1821. I have always liked history and really enjoyed the excursion. One day I will have to go again and complete the tour, as we only made it around part of the park. Ayden is progressing well in her swimming lessons and is turning into quite the little fish. We've also had several appointments and have tried to get in a little flower planting as the weather was quite nice. That's changed a bit as it has been cool and rainy here now for several days, but the sun is supposed to be returning tomorrow and it should start warming up again. Hope you have a nice week.

Me... Just a girl

This month's challenge at my yahoo group, Blush-n-Dusty, is to do a lay out about yourself, using some part of Dusty Bear's newest kit, Sprightly Mini 2. I usually try to avoid doing those kind of pages (and getting my picture taken), but I know my friend, Deb, is right when she says that our families will want pages of us, to remember us by.

I decided to use a picture my daughter took of me one day, when I let her play with my camera. I liked this picture she took and since I am usually the one taking the pictures, there aren't that many of just of me. The journaling is really meant for my children, so I am not going to post it here (although, I think it is clear enough if you feel like reading it on the lay out).
Me... Just a Girl digital kit credits: Sprightly Mini Kit 2 and Spring Sprung from Dusty Bear.
Fonts Used: Tall Paul, Kayleigh & Chopin Script.

It's going to be a rather quiet weekend around here as Raquel is gone to her dad's for a few days. Finally, Ayden decided it was time for bed after watching the movie Spirit. (She is such a night owl.)
I signed her up for swimming lessons again and they start next week, so maybe that will help to use up some of her never ending energy. She certainly keeps me busy. We plan to go for a little road trip, later today, to check out the progress on her dad's latest job site. Ayden really misses Raquel when she is away, so at least that will give her something else to think about.

It is supposed to be a bright and sunny weekend here, which will be a nice change after a week of snow flurries and rain showers. I hope you have a wonderful weekend. Thanks so much for your comments, take care!