*Lots of Sun*

We have been seeing a lot of sun here in Regina... beautiful summer weather.

Alex is at the school this morning to pick up his report card.... and then he's done.  He spent yesterday with friends at a pool down near his school.... he assumed Bruce could drive him but of course, Bruce had to be at work, so they decided that Alex could ride his bike.... it was about 90 minutes on his bike and it sounds like he found it tough (like I wouldn't???!!).  A good reason for this kid to keep driving so that he can get his license next spring!

Friends of ours did a huge bike ride this past weekend...  Four of our friends rode in the Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer... a total of 225km on their bikes in two days!  They each had to raise $2500 to be able to ride.  I am so impressed that they all made it!  I know I couldn't!  They are looking at doing a ride for MS next spring...  smaller amount to raise as well as a shorter distance.

On to the reason you are here...

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Paper Trey Ink White; Coredinations
*Patterned Paper:  Junkitz
*Images:  Penny Black
*Ink:  VersaFine Onyx Black
*Embellishments:  unknown grosgrain ribbon
*Challenges:  MTSC76


And that's that!  I hope that the sun is shining where you are!

*The Countdown Is On!*

I have one month left... one month left in my 30s... one month until the big four oh!

Explain to me how I got to be "pushing 40"?!  I don't feel like I'm almost 40.  I feel about 25ish.

Of course, if I was 25, it would mean I had my first kid at 10.... and at 10 I was still in the "you wanna put what where?" stage of sex.

So I guess I can't possibly be 25.

Age is just a number... and I choose to not let it get me down!

But seriously??!!  40??!  WOW!

I had a little fun playing with this cute little froggie image.... isn't he cute??  Sure is making me want an ice cream right now...

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Paper Trey Ink White; Coredinations
*Images:  unknown (but I think it's Inkadinkadoo)
*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics
*Tools:  Big Shot; Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder; Nestabilities; Stampin' Up! border punch; sanding block; Corner Chomper
*Challenges:  MTSC#74


I will take a minute to warn you that there are only 4 cards left on my hard drive for me to share with you....  I'm here in Regina until July 3rd and I will do my best to get some crafting done in the three weeks I am home....  Please don't give up on me!!

*Celebrate The Day*

Happy Thursday everyone....  today is my youngest's last full day of school.... he has a half day tomorrow and then he's done grade 7 and moving on to grade 8.  The older one has an exam this morning, an exam tomorrow morning and needs to head back to school on Tuesday to pick up his report card.  And then he's off to high school in the fall.

They are growing into wonderful young men....it's just happening so fast!

I had a really nice evening with a childhood friend last night.  We went out for a nice supper and spent a lot of time talking, laughing and catching up.  We haven't spent much time together in many many many years (like 15-20 years) but it was nice to have some time together.  It's nice to have someone here in Regina I can go out with once in a while when my sister is here to give me some time away from the house.

I talked with my other sister last night and she's booked her flight to come back to Regina to take her turn with Mom on July 2nd.  I will head home on the 3rd or 4th.

So, on to the card....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Old Olive, Pale Plum
*Images:  PaperTrey Ink Signature Greetings
*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Old Olive
*Tools:  Big Shot; Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder
*Embellishments:  Prima Flowers; Doodlebug Sugared Brad; white Stampin' Up! grosgrain ribbon
*Challenges:  MTSC75


I really like the clean lines in this card....  wish I had gotten the sentiment stamped straight LOL!

*It's Summer!*

It's official.... summer is here!  And here in Regina, we are bringing in summer with a wonderfully warm and sunny day.  We haven't had nearly the rain that other areas of the prairies have had over the last few weeks.  There are still people out of their homes due to flooding between here and home.  The Transcanada Highway has a section of the eastbound lanes that is totally washed out and it sounds like I might be taking a nice long detour to get home in the next few weeks.

Blech.

Mom's back yard is so wet that we have mushrooms growing back there.

I sure hope that we all get some wonderful summer weather now....

I had fun recreating the basics of this card to create another... I just loved the colour combination and that wonderful Stamp It Australia paper....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  PaperTrey Ink White; Bazzill Bling; Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry
*Patterned Paper:  Stamp It Australia
*Images:  Lizzie Anne Designs Say It In Script
*Ink: Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry
*Tools:  Big Shot; Nestabilities
*Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! Crushed Curry ribbon
*Challenges:  MTSC73

*Rain Rain Go Away*

Will the rain ever stop??

I think that even the farmers and ranchers in the Prairies are complaining about the amount of rain that has fallen in the last few weeks.

I understand through news feeds today that a portion of the TransCanada highway (the one I take to get to Regina and home again) is closed due to flooding.  This is the main East/West highway that goes across the country.

It is absolutely insane how much rain has fallen.

I am hoping that we get a few light rain showers in the month of July but no more big soakers!

I am missing my family a lot today.... not sure why...  I called Bruce at lunch just to say "hi" and perhaps I shouldn't have... hearing his voice made me miss him even more.

Anyway....

I created this card following one of the Fall To Layouts on the Clean and Simple blog....  the more I play with Clean and Simple, the more I like it....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  PaperTrey Ink White; Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry, Bermuda Bay
*Images:  Stampendous Birthday Blossoms; Amuse
*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up! Bermuda Bay; Copics
*Tools:  Big Shot; Nestabilities; Swiss Dots Cuttlebug folder
*Challenges:  FTL92


You can see that I took this picture after I bought my bedding plants and before I got them in the ground... that's a pot of wave petunias to the right of the photo.  They are all now planted and I hope they haven't drown!

Enjoy your weekend!

*Here, Not There*

Good morning everyone....  a beautiful sunny and warm morning where I am.... which isn't at home.  I am in Regina for a few weeks to care for Mom.  Calgary is cold and wet, Regina is not.  I lucked out I think.

For those of you wondering, Mom is doing well right now.  She is feeling pretty good, napping only about an hour a day (a month or so ago she was sleeping more than she was awake every day).  All of her meds are now going through her feeding tube which bypasses her stomach and goes directly to the small intestine.  Adds more work for whomever is caring for her, but it appears to be helping with the nausea.  She was at the cancer clinic last week so that she could get her hydromorphone dosage increased.  They did that no problem... she's now at 0.6mg per hour through her pump (up from 0.5mg)  It seems to have done the trick.  The doctors she saw are sure that the tumour has grown in size again, which is obvious by looking at Mom's face.  No idea if the 4-6 month diagnosis still stands or not.....  we are approaching the 5 month mark.

But for now, she's' doing good and she's back to pain free....  that is a good thing.

I created this card while playing with the CalGals last month.  I was really not in the mood to play that day so I was surprised that I created a few cards while at Shannon's.

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Whisper White, Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum
*Images:  Close To My Heart From Me To You
*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry, Pale Plum
*Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! ribbon (coloured with an Old Olive marker); Michael's Bridal Flowers (coloured with Stampin' Up! ink); Kaiser Rhinestones
*Challenges:  FTL90

Not sure that I like the ribbon colour....  maybe a lighter green would have worked out better.


Thanks for coming by to visit today!

*Sunshine? Is That Really You?*

Mother Nature has seen fit to stop the rain and cold for a few days and we have a fairly nice forecast for the weekend.  But come Monday, it's supposed to be grey, wet and cool again.

Bring on summer!  I am ready for it!

Thank you all for the very nice comments on the extremely ugly card I posted earlier this week....  funny how the one card I post that I truly hate gets so much fan mail LOL!  For those who suggested I wait a few days and see if I like it better, it didn't work.  I made that card weeks ago and I still don't like it LOL!

But I'm glad some of you do!

The card I am sharing today is one I made at the last CalGals gathering a few weeks ago at Shannon's house...

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Going Grey, Pacific Point; PaperTrey Ink whie
*Images:  Close To My Heart From Me To You
*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Stampin' Up! Pacific Point; Copics
*Embellishments:  Stickles (I did the dots in the centre of the flower)


Again, not a stellar card, but I like it a lot more than the last one I posted lol!

Happy Friday everyone!

*My Grade 9 Graduate*

I just want to take a moment to be a proud Mom.... to show off my handsome son, as dressed up as he's ever been, ready to head off to his Grade 9 Farewell Dance.....

I still can't believe he is old enough to start high school in the fall!

*I Don't Like It*

And I don't expect you to either....

I truly do not like this card.  It looked so much better in my head.  But on paper, it's not anything wonderful.

But in the spirit of full disclosure, I figured I should share the good, the bad and the ugly.

And today I am sharing the ugly!

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  PaperTrey Ink White; Stampin' Up! Pink Pirouette, Pacific Point
*Images:  Gel-A-Tins Oodles of Doodles; Amuse
*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Pacific Point, Kiwi Kiss
*Tools:  Corner Chomper


I used one of the ideas in the Go To Sketches magazine I picked up at Michaels a month or so ago....  and am so not pleased with this card....

Oh well... we all gotta try something a little different once in a while...

Enjoy your Wednesday... it's raining cats and dogs here in Calgary so now that I have my errands done I think I will craft until it's time to take Matthew to drums.

*Flowers Flowers Flowers*

Happy Friday everyone!  It was a beautiful sunny morning here in Calgary but things have gotten cloudy this afternoon.

I spent some time out in the yard on Wednesday and planted the perennials I purchased the week before.  I also planted the wave petunias in the raised flower bed around the deck.  I discovered I needed more petunias though so I will have to head back to Rona this weekend.  Today I stopped by Walmart and I found some beautiful Hostas for the one bed in the front where we get very very little sun.  I sure hope that they survive!  I also bought a Dahlia for in one of the back beds but discovered when I got it home that I will have to pull it up in the fall and store it out of the cold.  I had hoped to not to have to do that.... but I will try it and see how it goes.  I think I will stop buying flowers for now until I see how the ones I have planted grow for this year.  And next year I'll add some more if needed.

I've had several cards "starred" in my Google Reader for many months (some even years) and when I wanted to be creative a week or two ago I started going through those favourite cards to create my own versions of them.  This is one I found on Jennie's Blog....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  PaperTrey Ink White; Stampin' Up! Basic Black
*Images:  Verve; Stampin' Up! Warm Words
*Ink:  Memento Tuxedo Black; Copics, VersaFine Onyx Black
*Embellishments:  Stardust Stickles

I am heading off on a two night trip to Regina on Sunday to attend the funeral of a good friends' Dad.  I have known this family literally all my life and Tracy and I have been friends since we were babes in arms....  her family lives four houses down from the house I grew up in (where Mom still lives) and Tracy is a mere 3 days younger than me.  We've known each other since the day she came home....  just a few weeks shy of 40 years ago!  Her Dad passed away suddenly on Tuesday and I want to be there for her for the funeral because I know just how difficult that can be.  Bruce and the boyz will be "baching" it until I get home on Tuesday...

Have a wonderful weekend!

*Not My Idea*

Nothing much for chit chat from me today because honestly, I just don't feel like it.....

This is my take on a card I saw on Andrea's Blog....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  Stampin' Up! Kraft
*Patterned Paper:  Imaginisce
*Images:  Stampin' Up! Best Yet
*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Best Yet; Copic markers
*Embellishments:  Michael's Bridal Flowers (coloured with Copics); Kaiser Pearl; unknown grosgrain ribbon


I love this old release from Imaginisce....  and am sad to find some of my stash being depleted....

Enjoy your day.

*Welcome June*

While I am welcoming June to 2010, I am also happy to welcome the sunshine back to Calgary.... and I am hoping that warmer temperatures are following (and soon!).  We're already warmer at 11am than our daytime highs have been for a week....  but still below average.

Is it really so difficult, Mother Nature, to provide us with awesome weather??

And being the first of June also means it's a day of celebration in our house...  my wonderful husband Bruce and I got married 19 years ago today!  The time has flown by so quickly, but when you look at all we've accomplished, done and enjoyed, 19 years doesn't seem nearly long enough.  I love you more today than I did 19 years ago, Bruce....  I am so happy to be your wife.

I've actually been creating cards the last few days but the weather has been too wet  or windy or generally crappy to get outside and get photos (hopefully today!) so I am sharing some of the older cards I made instead.

And let me tell you, I love this card....

Items Used:
*Cardstock:  PaperTrey Ink White; Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry
*Images:  Inkadinkadoo
*Ink:  Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry
*Tools:  Big Shot; Daisies embossing folder; Corner Chomper
*Embellishments:  Stampin' Up! Rich Razzleberry ribbon
*Inspiration:  December 9, 2009 post at Poetic Artistry

This was such a quick and easy card to put together.... but I just love how it looks!  Thanks for the inspiration Julee!