December, Already?

There is a saying that "time files when you are having fun".  I wish that were true and I could say time has flown by but the past 4 weeks have been like being on a roller coaster and a slow one as well.  I've had metal pins and screws removed from a broken wrist, a kidney stone blasted, the all time favourite procedure - the colonoscopy, and fibroid tumour removed via laparoscopy.  Now is the time to just kick back, take some deep breaths and chill.

Christmas is looming in the background nagging me to start getting ready.  Goodness, will it ever end?   I will just ignore all that for today.

Today, I'm resting and of course playing in PSE with a new kit by Cloudy Chais called  Safari, So Good.  There are so papers, elements, word art, frames, buttons, stickers. 

You can also check out Cloudy Chais  (She likes Chai Tea Latte)  blog  at  http://www.cloudychais.blogspot.com/.

What a Difference One Week Can Make

This past week has been filled with tremendous highs and shattering lows. 

Last Sunday, the Grateful Threads, the quilt group from work, spend the day sewing, laughing, complaining, and eating.  It is always such a fun day.  Nothing beats the feel of good cotton or the jewel tones of a lush batik. These ladies do with fabric what scrapbookers do with paper. 

Fast forward about 2 hours.    ER for me with what in the end was diagnosed as a kidney stone.  Take it from me this is not something nice at all.   It is rather cool how the doctor blasted the stone with shock waves reducing it to dust. At least that is what he said he did, all I know for sure is that when I woke up from the surgery the pain was gone, totally gone. 

The LO is of a flower that formed part of the bouquet from my co-workers.  I have no idea what kind of flower it is.  It's just pretty.  I did this page for a challenge on one of the digital websites I belong to.

Now it's time to move into the next phase of my life.   Life is good.  Simple as that.

Lazy Saturday Afternoon

Today has been lazy in the areas of housework, cooking, laundry, and shopping.  I did manage to catch a bit of a snooze on the couch.  I mostly just played with PSE (Photo Shop Elements) all day.  I have an idea in the back of my mind to design a whole series of digital things with a quilting theme.  Papers, frames, template, stitches, and brushes.  Here is the beginning effort.  The darling little girl is my sister Lois's great-granddaughter,  Now is she a sweetie or what?

Bamberton Provincial Park

 I love going down to Bamberton Provincial Park in the fall.  Great clouds, empty picnic tables, ducks and seals, and our little white dog.  Life is good, simple as that.  And it's less than 10 minutes from our front door.
This was yesterday and now you too can see why I love it there. 

The template is from TammyCirceo Designs
The  background paper, stick pin and round stickers are from the kit called Expresso Yourself  by Cloudy Chais designs.

Happy Halloween!   We live off the beaten track so we get ZERO kids knocking at our door.  The kids around here are too scared to wander down a dirt road with no street lights and then head down our narrow driveway to a house you can't even see from the road.  Little chickens!  In years past we would actually buy a bag of little chocolate bars just in case.  At least that was what we told each other.

So making the best of no kiddies to photograph, I played with a picture of our Kelly and one of myself and did this LO using every thing I could possible use for the digital scrapbook kit

SPOOKTAKULAR by Sara McCarthy Designs.

Growing Spearmint

While on a holiday to Mexico with my sister, Lois, and daughter, Alice Marie, I discovered a very tasty and thirst quenching drink called a mojito.  It was love at first sip.  I don't know if it was the fresh spearmint leaves, the lime, the rum, or the club soda.  I just knew it was the drink of choice during the hot summer. 
I found a little spearmint seedling for sale at the local nursery and planted it in a big pot on our deck, half expecting the roaming band of deer to chomp it down to the ground.  Much to my surprise and delight they only took a few little bites from some of the leaves.  Guess they don't really care about having minty fresh breath.  The page below celebrates that little plant and the lovely mojitos it flavoured.

Halloween is Getting Close

It’s time to play with all the Halloween goodies.  Break out the cookbook with the creepy foods, scary cakes, and bubbling bowls of punch.  Unload the box of wooden pumpkins, ghosts and skeletons. 

This is just the start of the Halloween projects I envision. 

I love the blocks and they are easy and fun to do.  They are just pieces of 2 x 4, cut in different lengths.  Then sanded and painted black.  After the paint dried, sand a bit off the edges to give them a worn look.  Print off the page with your designs, trim to fit your blocks and Mod Podge them onto the blocks.  
I used the Fright Night Collection by Kim Hackworth for the layout.