I Rock.

Say it with me "You Rock Milena"!!

Hahahaha.

Here it is the 30th of January and what am I doing? I'm posting my 365 page for the week ending January 30th. Yep, that's right. It's completed, posted, printed and in the album.

I rock.

Thanks for looking.

Lots to say . . .

. . . but no time to say it.

Here's my 365 for you for last week. It's the same as the last 2 and won't change until February!

Thanks for looking and have a great day.

There was no question in my mind as to whether or not I would do the 365 for 2010. While it was a lot of work, the end result was well worth it. I think it will quickly become one of my favourite albums. The only question for me was how I would do it for 2010.

Initially I decided I would do 8 ½ X 11 pages so that I didn’t have to cut them down. They would be simpler than simple. I was going to import all my photos into Picasa and make a collage from there that I would slap on the page and include journaling. This was my first attempt:

Blah.

That’s what I thought when I looked at it. Just blah.

I don’t normally scrapbook 8 ½ X 11 and I think that was my first issue. My second issue was that while the collage option in Picasa is awesome, it doesn’t let me choose which photo is the largest photo. You know I don’t like to be in control!! Haha. Then there was the journaling. I couldn’t figure out how to fit it on the page so I put it in the collage but it’s so small you can barely read it.

So here’s what I’m doing.

In 2009 each week had 2 pages and I used the same colours/papers throughout the month. For 2010 there will only be 1 page per week. This should save me lots of ink. Each month will follow the exact same design. I’ve bought a few templates and I will use just one template per month. This should make it fast and I think, in the end, very cohesive.

So, that’s my plan. Have a great day and thanks for looking!

Final Pages 2009 365

Well, here they are. My final pages for the 2009 Project 365 album. Even though at times it has felt like a lot of work - a chore even - I'm glad I did it. It's a great album to look through and it really gives you a good idea of what the year was like for us.

Am I going to do it again?

You betcha.

It's going to be a little different but I will do it again.

Thanks for sticking with me!! I should have my first couple of 2010 pages up shortly!

Scrap Space

When we moved to this house in 2002, a corner of the basement was dedicated as my scrapping area. In the last house, I had my own room and I really felt I needed that here too. It was in the playroom but I was okay with that. It worked. I could scrap while the girls played, watched TV etc.

Then we acquired Dave’s Dad’s old hobby desk. I liked the idea of using it for my scrapping because I could stand at it, because it was old and because it had been Dave’s Dad’s. We moved all my scrapping stuff into Dave’s office and I got rid of my scrapping tables. We shared the office and each had our own workspace.

However, the table faced the wall and I discovered I don’t do well facing a wall with my back to the room. I also found the table was too tall for me to stand at and the only stool that was tall enough for it was the one I came with. I had to climb up onto it and there was a crack in the seat that pinched my bottom. Ouch.

Eventually I moved all my scrapping stuff up to the dining room. I put baskets full of supplies under the old church pew; I filled the bottom of the china cabinet. I took over the dresser that stands in the corner. It worked very well for quite some time. I found I could crop for 5 or 10 minutes at a time while cooking dinner and helping with homework. The only downside was that my dining room always looked like a bomb hit it. Plus, we got a new table and chairs that were just the wrong height for me. I found I couldn’t sit at the table for more than 15 minutes without my lower back aching.

So, I moved it all back down to Dave’s office in the basement. It all fit in and looked very neat and tidy but it was first and foremost his office. So, on the weekends, he’d be down there so I couldn’t crop. At night, he’d be down there so I couldn’t crop. I couldn’t leave things out and messy when they were in progress and not finished yet. I must admit, it drove me slowly crazy.

So, I have reclaimed my original corner of the playroom. It’s not fancy and perhaps not even particularly attractive, but it’s mine.

And I love it. I love the fact that the girls are often down there and I can work alongside them while they are crafting, gaming, playing or watching TV. I’ve got myself my space back.

I never should have moved it in the first place.

Stolen Stolen Tag

I’m trying to be more consistent and regular with my blogging but I didn’t have anything ready so I took this from Barb’s blog. Thanks Barb!!!

1.Name someone with the same birthday as you.
I don’t know anyone personally with the same birthday as me so I googled it and the best I could come up with was Natalie Wood and Carlos Santana.

2. Where was your first kiss?
I lived in Oakville so I was in grade 1 or 2. We lived in an apartment building nestled together with a bunch of other buildings. A boy (I can’t remember his name) and I kissed in the stairwell of one of the buildings. I do remember kissing Tommy Sawyer (yes that was his real name) in grade 6 too!! - did you know about that Mom?

3. Have you ever seriously vandalized someone else’s property?
Never.

4. Have you ever hit someone of the opposite sex?
Yes, again in Oakville, I gave a boy a bloody nose and in grade 7 I gave a boy a black eye. Nasty.

5. Have you ever sung in front of a large number of people?
Yes, as a child, before I realized I couldn’t sing.

6. What’s the first thing you notice about your preferred sex?
Their smile.

7. What really turns you off?
Selfishness.

8. What do you order at Starbucks?
Tall, soy, caramel macchiato.

9. Have you ever hurt yourself on purpose?
No.

10. Say something totally random about yourself.
I am a homebody. If I had my way, I would stay home and not leave. I like it best when everyone is here with me.

11. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
No.

12. Do you still watch kiddie movies or TV shows?
When my girls want me too but not voluntarily.

13 Did you have braces?
No.

14 Are you comfortable with your height?
No. I’m 5’4”. I am often the shortest one in a group.

15. When do you know its love?
When you find yourself sharing things you wouldn’t share with anyone else.

16. Do you speak any other languages?
I took French all through high school. I knew my math marks would not get me into University. I think I’ve forgotten most of it though.

17. Have you ever been to a tanning salon?
Yuppers.

18 Have you ever ridden in a limo?
Yes. 3 times. My wedding and then a couple of years ago I had 2 engagements 2 nights in a row that both involved a limo. My girls thought I was very cool.

19. What’s something that really annoys you?
Not having enough time to scrapbook more.

20. What’s something you really like?
Scrapbooking.

21. Can you dance?
Absolutely not.

22. Have you ever been rushed by an ambulance into the emergency room?
No. I watched my mom go in one though when I was around 15 or 16.

There you go. That's it about me. Now it's your turn!!!

Award? For me?

My scrapbooking and blogging friend, Barb gave me this Beautiful Blogger Award. What a lovely surprise. Thanks Barb.


The award comes with the following responsibilities:
1. I must thank the person who bestowed this honor upon me. Done.
2. Copy the award and place it on my blog. Done.
3. Link to the bestower’s site. Done.
4. Enumerate seven interesting things about myself. Here they are.

- I was born in England and moved to Canada when I was 18 months old. From there I have lived in West Hill, Agincourt, Toronto, Edmonton, Oshawa and Oakville - sometimes in more than one location per city!!

- I am not a morning person. Getting out of bed in the morning is evil.

- I have to read before I go to sleep. If I don't, I have trouble sleeping.

- I love lists. I have lists of lists and numerous notebooks to keep me on track.

- I wish I could dance and sing. If I catch any of those reality dancing shows on TV, I'm filled with envy. It's not gonna happen though.

- It was never my intention to be a Stay At Home Mom. My own mother always worked and I really thought I would do the same thing. I couldn't wait to graduate from University and put on my first suit with nylons and high heels. And then I had Meredith and my life changed for the better. I love being home and I can't imagine ever working in an office again.

- My first job was at McDonald's and I ate way too many french fries while I was there.

There you go. Some of you know some of those things. Some of you don't. I'm not sure how interesting they are but . . .

5. Now I'm supposed to link to seven other bloggers I find beautiful. Unfortunately I don't know many bloggers and I can't come up with seven so I hope this will do:

My good friend Nicola who I would be lost without. She doesn't have a blog but she does have a website.

My good friend Anne who makes all my bags. She doesn't have a website or a blog but I hope she will soon.

Janet who makes me laugh on Tuesdays.

Joy who I don't see often enough on Tuesdays!

And of course Barb who makes me smile and laugh every week and has introduced me to so many other wonderful women and scrapbooking addictions!! Thanks Barb!!

UGH!!

My apologies. I can't get the video to play on the next post. Can you?

Perhaps I'll have to upload to YouTube next time. I've never done that. Wish me luck.

All About Meredith

A couple of things I've been meaning to share are Meredith's comic and her flute playing. I'm putting these on here primarily so my Mom can see them but also because I'm proud of her for working through things and never giving up.

This is her comic - The Girls of the Elements:

She started this early in 2009 (I can't remember exactly when) and she finished it in November. She worked so hard on it. I love the details showing the arms moving up and down and the image of just the feet so we know the girls are walking. Way to go Meredith. You had a vision and you saw it through to the end. I can't wait to see the next installment.

Now here she is playing the flute.

The flute has not always come easy to her and I think she finds it quite challenging. One day over the holidays she went up to her room and didn't come down until she had learned the tune. Again, she persevered and saw it through to the end.

I am proud of this girl each and every day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I know I’m a few days late but it just had to be said.

We rang in the New Year with our neighbours. They put on a great party every year with yummy food and a lot of video gaming in the basement for the kids. This year we didn’t last until midnight. Isobel was exhausted from being up late a few nights in a row and their guinea pig peed on her lap. When we got home, Isobel had a quick shower and went straight to bed. Dave, Meredith and I watched the New Years’ Eve celebrations in New York on TV but I only lasted until shortly after 11. Meredith and Dave made it all the way to midnight!!

I hope 2010 is a great year for all of you, filled with fun, laughter, love and prosperity.

No 365 pages to post today, but I promise it is next on my “Freakin’ Never Ending To Do List”. With the girls back at school I feel like I’m crossing things off that list with lightening speed.

Give me a couple of days, and I’ll be back on track.