This Week's Work

Here are 2 little projects that I made for the 28 Days class over at Big Picture Scrapbooking this week.



A layout about a cool gift (the CD player/TV that hangs in our kitchen) .
American Crafts paper from the a la Carte collection.




File folder cards made with double sided cardstock.

Have a happy weekend! We are going to stay with Miss Helayna while her mommy and daddy go away to celebrate their 9th anniversary.

Trees - and Flashbacks

We had a 'little' outdoor project this week. My brother called to say that he had some extra trees and would we like them? Well, we would like them but we really had no place to plant them so ---- Bob's spent the last 2 days disking, rototilling and rolling to get a spot ready.



Here we are - ready to start! There are going to be three very long rows of white and Colorado spruce trees in here very soon.



Thank goodness Mel and Tyler helped us! We ended up planting 384 trees out here. I really hope they grow!



And while we were planting, we reminisced about all the gorgeous rows of planted trees we'd seen in South America. Most farm yards and driveways are lined with huge old eucalyptus trees.



And a very interesting thing about these trees is the wonderful aroma that you get when you crush the leaves. Some smelled like lemon and some had more of a mint smell. Meet Leni and Louise who shared this little bit of info with us - and passed around some leaves to smell on the bus :))



Here is the street right outside of our posada (hotel) in Colonia, Uruguay. It was the start of autumn down there so they trees were just starting to lose their leaves. It's pretty amazing what memories come back to us sometimes!

Questions and Answers - part 1

I must say that you asked me some very interesting questions last week so I'm going to tackle answering some of them this week.

First off, Linds at Rocking Chair Reflections asked:

1.) Where is your favourite place in Canada and why?
I have been fortunate to travel to every province and the Yukon territory and I can tell you that there are beautiful places nearly everywhere one looks in this amazing country. My favourite in the springtime is Vancouver Island. They have green grass, blooming things and warm temperatures long before Alberta does. Anywhere one drives it is a scenic route with ocean, trees and rocks. And at that time of the year every teacher is looking for a break and a holiday!

Other things that I love about Canada: the mountains with their colours in autumn, the prairie skies in summertime, and the coasts of the Atlantic, especially in Nova Scotia. It also helps to have friends in all of these marvelous places which makes for great memories and good times.

2.) I know you have many hobbies but which one do you love most?

I do have lots of things that I love to do and here is a little sampling:



Travelling - Ucluelet on the west side of Vancouver Island




Cooking and baking




Quadding with my sister and her family near Whitecourt, AB




Scrapbooking (2004 LO from our trip to Belize)




Card making



Reading - the basket beside my bed




Photography - a spring bouquet in the truck - I love the light on these!

Do you see a common theme here?! These are pictures that I've taken and then created layouts about so I really do love photography and scrapbooking the best. Without those two my creativity and the expression of it would be stifled. But the others are so close and I truly would miss each of them. I think I am blessed to be passionate and find enjoyment in many things.

3.) Which country that you haven't already visited would you choose to go to for a holiday?
If you know me well, you quickly realize that I will travel anywhere. And when we are on holidays, we often play a little game at the supper table asking that very question so it's something I have considered! Here are some possibilities: Iceland, Antarctica, Australia and New Zealand, Africa, Hawaii, Europe (especially Greece, Italy, and the British Isles - here's lookin' at you, Linds, because that would definitely mean a visit with you!). If our bank account allowed it, I would love to go away twice a year for 3 - 4 weeks each time. Wouldn't that be heavenly?!!

I would love to know your answers to these 3 questions so please feel free to tell me about them in the comments.

Look for more Qs & As soon!

28 Days

I've been having fun with the daily photo assignments from the 28 Days class so here are a few samples. You should try doing these - it's a great record of your life in the here and now!

Day 5 - A Place You Visit Weekly - I'm pretty much a regular here!




Day 9 - Family Shoes - in our front entry




Day 11 - Street Sign




Day 12 - Picture of Family Photos - on our fireplace mantel - one of many groupings in our living room




Day 13 - The Outside of Your Home




Day 16 - A Pile of Stuff - on my scrapbook table




Day 17 - Colour - in Naomi's garden

Creating

In the 28 Days online class from Big Picture Scrapbooking that I'm taking, Gretchen Schmidt gave us an assignment this week using a Memory Sparker (a word that triggers memories). The first word on the list was Grandma and I knew I would do a layout on that right away! This picture of my brother and I with my mom's mom was taken nearly 50 years ago (I used a copy here). The envelope is from Creating Keepsakes Kit of the Month for April and the card inside of it is filled with the journalling.



Another assignment this week was to use a sketch to create a layout so this one has a picture of our granddaughters with Darrin and Kelsey last summer.




And this one was created using some of the pictures I took of Meadow when we visited the greenhouse earlier this week.




I have had a very good week in my studio :))

Quote of the Day

I love this little message that was in my inbox today! So fun to think about as gardening gets going!

Young Tomatoes
My grandma used to plant tomato seedlings in tin cans from tomato sauce & puree & crushed tomatoes she got from the Italian restaurant by her house, but she always soaked the labels off first. I don't want them to be anxious about the future, she said. It's not healthy.

from Story People

Miss M

Chapter 1 - Meadow's Long Weekend



"It's a great day for hanging out at Gramma's house."




"I need to water Gramma's plants. I can fill the cup if you hold it, peese!"




"I think 5 bottles of water will be just about right for all of them. She probably won't have to water them for a couple of days now."




"I can wash your feet, Auntie Kelsey. I know the water's kind of cold but you'll get used to it."




"Swimming but Grampa's busy splashing the ball in my water. I think he wants to swim too."




"I'm heading home now. It gets windy sometimes and then we have to put the top up on Mommy's car. "




" I can play peekaboo looking out the back window."


Chapter 2 - Meadow Visits the Greenhouse



"My Gramma thinks I'm so cute! "




"For some reason I can't seem to stand up in here. Help, help! Oh, here comes Gramma to rescue me. Mommy's too busy taking pictures to be of any help."




"Looking at flowers is really tiring. I think I'll just have a little night-night in here."




"Hmmm - which ones do I like best? There are so many to choose from."




"I'm pretty sure I can figure out how to get these out of here. I'm really good at figuring stuff out. I surprise Gramma all the time!"




"I think I'll take these. Mommy's been looking at white flowers so I think she wants these too."




"I just love picking flowers! A few weeks ago I picked all of Mommy's crocus blossoms too. This has been a really fun day! I think Gramma will be able to make a scrapbook layout from our adventures today. That will make her happy :))"

So Glad

I'm so glad I stuck with it and got my garden planted on Monday! It's been drizzling since early evening yesterday and this rain will really help the seeds sprout. Here's what's already up from my planting 2 weeks ago! Soon we will have salad fixings!




The apple trees are just starting to bloom. I love the bit of pink on the buds.

Thanksliving

These things made my week special:


1. fragrant blossoms on the mayday trees - the first thing to bloom here this year.

2. days spent in complete enjoyment with my precious granddaughters.

3. weiner roasts with baked beans, salads, watermelon and ice cream - summer menu at its best!

4. devotionals and messages from God's word that speak straight to my heart and guide me daily.

5. safe travels by car and by air - Mel and Tyler are safely home in Canada.

6. seeds planted in the garden and tiny seedlings pushing through the soil.

7. bright colors and new growth in greenhouses - and the staff who work hard to have plants ready for gardens and yards.

8. iced chai latte' from Starbucks - a seriously grownup milkshake.

And apparently Blogger has decided not to allow picture posting tonight - sorry!

Miss H

Here's a little glimpse of a day with Helayna!



"Mommy and I are taking swimming lessons! I love going to the pooooool!!!"




"After we put our life jackets on, we got to go in the big pool!"




"Practising my kicking at swimming lessons."




"Trying some of the iced chai latte' that Mommy brought home for Gramma. I was sure surprised at how cold and different from juice it tastes!!"




"Finally - heading to the park! I've been asking Gramma ever since I got up this morning!!"




"I love the gentle breeze blowing my hair back and forth - it feels so good on a hot day."




"Crawling under some of the gym equipment, picking rocks - my favourite thing to do wherever I go."




"Moving dirt around in the big flowerpot. I'll be helping Mommy take care of these flowers every day:"

"Thanks for visiting me. Come again - especially you, Gramma. But don't bother coming if you can't bring Papa. He's the one I really want to play with!"

Thank You

for taking time to tell me why you blog and to have a chance to win a little giveaway in my blogiversary celebration. When I drew names, Rhonda at Life As I See It was the lucky winner! Watch your mailbox for a little package to arrive, my friend! And thanks to everyone for playing along. It was a fun week of reflecting and planning all the things I want to blog about, read about, be challenged by, be inspired by and enjoy out in Blogsville. Here's to many more years of blogging - and to many good times with my blog friends!

Mother's Day Outing

For the last few years, we've arranged to spend a day with my Mom, doing something that we never take time to do the rest of the year. This time, Mom asked if we could visit some greenhouses so we headed over Camrose way and did some touring - and a little buying!







There is just something about the riot of color and green growing things that makes me smile!




I have never seen such a beautiful greenhouse! It was immaculate with gorgeous displays of planted pots, waterfalls and plant groupings. Everything was in full bloom and I just wanted to sit down on a bench and bask in the glory of colours and scents!




There were really beautiful bronze Rain Bells that you hang in your eavestrough and as the rain falls through them, you hear a lovely rushing water sound. I had never seen anything like them before.




Our treat for Mom was to take her to have a pedicure and get her toenails painted for the summer sandals season. She loved the paraffin wax treatment. It's so nice to treat her in a special way that she would never splurge on for herself.