What a wonderful Xmas!!!!

Well Dan surprised me to bits with the gift of a Nikon D50 camera, that by far was my favorite part of this Xmas, (as materealistic as that may sound), I was truly shocked!!

The kids were spoiled as they always are, and loved every minute of our 2 family gatherings.

I seldom take pictures of Xmas, I am usually taking a toy out of the million twisties they put on them or running the video camera, I prefer to have these holidays captured live, but this year I made more of an effort being the scrapbooker I am ;)

I hope you had a great holiday and got to spend some quality time with your loved ones.

here are some pics I took with my new baby....

Close to my Heart, Heart of Winter campaign starts today!!!!!

if your in the market for some amazing stamping and scrapbooking supplies today is the start of an amazing sale, you can get all the details here!!! Happy shopping!

Oh Christmas Tree.........

just a little picture to get you in the holiday mood. After all there are only 12 more days until Christmas!! The kids are getting so excited and keep wondering what Santa will bring.

Tonight is the night I have been looking forward to for a month or so now, I'm meeting up with Vicki Boutin, Jen Backler , Patti Thompson, Patti Miller and Elia for dinner tonight. These girls are the best, and I wish we all lived closer so I could see them more often!! I am so glad the weather is going to be nice and safe for driving, this time of year you can never be sure!!!

A cleaning house sale

well since I have been cleaning up to clear out for Xmas I had another pile to list on EBAY so if you would like take a peak and see if anything tickles your fancy. and I can't believe there is only 14 days til Christmas, thanks goodness I'm ready!

Happy 11th Birthday!!!

my how time flies!!!

Happy 4th Birthday!!

to my baby girl~~~

My heart is

healing. I miss my boy, but he's called everyday since he left so that makes me feel better. I so want him to be happy and live the life he deserves. Thank you so much to everyone for their thoughts and hugs. It;s nice to know that people think i did him some good, I really needed it.!

For Zack...

always know how much we loved you, always know we'll forever be there, we shall miss you dear boy and hope and pray that the happiness you deserve finds you and stays with you, now and always!

It's official

Zack is going home on Friday, I don't know how the system can fail so miserably, don't get me wrong I am totally for reuniting the family, but in this case, as noted by psychiatrist's and doctors that have told this agency he SHOULD NOT return home ever, it saddens me to know that he is, I feel a great loss for the potential he had if he would have been placed for adoption, I really feel that this little boy feel through the cracks :(

Just listed a tonne of rubber stamps and scrapping goodies

in my new venture to sell Close to my Heart i figured i better clean out the scrap closet. so I have listed a bunch of my unloved scrap goodies and some old stamps, some are unused on EBAY thanks for peeking!

Open for business!!!!!!! and some sad news

I got my consultant kit from CLose to my Heart today, I am so excited!!! and overwhelmed, so much to read and learn and make so I have some artwork up on my Consultant site. So much to do.

Now my sad news, as many of you know I am a foster parent, we have had Zack with us since March 31, 2004, and I learned today that there is an extremely good chance he will be returning home to his mom on the 24th of this month, I'm happy a family will be reuinted but for those of you that know us IRL, it is honestly not the best thing for my dear son. I ask those of you that do to say a prayer for Zack that he will be safe and happy should this happen, I will never erase from my mind the reasons and condition he was in when he came to my home almost 3 years ago, keep him in your thoughts

A new Business venture

I signed up to become a Close to my Heart consultant. I am addicted to their Bonding Memories Glue as well as their unique acylic stamps and thought why not try to sell them. You can check out the link to my online shopping and website, although I don't have any artwork up yet, I haven't received my starter kit yet. But feel free to purchase some goodies for the scrapbooker/stamper in your life!! Thanks for peeking, the link is on the right---->

Happy Halloween!!!!!!!!

My foster son Zack as Dracula, I blacked out his eyes for privacy reasons and Nicks face is covered by his mask for privacy reasons

My foster son Nick as Batman

My nephew Carson as Elmo

My nephew, Brayden as Darth Vader

My neice, Abbygale, as Cookie Monster

Victoria as Sleeping Beauty

Marissa the cheerleader

Trick or treating was fun as always, the kids got a tonned of goodies, I could not get one clear picture of Victoria, she was constantly moving :)

Well it's

still the same around here damage wise, the tree is still laying across the yard and the town is still recovering, there are Disaster Service vehicles at homes all over, lots of people lost their basements. I am so thankful that the tree was our biggest loss and that it missed the house when it fell!

On a happy note, I went for a girls weekend away with Patti and Elia last weekend to Ohio. I got al little scrappin stuff that I hadn't seen anywhere around me and a lot of Christmas gifts for the kids. It's hard to believe it's just 8 weeks away!!! We went to the Cracker Barrel for breakfast out last day there and WOW!!! if you've never been to a Cracker Barrel you really should go what a totally neat place!!! We had a million laughs and a Forest Gump waiter at dinner one night, I got a Starbucks Chai latte which is a big deal cause the closest one to me is a 30 min drive, alittle to far to go for coffee :)

I'm still deciding whether or not i want to enter HOF for Creating Keepsakes magazine, just not confident enough yet, but i do have some ideas floating around in my head!! We'll see what happens!!!

84 hours without power!!! and snow in October!

My poor tree

Friday morning

Well after 84 hours without power, things are getting back to normal, I got up at 5 when the power came on this morning to tackle the mountain of laundry that built up over the past 4 days. The kids and I spent 2 nights at my mom's staying warm and entertained while Dan held down the house and his parents house 5 min away, They picked the perfect time to go on vacation!!!
We had to go to Burlington to get a generator as there wasn't one anywhere to be found in this area!
I am tired and do not know how people lived without power so many years ago, it is something we sure take for granted! and this morning I couldn't love anyone more than the hydro guys who have been working round the clock to restore power to our home and city!!!

Christmas Card photos shoot

I took the girls for a shoot yesterday, the weather was so nice here!! After all the rain this past week, I was so glad. I took about 50 shots, these were my favorite 3, CC welcome, I'm really trying to improve my photography!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

How can it

already be October? This year has truly flown by. I started my Christmas shopping yesterday, Walmart has some gret deals on stuff for their anniversary sale!!! I'm trying to get my neice a TMX Elmo for Xmas, good luck with that Auntie Kim, LOL. I can't believe the price of them on EBAY, WOW it's crazy what people will pay for one toy and in a year or 2 they will be all over Value Villiage and garage sales just like the ones ten years ago.

I'm very excited about the scrapbooking forum that my dear friend Patti set up it has a great forum and a storefront, which i had the pleasure of choosing some merchandise for if your a scrapbooker be sure to check it out here!!!

Started

a new scrap resume/portfoilio. the link is on the sidebar, please let me know what you think!

could the weekend

get any better??!!! After my post from yesterday I sent some layouts to Scrapbook and Cards Today magazine and within a few hours I got an email back requesting one of them. Talk about a turn around weekend, I wonder if getting a lottery ticket would be pushing it?!!LOL

and so to my dear friend Tina who advised me to submit I send you.....

What an awesome weekend!!!!!

On Saturday I went to a crop with my gal pals from Scraptivity, as usual I laughed lots, ate tons of junk and this time, I know some of you won't even believe it, but I actually cropped!!!!! I did 4 pages, if you don't believe it you can see it on my girl Tina's Blog.

And to top off the day, which was already awesome!!! I get home and my dh had a huge surprise for me:

Rewind a few days, DH comes home with a 32" TV/monitor for his computer, I suggest that we go to buy a dishwasher on Sunday and get a nasty" do we have money for a dishwasher?" "uh yeah maybe if you hadn't spent $1000 on that monitor" anyway, I was complaining about it at the crop, I get home and lo and behold a new dishwasher, installed ready to go, I almost cried, he totally blew me away!!! maybe people really can change!!!

Another tag.....

this one comes from my fellow tea lover Tara.


5 Wierd things about me....

1. I have a double jointed thumb, that I like to make do a hula dance

2.I do not like to be alone in the dark

3.I actually like the Tom Cruise version of War of the Worlds

4.My sister and I both went through the same cancer scare, within 2 years

5.I used to LOVE shrimp, but since I was pregnant with my first dd 10.5 years ago I havne't touched it!


I tagging Patticakes and Sue S!

Fall..........

is here!!! The air is crisp, the leaves are changing and Victoria starts going to school every day today. There have been some changes made, the class was so big that they had to hire another teacher and now she will go in the afternoon instead. She will have a supply teacher for the next 2 days until the real teacher is hired and she will start on Friday, thurs, there is no school in the afternoon, talk about a confusing start to school!!!

This Saturday is a Scraptivity crop and I'm so excited about that, I love getting together with those ladies, such an awesome bunch, the day never lasts long enough with them!!!

And with Christmas and the girls birthdays approaching faster than I would like I need to start planning out some shopping!!!

I've been tagged

by Jewels. Thanks Jewels, I'm gonna tag, Patti, JenS! and HeatherS!


1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be? Right next door to Disney World and one in the outskirts of Niagara Falls, close to everyone I love
2. What's your favourite article of clothing? My PJ's ;)
3. Favourite physical feature of the opposite sex?HMMM I don't think it would be appropriate to post by first choice so I will say his butt
.4. What's the last CD that you bought? The Dixie CHicks
.5. Where's your favourite place to be? At home with my family
.6. Where is your least favourite place to be? Outside in the winter !!
7. What's your favourite place to be massaged? My feet and neck.
8. Strong in mind or strong in body? Mind!
9. What time do you wake up in the morning? 7:30am
10. What is your favourite kitchen appliance? The fridge keeps my Dr. Pepper cold!!
11. What makes you really angry? People who abuse their kids, I don't mean the odd spanking here and there, I'm talking making them black and blue
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Electric guitar.
13. Favourite colour? Pink
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV? SUV
15. Do you believe in an afterlife? Yes.
16. Favourite children's book?Anything Dr.Suess
17. What is your favourite season? Summer.
18. What is your least favourite household chore? Dishes
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be? to create world peace
.20. If you have a tattoo, what is it? don't have one but if i did it would be a fairy.
21. Can you juggle? No.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to? My grandmother. and Brian
23. What's your favourite day? Saturday.
24. What's in the trunk of your car? some lawn chairs
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger? hamburger

Well that's it

I no longer have any babies at home, today was V's first full day of school, they stagger them in here for JK, she had a 20min meet the teacher last week, a full day today with 10 other kids then the whole class starts on Monday.
And I will admit it, I cried, bawled like a baby, not in front of her, when she lined up they came, hard and fast, I'm not good with letting go of my children, I try to be, but I'm not, I love them more than my life itself and wish we could hang on forever. Here they come again as I type this, and remember how scared her little face looked in that line. I know she'll love it in a few days and will look forward to each morning of school the way all little kids do, but for me it means the end of babyhood, no more little ones at home with me and that makes me just a little bit sad.

Happy birthday!!!!!!

to my honey who is the big 33 today and to my sweetie pie niece, Abbygale who is one today

A new look...

I thought the black was too dark and hard on the eyes, so I changed to a more me colour, i love pink.
Hope you like it!!!

2 down and 2 to go

Well the first to back to schoolers are home and totally excited about the new year. My other 2 don't start until Thursday(they have a staggered entry for Juniour Kindergarten) They go on the 13th again and start full time on the 18th so I'll have more back to school pics to share so here are the kids today, so dreary here, i really wanted to get some cool shots!! I have to block out my foster sons face for privacy reasons

Summer ends

on a dreary note, lots and lots of rain here!!!! the kids are sad that is has ended like this, they wanted to play and swim before the grandparents close the pool, here are 2 of my fav pics from this summer

A friendly reminder...

that I was asked to be the Guest Design Team member for Pick of the Patch for September, I get to post my designs tommorrow, I have a tummy full of butterflies, I hope I did them proud, it's a wonderful site full of great ladies and a gent!! Please check them out Pick of the Patch, I go by kimmiec on there as well, please let me know what you thought of my designs!!! hugs

My baby is starting school.........

I can't believe it, I thought I had another year with her home, watching her grow, I was wrong. I didn't realize the if your child is turning 4 before December 31st, and they don't start JK they will automatically be put in SK the following year. I really don't like this, you know if your child is ready and most JK'ers are 4 turning 5, I really think you should have a choice on when they begin. My oldest DD was in the same boat, but there was no doubt in my mind she was ready at 3 to start school, and she has excelled, but my little V is so timid and babyish still and TINY, I am worried about her.
What if the bus crashes, she doesn't even weigh 30 pounds, she will be thrown for sure, I think this is what scaring me the most, she is so small, I think a year of growth physically more than anything is needed, I really want to fight with someone and ask to have an option, but I don't want to hold her back, I know she's smart, I know she'll makes friends, I know she needs to grow up and start school, I just wish I had more than a week to prepare myself for it, and that babies could stay babies for awhile longer. Whatever happened to the days of old when you were 5 starting into Kindergarten? That was me 5 and ready, here's to hoping the first day goes easily for both of us!!!!

Daisie coming home and Deal of the Week!

it looks as though our little girl will be coming home today!!! I'm so excited about that! The vet called yesterday and our hearts stopped, vets don't call on Sunday with good news right?, thankfully we were wrong, he called to say how great she was doing considering she was on death's door last Monday!!! Can't wait until 10 am so we can call and arrange for her to come home!!!

Deal of the Week

well this week my deal is FREE, well not totally free but i sold some older product at an LSS garage sale on Saturday and sold enought to get a Making Memories Runway tote and a bunch of other stuff, you got the amount of stuff you sold at the sale in bucks for the store, I will be doing this again for sure!!!

Happy Anniverary!

Dan and I are celebrating 5 years today, and hoping that our little doggie will be home to celebrate with us! Being a scrapbooker i thought I'd post a layout instead of our actual pic, Have a great weekend!!

It's better news...

today, we have a diagnosis for Daisie, it's called Addison's Disease, it's something she can live with at least!! if we can get her better!!! they are starting treatment this afternoon, fingers crossed she's home soon!!! http://www.addisondogs.com/addisons/print_page/whatis_print.htm

It doesn't look good

the blood work for Daisie came back, her kidney is shutting down, it's so sad, she is a lovely dog, the best temperment and so loyal. They are going to do a kidney flush tommorrow and give her another x-ray with dye to get a better picture, but the vet isn't very optomistic.
It was just 5 years ago that I fell in love with her, she was my wedding gift to myself on August 18th, 2001. I hope she fights and gets better, we so need our little dog to come home.

What a stressful couple days....

our dear fur baby, Daisie, is terribly sick, we don't know what's wrong for sure, the vet thinks she got into something poisonous or toxic. We don't know how she's never outdoors alone, unless she got into something while we were at my inlaws(they have a huge field) and she likes to run off into it. We were stunned by how fast she went down hill, from Friday being her usual self to Monday not being able to walk on her own and having a very low heart rate and temperature. I spoke to the vet again now and she is back into the normal ranges but her blood work still isn't in so they are keeping her overnight again. At least the x-rays show her insides are normal, that is good, means no surgery needed. Anyway if you could keep thinking some positive puppy healing thoughts with us, we'd be grateful, our house is too quiet without her, and that's hard to say living in a house with 4 kids

Niagara Region Scrapbookers

just a head's up that The Scrapping Nook is having a garage sale on August 19th from 10-2pm, this is for scrapbooking and other paper craft related item, sorry no lawn movers at this sale, if you need an address please click the link in my sidebar, hope to see you there!!!!

I love summer

It's full of such wonderful memory making days. Last Saturday I took the kids to a birthday party in Burlington at La Salle park. It has a splash pad and a huge playground, they are still talking about it today!! This weekend I am taking Saturday off, and going shopping with my sister, after Dan being gone for 2 weekends this month and having the 4 kiddies home with just me, I am totally wiped out. Love em to death but they are exhausting!! :)
We are going to our friends cottage again this month for a week, the kids are so excited about that, they remember how great it was last year, a week on the beach, I just hope the weather is as perfect as it was last year!!
Dan and I will be celebrating 5 years of marriage on the 18th, although it hasn't been a picnic lately, with him working so much and being away, I'm feeling very neglected, but i keep telling myself it's just temporary and we're getting our Disney fund going VERY nicely!!! which is a plus!

Deal of the Week

okay it's Sunday and there for my deal of the week day, not terribly exciting this week but a deal none the less, it's a game from Hallmark, called Celebraitons, i got it for $2.oo at the Buck or Two in St.Catharines, On. looks like a fun game for the money!!!

What a heatwave!!!

I don't know about where you live but here in Ontario today it is hot, hot, hot!!! I'm staying in side with the kids as they say it's not healthy to be outside in weather as hot as this. I hope everyone is staying cool!!!

If you have kids and live within

driving distance of Rochester, NY, you MUST take you kids to the Strong Museum www.museumofplay.com. We took our kids there yesterday and can I just say WOW, WOW, WOW, they had a fabulous time, it is a must do!!!!

Deal of the week

okay I've seen other themes on a certain day of the week on other BLOGS and since my family refers to me as the bargain hunter/finder, I'm going to start making Sunday my Deal of the week day.

The premier deal of the week item is kids Nike SHox, I found them today at Foot Locker in the Outlet mall in Niagara Falls, NY they were $10.00 a pair, can you say FABULOUS!!!!!!!!!

I am so excited!!!!

I tried all morning to get onto Blogger to share my TOOT!!! but I coudln't get on and I was out all afternoon!!!

This has been an amazing scrapbook dream come true month for me, first I was asked to be on Patti's LSS DT and this morning I got an email confirming that I will be the Septmeber Guest Design Team member for http://www.pickofthepatch.com/ I am so very excited, it is a dream of mine to be on a scrapbooking industry DT full time, and you ladies are helping that dream come true for me, huge hugs to you POTP and Patti!!!

Tag- ABC of me you're it!!!

I got this from Kate's BLOG

The ABC tag...
[A is for age:] 33
[B is for booze of choice:] Pina Colada
[C is for career:] SAHM, foster parent
[D is for your dog's name:] Daisie
[E is for essential items you use everyday] Computer,toothbrush, camera
[F is for favorite song at the moment:] Promiscuous!
[G is for favorite game:] Scrabble
![H is for hometown:] Niagara Falls, On
.[I is for instruments you play]I played the organ as a kid!
:([J is for jam or jelly you like:] Raspberry
[K is for kids?] I have 2 daughters and 2 foster sons.
[L is for last kiss] about 10minutes ago
:([M is for moma's job:] SAHM
.[N is for name of your crush:] Vin Diesel, yummy and Patticakes's brother
![O is for overnight hospital stays] Just 2 both for the births of my girls
.[P is for phobias:] no phobias, but I dont like snakes
. [Q is for quotes you like:] if life gives you lemons make lemonade!"
[R is your relationship that lasted the longest]: My current one married to Dan for 5 years together for 7
[S is for sexual preference:] ILove my man!
[T is for time you wake up:] It depends on when the kids get up.
[U is for underwear:] Nothing but Jockey for me!
[V is for vegetables you love]: Red pepper, baby carrots, sweet potatoes.
[W is for worst habit:] not sure, I don't chew my nails or anything like that.
[X is for x-rays you've had] one on my arm when I fell down the stairs, 3 ultrasounds( 2 for pregnancy and one for the growth on my thyroid, and one on my knees.
[Y is for yummy food you make] Lasagna, chicken ceasar salad, brownies, BBQ chicken!
[Z is for zodiac sign:] Aquarius

A new friend

found his way into our lives today. It was a cold and rainy day here in my neck of the woods and while visitng at my parents, who have an inground pool, one of my foster son's looked out at the pool, wishing he could go swimming and instead says," there's someting in the pool, it looks like a rat!!!" We all jumped up and sure enough a rat like creature was trying to swim out of the pool, thankfully at the walk in stairs in the shallow end, we don't know who would let an innocnet little hamster loose into the wild, but stranger things happen in life. Anyway my dad made the big rescue and we are now the proud owners of "Jeffey" the hamster. He seems to have come through his ordeal quite well, and I hope he hangs around for abit to enjoy his second chance!!

I have some amazing friends!!!!!

I have the best group of friends a gal could hope for!!!!

They had a party for me yesterday to celebrate my clean bill of health after my recent cancer scare, I truly love them. I don't know what would life would've been like if it wasn'tfor the interent and a little place called Scraptivity!! Here are some pics from yesterday that myself and Patti took, love you girls!! (((hugs)))

Where are the weeks going?

I can't believe it's been 5.5 weeks since I had my surgery, 3 weeks since school got out and 5 weeks until Dan and I celebrate our 5th anniversary. We does time go? I would love to know that one, it passes wasy faster than 24 hour days should IMO. I haven't taken many pics yet this summer, still trying to master my camera, I can't imagine if I had a SLR how confused I would be :)

Here are some pics of my girls from the other day, TFL!!! Speaking oftime, look how fast 10.5 and 3.5 years have gone :(

It's funny

how things can get blown out of proportion and feelings can be hurt, when you don't really talk to someone you just read an online post. It's all like a game of telephone, it starts out as something innocent and by the time it reaches the end it's something completely different. I posted about some feelings I have towards recent events at one of my favorite haunts, I would like to say that I meant nothing personal to anyone invovled, I was merely speaking how I felt, yes I was surprised by some of the recent choices made, as I know many others were, it DOES NOT mean I am not happy for these ladies and I'm sorry if it came across that I was. I have been thinking of switching kit clubs, that is totally my perogative and again nothing personal to the kit club or it's affliliates, I am looking for a place to hang my hat and feel welcome and recent events involoving some people have got me thinking, I'd be happier else where.
I have received alot of pm's about all of this and I thank you for them, I thought I should set the record straight on my behalf and hope those that know me IRL will help those that don't realize I would never hurt a soul.

The Scrapping Nook is...

having a Design Team call, and WOW is the talent rolling in, I was happily picked to be one of the co-oridinators, and am very glad I don't have to make the final decision, KUDOS to the gals that have sent in their designs, it's some awesome work ladies!!!! Keep em coming just a few more days!

What a great day!!!!

We took the kids(minus Marissa who is visiting at Nanna's) to Happy Rolf's Animal and bird sanctuary in St. Catharines, ON today, can you say fun!!!!! They had a great time, Nick had never been there, and Zack loved it from last year( They are my foster sons) Victoria always has a blast there and eagerly waits to feed the ducks and geese, she has little interest in the horses and lambs and goats and rabbits, it's all about feeding the ducks!!!!

Our New Car

when Dan saw these he just had to have one. It's a great little car! He has named her Cali the Caliber(how original ;)