Alive and well

In the time that I've been away from my blog some things have changed...and some things have remained the same.



I am still married to the greatest guy in the world.

I still love photographs but I don't take enough anymore.

I still clean houses but I now have my own clients.

My daughter, Bailey, is 13...yikes! A teenager!!1

I don't scrapbook anymore but I'm going to start again really soon.


My Mom died =(.

Exactly five weeks later my sister died =(.

I have a little dog. Teddy. He's crazy. I love him.

We bought a house. We watched for months as it was built. It was so exciting. I have never felt so at home as I do here.

We went on our first real family vacation...Cuba!

Four weeks later I took Bailey to Disney World. It was my Moms last gift to me...thanks Mom.

Most recently I have realized that I cannot live a life in which I am not being creative. The time for mourning has passed. I am feeling more like myself again and that means it's time to start creating again.

Mike is finishing a room in the basement for me. It is small and cozy and perfect and I've even named it. I can't wait to decorate it and get started with all the little projects I have planned.

I am going to be starting a new blog. I feel that my life has changed...I have changed and with that my blog needs to change.

I will post here when I have it up and running...just in case one of my old "peeps" (does anyone say that anymore?) happens to pop by here (unlikely but just in case).

See you soon. =)

I am still here!!!

...and for Christmas my wonderful husband gave me this:...I am one happy chic =D
...my Pentax bit the biscuit last summer.
...it was a wonderful camera and gave me most of the beautiful photos I have of my daughter.
...it will be missed =(
...but I am still one happy chic =D
...hello Nikon!

How was your Christmas??

Gettin' my Mojo Back?

I really hope so.....



...thanks for looking! =D

Ahhhhhhh!

I scrapbooked today.

Only one page.

But...I scrapbooked today!

God that felt good.

Mind if I show you? =D




Now I've got some cleaning to do. =D

Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!

and Happy New Year to you all!!!!

I want to take Bailey!!!!!!

Algonquin Trip

Mike and I spent this last weekend at Algonquin Park for some much needed couple time. It's been a long time since we had a whole weekend away by ourselves...it was nice! We did some hiking and some canoeing. It was a tad chilly but not uncomfortable and of course having a heated trailer makes all the difference.

I am not overjoyed with the photos I ended up with this time...my camera is in desperate need of some service...I would actually love to upgrade to a new Cannon but we will see about that.

Here are the little pieces of Algonquin Park that I captured this weekend...we plan to go next weekend as well for Thanksgiving so stay tuned for more photos.




We were also lucky enough to see another moose...a buck! Sadly he retreated to the woods before I was able to photograph him...oh well, ya can't win 'em all!

Busy Busy Busy!

Life gets so crazy so quickly sometimes and all of a sudden you find there's no time for anything.
Blogging has taken a back seat to all of the other things that have been going on but I thought I'd just pop in to give a quick update on life in my little world...

- I now have a job...I clean houses with my friend Rochelle. I really enjoy it and it gives me spending money. It's physically tiring but it feels good to be working again.

- Bailey has just begun third grade. I can't believe it! She is growing up too fast and if anyone knows how to freeze time so I can keep things just the way they are right now...that would be great. I would gladly use some of my new income to pay you for such a service. Eight year old's are just about perfect!
Here are some photos from her first day of school...







- We went to Arrowhead again at the beginning of September. It was beautiful as always and we all had a wonderful weekend.
Of course there were plenty of opportunities for picture taking...















- Mike and I are going to take a well deserved "Mommy and Daddy weekend" to Algonquin Park in October...can't wait for that! The colours should be amazing and the local wildlife will hopefully make themselves available for some photos.

Well that about covers the big stuff. Hopefully soon I'll have some new scrapbook pages to show off. See you soon =D.

I Have an Angel to Thank

Mike fell at work.

His employee, Geoff, called my in-laws to get my cell number.

He told me that the paramedics took him to St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. (he was working in Toronto that day)

I had been told that he seemed to be OK but I really had no idea what his condition truly was.

It seemed like a very long drive to the city.

I was afraid of what I was going to see when I got there.

So many terrible thoughts went through my head.

When I got to the emergency room and started walking toward bed 9 my stomach was in complete chaos and I was fighting back the tears.

The curtain was open and there he was, covered in blood, wrapped in blankets and wearing a neck brace.

Oh my God! That is not a sight I ever want to witness ever again!

All I could think was "Thank God he's alive"! "What the hell would I do without him"!

He had x-rays...no broken bones.

He had a CT scan...no brain injuries.

He was given six stitches in his head and four in his eye. (the man has the hardest head in the world)

He had several big, deep bruises. (more than two weeks later some still remain)

He was released from the hospital approximately five hours after he arrived.

This is a photo of the structure that he fell from...it is 25' high...he fell head first!




This photo was taken well after his fall. Long after the structure was fixed and his trailer has been moved. The wood forms were also not there at the time.

Basically, he landed in the ONLY spot that was free of any obstructions, a space barely bigger than he is. Had there been any variation in the way he fell or how he landed...the outcome probably would have been devastating.

I think that maybe...just maybe...an Angel caught him.

Yay Me!!!!

Can I just tell you...

I LOVE my husband...

LOOK what came for me today!




I am soooo happy =D

Another Creation...I'm on a Roll!

I am so proud of the artist that my daughter is. She has a real talent for drawing. I love her bright and colourful style and the little characters that she dreams up are very unique.
She drew all of these little vignettes last summer and I have been looking forward to giving them a special home. I hope I did them justice =D.

Guess What?

I scrapbooked!!!

No...my room's not done.

But...I moved my very large stash of supplies into it anyway.

I just could not take it anymore!

I hope this will give me the "push" need to get it finished.

There's really not that much left to do...well besides cabinet doors, which we will have to wait a while for.

Anyway, I am feeling very creative...inspired by so many people:

Pink Tomato...with her very own brand new store!

Jennifer...love her stuff and I miss seeing her in person.

Tara...makes the cutest cards and her talent for scrapbooking just keeps amazing me.

The other day I made my first trip to The Scrapbook Academy since I stopped scrapping. That gave me the warm fuzzies. It was so good to see Charlene...I missed her.

And as always...Elsie Flannigan is soooo inspiring but I think my very favorite scrapbook artist is Vicky Boutin. I took a class from her once and found that she works very much like I do. I just love to look at her pages.

Here are the very first pages created by me in over nine months...hope you like them.

Our New Favorite Place

Arrowhead Provincial Park is located in Huntsville Ontario and is one of the nicest parks we've been to. We were especially impressed with the privacy and size of the campsites. We could not see any other sites from ours and had a feeling of having the place to ourselves even though the park was practically full.
I would recommend this Provincial Park to anyone who loves to camp and isn't looking for a "party park". This campground was peaceful, quiet and family oriented and I hope it stays that way.

Here are a few of the many photos that we took. Keep checking back to see more.

Happy Father"s Day...

Today is very emotional. We are going out for breakfast and then I'm going to go to the cemetery. This will be the first time that I can't hug and kiss my dad on Father's Day. I will take a flower to his grave and tell him I miss him and that I love him and I know he will hear me. I really believe that he will hear me.
Love the men in your life today...they may not always be there.

So ends his suffering...

God grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

Courage to change the things I can;

And wisdom to know the difference.

William Harvey "Slip" Rowe
1929 - 2008

At approximately 5:30 am on May 29 2008...I lost my dad.
He was, so I am told, very much at peace at the time of his passing. I am so thankful for that. I am thankful for the days before his death that I was able to tell him that I loved him and I am thankful that he nodded his head in comprehension. I know that he understood.
All of his children were able to see him at some point in the week before his passing. We were all able to spend the time we needed to and my mom spent many hours by his side in the three weeks he was in the hospital.
My dad left behind six children and their spouses. Eight grandchildren and a wife he loved for nearly fifty-seven years. He was seventy-nine. I am going to miss him terribly.

Just a Quick Up-date...

My Dad is very ill. He has been in the hospital for 10 days now. I really don't expect him to ever go home. Besides growing old and the fact that he has smoked for around 65 years and his heart is now starting to pay for it, we're not really sure what is wrong. His mind is going and he is talking a lot about his parents (They both have been gone since before I was born). The word "Alzheimer's" is starting to be used in conversations about him. It's not fair! He's my Dad! It's just not fair.

I am still going to the gym. That alone must be some kind of record for me. What's more is that I still love it! Flabbies are starting to disappear and I can actually see muscle taking it's place. Even better Mike tells me he can see it too. Bailey was captivated by my new bicep muscle. She's so funny.
Mike is also doing well with his workouts, although he lost about a weeks worth due to a slight case of the flu. We have been going together now that my personal training sessions are over and it's great to spend that time together.

OK...OK...The art room!!! No...it is not finished. (Sorry Jodi!) I take full responsibility for that and I feel terrible because Mike worked so hard to get it to this point. I just get so overwhelmed with all my regular everyday stuff that I have to do. Then all the stuff I want to do, like take photos and blog and stuff, that the idea of sitting alone in a room painting cabinets (oh...so many cabinets!) just makes it difficult to get my ass in gear to do it. I will make time for some of that this week as long as Dad's condition doesn't worsen.

Just so everyone knows...I am still following your blogs. I pop in and check out what's going on and pop back out again. I just haven't had time to comment so...

Jodi...OMG!!!! you're opening a store! YAY! Good for you. I am so excited for you. I'm sure that The Pink Tomato with be amazing and I hope I can talk my husband into taking a road trip someday. I would just love to check out the place and it would be so nice to meet you in person. =D

Tara...you have been making the most adorable cards! The watercolour technique you use is stunning. You are such a talented person.
=D

Jennifer...beautiful new LO's and your photos from your trip are awesome. Keep 'em coming. Your photography is brilliant! Glad you had a good time at DC. Maybe next time I'll join you.
=D

Laura...Happy Mother's Day sweetie! I hope everyone is feeling better now. I also hope your getting lots of use out of that new camera.
=D

To all you Moms...

Happy Mother's Day!!!!!
and to my mom...I love you. You're the best!

Yesterday a 100 year old building in my town caught fire and quickly turned into one of the largest fires we've seen here for quite some time. No one was injured but a wonderful piece of this towns history has been destroyed.

This photo was on page 7 of one of Canada's largest news papers, The Toronto Star, today:



This photo was taken by me (on my cell phone...yuck):


Damn right! That's MY photo!!! It even has my name under it.
It was also shown on the evening news and Breakfast Television.
Don't laugh...this is exciting for me.
I think I would like to do this for a living.

Here are some other shots from yesterdays fire:







Our Mayor:


The aftermath:



More to come.