the little things

This is what a kitten raised by a toddler grows up to be...

This is Laine's cat Molly.  We got her for Laine when she was still a toddler... 2 and half I think, or maybe 3??  I can't even remember at the moment.  She was pretty much raised by Laine.  They did (and still do) everything together.  One thing that Laine insisted on when Molly was a kitten... Molly must learn to ride in the stroller.  Laine was a very determined little girl when it came to this.  

Well, Molly did learn... and Molly grew to actually enjoy it, and now... all these years later, Molly is in that stroller the minute it comes out... on her own free will!!

Yep, this is what a kitten raised by a little girl grows up to be.  In the middle of a chaotic play room, she is right at home in the doll stroller... it is almost as though she really does believe she is a toy! hee heee!  Crazy cat!

Speaking of playroom... it got a complete overhaul today.  I did the 'pre-Christmas' toy sort! ha ha!  I do it every year... out with the 'old', the toys that they have outgrown etc.  This year, there weren't too many that went into the storage room actually... just a few baby toys, that Harley definitely doesn't play with anymore... and a few toys I decided belonged behind closed doors until Piper quits mistaking the kids toys for her toys.  Can't blame her really... they do look the same! lol  

Speaking of Piper (Piper is our almost one year old Boxer)... do you think it is bad that she ate a Cabbage Patch sock today?  Yep, right there in front of me before I could stop her.  Gone.  Ugh... 

OK, that is enough 'random' for today I think! hee heeee!

Later! :)

She definitely has the right idea...

This makes me want to go grab a good book, put on my jammies and crawl into bed.

I kept her home from school today.  She came off the ice early yesterday with a head ache, so we headed home for some much needed quiet time.  I woke her up briefly this morning to see if she was ok to go to school, but she still looked pretty pale.  So I let her stay home for the day.  Not even an hour after we were up for good, I knew she probably could have gone! lol  Oh well, everyone needs a sick day now and then.  

I should also mention that she fell asleep at SCHOOL yesterday!  I guess they were playing a game and they had to lay really still and stay quiet (I think maybe the teacher needed a bit of a breather, and made quiet time into a game!  hee heee!)... anyhoo, she fell asleep.  Apparently it worked a little too well.  Good grief.  Yeah, I am thinking a quiet day at home was probably an ok thing!

We have started putting her to bed between 7 and 7:30 to compensate for her reading... she would keep going till midnight if we let her (and she is totally the type of kid who would sneak a flashlight under the covers if it meant being able to finish her book! lol).  Ever since she was a little toddler, she has always gone to sleep so much easier if she is allowed to read/look at books for just a little bit.  So much like me that way... I can't remember the last time I went to bed without reading or watching tv for at least 5 minutes... just long enough to shut my brain off! lol  

She looks so cozy... definitely has the right idea.  I took this about 45 minutes ago and I can guarantee you that she is still reading!  Time for me to go tuck her in... again! 

Nighty night!  Have a great weekend!! :)

"hereyouooooooooooo!"

So, yesterday... right about the time I was blogging my 'need to blog more real life everyday stuff post', Harley was doing this...  

He had brought me some garbage out of the playroom (candy wrappers that his big sister had stashed somewhere), put it in my hand and says "hereyouooooooooo", which is really 'here you go'... but all one word and no 'g'! heee heeeee!  SO cute!  He was so proud of himself for being such a little 'neat freak' that I played it up a lot... yes, I may have clapped while I was telling him what a good boy he was (he was just so so so proud)!  

I went about blogging, and noticed he was in the garbage can.  After realizing what he was doing, I grabbed my camera... since I am now making an attempt to capture/blog more every day type stuff.  This boy seriously cracks me UP! ha ha!

Yes, he is putting more 'garbage' into the garbage can.  Since this got such great applause the first time... 

Yep, he is clapping.  Apparently he liked the applause!  He put more garbage in the garbage can and he is clapping... at himself... all his idea... I had noooo part in this round of applause.  This is all him! hee heeee!

More garbage, which was also followed by more clapping.  He did this probably 5 or 6 times.  He would go get 'garbage' and then step back and clap.  Then repeat.  

Only it wasn't really garbage...

 

HA!  He was emptying his sister's paper drawer!  How do you like that dust by the way? HA!  OMG... this boy seriously keeps me on my toes!  You see, his sister treasures her paper (much like her mommy), and stashes all of my paper scraps after I am done my projects... so she can use them to make something fabulous!  She has a drawer full of scraps and stuff, and a drawer full of her own construction paper.  Well, Harley figured it was as good as garbage...

Yep, that was empty before he started his little mission of 'cleaning up'!  What a funny boy!  

I think I might need to regularly check my garbage can?  What do you think? hee heee!

how to get out of blog slump?

Yes folks.  I am in a blog slump.  Trying to get out of it.  I am asking myself 'what do I want my blog to 'be' ...good question huh?  Sometimes I feel like my blog isn't what I intended it to be.  Sometimes I feel like it is exactly right?  Huh?  Yeah, I know! lol  So, I haven't been blogging.  Haven't been taking pictures.  MUST FIX THIS!  For me.  I know I have talked about this recently.  It hit me today, I was looking for pictures for  Jen Harrison's weekly challenge at 2Peas.  Imperfect photos.  I have a bunch of these... trust me!  But, as I was looking through all of these imperfect photos, I kept thinking... "man, I should have blogged that!"  But I didn't, because the picture was 'grainy' or dark, or had bad shadows... or it was blurry, because the kids were moving too darn fast.  That is LIFE... real life!  I am missing out on good blog material here! lol

So, the picture I chose for the challenge...

Grainy.  Shadowy.  No pants.  Soggy diaper.  Navy blue socks that look like old man socks.  Can't forget the suckie.  The love affair with the suckie.  OH, and the massive amounts of dust on the shelves.  

This is us at least once a day.  Me checking emails, getting stuff together for a project... or scrapping, Harley hanging out playing away, hugs and cuddles... me and Harley time while Laine is at school.  

The best part of this 'moment'...

Harley freaking out over a Lightning McQueen sticker that he spotted on a layout hanging on the wall.  Oh, if only you could hear the 'oohhhhhhs and ahhhhhhhhhhhs'!  Yep, the shadows make me want to cringe... but I am going to work at getting past that! hee heeee!  Let's face it, my scraproom and the playroom are in the basement.  It is winter.  Lighting sucks.  There will be shadows and graininess! hee heee!

See, I almost missed out on blogging another moment of my son's obsession with 'Cars' ...have I mentioned he is getting a giant sized Lightning McQueen car bed for Christmas?  Can you imagine the 'freak out' over THAT??!

That's it for now... I'll be back with more imperfect ramblings tomorrow! heeee!  After all, my blog is supposed to be about 'the little things' ...just like the quotes up there in the corner.  Later! :)

Have you asked me a question about something or other in the past, and never got an answer? Yep, not the best question answerer... workin' on it though! Here are a few FAQ... how is that for a long title? ...and a layout share too! :)

Been not so good at blogging lately have I?  I swear it is because I haven't taken pictures in ages... I tell myself this all the time, take more freakin' pictures already!  No pictures... no blogging... not a good pattern!  I miss blogging... these past few weeks I have been in a major slump huh?!

No, I don't have any pictures today.  I do have a scrapbook share though.  Is that ok?  I'll just share one from the last garden. Might be one of my fave pages right now... it is one I feel will really be fun to look back on years from now!

I had this hanging on my little magnet strip things after I finished it... and Harley kept FREAKING over that little car sticker.  I finally had to take it down, cause he kept trying to climb the stool to get to it!  Little fart! lol  Yes, he is still obsessed!

So... if you have asked me a question about something or other in the past... you probably know I take forever to answer!  I am going to answer as many as I can in this post, but if you don't see the answer to a question you asked... please ask me again ok?  I am trying to get myself in a new pattern of 'staying on top of things' ...so hopefully questions won't go unanswered anymore!  

First, let's talk paint colours.  I get asked these questions the most I think! 

Laine's Room (pink room) is Benjamin Moore 2087-50 Strawberry Sorbet.  Harley's Room (blue room) is Benjamin Moore 2062-50 Blue Jean.  Green (our bedroom and playroom) is Benjamin Moore 2147-30 Jalepeno Pepper.  Main beige/brown (kitchen and living room, hallways etc.) is Pittsburgh Paints 417-5 Sauteed Mushroom.  Dark brown (feature walls in living room and dining room) is Pittsburgh Paints 416-6 Stony Fields.  Office (grey) is Behr 780F-5 Anonymous.

I also get asked where the Damask print in my living room is from.

I bought it at a local home decor store.  I was told it was bought at a show in Vegas and it is from 'The Artists Guild of America' and it is titled 'Baroque'.  I looked for it online so I could link it, but couldn't find it anywhere. 

I have had a couple questions about the curtains in my dining room also...

Both sets are from Ikea.  One set is dark brown velvet, and the other set is white cotton with a light brown floral print on it.

Little Red Riding Hood costume...

Nope, definitely did not make it.  I wish! lol  It would have taken me weeks and weeks!  I ordered it form here.

Do I use a regular needle to sew through chipboard?

Yes, I do.  I probably shouldn't... but I do.  I have heard people suggest using a denim needle, which would be a great idea!  So far, I haven't had the regular needle break on me though... knock on wood right?! lol  Speaking of which, I should grab some needles and thread... running low on thread! hee heee!

Chapter book suggestions (for little girls that is! hee heeee)...

Laine is in grade 2 and looooooves the Rainbow Magic fairy books.  She goes through them quite quickly, but she still loves the stories.  She also loves the Tinkerbell novels... anything 'fairy' really! lol  She has read a lot of the Barbie movie novels as well as Barbie mystery novels.  Nancy Drew too... she has only read one of those so far though.  I find she goes back to the fairy ones the most.  She has pretty much every Rainbow Magic one and she has read them each like 2-3 times!  Great little chapter books!  She brings home books from the library that she loves too... it is an animal series, can't remember what it is called now though! 

Choo choo soul, when is it on?

I *think* it comes on between shows on Playhouse Disney.  I don't think it an actual listed program... but I could be wrong.  It is like little music videos for kids between other cartoons. :)

Which lense do I use the most?

I bought the 50mm 1.4 this past summer (previously used the 50mm 1.8) and it has pretty much been the only thing on my camera since! heeee!  Love it!

I am hoping that covers most unanswered questions... if not, let me know!  From now on, I hope I to answer questions in the comments as they are asked.  Not that I get that many questions... but if you ask a question, I am pretty sure you would actually like me to answer right? ha ha!  I promise to make better effort!  Sorry for the 'FAQ' post... just figured this was the easiest way to get some answers out there.

Better go for now... busy day ahead!

Later!

ETA:  I have answered comment questions in the comments section below... and as for the hair, will definitely definitely get some shots after my next appointment... see comments! hee heeeeeee!  Thanks everyone!! :)

My baby girl turns 7 today!

I can't believe she is 7.  That just seems unreal to me.  It was just yesterday she was a baby!  She celebrated her birthday over the weekend, with 3 very special friends and a sleepover Pixie Party!  She loves fairies.  Reads sooooo many fairy books, makes up stories of fairies... and of course has a bit of a thing for Tinkerbell!  So, a Pixie Party was perfect!

The proud birthday girl... grinning away as her friends sang 'Happy Birthday' to her...

Of course I took a bunch of pictures of the party details.  I'm not going to share any actual party pictures, as they have her friends in them as well... and I just don't want to go there!  This was the invitation.  I used this awesome digi kit to make it...

Her 'mini cupcakes'...

We did a whole 'mini food' thing... cause fairies are mini, so they must eat mini food right? hee heeeee!  I made homemade mini cheeseburgers, the mini cupcakes and we had store bought mini pizzas as well!  Oh oh oh, and I found these adorable mini oranges that they had for a snack before they went home!  So cute!  The girls got a kick out of it... which is good, because I was starting to wonder if maybe it was only me it would make smile! ha ha!  We did have mini ice cream cones, but didn't get around to doing those up! 

Some 'twinkle' hanging from the light over the table...

The girls decorated their 'woodland fairy tiaras'...

I found the raffia covered wire in the floral department at Michael's and wound it around and twisted it a few times... super easy!  The butterflies were from the floral department too, and I found the mini pre-wired flowers in the bridal section.  They wore these instead of birthday hats ...and it killed some time while they got crafty!! ;)

These were the goodie bags.  This is where I think I got a bit obsessive! heeee!  I am sure normal goodie bags would have worked just fine.  I blame it on Martha and her awesome ideas.  Saw it here, done in burlap (which I couldn't find)... which led to these ones done in felt.  It didn't really take all that long... it was fun... for me... I am sure the girls would have been happy either way! ha ha!

I think they had a lot of fun!  There weren't too many 'moments' ...you know how little girls are! heee!  Laine outlasted them all in the movie marathon and made it until 2am!  Yep, she was one tired girl yesterday! 

 

This morning, she had a birthday donut for breakfast... candle and all, before she headed off to school.  It's her birthday... she can have a donut for breakfast. ;)  Only today though... she better not get any funny ideas! lol  Tonight we are going to have a quiet evening, so she can catch up on sleep.  I am cooking her her favourite meal... upon her request, and I think we are going to play board games!  Fun and quiet.  We just might have to break into those mini ice cream cones too...  :)

Happy 7th Birthday Laine!! 

random ramblings... fairies, snow, silly puppies, and what's worse than locking your keys in the car? ... uh huh.

It is icky here today.  Rainy and snowy... those don't mix very well.  When it is freezing outside, it shouldn't be allowed to rain... one should cancel out the other.  They should never ever occur at the same time!  Freezing rain sucks.  We are definitely sticking around home and not doing much at all today.  

Although, as much as I wanted to stay inside in the warm and do nothing, I have already had to take a hike out into the bush... in the snow, to rescue my dog.  Piper (boxer pup) is so freaking strong... she pulled her anchor thingie right out of the ground.  The frozen ground.  I opened the door to go get her and she wasn't there.  I immediately get frustrated, cause I picture the rest of my morning involving us driving around calling her name.  I called her... and she starts frantically barking.  Yep, she was out in the bush and her anchor was stuck on a tree.  Nice.  Better than having to go look for her... but I was not happy that I had to go trek through the snow, down a hill to rescue my silly pup.  Another thing that baffles me... I thought Boxers weren't supposed to like cold weather and snow?  I researched this breed for months before we bought her, and I definitely remember reading they don't like cold weather.  Before it snowed, I would have totally agreed.  She would go out to pee and shiver like it was 40 below the entire time.  Then it snowed... and she ASKS to go out and play in it!  You wanna see a frisky puppy?  She gets her face right down in the snow and runs... kinda like a snowplow!??  What the heck? 

We are busy planning Laine's birthday party for this weekend.  She is having a Pixie Party.  Totally inspired by the Tinkerbell movie.  I also spotted this on the Martha Stewart site... got the wheels turnin' ...and I have officially put too much on my plate again!  It is going to be a neat party though... I think anyway! hee heee!  Too bad we can't go outside though... the tree stumps would have been a neat touch! ha ha!  I will hopefully have pictures to post tomorrow... fun neat little things we are making.  I can't seem to do anything the easy way, so arts and crafts time it is. lol

Hmmm what else?  Christmas shopping is underway.  I am NOT leaving everything until the last minute again.  Internet shopping is my best friend right now. heee!

Oh yes... and I locked my keys and HARLEY in the car the other day.  Yikes... I am actually fessing up to this on the net.  Awesome.  Yep... locked him in the car.  We were at the rink, I was going to get him out... but the rink wasn't unlocked yet.  So, last minute I decided to hop back in the front and wait for the doors to be opened instead of holding him on my hip.  What I had forget during this thought process was that I had already taken the keys out of the ignition (drivers door won't lock f the key is in the ignition), closed my door, opened the back door, used my remote to lock the doors, put the keys in my purse and my purse on the back seat.  This is all normal pattern for getting Harley out of his seat... after I grab him, I grab my purse and go on our merry way.  Not this time though, cause I had decided to hop back in and wait...  Yep, I left the purse on the back seat as I closed his door.  OMG!!  I had to get another skating mom to watch Harley through the window (apparently they had a blast playing peekaboo) while I got a ride home (15 minutes out of town!!) to get the other set of keys!  I called the auto shop in town but they weren't able to get in.  So, I would have had to wait just as long for a tow truck to come from the closest center to unlock me.  I was in full blown panic mode.  Crying and everything.  Thank goodness for the other skating moms... they definitely saved the day!  What I found comforting through the whole thing though, was how many people said they had done the same thing!  Good grief... quite the day I was having I tell ya! lol

Since I can't blog without posting some sort of image (against the rules of blog land) here is a quick project I did the other day.  I made these for my 2 Peas blog post on Monday...

Super quick and easy!  I used the KI Sheer Delights, and Ranger Paint Dabbers... easy!  With the Sheer Delights being plastic... it made it super easy to wipe up and try again!  Came in handy with Harley that's for sure! lol  Still trying to figure out the best way to get an image of those Sheer Delights... try something new every time. hee heee!

Well, better get going.  I have a bunch of fairy pouches to make.  Yep, thats right... fairy pouches.  Because that is just as easy as buying pre made goodie bags right?  

I am nuts.

Later!   

one of my favourite pictures from Halloween...

Harley and Daddy trick or treating.  I love this picture so much, it was pretty much the first time he willingly walked around holding somebody's hand.  Usually he wants to take off on his own, but on Halloween he was quite content to hold daddy's hand...

This is pretty much the only trick or treating picture that turned out.  It didn't help that miss Laine was a speed monster and would not slow down long enough for me to take a picture!  It is no wonder she fell asleep on the way home! hee heeee!

I can't get over how grown up he looks!  He made it all the way down the one side of this street and BACK before he wanted in the wagon!  ...and he held daddy's hand the whole entire time. :)  So sweet!

Now for some page shares... got a couple new ones!  These ones are from the Garden that went up on the 1st.  The first 2 are themers...

I know, I know... more yellow! hee heee!  My mom was actually laughing at me about my little yellow crush yesterday.  I told her she should paint her front door yellow (her house is grey with black and white trim and I think it would be really cool)... but I think she thinks I am nuts.  ha!  More about this layout here.

A quick fun one using KI Memories Sheer Delights!   These are soooo fun to use, I can't even put it into words! lol  Scallops and polka dots made this particular sheet a quick favourite!!  Here is the link to this layout.

This next one was made for the 'New Product Focus' ...I used KI Ribbons, looooove that they released them as individual spools!  Yum!!

I am in love with that Hambly Woodgrain overlay too! 

This one was Layout of the Day on Saturday... using KI Memories Taglines.  Love these things!  They remind me of Madlibs!  Remember those? 

Why is there a lady bug on a winter-y layout you ask?  Cause she is my Lainie Bug. :)   I have always associated all things lady bug to her.   Quick funny story... her skating coach and I were chattin' a few weeks ago, and in conversation she called Laine her little Lainie Bug, I just about fell over!  She had no idea that was her nickname... I guess she just suits it after all! ;)

This last one is for my very first KI Blog challenge!!  It went up today!  Click on this link to check out the details if you are interested in playing along!

Wowsa... that was a bit of a long winded post wasn't it?  2 Peas has some fun stuff coming up, and I will be doing another chat... so stay tuned for details, cause I would looooove to chat with you!!

Better go figure out what is for supper... this time change has me more screwed up than I thought, it is amazing what an hour difference does to you!

Later!!

Lightning McQueen and Little Red Riding Hood...

My 2 munchkins...  you think I could get a photo of the 2 of them sitting or standing still?  Nope.  A couple of goofballs!  They were having a blast, and some of the pictures I got of them were actually quite hilarious! lol

Lets start with this one.  McQueen and Red Riding Hood stand off!

Hmmm, which one do you think won??

Yep, I have a lot of pictures.  They are just too funny not to post though!!  Like this for example, this is what Laine does when I take a picture... one of her many funny faces she decided were better than a smile!  ...that last grin in the sequence is real though! ;)

Little Lightning McQueen, checkin' out something behind him, saying "ooooooooooooooohh"...

Oh oh oh wait... she did stand still for me, still got a goofy grin though! hee heeee!

Another funny sequence... Lightning McQueen wiped out, so Little Red Riding Hood decided to help him up, by pulling on the back of his straps... HILARIOUS!  These two were such a riot!

Love the expression on her face!  Oh my goodness, was she having a blast!  I think the sugar high had already kicked in! ha ha!

Now this one.  This one cracks me up.  I had a shot lined up of Harley, and little miss sassy stuck her head right in the line of view... so I went with it and snapped one! hee heee!  Yes, she has mascara on... it wasn't a 'face painting' type costume, so we had to do something fun! lol

On a mission...

I honestly don't know how they had ANY energy left for trick or treating!!

This is one of my favourites!  So free and fun... oh to be a kid again!

One last one that totally melts my heart...

It was such a fun Halloween!  I took all of these out on our driveway before we left for trick or treating.  Yes, we live on a hill... so you aren't seeing the world crooked! hee heee!  It was a gloomy and rainy day... but it beats the freezing cold and snow we usually have!  I looove Halloween!