Don't blink....

Altered Starbucks Frappuccino Four-pack!!

And this is what they look like before they are altered:

A friend of mine came over today to 'play' in my craft room....so I thought we'd have a go at altering some Starbucks 4-packs!!!  Laurence especially enjoyed this, because it meant we had to empty all 8 bottles!!!  We emptied most into a big jug, but he enjoyed a couple ;)  

Some people use these to store small scrapbooking supplies - some people fill them with small candies and give them as gifts - and some fill one with hot chocolate and the others with add-ins for the hot chocolate - like mini marshmallows etc....

Here is a picture midway through our crafting session:

Actually, thinking back, the room was actually fairly tidy at that point ;)  

Girl talk.

Spring in Alberta

Porch update..

Over on my other blog in a few minutes:  HERE

Finally some good news :)

Porch guys - update.

At 10am no one was here so I phoned DH and he called their offices and was told 'they are on their way'.

10:30am - porch guys show up. Yep they seem to start work mid morning for some reason.  I've left the dogs out there to 'help' - maybe they'll get more done with two eager workers ;)  They haven't knocked or anything.

 I just hope they are done by the time the day is done :(  I am sooo tired of this.  I've never known a company like it!

I have visitors today and Laurence home again - I am glad of the company.  Visitors again tomorrow so if they are here agin tomorrow at least someone will be here then too.

Random Dozen...

1. How old is the oldest pair of shoes in your closet?  About 4 years

2. Did you buy Girl Scout cookies this year? If so, what variety?  I bought 2 boxes of the mint.  I daren't buy more because it is ME that eats them all :(  

3. Do you know how to ballroom dance? If not, would you like to?   No I don't but yes I would LOVE to - I tried to get Lloyd to sign up for lessons with me - but he refused :(  

4. Were you a responsible child/teenager?  mostly yes.  I didn't steal.  I didn't mess around with boys.  I didn't do drugs or smoke.  I DID skip school a lot - but I still got good grades.  

5. How many of this year's Oscar-nominated movies did you see? Two - Up!!!  and Julie and Julia.

6. If you're going to have a medical procedure done, such as having blood drawn, is it easier for you to watch someone else having the procedure done or have it done yourself?  Either - I don't mind things like that.

7. What is your favorite day of the week and why?  I likes weekends because Lloyd is home.  I like Mondays because it's the day I get the house straight and I get up early and we do a LOT...it feels quiet and normal and I feel like I have 'space' after the weekend of having everyone here.

8. Do you miss anyone right now?  Lloyd - he's at work.  Charlie - she would be loving this early Spring

9. Do hospitals make you queasy?  No - I don't mind them at all - I like hospital food - I've worked in hospitals a lot.

10. At which store would you like to max-out your credit card. Not that you ever would, you responsible person, you.   Pottery Barn

11. Are you true to the brand names of products/items?   yes

12. Which is more difficult: looking into someone’s eyes when you are telling someone how you feel, or looking into someone’s eyes when he/she is telling you how he/she feels?  When he/ she tells me.

The clan

I picked these letters up at the thrift store yesterday for Sam to play with.  Abigail ended up enjoying them the most!  She spent ages writing out all of our names but didn't have enough letters to write them all so she used Laurence's nickname and instead of family she wrote 'clan' ;)

She also had to be creative in making letters ;)

Playing with Photobooth...

For today.....

Find more HERE


Outside my window...It's cloudy and grey after a sunny morning.  I can see blue sky in the distance.  They forecast snow flurries this evening but say it will be gone by tomorrow and it's just a blip because the temperature is supposed to be back up to 9c by Thursday or Friday!  It's been such a strange Winter!  Lloyds tools for the crown moulding are sat on the porch.  I can NOT see porch guys on the porch.  Hhhmm!!!
I am thinking...that the yellow school bus will pull up any moment and Susannah will be home.  I should feed my fish, Caspian.  Kitty, my cat is warm on my feet.  I'm glad I got new crochet hooks but sad I couldn't find the jars I needed today.  That it was the best $4 I've spent in a long time today to go in that photo booth :)  We should try and cram in the whole family one day!!
I am thankful ...for cadbury's creme eggs, cuddly kittens who keep my feet warm,  happy healthy children with too much energy to burn, a husband who scares himself with tales of the Jersey Devil (hahaha)
From the learning rooms.....we're looking at maps, Abigail is reading Black Beauty....although I am not sure how 'in' to it she is as she has started reading some other horse themed books.  She watched the movie of Black Beauty last week.  I think we may get the up to date movie instead though.    We're looking at 'Things With Wings' which will include life cycles and bugs of all kinds as well as birds...other things continue - as they do with normal life - growing plants, arts, crafts, writing stories, games, reading, making stuff, baking, living life......sometimes we get out other books and 'work' depending on mood etc,
From the kitchen...I haven't baked for a while - a week or so at least.  Last night I made Thai green curry with rice.  Lloyd loved it.  The boys thought it was ok.  I thought it smelled horrible.  It tasted ok-ish.  I don't like korma's or curries like that - I prefer madras, etc etc - I don't like coconuty or lemony/ lime or sweet type curries....so it wasn't my style of curry.  I wouldn't opt for it again.  The girls weren't keen.  I'd make it again if Lloyd liked it...
I am wearing...jeans, sweater, scarf
I am creating...granny squares from a blog I found yesterday - so thrilled I found THIS blog which links to all kinds of granny squares!!
 I am going... to go and get myself a bowl of Weetabix because I didn't have any lunch today.  Then I am going to write and thank Ruth for her wonderful message and lovely prize!!  I am also going to NOT think about the fact that I don't have a finished porch to admire and to keep my little boy safe on his little sit and ride car or while he is out there playing bubbles!
I am reading...'Still Alice' by Lisa Genova.  As well as 'Life Learning Magazine' and 'Personal Writing Magazine' by Writers Digest. (Old issues I kept before they stopped publishing it because I loved that magazine so much).

Sunny side up...

I was thinking about one of Mel's comments on my blog about 'over-easy' eggs and it reminded me how I still smile when we eat out in diners here in Canada.  Even after all these years it still seems sooooo 'American' to order my eggs 'over-easy' or 'sunny side up'  or my desserts 'a la mode'  lol!!

This morning we headed to Denny's for brunch and it's very much one of those places where you need to know what you want and how you want it...

Laurence is still off of school.  He feels fine and seems fine.  His tonsils are still big but not causing any problems at all - from what I've read they can stay big for up to two weeks....he could be back at school really but he isn't that keen on school and I'm not that bothered - I like having him home - so he's still home - says he might go back tomorrow or Thursday.  

What porch guys???

I'm not going to think about the porch guys....the ones who turned up for only 3 hours yesterday - 4 months late - spent much of those 3 hours drinking coffee and left with NO railings up.  The porch guys who SWORE they would be back today to FINISH the job and would be done by the end of the day.

The same guys who have not shown up AT ALL today :(

Nope - I'm not going to think about them.  

Instead, I'm going to think about the fun day I had in town with the kids.  Abigail had her art class - they made 'Nature boxes' and studied various artists who used nature to create art - including things like bees wax etc to make art.  She made the most amazing box with a friend - I will have to post a picture later.  To me it looks a bit like a scene from 'Where the Wild Things Are' - but I'm not sure Abigail would agree!!

We also went to the Clay Hut and picked up her bowls from the kiln where they had been fired!

While she was at art, Sam, Laurie and I went to Dennys for breakfast and then to the thrift store.  

After picking Abby up from art we headed to the mall - did some shopping, got Abby some lunch and picked up some groceries before heading home.  We had a lot of fun at the mall though - including jumping into one of the old photo booths together:

Tonight we have the open house for High School.  Chris is volunteering there and will be showing parents and prospective students around the school and introducing them to the film/ editing/ audio etc  departments.  He is hoping to have some free time to show his brother and sister around.  

Remember the moose from yesterday???

Well Susannah tried to wake me this morning because we had ten deer in our back field....but she couldn't wake me....and she didn't think to take a picture.....sigh....so I didn't get a picture :(

She was a little worried that the moose would come back hen it was time to go for the school bus but I reassured her they were long gone, and she was fine :)   Odd that she wasn't bothered by the idea of a herd of deer though lol!

Something From 'almost' Nothing!! - my stash!!

I start a new class on Wednesday - an online class designed to use up scrapbooking stash that you already have!  I'll let you into a little secret though - in the grand scale of things, compared to many people, I don't actually have THAT much - I used to - BUT - about a year or so ago, I had a really good decluttering session, and I got rid of a HUGE amount of 'stuff'!!  I sent it all to school with Susannah and her class had great fun with it!!  Her old teacher probably still has tons of it left for Mothers Day/ Easter and Christmas crafts etc etc - and just for general scrapbooking and artsy crafts with the kids!  They even started an Artist trading card club at her school - trading cards with another area school - so I'm sure the supplies were put to good use.  

I really like that I no longer have so much 'stuff' in the way when I work - I saved some of the papers I didn't want, for when the children want to scrapbook/ craft with me, but I don't have much.  It's nice now to just have things that I LOVE!!!  

I also don't find that I'm much of a scrapbooker these days anyway - I love mini albums and art journaling - being creative in other ways - but I rarely actually scrapbook - I am so looking forward to seeing how this class inspires me to use my supplies.  I'm not sure what kind of pages/ album I will create yet - i'll wait for the prompts before I decide.  Shimelle's classes are always so wonderful that I know my creative juices will start flowing.  JYC was so wonderful!  I loved the album I made for that!  

So yes, I didn't really sign up for this class because I have a lot of stash to use up - but more because it's one of Shimelle's classes and I wanted to be a part of it :)  And with that, here is my first homework - blogging pictures of my 'stash'!!!  

Are you PLAYING???

Going....going....GONE!!!!

3:20pm and they have GONE!!!!

???????

They got here after 12pm and they finish at 3:15pm???????  No railings are up.  No railings down the steps....none along the porch.  Just some weird metal things down in the grass??????

And now they have gone.  Not one knock on the door.  Not one word.

Lloyd is NOT happy!!!