Open for Business...

So Wednesday night we had quite the "blustery" weather - snow, wind and cold. Thursday morning we woke up to . . . no power. What an awful way to wake up!

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Since I was the first to report the outage in our area, and I had no idea how much of the city was in the same boat as us, I called in a supply and stayed home. Fortunately, we had the power back on before lunch - and before we all turned into popsicles! DH headed off to work after snowblowing the driveway and the kids and I just stayed home and relaxed.

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Tanner spent the majority of the day outside creating this:

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Yes, it is a snowball factory. He is quite the little entrepreneur. I'm just wondering if he understands the whole "supply & demand" concept?
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Last night we had yet another blustery night. Seriously, I am starting to think we will have snow until June! But, not to worry, cold blustery weather leads me in search of the comfy cozy. And what says comfy cozy more than baking? How about homemade bread? Breadmaker style of course! And what could be cuter than these adorable measuring cups my sweet SIL, Kim, gave me for Christmas?

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We were shopping in Pier One just before Christmas when these darling cups caught my eye. Then, when my back was turned, my sneaky little SIL popped them into her basket - and then under my tree! How lucky am I?

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With all my purging and rediscovering of my creative side, I have had an idea niggling at my brain for a few days. I will give you a little sneak peek:
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Hmmm, I wonder what these could become? Since it's Super Bowl night and I am not a football fan (which my poor DH just cannot understand!), I may just have an updated picture to show you in the next day or two!

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Well, I am off to purge some more! Happy Sunday to you!
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To Everything

"To everything, turn, turn, turn,

there is a season, turn, turn, turn,

and a time for every purpose under heaven."

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This is one of my favourite songs - it just says so much. Whenever I am feeling worn down, feeling frustrated, feeling overwhelmed, feeling the need for change, this song pops into my head.

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And right now, I am facing a change.

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The past several months, my creative "flow" has been dammed up. Every time I would walk into my craft room, I would take one look at the overwhelming mess and walk right back out. I haven't scrapped hardly anything for months, my December Daily still sits unfinished, and I have been feeling completely lethargic creatively.

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Until last weekend. My dear SIL, Pam, and I had a girls' morning last Saturday and she took me to a little piece of heaven - a small, unobtrusive little shop called "Wishes". The minute I walked in, my creative heart fluttered and then sprang back to life! I was surrounded by bits and pieces of history, small primitive pieces of art work, old furniture pieces begging for some love. My own personal heaven!

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I did show some restraint and only made a few purchases, but that little store has been on my mind ever since. That afternoon, I "hit" the craft room and did a small amount of purging. Then, Friday night, I hit it again and purged more. Then last night I did the same thing - and I feel fantastic! My creative brain has awoken from the comatose hybernative state it has been resting in for the past several months - I am seeing the room re-created, along with the kids' "playroom" and laundry that share that level. I have also envisioned our family room re-created - and all without an ounce of apprehension or feelings of being overwhelmed. What a wonderful feeling!

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So, how can a simple purge (that I have done dozens of times) be a catalyst for such a change of heart and rebirth of creativity? Well, I have to be honest and say, it isn't just the purge itself. It's more what I am purging.

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Deep breath...

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Much of what I have purged, without even realizing it until I had done it, was my scrapbooking things. The trip to that little store made me realize that I have "cornered" myself in creatively and, if it wasn't scrapbooking, I wasn't creating. Since I have a strong loyalty feature built in, I wasn't able to acknowledge that scrapping hasn't been fulfilling me in the way it used to. I am not throwing in the towel, so to speak, on scrapping, but I am setting it aside and letting myself indulge in other crafty ventures.

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So, the scrappy heart lives on - because what is more exciting than making little bits and pieces - scraps - into wonderful works of art?

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One Little Word

If you know of Ali Edwards, then you have heard about her "One Little Word" challenge that she promotes each year. Basically, you choose a single word that sums up what you want for yourself for the year. Easy, right? Well, not really.

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2010 was a very emotionally challenging year in our household. By December 31 I felt like I had been through the ringer repeatedly and I couldn't wait to start a fresh new year. We finished 2010 surrounded by several of our most loved people on a gorgeous night full of chatter, laughter and love. I went to bed with a full yet light heart and renewed hope for a bright 2011. I awoke January 1 to a brilliant sunshiny morning and I knew, 2011 was the year I was going to "grab life by the horns".

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Suddenly, the quest for my One Little Word took on a whole new meaning. What word could possibly sum up hope, joy, fulfillment, family, love, completion, clarity, control? I tossed around several and none seemed to fit. Then the word "focus" started playing on my mind. It seemed to sum up what I wanted to say, but it just didn't roll off my tongue quite the way I wanted. I decided to look "focus" up in an online dictionary and there, at the bottom of the page, sat my One Little Word.

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Center.

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The heart, core, nucleus.

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It summed up everything I was feeling and everything I was hoping for. Every time I say it or see it, I stop, take stock of what I am doing and then move forward. This word has enabled me to feel more in control, to be more in tune with my family and friends, to remember my faith and to complete one thing before moving on to another.

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As 2011 progresses, I am hoping my word will continue to keep me focused, on track and moving forward.

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And that is the power of One Little Word.

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December Daily

Is officially under construction! My plan is to have it all finished by week's end - keeping fingers crossed!

Happy New Year!

Last night saw the farewell of 2010 - a very challenging year for so many, to say the least.

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Last night saw the welcome of 2011 - a very promising new year, hopefully to be filled with love, family, happiness and sunshine.

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As we gathered last night with our brothers and their families, I felt such joy and peace. This is what life is all about. Family. Love. Time together. This is how I want my children to grow up, surrounded by these amazing people we have the privilege to call "family". These are the times that memories are made of and that will stay with us forever. This is the way to ring in a New Year.

To all my friends and family, may this year be joyous, living, happy and filled with sunshine. May you take the time to see and be thankful for all your blessings - big and small. And, no matter what life hands you, may you always remember to look up.

Happy 2011!

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The 28th seems to be...

My updating date each month! What a weird coincidence!

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But, I haven't been completely neglecting my blog this past month. I have actually been journalling my "December Daily" and, when it is all together (hopefully by the end of next week) I will be posting pics of it here. I decided to journal it all first and put it together after as December is such a busy month - what with school stuff, kid stuff, Christmas stuff and, oh yes, life stuff!

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We had a wonderful Christmas with lots of family, fun and goodies. I hope all my blog world friends had a joyous Christmas season as well!

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I can't believe...

... it's been one month since I have posted! Where does the time go?
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So last week I had my turn doing the LO Tag challenge over at ScrapNchat. Lately I have been really liking the style of Liz Kartchner (Dear Lizzy) and she had posted the sweetest LO on her site. As luck would have it, the LO Tag I received was quite close to this LO, so I lifted it! Here is my take on the LO:

I had taken the picture back in the winter of 2007 and had forgotten all about it. This past weekend, I was sitting in the dining room looking out the patio doors at all the beautiful snow, when I remembered it. The combination of the snow and the big window brought on some nostalgia for me. When I was young, my grandparents had a large picture window in their kitchen with an old couch under it. They would sit on the couch for hours watching their "little friends" at the bird feeders. They always had stories to tell about the antics of their little feathered friends. Of course, back then I would often just smile and nod (especially during the teen years); now, I would love to spend an hour on that couch listening to their stories.

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Speaking of nostalgia, today marks the 19th anniversary of being with my absolute best friend in the whole world - my hubby. Nineteen years ago we went on our first official "date" and, as they say, the rest is history. He's still every bit as kind, sweet and wonderful as he was back then. I am truly blessed to have such an amazing person with which to share my life!

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