Last Day of Work

Today is my last day of work! By 4:30 today, I'll be officially on maternity leave. I'm not sure whether I can't wait or if I'll miss it. Hopefully, I'll get some things done and have a bit more time for scrapbooking, swimming, dog walking, and relaxing before the baby arrives.

We had the weekend off, so we got a jump on the relaxation. Quite nice. No need to go anywhere, do anything, or have any schedule. Hmmmm... the last days of quiet. We'll enjoy them.

Here's a video of Simon Cowell's newest favourite singer, Danyl Johnson. His first audition was fantastic, I thought, plus he seems like a nice guy. Have a look at this performer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FA5DkFUSxk

Not too shabby, eh??!

A few more Europe layouts to share and hopefully, with a few days off between work and baby, I can wrap this trip up! About a year after we went, but still...

This layout is from Ephesus, in Turkey.



I wanted to highlight a few things, in case you're looking for new ideas or techniques to try. These are actually nothing new, but maybe something you haven't thought of in awhile or something that may work for a project you're working on.

First off, make sure you hang on to the negative portion of any chipboard elements you have. Don't just pop out the 'e' and toss the rest. I always run out of e's so I end up using the 'leftover' bits a lot. For this title, I was short an 'e' in my alphabet stickers, so I went into my stash and found this big guy... It actually became a focal point and adds a lot to the layout, I think.

Also, keep in mind that dressing up chipboard is easy with a simple rub-on and some acryllic paint. I also added a bit of paper behind so that the e was all one colour. Chipboard is pretty versatile, keep it in mind for your next project.



Tearing and rolling edges adds dimension and helps age papers, and works well along with distress inks. I also used my bind-it-all as a punch to make the notebook like border on the peach paper.



Hopefully, my scrappy mojo doesn't dissapear now that I have some free time... Wish me luck!

Giveaway and updates

If you want to post a comment for a little scrapbooking giveaway, head over to Jill's Blog for a chance to win
http://jillelizabethsarginson.blogspot.com/

I have nothing to report from my last doctor's visit, because I never actually got in to see him. I showed up and they were all ready hours behind schedule and he just got called to St. Albert to deliver a baby, so I had to reschedule. I go Wednesday, which means it will be two and a half weeks since my last appointment... oh well. Baby still hasn't dropped, I still feel good, all is well. Plus, now that I'm wrapping up work, I can sit in the doctor's office as long as need be without feeling guilty.

I did, however, buy a cute little outfit later last night at Costco....



Notice the ears? Awwww...

Someone Had A Baby.... Just Not Us

We have another doctor's appointment today. Hopefully, there's some news. Brandi's sister, Berri-Sue had a baby girl Monday morning. She was due exactly a month before us (August 10) and she had two other friends with due dates later than hers have their babies while she waited. Now that she's got a baby girl, (Ella Raine - great name, right?) we're okay to have ours! Saskatoon, we're ready for you. Come on down!

We had some company last night for the AC/DC concert in Edmonton. My cousins and aunt came up to take in the show and it seems like they had a good time. Floor seats to see a live band that big, should've been good. We didn't go (although that may have helped the baby along) but we got to live vicariously through their stories.

Here are a few more Europe layouts. Three albums and counting. Now who in their right mind (besides my mother, Brad and I) will ever want to look at sooooo many pictures of our trip? Ahhhh well, the memories will be preserved for those days when we are longing to hit the road and can't.

These are a few pictures taken inside the Louvre. Notice the Mona Lisa in the bottom, right corner? It was pretty cool to see it in person (even though it's protected by glass and you can't get within 3 feet of it), but each and every painting and display in there is impressive.



Recognize this tower-on-a-tilt? Pretty neat site, actually. We took a ton of goofy photos there, but a bunch of them got deleted, accidentally. Probably for the best, because I'm horrible at thinning out pictures. Digital cameras did not help me out. I take a ton of photos and can't bear to delete any of them...

Our Last Wedding of the Summer

We just got back from our last wedding of the summer! Such a great summer full of weddings, friends and family. One of my best friends from childhood got married Saturday and it was a full blown western extravaganza. They arrived in an old fashioned stagecoach pulled by horses and her dress was all lace and pearls... just beautiful.

We got to see a lot of friends that we hadn't seen in a long time (some of whom were quite surprised to see my 38 week pregnant belly) and had a great time visiting. Plus, we got to spend some time with the family which is always good.

We got home yesterday and Brad and I spent the evening being lazy. We rented a movie and I did a little scrapbooking. It was great.

We watched 'New in Town' which isn't all that great, but if you're a scrapbooker, it's funny to watch the small town, Minnesota scrapbookers in the movie. Makes you wonder if you would fit in with them.... bad haircuts, no fashion sense, gossipy, and love to snack. Plus, every gift they give is homemade. It was a bit of a humorous look at my future....

And, I will continue to work towards that future. Here is another two page layout of our time in Dubrovnik.



Plus, a close up of the grunge board I used throughout the layout (the hinge shown here, as well as another hinge, a swirl, and a solid bar used throughout the two page layout) and the new glimmer mist colour I got (the coppery brown I used on the hinge). Fun stuff.



Also, if anyone wants tickets to the AC/DC concert this Wednesday in Edmonton, let me know. My cousin has two floor tickets to sell.

Giveaways Worth Checking Out

Hop on over to these two sites this weekend and check out their fantastic giveaways! Totally worth it, plus, they've got great ideas and videos and such on their blogs.

www.butterflykisseswithlove.blogspot.com

http://keepsakesbymelissa.blogspot.com/

Good luck!

Baby News and a few more projects

We had another doctor's appointment Monday and everything went well. Sadly, there's no news to report. Baby isn't coming anytime soon, so we're still waiting. Technically, we're still three weeks from the due date, so she still may make it on time....

We did get a quick peak at Saskatoon, which was great! The doctor wanted to check the fluid levels around the baby, so he wheeled in his portable ultrasound machine. We got to see the most perfect little toes and a better view of the face. Really neat. Unfortunately, it was a little harder to see much else, because the baby is so scrunched in there now. I guess I know why those perfect little toes are trying to break my ribs....

Our three days of downtime and housecleaning and getting everything organized again will come to an end tonight. We have a bunch of folks from Brad's work coming for a BBQ tonight. They're from all over eastern Canada, so we promised them some Alberta Beef(what can I say, we keep ourselves busy...). Tomorrow, we've got a good friend coming to town, so we're having supper with her and the Salvation Army is coming to pick up our garage sale wares that didn't sell. Friday we're off to Hanna for a wedding and another weekend of visiting.

The good news? This is the last thing we have planned (outside of work stuff) until the baby arrives. That's right, we may have the next two weekends entirely off! Of course, we may also be spending Labour Day Long Weekend in the hospital, but either way, I'm excited.

I have big plans to scrapbook, do some major cleaning and nesting and just breathe. Ahhhh.....

So, here are a few more Europe layouts. Slowly, I will get this project done. I can actually see an end in sight. I spent an hour or so last night gathering papers, photos and embellishments for another 6 pages, now I just need to sit down sometime and put them together.

I love these pictures. They aren't the best photos, but they remind me of the mood and the tone of the Blue Mosque. It is a religious mecca for a lot of people and you really felt that atmosphere, very sombre and spiritual. I really enjoyed it.



This two-pager is about the outside of the Louvre. Have you ever been (or seen or read Davinci Code)? You enter the museum through a giant glass pyramid. It's really impressive and a little odd, because the museum itself seems to surround you, but the entrance takes you under the courtyard and the building itself. Pretty cool.



Now, back to work.

A Long One....

Another great weekend comes to a close. This summer is flying by. It's all ready the middle of August. The mountains in Lake Louise are cappted with snow. Fall is just around the corner. Luckily, we're still getting nice weather in Edmonton. Not balmy, but no snow. I needed a break from the two week summers in the Rockies.

We didn't travel this weekend, but had another busy one. Friends and family came to visit and our change table, crib and stroller got broken in a little with all the babies. My parents, Curtis, Brandi and Jada came to visit Thursday night. We went to the Eskimos/Stampeders game for my dad's birthday, and it was a fantastic game! Jada was a trooper and stayed up for the whole game and didn't really fuss at all.







Brad and mom got to cheer for their Stamps a bit, but luckily, the rest of us got to leave victorious. Those two were much quieter on the way home...



And a shot of the newest Eskimos fan:



Friday, we visited and went for a walk to the park and then went for supper with Broc and Steph and Kale, Brad's brother, sister-in-law and nephew. The Benedicts headed home Friday night and the rest of us played grid crib and let Kale entertain us.

Saturday, we all went to the zoo in Edmonton and then hit West Ed for a few minutes, then headed home for pizza, ice cream and more visiting.

A Red Panda at the Zoo (through foggy glass):



And Kale, testing out Saskatoon's stroller at the zoo:



Sunday, Broc, Steph and Kale packed up and headed out and Lee, Keri and Caden showed up from Lake Louise. We had a good visit with them and then I spent some time putting away clothes in the baby's room and rearranging things a little while Brad mowed the yard and helped clean up.

Whew! Three babies under the age of one, four couples, one extra dog and Brad, Bailey, Saskatoon and myself were all in this house this weekend. Busy, but so good to see everyone and see how those kidlets are growing up!

Now I need to backtrack just a bit and share the Benedict family picture we took at my aunt's wedding on the August Long Weekend. Such a nice day for a wedding and the golf course was beautiful.



If you remember, a few weeks back, I shared a picture of Brad's side of the family... here's a recap:



A bit of a descrepancy in size between these families... I never thought of our family as small until I met his!

Great Deals

I stumbled across this neat site for anyone feeling the pinch of recession, or those who, like me, just love a deal :)

Peachy Cheap is a site that puts one scrapbooking item up for sale each day at huge discounts. In fact, some items are up to 99% off. Don't believe me? I've been watching and there are some great deals. The only thing to watch for is they're an American company and shipping to Canada depends on the weight of what you order. Could add a bit to your overall cost....

Updates and Crafty Things

I had another doctor's appointment yesterday. 36 weeks!! Unfortunately, my doctor had a busy day, and they were three hours late. He delivered 24 babies in 30 hours. Can you believe that? Something was going on in Edmonton, yesterday. Luckily, they called me and let me know, so I only waited for an hour and a half... I got in and out and everything is still going well. I have to go in every week, now, since we're getting so close.

Exciting!

Since we've been home for a few days, I'm nearly caught up on the house/yard work. At least the place looks reasonable. We got a new air conditioning unit installed yesterday, so I can last a little longer.

I spent a bit of time scrapbooking Sunday evening, but haven't gotten too much done this week. Here are a few older layouts I haven't shown yet.



I love this background paper from My Mind's Eye, and I think it was a perfect compliment to some of my favourite photos of Santorini. The pictures aren't anything special, just a reminder of how beautiful and relaxing the island was.



And, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Another simple layout. Slowly, I'll get the Europe pictures done and move on to other projects.

Tomorrow, my parents are coming up with Curtis, Brandi and Jada and we're going to the Eskimos/Stampeders game. Should be good, as long as the rain stays away.

Back Home and Staying Put For Awhile

We're home after a busy ten days of travelling, visiting, stopping at home quick, and then heading out again.

We spent the long weekend in Hanna and visited all kinds of family. Brad had been in PEI for work the previous week, so I picked him up Friday night and we headed to my parent's farm. Saturday, we visited my parents, Curtis, Brandi and Jada, and then went out for supper with some extended family.

We attended my aunt's wedding at a nice little golf course, complete with golf cart seating, and a golf course shaped cake on Sunday.

Monday, we celebrated our farm's 100th anniversary. Can you imagine? One hundred years have passed since the land my parent's house sits on was first homesteaded by our family?

Then, we spent an extra day at my parent's visiting and headed home Tuesday afternoon to put together the baby's room. It's starting to look better and better all the time, and it's filling up quick!

Thursday, we packed up and headed out to Buffalo Lake for four days of camping with Brad's family. We had a great time and even managed to get some sunshine and beach time in. Nice and relaxing. We got home Sunday afternoon and now it's laundry, housecleaning, and work. Got to make up for all this time away!