Scrapbooking!

Bandit hanging out in the scrapbook room...
Rikki up working hard! Got a table in there now so I will have to update!!!

Kennedy working hard...

Rikki working hard....

Poor girls working off the floor :o)

I hope that I didn't already post these!

But anyhow- the girls have been heavily involved in scrapbooking, Its been great! We finally bought a table for the scrapbooking room and it looks So good now :o)

more from the waterpark...

The 4 of them. They were all really good and played together. We were there for 5 hours!

Wild Waters Waterslides...

We spent the day at Wild Waters on Thursday, it was sooooo hot. I got waaaay too sunburnt. But it was a great day! The kids had so much fun. The best outdoor adventure in Edmonton forsure! We will have to hit it again in August...

LEDGE grounds....

I took R and Kennedy to the Ledge grounds for a late night swim...it was beautiful and still sooooo busy! It was fun!

Random things...

Random things from whats going on aorund here this summer....those shots are with *R* who has been spending a whole lotta time with us this summer!!!!

House Update...

burnt insullation in my 'would be' garden...

Well the foundation is done, the weeping tile is done...and the power is there. As you see there is LOTS of water in there. But the stuff was there to start the garage pilings. As well the blueprints are there which means the framers are starting to look at the plans...I personally can't wait for them to start framing!!!!

more 'things'...

"Family is Everything"... since renting I can't make any changes to the house so I found these great stickers from Rafters and they look really good they are 'my' kind of decorating so this is good that we are able to find things like this to make it feel more like home :o)
The awesome Goodwill flower arrangement that I found, its goes perfect in my kitchen!

My old school measuring cup set...love it!!!!Another Goodwill find!

Another Goodwill find. Again, I saw this and knew that I needed it. I bought a chair like this for my front porch and then later at Goodwill I found a matching ottoman and it looks great out there. This chair, I kept at my front entrance...it goes great there!

My front entrance table...everything is Goodwill :o) And the table was 10.00 at a garage sale...I love front entrance tables....I already bought a really old antique dresser at Goodwill for my new house for the front entrance table....I'm not sure if I will keep this one at my new house (as the wood isn't my wood color) but for 10.00 it sure did work well for here!

Yeah!!!! I found these 2 packs of pill containers at G.W and they will be perfect for Kennedys pills. I did have a pill container already but this is one is so much bigger and easier for her to read!

My scrapbooking/crafting space so far. This a HUGE bonus room. But since the rental furniture got taken away...we have our new patio set up there (lol) that I'm saving for my new yard next year...so rather then store it, why not use it !!! So we are using it up there. There is a fireplace and non tv up here. I just need a table and some more shelvin and I am set. The white buffet thingy is from Value Village was 40.00!!!!!!! It will be perfect for my new scrapbooking space in my new house!

The good thing about this room is thesun, it shines in there so the patio set works perfectly...plus when I want to break from crafting then I can rest on my patio set and pretend its on a sunny deck somewhere....lol!

MoreGW things, but do you see that native art? Its from a real store, its numbers and pure marble....it was 5.00 at GW!!!!!

My newest find, a homemade onion bin...I LOVE IT! It will be perfect for my new HUGE pantry!!!!I have looked for one like this forever!!!!

pictures of some of the things that I am loving...

Some of my Goodwill finds....I bought this BAR sign for our garage...for Fabian.

This is from Rafters....I LOOOOOOVE Rafters!!!!

Our little country stuff...love it.

I don't know what I will do with this, but I loved it and I'm not sure what I will do with it but I had to get it :o)

basket of goodies....magazines and a Willow Tree angel...from Goodwill

And My FAVORITE store...

well I tried...LMAO!

I'm feeling so uninspired lately. But reading some 'fun' blogs and especially domestic-crafting type blogs are making me feel 'into it' again. I miss my old life so much sometimes, the freedom to just go down and scrapbook or do a craft. I miss all the things I use to have...but I'm slowly getting there. I will again, it will take time. So, I set up a scrapbooking area and its going good now. I know that in the fall I will do more. Yesturday I tried it and since I don't have a table or desk I was sitting on the floor up there and I so badly wanted to do it (scrap) but sitting on the floor wasn't fun. THEN, to top it off I have a whole bunch of photos that are badly burnt, but they aren't 'nice' enough to get restored so I'm scrabooking them anyhow. So I stuck them on the paper and then added in some stickers and what not then put them in the album and then it all peeled off and feel off and lifted off and looked like crap! Then I was pissed off that I had SUCH pretty albums before and now they look like crap trying to re-do them. Anyhow...so I stopped.

Our rental furniture is gone now. We have a pretty-empty-house...but we will get there. As well, ServiceMaster dropped off our boxes and now our garage is FULL of boxes from stuff they got out of our house (and garage, mostly garage junk!) but some boxes are kitchen things. So in order to use them we have to unpack them, clean them then put them away...on top of that, we have to repack the boxes and put them in our storage unit. AS well, our storage unit that we have been filling up has gophers in it! There is gopher crap EVERYWHERE...so somewhere in here we have to change units before they start living in our new mattresses and wrecking things. SO much to do plus work and the kids and enjoy the lake and try to find time to go visit dad in Saskatchewan. Its hectic!

Work is good. The summer is slower but Sept will be busy again. Its going good. I like to be off someday by 1pm!

The kids are good. They are enjoying summer this far. I try to do fun things with them on my days off so they get to experience everything. They did Taste Of Edmonton, K-Days, Fort Edm park so far. We are hoping to hit up a day at Sylvan Lake beach and the Edmonton waterpark (Wild Waters). Thats for July's goals.

August-not sure yet. August is really really busy for me. I have to work 1 full week in August which limits me to where I can go. Plus Fabe and I are off to Vegas for a week (last week) so that only leaves 2 weeks in there. Not alot of time. The summer is going by SO fast. I wish it would just slow down. I enjoy summer so much...its sad its the short season for us.

The house- well its taking forever to see progress! So far, its got the power to the site again, a foundation, weeping tile and they just backfilled it. Soon, they should start framing...I'm desperate to see some sort of progress. Especially the framing! I think the house will be very beauitufl once done. We added in great options and I think it will make us very happy to be back there. We miss living there So much.

We are still enjoy the lakelot so much. I have it all set up and I really enjoy being there. Its just so peaceful. I love it.

Well I better get some work done here (at work) if I want to leave nice and early today!

Okay, lets try this again.

I am going to try to get back into blogging as it was something that I use to love doing. AND, since I'm getting my life back together I think that I am ready. I have been looking back in the old blog posts and wondering "what was I doing this day last year?" and its neat to see. Still very painful considering how much changed since last year this time. Back then, I felt like I had no worries...

BUT, I'm doing good. Really good. There are some days that I start thinking about the great loss that we have suffered but I am at a point where I think 'you know what? we are okay now so why go there?"

The house was demo'd about 3 weeks ago. Our neighbors poor house is STILL standing...man...but ours was done and already we have the foundation done, the weeping tile and soon they should start framing. We have picked out all of the 'stuff' we are getting (upgrades) and the electrical is all done with (where plugs will go, etc) so thats good. We added in a few little 'treats' for ourselves...nothing major but we upgraded the wooden railings to wrought iron with wood details, we added the chefs package (who is the chef? I don't know!) but some little things. It will be a lovely house but most of all I just can't wait to be back in the neighborhood. We are missing out so much...but we visit often.

We rented a seasonal lot this year just 15 mins from the city. We still have the Lac La Biche cabin but since this year is SO different than last year we have to be closer to the city. The daycare is the big thing, I can't just leave the city as I use to on Fridays in case anything with the centre. I have to be back Mondays. So we stuck the trailer at the close lakelot. We rented a great lot. Its beautiful and has full services so its great and I can get my yard work fix there! Although I did manage to fix up the rental house a little! It was HORRIBLE as its been JUST a rental propery after it was a showhome (5 years ago) its been so neglected! So I have been working away on it and its to a point where it is good out front. The back, I dunno. We water it all of the time but its a lost cause. I cann't wait to do stuff at my new house...

The kids are good. Kennedy has been very heatlhy, as well as Mack. Mack will be in grade 8 and Kennedy grade 4. They just returned from a 5 days stay with grandmas at the lake. They got in tubing, quadding and summer fun! So thats good. This week they aren't happy that I work 3 days but we plan on doing fun things on my days off..at least I'm pretty close to home and dont feel like I have to be here...

Nothing much to report.

I would like to get my camera hooked up to one of the computers so I can add photos and get back into blogging...so make sure to return often...

:o)

Heeeeelllllooooooooooo???????

Anyone out there???

Did I loose my blog-readers? Are you still there???

An update...

Well. We have had some progress in terms of the house. The house, the house, the house..ALL we seem to think and talk about. We picked out another house a while back. We waited forever for insurance to give the 'go ahead' which they did Friday. Tomorrow we are going to sign off the offer for the builder and go from there. Of course, we have added in some things that we want (and had before!!!!) so we will have to pay from pocket. Ugh. So hopefully they will get it going soon. Its the permits they said that will take a while. The demo one, then building, etc. The house looks horrible..half standing. Poor thing...I go there sometimes and only stand in the front entrance now as its very unstable...but I go there when I feel like being home...I love that house and I never want to forget it. I was going through some pictures on albums that I have saved on Snapfish and I have sooooo many photos of the house. Thankfully I have reordered them. I don't know what to do with them, but something for the kids I think. A story of our house...as we lived there for almost 5 years...its the home they will always remember too. It STILL surreal to me. I sometimes just turn down that street and then remember...this isn't the way home...and have to turn back around. Sometimes, I just go there. I open up the security fence and sneak in there...last time I just sat on the back deck remembering all of my love for the backyard in the summers...my flowers, Kennedy and the neighbor girls on the trampoline...firepits back there...so much. So we'll see what I will do with the photos but its not a rush...I have sooooooooo many things to REscrapbook. Its killing me...so I'm going to start from this past summer as it was a really great summer.

The daycare is good. We have 9 spaces left in the whole daycare now...craaaaazy!!! Last week I was dying, it was SOOOOO busy and understaffed. This week its dead (lots of parents are students and its reading week). But we have full staff now so its MUCH better. Hopefully by summer I will get LOTS of time off. I miss the kids so much...I feel like I really need some times with them...I use to being home so much more. I miss cooking suppers (In MY kitchen) baking on the weekends...just so much. *sigh*

I have began the long healing process of therapy. It was one day only but I go every week now...I need to find some help with the sleeping thing. Its horrible. I lay awake 'waiting' for something bad to happen. She (my therapist) told me it has more to do with an incident when I was 14 years old and a man broke into my house while I was sleeping....I was traumatized (and I know that!) it took me 10-15 years to sleep alone in a house...and I was 'there' and fine with it. Now, I'm right back to the start. Its so not fair. I check the windows...secuirty camera...listen. We no longer sleep with a fan blowing...I *might* not hear sounds then. Its bad. Really, bad.

Hmmm, what else. I am SO looking forward to camping this summer. More then ever! I can't wait to be in my trailer (our home!!!) and see some of our things. We still have nothing to our names...they are writing off our last remaining furniture...my 33 year old dining set :o(
And, they do have some kitchen stuff of ours they said...but we haven't gotten anything back. I can't wait to have things of ours...old things. I no longer have nothing from my childhood left...sad.

But I'm feeling better. I know that I am on the 'healing path' now...I feel better and function better. Poor memory still, but she said thats common with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome...the kids have yet to be seen....she wants me 'healthy' first....so thats the plan.

Last weekend I bought LOTS of scrapbooking stuff. I thought that I was ready. But I'm not so sure...I 'tried' to do it and couldn't. Instead I ended up upset about the photos that I chose to work on (the summer ones I mentioned before) and seeing them in back shape and seeing them, knowing they were once scrapbooked...all that time, thought that went into it....just sucks. In the new house, Fabian arranged for me to have an actual scrapbooking room. Its going to be a small bedroom sized room in the basement with a window and plugs...(lol) and it will be my space! Not sure if I will be okay with a basement at this point...I NEVER ever ever go down in the basement here despite it being fully developed. I'm still very uneasy about this house...its taking a while. Its on a very busy road and I just am not use to the cars zipping by and the bass booming...and yeah. But all will be fine. Soon summer will come, well as soon as camping season hits...I'm out of here! I really can't wait. I hope to sleep good in there but I've been thinking if a fire started in there...oh my that would sure go up fast.

Today the fire investigator called again. Well actually he called at the start of Feb. for a 3 month follow up. Plus, he had to get his full fire investigation report in to insurance so back a few weeks ago he asked more about the power when the fire happened. We know we had partial power only..as when I woke up the digital cable box (to see the clock) wasn't on nor was the fan. He wasn't certain it was the power metre. It made me feel insecure. What could it have been then? A person? But he explained they have had 3 electricians look at it and they all feel power. So anyhow, today he called and said that they had hydrovac'd up the service line and he is now 100% certain it was power....looking at the wire. Not sure what the wire proved (someone told me it could have been spliced) not sure....anyhow. It my insurance company is going to sue our builder (who will sue the electrical company) then I'm thinking we will follow up too. Not to 'get rich' but to make up for the stupid 20% that they don't compensate, for our missed work, time to get new passorts, all new ID, search through contents and the 300 page lists, time for running around to showhomes looking at plans, etc...most of all the emotional health. I'm not a 'suer' never sued anyone....been in car accidents didn't try to get money...but in this case..this has affected my WHOLE life...my whole family has been affected. Knowing someone installed shitty work to save time or wire..doesn't sit well with me...knowing it was 'supposily' inspected and passed...I don't know. The same electrical company is the one our new builder uses...I'm NOT okay with that. When they know its our house...yeah...nope. Not gonna happen.... but we haven't contacted a lawyer or anything....but I'm still in the angry phase and if someone is responsible I want to see them suffer (sound horrible, I know!!!)

Anyhow....but I AM doing okay...

This week my sister will be down for teachers convention...her nanny will be watching my kids so thats good. We don't have any major plans or anything soon. I'm thinking we could all use a trip to Jasper or something though...so we will see. And, other then that...not too much. Waiting for winter to leave us...looking forward to spring...getting the trailer (did I mention that yet???) and then camping!!!!