The Month Of Love,The Month Of Loss

Well I guess this month will always be more than just the month of love for me,as today 4 yrs ago I went to the hospital to be with my dad for the last time.I had just left the night before so my brother could take his turn,and he called to tell us that there had been a drastic change in his condition.Well nothing prepared me for what I was going to find the next morning when I arrived at the hospital.My mom and I spent the day and then my brother's joined us for the night, our last night.It was Thursday,and everyone knows that Thursday is a good TV night,and this one was no exception.At this point I had come to terms with the fact that Dad was dying,so I didn't want to miss a minute of it,and I grabbed my cot and bunked in with him and we watched Survivor.Well I watched,but he listened or at least I like to think he did. I babbled to him just as if he was awake.I guess at that point everyone else went to the lounge to rest,but I rested in the room with dad.I couldn't leave him.He finally gave up his courageous battle with cancer shortly after 2 am with me and my mom and brothers at his side.I just can't believe how fragile life is and how it truly is over in an instant. I was left standing,thinking..........is that it? Is this all I get! Thankfully some way or another I made it through these past 4 yrs and today is actually easier than the ones before it.I sometimes find myself feeling a bit guilty that I'm not so upset now.I guess I have faced the cold hard reality that nothing I can do, or say or feel is going to change the hand I've been dealt.You have to remember what you had,instead of what you lost.

Now on to something much more cheery and bright! I took part in a LO tag at Skrap-n-Chat for the month of February. Below is my lift of the LO,and boy oh boy when all was revealed and I saw the layout that it all started with, I was shocked!!!!!! We started out with an awesome LO from Nicole.....LOL.The layouts after were awesome,but ended up looking nothing like the original. I love how they all evolved.My LO is of a friends baby.



The next is a LO I did for the Creative Scrappers 1 picture,many pages contest.We all received a photo and had to do a layout with it.It was a photo of ice shacks on the Kennebecaisis River.Thankfully I had seen them before and kinda knew what it was all about,but many ladies who participated in the contest knew nothing about them or the area. It was so great to see all of the layouts and different titles and ideas.

Good Scrappy Day

Well some of my friends were getting together to crop today,and I am half sick,so I didn't go. I thought that I might just as well dig the stash out and scrap at home though.It was the perfect beginning to my weekend. I hope to accomplish some more if the kids cooperate.

Here are a couple of layouts I finished.The first is my LO for Vanessa's Mystery Scraplift Challenge.I just had to scrap these cute photos I took this past summer of my friends darling DD,showing me her pearly whites.The second is a layout of Allyson in 2002,cuddled up with my SIL. I love the sweet,contented look on her face. She was enjoying the cuddle.





I'll be back shortly with some more layouts:)

Still Winter Here

I don't know about where you live,but I'm not seeing a sign of Spring yet! Today we have some more snow,but school wasn't canceled. I suspect it is because they know we are going to get lots later on in the week and they'll really need a snow day for it.

I've been having fun scrapping lately.One layout I can't share just yet as it is in a layout tag at Skrapnchat,and the tag hasn't been finished by all teams and revealed just yet.

I do have my take on Feb's Sketch Challenge though.This time we got a great sketch made by Allison Cope.She operates her own sketch blog called So Sketchy and her sketches are awesome.I also have a couple friends who design for her too.

Here is my take on her sketch! Thanks for the sketch Allison and the challenge Tracey.





I started out with pinks and blues for this layout,and then I totally threw them aside and went with reds,greens and browns.I do this almost every time I start a layout.

Well we have gone from Strep to Vomit

I guess it is the season,but man why does everything have to hit all at once.Evan has only had the stomach flu one other time and I was with my Dad in the hospital,so I didn't even have to tend him.He is on the mend,because he is starting to act up. He was up way too early this morning for my liking and jumped on top of me and wanted to know if I could read him a story............backwards........LOL.


I did some more scrapping and I still have some more to do. I need to do Vanessa's challenge,my One Picture Many Pages Contest at Creative Scrappers and my layout tag.It is almost to me......YIPPEE.

Below is a LO I did for Tracey's One Is The Loneliest Number Challenge.One wasn't lonely here because we had to incorporate 14 red and pink things on our LO,of which PP and CS didn't count.I thought it might be tough,but once I started layering my flowers,picking buttons and felt....I had 14 plus items in no time.

Feeling The Mojo

My mojo has actually been cooperating with me lately.I think I got inspired during the Skrapnchat Oh The Places You'll Go Crop.It was so much fun, and cleverly designed with awesome challenges all centering some how around Dr. Seuss. The DT did an awesome job thinking up creative challenges.I had fun with some new friends and many old.Roll call was unbelievable! I just couldn't believe all the people logged in and taking part. I am sure that there were some just there to see what was going on,but there were lots scrapping.Nicole,Vanessa,Debmarie,Lisa,Joce just to name a few of my far away scrapping friends and then I had the locals like Norah who scrapped with me one evening. It is so much easier to just pack up enough stuff for a layout out two and go with it. We had a blast!We scrapped,drank coffee.........I swear that was all it was even though I was acting a tad bit foolish on the computer.I was logged in under Norah though,so she looked crazy not me.......LOL Pretty clever eh?

One of the challenges was the Who's Who's of Yous or something Dr. Seussish. We had a selection of things to pick from for this challenge and I decided to scrap about who inspires me and who better to choose than Nicole.She can take the ordinary every day photo and turn it into a real piece of art. I am inspired by many of my scrapping friends.I just so happened to have a photo of Nicole too:)



We had a challenge where we had to use three different types of hearts,so I decided to continue on with some of my niece's wedding photos using the great Basic Grey Ambrosia line.Ambrosia just isn't a great salad.

WINTER WONDERLAND

Well as another blizzard is upon us I thought I better post my photos from the last one.Thankfully the kids got to school before the one today started or I am sure they would of had a snow day.Perhaps tomorrow they will be home.I love the snow when it is new,white and glistening. It isn't so pretty after the vehicles have driven through it,kids have trampled in and well dogs you know what they do in the snow.....lol.

Anyway after our last unexpected storm I decided to go out for a little walk with my camera to capture some of the nice white fluffy stuff. After all I have lots of scrapbook paper with winter themes that I need to use up.



This is a photo taken from my front lawn looking out the road that my mom lives on.







One of the best things about snow is that the kids love it and will play for hours in it. I however, hate the mess that it tracks in,the wet dog smelling mittens and the coming in and out to get me to tuck pant legs in boots etc.,but I remember how much I loved it when I was a kid too.

Since this was a pretty heavy post, I'll be back soon with some layouts to share:)