It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

BACK TO SCHOOL!!!

All kidding aside, I have to say - I'm not as excited to have the kids head back to school this year... :(

This is the first summer in the last five years that I've had to work full-time, instead of enjoying the summer with the kids.

Sure, we had a fantastic two weeks with our friends, the Lepages, in early July.  But I miss just hanging out with the kids outside, swimming, or just vegging indoors, watching movies or playing games, during the super-crazy humid days...

Ah well, maybe next summer, I'll have more time at home...

Anyhow, this month, I teamed up with fellow DT member Allison Cope to share some Back-To-School themed projects on the myStamp BOX blog.

My project was based on the old adage, "Necessity is the mother of all invention".  One thing that I abhor the most about back-to-school is packing lunches!  More often than not, much of the food comes back home with my children, only to be thrown away.

While thinking about the Back-to-School theme, I remembered back to when I was little and I had a mix and match book (similar to this one, but with a girl instead of a mouse!).  Each day, I would pick out a new outfit.  And so an idea began to form...

And I ended up with this:

Supplies used:  Bazzill Basics cardstock; Scenic Route and Basic Grey patterned papers; myStamp BOX stamps (Lots of Dots, Funky Circles - mini); Tsukineko and Ranger inks; Stampendous embossing powder; Creative Memories and Marvy Uchida punches; Marvy Uchida pen; miscellaneous ribbon, kraft wrapping paper; chipboard sheets and binder rings from my stash.

It's a menu planner, similar to those mix-and-match books of yesterday!  Here's a peek inside:

You can check out the myStamp BOX blog HERE to see more of this project, as well as Ally's layout, created to record her son's first and last day of Kindergarten!

Exciting news!

Guess from where I am blogging?!? From the front seat of our van, using our new iPad 2!

Not the driver's seat, of course... :)

I am slowly getting used to it - I've always been a fan of Apple products (although I loved My Blackberry, initially) but I just love the versatility of this baby!

And I love how the kids can do something other than watch movies or play video games. While we have lots of these (Curse you, Angry Birds!), it was refreshing to watch Aili complete virtual puzzles for an hour!

Of course, she is now insisting that we refer to her as "the Puzzle Master"...

ScrapFest Registration Opens Tonight!!

Yay!! ScrapFest time again!!

I'm so excited to be seeing my fellow teachers again, and to be meeting the talented Becky Fleck of Page Maps fame, among other things!! Good gravy, I hope I don't embarrass myself by acting all star struck... :s

My class is on Saturday so if you have an SLR or DSLR and want to learn how to use it in another mode, other than Auto, check out the ScrapFest website tonight at 8pm!  Canadian Scrapbooker will be sponsoring my class again (thank you, CS!) and each participant will receive a goodie bag that includes, among other things, a copy of the Fall 2011 issue!!  

If you're attending ScrapFest, please leave me a comment and be sure to come by the Canadian Scrapbooker booth to introduce yourself to Cathie, Christy and I!  See you October 14th and 15th!

More Shopping Required!

On Saturday, I took Connor shopping for appropriate clothes for his grandmother's memorial.  I have to say, when I finally saw him in the entire outfit, once we got home, I got a little weepy!

When did this chubby, adorable, happy baby...

Turn into this handsome, kind, funny tween?

Sorry for the grainy photo, but I grabbed the nearest vessel of photographic capacity, which was Connor's iPod Touch.

Note the freshly trimmed and styled faux hawk.  The big brown eyes.  The  dapper shirt and tie.  The casual but seemingly contrived pose.  The sweet smile.

The big honkin' feet!

Oh my stars, I need to buy one more thing... A big stick to beat off the girls!

Finally!!

If you have children, you know how hard it is to have beautiful things in your home.

Aili, at six weeks (with BLUE eyes!)

When they are infants, you are so sleep-deprived that you don't notice that you put your underwear away in the ottoman and the television remotes in the refrigerator.

Connor, at 3 yrs (please excuse the horrible shadow behind his head!)

Then they come the mobile toddler - all of your beautiful Lladro figurines, Limoges porcelain platters and Waterford crystal go into hiding, safely encased in bubble wrap, awaiting the day that they can once again find refuge on your coffee tables and curio cabinets.

Aili, 5 yrs and Connor, 9 yrs (love their expressions!)

Surely, you think, once they become school-age....?  But no - you cringe every time a wayward Nerf hockey puck lands on your fireplace mantle, where a priceless vase once stood.  They wrestle each other on the furniture.  You still find lollipop sticks and empty granola wrappers behind the couch.

Honestly, you can't recall EVER bringing your children out to the barn to be raised, yet here we are...

So you bide your time.  You visit your friends' homes and admire their beautiful, matching, CLEAN furniture.  Lovely accents.  Framed artwork .  Okay, so you're a little bit envious.

But only a little, because they are now going through the "teenage" years.

Well, the fated day FINALLY came.

But first, a bit of background:

My in-laws are blessed to have had an entire wall in one of the guest rooms devoted to bookcases, filled with books.  Cookbooks.  Novels.  Navigation books.  Science/Medical journals.  Entertainment biographies.  Comic books.  Lots and lots and lots of variety.  When my mother-in-law passed, they were in the process of purging through their stuff, in preparation to downsize to a smaller place, closer to friends.

Last weekend, when we were there, my sweet father-in-law let Connor and I (the big readers in our family) go nuts and take any of the books that caught our fancy.  Three totes later and we were happy campers!

To make a long story short a little less long, once home, we decided to move our two bookcases upstairs to our living room, to create a library.  An unfortunate lip on the bookcases prevented them from sitting immediately side by side on the way, which led to some creative rearranging of furniture and a long discussion...

Which led us to go out today and buy this:

And two of these (minus the ottomans):

And this:

With its' sisters, this:

And this:

[source for all furniture images]

Oh, be still my heart!!  I'm so excited to get this furniture and FINALLY begin to decorate!  We've been in our house for over seven years and aside from painting the bedrooms and redecorating my studio scraproom, we haven't done much.  In fact, I still feel like I live in a "student" apartment - mismatched or old furniture, little or no accent pieces, no sign of personal touches anywhere.  

That's all going to change.  Time to start making our house a home...

Stay tuned for updates as we go - I'm picking up a pillow tomorrow, with a stop at Home Depot to snag a few paint chips.  (And maybe some extras to try this and this and this!) :)

Leave Your Legacy: What I Forgot to Say

Welcome to a new Leave Your Legacy challenge! If you're new to my blog, welcome! You can learn more about my Leave Your Legacy challenge here.

Last week, my mother-in-law passed away, after her battle with ovarian cancer.  She had been hospitalized for the eight weeks prior to her death, after undergoing surgery, and did not recover.  While it's sad to have her leave us, it's also a relief that her pain and suffering has ended.

It has also brought to surface all of the pain that I felt when my mother lost her battle with cancer in 2004, just four short months after her youngest grandchild, my daughter, Aili, was born.

photo taken Sept 25, 2004 by Gary Sykes

I was with her the day before she passed.  Connor was done school for the Christmas holidays and I had travelled out to Leamington to see Mom.  Frustration over not being able to do anything for her, as well as dealing with my dad's increasing depression over her state, led me to make the decision to take the kids home that night.  I wanted to foist them off onto Gary, who in my sleep-deprived state of mind, was the lucky one... he got to go to work every day and escape the horror of watching my mom slowly suffocate, while trying to keep a newborn and a 5 year old entertained and quiet all day.

Despite my sisters and my dad's request that I stay, I selfishly decided to go home and retreat for a while.

There isn't a day that goes by without me regretting that fact.

My mother passed away in the early morning.  My sister told me that she woke up, looked around and saw Dad and my sisters, and then asked where I was.  Every day, I wonder what she wanted to tell me.

I can't turn back time, but I can write her a letter, telling her everything that I meant to say, had I known it would have been my last time seeing her.

Here's your challenge this week:
Write a letter to someone, telling them everything that you've always meant to tell them.  It may be a parent or sibling that is no longer with you.  Or it may be an estranged friend with whom you've parted ways, due to a disagreement or just plain distance.  Whatever the case, write from the heart and include everything that you had forgotten to say.  Who knows?  Maybe they'll hear what you have to say...


Layout to follow shortly - I need to print off a photo still!


If you'd like to participate in this year long challenge, please share your layout below, using Linky Tools, by 11:59pm EST on December 31st, 2011. Please see the Leave Your Legacy page for guidelines, before linking here. Winners will be announced on January 1st, 2012.

Guest Sketch Designer > Let's Capture Our Memories

This month, I'm honoured to be featured as guest sketch designer over at Let's Capture these Sketches.   This sketch blog is on a great Canadian website, Let's Capture Our Memories.  Tanya and the ladies at LCOM have been so warm and welcoming!!

My first sketch was posted on Saturday, August 13th.  You can view it here, along with some great interpretations from the design team.  My next sketch will be up next Friday or Saturday... If you use one of my sketches, be sure to link up on their blog for a chance to win the monthly prize!

And as an added incentive, if you complete a layout using the sketch, link up on the Sketch Blog AND add a comment here with a link to your layout, I'll randomly draw a winner from the participants!  The lucky winner will receive their choice of prior kit or standard sized stamps from Just Cre8 (see here and here to see choices)!

Thanks, Tara, for letting me play along with your talented ladies this month!

Oprah Says...

I love reading the blog of my friend, Lee.  I always find the coolest links.

Like this cool quiz from Oprah's blog:  Who Am I Meant to Be?

And this is what they told me...

YOU ARE STRIVING TO BE SPONTANEOUS
You are an adventurer: Action-oriented, curious, outgoing, and often technically gifted, you live for new experiences. You are drawn to risk-taking and aren't afraid to fail. Generally restless, you tend to job-hop or choose a field that offers constant novelty. If you had to name your favorite place, it might be the center of attention—you're a born entertainer, and can easily adapt to any audience. While you collect many acquaintances, you're less likely to develop deep, committed relationships.

What to watch out for: When you can't satisfy your thirst for variety and excitement, you may see yourself as trapped, which can lead to impulsive and self-destructive behavior—drinking, drugs, breaking off relationships, ditching financial responsibilities. Try to find value in some traditions; if you learn to appreciate repetitive experiences, you won't always feel the urge to bust free. And when a new opportunity thrills you, keep in mind that just because it sounds exciting, that doesn't mean it's good for you.

Looking ahead: Life will have meaning for you as long as you feel stimulated. That might mean chasing twisters, exploring the polar ice caps, getting a degree in dance therapy, or becoming an astronaut. It might also mean reading new books, attending workshops, or letting yourself get swept up in an intoxicating romance. As a risk-lover with a lot of energy, you're a natural entrepreneur. You'll be happiest if you change jobs every so often and travel extensively. Movement is what keeps you going.

Based on my scores,  I had two other "strong striving styles":

YOUR SCORES
Many people have two or three strong striving styles, and they can all be important in leading you to the person you are meant to be. If you have a few "highest" scores, read each matching description, and see what rings most true.

Striving to help: 12
Striving to be recognized: 14
Striving to be creative: 16
Striving to be spontaneous: 17
Striving to be knowledgeable: 15
Striving to be secure: 12
Striving to be in control: 16

And what else did they say about me?

STRIVING TO BE CREATIVE
You scored: 16
You are an artist: You came out of the womb with a paintbrush in your hand. Or maybe it was a flute or a castanet or a fountain pen to go with your poet's imagination. The point is, you're an original, and you know it. Even if you don't have a singular gift, you're drawn to the arts—anything creative, for that matter—and you have a unique way of looking at the world. Your need for depth and authenticity in relationships can lead to both great joy and profound sorrow, depending on whether others reciprocate. You don't care so much about adapting to group or societal expectations; your independence and sharp intuition propel you on your own path.

What to watch out for: When fear of conformity overrides your creativity, you can assume the role of "outsider" or "orphan" and end up feeling alienated. You may even go so far as refusing to vote or pay taxes. This lone-wolf stance might be a defense against feeling vulnerable. Try to be aware that blaming others for your banishment, or pushing away those who want to get close, only makes things worse. Also, dramatizing your emotions can interfere with your creativity.

Looking ahead: As long as you genuinely express yourself, you feel like the person you were meant to be. How you do it is irrelevant. A chef or architect can be as much of an artist as a painter or sculptor. Many advertising and public relations executives are also highly imaginative. Beyond work, there are opportunities everywhere you look to coax out your inner artist: Design your own jewelry line, create an innovative blog, dream up a comic strip. Relationships are another avenue for self-expression.

STRIVING TO BE IN CONTROL
You scored: 16
You are a leader: You approach everything as though you were born to be in charge. Confident, assertive, and decisive, you know what you want and you go after it. You also look out for family, friends, and community—you feel you know what's best for them—and have no fear of confronting anyone who challenges your ideas. Taking the driver's seat, you also generously donate time and energy to people and neighborhood projects.

What to watch out for: When you feel threatened, or others refuse to go along with your agenda, you can become confrontational and domineering, sometimes to the point of being dictatorial. Practice letting someone else take charge on occasion. Also try meditation; it can help you be-come more aware of your controlling impulses and ease the anxiety that may be provoking them.

Looking ahead: You discover your purpose when you take control of your environment. For you, finding a decision-making role is key. That could mean anything from producing a play to spearheading a global campaign for something you care about. In work, you're suited for leadership positions in education, government, industry, finance, religious institutions, or politics. But you can find satisfaction anytime you're given the autonomy to do things your own way.

And the jobs suggested for me?  

Striving to be spontaneous: 

These action and adventure lovers are drawn to careers that promise excitement, whether as a:

Coach
Police Officer
Events Promoter  <--- Would LOVE a job like this!!
Family Lawyer
Nutritionist
Investigator
Broker
Travel Agent or Tour Operator

Striving to be creative: 

Imagination and personal expression are important to this type, so they enjoy jobs as:

Graphic Designers <--- ahhh, one can dream...
Art Directors
Yoga Instructors 

Drug Addiction Counselors
Architects  <--- dabbled with the idea in university
Actors/Musicians/Dancers/Athletes
College Professors
Yoga or Meditation Teachers

Striving to be in control: 

Decisiveness and authority come easily to this type, so they work best in leadership roles:

Restaurant manager
Healthcare administrator
Sales director
Teacher  <--- studied French with plans on becoming one
Political consultant
Marketing manager
Advertising executive
Politician

Hmmm, I can see parts of myself in each style!

So, what's your Striving Style? :)

myStamp BOX Design Team Call!!

ATTENTION all stampers and myStamp BOX fans!

We are looking for new Designers to join our team. If you are enthusiastic about our stamps, love to stamp, are a good team player, and know a thing or two about blogging, you are the right match for us! We are interested in designers with a variety of styles who can creatively showcase myStamp BOX designs in their layouts, cards, altered art and other projects. No previous design team experience is necessary. International applicants are welcome to apply.

Our Term is 6 months from October 1st, 2011 to March 31th, 2012.

Team requirements:
* 4 projects per month
* 1 blog entry per month including good quality photos of a project and instructions/tutorial
* Upload all projects to the myStamp BOX website gallery and other online galleries
* Submit at least 2 projects per term for submission to print magazines of your choice
* Occasionally help with additional design opportunities – new stamp sets, classes, etc.
* make myStamp BOX the only stamping company you design for during this term

Team benefits:
*bio and picture on the website, with links to your blog
*a starter kit of stamp sets and additional stamp sets throughout your term
*other free scrapbooking supplies from product partners as they become available
*30% discount on purchased myStampBox stamps during your term

Please include in your application:
*personal information (your name, address)
*a short paragraph about yourself and why you think you’d be a good fit for myStamp BOX.
*link to your blog and gallery
*3-5 examples of your work showcasing your stamping ability and style

This call ends Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Send your application to bettina@mystampbox.com
myStampBOX website: http://www.mystampbox.com

We can’t wait to hear from you!

Gone, but not Forgotten

[source]

Friday was a sad day in the Sykes household.

My mother-in-law, Jessie, lost her courageous battle with ovarian cancer.  Another angel called to back to His service.

Photo by Edward Sykes

Gary and I both tied up loose ends at work, picked up the kids from camp and met back at the house for a quick packing job.  Because Jessie chose to be cremated, there was no dire need for appropriate funeral attire this weekend - it was more for moral support for my father-in-law and to gather as a family to remember her.

The next few weeks will be a blur as we prepare for her memorial on the 26th.  And as I remember from when my mom passed nearly 7 years ago, then the grieving really begins.  Once the hullabaloo is over and the constant visits stop, once life carries on and goes back to its' routine, that's when her loss will be felt the most.

Please keep our family in your prayers tonight, so that we can find the strength to support each other and be there for my father-in-law.

A Week in the Life

Nope.  Not the Ali Edwards type.

A week in MY life at the moment consists of:

• not being able to find the time to blog
• taking few, if any, photos
• wiping noses and doling out acetominaphen to BOTH kids
• working late to play catch-up (still!) from holidays in July
• laundry, laundry and more laundry
• no scrapbooking - even though I have deadlines looming
• sitting the kids down to discuss the gravity of my mother-in-law's battle with cancer
• wiping tears and doling out hugs as needed because of it
• dealing with insurance agents and OPP officers and collision centres after a hit-and-run driver in the parking lot of an EnRoute
• eating healthy, but getting tired of salad every day for lunch!
• planning cupcakes for Aili's birthday party on Saturday
• pinning fabulous ideas on my Pinterest boards for various DIY projects, home ideas, organization tips, beauty tips, etc... 

I'm sure that things will settle down once the kids are back in school... right?

RIGHT??

Oh. My. Heck.  I hope so!

Sketch Challenge >myStamp BOX

Today, it was my turn to post a challenge on the myStamp BOX blog!  I have been loving sketches lately, trying to get my mojo back since it's been MIA.  So I thought I'd do a sketch challenge.  Here's my sketch:

Pretty simple, but it's just a starting point, right?

Well, not this time.  I stuck pretty close to the sketch, mostly because I think adding too much would have competed for attention with this bright paper!  Here's my layout:

Supplies used:  Bazzill Basics cardstock; Echo Park patterned paper, journaling card and sticker; myStamp BOX stamps (Wishing You Sunshine, Mini Alphas, Just Add Notes); Tsukineko and Memento inks; Ranger embossing powder; Maya Road chipboard alphas; Fiskars border punch; Marvy Uchida punch; American Crafts pen; envelope.

I actually stamped and embossed a banner for this layout, before even starting, and then it must have gotten shoved under some papers because I didn't realize it was missing until after everything was stuck down and I had taken the photos!  Guess I didn't need it - although I think it would look really cute, draped from corner to corner on the photo... may still have to add it!

Journaling is written on a matching journaling card, tucked into an envelope that was sealed, trimmed down to size and attached to the back of the photo mat.  This stops it from sliding around or slipping too far behind the photo.  I used a matching sticker, "Details", as a pull tab on it.

Journaling reads:  Your first Ferris wheel ride!  You were, at first, apprehensive.  But as we climbed higher, your smile broadened more and more!  May you always reach higher in all you do...  Love, Mama.  Ocean City, NJ.  July 2010.

I still can't believe I used only ONE piece of patterned paper on this layout!  Two, if you count the scrap that I used for the sun.  Sarah N, can you believe it?!! :)

Sometimes, it's the simple things...

Day 1 and counting...

Today's the day!

Source: fit-toned4summer.tumblr.com via Sue on Pinterest

Today, we buckled down and began the journey (again) towards healthy living.

This time, to ensure our success, we are doing it as a family.  Eliminating refined sugars.  Reducing carbohydrate intake.  Cutting out junk food and eating past 8pm.  Getting to bed early.

So far, so good.

I suspect it is going to be a long, hard road.  We didn't get to this point quickly, although it was easier, I'm sure!  It's all just a matter of retraining our minds and taste buds and muscles.

And staying away from the Cheetos.