Not My Fault

Just because I have an awesome family who chose to pay attention to my favourite things and, therefore, decided to graciously give me the gifts of FIVE purses...

Two from the hubster - the patent red and burgundy saddle bag
One from Granny - the orange, my fav!
One from my sister, Tracey - the "obnoxious purple", as she called it.
One from my mom - the metallic pewter she knew I had been admiring in the Avon book.

...and so I am simply doing my duty as the recipient to kindly accept and enjoy! You just can't imagine the burden of pure delight I "carry"! (ok, that was a bad joke, I apologize for that one)

The hubster, however, has warned me of our imminent divorce should I decide to look upon EVEN ONE purse in 2009...he thinks he, like, knows me or something...ha!

Audrey Caroline

Last year for Christmas the hubster gave me a gift that keeps on giving...a 2year subscription for "Memory Makers", a scrapbooking magazine.

November/December 2008, issue 84, I received another gift besides the usual amazing ideas for layouts.

On Page 56, the "He Will Carry You" layout is the story of Todd and Angie Smith and their baby girl, Audrey Caroline. I swear, I have been crying over this story for the last 2 days, every time I look at the magazine while I'm trying to get some scrapbooking done.

I cannot even begin to explain how deeply the story of their lives has affected me. Please go to Angie's "Bring the Rain" blog at www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com and click on the link for January that will begin the journey. This is an incredibly sad, heartfelt, honest blog about Angie's family, pregnancy, birth, and death of sweet baby Audrey. If you click on April (the month of Audrey's passing) there are song lyrics written by Angie and the "rough-draft" soundtrack and video....amazing!!!

I feel so blessed to have found this blog. Through the Christmas season, it seems we have a tendency to focus on those we have lost and struggles we have to endure, emotionally, physically, financially. I am not trying AT ALL to make you depressed. Rather the opposite, Angie is an absolute inspiration! I consider what she has gone through in her life the absolute most difficult thing life could ever bring upon a mother. She has, through it all, maintained the highest level of faith. She is a magnificent writer and God has given her Amazing Grace to endure and share her experience with all of us.

I am completely ashamed, a terrible Christian...God has enriched my life with blessings, great and small. For my lack of thankfulness, I am so undeserving. Angie has lost a part of herself that if I were to lose, I am sure I would die. Yet she is full of praise and adoration for her heavenly father who chose her to be the mom for a baby she knew she would lose, a baby she carried for 34 weeks of pregnancy and held with the breath of life for little more than 2 hours.

All I could do after reading Angie's blog was hug my baby girl and say, "Thank you Jesus, please forgive me". What else is there to do, really? I am just so happy that even tho' I fail severely, I have a heavenly father who forgives.

Like Job of old, when faced when adversity, IF ONLY I could be the type of person who could say, "yet though he slay me, still will I praise him".

Now go get your box of tissues and prepare to shed tears of sorrow and thankfulness.

Merry Christmas!!

Hope you all have a great one! Don't forget the real reason for the season!

Thanks to Christa and Tara for making my Christmas cards for me! (um, sorry my cards are late,as usual, everyone;0)

My Bluenotes

Of some of the commercials I like this season, the Bluenotes one kinda caught my attention today. It's the one with everyone talking about what they've done and where they've been in their jeans.

And since I really do love my Bluenotes, here's the story of my jeans:

My jeans have :
been covered in snow up to the knees,
been "held up" with various coloured belts to compliment a particular outfit,
been used to wipe my hands when I couldn't find a towel,
traveled to the city to shop,
hurriedly ended up in a pile on the floor (wink wink!),
been coated in flour and sugar after baking cookies,
helped hold up a 30lb toddler attached to my hip,
stretched and bent to sit on the floor to play with said toddler,
mysteriously "shrunk" an entire size after coming out of the dryer,
held pocket change, notes to self, and gas receipts,
made the hubster take a second look at my butt (hehe!),
stood on stage to sing "8 bottles of moose meat" for the Newfie 12 days of Christmas,
paced back and forth,
been spilled and splashed upon,
sat and sat and sat while I finished that awesome book,
frayed at the bottom,
taken a plane ride,
anxiously sat through a tense conversation with an old friend,
worked and played,
held a napping baby on their lap,
been worn with heels or hiking boots, as relating to the occasion,
knelt to pray,
never rode a motorcycle,
endured endless hours of wear and tear for my comfort.

I love my jeans! Isn't it great when you find a good pair?!

So where has your denim taken you? (perhaps yours have been farther this fall/winter than mine...?)

Lessons from My Baby

I've been watching Sarah intently. Actually I would say I've been more than just watching her. I've been kind of studying her in my weird analytical/ECE-minded/dorky mom way. I'm amazed by her every day but when I really stop to think about it, being a baby must be very challenging with everything you do being for the first time.

Sarah is now just over 21 months old, she'll be two in March. She is running and jumping and learning new words and tiny sentences; she is trying to adjust to mommy taking her "bubby" away for her daytime naps; she is figuring out "potty" things; she is rambunctious; she tries hard to do big girl things in her awkward little girl way and then gets spitey when things don't go her way. Yes, being a baby means tough times indeed.

Often, if Sarah has a bad day, I say to her in a joking way, "Yes mommy knows life is tough for babies". But, just imagine needing to learn how to speak and form words again or falling down quite often because you're still figuring out how to be agile on your feet. Imagine the scary world of not knowing exactly what's going on and needing to follow those "big people" (better known as parents, grandparents, etc.) and trusting them with your very life every single second not realizing that they don't always know what they're doing either.

And then imagine, through all the frustration of learning about life, doing all of that with the absolute joy and wonder of a toddler! What if we ran with enthusiasm into the arms of someone we love? What if we actually didn't WALK anywhere but skipped with delight no matter how many times we fell down and skinned our knee? What if we danced and sang as loud as we could, even if we didn't know the words, but simply because we loved the melody? What if we shouted "Wow" and clapped our hands because we helped with the laundry or was allowed to splash in the dishwater? What if? Absolute joy and wonder....hmmm? Do we adults ever really allow ourselves to experience absolute joy and wonder? I'm not sure we'd even know where to start.

Maybe, especially at this time of year, it would be good for us to take a life lesson from a baby. No matter what your day brings, through all of the trials of trying to be "normal", why don't we just stop being so miserable and serious. Even when the weather is bad (I'm FAMOUS for that complaint), even when our house is a mess (Oops, famous for that one too!), or even when we just got yelled at by our spouse or best friend or boss (cause Ouch! that hurts, but don't babies get told "NO!" all the time?).

So how about putting some spring in our steps (I'm picturing Phoebe from "Friends" running the park...tho' I'm not sure I'd go to THAT extreme. haha!), putting a song in our hearts, looking at the world through the eyes of a child, and having a Happy Christmas season?! What say you to that?!

Holding FUTURE SHOP

I am currently on hold...and I am so UPSET I just had to post.

Back at the end of November I ordered the hubsters Christmas present online at Futureshop. GREAT! That meant I didn't have to go to Corner Brook to do my shopping.

Then I got an email saying that my order was on hold because my shipping information didn't match what my credit card company had on file. This ALWAYS happens lately with "General Delivery" addresses. I don't technically have a street address or a post office box. On the website you MUST put in a street address because "GD" is not an acceptable address. So I got a message saying I had to call and verify my address. I called and took care of that.

And I just went to check my order status and my order was CANCELLED! What?! So I called customer service and they said I was sent an email about my address again (which I DID NOT receive) and when I didn't respond they cancelled my order.

And then after me getting very angry, the solution the supervisor of the customer service desk gave me was to re-order. "HELLO??", I said, "Why would I ever order from you again. This is a Christmas present and how can I be sure the same thing isn't going to happen again?" And when I couldn't be reassured of that, I reassured him that I would be officially filing a complaint.

Seriously, this stuff makes me so angry. And when I get really angry I start to almost cry. Here I thought I was saving myself shopping woes and taking the easy route for the gift my husband wanted and it's caused nothing but a hassle. Ugh!

Christmas, Christmas...Hip Hooray!

Now I'm off to call Sears to see if I can get some electronics shipped in time for Santa to appear.

I Saw it! Caution: Long post with SPOILERS!

Yesterday the hubster and I went to Corner Brook for a date night to see my much anticipated movie, "Twilight". Yay! I was so excited!

The movie started at 6:45 and accustomed to Ontario theatres with the crowds and lines, Jamie and I arrived at 6:20, eager for a good seat. HA! What a laugh! The flashing "Now Playing" lights on the brick exterior of the "Majestic" were not even on! We were the ONLY people there.

We were greeted at the door with a "I'm not going to check you in because we need 4 people to start the movie." There was one ticket window just inside the door which reminded me more of the coat check at a trashy bar.

I was devestated! "Well, I'll pay for 4 tickets," I said, "I just drove over an hour to see this movie."

"No way!", was her response, "you're not the first one who's tried that. I told my manager that if 4 people didn't show I was lockin' up." "But you've still got lots of time," she injected thoughtfully, "I'm sure someone else will come."

And then we waited for 20 minutes in the grand foyer with a total of two chairs and a food counter the size of the computer desk at which I now sit and consisting of regular sized bars, small popcorn, and CANS of pop. What?! No giant fountain drinks or meal deals with nachos and twizzlers and more popcorn than anyone could possibly consume in 2 hours?! Chatting with the 60-something lady and her husband we found out they used to live in Ontario, they had a son, couldn't get "into" this movie, made 99 cents and $2 an hour, respectively, when they first worked in Corner Brook, and that they had visitors from ALL over the island drive for hours to see "Titanic".

And then through the glass doors I could see another car pulling in across the street and a couple emerging, making their way to the theater. What a relief! I told them how happy I was to see them and they laughed, they had also driven for an hour to see "Twilight".

Eventually about 8 customers showed and the husband clunked his way upstairs, turned the lights on the screen, and rolled the film. And roll the film did, we heard it the entire time. And much to my annoyance, it skipped in a couple of places as well. Jamie said the theatre reminded him of the old one that used to be in Norris Point 20 years ago. We laughed and made the best of it.

My thoughts?: I enjoyed it. I tried to go in with an open mind after reading the book, knowing full well the difficulty in translating a novel to the big screen. The book was fantastic. The movie left out a lot of parts I thought were fantastic. The movie was good but not fantastic, they could have made it a smidge longer maybe. Jamie liked it well enough, despite some definite moments of cheesiness which left me giggling in a couple of parts not meant to be funny. Overall, Edward was dreamy and, I thought, well acted out as the vampire tortured over his humanistic love for Bella knowing full-well his monstrous desire to taste her blood and thus, kill her. Bella was clumsy and stumbled over her words, as did her character in the book. But the book left you with more of an understanding of why, as it is written from Bella's perspective. I thought the movie could have added a little more narration from Bella to explain some of the finer details. Jamie was confused about a couple of parts (i.e. why Edwards eyes change colour. They noted it in the movie but didn't explain why it happens. If you read the book you know Edward's eyes become black when he is most hungry and, therefore, then has a hard time being close to Bella. This becomes one of the pieces of the puzzle for Bella when she figures out Edward is a vampire.)

Some of the things they changed or eliminated from the movie:
The way Bella meets Jacob, not at the beach like in the book, but at the beginning when Bella gets her truck from Jacob's dad.
The accident: I believe it was snowy and icey in the book with Mike talking about a snowball fight. It was more rainy in the movie.
They added a character, a friend of Bella's dad, and had him killed off by the visiting vampires. This is not in the book.
The bus/field trip: Not in the book
They excluded the girl-ask-boy dance and made it all about the prom, which Bella hated in the book, but was okay with in the movie.
Eating at the local Diner all the time: not in the book. In the book, Bella likes to cook and makes supper for her dad at home nearly every night.
Edwards family using their kitchen for the first time and making Bella dinner to welcome her on her visit.
Rosalie doesn't speak in the book but does in the movie, which I think was probably necessary.
There is no mention of Jasper's "gift" and the movie doesn't explain very well why he is so stiff and withdrawn.
No airport scene in the movie.
....LOTS more changes, I couldn't possibly name them all.

And those changes were all fine, really. The changes I didn't like AT ALL:
1. They left out a lot of the intimate romantic parts and a lot of the comedic lighter parts, focusing more on the negative tortured emotions. This left the movie not accurately portraying the extreme roller coaster of emotions in the book. (i.e. The scene near the end in the hospital. It was all about Edward being angry and guilt-ridden. That's true, he is, but it's got more of a pleading & loving undertone in the book).
2. Leaving out the part of the visit to Edwards home where they spoke with Carlisle about his history, I thought it would be important for the accurate continuation of the series.
3. The scene where Edward and Bella spend the day together in the woods. This, I felt, was a pivotal point in the book, and extremely important in Edward and Bella's relationship. It is where Edward decides he IS strong enough to be with Bella and not hurt her. It is where they first kiss, (in the book but not in the movie), and where Edward expresses his love. Edward explains why he can't be in the sunlight (a little cheesy but important in the book). Edward and Bella then spend the night together at her house (no sex since Edward is afraid of losing control and hurting Bella), and Edward admits he comes to watch Bella sleep all the time. This scene in the MOVIE was chopped up, split up the middle with them separating for a scene where the other vampires kill Bella's dads friend. I didn't like that. It took away from the importance of that day on their relationship.

And there you have it...I've nearly just written that essay I was talking about in my "geek post". lol :) And don't get me wrong, it's sounding now like I didn't like the movie. I really did, I'd love to see it again and I can't wait to read the next books and watch the next movies. I'm still officially HOOKED!

Did you see the movie? Read the book? What did you think? Do you agree or disagree?

Cricut vs. Silhouette

Okay scrapbooking people out there...I need your help please!!

I have asked the hubster for a die cutting system for Christmas. At first I thought I'd love the Quikutz Silhouette that I saw at a scrapbook store in Ontario. Approx $299 but on sale right now for $249

Here are the features I was attracted to:
Can use any of the fonts you have existing on your computer. This means FREE unlimited fonts! Yay!
It's used with your computer or carried with you to print from your laptop, therefore it is lightweight and small in size.
Comes with lots of diecut shapes.
Can cut any "hand-made" shapes making the possibilities endless really.

Here are the downsides I've discovered:
The manual is difficult to understand making initial setup of the printer frustrating.
Replacement blades are expensive at approx. $50 a pop!
May or may not be compatible with Vista (which is the operating system I have on my laptop)

And then I've seen the Cricut at Walmart and researched it a bit as well. There is the original Cricut or the Cricut Expressions (i think it's called?) Approx. $269 at Walmart

Benefits:
The new printer can cut 12 x 12 papers
It's very easy to use and the manual is simple to follow
There is software that can be purchased to go with the printer to make it use additional fonts from your computer. I don't know how much this software costs.
Doesn't have to be plugged in to your computer and can be just used on its own.

Downside:
Comes with only one font template/cartridge thingy I think. Additional cartridges have to be purchased and cost anywhere from $55 to $110 EACH!
I'm confused about the cartridge thingies and I'm not even really sure what that means or how much I'm limited by only having one.
A little on the clunky side weighing about 20 lbs.

This is a very hard decision for me. Mostly I want a diecut machine because I want to cut my own titles instead of always sketching them out and cutting them by hand with my exacto knife.
And I want a good variety of fonts, I get extremely bored of the same ones on every page.

PLEASE, if you have ANY idea and have an opinion on which is better or can enlighten me at all with the details, I would greatly appreciate your help.

Thanks!

All About the Girl

I realized this morning it's been a long time since I've talked to you about Sarah. So, I'd like to introduce my little toddler to all of you.

Miss Sarah Lillian Hynes:
21 months old
A whopping 30 lbs!
Wears 24 months
Is obsessed with her "beaks" (that's books)
Usually eats very well but for some reason has difficulty with breakfast foods and meats
Favourite meals consist of: tomotoes, cheese, pasta, peaches, and yogurt
Has one nap a day, about 2 hours in the afternoon
Loves her daycare provider "Maggie" and asks for her almost every day
Is quiet in church but loud at home
Is a good but light sleeper
Loves clipping and unclipping, zipping and unzipping, emptying and putting things back
Says "Mine" so much she reminds me of the seagulls in "Finding Nemo"
Doesn't fight with getting her hair washed in the tub
Sings in the car
Loves Elmo and "Eener" (that's Ernie)
Carries her brown bear (yes, his name is actually what he is) almost everywhere
Fell off the side of the couch and the ottoman but still insists on standing on both
Loves her bottle but is starting to get used to using a cup for her naps in the daytime
Is a bit of a bully if other kids get in her personal space

Is a very chatty girl and has so many words in her vocab, it's hilarious listening to her repeat everything. Her newest words are:
Calling daddy "Jeemie" instead of daddy
I-no-wann-it (I don't want it - she says it fast like it's all one word)
counting "two, free" (she only says those two numbers) when we're walking the stairs
Poppa Shruck (she knows Poppa is driving his big TRUCK)
Monkey (exactly what it is...started on the Subway commerical I think)
Duck (which is not actually "duck", it's "STUCK" as in can't get off my rocking horse, mommy!)
Nap (asking for, immediately followed by "bobby" and "bee-er". That is, "Bottle" and "bear")
Peam egg (meaning she wants "cream" on her "legs" which are very dry)

She has a very lucky mommy and daddy cause...

She's just awesome!!

Because she loves tomatoes so much I thought this cool variety pack would be great!! She seemed to like the one with the cool green stripes the best.

I Second the Motion

I just visited Christa's blog to play catchup and say THIS POST and it's SO funny cause I was going to write almost the exact same thing!

So here goes:

I would also consider myself to be a geek.

Well, maybe just part-geek. I wasn't the most popular girl in highschool but I'd say I was fairly popular. I had lots of friends, hung out a lot, played sports, almost always had a boy toy to play with. That doesn't sound very geeky, does it?

However, I barely ever wore makeup. My hair was totally out of control. I was a bit of a prude, some might say, and NEVER smoked, drank, had sex, did any drugs AT ALL! Not even a smidge. I got kicked out of academic math (not for anything bad, of course) because I was too good at it and had to continue without a teacher via Distance education. I had no idea about the most popular music. I never went to school dances.

And here's what I believe to be one of the main reasons why I was a bit of a dork and why I STILL am:
I loved literature class. Was fascinated by Mr. Elgar and his ability to read the acts from Shakespeare very nearly from memory. I enjoyed writing those essays that everyone else despised.
So, when I read the book "Twilight" I noticed in the back of the novel some questions, as though the publishers were preparing for it to be added to the list of highschool novels. I wanted SO badly, you wouldn't even imagine, to sit down and write a response in essay format to one of those questions. I went through the details in my mind and read the book TWICE more to confirm my opinions choosing quotes for my reasoning. HA! I managed to stop myself from ACTUALLY writing the essay (mostly because the hubster is such a bully and wouldn't stop mocking me & my twilight obsession). I'm such a loser!

Take that Miss Quirky Christa and your meal plans! HA! Actually, I usually do a meal plan for us too...but you knew that already cause we geeks, we totally stick together!