One stone patio, two garden boxes, three sore fingers and more...

It's been a whirlwind week. I seem to be having many of them lately!

This week's project was laying a stone patio from our walkout basement doors. It's been a few weeks in the planning, but this week was the "action" week.

So, here's how our week started.

MONDAY: It poured like mad and then poured some more. Then, just when we thought it may end, it rained some more! No delivery of road crush for our patio...it was just too wet!

TUESDAY: The sun came out and the delivery trucks arrived. At 0800 am (it was so nice of them to arrive sooooo very early) we got our road crush dumped on our driveway. The trucks were originally going to dump everything in the back yard, but could not because of the rain on Monday). Then a few minutes after the dump truck arrived, along came our 5 pallets of stones. These were also dumped on our driveway for us to carry ourselves into our backyard.

Now, one thing I should mention is that we live on a walkout lot, that means a huge slope between the front yard and the backyard...really fun when you have 130 fifty pound stones to bring into the backyard!!!

WEDNESDAY: The stones made it from the front yard to the back yard. That doesn't seem like much...but my aching arms and sore muscles can tell you that it was quite a bit for one day! Oh yeah, I forgot, we also built my garden boxes. Two 8x4 foot beds built with landscaping ties...which are incredibly heavy once assembled!

THURSDAY: The Bobcat came, dug out our patio area. The Bobcat helped us to move some of the road crush to the dug out area. My brother in law came and helped my husband begin the project.

FRIDAY: I went to work while my brother in law and husband continued the project. I came home mid afternoon to a beautiful sight. They had laid 80% of the stones and it looked AMAZING!! It was finally coming together.

Also, we recruited a neighbor passing by to help move the incredibly heavy garden boxes into the backyard and that became my project. I got a shovel and went to work...

It's now 10pm on Friday and I am wiped. My DH is sitting beside me watching UFC falling asleep (which means he is exhausted if he is falling asleep watching UFC)

All in all, a REALLY productive week. I am looking forward to next spring when we will really be able to enjoy the backyard and I can plant a garden!

I'll take pictures and post them later.

Camille

Just a note!

I started a new Life Group today. We got together, all 11 of us and it was good. I am really looking forward to starting to read "Captivating" tonight.

I just wanted to say, our Crop Chicks have started blogging at CROP SUEY and it's so much fun to have different and fresh input on our blog.

Today, Michelle posted a great mini-album that she made and I am going to make one as soon as I find some free time. She has REALLY gone above and beyond...it's awesome.

I am off to do some book keeping before I dig into my new book. (then hopefully it will be a relatively early night!)

Later girls!

A date with Papa and Nana

As I mentioned in my last post, we had a great time at the Corn Maze on Friday night. It was so much fun to run around the labyrinth of trails and finding each marker (even though it was so twisty and turny that we actually did think we lost our direction once or twice).

Robert enjoyed himself thoroughly, it was a great adventure with Nana (Papa stayed behind because his knee was REALLY sore).

Here are some great pics from the evening.


What a beautiful sight, there was even a John Deere tractor plowing the fields in the background. Can you get more Albertan than that?


This is my favorite pic, it was such a beautiful evening and when we were through the maze the kids were READY for bed. They slept really well that night.

I love this pic too. Rob and Robert were having a race (against themselves). If you look closely, Robert is giggling uncontrollably. You know that excited and scared feeling, the one where you think that you just might pee yourself? Yeah, that's what I think he was feeling!


Check out a close up!


Finally, the pic that always melts my heart, Daddy and Reese kissing. It's the sweetest thing seeing how much she soften her Daddy. He just smiles differently at her -she is the "other" lady in his life! I love it!


Anyhow, that's our adventure. I am going to end this one with a BIG "shout out" to my parents. They came to the corn maze with us, after having celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary. It's crazy to think that they have been happily married to each for that long -AND they are still crazy about one another.

I am proud to have such a loving example of a marriage in my life. I love you Dad and Mom!


Enjoy your week. I know that I will be enjoying every moment of laying a stone patio in my backyard (YIPPEEEEE!!)

Camille

I am an Eighties Chick!

Ok, so I checked out Crop Chick Brittney's blog and found this link to a quiz...

"What Year do you Belong in?"

You Belong in 1982

Wild, over the top, and just a little bit cheesy. You're colorful at night - and successful during the day.

It was pretty cool and a little scary. I was 8 years old in 1982, it's kinda weird to think I "BELONG" there!

It's correct and saying that I am colorful at night -it's late at night that I usually get the good pages created!

On a different note,

We've been getting so many great layouts that people have created with our Crop Suey Kits. I am really looking forward to seeing what everyone makes.

So once you've received your kit, take a pic and send it to us at shopcropsuey@gmail.com

We will post your layouts and get your work out there for people to see.

Now, me and the fam went to the Corn Maze last night with Papa and Nana. I will post something later tonight about it, including some great pics that I took.

Camille

A time for change...

I've changed my banner, the other one was too distorted for me.

Tell me what you think. Maybe I'll keep changing it as the layouts keep coming!

Camille

It's scary to be outnumbered...

So, here I sit daring to post with 5 children playing behind me. I only have 2, so being outnumbered by this many is a little scary.

So far so good though. I managed the best distraction ever by building a fort in our living room. All 5 kids fit into it with room to spare and...it's quiet!

I've learned that 5 kids under the age of 5 do NOT necessarily love playing with each other for more than 5 minutes at a time. (The number 5 seems to be an important one today!!)

Anyhow, check out the fort...

It's been tons of fun for the kids. It was in its preliminary building phase yesterday and I never saw my children for almost an hour they were having so much fun! It's amazing how cardboard, cushions and blankets can prove to be more entertaining than any toy the manufacturers can come up with.

I can't sit on any of my couches, but the kids are happy...isn't that more important??

I keep telling myself that a messy house it a good sign of happy children...

My children are REALLY happy!!!!!

Anyhow, Bree and I have been busy with Crop Suey and getting our November kits in order. It's been fun and exciting. I have noticed that I am getting better at recognizing manufacturers -which is a big deal for me.

I am the type of scrapbooker who in not manufacturer specific. But I find that over the last few months I am beginning to have favorites. Although, I will still buy something if I like, no matter who made it. In the spring, I found some great rub-ons at our local dollar store and used up almost every letter -that was the best $1 I ever spent!!!

Well, I had better go and check on the kids, it's getting a little loud in the family room.

Have a great day, and if your kids are in school right now...enjoy the silence!!

Camille

Where did last week go??

If anyone knows where I lost last week, I would love to have it back!

It's been another "busier than expected" week.

I can hardly remember where the days went and am struggling right now to recall exactly what I did last week.

So I will attempt to recall my week's events.

Tuesday (I feel like this is going to be a little like a Sesame Street kid's book)

It was Robert's first day of playschool. Robert went to meet his new teachers for the morning and Reese and I had a girls morning out. We went to Starbucks, no espresso for Reese and then to the grocery store. We "lollygagged" around the grocery store and had a bagel -of which we took the empty bag to the cashier! It was fun, Reese is such a girly girl when she doesn't have to defend herself again her brother!

Wednesday (have you ever ready Grover's "days of the week" story?)

Bree came over after having receiving her long awaited package in the mail and we frantically packed our kits. I drooled over all of her goodies and was jealous for all of the people getting the kits. There were not many leftovers (which sometimes there are) and that made me sad.
But...it was so much fun to open the package and discover what was inside (although we were the ones who ordered it!!)

Thursday -it's blur, I cannot really remember!!!

Oh wait, I had a meeting in the evening for Women's Ministry at our church. I will be leading a study on the book Captivating by Stasi Eldridge! I have been wanting to do this study for over a year and now the opportunity has come! I have heard great things about this book. Rob studied Wild at Heart last year, it was written by Stasi's husband John Eldridge. It's a book that truly reveals the heart of every man.
If you have the opportunity to read this book, it WILL impact your life!

Friday

I had coffee with a close friend, it moved into lunch too! Then I spent about 1 hour (with husband and children) in Best Buy!! I am forcing a smile when I write that it was fun! We had already done all of our homework and were simply going into the store to pay for the TV. Well...I am thankful that Best Buy is such a children friendly store, so I could just sit back and let the kids play for the HOUR that it took to pay for the TV!!!
About the whole experience I could only say...it was God's grace that got me through that experience...and I have a happy husband today!

The WEEKEND!!!!

It was a busy, but fun, weekend. We went scoping out stones for our stone patio that we will be building soon. That was fun and the kids did so well. We also found some stones that we really like. Then it was off for supper with Papa, Nana, Auntie and her kids at Montana's!
I did manage a little scrappin' this weekend...



I made some cards, one for my SIL's birthday! It was fun to find the time to sneak down to my studio!

So, there's my week in review.
It's been a long post, that's my punishment for not finding the time during the week. Lesson learned (hopefully)

Have a great week.

Camille

One more for the album!

WOW, I have been in a creative desert until this week.

I finally made some time to sneak downstairs and forced myself to stare at my scrap table until something came to me.

It took awhile, but it happened. Ideas started to blossom and I finished another LO.

Really, you have to realize how much of a challenge it has been to "create" lately. I would have my SIL over for a fun evening and would end up watching her scrap all night while I stared at the pics I wanted to put on a canvas...

...then, the other night, I had my SIL and another friend over (she was doing some hybrid LOs)

...I was very curious about it all, then spent the night watching what she did and not making my own pages. But, I forced myself to get something started and here is what came of it.


I was staring at the pictures and my SIL said "One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish" and then a light when on. I worked from the title and played with some colors (and a white background...which I do not do very often). It's not a complicated layout, but I really like it. I also think that the memories behind a pic make the page more desirable for me.

Anyhow, just thought I would share. I feel that I have crawled out of the slump...

...let's hope I don't fall in again soon!!

Camille

Something happenend...

Well, I finally created something!

It's been a long time coming and I still have one unfinished LO sitting downstairs (but there is a plan for it).

So, the first thing I started with was a card for Oakley's 4th birthday (my son Robert's friend and coincidentally Bree's son)


It was good to see something get finished. I have been struggling for quite some time to get something done that I felt was "OK"! Now that the card was finished (because REALLY how much will a four year old "treasure" the card) I moved onto a LO.

And this is what I came up with...

This page was fun to make, mostly because of the story behind it. We were camping and had put the kids to bed. After an hour, Reese was asleep and Robert was wide awake! I mean WIDE awake. So, we brought him out of the trailer and wrapped him in a blanket to cuddle with Dad around the fire. Robert was so excited to have this privilege that he stood a bit taller the next day! Needless to say, the request to stay up after Reese came the very next evening...but we wanted Mommy and Daddy time, so it was off to bed for Robert!!

Just wanted to share, my aim is to finish my other "begun" layout tonight.

I just have to commit the time...it will get done!

Camille

Shedding some light!

Yesterday we spent some time visiting with a friend (and her 5 kids) that we haven't managed to see in almost 3 weeks. It was nice to just sit back and let the kids play.

Also, an update, potty training is going (Not well, not poorly) and we are averaging 3 pair of underwear daily (I think that's manageable...I pray it gets better) I realize now there is no turning back to diapers and I have to simply move forward...hopefully Reese is ready to do that with me!

Today's adventure is going to a lighting store and choosing a chandelier for our stairwell. The guy who installed the original pendant light accidentally dropped it and shattered it into a million pieces (and I am not exaggerating). When the store reordered the light it was on back order for 4 months and then the company informed us that the pendant is discontinued.
Great stuff!!
Now, after a summer without a stairwell pendant light and 8 months in our new home, we are finally going to choose another one (which will probably take another 3 months to get to the store and another month for the technician to install! That means we will have it installed and ready for Christmas -what a gift!

So we are just praying that we can find something that matches the old pendant and/or compliments the kitchen lighting!

Off we go!

Camille

What a day it was...

Yesterday and today have been such exciting days.

Bree and I launched our website yesterday and the orders are coming in...

it's nice to know that you agree with our choice of kits.

Today was a busy day for Bree and I. We made all of the finishing touches on October's kits and packed some kits for shipping! It REALLY is exciting to be IN business.

Also, we planned some family time today. It may not be much, but we went grocery shopping as a family. Robert and Reese are always excited to go get groceries with Dad (for some reason he is way more interesting that JUST Mom!) When we got home Robert came up to me and said "Movver, you are a good Movver! You need to know that." He said it so matter of factly, like it needed to be said and I needed to hear it! My heart melted and my reply was "Robert, you are a great son" -to which he replied "Yes, I am!"

Kids are great for keeping us grounded, but also for making us feel as though we are on cloud nine!
Another mountain we are climbing is potty training with Reese. She has finally decided that she is ready to "commit" to this adventure. We did fairly well for the first day. She only had a couple of accidents, realizing a little too late what was happening. One "gooder" for the books was tonight though.
We went out to play in the yard. I kept reminding Reese to tell Mommy if she had to pee. After about 1/2 hour, she came up to me and said "Mommy, I poo-poo!" I totally did not see that coming. We lifted her skirt to confirm and it was very prominent in her undies. Yep...that was a great one to clean... Even when Reese and I returned (after a good cleaning and an outfit change) Rob was still in stitches laughing at the whole scene (next time it's Dad's turn to clean)!

So pray for potty training...it's the biggest obstacle we face as a family! But, if it works we will be diaper free and movin' onto the next stage (just a little bit of freedom at a time!)

By the way...Smarties are the greatest motivator for our little girl. It was Reese's pieces for Robert (funny thing that Reese's pieces do NOT motivate Reese!!!!)

Camille

It's here, it's here, it's here!

There's not much more to say than this... GO TO

www.shopcropsuey.com

Bree and I have opened for business. Our website's kits are officially for sale today. We already have 4 kits sold and know that selling out is in God's hands not ours!

It's been a busy weekend anticipating today! Worrying is really hard work you know.

Yesterday, we had my parents and my sister's family over for lunch. It was nice to hear their encouragement for my endeavor. It's always nice to know that you have support for your undertakings! Thanks guys -I truly appreciate it!

Now, I will spend the morning worrying (for I'm not sure which good reason) and probably calling Bree every 10 minutes (until I see her at noon for her son's bday party)!

The only thing that keeps coming to mind is this:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him" Psalms 34:8

I cannot even tell you why that comes to mind, but God knows my heart and I will trust HIM.

So...on with my day. I think my husband is equally as excited as I am, because he came to bed late last night updating me that the flood is not yet upon us.

So, go to www.shopcropsuey.com

Enjoy it, let me know what you think of our new kit club!!

Camille