The Reno is complete!

The IKEA shelf finally arrived. (Never order IKEA on line - takes forever and costs and arm and a leg! Take a truck to Edmonton) This past week after work I visited Charter House Interiors several times - and each time found just the right piece of art, room embellishment or lamp and at a great price - love this place! Highly recommended for that perfect accent piece and really fun lamps! And they have a great little soup and sandwich place on the second floor.
So we are finished the reno!

This room reno has been a work in progress. The before picture....

The after....

Love that tall square lamp in the corner. David and I had been looking for the right lamp for that corner for quite a while and spotted this at Charter House Interiors - there were two to them - and they had just arrived - and they both sold that day! Cool lamp eh?

Above - the IKEA shelf and below the hardwood down the front hall.

...and some of our unique purchases this week ~ to finish it off.

Thanks for letting me share our latest adventure with you. I am happy that all the construction, painting and decision making is over, but we had fun doing this whole project together. Every piece was a joint decision from the floor colouring, window treatments, furniture and even the knick knacks - we picked them all out together and I think that is the best part of the whole renovation. We planned together, tore out carpet together, cleaned up together, painted together, shopped together - and had fun the whole time! I guess after 29 years you just think as one. Blessings! However, may we not step foot in a floor covering place for at least five years! Way too many choices these days.

Brothers

A 15 min Sunday afternoon page. Used the Basic Grey archaic line and the Brothers rub-on is courtesy of Laura - she gave it to me - said she didn't have any use for it. hehe - I guess not. :) unless Seth's Mom decides he needs a brother. :) ...or you can always wait until you have two grandson's Laura...but by then there will be something far more exciting in scrapbooking to use.

The metallic letters are for my boys names - I suppose if Mark and Paul were to switch places it would be MPH. hahaha

Creative Cafe has arrived.

Oh my, I am at a loss for words...really...I mean....it is all so incredible... come and see for yourself! I am so excited. Okay, girl hold yourself together. The Creative Cafe is up and running at JSI - and the stuff is...well...I love it all. What can I say.

Well I can tell you that this was not the week to be working 40 hours at the other job!! DARN!! I am busting with ideas, a ton of product and no time. How am I supposed to concentrate at work? But I will be at JSI on Saturday and will get to make a few projects with all of you locals.

The paper, the rub-ons, the buttons, the fabulous felt - it ALL works so beautifully together. I tell you, my next day off I will be prolific with the pages. All the product in this Creative Imaginations Creative Cafe just works together so beautifully that being creative has never been easier.

This page layout idea came from Scrapbook trends February book. (the best little idea book I have ever bought) Once I had the layout idea, the paper from the Creative Cafe just made it. All Creative Cafe except two firefighting embellishments from my KI Memories firefighting stuff. This page took less than 30 minutes - probably 20.

Journalling reads....

I wanted you to be an electrical engineer.
You have the brains and the math skills.
But you didn’t want a sedentary job.
You wanted to help people.
So now you are a firefighter.
And I couldn’t be more proud of you!

Watch the JSI site for the Creative Cafe 'Happy Hour' projects of the day. We are taking scrapbooking and creativity to a whole new level and we want to share it all with you. Come feel our excitement! I will be working at JSI this Saturday...oh my long week! Entertaining Sunday and back to work for five days again on Monday. This too shall pass. I will get some pages done in there somewhere.

The Proper Diet

After an exhaustive review of the research literature, here's the final word on nutrition and health:


1. Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
2. Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
3. Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
4. Italians drink excessive amounts of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.
5. Germans drink beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than us.


CONCLUSION: Eat and drink whatever you like. Speaking English is apparently what kills you, The Canadian Government is trying to correct the problem.

hahahha

New from Cloud 9.

Two new lines from Cloud line - Cocoa Mint and Cinnamon Stick - and they both work well together. I have used the paper and embellishments from both lines on these two layouts. Just couldn't wait to use this paper and all the fun stuff that goes with it.

How smart is Your Right Foot?

Just try this. It is from an orthopedic surgeon............ This will boggle your mind and you will keep trying over and over again to see if you can outsmart your foot, but, you can't. It's preprogrammed in your brain!

1. While sitting where you are at your desk in front of your computer, lift your right foot off the floor and make clockwise circles.

2. Now, while doing this, draw the number '6' in the air with your right Hand. Your foot will change direction.

I told you so!!! And there's nothing you can do about it! You and I both know how stupid it is, but before the day is done you are going to try it again, if you've not already done so.

Father son bonding.

About six weeks ago David and I stopped in at Pier 1 Imports to get some decorating ideas. We spotted a very cool picnic table. It was wooden, just like the 20 yr old wooden table in our back yard. Perhaps a new bright coat of paint could make ours look like this one. Well when Mark arrived home after his graduation, he and David set to work on this table. However it had a few rotted boards after sitting in the rain and snow for so many years, so off to home depot they went for wood. ....and a few other "necessities"!

and they set to work... (that is Harold throwing the discus there AKA a new blade for the saw. )

Long story short....there is nothing left of the old table and benches. It all sits in a heap at the side of the house waiting for a trip to the dump. And guess who gets to use his new jig saw!

At this point Mark had to head back to Shilo. But all the pieces for the benches were cut and ready to assemble and the table was ready for sanding and painting. David spent all of Tuesday putting the benches together. Then when I arrived home from work Saturday evening he had a big grin on his face! "Come and see dear"

Wood ~ $300.00

Bolts and hardware ~ $40.00

Paint ~ $ 30.00

sandpaper ~ $3.00

New jigsaw ~ "not that much really dear"

Other hardware ~ $35.00

Father - son bonding - PRICELESS

Feeling of accomplishment - PRICELESS

He also cleaned out the rain gutters and made supper! Love this guy!!

Gratitude List

51. Hot water . On a cold winter night a tub to soak in warms me before I get into bed. On a hot summer night a shower cools me before I get into bed. Hot water - just to splash it on my face, brings refreshment; to wash the dishes with and wipe the counters - hot soapy water. I am thankful.

52. My geraniums - love the red/orange colour - they are so pretty and so resilient when I forget to water them. I have three pots of them and a bunch in the garden - they bring a splash of colour to my front and back yard garden. Another part of His incredible creation.

53. My blender - just a basic Kitchen Aid - but it makes wonderful milkshakes which brings me to the next item on my gratitude list.

54. Chocolate (or raspberry) milkshakes to share with my sweetheart on the couch late at night - well late being about 10 pm. :) We must curtail this indulgence though - our waitlines are beginning to tell on us.

55. A considerate husband who calls if he is going to be home later than expected. I just love how he thinks of me and knows I am anxious to have him home - so he calls if he has to be later than expected - I am thankful.

56. I great new boss with the Health Region, who is a real listener and so open minded and so full of energy and life and a real joy to work with. I love her! She makes work in an often stressful environment rather fun. Thank you Lord. May I bless her too!

57. My wide angle lens - it takes great pictures!

58. Opportunity to meet four of Marks firefighting friends and two of my daughters friends last Saturday. What a blessing to have a gang of young people hanging out in the back yard eating hamburgers - just the nicest kids you would ever want to get to know. They really blessed me and I look forward to getting to know them better. Thankful for good friends for my kids.

59. Busyness - as much as I might complain about it, it is good to be productive. Each moment of the day is a gift from Him...I am thankful to be able to do the work He has given me. Psa 90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands! I am thankful that I know that this busyness is but by His grace. May I never waste a moment He has given me.

60. Thankful for a clean bill of health yesterday on follow-up tests to a suspicious/worrisome mammogram, which caused me to consider (for the past 10 days of waiting for further test) the frailty of this life here on earth and my lack of power to really do anything about it. Our every breath is truly in His hands alone. But He has deemed that I will be here a little longer - at least the prospect of breast cancer has been put to rest for now. May I live each moment to His glory! We never know when He might call us home. Are we ready? Are we right with Him? Will we be spending eternity in Glory? These are questions many do not want to consider. Thankful that He brings me back to right thinking - even if it takes 10 worrisome days to do it. :)

Can you list 1000 things for which you are thankful? It does the heart good! Try it. :)

FIRE!

Some of Mark's Pictures from fire fighting school...

City of Bridges

Another page I was able to do on Tuesday. Real easy - grundge board die cut letters covered in several colours of glimmer mist on Beary Patch Paper - Romantiques. This is beautiful paper - and it is in now at JSI. And the Prima "Say it with Studs" for some bling.

I took this picture when coming in for landing from Victoria when flying with West Jet .

Have a great week everyone!

Julie