Embrace Life

A Week In The Life 2011 | Saturday

Saturday marked yet another day with no structure! I don't know if I'm going to be able to handle the rest of the summer holiday with the kids going here, there and everywhere - and we have SIX WEEKS LEFT.

We're all missing Cole - though, by all accounts, his time in BC is being greatly enjoyed.

Continuing along with the abbreviated format I shared yesterday:

SATURDAY

Photos taken: 111

Though the summer version of this project is very different than any other time of the year, it is interesting to see how we choose to spend our downtime - how we spend it and with whom we choose to share our free time. I am learning a lot just watching my kids and learning from their choices. And mine!

Enjoy your Sunday!

A Week In The Life 2011 | So Far

This year, unlike the past two times I've done this project, is a bit scattered. I suppose it's because in the summer we have pretty much ZERO routine, so it is not a typical schedule-driven week in the life, it's just an all-over-the-place week in the life, especially with Cole gone to British Columbia with his rugby team. It feels very different.

I've been taking pictures and recording stories all week. My project this year will be 100% digital, so I'm not collecting a lot of ephemera, not that I ever did that very much before. I'm not much of a consumer so receipts, tags and labels are not really part of my life.

This is just a quick 5-photo-a-day review of the week, so far:

MONDAY

Photos taken: 118

TUESDAY

Photos taken: 101

WEDNESDAY

Photos taken: 106

THURSDAY

Photos taken: 101

FRIDAY

Photos taken: 116

I still have a way to go, but with this being a long weekend, and us having no plans, I'm sure photos will be scarce. Perhaps I should have made plans, but I prefer an organic album with no contrived events. We are always going at a break-neck pace, it's kind of nice to have nothing going on outside of packing and cleaning!

I'll also mull how I want the album to look. I know it will be an 8.5"x11" format. It will include the new templates because I am no longer over-thinking or re-inventing! I do need to consider the "papers" and some other finishing-touch elements :)

What about you? Are you participating? What do you think of this mid-summer week (well, mid-summer in the Northern hemisphere!)? Do you have big plans for the weekend? Do you over-schedule this week to pump up content?

2011 | The DO Update

Way back in December 2010, I chose the word DO to be my guiding word for 2011.

Wow.

Who knew how prophetic that choice would be? Over the last few months I've been busy LIVING my DO rather than recording or reporting on it.

A lot got done!

From that first post to now, here is a little update:

Personal DO

UPDATE:

I did download and set up CZ's MMEL program - though I converted mine to a Move More, Eat Better program since eating too much has never been my issue. I did manage to get to the mall 3 or 4 mornings a week and I did my laps with the lovely blue haired ladies, often quicker than me! Now that the weather has improved, I've been walking the perimeter of the kids' school at least four mornings each week. As planned, all of the classics have been loaded onto my iPad; but unplanned, they have not been read. The big personal DO event was a trip to Canyon Ranch in April with my sister, Beth. THAT one event revolutionized my life and provided the catalyst for much needed change.

Creative DO

UPDATE:

I have let go of the "creative" me for the last couple of months. Though my interests remain the same - photos + words - I'm finding my expression of those interests is changing. I have been submitting to, and receiving acceptance for, blog hops and guest articles. It's a lot of fun and I hope to keep doing it. Ideas are percolating and with the upcoming physical changes in my studio I'm curious what I'll manage in the new digs!

Social DO

UPDATE:

I do believe that I have let my friends know they are loved and admired! Not only have I managed to carve out time for lunches and dinners, I've stepped out of my traditional comfort zone and opened myself up to people I didn't know and want to know better. I've truly embraced that the worst that can happen is I hear "no" and that is a risk I'm willing to take. It has been empowering to be forthright and honest with everyone around me. No more pretense or politic. Heavy sigh of contentment.

Spiritual DO

UPDATE:

Though unintentional, the big purge ended up being my old Toshiba laptop which I was using to "house" my old photos and files. Over 30,000 images, two novels, a dozen or so outlines, all my music files, historical information and research was lost when it was tossed in the dumpster. Onward! More intentional was the big purge of everything - every single room - and the realization that the bigger the house the more c.r.a.p. it can contain. So, I purged the house, too.

Family DO

UPDATE:

Keeping in mind that this time is about them, my children, I came to the inevitable conclusion that the best thing for our family was the disolution of it - in the form it was in. So, though my plan was to reduce clutter and focus on the concept of spend less :: do more with time invested on relationships, making memories and embracing downtime, we ended up with no downtime as we got the house ready for sale and planned the big move. My kids continue to introduce changes and challenges every day but they are thriving in this new environment.

Work DO

UPDATE:

Life Is Not A Rehearsal and as much as I thought I was living my life with intention and authenticity, I was not. There was plenty of intention but the authenticity was lacking. I couldn't move forward without dealing with that and I am still in that process. Once I'm on more solid ground, I do plan on using words + photos to make things in an effort to encourage others to embrace intention and authenticity in their own lives with plenty of kindness, love and humour.

. . . . .

And with that, my DO is updated! So much more has been done than originally planned and I am so much happier for the direction my word has taken me.

Is it the word? Did I choose it, or did it choose me? How much power can a simple word have? I suppose it is as effective as I allow it to be. At this stage it is the right choice for right now. So much easier and adaptable than a list of resolutions that would have been quickly left on the wayside as I got on with my life.

My life right now does not look anything like it did six months ago.

I have learned that I am stronger than I thought, kinder than I knew and more risilient than I ever imagined possible. I really can do anything.

And I am.

Confession: I'm a font freak

For as long as I can remember I've been doodling and drawing letters. I have a crazy collection of over 1,400 fonts in my Font Book. Now, I have to confess, that has been whittled down over time from a collection of over 2,500 fonts. It is still a ridiculous number.

But there are times when I just can't find the fonts I want in my massive collection!

My most recent additions to the collection include:

Pauline is a font I found over at Simple Scrapper and I just had to have it! So went out and bought it from My Fonts. At around the same time I found Louisiana on a design blog - they no longer use it - and then I found it again in Canadian House and Home magazine - the print, not online, version. It is as close as I can find to what I wish my handwriting was like, consistently! So I had to buy it.

New free fonts include ...

The Serifa was used in my recent Autobiography Project and the Reklame Script reminds me of my days supervising a print shop for a grocery company years and years ago!

Right now I'm on the hunt for some number fonts. Numbers with personality and style! Any ideas, let me know :)

What are your favourite, or you go-to fonts? Share!

Toot: Simple Aussie Girls

Have you been over to the Simple Aussie Girls blog? It is a relatively new collaborative effort of a group of Australian mums who decided to start a blog to share clean and simple pages. Pages that make the journalling the most important feature. Count me a fan! The design and the photos are wonderful too, but I love the focus on the stories.

A while back, my friend-in-the-computer Amy, contacted me about submitting a couple of layouts.

I was flattered! I am flattered!

My layouts were featured a few days ago. I received a couple of comments on the SAG blog as well as on FaceBook, so here are the layouts including materials list and a blurb about each:

(click image to enlarge)

MATERIALS: Cardstock: Bazzill | Printed Paper: Little Yellow Bicycle | Stickers: Basic Grey, Heidi Swapp |
Font: VT Portable Remington

I always find "white space" to be a bit of a challenge. To keep it all cohesive and balanced is not always easy. I think this layout works. My pages are all very representative of our everyday life as opposed to the big occasions. The longer I scrapbook the less photos I use on each page. One photo represents the story or the mood and the journaling puts it all together.

(click image to enlarge)

MATERIALS: Cathy Zelske template - retired (from Design Your Life course) | Papers: All old, all free and all before I figured out how to save properly: lynng-crisp-2, PinkPeacock_Talkative_Paper1 | Fonts: Dymo, Agnes.

I want my scrapbook albums to be authentic and honest. Raising children is hard. I don't want, when they look back at their stories, to give the illusion that life growing up was easy or perfect. That would set my kids up with unrealistic expectations when it's time for them to be parents themselves. At the same time, I want to relay to them that humour is key. So, with humour and love, I make real pages.

It was so nice to "meet" the ladies over at the Simple Aussie Girls blog. I wish them all the success in the world! I love everything they represent :) If you haven't been over, be sure to give them a visit.

these days ...

these days i've discovered the only place to cool off is dark and mossy.
cape cod, july 2011

these days i'm trying to enjoy some summer downtime.
these days i yell less and laugh more.
these days i am hoping for a quick sale.
these days i am being realistic. fingers crossed all the same!
these days i've been walking more and more every day.
these days i am (finally) looking forward to writing again. so relieved.
these days i am filling up my pinterest boards with ideas for our new home.
these days i miss someone i have no business missing.
these days i'm catching up on and finally responding to emails.
these days my kids are all in need of something: necessities and niceties.
these days i'm wilting in the heat.
these days i'm risking more as i no longer worry about rejection.
these days i'm trying new recipes and enjoying the benefits.
these days i am so thankful. more each day.
these days i am dreaming about paint chips and area rugs.
these days i'm looking forward to lunch with girlfriends.
these days i'm back to saying "yes" more than "no".
these days going back to the same place every year is so comforting.
these days i'm encouraging my children to choose patience and kindness.
these days i'm listening to new music, this is a favourite.
these days i want to read more but still compute way too much!
these days i look forward, not back.
these days i choose open not closed.
these days my kids are growing up too fast - where's the reverse button?
these days i'm trying new fruits and vegetables.
these days i realize weight has no bearing on worthy.
these days i welcome the changes and challenges in my world.
these days my "to do" list is becoming a "ta da" list!

 

the current | eight

listening and singing along
eating lots of seafood lately
drinking pink lemonade
wearing bright summer colours
feeling lighter
wanting more lazy - but cooler - days
needing a distraction
thinking and over-thinking
enjoying heavy and salty ocean breezes 
wondering what's next
creating a better everything
procrastinating is no longer an option
pondering a plot and a few interesting characters
loving that my life is exactly what i make it
anticipating challenges ahead

idea discovered on this blog and i post mine the third thursday of the month.

where is your current taking you?

Blog Hopping: Favourite Summer Salad

Welcome to blog hopping with Narrating Life! This is my first hop with this group of inspiring ladies - and I couldn't resist joining in after the last month Hostess Gift theme. This month I asked to participate and I'm looking forward to gathering some new summer salad ideas.

To me, summer means watermelon!

I will eat watermelon any way, seeded or seedless, sliced or cubed, but one of the best ways I've found is in this refreshing and unexpected summer salad I discovered a few months ago via the Canyon Ranch recipes database. Not only is it yummy, it's good for you!

WATERMELON AND FETA SALAD

Ingredients

3 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
Pinch sea salt
2 cups seeded and cubed watermelon
2 cups seeded and cubed golden watermelon
1/4 cup Feta cheese
1 tablespoon chiffonade fresh basil

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine vinegar and salt; stir until salt dissolves
2. In a large bowl toss watermelon and feta cheese with vinegar mixture
3. Serve 1 cup of watermelon and feta salad topped with fresh basil.

This was a delicious discovery! Try it. If you like watermelon and feta this is a knockout salad!

Thank you Miranda for including me in this Blog Hop! Now head on over and see what these other ladies have in store for you today:

Miranda
Lee <<< you are HERE
Stephanie
Kimberlee
Sara
Christina

(Note: Hop to go live at 12:00AM MST on Wednesday, July 20th.)

I also discovered another great watermelon recipe, one I'm going to try as soon as I can: Watermelon Granita. Imagine with a splash of vodka ;) Perfect summer refresher!

Now head over and see what Stephanie has in store for all of us.

The Interviews | Heather Holle

Welcome back to my weekly Interview Series. I am thrilled to introduce you to my lovely cyber-friend, Heather Holle. Heather is lovely, talented, creative and most important, mum to Owen, she is one of my favourite people ... keep reading to see why:

What age did you start keeping a journal? I wrote in a journal on and off as a kid, more off than on. I found it rather boring, and later when I went back to read things it all sounded like whiny drivel so I would stop writing. Truth be told I liked the actual journals more than what went into them!

When my son Owen was about 4 months old I started a blog. It was a way for me to connect with people without leaving my house. And to some extent it saved me from drowning in the depression that came with being a first time mom. I met a lot of great people through my blog and it was a way for me to share things with friends and family that I wasn't seeing as often since becoming a stay-home-mom. I also keep a journal written to Owen that I started around the same time as the blog. I want to be able to go back and read about him when he was little and I hope some day he will want to know those things too.

Who’s diary/journal (dead or alive) would you like to read? I would be interested in reading the journal of Mark Zuckerberg. I recently watched The Social Network and wanted to know more about him. Georgia O'Keeffe. She is my favorite artist.

Who have you suspected of reading your diary? Because I wasn't much of a journal keeper I don't think anyone has read any of that. Morgan may occasionally read the journal I write to Owen in.

What is your idea of the perfect journal? Spiral bound. Pages of various sizes and lots of them. Heavy paper that can support the weight of glue and glitter and ephemera. And a nice big rubber band to keep it all together. I think a journal for me is more about the visual things I can put in it rather than the written word.

Which words or phrases do you most overuse (in speech and/or writing)? "Dude" I say it a lot. And I will use it when talking to almost anyone. Even my mother, I think!

What quote most speaks to you? So many, but these stand out right now.

An essential aspect of creativity is not being afraid to fail. -Dr. Edwin Land.

Not being curious is more dangerous than being dumb. -Lizz Winstead

No man has the right to dictate what other men should perceive, create or produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit. -Ansel Adams

Who (or what) inspires you? Nature. Light and shadow. Anything on a macro level. I love to look at things from a super close-up perspective. As strange as it may seem I am inspired by things that are clean, mostly in their arrangement. Magazine ads. Decor. Scrapbook pages. Artwork. Anything that is arranged or done in a clean or crisp way speaks to me. I am rarely inspired by things that are overdone. For me those things are overwhelming.

Who is your favourite fictional character? Atticus Finch.

Who are your favourite writers? I have always loved Edgar Allen Poe. Beyond that I really enjoy a lot of writers and will read almost anything.

Which natural talent would you most like to be gifted with? I have always wanted to be able to draw things exactly as I see them. I suppose if I had practiced more and criticized less (I'm a perfectionist) I may have been a better drawer.

What is your greatest creative talent? I can center and level things almost perfectly without the aid of a ruler or level. I can also combine patterns of paper pretty well. This does not translate to combining fabric patterns though! The canvas of decor is too large for me!

What is your greatest creative challenge? I am a perfectionist. I have been my whole life and it affects most areas of my life. For many years it prevented me from trying things that I was interested. Creating and working with my hands have always been part of who I am, probably even in my DNA, but my perfectionist attitude squashed my confidence and prevented me from taking risks. Fortunately, I have a younger sister who is amazingly creative and I learned from her that it's okay to start over, tear things out, redo, cover up, rework or set something aside until inspiration comes. Nothing bad will happen. It's been quite liberating and I now consider myself to be a recovering perfectionist. This recovery does not apply to my work space though. I require a neat and tiddy work space before I can begin a project and I clean-up after each project I complete.

. . . . .

I am a thirty-something wife of almost 10 years and mother of a gregarious and energetic 5 year old boy. I am more comfortable behind the camera than in front. I strive for perfection in many things I do but am also trying to over come my perfectionistic tendencies. I love chocolate cake and ice cream and would eat it for breakfast most days if I could get away with it. In a former life I was an elementary school teacher, runner, biker and eater of vegetables. Now I walk a fine line between marketing and IT, drink too much diet coke and don't eat near enough vegetables. I am a collector of hobbies and have dabbled in everything from glass blowing and pottery to collage art and knitting. Photography falls right in the middle and is my absolute favorite.

I met Lee through a scrapbooking forum and blogging. I think. I admire her creativity,artistic eye and her passion for motherhood. She is one of my favorite Canadians!

. . . . .

Isn't she lovely? Thank you so much for participating, Heather!

the simple things | 18

I haven't participated since April! I must slow down a bit and get back to honouring those simple things in my life that make it so fulfilling.

board games

i have always been a fan of board games and i appreciate that my kids enjoy them too. while at the beach they always drag out the game of sorry: the game of sweet revenge. my boys invited me to play with them which is always such a thrill to still be on the guest list for fun! the rules have been long lost so it's interesting to watch them try to figure things out and their idea of fair and equitable. it is even more fun watching cole allow caden to be in charge.

12 of 12: July 2011

Sorry for the delay! Our days are full :)

01. Tuesday is always garbage day. Recycling is picked up every week but garbage is every other week. Usually this is an okay system - except when you're putting your house on the market! Luckily they took it all.

02. Cole had an early morning appointment with Dr. Jason Lee - our health hero - and local naturopath. After years of my nutrition advice falling on deaf ears, Jason has made headway with our young athlete and the changes have been remarkable!

03. Up and down Lakeshore. All. Day. Long.

04. The lovely Lisa is a wonderful massage therapist - she first saw Cole and I ran errands. Then it was my turn. We always feel better - body and mind - for seeing her!

05. While I was having my massage, Cole was over at the Hustler Shop checking out longboards. He settled on this orange wheeled beauty.

06. The lock box is on the front door. It's official, the house is up for sale! Less than two months from a twinkle of an idea to reality. No moss gathering here!

07. Time for another fill up! From E to F costs about $75. Crazy.

08. I have to admit, I will miss this view.

09. The final loads of laundry to be folded and put away. The best part of having a house ready for sale - all of the kids are cooperative and everything is always put away properly!

10. Goofs! I love how they look in their new glasses - and they love seeing everything around them :)

11. Nikki joined Claire at the Hugh Jackman concert in Toronto. All reviews were fantastic and they had a wonderful time.

12. The final thing to organize - all of the supplements!

12 of 12 July: Delayed!

To say our 12th was full would be a collossal understatement.

• Crack of dawn visit to our health hero, Dr. Jason Lee.
• House on the market, finally!
• A mid-day visit to the lovely Lisa.
• Cole to Markham to play rugby.
• Claire and Nikki to see Hugh Jackman in Toronto.
• Giving my new Canon G12 a whirl.
• So much more, regular, things filling our day.

The problem? Today. The 13th is so full I can't get it all done!

I'll post our adventures of the 12th as soon as I can. Until then, you are welcome to see our whole 12 of 12 Project and why, after 52 MONTHS, without one miss, this has been the most consistent and rewarding of memory keeping projects. I'm a big believer that it is the moments of every day that make a full life. This is a celebration of that philosophy.

4 Simple Goals | July 2011

I'm running late. Those who know me will realize that is not my normal condition! I'm forever early and prepared. Alas, right now, life is more than full - it is just plain BUSY. And good. Life is good.

Last August, Elsie Flannigan posted a simple and doable challenge.

My 4 Simple Goals, July (2-Days-Late) Edition, includes:

1. REPAIR. My last month has been a whirlwind of emotional and physical activity and I have not paid enough attention to my kids as individuals. By the end of the day we are each so exhausted by the demands of the day we forget. Each of my kids are unique individuals with different needs and I have not been good at focusing on each one. This month that will have to happen! I miss them.
2. TAKE HOLIDAY. The minute the house is on the market we are on our way out of town. We all need a break. Again, due to Cole's athletic success, our time will be cut short, but (fingers crossed) the family sacrifice will be worth it. I do have to come up with some dates to make it up to the kids!
3. REFILL CREATIVE WELL. I miss being creative! Well and truly, messy and focused, creative. I have signed up for Elizabeth Dillow's BPS course Design Challenges that runs through July and into August; I must get back on board my One Little Word project, though I have been busy living my word rather than documenting it; but my major focus for the month will be A Week in the Life which runs from July 25 through July 31, if there is only one project I manage to complete this year, THIS is the one.
4. PICK PAINT COLOURS. The very best part of moving, after the purge is over, is the picking of paint colours. I'm thinking of changing everything up. Really changing - as in NO RED anywhere. Gasp!

REWARD: I found a great quote I am going to incorporate somewhere in our new home. Maybe a "reminder" to be framed in my bathroom. A reinforcement of my decision to shed pretense and be me - with everyone.

"That's what real love amounts to - letting a person be what he really is. Most people love you for who you pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending - performing. You get to love your pretense. It's true, we're locked in an image, an act - and the sad thing is, people get so used to their image, they grow attached to their masks. They love their chains. They forget all about who they really are. And if you try to remind them, they hate you for it, they feel like you're trying to steal their most precious possession."

— Jim Morrison

Smart man that Jim Morrison. I just have to find the perfect font, and frame :)

What about you? Do you have a few activity oriented goals you'd like to meet? If so and you participate, let me know! I'd love to see what you have planned.

Reflections | June 2011

You would think with June being a "wind down" month that things would have been calm and slow. WRONG! This has to be one of the busiest of a year of busy months! This was a month of transition with a whirlwind of changes for everyone. The pace is certainly not sustainable for the whole family going at a break-neck pace - with the high stress demands of exams and deadlines, but a whole lot got done! Some planned, most not.

(KUDOS if you make it through this whole post! Hard to believe it was whittled down.)

Oh yeah, Athlete of the Year, again.

• Did you know you can walk through downtown Toronto underground? Well, I didn't. Totally new experience. Gotta say, the ScotiaBank offices are HUGE and intimidating.
• Both of my boys are conflicted: they don't know which they prefer, hockey or rugby. What?!? I didn't see that one coming!
• Caden enjoyed his trip to the salmon hatchery and regailed us with factoids for most of the first week of the month.
• I got a cute short haircut for the summer. It definitely fits my current mood!
• Cole finished up his course of allergy shots. I hope they work as well this year as in the past so he can see in September when the ragweed arrives. We're heading to our Naturopath, Dr. Jason Lee, to be on the safe side!
• The annual AGM for the MOHA resulted in the unfortunate re-election of the old regime. Disheartening. But the invested members have spoken so someone has to listen. Glad I'm not involved.
• The olders participated in the annual Relay For Life held at Appleby College. I went and "checked" on them and watched the start - the Survivor Walk. Took a lap around with friends, old and new, and then headed home to mind the youngers for the night. Weird not having everyone home! The Relay For Life goes overnight from 7PM to 7AM and Cole had to leave EARLY! He had a rugby game in Peterborough. Ugh. So up and on the road for 6AM. Happily he got to sleep in the truck and the Crusaders team WON! Claire, on the other hand, came home and crashed for the day.
• In preparation for the walk, I took the olders to a new chiropractor. Bill Nazar's practice is within walking distance from their school which is just what we need. I had met the doc at the "going away" skating party hosted by the Renneker's the week before. Cole even had his very first deep tissue massage. I figured with all of that hockey and rugby he was probably pretty tense - and he was. It is a lovely practice. So, if you're local and looking for a chiropractor, or a massage therapist (Lisa is great), give the Nazar Family Chiropractic Clinic a call at 905.337.9998 and Mary Lou will get you all set up.
• There is plenty of voice cracking going on around here. Sigh. I'm going to miss my baby when he's gone.
• I started a new morning routine. I drive myself over to the school - it's 50 acres of land on the shore of the lake - and I walk the perimeter. Over bridges, up hills, down hills, along the shore, behind a barn and an arena, along a rugby and soccer field. Twice. I have been going 4x each week. I have no idea how far it is, but I'm enjoying the 45 minutes of complete freedom and get lost in the music in my ears. Most of the time I feel like I'm dancing along the shore, I'm sure I'm a sight!
• Holy storms! You know it's crazy when the rain is teeming down and the lightening and thunder crash simultaneously above your house! It was spectacular!
• It was so nice to have dinner with my parents at Cucci in Bronte. Even better to have my sister Andrea, and her family, enjoy with us - they have a crazy busy schedule, too.
• Mid-month, the olders enjoyed a bit of extra freedom - movies and trips downtown - while managing the stress of exams.
• Chloe finished her choir year with a recording session. I can't wait to purchase the CD come September!
• Honest to goodness, I didn't think the rain would stop! Finally it did and the deck managed to be sanded and stained.
• Disappointed that some choices are just so poorly considered and selfish. Not in the least bit surprised, but truly disappointed. Happy, though, that they reinforce my decisions.
• Who knew "The Bachelorette" would have such meaningful lessons for my girls ... and my boys!
• 1000 Awesome Things arrives in my mailbox every day. Every day I smile.
• Going forward, I am determined to fill our lives with kind and positive people, things and experiences. The freedom of not having to deal with daily disapproval is so incredibly freeing and validating. I don't know what the hell I was waiting for ... this, all of this, is worth it.
• My children want me to be happy. I want them to be happy. I need to find a way to explain to them, in a tender and kind way, that though they are in the throes of adolescence and pre-adolescence, that my being with someone isn't necessarily the cure all. But I love that they believe it's possible.
• My girlfriends have to be told the same thing!
• I'm working on a series of mini-letters. It has been cathartic.
• Caden's best friend is moving away. Caden will miss him and I will miss his mum (and dad). We are in the process of trying to find "replacements" though it is an impossible mission. So, really, I suppose we're trying to find "distraction" and then the "replacements" will come. In the meantime we have Skype and Facebook!
• I am thrilled the same family who is moving away, managed to fit in a BBQ (and copious amounts of wine consumption) during the week of their departure.
• It turns out, during the Great Purge of 2011, my helpful kids threw out my old laptop. The place I stored my digital photos from 1998-2006, about 30,000 images. Sigh. Moving on. Realized there is always a way to remember people, places and things and it doesn't always have to be with photos (though it makes scrapbooking way easier!)
• Flabbergasted ... I'm still trying to understand how people can destroy their own city - the place they call home - in front of the eyes of the world.
• I have not spent much time on-line, but when I do I enjoy Pinterest. What about you? Any interesting distractions?
• Chloe's best friend, Kayla, threw a surprise sleep-over birthday party for our girl. So sweet!
• I bought a new house. Let's hope it is more manageable than what I have now. Just have to find someone to smudge it for me!
• We have entered a whole new dimension. Each of my kids now owns a BlackBerry - and they'd better pick up when I call! We are loving the BBM technology :)
• Mid-month, hell, late-month, my house looked like it had thrown up all over the place. I pulled everything out of it's cupboard and started purging. Big time. End-month, it's better but not yet perfect.
• It is amazing how fast, once you've made a decision, that you can move on with hope in your heart. No more anger, no more frustration, no more shame, no more negative. Life right now is lighter.
• Have I mentioned I have the best girlfriends EVER? I do.
• Saw so many friends and watched their children on stage at the Stage It year-end performance. Good to catch up with everyone and cheer - loudly! CC is a ROCK STAR!
• There was a bit of a passport panic - the NAPS tournament had Cole playing in the Buffalo area instead of our side of the border. All is well and he played with the Red Wings team with no border trouble. The trouble was in the rink where he managed to (clean) hit a kid hard enough his opponent had to be taken off the ice!
• You know how when you're getting a house ready for sale, something unplanned happens? Chloe got her first nail polish (received as a birthday gift) and decided to do her toenails in her room. That's okay. The spilled nail polish all over the rug? Not okay. Wall-to-wall replaced!
• Fortunately that should be end of the proverbial "3 Things". The tub that was going to come through the kitchen ceiling: FIXED and disaster avoided. The nail polish incident: FIXED. The computer in dumpster disaster: SIGH.
• Much fun was enjoyed at the Rangers hockey party. What a great group of boys on this, another, new team configuration. It should be a wonderful season with many plans already underway!
• Congratulations to my boy, Cole. He was selected to join the U14 Junior Blues Rugby squad representing Ontario. His first season playing! So proud :)
• Cucci is a lovely local restaurant - even at lunch time - as I found during my second visit of the month. I laughed for over an hour and a half. The food? The wine? The company? A must to do again!
• I took Chloe and Caden over to our new eye doctor. Glasses for all!
• Love that Caden has fully embraced a purge outlook rather than a hoard outlook. Or maybe it's just his new found entrepreneurial spirit!
• I will no longer have space for a studio and 99.9% of everything MUST GO!! It is a bit sad, but you know, I find I'm more creative with less. And then I read this article and felt so much better that it's part of this journey to hightened creativity by embracing minimal.
• I was tempted to try the 31 Strangers in 31 Days project I found over on Tina's blog - which she found here - and was originated here. Then I realized, over the course of the last month, I've met - with no blog, photography or writing agenda - more than 31 strangers. I have spontaneously gone way out of my comfort zone and I'm enjoying greatly talking and laughing with complete strangers. Soon they're not strangers at all!
• Chloe has a new full-sized bed. After years of loving her loft bed (a twin up top and a desk below) it was time to move along. The loft found a new home with a lovely - and very happy - 7-year-old who is loving it!
• The new full-sized bed was put together for Chloe by her big sister as her mother is not fluent in IKEA. Oh, and when Cole came with me to IKEA, you have to know we checked out with a bed. Nothing else. Miracles do happen!
• Inspired by their friends, the olders auditioned for RENT. I love that they are smart, athletic, and willing to get on stage!
• The last day of school was also the last day of the month. A full one. I need a vacation to recouperate from the last 30 days.

I am looking forward to July: anticipating the joys of the slower (?) pace of summer and keeping up with my kids - an oxymoron to be sure. Who knows, maybe I'll pick up my camera and start shooting again. Or even start writing again? Bonus: Not only am I embracing minimal in a very real and practical sense, I am participating in a "Clean Eating" challenge for the month of July with my friend, Jill Conyers. If you're interested, be sure to check it out: here. I don't know if I'll be able to do it, but if I don't try, I'll never know, right?

And with that? July? Bring it on.