Drum Roll, Please!

A Week in Photos

We finally got our stamped concrete deck in the backyard done last week. This has been the biggest project Brett has taken on so far. We are both really pleased and proud of the outcome. These are a few photos of the project as it unfolded.

Can you see the two "helpers" on the mound of top soil? One has no fear and the other can't seem to hide.

Last week was the first week for a pony tail and now we have to wear one most every day!

Once the weather clears up a little, I hope to get some pictures of the finished deck.

The word is out and other news

It is official. I have been asked to stay on for another term on the Scrap Lovers Design Team!! I am so excited. I will be working as part of the theme team with Irene and Amanda, two wonderful designers. Stay tuned for our August projects on the 5th and 20th.

In the meantime, why not join us for our Christmas in July crop. There are many, many challenges and games being posted from now through Sunday.

In other news, my online friend Melanie has tagged me as a Rockin' Girl Blogger. The premise behind this is to tag five deserving women bloggers. Once you've been nominated, you pass along the award to five more people and so on. This is what Melanie had to say about me on her blog..."Another very kind lady who is soon to be mom to child number 2. Who always has a kind word to say and is truly just a nice nice person, TraceyT". Thanks, Mellie!!

Here it is, Tina!!

The inspiration for this layout came from my good friend, Tina. She issued a challenge on her blog to choose one of her layouts and scraplift it. For this one, I knew right away that I wanted to borrow her idea for a pregnancy photo. This layout is not so much a scraplift, but the idea certainly is. Thanks, Tina, for the challenge and for the neat idea for a photo. Can't wait to see what you come up with when you take my pregnancy photos for me!

Journaling on the photo reads:

Soon you will be more than just a fuzzy picture on a screen and you will no longer be hidden inside this burgeoning belly. Soon we will be able to see you, touch you, hold you and show you how much we already love you. Soon my little one...

Love Mommy

xoxo

07/21/2007

What do you make of this photo?

I will post a layout later today using this photo. Do you have any idea what it is?

Recent Work

A Quick Visit to the Island

We took a quick trip to the island to visit Nanny and Grampy before the new baby arrives. They have been having an unseasonably cold summer this year. Monday evening, we went for a walk on the beach and there was no way we could get away without going in the water. So in we went, pants and all. Callie had a blast. Daddy and Mommy were quite cold, but she didn't seem to notice or care. She loves standing in the sand waiting for the waves to push up on the shore and get her all wet.

On Tuesday, we went to the strawberry patch to get a few berries. Callie was thrilled. There were strawberries everywhere she turned. It was fun watching her. She could not get the berries in her mouth fast enough. At one point, all I could see was a stem between her lips and before I could grab it, it was gone. By the time we were done, she figured out how to hold the stem and eat the berry around it. Six boxes later and a child with a full stomach and strawberry stains from head to toe, it was time to go.

How can you not LOVE summer?

Cool Dude

Now if I wanted her to wear these glasses outside, do you really think she would?

Not a chance!!

Our Piano

This project started nearly a year ago. I decided to try and uncover the story behind the contest that awarded my Great Grandmother the piano that I have today. What I was actually hoping to find was a photo. After one unsuccessful trip to the library searching microfiche, I decided I needed to narrow down the year further. Things eventually fell into place when I had my piano reconditioned and found the date it was made. Once I had the year, finding the contest on microfiche was much easier. The local librarian sent me copies of all the news articles spanning the contest, of which there were many. I transformed all these into a mini book chronicling the entire contest and subsequent win. The only disappointment I had through it all was not finding a photo of my Great Grandmother or the piano in any of the articles. I was, however, rewarded many times over with a wonderful, week by week synopsis of this intriguing piece of family history.

July Blog Challenge

Ali Edward's newsletters often give me a push to do something I oftentimes forget to do. In the June 11th issue, she challenges her readers to " Take some time to go back over all the layouts you have created and give yourself a hug for all the stories you have told."

I am extending this as blog challenge to all of you this month. Choose one of those layouts (stories) and share it with us on your blog. Have fun looking through your albums. Why not invite a family member or friend to sit down and enjoy your album with you? I can't wait to see those layouts and hear those stories. Oh, and don't forget to "give yourself a hug"!!

Here is one of my favourite stories:



The journaling behind the photo reads:

I remember the day we brought Callie home like it was yesterday. The room was so full of visitors the doctor had to ask where the patient was when he came in the room. No one planned on me being discharged that day, but I guess he figured if I could handle all those visitors, I could go home. Boy, were the nurses mad. They knew I wasn’t ready. They came back afterwards and said I could stay but by that point I was already looking forward to sleeping in a bed that wasn’t half deflated.


It took over an hour for the nurses to get all the paperwork and examinations on Callie done and then we were ready. Callie looked so cute in her green knit hat and sweater that Valarie made for her. These are still among my favourite photos. On the drive home, just as we were crossing the Harbour Bridge, I can still hear Brett telling me this was a dream come true for him. Seven months later, the trauma of the surgery and delivery are but a distant memory and I, too, am living a dream come true each and everyday. Who could want for more?