Childhood Memories!

Ok, so I was surfing to the internet tonight, just visiting all my favourite blogs, websites and forums. I came across this image and it reminded me of my youth.

When I was little I loved it when it snowed outside and we would be all cozy inside watching Christmas shows/movies on TV. Tonight we are sitting here, all cozy inside with the Christmas lights on and it is snowing like crazy outside.....guess what we are watching? Yes, we just finished watching some family Christmas movie. I just love it.




So this got me thinking about all the favourite shows I used to watch when I was a kid. Year after year I tuned in to watch Roudolph. We would have our bath and be in our jammies with a snack so we could tune in at 8pm to watch Roudolph fly Santa's sleigh in the fog to deliver presents all over the world.










Immediately following Roudolph was Frosty the Snowman. I remember sobbing at the end of this show when Frosty melted into just a puddle of water. As I matured I wasn't quite as dramatic and managed to get through this 1/2 hour classic without shedding tears.













The Grinch was another one of my favourites. I always loved how little Cindy Lou Who got the Grinch to see the magic of Christmas.

Once I was all grown up and had a family of my own, the traditions continued. My 3 kids also love these three classics. I loved sitting with them, watching these shows year after year.









Now that they are a little older, we tune in to watch different Christmas classics. Amanda seems to be the one that enjoys this the most (like mother, like daughter). Home Alone is one of our favourites. She also loves to watch the Hallmark channel because they seem to have some really good family shows. We watched one the other night where a family had lost the spirit of Christmas and Santa's daughter, Christine, made it her mission to show it to them again. It was kind of corny, but cute.









My favourite year was when they released the 'real life' version of The Grinch. On December 23rd we packed up the family and headed off to the movies to watch it on the big screen. I thought it was amazing. My youngest son Matt, who was about 3 or 4 at the time, was terrified of the Grinch and ended up sitting on my knee for half of the movie. It was still a fun filled night and we are happy to say that we own the DVD and watch it every year.








The final one I want to share is The Santa Clause starring Tim Allen. I really love this one. Tim Allen is the father to this adorable little boy and he actually turns into Santa. It is just a very heartwarming story with a bit of humor too.







Hopefully you have some family favourites that you like to watch year after year. I thank the person who posted the cute little reindeer icon on the forum and allowed me this trip down memory lane. It was fun to share it with everyone. I think I will go and surf the channels on the TV to see what is on.

Knocking them down.......one pin at a time!

Saturday was my youngest sister's birthday and she wanted to go bowling. After dinner we headed over to the Frederick Bowling Lanes to knock over a few pins with my family. My sister and her boyfriend Kevin, my mom and dad, my other sister Tracy and her daughter Payton, Amanda, Jason, Matt and myself made up the team! (my hubby was unable to attend due to his knee issues. We encouraged him to come along, but he decided to stay home and watch the Leaf game on TV).


So when we first arrived we all decided on which ball we wanted. I went with a 10lb orange one, Jason had a hard time finding one that would fit his fingers, so he decided to share mine and Matt had and 8lb blue one. The first photos I took were of the balls in the rack......they look good, eh?

Payton, who is only 7, wanted to take some photos with my camera and she got this shot of me just before my first turn. Not bad for a little person.

This is a photo of Matt in action. He was struggling a bit, but he still enjoyed himself. You will notice he is also using my lucky 10lb orange ball.

And here is Jason. He probably had the most fun out of everyone in attendance. It didn't matter if the ball when in the gutter or he got a strike, he was happy. Funny enough, he lives his life the same way. Lucky guy!

Because there was a large group of us, we were always fighting for a seat when it wasn't our turn. Jason took my mom's seat when she went up to bowl and when she returned she made him give it up, so he just sat on her lap. That doesn't happen too often, so I was sure to grab a photo. Later in the evening Matt was sitting on her knee as well, but I didn't have my camera handy, so I missed it.

Amanda was coming down with a cold and didn't actually bowl. She was present, but I didn't seem to get any good shots of her. Oh well, maybe next time.

Happy 30th birthday Marie! I hope you had a great time.

Our Weekend Away....

was so much fun. I am not going to post photos of the retreat because you can see them on the blog and on the photo gallery (soon). Before all the craziness of the retreat started, Joanne, Amanda and I went down to the beach to see if there was a sunset. I can't say that I have ever been to a beach in November. It was a perfect day. The water was so still and the sun was setting behind some far away clouds. It wasn't the same as it is in the summer, but still beautiful.

Amanda always writes her name in the sand. It didn't matter that it was the beginning of November and that we were the only people to be seen. I couldn't resist snapping a photo of her!

Here is the photo of the sunset. There is a small lighthouse off in the distance and the water was barely moving.

This is a shot in the opposite direction. The sun was reflecting off the sand and the dunes. If you closed your eyes, you wouldn't know that it was November.....

This is me trying to be a photographer. Not too bad eh!

The leaves on the trees all turn colour in the fall, even on the beach!

Getting Ready For A Halloween Party!

Halloween is quickly approaching and my youngest son, Matthew, has always enjoyed the festivities. Don't get me wrong, Amanda and Jason also enjoy it, but Matthew has always put a lot of thought into what he was going to dress up as.

Amanda has always been more interested in shopping for Halloween.....for decorations, candy, baking and making crafts. Even as a little girl she would get out her craft supplies and have the boys making ghosts and pumpkins to stick to the front window of the house. This year she showed the boys how to make a special 'goop' that she learned to make at school. She is also planning to make spooky cupcakes to take to one of her classes this week. She is going to make a great mom someday!

Jason has always gone along with everything, but I don't think he cares much. His plan this year was to head over to a friends house and watch scary movies. Considering he can't even sit through CSI or our new favourite show 'The Fringe', I don't know how he expects to get through something like Friday the 13th or The Saw. Today the plans changed and now he is going out and needed to dress up like Batman. A bunch of them are going out as superheros! We headed out to the mall and he is set to go!

Now, back to Matthew! He went through many different ideas and finally came up with Mario from the video game. I am not sure where that came from, but who am I to question this. I happened to be driving by a costume store on Thursday so I stopped in to see what they had. I found a hat and mustache that I thought would work. I didn't dare buy it without checking with Matt first, and he thought it would be better to come with me and see for himself.

On Friday I met up with Matt and Monty (my hubby) and as soon as he entered the store he didn't want to be Mario anymore. There were lots of costumes to choose from and after what seemed like hours he finally chose one. He wanted to be a clown. They have these new costumes that have a fan inside and when you turn it on, they inflate. I was a little hesitant, but we took the plunge. He was thrilled.

On Saturday he gathered up a few things from home to add the finishing touches. He had a big Halloween party at a friends that night. His sister helped him with his makeup and he looked great. The past few years he has won the prize for best costume and we thought he had a great shot at it again.

Here are a few shots of him getting ready. I am so glad that he has so much fun with this.



















He was a little late arriving to the party so I thought I should take him up to the door. I just happened to have my camera in my hand and invited myself in to see if I could get a photo or two. Matt gave me 'the look' and I just ignored him. We were greeted by the hosts (very scary looking couple) and they took me downstairs to the party. The kids were very excited to see Matt and myself. They gladly posed for a group shot. I also got a shot of the punch with the frozen hands for ice. Gross!





Matt ended up winning the 'cutest' costume and arrived home with a very large tub of Double Bubble. He was thrilled. I am so glad that he enjoys this season. Happy Halloween everyone!

3 Years Ago.....

Three years ago, my life as I knew it changed. That was when Joanne and I opened the doors to our new retail store. It seems like just yesterday, but yet we have come so far and it has changed so many parts of my life, that it feels like so long ago! Don't get me wrong, all the changes have been very positive and the rewards have been many.

Through all the bumpy roads, growing pains and learning curves my friendship with Joanne has grown too. We have had ups and downs, happy times and very sad times, but through it all we have had each other. Without her, I would be one lonely scrapbook friend.

We have also been blessed with many, many new friendships along the way. When Joanne and I chose the name 'Two Scrapbook Friends' for our business, I don't think we realized the emphasis on 'friends'. The scrapbooking community is a very friendly one. On a daily basis our friends come into our store and we have had the pleasure of getting to know them well. Along with that comes moments of joy and also moments of sadness. Our lives become intertwined with theirs and they become family.

My family has been very supportive through this adventure. Before the store, I was a mom to my 3 kids, a wife to my husband, and I had a little part-time job at TD Canada Trust. When the doors to the store opened there were big changes taking place in my house. Now they had to share my time with all my new friends. Everyone's rolls had to change and they all pitched in and helped out.

Family has become really important to me. They are the people that I lean on for support. They give me energy. I have always been very close with my mom and dad and they have always been there to support me as well. My mom comes into the store twice a week (or more) and helps us put together the 1000's of kits that we make. She never complains and always does a great job. She also looks after the store so that Joanne and I can get away once in a while, just to be friends. That is a wonderful gift. I hope she knows how much I appreciate everything she does. My dad is always available when I have questions about the financial side of our business. He has also given me the gift of my outgoing personality. I also hang out with him at the Kitchener Auditorium on Friday nights to watch the Rangers play. That is another great thing I got from him. Thanks dad!

On Thanksgiving we always go for a family walk in the woods near my mom and dad's house. It is a great way for the kids to burn off energy and take some fall photos.

Growing up, I didn't really get to know my grandparents because we always lived so far away from them. I only saw them a few times a year. I love that my kids see their grandparents often. Family is a very important part of my life. Whether is is my immediate family, Joanne and her family (my second family), or my scrapbook friends.....they all play an important role in who I am. I love you all!