hey all, I'm back and still blogging strong! yeah me, lol. Can you believe the month of january is almost over already? I am literally floored at how quickly time has flown over this past 6 months. Really crazy how we can get so busy or absorbed in what we are doing that we don't notice until the times gone. I havent been doing a whole lot on my end, still working on the deal to rid myself of the centres, and keeping busy with that as well as work odds and ends, and my girls of course. I made a new resolution this year. Not for the new year, just because I feel so guilty, that I have a wonderful camera, love everything about photography, photographs, and just the basic concept of it, yet I cant really use it to its full potential. So that is my resolution! To learn my camera inside and out. (it is a rebel xti if you were curious). Now I have a long way to go as I have always allowed myself to rely on photoshop for fabulous photos, lol, so getting the great photo at the get go is a completley different concept. I have been thinking of enrolling in some photography classes and have been scoping around, but I am not really sure if i would have the time to carry it out. So I have also been looking at some online classes, but wary, as I am not sure how beneficial that would be. If anyone has any input on that I would love to hear it! Anyways, I am teaching myself for now, and really trying to come to terms with aperature. Again, I have a long way to go, but I do love this photo I took of Victoria the other nite either way
I think she looks lovely, and so "her" if you know what I mean. It is rare these days for her to let me near her with a camera, and if she does let me she just gives me exasperated expressions, hehe. I am sure all scrapping moms get that same reaction as their children get older. Ilike the next one too, tho I did apply an action I made on it, so it is not just the photo. I am so used to playing with photos in ps after taking them that is going to be a hard habit to break.


This weekend, we tried for some normal behaviour and family time, and Jess is trying to make up for some of his missed time with Victoria, who really needs it from him right now, and he took her ice skating. She loved it as it is not something she really knows how to do well, and so he is teaching her. I dropped in to take a few photos, and then took Brooke down by the river (see new blog header, lol) to spend my quality time with her.
We walked around and looked at the big chunks of ice, and a few geese that she thought were frozen to the lake,(which gave me fits of giggles, as she was so worried for them, lol) and then she played hide and seek behind all the trees at the park. Fun was had by all...tho it was very cold.
Today it was so cold that I was literally a prisoner in my own home. The front door, back door and the garage door were all frozen shut! Victoria had to leave to catch her school bus and we couldnt get out! It was really quite funny as I am using all kinds of props to try to pry the doors open, and finally after 20 minutes, I did it! Of course then, i couldnt get it closed. I pushed, lifted, shoved, slammed, and nothing would work. Finally, the wind was so terrible it flew the door out at me and I reached out and pushed to save myself from getting slammed, and the door slammed closed. Ihave never had that happen before, but one of my centres had the same problem this morning, and then several people I know also complained of such things. At times like that I so wish I lived in sunny california. Winter is truly beautiful, and I love to watch it from my living room window. I just don't like to participate in it, hehe.
Anyways, that is all for now! Be back again soon :)

good day

this has been a very up and down week for me. It is hard to keep things normal and uneventful in life when you are "cleaning out your closet" so to speak. One minute, I'm feeling positive, and excited about turning things around, and the next minute I am bogged down by all the stress and complication of it all. One of the steps I am trying to take is to simplify my life. With that in mind, I am trying to sell my businesses. 5 years ago, when I was pregnant with Brooke, I had an opportunity to purchase the franchise that I worked at. Thinking of job security at that time, and having a second baby on the way, i thought it would give me more time with my girls, my family, and help with finances for sure. A year later, still thinking of financial security I opened my second one. The next year, I purchased four more all with the expectation to work my fingers to the bone for a few years so that I would be able to give my little ones a good start in life, things I never had, and then be able to relax and not work so hard.
Unfortunately, things dont quite work out the way we want. In the last few years, all that has happened is that i work 10-15 hour days, am stressed with work all the time to the point that I cannot enjoy the time I have with my family the way that I should, and I am tired all the time. Yes, financially we are fine, but is it really worth it? My family has always been the most important thing in the world to me. It is why I worked so hard...but do my girls really care? Answer is no they do not. They would rather have a more relaxed mother who is not on edge half the time thinking about all the things she has to do. Unfortunately my husband was not the most helpful, though he thought he was...and when we started having problems....not just due to work, but it certainly didnt help.....I decided I just couldnt do it anymore. I dont know if we are able to fix our problems, as again they do involve more than work hours, but I know that my girls definitely need a bit more time with mom. So I have been in negotiations to sell 4 of the 6 franchises for the past few months. I have met with a gentleman who is considering, and am keeping my fingers crossed that we can arrange a deal. At this point I am ready to give them away, and really need to get back to basics.
I just kinda needed to "say" that out loud, so for those of you that are reading this, thanks for listening, lol. There is nobody around here that is aware of the difficulties that I have been having with family, or work except for those effected by it, and it has become difficult not to scream it from the rafters.
now i feel better, lol. It is days like today that put it all in perspective for me...the need to get back to basics, being normal, and just slowing down to enjoy the good things in life...which for me are my girls, and today was my youngest daughter Brookes 4th birthday.
sigh, 4 already...all mothers can relate to the big sigh i make when i say that with pride. She had a great day, and loved being the centre of attention so much that I was unable to get her to sit for barely a photo, but i snagged at least this one of the bday girl before she flitted off



and it seemed there was a theme this year, tho it was by accident. She received a trunk of princess costumes, a princess tea set, which is her favorite game, a princess puppy, etc. etc. It kind of fits with her personality right now, lol.....so she loved it.
and the cake!....talk about effort, and made for a princess, lol! Now, I am not much of a chef, nor much of a baker no matter how I try, so this was quite a feat! and a family affair! My husband, my oldest daughter Victoria, and myself all co-operated in making Brooke a princess castle cake. It took hours, lol...but I dont think it turned out that bad at all, and she just loved it! Never again will i do it, hehe...so i had to take a pic for darn sure!
We were all very proud of ourselves, and brooke just loved it! and that is what counts!
She changed into about 4 different princess costumes before she decided on the purple one being perfect for cake time.
I definitely needed that day, in so many ways. And now I have a four year old. sigh. :)
Starting school this year, and so sassy. So much more assertive than my oldest ever was at that age. She is the one that is going to give me all my grey hair.
I have started taking more photos again, since I had really fallen off, and already I am feeling so much better. Scrapping them shouldnt be too far behind I am hoping.
Well, I am off for the nite, thanks for listening to me gripe, lol! But hey, 2 posts in one month! I am being such a good blogger! hehe

forever and a day!

Yes i know it has been a very long time for me since my last post. And i know that nobody probably even checks over here anymore, but here i am. I have been, and am going through some very difficult times of late, and honestly have been unable to keep up with most anything going on or of intrest in my life. But after months of being beaten down, i have finally said enough and have started to take control of my life once again. No longer reacting to situations but acting by choice, if that makes any sense to you. Things are still tough, but at least i'm taking a stand. Anyways, have been extremely uncreative, and unmotivated for anything lately, but the last day or so have been trying to push the issue, and this is what i came up with


I wouldnt exactly call it a layout, more of a photoshop experiment. This is brooke, a very bad photo of her actually (my fault not hers :) ), wrong setting lots of noise, blah blah blah. So i was basically seeing what i could do with photoshop to fix her up and then grabbed 4 or 5 stock photos to put her in to make up for the terrible background scenery she was really in.....my downstairs playroom, toys everywhere, moms, you know what i mean im sure. Anyways, i kinda like how it turned out tho i want to give it a different frame/edging.
hopefully this will get my creative juices flowing again!
hope everybody had a great holiday!! tatat for now!!