day 285 - happy birthday

What a packed full day!!

Today I was lucky enough to see both girls off to school!! Jason has been putting them on the bus all this time, but today was my first day seeing them both off. Last week, it was just Alyssa. Gosh, they sure have gotten big and independent! From day one, they have both loved riding on the bus!

In the morning, I worked from home so that in the afternoon I could go on Cayla's first school trip. We visited Herrle's farm outside of Kitchener.

It was fun to watch Cayla with all her little friends. This is her and Ashley holding hands. At random, any one of the girls in my group (which were Hannah, Ashley and Cayla) would hold hands. The kids got to play in a huge inflatable pumpkin, play on a wooden train, go through the corn maze and jump in the hay. But by far the best part was when they got to pick a pumpkin to take home!

We even had a wagon ride. It was fun, but very cold!

Not only did I got on a school trip, but Jason also went on a class walk with Alyssa. They also had fun.

To end off the day, which just so happened to be my birthday, we had carrot cake! Yup, Jason baked me a cake! I put the icing on it, since I figured he wouldn't have a clue how to do that! But it was nice to come home to a house that smelled of carrot cake and know that I didn't make it!

Alyssa had lots of fun making me cards! What I love is that she used Project Life journaling cards to write on! Too cute!

day 266 - happy 11th anniversary

Eleven years ago today, we said "I do". It's crazy to think we've been together for 16 years and married for 11. Time sure has flown by! To celebrate, we went out for dinner with Jason's parents and the girls. Alyssa asked to take a picture of us. I think she did a pretty good job!

day 227 - a nice surprise

I received a very nice surprise in the mail today. It was pleasantly surprised that Becky sent me a card thanking me for all my work on the Creative team! If that wasn't enough, she also gave me a $15 gift card to iTunes!! How sweet is she? I love her!

I have adored her for years and only imagined her to be super nice, but now I get to experience just how amazing, sweet and kind she really is! And on top of this, to think she sent this at a time when her family is dealing with her brother having cancer. Truly amazing for her to be thinking of others, least of all me! Truly made my day!!

day 225 - my collection

With the weather still not being the greatest, we took some time to go through more stuff in the house. This time it was my collection of Cherished Teddies. I stopped collecting these cute little bears a long time ago! My collection has shrunk quite a bit in that time, but I still have A LOT! 

Today I went through the remaining ones and determined what I am selling, keeping and giving to the girls. If the girls had it their way, they would've kept them all! Every time I pulled one out to see what it looked like, they were right there to see and in Cayla's case, to pat the bear. They each ended up with at least five new bears to put in their rooms! That on top of the ones they already have!! It's sad to see some of them go, but if I am not displaying them, they why have them!

Alyssa took this picture of me. 

day 194 - metal mouth

Today was the big day, the braces went on this afternoon!!

I thought it would be fun to take a couple pictures of me, because after today my smile will look different! I had Jason take a picture of me from straight on and my normal side angle pose (this is how I smile for most of my pictures, because from this angle, my teeth look somewhat straight! LOL) I had him take a close up shot too, but I'll share that photo in 18-24 months when I get my braces off :)

I was in the dentist chair for just under two hours. It wasn't painful to get them on, but WOW, it's going to take time to get use to all this metal in my mouth!!

This is me after. The photo on the left makes it appear as if I don't have much metal. What you see is the distilizer, which I will wear for about 3-6 months to help pull my canine teeth back, in order to correct my overbite and then allow the dentist to put the top braces all the way across. In the photo on the right you can see that I have the bottom braces on!

Probably the most uncomfortable part (at least for now) is the elastics that attach to my top canine teeth and down to my back molars!! It makes talking interesting! LOL

I know it'll totally be worth it in the end, but I know this journey will not be short or without discomfort! So far I am feeling okay, but my mouth is quite sore. It'll be soft foods for a few days.

My journey to a new smile begins :)

day 151 - a red rose kind of gal

There is no doubt that I love to drink tea! My brand to drink has always been Red Rose.Why? It's what my Mom drinks :) I got my love for tea from her!

I never really started drinking tea until I was in my early twenties. I would have the odd cup of tea before that, but it really wasn't until my twenties that I noticed I was drinking tea every day. Most people drink coffee, where I have never really liked coffee. I remember drinking coffee a little bit in high school, but that's about it, since than I haven't have a cup a coffee.

Tea is my comfort drink. I even drink it in the dead of the summer when it's hot! But get this, I don't like ice tea! LOL I know, I am strange!

I have three (large) cups of tea a day, sometimes four or more! :) I take a travel mug of tea to work in the morning. I have another tea about mid-day, anywhere from 1-3 pm. I have my last cup of tea at night, usually between 8:30-9:00. Having tea that late at night does not affect my sleeping in any way! You would think it would, considering I drink it in the morning and afternoon to give me a pick-me-up!

It's the one drink that I must have at least once a day, beside water :) Other than that, I really could care less about other beverages!

So the other night when we ran out of tea bags, I had to resort to another hot beverage that I like to have every so often, hot chocolate!

Because my hunny knows how much I love my tea, he made sure to buy me a new box today! 

day 145 - rock stars

Tonight before heading out on our walk/bike ride and trip to the park, I snapped this picture of me with the girls. We're all rocking our shades! Alyssa is wearing Hello Kitty glasses and Cayla has on Minnie. Too cute!

day 116 - morning good-bye

Every morning when I leave for work the girls come and give me LOTS of hugs and kisses! They even fight over who goes first and keep track of who got more kisses!! Normally, they just wave behind the door, but today they sat on the steps to wave and blow kisses good-bye.

day 110 - working from home

With my job I am sometimes able to work from home. I actually don't like to do it that often as I don't really have the proper set-up and usually end up sitting at my kitchen table, which in turn makes for a very sore back and shoulders!! But today was a day that I had to work from home because I had audio to record for a course I am building. It has been at least a year since I last recorded audio so I was a bit rusty at first, but after a few takes I was okay.

Today was a school day for Alyssa. As part of their learning this week, they have also been learning about nature, etc. And with Earth Day coming up, the kindergarten classes decided to do a nature walk. And since Jason is at home right now, I thought it would be good if he went along as a parent volunteer. He has never had the chance to volunteer in her class, until now! Alyssa was super excited to have her Daddy with her! He didn't want to take along my big camera, but he did take some pictures with his cell phone. I love this one of Alyssa giving him a flower. They had a nice afternoon together.

day 103 - moment captured by Alyssa

I honestly can't remember why Cayla was crying. She must have fallen and hurt herself and I was consoling her. But how Alyssa had my camera in hand to take these pictures, I am not sure! What I do know is that I think I have a budding photographer on my hands, one that always asks what the picture of the day is going to be! LOL Today she got to be the one to take it!

What I love even more is that Cayla's tears were short lived and she posed for a picture with Mommy!! Any picture of me with my girls is totally priceless! I honestly would give anything to have a picture of me as a little girl with my Mom :)

The only thing I did to these photos was run a quick action to brighten them up, everything else was totally Alyssa. She has potential :)

day 89 - good-bye wisdom

To prepare for my braces I needed to have my bottom wisdom teeth removed. Today was the big day!! I wasn't that nervous, as I had my top ones taken out years ago and didn't have any problems.

The appointment was in the morning. The one thing I wanted for breakfast was a french toast cinnamon bagel from Tim Hortons. My hubby went and got one for me!! I like it toasted with just butter on it! Yummy!! And of course I had a tea. When don't I have tea :) I knew this would be the last solid thing I would be eating for at least a day. Turns out it was the last solid thing I ate for almost 3 days!!

Things didn't go exactly as planned!! Part way though I was wishing they would just knock me out!! The worst part was hearing the drill. For someone who has never heard it (never had a cavity, so need for a drill) it was a little unsettling!

The problem was my roots curved slightly and had developed a ball on the end! This caused the first one to break at the root when he tried to pull it! The dentist couldn't tell by the x-rays that the roots did this, so the first one took him by surprise. With it broken at the root, it required him to cut the rest out. For the second one, he cut it at the root and was able to get it all out with little trouble. But because he had to cut away at my gums, he had to put in stitches. For anyone who has had stitches in your mouth, you know how uncomfortable and gross it is!! I couldn't bite down for days! I ate a lot of jello and soup!

It took me about five days before I didn't feel like my mouth was still swollen! Not a great experience!! Now over a week later I feel a lot better. The stitches finally dissolved and came out and my jaw doesn't ache anymore! Just in time for the next procedure!! I keep telling myself that all of it will be worth it in the end!!

day 67 - a trip to the dentist

Today was supposed to be Cayla's first visit to the dentist, but sadly she wouldn't open her mouth to even let them count her teeth! She even sat on my lap on the chair and we tried to convince her to let the dental hygienist to look in her mouth, but she wasn't having any part of it! But she wasted no time picking a toy from the treasure chest! I was really hoping she would cooperate, but I pretty much knew before we went that she wouldn't! Once Cayla makes up her mind, it's made for good!!! We'll try again in June! At she got a toy and a new tooth brush :)

As for Alyssa, as always she was like an old pro!! I LOVE that she loves going to the dentist! She's the only kid I know that counts down the days to go!! And it wasn't because she was scared it's because she was excited!! Go figure!

One of Alyssa's top, middle teeth is lose and has been for about a month now. They suspect it'll fall out very soon! Her other one won't be far behind! So probably by her 6th birthday in May she'll be missing her front teeth!! I thought it was early for her, since I was in Grade 2 before I lost mine. They reassured me it's normal and every child is very different. Hopefully they come in as nicely as the ones on the bottom did. So far they are straight and look really good. The best about this check-up part is no cavities!!  

 On the road to a beautiful smile :)

I also had an appointment, but not for a cleaning. It was to discuss braces!! 

Last year, I went through the process of having all the x-rays and mouldings created in order for the dentist to provide me with a plan and estimate for braces. I have wanted braces for what seems like my entire life! I remember when kids at school got braces, I was so envious of them!! I know that seems strange, since most kids/teenagers hate having them.  Not me, I would've loved to have had them back than instead of doing it now in my thirties! Since I was a kid I've had an over bite and it's all because I sucked my thumb longer than I should have! That's why I was glad my girls never took up the habit!! It's something that looks cute when they are babies, but trust me it's a terrible habit and very hard for a child to break! Not only do I have an over bite, but some of my top teeth have gone crooked over the years. 

I have always been very self-conscious of my smile and will only smile from the left side. It has never stopped me from smiling or being in pictures though!! In the past there was always a reason for not getting braces. Mostly it was financially we couldn't afford it. There is also the time commitment of approx. 18-24 months that is a bit daunting too! But now at the age of 34, I think it's time! 

They walked me through everything that will need to take place before and after. It's a huge undertaking and will be a huge adjustment, but for me, it's worth it!!! This is like having a dream come true! 

Here is the moldings of my teeth.  My top tooth isn't cracked like that though!! LOL It got chipped off in the process of moving it. The girls thought it was cool to see Mommy's teeth sitting on the table!! 

I still have to get an approval from the insurance company to pay a portion of the expenses. If all goes well, I will begin the process sometime in April.

day 59 - project life arrived

I was so excited last night when I checked the mail and there was a card saying I had a parcel at the post office! I knew exactly what it would be...my Project Life order!!

Being that I am doing Project Life digitally, I don't really need any physical product. So what I am going to use all this product for? A few different things.

The first thing I want to do is finally put all the family history stuff I've been collecting into one book!! I have big hopes for this project and I hope it turns out the way I am envisioning it in my head!

The other thing I am using the photo protectors for is the girls "paper" stuff, like pictures they've drawn, etc. I got a lot of inspiration from watching Becky's video a few weeks ago about getting organized with your kids' stuff. It made me feel good to know that I am not alone in trying to figure this all out. And if you haven't heard, Becky will be releasing products geared towards childhood/school by the end of this summer, early fall!! Can't wait!!

Of course I had to get a picture of me holding a Becky Project Life box :)

day 53 - mommy has a boo boo

Last night Jason had to changed the bandage on my shoulder. This would be my first look at it after having the cyst removed that morning. When I saw it, I was a bit freaked out! Why? Because I knew the Doctor had packed it with gauze and I knew that gauze would have to come out and new stuff would need to go in!! Ouch! I had no idea what to expected and being that today would be my first time having it changed, I wasn't looking forward to it.

Alyssa didn't like seeing her Mommy upset, so she drew me a picture to help cheer me up! I LOVE this picture!! I've already put it away for safe keeping :) This is priceless to me! After she gave it to me she gave me a big hug and told me it would be okay! Love. her. to. pieces. :)

 I worked from home today. For one, there wasn't much I could wear that didn't bother my shoulder. I've pretty much been wearing tank tops with my pink hoodie.

In the afternoon, I had my first bandage changing. I was very nervous! The nurse who did it was fabulous and made me feel relaxed. Now that I've been going for over a week, I have to say the first one was probably the easiest and least painful! Some of the ones since than have been terrible!! I get that they need to clean it, sometimes express more cyst out and repack it each time, but I am human and I can feel it!!

It's going to be a very slow process. Now (March 4) I am still having daily bandage changes and there is still more infection and cyst matter coming out. The good news is they are starting to see it healing at the bottom of the wound. It has to heal from the bottom up.

 This is when I wish I had taken a picture of the cyst (covered) before it was removed so that I could show the difference in size. It stuck out about an inch from my back and was about an inch long. So glad it's gone! I can't wait until I can have the rest of it removed and finally be done with all of this!

day 52 - pancake tuesday

I was off to the hospital today to hopefully be seen by an ER doctor about my cyst. We got there around 10:00 and I was in to see a Doctor about an hour and a half later. She was great, except the part when she caused me pain! But it was necessary and I am glad I went.

The cyst on my shoulder had become so infected and was just downright gross!! To think I have had this cyst for about five years and it never caused me any pain. It wasn't small by any means before, about the size of a quarter and it was slightly raised from my shoulder. But now it was the size of a golf ball. I thought about taking a picture to compare the size, but I didn't. From the side it looked like I had a bone sticking out of my shoulder blade! I was in so much pain because it had swelled up and it was draining some nasty stuff. It was awful. Thankfully Jason has been great at helping me and being my nurse and changing the bandages. He was grossed out by it just as much as I was, but he was great. Even the ER nurse commented on how well he did on putting the bandage on.

The ER doctor was quick and told me she would freeze it and remove what she could of the cyst. Yikes!!! The needles to freeze it are what hurt the most. Ouch!! After the freezing kicked in I didn't feel much. She removed most of the cyst but wasn't able to get it all. When she told me she was packing it and that I would need to get daily bandage changes I didn't have a clue what that meant. All I knew was that when I sat up, the bump was somewhat gone and I had a huge bandage across my shoulder! The best part was my shoulder was frozen so I was no longer in pain!! That was the first time in over a week, it felt good not to feel it!

I left the ER thankful that the pain was gone but scared about what was ahead for me. I would later come to realize that the end was no where in sight for me and it would be a longer road to recovery than I thought!

My pictures from today obviously don't reflect the ordeal I went through. I did debate on taking a picture of the ER room after all was said and done, but I didn't. I doubt I'll forget about today any time soon and I don't need a reminder of how painful it was!

Instead, I took pictures of the happier times in the day. After we left the ER, we got lunch at Tim Hortons. Roll up the rim just started and lucky Jason won his first free coffee!!

 It was Pancake Tuesday which meant we had pancakes for supper! Yummy!

day 48 - a gift

I had a wonderful gift show up in my mailbox today. It was my first issue of the magazine, Seeing the everyday. It's a gift subscription from Becky Higgins! How nice is she?!

The magazine is filled with amazing stories about everyday life, especially those moments spent at home with family. This issue made me recall a lot of wonderful memories from my childhood. The magazine doesn't have any advertising, therefore the focus is on the stories and the photos, just like it should be! It's very simple yet quite amazing! It made me what to document more childhood stories of my own, but also those of my family.

Thanks Becky for this amazing gift!!

day 40 - my big announcement

Have you heard? I am one of the newest members of Becky's Project Life Creative Team!!!

When I came home on Tuesday, January 31 I went to check email before starting dinner. 

I was in shock to see an email from Becky Higgins in my inbox!!! I just told her the other day that I am still not use to seeing emails from her yet :) LOL

Once I got over the initial shock that a woman I have been following for years, who is the reason I even bought the Creating Keepsakes magazine to begin with and who I have admired for years was sending me an email, I then opened it to read what she had to say. 

I was completely and utterly shocked when I read that she wanted me to be on her Creative Team!!! This could not be happening to me!! 

I have been blessed with so many wonderful opportunities, but this one was like the icing on the cake. To have someone like Becky say that she admires what you’re doing is BIG!! Here I was, just doing my thing, documenting the life of my family and enjoying a hobby that I truly believe in. 

All I could think was, how is this happening to me?!? 

Jason was the first person I told. He joked with me and said, “Who is Becky Higgins?” Of course he knows exactly who she is, because for the past 10 years I’ve probably mentioned her name a thousand times and shown him at least a hundred layouts using one of Becky’s sketches. He got how big this was and how much it meant to me. 

I had to keep it a secret for just over a week, but than today she announced it on her blog.  


I am so excited and so very blessed for this opportunity :)

day 31 - big news for mommy

I wish I could share right now in this blog post why today was such a BIG day for me, but I can't, at least not yet! Once I get the word that I can share my big news, I'll be sure to update this blog post with the details!!

Until then, I leave you with a photo that Jason snapped of Cayla talking to me on the phone. He worked 12-8 this week, so he was home in the morning with the girls. It's Tuesday, so he had already taken Alyssa to school and was just at home with Cayla.

They were watching the movie Wall-E while she was enjoying a rice krispie square. Watching the movie made her say to me what she always says when she watches this movie.

The girls have watched this movie at least a hundred times since the beginning of the year!! Cayla's favourite part is when Wall-E (a little robot) is collecting garbage and comes across a bra. Wall-E isn't sure what to do with it, so he puts it over his eyes! The first time Cayla saw it, she said "Wall-E put boobies on the eyes". We laughed so hard and still do every time she says it. It's now become the thing she says whenever she watches this movie, which is why she said it to me on the phone today. But it's also become the last thing she says right before Jason leaves her room each night after he has said goodnight. Love it!!

day 12 - TVD

One of my favourite shows to watch right now is the Vampire Diaries. I started watching it about half way through season one, which started in September 2010. Now it's in its third season. 

So instead of taking a picture, I grabbed one of the current posters for the show. A woman I work with watches it to, so on Friday morning we always have a little chat about the episode the night before.This season is really good!

day 4 - trading in the slippers

It was back to work for me today! I was off for a total of 12 days, including weekends! I truly enjoyed being able to throw on a pair of jogging pants and slip on my slippers and just hang out with the girls. I didn't enjoy being sick though! I am just starting to get over my cough, finally!! 

So today I traded in my slippers and comfy clothes for my work clothes!!