Faces

So, obviously I've been a bit busy.  But who isn't?

My health has, overall, been pretty good.  Just a small-ish (I guess some wouldn't say that) hiccup that resulted in five days in the hospital and some uber-expensive medication.  But generally all is well in the I-kicked-cancer-in-the-butt area of my life.

My photography business has taken off like a paper airplane on jet fuel.  I never imagined that there would be this much demand for a photographer in this area -- but I am glad that there is.  Needless to say, I have been able to cover six months of said uber-expensive medication with the business I have done over the last couple of months.  That's a huge relief to me.  Plus, I was able to justify the purchase of a laptop specifically for my business -- and so, I am now a proud and very happy owner of a MacBook.  Yay Apple!

And life with the family has been good.  So very good.  Despite the busyness and the chaos of being a mom and self-employed and all the other things going on in my life, I am thoroughly enjoying this spring.  I've had time to spend with my kids and my hubby and my mom.  I've been able to be a soccer mom as much as I want to.  I've been able to go on a few field trips with the school.

The only time I haven't found yet is time to scrapbook.  I've bought pretty paper.  I've cleaned up my desk a few times.  I've read some creative magazines.  But I haven't scrapped.

But I have been taking more photos -- photos of my own, I mean.  I upgraded camera this past January and I am loving what it is capturing for me.  So when I do find time to sit down and scrap -- look out!!

Like I said, soccer has been a big part of our spring...and, naturally, I broke out the mondo-sports lens and snapped away at our tournament last weekend.  I was very pleased with the images that resulted.  Here are a few of my faves!

I just love Curtis' soccer faces.  He concentrates so hard on the ball when it's in his possession!

The tournament was in Rosthern -- a town about half-hour away.  Rosthern would be a nice place to live.  It's bigger than Vonda and it has a pool and a little amusement park for the kids.  We had a break between our first and second games, so we managed to squeak in a few rides on the ferris wheel.

Curtis is so funny...he'll leap from a tree branch or dive face first into a gravel pile to catch a ball -- but he was totally chicken of the baby ferris wheel.  I had to really work to convince him to go on the ride with me.  He was scared at first and hung onto me like he was dangling from a cliff -- but after one rotation, he figured out that he wasn't going to fall out and die on the sidewalk below and just enjoyed the rest of the ride.  Hmph!  Sometimes I just don't understand men...even little ones.

One other thing that's been on my mind lately is my sweet Renée.  She is growing up so fast...I can hardly believe it.  Our relationship is changing -- big time -- and it has a lot to do with the fact that she is teetering on the edge of "tween".  She knows it too.  She is turning into such a beautiful, talented young lady and I hope my old bones can keep up!  It's certainly fun trying -- clothes shopping and hanging out and spending time together is so different for us now.  We are bonding in a completely different way.  This photo I snapped of her is so very Renée.  She's casual and relaxed and a bit disheveled, with just a hint of clever mischief in her eyes.  Goodness, I am so blessed to have this girl in my life!!

Off I go -- I have a million and two things to do this week!

Happy scrapping!
Amanda

Returning to the Blogwagon...

So I guess my last post wasn't exactly accurate.  I should have probably just waited until I was feeling 100%, or at least close to it, before I committed to returning to my blog.  I miss blogging scrappy things, though.  I miss all things scrappy, actually -- not just the blogging part.  I have scrapped very little since November 2009 when I was first diagnosed with breast cancer.

So when all of my treatments finished, I kind of expected just to pop right out of the un-creative black hole that I found myself in.  It doesn't exactly work that way, apparently, because it's been a real struggle to create anything in the last few months.  When I have the time, I don't have the energy.  And when I have the energy, there are so many practical things to do instead.  But lately, I've been finding myself more and more often in my scraproom -- looking through my poor, neglected stash and reassuring myself that someday, hopefully soon, I'll find my mojo.

Part of my new motivation came from last weekend -- Camp Croppin' in Calgary.  It was so very refreshing to be surrounded by so much creativity and inspiration the whole weekend!  My travel companions, including the new friends we met up with in Calgary, were truly a breath of fresh air and we had so much fun together.  It was one of the best trips, ever.

And I brought lots of mojo home with me, thanks to the awesome atmosphere at Camp Croppin'.  Enough mojo, anyway, to distract me from making the perogies and cupcakes for Easter Weekend that really should be cooking right now.

But I had to seize the mojo moment while it was here!  Sometimes you just have to make time for things that are important, despite the fact that you have more practical things waiting.  I'm hoping that, as I make time for creativity in my life, my enthusiasm and desire to get scrappy will return in a big way.

So here's a couple of peeks at what I've been doing and enjoying the last little while.  "Mud Junkie" is a layout I finished a while ago, but because I haven't put it in an album yet, it's making an appearance here on the blog.  It's simple and playful -- I enjoyed creating it because these were the first photos after Renee discovered that she loved to get dirty on the quadding trails at the lake.





It's not a complicated, intricate layout -- but it's so fun and colourful.  :)

I also scrapped a layout of my friend, C, who got married a number of years ago.  She is an awesome friend of mine and her wedding was one of the most exciting days ever. 

Here's a close up of the detail I put into the tag and the embellishments.  Sometimes I find it difficult to find the exact flowers I want to layer on a project.  I knew I had these lovely flower centers and they would be perfect for a little touch of bling on this layout.  And the mirror was a must too.  She hasn't seen this layout yet...so I hope she likes it!

What else have I been up to?  Just enjoying being a mom.  Everyone knows what a crazy hockey mom I have become...and that's awesome.  I love it.  But I am a bowling mom too, and I was so proud of my girl Renee, this past week when she brought home two trophies from her bowling awards wind-up on Monday night.  Everyone on her team (and in the Bantam level) recieved a trophy with their high game, but Renee also brought home "Most Improved Female Bantam" in the league!  She was so proud, and it just convinced her to believe what we'd been encouraging her to do all year -- focus, relax, try her best, and the skill would follow.  She improved her average by 29 points from the beginning of the year.  That is a great accomplishment!

Speaking of accomplishments...there is something that I really want to focus on this next week -- getting my scrap room in shape.  It is messsssssssy!  Unfortunately, I tend to use this area as a place to just put whatever needs to be dealt with sometime soon.  In our house, we call it "Plopping."  Sounds loverly, doesn't it?  LOL  I'm always lecturing my kids about not plopping their backpacks, shoes, sports equipment, books, etc in places where it doesn't belong.  Well, guess what, kiddos?  Mom needs a lecture too.  So this week, my scrappy goal is to reorganize my scrap desk and shelf and make this a "No Plop Zone."  I might even make a sign.  Just to prove I can do it (and to keep me accountable!) I'm going to post before and afters for you.  If I don't post the after photos by the end of Easter Break, you have my permission to come over and kick my butt.  Seriously.  Please do.  I'll make you coffee even.

 

So, I'd better get moving.  Perogies.  Cupcakes.  Easter Dinner.  Scrappy cleaning.  I have a lot on my plate, I guess.  But I am grateful because, after all, I still have a plate to put it on.

Have a Joyful and Blessed Easter!  Mwah!

Amanda