The last of the LOAD LOs...

I decided that today I would share the final LOAD layouts that I created. I love doing LOAD, it just gets that scrappin' mojo going! :)  Here are layouts 12-21. Yep, I did 21 layouts that month instead of my usual 30. It's Ok, life had to take precedence, which is as it should be. :) The spring was kind of nuts. Despite the fact that 'We don't do crazy,' it WAS crazy! LOL

Anyway- here they are-- better late than never!

Here is a layout of our tuxedo-cat Mitty who sleeps or lies in the funniest positions!

"Paws for a rest"
LOAD DAY 12 

Paws strip: Dollarama
Paw square: TPC Studio
Ticket: CTMH
Cat embellie: Sandylion
Cardstock & Inks: CTMH
Background paper and vertically striped strips: CTMH
Lettering: BasicGrey and Glitz Designs
Font: Arial

I took the chance this LOAD to get a LOT of the kids' school photos scrapbooked. So you will see a few LARGE pics scrapped here! It felt so good to get those done...

"Bryan- Grade 9"
LOAD DAY 13 

"Bryan- Grade 10" (2011)
LOAD DAY 14

"Fast Forward"
LOAD DAY 15

Journaling:

Daniel, when I found these two photos of you at different ages, I placed them near a current one to see how much you’ve changed and grown. :)  What a cute baby and handsome kiddo. Time sure does do a “fast forward” when we look at photos this way!  

Photos of Daniel Cole XXXXXXX

18 mos old - 2002

6 yrs old -     2006

12 yrs old -   2012

All cardstock and papers- CTMH.
Embellishment strip- CTMH

"Winsome look"
LOAD DAY 16

Journaling:
One day in March, Argo was outside in the backyard. When we peeked out the window to check on him, there he was, ON the picnic table!! This was QUITE hilarious, since Argo is NOT usually a trickster at all. As he looked winsomely up at us, we took some photos. Who could resist that face? When Daddy called Argo in, off he jumped and away he loped, back into the house. SO cute and funny—but good thing he won’t be making a habit of THAT!

Photos- March 2012

Journaling by Mom- May 2013

The cardstock & the polka dot papers above are from CTMH. Plaid paper is from TPC Studio.

"Daniel Cole Age 10" (Grade 6)
LOAD DAY 17

Had a little bit of fussy-cutting "fun" with this one! I used up some very old BasicGrey paper from the "Archaic" collection! (Oh groan-- yep-- pun intended!) 

Do you like the 3-D palm tree? LOL Had to hide a big mistake on this one (oops!) so used the fussy-cutting to my advantage! The Kraft paper and inks used here are from CTMH.

"Bryan- Grade 8"
LOAD DAY 18

I used an inset photo of Bry's grade 8 "Grad" photo (going from middle school, on to high school). I like how this turned out! One photo was from Sept 2009, the other, from Spring 2010. All papers and cardstock from CTMH. 

"Bryan Alexander: Grade VII"
 LOAD DAY 19

That was a tough photo to scrap as they did something weird with the background when they developed the photo package... (very bright...) anyway, I know it's better to have the photo than NOT have it, so I scrapped it anyway. The photo is so bright though, it washed out ALL the papers I tried. so I went with papers  that had a slightly distressed look. As I said- tough one! These are all CTMH papers, pearls & inks, so happy I had them! 

"Noah Adam Scott: Grade One" (Sept. 2009)
LOAD DAY 20

Adored using Crate Paper's older "Brook" collection on this page. Ahhhh.... this photo makes me smile. That's our youngest. :) 

"Cherished Son, Daniel- Grade 3"
 LOAD DAY 21

There was a great deal of peachy-tone to the photo background on Daniel's photo. I chose to draw on this in my paper choices. These are all CTMH cardstock, patterned paper and inks. Tags and tickets were cut from some CTMH papers, too. Ribbon from my stash... button is from my daughter- she gave me some BasicGrey buttons for Christmas! 

As you can see, I am a very linear person. Even my clustering looks "linear!" LOL

There, all done posting the last of the 21 LOAD layouts! Hope you enjoyed! On to newer things in the next post. Have a great day- do something creative!! 

~

More Layouts from Layout a Day in May!

Hi Everyone~! 
As promised, here are some more May 2013 layouts... LOAD 513 was a lot of fun and I got a tonne of layouts created-- which means that stories were told. 

LOAD DAY 8
"Birthday Time Again"
(An 8 1/2 x 11" page)

The above page was created as an accompaniment to my "Gadget" birthday LO, created on LOAD Day 1, as seen below. I think these work really well together. I had fun using the smaller size to complete this birthday page set.  The smaller page just indicated that the cake was from DQ and showed some cards and a gift...plus the date. Simple easy LO to go with this one: 

"Gadget" LO from LOAD DAY 1

LOAD DAY 9
"Our Old Soul"

Journaling:

Argo, you are so much more than Noah’s buddy. You are special. You are a Dog Guide, especially for him. You are intelligent, you are loving. You accept Noah just the way he is. You help us keep him safe… you help him focus. 

More than anything, you are an “Old Soul.” 

Bless you for being who you are.

We are so thankful for you. 

Photos- Spring 2012

Journaling by Mom May 2013 

LOAD DAY 10
"Fast Friends"

Journaling here was  written by hand and described Kate and her cat Misty in Winter 2012 on a visit home on the weekend. Misty always missed her! J 

LOAD DAY 11
"A Special Place"

This was a layout I was ever-so-glad to get down on paper. I used a stock photo from the internet but will be replacing that with a new one soon!

Journaling: 

One of “our places in the world” is connected to our children and their education. It is Kingston and District School, right here in our own little town.

I drove Kate and Bryan there the first 2 years… every day, there and “home again, home again, jiggety-jig” because we wanted to take advantage of the French Immersion Program that was not offered at the school in Greenwood where we lived on Base.

Once we moved to Kingston, we were in the “right” area and the kids took the bus.

Kate began going to Kingston and District school in 1999, and Bryan, in 2000. (Daniel was 3 weeks old when I drove Bryan and Kate to school that September day in 2000, for Bry’s first day!)

Daniel began going there in 2005. Noah, in 2007… He is now in Grade 4-- still a student at KDS. Our other children have moved on.

It is now 2013, and as you can see, we have been apart of this school for 14 consecutive years. No wonder I feel that part of my heart is there. We have had each of our children attend this school.

Kate, our eldest,  graduated in the same school district where she began- the Annapolis Valley Regional School Board, with her French Immersion Certificate: unheard of for a military kid. But that’s just the way it has worked out.

Our elementary school has been more than amazing. We have had kids go thru French  Immersion, the English program, plus one on an Individual Program Plan (IPP). I thought we had pretty much covered everything…   And then, in October 2011, Argo, Noah’s Autism Assistance Dog Guide (AADG), began attending this school, every day, with his special kiddo.

I wrote an article about this school’s work with Noah and his AADG, Argo- and had it published.… I have volunteered there…we have participated in fundraisers, been to their Spring Flings and concerts…  even took care of the Grade Primary butterflies at home over March Break one year. We have loved artwork the kids brought home, and I have created my own artwork to feature their creations.  We’ve benefitted from, and enjoyed some autism-related events offered in the school building, like Music Therapy once a week for Noah.  I’ve loved the photos Noah’s team sends home, and have created scrapbook pages about class trips and school activities.

We have been happy with this school-- overjoyed with the TLC and educational opportunities it has offered each of our children. I have recommended it without any reservation to other families who have a child with ASD thinking of a move within the province. 

This school has been the main reason we have stayed here as long as we have. Our hearts are here, the best school is here, we NEED to be here. And so, we are.

Kingston and District School

Photo:  May 2013 

There you go! Hope you've enjoyed these!  Will work away at getting more layouts posted as soon as I can. :)

Have a wonderful day! 

~

Have lots of LOs to share!

Because I did LOAD in May 2013, AKA "Layout A Day 5-13," I have lots and lots (LOADS? *grin*) of layouts to share with ya'll.

Hope you like them! I will get them posted a few at a time.

Here are my first few LOs.

I'll number them for you LOAD DAY 1; LOAD DAY 2 etc...

LOAD DAY 1
 "Gadget" 

Journaling reads: 

Bryan, on your 17^th birthday, we celebrated in our usual way with prezzies and an ice cream cake from DQ. There were a bunch of crisp white envelopes with gifts inside… you’re so spoiled! 

(You deserve to be spoiled by the people who love you, though, so it’s OK.) J

There was one very unusual gift from Dad and me- an electronic gadget that tuned any flat surface into a speaker!

You were ‘over the moon excited’ and very intrigued with this piece of equipment.

OK- yes--- we were all fascinated--- it was just THE coolest thing ever!!!

Your Dad is a smart shopper and told me that he knew right away that you’d like it when he spied it at the store.

Happy Birthday, buddy!

Photos: July 28, 2012

Journaling May 2013 

LOAD DAY 2
 "55 F"

Journaling reads: 

Dad bought a beautiful 15 ft Intex pool in June but we didn’t get a chance to set it up until July… and when we DID, you guys sure had fun trying it out for the first time! The water was mighty cold- Gates’ delivered it in a tanker truck, and the moment that pool was full, you were in it!  The water temperature was about 55 degrees F— it was FREEZING COLD!!! Noah, you lasted longer than Daniel in the water, but neither of you was in TOO long that day!! It was so funny to watch- we got you both warmed up nice and fast after your swim, though, ‘cause we had fuzzy towels ready & it was a hot, sunny day!

Noah (10) & Daniel (almost 12)

July 2012 

LOAD DAY 3
"Sploosh!!"

Journaling reads: 
The new Intex pool went together well, and we were thrilled with it! Daddy had bought it at Costco in Moncton, NB.  It was really sturdy and looked amazing. We were astounded and awed that we had a 15 ft pool in our OWN backyard!  Preparing the ground (leveling it, etc) had taken Daddy and me all weekend, but preparation is everything. We didn’t regret spending time on that one BIT. Once we finally had our pool all set up in the backyard, we made a quick call to Gates’ to have water delivered for the pool on Monday. Daddy made a quick run home from the Base at lunchtime to be here when the water-man arrived. Mr. Gates delivered 11,000 litres of crystal clean, fresh water with a tanker truck. The delivery cost $175.00 and was worth every penny.  Daniel was fascinated with the whole process. It only took 10-15 minutes to fill the 15 ft pool-- it spewed in so FAST with that huge hose. I “made” Daddy take photos for me! (He’s always so patient with my requests for photos!)  He explained to Mr. Gates that his wife, ‘the scrapbooker’ wanted photos to record the ‘moment’ for posterity. I think other people must have done the same thing, though, because he didn’t seem surprised at all! (Or… maybe he was just being a kind Valley-person!!) J

Photos: mid-July, 2012
Daniel- almost 12 
Journaling by Mom: May 2013

LOAD DAY 4
"Take Care of the Wizard"

Journaling reads: 

With Dad’s help, Daniel learned very quickly how to care for his cute, kindly teddy bear hamster, Wizard (“Wiz” for short.).

After all, Daniel had authored The Hamster Book last year, in Grade six, and had it reviewed by a local pet shop owner. (LOL— this is true!)

Argo loved to relax on the floor and watch while Daniel cleaned the cage and Wiz rolled around in his hamster ball.

Photos: October 2012

Daniel: age 12

Journaling: May 2013

LOAD DAY 5
"Daniel: Grade 6"

Journaling for this one was hand-written and described Daniel in 2011-2012, and some of the things he did at school this year-- such as writing The Hamster Book. :) 

LOAD DAY 6
"Daniel: Grade 7"

I used an extra wallet photo from Grade 6 as an inset to create interest. Journaling, again, was done by hand and described Daniel's school year.

LOAD DAY 7
 "Two Minutes"

I chose a really busy BasicGrey Marrakech paper here as Noah is a busy little guy.
Journaling:

I would be SUCH a better Mom to you, Noah, if I could get into your consciousness for just two minutes. Those precious two minutes would help me clarify the “why” of so many things about you. Just two minutes. That’s all. 

I know I could do a better job. I WANT to do a better job.  If only I could understand you better…Getting into that amazing brain of your would help me do that. 

For now, until I can “get inside your head,” I’ll continue being a detective, using our strong connection  and the clues that are apparent in the things you do, say, enjoy or avoid to figure out the WHY of a multitude of things. 

Two minutes. That’s all I’d ask for, if it were possible. I know I’d be a better Mom to you. 

Love you so much, buddy. 

xoxo~ Mommy 

Photo: Grade 4, Kingston & District School (2011-2012)

Journaling: May 7, 2013

Thanks everyone for stopping in! Hope you enjoyed these summer layouts! That's the first seven... I will post more of my LOAD pages soon.

It's on my "radar" to get these all shared and saved on my Blog.

Guest Designer at S: CY!!

We introduced a fabulous Guest Designer over at S: CY this month! Why not pop over and have a peek at the work of fabulous artist and Guest Designer, Angela Fehr!?

Here is the sketch that I created for last Friday, June 7th, over at Sketches: Creatively Yours!

Sketches: Creatively Yours
 Sketch 8-13
 by
"Yours Truly"

 And here is my layout...

"Birthday Bliss '12" layout 

Thanks for peeking!! Head on over to S: CY to see what the Design Team has created We'd love to hear what you think!  

See you again soon! 
 ~

Purina Walk for Dog Guides

We participated in the annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides this morning, in Greenwood, the tiny town where our RCAF base is-- which is where Pete works. :)

This was the second year for us, and the event has definitely grown!

"The Walk" was about 3.8 km and took the walkers over to Kingston, our very own town. The walk ended at the Kingston Lions Club.

The annual Purina Walk for Dog Guides helps raise funds and awareness of the SIX (!!) current Dog Guide programs run by the Lions Fndtn Of Canada. We were happy to walk and raise donations for these amazing programs.

The 6 Dog Guide programs are: 

1. Autism Assistance Dog Guides (Our son Noah has Autism. Argo is his  AADG.)
2. Canine Vision Dog Guides
3. Hearing Ear Dog Guides
4. Seizure Response Dog Guides
5. Special Skills Dog Guides
and
6. Diabetic Alert Dog Guides (the newest program).

Pete and our sons Bryan (17), Daniel (12), and Noah (11) plus his AADG Argo all walked this AM. I was the "picture-taker!" LOL

Here are a few photos I took to commemorate this day:

Noah, Daniel, Bryan and Daddy
plus Noah's AADG "Argo"
ready to roll!

Our gang and "Argo the AADG "
 plus friend Brielle P. and Rascal 

Purina Walk for Dog Guides Participants
Kingston Lions Club
@ end of the Walk
including Noah & "Argo the AADG"
plus Zac & "Iris the AADG."

THANK YOU LIONS FOUNDATION OF CANADA and the generous donors and supporters who help make all of the Dog Guide programs run so smoothly and help them meet the needs of Canadians with disabilities. :)

Our son Noah's AADG "Argo" will be 4 yrs old on May 29th, and  he came to us on Dec 17th, 2010. We are thankful every day for the help that Argo and the Lions Fndtn of Canada have given our son Noah. It goes beyond what words could ever express!
~

S: CY Sketch 7-13

 We have a great prize up for grabs this month at S: CY (entries accepted 'til May 30th) so be sure to get your LO in... Here's the Sketch:

S: CY Sketch 7-13
by Yours Truly

And the inspiration piece, painted by Noah last year:

Artwork by Noah

Here's my layout for this sketch...

"REWARD: School Dance"

Note: This is our littlest guy, Noah, with his Educational Assistant, at a school dance. (Noah painted the inspiration piece, above, for this week.) He has Autism Spectrum Disorder and was enjoying himself so much, the school staff had a hard time getting a great photo. I was so glad to have these, and loved the pictures, so they went on a layout anyway, blurry or not!

Journaling reads-
Event: School Dance

Reward for: Participation in recycling program 

Grades:  Primary to three 

Date: April 2012 

Noah had just turned 10 yrs old and these photos were snapped by his Resource Teacher, Mrs. W. He was dancing with his main EA, Mrs. S., alongside the other kids, and as you can see by their smiles, they were all having a grand old time! 

"Winsome Look"
 another LO using
S: CY  sketch 7-13
(LOAD DAY 16)

Journaling reads: One day in March, Argo was outside in the backyard. When we peeked out the window to check on him, there he was, ON the picnic table!! This was QUITE hilarious, since Argo is NOT usually a trickster at all. As he looked winsomely up at us, we took some photos. Who could resist that face? When Daddy called Argo in, off he jumped and away he loped, back into the house. SO cute and funny—but good thing he won’t be making a habit of THAT!

Photos- March 2012
Journaling by Mom- May 2013 

Thanks for peeking, everyone. 

Have a great Sunday- we're off to the Purina Walk for Dog Guides this morning... I won't be walking (for obvious reasons) but Noah, his Autism Assistance Dog Guide "Argo", Daddy, Bryan and Daniel will be  walking from our Mall in Greenwood over to the Lions Centre in Kingston.  (Kate will be at work.) The sun finally came out after 2 straight weeks of RAIN!! 

YAY!

PS:  I have been doing LOAD (Layout a Day) this month, so will be posting more of my month's worth of LOs soon! 

~

S: CY Sketch 6-13 and Card Sketch B

Hi everyone! 

I've been a busy bee lately with family life and LOAD 513, so am combining 2 posts in one today. Here is the Sketch I created for S:CY last week... 

Sketch 6-13
created for S: CY 

And here are the two layouts I created for this sketch! 

"Gadget"
layout created using
S: CY Sketch 6-13

Stash bustin'- used up some Crate Paper: the "Orbit" collection, plus some of my buttons and Dollarama foam letters which I inked to match the pp!   

"55 Farenheit"
layout created using
S: CY Sketch 6-13**

**I kinda turned the sketch to the right for this one and took a little artistic licence with it! :) 
Stash Bustin'- 
'Life is pure adventure' chip-sticker from the "Snips and Snails" collection (3 Bugs in a Rug)
Used up some more of the fun "Orbit" collection from Crate Paper
AND...
Some new K&Co paper from a "Sheer Simplicity Blues" stack I purchased recently at WM. :) Perfect background because it looks like the pool liner! LOL 

And now for a card Sketch by Vikki Whittington: 

S: CY Card Sketch B
by Vikki Whittington

Here's my interpretation:

"Thank you" card***
created with
Card Sketch B at S: CY

***I sent this card to my middle sister (Mary) to thank her for her help in giving my DD, Kate, a place to live in Moncton, NB, for her 1st year of college at NBCC. 

TY to friend Lois S. for the lacy butterfly. :) 

Everything else on the card is from Close To My Heart. 

Thanks for peeking everyone! Will be back soon with MORE layouts!!  Would love to hear what you think of these 2 LOs and the card! :) 

~

LAYOUT A DAY-- IN MAY!!!!

Ooooh, I am so, so, sooo excited!!!!!  Guess what I'm doing in May??? I'm doing Layout a day with Lain Ehmann and a fab group of scrapbookers from ALL over the world!!!

This month-long scrapbooking challenge is Lain's most popular class. It includes 31 daily videos, 31 daily prompts, and 31 sample layouts, and begins May 1.

 Won't you join us?? We'd love it if you could.

Click the SIDEBAR clickable link about LOAD 513 to get more info and to find out  how to join us...  it's right over there!! ---------->

You will love it- LOAD is so awesome, WHAT an experience!
~

Sharing a video/photo creation

I created this awhile back with Smilebox. My Dh gave me the yearly subscription, and I used Smilebox a lot that year. Here is a video/pictorial I made with their easy-peasy system. Love this one sooooooo much, the music was perfection and it went so well with the topic. Enjoy: Here is is... Autumn at the Duck Pond.

This free scrapbook made with Smilebox

~

Sketch 4-13 at Sketches: Creatively Yours!

Using Sketch 4-13 this week over at Sketches: Creatively Yours, I came up with the following layout, using 5 photos from last Spring at Oaklawn Farm Zoo, in Aylesford, NS.

"Cute Zoo Horses"
based on Sketch 4-13
and this week's texture/pattern challenge

Journaling- It’s funny… I never really used to “notice” the horses at the Zoo until we had one of our own for Kate. As soon as we got Oakley in 2007, and then Grace in 2009, I took more notice of these magnificent animals. Pete took photos of them more often, too. They were just more “special” to see and watch.  Even the miniatures at the Zoo commanded our attention! They are such perfect little creatures--Noah knows that, too! Just look at this special photo of him connecting with this baby pony!

Photos: Spring 2012

Journaling by Mom:  Spring 2013

Here's the Sketch I created  for S: CY  this week-

S: CY Sketch 4-13
by Yours Truly

***Remember that there's a wonderful giveaway going on right now at the Sketches; Creatively Yours Blog!  Our Guest Designer Jenifer Cowles has a fabulous prize this month. Come see and participate for a chance to WIN BIG!!!***

Have a great day all!
~