A Colourful Life

Thankful

This weekend brought me a reminder to be thankful to the powers that be who keep my family safe, both here in Canada and all over the world.   While my immediate family is all here in Vancouver, B.C,  my mom still has siblings living in the Philippines.  And this past weekend brought them the worst typhoon that they have encountered while living there.  It was like New Orleans when Katrina hit, though while there was no levee breaking this time, the rain that poured in a matter of hours equaled the amounts they would receive in a month.  Read about it here and here.  The second link has video that will show you the devastation. 

I say I am thankful because while this natural disaster has hit my family hard, no one lost their lives.  Here is a pic of the street that is right outside the homes of my family back home.  This was after the flood waters subsided -- everything is destroyed!

Their homes are ruined, all their clothes and possessions have been lost, but they are alive.  Thank God for that!  Others were not so lucky.  My brother still has an apartment in the Philippines and he was there when this happened but he is in a high-rise so he is fine.  He has been busy the last 2 days trying to find our relatives, having to walk through waist deep water and trying to get gas for his car and food to them.  I am so proud of him for doing this.  He has a heart of gold, so much like my Dad.  We have reached out to them, sending money to help and clothing as well.   I ask that you all pray for everyone there, the ones who lost their homes and the ones who have lost loved ones.  Hug your kids.  Everyday.  And give thanks.  For everything that you have, specially friends and family. 

Signs of Fall are Starting to Appear....

Summer has been lingering and we've had our share of lovely sun this past week, but today there is a definite coolness in the air and it seems that fall is slowly starting to make its presence known.  

We can't complain, though.  We've had a wonderful summer here in Vancouver, B.C.  I am so lucky to live in such a beautiful city!

Last weekend Doug & I travelled to Montreal to visit Tina & Chris.  Tina is Doug's sister and since her twin boys were born 2 years ago, I haven't yet met them.  So I was extremely excited to be able to go with Doug this weekend to meet them for the first time.  They are so adorable and I wish they lived in the same city so I could kidnap them on weekends....(and then give them back at night!).

 

This is Tommy -- he's the outgoing one....always ready to give hugs and kisses.  Even when I first arrived and they had no idea who I was, Tommy was the first to warm up to me.

This is Matty.  Matty is more reserved and more shy.  He took extra time checking me out before deciding that it was okay to give me a hug.  He is so funny, though....always blaming his brother Tommy for anything and everything that they (or he)  does that could get them in trouble.  No matter what happens, if you ask Matty "Who did this???", he will say "TOMMY!!!"  So cute.

I had a great time getting to know these 2 cuties and hope to be able to visit them on a regular basis back East as they grow up.

I went to visit Jordan at his apartment yesterday.  I miss having him home!!  But being so close to UBC helps him so much.  The commute is shorter which leaves him more time to study.  He has decided that he is going to try to get into Medicine.  Competition is tough, but he has set his sights on this lofty goal.  Good for him....I am so proud of his drive and ambition.  With this decision comes the realization that I will probably be working well into my old age to earn the money to put him through school....but when he's a doctor he better buy Doug & I a nice house to live in during our old age!

Alyssa is also doing well at school.  So far so good.  Her homeroom teacher knows her well as he was Jordan's basketball coach all through High School.  Yesterday he told her that he thinks she should join the field hockey team, so she is mulling this over.  She is so busy with her dancing, however and this is her true passion, so I doubt she will agree.  I think she is just trying to think of a way to politely say no!

On the crafting front....well, haven't had much time to do much of anything!  I am in the midst of designing more classes and will have scans of a new Winter Snow class in my next post....promise!  In the meantime, here is a scrapbook page I did last year of Alyssa....thought it was worth a repost!  Enjoy.

Christmas & Halloween

I will be teaching a new class in October.  It will feature a Halloween card and 3 Christmas cards.   One of the Christmas cards is a gift card slider that opens up to reveal a pocket containing a gift card.  Here are the visuals and the class dates and info:

This last card is a gift card slider that slides open to reveal the gift card inside.  The right side of the card has a pull tab that the receiver pulls to open the slider.

The fee for the class is $20 for all 3 cards and the class runs out of my studio in Richmond, B.C.  The class dates for this class are as follows:

Sunday, Oct 4, 2009 from 11 - 1 PM
Thursday, Oct 8 from 7:30 - 9:30 PM
Sunday, Oct 11 from 11 - 1 PM

To book your spot, click on the contact me button on the left margin of this blog and pop me an email.  I accept Visa and MC, as well as cheques.

 

Transitions and New Beginnings

It is the start of a new school year.  For our family, this year brings change.  First, Jordan has moved closer to UBC, so his commute to school is 10 minutes instead of 1 hour and 45 minutes.  I'm thankful to my brother who has an apartment close to campus which is empty most of the year so Jordan has a place to stay.  It is during this times that I realize how lucky I am to have such a big and close family.   Jordan has integrated himself to university life quite well, as I was confident he would.  This kid has been looking forward to first day of university life since school was let out in June.  He truly loves school and I still scratch my head at how lucky both Doug and I are at having a son whotruly values his education.  Grateful doesn't even begin to describe how we feel!  He is also on the UBC Blog Squad and his blog link is on the right side bar of my blog.  Check out his adventures now and then and leave a comment for him if you wish. He looks forward to hearing from anyone and everyone!

Alyssa is loving her new high school so far.  I had mentioned on facebook how I felt seeing her enter the doors of her High School for the very first time, nervously and with a look of dread on her face....I watched from the car wanting to protect her as any mother would.  And the relief I felt as I watched her exit those same doors a bit later with the biggest smile on her face --  it was such a great feeling realizing that her first day was a good one.  Today she came home from her second day proclaiming that she loves her school!  And she had made a couple of new friends.  So all is well in High School and that makes me happy!  So far all these changes and new beginnings  for both my kids are positive ones.....I hope this trend continues.

For me....well now that I have a bit more time with one kid out of the house, I've decided to concentrate a little bit on some "ME" time.  I hired a personal trainer who I meet twice a week.  He puts me through my paces and we work with weights and various exercise equipment to strenthen my core, abs and all muscle groups.  The first couple of meetings were rough -- he is tough....but that is why I pay him and it's all good!  Today I met him for the third time and I am beginning to get stronger and the exercises are starting to get easier....so what does he do??  He adds more weight to the machines, so I'm pumping more iron.  It's all good -- that's the only way to build strength and tone my body.  I want to be strong and healthy as my kids enter adulthood -- I want to be around for my grandchildren!  .....though they better not come for at least another 10 years, or I will have a coronary....Jordan is only 18! 

I am also continuing to design my classes.   The demand is high -- a lot of my students cannot wait for new classes and my schedule fills fast.  I wll be teaching a Halloween/Christmas card class in late September/early October and here is one of the cards.  I will post more info on the class with actual dates within the next week.  If you would like to be added to my email list, please let me know by clicking the contact me link on the left sidebar.  Enjoy!

 

 

I love this messy watercolouring effect and purposely loaded up my brush with lots of water to purposely allow the ink to flow randomly into each other.

 

This & That and a new class!

This & that:

• Jordan is all set and very excited about his first year at UBC...read all about his book purchase here.
• Alyssa is begging to get her hair cut shorter.   This she wants to do a week before ballet classes start in full force and I need to have her hair in a bun.  How do I bun up short hair????  I said no. (mean mom!)
• My house needs a good clean before schools starts....oh, who am I kidding it needs a good clean no matter what time of year it is.
• Doug & I are seeing the B.C. Lions take on the Montreal Alouttes this Friday night -- should be fun!  I'll post pics.

A new class:

I'm teacing a new class, below are the project visuals and the details.

 

The class will include 4 cards and the bag where all 4 cards fit into.  So cute!

 

 

 

The class runs twice as follows:

Saturday, Sept 12      2 - 4 PM
Monday, Sept 28        7 - 9 PM

The class fee is $22 and includes everything you need to make all 4 cards.  Techniques taught include watermark resist, also known as ghosting.  To join the class email me using the link on the right sidebar.  The class venue is my studio in Richmond, B.C.  Location details emailed to all participants.  Payment accepted: cheque, Visa and MC.  This class will fill, so register early.