A Page at a Time

Jenna's birthday

2012-01-27T14:09:00.002-05:00

My baby turned 14 this week. Last week she celebrated with a sleepover party and this weekend we will celebrate with Oma and Opa at Parkwood Hospital so her celebration stretched out over a week.

Better late than never

2012-01-15T15:40:00.003-05:00

Who said Gingerbread Houses are just for Christmas. We think they are fun any time of year.

My kids had a couple of their cousins stay overnight and they had fun decorating their houses.

Happy New Year

2011-12-31T16:46:00.003-05:00

We are celebrating New Years with a Dutch tradition. My mom and dad usually make these but this year we have taken on the challenge and will bring them tomorrow. Here is the recipe.

Oliebollen

Ollie-bollen, or (Oliebollen) is a dutch pastry similar to a doughnut. It typically is a deep fried pastry filled with raisins and dusted with powdered sugar. Some modern variations serve them topped with berry filling, but this is a traditional recipe. Oliebollen are a traditional treat on New Year's"

Ingredients
1 (0.6 ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
1 cup lukewarm milk
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
3/4 cup dried currants
3/4 cup raisins
1 Granny Smith apple - peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 quart vegetable oil for deep-frying
1 cup confectioners' sugar for dusting
Directions
Break up the compressed yeast, and stir into the warm milk. Let stand for a few minutes to dissolve. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir the yeast mixture and egg into the flour and mix into a smooth batter. Stir in the currants, raisins and apple. Cover the bowl, and leave the batter in a warm place to rise until double in size. This will take about 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a deep-fryer, or heavy deep pan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Use 2 metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into balls, and drop them carefully into the hot oil.
Fry the balls until golden brown, about 8 minutes. The doughnuts should be soft and not greasy. If the oil is not hot enough, the outside will be tough and the insides greasy. Drain finished doughnuts on paper towels and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve them piled on a dish with more confectioners' sugar dusted over them. Eat them hot if possible.

Christmas Day lunch

2011-12-27T18:45:00.001-05:00

Since Dad was not able to be home for Christmas we brought a little Christmas to the hospital.

2011-12-27T18:15:00.002-05:00

A couple more pages from the Rietdyk Christmas

Christmas 2011

2011-12-27T17:49:00.003-05:00

Did a couple of digital layouts while sitting by my dad's hospital bed overnight.

Merry Christmas to one and all

2011-12-23T12:47:00.003-05:00

Where ever you are, how ever you spend

the time, remember the ones you love because we never know what life has in store for us.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Family scrapbook

2011-12-16T22:54:00.002-05:00

Jenna and I just went through our scrapbooks and took photos of over 90 pages. Over 18 years of family history.

Working on a digital recipe book

2011-12-02T20:03:00.005-05:00

This is not a Christmas gift but I thought it would be fun to do a Favourite Holiday Recipe book.
I used a free download at http://www.shabbyprincess.com/downloads/holidayrecipe/holidayrecipe... and added it as a photo box. Then added ingredients and directions.
xg.addOnRequire(function() { xg.photo.photo.show.incrementViewCount('6293347:Photo:283874'); });

Happy Thanksgiving to our American friends

2011-11-23T18:32:00.002-05:00

Chocolate chip cookies

2011-11-23T18:27:00.001-05:00

Jenna decided to make Chocolate Chip Cookies. All she needs me for these days is to crack the eggs. They taste yummy Jenna. She asked why I took a picture. I told her it is for our Favourite Recipes Book. Next time we'll make a double batch and hide them for Christmas

Summer 2011

2011-11-20T18:55:00.003-05:00

based on a sketch from www.pagemaps.com

Summer 2011 digital pages

2011-11-20T18:53:00.002-05:00

2 more based on pages done by Heather Summers were based ones done by Heather Summers http://stampwithheather.typepad.com/stamp_with_heather

More digital pages

2011-11-18T01:18:00.006-05:00

I always thought I would not like digital scrapbooking. While I am not ready to give up the traditional paper, chipboard, ribbon and buttons, I am having fun using my computer for the digital versions. I think the greatest advantage is you can change the size and crop of your photos so easily.

The Sailing layouts were based ones done by Heather Summers http://stampwithheather.typepad.com/stamp_with_heather/ using Stampin Up's My Digital Studio. Heather often shares digital projects as well as stamped projects on her blog. I visit it every day and am amazed at how she can always come up with new ideas.

The free digital kits were downloaded from http://www.computerscrapbook.com/.

I used Raging Seas, and Sea Swept.

Christmas digital page

2011-11-15T21:56:00.003-05:00

A digital scrapbook page I am going to use in an advent calendar I am working on

A couple of digital pages

2011-11-11T21:33:00.006-05:00

Working on more pages for Eleanor's baby album. Will have them printed for Christmas presents.

Playing with My Digital Studio

2011-11-11T15:21:00.005-05:00

Its fun having a new baby in the family to scrapbook. Have been playing with Stampin Up's Digital Studio. I must admit though that I did not use their images. I downloaded a number of free digital backgrounds, and elements. Unfortunuately I do not know where I got them

Kally has claimed her scarf

2011-11-06T22:14:00.003-05:00

I've been knitting ruffle scarves using Red Heart Sashay yarn for Christmas gifts. I just finished this teal one and my kitty layed down on the couch beside me and claimed the scarf.

Daylight savings time ends

2011-11-06T13:20:00.000-05:00

Don't forget to turn your clocks back an hour tonight
or you will be getting everywhere early!

Thanksgiving layouts

2011-11-06T13:19:00.002-05:00

These 2 layouts are a kit by Ninabrook Designs and can be seen at http://www.ninabrookdesigns.com/store.php?categoryID=4

Halloween

2011-11-05T13:15:00.001-04:00

This layout is a Ninabrook Designs discontinued Halloween layout. Current ones can be seen at http://www.ninabrookdesigns.com/store.php?categoryID=4

Footprints on my heart- Life's quiet moments

2011-11-04T13:02:00.002-04:00

This is another of Karan Gerber's layout kits. Footprints on my heart. I chose some of my special guys' quiet moments. Arthur gazing out at the water at the end of Navy Pier in Chicago,
Aaron taking his dad out sailing after 2 weeks of lessons at Sarnia Yacht Club and Aaron resting in the grass at a park in Chicago. Check out Karan's other kits here http://karangerberdesigns.com/store/. They are currently 20%off

Sweet Baby

2011-11-03T12:56:00.004-04:00

On September 4, 2011, a new baby was born into our family. My nephew and his girlfriend had a precious baby girl. I used photos of 3 generations of Rietdyk's on this layout of our sweet baby, Eleanor. Layout is one of Karan Gerber's gorgeous kits. They are currently 20% off.

Check them out at http://karangerberdesigns.com/store/

Paton's Piroeutte

2011-10-25T23:05:00.004-04:00

Patons has a yarn very similar to the Red Heart Sashay. It is almost double the price of the Sashay yarn though. I don't know if it will be easier to find than the other but I have used every colour in theRed Heart collection so would like to try Paton's colours. .
Here is a link for more info http://patonsyarns.com/product.php?LGC=pirouette

New Christmas project

2011-10-20T21:25:00.002-04:00

A friend recently returned from visiting family in Holland and came back with these cool scarves. Found similar yarn at Walmart and knit a scarf (one ball of yarn) in about and hour and a half. The yarn looks like ribbon and is so much fun to use.

Summer's end is here

2011-09-02T19:45:00.005-04:00

Labour day weekend always leaves me feeling a little sad because Summer officially ends and I never feel we have had the time to pack as much as I would like into Summers.

Anyway, in order to help me get through the rest of the seasons, I am going to really try and get back to scrapbooking and card making and possibly try some new creative outlets.

My nephew's girlfriend is expecting a little girl in October so these are a couple of layouts from a baby shower we had this summer. I will give them to her when Ellie is born.

Search engines

2011-08-10T18:35:00.002-04:00

In planning our summer vacation this year I did go to the Go Chicago Card website more than a few times. Now the add shows up in all kinds of places like my Google reader,
digital photography forums, even in Kijiji. Don't think they don't do targeting marketing using search engines. They do.

Happy 16th Anniversary Arthur and 15th birthday Aaron

2011-06-09T08:13:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let the 2 most special guys in my life know I love them both very much. Aaron was born on our first wedding anniversary so he is the best gift I've ever received. I can't believe how the time has gone and if I had it to do over again I would in a heart beat.
Aaron, I'm so proud of you. Arthur I love you more now than when I married you. I'm so fortunate to have you both in my life. Love you always

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T09:22:00.004-04:00

Happy Mother's Day to the most important woman in my life.

Thanks for everything.

No more Cricut Cartridges

2011-04-27T12:49:00.004-04:00

I missed the boat with wanting to purchase Making the Cut software to use with my Cricut Personal Electric Cutter but was able to download Sure Cuts a Lot version 2 to use with Cricut. for the same price (don't purchase version 3 because it will not work.)and have my Cricut machine cutting designs I have created or downloaded just like I can using Funtime with my old blue Wishblade. I can cut out any true type font without having to buy font cartridges and there are tons of free .svg files you can import into Sure Cuts a Lot. I just figured out how to separate colours in svg files to cut. You just have to ungroup the objects and pull up the layers menu. Click on the colours you do not want to cut. Insert your paper into the Cricut machine and then cut. I'm having lots of fun just playing.

Working on page titles

2011-04-20T12:13:00.003-04:00

I've spent the morning playing with my Funtime Scrapbooking software and cutting titles for pages I haven't done yet on my Wishblade. When I have the pages completed I will make the files available for free download.
So far I have Happy Easter with eggs and a mat
and Rock and Roll with a record, guitar and mat.

Productive Day

2011-04-19T19:13:00.001-04:00

Today is the first day since my surgery a little over 3 weeks ago that I was feeling the least little bit creative. I used my Wishblade to cut a title for a page in my Cuba album and scraplifted a card to make some Thank you cards. But first in order to get to my stamp sets and ink pads I had to empty 3 bins and put the contents away. My craft table is still buried but now it is buried in new stuff. Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to finish putting that stuff away so I can get down to some serious crafting,
Will post pictures when the cards have been put together.

Lovely long weekend

2011-04-10T19:19:00.002-04:00

Had a lovely long weekend with friends and family. Ended with the first barbeque of the season. Looking forward to more

Strathroy Skating Carnival.

2011-04-02T17:04:00.005-04:00

skating to Rolling Stones Can't get no satisfaction

And Barry Manilow's Copacabana

Just got home from Jenna's skating carnival. Enjoyed the show but forgot how cold an arena can get.

Recuperating at home

2011-04-01T16:24:00.001-04:00

I'm recuperating at home from surgery. Somedays I feel really good and others I think I have done too much the day before. Will take it a day at a time and feel better really soon.

Cuba 2011

2011-02-27T02:07:00.001-05:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

Oh my! I said I'd never go Digital

2011-02-21T23:37:00.004-05:00

Oh my! I said I would never go digital. First with my camera and now with my scrapbooking. Here is a 2 page layo9ut of the highlight of our Cuba trip using another Shabby Princess digital layout.

Playing with My Digital Studio

2011-02-21T21:45:00.007-05:00

I had an opportunity to purchase Stampin Up's My Digital Studio and took a class last week from Heather Summers last week to learn the basics.

Here are a couple of pages I was playing with. For the second one I used some digital downloads from Shabby Princess.

Some Cuba Layouts

2011-02-12T17:48:00.006-05:00

I've been remiss and not posted since before we went to Cuba.
That was over a month ago. Just didn't get to creating anything
until last night when I joined a couple of friends at
Memories on Main in Lambeth, Sue had some kits that would work
perfectly for our recent vacation. Still need to add some glossy accents
or stickles but here is the "undressed" version.

5 more sleeps

2011-01-05T20:10:00.003-05:00

We'll be leaving on a jet plane on Monday and heading to sunny and warm Cuba. Jenna has a small suitcase almost packed and thinks she'll need to use a bigger one instead. No problem.
We have lots of volunteers who would like to come in our suitcases but I think we'll only have room for summer clothes.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T22:46:00.001-05:00

Arthur and the kids were sick for my family Christmas so my sister and her husband generously offered to have us over for dinner this evening. Thanks so much Annemarie and Brad for a lovely dinner and Christmas celebration.

Merry Christmas to one and all

2010-12-23T13:16:00.001-05:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The weather outside is frightful

2010-12-14T12:00:00.003-05:00

A State of Emergency has been called for the Sarnia area

My son and I are on day 2 of snow days this week. My daughter joined us today. Last week my kids and husband were home for 3 snow days. Its only the beginning of the winter. What will be instore of our January?

Thank goodness I am not one of the 300 people standed on the 401 yesterday. I started out and turned around once I heard of all the cancellations in Sarnia. Now at least we are snug and warm in our home.

Spent the day playing with my Wishblade

2010-11-14T16:19:00.004-05:00

I have lots of new photos so wanted to do some titles for the layouts I am going to do using my Wishblade. I am using Funtime Scrapbooking Software with my old blue Wishblade and Windows Xp. It took me some time to figure out how to fit text to a circle but once I figured it out I'm going to have so much fun with it.

Looking back I probably should have purchased the Sure Cuts a Lot software or

Making the Cut Software and then I could have used the same software with my new Cricut using a USB cord. Oh well, live and learn. May just have to get that software after Christmas to use with my laptop so I can be more portable. It would mean I would not be limited by the cartridges I have but could use my laptop to create titles using any True Type Font or Dingbat.

Enjoyed a day off

2010-11-09T19:22:00.002-05:00

I enjoyed my day off today. The sun was shining and I had the furnace off and the front door open to get some fresh air while I battled the dust bunnies in my living room.
I finished up some layouts I started at the funraiser scrapbook day and then went out for lunch with a friend. I'll post some of the completed layouts when I get a chance.
Tomorrow, I hope to squeeze some Christmas cards in between appointments. Wish me luck.

Treats Talents and Treasures

2010-11-03T21:16:00.003-04:00

We had a fund raiser at work that includes a Treats, Talents and Treasures raffle. Although I no longer am a Stampin Up Demonstrator, I enjoy teaching so my contribution is some stamp sets and a free card making or scrapbook page class. Congratulations to Megan. I hear you already have a group of avid scrapbooker and cardmakers ready for me.

More layouts

2010-11-03T21:08:00.005-04:00

Some scrapbook pages

2010-11-03T21:01:00.007-04:00

Was playing with my new Cricut digital. Jenna cut and I pasted. So easy. All you do is enter the words you want on the keyboard , set the style and size, and it cuts the paper out for you.

Hallowe'en at Shelter Valley Campground

2010-09-06T11:55:00.009-04:00

Spent yesterday celebrating Hallowe'en a little early. The Dog Whisperer and the Clampitt family even made an appearance. Everyone had fun. Thanks Karen and Carol for the invitation.

Kally approved Guest Room

2010-08-11T20:33:00.008-04:00

Aaron and Jenna transformed my landlord beige craftroom into a grass green oasis for guests to stay in. Kally approves the transformation and so do I. Thanks guys for all your hard work. The room is beautiful! Just need to add the brown embroidered sheer valance and it will be complete.

I'm dreaming of a new scrapbook room

2010-07-22T22:28:00.003-04:00

I'm dreaming of a new scrapbook room,

just like the one I saw in magazines.

With white shelving units and wire paper racks

to hold my multitude of stuff.

Aaron and Jenna are keeping me true to my word. After dinner we went to buy a dryer and a new upright freezer (to make room in the new scrapbook room for our things.) Can't afford to start from scratch so they helped me move most of my white shelving units down. Still need to move the computer desk, table, and wire paper racks down but will leave that til tomorrow. Its already after 10 pm.

The room is a little bigger and a different configuration so we will be able to have more than one person sit at the table to work. Just have to pick up an area carpet to keep our toes warm and we will be happy.

Already have the bedding for the bunk beds that are going in the old scrapbook room and will pick up a can of paint tomorrow so we can paint on the weekend and get the spare bedroom ready for guests on Friday. My dryer and freezer will be delivered then too so I be a happy girl.

Arthur says if I spend more time down there he will spend more time working in the tool room to reclaim the floor. Then I will really be able to do a happy dance.

Proud moments

2010-06-28T21:52:00.002-04:00

Aaron graduated from grade 8 with the computer and technology award, a citizenship and an academic award. It was nice Oma, Opa, Granny, Aunt Annemarie and Aunt Carol were able to join in the celebration.

Photos by the bridge

2010-06-23T00:34:00.005-04:00

For our photography class we met by the bridge. Of course chosing one of the longest nights of the year to take night shots had us waiting until almost 10 for it to be dark enough to use the bulb setting on the cameras.

Strathroy Turkeyfest 2010

2010-06-19T22:47:00.005-04:00

We just returned from the Strathroy Turkeyfest. Jenna found some friends and had a blast with her ride all evening wrist band. I was playing with my camera and got some fun shots.

Lazy Sunday afternoon

2010-06-13T14:18:00.004-04:00

Just spent the morning at the 1st Strathroy Swim Up Ceremony and have returned home without my boys. They are busy doing "guy" things together. At home, I have lots I could be doing but I'm spending some time on this lazy Sunday afternoon watching old movies. I caught the last few minutes of the Wedding Singer and a little over half of You've Got Mail.

Back from class trip

2010-06-13T14:15:00.002-04:00

Aaron returned from his 4 day class trip to Celtic Sports and Leadership camp and had so much to talk about. He thoroughly enjoyed his time with his classmates.

Going to simplify my life

2010-06-03T22:10:00.002-04:00

I have not made a card or scrapbooked in so long. My craftroom is so full of wonderful supplies I have collected along the way but cannot even find my workspace. I am starting to feel guilty if I even think of shopping for more supplies. It is for this reason, I have decided to simplify my life and step down as a Stampin Up Demonstrator. I have met some extremely friendly and creative people on my journey of working in the scrapbook and stamping industry. In fact everywhere I go if I know someone, my daughter says, "Don't tell me, you know them through scrapbooking". To these people I say thank you. I'd also like to thank my customers, you know who you are, for your continued support.
By doing this I hope to relieve some of the self imposed pressure and get back to the real reason I started scrapbooking when my son, Aaron was born 14 years ago. Creating with paper keeps me sane. At the end of the day if I have created something, I have a tangible measure of the success of my day.

Mother's Day Gifts

2010-05-08T22:05:00.002-04:00

I bought a tutorial a couple of years ago and at a day long crop Jenna and I both made one to give to my Mom and my Mother-in-law for Mother's day. We made cards using a different stamp set than Becky did to go inside. If you'd like to make your own, I highly recommend Becky Robert's tutorial.

http://inkingidaho.blogspot.com/2010/03/tote-ally-awesome-tote.html

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-08T16:02:00.001-04:00

The spring Fairie has arrived at our house

2010-04-30T19:51:00.002-04:00

Hopefully she will help them grow too.

Kally at play

2010-04-25T18:58:00.008-04:00

Kally was on the prowl but took some time out to roll in the gutter and then back to the hunt

Spring

2010-04-25T18:52:00.004-04:00

Aaron was playing with the camera and with a little cropping got this shot. The tulip photo is uncropped.

Caught in the act

2010-04-22T20:39:00.001-04:00

Caught our kitty washing her paw in her favourite place to hang out. Love the new camera.

Happy Birthday Mom

2010-04-12T22:25:00.002-04:00

Just wanted to wish a very special Mom a Happy Birthday. Thanks Mom for all you do and thanks for being you. We all love very much. Aaron, Jenna, Arthur and Gerrie

They are raising the roof.

2010-04-12T20:05:00.003-04:00

Arthur's sister Carol and her husband are raising the roof literally. Work is under way to make their storey and a half home into a 2 storey one. We drove by yesterday and Aaron used the new camera in sports mode to take lots of shots. Here is just one.

Never thought of myself as much of a Rebel

2010-04-12T19:39:00.003-04:00

Never thought of myself as much of a Rebel but now I own a Canon EOS Rebel XS 10.1MP DSLR Camera. I traded in my point and shoot digital and received an extra $50 off the sale price.
The deciding factor was not being able to get any pictures of Jenna's skating carnival with my other digital. It kept saying change the batteries, because the battery door was not closing properly. I had already investigated having it repaired but it would cost $100 just to look at it.
I looked at the point and shoot cameras and then found the Rebel on sale so decided to go for it.
Now I have an excuse and the time with my new job, to take a photography course I always wanted to take.

Easter treats

2010-04-05T10:28:00.003-04:00

We looked in the states for some different Easter treats and found Kit Kats with bunny ears on them, and Snickers, Milky Way and York Peppermint Patties wrapped in pastel coloured foil.

They looked good enough to eat on our Easter treat tray we took to a family Easter party.

It was much more fun to put together than our traditional tray of secret recipe brownies.

Kaleidascope of colour

2010-04-05T10:23:00.006-04:00

Outside one of the shops in Frankenmuth we found a Kaleidascope. Turn the floral basket and look through the lens. It was pretty amazing to see. Aaron thought these would make wonderful placemats if we would laminate prints.

What a glorious weekend

2010-04-05T10:16:00.004-04:00

The weather was perfect and we had 4 days to spend time together. Who could ask for anything more? Here are just a few pics of our time in Frankenmuth.

Happy Easter

2010-04-04T11:54:00.002-04:00

The turkey is cooked, gravy made and a candy display ready to go to Granny's for Easter. Now its up to Arthur to carve the turkey and we can be on our way. Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter

Off to Frankenmuth for the weekend

2010-03-31T20:53:00.001-04:00

Arthur and the kids are meeting me in Sarnia after work and we are off to spend a couple of days in Frankenmuth. Can't wait to share this pretty town with the kids.

Happy Friday!

2010-03-25T20:40:00.003-04:00

By working 1/2 hour a day extra for the last 3 weeks I have earned my first Happy Friday off!

Not sure yet what I am going to do but sure is nice to be able to have a day for myself. I think I'll stay home for the morning (kids want to come home for lunch) and then get a manicure and pedicure in the afternoon. Sounds like a plan to me.

Spring cleaning

2010-03-25T20:36:00.002-04:00

In my old job we did a lot of cleaning with bleach and try as I might I could not keep the bleach off my clothes. For my new job I replaced the majority of my wardrobe so in order to hang my new things I had to get rid of my old things. A couple of bags for the garbage, several bags of things I haven't worn in years. Now the closet door closes. Feels good.

Got a computer problem? Call Aaron

2010-03-21T17:51:00.004-04:00

His cousins may a think he is a bit of a geek but when they have computer problems, who do they call.

Aaron of course: Little do they know he is actually being coached by mom. Let them think he knows all the answers.

Last night it was, I moved the computer to my bedroom and now the keyboard doesn't work. I have tried 4, What do I do.

Aaron: Try the connections. Make sure they are tight.

then he asked me "Mom could it be the driver?"

Mom said "probably not if it just worked a little while ago."

Mom told Aaron to suggest turning the computer off and then turning it back on after 10 minutes or so.

An hour later his cousin called back and said it works. How did you get so smart?

Easter treats for work

2010-03-21T17:43:00.003-04:00

While at Shoppers Drug Mart a while ago I received a $10 bonus coupon so when I saw this container of mini eggs I just had to have it. It would look perfect on my desk at work. What a perfect way to show people I am a stamper and possibly generate some interest. When I put green mints on my desk for St. Patrick's Day, I was surprised how many people stopped to talk.

Maybe this will have the same effect. Can't hurt to spread some Easter cheer anyway!

Just took off the label and added a new one using the new punches and a favourite Easter image coloured with my almost forgotten chalks.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2010-03-17T19:06:00.003-04:00

Have a great March Break

2010-03-14T11:54:00.001-04:00

Its March Break and we won't be going too far. Aaron and Jenna are going to spend the week with Granny and their cousins. We'll take the opportunity next month to get away for a long weekend or so.
Hope you all have a wonderful March Break

Daylight savings time

2010-03-13T11:18:00.001-05:00

Could this mean its really spring. Can't wait to wear my new spring work wardrobe.

Starting to get used to the new schedule

2010-03-09T23:02:00.004-05:00

I'm starting to get used to the new schedule. Picked up dinner on the way home, took Aaron to Scouts, did groceries and shopped for a new spring jacket for Jenna, put groceries away, made Lasagna for dinner tomorrow, mended the pocket on my spring jacket, picked up Aaron and still had time to surf the net before bed. Jenna and I also listed 35 reasons I like my new job.

Love my new job so far

2010-03-04T19:14:00.002-05:00

Love my new job so far. Even have my own office space, computer, cell phone and work to do already.

Today's going to be a good good day!

2010-02-23T17:05:00.002-05:00

That is an understatement. Today is an awesome, awesome day. I am so excited! I have accepted a new employment opportunity that will free me from shift work and start next week.

Computers Ughh!

2010-02-22T19:26:00.005-05:00

My husband is a Star Trek fan and all I can think of is Captain Picard saying "Make it so". Easier said than done.
The intention was simple. Update our compter that runs our wireless network (it was way to slow) by replacing it with an off lease computer. 3 hours on the phone with a tech to get the wireless network working properly (Ive done this before so know how to do it. Things just didn't work the way they were supposed to.
I had to have Windows XP on the computer to run the software for my digital cutter. (By helping a blog reader get the file she needed to have her software run the old Blue Wishblade, I discovered that the new software Ibought will run on Windows Vista too.)
Then Aaron bought the compuer game "Battlefield 2" with a gift card he had received. Problem, the video card did not support the game. Solution: new video card. Simple right? not. The video card we bought used too much power so the computer could not run the card and the computer at the same time. Solution: take the card back. Simple right" not! They did not have another one so I could get a store credit (although they sold me the card saying it would work in the computer in the first place. Their mistake right?). I left the computer there and asked them to either get a power source that would work or a video card that would work.
Aaron and I picked up the computer today (driving through the snow through rush hour traffic) only to find that the comptuer would not power up. We changed the power cord. No luck. Called the service tech and he suggested we bring the computer back in because it was working before we picked it up. That would be trip #4 into London and back but if that's what it took, it would have to be. One last try. Use a different outlet on our surge protector. Now Aaron is riveted to the computer screen.
Computer $149.00
Monitor 89.00
Video card 89.95
Installation 29.99
Gas and Mileage ???????????
Hug and "Thank You Mom" priceless!

You have my heart tied up in strings

2010-02-22T19:23:00.002-05:00

This layout is one of Cheri Parker's I did a few years ago but didn't get photos on it. My brother in law took family photos at Christmas and I thought they were appropriate for this layout, Love the hanging hearts.

Olympic fever

2010-02-22T19:20:00.003-05:00

I took this photo when we were watching the opening ceremony of the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Aaron is sporting his official Olympic wear. He has worn at least once piece every day of the Olympics. Now I have to come up with a scrapbook pade for it. Maybe on Thursday at my friend Lizz's or Saturday at Rachel's. Can't wait to do some creating.

Summer layout

2010-02-22T19:17:00.003-05:00

We again are in the middle of a snow storm so I thought it would be appropriate to post a summer layout I just completed. I started it when Rachel, Carolyn and Shannon and I scrapbooked for the the day at Rachel's and completed it with a title cut with my digital cutter.

Can't believe how easy it is now to make a matted or layered title with the new software.

Love My girls

2010-02-22T19:13:00.002-05:00

My friend Lizz has a layout class once a month and t his is one of the layouts. I love going to her classes because I take my envelopes of photos with me and voila the layout is almost done. Then I cut the title and the look is complete.

Beautiful Sunday

2010-02-21T12:51:00.003-05:00

Wow! Sun 2 days in a row. Makes me think of the song Beautiful Sunday. I know I am showing my age but who cares. Hope you have a beautiful Sunday.

Happy Family Day

2010-02-15T12:06:00.002-05:00

It's Family Day in Ontario and in some other provinces in Canada. I'm working overnights and got up after 4 hours of sleep to spend some time with my family. Will catch the rest of my 8 hours sleep after dinner.
If you are off enjoy your day and if not have a wonderful day anyway.

Oh my, its been a while

2010-02-13T21:14:00.002-05:00

Oh my, its been a while. I've been working nights and Arthur is using the laptop when I am up so I had limited access to a computer. Well today I fixed that problem, I purchased an off lease computer and set it up to replace my original network hub because that computer was too slow.
This one is much faster so I may be able to post more often again.

Got my Funtime Scrapbooking software to work

2010-02-01T09:05:00.002-05:00

I should be going to bed right now but I wanted to post that I finally got my Funtime Scrapbooking software to work with my blue Wishblade. It was so easy to weld letters and to add a shape all in one program. No more creating the file in Inkscape, saving it as a svg to open it in Inkscape, saving it as a dxf to import it into Robocraft, save it in Robocraft so that it can be opened up in Wishblade. Sound complicated, well it was? It was also complicated to install the Funtime Pro and to get it to work. I had to copy a .dll file from Wishblade and save it in Funtime scrapbooking folder. Somehow I lost the .dll file I was trying to copy so had to do a System Restore to get the file back I lost. I'll post the title I did later. Can't wait to have more time to play with Funtime, but if I start to play now I will have to work all night without any sleep and that wouldn't do

Kally likes parties

2010-01-30T11:28:00.002-05:00

For Kally the best part of a birthday party is the tissue.

Happy Birthday Jenna

2010-01-26T16:26:00.001-05:00

Happy birthday sweetie. Hope you had a great day!

Free digital cutting files including .gsd & .svg

2010-01-16T11:28:00.004-05:00

What an incredible find! I keep saying I want to use my Wishblade more often but since I have the older blue one, I can't use the newer .gsd files. I need files in other formats that I can convert using the software I have.
In my blog hop this morning I found this site
http://digifree-cuts.blogspot.com/. It is a search engine for digital cutter files in various formats.
I downloaded a few .svd files and will try to convert them to .dxf using Inkscape and then import them to Robocraft and save them as .gsd files to use with my Wishblade software.

I haven't had a chance yet to try out my new Funtime Scrapbooking Software to try a hand at creating my own designs but hopefully will have some time to try soon. In the meantime I am eternally grateful to those designers who share their files.

One last post for today

2010-01-12T10:38:00.001-05:00

I know I am running a little behind. I bought the Happy New Year stamp from Stamping Up and had intended to make New Year's cards to send to a few close friends. That didn't happen yet so I wanted to share the collapsible calendar template that I was going to put inside of the card, similar to the Sizzix POP Up Ball.

Funtime Scrapbooking software

2010-01-12T10:29:00.003-05:00

I have had my Blue Wishblade for a couple of years and want to use it more for titles and embellishments. I had been using Inkscape and then Robocraft to transfer the files into the right format and then cutting using the Wishblade software. The blue Wishblade will only work with Windows XP and earlier. I finally ordered Funtime Scrapbooking software that should allow me to design and cut using only one program, thus saving time and aggrivation when other programs freeze in the middle of a project and won't let you save them. The software arrived a couple of days ago and I can't wait to use it but have other things I need to do first. That may be a weekend project.

Trifold Shutter Album

2010-01-12T09:55:00.004-05:00

In my blog hop I saw Andrea's Tri-fold shutter album and knew that was what I had to do to hold our annual family Christmas photo. I found some instructions here but decided just to make 2 tri fold cards and attach them together. My finished album is 6X8" and holds a lot of photos.

{sorry about the glare in the cover photo. I have acetate over the photo to protect it.}

Christmas Scrapping

2010-01-12T09:45:00.006-05:00

Thanks to a dear friend, Lizz, and her monthly scrapbook class I have 2 layouts almost finished of this year's Christmas. I do have one of my own partially completed on my craft table. Will share when finished.

No more working evenings and weekends

2010-01-12T09:22:00.003-05:00

I just accepted an overnight position at work so no more 3-11's and no more weekends! That's the upside. My family is excited because they will see more of me. I will sleep while they are at school.

With a more regular schedule I hope to be able to schedule time to get healthier with our new Y membership and more time for friends and creative . In fact I have a box from Stamping Up sitting here just waiting to be opened.

Stamping Up Occassions Mini is available now.

2010-01-06T09:36:00.004-05:00

The Occasions Mini Catalogue!
This is Stampin' Up!'s spring preview. You'll see tons of new and fabulous products listed in here including:

•Clear acrylic blocks
•Clear stamps
•Chipboard albums
•Great new stamp sets

•Fabulous Brads
•New Big Shot dies
•AND BRAND NEW PUNCH DESIGNS!!!!
You can start ordering from this catalogue today. You can place orders with me or online through my store. Any orders placed will qualify for the SAB bonuses listed above.

Sale-a-bration! What a time to save!

2010-01-06T08:41:00.009-05:00

The Sale-a-Bration Mini Catalogue!

It's the greatest time of year to buy and save during Stamping Up's Sale-a-Bration

Spend $65 on any current Stampin' Up items and get a choice of 6 new products for free OR your choice from over 45 current stamp sets. {Email me and I will send you a copy of the stamps from the current sets} One free item with every $65 purchase and the sky is the limit. Shop with me on line @ http://www.stampinup.net/esuite/home/gerrierollins/promotions or email me.

Why not host a Stampin' Up workshop (or catalogue party) with me and get a free item from the Sale-a-bration mini for every $395 in orders collected (in addition to any you earn through your own purchase)- why not grab a few friends, place an order and you reap the rewards? Free stamping/scrapbooking items + time with friends = priceless