A LAST MINUTE GETAWAY!

This summer has been mainly focussed on getting the yard landscaped. All spare cash goes to buying dirt and rocks, and all spare time goes to moving that stuff around.  Good progress has been made, but all work and no play makes for an unfun summer.

We hatched a plan to head to Jasper for 1 night. This is a first for me, and I have to confess what a terrible Albertan I am. I actually had no idea that people went to Jasper to do things. For me, Jasper has always been this place that you drive through to get somewhere. If you have to stop even for gas, you need a $20 park pass, and so we have always arranged it so that we don't need to stop there. I remember staying in a hotel in Jasper as a kid on family trips, but even that was a stop on the way to somewhere. A few years ago, when I still owned Scrapbooking Fanatics, I hosted crops in Jasper. They were fun and well received, but again, we spent our time in the hotel... scrapbooking.

It wasn't until this summer that I picked up the idea that Jasper was an actual place to go. So many friends and acquaintances kept talking about their trips there, and sharing amazing pictures on Facebook. A light bulb went off, and for the first time since we went to Vancouver Island, we packed up the tent and headed off for an adventure!

We decided to stay at the Pocahontas campground and so our explorations were chosen for their proximity to our home base. We arrived at the park before we could check in at the campground, so we headed up to our first destination: Miette hot springs! There are a couple of trail heads (look at me using hiker words!) right from the hot spring's parking lot. The map I found online promised that Utopia pass was a moderate 2-3 hour hike and about 2.5 km round trip. Perfect way to get our feet wet, so to speak.

It started off as a paved trail that went alongside the little spring. In places it was warm where it was fed by the hot springs. 

The trail led to the old hot springs site. It was decomissioned in 1984 and now just some kinda creepy-cool ruins are left. 

There are lots of hillsides to climb off the trail. It makes for slow going, but great exploring! I kinda thought this rock looked like it had a face. See it?

Isn't my kid cute? So many beautiful spots to take pictures!

Sadly, I found all the ways to look awkward in a photo! I was supposed to get new head shots for the magazine. We took one million pictures. I looked weird in one million and one....

See? She makes it look easy!

So many things to see!  I was photographed while photographing a mushroom. And let me just give a shout out to dressing in layers. The temperature is different around every corner.

We are at a little bridge that crossed the creek we'd been following. From this point on, the trail is a little less trodden and a lot more steep.

Up we go! According to my fitbit, we climbed the equivalent of 90 flights of stairs. What was most amazing about this part of the trail was the lack of ambient sound. There were fewer hikers here, and so we rarely heard people noise. We could no longer hear the creek and there was no traffic noise. Just lots of squirrels stating their opinion about sharing their forest.

We were far beyond the 2.5 round trip kms of trail promised by my not-very-detailed map, and we were not sure where exactly the end of this trail was, so after about 5km we decided to turn around (after a snack). We never did find out the answer to how far or where this trail went.

We made it back to the trail beginning. The grownups took a little rest while our kid took off her shoes and dipped her feet in the cold mountain water.

After a soak in the hot springs, it was time to head to the campground and get our selves set up. The campsites had a generous amount of space and the last time a bear had been spotted was almost a week prior. It was perfect! We set up, cooked supper over the fire and then headed out to the Pocahontas trail that left right from the campground. We learned that there are lots of trails in the area left over from a colliery. On the trail we saw some evidence of prior industry, but didn't explore too much as we wanted to be back at camp before the sun set. It was a fast trip back, but it gave us an idea of where we were going to start the next day.

The night was uneventful, but restless. All the little noises of the world join you in a tent! And we are old. Our camp mats are not built for old people and we will have something more suitable for next trip! Ibuprofen was part of breakfast, and the crick in my back made me wonder about a big hike day.

Following breakfast, we stopped at another point of entrance to the Pocahontas trail system and picked up right where we left off the night before. It was about a 2km loop, with lots of climbing. The views were worth it, though! All those times driving through the Jasper park I was completely unaware that there were so many people crawling around in the trees above the highway looking down on me!

Punch bowl falls- have no idea who was crazy enough to crawl through a tunnel and over the water to stack those stones!

Trying to work out tent sleeping kinks.

Up. A whole lot of up.

But here is why! Too bad there was so much forest fire haze around. Even still, it was totally worth it!

Look. Just look, and be.

Finished with the Pocahontas area, we headed to Jasper town, and spent an hour or so just browsing around. We originally planned to head out to Malign Canyon and find a trail there, but we were all feeling a little sore and weary and decided to walk around Beauvert Lake instead. 

See? Nothing wrong with this to look at!

These little guys like to drop pine cones at you and then cheekily tell you it was your fault!

My heart...

My heart X 2....

Photobombing is always a good idea! I don't know who was bombing who though!

Everywhere is beautiful!

Of course, a person has to stop in Jasper Park Lodge and say hello to the domestic creatures as well!

And there you have it! Now that we know the secret of things to do in Jasper we can't wait to go back! With a better mattress, mind.

Hello blog! Hello 2015!

A new year, a new leaf? Well, maybe! A new blog post for sure!  I am ever grateful for the love and support of the ladies at Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine. They have patiently waited for me to get my act together after the wild time-and-motivation-sucking ride that was 2014. In the end, we are in a good place, surrounded by good things. The road here was fraught with habit changing annoyances, and now I am committed to get myself back into the habit of being a scrapbooker! To that end, I have taken on the January 2015 sketch, which is sadly the first time I have done so in a year.

Here is what I came up with:

Supplies used: Patterned Paper- Heartfelt Creations; Cardstock- DCWV; Embossing folder- Stampin' Up!; Ribbon- May Arts; Wood pieces- American Crafts; Title Sticker- Prima; Ink- Clearsnap; Glitter- Glitter Ritz.

Welcome to 2015! Hope yours is filled with some new adventures! Some possibilities for me? Performing in a musical and running a half marathon.... stay tuned to see what comes to pass!

So, that was wild....

We now own a new house... and our old house too. Because that is how we roll.  Who knew?

And a Scrappy New Year to You!

Happy 2014! I hope you and yours had a peaceful and fulfilling Christmas and New Year's. Our holidays were filled with visiting with trips to see both sets of parents and well spent time with friends. New Year's 2014 will go down in the history books as the year I learned the game of 'spoons' and sported the bruises to prove it!

After all the excess we are trying to get back into some sort of routine and I spent some time at my scrap table playing. The first thing I tackled was Canadian Scrapbooker Magazine's January Sketchy Challenge.

I turned it into a large single photo layout:

Supplies Used:

Patterned Paper, Stickers: Farmhouse Paper Company (FYI Collection)

Flowers: Prima Marketing

Trim: May Arts

Chipboard: American Crafts

The journaling says: It wasn't a wizard's chessboard, of course. But I saw your imagination take off the moment you laid eyes on the oversize chessboard at Prairie Gardens. Harry Potter fans find magic everywhere!

I love using a collection of stickers to journal on!

Get your trimmer going! I can't wait to see what you create with the sketch....

I also created for the Canadian Scrapbooker blog- you'll have to wait until Tuesday to see what that is! And! I have a class coming up in February for Tattered Pages Inc. in Drayton Valley. You can contact the Barb or Judy there for more info. (Just not today because they have not seen my sample yet!!!!)

Good luck everyone getting back to school/work tomorrow. I know I'm gonna miss my slow coffee in the morning and the potential for naps. Be easy....

Check one off the bucket list!

For the past few years I've been nurturing a little notion that I would love to build a house. I felt a little bit hesitant about putting it out into the world because I have hippy corners in my heart and the thought just seemed so extravagant. Tentatively, however, I dragged my husband along to check out show homes and initiated discussions on 'What if....'

We made lists. We set up our criteria. We decided that if the right set of circumstances came about we would take the leap.

And rather surprisingly and sweetly, it all came together. The perfect for us lot. A builder we feel good about. A home design that although is not finalized, has all that we need and a lot of what we want. And it fits into the budget we set for ourselves.

The bank, the equity in our house and our hearts all said yes!  The ducks lined up smartly and on the first of December it became official: we are building a house!

The cheque that seals the deal! We've gotten ourselves into a relationship with Alquinn Homes. Here's to an exciting and smooth process.

Estimates at this time are that we will be in our new house mid-June, 2014. Pretty awesome!

Here is our lot. I am standing on the road, and we think Mark is standing at the far corner.  What we love about the lot is the fact that we have green space to the south and east- only one fence neighbour! And that it is centrally located so we can walk to many places (4 months of the year- who am I kidding?)

Yes! That is a farm in the background. This is what our view will be out our patio door.

You can't see me, because I am taking the picture, but I am equally as stinkin' happy as Mark!

On the east side of our lot a bike path goes by. On the other side of the bike path is a toboggan hill, a playground and a storm pond. Avery is on top of the hill.

Avery is somewhat less excited about this whole idea-become-reality. We try to involve her so she can get excited about the new house too. Except she says she would like things like a purple and pink garage door. And a dumbwaiter in the kitchen. Can you see a few bumps ahead? I am sure she will come around...

One last look at our lot. Soon to have a hole!

Here is the development plan. We are on lot 7 and we think it is perfect for us! Mark even has plans to go guerrilla gardening and plant trees in the green space to the south. I am hoping for fruit trees.

Here is a bigger picture of where we are in the city. We are moving from Linkside to the little 'X' between Westgrove and Heatherglen.

Stay tuned! All progress will be documented on this here blog....

Sketchy Fun!

November's sketch is up at Canadian Scrapbooker magazine, and I shocked even myself by getting to the sketch before the last day of the month!

Isn't this fun?

 I decided to step out of my usual scrappy territory and visit 'boy-boy' land, if there is such a thing. My nephew stayed with us a few weeks last summer to take swimming lessons and while he was here, he made a goal that he would also learn to ride his bike. He is naturally a cautious sort and does not feel comfortable exploring physically. After his heart surgery this spring, he became even more defensive of his self. So to say that it took patience on his part (as well as my husband's) to get him to a place where he could risk falling and being unstable is a bit of an understatement. Big kudos to them both for turning Zxayven into a "Biker Dude!"

Supplies Used: Patterned Paper and Chipboard- Fabscraps; Dies- Sizzix; Ink- Clearsnap; Glitter and Embossing Powder- Clearsnap, Ranger, Gel-a-Tins; Metal Embellishment- Maya Road; Letter Stickers- Basic Grey

To create this layout, I took the 6x6 chipboard piece and cut it in half so I could use it the length of the page (after spraying it with 'black velvet' spritz). I covered cardstock with Be Creative tape before cutting out the dies. Once cut out, I used an assortment of glitters and embossing powders on the dies to give a metallic look to each piece.

The stuff!

Funny thing about the photos I used- I kind of had everything planned in my head for the layout and ordered what I needed from Scrapbooking Fanatics but I didn't check that we actually had pictures! We didn't!!!  Mark made a little video for my nephew, so I just took some screen shots from that!

http://youtu.be/kurnP2jYHrM

I'm not Bragging, but....

Actually there is no 'but', other than my fear that you might think that I am bragging. I am not. I don't think that your life is any less wonderful than mine because of our differences. I don't want to give the impression that I think less of you and your experiences even as I embrace and celebrate the multitude of people, experiences and things that I am grateful for. Is that clear? Good! You may read on...

As Thanksgiving weekend winds up, I have been thinking of all the many things that I am truly, deeply grateful for. There are many things, and I am not even going to attempt to touch on them all in a meagre blog post. But I will share how we celebrated this weekend, and a few things related to how we spent our time that I am quieted to the core of my soul because of gratitude.

As I have done the past few years, I offered to host Thanksgiving dinner at my house. I do love having everyone over, choosing the menu, organizing the meal and having a few adventures along the way. But as Thanksgiving weekend got closer and closer, I found I was not up to my usual enthusiasm for the task. I am not sure why, other than I just came out of a few busy weekends and the fact that the start up of school year schedules is always an adjustment. So with a week remaining before the holiday I decided to plead to with my mom and see if she would do it. Without batting an eye, or a hint of a sigh, she said she would host. I agreed to bring a mango salad. End of story. Let me now insert one of the things I am thankful for this weekend!

MY MOM! For the reason listed above and so many others! Anytime I need a willing accomplice or support, she is there. She keeps the home fires burning, and a pot of tea warm. She is amazing.

I was relieved, and knew that things were in more than competent hands. Mom figured that since my dad's sister was now moved back in the area, and my uncle harvesting that it would work out just fine, and maybe even better than fine!

I talked to Mom a few days before we came out and learned that we were going to have Thanksgiving dinner in my uncle's field. This is something we have done only once before, that I can remember. But it was memorable, if you know what I mean. I love all the holidays that bring our family together but for me, they can blend together. There is a comfort in that predictability, that sameness, the same cast of characters etc, but all the events blend together in a way and each holiday does not always have it's own distinct memory. Except the years when we do something completely different. Like the time we held Thanksgiving dinner out at the lake, on the deck celebrating in some astounding fall weather. Like the time mom and dad deep-fryed the turkey. Most times my aunt and uncle come (my dad's sister and brother-in-law), even if it is brief as they are in the middle of harvest and don't get off their tractors until they can't see anymore. Once we decided to bring dinner to the field, and despite the fact that the neighbour was spreading manure on his field, it was one of our more memorable Thanksgiving get togethers. I was pleased to be doing this again, so this time my daughter could experience it too! Cue another thing I am grateful for:

This scene! As we were driving into the field laden with coolers filled with ham, mashed potatoes and salad, in a truck pulling the trailer that was to be our table, I was bursting full of wonder that this is how I get to celebrate Thanksgiving. Right in the middle of a harvest. Never mind that the bales are for cows... Who gets to do this????  Am I not incredibly lucky?

The feast! 

The feasters....

The kids busied themselves with climbing the bales, and the rest of us set about feasting and visiting. My one cousin, who now lives in a suburb, was baling on the field and stopped to join us. My other cousin, who is a farmer, was out with my uncle rounding up his escaped cows and got home just in time to eat. My aunt came with the turkey, gravy and stuffing. It was a wonderful meeting!

That leads me to the final thing I am grateful for as expressed in this post, but certainly not all, or even close to all that I appreciate!!!! My Cousins! 

I am sure they would be embarrassed to see this, but I am going to say it anyway. We don't really get together outside of big family gatherings, but to me it does not matter. I suffered childhood with these guys telling me what  a brat I was, scrapping with them all the time, trying to keep up with them and be accepted by them- young enough to be a nuisance, but not as small as my sister to be accommodated because of an age difference. But it was these guys who kept an eye on who I dated in high school, who watched over my well being in a gruff kind of way even into university. Its funny the things we don't talk about- I don't know how they vote, how they feel about religion or any other typically divisive topic and it does not matter. But I do know that they are in my corner, as I am in theirs. And I love that time and distance don't diminish those feelings!

I am not bragging when I say that I feel incredibly grateful for this life! I just am, and I would be grateful to hear about the things you appreciate in your life...