~count your blessings~

2007-06-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

hey dad:)

2007-06-25T01:32:00.000-07:00

okay, here's the pictures and the post that i promised:) i get that it's been so long since i posted that i couldn't even remember my username and password... had to try a few:) here's some pics i took this weekend at the company barbeque, much fun as usual... life's buy here, and all is well:)

janna

meet mr. teeth

2007-03-18T00:52:00.000-07:00

caleb has managed to turn up the cheese factor to an all time high:) this is the standard for any posed picture... or if he even sees a camera around now, he usually will stop to pose instead of ignoring me like he used to do.

heh... note his shirt... it's my favourite that i picked up at a target in provo last year. so appropriate for him... so i was sad when i realized it wouldn't be lasting much longer. but you can see under mikehiela's jersey... i found another one when we went to anaheim... yay for me:)

this picture was taken last wednesday when mikehiela's class won tickets to the oilers game... her and gord went and had fun, even though the oilers lost...

been busy, having fun... lots of cool new stuff around the corner for letters by janna... i sent some off to canadian scrapbooker magazine for their summer issue, can't wait to see what they did with them! i will also be doing an article on altering letters in their winter issue... i'm a little nervous about that!! oh well, i have some time to figure it all out.

looking at new fonts to put in the lbj catalog... and other things...

bought myself a bind it all... i just cannot wait to play!!

saw this on ali's blog... i love her style & i'll definetly be purchasing this! will have to hold out for when it lands at michael's and use the 40% off coupon. i hate waiting:)

working on an album for keaghen, for his first year of life. i wonder why it is easier to do stuff for other people than it is for myself... i still haven't finished caleb's, and i haven't even STARTED for mikehiela. oh well.

and i'd better go to bed so i don't fall asleep in church tommorrow, lol!

have a great day!

janna

hello?

2007-03-05T10:35:00.000-07:00

is there anyone out there anymore other than my dad?

dad? are you there?

how about we just say i forgot my blog address;)

life's been busy and the more time that passed the harder it got just to sit down and catch up... because there would just be even more to catch up on. and that's just work for lazy people like me.

procastinators unite! tommorrow.

readers digest version:

my honey turned 36 and his birthday was great. (ahem, december 8)

time together with friends over the holidays. love that.

well, and christmas was great (yeah, christmas, i know... over two months ago...)

lots of good times... we had boxing day over at our house with gord's parents, his brother dave and his wife rhonda, and their girls gabi and em. more extended family, too... it was great.

my baby turned 3 on december 30. the baby is gone... he's a little man now. *sigh*

absolutely partied out by new years. off to bed early:)

had a fun crop over at my house with some girlfriends. can't wait to do it again!

hmmm... valentine's day was great.... yours truly received a trip to cku anaheim with my bud, renee... apparently my hubby and renee & jon (renee's husband) had been scheming... they were trying for creative escapes (link provided for my dad, lol...) but with it selling out in under two minutes, lets just say... cku it is!!

here's my PSA... thanks to a real live demo by my son, let's just say... laptops are not coin operated.

my toshiba is somewhere in ontario where the great minds at the canadian headquarters are trying to decide if my son sticking dimes in the memory slot and then destroying the slot on the way out, would be considered accidental damage. hence the $434 warranty we paid on it, so it would cover said or like damage, so i would not have to pay $500 in repair. i don't know if you get any more 'accidental' than 'acts of god' such as this... the guy told me that it would have been better if he'd picked it up and threw it off the counter (??? so... you're telling me what???) we shall see.

but, i have to say, the highlight would have to have been spending five days in anaheim last week. we left sunday (25) and returned thursday (1). loved it. three days in disneyland, two hours in target, and WAY too long in a very scary los angeles airport (not to mention rush hour traffic) makes me a very grateful girl to be living in my hick town of less than a million people. seriously... orange county has approx 25 million people... and the smaller county of anaheim has 12 million people. that's three million short of the entire population of canada!!

anyways, disneyland... really is the happiest place on earth:) we went during one of the slowest times (during the week and during regular school time) so the average wait time was five minutes... it was incredible! the 'parade of dreams' was fantastic, the floats were stunning, incredibly detailed, costumes beautiful, and dancers were unbelievable. all of it was breathtaking. this was pretty cool in many ways... mikehiela has loved ariel the mermaid since she was two... ariel is even mikehiela's middle name (no, i did not name her after a mermaid!) she used to dream of growing up to be a mermaid... and she expressed her displeasure more than once with me that i called her mikehiela instead of ariel for a first name. so you get the picture... the girl loves ariel. so when we were having lunch at 'ariel's grotto', princess ariel came right up to mikehiela (it was so sweet, she was so excited she couldn't eat! although she was trying to hide it, she was very nervous, so cute!!) and ariel totally fussed over mikehiela's red hair and how they were related... it just made her day, and mine:) side note... caleb didn't want to have his pictures taken with any of the princesses... ariel, jasmine, snow white, belle... but he wanted one with cinderella. after, gord asked him why he wanted one with her and not the others, he said 'i like the blonde ones'. don't know if i should laugh or cry;)

talk to you later, hopefully sooner!

janna

2007-03-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

2007-03-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

and the winner is...

2006-11-26T22:07:00.000-07:00

the camera is out of commision (batteries are charging) and as so not to keep you in suspense any longer... the winner is...

Kim said...
A friend showed me this one and I love all the fun ornaments www.christmastraditions.com
8:15 PM, November 26, 2006

congrats, kim! please contact me asap (use my email link at the right) so i can get this going right away for you!!

thanks to everyone for all their tips... i've checked them all out... happyenabling!!!

janna

it's RAK time!!

2006-11-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

well, you know, the one where you cover the shipping....

so for a christmas present for yourself, or perhaps to rak someone else... like a secret santa?

just leave a comment below... with a link to your favourite christmas or holiday site... let's enable one another.
(mine is marthastewart.com , yes, it's true!! i admit it!! lots of great crafts, recipes and projects to last a lifetime)

any letter, any size (up to 24 x 24 ) and pretty much any font... let me know!! feel free to add a couple more to your order;)

this contest is only open until sunday night because i'm going to try and squeak this one in on the run in the beginning of the week.

so, if you enter, make sure you check back in to see if you've won, sunday night, monday morning at the latest. so only enter if you can do that!! or else it will go to the next person... sorry, it's an issue of time!

off to answer some emails now... good luck to you!!

happy holidays!!

scrapbook answers holiday crafts!

2006-11-12T23:47:00.000-07:00

i will post more tommorrow... but to all my wonderful friends who know how excited i've been... after thinking that it wouldn't make it in the magazine (scrapbook answers has now shut down) my letters appeard in a special issue of scrapbook answers!! yee haw!! i actually found mine at my local sobeys (grocery store) totally by fluke... i had just been browsing the magazine rack... glad i did!!

more tommorrow!!

janna

gratuitous

2006-11-12T23:35:00.000-07:00

ahhh, nothing more than a 'i think my kids are cute' picture.

thanks for humouring me:)

a couple more halloween pics

2006-11-12T23:33:00.000-07:00

and thank goodness the candy is just about gone:)

family

2006-11-12T23:25:00.000-07:00

the lighting in my hallway is not the best, and i have no flash on my camera, so i apologize for the shadows... but i just wanted to show you another way to use some letters... please note that 'family' is straight, again, it's just the shadows! this one was a lot of fun to do, it hangs in our upstairs hallway.

the font is times new roman, 8 inches tall, and just painted black with making memories paint.

taking offense

2006-11-12T22:55:00.000-07:00

on friday, i was so excited to be headed out to pigeon lake to teach some classes and spend the weekend out at the love2scrap retreat. i had a couple things to do before i could head out. to make a very long story short, while at Staples, our local office supply store, the girl i was dealing with was extremely rude and not helpful to me, and said some nasty things to me, too!! so i leave, feeling sick to my stomach and hurt ( i am WAAAAY too sensitive) and drive over to walmart to pick up my girlfriend who was running in for a couple of things. while i was there i had another woman start yelling and swearing at me!! ack!! i went back outside and tried to keep it together when i really just wanted to crawl under a rock and die. by the time my friend came out, though... i almost did start bawling! i was shaky and upset, and my adrenaline was still pumping. i tried to think... who knows what kind of a day they're having... or what's going on in their life... i could only guess what would cause two ladies in five minutes to feel comfortable enough with me to share their joy with me:) then once i was at the retreat, someone said something to me that was very hurtful, i don't even think she was aware of it or perhaps wouldn't even have thought it hurtful, just that to me it was. then i remembered a talk that i'd heard at general conference (at my church) i'm not trying to preach here, i just wanted to share what to me is a powerful truth, and a message that ultimately lifted my spirits.

"When we believe or say we have been offended, we usually mean we feel insulted, mistreated, snubbed, or disrespected. And certainly clumsy, embarrassing, unprincipled, and mean-spirited things do occur in our interactions with other people that would allow us to take offense. However, it ultimately is impossible for another person to offend you or to offend me. Indeed, believing that another person offended us is fundamentally false. To be offended is a choice we make; it is not a condition inflicted or imposed upon us by someone or something else.
In the grand division of all of God's creations, there are things to act and things to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:13–14). As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity for independent action and choice. Endowed with agency, you and I are agents, and we primarily are to act and not just be acted upon. To believe that someone or something can make us feel offended, angry, hurt, or bitter diminishes our moral agency and transforms us into objects to be acted upon. As agents, however, you and I have the power to act and to choose how we will respond to an offensive or hurtful situation. " -david a. bednar

anyways, i am grateful for the truth in this message, and glad i was able to learn from it. i had never ever thought of it this way before, but it's true. now to fully implement it into my life...

signing off and jumping off my soapbox

:D have a great day

janna

tee hee

2006-11-12T22:47:00.000-07:00

jack-o-lanterns

2006-10-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

some of our pumpkins... from l-r, mikehiela's ghost, gord's bat, ron's grim reaper and cole's bat (i thought winnie the pooh!! it's cute!) and then i had to massacre the little pumpkins from the pumpkin patch a couple of weeks ago and make some luminaries... just love them!

-janna

pumpkin carving

2006-10-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

spent the day at my church with my friend renee for 'super saturday'... it's great, a bunch of women getting together to have fun and make crafts... we made a set of wooden letters (*smile*) to spell 'Christ' and a wooden Jesus, mary, joseph and a lamb. had lots of fun, i look forward to these every year.

after, our friends ron & rhonda and their kids came over for dinner to carve some pumpkins. had lots of fun, everyone got in on it, including our two year olds. it was the first time we've ever gotten together with anyone to do this, usually it's just a family affair. it's fun!!

have a great weekend and a safe hallowe'en! God bless!

-janna

happy birthday to my dad

2006-10-17T18:44:00.000-07:00

love ya, pop! i know you read (but NEVER post!!) so i thought i'd announce it to the world right here... actually, this is a favour to your other daughter jenni who always forgets your birthday and i have to remind her, so this is easier than actually phoning her;)

i love you dad. hope it was a fun one!

janna

prairie gardens

2006-10-09T23:38:00.000-07:00

it's canadian thanksgiving here this weekend, and we had a wonderful time. gord and i had our anniversary this weekend, but we won't be celebrating it until next weekend... i can't wait, i'm so looking forward to some time with my husband. life's been busy and our wonderful intentions of having friday night date night every week have suffered!

we went out for dinner with some friends on saturday night, then went over to mom & dad's for thanksgiving dinner after church on sunday, and today we went to the haunted pumpkin festival which is something we do every year... we look forward to it every year. we went with renee' and her family, then all met up back here with elizabeth and her family as well for dinner. lots of fun, and love having dinner with friends. don't do that enought, either!

have a wonderful week!

janna

if you haven't seen this yet, check it out...

2006-10-06T21:56:00.000-07:00

www.bleucotton.com

for all my friends who appreciate beautiful photography... love this...

goofy kids

2006-10-01T00:17:00.000-07:00

all i wanted was one picture for my wall upstairs. i didn't get one where they are both smiling (or at least looking at the camera and not making a goofy face). oh well, still some cuties nonetheless;)

2006-09-30T23:10:00.001-07:00

after i'm sure what was not a very long sleep, the girls had waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. i got the goodie bags from ardene, which was a really good deal and a huge hit with the girls!
then everyone went off to their saturday morning activities, miki was off to ice skating. it was a great time but i am grateful that birthdays are only once a year:)

amen.

:)

scenes from her birthday

2006-09-30T23:10:00.000-07:00

***disclaimer***
the following is really probably only interesting to the grandparents and close relatives... be warned;)

well, we had her ninth birthday party last night, and it was a sleepover. i am happy to report that i am still alive. i think;)

these pics are in no particular order, but after the kids came, i set them up on the driveway with sidewalk paint (this stuff is awesome!) and chalk. that was a blast! i made pizza, we ate dinner, then it was jammie time. then the presents, and then instead of cake, we had build your own sundaes which went over really well, miki's wanted to do that for a long time now! i love the first pic... she was laughing so hard when she didn't blow out all the candles 'look mom, three boyfriends!!' after that, they watched high school musical and sleepover. i won't say what time they finally fell asleep or there may never be another sleepover;)

2006-09-30T23:09:00.000-07:00

2006-09-30T23:02:00.000-07:00

that was the only way i could get him to smile, was to tell him that he'd break my camera if he did. i guess that must tell you what he thinks of cameras! thankss elizabeth, had a great time chasing kids with you today, even if my mojo was on hiatus. here's both of our little ones who figured out if they piled some leaves on the side rail, and sat on them, it would be a giant slide. thankfully, no slivers. just love the fall, but who doesn't? the leaves turn and are gone so quickly. make the most of it!

make my day!!

2006-09-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

http://makingmemories.typepad.com/makingmemories/2006/09/holiday_wish_li.html

how lucky am i?? and this is exactly what i would have wanted!! i seriously love these books!!

so much cool stuff! i love it!!

janna

caleb and his girlfriend

2006-09-20T01:36:00.000-07:00

i just love these pics of caleb and his little girlfriend, just had to share;)

tagged by michelle

2006-09-20T01:21:00.000-07:00

michelle tagged me about a week ago (as you can see, i've been a bad bad slacker) so here goes:

list five weird things about yourself

(only five??? really, this could go on...)

1. i really can't stand to hear people otherwise eating their food. at home, i usually put the radio on softly for background noise so i don't have to hear it. (these are normal noises that anyone, i'm sure myself included!! make.) however, nothing makes me want to put my head through the table faster than people who totally eat with their mouth open.

ewwwwwwww *shudder*

2. for the scrapbookers out there - never able to do an 'about me' album or anything of the sort. just one page with my photo for love2scrap just about killed me.

3. i have a large selection of tea towels and dishcloths and usually replace the ones i'm using every time i do dishes. i don't know why, i just like it CLEAN!!

4. i love cottage cheese with fresh pineapple. according to my family and close friends, this is weird. i love it though!

5. i am a nerd who would have zero problems with the idea of going to a movie or out anywhere by myself. who cares!! i enjoy it!! (probably because i so rarely have it!)

6. i

caleb and the zen of dinner

2006-09-20T01:17:00.000-07:00

i guess the stars really need to be aligned to get your preschooler to eat. had to grab the camera after a couple minutes of this meditation.

i guess whatever works!

happy birthday to my nine year old

2006-09-20T01:01:00.000-07:00

and i don't even have any pictures to show for it. well, not of the festivities, can you believe that i left my camera at home??!!?? what was i thinking??? it was such a beautiful evening, we went to LaRonde, a beautiful revolving restaraunt in downtown edmonton, we just loved it. such a beautiful view. for her cake they brought out a beautiful cake, vanilla with a light frosting and fresh fruit inside, and the outside was just rolled white chocolate. it was art... there was a butterfly made out of this chocolate... we saved it to take pictures of, i'll have to post;)

go dog, go!!

2006-09-20T00:16:00.000-07:00

i'm canadian and the only place i've ever seen or heard of bounty hunting is on a&e, but, i just gotta say this. i'm glad that michael jackson is free to walk the streets, and OJ is is working hard on his golf game, but duane chapman may end up behind bars for getting andrew luster behind bars. if you like the guy or not, he does great work. i don't really care if bounty hunting is legal or not in mexico, he never did collect on what would have been a $100 000 payout, so i guess it's not bounty hunting. but i guess there are always loopholes. i guess some what of a spirit of the law/letter of the law issue.

that's my rant, i must've deleted about three paragraphs worth. off my soapbox.

GO DOG!!

and the winner is....

2006-08-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

coming from the beautiful town of banff, alberta, the winner of this rak is:

congrats, stacy! send me an email & give me your order! talk to you soon!

thanks to all the ladies who entered! be sure to check back for more fun!

-janna

time for a RAK

2006-08-21T01:21:00.000-07:00

i just love to jump on the RAK bandwagon!

or my version of one, anyways. you know... where you pay the shipping only.

i'm going to bring you lurkers out of lurkdom!

for the next week (until monday august 28), every visitor that posts on this post will have their name entered into a draw, and on that day we will draw someone's name to be the recepient. so enter only if you wish to pay the actual cost of shipping, which can be anywhere from $15 - 24 dollars in north america, and i have no clue how much overseas. contest is open to residents of, umm... earth. and if you live within driving distance, you can pick it up!

what's it for?

any letter in any of my sizes of your choice. pick your font. pick your size. tell your friends!

come on, ladies!!

good luck!!

janna

big picture scrapbooking! week 33!!

2006-08-19T09:11:00.000-07:00

yay!! remember this? waaaay back when (okay, it was april, not that long ago! just seems like it!) well, donna's week 33 of big picture scrapbooking was to alter her great big 'd'! i've got the before and after shot! i am so excited... and these big picture classes are pretty darn cool!! i also saw a class in there that i want to take... some digi classes from renee pearson!

here's a transcript of the audio file that donna put up for her class (i couldn't resist! how cool is this??)

Is there anything better than diet mountain dew…ahhh! Refreshing, no calories, and just the right kick of caffeine for the middle of the afternoon.
It is week 33, my children are playing outside with the neighbors in the cul-de-sac and I am reclined back in my green office chare admiring my big "d". That's kinda funny isn't it?
Many of you may already know the story about the big "d", but for those that don't, let me share with you where this enormous project inspiration came from.
I was teaching at an event in Canada earlier this year, when this young woman came up to me after class and handed me an odd shaped object wrapped in an unsuspecting black garbage bag. She said, "I made this for you." Hmmm, I thought, I am always up for a little surprise gift receiving so I open it up and my jaw immediately hit the floor and my heart started racing…it was this enormous wooden lowercase letter "d".
Now for those that know me, or read my blog for that matter you know that I really have an affinity for lowercase letters…and if you need proof, just ask poor chelsie who copy edits my text for Big Picture and might I add a public shout out the her for making me appear educated in print…thank you Chelsie!
Anyway, the woman that handed me the amazingly kick-butt 24-inch wooden lowercase d's name is Janna. She had no idea how happy this piece of wood made me (and as that sentence passes through my lips, I knew that there was a joke in there somewhere, but I am going to let that slide for now….) I couldn't wait to finally alter that bad boy up and I am so happy with the results.
I am pretty sure Ali Edwards was the first one to make me aware of how cool it was to identify yourself by your initial and being that my first and my last initial are the same I figure I am allowed to be twice as happy about it.
So for this week's lesson I want you to try altering a letter or a word of your own…Challenge yourself to alter your letter (s) in such a way that represent your personality and style. Nowadays you can find chipboard, wooden or even paper mache letters in almost any size and style imaginable at your local craft store or go all out and order up a custom made 24" wooden one for yourself. I personally am not going to stop here…I think I need to place an order for the word family to hang across my living room.
Now, I am going to go think about that and go check my back account. So, have a ggod time this week altering your letter and I can't wait to see the results.

-friends-

2006-08-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

aren't they great?

this was taken at my birthday festivities last weekend. both dear friends of mine i met through scrapbooking.

i met renee last year when i found her store (www.love2scrap.ca) and placed an order. after hanging around on the forum, my girlfriend rhonda and i decided we needed a getaway and signed up for her pigeon lake fall retreat.

HAD A BLAST!!

i decided that this must be an annual thing:) while i was there, i also got to know elizabeth. we exchanged numbers and started spending time together. around the same time i started hanging out with renee (okay... hanging out/spending time=scrapbooking).

i really suck at letting the people i care about know how much they mean to me. i'm not good with words and don't always know how to show it. so to my dear friends who love me for the big nerd i am, for all the things i may do and say, for all the corny jokes i tell, for everytime i've showed up late, for all the good and bad, and everything in between, thanks. big thanks, big hug, you mean so much to me.

A loyal friend laughs at your jokes when they're not so good, and sympathizes with your problems when they're not so bad. ~Arnold H. Glasgow

me & jason

2006-08-04T14:33:00.000-07:00

here's a pic of my very handsome nephew. he's only 12, and has a couple of inches on me already.

we miss you, jason, can't wait for you to come out and stay with us longer next time:)

-janna

know what this is?

2006-08-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! WE'RE OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!

okay, i know it took a LONG time, but phase one of my website is up!! home page, about us, and the catalog... more to come! please come by and take a peek at www.lettersbyjanna.com!!

special thanks to my new and awesome webguy, brad at 3 a.m. designs . he's the man... FAST excellent service, awesome

pricing, great vision... the best. (brad put this together in very little time after my last webguy had to step aside for personal commitments) i've passed his name on already, i can't recommend him enough. and guess what... he was recommended to me by one of my customers, grace in calgary (thanks, grace!!)

there will be more added to the catalog as we go. got a couple of things that i need to fix in the catalog, but all in all it's been smooth. and very exciting!

~hope to see you there~

happy birthday to me

2006-08-01T00:51:00.000-07:00

okay, so it's not my birthday yet, not until friday (so you still have time to RUN out to the store and by me a gift!! really... don't let me stop you! ;) but since my dad was out here from golden with my nephew jason (he's 12 and he's taller than me!!) and his girlfriend shelly and her son, i thought this would be a great weekend to do it. we splurged and rented a 'jumpy thing' (one of those inflatable jump yards) so we wouldn't have to entertain the kids and i could visit with my friends. great investment!!! i highly recommend it!

so jason had been looking forward to going to the west ed waterpark for, well, ever since the last time we went (he was four, now he's twelve, been awhile). don't you know that the poor kid was sick... he was fighting off a cold and was so tired that he only went down a few slides. poor guy. i finally decided that it was time to go, and we were home by 5:30, and he went straight upstairs and slept until 9:00 the next morning. but he felt much better:) he's leaving tommorrow, i'm going to miss him. he is such a sweet boy.

what a wonderful weekend, spent good times with good people. happy birthday to me:)

my little girl

2006-08-01T00:41:00.000-07:00

okay, i guess i'm just showing off. i love my fiesty little girl who gives me more heartache and grief and trouble and sass and attitude and i guess all things stereotypical of the fiery redhead.

i love her madly even when she drives me mad.

"There was a girl who had a curl right in the middle of her forehead, and when she was good she was very good, and when she was bad she was horrid."

whoever wrote this knows my daughter.

weekend fun

2006-08-01T00:32:00.000-07:00

here's some pictures of caleb's friend nicholas' third birthday party and the festivities. caleb had a blast but the highlight for him was crashing the party at the other table... man he craked me up... they were posing for group pictures and caleb walks right up and sidles right in there to get in the picture, lol. obviously my son is used to the camera:)

the rest are from the lake - our friends jill & brian came with their little one and we all went waterskiing with our other friends and had a blast. beautiful lake, beautiful skies, beautiful sunsets. love it.

some cku projects & etc.

2006-08-01T00:22:00.000-07:00

but not much etc., as blah blah blah... haven't had much time! (who does?) if i do anything these days, it's small, like altering something small or, ahem, fridge magnets. enough to exercise a tiny little bit of creativity, and quick. i don't even know when i did a scrapbook page last. i miss it all.

okay, i'm going to stop whining now.

-janna

i like this woman

2006-08-01T00:12:00.000-07:00

i've rewritten this post a few times, this is not coming out right!! all i want to say is that melody ross' blog came as a surprise to me. i was unsure that i wanted to read another blog about another perfect woman who can be so creative, succesful, beautiful, a wonderful mother, juggle it all and have time to spare. (and, of course, SCRAPBOOK IT ALL in a wonderfully organized studio with tons of filled albums) there are plenty of blogs out there like that that i have started to avoid, simply because i have a tendency to compare myself (bad, i know... shouldn't i be past that at this stage in my life??)

but i'm glad i did. she's got a lot on her plate, and a lot of struggles for her family right now. if you haven't checked it out, do so at www.melodyross.typepad.com i leave there inspired to do better and feeling uplifted. it also reminds me never to judge a book by it's cover... things are not always as they seem. i never comment there (well, maybe once), but i do stalk it.

have you ever read it? do you like it?

-janna

2006-07-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Dave Matthews Band - Everyday

i love this video... watch it from start to finish... it's lovely!

~my friends this weekend~

2006-07-16T00:50:00.000-07:00

i am down two wisdom teeth, it was supposed to be four, but i won't complain. close to me are either cold things to numb the pain, or things that don't involve a lot of effort to eat. tylenol 3 is pretty cool, too, it's made for a couple of nice naps and some conversations i won't remember having.
thanks to renee who felt sorry enough for me to drop in and bring me a slurpee (thanks, renee!)

and even bigger thanks to elizabeth who thought she'd come over and photograph me in all my glory, drugged and in my pajamas, looking lovely, no doubt, and eating said refreshement. we settled on a photo of the popsicle. (she's doing an 'a week in the life' album)

my public service announcement today: never, ever do an image search on "wisdom teeth"

yuck.

-some photos-

2006-07-15T23:31:00.000-07:00

of last weekend at the lake. we have a super cool boss who lets us use his 'cabin' at the lake once in a while, so who are we to say no? elizabeth and ernie came out for a night with their little ones. poor gord, he was taking the kids through the field on the quad (the pollen was so bad, the air was thick with it) and had such a nasty reaction, his eyes swelled SHUT so i had to drive him to the hospital for treatment. i don't know what hurt him more... his eyes or the fact that i was driving his truck, lol. it took a couple days to get back to normal, but i guess gord has hay fever like me now. hasn't bothered me since i moved from b.c. ten years ago, but, such is life!

-j

-more random photos-

2006-07-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

here's a pic of the last day of school picnic we do with mikehiela. can't unwrap a straw without blowing off the wrapper;)

this picture of caleb is another one of my favourites... it's his view from his stroller. he was so intent on his car that he didn't even notice i was there:)

2006-07-07T09:11:00.000-07:00

-canada day weekend-

2006-07-06T01:11:00.000-07:00

ours was hot, hot, hot! had an awesome time out at the lake with gord's parents, where we celebrated canada day with fireworks down at the beach, spent monday at the waterpark, monday evening out at a very loud and awesome greek restaraunt for elizabeth's 29th birthday (happy happy birthday, girl!!) and more time in the pool in our backyard. and, of course, right here, designing more fun letters!!

-ohhh, i can't wait, there's so much fun stuff to tell!! i have MORE secrets!!! YAY!!!-

and, hey, ladies!! don't forget to send me pictures of your completed letters for inclusion on my website (yes, website, it's coming!)
please send
-a close up of your letter
-a picture of it where you display it
-supply list and techiniques (any tips as well!)
-(if applicable) your blog address and link to the gallery where you post your art.

thanks ladies!! have a wonderful week!!

-happy 4 of july-

2006-07-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

happy fourth of july to my american cousins! such a beautiful and free country you live in -

*GOD BLESS AMERICA*

have a wonderful day

-j

-happy mail-

2006-07-01T00:24:00.000-07:00

RAK's are cool.

but i can only do half a RAK! (make sense? didn't think so!)

mine (i guess letters by janna) are for the cost of shipping only. so i guess that's a knick knack half a rak. (yes... i know... that was bad...it's way too late)

jaymie from indiana was chosen for mine. jshe was looking to order a lowercase 'j' in a font called 'little days' (italic). very cute!

jaymie, it looks really cute! it will ship out on tuesday morning, first thing!

congratulations!!

-j

-happy canada day-

2006-07-01T00:10:00.000-07:00

happy first of july! canada is 139 years old today!

heres a little history lesson:

******
Many years ago, Canada belonged to England and over a period of time, different areas of our country joined together and wanted to form their own government. On July 1, 1867, The British government (under Queen Victoria) approved the British North American act which allowed Canada to become an independent country with its own government. The new nation, which remained loyal to England, was now called the Dominion of Canada. During that time, the new Dominion of Canada only contained four provinces (Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) with other provinces joining later. As of today, we have 10 provinces and 3 territories.
******

this time last year, i was at commonwealth stadium celebrating alberta's 100 birthday... with a rockin' FREE concert put on by many talented artists... okay, but i was only there for the BARENAKED LADIES! anyone who knows me knows how much i love bnl... i'm a die hard fan(atic). i felt pretty speshul too when ed and steve hammed it for my camera. why the treat? who cares? i left with over 100, yes, 100 pictures of those two. as i said, i am a fanatic. so here's two. need another 98?

have a wonderful canada day!!

-summer-

2006-06-30T23:41:00.000-07:00

2006-06-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

considering i don't like being on this end of the camera, this one hurt only half as bad. okay, THAT was bad. comedy of the sleep deprived is not always funny... but mikehiela took this picture of us... she's always wanting to take pictures... wonder where she got that from?

-j

love this shirt

2006-06-26T01:48:00.000-07:00

i got this shirt for caleb when i was down in provo at target. love it... should have bought it in every available size. my very adventurous boy has injured himself more in two years than my eight year old daughter has ever done, by far. he seriously hurts himself every day, and is always adding a new bruise/cut/goose egg to his body. beats the cast he wore on his leg when he was 16 months.

that's my boy:)

janna

good news

2006-06-26T01:35:00.000-07:00

okay, not really.

due to unforseen circumstances, my webguy quit on me. some projects came up at his day job that will be requiring lots of overtime, and he would be unable to complete this until sometime in august. so i guess he didn't quit, i just need this up, say, yesterday. fear not! i have much up my sleeve, and this has to be up and running for sure by mid-july...
:O
you can still order through the site.
www.lettersbyjanna.com
i have some info that i put up there myself (that will be very obvious) but it tells you what you need to know.

off to take my happy pill.

m is for mikehiela

2006-06-21T22:39:00.000-07:00

this letter is from the 'impact' font family and is 8" high. i wanted to try something with a little more width to give more room to play around in. kind of funny how this one happened... i had this one cut out last week already... not totally sure what i wanted to do, but i've also been asked a few questions about photos on these letters, so i thought i should give some examples.. anyways, so i'm at chapters the other day, and i happen to find a copy of the premier issue of 'creative techniques', a cool mag for hybrid scrapperswith tons of potential. awesome! i was flipping through when i found a rockin' article by audrey neal about making letter magnets. (her work is AWESOME!) so this project was totally inspired by her!

first, i painted all the sides black (with making memories asphalt). then all i had to do was print my photo the same size as my letter... just about 8X11 (i used hp matte paper). then you can place the letter overtop the photo to trace. after that, i cut it out with an exacto knife. then i applied mod podge to the letter, just one section of the letter at a time, and not too much! just enough to cover. i used a bone folder (credit cards or the lip of a glass works in a pinch, too) to keep bubbles from forming. then i sanded any rough edges ( i just use a regular cheap emery board, you know, the black ones that you can buy at the drugstore) to even it all out. then i edged the photo with the black again. i also added heidi swapp painted chipboar letters and three of her flower jewels. finished it off with a couple of word strips with inked edges, and a length of ribbon tied at the top. what a fun, quick project!!

please leave me some honest feedback! is there another project you'd like to see? any questions? suggestions? let me know!!

-j

fun a la elsie

2006-06-21T22:35:00.000-07:00

okay... i know i never had a chance to blog about cku provo but i totally LOVED elsie's class!! she was super sweet, and that was the first class i walked out of with a completed project in hand... GREAT feeling. okay... i'm thinking i should add some of those layouts i did... aaaanyways... so her whole premise is simple, yet so much fun. it's so addicting!! so between the making memories vintage paper i'm in love with, white pens and ribbon, it's a dangerous thing. these are just those 4X6 fridge magnet frames that are so much more fun scrapbooked! -j

spot the babies

2006-06-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

hee hee... i just love this picture... lauren and caleb at west edmonton mall when they were visiting from abbotsford a couple of weeks ago. lauren is my very bestest friend (lisa) daughter

(i dunno... the structure of that sentence just doesn't look right... oh well)

*sigh* i miss her!

okay, now back to my regularily scheduled programming

-j

good news

2006-06-17T02:15:00.000-07:00

okay, it's way too late, i'm really tired, but i am SO excited!

my good friend donna sent me an email today. and it made my day, my week, my year...

let me tell you, i'm stoked!! BIG news to share!! can't wait to spill!

thanks to all you paitent people about my website, i promise it will be very very soon now. i lie not;)

since i can't post without a picture of some sort, here's one of my new favourites!

have a wonderful weekend doing whatever it is your fathers day traditions are!

-j

world on fire

2006-06-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

okay, i've had a few emails about the song here 'world on fire' if you're familiar with sarah maclachlan... this was video i wanted on my blog, but it's not available, so i took what i could get. if you haven't seen this version, i would highly recommend it.

http://www.worldonfire.ca/

then, please tell me what you thought.

and tell me that you didn't cry.

-j

please stand by

2006-06-07T01:12:00.000-07:00

my apologies!

if you are waiting for an email from me, i have not forgotten about you! i am working through my inbox and i promise to be in touch with you very shortly!

thanks so much for your patience!!

-j

love

2006-06-07T00:56:00.000-07:00

here's a small set (only 8 inches) that i made for my daughter's room. i covered them with mm vintage paisley paper (i worked with this at cku provo and i just can't get enough of it right now... had to go out and buy more!) i used the coordinating ribbon from the set and stuck a family photo inside the 'o' because it was the perfect frame for it!

why am i showing smaller letters? i plan on making these available when my site launches... soon... soon... very soon... many people have asked if i do smaller letters as well. i do! what do you think??

stay tuned;)

have a great day!

-j

blog slackin'

2006-05-28T10:37:00.000-07:00

cku was so much fun, i met so many awesome people. two of them are in this picture... from l-r is gabriella, renee, katrina and myself) i had totally expected to come back from cku exhausted and sick of scrapbooking (temporarily!) but instead i felt refreshed and wanting more! i'm still working on a couple of my projects, don't have a lot of time but i don't want them to sit unfinished! i'll post some pics from cku later along with some finished projects.

have a great sunday!

-j

2006-05-16T23:36:00.000-07:00

well, it's true... i'm off!! i land in salt lake before 9 a.m., so maybe i can sleep on the plane!!! i can't wait, got lots of great classes ,and it's my first time!! my mom is driving in from her home just outside of reno, so i'll get to spend the day with her touring SLC!! so cool, can't wait to see it all!!

take care & God bless!!

-j

logo

2006-05-12T20:51:00.000-07:00

it's simple, but i like it... nothing too fancy, but after all, it's all about the letters!! well, this will be on my business cards and the website header for www.lettersbyjanna.com which should be opening early next week (knock on wood!!)

thanks to all your super ladies who have sent me such sweet emails, and all of the kind words (and orders, of course!!) in the last three weeks. thanks for your support... you're awesome!!!

they're heeeeere....

2006-05-12T20:46:00.000-07:00

boxes, boxes, everywhere...

that's right!! they're in!! that means... shipments are coming!! we have been busy packing these up in our living room, letters, boxes, bubble wrap... everywhere!!! how fun!!

so, monday is the big shipping day, and after all is said and done, i will email my customers with confirmation & tracking number!! i'm so pumped, i can't WAIT to see what all you wonderful ladies create!!

getaway

2006-05-12T20:22:00.000-07:00

i got to have a nice getaway last weekend, teaching a couple of classes with love2scrap at their retreat in pigeon lake... heavenly!! i went last fall, LOVED it, and can't wait to go in october. we have friends and family down at the lake as well, so we all headed down for some r&r. that weekend they were opening up a new ice cream shop, daisy mcbeans (cute place!), and mikehiela got her picture in the paper, standing there, all cute with a cone in either hand... another one for the scrapbook!! good thing she's not shy... she's been on tv twice, as well (news programs) ... she loves the limelight!!

h

2006-05-01T12:53:00.000-07:00

i thought these would look really cool in our regular living areas, not just our studios or bedrooms. i painted this 'h' set in times new roman, plain old black, sanded it up a little bit to distress it a bit, then rubbed some walnut stain into it to age it. this will have to sit in my bookcase until mytwo year old son is old enough not destroy it when i lean it up against the fireplace... or, maybe on the mantle. hmmm...

la letter 'e'

2006-05-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

here's a couple more letters i wanted to share... the first one, a lower case 'e' set in times new roman, was done by our lovely and very own elizabeth , also known as jrabbit . elizabeth blended some mm paints, covered the lower part of her 'e' with crate paper, adorned with a heidi swapp flower and ribbon, mm brad, frame and bookplate. she attached her ribbon with a stapler.

can't wait to see your creations!!

create

2006-04-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

can you see it?? i LOVE these, courtesy of the very talented talia audenart, aka thescrapchick . there is so much you can do!!

talia first painted the letters with mm paints (doesn't actually take too much!), then used a heidi swapp floral mask and regular acrylic spaypaint.

woo hoo!!

-j

lbj order process

2006-04-27T07:09:00.001-07:00

hiya!!

so sorry if you've sent me an email that i haven't responded to yet... i promise, i'll get to you shortly!! so i just wanted to put up some basics on here so you can have an idea of what's what!!

each letter is up to 24" (all capitals are, and for lowercase, the b, d, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, p, q and y are.) to keep the others in proportion, they are between 20-22 inches. still great big!!

each letter is $25.00 USD + s/h most fonts can be done, if it's an unusual font, please provide me a link and i'll see if we can make it work!! my times new roman is set and ready to go, so this ships fastest at the moment. expect any other font to take about a week longer.

at the moment, i prefer paypal or money order. please let me know if you need other arrangements.

it takes about one to two weeks from payment received to shipping. i will send you confirmation when it has shipped.

which brings me to shipping: i am in the process of finding out the best way to ship them for your value that will get them to you safely. i expect to have that all figured out by thursday afternoon/friday at the latest. we are waiting for the boxes to arrive!

thanks for your patience as we set up lettersbyjanna.com

have a great day!
-j

letters by janna

2006-04-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

is open for business!!

thanks for all the awesome orders & emails!! wowee!!

just wanted to let all you awesome ladies know i am thrilled to take your order!! please email me with your questions or order at the contact me link to the right... and i will respond shortly!! i'm making it through the list, and promise to reply shortly!!

thanks for your patience as i set up a real website!!

-janna

w.o.w.

2006-04-24T18:34:00.000-07:00

donnadowney.typepad.com

donna.

i love you.

i really am speechless, for once in my life!!
wow.

i totally can't wait to post all the details about this. soooo excited, doesn't even begin to cut it!!

i am taking orders, i'm in the process of building a website. if you're interested, please email me by clicking on the 'contact me' link on the right. all my 24" letters are custom hand cut. the cost is $25.00 plus shipping (working on the best method for that right now)

donna's letter is lower case times new roman... my favorite and very popular.

love you, donna!!!

-j

big news to come!

2006-04-21T23:18:00.000-07:00

no, that is not pizza, it is a nacho. yes, [A] nacho. one burnt, greasy, gross mass of a nacho. but donna was a good sport to share it with me.

we spent a couple of hours at the pub in the mayfield inn during 70's night. between cowboy hats and 'staying alive', i really wonder about her take on canada.

donna ROCKS!!

eh?

stacy's in da house!

2006-04-20T22:12:00.000-07:00

yay!!! only six more sleeps until stacy julian comes for a chat at love2scrap! 7:00 p.m. april 26... i am so so excited, i got to meet stacy earlier this year at a retailer's event here in edmonton. what an incredible woman! i mean that sincerely... she is authentic and genuine, i love the spirit about her. i felt as if i'd known her forever, i suspect many people feel that way once they chat with her!! i hope you've had a chance to check out her book, it really rocks!! a whole new take on scrapbooking that we all really need. check out big picture scrapbooking or get to know stacy by checking out her blog here. then come over to www.love2scrap.ca and post your questions anytime... it's not a real-time chat, so ask away!!

what can i say? you'll be better for it!!!

-j

MAC stays on

2006-04-17T09:13:00.000-07:00

thank goodness for steam cleaners.

yes, well, here you have it. i love MAC, just not all over my floor. this is bottle number 2 that has been sacrificed in the last four weeks (first one was my fault - fell off the fireplace mantle and onto the tile - that glass bottle shattered everywhere!) this bottle was hiding on my top shelf in my bathroom... apparently caleb can now climb it, great!!

all this happened within the space of roughly four minutes while i put a load of laundry in. not only is he resourceful, he's fast, too.

here's a pic of the guilty party on a time out. he looks remorseful, doesn't he?

strawberry freezer jam

2006-04-17T09:03:00.000-07:00

yummy! i love making strawberry jam on the easter weekend... or whatever berry is out... last year it was raspberry. love it!!

happy easter

2006-04-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

hope you and your family had a wonderful easter. ours was great, mikehiela got crocs from the easter bunney and caleb got some sandals... they had fun eating chocolate and hunting for eggs... except caleb ate his all and was totally wired... i ended up going to church at 11 with another ward, instead of my own at 1, i knew he just wasn't going to make it and gord wasn't feeling too hot himself so i couldn't leave him at home. all was well, and after a nap, we headed over to oma & opa's for easter dinner... mmm... turkey...

God bless and have a wonderful day.

-j

psychotic pick up lines

2006-04-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

1. can I buy you a spatula?
2. bet your wondering why I have no nostrils.
3. you look like the type of person who appreciates catheters
4. do you always wear socks over your shoes?
5. smeep smeep smeep
6. you've stolen my heart but I have 3 more back home in the freezer
7. what's your favorite flavour of wood?
8. may I lick your forehead?
9. your crawlspace or mine?
10. didn't I see you at the grassy knoll?

mwah hah hah

-j

hmm...

2006-04-12T00:13:00.000-07:00

nothing says 'count your blessings' like a picture of handcuffs.

my secret's out...

2006-04-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

okay... apparently i have some questions to answer... after a couple of comments and phone calls, i guess i should explain about, ahem, being arrested... and to think i thought no one was paying attention...

i was wrongly accused. if you don't want a long story, now you know. if you want the rd version... i've done my best to explain below.

the very short of the very long: i was working at 7-11 when i was in grade 12. left alone for the evening shift. two story building, with offices in an alarmed building upstairs. so... 8:00 on an august evening, i'm serving customers, and alarm goes off. 911 was just being implemented in chilliwack at that time, and i called the local police phone number that was on the phone reciever. after going around and around with the dispatcher (she seemed to have a problem, feeling that if the alarm was going off, and i was fine downstairs, then there was no problem (what?!?) so she said there was no need to send anyone and disconnected. as the alarm was still blaring and i was a little scared/uneasy, i phoned my boss, thinking he'd know what to do. it turned out he didn't want to come out. told me to wait for it to shut off. nice. so then i phoned another guy who worked the night shift, who was also auxillary rcmp, and told him what was going on. he came immediately. so the long story short, (oh yeah!) is he went upstairs and found out we'd been cleaned out of all of our cash and tobacco. NOW the police and my boss came.

-gave statement # 1. reviewed video tapes. no one suspicious.
-went home. next day came to work, worked my shift. got home, a detective from the rcmp came to interview me again. gave another statement.
-day after that... i get home from work... 20 minutes later same detective shows up at my door. starts jabbering something to me... i can't really understand what he's saying (i've just been fired, remember... and still trying to figure out why... i'm in a bit of shock...) but it sounds an awful lot like he's reading me my rights... at least that's what it sounds like on tv... then i realize he IS reading me my rights and i start crying. cute. right at my door. for the second time today... i asked "why?" well, did you know that X% of store thefts are committed by.... blah blah blah... so, okay, i start to compose myself, try and pull myself together. all the time thinking, yeah, my dad's gonna LOVE this one!! (he's an rcmp himself) he asks if i'll take a polygraph, i said, yes, of course!! can i search your place? yes! what else? now what? i ask. do i have to go to jail? (how would i know???) well, he says, no, i don't think that's neccesary.

what?

huh?

so what does that mean? i ask. 'just don't leave town' he says.

no worries about that... i'm almost afraid to leave the house! but this guy keeps calling me, on the phone, asking me questions on about six different occasions. the same questions he's asked me many times. i'm starting to get quite irritated, and at my father's advice, put my foot down. i told him unless he's coming here to actually arrest me and lay charges (ACK!!! NO!! dad, i don't want to say that!!) then to leave me alone, or else i'd be speaking with his supervisor. that was the last i heard of him.

if they ever closed this case or caught the person(s) responsible, i'll never know. there is NOTHING so much fun as being accused of something you didn't do, and especially when you were calling for help. it SUCKS!

so, there you have it. although i wasn't wearing the handcuffs, i was under arrest (crazy!! a story for the grandkids!)

maybe one day i'll tell you another story...

-j

dear caleb...

2006-04-11T22:48:00.000-07:00

please leave my glasses alone!

alas, i must wear my old ones (which i might mention are barely in working order, thanks to the above mentioned.

he's a busy guy.

hawaii?

2006-04-11T22:43:00.000-07:00

sorry for the lousy pic... but had to share. it was about 13 degrees celcius on friday & m figured it was warm enough to wear her bathing suit... i couldn't resist! and, yes... that is snow in the background:) only in canada...

i'm 'it'

2006-04-04T08:18:00.000-07:00

okay, renee tagged me... grrr...:) but i think this one took a little less brain power for me than hers. so, a great big thanks to sondra whom i stole this off of, i like the whole 'check yes or no'.

Place an X by all the things you've done. This is for your entire life:
(x ) Smoked a cigarette
( ) Crashed a friend's car
( ) Stolen a car
( x ) Been in love
( x) Been dumped
( ) Shoplifted
( x) Been laid off/fired
( x ) Quit your job
( x ) Been in a fist fight
(x ) Snuck out of your parent's house
( x ) Had feelings for someone who didn't have them back
(x ) Been arrested (there is an explanation, just a long story, a post for another day?? ...)
(x ) Gone on a blind date
( x ) Skipped school
( x) Seen someone die
( x ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
( x ) Been on a plane
( x ) Been lost
( ) Been on the opposite side of the country
( ) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
( x ) Felt like dying
( x ) Cried yourself to sleep
( ) Played hide and go freak! or "streak"
(x ) Recently colored with crayons
( x ) Sang karaoke
( x) Paid for a meal with only coins
( x ) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't
( x ) Made prank phone calls
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( x ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( x ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
( x ) Watched the sun rise with someone you care about
( x ) Blown bubbles
( x ) Made a bonfire
( x) Crashed a party
( x) Gone roller-skating
( x ) Ice-skating
Any nicknames? ummm, dory, i think
Mother's name? dawne’
Your favorite drink? used to be pina coladas
Tattoos? yes
Body piercing? do ears count? I have seven ear piercings
How much do you love your job (scale of 1-10) 10
Birthplace: somewhere in the lower mainland, bc
Favorite vacation spot? harrison hot springs with my hubby
Ever been to Africa? no
Ever steal any traffic signs? no
Ever been in a car accident? yes
2 Door or 4 Door? 4
Salad dressing? honey mustard
Favorite pie? apple pie
Favorite number? don’t really have one.. so one it is
Favorite movie? bourne anything
Favorite holiday? christmas
Favorite food? the digestable sort
Favorite day of the week? saturday
Favorite soap? hmm… dove?
What do you do to relax? these days… not scrapbook, lol!!
Message to your friends reading this: smeep, smeep, smeep
How do you see yourself in 10 years? the best of me is yet to come
What do you enjoy receiving? genuine love and affection

sick

2006-03-26T22:18:00.000-07:00

my poor little dude, not feeling so hot. cuddling up on the couch with his sister's blanket and moose with a little bit of baby shakespeare to take away the blues... just a touch of a cold. this is one of the few times he's ever still;)

have a great day,

-j

method

2006-03-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

okay, so this is a little bit off of what i might usually talk about... so i'll make it short!

buy this stuff. it's awesome. you can read about it here.
or here. (yay, stacy!!)
here too (i love about.com newsletters)

i found it at my local shopper's drug mart, and loved the handsoap. (i actually just thought it was a really cool bottle) now i'm a sucker for any citrus cleaner, so when i smelled pick grapefruit... yum!! (resist the temptation to drink it) and the bathroom wipes are flushable... YAY!! i have always used the clorox wipes in my bathroom, and i loved these!!

i'm always so happy to find out about cool stuff!!

what's one of your favourite products? i double-dog-dare ya, post a link!!!

-j

spring portraits

2006-03-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

okay, i know she's got the most forced grin... but i love this picture of my little girl!!! these are the spring portraits we got today from school. gotta love the sell tactic... send a package stuffed with goodies the kids are going to love (they make bookmarks, stickers, door hangers, games, etc etc, out of these photos) and have broken up. if you DON'T want to buy them, just send them back!

yeah, right!! you tell that to her!!

get out of the fridge!

2006-03-23T21:18:00.000-07:00

heh... if any of you out there would have a solution to my problem... please share! i have a fridge/freezer, that as you can see, opens side by side. caleb can untie the tea towels that i've had to use to tie it shut. the traditional childproofing options don't work on a fridge like this, no room to physically put it.

i don't know if he actually thinks i can't see him in here, or what?? but he's all about hiding these days, oh well:) if only i could spend all day in the fridge & stay so slim...

p.s. no, he couldn't actually get himself stuck in there, the whole bottom is drawers.

want a free cookie?

2006-03-17T12:37:00.000-07:00

it's easy! all you have to do is go donate blood at your local blood clinic and they'll give all the cookies you want. they'll even give you juice. and soup!! play your cards right and you can make a meal out of it.

have you ever donated blood? i just started last year, all because of a little girl named allison scott (allie). she was two weeks older than my little caleb... please read allie's story here.

if you have never donated blood before, please consider it. it can save more lives than you know, it really doesn't hurt, and it's over in no time. they even have baby sitting available on fridays and saturdays. you can visit their website to read more about donating or call 1-88-2-DONTATE. go ahead, i dare ya! and please tell me if you do!

god bless,

-j

caleb & uncle caleb

2006-03-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

yay!! so happy... after ignoring a call from a number that showed up on my call display reading 1-555-555-5555 (read: telemarketer!), i answered the same call the next day intending to tell them to remove me from their list (yes, i can't stand wasting my time and theirs!!). but it was uncle caleb!!! calling all the way from alexandra, australia!! this is his third time down there now, and he's being sponsored by a company to teach survival skills/outdoor skills to private school kids. aaaanyways... i could go on and on... but i won't;) we talked for almost two hours, it was so good to hear from him, it's a call i only get about once a year, and i never know where he'll be calling from.

so here is a picture of caleb talking to his namesake!!!

have a great day!!

look, mom

2006-03-14T22:40:00.000-07:00

wow, this is our new trick of the week. i'm so proud. can't wait to see what's next. sarcastic? me? nah...

red green

2006-03-14T22:22:00.000-07:00

well... i told lisa i was going to post these awhile ago... this was my version of 'while you were out'. gord went away on a motorcycle trip with my dad, my friend karly helped me put this together... ahh, i do love ikea! i love the colours... kind of a light sage with rich red... reminds me of some of my favourite papers from chatterbox (yes, i'm a die hard;) QSP did an AWESOME paint job, i highly reccomend them if you're in the edmonton area, we've had them back since, great work! wow... was gord ever surprised when he came home!! his favourite part was the three pictures above the bed... they're pictures of old trucks in farmers fields that i turned into b&w... it's his dream to fix one up one day. anways... much fun, and i love it!!

there you go girlie, only a couple more months until you're here... and then we can get you fully hooked on scrapbooking... yeehaw, scrapping claims another victim!!!

-j

sassy

2006-03-08T23:38:00.000-07:00

her favourtie for the camera these days... posing! by the way... her pajamas are actually two pairs that she layered. her socks (i can't believe i'm admitting this) are ones she hasn't been able to part with... they say right on the bottom "old navy, TODDLER size 4-5" how she can still wear them, i don't know. they must have been knee-highs... she is now size 10 clothing, size 2 shoe. yes, i have thrown them out, i don't understand it, they still resurface.

junie b jones, look out.

-j

corbin, again!

2006-03-06T14:00:00.000-07:00

i just love this pic of my new little nephew, corbin! as i mentioned, his daddy jarrod is back form afghanistan and got to meet him for the first time last week!!

okay, i know i'm the obnoxious proud auntie. nothing i can do about it except post more pictures!!

thanks for humouring me... ;)

-j

mikehiela

2006-03-05T23:51:00.000-07:00

Good morning, son.
I am a bird
Wearing a brown polyester shirt
You want a coke?
Maybe some fries?
The roast beef combo's only $9.95
It's okay, you don't have to pay
I've got all the change

Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it
And you're so much like me
I'm sorry

Good morning, son
In twenty years from now
Maybe we'll both sit down and have a few beers
And I can tell you 'bout today
And how I picked you up and everything changed
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you'd feel the same things
Everybody knows
It sucks to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it
You'll try and try and one day you'll fly
Away from me

Good morning, son
I am a bird
It was pain
Sunny days and rain
I knew you'd feel the same things
Everybody knows
It hurts to grow up
And everybody does
It's so weird to be back here.
Let me tell you what
The years go on and
We're still fighting it, we're still fighting it
Oh, we're still fighting it, we're still fighting it

And you're so much like me
I'm sorry

-ben folds five

rcmp

2006-03-03T22:13:00.000-07:00

this picture was taken march 10 2005, six days after four rcmp were brutally murdered in mayerthorpe, alberta. these members are from golden, bc, and they came to stay at our house so they could attend the funerals of Const. Peter Schiemann, 25; Const. Anthony Gordon, 28; Const. Lionide Johnston, 34; Const. Brock Myrol, 29. these are some of the men (and woman) that my father serves with in his detachment.

i remember driving them to emily murphy park that morning... that was where they would start the one kilometer march to the butterdome where the services were held. i can't tell you how in awe i was about what i saw... i don't know how many officers attended that funeral, and i mean rcmp, city police, even firefighters, from all over canada. even from the states. i would doubt if ever there has been so many law officers in one place before. it was so incredibly sad, i was so overwhelmed. my heart ached for the families... and i couldn't get out of my mind the picture of the new widow holding her very pregnant tummy. i still think about her, i wonder how her baby is and how she is. i just don't understand.

god bless all of those who make such risks and sacrifices to keep us safe.

thank you.

-j

beautiful

2006-03-01T22:19:00.000-07:00

it's march first today, and the first time i've had to wear my sorels. it's the first real snow of the winter, let alone 2006, and it was beautiful!!! at least it was last night when it was quiet and peaceful, and no tracks whatsoever through the streets or driveways... i love that 'first' snow... beautiful. and, what's snow if ya can't eat it?

i am also excited that my bro jarrod is back from afghanistan. i haven't talked to him yet to even congratulate him on the birth of their son corbin, probably tommorrow. thank God, i think everyone who loves him was on pins and needles. especially when my friend liz told me about jeff, her old flame. this was more than i needed to know. thank you, God. he's home.

cku provo!

2006-02-28T23:27:00.000-07:00

woo hoo! it's true!! i got all the great classes, i just can't wait!! just look at all these cool classes!!!

CKU-ProvoMay 2006 Class Schedule

THURSDAY MINI-CLASS-----------------------
Thursday 10:15 am - 10:45 am M 101 Chatterbox Mini Class
THURSDAY MINI-CLASS-----------------------

Thursday 11:05 am - 11:35 am M 102 Making Memories Mini class
THURSDAY-----------------------
8:00 pm - 11:00 pm Campus Crop, featuring Dorm Contests judging
FRIDAY-----------------------
8:30 am - 10:00 am D 111 Pocketful of Memories - lisa bearnson
10:30 am - 12:00 pm D 125 Do You Know What You Could Do? - stacy julian!
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm D 129 Creative HE"ART" - donna downey
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm T 139 Ribbon Rehab - elsie flannigan
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm T 175 Travel Card Keeper - kristan paolacci
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm Friday Study Hall Crop 1

SATURDAY-----------------------
8:30 am - 10:00 am T 141 Photo Retouching and Creativity with PhotoShop Elements
10:30 am - 12:00 pm T 171 100% Boy - andria gibons
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm T 161 Photo Décor - jessica kopp
2:30 pm - 3:30 pm D 127 Do-ability - donna downey
4:00 pm - 5:00 pm D 187 Real Life Moments - christy tomlinson & carrie utley

i just can't wait!!! sooo much fun!!!

shhh

2006-02-25T22:44:00.000-07:00

m loves her kids magazines, especially national geographic for kids. i'm not sure which one this was but this is how i found her when i went in to check on her tonight. i guess all the partying and trouble making with cameron wore her right out, lol! it's kinda cute... the story is about having sweet dreams.

awww don't you just love them when they're asleep???

ironic

2006-02-25T22:28:00.000-07:00

so, my friend elizabeth was over tonight. while our two oldest were upstairs, jumping on m's bed, and creating all sorts of mayhem and disaster, our two year olds were sitting quietly in the living room enjoying an apple, baby bach and quiet company of each other. i don't get it. i don't know about anyone else... my daughter saves her worst behaviour for when i have company. why is that?? but i think get togethers for our two oldest will occur only at the zoo from now on.

hmmmmpff. as nanny mcphee would say.

donna ROCKS!

2006-02-25T00:59:00.000-07:00

wow!!! what an awesome time we had with donna downey herself at an online chat at love2scrap! she's a crazy lady, and sooo much fun! i really enjoyed chatting with her, and it's got me even MORE pumped to take two of her classes, creative he'art' and 'do-ability' when i go to cku provo in may!! woohoo! and before that, she'll be here in edmonton in april for the urban scrapbook convention... i just can't wait!! how much fun a girl can have in a week... wow!!!