Christmas Season has begun

Its hard to believe its December 1.  Daniel and I heard the 12 Days of Christmas by Bob and Doug MacKenzie on the radio this morning so I can say that the season is officially upon us.    LOL  

And here I am not having my Christmas shopping done!!!   Yikes.   This is an off year for me big time.   Time to buckle down and focus!!!   

I would like to share this simple card that I made.  Quick, easy, and still has a wow factor.

Supplies that I used are as follows :

Cardstock:  Whisper White and Soft Sky (unfortunately the camera wasn't able to pick up the beautiful soft blue color of this cardstock)

Stamp Set:  Cheerful Christmas from the Holiday Catalogue

Ink Pad:  Cherry Cobbler (my favourite)

Emobssing Folder:  Filigree Frame from the Holiday Catalogue

Embellishments:  Frosted Sequins (again the Holiday Catalogue)  and Dazzling Details in Cherry Cobbler


I hope your month of December is off to a very good start.  And unlike me, you have your shopping completed.  LOL

Thanks for stopping and visiting my corner of the blogging world.   Until next time.

I Was Whisked Away for a Romantic Getaway, How Lucky Am I!!

Sometimes life gets crazy and you need to getaway from it all.  And I am very fortunate that Dave decided to do just that a few weeks ago.   He whisked me away for a weekend of wining and dining and romance.  Something that was greatly needed.   He booked us a fabulous room at the Prince of Wales hotel in Niagara on The Lake.  One of my favourite towns here in Ontario.   

An amazing surprise awaited me in our room.   A stunning bouquet of roses and a bottle of champagne to warm me up on a cold night.  

Love the bubbles in champagne.  Made me realize we should drink it more often.  Maybe I willl pick up a bottle for Christmas and another one for New Years.  LOL

Our room was amazing.   A large sitting area,  a big comfy bed.   A huge bathroom with a jacuzzi, and heated towel bars.    And I fell in love with the details of this stunning Tiffany Lamp.

We stayed for two nights.   Each night we were treated to an amazing three course dinner.  The first was at the restaurant at the Prince of Wales,  Escabèche, with wine of course.   

After dinner when we went back to our room there was another rose waiting for me on our bed.   

The following night we had dinner at The Cannery in the Pillar and Post Inn.  A more casual dinner but still very good and of course another rose awaited me in our room after dinner.  (Did I mention how lucky I am and spoiled of course) 

Saturday we spent the day exploring the area.   We slept in, had breakfast in our room and took our time driving around.  We started out at Chocolate FX where we had a tour of their facilities and received free chocolate truffles and of course we loaded up on alot of chocolate.  Chocolate covered cherries, mint chocolate, dark chocolate, etc.

We had lunch at the Ravine Vineyards at their restaurant overlooking a section of Vineyards, the squash soup was perfect to start our lunch on a cold November day, I had a delicious lobster roll with salad and of course a glass of wine to complement the lobster.   Dave had a burger with homemade fries and a glass of wine to go with the burger.   We followed lunch with some wine tasting in their tasting room.  And of course we had to buy a few bottles.  Dave picked up a jar of Marmalade infused with Scotch whiskey,and he has enjoyed it on his toast a few times since we have returned home.

We then went to Chateau des Charmes vineyards.  We enjoyed the tour of the winery where we were able to peek into the pressing room where they were busy processing the last set of grapes of the season that were picked that morning.  We then went into the basement where the wine is stored in stainless steel vats for white wine and oak casks for red, where the wine sits for a year at lease before being bottled.   Afterwards we went upstairs for more wine tasting, which Dave and I found really interesting.   Our guide educated our group on how to properly taste wine, starting off first with a light white wine (I do not remember exactly which kind, I was still working with a bit of buzz from the first vineyard, lol) and ended with a nice Cabernet.   And of course we had to buy more wine.

Sunday we took our time heading home.  We did some shopping in downtown Niagara on the Lake.   Visited Fort George and had a private tour and learned quite a bit of history of Niagara on the Lake and the war of 1812 where the town was pretty much destroyed by the invading Americans, and life of soldiers in the British army in that time period.   As two history junkies, Dave and I loved the tour.  

And to say we were frozen after the visiting the Fort is an understatement.  LOL  Thank goodness for a car with excellent heat.  And we forgot about the heated seats in Dave's car until we were almost home.  We both had a "what the hell were  we thinking"   moment on that one.  LOL

The next morning getting up early and having to think about what to make for dinner was a shock to my system.

Now we are planning our next weekend away sometime in the New Year.  For now I have Christmas on my mind, baking, meal planning, tag making, present wrapping and of course decorating.

Thanks for visiting my corner of the blogging world.  Your comments are always welcome.  Enjoy your day!!!

Happy Halloween!!!!

Happy Halloween!!

Last night we carved pumpkins and we are missing a child as Laura is away at university.   Can you tell who is the serious one?  

Dave decided to get out the power tools when it came time to carve.  Pumpkin juice was flying everywhere!!!

Dalwhinnie just watched not sure what to make of what we were doing.  

Daniel and Amanda posing with their finished creations.

Dalwhinnie decided to pose in the picture as well.  But she appears to be a bit camera shy.  LOL

We are getting ready to start handing out candy here tonight.  Daniel and Amanda are too old to go out trick or treating so we don't have to eat dinner in a rush and do hair and make up etc.   Around here it is a rainy day and night that is suppose to turn to snow later tonight.    Stay safe, and try not to eat too much candy.

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world.  

Pass the Honey Pot

I had the fun task of setting up a challenge for our team, since our team name is CraftDBears, and a bear is our mascot, Denise (our team leader) and I decided to name this challenge Pass the Honey Pot.   We had two teams of 4 people each.  I picked a card from the current Stampin' Up! Catalogue and Idea Book.  I passed that image on to the first person on each team.   Using current Stampin' Up! product, they used the original image as inspiration for their card.  Not to recreate the card, but use the card as inspiration to create a unique card, make it their own so to speak.   They then sent me an image of the card they created.  I would then take the card that team member #1 created and send it to team member #2, who would follow the same rules as the first person.  I would then take team member#2's card and send it to team member #3 etc.  Kind of like the telephone game with cards.  

Everybody had fun.  And I loved seeing the evolution of the original image and what the final card ended up looking like.    The response was very positive and I would love to do it again.   

Below is the original card that I chose from the Idea Book and Catalogue on page 67.

For Team One, we started out with our fearless leader Denise, you can find her blog at CraftDBear

The Honey Pot was then passed on to Tammie, you can find her blog at Pieces Of Paper and Puppies

Then we passed it onto Margie, you can find her blog at Margie's Stampin Studio

The final person to receive the Honey Pot on Team 1 was Melissa.  You can find her blog at Lovely Stamping

For Team 2 we started out with Kim, you can find her blog at More Fun Outside the Lines

The Honey Pot then made its way to Andrea, you can find her blog at Jomina Creations 

Then Carol Ann had some fun with the Honey Pot.  We are working on Carol Ann getting a blog so the world can see her talent.  LOL

And the final place that the Honey Pot stopped at was Laurie, who was being pressured by some of the team members.  Poor Laurie, it wasn't her fault she was the last one to get the Honey Pot.  LOL  Laurie too needs to get a blog showcasing her Stampin' Up! creations.   We are working on her.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging world.  Let these creations by some talented ladies be an inspiration for you to create something.      Express yourself through your art.   And have fun!!!

Horticulture Society Tour

 Our summer has been busy but good so far.  Not much time for crafting.  Getting away with Dave.  Dropping off and picking up kids from various relatives homes in different towns.  Amanda rehearsing and performing her Grade 3 & 4 Irish Dance Exams.  Which she passed!!!  Way to go Amanda!!!   Daniel's birthday yesterday.  He turned 14, my baby boy is growing up.  Happy Birthday Daniel!!!

Besides Amanda's exams, the girls going to Grandma and Grandpas to see a play with a cousin, and Daniel's birthday yesterday, we were busy preparing our backyard to be shown in our local Horticulture Society Tour.  One of our neighbours is on the Society board and asked if our yard could be added to the tour this year.  I explained our gardens are young.  Just a year old right now, so not established yet.  But they still wanted us on their tour.  So we said yes.  We have spent a lot of time this past week (especially Dave since I was mom's taxi service driving children here, there and everywhere), weeding, staining fence and shed, polishing the BBQ and fridge to a shine.   And putting decorative touches to the decor of the yard etc. The yard was ready to be shown.   Friday night we were able to tour the other properties with the rest of the home-owners and some of the society members.   We saw some stunning gardens that have been cultivated for over thirty years. Hopefully someday my gardens will be as full of gorgeous plants as the other ones.

Saturday was a busy day, we had 118 people come through our yard, we received all positive feedback on what we have done.  And a number of people wanted to just sit on the patio and not finish the tour.

Since the yard was spotless for once, all pets and children were banned until 4 pm that day.  Dave and I took various pictures of the yard through out the day, take advantage of it being show and picture ready.   And what a perfect day it was for the Horticulture tour.

To dress up our table, since it was free of food and such, I picked up some tiny vases at Dollarama and added a daisy from my garden to each one.   So pretty.  

After the tour was over, it was time to break out the steaks, onion rings, shrimp for Daniel's birthday dinner.  We had some family come over and the yard was no longer neat and tidy but cluttered and filled with laughter; which is why we built the yard in the first place.

Afterwards, when our company left, Dave and I crashed with some wine in front of the fireplace absolutely exhausted.  But our day wasn't over yet, we had to pick Laura up from work at midnight, luckily she works here in town, so we didn't have to drive too far.

 Thanks for stopping by and visiting my little corner of the blogging world.  This week looks to be a little more quiet and predictable and I hope to get into my studio and create.  We have a bridal shower for my niece to go to next weekend and a card needs to be made.

It Was A Very Good Week

Sometimes you need to get away for some rest and relaxation.  And that is what Dave and I did this past week.   For our anniversary Dave took me to The Couples Resort in Whitney, Ontario where we had much needed time to de stress and get away.    It was amazing. 

Whitney is a town just outside the eastern gates of Algonquin Park.  Both Dave and I love Algonquin Park, it is a beautiful part of the province that we have visited a few times.  We took our time driving there and enjoyed the journey to our destination.

When we arrived it was raining at the resort.  When we got to the room and stepped onto our private balcony overlooking Galeairy Lake, we saw a gorgeous rainbow.   An amazing welcome for us.

We settled into our room.  Enjoyed a nice bottle of wine and crashed in our giant four poster bed after a long day of travelling.

The next morning we awoke to rain.   Plans were changed but that is ok.  We were on vacation.  Enjoyed breakfast in our room.  Tried hiking a local trail but it was washed up so we went back to the room and read up on the area and the resort.  After lunch it cleared up so we went to Algonquin to do some exploring.  Checked out the art gallery in the park as well.   

These butterflies were everywhere we went.  So I had to get a picture of one.  No idea what it is.  Maybe somebody out there can tell me.  

We had dinner at the resort after our road trip.  We had no idea that each dinner would be a five course dinner.  Start off with an amuse bouche, followed by two starters, an entree, and dessert.   We were just a little full.  But being foodies, we loved being able to try new foods and explore different tastes and textures.   After a few days I think we each gained a few pounds.  LOL

We explored the resort grounds after supper and I had to get some pictures,  it is a stunning area.

Here is the view from our balcony.   Wednesday, it was very windy, so kayaking was out, too many white caps.  So we walked into town and did some exploring and had a couples massage at the resort spa in the afternoon.  We had originally booked a hot stone massage for each of us, but there was a computer glitch and I ended up with a regular massage and a facial.  I wasn't about to argue with the computer glitch.

Thursday was very cold.   The high of the day was 15 C.    We did horseback riding on some trails in the morning.  We both loved it.  Dave and I are huge animal lovers, and being able to ride through the woods riding these amazing creatures was therapeutic.  In the afternoon, we did some more exploring and this time headed east after checking out the Madawaska River that flows through Whitney.

It rained off and on most of the time we were there.   So we had time to watch season 1 and part of season 2 of Breaking Bad.  And we are hooked onto the show now and we are working through the rest of the series here at home.  I feel sorry for Jesse sometimes.  He always gets the short end of the stick it seems like.

Friday, was our 22nd anniversary, how the heck did that happen?   And we headed home.  Bye bye resort,  bye bye room service (I really miss that), bye bye five course meals.  We took our time heading home.  Stopped at Simply Cottage in Bracebridge and picked up a few items to decorate our backyard paradise.  Had a leisurely dinner in Barrie and picked up a nice bottle of red wine at an LCBO to drink by the fireplace at home.  And we talked about going back again sometime, possibly in the fall this time.  

Thanks for stopping by my little corner of the blogging world.    For now I am adjusting to real life again.  LOL

Who Doesn't Like Fun Mail??

Happy Saturday!!  And we are getting more snow today, because we don't have enough.  Poor Dalwhinnie tries walking in the backyard and she struggles as she cracks the ice on top of the snow and falls up to her armpit into snow drifts.   

Today I want to share with you  Paper Pumpkin.   Do you know what Paper Pumpkin is?   Paper Pumpkin is a monthly subscription from Stampin' Up! where you get a fun little package of goodies every month in the mail.  And who doesn't like fun mail.  And it costs only $24.95/month.   To be completely honest, when they started the program almost 2 years ago, I was not sold.   I saw a couple of the boxes that Denise was getting and I wasn't excited about it.  I have been scrapbooking and papercrafting for 16 years, I have seen so many trends etc come and go, I am looking for new and exciting, something I haven't seen before, yet I want to add to my growing stash.   Years ago I tried the monthly scrapbook kit in a pizza box and I ended up with a lot of product that I didn't use but paid money for.   So I sat on the fence, I didn't want to have a collection of boxes of unopened kits sitting in my studio reminding me of the money I spent on a product that is being unused.  

I went to Convention this year and decided to try out Paper Pumpkin with the kit they were offering free to those of us who visited the booth and wrote what we would use that month's kit for.  Well, that kit changed my mind.  It was a cute cute mini album that I could put together in a couple of hours.  So yes, I signed up.  And yes, the boxes started collecting in my studio over the fall as I dealt with the hospital, care agencies, etc getting my mom set up in her supported housing unit and the various emergencies I have had to deal as my mom's only caregiver/family in the area.    During these months I was neglecting my creative time.  Which deep down in my soul I need for my own sanity and this last  1 1/2 years I needed it.  But like most people, I put that me time on the back burner to focus on what needed to be done for not only my own children and husband but now an ageing parent having a health crisis in a town 1/2 hr away. 

 I didn't have the large blocks of time I like to have to focus on projects but I did have a growing number of Paper Pumpkin boxes sitting in my studio, unused. So I decided back in January to start opening up those boxes and making the projects based on the idea page inside.   I was mentally and emotionally burnt out, the creative juices were stalled, no they felt dead dead dead.  LOL   It was perfect.   In a matter of 30 minutes to an hour I had completed the project inside the box.  Be it a set of cards, a mini album, etc.       It got my creative juices going once again.   And it is helping me regain some of the sanity I thought I lost over the months.  LOL  

Here is the cute little box it comes in.  Not only do I stalk my UPS man, now you can add FedEx man to my list of favourite men in my life.  Dave is and always be number 1, but these guys bring me boxes of fun.  LOL

Every month the special project is wrapped in this fun blue tissue paper.  And this time of year in Ontario it is a color that brightens my day.  Makes me think of spring!!

This months kit and they have now switched the kit stamps to photopolymer.  Love it!!!

Here are all the kit components.  All I need is a block or two for the stamps and addhesives.  The kit this month is a set of four gift bags to decorate.  Love it.

Thursday night I hung out with a group of friends here in town.  We get together two Thursday nights a month to socialize and craft.  And we are called the Scrappy Janes.     And here is a bag that I completed that night.   How cute is that.  Whatever sentiment you want for the bag is up to you.   I chose thanks, it could be hello, celebrate, happy.  Customize the bag to suit your needs.

I also completed another Paper Pumpkin kit.  And for me to get even one project done during those nights is a huge accomplishment.  I get too busy talking and eating to get much done normally.  lol   Two have two kits was awesome!!!

If you need a creative outlet but short on time and energy, I highly recommend Paper Pumpkin.  The price is right and sometimes they throw a little something extra special in the box.   How does it get better than that? Why yes, it does get betteR, new prescriptions, I mean new memberships of Paper Pumpkin get a set of free markers!!!  A $19.95 value for FREE!!!

Contact me today and sign up!!   You won't regret it!

Thanks for stopping and visiting.  I can be reached at riajenkins@rogers.com

Its Been a Roller Coaster

Hello!!!  Are you cold?  I am today.  A wind chill warning was issued for my area today and boy do you feel it when you step out.   And a freak snow squall which was literally a wall of snow as I was driving into town to drop Dalwhinnie off at the groomer made driving interesting this morning.  

I just wanted  to catch everybody up on what has been going on in my life.  Why I have been not posting as regularly as I have hoped to.     And I will try to be brief as possible.  It has been a long year and a bit.  

 It has been a whirlwind few months for me capping off a crazy year and a half.  As many of you know my mom has been very ill the last 1 1/2 yrs.  She had surgery to remove a cancerous growth on her bowel Sept 2012 and things did not go well, she ended up in emergency surgery a week later and another emergency surgery the following week again.   In and out of ICU, and then in hospital until early Nov. 2013.  She ended up with an ileostomy, a drainage tube wound that will not heal and a permanent PICC line in her arm She was put in supportive housing, her own apartment but with Support Workers coming in a few times a day to help with meal prep, personal care etc. and nurses visiting  1-2 times a day to help her maintain her PICC line for hydration therapy, her kidneys are not functioning properly, and wound care for the drainage tube wound.  

 Since her initial discharge from hospital in early November 2013 until today she has been in her unit a total of 8 weeks.   She was re-admitted the morning of December 26 and had surgery January 2 in a major teaching hospital in London, Ontario for bypass on her legs for peripheral vascular disease that was diagnosed earlier in the fall.  The pain was not being controlled with pain killers and her feet were discoloring and developing ulcers.   Because of her current health condition they were unable to use her own veins for the bypass, they ended up using plastic veins.  After a lengthy hospital stay and rehab she was discharged January 31, to end up in hospital again on Feb. 20.   Shortly after discharge the visiting nurses noticed that her right leg wasn't looking right, turns out the surgery didn't work in the right leg.  We had an urgent visit with the surgeon, who confirmed that her veins were blocked again, the surgery didn't work.  There were  two options.  The first was to leave it alone, the nerves and flesh would die off, the pain that was already unbearable would continue and ulcers would develop. Or the other option would be amputation below the knee of the right leg.     After another emergency ward visit a couple of days later, we decided to go ahead with amputation to help with her quality of life.   Last week was a whirlwind of activity and emotions on top of all the  activity and emotions that I was dealing with the last year and a half.  We got the call there was a bed for her and on Thursday, Feb. 20 she was admitted with hopes to do the surgery the next day.  But surgery was postponed because she was too dehydrated, again her kidneys not working properly.  So they ended up doing the surgery very late Saturday night.  We were able to visit her the next day, my oldest daughter Laura goes to university in London and we had to bring her back at the end of her reading week.  My mom was in good spirits and it helped that one of her room mates had the same surgery as well.  

She was transferred back to the hospital in the town where she lives.  Where she is awaiting a bed in rehab where they will work with her to get as well as possible.  And we will be working with the local Community Care Access Centre of where is the best place for her to live.   Still a long road ahead, but we are learning to take things as they come.   

Through it all I have learned a lot about what I am capable of. And learned to navigate the realm of senior care here in Ontario.  While it is not perfect, I am grateful for our health system here in Ontario.   We have paid hardly anything out of pocket for her care, the support workers and visiting nurses are all covered by our provincial health plan.  While a lot of nursing homes won't take my mom because of the PICC line and that is a whole other story and I did say its not perfect, she is on the list for an excellent nursing home in her town, and if urgent there are other facilities in southern Ontario that we could have her admitted to until a bed becomes available in the home of her first choice. And we have OHIP subsidies to help cover the cost of her care while in a nursing home.   But for now she is still in hospital which at this time is the best place for her to be.

In the midst of this roller coaster ride I have made time for creativity.   And with Sale-A-Bration on I had to play with some more of my FREE products.   This card I copied directly from the Sale-A-Bration catalogue. I am loving the FREE product this year.  

Thanks for dropping by my little corner of the blogging world.  Take care.