December kit

December kits are now available to purchase!!!

You will LOVE this beautiful collection of rich black and white products to add a little elegance to your holiday layouts and projects!!

Paper line is featuring Tinkering Ink 'noir blanc' collection and lots of fabulous products to compliment the package! Heidi Swapp, Queen & Co, S.E.I, Making Memories, Bazzill, Kaiser Craft and more!!

Those of you already on my contact list should have received a complete content list in my December email i just sent you...if you need it again, OR if you are not on my contact list and are interested in the monthly kits ( and/or classes/hall crops, etc... ) please email me at thegriffs@mts.net or you can leave your request in my comments!

coming soon in January....monthly kit subscriptions!!!

:O)

ok.ok...i caved!

...although i TRY to keep the suspense going until the first of each month for the new kit release, i have been 'under pressure' from all my favorite scrappers to 'pllllllleeeeeeeeeezzzzeeeee' show a sneek peek of the december kit...

so here you go ya bunch of spoiled brats!!

hahahahaha!!! (kidding)

JUST A LITTLE PEEK!

be sure to check back on DECEMBER 1st ( 4 more days ) for more photos of the whole kit and content list!!

Kits sell for $29 plus pst!

it's late & i'm hungry...

...had another AWESOME Christmas card making class tonight with Michelle Vernaus from Stampin' Up as my guest teacher! we had another full house with 13 of us crammed downstairs but we all had a fab time creating our cards, listening to christmas tunes and having a visit together! THANK YOU michelle for sharing your talent and inspiration with us!!

...MAN, AM I EVER HUNGRY...

i didn't have any supper before the class, actually, now that i think of it i didn't have any lunch today either...just a cup of hot chocolate for breakfast...no wonder why my stomach is grumbling!

ya know how when you're beyond hungry you will eat anything and everything you can get yer hands on? well, i could REALLY go for some of this right now...

i made this for dinner one night several weeks ago and impressed myself so much that ONE) i made it, and TWO) it was pretty dang tasty too!!! ( drool...) so i JUST HAD to snap a quick photo of it before i devoured it! teehee.

well, it's 11:46pm and since there's no way i'm making THAT right now, i better go make myself a PB sandwich and get to bed...

kids are back to school tomorrow from their extended long weekend...it was sure nice having that extra time with them!

'nite all!

:O)

this 'n that album

...as promised, here's some photos of the 'this 'n that' album class i am teaching this coming friday night ( nov 30. 6pm-midnite, pizza party for snack, class fee is $20 )

this is all the supplies that are provided for you to create your very own

This 'n That

album for someone special ( maybe for Christmas? )

if you need more info on this class and have not received my november newsletter regarding the details, please email me and i will send it to you:

thegriffs@mts.net

...and to give you an idea of how it looks made into an album...

the size is 5 x 71/2 , also provided is the thick cardboard for the covers, and binder rings!!

...i had to work again tonight and man was it dead in there because of the Greycup game!

( too bad for the Bombers )

i came home and got to spend a little time with the kids before bed, which is a treat because they are usually in bed way before i get home from work!

courtney wanted to sleep over at grandma's house tonight...so off she went til tomorrow

( the kids have no school monday for report card preparations! )

it's been a long time since she got to sleep over there with my grandparents still living there. they were all looking forward to her company!

...still waiting to hear about the apartment for G & G...but they said possibly as soon as January they might have a 2 bedroom available for them...i don't think grandpa is in such a rush though to move out of mom's...he's been very spoiled!

well, better get off to bed, it's MIDNITE...another late night...

i am having a card making class tomorrow night so i'm looking forward to the creative talent of Michelle Vernaus guest teaching another successful class!

tootles for now....

:O)

SWIM-A-THON...and santa claus

...wow...

a busy weekend so far!

i had my monthly HALL CROP last night with 24 great gals ( and a wee new 6 week old 'newbie' who slept through most of the evening! thanks for the visit Liberty! )

it was a very late night by the time mike and i got everything packed up and back home...i then had some typing to do for courtney's dance teacher for today that had to be done, so that led me to a 2:30am nite! ( her dance teacher called me with 3 pages of notes about half an hour before i had to go to the hall to set up, so that's why it had to be when i got home after )

..because first thing this morning courtney participated in her very first Swim-a-thon for her Manta swim group!!

we were off the the Pan Am pool first thing this morning where she had 30 minutes to swim at her own pace as many laps as she could...she did thirty 25m laps, all different strokes!!

great job courtney! i enjoyed watching her and taking it all in!

after that, mike and i took her to tim horton's for a hot chocolate and a muffin before i took her off to her saturday dance workshop! ( no rest for the weary this weekend i tell ya...)

here's some shots from this morning!

...this is courtney and her swim coach Jessica from Concordia Manta...

...i have attempted tonight to add and finish off the sample album for my class this coming friday night...hang in there to the few ladies who wanted to see it...suffering from lack of brain function tonight!!! i do still have 4 spots available for this class. pic's coming soon! ( promise )

...HEY, i have a 'beef' i wanted to vent a little about...

tell me what you think?

tonight my little guy came home from a visit with his father and when i was tucking him in to bed and saying bedtime prayers he said, in this sad little voice...

'...told me that there's no such thing as Santa Claus. is that for real mommy?'

i was surprised and wasn't prepared by his father that he decided to TELL HIM THIS without any discussion to me. he knows that my family makes the holiday season all about the kids and i suppose he wasn't brought up the same way. and i have gone through this with courtney over the last couple years asking 'if Santa is real' or not because of things kids say at school...i tried my best with her, as i ALSO found myself with my son tonight, to explain that they can believe in whatever holiday 'magic' they want to believe in. i told them that in a way the whole idea of 'Santa Claus' is the spirit of giving, not getting. it's hard to explain this to someone so small because at 5 years old, it's all about getting...ya know what i mean?

anyway, i tired to tell him that some people believe that Santa is a realy person, which in part is actually true! maybe you know him as St. Nicholas? there is a true story of many years ago of a kind man who DID in fact give gifts to people ( mostly the needy ) around Christmas time to share his kindness and act of selfless giving...he later became known as the above, St. Nick....and since then Santa Claus.

courtney knows this story and i suppose tyler will hear it too someday, but he is still too young to try and figure it all out. so i was a little upset that this fact was exposed to him and left me unprepared to deal with.

i was not traumatized as a child to find out that santa was not real...i guess i really figured it out for myself as i got older...school stories, and friends....but i was definately not mad or upset at my parents for letting my believe in something as a child to put a little mystery and magic into the holiday season!

so, here's my theory on mr. claus:

i think as long as the whole social aspect of santa claus is not something to 'hold over' or control your kids this time of year ( santa is watching you...you better be good or santa won't bring you any presents...that's it, i'm phoning santa and telling him not to bring you anything because you're not listening to me...NOOOOO!" ) that it's harmless to let the kids think that someone magically brought them a gift from Santa claus! it keeps things fun for them!

i am a christian and of course believe in religious reasons for the true meaning of Chirstmas ( 'jesus is the reason for the season....' ) and my kids know this too, so i don't see any harm in letting them have a childhood memory of those magical mysteries at Christmas that made them smile and be happy!

like who really had those cookies and milk? pracitcing different ways of handwriting the gift tags to write 'from santa' without the kids recognizing your penmanship...staying up until 2am christmas eve to make sure the kids were in a deep sleep before you sneek into the room to stuff the stockings without being heard...you know all the secret santa stuff i'm talking about!

sooooo...what do you think about santa claus, the spirit of giving???

...and the winner is...

DANA GORDON!!!

after reviewing my comment entries and email entries for my "NAME MY CAMERA" contest...i have decided that i like one of Dana's names to be the best suitable for my camera!!

..there were several names that i considered and looked into more, such as "Cane" ( CANON camera and rhyming with 'PAIN'...in the butt for having to be fixed so soon..)but after my doubts of the fact that Cane was indeed the first known 'murderer' in the Bible ( he killed his brother Abel ) i decided that i didn't want my camera to be a known felon....another name i liked was "Angelo" ..thinking of the camera as an artist...in a way. but after seeing the second definition on the Urban dictionary website, it refers to 'angelo' as a naughty little word for, well, uh, jerking off!!! hahahahaha...sooooo, that being said, there will be NO angelo for my camera!!

( sorry about the slang Mom...GIGGLE )

so, i'd like to introduce you 'formally' to...

SCOUT!

Webster's online dictionary:

VERB:

1) explore, often with the goal of finding something or somebody.

i thought that suited my camera just fine!!!

DANA, i will bring your surprise ( photographed above ) to the hall crop on friday night for you!!

thanks to everyone who participated in my contest....stay tuned!!

:O)

( my Scout )

THANK YOU!!!!

...so i just wanted to send out a MEGA SUPER THANK YOU to all my friends who responded to my emails i sent out a few weeks ago and gave so generously to my friend Charleen and her 3 children, who lost pretty much EVERYTHING in their home due to a house fire in October!!!

charleen and her kids had to live in a hotel for a few weeks until the insurance company approved the home she is renting now, until she will be able to return to her newly renovated home around April 2008!

i have been collecting non-parishable food items, gently used toys and books and clothing, household items and just about whatever you kind people were willing to help out with!!

here's the bulk of the delivery i made to her house on wednesday night....

...i am soooo grateful to have people in my life with the kindest, sweetest and biggest hearts in the world!! i went for dinner with charleen wednesday night and showed her the photo above on my camera and told her what i had been up to....

she was in shock!!! and i felt so good bringing all this to my friends 'temporary' home for her and the kids knowing that you all did something so selflessly to help my friend!!

charleen showed me a stack of photos taken in the house after the fire and i cannot tell you how awful a feeling it is to see such devastating images that happened to people you love and care about. seeing some of the kids burned up toys and bedrooms broke my heart...

so, again my friends...

i cannot thank you enough!!!

thank you ...thank you....thank you...

HUGS!!!

i will give you some faces to the names you've been hearing about from me...

this is Charleen and her oldest daughter Burgandy ( 11 years old )...oh , and Jersey their dog...

...little sleeping angel #1...Arizona ( 6 years old )...

...and little sleeping angel #2 Hudson ( 3 years old )...

...thank you again everyone from the bottom of my heart for all your generosity and help!!!
:O)
p.s,
don't forget to check out my contest post further down that ends this sunday night at midnite...
"NAME KIM'S CAMERA"
heeheehee

posts are still going!!!

...my door bell rang a while ago and there stood my lovely postman holding my package from colleen in GEORGIA!!!!

i've mentioned before that i order her monthly kits ( for something different that is FOR ME to play with!! hahahaha )

and today i received my september, october and november kits!!!

i am sure to stay on her monthly subscription as i LOVE all the goodies she puts together!

just look at all this yummy eye candy!!!

her online business is called Cupcake Scrapshop and you must check out her website for great kits to buy, an awesome gallery of ideas for each monthly kit ( i'm workin' on it...i know, i know... ) and ALSO some yummy monthly cupcake recipes!!

check her out at

www.cupcakescrapshop.com

THANK YOU COLLEEN!!!

these kits are totally awesome smawsome...i love 'em!!

:O)
(keep scrolling down to find my CONTEST i posted today!!! )

catch up from the weekend...#1

i'm happy!!!

i can upload pictures again...yay!!!

( man, it was almost like being without my camera with no pictures! )

anyway...here's a few pic's from courtney's dance competition on saturday.

after all the dancing with grandma and 4 new medals!!

way to go Punky!!

( she finished 3rd overall out of her group )

(hugs)

...this next photo will make anyone with a 'foot fettish' squimish...
but courtney had her first 'injury' inflicted from dancing at the competition!!
she does this dance called the JIG in a different costume and wears different dance shoes ONLY for this dance...they have been getting small and tight on her feet, but i was hoping to squeeze in this last competition until january before i had to buy her some new ones..since she only had to wear them in one dance..but she complained the whole time wearing them on saturday about how tight they were and how they were hurting her feet...and it wasn't until she did her very last dance that my mom took her shoes off and we discovered a real NASTY blister had formed and burst on the back of her heel!! poor kid! but she still went up on the stage, depsite a slight pause in the dance, she fought with her shoes and finished it up like a little trooper!
so naturally, i had to take a pic of her first dance 'boo boo' for her scrapbook....
(just scroll past if boo boo's gross you out!!! )
hahahahaha.....
...whew...
and later on we just had a very, very quiet relaxing evening at home with coloring, books, and SPIDERMAN 3 on DVD!!!

...mom took G & G ( grandma & grandpa ) to see an apartment at Concodia Village on friday afternoon ( assisted living ) and they really liked the suite they were shown!

they gave a damage deposit check to hold until they get a 2 bedroom suite available!

they got the tour of the facility and LOVED what they saw and all the activities that go on for all the senior's there! all their meals are included in the 'rent' so grandma won't have to cook if she doesn't feel like it...she will have her own kitchen to cook and bake in....there is medical staff on 24 hours if needed, and homecare will still come to help out with grandpa!

it's perfect!

they may get in as early as January!!!

grandpa has been out walking ( on monday he walked 2 whole blocks with the respite worker! ) and is doing pretty good! he is in great spirits and his same old witty self! grandma is doing pretty good but just run down from poor sleeping with grandpa in the same room...he wakes her up 2 or 3 times a night still to go to the bathroom or just to make sure she's there!!!

they will be going through a lot of changes over this winter and even though the outcome will be good for them to get settled into their own place, it also means packing up and selling their house as well.

their home that they have lived in most of their lives together.

it's going to be hard to help pack it all up, all those memories...

grandma has been slowly starting to sort through things that she wants to keep for their new place, things to give to 'sally anne' and things to toss...kinda like TLC's Clean Sweep...( man, i love that show...)

grandma is finding it extremely hard and very emotional going through this process but it has to be done.

she needs positive encouragement daily that good things are yet to come for them and to hang in there and keep positive!!!
:O)

scrapbooking stuff

...whoohoo...

i'm so happy i can post with picutes again!!!

here's some pic's of courtney's first swim meet in june that i did a layout with on friday night at lora leigh's hall crop...

here's to yet ANOTHER album to keep up!!! { GIGGLE }

...and on monday night i had a christmas card making class with

MICHELLE VERNAUS

from Stampin' Up as my guest host teacher!

here's the 5 cards everybody got to make!!!

Luv 'Em.

we had a full house with 13 of us down there, but we all had a fun night, and we all

LOOOOOVED our cards we made!

by popular demand, Michelle will be guest teaching for me again, another christmas card making class on nov.26th...with 5 different cards!

we are already full with 13!!!!

WOW!

great job Michelle!!!

:O)

a little contest...

..looks like all the problems have been fixed on blogger, so here we go with a little CONTEST!!!

most of you who know me KNOW about my photography passion...

and also know about my new digital camera ordeal lately as well...

so, with that being said, and of course now that my finicky camera has come home all fixed up, i am going to give this toy of mine a NAME!!!

you will have until midnight this coming SUNDAY ( nov. 18 ) to COMMENT on my blog some name ideas for HIM!

why a him?

because this camera is tempermental, sometimes stubborn, needed to 'get fixed' after only playing with it for 6 weeks, and it operates fast and efficient!

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

i will be picking the winning name for my camera after midnight sunday night and posting the

WINNER

on my blog monday morning...along with the 'little something' i will be giving to the

WINNER!!!!

( feel free to suggest as many names as you'd like!!! )

:O)

Stupid...

...Blogger.

for 4 days now i cannot upload any photos.

i wish they would fix this problemo already!!! don't they know you are waiting for pic's and contests???

i guess i'll just have to hold off on my little contest i want to do until they fix their problem. i will keep checking on it of course!!

this weekend was pretty quiet, with the exception of postponing my canvas project class on friday night ( i will offer that one again and hopefully the date will work better for those of you wanting to attend that class )...

so mom and i and lori went to a hall crop instead!!! i did a 2 page layout from courtney's first 'swim meet' to start yet ANOTHER album...and of course, i can't show the pic's of the layouts right now...

and then saturday courtney had a dance competition, YIKES, we were there for over 6 HOURS!!!! the kids were just finished....too long! mike was with us and he left around 12:30 with tyler so he wouldn't have to be stuck there all day long...he was such a good little guy!!! he was always giving courtney 'good luck' hugs before she went up to compete in each dance!!

anyway, she danced well and finished 3rd overall again in her group!!!

so proud...so, so proud!!!

now we have a bit of a break from competitions until january...but in the meantime, we will be preparing choreography for the big Christmas concert her dance teacher always has annually!! tyler will be dancing in it again this year too for fun!!! he likes to go on the 'big stage' and do his cute little numbers!!!!

yesterday was a pretty slack and lazy day until i had to go to work...stayed in my p.j's until around 2pm, helped courtney with some studying for math and science tests she's having this week and then went to work!!

i am having a very FULL card making class tonight, so i'd better get going to finish preparing my house...gotta take grandma to the eye doctor this afternoon too...then Manta for courtney after school...i wish i could go back to yesterday!!!

(sigh)

:O)

SURPRISE!!!

...i have been trying ALL DAY to get 2 photos uploaded to share my promised surprise with you, but because of technical problems on Bloggers end, i only finally managed to get ONE photo up for you! oh well, it's the most important one i guess!

as i mentioned yesterday, in honour of my 100th post, i put together this SUPRISE PACKAGE for my most loyal commentor on my blog!!!

this package is valued at approx. $100 and i'm giving it to...

TARA LECLAIRE!!!!

...thank you TARA for taking a few seconds on almost EVERY POST since feb.8.2007 to drop a few lines of support, encouragement, excitement and happiness!! you are one of my BEST 'students'...always anxious and eager for my classes that i prepare and you're always so thrilled to see your finished projects! you inspire me to keep being creative and to learn and share new things at my classes!!

you are also a very good friend to me your emails and comments always make me smile!!

THANK YOU FOR BEING SUCH A GREAT BLOG COMMENTOR!!!

you can pick up your goodies at the next class you're attending on monday!!!

SOOOO...

ya never know what you might find on my blog!!!

i have a little contest coming up tomorrow as well...be sure to check back!

( and let's all hope that Blogger will co-operate with uploading pictures tomorrow too!)

heeheehee...

:O)

dagnabbit....

...so BLOGGER has picked

THE WORST TIME

to crash!!!

AAAGGGHHHH!!!

i'm sorry to those of you waiting in suspense for my

SURPRISE...

but i cannot upload any photos right now because the blogger site seems to be having some technical difficulties...

BLAH.

i have been sitting her for over 2 hours of my precious time trying to restart and reboot the computer but since everything else is in 'check'... it's the blogger site...

so...i cannot tell you my surprise without my pic's i took to share with you..

guess we'll have to keep trying throughout the day...

sorry guys...but keep checking back!!

:O)

I have a surprise to announce!!!

ok.

so what is ACTUAL on this blog as far as counting posts goes...i have two different numbers.

one says 97, and the other once logged in says 101.

So,

in honour of my 100th post, whenever it actually happened/happens? i have a

SURPRISE

that i will be sharing with you

TOMORROW MORNING!!!

heeheehee...i love suspense when it's good!!!

:O)

good news...

wow. it's been a very crazy busy last few days but it's now 12:02am and it's all over...

SCRAPAGANZA 3 that is!!!

i was a vendor/teacher again at the semi-annual Scrapaganza in stonewall, mb for my friend allison's big event! ( she owns the SCRAPYARD in town ! ) ...she hosts this amazing 'crop' at the new life church in stonewall and this time we had DOUBLE the ladies than in the spring in april!!! ...120!!!...it was very hectic but soooo much fun!! i can't believe how fast the day flew by!

the event was from 9 this morning until 8 tonight...but mike helped load up the truck and the van yesterday afternoon and after we picked up courtney from school and dropped the kids off at mom's, we were ready to go out to start setting up!!!

...well, after i got this totally cute pic of my niece airiel with grandpa going for a walk when we arrived at mom's!! i'm glad grandpa was up for a little fresh air to stretch his legs!

...mom called me yesterday afternoon asking if it would be okay for me to take GRANDMA along to help me set up my store!!! she wanted to see everything and check things out, to see 'what all this scrapbooking stuff is all about'...so cute! after asking her several times if she was up to the approximate 4 hour adventure, grandma assured me that she really wanted to come along! ( she needed a break and a change of scenery ) i thought it would be good for her too!!

so, slave labourer that i am, i put my 86 year old grandma to work filling paper racks and hanging stock on peg hooks!!! SHE HAD A BLAST AND WAS GIGGLING AND SMILING THE WHOLE TIME!!! man, was it good for her! ( hey, and me...free labour!! heeheehee...)

she was so dang cute hustling around and asking for things to do...she really wanted to be a part of everything and i LOVED having this time with her and letting her see what i do almost every weekend with ' all that scrapbooking stuff'....well, just not this big though!!!

...here's a few pic's here and there of 'my store' once we were all set up for today...

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH GRANDMA AND MIKE FOR ALL YOUR WILLING HELP AND EXCITEMENT FOR ME AND FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!!!!

I LOVE YOU!!!

...here's ALLISON and I having a chill moment...

( you are such an amazing person allison, you have the biggest heart and the warmest personality...i feel so blessed to have you for a friend!!! )

...ACTION ALLEY...

it actually went around the corners at both ends here, just huge!!!

...this is a shot while during my 'painting with Heidi Swapp masks' class i taught

5 times today...

good times, good times...

...i made up a pretty pink storage box FULL of Heidi Swapp goodies for a draw prize...

here's my winner!!!

:O)

...what would be a crop without mom and her friend grace there???

tee hee.

thank you both of you again for your continuous support to my business and encouragement to me!!! you have been there right from the beginning ( almost 2 years ago ) and i'm so happy to have such eager, enthusiast "students" all the time!!!

BIG HUGS!!!!

...say hello to Karen and Charlotte...

( allison's niece and daughter, also teachers for classes today too! great job ladies, lots of happy people!! )

...allison handing over her grand prize door prize...she looks so excited that you'd think SHE won it!!! LOL!!!

just how many prizes DID you GIVE AWAY today allsion?

soooooo many awesome FREE door prize draws...unreal!!

...and, when all was said and done, tables down, stores packed up, here's allison and i at the end of the night!!!

WHEW!!!

...what a fantastic day!!! thank you allsion for letting me be a part of such a fun adventure!

...now...

i do have a few other things to say here....

let's see, oh, first of all...

NOVEMBER KITS ARE

SOLD OUT!!!

can you believe it already? i'm so excited about such an overwhelming sale of them!!!

i will definately be making more kits in numbers for december as they are really selling themselves...there's soooo much yummy stuff in them and so easy for you to get going on something since everything co-ordinates so awesome together!!! check back december 1 on my blog for pictures of the next exciting kit!!!

( i still have 5 FANTASTIC october kits left...get 'em while you can!!! )

hhmmmm...ah yes,

YESTERDAY WAS MY 100th post!!!

yay me!!!!

i didn't even notice until today. so that kind of defeats the purpose of celebrating a 100th post. oh well. there's always 200.....

ok. i think i'm all typed out and caught up on the excitement...

must go set my clock back an hour before bed ( YAHOO ) and get some shuteye....

it was a big, long day, so i hope i get some big, long sleep!!!

how was the hot tub tonight allison? i promise, i will be coming out this winter....

:O)