spring

i am hoping that spring is here to stay. it definitely helped to survive winter in a larger home. however noise is still noise and seems to get louder as winter progresses.

i am not completely sure if my neighbours agree with my happiness that the kids have taken their noisiness outdoors. i think most of their yelling and shouting have calmed down a bit.

this is a photo from last spring. Kiara had just gotten her brand new 2-wheeler. she mostly just sat! it did move a few centimetres at a time, but never moved for long. by the end of the summer she was pedalling 2 1/2 kilometres happily. we actually did a family bike ride with all four of us riding. amazing!




i used to park a lawn chair by the curb and relax while they rode. i still remember doing that while Kiara napped and it was Aidan's first year on a bike. he rode while i read. i was in awe when i realized 2 hours had passed. it was awesome! thank goodness the kids enjoy cycling as much as we do. {at the time we had to head to the backyard when Kiara woke, otherwise she often tried to play in the street. i'm sure she thought we were the crazy ones when all that paved space beckoned her!}




just love this AC Dear Lizzy papers. bright and cheerful! i tried a rosette with a paper punched edge. I also used my new EK punch for several flowers. i even experimented with a folded paper rose using the punch. and had to add some coloured microbeads. that ribbon is a favourite. i love how the sheer picks up the background colours.

we've had a bit of spring cleaning happening here too. i am one of those sick people who actually enjoy organizing. {when i have the time!} it is a challenge to figure out how to organize, but then helps me organize my thoughts while i do it. except when the paper shredder is on! that machine is like the "off" switch for logical thinking,

i spent some time putting photos away, and then decided to re-organize my scrapbook albums.

the kids still have their baby albums.

but the rest of the albums are now arranged in chronological order. which is really odd because i am not a chronological scrapper! however this need for me to view the photos in order has been a strong force!

it did help me to see that i will also need to purchase an album for each of the kids school years. i am going to think about those albums and order something special.

my original "real" albums were the post-bound type. i have now become a fan of the D-ring binders.

for many reasons! but one being that i can choose from an assortment of page protectors that will all fit into the 3 ring system.

i took my layout to the store today and checked out the new products. how will i ever choose paper for the May layout, was my thought as i shopped. there is just so much good stuff to choose from!

my faves today:

Fancy Pants Road Show. their cards have the cutest sayings! i told Kristian that i want to buy a frame and just frame the "blackboard" 12x12! it would be so awesome as a memo board. their blog is really inspirational too. love!

Websters' Pages.  life's portrait. garden gala. lullaby lane.  oh my goodness! the first time i used their pages on a layout were for Christmas. i bought only 1 of each of my faves. then i couldn't decide which side to use. i think i had 4 papers. yes, i made 8 layouts! they are so elegant that i think they would be so nice just framed on their own. the store also has some in 6x6 paper packs. and all the embellishments to go with them. it took all the restraint to hold myself back. if didn't have to purchase those albums...


what is your album organizational solution?