Shop first, ask questions later...

I've been shopping.....

Spring is just around the corner, Miles is turning 2 & we are preparing for the summer patio/camping season. So there is a lot to shop for (ask me anytime of the year & I can give you at least 2 reasons to shop...).

Here are some of my favorite purchases from the past couple weeks.

I follow the blog www.lifeatthestore.com religiously. For a couple of reasons: 1. The blog was started by a friend of mine who is an owner of the Home Hardware in Lloydminster. 2. The blog is awesome. It has great recipes, reviews, gardening tips & best of all, the 411 on all the great new products coming into their store. Herein also lies the problem: Lloydminster is about 6 hours from here. So, I save my pennies & look forward to May. This store is amazing. I can't even begin to tell you how lucky you'll feel to have discovered this gem (A Hardware store! In Lloyd!). I could spend an entire day here. There's a cafe for a good latte (and a kick ass chocolate chip cookie) & in the gardening seasons the garden center boasts an ice cream shoppe (with more than just boring old vanilla ice cream), live animals (Miles loved watching the goats climb on the roof of their house) & more healthy* vibrant plants than you can imagine. I am obsessed with this store (and not just because I know the owner.)
* I had to add that the plants were Healthy. It should just be assumed that a garden centre would have healthy plants but with every big box/chain store opening a so-called "garden centre" these days... it isn't so. Can you honestly tell me the staff at Wal Mart/Zellers/Superstore know anything about the plants they are selling, let alone how to keep them healthy? Unlikely.

Here are a couple of things I picked up on this trip (Sadly, after visiting & ice cream, I only had about 30 minutes to shop)

I got this little Gardening box as a gift for a friends daughter. It's adorable and a great way to introduce gardening to a child. It's fun for kids to watch things grow... but there's also some instant satisfaction for kids who can color cute little wraps for the Bio Pot container (pencil crayons are included!). And get this: The box turns into a play garden. Love it.l also bought Miles this sound puzzle from Melissa & Doug. I have bought him wooden puzzles in the past, but not the ones with sound effects. He loved it. He also loved the "How Do Dinosaurs..." books that I picked up for him. These books are great & the illustrations are impressive. Miles is really into dinosaurs right now so this is a great way to get him counting/learn his colors etc.

If I could buy stocks in these Floursack tea towels I would. There are some things in life that are so worth spending money on (like Glad Force Flex garbage bags...). THESE tea towels are one of those things. I know. You think your tea towels are just fine. You got 10 of them for $5 at Wal Mart. They suck. I know because I used them for years not knowing that there was something better, and not caring (I mean come one, they're Tea Towels for Pete's sake). Floursack Tea Towels aren't just nice to look at (the colors are beautiful) but they are the perfect size, super absorbent & they dry faster than regular tea towels. I've never felt so passionate about a Tea Towel (and likely never will again). Buy these.
I picked up a bunch more stuff at HH (they have fabulous candles, jewelry, bags & yoga wear.) including a great Sugar Booger day pack for Miles (ok, I got one for myself as well....). These bags are adorable & are the perfect size for little guys. Check out Sugar Booger's cute gear. I have the Weekender Bag & I love it.
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Miles Birthday is around the corner. He is so into Toy Story. And with Toy Story 3 coming out, the stores are filled with great merchandise. I was at the Disney Store today (I loooove the Disney store) and bought these. They are from the new Pook-a-Looz collection. Pretty freakin' cute huh? Shhhhh. Don't tell Miles, he won't get them until his Bday.

And my mini-spree wouldn't be complete without a stop at a scrapbook store. This time I hit up Pam's Photographs & Memories Scrapbooking. It's relatively new & I hadn't been there before. It's a small store but I love to support the 'little guys'. I picked up this embossed cardstock pad ($19.99) & I am pretty excited to use the embossed wood grain paper.

10.

10 Things About Thomas

(In honor of our big adventure at yesterdays "A Day Out With Thomas".)

1. Thomas The Tank Engine was a book written in 1946 but wasn't popular until 1979 when a British TV producer mortgaged her house to bring the series to life. I can relate. I may have to mortgage my house in order to collect the entire series. At $25.99 per wooden engine, how much does that mean we've spent (on engines alone) if Miles has 7 of these?

2. I've noticed that on the TV show the engines are paid compliment by Sir Topham Hat who calls them "Very Useful Engines". If someone called me "Very Useful" I would likely slap them.

3. When I was little, I use to watch Shining Time Station, starring Thomas. It was also starring George Carlin & Ringo Starr. (The highlight of their careers no doubt).

4. Both George Carlin & (get this) Alec Baldwin have been Thomas narrators... both are comedians I love, but would NEVER allow my little boy to watch.

5. Asking for Thomas Engines for your Birthday is a lot of work. First, you must specify Wooden or Take-a-long (we collect wooden). Then you must make sure Grandma & Grandma have a list of the engines you already have (Thomas, Christmas Thomas, Hank, Percy, Molly, Hector & Harvey).

6. In 2008 Thomas starred in his first feature film. We haven't seen it. Yet.

7. I bought Miles the battery operated Percy engine. You push a button & he goes. Miles was scared of him. Miles was also scared of Sir Topham Hat (below).

8. Tickets for A Day Out With Thomas at Heritage Park were about $25. I saw them on Kijiji and Ebay for as much as $120. On the way there I thought "I should have sold these stupid things". On the way home I thought "What an amazing day, that was worth so much more than $25."

9. Miles makes 'train sounds' the whole time he plays on his train table.

10. I was so proud of my little guy yesterday. He waited patiently to get on the train (40 minutes!), he didn't steal any trains from other boys who were playing with them & he managed to stay awake the whole morning.

Layout #165

Materials: Patterned Paper & Stickers: Cosmo Cricut; Eyelets: We R Memory Keepers; Cardstock and Emboidery Floss: Bazzill Basics.

Layout #164

Molly & Mom by Haley Ross

I still have some journaling to do on this page but I just can't seem to write anything without it being too sappy or silly. I know it will come... I love these pictures Michelle Gier took. Molly was 5 days old when Michelle came by to photograph her... I was tired and sore but I am so happy to have them. And how perfect is this paper? So perfect. I love it. And I'd also like to point out that these alphabet stickers are like, 5 years old. Amazing!

Materials: Patterned Paper: My Minds Eye; Alphabet Stickers: Making Memories; Ribbon: Stampin' Up; Buttons: Bazzill Basics; Ribbon: May Arts; Chipabord: Maya Road; Sparkle Spray: Tattered Angels.

Layout #163

Welcome by Haley Ross

Another page for Molly's baby album. I just love this paper from making memories, and I discovered I had stashed aside all of the goodies that match it!

Materials: Patterned Paper: Making Memories; Cardstock: Bazzill Basics; Flip Flaps: Close to My Heart; Buttons, Stickers, Brads, Epoxy & Fabric Embellishments & Journaling Spot: All from Making Memories; Ribbon: Stampin' Up; Pen: Zig Writer by EK Success.

Layout #162

Molly Marie by Haley Ross

I have started Molly's album and I am having so much fun with it. I can't seem to find her hospital card which is driving me mad, but I know it will resurface. I have a space here that I want to write something on, but I am not sure what. Any ideas?

Materials: Patterned Paper, Die-Cuts & Stickers: October Afternoon; Alphabet Stickers: Thickers by American Crafts; Keepsake Envelope: 3L.

10 Randoms

10 Updates from the First 10 days of May

1. National Scrapbook Day was May 1st. I spend it at the LDS Church in High River where Kacey organised a day-long crop. I had such a great time catching up with everyone & meeting some new people as well. I only did 5 layouts (I'll post them soon) but I learned the recipe for a new bean dip, picked my next two sewing projects out of a book Kaly lent me & ate a lot of junk food!

2. I went to an Italian wine tasting at Willow Park with my Sister-In-Law Lindsay. She bought the tickets & then took me out for a night on the town afterward. I took my camera to the bar that night (below) and managed to get some fabulous (ha!) self portraits. Thanks Linds. What... a night out.

3. I spent $375 on groceries on the weekend. It seems as though everything ran out at once... I hate buying the staples (honey, ketchup, Parmesan cheese). I hit up Costco, Sobeys, Superstore, Safeway & even WalMart (ew).
4. Miles choked. And I freaked out. I was driving and had given him some Smarties because we had been sitting on Deerfoot (someone rolled their truck) for over an hour. I finally took an early exit to get gas & thought he deserved a treat. 10 minutes later I am pulling over on the grass median on Macleod Trail. I ran around the car and unbuckled him... I'm pretty sure I was screaming the whole time (drama!) and I threw him over my knee & started smacking his back. The Smartie flew out & he started puking. I drove home (singing to him the whole way so he would calm down) in a daze. WORST 10 minutes of my life.

5. I got news that my friend Kate from Australia is coming to stay with us for a week. She arrives tomorrow. Well, since Molly arrived, our small 3 bedroom bungalow has been...errr...cozy. So I moved around the furniture in Mollys room to squeeze in a single bed (below). It looks so cozy, I wanted to sleep in it myself! I hope Kate can sleep with the bright orange walls!

6. Yesterday was Mothers Day! And it's even hard for me to believe that I am a mom. And of two! I woke up to Miles who took me out onto the deck to show me the new lounge chair they had bought for me! And a new book (Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman). We went to Brians mom's for Breakfast & then met my family at Fish Creek for a BBQ. It was a great day.

7. I watched Toy Story. Over & over. Miles is obsessed. And we go nowhere with out Woody. Ever.

8. Kim's daughter turned 5! It is weird to think that Kim has a 5 year old (she hardly seems old enough.... or mature enough! Burn!) We went to Playtopia & by the end of the day we had all crawled into the ball pit for a photo op. Why do I let myself get talked into these things? I think the kids were thinking "These mommies are crazy!"

9. I bought Miles some swim toys for the lake. Which I know he won't be able to use until July, but I am so excited that summer is just around the corner.

10. I celebrated May 4th by saying to people "May the fourth be with you.". Because I am geeky like that :)