I have made my husband's day!!! That is quite something - by 10:00am, I had him totally wrapped around my little finger and now I have an entire day when he feels that he owes me!!! And I am not above using that in my favour!! (sometimes I am a little evil at heart, and hey, I am the first one to admit that!)LOL. He has been up in the farm shop since about 7:00am, trying to make two of these little felt/cardboard seals for his 26 Oldsmobile that has become the love of his life and his #1 priority. Apparently, he kept wrecking the seals that he was trying to make because he didn't have the right tools on hand. That is when he came down to the house and asked me to help. It didn't take long - less than 15 minutes and with the aide of my Cropadile, a sharp pair of fine scrapbooking scissors and a craft knife, I had two perfect copies of something that he could not buy or make. He was in awe when I brought out the Cropadile - I know that he has seen it laying around on my design table, but I guess he had never watched me use it or had connected the fact that it might come in handy for some of his projects. He was totally taken with that little pink gadget and I got an extra kiss and a hug to boot!!! He thanked me profusely and went back to the shop, holding the little seals in his hand like they were baby birds. Now, I have to figure out how this translates into not having to make supper tonight! LOL

Well, I found out this weekend that I officially have no "art talent"! My project for the weekend was to make a vision board for my Ali Edwards "One Little Word" class - sounds rather easy. Not really any special materials needed, except for a vat of Mod Podge and some magazine clippings, yet the scrapbooker in me could not resist pulling a few "embellishments" out of my room and adding a 3-D effect to the canvas. Didn't sound that scary or complicated, however, I did not realize that some Mod Podge experience might be an asset. I didn't factor in that the trial run (when everything seemed to fit) was not a fool proof thing. By wetting the magazine clippings, which were thin to begin with, I turned them into wet tissue paper and they did NOT want to be on that canvas and be part of my project. They kept trying to hitchhike on my hands and elbows, they tore, they turned transparent. They did not COMMIT! OMG!! What a soggy mess!! It resembles something that a kindergartener would make and the worst part is that I have to look at it every day and reflect on my word. Every day. I am going to be reminded, on a daily basis, that I am NOT an artist! I think that I am going to "commit" to sanding it down at the end of the month and paint over it!! I am pretty proud of myself this month - I only have one thing left to cross off my scrapbooking to-do list - just one little photo shoot and I have completed all of the self imposed projects for February. One item I had to reschedule, seeing as I could not find the "ingredients" to make it. I should easily be able to complete the photo shoot this week and then I can start on my March list. I have to say that by putting the projects, in list form, on a monthly chart, I have accomplished sooooo much more than I normally would have. I enjoy lists so much that about a week ago, when I found out that you could belong to a monthly group that receives daily "list" prompts, that you have to complete - I WAS SO EXCITED!!!!! I was so excited in fact, that I went to work and told Andrea that we both were going to do it!! This weekend when we created "junk journals" I already knew what my journal was going to be used for. I am going to turn it into my "list" journal!! I even love the fact that the people, who are part of this daily list group, are called "Listers". I am now a "lister" too. How cool is that? So, although my vision board was a flop, I have a really cool junk journal that is just waiting to be filled with my daily list assignments. Bring on March, I am ready for you!!

Megan sent me these photos the other day, when she had turned her back on Peyton "colouring" in her high chair - what a little monkey!!! She keeps saying "pretty girl, pretty girl" and she applies her own makeup with abandon. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw the outcome, thank goodness that someone invented markers that wash off in the bathtub! The other night, the bath water was positively green from all of the marker that I scrubbed off that little girl! I also had to wsh out her mouth, because for some strange reason, she had decided to bite the tips off about three markers. This colouring pastime is getting a little expensive when we have to keep replacing the markers and wax crayons. Guess what Miss Peyton is getting for Valentine's Day - more markers!

Friday was our day in Lethbridge, I had an MRI appointment and Mike had some "things" that he wanted to pick up. His "things" filled the back of our truck! Both boys have moved out of Mike's farm shop and have rented their own "big man cave". I believe part of the problem was, when they came to work on sleds, ATVs or trucks, our farm shop was filled with objects that prevented them from getting any work done without driving several pieces of equipment out of the way and moving things around to create space. They finally gave up and went and got their own digs. Problem is, they took with them all of their tools, welder and toolboxes, creating a bit of a problem for Mike, who also used those items. I was about to protest about the cost of the big boxes in the back of the truck, and then I remembered my custom scrapbook room and wisely decided to keep my mouth closed about such things! It was a pretty boring day for me - Western Welding Products, General Fasteners, Costco tool isle and horror of all horrors - Princess Auto!! For two hours!!!! It is the only place on earth where you will see men pushing shopping carts with smiles on their faces!! It was so boring that I actually fell asleep in the truck for a while. Then I decided that there HAD to be something that could be used on a scrapbook page in there, so I wandered on in for a little look/see for unusual embellishments. Couldn't find a single thing. Just about when I saw the light at the end of the tunnel - what happens? My son and his friend walk in, which of course then led to another 40 minutes of the guys visiting and shopping. Talk about watching paint dry! For the best part of the weekend, I didn't see Mike at all - he was busy setting things up and putting away his new tools. Now that I have some leverage, I have asked him to built me a diffusion screen for photography and a greenhouse. I figure that after spending that money, he might want to prove to me that it was all needed and well worth it. I threw in the greenhouse request to make sure that I absolutely get the photography screen. I am a thinker!! When that is built, I am going to ask for a greenhouse and a large storage shed/chicken house. then he will build me the greenhouse! This is a woman who has learned to work the system. Those tools are going to work for me - one way or another!