Create Kate

digital crazy

So it's offical, I have crossed over to the digital side. I love it. Rachel asked me today if I could see myself going completely digital and I'm still not sure of the answer. I'm not quite ready to pack in the paper. I love to look at all the new stuff out there and play with all the new embellishments. For me though, creating has always been about the process and the journey. I have been getting that same artistic high from my digital pages lately and I think that is cool. Adds a new twist, a new element into my scrapping. I was at a point where I was ready for a change, to try something new. Not sure right now where this journey will lead but I'm ready to just follow the path and let myself meander on my merry way. And you sure can't beat being able to complete 7 pages in 2 days! Here is one from tonight.

Beginnings

Just learning how to make my own papers and boy is it fun, fun, fun!!  It's a whole new level of creativity and exploration. Here are my first ones. I have a long ways to go, so watch for more in the future.

Busy

Not a lot of time lately to post and am often too tired to think up really thoughtful or insightful posts. Too much going on and I'm pooped so I'm just going to share my most recent digital page. I love that with digital I can sit down and say ummmm I have only 30 minutes, yet I can still complete a page and make no mess. Yeah you heard me - zilch! Mess free scrapping. Love that mess free life- keepin' it simple baby- that's what it's all about! Had two digital pages picked up last week too- my first digital pages picked up by BHG and CK so that was another goal hit- yay! All elements below are from the fabulous Gina Cabrera at Digital Design essentials.

More silly dog signs

Ok found two more- how I came to be the girl who found crazy dog signs is beyond me!  Here's another laugh! The second one needs translation- "beware of dog"-13 mailmen, 7 burglars, 17 car tires and 11 cats. "

Here's the link to my original installment in case you missed it:

Dog signs 1

Good weekend

Family in from out of town for a visit, sightseeing, a baby shower, the sun shining, the beach, what more could you ask for?

Canadian, eh?

I love Canadian music. I have loved watching it grow over the years. I love that is has a distinct flavour to it- not all of it, but I think there is something different. It's a rootsy/folk background, some Celtic thrown in.

There aren't many Canadian pop bands. For all of my American friends, we have a version of American Idol here- Canadian Idol of course and it's just not the same. First off, we have a total population of just over 30 million, so our talent pool- way less. Second, it's trying to be a flashy show but in the end it just shows through that's it's not- the lighting is wrong, the host- sheesh. And lastly, we just don't have that solid pop background. I have only watched a few episodes of it as i think most Canadians have. We just weren't meant to have a show like that.  We should have left well enough alone and let our American friends be in charge of Idol shows. They do it so well. They crank out some great pop music.

OK back to Canadian music. What is it? It's raw, it's thoughtful, it's edgy, it's eclectic and I love it. Today is a celebration of it. I'm going to list off some of my faves. Let me know if I miss anyone.

Our roots: (Where would we be if it weren't for these pioneers? This is where our folks inspired music comes from. These guys/gals all had it going on. So much emotion in their music and so much heart)

Anne Murray

Murray McLaughlin

The Guess Who

Bruce Cockburn

Leonard Cohen (This man I swear is the bomb- he revolutionized Canadian music and still does. There is no one else out there like him.)

Stompin' Tom Connors

Daniel Lanois- another total roots pioneer

Joni Mitchell- more folksy influence- see what I mean about where it all came from?

Rush- these guys started the rock trend and influenced so many rock bands

Neil Young- another pioneer

Gordon Lightfoot

Ian And Sylvia

While searching online, I found this pre-cursor to the above people. Found it very interesting to see that our folk influence went back even further. Here is an excerpt:

"The Golden Age of Canadian Folk Song 1947- 1962- The Beginning

The period between the early post-war years and the British Invasion (The Beatles, et al.) of the early 60’s was uncommonly rich for folk music in Canada. The folklorists, the lefties, the CBC… Alan Mills, Edith Fowke, Ken Peacock, Ed McCurdy, NFLY, the UJPO Youth Singers, The Travellers, Folkways Canada,  40,000 people out for Robeson’s concert at the  Peace Arch, Bonnie Dobson, Karen James, the first coffee houses and folk clubs, Mariposa- it was a great decade and a half for folk music."

The 80's and 90's (Just getting started- this is when our music really began to grow and mature- kind of like the teen years)

Bryan Adams- he's still around too but he was HUGE in the 80's and 90's - he had a big influence.

Blue Rodeo

Cowboy Junkies (These guys and Blue rodeo brought in a smooth element- very smooth)

Celine Dion (OK, so we do have one pop princess and a princess she is- total diva)

54-50 - These guys rocked. totally

Loreena McKennitt- only in Canada can you find a harpist who made it big- amazing music though- wow

Platinum Blonde- Total 80's hair dudes but they made some awesome 80's tunes -still classics today and when your music stands the test of time, you know you were great. I was so in love with these hotties back in the day.

Colin James- total blues influence along with this next guy

Barney Bentall

KD Lang -bringing some country in

Great Big Sea- so quintessentially east coast it's crazy- love their Celtic flair

Ashley MacIsaac- fiddle and easy coast Celtic- rocked out

Rita MacNeil-she's still making music- just put her here- another classic east coaster

The Tragically Hip- totally cool guys and totally cool music

And present day: (There is a lot more diversity now. It's funny though too as I can see the influence of some of the older music in some of these artists so clearly- those older guys inspired well! I also LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that our women have come front and center and they are so soulful. We have some amazing women singers- Thanks Anne for getting us in the groove way back when )

Jann Arden- her songs are so moving and she is so different in interviews- such a riot actually.

Sarah Mclaughlin- I have loved her from day one. I remember buying Touch back in 1991 and being BLOWN AWAY! This woman is a musical genius- truly.

Barenaked Ladies- these guys are just plain fun and I love them!

Holly Cole

Nell Furtado (see another cool chick- love her!)

Finger Eleven

Sarah Harmer- another rockin' chick

I Mother Earth

Our Lady Peace- Raine Maida-yum, but these guys also rock out. Great great songs. So much to be found in those lyrics

Diana Krall

Chantal Kreviazuk- married to Raine- lucky girl- she's smokin' too- her voice is so poetic and I love it

Leahy- total East Coast feel

Alannis Morisette- another chick- it's been cool to watch her transform and find herself-she just plain rocks

Shania Twain- still doing her thang

Nickelback- more rock influence

The whole story

Ok so it was a long day. A toddler day. But in the end, I love that toddler to bits. She is the cutest little kiddo I know. Here’s the run down:

-Managed to drag myself out of bed at 8:30. A good start so far many of you will say. 8:30 is a great time to wake up. DH had been up with Mack for an hour and I could hear them playing and laughing in the living room.

-Dh proceeds to get ready to leave for work. Kiss and hugs goodbye. I head to my room to get my robe. Come out to find Mackenzie has dressed herself- in her swimsuit. We bought new water wings yesterday and she is all ready to go. I manage to hold her off until I get my morning cup of tea. We also make a batch of mango juice popsicles. As my back is turned I hear a jugga jugga chugga sound. I turn around to see Mack shaking the 1l tetra juice container back and forth. “There’s a pen inside Mommy. I can’t get it out.” Oh man. Here we go. The fun is beginning.

-         By now it is 9:30 and she is EXCITED to get down to that pool for a swim. (we have and indoor pool and hot tub in our condo building) We get off the elevator, head to the pool and then it hits me- the pool is cleaned everyday from 9-10., I try to explain this to Mack and she burst into tears. Crying like mad. I scoop her up and we go back upstairs, crying most of the way.

-         We get upstairs and I tell her we can make that lemon cake now to pass the time. It’s really a lemon loaf but Mack calls it cake. We mix the batter, lick spoons and generally make a big mess. No crying. Phew! We set the stove timer when we came up for 30 minutes so we would know when the pool would be open again. Bing! The timer goes off and so does Mack. She is at the door in 2 seconds flat, towel in hand.

-         We head back down. On the way to the pool we pass the exercise room. The walls surrounding ½ off the room are glass so we can see in. There is an elderly couple in there working out. The man has his shirt off. Mack throws herself against the glass and yells “Mommy, that man is nudie!!!  Nudie man! Look at the nudie man!” I manage to wrangle her away from the nudiness and we swim. The said nudie man and his wife eventually come to the pool for a swim and Mack latches right onto him. He is a sweet old man and they have some nice chit chat back and forth. Finally we finish off with a hot tub and a shower. I try to only go in the hot tub to my waist as the heat aggravates my fatigue (MS fatigue really hates heat- I used to love hot tubs but for now they are a mix of pleasure and regret later)

-         We get upstairs and I go to my room to change. Mack comes with me and takes all of her stuff and runs around “like the nudie man!” She climbs onto the toilet seat to look in the mirror and I hear “Pee-pee. Uh oh!” She has now peed all over the lid and it’s running onto the floor. At least it’s better than the carpet in the rest of the house. I toss her into the tub and run the water as I clean up the said pee-pee.

-         The timer is going off for the lemon loaf. I take it out of the oven to cool. Mack comes running “Oooh the lemon cake is ready!!” She is still “nudie” I tell her she can have a slice and then we’ll get her dressed. I figure this way if she makes a mess it will be easier to clean. Did I mention how messy she eats? 2 seconds later “Mommy! More pee-pee!” This time it’s all over the chair and running onto the floor. Crap! Another mess to clean up. Things are going downhill fast. Did I mention the fatigue?

-         We get everything cleaned up, get her dressed and she wants to play. I want to lie down. She decides we can play pretend and she’ll be the mommy and I can be the baby. I tell her babies like rest. She buys it ;). I lay down on her bed in her room and she jabbers away a mile a minute. She is pretty cute sometimes. This is one of those times. “Baby?” she says, “Are there bugs and monsters in your room?” I reply “oh yes Mommy. I’m scared” She then tells me “Noooooooo in a baby voice like this waaaaaaaa bugs, waaaaaaaaaa me no like, waaaaa make go away Mommy!!’ Ok got it kiddo. I try again.  We play like this for 20 minutes.

-         Next we make lunch. Finally it’s time for afternoon naps. Yep, naps. We both hit the hay for about two hours. The last thing she says before I leave her room is “Mommy? The popsicles will be ready when I wake up right?” Yes I tell her, they will.

-         Ahhh sleep. Two hours of it. Glorious. I wake up refreshed. Fatigue is much better. A little groggy but a nice big glass of iced tea fixes that.

-         Mack wakes up. I get her from her room. The first thing she says is “oooooh the popsicles are ready now. I’m awake!” We grab some popsicles and head to the deck to eat them.

-         

Later in the afternoon, I sneak away to the computer for 5 minutes as she is colouring in her book. I hear screaming from the living room. Oh no. I run out and she is grabbing her eyes. I freak out. I find a bottle of Body Shop scented cranberry oil on the table. Opened of course. She has it all over her hands and has touched her eyes. I grab her and run to the bathroom fast. Wash her eyes out, more screaming and crying. Lots of hugs later she is fine. I read the bottle. Keep out of eyes. Poor kid. We are having a Murphy’s Law kind of day. I can’t even think of where she found the oil. We haven’t used it since Christmas.

There is more as the day proceeded on. We went outside to take pictures and play with the sidewalk chalk. After all this, I figure a big dinner is not in the works for today. I am beat. I am wiped. We have popcorn, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, some ham slices and corn. Not bad for just digging through the fridge and freezer. Gotta love no-cook meals.

Now it’s evening. She is not asleep yet. I have a repreive as she’s watching a Massy video, her latest fave and choice for her hour of allowed TV per day. We aren’t really that strict but we try to keep the TV to about an hour a day. Bed time is in 45 minutes. I’m making more tea, grabbing a slice of that lemon loaf and settling in for some Survivor and CSI. Thank goodness for Thursday night TV. I am too tired to scrap so I’m saved by my favbourite shows.

The moral- Motherhood is the hardest job. Ever. Period. Quiet means trouble. And lastly, why the call it the terrible twos is beyond me. They aren’t really terrible in a malicious sort of way. I think the crazy like a maniac I must touch and interact with everything within arms reach twos is a better name for it.

Here's the cake. I'm going to have aslices oon. I need it.

And finally, I must say days like this are hard but I wouldn't trade them for anyhting. I love that kiddo. And as my good friend Heather said- this too shall pass. But let's not forget the days tally:

2 pees on the floor

1 eye incident

1 pen incident

1 cake made

2 popsicles shared

Days like this:

Priceless? No, that's not the word for it.

Sheesh

Oh man I am having a toddler day. I'll write more details later when I get a free minute from the peeing, swimming, and cake making. Not necessarily in that order! And I have pictures. :)

Good for a laugh

That one about the bicycles has me stumped. Love the dog language! Snicker, snort!

Just had to share

Mackenzie just brought this to me. yes, it's a bit blasphemous as I let her draw on the back of a coveted KI scrap, but who could say no to such a cute face? She told me it is Uncle Kevin- my brother. Looks good no? It's her first really recognizable picture. Proud Mommy moment here, soaking it up.