EPL wins Library of the Year!

Just a quick congratulations and a reminder to all those in Edmonton who don't use the library, you are missing out!!!!

Edmonton Public Library won library on the year! This is the first time a Canadian library has taken home this honour, and as a complete nerd and library enthusiast, I think it was well-earned!

Pretty impressive.

I've been a member at 5 libraries throughout my lifetime, and Edmonton has the best system, hands down.

If you want free, drop in classes for kids, book clubs, free song downloads, e-books, free online courses, ESL programs, free sheet music downloads, live music streaming, Lego programs, gaming programs, magazines, movies, 3-D printers, literally anything you can think of, they've got it and memberships are FREE!!!

What?!

Yes, free.

I honestly think we've saved thousands of dollars by using the library, just as a family, since we moved to Edmonton. Plus, they have the best online system so I can reserve whatever I want ahead of time, and even make lists of books that I want to read at a later date. I usually have 25 books or so on hold at a time, with my pick up dates spread out across the year, so I always have new books to read.

Okay, that's my plug....

Congrats EPL!

Here's a copy of their application. It's long, but interesting to skim.

Older Layouts

I've been gone, sorry. 

Here's some filler photos. Ha! Great, right?! Who wants filler? Sorry, but the photos are cute and it will let me get some new pictures downloaded.

These will get you thinking of Halloween ;)

I promise to have some new stuff up shortly. 

Enjoy the rain if you're her in Edmonton...

Layout Love

More layouts from our Europe trip.... one day, I'll finish this one and Emma will get some more layouts in her album... 

The above layout was made with a little inspiration from Chantel, from Treasured Memories. She has this great style, her layouts usually have lots of white space and she has a real linear eye for design. I love what she does, so I thought I'd try it. 

And, another sleeping layout because Gracie slept in the craziest places on holiday! 

Wait, what's this? A layout without the kids on it? Gasp. I know. Brad and I made it into the album, with a photo taken by Gracie. I like the colours and watercolour affect on this one.

Dance Finale

For Gracie's last dance class, they all got to wear their favourite princess dress. Gracie chose her Ariel costume, and even though I thought the tail might be tricky, she powered through. 

These girls are so sweet.

Look at that leap!!

They had a lot of fun!

If you want to take a look at the funny dance moves of 3-5 year olds, check out these short videos :)

And the big finale:

Preschool Graduate!

She did it! 

Gracie is a preschool graduate. Actually, she was last Thursday, but I'm late posting.

The teachers were fabulous and Gracie had so much fun. 

My parents and Emma and I came to cheer her on.

It was a great day, with a carnival theme. There were jumpy houses, tattoos (seen below), popcorn and sno-cones, and lots of treats to help celebrate! What a great way to cap off a great year!

This is Gracie getting her tattoo, surrounded by all of the girls in her class (and one boy). Out of 18 kids, there were only 5 girls in her class. I hope this isn't the norm for this age group...

She's been to her Kindergarten Orientation and she's excited to go in the fall. She introduced herself to her teacher and her principal, and met a few classmates, so she's set. No holding this girl back ;)

Gutsy Walk

There's exactly one week left before Hanna's first Gutsy Walk for Crohn's and Colitis. 

If you come on June 8th, this could be yours!! 

(Okay, it won't, but it could be... I don't know who owns it.)

Sadly, this car will not be there, but my sister-in-law saw it at a Car Rally in Osoyoos. Pretty cool!

If you'd like to volunteer for the walk, we'd love to have you. 

If you'd like to walk, we'd love to have you. 

If you can sing, face paint or are a talented capoeira (dance-fighter) we'd love to have you.

If you can't do any of the above, but would like to participate, why not donate??

In all seriousness, this is a cause close to our family and my whole family has been involved in putting this event on, especially my brother, sister-in-law, and mom.

Please participate and help make this a successful event. 

Here are the links to my family's page, my brother's family's page, and my parent's page. There are also lots of people walking from Hanna and surrounding areas, so check it out and feel free to donate however you see fit!

Layout Love

June 1!!??!!!! What? How did this happen? May FLEW by. 

I thought I'd usher in the month with a few layouts I worked on at Treasured Memories' last crop. 

What a great weekend that was, by the way. Really fun and I got a lot done. I find I pump out simple layouts quickly once I get in the swing, and I bring them home and finish them up. 

Here are a few.

Gracie and her bestie playing dress-up, paired with some great Heidi Swapp paper,  American Crafts stickers and pen, and Basic Gray and Fancy Pants alphas.

These two are from our Europe trip. That was what I was working on for the most part. 

Above is some pictures from the Alhambra, and I used Bo Bunny paper, Tattered Angels glimmer chips, Ranger ink and film strip, and Simple Stories alphas and photo overlay.

This is a layout of our resort pool in Lagos. I used Sassafrass paper, My Mind's Eye title block, Studio Calico arrows and alphas, and American Crafts and Pink Paislee stickers.

Hope you enjoyed!