Missing You

Two weeks ago tomorrow a very special man was taken away from alot of people. On Monday December 3rd my Grandpa passed away from kidney cancer. He had a very rough but quick battle against the horrible disease. It took everything in him to fight as hard as he could to try to beat the disease. God decided it was time to take him into his hands to take care of him from now on.

My Grandpa was such an amazing man while he was around and i'm sure while hes up in heaven looking down on all of us he is doing some serious goodness up there for everyone. I am constantly thinking about him, about what he is doing, how he is feeling, who he is meeting, and what he has said about us that haven't come to be with him yet.

I haven't had alot of time in the past week and a half to think much about how much I truly missed my Grandpa because of how busy our family was with planning the funeral and getting everything/everyone organized for that. We all went through the motions of saying our goodbyes and listening to everyone tell us their fondest memories about my Grandpa as they passed through the line at the visitation. While standing in line meeting everyone I couldn't believe how many people showed up to the visitation/funeral. I know my Grandpa touched alot of peoples lives but the line just seemed like it was never going to end.

Since things have started to get back to normal in everyone's lives things are starting to kick in with my family. We are starting to miss my Grandpa more and more every day. I have always missed my Grandpa but now the missing has gone to another level.

Its starting to feel real that he is no longer here to talk to or see. I am constantly having memories flash through my mind from when he was around and all of the good times that we spent together. I am constantly having flashbacks of the last time I saw my Grandpa at Freeport.  I am trying to remember the last thing I said to my Grandpa and the last thing that he said to me. I am constantly thinking about how Christmas is going to be without him there physically. My Grandpa was the main entertainment on Christmas day. Between his amazing Christmas dinner and the always interesting but boring conversations about money he always kept us on our toes.

This Christmas without him around is defiantly going to be different and feel weird but we all know that he is going to be watching us from above. He is constantly watching us from above and I think that is what makes it a little easier for me. My Grandpa physically isn't in my life anymore but spiritually he will always be here.

No one will ever take the place of my Gpa in my life. My Grandpa was a very special man and no one can compare to him. I want him to know that we all miss him very much and that Grandma is doing awesome. I want him to know that there isn't one day that passes that we don't think about him and talk about him.

Thank you to everyone for all of your love and support. It has meant so much to us.

Title Challenge

Hello Ladies!

Its time for another Crafty Challenge on the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum. For this weeks Crafty Challenge I chose to go outside of the box. I am doing a title challenge. My challenge for you is to pick a line of paper and create your title around the name of the line you are using.

For example, I used For The Record 2 by Echo Park. So therefore my title had to include For The Record. Below is the layout I created based on my challenge.

I absolutely loved the colours of this line. They were awesome to work with any photos that you would have laying around. I added some stitching and added my title on that.

I added a little bit of journaling and a little ink around the edges and tada my layout was finished.

I would love to have everyone play along with this weeks Crafty Challenge on the Forum. Make sure you upload a photo of your layout to the forum and the layout gallery.

Sketchy Challenge

Hello Ladies!! It's time for another sketchy challenge over on the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum. Below is the sketch that I created.

And this is the layout that I created based on my sketch above.

I added some journaling with the Dymo Labler using the Kraft Core cardstock and sanded the top to have the core colour show through.

I used some stickers that I had in my stash and then created part of my title using the Silhouette.

Come stop over at the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum and try to create something based on my sketch. Thanks for stopping by.

Miracles..

A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is considered to be divine. Thats the definition of a miracle. Why cant they happen when you need them? Why do they show up when they really aren't "needed" when someone else could use one more that you? 

I'm sure most of you know that my Grandpa isn't doing well at all and has been in the hospital for what seems like forever.. with cancer. We have been moved from Grand River Hospital to Freeport and he is now in hospice care. My Grandpa has good and bad days just like everyone else in this world but he keeps his head held high and keeps trucking through his battle. My mom and I feel like we live at the hospital because we are there so often taking shifts so that my Grandpa has someone with him almost all the time. Hes not always alert when you are there so on those days you just sit back and relax and then there are the days where he has you running around like a chicken with its head chopped off. He has days were he will laugh with you until your stomach hurts and then other where you feel like you have lost him. Lately we are experiencing alot of the days where it feels like we are slowly losing him.  You can tell my Grandpa is slowly starting to lose his battle against cancer. You can tell hes ready to go as soon as everyone around him is ready to let him go. 

I try to tell myself that I'm ready for him to go and be comfortable where he belongs because the way he is right now isn't how he wants to live. But the more I think about my life without my Grandpa in it I start to realize that I might not be so alright with it. My Grandpa is one of a kind. I didn't really notice it until he started fighting cancer... I guess you take these things for granted when you don't have a time limit with the person. My Grandpa has touched alot of peoples lives and I don't think he even realizes it. I have to admit I am going to be lost without my Grandpa. It's going to get some getting used to without him around but I am thankful for every minute I spend with him right now. 

When I see my Grandpa now hes not even the same man he used to be. I was looking back at pictures the other night  and my Grandpa doesn't even look the same anymore. Cancer has completely taken over his body.  One thing that hasn't changed about my Grandpa is his part in my life. My Grandpa has always loved listening about all the latest and greatest that is going on in my life. While my Grandpa has been battling cancer a miracle happened to me. I met a boy.. not just any boy.. I met Matthew Harrison.

Matt is one of a kind..hes the most caring, loving guy I have ever met in my life. After getting to know Matt and starting to realize that I really like him it was important that my Grandpa met him. My Grandpa wants his princess (what he calls me) to be treated the right way and I finally found a guy who does that. I had told my Grandpa all about Matt and and he told me he wanted to meet him. My Grandpa started to slowly go down hill and I didn't know if they were going to get a chance to meet but my Grandpa pulled through and met Matt. 

The two of them get along great! My Grandpa told Matt to take care of his princess when he is gone because I deserve the best and it really meant alot to see him meet and get along so well. My Grandpa isn't going to get to know Matt that well but I know from where hes going hes going to be keeping an eye on him.

As far as my Grandpa goes I am thankful for every second I spend with him. My Grandpa is such an amazing man and I am going to miss him like crazy but its time for God to take over and make him comfortable. Please everyone keep us in your prayers. 

October Crafty Challenge

Hello everyone!! It's time for another crafty challenge over on the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum. Since it's October I wanted to be a little bit creative with my challenge for you guys. I find I am not a huge fan of scrapbooking Halloween pictures because they are always so dark and its not really my favourite holiday. My challenge for you ladies is to use a Halloween themed line but create a layout without a Halloween theme. It took me quite a while to create the layout I made because I had to find the right paper to work with the photo I wanted to use. Below is the layout that I created based on my challenge.

For my title I used DIY Thickers from American Crafts. The DIY Thickers come plain with a sticker on the front and back and you are able to create your own letter. On this layout put black and orange glitter on the letters to create a different look.

For my journaling I used the Kraft Core paper and my Dymo Labeler to emboss the cardstock and then sanded my paper to show the core colour through. I thought by doing this is would do well with the "rough" theme I was going for.

My favourite aspect of my layout is the accordion folded strip of paper along the middle of my layout. I also used the Kraft Core cardstock and sanded the top of the paper to have the core colour show through. To finish off the accordion strip I added a little bit of pattern paper and a couple brads.

This weeks crafty challenge is a little bit different and more challenging then the previous ones I have come up with but I had alot of fun creating my layout. I would love to see all of the creations that you ladies come up with. Use you creativity and put your thinking caps on to see how you can stretch your imagination. Be sure to upload your creations to the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum and Layout Gallery.

Thanks for stopping by!

Sketchy Challenge

Alright everybody it's time for another sketchy challenge over at the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum.  This week I created the sketch below. 

With the sketch above I created the layout below using the "I'm Awesome" line from Simple Stories. I love the balance that I created between both sides of my layout and the different details that I added.

I cut out some stars from one of the pattern papers that went with the line I used.

Created my title from the element stickers from the line as well

And last but not least I created a banner by cutting pieces out of one of the pattern papers I had in my stash!

I would love to see all of your creations based on my sketch above. Just make sure you upload them to the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum and I will be sure to check them out! Thanks for stopping by

Cancer...

What is cancer? Why does it exist? Why do some people get it and some don't? Why do some people get it and survive and some don't? Why cant they find a cure for such a horrible thing?  These are all questions i'm sure alot of people wonder... and lately they are things I am wondering.

This picture is of two very important people in my life. My Gmama and my Gpa!  They were there the day I was born and have watched me grow into the person I am today. I have so much fun spending time with my Grandparents unlike most Grandchildren. I consider my Gmama and Gpa to be "hip" Grandparents. They are up with all the newest technology (well try to), and try to sound interested in the things that interest us as individuals.  I have to admit I got pretty lucky with both sets of Grandparents that I have.

A little while ago I did a small post about how my Gpa wasn't feeling the best. My Gpa has been recently diagnosed with cancer and is now in his battle to fight of this horrible disease. He has been in the hospital for about a week and a half now and I have been there every single day to keep him company. No matter what time of the day I always make sure I show up at least once a day. I have always considered myself to be fairly close with my Grandparents but I have found that I have become even closer to them since we have started this battle. 

I have talked individually with both my Gmama and Gpa about what the situation is and what to expect in the future. My Gpa has expressed his concerns and what he is feeling as well as my Gmama. As a family we have talked about the ups and downs that we are all going to experience and that talking about it is going to help everyone out. 

From going up to the hospital every day the hospital is starting to feel like a second home to me and my family. I am really getting to know a different side of my Grandpa that I never really noticed before of took for granted I guess. My Gpa has an amazing sense of humor. No matter if he is feeling upset, or down he is always ready to make you laugh. He cracks the funniest jokes while we are taking in the hospital you cant help but laugh. His smile makes you realize that hes alright even though you know hes not feeling 100% and last but not least the advice that man gives out is amazing! He really makes your realize all of the options you have in life.

My  Grandpa has been extremely strong in the battle so far but my Gmama is someone who needs some recognition as well. She has been holding everything together perfectly. She comes into that hospital every single day with a smile on ready to bring on the days ups and downs. With going through what we are I am realizing how much my mom is like my Grandma.  They have the same drive to get things finished. When my Grandma has something on her mind its going to get done and she isn't going to stop until its finished. I really look up to my Grandma in this situation because someone who is so close to my Grandpa is holding it together so well. Grandma I love you and I am here for you always!

We have a long road ahead of us as an entire family to stand by my Gmama's and Gpa's side and help them fight this cancer and make it out alright. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers to help us fight. 

If my family is reading this we can get through this. Gpa your doing awesome! Keep fighting! Just keep in mind the picture above. This is something we can push through as a family.

Welcome to the Autumn Colours Blog Hop with Two Scrapbook Friends!  You should have arrived here from Jan's blog.

For the blog hop I created two awesome layouts. The layout below is called "Hello Fall"

I used some stickers from the element sheet to do some of my "journaling"

I created this entire layout using a 6x6 paper pad so the title was cut out of one of the papers inside of the pack.

The second layout that I created is called "Love Fall"

I saw a layout on Pinterest using the same sort of layout of the squares and couldn't resist in trying it for a layout.  Again I added some stickers from the element sheet.

And of course to finish it all off I had to do some stitching.

My secret word is torches

Don't forget - in order to be entered to win a prize:
1. Leave a comment on all the blogs as you go and then go back to the Two Scrapbook Friends blog and leave a final comment there by October 8th at midnight..
2. To have a second chance to win, keep track of the HIGHLIGHTED WORDS from each blog and email the phrase to 2friends@execulink.com. Put "Blog Contest" in your subject line.
3. Check back at the Two Scrapbook Friends blog on October 10th to see if you are the winner. (Winners will not be contacted personally.)

Be sure to stop by each on the following blogs, leave a comment and keep track of the secret word!

Two Scrapbook Friends

Carolyn

Ann

Christa

Jan

Amanda

Lynn

Sharlene

Jayne

Shelby

Joanne
Two Scrapbook Friends

September 24 - Crafty Challenge at Two Scrapbook Friends - Hexagons

Hello again! Its time for another Crafty Challenge over on the Two Scrapbook Friends forum. For this weeks crafty challenge I am challenging you guy to used hexagons on your layout. So many manufactures are coming out with papers that have hexagons on it I thought it would be fun to see what you guys could come up with.

For my layout I used the paper above and came up with the creation below. I have seen how alot of people use these types of paper and thought I would give it a try for myself.

I used some journaling stickers from Authentique to create my journaling section of my layout.

When creating part of my background with the hexagons I found that popping them up with pop dots really helped everything stand out a little more.

I would love to see what everyone creates for this weeks Crafty Challenge over a Two Scrapbook Friends. Just make sure to upload your creations to the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum and/or Layout Gallery.  I look forward to see who will play along.

Sketchy Challenge!

Alright, its time for another Sketchy Challenge over on the Two Scrapbook Friends Forum. This is my third sketch and its one of my favourites!

Based on the sketch above here is my layout.  I love how simple the layout is and also the colours.

I used some thickers and stitching to add my title.

And used a mixture of colours to create a contrast with each other.

Come stop by the forum to join in with all the fun!

Update

Alot has happened within the past month around our house. I find August always goes by so quickly and everyone is running around with their heads chopped of because they are rushing to get everything ready for school. As the summer is coming to an end and I start to say goodbye to good friends again because they are going away to school again and my own family is running around to get things ready for the upcoming school year it makes the summer go by so quickly.

Someone really close to my family hasn't been feeling 100% the past two months and it is really starting to suck. Having someone close to you not be themselves is hard because you hate seeing them in pain.

I found that quote on Pinterest the other day and it really made me relate this to my life. I never really realized all the things we take for granted until someone you know is not 100%.

As a kid I was raised alot around my family. We spend alot of time with our grandparents and I became very close with them and have learned alot about them. Both sets of grandparents play a very large roll in my life because of how close I have been with them since I was little. Below is a picture of my Grandma and Grandpa on my moms side of the family.

My Grandpa has been under the weather for the past little while and its been really hard to watch him not be himself for this period of time. My Grandpa has been hanging in there and been a really good sport about everything he has been having to go through. As for my Grandma shes hanging in there. I cant believe how strong this woman is. I have always looked up to my Grandma because she was like "superwoman" when I was little but seeing her now amazes me. I have stopped by a couple times to visit them to see how they are feeling and either call everyday or send a text to make sure everything is alright. I find that the older that I am getting the closer I am becoming to my family.

My Grandpa and I had a "secret" when I was little and it was between him and I. Knowing that he isn't well makes it harder knowing that we have this "secret" that no one else knows about. I have texted my Grandma to remind my Grandpa about this secret and I always get a cheery response back so I know it cheers him up. We are hoping to get some answers this week about what is going on with him. My fingers are crossed and I am praying for both of them every day.

As for the rest of August it has been super busy with holidays, work and hanging out with friends that will be going away for school shortly.

In my last update I had talked about the guy I met and how I was hoping that it was all going to work out. Well everyone having my fingers crossed helped! I have been happier than ever the past little while and I hope it continues.

I will be back with another update i'm sure shortly. As for now that's everything.  Thanks for stopping by to check everything out.

Washi Tape!

This week over a Two Scrapbook Friends some of the design team members thought it would be fun to create some projects with washi tape.I absolutely love washi tape!! It is a really fun way to change things up on a project your creating. This is the layout that I created for the washi tape challenge.

The grey stripe in the middle of my layout was created using washi tape by My Minds Eye. I love their washi tape colours and selections. They all have such a unique texture to them and are a little bit transparent so you are able to tell the difference between the washi tape and the regular paper.

Again, in the picture below you are able to see more of the difference between just regular paper and the washi tape.

I added some stitching down the side of my layout to created more texture and to add some more colour.

My favourite aspect of my layout was my journaling strips. I used the Dymo label maker to emboss the strips of cardstock and then I sanded over top to have the core colour of the cardstock to show through. Then when I matted my journaling strips I used the washi tape that I had that went with the line I was using. Doing this took a little bit of extra effort but it was worth it in the end.

I added a couple last embellishments and that finished the page off.

Go stop by Two Scrapbook Friends to see what the other girls created with their washi tape.

Eggs!

Alright, so tonight I tried something very different I guess you could say! When you think of an egg you would like of food... correct? Well tonight I put eggs into my hair. My mom had pinned something on Pinterest about helping your hair grow and etc and I kind of joked about it with her when she posted it because I knew she would never try it. I have been told a billion times by my hair dresser to try "natural" ways to help your hair stay healthy etc but never wanted to take the time to try them or thought they would ever actually do anything.

Well I can now say that one of them works. I went onto my moms board on Pinterest and got the concoction mix that I was supposed to make that consists of 2 egg yolks, 2 Tbsp of olive oil and a cup of water. Next time I would probably do 3 eggs and an extra tbsp of oil and a little more water because I had a little too much hair. When I was mixing up the stuff I kept thinking to myself that this was a dumb idea and I'm probably just going to make a mess and it wont do anything to help fix my hair. But I was bored and it was going to give me something to do.

I brought my mix upstairs into the bathroom and leaned over the tub and started pouring the mixture over my hair thinking to myself that this was disgusting and that there was no way this was going to come out of my hair. After I poured it all over my hair and the bottom of my tub was now yellow with egg yolk I cleaned up and wrapped my hair up for the mix to "set" in my hair. I went downstairs to continue on with whatever I was going and took the towel off and noticed that I had all these white piece all over my towel. I was creating scrambled eggs while my mix was setting on my hair. As soon as I found that out I think I texted everyone I knew and got made fun of along the way.

After the hour was up I went back upstairs and started to wash the eggs out of my hair. I have to admit the smell wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I was watching the little scrambled eggs rinse down the drain and the entire time I was wondering if this was going to work. After I cleaned up my mess I went to do my hair and my gosh the mix worked!! My hair has never felt so soft in  my life! Its bouncy and looks amazing! I honestly would do this every week like it says to do and see if this is actually going to keep my hair healthy and help it grow!

For anyone who is bored and wanted to try something you probably usually wouldn't I would give it a try! It was defiantly worth my time!