And Cue Holiday Music

When I was a child, November was for Thanksgiving. We used to decorate for it - Mom had beautiful ceramic decorations of pilgrims and cornocopias that she set about the house. Food preparation began well in advance (Mom would pre-roll the dough for her famous croissants and store them in the freezer). At school we cut out the shape of our hands to make paper turkeys and studied the contents of the first meal the Pilgrims shared with the American Indians (we didn't say Native Americans back then, although I say it now). Christmas was only a distant idea.

Now mainstream retail and media treats November as the pre-cursor to Christmas, preparing everyone for Christmas shopping, baking and decorating just as soon as the lights go off on Halloween. I'm as guilty as anyone, I guess, as I buy into the Black Friday hype, but I do still enjoy the idea and celebration of Thanksgiving.

This year I'm participating in the unofficial 30 Days of Thanks challenge that is circulating around Facebook. Everyday I post something I'm thankful for - some days it's super serious and other days it's lighter fare, but I think it's important to remember to be grateful for everything we have when there are so many that have so little. Today when I walked out the door to what we consider arctic air (it was supposedly 51, but I'm not buying it), I'm thankful that Florida is not as chilly as Canada.

I'm thankful for so many things.

I'm thankful for my faith (my niece Tabatha, kit used is Elfin Magic by Katie Pertiet)

I'm thankful for my husband (John and our cruise waiter a few years ago, kit used is Grapevine by DigiZines by Teri)

I'm thankful for family (Mom and Connor, kit used is Give Thanks by DigiZines by Teri)

I'm thankful for Disney (me with Bianca and Libby, kit used is Best Day EVER plus coordinating alpha by Sweet Spot Designs)

And I'm thankful for my country, the good old USA (me as a child, kit used is All American by GreenEyedLady Designs)

Why are you thankful?

From One Child to Another

I have a fun mix of the old (hey, not that old!) and the new to share this week - a couple of layouts from my childhood, and some of the pages I created for my nephew Logan's 3 year old scrapbook.

DigiZines by Teri recently released Arabella, a beautiful new scrapkit that was a joy to work with. Take a look at what I did with this kit.

Dream Big and Bold - this is me as a child, which was a little bit longer ago than I care to admit.

Little Girls Love Dresses and Dolls - another look at young Tania

Young and In Love - reflecting on my parents, pre-children

And now to switch tracks, this year Nicole and I decided that Logan's 3 Year Old album should be themed with Marvel Superheroes. Obviously this was very exciting for me, although scrapbook supplies for some of the heroes were harder to find than for others. For example Spider-Man is all over the place, but The Avengers are not (even with their movie just coming to DVD). As it turns out, Logan is very into superheroes this year, so it's perfect timing. Here are a couple of my favorite pages from the album (Nicole will be putting pictures in it throughout the year, as he just turned 3).

Avengers Assemble! Did I mention I love superheroes? Or that this year was awesome with the release of The Avengers, Dark Knight Rises, and The Amazing Spider-Man? Well, I do and it was. That's it for now. Happy Scrapping!

On the Edge of My Seat

The hardest part about having an exclusive first look at designs as a part of a Creative Team is sitting on your layouts until the kit is released. I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to share layouts that were created using new kits from several designers, and that's a testament to how fantastic these kits are.

In the meantime, here are some layouts I can share. Some of these were a part of a recent reveal called Falling For Fall over on the E-Scape and Scrap blog, where you can see some gorgeous layouts by my E-Scape Artists as well.

Autumn Sun was created using a kit by Lavender Designs by the same name. Logan and Connor are really enjoying their new yard.

You Can't Put Fun in a Box, created using Autumn Whispers by Mamrotka, captures Nicole and Logan exploding with joy at a recent fall festival.

And A Miniature Horse Farm, using On The Farm by TheBusyElfDesigns, reminds us of Logan's experience with these tiny creatures last month.

Lisa and I visited Sea World last weekend for the Sea World Halloween Spooktacular. They had charactres out in droves greeting guests and posing for pictures. I found vampire penguins to match my Twilight shirt. We trick-or-treated around the candy stations with a bag they provided to us, and watched children enjoying the craft stations and interactive activities. It is a really fun event. John and I also made our first trip of the season to Epcot's Food & Wine Festival, where I tried a lovely sparkling Moscato in Italy and revisited the sweet apple ice wine they always offer in Canada. Yum!

Fee, Fi, Fo, Fall, Go Gators and Howdy Y'all.

Frightfully Fit For Fun!

It's October! The weather is cooler, the ghouls are testing the waters, and I am so ready for the fun of fall festivals! I've been eating concord grapes, eyeing caramel apples, and downing Pumpkin Lattes in preparation for the season. We'll be hitting up Sea World's Halloween Party, Epcot's Food & Wine Festival, and Syrup Sopping in Alabama before the month is over.

Since the activities for this year are just getting started, I took a look back at some highlights from last year's Halloween. These layouts were created using papers and elements from Fright Night kit and Fright Night Special Papers by Courtney's Digiscrappin'.

Trevor made up his own costume last year.

We started our trick-or-treat route at the mall, Lisa met us straight after work.

And not all of these pictures are from last year, although Logan and Connor as Tigger and Eeyore are, but this is a fun collaboration of costumes.

This year Logan is getting into the holiday spirit, although it's still a little too scary at times.

I found the perfect mask at Target, it's Batman (and Lisa can get Captain America). But I just found out that though we're allowed to dress up for work this year, masks are strictly prohibited. I can't be Batman without a mask! Back to the drawing board I guess. I still think it would be completely awesome to show up to Logan and Connor's house as Batman, though.

And September... is out of here

I guess I was too busy to blog in September. Not really sure what happened there, but I certainly found time to scrapbook in September.

There were challenge entries, like She Is a Horse Lover starring Trinity.

And there were layouts for a new team - I'm guesting with DigiZines by Teri for a bit!
This layout uses Rose Wedding Scrapkit available in her wedding store.

And of course, there were layouts for my home base, E-Scape and Scrap:
First up is Tabatha 2012 using A Matter of Time by GreenEyedLady Designs.

Next is another favorite of mine from September, Brother Teaching Brother, created with a picture of Logan and Connor using It's Fall Encore by Sweet Spot Designs.

I captured some cute memories of Trinity using I'm Ill by butterfly Dsigns.

And I wrapped up the month with Grandparent layouts to showcase DigiZines by Teri's new Grandparents Scrapkit. Check out my parents and my in-laws as grandparents.

And that's September in a nutshell. Unless you wanted to hear that we hit up Sea World for Labor Day and rode Manta 3 times, or that Life After 50 Hikes continued with a fun day in Oakland at the Oakland Nature Preserve, or that Lawless was awesome, or that work was brutal but we pounded out some results. All of that is true too, but pictures of these occasions are a bit light. See you in October!

Saying Goodbye to My Birthday Month

I try to make most of the year about everyone else. I really do. I'm more than happy to celebrate people's birthdays and accomplishments, to attend their events, to show my support. But I claim August for myself. I occasionally share, and I only make people celebrate for a week, even if I celebrate all month long, so I really think I am being more than reasonable. Just a little Tania-time can go a long way. You know what? Everyone cooperates. That is how awesome my family and friends are - they don't question my over-inflated birthday ego, they just roll with it. As much as I already love them, for that I love them even more.

Someone commented this year that I love the attention. I do, but not in the way you might think. What I love is being surrounded by love. For every birthday greeting I receive, every cake someone bakes me, every phone call, every email, every text message, and of course every gift, what I feel is an overwhelming sense that people, the people most dear to my heart, care. It's not something you necessarily get the rest of the year - we're all busy with our own lives and it's easy to overlook the people we love most. But on my birthday, when people take time out of their day to remember me for no other reason that that I exist, I can literally feel just how blessed I am to have them all in my lives.

This year Mom surprised me with a gift at the beginning of the month. I was so shocked that I'm not sure she got the reaction she was looking for, so I want it stated here for the record - Thank you, I'm really touched by your thoughtfulness, Mom.

On my actual birthday I walked into work to find... a cake on my desk! My friend and co-worker had it baked especially for me, so we had an inpromptu party in the afternoon. We had some very happy teams, that was a delicious cake. Another co-worker took me to lunch at Pesos, which I love. And now I have a shopping trip at BassPro awaiting me!

In the evening, after work and an airport run, Mom and Lisa had a party for me at their house. And Tabatha made me a cake!! Isn't it awesome?!

Although I'm still celebrating my base age of 25, they put some other kind of configuration of candles to represent what they call my "age of truth." Whatever. Age is just an equation. 25+14, wahoo!

There were gifts, too, which were super-awesome. Mom got me a chainsaw! OK, it's a portable chainsaw, but it is so cool!

And even a game of real scrabble, after months of Words With Friends.

I have no complaints, my peeps are the most awesome peeps in the world. Thanks for the fun birthday!

Stop. Getting. Injured!

Look, I know that getting injured comes naturally to our family. I am constantly hitting my toes on one thing or another anytime I forget to wear slippers for even 5 minutes. I get that it's hard to avoid. But the sheer volume of serious injuries in our family this year are starting to get me down. First Trinity broke her wrist, then Dad's knee, then Trevor with his burn scare, it's just been quite ridiculous, even for us. And now Nicole has her foot in a boot and Dad's knee had a flare up.

Nicole is on fire with her impromptu acrobatics lately. She is always doing handstands and cartwheels, and even has her youngest son joining the act. A recent failed attempt left her in even more pain that she apparantly has been in the month since originally (and secretly) injuring her foot. Enough pain that she finally admitted there was a problem and went to visit the doctor, where she told him not to give her any bad news. On the up side it isn't broken, but there was bad news to be had - she has a level 2 sprain. That means No Zumba. The amount of time is sketchy - the doctor told her what might have been 2 or 3 weeks, which she has interpreted as 2, and I personnaly think 5 is more appropriate.

My sister thinks I am being very unsympathetic to her plight, and that the boot is overkill. This is a girl that's been in pain for a month, didn't tell anyone about it, and continued doing 7 Zumba classes per week on a sprained ankle. Anything less than chains on her leg is too light a deterrant. I'm sure the doctor at least momentarily considered a full body cast. She didn't even give herself 24 hours to get used to wearing the boot before she was clamoring for its removal. Aye Carramba! This girl! I told her she needed to get used to it, and she responded that she didn't want to get used to sitting on her arse. (She wants me to tell you she used the word butt instead, but she didn't.) I told her: "If you didn't spend so much time on your head, you wouldn't have to get used to sitting on your arse." Someone tie the girl down!

Dad's knee swelled up earlier this week and that was quite a concern, but luckily he seems to be on the mend once again. He was impressively well-behaved as a patient during his stint in physical therapy earlier this year, but the bottom line is we never want to have to go through that again! I need my Dad well, and able to travel. We haven't been able to go anywhere together this year, which is not the norm.

I'll wrap up this post with layouts of each of them, during less injury-prone days:

Nicole has recently taken up archery, which opens a whole new line of superhero possibilities for her (or at least Olympic chances):

And here's Dad and I on our trip to Boston a few years ago:

That's it for today - happy scrapping!

When the Stars Align

Sometimes things just come together - running into your best friend at the store, finding out you have enough food to feed the extra person that shows up at your dinner table unannounced, picking up a new scrapbook kit that matches an old photo still waiting to be scrapped... It always feels so good to have things work out in a world where often you miss the boat by mere seconds.

I picked up these new templates from Katie the Scrapbook Lady, who is now selling amazing templates via her blog store. Then I remembered I had the perfect papers and embellishments hidden away on my external drive to match up with photos I'd taken at Universal Studios' Islands of Adventures on Spring Break. And wa-la, thank my lucky stars I have a layout I love - Sheer Seuss!:

Next I worked with Julie Mead's newest scrap kit A Linen Curiousity and a few pictures we took of our niece over the sumer. Ooh La La!

And finally, my last share for today is a layout I put together last week for Sus Designs' new 20/20 Vision kit, about my niece's goal to get herself into contacts, and soon:

Disclaimer: The kits from Julie Mead and Sus Designs can be found at E-Scape and Scrap, and were provided to me for free in exchange for layouts, as a part of my role on their Creative Team.

Life After 50 Hikes

Life After 50 Hikes is good! Selecting whichever trail I want from hundreds of possibilities, hitting the road and scouting out new locations, finding interesting places along the way... and apparantly forgetting everything I learned as a hiker during my first 50 hikes.

This past weekend Mom and Tabatha joined me for a Saturday hike. I chose Lake Louisa State Park, which I had seen on the way to another Clermont hike, Crooked River Preserve, last year with Lisa and Trevor. I figured we'd stop at Showcase of Citrus afterwards for ice cream, and I would be able to sneak in a visit to the Lakeridge Winery to satisfy my craving for pure Muscadine grape juice. I told them we'd be hiking in the open, no forest, so they could wear shorts.

Lake Louisa State Park is a beautiful place, boasting a variety of terrains criss-crossed with miles of both marked and unmarked trails. It also has plenty of forest.

We started our hike at 11 AM, parking near Dixie Lake and crossing the street to one of many trailheads we saw along the paved road. I left the bottled water in the cooler in the car. The temperature was already in the high-80's. We stepped into the cool forest, without bug spray. I had an air horn for the bears, but I didn't bring trekking poles to fend off the wild boars. I was wearing jeans, but everyone else was in shorts. I didn't turn on my GPS tracking, and proceeded to wind us in and out of trails with little care for a linear track. And the only snack in my bag was a single protein bar.

I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that 30 minutes later we were hot, thirsty, swatting away mosquitoes and standing 10 feet from a coiled snake that I had almost stepped on while paying more attention to the recent rooting of wild boars than the path my feet were walking along. What, that doesn't sound like fun to you? Honestly - that's what I love. Not the not being prepared part - I usually pride myself on being prepared (and I did have my first aid kit, multi-function tool and pen and paper in my pack). But I love the excitement of the unknown. I don't allow a whole lot of unknown in my day-to-day life, but I can't stop it out there in the wild. The whole wild is somehow out of my control, and in a complete reversal of my very nature, I love it. I love that around the next bend there could be a beautiful meadow or an interestingly shaped tree or a piece of history that has survived salt and sand and hurricane-force winds to greet me on this day or an alligator who may or may not be waiting to take a bite out of my leg. I don't particularly love the spiders, but I respect their right to spin their webs (out of my intended path, of course).

In all it was a particularly satisfying day. I survived the snake, we tracked wild boar, we did not run into any bear, we hiked 4 miles that was mostly in the shade, and nobody passed out. Admission to the park was only $5 and the bathrooms were clean with showers available because of the camping facilities offered. Picnic tables and grills, a canoe launch, and many more miles of trails that we didn't cover, all make this place ideal for a return visit. We looked at the rental cabins and contemplated a family vacation next summer.

After leaving the park we did drop by the winery for my grape juice, and by La Fiesta Mexicana for a nice lunch/dinner to fill our stomachs. We topped the day off with a stop at Webb's Candy Shop, where we bought some chocolate and I had the chance to taste some desert wines made in St. Pete. Yum!

I Made It to 50!

50 hikes, that is! This weekend, in the company of Mom, Trevor and Trinity, I finished the last of the 50 hikes outlined in Sandra Friend's Guidebook "50 Hikes in Central Florida." And while some of them were admittedly harder than others, and on some of them we got quite lost (including this last one) and didn't exactly follow the trail laid out in the book, I'm still very satisfied with this accomplishment. Over the last 20 months I have:

• visited 50 places that I had never been before,
• discovered the joys of hiking in Florida,
• realized there are hundreds of hikes available in our surrounding area that can be explored as day trips,
• exposed my family to a world of outdoor fun nearly in our own backyard,
• pushed myself to physical challenges greater than reaching for the remote control,
• learned more about Florida's environment, wildlife, and history,
• glimpsed that wildlife in the form of fox squirrels, alligator turtles, gopher tortoises, alligators, deer, and even a not quite sighted Florida Black Bear,
• and become a more experienced (and safer) hiker.

I really am over the moon that I made my goal - perhaps not quite on my original aggressive timeline, but in a reasonable amount of time. So many people supported me in this endeavor, by hiking with me or by listening to my encounters after the fact - especially Mom, Dad, John, Lisa, Trevor, Trinity, Nicole, Dana, Logan, Libby and Bianca. In fact, of that list, only Nicole didn't actually make it onto a hike (but I know she wanted to be there). And now, before we move on to Life After 50 Hikes (did I mention there are over 600 trails in the State of Florida just waiting for me to discover them?!), let's look at a few more layouts from the hikes we completed.

Hike #6 - Lake Kissimmee State Park (broken up into 2 day hikes) - clicking on an image will take you to one of my galleries where you can view it larger and see the credits.

Hike #7 - Tibet-Butler Nature Preserve

Hike #8 - Hillsborough River State Park

Hike #9 - Lettuce Lake Park

Catching Up!

I've fallen behind on my scrappy goals all year (30 layouts per month was my goal), but as July draws to a close I find myself catching up, finally! If I keep going at this rate, I'll only be 5 short by the end of July and I'll be able to get ahead of myself in August! Ah, but there I go, already pushing my luck.

Here are a few of the layouts I finished this week:

Our nephew on vacation down by my dad this summer using the kit  Who Who Summer by The Busy Elf Designs.

My sister almost never gets in a picture, so I'm taking full advantage of all the candid shots I took of her on Memorial Day. Here she is with our other sister's oldest son. This layout was created using the kit - Seaside by GreenEyedLady Designs. The journaling is my take on the "conversation" between the two of them.

Thanks for looking!

Hike #5 - Split Oak Forest WEA

I guess it's been a long time since I shared a Hiking layout. With only 1 hike left on the 50 hikes goal, after 18 months of hiking, it's about time I try catching up. I've scrapped more than half my hikes now. Here's hike #5, which we completed while Lisa had a migraine and I learned how not to tell her the true distance of a hike. This is also the hike where we ran into a nudist, trudged through deep sand, and found a Split Oak tree.

Reliving Summer Vacation

Looking back at summer vacation, the majority of it happened before summer officially began. For example, Nicole and the boys were here at the end of May, and were gone by June 3. We had a blast, and I can't wait for them to come back. Those boys are FULL of character, and they got to meet some characters to boot.

Connor was not completely on board with character pictures, although he loved meeting them and even gave hugs. He just couldn't understand why we'd ever want to stand still when there was so much left to SEE!

Here's another layout (created with On the Go by Dee Bee Designs) - Logan loved the Where's the Fire game at Epcot, even if it was a little slow-paced for him. These boys are busy!

Bianca learned to walk the runway, and learned that she loves it! Here is Queen of 6-8 year olds in Miss Firecracker.

John and I just finished a quick Disney stay to celebrate our anniversary - that was so relaxing!

From breakfast at Boma's to drinks at Big River Brewery, we thoroughly enjoyed exploring Disney property, as we always do. We stayed at the Pop Century, my favorite value resort, and we were not ready to come home. A shout out to the events manager at Animal Kingdom who took time out of his day to teach John how to wear his Happy Anniversary button - it was hysterical and really set the tone of our morning that day. (This layout was created using Timeless Treasure by Algera Design).

There is more fun coming in July, see you soon!