Random Acts of Kindness......

When we were in Colorado, we happened to be leaving a mall when we drove by a homeless man with a sign asking for money.

Hunter's voice came from the backseat of the car, "Mommy, can we give some money to that man?".

I said, "Of course".

There was a time when homeless people used to scare her when we met them on the street. She was always afraid of these individuals because they looked and smelled different.

Our car happened to be stopped while we waited for traffic lights to change to green. We both dug into our purses to give money to this man. I came up with a twenty and Hunter came up with six dollars.

We handed it out the car window to the man, and he gave us a toothless grin and a thank you.

My heart felt both glad and sad at the same time.

This is a man who looked like he should be retired and puttering around his yard with gardening tools. Or off golfing.

Instead, life's circumstances have put him on a street begging for money.

A private discussion later ensued between Hunter and I about our act of giving. I told her I was proud of her for wanting to show compassion by giving this man some money. We agreed that this man looked so sad to us.

I explained to her that the spirit of giving comes from the heart.

The act of giving should not be screened or censored by  judgements, assumptions or hidden agendas.

We gave to this man because it felt right in our hearts. We didn't make judgements about his life and whether or not he deserved our generosity. Nor should we.

It was simply a random act of kindness.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

I came upon this great post  about 'Random Acts of Kindness'. This post readily embodies the spirit of giving.

I think I may adopt a 'Random Act of Kindness' as part of my next birthday celebration. I am going to  encourage the kids to adopt this tradition as well.  I hope they learn from me to always give before you take.

Colorado Springs...

Hunter and I just returned from a 4 day trip to Colorado Springs in Colorado.

It was a short trip, but very fun.

We went to Colorado to watch the ISU World Synchronized Skating Championships.

23 teams competed for the title of World Champions.

Teams came from Germany, Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, Croatia, Austria, Australia,

New Zealand,....just to name a few.

Canada had 2 teams competing in the Championships.

We had quite a large cheering section for the Canadian teams.

A group of about 25 attended from our synchro club here in Alberta.

Colorado is a gorgeous state.

Full of beautiful landscape.

It reminds us of the rockies here in Alberta.

In between the skating events, we took time to enjoy the local sites.

We visited a rock park called "The Garden of the Gods".

It's a park of rock formations that are thousands of years old.

Spectacular to see in real life.

The red clay-look of the rocks remind me of the Bay of Fundy mud we see in Nova Scotia.

The park had a walking trail of about a mile long where you can observe most of the rock formations.

The formation below is called "The Three Graces".

The weather was perfect for our walk through the park.

We even came upon a wedding.

We marveled at the beauty of these gigantic rocks.

Canada placed 4th and 5th in the Worlds.

Finland placed 1st and 2nd.

Team USA placed 3rd.

It was a really enjoyable 4 days of skating, eating out, hanging with friends,

seeing the local sights and shopping.

A  great girls trip!

a travel scrapbook...

A few years ago I attended a scrapbook convention.

This was one of the projects for a class.

A mini travel scrapbook.

I simply adore this little book.

I love the crispness of the white & black colour scheme.

 I intend to make a project like this.... a mini travel scrapbook in a black & white colour scheme.

This scrapbook was made by Danielle Johnson with her 'Art Warehouse' line, which is now more than a few years old and may be hard to find. But I love it just the same.

a note to self....

Can you please finish this pretty quilt that you started for your mother over 2 years ago? It is so close to being finished. It just needs a bit more quilting. Then the binding.

And then it is finished.

Maybe a few hours of work is left.

Please finish me soon!

my happy homemaking heart...

Here are some new things this week  that make my little homemaking heart go pitter patter. My wonderful husband picked this up for me from Costco a few days ago. Hunter and I had a little tug of war over it when it arrived home, but I let her have it since she's so cute & all. Besides, what mother doesn't want to encourage their offspring to cook for the family?

I also bought a bottle of this. Why love it? Well, you might not be able to tell from the picture, but this is not large jug. It's a jug the size of a mustard bottle. And 4 little squirts does one load of laundry. But again, may I repeat.....no large jug that hurts your wrist when you pour it, or makes a sloppy mess. ( Mom...you really need this!)

an altered clipboard....

At one of the last scrapbooking retreats I attended, I had the chance to make an altered clipboard for the kitchen. I wanted a way to display the kids school photos that was fun instead of in a boring frame.

This is made with a 'mini' clipboard that can be found at the dollar store for $1. I know it sounds funny to say that it cost $1.00 at a dollar store, but some so-called dollar stores sell things for $1.50 or other prices that are not exactly a $1.00!  I used scrapbook paper along with 'mod podge' to cover the clipboard. Then a bunch of ribbons are tied on the clip part of the board to get it that special touch of texture & colour.

The clipboard rests on a shelf next to the family calendar. I love having my sweeties faces to look at when I write on the calendar. I made one of these for the grandparents as well and mailed them off wrapped in bubble wrap.


This project has been linked to

Mod Podge Mayhem at:

a three hour tour...

Our family recently acquired a boat.Yup. A boat.

For tours. Fishing. Knee-boarding. Water-skiing. All the fun stuff.

Whenever I think of boat tours, the theme song from this little show from my childhood pops into my head.

This got me thinking.  If I had to describe our family in terms of Gilligan's Island, who would we be?

Ron. For sure, he would be the Skipper. He is fatherly, of course, being a father to our children and all. He is also brave, determined and sensible. He keeps us on course and he takes care of us.  He will be the one to float our boat. (But we will skip the part where he gets us marooned on an unchartered isle. Luckily, we are not the ocean-going sort, and live in the middle of the Prairies and the Rockies.)

Me. I hate to say this...but honestly...I am Mrs. Thirston Howell. The Third. No doubt about it. I like to be pampered. I don't like the wind in my hair or strong sun on my face. If I could be pampered on our boat tours with a martini and a little 'lovey' calling...I would be a super happy chic.

Hunter. Well.....she is Mary Ann. Funny and bubbly. Strong and athletic. She looks so cute in her little bikini, and she would be the most likely female on board to help out the Skipper. She is the all-canadian girl....sweet as can be.

I bet you think that Tyler will be Gilligan. That dumb-witted, but lovable numbskull.

Nope.

Tyler is our Professor.

He loves knowledge and learning and he likes to collect scientific facts. He also likes to share his scientific facts. For instance, the other day he asked me if the dogs could 'see' colours. When I said I wasn't sure, he went to the computer to google it. He reported back to me that 'dogs could only see primary colors'. Good to know.

So there you have it. Our own little family of Gilligan's Island people going on boat tours.

Another song that pops into my head when I think of boats is Robert Plant's song, "Crazy Ship of Fools."

I'm sure I'll be able to talk about that one at the end of the summer.

Here is the Skipper and the Professor with the S. S. Minnow.

Summer can't come fast enough for these two.