30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 30

It is the last day of November.  

I have re-read all of my posts from the beginning of the month. 

I have been blessed with a pretty good life.  

Sure, there are ups and downs in my life. We all have them.  

I have been blessed with a "glass half full" outlook and try to encourage people in their lives.  

Always looking at the "bright side" of every situation, no matter what.  

I am so very thankful for my life - I AM loved, I FEEL loved.
It's a "first" for me to recognize it.  I think I have grown up!  Strange to see and admit it.  Strange to finally recognize it and acknowledge it. 

So, this last post of thankfulness has to be about the three things that jump out at me when I went back through the month of thankfulness.

So here it is: 

I am thankful for my faith because I wouldn't get through my days without it.  

(Hebrews 11:1, Psalm 139, Jeremiah 29:11, Jeremiah 29: 13)

I am thankful for my family because my life would not be as full and I wouldn't have as much love as I do, without them.

“The love of a family is life's greatest blessing” ~Joseph Addison

I am thankful for my friends because I am the kind of person that thrives around people and friends bring out the very best in me.   

“It is by chance that we met, by choice that we became friends.” ~ Gloria Naylor

Faith ~ Family ~ Friends

All of these I am VERY thankful for.  

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 29

I am thankful for the nice hot shower I just had.

The first shower after surgery was awesome!

I got a little dizzy, but Ben was there outside the shower in case I needed him.  He helped me get dressed too.  

What an awesome hubby I have!

I am thankful every day for this man of mine!

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 28

Today I am thankful for Modern Day Medicine.
I had surgery on Monday and have 3 holes in my abdomen that have stitches.  I am missing a uterus and I am in pain.  But, the meds I have been given have helped with a lot of the pain. 

I am also thankful for my husband, Ben.  He went out to get Sophie from preschool and on the way home, he stopped at Wendy's to get me a large order of fries and a frosty!  Yum!

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON! 
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 27

The new laptop arrived on the 12th of November and luckily, I have had a few days to get everything installed.  I am thankful that we were able to purchase a new computer for me.  
My old computer was shutting off on me out of the blue several times per day. My computer is used EVERY day, several times per day.
Windows 8 was a challenge at first to get used to, but now I can fly with it. There are a couple of programs that aren't working with Windows 8 yet, but Nathan has my old computer in his room to play on (parental controls ROCK, eh?) and I can use those programs on it until they can interface with Windows 8.   So, I am a happy camper! 
What technology/equipment would you not be able to live without?
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 26

Today is surgery day...I am thankful for TECHNOLOGY, especially today. 

It is the perfect way to keep everyone updated with how my surgery goes, when I am out of surgery and in recovery.  

I am also thankful that I have the iPad to keep me occupied while I am in the hospital when Ben leaves to go home to our kids.  I also have friends coming to see me at the hospital later today.  Hopefully it all goes well!  Pray for me y'all!

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 25

I am thankful for my parents. 

They are the best and have always been there for me and my family. 

Today is Dad's 77th birthday and Mum and Dad's first Anniversary.  

Happy Birthday Dad!!!

Happy Anniversary Mum and Dad!!!

Until Next Time, 

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 24

I am thankful today to be able to scrapbook before my surgery on Monday.  My friend, Angela, came over with her daughter Megan to scrapbook with me.  It was a good day!
I went to the grocery store, CVS and the bread store early in the morning.  
I then spent half of the day going through my Project Life Album to get it caught up.

I found that I hadn't printed all the pictures I needed.  

So, now, I have made a list of the photos, put them in a separate folder and will be uploading them to print! In the meantime, I have a bunch of sticky notes in the place of each photo.  This will help me to know where the photos are going to go, allow me to journal ahead of time and just slide the photos in when they get here.  
At least while I am on bedrest, I can get journaling done for the album while I wait for the photos to arrive. 
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 23

I am thankful for a loving husband, who knows me really well. 

He knows how important photographs and taking yearly family portraits are to me.

He understands that as the day is ending, I am cranky and out-of-sorts. He takes the kids for a bit to let me unwind and do what I have to do to get dinner ready and gets the kidlets ready for bed.  

He also understands that as my surgery date gets closer, I am becoming more anxious and stressed.  I am sure that I am driving him crazy with my constant talk about the surgery and the constant "what if...." scenarios.  But, he lovingly hugs me to reassure me that everything will be fine.

He is taking time off of work to take care of me after surgery and taking care of our kidlets.  

I love this man!  I am VERY thankful that he is all mine!  

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 22

Today is Thanksgiving Day here in the US.  Canadian Thanksgiving was back in October.  Our families celebrated in October but both sets of parents were here after the Canadian Thanksgiving, so we had a turkey dinner when each set of parents were visiting.

We were lucky to have the chance to visit with both sets of parents and Sophie and Nathan enjoyed having their grandparents visit.  

A lot of families will be coming together for a meal today and I pray everyone has a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
For those of you that have to work at a retail store today or tonight, for Black Friday, I pray that you will have good interactions with the public and that your shift flies by.

  

Now, onto my THANKFUL part of this post:

I am thankful for friends and family, near and far.

I am especially thankful that both my parents and Ben's parents were able to travel down here to visit us in the last month and a half.  It means a lot to have them here, especially for Sophie and Nathan.  

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 21

Today I am thankful for a very good friend of mine, Carol.  
It is her birthday today and I called to sing her Happy Birthday.  Sure, it was off-key, but I still think it will put a smile on her face (and probably make her ears bleed too)!  

She is a super-talented photographer, faith-filled, intelligent, funny, witty, a fabulous teacher and wonderful friend.  I am very blessed to have her in my life. The pic above is Carol at the Fall 2012 Skyline retreat and the one below is Carol with Allison at the same retreat.

We met back in 2008, when she came with friends to the Fall Skyline Retreat.  Little did I know, she would play a huge part of my life and become one of "my peeps".  
She is one of those people that will call me "Just to say hi" or send me a text that says "Thinking of you". It means a lot to have a friend like that.  It puts a smile on my face when I see a text or a message come through from Carol.
Another great thing about her is that she will tell you the truth when you ask her for an opinion.  A faithful friend who cares about your well-being - that's Carol.  Everyone should have a friend like her.  I am sure that I have probably embarrassed her by posting this, but I AM, indeed, very thankful for her and she needs to know (like she doesn't already, but whatever).  
God has blessed me by bringing her into my life and I will cherish our friendship forever.  Love ya, girlie!
Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~ 

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 20

I am Thankful for an amazing Doctor who made me feel at ease during my Pre-Op appointment today.  

Dr. Wright with Nathan

Dr. Wright delivered both of my kids via C-Section.  She did the tubal ligation when I had Sophie.

Dr. Wright with Sophie

She will be performing my Hysterectomy on Monday morning.  She has this calming effect on me when she talks with me.  I trust her with my life and obviously, my children's lives.  

I am very thankful for Dr. Alison Wright.  

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 19

I am thankful for our health.  Sure, we get the common cold, but we have been very blessed with healthy immune systems.  I pray for people every day who have been diagnosed with Cancer or other illnesses.  My father was diagnosed with Prostate Cancer in January and has since undergone Radiation to get rid of it.  He now gets tested every 6 months.  My mother-in-law had breast cancer, was cured of it for 10 years and it has metastasized to her thigh bone/pelvis and several other areas in her body.  She will live the rest of her life with Cancer.  A friend's ex-boyfriend has just been diagnosed with Cancer, they are trying to keep him comfortable and are waiting for a miracle. It is sad.  Cancer is a bad, bad word in a lot of households.
So, I am just thankful for our family's health.

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

‎30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 18

I am thankful that I am organized! 

This is only a few of the gifts.

 I am done with Christmas Shopping, Sorting and Wrapping because I have been planning and shopping since July. 

 Oh, and I used only CASH, so no debt to linger into the new year either! Go me!!!

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 17

Today, I am thankful that I had the entire day at home with the kids.  

We didn't go anywhere.

We didn't leave the house at all.  

We hung out.

We watched television.

We had breakfast.

We did some chores. 

It was productive.  It was great!

We also spent some time this morning going through stuffies (stuffed animals) and getting them ready for a donation to Mission Snuggle.  I was telling Nathan about the stuffies going to children who don't have any to cuddle after disasters, house fires, accidents, etc.  He was determined to find some that he could give to others.  It made me smile.

As a parent, I want Nathan and Sophie to learn compassion and not grow up "spoiled" and "entitled".  I have seen some of that already in their behaviour, at times, and I want to put a stop to it before it gets worse.  They need to learn that there is a world around them and that not everyone has a Nintendo DS or Wii or even stuffies to love.  So, this is the first of many "Compassion" lessons. 
I remember back when we were members of Harvest Church and Pastor Jim said "our actions are caught, not taught".  I hope that MY actions will indeed be "caught" when it comes to Nathan and Sophie and they have compassion for others.  I am hoping that this donation will affect Nathan.  He is old enough to understand.  Sophie, notsomuch, but eventually.  
This should be one step toward compassion, their first acts of service.  

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 16

It's FRIDAY!!!
I am thankful that it is Friday and I am also thankful that tonight I am heading to Jessica's house for SCRAP NIGHT!  I am not sure who is going to be there, but I get 3 hours of "scrappy time" to work without someone saying "Cyn, where is....Cyn, can you get...." or "Mummy, can I have juice?" "Mom, Sophie's bugging me!" "Mummy, brudder did...."

So, I am thankful it is SCRAP NIGHT!  I have a Christmas gift idea that I will be working on tonight, wish me luck because it involves stamping and I am not very good at stamping!  ;)

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 15

I am thankful for giggling and goofing off with my girlfriends.

That is all.  

It is simple.

It is true.

It is something women need: girlfriends to lean on and giggle with!  :)

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 14

Today, I am thankful for CAT...aka Caterpillar. 

(photo found via Google Image search - CNN Money)

My husband has worked for Caterpillar for going on 3 years.  

They have been a good employer to work for and Ben is happy.

It is important for Ben to like his job.  If he isn't happy in his work-life, 

it bleeds into our family life, which makes for a stressful situation.

So, I am very thankful that Ben enjoys working with the people he works with and for the company he works for.

THANKS CAT!

Until Next Time,

SCRAP ON!

~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 13

Today, I am thankful for the knowledge I gained in my College courses. 

I am a technology geek.  I have an iPhone, I recently bought a used iPad from a good friend of mine, we have several computers in our household and when new technology comes out, I am usually the chick at the local Best Buy checking it out, messing around with the tablets or phones and asking all kinds of questions.
  
Yesterday, I received my new laptop via Fedex in the afternoon and spent the evening setting it up.  It arrived with Windows 8 on it and I am not at all familiar with that particular operating system.

Luckily, I used to work in computers and took courses to become a Microsoft Certified Professional.  Through the courses I took, I learned how to build a computer and learned the skills to navigate through new software.  

After the evening and part of today playing with the new laptop and installing software, I am learning how this new Windows 8 works.  I am currently, not a fan of it, but I am learning and should be fairly "fluent" by the end of the Thanksgiving Weekend (I hope).  The problems I see down the road with this new operating system are programs that are not "ready" for this new operating system.  An example: Printers....my current wireless printer would not allow me to print, even though I could see the printer without a problem.  But, with the knowledge I gained through my college courses, I was able to source out a new driver and get it installed.  I can now print!  Woot! Woot!
So, there ya have it folks.....a great reason to go to school...to keep current on technology skills.  If I didn't have these skills that I learned in College, I wouldn't be able to do half the things I do on this new laptop, on the internet, modify a document or spreadsheet or even create a digital scrapbook page!  GASP!!!  Heck, I wouldn't even know how to blog and would still be writing in a journal!  Ha!   So, THANK YOU COLLEGE!!!

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 12

I am thankful for a Productive Monday! 

Today is 12 of 12.  I try to take at least 12 pictures on the 12th of every month, but I tend to get more than 12 just so that I have options.  It is only 2:00pm and I feel like I have already done a complete day's worth of stuff!

• I dropped my parents off at the airport - sad. I wish they could have stayed longer, but they had to get home.  
• I took Sophie to Preschool.
• I stopped by CVS to pick up my photos I printed yesterday and they STILL weren't done.
• I made a TO DO list for this week and it looks like I may only get to the gym 3 days this week.  Bummer!  But, I plan to knock out a LOT of stuff on this list throughout the week.  
• I spent the morning finishing up Christmas shopping for my kidlets and a few things for Ben with my friend, Dawn.  She and her hubby are sharing a car and she had a few errands to run too.  So, I took her with me.  
• I called the gym this morning to put my membership on hold starting 11/30/12.  I am having surgery on the 26th and I am doing as much organizing and preparation for it that I can.  
• We went and picked Ethan and Sophie up at Preschool, then I took them home. 
• Sophie went down for her nap and I ate a bowl of cereal.
• I am here paying medical bills and catching up on filing and other paperwork.  
• I have already uninstalled a bunch of programs on this laptop in preparation for the new laptop to arrive.
• Today is also the day that my new computer arrives from DELL.  We'll see what kind of impression Windows 8 leaves on me.  From what I have experienced so far, it isn't my favourite.  

So, as you can see, it has already been a productive day and I am very THANKFUL for that!  After reading this post, are YOU tired yet?  My head is pounding right now, so I may have to have a little 15-minute nap before the laptop arrives!  

How has your Monday turned out?  Busy?  Crazy? Just right?

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~

30 Days of Thankfulness: Day 11

Today, in Canada, it is Remembrance Day.  
My Dad, for the last 22 years, was the Remembrance Day co-ordinator and Master of Ceremonies for the Remembrance Day service in the City of Guelph.  This is the first year he isn't doing it.  


The thing I remember most from the Remembrance Day service is when the trumpeter plays Reveille and every time, it brings tears to my eyes. The hair on my arms stands on end, each and every time I hear it.  It is beautiful, but haunting. 

Remembrance Day is for all of us to remember veterans and thank them for their service and the Freedom we have because of their hard work. 

So, today, I am thankful for the Veterans and even more thankful for our Freedom that they fought to provide for us.


Recently, Nathan was expected to memorize a poem to recite in his third grade class.  I helped him choose this poem to recite and we picked In Flanders Fields.  It was written by Colonel John McCrae, who was born in Guelph, Ontario.

We plan to visit the Birthplace of John McCrae when we go up to visit our families in Guelph and Fergus.  The cool thing is that in the Third Grade, I had to memorize this poem and I can STILL recite it after all these years!!!
This particular assignment in school helped me to share part of my childhood with him and teach him a little about the world around us.  It is kind of cool passing on knowledge of something that you believe in wholeheartedly and something that you have spent a lot of time on.  

The Remembrance Day Parade and Ceremony have been a long held tradition in my family. Between marching in the parade with the cadets, my parents marching in the parade carrying the colours (flags) and then Dad,
co-ordinating and being the master of ceremonies, all of us have taken part for more than 22 years.  A significant part of our lives, collectively.  

So, thank you Veterans for your ultimate sacrifice and for providing us with Freedom.  

Until Next Time,
SCRAP ON!
~Cyn~