Canada's Scrapbooking Crops for Kids

In October, this event was held for the first time in 6 locations across Canada. The closest one to me was in Saint John, NB. It was held over a weekend and we had meals provided and some great classes as well as cropping time on our own. All the money raised at each location went to the local children's hospital or ward. In the case of Saint John, it went to the neonatal intensive care unit at the Saint John Regional Hospital. People could also submit layouts for contests for $2 or cards for $1 and all the cards were then given to the hospital for use by patients/parents. I didn't take a lot of cropping stuff with me as I mainly took classes but I decided once there to make a few cards so I bought a few things from the on-site store and made them. One of my cards was picked for third place and will be published on the website for Scrapbook and Cards Today, a Canadian magazine. The top winner from each location will be published in the magazine. I was very excited about my card being chosen as it was very simple and I had seen some of the gorgeous cards that people made, however they seemed to be looking for simple ones, maybe easier to reproduce. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. First the table of prizes they had to give out. The sponsers were amazing! We got awesome goodie bags as well. Our crop room and the little store they had set up at the end of it. Our meals were served buffet style in the room right next door. Me and my table mates (kind of blurry for some reason - I didn't take the picture...obviously). We were assigned to tables which was nice as I went alone. Kerry McRorie, Editor-in-Chief of Scrapbook and Cards Today and one of our teachers for the weekend, holding up my card. Kerry and I with my card.

Family Thanksgiving

We had all the family home for Thanksgiving weekend and my sister in law had everyone over for dinner on Sunday. It was a great opportunity to take some pictures of all the family, incuding all the kids who are normally away at school. Here are a few. Top to bottom: the assembled company, grandpa and grandma with the grandkids, my husband and I, our daughter Renee and her boyfriend Miles, all the cousins.

Added a few pictures

I added a few to each section of the Mediterranean trip from my pictures.

Mediterranean Cruise

My family and I just got back from a 12 day cruise in theMediterrean. Here are just a few of our over 4000 pictures. They are backwards chronologically here. That is we started in Barcelona, went to Villefrance, etc., and Naples was our last stop before getting back to Barcelona.

Naples and Pompeii, Italy

More from Pompeii - tracks from sliding doors, stepping stones and chariot tracks, Marcel, Alix and Nicole at Pompeii, a beautiful fresco.

You have to admit this is an odd sign! Street vendor in Naples - anyone need a Prada bag? Frescos and a lovely Roman home in Pompeii, also Roman baths, the forum with Mt Vesuvius in the backgraound and "this way to the brothel" sign on the street.

Athens, Greece

few more from Athens - the Olympic Stadium for the first modern Olympics, the girls up by the Parthenon, a view down from the Acropolis.

Here we had a tour of the city and saw the Olympic stadium from a few years ago as well as the original one from the first modern Olympics. We also went up to see the Acropolis. Very crowded and hot! The guard is at the former royal palace (now the parliament). Got to like the shoes which weigh 10 pounds each.

Kusadasi Turkey

The Library of Celsus, Ephasus, a (very) public toilet in Ephasus, Nicole and our wonderful guide, eating lunch near the ruins at Dydyma.

Here we went to see the Roman ruins at Ephesus, Miletus and Dydyma and had lunch near the ruins at Didyma. We had a great guide and I think the consensus is Turkey was one of our favourite stops. The ruins we visited and the history of the place were amazing, and they really seem to want to make a good impression for tourists to encourage more visits. We loved it.

We then did a little shopping in Kusadasi (the port).

Santorini Island, Greece

A church in the village of Oia, the cable-car we took to come down to the port from the town of Fira, a view from the cable car. We took a tour to Oia, around the whole island and to a winery before stopping in Fira where we had lunch and looked around before going back to the ship.

Here there were no pelicans, but there were many friendly dogs.

Mykonos Island, Greece

Marcel and I in Mykonos on the beach right in the town.

There were two "greeter" pelicans along the shore and they let people come up quite close to them. When one's "shift" was over a man came by with a little truck and called the pelican and he hopped right up and rode away!