My Cool New Summer Purse!

Anyone who knows me well, knows that I am not one of these gals who is all fanatical about shoes and handbags. In fact, my least favourite type of shopping is shoe shopping! I dread when my old reliable, plain and comfortable pair of shoes starts to wear out and I have to go out and find something new! So, my excitement about my new purchase is a surprise even to myself! You see, today I received my latest Creative Memories order, and with it, my brand new "Tiny Tote". It's a special promotional item that we have for the month of June - free with the purchase of the new "little boy" and "little girl" scrapbooking bundles. I was thinking...well, I will get one just to have it, but I doubt I would ever use it. Well, when I opened it up and saw it in person, I was amazed at how cute it is! And it's the perfect size to use as a purse! Here is a pic from each side. It has two bigger pockets plus the two smaller pockets on the outside perfectly fit my sunglasses and cell phone. So...check out my new summer purse! The little colourful bugs are adorable! I'm loving it and wanted to share it with all of you! :) Ciao for now!

Ella's Playgroup Today

Ella had some friends, both old and new over to visit and play today! She had lots of fun playing with her best friend, Danielita, as well as Braden and Nicole, and her new friends, Casey, Kendall and Sophie! After playing at Ella's house for a bit, all of the kids went for a walk (with their mommies' help) to the park for a bit!

Some pics from our warm day!

Today was a very sunny, warm day...and I finally convinced Ella to wear a dress! Yay! She didn't try to tear it off or pull it off over her head once! Here are some pics of my cutie today!

Hope everyone got out and enjoyed this sunshine! We were out all morning for our yard sale and boy was it hot! Ciao for now!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRAMMY!!!!

Today is my grandmother's birthday! I want to take one moment here and wish her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I am thinking of you and will of course, give you a call later on. Hopefully. I remember it right now. We'll see if I remember tonight...once Ella is in bed! :)

On another topic, here are some pics of my baby girl today, and her daddy. :) I love these two! They are both so cute! Ella had a bit of a stomach bug all last week- it wasn't pretty but is all better now! She is crawling and standing and scooting right along! She's such a busy baby lately! Enjoy the pics and ciao for now!

Time for Spring Cleaning!!!!!

Ugh. So little space and so MUCH STUFF! So little money....

What does this add up to? Why, our annual spring yard sale of course! We've made the last minute decision to have it this Saturday at 7:30am-12:30pm. Come on out if you want to give us money for our junk...er, I mean wonderful treasures! :) Well, they could be treasures to you! We've got tons of baby girl clothes, a baby car seat, tons more baby items, (Duh, do you think we had a baby last year?) comic books, electronics, and many other wonderful miscellaneous items! I'm sure there will be something for everyone!

And...of course, there will be TONS of discounted scrapbooking items! See you all Saturday morning! :)

Email: jamieleewhite@gmail.com if you need more info or directions!

I've Got a Bug!

A stamping bug that is! :) My friend Julie had a little get-together at her house the other night for some chit chat and stamping, and I had so much fun! I began working on some Christmas cards (yes, CHRISTMAS cards in May!!!!) and now I can't stop! I took along with me a few of my scrapbooking page completion kits, which contain this beautiful silver and gold Christmas-y paper. I originally only took it along because I wanted to use to show Julie how to make a snowflake using the CM punches, but I discovered that I love the paper on my Christmas cards, so now I've been going nuts making holiday cards all week! I even started humming a few Christmas songs as I worked...much to my husband's annoyance. :) I would love to post them online because I am so taken with these cards, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who might be receiving one come December!

Yeah, so not much else to write about lately. Ella is still teething and to boot has had an upset tummy. I've taken a few mental health breaks this week- first with my mom coming to look after her for a few hours while I went out to get some "back to work" clothes with my birthday money. Retail therapy is always wonderful! :) Then that terrific night at Julie's and now I'm really looking forward to my own stamping night that I am hosting tomorrow night. Mine is a full out Stampin Up party where we will be learning to use some handy dandy stuff I am pretty sure I haven't seen before. It will be nice to have a bunch gals over, have some wine and some crafty fun. Probably won't be doing any CHRISTMAS cards tomorrow night but that's OK- there is always the weekend for me! Hope all is well with all of you- ciao for now!

Sleeping Beauty

Here is my sleeping beauty, all snug and cozy in her bed for the night. And now I will let out a sigh of relief, rest my 90 year old-feeling back, and have a glass of wine.

It was a bit of a rough day. Poor thing is still teething and had a few tummy troubles today as well. Let's hope for better times tomorrow when we travel to the valley to see my parents on Mother's Day!

Ooh, speaking of Mother's Day, I want to wish a very nice one to all the fellow moms out there! :) Good night, all!

My Best Birthday Ever!

Yesterday was my 28th birthday, and it was a wonderful day! I don't have time to go into too much detail- I got some great gifts, not to mentions hugs and kisses, from my wonderful husband, Tony and Ella! Then at a fun playdate at Amy's new house, I received some beautiful cards from my new (fellow-stamping) friends, Catherine and Julie! Amy surprised me with the most delicious birthday cake and macaroons! Then, I had a wonderful afternoon with Ella and Tony where we all hung out together, played and even ate supper together (usually it is easier to just wait until Ella is in bed before Tony and I eat). Here are some pictures from Tony and Ella playing late in the afternoon. It's so nice to see her smiling and giggling so much after a painful week (and a bit) of teething! I love my family so much! (Oh my gosh, I'm gushy today!)

Yesterday evening, I went out with my good friend, Heather, her mother and Bethany to the very last QEH musical before my old stomping grounds close forever! It was so cool to be back in my old high school (sometimes I miss those days) but at the same time, it made me feel SO OLD! As Heather said to me last night, did we really look that young at one time? :) I won't give you my complete review of the musical - in summary, the performances were amazing, the story a bit long. It was a good night out and I'm glad I went. Ciao for now!

Wednesday's Playdate at Diana's

Uh oh - I'm slacking already! We've been so busy the past fews days that I am way behind in my blogging! On Wednesday, we went to a playgroup at my friend, Diana's house! Here are a few pics from the kids playing outside! Ella was in a bit of a crabby mood, especially when I tried to make her wear her hat, but she had fun in the little jeep! :) She was honking her horn and everything- it was very cute!

A Baby's Face is Never Clean?

Before I became a mom, there were so many things in this world I was just totally oblivious to. Like how boogers are always caked into a baby's nose, and impossible to clean out, especially with a baby who can spin her head completely around...and scream! And my gosh, she's strong! And how bananas will ALWAYS end up being smooched into hair! Always! Even when you are sitting there watching the entire time, readily waiting to wipe those hands as soon as they begin to stray upwards toward the eyes and head. You will ALWAYS find some banana hardened and caked in later that day. Oh, and don't forget the little bit smooched into the pants and well hidden in the cracks and crevices of the high chair! Yum yum, let's save some for later! And let's put a few Cheerios in there as well! Of course!

Yes, being a mom is very messy work indeed! The things you never think about and never anticipate! Aaahhh...wouldn't trade it for the world!

Afternoon at the park

First of all, I totally suck at HTML. I learned a bit of it here and there over the years but it appears to have mostly gone out the window right now, and thus this blog isn't as pretty and organized as it could be. Let's just hope I can get my "lost knowledge" back before I need it at work.

Anyhoo...here are some pics from Ella at the park this afternoon. It was a beautiful day so as soon as Daddy came home from work, we just HAD to get out! Ella wasn't in the cheeriest of moods. She was quite perturbed that I would not allow her to eat the rocks. She did however, as usual, enjoy the swingset. Hope you all had a wonderful day in this lovely weather we're having!

Ella Just Did Something Amazing!

Ella is full of surprises today! Not only is she in a much better mood (knock on wood!!!!) but she began "walking" sideways while holding onto furniture! I saw her do it first this morning- she pulled herself up to standing, holding onto Daddy's chair, and then moved along sideways from the right side of the chair to the left, and then on to her playpen! She just did the exact same thing again this afternoon! I'm amazed and so excited that I got to be here for it. It's a huge milestone and one I was sure would happen in June, while I was at work!

I'm so torn about my return to work. Although I do like my job and work with a great bunch of people, I'm going to be so sad to leave Ella in childcare. I am used to being with her practically 24 hours a day. I love spending time with her and seeing her discover new things! It truly is the most amazing thing in the world, being a Mom. I'm greatful that I got to spend the past 11 months as a SAHM with her, but my mat leave is very soon coming to end and I return to my job May 30th. Anyhoo...getting teary again so gotta go! Ciao for now!

Ella's Lunch

I feel like I've been through the ringer today, that's for sure! On the bright side, I'm very happy that Ella just had a nice lunch. Almost no crying! :) Here are some pics from Ella having her lunch; she tried some homemade pizza that Tony and I made last night, and she seemed to enjoy it! We of course, took off the nasty, salty processed meat and she enjoyed it with just the sauce, peppers, mushrooms and cheese. Then, to help soothe those sore gums, some frozen berries for dessert.

Upgrade to TWO teeth coming at once!

Well, this morning was yet another 5am morning, only this time that is when I had to get up, not when she woke. So...here it is noon and I'm feeling like it should be time for me to go to bed already! However...I still have another 7 hours with my precious teething baby! Yesterday I mentioned she had a top tooth cutting through. Shortly after I wrote that, it was discovered that no, it's not a top tooth cutting through; it's TWO top TEETH cutting through. I would also like to upgrade my "rough" couple of days to BRUTAL after yesterday and this morning. The poor little munchkin! Her two bottom teeth came in fairly close together and she was cranky and feverish for a couple of days, but nothing like this. I've never seen her so angry and upset on a consistent basis. The good news is...the fevers seem to be done (knock on wood) for this round, both teeth appear to actually be through the gums, and I actually fed her something for lunch that she enjoyed! Yay for Mommy! Here is a pic of Ella enjoying a chilly face cloth on her gums, shortly after lunch. Lunch pics will be posted shortly. Ciao for now!

Good morning bright and early!

Well, it's almost 6am as I start to write this, and I've been awake about an hour already, as I heard Ella begin to stir in her crib at 5am. She was fully awake and demanding to get up by 5:20. *sigh* Well, it was a nice run of three days there where she got us up around or after 6am. I should have known it wouldn't last. My little early riser is back to her usual ways.

Speaking of Ella, we have had quite a rough few days, thanks to her third tooth cutting through! I really do not understand why babies have to endure so much pain as their teeth grow in! It doesn't seem quite fair. The poor little thing has been running a fever off and on for the past three days (she feels slightly warm again this morning) and has been in such agony! Yesterday afternoon the little white bump appeared to finally cut through the gum and poke out! I guess that's three down...seventeen more to go. :(

Some pics from the windy outdoors!

Hoo! I can tell ya, our time in the yard today was short with that nippy wind blowing! Here are some pics of Ella and her exersaucer, which she just loves to bounce in!

I think it might actually be spring!

It's a beautiful sunny day outside...a little on the chilly side, but it's still early! A great day for taking down our Christmas lights!

Yes. You heard right. It is May 3rd and we are going to take down our Christmas lights today! Whoo hoo! I'm excited! Now I know what some of you are thinking. Why on Earth would you take them down? I mean, there are less than 8 months until Christmas- soon enough, you'll just need to put them back up again. Excellent reasoning, and I appreciate your concern, but no, we are definitely going to take them down. It just seems like the right thing to do. :)

Hope you are all enjoying this lovely day with outdoor activities...just like us!

Another...you guessed it! Picture of Ella!

Another picture of my Ella. This one is from April 22nd- age 10 months (and about a week!) This is one of my favourites!

That's all for now. Good night!

Picture from this morning

Here is Ella this morning, still in her jammies.

A very odd thing happened this morning! Ella slept in....

No, really, she did!

Seriously, I thought I was in the twilight zone and was confused for quite some time this morning. Ella is usually more precise than an alarm clock, set for exactly 5:30am so imagine our surprise to wake up to daylight this morning and it was 6am! Yay us! Such a nice treat! Thanks, Ella-Boo! Keep it up! (ha ha, yeah right...we'll be back to normal tomorrow, I betcha!)

Apparently, I should just give up and buy an etch-a-sketch!

Ever meet someone or work with someone who could always manage to break things!?! That girl in your office for whom the photocopier broke every time she used it? The guy who always seemed to have computer problems? I am one such person. It's not that I am dumb- believe me, it's quite the opposite. I have a fondness for technology and pride myself on my ability to pick up on things quickly. However...technology does not have a fondness for me.

If I need to photocopy something, there will be a major paper jam. A few print jobs and suddenly, some kind of funky printer error will start to occur. A brand new laptop that Jamie borrows to check her emails a few times...and despite the fact that she did nothing other than open up a program, read an email and close it again...oops, laptop won't boot up anymore! And don't even get me started on my own computer here at home! I think merely being in my prescence is making my computer produce it's own worms and break down despite my very up to date virus scan program! Tony says I should just give up and he will buy me an etch-a-sketch or a chalk board. My question for him is...can I get facebook on those?

Some might say I am cursed. A spell cast on me when I was a baby, like a little princess in a fairytale perhaps. This child shall be destined to always cause electronics to break down! Mwah ha ha ha! (That was the witch's evil laugh). Hmmm, not quite as cool or romantic as the stories.

That could be it. But, I am leaning toward a more scientific explanation. A coworker was kind enough to bring me an article one day at work, shortly after I started my job at Grant Thornton, and shortly after having to place a service call for our photocopier...for the umteenth time since I started working there. It was quite interesting, about how there are people in the world who has a particular frequency "aura" or electromagnetic field around them that causes electronic devices to malfunction more frequently in their presence. I am guessing I am one such person. Totally not my fault! Something I was born with like my blue eyes or my red hair! Now if only there was some kind of "fix" for this, like hair dye, colour contacts, or surgery....

But, alas I know of nothing, so I will go on, despite my "curse". Tony will just have to continue being called into my home office to cleanse the air of my harmful aura and make the funky "no one has ever seen this before and what the heck is that!" error messages on my screen go away. And let's just hope the girls at work continue to see the humour in the whole thing and don't decide to can me or lock me in a room with an etch-a-sketch, a safe distance away from their computers!

My Ella-Boo!

Here is my little beauty, Ella Delia. She was almost 10 months old when this pic was taken.

Here are some current facts about Ella. She LOVES Cheerios and has them pretty much every day! She adores the Backyardigans and Miffy. She loves music and is quite the cute little dancer. Sometimes she'll be sitting on the floor playing with her toys and all of a sudden will start grooving to whatever song is one, whether it's Row Row Your Boat, or Black Eyed Peas. Her very favourite song is Wheels on the Bus, which she learned in swim class (Water Babies). She LOVES the water and I really need to get her back to the pool for some swims now that Water Babies is over! She has two teeth, both on the bottom, in the middle. She has a little white bump on the top and it looks (and seems by her mood swings) like a top one is about to break through! She is crawling and pulling herself up to standing constantly lately. She has an abundance of energy and can't seem to sit still. Even in her high chair, she is constantly squirming and moving around. Definitely the same little baby I had wiggling around and kicking my ribs inside 10 and a half months ago! One of her favourite activities lately is scurrying down the hall on all fours and playing with the office door (or bathroom door, or bedroom door...it doesn't matter!) She's a real charmer and loves people. Sometimes I think she gets bored seeing only mommy and daddy so much because when she gets in a bad mood, all you need to do is take her out to see other people and she's happy as a clam! She has the most beautiful smile, and fortunately, she is a very happy baby and we see that smile lots! :)

Well...I now have a BLOG. Welcome to the here and now!

I've been seeing all these blogs lately and thinking to myself, holy crap! Who has the time or the energy to do that? Well, I certainly don't, but I'm going to give it a whirl anyway! Hi, I'm Jamie White and this is my blog. I'm 27 years old, and currently on maternity leave caring for my beautiful 10 1/2 month old daughter, Ella. You will likely see lots of her on here. She is my whole world! As she should be. We live in Lower Sackville along with my wonderful husband, Tony White. Life is fairly simple, I think. We're a cute couple, living in the 'burbs, raising our daughter. Sorry, but if you are looking for excitement, this isn't the place to be.

Hmmmm...what can I tell you about me? Well, I like to do crafty things, like scrapbook and stamp. OK, so I'm not being as clear as I should be. I am a total ADDICT when it comes to scrapbooking and I love taking pictures, especially of Ella! She is only 10 and a half months old and I have 2 12x12 baby albums of her up to the end of her 5th month. I'm so hooked on scrapbooking that I signed up to be a Creative Memories consultant JUST so I can get my scrapbooking supplies at cost prices! I also love making cards- birthday cards, Christmas cards, and thanks to all my stamping friends in Dartmouth, this is becoming quite the addiction as well.

I am also kind of a geek, but that is OK because I am comfortable with it! I am a HUGE Buffy the Vampire Slayer fan and there has been a little hole in my heart ever since the show went off the air a few years back. Fortunately, they recently came out with a "Season 8" comic book which is somewhat helping to fill the void.

I am a huge couch potato- Tony and I watch a lot of TV. My biggest fave right now is the show HEROES. I like playing poker, though I don't do it very often, just once in a while with friends. Tony knows much more about poker than I do and plays a lot more often...though I tend to kick his butt whenever we play lol! Most of the time, not all.... Sorry, honey!

A typical day for me is spent at home, playing with Ella. We try to get out once a week to playdates with friends, and when the weather is nice, we go for walks.

That's about it, I think. That's me. Chat with you later!