Scrapbook Metamorphosis

I have a BIG addiction that I have to get off my shoulders. I AM ADDICTED TO TAKING PICTURES and I am powerless to stop! There I said it. The healing can begin.

This year I've started a support group for photography fanatics like myself who take pictures regularly but who rarely get them organized. I started this little "hobby" the day I met the Big Guy. He had a really nice camera and I thought it would be FUN to start scrapbooking about our lives together. That was 22 years ago........I've taken a LOT of photos since then.

I have Wedding Albums.......


Baby books......

Scrapbooks of treasured family vacations......

Books upon books of the kids growing up......

Under my staircase you can find the whole HISTORY of scrapbooking from it's infancy until today. I own hundreds of dollars of paper cutters and stickers, punches and presses. If you need scrapbooking tools, I've got them.
The problem is, over the last few years it's gotten harder and harder to find the TIME or the ENERGY to get down to organizing my pictures. I mean, where on earth am I going to find a WEEK of down time to get all my 2009 photos into a proper photo album?


Fret no longer my photography fanatic friends. Have I found the solution for you! I have discovered a website called shutterfly.com. You can SCRAPBOOK till the cows come home without making a tiny bit of mess.


No more need to agonize over which background sheets to BUY that you'll never end up using. With the click of a button you can choose which colors go with your pictures best........
Then all you do is drag and drop your photos into the album and place them according to your liking.

Don't like the pictures layout you've chosen? NO PROBLEM! Just click on the layout selection that suits your needs. From 1 picture per page to LOTS of pictures per page......you can have it all!



I am on the road to recovery, people. It's easy as 1, 2, 3. Yesterday I organized the entire 2009 year in a ONLINE SCRAPBOOK MARATHON of 8 hours straight.

WHAT?! I had a bad cold........what else was I supposed to do? Lay in bed all day?

If you want to check it out, just click on the following link. It's really quite an amazing metamorphosis from paper to digital and I am RIDING THE WAVE baby!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Don't forget to check out all the other METAMORPHOSIS going on out there. Hop on by Between Naps on the Porch for all the fun.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/01/welcome-to-51st-metamorphosis-monday.html

It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This!

In these tough economic times you've got to be creative to keep your company in the green. Tighter budgets and demanding customers require us to think outside the box to be able to offer what the consumer is going to want......and we need to figure it out 1 year in advance. It's not easy to look that far ahead and really KNOW what direction you should go in. Anybody got a CRYSTAL BALL?!

So, this year Darvonda decided to take a corporate retreat out in the wilderness of the Rocky Mountains. It's amazing how you can get a better focus on where you need to go in 2010 when you are out smelling the crisp cold air of our majestic BC forests.......or sit in a nice warm "think tank" for a couple of hours with a glass of Okanagan Merlot and a bunch of your closests advisors.......gather round the "conference" table for a face to face brainstorming session........or just take some time to have a heart to heart discussion about what the next generation sees for the future.

This year we wanted to change it up a little. We are very fortunate to have an EXECUTIVE CHEF on staff at Darvonda who is normally busy with the logistics of trucking plants all over Western Canada. We knew that he would have a little time on his hands this week since we shut the greenhouses down for Christmas and New Year's. So we asked him to come along and help keep us well fed and energized for our gruelling planning sessions. Fortunately for all of us, CHEF GARY accepted our invitation.

We arrived at the condo in Silverstar just in time for Chef Gary to start prepping the onions for our first dinner of Stuffed Pork with Garlic,Rosemary Carrots and Roasted Herb Potatoes. Watching the CHEF was like having Jamie Oliver in the kitchen. Who needs the Food Television Channel when Gary's in the house?!

He demonstrated how to take a pork loin and cut it into a nice flat piece of meat, perfect for stuffing. Mind you, although I watched with rapt attention, I have my doubts I could do this myself at home but.......I can DREAM, can't I?!

Pay attention now, everybody, because this is going to go REAL fast. Chef Gary's a PROFESSIONAL and he makes things happen. First you spice the meat up with more than 16 assorted "things". I have no idea what those things are but they SMELL great!

Make sure you don't blink or take a sip of your MERLOT like I did 'cause you'll miss the whole part about making a fruit stuffing......and all you'll get to see is how you roll that special stuffing inside the pork loin. Basically, I missed the most important part of the whole recipe while shoving blue cheese and smoked salmon down my throat instead of paying attention.Then while I was busy pouring myself a refill, Chef Gary proceeded to dazzle us with his KNOT tying prowess.We were all in AWE......believe me!In what seemed like a matter of minutes, the stuffed pork was roasted and ready for a little bit of lovin' from some very tasty gravy, the contents of which I really am not sure. I do know that there is SOME alchoholic beverage involved in the recipe somewhere between chopping up fresh rosemary and adding the pan drippings from the meat.I am going to have to get Chef Gary to write that whole recipe down for me. I was going to do it while he was cooking up a storm but I had a grandbaby in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. I decided I wasn't willing to put either down so I counted on my STELLAR MEMORY to help me retain every detail. Now, if you know me, you will be aware that I started this blog to help me remember what I did last week. I consult it regularly to check on the details of my personal escapades on a daily basis. Suffice it to say.......my memory has already lost a crucial amount of details needed to make this recipe at home. NOTE TO SELF: Next time, put down the glass of wine and start taking notes.One thing I CAN remember.......the food tasted AWESOME and the company made a special evening even MORE SPECIAL!

Following such a wonderful meal, we all decided to work off a few calories out on the skating pond. We broke into teams, LOGISTICS and PRODUCTION verses SALES and ADMINISTRATION, for a fast paced game of ICE HOCKEY.

A few key players were missing since we needed a skeleton crew to stay behind and take care of the greenhouses while we were gone but.......we managed a pretty good game anyway. The GROWERS get an official HIGH FIVE for staying home and keeping the plants alive!

The older generation had to take a few breaks in between goals to contemplate life.........and to nurse a few bruises.

Personally, I took off on my own to glide around with a figure skaters grace and ease until........I landed on my TUSH in a very un-ladylike heap. This ice skating stuff is pretty dangerous for grandmothers, you know.

We all finally made it back to the condo for a quick cup of HOT CHOCOLATE with a dash of DISARONO to top off a wonderful start to an exciting CORPORATE RETREAT!

All them GOOD EATS and COLD AIR really hit the spot.

NEWS FLASH! STOLEN: 1993 C Class Motorhome. Taken some time this morning from a covered shelter on our yard. If you spot this vehicle, approach with caution.......OR call TAMARA who will come and give the bandits a PIECE OF HER MIND 'cause she wants her motorhome BACK!

Post Script: My apologies to anyone who witnessed my blubbering melt-down at church. I must be getting menopausal because normally I don't cry when people steal my toys. I'm gonna be fine. I promise!

Top 10 Signs That You Need To Take A Winter Vacation.

Are you in need of a METAMORPHOSIS from this wintery season of snow and ice? How can you tell that you really NEED to take a winter vacation right about now? Here are the Top 10 Signs that you need to take a winter break........

10. The local Garden Centers have better Christmas decorations than you do at your place.

9. You're beginning to think you look good in that paper hat you got in your Christmas Cracker.

8. Your niece looks better in HER Christmas Cracker paper hat than YOU do!

7. You start wishing you were sitting at the kiddie's table so you can be the first at the buffet.

6. There are more Blackberries at your Christmas dinner than bottles of wine.

5. It takes TWO people to dry ONE plate.

4. You get into a scrap with a toddler over who gets to play the electronic piano next.

3. You get jealous of that same toddler because of his "sweet-0" reclining chair.

2. You find your derriere just doesn't FIT that "sweet-o" reclining chair like when you were a toddler.

1. Your sister arranges a CRUISE in the MEDITERANEAN for you at the end of JANUARY 2010.......and she books one too!

Don't forget to check out all the other METAMORPHOSIS going on out there. Stop by Between Naps on the Porch for more MET Monday fun! http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/12/welcome-to-50th-metamorphosis-monday.html

Another 6 Acres To Plant......

Another year has come and gone
Planting for Spring has already begun.
Sales continue to rise
Forcing us to increase in size.
Building new greenhouses just wasn't the plan
So we've decided to rent them from another man.
6 more acres we will need to maintain
Across the bridge we go in the rain.

BUT........

In 2010 CONSTRUCTION won't give us a fear.
So I can shout from the roof tops "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

North Pole Makeover - Santa's Apprentice

This past week has been very busy around here. You see, Frosty the Snowman dropped by the greenhouse looking for some assistance with a BIG problem he has. Santa has been trying to re-vamp his image, trying to bring the whole North Pole marketing scheme into the 21st century. He wants his image to be more HIP and HAPPENIN' inorder to keep the next generation connected to his BRAND. Frosty has been given the task to find SANTA and APPRENTICE! I think he has his work cut out for him.......

For the past 7 days, Darvonda has been searching high and low for the next APPRENTICE to bring the Santa Claus legacy into the modern times. High level brainstorming sessions with management have discovered that the following characteristics are ESSENTIAL if Santa is going to keep his standings in the POLLS.

First and foremost, the candidate must be able to relate to the children........
Next, he must understand what the kids are talking about when they ask Santa for all those new fangled techy toys that are all the rage......Of course, the APPRENTICE must bear some RESEMBLANCE to Santa, since the children know EXACTLY what Santa looks like......And the final and most IMPORTANT aspect of Santa's APPRENTICE.........
the candidate must be able to grow his own WHISKERS!

The Wee One isn't too impressed with the FAKE BEARD that Danny Boneduce donned so I'm afraid he will not make the cut to be the next SANTA APPRENTICE.

The Big Guy and I really tried to help out Frosty in his search for the most suitable candidate, even taking some of the training into our own hands. We took the second SANTA APPRENTICE wanna-be out on the road to teach him the ropes of WAVING and HO HO HO'ing in the perfect SANTAish way. We believe in HANDS-ON trainging here at Darvonda!

So, rest assured my blogger friends, we are not going to let the little kiddies down. We promise to find the best APPRENTICE for Santa possible before Rudolph and the boys RETIRE. This extreme North Pole Makeover edition is in good hands!

Now make sure to drop on by Between Naps on a Porch to check out all the Christmas Metamorphosis stories going on out there. Just click here

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/2009/12/welcome-to-49th-metamorphosis-monday.html

No Such Thing as TOO MUCH CHRISTMAS!

I managed to get out and do a bit of Christmas Idea Shopping in the last two weeks which is probably the MOST FUN part of my job at Darvonda.Who wouldn't LOVE to go from garden center to garden center checking out what's available for Christmas this year?!

I have a hard time remaining un-biased and business like when I go on these trips.

I start imagining how I could re-do my living room.........get the Big Guy to install a fireplace next weekend or so.

But, I take my sister Lisa along on a trip like this to keep me grounded.......and FOCUSED on the job at hand.

I LOVE seeing everyone's ideas on how to decorate for the holidays. It just puts me in the MOOD to entertain. There's Christmas Carols playing in the background......

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,

Jingle all the way!

Oh what fun it is to ride

in a one horse open sleigh!

By the end of a trip like this is I always end up suffering from a little case of "ORNAMENT ENVY". I just want to be able to have such a great collection of ornaments to use around my house from year to year but........

I just never have TIME to get a good collection going!

And........I worry about how much WORK it would take to pack all those beloved ornaments back up at the end of the season to keep them safe and ORGANIZED for next year.

Honestly, I think I'm just too LAZY to get a really good collection going.

And just to make sure you are up on the latest TREND for Christmas 2009.......

the UPSIDE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE is all the RAGE! I wonder if I should try that at my place when things slow down around here.

Cast Your Burden......

Last night was a long night. It was bitterly cold and we had a drive motor BURN OUT on our sawdust burning boiler. That meant trouble! If the sawdust can't get to the boiler, the boiler won't run. If the boiler won't run, we have no heat in the greenhouse. No heat in the greenhouse means that all these little beauties could FREEZE!

So, that meant that the guys had to come up with some SOLUTIONS to our little PROBLEM. Unfortunately, the issue was discovered right around dinner time and no shops were open where we could possibly get a new drive motor. After much thought and consultation, a MACGYVER like contraption was built.........a rented drill keeps things turning and a fan keeps the motor cool.........straps and poles keep the drill in a stationary position.......it's an ugly looking temporary fix but it seemed to work.

But, it did mean that the boiler had to be babysat ALL NIGHT LONG. The Wee One wanted to go sit with Grampa a while......... but her mother told her that it was bed time. "Aaaaaaw, come on MOM! Can't I go sit with Grampa?! He's lonely sitting out there all by himself!"
It's at times like these that Tamara gets to thinking. She starts thinking deep.......very deep. So last night as I lay in my bed all alone I started thinking about this drive motor that has been running all night, every night for many years, faithfully bringing the sawdust to the boiler. Regular as clock work. I thought "Who knew there was a motor that was running all night, every night which was so ESSENTIAL to our business?". I had really taken this special motor for granted.

Then I thought even DEEPER.......uh oh, watch out people.......she's thinking really deep now! I thought "Now the Big Guy has to sit beside the boiler all night long to make sure that it keeps running. But there are HUNDREDS of motors all over the greenhouses......WHO is gonna watch THOSE?!"

It's at times like these that I am reminded that WE can't watch all those motors....... or keep all our drivers SAFE on the slippery winter roads........ or even make people buy our plants if they don't want to. It's times like these that I realize I must "cast my burden" on my Saviour, Jesus Christ. What a RELIEF that I'm not in charge!

Now, just one more thing I want to share today. Last weekend a vibrant, young couple, Darcie and Gavin, full of joy and anticipation of their upcoming summer wedding, were taken to be with the Lord in a devastating motor vehicle accident in Owen Sound, Ontario. Darcie, this beautiful young lady, used to work here at Darvonda. Her MEGA WATT smile was such a joy to be around. We grieve along with their families and friends but we are comforted in knowing that WE are NOT IN CHARGE!

This morning I was reading from Psalm 139 with the kids before they rushed off to school and it gave me great comfort. I hope you don't mind if I share a portion with you here.

"Thou knowest when I sit down and when I rise up;
thou discernest my thoughts from afar.
Thou searchest out my path and my lying down,
and art acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether.
Thou dost beset me behind and before,
and layest thy hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is high, I cannot attain it"

May our gracious Lord give comfort to all those grieving the loss of a loved one and may we always cast our burdens upon Him.