welcome 2009

Happy New Year!

go canada go

It is very exciting having the World Junior Championship in Ottawa right now...

Good times if you are a hockey fan...

{That is us enjoying one of the Team Canada games at Scotiabank Place- taken with my little camera, so not a great photo!}

Go Canada Go!

catching up christmas

We had a great Christmas! It was different from past year's - this was my first Christmas without any of my family around. But K and I and the kiddies made it fun on our own anyway, and got to celebrate with good friends! I feel very lucky to have such great friends already in our new city {at this time last year, when us moving was still just something we were talking about, I was sure I would never make any new friends, and I would be homesick...but I am happy to say, that is not the case}!

After seeing what Santa had left in our stockings, we opened gifts slowly {well, as slowly as these two know how to be...}

Then Jill & Ian and their kiddies came over for a visit, and had lunch and Jill's homemade soup with us. The kiddies got a chance to play with some new toys, and burn off some energy. I was enjoying my Mimosa and it was all good, until someone looked over and saw Miss S playing with one of R's new craft sets. I heard "We're painting the wall"...

That is Miss S, after Ian removed her from my family room, where she sat with Baby G painting the wall, carpet and everything near her, with R's new paints {K immediately grabbed the carpet cleaner and started scrubbing - I grabbed my camera and started snapping, because it is funny now that I look back on it}. I don't even know how it happened, we were in the same room...I really don't know. Good times!

Jill & family left to go to their Christmas dinner, and we did a quick wardrobe change, a 'ten-second tidy' and started preparing our dinner {OK, K started dinner - he loves to cook a turkey. I had another Mimosa}!

Renee, Mark & C joined us in the afternoon and for dinner. The kids played some more, and did some sledding outside, and we had a great time {all the paint was safely tucked in the craft cupboard}. The kids really enjoyed R's new remote control helicopter {don't worry - we did tell Miss S to not play on the stairs...right after this photo was taken}...

Merry Christmas!

holiday home

Anyone that has been to my home during the holidays knows how much I love Christmas ornaments. And every ornament has a story {ok, maybe not every one...some are just plain cute}!

R really enjoyed unwrapping all the ornaments with me, he liked hearing all the stories, and he liked hanging them all on the tree {on the bottom third of the tree hanging all together with 10 ornaments to each branch...so I had to move them a bit when he wasn't looking...}! While unwrapping a sparkly ornament, R holds it up to me and asked, "Did you get this one when you and Daddy were in Africa?" {I thought this was so funny, especially since K and I have never been to Africa, and it was a gold...camel???}

These are some of my recent favorites. This gingerbread man is our very first "made at school" by R ornament...

R made this one at school too...

Grandma & Grandpa sent this little cupcake for Miss S this year, because you know how she loves her cuppy-cakes...

I gave this one to K after our trip to France {I love all Eiffel Towers, even R will see something with an Eiffel Tower and say "Mom, there's your tower that you love"...{sigh} I love him}!

I should have taken a photo of the glittery Eiffel Tower ornament Renee gave me too, but I have now already packed away all Christmas at our house {I have never done it this early before, but I am getting ready for the move}.

Here's one that my parents gave me, 'cause I'm a little obsessed with taking photos {in case you hadn't noticed}...

This ship brings back memories of the cruise we took the December when I was pregnant with Miss S...

Here is the Alice in Wonderland I gave Miss S last year...

and the Humpty Dumpty for R, the same year...

This one reminds me of the trip K and I took to New Orleans, where I ate alligator {really I did}...

and this one, of us going to a Twins game when we were in Minneapolis...

I gave this decoration to my little ballerina this year, so we always remember her first dancing lessons...
Our tree had to have a Scottie, because they are so charming...

These were for K one year, because he loves his tools...

and this Santa, another year, because it is just so him...

I just love the glitter star {it's a Wendy Addison - the glitter goddess, see more here}...

And this one I love because it is from the Charlotte Lyons Sweet Mountain Holiday Collection...

and I think those kiddies on the sled could be R and S!

Topping it all off, we have Hippie Angel, that was once on my parents tree for many years {until they replaced her with a more modern 'barbie' looking angel} and I kept, because I have a soft spot for her 70's look and crazy hair...

Happy Holidays!

merry christmas!

{artwork by R, age 4, December 2008}

the stockings were hung...

by the chimney with care...

{these are the stockings I cross-stitched for the four of us}

In hopes that St Nicholas soon would be there...

{R with his hot chocolate mustache}

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve. As soon as K finished working for the day, we went to Jill's to share their Christmas Eve traditional Tourtiere dinner with her and her family. After dinner, Miss S and I, and Jill and her daughter, attended a Christmas Eve mass {while the boys stayed back to put Baby G to bed, and watch a Christmas movie}.

Miss S enjoyed all the singing and sitting up by the alter with the other children, {however, I had several small panic attacks each time she inched closer and closer to the wreath - she had asked me if she could blow out the advent candles - she must have thought it was like a birthday cake...}. Miss S also kept saying to me "light the PINK candle"...

The children were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of sugarplums danced in their heads...

And K had visions of this, in our new entertainment armoire

for the family room in the new house...so he went ahead and ordered it on Christmas Eve in the Pre-Boxing Week sale!

randomness

Still watching the snow fall, and watching my kiddies try to open Christmas gifts that they should not be opening until Christmas {R may already know he is getting a LEGO Service Station set thanks to his sneaky sis Miss S, sorry Uncle VW}. So, I thought I would share some random photos that I took recently.

This is the Christmas quilt my mom made for me this year, using Mary Engelbreit fabrics...

Here are some layouts I made while staying in and keeping warm. I really wanted some of the Dotted Swiss {embossed cardstock} from Bazzill, and finally got some at Archiver's when I was in Omaha for Silver Bella. I made these layouts using some of it...

I titled the layout above with Miss S and Auntie M, 'Always Kiss Me Goodnight'. I love that saying and have it printed on a sign in our home. I was reminded of it when Jill, Jen and I went on a Christmas shopping trip to Merrickville recently, and saw signs like it in a few of the shops. {I love Merrickville - and I'm going to have to make shopping there at Christmas, an annual tradition. We had a great time, even in the cold and snowy day, having coffee together, shopping in the boutiques, going for lunch in the cutest pub ever}.

Back to layouts - this one is a scraplift from Vicki Boutin in the last Scrapbooks, Etc...

I've been using the Gift Journal that I made last year, in Teresa McFayden's Ezine, The 12 Days of Comfort & Joy {I didn't do the ezine this year - not enough time, but loved it last year}. This is the journal I made last year...

and there was still some blank space in it, so I'm just using it again this year! I loved stitching around the tree, and making it glitter with Stickles, and using my Grandma's buttons...

We've been enjoying our Christmas season in our new city so far. Without any family here, we have been spending lots of time with new friends, and it has been great {although we do miss our family}. On Friday, an impromptu idea of Christine's to make pizzas with the kiddies ended up being a fabulous party at her place - 31 of us, adults and kiddies, showed up and had a great time {it is hard to believe we even know this many people here already - we have been so blessed}.

The kiddies made pizzas for dinner and ran around and played, and I got a chance to catch up with friends before the craziness of Christmas really sets in. I also made it to Jill & Christine's joint birthday party last weekend, and stayed until the wee hours. K, the kiddies and I had dinner with Jill and her family last Sunday, after a day of shopping for our new kitchen table. {Jill could not believe I had never had a Shawarma, and since Ottawa seems to be the Shawarma capital of Canada - seriously there are Shawarma places everywhere... just found a website about it so you know I'm not kidding! And in case you were wondering...they are really good}!

This past week we also went to our first ever Christmas Concert at R's school...

R told his Grandpa on the phone that he 'went on a real stage'! He did great, I had to hold back the tears - it was so sweet! After enjoying the concert we were invited back to the classroom for snack time. R showed us all his art on the walls, and his favorite toys to play with, and Miss S made herself comfortable at a snack table! We will have no trouble at all when it comes time for her to go to kindergarten - she is ready now!

Miss S's first Christmas

I was just checking out Katie's blog, and it brought back memories of Miss S's first Christmas. It is because of this dress...

that Miss S wore...
Katie's daughter has the same dress for her first Christmas.

I love this dress {still have it hanging on a hook in Miss S's room}.

And it must taste good...

because Katie's daughter and Miss S both seemed to love chewing on theirs!

I cannot believe how big Miss S seems after looking at these 'old' photos! So many wonderful Christmas memories {thanks for reminding me Katie}!

mirror, mirror, on the...minibook

I am uploading new photos as I watch the snow come down, and down, and down. We may be snowed in here, soon!

Last week Renee, Mellisa and I took a class taught by our friend Stephanie, at the Scrapbox. The four of us got a chance to create and chat, so it was a great night. We also started planning for the Donna Downey event we are all going to, and some swaps to do together in the new year, for the event. We are going to try our own 'fabric fat book' inspired by the one Renee and I saw at Silver Bella {it was hosted by Michelle Geller, check out just how fabulous it was, here}.

Here is the mirror book I made in class, full of photos from R's first Christmas...

As usual, Stephanie designed a gorgeous book, with so many charming details. On one of the ribbons we hung charms that we made using Tim Holtz 'Fragments'. So easy to attach paper to the clear charms with crystal laquer - and so cute! There's a Heidi Swapp Chandelier Crystal on another ribbon...

Love the mix of Heidi Swapp and Making Memories papers and embellishments...

I love, love, love Heidi Swapp clocks...

and the Making Memories journaling cards...

The flocked damask paper that we put on the back cover is fabulous...

Check out the reflection of my vintage Christmas ornaments in the mirror cover of the book...

And just because it was in the background, here is a photo of my new favorite tree. It is a Bethany Lowe 'Vintage Inspired Silver Tree' that my mom sent me this year!

It's still snowing...