Monday, November 30, 2015

Feeling Like Christmas


Happy Monday! I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend! We sure did! The weekend was FULL of Christmas activities! I am REALLY in the holiday spirit now! 

The weekend started with our company Christmas party! We recently moved it to the shop as it feels a lot more casual and relaxed. We still get a delicious meal catered and the guys supply the music since we have so much talent here. 



It was a great way to wrap up a successful and busy season! This year we gave all the guys (and their families) their own Christmas turkey's. It was fun to pass them all out. 

I headed home with Sam around bed time and enjoyed the rest of my evening doing Christmas crafts in front of the TV. 

Saturday morning I was up early and made a quick batch of Maple fudge. Sam, Ryan and I headed to the city for groceries and to pick up some special treats to Grey Cup on Sunday! 

When we got home and Sam went down to nap, I made my Christmas short bread cookies and got to decorating some of the house. 


Saturday evening I was off for a Christmas dinner out with the girls! It was a good meal at Boston Pizza and then back to Jill's for a "Christmas Favorite Things" gift exchange! 


Sunday morning I was up early and while I sipped my coffee I did a little bit of decorating! I am not putting out all my usual decorations as I am worried about Sam and some breakable ones! But this one is right on the ground for him to play with! 


Sam and I headed to church for pageant practice and then back home for lunch where we had a nice visit with Shannon, Casey and Rylie. 

When Sam napped, Ryan put up the Christmas lights and I decorated the porch! I have been wanting to do more decorations on our porch and have had this plan in my mind for a while! 

It was a bit of extra work but I think it looks super cozy! I'm just missing a couple of blankets for the chairs! 


Every year I always empty out my flower pots and pick some evergreen from the bush behind our house and re-fill the pots. I love this little project every winter! I cannot believe the price people pay for these pots at stores this time of year! To make your own is SO easy! 


 We had a quiet afternoon and when it got dark we all bundled up for our little tradition of "Christmas Lighting". Sam is LOVING the Christmas lights this year and kept saying "wow"! 


I hope you had a great weekend! 

xo

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Maybe, JUST maybe, I don't Hate Snow As Much Anymore

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope that everyone is having a great week! This is the week that we were "suppose" to finish up some jobs at work before the winter season. Yesterday we got an unexpected snow fall which resulted in work being put on hold for snow work instead! 

I think I've mentioned it a few times before. Winter was my least favorite season and I especially hated snow. I know, I'm Canadian. Aren't I suppose to embrace winter? Sure. But the thing is I don't have good feelings with snow because of the amount of stress it puts on my family. 

While the summer work is busy, it is fairly regular hours and you know what to expect. If you don't get make a turf client happy, for the most part, they will survive and the work will get done eventually. 

Winter and snow removal is a whole other game. It is all hours of the day and sometimes multiple shifts of 24 hours. Not getting out to sand or plow is a big deal. School buses could be delayed and peoples lives could be at stake with a slippery hill that wasn't sanded. Yes, in Canada you would expect people to dress and drive accordingly for the winter weather but in reality they don't. So it's the guys behind the snow plows to try and make winter a little less dangerous for the public. 

Ryan works nights in the winter. So a normal shift is 6 PM to 6 AM (getting home at 7). But on a storm basis, the hours are unknown. Our lives revolve around the weather. Activities are only slightly planned because they could change instantly with the forecast of flurries. Winters are tough but a reality for a seasonal business. 

I think my hatred for winter started on the years that my Dad would miss some special occasions because he had to snow plow. He would do his best to not miss any of the important events but there were still Christmas' where we had to wait on him to finish plowing and concerts where he wasn't present. 

BUT there has been a shift. 

This snow/winter hating girl MAY have been excited for the first snow fall this year. My first thought, Sam was going to get to experience snow! Being able to look at the wonder and magic of a fresh snow fall through a kids eyes is amazing. They don't care about the cold or have any thoughts on shoveling/plowing. Dreams of snow angels, snowmen, sliding, skating and all other fun winter stuff begins dancing through their heads....and mine too! 

I asked Sams daycare provider if possible to send me some photos of my boy outside in the snow. She told me the story of her own daughter watching the snow fall early in the morning and wondering when Elsa was going to show up! SO sweet. 

I was told that Sam was so happy with the snow. He was exploring his footprints and everything outside that was covered by the snow. 

So, as much as a part of me will always have a dislike of winter, I may be changing my tune slightly. Instead I am looking forward to a season of new adventures with Sam and enjoying the winter activities we get to do. To see the magic of the tiniest snowflake through his little eyes. 





xo 

Monday, November 23, 2015

Weekend of Christmas Preparations


Happy Monday! Here are some scenes from the weekend! 

Friday was pretty low key! Pizza supper and Netflix! 

Saturday morning we were all up and headed to the city to run errands! Breakfast at Tims, groceries, glasses fixed and Christmas gift picked up! 

We had a day full of homemade Christmas preparations! Sammy helped as well! We have a few fun Christmas presents to gift this year but they take a lot of work to prepare. We pretty much got 75% of them done on Saturday! 

We had a quiet night in as Ryan needed to be up early as the start of the winter season begins. I actually don't mind Ryan working night shift. Although I don't see him as much, the shift usually works that he see's Sam more. Oh, and I usually get an early morning Tim's on his way back home! :) 


While grocery shopping on Saturday, I decided to was time for me to stop being lazy now that it's a quieter season. I have been buying dinner rolls (6$ from Loblaws!!) instead of making my own! So Sunday morning before Sam even woke up I made 24 dinner rolls ready for suppers this week! So much tastier and CHEAPER! 


I decided to use up some pumpkin that I had in the freezer and made some pumpkin french toast! Usually Ryan or I can keep Sam busy but on Sunday he was so insistent on helping. We really need to get going on his kitchen helper stool soon! He makes me so nervous standing on a chair!  


I headed to church and Ryan and Sam headed to watch some hockey. I was to teach Sunday school and I knew there would be pageant practice so it was best if Sam was busy doing something else. Apparently he loved watching hockey! 


When I got home we enjoyed lunch and when Sam went down for a nap, so did Ryan. While they slept I got to work on some Christmas baking! Yum! 


And also made supper! Pork tenderloin with potatoes, green beans from the garden (frozen from the fall) and homemade buns! 


After supper we got our Christmas tree's put up!! This is a big job and now the fun part, decorating them! Hopefully that happens this weekend. Sam loved to look at the lights! 


It was a pretty quiet weekend but I feel like we got a lot done! I feel like we are ahead of the game in Christmas preparations and that makes me very relieved! 

How was your weekend? 

xo 

Friday, November 20, 2015

Four Funny Things This Friday

Happy Friday everyone! It has been a fairly busy week for me work wise but it's kind of been nice. When things are busy, the days go by quickly. I love being busy and I know that things are going to start going much more slowly once the snow starts flying. 

To say that I am a graceful and elegant person would be a complete lie. I am constantly saying and doing the wrong things. It really isn't purposeful but stay around me for a little bit in a public setting and I am sure to embarrass myself somehow for your entertainment. But I also know that I don't take life too seriously. I really don't! And it's kind of nice! I am always laughing at some crazy and stupid thing. And here is the latest things! 

1. I keeled over laughing and declared to Ryan that I had found him the PERFECT Christmas gift! While browsing through the latest Sears catalog and saw this manly nightgown. Nothing screams "sexy" more than a man in a full on nightie. Don't get me wrong, I love a good nightie but on my man? No thanks! But I really wasn't kidding when I told Ryan I was getting it for him! :) It is totally worth the $24 for the laugh when he opens it! Oh and the disturbing part, there are select colors that are out of stock!! That means that there are people in this world either A. buying them for real or B. buying them for a joke! Let's all hope it's B!    

Please tell me I am not the only person who would laugh their head if their man came to bed wearing this! 


2. I'm going grey! I've noticed it for a while, the inevitable is happening. I'm going grey. My thin locks are starting to shoot random strands of very white hair. But no, these aren't nice smooth straight pieces of hair. They are stringy and wiry! I'm cheap. We all know that and I do not want to spend a pile of extra money covering these grey hairs so I am holding off for as long as possible! But it must be starting to get really noticeable. I was getting my 6 month hair trim yesterday and my hairdresser said two things to me. 1. She now does extensions which would make my thin hair so much thicker and 2. when do I want to start covering up the grey's that are multiplying rapidly. 
My response, well I guess I'll just have to start channeling my inner Rogue. She had no idea what I was talking about. #nerdalert
My cheap ass high tailed it out of there with my newly trimmed thin and grey hair before she could talk me into it! 


3. I'm not sure if I ever shared this story with you all but I am reminded of it all the time. Jill and I went to a wake for an important community member. We went through the long line up of family and had finally arrived at the last person, a son right before the casket. As I was shaking this gentleman's hand and offering my condolences, he thanked me for coming. And do you know what I said....? 
"No, thank you". 
He looked looked at little shocked but I just turned sharply and left. 

4. I've mentioned before that I am so glad I am no longer nursing. It was a great 12+ months but my life feels so much more free! When you have a hungry baby, you have no choice but to feed him where ever you may be. And sometimes, that would be in a restaurant! This one time Ryan and I were in the city for an breakfast out. Sam was very tiny and was eating often. Just as our food arrived Sam got hungry and I had to nurse him (with a cover) while trying to eat one handed (I've perfected this). While all of us, Sam included, were enjoying our meal a middle aged man came over to our table. He looks at me and says, "Could I borrow some milk?" 

I shoot him a weird look and say, "Umm...I'm sorry....my son needs it right now." 

He gave me a grossed out look and reached over to grab some creamer packages for his coffee from our table. I laughed it off and proceeded to hide under our table. Ugh! 

Please tell me I'm not alone!! 

Have a great weekend! 

xo 

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Actually TRYING Pinterest Pins

Happy Wednesday everyone! Ryan woke up this morning and the first words out of his mouth were "Ugh, it's only Wednesday". I couldn't have agreed more. This week is kind of creeping by at a snails pace.

I don't remember how long I have been using Pinterest but it has been a few years. When I first used this site, I would pin anything that looked interesting without going further into the instructions. Later I would learn that something wasn't as easy as the picture made it seem and there is sat for years without me even trying to attempt the craft/house project/recipe.

This year I have had a total shift in my Pinterest use. I still love it but I am MUCH more careful with what I Pin. I open it up and look at what I am getting myself into before adding it to one of my boards. I want to make sure that it is reasonable and something that I am interested in.

Sometimes, I realize that it is too complicated or that the Pin doesn't even belong to a website! I really make a conscious effort to keep my boards full of things that I am going to try! No more Pinterest clutter!

Another thing I have been doing is dedicating one Pin a week to try. Some weeks have been great and I've tried multiple things and others weeks I never got around to it. But it's all about balance!

Once I have tried something (like a recipe) if we LOVE it, I will keep it. If it's a disaster and we hate it, I remove it from the board. There is no reason to add to the clutter if I never intend on using that one particular Pin again!

Here are a few things that I have tried that will be staying on my Pinterest board!

This was a super easy weekend supper! And one of my favorite things is sundried tomatoes! 


Picked up a vintage pair of snowshoes and this is ready to be added to my outdoor Christmas decor! 



The softest Molasses cookies! 



A Sam favorite! It only takes about 10 minutes to get to soup made so I make it the morning of and just re-heat that night for supper! 


Another easy soup recipe that I make in the morning! Sam loves anything tomato related which is funny because when I was pregnant anything that had tomatoes in it would make me violently ill! 


My newest favorite weekend breakfast! I can make up the egg portion the night before! 


Sam has outgrown the "baby" hooded towels and I made him a couple of these and they work perfect! They will last quite sometime! 


We haven't technically made this yet but it is on the radar for after Christmas. Too many Christmas projects on the go right now. Sam loves to try and help me in the kitchen but I don't trust him standing on a chair. 


While this recipe isn't what I call "easy" but it has become one of our favorites! It's a weekend treat once Sam has gone to bed! 


I'm in the awkward stage where I don't technically need a huge diaper bag (especially at work) and Sam isn't old enough to carry a backpack of stuff. So in the mean time I carry a large purse and if I am going somewhere with Sam I made this little clutch to throw in. It sits in our closet and always contains at least two diapers and some wipes! This way I don't have to change purses every weekend from a regular purse to a diaper bag. 


And this weeks newest recipe we tried, chicken noodle soup! I wanted an easy and quick soup that I could make in the morning and we could re-heat to enjoy for supper! This one is perfect! 


Are you a Pinterest fan? Add me! I'd love to see some of the things that interest you! :) 

xo 

Monday, November 16, 2015

Fun Date Weekend

Happy Monday everyone! Has the weekend just flown by or is it just me? Ugh! Another week of somewhat beautiful weather! I am really enjoying the nice warmish Fall weather we are getting this November! I just hate being cold and this is ideal! 

A while back, my MIL sent me a message saying that I should pick a weekend that suits so that Sam could go there for a sleep over and Ryan and I could go on a date. As you can imagine, I hesitated....HA HA HA HA NOT! I believed I started mentally preparing for our date that day! The weekend was finally here! 

A good way to start the weekend? Brazilian carrot cake brought home from daycare!! So yummy! 


Friday evening Sam was surprisingly in a great mood! And we gave him a quick supper and played a lot before bed. Ryan got Sam ready for bed and I got ready for guests who were coming over for supper! We had a great visit and fun (sequence) with Amanda and Josh! We headed to bed right away to rest up for the busy Saturday. 

I was up early to get Sam packed and to enjoy the paper and coffee in peace. I am not a fan of cold coffee. I need to be able to focus to enjoy my morning coffee. I purposely get up super early even on the weekends just so I can have that peaceful time! 


Shortly after breakfast, Ryan went to drop Sam off at his parents and to practice my piano homework for the week since I knew it would be my only chance that day. At 9, Ryan got back and washed my car and I headed to the Onslow school craft sale! A really popular event in our community that helps to raise funds for our little rural school. That is the school that we hope to send Sam to one day and we try to support all the events. 

As soon as I got home, we headed to the city for our first stop, Ikea! I had a couple more things to get and I did not enjoy this visit as much as the last. I hate crowds and I was beginning to feel panicky about half way through. We got what we needed and booted out of there. 


We got lots of our Christmas shopping DONE as well as errands that we have been putting off. We had a yummy lunch with a lot of hangman while waiting for food. 


We decided on a late afternoon movie. We saw the newest James Bond movie! It was really good!



It's amazing how much you can get done in one day when we don't have Sam to buckle in and out of a car seat! Thank you to my wonderful MIL for giving us this day! 

Sunday morning it was weird to get up a little late and not have to rush through morning time. Ryan went and got Sam while I relaxed and cleaned up around the house. I got ready for church and headed to my parents house so my Dad could help me with some piano. I heard Sam had a great time at Nana and Poppa's. He has been saying their names over and over since he got back. 


I actually headed to church with my parents and Ryan and Sam met us there after Sam's morning nap. I needed church this week. With all the recent events surrounding Paris I was beginning to keep myself weighed down by the realities of it. But after worshiping on Sunday, I feel so much more at peace. I spent the afternoon counting my blessings rather than thinking about this scary time in our history. 

We joined my parents after church for lunch to celebrate my Dad's birthday! Sam was getting played out and was fast asleep as soon as we got home! While he napped I made suppers for the week, did laundry and STARTED CHRISTMAS SHOPPING! I was am so excited to be starting the decorating early. Just another step in making this season as stress free as possible. 

How was your weekend? 

xo 

Friday, November 13, 2015

Don't Take Life Too Seriously - Outtakes


Happy finally Friday! 

I shared with you a few of my favorite Fall photo's we had taken and I thought it was a good idea to show you some of the not so funny pictures! 

As I mentioned before, Sam (being 1.5) was not the easier subject but I also learnt that I am not either. Between watching Sam and Ryan, I would look anywhere but the camera! ha ha! I have always had strong facial expressions and some of these pictures prove that! ha ha! 

Here are some of my favorite outtakes! 


Scary look for scary movie marathon night! 


Another thing I learnt, Ryan is REALLY good at shutting everything out being a good model! Smile and pose perfectly for almost every picture! 




Swinging. The only thing we could do to make him smile!  


Sam is very entertained by something. We look to be contemplating how to get him to cooperate. 


He enjoys our lovin'. 


Mid-hit! Sams favorite thing to do when frustrated. We're working on that. 


Walking away from all these crazy people. 


Silly boy with a puzzle on his head! 


Happy Weekend! 
xo 

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Fall Photos 2015

Happy Wednesday everyone! I hope that the week is going fast and successfully for everyone! 

I was going to wait until after our Christmas cards went out to show you some of our Fall photos but I am just too excited about them! 

For some reason I have become really sentimental about taking family pictures every year. Sam just changes so quickly and I want  photo evidence for this time in our life. I'm hoping it will help me reflect on these days. 


What will I remember about these pictures? 

It was a cold October Day! Bestie Jill had been given a new camera for her birthday and she had been putting it to use with a picture a day project! After spending some time down East with her, I really got to see how talented she has become with her new camera! Her pictures are beautiful! I casually asked that while she was over for our annual scary movie marathon, if she could take a few family photos for us. So often I am the one behind the camera instead of in front of it with my boys! She agreed! 

Sam had just woken from his nap. It was threatening rain and it was super windy, perfect for our movie marathon but not so much for photos! Just as we got dressed, it started to rain! But we figured we'd give it a shot since we had a short window of opportunity with Sam. Let's just say, pictures with a 1.5 year old is HARD! A 1.5 year old does not understand the idea of posing for perfect family photos. He does not smile on command and would rather run for the road where there is oncoming traffic! 

But want to know how I know Jilly is an amazing photographer? She managed to get SO many amazing pictures despite her uncooperative subject(s). 











The little hand resting on mine and looking up at me...excuse me as I melt into a puddle. 



I love this pic. Random but this is what our day looks like EVERY DAY. Hunkered down on the floor playing with Sam, Tucker trying to get attention. 

I MAY had been sweating by the end of our 15 minute photo shoot from trying to wrangle our boy. And a shot like this...


...may not be what is considered "picture perfect" but it totally reflects what our life is like right now! A life that I am competely in love with. I'm going to look back on these photos and remember the crazy, tiring and yet super fun/happy times with our busy 1.5 year old! 

Thank you Jilly

xo