Psst...

Christmas Recap

Hard to believe that Christmas is over with. I'm feeling a bit of the post Christmas blues, I think.

Christmas Eve we went to our church for the children's service which was set up as three live scenes leading up to the birth of Christ. Sam was going to be a shepherd and I was really looking forward to seeing him. He is very reserved and shy by nature, so the very fact that he was so excited to take part in the service blew me away. Ian was one of three guides that each led a group to each scene. Jordan lasted about thirty seconds before she freaked out and we had to leave so she wouldn't spoil the experience for everyone else. We ended up spending most of the service in the prayer room and I missed seeing Shepherd Sam.

Afterwards we went to my mother's for a delicious ham dinner. She gave each of the children new pjs and after Ian started a fire in the fireplace, we all gathered around to listen to Sam and Julie read T'was The Night Before Christmas. We headed home around 9:00.

Julie put out hot chocolate and sugar cookies for Santa, and left him a letter. We checked the Norad site to see where Santa was and hurriedly ran upstairs when I told them he was already in New Brunswick. Ian and I stayed up late to wrap the last few gifts for them.

Christmas morning came quickly. 6am in fact. Sam said he'd been awake since 5am! We all headed downstairs to see if Santa came. We couldn't wake Jordan so we opened our stockings while she slept. Finally she woke up and joined us. She caught on to the excitement of opening gifts in a hurry, let me tell you!

Julie was thrilled that Santa brought her the Hannah Montana PSP she asked for and Sam was over the moon with his Band Hero. I already blogged about MaryBeth, my new digital camera. Ian was looking forward to setting up his new surround sound system.

We headed over to my mom's for 9am, opened more gifts and then had a lovely breakfast. We came home just after lunch and I had a wonderful, leisurely nap until 4. At 5pm we were back at Mom's for a delicious turkey dinner. Mom baked a cake and Julie carried it out while we all say Happy Birthday to Jesus. So precious.

This morning was spent with Ian's parents. They arrived just after 10am and after opening gifts from them, we had a light lunch and they left just after 2pm. They head off to Myrtle Beach, SC tomorrow morning and won't be home until April 1st.

Ian and Julie braved the Boxing Day crowds while Sam, Jordan and I hung around the house. Sam is getting into blogging and asked me to help him set up his blog. Jordan kept herself busy by covering Willow with bandaids. That dog is so gentle, it amazes me.

We closed off our evening by gathering at the kitchen table for a light dinner and played a game together. So sweet.

Tomorrow will be a lazy day and we're all looking forward to that. Nowhere to go, no housework needs to be done. Just a slow day together.

I hope you all had a blessed Christmas!

Squeeeee!

Look at what Ian gave me for Christmas!!



Her name is MaryBeth and I love her.

She auto corrects red eye and wrinkles...and takes video...and other stuff I'm still learning about!!

Have I mentioned I love her?

Sigh.

Just relaxing after a very busy but blessed Christmas day. More in the days to come.

Merry Christmas

For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:6

Merry Christmas, friends. May the many blessings of love, peace and joy be with you this holiday season and always.

I'm Done! I'm Done!

All of my Christmas shopping is done!!!

Jordan and I headed out to yet another mall first thing this morning and I was able to finish up everything on my list.

Whew!

We had a quick lunch in the food court and you will never guess what we saw.

Birds.

Flying free in the food court!!

This mall doesn't have a pet store so you just know they are dirty outside birds.

That's got to be seven kinds of gross right there. I don't like birds. They are creepy. Jordan, however, was completely enchanted.

Today she did not throw her shoes. She did not shout her "a" word or "die".

Nope. Today she just touched everyone's bum as they walked past. By the time we left the mall she was squeezing.

Nice.

Oh! She has a new word. Mine. She says it so softly while holding something right to her chest. Mine.

Tomorrow I will be cleaning the house and baking. I love baking on Christmas Eve. The children will help me put together treat bags for our neighbours and then they will deliver them.

We'll head over to the church for 5:30 for the 6:00 children's service. Ian is taking part, as is Sam. He's a shepherd. Afterwards we're going to my mom's for dinner.

Must go, much wrapping to be done.

How about you? Are you ready for Christmas?

Catchin' Up

Can you believe that Christmas is only a few days away? I sure can't. There seems to be so much to do and I'm worried I won't get it all done. I'm frustrated with myself that with all the busyness of this time of year, I've taken my eyes and heart off the true Reason for this season: Jesus. I need to quiet my heart and refocus myself. And celebrate.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Thank you to all of you that shared your thoughts on my Would You Have Said Anything? post. I went back to that mall yesterday but didn't go to that store. I agreed with you all and I kept my trap shut.

Write this date down in your calendar, folks. It doesn't happen often.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Jordan is getting more and more verbal every day. In addition to saying "ass" she now shouts "die! die! die!". She gets this from Sam who shouts this at his Lego characters while playing on the xbox.

Last week I was at a different mall with Jordan, and after walking around for three hours we decided to head home. I was almost at the door when I realized that she had taken off one of her shoes and dropped it somewhere. We started backtracking to find it, and it was then that Jordan decided to shout her new word the entire way.

"DIE! DIE! DIE!"

I felt like an idiot. I didn't know how to make her stop. We walked for twenty minutes with her shouting before we found it. These were hardly expensive shoes...I paid $5 for them. So basically I walked for twenty minutes, totally embarrassed, for something that cost me $2.50. That's how cheap I am.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Sam had some friends over this past Saturday to hang out and play video games, so Julie and I headed out to see The Princess and the Frog for some girl time. It was a cute movie but I didn't think it was as good as the other Disney princess movies.

In case you were wondering, yes, I did doze off during it. I can't help it. That's what I do - I fall asleep during movies.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Speaking of Julie, she has been taking great delight in washing the dishes.



She did them again this morning after breakfast. My control issues are killing me. So is the amount of water and dish soap she is using.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Willow ripped a hole in my carpet.

!!!

Ian bought a runner to cover it up and to, hopefully, deter him from doing it anymore. Nope. He is going through that one too.

He has tons of toys and things to chew. What's up with this??

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

I've been practicing my sugar cookies some more and made these for the kids' friends in the neighbourhood...



I decorated these for my friend Jen's son who turned 1 the other day.



Jen knows that these will likely get eaten before they make it to her house, so hopefully she'll appreciate the thought ;-)

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Ian's company Christmas party was this past Sunday and it was at a really cool venue. They had bumper cars, laser tag, stock car racing, and wall-sized screens for Wii bowling and Guitar Hero. They served pancakes and fruit, not that the children were interested in eating.

Poor Jordan...she tripped and fell flat on her face and cut herself just under her bottom lip. Now she looks like she has a soul patch goin' on there.



Lovely, huh? Just in time for my inlaw's visit this weekend.

Remember this pic?



I laughed so hard when I read this sign and had to post it for all of you to see. WhirlyBall is played while driving bumper cars around. I don't think I could play because it involves doing two things at once and well, that just isn't my forte.

~*~ ~*~ ~*~

Alright friends. I have to get my clean on so my house is ready for Christmas. Good thing I have two kids I can put to work ;-)

A Giveaway!

Nope, not from me but hold tight...I'm working on a few things for the new year.

This giveaway is hosted by my beautiful friend Laura from Olivia Grace Creations.

And what is she giving away, you ask??

Look!!



Laura was so moved by this book that she wants to send a copy to one lucky reader. I've read this book and it had a huge impact on me. You will love it too, I promise you.

Redeeming Love is a retelling of the biblical love story of Gomer and Hosea in a tale set against the exciting backdrop of the California Gold Rush. The heroine, Angel, is a young woman who was sold into prostitution as a child. Michael Hosea is a godly man sent into Angel’s life to draw her into the Savior’s redeeming love.

Sigh.

I couldn't put this book down. It was a tangible, visible reminder of God's love for us, how it doesn't matter where we are, or what we've done, He loves us with an everlasting love. Who doesn't want and need to know that??

All you have to do to enter is head on over to her beautiful blog and leave her a comment telling her about the most amazing book you've read.

While you're there, make sure to look around her blog and check out the beautiful cards and crafts she creates. She's so talented.

Good luck!

Silent Sunday

Sunday Funday Time

Keely over at Mannland5 hosts this fun Sunday Funday Getting To Know YOU blog carnival each week because she really wants to get to know us.

Isn't she super fun??

I'm working on a post as time allows, some thank yous and some updates and maybe even a pic or two. Not sure when I'll get that done but I'm hoping soon.

So... here I go!

~~~~~~~

1. Middle name?

Theresa

2. What do you think is your best asset (physical)?

My hair. It's thick and healthy and most days I lurve it. I get a lot of compliments on it when I'm having a good hair day.

3. If you could only eat one type of cuisine for a year, what would it be (Mexican, American,Chinese..etc.)?

Probably American. I like Mexican but there are only so many tacos and quesadillas that a person can eat. And as for Chinese, there are only three things on their menu I like, so that wouldn't go well. Well, that and the fact that everyone knows you can gorge yourself on Chinese food and be starving again just a few hours later. I'd be eating every few hours and be 5,000 times bigger. No thanks! But American cuisine has a lot of choices and I could live quite happily for the year.

4. Walmart or Target?

Please. I think we all know my answer to this question.

5. Favorite State besides the one you live in?

I'm Canadian, but I'm going to answer this one anyway. My favourite State is Floria, hands down. Second place goes to North Carolina because it has the greenest grass I've ever seen, and third place goes to South Carolina because the pace is perfect.

6. What side of the bed do you sleep on, left or right?

Depends on where you are standing. If you are standing at the foot of the bed, then I am on the left. It's closest to the bathroom which is pretty important. And it's furthest from the door which is most important, because when The Killer comes in, he'll get to Ian first **.

** This also applies to children who wake during the night and need parental assistance.

7. King or Queen size bed?

Queen


8. Beer or wine?

I love a glass of wine occasionally, but a cold Molson Canadian hits the spot every time.

9. Water..ice-cold or room temp?

Ice cold! Warm water is gross. Ew.

10. Christmas..love it or hate it?

I love it!

Hop on over to Keely's Blog and play along too :-)

Blue :-(

I woke up this morning feeling blue and it has stayed with me all day. I think it's because of a movie I watched the end of last night before I took Willow out for his last walk before bed.

The final scene was a group of four women: one was delivering her baby and the other three were there for moral support.

I lay awake thinking about the movie and the sad feelings started.

First of all, I miss having close girlfriends. I had a couple that I was extremely close with for awhile but we had a major falling out due to a specific circumstance back in the spring, and I don't get together with them anymore. I have thought and prayed a lot about our situation, but feel in my heart its best to just let go and keep moving forward. I don't trust people easily and this whole situation just made that worse.

But...I'm lonely.

Second, I will never be pregnant again. And I miss it so much. We have no plans to add to our family. At three children we are done, and our hands and hearts are full. Not that I think I could do it again even if we wanted to. My body is changing and my cycle is crazy. My periods are all over the place and last anywhere from 3-5 weeks (sorry, TMI) and my doctor thinks I am no longer ovulating and that things are starting to shut down. He said it's due to my 'advanced maternal age'.

Not that it matters, right? We aren't planning on any more children.

But you know what? It makes my heart ache. Sometimes it hurts so much it completely steals my breath. I love this stage of my life, having a baby/toddler in the house. I'm not ready to leave this part behind. I know that there are many, many more beautiful moments to come, but I'm just not ready to let go.

Sigh.

Right about now, Ian will be all 'what the heck is going on here'. Don't stress, my love. I'm just venting. I am so thankful that we have Jordan to round out our clan. She is our final child I was waiting for.

Ah well, it is what it is, right?

Think I'll go to bed. Tomorrow is a new day.

I Lurve This Song

I love worship music. I listen to it on my ipod and when I'm driving. It's my favourite part of the Sunday service.

Lately my favourite is You Are Holy. Oh friends...I lurve it.

I always want to toss out some apologies when I hear the first few notes at church: to the people in front of me for my ghastly singing, and for those behind me who have to see my butt twitchin'.

I can't help it. I lose myself.

These days I am finding myself attacked in several areas of my life. When I find my mind going to hopeless and dark places, I pull out my ipod and try to fight back.

You Are Holy is my weapon at the moment. Have you heard it? There are two parts of the chorus, sung at the same time. Men sing one part and women sing the other.

The part we sing just puts my heart and mind back in focus as it should be.

In case you haven't heard it, the chorus goes like this:

You are Lord of Lords
You are King of Kings
You are mighty God
Lord of everything

You're Emmanuel
You're the great I Am
Noble Prince of peace
Who is the Lamb

You're my saving God
You're my saving grace
You will reign forever
You are ancient of days

You're the alpha, omega, beginning and end
You're my savior, messiah, redeemer, and friend

You are my prince of peace and I will live my life for you

Sigh.

I was listening to this song and praying for my friend while I was doing my dishes, asking Him why....when suddenly I heard the chorus go this way.

I am Lord of Lords
I am King of Kings
I am mighty God
Lord of everything

I am Emmanuel
I'm the great I am
I'm the prince of peace
Who is the Lamb

I'm your saving God
I'm your saving grace
I will reign forever
I am ancient of days

I'm the alpha, omega, beginning and end
I'm your savior, messiah, redeemer, and friend

I'm your Prince of Peace and I gave my life for you

Wow. What a God moment.

Just thought I'd share :-)

5QF - December 18th

What a week! I've been on-the-go Christmas shopping every day and y'all know how much I love shopping.

(insert eye-roll here)

I'm only half done and the thoughts of braving the crowds next week is making me apoplectic with anxiety.

But today is Friday and that means....

Drum roll please....

Mama M's Five Question Friday!



And this week's questions are:

~~~~~~

1. Which boy group did you like most in your teens?

I have to be honest here. It's been...ahem...awhile since my teens, and I couldn't remember what band names I'd written on my pencil case or notebooks,
so I googled 'boy bands' just to kick start my memory.

What popped up? New Kids On The Block. Let me tell you something. I never liked those guys and never saw what all my screaming, drooling friends did either. Their music and dancing drove me bonkers. That said, I am sure they are very nice people in real life.

Backstreet Boys? NSync? Maybe. Although I can't remember what they sang.

Remember Technotronic? Oh yeah. Butt-shakin' music right there. And Black Box? Yup, that was a fave. I remember driving around with my friend listing to them at full volume.

Oh yeah, I was cool back in the day.

2. Do you do Christmas cards, letters, photos, nuthin', all of the above?

I send Christmas cards each year. Last year I included our fall family photo along with separate pictures of the children. This year people are going to open their cards up to get nothin'. Ian has been so incredibly busy with his work that I didn't have the heart to ask him to clean up and print pictures for my cards.

You know what I'm not a fan of? Photocopied Christmas newsletters. I get that you don't want to write out everything you did all year long on every single card. But really...do I need to know who's wedding you went to way back in January? Nope. I like a personal note, one or two lines, handwritten.

Please and thank you.

3. If you could meet one celebrity who would it be and why?

I'm not that interested in meeting a celebrity to be completely honest. They're just everyday people who do something very public. Doesn't make them better or worse than me, just different. If I had to choose someone, then I would like to have tea with Jennifer Garner. She seems very real and down to earth and I appreciate that.

And maybe Dr. Phil. I'd like to tell him a few things, you know, tell him like it is.

4. Favorite thing to cook with (i.e. stainless, non-stick, Dutch oven, microwave, debit card...or, perhaps, a cauldron, etc.)?

I used to "cook" with my debit card. Take out is a mom's best friend, right?

I don't have name-brand cookware. I have pots that heat up really fast, cook evenly and wash really easily. Works for me.

5. What is the one thing you wear the most, besides your unmentionables?

My incredibly bright and positive attitude.

Yeah, I'm laughing too.

T-shirts and comfortable pants, mostly. I'm all about ease and comfort.

~~~~~~

Hop on over to Mama M's blog to take part in this fun, weekly blog carnival.

Have a great day, friends!

Would You Have Said Anything?

While poking around the mall on Monday doing my Christmas shopping, I went into a store that sold DVDs. The guy behind the cash register greeted me, and when I looked at him I literally did a double-take.

On his shirt was a name tag that said Hello, My Name Is Satan.

I told myself to let it go.

Instead I asked him, "What's with the name tag?"

He smiled and told me that it was part of his shirt and rubbed his hand over it to show me.

I was shocked but didn't say anything else. I just walked out. What do you say to that?

I wish I had said something. Perhaps asked him if he realized how offensive his shirt was on a regular day, but at this time of year?

The more I think if it, the more my blood boils. How could someone be so ignorant as to wear a shirt that depicts the name of the antichrist in the season that celebrates the birth of Christ? And so proudly?? Obviously he isn't a Christian, but I am and I was a customer in his store.

Am I wrong to be so upset?

I can't even remember what the name of the store was. I was wandering around for so long and lost my sense of direction. I don't know that I could find it again if I ever wanted to go back to speak with him again.

Would you have let it go, or would you have said something?

No Title Because I Am Too Tired To Think Of One

Well, I survived my trip to the mall yesterday. I arrived promptly at 9:27 and found a spot in the underground parking lot. I considered this to be a terrific sign of good things to come and great gift ideas to be found.

Was I productive? Yes, just not for my list. I picked up a few gifts for my mom so she wouldn't have to go to the malls, and I picked up a couple of things for Ian that he needed me to get.

Did I get ideas?

No.

Wanna know what I got?

Shoved.

Pushed.

Bumped.

Why is everyone hurrying? Why is it that no one noticed when they ram into someone? What's the rush?

Where is the reason for the season? Where's Jesus?

Not in the mall, I can tell you that.

I'll try again tomorrow afternoon.

Ian and I watched The Office last night while he started wrapping some of the children's gifts. I'm glad that show is only 30 minutes long because I don't think I could have stayed awake any longer. Usually there are one or two lines that get me in The Office, and I'll laugh about them for awhile, but last night...oh last night...it was hilarious. Best.Show.Ever.

My mom came over this morning with coffee, tea and muffins and we hung out while watching the finale of Dancing With The Stars that I had taped for just such an occasion. We headed off to the airport at 11am to pick up my aunt who has come to spend the holidays with us. YAY!

I love going to the airport. Every time I'm there I get inspired to go somewhere and my mind gets going. But then I remember how much I hate to fly and the desire goes away.

Tonight is Julie's Christmas concert and she has one speaking part and one part where she "lip says" (I think she means lip-sync). She's so nervous. I'll try to get a picture of her.

Tomorrow morning is the Christmas party for Coffee Break. I am SO excited that my friend Jen will be coming. I haven't seen her in weeks. I need to decide what I'm bringing. I might whip up a batch of shortbread. Who doesn't like shortbread??

What are you baking this year? Care to share your favourite recipe? I'm looking for something new.

I'm off to blowdry Julie's hair and get her to get dressed for tonight. Wish her luck! ;-)

Wish Me Luck!

Today I am embarking on a journey I have been looking forward to, and at the same time been dreading.

Shopping at the mall.

While I am looking forward to selecting Christmas gifts for my family, I cannot stand large crowds and the pushing, shoving and long line-ups that result from them.



Ugh.

I'll be there when the doors open so hopefully I won't have to fight for a parking spot.

I'm packin' Tylenol in my purse should I need it, and chocolate chip cookies for Jordan to keep her happy should she need them.

I know, I know. Bribery. But if you know me then you know I'm not above bribing my children to make some situations easier.

Everyone does it, right??

Wish me luck!

Busy Days

The last two days have been busy.

Thursday was our Mother/Daughter Christmas Party for Girls Club. I left Jordan with my mom and sister and headed to the church for 10am to help *K* set up tables and decorate. I love talking with her because after raising four great kids, she has a lot of experience and encouragement for me as a (semi) young mom.

Umm..did I just hear you...snicker??

Hey now. It's my blog and if I want to pretend that I'm a semi-young mother then I'm going to do it.

My blog, my rules.

My next stop was the Dollar Store. Again. I filled my cart with items for the girls: stickers, notepad sets, crazy pens, doodle art, notebooks covered in hoodies, piggy banks to be painted, diaries, dry erase door hangers shaped like flip flops... Oh I had a blast.

I dropped by the house to let Willow to do his bidnezz and then returned to Mom's to make a batch of cake balls for her and to bake the sugar cookies I needed for the party.

I'd just like to announce right here and right now that my love affair with Pillsbury is over. I am back with Scratch now and we will be together forever. Those sugar cookies were a royal disaster. They wouldn't roll, wouldn't hold their shape... it was a hot mess. I'll never buy these again. I went home at at 3pm I started baking 4 dozen sugar cookies from scratch. So.Good.

The party was a success. Lots of moms came out with their daughters and we had just enough of everything for everybody. We sang Christmas carols, decorated sugar cookies and the girls went 'shopping' in the store we set up for them. I loved hearing their squeals of excitement as they showed me what they 'bought'. I was so pleased that they loved the things I chose for them.

(insert big shout-out to the Lord for leading me to this ministry!)

Friday morning I was back at my mom's to visit and finish her batch of cake balls. I've said it here many, many times... I love spending time with her. We solve the world's problems while drinking our coffee and tea and relaxing in her living room. We never get tired of talking and we never run out of topics. Every time I walk through her front door I get shoved aside by Jordan who hurries with her arms stretched out to hug her Gram. Even she loves being there.

The children came for lunch, and after I drove them back to school I went home to throw a load of laundry in the washer and let Willow out, swung by the passport office to pick up applications and then went back to Mom's until the children came in from school. They played in Mom's backyard for about 40 minutes before coming inside.

I brought the children home for a short rest and to get ready for the Lewises (Lewis's? Lewis'?) Annual Christmas Party. I look forward to this gathering every year. The food was great, and the company even better. Lots of laughter and hugs and catching up. Everyone mixes so well with one another and we're always left with the question...why don't we do this more often???

We picked Jordan up at Mom's at midnight and were home by 12:30.

See? Busy!

Ian left early this morning to do a magic show across the city but will be home around lunchtime, then he's all ours for the rest of the day.

I'm hoping to score a nap later. Shh.

Have a great day!

This-n-That

Ugh.

Winter officially arrived this morning.

To be honest with you, I was in denial that it was coming. I mean, just last night I was walking Willow wearing a fleece jacket and flip flops. Surely the weatherman (ahem...weatherperson) was lying to me about the pending snow storm.

And yet, this is what I woke up to this morning...



I just wanted to stay in bed. The thoughts of driving the children to school was too much. So...being the irresponsible cool mom that I am, I let them stay home with me.

I went out to shovel the driveway to discover that my neighbour had already been out to do his and had thrown some of his snow on my driveway, just like he would do last winter. It's going to be a long winter if he keeps this up. I'm praying for a spirit of goodwill. I'll let you know how that works out for me.

I had the worst hair day in the history of....well, my hair I guess. Seriously. I put it up in a ponytail because I needed to run errands tonight and didn't want to scare people with my 'fro, and it was too tight and now I have a headache.

I know. Poor me.

My head thanks you for your sympathy.

One of my errands was to go to the dollar store to pick up some little things for Girls Club tomorrow night. We're having a Mother/Daughter Christmas party and the girls earn "love bucks" through out the year and they can spend them on items we purchase and set up as a store. I had so much fun picking out stuff for them and while I was waiting in line to pay, I started searching through my black hole of a purse to discover that my bank card wasn't in there. It was in my other coat back at the house.

Grr.

I had to leave everything there so now I have to go back tomorrow morning to start over again. I was so frustrated with myself that I had a boo-hoo in the parking lot.

Next stop was the grocery store to buy some fruit for my fruit platter, also for tomorrow night.

Do you know what I saw? You'll never guess in a month of Sundays so I'll just tell you.

A dude in shorts and a t-shirt.

Hello. Sub-zero weather with practically a blizzard going on outside and this guy thinks he's shopping in the Bahamas.

I tried to take a picture with my cell phone but he was just too fast for me.

I also need to make three dozen sugar cookies for tomorrow. Being that I need to re-visit the dollar store, prepare the fruit platter, and go to the church to set up tables & linens, I won't have time to bake as well.

So...I called on an old friend.



Pillsbury and I go way back.

I've never tried making them this way before, but the packaging boasts that they'll turn out "perfect every time!" Let's hope so.

And look at the expiry date...



It's my birthday!

Isn't that neat?

That's it for tonight. Over and out.

I Love Me Some Chocolate

Ian has been very busy working all week at his office, and then on weekends he is busy doing magic shows. He doesn't really get a chance to rest these days.

Yesterday he did a show for Ferrero Rocher.

Lucky, huh?

I know!

Well, lucky for me anyway. Look at what he brought me home.



Oooh. I wonder what's inside?

Let's look!



These are my most favourite chocolates ever.

What's that, Mama M and Keely?



Why yes, it is a jar of Nutella. In my house. With a picture to prove it.

Uh oh...what happened here...?



It would seem that one of these incredible chocolates came free from its wrapper and fell into someone's mouth.

I will neither confirm nor deny that said mouth was mine.

In other news...

Do you remember last Christmas when I posted about this guy?

Guess who's back for the holidays???



My loving husband and children placed him on the shelf right next to my favourite chair in our living room, so that I would be sure to see it whenever I sat down.

So sweet of them.

Perhaps it will fall off its perch and break.

Or find its way into the garbage.

Or something.

And my Jordan, being adorable as always.



Happy Monday!

Sunday Funday

Something weird is happening with my laundry.

It's multiplying.

For real.

I have baskets and baskets of clothes to be washed. Some articles of clothing I haven't seen in a while.

I think the children may have outgrown some of them while waiting for them to be washed.

Ahem.

My dryer is squeaking so loudly, announcing to the world that Kate is finally doing some laundry.

Is it squeaking? Or is it really begging me for mercy.... I'm not sure.

Anyway, I'm taking a break and joining in on Keely from Mannland 5's blog hop.

Getting To Know You

1. How old are you?

38. I'll be 39 next month. *cry*

2.Where are you from and where do you live now?

I was born in Toronto and now live in a suburb about 30 minutes north.

3. What music have you been diggin lately?

I don't listen to the radio much so I don't know the name of many songs. If I like one enough to add to my ipod, I'll phone my nephew, sing it and ask for the name. He hooks me up.

I do like The Black Eyed Peas so I listen to them a lot.

Also, I listen to a lot of worship music while doing my dishes or trying to perfect my sugar cookie addiction.

4. Favorite food(s)?

I don't know that I have a favourite food. I like Italian and Mexican a lot. And I really like cookies.

I can't stand seafood at all. It looks gross and it smells gross, therefore I imagine that it tastes gross. I once ate a fried calamari thing and I chewed it forever before giving up and discreetly putting it in my napkin. I thought it was a fried onion ring. My bad.

5. Single,married, divorced?

I am happily married to my best friend. We'll celebrate 14 years of marriage in April.

6. Kids? If so, how many and how old?

I have three. Sam is 10, Julie is 8 and Jordan is 20 months.

7. What are 3 blogs you read daily?

I read more than 3 blogs a day! HA! I usually look to see who is updated on my blog roll and go from there.

8. What is your favorite Christmas/Holiday tradition?

Well, I've already shared about our tradition of driving through the same red light every year, and my mom's awesome Christmas morning breakfast. Another tradition I love is our Christmas Eve dinner and desserts. YUMMEH. The children then open a gift from my mom which are new pjs, they put them on, then we sit around the fire while the children take turns reading The Night Before Christmas.

9. Lastly, if you're a blogger, how long have you been blogging and if you don't have one..how long have you been reading blogs?

I've been blogging for a few years but recently discovered a whole world of bloggers. So many great people to read!

Well, the squeaking has stopped so that's my sign to start another load of laundry.

Break over!

Sigh.

5QF - Dec 4th

Is it just me, or did this week blow by pretty fast? I can't believe it's Friday already.

And being that it's Friday.... I get to play along with Mama M's Five Question Friday!



Ready? Let's go!

1. Favorite gift you are GIVING this year?

Oh my word. I CAN'T tell you that because the recipient may or may not read my blog. Tsk tsk, Mama M! ;-)

I can tell you that I am very excited to give this particular gift and I'm having a hard time waiting for Christmas to do so. I'm torn between excitement at giving it and being a little worried that I may like it more than they do.

I am not a great gift giver. I like the person to tell me exactly what they want and where I can get it.

2. How many parties are you attending between now and Christmas?

We are going to one on the 11th hosted by friends of ours. We are one of five couples that get together each year. Between us we have nine children, so it's a noisy night! Life takes us in different directions throughout the year, but we all come together to celebrate the holiday. I'm really looking forward to it. This year I've asked my mom to watch Jordan for us so that we don't have to chase her around and entertain her all evening.

We've also been invited to children's Christmas party being hosted by Ian's office. Other than that, it's all family get togethers.

3. What is your favorite Christmas song?

I love all of them except Feliz Navidad. I cannot find the right words to express how much I dislike this song. And it's so darn catchy too, so I end up singing this song I don't like at all, all.the.time.

You know "Christmas Shoes"? The one about the little boy who wants to buy shoes for his dying mother? Oh sweet mercy that song makes me cry. It doesn't matter if I listen to it once or twenty times in a row, I will cry.

Just in case you happened to be wondering, I'm a bit teary right now just thinking about it.

4. Who was your favorite elementary school teacher and why?

Miss Archdekin. She was my kindergarten teacher and she was so kind and pretty and always smelled nice. She would give us cookies and let us have nap time.

These days, pretty much anyone who gives me cookies followed by a nap would earn the title of my favourite person. Just sayin'. (Or hinting perhaps)

5. If you had a choice to live in any other period of time (other than now) what era would you choose and why?

I would like to live in the 1800's. Lovely long dresses, ladies treated like ladies, modesty, family values, honour and respect, and a simpler way of life.

I'd also like to try out the 1950's. I'd rock the high pony tail and poodle skirt. I love the idea of crinolines and full skirts. So feminine.

Oh, and while we're at it, I'd like a go at the 70's as well. Disco music. Need I say more?

Ugh. I now have Feliz Navidad in my head. Grr...

If you were to hop on over to Mama M's blog then you can play along with Five Question Friday too.

Happy Friday everyone!

Book Review: The Christmas Dog

Betty Kowalski isn’t looking forward to the holidays. She just can’t seem to find Christmas in her heart. Maybe it's because her husband is gone. Maybe it's because she's missing her children. Or maybe it has something to do with her obnoxious neighbour, who seems to be tearing his house apart and rearranging it on the lawn.

But when a mangy dog appears on her doorstep, the stage is set for Betty to learn what Christmas is really all about.

There are three threads to this story: Betty's animosity towards her neighbour, a homeless dog that repeatedly shows up at her door until she lets him into her heart, and her runaway granddaughter who has arrived on her doorstep after she's been missing for a couple of months.

To be honest, I didn't enjoy this book at all. It was an exceptionally easy read, bordering on fluff and I read it in one day. Being that is is a relatively short book, I didn't feel there was an opportunity for a good connection to any of the characters, as some things were brushed over while others were overly exaggerated and repetitious. I lost interest in it very quickly and had to force myself to focus on the last few chapters just so that I could complete it and give it an honest review.

I hate to be negative here, really I do, but a review is intended to be honest, and therefore, honest I shall be. I thought this book was silly and I cannot see myself recommending it to anyone.

I think that had this book been longer, allowing the characters and storyline to become more developed it would be much more enjoyable to read. The author could have done so much more with this book to have made it better.

Available now at your favourite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group.

Willow Update

I've had a few friends ask me to post a new picture of our puppy Willow.

Here he is at 6 weeks on the day we brought him home...



And here he is now at 11 weeks...



Look at those ginormous paws.

I told Sam that by the time he was full grown he'd weigh more than him.

His reply? "Saddle up!!"

I've never had a dog that dug holes before. I was fascinated.



Good thing he's so cute or he may not live to see another day!

I jest.

Kinda.

I Love Me A Wednesday

It's my favourite day of the week and I managed to make it to Coffee Break today to join up with the ladies in my bible study.

I dropped the children off at school (late), Ian at his office (late) and went to pick up my steeped tea and a timbit for Jordan.

I wonder why it's called 'steeped tea'. Isn't all tea steeped?

Some dude cut me off in the Tim Horton's drive through. I wanted to open my window to yell at him but I held back considering I was en route to my bible study after all. And surely, after cutting me off so brutally, he would pay for my tea and timbit, right?

Wrong.

Sigh.

I loved being with my friends this morning. Would you believe that before I even got my jacket off someone asked me for my cake ball recipe and if I brought any with me?

And another woman asked me if I was going to be making them as a business because if so she wants to buy some from me.

Say what?

Jordan was flirting with the garbage man today. I let her do it because a) it was cute and b) I don't want to buy tags for extra bags of garbage anymore. Maybe her cuteness will excuse us from the two-bag limit.

I am not above using the cuteness of my child to get what I want.

Ok, that's all I have time to talk about right now because I need to make 20 phone calls to the parents of the girls in Girls Club to tell them that our Christmas party is postponed until next week. And I need to walk the dog, change Jordan and be out the door in 15 minutes.

It could happen.

But likely not.

Catch ya later!