A happy new pillow

I have been wanting to make this pillow since saw a tutorial for it on cluck cluck sew. I knew that I had a lot of scraps, but I wanted to use fabric that had special significance to me. I had a pile a mile high but when it came down to choosing a specific color scheme I decided to pull colors from this much loved photo of my family.



The tree trunk I cut from a scarf I had purchased in Southern Vietnam. The green leaves are from an outfit I had made for me in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The light and dark blue wool leaves are from a favorite sweater that no longer fits, the shiny orange fabric is from one of my bridesmaids dresses, the gold and fuchsia is from a second hand sari I bought from a sweet woman in India, the blue and red fabric is from a yard of cloth that I am going to re-upholster chair with someday, the pink knitted leaves are fun a fun thrift store find that never fit me, the fabric with the orange butterflies is from a fabric store in Coquitlam that I just adore,the yellow and paisley print fabric is from a skirt I wore on my first missions trip to Mexico, and the white and wine printed leaves are the leftovers from some pillows I made for my couches. I really love how it turned out and I think I may do something like this in the future with some of my favorite baby clothes. The tutorial was simple enough and fun to do. It sits on my couch and makes me smile everyday.

A splendid day

I had such a fantastic day today! It was wonderful. When I woke up this morning the sun was shining and I couldn't help but feel optimistic. After some peppermint tea and a healthy breakfast I received a phone call from a friend who had called to see if I wanted to go for a walk with her and her children. Nathaniel and I bundled up our girls and we took a walk in the fresh snow under a bright blue sky. When we got home we tossed the girls into the car and went to church. We ended up being invited to some one's home for lunch and happily agreed. This family lives in a beautiful log cabin surrounded by the most beautiful meadows and pasture. They still cook on an antique stove and made the most delicious chili I have had in a long time. It was served with Greek salad, homemade bread, and mashed potatoes. I let myself indulge and had a little chili but I was a good girl and didn't eat any of the brownies they served afterwards. Who hoo for small victories! The fellowship was equally delightful and I relished spending time with other believers. It makes me realize how much I miss Christian community. What I wouldn't give to have one of my girlfriends come over and spend the night lost in worship with me.(Tiffany- I'm thinking of you right now).



In any case, it was a delightful day and I was still able to tuck my girls into bed at a decent time. My spiritual, social and physical needs have been satisfied and I am soon going to head down to my craft room for some creative time. (Lori - if you are reading this I plan on finally finishing something I started for you ages ago).

This video from YouTube of a band called Walk Off The Earth playing a cover on the song "Somebody That I Used To Know". It is just pure awesomeness! Check it out.

Project 365 (week 1)

January 1st: On New Years day we loaded our skates into the chariot stroller with Claire and went for a skate at the ice rink near our home. The girls slipped around like seals in the ice while our dog Chester, barked like one on the sidelines. It was nice to walk around the rink with Holly and chat while our men shot pucks.




January 2nd: Finally completed my December Daily album.



January 3rd: Today I went to town with Holly and did a bit of shopping. Claire was excessively fussy and I felt scatterbrained all day. I forgot to purchase many of the things I had gone into town for. Geeezz.




January 4th: The other day Amelia kept complaining about her eyes so Nathaniel took her to the clinic and it was confirmed that she had pink eye. So, now we get to pin our poor daughter down four times a day and put drops in her eyes. Unfortunately, she only got sicker as the day went on and eventually threw up as well.




January 5th: When Nathaniel pulled into our driveway this evening he saw a little puppy in our driveway. He gave it a bath and borrowed a kennel from our neighbor so that it didn't pee everywhere during the night. I made a poster and Nathaniel posted it at the General Store.



January 6th: Since Amelia has been sick we have been watching a lot of movies. Since we one only a handful we have been renting quite a few from our local General Store. When we were visiting my parents in the Lower Mainland I was surprised to discover that all of the video stores had closed down.



December 7th: These are what my meals look like these days. Lots of lean protein and vegetables. I am trying to wean myself off bread, dairy and sugar. (All things I LOVE). It is actually not as hard as I had thought it would be.

December Daily finally completed!

I finally finished my December daily Album last night while watching episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Some pages are more embellished than other pages, but for the most part I kept things simple. I plan on making a December Daily album every year. It is such a great way to capture all the excitement leading up to Christmas, the goodies we bake, the traditions we follow, the wrapping paper we use, our Christmas letter and card and favorite moments










































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New Year's Resolutions/ Goals

News Year's Resolutions/ Goals

I just got back from a new year's party and tucked my girls into bed. It is 9pm and I will definitely be sound asleep before the new year arrives. I am still wearing my garish 80's get-up, nasty hair spray and blue eyeshadow and I can hardly wait to have a hot shower and curl up with my journal. I can't help but become introspective on New Years Eve. I like to curl up and reflect on all the things that taken place over the past year, the highs as well as the lows, and plan for the new year. That being said, this is my list of goals for 2012......


1. Project 365. Last year I tried this and failed miserably. It was partially due to the fact that my camera died the third week in January and I didn't get a new one until the end of March. A week later I gave birth to my second child and completely fell off the wagon all together.

2. Loose 20 pounds by weighing my food and eating a specific amount of calories a day. Once I have achieved that I will start using weighs to build and define my muscles. I KNOW that it is possible I just have to be consistent and focus on what I want in the future rather than what I want in the moment.

3. Have a weekly meal plan so that I know what I am making each day and what I need to buy at the grocery store. I really don't like trying to figure out what to make for dinner at 4pm.

4. LIVE ON AN ACTUAL BUDGET. I have never yet succeeded at this time, but if we are going to buy a home and survive in one income we are going to have to learn how to.

5. Do whatever is necessary to get Claire to sleep through the night. My sleep deprived body has had enough.

The end. Goodnight and Happy New Years!!!!!!!!!!

On the cusp of Christmas

Here I sit in my new flannel pyjamas, reminiscing about Christmas Eve as a child. For as long as I can remember, my parents would load us into a sled and pull us to United Church where we would attend a Christmas Eve service. It wasn't anything special, but I always loved singing the Christmas carols and eating the tasty snacks afterwards. The church was old and drafty and you could see the rafters through the unfinished ceiling. The basement where we had refreshments smelt like mold and old clothing, but we loved it nonetheless. When we had gotten home and had climbed out of our scratchy stockings, we got to open one present (which was always pajamas). I always like to take a long hot bath before I climbed into then. While my parents prepared the hot oil fondue, us children would lay underneath the Christmas tree and listen to Amy Grants Christmas album. We always concluded Christmas Eve with a much anticipated chocolate fondue. Hmmm it makes me all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

Our Christmas Eve was quite simple this year, for number of reasons, but it was still thoroughly enjoyable. We didn't have a fancy fondue since didn't have enough time to shop for the ingredients on our way home from the Lower mainland, but we did have garlic sausage, cheese, triscits (thanks to Earl and Charlotte), pickles and veggies. After dinner, Amelia had her bath. I gave her some shaving cream mixed with food coloring to keep her busy while I tidied up the house.





We all opened a present each, put on our new jammies and then took a family picture. We lit candles, sang a few Christmas carols and then read the girls the storey about Jesus's birth from a children's Bible. Once they were sound asleep I made myself some peppermint tea, ate almond roca and worked on my December daily album some more. I am a little behind, and I have run out of 4X6 photo paper, so it will remain undone until my next trip into town, (hopefully on boxing day since I love to stock up on clearance Christmas decor), but I promise I will share it with you on my blog soon. This is a picture of Amelia and I scrap booking during one of Claire's naps.



Anyways, it is time for me to go to bed. A very merry Christmas to you!!!!

December Daily Week 1

I've been itching to post my December daily layouts for about 12 days now and today I finally sat down and tackled it. Here is what I so far....


















Hope you are having a delightful Christmas season!!!!

Opps I realized I haven't finished all my journaling.. hence the unfinished sentences.....
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