Post Christmas debriefing

Well, there goes another Christmas. All that planning and preparation for one day! oh well. We had a great Christmas with our little family of four - it was quiet and relatively calm. Despite eating an entire jumbo-sized candy cane, Ember was pretty good (Amelia still has most of hers).

Opening stockings

Dino girls! 

Co-captains Ember and Amelia, ready to blast off! 

Decorating the ship

You might notice, no barbies or princesses. There is a reason for that. I debated whether I should get them one, since they asked a couple of times, but decided that I will not go down that road. I want to encourage other interests besides consumerist/fashionista barbie and "my life's goal is to get married" princesses. It may be harder next year, but I don't think that you have to cave to every demand your kid makes and I don't feel that either of those toys reflect our values. Maybe I'm way off. Any moms of girls, I would love to hear your views on the topic! Email me!!

Even though this one is a little out of focus, it shows a lovely Ember, the neat tent building toy that I wish was around when I was a kid and one of the beautiful quilts that Auntie Jen made for the girls.

The new siding and windows on our house! It looks like a new house :)

And we finally did get a white Christmas.... two days late! It started raining shortly after we took these pictures and almost all the snow was gone by morning :(

I never thought I would miss snow, but I do! Nova Scotia doesn't have real winters and when it does snow it's so wet and sloppy it's not even fun to play in. I'm sure all my family and friends are saying boo-hoo right now. Oh well, maybe some day we'll get to a place that has real winters again :)

Bailey's and coffee

Mmmmm, my favourite drink during the holidays. Is there anything better? I picked some up last Friday and the cashier at the liquor store made my day by asking for ID!

"Really???" I squealed (literally, I squealed like an excited school girl) to which she laughingly replied, "you're over thirty aren't you?" I don't care if she asked because they are being extra vigilant, it made my day. I told her that was the best Christmas present EVER!

That, combined with getting $150 of free groceries ( PC points- yes!!) made for a nice holiday present. I don't ask for much :)

Baking day

It's cold and trying to snow but so far.... Not a white Christmas- yet.

The girls are scrubbing the floor on their hands and knees while I bake (Amelia's idea, I swear!) That's how bored they are. What a great way to keep them busy so I can bake :)

Not sure if you can see the snow, I just thought I would try.

Sewing with my girls

I had a wooden orange box that I was trying find a way to repurpose but couldn't think of anything. This morning Amelia picked it up and said it would make a great box for her and Ember's new puppy and kitty that the received from cousin Cheryl (thanks, btw!)

We painted up the box and then one at a time we sewed up a pillow and sleeping bag for each new "pet". We also managed to recycle some old baby sleepers that I have been saving for a project like this. This is my first attempt at sewing with my girls and it went surprisingly well. Keeping the projects super simple and my expectations low helped, as did explaining that we need to take turns and go slowly.

This was a great learning experience for all of us, I can't wait for our next project!

Ready to go swimming -anytime!

The girls have been obsessed with swimming lately. They often get dresses up in their swimsuits and just play in their room. Today, they have everything packed, including a snack.

Update: going for a polar bear swim!

Oh Christmas tree!

We just got our tree and finished decorating - it smells like Christmas (trees and cookies) and now it looks like Christmas too! I'm getting as excited as the girls.

This year I got an elf on the shelf, something I've never heard of until the year. I would highly recommend it for anyone with younger kids! The only hard part is trying to remember to move it every single night. I do alright if I get it done as soon as the girls are in bed :)



We've been keeping busy but I can't even think of what we actually do, other than regular life. It used to feel like we were so busy but nothing ever gets done. Since I've stopped working I have manages to do quite a bit. I've painted a small table that has been sitting around for a year waiting to be painted. I also painted a $5 bureau I found at a garage sale in September - much better turn-around than the table! I still want to add a bit more detail, but I wanted to get it upstairs for the holidays. I've also been super crafty with crocheting and sewing, surprising the heck out of myself by finishing several projects in time for Christmas! This is a first for me. what's also a first is having 95% of my shipping done 3 weeks ago - wow!


This is my first blog post from the new iPad toy so I'm not sure how it's going to look. I thought it might be easier to work form this because it's so portable. Sorry the pictures are such bad quality.