tag time :)

1. Do you put Christmas decorations in every room of your house? If not every room, what rooms do you decorate?  I decorate all the main living areas on the main floor.  

2. If you could visit one of the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden) which one would you choose and why? I have always wanted to visit Iceland, but I would also like to go to Norway.

3. What does the word faith mean to you?   To me it means trust, belief....

4. You can go back to your childhood for one day...what day and age would you choose? I would be about the age of 11 and it would be the day of the teachers strike - when all of our year at school filled the cinema and went to see Ghostbusters :)  We planned it in french class and then the idea just took off and everyone went!  It was soooo much fun :)  

5. When did you last have 'punch'? If it's not too much trouble share your favorite punch recipe. At Nicoles Halloween party and it had jello in it and it was REALLY good - it had ginger ale in it I think - must ask her for the recipe again as it was GORGEOUS!!

6. Do you fill stockings at your house? Are stockings opened before or after the bigger gifts?   Yes we have stockings.   they are opened in the morning as soon as the children come downstairs and before breakfast.  Gifts under the tree are opened after dinner.

7. What takes your breath away?   stunning sunsets, natures beauty, magical things like fireworks at Disney :)  

8. Insert your own random thought here. I need a hug.

If you want to get in trouble....

......go out for the afternoon with Joanne!!!

We headed to Millennium Place this afternoon and went swimming with friends...it was so much fun - the kids had a blast playing together, but boy oh boy the staff are so fussy about EVERYTHING!!  We had a lot of giggles anyway. 

After the pool we all had something to eat, then the girls all headed into the ice rink for a while, and we took the boys and the little one into the playground.  

While we had been getting food, we had been able to watch the police training one of their new dogs - a yellow lab, who was learning to search for things.  They were hiding something in different places and the dog was hunting for it :)  It was really good to watch :)  

Off to the gas station to fill up and happy to see the cost of gas has gone down AGAIN!!  Yay!  

Home again just before supper time and the kids had to tidy their bedrooms before computer/ play time while supper was cooking.  I worked on my Christmas journal and chatted with Susannah and Laurence.  After supper Susannah worked on her French project, Sam watched Cupquake videos AGAIN lol...and Abby made more paperchains.  Now we are going to watch The Santa Clause before bed :)  

And a chat with a certain someone before bed me thinks :)  

Yay  <3

Oh I love Christmas

xxx

Building cannons...

Sam building the cannon from the kit he got at the reuse centre the other day!  Abby made one too - they were great little kits with wooden pieces, paint and glue complete with instructions!!  They had great fun building the cannons and painting them!!

:)

Tuesday night......

Headed to Montanas for some supper tonight.  It took so long for someone to come and take our order that I went and asked if we could be served.  They were so apologetic that the Manager came out and apologised and came over with drinks for us.  She came and got refills for us too.

We were offered free desserts but we were so full we couldn't eat them!  When we got the bill though, we saw they had knocked $30. off!!!  :)  So in the end our dinner out only cost us $20.  We'd had the big platter for appetisers too...and two big main courses...so that was really nice of them!!  

Laurence and I ran to Bulk Barn tonight to get some British bits and pieces for Christmas.  Got my Christmas pud - yay!!  And stuffing :)  And a few other bits and pieces - and gold coins for Sam because he wants to play the dreidel game.  

I couldn't resist getting some of my favourite chocolate covered sunflower seeds!!  Mmmmm!!

They are so pretty and yummy :)  

Homeschool club....

We had various Christmas activities, stories, games and dancing, playing to music today at homeschool club.  Sam had a blast playing Transformers with his friends as well as a game which involved being fire and water and birds using the ribbon bands they had on their arms.  

Next month we have an instructor coming to teach us drumming :)  

We also chose a great selection of Christmas themed story books which we checked out to read at home!!  They are ready in the book basket by the fire, so we can curl up and read them and be all cozy over the next week or two :)  

x

Snapshot from the tree...

Tree Skirt :)

Abby chose this tree skirt - I just LOVE it :)  I've never had a tree skirt before but I just love that it hides the legs of the tree and I think it goes so well with our home :)  

The children love it :)  It will be perfect for the gifts to go on, on Christmas morning :)  

Tuesday stuff....

Well it's Tuesday lunchtime and our morning so far has been spent making a wooden cannons from kits we got at the reuse centre.  They come with sandpaper, little tools, paints and glue!!

Doing some math homework...reading up on the American Girl class that is happening tomorrow - this month focuses on Felicity.  

This afternoon we are off to Education Station to get paper chains.  75ft of them lol!  :)  and then to Homeschool Club at the library!!  :)  Then home again and the little two want to go sledding before their Dad picks them up.  Then Laurence and I are heading out for the evening.  I want to see if I can track down a decent Christmas pudding!  I normally order mine online but forgot this year...so I'm hoping I can still find one in one of the British stores somewhere.....

Yesterday we had a busy day.  I had to run some errands in town..then we went to the mall and got some pj's for Abby and pants for Sam as he has had a bit of a growth spurt and all his pants are too short!  So he now has some that are a little too long but they don't seem to have any in between the two sizes!!  

We picked Laurence up from school and took him to his job interview at Walmart.  His interview lasted a whole hour which surprised me!  He obviously did great though, because they offered him the job on the spot and he starts saturday :)  He'll be working in the new Walmart that opens after Christmas :)  Yay for Laurence I'm so proud of him!!  He got his SIN number Friday, applied for a job that night, got the interview for Monday and was offered the first job he applied for!!  Yay Laurence!!!  :)

I have to get him boots with steel toe caps before Saturday!!  And they have to wear hard hats until the store is open!!

We didn't get home until after 6 last night....so we ended up just having pizza and salad for supper...but it was a yummy grilled chicken, spinach and tomato pizza!!  Even I enjoyed it, and I don't like pizza!!  Then we settled down to watch 'Jingle All the Way', snuggled under blankets, with candy canes, by the glow of the Christmas lights and the fire :)  

Bliss :)  

A night on Whyte....

We headed to Whyte Ave after my class today and had some supper there, then strolled along the Avenue enjoying the above freezing temps  (so unusual for December) and the Animatronic window displays!  Each one has a symbol to scan and you can then listen to the characters talk and sing via Mp3 on your phone app :)  It's great :)  

We stopped in at Coney Island candy store - of course - to ask Zoltar what our futures hold!!  :)  

Then home to curl up by the fire and Christmas lights and watch National Lampoons Christmas Vacation :)  

Another great Saturday!!!  :)

Hope you had a fabulous day!!!  

xxx

Coke is it!

Sobeys have created Santa and a snowman out of their boxes of Coke :)  

My view this morning....

This was my view this morning as I checked mail and waited for Laurence just before we headed into town for some groceries...

I had another class this afternoon and that went really well....one of the students suggested I also offer birthday parties as well as in-school field trips teaching similar art activities.  They thought it would be a great success.  They are keen to sign up for more classes in the new year and are already signed up for my art journaling classes :)  

It was a fun afternoon!!

xxx

Oh Christmas Tree...

The children put up their tree last night.  It's a little different this year....I left them to it this year, and Abigail decided to be in charge.  There seems to be a big section of tree missing from the back and for some reason there doesn't seem to be many decorations on it - and the tree topper is a candle made from a cardboard tube by someone in a past year....but nevertheless it looks beautiful and the coloured lights and tinsel are as pretty as always and give the room a gorgeous glow when we watch our holiday movies  in the evenings :)  

xxx

tag time :)

What's your current obsession?    A certain landscaper/ golfer/ framer (lol)....sigh when will I ever learn??

What are you wearing today?   Jeans and my brown sweater with the polo neck.

What would you eat for your last meal?   Not sure it was a meal exactly but I had a cup of tea with a piece of frozen Nanaimo bar.  It's yummy frozen :)  

What's the last thing you bought?  Ummm???  Oh!  I know!!!  I paid $5 which is the flat rate fee for however much you buy at the Reuse Centre!!  We filled a cart up today.  Got all kinds of things for crafts and activities...books, Christmas decor...as well as things for my sculpture classes in the new year.

What are you listening to right now?  The furnace just kicked in...otherwise the house is silent.  

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?  Epcot :)  lol although it's closed...but you get my point ;p  My friend Susan is there right now and has been posting pictures all day and I would like to go back and have another look round.....this time with someone I will enjoy it more with!!  Either JUST with my kids - who I always have a blast with, or with a new guy <3  someone who doesn't have a stick up their arse :)  Someone who knows how to have fun :)  

What were you doing 10 years ago?  I was pregnant with my Daughter Abigail.  Living in Scotland.  My Daughter Susannah was at nursery school about to play Mary in the nativity play :)  Laurence and Christopher were at the school there too.  We were settled into our new house and had bought a gorgeous Christmas Tree for the front window.  Susannah was having dance lessons.  We had made friends with quite a few of the neighbours.  I had made friends with a girl who lived near the school, called Lynne, who I am still friends with on Facebook :)  I was having difficulty walking at times because of DSP - a split pubic bone which was very painful.  It got much worse towards the end of the pregnancy.  I was also glugging a LOT of Gaviscon for heartburn!!!  :)

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?  I'd bank it.

What are you going to do after this?   message someone :)  

What are your favorite films?   When a Man Loves a Woman.  Going The Distance.  Bridesmaids.  

What inspires you?   BraveGirlsClub.com    many many people, stories, friends......

Do you collect anything?   swans...single swans.  But only ones that I buy for myself.  I also have several other collections.  

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?  Many things!!  Chatting with Laurence over breakfast.  Watching Sam climbing!  Chatting with Lorraine and Nancy at VI, Hugging Abby at vertically Inclined.  Sitting and chatting with Abby and Sam while we waited at Canada Place.  Chatting with a certain someone <3  drinking tea by the fire, going to bed early with a cup of tea....

What is on the top of your to-do list?  Run to the grocery store in the morning to grab some snacks and water and  creamer for my students...

What's your favorite time of day and why?  evenings.....I'm most at peace with life and feel calm and creative and normally have 'me time' :)  

Friday fill-ins....

here we go! 

1. As I neared the house I got excited to be able to check for a message from him.

2. Magazines articles is what I'm reading right now. It's all I have time for!!

3. I didn't start out this way, I was eager to head out tonight, but now I'm exhausted and glad to be home.

4. I'm really hungry to tell the truth. 

5. The best way to get over a fear is to just DO IT.

6. This is the reason I am now the person I am...because I just decided not to roll over and give in to my fears, but just get out there and do the things I wanted to do and wanted to do for my children....and I got over any fears I had!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to relaxing, and an early night...and hearing from a certain someone even though he's at WEM tonight, tomorrow my plans include teaching a class, then heading to Whyte Ave and then maybe Maisies Christmas House and Sunday, I want to take the kids to the Christmas concert and see what else we have time for!

Climbing class....

Sam and Abby had climbing class this morning.  While they were there, Laurence and I headed to Timmy's for a coffee.  

After class we headed downtown to Canada Place to get Lauries SIN card...it only took about 30 minutes in all, so while he was waiting, the rest of us had a snack downstairs.  

I loved that all the trees were decorated in red and silver to match the Canadian flag:

After Laurence had his SIN number we headed over to the Reuse Centre and picked up some supplies for my sculpture class that starts in January.  Then we headed home and the children are spending the evening decorating their tree.  We were supposed to head to Whyte Ave for the evening but everyone is so tired that we are going to do that tomorrow night instead.