So, I'll start with this past weekend - family pictures always get priority with editing because everyone wants them - incentive to get them done. So someone offer me some incentive to edit pictures of my backyard deck, or gardening, or cottage weekends, etc., and I'll get on those too. This past weekend was my little sister in-law Megan's graduation celebration - she is officially a nurse with a degree from Queen's (following in our footsteps). She wrote her RN's last week and has a job at a hospital that she has already started, working in Emergency.
As usual I am behind on blogging - I am a horrible blogger lately. I'm sorry, once again, to my 6 readers, haha. I have a lot of posts lined up, with photos waiting to be edited and posts to write. At least I have some ideas. So, I'll start with this past weekend - family pictures always get priority with editing because everyone wants them - incentive to get them done. So someone offer me some incentive to edit pictures of my backyard deck, or gardening, or cottage weekends, etc., and I'll get on those too. This past weekend was my little sister in-law Megan's graduation celebration - she is officially a nurse with a degree from Queen's (following in our footsteps). She wrote her RN's last week and has a job at a hospital that she has already started, working in Emergency. I seriously took 20 pictures of these boys - this is the only one where all are not talking and most of their eyes are open. They are the WORST at staying still and smiling! At least I can count on Meg to smile pretty At this point no one else was taking pictures...so where are they looking? Getting some love from Nanny and Momma Sisters! Us girls (love that sassy smile, Hope) Jamie with this cute little guy (more pics of him to come, I promise!) Pete and his eventual willed-to puppy, Yorkie
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Here are a few shots from today's shower for Hope and Jamie - 11 weeks until the big day!!! Ladies in blue - momma, Lynn and my mom Like father, like son - 3 shots and Pete's eyes are closed in all of them, but good shots of Dave and Bob Mardi playing server (with delicious food!) Bunting (!!!) by Joni Aww Jamie and Hope M... Presentation shower for their honeymoon (St. Lucia, perhaps) John and Jack Conner, Hailey and Hope watching "Despicable Me" - I really wanted to join them... Speech time! Giving them their honeymoon gifts including some awesome Pitbull shades ...plus some beach toys The happy couple Conner and the hammock Guestbook pictures - drawn by Hailey (what would I look like as a dinosaur?) Matt's eyes were closed in about 4 of 5...this was the best one Best one that Matt took of Hope and I...still slightly blurry...*sigh*
My dad retired last Friday. He had a work party with his TTC friends that I posted about here, and this weekend my brother and I threw him a party for friends and family at Mill Street Brew Pub in the Distillery District. We headed down early to set up and meet my parents for dinner before the other guests arrived. Cab ride over - balloons!!! Distillery + balloons = fun Adam and Matt with their flights of seasonal beer (I like the lemon tea beer the best) Even mom drank beer - Frambozen! My aunt Andrea made a toolbox cake with cookie tools!!! Incredible! It was really good - thanks so much Andrea!!! Party decor - see my post on DIY Paper Bunting here Adam was in charge of the balloons He also framed a picture of my dad that was in the paper years ago, and got everyone to sign the matte around it Matt cut a slot in a memory box I got and people wrote messages about what they thought my dad should do now that he is retired - a lot had to do with renovations and house work! Very convenient that the Mill Street decor matched mine! My brother and I were proud of our party! ...and then I gave my camera to Adam and Jessica. They then proceeded to take about 400 blurry pictures. The following are all that I could salvage, haha. In the end, there were only 10 of 430 pictures that THEY took that were NOT blurry, and they are all in this post!!! My mom taking a picture of Adam taking a picture...I want to see the other side of this! Dad talking with family The girls...and he really liked that "yeast" sign for some reason... BEST pictures of the night award goes to Jess Dad with Margaret and Frank Thomas and Annick Me realizing that I may not have that many pictures to work with... Best of 10 blurry ones Adam took...this one is kind of cool. Only when I saw this did I ask "are you licking me?" Grandpa and uncle Pat - grandpa had a great night, though the Distillery has changed a lot since he was last there Aunt Francis and Andrea Adam with my cousin Mischa Matt talking with my dad's friends - Ross, Peter and Frank Party scene More party scene Cake cutting! Dad with Adam Dad and I Adam eating a hammer Family photo! Cheers to a great night at Mill Street! The moms The moms and dads Adam wanted to take home 2 balloons He had a hard time putting his coat on... Success (with Matt`s help)!!! Pretty lights of the distillery Raiding the leftovers when we got back home He popped these right before he left...I did not enjoy that.
For my dad's retirement party this past weekend, I decided to get crafty and make some decorations. I am in love with all the bunting pictures gracing the party scene lately, so I wanted to make it myself. You can do it with fabric, but since I am pretty much useless at sewing anything but buttons on shirts, I decided that was out. I went the paper route with ribbon. So I dared to enter Michael's on Friday and get supplies. As with Ikea, I have a love-hate relationship with Michael's. I walk in there and I see it is where Pinterest was born, but at the same time, it is so hard to navigate and there is so much selection that I feel overwhelmed. I managed to find some primary colour scrapbook paper and some ribbon, all with fun polka-dots, and was out of there after only a half hour of wandering around, haha. They seriously need some of those Lowe's panic buttons where you just hit the button, stand still and weep uncontrollably until someone comes points you in the right direction. The first step in the bunting process is deciding on triangle size and shape. Most sites I went to go for the "perfect triangle" which I grew up as knowing as an equilateral triangle, but whatever. That would be all angles 60 degrees and all lengths the same for those geometry-challenged. I thought I would go for the isoceles (2 angles and lengths the same) as I wanted them a bit longer and more pennant shaped, but not TOO pointy. I whipped out my trusty ruler and protractor and went to work. After doing a few rough designs, I decided on 2 angles of 65 degrees and the other 50, and the top length 13 cm (because I love 13, I know, weird). I also have a paper cutter to make sure my lines were straight (way back from the scrapbook days). I cut my triangle out on heavy cardstock, so it would be easy to trace. And then traced them onto the back of pretty polka-dot scrapbook paper. I could get 6 on a page and used 2 pages of 4 different colours. That left me with 48 triangles and I ended up fitting 38 to my ribbon. I got this paper cutter from the dollar store about 10 years ago. A DOLLAR, and the original cutting blade is still great (and it came with a second one that has not yet been used). I do not have steady hands, so cutting by hand was not an option for me when it comes to cut and paste projects. By the way, the dollar store usually has lots of fun scrapbook paper and accessories too, so no need to always head to Michael's and spend the big bucks (although my sister in law is a pro Michael's coupon shopper, haha). Then when all my triangles were cut, I had to decide on spacing and pattern. I went in typical rainbow pattern, of course. Each space was 4 cm from the top of the last triangle. I made a little pencil mark, and then pulled out the trusty hot glue gun (again, $5 purchase - it's just a mini-one - a must for any crafty person), and went to town. I wasn't too picky with exact spacing and height, but I tried to have the triangle tops just below the top of the ribbon. A note of caution - if you want the bunting to go back and forth, you need to first measure you length, because when you reach one end and want it to go back in the other direction, you need to twist your ribbon or glue your triangles in the other direction. If not, they will be coloured one way, and you will see the white backs the other. I didn't really know the size of the space I was working with, so I just decided to one long chain, and either cut it and use two or space it all between one section. I brought scissors and duct tape to the party with me just in case, haha. Finished product - looks pretty good and the glue held up well. I folded the entire chain back and forth to keep the paper from creasing while we were bringing it over to the venue. All hung up between two large pillars at Mill Street. My brother bought balloons, and I also got a memory box and I (well Matt) added a slot to the top for people to write messages to my dad. We had a pictures for everyone to sign too. Cheers! Definitely added a festive touch to the brew pub, and I think the whole project took me about an hour and a half.
Awww brother-sister love! **This post is more for my family - sorry to all those DIY and home decor followers who have been bombarded with my family posts lately - kitchen posts are coming soon!** Here are some pictures from my dad's retirement party this past Thursday. This one was hosted by his coworkers at the TTC - he has worked there for 34 years, and 19 of them have been at Wheel Trans division. My brother and I area also hosting a party for him in the Distillery next weekend. Mom and Dad Jessica - my light tester. Neither light was good so B&W I went! Adam and Jess And speeches begin! Just a few of the attendees Stewart - the MC, and first speaker Lots of laughs Adam and Jess (yep, being a creeper) Next is Ross (I like this picture with Stewart laughing behind him) Wheel Trans coworkers and friends Third is Bob Adam definitely knows I am shooting him, haha Parents listening on Long time friends Susan - representative and friend from ACAT Dad with Spiros Dad's turn! Listening to dad speak ...still listening... We listened for a while...there were a lot of pages... (including one telling everyone I am 30...ugh...) The family (minus Matt, who was at the bar, haha) B&W one Retirement Card Conversation with friends Us kids Now here's the whole family And the TTC family too! Dad with Valdo from ACAT Dad with Mazin from ACAT
Here are just a few pictures from last weekend. Good Friday was spent at home with Matt, and we ordered sushi (it's fish!), and I got to drink wine (I gave it up for Lent)! Saturday we wandered around Leslieville and the Beach (pictures can be seen HERE), and Sunday we spent all day with family. The morning with my family for brunch, and the evening with Matt's family. I only have pictures of the morning, so here they are! I also had Monday off, where I did a ton of marking and prep while Matt was at work. I love Easter colours...also mini eggs and pretty much anything with peanut butter in it. Brunch mimosas - yum! My mom looks so happy - love it! Cheers to a happy Easter More mini eggs in a martini glass Family picture time - uncle Brian, Adam & Jessica, and grandpa! Matt and I French toast casserole, made with croissant - oh wow it was soooo good! Recipe HERE (with croissant substituted in - best to make the night before so the egg really soaks into the bread) "Homemade" fruit dip my brother made (from Epicure, haha) Love this picture of my mom and I - all minted out for Easter! Brunch is served Great host & hostess Guess who made brownie bottom cheesecake and M&M Easter cookies?
I'm starting to look like an Easter egg... Today Matt and I headed to Leslieville to meet up with Jamie and Hope to wander around. We wanted to enjoy the sunshine and somewhat warm weather and get out of the house. Hope bugged me with multiple text messages of whales and elephants (her version of whining) to send her some pics, so that's why I'm so on the ball for editing, uploading, and blogging all about it - thanks sis - you should do it more often to keep me on top of things! First stop - Te Aro in Leslieville Great coffee (or so Matt says) - I usually get hot chocolate, but last week the barista asked Matt "do you want it lukewarm", and Matt says "no, why?", and they responded "well we usually only serve it to children so it has to be lukewarm", after which he laughed and then came home, told me, and laughed at me for ordering a child's drink. Coffee makes my stomach hurt...next time I'll get a tea latte... Antique shopping...pretty sure Hope now has lice from that fur hat Despite that comment, she tried on another in the store...double lice (Notice the HBC in the background - it's probably a real one!) No one could doubt that they are brothers On their way to The Burger's Priest Kites! Boardwalk wandering at the Beach Lifeguard station - the prettiest spot Awww the soon-to-be-married Such a beautiful day Would be really cute...if only the graffiti was gone... Ohhh love the awkward photo shoots Ohhh this looks like it will be good... He twirled her around for a while, but I chose not to put up the pictures directly of Hope's butt The most delectable-smelling place on earth - Moo Milk Bar - got milk and cookies! Came home to the first blooms of my Easter tulips!
Yeah, yeah, I know I've been a blog slacker. I have some projects from March Break - grout colouring, kitchen painting, attempting to remove painter's tape from said kitchen cabinetry, and perhaps a bit of decor. But first, a few pictures from the World Figure Skating Championships that I went to with my mom in London, Ontario. Sorry for the picture quality - was not allowed to use my SLR as it has a detachable lens, so I had to use my old trust point-and-shoot, but from very high up, with no flash allowed, and a lot of zoom, this is the best I could do! There are some iPhone photos mixed in too, which somehow are better quality in some cases. Oh, and they are all Canadian skaters pictured except for the zombie pair! Obviously I am tired, but ready for our trip to London! Once arrived, my mom immediately finds her love, Patrick Chan Rinkside Selfie (and by rinkside I mean the nosebleed section) I learned a new term - this is the "kiss and cry" - where they go after they skate to get their marks... They told us to arrive early...why...? Even the zamboni guys are fancy! Warm-up! Ohhh Patrick Kevin Reynolds Ohhhh its time for medals (with the official colour glowing in the background) Medal Ceremony - go Canada! BEST.ICE DANCE. EVER. Zombies!!!!! So good. Piper Gillis & Paul Poirier (skate in Scarborough!) Kaitlyn Weaver & Andrew Poje Tessa Virtue & Scott Moir (Olympic Champs and ended up with Silver) Skated to a medley from Carmen - great music selection! Little purple skaters were in excess after the Canadians skated - lots of flowers and gifts to gather up. Medal Ceremony - Canadians were good, Americans were better. Still a great show. We were there from Friday morning until Sunday morning, and we saw the Men's Long Program and Ice Dance Free Dance. We thought there was going to be more to do around the arena, but were sadly disappointed. Spent a lot of time wandering around downtown London, eating too much bad food, and drinking coffee and hot chocolate. Plus a lot of time sitting in a cold arena, but it was definitely a fun experience! I'll probably stick to Stars on Ice from now on, though...I just can't sit still that long!
PS - thanks to my mom for identifying all the skaters, haha. I only knew Patrick. Since Matt has a huge hand in our home projects, I thought I would give him a voice (whether he wanted one or not) to talk about our house and life in general. I did this as an interview, as there is no way he would just ramble on the way I do about stuff. So one New Year's Eve day while he watched a hockey game, I asked him questions on commercials and intermissions about our home. Matt last June 1. How do you feel about being interviewed for the blog? Be honest. How honest? I’m waiting. Ummmm, it’s not how I intended to spend my morning (he’s watching the world junior game versus Russia). You have 20 minutes for intermission time. 2. What was the first home project you remember? Doesn’t have to be for our house. *Reminder that my husband has a bad memory so this may not actually be the first one* I did the bunkie at the cottage when I graduated university. What did you do? That one was pretty easy – everything was pre-bought – the carpet was torn out of another room, the plumbing was done, and the fixtures for the bathroom were already bought, so for that was mostly just tearing out an old laminate floor, putting down a new subfloor (I didn’t know you did that much), painting – painted over the wood panel walls, tore out the wood covered doors, and replaced the trim. Painted all the windows (old fashioned window panes – ranch style), and then it was all the finishes – put in the padding and the carpet, put in new baseboards, new light fixtures, and blinds. How did you know how to do all that? Ummmmmmm….most of it was just instructions, my dad told me what he wanted done and I went and did it. Yeah but how did you tear it out without damaging? Ohhh I damaged a lot. The floor needed to be chiselled out, and it was rotted so I had to replace some of the subfloor. There’s probably a bit still there…but it’s all finished over…so you can’t tell, haha. Any more recent projects in your own place? Trying to hang a shelf in my first condo. Unlike the bunkie, I had access to very little in the way of tools and had no idea the difference between drilling into drywall versus the concrete fire walls in a condo. So I started by using the drill that I had (probably from 1960 given to me by my dad and shocked you every 30 seconds or so), but it only made it about a ¼ inch through the plaster before it stopped and started smoking. So my first idea was trying to hang it with short screws into the plaster, and after the shelf fell down once I learned you can buy special drill bits and screws that go into concrete. Problem solved! Bunkie on the outside Bunkie on the inside from the bed- the only picture I have of the inside when I was trying to take pictures with my phone for the first time last summer...it didn't turn out so well. 3. You moved around a lot as a kid, and your mom is very crafty and your dad is pretty handy too – do you think you get all this home project desire from them? Maybe, my dad was a lot like me in that he has no real experience in any of this, just figured it out as he went. He did work a few odd jobs in landscaping and contracting stuff when he was in high school, so probably knew more than I do. He’s also a better electrician because my grandfather was one. So what do you get from your mom? I believe the phrase “queer eye” comes up. I think just a sense of style, and knowing what I like in a house. Matt's parents 4. We lived in a condo before we bought our first house – did you know that you wanted to buy a fixer-upper then? I think this place is pretty live-in ready – we just had to do little things. Remember that one place on Coxwell I wanted? That one was detached, triplex, that could have easily been opened up but would have required some professionals to remove 2 of the 3 kitchens and the place needed a complete gut from top to bottom. And the basement was scary. Then there was that other place that had the cheap kitchen reno. The one that smelled like mothballs? But it had a lot of potential – it was pretty big for a semi, but needed a lot of work. Our first condo together 5. What made you want to buy our current house? The more we thought about it, the idea of a COMPLETE reno seemed a bit daunting, so we wanted something not necessarily finished, but liveable. This one had a finished bathroom, the kitchen worked (although tiny). It had a lot of character – the original wood floors, the beautiful backyard, and it was a good size (3 bedrooms, in the city, finished basement). Our current house on the left way back in November 2010 6. What are some challenges with working in an older home (90 years this year!) Lath and plaster walls – it pre-dates drywall – it’s hard to drill into and secure things too. You have to be careful not to crack them – one crack and there goes a big chunk of your wall. Almost every fastener at Home Depot is for drywall, so you have to get special hollow wall plugs that aren’t exactly easy to work with. Anything else? Nothing is square. It looks it, but there are no 90 degree angles anywhere – either on the floor or the walls or anything. So what do you do? Most cuts are trial and error with wood – to get the right fit. Filler and shims to fill gaps - you just have to work with it. Troubles with lath and plaster walls... 7. We’ve done a lot of projects over the past few years – which one was your favourite and why? I think the guest bedroom. Really? Yeah, getting that rounded moulding around the corner was a lot of work and I like the way it turned out. Anything else? I also like stair guard, because it was the most structural work I’ve ever done. It went from a rickety not-to-code post to a strong solid rail. (Pause) Oh wait, I forgot about the side board (in the dining room). I really like the way that turned out. Do you want to develop on that at all? Oh, well, even though most of it was from Ikea, finding a good solid piece of wood that big, and staining it and polishing it to what it looks like now really makes the room come together – it looks good. Wiring the light into the staircase was good – I don’t know about electrical work, and it hasn’t burnt down the house yet, so it’s pretty good. Curved chair rail on the left Stair guard project Sideboard project Wiring this little light to turn on with the regular basement lighting 8. Which project drove you crazy the most and why? Stripping the stairs was a terrible task. It was monotonous, physically exhausting, and very dirty. Plus, after about an hour of those fumes you developed a pretty bad headache. (Pause) The shelving unit in the basement made out of plywood was pretty difficult – it had to be built into a wall where nothing was square, so every cut was custom, and made it very difficult. In hindsight, I would have purchased a unit that was close to the size, and made it look like it was built into the wall. Live and learn. But we did do it for a quarter of the cost if we had bought one, so there was one benefit to it! Refinishing the stairs Working on the office shelving unit 9. There are never any pictures of me doing things. Can you please explain how I contribute to home renos around here? You…..ummmmmm….what do you do? You paint. Because I hate it. You are generally the chief designer….and you’re also the, haha, chief photographer and documentarian, hence you are always behind the camera and not in front of it. Documentarian’s a word right? Anything else? I don’t know. You’re generally opposed to anything Ikea or anything that involves an allen key. Seems to get the better of you. I helped with the Pax wardrobe. You did, you assembled two drawers, one of which was backwards, so you had to do that again. I’m trying to think of other things I did. You’re a level when I’m trying to hold things – like hanging a painting or mirror. So you don’t really need me? No, I need you. (Pause) Yeah you do a lot of the painting. I don’t know if you’ve ever picked up a power tool. I stripped the first stairs. You did – you stripped the first four stairs. You came up with this wall thing (points). That would be called a gallery wall. Yes, that thing. You’ve selected all the paints and painted most of the rooms. I did the entire basement without you at all. Yep. How would you want me to help in the house? That’s a good question. I actually prefer doing a lot of these things. Because I typically learn by doing, it’s hard to give instructions. I’m also…selfish, and I don’t like giving up control on projects. That’s funny, most people would say that about me. No comment. The little evidence I have of me doing work... 10. What are some projects that you are looking forward to for 2013 (short-term)? What’s on the list? No, I have my own post for that. What do you want to do? This summer I want to build a big table and bench for the backyard to custom fit the deck. I’ll purchase chairs – I won’t try to build those, haha. With my new compound mitre saw!!! And a big chunk of cedar. Anything in the house you want done? I want to sand down the floors in the middle (unmentionable name - *cough* - baby) room. Why? Well right now it is a construction area and it needs to be well cleaned up. I may have also put a hole in wall when I was doing the railing. WHAT? Yeah…there’s a hole. When the saw piece broke it shot a piece of wood next to the dresser right into the wall. A perfect little square. Haha. It’s also parquet flooring. Yeah, but I still think I can strip/sand it down. Rent a big floor sander for that. Make it a lighter colour to match the floors. Won’t change the floor completely. I still don’t know why it’s parquet though. So do you think it’s worth redoing it with hardwood? I’m more worried about how it will be to pull out the parquet. It’s glued down – you’ll have to chisel it down piece by piece. Something to think about. Current backyard furniture The "baby" room 11. What are some longer-term projects you want to tackle? I think we eventually want to do the kitchen. Knock out the wall between the living room and kitchen to open it up a bit. My mom’s worried that we’re going to put a lot of money and time into the kitchen and then move. That’s something to consider, although they say that the kitchen is the place where you get your money back on the investment, if we do sell. You always have to consider in any project if you’re doing it for yourself or for resale. I don’t know about you, but I’m not planning to pack up and leave in the next year or so. Yes, but we won’t get around in the kitchen in the next year either. Any other projects? There’s talk about expanding the bathroom downstairs and refinishing the wood floors throughout the house. How long do you think we’ll be in this house before you get the itch to move again and start all over? I don’t know, haha. It’s hard to put a date on that. 5 years maybe? 10? 10???? Well you’d be surprised at how quickly 5 years will go by! So wise. Current tiny kitchen Basement bathroom (well before we moved in) 12. What things would you be looking for in our next house that you may not have considered in this one? A bigger kitchen for sure – this one is quite small. Less creaky floors? One of the things I love about this house is the character of the old floors, but one thing I hate is how creaky they are. I don’t think there’s a way to fix that, though, without tearing them up. I can think of a million things I would change. Really? I don’t know. A fireplace – preferably wood, but gas would be okay too. I want a mantle – so many décor magazines decorate mantles. Does the fireplace matter at all? Meh. I can put in a mantle for you if you really want. What about detached? Ummm, I don’t mind the semi-detached because we’ve always had quiet neighbours. But detached would be better for more natural light in the house. Agreed. Would you consider getting a house that needs more work next time? You mean, like, gut the main floor? I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d want to do something with more work, I think we would need help – hire someone to tear out walls and major structural stuff requiring a contractor. You don’t think you could tear a wall out on your own? I think I could tear out a wall on my own, I don’t know if I could put back a wall on my own. There’s very little room for trial and error – it’s not something you want to get wrong. My brother has a mantle... 13. So you also have a pretty good eye for décor. How does it make you feel when I call you Martha Stewart? Laughs. I think I get a little smug satisfaction because I know you’re just saying it because you’re jealous. Why am I jealous? You wish you had the same eye. I do. Matt painted that... 14. You’re also a really good cook – what’s your favourite thing to make? I really like doing pulled pork or slow-cooked lamb. The dutch oven makes cooking easy and delicious. Add beer/wine/some sort of alcoholic beverage to meat, and cook for hours. What’s for dinner tonight (New Year’s Eve)? It will be a beer-braised duck, pulled, served over homemade duck-fat fries with cheese. A pulled-duck poutine if you will. Not exactly healthy, but New Year’s Resolutions start tomorrow. We’re having salad too. Although the salad contains goat cheese – pomegranate and apple and goat cheese baby arugula salad. And dessert? Frozen chocolate mousse trifle. Which I made. There you go. Lamb + veggies + wine = awesome 15. Are you sick of answering questions yet? I was sick about 20 minutes ago. 16. How do you feel about the blog? About being on the blog? It’s always weird when friends and family are so familiar with stuff I’ve done around the house, even if I haven’t talked to them in months. How do you feel about me writing a blog? It’s kind of like your diary – I don’t have a problem with you writing it, but publishing it is odd. I don’t put anything too personal on it. No you don’t. I find the whole blogging, facebook, and everything else - the whole concept, way too much information about people. 17. Do you love me? Of course. Always. How much? I have to quantify this? Like on a scale from 1-10? I feel it's unquantifiable. Good answer. LOVE. 18. Anything else you want to say to our 10 readers out there (9 of them being my family)?
Laughs. Whose the 1 who’s not your family? Some lonely guy in Russia? My coworker, Mike. Tell him you’re not a slave in your own house. Can I go back to watching the hockey game now? This Christmas had the lovely added feature that I had bronchitis, and Christmas Eve was touch and go (seriously thought about cancelling at various parts of the day - the morning when I was trying to whip non-heavy cream into stiff peaks - it will not work - you need more than 18%, and when I had to dry my hair sitting on the floor in my bedroom amidst sweating and crying because I was so weak), but we pulled through! My parents, Adam and Jessica came over on Christmas Eve. Matt really did all the work because I was trying to sleep and recover for most of the days leading up to it, and if not I was cleaning the house. We made some delicious brie, cranberry, pecan crostini for appetizers, along with the chili-sweet nut mix we did last year, for dinner we had roasted duck with a maple bourbon glaze with root mash, and for dessert I made a chocolate mousse trifle (hence the whipping of cream earlier on in the day). It went pretty well - opened presents, ate good food, and enjoyed entertaining my family. Our little tree - all owled up (there are now 3 owls on the tree thanks to my family) Playing with my new 50 mm lens - West Elm Hedwig owl Table ready for dinner Runner and log votives from West Elm, Star napkin holder from Ikea! These cranberries have now been rehydrated...I do not look forward to cleaning this out... I added some sparkly branches and a bow to make this spring-branch arrangement a bit more festive Planned to do a gallery wall in this room but didn't have pictures yet - so I improvised with wrapping paper I will post more on this when I change the frames to real pictures! The table before dinner - votives filled with candles and lots of light Time to eat and open presents! Taking mom to see the World Figure Skating Championships in London (Ontario) in March Dad opening our gift (Cycling Store Gift Card) Adam looking very scary with tinsel on his head Wedding Book!!! Lego Empire State Building - Classic present for Adam Sisters pose just before dinner Mmmm festive salads and cranberry juice Mom and Dad Ohhh those two are photogenic! Must have been awkward lighting for me to make this B&W Crowns from the Christmas Crackers! Matt opened a present that night - "I Am A Pole" by Stephen Colbert (looks like a Children's book...but not so much) Christmas morning is Matt and I time. We don't have anyone else over - we open our presents, we made a delicious breakfast, and we just relax. This year we made a french toast casserole with a brown sugar strudel glaze and apple and craisins. It was so good. The antibiotics prevented the typical ice wine drinking, but I'll make that up on New Year's Eve! I guessed most of my presents before I opened them (and there was only 2 I didn't get - this table is a lie!) One of my gifts - Paloma Picasso hammered ring - looks like a girly version of Matt's iron ring, but needs to be resized. I wanted this because I used to wear his iron ring when he first got it if he was wakeboarding at the cottage or any other time he may have lost it. Just a cute little reminder of those days. Delicious baked french toast - and so easy (we prepped it the night before) I gave George the gift of all the acorns I collected in the fall that never ended up dip-dying (I'll try again next year) Christmas Day was spent with Matt's family, both at his parents' house in Oakville to open gifts, and then to his aunt and uncle's place in Ancaster for dinner. We only had to make a vegetable dish, so it was an easy day, and I was starting to feel better luckily! It was nice seeing the whole family (we see his dad's side far less often), and all the food was incredible! His cousin's wife is starting her own catering company and she made all the appetizers - wow! Look out Peterborough!!! Christmas afternoon at the in-laws - what a beautiful tree! I look like I'm in pain...I was probably about to cough... Pete with his kids - all grown up! In Ancaster with Buppa - great face Jamie! Kisses from the granddaughters Matt probably being a smart-ass Boxing Day we always go to my aunt and uncle's place in Bowmanville. My dad has a huge family so it is always a fun gathering. On the way home we went to see Les Miserables with Adam and Jess - it was SOOO good (although Russell Crowe really shouldn't sing). Highly recommended Christmas break movie, although very sad (hence the title). Bring Kleenex - you will cry at 3 different spots! If you think I wouldn't post this Adam, you were wrong. Singing Christmas carols to get gifts (although it turns out that now that I'm married Santa can't find me anymore) Pretty much sat here the entire time Came home to this. Merry and bright. A few days later some of the same family ladies meet at Marche downtown for lunch.
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KathleenAdventures in married life, cooking, teaching science and new home renovations in the city! LinksArchives
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