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*
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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... |
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