Chrismtas Celebrations

Christmas Eve we enjoyed the company of good friends at the home of Danny and Sandra to celebrate the season with them.  19 of us filled the house with fun and cheer and good food.  The highlight of the evening was watching the little one open his presents.  Well both my girls and Katlyn were in there with little Liam as he opened all his presents.....cars and more cars....they all played together.  It was really cute to watch 3 grown girls play cars with this little guy. We left Danny & Sandra's with full tummies and Christmas Cheer!

Christmas Day arrive a little earlier than I would have liked....my son and darling hubby celebrated the season keeping a couple of us up until the wee hours of the morning.  We all did get a bit of sleep....thank goodness. 

The morning found us having coffee, the kids checking out their stockings (yes my kids still get a stocking....filled with the everyday items they need and a few other things too).  Then it was on to the gift exchange. This was the first year that nobody knew what anyone was getting from anyone.  Fingers were crossed that there would be no duplicates....and we hit the jackpot in that way.

Once we were done with the gift opening it was time to start getting the turkey into the oven.  Cooking for 12 people called for a large turkey - it weighed it at 19lbs.  The aroma of turkey and stuffing soon filled the house.  Guest arrived at 3pm bringing food and gifts for the Chinese Gift Exchange.

Drinks were had, munchies to help tie you over were set out and the festivities began. 

Through all the hustle and bustle of a full house and the season, my heart still ached for the presence of my dad.  This is the 3rd Christmas without him but the first one for me accepting that he is really gone.  Accepting this has been particularly difficult but with the love of my husband, the support of my children and the support from my Aunt Glenda ((my dad`s baby sister)you have been a great sounding board...)) and the help of a wonderful counselor I have made great strides in accepting that my dad is no longer with me in body, but is here in spirit.  I never realized what I was not only doing to myself but to my family by packing away how I felt since 2008.  I can feel my life starting to get back to the norm.  I still have a few paths I need to venture down but at least now I can think about those paths and set a course to get to end. 



Corinne~

Drawing To A Close

Where did 2010 go to....it seems like it was only a few weeks ago that we welcomed in 2010 and here we are saying farewell to 2010.   As we are saying farewell to 2010 I have been doing some reflecting on 2010 and for the most part it was a good year...a few bumps along the way but then again what is life without bumps in the road.

There are things I would like to do differently in 2011 and I am going to do my best to achieve these goals.  I am working on setting some resolutions, ones that should be attainable too.

As we draw to a close of 2010 I would like to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and all the best in 2011.  I hope you continue to have good health, lots of love and happiness and don't forgot to stop and smell the flowers along the way.

May you achieve what you aspire and may all your dream come true!

Corinne~

Christmas is coming!

The days are going by faster and faster.....Christmas will be here on Saturday.

Still shopping to do
Butter tarts and shortbread to bake

Going to make a list.....and checkin' it twice
Presents to wrap
and groceries to buy.
Oh my where have the days gone!

Good thing I start my holidays tomorrow.  Going to do more baking tonight and tomorrow, have a list ready for my darling hubby....so he can finish the shopping on Thursday.  Good thing we only need a few stocking suffers and a gift for the dogs....yes we are one of the 70% of people who buy a gift for their pets (okay it is a nice smoked bone for each of them to gnaw on)....even have to get the Grand-dog something too (he needs a kennel, especial if he comes to stay at our house in January while Brittany is away for training in Saskatoon).

Corinne~

Ugly Christmas Sweaters

This weekend my daughter is home for a visit for the weekend when she tells me, "Mom, can you make me an ugly Christmas sweater.  Oh! can you make it light up too....you have till Friday to finish it."  So I respond with well you better get and buy the sweater first and I will see what I can do.  So Saturday her and her dad head off to Value Village and she lucks out and buys a sweater with snowflakes on it....so last night I got her building snowflakes out of sparkly pipe cleaners.  I tell her that I will cut a snowflake out of some white fun fur that we found and pick up some battery operated lights to put in the snowflake and attach that the back of her sweater.  I told her that she isn't giving me much time to come up with ideas to create this sweater but if she wants I do have some Christmas applique stuff that I can dig out for next year......


Corinne~

Forest Service Kids Christmas Party

Yesterday the atrium at our office was the scene of the kids Christmas party.  They had different stations to stop at, cookie decorating, snowball throw, bean bag toss, ice fishing, craft table - older children made a card and the younger children made a Santa using their hand  traced out and coloring/word search.  The highlight of the afternoon was the arrival of Santa.  The kids had sleigh bells that they started to ring and soon Santa appeared with bags of gifts for the kids.

All the little ones were very excited to see Santa......

Many times you see little ones that cry when they are put on Santa's lap.....but yesterday I seen a little one that cried when her mom took her off Santa's lap.



Corinne~

Christmas Decorating

Yesterday my son dug out the Christmas tree and ornaments for me....we were supposed to decorate the tree last night....by the time I got home from our building Christmas Social last night all I wanted to do was watch a bit of TV and go to bed....so that is what I did.  Tonight I plan to get the tree decorated and maybe start getting my Christmas stuff up around the house.  By the end of the weekend my house should look much more festive.

Sometime over the weekend I hope to do up a few cards.....only got 2 Christmas Cards made this year....which is two more than last year.  I was hoping to make my own gift tags this year as well but think that will have to wait till next year too.  I do have a plan for getting more Christmas cards made in 2011.  Magnolia-licious Christmas All Year Long Blog Hop happens each month and I hope to make at least one Christmas card each month and participate in as many of the hops as I can.  I also hope to make some gift tags throughout the year as well.  I might have a chance of getting ahead of the Christmas rush next year.  I do have a few Christmas Magnolia images colored up now to just make a card....so I figure if I start now I will be ready for the first hop in January.  I really enjoy receiving handmade cards/gifts as I feel that so much more comes with the gift...that is why I want to make more Christmas cards to give as then I am not only giving a Christmas card but I am giving a little bit of me as well.



Corinne~

Whiff of Joy Stamps Advent Calendar

Today marks the start of the Advent Calendar over at Whiff of Joy.  Each day Katharina Frei will post a new card and one lucky person will win the Whiff of Joy stamp or stamps featured on the card, all you have to do is leave a link to your blog on Mr Linky at the bottom of the posting to enter.  A draw for a random winner from those links will be made each day. 

 Be sure to check out Katharina's cards, they are absolutely beautiful. 



Corinne~