The Ghost of Holiday Just Past...

This Holiday post went the way of this years Holiday cards, a pile of good intentions, but ultimately shoved aside, pushed to the bottom of a never ending list and/or forgotten.  
I have never been all that good at figuring out a proper things to do vs. time ratio. More is more, lets do it all.  Homemade Christmas crackers - yes! Individual gift tags made out of vintage wrapping paper - sign me up!  Fast forward to midnight Christmas eve and undoubtably I will be surrounded by half wrapped presents, tags, glue, sparkles, a stiff drink, a few of my own tears and a large pile of unwritten Christmas cards. This year was no exception, magnified actually, as I was trying to pull it off while still putting the house into some sort of presentable order.  
Next year (yes I am laying down the laws with myself come Jan. 1) this madness will be done by December. Any brilliant crafty ideas I have for next season will be cut and pasted and sparkled in July, pinky swear. Less tears, more rummy eggnog and relaxing is the new law round these here parts. 
So folks, here is a Holiday mash-up of what went down at our place over the last few weeks - cheers!




Homemade wreath...

 Homemade Christmas crackers...

Girls day out in the city to see The Nutcracker...

"All done Mama I want my Sheppie"...

Oh well, at least we got to see the first half, maybe next year...

My first ever Christmas eve tourtiere, 10lbs of deliciousness...

And to all a good night...all the best in 2011 xo

God's Comic...

There is a saying, if you want to make the Universe laugh make a plan. I am a planner, and I find the Universe gets loads of chuckles on my behalf. I have just learned the best plan is to not be too stuck on any one idea, or have a few back ups.
My kids turned three this year, and I thought it would be the best thing ever to have a carnival themed party. I love parties and carnivals, and above all, cake. Having kids is the best excuse to make all of these things happen, all of the time. Our house is coming along nicely and I also figured it would be a great excuse to have friends over to the new digs.  Much of the prep work was done in the week leading up to their special day, including a custom cake topper (me) and a custom red velvet carnival cake (Carla from Carla's Cakes). 

It was going to be awesome.


Of course having your birthday smack in the middle of flu season is always a gamble, so when Georgia woke up on her birthday horribly sick I wasn't really surprised, but did find myself looking to the sky and yelling "are you @*!!# kidding me"?! I knew it was just a matter of time before we were all plagued, so sadly we cancelled their party.
Not celebrating was not an option, and wasting a perfectly delicious cake is a crime round these here parts, so we just delayed everything.  
We spread out the festivities over the following week, depending on how we were feeling.  Presents were opened every few days. My sister (who is very pregnant with twins of her own) was kind enough to drive the cake in from the city once we gave the all clear. 
An impromptu gathering of friends and family and yes, a lovely sparkly cake ended the longest birthday party ever. It turned out awesome after all.


Carnival cake topper...

Hazelnut treats for goodie boxes...

Goodie boxes...

Refreshments...

The best little girl party hat ever, which sadly did not get used but will be repurposed for our attendance at the Christmas eve performance of the Nutcracker.

A crown for Shep, which will be repurposed in a homemade Christmas cracker for his Holiday feast.

Birthday banners made of handkerchiefs...

Birthday lanterns...

The lovely festive red velvet birthday cake - thanks Carla!

My beautiful birthday boy...

My beautiful birthday girl...

My kids loved it all, well except the throwing up part.  My only concern is from now on they will expect their birthday to last for weeks on end.  Perhaps we will move their day to a less dangerous time of year.  Thanks to all who helped and attended and made turning three a big deal.  xo

A Room With A View...

I have always been a sucker for an attic bedroom. The sloped ceilings, great view and huge amount of space seem like an ideal room for kids. The potential for just such a room, for Shep and Georgia, was one of the biggest selling points when considering a move outside of the city. I fell in love with this space right away. In my head, after the first viewing, I had already painted it and placed all their toys, quilts and books. I could see them playing together happily surrounded by light and all the things they love. 
The reality has a lot more yelling, crying and hair pulling but the space itself looks just as I pictured it would.


Before...

And now...

One day I am sure they will beg to be separated, but for now they are quite content to share this bright and happy place.

Roc Out...

Just a quickie folks...I could not go away for the weekend without posting these pics.  
A few weeks ago I said to Brad and Dawson of Backshed Design - "you know, I would really really love a Moroccan couch", and blamo in they walk today with this beauty.  
It really is my favourite thing about these guys. I can say the most random or ordinary (ie. "we need a bathroom door") statement, and they just run with it.  Throw in some problem solving by Miss Jude and we now have a Moroccan couch that flips open into a Queen sized bed. Our ordinary bathroom door is now a swinging stunner made of the same wood as our kitchen counters.  The hardware is repurposed from an old barn, dated 1885. 
Beautiful and practical...Woohoo!