Tutu Tutorial- Try Saying That 10 Times Fast!

With all the excitement of the last two weeks (babies and weddings, woo hoo!) I completely forgot about doing a post about Faith's 2nd birthday outfit made by me, her Titi (Auntie).

Wow, so that means this is a Titi Tutu Tutorial....ha ha!

As some of you are aware, I have a very serious case of the "crafties". My mind is constantly spinning with crafting ideas! When my niece, Faiths, birthday was approaching, I knew I wanted to make something special for her to wear!

She is a very outgoing child. She loves to play pretend, sing and dance! I knew I wanted to make her a fun Tutu to dance in!

Here is the material that you will need:

- 1 package of 1 inch elastic

- 6 yards of tulle

(I used 3 different colors, white, light purple and dark purple)

- Need and thread

- Measuring tape

- Scissors

1. Measure the waist of the child. Also measure the height from her waist to her feet.

*Good luck getting a picture of this, my little ham wanted to keep taking pictures with me!*

2. Whatever you measured for the waist, minus 2 inches. Measure this out onto your elastic and cut. Sew the two ends together to form a circle.

3. Cut all your tulle...this is the hardest part of the whole thing! Don't worry about it being perfect, you'll trim it later. Each piece will be folded in half over the elastic.

4. For easy assembly, put the elastic circle around your thigh.

5. Begin tying the tulle! Fold your tulle in half. This will create a u-turn shape. Wrap around the elastic and then the extra material through the loop.

6. Continue all the way around until you have covered the entire elastic.

7. Hang the tutu somewhere so that you can trim all the way around it using scissors. The shorter the tutu, the more it will stick out rather then lie flat.

Pretty easy eh? But, what would a birthday tutu be without a matching shirt and hair bow? Of course I had to make a "2" shirt and pigtail bows!

The birthday girl looked so cute and had a blast running around being a little ballerina!

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Wednesday!

xo

Sleep? Who needs sleep?

Phew! What I weekend! There was so much running around it was crazy! It was all for a good cause though....

For over 10 years some wonderful men for the Pontiac community have been putting on a hockey tournament in order to raise money for local charities. This is called, The Flying Elbows Tournament. It's a Thursday to Sunday event featuring great hockey games, fun visits and a late night party at the bar above the arena. I just wanted to give a quick shout out to all the men that helped with this event.....Way to go for organizing this for such a great cause!!

Friday evening, right after work, we loaded up the jeep and headed to friend's, Lisa and Luc's for a birthday supper for their 3 year old son, Yanni.

I can hardly believe this little guy is 3 and I can't believe his Mommy, Lisa, put on a great spaghetti supper for family and friends with Yanni and month of baby Sydney in her arms!

After, Ryan and I headed to the arena to watch hockey! It ended up being a fun (a little too fun for me) evening!

Saturday morning I woke up early and headed off to do groceries! I haven't gotten any food in 3 weeks! Surprisingly enough, the store was actually empty so I got to zoom around the aisles in record time!

Afterwards, I was meeting this wonderful girl, for a lunch date to show off my new bling!!

We had an amazing lunch and great visit, talking all things wedding related!

Saturday evening, it was back to the rink for the big game. The Flying Elbows Vs. The Chainsaws!

Every year this rivalry of friends play for the championship belt and bragging rights. Unfortunately, (Ryan's a Chainsaw) The Elbows took the victory for the 2nd year in a row!

That evening I had a blast sitting around one of the tables at the bar above the arena! Sue, Jill and I spent most of that time playing movie music trivia! You sing a song from a movie, and the other people have to guess the movie! We were getting some strange looks from other tables! ha ha!

Sunday morning, after church, mom and I headed to the city for a very important meeting.....with a wedding photographer!!

I had found Julie C Bulter's website and blog right after I got engaged and was constantly going back and checking it out more! Finally, I contacted her to ask if she was willing to drive the hour to come to this small town, for this small town girls wedding. She said yes!

The meeting went fabulously and this girl and her work is AMAZING! I cannot wait to meet with her again for our engagement photos!! Thank you Julie!

I am so happy to cross something else off of my long list of wedding to-do's!

Well, as I said, busy weekend but wonderful! It was literally a weekend packed full but the best part is that most of the time I was doing stuff with family or friends! In my mind, it's a perfect way to pass a weekend!

How was your weekend?

xo

It's A Boy!!

WARNING

ADORABLE BABY PICTURES AHEAD!!!!

I am over to moon to announce that there is a new baby in this small town and a new nephew for Ryan and I!

Clark William Alexander Hamilton

Born March 23 2011 (also my brother's birthday!)

Weighting in at 8 lbs and 15 oz, 21.5 inches long!

Completely adorable!!

I have to say little man gave his Ti-ti (me!) a little shock! My brother and SIL (sister in law) didn't find out the sex of the baby. Early on I had a dream that they were going to be having a baby girl! When we got the call from the hospital this morning I think my chin hit the floor when I heard it was a boy!

I could hardly wait till after lunch to go and see my new nephew! Neither did both sets of grandparents! The parents announced his name with a big champagne cheers.

Big sister Faith was also excited to see her new baby brother Clark and was a total wiggly worm the whole visit!

When it was my turn to hold the little man his eyes opened! When he looked at me I'm sure I was just a blur. However, when his eyes met mine my heart stopped beating and I felt myself choking up thinking how much I love this little guy who less then 12 hours old.

When we got home from the hospital it was time to make and put up the gender sign at our road, it's a tradition in the family!

Clark,

We are all so happy to finally meet you! We look forward to watching to grow! You bring so much happiness and love and we hope to give that back to you!

Lots of love

Uncle Ryan and Ti-Ti!

xo

What A Crazy Week!

Today marks a week since Ryan popped the question! Crazy! I feel like I haven't been home since that day last week either. My house shows it too. We've been so busy doing things and visiting with family and friends. Now, it is starting to feel like things are going back to normal.

I just wanted to say thank you for everyone's sweet comments! It was been such a fun, exciting and blessed week!

Let's rewind shall we, to the big night.

That evening was the celebration of Jared and Ryan's birthday's which meant that I was giving Ryan his birthday present. I have been dying to give this to him for 2 months since I bought the plane tickets.

We are going to New York! In 2 weeks we leave for the big apple to enjoy the statue of liberty, a Broadway show and a little baseball of course!! So excited!! It was kind of put under the radar when the engagement happened but now that it's quieter we are so excited to leave for our mini vacation!

Over the weekend, the young ladies of the church (including me) put on an Irish Tea!

It was great success and I had a wonderful surprise! My grandma, who lives an hour away, showed up for the tea!! It was fun chatting with her and she loved hearing all the details of the engagement and upcoming wedding!!

On Sunday, my dad had the idea to go out for supper with Ryan's parents to celebrate the engagement. Mine and Ryan's parent's have met before but haven't talked for an extended period of time. This turned out to be a great meal, wonderful company and fun way to celebrate!!

Finally, this are moving quickly on the wedding planning front! There are only so many places in this small down that you can have a wedding and in my church where I got baptized is in the lead!

Ryan and I have also picked a tentative date.....

May 12, 2012!

Hope you all are having a wonderful week!!

xo

Happy St.Patty's Day!

Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you,

May the wind be always at your back,

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

The rains fall soft upon your fields and,

Until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Happy Birthday to you Ryan, love you lots!

xo

BIG NEWS!!!!!

Something happened last night...something wonderful, something that made me cry and smile......

Ryan asked me to marry him!!

That's right, you read that right, I'm engaged!

Let's rewind to the beginning......

Ryan and I have been dating for over 3 years (it was 3 years on January 1st) and have openly talked about our future together. It was pretty early on that there was not a doubt that we would be spending the rest of our lives together.

A couple of years ago Ryan was working in the city and I was there with him. After work, we headed to a mall to get some new hockey skates for him. On our way to the hockey store, Ryan pulled me into a jewelry store and we started looking at rings.

Looking back now I had fears about this. I thought, "well that's not very romantic picking out my own ring." There wasn't a big selection at the store. They had all of their rings out to a local wedding show. This kind of disappointed me but the jewelry guy asked Ryan if he would ever consider making a special ring, designed just for me.

Well, my eyes lit up pretty quickly! What a dream. We sat down, I told the jeweler what I liked and didn't like, and he made me a sketch to see. That's where it ended! I never saw anything else.

Ryan went back to look at a molding, pick out a diamond and etc. The ring was completed (apparently) in October 2009 and Ryan has had it ever since.

I knew back then that it would still be a while before any engagement. Did I ever think that I wouldn't see that ring for over another 2 years? No way!

Needless to say, I was very patient......HA NOT! When 2011 rang in this year I kind of knew it was going to be my year. I just didn't know when and that was killing me.

I like to plan, everything! I organize things to the last ounce and not having control was driving me nuts. I don't think I was the only one. After special events (Christmas, New Years, and etc) I would see people eyeing up my ring finger.

I kind of pride myself in being pretty perceptive. There were moments where I would think, "this is it" only to be completely wrong. Over time I thought that I would just know when it was going to happen, that it wouldn't be a surprise at all, I was wrong!

My brother's birthday and Ryan's are very close together. For the last 3 years we have gotten together for an Irish supper to celebrate both birthdays. This year was no different.

Last night, I had the whole family over for supper. On my Monday off I cleaned the house, pre-made some food and got the decorations up.

Pre-engagement photo before the family arrived

Tuesday afternoon I went home early to make the rest of the food before everyone arrived. It was all a hit. We ate a yummy feast made by me, opened some gifts for the birthday boys and then settled in at the table before cake.

I had been spending most of my time being the good hostess. Cleaning up plates, putting food away, and other. Little did I know, someone eagerly wanted me to sit down.

Just as I had cleared supper I was standing chatting at the table when I felt Ryan pull me down into my seat. I was honestly paying more attention to my sister in law bouncing my niece and singing then to what was going on. I looked over at him and he started saying the sweetest things. My first thought was, "aw, how sweet" but at this point I still hadn't clued in to what was going in.

The next thing I knew, he was getting down on his knee and that is when I clued in!! I couldn't believe it and of remember saying, "Are you serious?"

Through tears and nervous laughter I managed to say "yes, of course".

He slipped on the ring that I have been dying to see for the last two years.

Ya, not a nice picture but I had been doing the "ugly" cry!

It was special moment that I will never forget. I was so shocked, surprised and last night now seems like a wonderful dream. It was so nice to share that moment with my family and later his too as we drove out to tell them the good news. It was a birthday supper that I will never forget!

Love you, Ry.

xo

A weekend Recap

Hi Tuesday morning! Normally, we're cool today however, I'm tired and sluggish. I blame it on the Bachelor but it was so worth staying up to watch the proposal to Emily!

Well, I don't know about you, but my weekend FLEW by! I guess that's what happens when you are having fun!!

Friday evening Ryan and I cuddled in to start Season 4 of One Tree Hill. We are kind of a little obsessed now. Every chance we get we are watching those DVD's that one of my bestie's left me, thanks Amanda, miss you!

Saturday morning we walked across the road to my brother's to celebrate my niece, Faith's, second birthday!!

Her birthday outfit was made by me, more on that later gator!

We had fun watching Faith open her presents. After each one she would look at her Mommy and say, "Help".

She wanted to get into every present ASAP!

We then had a delicious homemade spaghetti lunch and cake made by my 40 week pregnant sister in law!

It was such a fun morning/afternoon celebrating and visiting!

Sunday morning I forced myself to sleep in!! I knew I would be having a long afternoon and needed all the sleep I could get.

Around lunch time I got decked out in green, chugged an energy drink and headed to Gavan's to work my last official shift as a bartender there!

St.Patty's day celebration is such a big deal in my small town! Working the bar is crazy but fun! It was fun dancing to the music, chatting with neighbours and making some money!

At 6 pm it was over. My day's of being a bartender are through. I have to say I am going to miss it. I'm going to miss seeing the people, working with some of the best ladies imaginable and making extra money! I work so much (especially in the summer) that it will be nice to have my weekends free now!

This is my when I got home from Gavan's. I'm not going to lie. Right after this picture I cried. Working at Gavan's has been a part of my identity for almost 3 years now.

How was your weekend? Have you celebrated St.Patty's Day yet?

xo

Happy 2nd Birthday Faith!

Dear Faith,

Today your 2! WOW! Ryan and I were getting supper ready last night and talking about how we remember that you were induced last night and born today!

You will never know the joy that you bring to our lives. After the worse of day's you come waddling into the office and everything seems to calm down.

You have really changed! Your hair is finally long enough to wear a really good ponytail! This makes me happy because I love making you special hair bows!

You can say so many things now. The one I love to hear the most is "Ti-Ti". When you first starting talking you couldn't say Auntie, only Ti-ti, now it is all you call me. You love to sing, dance, draw and play pretend right now! Your Uncle Ryan especially loves to play superman with you!

You have the funniest little smile when a camera comes out! You really Ham it up for the camera's!

You are about to become a big sister very shortly and you don't know it yet but I think you are going to be the best big sister. You will be very protective because that is part of your personality.

Faith, I hope you have an amazing birthday and great year as a 2 year old. You light up my life and I thank god every day for such a wonderful niece!

Love you lots,

Ti-ti

xo

Dear.....

Dear Mother Nature,

I thought I had it bad. I was so ready to curse you this morning about how awful our weather was. However, please dump our little area with snow and rain all you want, just please stop all the crazy shenanigans that is happening over near Japan!

Love,

Praying

Dear Spring,

I am so ready for you. As you can read above, I told Mother Nature to continue with snow. In reality, I just wanted to distract her from everything in Japan. Really, I WANT YOU BAD SPRING!

I want to rock in the evenings on these with a cup of tea........

Plant my flowers and look after the gardens.......

Just see green again.......

I would not be insulted if you kicked Mother Nature's butt. Infact, I encourage it. I wouldn't tell! :-)

Love,

Spring ahead!

Dear Basement,

Please, please, OH PLEASE, don't flood this spring. I have really been enjoying your company over these winter months. I think I would get separation anxiety if we ever were to part!

Love,

Couch Potato!

Dear Weekend,

Thank for you being here. Every week I look forward to seeing you. I get as giddy as a school girl thinking about all the activities and relaxing I will do. Please let my readers have a great weekend!

Love,

ME!

xo

Spinach Dip

I have a group of the best ladies a small town girl could ask for! (Hi Girls!) We get together very regularly whether it be for crafting, book club, birthdays or just a yummy pot luck! There is one common trait to every event, yummy food!!

The food at these events are my Canadian version of the "southern comfort food". Just thinking about all those yummy dishes makes me hungry and smile!

When we all get together we always try to coordinate who is bringing what. However, after years of practise we kind of all can guess who is going to bring what. I think if you asked any of these ladies the one thing they would say I ALWAYS bring is....SPINACH DIP!

I was telling Stacy and Jill over the weekend that I was thinking of writing a spinach dip post. They laughed at me and thought it was silly to post a recipe that "woman have been making for like 80 years." Thanks guys! ha ha!

But I'm writing it anyways, because in my opinion I am kind of a spinach dip expert. You never know who may need a good appetizer recipe! There are certain things that I do to make the dip just right. I am proud to say that I can make a mean spinach dip. As in yummy, not actually angry....

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

- 1 package of frozen chopped spinach- thawed and re-chopped (the less "stringy" the better!)

- 1 cup of sour cream

- 1 cup of Miracle whip

- 1 package of Knorr Vegetable soup mix

- Bread, crackers of veggies for dipping

1. Take thawed, chopped spinach and place in colander. Using a fork press as much of the water out as you can.

2. Once you get most of the water out re-chop your spinach. The less "stingy" the spinach is, the better it is for dipping!

3. Place in a bowl and add your sour cream and Miracle Whip.

4. Cover and place somewhere refrigerated until you are ready to serve.

5. Meanwhile, chop any veggies or bread. My personal favorite is pumpernickel or sour dough bread.

5. Right before you are ready to serve mix in your soup mix.

** This step is crucial, if you add the soup mix too early before serving the dip gets too thick!

6. Serve and enjoy!

So, there is the recipe that many have heard of and steps on how I prepare mine. Nothing fancy but always a crowd pleaser!

Happy Wednesday!

xo