A Small Town Kind of Life

Wedding Wednesday – Random

2012-02-15T02:47:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! I checked my Duration Calculator yesterday. It is an application that I used quite often to see the wedding days go from months to weeks and do you know what it said yesterday?

12 weeks!

Is it just me or does that REALLY not seem like a lot of time?

These days I am giving my poor mother stress. You see, I have all of these DIY projects marked and ready to start when it get closer to the wedding. There was a lot of things I wanted to do myself, put my craftiness to work.

Well, in order to do these things they require supplies. This supplies I have been slowing accumulating over the last month and there it was been sitting.

For example, that program paper. I have all intent on getting these programs made but I can’t yet. I have to wait until the order of service is done for the actual ceremony. I keep telling Mom to chill out because I am sure it ALL will get done but her lack of confidence is making me wonder…Will I really get it all done in time?

My wedding central room, formally known as the sunroom threw up and spewed wedding stuff ALL over my house! Particularly, my basement is seeing these effects. The handy-dandy little island area as become my ideal working location while watching sappy t.v shows!

Working on wedding stuff while watching chick flicks…perfect!

In this little basement I was able to complete one very important project! One item that I knew I could get done ahead of time. While meeting with the florist I had discussed with him using mason jars instead of vases. I saw this picture

and this one too

I loved the combination of raffia ribbon and the mason jar.

I got to work and ordered A WHOLE whack of raffia and began tying all the jars with pretty little bows. After much trial and error I decided the jars needed 6 individual pieces of raffia to make one bow. It was a task but it feels nice to cross this item off of our list!

In our local paper, The Equity, they send out an annual Bridal Supplement within the regular scheduled paper. As a girl, I love getting this and looking through all the weddings from the past year and ones to come.

As I’ve gotten older the faces and names have become more and more familiar. They are people that are around my age, even ones I went to school with which was always very surreal.

This year, Ryan and I had an engagement announcement in this years addition.

It was pretty special seeing our picture and details right there along the other “engagee’s”. I kind of got flutters thinking about all the people looking and reading about us getting married. The official paper announcement made it seem really real!

There’s lots more going on in the wedding front so stay tuned! Hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday!

Amanda & Lukes Wedding

2012-02-13T04:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! The end of a very, fun and busy weekend! One filled with friends celebrating the marriage of Luke and Amanda.

On Saturday, it was a beautiful sunny day for a wedding. In these parts, a winter wedding isn’t all that common because of the fear of having a blizzard on the day of your wedding. This past Saturday was the absolute PERFECT day to have a wedding.

Friday evening a dusting of show fell and on Saturday the bright sky and relatively warm temperature made for a wonderful wedding day.

The commute to the church was simple, just down the road at Wesley United. Dad was asked to play the piano for the wedding and I was asked to sing and so we both got AMAZING seats at the front of the church to watch the beautiful ceremony.

It was a great ceremony. Ryan and I met up with Mom and Dad for a before dinner cocktail and then headed to the reception hall.

I don’t mean to brag but I do think Ryan and I were seated at the BEST table! We all laughed and laughed throughout supper. Not to mention I think if there was an award for “best song with Love in the lyrics” our table would have totally taken it!

One of the highlights of my night was when Gary got everyone up singing The Coconut Song, a Young/MacKechnie Christmas eve tradition.

After supper and really funny, heart felt speeches the bride and groom danced to their first song as husband and wife.

Then Amanda joined her Dad for their dance.

And Luke with his Mom, Elizabeth for their dance.

The party REALLY got started then! The D.J was awesome and between dancing and visiting the night went by in a flash!

It really was a wonderful day and a great wedding. We (Ryan and I) are so happy for Luke and Amanda. Thank you for having us there to help you celebrate your marriage!

How was your weekend?

I’m A Trader

2012-02-10T05:36:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! It is very believable, again, that Friday is here. It’s been a touch week inside and outside of the office but I am looking forward to a beautiful wedding this Saturday.

Speaking of work, a big change happened here. For YEARS our crew of about 40 always had Mike phones as a means of communication. They have been a great tool for us. To be able to communicate like walkie-talkies with just a click of a button!

In fact, I had a Mike phone for years and then in the last year and a half upgraded to a Blackberry with a Mike.

It was the best phone! I loved it! I loved the BBM feature, checking my e-mail, the whole board used for texting, it was my little sidekick!

I was a little distraught when they told me that I had to trade in my wonderful phone and get something new.

You see, the whole Mike system is becoming obsolete in the next year or so. There will be no Mike phones this time in a couple of years. The towers aren’t getting repaired so the reception has been increasingly getting worse and worse. We all made the decisions that now was the best time to switch everyone's Mike phone to standard phones. Get everyone use to them before the busy summer season.

That included me.

At first, of course, I was going to get a blackberry, my other one had been so great to me. Then, the sales people gave me another phone to try for a week. An iphone 4S.

After that week of trying out that phone I was hooked and knew as great a blackberry was the iphone was now the phone for me.

This is my ~~baby~~ phone!

I’ve only had this phone for 3 days and already it has been so helpful! I am LOVING the apps! They FAR exceed those of the blackberry.

I’m still learning my way around this new phone and new technology but so far it has been great. Any tips or Apps you would recommend?

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday -Reception Hall

2012-02-08T05:56:00.001-08:00

One of the things that I’ve never talked about on here was where our reception was going to be taking place. I’m not really sure as to why I wanted to skip over this little detail. It’s an important one. I mean, it’s where we are going to go to eat and celebrate the fact that we are married. Maybe it’s because even though I am SO thankful to be able to have a nice big space, I am still a little sad about the fact that it is not in my own hometown.

In our little hometown we have a lot of events! A lot of REALLY fun events where pretty much the whole community shows up to support various people and charities. Where are these events held? In our beloved “Beachbarn” or “Lion’s Hall”, the place goes by both names.

This poor little building originated from army base where it was purchased and place in this place to be used for storage. Over the years, the need for a hall became great and they turned this bunker into a hall adding a floor, lights and bathrooms. It’s held up so well and if the walls could talk I am sure it would have many a story to tell!

Unfortunately, our little hall has seen better days. It’s is well past it’s expiration date and a new one is needed, badly! The ceiling leaks when it rains, the septic system is on it’s last leg and the lack of windows can make for a VERY warm event.

That’s why, this small town girl, had to move her reception to another town.

Luckily, in Shawville, on the same grounds where the beloved Shawville Fair is held is a beautiful and spacious building! There is the Shawville Agricultual Hall and Arena. Yup, this building is attached to the same arena where we took Ryan’s niece and nephew skating!

It’s a great space and we are SO fortunate to have the ability to have our wedding reception there! But, of course I had a sense of guilt for not doing it in my own town so I came up with a win/win solution.

A couple of years ago a committee formed called The Quyon Waterfront Committee. It’s a group of very dedicated members of our community who have been working diligently on raising enough funds to build us a new hall. They have done such an amazing job and the thought of a new building is no longer just a dream, it’s around the corner, they’re almost there!

My dad is a member on this committee and Ryan and I approached him. You see, at our reception venue, you have to provide your own bar. It would be a big job for Ryan and I, license, enough booze and getting people to work it.

Instead, we thought we would ask the Waterfront Committee to organize and run the bar at our wedding and any profit made goes back to our own community, into the future hall.

It was very sad for me not to hold my wedding reception in my own small town at The Beachbarn. Luckily, we have another great alternative that helps everybody. We have a wonderful venue to hold our reception and still found a way to give back to our future town hall, where hopefully we will be enjoying many events soon!

Happy Wednesday!

Hockey Game + Birthday Party = Perfect Weekend

2012-02-06T06:48:00.001-08:00

Seriously? The weekend is over? It feels like it passed by in a blink!

I can’t complain at all though! I am off of work today and I had Friday off for our annual Mountainview snowmobile trip! Which Ryan and I both got to go on for the first time this year!! It was a blast!

I’ve talked a few times on here about the renovation project that I am currently working on…The Study. Last week, I finally got the new desk and shelves installed. It looks kind of bare so while getting groceries early Saturday A.M I found some baskets that were over 50% off!! I picked up 8 of them and because they were so cheap I didn’t have to break the bank to buy them! Of course I had to browse through the Joe Fresh clothes too and got two sweaters for $4.94 (each) and both were regularly $24! Oh, and I got groceries too, ha ha!

Saturday afternoon Dad and I headed to the city to meet Bekk and Josh for supper. A while back Bekk (who is a Sens fan) and I (the leaf fan) talked about going to a game together! We decided to get tickets for the February 4th game!

It was a great supper and visit! It turned out that it was D.I.F,D night and money raised that evening would go to youth mental health awareness.

It was a GREAT game to be at if you were a Leafs fan. The Leafs took it 5-0!!!! It was a great game and Dad and I left the arena happy little fans!! Bekk and Josh….not so happy! :-)

Sunday morning I headed to Mom and Dad’s for breakfast and then Ryan and I went to church. After church we took a LOVELY afternoon nap!

We had to be rested because Ryan had a curling game that afternoon and I had a special 5th birthday party to attend!

I was so excited to see little Landyn who was attending his very first party!

Maddy opened all her gifts and then blew out the birthday candles! Her Princess cake was adorable and tasted so good! Her almost 9 month pregnant Mom, Stacy, hosted a great Princes party for her!

It was busy but great weekend where I got to spend ALOT of time with family and friends!

How was your weekend?

Snowmobile Trip 2012!

2012-02-03T15:39:00.001-08:00

Being from a VERY small town, with not a whole lot to do, one has to make their own fun. The good thing about living in a small town, especially a farming community, is there is a vast amount of space to run around and have fun!

I remember being a kid, walking the fields around the farm. Through the bush and down by the pond. I really knew how to use my imagination. As I got older Jared and I would take Dad’s old 71’ snowmobile out for a rip around the fields. One person driving and the other on a G.T being whipped behind the sled.

It was loads of fun! But, then you grow up and you begin “real life”. Luckily, for Jared and I this means working on our family farm. In our business we have a lot of clients from around the Ottawa area. Some of these clients have become are very good friends. They are mostly golf course superintendents and city park’s managers.

One Friday out of the whole winter, when things in the green industry are a bit quieter, we like to invite them up to our next of the woods for a little small town fun!

All of the boys get on either their own or rented snowmobiles and for a day they take in the scenes of our little Pontiac, Quebec region.

Today is that day yet again. So, Mom and I have set out a yummy breakfast for the men before the depart and now they are off!

We’ll meet up with them again at our local watering hole, Gavan’s, to end the day and thank them all for coming!

It’s the perfect way to start a weekend. Out having fun in the snow. It’s an event that many of the guys look forward to all year around and it’s an honor for us to be able to show them a little piece of what this small town is about!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Man Bling and My Bling Too

2012-02-01T05:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! And, Happy 1st day of February! Wow! I remember around the time of my birthday thinking, “Well, when February get’s here, it will really feel like the wedding is just around the corner!”

Now, that we are actually here, it really does feel like in just a few short weeks the wedding will be here!

When Ryan surprised me with my engagement and put that beautiful ring on my finger I also got another little surprise…a matching wedding band.

I love my engagement ring. Three stones with two baguette diamonds on the sides. Being that I hardly EVER wear any jewelry it was a weird feeling having an engagement ring on my finger all the time. I have grown use to it of course and now feel naked without it.

Being that my engagement ring was custom made it would have been virtually impossible to find a wedding band that would match. So, Ryan had the jeweler design a matching wedding band at the same time.

It has multiple smaller stones and two more diamond baguettes to match the engagement ring. I love both of my rings, I love what they symbolize and I can’t wait to wear them both for the rest of my life.

Ryan was a WHOLE lot picker. Yup, Mr. Manly-Man had LOTS of opinions when it came to his ring. In fact, we looked online and in stores (off and on) for almost 3 months.

Finally, when I went to the wedding show in Ottawa there was a vendor there from Kanata who had over 5000 different styles of MENS wedding bands!

Ryan and I went to their store and it was impossible for him not to find something, there were so many choices.

Ryan didn’t want his ring to be gold and no gems. He wanted it to be plain but with a little bit of detail. He wanted it to have a wide band but not too thick. He wanted it to be quite flat against his skin so that it would be harder to get caught on things….Told you, picky! :-)

Finally, he spotted this ring…

We both agreed that this was his ring. He kept saying how much he loved it and how it looks like a car’s air filter? Whatever that is….? ha ha!

I am glad that Ryan put so much effort into picking out his own ring. It is something that he plans on wearing every day and I am glad he has something he (and me too!) loves!

Can’t wait to put that ring on your finger Ry!

Happy Wednesday!

It Feels Like I Spent My Weekend In My Car

2012-01-31T05:01:00.001-08:00

As I think I’ve mentioned before, during the winter months it is a lot quieter here on the farm. Even though there is still a lot of work to do, the phones are quieter. Because of this my brother takes Fridays off and I take Mondays. So far, it has been heavenly being able to sleep in on Monday and then I have designated doing something wedding related while I am off as well.

Yesterday was no different. Luckily, yesterday morning my day started out with a hair cut (trim) at my hairdresser and friend, Lisa’s. The appointment after me was Jilly, who is also off on Mondays. It was great spending the morning with the ladies catching about the weekend.

I had great intentions on writing my weekend recap yesterday but girl gab took over that but I still wanted to do one this morning.

I like to pretend Friday didn’t happen. It was one of those days where it seems everything goes wrong and some things did go REALLY wrong.

Saturday morning I visited with Dad who was over to work on my new office and then headed to a shower for Amanda, the soon to be bride!

It was fun watching Amanda open her presents and the food…omg, the food! What a spread there was! The ladies did a great job hosting such a wonderful shower!

It started to snow like crazy and I headed home instead of heading to Ladysmith to visit Bekk because the roads were too snow covered.

Sunday morning, Ryan and I were up BEFORE the birds and on the road at 3 AM! I mentioned before, here, that we had this awesome gift for the groomsmen but that they didn’t allow international shipping. The closest location was 6 hours away in New York state. So, Ryan and I took a road trip.

It was my first time crossing the border near Ottawa and I never realized how close it was! Such an easy drive! Unfortunately, the simple 6 hour drive there took 8 because of snow and traffic. A stop at the Olive Garden (Canada totally needs one!) for supper and another 7 hours to drive home our mission was complete and the groomsmen gifts are now done!

I can’t wait to show you all what it is someday soon and I hope the guys all like it too!

How was your weekend?

Reason #3 Why I Love My Small Town

2012-01-27T04:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! It has been one heck of a busy week that I am kind of glad see come to an end! I hate to wish the weeks away right now but this was one that I just wanted to get under wraps!

It’s suppose to be a fun filled weekend and I can’t wait for it to get under way!

Reason # 3 Why I love My Small Town

It might not seem like a reason but you really have no idea how grateful I am for this particular item. It also may sound a little selfish but still so true.

I love the fact that my parents and Ryan’s parent’s live so close to us!

Silly reason? Maybe. But it is still one of the highest things on my list!

Ryan and I both know that both sets of parents are just a phone call away if we ever need anything! My parents live pretty much 30 seconds away and Ryan’s 10-15 minutes down the highway.

I am kind of a chicken! Especially, since I live by myself. I’ve been known to pack up Tucker and drive down to Mom and Dad’s during a bad thunderstorm! For some strange reason I feel safer there then in my own house.

There’s a comfort knowing that now and in the future that we have the support of our parents who love us and would be there on our door steps in an instant if we ever needed them.

I LOVE that about my small town!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Saying “Yes” To Another Dress

2012-01-25T05:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It is VERY believable that the week is almost over. It’s been a very busy week already so far and I imagine it will continue to be until the weekend! It’s tradeshow season in our industry so I am on the roads lots now!

I am slowly but surely crossing off items on the wedding to-do list. Although, still alot of items to take care of but I feel in control again. This month has been CRAZY for getting things done! It’s been item after item that had to be taken care of immediately.

As I mentioned last week one tradition that Ryan and I will be doing is the “Last Dance”. The Last Dance will happen towards the end of the reception, after the midnight lunch, at probably 1 – 2 AM. Ryan and I want to depart for our honeymoon when we still have guests there but not leave too early as to miss the party!

In the final moments before we leave to start our honeymoon we will say good bye and thank you to all of our friends and family. We will then share one final dance at our wedding and leave together to start our new lives together.

A little corny, yes. But I really want to soak in those last few moments of our wedding!

The last dance isn’t a tradition that is very common now a days. Being that Ryan and I decided to leave on our honeymoon immediately this posed a problem with my wedding dress.

I didn’t want to have to wear my beautiful wedding dress to the hotel and then on the plane. What would I do with that dress all week?

That’s when my Mom suggested that I do what she did when she got married and change into a “going away outfit”. I thought that was a great idea. I would change into my going away dress before Ryan and I have our last dance. Then, my wedding dress would be left with Mom and would be safe and sound!

Once that detail was decided it was time to find another dress.

I didn’t want to get another white wedding dress. I wanted to get a dress that was classic and that I would wear again.

I had lots of intrigue during the time of the Royal Wedding. I love everything about Kate and her style.

When Will and Kate visited my own neighborhood of Canada, she wore this beautiful navy lace dress by Erdem. It was a classically beautiful dress. It looked vintage inspired yet still very “now”. When researching for a going away dress I thought this would be perfect!

Of course, the original is both unavailable and way too expensive but now that the dress is famous there are a couple of knock off’s. One being at Macy’s. Luckily for me, Macy’s now delivers to Canada!

I ordered the dress in my size and in less then a week it was on my door step, woo hoo!

Yesterday was the first time I tried on the dress even though I’ve had it for a week (yes, it’s VERY busy) and I am so happy to report that it fits like a glove! The navy lace is soft, delicate, and goes perfectly will my wedding shoes!

It’s a very special dress that I believe I will get alot of wear out of. It will always have special meaning between being a replica dress that Kate Middleton wore in Canada as well as the dress I will wear as I leave for my honeymoon!

Being An Apostle

2012-01-23T04:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday morning all and welcome to the last full week of January. The winter is passing by way too quickly!

Friday night Jilly and I headed to the city for supper! I had been craving Montana’s hard core and with Ryan gone to a “boys camp night” Jilly agreed to come to supper. We laughed so hard, had a couple pickled Caesars and ate WAY too much food. It was nice chatting and visiting!

At this household we are currently working on House Renovation Project Number 204…Well no, that’s an exaggeration but this is actually the LAST room of the house to be renovated so the end is near! 3 years later and the process of making my parents old house my own is almost over. And just in time for a wedding and a husband to move in! :-)

Saturday Dad and I worked all day at painting the new room and removing the old floorS it was a long process but the room is small and a little progress makes a big difference.

We parted ways but later I saw my Dad again at Gavan’s where we (and most of the town) gathered to celebrate with the soon to be husband and wife, Luke and Amanda!

I had fun chatting with the girls at the stag and was SO surprised when Ryan showed up! I wasn’t expecting him home till the next night!

Sunday morning I headed to church with Mom. Nancy, who I wrote about here, is our student minister. Nancy is also a blog reader and you can see some of her comments on alot of my blog posts! Nancy had me reflecting yesterday about being a follower of Jesus. I have mentioned on here before that I am a Christian.

Nancy spoke yesterday about being a follower of Jesus. She mentioned myself, Jill’s and Stacy’s blogs and how us talking openly about about faith on blogs makes us apostles.

What is an apostle? Well, a Christian Apostle is someone who convey’s the “message”. Thus, a messenger in common translation. A messenger who who is “sent away” to tell about the good news of Jesus Christ.

At first I was taken aback. I know some people (AKA my parents) think blogging is silly. So, for Nancy to stand up in front of the whole congregation and mention how proud she was of us girls for openly praying and telling of our faith on our blogs was amazing.

I shook my head when she asked me if I knew I was an apostle. Of course, I never considered the words that I write on my blog about my faith to make me an apostle but I quickly learned otherwise.

I am a Christian, I am a follower of Jesus and now I have another title, I am an apostle too! Thank you Nancy for a wonderful sermon, it has really made me reflect.

After church, Mom and I joined the boys for breakfast and then after a long relaxing morning the renovations continued on for the remainder of the afternoon!

How was your weekend?

A Very Random Friday!

2012-01-20T05:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Are you as excited as me to see the weekend finally arrive?

I feel like I’ve been kind of scatter brained lately. It’s like I have a hard time focusing on one thing right now! Different thoughts keeps twirling and whirling around my wee brain! I thought I’d give you an inside look.

- I thought January was suppose to be the month where you get back on track and get more fit/organized/financially smart? Nope not me! My theme this month is the more scatter brained the better, apparently. Between wedding to do’s, stupid year end work, new fitness from hell video, and other random requests, I literally feel dizzy some days!

- I know I've said it before and I’ll say it again…I HATE SNOW!

I know this isn’t new news to you all but I’ve discovered a new reason why I hate snow/winter...

It makes me lazy!! There’s nothing more that I want do on a cold, snowy, winter day then curl up on the couch (with blanket, of course), eating chips and watching mindless T.V. I look out the snowy window and laughed to myself thinking I fooled winter from making me cold! Ha!

- Speaking of mindless T.V…I watch ALOT of it. Here’s the short list:

Say Yes To The Dress, Four Weddings, Toddlers In Tiaras, Duggers, American Idol, Biggest Loser, Teen Mom 2, Jersey Shore, True Life, Rich Bride Poor Bride, Cake Boss, X-Weighted, Bulging Brides, Moving Up, Bachelor, House Hunters, Property Brothers, Property Virgins, Sarah’s House, The Challenge, Survivor and Hoarders.

Like I said, that’s the short list! :-)

- Yesterday, I got my wedding shoes in the mail! All of my mail comes pretty much right to where I work, in the office. So, when my shoes arrived yesterday I just HAD to try them on! But, it didn’t stop there, I then had to prance around the office to test out how comfy they are!

They fit like a glove and are surprisingly very comfortable! Bad news; they seriously clash with my work uniform!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Traditions We Will Be Keeping And Ones We Won’t

2012-01-18T06:17:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Another week flying right by us!

I’m a pretty traditional girl. I think most of you know or could have guessed that! I like things how people did them in the past. I don’t like to sway to much to “trends”. I like traditions. Scratch that. I LOVE traditions. I can actually get quite anxious at the thought of something being out of the ordinary for me.

So, no doubt, when we began this wedding planning process I wanted to keep a lot of things traditional, but not everything.

Traditions We’re Keeping:

Asking Father’s Permission:

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? Before this whole process began my future husband and I had talked about getting married before. During that conversation I had mentioned it was important for Ryan to ask Dad for his permission to marry me.

It may have been very old school but I’m a Daddy’s girl and it was important to me. Luckily, my fiancé obliged and Dad said “yes”.

Wearing White:

As daunting as the wedding dress shopping was at first, I was able to cross that very important item off my list and say “yes” to my white wedding dress! I couldn’t (personally) imagine getting married in any other color.

Tossing Of The Bouquet and Garter:

I will definitely be carrying a bridal bouquet and wearing a garter.

That’s my new garter that I got at this AWESOME etsy shop called the GarterBoutique.

I loved that it was very affordable and in my wedding colors! There’s 2 pieces to it, a keep and a toss garter.

So, at the end of the night Ryan and I will be continuing the tradition of tossing the bouquet and garter.

Last Dance/ Leaving For Honeymoon:

One tradition that was important to me but that I had noticed wasn’t common anymore is the last dance and sending off.

My mother still has her “going away” outfit that she wore back in 1978.

Back when my parents got married my Mom changed out of her wedding dress and then into a going away outfit. Then, Mom and Dad shared a last dance before leaving to go on their honeymoon!

Being that Ryan and I plan on leaving right away on our honeymoon we thought it would be nice to be able to share one last dance together. We will then say farewell to our guests and leave, symbolizing starting out lives together as husband and wife.

Wait till you see my “going away” dress. (Next week)

Traditions we won’t be keeping:

The Trousseau Tea:

I was so confused when my mom told me about the Trousseau Tea. I even gave her the “what the heck are you talking about” look!

Apparently, this is a party that is hosted by the bride’s mother; with neighbors and acquaintances who are not on the wedding guest list. The mother of the bride would lay out the brides trousseau (bridal shower and wedding gifts) for the attendees to admire. It would be set up for about a month after the wedding so that people can stop in at anytime to have tea and admire all of the gifts and give their blessings to the bride and groom.

Mom stated that this is what happened to her. In fact, my grandma opened all of Mom and Dad’s wedding gifts while they were on their honeymoon so she could set them out to begin the trousseau tea while they were away.

Although the thought is nice it’s just not common anymore and a tradition we won’t be participating in.

Wedding Matches and Fruit Cake:

Although I did cave to the whole napkin with your names on it thing. When I was told you were also suppose to give away matches and fruit cake at your wedding, I said no.

For one thing, I don’t know that many people who still use matches.

Also, I hate fruit cake. It’s a taste I never became accustomed to and will not be serving.

Now that the wedding get’s closer and closer the small details are needing to be taken care of. It’s the things that you never thought of and last minute details that have to be looked after. As daunting as the tasks can be it is so important to stay organized, use your gut instinct to make your decisions and always consider what is best for you!

Happy Wednesday!

Food On Friday

2012-01-13T05:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! I don’t know if it’s because it’s the New Year and I am feeling really ambitious but lately I have been trying new foods and crafts!

As some of you might remember from this post, Ryan and I LOVE pizza. Especially homemade pizza. It’s our Friday night tradition. Every Friday I go home and make homemade pizza for supper.

I developed the homemade dough recipe when Ryan and I were really counting our pennies and buying a pizza from the local pizzeria for $20 (or more) dollars. Spending that much money on one meal was just not affordable for us at the time. So, I merged a few dough recipes together and we had a new favorite meal and tradition.

We love our pizza but sometimes it’s nice to have a little change but still keeping in the Pizza Friday tradition. So, one evening I made….

Pizza Bits

Here’s what you need:

- 2 cans of Pillsbury flaky biscuits

- 1 can of pizza sauce

- Pepperoni

- Butter

- Parmesan Cheese

- Parsley Flakes

- Oregano

- Garlic Powder

Instructions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a small bowl. In another small bowl mix together 1 tbsp of Garlic, Parsley Flakes and Oregano.

3. Grease your Bundt pan. Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese at the bottom of your Bundt pan.

4. Open your can of biscuits and cut each biscuit in half.

5. Flatten out that piece of dough into a small circle. Place a piece of pepperoni in the centre and then fold over the dough and shape into a small ball.

6. Dip your ball in the butter and then in your bowl of spices.

7. Continue until you have used all of the biscuits and they are all evening distributed in your Bundt pan.

8. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and let it rest for an addition 5 minutes. Place a plate upside down over your Bundt pan and carefully turn your plate right side up again, turning your Bundt can upside down.

9. Place a small bowl of of pizza sauce to the side of right in the middle!

10. Tear apart piece by piece and ENJOY!

This recipe was SO yummy and so easy to make ahead and then put in the oven before supper! Not to mention it isn’t to expensive either. It was a nice change from our regular Friday night pizza and most importantly, it was Ryan approved!

I hope you all pass a wonderful weekend!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – It’s All About The Shoes

2012-01-11T04:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! The weeks are literally FLYING by. I calculated how many weeks till the wedding the other day and was in complete shock when it said 17 weeks.

17 weeks

That doesn’t seem like that far away, does it? Things are being added to the “to-do” list as fast as they’re being checked off!

Every bride knows when it comes to a wedding, it’s all about the dress. And, it is. Once you find the dress the rest just falls into place. The rest of the decisions seem minor in comparison.

Then, the day comes when you have to decide on accessories and you realize that that can be a super fun.

When I first tried on my dress WAY back in the summer I wore beautiful 4 inch heels. Do I normally wear high heels? No! However, I did like the effect they had on me. I felt I was standing straighter, felt skinnier and overall more elegant. I knew that at least for the wedding and pictures that I would want a cute high heel to wear under my dress.

It was hard to choose something that appealed to me so I used my favorite search engine, Google, and wrote “yellow high heels”, keeping in the wedding colors.

I found a wonderful website called Nina Shoes. They had so many fun colors and choices but one option that appealed to me was the “Design Your Own” feature. I immediately went to work designing my perfect shoe and this is what I came up with….

I loved the bright color of the yellow and I added a navy blue knot matching perfectly with our color scheme. I am in LOVE with them and I can’t wait to wear them in May!

I know, they are gorgeous but let’s be honest here. I am NOT going to be wanting to wear these all night long. I plan on shakin’ my tail feather at my reception and I needed something to change into. That’s where I saw these on LOTS of wedding blogs recently.

Sparkly Toms! I love the idea that the company will donate a pair of shoes for the ones that I have ordered and wear as I dance all night long! They look comfy while also looking cute! They are also a shoe that I can see myself wearing LOTS post wedding!

I am so excited about both pairs of my shoes! They are both exactly what I pictured when thinking about what I wanted. I never had to extensively think or search for the perfect shoes! It was like they found me! I love my shoes!

Happy Wednesday!

A Weekend Recap

2012-01-09T04:56:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday!

This was the first weekend after we all rang in 2012. After all the hustle and bustle of getting ready for Christmas, celebrating Christmas and then ringing in the New Year, this weekend seemed quiet! It was a nice break from the whirl wind of activity that has been happening lately.

Friday night, as Ryan headed out on the sled, I opted to stay at home and rest. I rented a movie, popped some popcorn and snuggled up with my warm magic bag.

P.S I rented The Help which is a great movie but of course not nearly as good as the book!

While watching the movie I also watched my new washer!!! I have been without a washer and dryer since before Christmas! It is a relief to finally be able to do laundry again!

Saturday morning Ryan and I puttered around the house, made lunch, did MORE laundry and then got ready to head out for an afternoon ride on the sled. We met up with friends and headed to Fort Coulogne to George’s to hear a little Western music karaoke.

We then headed to Ladysmith for some wings but on our way there was a little accident with one of the sleds. We towed it to the restaurant, ate and then headed back home. On our way home Ryan wanted to stop to stay “Hi” to the guys at the camp. It was a fun afternoon/early evening trip and we the best part was catching up with friends!

Sunday morning Mom and I headed to church together to listen to a great narrative sermon about the wisemen.

After church (and hockey for Ry) we settled into the couch and decided to try to watch an episode of Prison Break, that so many people have been recommending.

The rest of the afternoon we were so into the show that it was a struggle to get up and cook supper! Very compelling show with lots of drama! Netflix is so great. To be able to watch old episodes of shows we would of otherwise missed or had to buy the DVD.

How was your weekend?

Internet…My Personal Style Thanks You!

2012-01-06T05:59:00.001-08:00

I think anyone who regularly reads my blog now would know that I don’t really talk much about clothes, makeup or hair. I don’t actually consider myself all that “style savvy”. Do I like to look good? Of course! Who doesn’t? I try to put a little effort into the way I present myself but I don’t have a need to regularly do so.

You see, I work on a farm. I wear a uniform that is the same pretty much every day of the week. I work with 30-40 guys and I hardly have face-to-face interaction with people. In the summer I wear work boots and at any time could be lifting multiple 50 pound dusty bags of seed and fertilizer. Not to mention I’m up at 4 AM and work till 5-6 PM. There just isn’t a need in my profession to dress cute, wear makeup or do my hair.

Jilly and I at the office in our work clothes, drinking Mimosa’s celebrating the royal wedding! Ya, I love where I work! ha ha!

But, I’m still a girl! And I like pretty things! So, when I get the chance, like when Ryan and I are going somewhere, I like to put more effort into my appearance. As a girl, I am always looking for new ideas and trying to stay with the latest trends. The internet (blogs and Pinterest mostly) have really helped guide me to be more fashionable!

When Pinterest became popular I joined the site like many other people did. I wasn’t really that into it at first because I just didn’t understand it. Now, although I still don’t use it regularly, I LOVE that I can find so many great wedding ideas, recipes, decorating and style ideas….Especially, this look:

Via

I recently became the owner of a beautiful mustard yellow cardigan and have been wearing it lots! I love the color and I love mixing and matching it with different things from my closet. I couldn’t resist trying out the look from Pinterest for a Christmas potluck!

My hair is kind of boring. It is “virgin hair” which means it has no dye in it. My hair is also thin and naturally straight. My idea of “styling” my hair is showering, combing it wet and that’s it! I know, exciting! ha ha! But what can I say? I’m low maintenance.

About a month ago I started following The Small Things Blog where there are tons of great hair tips and styling ideas! When I saw this style I thought I'd give it a try for another Christmas potluck!

Success! I loved the look and it was so easy. It held my hair back and out of my face!

One of my favorite blogs is Keeping Up With Kelly & Co. She has great style and I love when she does her What I Wore Wednesday found here, here, here and here. She takes item that are already in her closet and makes outfits without repeating!

This particular post (week II) I commented and said how much I loved her boots and the socks. I asked where she got them. She wrote me back and said they were just knee high socks. I went out and got a $5 dollar pair that weekend and been wearing them with my boots since! I love the look and I am LOVING the extra warmth!

Not to mention I combined a cardigan and plaid scarf inspired by this pin.

Via

My version

From head to toe I get most of my style ideas now from the internet. Whether it is from some amazing blogging ladies or a social pinning website the inspiration is endless and appreciated!

Where do you get your ideas from?

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Some Random Things

2012-01-04T05:48:00.001-08:00

Ok so, it’s official 2012 which means that it’s wedding year! I kind of took a little wedding organizing break in the month of December so that Christmas could get my undivided attention. I enjoyed the holiday season but by January 1st I was already back to wedding mode, thinking about what needed to get done in the new year.

It really is hard to believe that in a little over 4 months (129 days to be exact) time it will be our wedding. I’m so stunned by the beautiful snow and blistery weather that the thought of spring still seems so far away….but it’s not. This week I am on the ball with organizing! There are a few things that needed to be ordered and taken care of.

While I’m busy doing that I thought I would take note of some things that have been taken care of that I can now officially cross off the list.

Hair Bling:

I knew that I wanted to have my hair up for the wedding. My hair is pretty stubborn so the thought of keeping it down just wasn’t going to happen. I always knew that I wanted it back and out of my way! Although I haven’t purchased my veil yet (better add that to the list) I was searching through etsy and found this hair gem and hairstyle.

Via FineNFleurie

I knew immediately that was the perfect little jewel to have in my hair on my wedding day!

Napkins:

Apparently, in my mother’s day’s when you got married you had three things.

1. Matches with your name and date

2. Napkins with your name and date

3. Fruitcake favors

Although we won’t be having two of the items I caved and we ordered napkins with our names and wedding date on them.

They are in our wedding colors and will be set out at the bar and at the midnight lunch. I have to admit they are kind of cute and will make a cute souvenir for my scrapbook. Good call Mom!

Speaking of Bar:

Etsy is seriously a brides best friend when it comes to finding cute things to add to your wedding day! The bar is a hard place to decorate. I mean between drink tickets and booze bottles it’s just not an attractive area. Then I saw these cuties…

Via isakayboutique

I loved the retro feel of the stripped paper straw and thought it would go perfectly with the whole vintage theme. It’s will dress up the bar area with these on display and make everyone’s drink pretty too!

During the months of November and December big stuff for the wedding were already planned and things had kind of taken a stand still. Now, I’m excited to get back into the swig of things and start doing some of my DIY projects and other smaller things that need to be done before the wedding!

Even though the list is a little on the long side, I have every Monday off in December and plan on using that day to get things done. I am excited to show you lots of wedding projects!

Happy Wednesday!

Ringing In The New Year

2012-01-03T06:06:00.001-08:00

Welcome to 2012! The holidays are over! It’s now time to get back to reality! Get back on a schedule, clean up and organize!

The weekend started out right and I Ryan and I took the snowmobile out for it’s maiden voyage! Ryan had spent about 2 hours the week before cleaning the machine, top to bottom! It was sparkling! We met up with Jen, Kevin, Sarah and Ian and rode from Shawville back to Quyon.

Saturday morning it snowed, meaning that Ryan and Dad had to head into the city to snow plough. I was suppose to meet Ryan down there so that we could go out for an anniversary supper but the roads were bad!

Once Ryan got home and headed to bed he slept until 9 PM and then we changed and went to ring in the New Year with Kyle and Krista who had just gotten married a few hours prior!

Sunday morning I was relaxed and energized so decided to go ahead and tackle taking down all those Christmas decorations! I’m kind of sad to see them all gone. The house looks so bare without a beautiful Christmas tree in the living room!

Sunday afternoon Ryan and I got gussied up and headed to the city to our favorite special dining place, The Keg. We were celebrating our 4 year dating anniversary. It was a really nice meal out and we had fun talking about how next year we will be celebrating wedding anniversary rather then dating anniversary.

Monday was another glorious day off! After sleeping in I had a ton of energy again! Ry has been bugging me for months now to go through the 6 or so containers of my old high school/college storage.

See these boxes?

They are the boxes of my youth! It was a little crazy going through them and looking back at what interested me at the time. The stuff really did seem ancient to me now but it was fun to look back.

I was super excited about finding this item.

My old yearbook! I thought I had left this graduation yearbook out west! I was sure I would never read all those signatures because it was lost! Happily I read through them all yesterday laughing at my own appearance and remembering some fun times.

After lunch, Jilly picked me up and we went for visit to see Josee, Evan and baby Landyn who made it home for Christmas!

It was so nice to see this beautiful little boy and get to hold him!

As small as he is, he has the cutest little facial expressions! It was the perfect way to end the holidays!

I hope everyone had a great New Years Eve and that 2012 is a wonderful year for you! I am so looking forward to the year ahead and have a great feeling that it is going to be epic! :-)

A Year In Review – Part 2

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ha ha! That titles rhymes! Yesterday, I left you all off in June. Let’s see what the rest of the year brought.

July

In July, Ry and I hit the woods and went camping for the weekend! We headed back home early though because we were asked to be my nephew’s God parents!

In the middle of July Ryan and I got our engagement pictures taken and the next day a huge storm caused a tree to fall on the road!

August

Ryan and I started the month out right by going on a date to The Keg and to see The Lion King. That weekend we also went to see the final Harry Potter movie with friends Sharon and Wayne.

By the middle of August we decided to surprise and celebrate my parents anniversary by seeing the fire works at Lac Leamy for the first time.

We also found the bridesmaid dresses in a fun shopping trip in August.

Ryan and I ended the month off by heading to Markham to attend the wedding of Matt and my college friend, Whitney.

September

Early September around these parts usually means the fair for most. Although I did attend one evening the rest of the long weekend was spent on the road with my friend and bridesmaid, Amanda! We were headed west!

Ryan flew out to Calgary and we spend the week with Amanda and her boyfriend, Josh enjoying all the sites that Alberta had to offer.

My awesome Grandma turned 90!

While leaving my Grandma’s 90th birthday party I got a amazing text from Rebekka telling me that she was now engaged! Little did she know I had been anticipating this call since her Fiancé, Josh, had asked me to help him pick her ring! :-)

October

Thanksgiving activities brought on a whirl wind of activity between Cirque De Soleil show, thanksgiving meals and my 24th Birthday!

I was so excited this year to participate in our hometown’s car rally for the very first time!

By the end of the month we helped my brother with the shipment of his 9000 hens, went to a musical and went to see a hockey game in Ottawa!

November

I faced my fears and showcased my crafting abilities by putting a craft table in the local Craft and Bake Sale.

The big moment came in November when Breaking Dawn Part 1 was released to the theatres. Jill, Sharon and I had midnight premiere tickets. The movie was AMAZING!

We finished off the month with the Mountainview Christmas party, crafting and getting bridesmaid dresses!

December

The month of December is always an exciting time because of Christmas. However, this year we had two other little presents to celebrate.

On December 4th, friends Evan and Josee welcome their little boy, Landyn Cole to the world!

And on December 7th friends Chad and Priscilla welcomed baby girl Willow Ann! Such an exciting time with new little lives!

At the beginning of December Ryan and I took a trip up to North Bay to visit his family. We had a great time chatting, playing games and catching up!

The weekend after that Ryan’s niece and nephew stayed over and we all had a blast at the Santa Claus Parade.

There was only one weekend left until Christmas arrived and we did it by celebrating with lots of friends and a Christmas pageant.

Finally, another Christmas passed by. A very happy yet emotional one for me as it is my last unwed Christmas! We had a great time celebrating over the whole weekend!

Wow! What a busy, eventful, at times stressful but AMAZING year! I can’t believe everything that has happened! I am so thankful for all of the wonderful things that happened to me in the last year and I am very excited and hopeful for 2012!

See you next year!

A Year In Review – Part 1

2011-12-30T04:51:00.001-08:00

2012 is literally just around the corner. It’s a little spooky to think about. I still remember ringing in the year 2000 with my friend Morgan. We had a great time celebrating as young pre-teen girls but there was still a little fear of Y2K world destruction. It’s hard to fathom that that was 12 years ago.

Regardless, I am SO looking forward to 2012. There are a lot of big events in mine and Ryan’s lives that are happening in 2012. I’m not wishing the days away but anticipating the ones to come!

I like to take a look back every year as a reminder as to what great events happened throughout the year. I did this at the end of 2009 found here and for 2010 found here. At times throughout the year when Ryan and I are trying to figure out when a certain event happened I just have to look at those posts.

January

A large group of Pontiacer’s and friends loaded a plane and headed south to Cuba. We were all there to watch and celebrate with Kerry Lynn and Jeff as they said their wedding vow’s on the beach.

We all had a blast in Cuba enjoying the company, the beach, the food/drinks and all the relaxation! It was a great trip!

February

Wow! What busy, fun month! Ryan and I were so excited to have the basement renovation behind us so that we could host our very first Superbowl party!

We also finally finished another renovation in the living room/dining room!

We celebrated Valentines day a very special way by heading up the hospital to visit friends, Lisa and Luc, and their new baby girl Sydney.

March

March is always a busy month for this Irish family! Besides the obvious St.Patrick’s day there are 4 family birthdays!

We celebrated the 2nd birthday of my niece Faith on March 12th.

On March 15th, 2011 Ryan got down on one knee and proposed!

We also celebrated my brother’s and Ryan’s birthdays!

We picked the date of May 12th, 2012 for the wedding!

My brother got the best birthday present when Clark William Alexander Hamilton was born on March 23rd, 2011.

April

With Spring in the air Ryan and I celebrated his birthday by travelling to New York City for the weekend! We had the most amazing, adventurous trip we have ever had.

At the end of April I was up extremely early to watch the Royal Wedding! An event that I had been anticipating!

May

At the beginning of May, nearly one year till the wedding day, I wrote my very first Wedding Wednesday post.

The long weekend of May, Ryan and I drove to Melbourne, Quebec to attend and celebrate the marriage of friends Nick and Jenn.

The month ended with golfing in the annual Canada Day golf Tournament with some of my best girl friends!

June

The month of June is always a busy one here around the farm. It’s a pretty sleepless month but I still managed to get lots done!

In the middle of June my mom, my future mother in law, my bridesmaids and maid of honor, all headed to the city where I finally said, “Yes” to the dress.

Ryan and I hosted the 3rd annual pool party! It was another GREAT year and the dynamic of the group has changed. Most couples now have 1 or 2 children and we love sitting back watching them all play in the pool.

At the end of June, Jilly, Ryan and I headed to Ottawa for our very first Chicken and Rib festival. We then went to see a movie thinking how fun and uneventful evening it was. Only to realize after we got out of the movie that we were stranded because of the great Pontiac flood of 2011.

Stay tuned for part 2 tomorrow….

A Belated Merry Christmas To You All

2011-12-28T06:47:00.001-08:00

I know, where have I been right? Well, as much as I love my small and the farm that I work at, that happens to be in the middle of no where, it has it’s draw backs too. One being the internet. I am thankful that we even have high speed internet and at times even wireless (WOOOO!) but the littlest of storms, like the freezing rain we got last Wednesday, and bye-bye internet! But the best part, it was Christmas and no one could fix it! Boo!

It actually has been off for a whole week and while I was a little stressed about not being able to e-mail, blog, or browse I took those days off as an opportunity to focus on Christmas, family, and friends! So, now I’m back bloggy world!

How about a little Christmas recap?

Christmas is, as we all know, the most wonderful time of year! I was feeling so prepared! The food was all bought and prepared, and the presents were all wrapped. All I had to do was wait.

Since there was no network or internet at the office myself, Mom, and Jilly picked up Amanda and headed to get Amanda’s bridesmaid dress! We met Rebekka there and then all enjoyed a nice eve of Christmas eve breakfast!

When we got back to the office everyone was already off work and starting the Christmas shindig!

It’s a Mountainview tradition to get together and play some music over a couple of drinks before everyone is off for the holidays!

That evening I headed to Jilly’s for our annual supper/dessert and Christmas movie night. I made supper this year which was Better Butter Chicken. Jilly supplied a tray of assorted homemade sweets! Yum! We settled in with full bellies to watch, The Holiday.

Christmas Eve Ryan and I headed to my parents for a turkey lunch. We all ate so much food and then topped it off with some birthday cake for Jesus. We even sang, “Happy Birthday” to him as well. Faith had a hoot blowing out the candles.

Then it was time to exchange presents with the kids and my brother and sister in law! I have so much fun just sitting back and watching Faith rip open all her gifts and trying everything out immediately!

Although Clark doesn’t quite get it yet his riding gift from Mom and Dad was a hit! He giggled and smiled while on it!

We all headed to the Christmas Eve service at church and then back home to get into bed before Santa came!

Christmas morning I woke up at my parents house for the last time. Next year, Ryan and I will start our own traditions at our home. It was a blast at home with Mom and Dad as usual but sometimes I would get mixed emotions. Part of me can’t wait to wake up Christmas morning with my husband and do our own thing. The other part of me is a little sad that the Christmas mornings at Mom and Dad’s are now over. No, I know, they will still be here but it’s just seems like the end of an era.

The tree.

Mom with her new squeeze box.

Ryan and I headed back to my place to change and load up the jeep to drive to his parents for Christmas supper! I was super excited to see everyone! The kids were so excited about all the gifts and commotion around the house! They were so enthusiastic about all their gifts!

One of my favorite memories was when Ryan’s nanny gave Katelyn a card that read “Merry Friggin’ Christmas” with other funny “not so Christmas” messages. ha ha Shirley and I had a great laugh about it.

“Does this tree skirt make my butt look big?”

Ryan and I were so spoiled by both of our families! We are so lucky to have such wonderful people to call family.

Boxing day and yesterday was spent cleaning up and putting things away. We watched movies and played with all of our new “toys” one of mine being my new Keurig! Loving this machine!

It was such a wonderful Christmas! I truly enjoyed every moment!

How was your Christmas?

Wedding Wednesday – Registry Woes

2011-12-21T06:05:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everybody! It is getting harder and harder to focus the more the week continues on. It is getting so close to Christmas! I keep thinking to myself, “Wow, this is my last Christmas as an unwed woman”.

The Knot has been an amazing tool to help with getting ready for the wedding. Not only is there a checklist of things for me to check off, it also gives you the timeline.

I have been very good at checking off the necessary items in the allotted time. There was only one little item that I was having trouble crossing off the list at the “6 month” mark….The Wedding Registry.

Honestly, the wedding registry was something that was an after thought until I saw it on my “to-do” list. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to. I actually felt a little weirded out and awkward about pretty much asking people for these things.

Then my mother reminded me that it made peoples lives a lot easier because regardless of what I wanted, people were still going to get you a wedding gift and it would be easier on them to have a list.

While my Mom and I were at the wedding show this past fall there were three major stores offering wedding registry services…

The Bay/Home Outfitters

Sears

and Bed, Bath and Beyond

After looking into each companies site and online recommendations I had decided Bed, Bath, and Beyond was the one that I thought was the best.

While at a dentist appointment in the city a while back Ryan and I decided it was also going to be Wedding Registry day. We arrived at Bed, Bath and Beyond like little excited children with our list and quickly we become disappointed.

We learnt that while a Quebec resident can register for gifts at their store you must still give an Ontario address. If you don’t have an Ontario address….forget it. Also, other Quebec residents shopping for us would not be able to get things delivered to them unless they lived in Ontario….bummer!

Upon arriving back home my AMAZING MOH Jilly and Mom reassured me that things would be ok. Jill mentioned that her brother and future sister-in-law had just registered at The Bay and Home Outfitters. She had mentioned that they now had a great online website and I should check it out.

Check it out I did and immediately signed up!

So, right now our registry is sitting there empty until the new year when we can go in person to scan some items. It started off disappointing at Bed, Bath and Beyond but thankfully because of my great support system (Jill and Mom) the registry was started without any stress at all!

Happy Wednesday!

The Weekend Before Christmas Weekend

2011-12-19T08:39:00.001-08:00

Being that it was the last weekend before Christmas, parties and fun Christmas activities had to be squeezed into 3 days.

On Friday evening my family and I settled into the comfy couches at my parents to watch a family favorite….

A Muppet Christmas Carol.

Every member of our family can now recite that whole movie! It will always be one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time.

Saturday morning I was up early so that I could accomplish many Christmas things including; cleaning, cooking, more cleaning and wrapping! It was busy and before I knew it Ryan and I were headed out the door to head to friend’s Sara and Grahams for the annual Potluck and ornament exchange.

The food was amazing and how different the group has become! It was especially fun to sit and watch these two cuties play around!

I love the gift that I received from Kelly! It is all set out so that I can enjoy it before Christmas as well!

Photo courtesy of Stacy

Sunday I was up and headed to church for a very special service. It was pageant day! It is always so fun to watch the little ones be involved in the reenactment of the Christmas story.

Two little angels sitting with Nancy.

Two very cute Sheppard's.

The whole production, I was an angel.

I had to dart out of church right after the service because I was having some very special guests over for supper. Amanda and Josh were home for Christmas from Calgary and we were getting together with Candace, Steph and Shane for our annual potluck and gift exchange.

It was so nice to sit, chat and visit with these ladies that I don’t get to see very often!

Right after our gift exchange Dad came to pick me up to head to the city. We went to go visit my Grandma who is unfortunately in the hospital.

We grabbed a quick bite to eat and then went to see the men’s choir that my Auntie Ruth plays for!

It was so lovely listening to these amazing singers as they belted out all of my favorite Christmas songs! I felt full of Christmas spirit!

How was your weekend?

Gearing Up For Christmas

2011-12-16T05:22:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! It’s the last weekend before Christmas and all I keep thinking is “Really”?

I knew it was coming. I expected it all month long but for some reason with the day that Christmas lands on this year it has crept up on me. I kind of want the holiday season to slow down. I want to enjoy, embrace and remember it. However, when it’s speeding by at a million miles an hour I hardly get time to blink and another day has passed.

I don’t know about all of you but this year was a synch for me and I give all the credit to my handy dandy list!

This list I made at the beginning of December. I wrote down all the names of the people that Ryan and I get gifts for and then pick out what we want to get them. For a while some names stayed blank as we couldn’t think of what to get them. As things were purchased they got ticked off or added to the list. This way I was able to keep track of the dollar amount as well as the actual present.

The house is all “Christmasified” and how lovely that feels. I’m almost a little sad thinking already of how empty my doorways will look without any pretty garland or lights.

Yesterday, after Zumba, I went for THE grocery trip. You know the one you have to make to get all of the food, snacks, and supplies that you will need before and during the Christmas holidays! The cart was overflowing with good food when all the sudden a Valumart employee came up to me and told me to grab my purse. They said that their was a fire and everyone had to leave the store. I thought, really? Is it that bad?

Well, when I headed out side flames were shooting out of the dumpster that is right beside the store. There were two fire trucks on scene already. After about 30 minutes I was starting to get a little chilly so I began looking through my purse to find my cars keys to go and get my coat.

No keys.

I had stuffed my kegs into one of my grocery bags…the grocery bags that were still in my cart, in the store!

After a while the fire was out and we were all allowed back in store. They let me take the food I had already had through the checkout luckily! It was definitely the most adventurous grocery trip of my life. And now we have most of our Christmas food but those snacks will have to wait in the cupboards till next week.

What better way to get into the Christmas spirit then getting tickets to see this guy?

As some of you might know it is a tradition in our family to listen to Wayne Rodstad’s, Christmas In The Valley cassette tape while decorating the Christmas tree. The tradition has continued on but when I heard about a month ago that Wayne would be performing in Ottawa I impulsively bought tickets.

I would be lying if I said that a tear hadn’t been brought to my eye when I heard my favorite “Christmas In The Valley” song live!

Ok…You can stop laughing at me now.

Wayne Rodstad’s songs have been a staple in our home growing up and I felt so happy to watch him and special guests perform including our hometown’s star, Gail Gavin. Ryan rolls his eyes when I talk about how great the concert was but once in a while I would look over and see him singing.

He would deny that but guess what? I have proof.

Check out that video of Wayne and Friends singing Christmas In The Family as a finale and if you listen carefully you will hear Ryan singing to the words as well. He loves Wayne too.

It really was a great concert and it really put me in the mood for Christmas. So much to look forward to over the next week!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday - Getting The Men Dressed!

2011-12-14T05:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! The week is just flying by. Or is it the weekS that are flying by? Getting closer and closer to Christmas!

It was very exciting last week to check off a very important item off of the “Wedding - To Do” list. Getting things figured out for the handsome men in the wedding, specifically, the groom!

As I have mentioned before Ryan and I want a relaxed country wedding. So, when we started talking about what he was going to wear Ryan instantly saw this picture and thought it was perfect……

I don’t think so hunny! This bridezilla stomped down her hoof! There would be no 70’s theme at this wedding. (P.S He also thought that shorts instead of pants would be perfect for this ensemble…..oh boy!)

But we did agree that we wanted him and his guys to be comfortable and a tux just didn’t seem like the answer. Early on I had found this pictures and fell in love with the idea. I thought the dark grey suit would look so nice with the navy and yellow color scheme.

Well, let me tell you. Here, in Canada, around the Ottawa area, good luck finding a place to rent you a suit! Just a suit without all the bells and whistles of a tux rental. If it’s not a tux you want, well, forget it!

I was kind of discouraged after the wedding show that Mom and I went to because we visited three “suit” booths and NONE had suits to rent just tuxes.

I felt discouraged and finally I had caved and said, “Fine, I guess we HAVE to go with tuxes”.

Ryan and I had a dentist appointment last week and decided to get a few wedding things done together while we both already had the day off. One of those stops was at this place…

To get a couple prices and brochures and to figure out what we wanted. Well, then came another disappointment. We were limited to either getting white or black tuxes for $200.00 each.

While looking around (and looking at a suit as recommended by groomsman Luc) we discovered an AMAZING thing. Moores was having a “Buy One Get, One Free” sale. So, in other words, if you bought one suit you can get the other free! Mmmm….

It took some convincing but I got Ryan to try on many different suits while holding up a Navy tie. We (and by “we” I mean “I”) had found a suit that worked perfectly! If all the guys agreed they could have new suits, to own, for LESS then the rental tux price!

We quickly got on the horn with all the guys and they all agreed it was a smokin’ deal! Plus, a couple of them, Ryan included, needed new suits. In fact, this will be Ryan’s first suit!

Toumany fitting Ryan’s pants.

It ended up being the perfect spot, at the perfect time! The fact that we walked in during that sale was impeccable timing. We were able to find the suits for the guys instead of tuxes and at a great price! I know they are all going to look SO handsome on May 12th!

Happy Wednesday!

Fun and Youthful Weekend

2011-12-12T08:24:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! It was busy, busy weekend but let me try to recap for you!

On Friday I arrived home to make a couple special pot luck dishes to get ready for the December Book Club meeting, which was being held at my house! I SO look forward to book club! It’s hard to believe we just completed our 2nd year! It was a great potluck meal and a great discussion about the book, Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner. Thank you Jill and Sharon for organizing this for us members all year long!

During our book club Ryan went to go pick up his niece and nephew to stay with us for the weekend!

Saturday morning we were up bright and early with some bacon and eggs and then headed to the city. I am very excited to say that I am officially DONE Christmas shopping! I made a list early this year and followed it. This made shopping this year a breeze!

We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonald's and Ry and I relaxed and chatted a bit while the kids played on the play structure!

When we got home the 4 of us headed over to my parents house (who were watching Faith for the weekend) to help them decorate their Christmas tree. They had some yummy snacks for us and we all had a hoot decorating!

After decorating we headed back home and got our aprons on! I had promised Ryan’s niece we would make some cookies! She was such a great help and stirred and measured all the ingredients! I pretty much just supervised!

It was a lot of fun and the cookies turned out great!

While we were baking the boys played a couple games of Crazy 8’s and Rummy.

I have to admit I was worried about how Tucker would be with the kids. He takes a while to warm up to people and I thought having young ones around might make him aggressive. Luckily, Tucker was so good with the kids and after our baking Ry’s niece had a fashion show with Tucker being her model!

We grabbed some homemade pizza for supper and then headed out to Jilly’s to watch the Quyon Christmas Parade!

We (Me, Ryan, Ryan’s nephew, Jill and Luke) had fun placing a small wager on how many floats there would be in the parade! My guess of 4 lost big time as there were about 17 floats!

The kids LOVED the parade saying it was one of the best ones they have been to! They left with pockets full of candy and new teddy bears!

We then headed to the Beach Barn to see and sit with Santa!

It was a busy day but the kids kept going on and on about how much fun they had and that made it all worth it!

Sunday morning I made everyone a special pancake breakfast before heading back home. The house felt so quiet without them there but it was such a great, fun visit with two very special kids!

How was your weekend?

Our Tree Of Memories

2011-12-09T05:23:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned last week we had to buy a new tree for our basement because the old one was too tall. The poor little star couldn’t fit on top! After getting a smokin’ deal on boxing day we finally set up the new tree last Sunday.

The upstairs tree is the formal “pretty” tree. It has all the ornaments that we bought and that really don’t have any significant meaning to us.

The new tree is going to be our fun family tree. Filled with ornaments that we got on vacation (every vacation we go on has an ornament), ones that were given or made for us.

It was fun putting up the ornaments, one at a time, and remembering the people or experiences that represented these ornaments.

Santa in an inner tube wearing Hawaiian printed swimming trucks! This is the ornament that we purchased on our trip to Hawaii! It actually makes me think of the trolley rides down from our hotel to the shopping street. It’s where we purchased this ornament but I loved the ride on the trolley near the ocean.

The next ornament is actually a funny story. Ryan and I took a small summer vacation too visit the 1000 Islands and then take it Upper Canada Village. At 1000 Islands (and Bolt Castle) we did the tour and I saw some beautiful ornaments but I thought I would wait, thinking that Upper Canada Village would have beautiful handcrafted ones.

Out for supper on our trip.

Well they didn’t. Not even one. I was kind of bummed. A short while later my friend, Sara, mentioned that her and her husband Graham were going to go do the 1000 Island tour. I begged for Sara to pick me up a Christmas ornament. About a week later Sara handed me the 1000 Island souvenir bag contained one beautiful magnet…..woops! ha ha! We still laugh about it and I turned the magnet into an ornament. It is definitely the ornament on the tree with the best story!

The next ornament will always make me think of a beautiful wedding on the beach. It was an epic trip with a great group of friends down south to celebrate and watch the marriage of Kerry-Lynn and Jeff.

Again, I had trouble finding a Christmas ornament and finally I had to get creative. I loved these little maraca key chains that they were selling. So, I bought one and removed the key chain part and put some thread through! Now, it works perfectly as a Christmas tree ornament and a great reminder of the awesome time we had in Cuba.

Then there’s this ornament…..

You would think that this ornament reminds me of our trip to New York, right? Well, it does. Sort of. It reminds me of the day that I gave Ryan the tickets to New York for his birthday. Little did I know…he had a bigger surprise for me!

This is our newest trip ornament!

This ornament I searched long and high for when we went to visit friends Josh and Amanda in Calgary. In fact, Amanda and I drove out there together!

It was an awesome trip but I was having such a hard time finding the perfect ornament. On our last night there Amanda surprised me with a birthday present which contained the special ornament to remind me of our trip.

There’s also other special ones like this one Faith made me:

Or this one that Ryan’s Aunt Shirley and Katelyn gave me last year.

Not to mention this guy that Jilly got me the first Christmas that I was home from out west.

Our tree is pretty empty because we are still starting our lives out together! But, as years go on we will add more ornaments that represent that time in our life.

Each ornament on this “family” tree has a story to tell. As I unwrap each one carefully before putting it on the Christmas tree I take a moment to remember what experiences and people remind us of that certain ornament. They are all very special to me.

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Keeping Things Stress Free

2011-12-07T06:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s starting to look a little white around here. Let’s see if the snow actually stays this time…..hopefully not! :-)

Today on Wedding Wednesday I want to share with you one really important aspect of the wedding. Something that probably most people think is not a necessity….

A Wedding Planner.

Early on in the wedding planning we started to notice people (my mother in particular) asking us questions that we didn’t know how to answer.

“Who’s going to do this? And, Who’s going to do that?”

It was honestly starting to stress me out a little. And I didn’t like that feeling.

From the beginning Ryan and I agreed on one very important thing for our wedding. We wanted to enjoy the planning process and enjoy the wedding, stress free. I wanted to have fun with the planning process. And, so far, it’s been that way.

Sure, there have been some less then ideal times and situations. Guest list in particular. But, I can’t say that it was something that I lost sleep over.

I wanted it to be that way for the wedding day too! I didn’t want to be concerned if this guy showed up or that person got paid.

So, for our sanity, and that of our parents, Ryan and I decided to hire a wedding planner!

Marry Me Productions is the leading wedding planners in Ottawa and the surrounding area. They have an AMAZING reputation. Quite simply, they are the best!

We met with Stacey in her office on Preston Street. Her office being where I saw my dress for the first time!

After discussing our options we decided on the the “Manage” package because it really allowed me to be creative and look after the details myself! Here is what the description says:

Manage:

Verb – to take charge or care of

Wear a watch to your own wedding? No thanks. Do you really want to spend your most important day worrying about where the cake is or if your flowers will make it to the church on time or why there are only 75 napkins when there is suppose to be 175 or…you get the point. As your wedding day insurance team, let us worry about the details. It’s what we do.

Doesn’t that sound like the PERFECT wedding solution? I get to be creative and do a lot of DIY projects and come wedding day I won’t be sitting there stressed about flowers/programs getting to the church (and other details like that).

I know many brides have beautiful weddings and don’t have wedding planners, especially in our small town. But, Ryan and I don’t have “buyers remorse”. It is one of the best decisions we have made. We get to enjoy our day as do our friends and family.

So, far the wedding planning as been stress free and down right FUN! I can easily say I have enjoyed the process! Ry and I decided on a wedding planner for the day of the wedding because now on our big the wedding details are looked after and we can focus on what the day is about….our marriage!

Happy Wednesday!

Visit In North Bay

2011-12-05T06:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! The weekend went by in a blur of fun activity! It all started out on Friday night as we loaded up the Jeep and hit the road on the way to North Bay, Ontario.

Tucker came too!

Our destination was the home of Ryan’s Aunt Lynn and Uncle Harv.

Upon our arrival we all sat down to an amazing supper and visit which was awesome after our 4 hour drive!

Saturday morning we woke up with some breakfast and then Aunt Lynn helped me cross off an item off of my 101 list….

#15: Learn how to make Aunt Lynn’s sticky buns.

While waiting for the buns to rise we had some lunch and played some Euchre! Where Ryan and I got our butts kicked!

Tucker felt right at home and enjoyed being spoiled by Aunt Lynn and Uncle Harv.

Finally, it was time to put those buns in the oven. The smell was heavenly!

The end result….YUM!

That evening we got dressed and headed into down for a nice supper and then bowling with the rest of the family.

Will and Amy

Dean and Michelle (and Lynn and Harv)

And of course these little cuties, Charlotte and Amelia.

It was an super fun game of bowling but champion players Dean and Amy beat us all!

That evening, when back at Aunt Lynn and Harv’s, we played Euchre for another 2 hours while having a couple of night caps! It was such a fun time! I had tears of laughter streaming down my face!

The next morning we enjoyed the sticky buns for breakfast and packed up to hit the road. We thanked our generous hosts for the amazing weekend!

Thank you Aunt Lynn and Uncle Harv for having Ryan, Tucker and I this weekend! It was great to visit with you and the rest of the family! Love you’s!

On our way home we I got a VERY exciting text saying that friends Evan and Josee were happy to announce the early but safe delivery of baby boy Landyn! Such happy news! Congrats guys!

How was your weekend?

Figuring Out That Tree

2011-12-02T04:57:00.001-08:00

Since moving into my home over three years ago there has been a lot of work put into it. There has always been at least 1 room/area of the house that was under construction.

The kitchen.

The basement.

The upstairs.

The upstairs bathroom.

The living room.

GAH! Just looking at all those makes me….

1. Realize how much work we’ve done to the house and

2. Feel tired!

This year is no different. As we’re attempting to put a laundry room into our old basement. This makes for putting Christmas decorations out very difficult. Renovating is dirty. Gyprock dust, muddy boots, and lots of other dirty things. Things you never imagined that could get dirty, do.

Exhibit A:

But, I still put those decorations out anyways because they make the house feel so festive!

Last year, we had a small issue with our Christmas tree in the basement….It was too small.

The poor little star couldn’t fit on top.

On boxing day Ry and I ventured out to the Canadian Tire store to get a smaller Christmas tree to actually FIT the basement. We got a much smaller tree and for 75% off! Woot woot!

I didn’t want to throw out the brand new Christmas tree from downstairs! I’m just too frugal and resourceful! I had the perfect idea in mind!

I LOVED my new living room once the renovation was done. It has so much character because it is part of the house that was build in the early 1900’s.

Particularly, I love this bay window! The perfect spot for a Christmas tree.

This week I set up the tree and Ryan helped me decorate it while listening to a little Wayne Rodstad, Christmas In The Valley. This tree is our new “formal tree” with ornaments that were bought by my mom (and passed down to me) from her old “music” tree.

Old Tree + New Location = Whole New Look

We were very proud of our new decorative tree. It’s in the perfect new spot and I love driving home seeing it through the window!

P.S Tucker loves it too and yes, I decorate in P.J’s.

Hopefully next week we can get our second “fun tree” set up with all the decorations that were given to us and ones we brought from past vacations! :-)

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Ceremony Music Part 2

2011-11-30T05:31:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! We have had the strangest, most wonderful weather…RAIN! I know most people want some snow now that it is getting closer to Christmas but not me. Snow means shoveling and snow plowing. Snow means Ryan has to be up at 2 in the morning to go work on removing snow.

2 AM + Ryan = Very tired man!

Today on Wedding Wednesday I’d like to continue on with my wedding post from last week. Last week, we talked about the style of music we wanted. This week I’d like to tell you who’s going to help us with this.

I come from a very musical family. Specifically, my brother is AMAZING on the guitar. My dad plays a mean bass fiddle and piano. Mom and I like to sing and I can tickle the ivories a little too. This is fine but for my wedding day my family will have other responsibilities.

I wasn’t too concerned though because there are so many great musicians in our home town. Let’s start with this guy:

Please meet Denis. I have known Denis for probably about 10 years now. He has some MAD skills as the mechanic on the turf farm here. He is such a fun and sweet guy!

Denis is an AMAZING musician. His instrument of choice…The Fiddle.

Ryan has teased Denis now for a couple of years about playing at our wedding. Before we were engaged Denis would bug him about when he was going to ask me. In return Ryan would joke that at our wedding Denis had to play some Metallica on his fiddle in front of everyone!

Now, as pretty as the fiddle is Ryan and I decided that it would be nice to have another instrument.

Please meet Rolly. I have known Rolly all my life. As a little girl attending church and Sunday school I always remember Rolly playing an active roll at the church. He was always my favorite Sunday school teacher!

Anyone who actually knows Rolly would probably agree with me, he is one the nicest people, ever! He is a staple in our community. He lends a hand for almost all community and church events.

Rolly is an all around amazing musician. Between singing, banjo and guitar it’s hard to choose which one he excels at more. Ryan and I asked Rolly to play his guitar and sing for us on our wedding day.

Luckily, both Denis and Rolly both agreed with play for us on our special day. It means so much to me to have two people that I know and love be part of the wedding.

They are amazing musicians, co-workers and friends. I can’t wait to hear that guitar and fiddle play as I want down the aisle to my future husband.

Happy Wednesday!

The Weekend To Get Ready For Christmas!

2011-11-28T07:30:00.001-08:00

Another weekend passed by WAY to quickly! I was sitting last night watching the Grey Cup game with Ryan and saying how I feel like the weekend didn’t even happen.

Here’s the proof that it did:

The weekend started out right because when I went to get the mail there was a package for me!!! My Canadian blogswap partner Lena from Mom2MemphisandRuby, had sent me my package! Being that we just live about 30 minutes away she could have just given it to me in person but she didn’t! And I SO appreciate that because I LOVE getting mail!

In my package there was a pair of comfy reindeer socks, some of my FAVORITE mitts, Hershey chocolates and two movies! Elf and Fred Clause. Neither of these movies I own and I am SO excited to add them to my Christmas movie collection! Thank you Lena!!

Friday night was our company Christmas party! An event that I look forward to all summer long! It’s a great get together with all the gang and it’s a SURE sign the end of the busy season is over! This year in particular we had a special “Movember” event. For every employee who showed up with a mustache the company would donate $25.00 to prostate cancer AND they would get a drink ticket.

The group with their mustaches.

A little close up.

Dinner was AMAZING as always and the gift exchange was a hoot. Finally, the band started and everyone got to the dance floor for a dance.

It was such a fun night! It’s great celebrating the end of a successful season and Christmas with a great bunch of guys and girls!

Saturday morning I was up early to pick up Jilly and head on our last ferry ride of the year! We were headed to the bridal salon where we had ordered the bridesmaid dresses! Bekk met us there and the girls tried on their dresses and they look AMAZING! But that has more to do with the beautiful girls in them then the dresses themselves! (P.S Wish you were there Manda!).

A little sneak peak.

After breakfast Jill and I had many laughs on our ride home! Between Moms dress being TOTALLY wrong, me forgetting to tell Mom about making funeral sandwiches and Jill getting winter tires on her Rav, without actually having tires there! We are quite the pair! Geesh!

We then headed to friend Sharon’s for an awesome Christmas craft. I have to be honest I was a little worried about what we would be making but it was super fun! I could have sat there and make 10 more!

It’s a Christmas ornament ball! Made of fabric and lots of folding and pins! It was a great craft! Thank you Sharon!

Saturday night Ryan showed up with these beauties! My favorite Gerbers!

Saturday night I settled into watch Marley and Me. Big mistake!!! By the end of the movie I was BAWLING! Like, snot dripping, loud sobbing kind of cry! It was pretty ugly! Friggin’ movie!

Sunday morning I was off to church! Then, for the rest of the afternoon, Ryan and I “Christmasified” the house!

Garland is up, trees are up but not decorated and it feels so Holly Jolly in the house right now!

How was your weekend?

Extreme Couponing – Canadian Style

2011-11-25T05:57:00.001-08:00

As some of you might know already from reading this little blog, I am frugal. While some may call me cheap I would have to disagree. You see, I love a deal. My clothes? Ya, I RARELY pay full price for them. Why would I pay double the price for something if I can just wait and get it at 50% off!?

Where I don’t look for a deal is for my home. When doing my renovations I would look for some lesser expensive products but rarely would they be on “sale”. When renovating I kept thinking to myself….”I won’t be changing this room for probably another 10 or more years. So, what’s $200.00 over a 10 year span?”

The number one place I look for deals is at the grocery store because yes….

I am a couponer.

Don’t think of me like those crazy ladies on that Extreme Couponing show buying 120 cans of cat food. Cuz’ I'm not that extreme. But I am proud to say that in 4 months I haven’t paid money for any tooth paste, shampoo or deodorant. Here’s how.

See this….

This is my lovely pile of clipped coupons! Where do they come from? LOTS of places. Websaver.ca, save.ca, P & G, and the newspaper. Not to mention my mom and sister in law usually pass along their coupons to me too!

Now, each crazy couponer has their own crazy system. For me, it’s easy to divide my coupons into different sections. Personal care items like deodorant, toothpaste, and shampoo go in a pile. Then items we use around the house like toilette paper, laundry soap and dishwashing liquid goes in another. Then the “other” pile consists of food items and other things.

I’ve had a friend ask (Hi Sharon!) how I can coupon without buying loads of processed foods like they do on T.V. Easy….

I don’t use every coupon that’s available.

I’m selective with my coupons. I don’t just buy something because it’s free. I manage coupons for things we need in our every day lives. I don’t like to keep too many processed foods around the house so we hardly have any food coupons. We do however have coupons for condiments and staple items like milk, or butter. Not to mention LOTS of coupons for soap, toothpaste, shampoo and toilette paper!

See this little date….

It’s the expiration date. The grocer that I go to checks EVERY coupon’s expiration date. I know a lot of people who use coupons. Most of those people, do it wrong.

Most of the time a coupon’s expiration date is a few months down the road. The best thing to do is keep that coupon for as long as you can because most of the time you will get another coupon for the exact same item.

Example:

Coupons 1:

Coupons 2:

Coupons 3:

I know it’s SO tempting to go out and redeem that coupon right away! But WAIT be patient! Collect those coupons!

Speaking of being patient…DO IT! It’s so easy to go out and use those coupons right away! But most of time, you will find items that are on sale. Especially if a coupon is for months down the road. It will be worth your wait!

I know a lot of people hate coupons and hate couponers even more! And I understand that. To each there own. But for me? It works! I love saving the money for our every day essentials and I try to be as organized as possible so that people behind me at the cash aren’t getting mad.

There are three key elements to successfully couponing. They are; searching, organization, and patience. Together, if you can do those three things, you will save a TON of money for every day household needs! So, get out there and start clipping!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Ceremony Music

2011-11-23T05:54:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today feels like winter. I like the work break winter offers but I HATE being cold! So, today, with the snow, I’m hibernating near my heater.

What warms me up is thinking about the upcoming nuptials. So, today on Wedding Wednesday I’m going to share with you what Ryan and I decided to do for our ceremony music.

Now, I know normally, especially if you are getting married in a church, you get someone to play to organ or the piano. Being that my Dad plays the piano I’m sure that’s what some people assumed I would be doing.

After some thought I realized that the formal piano/organ didn’t reflect us and didn’t reflect our idea for our wedding. We knew we wanted something special for our music. I mean, I come from a very musical family and music is very important to me.

The piano/organ is something that we listen to when we are at church on Sundays. I love the piano. I have very fond memories of listening to my Dad practice every Sunday before church. But, I find the music that we listen to when we celebrate when family and friends get together looks something more like this…

And that’s what we wanted for the wedding ceremony.

We wanted the warm sound of a guitar and the smooth harmony of a fiddle. The two have the ability to have give you goose bumps during a slow tune and make you want to tap your foot to the beat of an up-tempo waltz.

Now, I don’t mean to brag or anything but there must be something in the air of our small town (or water. That’s a whole other post for another day, yuck!) of the Pontiac because we have some AMAZING musicians here.

It’s rare that you don’t go somewhere and no one has brought a musical instrument. A good time can be created anywhere.

The music is classic bluegrass, Irish ditties, new and old country, classic rock/alternative, plus lots of original pieces like “Poncho”.

It’s music that my grandparents, parents, and our generation all know and sing along to.

It’s the sound of some of the greatest gatherings surrounded by friends and family.

There’s no other sound or music that represents us, our community, and our lives better then that of a small town jam session.

Now, we need to find the perfect people to help us. Stay tuned for that next week!

Happy Wednesday!

Breaking Dawn Part 1….Is There Anything Else To Talk About, Really?

2011-11-21T05:57:00.001-08:00

It all began on Thursday. The day I was looking forward to for about a month. Yes, it is nice starting your weekend on a Thursday but it is even more nice loading up in a car with some of your best friends, heading to the city and staying up all night to watch the midnight première of….

BREAKING DAWN PART 1

To was such an exciting day leading up to leaving for the premiere. To focus on work was nearly impossible. But finally the hour had come so Jill grabbed her Burger King Twilight crown and we drove to Sharon’s blasting the Justin Bieber Christmas C.D…Epic start!

Sharon, Jilly and I drove to pick up Britt then grabbed our tickets and settled in to Montana’s to have a nice, long supper.

We arrived at the theatre at 9 PM. Exactly how we had planned it. We got comfortable at the end of the line of hard core fans. All the sudden, 30 minutes later, there was a a bunch of screams and stampeding. They had opened the doors to the theatre!

We settled into our awesome theatre seats and relaxed, slept and read before the movie! Surprisingly enough the time passed by really quickly. I guess that’s what happens when your with your friends. Finally, the beginning of the movie….So exciting!

The movie was EVERYTHING I hoped it to be! Not disappointed at all! Bella and Edward have really grown up and now are husband and wife! It’s a surreal and sad feeling knowing there is only one more twilight movie. The midnight premiere experience was just that; an experience. As tired as I was it added to the excitement of watching the movie for the first time! I would definitely do it again next year for Breaking Dawn Part 2!

Friday, being off, I relaxed, cleaned up and slept after not getting home until about 3:30 AM! That evening I headed to Shawville to go out for a Baby Shower dinner in honor of Priscilla!

It was a great night chatting about the newest baby that is to arrive within the next month! Chat, eat a yummy meal, and compared baby bellies!

Saturday was such a great day to get stuff done around the house! I was up with the birds and gave the house a good cleaning. Then I prepared some breakfast because Sharon, Wayne and little Emma were joining us for brunch and a quick game of Euchre where us girls were the winners! Woo Hoo!

Sunday, after church, Ryan and I headed over to Mom and Dad’s for Holly and Dad’s celebration movie night and dinner! The movie of the birthday boy’s choice, Finding Nemo. Faith and her new buddy Brodee settled in together.

There were so many yummy snacks to nibble on during the movie!

After the movie we ate some supper and then it was birthday cake time! Faith LOVES singing Happy Birthday!

The birthday boy and girl with all the kids!

It was a FULL busy weekend but super fun! It started with a midnight premiere and went up hill from there!

How was your weekend?

Wedding Wednesday – Save The Date Postcard

2011-11-16T06:10:00.001-08:00

It’s really hard for me to focus today. It’s Wednesday which is normally exciting because it’s "Wedding Wednesday” but today is Wednesday….you know the day before Thursday. And Thursday means BREAKING DAWN PART 1!

Today on Wedding Wednesday I’d like to show you our save the dates! Now, I know normally people from this small town don’t usually send save the dates. In fact, I’ve only ever gotten one before and I thought it was the nicest keepsake. So, being that some of our guests are from out of town we (and by we I mean me) decided that it was a fun little token to send out.

While chatting with Julie for the first time about engagement pictures I mentioned an idea I had. The idea was instead of sending out a save the date that I needed an envelope for we would make it into a postcard. The whole stuffing envelope thing is totally over rated anyways!

Engagement pictures went off without a hitch and Ryan and I picked a couple of our favorites photos. I had seen an example of a verse that I loved and used that for the back. It said:

We have set the date of May 12th, 2012 for our wedding. Please save the date and mark it with a big heart on your calendar. You are important in our lives and our wedding will not be the same without you there.

Formal invitation to follow.

Love, Lindsay and Ryan

Cute right? Julie sent me a few mock up’s for us to choose from and get this…I let Ryan pick the winner! Yup, you read that right. This control freak let her fiancé choose the save the dates. I liked this one….

But Ryan liked this one. So, it was the winner.

Now, I’m going to confuse some people because I recently learnt this is not how most people do this whole “guest list” thing.

In our area very close family and friends get invited to the wedding, dinner and reception. Then there is reception only people. They get invited to the dancing portion of the wedding. It’s not that reception only guests aren’t as important. In fact, we wouldn’t want to have the reception without them. But there is only so much space for wedding guests in halls/churches and then usually more reception space to boogey!

So, after that back ground, we made our “wedding guests” and “reception guests” list. We were going to send save the dates to wedding guests only and we (and when I say we I mean me, again) needed to gather mailing addresses!

Holy Moly is that ever hard! In the world of e-mailing and texting I RARELY send mail! Getting addresses was hard work but finally they were done! I used labels to print the addresses and stuck them on the save the dates with a stamp! Last Sunday, November 13,1 day less then 6 months till the wedding, we sent the save the dates!

My little package all ready for the mail box.

In the mail they go!

It was such a relief to get the save the dates sent and an even BIGGER relief to say that I have all the mailing addresses for wedding guests when we need them! I hope all the guests like their save the date postcards!

Happy Wednesday!

Craft Fair Weekend, A Little Recreation and Vampires!

2011-11-14T04:32:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday! The weekend passed in a blink as the weekends usually do. It was a weekend frenzy of activity! Let’s start at the beginning.

Friday afternoon I gathered and finalized all of my projects for the Onslow School craft sale on Saturday. I have been crafting for a while for myself and my family/friends. I knew some of the things that I was making people might like so I took my chance and put a table into the craft fair. Was I nervous? Absolutely. Not only am I as awkward as they come (standing behind a table while people come up to talk to me) but I also had the crafts that I love on display for scrutiny. Yikes!

Here is what my table looked like:

I had crayon rolls, aprons (tied with a wooden spoon), hair bows, holiday gift tags, nativity scenes, body sets (2 homemade lip balms, body scrub and soap) and wooden angels (actually Ryan made these). Yes, pretty random stuff, I know. Normally tables have a theme but I just wanted to make all the stuff that I love to make.

Overall, the craft fair was a great experience! I met some pretty great ladies some for the first time (Hi Jen!) and I got to sit across friends Stacy and Josee and chat when things got quiet. It was fun showing off all the things that I make while making some money for Christmas as well. Thanks to everyone who came out to see and support me on Saturday! :-)

After a busy craft fair I had to lay down for a quick nap because that evening Ryan and I picked up his niece and nephew and headed out for supper. The kids got pretty antsy during supper anticipating some skating! We headed to the arena and laced up our skates and skated to the music for an hour and a half.

It was fun visiting with the kids but I was pooped keeping up to them! ha ha! It was fun skating for the first time this winter season.

Sunday morning we got up early and headed over to my parents house for coffee and breakfast! We wanted to get there early to wish my Dad a very happy birthday!

Sunday afternoon I finally put away my Halloween decorations! I’m so glad to finally have some free time to take them down but it took all my strength not to go ahead and put up some Christmas decorations. Do you have any Christmas stuff up yet?

That afternoon I headed over to Sharon’s with Jilly for supper and a Twilight marathon! We have tickets for the MIDNIGHT PREIMERE of Breaking Dawn this Thursday and we wanted to refresh out minds (and hearts) to our favorite little vampire and werewolf. I haven’t seen the movies in forever and it made me super excited to see the next one on THURSDAY! WOO HOO! Hope the days pass by quickly.

How was your weekend?

House Tour – Stairs and Hallway

2011-11-11T05:25:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday everyone! Is it just me or has this week been going slooooooow! Not that it has been a bad week, it’s just dragged on! This week I’ve been working my behind off finishing some things for the up coming Onslow School craft fair! But, I’m there and excited to show off some of the things I love to create!

This past Tuesday a Rav full of ladies and I went to see Footloose (on cheap night I might add, $5.99, woo hoo!). I’ve heard mixed reviews about the movie. Some love it and others who had a connection with the old one didn’t like it. I went in there open minded though.

I have to say… I loved it! I had to hold on tight half of the time so that I didn’t start busting out the dance moves in my seat. I really enjoy fell good kind of movies. And this guy….

Made the movie for me! I love that dorky, funny kind of guy! I loved Willard!

They showed a preview clip before the movie of Breaking Dawn, Part 1 and I let out an excited gasp! I cannot wait to go see it next week!

Alright, onto the title of this post already. So, early on in the renovation we replaced the carpet upstairs. Gray, 20 year old carpet, bleh! We decided to replace the floor in the hallways and bedrooms with what was original to the rest of the house, birch.

Before

Upon lifting the carpet we found more super glued tiles…good golly! A little elbow grease and lot of blood, sweat and tears (well ok I was the only one that cried) it was all up!

The hardwood went down and I couldn’t have been any happier!

After

I personally have a dislike for carpet because I like to see the “clean” in my floors. My mind starts playing tricks on me wondering what could be underneath carpet.

The stairs were a WHOLE other ballgame. Yes, they had the same dingy grey carpet on them and the railing my parents painted chocolate brown when they first moved in as newlyweds.

THEY PAINTED THE NATURAL WOOD CHOCOLATE BROWN. I nearly strangled them when I heard this.

We tore up the carpet, removed all the staples and then hired a professional to strip the stairs to their natural state.

It saved us A TON of money by leaving the spindles and risers painted and giving them a fresh coat of white paint. The railing, steps and big posts were stripped and then coated in a clean stain.

It was a lot of work to get all of it done. But here they are in all their glory, the new stairs.

This was literally the first “big” project that was completed in the house. This project was the start of the “great renovation adventure of 2008, 2009, 2010 and on going”. Mom and Dad had never actually painted their walls upstairs before. So, we gave the white walls a fresh coat of paint and replaced the old brown light switches with new white ones!

I didn’t have the heart to paint over this little scroll that Mom painted on the stairs when they were first married. So, it’s gonna stay probably forever or until someone else lives there and decides they don’t like it.

Has it been a stressful process throughout these last 3 years of renovating? Heck yes. Is it over? Definitely not. But, it is totally worth it? Most definitely! It’s nice to have completed another part of the house.

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Engagement Pictures

2011-11-09T05:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today on Wedding Wednesday I have to warn you that this post is very photo heavy! I’d like to show you some of my favorite pictures from our engagement session! There are some that were on the website that I shared with you a couple of weekends ago but not all.

Of course I have to start with my favorite location in the bush behind our house. It’s my grandfathers old car that he placed in the bush because that’s what they did back then since there was no scrap yard! It made for awesome pictures!

Since our theme is “vintage” I began looking through the old farm house attic and found this old suitcase! It worked perfect for some of the pictures! It will definitely make an appearance as wedding decor! Julie also brought this BEAUTIFUL bouquet. While holding it for some shots with Ryan holding this suitcase (in front of the car) it made me have this feeling like we were already married and leaving for our honeymoon. It was a fun feeling.

There is also this fallen tree in the bush that was great to sit on!

After a change of outfit and location we moved to the Ottawa River where our water pump is location to draw water to irrigate our turf crop in the hot summer months.

There were so many frogs running around so I had to grab one!

Finally, our last location. The location that is one of the most sentimental. Our future home. The home that I grew up in. The home that Ryan will move into after we are married. The home that we will hopefully raise our family in one day.

First, a picnic in the backyard on my parents old quilt. Which was a wedding gift to them and has been passed down to me.

Then to the bench and under the big maple tree.

Finally, the last ones in the house! I know I always say “our” house. So, for clarity, it is technically my house until we get married because we don’t live together. BUT I always say our home because it will be and we have both worked very hard renovating it, together.

Last, but certainly not least, some with Tucker! Our little “furbaby”!

Thank you Julie, from Julie C Butler photography, again for taking our engagement pictures! You are so talented and these pictures will be cherished for the rest of my life! A fun reminder of the exciting time in our lives, anticipating our upcoming nuptials!

Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Recap – Point Form

2011-11-07T05:52:00.001-08:00

Good morning lovelies! It’s the “dreaded” Monday again! The weekend went by so quickly, let’s recap shall we?

- Ryan and were very sad when the T.V in our basement broke! Our newly renovation basement! Bah! The repair guy told us it would cost $600 to fix this 15 year old T.V. I don’t think so Mister! I think I’d rather put that money towards a new one! So, after scraping and saving for 3 months we got the money and bought our new T.V. It’s actually the same one as the living room T.V.!

- To celebrate we went to Montana’s for supper! Spinach dip….yum….

- My house looks like a tornado blew through it! I still have all my Halloween/fall decorations up and it’s almost the middle of November! Yikes!

- The reason my house looks like a tornado ran through it is because of the upcoming craft sale at Onslow School in my small town! I am facing my fears and putting a table in the craft sale selling all of the items I love to make! My craft stuff is scattered everywhere but I am very proud of all the things I’ve made!

- My toes look very pretty inside of my work boots! You wouldn’t know it but inside these dirty work boots is beautiful red toes! On Saturday at the Escape day I got a pedicure! It was amazing and throughout the rest of the weekend I would take my socks off just to look at my pretty toes!

- I also got a facial at the Escape day! So, # 5 off the 101 list is done! It was my very first facial and I swear the BEST service I ever got at any escape day! Pretty face and pretty toes…great Saturday! :-)

- Sunday at Church Maddy had a tea party at the front! It was so cute! I loved her little tea set and I even got to sip on some delicious tea myself!

- Yesterday I met with Rebekka for brunch! It was so nice to visit over some yummy breakfast! Then, the evil girl she is, begged me to go to Jacob in Kanata (ok, maybe it was my suggestion). Upon arrival I went and spent way too much money on some awesome winter clothes! Every piece that I bought was on sale, that makes it better, right?

I bought this:

And this (and about 4 other things)

- When I got home from lunch Ryan had brought his nephew Caleb for a visit! Love that kid! He helped Ryan power wash the house and had supper with us! Ryan loves having him over too so he has someone to play basketball with! My “B-BALL” skills are limited!

How was your weekend?

Dear….

2011-11-04T05:47:00.001-07:00

Dear November,

You are my new best friend! I even bought you a friendship necklace. Your half says best! I am so happy to see you here! You’re friend October is totally overrated, it is you, who is the star in my night sky! You bring hope to all little turf farmers like myself. This hope tells me, why yes, the end of the season is around the corner.

Love your (best) friend,

Sleepless in Sea….Quyon.

Dear Save-The-Date cards,

Can you please address your self. Enough said.

Sincerely,

Blushing bride

Hello Holiday Spirit,

Where are you Christmas…..Why can’t I find you….Do you know that song? It’s from The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. I’m looking for you. I’m hoping you are going to make a surprise appearance soon, Holiday Spirit! I’m getting the itch to decorate now that Halloween is over! Lights, baking, trees, wreaths, carols….oh my! I just can’t wait!

Kindest Regards,

Anxious

Dear Ryan,

I know I roll my eyes when I open my camera only to find you have secretly taken a picture with it of yourself. However, I actually think it is really funny and it makes me smile!

Love,

Your future wife

Dear Anyone Reading This,

I hope you have a wonderful and restful weekend!

Love,

Lindsay

P.S Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – The Minister

2011-11-02T04:39:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! On this edition of Wedding Wednesday I was going to tell you about another item on the wedding check list but then I changed my mind.

Our Minister, Nancy, has been under the weather lately with a cold. As well, her mother is undergoing surgeries at the Ottawa Heart Institute. In fact, today she is getting another stent put in so please say a little prayer this morning for her. So, I decided that with all the stress that Nancy was going through, it would be a good “pick me up” to tell you about this wonderful woman!

Taken from Nancy’s facebook.

Please meet Nancy, our little congregation’s student minister who has been with us for about 4 years now.

Within the first little while of our wedding planning Ryan and I never even really discussed who we would ask to be the minister on our special day. Being that we both go to church where Nancy preaches, it was just a given that we were going to ask her!

Thankfully, Nancy agreed to be one of the most important parts of our special day! For this, Ryan and I are so glad!

One of my first memories of Nancy was on a Sunday morning a few years ago. Around that time I was working at Gavan’s. Bartending on Friday/Saturday nights and not getting home till sometimes 4:00 AM. Being that church was at 10:30 AM I was struggling with being able to get up to attend after a full/late shift standing on concrete. On this particular Sunday, I was able to attend and sat in my regular pew with my parents. I guess my parents were surprised to see me and both came up to me and said: “Wow, I’m surprised to see you here.” and “What are you doing here?”

At that moment I internally knew that they were just surprised to see me after a late night working but it also made me feel guilty that I couldn’t be there more often. In a way, I felt a little attacked because they hadn’t first said “Good morning”.

Nancy had been standing near (although I didn’t see her) and heard this and without hesitation came over and said:

“Well, I am sure glad to see you here this morning Lindsay.”

That simple sentence not only made me stand up a little straighter but made me feel so loved. This woman, who at the time as practically a stranger, made me feel so loved and welcomed when at that moment I felt very down.

Ryan and I have both grown to know and love Nancy and her family. This fun, sweet, vibrant and spiritual woman who is from a large city, leads our services in our small town every week. Through her sermons she is able to touch her congregation, young and old. Nancy is the perfect person to marry Ryan and I on May 12th, 2012.

Thank you Nancy for your spiritual guidance and for being part of our special day.

It’s Here, It’s Really Here! Welcome To November!

2011-11-01T05:41:00.001-07:00

Wow! It’s November! I can’t believe this day is here. You see, when things get tough in the summer with work you will usually find my brother or myself saying, “don’t worry, it’s almost November”. By wishing it is November we are saying that even though it is tough at that moment the quieter season is fast approaching! Now, it’s here!

Last night was Halloween! I have loved Halloween for the longest time! When I was a kid I would put together the treat bags for my parents! That’s how much I loved it! Now, I still love putting those treat bags together! I love picking out the type of candy for the kids!

Because I live in the boonies (and only get about 20 kids) I can go all out stuffing those paper bags with lots of goodies! This year was no exception! We had Kool Aid jammers, 3-4 different chocolates, mini Chips Ahoy, mini cheese and crackers, gum tape, and even little spider/skull rings! It was a blast to put them together and I love to see the smile on the kids faces as I place the treat in their bag! They know, the heavier bag must mean good treats!

Another of my favorite traditions is carving the pumpkin! This was a tradition my parents and my brother and I have had forever! We would always do it together! Since Ryan and I have been together we have done a pumpkin together too. This year was no different except we had an extra helper, Ryan’s nephew, Caleb!

We all had fun picking a face and at the end our scary pumpkin was done!

Being that last night was Halloween I got home early so I could set up my kitchen for Trick or Treaters! Even though we live way back country we still manage to get 20 kids. I always anticipate getting those little witches and goblins, it’s so much fun! This year, like the last three years, my first trick or treater was Maddy!

Then my brother and his wife came over with Faith and Clark! (Or Princess and Mexican!)

Then…it stopped. We had no more kids for almost an hour! I was getting a little nervous that we wouldn’t have anymore! So, I took a picture of Tucker in his costume instead! He was a little embarrassed! ha ha!

But, without fear our regular visitors came dressed as, Count Dracula, a fire fighter, and a giant gorilla! The numbers however were down! We only had 10 kids this year and now I have WAY too much candy leftover!

Halloween is over now that today is the first day of November. I’ll pack away my pumpkins and scarecrows until next year. I’ll begin thinking about Christmas decorations and when I can put them out!

Although Halloween isn’t a favorite for most people I love it! I love the traditions that my parents started that I am continuing as I start my own family. It’s those traditions that made the occasion so special.

Happy November 1st!

Busy Week Leading Into a Busy Weekend! Phew!

2011-10-31T06:27:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! Last week flew by in a flurry of activity. It all revolved around the arrival of the new flock of my brothers layer hens! 9000 in total….

Yes, I said 9000! That’s alot of birds!

But they are all in their new home laying away!

Friday was finally here and over before I knew it! I was SO looking forward to book club on Friday night! I had missed the last discussion and the book on the table to discuss that night was one I couldn’t get out of my mind!

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult was the book of discussion for Friday evening. It is the story of a high schooler named Peter who after years of bullying, goes into his high school and opens fire killing 10 and injuring many more. You read Josie and Peter’s stories and get an inside look at the torture that Peter faced. I had a very difficult time figuring out which side I was on. At one point in the book I hated Peter for the school shooting and then the next chapter I sympathized with him.

It was an AWESOME discussion on Friday night lasting about three straight hours! It was so great to reflect on the book and get other people’s opinions!

This weekend was the start of hunting season so Ryan was off to try to get a big buck on Saturday! I went and grabbed some groceries, stopped in at Ryan’s parents and then worked on some stuff around home!

That evening we left for Shawville to enjoy supper and then watch my brother in Joseph And The Technicolor Dreamcoat. It was an AMAZING show and the highlight had to have been when a friend, Phil, came of as pharaoh and then did an Elvis impersonation! It was epic!

Sunday morning Ryan and I helped set up for the church’s harvest supper and then I went to church and Ryan went to hockey.

As soon as we were both home in the early afternoon we headed across the ferry to celebrate my birthday, again! For my birthday Ryan got me hockey tickets and Sunday was game night!

We started the afternoon off by running some errands and doing some shopping! We then enjoyed an AMAZING (calorie free of course….) supper at Wild Wings!

Having some fun while shopping!

Finally, it was game time!! Sens versus Leafs! I was decked out in my white and blue and pumped for the game to start! We had great seats!

Unfortunately, the Sens won, 3-2 and it was a well deserved win! The Leafs looked slow last night! At least it was a close game which made it interesting! What made it even more interesting was the very drunk leaf fan behind me falling on me and pushing me into the next row after the 2nd goal! Geesh! Thank goodness for Ryan and the guy in the row ahead of us catching me!

It was a great LAST WEEKEND IN OCTOBER (holy moly!)! We got to see a great small town musical and celebrate my birthday with a hockey game!

How was your weekend?

Friday Craft – Wilhelmina The Witch

2011-10-28T04:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! Most weeks I am glad to see this day come and today is no exception!! It has been one busy week and a little rest and relaxation is going to do me some good.

A week ago today, after work, a bunch of ladies joined me at my house to come and do a craft! I usually don’t tell them what we are making just so it can be a little surprise when they arrive.

This craft I have booked marked on my computer under “crafts” for almost 2 years ago! I have wanted to make it but never could get around to doing so. Well, hosting a craft night is the perfect opportunity to get my butt into gear and try this craft out for myself too!

Here’s the supplies we needed:

- 4 mm Plywood

- 8 mm Plywood

- Orange, black, white, pink and skin colored paint

- Drill and screw (I used 3.2 mm bit)

- Flat and round paint brush

- Cotton balls

- Q-tips

- Green raffia ribbon

- Halloween colored ribbon

- Hot glue gun and sticks

- Standard wood sawing supplies

AND last but certainly not least, a VERY handsome assistant to help you with the whole cutting the wood/drilling part!

1. Print out pattern that is found on this website and cut it all out. Trace the pattern on wood and cut it out. Sand if necessary.

2. Paint ALL pieces with white as an under coat.

3. Paint the hat, shoes, bird and collar black. Paint the face and hands with beige. Allow to dry and then paint the sleeves and dress orange.

4. Go ahead and get your handsome assistant to screw an additional piece of unpainted wood to the shoes. This will act as your anchor.

5. Now, your ready for a girls craft night OR in other words doing the fun decorative stuff! First decorative step is to take a thin, flat paint brush and out line the black stuff in white and the orange in black. This will give your figure some definition.

5. Take a cotton ball and dip in black or white paint. Dap excess of cotton ball onto a piece of paper towel. Lightly bounce cotton ball on wood surface giving the figure a more aged appearance.

6. Draw on face in black with paint brush and dab Q-tip in pink paint to make round cheeks.

7. Cut pieces of green raffia ribbon for hair. Attach “hair” to the head of the witch with hot glue gun.

8. Now time to assemble! Hot glue gun the hat, collar and arms to witch. Allow to dry. Attach bird onto hands of the witch. Make a bow out of your ribbon and attack to the hat of the witch. Put a line of hot glue on the back of your witch and attach to shoes! Allow to dry.

9. Set Wilhelmina The Witch out for Halloween and enjoy!

Wedding Wednesday – Photographer

2011-10-26T06:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Not only is today Wedding Wednesday but there is also another neat thing about today….We are out of the 200’s people! Officially today there is 199 days till wedding day! Wow! I remember looking back at the number when it came under 300 hundred thinking “this is going to be forever from now” but in reality the days are passing by so quick!

Today I’d like to introduce you all to a very special woman. Her name is Julie and she is going to be our photographer for the big day. Let’s rewind shall we?

When I first started wedding planning we were looking at an alternate venue. I googled (of course) this venue for some pictures for inspiration. Well, one of the photos that I saved was by Julie C Butler Photography.

Once Ryan and I decided we wanted to get married around home the planning process began. We picked our date and then the first thing I did was contact Julie. That’s right, before venue, catering or other I wanted to book my photographer! You see, to me, pictures really do last a life time. It might rain the day of the wedding, the flowers might not be perfect and the food could go wrong but the pictures are something that I want to be able to fondly look back on remembering the day.

Julie’s pictures on her website were amazing and I knew instantly that her style was what I wanted. The only problem, she lives over an hour away from home! I nervously emailed her asking if she was willing to travel and she instantly said, “Yes”! Phew!

I met with Julie in April and instantly there was a connection. We agreed on a package and booked the engagement pictures for later that summer.

When that date rolled around Julie drove all the way to our home to take our engagements pictures for us! It was at that morning photo session where I got to know Julie better and now consider her a friend.

Here is a link to some of the pictures on Julie’s blog of our engagement session.

A lot more like this one to come!

There is a comfort level with Julie that I wish I could explain. It’s nice to know that on one of the most nerve racking days of my life (the wedding) that I have a comfortable and fun relationship with Julie and that alone helps settle the nerves.

Julie’s skill/talent is truly amazing! Many of Julie’s pictures have been shown on wedding blogs and magazines from all over! Besides her talent she is a beautiful person both inside and out!

I am so thankful to have gotten to know such a wonderful person both personally and professionally! Thank you Julie for being our wedding photographer!

Weekend Recap

2011-10-24T05:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone! The weekend is over and it’s back to the grindstone, back to reality. It’s hard to believe that today is the last week of October. I’ve been dreaming of November for months now! It’s almost here.

Why have I been dreaming of November? Well, the summer and fall are especially busy times for Ryan and I. We are both looking forward to a little break, a little breather. In the winter months we have a more regular schedule and can actually make plans during work days.

This weekend’s weather was chilly! That kind of cold that gets you to the bone. You know the one, it’s where even when you enter a warm building you are still chilled.

The weekend started out on Friday afternoon after work. I prepared supper and then transformed the kitchen into a craft area. The ladies were coming over for another craft night! I was very excited for this craft because it was one that I have had book marked for a long time. I was excited to do this craft myself and share it with the girls!

More to come about that on Friday! :-)

On Saturday I was up early to get ready for the Ottawa Wedding Show with mom! Ryan lucked out of coming because he had a hockey tournament. I have to say that although we have most of the stuff booked for the wedding it was still fun to look around at other vendors. I got to meet the wonderful team who will be doing my hair and makeup and got an awesome coupon for finding a men’s wedding band…25% off if we get one from that store!

The best part of the wedding show would have to have been the fashion show!! Mom and I took our seats for what we thought would have been a 15 minute showing of some bridal gowns. Well, it turned out to be an very rehearsed, 1 hour show of groomsmen attire, flower girl, bridesmaids and bridal gowns. It was cool!

After the wedding show mom and I headed home to relax for the rest of the afternoon. I also got to do one of my most favorite things, assemble Halloween bags!! I have to say, we have have really good stuff in them this year!

Saturday night Ryan and I headed to Gavan’s for a stag honoring Krista and Kyle’s upcoming nuptials! It was a FULL crowd. The place was packed to the rafters! Everyone wanted to come out and support the bride and groom who are amazing members of the Pontiac community!

Sunday morning it was off to church for a chilling but eye opening sermon about loving your neighbor. Recent news events involving Jamey Hubley the teen boy who was bullied and took his own life and the Chinese baby who got ran over and 18 people walked by before someone stopped to help her. These chilling events made you think that these bullies and the people who chose to ignore the injured toddler were not acting like good Christians.

The rest of Sunday was spent resting and getting ready for a busy week ahead. How about your weekend?

The Story Behind The Tin Foil Numbers

2011-10-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

You might have noticed over the course of this little blog a certain birthday decoration that appears at every family birthday celebration.

The tin foil numbers!

You might be asking yourself? What the heck is the deal with this little piece of decoration? If not, well, I’m gonna tell you anyways. :-)

The story begins in the present day. As I have mentioned I own/work on our family farm. It is more then just a farm though. We do all of custom turf work for local schools and cities. We have 400 acres of sod and about 40 (amazing) employees. But it didn’t start out that way…..

In 1977 my parents started Mountainview sod farm. They were young, engaged to be married and broke! My parents still laugh at how they would save up for months in order to rent a VHS player and movie to watch on a Saturday night.

Many moons later in 1983 their lives changed when they brought home a healthy baby boy..AKA..my brother. And their lives went down hill from there…

TOTALLY KIDDING! Jared’s not that bad! :-)

They began renovating one of the old farm houses that they lived in and so money got even tighter but they wanted to give their kid the best of what they could afford…especially for his upcoming birthday!

With a birthday comes the usual…food, cake and decorations. The food and the cake were simple for my Mom who loved to cook at that time. But the decorations were an issue and they didn’t have money to go out and buy any at that time. So, she got creative.

Out of an old cereal box she traced out Jared’s age. She cut out this number and sat back and thought it kind of looked boring. With no modge podge or glitter pens in those days she decided to take a roll of tin foil and wrap it around the number to give it a little sparkle. The perfect birthday decoration to hang over the kitchen table for Jared.

It’s been many years, and many birthdays since then.

Traditions have been changed or altered and Jared (and hopefully Ryan and I one day too) has started his own family with their own traditions. There is however one thing that still remains to this day at every birthday party….

The tin foil birthday number! It’s a simple decoration yet a reminder every year at the humble beginning my parents had and how to appreciate the things that matter most. Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Videographer

2011-10-19T06:08:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! Hope the week is passing by quickly for everyone!

On Wedding Wednesday today I’m gonna talk about something that Ryan and I decided to splurge on. When we first got engaged I went google crazy! I looked up EVERYTHING. One of the websites that I encountered was a real life list of what brides wish they could have done differently about their wedding if they could.

There were many small things like, color, beef instead of chicken and etc. One thing that about 75% of the brides were consistent about was that they regretted not having a video to look back on of their wedding day.

Hiring a videographer is one thing that doesn’t actually come to a brides mind when you start the whole planning process. The top things (in my opinion) I booked right away, venue, photographer (more on that next week) and caterer.

After all of the above was confirmed it was time to move on to other details of the wedding. After reading all the encouraging words from other brides I had googled, I knew right away that it would be fun to have a video to watch of our wedding.

Ryan and I are small town people. We live and more importantly work in this small town. One of the things that we really appreciate is when we get local business. For the most part, as a company, we get a lot of local business. When we started this planning process we agreed that we would keep our business as local as possible for the wedding.

Unfortunately, in the small interior of our town there is no videographer. But, just a short piece down the road in a neighboring small town we found, Video Keepsakes.

I was a little unsure as to what to expect as far as a wedding video goes. The owner met with me here at our farm which really put me at ease. Now, let’s get something straight, I am not a crier. I’m not overly sappy and it takes ALOT to get me to cry! Well, the moment the example video began my eye’s started to tear up. Good sign.

I think about being a kid looking through my parents wedding album and now thinking about how fun it would be to watch a video of their wedding. That is not going to happen but I am so happy that Ryan and I will have such a precious keepsake to watch for years to come.

Videographer….Check!

My Very First Car Rally!

2011-10-17T05:54:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!! The weekend sure did pass by in a blink! It’s time to buckle down for a long week…no four day week this time!

This weekend was a busy one!!! Full of activity! It all started on Friday afternoon where left work early with Mom and Ryan to head down town to see my cousins art exhibit in the Gord Harrison art gallery! Carol Westcott is an amazing artist from Toronto. Her work in amazing and we really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see her and her work displayed in Ottawa! We are all very proud of her!

Carol’s work

After being at the art gallery for a little while Ryan and I headed west for Kanata. We ran some errands and then met with our group of friends at Montana’s for a yummy….yet UBER long supper! Let’s just say our waitress must have been new and the poor thing had two big groups! It was a long night but we still had an awesome visit with friends!! Happy (belated) birthday to Stacy and Sharon!

On Saturday morning Ryan and I were up early to get ready for my very first Quyon Car Rally!! I was so excited! I had never been on the Car Rally before and I was anxious to get going! With the car packed up with snacks Dad, Ryan and I hit the road on our adventure! We were the very first team to leave for the day!!

And an adventure it was! Let’s just say the rally is not easy!! But half way through I kind of figured it out and we did pretty well placing 19th place (out of about 40-50). I can’t wait for it again next year!!

Sunday Ryan and I were up at our normal working time and headed to friends Shawn and Vee’s to give them a hand with some yard work! We enjoyed a visit with them but working outside when it was cold was weird! It’s really starting to feel like winter is on it’s way!!

The weekend is over but I had a couple of firsts! My very first experience at an art gallery and my first car rally! I can’t believe I have waited all these years to be on a car rally! What a mistake! I had an amazing time and can’t wait to do it again next year!

How was your weekend?

Canning Gone Wrong BUT Cheez Whiz To The Rescue!

2011-10-14T05:53:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone! As short as the week has been I am still really glad to see it end! It’s been pretty gloomy yet busy around this little corner of my world!

I really am starting to like this whole growing your own vegetables and using them all year around thing. One thing I DIDN’T want to plant was tomatoes. See I’m not a huge fan of raw tomatoes and Ryan isn’t either. But we do like our fresh tomato sauces and I mix it into a lot of recipes to force a little veggies down Ry’s throat!

I decided to try my hand at growing my own Roma tomatoes this year in a few clay pots on my porch. For the most part they grew great and I had myself a little supply of tomatoes to try to can.

At the end of August I picked all my rip tomatoes to begin the process of cooking them.

Yup! That’s it…that’s all the tomatoes I got. Hardly enough to bother canning! So, I decided instead I was going to prepare them for supper and have FRESH tomato sauce! I pretty much thought I was a genius at that point……it didn’t last long….

The first thing I did was start boiling a pot of water on the stove. I then dropped my tomatoes into this boiling water for 1-2 minutes.

After sitting in the hot tub for a bit I dropped the tomatoes into very cold water. (You are suppose to put it in an ice bath but I didn’t have any ice).

Once the tomatoes have cooled down from the cold water the skin slides right off!! It’s like magic! So simple!

Now, time for the dirty part….Next I had to cut my tomatoes in half

and then squeeze the guts out of them…literally! Squeezed all the seeds and pulp out of those suckers!

Finally, they were ready for the pot! I stuck em’ in another pot and stuck it on the stove on medium heat. I didn’t have to worry about adding water because apparently the tomatoes have enough water in them.

I placed the lid on the pot and let it simmer for about 1 hour. Magically, the tomatoes broke down and were starting to look like sauce!

I put another pot on the stove to make some noodles because my special sauce was almost done!

Now, the recipe said to add 1/4 cup of sugar….so I did…..

Uh oh….I should of looked more closely...that’s 1/4 TEASPOON of sugar. I thought I would throw some spices in this very sweet sauce and you wouldn’t notice…WRONG! Bleh. It was awful! And now I had cooked noodles with no sauce. So, I quickly added some cheez whiz to these noodles before Ryan got home and VOILA “supper”. ha ha

After growing those tomato plants for months and spending over an hour cooking them it was all ruined because I didn’t double check the recipe….woops. Not quite the genius I thought I was…ha ha! Better luck next year!

Happy Friday!

xo

Wedding Wednesday And My Birthday!

2011-10-12T04:34:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone!! It’s going to be a short work week, thank goodness. I had a hard time realizing that today was actually Wednesday….weird!

But, it is Wednesday. In fact, its Wednesday, October 12th, 2011 or in other words…My 24th birthday! That feels so weird to type! No, I don’t think I’m “old” per say! I know I have a lot of years ahead of me but I still can’t help but have this, “wow I’m 24, that’s so close to a quarter of a century” feeling! I think about all that has happened in those 24 years of life and how it has brought me here today. I keep thinking, this is my last birthday as an unwed woman and that in it’s self is a little weird as well.

Maybe I’m facing the facts now. In a few (7 months as of today to be exact) months I will become a Mrs. I will no longer be a 23 year old bachelorette. This time next year on my 25th birthday (AHHH!!) I will have a husband. A husband!

So, being that today is my birthday and that actually entitles me to Princess status for the day…What? Just humor me ok? :-) And so I’m gonna fill you in on Wedding tidbits! You know, some stuff that doesn’t need a WHOLE post to talk about but that I don’t want to leave out!

Wedding Central:

This is my sunroom. It is right off of the kitchen and it is enjoyed 3 out of the 4 seasons. It has now been dubbed, Wedding Central. This is where all of the wedding “do-dads” are being put as a safe place until WDay.

P.S Wday is now my new short for version for Wedding Day for all those who I text.

MASON JAR CRAZY:

See those pretty gems sitting in wedding central? Well, within those boxes lies my future centre pieces. Yes, I wanted mason jars as centre pieces and yes, I made Mom freak out when I told her I didn’t need to buy them yet. Apparently, stores don’t carry a lot of mason jars out of canning season….who knew! :-)

SCREW YOU “NO INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING”! I LIVE IN CANADA NOT ZIMBABWE!

There are these awesome gifts that Ryan and I want to get the groomsmen! We sat down and prepared said gifts and clicked send. Well, of course this NEW YORK based company will not ship said gifts to me in Canada! I mean, HELLO…I can drive to your office in like 6 hours but you won’t ship me those items! Let’s see the geographical difference shall we?

That measly red line….THAT my friends is the difference! BAH!

First dance blues:

For the life of us Ryan and I can’t pick a first dance song. We’re not overly mushy gushy about things like that and so we never did have a “our song”.

Actually that is a lie. We kind of have a song but it is SO not first wedding dance appropriate. Our first summer dating I was working with him one weekend. I was SO mad at him that afternoon for who knows what reason! When the song “Let It Die” by the Foo Fighters came on the radio Ryan started lip singing the song and dancing like a fool. I tried SO hard not to laugh since I was “mad” at him but he looked so silly that I burst into laughter.

“Why’d you have to go and let it die” doesn’t scream, FIRST DANCE song at our wedding for some reason. I guess we’ll have to keep searching.

There you have some random wedding thoughts on this random Wednesday that is also own as my birthday and Wedding Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Turkey Coma…..Can’t Think Of Title….

2011-10-11T06:04:00.001-07:00

Happy errr…..Tuesday everyone! Another long weekend that passed by WAY too fast! Bare with me with any mistakes while writing this, I’m still in a self induced Turkey Coma.

The weekend started out on Friday night with date night “a la” Lindsay and Ryan. I had been looking forward to this date night for a year or so, which is when we had bought the tickets!

Well, of course this date that I was looking forward to quickly turned into a disaster date! It all started that afternoon when Ryan ended up having to work late. Between him being late, me just waking up from a nap, we were both on edge and both grumpy….not a good combination!

We showed up at the Centrum 2 hours till show time. Not ONE restaurant was available for us to eat at….not one! So, we decided to go ahead to the arena and grab a bite at one of the two restaurants there. We had lots of time so we didn’t mind waiting for a table.

I had assumed parking at the arena was $10, which is what it had been the last time I was there. Turns out it is now $11. With only $10.60 to our name the nice parking attendant let us go through anyways. I felt terrible.

Both restaurants had an hour and half wait time so we were stuck. Already parked and starving. We decided instead, let’ go grab a slice of pizza from inside, take our seats and visit. We get into the arena and the gates don’t open for another 40 minutes. AHHH!!!

That pizza tasted SOOO good when we finally got it!

The Cirque Du Soleil that we went to see was Michael Jackson, Immortal World Tour and it was AMAZING! It was so much better then the normal Cirque Du Soleil show. It was like the Cirque and a Michael Jackson concert all mixed together! Highly recommended for ANYONE to see it!

Saturday morning I was up early to make some fresh homemade buns for turkey dinner and my brother’s and his wife’s!

It was fun playing with the kid’s and visiting with Holly’s family! Not to mention the whole meal was AMAZING! A couple games of euchre ended the afternoon off right!

Saturday evening Ryan and I curled up to watch The Leafs vs. Sens hockey game where my team, The Leafs, did me proud and won me some bathroom cleaning from Ryan and a supper date with Jilly! :-)

Sunday morning I was up early again to get a head start on more buns for turkey dinner with Ryan’s family that night!

First it was off to church where I got to sit and enjoy the service as well as the amazing decorations that all the church ladies get together and do at Thanksgiving time!

After church I laid down for a wonderful Sunday afternoon cat nap! One of my most favorite things in the whole world!

Ryan woke me up and I finished the buns and then we headed to his parents house for a visit with everyone!! I SOOO love his family and feel so comfortable around them all!

After supper I was surprised by a birthday cake for me and Ryan’s stepbrother Kyle!

(Thanks for the pictures Melissa)

Monday was a busy day filled with helping friends Shawn and Vee out with some yard work but we got a great visit in!

I am amazed that I was able to write all that considering how busy the weekend was and I am so filled to the top with turkey! Besides turkey I love thanksgiving because Ryan and I get to visit with so much family all at one and we really gain an appreciation for what we are truly thankful for, each other and family/friends!

What are you thankful for?

Have a great day!

Halloween Craft

2011-10-07T05:46:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone!! Today marks the day before the Canadian Thanksgiving LONG weekend! Heck ya!! Bring on some turkey, STAT!

A week ago today some of my closest and craftiest friends gathered at my house to start our craft night for the new season. I had decided since we were getting so close to Halloween it would be fun to make a new door wreath!

There is TONS of inspiration out there for Halloween wreaths so I just took a couple of my favorites and combined them! If you want to make one too, this is what you’ll need…

- Floral wreath

-Black cotton fabric

-Colored or Halloween themed ribbon

-Scrapbook paper

-Foam Board (or wood letters) spelling out BOO

-Scissors

-Modge Podge

-Paint brush

-Hot glue gun

1. First, take your black fabric and cut it into long strips. These strips should be long enough to fit around your floral wreath. I “guestimated” about 55-60 strips per wreath.

2. Begin tying/knotting these strips around your wreath until it is completely covered.

***Special Note*****

The original idea was to use wood letters to spell out the word “Boo”. Well, do you know how much those friggin’ things cost? You know what works JUST as good at a fraction of the cost…Foam Board. $2.29 for the whole board which did all the letters for all the girls or $8.00 for EACH wooden letter.

3. Trace your letters on the back side of chosen scrapbook paper and cut.

4. Apply a thin layer of modge podge to your letters and then apply scrap book paper that you just cut out. Apply another thin layer of modge podge on top.

5. While waiting for letters to dry begin decorating your wreath with ribbon! We used floral ribbon (you know the bendable kind) cut into strips and wrapped around the wreath in various areas to add some interest and color!

6. Using this ribbon make a loop and attach it to your wreath. This is what you will use to hang your wreath with. If you want you can also add a bow to add some more interest.

7. Once your letters are dry, hot glue the letters to eachother. Wait for these to dry and then attach with hot glue gun to desired spot on your wreath.

8. Hang on your door and enjoy!

It was our first craft night back after a long summer off! I had fun making a craft with these girls but I have to admit I liked the company more!

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – The One About Food

2011-10-05T06:04:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! I am glad to see Wednesday here again and it is quickly becoming one of my favorite days! It’s the day that I get to tell you something about my upcoming wedding! As of today, 220 days till wedding day, does that not sound so far away? I know it will pass by in a blink.

Something Ryan and I determined when we first began this wonderful (yet crazy) wedding planning process was that we wanted to have a dinner. We wanted to gather around with friends and family and sit down to a delicious meal.

As you know, I’m a small town girl. I am also getting married in the small town area. There are limits as to where to get married, where to get your flowers and what access you have to caterer’s. We “country folks” certainly don’t have the same options as a city couple would.

At first glace you would think not having a lot of options suck? And, I would totally agree with you if we didn’t have such wonderful resources in this area!

Here enters Cafe 349. A small cafe/restaurant in Shawville, Quebec.

Here is their description from their website:

“Since the official opening in October of 2002 we have made it our mission to provide wholesome foods prepared with the finest ingredients, as you would in your own home.”

This place has amazing food! Ruth and her staff really are truly awesome! We are so lucky to have them in this small community! It is such a treat to dine there and we have them cater our farm’s Christmas party!

I knew, without a doubt, that Cafe 349 would be catering our wedding dinner! I was BEYOND pleased when our wedding date was open for them!

I wish I could tell you everything that is going to be made for the wedding. However, there are a couple of surprises for our wedding guests that I don’t want to reveal, just yet! :-)

I can tell you that Ryan and I picked to have a buffet style dinner for one reason: BECAUSE I LOVE BUFFETS!

I am a self professed “picker of food”. There is nothing that I love more then picking a small portion of lots of different foods. I love to get a small taste of everything.

Buffet also suited us because my future husband is a very picky eater and we would NEVER agree on one meal! There will be something for everyone!

We are so happy with our choice for a caterer. Even though there are not many options in the small town we would not have chosen any one but Cafe 349! They are truly the best!

Happy Wednesday!

Crafts, Home Show and Homemade Pretzels, Great Weekend!

2011-10-03T06:05:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!! Today at the ol’ farm stead it is a rainy, cold and miserably day! It’s the perfect day to stay in bed curled up with a good book!

This weekend passed in a blink! Even though the weekend was full activity I still feel like I’m rested! It all started out on Friday with craft night hosted at my house! All the girls got together to chat and to make a fun Halloween craft! But, more on that on later! :-)

Saturday morning I was up early to get ready to head to the city with my Mom for the Ottawa Home and Design Show! We were there early to walk around all the booths before reserving our seats to walk these guys!

The Property Brothers! (Drew and Jonathon Scott)

These guys are AMAZING speakers and gave lots of great advice for new home owners!! They have amazing public speaking skills!! I love their show and had a little “celebrity” excitement moment when they both walked past me to go start signing autographs!!

$5.00 for a ticket….worth every penny!

On Sunday I was off to church with a very special basket filled with homemade pretzels.

Our minister Nancy (Hi Nancy!) had asked the congregation to bring in bread for communion table from different cultures. Since I am Irish (as is most of my town) I decided to do something a little different. I decided on a German tradition of soft pretzels!

I made these on Saturday night and had one right away!! They taste just like the ones you would buy at a mall!! So good! Here’s the link to the recipe.

Sunday afternoon, after supper, Ryan randomly left the house to walk over to the farm. I didn’t know what was going on so I just continued baking. Finally, I get a phone call telling me to come outside.

There he was sitting in one of our big tractors. You see, when the song Big Green Tractor by Jason Aldean comes on the radio Ryan always sings it to me. Well, we don’t have any green tractors on this farm but we do have orange ones! So, being the loveable (and corny) man I know, he took me for a ride on his big orange tractor! I love a little corny every once in a while!

It’s hard to believe that this weekend brought us into the month of October. The weather is getting much colder and I’m beginning to feel the urge to “winter nest”. You know, the baking, canning and putting everything away before the snow! I am actually a little sad to see the end of summer but I can’t help but love the comforting feeling of Fall!

How was your weekend?

Dirt Road Anthem…MY BUTT!

2011-09-30T06:59:00.001-07:00

First of all, HAPPY FRIDAY! It’s so nice to see the week come to an end! I feel as though it’s kind of dragged on.

Second of all, I have beef!! No, no…I’m not speaking of the juicy hamburger kind of beef. I’m speaking of the kind where I have a problem with something. And today’s your lucky day! I’m gonna get right up on my soapbox and tell you all what it is!!

As you could have guessed by the title of this blog, I’m a small town country girl! I love where I live. There are a few problems though.

You see I live on a dirt road and I don’t really have a lot of houses around me like you would find in typical suburbia. As nice as it is to not have any neighbors and lots of privacy I still get these guys…

FLIES!

LOTS OF FLIES!

Every year around this time the flies start hibernating or something within the corners of my house!!! It’s not just one or two it’s about a dozen per room! O.K, well just kill them and get on with it, you say Lindsay? Well, I HATE FLIES and they always come back! I’m actually convinced that the more I kill them, the more they mutate and multiply!! It’s quite frightening I assure you….

Now, I live in a home that I am very proud of! It’s white siding and a green roof! O.k, right now you’re probably have this image of this house with pristine white siding. Well, get that thought out of your head because this is what happens when you live in the country……

Bugs and spider webs that are CRAZY sticky!

These webs are the kind that stick to the house and won’t sweep off with a broom. It’s my nemesis, it drives me crazy! We have to take a pressure washer to these areas twice a year!

Lastly, I’d like you, Jason Aldeen with your Dirt Road Anthem and you there, Mr. Keith Urban and your Where The Blacktop Ends and SHOVE IT! Or better yet let’s make another song and perform a duet, it will go:

Back country I like to drive slow

where the fields of green grass grow.

I know a slower speed is a must

or my pick up truck with shoot a lot of dust!

Yes, I think that could be a billboard hit! Hopefully the song will help all the crazy fast drivers to slow it down so that I don’t need to spit dirt out of my mouth when I’m walking on the road!

I’m stepping down now, the vent is over. :-)

Happy Friday!

Wedding Wednesday – Shake Your Tail Feather

2011-09-28T05:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone! It’s the middle of the week, too early to celebrate the upcoming weekend? I didn’t think so either! :-)

Today on Wedding Wednesday I’d like to fill you in on another difficult decision that every couple has to make about their wedding, band or D.J?

As much as I love Ryan and we normally agree on many things, music isn’t one of them! I’m a hard core country music fan. Give me a little Garth, with a side of Alan and throw in some Carrie for dessert! Ryan on the other hand likes a little bit of rap, metal and alternative.

My brothers wedding had an AMAZING country music band!! They were the bomb! But, being that Ryan isn’t a huge fan of country music it was out of the question.

When asking my parents for a little advice as to whether or not we should have a band of a D.J they immediately said BAND! I was a little concerned about their enthusiasm towards getting a band but later learned that EVERYBODY in their day had a band. D.J’s just weren’t cool!

Well, thanks for that parental unites…Oh, the 80’s.

Ryan and I were concerned that a band would limit the music choices. Ryan and I have not picked out our first dance song yet but wouldn’t want to be limited to a song only because it’s what the band can play.

We love bands and what they offer. They are entertainment of their own. However, it wasn’t what we needed for our wedding.

D.J it is.

We are very happy with our choice to pick a D.J and searched high and low for an AWESOME one that would fit our wedding! Well, we got it! A local D.J company by the name of Chris Copper D.J Services will be playing the beats that will get us moving!

P.S Did I mention Chris Copper use to radio announce for the local country station?Just saying! :)

In my opinion, music is a really important aspect of the wedding. You want your guests to have a blast and dance the whole night through! I think we made the right decision as to what will fit our wedding most and I can’t wait to celebrate our marriage!

Now, tell me, what is your favorite song to dance to at a wedding? I’ve got to compose a playlist after all!

Happy Wednesday!

A Weekend Without Pictures And A Happy Ending!

2011-09-26T05:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Monday everyone!! Can you believe it? Not one picture this past weekend? NOT ONE!! Holy Moly! It’s not like I didn’t do anything! I was busy!

Friday night Jilly graciously opened up her home to host a Lia Sophia jewelry! We all gathered around the yummy food table to chit chat and try to make the hard decision of choosing our favorite pieces of jewelry! When I went to place my order, the consultant simply said to me, “Happy Birthday”, it’s a birthday gift from my mom!! WOW! Can’t wait for the jewelry to come in!

Saturday Ryan and I went to the city for his golf lesson and I picked up some supplies for the upcoming craft night!

We quickly dropped off our stuff and then headed in the opposite direction to Ryan’s parents to give his dad Eugene his birthday gift!! (His birthday was Friday) We hung out with the kids and then had some pizza with them for supper! It was a great visit!

Sunday I was off to church and then joined my parents for breakfast! That afternoon I got all of my fall decorations out of storage!! It was great decorating for the fall/Halloween season!! YAY!

Now onto a little story…

I’m sure you all remember Rebekka. My former university roommate and one of the bridesmaids in my upcoming nuptials!

I’ve known Rebekka for quite sometime however, I’ve known Josh, her boyfriend, a little longer! You see, it was actually Josh who introduced Rebekka and I to each other! It was that first meeting that brought us together and started our friendship!

This past St.Patty’s day in Quyon a little leprechaun (aka Josh) approached me for my cell number. He wanted me to come shopping with him for a very special, sparkly present for Bekk!

Ryan and me with our leprechaun friend!

I never really thought much of it. I thought he was bluffing until one day this past early June I got the message, “We need to go shopping, what day works for you?”

Two days later we met at the ferry and headed to the mall! We looked and looked until finally Josh said, “This is it, this is the ring!”

He signed the paper work (all the while Bekk was texting him!) and we left the mall feeling shaky and giddy knowing that he just bought Rebekka’s engagement ring!

I talk to (aka text) Bekk literally EVERYDAY and it was so hard for me to keep such a big secret from her! I just wanted to shout from the roof tops, JOSH IS GOING TO ASK YOU TO MARRY HIM! I was just so excited for her! But I didn’t. I kept it in and waited patiently until the big moment happened!

Finally, last weekend I found out Josh had proposed to Bekk on September 10th in Niagara Falls! I was “through the roof” excited for them both!!

I am so happy that Bekk, one of my very best friends, is getting married to the love of her life and I was honored to, in a small way, be part of that happiness for her!

Bekk and Josh, congrats! I’m wishing you both all the happiness in the world!! Can’t wait to celebrate with you’s tonight!

Fruit Salsa

2011-09-23T05:02:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday everyone and happy first day of fall!! Now, that fall is officially here I am dying to put out all of my decorations. Visions of pumpkins, scarecrows and colored leaves are dancing around my head!

I wanted to show you today one of my new favorite, healthy recipes!! It’s easy to make and so delicious!

Fruit Salsa

Ingredients:

- Lots of fruit (I used strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, peaches, and kiwi)

- Whole wheat tortilla’s

- Sweetener

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 1/2 the juice from a lemon

- Cinnamon

Directions:

1. Take out all of your fruit and clean it.

2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

3. Prepare all your fruit and chop into tiny pieces. Place in a medium sized bowl.

4. Squeeze the juice out of the lemon into the bowl of fruit.

5. Add two packs of sweetener (or real sugar).

6. Vigorously stir your fruit. Mashing the fruit bits to the side a little. Refrigerate.

7. Cut up your tortilla’s into triangular pieces. Sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar. Bake in preheated over for 10 minutes or until tortilla becomes crispy. Let them cool completely before serving.

8. Serve salsa and cinnamon tortilla chips altogether and enjoy!

Pretty simple, eh? It’s very refreshing and fun to eat. Not to mention a nice alternative to chips for a movie night! Jilly and I snacked on this treat a week ago today as we watched Top Gun.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Wedding Wednesday – Get Me To The Church On Time

2011-09-21T05:06:00.001-07:00

Happy Wednesday everyone!! We’re half way there and only a few days till fall, holy cow!

Today, being Wedding Wednesday, I figured it was a good time to show you where Ryan and I will be married.

When my brother and his wife, Holly got married they had the ceremony and reception right in the field behind their house. It was very beautiful and perfect for them. Me? Not so much.

I love the farm and I love my brother and his wife, Holly. But, I do not want to do the same as they did. Since we will be getting married in May the weather can be so unpredictable. I really didn’t want to have the stress of worrying whether or not it rained.

I never even had to think about where I wanted the ceremony. I wanted it in the church about 1 KM down the road, where I was baptized.

This is Wesley United Church. It is a small, old (but newly renovation), country church. Ryan, myself and my parents are members of the congregation that splits their services between Wesley and another church in town.

Out side of the church is the dirt road to get there, large parking area and a field directly across.

Inside, as I mentioned, is newly renovated. There are hardwood floors leading up to the pulpit, wood wainscoting, and tall ceilings.

The pews line each side of the aisle. On each side there are three large, bright windows.

Towards the back is one of my favorite features. Two sliding french doors! They are very functional and add in a lot of natural light.

It’s easy to see why I love this church, isn’t it? It’s cozy, warm and so inviting. On nice Sundays, Ryan and I like to walk to and from Wesley Church. It’s that close to the farm. It’s where my family (both blood and church family) gather to worship.

Wesley Church is where I was baptized, had my confirmation and where Ryan and I will become husband and wife in front of our families, friends and God. This little country church holds a lot of present and future memories.