I Think Every Sunday Should Be Spent In PJ’s

 

Happy Monday everyone! Such a wonderful weekend! As you know, Ryan has been working night shift. I’ve come to terms that during the week, we just aren’t going to see him. What was getting difficult is that for 3 weekends straight, he also had weekend commitments which took him away from us as well. It was getting tiresome and sadly, Sam and I were getting into our own grove of life without Daddy around. Thankfully, that came to an end this weekend!

I love Fridays! Fridays still feel so wonderful even while I am on mat. leave! This Friday we were able to have supper and a nice visit with friends! We wait until Sam is asleep (around 6:30) and than the night is free to hang out and have a leisurely supper!

Saturday morning we weren’t sure what we were going to do. The original plan of meeting my parents and niece in the city was down the drain, Ryan’s plan to finish a small snowmobiling project was cancelled and we were just laying around. Finally, we decided that we were going to still go to the city and see if we could finish our Christmas shopping!

This was no easy task. All the big things had been purchased. But with our first family Christmas dinner planned for next weekend, I was getting a little panicked that everything wouldn’t be ready! I was feeling the pressure. Ryan had promised me a day to shop solo but we realized that isn’t going to happen with his night shift schedule. And I couldn’t run in and out of a million places easily with Sam.

So, we were determined to get this done! We left right at Sam’s morning nap and on the drive down Sam slept making him super happy for the shopping trip! Well that and Ryan enjoyed showing him all the fancy toys! Ha ha!

I am VERY happy to say that we are DONE all the shopping for Christmas! It is a huge relief for me! Now I get to sit back and enjoy the rest of the holiday season! To celebrate, we headed to Montana’s for lunch!

Again, it was Sam’s naptime on the drive back home so we took our time! When we got home, we had a small tasks to do at the our Church so we loaded up Ryan’s truck and Sam drove us down…

Ha ha! Just kidding! But our boy does love to get his hand’s on a steering wheel when he can!

We settled in with some leftovers for supper and then Sam went to bed. While Sam slept Ryan and I decorated our memory Christmas tree! I was excited to put on our new Christmas ornaments this year! But, more on that during another post. One thing I can mention is that we have a new Christmas tree decorating tradition. Most know that we listen to Wayne Rodstad’s, Christmas In The Valley, every year while decorating the tree! We also now have the tradition that when we are decorating our tree, this is our treat!

Sunday morning we woke up early (as usual) and began to start our day! It was an exciting morning ahead! Christmas pageant at church with a potluck afterwards! Ryan actually had hockey scheduled for yesterday morning but opted to skip it because he wanted to come and watch the Christmas pageant! We had 16 kids yesterday who participated in some way! It’s amazing to have such a big group of little ones! It makes the church feel so alive with kids!

The pageant was successful and it was down to the church basement for some yummy lunch! I always know that I am in for a treat because our church is full of amazing cooks!

The best part of the pageant? The “costume” that all the kids wore was Pj’s! So while Ryan slept before his next shift, Sam and I hung out in comfy PJ’s for the rest of the day! Perfect way to spent a Sunday!

How as your weekend?

xo

Getting Prepared For The Holidays–My Favourite Christmas Baking

 

Happy Friday everyone! As usual, Sam’s monthly update just isn’t ready to post yet! That kind of post takes time! Not to mention I have to keep pinching myself over the fact that he is 8 months old now! I see him maturing and becoming more of a “little boy” each day.

One thinf is for sure, Christmas has hit our household! We are officially in Holiday mode! A big part of that is because next Sunday my family is doing our Christmas get together. Turkey, gifts and the whole bit. The 14th seems SO early to me but there is literally no other day that suits everyone until after the New Year! That means that presents need to be bought and wrapped and baking has to be completed! I feel like I am breaking my Christmas’ down into two parts. First one on the 14th of December and everything else at the normal time.

Either way, my big project for this week was finishing my Christmas baking! It is one of my favourite parts! I make only a select few favourites of the family. Here is what I’ll be serving up this year!

1. The traditional short bread cookie with a cherry in the middle!

You can’t go wrong with this favourite! To me, it’s better eaten when frozen! This recipe is pretty ancient and was originally the hand written one my Mom used for years! It’s still going strong and is used in my own home every year!

2. Another must have one our Christmas cookie plates every year were little peanut butter cups with chocolate centres! My brother preferred his frozen, where I liked mine microwaved for a  few seconds! Again, a recipe passed down from my Mom that was written on a Kraft peanut butter jar!

3. The newest addition to our holiday treats is maple brown sugar fudge! Fudge was never something that I was a big fan of but when I met Ryan I realized it was a favourite of his! I tried a few recipes until I found the one that he liked the best! I wrote a whole post about it here!

4. Sugar cookies with royal icing is a treat that I first tried when Ryan and I hosted a Superbowl party! I gave these cookies a try and ended up loving the artistry that goes into making them!

With practice, my decorating skills has greatly improved! My favourite recipe comes from good ol’ Martha Stewart!

5. Last but not least, cookie bark! One of my favourites and usually a crowd pleaser as well. The best part? It is SO easy to make! You can find the recipe over at the Kraft website here!

Christmas baking and sweets is usually part of every persons holiday experience! I have so many memories from helping to bake and then consuming the delicious treats! What are some that you make every year?

Happy Friday!

xo

Year of Dates 2014- November

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! This cold snap has got me bundled up inside and not wanting to get out! I was saying to Ryan last night that I think my wish may come true, a green Christmas! There is nothing I hope for more then for there to be no snow on Christmas. I have memories of not being able to dive into Santa’s presents on Christmas morning because Dad was out clearing snow. The same would happen for Ryan. He would have to work if it snowed. So my theory is: no snow, even better!

It’s been increasingly hard to spend some one-on-one time with Ryan. Even though there is no snow, he is still working night shifts. When I am awake, he is sleeping and vice versa. Any time that we are awake at the same time, is hopefully spent with Sam. So our November date was REALLY important. We both seemed disconnected from each other from lack of time spent together.

It was my month to plan the date and I could not remember what I had planned a year ago but once I saw the picture I smiled and was excited. I knew Ryan would like it.

“The last 2014 date that I get to plan! Crazy! I am so glad that we still made an effort to make our relationship as husband and wife important (even as we are now parents).

I love you with all my heart and I am so lucky to have you to go through all of life’s adventures with.

This month I want to focus on us and no other distractions! That means a few hours of no electronics! No TV, computers, no phones and no lights even! Let’s order supper in (since we’ll have no power to cook, ha ha!) and enjoy supper in while we play some board games, read and then head to bed to give each other massages by candle light! A nice cuddly night in as the weather gets colder!”

Ryan was extra excited about this date and declared that the day of the date should be zero electronics (besides my big camera for photo evidence). We both agreed that sometimes we get so distracted by our phones that we miss out of some of life!

Our date had to turn into a day date because of Ryan’s night shift but we still looked forward to that time together! Our date was on a Sunday so in the morning we stowed away all the electronics! We headed to church together, picked up lunch and then headed back home to put Sam down for his long afternoon nap.

We ate and then set up our first game! I had bought monopoly for Ryan at Christmas last year and we hadn’t even taken it out of the box yet! We read the instructions and I proceeded to kick Ry’s butt! It was so much fun and the game lasted so long!

We talked a lot that day (from necessity from no distractions) and I realized that I miss Ryan a lot when he goes to work. Sam will be in bed and I’ll have a few hours before it’s time for me to turn in. We use to play a game of cards when Sam would go to sleep but now I’m by myself.

We also realized how much we depend on our phones and how quiet the house is without the background noise of the TV being left on. We decided that every Sunday that we are together, we should do the no electronics part of the date. We want to work on being unplugged from our devices and living in the “now”.

Looking forward to the last date of 2014!! And I have already started planning for the dates I need to plan next year! What would be some dates that you would do?

Happy Wednesday!

xo

The Christmas Weekends Begin!

 

Happy Monday everyone! I hope you all had an amazing weekend! I know we sure did! It feels like this weekend was the kick start to the Christmas season. It was filled with holiday cheer and I foresee many weekends to come to be exactly the same!

The weekend started out with our company Christmas party on Friday! Traditionally, the party was in the evening at a local hot spot. This year we decided to change it up a little and host the event ourselves. There was talk of wanting a change and we agreed! We set up everything in one of shop buildings and had a delicious lunch catered!

We also had door prizes, plaques to present and then a fun Texas horseshoes tournament was played! Before long all the very talented musicians on our team began to paly.

Saturday was a quieter day at home. Ryan’s head was a little sore from the previous day so Sam and I tried to play very quietly! ha ha! During Sam’s naptimes I carted all the Christmas decorations out of storage and finished decorating the whole house!

Sam went to bed on Saturday night and Ryan headed to the local bar, Gavan’s for the snowmobile club kick-off party, so I made myself a nice hot chocolate, picked a Christmas movie and decorated the living room Christmas tree! One down, one to go!

Sunday morning we were up early with Sam! Ryan headed to hockey while Sam and I went to church where we practiced our Christmas pageant in Sunday school!

After Church Sam went down for a nap at my parents and then we all had breakfast when Ryan got back from hockey. While Sam continued to nap we had a couple games of Euchre!

When we got home Ryan had to go to bed so that we would get a few hours of sleep before his night shift and Sam and I got a closer look at the Christmas tree!

Right before Ryan went to work, we did our lighting ceremony! Sam wasn’t all that impressed! ha ha!

This morning I woke up to a little surprise in my sink! When I went to bed she wasn’t there! Must be a special delivery from the North Pole!

How was your weekend?

xo

Today I’m Thankful For…

 

Happy Friday everyone! And happy belated Thanksgiving to all of my friends south of the border! Thinking about this holiday (again) made me think of some things I am very thankful for!

- Today I’m thankful for amazing friends and family! This is kind of obvious but I know how lucky I am. Yesterday I enjoyed a delicious  homemade lunch with a fellow Mommy friend! Talk about a great way to spend a Thursday. She even had a plate and seat for Sam! Also, the family in Sam’s life. I wasn’t lucky enough to have a super close relationship with my grandparents but I know he will. They are always more then willing to help Ryan and I out by watching him for us. Never any hesitation.

- I’m SUPER thankful for the Black Friday sale items I scored yesterday and today! Winter coats for the whole family and Christmas gifts crossed off the list at a fraction of the price! I talked earlier about my 10 year old jackets not being able to function for me anymore and the fact that I could replace those for a fraction of the price is even better!

One of my new jackets!

- I’m thankful for Christmas parties! It’s going to be an exciting month and it starts today with the company Christmas party! Even though I am on Mat. leave, I still had a hand in helping to organize and participate! We are changing it up this year and hosting it ourselves! I am excited for the change and I hope it goes over well! Planning the door prize game yesterday made me excited for all the shenanigans!

- I’m thankful, oddly enough, for Ryan’s winter hours. It was a big adjustment to move from day to night shift but now that we kind of have a schedule, it makes life a little more predictable. Once Ryan sleeps in the morning he gets to spend the afternoons with Sam and I!

- I am thankful for Christmas decorations that make the house feels cozy and festive!

- I am thankful for our latest book club book, The Rosie Project. For a long time I haven’t felt like reading because it was a long time since a book captured me. This book, I haven’t been able to put down! It feels great to have book that you are willing to stay up to read “just one more chapter”.

- I am thankful for my new socks. Usually, I am a hater of socks. I avoid wearing them at all costs. On a whim, to wear with a specific pair of boots, I picked up some wool work socks and I feel in love. They are warm, don’t slide down and so comfy! It almost feels like I am not wearing socks at all!

 

What are you thankful for today? Did you indulge in any Black Friday deals?

Happy Friday!

xo

Picture-less Weekend And Christmas Problems

 

Happy Wednesday! Holy rain! As I type this, ll of the snow that we got is officially gone! Woo hoo! As I always say, I’d be more then happy to have a green Christmas!

The plan in my head for this past weekend was to get lots done for Christmas! I thought our lights would go up, the trees and maybe even some baking! The problem with that? I had forgot that Sam and I were on our own for all of Saturday!

Ryan had a sledding security course all day and then hockey right after at night! After a busy week I was looking forward to spending the weekend together and was sad when I remembered that we actually wouldn’t be seeing much of Ryan! I was even more disappointed to miss a party for good friends that are getting married this January in Mexico!

But, Sam and I had a good time together. Relaxing, playing and just spending time together!

It is less then 1 month till Christmas and considering a week ago I thought I was WAY behind, I am feeling very prepared. I am not a last minute shopper and while I hoped to have ALL of my shopping done by December 1, Ryan has agreed to watch Sam some afternoon so I can have a solo trip! I’ll need that trip to do all of my shopping for Ryan but it’s going to be hard!

Every year Ryan and I sit down and write down Christmas lists. This is a good thing not only for ourselves but for numerous people who ask for ideas. We also set a small budget every year. We don’t want to spend a lot of money on each other for Christmas as we have a Nova Scotia trip approaching that we want to save our pennies for. This year, the budget is $150 each. The issue, NONE of Ryan’s gifts on his wishlist are under that amount!

I give Ryan credit, when it wants something, it is usually big. He doesn’t buy random things for himself through out the year. But it makes him VERY difficult to shop for.

This year he wants;

A side-by-side – $15,000

 

Some special camera called a GoPro $350-$400

A GPS Nike Watch – $200-$250

Basketball tickets plus travel and stay in Toronto $500-$800

Seriously, what is a girl to do? Ryan works really hard and is a great husband and father. I want to get him something nice for Christmas but his wishlist items are way over budget. Now I ask you, what do you get the men in your life for Christmas? Do they have expensive tastes as well? What is your Christmas budget?

Happy Wednesday!

xo 

Finally Joined The PVR World!

 

Happy Friday friends! I still feel so confused this morning. I cannot get my days straight today! I was sure it was Saturday when I woke up! It’s not that I’m confused because of lack of sleep. I have actually been heading to bed VERY early the last couple of days. I have been going to bed early so that I can enjoy recorded shows because we FINALLY have a PVR.

Ryan and I have wanted a PVR for a long time! But we put off getting one over and over again as our extra budget money went to other things like trips! Finally, on Monday we declared, let’s call and get one, it will be our Christmas gift to each other. The amazing news? We got a SMOKIN’ deal on a PVR from Bell! It was installed on Tuesday and now I have a hard time imagining what watching normal T.V used to be like!

I have to be honest, although the thought of getting a PVR was exciting, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to use it. I thought that maybe the technology was far more advance then my skills. I didn’t want to have to sit through multiple teaching sessions with Ryan.

Thankfully, it was been a super simple transition and I now know what I have been missing all this time! For one, I have been wasting SOOOO much time on commercials! I was in disbelief the first night when I watched two hour long shows within 1 hour! I am so glad to now be able to not sit through boring commercial after commercial!

One of the main reasons I wanted a PVR is because I am an early to bed kinda girl! I wake up purposely super early in the mornings (currently 5:19 AM) and therefore need to go to bed early as well. The problem with that, most of the good shows seemed to start after 9 PM. This is not an issue anymore! I went trigger happy the first night and recorded lots of post-9PM shows! In reality, I wasn’t missing too much but at least I have the option.

For a long time I felt like I was was the last person to embrace this piece of technology! In fact, my parents even got their own PVR 3 years ago! It wasn’t because we didn’t want one, it just never made sense to splurge on one. Other things always ended up higher on our list of “wants”. But now I feel excited to have this “little black box of awesome” to get to figure out!

Do you have a PVR?

Happy Friday!

xo