December...one day at a time!

After much deliberation, I have finally decided to take the plunge and complete a "December Daily" for 2010 - ala Ali Edwards.  The whole point of Ali's process is to have the foundation of the album built BEFORE the holiday season hits - and this is what really resonated with me about the idea (and may I add - why have I not done this with albums before???). As I made the decision with only 4 days left until the beginning of December, I decided to use Ali's overlays & photo templates to make the process simple and quick (I would normally create my own)! My goal is to have the bones of the entire album together by the end of the weekend so it is ready to roll for the 1st (wish me luck with that, lol)...
update: as of Monday evening...I am almost finished up to & including day 25...just a few pages that require stitching and they are DONE!
As is often the case with me, I got a mental picture of how I wanted my album to look before I even decided if I was going to undertake this project or not.  This is both a blessing and a curse as sometimes it is really difficult to find the necessary supplies to make the vision a reality...and then I struggle to be satisfied with the result. The "theme" of my vision is red, black & white - a patterned, embellished, & numbered page to "open the day" followed by a two page spread for journalling, photos, mementos, etc. I am tickled with the way it has turned out thus far and it is definitely making me more excited for the holiday season (I was feeling a little "bah-humbug" this year and was considering not even putting up the decorations?!!).

Here is a little sneak peek at a few of the pages :)

My main reason for creating this album is to document our holiday traditions (and I must say that although I plan on creating opening pages for Dec 1 - 31st, I am TOTALLY ok if I only end up filling 5 days. I am definitely taking the no-pressure attitude with this project).  I think it will be so fun for us to flip through it all next year, in five years, in twenty-five years! My plan is to pack it up and put away with all the xmas decorations and pull it out next year at the beginning of the season (as Ali does). So fun! I've totally enjoyed the process and am so thankful to have my holiday cheer "back".  Bring on Dec. 1st (the decorations are coming out of boxes that day :)

I pass on this challenge to you: how do you document or make efforts to remember your holiday season or traditions?

Merry, merry and goodnight!

What's for dinner tonight?

Oh brother...I don't know about you, but it is a constant question in this household. The trickiest part of the whole she-bang is deciding WHAT to make each night. Actually making it isn't all that bad (unless there is a whiny, clingy 1-yr-old hanging from the pantlegs...but that is another story for another time).

I have been feeling oh so very uninspired with my meal planning as of late and decided tonight I needed to delve into the archives to find a supper-worthy recipe.

So...here is the result! This is what is for dinner tonight in our house:

Spinach Linguine

(this recipe was adapted from a recipe found in a milk calendar about 10 years ago)

1 pkg frozen, chopped spinach (thawed), or 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
3/4 lb fettucine or linguine pasta
1 T butter
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2-4 cloves garlic (we really like garlic in our house so I always use the upper end)
2 t dried basil
3 T all-purpose flour
2 1/4 c milk
1/2 c parmesan cheese, grated
3 T tomato paste
1 t salt
1/4 t nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper

1. remove water from frozen spinach, set aside  2. cook pasta  3. melt butter in saucepan over medium heat; add onion, pepper, garlic & basil; cook 3-5 min; stir in flour; cook for ~1-2 min more; gradually whisk in milk making sure no lumps form; stirring, bring to boil; reduce heat & simmer for 1 min; stir in spinach, 1/2 c parm cheese, tomato paste, salt, nutmeg & cayenne pepper  4. toss sauce with fettucine; serve with remaining parm cheese

Note: I almost always add some garlic-sauteed chicken breast chunks to my sauce as no-meat meals around here are a big no-no. We really like to eat this with a side salad and some warm, crusty bread.  YUM!

I've got to go dig into this old favourite...I can't wait any longer.

What's for dinner in your house tonight?

Glum...and an addiction!

Wow! The state of my house when I woke up this morning was SO disasterous.  It just made me feel sad & overwhelmed that I had all that mess to deal with. Cleaning & tidying are just so constant around here...and I really feel like I just can't keep up to the mess that a busy toddler, a little but mighty dog, and a man make! (never mind the mess that momma makes as meals are prepped, cooked, etc). To make a long story short, I basically woke up feeling rather glum.  I was grouchy at the little man, grouchy at the dog and grouchy at myself (how do I let it get this out of control?). I'm sure many of you can relate.  Definitely one of the challenges of being a woman - we wear so many hats.

Rather than depress you with any more drivel & snivel, I will tell you what I did do to releive some of the angst...

I turned off all the lights.  I opened up all the blinds.  I let the grey, but natural light fill the house = peace.
I slowly & systematically tidied up and put things away.
I shoved as many dirty dishes into the dishwasher as could fit and stacked the rest by the sink. Ran the hot water, got out the dish brush (I have a thing against what I call "sink goobies" - can't handle washing dishes in a sink full of standing water - I know, I know - I apologize to the environment) and tackled the mess.
Stopped a few times to cuddle with the little man or sit down and play or read a story.
Didn't allow myself to get too sidetracked for too long.
Got back to the mess.

Finally I am at a point where I feel that I have conquered the mess (mostly).  It is such an incredibly restful feeling...now I'm just taking a deep breath so I'm ready to tackle it all once again in a few hours (because it is inevitable). 

Hopefully with B napping, I can get a little school work done.  That is another mountain that will need a slow and steady attack.

Natural light...
Deep breaths (alot of them)...
Taking time for my little man...
Persistence...

...these are the things that got me out of my glum today.
Oh - and how could I forget!
One bite brownies...my newest addiction.

Here is the recipe:
1/4 c butter, softened
1 1/4 c sugar (I use half sugar, half splenda)
2 lrg eggs
1 t vanilla
1/2 t instant coffee (dissolved in 1 t water)
     Cream butter & sugar; add eggs, beat well. Add vanilla & instant coffee.
1 c flour
1/2 c cocoa
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
    Mix dry ingredients in separate bowl.  Add slowly to wet mixture.  Mix well. Drop by teaspoon into mini  
    muffin tin. Bake @ 350 for 12-15 minutes (be careful NOT to overcook). Let cool in pan before
    removing.

    Devour.  Enjoy.  Smile. (and add chocolate chips if you are a chocoholic like me :)
What gets you out of the "glum"?

Happiness is...

...the presence of this little man in my life!

There has been something in the water the last two nights as Mr. B has been in an extremely happy mood after daycare/school. 
Like I mean F.U.N.N.Y...laughing at himself do silly things (uh-oh...think he may be more like his momma than I had thought - my family still teases me about thinking I'm far more funny than I am, lol).
It is not that he is normally a hard child to take of, but he does normally come home from daycare tired and grouchy.
It has been so fun to watch him just be himself, muttering in his baby jabber while he plays and interacts with me.  He is getting so grown up in so many ways, but yet still so much a baby. I absolutely LOVE this contradiction....and I desperately hope it means he has finally kicked this silly chest/ear infection bug to the curb!

Anyways, on with the story.  He has been loving feeding himself with his spoon - he actually does surprisingly well with his left hand for a one year old.  So good, in fact, that it is a bit of a struggle for momma to get anything into that mouth as he insists on hitting my hands away and grabbing the spoon himself.  Tonight, I decided to give him the yogurt right off the start (and got a little cocky that he didn't even need his bib on).  Everything was fine and dandy until he decided to switch to the right hand.  Let's just say he is obviously less coordinated with that hand...however, he was SO proud of himself (and therefore momma was proud, too). Just had to capture it, even though the light was terrible and my camera settings were all off - to me, this is what life is all about and why I want to take pictures...to evoke these moments and memories.

I hope I always remember the joy that this moment brought to me :)

Another totally B thing right now is to climb into/onto/between anything and everything. He is definitely a MONKEY.

As I was chasing him around to get him dressed for the day, he decided to evade me and climb onto the towel basket...where he proceeded to talk/laugh and bounce away.  Kind of like saying na-na-na-naNA can't catch me, momma!

I'm cursing myself a little over these pictures, as all capture such "B-ness"...something I've really been neglecting the last few months but have terrible light & colour (blame my absentmindedness for not changing the settings after being outside for pictures on the weekend).  Sometimes I think I need a point and shoot for these quick moments so that I don't have to worry about my settings being all wonky and missing the moment...but seriously? I have better things to worry about these days. And the point is - I captured the moments. For this, I'm grateful.  For this, I'm so happy!

Gosh, B, how I love you.
xoxoxo

I Won't Be Outdone!

This little girl is a pistol! She keeps everyone around her on their toes...and there is no convincing her when she doesn't want to do something. Trying to get her to smile was no easy task - so this will have to do...but the intense look is just so her!

She has the most lovely porcelain skin and perfect lips.  I think this picture just shouts "Hey big sis! I will not be outdone..."
Two seconds later and she is off to help B and tell him not to eat rocks (cause that's what you do when you are one and your mom is distracted by some cute little girls).

One more option...

Just 'cause I am eternally indecisive...thought I'd add yet another choice to the mix!

She is such a gorgeous little model :)

Still haven't got the edit 100% where I want it...but it is fun to play around!

Hmmm...

I always struggle to find a picture I like better in b&w than colour (that I have taken...I like others' b&w just fine).

I snapped this one of B's friend today and am having a hard time deciding if I like the b&w or the colour.  The colour captured the pretty warm evening light we got for just a few minutes, but is it too warm? Hmmm...just can't decide!

Either way, she is just getting so grown up! We love her just like a sister :)

Baby B...

is not really a baby anymore.
He is a toddler.
He is a BUSY toddler.
Tried to get some pics of him today that represent his toddler self.
Boy, oh boy, that is a hard thing to do.

Still...

Just wanted to let you all know that I'm still alive :)
Life is just crazy & I'm trying my best to adjust to that new "normal" that everyone says I'll find...

Busy making jewellery up a storm - loving introducing so many of you to the {bead} items (I just like them so much & am so glad they are being well received).  Looking forward to being at a few more "open house" events leading up to the holiday season. Have some new ideas for fabric jewellery items...just need to find some time to "play".

Can't remember the last time I picked up my camera - vowing to go out & get some shots of Mr. B tomorrow as the weather is supposed to be super dooper.  Thankful I took so many pictures of him as a wee one - I already forget so much about that stage! Regretting that since he has been crawling, then walking, that I've neglected to do the same.  I want to be able to remember and cherish each stage with memories...and pictures sure enable that!

Totally fallen off the picture of the day bandwagon (obviously) - but thinking that one week soon I need to do another "week in the life".  Need to get back on the daily journalling habit - it is a great way to look back at what daily life is all about...kind of like a really brief diary of life.

Contemplating undertaking a "December Daily" but thinking that maybe it best wait til next year. 

Thinking about what I can "give up" to make life a little more sane.  Definitely need to add the word NO to my vocabulary (and allow myself to not feel guilty if I say it).

Enjoying getting out for some late evening walks these days as the weather is so balmy - there is such a peace induced within me due to the stillness (LOVE no wind) and crisp, clear sky. The stars shining bright are a joy to see.

Wondering if I have the time/energy to do handwritten xmas cards this year.  Chances are I don't...seeing as how I STILL have baby, birthday & christening thank-yous to do (if you are one of those people that has been so kind & sent gifts...please know that we are SO VERY thankful for your generosity & thoughtfulness even if you haven't received a formal thanks - my intentions seem to get in the way of reality).

Liking having a roof over my vehicle, but not liking that the garage project is far from finished...talk about the never-ending story...(and between "work"work & "garage" work, it sure would be nice to see my hubby a bit more!

Trying to remember if the rest of Canada switches time this weekend...or next?! Also counting on my fingers to try and remember if B's last day of nebulizer meds is tomorrow or Monday (I have a calendar...I obviously need to find a place to hang it & get writing these things on it).

Thinking that I'd better go try and zone out the snoring coming from our bedroom & get a few zzzz's myself.

Realizing I've rambled on about nothing, yet again!

Mmmm-hmmmm, this really is what ran through my brain in the last five minutes. It is true, a person really CAN be that random.

Still rambling...
Still...

Good night. Sweet dreams.
Be back sooner than later.  With pictures :)