Happy Holidays!

Back at it

Finally- I got some inspiration going and got a little creative ( with some help from my scrappin' girls, of course)! I didn't go back to where I left off or pack up a bunch of my un-inspiring stuff but instead, I arrived at the shop with pictures in hand. Pictures that I adore from our summer holidays! Something about great pictures makes the rest come pretty easy. It wasn't cheap travelling light but it certainly got the creative juices flowing when I had free-range of all that fun product. Thanks for a great night out girls! And thanks to http://www.sweetsentiments.ca/ for letting us hang around!

Friends who are family- Part 1

So the highlights of our summer holidays definitely include many, many days hanging with the Fillmore Family! Our first week of summer holidays had P + the kids staying with us (D was on business in Vancouver!). We swam in our pool, went to many different splashpads and went to a couple great beaches.

Taking the ferry back from my parent's house.
Hotel sleep-over on our way home from Ottawa!
Calypso Water Park!
This place is super fun and it was one hot day! We made the most of it and went on all the rides- yep, even P + me! A few hints if you're planning to attend: bring your own drinks + snacks (big line-ups), do not wait in the ice cream line, and watch out for the "lazy" river- not so lazy + actually, kinda crazy!! So worth the drive! There are tons of picnic areas and life jackets are everywhere! Good times for sure!

It was just the kick-off to our Fillmore Fun!

It's been awhile...

Where to begin really? It's been so long. So much has happened. I can say that it has been a fabulous summer thus far! I have been loving every minute of this hot weather, good friends and great times!

I guess it all began with the end of the year staff celebration. I am still in shock that I won't be walking through those doors, into that school, this fall. How can it be? It's like home there. Leaving there is one of the hardest things that I've had to go through in a long time. Sure, it's not a death or anything, but it's so hard to imagine not seeing "my girls" everyday. All the laughs and good times are hard to replace. I don't intend to try.

So, the party... it was super fun! They spoiled me rotten and made me cry like a baby. Who's kidding who? I was crying for months beforehand! Christie + her husband were wonderful hosts!

That's just the beginning of the summer. But it's on my mind.

More County Love

I'm not sure how I forgot this place but we absolutely love to camp at Quinte's Isles Campark. We've been camping here ever since we bought our trailer. We love the free livin' back by the lake. Yep...no hook-ups! We still love it! Although, we do think we need a generator! We even make it a Labour Day tradition to camp there with family and friends. They have so many great activities for families, including, a street dance, bands, rock wall climbing, a pool, and a great new splashpad! We can't wait to head out there this summer!

Be a Beach Bum This Summer

Why not? What else do we have to do? Let's be beach bums! I've been gearing up for summer holidays and thinking a lot about how I love our camping trips and day trips to The County! Nothing beats the food- so love Budda Dog and we really like Sandbanks Winery. But what's not to love about great shopping too? So, stop by here beach bum in the county this summer to find all those fashion needs! Say hi to Cindy and Darrel (my brother in-law)! Then, let's hit Sandbanks Provincial Park for some sun and fun! Oooohhh I love summer!

Hockey Fever

It's that time of year- hockey playoffs!

Shawn has been wanting a little hockey fan and it looks like he's finally got one. When Gavin started playing hockey this year he was reluctant and a little unsure of himself. One day on the way into the rink he asked, "Dad, what would happen if the rink burned down? Would we still go to hockey practice?". Yes Gavin. But then something happened- he loved it! He watches all the games with Daddy, plays daily at his caregiver's and at home, and he has a million hockey cards! It's crazy! He is so excited to start ball hockey next week. It's hockey fever around here!

So from the pictures you can see that they've also been to a playoff game! Gavin's first NHL game. Sadly, there weren't three tickets so mommy could go as well! But I'm just super happy that he got to go and experience it all. Daddy's pretty stoked too!

Gotta love the dots!

Don't ya just love this outfit? Super cute huh?

It wouldn't be a party without a sing-along!

It's an Easter party- Windsor style! Oh they sure do like a party and a sing-along just makes it all the better! Easter weekend was the most beautiful weekend we've seen this spring! It was warm and sunny and we stayed outside on the patio until midnight! Manny + Sam played guitar and the rest of the gang took up the singing and various instruments roles!
Gavin absolutely loved this party! He gets so excited to get together with our family. I'm sure all this singing and dancing has something to do with it! He was the only kid around for the party and it was great that everyone included him in the festivities. Although his requests for Kings of Leon, ACDC and Lady Gaga weren't met, we joked that eventually he'll learn "under the boardwalk", "mustang sally" and "love potion number 9". He's got to... someone has to carry on the traditional tunes!

NINE years! Seriously?!

Yeppers... it's been nine years since Payton was born! Oh my how the time flies. Wish I had a baby picture of her on this computer to post. She was the cutest little baby ever! She's become quite cute little girl too!

We celebrated her 9 years at my parent's house, with cake and presents! It was fun!

Chicks- Martha-ish

Cute huh? Nope- they aren't perfect but they are sort of close to Martha's! They were easy to make and fun for Gav and I. We brought these chicks to Monica's for the Easter Party! They remembered how years ago (like 12?) I made delightfully delicious, and much more time-consuming, truffle mice. I did it for Shawn- it was early in the romance and I wanted to impress the big family! Since then, I've been lucky to pull out much more than the basics. It was time!

bittersweet sunday

I've been kinda looking forward to this day so that I could finally stop saying, "last week at this time we were sitting on the balcony sipping a heineken" or " last week at this time we were eating delicious nachos at Bikini Beach, Orient Bay, St. Maarten" or " last week at this time we were with the best of friends and oh so happy"!!! Sad.

We keep looking at the pictures and thinking about just how lucky we are. We have great friends. We had so much fun. It's not easy to travel with others for so many days. We just kept squeezing in more day, one more opportunity to be together- right up to the final farewell moments in the Orlando airport. Gosh- that was hard. Gavin had been crying all morning; worried that we would miss them and then we finally catch up to the Fillmore's and I lost it! I was an emotional wreck. The thought of being apart again was heartbreaking!

But I've survived because I know it won't be that long until we can all be together again! Best part is... we're already thinking about next year!

Third times a charm!

I've managed to be pretty organized this time around. Two weeks ago I planned all the outfits that we each could wear. I laid out all the clothes on the bed and sorted, stacked and matched all the possible combinations. Then I accessorized! I captured each outfit on a master list, counted and tallied. So then all I had to do was put them into the suitcases and that's that! Add some shoes and some toiletries and some pirate gear and we are good to go!

So, it's our third Disney Cruise but we are even more excited than ever! This is going to be an entirely different experience because we have our wonderful friends The Fillmore Family joining us. Needless to say, we are so lucky to share this experience with friends. It's the best combination of family time, friend time and couple time!

Tomorrow we are heading to Detroit for a nite-cap before heading out Friday morning. I'm bursting with bliss. Not sure I will sleep a wink!

Mad Love for Bahama Mamas

Each year, for like 6(?), we've been getting together for a Girls' Weekend! We've done the local bed & breakfast, the fabulous Toronto weekend (Leafs and all!), Niagara on the Lake, Ottawa, Sudbury, and then we decided to kick things up a notch and head SOUTH!

We're lucky. You see, Sue has perks. She works for WESTJET and we fly on her buddy passes, wherever they will take us. Sue is the ultimate planner. She takes care of us. She books flights, hotels and makes us snack-packs! God love her!

We've done the Bahamas, Dominican Republic and last year we did Cocoa Beach. Every year there are new memories and every year I am so grateful for good friends.

This year we headed back to the Bahamas for the long Family Day holiday weekend. Weather wasn't super hot but the shopping was fabulous and the straw market was an adventure. But we still managed to soak in some rays at the beach and by the pool. We lounged in the hot tub- playing the Survivor game. We met great friends like Tony + Jim from Little Rock, Arkansas! They were great company when we ventured out to Atlantis Marina for some shopping, casino and aquarium fun! But really... honestly and truly, it's just great to get away with friends. The sunshine is a bonus!

ELPH Inspriration

So, after losing my compact Canon last summer I figured it was time to replace it and get inspired to take more photos. I love my Canon XTI SLR but it is difficult to travel with the bigger lenses and I don't always get the shot I want because of how long it takes to prep and sometimes I just don't bother because it's work! There's a time and a place. So, today we bought this little brown baby! It's the newest in the Powershot ELPH line with a full touchscreen on the back. So love this little, tiny, easy camera. Can't wait to plunk it in my purse and await the inspiration that follows. See, I'm hoping taking more pictures will naturally lead to more scrapping. I figure our third Disney cruise is sure to kick start some serious photo taking!

I'm Dreaming of a NEW Kitchen!

So, if you haven't checked out the blog on my list- along the side- then you really must check out http://blog.urbangrace.com/ - specifically the "coastal and southern" post and then scroll down to the kitchen with the text box that says "Erika's Style Essential". Found it? LOVE it! Especially love the colour of the cabinetry! Love the wide-plank hardwood! Love the pendant lighting. Not so sure about open cabinets for plates though. Would likely change that. After looking again, I quite like all of her work in this whole layout. I would like her to decorate my house. Do you hear me Shawn?

Hello? Remember me?

Yep... it's been a month since I posted. Sure I've had moments in time where I could have posted but something always came up and I didn't. So, how to sum up a month? Well, we've been busy. Let's see...

We had a great date night! We shopped, we had a great dinner out at Fasooli's and we saw Avatar! Sometimes we have to force ourselves to take that time. We both love to stay home and be cozy on the couch but once we're out and about we are always glad that we did it! It was fun and it gives Gav that chance to hang out with Grandma and Poppa!

We have been in Olympic fever here! The past few weeks have been full of watching the Olympics! I had no idea just how much we would embrace the Olympics and the joy of hosting here in Canada. We couldn't get enough. I especially enjoyed curling. Wierd huh? Who knew? Never even really understood the game- even though Shawn says it's quite simple... get your rock closest to the middle- that just seems way too over-simplified for me. I loved watching both teams make it to the gold medal match and take home a gold and a silver for Canada. And who could resist that hockey game! Wooohoooo! That was fun to watch!

A little sunshine chased away the February blues on the long family day weekend. Nothing like a Girls' Weekend to make February roll on by and to soak up the vitamin d! That's right- we were a group of Bahama Mamas for the weekend and it was soooo great to feel that heat! We shopped, we ate conch fritters and drank Sands Lite and we relaxed on the beach and in the hot tub. Glorious! Simply glorious! If ya haven't eaten conch before, you don't know what your're missin'! Mmmm Mmmmm Good!

After that it's been getting ready for the cruise! Last weekend we did some last minute shopping and packed up all our cute outfits for the cruise! So exciting! It's our third time but it's like the first because we have friends! YAY! We are so lucky that the Fillmore Family are joining us on our week long eastern caribbean cruise! I cannot wait for them to see just how wonderful the ship is and what a great experience it will be for our families to be together to share in the magic of Disney. I simply cannot wait to get to Detroit to see them and to start this holiday!

So, where does that leave us? Crazy busy with work! As a matter of fact, so crazy busy that Shawn is off storm chasing in Vermont and New Hampshire! Flying solo at home makes for crazy days for us! We've been super busy at work with tons of meetings and lots to do. Phew.... good thing the finale of The Bachelor is over so I can get focussed on my work again! HA HA!

But seriously... where has the time gone? I cannot believe that it is March already! After the break... I will begin to start dreaming of all that summer holds- camping, camping and more camping! Til then, I have Disney and The Fillmores to look forward to!

Sunday is the best day!

It's true! I love a good Sunday! It's my favourite day! I can putter all day with no where to go and nothing to do. I love that! It may seem very unproductive to putter but I actually accomplish quite a bit. For instance, today:

I ran for 30 minutes, cycled and boxed all on the Wii!

Shopped online- bathing suits! What else? Yep, Victoria's Secret and I have become fast friends! Collaborated with friends on a great camping trip- and it's not until August!

Did several loads of laundry.

And now, I cook. I love a good Sunday dinner too! Today we are having ham with fig orange glaze, roasted potatoes and roasted cauliflower with garlic, lemon and olive oil!

Oh and I did do quite a bit of work for tomorrow's PA Day!

Did I mention I like Sundays a whole lot more when I have a PA Day on Monday?

Shout out to friends who are like family...

Maybe I don't say it enough but I have the greatest friends! I have been so lucky over the years to maintain the friendships that matter. It's not always easy. Friendships take time, patience and a willingness to grow together, even when you're very different. I have to admit... I've had to let some slide over the years. As I get older, I start to see more clearly who is worth the time to keep a connection with. Some may not even connect with me that often but the friendship is still as real as ever. Others, it gets harder and harder to find something in common, to find time to chat, to get along even.

But today I want to give a big "shout out" to my girls who are like family. Heck, they are family!

You know the ones. The ones who step in when you need them, and not because they have to but because they want to. The ones who you can pick up with like no time has passed. The ones who your children love more than you- or so it would seem! The ones that make you feel so at home in their home and are comfortable in yours. The ones who no matter the distance feel like their just around the corner but also make you sick wishing they really were. They're the ones I'm talking about.

Girls- and you know who you are- I feel blessed. I am grateful. Thank you.

Off to a rough start...

I really wanted today to be "the day" that I begin my healthy stuff but I was awake half the night with stomach cramps and all that goes along with them...ick. Not nice. Had to stay home from my first day back to work after the holidays. Nice. Starting to feel better. Think I may be on the mend. Wierd how this stuff just sort of hits you... when you're sleeping!

Not to mention, we've had awful news. First our beloved caregiver found out that she has breast cancer. Devastated us and knocked us down. Had to find care over the holidays. This was not easy. The thought of sending Gavin anywhere else sickens me. I love Sue. Then, we just found out that Shawn's Aunt Joan passed away- cancer. I'm cancered out. Can't handle it.

So, we're not off to a great start here but I figure, things have to look up. Well, at least there's the Bachelor to keep us entertained!

New Year

It's a funny thing how we wait for the "new year" to come up with all the different things that we resolve to do- resolutions! It's like we need that fresh start feeling to begin. For instance, over the holidays I kept thinking, "I should do some pilates today." But then I always ended my thoughts with, "In the new year." What difference does it really make? Just another way for me to procrastinate. Speaking for myself, of course.

So, like many others, I've given a lot of thought to this upcoming year and all that it could hold- given the opportunity. I think I would like to keep it simple.

Drink more water. Like the cute little app on my ipod Touch says... good for the body, mind and soul. It keeps track of how much water I drink in a day. Not too much right now but I think I'd like to drink more. And not just Vitamin Water (LOVE!) but more plain old water. It can't hurt.

Do more pilates. I love the idea of doing more pilates but the actual doing gets complicated. When to do this? Morning? Night? Both have their issues but I know I need to do it. It certainly couldn't hurt either.

De-junk. It's a word that's been stolen from a friend. Not sure if it's even a word but it's a good word. No? Get rid of some stuff. Shawn always says, "Don't bring more stuff into the house unless you plan to get rid of stuff first." Kinda defeats the purpose but I am willing to try to de-junk. I want a comfy-chic home. You know, the kind with warmth but not all the clutter to go with it. Minimalist with some fun things scattered throughout. Is this possible? Gonna work on it.

That's it. I think three is a perfectly lovely number to work with. Keep it simple.

Now, off to do pilates- after the glass of wine and before the great Sunday night television starts!