Family Photos

Since Ryan's sister and her family is down for Christmas this year, we decided to take the opportunity and get some family photos at William's Park in Langley. Jack frost nipped at our nose and our fingertips, but in the end we got some decent photos.

Just the siblings:

All the grandkids and their grandmother:

Our mother (in-law) and grandmother:

And one of Ryan and I:

And our darling daughter:

Presents!

This year we gave Camia her presents on Christmas Eve afternoon, right after her nap. Ryan and I wrapped the gifts while she napped and then carried them downstairs so she could see them when she came downstairs.

She was thrilled.

I found it fun because she was able to open the gifts herself and was excited over ripping the paper.

She went straight for the tree and picked up a gift

and sat on the floor and opened it.

Then she got to open another one, a dishes set that I have been waiting anxiously to give to her. She played for hours with it after we were done, although she didn't really apperciate the packaging done by the manufacturing company! She was rather impatient for me to get all the pieces out.

Hurry, Mom!!

Finally!!

Then she brought daddy his gift,

a house coat he had on his wishlist.

After that Mommy got her gift,

Some bird ornaments that she really had her eyes on for quite some time now (although, these were not the ones I had specifically wished for, but they are nice just the same...)

To make a display on a bare naked wall.

And then we got a mommy/daughter pose in as well.

Another Thing To Keep Me Busy...

Another thing I did in the heat of the moment to add to my crazy life was start a new home-based business selling Epicure. On Saturday last week I had my first open house and was able to submit my first official party of the 4 that I have set as a goal for the end of January for myself. Since then I have submitted a second one, and have 2 parties booked in January. This is my display of spices, specials and catalogs,

And this is my display of the table where I had drinks and dips set out for people to tatse. I made little place cards telling what each dip was and in the inside of the cards I wrote other uses for the respective dips. I walked to Value Village and picked up the 3 caraffes that kept my liquids hot and I also picked up the black basket to hold my Artisan bread. I quick whipped up the fabric thats in it that served as a bread warmer. I finished binding it about 1 hour before the open house was set to start. I seem to be good at having those last minute projects kind of sneak up on me, it seems. Or at least that is what Ryan tells me anyways ;). I also made terriyaki chicken for this too. I handed out 57 invitations, and other than some family, 2 people showed up. I was not surprised since my unit leader had warned me of this, but I still comforted myself in knowing that my name was out there, even if it meant it was tossed in the recycling bin. :)

More For My To-Do...

The Abbotsford Fabricland location is closing its doors in hopes to relocate due to insufficient room for fabric plus fabric happy people. I went there yesterday to find a new backing for Camia's quilt which I took apart to finish properly. Instead of finding backing, I found this:

Enough fabric for 2 quilt tops!! And for super cheap too! How could I resist. I told myself that now would be the time to purchase it since the deal was 70% off. Hmm. I still can't say that I have the right to complain of severe boredom. The projects just keep on adding up! Not that its a completely bad thing at all...

I have fabric to make an earth-toned quilt

And fabric to make a blue toned quilt.

And since my Aunts are down due to my Opa winding up in the hospital, I let my crazy talented Aunt Coby borrow my fancy machine and I reverted to my old one. I now remember how grateful I am to own my fancy one :) This one weighs a full tonne! But it still works, so that I suppose is the big plus here :).

Mr/Mrs Potato Head!

Remember the potato head that I was going to make for Camia? Well, I finished it! I made it with my friend Melissa who also made one for her peanut. It was a fun project to do. Perhaps I will let Camia play with it one of these days. For now, its my toy :D. I ended up getting most of the felt for free from fellow free-cyclers, including the glitter felt for the Mrs potato head luscious lips.

I found that my mr potato head looked kinda like a dutch man...

And then there's the classic messed up mr potato head...

I also added a pocket in the back. Without even thinking about it, though, I put the sticky side on all the items to be attached and the fluffy side on the potato. Now I can't put the stuff because it sticks to the potato and ruins the felt. So I think I might make new ones...when I have nothing else to do.

It was fun to do. Now I want to make pinwheel cookies with Camia that look like those honking suckers you can buy at fairs and other places. These are real cookies! And look like tons of fun. (I just have to wait for Camia to be 3 or 4...or 2...:))

Santas Little Helper

This past weekend Camia got to sit on Santa's knee and did not enjoy it in the least. Ryan sat on Santa's knee with her. I bought this hat for her last year for fun and she actually had a bit of fun with it today...

Ahh, Christmas!

I am taking a few minutes for me to write on my blog in the midst of my preparations for the Christmas dinner Ryan and I are hosting tonight...just to get a breath. I have been planning the menu and centerpieces and holiday decor to set the mood for the last month or so, and yesterday got together with all my sisters in law as well as my mother in law to assemble the piece. Joy had gathered greens the morning of, and the night before I found twigs. I love dead twigs in arrangements. It adds that extra teeny touch, I think.

I plan on having a buffet table to avoid clutter on my dining table and that is where I put my center piece. I found some fabric to put around it and put lights under the fabric to give it that little extra holiday touch. I also stole some balls off my tree to add colour. Oh, I love decorating and Christmas!And because I have a buffet table, there is room on my dining table for things such as thisThis,
And this!

Now I have to scramble to tidy the place up a bit. It seems that things have gotten a little carried away. I have laundry to finish and fold...

Boxes to clean up and recycle....
and remnants of holly and decor to clean up and put away.

And I have a problem. I am doing a chicken for dinner tonight instead of turkey because I don't appreciate the taste of turkey as much as some people and since I am hosting the dinner, I figured that it was my prerogative. I thought that since it usually takes about 5 hours to cook from frozen, I would leave it in the freezer until I needed it. But then I panicked. How was I supposed to stuff a frozen chicken??? Oops. Now that chicken is taking a steaming hot bath in the sink so I can at least stuff a partially thawed chicken...

As I wait, I sing...fa la la la la la la la la....