Christmas Pictures!

Sorry this post will have nothing but pictures in it but today is a lazy sort of day...

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Santa definitely found us and needless to say, I felt extremely blessed to have family and friends that would put that much thought into buying me lots of beautiful things!

Pictures to follow!

One Week!

Is everyone ready for Christmas? Because it is officially one week until Christmas Day!!! I'm spending this Saturday listening to lovely Christmas music while I bake some cookies and the baby naps. It couldn't be better, really. When she wakes up we're going to spread some holiday cheer by bringing some homemade cookies and a Christmas card next door to the neighbours.

I think I'm as ready as I can be. Everything we need present-wise has been bought and now we're just focusing on groceries for Christmas dinner.

Oh my God! I can't believe I forgot to mention this first thing: Mya has peed on the potty a total of 4 times now! I am so proud and impressed!! It was the best Christmas present ever. Really. I wasn't going to try potty training until after she turned 2 but she started showing me she was ready...so out we went to buy a potty. I'm so happy. Let's just hope it keeps progressing forward and she doesn't regress at all.

Ok, gotta get back to the cookies before they burn!


Happy holidays!

Out With The Old...

and in with the new!


Please ignore the dust and bits of styrofoam that you can see in the pics...it will eventually get cleaned up. We (I) were just too excited once it was put together to bother with the detailed clean up. I love, Love, LOVE our new table...and it is just the right size for our Christmas dinner crew with the leaf in. So in love.

O Christmas Tree!

So last night we finally put up our tree. I shouldn't say "finally" because I think this is just the right time...unlike those fools who put theirs up in November. Anyways, the tree turned out to be too high for our little ceilings and we had to trim a little off the bottom AND the top and even after all that we still had to tip the tree a little to get the angel on top. We decided to put Mya to bed before we got started and I think it was a good idea but then it was brand new this morning and she hasn't stopped touching it since. I think it's the most beautiful tree we've ever had! It's hard to tell a) how big it is when it's outside, b) what its flaws are and c) how full it is. Well, we got 'er home and she's just perfect! The man at the tree farm gave us a good rule of thumb: when you're Christmas tree hunting, always add 2 feet to whatever height you think the tree is. If we had known that we wouldn't have had to cut 2 feet off of our tree, but oh well! She's up now and she's awesome!

Behold!


And just for nostalgic reasons I thought I'd add a last year photo and a this year photo of the rug rat:

Christmas 2009


Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas to all of you!

Christmas Tree Shopping

To continue a tradition that we started last year, we went to cut down our tree today. Mya was much more excited about it this time around and was quite taken by the snow. She didn't want to really hold our hands though so she would run away and slip and fall on the ice and snow which resulted in her jacket, hands, pants and Adam's gloves getting dirty with mud. Oh well! I think she had a good time.

The hardest part was trying to find a tree that would fit inside our low ceilinged living room. Last year we had really high ceilings so we could choose whichever tree we wanted but this year we kept saying "well, how big do you think it is?" and "Adam, go stand next to it to give me an idea". We think it'll fit but if not, worse case scenario we just have to chop a few branches off the bottom and saw off a few inches. We think we found the perfect tree and I'm so excited to put it up tonight! Stay tuned for pictures of the finished product!

Christmas Fun

Can anyone guess what I'm doing this afternoon?

Happy December!

Can anyone believe that it's already December? Seriously, where has the time gone? My baby is going to be 2 soon, Christmas is just around the corner and before we know it, it'll be 2011. Insanity. Even though December tends to be a busy month for me (and most of you I would assume), I am proud to announce that with the exception of stocking stuffers, I am DONE my Christmas shopping! This includes shopping for Adam's birthday, which is right around the corner on Monday. I'm so happy with myself for not leaving things till the last minute like I usually do. Now I can take my December to leisurely bake, decorate, listen to Christmas music and get my house ready for holiday guests!

The Christmas baking menu this year includes:

-homemade holiday eggnog (with rum of course!)
-pumpkin cookies with browned butter icing
-molasses cookies
-pumpkin pie
-apple cranberry pie

and last but not least...chocolate peanut butter cream pie. How fat am I gonna be after Christmas?

I haven't even started decorating for the holiday but shh! don't tell anyone because apparently I'm the only one in this world who doesn't have my tree up yet. That really burns me. Don't people know that Christmas is NOT in November?? It gets earlier and earlier every year! With Adam's birthday on the 6th, we use that as a guideline and don't put up before then. This year we're planning to go cut ours down (just like last year) on the 11th and I can't wait! I think Mya will really get a kick out of it this year. Last year she liked the twinkly lights but other than that she pretty much left the tree alone...which was fine by me!

I hope that this year the tree is still something she keeps her hands off of but if not at least I know she's old enough that she understands when I say not to touch it.

More fun news to report: we are getting a new table and chair set! We have been wanting one for a long time and have been scouring Kijiji in the hopes of coming across one that we liked and that wasn't a ridiculous amount of money for a second hand piece of furniture, but we had no such luck. My wonderful mother in law and her boyfriend will be delivering it sometime during the week in about 2 weeks time and I can't wait! I will post before and after pics so you can see for yourself how bad our current table and chairs are.

Alright, that's enough blogging for now. I have lots to do before Mya wakes up...which I think is right now! Damn! Ok, I'll talk to you later!

AppleCheeks Giveaway!

AppleCheeks is having an AWESOME giveaway...check them out on facebook if you want in. Basically, they're teaming up with Ergo Baby and giving away an Ergo Baby Carrier. Have you seen these? They have all the benefits of a wrap style carrier but without having to deal with the yards and yards of material. I've been wanting one for awhile now but felt that my baby had outgrown the carrier stage. I will have more babies someday though! It even comes with a little insert for newborns to make them feel all snug and close.

So, if you wanna win one of these little pieces of awesome, head over to facebook and like both Ergo Baby Carrier and AppleCheeks and then comment on their note about it. You have until December 7th at midnight EST.

Parade of Lights

Sorry this post is a little late but last weekend we made our way back to the city for the Parade of Lights! I don't mean to sound like a whiner but I don't know if it was worth it after seeing how it went. We contemplated for hours on how to dress her and brought the necessary gear for a cold night but at the last minute we decided to leave it home and just dress her normally.

She was still dressed for coldish weather: hat and hood, winter coat, mittens, lined pants, etc. We thought her feet would be warm enough with just shoes on because she wasn't going to be running around in the snow but apparently we were wrong. The parade didn't start on time and we ended up leaving early after watching it for over an hour. Our poor baby was over tired and a little bit of an icicle. When we got back to Nana's house all she wanted was to be snuggled as she cried and cried. I love the snuggles but I hate that they always seem to come around when my bebe isn't feeling the greatest. What's up with that? She eventually thawed and got some sleep. By morning she was back to her old self.

So, remember those shoes we bought for her way back in March for her birthday? Well, they finally fit now and she wears them all the time. How cute are these suckers?


Speaking of adorable footwear, we got her some slippers from Superstore the other day because the floors are starting to get cold now that there's snow on the ground. Take a look at these cutie beauties:

Oh, and speaking of Superstore, have I mentioned I would like to win the lottery and blow all my money there on super cute kid clothes!? The plan was to pick up a pair of jammies to go with some books and then Mya would be done and I could cross her off my Christmas list, but I don't think I could buy just one pair! They have fleece nighties and fleece 2 piece pajamas and flannel 2 piece pajamas...all adorable. AND they have their clearance racks out with stuff I could get for cheap for next summer! I know!

Alright, time to stop fantasizing about Superstore and get some housework done while my helper is sleeping.

Ciao!

Weekend Getaway

This post is a little overdue but I blame that on kids and Christmas. I can do that, right? Anyways, last weekend we were in the city for a planned getaway. Adam's sister got us a suite here


and offered to take the baby for the night. Let me just say, it. was. awesome. After we dropped Mya off at Elisa's place we left to get some shopping done and holy crappoly, I forgot how easy shopping was when you do it alone. There was no getting someone out of a car seat when you got to the store. No wrestling someone back into the car seat when it was time to leave. No stroller taking up your precious trunk space and then having to be opened everytime you get said someone out of car seat. There was no one whining to leave the store before we were ready (except me when we were in Golf Town). Can you believe that we managed to cross almost every single person off our Christmas shopping list? I know!! And to top it all off, it was unseasonably warm and sunny so me and Adam got to walk around without jackets on! It was probably the best day ever.

Next weekend (this weekend?) we're headed back to the city so we can take Mya to the parade of lights. Our town is putting on its own parade but it's being held on Thursday night and I have to work so we won't be able to go. I mean, who has a Christmas parade on a Thursday?? Weirdos. So, back in the car we go for Mya's first parade. Well, technically it's her second but she slept during the entire Canada Day parade so it doesn't really count. I hope she likes it as much as I want her to. She might still be a little young to fully grasp the concept but we have to start somewhere, right?

What else is going on in our lives at the moment? Well, the weather forecast is calling for snow this weekend so we bumped up our plan to get snow tires on the car and we have an appointment for Friday. At least we'll be prepared for whenever the snow decides to come even if it changes its mind about this weekend.

Ok, sorry for the boring post but I hadn't updated in a long time. I'll leave you with a little game:

Can you find Mya?

One of these things is not like the other...one of these things just doesn't belong...

And now a couple just for the cute factor:

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies the Recipe

Someone commented on my last post asking for me to post the recipe of these awesome cookies I made (see picture below!). I actually took that pic...turned out pretty good eh? So, give you the recipe I will:

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1/4 molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl mix together, flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Put 1/2 cup of the sugar in small bowl and set aside. With electric mixer beat butter and remaining cup of sugar until combined. Beat in egg and then molasses until combined. Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients mixing just until a dough forms. Pinch off and roll dough into balls about 1 tbsp in size. Roll balls in reserved sugar to coat. Bake until edges are just firm, about 10-15 min.

**These cookies didn't spread as much as I thought they would based on the picture the recipe provided, but they were still chewy and yummy. Now, the first sheet I put in the oven I left for 15 minutes because I couldn't tell if the edges were firm. They seemed to be harder and darker than I wanted but were still good nonetheless. The second sheet I put in for only 10 minutes and they were definitely softer and lighter than the first batch but I think that the third batch (which was left in for about 12-13 min) turned out the best. Oh, one last thing: I found the dough to be really soft so I popped it in the fridge while waiting for the oven to preheat and in between batches and it was much easier to handle. So those are my tips and observations!

Good luck! I wanna know how they turn out!

Christmas Baking

So, yesterday I decided to get a start on my Christmas baking. I came across this recipe I had bookmarked online while looking through my recipes for a gift for someone. I found what may be the only-cookie-I'll-ever-bake recipe: Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies.


Now, I don't normally bake cookies. I'm more of a pies, breads, upside down cakes kind of girl. I don't know why. Something about making cookies seems hard or time consuming. But not these puppies! They were definitely quick to put together and they were easy to make. I happened to have everything I needed in the house which is one of the reasons I decided to make them. That and Adam made this "I would really, really like some holiday cookies" face so I had to do it. I came home from work last night to see that a good dent had been made to the cookie container, so I guess they must have been good! Now that I've made my trial run and passed, I'll be making these for Christmas!

I also found a holiday eggnog recipe that I'm dying to try. Adam wants to do a trial run of that too (shocking!). So, I'll be sure to let you know how that turns out.

Have you started holiday baking yet? What are you making for goodies at your house this holiday season?

Baby Blues

So, there's this comic strip on my fridge that I came across some years ago and it was so funny (because it rang so true) that I cut it out and saved it. Some of you already know about my comic strip and some of you have already read it but I thought I'd post it on here to share with everyone because I know almost all of you can relate.

See? Don't you feel better now? I thought so!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Guess Who!

Frig ok, so last night we finally got around to carving those pumpkins we picked ourselves from the Pumpkin Festival last weekend. I thought about doing it with Mya but then thought that it would just be easier on me if she was in bed. So, when I got home from work last night I popped the thawed pie I made earlier in the month into the oven and started laying out the newspaper. I seem to remember pumpkin gutting being much more fun than it was this time but anyways...
Adam crawled away from his computer game and decided to partake in the pumpkin carving fun and I challenged him to see who could carve a better pumpkin. Just as we finished carving, the pie came out of the oven and when we were done cleaning up the pie was ready to eat. It. Was. So. Good. Much better than the one I baked for Thanksgiving.

Now, it's time for you to guess whose pumpkin is whose?


I think we're gonna run out today to get some tea lights because that's the only thing missing from these beauties.

AppleCheeks Giveaway!

Ok, so I know I've mentioned AppleCheeks before but I'm gonna mention them again. They are having an awesome giveaway on their website and I would really really like to win. I'm sure you would really like to win too so head on over and enter by doing one or all of the six mentioned ways to enter. We've been thinking of getting some AppleCheeks but where Mya will be potty trained soon we thought it was better to wait but I'm still crazy interested and would love to win a starter kit. How kick ass would that be? I never win anything...maybe October 31st will be my lucky day!

Pumpkin Festival

This weekend our beloved farm (a local farm that is not really ours but we like to think it is) put on their annual Pumpkin Festival. There promised to be hay rides, baked goods, music, apple picking, pumpkin picking and lots of other fun things to do. Their hours are 10-5 everyday of the week and in order to pack in as much fun as we could before having to leave for lunch/naptime we got there shortly after 10am. When we got there and realized that we were the only ones there, it appeared that not everyone had the same goal as us. We were taken in however and given hot chocolate and hot apple cider while we sat by the warm fire and looked at old photo albums. When we were done our drinks we went back outside and saw that others had decided to join in the Pumpkin Festival fun. We hopped on the first tractor ride that took us on a tour of the farm and made a couple stops for us to pick apples. We didn't actually pick apples though because we're still trying to get through the apples from our first visit to the farm.


Mya had a great time eating apples though!


Then it was off to the pumpkin patch where we made sure to pick the most perfect pumpkin! The ground was a little bumpy which made it hard for little feet to walk on without getting tripped up.


After this it was time to go home and have lunch and hit the hay. In the next couple days we'll be carving up his and hers pumpkins so you'll have to stay tuned to see if you can guess who's is whose!