winter

I am not really a winter person. Nor am I a summer person. I dislike weather extremes. I feel the cold in my bones. We get a lot of snow here and it sometimes feels like it is closing in on you. In reality, it really does because our streets get narrower as the snow removal crews pile it up on the sides of the streets.

But, I saw a little ray of spring today. When I came out of my office building at 5:00 pm tonight, it wasn't completely dark. It was like the darkness had been dialed down a couple of notches and it was just light enough that you could still see a bit of colour in the sky.

I am grateful that I live in a comfortable house, have a (mostly) warm office and am generally pretty comfortable all day long. In spite of my grumbling, I need to enjoy the moment. Winter has a reason.

* * * *
This little book came from Scholastic today for Fynn. It will be his little Valentine's Day gift. Hugs, sweet boy.

a project....complete

I went to a friend's house today for a scrapbooking session.
It was a nice way to devote some time to just playing with my supplies and
actually getting something accomplished -- plus some yummy food.

I used the Close to My Heart acrylic mini album, their rub-ons and a few other supplies. It contains our 2008 Christmas cards. I really like how it turned out.

more magazines folding

I'm a bit of a magazine junkie.

I go through phases. I'll be on a craft bender, than fashion, then health, then decorating. Well lately, a few of my sometime favourites are no more:

- Cottage Living
- Wish (I'm still bummed about that -- it was actually a good Canadian mag)
- Simple Scrapbooks (feel bad for the talented women who put that one together)
- and now Wondertime.

i heart Rick Mercer

...because he says stuff like this in his monologue:

"So here it is, inauguration day in America. And like everyone else I can't help but get caught up in the moment because honestly, as a Canadian, I did not believe in my lifetime I would see a man like Barack Obama become President of the United States. And not because he's black. No, no, no, no. Because he ran a positive campaign and he actually got elected.

And if recent history has taught us anything it's that that could never work up here. Because when it comes to politics, we haven't seen anything remotely positive in a very long time.

Think about it. In the last American election, the defining themes were "change is possible" and "hope," and they had the highest voter turnout in 40 years. In our last election, the defining themes were "stay the course" and "destroy the enemy," and we had the lowest voter turn out in our entire history. Clearly we are on two different tracks.

Which is fine; we are a sovereign nation, we are unique on the world stage. For example, we're now the last nation on earth that wants Guantanamo Bay prison to stay open and it's not even our prison. Yes, it's a brave new world and we're old school.

Now that doesn't mean we shouldn't celebrate the new President. No, no, no. Everyone loves this guy. Cripes, when Obama announced that his first foreign visit was going to be to Canada Stephen Harper looked so excited I thought his head was gonna pop off.

And I don't blame him. I'd like to get my picture taken with Obama too. And clearly the fact that he's visiting Canada is very exciting; because, as of today, he is the 44th president of the United States – and eight hours in, he's doing a bang up job.

And the fact is he got that job by doing something that no Canadian political leader has done in a very long time: he appealed to the very best in his fellow citizens and gave them something to believe in. So when that visit finally happens, let's hope some of that rubs off."

web finds

I love to window shop on the web.
Some finds that I keep coming back to...

This cute little number for Sophie. I love their kids' clothes. Great quality and they don't shrink.

This for Fynn.

This for me.

One of these for my office.

Some new crafting goodies.

And something to replace our old rug in the dining room.

Dooce

You have got to love Dooce for summing up exactly how a parent feels.

sophie - almost 5

She is very ready to be 5.
She talks about it almost everyday.
Hannah Montana is her favourite "celebrity" of the moment.
She likes crafts, clothes, and shadowing her momma.
She loves ballet.
She loves her dadddy and watches out for her baby brother.

what can you buy for $400?

I joined a clothing club in September. Basically each member (we have 8) contributes $50 each month. One person's name is drawn each month and they win the pot (or $400). I won it last month so I got to do some Boxing Week shopping for new clothes.

I focused on work clothes, since that is where the bulk of my time is spent and I like to invest in some decent things that will last for awhile. I purchased the following:

Mexx cardigan;
Mexx short sleeve sweater;
Mexx top;
Mexx necklance and a bracelet;
Mexx camisole (I like Mexx as it fits me well, lasts and their styles are modern yet not over the top)
Rickis dress pants;
Rickis sweater;
Areosoles pumps (last season) from Shoe Warehouse;
and Franco Sarto mini boots at 40% off.

I hosted the group last night at our house. Vic made some very tasty Caramel Apple Martinis. Yum

“Eat a live frog every morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” -Mark Twain

This is a classic line from Mark Twain that says that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you should be able to handle the rest of the day. So, you should do the most difficult things first.

I live this each morning when I get Sophie and Fynn up, fed, dressed and ready to go to daycare. It is by far my biggest hurdle of the day. Fynn does not like having his diaper changed or getting out of his PJs (some days he has gone to daycare in his PJs) and Sophie is a chronic dawdler. She is slowly getting into the habit of dressing herself, and I have to sit on my hands to stop myself from stepping in and doing it for her.

When we are all buckled into our vehicle, I know I've "eaten my frog."

What is your frog?

have you seen this?

A friend pointed out this site to me today.

It looks like a lot of fun. Not only can you do e-cards, but they also have a scrapbooking layout section.

Fynn at 15 months

Fynn is now 15 months old.

He is walking! It is so adorable to see this little person walking around the house and then kind of stumbling over.
He has had a stubborn itchy skin thing going on for months. No creme, including prescription seems to be zapping it out. I'm back to unbleached diapers to see if that will work.
He loves yogurt, cheese and Timbits (go figure).
He loves his trucks, especially his ride-on dump truck.
He loves Clifford the Big Red Dog.
He loves his bath.
He doesn't like getting his diaper changed.
He is both delighted by and tolerated by Sophie.

We love you, Fynn.

Snow - lots of it

Vic took these pictures tonight - in case there was ever any doubt that we lived in a snow belt. 3 feet on the ground and about 10 feet piled up. It is a bit crazy!

NYE

We had NYE dinner in Osoyoos at Passa Tempo with our friends Bryan and Patti.