Snow softly falling...

 When life hands you rain instead of snow at Christmastime , there's only one thing to do. Create a snowy environment on your own. My holiday decor includes many shades of whites and cream and lots and lots of glitter. Glass icicles hang from my tree and I stacked mounds of faux snowballs in my outdoor urns and hung snowflakes and icicles from my porch.

 
But perhaps my favorite snowy finish of all this year is the craft I made with my mum, sister, niece and (of course) Sophie.

 

During our annual crafting session, we focused on crafts the girls could handle making largely on their own. We all share a love of glitter and whimsy so Martha Stewart's snow globe project seemed perfect for us all. I purchased miniature Schleich toy fawns and bleached the colour out of a bag of bottle brush trees, using the tiny ones for our snow globes. The tutorial is here, but basically all you need are some jars, distilled water, some glitter, and glycerin. And of course some tiny treasures to place inside! Sophie and I both used the sweet little fawns, but we have plans to use some more Schleich toys to make more globes. It was fun, easy, and something we have wanted to do for a while.

(the boys helping themselves to a snack while the girls work away)

We also made some other pretties, which I will share later, but here is a pretty wreath project the girls tackled. 

It is from Babiekins magazine, which also features the most adorable Winter Woodland Party, produced by my friend, Debra Norton, of Vintage Paper Parade.

Here is my niece Ella's interpretation of the craft:

Although some accuse me of being "crafty", I really am not. I simply like to do a craft now and again for each of my favourite seasons. Four or five crafts a year hardly qualifies one as a crafter, now does it?

Here is my mum working away:

and my sister:

And here are the other finished snow globes. We think the one with the girl inside looks like she is drowning and pleading to be rescued. Not exactly the effect we were going for:

Just to be sure, mine is on the far left. 

It is okay if you think mine is the best...

Now, get crafting! You will have fun!

I promise...!

Snow softly falling...

 When life hands you rain instead of snow at Christmastime , there's only one thing to do. Create a snowy environment on your own. My holiday decor includes many shades of whites and cream and lots and lots of glitter. Glass icicles hang from my tree and I stacked mounds of faux snowballs in my outdoor urns and hung snowflakes and icicles from my porch.

 
But perhaps my favorite snowy finish of all this year is the craft I made with my mum, sister, niece and (of course) Sophie.

 

During our annual crafting session, we focused on crafts the girls could handle making largely on their own. We all share a love of glitter and whimsy so Martha Stewart's snow globe project seemed perfect for us all. I purchased miniature Schleich toy fawns and bleached the colour out of a bag of bottle brush trees, using the tiny ones for our snow globes. The tutorial is here, but basically all you need are some jars, distilled water, some glitter, and glycerin. And of course some tiny treasures to place inside! Sophie and I both used the sweet little fawns, but we have plans to use some more Schleich toys to make more globes. It was fun, easy, and something we have wanted to do for a while.

(the boys helping themselves to a snack while the girls work away)

We also made some other pretties, which I will share later, but here is a pretty wreath project the girls tackled. 

It is from Babiekins magazine, which also features the most adorable Winter Woodland Party, produced by my friend, Debra Norton, of Vintage Paper Parade.

Here is my niece Ella's interpretation of the craft:

Although some accuse me of being "crafty", I really am not. I simply like to do a craft now and again for each of my favourite seasons. Four or five crafts a year hardly qualifies one as a crafter, now does it?

Here is my mum working away:

and my sister:

And here are the other finished snow globes. We think the one with the girl inside looks like she is drowning and pleading to be rescued. Not exactly the effect we were going for:

Just to be sure, mine is on the far left. 

It is okay if you think mine is the best...

Now, get crafting! You will have fun!

I promise...!

Sundae, Sunday...

 

One of my favourite things about maintaining this blog is that it reminds me to create something special from the ordinary. Like putting your best face forward. Basically, if I am going to go to the trouble to snap a photo, record my thoughts, time-stamp a moment in our lives, then I should put effort into making those ordinary moments stand out. Because there is enough ordinary in life and sometimes all that is needed is some extra attention to details. And details matter. You can never pay enough attention to the details when they have the power to make life more enjoyable.

Right?

Right!

On the weekend, we put a real dent in our Summer List, which (for the record) has turned out to be a true blessing this summer. It has given us direction and allowed us to do some of the things we have always meant to do, wanted to do, wished to do. On our list are many easy, quick, inexpensive ideas and two of them involved food (we have to eat dinner, right?) so we did double-duty by choosing those ones.

Sundaes.  

Who doesn't love them? A sundae bar was on our to-do list so a pretty set-up made things extra special:

 

Ice cream: we chose plain vanilla and marshmallow fudge crackle with toppings of fresh strawberries, hot fudge, Maltesers, gummy bears, Dove chocolate mint cups, real whipped cream, and Smarties:

But before all of that sweetness, we devoured salted, vinegared golden crispy on the outside-soft and fluffy on the inside homemade french fries, just like my mum used to make. In fact, I hope my mum isn't reading this because the handyman declared them even better than hers! 

Which, of course, secretly pleased me...

Honestly, they do look pretty perfect, don't they?

(Note: no electric deep fryer was used in the making of theses french fries. They are a once/summer treat so I go the old-fashioned route of employing a "chip pan" - which should only be used by the most safety-conscious cook. Not recommended for scatter-brained cooks. Safety first!)

It is fair to say that it was an extra-ordinary day!
With half of the summer remaining, I look forward to many more days just like it!

Down Memory Lane...

I read a quote recently about how all of your dreams don`t need to have an expiration date. I think that is so very true and we get caught up in wanting to fulfill all of our dreams and wishes in an instant, when sometimes they happen in the order they are supposed to. I am not sure if my weekend adventure qualifies as a dream, per se, but it certainly has been a wish of mine for as many years and I am not sure why it took me so long to see it through.

Memory Lane Heritage Village is tucked away in a tiny place called Lake Charlotte, a blink and you`ll miss it place on the map, but very well worth the trip. I read about Memory Lane about ten years ago when a local newspaper ran a feature on it. Set in the 1940`s and 1950`s, its vintage appeal was/is right up my alley and I made a mental note to check it out. Well, lo and behold, it took me a decade but I finally made it; and although the drive there was longer than I'd anticipated, it was worth every minute - especially since Sophie and her friend were as good as gold! Basically, as soon as I set foot on the path to one of the Village homes, two little sheep - one black and the other white - stepped out in front of me. Looking just like the little sheep in Sophie's favourite book, Emily's house , I knew they were a sign of good things to come.

Ever the dork sentimentalist, I even wore a retro-inspired dress and packed up a lunch in an old English wicker picnic basket I found at an antique shop last summer (it came stocked with butter-yellow flasks and mint condition bakelite cutlery). 

My sister would have had such a chuckle at my antics.

But when in Rome...

And knowing my love of retro fridges, can you imagine my excitement when I saw this pink beauty?! I could honestly have moved right in...until the sheep I met earlier made their way in through the front door, headed straight into the kitchen, and promptly peed on the floor!

(I didn`t take a photo of the pee...aren't you glad?)

Sophie had fun pretending she lived there:

And check out the cute kitchen sink of this little house:

Next up, we headed to the carpenter`s shop where the handyman got all excited about a scythe. Apparently he`s always liked them...not sure why. I have honestly always thought he was born in the wrong era and it turns out he would have made a great gentleman of the 1940`s.

And I have long called him "The Preacher", so he hopped up to the pulpit and did his thing:

(Except he looks a bit demented in this photo)

Off to the schoolhouse where I put Sophie in the naughty corner. Hey, did you notice the map? Much like the one I bought last year! I guess I have finally pinned down the era in which it was produced.

A wish fulfilled and another thing crossed off The List!

******************************

Now, what small dreams can you make happen for you?

It's All About the Kids...

It is isn't it?

I mean, that could be said with a smile or a scowl, depending on the day, the mood or the moment.

And I have experienced the gamut in just the short week since summer break started.

I have discovered that working from home, surrounded by kids and the noises of summer, is REALLY hard. That I may have to shift my thinking and my schedule: working only at night, after everyone is in bed. Because writing creative thoughts for two magazines, while fielding endless questions, supervising swimming, and running a taxi service and an ice-cream stand really doesn't mesh.

Not that I'm complaining (well, maybe a little...). Because if anyone writes me and tries to tell me that there aren't growing pains associated with having the kids home for summer, well, they are too organized or saintly to be my pal. Just being honest...

And because the internet can be a very bad influence on me (for example, I cleaned my oven the other day just because a Facebook friend said she was cleaning hers), I decided to take inspiration from the lovable Meg (who has really set the bar on being a fun mother, hasn't she?) and made this with my girlie:

(and yes, there is a spelling error: Sunday should read Sundae)

Only you just know that making this list is going to come back and bite me...

As in, "Mummy, we need to do something on the list, so let's have a water balloon fight and make a campfire to make spider hotdogs, K?"

And I will grimace while entertaining thoughts of using that list to start the campfire...

And then, magically, I will get in a groove and loosen up and things will get done and I will reap the reward of all that late night working: sleeping in!

Because that's a summer activity, right?

Must go add it to "The List!"

(Sophie's class picnic...we can scratch that off The List, too!)

Happiness is...

Is it possible to not be happy when on a swing?

(Sophie and her cousin, Sarah)

I felt happy just watching them...

Summer, summertime!!

I am ready.

As my eldest finishes his final exam, my youngest son announces he is playing hooky for his final three days next week (and I am okay with that) and my girlie has her field trip, I am hereby declaring the arrival of Summer!

I am through making bag lunches...and waking up in a cold sweat realizing I forgot to pick up bread for sandwiches.

I am ready for full-time flip flop wearing, and less socks to wash.

I am ready to use my clothesline every fine day.

I am ready to fire up the barbecue more days than not.

I am ready to fill my deep-freeze with freezies, and watch my children slyly poke the empty wrappers down through the gaps in the decking.

I am even ready for sand in the tub.

I am ready for trips to the beach and ice-cream or snow cones afterwards.

I am ready to swing on my porch swing with the handyman, listening to the radio on a Saturday night.

I am ready to see my children's hair turn lighter as the sun and chlorine bleach it out.

Speaking of that, I am ready for my own hair to need less touch-ups.

I am ready for even more freckles to sprinkle across my kids' cheeks (and my own!)

I am ready to watch the handyman mow the grass and build me things with no shirt on, while envying his freedom to do so!

I am ready for my friends' annual Canada Day party.

I am ready for CAMPING!!!

I am ready to be the ever present life-guard, and assure myself that daily dips in the pool means they can skip the odd shower.

I am ready for my farmer's tan.

I am ready to wear more dresses than pants.

I am ready to work my butt off writing (note to self: must find way to type while life-guarding)

I am ready to sleep in and hopefully my internal clock will understand that before the summer is out!!

Are you ready???