The Big Bash...

Yesterday was the big surprise party for my Grandpa's 80th. I'm glad it happened, but I'm also glad it's over. I think most things are like that though. I started baking the cake at noon on Friday, worked on it until 10 pm that night, and did about an hours worth on Saturday morning. Here is the result:

I have to admit that around 9 pm on Friday night, I was ready to smash the cake and buy one from Safeway. I went to do the writing, and icing exploded over the cake. I fixed it and decided I needed a break. Went to put the lid on and it smushed the corners of the cake. Sigh. At that point I felt completely done. The wise side of me took a break, and came back to it an hour later, fixed it all up again, and made the chocolate candles. Here's the nitty gritty on the cake. It is a marble cake with a oreo buttercream filling. The keys on the cake are done in chocolate, and as mentioned, the candles on it are chocolate also. I loved the buttercream so much that I used for the filling I want to share it all with you. It says that this buttercream can be used for decorations, but I found it isn't thick enough. It also doesn't 'mix well with others' so if you plan to use it on a cake, other types of buttercream can't be iced overtop unless you do flowers or snails or something of that type. All credit for this basic buttercream goes to Kaye Hansen & Liv Hansen out of the book 'Little Cakes'.

House Buttercream

In the bowl of an electric mixer at low speed sitr together:
3C confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

With a whisk attachment, add and whip at low speed:
1/2C boiling water (1/3C on hot days)

Whip until smooth & cool.

Add and whip until smooth:
1 1/2C high-ratio shortening
3 ounces (3/4 stick) slightly chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces.

Increase the mixer speed to medium-high. Whip until light, fluffy, and doubled in volume (10-20 minutes... it took mine about 11 minutes). If the buttercream still appears too soft, add butter 1 Tbsp at a time until it is spreadable consistency.

I took about half of the recipe and stirred in 1C oreo cookie crumbs. It was aboslutely delicious. A perfect amount of sweetness with just a bit of crunch. Would be splendid on a chocolate or a vanilla cake. YUM!

Eat Cake!

We are holding a surprise party for my Grandfather this weekend - he will turn 80 on September 3rd. For some reason, I have stuck my Grandpa's age in my mind as 65. When I was told he was turning 80, honestly the number seemed kind of shocking. He's just always been 65 to me - obviously for the past 15 years. Does that mean I think he's been ageless since I was 13 or 14?

Here's a little bit of info on the man we will be celebrating this weekend. He was married to my Grandmother Shirley and they had 8 kids together. Let's see if I can name them all - Doug, Sharon (my Mom), Art, Ed, Wanda, Doreen, Liz & Judy. There are a total of 20 kids that are descendants of those. Please don't make me count furthur than that! My Mom's family grew up in Didsbury, Alberta and are now scattered around the South of our province. My Grandpa has had many interests, but the dearest to me is his musical pursuits. He play music by ear, and let me tell you he is absolutely amazing! My fondest memories of him are when I was little and listening or playing the piano with him. My older brother played violin with him. His nickname for me has always been 'Middle C'. My Mom has been the party organizer along with a couple of sisters, for the celebration this weekend. I have been enlisted to make the cake. Then I was told it was for 50 people - (insert my jaw dropping here). Two days ago, I was told it is now 75.... "but don't worry honey, there will be icecream too so the portions only need to be small". How much cake do I need to make??? Alot. And cupcakes. The baking starts today. I have come up with a design for the cake - it will have a piano keyboard across it, with 'Happy 80th George" written on it, as well as a bunch of chocolate candles. I am still contemplating whether or not I want to make the 'Middle C' a different colour - kind of like a signature on the cake :) Why would my Mom enlist me you ask? A few months ago I decided to take a cake decorating class. Here have been some of my creations:

So I guess I did it to myself. But honestly - for 75 people??? I'll post a pic up once I have this feat completed. Off now to go make a million chocolate candles :)

Free gifts!?

Yep it's true. I'm giving away free Stampin' Up merchandise. Just mosey on over to my Card Challenge blog to get all the details. Hope to see you Stamping soon!

The Playground & Parenting.

I took Grace this morning to Northland mall to play in their play area. She was happily toddling around, when I noticed her beside a tent sort of structure, sitting near the opening, but twice appearing like she was falling over, with her core tightening and I could see her struggling to sit up. Finally I caught site of what was the cause - a little boy, who I later learned was three, was inside the tent and pushing her over. I went over and nicely asked him if he could 'please not push over my daughter'. His Mom heard, came into the play area and as I walked away with Grace I could hear her telling him not to do that (or something of that manner). The Mom got busy visiting with her friend and all the kids continued playing. Then I noticed he was following her, and when she got busy at a play station, he came over and pushed her down from standing. I again went over and asked him to 'please don't push over my daughter'. I decided if it happened a third time I would let his Mom know as she hadn't noticed that time around. Play continues and no third incident occurs. I take Grace out of the play area to give her a snack, and a few minutes later he comes out and sits beside his Mom on a bench also to have something to eat. Here is their conversation. Little boy "I don't like babies" Mom "why don't you like babies" (semi chuckling to herself) No answer from the little boy. Then he looks over at Grace and says "I don't like her". The Mom looks at me still semi chuckling and says "don't worry, he tells me he doesn't like me either". I told her I think that would break my heart to hear and she tells me "you get used to it"

This is not the first time that Grace has been 'bullied', but I still don't know as a Mom how to handle it. What do you say to your child, to the other child, to the other child's parents? I am thankful at this stage, that Grace doesn't fully comprehend other kids saying they don't like her, but at some point she will and how do I reassure her that she is lovely and wonderful and sweet, and that it doesn't matter if some stinky nasty little three year old who likes to push over babies doesn't like her - that she wouldn't want him as a friend anyways? (Sorry, my bitterness took over there).

From the same playground, a woman with four kids tells me that three year old girls are a challenge. That her daughter was a great baby, really sweet toddler, and then she hit three and grew an attitude. When people tell a complete stranger things like this, are they looking for you to commiserate, to feel sorry for them, or are they telling me that I'm doomed since I have a little girl? If so, my little girl isn't your little girl. Mine I know will come with all sorts of challenges and battles, but they may not be the same as yours. Can I not just enjoy the journey that me and my daughter are on. We have a ways to go until three. And maybe she will be fine at three and four will be hard. Who knows?

I was reading a parenting magazine tonight which made me think about all of this, and it said that alot of learning can happen at a playground. I tend to agree as I watch Grace walk, run and explore. Figuring how to go up stairs so that she can slide down a slide. Or climb in and out of tubes. But perhaps it isn't all positive. The question then is how do we take negative experiences and make them into positives, so that in the end, we have learned something beneficial that we can grow and learn from?

Ink Paper Create Card Challenge

Here's my submission for the Ink Paper Create Card Challenge this week. It is a limited supply challenge where you have to create the card using your scrap paper, using your favorite stamp set, and only one embellishment. I started my card off by digging out the floral background and searching for coordinating colours. I even did the bones of the card with scraps! Do I get extra points for that? I probably could have spent awhile trying to come up with my favorite stamp set, but instead I went back to the first stamp set I ever purchased. It is probably three years old now but I still love it. It is simple and pretty. And I love it because it's my first and I can remember the exact store I purchased it in on Vancouver Island. As for the embellishment, I had to really hold myself back from adding two bling brads, but I still am pleased with just the singleton.

And, I thought I'd also show you how much I really needed this challenge. Here is my overflowing box of scrap paper - eek!

Almost Comical.

Actually no, it is comical. So I get to the yarn store today to buy a button for Grace's toque, and find out I missed a row between each of the cables. So, yet again, I have made an alteration to a pattern. Annie at the store told me there are alot of knitters who always make a pattern somehow into their own design. I thought to myself 'yes, but they probably do it on purpose'. Sigh. I honestly at this point can't help but chuckle. I did not beat myself up, I still love her hat. I am now going to attempt to make myself one. Do you think I'll follow the pattern this time around?

Onto some very exciting new, Nate has finished the second coat of lacquer on our pantry. My task this afternoon while Grace is at the dayhome is to touch up the paint, and to, hold your breath..... actually fill the pantry with things! Woohoo! I'm so excited to get all of our appliances off of our kitchen countertops and have a pantry to use. By the end of this week the doors should be up and that job shall be complete.

Cable & SKP

I have to say that I am quite proud of myself. I have already brought my 'masterpiece' to show off at my Mom & Dad's tonight. This weekend, on my third attempt, I not only followed a pattern and learned two new techniques, but I made something that actually worked out and fits! I knit Grace Lillian a toque for the fall. I first saw this toque on display at Make 1 Yarn Studio and fell in love with it. Then I found out it was a free pattern on their site! I quickly printed it out and tacked it to the side of my fridge. I have to admit I was a little frightened of all the lingo on it. But, thanks to Google, and KnitWitch as well as 'grumperina' I now have the best little toque. Alright alright, I'll finally stop oogling about it and post a pic.

Not the best pic, but the best we could get with a moving target wearing the forementioned hat! That little flap sticking out on the side needs to have a button sewn onto it that will attach it to the hat. My mission tomorrow is to hit Make 1 and buy a cool big button. I'll repost a pic once it's attached. Here's a better photo using Grace's Dragon as a model:

On the cold front, I'm only just starting to beat it. This morning was the first morning I woke up without a killer sore throat. I'm now just congested and still pretty beat. Grace has a nasty chesty cough and is pretty congested too. I'm going on two weeks and Grace is going on one. We will continue to accept any healthy vibes you would like to send our way :)

Last but not least, scroll WAY down to the bottom of my blog. What's that map you ask? I'm stalking you! Eeek!! Ok, not really stalking, but I was curious as to how many visitors I was getting to this site and it's a neat little way to track it. So for those of you who have stopped by from outside my little hometown of Calgary, thank you and welcome! Don't hesitate to say hello - I try not to bite ;)

Not fairing well...

My cold has worsened, and honestly, I feel like crawling under a rock. I was thinking that very thought this morning as I was walking into Michael's with Grace. And I realized that despite how horrible I am feeling, how WONDERFUL it feels to hold her little body against mine. People always say kids grow quickly, but I don't think you realize HOW quickly until you are their parent. I can remember when Grace was a newborn and fit head to toe in my lap. Now her legs easily wrap around my waist and she stands up to my knees. If she reaches her arms up she can touch my waist. It won't be long and that little girl won't be so easy to hold, and won't want to so easily be held. I am relishing it. Sometimes I rush to snuggle her when she falls just because I can.

Onto the craft store though. This morning I picked up extra yarn for Grace's blanket, an icing tip to finish off some cupcakes I'm making for Alicia, a stitch ripper for the quilt (I have been picking out stitches off and on with a pen lid), and some felt hearts. What are the hearts for you ask? My 1/2 Marathon Disney socks! Those felt hearts are going to be sewn onto a pair of white knee high soccer socks. I have never run in knee high socks so there will have to be many trial runs done in those. I am thankful I am running as the 'Queen of Hearts' just for the half, not the full. There, my character revealed! Pretty exciting heh? Erin and I are! Now, what do you think she is running as?

Anyways, off to drink my chai latte and bake some cupcakes. Please send Grace and I some healthy vibes!

OCC Card Challenge

I finally found a bit of time to complete the Saturday Sketch Challenge from OCC this week. Here is the sketch we had to work off of:

And here is my design:


I started this card based on striped Pumpkin Pie ribbon I had that I rarely use. In the end, it never became part of the card, but it got me started with the colour palette. It led me to using Ballet Blue paper and an accent of Rose Red and Old Olive. I hardly ever use the Hodgepodge Hardware but really enjoyed adding a little 'bling' with it . The edging of the Old Olive border was done with the Scallop Punch Edger and I used a hole punch as an accent to some of the scallops. I think what I like most about this card is that it feels complete just by using paper and accessories rather than a whole ton of stamping.

Half done!

There it is! Half the quilt is done! Not the best photo, but I took it from the stairwell so I could capture it all. The length will stay the same, but it will double in width... then I just have to add a border, add the basting, add the backing... As you can tell, alot of work to be done still, but I love how it's turning out.

There have been alot of projects happening, or soon to be happening though at our home. Nate is almost done the pantry needing to apply only one more coat of lacquer, then I have to do some paint touch up, and we can load it up with all our stuff! Here he is, hard at work staining the doors.

We are also busy organizing all the upcoming renovations. We are replacing all of our windows, doors, and flooring... and perhaps re-doing our ensuite bathroom and walk-in closet. The windows and doors are on order but will be a six week wait. Yesterday we went and picked up carpet and tile samples, and had a guy in today to measure our flooring. The estimate should arrive by Friday. Similar to the quilt, there is alot yet to do, but it is nice to see everything start to come together! I can't wait to be in a fresh new home!

Motivation

I didn't have alot of it tonight, but I went to my Run Group anyways. What I really wanted to do was go get a Starbucks Chai Frap and work on Grace's quilt. But Nate nudged me out the door, saying that I had asked him to keep me accountable. I tried the 'but I have laryngitis and can't even speak' but that didn't seem to work. I tried 'but I will feel worse if I run than if I stay home and rest'. That didn't work either. My guilt from his nudging got me out the door - to run 4K that turned into almost 6. If I could hardly speak before, I have completely lost my voice now. Anyways, back to motivation. Tonight's clinic talk was on motivation and what motivates us to run. What is our motivation for running this upcoming half marathon, what is our goal, and what is our reward? For me, this question is more directed towards the Goofy which is my true goal. Next January feels like tomorrow to me, with each training day being ticked off the calendar. I have always kept a motivator for my training close to me. When I was trying to qualify for Boston I kept a clipped image of the medal on my computer desk at work. For all of my races I have bought a specific pair of running socks just for that event - Vancouver was run with a pair of socks with a dog being walked (it was the year we welcomed Clifford (our Golden) into our family). Running my qualifying race for Boston had me wearing socks with sperm on them quoting 'Survival of the Fittest'. Boston I wore socks with Maple Leaves of them, a reminder of my Canadian roots, running on US soil. I have yet to find a pair of socks for my Goofy race. I need two pairs - one for the half, and another for the full. Any recommendations? The gentleman doing the training run had brought some of his medals with him as he uses the race memories as motivation for him to continue running. Mine are kept in my jewellery box, in the very bottom. They used to sit on my nightstand and somehow, quietly, when I wasn't running the past year and a half, they got put away. Tonight's talk reminded me to bring them out and remember all the great running & racing memories I have had. Here are just a few of them:

This was my first medal I received for running a trail race. It was my first trail race done in Canmore, Alberta. I love that it is made out of clay - seems so appropriate for a trail race.

This was the medal that allowed me to acheive this:

And, here are a few fun ones. These are my favorite aesthetically:

Chili-Pasta Skillet

I was just downstairs making our menu for the week and my grocery list for this afternoon. I am always on the search for good, non-dairy recipes, and found this one in my 'Better Homes & Gardens, Special Pink Edition' Cookbook. It is a bit of a twist on the traditional chili, has a bit of a kick, and fulfills my two requirements - non-dairy as mentioned, and Grace likes it. Oh, and did I mention, it's easy to make - rather essential for a busy Mom.

Chili Pasta Skillet

Prep: 10 minutes Cook: 25 minutes Makes: 6 Servings

1 pound ground beef
3/4 C chopped onion
1 15 1/2 oz can red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
1 14 1/2 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 C dried elbow macaroni
1 4 oz can diced green chili peppers
2 to 3 tsps chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/2 C shreed monterey, Jack or Cheddar Cheese (I just don't add this part)

1. In a large skillet cook meat and onion until meat is brown and onion is tender. Drain off fat.

2. Stir in beans, undrained tomatoes, tomato sauce, uncooked macaroni, chili peppers, chili powder, and garlic salt. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, about 20 minutes or until macaroni is tender, stirring often. Remove skillet from heat; sprinkle mixture with cheese. Cover and let stand 2 minutes or until cheese is melted.

What can be said?

Simply Spectacular. A little piece of Heaven. Marvellous. Leaves me Speechless. All of the above?

The Willow Stream Spa at the Fairmont Banff Springs was beyong my wildest imagination. From the women's lounge, to the retreat area, to the three pools with waterfalls, to the mineral pool, to having lunch brought right to us, and last, but not at all least, the amazing treatments. I had a Sensitive Skin facial where I was lathered in all sorts of amazing lotions, massaged, and just sillingly spoiled. Then I had a pedicure done leaving my toes sporting a polish called 'Strawberry Field'. All I can tell you is trust me, that spa is WELL worth the money. Erin and I are already planning a second trip. Amazing, truly amazing.

Terwilligar Race Report

We did it! Erin and I completed the Terwilligar Park 5 Peaks Trail run this past Saturday in Edmonton, amidst temperatures of about 33 C. How was the course overall? Not my favorite trail run... until the end. There were large areas of flat open trail that were REALLY hot, with no breeze, and made you realize how tired you were. There were also two long hills we had to climb - one around the 4K mark and another at the 6K mark. The fun truly began though right before the finish, around 7K. We had switchbacks, roots to jumps, logs to hurdle over, and even a log to duck under. Not to mention seriously steep embankments we had to run down (or perhaps roll down). To me, that is the essence of trail running, and is what I LOVE about it. I wish the other 6K of the course could have been more like the last kilometer and a bit. Overall though, it was a fantastic weekend away with a really great friend. I can't even put into words how happy I am that Erin took up running after Grace was born. It is so nice to go to race venues with a friend, and to share the excitement of completing a race with someone who loves the sport as much as I do (ok, perhaps not as fanatical but I know she enjoys it!). Check out our race results here. Tomorrow Erin and I continue our adventures and are off to the Banff Springs Hotel to be pampered at their spa. I'm taking Erin as a treat for her 30th birthday this past May. I can't wait to see what all the fuss is about! From what I hear, the spa experience there is to die for. Don't worry, I'll be sure to report back on it on Monday night.

Cute idea.

Sophie posted pictures on her blog this morning taken on this date, in previous years. I searched back to where I was on this date last year. I knew that it would have been when Grace was three months old, but, when I found the date, I only had two photos. Grace and I were making a solo run from Nelson to Victoria for the passing of Nate's cousin. On August 15th, 2007 Grace and I were on the ferry. Here's a shot:

I tried searching back furthur than that, but alas I was still a film based girl then and don't have many photos online or searchable by date.

Today Erin and I head for Terwilliger. I woke up with the start of a cold a couple of days ago so have been taking Vitamin C and Echanacia like an addict the past two days. I did do a 3K steady run last night which felt ok. I just need to make it through the trail run and then I can let my cold take over if it would really like too. Originally I had signed up for the 16K double loop portion of the race, but last week changed down to a single loop - +/- 8K. Trail is alot harder to run than pavement, with alot more hills (think hike, then try to run it). So I opted for the shorter distance which should enable me to be more on my A game for shopping afterwards :)

Last but not least - knitting. I'm not very good at staying indoors, especially when it's so beautiful out. I have been eyeing Lexie Barnes knitting bags for quite some time. Make 1 never had them in stock however. Yesterday, doing some googling on them, led me to kpixie, which led me to these. I found the Namaste bags at Pudding Yarn. This is my newest acquisition:

I am usually not a pink person, associating pink more to Erin, but it was what they had. I love it, and am trying to become a pink person. I can't wait to stuff all my knitting into there!

What??? NO!!!!!

I was SO excited about my quilt blocks (as you know). My Mom and Aunt had been coaching me along, so last night I sent them a picture of the first block I had completed. I get an e-mail back from my Aunt this morning saying, "It looks really good Carm, but I have an observation. You have pieced the fabrics together wrong". She had attached a picture, I took a look, and she was right. CRAP! (Can I put that on a blog?). At this stage there is NO way that I am going back and undoing what I've done... that would be like a weeks work. So, I guess the pattern is just MY pattern now - my very own creation. I feel frustrated because this is the same damn thing that happened with my blanket class. Am I just to artsy fartsy to properly follow a pattern??? GRRRRR!!!!! I could easily try to blame this on someone else but I'll refrain. Normally, I would still be ecstatic about them, but now I know that everytime I look at her quilt I will know that I did it wrong. When all I wanted it to be was perfect. Can I scream??? Here are now three of my blocks, mistmatched but will be as they will be:

I wanted to reassure you though, that with all my mad quilting I have not forgotten about knitting. Here is what I'm working on right now:

I also haven't forgotten about running. On Sunday we were supposed to run 12K and came in at 11.2. Tuesday night we were doing a 4K tempo and did a 4.5K instead. It all evens out? Here's the exciting running bit though - this weekend Erin and I head up in her Smart car to Edmonton to do the Terwilliger 5 Peaks Trail Run. SO excited! While we are there we will be taking in Jubilations Dinner Theater and some crazy shopping at West Ed. We head out Friday night - can't wait!!!!

Ok, off to phone my Mom to sob about my sad little quilt....

A morning treat.

Here's a morning treat for you all. I have been madly working away at Grace's quilt and tonight, at 11:30 pm, finally had the first of 16 squares built. I went downstairs to show Nate with the pre-amble that he HAD to be excited about it. So can you all while you read this, do a little excited dance for me? I'll wait.... Perfect! Thanks! Now the moment you have ALL been waiting for.....

Thank you - I love it too! I'll be back on to post later on tomorrow/today. For now, there's a morning treat for you!

Card Challenge #2

I have to admit that it is actually Friday, August 8th - not Wednesday, August 13th as I type this. I was so excited about the Card Challenge Inspiration image I found, I had to create my card right away. Here's the image I picked for us to work off of:

In many ways, creating this card felt a bit like painting. I added one piece at a time, layering, moving pieces around, manipulating, changing until it felt 'complete'. I love how it turned out. It is funky & modern and something so different than I would have otherwise created - especially the colour palette! I purposely have delayed posting this until today so as not to veer what other participants may create. I have no idea what this card will be for, but I think it could easily be used as a thank you or a birthday card.

A new obsession.

I am obsessed with Grace's quilt. Last night after my Stamping Group left, I worked on it until midnight, then all day today as she has been napping, I have been sewing. I now have it at the stage where I have dark strips and light strips sewn together. It was so much fun figuring out which to put with which, and then after sewing them together, pressing them open to reveal the pairing. Here's a sampling for you - a total of six pairs. Now I have to cut all those strips into smaller bits and pieces. Stay tuned.

Today Grace got a new gizmo.

I have been wanting to get her a wagon for a long time, and finally decided today was the day - and it was on sale!!!! I whopping $30 off at Toys R Us. With a gift certificate from her birthday, the wagon only cost Nate and I $13. Not too bad heh? Now I can wheel her and her buddies around! We test drove it with her Otter 'Sammy' down to the mailbox.

She hugged him the whole way :) Ok, off to go prep dinner...

Not everyone is me...

That should be obvious shouldn't it? I'm a pretty exuberant person, and am sometimes surprised when other people don't react to things the same way I do. For instance, if I give Nate a gift, I'm always a little saddened he doesn't get more excited. But this post is about babies. How does the title and babies corelate? Yesterday a baby was born, and today I found out another dear friend is pregnant. I didn't expect Nate's cousin who had the baby to call us with the news as their relationship has been a little strained. I arrived home last night to a message that baby Olivia had been born and a number to call him back at. When I called, I was furthur surprised that she had been born that day, and they were still at the hospital! I never expected to receive the phonecall, not to mention the very day she was born!

Ok, a little break for news about Olivia. She was born around noon hour yesterday, a healthy 8 pds 6 oz, with a thatch of hair. Very excited that Grace has a new second cousin :) Ok, back to my post.

My dear friend Alicia has been trying to conceive a child with her husband for two years now - two years exactly. After a second IUI round, they were able to test on the weekend to find out if they were pregnant or not. I was ANXIOUSLY checking her blog all weekend hoping for some news. They were away in BC so I didn't expect to see anything, but one can still hope. This morning, my girlfriend Erin called to ask if I'd seen Alicia's post today, and that her and her husband are pregnant (insert happy dance here). Where the title comes into all of this, is I really thought I would have received a phonecall, or a random drop in on their way home from BC. But, this is not me and that's what I would have done. I have to keep myself in check sometimes that I don't overread into things or react to things the wrong way emotionally. If everyone was as emotionally crazy as I am, could you imagine the state of the world? There would be either constant laughing or constant crying. For sure it would be madness and there would be nobody keeping anybody sane. Plus what is to make me think I'm on the top of their list for people to tell? Obviously sometimes I think I'm the Queen of Sheba too ;)

Grace is away at the dayhome today and I have already finished my task of cutting out all the pieces for her quilt. The rest of my day will be spent doing random things like grocery shopping, returning bottles to the depot, making a couple cards, prepping for my Stamping Group tonight, and perhaps making some cookies. Sounds relaxing no? Unfortunately, these past two weeks where Grace has been in the dayhome all day have been really hard for me. Her presence fills my days with so much joy, it feels like part of me is empty when she's gone. But, that's why I have been starting her in the dayhome slowly, not only to wean her, but to wean me. I think I'm having the harder go of it. I am hoping that each week it will get easier and that by September, both she and I will be pros at being able to do the goodbyes.

It's another dreary day her in Calgary. Have you all stopped by my Card Challenge Blog to see this weeks post? Can't wait to start seeing the submissions rolling in!

OCC - no, not OCD!

I decided to branch out and try out a card challenge other than my own. I found OCC (Our Creative Corner) through Papermonkey. The challenge this week was to create a card using NO designer series paper as well as only a maximum of four layers. I tend to not layer that much, so to make the challenge harder for me, I decided to work with a colour I normally don't like. The concensus? I still REALLY dislike the colour. It is Stampin' Up! Summer Sun. I had to resort to the Colour Wheel to figure out what to match it with which is what led me to Always Artichoke, Really Rust and Elegant Eggplant. The only one of those I tend to use on a regular basis is the latter. To add some dimension I used my scallop edger, my crimper, some button accessories, and a background stamp - all paired with one of my favorite stamp sets, Knobbly Gnomes. Some poor unlucky soul will receive this card one day when I'm in a pinch. But, it fulfilled the challenge rules, ugly colours or not.

*UPDATE - The card was bugging me so much I just came up and re-did a portion of it. No you don't get to see the original. If you had already, I'm very very sorry. This one isn't much different, just a square rather than a circle around the Gnome, but it sits better with me.

Another task completed!

I have been working away at a Baby Card Announcement order all week, and finally got them completed last night.

The pouch on the inside left is designed to hold a wallet sized photo. I think the cards are super cute and hope that Candace loves them as much as I do!

Here's my fabric swatch photo of the day (I promise this will end at some point, but right now, I'm still in love with wanting to show them off!)

Onto running news, this weekend my long run jumps to 12K - eek! My run last weekend of 10K felt nearly impossible as I ran through the hilly communities of Hawkwood, Dalhousie & Ranchlands. I am still in awe that 2 years ago, that distance felt easy. By about 8K usually I start to really watch the kilometers count down. After the scare a couple weeks ago of a woman being attacked during a solo run in Edworthy, I'm hesitant to head to the river to run alone. The idea of running through the hilly community of Country Hills with my Running Group seems ugly, but sounds safer than running solo. Here's to hoping Sunday morning isn't as hot as yesterday! (+27C)

Now a confession - I was doing SO well with my Starbucks ban, but on Wednesday I dipped my leg off the wagon. I was at Coffee & Scream with a girlfriend and ordered a vanilla latte. Now it wasn't Starbucks, which is why it was only my leg dipping off. But yesterday, I ROLLED off that wagon. With the blistering heat, I couldn't resist. I guiltily went into the store and ordered the biggest coldest drink I could - a Venti Chai Frap. Sigh. But 5 days is pretty good right?

Sweet Summertime!

With Grace's new found walking ability, we headed to the splash park yesterday. At first she wasn't so sure, but quickly found out how fun it could be to 'run' through the water. So today we did splash park #2 with some friends of ours - Lil & Lexi and Sarah & Matthew. Here's a peak at some of our fun morning activities:

I have been busy doing step one of Grace's quilt which is washing all of the fabric. Last night as I was pulling them out of the dryer I had to ooh and ahhh at each one. There are so many favorites within that stack that I want to show you all just a couple more. Aren't they wonderful?

A very exciting day!

Today is proving to be quite the exciting day! On my way home from meeting a girlfriend and her daughter this morning, I checked the mail and to my delight, the new Stampin' Up catalogues had arrived! I have been waiting anxiously for these to make their appearance and was not disappointed. I will stop though now so that it doesn't sound like I'm making a business speal - but they really are fantastic!

Then, I went upstairs to check my e-mail and had a message forwarded from my Dad with the dates for our Hawaii trip next April! I was REALLY excited to see that I will still be here for Elliotte's birthday on April 20th as we don't leave until the 24th. The goal is to spend two weeks there before Grace turns 2 on the May 5th to save a few sheckles on the flight. Is it crazy if I already start a countdown for the trip? The idea of the beach and the ocean sounds just fantastic!

The rest of my day may not be quite as delightful but I will try to make the most of it. We are babysitting Chase again this afternoon, but this time I am solo. It may be a bit more challenging without Nate's help : Chase thankfully is in the dayhome for a bit though so I don't need to pick her up until closer to the dinner hour. That whippet is going to keep me on my toes!

Hope you all get out to enjoy some of this fantastic sunshine we are having today!

Day of Delights

Outdoor Delights:

I took the opportunity of being solo today to paint Grace's chair. Somehow Grace has always exuberated the colour 'purple' to me - so her chair was stained a dark violet. As I was painting, I wondered if it is because my family called her 'Aubergine' in the womb? Subconscious perhaps?

Most of my plants this year came from my parents greenhouse. I was excited to see one of the Sunflowers opening today:

Not to be outdone, Nate's Grapevine is proving to be very fruitful this year:

Fat Quarter Delights:

My Mom met me at a quilting store today to pick out Fabric for Grace's Quilt. In total we needed 48 different fat quarters in order to have all the fabric we needed. 24 dark and 24 light. Let me tell you, that is QUITE the task. Here is the beautiful result, with the piece in the center being one of my favorite swatches of the stack:

Best Delight:

This delight speaks all for itself:

It can't be true!

But it is. I am on day 2 of a self-imposed one week Starbucks ban. I can make lattes at home, but I am not allowing myself to purchase them out. I was in a VERY regular habit of buying one a day, sometimes two. I started to feel like Grace might think her mother had a problem - lol. So I instituted a ban. I have to admit I was a little grouchy today and it was hard to resist not purchasing one when I was out at Safeway buying groceries. But I was SO good. Tomorrow may prove more difficult since Grace is at Laurie's all day, and it is a nice luxury being able to drink a latte out while it is still warm and not having to watch a little one run around. Oh well, I guess I will do that at home on my back deck. After this week, I guess I will see. Perhaps just twice a week? Wish me luck! Do you all think I'm crazy???

Blogging on a Sunday.

Yes it's true - it's the long weekend and I'm putting up a post. Sad, I know. I should be out enjoying the sunshine! Today Nate and I babysat my brothers dog - a 3 month old whippet. First, they run REALLY fast, second, a puppy that can run that fast REALLY keeps you on your toes. Throw in a 5 year old Golden Retriever that likes to act like he's two, and a toddler who is not completely steady on her feet, and it's a pretty exciting mix. As I type I can hear Chase (the whippet) barking downstairs. Here was one of our few moments of reprieve:


It is only fitting that one of Grace's new words this weekend was 'Dog'. She followed Chase around for a good five minutes pointing and saying, 'Dog, dog, dog'.

12 years of friendship & 2 years of dating & 6 years of marriage equals...

A very happy family. Today Nate and I celebrate our sixth wedding anniversary. We were married on this date, in 2002, in a quiet little church along the Bow River in Cochrane.

The Celebration and Blessing of the Marriage of
Nathan Drysdale and Carmen Ashton

St. Peters Lutheran Church

August 1, 2002

Entrance of Officiant, Groom and Best Man

Entrance of Wedding Party
Bach, “Siciliano”, Slow Movement
Derek Drysdale and Allison MacLeod
Rob Parsons, Rebecca Jensen, and Christopher Ashton

Readings
Rebecca Jensen: Ephesians 5:22 – 24 NIV
Rob Parsons: Ephesians 5: 25-31 NIV

Entry of Bride
Vivaldi, “Spring”

Statement of Purpose

Giving of Bride
Barry and Sharon Ashton

Opening Prayer

Scripture and Personal Remarks
Dr. Miriam Mollering

Exchange of Vows

Exchange of Rings

Communion

Prayer of Blessing
Dr. Miriam Mollering
Barry and Sharon Ashton
Douglas and Susan Drysdale

Declaration of Marriage

Lighting of Unity Candle

Signing of Register
Soloist: Diane Trew, “When I Found You”
Composed by: Jim Brickman
Accompanist: Dave Klinger

Presentation of Bride and Groom

Recessional
Pachabel Canon, Klinger Arrangement

Like every couple, we have good days, hard days, bad days & great days. Overall though, I am blessed to call myself Nate's wife. He can make me laugh when all I want to do is cry. He brings a joy to my life that I could not imagine living without. Thank you my dear, for choosing me to spend your life with.