Play Kitchen

This has been the biggest hit ....
we built CD a play kitchen for Christmas!

She had one of the plastic kitchens but it just wasn't giving her enough workspace to make all her cupcakes and treats (nor store all her ingredients, food, dishes and bake ware.)


We started collecting all the necessary pieces in the summer.
Supply list:

• entertainment stand =free on kijiji

This is what it started out looking like just after Moto-Moto cut out the top & sanded it all down for priming:

• extra cupboard doors = free on kijiji
• blinds = garage sale $1
• landscape photo for view from kitchen window = free recycled from an old frame
• fridge and stove handles and knobs = free from metal recycling depot
• burner = free from old bbq
  
• sink faucet = free (saved from reno)
• "sink" bowl = free from Mommy's cupboard
• pot holders & towels = $4 $rama
• primer = $10 needed something good to cover the old laminated furniture
• pink paint = $10 oops paint from Rona

Grand Total = $25
plus time it took for Moto-Moto to work on it.


We moved it downstairs just after it was primed and told her it was for Mommy's craft storage... both girls didn't question it even when Moto-Moto painted it pink.
Christmas Eve he put all the extras on to make it look like a kitchen.

We had a lot of tips and hints by looking at this one.

She played with it late into the evening on Christmas Day and most every day since!
I'm still on the look out for an old thin wall mounted phone (pink preferably) and maybe on the far left end of it adding a chalk board for her menu or grocery list... or maybe a framed poster of her favourite cupcake recipe!



We wanted to teach them that Christmas is more about making memories than receiving gifts.
This year we also cut down on buying and focused on 4 gifts (that we first saw here):

• something they want
• something they need
• something to wear
  

(The need and wear gift was a two in one.)

• something to read

and
a special ornament

Plus Santa brought them some little treats in their stocking.

Holiday Elfcapades

Our Elves are here!

Today these two cute little 8 inch elves were in the girl's advent calendar.



You can read more about them at

Holiday Elfcapades.

(Our elves spent some time at the salon and got hair styles different from the other elves. They wanted a Christmas makeover.)

They will be with us until Christmas Eve keeping an eye on our family and preparing a report on who is naughty and nice. Every evening they will return to the North Pole (with the use of some magic) and let Santa know all that they have seen or heard. When they come back to our house we've been told that they may have some fun/ mischief or "elfcapades." I've been told to watch out, they may hide around the house, have a cotton snowball fight with some of our other toy friends or have a movie night, peek in gifts or sleep in the freezer because they miss the North Pole.

CD named her Elf ~ Disney

Tonight I already heard CJ whispering to her elf and telling her all about her art projects and the art gala she had the night before.

CJ named her elf friend ~ Giggles.

I am so excited to start this new Christmas tradition with the girls... I wonder what Disney and Giggles will do tonight when they return?

Holiday Season

We started our holiday season a few weeks ago.
We started with our traditional brunch downtown.

CD was treated to lemon cheesecake by the chef followed by a fancy chocolate platter that the chef prepared in the kitchen just for CD!!! Next time she goes back she is to ask for the chef and she'll bring out another special little treat! What a lucky kid.. but wait that's not all the luck she had ...

After brunch, we bundled up for the Santa Claus Parade.

CD entered the colouring contest and I'm pleased to announce that for the third year in a row one of my girls won a prize!!! See, what'd I tell ya, lucky kid!! She won a family pass to ...

The Festival of Trees!!

We enjoyed the afternoon admiring all the trees and gingerbread house villages. We stopped for a snack and treated the people behind us in line to gingerbread cookies. Then we donated a stuffed puppy to the zoo tree for the kids in the hospital at Christmas and toured the gift shop.

What a fantastic day!
I love spending time with these two beautiful ladies and Moto-Moto.

Happy December 1st everyone!

Christmas 2009

This is what we did :
(click on image to enlarge)

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

The best way to spread Christmas cheer
is singing loud for all to hear!

May you have a very
Merry Christmas
surrounded by those you love!
JL, Moto-Moto & princesses

Kisses for Cupcakes

Little Cakes a la Saucy!

The girls were once again treated to little cakes from Saucy.
CD has Saucy curled around her little finger & is happy to exchange kisses for cupcakes!
Sassy & I agree it'd be a cute teeshirt!

These beautiful little treasures are what
we enjoyed after supper ~
one for each of us.

I tucked the girls into bed tonight, told them to have sweet dreams and think up names for each of the Little Cakes we enjoyed. They really are mini works of art!

We love your little cakes Saucy!
Anytime you want us to taste test them our Mommy will drive us over!

Thank you for my Little Cakes Saucy!

Christmas Projects at Studio 13

The girls and I were so fortunate to spend some creating time with
Sassy & the Sprout at Studio 13.
The girls created so many wonderful pieces out of clay!!

CD made many little ornaments that are now hanging on our tree, a few magnets and a one of a kind piece of artwork that I'll cherish forever! She went to work with a piece of clay and every little tool that Sassy handed her!

Sassy showed CJ how to make the cutest little bowls!
These little masterpieces are going to make a lot of people happy on Christmas morning!

Thanks again for sharing your time and studio with us!
We created a couple of special gifts in our own workshop for
Sassy & the Sprout that we delivered today!
Pop on over to Sassy's blog to check out what we made.

Christmas Photo Shoot

CJ & I set up a photo shoot for our Christmas card while CD had a nap. As soon as she was up the Elves got to work in Santa's Workshop. Here are some of the images I captured:

Any thoughts on a favourite? Should I do a single one or a few together?

Santa Claus Parade

We started our tradition last year by starting with brunch downtown (that way we are able to park our car on the parade route). I was dishing CD up a plate and she was yelling at me across the restaurant "Mommy see me? Mommy get me food?" She enjoyed the herb crusted pork loin the best!

CJ did a good job of picking a balanced brunch herself and did NOT enjoy the pork loin but had a few helpings of the little oven roasted potatoes and pickled beets. Dessert was a big hit!

Quick little photo shoot by the fireplace.

Nice and bundled for the parade, Moto-Moto and I joined them for a cuddle to enjoy the parade together.

There he is! It's Santa!

The girls had their pictures with Santa while Mrs. Claus and I visited. She was quite interested on how I made the girls Christmas ruffle jeans. Maybe they will be a big trend and elves will be busy working on them for next year!?

CJ was the winner of the parade colouring contest for the second year in a row! She told me, "Mommy, it's all about the glitter. That's why I won!" Maybe I'll try a little on the next lottery ticket I buy! She picked up her prize from Santa after the parade and she got...

Hal Moose from Build-a-Bear sporting his winter outfit!

It's a great start to the Christmas season!
So while we get ready to decorate for Christmas this weekend...

Happy Thanksgiving to our American neighbours!

Happy New Year!!

We were so blessed this Christmas, we spent lots of time together enjoying great company and fabulous food! We celebrated 3 separate Christmas gatherings: our first was with our good friend Viki and her family out at the farm. It was COLD!! I think it was -48 that day with the wind but inside it was toasty and warm. Viki's sister Mary cooked up lots of great food and had tonnes of snacks around. We visited and laughed the whole evening. The kids (and some of the big ones too) went out sledding after supper... yes it was cold but they bundled up and the hill was right outside the front door! REALLY! My mind must have been frozen because I didn't take too many pictures. But here are a few:

Fedding the Reindeer, Santa & hanging the Magic Santa key so he can get in.

Tucked in and ready for Santa's visit.


Then Christmas Day Viki came for breakfast & watched as the girls tore open their gifts.


CJ loves Hannah Montana and Santa brought her the dance mat with Hannah wig ... we like CJ much better with her beautiful dark hair!

CD was equally as thrilled with her gift from Santa .

Since CJ was a baby we started taking a picture of her with her gifts ~ it is a great way to remember who to thank when we write out our thank you notes and it'll be fun for them to look back at and remember what was "in" when they were little. (Of course we have other photos with the rest of their gifts, what lucky girls! Thank you to everyone!!)

Later that evening we enjoyed Christmas supper with "my family". I was a nanny for 5 years for a wonderful family and was 'adopted in' when I started to care for their then young children of 3, 5 & 7 years. They have all now grown to young adults and have now babysat for me! (Again a frozen brain and no pictures!)

Then at the end of the week we celebrated Christmas with my family in Glenside, if you've been down to Gardiner Dam you've driven past it but if you blinked, you missed it. CJ & CD had lots of fun playing with their cousins.

My sister and her family A rare photo of Uncle ~ we usually only get the top of his ball cap.


The rest of our week of holidays we've spent bowling on the Wii, walking inside at the U of S ~ you can walk really far thanks to all the sky walks and the tunnel and there were no classes so CJ could run around. Shh, don't tell. We went back out to Mary's farm for more sledding and some delicious banana bread and the girls fed the horses and cuddled the cats. Thanks again Mary, K, A & Viki.

We are very blessed to have such fabulous friends and family. Thank you for making our Christmas special and memorable.

Holidays are over . . . how many sleeps until Family Day?