Photo a Day

I'm not a big New Year's resolutions person.  Motivation to change or improve shouldn't just strike on January 1st of each year.  Self improvement should be a continuous, year-round thing.  I know that if I make a New Year's resolution, I'm most likely setting myself up for failure.  That said, there are a bunch of photo-a-day type challenges that have peaked my interest and make me wonder if that might be just the type of motivation I need to be more intentional with my camera and put it to use on a more regular basis: 

Looking through the photos from the past year, there are all kinds of hockey and soccer photos, along with the obligatory holiday pictures.... but it's an incomplete story.  There is so much ordinary everyday stuff that happens in between, and it isn't being captured.  That's not to say that I'm going to start taking photos of every cup of coffee I buy, but I want to try and fill the gaps in the scrapbook of our lives.

So here's what 2013 looks like so far:

Treats from cupCAKE

Quality couch time.

Stocking up on books.

Random foot.  

Straight up nachos with cheese and no fancy toppings per in-house 10 year old.

Some snow.

Grade 10 art project in the works.

Devil's Food Cake... bundt style.  I can't bake a bundt without thinking of My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

Plenty of hockey.

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Ringing in the New Year

Here we are.  Reflecting on another year gone by and looking forward to the promise of a new year just around the corner.  The past couple of weeks have been a happy wrap up of 2012.  Quality time spent with the kids in preparation for the holidays.  Celebrating Christmas.  Enjoying time with our families.  Slowing down, despite the rush, to enjoy the things that really matter.  New Years Eve always makes me feel wistful.  Reminding me of the relentless march of time... reminding me to treasure every moment.  It also inspires a feeling of anticipation.... of new memories waiting to be made... of a fresh new year just waiting to unfold.

We're spending New Year's Eve home this year.  It's just us, and it's wonderful.  As the kids have grown older, the times that we spend together, all of us together, has become a rare thing, and we've needed this time of re-connection with each other.  So we're watching a hockey game, playing video games, snacking on our favourite snacks, and placing bets on who won't make it to midnight.

And whoever's still up will be outside banging pots and pans at midnight.  

Happy New Year.

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Late to the Party

I was tagged, Christmas style, by the lovely Kera at Nugget On A Budget, and immediately loved the idea of sharing our Christmas traditions!  I've had the post half-created in my mind ever since, but am only now able to finally find the time to post it.  Life is busy at the best of times, and more so this time of year - as it is, I'm still not entirely prepared for Christmas which is just days away!

Lanaya at Raising Reagan started this by tagging five different bloggers, whose Christmas or holiday traditions she wanted to learn more about.  SUCH a great idea!  Those tagged would then answer five questions, pick five more bloggers to tag, and so on....

Since I'm late to the party there won't be any tagging happening here.  It's time to focus on family and Christmas.  Instead, I invite you to create a post sharing your Christmas traditions and leave a comment with the link so we can all be sure to check it out.

Here we go with Kera's questions!

1.  What makes Christmas such a special holiday for you and your family?

It's all about time with family.  All year long we're hard pressed to make time to see grandparents, cousins, aunts & uncles.  During the Christmas holiday we make time to spend with our families.  Oh, and the food... can't forget about all the great food!

2.  Were you told the truth about Santa by your parents or did you find out another way?  And... do you plan on lying to your kids when the time comes?

I don't remember when I had my ah-ha moment.  I know it was a gradual thing, first being suspicious, then searching for hidden presents (and finding them) and finally knowing the truth.  And, yes, we have lied to our kids for years!  The older kids know what's up but our youngest is still a believer, and the second youngest is on the fence... he's suspicious but afraid to stop believing for fear that it may mean the end of the present train.

Source: Etsy

I'm grateful to our older kids for not spoiling the Santa illusion for their younger siblings as they each came to realize the truth, and helping us preserve the magic a little longer.  

3.  Real tree or fake?

Real, always real!  Getting the tree is one of our favourite traditions!  I recently wrote about  the magic that is Drysdale's Tree Farm here.  

It's such a festive place, so much to do and see... and they have a beautiful store where each of the kids chooses a new tree ornament every year.

We didn't get there this year but did find a smaller, local farm where we chose a beautiful tree. 

4.  Do you open presents on Christmas Eve, Christmas morning, or both?

When we spend Christmas at home, or with my in-laws, the presents are opened Christmas morning, after herding kids to bed on Christmas Eve so that Santa can come while they sleep.  The tradition on my side of the family has always been to open presents on Christmas Eve, and we still open gifts on Christmas Eve when we go to my parents.  After dinner, which is always a whole filet mignon, we head out to admire Christmas lights and return to find that Santa came while we were out!

Added bonus:  when we return home after spending Christmas with my parents, the kids get to open the presents that Santa left under our tree while we were away!

5.  What's your favourite Christmas movie to watch?  Or favourite Christmas song?

Christmas movies that I love.... The Polar Express and Elf.  I grew up watching traditional Christmas television specials and they all hold a special, nostalgic place in my heart, but these two movies are our current favourites!

Favourite Christmas songs right now are both by the Trans Siberian Orchestra, Christmas Eve/Sarajevo and Christmas Canon:

Thank you Kera for tagging me, Christmas style!

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Memories of Drysdale's Tree Farm

We haven't put up our tree yet... I know, I know, it's sad.  We've been so busy with hockey and work and stuff.  Like having our kitchen ceiling drywall repaired (we had a wee water issue upstairs) and the entire main floor patched and prepped for painting... who does that just before Christmas??  We always get a real tree, and we try not to put it up too early because no one wants a dried-out-dropping-needles-all-over-the-floor-dead-stick by the time Christmas Day rolls around.  Now it's crunch time.  We really need to get our tree this weekend but there's the small matter of a hockey tournament going on, which means there won't be time for one of favourite family outings to Drysdale's Tree Farm.  I love, love, love this place and we've made an event of getting our tree there almost every year since we've lived here.  It's magical.  Horse drawn wagons, hot chocolate and bonfires, Mr. & Mrs. Santa Claus, sled dogs, a Town Crier, Christmas carols, and the most beautiful shop for decorations and ornaments.  Not to mention the best selection of Christmas trees I've every seen.  *Sigh*  We'll likely end up at a tree lot at a grocery store sometime this week, and the tree will be lovely, and it will officially be Christmas at our house, and all will be well... but I will miss this:

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It's OK Thursday

It’s OK…

…that we slept in yesterday and missed early morning hockey practice

…that I haven’t started Christmas shopping yet

…that number-one-son’s puppy chewed one of my favourite shoes

…that I was so out of it one morning this week that I washed my hair with conditioner

…that I’m still wearing flip-flops despite the fact that we’ve had snow since the weekend

…that I ran the dryer for an extra 10 min three times last night to avoid folding laundry

…that I got home from work last night and couldn’t see my kitchen counter

…that I forgot today was garbage day

…that I was .12 cents short for my coffee at the drive-thru this morning but got my coffee anyway.  Thank you Tim Horton’s!

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Living at the Rink

We've had a lot of hockey the past few weeks.  I think about all the arenas we've been in over the years and I realize that travelling to all these rinks has given us the opportunity to see places we'd never otherwise visit.  Big cities, small farming communities and cookie-cutter suburbs.  Recreation complexes with state of the art facilities and old barn style rinks.  We know so many cities and towns just by the arenas we've been to.

One of our most recent games took us to the village of Nobleton.  You'd never know we were less than half an hour from Toronto.  Not long after we got off the highway we were surrounded by beautiful farmland and forests.... rolling hills as far as the eye could see, interesting barns and gorgeous estate homes... and more horse farms than I could count, not to mention the feed mill, century homes and harness shop!

There were so many photo opportunities that I couldn't take as I was driving.  Like these:

By DhkZ, via Flickr

By Ms. Abitibi, via Flickr

Is this a great sign or what?

By Lisa-S, via Flickr

Love our hockey road trips!

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A Day of Remembrance

In remembrance of all those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom.  

Thank you.

The Country the World Forgot, again - The Telegraph UK Article 

National War Memorial Ottawa - photo gallery

Remembrance Day: Lest we Forget - CBC Canada Article

Remembrance Vignette - Veterans Affairs Canada

Remembrance Day 2010 Victory Square Cenotaph, Vancouver, BC

Canada's Highway of Heroes - Article

To You With Failing Hands we Throw - In Flanders Fields

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Crock Pot Adventure

It was shaping up to be another one of those days. I'm working late, knowing everyone will be coming and going from school, work, and hockey at different hours - and there's no plan for dinner. Lately there's been a lot of pizza nights, last minute drive-thru nights, breakfast for dinner nights, fend for yourself leftover nights... I'm definitely not going to win Mom of the Year anytime soon. 

So. I raced home at lunch and looked at my Crock Pot. Then I loaded the dishwasher, moved laundry from the washer to the dryer, and looked at the Crock Pot again. I love my Crock Pot, but I was in a rush and had no idea what to do with it. Most of my recipes are simple but still require meat to browned, veggies chopped, spices and sauces to be prepared... none of that was going to happen today. Instead, I took a package of frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer and put them into the Crock Pot (seriously frozen, I couldn't even separate the pieces so I just plopped the whole frozen slab in there) along with some leftover raw carrot & celery pieces, 2/3 of a bottle of Italian Salad Dressing, some water, and some parmesan cheese. I literally grabbed whatever was handy and tossed it in. I have no idea how this will taste, whether the chicken will be done on time or what to serve it with... rice maybe? This has the potential to be an epic fail, but there's no way they're going to end up eating pizza again tonight.

Stay tuned...

Update.  Dinner was edible, maybe even good.  Hubby added some frozen corn when he got home and ended up serving it with rice.  Did I mention I love my Crock Pot?

And sorry for the crappy taken-in-a-hurry-with-my-phone photo.

And as we're on the subject, here's a peek at my Pinterest Crock Pot board:

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