Christmas Happenings

"For it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when it's mighty Founder was a child himself"   ~  Charles Dickens

Book page Table Runner made by my mom and I.

Monday night, for Christmas Eve, we held a Dinner for some of the family who had come early for Christmas Day. My mother made a wonderful Roast Beef dinner and then a Coconut Cake to follow. My cousin's wife, who is originally from England, brought a traditional English Christmas Cake to add as well. It was a really fun night, before the eating began a few of the bravest (or stupidest…who's ever judging!) went out for an hour or two and started a couple ski-doo's for a ride. As with many of our ski-dooing adventures, they spent most of their time trying to coax the oldest ones into starting. It's usually worth it but if I'm not mistaken it was at least 25 below, so if you had a full helmet you were fine, if you didn't…well you'd be lucky if you didn't get frostbite! 

Dinner proceeded and conversation's in the livingroom followed, when everyone headed out into the cold to go home, we opened our annual Christmas Eve present of pyjamas and got ready for bed!

1. Christmas Morning Aftermath 2. Seth enjoying his Christmas present and being able to stay inside :)

Christmas morning came and we were all up by 8:30-9:00 opening our stockings and then dad proceeded to play "Santa" and handed out presents one by one. This part usually takes quite a long time  as we take turns opening our gifts. By 10:30 we were all sitting down to a breakfast of orange buns, egg cups with hollandaise sauce and fruit! 

Noon was when we all filed out armed with stretchy pants and headed to Grandma's house to meet with family and have Christmas Dinner, scheduled for 3. The rest of the day we lay about feeling stuffed, eating whenever our stomach didn't quite hurt anymore, consequently setting it off again, playing board games, laughing and spending time with family.

I wanted to compile a collage of some of my favourite gifts I received for Christmas! Starting from the top left is a jar of M&M's from my Auntie who somehow got a picture of our faces on them! Then a book Calder got me, J.K. Rowling's recent adult novel, The Casual Vacancy, Jane-a-Day 5-Year Journal With 365 Witticisms by Jane Austen, from Blythe. An antique mini Bundt pan from my parents, an Around The World 2013 desk calendar from Christian. Some assorted gel food colouring, for all of the many macaron's I will make ;) A Botanicals Labels & Stickers booklet also from Christian. Sense and Sensibility, from my parents, as well as the Madeleine Pan, Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado, and, the Golden Mint Humbugs and Peppermint Tea, found in my stocking. 

I hope all of you had an amazing Christmas and got to indulge in some holiday food that came with it as well as some special presents from your loved ones and got to act as a child again, if only for a couple of hours!

Let Earth Receive Her King

It's been a busy month full of tests, Christmas shopping/DIY-ing, and very little daylight! Thankfully from now on out the days are getting longer. School was out on Friday, we celebrated with Formal and a big Christmas Dinner for Junior/Senior High, followed by a dance. It was a good day, definitely started the Christmas holiday's off right :)

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve already! We're hosting a dinner at our house for any family that's come early for Christmas Day. Some of our family are driving to town as we speak! I can't wait to see them, it's been quite awhile and long over due.

I hope each of you have a 'Merry Little Christmas' and enjoy not only the presents you receive, or the family that you love but the King who was born to die for you. 

"Let Earth receive her King: Let every Heart prepare Him room, and Heaven and Nature Sing..."

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Wide, sparkling fields snow vestured lie

Beneath a blue, unshadowed sky;

A glistening splendor crowns the woods

And bosky, whistling solitudes;

In hemlock glen and reedy mere

The tang of frost is sharp and clear;

Life hath a jollity and zest,

A poignancy made manifest;

Laughter and courage have their way

At noontide of a winter's day.

~ L.M. Montgomery ~

A couple of weeks ago we were able to fill our once empty living room with couches that our dad got from the city. It's one of our favourite rooms in the evening, where we can read and relax by the fireplace without getting distracted by whatever is being watched on t.v. 

Recently, however, in the evenings we've been enjoying watching episodes from the British television series, Call the Midwife, on iTunes.

It's funny how close you can tell it's getting to Christmas, everyone is posting pictures of Christmas tree hunting and decorating, Christmas music playlists are being made and the students at school are getting restless!

Our last day of school is on the 21st so we have quite a bit of time left before our Christmas Holidays. With diploma exams coming up in January (worth 50% of our overall mark) we're getting close to the wire, it hasn't hit yet though, no the pressure will start building once the Holidays are out of the way. 

For Christmas this year I think almost everyone from my dad's side of the family is going to be coming up. I can't help feeling this is going to be the last time we're all able to be together, so I'll be cherishing this Christmas for a long time. 

I've been working on some things for Christmas presents as well as getting my brother, Christian, who is in the city to pick up some things ;) if all goes well I'll be done and able to relax once we're out of school.

Yes I think all in all this Christmas will be one to remember...

Remembrance Day

Yesterday I spent most of the afternoon making some French Macaron's! They were very high on my baking to do list and I couldn't wait to try them out. Never having made or even tasting one I didn't know what to expect and after doing some research they seemed to be pretty fickle and hard to get just right. 

Unabashed I proceeded and even though I know they didn't turn out perfectly they still taste good and with some little corrections I think I can achieve the perfect macaron next time. I used the recipe from PastryPal with some techniques I learned from Gesine Bullock-Prado's video. However I think next time I'll try Gesine's recipe instead because looks like a bigger recipe and a little easier to mix. The Vanilla Buttercream Recipe PastryPal provided with her master Almond Macaron recipe, however, was delicious! 

Last weekend I took some pictures outside showing off the headband and scarf I made last winter with the pattern's Lindsi from people webs provided. I really like both of them and get a lot of use out of them in these long Canadian winters. 

My dad said one morning this week that I couldn't start listening to Christmas music till after November 11th so tomorrow morning you'll all know what I'm listening to when I get ready in the morning!

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day to remember all the veterans, fallen soldiers and active soldiers that fought and are fighting for our freedom. It is celebrated every year on November 11 to commemorate the armistice signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front of World War I, which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning—the "eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month" of 1918. In later years it served to commemorate both World Wars. Today we attended our Legion's Remembrance Day Ceremony instead of going to Church and all week we've been watching History Channel's November war special. Above is my Great Grandad he fought in the second World War. On the left he's with his brother and on the right he's with his son, my Grandma's brother, Edwin. Fortunately he survived the war and was able to come home. I never got to meet him, I think he died a year or so before I was born, but all across Canada today we remember him and all the others that gave up their tomorrow's for our today and for that we should all be thankful!

P.S. Do you like my new Header? I quite like it myself ;)

Seventeen

"It was November  -- the month of crimson sunsets parting birds, deep, sad hymns of the sea, passionate wind songs in the pines. Anne roamed through the pineland alleys in the park and, as she said, let that great wind blow the fogs out of her soul."

~ L.M. Montgomery

It was my Seventeenth Birthday yesterday and besides being sick it was really nice :)

I went to school despite feeling terrible but I didn't last long, I left soon after 12 and had a long nap at my Grandparents house! Not really what I expected to do on my Birthday but all in all it was wonderful day. I actually have the pleasure of having the same birthday as my Auntie Jaye who spent hers in Maui (so jealous)!! The temperature dropped to minus 30 the other day which was quite the shock and then proceeded to be plus 4-6 this weekend -- that's Canadian weather for you.

For supper I had my grandparents and my cousin Bretley as well as her husband Martin come over and after a dinner of turkey, salads and french bread we had the amazing chocolate cake! It's taken from one of the recipes in Jan Karon's Mitford series, Lew Boyd's Chocolate Cake and it is seriously CHOCOLATE. I think my mom said there is something like a pound of dark chocolate in the icing alone! Apparently my mom had made it before when we were younger but it was too much for us then -- I think our taste buds have matured a bit since then!

I was lucky enough to get a FujiFilm instant camera 210 from my parents as a gift! I can't wait to experiment with a film camera! I also got a spritz cookie press and a stainless steel pastry bag with assorted tips from my grandparents -- first thing I'm going to make, french macaroons, they've been on my top baking to do list for a long time. I also got some lovely cards from a variety of friends and family. Thank you to all of you who got me something for my Birthday :) it did not go unappreciated.

Tonight my friend Jadin is hosting a Halloween party slash Birthday party for me with some of our girlfriends at school. I'm expecting there will be a lot of giggling and movie watching!

Anyway, I hope you have an amazing rest of the weekend :)

A Winter Day

Wide, sparkling fields snow-vestured lie.

Beneath a blue, unshadowed sky;

A glistening splendor crowns the woods

And bosky, whistling solitudes;

In hemlock glen and reedy mere

The tang of frost is sharp and clear;

Life hath a jollity and zest,

A poignancy made manifest;

Laughter and courage have their way

At noontide of a winter's day.

~ L.M. Montgomery ~

The brief fall season has ended here in Northern Alberta and in it's wake came a winter wonderland. It seems to me that we don't usually have snow before Halloween but alas all the trumpet's of the sky have announced the snow. 

Recently we have acquired two little cats and have been a little traumatized by the attention of two great big dogs. Mom and I have christened them Dot and Edith! Their proper English cats :) That's what Seth is distracted by, it took awhile to get a shot of him because they were both riled up.

This afternoon mom and I have tackled the dining room wallpaper and it's looks lovely! After attempting to do the master bedroom wall a week or so before we moved in, we have been rather reluctant to do this room with more expensive paper. 

And with almost no mishaps with the wallpaper I think this has been a pretty productive day, even if I didn't get in the shower till 4!

My lovely Grandparents after being in the city this past week for a couple of days and were able to stop by IKEA to get some table legs for my desk…hopefully that will be up before next weekend.

Tomorrow is church and then it's our Great Grandma's 91st birthday party!

Well I'm going to have some tea and sit down and admire our wallpaper :)

Have a good week!

Pinterest Inspiration 4

1. Unknown 2. Unknown 3. Muitaihania 4. chezjolly from etsy 5. chocolate and carrots 6. Who What Wear / Vanessa Jackman 7. Unknown 8. A Cup of Jo 9. Marc Johns

What with the reappearance of snow and the lack of daylight to take pictures with after I get home from school, I must admit the view from where I sit has been rather gray. So far I've contented myself with the fact that November is coming and with it the start of something like the Holidays and that it's been almost a year since I've read Pride and Prejudice so therefore my vintage copy is begging to be read again. 

1. I love the typography of this first quote, I may not know what I want to become as far as after school, but I just have to satisfy myself with today and what I've become since the beginning of High School -- and  I think I like who I am becoming :)

2. The mood of this watercolour, coupled with the colours helps personify the mood of clashing winter and fall. 

3. I love this crocheted blanket! I think this will definitely be the pattern for my first blanket that I make <3

4. Someday I will walk the streets of Paris and Southern France and take beautiful pictures of beautiful buildings like this one.

5. This cake. Chocolate Raspberry Forest cake…I didn't know what I was going to have for my birthday dessert but this is definitely in the running -- it's competing with pumpkin cheesecake so I don't know we'll see which one prevails!

6. I love this outfit, I kind of did my own spin on it for my thanksgiving outfit but without the collar and with tights :) so cute.

7. "I love you to the moon and back" I remember when we would say this to our parents as they were tucking us in except we would go back and forth with things like, "I love you to South Africa and around the world 20 times and to the sun and back." haha

8. I'm thinking this will be my november challenge. Red lips everyday. 

9. This last picture has to be the epitome of ME, "Sometimes the only thing left to do is put on your favourite striped sweater and get on with the day," except it's "favourite striped dress" or "favourite striped shirt" etc. Sometimes thats what I have to do to get through the day.

Anyways have a good week <3 Oh and tell me what your going to be for Halloween…I'm thinking of being Twiggy -- the inspiration for chopping off my hair :)

Thanksgiving

 This was the first year we had Thanksgiving at our house, me and mom were in charge of the desserts which included pumpkin pie (of course), pecan tarts and pumpkin magic bars. There was about 20 of us including Christian who was able to come up this weekend bringing our family number back to 6. All in all it was a fun weekend full of family and food :)

Sadly the frost has turned to snow! We were warned this week via the weather network that we were going to have a dreary week full of rain and flurries and then this morning we woke up to a couple of centimetres of snow and the trees covered in hoar frost. It's not expected to stay but it was quite the shock nonetheless and it doesn't give us solace to know that 6 or 7 months of this is ahead!

Anyway I hope all you Canadians had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I am grateful for my family, my saviour and the beautiful country we live in :)

P.S. I was planning on taking more pictures of the upstairs in our house but I didn't seem to get around to it - plus my siblings room's looked like a bomb had gone off in them…not really picture material!

Blogger Envy - The Clothes Horse

I follow only a short amount of blogs, perhaps 20 or so and they all pass a mental, subconscious test which in turn catches my attention and in only a short time span I'm hooked. This subliminal exam has since now escaped me, I have only since found out the criteria in which I evaluate the kind of blogs that I love. 

I have found that I'm drawn towards bloggers whose photography is beautiful and intriguing, their writing is a quality in which I look to emulate, who continually make me inspired either with their words or their content. It's a strange thought to know that somehow I'm being drawn to blogs and similarly vlogs on YouTube that fit my own unconscious examinations. For example it has come to my attention that many of my favourite bloggers/vloggers share my own faith. 

Maybe your under the same illusion I was, that the internet in it's vastness only contained non-religious people, however friendly they may be. It seems silly to think of it now, how I just assumed people were not Christians. I'm not entirely ignorant of the fact that their are many Christians in this world and why not have them produce content that I enjoy to read/look at on blogger. 

More precisely, perhaps, I thought that I would not find people who share my own interests and talents as well as share my faith. Besides my own family I have met few people who qualify in those regards.  Maybe that is why I find it strange the number of people I have grown to love on the internet who have all fit into that mold. 

One of the blogs which I have been following for quite some time now continually inspires me. Her life which has been spent moving from place to place, and the places/adventures that she goes on seem to mirror my own favourite characters in books, as if she too was a female heroine in a novel. Abandoned train cars, barns, pathways and amusement parks have become the setting of most of her pictures. Her ability to catch an almost ethereal beauty in her photography and outfits is amazing. It could be her pixie cut, or her petite frame, but she often reminds me of a little pixie or nymph herself. She very rarely wears pants, flouncing about in twirly dresses which generally assume the same silhouette. The quality of her writing is enviable, she seems to express certain feelings and emotions that I have experienced as well upon occasion and have tried and failed to express into words myself.

Her name is Rebecca from The Clothes Horse, her charming blog which in my understanding has been up for a number of years, inspires me everyday to improve upon my own writing abilities, continue experimenting with the pictures I take and the different outfits that I wear.

The pictures above are photographed by her friend Jon, who is also an amazing writer, and comes from a post called, That Girl, it's beautifully written and you should all go and check out her blog for more. 

"Everyone knows the one; a fey creature that seems spun out of myth instead of reality like the rest of us. You spot her in the middle of a crowd or on a busy subway platform passing you as she gets on and you get off…You don't know what it is exactly that catches your eye, maybe it's the way she smiles as if she has a secret she's never shared with anyone, or maybe it's the way she moves as if air was water and you can't really describe her appearance or clothes except to say they're somehow an extension of herself…It's unlikely you will cross the expanse of strangers or subway platforms or barren sand to form an introduction, so instead she remains a distant figure that haunts your memory long after she slips beyond your sight…Most of the time I want to be myself--more of an observer than someone hoping to be seen, noticed, remembered...But sometimes I want to be that girl the one that catches your eye--and in those times sequins seem appropriate, even at a river's edge."

Pinterest Inspiration 3

1. Visionary Dreams 2. PariDesigns on Etsy 3. Unknown 4. An Edible Mosaic

The nights and days are getting crisper, we've been spending our evenings sitting round a fire, whittling in Calder's case, listening to a playlist of Andrew Belle, Birdy, The Fray and Dean Martin in my case whilst talking to dad and begging for attention in Seth and Ezra's case. It's been a good start of the week after a wonderful long weekend of shopping, a wedding shoot and family!

I love this outfit post by Danielle of Visonary Dreams, it's very fall esque. The cotton ball garland is a bit early but I can't help getting excited/dreaming about Christmas in our new house and this Chocolate Hazelnut custard looks so invitingly delicious. 

Well I hope you have a wonderful week and that you "dwell in possibility," the endless possibilities of pumpkin desserts perhaps ;)

A Warm Fall Day

A high of at least 30 degrees, I'm afraid this was the last day of "summer" in the midst of September. It was of course a couple of weekends ago, for it has been rather windy and cold of late. The chilly evening air is threaded through with silver from our warm breath, nipping our ears and leaving our fingers swollen, the farmers are collecting their harvest and school is in full swing. However this is the time to indulge in pumpkin…everything, drink hot chocolate by the fire and take long walks with a sweater, mittens and a chunky scarf. Fall is definitely my favourite season by far! 

I have a week full of tests to look forward to but on a better note it's a long weekend and we're going to the city for my cousins wedding which will be very nice! Can't wait to see everybody :)

House Tour

Before we dive in here's some background of our house. Our house plans were custom made by my mother and brought to life so to speak by an architect. The foundation is cement with in floor heating (we sealed and polished it to be the main flooring downstairs), the first story consists of the mudroom, kitchen, dining room, den, powder room, t.v. room and living room. The second story is painted hardwood with radiators for heating and it consists of all of our bedrooms, the laundry room and the kids bath. Lets hop right in then...

P.S. I just shot my room and then all of the downstairs.

Above is some detail shots of my room on the second story...

Our breakfast nook, kitchen and the stairs that separate the kitchen from the dining room.

The den is just off of the dining room.

These are our two main hallways, the one shown first leads into the house from our mudroom (the Powder Room door is seen) and off to the right is the living room which is empty except for some stray boxes we haven't found a place for. The second hallway leads to the t.v. room and is the front door entrance.

This is our t.v. room it acts as our living room as well since we have yet to furnish that room.

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour, maybe when things get more settled (and clean) I'll take some shots of the rooms upstairs!

Pinterest Inspiration 2

1. Unknown 2. Unknown 3. Unknown 4. Coco Rose Diaries

 We are moved! Our construction site has turned into a home. The first night we slept here was Sunday August 12, 2012, a truly monumental day for us. Pictures will be coming quite soon hopefully. It took awhile to actually get our internet up and running out here, so we got a bit of reading done, started and finished my first book in what seems like months. I think we are officially country folk now, picking wildflowers and taking walks at sundown…ahh...I can get used to this. 

The lack of an oven kind of stings though, my idle mind keeps dreaming of french macaroons, a lavender iced cake on our newly un-boxed china plates and rolling out pie crust on our marble island…one can dream. Oh and if you have any stovetop dinner recipes please share, the lack of oven and a barbecue really strain our creative juices, meal-wise.

Another monumental event, we used a dishwasher for the first time in 2 years the other night, and I don't mean a human dishwasher…an actual factual mechanical dishwasher! It was quite the event, which may seem sad to most but it was tiresome washing a mountain of dishes twice a day.

Anyways have a great week!

P.S. sorry for the lack of links to the original owner of these pictures but tumblr does not help in that department and unfortunately that's where these were pinned from.

The Fruit of our Labour

We've been packing/organizing these past couple days, which is really quite exciting! This "little" project of ours took at least 4 or 5 years, the actual building has only been about a year and a half though. So you could say it's been a long time coming! I can't wait to recreate my bedroom decor that's been forming in my head these past couple years and of course a dish washer and a working washer/dryer and a library and…and I could go on and on. 

Tomorrow we are going to put some paste wax on our concrete floors and then thursday is going to consist of some hardcore packing!  Wish us luck!
Oh! And did I mention those cherries are from our very own Cherry Tree!

The ambrosial wind...

Unknown

A Summer Day

~ L.M. Montgomery~

The dawn laughs out on orient hills

And dances with the diamond rills;

The ambrosial wind but faintly stirs

The silken, beaded gossamers;

In the wide valleys, lone and fair, 

Lyrics are piped from limpid air,

And, far above, the pine trees free

Voice ancient lore of sky and sea.

Come, let us fill our hearts straightway

With hope and courage of the day.

Noon, hiving sweets of sun and flower,

Has falled on dreams in wayside bower,

Where bees hold honeyed fellowship

With the ripe blossom of her lip;

All silent are her poppied vales

And all her long Arcadian dales,

Where idleness is gathered up 

A magic draught in summer's cup.

Come, let us give ourselves to dreams 

By lisping margins of her streams

Adown the golden sunset way

The evening comes in wimple gray;

By burnished shore and silver lake

Cool winds of ministration wake;

O'er occidental meadows far 

There shines the light of moon and star,

And sweet, low-tinkling music rings 

About the lips of haunted springs.

In quietude of earth and air

'Tis meet we yield our souls to prayer

Pinterest Inspiration

1. Le Dans La 2. Ashley Goldberg 3. J. Crew 4. Jemma Keech 5. Cole Haan Air Morgan Slipper Ballet 6. Unknown

Soup a la Bronte

While my family was working, both at the acreage and at their jobs I was given the job to make supper! So beef barley soup and cheese buns it is then! 

I spent this afternoon visiting my Great Grandma whilst drinking tea and eating some of the fudge that I made last night. Yes I believe it has been a very satisfying day :) Tomorrow I'm off to work the farmers market in the morning. I hope you have a good rest of the weekend!

Platinum

I did it! I finally bleached my hair! It was quite nerve wracking because when I first bleached it with this it was quite yellow. After going to the salon and getting some violet shampoo and conditioner it helped tone it down a bit to where it was just a pale white/yellow. Not quite what I wanted we decided to die it again with this ash blonde thinking, "it can't get any worse". And it turned out wonderful! I really love it…and my brother's Harry Potter references (Lucius, Malfoy, Draco etc.) seemed to stop, which is a bonus :) he now wants me to die my hair red so he can call me Ginny…I don't think that will happen anytime soon! Well tomorrow I'm off to help cook at camp for a little over a week with my cousin, Bretley and her Aunt, we should have a fun time! Lots of Laughs! Happy Fourth of July to all you Americans :)

Au Revoir!

Steady Progress and Summer Holidays!

Slowly but surely we have been making some progress in our house! Most of the Bedrooms upstairs have their pine flooring down and have been painted, our dad has been installing the radiators and doors in some rooms, the tiling is done upstairs, all the room's are painted, light fixtures have been going up (though slowed because our handy electrician/grandpa has been in England for the past 2 weeks), yes it finally seems possible that we might move in by the end of July sometime. 

This is our property looking North-East and it looked so beautiful last night after being freshly cut.

Wild roses are found all over Canada but is considered Alberta's Provincial Flower and it grows all over the perimeter of our "Hundred Acre Woods," which surrounds our house in a "U" shape from north to east to south.

My first week of summer holidays have been interesting…it's rather gloomy and windy out today but we have had some warm days sometimes even getting up to 26+ degrees Celsius. On Saturday us kids (Christian, Blythe, Calder and I) all went out to our cabin on the lake and spent the day suntanning/swimming in the waves. It was unfortunately quite windy that day but the sun was warm. On Sunday however our parents joined us and it was quite cold. 

Hopefully this weekend is better, I'll try and take my camera and snap some pictures of our Canada Day Weekend festivities! We'll surely be clad in our nations colours, red and white. I might even be able to snap some pictures of the Fire Works that the campground has not far from our cabin.

I hope you have a wonderful Canada Day Long Weekend and if you don't live in Canada I hope the weekend's good to you. (I think people in America might have a long Fourth of July weekend…or maybe it's the weekend after…I don't know.)

Anyway I'll be back with some pictures of that, ta ta for now!