Last-Minute Valentines

This year I got an early start on Valentines Day projects. I even had Monkey make cards to send to friends and family (however I forgot to mail them last week, so they will be late).

The one downside to being done early is that I've seen so many other cute projects that I want to do all of them and I've already made our Valentines... but really, that's not a bad thing.

Anyways, the projects we did complete are actually from my post last year about Valentines day.

Heart-Shaped Crayons

I tried to make each crayon out of its own colour group instead of mixing all the colours together.

I used a silicon heart shaped muffin pan from the dollar store because I didn't want to ruin one of my good muffin tins.

I broke the pieces into about 1/4 inch pieces and tried to mix the different tones evenly between the muffin cups.

I "baked" the broken pieces in the oven for about 5-7 minutes at 300 degrees C. If you bake them longer or shake the pan too much when you take it out, all the colours tend to mix together and you don't have different tones/colours, you just have one kind of muddy colour.

Then I let them cool. You can tell they're ready to be removed when the crayon has come away from the side of the silicon pan (or if you are using mini aluminum tart shells, when it has separated from the tin).

Sorry that there is no picture of the final product with the cardstock. They are pasted with double-sided tape to cardstock reading "You Colour My World!"

These were simple, and I've still got enough broken and used crayons to do about a decade more Valentines for the entire class...

The biggest time consuming part was peeling the paper from the crayons. I found that the no name crayons were much easier to peel than the Crayola brand, and since I did about 24 of these, I had quite a bit of crayon under my nails after this.

I would also recommend getting 2 muffin tins so you can do 12 crayons at a time, because I'm not big on patience, and I had a hard time stopping myself from taking the crayons out of the tin before they were ready...

Needed:
Muffin Tin: $1 at the dollar store
Crayons: already on hand
Cardstock: already on hand

The next Valentines Day craft I did was also low cost and quick to put together.

Chocolate Roses

Needed:
Bag of Kisses: $2.99 for a small package that will make about 18 roses (I would recommend red, pink, or silver because the cellophane is transparent)
Stem for the flowers: $1 for 10
Coloured cellophane: I had some on hand (the stuff used to wrap gift baskets)
Florists tape: $4 for 3 rolls. I made about 30 roses and only used 1 roll.

I started by cutting squares of the cellophane. I didn't have an exact measure, If you want one, I'd go with about 4 inches square. You want the square to be long enough to cover the kisses and still be able to attach more to the pencil. Extra is fine, you'll be covering it with the tape.

Next, tape the kisses together with double sided tape (or just hold them together like I did). You want to make sure that both kisses are held together and that the cellophane is holding them tightly in place if they aren't taped together.

Next, take the pencil, and place it under the bottom kiss. This part is the most particular. I find that if I had a third hand, it would be very useful for this step.

Next, you need to start wrapping the tape around both the pencil and the cellophane. Stretch the tape as you wrap it tightly so that it will stick to itself. Wrap it a few extra times around at the beginning to make sure the kisses are secure.

Keep stretching and overlapping the tape as you tape down the whole pencil. If you wrap at an angle, it will naturally overlap and stay smooth.

When you get to the tip of the pencil, overlap the tape a few times and pinch it tightly to keep it secure.

There you are! Beautiful roses that are a perfect gift for students (if you're a teacher), for classmates, or just for fun!

Happy Valentines Day, and happy crafting!

~A

For my best sister.

Happy Birthday Emily!
I can't believe it's been 15 years already since I finally had a sister. I am so thankful that you're here and that I'm not alone among all the boys. You have matured into a beautiful, sensitive, and thoughtful woman.
I'm glad for your sense of humor, your personal style, your modesty, and your faith. I know you will do great things.

This weekend we celebrated 15 years of YOU, and I got to make dinner and cupcakes.

Listening to the giggling of 5 teenage girls made me smile and brought me back to my high school years. I'm so glad you are close with your classmates, and I hope you can all grow together in faith and in strong, encouraging friendship.

Emily, you are so loved, and I hope that this year is filled with amazing blessing.

Love you.
~A

We've been 4 for one month!

It's been one month since our precious little girl joined our family (technically it was one month on Sunday) and I can't believe how fast time has gone by!

We had a checkup today, and Annika Charlotte (named after my grandma and Hubby's grandma) now weighs 10 lbs 5 ounces. She's up 2 lbs 1 ounce since birth.

We've already made many trips with our little one, including Trick-or-Treating with her big brother. Of course, she slept through the whole thing, and she didn't get to eat any candy.

We all went to the Santa Clause Parade on November 19. Again she slept through most of it, and she didn't see Santa at all, but Monkey really enjoyed the parade! He climbed out of the stroller so he could dance to every marching band and float that had music.

The biggest trip was a weekend (Girls only) trip to Toronto to watch my sister's volleyball tournements. Once again, our little snoozer enjoyed the trip her own way.

But she did get to have her picture taken with the champions.

We love how peaceful you are little one. It's such a great change from the ball of energy your brother is. I know you're still small, but I can't believe how much you've already grown.

I love you.

~A

Three Years Ago...

...I met this little man, and he changed my life forever.

...I watched the sun rise on life as a mama.

...I was blessed beyond my wildest dreams.

And all because of my little monkey.

Happy 3rd Birthday little man!

I love you to the moon and back.

~Mama

Thankful for my Mother. Today and Every Day.

Happy Mothers Day!

Today was such an amazing day. I am so blessed to have a great husband who listens to my needs and whims and who lovingly gave me the day I really desired...

We started out the day by going out to breakfast at Denny's. I'd never been before, and while I wasn't blown away by the food, we had a great server, and we all received our meals quickly.

After breakfast, we had 90 minutes before our church service started, so we went to the garden centre at NoFrills to check it out.

I was happily surprised at the many different varieties of vegetables and herbs the greenhouse had. I'm just a newbie, so I just spent my time looking and walking and not making up my mind on anything.

We headed off to church, and I was supposed to be in the nursery, but the only child in the nursery was Monkey, so we were all very naughty, and Monkey, Hubby and I headed home after waiting until about 11:10 to make sure no other children were coming...

On the way home, we stopped again at the greenhouse, and I finally picked out 3 tomato plants. I struggled with the ones I planted from seeds. They had sprouted really nicely, and then I was gentle when I transplanted them, and I gave them plenty of water and sun... but they shriveled up like raisins... so instead of trying again from seeds, I decided to "cheat" a little with plants that looked very much alive.

I'll still be watering them and taking care of them, but this way I don't have to start from scratch.

We got home and had a simple lunch of leftover (homemade) pizza and other leftovers. Hubb tried to get Monkey to go down for a nap, and I sorted my coupon binder and set up my grocery list.

While Monkey was pretending to sleep, and Hubby was occupied with the computer, I headed out to the grocery store, knowing that my mom and sister would be at my house within an hour... I figured I had lots of time.

Monkey with my mom in her kitchen

I got back from my trip to an amazing surprise. My mom was doing my dishes, and she helped clean my whole kitchen... I'm so blessed!

On top of the clean kitchen, my sister played with Monkey, and had him help her clean HIS room! She even moved his bed and swept underneath!

What better gift could I have asked for than help cleaning my house, which then gave me the motivation to clean the bathroom and organize the bathroom cupboards... We're really on a roll now! Thanks mom!

After the cleaning, we had some tea, some snacks, and Hubby, Mom and I played a board game.

We had such a great visit, and I'm really excited that next weekend I get to surprise Mom with gifts and cards and concert tickets... There is so much she has done for me, and for our family over the last few years that nothing I give her can truly be enough.

I'm so thankful for a mom:

-who knows when to listen, and when to share her stories

-who calls me just because she feels like it

-who loves me unconditionally

-who taught me about Jesus from before I could talk

-who put me and my siblings before herself

-who showed me by example how to trust God in hard times

-who laughs with me, and cries with me

-who never gave up on me, even when I fought her every day.

There is no love that more clearly has shown me what God's love for me looks like, than the love my mother has given me.

Thank you mom.

Mom reading with Monkey (he's wearing a diaper)

"Who can find a virtuous and capable wife? She is worth more than precious rubies... She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs with no fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and kindness is the rule when she gives instructions. She watches over all that goes on in her household and does not have to bear the consequences of laziness.

Her children stand and bless her..."

(Proverbs 31: 10, 25-28 NLT)

I love you Mom.

~A

Wednesday, I Love You!

As always, I'm linking up to Jamie.

This week I've got a LOT to love!

{one}

Today is Doctor's Appointment #1 with Baby #2!

(32 more weeks!)

{two}

Today is the last day before my last reading week as a post-secondary student!

{three}

Monkey didn't cry at all when we dropped him off at daycare!

{four}

I found a $25 gift card for Tim Hortons on the same week that Roll-Up-The-Rim started! Yay for free coffees! (even if I don't win anything!)

Oh, and I've been able to eat breakfast all week without hating food!

{five}

My amazing husband has been spoiling me by waking up early, doing all the dishes, and basically running the house (as well as paying the bills) so that I can get as much rest as possible to grow this little blueberry.

What are you loving this Wednesday?

~A

Love on this Wednesday

as always I'm linking up to Jamie...

I'm loving...

...my yummy breakfast of yogurt, blueberries and granola (so much better than the Mcdonalds I was considering!)

...the full night of sleep I got last night even with Monkey sharing the bed!

...the amazing Valentines present from my favourite guys in the world!

...sharing dinner with friends and family (and I get to do both this week!)

...the excitement over the cooking competition this afternoon in class!

...the fantastic volleyball games I got to see on the weekend! (I'm so proud of my brother Ryan and the 4 years of Volleyball he's played for RMC. You're awesome little brother!)

...lemon tea to make my sore throat feel better!

...this beautiful love song!

... only 33 more Wednesdays...

...and (of course) my wonderful husband!

What are you loving this Wednesday?

~A

Valentines Day Craft-a-Palooza!

The countdown to LOVE day is ON!

I'm not normally a Valentines Day fan (I sometimes think that it's just a made-up holiday to make single people feel sad, and to make people get fat on chocolate, and to sell greeting cards....) but I'm a huge fan of all kinds of cute crafts.

Like these crayon hearts from Chef Messy

Or these iLoves (ipods with candy inside) from full of bliss

Or this awesome crochet heart garland?

Maybe this year I'll write a love letter to my hubby using conversation hearts (shown by Out of the Crayon Box)

Or this (ooh-la-la!) card from the polka-dot thought.

Or maybe these Valentines Love coupons...

So many ideas!

And for the little monkey, what about Colour-in Valentines Cards from Prudent Baby...

Or floating hearts from The Homeschool Classroom...

And if that's not enough Valentine love, check out these links for EVEN MORE Valentines Day ideas!

Valentines ideas from How Does She?

and even more linkies from Feels Like Home.

One last thing, I'm definitely going to be doing some baking, and these Valentines DayCupcakes with cool Royal Icing Accents are on my list,

As well as these adorable (and a little risque) bra and panties cookies!

Happy Crafting!!

~A

What I'll be loving for the next 34 Wednesdays...

As always, I'm linking up to Jamie...

I'm loving:

Valentines Day crafts, cookies, cupcakes and all the prettiness of hearts and pinks and reds...

New curtains in the living room and bedroom!

Comfy jeans and warm sweaters on cold winter days...

My first week of my LAST Essence dinner service!! (If you're in Kingston, come check us out and have dinner here)

My amazing little man who loves me so much he doesn't want me to leave him at daycare in hte morning...

My wonderful husband who surprises me constantly...

Oh, and most of all....

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Just thought you'd like to know...

I'm loving this new little bean, who makes me want to eat ginger ale and crackers for breakfast, and sleep ALL day...

There will be lots more for me to love soon! (And lots more OF me to love)

What are you loving this week?

~A

Guess How Much I Love You

Today I want to remember that (despite all the struggles of having a toddler who loves to destroy/play with everything in the house) I love my son more than I could ever describe.

1. I love snuggling with him in the middle of the night when the only one who can comfort him is me.

2. I love listening to him laugh when he gets tickled, or when he "fawts" (farts), or sometimes he laughs for no reason at all...

3. I love being led around our home, whether to read with him, or play, or just to come see what he's done.

4. I love his new phrases, like " 'top, hammuh time."(stop, hammer time) and "oh dee-uh"(oh dear)

I love his new words, like "teg-uh-saw-us" (stegosaurus) and "ah-wien"(alien)

I love his names for his aunt (Emi-yo), and his uncles (Jo-wah, Wy-an, Timmy, and Jemmy), and I can't forget his "uncle Daddy"

5. I love when he 'sings along' to songs on the radio, or joins us in singing at bedtime with "deedah deedah" for Jesus Loves Me, or "wooold" for He's Got the Whole World in His Hands

6. I love watching as he makes up games for his new toys, or he colours pictures, or he dances around the room to any music that plays.

7. I love hearing the manners we've tried so hard to teach him, like saying "bless you" to himself when he sneezes, or saying "thank you" when someone holds a door for him. I especially love when he says "thank you Mommy" when I put dinner in front of him.

8. I love reading any book with him, even if he only wants to see pictures... or hold it upside down...because for those moments, he wants to sit on my lap, and he'll only be this small for a little while

9. I love the way his bum sticks up in the air when he sleeps and he still sleeps while he sucks his thumb.

10. I love that his name for me is "mama." and even when he says "Nooooo mama" I can't be mad because I love that he knows I'm his.

I might have the same condition a friend of mine mentioned a few weeks ago. Sometimes when I look at my monkey my heart starts to hurt really bad, my eyes start to water, and I can't breathe well or talk much...

oh, little man... I love you to the moon. and back.

~A

(Linked to Top Ten Tuesday at ohamanda)

Pray Without Ceasing

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances;

for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Today was a day when I took that passage literally.

From going to bed last night until tonight, B and I have been praying for a wonderful friend of ours.

I'm not going to go into details, but I do want to say that we have an amazing God who knows all things and has control of all things. Earlier today I turned on the car radio, and the local Christian radio host was commenting on how God answers our prayers in ways that we don't always expect.

I know that our God is not here to complete my life checklist, or fulfill my wishes like a genie. I know that in my head, and I'm learning in my heart what it means to have the answer "No" or "Wait. This is not yet time." I also know that today, when our praying was focused on a family court custody battle, the last thing I wanted was for God to give one of those answers. I wanted a yes, and I wanted it now! I wanted God's will to be done, but only if His will included my friend winning her case. I was putting God in a box. Thinking that because I see my request as a good thing, it must mean that God was going to make it happen. But there was no lightning on command, no "instant message" in response to my prayers. And I don't take that as a bad thing. I take that to mean that God is in control, and whatever His will is, will happen IN HIS TIME. So I'm learning. I'm not very good at the waiting thing, but I'm watching my friend, and if she can trust in a time like this, I'm going to trust God too.

The peace that I have seen in my friend throughout this crazy stressful week shows me her faith in God. It shows me the power that an army of prayer warriors can have. And tonight we celebrated with ice cream. Not because of a verdict (which will come in a few weeks) but because the Lord has been her strength in good times and in bad. She knows this, and I'm learning it anew because of the faith she shows in every breath of every day.

My dear friend. You are an amazing mother to four kids whom I've been blessed to grow to love. I know that you have left a legacy of love in these children that will bless them for decades. I thank God for you and for allowing me to serve you these past few months. Because of you I will never be the same. Thank you.

~A

The Sweetest Thing

I was just about to head to bed, and as I was turning of the lights, I heard one of the best noises...

C was laughing. in his sleep.

There is no better sound in my mind than the laughter of my little man...

So goodnight, and sweet dreams! I know mine will be.

~A

LOVE Week (Part 2)

I guess our "week" was a bit longer than 7 days, because we continued to celebrate into Saturday, Sunday, and even into Monday... what can I say? I LOVE celebrating with the man ILOVE...

I'll pick up where we left off...

THURSDAY we celebrated the receipt of our anniversary present from my wonderful mother! We LOVE board games and as soon as we got Ticket to Ride home, we broke it open and played 3 times... for dinner we had TV dinners so that we didn't have to do any dishes. LOVE easy suppers and simple nights in!!

FRIDAY we had some wonderful open conversations and really shared what was on our hearts. We also got to walk around the mall and see the pet store. LOVE honesty and cute animals!!

SATURDAY we went treasure hunting at garage sales...and we found some really great treasures!! LOVE other people's junk that becomes treasures!

SUNDAY was the end of our child-free week, and I don't know if we could have taken another day...even after working all night I couldn't sleep because I was counting the hours to baby C coming home...so I LOVE Hubs for cleaning the house, and for letting me "sleep" when really I was awake and waiting...

MONDAY is my official end to LOVE week... because even though it's been more than a week, we make the choice to LOVE every day. Tokens of affection, and little adventures together are wonderful, and today my favourite man brought me some beautiful flowers, but I don't LOVEhim only because he does these things, I LOVE him for who he is and for his heart which he has given me totally and completely...So, my LOVE....for all these things and millions more, I choose you everyday, I thank you for three years of YES, and I LOVE you more and more and more....

LOVE Week (Part 1)

So three years of marriage have gone by already, and I still feel like I'm back there in that moment saying "Yes" every day...

This year, celebrating marriage-day on the actual date that Hubs and I were married was not really possible...We tried to make dinner reservations... then delayed them... and then ended up cancelling them...AND I was sick with a stomach virus... I did end up getting a KILLER summer dress at an unexpected shopping trip that only came about because dinner plans were cancelled, but that's not the point.



The point is the lack of celebrating the big day...SOOO we decided to make it more of a week long celebration, and since this is the week that C has a vacation at Grandma and "Grumpa's" place...(he named himself that...)...This is LOVE week!!!



SATURDAY we started with the celebration of LOVE for two wonderful people. My heart felt like it was trying to explode with happiness for the two of them. I couldn't stop smiling... LOVE weddings!!!



SUNDAY we celebrated LOVE in the anniversary of my aunt and uncle, and also LOVE for my best cousin who is now across the ocean teaching for the third year...LOVE anniversaries and amazing jobs (and family!!!)



MONDAY we celebrated our LOVE for the amazing world God has given us by taking an extra long drive home from Gram's and Grump's place (after raiding their garden of course). Oh, and we celebrated quirky little diners in tiny little towns, and finding cute antique shops in the middle of nowhere!! LOVE great food, great laughs, and great inspiration!!!



TUESDAY we celebrated our LOVE of movies and junk food by doing a snack run to Bulk Barn and then taking in a double feature at the drive-in!! LOVE laughter, sugar, and the drive-in!!!



WEDNESDAY we celebrated LOVING others by helping a friend out. We got to spend a nice evening talking about everything and anything, and just being honest and open. And then instead of buying presents for each other, we were able to buy a gift for this friend that will help her and her kids be able to listen to the amazing Christian broadcasting we have in this area. We absolutely LOVE UCB Canada and K-Love, and being Christ's hands and feet!!



And that's my first half of LOVE week! I'm not sure if we have plans for the rest of the week, but there are many things that I LOVE, and I'm hoping that if I look close enough, I can celebrate those things every day.



What kind of things did you do this week that you LOVE?



A



ps...I already miss C... I LOVE both of my wonderful men...