Father's Day

Allright, I know this is really late but I'm finally getting around to posting what we did to celebrate Father's Day.

I came up with four gifts, three of them cute and handmade and one of them just awesome.

The candy jar is pretty self-explanatory, I bought a jar and filled it with Brad's favourite candy (Peanut M&M's) and then added some black vinyl that I cut with my Silhouette that says, "We're Nuts about Daddy".  He took the jar to work and now he has yummy treats to snack on and offer to clients.

The card is also pretty simple and it's all over Pinterest.  I traced Catie's hand and cut out two copies.  In between them I made an accordion of paper and then using some alphabet stickers I wrote "I Love You" on the hand and on the accordion it says "this much!".  We put it in an envelope and I had Catie colour it.

The third gift is my favourite though.

I found a cute idea with a printable on Pinterest from this site.  She made this into a book that her kids filled in with reasons why Daddy is awesome but Catie is too little for that part.  Instead I turned her printable into a pin.

I folder some paper accordion style and glued it into a circle, added some ribbon and a few other embellishments and then I glued the printable on top.  I added a pin to the back and it was done.

Brad wore his pin to church and then again later to a family gathering.  I loved this one so much that I'm pretty sure we'll be making him a new pin next year.

The fourth gift I didn't take a picture of because it's not crafty, I'll just tell you about it.
Brad goes in to work early and is super considerate and doesn't turn on any lights while getting dressed, he uses his cell phone as a light to find which tie to wear.  I've known for months I was going to get a tap light for the closet and found a far cooler option when I went to the store.  I bought a light that attaches to the wall by a magnet (the track for our closet door happens to be magnetic so the light fits on the wall without any hardware).  The light turns itself on via a sensor and stays on just long enough for him to find a tie and close the doors, it's awesome.

To wrap up our day we celebrated with family and ate cupcakes and tried to extra appreciate Brad all day.

Family Photos

We took the opportunity yesterday to take some quick family photos, nothing fancy, just something to document the day. Catie looked so cute in her white dress.

It's about time someone got to wear this dress. When my older sister was pregant with her first baby Mom immediatly started making a cute blessing outfit for a girl or a boy. She had a boy so the dress didn't get used. Well that boy is now eight and since Catie is the first grandaughter she's the first to get to use the cute dress made by her Grandma Cathy.

Glad Grandma finally got her girl.

L

Blessing Day

Years and year ago, at least 12, my Grandma O'Reilly made me the cutest little sweater and hat for a baby I would have some day in the future.

I always figured that on blessing day I would pull them out and she would wear them to the church. My Grandma passed away a long time ago so it meant a lot for me to have this cute sweater set. Yesterday being the special day I pulled out the sweater and put them on Catie and she looked like the most adorable goofy girl!

I loved having that little memory of my Grandma, take a look and see what you think.
L

07/08/09 - A Birthday Recap

So I can admit I had a slight meltdown on Tuesday. The birthday things was freaking me out, I just kind of wanted to skip the whole day so I had this really bad attitude.

Brad is amazing though and managed to turn the whole day into just what I wanted even if I didn't know I wanted it. He started things off first thing in the morning. These days we've taken to watching Breakfast Television while we eat our breakfast and when the birthday's came on he turned it up real loud, he'd actually called them to put my birthday on tv, so cute! (I had joked about him doing this the day before so I loved that he followed though, sadly there was a miscommunication and I didn't actually make it on tv. They said they could get it on this morning instead though so we watched anxiously, and still there was nothing. There were only two other birthday's up there today so I think my chances of winning that Marble Slab cake were high but sadly it fell through again. It's certainly the thought that counts though and I loved that he tried.)

As mentioned in yesterday's entry I picked up some cupcakes, a pack of 12 assorted mini cupcakes that Brad and I have been sharing between us. So yummy, I highly recommend the caramel.

Later that evening we went for dinner at La Dolce Vita and had the most incredible meal! The bruschetta was to die for and my pasta brought out yummy noises on every bite. We had great service and a great view. It definitely deserved a cheer at the end and we'll definitely go back.

And, saving the best for last… for about a week now Brad has occasionally mentioned how excited he is about my birthday present, saying that other than the cupcake courier it's the best he's ever given me. I tried to think of what it could be but couldn't even come up with a guess so I was pretty curious when he handed over an envelope.

First a little background… I have this thing for big cats. I'm fascinated by them and could watch nature programs about lions all day (that YouTube video about Christian the Lion nearly made me cry and just about convinced me that a lion would make a great pet after all). I often ask Brad if he'll buy me a lion and strangely he always says no. When I saw a photo of my Brother and Sister-in-law holding a baby tiger I was insanely jealous.

How surprising that Brad managed to buy me Lions for my Birthday! On August 5th Brad and I have a date to go behind the scenes with the Lions at the Calgary Zoo! I'm so excited! We get to talk about the lions and then we follow the zookeepers behind the scenes with the lions! The groups are all less than 20 people so it will be small and intimate. I'm not actually expecting to be able to hold a Lion but you bet I'll be looking for an opportunity to sneak one into our car as my new pet, hope Brad isn't allergic.
L

Birthday Wishes for Me

I'm 28 today and I'm not really happy about it (I don't think this bodes well for when I turn 30).

I'm surprised it took me this long to think of it but what better way for me to enjoy a birthday than with a yummy cupcake. There's pretty much nothing that could stop me from heading down to Bliss & Co. at lunch and eating a super yummy cupcake (maybe two)
L

Calzones

The Wiebe's have a tradition, for birthday's we all get together and have dinner. Sometimes we have lasagna, or burgers. Or we've had beef on a bun or hoagie sandwiches but by far our most successful and crowd pleasing dinner was on Sunday afternoon.

Lisa had the brilliant idea to have us all make our own individual Calzones. My Mother-in-law and I made a ton of pizza dough and then I rolled it out into 10" round circles. Everyone brought their favorite topping and there was lots of cheese.

Everything was lined up on the counter and the assembly began. It wasn't the quickest meal as you had to wait for them to cook and there's enough of us that they definitely don't all fit in the oven at once but I think everyone was thrilled with their pizza and was completely satisfied. Hopefully we'll repeat this awesome meal.

There was one downside to the meal… my pizza dough was the last batch of dough my bread machine will ever make. It's been making not great noises when I use it lately and this last time was definitely worse. When I picked up the dough to see what was going on 3 pieces of the motor came with it, it's definitely dead. I suppose this is the encouragement I needed to start using my Kitchenaid.
L

Celebrate

It's my favorite day of the year… it's Middle Name Pride Day!

The baby exhaustion means that there will be no celebration to mark the occasion, you'll have to celebrate in your own homes tonight.

Enjoy the day!
L

Celebration

I always find this type of conversation / blog post awkward but I wanted some people to celebrate with me so here goes anyway.

In the last month and a half I've lost 8 pounds! What's my secret you ask? Well the worst cold of my life didn't hurt but mostly I've just started eating lots of small, healthy snacks and I've probably cut my meals in half, portion wise. I've always known that portion control would be key for me but I've actually followed through on it this time.
me!
L

Nearly a Week Late

Brad and I headed down to the big Magrath Celebrations last weekend and I was excited to show him what I grew up with. It's always a big event and lots of people come back to town for it so there are familiar faces around.

The day starts with a parade at 11:00 (best start time ever) and then there's beef on a bun for dinner. We skipped it as we were still on South Beach. There's also a program in the park and then in the evening there are fireworks. They close the weekend with a massive bonfire and an outdoor dance that is largely attended by high school students.

I think Brad was most impressed with the fireworks. You sit at one end of the football field and they set them off at the other so you're super close. As a result each firework is huge and louder than you've ever heard before. It makes for a unique experience.

Click on the slideshow for pictures and more info about the weekend.

L

Afterglow

I am in a seriously great mood. I even initiated a conversation with Betty (my really awkward co-worker) that turned out to be very normal. The cause of this mood? Well today's my birthday so to celebrate last night all of my Calgary friends and family got together for a game of softball.

Brad and I put a lot of work into this event, we scoped out baseball diamonds and debated about treats and we even officially booked the diamond. It was the perfect plan until the torrential downpour started yesterday at 4:00! The clouds were dark all day but started getting worse and worse and darker and darker so by the time it started to rain it looked like twilight. The rain came down in these heavy drops and sheets of rain blew all over... it took mere minutes for large puddles to form. It may sound a little silly but I was fairly devastated; I'd really got my heart set on softball.

We quickly made sure plan B was in place, games, treats and cake and then could only wait until it got closer to game time. We headed up to the field early to see how bad the damage was and couldn't have been more surprised! The outfield was sort of damp, not even squishy, it was game on for sure!

It really couldn't have been better. We had enough people for two teams and played a great game, my team even came out victorious! My birthday present this year was a new baseball bat and a pair of cleats and both were great purchases. We ate cake and lots of treats and were eaten alive by mosquitoes, no matter how well we coated in repellant.

Thanks to all who came, it was quite possibly my best birthday yet.
I have a few photos but they'll have to wait until a bit later.
L

Green and Pinchless

I actually had someone ask me if they could pinch me because I wasn't wearing green.

Flashback to junior high. Remember the days you forgot, when you had to try to come up with something to avoid the terrible pinching? I would inevitably come up with some tiny speck of green to save me the pain.

Happy St. Patrick's Day
I wish you a pinchless afternoon.
L

I'm disappointed...

I present you with this wonderful holiday, a holiday that's a joy to celebrate and I get such a tepid response. But it's Middle Name Pride Day... the third annual Middle Name Pride Day! Does that mean nothing to you? You've been invited to become part of my tradition, I want to share it with you. You mock me with you're lack of a response...

There's still time, it's not too late... you still have almost a week.
Let's come together and spread the joy and love of the season :)
L

Bad Day

The morning started out all right, we slept in a little at my parents house and woke up rested and relaxed. We had an enjoyable breakfast, then we noticed the time and realized that we were now running a little late. So we sped off to Cardston to Jane and Ken's wedding, speeding a little. We would have made it too but the police officer took ages giving us our speeding ticket, so we missed our session and ended up having to kill two hours in Cardston before the wedding. Not an easy task.

We figured we'd just go to the 1:30 session instead only it turns out there is no 1:30 session so we'd have to wait until 3:30. The session didn't happen, we came home instead, we'll go back some other time.

On the bright side, Jane and Ken's wedding was so nice, such a wonderful ceremony and they looked so happy. Here are a couple pictures to commemorate the vent.

Congratulations Jane and Ken! We're so happy for you.
L

Jane-Almus Day - An Anniversary

Sadly, no celebration was planned this year but I wanted to make sure that the day was recognized, if only by a blog post. I hope you eat Lasagna and think of last year.

Funny how much things change in a year isn’t it?

Thoughts from the weekend
Crying over salad... seriously? How old are you?
I’m so glad that’s done!
The carrots were cooked!
L

Happy Anniversary

Today is the 2 year anniversary of the blog. Funny that a little thing I started when I was bored at work one day has turned into a 2 year hobby.

Does it feel good like the memory
When you try some history
It's a dream to come around
But who doesn't then,
Because the taste doesn't taste the same again

Here’s to another 2 years of blogging.
Glad you’re here
L

Humour in a Box

Getting married changes things. Small things that you don't think about until a specific situation arises. Take for example, New Years Eve.

As a young single adult you can generally expect to go to some IRC dance or some big party thrown by friends of friends, the options are there for you. You'll stay out ridiculously late and if you're me a trip to Denny's will probably be in there somewhere, either early in the morning before bed or very late in the morning after you've woken.

New Years as a married couple is completely different. Now you're not really interested in the IRC stuff and your friends that throw parties want to be in bed before midnight. I was starting to be concerned that we'd end up sitting at home celebrating just the two of us when my sister-in-law Lisa invited us to her house. There were five couples in total and we had a great time. There was ridiculous amounts of food and lots of catching up with each other (I hadn't seen Mark and Kim for a long time).

Eventually we settled onto the couches and played a great game of Things...

Quick run down, A card is drawn that says something like, "Things you shouldn't do at a funeral". Everyone writes down their answer, they get gathered and read and you have to guess who said what. Once you've been guessed you're out for the round. I've played that game a bunch but we've never kept score and it turns out it makes it even better. The big surprise came at the end of the game when we tallied up and... I won! I'm fairly obsessed with the fact that I won.

Anyway, the night included, as any good New Year's party should, a countdown with sparklers followed by really off key singing of Auld Lang Syne. The Guitar Hero was a nice addition too.

I hope everyone had a great New Year's and 2008 has started out on a good note.

Stay tuned for the long awaited, 1st annual, year in review, Highlights of 2007!
L

Picture a Christmas

Picture a Stable in Judeah.
Picture a sacred, silent night.
And can you hear the Angels near, and see the star so bright.
Picture the little baby Jesus.
Think of his life and words so dear.
Sing Praise to Him; Remember Him,
as you picture Christmas this year.

Picture the kind and gentle Joseph.
Picture the mother, Mary, fair.
And can you see, so reverently The shepherds kneeling there.
Picture the little baby Jesus.
Think of his life and words so dear.
Sing Praise to Him; Remember Him,
as you picture Christmas this year.

Picture a Stable at 6th Ward’s Christmas party, Wait John, don’t knock it over.
See the adorable Sunbeam sheep and watch them pull off their cotton balls.
Jesus doesn’t like his eyes being poked and there goes the manger.
Yet somehow it was perfect, just as it should have been. :)
L

Getting to Know You, Christmas Style

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags. I think gift bags are a cop out, they're no fun to open. Everyone loves to tear paper. I have this problem though, I have a lifetime supply of gift bags from the wedding... everyone gets wedding themed bags this year and every year until I run out :)
   
   
2. Real tree or artificial. I have a little artificial one. I've never had the space for a big one and I've actually never had a real one, I've seen that video of the real one going up in flames though, they're dangerous!
   
   
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually on December 1st but we've been so busy this year it has yet to go up. We're working on it, maybe tonight (but realistically probably not)
   
   
4. When do you take the tree down? When I get around to it, usually far later than it should be up.
   
   
5. Do you like eggnog? Ew, yuck, definitly not!
   
   
6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't know if this counts cause I think I was 21 but my parents gave me a Kitchen Aid mixer, best gift ever. We have a tradition that gifts from Santa aren't wrapped so I could see it sitting there but I knew Mom had gotten one for Dad so I didn't ever look at it. They had to point out that it had my name on it and I wouldn't believe them for a minute or two. I really love that mixer. My parents have always been really good at giving me this great gift that's exactly what I want but I didn't ever expect to get.
   
   
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes. It's tiny and cheap and from the dollar store and I'm hoping Santa will bring me a new one some year.
   
   
8. Hardest person to buy for? My Dad. He has no hobbies and doesn't like to read and has everything he needs... the result is he gets one of three presents, a tie, pajama pants or cologne. What will it be this year? Wait and see.
   
   
9. Easiest person to buy for? My Mom. I can buy her clothes or yummy lotion or something cute for her house or some Christmas music, the list goes on and on, she's usually the first person I buy for.
   
   
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Probably the Ugly Claus series. My brother and I used to give each other tacky gifts. The person who got the tackiest one had to display it. I always lost though and the tradition died the year he gave me something so ugly I never took it home but hid it under the guest bed instead. Some traditions are meant to end though I'll always treasure the memory of the cheap, pink, plastic flamingo light.
    
    
11. Mail or email Christmas cards? I've actually never sent out Christmas cards before. I really want to and last I decided this was the year to do it but then I felt guilty sending out Christmas cards before all the Thank you cards from my wedding went out so maybe next year.
    
    
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I really like White Christmas and a Christmas Story though there's no way Brad will watch that one with me. I talked him into it last year cause he'd never seen it and he was a little horrified at the stupidity of it, he just didn't get it, it's a classic!
    
    
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I'm always sad I'm not one of those super prepared people who has it done by October. I don't know when I start but lets just say I'm still not done. Getting close though.
    
    
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember. This year I'm giving my sister a blender we got for our wedding but I'm not sure that really counts. I asked her if she wants it and we got her a different gift. I did wrap the blender but only because it'd be fun to have more presents under the tree. It certainly won't be a surprise.
    
    
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pecan Pie. Lots and lots of pie. I love all the vegetables though too. I used to love the stuffing but 2 Thanksgivings ago we had this huge Thanksgiving dinner and later that night I was sick like I haven't been sick in years. Sutffing is a little ruined for me but I'm hoping not forever, one day I'll love it again.
    
    
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Definietly clear, I'm not a fan of the coloured ones, especially if they blink.
    
    
17. Favorite Christmas song? I really love O Come All Ye Faithful and O Holy Night, but as per my previous posts regarding Christmas Music it's pretty hard to choose a favorite out of 349 songs. I like them all. I also really like Christmas in Killarny because we listed to it a lot while I was growing up.
    
    
18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Since I've been single and living away from home Christmas always includes travel. Normally I drive to Magrath but one year I flew to London and this year we're driving to Spanish Fork, Utah to my sister's house. Should be fun. I do look forward to the time I have a family of my own that's established enough to stay home cause that sounds nice to me.
    
    
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Let's see... On Comet on Cupid on Donnor and Blitzen. Now... I don't remember how it goes after that but there's Vixen and Dasher and Dancer and of course Rudolph but that's about all I've got. That's not bad, I missed Prancer, I can deal with 8 out of 9.
    
    
20. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Defintely Christmas Day.
    
    
21. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I"m having a difficult time this year with how busy our schedule is. It's all good things but there's just too many of them, we're having to miss out on stuff we want to do because we just can't fit it in.
    
    
22. What I love most about Christmas? I love Christmas Carols. There's such a feeling about them, they make you peaceful and happy and ready to be super nice to everyone.
    

So there you have it, Getting to Know You, Christmas Style. Feel free to add your own answer in the comments :)
L

Remember Remember

Remember remember the fifth of November
Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...

Happy Guy Fawks Day everyone!

Unfotunately our celebration must be put on hold, who knew you needed a permit to set off fireworks?
L

At Least my Pride is Well Earned

I can now truthfully say – I make prize winning Chili!

I was the winner in the category of “Veggie” at our Ward Chili cook-off though there may have been a little confusion on the part of the judges, there was most definitely meat in my Chili and the only veggies were carrots and green peppers. I think it was the carrots that won them over. I’m not one to question the prize, I’m just savoring the victory.
L