A Time to Celebrate...

 Well here we are again

saying good-bye to another year

as I sit here looking back

I cannot say it was a bad year

I think I have grown

opened my mind

learned some things

celebrated good times

and shared in some sorrow

tonight we are hosting

a small gathering with friends

we are having Italian night

so we will share some food

have some drinks

play some games

and share some laughs

wishing you all

xo

Traditions

The holiday season is all about traditions

whether it is pulling out the family recipes

cutting down your own tree

having the same thing for supper on Christmas eve

attending the candlelight service

they all hold a special place in my heart

there is another tradition

that I have carried on since 2004

and that is 

a Secret Pal gift exchange

with a group on on line ladies

I met before the days of blogging

I have spoken of these ladies here before

some have blogs

some don't

we met on the Martha Stewart Wedding site

as we were all in some stages of wedding planning

at the time

some of the girls have been fortunate enough to meet

and I met 3 of the girls last year

which I spoke about here

every year we do a special post about

"who is in" this year

then one of us takes the names

makes the draw

and then emails everyone separately

to let them know who they are buying for

the anticipation of waiting for the package

is exciting

and hearing of the other ladies reveals

is a welcome smile during this busy season

this year my Secret Pal package

came from Pittsburgh, PA

Santa ~ aka Canada Post

arrived at the door Christmas Eve day

everything was wrapped and labeled

and I had a blast sitting by the tree

with my trusty sidekick

opening each and every gift

I loved each and every item that Stacy

picked out for me

 she included an ornament for my tree

and a special treat for Miss Molly

sitting pretty for one of her new treats!

You can see why I cherish this group of ladies

not just for the gifts

but for the support we give one another

in good times and in bad

I hope and pray that one day

we will be able to all get together

meet in person

I can see us all sitting around

drinking wine

talking, talking and talking

someday girlies ~ someday...

Something About Christmastime...

What a wonderful week-end we had

rightly filled with family 

food

and festive sights and sounds

I had Christmas Eve day off this year

so it was nice to do things at my own pace

instead of a mad dash

Santa came early when the postman delivered a gift

from afar (more on this later)

and then I received something else

in a card which touched my heart

and brought tears to my eyes

this necklace from this sweet lady

thank you, thank you!

she said that when she saw it she thought of me

isn't that just the sweetest thing!

so then after church we came back here

and had some drinks and nibblies

Cooper was social this year

and came around to check everything 

and everybody out

 the 2 Mom's in my life

my Mother in law Barb and of course my Mom

I love it how they get along so well

my best girl

and updated pic of me with my new "do"

after everyone left

I relaxed on the couch

and appreciated the tree 

and some Christmas music

 Christmas Day was incredible

along with being blessed

I was totally spoiled

Miss Molly playing with her new toy

and a cat in a box

after we finished opening our gifts

we got ready and headed to Mom's

the Stiles crew eating dinner

with our hats on

a family tradition

after dinner we opened our gifts

and spent some quality time together

Gord with his girls

Katrina & Samantha

 today I finally hung my new wreath

that I made

better late than never!

this is what the weather was like

as we headed to Trev's parents in the afternoon

they are calling for 30 - 60 cm to fall tonight

into Monday and maybe Tuesday

that's OK as I will be just as happy to stay in tomorrow

in my jammies

and watch some movies

and eat salad ~ or maybe pizza!

Hope you all had the best week-end ever

I will be around to visit

keep your fingers crossed that we do not lose our power!

xo

Believe

the time has come

to hang the stockings

and surround yourself with comfort and joy

I am pleased to announce

we finally have some snow!!

it will surely be a busy time for everyone
but I wanted to thank everyone
for this past year

for being a friend when I needed it
for prayers and praise
this truly is a wonderful place to be

Merry Christmas to all.

xo

Notre-Dame Basilica ~ Montreal

I have to say that my favorite part of our trip

was our visit here

it was breathtaking

as you can see

I went a little crazy taking pictures

I felt so at peace there

and overwhelmed

you can see why I went a little nuts

the pipe organ was gorgeous
I can only imagine attending a service here

they actually have tickets for the
Christmas Eve services ~ 3 of them and they have
a full house at each one

Celine Dion was married here along with
Mario Lemieux for you hockey fans!

Pope John Paul II celebrated a Mass for children
here in 1984.

In the back there is a smaller chapel
Sacre Coeur (Sacred Heart)
known as the wedding chapel

they were getting ready for Mass

so I ran in and got a couple of shots

even the hallway between the two had gorgeous 

stained glass windows

I think it was the best time of the year for me to visit

this wonderful church

it made me stop and think

and remember the reason for the season

this week has been rather low key

busy busy at work

but I have been trying to relax in the evenings

we are in the middle of a Nor'easter right now

and receiving lots of rain

and high winds

lights are out all over the city

thankfully they are still on here at home

it looks like my wish for a white Christmas

may very well come 

as they are calling for snow the next

5 days! 

Hope you are having a wonderful week.

xo