Friday, December 31, 2010

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


Wednesday, December 29, 2010

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...


Sunday, December 26, 2010

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

Thursday, December 23, 2010

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

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

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