Just Peachy

 It's beginning to look a lot like spring, with flowers coming home every week -- the perks of knowing the florist at our local greenhouse I guess ;)

This is the first Saturday morning that I am feeling genuinely refreshed! Such a relief from being literally a walking zombie in the mornings. I was sick last week which sucked. The week before I went to a work thing in the city and had to get up at 7, let alone having a horrible sleep in the hotel beds -- as you do. 

It's beginning to look like spring outside as well. The sun has been warm enough to start melting the piles of snow that have buried us all winter long. Our creek broke on the first day of spring too which was kind of fitting! Usually we are mocking the "first day of spring" because it's always cold and snowing.

It's actually kind of cold right now but it has been above zero for the last week or more -- that darn wind!

The last couple of weeks I have been really thinking about my future and what I want to do and ultimately what is holding me back. And I'm excited and scared about what all of it means, and I am so grateful for this year that has given me a chance to pause and transition into the person that I need to make that first leap.

And I was reading last nite Ephesians 3:14-21, but specifically I read verse 16 over and over, "I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen [me] with power through his Spirit in [my] inner being..." and I do. I pray that I may be strengthened to face whatever is ahead, for whatever is my future, for whatever I dream.

It goes on to say in verse 20 and 21, "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."

He is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine...

Everything that I dream for my life is too small for what he has planned for it, because I cannot even imagine what he has planned. When we think big -- he thinks even BIGGER.

And I pray that he may strengthen me to be able to live all of it out -- and I am so excited!

And I am so scared.

A new position…and Spring Break!

Guinness Chocolate Cake

Peanut Butter Bars

White Chocolate Almond Biscotti

A couple of weeks ago I got a job as a baker in one of our local café's! It's been a lot of fun! I've been meaning to post some of the pictures I took for their Facebook page on here as well, but have been caught up with all of the busyness prior to spring break. We have 10 days off and it's going to be a welcome break from the semester! 

The senior high travel at my school is going to do a tour of the Canadian Battlefields in Europe during the break and it has gotten me excited for my own trip to Europe this summer (if all goes well)!! 

Christian has made his way up from the city for Easter and we've been enjoying the warm weather outside (it's a muddy/slushy/wet mess out there but it's definitely better then more snow and thirty below!) Amy, my cousin's wife, has come west from Ontario to spend a couple months here before her baby is born! She is originally from England so her accent and warm personality is refreshing and we are so looking forward to having a baby around -- it's been a long time!

I have spent the afternoon making Hasty Tasty Hot Cross Buns and I am looking forward to spending the day tomorrow at my Auntie's house for Easter dinner with all of the family!

In the meantime enjoy the season and the warm weather it brings, but most of all I hope you enjoy a happy Easter with friends and family celebrating the life of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice he made for us!

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..."

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 ;)

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!