Colors

Earlier this week we were able to watch Brie's dance class.

There is only one week for the entire year where parents get to watch and see what takes place during the class.

It's a lot of fun to watch!

All of those girls in their pinkness, twirling around like fairies.

They are dreaming, imagining, hoping.

They are absolutely beautiful!

Last year Brie's bodysuit and skirt were black but she informed me this year that she really wanted pink like all of the other girls.

Which is strange, because although I do have a girly girl, her favorite color is not the usual

It's not pink or purple.

No, her favorite color is red.

Anyone that knows her even a little bit, will likely have been informed of this at some point in their conversations with her. If she is ever given a choice of color for absolutely anything, she will ALWAYS choose red. Red candy, red paint, red shoes, red clothes...

Because red is Brianna's favorite color.

No one else's.

Just Brie's.

For a very long time she has held this idea that only one person can pick a color to be their favorite. Once it is spoken for, that color is no longer available to anyone else.

And you are not allowed to change your favorite colors.

End of story.

So apparently my favorite was, is, and always will be blue.

John's is green, according to Brie.

Ella's is yellow. Forever and ever.

I think she may be slightly opinionated.

Have you ever tried to find red clothes for girls? It's harder than you would think!

We are soon going to "retire" the good ol' red pants that Brie has worn for probably 2 years now. They are way too short so she is only allowed to wear them at home. But she chooses those pants as soon as they are clean to wear again. They are truly the favorite garment in her wardrobe. She will wear them with any shirt, which isn't always a good match, but I try to let it go most times since it isn't hurting anyone. (Well sometimes it hurts my eyes)

Red pants with blue shirt:

Red pants with a different shade of red bunnyhug: (yes I DO call it a bunnyhug because I am from Saskatchewan!!)

Red pants with fuchsia shirt (deep sigh for this one):

Fortunately I have found a couple red things to replace it with. No red pants, but she has a red shirt and a red fleece vest.

With Christmas and birthdays coming up shortly, I keep hearing from family how difficult it is to find girly red clothes.

Yeah, tell me about it!

Good thing for Ebay.

...And just try to make red icing.

Go on!

I dare ya! Open up that bottle of "red" food coloring.

It can't be done.

The icing will ALWAYS be pink. White + Red = Pink. Every time pink.

I am so very thankful that I found a tube of red icing last year. Because of course, the ballerina needed to be red.



Not pink. Red.

Always red.

Brianna is 5!

The day that my beautiful firstborn woke up to celebrate her 5th birthday was a special day indeed.

Immediately after waking, Brianna asked me to measure her. This isn't something that we have made a practice of, although I think it is fairly common to measure your child at least once a year, we have never done this on a regular basis, especially not on the day of someone's birthday.

So I was a little surprised that she would even think to ask.

Later on that day, she was playing with John and he was about to pick her up when Brie announced that she would now be too big for him to pick her up anymore.

Yes, overnight my girl has grown.

Apparently in her mind, the growth is quite significant. She is now 5. The age of kindergarteners, the age of independance, the age of increased wisdom, the age of "big kids".

The next Monday morning, she was also convinced that she would no longer be attending Pre-K, she would instead be joining the kindergarten class. Ah, my dear child! She only has to wait another 9 months to begin that new journey.

Brie has been so very excited about this new age she has entered. Everything begins with "Now that I am 5..." It's very neat to get to experience, although it does come with increased attitudes and eye-rolling, I enjoy seeing her so excited about something.

The girls had a wonderful time together. They decorated foam tiaras with stick-on jewels, they played musical chairs, they played with toys and puzzles and of course they ate cake and opened presents. It was a great first experience for both of us.

Here's the girls playing musical chairs: Checking out her new magnetic book "Make A Face Hangman". Since she spells so well, we thought that this might be a fun way to pass the time in the van, or wherever! Excited about a Barbie Wii game!We had to laugh at the number of RED garments she got for both Christmas and Birthday this year! 4 pairs of red pants, 2 red shirts, 1 red dress. She is absolutely thrilled that she can wear her favorite color every day now!
Even the Polly Pocket and her Webkinz can be dressed in red.

Now to finish that darn quilt I've been working on, or not working on, lately. Let's just hope that she doesn't ever change her favorite color!!

Looking For Advice

I need some help!

I am trying to plan out a painting scheme for the girls' room in our new place.  Of course I am trying to accommodate each of them with their favorite colors.

It's going to be difficult however.

Ella wants pink.

Brie wants red.

I've been browsing online for some ideas (as a way to avoid school and house related work!) and have found a few ideas.  Keep in mind that we will have a bunkbed in their room, rather than two individual beds.  However their beds, dressers and bookshelves are all white.  As are the window trim and doors in the room.

What do you think looks nicer for a girls room?



Light pink on the top 2/3 of the room, with coordinating red on the bottom?

Chair rail or no chair rail?

OR.....








































Light pink on all walls with 1 or 2 walls striped with coordinating red?

Do you have any other ideas?

Green: A Review

Green
Book Zero: The Beginning and the End
By Ted Dekker

Reviewer's Guide

Be sure to check out Ted Dekker's Green Website for Downloads, Videos and More!

Book Description

At Last . . . The Circle Reborn

The story of how Thomas Hunter first entered the Black Forest and forever changed our history began at a time when armies were gathered for a final battle in the valley of Migdon. Green is a story of love, betrayal, and sweeping reversals set within the apocalypse. It is the beginning: the truth behind a saga that has captured the imagination of more than a million readers with the Books of History Chronicles.

But even more, Green brings full meaning to the Circle Series as a whole, reading as both prequel to Black and sequel to White, completing a full circle. This is Book Zero, the Circle Reborn, both the beginning and the end. The preferred starting point for new readers . . . and the perfect climax for the countless fans who’ve experienced Black, Red, and White.

My Review:

I have mixed feelings about this book. I was a huge fan of the original Circle series and couldn't read those books fast enough. Then Ted Dekker started referring to the Circle in all of his books, and I sort of lost interest. I'm not a fan of popular authors compromising their initial story (in this case, a trilogy), and later on adding additional books. I've seen it before and the quality tends to decline. But I did want to be fair to Green and give it a try, despite my initial reservations.

The book is described to be either the beginning or the end of the original "Black", "Red" and "White" trilogy. I honestly don't think that newcomers to this series would understand the concept of Green if they tried it first, but it does work well for a new ending to the story for those of us who are already familiar with the characters and plot. It took me a while to get involved in the story, but I did find that as the plot thickened, my interest in the story grew. I enjoyed the ending and its symbolic reference to the Circle. Overall it was a decent read. I don't think it completely changed my mind and won me over, but I did enjoy the book.

Patriotic Pride

Never has our country been so filled with pride!

It is amazing to witness the enthusiasm that has been building in anticipation of the 2010 Olympics.

From the Red Mitts, to the Torch Relay (one of the runners I personally know!), we have been showing each other, and the world that Canada is a wonderful country to be a part of.

I love listening to the wild cheering in Vancouver as one of our own competes in their sport. Seeing all the red in the crowds is just fantastic.

Hearing the news broadcasters talking about this new pride we are taking in our country is awesome.

Watching my girls become inspired in these athletes as they wholeheartedly cheer them on from our couch is absolutely priceless!

GO CANADA GO!

Christmas at Harringtons

Christmas at Harringtons

by:  Melody Carlson

Sometimes the best gift is a second chance

Christmas is approaching, and Lena Markham finds herself penniless, friendless, and nearly hopeless. She is trying to restart her life, but job opportunities are practically nonexistent. When a secondhand red coat unexpectedly lands her a job as Mrs. Santa at a department store, Lena finally thinks her luck is changing. But can she keep her past a secret?

Reading Christmas at Harrington's, a story full of redemption and true holiday spirit, will be your newest Christmas tradition.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for aRomantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon. Visit Melody's website at www.melodycarlson.com.

My Review:  I thought this was a cute heartwarming Christmas story.  Some of the story was predictable, as would be expected from a Christmas story, however there were a few unexpected plot-lines as well.   The main character was very likable, and despite some challenges in her personal life she manages to stay upbeat and positive.  I really appreciated the new tradition created as she became "Mrs Claus".  It was a fun twist on a regular custom.  Overall I enjoyed reading this book.

***Book has been provided courtesy of Baker Publishing Group and Graf-Martin Communications Inc.  Available now at your favorite bookseller from Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group*** 

Completion!!

From this:

To This:

At long last, Brianna's quilt is complete!

There was a lot of blood, sweat and tears poured into this thing.

I looked back at my old blog and I first mentioned it in April 2008. So it has been about 1 1/2 years of work.

Granted, a lot of the time I have neglected it.

I needed to teach my stupid sewing machine a lesson that I will not use it unless it cooperates with me!

Apparently I gave it enough time to realize that I was serious.

When I started it up again a couple of weeks ago, it worked flawlessly.

Amazing!

Brie is completely THRILLED with her new blanket. Goodbye princesses. Hello favorite color red!

Now to go buy some pink fabric to begin work on one for Ella.....

Tomorrow We Leave!!!

I think that we are just about ready for our big trip tomorrow!

This week we have been making lists, adding things to our suitcases and getting the house ready for company.

The girls are anxious to have grandma and grandpa here soon.

I am anxious to not be woken up before 7 am for the next week.

Unfortunately, I'm sure my body will just be used to the routine of waking up super early. Well I don't really want to sleep the day away anyways. Afterall, this is the view I will have:

Yesterday I went to get a much-needed hair cut. While I was there, I also got new highlights and a wonderful pedicure! It was a wonderful way to anticipate my trip (and also make everyone jealous since the weather is back to -40 C again).

I'm not really into the pastel colors so I choose bright red for my toes. I love it!

Obviously I won't be updating this for over a week now. I'll show pictures when I return!

Hot beach and slushy drinks......here I come!

B is for Brianna

Today my sweet little girl turns 6!

Although I guess technically she isn't my littlest girl, she is my first.

I can't believe that was six years ago already.

So much has changed in 6 short years. Most of it I have already blogged about in some aspect or another.

But it's difficult to realize that some of our current experiences in our current town will be some of the last. This will probably be Brie's last birthday in this house. The only house she remembers.

It's easy to get a little emotional about it.

Actually today we watched some home videos of Brianna's first days, and also her first birthday. So many firsts. This week was another "first" when we discovered not one, but two loose teeth.

I'm not prepared for this new round of firsts leading to her older childhood years. When did she become this grown-up girl?

Okay, I have some issues to work through before Ella's birthday this coming Wednesday. Back to the good stuff....

Here she is reading the first opened present which was "decorate your own bookmarks" by Melissa and Doug. I love that company!

And the reason I love to shop at Air Miles Shops....

Getting birthday presents that cost us zero!

It is a radio/alarm clock/cd player/ipod docking station. She does not have an ipod, but we do plan on getting her one in the next few years I'm sure. For now, she can borrow ours and create her own playlist, or burn songs onto disks.

She is quite happy with the little remote that came with it too!

I made Brie this lovely card the other night. It's nothing fancy, but it is red. And I specifically bought that stamp-set because of the large B. If you can't read the letters in black, it says "is for birthday".

When she opened up today she even gave a 3-syllable "Aww!"

Definitely a success!

Brie is really into making cards and thoughtful pictures for everyone lately. Actually she helped make every single one of her birthday invitations this year. She chose the set to use and helped stamp some of the stuff too. It's a lot of fun doing it together with her.

Actually her "love language" is definitely spending quality time together.

So for her birthday today, we sat down to play some Wii. She chose this over movies or other games as that is "too boring".

For Christmas the girls got a couple new Wii games so Brie wanted to play the New Super Mario Brothers with all 4 players, which we haven't tried yet. She is getting really good at understanding how to move the characters and get those bad guys.

Afterwards we also played Mario Party, which is a complete blast with the kids. It's something that everyone can play with ease!

And although there were some slight hiccups in the day, we had a great day celebrating with her today.

We are so blessed!

Mysterious

We have gone over 1 full year without a mysterious rash appearing on Ella's body.

Unfortunately yesterday a new rash suddenly appeared all over her skin.

Last year Ella had 3 different types of weird rashes. No two were alike but we kept on taking her to a local doctor to diagnose.

Then we were referred to an allergy specialist. Fortunately we were able to get in to that office fairly quickly and from all of his questions (and the lack of a rash while we were there) he didn't think that these rashes were any type of allergic reaction. His suggestion was to take pictures if a new rash was to appear.

That was over a year ago.

The new rash this weekend is not very red and the bumps are very small so I don't even think it would show up in a photo. But it covers the core of her body, front and back. It doesn't bother her, but it sure bothers me!

So now what? If the rash is still there tomorrow, I may be calling the local doctor to see what to do. Agh!

Cheering Myself Up

This week I am suffering through a nasty cold, so I thought I would write up a post that would help to cheer me up.

Last Friday I had a Luscious Bags purse party. It was a great time and I was almost overwhelmed with the beautifulness of it all!

Luscious Bags is a fairly new Canadian company that does home parties without catalogues. The sales rep brings about 300 items to each party. No two items are the same. So whatever you see and like, you buy and take home right away. They sell mostly purses, but also luggage, sunglasses and jewelery.

Here's a few pictures that I took while the sales rep was setting up. Keep in mind that this is only a fraction of what she had on display here and that most of this is before all the purses came out of her van.

I have never had a "fun" purse, so I decided that this was a good way to meet up with some friends and also ooh and ahh over all the nice stuff at the same time.

You should have seen how excited my girls were with each load of stuff that came into the house. If there was ever any doubt that I have girly girls, this was squashed on Friday night. They loved "modeling" the purses and trying on the jewelery. I think they had just as much fun as us adult women did!

There is currently only 1 Luscious Bags rep in Saskatchewan (the company was started in Alberta) and she is very busy, but she loves to travel around and spread the word. Obviously she hopes that someone else will want to start up a home business with this too and they can share the wealth, so to speak. Currently you can't order online, only through a sales rep. I highly recommend hosting a party!

Here's the 2 purses that I got for myself. The red one was free, with hostess credits.

I also got a free beach basket that contained martini glasses, an ankle bracelet and the makings for bruschetta mix as well as pina coladas. All just for hosting the party! Yum.

Quilting Queen

On my old blog, I mentioned how anti-crafts I was when we moved just a few years ago

Surprisingly, my attitude changed drastically with the small town atmosphere and the lack of places to go, or things to do around here.

So I have been quite busy learning how to quilt lately. A friend and I made one together and just gave it to another friend this week. She just had a baby and this was our gift to her

Here's a few pictures of it.





Since this went so well (and it was actually *gasp* fun) I went out and bought more fabric to make other baby quilts!





I have started working on a baby girl quilt, but more recently I have been frantically trying to start and finish a baby boy one for my new nephew that was born on Monday. I just bought the blue fleece a week last Saturday and started it Sunday before we got the good news. Here's a few pictures of it. I have only to sew the 2 big pieces together and then finish off the edges with a border. Whew! I haven't done much else this week.



This is my workspace. It's an ugly dark shelving unit in the basement, but it has actually become my craft area. Lots of shelves and cupboards to keep everything within reach. It's great!



Once I'm finished these projects, I can get back to the red quilt I'm making for Brie. I have made a little progress on it, but I'll save picture of that for another post.