Christmas has come and gone...what a great holiday

So another Christmas has past and what great memories we have from this one.

On Christmas Eve we received another huge downpour of snow. We ended up this week with just over 40 cms of snow, all in one week, that is incredible for us on the coast! We played for most of the day in the snow and had such a great time.

Once everyone was out of the snowsuits and settled I started on the evenings prep. Cooking, cooking, and more cooking! We had such a great Christmas eve feast. I tried a new recipe for Shrimp rangoons and they were quite a hit.

I had to go out and pick up my Mom from work because her car wouldn't make it in the snow. She has a spyder and it is too low to get through all the snow on the side streets. So once she was here we continued to prep until my sister, her boyfriend Craig and Rorys sister and dh arrived. Then we ate, and ate, and ate!

They played some Wii

and horsed around until it was time to get the cookies and milk for Santa

and then off to bed for the little ones. I honestly thought we would be doing the bedroom shuffle for hours, you know, in bed, out of bed, back to bed, and so on, but I was pleasantly surprised to find both boys asleep in about 15 minutes, they were definitely exhausted. The adults then played some poker, ate some more and then were in bed early too. We were all really tired.

Tracy and Craig were not staying over like my Mom but had strict orders to be here by 6:30 on Christmas morning. We had told Trevor that he had to stay in bed until 6:30, they came close, they were both out of bed at 6:20 and then the fun began!

It took some time to get through most of the presents as everyone went overboard. Oh what fun we had :)

We always have Christmas breakfast and then rush out to Rorys Moms house for afternoon fun but this year we stayed home. Too many accidents and way too much snow it just wasn't worth it. So we had a really fun day playing with our toys, staying in our pj's and just relaxing. We finally got dressed for dinner around 4 (it was a late dinner because when I took the bird out of the fridge it was still frozen, it had been in there de-thawing for two days, not sure what happened). They were so cute in their Christmas sweaters.

So since that dinner we have been eating Turkey like crazy, we finally made it out to Rorys Moms on Saturday (it snowed again all day on Boxing day), and have really just been relaxing and playing with toys.

funny story about the DS, get into in just a bit.

I was spoiled this year as well. Both my sister and Rory got me tickets to a Canucks game so I get to go to 2 different games in January. My Mom surprised me with a ticket to Vegas and tickets to see Elton John in early Feb (Oh I can't wait!!!!!!) I was also lucky to receive some new cricut cartridges and the cricut jukebox, I will probably open my toys tonight.

So it should stay quiet and relaxing for the entire week and I hope to get some scrapping done as well, in between the board games with the boys and playing in the snow.

I have also listed some auctions on ebay this week.

My Let it Snow layout is listed, you can check it out here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=370136129271&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

as well I have listed a 20 page custom layout auction and the bid amount is still really low, it's a really great deal, you can find this one here.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260337891713&ssPageName=STRK:MESE:IT

Finally the mean parent DS story, actually I think Santa was playing a trick.

We opened all the presents with the exception of a couple grown up ones left. Trev turns to Ror and I saying (almost in tears) that Santa must have forgotten the DS. He has asked only for this since earlier this year, it is the only thing he really wanted. Anyway we don't know what to say because he's right all the presents are gone and he hasn't opened a DS. We know its behind the couch, we didn't want him to see it so we hid it until the very end. Well I am sorry the camcorder wasn't working because this was the reaction of a lifetime. We all start walking away like we are done when my sister throws some paper at Rory on the couch, then Rory finds the lost present. Once Trevor opens it the screaming doesn't stop, "he didn't forget, he didn't forget", it was priceless.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday as well!

Cheers

Finally uploaded my pictures

So far the kids Christmas holidays have been a lot of fun. We have played in the snow, made gingerbread, and decorated cookies.

I have been taking pics but have not found the time (or just a little lazy, lol) to get them uploaded to the computer. So here goes.

First photos are of the layout that I have completed. Again as I noted before I have not decided whether to list on ebay or Etsy. I have decided to wait til after the holidays because I worry it will just get lost in the mix.

We have had quite some fun playing in the snow over the last few days. It is really weird snow because it is very light and fluffy (not common for us) and we are having issues making snowballs and snowman (they keep falling apart). We did decide to start a fort but the kids became bored so it ended up more like a horseshoe!

Even the dog is having a blast

Next on the list were gingerbread houses. I was so excited. I had a kit in my hand earlier this season and decided that even though I am not a baker we would make them from scratch. So I found this recipe, it was supposed to be more kid friendly in taste so I thought I would give it a try. Well the cookie is awesome but note I used the word cookie and not house! This recipe does not contain molasses, I now believe that without the molasses the dough is not strong enough to hold the shape long enough to get them on the pan. After about 20 attempts I gave up and we made cookie shapes instead.

We spent the morning today decorating them and it was great fun!

This will be my last post until after Christmas so I would like to wish everyone the happiest holidays!!

Cheers

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow

Well I can count on one hand how many White Christmas' we have had but I do think it is safe to say that we will have one this year.
We are now up to at least a foot of snow, maybe not much for some but a ton for us.
The kids have been having a blast and it has been so fun to watch. I wish I had pics to post but I plan on taking them tomorrow.
I am not a snow hater, I actually love the white stuff but the cold.....despising it!!!! Serious abnormal temps lately, what's the deal, I thought we were living through global warming, lol.

I did manage to finish a layout, titled "Let it Snow" and I hope to have it listed tomorrow. I am just trying to figure out if I should wait til after the holidays or do it now. I also can't decide if I should list it on ebay or Etsy. I am leaning towards ebay, I love the way it turned out and I am thinking that an auction style may work better. I will post pics of this tomorrow as well.

Regarding Christmas....I am done!!! Who hoo, Yahoo, Yippeee, can you tell I am excited. I have NEVER been done this early. I knew the snow was coming so I have even finished my food shopping, went out late last night. Honestly it is kind of freaking me out, keep thinking that I have forgotten something because I am never not running around frantic the last few days before the big guy gets here. Rory is even finished his shopping, he just has some wrapping to do.

So tomorrow on the list. Playing in the snow, building gingerbread houses, (never done this as an adult and not much of a baker so crossing my fingers and toes that they work out, regardless the kids will have fun!), and possibly some shortbread cookies. Looks like I will actually have some free time to work on some scrapping. I am working on a custom album right now and really have to get some of the boys layouts done. Oh and the cutest thing today from Trev, he was looking at the snow layout I just finished, he usually pays no attention to them, anyway he asked if I made the bears, to which I answer yes. He turns to me all serious and says, "well Mom, this is your best work ever", it was soooooo sweet I could have cried!

I will be posting pics tomorrow so cheers for now.

Wow, what a week!!!

I can't believe I have not posted for a week but it has been a very productive one and unfortunately to accomplish this my computer time was limited.


Last Saturday we took the kids out to get our Christmas tree. Usually we go out and cut our tree down but because Rory is limited in what he can do and since it had been raining like crazy we decided to skip it this year. When we arrived I was fully expecting to be searching the lot for the perfect tree however we lucked out with the first tree we looked at. It was beautiful!


When we got home we started pulling out the decorations only to find that we were missing some boxes. Earlier this year we had done a massive cleanup with the help of my brother-in-laws, I have a feeling that some Christmas decoration boxes were mixed up with the dump load and were thrown out. Anyway off to the store to find some lights, well........everyone was sold out. I was quite surprised.



Trevor really wasn't interested in decorating the tree, he is so funny, all the things I think will be fun for him really seem to be a chore for him. I didn't push it with Trevor because really why bother, not fun to force a kid to decorate a tree :) Brendan on the other hand was so into it. I was worried the tree would fall over because the bottom of the tree was so loaded with his decorations. From start to finish he was right in there, it was really sweet.

Here is the finished tree.

Sunday we had some friends over for dinner. They have a little girl Trevs age and it was really cute to watch them play. Trev kept asking me all night if he could tell her that he loved her. A little 6 year old crush :)

Next was the cold, we usually are above freezing this time of year but this week has been terribly cold. Today the temp is -7 but with the windchill -14 (the non-metric conversion is 19, feeling like 7) This is nuts! We had snow on Tuesday, 15 cms, usually we have snow and then the next day its gone but with the cold temperatures it is still around. For all you that live in the east you probably can't understand the desire for a white Christmas, I think I can count on one hand the number of white Christmas' so this is a real treat. They are calling for more snow on Sunday, Monday, and possibly Tuesday. The kids are having a blast but I am finding it a little too cold to enjoy.

I finished all of my Christmas shopping yesterday, I have never been this organized. All the shopping done and the wrapping should be done today. I love it!

So now I am on to the food, I just put together my menu

Christmas Eve

Mushroom Caps

Sausage Rolls

Fried Ravioli

Shrimp Rangoons

Crab Dip

Fried Rice

Sweet n Sour Meatballs

Christmas Dinner

Just a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixins, mmmmmmmmmmmm, in all honesty I like the fixings much more than the turkey. I am excited to try a different carving method this year. I was watching Jamie Oliver and they way he cut the turkey was inspiring, we'll see how it goes.

I am hoping to post again before the big day but just in case I don't get a chance, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and the happiest holiday ever!!

New Pre-made Scrapbook club and.......it's snowing!!!

I started a new club in my Etsy shop yesterday. Here are the details.

One common thing I hear when I mention scrapbooking is just how much people would like to do it but just don't have the time in their already too busy lives.
Well here is the solution.
Join the KriskropMemories Pre-Made Scrapbook Club and have all of your wonderful memories preserved into beautiful scrapbooks.

The Bronze level is 2 12x12 layouts each month for THREE MONTHS.Every month (1st of the month) you will either mail or e-mail pictures you would like scrapped, and journalling if desired, and I will have your completed layouts in the mail by the 15th of the month.
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=18574361

This is also a perfect gift for someone who just had a baby or was recently married, a gift that keeps on giving month after month.

This club is also available in silver and gold variations, each with extra bonuses included!!!

Also I am working on a snow themed layout and guess what it is snowing today, perfect timing I'd say, really puts me in the mood. We don't get very much snow here so when it does snow it is quite the event.
Brendan just saw that it was snowing and his reaction was "HOLY SMOKES", "THIS IS CRAZY". He is so excited. Trevor is at school so I can only imagine his response but I know he has been doing a countdown since he heard the possibility of snow 5 days ago.
I am not sure if it will stick but I hope it does a little, really be great picking out our tree in the snow. That's the plan for tomorrow, haircuts for the boys, a trip to see Santa, and then off to pick out the tree. Should be a great day!

Cheers for now

Chocolate Goldfish...oh my

In the past when I was a kid it was such a treat to go to Washington state to find all the different things we couldn't get here in Canada. For example, breakfast cereal, the types available would just be overwhelming to a kid, so many choices but only one box allowed. We could always get one new box of cereal and one snack. However as I grew older and free trade came to be the differences didn't seem as large but I still always have to check.

I am glad I did this time. I had no idea there were chocolate goldfish.

You can imagine the number of bags of goldfish we consume here with my 2 boys and the additional 2 I watch, when I showed them the bag of chocolate goldfish they were really happy. I didn't think to try one till last night and now honestly I am thinking of hiding them, they are sooooooo good.

So anyway this is my tribute to pepperidge farm and chocolate goldfish and may they reach the Canadian border soon :)

A little down and out the past few days!

The dreaded Christmas cold came early (I hope). As a family everyone except Trevor has been battling a bad head cold.
I have had so much planned and really cannot find the energy to even think let alone do.
I am starting to feel better so I am hoping to get a lot done over the next few days, at the very least get the Christmas cards out in the mail.

I did go to Seattle this weekend with my sister, that was fun, I was looking forward to this for weeks and when the time came I was full on into this cold. I tried my best not to let it stop me. I was able to pick up some really great deals. People were bugging me about the dollar because it has come down so much but honestly the sales in the stores more than made up for the difference in the dollar. We are facing some of the same economic issues but honestly I have not seen the evidence in the stores, no mind blowing sales like I saw in the US.

Then yesterday I was able to complete one of my favorite things of the holiday season. Every year my sister through her work collects donations for a toy drive. We (sister and I) then go shopping for toys. We had just over $1300 for toys. There isn't a better feeling than shopping for toys for kids that don't have much and not really worrying about the prices. Don't get me wrong we wanted to get as many as we could but we wanted to make sure they were gifts that the kids could really enjoy and get some good play out of. We managed to spend just under $1100, we should finish the rest tonight. I just love this. Unfortunately my desire to adopt some families really won't come true this year simply because of the financial issues we have gone through when Rory took his leave but I am going to save all year to ensure that we are able to do this for sure next year. It is really important for me to teach our kids that they are fortunate and that they always need to think of others. My goal is to not only adopt the family at Christmas but for the entire year, my Dad brought this up to me one year when I was working with some other families, how many birthdays are just as important that get missed because they don't fall during the Christmas season.

Anyway I am off to bowling tonight and then will sit down and send out my cards, I also hope to get some new layouts listed and work on some projects for the kids. Time and my stuffed head will tell.

Cheers

Just got back from the school

We went to our first parent/teacher interview for Trevor and it was wonderful. Just love when the first words out of the teacher are how much she loves him, just how much fun he is to teach. I already knew this of course but when someone else tells me it makes me feel so good. Anyway enough gushing over my first born :)

I just found out I will be working on a custom Disneyworld scrapbook and I am so excited. I love anything Disney. I have so much fun working on custom scrapbooks so if you are in need just let me know ;)

So I am now in my sweats finishing up lunch for the kids and then I will start working on some layouts for the boys, hope to have them posted tomorrow. The Canucks are playing in a few hours so we should have a fun night in today.

Cheers!

I think this is the longest I have gone in a while

between posts I mean!

It has been a crazy few days, super busy!

Trevor received his first 1st grade report card, he did awesome. I couldn't get over the number of items they are graded on, I think it is about 48.

We had a birthday party and a Christmas party on the weekend, and I was super busy finishing custom orders. For the first time in days I am finally sitting down.

I have put together my list for Christmas, I will be prepared, I will be prepared, lol. So far I have been able to cross off 3 items. The christmas ring chain has been made, see bottom of post for more info, it's great if you have little ones asking you how many more days til Christmas, outdoor lights have been purchased, and they are up.

So next on the the list....send out Christmas cards, finalize the gift list and budget.

In between all these fun Christmas activities I will be making some new pre-made scrapbook layouts, working on my website, and working on more custom scrapbooks. I am hoping to find some time to work on the boys books as well. Actually I will make the latter a priority, the whole reason I started scrapping was to get their memories done and I haven't worked much on that.

So I will be getting back to regular posts as it was a favorite time of the day for me. Talk to you soon.

Cheers

ps The Christmas Ring Chain

take some wrapping paper and cut into 24 strips about 6 - 8 inches long. Wrap strip into a ring and tape together. Take the next strip and wrap through the first again taping it into a ring, this is making a chain. Continue this until all 24 have been intertwined and form a long chain. Each night the kids cut one ring off the chain, come Christmas eve there will be one last ring to cut, when they are all gone Santa is coming!