the Angry Turtle

A Quick Check In

2012-01-18T13:43:00.000-06:00

So, since my last post our computer died. In our family this feels like quite a crisis. I have made several commitments to the women's ministry team of our church that requires a computer and I felt like my left arm fell off. All that to say that we have replaced our 6 year old iMac with a new one. It's beautiful and works wonderfully and I'm so grateful. I have a bit of show-n-tell for today, so let's get to it.

Before we left on our trip to Alberta I decided that Abigail needed her own bag. Mostly to carry her own stuff. I feel like such a pack rat some days and it's time for her to carry her own stuff. Abby was quite enamoured with Bambi at the time, so I decided to try a new-to-me technique: reverse appliqué. I loved the results. I, unfortunately, have to replace the lining - it has torn and continues to tear *sigh*. A project to do after we move.

11 days until we move. No, we haven't started to pack yet. This isn't my first rodeo, but it is my first rodeo with children. That overwhelms me a bit, but we are so excited. I can't wait to show you all our new home. That might take a bit of time.
I want 2012 to be a year where I finish some of my UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) and so, I've begun. I started this little alphabet last year and finally finished it. I chose not to add magnets. I am thinking I might make it into a banner and hang it in Abby's new room, but first I will wash and dry it to promote the edge fraying. I think they're cute, but not super useful, considering there's only one of each of them. Tutorial here.

I have an upcoming event that I'm planning and whipped up these little cards today. Found on Pinterest from Martha Stewart and adapted for my event. I will share about said event after it takes place. I am really looking forward to it.

My littles have been sick - it seems like for forever! First colds, then baby teething then the dreaded puking sickness. I can handle dirty diapers of craziness, but puke... ugh! My David, heroically, did a lot of rinsing of bedding and clothes this week. I think they're on the mend, though appetites are still quite small and crankiness is still quite large. Admittedly, I've added to the cranky factor myself. I am going out tonight! It's been tooooo long.
There are so many babies being born into our church. There is someone due every month from January to August. At what point do I say, I can't keep up with all the handmade goods that I love to give? It feels so cruel to just stop now. One month at a time, I guess. I'm already 3 babies behind as it is. Ugh! Sorry, friends.
Crazy blizzard the other day. Our littles loved to watch it, as did my David and I. Pictures don't capture it, but I did try.

A New Year - Checkin' In

2012-01-03T20:06:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a great Christmas and have many good things to look forward to this new year. We spent a very busy 2 weeks in Alberta visiting family and some friends. We're all adjusting back into routines and getting ready for all that's ahead. So, let's get to it!

Here's some Christmas gift designs that I made this year. I don't have finished product pictures, but I have the digital files. I did custom name signs on canvas. Including one for us.

Custom t-shirts (again no final pics, but here are the designs). Top: for Steven, a Millwright apprentice. Middle: for Jasmin, his girlfriend. Bottom: for Crystal, soon to be graduated from nursing school. These are a only a few of the shirts I designed.

The little's got their kitchen when we got home from Alberta. Friends of ours delivered it for us and was a great surprise. The littles received all kinds of dishes and play food for Christmas and they are well set up. I just have to work on creative toy storage solutions now.

Here's a Christmas card that I did in barter. It was based on a design that Twila found and liked (that makes it so much easier on me).

Have I told you all that we're moving at the end of this month? That is perhaps the biggest current news. We've been offered an upper duplex to rent. 3 bedrooms, people! That's just the beginning of the good news. I'll likely post more about our new home after we've moved in. This is my first move with children and so I'm sure it'll be a bit of a challenge to get packed this time.
Oh, funny story: Abigail and Malachi both giggled the entire take-off on our flight to Alberta. I couldn't help laughing myself. They traveled really well, though I can't imagine how we'd do it with a third little. We'll cross that bridge when the time comes.

I told my David last night, that although I am more tired than usual, I sometimes forget that I'm pregnant. Is that weird? Though I think I might have felt the baby moving today. I think my mind is just more occupied right now. We're 18 weeks in, now.
David left Computer Trends so we could go on our trip. The company hired him back and he starts next week. We have mixed emotions about that. Mostly I'm grateful for God's provision through the position, but we had hoped for something else to be available. Malachi has become quite attached to his Papa and Abigail has always struggled with David working, so I'm sure it's going to be quite the adjustment for us... again.
I'm sure there's much more to share, but I'm tired. (Our children are sick and we didn't sleep to well last night). I hope not to leave this little blog so lonely for so long again, but bare with me as we prepare to move.

Play Kitchen Update

2011-12-11T13:56:00.001-06:00

It's finished (well, it's so close and the rest will be waiting until after we come home from our trip). This was a great project and my David did an amazing job.

Here's the before picture again:

And in process:

The big reveal:

As always, click to enlarge

Here's what we have left to do: Insert picture in "window" and hang a curtain, draw stove element rings (I'll use a metalic marker), attach oven light, hang up the chalkboard and accessorize. The kitchen is currently at our friend's house and we hope to arrange to have it delivered to our apartment while we are away so that it will be here when we get home. I am so impressed with David's work, it's such a great looking kitchen and I know that our children are going to love it for years to come!

I likely won't be blogging for the rest of the month, but will hopefully have much goodness to share after Christmas. From our family to yours, may you discover the wonder of Christmas anew this year!

Checkin' In

2011-11-26T09:09:00.001-06:00

It's snowing! Big Fat Fluffy Snowflakes! Makes me think of this...

Have you ever had candy cane white hot chocolate from Second Cup? Well, we found an amazing version at Bulk Barn for a great price and I'm enjoying a cup right now.
David's Waldo party was a hit! We had a great time.

Malachi's birthday party went well, too. My friend, Donna, made amazing cupcakes for the occasion.

The little's play kitchen has had a few setbacks (we needed to move it from one friend's cold garage to another friend's basement). Hopefully, we'll finish next week.
David's been working crazy hard at work and earned enough money to cover our expenses for two months. His last day is Monday and we're so looking forward to family vacation!!
Christmas crafting will be in full swing next week - I have a lot of work to do!
I have a rehearsal and costume fitting for Bethlehem LIVE! today. 12 days and counting.
We're going to a murder mystery party tonight... really looking forward to a date night out with my David!!
My friend, Patty~Jean made a batch of her homemade deodorant for sale and David and I are loving it! I highly recommend it!
Our family is rocking an iPad2 - a family Christmas/birthday gift/s from my parents. You should hear my Abby ask to play Angry Birds, too funny!

Finally in my second trimester! Still feeling tired, but a whole lot less sick. I'm hoping for a smooth flight next month. Last time I flew at 4 months, I was quite sick on the plane.

One Year!

2011-11-19T09:05:00.001-06:00

I can hardly believe it's been a whole year since Malachi made his first appearance. What a crazy ride it's been, but I wouldn't trade him in for anything. Malachi, my little man, I love you! (click in to see the whole post)

(as always, click to enlarge)

Checkin' In

2011-11-04T11:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a little quiet on this little blog. I don't have a lot of news this week, but let's get to it!

I'm enjoying one of these right now.
I am nine weeks into my pregnancy and just now starting to feel somewhat human again. Still tired, but a lot less nauseous. Good news!

(so funny... worth sharing again)

November 4th and no snow. Can hardly believe it. I'm ready for it (don't hate me for loving God's beauty). It would help me feel more motivated to get to my Christmas projects, not to mention our first snowfall tradition of ordering chinese take-out... yum.

(lights on our tree through special effect glasses-2008)

I'm in the midst of planning the last minute details for David's birthday. It's going to be great fun and I hope to have some pics to share next week. This year's theme...

The little's play kitchen still isn't finished. There have been a few minor glitches that have slowed us down a little. David would like a good couple of hours to finish out the last few details, so hopefully soon! I have some details to work on, myself. The reveal is going to be amazing! We're having friends deliver it to our home while we are away in Alberta so that it will be here for the children to find it when we get home. It'll be a great surprise.
Malachi had to have another Mag3 renal scan this week. It went better, but still hard to bare as a mother. We'll get the results in two weeks.
So many things to look forward to: 2 days until David's birthday and party, 9 days until the Ladies Ministry Christmas Banquet, 15 days until Malachi's 1st birthday, 18 days until his party and our first midwife appointment, 34 days until Bethlehem LIVE!, 40 days until we leave for Alberta, 51 days until Christmas.

Coming Soon

2011-10-28T10:58:00.000-05:00

In case you're not on facebook or you're not sure what exactly is "coming soon", a new little Gingras is on the way. Baby's appearance will be around June 4, 2012.

Family Pictures 2011

2011-10-27T11:12:00.001-05:00

Twila's done it again! We're thrilled with this year's instalment of the Gingras family pictures. Here's a few of the gems that she captured this time.

a little announcement...

and a little funny outtake for you...

Checkin' In

2011-10-20T10:59:00.000-05:00

*sigh* I am tired today, but I have some spare time and thought I'd send a little love out to you all. Let's get to it!

We did indeed go to the pumpkin cart on the road to Lockport last week and picked up some pumpkins. Abby picked out one for her and one for Malachi and has been carting tiny pumpkins all over the house. She's quite proud of them and would happily go back for the rest of them. True story.

It's official: Abigail is potty trained! That was a long painful journey, but we all made it. Her rewards included a Papa/daughter movie date and new Strawberry Shortcake panties. Big deal in the Gingras house!

Yesterday, Malachi turned 11 months old and tomorrow Abigail will be 3 months away from her 3rd birthday. Looooong days, short years!
David and I had a painting date yesterday and the play kitchen is looking so great. I've decided that I'm not going to show you any more in progress pictures because it will make the reveal that much more exciting. We have another painting date booked for next week and we're almost finished.

I'm recovering from the stomach flu and haven't touched my Christmas projects in over a week and a half. I really need to get to them, but I am having a hard time getting into the swing of it again. I can't afford to leave it too long, there are a whole bunch of them.
I am also in the process of planning two birthday parties for next month. David is turning 35 and Malachi will be 1. Thankfully, Malachi won't remember his birthday and I can keep it super simple.

Do you have a Mac? Well, my toddler spent a long time in front of photobooth this morning. She especially loves the mirror effect. I keep forgetting the entertaining features of this and really appreciated how occupied dolly was for awhile.

I whipped out the winter coat yesterday. It was cold. It is October and I don't really mind.

Checkin' In

2011-10-07T14:50:00.000-05:00

Well today feels like fall for I think the first time. There's a cool breeze and it's cloudy and delicious! Don't get me wrong, I'm blessed by the amazingly hot fall (record breaking, actually) just like the next person, but we packed our air conditioners away two weeks ago and we've been frying in here. The sad thing about all this wind is that the trees are almost bare already. Glad we had family pics early in the week. Well, lets get to it!

I whipped up Malachi's new chair panel - I think it's quite adorable. I used one of David's old shirts again and it worked great!

Dolly has been running around in skirts, touques and rubber boots again. I love it!

Christmas projects are well under way here and I hate not sharing, but you'll get to see them all after the holidays. I am having a lot of fun with them all. I have been listening to Christmas music for more than a month already. We have 3.2 days worth of Christmas music or 1334 songs (thanks, Itunes for that useful information)
We've been enjoying this site. My mom bought a membership and it's been so great having access to Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. Our family favourite so far has to be A Dog Named Christmas.
Phew! feeling tired today. Confession time: when Malachi had his nap, I turned on a movie for Abby and I napped on the couch. Apparently it's a good time to ask Mama for another one, too. I do feel a lot better, but man, I could sleep for days. Malachi is still not sleeping through the night, though I feel like we might be getting there. Side note: I have to brag on my husband for a minute. Malachi is no longer nursing. I will spare you the details here, but what a pain it is to make a bottle and heat it in the middle of the night! David said to me last week. "Now that Malachi isn't nursing, why don't I get up with him once in the night." Seriously, isn't he great?!?! He takes the first wake up, which is sometime anywhere from 1:30-3:00 am. I am so blessed! I am hoping that baby sleeps through the night before we go to Alberta at Christmas time.
I miss reading. I think it's because it's fall, but I miss having hours to kill reading. *sigh*
Abby asked if we could go get pumpkins next week. It's a great idea! We'll go on our weekend to the pumpkin cart on the road to Lockport and maybe drive all the way and get onion rings from the Half Moon Drive-In... yummy.

Malachi is getting brave and taking a few steps. I took him out to the apartment hallway to practise with Abby's shopping cart. Can't believe how quickly he's grown. He's had his third haircut already, too. (after this picture was taken)

Hoo's Cute?

2011-09-30T11:26:00.001-05:00

This little owl, that's who!

I whipped this up, kinda making it up as I went. I did find inspiration on Google images and Etsy, but I drew up a draft on craft paper and cut away. It was quite liberating to just cut and hack away without using a pattern. I love how rustic and rough he looks. I recycled some of David's clothes plus used scraps of fabric in my stash. I love how he turned out! I made it for Malachi, though I'm not sure if he'll get it for his birthday, for our trip to Alberta or for Christmas. Abby keeps calling it a chicken which makes me laugh. I think he needs a name. Any ideas?

Checkin' In

2011-09-29T18:22:00.000-05:00

I can hardly believe that September is over... tomorrow is that last day!? What?!? How did that happen? Well, I can tell you that this weather has been amazing and it hasn't even felt much like September. Though the trees are changing and our city is looking beautiful! Let's get right to it this week:

We voted on Tuesday. Confession: I think this is only the second time I've voted and the last time it was because I had turned 18 and was finally of legal age to vote. I've been remiss, but we are beginning now and will teach our children the importance of it. Talk about convenient, though, we were at the mall and the advance polls were set up. We showed our IDs and voted and were through the process in under 15 minutes (with children in tow). The littles were given these cute certificates that I'll put away in their keepsake boxes.

(I interrupted her movie)

I needed a Superman t-shirt. They're hard to find (especially if you're cheap like me), so I made one. I used this method again.

Jen, here's my no shampoo update: tomorrow marks 5 weeks. I am still doing the baking soda/apple cider vinegar about every other day. You're supposed to be able to wait 3-4 days, but my hair hyper produces oil and it's still less than shampooing every day. I also had my haircut last week and wasn't about to skip the wash, it's my favourite part of going for a haircut, so I'm not entirely sure if that meant I was starting over or not. I bought these multi-purpose bottles from the dollar store and they have measurements on them, which make mixing super easy. This is the method I've been using: Baking soda mixture 2Tbsp soda to 8 oz. water. Rub into scalp (don't wet your hair first) and rinse. Apple cider vinegar mixture 2 oz. ACV to 6 oz. water (1-3 ratio) plus 4 drops peppermint essential oil. Rub into scalp and rinse. These squeeze bottles are great, I just put the spout right to the scalp and squeeze away. My hair feels great - I probably won't buy shampoo again.

David's filled holes and mounted the soon-to-be microwave on the little's kitchen. We're close to prime and paint time. I've picked colours and I'm so excited.

(David got a whole bag of tiles for $2 and they became my springboard for colour)

I found these ugly canvas prints for $2 each - a great find for a Christmas project I'm working on. That won't hit blog world until after Christmas.

Remember this? Well, I picked up a blue one for Malachi at Once Upon a Child for $5 (regular price is $10 - I had a coupon) and will be re-panelling his, too. No sponge bob for him.
We're getting our first family pics since Malachi's arrival. We're tentatively booked for Tuesday. They probably won't hit the blog until after Christmas (sorry, but we want some surprises)

and finally....

WE'RE GOING "HOME" TO ALBERTA FOR CHRISTMAS! We haven't been for 2 years and my mom is the only one of both of our families who's met Malachi. We're sooooo excited and we get to go for TWO WEEKS! I can hear our mom's crying with joy!

Checkin' In

2011-09-17T12:35:00.000-05:00

September is half way through already! I can hardly believe it. The days have only now become cool and I am relishing every moment of it. It was an incredible summer, but I am never sad to see fall's return. The air conditioners come out of the windows and the fall breeze is invited in while I enjoy yummy fall drinks.

Let's get started, here's a few things I wanted to share with you.

This is our "Ebenezer stone". You can read about the original stone in 1 Samuel 7. We wanted to mark our seventh anniversary with something that could be a reminder for us of God's grace in our marriage. David found this rock and it's perfect.

our last in-house date night we played Killer Bunnies. We haven't played in quite some time and it was a fun time. I call this Killer Bunnies by candlelight:

(the green tape is our snack barriers - don't want to get those cards gummed up!)

(one of David's favourite bunny weapons)

I am loving our double stroller, but as with any umbrella stroller it lacks a cup holder, so I made my own. Now I can have my water or tea or latte to go. It works great. Inspired by this post.

David's made some great progress on the littles' play kitchen. I am so excited to get to the painting and decorating part. I am so impressed with what David's done with that cabinet.

Thanks to Pinterest, I found this great pumpkin syrup recipe for lattes. YUM! It's easy and and WAY cheaper than Starbucks.

Our branch got it's fall makeover again and this year we added this lovely little friend for our fall scene.

P.S. I am appreciating this point form blog style. It means that I can blog about a lot of little things without taking a whole bunch of time and boring you with extra words. Any thoughts?

Checkin' In

2011-09-12T17:04:00.000-05:00

Today is "Friday" - hooray! I am looking forward to having my David home for two days for sure! Here's a few things that I've been wanting to share:

I found a great tutorial for turning your favourite bar soap into a liquid body wash. I've told you how much I love Pumpkin soap and now I love it even more. These three bottles were made out of one bar of soap. It will last a lot longer this way.

This is how far David's gotten on the kitchen project, though he's working on it more this "weekend".

Have I mentioned that David works every weekend? His days off are Tuesday and Wednesday and this has now become our weekend... in case you were wondering.
Abby lives for Papa/daughter dates. The current deal is that they'll go on the next one when she is completely potty trained. This is taking way too long for her liking (mine too for that matter). Anyway, Abby will pick out her fanciest dress and shoes for her date. It's so cute. Here's Abby dressed up to get married - she loves to pretend she's getting married.

I've made another notebook cover - it was a birthday gift.

I have a unique name and because of that I don't often see my name on personalized items or in public places. I got the idea to google map my name. Apparently, there is a Coralee Drive, a Coralee Lane, two Coralee Avenues and a Coralee Loop. I then used the street view option to find a street sign, just so I could take a screenshot of it and use it. A little vain, I realize, but a little fun, too.

We found an online ink store in CANADA! that sells computer ink for super cheap. We used a dealfind voucher and got 4 cartridges of each color and black for under $30 (including shipping). We'll be ordering from them again... when we finally run out after this batch.
I've had the privilege of doing the ads for our ladies committee and it's been so fun. I'll have to show you some of them sometime.
When we changed to MagicJack, it was a good excuse for me to design new family contact cards. I had a lot of fun with these ones.

Hope you all have a great week. We're having an amazing warm fall so far, we could continue our summer list with no problems.

A Month of Tea

2011-09-11T16:59:00.001-05:00

I was generously invited to a friend's birthday party last night. Of course that meant a gift and of course that meant that I got to have some creative time - hooray! This gift came out of a sudden inspiration. Remember my tea collection? Well, it's only gotten larger. I've had to move it into a cupboard which is a little more difficult for people to pick through. I have dreams of other solutions (scroll down in the link), but that will have to wait for now. Anyway, most people either stick with "regular" tea (Earl Grey/Orange Pekoe) or choose from the front row. Well, my friend likes tea and I have tea to spare, so here's my gift idea: A month of tea! I packaged 30 different varieties of tea with a tea cup and saucer. I numbered each individually wrapped tea and included a chart with their brands, names and kind. I had so much fun with this one.

Loose teas, I put into tea bags and sewed on dangle tags and put in the larger envelopes. I sewed the envelopes with my sewing machine and used tape to close them. Next I put square or round tea bags into the smaller envelopes - some of them are factory wrapped individually, others are not. Finally, I made pyramid boxes for the pyramid tea bags and the one flowering tea bud. I choose a variety of patterned scrapbooking papers in similar colours to keep it simple and classy.

This is a gift that I'd have love to receive and can't wait to give again. (Hope you don't mind, Patty~Jean). I think that I might make an advent calendar of teas this year for me and my David to enjoy throughout December.

The heart in the middle indicates my current favourite kind of tea. Celestial Seasonings, Honey Vanilla White Chai.... yum! This was a great creativi-tea time!

Summer List 2011 Wrap Up

2011-09-05T17:39:00.000-05:00

It's been a great time! I am so glad that we decided to give it a go. No, we didn't do everything on our list. That never really was my intention - though we gave it a good go. I really wanted to give us a reference point of ideas for what to do on our "weekends". David's job requires him to work weekends, so for the most part Tuesday and Wednesday have become our Saturday and Sunday. Anyway, last week we checked off a few more. We have a few fall-ish type things on the list, so we'll probably just keep it going, but officially the summer is over and so, here's our wrap up.

Items we checked off last week:

Cars 2 movie - David went with his friend, Dawson and they saw it in IMAX 3D!
Swimming - we went to the Kildonan Park outdoor pool and it was so great! Next summer we will be going more than once.

(Abby takes awhile to 'warm' up to the water, but then doesn't want to leave)

(Malachi in the Mei Tai after his swim)

Millenium library - I love libraries and this is Winnipeg's BIG one. We didn't stay long as the littles were tired, but we took home a pile of books and I would love to go back without the littles for a library date with my David.

(there are fun creatures in this library)

Items we crossed off as missed or unable to attend due to scheduling:

camping at Bird's Hill Park - we decided that our Abby wasn't ready for this one and without gear, we weren't really ready either. Maybe next summer.
Goldeyes baseball game - David closed at work a lot of the summer and we found it difficult to coordinate his schedule, our parenting class schedule and babysitting.
The Fringe festival - we just missed it, we don't read the paper or watch the news etc and so we missed it. No biggie, neither one of us were too heartbroken over that.
Happy Feet movie in Assiniboine Park - David had to work that night
Music Festival (specifically Folk Fest) - we were broke
Disposable camera from a toddler's perspective - have you seen how expensive disposable cameras are these days?! We decided to skip it for now and maybe we'll get Abby a kiddie digital for Christmas and we can follow her for a day through her eyes.
Nature scavenger hunt - we decided that it was a bit more of an effort than we wanted to put in, in order to do it in a way that Abby would enjoy participating in. Laziness is my only reason.

Items we didn't get to and may or may not complete before the snow flies:

reading date - we can do this any time of year, but we have done picnic type reading dates that are nice outside. We don't often get quiet time to just read, so we've learned that this can be an enjoyable shoulder to shoulder time
fly a kite - we don't actually have one, but we could borrow one
go out for gelato
water 'fight'
play in a sprinkler or some fun water toy
corn maze
decorate the house - for an un-occassion just because
go to Old Revival House Co. - this one's for me and I don't want to take the children
backyard movie theatre - this would be a great group date night and I'd love to do it this fall, yet
bake - technically I did this, but I put it on the list to do with Abby (I'm not a lover of kitchen domesticity so this hasn't been a priority for me)
family time at the Prayer Furnace (city prayer house of prayer) - we'd like to do this on a regular basis, but haven't made it yet
Kung Fu Panda 2 movie - missed the theatre, but can wait for the DVD

Overall, it's been a great way to accommodate Gingras Family Adventures this summer. We are definitely doing it again next year thank you for "joining" in on our adventures.

T-shirt Skirt for Me

2011-09-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

I made this skirt quite awhile ago. It was supposed to be a practise skirt, but I have worn it a couple of times in public. There are a few flaws, which I will fix next time I make it. It's comfy and easy and one of those projects that looks like it took a lot more effort than it did. I used 4 of David's old undershirts that he had retired to my fabric collection. I saw one on Pinterest and looked at the pics on the blog link. I didn't read how the blogger did it, I just winged it. I want to go second hand shopping for t-shirts now and make a bunch.

Checkin' In

2011-09-04T15:01:00.000-05:00

Checkin' in with a few things I wanted to share with you.

I never showed you pics from Malachi's first haircut (they were taken on my phone and I only recently got them onto the computer) he was only 5 months old!

David didn't have a chance to work on the children's play kitchen this week, but we were given stove knobs from friends who replaced their stove and a faucet from friends who own an apartment block and had dud taps in their scrap bin. Great finds for their kitchen.
I've joined the party a little late, but one week in and I'm loving it so far!
I sewed a new bag - inspired by this (found on Pinterest)... I just made it up as I went along. It's my first zipper closed bag and though I'd change a few things, it's working just fine.

PSLs are coming to Winnipeg this Friday - I asked David to stop in on his way home from work to get us some. Calgary has been enjoying theirs since Tuesday.
we're fighting fall colds, baby is teething and dolly is potty training, so it's been a challenging week at home. It was SOOOO good to be in church this morning!!!!
we checked off more of our summer list and since it's September, I think we'll do a wrap up post next. We've decided that we want to do a winter fun list, too.
It's time to book family pictures - it will be our first since Malachi joined the Gingras clan.
I'm loving the fall weather and can't wait to pack away our window air conditioners so that we can open the windows again.
Our parenting class is officially done now, though it feels like we just started on the work. It was a great course and so encouraging to be with other families who are like minded and going through some of the same challenges as we are.
I miss my David. Two days a week just aren't enough!
There's still time to donate to Maggie's Walk for the Smile Train

Maggie's Walk

2011-09-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

Friends of ours have a darling little girl who was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate. After several surgeries already (Maggie's not quite one yet), the surgeons still aren't finished. Fortunately, these surgeries are covered by health care here, but this is not the case in many countries. Deryk and Donna (Maggie's parents) have joined the Smile Train, a not for profit organization that teams up with and empowers local doctors in developing countries to perform cleft lip and palate surgeries at no cost. They are hosting a fundraising event they've name Maggie's Walk. Their goal is to raise as much as they can to see that as many children get a happy new smile and a bright future. The walk will be taking place on September 25 here in Winnipeg. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend as a family. David's schedule at work currently includes every Sunday. This is disappointing for us as we really wanted to stand up and support Deryk and Donna in this venture. I decided, though, that I could write to you all about this great event and organization. Please visit the website for Maggie's Walk and Smile Train for more information. If you feel like you could contribute, you can send donations through this link and it goes under Maggie's name to the Smile Train. Donations will be accepted through this link until the end of September. Thanks for your consideration.

Welcome, Sophia!

2011-08-29T22:03:00.000-05:00

I teach sewing, have I mentioned that here? Well, I have one student, the lovely Miss Sophia. I was thinking about how if you take dance or music, you have a year end recital. That is not so practical for a sewing student, so I decided that as Sophia's "recital" I would have her blog about her experience so far and her latest project. So, please welcome Sophia!

Hi my name is Sophia Nolan and I'm 11 years old I'm in grade six and I’d like to tell you about my project! I started my project in about May and finished at the end of August. But I started sewing classes in April and maybe a little bit before that I got my first sewing machine!

What I started the project off with going to fabric land. There I picked out my fabrics and threads and I actually had lots of fun doing that. The colors I picked really suits my personality the bag does also!

And then we had to do all the cutting and sewing but really you might think that my project would be easy to make it was hard but I had lot's of fun with it.

And one of the things I learned was that the seam ripper is your best friend in sewing. because I had to use that thing quite a few times on my project:) I also learned how to thread a machine and how to thread a bobbin and some times I even fix my mom or dad’s cloths. As I was making my purse I leaned how to sew so many different things like how to sew ruffles and buttons and how to sew Velcro. When I started my project I thought that the very end would be the easiest but really It was the hardest.

and I had to get my teacher to help me on some of the parts at the end. My experience sewing was very interesting I got to learn so many things and I think I will cherish my first year of sewing a lot. I think that as Mrs. Gingras and I were sewing I got to know her really well. and I just can't wait till next year!

I'd like to tell you the reason I wanted to learn how to sew. One of the reasons is because when I grow I want to be a fashion designer and I want to sew my designs not just design them! And the other reason I wanted to because of my Grandma Woods she also gave some inspiration and I’m so glad she's in my life. And my project turned out really nice and I was very happy with it.

(Sophia shared some of her designs for me to show you - I would totally wear these!)

Now to finish this of I’d really like to thank my teacher Mrs. Gingras for showing me so many things about sewing and helping me come closer to my dream! I'd also like to thank my mom and dad for giving me the chance to do this! ~ thank you for reading :)

Isn't Sophia the sweetest? She's done a great job on her first big project! It's been my pleasure, for sure. Now readers, you know what to do, please leave some comment love for Sophia.

Summer List Check-In #4

2011-08-24T09:41:00.000-05:00

We're moving along in our list quite nicely. The Summer List has been a fun tool to help us plan our summer adventures. My David's been checking out the list on his days off and trying to help us cross off as much as possible. It's been a lot of fun. Let's get to it!

backyard campout - thanks to our friends, the McQuades, for hosting us so nicely in their backyard and for supplying the equipment!
wiener roast - a double cross off since we did this at our campout

Anniversary date - we kept it simple this year, but it included dinner out, a nice long drive and a rock hunt (more about that later).

thrift store shopping - specifically for supplies for a play kitchen we're building inspired by this buld-a-long blog series (more on this later).

fireworks! - this wasn't actually on our list, but we've decided that it should've been and will be every summer. Ever since Canada Day, Abigail has asked to go see fireworks. We surprised her one night by waking the children up and taking them to see the fireworks that were shot after the Goldeyes baseball game. This has become a favourite Gingras family adventure.

midnight 7-eleven run - we stopped in for treats on our way home from seeing the fireworks. It wasn't quite midnight, but to Dolly it probably seemed like it.

build a sandcastle - Malachi "crossed" this one off our list (well, not really, but he played in the sand for the first time, so we called it done!

Tinkertown! - Abigail was quite impressed with this one, as we all were. Even Malachi seemed amused by watching the rides go round. I think we picked the hottest day of the summer to go, but we stayed hydrated and in the shade whenever possible. Both children were such troopers for missing nap times and we all had fun.

Believe it or not, this was one of Abigail's favourite rides - she's our little thrill seeker!

In the DIY Spirit

2011-08-22T14:26:00.000-05:00

There's always a bunch of DIY mixes to be found online. Things like cleaners, lotions, soaps, lip balms and more. Well, this isn't a hard core DIY, but it's such a great tip, I thought I'd share it with you. One of the things we like in the kitchen is foaming handsoap. I don't know if you've noticed though, that you can pay a whole lot more for a whole lot less and you go through it pretty quick. Well, my David discovered a way to keep us well stocked in foaming soap at a fraction of the cost. The next time you buy a foaming soap, keep the bottle (that's half the trick). Go buy a liquid handsoap refill pack (we like the eco-smart refill pouches - less packaging), don't bother buying the foaming variety, just the regular handsoap. Pour the liquid soap into your foaming soap dispenser just under halfway, fill with regular tap water, twist the pump back on and give it a shake. Voila! Foaming handsoap!

7th Anniversary Art

2011-08-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

David started a little tradition a few years ago. He purchased some artwork for our home in celebration of our anniversary. We had a low key anniversary this year in regards to gifts etc, but I decided that I could carry on the tradition of anniversary art in my gift to David. Now, it's been said that most gifts that are sentimental in nature end of being feminine. I have made it a personal goal to give masculine gifts that can still show sentiment. David's family necklace was one such attempt. Anyway, with a little computer design, some blank canvases, some Mod Podge and a little black paint here's what I came up with:

This first one was inspired by this on Pinterest. I liked the design when I first saw it and decided to do my own version. I had them printed on 11x14 photo paper from Wal Mart and I mod podged them onto canvas. This tutorial was my inspiration for this technique.

This one just kinda came to me. The picture of the birch trees was in my Print Shop program. I googled carved hearts images and found the heart image and then went searching for a font that looked like carved letters. Layer all together and there you have it. Sentimental yet not feminine. (At least I hope that's how it comes across).

(disclaimer: no actual trees were harmed in the making of this picture)

David's gift to me was sentimental and beautiful. In our first year together, he wrote me a fairytale about a flower and knight. The story was an allegory of our lives. This year he wrote me a new instalment of the story. It's beautifully written and I feel quite special having my own story.

Hooray for thoughtful, sentimental, creative gift giving!

Dress and Sweater Re-fashion

2011-08-15T11:29:00.000-05:00

(excuse the dumb expression on my face)

I get a lot of compliments on my sewing. What people automatically assume is that I sew clothes. Although flattering, this hasn't been the case. I am not confident in this area, I think mostly because of sizing. In any case, I wanted to try some re-fahion type of clothing sewing. I figure all I have to lose is time. The first thing I did was turn my too-big skirt into a dress. I needed to make adjustments as I went, but in the end I made something that I'm not too embarrassed to wear in public.

Then I decided to turn a pull over sweater into a 3/4 length sleeve cardigan. Wool is not summer friendly, but it looked cute and I'm sure that I'll get a lot of wear out of this one. I googled cardigan re-fashion and read several blog entries on how to do it. I didn't really follow any one of them specifically, but I'm glad I researched it. I like how it turned out.

Checkin' In

2011-08-12T13:48:00.000-05:00

{Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken."

Ecclesiastes 4:12}

Hope you are all having a great summer so far. I can hardly believe how amazing the weather has been, not to mention the fact that there have hardly been any mosquitos!!! Surprised? Me too, especially considering this link I found. I am usually covered in bites by this time of the year and I think I've only had a couple bites the whole summer!

I have some random things that I wanted to share, so let's get to it.

SEVEN YEARS! That's how many David and I have been married! I am so blessed and so glad to say that I would choose him all over again if I had the choice. We read the scripture verse above during our wedding ceremony and it has been a foundational theme for our marriage. Without God, our marriage would easily fall apart. With God, I have an AWESOME marriage!
I recently started wearing eyeliner on a semi-regular basis. I've worn make-up since I turned 16 years old, but haven't worn much. I vaguely remember trying eyeliner in the early make-up years and found it such a hassle to take off that I never continued to wear it. Well, I still find it a pain to take off and I've noticed just how much eye make-up remover I go through. Well, when I saw this tutorial linked on Pinterest, I knew I'd have to try it. It works even better than the expensive brand name remover I was using and it's super cheap (I had all the ingredients on hand already).
I have been trying my hand at some re-fashion projects (pics coming next week). I "needed" a new outfit to wear on my anniversary date and dug in my closet for inspiration. I think I like what I've come up with and I'll share soon.
I've also made an anniversary gift for my David and I'm excited to show you that, too.
David and I have been taking a parenting class, boy oh boy! My recommendation: take a class before you have children, then you'll be ahead of the game. Having said that, there has been such great lessons and things we've been working on with Abigail, especially. It's hard WORK, but we are slowly seeing some fruit of our labours.
Heaping burning coals work! If you are struggling with someone, try doing kind things for them that they don't deserve (face it, we all need that) and wait and see what God does to change their hearts and attitudes toward you. I don't want to go into details here, just trust me and try it. Persevere!

"Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
   “I will take revenge;
      I will pay them back,”
      says the Lord.
  Instead,
   “If your enemies are hungry, feed them.
      If they are thirsty, give them something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap
      burning coals of shame on their heads.”
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:19-21

I don't think I've blogged about it, but this summer we tried a new product to help reduce the insane heat in our apartment. We have a huge picture window in our living room that gets direct sunlight for 9 hours of the day. Last summer, with an air conditioner, we hit 30 degrees daily! Gila Window Film has reduced the heat so much that on the days that I don't make it outside, I don't even realize that it's hot outside. So amazing!

Well, that's my random bits for now. I'll be back early next week to show you my latest projects, do a summer list check-in and perhaps share a bit about our anniversary. Have a great weekend!