1|31|2010

Today was a relaxing day before we headed back to Sask. We moved our belongings from Casa de Chibry over to my sister Amber's house, to stay with her overnight. Our friends Kelly & Ross invited us all over for lunch and a visit. Their little ones Kyran & Tianna have grown so much, it was great to see them all!

Relaxing and catching up on some rest at Auntie Amber's.

1|30|2010

The two biggest Calgary Flames fans I know....Cory & Dee-Ann.

Thanks to these two, we were invited out for dinner & a hockey game...just when I thought we wouldn't get a date night in for January. Thanks so much guys for treating us to the game (and to Shelby for babysitting). We had a blast and it felt like old times.

We actually owe these guys and the entire Chibry family for re-arranging their schedule for the weekend to accommodate our last minute trip to Calgary. Even though our trip wasn't for happy reasons, these guys really went out of their way to make us comfortable, we had a good visit.

Felt great being in the 'Dome' again!

Love the sound of the puck and the smell of the ice in this arena.

And to top it all off, it was a really great game!

Visit with Great Grandma & Grandpa

Couldn't leave Calgary without a visit with Cory's Grandparents.

They treated us to brunch; a tradition we had almost every Sunday when we lived in the city.

Memories of Hudson

Most of you who have followed me on my blog have heard of the tragedy we've experienced this week. Baby Hudson will be missed and forever loved. I leave you with photos of all our family members meeting Hudson for the first time...such a special day for us. A photo tribute to Hudson can be found here.

1|29|2010

On this very sad day of Hudson's funeral, these faces made us smile.

Ace & Kaeden playing games.

Kaeden & his favorite ice cream. He said to me after supper, 'Starr, do you wanna know what the best flavor of ice cream is?...Chunky Monkey!'

As Scarlett eyed up Kaeden's snack from across the table, I told him of Scarlett's ability to persuade others to share snacks. He was so nice to share his ice cream with Scarlett in her favorite frog bowl at the Chibry household.

2010 Resolutions

This is a little late, but thought I'd share what I choose for my 2010 resolutions. Used this super-cute free download from House of 3 and voila!

1|28|2010

A butterfly lights beside us like a sunbeam

And for a brief moment it's glory and beauty

belong to our world, but then it flies on again

And though we wish it could have stayed,

We feel so lucky to have seen it.

For those of you interested, please feel free to read the beautifully written words about Hudson here.

1|27|2010

A summary of my day today:

- wished my Mom a Happy Birthday!

- sipped on a hot cocoa in a new Starbucks cup

- caught up on bookkeeping

- made arrangements for a trip to Calgary

- had a nap with Scarlett

- re-booked appointments

- received emails and calls from many caring & heartfelt friends

- colored with Ace after school

- finished laundry

- snuggled the kiddos to sleep

1|26|2010

Please keep my dear friend Kim Avery in your thoughts. She lost her 7 month old son Hudson yesterday. It's an unimaginable tragedy. We are heart-broken. Thank you everyone for your kind words, love & support.

Since there are no words to describe the emotions, I leave you with this quote: "Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal" From a headstone in Ireland

1|25|2010

I love to watch our little artist at work! Ace has a gift and he's so lucky to be aware of one of his gifts this early in life. You could set a box of crayons and a stack of blank paper in front of him and offer him any activity, I'm pretty sure this is what he'd choose. Soon we are going to need more walls to put these masterpieces on, that makes me smile!

1|24|2010

Icy Day

We've been hit by an icy snowstorm in our section of Saskatchewan. Taking close-ups of these icy branches really made me want a macro lens today...it's at the top of my wishlist!

1|23|2010

Happy Mail

Yesterday Cory picked up the mail at our US post office box and brought home these goodies...all free catalogues, but that means hours of 'eye candy' for me. It was the perfect way to spend this relaxing snowy day as the kiddos have the sniffles and we all kept snugly inside.

1|22|2010

Hope for Haiti

The devastation in Haiti has really hit home for each of us in our family (the first earthquake happened on Scarlett's 4th birthday). We have done our best to explain to Ace & Scarlett what is going on in there. Tonight we felt so proud of our kids who went to their chore jars and each decided to donate $20 during the Hope for Haiti program (www.canadaforhaiti.com). They challenged all their little friends to match their donation. Ace even made this sign to urge those of you who haven't given, to give. I wish we could be there in Haiti to help, but unfortunately with our kids being small right now it wouldn't be possible. I hope disaster relief is something Cory & I can go to other countries for and help with someday.

This was my photo of the day before we got so involved with Hope for Haiti...homemade pizza for supper tonight, and almost forgot to get a photo till there was only 1 piece left.

Winter Paper Bag Album

A closer look at the finished sample for the Winter Paper Bag Album I taught this week at the Expressway Family Centre. I mainly used this Simply Scrappin kit, white paper bags (sewn together) and lots of fun ribbon. The class was a hit! You can order a kit for $25, let me know if you're interested. And don't forget about the Sale-A-Bration event on now with Stampin' Up!, order online or contact me for details.

1|21|2010

Could it be...a {SPARK} of creativity?

I have been spending alot of time crafting this past week. It's feeling so good to have the creativity flowing again! There's no shortage of friends to send cards to, so these went out the door the same day...glad I snapped some pics before.

1|20|2010

Craving of the week...I can't get enough Mars bars and citrus fruits!

1|19|2010

Caught!

These two...I had to laugh when I found them dipping into the peanut butter today. They were playing quietly in the mudroom & pantry. They were pretending the pantry was a grocery store, even had re-useable shopping bags. They'd pack up their bags, pay & unpack the groceries in our boot rack, too funny. I suspected something when I didn't hear any noise for a while and sure enough, they were up to some mischief. I warned them that just because Mommy was taking a photo of them, that didn't mean it was OK to stick their fingers in the peanut butter!!!

1|18|2010

We're thrilled that Cory's office is in our home. He often sits at his desk reviewing prints & doing work. He is amazing at what he does in construction, helping others build their dreams! I'm thrilled to be a part of our family business and to contribute & support something that means so much to him.

Our neighbors have a new addition to their family. They named her Angel and she is just adorable and so cuddly...the kids love her.

This morning the frost was glimmering on the trees. It was beautiful!

The East side of town was especially sparkly, with the sun shining brightly on the frosty trees.