Back to School Dates

Natalie, Makenna and Lacey are heading off to Grades 12, 10 and 8 respectively.

Daughters from each of our own three children. 

There is something about being cousins that overrules the difference in age

and it is such a delight to see them have fun together!

While we were driving to the mall, 

Natalie expressed her sadness at this being her last 
  "back to school" shopping date. 

That's who she is. She loves traditions and she loves her cousins.

At one store they had fun choosing crazy outfits for each other, 

outfits they would never buy but just enjoy trying on.

It made for good laughter in the changing  rooms.

 Makenna even found an outfit for me. 

I bet you'd like to see it ... the comeback bodysuit with a skirt!

At home we made personal pizzas and watched a movie. 

On another day my H took Landon and Koen golfing.

But he didn't think to take pictures. 

Now I wish I would have reminded him. 

These two are heading off to Grade 10 and 8.

Meanwhile, I pretty well take moment by moment photos ...

too many! 

I had harvested some of my lavender, thinking that the girls might like to make sachets.

Jack figured his mom would like this, so he didn't mind joining them at all. 

These youngest four are going into Grade 6, 4, 3 and 1. 

Jade came with me to get sachets 

and we grabbed this night light craft idea as we scurried down the aisle.

I was surprised again, how Dollar Store crafts could turn out so pretty!

They all love to paint. 

This is a unique year in that it's the first year that Makenna is attending school in Canada

and that we will have nine grandchildren, grades 1 through 12 attending the same school. 

It will keep things simpler,

keeping up with what's happening at school,

attending events, and cheering them on,

which we are privileged to do. 

All I can say is, where have the years gone? 

❤❤❤

Sugar and Spice

 

It was their first day of Christmas break and they came for breakfast.

It is easy to please this bunch with crepes ...

some like them with sugar, some with cinnamon sugar, others with strawberries and cream,

and a few with bananas and nutella. 

After breakfast we rolled German spiced peppernuts and sugar cookies. 

Peppernuts

I had found some great little craft packages 

(Christmas tree ornaments) at Target in the fall.

They turned out to be perfect for this age. 

The only one who didn't make any was Landon, 

but while the kitchen was busy, some took turns playing pool downstairs,

or hockey outside with Papa. 

They get both of us for these dates now and I love it! 

Lunch was simple ... chicken strips, mac and cheese and veggies.

And those trees on the island ...

they were a spur of the moment side trip to Save-On with Papa.

The girls who went with him came back full of smiles,

having picked out personal trees to take home. 

This still makes me smile to remember how excited they were!

Cookies and trees for this pre-Christmas week. 

And my heart filled up again,

savoring these special times. 

🤍🤍🤍

The Bouquet Farm

Two days after the highway opened Kari picked me and Kristal up

for a wreath making workshop in Yarrow (on the other side of the flooded area).

We had registered for this back in October, when all was fine.

We drove up to the cutest little store with a coffee truck alongside of it

where we got our eggnog lates and went around to the back, 

inside a tent.

Everyone got a moss wrapped wreath, wire and plenty of 

fir, pine, cedar and eucalyptus cuttings to choose from.

We began with a small bundle of greenery and wound the wire around it

and the wreath,

then continued by overlapping small bundles full circle.

It smelled wonderful!

At the end we chose pinecones and ribbon to finish them off. 

I don't know how this happened ...

we all had the same opportunities to choose,

but somehow Kristal's wreath ended up much bigger than Kari's and mine.

She definitely was all in on this project! 

Obviously it is fun to hang a homemade wreath on our door, 

but maybe it was even more about doing something together,

catching up and taking time to listen and laugh together

in the midst of other things calling for our attention. 

It's about seizing the day.

❤❤❤

 

Tea Party in a Box

 I'm going back now to the week that our kids left for Indonesia.

With new restrictions, plans for that week got changed again and again,

as we tried to figure out how to say our family goodbyes.

One of them, being a surprise cousin tea party for Makenna.

I decided to put together the ingredients needed

and send them along for a party with her friends overseas.

It was actually a lot of fun, given the initial disappointment, especially when I realized that her friends there had never had such a party. I had a large tin box. Inside I put three teacups with wrapped cookies tucked into the inverted cups, tea and sugar cubes.

For a craft, I bagged dried flowers and pine cones etc. from our garden.

Two different combinations, one woodsy and one floral.

Also, essential oils to enhance the scent and small organza sacs.

I did a practice run of what they could create.

It all fit into the tin like it was made for exactly that. 

The note included a recipe for scones and ideas for tiny sandwiches.

We both teared up when I handed it to her,

realizing that out of an initial disappointment,

something maybe even better had come about. 

Tiny Christmas Boxes

Last week when the one family of grands stayed with us for a few days, I saw again how they love to work with paper. They can keep busy for a long time drawing and coloring. Natalie also loves it when I let her get into my boxed cards, so she can write cards to people.
Something reminded me of how, years ago, our kids made tiny boxes, using recycled Christmas cards, and somehow I knew this could still go over well today.

To begin, I showed them a video I found on line and then, with some 

reminders, they went to it.

First they cut the card at the fold. 

Then they marked an X across the inside page, drawing  diagonal lines from one corner to the next.

For the top of the box (the picture part) they

folded the edges of all four sides to the center of the X

(these lines should be as crisp as possible)

When all four sides were folded,

they cut into the short end along the vertical fold just  toward the horizontal fold.

Next, they folded in the ends, overlapping the center and folding it over the top of the box,

then taping it in place.

This was repeated with the inside page of the card to make the bottom,

this time folding the edges a bit past the center of the X, to make it a wee bit smaller.

To cover any written words, you can line the box with tissue.

They were very proud of their boxes

and in no time each box had something small tucked in and was assigned to a lucky receiver. 

From precious memories of friends and family sending wishes
to this present day of cutting and folding -
I'm reminded again of how the past and the present meet in a wonderful cycle of life.
There were cards in the mix that may have been 20 or 30 years old
and I never would have guessed that my grandchildren would be the ones to use them.
It was definitely time.