Stella Family Christmas Tree: 2013

This is the first year we are hosting family Christmas, AND the first year we are actually allowed a REAL Christmas tree. (When we lived in a condo, Christmas Trees were not permitted due to insurance/cleanliness reasons) 

We decided to take a short drive out to Barrett's Christmas Tree Farm to pick one out, so we packed up my car with some snacks, our snowpants and the pupsters, and away we went! 

Zoey wasn't too impressed at first, but the promise of hot chocolate got her moving :) 

Post- Tree cutting... Tree got bailed & we had some Hot Chocolate and shortbread cookies!

And being the intelligent people we are.... we securely fastened the tree to the car via the windows.... ooops... 

Car doors wouldn't open and we had to climb in the windows.  At least everyone had a good laugh at our expense :P 

 

And of course, the most fun of all, decorating the tree! 

Belleville Santa Claus Parade: 2013

Last weekend, our little city held it's annual Santa Claus Parade.  

For a small city, it was a HUGE turnout, and the weather was perfect! Thank goodness it wasn't this weekend! It's getting COLD around here!! 

Zoey had a blast!  She caught on pretty quickly that pretty much everyone in the parade was giving out a treat of some sort (ugh...and we are still rationing her Halloween candy)  The pupsters liked it for the most part- getting a TON of attention from all the kids!! 

Halloween 2013

We had a GREAT Halloween this year!
We talked a lot about Halloween before the fact- just trying to make sure that Z understood (especially since she FLIPPED out when she saw decorations at Home Depot!)

We made cookies, carved Pumpkins and she even picked out her own costume!

Cookie Making 

Trick-or-Treating!

I hate that the best picture I had of the pumpkins has the camera strap in the corner :(

Run for the Cure 2013 (And What a Difference a Year Makes!)

2012-2013

Run for the Cure in support of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation is an event I have been participating in for 9 years! It is an even that is very close to my heart, and I am proud to raise money & show my support for the cause!

This year, well, things were a bit different!

1.  We participated for the first time in Kingston, Ont.
2.  J was with us again this year (having been away for a few years)
3.  I am 60+ lbs. lighter than I was last year! (I wasn't in many pictures last year, so sometimes I forget how different I looked! )
4.  Zoey has truly transformed into a little girl.  Where did my baby go?

50 Books in 2013: September Update

I have to admit, I've been reading a lot less since moving.  I have been spending most of my spare time talking with J & reconnecting.
Nonetheless, I am still well on my way to goal!

1.  The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
2.  Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
3.  I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
4.  Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
5.  We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
6.  Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
7.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
8.  This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
9.  The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
10.  Ru by Kim Thuy
11.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbotsky
12.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer
13.  Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
14.  Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15.  Wool Obnibus (Wool 1-5) by Hugh Howey
16.  Divergent by Veronica Roth
17.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth
18.  The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
19.  The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
20.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
21.  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
22.  Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
23.  Lover at Last by J.R. Ward
24.  Wonder by R.J. Palacio
25.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
26.  The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
27.  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.
28.  Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d'Art by Christopher Moore
29.  Rabbit, Run by John Updike
30.  Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World by Michael Lewis
31.  Dead Ever After by Charlene Harris
32.  The Girl Who Fell From the Sky by Heidi Durrow
33.  Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson
34.  Gone Girl by Jillian Flynn
35.  The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
36.  Big Brother by Lionel Shriver
37.  Bared to You by Sylvia Day
38.  Reflected in You by Silvia Day
39.  Entwined in You by Sylvia Day
40.  And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
41.  The Shining Girls by Lauren Beukes
42.  The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
43.  Odds Against Tomorrow by Nathaniel Rich
44.  Detroit: An American Autopsy by Charlie LeDuff
45.  American Savage: Insights, Slights and Fights on Fatih, Sex, Love and Politics by Dan Savage
46.  Let's Explore Diabetes with Owls by David Sedaris

Farm Day!

So we moved! (More on that another time.)
Today, we went to Cricklewood Farm to check out the corn maze!

I LOVE that our new home is SO close to so many fun things to do with children.  It's an adjustment for sure, but I love being so close to so many farms! 

50 Books in 2013: April

So, I have been reading.  A lot. With J gone, and my TV unplugged (yup, I literally unplugged my TV a month ago, and I don't miss it!) it has been easy to curl up with a book every night after Z. goes to bed.

Here is what I have read 2013 Year-To-Date:

1.  The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
2.  Waging Heavy Peace by Neil Young
3.  I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen by Sylvie Simmons
4.  Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
5.  We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver
6.  Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
7.  Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
8.  This is How You Lose Her by Junot Diaz
9.  The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
10.  Ru by Kim Thuy
11.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbotsky
12.  Cinder by Marissa Meyer
13.  Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
14.  Life of Pi by Yann Martel
15.  Wool Obnibus (Wool 1-5) by Hugh Howey
16.  Divergent by Veronica Roth
17.  Insurgent by Veronica Roth
18.  The Virgin Cure by Ami McKay
19.  The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick
20.  The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
21.  The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
22.  Half Blood Blues by Esi Edugyan
23.  Lover at Last by J.R. Ward
24.  Wonder by R.J. Palacio
25.  Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
26.  The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
27.  Still Missing by Chevy Stevens.

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Jo vs. The Pin: Meatloaf Cupcakes!

I don't eat any meat, but my kid and J. sure do!
I keep seeing all these wonderful pictures of people making "Meatloaf Cupcakes" so decided to give it a whirl.

It's tough making meat dishes for Z. when J is away, so I generally stick to vegetarian protein options, but since I can make a batch and freeze a bunch, this seemed like a great idea!

THE PIN: 

Mini Meatloafs

JO:

I have to say these were SO easy!  The hardest part was cleaning up!!  I just used my regular meatloaf recipe, then baked @400 for 20 minutes!

Z. LOVED them, and they are a perfect size for lunches!!

Meatloaf is Beautiful recipe: 

 (I halved the recipe and it made about 8 meatloaf cupcakes)

1 cup milk

3 cups soft bred crumbs

2Tbsp. minces parsley

2tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. thyme

4 green onions, finely chopped

1Tbsp. Dijon 

1tsp. savory

2 eggs

2lbs. lean ground beef. 

mix everything but meat.  add in beef & cook! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Z!

On Saturday, Zoey turned 2! It seems like just yesterday she was born... 

I decided on a RAINBOW theme for this years' party (which was low-key with family) 

I found SO many great ideas on Pinterest, and it was SO much fun putting everything together!!

DIY Tissue Pom-Poms!

 Happy Birthday Banner & Party Favours downloaded from HERE

 Fruit Skewers & Rainbow Veggie Tray

 THE CAKE!! (Yes I made it myself!! Just a little proud!)

And of course, the birthday girl herself!!!

1 Year later....

Remember how I said I wanted to blog more often in 2012?  Well I clearly failed. No real reason, I just got kinda... busy.

I figure the easiest way to do this is UPDATES!

J. 
After much deliberation and thought, J joined the Air-Force!! Of course, this means he has now been gone for almost a year on courses, training, etc.  It also means his new dress uniform is ugly, but I will get used to that.  We have been surviving on Skype, short visits and sheer willpower as Z and I miss him terribly. But ultimately, we know it is important that he is gainfully employed and SUPER proud he continues to serve Canada.
 
Also, he grew a mustache. (not so happy about that.) 

Me.
I completed several of my 2012 New Years Resolutions. 
1.  I FINALLY got my full Driver's License.  ( I knew how to drive, was just too lazy to go and get a real license, preferring to sit back and let bus driver's take me everywhere!)
I also got my first car: a beautiful 2012 Mazda 3 hatchback. Standard Transmission.  Her name is Hermione.
Here she is at the Superstore:

2.  I finally got serious about making my hands better.  I have been seeing a top rated dermatologist, and experimenting with lots of different lotions and potions. The results have been mixed, but things seem to be improving!

3.  I also returned to work in Jan./ Feb. 2013 in a new role. (same company) I work a few minutes from home, with an AWESOME team, and have been LOVING my new job.  I am SO happy I made the switch. 

4.  Lately I have been embarking on some self-improvement ventures.  It's been a long time coming,  and partially fueled by a personal tragedy, but more on that later!

Reading:

I didn't get much reading done in 2012- but I am back on the bandwagon this year, determined to complete my 50 books this year, I am well on my way with 21 under my belt thus far in 2013!

Pupsters: 
The pupsters continue to thrive and be the best puppies EVER.  I did however, have to send them on puppy vacation to the Island with my AWESOME in-laws.  With J gone, and me working full-time and Z in day care, it all became too much for me, and something had to give.  They are temporarily on vacation, and LOVING every second of it.  I see them often, and can't wait to snuggle with them on a regular basis.

Z. 
 What can I say, other that the kid is the center of my universe.  She is the smartest, most beautiful, funniest, most mischievous little girl on earth! I love her more and more every day.
 She's grown up so fast, and gotten skinnier, and louder, and grown the most curly little baby-fro.