Winter in Disguise

It was such a warm winter day that it felt like Winter was pretending to be Spring today (that's what I told my daughter).  Of course we had to go out for a walk 'cuz if you know me, I dread cold winter days. Even if it's a fake spring day, I'll jump on this opportunity for some outdoor fun with my daughter.

My daughter was super excited about going to the park. Upon arriving at the park, we saw some strange sculptures that I never saw before. I thought the school added a new sculpture so we had to go check it out.

It turns out they were giant snowballs that haven't melted away yet. lol.

That's the oddest thing I've seen.

Then we went to explore the rest of the park and playground.

Isn't this the neatest thing? We had some fun taking turns finding letters.

That's my highlight of the day. Tomorrow I'm back to work. Oh, I'm also finally better from my 3 week flu or whatever it was but it looks like my husband caught it :( Hope he gets better soon.

 Happy Weekend Everyone!

Currently

I saw this Currently list over at Amy Tangerine's blog post so thought I'd give it a try. Just for fun :)

Drinking: water...finally changed my water filter
Eating: clementines, Strepsils...yes, I'm sick :(, started taking vitamins again
Listening: any sounds of crying from my daughter
Wearing: red/pink/white checkered pyjama pants I got from Christmas and my husband's huge Homer Simpson T-shirt that even he hardly wears lol (it's comfy though)
Reading: blogs from my reading list of 200+ blogs that I happen to end up following
Feeling: tired but not ready to sleep
Weather: coldddd
Wanting: more personal time for arting/craft purposes
Needing: to sleep more and start exercising again
Wishing: my husband gets better from being sick again and for my daughter and husband to get along better
Thinking: when will I stop being sick, what to teach for art on Monday, whether I should play my age old fav RPG Chrono Cross my husband got me hooked on last night with his new PSVita -_-, and where I misplaced my cell phone
Enjoying: some quiet down time and today's memories of brunch at Cora's and family day out grocery shopping (Costco, Whole Foods)
Loving: my husband and daughter

I think I'll be making this a monthly post. Why not give it a go too? :)

Blessings of 2012

It's unbelievable how quickly a year can pass. I can still remember last New Year's Eve as if it was yesterday. My husband and I finally arranged a date night and went to a Mexican restaurant where we ended up ordering way more dishes than we could finish. We had a nice, long dinner which is rare for us as parents to a young one. My husband drove back through the dark countryside sprinkled here and there with a few lights as I enjoyed the peace we don't always get in the city.

edit: Whoops, apparently that happened 2 years ago in 2010 and my memory is quite vague of last New Year's Eve. lol.

As 2012 comes to an end, I'd like to think about some of the highlights and my blessings of this year and the hopes that come with it...

• My daughter-She's grown up so much and I find myself often looking back at her younger days trying hard to hold on to those memories while knowing perfectly well that she will have to grow up. Her language development amazes me everyday and she says the funniest things. I've tried to keep track of some them through fb. I've had some many wonderful times with her...visits to the ROM, Kindermusik times, visiting early years centre, a few playdates, her first birthday party with a friend her age, going to paint lounge with her. Some of my best magical moments are all the times I get to spend at home with her and sometimes coming up with creative and imaginative things to do. There were also frustrations with potty training too but she had a sudden major breakthrough in Sept and now she's almost potty trained. She also went to preschool for the first time but too bad she soon grew tired of going and didn't enjoy the company of the other kids there. We'll see how 2013 goes of my little girl.
• My husband -My husband is the sweetest guy I've ever met and he continues to hold that special place in my heart. He's the most supportive person in my life and spoils me way too much (yes, I feel like a little princess). There has been ups and downs especially since we have virtually no dating time but we have a lot of magical family times...our new normal as parents. We do manage to go on some dates and it's been nice (he spoils me again by taking me to my favourite one of a kind/handmade shows). He also takes really good care of me and is my true soulmate. I hope to spend more time with him and really cherish the moments we have together.
• My family- I've been very lucky to have some many close family who care about me and my daughter. My aunts and cooking uncle have always been there to take care of my daughter when I had to work, get something done, and even to go on a date. My brother is always taking care of the house and been helping here and there. I hope to return the favour somehow. 
• Work-Ever since graduating teacher's college, I haven't had much classroom teaching experience. At the beginning of this year (which was the end of the school year), I had the opportunity to teach Art and English. It was busy but a great learning experience. I met really nice teaching colleagues there. I worked at a camp where I discovered my face painting ability. :) I also returned to a tutor centre just 10 minutes away from my house to work which still gives me a lot of time to spend with my daughter. It was also really fun that I got to supply teach at a preschool program-lots of inspiration for things to do with my daughter. I've yet to figure out what I really want to do but I'm happy right now working part time.
• Health-After 3 weeks of the flu and bad cough recently and a food poisoning incident, I'm more than ready to welcome the New Year with some good health. Throughout this year, I've had a lot of chance to go to different yoga studios and I just love the inner peace and de-stressing element I get into. The last yoga studio I visited was back in September and while I didn't really de-stress from the experience, the challenging workout kickstarted me into 5 weeks of Insanity workout every morning. At the time, I felt so more energetic and alive. Sadly, I've let that go in the last 2 months. I really hope to get started on a good fitness routine in the New Year and go back to yoga (I miss it so much!)  
• Arts and Craft-This year I discovered a whole world out there in the blogosphere for card-making and creative people. I revisited my craft supplies and took a dive into cardmaking every few nights (at one point, almost every night). It's been such a fun experience being inspired by others, creating my own cards, and then getting feedback. I also got to be in a design team, won a few neat giveaways, and possibly being published in a magazine (I won't know till they send the magazine sometime next year). In terms of Art, I had the opportunity to go to Paint Lounge where it reignited my passion for painting and creating art. It's been such a passion fulfilling experience and I hope I'll have more time to create more in the New Year-whether it's cards or art. 

The future is a blank canvas, ready for us to make our mark.

2013 here I come!

Snow Day Take 2

After yesterday's little 15 min snow day adventure, we went to the backyard today for some more snow day fun-this time we ended up staying outside for an hour (a big improvement for a non outdoorsy person like me). I finally managed to make a little snowman for my daughter out of the non packing snow. She says it's Frosty and wanted to stay outside with him to make sure he's not lonely or sad. Such a sweet heart <3

Winter Wonderland

Winter is here!

I think it took us more time bundling up than playing outside. Oh well. :)

A little birthday card

 My little cousin turned 21 earlier this month. I remember her ever since a baby. It's always feels odd to me how little ones grow up so fast but I still think of them as kids. I've had so many great and funny memories with my cousin. Now that I have a family, I don't have the same time to spend watching movie marathons, stashing up on snacks, and going on fooding adventures with her. I find that I don't know her as I used to but deep down though, she's still that little girl I know that still loves her stuffy toys :)

The card is made with all hoarded materials (you may recognize the patterned balloons from this post). I find myself trying to really use and appreciate what I have (and with my few recent craft purchases, I've sort of vowed to stop buying anything till at least Christmas or 1 year from now-wish me luck!). If you happen to have lots of craft stash or craft items you really haven't used much of, try to make use it up and link it to Use It Tuesday's challenge this week.

New Nest

My elementary school friend is having a housewarming party tonight. I made her a little card. :)

I was so surprised when my friend announced that she was moving out with her bf a few months ago. I guess because most of my closest elementary school friends still live in the same place close by our elementary school. It always amazes me how we still keep in touch after all this time. In fact, they have been there through my milestones and have an important place in my heart.

It took me a long time to make this card mostly because I was experimenting with different ideas (textured background, distressing, spritzing with water, text art) and I finally settled on this. This was the kind of card I've been making last year and I guess I've come full circle back to simple quilled cards again. The nest is made based on the tutorial from Do More with Less with the Guest Designer Miae Rowe and there is a little challenge over there to use that masking tape technique. Give it a try :)

Tonight I am heading off on vacation so I may not be posting for awhile although there may be a surprise later next week :)

A little getaway...

I just spent the last 2 days over at my Mom-in-law's house in a little town near London, Ontario. The decision was made to take the 2 hour drive there after my little 2 year old somehow convinced my husband to take her to grandma's house while I was at work. Either my daughter is very persuasive (taking on her dad's trait) or my husband is too soft hearted to say no to her. Either way, the spontaneous little getaway was a lot of fun.

My daughter got to see her grandma (who had saved so many toys and books for her granddaughter in case she were to visit at anytime). They both spent a lot of time together which was nice since we didn't visit since Christmas time. The weather was beautiful in the last 2 days too. It was also nice for my husband and I to get to have a little break from the full responsibilities of being a parent.    

My granddaughter also got to see her grandpa. We met up with him and had lunch at a burger bistro called "The Works." While the burger beef patties were a bit on the dry/bland side, I thought the rugged/construction thematic decor was soo creative!

Salt and pepper shakers made to look like light bulbs, measuring cups used as glasses for water, humourous descriptions in their menu-I loved it!

Since we were in the western part of Ontario, the farms there were plentiful and nothing short of farm fresh foods. The strawberry season is just coming to an end (early this year) so we caught the last of it and bought some freshly picked strawberries-SO sweet and juicy! My husband (aka Chef Quan) had meant to make this awhile back but never had his hands on fresh strawberries. Here is his creation!

Cheesecake in a mason jar <3 and it was delicious! The consistency wasn't very thick since it was a non bake cheesecake so we decided to call it Cheesecake Parfait instead :) 


That's my post for tonight! I've got 3 more days till I take a vacation to the beach!

missing the beach days...

I couldn't help myself but make another card tonight. Whenever I get an idea or want to try out something, I suddenly get an adrenaline boost. :) The inspiration photo is available on the challenge link.

I tried out my new Copic markers some more on this card. I'm really liking the blue background for the sentiment (I previously used acrylic ink on another paper and got to use it today). I'm also liking the sandy like texture from the distressing.

In relation to this card, are my memories of the beach. I actually wrote it up for a travel story challenge over at Just Keep On Creating and I'm pasting it here.

One of the travel memories on my mind these days was when I went to visit my father in law's place with my husband and almost 1.5 year old daughter (at the time) at Port Franks, Canada last summer. His small town has a private beach for Port Franks' residents and it was one of the most beautiful beaches I've been to (I haven't been to a lot of beaches though). The sand was so fine, it was not busy, and it was a good size (not too big/small). I remember taking my daughter there for the first time and how she absolutely loved the feeling of the warm grains of sand against her little feet. We went everyday in the 2 weeks that we were there to the beach there and also another nearby beach at Grand Bend (15 minute drive away). There were lots of memories there...the first time that my daughter saw fireworks on Canada Day night...attempting and failing to build a sand castle...digging a deep hole in the sand instead...the seashells that my daughter found...one time being locked out of our car and peacefully staying in the shade as my daughter napped and my husband finding help...wearing a bikini for the first time and feeling ok about especially with all the stretch marks...the scotching hot sand after the place has been exposed to many hours in the blazing summer sun...going into the water with my daughter with her lifejacket...watching my husband and daughter swim, splish and splash in the water...having my daughter call the water "bath"...the extremely windy day when we were the only ones on the beach and throwing sand in the air to see how far it would go...so many amazing memories just from one place...I hope I can return there this year :)


 Challenge:
(Pin)spirational Challenge #5 
Just Keep on Creating Challenge #2