London Calling!

My sister gave me the Big Ben and Double Decker Bus stamps for Christmas - aren't they cute?

I whipped out my stamps last night and got crafty.

It was an excellent form of procrastination.

Who wants to pack or figure out courses or do anything remotely productive...

It's not like I'm leaving in 4 days or anything...!

One Week

I leave for Leeds in one week.

AH!

This is how I feel:

Scared

Nervous

AHHH!!!

But I'm also excited!

This time next week I will be halfway across the world!

Christmas Feast

Christmas is my favourite time of year.
Why?
Because of the vast amounts of food I can justifiably consume.

This year's Holiday eating schedule went something like this: 

• December 23rd 
• Office Christmas party and Christmas karaoke with lots and lots of cocktails and a $5 turkey club to finish the night off
• December 24th
• My family Christmas Eve party, which is basically one giant potluck
• December 25th
• Turkey dinner with all the trimmings
• December 26th
• My sister's birthday dinner at Phnom Penh with THE best chicken wings
• December 27th
• Breakfast at White Spot, lunch with my grandma, and my sister's birthday party (too many meals to comment on)
• December 28th
• Farewell dinner for my sister
• December 29th
• Cookie extravaganza (self explanatory)
• December 30th
• Sushi at Hime where I had a Volcano Roll complete with a burning flame
• December 31st
• New Year's Eve dinner (and late night Chinese food when we got home)
• January 1st
• New Year's Day brunch

Whew! Just look at all that eating!


I only have photos from Turkey Dinner and the New Year's Day Brunch, but take a look!

For Turkey Dinner we had...
Turkey, ham, roasted yams & sweet potatoes, stuffing, sourdough bread, roasted carrots, mashed potatoes, sauteed mushrooms, and steamed brussels sprouts, broccoli & cauliflower.

 

 

For New Year's Day brunch we had...
Belgian & Mickey Mouse waffles (with fruit and whipped cream, of course), hashbrowns, peameal bacon, mini frittatas, fruit, biscotti, and cookies (from the Cookie Extravaganza).

Cookie Extravaganza!

My friend Michelle and I went on a cookie extravaganza!

I don't even know how many cookies we made, but I'm pretty sure I developed tendinitis or carpel tunnel or some sort of joint problem from all the decorating.

Look at our labour of love!

(Of course, all the unacceptable cookies that did not pass the aesthetics test were appropriately destroyed and not included in the photo documentation).

 

You're probably wondering, "How did she get those words on the cookies?"

Well...I used my new Message-In-A-Cookie cookie cutters!

Aren't they so cute? 

I love them! :)

Winter Wonderland

Vancouver really is a Winter Wonderland.
Moving away to Ontario has really made me appreciate all the wonderfulness that is Vancouver.
Just look at those beautiful snow-topped mountains!

The view from my office balcony

The view from Highbury & 13th

Then, to get in the mood for the Holidays, I made Ginger Molasses Cookies.

Ginger Molasses Cookies - Martha Stewart

1/2 cup unsalted butter (I used margarine), room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup castor sugar for rolling
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground allspice (I omitted this)
1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Beat butter with brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
2. Mix in eggs one at a time.
3. Mix in molasses and oil.
4. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in dry ingredients.
5. Cover dough and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
7. Form dough into balls, roll in castor sugar, place on prepared baking sheets.
8. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are flat and centers are set, about 17 minutes.
9. Eat.

Om nom nom nom nom.

THEN, I got even more festive and made Christmas cards!

I cut out the mittens, ornaments, and fir trees from the various Christmas advertisements we've been getting with our newspaper.
Oh, and the first three types of cards have writing on the inside rather than the outside - Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc.

Mmm...I love the Holidays :)

I Like You

This is just the cutest children's book ever, so I had to share it.
Unfortunately I couldn't find any images of the illustrations, and I don't have a hard copy of the book, but I assure you the images are just  as cute as the text.

I Like You - Sandol Stoddard Warburg

I like you and I know why
I like you because you are a good person to like
I like you because when I tell you something special, you know it's special
And you remember it a long, long time
You say, Remember when you told me something special
And both of us remember

When I think something is important
You think it's important too
We have good ideas
When I say something funny, you laugh
I think I'm funny and you think I'm funny too
Hah-hah!

I like you because you know where I'm ticklish
And you don't tickle me there except just a little tiny bit sometimes
But if you do, then I know where to tickle you too
 
You know how to be silly
That's why I like you
Boy are you ever silly
I never met anybody sillier than me till I met you
I like you because you know when it's time to stop being silly
Maybe day after tomorrow
Maybe never
Too late, it's a quarter past silly
 

Sometimes we don't say a word
We snurkle under fences
We spy secret places
If I am a goofus on the roofus hollering my head off
You are one too
If I pretend I am drowning, you pretend you are saving me
If I am getting ready to pop a paper bag,
then you are getting ready to jump
HOORAY

That's because you really like me
You really like me, don't you
And I really like you back
And you like me back and I like you back
And that's the way we keep on going every day

If you go away, then I go away too
Or if I stay home, you send me a postcard
You don't just say "Well see you around sometime, bye"
I like you a lot because of that
If I go away, I send you a postcard too
 
And I like you because if we go away together
And if we are in Grand Central Station
And if I get lost
Then you are the one that is yelling for me

And I like you because when I am feeling sad
You don't always cheer me up right away
Sometimes it is better to be sad
You can't stand the others being so googly and gaggly every single minute
You want to think about things
It takes time

I like you because if I am mad at you
Then you are mad at me too
It's awful when the other person isn't
They are so nice and hoo-hoo you could just about punch them in the nose

I like you because if I think I am going to throw up
Then you are really sorry
You don't just pretend you are busy looking at the birdies and all that
You say, maybe it was something you ate
You say, the same thing happened to me one time
And the same thing did

If you find two four-leaf clovers, you give me one
If I find four, I give you two
If we only find three, we keep on looking
Sometimes we have good luck, and sometimes we don't

If I break my arm, and if you break your arm too
Then it's fun to have a broken arm
I tell you about mine, you tell me about yours
We are both sorry
We write our names and draw pictures
We show everybody and they wish they had a broken arm too

I like you because I don't know why but
Everything that happens is nicer with you
I can't remember when I didn't like you
It must have been lonesome then

I like you because, because, because
I forget why I like you but I do
So many reasons

On the 4th of July I like you because it's the 4th of July
On the fifth of July, I like you too
If you and I had some drums and some horns and some horses
If we had some hats and some flags and some fire engines
We could be a HOLIDAY
We could be a CELEBRATION
We could be a WHOLE PARADE
See what I mean?

Even if it was the 999th of July
Even if it was August
Even if it was way down at the bottom of November
Even if it was no place particular in January
I would go on choosing you
And you would go on choosing me
Over and over again
That's how it would happen every time

I don't know why
I guess I don't know why I really like you
Why do I like you
I guess I just like you
I guess I just like you because I like you

Crafty Time - AGAIN!

I admit I've been neglecting my blog. 

I wanted to try and post once a week, but that failed.

Sorry...

So, rather than blogging, I've been getting crafty (and perfecting my blanket stitch)!

Look at what I made! 

A pepper shaker shaped stuffie!

 

 And a mini pepper shaker shaped stuffie!