The excitement begins!

We got our flooring, trim and doors removed just in time for the carpet-layers to come today.  Here are the before pictures of our empty basement (minus the one room we shoved everything into). 

Today they put in all the spikes and the underlay.  Tomorrow they will start on the carpet!  I can't wait till it is finished and we can get everything put back together (more like 'finally' having everything in place since we first moved in 3 years ago).

Ian also painted (for me) the wall above the fireplace.  It was white but I thought the fireplace would stand out more if the wall above it wasn't white as well.  He still has some trim to put around the ceiling and we are going to put some faux stone directly around the fireplace insert (instead of the ugly tile that is currently there).  It will look like a million bucks after this is all complete!!!!!

We discovered while removing the old carpet that this fireplace was built on top of the old carpet! (the horror).  I'm pretty sure that isn't fire regulation, and if we didn't have to destroy the whole thing to make it right, we would have.  We (of course by 'we' I always mean Ian) had to cut around the fireplace to get the carpet off.

Stay tuned for pictures of the next phase!

Picture a Christmas!

It is still January so this Christmas post is not extremely overdue!!!!!

We had a good, but sick Christmas this year!  The week before Christmas the nasty nora-virus circulated through our whole house.  It was brutal to suffer through and even harder to watch my little ones endure it.  We were better just in time to travel to my family in Edmonton for Christmas Eve Day.  Sadly the rest of my family got the illness within days of our arrival so our regular festivities (mainly eating) were saved for when people could eat again.  We still enjoyed our visit however and continue to deny our part in spreading the virus ;)

Decorating for Christmas

Christmas Eve at the Burnham's

 The soother give away that didn't turn out!

 the best Christmas hats ever!

Christmas pj's

Christmas morning, going to church before opening stockings/gifts

I am still figuring out camera settings on my new Canon Rebel (this will likely be a lifetime process), so the colouring is kind of off in some or others blurry.

I didn't take any pictures of the gift opening but we all were very spoiled and are very grateful.  I think Hailey and Daddy have been enjoying the 'marble works' the most!  We hope you all had a great Christmas and still hold on to the joy of the season throughout the year.  We sure will!

Kalinda's Baby Shower

Yay for baby showers and Welcome baby Macie!!!!  I hosted this shower (with my friend Kristi) for Kalinda and her new daughter.  I was really excited about it and had fun making the decorations...  I now have an obsession with pennant banners - LOVE THEM!

Today has been a rough day with my girls and not even a second to myself (Q FINALLY went to sleep and I put H in front of a movie just to get this done) so I won't say much more than it went well, baby Mommy enjoyed it and sweet baby M slept through the whole thing :)  Next time I host a shower I will make sure to get started on the planning sooner and to not have another baby for a LONG time!

 The lighting was not working for me with my new camera so everything seems very pink....

 The treat table (thank you Tiff for lending me your cute serving plates/jars)

 I love this diaper cake and how simple it is... I totally wanted to keep it... but since my daughter is not named Macie and I have no need for size 1 diapers (remember not for a LONG time) I relinquished it to the baby momma :)

 Cute cupcakes, always a win.... thank you Kristi for saving the icing that was not working for me and doing the swirls!

 Some guests

 The pennant banner - so easy to make... with just bias tape and paper triangles... LOVE IT!

 The baby guest of honour

 The momma guest of honour

 Already looking so AWESOME after only 3 weeks!

 Hello cuteness!

 Some awesome Baprons made by Heather! I totally need to make those for my pukey baby.

Thank you to all who came out to Celebrate!

I Love It and I Hate It!

This soother is my nemesis! 

Christmas eve Hailey, now 28 mths old, made a trade with Santa Claus.  She gave him her 2 remaining soothers in exchange for a tool box with tools in it.  We had been talking about this trade (to prepare her) for at least a month prior to Christmas.

The time came a week ago and the trade was made.  Hailey was a bit hesitant as she put her soothers in Santa's bag (to give to the other kids who need 'soo soos').  She received her tools and all was well until bed time.

We had previously weened Hailey to having her soo soo only when sleeping so she was already fine during the day without it.

Once it came time to go to bed though we had a very upset little girl who wasn't too happy with Santa Claus.  Ian and I  knew it would be rough for a few days and we prepared ourselves for the night ahead.  Hailey woke up numerous times that night asking for her soother and just generally very unhappy.  The days went on and she didn't get any better.  We had numerous cries for 'soo soo' and then more appeals for a cup of milk.  Now when you have to get up 4 times (or more) during the night it is just easier to give in.  Since then Hailey has been drinking a lot of milk!

After 4 days we headed back home (as we were at my parents for Christmas) and things got even worse.  I think Hailey thought she would get her soother back once we got home from Grandma's.  It has been a whole week and things are not getting better.  I am so tired of getting woken up all night by a screaming toddler (especially when my baby sleeps 12 hrs straight).

Come tomorrow I am going out and buying a new soother to end the madness.  Yes, that's right.  I am giving up..... for now.  I think that Hailey drinking a cup (or 2) of milk all night is way more damaging that sucking on a soother.  She isn't even two and a half yet.... so I will indulge the sleeptime soother addiction a little longer... in hopes that she will give it up on her own before she is 3.

Mommy and Hailey are not ready to be without you yet 'soo soo'!

Organize it Mondays - Silverware drawer

We are sure hoping for a healthy Christmas at our house!  As if the 4 months of colds weren't enough... we were hit this weekend with that horrible flu that is going around.  I got it first and thought maybe we were in the clear with 2 full days and no other sickies.... then last night I was woken up (though barely asleep) at midnight with toddler puke.  I was awake most of the night attempting to ensure that a bucket made it under her mouth in time.  I was mostly successful and only had to do one load of laundry.

Organize It Mondays - Silverware Drawer

enough about the sickness... moving onto my regular Monday posts.  (I needed something small and manageable today with the events of last night) so as I was unloading my clean dishes from the dishwasher I couldn't bare to put another clean utensil in a dirty utensil tray (I had been looking at this dirty tray for weeks but had yet to do anything about it - how does a drawer that holds only clean items get so dirty anyway?)

Looking at these pictures you can't see the dirt, but the drawer was gross

There were a few problems with this drawer (though I know it is already fairly organized).  My main problem is that the silverware tray would slide into the back of the drawer and I couldn't easily get at the baby utensils I had at the back.

I pulled everything out of the tray, cleaned it (and the drawer) and took out the items we never use (mainly the chopsticks and fondue sticks).  I added in a drawer liner to prevent sliding.

I moved some of the items I had at the front of the drawer into the empty sections (from the chopsticks and fondue sticks) and placed everything back in.

The tray no longer slides and I turned the tray so the baby spoons are at the front and easier to access.

Easy-peasy and cost me nothing as I had the drawer liner on hand already.

It is amazing how long we live with something that isn't as efficient as it could be, especially something so easy to fix.

I love it and challenge you to clean your silverware tray (come on, we all know it is dirty ;)

leave of absence

until my daughters let me sleep for more than one hour at a time the blog posts will be on hold!  I will return to my regular posts ASAP!

a week off

My girls are sick.... yes AGAIN, or still.  It is never ending.  I'm pretty sure they have had a cold for 4 months straight now (along with teething).  I haven't slept through the night in probably that long (and I was on such a roll with baby going all night without eating or waking up).

I am grateful they are just minor colds and nothing worse.  I am looking forward to having a schedule again (or maybe for the first time since Hailey was born).  Here is what my 'schedule' would look like (and I am trying to be realistic here)...

7 am - Wake up before girls, shower, have breakfast, get dressed (because at this point I have slept all night and feel great)

8 am - Girls get up - feed them breakfast, clean up kitchen, get them dressed/changed.

9 am - Play time for kiddos/Computer time for Mommy

10 am - Quinn nap/Play with Hailey outside

11 am - Hailey play time alone in room/Mommy lunch prep

11:30 am - Lunch for both girls

12:00 pm - Lunch for mommy and daddy/clean up/Girls play

1 pm - Hailey nap time/ Mommy projects/cleaning

2 pm - Quinn nap time/ Mommy projects/cleaning

3:30 pm - Snack time for girls/Clean up

4 pm - Hailey activity

4:45 pm - Dinner prep/ Hailey alone play in room

5:45 pm - Dinner for all/Clean up

6:30 pm - Girls play/ House projects/chores

7:15 pm - Bathtime and bed routine for girls

8:00 pm - Girls in bed/Mommy relaxing time

10:00 pm - Mommy to bed!!!!

It's possible right?  Maybe don't answer that... I can always hope :)

I will return to my regular Mon/Wed postings next week.... perhaps next week I will get something done!