Happiest of New Year Wishes To You!

2010 was a very memorable year..

but I have a feeling that 2011 will be even better :)

Next week I will be posting about a few of the resolutions I made..

but right now I'm off to prepare appetizers..

hoped to show you pics of the glitzy little cocktail set up, but there is NO time!

Hoping you have a wonderful, fantastical evening, my friends.

Holiday Sparkle

A New Year is upon us..

how are you celebrating?

We are having some friends here..
 and this year I am craving sparkle!

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til next time..

Apres Ski Haven

Today we hit the slopes to celebrate Coco's bday..

it was beautiful - great snow, sunny and mild.

All the kids are skiing on their own now 

and we gleefully bombed through the trails - 

feeling no pain, spending the entire day out there.

And now I need this.

Badly.

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Off to pour a glass of wine and find the epsom salts :)

til next time..

Moving On From Christmas to a New Year..

So our Christmas flew by.. yours?

Sorry for the lack of posts but today is our first day with no festive plans!

The kids had a blast on Christmas morning, of course...

The hit of the day was the plastic slinky!

He wants to be an engineer and build solar powered cars, so lego comes naturally :)

She has discovered the joy of reading, and neon hair :)

The eldest darling wore her new ski jacket and pandora bracelet

 the entire time she was magnifying everything in the house... 

"eww, Mum, come see what my hair/tissue paper/dog treats look like"

Days filled with skiing, skating, walks in the snowy woods and travel to see the families..

it was full of laughs and hugs, just as it should be, 

and I'm thankful for all of our blessings.

(and my new Kate Spade bag! 

A complete surprise, from my honey, who knows what I would love before I do :)

Now comes the next part, packing up and moving on.

I don't know if any of you experience this,

 but removing all the excess and then giving the house a good clean

 leaves me feeling ready for the New Year.

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Maybe it's trying to find space for the new "things" that have entered the home over the holidays,

 but this is usually when my organizational side kicks in and the need to start cleaning out closets..

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Over the next few weeks I am going to tackle some of our bigger storage and organization problems,

hopefully you'll come by and share your tips with us!

Today I'm packing Christmas decorations.

I wrap them in tissue and place into labelled (glass balls, etc)

 red plastic storage containers in the basement.

I guess it's not a surprise that I like color coding everything :)

How do you store your decorations?

Are you still in Christmas mode or have you packed up already?

til next time..

Open House and Merry Christmas!

It's here :)

Thought you may like to see

a little Christmas sprinkled through our home...

The entry - I made those sequined balls one year, and they always add a little sparkle somewhere.

We set up the nativity scene in the living room, and have been reading the story of Christmas nightly..

A few amaryllis brighten up this corner.

Onward to the kitchen - where the goodies are...

It's cookie heaven around here! 

Hopefully the neighbours will clean us out this evening,

 I have to stop eating them!

Then down to the family room, the greenery on the mantle smells fantastic :)

I gathered a few boughs from the forest out back, and tucked in some of our feathered friends.

This is the first year we have had such a traditional tree.

I began collecting angel ornaments in white, silver and gold when Natasha was born,

 and there's quite a few.. but this year they stayed packed.

The kids wanted to put all their Christmas crafts from years past on the tree, so we got out all the red decorations, and added some candy canes and balls to our collection...

The wrapping has a homespun feel, to go along with the tree.

Craft paper, bits of twine, and the paper D. bought with the kids :)

Since we usually do not add much red, this is a really festive departure.

I am actually feeling a bit of red overload!

 None of the presents from D. are here yet, of course, he always wraps his on Christmas Eve, LOL.

Tonight we are off to Mass, and then the kids each receive one present to open

(it's always new pj's and slippers!)

Tomorrow we will have a huge brunch with Mimosas,

 a little afternoon skate at the outdoor ice down the street

 and then a wonderful dinner with family...

what could be better?

I hope tomorrow finds you with friends and family...

Merry Christmas :)

til next time..

Masterpieces from Paper

I am bowled-over by these paper sculptures by Helen Musselwhite.

Paper art is something I have been exploring lately in several projects,

and if ever there was inspiration, here it is...

Exquisite beauty from such a humble medium.

til next time..

The Escape You Have Been Looking For

It's been a while since a hotel took my breath away.

I"m truly not interested in indulgence and excess at the moment.

Maybe it is the holiday madness, 

but this destination, which interprets it's surroundings so well, is calling..

The Juvet Landscape Hotel, Norway.

Here

sit seven cubes, each uniquely

designed by their architects

to blend in with the terrain

and to take advantage of the spectacular environment,

no matter the season.

To say that they have removed visual distraction from these structures

is an understatement.

But they are not without warmth.

A good sleep is essential for this

or perhaps a day spent visiting the farm

or the spa,

located amongst the magic waters 

of St Olav's spring.

Which is supposed to offer anyone who drinks it health and youth.

Anyone fancy a girls weekend?!

til next time..