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i mentioned earlier that we are now able to use the garage!











because 2 days later we woke up to this.....

kind of reminded me of university days...staying up late to finish the paper and nearly sleeping in the next day and almost missing the deadline.....lots of similarities!! {except much cheaper to build a garage!}

i've been waiting all summer for a fully fenced yard again. it turned out to be a bit of a blessing that it took the city the entire summer to resurface the back alley...which meant less worry about the kids leaving the yard and getting hit by a car. i was so thankful that they were successful in meeting the boundaries and staying in the yard....but it didn't mean i never worried!!

Aidan was excited beyond belief when he woke up to the snow. it was the first time in a very long time that he could not get dressed fast enough. his motivation was to get outside and build a snowman. i managed to coerce him into eating a breakfast. then the ritual of trying on snow pants. i found a "snowman kit" at a second hand sale this year. i love it! it is totally cheap - great for kids. and this way i don't have to search the house for objects that could work. our neighbors gave Aidan a huge carrot last year for the nose...and we had a scarf and hat....but how do you find rocks under piles of snow?! my favourite part is the pipe - upside down.

and i did put the kids in mittens.

the snow was very wet. and it wasn't as cold as it looks! i think they would have been better off with mud pants. they wore the mittens most of the time, just came off when we were finishing up the snowman.

there you go! mommy did two things good. played in snow. kids did not freeze. yes it was a successful day.

we have only a few more days before the fundraiser. since last Thursday the kids have made 43 cards. 5 days of work. Kiara made about 10 of them. and the amazing part is that they look very good!! i'm hoping to take a bit of a break from the card making - starting to feel like a sweat-shop. maybe we can get some pictures out of them now. it's been awhile since they painted.

lil' crafters

i am impressed with my kids!


Aidan was excited to help his friend, Kelley, make cards and art to raise money towards helping sick kids. Kiara also got excited to help....although she is missing the purpose of the activity! lol!!

we spent a morning looking around town for supplies that would make some amazing cards. then we spent that afternoon {and much of our days since then!} making the cards.

it ends up being a big mess on our table, so we've found creative places around the house to eat. {no reason to clean up the mess, only to re-create it minutes later!}


not much extra space here.

i've learned to not put out EVERYTHING at once. we've been focusing on one kind of card and making several before we move on to the next design.


Aidan is now at 25 cards. that took him 3 days. incredible! i told him last night that he is making our Christmas cards this year! judging by the look he gave me, we may need to pay him....

Kiara is at 10 cards. not sure how many of the 10 will be sale-able....but still she has created a few that are remarkable. for a two year old.

Kiara's designs. she loves glue. especially if it has sparkles and snowflakes in it. see the card in the centre with the star and 3 squares? i did not help. {other than to provide the materials} isn't that amazing?!

these are the ones Aidan has made so far.

i pre-cut some papers. and helped come up with some of his designs. as you know how four year olds can be, that design gets re-worked! but i love how he has put the design into it. in the last photo, see the two cards with the circles? the one on the right has a circle cut out of the front, with another circle glued inside? i cut the circles, but the entire card was his design. down to the idea to have a cut-out in the front. you can't see them in the photo, but he wanted to go around the entire circle with gems....hmmm....he had to settle for ten of them....since it would take an entire package to finish the trim. but i do agree it would have looked very cool.

buttons are his latest favourite.

let me know if you want to purchase any of their cards or make a donation to the Stollery Children's Hospital. the proceeds will benefit the Critical Care Step Down Unit. each card will be sold for $5 minimum.

this Saturday Kelley and her friends are having the sale. there will be more cards made by other kids. also wrapping paper and art {some framed}. in the afternoon, she has organized a very unique tea party. read this poster for more details {click on the image to enlarge it and make it easier to read!}

we are going back to making more cards....and hopefully some art. i'll keep you posted with more of the work.

let me know if you want me to save a card or two for you and make a donation to the Stollery. Kelley is getting interviewed by CTV news today, so watch for her story tonight!