Celebrating Caroline's First Year

To celebrate our fourth grandchild turning one recently, I was inspired to make a Photo Book "Celebrating Caroline's First Year".

It's a Shutterfly 8"x8" hardcover photo book covering Caroline's first year of life from birth to one including memorable "firsts" and monthly photos. There are 43 pages of photos with my quirky rhyming narration. Images of the front cover plus first and last verses are shown below to give a general idea of how it looks. 

First verse (page 1)

Last verse (page 42)

Happy First Birthday Caroline!

Wish we could slow down time!

So many things to see and do!

Always look forward to seeing you!

I ordered two copies of this book - one for me and one for our daughter. A special gift to treasure these precious memories. 

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Another Shutterfly Book

I finally got around to making Another Shutterfly Book featuring crochet creations. This one is for our granddaughter's birthday. I thought "Four Lambs Together" would be perfect for a girl turning FOUR this month. 

It has been almost two years since my last Shutterfly Book. I love making them. Once an idea sets hold in my mind, I can't rest until it's done. 

The idea for this book started back in November with a blog post titled Four Lambs Together when I wrote a rhyming verse to accompany photos of four crocheted lambs. I took a few more photos of the lambs on a white duvet then put the whole thing aside as I was much too busy preparing for Christmas to think about making a book. 

Also I was hoping our daughter might take more 'book-worthy' photos when she visited. Unfortunately that didn't happen. Our house was too full and busy to fit in a photo shoot. Then I got sick with the flu when they left which further delayed any thought of a book. 

Finally as I was starting to feel better and as my most recent half-price Shutterfly coupon was about to expire, I thought a book would make a great birthday present if I could get it done in time. That got me thinking in earnest. I woke up through the night working out details in my mind. Honestly, this creativity stuff is so exciting it interrupts my sleep. 

The next night after work, I sat at my laptop and finished the book all in one go. I love how it flows so easily once I have it all sorted in my mind. 

The cover looks like this except with a sepia filter on the photo.

I ordered two copies of the book to be sent to Boulder - one for my granddaughter and one for me. I am pleased with how it looks despite my unedited amateurish photos. I do hope our granddaughter likes it too. 

This is the sixth book I've done for our grandchildren. I thoroughly enjoy making them. If you would like a peek inside, click on this link: Four Lambs Together. I am worried I might have made a mistake on the cover of the version sent for printing. There is no way to know for sure until it arrives. Only a few more days to wait ... fingers crossed hoping it's fine.

Happy Birthday to our sweet granddaughter. We love you lots.

Update: The book arrived early. I was relieved to see the cover was correct. My daughter sent me photos of our granddaughter counting the lambs and a video of her reciting part of the story ... so sweet.

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Weekend at Blue Mountain

We spent this past Weekend at Blue Mountain to celebrate my husband's birthday on Friday. We drove after work arriving at 8 p.m. in time for a late dinner at Tholos Restaurant. We love their authentic Greek food and their entertainment ... a very enthusiastic and talented belly dancer.

We stayed at the Westin Trillium House in a deluxe guest room on the third floor with a view of the mountain. It was very nice and comfortable.

Mountain view is the side you approach by car. This is the other side of the building with a view of the Village across the pond. There are boardwalks encircling the pond which lead to the Village in either direction. It is very picturesque.

After breakfast and a matcha tea latte, we headed out to hike up the mountain. It was cool enough for jeans and jackets. Once we started climbing and sweating, we wished we had worn shorts.

The skies cleared by the time we reached the top. The views were definitely worth the effort.

My husband took a picture of this plaque commemorating Ontario's First Chairlift. He thinks he remembers riding this lift back in the day.

This sculpture at the top of the hill caught our attention ... very cool.

We rested a bit in the sun at the top of the hill before hiking down ... no open air gondola ride for troopers like us.

After our hike, we drove to Collingwood to browse the shops where we ran into an old friend (at a bike shop of course) who now lives in Collingwood. She had hiked Nottawasaga Lookout trail that morning and recommended it. We thought Nottawasaga sounded perfect for Sunday.

We had made reservations for 7:15 p.m. at our hotel restaurant for dinner. Since we had time to spare, we decided to check out the little town of Thornbury nearby. We both love Thornbury cider so when we saw the Thornbury Village Cider House we stopped for a visit and taste. From this flight including 2 oz each of the following apple ciders - premium, cranberry, spiced apple and honey - I preferred their premium apple cider. Cranberry apple was good, spiced apple smelled better than it tasted and honey apple was just too sweet.

We made it back to our hotel in time for dinner at Oliver and Bonacini Cafe Grill. The food was delicious and, as luck would have it, they carried Beaver Valley cider (another local award winning cidery). It was good, but I still prefer Thornbury apple cider. 

After all that good food and cider, we slept well despite wedding celebrations late into the evening two floors below. I mention it because the music carried to our room like it was right next door. We had requested a room at the end of the hall to avoid excessive noise. Next time we will ask for a room at the other end away from the banquet hall. 

On Sunday we woke up to sunny skies and warmer temperatures. We were looking forward to hiking at Nottawasaga Lookout trail. We could not find any maps but figured we could head out and back without getting lost. The main trail was well marked in white with side trails in blue. The main trail was mostly single track and relatively easy with enough roots and rocks to keep things interesting.

We decided to take a blue side trail heading towards the caves on the way back. We had passed it on the way out but I thought it looked too troublesome to climb down. From this direction it looked easy enough.

Easy enough until we reached the caves and big rocks.

We had to clamber over and under rocks and fallen trees. The blue markings didn't seem to follow a proper trail, but we carried on anyway.

This climb was particularly challenging. My husband had to go ahead and help hoist me up the last bit. I could get my knee on the next level up, but then I was squished between two rocks, so had to twist to stand on a very tiny ledge plus I'm not really comfortable with heights. My heart was thumping and legs shaking by the time we made it to solid ground only to discover we had to go back down to pick up the trail at the bottom of the crevice. We were guided by other hikers who had come up the other way. 

The way back down was a little easier than where we had climbed up, except we had to leap (my husband might say step) over a deep crevice to get to it. Did I mention I'm not comfortable with heights? Thank goodness my husband was there to hold my hand.

We made it down safe and sound and carried on along the bottom of this crevice following the blue marks painted on the stone walls.

I loved seeing all the rocks covered in brilliant green moss. These tiny ferns were particularly pretty.

At the end of the crevice we climbed up and back to the main trail.

This was the sign we had passed earlier on our hike where I thought it looked too challenging to try hiking down. I was right ... climbing up and out was relatively easy though. 

Like the sign says "Hazards Exist" and, like we've all heard before, "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger".

In the end, I was happy to hike the Standing Rock and Caves Side Trail. It felt like an accomplishment. 

After our hike, we headed for home stopping for lunch along the way. We got home fairly early with enough time to unpack, eat dinner and prepare for another week at work. 

If you're looking for a fun place to visit, consider a Weekend at Blue Mountain. We plan to go again ... perhaps this winter to ski.

Thanks to our parents for taking care of our pets Maggie and Sadie while we were away ... we truly appreciate it.

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Our Son is 21

Our son is 21 ... his birthday was on Sunday (July 2nd). Our favourite way to celebrate birthdays is with family. The weather has been unsettled and rainy a lot lately, but Sunday was perfect for dining outside. 

We gathered around our new patio table for a simple yet yummy birthday dinner: barbecued PC slow-smoked brisket beef burgers (topping choices bacon, cheese, tomato, onion, mustard), two kinds of salad and cake.

The cake was delicious. Unfortunately, we chose carrot cake which is one of our favourites, but not one our son likes ... oops. Once we realized our mistake, we picked up a small chocolate and caramel brownie cake (recommended by his girl friend) as a special treat just for him. 

As our son blew out his candles (with help from the wind) and cut the cake, we took photos and sang the birthday song. 

Happy Birthday and Cheers for a fabulous year.

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Porch Parties

My Dad's birthday is today. We celebrated as a family on Saturday taking our parents out for dinner. Today Dad celebrated with neighbours gathering on their porch for drinks and snacks after work. 

An impromptu Porch Party ... so much fun.

After dinner, their neighbours returned with cake and ice cream plus candles, birthday plates, napkins and a knife ... so nice.

Porch Parties with such great neighbours are the best. Cheers and Happy Birthday Dad. I wish you a summer full of fun Porch Parties.

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Birthday Wishes

My husband returned home late from Toronto on his birthday yesterday, so we celebrated simply with cupcakes, candles, cards and a gift. Like many men, he is notoriously difficult to buy for. 

I managed to surprise him with a set of Bose noise cancelling headphones from Costco. They are not the latest and greatest model, but still very good and very much appreciated. He thinks they will be perfect for traveling. He assures me they eliminate background noises only; not voices. We'll see about that. I imagine him wandering around the house with his headphones on oblivious to anything I say. 

Happy Birthday to my husband. May all your Birthday Wishes come true. 

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Happy Birthday Mom

Today is my Mom's birthday. Usually we celebrate with a family dinner, but my parents are going to a neighbour's 50th birthday bash tonight, so we invited them for coffee this morning instead.

Our son drove to show what he got this week. My parents were suitably surprised and impressed. Our son is over-the-top excited to have bought his first car. I'll tell you more about that in a separate post.

My Mom was happy with birthday hugs and kisses from her only favourite grandson. She was also happy to ride in front with our son in his new car as a special birthday treat. 

Where did we go?

We drove back to our house where my husband made cappuccinos using his fancy dancy new espresso maker. Birthday candles on blueberry coffee cake and singing Happy Birthday made this birthday simple yet special.

Last weekend I took my Mom shopping in Port Stanley. I had birthday money to spend and hoped to find something for my Mom's birthday too. We visited ALL the shops trying on ALL the things before selecting our favourites. My Mom picked a pretty top for her birthday gift. I didn't take a photo, but I can tell you, it looks amazing on her.

Birthday shopping success was toasted with refreshing apple cider and tasty appetizers on the patio at Port Stanley's Tapas Bar and Grill. We thoroughly enjoyed our afternoon together.

Happy Birthday Mom - I hope you enjoyed your birthday celebrations and wish you a year full of similar simple pleasures. 

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My Happy Birthday

I've said it before - I love celebrating birthdays with family. This year for my birthday, my parents invited my in-laws and us for dinner. 

I can cook, but tend to resort to quick snacks most nights. We keep plenty of essentials on hand - nachos, crackers, grated cheese and hummus plus home-brewed wine and beer. It works for me and my husband doesn't complain too much. 

Eating a proper dinner mid-week was a special treat for my birthday.  My parents are fabulous cooks. They served barbecue beer can chicken, roasted baby potatoes, green beans, sweet corn on the cob and chocolate mousse cake. Everything was delicious. 

I blew out my candles while everybody sang Happy Birthday. 

I opened gifts. Look what my husband gave me - dark chocolate with sea salt (1 kg), a rechargable flashing red light for my bike, Kahlua and a new suitcase weighing only 3.5 kg - all perfect choices. My parents and in-laws gave me money to buy whatever I like. I will enjoy figuring out what to get.

I also celebrated reaching a personal blog goal of sorts. Two weeks ago with total pageviews on my blog sitting at 94,444, I realized it might be possible to reach 100,000 by my birthday. My blog is not monetized, so 100,000 is just a number I consider big enough to be cool. I mentioned it to my son and daughter, made a wish and crossed my fingers.

The day before my birthday, I received 250 pageviews bringing the total to 99,466. I would need another 534 pageviews on my birthday to reach my goal. It wasn't looking good.

Miraculously with 805 pageviews on my birthday yesterday, I was surpised and thrilled to surpass my goal. I don't know what caused this sudden jump in traffic, but it sure made my day.

Thank you to my parents, in-laws and husband for making my birthday special. Thank you to my son and daughter and friends for all My Happy Birthday wishes. I would also like to thank my readers for helping me reach my goal of 100,000 total pageviews by my birthday. 

What a wonderful way to celebrate My Happy Birthday.

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Weekend Celebrations

This weekend we celebrated Canada Day on Friday and our son's 20th birthday on Saturday. Both celebrations involved lots of good food, good company and good fun. 

Last year, we attended my parents' neighbourhood Canada Day party. It was so much fun, we were happy to join in again. This year the party featured a pig roast for the potluck dinner. It took ALL day to roast an 80-lb pig over an open spit charcoal barbecue.

 

When it was time to carve the pig, a few of the men pitched in.

The rest of us stood around watching and sampling ... very tasty pork.

Our dog Sadie savoured a chewy piece of pig skin.

Once the pig was carved, it was carried over to the food tables set up in my parents' driveway. Dinner was delicious. We all sat around eating, drinking and chatting while the kids played happily together.

Everybody dressed in red for Canada Day - even the dogs. 

 

 

We admired pictures from last year's event. The mix of people changes a bit year-to-year, but the core theme of food, fun and good cheer remains. My parents have truly terrific neighbours. I love spending time with them.

* * * * *

On Saturday, we celebrated our son's 20th birthday with a family dinner ... more wine, food, good company and laughter (always lots of laughs). See how our son over-filled my glass? I posed being careful not to spill.

On the menu - bbq steak, fried mushrooms, oven roasted baby potatoes (with butter and Parmesan), and two kinds of salad (Caesar and Mexican).

Birthday gifts are fun and very much appreciated especially if it's a beer-toting backpack cooler filled with beer.

Two cakes (German chocolate cake and caramel brownie cheese cake) ... both yummy.

Feeling full after dinner - the 'boys' took a refreshing dip in the pool.

Our summer is off to a good start. We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend celebrations with friends and family.

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