Happy Holidays *burp*

Fabulous family friend Meredith helping to prepare just one of our amazing feasts over the holidays. Seriously, check out all that chicken!

I estimate that during the past month (and much of this has been over the past ten days) I have consumed approximately four litres of eggnog, one dozen hot buttered rums, two dozen glasses of red wine, fifty rums and cokes, three litres of ruby red grapefruit cider (my new favourite – not really festive, I know, but anyway), and 376 Lindor chocolates. And you?

Oh, and one magnificent slice of turducken from the local “happy meat” butcher. It’s hard to capture the unparalleled majesty of a turducken, but here you go. (A turkey, stuffed with a duck, stuffed with a chicken, all deboned and with stuffing in there, too, in case you’re not familiar.)

We also played about 85 games of Settlers of Catan, many of them consecutive. I was having total Catan withdrawal, and it’s still barely been satisfied. Fortunately there are more games to come this weekend.

Oh yes, Christmas is continuing in full force in my world. I still have two more Christmases to go, which I’m so looking forward to – we went to visit my husband’s family for actual Christmas this year (I’m 35, and this was my very first Christmas away from my family!), and so this weekend we’re having another Christmas at my mum’s, and then one at my dad’s. So this coming weekend, while the rest of the world is getting on with their lives, we’ll be watching ‘Christmas Vacation,’ singing along to the Roger Whittaker Christmas album (a beloved holiday staple in my family), exchanging presents, having a rockin’ good time with my sisters and eating more turkey. For this Christmas lover, the chance to extend the holidays a little further is incredibly exciting. (Let’s see, how many times can I write ‘Christmas’ in one paragraph. Ummm… nine.)

Can I also please add how amazing panettone French toast is? Just buy one of them cello-wrapped packages of the ubiquitous Italian Christmas bread from Safeway or where ever, slice it up in rounds, and make it as you would French toast. Yum.

Best photo of panettone ever, I thought. And, oddly, I found it on the blog of some guy who dislikes both panettone and Christmas. Well, hmpfh.

What an amazing holiday season it’s been so far with Josh’s family. As a born and bred coastal girl, I’m used to a whole lot of green Christmases. (For example, there was a snowblower at Josh’s dad’s house, and I had no idea what it was.) It was so cool, and so festive, to be in a place where snow and Christmastime go together. A few photos from our yuletide adventures (with a heavy emphasis on the cute baby shots):

Happy holidays, everyone! I’ll be back in the new year with renewed vim and vigour, more posts and some changes around here – stay tuned.

Read Full Post »

Inspiring Peeps: Chay

A slightly goofy photo of me and my sisters on my wedding day – there’s moi in the middle, with Chay (left) and my other sister, Tara (right). (Another very inspiring peep who will be getting her very own “Inspiring Peeps” post very soon!)

Chay is my youngest sister (we’re a family of three girls – I’m the oldest). And what a fabulous sister she is. In carefully chosen adjectives, Chay is hilarious, smart, witty, talented, creative, adventurous, engaging, charming, loyal, sweet, sassy, kind, generous and so much fun to be around. Oh, and did I mention that she’s absolutely drop-dead, radiantly gorgeous? Yes indeed, she certainly is.

Hanging out with Chay often gives me that wonderfully exhilarated feeling, like on the first day of a camping trip, when you’re in the car with your fresh, steaming Tim Horton’s coffees and some Sublime or Cake playing on the car stereo.

Hanging out with Chay can also involve deep, soulful chats about life, the universe and everything. She’s an incredibly good listener, with lots of great ideas – I’ve called her many a time with a problem, and she always responds in a respectful, insightful way. Chay is an amazing friend indeed.

I think I have laughed my head off with Chay more than with any other person in the world. (The exception being Tara – actually, we’ve all done an awful lot of laughing our heads off together!) These laughing fits usually come from ridiculous inside jokes, of course – what else would it be with sisters involved?

Chay has a fabulous sense of style and a wonderfully attuned aesthetic. She could easily be an interior designer or personal stylist. And she makes the most amazing cakes. She made the cake for my wedding, and Tara’s wedding, and check out this awesome hamster cake she made for my birthday a few years back! (As anyone who knows me well is aware, I have a serious love of hamsters. I’ve been the mama to dozens of beloved little hammies in my life – mainly as a kid.) She’s got plans in the works to become a pastry chef – how cool is that?!

In addition to being brilliant in many other ways, Chay has a great physical intelligence. As someone who’s generally uncoordinated and pretty klutzy, this is something I’ve always admired about Chay. She bikes, she hikes, she runs, she can do it all and she’s like a beautiful gazelle.

Chay has an amazing gift with animals. As a little girl she championed the rights of snails and made little Kleenex beds for ailing leatherjackets, and since then she has befriended rats, volunteered with animal shelters, owned and loved several horses, and has been a loving mum to her crazy little Jack Russell, Georgia, for nine years. (Georgie, you’re nutty and we love you.)

Chay is a seriously wonderful auntie. Since Keaton came into our lives almost a year ago (!), she’s made us dinners, babysat, and helped us out in so many ways. Keaton loves her and she loves him. She may not want to admit it, but she’s a natural with babies. (You are so, Chay!)

So yeah, what I’m basically saying is that Chay totally rules. I’ve often said that Chay is the light of my life, and it’s true. You are my joy, Chay. Love you, my sis!

And I mentioned she’s really fun to party with, right? (Halloween shot – awesome!)

Read Full Post »