Fun with Family and Friends

We have been so busy...but a good busy.
Our summers are so short here in Northern Ontario, Canada, that I try to squeeze out as much fun and outdoor time as I can.

This summer was really special as my brother David, his wife Amanda and their 3 boys came to out here to spend the long weekend with us 💗
My dad and stepmom were planning on coming as well...but sadly were unable to make it 😢
My sister in law/ friend Sharon and her husband Jim also came up the August long weekend.

Here is my little brother and I.
I love to call him my little brother...even though he is over 6ft tall and I am under 5ft, lol.
Most of my family live in a different province than me, so I cherish the time we get together.

Here is Amanda, David's beautiful energetic wife...with 3 young boys she needs all her energy, lol.

This handsome young man is Tom, David and Amanda's oldest son.
He is so smart and a good role model to his younger brothers...if they would follow suit, lol.


Here is Dustin...their middle son.
Dustin is so inquisitive and wants to know everything.

This little cutie is Tristen, the youngest of their 3 boys.
He is so sweet and loves to follow his older brothers, but also loves to play by himself.

And of course I have to share a photo of my little grandson Sawyer.
This little guy has my heart.
He enjoyed watching the older boys play and joining in as well....he also observed the boys fight, but let's hope he doesn't pick that up with his new to be born brother.


We taught the boys how to whistle with grass.
And I got them to play the quiet game...which lasted 45 minutes with Dustin and an hour with Tom...I was impressed, they did better than I ever would, lol.
I also bribed them with chocolate treats to deter them from poking and pushing each other...which actually worked, so you know they are related to me, as I would do most anything for chocolate.

Another way to keep busy active boys occupied...let them bury each other in the sand at the beach, lol.
They really enjoyed this.


We all enjoyed a night fire with toasted marshmallows, Smores and banana boats.
Sharon and I stayed up way past our bedtime....actually we stayed up way past everyone's bedtime as her and I sat around the fire long after everyone else went to bed.
I can't tell you how much I loved that.


Besides the cute boys that I spent my weekend with, my middle daughter Heather came out to spend time with us at the cottage.


My oldest daughter Ashley and her husband Tyler enjoyed the weekend with us.


My baby Kristy and her boyfriend Blake were out here as well.


And can't forget my silly husband Wayne 💗


My SIL/girlfriend Sharon came out with her husband Jim.


We always celebrate Jim's birthday out here.
The boys were excited that there was birthday cake...and Dustin (accidentally) got icing on his finger..I had to explain to him the difference of accidentally and on purpose..I don't think he cared, as long as he got to lick the icing from his finger, lol.

Wayne and I are so so happy that my daughter Ashley and her husband Tyler bought our other camp, which is right next door to our new one.
There is nothing as special as having my grandson Sawyer coming over whenever he wants, or to hear him calling us from their camp 💗

I have a good life and I know it...I am a very lucky person to have my family so close to me, and that they want to be close to Wayne and I.
I am also very lucky to have friends that enjoy the time we spend together and that I can confide in and that we can count on each other.
Some may think I am bragging on here, but this is not only a place to share my crafts, but also a place to document my life and what is happening in it, it is for me to look back on when my days aren't so bright so I can smile and know that I am loved and how many I love right back.
And with a world where not all is happy and there is so much hate and jealously, why not focus on the good and happy times 💗

I hope you are all enjoying your summer

Tracy 💗💗💗

Thankful

We have had a very busy weekend and the week looks the same.
Monday was Thanksgiving here in Canada and I always host our family's turkey dinner.
This year my daughter Ashley (who is a photographer) wanted to do some family photos.
As a scrapbooker, my heart jumped for joy :)
Here is my husband Wayne and I with our 3 beautiful daughters <3 p="">

And us with our adorable grandson...this little guy has my heart.

Here is the gang that all came for Thanksgiving this year...we are missing a few family members that couldn't make it this year.

This weekend was also the weekend we closed up (or winterized) our cottage.
We will be going up there to pick up the truck plow on a later date.

Always sad when we go for our last quad ride :(

I woke up early on our last morning at the cottage to this beautiful sunrise.
It was so much prettier in person.
It was like the lake was giving me a view to stick with me throughout the winter.

I will leave you with this photo of my adorable grandson in front of me front yard Autumn display that my daughter Kristy and I put together.

I hope all those that celebrated Thanksgiving enjoyed your day and cherished the family and friends you spent it with.

Tracy :)

Happy 150 Canada!!!!

July 1st is Canada's 150th Birthday!!!
I always thought I was special being born on a Centennial year  ;)
What better way to celebrate Canada's birthday then spending it out doors in this beautiful country I am lucky enough to call home.
So off to the cottage we went with plenty of food, family and fun.

We will start with the food :)
Ashley came up with the idea that each of us was to bring a food for Canada Day that was red and white (as those are our Canadian colours)
I brought potato salad, Tyler made brochette and Wayne made hamburgers (we added a Canadian flag to the burgers as they really aren't red and white)

We had many desserts ;)
Ashley make angle food cake with strawberries and whipped cream. Heather made Oreo bark with red and white chocolate. Blake made peanut butter and jam cheese cake. And Kristy made red velvet cookies with chocolate chips as well as red velvet chocolate balls.
Lets just say there was no calorie counting this weekend, teehee.

The best part of the weekend was being able to spend so much time with my family.
I love when we are all able to get together...I am one lucky mom and grandma.

Here is Heather and her daddy :)
They both don't like to get their photos taken, but they were game this weekend.

Kristy and her boyfriend (of 7 years) Blake.

Ashley and her husband Tyler and baby Sawyer...and of course Oscar their doggy.

And we also had some fun!!
Heather and Kristy enjoying the water.
The water is still way to cold for me.

I picked up some bubble solution as I thought Sawyer would like to watch them...but it seemed like Oscar had way more fun playing with them :)

But like any weekend up at camp....there is a bit of work to do.
Sawyer was able to sit with Grandpa in the little loader.
I was surprised, I thought Sawyer might get scared as it is very loud.
But like his grandpa and great-grandpa, he loves his machines :)

Wayne was going to trim some branches off of a tree down by the lake, but (as I predicted) he ended up cutting the whole tree down.
So everyone helped bring the branches and cut tree, up to the fire, and then the girls wanted to clean it up, so they raked up all of the old pine needles.

Ashley wanted some slabs for decor for her table, so Wayne used the chainsaw to cut them.
Then Blake used a hand saw and cut some coasters for Ashley.

And of course what is a weekend at camp if Wayne and I don't get to take our toys out for a ride.
This is an odd sight....Wayne is in front of me, lol.
We checked out one of my favourite riding trails and there was a huge tree across the trail and the brush was so thick that we couldn't drive around it (believe me I tried).
So we had to turn around.
We were then stopped by the conservation officer.
He just wanted to know if we were fishing and check to make sure we had the proper papers for our machines and that we were wearing helmets.
All was good and in order, so we ended up just chatting with him for about 20 minutes.

So much more happened this weekend that I had better write it down in my camp journal before it fades from my memory.
I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and if you are a Canadian, I hope you celebrated our country's birthday with your family and friends :)

Tracy :)

Happy Family Day

Today is Family Day!!
It is a day to celebrate families.
And we did :)

We had a family brunch. Everyone contributed in one way or another and it was so good!!!
After our brunch everyone was full and tired....even Sawyer went for a couple of naps...one of them in my arms :)

On a side note, it is pouring rain outside.
We would usually be getting snow, but the weather has been unusually warm the last couple of days.
This will help the snow piles to shrink.

So if you were able to celebrate Family Day what did you do?

Tracy

5th year of Fakesgiving

Today we celebrated Fakesgiving.

"Fakesgiving 2010"

"Fakesgiving 2011"

"Fakesgiving 2012"

"Fakesgiving 2013"

I know it was a bit early, but we are busy next weekend and everyone was able to make it today.

As I was making the finishing touches to dinner, the girls started to set the table.

They were such a great help today :)

Are my girls creative or what!
The used my planner post it notes as place cards, lol.
I think we could have came up with a more creative idea…but this was quick, teehee.

I didn't have much time for anything creative today.

But I did sneak downstairs to work in my art journal.

Onto My Day:

Wayne woke up early to get new winter tires for our jeep. We have all seasonal, and they are not the best in the winter..well for our winters that is.

He was there before the shop opened and was going to wait for them to put them on.

I guess he wasn't the first in line, as I got a call at 8:00am if I would pick him up as they wouldn't get to our jeep until this afternoon.

If you know me, you know that I am not a morning person…and I could hear in Wayne's voice that it pained him to ask me to do this.

We had an appointment at the bank and then ran to the grocery store to pick up some supplies for dinner tonight.

Came home and started the preparations for the big meal.

Ashley and Tyler came for supper as well as Kristy's boyfriend Blake.

I love when we are all together.

I am now bushed and hitting the hay soon…8:00 is too early for me, and I didn't even get a nap in ;)

I hope you all had a creative Saturday :)

Tracy :)

Wedding Dress Shopping

Guess what I have been doing this weekend?!
Thats right….wedding dress shopping with my daughter.

Actually I have been wedding dress shopping with all of my daughters :)
It is so hard to pick the perfect dress.
Especially since Ashley looks beautifully stunning in every single dress.
I have a couple of favourites, but ultimately it is up to her to decide on which one she feels best suits her.
I surprised myself that I cried after a couple of dresses.
I shouldn't be surprised, as I wear my heart on my sleeve, but I thought I could hold it in.
But nope, cried like a baby ;)
I better have a stack of tissues with me for the wedding ;)

















Thankful Thursday's are back.
I am thankful that my daughters are so close.
Ashley went for a little trip with her friend to look at dresses last weekend.
Her friend made Ashley try on some dresses. Ashley said it didn't feel right without her sister's and I there with her.
I am also thankful that Kristy started her new job today :)

Hope you all had a Creative Thursday :)
I worked in my craft room today.

Tracy :)

A family filled wonderful day.

Today was a busy family filled day.
So busy that I am writing this post in the morning as Wayne and I didn't get home until 3:45am Saturday morning….but lets start from the beginning.

A friend and I met at a local coffee shop in the morning.
I walked there, enjoyed my breakfast of a muffin and a chocolate milk, we had a nice chat and then I continued on my walk.
As I was out my brother David (who is visiting with his family from out out of town) texted me and invited us to go to Kakabeka Falls with him.
I haven't been there for years.
So I decided to bring my "Big Boy" camera :)

See that middle section, between the water falls?
When my older brother Darrell, my younger brother Darren and I were camping there, as very young kids, we decided it would be fun to walk down there.
When my stepmom found us, (we were 1/2 way down the falls) she almost had a heart attack.
We each got a spanking and were sent in the tent until dinner….at the time, I didn't see what the big deal was, lol.

I took a lot of photos :)
Here is my SIL Amanda, my nephews Dustin and Tom and my daughter Kristy :)

It was  a hot day and the little ones got tired while walking the trails.
Oh to be a kid again and get carried when you're too tired to walk :)
Here is my "little" brother Davide with his son Tom.
I love calling my younger brother's little, as they are all so much taller than me ;)

Look…I found the prison from the Walking Dead ;)

Dustin was just too tuckered out and fell asleep while his mom carried him.
Such a sweetie.

After Kakabeka Falls, we went to get some ice-cream.
Dustin was still sleeping so he missed out, but Tom sure enjoyed his :)
I had a great day :)

Wayne and I had made plans with my oldest brother Darrell and his wife (who is also Wayne's sister) to go to their house and have a fire.
We were all close in our dating and raising children years, but now don't seem to see each other as often.
Because Wayne and I were actually in town this weekend as we have a wedding to attend and couldn't go to our cottage, I invited ourselves to my brother's ;)
We had a great visit and didn't leave until 3:30am.
My brother kept telling me to put more logs on the fire…but even though none of us were tired, I knew we would all be paying for this late night the next morning.
So we let the fire turn to coals and then headed home.
We were all shocked on how late it was…but then again, that is how you know you are enjoying each other's company :)

Hope you all had a Creative day :)

Tracy :)