Pretty Packaging!

I spent today trying to catch up on things I'm so behind on....{but not cleaning...I didn't manage to get any of that done! oops!!} It turned out to be a fun, pajama wearing till the afternoon, type of day. I packaged up some little gifts I have been meaning to send and then I painted the precious packages with a dusting of teal paint and red hearts with polka dots. Bliss. I hope they bring smiles to everyone who touches them along their journey to their secret destinations. I, of course, forgot to take a picture of the outsides of the boxes but did snap a picture of inside one....wanna see?

I hate purchasing wrapping paper. I do. I feel its such a waste of my money. Sometimes I am compelled to buy it because it looks so shiny and pretty but more often than not...I look around my house for something to wrap a gift in and I am more than certain...the giant, huge, enormous roll of craft paper {like this} I purchased 2 {TWO} years ago for $36 is always to the rescue. Using scrap, scrapbook paper, a little tag, a yo yo from my stash...and just things around, I managed to cutely wrap a gift with no additional purchasing! Do you have any tried and true methods of wrapping gifts that you always seem to gravitate to? What was your favorite wrapped present? Did you give it or did you receive it?

Speaking of gifts....It was a good mailbox day today as well...Only one bill...and I received Becky Higgins, Project Life kit, that I had been patiently waiting for...can't wait to start that {although the first part of the year will definately not be my favorite and will probably take some serious effort to journal about!!} I also received a bunch of really cool red, see thru envelopes from the girls over at Peppermint Plum which scream..."Please, make me into something for Valentines".... Puh-lease.....of course I will!

Hope your mailbox was full of happy things!

Taffy Stick Valentines!

I'm a little behind on all the Valentine stuff. Its sad really because it is one of my favorites for little happy gifts but being gone for two weeks {unprepared} can do that....I did manage to find sometime to work on these adorable taffy treats and I'm so glad I did! =:O)

Wrapping scrapbook paper around these premade taffy sticks and then decorating with bits of felt, doilies and tags makes these valentines so fun! You could probably use any type of candy that was round. Like, big tootsie rolls or lifesavers....hmmmmm...I may need to come up with a version just for the kids exchange valentines....

My Honey loves taffy. Its one of his most favorite treats. So he's been trying to steal the taffy for a while now....I guess I'll have to make him a couple for his lunch box!

They are fun...and different and tasty too. I'll put a couple of these in my etsy store in case you'd like one {or more}!

I hope everything is going great for you! Things are starting to go back to "normal" around here. I like "normal".
Until next time...

An Afternoon Snack and a Simple but Happy Solution!

Today while I was moving around the house, doing the daily chores, I thought my Kiddos have been so good lately...they deserve a special after school treat...pondering what to make, I came across a stack of these yummy chocolate bars that I had intended to make Christmas goodies with....

Since I had just gone to the store, I knew....what I had in the fridge....yummmmmmmy goodness was about to be happening around here....

The only problem I can see with this afternoon snack {besides the fact that I rushed the stripes and so the white chocolate isn't very nice!} is that the Kids ate them so fast...they were gone in a minute!! Chocolate Covered Strawberries...{Love}

Definitely feeling the need to be creating. The organizing I wanted to get done...feels like it will take years!! So I've decided ten minutes a day is all I will do on tasks I hate and always procrastinate on...anyone can do 10 minutes a day right??! I even made a Dentist appointment which just so happens to be tomorrow and I'm freaked out about it....but still doing it...I'm just doing it!!

I wanted to say Thank You to everyone who left me comments or emails regarding my Mum. I still have a few emails to go but I wanted to let you know that many of you have your emails set to "noreply-comment@blogger.com" which means, I can't contact you when you leave a comment. No one can email you back from any blog comment, its not just me and chances are....some of us want to comment back and wouldn't you just love to hear back from some bloggers?~!

Here is how to fix that unhappy problem....

Go to your dashboard and click on "edit profile" there you should see:
Edit User profile, click it....

Under Privacy you'll see:

Show my email address

Check the box next to that!

After that....scroll down to Identity and enter an email address you would like your return comments to go.

Click "Save" and you are all set to be able to receive comments back!!!

By doing this....you're email address wont post to a blog comment...you still have some privacy but when you decide to leave a comment on a blog, now the blog owner will have a chance to write you back!! Try it!! You might like it!! I know I do.
Hope you are having a great day!!

Heartbroken........

Its been a horrific two and a half weeks. The short and simple version is all I can do right now and probably all I will do here. Today's post wont be about what I got for Christmas....or how I spent my New Years or what I'm working on...today's post will be about my Mum. My Mom. An incredible loving and caring person. A dedicated nurse. Someone who never forgot a birthday or anniversary, ever! A simple, soft soul. A beautiful and talented artist....and a gal on the verge of retirement with much to look forward to......was tragically killed in a highway accident in St. George, NB a few days after Christmas while travelling back home to NH during a snow storm.

While she was on life support, my Brother, Sisters and I, all desperately tried to be with her and get to Saint John during the northeastern storm. Unfortunately, my Sisters and I did not make it before she passed. I am thankful she was surrounded by the rest of my family who live in Canada and that my Brother was able to be with her as well. We spent the next several days attending memorial services and her funeral, during a time when we should have been celebrating the new year, a birthday and enjoying the last days of the season.
Even in death, she has taught me a few things throughout this experience and so I will be spending the next couple of days taking care of things I should have taken care of long ago. Busying myself with things that are mundane but should be done. I would like to craft but feel obligated to take a little time to organize my life a little better before I do...so that's my plan.
This by far is the most painful thing I have ever experienced. I am hoping this unsurmountable sadness, lessons and the wounds that it has caused, heal. Life is so incredibly unpredictable.
Until next time,