shuffling into 2007

Even though I've been moving much slower in recent days, 2006 doesn't seem to have received the memo and the last two weeks have just flown past. A new year starts in just a few hours and as usual I've got mixed feelings about it.

This year has had it's fair share of challenges, but I think they were well balanced with some very exciting and very happy times. Alex's Mom is on the mend and my back isn't giving me quite as much grief and right now, those are two very important things in our lives.

I think 2007 will just have to be a good year. My tendencies to be a klutz have been satisfied for a while (a LONG LONG while I hope) and miraculously I'm still intact...my thumb has recovered from when I tried to chop it off and my back improves a little bit every day. I'm telling 2007 right now that this means that 2006 got to have the accidents, so 2007 WILL be accident free! Exciting things are planned for 2007 and while I'm sad to say goodbye to 2006, next year will also be a year of memory making!

Tonight we're celebrating quietly with some board games and family fun (okay, if you've met my family, you might not call it quiet)...I can't wait! The hype of New Years Eve doesn't get me excited, but I love the low key kinds of celebrations. And besides, my New Year starts in September...this New Year just means I need to try to remember to write 2007 on my cheques and we need to hang new calendars in the house!

I hope you all have wonderful New Years celebrations, celebrating the arrival of 2007 in *your* favourite way!

That's all until next year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Project 365

The other day, Laurie wrote a post about Project 365.

It intrigued me.

And I kept thinking about it.

And if you know me, you know I have a (sometimes) annoying habit of wandering around with my camera. ALL THE TIME.

So I have a gazillion pictures on my computer that I don't know what to do with...and I thought, well, maybe this will
a) slow down my picture taking because it will make me busier (because I'm truly not busy enough, ha!)
b) give me something to do with my pictures
c) make me write a little something more everyday (my writing instructor keeps telling me to write often, write more often, and write anything)

I also thought, maybe my desire to create a project 365 blog is a direct result of the recent restriction my ability to move, use the comptuer and general function "normally" (yes, normal is a relative and definitely personal term), so maybe once life goes back to being what it normally is, I'll get bored or get busy or just lose interest. Maybe my camera is sad right now because it has hardly been used since I decided to demostrate why I'm not a gymnast or an acrobat....

So, the sister site to scribbles, scratches and scrawls will debut tomorrow. It is currently "under construction" which means I'm playing with the template and making changes and that means unexpected things might happen, but if they do I'll try to fix them...cause it's fun...or something...visit if you want...

Danish Dinner in k-town

Seven years ago, Kelsey went to Denmark on a Rotary Exchange. The Christmas after Kelsey was in Denmark she started a new tradition at our house. My Mom and Dad were in Denmark in June, so they were able to bring some of the necessities (like candles and napkins...oh, and some of the food) back with them.

So, last night it was finally time for Danish dinner and there were a few excited people around our house! Kelsey also invited a few friends, including Signe, another former Rotary Exchange Student from Denmark who has been living here since October.

Kelsey worked very hard to make all the yummy food. We had bread from Skallebæk, the best bakery in Denmark (it's even drive through!), and herring and meatballs.

Kelsey made brun kartofler (brown potatoes) that we all though were yummy.

Signe's grandma sent her the recipes and warned they were very hard for a beginner to make. We thought she did a great job!

Kelsey demonstrated the steps to drinking akvavit and suggested we chase it with beer.

Step One:

Fill your glass full and SMILE!

Step Two:

Shoot it down.

Step Three:

Smile 'cause it's soooooooooo yummy!

Judging by the looks on their faces, Alex and James didn't quite agree with Kelsey.

I think this is when someone compared akvavit to turpentine

Alex agrees with Kelsey that akvavit must be an acquired taste. Signe told us that you appreciate it more when you live somewhere colder and darker than k-town.

Everyone was happy cause the food was sooooo yummy.

Kelsey and Signe

Rebecca and Jared

Alex and Dad

We finished off with ris al amande, special Christmas rice pudding with almonds and cherry sauce...and Signe, the one true Danish person at the table, found the whole almond and got to take home the present.

Sit-Down Christmas Dinner for 25

Here are some of those 25....it was a "small" Christmas for us this year with only 25 people. There were only a few people missing from our little-big family and it was only the little-big family, so the numbers were more manageable than some years.


But there was lots of yummy food, lots of loud conversation and laughter and generally, lots of fun...a good follow up to a relaxed morning.

Mom got a puppy

Rebecca loves the new puppy

Kelsey and Dad

Shannon's sleepy

Are you trying to tell us something? Is that the date Tom?

Rebecca, Kelsey and Harmony and Devon approves!

Janis and Alisha

Devon and Rebecca

Kathy, Paul and Sandra

And Boxing Day yesterday to recover from all the excitement of Christmas and get ready for round two!!

ahhh....quiet....

I love Boxing Day...it's such a calm quiet day all about family and rest and Scrabble and leftovers and relaxing...and NAPS! Lots of naps!

it's Christmas!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Say cheese...and everyone look at the same photographer!

Amy and Paul's Pictures

A few weeks ago I wrote about Amy and her trip overseas...I've finally located the pictures she and Paul have been taking and added them to my little list over there on the left. Obviously she won't be home for Christmas...I think maybe she's in Thailand right now, so Amy, hope you're having a great Thai Christmas!

Merry Christmas to All...

Well...the countdown has switched from days to hours...

I have finished my shopping (with a lot of help from my sisters, my Mom, Alex's Mom, Alex and the internet). Alex has finished his shopping. We've wrapped our gifts...now I just get to wait...and stay out of the way of everyone else. Me and my walker, we take up an awful lot of space and get in the way without meaning to more often than not.

Alex and I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and send our best wishes for a happy and healthy new year to everyone. We're celebrating many things this Christmas: besides our engagement, we're celebrating both our marvellous families who have been so supportive this year, but especially in the last month. We're celebrating Alex's Mom's recovery and the continued improvement in her health. We're celebrating the wonderful friends we have with whom we have shared some happy times this year and who have shared our joys with us and so generously offered to help us out when things didn't go exactly as we hoped, particularly in the last few weeks. We figure we're pretty lucky to have such great people surrounding us.

May your holidays be warm and cozy with an abundance of love, laughter and good company!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

1 day 'til Christmas

2 days 'til Christmas