life's little treasures

Crafting

2011-09-04T05:45:00.000-07:00

Way back in June, I was shopping at one of my favorite local home decor store and stumbled upon a beautiful framed antique skeleton key. My eyes were drawn to it immediately. It was unique and seemed to have a story to tell. I love to find pieces like that. Unfortunately what I didn't love was the price tag. $45.00. Over my budget for that day. I examined the piece a little closer and thought this could be my next "crafting" project!

And so began the hunt for some antique keys. Not realizing this was gong to be the most difficult task for this project. I did find some keys locally however they really were not calling out to me.

On the July 1st long weekend, the kids and I headed to my brothers place close to Brockville On. for a nice long weekend visit. I was mentioning to my brother about this project and he reminded me of this amazing Antique shop we would stop at on our way to visit my aunt and uncle in Perth On many years ago. On that Saturday, Shelyn and I ventured out on the hunt for keys.

On the way , I tried to explain to Shelyn about what to expect when we arrived at this antique shop. Words really could not do it justice! Lets just say, she was stunned to see all of the treasures, as was I . The hunt began!

(pictures courtesy of www.gather.com)

Amazing I tell'ya!!!

You enter inside of the house and the entire place is FULL of anything you can imagine. Its not a place you could visit if you were the least bit claustrophobic. Narrow isles approx 12" wide, stacks of antiques taller than me!

I asked the gentleman at the front desk if he had any skeleton keys and he answered with a nod at the same time swung a door open behind him and "TA-DA" thousands of keys in every size, shape and style! Where to begin?? I explained what I was looking for and he reached in the door and grabbed a ring full of keys that were similar to what I was describing. It was like he had catorgorized the keys in his mind. Finally, after about 20 mins. of Shelyn and I examining the keys very closley, I found two that were PERFECT! He explained to me , one I choose was a reproduction dating back to the 60's and the other one I choose was approx 70-100 years old! WOW!!!

We left that shop and Shelyn says to me, "Mom...I felt like I was on the TV show Auction Hunters". She loved it and wants to bring Carson and daddy back to show them!

So on with the project...

These are the beauties I left the shop with. My darling husband looked at them and was not impressed. I actually don't think he could picture what the final product would be!

As you can see, the key on the right was the reproduction. Great design however, the gold color had to go.

I purchased a can of spray paint at my local hardware store. I actually forget the color but it was similar to an antique brown/rust.

Sprayed two coats on each side.

I purchased two frames with burlap matting at a local department store. Found some scrapbook paper in my stash that I thought looked great with the colors of the frame and keys. Cut the paper to 4x6 to fit the picture opening. Removed the glass and glued the keys to the paper.

Total cost of the project was $24.00 for two frames and keys

My inspiration retailed for $45.00 for one frame and key!

Not bad!!

They have now found their home in my front entrance way.

It turned out to be a great project and could even make a great gift for the right person!

"1st in show"

2011-08-28T15:18:00.000-07:00

Today has been the day Shelyn has been counting down on her calender for over three months! Today she would be riding in her very first horse show with her new horse "Monty". The last riding show for Shea was over three years ago with a different horse and riding coach . What a FANTASTIC day it was! Shea placed 1st in Walk/Trot Equitation...2nd in Walk/Trot and 1st is Cross rails jumping...not too shabby especially since she was up against some adults and 9-12 riders in each class! We are so proud of her hard work and dedication to this sport. She was at the barn last night for two hours, bathing, cleaning, polishing ,picking up poo and braiding the horse, then back at it again at 8 am this morning for the show. Man its a lot of work to get one horse ready for a few classes! but she LOVES it! Shea has a wonderful instructor Kirsten who is very good at what she does and makes the girls work hard! Shea was lucky to buddy up with another girl today, Megan, who rides at the same barn . They were able to team together and get everything ready for the show. Megan is also so helpful for Shelyn and genuinely cares for her like a little sister! I love when young kids can be such great role models! The cheering squad was in attendance as well. Both sets of Sheas grandparents, aunt and uncle, cousin and some friends where all there to shoe their support. When Shea was in her last class. Rene and I snuck away down by the ring to take a few pictures and to listen to the results. When they announced her last 1st place ribbon... we both looked at each other with a tear in our eyes...what a PROUD moment for the both of us!

2011-06-17T20:15:00.000-07:00

Blog hopping again and came across this "oh so adorable" baby shower posted on

http://dehartfamilyblog.blogspot.com

I'm Inspired!!!

I SO want one of these drink jars...in LOVE!!!

2011-06-16T18:01:00.001-07:00

Where has the time gone??? Second week in June, the sun is shining, the birds are chirping and there are sounds of children playing outside until sundown. What a great time of year.

We have been busy with the usual around the Aubertin house. Enjoying sports activitie and enjoying time with family.

My dad celebrated his ?? Birthday this past May.

I love my dad! He's a wonderful man who has always shown me love unconditionally, taught me lots and been there for me when I needed my"daddy". I am very lucky to have a good combination of my mom and dad's traits. These are and example of a few of dads traits I think I have...The first trait I was blessed with is a little bit of the old Irish temper.. just a little...my entrepreneur drive...ability to speak in front of crowds...teacher or mentor trait...determination...risk taker... and the "not so fav" physical trait of broad shoulders.. oh joy!

Love you Dad:)

Little Liam is growing up so fast! He will be 1 years old in December but to look at the little munchkin, he could pass for 2!

He's a smart little cookie, already speaking a few words in English and French(his mom is french) which has been fun because our entire family is learning along with him. Liam is such a joy. He's a sweetheart and such a good little guy. Sleeps well, eats well and will truly snuggle up to anyone whiling to snuggle with him. We love and miss my brother, my nephew Liam and sister in law Cat very much and enjoy every little visit we can with them!

Liams favorite self-soothing activity... one end of the blanket in his mouth, the other end between his toes...too funny!

on the move!

May/ June is Track and Field time at Shea's school. Shea is our little "Track Star"

She LOVES to run! ( I think she gets that from me :) NOT)

Her FAV running event is cross county and she said its her best event as well. In our school cross country is at the beginning of the year and track is at the end.

This year Shea decided to run the 400m and 800m events. Last year she also did the 1500m but felt it was way too hot so she didn't try for that one this year.

She placed 1st in both races at the school event(2 schools), placed 2nd and 3rd at the "ASG" (all schools event...7 schools) and placed 11th at the district...20 some? school)

She did an AMAZING job!

We are so proud of her determination and love of running!

Sorry about the eyes closed Shea!

Sporting her "trade mark" fashion trend. Hair elastic to tie the jersey to the side.

Too funny.. she does this with her hockey jersey as well

Love her originality!

This May we have moved Shelyn to a new riding barn. It was a bitter sweet moment for everyone. She had sat on her very first horse at the old barn , trained for her very first show and got bucked off for the very first time at the old barn.

Shelyn had a FANTASTIC coach there who brought so much knowledge and experience to Shelyn.

She was great with Shea however the horse was being pushed as far as it wanted to go and Shelyn was ready to go further so it was time to move on!

We are very fortunate to have MANY riding barns in our area. It actually makes it difficult to decide where to go. We come to find out in the equestrian world, word of mouth is a very powerful advertising tool.

We have found a WONDERFUL barn and Shelyn has met her new riding partner/horse" Monty". Monty and Shea work together like they have been together from the beginning and we can't say enough about Shelyn's new coach, Kirsten.

Shelyn and Monty are very excited to be training for another show this season.

They are both working hard each week with the Walk , trot, Jumper techniques and their looking pretty good so far!

This past Sunday I packed the kids up and took them to the riding show that Shelyn will be riding in the season. We love watching all of the different events, horses and riders do what they do best! This is the riding ring that Shea will be riding/judged in.

You can see an example of the jumps that Shelyn and Monty work on.

The jump heights start from 1 foot off the ground and go up to approx 4 feet. It doesn't look like

it would be so difficult but its amazing to watch all of the technical elements that go into jumping, which is in fact what the judging is all about!

Poor Carson.. I just realized this post is mainly about Shea...I will be sure to include a post with some of Carsons activities in the near future!
more to come soon...

2011-05-01T08:32:00.001-07:00

Sunday morning creativity

Woke up this morning, made myself a tea and ventured onto my favorite blogs. I LOVE the blog world. Each blog I go to , links me to other blogs and on and on. On many blogs, I have admired the"t-shirt" scarves. They looked so cool , easy to do and CHEAP!!! So this morning was the day I would give it a try. I have to say, it was SO easy and I know the more I do the more creative I will become with them. A few weeks ago I was in Napanee and saw a similar scarf in one of the boutiques with a price tag of $30.00...wow.

I had all of the materials around the house so this project was FREE!!! Gotta love that! This is what you need:

-old tshirt(the larger the t-shirt, the longer the scarf will be)

-fabric glue/crazy glue

-scissors

Step #1

Lay tshirt out on a flat surface

Step #2

Cut tshirt from arm pit to arm pit

Step #3

Cut off the bottom seam of the tshirt

Step #4

Cut strips of tshirt width wise, leaving a one inch band at the top of the shirt

Step #5

Once you have cut your strips , Pull each strip tight, this will create the rolling effect with the strips

Step #6

Put your hand through the top one inch band, creating the scarf

Step #7

Place scarf around your neck ..."ta da"!!!!

I used the extra fabric from the seam to create this adorable little rosettes and added pearls to the largest rosette, then glued the rosettes onto the scarf!

I think its adorable and cant wait to raid Rene's tshirt stash to make some longer one!

creative inspiration...

2011-03-14T18:49:00.000-07:00

procrastination...

2011-03-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

this is really not a word that I would say describes me but this past month it would! I had finally had a chance to pick up all of the photos i sent to Costco, oh...over a month ago. All 300 of them sitting beside me screaming for attention, begging to be placed in a scrapbook! It never seems to happen. I have some beautiful pics of my brother and sister in-laws wedding that was in September. I actually found it really hard to choose the special ones to blow up and frame because there were so many to choose from. I try to give myself goals each month. Nothing "earth-moving"but just little goals that make my happy. The last three months its been weight loss...UGG!!! I lost a total of 8lbs. Some would say"that's it? and others would say "that's great". I just say UGG!!! I really don't know why I put myself through this because I always know what the outcome will be. Loss a little gain ALOT! I do really well off the starting line then the motivation weakens coming around to the home stretch. It's not that I don't know what to do to loose weight, heck , it's not some secret formula, it's common sense and will power. Oh...WILLPOWER.. where art thow...willpower???

So this is what I have decided one of my goals for April will be...I will TRY my BEST to eat healthy, not excluding the finer things that bring me great joy(like chocolate) and get active! Simple, right??? Will see.

My second and last goal, is t ride the wave when the "creative" juices are flowing! I blog hop alot and have come across a few goodies that bring me great motivation. No , they are not scrapbook page ideas but to be honest, I get inspired with my layouts when I play with other "crafty"things first.

take a look at my next post with a few new projects I would like to try for April.

2011-02-06T08:43:00.000-08:00

ESSO Game Day 2011

The Stirling Blues Novice A team travelled to Toronto for the ESSO Game day. This is a fun filled day where hockey teams get to watch the Toronto Maple Leafs pre-game practice, tour the ACC then head to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Carson was so excited because both of his Papa's were joining him as well as Rene. It was truly a "boys only"day!

They all had a great time and enjoyed some dinner at the Madarine in Pickering before heading back to Stirling.

A great day was had by all!

2011-01-12T13:33:00.000-08:00

Today the police community/family lost another member while serving and protecting the streets of Toronto.
Sgt. Ryan Russell of Toronto Police was struck and killed while on duty. This 35 yr old man who had been a police officer for over 11years risked his life to save others. He leaves behind a wife and young son. A good friend of ours in Toronto was very close to Sgt. Russell and our thoughts go out to him, his wife and their co-workers during this difficult time.

2011-01-01T18:07:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2011

I know, I should be posting pics of the Christmas Festivities at the Aubertin house but I must admit.. I don't know how! Rene is always kind to download them from my camera to the computer. I did write myself a cheat sheet but it is nowhere to be found. So stay tuned for a recap of Christmas 2010.

I LOVE New Years Day. It usually is a day where we do NOTHING!!! These days don't usually occur at the Aubertin house so needless to say, we were truly looking forward to ringing in the New Year! Our day started at 9am...yes, the kids and us actually slept in! Rene made a great breakfast and I made myself a yummy Chai Latte from my new Tossimo that Santa brought me. YUM!!! Carson and I worked on his Crosby puzzle and Shelyn and I did some organizing in her bedroom. Afterwards I grabbed the laptop and started some site/blog hopping. I've been on the hunt for some "gotta have them" end tables, coffee table and decor ideas for the new house. My new model in this house is that if I don't LOVE it, I don't buy it! My old model was, If its on Sale, I can learn to like it! Gone are those days.. bye bye! Don't get me wrong, I still love a good bargain but life is too short to compromise and why not be surrounded by the things you love.

So I found a new store in Toronto. Its called West Elm...LOVE IT! I will have to visit it the next time Im there. In the meantime, I can enjoy they website. I also hopped onto Pottery Barns site and found few gems there as well. The prices may seem high but I must tell you, Rene and I were at a big, chain furniture store the other day and found a coffee table and end table that were very appealing but found out they were going to be around $700.00 for the set and they were not even wood! I DON'T THINK SO!!! What are they thinking?

Take a peek at these great little gems I found at Pottery Barn and WestElm

Pottery Barn $239 Pottery Barn $239

West Elm $229
( #1 choice)

WestELM

West Elm(toronto)...$149.99 SALE

(#2 choice)

Aren't they great!

Very hard to decide which one it will be? I still have to find a coffee table that will go with the side table. I would love a nice bug round table but nothing has caught my eye yet.

Time to retire for the evening. Renes working, Shelyn has her friend over and Carson and I are headed to bed for some snuggles... he's too cute, always crawls into my bed when Rene's on night! gotta Love it!

Happy New Year everyone!

2010-12-23T07:49:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

We are so exited about spending our first Christmas in our new home! I was so excited about decorating my mantel this year. I know it sounds funny, but I have always dreamed about having a mantel and hanging stockings from it at Christmas time. Although it took a little tweeking, it looks great!

A few weekends ago,we went to my aunts cottage on Howe Island to cut down our Christmas tree this year. It was a VERY wet adventure

but we found what we thought was "the one" to take home. When we arrived home, we almost could not get the tree in the house...yikes!!! It's a little on the "plump" side! After a bit of a struggle its in and decorated.

The season has been busy with Christmas concerts and Christmas Sharing at the school, house parties with friends and family, my little nephews 1st birthday and Shelyn's 10th birthday! Yes... I said 10! I'm having a hard time swallowing that as well. Where oh where did this 10 year old come from? Shelyn is so excited to be a "tween" on Christmas eve. She is still our sweet little , kind hearted girl who still has a great passion for all things with fur! Shea likes to make almost weekly trips to the Humane Society to walk the dogs, pet the cats and talk with the other creatures. This year for her birthday she asked all of her friends to bring a donation for the Humane Society. Her Friends were very generous and Shelyn was able to donated a large variety of treats , toys and food to the shelter. Shelyn has taken a break from riding this winter and is enjoying her hockey in Stirling. She has become friends with a few girls her age and loving the game.

Carson has been a busy little man with his hockey career this season. Rep hockey takes you to many different towns meeting many different people along the way. We had the pleasure of taking part in a hockey tourney in late November in Haliburton On. What a beautiful area! Carson's team won the C championships.

Carson has got two goals and many assists this season. He is really a hard working little player. He does not let his size hold him back from getting into the corners and struggling for that puck! We are so proud of his determination and love for the sport. Next week we are heading to Hespler ON(near Kitchener ) for a four day tournament. ROLL BLUES ROLL!!!

Rene and I are both well. Although we both love the Christmas season, we are looking forward to January when we can possibly get a weekend away just the two of us for some much needed R&R.

Rene is growing hair.. yes.. hair... for a new assignment at work. He has not had hair on his head for over 15 years. It's kind of funny to roll over and see a man beside me with hair!!LOL

That's all for me!

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and the very best in the New Year!

The Aubertins!

2010-11-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

WELCOME to our new home!

We are in and loving it! It has been a long journey starting from the day Rene and I bought our first home together 9 years ago. Our first home was to be our 5 year plan home. Meaning , the plan was to sell in 5 years from the date we moved in and build our "forever"home. So it took a few more years but it all happened for a reason and we are THRILLED with the way things fell into place.

Still trying to unpack boxes and I'm realizing there is so much that we actually could live without! My goal is to try and simplify my life as easily as I can and unpacking boxes full of "stuff"that has no meaning is the first place to start.

We can't say enough about our Builder "Duvanco Homes". Sorry if I'm repeating myself but we are truly pleased with the Team at Duvanco and deeply appreciate their assistance along the way. I think I have a crush on them...ha ha !!

The kids are settling into their new surroundings. Carson had a rough few nights from the start but all is well now.

(i will post pictures of the bedrooms and bathrooms but they were a mess at the time I took the others)

We live on a dead end road so the kids are having great fun with their new found freedom of riding their bikes and going for walks independently.

We have met a few neighbors and everyone seems to be very friendly. They most likely have seen too much of us Aubertins in the last few weeks because we do not have any window coverings on yet..tee hee hee!

The wheels are turning already on how to decorate for Christmas. Trying my best to put my creativity to work and decorate the most economical way this year.. will see how that goes.

Thanks for checking in and stop by anytime. The kettle is always on!

enjoy the tour...

front foyer

the painter is coming back to paint the front door a deep brick red.. I can't wait!

front foyer with the kids closet and our closet...love this!!

the view from the top of the stairs...excuse the dirty floor

LOVE...LOVE...LOVE my walk in pantry! The kids do as well, it's a new hiding spot!

on the hunt for new end tables and a coffee table , this one is the wrong color and way too small!

2010-09-25T05:22:00.000-07:00

SOLD!!!!!!

We are so excited that our house is finally off the market. We actually pulled it from the realtor and decided to sell it privately. We were fortunate to know someone who knew someone and it all worked out! We are so Happy that this family will enjoy many year of memories in this home just as we have.

Now I can officially share some pictures of our new build. I 'm a little superstitious so i didnt'want to share them until the papers were signed, although I have already taken some Friends through the house..LOL

We move in two week...YIKES!!! Which means I really should be packing and not on the computer ... dont'tell Rene!!

We LOVE our new house and can't wait to get in it!

We still can't say enough about our builder

www.duvancohomes.com

They have been amazing ever step of the way!

We were able to change up the design of the house a little bit to suit our lifestyle!

It's not a mansion... but it's our Mansion!

I will posted more pictures of the completed house when I have a chance!

2010-09-20T19:02:00.001-07:00

I was blog shopping again and check out what I found!

http://www.allthingsthrifty.com/

I {heart} this blog! It's chalk full of inspiration for home decor projects "thrifty style"! Chekc out the before and after pics.I love when people think outside of the box and are not afraid to try fun and interesting things. My lsit is getting larger and larger at the little projects I can't wait to try!

their going back...

2010-09-09T18:27:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow will mark the end of the first week back to school. Shelyn is in grade 5 and Carson grade 2...YIKES!! This is very hard to swallow! grade 5.. really??? Shelyn was really looking forward to school but Carson on the other hand was not. Usually Carson doesn't really have any comment when it comes to school. As long as he can still play mini sticks, he's happy! This year was different! He told us he didn't want to go back because he had the "meanest" teacher in the WORLD! Wow, such a powerful statment but so far so good!

I love when September rolls around. Not only because its my birthday month but because it brings the return of routine. Although we enjoy our summer vacations , swimming in pools, BBQ's and all summer has to offer, there is something about routine that brings me comfort!

2010-08-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Rene and I headed to the wedding of my cousin Adam and his beautiful wife Guilia. The wedding took place at Casa-Dea Winery in Wellington, On.

it was a beautiful day and beautiful wedding.

Unfortunately I didn't have much of a chance to take many pictures but managed to snap a few. Still can't believe I didn't get one of the bride and groom together or Rene and I . i will have to hijack some from my mom shortly.

This is my Cousin Adam's family

My mom and her five sisters

Diane, Mom (Rosanne), Sharon, Carol, Jeanie, Donna

My mom with all of her siblings

six girls, two boys

A off centered picture of my family.
Cat, Shaun, Mom , Dad , Rene and Me!

2010-08-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Again this year we were very fortunate to get an invitation to our friends , The Closs families cottage in Bobcaygeon, On.

We always have a great time when our families get together and this year was no exception!

Boating, tubing, swimming, jumping on the water trampoline, baseball games, a trip to the local pioneer village , great food and great company!

Thanks guys!

2010-08-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Well ball season is over, hard to believe how fast it goes. This year Carson made the Belleville Bandits Jr. Mites rep team. We were so proud of our little monkey for trying his best all season. There were touch and go moments, i must admit! it was hard for Carson to adjust at first. Being one of the youngest on the team and having some boys in their second year was a bit of a change for Carson. And did I mention it was fast ball? Man, some of those pitchers could throw a mean pitch. Despite the ups and down, the season was great! The team really played well. They won 1st place in their division and placed second in Regionals. Not to shabby!!!

We met some wonderful families and shared many laughs together. Aside from seeing my children have so much fun in sports, meeting new families has to be my favorite!

Thank you to Mike, Woody(Brent), Andrew and Dan for their wonderful coaching abilities and being such positive role models for the boys!

(Carson is forth from the right on the bottom, holding the bat)

2010-08-10T18:22:00.001-07:00

I found this quote by Walt Disney that really speaks to me!

It's funny when you read quote's, sometimes they mean nothing but for some reason , this quote really grabbed me today!

Maybe it's because I am one who enjoys taking new paths in life, or may be because my life is taking a few new paths at this moment?

Whatever the reason may be,

I am truly listening to a man who's life's path

I'm sure took him to places he never imagined

and who's empire today is remarkable!!!

catch-up

2010-08-04T05:17:00.000-07:00

FOR SALE!!!!!!

Well, our house selling process has been a roller coaster ride that we are still on! We had an offer on our house the second week it was on the market. The buyers finances fell through after giving him two months to figure it out..GRRR!!!!

We had another offer come in last week but we declined it as it wasn't even close to our bottom line!

Many people through and many people saying the love the house but I guess not the perfect buyer yet.

This process has taught us patience and perseverance! We are so eager to get into our dream home which is coming along nicely.

We are building with Duvanco Homes . They have been FANTASTIC to work with. Dustin and his team are wonderful and really are working for us!

We can't say enough about this builder and feel very good about choosing DUVANCO HOMES to build our dream home!

www.duvancohomes.com

I will be posting pictures soon of our new house but i'm a little apprehensive as our house is not sold yet! :(

Rene just returned from a five day vacation to Las Vegas with his brothers dad and a few other friends. There trip was to celebrate Rene's brother Chris 's Bachelor party.

I know.. have you seen the movie "Hanghover"?? This was the thought that went through my head as well!

I'm happy to report they all arrived home safe and sound!

Rene was such a sweetie to bring us home some treats. Even something a little sparkly for me!!!

I love this man!

CANADA DAY
2010

HOWE ISLAND

Another beautiful Canada Day !

Unfortunately Shelyn and Rene were not able to join us this year but Carson and I headed to my aunt and uncles cottage on Howe Island!

I'm sure you have heard me mention Howe Island many times before.

We LOVE our trips to the island!

Mataya and Carson Celebrating our countries birthday!

A TRIP TO CAMBELLFORD

For those of you who know Rene and I well, you know we have a strong love for CHOCOLATE!!

YUM!!!!

We are lucky to live very close to a Chocolate Factory in Cambellford, ON.

We grabbed our cooler one Sunday afternoon and headed out to the Factory.

We actually grabbed a pizza first and had a picnic in the park on the Trent River.

it was a great little spot to enjoy some live music and watch some beautiful boats (yachts) travel down the river.

I love family afternoons!

2010-06-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

I came across this adorable picture of Shelyn and Carson in July 2006. Carson is three and Shelyn is five!
It was our first camping trip to Bon Echo with our friends The Closs family.
We have been going to Bon Echo as a family ever year since!

This pictures sure puts a smile on my face!

2010-06-07T18:23:00.000-07:00

Life update...

So much time has past since my last blog entry . Here is a snapshot of what the "Aubertins"have been up to in the past four months...

We are building our dream home...

To say we are excited is a very LARGE understatement!!!

The perfect lot in a perfect little country subdivision only 7 minutes from where we live now. If all goes well, we will be in out new home by the end of September.

They just started digging last week. We are so excited to see the step -by-step progress of our home. The foundation should be poured this week and Rene and I have a meeting with the designer on Thursday...{butterflies} ...

This past week , we scooted away to Horseshoe Valley Resort, North West of Barrie,for a little four day vacation with just the four of us!

I have been going here for the past 18 year..holy crap... has it been that long???

It's so wonderful that I can now bring my children!

We always try to get an afternoon in at Wasaga Beach, if the weather Cooperates!

It was an over cast day be we made the best of it!

At the top of Blue Mountain, Collingwood

Lunch on the patio

Our little monkey!

Carson and Rene took in a round of golf (9 holes)

Carson was given a set of children's sizes "real"golf clubs last year from a family friend.

This was the first time he actually played a real round of golf at Horseshoe Valley. he was thrilled!

They played 9 holes and Carson shot a 72

Way to Go little man!!!

We enjoyed lots of swimming and time in the hot tub

In April, Rene and I "jet setted"to Las Vegas Navada for a 6 day vacation, just the two of us!

We had a great time! There is so much to see and do in the "city that never sleeps". We enjoyed a few shows, a night helicopter ride over the "strip" a trip to the Hoover Damn and just some plain old "together time".

Would love to go back again soon. Maybe this time with a few friends in tow!

We took over 300 picture and I couldn't possibly include them all here but I did include a few for you to enjoy!

The Gondola rides in the Venitian

The Hoover Damn

We now have a "Track Star"in the family and her name is Shelyn!

In grade four, you are able to try out for all kinds of sports teams. Shelyn had a desire to be part of the track team. With her successful Cross country season she felt she could handle the new challenge of Track .

Well, handle it she did! The first track event was Relay. The girls did wonderful and I think they finished 5th in the entire county area!

Now she is running track (400m, 800m and 1500m) Two weeks ago she placed first in the ASG (all schools groups) 800m, second in 400m and opted out of the 1500 m because it was a scorching hot day!

Next Tuesday is the district meet and we can't wait to cheer on our little star!

This is Rene's new toy!

2010-06-07T17:31:00.000-07:00

continued...

Shelyn's Hip Hop dance recital

Empire Theatre Belleville.

Shelyn {hearts} Hip Hop. She continues to take lessons up until July . Must get her moves from mommy!!!

Lott family Easter get together on Howe Island.

This is a picture of the "big" kids doing their scavenger hunt. It was really interesting to see how they worked together to figure out what the glues were.

A scavenger hunt on the front lawn for the littler ones.

Chelsea and Sawyer playing t-ball with the croaky set

My adorable little nephew Liam

Some creative time!!!

I made this adorable little card for a friend's baby shower. Got my inspiration from Scrapbooks trends magazine.

Our March break trip to Watertown ,NY

Shelyn SO wanted to take this chair home with her... Sorry honey it's not for sale!

Carson enjoying the MANY flavours of gum balls

Tyke Select End of Season party

"Go CANADA Go"

Liam came to visit us and Cheer on Carson and the Stirling Blues!

Check out his shirt... I wonder who bought this one????

Gananoque Novice Rep hockey Tourney

This was the very first over night hockey tournament the Stirling Blues Tyke Select team had. That had a BLAST! Not only did they win the tournament, I think they had just as much fun running the halls of the hotel, trying to fit the entire team in our jacuzzi tub.

This sure brought back memories of the tournaments my brother was in and where we wold spend each one of our weekends in the winter.

We had a wonderful hockey season this year and met so many wonderful people!

Thank you to Fred , Dave and Rene for doing such a great job teaching and guiding this great little team!

2010-02-15T07:04:00.000-08:00

Family Day 2010...

It hard to believe our government has taken DECADES to determine we need a "Family"Day here in Canada. ALL store, including the mall and big box stores are closed! I {LOVE} it! A day to spend exclusively with the ones we love. Unless that is , if you are a "shift working"family , like us! Living as a shift worker family from the get-go , for the most part, is fine. You adapt to those holidays or special occasion and make the best of it whenever you can. Yesterday was Valentines Day and my dearest husband was working. The kids and I enjoyed a yummy heart shaped pancake breakfast and then off to the rink we went for Carson's hockey game. Afterward were met up with my aunt and cousin at the mall enjoying some time in Toys R Us and Children's Place! A great little Valentines day!

I am so blessed to have a wonderful family and extended family! I love each and everyone of them for who they are. My family means the world to me! We love to spend time together, we learn from each other , we laugh at each other and we love each other!

So today we are headed out to our local YMCA for a Family swim, then back to the arena for time with our "hockey family". I hope you had a chance to be with the ones you love!

Happy Family Day Everyone!

outside of my comfort zone!

2010-02-08T17:35:00.001-08:00

One of my new years "goals" for this year was to do something that is totally outside of my comfort zone and boy did I! A few weekends ago I went and had some photos taken of myself by Jenna of www.jennafayephotography.com . Jenna does beautiful pictures which i have always admired. she has such an amazing creative eye! This time, she was offering a photo session called "Sexy back sessions" . This was a promo for Valentines day. My chance to test myself and leap out of the "zone". This was also a surprise gift for Rene. Well... I was SO nervous when I arrived at the shoot. Jenna suggested posing in front of the mirror at home , something I NEVER do and NEVER did! She also made suggestions on types of clothing to take and some "sexy" posing ideas. Lets just say, my flannel jammies were not on her "sexy" list! LOL So I did some searching and found a few things I thought would work. I arrived at the shoot, like I said, nervous has heck and I walked in a ladies are getting their hair done, nails done and sipping on champagne, well, "I can handle this!" So I was forth in line and the closer I got to my shoot , the more excited I got for this AMAZING opportunity. All I started to think about was the expression on Rene's face when he sees these pics!
So I had my photo shoot and felt so good when I was finished! I couldn't wait to see the pics. Jenna was very prompt at getting the proofs out. Once I saw the proofs I couldn't keep the secret from Rene any more. I knew I had to show him and was dieing to see the expression on his face. So we were almost ready to go to sleep one night and I told him I had a surprise for him, half of his Valentines gift and I just couldn't wait to give it to him. So i grabbed the lap top and brought it into the bedroom. I opened the slide show file and handed the laptop to him. Words can not describe the look on his face. He really couldn't get his words out(something that never happens to Rene,he's alwasy a man of words..LOL) it went a little like this..."when did...where were...Oh my god...this is.. holy crap... your amazing...when did...how did.. who?? PRICELESS!!! needless to say , he loved them. I truly can't wait to get the actual pics in my hand! Most of the pics I WILL NOT be showing to the world... {for Rene's eyes only!} but one of my FAV pics is this one below. I LOVE IT! I look at this picture and realize I have come a long way in my life's journey. I am happy with who I am in life and who I have become! I'm happy that I can see I look a lot like my mother and my father. I'm happy with my freckles, my wrinkles around my eyes . I think more women need to "be happy" with themselves and not wish to be different then they are, not wish to have smaller or bigger boobs, or a skinny body. We need to teach our young girls to be happy with themselves and strong in their minds. We all know the world needs morepositive young women...so pass it along ladies!

birthday pictures continue...

2010-02-04T17:29:00.001-08:00

Look for this adorable face on the big screen at centre ice of the Belleville Bulls game this Saturday night!

A big smile for hand knitted slippers from "Grammy"

(Carson's Great-Grandmother)
We love these slippers.

Although Grammy has really bad arthritus in her hands, she still manages to

produce the best slippers and handmade socks ever!

Thank you Grammy!

Playing mini-sticks hockey with Pappa Bear and his new mini sticks goaly nets

Poor Papa Bear , I think he was still standing like this the next day! LOL

random thoughts

2010-02-04T17:14:00.001-08:00

Here is Shelyn (fourth from the right) sitting patiently on the stage at school in her riding gear. Why you may ask? Well, Shelyn is in grade four now and starting in grade four is the "oh so exciting ...and nerve racking" process of learning how to write and present speeches. So the process goes a little like this:

1- think of something you really enjoy ie. hobby, a favorite book etc. to write about

2- brainstorm on paper what types of points about this topic you want to speak about

3-practice...practice...practice at home reading out loud

4-read speech in front of your class

5-top six speeches from each class get chosen to read in front of another class in the school

6-top three speeches get chosen to read in front of the entire school...YIKES!

7- practice...practice...practice

8-the day comes when you get on the stage and present your speech

So here she is...made it to the stage in front of the school. We are SO proud of Shelyn and her accomplishment! She worked SO hard and practiced SO much to get to this point. I don't know about her, but I sure know my nerves were shot!

oh, what was her speech about? her hobby horseback riding. She dressed in her riding gear to read the speech! So creative!

I wonder if they will look back on this picture when they have children and think...holy cow look at how big that laptop is!

I remember my first computer, a Commodore64, complete with a tape deck.

Wow... how times have changed!

7 Years old...WOW!!!

2010-02-04T17:06:00.000-08:00

Yesterday marked Carson's 7th Birthday. Wow, so hard to believe! We celebrate bright and early in the morning with a birthday announcement on the radio. This announcement put the most grateful smile on Carson's face. At night we had a family party complete with all kinds of wonderful gifts. Tonight, Carson and daddy had a "boys night out", heading out for wings and a game of pool. What a birthday! This Saturday Carson will celebrate again with his closest buddies, cheering on the Belleville Bulls. Birthdays tend to spread themselves out in this family. Usually over a week span. Lucky little monkeys and they deserve every little minute of it!

holiday season at the Aubertins

2010-01-10T05:47:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful holiday season has come and gone. Full of new and old traditions. We were blessed Dec 9Th with a new member to the McGarvey family.Liam Michael Fredrick McGarvey.What a little sweetie! It's crazy to think that my brother is a daddy... and a great one at that! Kind of makes me tear up when I think about it! We got to enjoy some time with Shaun , Cat and Liam over the holidays. Our annual Christmas Tree cut down down was celebrated with my aunt and uncle, Mom and dad, Shelyn and myself. My cousin Michelle and her husband Jeff also joined in the festivities. I LOVE cutting down a fresh tree each year! The thrill of searching for that perfect(or not so perfect) tree, loading it on top of the van (or in the trailer) and the smell of it in our house. It's a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season. Shelyn celebrated her 9th Birthday Dec 24th. WOW... did I say NINE????? Hard to believe! We celebrated with her friends enjoying a "spa"party at the house, then with family the week before Christmas and again on Christmas eve. Our annual tour of the local Christmas tree light displays was enjoyed by all. Although my parents were not able to make it this year, Rene's parents joined us for the tour and we saw a few familiar faces along the way!

Christmas Eve we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at my In-laws. Christmas day was celebrated at home with just the four of us int he morning then off to my parents in the afternoon. Boxing day was our traditional Lott family Christmas get together. Always an good time! I was fortunate to have some time off during the holidays. It was wonderful. We enjoyed many PJ days while relaxing around the house and playing with all of the goodies Santa brought us.

We also hosted a Christmas Open House this year. what a great turn out. It's so nice to celebrate with our friends and their families. New years was a quite one this year. We went tobogganing with two other families and enjoyed some munchies and cheering on the Canadian JR hockey team on TV.

I am so thankful for an amazing family and friends and the time we get to spend together over the holidays. Good times enjoyed by all!

McGarvey Christmas

Cat, Shaun and Liam

Sporting their Stirling Blues hats

Camera from Santa

Police Lego City from Santa

Picture op with Uncle Chris and Uncle Andre

Christmas light tour

Finished product and some happy customers!

Ginger bread time!

A few hockey games and tourney's during the holidays!

Our first blanket of snow

Christmas tree cutting day

Welcome Liam

Proud and tired Daddy!

Finally an Aunt!

2010-01-02T19:18:00.001-08:00

I am still waiting for my home computer to be fixed so I can upload some great pics of the Holiday season at the Aubertin house. In the meantime, I am finding it amazing that we have reached 2010 already...where does the time go?

It's truly hard to believe the journey my life has taken within the last ten years(2000)... a full decade! As I sit and reflect , I consider myself to be very thankful for this journey .
In the last ten years...
-Rene and I FINALLY got engaged
-had our first beautiful child Shelyn
-had the wedding of our dreams
-changed jobs and moved back to the Belleville area
-purchased our first home
-purchased our first(of many)mini vans
-mourned the loss of some very near and dear people
-met new friends
-had our second beautiful child Carson
-took the BIG leap and opened my own business
-took many business related courses
-learned to drive standard
-lost a few pounds
-gained a few pounds
-became a member of the Parent Council
-became a "hockey mom"
-returned to the world of indoor soccer for ladies
-spent wonderful family vacations with the ones I love...
and the list could go on and on!

I don't usually make New Years resolutions, I consider them more as goals to strive for. This year, i will strive to spend more quality time with my loved ones, take better care of myself (mentally and physically), reach out to those in my community and ENJOY my journey!

little things bring great joy...

2009-10-29T19:26:00.000-07:00

Rene and I are gradually re-doing our kitchen, well...I'm gradually redoing our kitchen. After many debates, we decided to tear down the border, paint, put in new counters, back splash, new lighting and replace the handles on our cabinets. Our cabinets are in great shape and are solid oak , so it really would be a shame to paint and not very economical to replace. We have completed the tearing down of the border and have repainted the entire kitchen (I love the paint color and can't wait to do the dinning room). We had a very hard time determining what type of handle to buy so we purchased three different styles and placed all three on the cabinets . This was the best way to make up our minds. We also got the input of family and friends as they visited. So of course we, and everyone else chose the most expensive handle at a meer $6.00 a pop. I know $6.00 doesn't seem like much but when you are replacing 46 handles...its' a lot!!! So paycheck by paycheck we have been gradually purchasing new handles. This is a slow process as we can only purchase what the store has in stock and every time we go to purchase more there only seems to be three or four there! So to make a short story long...last week I came home from work and found an envelope and a Home Depot bag on the counter. In the hHme Depot bag were six handles . I opened the card and immediately started to cry. The card was from my mom and dad and inside that card was a gift card with the reaming balance to cover ALL.. yes ALL of our handles! You see my parents.... actually my dad is a very sappy man and whenever he writes something in a card that he gives me, I start to get emotional. it must be that father -daughter bond. He wrote that he was very proud to be my dad and proud of everything I set out to do in my life ...sniff...sniff! I know its just handles but it was the perfect gesture at the perfect time.. I love you MOM and DAD and thank you for the wonderful gift.. they may not be the fanciest handles but we like them!

breast cancer awareness month

2009-10-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

I was Blog surfing tonight and came across this adorable sign collage of funny yet inspiring ways to promote breast cancer awareness. Check it out and pass it on... and don't forget to "feel your boobies"!

2009-10-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Monday at the Apple Orchard...
Today we headed over to Campbell's Orchard for our annual trip of apple picking and choosing the perfect pumpkin. On our way we picked up Sawyer and his mommy Tara to join us! We enjoyed checking out the animals, wagon ride, picking our pumpkins right from the patch, apple picking and a sweet treat for the ride home. A great fall day!

2009-10-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving on Howe Island...
We were very thankful to spend Thanksgiving weekend at my aunt and uncles cottage. We love spending time at the cottage with family. From the moment you drive onto the ferry , there is a sense of calm that comes over you!
We enjoyed many games of floor hockey,crazy eights, walks down the lane way, apple picking , relaxing in the hammock, pumpkin carving , great food and great memories...for this WE ARE THANKFUL!

2009-10-12T15:02:00.000-07:00

A baby on the way... How exciting! My mom and I hosted a baby shower for my brother and sister-in law to be a couple of weeks again. It's was so much fun shopping for little baby goodies again! Cat(sister in law) was showered with many wonderful gifts for baby Liam... I can't wait until December when I finally get to meet my new little nephew!

2009-10-12T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sk8ter dudes...

We have now moved into the world of skateboarding, scooter and BMX racing in the Aubertin house. Nothing competitive but more on the leisure side. The kids love going to the skate park in Belleville. They are a lot more adventurous then I would be on that cement pad. Most times we leave with all body parts intact. Thank goodness!

Happy Anniversary!

2009-09-09T05:24:00.000-07:00

Yesturday marked the 8th wedding Anniversary for Rene and I. Wow, eight years. Although it still seems like just yesturday, we have been very lucky to have a wonderful marriage and two beautiful children that has completed our family!

Happy Anniversary babe!

a visit with my brother

2009-09-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, we headed to Brockville to visit my brother and his fiance. They moved into their first home in may and were doing some Major reno work on the second floor of the house. So we headed down with tools and paint brushes in hand to help out. We had a great weekend, yes, there was some work involved but we managed to all have a little break on Monday when we spent the day four wheeling near Charleston Lake. Shaun has ALWAYS been one to love to "play"in the dirt. He knew those trails like the back of his hand . what a blast! Shaun is 28 years old, so he's not that "little'. Him and his Fiance Cathleen are expecting their first child in December which we are told is a baby boy. Our family is so excited. It's been 6 years since we have had a wee one in our family and we are thrilled to be able to shop for baby goodies again. I had a chance to take some pics of Shaun and Cat in their backyard. What a great weekend!

A new toy I would love to have!!!!

2009-08-30T06:04:00.000-07:00

I was at my friend Anne's place last night and she introduced me to her new toy... the "Selphy" by Canon. It's a portable printer but has amazing editing features build right in the system. I LOVE IT!!! you can do a wide variety of editing including cropping customizing , changing colours, creating calenders, post cards and the list goes on and on! The price point seems very reasonable around$149.99.. I must say, this little gem is going on my Christmas wish list for sure!

2009-08-10T19:16:00.000-07:00

Shelyn's Craft Club

For the month of August, Shelyn is hosting a craft club for her and her 10 girlfriends here at the house. Summer is really busy and they don't get a chance to see one another very much so I thought this would be a great way for the girls to be creative and have some "girl"time. Last week we made sugar scrubs for the bath. This week it is shadow boxes for their bedrooms and the week after is mini scrapbooks.

Shelyn has a wonderful group of friends and although it gets a little LOUD at times, I love seeing the joy in their eyes when they spend time together.

2009-08-10T19:15:00.000-07:00

the beauty of summer

random rambling...

2009-08-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

Shelyn and Carson earn an allowance each week for keeping their room clean and various other task, which i must admit does not generally happen until they see something they REALLY want to buy. This week it was a mini skateboard called a "teck deck" . Essentially what it is, for those of you who may have no clue like I did, it's a mini skateboard that you would play with similar to a "hot wheels car". Carson purchase his first as Shelyn wasn't so excited about it, at first. Carson made himself a "teck deck"skate park in the backyard using a ladder, a pail and some random pieces of wood. He played for almost a full hour with this thing and for those of you who have a six year old boy will know, a full hour with his attention focused on one thing is almost UN heard of! Shelyn thought this looked like a cool idea so she joined him and they had a grand ol'time in the backyard. Needless to say, Shelyn wanted her own the next day!

Happy Birthday Nana!

2009-08-10T18:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my mom!

We hope you have an AMAZING trip on your Alaskan Cruise!

summer time recap

2009-08-10T13:42:00.000-07:00

Carson striking a pose!

Great little soft ball team

Having some down time in the trailer at Darien Lake, NY
with the McKewons and Camerons

The "Silver Bullet" ride that the girls spend hours on...

John rescuing Carson from the shark

All thumbs up for the waterpark

The girls and mom's took in a Survivor show while the men made dinner

"We're not cold"

Me in panic mode on the Ferris Wheel...not a good ride for me...way too high!

The kids amusing themselves in a ride line up

Home made cookie sandwhich made by Peter..yummy!!!!

This is our GPS reading the Canadian and US border. the kids thought It was really cool that half of the car was in Canada and half in the US

Helicopter landing on the roof of a building at the Peace Bridge, US side

Baby ELLA ANNE MCGARVEY

Carson's passing gift.. a two wheeled scooter

Cute kids...

Crazy kids...

Where has the summer gone? My last blog entry was July 16Th...what a blog slacker!!!

Life has been busy for the Aubertin family. Day trips, BBQ's , family vacations and a whole lot of fun! We camped with my in-laws for the first time. Lots of fun with the exception of the torrential down pour and hale storm...Sharbot Lake is one of my Favorite Provincial Parks. Baseball season wrapped up for Carson. He had another amazing year! Hi coach suggested that Carson try out for the Rep team next year...yikes! We also headed to Darien Lake theme park in New York with the McKewons , Camerons and a few new friends. What a blast! For the most part the weather was great. The kids and adults, enjoyed many rides and attractions and a few beverages by the fire. There were 11 kids all together and everyone of them got along really well! The girls(Shelyn, Maddy, Macey and Hannah) went on the silver bullet a "million"times. I love rides but I was getting motion sickness watching them go in circles for almost an hour total. Crazy kids! We did manage to do some shopping while in the US but I was a little disappointed I actually came back with money... you know what that means...that's right ladies, another shopping trip to plan! On our way home from Darien Lake , we stoped in Burlington, ON to visit the newest member of the McGarvey family. Baby Ella Anne McGarvey. My cousin Chris and his wife Laura and bg brother Jake welcomed Ella in early July. We had a great visit! It was pure luck that my Aunt and Uncle from Perth were in Burlington that weekend as well. So we had lots of laughs. This past week we celebrated my mom's birthday. I'm not going to mention her age as she would be mortified. I still consider her to be a young Chicky!'We also visited Oak Lake beach with the MacDonald family. I have not been to Oak Lake beach for many...MANY years. Wow, it sure brought back memories. the kids had a blast playing in the water, on the doc and the surf boards. Carson and Addison had fun in the mud.

We are gearing up for this weekend when we have our annual BBQ with friends near and far. this year we are putting a little twist int he evening and having a scavenger hunt/ car rally where guests are required to find different clues and objects along their travels. I will post some pic later next week.

clean house makes for one happy mom!

2009-07-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

a follow up to my last post...
the day arrived when my amazing neighbour had cleaned my house from top to bottom last Thursday and it was amazing!!!!! Some would say it's very sad that I get so excited about a clean house but i'm a very simple girl and i really don't need much to make me smile! A clean house makes me SMILE :)... Shelyn and Carson call her "our maid" and they said "look mom.. "our maid"even made our beds, that's cool! Cool is saying it mildly! SHE ROCKS!!!!!

Can't wait until next week...maybe she will even place mints on our pillow...Ha Ha Ha!~!!!!!

2009-07-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

This is truly how I feel at the moment!!!!
Life is really crazy and I must say housework is like a really bad case of hemroides..grrrr!
(not that I really know what that feels like, but I could only imagine)

A little birdie told me my neighbour's daughter loves housework...AMEN!!!
So I have hired her to clean my house this summer. She starts next week and I can't wait!
It feels like I am waiting for Christmas morning to arrive.

Rene and the kids are all for this as I tend to get a little "crazy" when I need to start cleaning the house. There have been many occasions when I have threatened the kids to clean up their toys, as I head to their rooms with a garbage bag in hand.

So there's my deep dark secret...what's yours?

2009-06-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Sandbanks Provincal Park, Picton On

June 2009
Our summer home

Campsite buddy!

Campfire fun!

A day at the beach!

Guided sand dunes nature hike..very interesting . We all learned some very interesting facts about the Sandbanks

On top of the dune at West Lake

My Sweeties!

2009-06-29T19:38:00.000-07:00

HAPPY FATHERS DAY... to the father of my children, to my Father and Father in law.

I am so blessed to have you all in my life!

I LOVE YOU!

2009-06-18T17:21:00.001-07:00

Our new "Home away from Home" this summer!

We are a camping family, always have been, always will! We {heart} the outdoors and can't get enough of it even during the winter months. We are so lucky to live in a country that has the MOST beautiful parks and lakes.

Since Rene and I started dating,we have always been "tenters". We loved the coziness of a tent But last year did us in. We camped approx four times last summer and I don't believe there was one weekend we did not have rain. Tents and rain...not a fun combo!

So this year we were on the hunt to get off the ground, which meant moving into the world of "tent-trailers". Do we go new or used...that was the debate!

Fortunately for us, our friends were purchasing a new tent trailer and gave us the opportunity to purchase theirs.

SOLD!!!

We {heart} our new tent trailer. The first weekend we had it, the kids an I slept in the trailer that evening. it was great!

We are so looking forward to next weekend which will be our first camping adventure of the year with our new trailer...Sandbanks here we come!

hangover...

2009-06-18T04:45:00.000-07:00

Last night Rene and I had a mini date at the movies with a few ...four... of Rene's co-workers. It's always "go times" whenever they get together. We went to see the movie "Hangover". I must say, I thought it would be another one of those movies where it gives you a laugh and then you see it released on DVD a week later. Well...was I wrong. This movie was HILARIOUS!!!! It was very socially inappropriate, so if stuff like that may offend you , please think twice about seeing it. I have not laughed like that in soooo long! It felt great! i think the funniest part about this movie is there are some people very close to me that I can see these types of events happening to...you know who you are..:)
If you have not heard of it, take a peek at the trailer and see what you think.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=162PBJp1akg

Thanks Eric for the invite, we had a great time!

trot on please...

2009-06-15T13:14:00.000-07:00

What an exciting day we had on Sunday! This was Shelyn's first riding competition. I must say , the nerves were very tense in the Aubertin house that day!
Shelyn had been looking forward to this day for such a long time. The weather was beautiful.. but a little on the warm side. Normally I would not complain but my poor little girl was riding in a long sleeve black riding jacket and her protective vest as well. We tried really hard to keep her cool.
There were 10 riders in each one of her classes. She rode in three different classes in the "Walk-Trot"division. Her horse is a bit of a stubborn one. He actually spooked during one class, so Shelyn was a little embarrassed by this but we were so proud of her to get him under control and finish the judging class. Did I mention my nerves were shot!!
Shelyn was very disappointed that she did not get a ribbon so we had a little parent to child counselling session about the fact that you will not always get a ribbon and the part where it's about the experience and having fun. I must say, I was a little shocked at her reaction. We had MANY discussions about this show and not wining a ribbon and she seemed very understanding but I guess in the heat of the moment everything we discussed went out the window.
We are SO proud of our little sweet pea , she is our little champion!

our mini family vacation...

2009-06-07T12:10:00.000-07:00

This past week , The Aubertin family headed to Horseshoe Resort , just north of Barrie ON. My parents have had a condo there for approx. 20 years . This year we were finally able to use it. Due to our crazy schedules we have not been up there since Carson was four months old...he's six years now!
The weather was perfect. the outdoor pool was about 82 so the kids enjoyed some water fun. Rene and I even slipped in for a little dip.

On Thursday, we enjoyed a very adventurous morning at Yamaha Adventures. Yamaha Adventure is a place , at Horseshoe, were you can rent dirt bikes, Rhino's and four wheelers and enjoy some of the amazing Simcoe County Forest trails. We decided to rent two Rhino's which all four of us could fit it! It was A BLAST!!! Our trail guide, Brock, was great! He took us on some pretty cool trails. Then when we return for our snack break, the owner asked up if Shelyn and carson would like to learn how to ride the dirk bikes...YIKES!!!! Of course the answer was YES!!!
They did amazing. We even ventured across the road to a moto cross track where the kids enjoyed some time on the bikes and Rene and I enjoyed some more time on the Rhinos.
I must say, this was the highlight of our trip.
We then enjoyed some time at Wasaga Beach and ventured onto Collingwood and checked out Blue Mountain. Breath taking. The village at Blue Mountain was beautiful. We even took the Gondola up the mountain and enjoyed some walking trails and the views from the top.
This was a much needed vacation and we enjoyed ourselves tremendously!

reflecting...

2009-05-31T18:53:00.000-07:00

Rene was so kind to upload my pics to the computer tonight so I thought I would share some pics of what the Aubertin family did on Mothers Day this year.

We were invited to the Closs family in Oshawa. They had recently moved into their beautiful home and we were so excited to be able to enjoy sometime with them in it!

The kids made crafts, watched movies, played barbies(yes, even the boys) and had the random arguments that kids tend to have.

The adults enjoyed great food, great laughs and a few great beverages as well!

We stayed the night at the Closs family home so we could get up Early and head to the Science Centre for Mothers'day.

I must not forget...Shawn was so kind to make Corrie and myself a yummy breakfast for mothers'day...thank you again Shawn!

We enjoyed a great day at the science centre checking out all of the really cool exhibits. I think one of the highlights for me was when Corrie and I got on the static ball stage to mess our hear up... Great fun.

It was a wonderful Mother's Day and I could not have thought of a better way to spend it then with family and friends!

Happy Mother's Day!

The two Mommy's with their munchkins in the rain forest at the Science Centre

Shelyn and Carson on the "static ball "stage..hard to tell but Carson's hair did stand up...a bit!

Now it was the mommy's turn...kids at heart!

My little monkey on the rock wall

Shelyn and I trying our turn at the Olympics bobsled racing

This was sooooo cool... 'This was in the children's area. The name of the exhibit slips my mind but as you can see, we had a lot of fun with this one!

This is Carson

Caylie, Carson, Shelyn and Tyler

At the Science Centre

Rene enjoying some snacks at the Closs's home!

Me (as photographed by Shelyn) helping out in the kitchen

Caylie and Carson enjoying their craft time in the craft room. These are lucky little kids who live in this house. They have a "craft room " a "toy"room and their own bedrooms. Shelyn and Carson really enjoy their play time with Tyler and Caylie.

Thank you Corrie, Shawn, tyler and Caylie for a great wekend! We can't to do it again!

2009-05-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rene's grandfather, Roger Aubertin passed away at the age of 83. Grandpa's life the last six months was a very difficult one. The move to Belleville from Mississauga, where he has lived his entire adult life, the discomfort and instabilities of his aging legs and the painful symptoms of multiple strokes and kidney failure. Although we mourn his loss, we are also comforted in knowing Grandpa is free of pain and enjoying his peaceful life now with his wife.

We thank you everyone for your thoughtfulness and kind words.
Krista and Rene

2009-05-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

A few random shots of day to day activities at the Aubertin house!

Carson showing off his artistic talents...

All dressed up in thier Easter outfits

We are shocked he actually got this helmet off...

Trying to get a cute picture of cruiser and the kids...no such luck!

"Try this daddy!"

It's so hard to believe May has arrived! May is such a refreshing month. The flowers are blooming, the grass is green and we are able to spend hours outside without bundling up with layers of clothing.

May is also the month that Rene and I orginally wanted to get married because it marks the anniversary of the first day we started to date. We decided not to pick May 7th as our date because we both loved the fall and really wanted to have a cool fall wedding. Funny enough.. on our wedding day September 8th, it was the hottest day with lots of humitity.

If you can believe it...we have been together for 18 YEARS...that's right 18!!!!!!!

We were babies when we started dating and we are in love with each other even more every year!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

2009-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

Shelyn's Hip Hop dance Recital Sunday April 26.
This is a picture from the end of the recital with all 50 dancers and Shelyn's director Brenda in the black. In silver first on the left

This is dance number 2 and I think Shelyns fav! She is in silver

Dance number 1

This is Shelyn in her Choir . She is fourth from the left.

This past Sunday Shelyn had her very first dance recital and it was wonderful! Shelyn dances at the Core School of Arts. This is a wonderful program here in Belleville which really focuses on each childs importance and how each child can help one another rise above. Shelyn really enjoyed her first year of Hip Hop dance and Chior. This amazing Spring Spectacular was held at the famous Empire Theatre here in Belleville. The theatre holds approx 400 people and it was FULL. Shelyn was so excited to be on the stage and loved every minute. Her buddies Eric and Samantha were also in her group.Than kyou to all of our family members, neighbours and Shelyn's teacher for attending the show, you made Shelyn feels so proud of herself! A big THANK YOU to all who helped with every aspect of this performance and through out the year. You touched the life of my child in a positive way and for that I thank you!

2009-04-18T19:09:00.000-07:00

I was checking out my photo file today and came across this picture . At the very moment I pulled this photo up, the song" You'll be in my heart"by Phil Collins was on ! Wow, how fitting is that?? This photo is of my two grandmothers. My Nanny McGarvey(my dad's mother) sitting and my Grandma (my mom's mother). They were very good friends for many years, then they parted for some reason that will always be a mystery? I think I may have been around 16 years old when they rekindled their friendship and carried on as travel companions and tea "grannies"like time had never passed.

We lost my Grandma in 2003 and my Nanny in 2006. It saddens me to think that Carson was too young to even remember their positive attitudes and loving hearts. They loved their Great Grandchildren very much and I know are looking down on them as Guardian Angles do. I show pictures of my Nanny and Grandma often to Shelyn and Carson and talk about all the good memories I have of them both in my life. This is one of the reason's why I feel so passionate about Scrapbooking. It's all about preserving our families memories.

2009-04-18T18:55:00.000-07:00

Shelyn and Carson love visiting thier Papa Bear and Nana Rose. We are so fortunate to have both sets of grandparents within a 10 min drive of our home. When the kids are at my parents, they look forward to also visiting the little girls that live down the road . They hike in the fields, looking for animal tracks, hang out on the front lawn, play on the trampolene and enjoy a snack on the "juice deck"of the mansion of a tree fort that nana and papa built for them. There is something so refreshing about seeing a smile on the face of a child!

now the few cute things...

2009-03-02T17:36:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we headed to Great Wolf Lodge,Niagara Falls ON with four other families. We had a blast! The kids all twelve of them... were very well behaved. They played so well together and actually gave the parents a little time to enjoy each others company. Well, I must say the men did have more"male bonding"time then the ladies so next time it's our turn.LOL!!

Rene and John treated Michelle and myself to a one hour massage at the Aveda Spa for our Valentines gifts. This was a welcome surprise!

The kids enjoyed the arcade, Cub club craft room, face painting, pj time by the big tree and of course the amazing waterpark. It was so great because there were four girls all Shelyns age so we aloud them to go on the waterslides as a group, without us, although we were in the waterpark at the same time! They thought this was great! They did very well and stayed together ...most of the time.

A big THANK YOU to the Camerons, McKeowns, Thompsons and Davidsons for a wonderful weekend. We can't wait to do it again soon!

random thoughts and a few cute things!

2009-03-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

There is always a buzz around our house. Kids playing/arguing, dog barking,Guinea pig oinking, washing machine working overtime and the phone ringing. All very similar sounds for you as well I'm sure! Some days I just want peace and quite but most days I feel there is something very comforting about these sounds.I think it's because I know we have a very active,healthy and happy home! I work two jobs, run my own business, volunteer, have an amazing husband who is a shift worker, children in after school and weekend activities and a large network of wonderful family and friends. I would have it no other way! Life is great! Yes, we all have our bumps in the road and our wants and desires in life but I truly believe life could not get any better! I have watched many close friends and family member battle unbelievable odds and I take strength in knowing that if they can do it, so can I. it's funny because in my twenties, I was really self conscious about a lot of things. A few weeks ago, I had a great visit from one of my cousins and we were chatting about this very issue. How we tend to get caught up in what others think of ourselves instead of what we think of ourselves. How empowering our own thoughts can be on our very own self esteem. My cousin is in her late twenties and I can see she is starting to build that confidence and I totally understand where and why her thoughts are what they are. i was there once but now I'm here and I'm proud to say I'm happy with ME!'
Women are powerful human beings. We can do anything we set our mind and heart to do! Be proud yourself and your accomplishments! Be proud to be you!

check this out!

2009-02-04T14:38:00.000-08:00

I just spotted this AMAZING paper towel holder while Blog shopping!

This is going to be my Fathers day gift to my dad and I think I will make a hockey stick holder for Rene Shhhhhh... don't tell!

blog shopping

2009-02-02T19:38:00.000-08:00

With Rene on afternoons this week, my evening routine goes a little like this. Dinner, Homework, help the kids with their baths,read the kids a story, snuggles , kisses , pop the kettle on ,make myself a "sleep well"tea (from Teaopia) and hop on the computer to check out my favorite blogs. Although I know there is many...many things I could be doing right now like laundry...BORING! I really need to do some blog shopping... it's good for the sole!

Today I came upon two blogs I am in LOVE with!

I'm not going to go into detail because I want you to check them out yourself...

http://www.theprettyneatcompany.blogspot.com/

http://www.jcarolinecreative.com/

ENJOY!!!!!

p.s... as I am typing, my dog is laying on his bed at my feet in a REALLY deep slep. he is snoring so loud! Oh the life of a dog!

2009-01-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

These are a few pictures that capture another wonderful Christmas holiday season our family was blessed to enjoy!
Carson is enjoying another year of Junior Tykes Hockey in Stirling. He has improved so much. We are so proud of him and his dedication to the game at such a young age! He LOVES hockey. After each game, Carson's routine is to get off the ice, watch the Zambonie, change and grab a treat of a blue and red slushy mix with a cookies and cream chocolate bar! What a great Breakfast!

We enjoyed the school Christmas concert again this year. It's funny because each year it is usually the same as the last just with different children performing the songs. Still a crowd pleaser though! Shelyn was in the JR. Choir this year. She really loves her music. She said that she want to be in the band next year playing the guitar...stay tuned! Unfortunately, Carson was not feeling well and marched in with his class but had to come and sit with us while his class was on stage. He was so upset and said "mommy, I'm sad that you can't see me sing" talk about melting your heart! He was able to perform his song to the family on Christmas.

Our baby girl turned 8 years old on Christmas eve! WOW...where has the time gone? Shelyn had her friends over for a birthday celebration the week before Christmas...all eleven of them. Unfortunately there were a few that were not able to attend. I organized a scavenger hunt for them in the house . It was a little crazy with all eleven running around the house but they really seemed to enjoy it!

A little winter wonderland at our house! Everything looks so clean an pure this time of year! Love my country living!

A few weeks before Christmas we traveled to Perth, On to celebrate the season with my cousins , aunt and uncle and second cousins on my dad's side. We had a blast...as we always do. We all live busy lives so don't get together as much as we would like but it's like we had just seen each other yesterday when we do! A great time! Miss you guys!

This is my mom and Carson enjoying Carson's new dress up kit !Too funny!

This is the kids table...wow, I remember sitting at this table when I was just a wee one. Shelyn and Carson enjoyed their time with cousins Jake, Mya and Sophie

We also managed to watch the Perth Santa Claus parade after dinner. It was interesting trying to keep the kids entertained while we waited patiently for the parade to arrive. Chris had to contain Jake on his shoulders as well as Uncle Shaun(my brother) with Carson. Those peeking eyes are my cousin Chris...sorry Chris!

We celebrated our Aubertin Christmas with my in-laws on Christmas eve. Unfortunatly Rene worked Christmas Eve, Christmas day and Boxing day but did manage to stop by for some food and alittle visit. My mother in -law is a wonderful cook and always puts on a great feast to enjoy! We enjoyed opening lots of gifts Christmas eve. There was many,MANY gifts to open! We are very blessed and I just hope Shelyn and Carson treasure and appreciate thia years from now! Thank you so much! You always spoil us.

Shelyn enjoying her Baby Alive doll . She is a really "mother-hen" and still enjoys her dolls. She is so much like me when I was her age!

" I think I see a red light in the sky" Carson was sure he saw Santa's sleigh. We then listened to the Norad broadcast on the radio telling us where Santa was...the radio said the military was sending out the fighter jets to check out the un-identified object in the sky. I thought Carson was going to cry. We had to explain what was happening... to this day I still don't know if he fully realized what was happening:)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! The kids slept in until 7:30am. Rene and I were up around 6:30 and couldn't believe the kids were still sleeping. Santa always locks the pocket door between the kitchen and hallway so they can not peek! They are so good to wait for us! I know this wouldn't last long!

Trying to get Cruiser in the photo shoot!

Star Wars fan

We enjoyed another Christmas dinner at my mom and dad's Christmas day. We were so glad My brother and his Girlfriend (Cat) and my Uncle Ron could join us for a wonderful meal! We almost needed to take two vehicles with all of the gifts! A highlight was the Robotic vacuum Rene and I got from our parents. This was a wonderful surprise and it works really well. I couldn't wait to get home and use it! Thank you mom and Dad!

Santa tucked a scrapbook magazine and my favorite loose tea in my stocking this year! He sure knows what I like!:)

On boxing day we get together with my moms siblings, my cousins, great cousins and a few special Friends. In total there are 43 of us (my mom has seven sibling plus her) I have 15 cousins and their spouses and 6 second cousins. Our family has grown rapidly over the last tens years so we rent a hall that can accommodate us all. As busy as our lives maybe , it's still wonderful that we can get together. Unfortunately my grandmother and grandfather passed away many years ago but I know they are looking down on us with a HUGE smile on the their faces and Joy in their eyes.

The Great-grandchildren

Shelyn enjoying some tunes on her new Ipod and Carson enjoying his tunes on his new MP3 player. Do they look tired or what?

Carson enjoying some R&R after a busy Christmas season!

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season! Thank you so much for all of the Christmas greeting cards and pictures we received this season. The kids love going to the mail box to get them!

All the best of health and happiness in 2009!

Rene, Krista, Shelyn, Carson and Cruiser!

Greatful!

2008-11-03T18:19:00.001-08:00

I have been reading a lot of blogs lately written by wonderful woman who have been listing what they are grateful for in life. This has made me think of how grateful I am for all of the wonderful things in my life.
I am grateful for:
my precious children
my incredible husband
my family
my health
my friends who are near and far
my home
my freedom
my Independence to do what I love
my community
my country
my dog
my car
my support network
Starbucks!!!!
The list could go on and on...

I'm not going to lye, there are days when I make mental "wish" lists as well but my life is very good. Sometimes we get caught up in life's busy ways and forget to be grateful. This is why it is important for me to document the "greatness"in my life. I hope this brings you inspiration to think of the things that you are grateful for and pay it forward!
much love, krista

Halloween haunt in Foxboro

2008-11-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

Another fun Halloween evening with a great group of Shelyn and Carsons friends. We started out at our house and traveled into the village of Foxboro. We met up with a lot of freindly face's along the way. My aunt Donna and my "new" cousin Eddie were very kind to come to the house and hand out our candy. They are such great sports to dress up as well.

Our Fall Family pics

2008-11-02T06:14:00.000-08:00

A few Sundays ago we were fortunate to get some family pics taken by a great photographer, Jenna Simpson http://www.aboutimagephotography.com/. I know Jenna through my cousin Michelle. She's was very kind to travel to Stirling to meet up with us at one of our favorite conservation areas, Sager Conservation. The day was PERFECT! Although...poor Rene was playing hockey on the Friday night and slipped a disc in his back which he spent the better part of Saturday in the hospital. It was a rough go for him Saturday but once the pain meds kicked in he was able to move around a bit to get some pics. So his smile in these pics is half sincere and half PAIN!! He didn't even complain once! HE'S THE BEST! Thank you honey!

Fall...my favorite time of the year!

2008-10-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

I know...I know, I am a very bad blogger. Although I do like checking out all of my fav blogs on a regular basis, I'm really neglecting my own. So this is major catch-up time.

The kids are back in school now and are really enjoying their year so far. Shelyn had a rough go last year(for a number of reasons) but this year she loves school! Shelyn and Carson both have great teachers, which we are very thankful for! We are so lucky to have such a great teaching staff at Foxboro. They are full of school spirit and make the classroom atmosphere a very positive place to learn and grow.

Shelyn is still enjoying her horse back riding. She did a second level jump this past week and of course, I forgot my camera at home. I was so proud of her! I could see it on her face that she was proud of herself! Shelyn was also asked t join her friend Erika, this year, at the Harvest Arts group. They do dance and vocal. Erika's mom and I have been taking turns dropping off the girls and I usually have a few places to run then I come back and pick them up. Last week I decided to stay and watch. They were GREAT!! The dance they study Hip Hop and it's really fun! Shelyn tried to teach me some of the moves but told me to stop because I wasn't doing it right. Ok...Ok...I get the message! They are performing on a float in the Santa Claus parade this year and Shelyn is on cloud nine!

Carson has started his second season of Hockey in Stirling. A great little hockey community that has pumped out a few great NHL players as well...no pressure Carson!LOL Rene was coaching last year but due to scheduling , he can't commit to coaching this year. I think he really enjoys watching Carson now. It's a different perspective as a parent, then on the ice. Carson loves hockey and has come a long way since his first skate last year. He's become a great little skater and loves to go for the net! It's very cute watching a pack of 4, 5 and 6 year old's trying to maneuver their way around a big ice surface. Priceless!

Tomorrow is Halloween and a significant day for a lot of people in our lives. The kids are excited about Trick or treating with their freinds, Rene returns home from being away for a week on training, My cousin Tara turns 27 , our cousin Tessa turns...I think 28 and a good friend, Christine, who has been battling Breast Cancer at the age of 26, is having her first mastectomy. She just got married to an incredible man last week and now she is loosing a part of her body because of this nasty disease. Christine has a wonderful spirit and a very positive attitude on life, which I know had helped a lot of her support network around her. We were joking a few weeks ago about the fact that , after surgery, she can pick any boobie size she would like and she will ever have to wear a bra again! LOL What a girl. Christine is my cousin Tara's best friend and also my business partner, Laura's sister. We all wish her the very best! You go girl!

I thinks that;s enough for now. I hope to have many more pics to post in a few days!

A little Big City fun!

2008-08-31T18:24:00.000-07:00

This past week, we ventured to the "BIG"city of Toronto. I love Toronto. i love the hussle and bussle of the streets, I love the variety of restaurants, shops and fun things to do. I think it's a wonderful city to visit! Rene worked at the Royal York Hotel on Front st. for three years BC(before children). So we have spent many...many nights enjoying what Toronto has to offer.

For our little vacation with the kids, we decided to stay at the Delta Chelsea hotel downtown T.O. This is a FAB hotel to stay at with the kids. They have two pools in the hotel. The second floor pool is the "family"pool. Equiped with a family hot tub and water slide. Plus they have an arcade and activity room where the kids can make a craft, read a book, cuddle up with the bunny rabbit or play the ever so popular game of Wii. The second pool is on the 25th floor for adult only enjoyment. A little more peaceful up there.

We enjoyed many of the city sites. CN tower, Eaton Centre, The old Spaggetti Factory, Midevial Times , The CNE, the underground mall(aka the path) . I really was not sure how well I would do at the CN Tower? I'm O.k with hights but the glass floor through me for a loop. i could NOT watch the kids and Rene walk on it. Too much for me thanks! I found it a little on the pricey side as well. It cost us $77.00 and change to go up the tower. That's it, just up the tower. I thought that to be a little much!

Over all we had a great time and even managed to sneek in a visit with our good friends, The Closs Family and check out their beautiful new home.

When we arrived home, we got news that my cousin Tara had just delivered her precious baby boy Sawyer. So we had to meet the new addition to our family the next day. Both Tara and Sawyer are doing well and daddy Jarett is enjoying his new son. Tara and Jarett will make wonderful parents and we are so happy for them both and lucky for us they only live 5 mins away so we can get our "baby fix" whenever I want.

FYI( I am having a problem gettting the pics to come at the end of the post. Sorry!)

summer fun!

2008-08-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

We are trying to enjoy our summer here as best we can. That is , if it's not raining! Man, I can't believe that amount of rain we are getting here in Ontario.

Just wanted to share a few pics of our recent summer adventures.

Last week we enjoyed a Friday afternoon in Cobourg, hanging out on the beach. I love Cobourg beach. It's clean, not too big, and FREE. They also have a wonderful splash pad and jungle gym right beside the beach. I helped the kids build their sand castle. We had to have a moat that went around it so away we went! Carson is the digging master. He can dig a hole in such a short period of time and generally the holes are as deep as he is tall. This bring my little man a lot of joy! Shelyn and I were the structure and curb appeal ladies. We were told,by Carson, to build the "building"and make it look nice. So that we did! A few games of Frisbee were played. I must admit, I really suck at Frisbee throwing! Carson was encouraging me to "keep trying". What a cutie! A great day was had by all!

Another beautiful wedding weekend!

2008-07-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

This Friday July 18th Rene's (my husband) cousin Tessa, married her sweetheart of eight years, Mike Pascoe. The wedding and reception took place at the Bay of Quinte Counrty club, here in Belleville. This is very fitting as Mike is a BIG TIME golfer and I have heard, a very good one at that! Their colours were chocolate brown and green, great combination! The bridesmaid dressed in adorable lace overlay brown dresses and the groomsmen adorned green button down shirts with light brown dress pants. Tessa's flowers were green spider mumms which is a little funny because Tessa is unbelievably afraid of spiders! It was an evening ceremony and cocktail reception. Tessa is a junk food fanatic so she had a Ben and Jerry's ice cream buffet and a candy bar. Great choice in my books! I think the highlight of the night, other than the wedding itself, was the first dance. Mike and Tess started out with a traditional dance then they broke into a "Rock the Reception"dance. This is when the music switches to some more hip tones and the bride and groom do a choreographed dance routine including the famous "sprinkler", shopping cart, and kung fo fighting to name a few. It was priceless! They did a fantastic job! Did I mention that Tess was a drama teacher! Very fitting for her!

It was a very anjoyable evening!

All the best guys!

I love weddings!

2008-07-09T19:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, my cousin Michelle and her boyfriend Jeff of nine years got married. I love weddings and what a beautiful wedding it was! It took place at west Zwicks Island, here in Belleville and the sun was shinning! Michelle was a gorgous bride and always had a huge smile on her face. I could tell she was so happy to be marrying the love of her life. Michelle arrived in a horse drawn carrage very Cinderella like. Her colours were chocolate brown and almost a teal blue. The bridesmaid looked wonderful and the groomsman were corodinating perfectly in their brown tuxes. This was the second wedding Shelyn and Carson attended with us. Theor first wedding was Michelle's sister Tara's , three years ago and they were both in it. They really enjoyed getting new outfits and watching Michelle walk down the isle. They only stayed for the ceremony because we told them the party afterwards was only for adults. They didn't mind because their friend Danielle was watching them for the evening and they have a blast with her.

Next weekend is wedding number two of the season. Tessa and Mike and I can't wait. It will be another beauty!

summer time

2008-07-09T19:18:00.000-07:00

Wow, it is July 9th already! It seems that summer takes so long to arrive but once it is here, time flys. We have had a busy summer already. Camping with friends, summer BBQ's in our backyard, play dates, birthday parties and beautiful weddings. What a wonderful season! The July long weekend we had the pleasure of camping with our good friends , Shawn, Corrie, Tyler and Caylie Closs. This is an annual adventure for us. Usually we camp at one of Ontario's beautiful provincal parks but we were a little late organizing and didn't get into the parks on our list so we decided to try a private park a little closer to home. We found a FANTASTIC park called Cobourg East Campgrounds located 5mins from the town of Cobourg. A very clean, well maintained park with lots of activities to do. The kids enjoyed swimming in the pool, going for bike rides, playing in the park, walking through the river and taking part in their WONDERFUL Canada Day festivites. I would highly recommend this park. A very enjoyable stay!

On Canada Day, we usually spend the afternoon with "Silly Papa"(Rene's dad) to celebrate his birthday. Yes he is a Canada Day baby who was born in the USA. But this year Nana and Papa were in Chicago at a friends wedding so we missed our afternoon together but were able to wish him a Happy Birthday when he returned.

feel'n HOT HOT HOT!

2008-06-06T18:48:00.000-07:00

What a hot one!
I really hope we have a beautiful summer but I really do not wish for this heat! I'm not one to enjoy a lot of heat . I tend to gravitate to the shade and save my fare skin from the sun.

Today was Carson's class trip and mini Kindergarden graduation celebration. I must explain now why I do not have any pictures to post at the moment of this "special"day. I truly thought that just the Senior Kindergarden class was having a ceremony and the remainder of the day would be a fun class trip. so... I decided to keep my camera at home because it was really hot and I didn't want to be lugging it around the park. So there it sat.. at home on the kitchen counter! To my surprise, Carson was recieveing a certificate for graduating from Jr.K to Sr.K and my good friend's Angela and Erin were very kind to take some pictures of my little man getting is diploma. Thanks ladies! I really do appreciate your kindness and my scrapbook thank's you as well! :) Once I receive the pics I will post them to show you how proud Carson was today!

A little side note!
Spelling has always been a struggle for me. With modern technology I still make the odd mistake when writting. This is why I appoligize to you in advance. I know some of my "teacher"friends are reading my blog right now thinking, man, her spelling is TERRIBLE! Sorry guys! I will try my best to do spell-check at every chance I get! :)

Enjoy your weekend!

catch up!

2008-06-02T18:44:00.000-07:00

I just got home from teaching a watercolour card class at my store(Sweet Sentiments scrapbooking and more!) I lover teaching classes! it's so much fun to share a hobby I enjoy so much. I must say... I think I create better scrapbook pages then cards but I have just as much fun doing both. (I will post my card pics in my next blog post.)

This past Sunday was wonderful! I got to enjoy the entire day with my two beautiful children and my husband. Life is really crazy busy in the Aubertin house so spending an entire day doing whatever we want whenever we want to do it was GREAT! We worked outside a bit in the morning then asked the kids what they wanted to do. Carson's first request was Chucky Cheese and Shelyn's was the indoor playground in Kingston. I suggested that maybe we choose an activity to do close to home. So they both said"the beach". it was really overcast and the ground was very wet from our little rain storm the night before so I suggested we do a tour of "the county"(Prince Edward County) and see where we end up.

Everyone was game. We headed across the bay bridge and down Rednersville road. Rene and i love to admire all of the beautiful homes along the water. We stopped at Campbells Orchard. This is one of our favorite places to go in the fall around apple picking time and Thanksgiving weekend. Shelyn and Carson enjoyed some icecream while Rene and I did very well not to have soem for ourselves. After that we head to Wellington and stopped at the Wellington park. This is a great park located right on the shore of Lake Ontario. A great place for the kids to play and a great place to have a picninc, too bad the weather wasn't a little warmer. We all enjoyed a few games of hide and seek and skipping rocks in the water. Then we headed to Bloomfield for dinner then returning to home. We had a great day! I really wish we could have days like this more often.
I am having difficulty posting pics so I will do my best to post when I can figure things out!

2008-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:00

We took a mini family vacation to Niagara Falls, Canada a few weeks ago.The kids love Niagara. All of the lights, people and not to mention the beautiful falls. At the end of our mini vacation, we met up with my parents and my mother and father in-law at Great Wolf Lodge for the night. We had a BLAST! It was great in many ways. First, to be able to spend sometime with both our mother and father and our in-laws( i have wonderful in-laws, who are actually friends with my parents. I know, I'm very blessed!)and we loved how catered to families this place really is. We took lots of pictures in the water park...why... I don't really know because they really are not pics that I would care to show the world but it all about the memories! We also love the fact that we could stay in our wonderful country and enjoy Canadian tourisim. We can't untl the next chance we have to go.

My very own blog!

2008-05-18T12:57:00.000-07:00

Well... I have finally got my own blog. I am such a blog addict, checking my fav's every time I have the chance. I just love everything about a blog. Sharing stories, pictures and special happenings in your life. It's great! I was reading one of my fav's the other day kerrimacdonalds.dots of life and was thinking how I love the way she captures the everyday pleasures and then asked myself why wasn't I blogging? So I decided to go for it!

Here I am!

I am very excited to share my "Life's little treasures" with you.

Let the journey begin!