SCRAP BOOKING UPDATE

Remember, this is my first attempt at Real Scrap booking (no criticizing allowed!).  The ones I put together for Sherri and Steven for their 21st Birthdays'  were pretty sad looking in retrospect.  I think I will do a better job on Olivia's "Grandma Remembers" Book.
These are the first completed 6 pages (plus the cover).  The last picture is what I am working on now .... Her Great Grandparents!

 Olivia's Birth Announcement

 Picture of Mommy then the next page the ultra sound and then voila ... little Olivia!

 The beginning of Family History with pictures .....

 Somehow I missed the next page.  There are more pictures of my Grandmothr & Grandfather

 This is what I am working on .. Grandma Barr and my Mom when she was young ...

CHRISTMAS DAY

No snow this year!  We really had a rain storm though.  The wind howled and the rain came down in buckets full! Luckily we had no need to go outside!
Slept till 10:30! OMG ... First time I can ever remember sleeping that long!  I made french toast and bacon for Joan for breakfast then we opened our presents.

A pretty fine Christmas I would say .... Santa was pretty good to me.
Joan and I played a few games of Skip-Bo and watched movies all afternoon.  I took her home the next day, then came home and relaxed all afternoon by myself!  I watched my newest movie ... Cranford.  Set in the 1800's, it is a great saga of the people in this town.  The whole of the DVD is about 9 - 10 hours!

CHRISTMAS EVE

I spent most of the day cooking.  I made a cake, squash soup and roasted potatoes to take to Zana's for dinner. (I should have taken a picture of the cake ... it was great!)

Table all set for Zana, Djorjio, Thea, Zana's Mom, Joan and I
I picked Joan up around 4:30 ....

Joan ... (she is 76 now ... 77 in March!)

And, here is the Siskin family.  Zana, Djorgio and Thea.

DUTTONS CHRISTMAS PARTY

Monday, December 19 .. this was a really good party this year.  Excellent food and way too much booze for some ..... AND we had to go back to work!  Party was from about noon to 3:30.  I was a designated driver ... so no booze for me, but it was cute to see everyone else getting through the "fun" afternoon until I closed up the office at 5!

This is Santa Claus of course with Jenny.  She is one of my "favorites".  She works next door in the Real estate Office

This is Joan ... front and centre.  She is one of our hilarious receptionists ... and a little tipsy here ... That is Zana at the back next to the window (and my black pants and blue arm in the bottom left.

Joan again .... taking a picture of whomever is taking this picture!

Barry and Lois (owners of Duttons) and Jenny next to them ...

Santa Claus ... (Colin) ... after the presents ... Joan and Sue still waiting for more drinks ... Here comes the waitress!  Sue is the second receptionist .. so, you can imagine what fun we had after we all headed back to the office!

VANCOUVER WEEK-END

What fun!  I don't know what was so special ... just a week-end in Vancouver that I have done dozens of times .... but being in the hotel (16th floor water view side of the Marriott Rennaissance) made it seem like a real vacation.  I went for dinner with an old friend on Friday night then on Saturday morning I toured around Canada Place looking at the lights, the old Woodward's Christmas display windows (from the 50's!) and drinking Starbucks Latte's.  In the afternoon I met up with Dorothy and her cousin Connie.  We went to West Vancouver to Park Royal shopping center than back down town for more touring around.  Dorothy and I went to a little oyster bar for a big dish of Mussels for dinner, then the Vancouver Christmas Market (put on by the German society ... lots of good German food, beer and mulled wine!)
Back to reality today.  Went shopping and getting ready for Christmas Eve an Christmas dinners!  Here are some of the pictures I took ..

 One of 4 old window displays for Woodward's department store in the 50's

 Tables set up for kids to decorate ginger bread houses before their visit to Santa

 German Christmas market downtown vancouver

 Merry Go Round at the Market

 My night view from 16th floor hotel room

 And here is the daytime view ...

 Cute cakes from the Japanese Grocery Store in West Vancouver

On the way to Vancouver at the half way point where we meet the ferry going back to Victoria

MEET CLOEY

Here's Cloey!  I have her just for the week-end.  A nice treat.  We have just come back from our evening walk and she is still waiting for me to play "chase the big duck!"  She doesn't seem to be interested at all in any of the little toys that are more her size!

She's a cute little thing.  Very friendly .... when I have her for any length of time, I put her on a diet.  She eats a lot of "people" food at home and she is a chubby little thing .... Cute though!

Getting into the Christmas Spirit

Sad to return home from California ... but now it is time to get ready for Christmas.  Here was my first event ... the Truck Light Parade.  About 100 + trucks get decorated with lights.  The parade route winds all through downtown Victoria, along Dallas Road, along Douglas up to Hwy 1 and out to Colwood and Langford.  It is a very special sight to see ...

Christmas 2011 WISH

Many hours of fun would be had with this "kitchen" that Olivia gravitated to when we went to Breanna's house!  Good idea Santa!

One final nap

Well, after that busy morning .... one little nap before Mommy and Daddy arrive for Thanksgiving dinner.  Then it was time to go home.
What a fabulous few days we had together!

U.S. Thanksgiving Day

We spent a full morning and early afternoon before our Thanksgiving dinner with Susan's family (Son Steven, Son-in-Law Brian, Daughter Julie & of course Breanna) and Steve & Martha.
We had a pancake Breakfast and then later went to the park for a picnic lunch.  The park is in the gated community where Susan lives in Laguna Nigel.

November 23, 2011

Another great day!  We went to San Juan Capistrano to a little petting zoo farm called Zoomars.  We spent hours here feeding the Guinea Pigs and Bunny Rabbits, then the goats and other larger animals.  Went on a horse back ride and a train ride!  Played on the hay and then in a corn maze as well as a "corn box". We couldn't get the girls away until closing time!!