always time for pie!

This is all I got! One delicious birthday key lime pie. It has been so busy the last few weeks and I have no camera (this was taken on my phone) that this one picture is all I managed to track during all the goings on. It was Melissa's birthday last week and so in keeping with the dessert of choice of the birthday person, I made her this and it was yummy (and super easy). Work has been hectic, we've been doing some wedding stuff (invites are in the mail!), I've been training to become a first aid instructor and trying to use the treadmill so it doesn't get too dusty. I also tagged along with Gord to Edmonton to a conference he was attending and had a whole day just by myself sitting, reading, shopping and generally leading a life of leisure...until I had to do some work in there too. It was a nice little getaway mid week since I've been training all weekend. In there too I've been washing and ironing fabric trying to squeeze in a few minutes here and there but things are sloooow on the sewing front. I am missing it and will hopefully get a few projects done in the next few weeks in between learning Spanish and visiting all these fresh babies that making appearances around me (ok 2, but still). I don't remember when life was so hectic and busy and wonderful!

This week...

Melissa and Gord smoked some cigars from Cuba. The house smelled like an ashtray for a couple of days but they enjoyed it and had fun so, whatever.

In late fall Anthony entered a raffle at school to win a gift certificate to a local flower shop and he won! He saved it and gave it to me for Christmas. I felt super special and it was a nice compliment to the jello brain molds he also got for me:). On Friday we went together to pick out the flowers. What a sweet boy! Between wedding planning, training for first aid and trying to catch up on being back in the cold world, there has been no time for sewing:( Maybe this week I will get to some of my planned quilts and bags. Muhahahaha.

Cuba

It all seems like a distant memory now given that it's -28 and there's snowdrifts outside, but they are good memories! We had a great time in Cuba; the all inclusive we could do without though. When we entertained ourselves by giving out douche bag of the day awards we knew that perhaps this would not be the way we would prefer to vacation:) But, it served it's purpose and we were relaxed, sunned and well, entertained.

Last day on the beach happy and full of sun:)

I love finding local snacks in other places...so yummy. However, the street peanuts wrapped in a piece of paper shaped into a cone sold by a cute little Cuban man who had no voice beat these hands down!

Part of somebody's house in Varadero ...sigh...

Somebody else's house...even when it appears nobody lives in a place, you see laundry hanging out side and know that it is occupied. Our hotel room in Havana, so old, so beautiful, so happy Looking down the street from our hotel balcony The centre of our hotel which was amazing but the centre piece of it all was the huge stain glass roof (Aunty Ginny, you would have loved it!) We went to the castle/fort built in 1589. Fidel and Che also used this as their headquarters. A view of Havana with the Capitol building as seen from a very very old and high church bell tower (I wasn't scared at all climbing the narrow wooden stairs that went up forever, nope not me...he...he...yikes!) Gord buying cigars in Havana. He did his research and knew his stuff, but a lot of what he wanted was apparently very hard to get. This store was where we ended up after declining buying full boxes of cigars on the black market from somebody's house where our bike taxi took us...oh the adventures! He did buy a bunch of good single ones and tonight enjoyed the first of them back home with Melissa! The living room now smells like Cuba. We had lots of fun off the resort andthe highlight was definitely our trip to Havana. We also went exploring on a scooter one day, went on a walk through the forest, to a cave with 3000 year old drawings, went snorkeling in another cave with a fresh water lake as well as on a coral reef. Can't wait for our next adventure in May to Peru!

Christmas

I took a few photos on Christmas day but my memory card decided to take an unexpected early retirement. The photos included the beautiful flower arrangement that Gord's mom gave to me and me enjoying my new stove top popcorn maker (it makes delicious kettlecorn!) and Anthony's pile of gifts with him reading a book and not playing with any of it! There were a few others as well but they are lost in the abyss:( I had most of this past week off work and spent some of that time putting together a baby basket for my good friends Brianne and Jeff who are expecting their first baby in February (I borrowed Anthony's camera to take these photos). I was pretty happy how the quilt turned out and I just hope the rest of the things are practical...I guess if they aren't they are kinda pretty to look at! Here's some of my new fabric too that Gord's parents gave me (thank you!). I have two quilts I want to make in the next little while...wait, three. And a bag. Okay, I have lots of things in mind I want to do. Can't wait! We leave for Cuba in a few hours so I will post some pictures of that (hopefully if Anthony's camera holds out) in the next couple of weeks! Stay warm!