Happy New Year 2015!!

On the 8th day of Christmas....

I finally get a chance to do a Christmas post!  We've had such a busy Christmas-tide this year.  Luckily the New Year is looking much quieter.

I haven't many pictures from Christmas day, our camera is acting up and Ella was super excited (i.e., not sitting still) so most are too blurry to share.  I think Ella's favourite gift was from Santa.

The one thing she asked for from Santa was a reindeer from Build-a-Bear.  She wanted Comet and Santa delivered!  Comet came with a cute outfit and wearing reindeer slippers.  So very cute.

She was also rather happy with the new tiara and feather boa from Momma and Daddy.  Though we're going to have to make sure the boa is always put away when not being worn.  Zim finds it too interesting to ignore.

MY favourite gift from my Mommy.  New boots (by Baffin).  Now my feet will be warm and dry.  The lacing on the side is the only way these skater legs can wear tall boots.

I had a hard time coming up with a Christmas list this year.  Anything I really wanted/needed weren't really things other people could get me.  I had been looking at a new winter coat.  I've had my current one since Ella was born and I was starting to feel a little dumpy in it and missing having a pretty coat.  But since the ones I was looking at were either vintage or designer, I wasn't likely going to get one:

I really love the sleeves of this one.  And the embroidery of course.

And a beautiful vintage one.  I love to wear colour in the winter.  Everyone is always so black and grey.  I used to have a beautiful forest green one with a Celtic braid around the bottom.  But I was much smaller then.

So what does my darling husband do?

He got Grandma to pick up this beautiful material (this picture is the closest I could get to accurate)!  I've been eyeing it at Fabricland for a while.  It's melton and was $22/m !!  I guess the day Grandma was there was one of the 50% off days.  She was able to buy not only the red, but some black crepe for a lining and some flannel for the interlining.  Our Fabricland stinks so they didn't have any flannel backed satin that would have been a better lining choice.  Oh well, interlining isn't hard.  

This is the pattern I'm using.  It's Vogue 9040, for some reason the Vogue website isn't working so I can't give you the actual link.  I may change the sleeves to be like the grey one.  Grandma also picked out some beautiful metal buttons with snowflakes in the centre -love them!

Belinda and Stefan were up on Boxing day and spoiled us rotten, as usual.  Belinda really liked her cardigan and Uncle Stefan loved the Minecraft inspired t-shirt Ella made for him.

After cooking a giant turkey for Christmas day with Colin's step family I made a beef roast for Boxing day.  And of course, it wouldn't be a Rees family Christmas without Christmas crackers!

The 27th saw us across the road at Grandpa and Grandma Lorraine's house with Colin's sister and her family.  It was just a short afternoon visit but the kids had a good time together.

Auntie Elizabeth and her family gave Ella some great binoculars.  She loves them.  They came with a book of outdoor adventures.  Ella loves to play spy so will love them for that too.

Ella also really liked this nice cozy tunic sweater from Grandma and Grandpa Fletcher.

Then we piled in the truck and headed south!

First stop was my girlfriends for a great afternoon of visiting and remembering.  Charlynne and I have been friends since we were 6.  We were friends in school and at church.  There wasn't much we didn't do without the other (including Guiding and skating).

If you are ever in Bowmanville at Christmas time you must drive up 57 and check out the homes on Old Scuggog Rd.  

The show is just amazing.  And the homes are beautiful too.

I've always loved this log one.  The one beside it is even better (picture didn't turn out).  It's board and batten and looks colonial -my favourite.

I thought we had some pictures of Great-grandma on the camera, but we didn't.  We did have a good visit with Great-grandma and Uncle Dennis.  Though it's sad to see how 'old' my Grandma is getting.

As usual we stayed with our friends Petra and Martin at Our Valley View.  Enniskillen is a little community just north of Bowmanville and it's the perfect place.  As you can see, Comet came on the holiday too.  She got to meet Moosey, Ella's friend who's always waiting for us in the Canadiana room.

On the way home we stopped at my dad and step-mom's.  Again, we somehow missed pictures.  It was good to visit with them.  My dad's having problems with his eyes (cataracts and glaucoma) so it's unlikely they will be up any time soon.  They got Ella the bedding for her American Girl doll so now she's all set to go camping.

All in all, it was a fabulous holiday.  Lots of love and visiting