all is well

Aaarg - It's a Pirate Party!

2012-04-24T19:30:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, my youngest kiddo finally celebrated her 7th birthday with group of giggly girls and one fearless gentleman!

Please don't ask when her real birthday is.

Check it out the fun...

paper boat snacks - courtesy of my super-cool niece;)

beware the pirate ship

the sweetest lil' pirate there ever was

the loot

a table fit for a pirate

land ahoy!

x marks the spot

cannonball!

Arrrg - we be searchin' for the pirate loot!

Thanks for coming, pirate friends!
theresa

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 18

2012-04-18T22:00:00.000-07:00

Ahoy there Matey!

Way back in January my baby girl turned 7.

Most days since then, she's asked about her birthday party.

At last, invitations have been sent and the party preparation is in full swing.

On Day 15, I posted a picture of the invitiation.

Here is a sneak peak at the party decorations.

home-made cupcake toppers

Today, ships' masts in varying sizes are making me smile.

What's keeping you grinning?

theresa

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 16

2012-04-16T15:57:00.000-07:00

We sent our boy on a little adventure.

He's spending the next week in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec City.

Today's smiles are courtesy of our adventurer.

On Sunday, we received an email from him.

Today, we received another.

He's a young man of few words.

And...what about puncutation?

I guess he's saving the details for when he gets home!

theresa

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 15

2012-04-16T15:43:00.002-07:00

Parties that make my kids feel special...make me smile!

Watch for the party details to follow!

theresa

30 Photos in 30 Day - Catching Up

2012-04-14T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's what's been making me smile...

Day 5 - Wearing Sunglasses

Day 6 - Studying with a View

Day 7 - Skipping @ Baba's

Day 8 - Egg Huntin'

Day 9 - Hockey in April

Day 10 - No Boys Allowed

notice the unhappy boy in the upper right

and the elated girl on the left

Day 11 - Thinking about time gone by.

Day 12 - Back in the creative saddle.

Day 13 - 5 Days for Freedom

Helping students develop their leadership skills while making the world a better place.

Day 14 - Spring Mantel

What's keeping you smiling?

~theresa~

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 4

2012-04-04T19:03:00.001-07:00

Today at school, I was walking down the hall and two kiddos stopped me.

"Are you Mrs. Bonko?" they asked.

"I sure am!" I responded

They looked at each other all mischievous-like and said, "We have a special delivery for you!"

From behind their backs came a pot of flowers.

Of course I gushed and went on and on about how they put a giant drop in my bucket.

Their reaction was the.best.

They clapped their hands and jumped up and down, genuinely pleased with themselves.

If I had had my phone with me, I would have been sharing a photo of that very moment.

I did find something else that made me smile today...

mmmmmm....chocolate!

Nests ready to be enjoyed with the cousins.

What made you smile today?

~theresa~

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 3

2012-04-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

Lately, I've spent a lot of time sitting right here.

I'm nearing the half-way point of my master's degree and many an hour has been passed in that there blue chair.

Tonight, when I pulled open my drawer, I saw something that made me smile.

I smiled for two reasons...

One, because a really great friend of mine gave me these notecards.

And two, because it reminded me of what I used to do for fun.

Okay...so these next ones aren't cupcakes...but who doesn't love a cake pop?

Keep Calm and have a Cake Pop!

I've been enjoying everyone's photos...thanks for playing along:)

~theresa~

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 2

2012-04-02T17:39:00.000-07:00

Today after school we broke out the Easter-egg colouring kit and went.to.town!

My photo for today is more plural than singular.
Together they tell a very colourful story.

Once upon a time...

The end.

~theresa~

30 Photos in 30 Days - Day 1

2012-04-01T18:08:00.000-07:00

After a little hiatus, I've got my priorities back in line.

To prove it, I've committed to slowing down enough to take and post 30 Photos in 30 Days.

And the best part?

I've invited my friends to do the same!

Today Spring Break ends, and we woke up to about 5 cm of sloppy, wet snow.

Everything was clean again.

Until it started melting.

Melting...a sure sign of Springtime.

To convince Mother Nature to bring precipitation in the form of rain, instead of snow, I added a little Springtime decor to our kitchen.

photo taken and edited in instagram - Hudson filter

A little snow?

No match for bright yellow and pink.

Welcome Springtime!

theresa

Happy {heart} Day!

2012-02-14T13:53:00.000-08:00

This morning, my Facebook status asked...

"Do you ever wake up in the morning and say to yourself...I'm one lucky gal?"

For no one reason in particular.

But for for many reasons nonetheless.

Tonight, hubby and I are celebrating with coffee and dessert without the kiddos:)

Before then, we will remind our kids that they are special...

And...the gifts will help keep them warm when they visit various rinks to cheer each other on.

Canadian-style Valentine-lovin'!

And a slightly more 'masculin' version for my guy.

Treats for the team-mates.

Enjoy today.

Give out lots of hugs and cuddles.

Do something nice for someone you don't know.

Call someone you haven't talked to in a while.

Take a minute to be thankful.

Happy {heart} day!

Cheers!

Theresa

Looking forward to the day when my laptop returns home...then regular blogging can resume.

Looking Ahead to Happy {heart} Day

2012-01-27T17:08:00.000-08:00

Hello there!

It's been a while, huh?

Way too long in fact.

But, I'm back.

Welcome!

I spent some time with the creative side of my brain this afternoon.

I spruced up our little corner of the world with a little happy{heart}day decor.

I found these stencils at Michaels for $1.50 each...they were tin-coloured...nothing a little spray-paint didn't fix;)

Time to update the photo!

I picked up some green carnations and put them in one of my favourite tins.

Last year I made these fabric ruffle balls {with inspiration from Tattertots & Jello}.

They've prettied-up Ava's room all year...until now.

I plan to make a few more to fill the urn.

Subway Art from eighteen25.blogspot.com

I have a little more work to do before I reveal the whole 'mantel'.

Hopefully...before happy {heart} day rolls around!

Feels good to bring a little colour into the house!

Cheers!

I'm linking up...

Theresa

Auld Lang Syne

2012-01-01T20:36:00.000-08:00

I did a little research to enlighten myself about the meaning of those words.

Auld Lang Syne.

What do they mean?

According to Wikipedia, Auld Lang Syne can be loosely translated to mean for the sake of old times.

For the sake of old times, we celebrated New Year's Eve with an activity on every hour.

We launched the festivities by making party hats.

Fascinator-style.

6 p.m. brought snow-angels.

At 7 p.m. we made ice-cream floats.

8 p.m.

Courtesy of thirtyhandmadedays.com

At this point, the kiddies began to lose interest.

Not to mention the stomach flu hit and knocked out 1 and a half participants.

We had planned to decorate a '2012' banner at 9 p.m., have a dance party at 10 p.m. and tell a favourite memory from 2011 at 11 p.m.

Instead...

When midnight rolled around, we were ready to ring in the New Year.

With what else, but...

Milk and cookies of course!

To all of you I wish a prosperous 2012 filled with much love and laughter.

Thank-you for visiting me over here at all is well...

Cheers!

Theresa

I leave you with this...

Perhaps not the best photo...

But it is the only proof from the evening that I do have a hubby and he was in fact part of the festivities!

Frederick's in a Tight Spot

2011-12-11T07:53:00.001-08:00

The other night Frederick got himself into a tight spot.

He shimmied his way into a picture box.

It provided him with a birds-eye view for all that naughty-nice watching he does everyday.

Notice...the sign on top is backwards. Sloppy work Frederick.

But that 'tight spot' was too much even for Freddy's elf-magic.

The kids were quite surprised {as was I} when we woke up the next morning and Frederick was still in the frame.

There was quite a discussion that ensued.

"Maybe he did lose his magic when Gido touched him."

"Maybe when we touched him through the glass, we ruined his magic."

I reminded the children that they should count their blessings that Freddy didn't make it back to the North Pole to report on the day they had.

That seemed to be of no comfort to them:)

They left for school and hoped he would get himself out of this tight spot.

They suggested I take the sign off the top for him...so I did.

Here's what we came home to...

More sloppy work Frederick.

The kids were relieved to see that his magic was alive and well.

The hunt was on...what kind of situation had he gotten himself into this time?

It seems he was a little tired and hungry after being trapped for the night.

He prepared himself a little meal.

Crawled under the covers.

And made himself at home.

Rest well Frederick.

Until next time...

Frederick has been up to no good...

2011-12-05T21:22:00.001-08:00

Ava finds it interesting that the elf that has come to "see if they've been naughty or nice" is himself naughty.

I love that she stands really still and pretends not to look at him in hopes that she'll see him move.

She was pretty sure she saw him move his leg.

Oh, the magic of Christmastime.

I love that they are adamant that NO ONE TOUCH FREDERICK, because the book says he will lose his magic.

Ava supplied an edit to the book...she thinks it should say that adults can safely touch him without running the risk of destroying his magic.

That's 'cause Gido {not knowing the rules} touched him...

Yet he moved to a new location over night.

I think she's on to something!

So, what's our naughty little elf been up to?

Let's see...he set up a zipline for himself from the top of the tree to a our coffee table.

Then he hid in the cone-iferous forest.

Can you spy him?

How about now?

And he got into the popcorn...

I would say he's a proactive little elf...making his own fun 'n all:)

Where will he turn up next?

Wait. And. See!

Theresa

Oh...that Frederick!

2011-12-03T00:03:00.001-08:00

First he tangled himself in the lights.

But, last nights' antics take the cake.

The kiddos woke up to find that he had gotten himself into quite a mess.

Literally...

The discussion began...

Elle: "Looks like he was making hot chocolate."

Ava: "He even used our Ragelly hot choc."

{You can't see it in the photo, but it's chocolate pie flavoured and has a picture of Raggedy Ann on the front.}

Daddy: {Because he may be the biggest kid in the house!} Hot chocolate with baking powder? I think he was trying to make cookies.

I guess we will never know.

What'll he be up to next?

Theresa

Frederick has Returned

2011-12-01T21:37:00.001-08:00

And it would appear that he is a little more comfortable in our home this year.

Not surprising as this is his second year 'round here.

Last year, he showed up in a new spot every morning.

Watching over our table...

Nestled in our tree...

Not once did he get into any trouble.

I have a feeling this year is going to be a little different.

That silly elf of ours...he's got a mischievous side.

This morning, I received a call from a certain 9 year-old girl who announced that I "was not going to be impressed!"

It seems Frederick got himself into a bit of a tangle.

The girls are pretty sure he was using the lights to climb the tree, like a rope, when things went wrong.

Terribly wrong!

We found him at the end of the string of lights, tangled and smirking.

We may be in for some trouble ahead.

Come back to see what other messes he gets himself into.

Theresa

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas...

2011-11-26T11:04:00.001-08:00

As of late, my brain has been suffering from too much work and not enough play.

So, when I stopped by Superstore this morning and was greeted by their greenery and Christmas trees I scooped up some of those wintry greens and headed for home.

~magnolia leaves and cedar boughs~

I updated a "B" {that has had previous lives as a green, blue, orange and white B} with some Christmasy paper, sprayed it with lacquer and spruced up my 10 minute swag with a little personality.

It really is as easy as placing the magnolia leaves on top of the cedar boughs, fastening with an elastic and then burlap ribbon.

Hang the 'B' from one of the branches...and tada....

Now...that's better!

Balance really does feel best {{wink! wink!}}

I'm linking up...

S.W.A.{Frosty}.K.

2011-11-20T16:06:00.000-08:00

One of our favourite holiday traditions is taking our own photos, turning them into cards and sending them out for Christmas.

By some strange alignment of the planets...the pictures were taken, cards were ordered and received all before December first!

With all that extra time on our hands, we decided to one-up ourselves.

Last year, we sealed each envelope with a reindeer kiss.

{click on the picture to visit the post}

This year, we sealed them with a {Frosty} kiss.

Thumbprint Snowmen

personalized with little hands

Classic Frosty

Googly-eyed Frosty

Frosty a-la 6 year-old hands.

Ear-muffed Frosty

You-be-the-judge Frosty!

Isn't it interesting that the older the artist...the more 'classic-looking' the Frosty.

Food for thought!

Cheers!

Theresa

I'm linking up!

Christmas To-Do List

2011-11-07T19:46:00.000-08:00

Typically my Christmas to-do list means running to and fro picking up this and returning that.

This year things are going to be a little different 'round here.

That's because we may finally have our priorities straight!

You see, these are my kiddos...

And I want them to understand how fortunate they are.

In the wise words of Dr. Seuss...

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in our shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own.

And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

{From: Oh, The Places You'll Go}

In an effort to help them know what they know, we're prepared to steer them in a direction we choose.

So, as a family we've decided to make a to-do list that focuses on the real reason for the season.

We want our kiddos to know that Christmas is not about that gift under our tree.

It's about the gifts we can put under others' trees.

Source: freethechildren.com

It's not about spending a lot and getting the newest edition of this or that.

It's about giving others what they would not otherwise have.

Source: freethechildren.com

It's not about sending Santa a mile-long wish list.
It's about writing a mile-long list of things for which you are thankful.

Elle and her cousin Liam wrote this for their Baba and Gido - all on their own!

It's not about racing to a party here, or a party there.

It's about spending time with one another. Real time.

Christmas is about giving.

Giving time. Giving love. Giving hope.

So...what's on our to-do list?

The Boyko Family Christmas To-Do List

~ wrap toys for Santa's Anonymous

~ give socially responsible gifts {Free the Children}

~ spend time together

~ deliver toys for Santa's Anonymous

~ bake cookies and deliver them to our neighbours

~ rally our teams {hockey & ringette} to help collect items for our local food bank

~ consciously decide to do kind things for others {and share during our dinner-time conversations}

This weekend the fun begins as we start decorating our tiny little corner of the world.

What's on your Christmas to-do list?

Theresa

One for the Archives

2011-10-31T19:11:00.000-07:00

We celebrated All Hallow's Eve with one last hurrah.

My little goblins gobbled up this meat-loaf mummy.

I've got my eye on you!

With the extra meatloaf I made a second mummified head.

Want to make your own?

All you need is your favourite meatloaf recipe, mozzarella cheese and black olives.

Sculpt the raw meatloaf (I know...) into a mummy shape.

Bake according to the recipe.

Apply the mozzarella bandages.

Reheat until they're slightly melted.

Serve it up as a pre-trick-or-treating feast.

Add this one to the archives for next year!

Theresa

I'm linking up...

Signs of the Season

2011-10-30T23:49:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season for little ghosts and goblins to get their spook on.

Signs of the Season are e.v.e.r.y.w.h.e.r.e.

Little hands scooping out pumpkin-innards. Yum!

Ghosts on a Stick

A mess best suited for the great outdoors.

Cousins Carving

Mummies for Lunch

Soon-to-be Goodness

Keep your eyes open for signs of the season!

Boo!

5x7 Folded Card

2011-10-25T18:33:00.001-07:00

Starlight Joy Holiday Card

Shop hundreds of holiday photo cards at Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

the cutest little zombie-bride E.V.E.R.

2011-10-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

We started with a super-dee-dooper cutie-pie dress.

Marked down to almost-free.

It pained me a little to do what we did next.

It soaked in coffee.

Received a treatment of blood-spattering and some serrated-knife action.

A little pasty-white skin...
Some darkened eyes...
Red lipstick...
And what do you get?

Only the cutest little zombie-bride E.V.E.R.

Who could resist a sip of Dark Side Punch?

Happy Spooking!

Theresa

Memories of Halloweens Past

2011-10-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

It has been tradition in our house.

When in Kindergarten, you played host to ghosts and goblins at your very own Halloween Spooktacular.

We have no more Kindergartners in our house.

But, we do have memories of Halloweens past.

Click on the pictures below and you'll be taken to posts from the past.

Enjoy!

Here's to memories made and memories in the making!

Theresa

The Power of Technology

2011-10-13T22:21:00.000-07:00

For our Thanksgiving family gathering, Baba put Steph & I in charge of decorations.

She gave us plenty of time.

We got right on it.

Started a pinterest board.

Pinned some ideas.

Then got distracted.

The week before the gathering we decided to kick it into high gear.

We spoke on the phone only once.

We texted.

We pinned.

We emailed.

Then, we decorated.

Family tree based on one pinned by lyanavoteyphotography.wordpress.com

We fashioned these based on a those by lisastorms.typepad.com

Steph and her boys made the flowers like those pinned by cleanandscentsible.blogspot.com

We brought decorations from home.

L.O.V.E.

We pulled it off with hardly a spoken word.

And that my friends...is the power of technology!

Theresa