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Oh yeah – I’m that far behind..

I just received my Big Pack of Design A Page Protectors in the mail 2 weeks ago and have been setting things up since and slowly getting caught up {I have 13 weeks to work on, gulp}. But, I am determined to get it done, get caught up and keep this project going. Every time I start a project like this, I never see it through. This time though, I have a purpose..a lifetime record of what our first year of marriage entailed is exactly what I want Project Life to be, and for that reason alone, I will not give up.

Thankfully, I followed Michelles advice and bought a day planner where I have written every little thing down that I thought would matter {thank God for this!} and I have photographed every minute in our lives that I could, right down to the food I have been making for my farmer 😉

Now, Project Life used to mean to me that I needed a family – what else was I going to record? I was dead wrong. I so wish I would have done this project over the last few years..just to see how my life has changed!! But, I’m doing it for 2012 and I’m so excited to keep taking the photographs, jot down the memories and finally put it together into my album{s} so that we can look through it for years to come!! As with any project, this week I felt a little rusty in my scrapping skills and not 100% happy with the result – and thats okay. Its just important that I got it together! Settling in to my own Project Life style will take some time and I will get there..and, on December 31st when I look back over this album, I’ll also be able to see how my style changed through the year…and thats pretty exciting too!

Okay, so here is my Cover Page:

I wanted to keep it fairly simple & let the photos speak for themselves. I used a couple of our engagement photos and a wedding photo that I love of ours to tell the story of what our album is about

Week 1 was filled with goal setting for the year, baking, cooking, burning day in the yard, concrete work for the boys and finally setting up our bbq on the deck!!

Here’s a closer look of the left hand side:

All products used were either Project Life, Martha Stewart or some random pieces from my stash. I was so excited when I found this misc. stamp set that had fun sayings to add to my insert cards

A closer look of the right hand side:

On the right hand side I made a note discussing my very first “burning day” experience as well as filled in another card with specifics of what each day in that particular week entailed {again, thank God I kept a day planner for this or else I would have never remembered any of it!}

And that, folks is {finally} my first week completed of Project Life!! Only 12 more weeks to go to be caught up…ugh  😉 Have a great Tuesday everyone!!!
love,
 dawn
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This past weekend was full of family for us. Adams’ brother Scotty came down to the farm with his girlfriend, her son and their new puppy, Bear {cute!} and Adams’ youngest brother Blake was also down, making this the first weekend all 3 brothers have been together since our wedding this past November!

While the guys worked in the shop, us gals played with the little guy around the yard or sat and visited in the farmhouse in between making meals for everyone..it truly felt like a traditional farmlife weekend! The weather has been steadily warming up since our bad storm last Monday but the wind just won’t go away, making for some very cold walks with the little guy:(

All in all it was a wonderful weekend, full of family, food and catching up. And now, bring on the new week!!

The sunrises here are so….magical
Goofy boys 😉

Meet Bear!

All 3 boys, working side by side..makes my heart happy

Bear sleeping in my sweater. I just love the feel of this photograph!

And that was our weekend!!! Have a great Monday:)
love,
 dawn
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This past November, while on our honeymoon in Paris & Italy, I made sure that we spent our last full day in Paris at Versailles. Ever since I saw the movie, “Marie Antoinette” with Kirsten Dunst..I fell in love with Versailles and the story of Marie. I never thought I’d actually get the chance to visit Paris, much less Versailles..but when we planned our {amazing} honeymoon, it was a ‘for sure’ stop on our list!!

Bonjour from Versailles!
Now, the actual palace itself is amazing..its beautiful and elegant and full of baroque charm. Walking thru the bedrooms and hallways made me feel as though I had walked through a time warp and kind of wanted to wear one of those massive white wigs with a dress that is 3 times wider than my body. But, alas, it was still 2011 😉

The famous Hall of Mirrors
I must say though, that as amazing as the palace was {and it was} my absolute favorite part of the entire palace grounds was the Queens Hamlet. It was featured in the movie {the “village” that the King built for her} and in real life it was…breathtaking! It was as though we had walked on a movie set, it was whimsical, cottagey and right up my alley!
Isn’t it magical? This was the bridge that crosses over the pond and gets you in to the village. The weather that day was cloudy, misty..almost eery, but gave a dreamy effect to our visit as well!

I loved how all of the gardens had these wooden gates and fences that you could enter through to see the vegetable gardens and flowers. So quaint! I could have stayed there all day!
This was a house! Can you believe it? For a girl from Canada, this was pretty awesome to see
Another house…straight from the pages of UK Country Living, I swear! *sigh* it was magical..
Anyone who has seen the movie would recognize this house/garden for sure! This is the place where Marie had her girlfriends over for tea..there were chickens in the garden and veggies/flowers everywhere!

And, of course, the dairy/farm portion of the village…LOVED that they still kept animals there {even if it was just for atmosphere..didn’t matter, I totally bought in to it}
And that’s my version of the perfect Versailles!! If I was going back to Paris tomorrow, the Queens Hamlet would definitely be on my ‘must see again’ list. But since I doubt that is going to happen any time soon, I have these photos and memories as great reminders of the wonders I have already seen. Have a great weekend everyone!
love,
 dawn
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I have always considered myself a baker. For as long as I could remember, I have either been helping my mom or grandmother bake up delicious treats or heating up my own oven to create gooey brownies, deliciously frosted cupcakes or chocolatey chip cookies to share with family and friends. Now that I am a wife to a very hungry farmer, I find myself baking more and more but realized that my skills have only been perfected when it comes to cookies, cakes, brownies or cupcakes and I’ve come to the realization that I’d like to be challenged more to see what I could really do.
With that said, I am excited to introduce to you a new project for my blog entitled
“The Year I Baked”
I have begun making a list of all kinds of goodies I have never made before and am challenging myself to create  & record this year and share with you all my successes {and failures}, here on my blog. My first challenge? Something easy… Apple Crisp!! I made it last night and found out it is a favorite of my hubby’s! Needless to say, he was a very happy man at dinner last night 😉
To begin, slice up your apples
Mix all your dry ingredients together..
Place your apples on the bottom of a baking dish {I added a teaspoon of sugar on top, just to sweeten the deal}
Then cover with the dry ingredients and bake to perfection
Serve with half & half or vanilla ice cream and ENJOY!!
Just the smell of this baking in our oven last night was enough to make me want to pull it out and eat it all with a fork…it was that delicious. If you are craving something flavorful and sweet, this recipe is for you!! Enjoy!!
Mom’s Apple Crisp
1 Cup Oatmeal
1 Cup Brown Sugar
3/4 Cup Flour
1 1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
2/3 Cup butter, melted
5-6 Apples
1) Peel and slice apples into wedges, place inside bottom of baking dish
2) Mix remaining ingredients together in a large bowl
3) Cover apples with crust, pack it down as much as possible
4) Place in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 mins and serve warm
Posted in Baking , The Year I Baked
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Three years ago, I began my adventures in gardening solo. I have loved gardening since I was 4 years old, planting zinnias with my dad or tending to their veggie gardens in the summers while I grew up. But 3 years ago marked the very first year I would go it alone, planting anything I wanted in my very own yard! The most exciting plant I purchased? Strawberries! (I really, really love fresh strawberries). I tended that plant with love and care, nurtured it, fertilized it, watered it and when that first strawberry came, I was delighted! I picked that succulent strawberry and popped it in my mouth and it held the most amazing flavor! I was hooked!! I couldn’t wait for the next one to ripen! So I waited…..and I waited…   ï»¿

And I waited! Not one strawberry came after that! My plant produced one teaser and then layed dormant for the rest of the season. But I wasn’t deterred!! I planted strawberries again the following summer and you will NEVER guess what happened?! Yup…this lone little strawberry {below} is the only one I got…again!!
Call me a sucker for punishment, call me crazy..but last year I planted strawberries again! I am determined to figure out the secret to growing copious amounts of strawberries, no matter how many trys it takes!! The funny part? I only grew one strawberry last year as well:(
Its becoming a running joke now in my family..the girl who can’t grow strawberries. But I won’t let that deter me..nope, I’m going for it again!! This year I have a different plan of attack:
1) Growing plants from seeds; and
2) Growing plants in the ground, not in pots (where I’ve had my many failures)
This past weekend, I planted my strawberry seeds (can’t believe the time has come to start planning already!!)
I read the directions..

I watered and fluffed the peat moss..

And I planted the tiny, tiny seeds…

And now they are snuggled under this dome cover, {hopefully} working their magic and starting to sprout!! I will be keeping tabs on my strawberry seedlings and keeping you updated on how they are coming along…fingers are crossed that 2012 is the year of strawberries for me!!

If you know of or have any tips for gardening with strawberries, I would LOVE to hear them!! Take care everyone!! Have a great Wednesday!!
love,
 dawn

Posted in gardening
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