Unfortunately, they weren't for me to eat. They were a custom order!
She started baking goodies this year for the Baker's Market, and people have been placing orders for pies and treats like these. Aren't they yummy looking!?
These little cocktail sausages were so yummy. They had little juicy pockets of mozzarella cheese in them!
Here's one of the glass bowls full of chocolates and cookies.
And here is the chocolate fountain. We put a whole box of truffles in there and then lots of cream and milk to get it to the right consistency to flow properly in the fountain. It was a lot of fun! We dipped apple pieces, pineapple pieces, banana slices, cookies, cake, nuts... you get the idea!
These are some of the presents I wrapped up this year. I got a lot of good gifts this year too. Santa was good to me. My favourite were some clear Sterilite containers that perfectly hold my fabric stash. Now I can stop worrying about them collecting dust!
I just wanted to show you some pictures from today. This is my pumpkin on my porch right now! Check out his big ears and large eyeballs! Lol!
This is the delicious apple pie that my sister baked from scratch yesterday for the anniversary party of our first year at this new house. It was a good party!
These are the candles my sweetie put inside of the large-eared jack-o-lantern. See his nifty toothpick trick? He tapes the toothpicks onto the candles and then sticks the rocket-like contraption into the base of the pumpkin. 
He also rubbed some cinnamon on the lid. When the pumpkin lid starts to burn from the candles (those black marks), it smells something like French Toast or Pumpkin Pie. 
These are the pumpkin seeds that my mom plans to toast in the oven. Mmm...! They look kinda of cool too!
A friend came over ahead of time and helped to decorate. The table was covered with a heart-themed table cloth, red heart shaped doilies, and red napkins. In the center line were tea lights, a potted orchid, and some origami paper love boats (I'll show you later how to make these).
Our glass were filled with sparkling beverages, and they gleamed prettily in the candlelight. It's all very romantic in setting, but it was not for couples only. We wanted to just have a fun time with our friends.
The appetizer, Ahi tuna with avocado, was gorgeous. My brother and sister really wowed the guests with how far they went in terms of presentation on this dish.
My sister, the culinary genius, baked heart shaped pizzas using her own homemade dough. 
She even stuffed the crust with cheese. It was super delicious.
Here's a close up. Yum! There was also lasagna besides the pizza.
For dessert, there were glazed strawberry tarts. They were so good!
You could choose between white chocolate or milk chocolate topping.
... and my brother came around with whipped cream to garnish. Of course, mine had a giant mound :)
He also scooped some mini scoops of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla ice cream for me. So cute!
My sister had hers separately in her finished tart tin with a little dollop of whipped cream on top. I swear, every thing is nicer by candle light!
And here is the elaborate version of my Valentine's Day Origami Love Boat. This one went to my sweetie. The ones decorating the tables were just the boat with the heart on top.
This is our tree with all the presents underneath! It has been many years since we have had a Christmas tree. In my old house, there was no room to store one so we had given ours away a long time ago. This year there is PLENTY of room! Hurray! I love it!
I gave one Origami Wreath to each of my family members. This one is mine. I like the multi-coloured ones best, but each of them chose a different colour that I didn't expect. My dad, for instance, chose one made from different shades of red only!
One of our Christmas traditions is to see who can build the tallest present tower with their gifts. It's always a good laugh to see who can get the most creative in stacking to achieve taller results.
Here is Peanut (a LEFTZ by ArtTales) sitting with my finished tower. It's not the tallest one by far, but I got extra points for having the most artistic tower.
Here's a cute little Christmas hedgehog on the mantelpiece. I think he's from Purdy's or Brussels Chocolates.
Dear Sweet Readers,
This is the card I whipped up for him today. I used one of my newest ACEOs. This design is very versatile. It comes in rainbow colours, Christmas colours, orange tones, and red tones. I picked the orange one since it's cheerful and he likes orange/gold tones.
Inside are lots of present boxes. I figure my family can add doodles or little messages inside of them when they sign the card. 
In spending more time with my parents, I can now envision them as the two love birds that once built a nest and had little birdlings to feed inside. When I go to the supermarket, they twitter about looking for various contraptions to improve the function of their nest, and they bicker and delight over what to bring home to feed their birdlings.
I think it would be terribly lonesome alone in a new house too. We came from a tiny townhouse and this place is enormous in comparison. I'm glad that I'm here to keep her company (and that she's here to keep ME company!)
Here they are with their golden nest and one little, fuzzy birdling. Ah, the beginnings of what would be a happy family of five!
And inside are the 3 grown up tweeters with all their distinguishing traits. I'm the short, fat one with long hair, my brother is skinny and tall with short hair, and my sister is tall, slim, and wavy/curly haired. I made speech bubbles for each of us so that we could write our anniversary well wishes.
This is the yummy pulled pork sandwich I had at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE). It was affordably priced for fair food, and quite filling! Mmmmm!
My sweetie brought me a cherry margarita with an umbrella. He knows I like those umbrellas.
Yes, and then I ate this hen and her chicks... alive. No, no, just kidding! These cuties were hanging out in the barn area. I found them too irresistable to not photograph. Ah, I love animal babies.
Later on that night, we went to a soccer game. I was trying to snap a picture of the pitch when the mascot noticed the camera-happy fans around me, and began to strike sexy poses for us. It was very amusing.
I like the way the soccer pitch looks when it's partially lit by artificial light and twilight. It's nice.
If you're looking for some relaxing time in the sun, surrounded by cold, salty waters and abundant aquatic wildlife, then look no further than your local kayaking destination. For me, that was at Belcarra Park in Anmore.
We ducked under docks from private homes around the water's edge and discovered brightly coloured starfish clinging to the rocky, barnacle-covered ledges. They looked so beautiful! 
I touched one that was above the water and it was rough and sort of spiky, but not dangerously so. I found that surprising since they look like soft sponges in the water. They attach to surfaces with tiny, translucent sucker feet.
Seals bobbed their heads out of the water to inspect our kayaks from a distance. It was very exciting to have them so near, until we discovered one lounging on a rock that we happened to pass right by! It was so lazy that it simply waved one flipper at us, as if to bat away an annoying fly, and resumed napping.
Our original plan of a two hour kayak soon extended to a happy four hours. Jellyfish in white and deep red floated past, and we stopped at a secluded beach that seemed accessible only by water.
It was nice to be out on the water, away from the worries of every day life. I hope you'll have the chance to enjoy it while the weather is still lazy and good.
