Mothers & Daughters - 3 Generations (Jean, Sherree, & Amber)

In May I did a Mothers & Daughters photography project.
I spent a morning shooting photos of 5 different moms and 9 daughters.

I've been posting a few photos on the blog of each mother & daughter. I took a bit of a break, but I'm finally back with the last mini session..

Here are my grandmother (Jean), my Mother (Sherree), and my sister (Amber)















How I love these ladies!

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If you'd like to see some more of the posts from the Mothers & Daughters project, click here.

Lacey & Josh (Wedding Reception)

I was privileged to be able to photograph Lacey & Josh's wedding reception last week. They were married in California the week before & came back to Canada to have a reception with friends and family here.

We had a little time to snap some photos of them behind the church before the reception started:







Then I took off with their wedding rings for a little while to get a few shots of them:


The rest of the evening was a casual, open house style reception which allowed time for lots of visiting among friends and family. It was a lovely evening and I was happy to be a part of it!





Lacey and Josh, you'll be missed very much by friends & family in Canada!

Tutorial Tuesday (Canned Gifts!)

I was so excited by this fun idea when I found it on Our Best Bites.

I knew I had to try it!

Here's what mine turned out like:

So, you get little tin cans & you open them with a can opener (the kind of opener shown in the picture that doesn't leave the lid sharp), fill them with treats, close them up again, and give them as a surprise-inside-gift!

Start with your cans (preferably the kind with a tab on top) & a can opener. I used lunch-sized fruit cup cans.


Remove the label and open the cans at the bottom (empty the can and wash and dry) and fill them with whatever treat or gift you want to give.


Bunch up some tissue paper to fill the bottom of the can (this prevents hot glue from getting on your treat/gift in the next step).


Glue the "lid" back onto the bottom.


Cut scrapbook paper to fit your can and cover it to make it look cute. The messy glue job is fairly well hidden at the bottom of the can.


Once you've gotten this far, you can dress up your cans with ribbon on the tab and label the side of your cans!


I made my own labels to fit my small cans, but you can find a cute printable at Our Best Bites if you're using the right size of can for them!



I can't wait to use this idea for other things- I think they're so fun!

If you're looking for more gift ideas, click here  to see a list of 100 of them!


Here are some other fun crafts involving paper:

Make a Paper Triangle Bunting


He Said/She Said Bridal Shower Game


Paper Butterfly Display Frame


Easy Heart Garland


Paper Fortune Cookies

Summer Sharing Time Features

I've loved seeing what you've linked up to the Summer Sharing Time linky!
Here are some favourites, but if you haven't visited the linky for ideas, go do it!
And there's still time to add some of yours! :)


Lego Cookies by Making Memories With Your Kids


Reversible Baby Dress by Bloms N Bugs


Pirate Eye Patch by Vixen Made


Super Hero Cake by Phatbakes


Making Candles With Kids by Musings of an Im-Perfect Mom


Backyard Camping Ideas by Heather's French Press

Have you added your fun summer posts to the Summer Sharing Time Linky?
Can't wait to see what you do in the summer!

Do You Reward Yourself for Housework?

Remember how I'm part of the Lysol Healthy Families Ambassador program this year?



This month we've been talking about how we reward ourselves during the summer months after completing our household chores. I have thought about this & I realized that I haven't really ever tackled a job with an end reward in mind.

Do you do this?

I guess I do these jobs because of the "natural reward". For example:

I want my house to be clean & tidy when company comes over.
I want my family to have a clean bathroom to get ready in.
I like the feeling of a clean & tidy kitchen.
I feel like I can really relax when the house is "picked up".

I do the work, and then I enjoy the good consequences of having done it.
Do you do the same?

Have you ever rewarded yourself in other ways? For example:

Promise yourself time to watch your favourite show.
Plan to take yourself out for your favourite treat.
Schedule some time post-housework to surf Pinterest.
Allow yourself a splurge & buy something you've been wanting.

I'm curious to know what you do! I could use more motivation for getting the housework done on a daily basis, so I'm always open to your great ideas! :)


Disclosure: I am part of the Lysol® Healthy Families Ambassador Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.

Tutorial Tuesday: Canning Cherries

Here's what we did last month when we found some cherries on sale for a great price!

I'll share the basic steps with you, but if you're doing this for the first time, you'll want to look up more details & specifics!

1. Wash cherries
2. Take the stems off


Here's the cherry pitter we used:


3. Pit the cherries
(the girls LOVED helping with this part!)




4.Get jars & lids hot
5. Put cherries in, add sugar


6. Add hot water
7. Remove air bubbles, top up with water


8. Put hot lids on



9. Boil cans (length of time depends on jar size)
10. Remove cans


11. Set out to cool, listen for lids popping!
(They need to sit out for 24 hours without a breeze)


Do you do any canning?
My husband is actually the one who gets these things going- I'm glad he does, but if it were up to me, I'm afraid we'd never do this!

Here's a link to us canning homemade apple juice and homemade apple sauce.

And here's a link to the Life Made Delicious website where you can get ideas more ideas and recipes for your garden surplus!


Disclosure: I am part of the Life Made Delicious Blogger program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.