Camping with Kids. Our Trial Run.

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Oct 17, 2016 | Uncategorized

As you’ll soon see, my blog is full of everything. My life is all over the place, and so my blog will follow suit! I want to use the blog to share my heart, but also document the things happening in our lives! I’ve heard time and time again that I need to “Niche Down” when it comes to photography, and the Podcasts I have been listening to have been saying the same thing. Though maybe they have a point, and I want this little blog to succeed, I also want it to be an outlet for me!

This summer we decided to take our kids (3 and 4) back-country camping. However, last year we couldn’t camp which created a little lull in our kids camping experience. We wanted to ease them (and me) back in and were looking for a good time and place to make that happen. We were heading up to the camp in Cape Breton in August, however its a camp shared with a group of families so we couldn’t “check in” on the day that we wanted to, so we decided to camp!
We found a private little camp ground next to Uisge Ban Falls. (More on that later!) Roy & Gillian own a private campground that they run just for the fun of it! They were so sweet and even surprised us with picking up marshmallows for our kiddos. It was a beautiful well kept campground that they are doing more improvements to all the time. I do have to mention that we decided to drive past a couple of the provincial campgrounds when we were in Cape Breton so we would have a better idea on where we might want to stay another time. All I have to say is that the photographers they have are geniuses. They were able to make very crowded, non sheltered, DIRECTLY ON the Cabot Trail campsites look serene. The view was beautiful but they certainly didn’t live up to the photos! I would definitely stay At the Falls Campground again. (Though when you are looking for the campground, the sign actually says Uisage Bahn Wilderness Campground. Its the same place!)

Our kiddos thrive outside and I absolutely loved being able to run free. I think that all of us would do better with more time outside! And I am a big believer that kids can do far more than we give them credit for. After watching the documentary Babies – when my Addy girl was not yet in my tummy, I decided I really wanted to give my children a little more credit. It’s challenging sometimes for sure, and I know that I don’t always practice what I preach in this one. But I am constantly amazed with how adaptable children can be when given the chance. That being said here are a few things we learned on this practice camping trip:

Always check your camping area for wasps nests, ants or other things BEFORE you set up your tent!
Whether of not your 3/4 years olds have ever had them before, they will somehow know you’re supposed to have marshmallows with your campfire.
Pack light – except when it comes to spare clothes for children. Over pack on this one.
Bring something hot to drink. We don’t drink coffee so this one was easy to overlook, but the mornings and evenings can be cool and it would have been nice to have a hot drink.
We try to do the whole unplugged thing when camping, so it would be smart to have brought a book or two for reading before bed or in the morning. Having little outings/walks/hikes/jobs is a great idea as well, especially if your littles are used to being super busy!

Give Yourself a Smile. Love Yourself.

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Oct 14, 2016 | Uncategorized

Go on, try it.

Every time you look in the mirror or catch your reflection. Smile.

Smile at yourself.

See yourself and smile anyway. Because every smile helps.

I’ve been struggling lately and on the heels of Global Mental Health Day, I thought I’d share.

I watched this video on Facebook last night and wow did it ever hit home. It reminded me that I’m not alone in this.

At one point I didn’t know that there was a different way to live, and I think I thought that being “hard on myself” was what I needed to propel me towards “success” (boy has my definition of this changed over the last few years! But when I realized that not everyone thought the way that I did, that some people just let things go, or made a mistake and didn’t worry about it for days…I thought that I better keep my crazy mouth shut. So I did. I felt alone and lonely (two very different feels) and more ashamed and confused about how I felt; for a very long time. It became toxic. It no longer pushed me towards good things, but down into a spiral of depression, and then the cycle went on.

Fast forward many years, after a very long journey (which I am still very much on) I realized that I needed to talk, whether it be through writing, or good old face to face. I put out feelers and started dialog. In doing so I found that there were other people who not only had similar struggles, but had the loneliness, confusion and shame that surrounding those struggles. My heart broke when I heard them say they had the same struggle, but thought they were alone. Here we were, two people who had been going through virtually the same thing, and both feeling like we were the only ones. Since the dialog has opened, I have learned that there are far more of us than I would have ever thought, and despite things like Global Mental Health Day, and Let’s Talk, there is still a lot of stigma, and a lot of fear. I get it, I hid it for a long time, and even when I admitted it I didn’t want to put it on social media. I didn’t want that I was suffering from anxiety to make people think I couldn’t photograph their families, I was afraid. I still am. But I am more afraid of letting other people think that they are the only ones.

So I’ve opened up. Not just because the bottling it up inside has been seriously cramping my style, but because I don’t want you to feel alone.

You want to know that someone else’s life if a mess? Sister I have you covered.

Think you shouldn’t have a mental illness, anxiety, depression or an eating disorder because your life is pretty good? Because you have a strong faith? Because you think you should be able to overcome everything?

Ever weigh yourself and see the number and figure that you might as well go to bed and never get up?

Cry yourself all the way to a meeting or an event, make it through and cry when you leave?

Ever want to physically cut the fat off your body with a knife?

Or want to run away?

Put on a party face when all you want to do is cry?

Resent your friends for being thin?

Feel like you don’t deserve to eat?

Sometimes think it would be ok to land in the hospital just so you could have a break?

Sabotaged yourself, your job, your diet or your relationships because you don’t truly believe you matter?

Stayed awake all night thinking of all the things you needed to do, and were so overwhelmed you were paralyzed when the sun came up?

Assume you always do the wrong thing? That you said the wrong thing? That you’ll mess it up?

You’re not alone.

Seriously.

You’re not crazy.

Well maybe you are a little, but so am I… and we are not alone.

If you don’t struggle with anxiety then this may scare you. I’m sorry. And I’m ok. Really. I have an amazing Psychiatrist (seriously can’t say enough about Dr. Wilson, and if there is stigma between seeing a psychiatrist I REALLY don’t care, because this woman is the real deal and meeting her has been a game changer, literally, we’re changing the game!) And though #thestruggleisreal, I am aware of it, and working on it.

I’m so thankful for the group of mutual “crazies” I get to meet with at ACT group (want to know what ACT is? Click Here.) because it helps give normalcy to my crazy. But I remember what it was like before. When I felt like I was the only one. So in case you don’t yet have anyone in your life you can be real with, and open with, to get that feedback. Here it is again:

You’re not alone.

Do I want these things for you (or for me!?) Heck no! I’m working my butt off to kick this to the curb, or at least figure how to ride the roller coaster a bit more efficiently.

But at least if you’re feeling them, don’t pile on yourself that you’re an awful person, or that you’re the worst or no one could possibly understand….because you’re not alone. I get you. I’m your people.

And we can work on this! But for now, hugs friend.

Give yourself a smile.

The Lady with the Magic Ticket – a story of Generosity

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Oct 10, 2016 | Uncategorized

On Thursday I picked up the kids from daycare and thought that I would take my kids to the Midway. (I only learned it was called that on Thursday! I would have just called it the fair, you know the one…the traveling carnival with the sketchy rides, cotton candy, lights and games, I don’t think that it’s just a local thing…) I was feeling tired, and sick and wanted to make up for it by doing something fun with the kids. If we went home I knew we’d end up eating grilled cheese and watching a show, and I wasn’t feeling that either.

Backing it up a minute. My beautiful Addy girl has shown evidence of being scared of heights, and though some healthy fear is a good thing, we want to encourage our monkeys to challenge their fears; hold spiders; eat new foods; go talk to the older kids at the playground…and in this case, riding the ferris wheel.

So I talked it up, how cool it would to be to be up high and see everything look small. I did mention that I wasn’t sure if they would be tall enough or what the rules were, so we would have to see. But when we pulled up and they saw the rides, there was no holding in their excitement.

Screeches

I’M SO EXCITED

This is so exciting

And then we couldn’t get in.

The only way to get to the Midway was to go THROUGH the Maritime Fall Fair

And the only way to get through the Maritime Fall Fair was to pay for entrance. NBD

Except…. They only took cash. I only had $18 and my debit card was sitting on my desk at home. If I paid the $13 to get into the fair, I knew that I wouldn’t have enough to ride the ferris wheel (and it turns out I was right! It was $18 just to ride the ferris wheel!!!!!) so that would have pretty much defeated the purpose. I told them I didn’t think that seemed fair because most times the Midway is accessible to the public…and the lady understood, but it wasn’t her rule, which I also understood.

I told the kids. And they didn’t understand. So I knelt down and explained.

They didn’t throw fits, or say “but mommmmmm”

But they did start to cry.

Not a “I think if I cry I’ll get my way” kind of cry. But a simply, I am so sad and disappointed kind of cry. Honestly I can understand why some parents just want to give their children everything. And I also understand why they cried. I can remember crying a few years ago when I found my first sand dollar and then dropping it and breaking it just a few minutes later. Disappointment is real regardless of its impact on a global scale. Watching tears roll down Addy’s face, and picking up Finn, I didn’t tell them to stop crying. I told them I understood that they were sad, but that crying wouldn’t change how much money we had, and I was sorry that we couldn’t go on the Ferris Wheel.

A couple of ladies who worked at the Exhibition Centre had stepped outside along with a chef on a break and asked Addy why she was crying.

Addy told her through sobs, that we didn’t have enough money to go on the rides. My pride kicked in quickly to tell them that we just didn’t have enough CASH on us and that they didn’t take credit cards, that we didn’t know that you had to go through the fair to go to the rides and that we’d just make a plan to come another time. They said that didn’t seem right and said we could go talk to someone, I assured them that we had talked to people already and it was ok, that the kiddos would be fine, but thanked them for their concern.

We continued to walk to the car when I heard a call behind us. It was one of the ladies asking me to come back. The other lady who was there had a guest pass for the fall fair that she would give to me and the kids would be free because of their ages. Addy & Finn looked confused and I explained that this lady giving us the special ticket meant that we could go inside to go to the fair and go on the Ferris Wheel! Addy started crying tears of happiness and hugged the lady with an overwhelming “thank you thank you thank you”. Finn, who was still in my arms, sang some sort of excited ditty and leaned in for a hug as well. We thanked them again and went towards the entrance with the kids shouting and skipping “we get to go to the faiiiirrrr”. Then everything was just over the top excitement. Smiley face stamps on their hands, going to the tippy top of the ferris wheel, seeing the lights, the petting zoo, running into my cousin Laura and her taking us to see her horse (and give the kids her prize ribbons! Seriously are people not great sometimes!!!)

We had a few moments where the kids didn’t understand why we couldn’t do everything, play everything or eat everything. To be honest part of that I think is from my frugal research, taking the kids to community events that have free games, Canada Day cake, etc. But I think they did pretty well overall at working on that life lesson.

When we were leaving I wanted to hit home how thankful we should be for a stranger being so kind to us, and that we should always want to do nice things for other people. I also wanted to make sure the kids knew that they didn’t get to go to the fair because they cried. And Addy said “no we got to go to the fair because the nice lady gave us her special ticket”.

I am only thinking of this now, but I wonder if this lesson is what prompted Addy to find toys and books and wrap them in tissue, make cards and put them all in plastic bags so she could give presents to everyone…. If it is I am pretty proud. Well either way I am pretty proud.

Both the kindness of a stranger and the generosity of my little girl have reminded me what a big impact doing something nice for someone can be.

Watch out for my random acts of kindness and thoughtful things. Well you won’t know because I am not going to toot my own horn, but I can tell you that a fire has been sparked in me again when it comes to giving!

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my Canadian friends, and to the lady with the magic ticket: Thank you. You taught my kids a valuable lesson, created a wonderful experience, and reminded me how important it is to care about others and act in kindness.

Ciao for now friends. Be blessed and be a blessing!

Welcome to the Blog – We’re Back in Action

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Oct 9, 2016 | Uncategorized

Well, I am back. For real this time.

I am starting again. Fresh. From here.

If you didn’t know. I used to blog. A LOT.

Then a concussion changed my life and knocked me off my game, and my blogging.

That was almost two years ago and now I am more than two years “behind” in my blogging.

But I’m not.
Because that chapter of blogging is over.

I’ll likely never get those years on the blog.

And that STINKS.

It’s ok for me to be upset about it.

But being frustrated about how far “gone” the blogging was made it nearly impossible for me to get moving… I’d start trying to organize photos and get so frustrated that I would cry, and give up. I had to just get to a place where I was able to let that part of my blogging life go and say, here I am…a brand new blogger.

Yes, that may sound WAYYYY too deep for some of you. It’s just a blog right? Well I had been recording my life as a personal journal/blog for something like EIGHT YEARS… and starting fresh is just something I am learning

Regardless here I am. Heather Crosby Gionet

And my blog is going to be a smorgasbord of the things that I love

My family. My faith. Good Food. Encouragement. Travel…. And many more things, along with the thoughts that fly through my mind from time to time.

Best (and Easiest) Biscuits Ever

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Oct 5, 2016 | Uncategorized

I am so excited to be sharing some of my favorite recipes! Now these are the best ever biscuits…except for this time….the time I decided to make them, to photograph them to put them on the blog, I mistakenly used some Omega 3 and flax flour. I DO NOT recommend it! I often mix up a few different flours…but DO NOT IN ANY WAY recommend this Omega 3 flaxeed stuff. I really like baking with the Robin Hood Nutri Flour, and sometimes mix up the Nurti Flour, and some almond flour or gluten free baking, a whole variety.

I never used to bake. I always loved to cook but the specifics of baking always eluded me. That was until I married a man who LOVED baked goods, and then when I was pregnant I CRAVED baking. Not baked goods, I didn’t need to eat them, I just needed to bake. Some sort of nesting/maternal instinct I suppose.

This biscuit recipe I got from my dad, who got it from Gil, and I have no idea where she got it from but it is QUICK and easy. I mean one bowl, no rolling, no cutting and so so good.

Preheat oven to 400c

2 cups Flour (Nutri, white, almond, whole wheat….use what you’ve got)

4tsp baking powder

6tbsp butter

4tbsp sugar (a little more if you are making the biscuits for shortcake)

1/4tsp salt

Blend these ingredients together with pastry cutter.

Mix in 3/4 cup milk with a fork until combined

Form into biscuit size um…dough biscuits balls.

Place on preheated baking stone, or regular cookie sheet

Bake 18-20 minutes. (more on the 20 minute end with the baking stone)

I really like getting variety especially when I’m making brunch, so cut up some bacon, cheddar and green onions and mix in to some. Roll a couple in cinnamon sugar and once baked drizzle with some icing. Our favorite use is for strawberry shortcake! But try em, you won’t regret it!

Beg Borrow & Deal

by heatheracrosby@gmail.com | Sep 8, 2016 | Uncategorized

Beg Borrow & Deal

I LOVE hosting parties, showers and events. And really really love it if I can make them really pretty. I don’t know if it’s the creativity, or how people love it, making someone feel special or having pretty pictures in the end (I actually think it’s a combination of all of those things!) but I don’t usually spend nearly as much time or money on these things as people usually think. I’ll be sharing more as time goes on, I may actually go back in time and post some of the kiddos past birthday parties, because I’m pretty proud with how they turned out.

So onto this shower. I wasn’t technically hosting, I was just having it at my house and asked if I could make it pretty. I am always fairly frugal and have no problem using my beg borrow and deal skills when it comes to putting something pretty together. I had pinned a few ideas that were all blush and gold and rose, but then I was late getting to the flowers shop and they didn’t have a lot of these colors of blooms left so I changed gears. More gold and greenery was going to be the theme. I didn’t have as much as I wanted in this style, and wanted to do something other than the bud vases I tend to rock, so I borrowed (and then ended up buying) terrariums from the flower shop, picked up a candle holder that I would use as a vase.

Place settings can make a table, which can make an event just stand out. You can rent China, or chances are you have a friend, aunt or mother who wouldn’t mind lending you theirs. Get some silver while you’re at it! (I used The Wedding Vogue’s gold flatware the China and Crystal from my mother. I wanted a full table so I used water glasses, champagne flutes, and Martini glasses. I bought a piece of linen looking cotton from Walmart as a table runner (it was the exact right length!) but when I was picking up from Karla (the wedding vogue) she had these new rose gold runners that I just had to use! We also had to add a few people kind of last minute ish and they wouldn’t all fit at our main table, so I borrowed a champagne table cloth to cover a card table we have.

I had a shoot with Lupin Design Studio Saturday morning and kind of set the table for that and realized it wouldn’t be as full as I would like, and also that I forgot Strawberry Jam to make my pancake cake. SO Addy and I made a trip into Bayers Lake and made a quick stop to Michael’s for a can of gold spray paint and then to Value Village to look for some candle holders for tapered candles (not so common these days) and Papa came to the rescue with his amazing strawberry jam! When we got home Daddy went out and Addy, Finn and I played in the backyard. I spray painted some of our findings, some other random things that I found in the house (a bucket, box and some old tea light holders) and then decided I needed some matching artwork to hang on the wall at the head of the table. Alex thought that I was taking on too much but it needed to be done.

I found some paints I had purchased for the Blossom Bliss shoot I did with Elegant Productions a few years ago, grabbed a few ferns I had attempted to spray paint (#fail) and some old paint brushes and let the kids work with me on painting an old watercolour style print that I used to hang at my wedding show booth. It was actually turning out pretty well, but I do have to say that I did lose my cool pretty seriously when Finn sprayed everything with the hose! It was not so good! But we salvaged it all pretty well. I got the muchkins settled with a show and my friend Allie came over to help me with the set up! She said she’s not so creative but she certainly did an amazing job! Ironing linens, setting place settings, washing berries and blowing up balloons for the mimosa and beverage bar. (Thank you Allie!!)

We got pretty much set up Saturday night and then Sunday morning I put on the finishing touches (like the hand lettered and water colored personalized place cards that I finished Saturday night) and assembled my Pancake Cake. Becky’s mom and sister came to put their touches on the day as well while I showered and then tidied up the mess I had made setting up. I took a few photos and then our beautiful bride arrived! I’m not usually a huge fan of shower games but these weren’t too bad and the prizes they put together were really cute!

I’ve learned it’s ok to not have full control of everything so we pot-lucked the brunch and I made a very tasty crock pot casserole along with the pancake cake and punch but there were muffins and waffles, hash brown casserole, bacon, fruit and cheese. We sat down and ate together and enjoyed great conversation about child birth around the table. Lol.

A few ladies stayed and helped clean up and I was ready for a nap!
I loved how everything turned out!

In the end I bought:
Flowers from The Flower Shop **swoon**
A few odds and ends from Value Village
The gold wire candle holder/vase
Gold spray paint and some balloons
The terrarium.