Happy 16th Birthday, Nathalieland!

 

Today marks 16 years of blogging on Welcome to Nathalieland! I've now published 1,890 posts about our little family. This space is a true digital scrapbook of our lives: a personalized collection of all our photos and memories since Emily was a baby. I sure hope Blogger never ceases to exist, so that these posts remain accessible during my lifetime and the kids'. 

The traditional birthday gift to my blog is a new background. This year it's a misty forest to coordinate with my header.

January 2026

Backgrounds through the years

January has been a record month for Snow Days, with school buses being cancelled 8 out of 16 school days so far! Final exams keep being rescheduled and plans derailed due to the weather. On Sunday night we had the biggest snowfall yet -- so much so that schools were closed on Monday.

Today the girls are finally back at school, writing exams they were supposed to have last Friday. We could sure use a break from all this work and cold!

Happy 16th Birthday, Nathalieland ♥

Jessi Has a Phone!

Making her first call (to Daddy ♥)

We held off as long as we could, but the time finally came for Jessi to have her own cellphone. Emily had to wait until the summer going into grade 10, but Jessi's came sooner because she's heading on a school trip to Greece in March! That'll be her longest time away from us (Science Fair and Math Camp priming her for this event) and they're asking students to pack light. Having a cellphone means she won't have to pack an iPad or laptop, and of course she'll then be able to take pictures and contact her family and travel mates.

Unlike Emily, who wanted to purchase her own phone, Jessi was given the option for a hand-me-down from either me or Steve. I was planning on upgrading my phone at the end of my shopping ban anyway, so Jessi was very happy to receive my old iPhone 11 Pro. Fortunately for me, Phone was already on my ban's Approved List. So my pretty-in-pink-with-flowers phone was passed down and I get to enjoy some improvements in functions and camera quality with an iPhone 17 Pro.

Transferring all my data was easy

Last night we went to the mall to get Jessi her own phone number and plan. We like the simple, prepaid plan from Koodo that offers unlimited calling and texting, but only 500 MB of data per month. We ran into some problems getting her SIM card and my eSIM to work, so we had to go back the next day, but now everything is in order!

Farewell to my old phone ♥

Jessi will definitely have to follow the same rules as Emily: no social media until she's 18 and no phones during mealtimes or in the bedroom at night. Both our girls see the negative effects of uncontrolled cellphone use with their friends, and especially after reading The Anxious Generation, Steve and I feel strongly about using phones responsibly. Here we go! 

Sewing, Studying, Sports & Socializing

We've been busy around here this month! First, we hosted Aaron and his family last weekend for a local rock climbing competition. Andrea competed in her age group and also celebrated turning 9.

On top of that, Steve has been playing and coaching high school badminton a few times a week, Emily and Jessi have been completing final projects and studying for tests and exams, and I've been working on a sewing project.

I signed up for an intermediate-level sewing class at Wild Bobbin to sew a Shepherd Skirt at the start of the year (I edited my shopping ban to add Courses and Course Materials to the Approved List). Unfortunately the class was cancelled due to low registration, but since I had already purchased and cut my material, I went ahead and sewed the skirt following the pattern by myself. 

It's been a labour of love (and sometimes frustration) over several days and I'm not quite done yet; I still have to hem the bottom and move some buttons for a better fit. Some bumps I experienced along the way included tangled threads, a broken needle, uneven buttonholes (due to the button foot jamming), and repositioning the buttons multiple times. Sewing is definitely an art!

Finally, 8 correct buttonholes

A handy button trick

I don't typically wear skirts, but this one is super cute and gives me a farmhouse/homesteading vibe. Hopefully I'll end up wearing it a lot -- it was not cheap in cost or time! ;)

Holiday Highlights

We had a lovely two-week break with the kids at home and K, K, M & L with us for 9 days! Here are some of the fun things we got up to, aside from Christmas and New Year's, of course.

Skating with friends:

 

Playing with Maggie:

Baking our annual gingerbread cookies:

Virtual meetings with faraway family and friends:

Fondue dinner with the Thibodeaus and Paschkowiaks:

Sledding:

Having special snacks in front of the TV:

Meeting up with old friends:

Going to the Base Gym with cousins:

Daddy-daughter matching outfits!

Now it's back to school with first semester final exams looming. Goodbye, late mornings and holiday happenings!