Trying My Hand At Scrapbooking

After my beloved Franco dachshund passed I was truly devastated and heartbroken so I decided to go through all our pictures and make a memorial of him so I would always be reminded of him in my home.  I went looking for a photo album but no luck at all.  I did find an Alexander scrapbook at Walmart for $22.97 plus tax that I could tape pictures too and add more things like his CKC certificate, his breeders online newspaper ad, one of his early vet papers with his adorable picture and cards.  

I noticed that it was only 20 pages so I purchased 5 more page protectors at Walmart for $2.97 plus tax that did not have any paper in it but I used those to hold the certificates, cards and other papers that related to my baby.  I actually had to take it apart and found out how on Youtube. 

5 pages fit only after I took out the cardboard place holder but it was tight so if you need more pages you are going to have to buy an expansion pack that also extends the screws.  I ended up finding a mint condition photo album for 4x6 pictures so I ended up putting the pictures in there.

 

Let me back up a bit... I was able to print so many pictures online through photolab.ca for .19 cents a 4x6 and .99 cents for a 5x7.  It is printed on FUJI paper so it's good quality, it's not the absolute best, but it is still great.  I picked them up for free at Loblaws too so shipping was waived and I also used my PC Optimum points to get a whole bunch of prints free too!  Walmart also offers FUJI prints at .19 cents or cheaper.  They also have KODAK prints too but it's more.  If you go to the actual Walmart store they might have instant KODAK prints within an hour if it's not too busy for even more.  Just ask the reps at the photo centre if they can get to your instant prints right away or if they are busy.  Let them know the amount of prints you have too so that they can take that into consideration too.  My husband printed off a lot of prints within an hour but had to come back the next day because they were so busy. 

Franco Garasto August 26, 2006 - February 12, 2022 My Beloved Miniture Dachshund

With a very heavy heart I am posting that my amazing and adorable Franco has passed at almost 15 and a half years old.  He was the greatest little boy ever and I will miss him forever.  I pray that I am able to see him again!  I had him since he was a little puppy so he was like my own child.  I miss him so much that my heart aches.  People tell me to get another but right now I am still grieving. 

I have so many more wonderful photos of Franco on my Facebook in an album I made for my wonderful little guy.

Toronto Christmas Market Renamed To The Distillery Winter Village

 

I heard on the news the other day that they were renaming the Toronto Christmas market to The Distillery Winter Village.  It looked the same to me with the Christmas trees, lights and all the other usual festive cheer.  

 

 

I'm disappointed to say the least.  Calling festivals Winter or Holiday instead of Christmas is not right if you ask me.  I don't see this for any other groups doing that with their special occasions to be honest so why should we.

 

We went December 2018 and it was so busy but fun.  All the pictures are from then too so I'm glad I got some good memories.    

Loblaw's Maple Leaf Gardens In Downtown Toronto Is All Decked Out For Christmas

 

 

 

Today my husband and I went grocery shopping at our favorite Loblaw's grocery store and it was all decorated for Christmas!

 

There was so many Christmas items for sale too.  They had so many holiday cakes, as well.  It was marvelous!  I'm going to have to start decorating also.  I can't believe Christmas is about 6 weeks away already.

 

 

I posted more photos on my Facebook if you want to take a look.

My Travels

I'm very lucky to have travel so much and from a young age too.  My husband and I try to go somewhere every year or every other year.   LA, Paris, Rome, NY, Quebec, Cuba are a few places I've been.

I've become quite the pro at packing and living out of a suitcase.  I used to feel a bit uncomfortable in hotels but now I am more at ease.  There's nothing like your own home and your own bed but sight seeing or relaxing by the pool is a good trade off.

I've logged most of my past trips on my Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/annagarastophotography/albums

Flickr has gone pro and limited photos to a mere 1000 pictures so I haven't logged my most recent trip on their because I am not feeling their sub.  If you want to see my most recent trip I posted on here:  https://annagarasto.blogspot.com/2020/09/hiked-in-quebec.html

My husband and I also enjoy sight seeing in our own city of Toronto and province of Ontario.  It always has so much to see and do.  I have posted some of our experiences on this blog.

A Quick Trip To Eataly

We went to the downtown Toronto location yesterday for a couple hours and it was a great time.  Though, their restaurants were closed, their market was open, and full of goodies.  We spent over $120.00 on various Italian delectables.  We will definitely be back soon.

 

Hiked In Quebec

My husband and I booked a two week trip, including a RV, of Quebec.  We went on some hikes where we walked 7.6 km to Notre Dame du Saguenay our first day there!  It was very difficult because the path was mostly stone steps going up or down.  It took us almost four hours to complete the hike.  I never really hiked before but knew that it was not at all an easy hike.  As a matter of fact, it was a hike for experts, I believe.  So many people were struggling and I felt so bad for them.  Oh well I must say I will never forget it.

We also hiked to a beautiful waterfall and lookout point in Mont Albert.  The hikes were not that difficult so we enjoyed ourselves more.  

We also stayed in Perce, Quebec which was my favorite spot of the entire trip.  They had a great boardwalk and shops.  We got an ice cream and strolled around for a bit. 

We were lucky and saw a beautiful sunset before we made a campfire and enjoyed some s'mores.

Our Canadream RV that took us from point A to point B with comfort and style.  It's our second time using that RV company and it was a really great experience.  We also learned a lot so if we ever buy one we will know what we are doing.