Springy Quilt

I took advantage of a brief moment of sunshine to take this photo only to realize that I should have ironed it.

But you get the idea.

This is a quick quilt top that I put together to bring some spring into our home.

I had no white left in my massive pile of fabrics but plan to do a thick border and the back in pure white, brave, yes I know.

I guess I do have an excuse to go to the fabric store soon.

Yah hoo!!

A quick bag I made for K's Mauy Thai classes.
We have a separate bag for each class/activity for easier organization, and an excuse for me to sew.

Today was a long time friends' sons birthday and so we headed down island to the mini golf course and the sunshine to celebrate.
What a classically humorous little place.
The quintessential mini putt kid haven.

I must say it was immaculately clean and well kept.

The girls were rather lacks-a-dasisy about the golfing and as we have been their quite a few times all they wanted to do was go in the bumper boats.
Still a bit to cold for that, but E is rather stocked that she is now tall enough to go into them by herself.

Somehow I do not think that golfing is in their future.

A fun day in the sunshine and a great time with friends makes for an early night for the girls.

Tree Forts

I admit I am a Kitchen Diva.
15 aprons, thousands of gadgets, a million recipes and every spare moment in there.
It is bound to rub off on my ladies.
Katie was determined to make dinner tonight and this is what she made.
Of course dad and I helped with the BBQing, pasta straining and oven cooking otherwise she plated and prepped the rest.
I had to take a picture of this masterpiece.
Seriously! 6 and a little chef.


Today was a busy one.
We had a late morning but ended up having 2 play dates and a birthday party.
So many friends and although it was fairly windy we pretty much stayed outside all day.

At H&M's they had just finished a tree fort for their kids.
It was so steep and was amazing.
Swings on each side that fly over their fish stocked pond.
My kids were in heaven.



I quite often hear how wonderful our piece of land is and I must agree but this property is so much more and makes me dream about the what ifs.

What if we had a huge pond?

Able to catch fish and float around all day in our ding.

I think that it is one more thing that I would have to clean.

J has been super busy, in his limited spare time, building a play fort for the girls so this has inspired them to go to new heights.

That post will be coming soon.

I figured I would wait till it is all completed, but as a hint I have dubbed it "the mansion".

Day in the Snow

The girls were ecstatic to be able to play in some snow.
They have been feeling deprived this season so we headed to the mountain for an overnight adventure.
Mt. Washington is still blessed with an extraordinary amount of the cool white stuff and we took advantage.

If I wasn't carrying everything and playing the role of pack mule I would have followed suit and rolled down to the truck as well.

E had such a great time for her first ever skiing day.

All she wants is to go faster she says.

I feel my hands are going to be full with this one.

Bunk beds!

Aren't they the best kids invention ever, as long as you don't own them.

Sisters having fun but so ready to go home and catch up on some much needed sleep.

A RAWsome Change

Food has always been a huge part of my life.
I love cooking it, growing it, buying it...and searching for the best recipes out there.
I enjoy hosting dinner parties to cook for our friends and families.
All occasions are generally centered around what food will be served.
I love eating food.
All the wonderful cultural delights.
The flavours, the feelings, the culinary bliss.

But there are the contensious issues surrounding food, too many to name.
But mainly GMO's and the hormonal over processed chemical corn or soy derivatives that are lining the store shelves masking them selves as food.
Better than ever, good for you, 1/2 the fat, trans fat free, blah blah blah.
Gimmicks to sell you on the chemical train and make you believe that you are making the right choice.
I actually saw organic spray pancake batter in an aerosol can the other day....really??

Then there are the fast food joints that have such a commanding share in the food markets that they alone control the way food and meat is produced.
The shame that a corn farmer is fully subsidised to grow corn yet cannot even eat off his own land because the corn is inedible until it is processed....What is that?

Monsanto...Sugar....Water...Corn...Soy...Cotton...

A million miles of transport.
A million gallons of fossil fuels.
A superstore with everything that the world has to offer right at out fingertips 24/7.

How are people to know the truths, make informed choices, to live a healthy life when it is increasingly harder to achieve.
It is a lost art.
Who do you trust.

Well for the last month and a half I have trusted myself and have decided to go RAW for a while.
It has been quite the change and learning curve.
And I feel great.

I have had to spend some serious time researching foods and recipes and dietary needs etc. but it is all coming together now.

It is a huge and moderately expensive change and one that is more work for me, as the rest of the family still eats as before.
Maybe they do eat more raw than they realize but i still have to cook meats and pastas and such.

I am so excited to share on this adventure, but it seems all my spare time has been taken up with this new lifestyle change.
I did manage to spend 5 hours in the garden and greenhouse today though, planting all my greens and such.

I will start to share in my experience and my opinions and the recipes I have tried, just in case you are interested.

E Turns 4, (not a baby anymore!!)

I am a definite birthday party lover.
I have been known to plan them months in advance and this one was no exception.
However I had to let quite a few things go this year and just run with it.
It was a Hannah Montana party and there was no getting around it, well not without all poop breaking loose.
The problem with this sort of party is the marketing and such that just burns me to no end.
It was officially a Walmart party.
Napkins, plates, table clothes and such...pure plastic and made in china.
All the things I choose to avoid were all combined into 2 hours of 4 year old bliss.


Chips, hot dogs, twizzlers and juice boxes.
Not surprisingly everyone had a blast and left with huge smiles and a bit tuckered out.

After last years snow storm on E's birthday, I decided to rent the community hall.

What a brilliant idea.

$60 gets you a huge play gym, set up with all the toys and such.

Table, chairs and use of the kitchen and here's the clincher....they clean up.

Sold!

Since her birthday is in March it is usually yucky out, ironically this year it was beautiful.

Oh well.

The girls and I had great fun making this cake together.

Usually I pride myself on making the cakes in secret but this year, mainly due to lack of childcare, they helped and it turned out to be something I think will become an annual occurrence.

Of course it had to be Hannah's guitar.

It rocked pretty good I think.

But the make up station was the real winner.

Full of everything a girl could want and a mother doesn't.

We also had accessories and hair extensions and jewelery.

This is the final product of Miss K.

Proud! and Happy!

I had my "Oh my god I am getting old" moment and when I see this picture for some reason I do not see a little baby anymore.

Whaaahhh!!!

She is growing up so fast.

For the family, because J would be in camp for E's Hannah party, we had a little celebration a few days earlier.

With pink and purple cupcakes.

E had asked if she could get her ears pierced for her birthday.

It was (and i reiterate was) a family rule that they could decide for themselves at age 5.

K waited till she was 6 but E was desperate.

After some parental one on one we decided that we had some leverage and used it to our advantage.

We asked that E stopped sucking her thumb and if she could show us that for 2 weeks she could get them done on her birthday.

She stopped without a flinch of a problem.

She barely made a hint that she missed her thumb.

That was it.

Determined and done.

She's one focused little lady.

We never really had an issue with the whole thumb sucking thing, I mean I did till I was like 12, I think and I am alright.

It was worth a try though.

And we had to uphold our end of the bargain....

She didn't want to hold our hand or anything.

Click! and she got up and jumped into my arms to look into the mirror.

The lollipop they gave her made it even better she though.

The best part is she is super good about not touching them and lets me clean and do whatever I need without a hassle.

Yup all growed up.
And sassy ta boot.

Go Girl!!

Good Bye Old Friend

Basil.

While snuggled into my little ladies bed this evening, I was awakened by a loud knock at the door.

I struggled to answer it, because I am quite weary of strangers way out here by ourselves.

But they responded to my questions through the door and when they asked if I had three dogs I just knew.

Our old lady, the matriarch of the group, Basil.

She had been hit by a car.

A most undignified and gruesome way to end a beautiful life.

Hit by a car and left on the side of the road.

I didn't even get to cuddle her good bye and ease her pain, talk into her ear as she left.

To tell her how much she meant to us.

How much I loved her.

Can I say something about the people who came to my door...thank you.

The lady saw the dog and drove home to get her older kids and together they came to my door and told me.

Then they proceeded to remove her and helped by putting her in a safe place till morning.

They said I shouldn't see her so they did it all.

Can you imagine.

I am in awe that there are still people out there that help.

That cared enough to do something like that.

Thank you for not letting me wake up with the girls to that sight.

My first child, my truly best friend.

I have so many memories after 12 years it's hard to hold onto just one at this moment as I write in lieu of talking to anyone, because who wants to talk at 12:30 at night.

The dog the we bought because as soon as I saw her and her big feet and ears, looking like a little bear cub, I was sold.

Over the past few years she has been know as the stinky dog, due to a chronic ear infection.

K wouldn't even go near her and this is sadly how they will remember her.

But Basil's heart was so big.

She truly was the perfect dog, companion, friend.

She would listen as though she really understood.

She would nestle you and always be willing to take on all that we did with her.

She travelled everywhere with us and I have fond memories of all the places we have gone together.

She kept me company on many lonely nights when J was gone.

She took it in stride when she was demoted as the kids came along.

She was easy going when we kept bringing new puppies home and was kind enough to teach them the ropes.

The two other dogs will feel lost for a couple of days as I am sure I will.

I know I will look for her and call out her name by habit.

Darn it.

I could go on forever about her cuteness and funny things she did, my memory is full of goodness from her and that makes it a bit easier to accept.

I know she was old and we have had the talk about when it is enough and when she is gone, but this sucks.

I felt her time was getting close so I had been extra keen on giving her the attention she deserves but I feel so sad.

I never even hugged her today.

Although this morning while I drank my smoothie I watched her, in her new coat, lay in the back yard and just look around at things while she soaked up the morning sun.

This is how she leaves me today with the memory of her peacefulness.

Good bye dear friend.

Thank you for all the years you shared with us.

Oh Canada!!!

I realized tonight that is has been a really long time since I paid any attention to this blog.

It's not like I haven't had anything to say but I just haven't had the time in which to do it.

We have been super excited and even travelled twice to Vancouver to immerse ourselves in the chaos and splendor, the patriotism and unparalleled Canadian fever.

It has been great for us as a family to teach the children about Canada and about the Olympics.

I am so proud of Vancouver, our country and of all those who worked so hard to make this event a monumental success.

I had my reservations and grumps initially, as most people did, but they soon wore away as the games began.

I am so happy to have been able to experience what will truly be a once in a lifetime thing.

But I must admit it would have been better if we had had tickets to the hockey game.

GO CANADA!!!