Days between Christmas and New Years

During the days between Christmas and New Years our family has developed a tradition of heading down to the beach for some fish and chips after having eaten turkey for what seems like days.

We walk through town, grab a couple of hot chocolates and coffees, and off we go.

Another tradition that my hubby and I do, is head down to the pier and watch the sunrise, a fitting thing to do on the last day of the year. This is Mount baker from the pier.

Hope you have a safe and fun New Years Eve! See you next year! (an oldie but a goodie)

Merry Christmas

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread House

The girls and I made a gingerbread house today. I've been meaning to make one of these for years. The last one we made was when Natalie was 5, Ben was 3, and I was pregnant with Amelia. We were due to make one! The little gingerbread people are us.

Here is the back yard.
Hope all of your Christmas preparations are going smoothly. Remember to enjoy the moments and have a great day!

Tree Time

Today we got our Christmas tree! It always feels so much closer to Christmas when the tree finally arrives...it's like welcoming home a long lost relative. We left the cutting of the tree in Ben's hands, with Natalie and Amelia ready to catch the falling tree. With eggnog in hand and Christmas music in the background,the decorating began.

Looking forward to the last week of school before the Christmas break. Hope everyone enjoys all the pre-Christmas festivities that come your way! Cheers!

Hello December

We had our first snow fall last week...very exciting for everyone! It didn't last very long though...

After a few days of rain...this is all that is left of our snowman...so sad. However, we do have some snow in the freezer for safe keeping!

I haven't got my Christmas decorating mojo yet, hopefully this weekend. I did manage to put up some lights up in the kitchen which is a start.

I welcome you December with open arms...just don't rush by too quickly or too busily! Have a good one!

Snow!

We have snow!

Not too sure...

how long it will last...

but I love it while it is here!

Snow seems to make...

the garden seem magical...

even after the splendor of colour is gone.

Have a great week!

Remembrance Day 2010

This year Ben joined Air Cadets, and this year he marched in the Remembrance Day Ceremony. We were all there to watch and pay tribute to our veterans.

Ben has learned a lot since he started Cadets this fall, but I think the most challenging so far is learning how to tie his tie! (i think he's got the hang of it)

We are proud of you Ben and we remember.

A Bit of Knitting

While in Ontario last month, I spent some time knitting with my mom. She was knitting socks for everyone, and I was finishing up these. The top picture is Toast. Super easy to knit up, and great to wear.

This grey pair is Dashing. Love the cables. I made them a bit longer than what the pattern called for. Another great wear.
This is it for the pumpkin pictures. Hope you are enjoying your fall days wherever you may be!

Hello November

How did that happen? It's November already! How was your Hallowe'en? We had a Vampire, Jack the Ripper, and a Crazy Canuck leave our house and then have them all return with with loads of candy. Oh the joys of Hallowe'en candy...
Enjoy November, and have a great day.

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Home

Hi there! It's been a while...so let me fill you in.
I left home, to go home...my parents were celebrating their 60th Anniversary. So my brothers and I headed home to celebrate. It had been years since we have all been in the same place at the same time, and it was fantastic! Lots of laughs, lots of reminiscing, and lots to eat. I even got to sleep in my old room! I met up with friends that I grew up with, more laughs, and more reminiscing.

I truly miss the spectacular fall colours that were on display in my hometown in northern Ontario, we just don't get the same show here on the west coast. (in this shot,most of the leaves had fallen by the time I left)
After the week was up, my suitcases were ladden with goodies for the kids from grandparents, and aunt and uncles...all ready for the trip home.
Have a fantastic week, and have fun getting ready for Hallowe'en!

Bobbles and Cables

Finished the Bobbles and Cables cap for Natalie. This is a hat I would definitely wear, so it looks like we might have to share it... or I could just make another for myself! The pattern was simple to follow, the bobbles are fun and so are the cables. The pattern is from this book, and I used Cascade 220 Heathers in colour #9453.
Thanks so much for all the great comments on my Tea Leaves Cardigan!
Tomorrow I'm leaving for Ontario, without kids and without husband, for a whole week. It's my parents 60th , so my brothers and I are heading home to celebrate.
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving and have a wonderful week!

Tea Leaves

Tea Leaves....what can I say about this sweater that hasn't already been said? It's a wonderful pattern to knit up, easy to follow, and love how the neckline feels and looks! I can see why one may feel the need to make more than one of these...hmmm, I might be one of those people too. If you haven't made one yet, you should seriously consider it, you'll be happy with the results.

Pattern: Tea Leaves Cardigan

Yarn:Cascade 220 Heather #9454

Happy Fall and Happy October to everyone...have a great week!

So Far, So Good

Well so far we made it, the kids survived back to school and I survived back to work! I don't think it's the back to school that's the tough part for me, it's that first full week when all the after school activities start up again, that's the one I find tough. It's the getting someone somewhere on time, avoiding the busy traffic routes, and then bringing that someone home and doing it all over again with someone else.
I finished my Tea Leaves Cardigan, but haven't had the chance to take pictures of it yet, soon though. I have started a project from this book, it's the Bobbles and Cables Cap. Natalie saw it and loved it. There are so many neat things in this book, I think it will keep me going for a while!

Have a great week, happy driving (with or without kids), and safe driving.

Oregon Trip

Oh the joys of family road trips...is it the getting there that is the best part , or the being there, or the coming home part - do you ever feel like the Griswold's from Family Vacation? Whatever it may be, family trips are family memories to treasure.

Our family trip this summer was a road trip down to Oregon. We rented a house on the beach and enjoyed each and every moment of it. There were lighthouses to visit, Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Heceta Head Lighthouse. There were beaches to walk and play on, and glorious sunsets to take in. There was great seafood to prepare and eat, and the best beer ever to wash it all down. Many pictures were taken, and some of them are in the mosaic above.

Don't get me wrong, we did have kid catastrophes, and wrong directions were taken, but everything combined is what make family memories memorable.

Fourteen

Yesterday we celebrated Natalie's 14th birthday! She had a great day...we spent the afternoon shopping, what 14 year old girl wouldn't like that? While we were shopping I discovered the new thing this fall..."jeggings", part legging, part jean. Have you seen them, tried them on perhaps? Any way we had a fun time.
Our family is off to Oregon for one last hurrah of summer. We'll be back the long weekend.
Enjoy everyday!

Just A Lemonade Stand

Amelia has been wanting to do a lemonade stand all summer with her friend Maria, but our schedules just haven't clicked until now. The weather was cool, but sunny. They were selling pink lemonade, just lemonade, and chocolate chip cookies...all for a bargain price of 50cents each. They had the best of time, and some of the neatest people came by their stand. I asked them what they were planning to do with the money they made...they looked at me...I then said it would be nice to donate it to someone/something that needed it...they looked at me...like a book for their school library...they looked at me...or the SPCA...they smiled. Then they started talking about all the cute puppies and kittens they would be helping out...then I smiled. They really didn't make that much...but it's the act that counts, isn't it.
Enjoy your weekend!

banana daze

I have them, do you have them? That is.....bananas in your freezer. I saw this yummy post over here, and thought " I have bananas just waiting to be baked into something wonderful" The recipe is from Martha Stewart, and the frosting is absolutely delish. As you can see, three of them are missing....must have been the three kids, they just couldn't wait until supper! (which is fine with me :) )
This past week has been quiet, yet busy at the same time. The older two are at camp, and Amelia and I have been busy doing stuff together. The count down for school to start has begun in my mind, but I'm not going to mention how many days of summer are left because we still have more things planned ahead.
Have a great rest of the week!

girls weekend

Last weekend I headed off to visit my good friend Katheryn. We've known each other since we were 13. She moved to British Columbia (from Ontario) 10 years before I did and we make a point of visiting each other at least twice a year. One of the neat things about our visits is that we need to to take a ferry, you see I live on the mainland and Katheryn lives on Vancouver Island. It's like going on a mini cruise! We spent Saturday and Sunday in Victoria, shopping, eating,drinking, and solving the problems of ourselves and others. I neglected to take any pictures because it rained all day Saturday (we hadn't had any rain since July1st and it decides to rain on our weekend) and I left my camera in her car...oops. On Sunday we headed off to a market and spotted these cool bracelets,! I just realized today where I had seen this style before....it was over here.....it certainly is a small world!
Enjoy the rest of your week. :)

dining out

Last night we had dinner down at the ocean. Home made meatball subs, veggies , hummus, fruit and brownies.
Totally relaxing.

epic bike ride

This past weekend we took the kids on a epic bike ride. Hubby and I got up early drove both cars to our final destination, left the car that had the bike rack on behind , drove backhome, and got the kids ready. It was a holiday Monday, so traffic was a minimum, but really we only had about 10 minutes of road to cover and the rest was trails.

We left home (White Rock), and road along the dykes to Tsawwassen, which we estimate about 35km from our door, and it took about 2.5 hours. The scenery was beautiful, ocean on one side, and farms on the other.

Huge driftwood logs.

At the half way point.....a well deserved rest.

We celebrated by having lunch at White Spot, and everybody ate every last crumb!

Five dusty bikes, and a dusty family!

back to normal

Natalie is back from her two week visit to Ontario.....everything is now back to normal, a little noisier, but back to normal! It's funny how the dynamics change between siblings when one is not around!

Hubby and I had a date night on Saturday and we saw this movie. Have you seen it? Our brains hurt afterwards...but we did enjoy it.

Tomorrow is British Columbia Day, so that means a long weekend...yippee! It's the beginning of August, so I hope things don't move along too quickly for you before school starts up again,....ENJOY!

slow day

We were all tired today. Last night we saw the Celebration of Light fireworks display,(which was fantastic) and didn't get get home until midnight, and then we had a dentist appointment at 8:30 this morning. Oops, bad timing. We all survived the dentist, and were much happier when we arrived home again. We puttered most of the day, I did laundry, and needed an afternoon cup of coffee. It was a slow day, and that"s OK.

time for tea and a hike

Well, I'm off to a great start on my Tea Leaves Cardigan, and enjoying every chance to knit outside. When I first set out to buy the wool, I had in my mind a soft gray. Once I stepped into the store, I had in my hands, a gray, a blue, and a purple, all in Cascade 220. I finally decided on the purple, but would love all the colours I had in my hands!

I now have a knitting buddy (Amelia)....buddies always provide such great support, especially if a stitched is dropped. Amelia has decided to make little blankets for all four of her Olympic mascots, and she is doing a fabulous job!

Natalie is on her second week of her great Ontario adventure, and is having the time of her life! Thanks dad for suggesting this great idea. The rest of us headed up to Cypress Mountain on the weekend and hiked up to Hollyburn Peak.

Stunning views at the top, and we even had a snowball fight on the way there!

Enjoy the rest of your week!