rosemary in time

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-02T14:19:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year and Welcome 2012! Hope you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday with some relaxation to go along with all the excitement and hustle bustle. Our family had a quiet and restful holiday, but it's back to the usual routine tomorrow. My mom sent me some wonderful yarn from her LYS for Christmas and I just had to share some of it. This colourful ball is called Florcitas and it looks like it has tiny little vines growing out of it! One skein knits up a very cozy cowl and it knits up fast...about 1 hour. I started in the afternoon of New Year's Eve, finished it and wore it all night.

Wishing you a happy and healthy New Year!

Stripe Study Shawl

2011-09-05T13:05:00.000-07:00

Introducing my Stripe Study Shawl. A fabulous pattern by Veera Valimaki. I used Cascade Yarn in Heritage Solids, one skein in a gray and one in a plum colour, with size 4mm needles. I wasn't sure if I was a shawl wearing type of person...but this I know I will definitely wear! (I even bought a shawl pin!)

School starts tomorrow for us. Two in high school, (grade 10 and grade 8), and one in grade 4. I'll be working at the same school as my youngest, and we are both looking forward to that.

Hope your summer was enjoyable and that the beginning of the new school year gets off to a great start!

What We Did This Summer

2011-09-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

Since the start of school is just around the corner, I thought I had better write up a post about our quick, fun filled family trip that we did this summer. We are originally from Ontario and i usually head back ever summer to spend a long weekend with my parents. It's been 4 years since the kids were there so it was time for a family trip back east.

Usually we land in Toronto and catch a connecting flight to our home town, but this time we landed in Ottawa first. Ottawa is a neat city, such that it's big but doesn't have that big city feeling. We toured around museums, visited the Parliament buildings, and took in this great light show called Mosaica. The back drop was the Parliament buildings and a historical sound and light show was presented on it. A simple, quick and entertaining show told you all about Canada's history!

We spent some time in our home town, and the mister then headed back to Vancouver. The kids and I ventured on to Toronto and took in all that we could in 2 days. First on the list was the CN Tower.

Then the Hockey Hall of Fame, and on to the Art Gallery of Ontario.

On the next day we drove to Niagara Falls, Niagara-on-the-Lake, and then on to visit a university friend. All of our Toronto sightseeing could not have been possible without my fantastic friend Allison and her wonderful husband Mark. Thanks so much you guys.

Family trips are always an adventure for both parents and kids. As the kids get older there are issues that arise that would not have been issues a few years back, and then there are instances that happen that make us extremely proud of how our kids can handle any situation that is presented to them. Lots of great memories were made on this trip with family and friends and I'm looking forward to the next family adventure whatever it may be!

fifteen

2011-08-30T19:24:00.001-07:00

Last week was Natalie's 15th birthday. We spent the day biking around Bowen Island, which is approximately a 15 minute ferry ride from Horseshoe Bay. We packed a lunch, rode around on some trails, up a killer hill which the locals actually call "Killer Hill". Headed to a quiet little beach and just took in the amazing scenery.

Happy Birthday to the best 15 year old girl I know!!

I have quite a bit of catching up to do with our summer activities....so hopefully I will get it done before school starts next week!

Enjoy the rest of your week.

What's Happening

2011-07-27T21:19:00.001-07:00

Summer is moving along at a quick pace once again. My oldest brother and sister-in-law, who are from Nebraska, just spent a few days visiting with us after finishing their Alaskan cruise. We are now getting ready for a trip to Ontario, visiting Ottawa, Toronto, friends and family!
While at a knitting store in Vancouver a while back, I noticed one of the ladies with her knitting out on the table. She had the neatest looking stitch markers, which were actually those tiny colourful hair bands that you can buy at the dollar store. I am now the owner of 750 tiny colourful hairbands!
Hope you are enjoying your summer so far!

Radian Yoke

2011-07-21T20:10:00.000-07:00

My Radian Yoke is completed! It was waiting patiently after being block for a chance to have it's picture taken, unfortunately though, the weather was not co-operating with us. While most of the country is experiencing a heat wave, our weather on the west coast has been on the cool and rainy side. Similar to fall weather, I heard someone say.

I'm pleased as to how my Radian Yoke turned out, even Natalie (who will be 15) wants to wear it. I loved knitting the lacy bit. A fun little knit for summer!

Pattern: Radian Yoke, from Knitscene Summer 2011

Size: 36

Yarn: Berroco Pure Pima, colour# 2225

You can make one too...there's still time.
Have a wonderful day!

summer knitting

2011-07-11T19:59:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some summer knitting and I'm almost done, all I need to do is block it! The pattern is the Radian Yoke in the summer issue of Knitscene. It's been a fun little knit that's knit from the top down. I used Berroco's Pure Pima in colour #2225, which is a pretty robin's egg blue. More to come after blocking.....see you soon!

things that made me happy today

2011-05-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

Hello! How are things going? Things here, and I'm sure as in every other household this time of year, are spiraling into extreme business. To prevent myself from drowning in this extreme business, I'm trying to remember all the good things that happened and make it all worthwhile. Today Amelia participated in the District Track and Field Meet, for small schools, and came in 3rd in Triple Jump! Yay for her! I made chocolate chips cookies, some with just chocolate chips and some just walnuts. The walnut ones were an instant favourite. Somehow I scored the last one tonight and am enjoying it with some tea as I write this. I painted my toes blue. Hockey Toes I'm calling them, in honour of the Canucks who are playing in the Stanley Cup Finals with the Boston Bruins. Are you watching the finals? If so, who are you cheering for?
Hope you have a happy day!

Dear 16-year-old Me

2011-05-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

I was diagnosed 11 years ago with melanoma. The month of May is Melanoma Awareness, I didn't know that until I watched this video. Take a moment to watch...it has a good message.

13

2011-05-16T20:36:00.001-07:00

Ben turned 13 today, and we now officially have 2 teenagers in the house. Ben created a cartoon character called "Bob-zee-cow", which of course is a cow and wanted a "Bob-zee-cow "cake. This is how he wanted the cake to look. When he went to bed last night I asked him if he could be any age when he woke up, what would it be...he said 2. What age would you pick? Happy Birthday to the best 13 year old boy I know!

Simple Yet Effective Shawl

2011-05-15T20:33:00.001-07:00

Here it is, my Simple Yet Effective Shawl. I totally enjoyed knitting this pattern, it was an easy one to tote around with me. Love the colourway of the yarn, which is Marks & Kattens Fame Trend colour #651. I think I might be hooked on shawls now, and currently have my eye on the Study Shawl. Have a wonderful week!

Catching Up

2011-05-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

May is flying by already!
Amelia celebrated her 9th birthday. She invited 4 of her friends over for a party. We made individual pizzas, had chocolate cake with purple icing, and the girls had the best time playing and then they tried to settle down for a sleep over! Pancakes and strawberries for breakfast...lots of coffee for mom and dad...Happy Birthday to the sweetest 9 year old girl I know!

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! Hope you had a wonderful day.
Thanks mom for everything....you are awesome! ox

Royal Wedding....Are you watching?

2011-04-28T19:53:00.001-07:00

Wow, this week has just flown by. I keep thinking today is Wednesday, but it's actually Thursday and that makes tomorrow Friday! Yippee!Tomorrow is the Royal Wedding....are you getting up to watch it? Natalie and I are getting up at 2:00am (darn that Pacific Time zone). I just made some scones and we are having the Wedding Blend tea from Murchies to go along with them.
Enjoy your weekend!

Easter Chicks!

2011-04-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

Look what I found in my backyard....Easter Chicks! Aren't they the cutest? You can make them too. The tutorial can be found on Myrtle & Eunice. This little guy was hiding in the pansies.

This little blue guy is saying "Hi" from way over there on the rock.

Here he is again, hanging around on a branch!

I think these two like each other....

Here's some more.

You still have time to make some of your own for Easter! Have fun!

Shawl Knitting

2011-04-17T20:51:00.001-07:00

I have a friend who has made several shawls. I like the idea of shawls, but have never made a shawl and I'm not even sure I'm a shawl wearing person. I thought I would give it a go, make one and see what happens. I decided to make the Simple Yet Effective Shawl using Marks and Kattens Fame Trend yarn. So far so good! It might just be the perfect thing to wear on those cool summer evenings sitting in the back yard. Have a wonderful week!

Not Quite There

2011-04-10T20:05:00.000-07:00

I hate to dwell on this, but our weather is still crummy. On Sundays I run through the trails buy our house and the trilliums there are just starting to bloom...about 3 weeks late, along with everything else. Hopefully things will turn around soon.

We had one nice day this past weekend and everyone took advantage of that...even Chester our cat!

The Mr. put in another window, 8 down and 17 more to go. It's amazing how windows can change the look of a room. Where ever you may be, I hope you have a wonderful week. Cheers!

Billy Elliot the Musical. Seattle

2011-04-03T19:42:00.001-07:00

Billy Elliot the Musical. Seattle, a photo by Rosemary In Time on Flickr.

Natalie and I had a great time in Seattle. We drove to Bellingham Washington to catch the Amtrak to Seattle. However due to the huge amount of rain we have been having in this area, mud slides covered the tracks in some areas and buses were provided. Not as fun as the train, but at least we got there. Billy Elliot was fantastic, we laughed and cried.
Happy April....I hope you become more spring like soon. Have a great week!

We Are Covered

2011-03-30T18:45:00.001-07:00

I have made some hats to cover the heads of the girls in our family and mine too. I used the Chunky Knit Beanie pattern with Cascade Magnum yarn. The size of the the ball of yarn makes me laugh, it's so huge!

Natalie and I are heading to Seattle to see Billy Elliot the Musical....we are SO excited!

Enjoy the rest of the week.

Ski Vacation

2011-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

Last week was the beginning of our much anticipated March Break. We spent 9 days in Vernon B.C. skiing at Silver Star with family that meet up with us from Ontario. This is the amazing view from our rented house that held all 11 of us. Many memories were made, lots of laughter and always lots of food. I'll post some ski pictures over in Flickr. Thanks to everyone for such a great time!

March Break

2011-03-18T21:27:00.001-07:00

Our March Break starts tomorrow and we have two glorious weeks off! The first week we are going here. We are meeting up with family from Ontario and it should be an eventful week. The day has been busy packing and making these for our travelling lunch.

These mugs were made in Japan. My husband and I spent two years in Japan (1993-1994) teaching English. We lived in Hitachi which is half way between Tokyo and Sendai. One of my students made these mugs, and the bits of colour on the bottom are beach glass which we collected on the beach down from our apartment. What has happened in Japan is devastating and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

Chess Anyone?

2011-03-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind on keeping up with my weekly post, so first of all thank you all for the lovely comments on my Astor. Secondly, last weekend was a weekend of tournaments around our house. Ben plays basketball in the Steve Nash League and had a basketball tournament while Amelia had a chess tournament. Daddy was the coach for Ben's team, they did well and fun was had by all. Amelia's tournament was a school district one, and honestly I had no idea such a thing existed! The kids ranged from kindergarten to grade 12. I stink at chess and was amazed at the enthusiasm these kids had for the game.
We have one more week of school until our March Break starts, and then we have 2 glorious weeks off! Have a wonderful week!

Wear Pink Day-Stop The Bullying

2011-02-23T16:43:00.000-08:00

Today was national Wear Pink Day. Why you ask? Well the answer is here. All staff and students at schools were encouraged to wear pink. I'm sure all of us at some point of our lives have seen someone being bullied or have been bullied ourselves. Wearing a pink shirt may not be the answer to the problem but it's a start. Stop the bullying.

Love Wearing It

2011-02-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

It's finished! And I love wearing it.

It's the Astor pattern by Berroco. It's knit up in Peruvia Quick, colour # 9165 Indigo.

The sweater itself is quite versatile. You can wear it open, or wrapped around, with or without a scarf, or with fingerless gloves.

Have a super week!

Hearts

2011-02-13T21:00:00.000-08:00

This year for Valentine's Day, Amelia made some heart pins. We got the idea from here. Quick and fun to make and she did most of the work!

Cookies were made to be brought to school.

I finished my Astor, but haven't taken any pictures of it yet....soon.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day and a wonderful week!

2011-01-31T18:18:00.000-08:00

Natalie got her first pair of pointe shoes this past week, and I showed her how to sew the ribbons and elastics on Friday night. She's very excited!

Ben who is in grade 7, is in his last year of elementary school, and will be going to high school in the fall. During the school year the grade 7 class will go on many excursions, and all of these wonderful outings cost money. The kids do their own bit of of fund raising, but an on going tradition for the parents is to put on a pub night, with all the usual fund raising events; raffles, 50/50, and any other game that could raise money. Well this year, I thought I would be brave and volunteer to run the pub night...totally stepping out of my comfort zone! I had my first meeting last week thinking that only my neighbour would show up. To my surprise 11 people showed up. That may not sound like much, but we have a fairly small school (about 240), and a grade 7 class of 44. Needless to say I was pleased. The creative juices were flowing and everyone was totally getting into it. We came up with a theme for the evening, Red&Black, and will be getting a jazz combo from the high school next door to play during dinner. The actual event doesn't take place until March 11, so there is lots of time to plan. If anyone has any ideas for pub night activities , let me know.

Have a wonderful week.

Bit of Knitting

2011-01-24T18:56:00.001-08:00

I mentioned a while back that I started a new knitting project. With our cool coastal climate , I wanted something to keep me warm but yet something that could also stay open when the temperatures warmed up, and keep me just right. Do you know what I mean? Well I believe I had found it when I saw Leslie's new knit a few months ago. It's Astor from Berroco, and it's knit up in Peruvia Quick.

I'm totally enjoying this pattern. The back and one and a half fronts are done. I did have a bit of a hard time with the wickerwork pattern on the first front, had to rip and redo about three times until I got it right. Once I figured it out, away I went. I just wish there was more time in the day to knit!

Hope you have fantastic week, stay warm where ever you are!

Make A Wish

2011-01-11T20:45:00.000-08:00

Ah...the turkey wish bone. Still not quite dry enough to pull apart to make a wish. Does anybody still do this anymore? As a child, it was such a thrill for me to pull as hard as I could with my little pinkie finger and hope for the best!
Things here in our household are progressing well, getting back into routine was a breeze. We are expecting a huge dump of snow tonight, about 20cm, huge for us. Maybe we'll get more and have a snow day, wouldn't that be fun!
I'm still knitting and really enjoying my next project, even though I've had to rip it a few times to get the pattern right...more about that later.
Have a super week and make a wish!

Hello January 2011!

2011-01-03T18:10:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow we head back to school/work. Usually I have a hard time getting back to routine, I like the relaxed, no rush feeling. This year I'm not dreading it nor am I looking forward to it...I'm just okay with it. As a treat for the last day of holidays , I made these. Very yummy!
We had a great break, lots of walks, some skiing, playing games (electronic, an good old fashioned ones), and just hanging out.

Beach walks where you have to walk on the logs as long as you can without touching the sand.

Enjoying the view.

The ever popular rock throwing...who can make the biggest splash!

Best wishes for a Healthy and Happy New Year!!

Days between Christmas and New Years

2010-12-31T15:07:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-24T13:27:00.001-08:00

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread House

2010-12-22T20:27:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-02T19:48:00.000-08:00

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!

2010-11-21T19:11:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

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

2010-11-03T17:36:00.000-07:00

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

2010-11-01T21:04:00.001-07:00

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.

Home

2010-10-24T15:33:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-08T21:34:00.000-07:00

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

2010-10-03T12:38:00.001-07:00

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

2010-09-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

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

2010-09-04T15:47:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-21T14:44:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-05T20:48:00.000-07:00

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

epic bike ride

2010-08-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-07-26T13:32:00.001-07:00

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!

a little bit of yum....

2010-07-20T20:57:00.000-07:00

I've been baking this week, and we've been eating! First I made some Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies. Always a family favourite, but I used 1cup of chocolate chips and 1cup of Skor Chipits, instead of 2cups of chocolate chips. Out come....chewy goodness! It's not baking, but I made some baba ghanoush, too. It doesn't taste like the store brand, but the kids did eat it, so it really can't be that bad, can it?

Next out of the oven came banana bread from A Homemade Life. This always turns great, and doesn't last long.

Enjoy your day!

now boarding

2010-07-18T21:30:00.001-07:00

It happened when she started kindergarten, it happened when she started high school, it even happened the first time she went away to camp, and it happened again on Saturday....that pulling feeling on your heart....I guess it's a sign that she's growing up.This weekend we took Natalie to the airport. She's off to Ontario to spend a week with each set of grandparents. I know she's going to have a great time, but we already miss her.

We had a little visitor this weekend....this little bat. He's actually very cute.

Have a great week!

summer fun

2010-07-15T18:43:00.001-07:00

Usually I try and post on Sundays, and I figured with summer holidays and not working , I could post a ton more....not so this past week! For the first time in two years I had a cold and it totally wiped me out....such a baby.....but not a bad record considering I work with children! All three kids slept in the tent on the weekend and had a blast. I love that they are so noisy and then all of a sudden there is silence.....even Chester, our cat joined them for a bit.
I have finished one mitt of my Endpaper Mitts, and figured I better get a start on my next project. I really wanted to make a cardigan and decided to make the Tea Leaves Cardigan. I have heard and seen so many good things about it, can't wait to get started!
Enjoy today!

.

it's here

2010-07-07T20:01:00.000-07:00

This picture was taken Monday morning. The sun was shining , there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it meant the beginning of our summer weather......according to the weather man! It's also the first week of summer vacation. Sometimes it takes a week or two for the kids and I to adjust to our sudden "togetherness", but it's all good stuff.

I just started Endpaper Mitts a few days ago, and it's a really fun little project to knit. Something small to carry around while you are watching swimming, or picking up after basket-ball.

Have a great day!

Canada Day ~ Long Weekend

2010-07-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Canada Day (July 1st) was on a Thursday, so we made a long weekend out of it.....don't you just love long weekends?! We had made lots of plans , but some fell through due to weather not co-operating. One plan, that did happen was my husband and I made a day of it in Vancouver. (we actually had to bring our car in so we took advantage of the situation) We leisurely walked around, headed to Granville Island, and took in all that there is to see there. Beautiful flowers, great smelling food, artisan shops and entertainment.

Here are some lovely flowers that you find at the market.

We then had lunch at a cute little Italian cafe, with fantastic pizza! Before we headed home, we had to stop at a great yarn store, Three Bags Full, so I could buy some yarn for my next big project, which I'll post about soon. On the weekend we did the Grouse Grind. It's such a great feeling to do that climb, and we are all getting faster at it!

Happy Canada Day, and Happy July 4th!

Finally heading into summer vacation mode, have a great week!

Summer 2010......is finally here!!

2010-06-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

It's June 29th and all the Marshall kids are now finished school!! I think the photo pretty much speaks for itself.....don't you? Kid happiness!

It was a good year, the kids worked hard and you can tell they were pleased with their final report cards. Here's to a memorable and relaxing summer.

Happy B-day to Me!

2010-06-21T20:13:00.001-07:00

Yup....... I'm one of those people who enjoys their birthday. I don't know if it's because it's the first day of summer, or if it's because it was always close to the end of school and there were fun things to do at the end of the year. I like my birthday, no matter how old I am! Now to think of some notable things from the years gone by. The 60's. Can't remember much, was still a baby. The 70's; bell bottom pants, gaucho pants, Little House on the Prairie, M.A.S.H., Disco, and Bay City Rollers. The 80's; Star Wars, big hair, shoulder pads, leg warmers, Flash Dance,Family Ties, The Cosby's, Knots Landing ,Dallas, 80's music, walkmans, and Pacman. The 90's; Seinfeld, Cheers, Spice Girls, John Grisham,we got married and had kids , so the 90's are bit of a blur! The 2000's; reality TV (I'm not a big fan), Harry Potter, leg warmers (again), anything to do with vampires, Ipods, cell phones, texting, big screen TVs, and of course blogging. If I have missed anything that you think is notable, let me know! And by the way I'm 44. :)
Have a great rest of the week.

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Fantastic timing.....it couldn't have been more perfect! Cobblestone was completed in time for Father's Day. This photo was taken before it was blocked because I was so excited and couldn't wait. I did block it, and it was dry on Father's Day morning. Our daddy spent the day golfing with our neighbour and we BBQ some yummy hamburgers for supper.
Happy Father's Day to my dad, wish we didn't live so far away, and to our daddy, we think you are great! oxox
Have a wonderful week....we still have 6.5 days of school left! (Well, at least for me and the little ones - my eldest is done as of last Friday!)

June so far

2010-06-13T19:06:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.....our weather finally turned to more June like weather which made the weekend far more enjoyable! Saturday morning after our usual pancake breakfast we were having our(daddy and I) coffee outside and we noticed a funny moving clump. This moving mass turned out to be baby spiders, I have no idea what kind they are, but baby spiders pose no threat to me, so I spent the rest of the day keeping an eye on them. The kids were doing their part too, on reporting their where abouts.

My husband left today for business trip,and I was trying to think of what to have for supper?! It's just the kids and I. Then I remembered all the yummy stuff I have seen on flickr lately, and thought "how perfect is that?, I'll try new recipes out on the kids!" I made this awesome pizza, that I saw here and here, and all four of us liked it. Yippee!

Then I saw this other dish here, and just had to make it too. Well three out out four of us liked it, Ben is not that crazy about zucchini, but I'm still pleased that the rest of liked it. What I really loved is that I needed to buy a new peeler, a serrated peeler to be exact, and let me tell you this is my most favourite kitchen gadget
right now. So now that recipes have been tested on the kids and me , we just need to wait for daddy to come home and make them again.

Another bit of news, is that poky me is almost finished Cobblestone, about 3 inches to go! Knitting outside with a cup of Lady Grey tea....the best. Can't wait for summer holidays to begin, 11.5 days to go.

Father's Day is next weekend, and we are trying to think of some neat ideas for dad...any suggestions?

Hope you have a wonderful week.

Oh My! Beautiful Blogger

2010-06-10T17:15:00.000-07:00

I love my little blog - even though it does come as a surprise when someone actually comments! But, to have Heather from Implausible Yarn, award my little blog a Beautiful Blogger Award......wow....amazing!! Thank you SO much!

Now I'm suppose to share with you ten things that you may not know about me.

1. I am the youngest of three, the only girl, and there are 12 years between me and my middle brother. We all get along great...it's like I caught up to them and the 12 years don't matter. They both live in the States, one in Nebraska, the other in New Mexico. I live in British Columbia, and my parents are still in Ontario ( Canada).

2. I currently work as a Special Educational Assistant. I was a stay at home mom for 12 years, until 3 years ago. My background is in Kinesiology, and I worked in that field pre-kids.

3. My husband and I met on Valentine's Day . We will be married 15 years this fall.

4. Before we got married we lived in Hitachi, Japan for almost 2 years. We both taught English. We were both terribly home-sick for the first 3 months but adjusted after we meet so many people doing the same thing. Some day we will go back!

5. I like tea a little better than coffee. Though sometimes it depends on the day.

This is harder than I thought!

6. Autumn is my most favourite time of year. We got married in October.

7. I like old fashion things.

8. My favourite colour is purple.

9. I danced from an early age up to university days. When I was in high school I watched Fame weekly, and decided I was going to go to New York, and make it big some how. I went to the Royal Winnipeg Ballet summer school to audition when I was 16 , watched a master class, and decide it wasn't for me. But I still love to dance.

10. I'm still really good friends with girls that I met in grade 1. When ever I go back home to Ontario to visit, it's like we have never been apart!

Ok....now it's my turn to tag 10 bloggers! Enjoy!!

Nuclear Knits: Where Knitting Is The Bomb!

Pink Rose Cottage

Sheepish One

Stitches In Play
Stitching Under Oaks

Every Little Thing

Hello June!

2010-06-06T20:08:00.000-07:00

Hello June.....it's so wonderful to finally have you here! I have always look forward to this month for more reasons than one. Even though it seems to be extra busy, there is so much in store. There are end of school year events such as; Family Fun Night, Talent Shows, class trips to the Aquarium and Science World , beach days, Sports days, Band Concerts, Ballet and Piano Recitals, and of course the last day of school. June is also the month of Father's Day, my birthday and our cats second birthday. Usually during this month we start to enjoy the warmth of summer, but for some reason though, we are having a very cool month and are hoping that changes really soon!! Unfortunately with all this business between work and school, I have neglected my knitting, even my lunch time at work seems to be preoccupied with other things. Yikes! However once school/work ends I will have loads of time to sit back and knit. :) Hope you are enjoying your start to June. Have a wonderful week.

Long Weekend---Queen Victoria's Birthday

2010-05-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning of a long weekend..... Monday is a holiday, Queen Victoria's birthday (she would have been 191).......pure bliss!! We didn't have much planned. Just some gardening, walks, bike rides, and watching Lost. I must say that I'm in a bit of a mourning period over that show ending, it really was the only show I watched faithfully. But yes, life will go on and other shows will come along. If you have any suggestions for any show for me to get hooked on, please let me know! School is definitely on the downward slope, there are only about 25 days left to go. So looking forward to summer holidays, both for the kids and me!
Hope you enjoy the week ahead of you. Have a great one!

Ben's 12th Birthday!

2010-05-16T21:19:00.000-07:00

Another May birthday was had in our household this weekend! Ben turned 12 today.....his last year before the teenage years. Being the only boy and the middle child, his is the stabilizer between his two sisters.....which I am totally thankful for! He asked me to make him his favourite meatball subs and I made this cake for his birthday cake.

When my mom was visiting,a few weeks ago, I took her to my local yarn store, and she stocked up on a bit of sock wool. I remember her taking me to yarn stores when I was little and,and naturally I grew impatient about being there too long,but I loved all the colours, the feel of all the different kinds of wool, and the smell of it all. Now we can both enjoy the wool shop experience together, with the same level of excitement!
Have a wonderful week.

8th Birthday and Mother's Day 2010

2010-05-09T17:54:00.001-07:00

A little late with this part of the post, but Amelia celebrated her 8th birthday on May the 3rd. She is the youngest in our family but you you would never know it because she keeps up with everyone no problem. I just can't believe she is 8! With my parents and brother here (8 of us), this was all that was left of the cake. Amelia wanted lasagna for supper and a multi layered chocolate cake....yum!

Mother's Day was wonderful! It started out with pancakes (in bed), Ben's baseball game, a bike ride, some knitting in between all of this, hamburgers with blue cheese in them and pasta salad for supper, and brownie cupcakes for dessert. A very special Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all, and have a great week.

First Communion

2010-05-02T20:52:00.000-07:00

Wow...so much has been happening these past two weeks....birthdays, parents visiting, a brother visiting, and a First Communion, that I need to do some serious catching up!! I'll start with Amelia's First Communion. It took place April 25th, and my parents were able to fly out from Ontario to be here, just like they were for Natalie and Ben. Amelia's god mother, who lives on Vancouver Island was also here to help celebrate her special day. She read a reading during mass, we thought she would be nervous, but she said it was just like talking, and that was easy!It turned out to be a wonderful sunny day.

The dress she wore was also worn by Natalie, and was made by my mom , who did the smocking on it too. This dress will now be carefully washed and stored with all the other smocked dresses.

I'll spend the rest of this week catching up on my posts.....have a great week!

Mid April

2010-04-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Good grief, it's hard to believe it's mid April. Our weather has returned to normal spring weather, and we are all enjoying it fully! It's always fun to see what's new in the garden from day to day. My most favourite spring smell is in full bloom.....what's my most favourite spring smell you say.....why it's lilacs of course! I'm still working on my my current knitting project, and at times feel like I'm the slowest knitter on earth! Good news is that I'm about to start the yoke , and that makes me happy.

This evening we went for an ocean walk to our second favourite beach walk. The air smelt like spring and ocean at the same time. Once the days get a bit longer we'll be taking our supper down with us and enjoy the sun sets too. There is a resident beaver that lives along the dikes and has created some havoc by nibbling down some trees close to his damn.

My parents are arriving this week from Ontario, and we are are excited about that visit. Just need to do a little tidying up, and I'll be ready.

Have a wonderful week!

Easter~~~A little catching up!

2010-04-11T16:06:00.000-07:00

Where are all the Easter eggs? Do you see any?

Oh look, there are some over here in the lavender bush!

I found some over here you guys!

There are some over here by the stump too!

Do you think the Easter bunny went in here?

I think we found them all!

Happy Easter everyone!

Ode to Betsy

2010-04-05T19:48:00.000-07:00

Betsy was our first "family car", and she was our van for the past 12 years. What the "Magic School Bus" was to Miss Frizzle, that's what Betsy was to us! (at least when the kids were really young) A lot of memories were made inside Betsy; happy ones, sad ones, loud ones, and quiet ones, lost ones and found ones, and yes even changing diaper ones! After 12 years, she had a few funny quirks about her. When I would pick up the kids anywhere, they would hear me coming even before they would see me, even the cat knew we where home before we got in the driveway! She was very retro....she still had a cassette player....not many cars can boast about that these days. :) I know, "she" was just a car, an inanimate object, but we felt safe in her and she got us around.....and she was "mommy's car". But we have now moved on to B.J. (Betsy junior, as the kids have named "her"). She has a CD instead of a cassette, and a bunch of other stuff that I still need to figure out! We are looking forward to our first road trip in B.J., not too sure where that's going to be yet.....in mommy's cool car!

Parcels and Bread

2010-03-29T20:04:00.001-07:00

In this day when everything can be so instant, it's so wonderful to receive an old fashioned parcel in the mail! Not only did we receive one, but we received two last week. The first one was from my parents,who live in Ontario, and it was filled with Easter goodies for all, and other goodies that could be enjoyed instantly. They send us quite a few parcels throughout the year and we all love the anticipation of opening them. The second was a parcel from one of my brothers who lives in Albuquerque New Mexico. In this parcel was a bunch of lavender products from this place. It smelt so good!

Cut up crystallized ginger, bananas,and chocolate chips......can only mean one thing....Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystallized Ginger, from this book.

This is a very yummy banana bread, however three out of five of us like the ginger in it. Maybe next time I'll leave out the ginger.

My pansies are planted, and would look great if only the rain would stop falling!

Today is my dad's 84th birthday....Happy Birthday Dad!!

Have a wonderful week! :)

Hello Spring!!

2010-03-21T19:16:00.000-07:00

Oh Hello spring.....so glad you are finally here! With the robins chirping in the morning and new growth everywhere, how can you not smile?! The kids are spending more time out side, riding their bikes, and just playing. which is so great to see. I hope you are enjoying your spring, wherever you may be.
Have a wonderful week!

Ahhhhhh....!

2010-03-14T19:45:00.001-07:00

Ahhhhh.....so totally enjoying our March Break! Not doing too much of anything....some spring cleaning, which always makes you feel good, some outings with the kids, baking, watching movies, knitting, and just hanging out. Nope, cannot complain, not one little bit, and we still have one more week to look forward to.
Amelia had a friend over for the day, and I made one of our favourite muffin recipes, you should try it!

Sunshine Muffins: cut up an orange into 8 pieces, and place into blender(yes the whole orange) along with 1/2 cup orange juice,1 egg, 1/4 cup of oil, blend until smooth:: combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup of sugar, 1 tsp baking soda, 1tsp baking powder, 1 tsp salt::add the liquid to the flour mixture and blend together:: you can add 1/2 cup of raisins or cranberries, and 1/2 cup of nuts:: I usually double this recipe and have added chocolate chips or nothing at all:: bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 F. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful week!

Hello March

2010-03-07T16:45:00.000-08:00

Well...... the Olympics are over and we spent last week adjusting to life without them.....sad but true.....and yes there is life after all that excitement! We now have March Break to look forward to, two weeks of it, and I'm just as excited as the kids. All this time to catch up on things, start new projects and just be. The Para Olympics start on March 12th, and some of the pavilions are still going to be open, so the kids and I will plan a day downtown visiting them.
I finished my pair last pair of dashing and both pairs have now been mailed out. I have also started a new project, Cobblestone, which is going to be for my husband.

Natalie made some Snickerdoodles this afternoon, and they didn't last very long. I had to grab these just to get a picture of them! Seriously yummy!

The Oscars are about to start......so I gotta go.

Wherever you may be, I hope you have a great week ahead of you!

Feels Like Spring

2010-02-21T16:21:00.000-08:00

There are sure signs of spring around here, flowers blooming in the garden, trees blossoming, and warm temperatures. The Olympics are occupying most of our time, with watching events on TV, or attending events downtown. The buzz downtown is crazy...a good crazy!!

We went for a walk down to the beach to get some gelato on this fantastic sunny Sunday.

This is one of the great views on our walk.

Enjoy the week and have fun watching the last week of the Olympics.

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T17:25:00.001-08:00

This is a picture of cupcakes that were made by Natalie last year. She made some for this year, but we ate them up so quickly, while watching the Olympics, (we've become Olympic junkies) that I never got a picture of them! We have tickets to some events, Curling, Ice Dance, and a semi-final Hockey game (Canada pool), but we are also trying to visit as many cultural Pavilions as we can. We spent most of today in downtown Vancouver enjoying all sorts of events, and of course taking pictures! Check out my Flickr Stream on the right to see some of our Olympic adventures throughout the next two weeks.

Have a great week, and Happy Valentine's Day!!

It's Been Ten Years!

2010-02-07T20:06:00.000-08:00

Ten years ago this past weekend, our little family moved from a northern Ontario town, all away across the country to British Columbia. Well, first my husband was out here for three months, and then the kids (there were only two then, now there are three) and I arrived. Hence we had a little celebration with a cake to mark the event! It's hard to believe how quickly the last ten years have flown by!

My husband and I went into Vancouver to pick up some Olympic event tickets, and boy is the city ever buzzing with excitement! We can hardly wait for the big event to start and be part of it in our own small way. The ticket office is located in Robson Square which has an out door skating rink. There was a huge crowd gathered around.....it was because Elizabeth Manley and Katarina Witt (1988 Olympics) were making a special appearance...how cool is that?!

Well hope you have an enjoyable week....the Olympic torch is coming through or town on the 9th, so hopefully I can get a picture of it.....Cheers!

Almost February

2010-01-31T18:45:00.000-08:00

Oh my, it's the last Sunday of January, tomorrow is February, I wonder what the Groundhog is going to predict on February 2nd? Not too much has happened this week. The kids and I had dentists appointments altogether. Nobody was happy to go, but everyone was happy to leave! We came home with a new stash of toothbrushes and floss which is always exciting. In the morning I always enjoy my coffee, and in the afternoon I love my tea, but lately coffee is all I want.....funny how your tastes can change.

Another one of my favourite fruits this time of year is grapefruit. I like to peel it and eat it like an orange. Juicy delicousness!

I finished my first pair of Dashing, which are going to a friend, and the second pair, which I just started are a silvery gray, are also going to be given away to a friend. I really like how these feel on, the cables make them feel nice and snug!
Cheers!

Last Week of January

2010-01-24T15:21:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it.....it's the last week of January... .it's crazy how fast time is going by? Is it just me, or do you feel the same?
We as a family really enjoy our soups, not only in the winter months but any time of year. We have our favourites, and sometimes I'm brave and try something new. With three children ranging in ages from 7 to 13, you get a pretty quick idea as to what soups are "acceptable" and which are not. This soup below is a family favourite. It is a take on the Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana, which was given to me by a friend,who got it on line. If you would like to make it you need; 1lb of Italian sausage sauted with 1 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper::add one large onion died and 2tsp crushed garlic, saute until soft::add 10 cups of water and 5 cubes of chicken boullion(i used chicken stock)::add 3 large potatoes cut into pieces::cook until potatoes are soft::add one cup of heavy cream, heat thoughouly::add cut up kale just before serving::delicious!

The next soup was a new one that I tried, it came from this book which was given to me by a friend. It's called Red Lentil and Carrot Soup. To make it you need;1 cup of chopped onion,3 garlic cloves minced and saute until onions are soft::add 1 tsp of coriander, 1tsp cumin,1/4 tsp tumeric, cayenne to taste::stir to combine::add 1 2/3 cup of lentils(i used green ones, that's what we had on hand),7 cups of chicken stock, and bring to a boil:simmer gently::add 5 carrots diced, 1 red pepper finely chopped::add 1/4 cup chopped green onions, fresh cut cilantro, about a handful, and salt and pepper to taste::serve soup withcrumbled feta cheese, and cilantro spigs::enjoy!

I started knitting these for a friend. We have a sign in our house that says, " If you want the best seat in the house, move the cat"....ha, this technically is my spot!!

Have a good week!

2010-01-17T16:09:00.000-08:00

It's mid January, and the weather that we have been having out here on the west coast of British Columbia has made it feel like spring has come. I should probably clarify that, the temperatures have been spring like but we have had a lot of rain, so much that Cypress Mountain, which is holding some Olympic events, had to be closed to preserve what snow is there. Not to worry, there are snow making machines, and I'm sure our weather will get much colder.
A new coffee shop opened up in our downtown, and since Saturday was a beautiful sunny day we took a family walk down to the ocean, and checked it out on the way. The lattes were to die for, and I now have a new favourite place to get coffee!

I did finish my Nutmeg hat this week, and I'm really pleased with it. The yarn is really nice to work with. Now I want to make something else from the pattern book, but just not sure what that is going to be yet.

My paper whites are in full bloom on my window sill, and they bring some joy to our rainy days....even the kids notice how nice they look! There are small signs of spring outside too, my daffodils are emerging and my neighbours` witch hazel or forsythia is blooming ( I can never tell the difference between them).

Hope you have a good week!

How's It Going?

2010-01-10T15:34:00.000-08:00

Well....we did it , we survived the first week back to our routine! It's been a good week and if I can manage to post here once a week, maybe make Sunday my day, I'll be very pleased. One little bit of exciting news came by my mom with an early morning phone call announcing that my nephew and his wife just had their first baby! (my nephew is a medic in the US Army and has been to Iraq twice, he may now have to go to Afghanistan, so we are praying that doesn't so he can be a dad to his son) So that makes me a great aunt.....yikes.

I have a few little knitting projects on the go, ones that I can bring to work and knit at lunch. This one I started this week and I am totally enjoying it. I'm not sure who it's for though, my oldest daughter or me.

It seems that once the new year started, the Olympic excitement magnified. Kids at school are wearing all sorts of Olympic apparel, and we have joined in too. How can you not....it's very contagious! Who knows we my even end up with a whole new wardrobe.

Enjoy your week!

Back to Routine

2010-01-03T16:08:00.001-08:00

We spent New Years Eve with our neighbours. A nice quiet evening with good friends. During supper on New Years Day we opened up some champagne, exciting in itself, and gave each of the kids a little bit to try. It may not have been such a great idea....they all wanted more!

I'm not very good at adjusting to change, meaning going back to school and work after such a wonderful time at home with the kids. I just need to get that first day out of the way and then I'm great! Today we undecorated the tree, and sent it off to the chipper. The house seems a little empty without it now. I then sent hubby and the kids out for a walk and made cookies. All set for school lunches tomorrow.

I totally forgot all about my paperwhite bulbs. I ended up finding them in the shed and got them going, a tiny bit of spring in the house is a good feeling! Enjoy the week getting back to your routine!

Happy New Year---2010!!

2010-01-01T15:53:00.001-08:00

Good Bye 2009.......Hello 2010!

Still enjoying our holidays, going for walks, playing games of all sorts, watching movies, and enjoying fires in the fireplace.
It's a new year and new things to look forward to. The past year was great, no complaints and no regrets.
Here's wishing everyone a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!!

Magical Days

2009-12-27T19:05:00.000-08:00

Ahhh.....the magical days after Christmas. In our family we have called the days between Christmas and News Years the "magical days", there is no school, I'm at home from work and so is daddy. We sleep in, we stay up late, we read, and we eat (that's the bad part). Santa always puts a Terry's Chocolate Orange in everyone"s stocking. A wonderful indulgence.

Santa also brought some Wii games, so we are all trying to perfect them!

We didn't have a white Christmas this year, but we have had wonderfully sunny, clear, frosty mornings, which is almost as good. Hope everyone is enjoying their magical days until the New Year!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T15:55:00.000-08:00

Peace, love, and joy always.

Merry Christmas to family and friends near and far!

December 2009

2009-12-20T14:42:00.001-08:00

December is half done, it's almost Christmas, and I can't believe I haven't written a single thing yet! December is a crazy month for everyone everywhere. There are school concerts to see, cards to write , cookies to make the night before a class party, gifts to make and or buy, parties to attend or to prepare for, and a tree to find! I mentioned in an earlier post that we pick out or tree the weekend after Hallowe'en. Last weekend we headed out to get our perfect tree, cut it down and bungee cord it to the car.

Once it was cut, we realized it was a beast of a tree, with a huge girth. (a precursor to trouble) We had a bit of a hard time tying it down to the car...this never happened before! We had a harder time getting it into the house, remember I said huge girth! Once up in the tree stand, we stood back to admire it ...it fell over. Good grief!

Up it went again, hopefully more stable. It looked great. The kids decorated it with great skill, the lights were on and it looked fabulous. We were having an open house party the next day so we wanted it to be perfect. The party was fun, lots to eat and good friends to share it with. The day went on the kids went to bed and we watched the news before going to bed. Then it happened......the tree fell on us, again! WE learned our lesson and tied the tree to the curtain rod! Now here is our tree in all it's glory!

Tic- Toc

2009-11-19T20:49:00.001-08:00

Tic -toc goes the official Olympic clock counting down the days, hours and seconds until the 2010 Olympic Winter Games start. It's amazing how fast time does go by.
Ten years ago January, I was diagnosed with melanoma, it was caught early which is good. and every year since then, I visit my dermatologist to get "checked" over. My doctor is downtown Vancouver so I make a day of it. Since my appointment is in November, I do a little Christmas shopping, have lunch, and just enjoy being downtown! The Olympic clock is in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery, so I had to get a picture of that.
This time after my appointment I had a surprise. My cell phone rang, and it was my husband waiting for me outside the building! Totally unexpected.....I love his unexpected surprises! We had a latte, did some shopping and back to work he went.
Relieved that my check up went well, and happy about my surprise visit , I went home.
Remember though, you know your own body the best... if you notice anything different, get it checked out!

November 13th, 2009

2009-11-13T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well November has been the typical west coast November so far. Wind and rain. I love wind, and I love going down to the beach to watch the waves. I do miss the cold frosty mornings we had when living in Ontario. November there was a bit of a tease. Will it snow? And if it did will it stay?

So when I saw this outside one morning on our deck, I had to take a picture of it, a bit of a tease!

Daddy celebrated his birthday on Friday the 13th. Banana spice cake is his favourite!

There were two Pro-D days after Remembrance Day , so on one of those days I took the kids down town on the new Canada Line, to see the Olympic Village where the athletes will be staying during the 2010 Winter Olympics. It's still not quite finished yet, but impressive none the less.

Hello November

2009-11-01T20:56:00.001-08:00

Well November has arrived, and in our part of the world, the west coast of British Columbia, that means rain is on it's way. Don't get me wrong, we do get the really nice sunny days with mild temperatures, but November signals wind/rain storms and when the rain comes it makes everything seem kind of blah! On the up side of blah, that means cozy days/evenings, fires, red wine, and cocoa for the kids!
Over the past few years one of our family traditions after Hallowe'en is to scout our Christmas tree. We have been going to this ma-and-pa tree farm eagerly looking for the perfect Christmas tree to bring home in about 6 weeks. It always turns out to be a really fun outing. We play hide-and -go-seek amongst the trees, and play with the dog that lives on the farm.

On our way home we stopped at Red Wood Park. It's always a nice walk on the trails, and this time we saw an owl! Over the past years the kids have named this tree "The 100 Acre Wood Tree". It is actually a Bigleaf Maple, and it's huge!

Here are Natalie, Ben and Amelia playing peek-a-boo behind Bigleaf Maple leaves!

October

2009-10-17T18:47:00.001-07:00

October so far has been great. My in laws drove all the way from Ontario to visit us for two weeks. I would love to do that drive with and without the kids. Our weather has been fantastic, loads of sunshine and warmish temperatures. I'm knitting something I saw on Leslie's post. I figured it didn't look too hard and it looks great too. I'm also knitting Ben's socks on my lunch break at work! I love it, it's a bit of "me time" in a crazy day!

We celebrated Thanksgiving.

Got that chick-a-dee feeling.

And celebrated 14years together!

Finished!

2009-09-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Happy Fall! I truly do love this time of year...it's my favourite! The leaves changing colour, the crisp cool weather, and the chance to wear sweaters.

I have finally finished my February Lady Sweater. I'm so pleased with it, there are a few mistakes, but overall I think it looks great.

I may even knit another one!

The best thing was that I wore it out the other evening to a high school band concert, and a friend of mine said she had knit the same pattern.....I was so pleased that my sweater was recognizable!

Have a good weekend!

First Day of School

2009-09-08T18:47:00.000-07:00

September 8th 2009, the first day back to school, mind you, they only stay for about 1 hour, but they do go back. The oldest headed of to high school,

and the younger two headed of to elementary school. I.....well I get ready to go back to work too. With an early dismissal I made some zucchini loaf in the afternoon for school lunches....YUM!

Going Home

2009-09-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

I went home (3 hours north of Toronto) for a long weekend to see my parents and some old friends. No kids , no husband, just me. I call it my "recharger weekend". It's always so fun, but it goes by way too fast. I think I need to add another day to my long weekend next year.

I usually do the same thing, visit my in laws, drive by our old house where my husband an I started our family, try to get to favourite restaurants for the best pizza or french fries, walk by the lake, and visit with old friends!

I'm here with two good friends in my parents backyard....we are true northern girls...we sat outside talking until 10:00pm with temperatures hovering at 8 C (44 F).

Pender Island

2009-08-26T06:15:00.001-07:00

Have you ever been somewhere and felt that you belong there? Well that is how Pender Island feels to us. Ever since we moved out west 9 years ago from Ontario, we have gone to Pender Island every summer to camp. And every time we get back home, we dream of living there some day. So 2 years ago we thought "why not rent a cottage?", so that's what we did , and stayed for a week. We had such a great time we did it again this year. You need to take a ferry from Tsawwassen B.C., and the ride itself is wonderful, and as soon as you set foot on Pender you are on "Pender Time" , meaning nice and slow, no worries.

The view from our cottage was spectacular!

We saw a huge pod ( about 30 ) of Orcas go by, seals, bald eagles, and many deer.

Mid week we did a day trip to Victoria B.C.

Hiked and had picnics. We even entered in the Fall Fair!

And enjoyed many beautiful sunsets, dreaming of next year's visit!

August 24th

2009-08-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

My oldest baby has turned 13!! Where has the time gone? I remember being 13!

Natalie was due on August 10th, but was overdue and I had to be induced. Even with being induced she didn't want to come out, she had a mind of her own even then and was going to come when she was good and ready. It's been wonderful watching her grow up into a young lady, but the time is going by too quickly, and I have a hard time taking it all in. She will be starting high school this fall and we are all so very excited and proud of her. Have a wonderful year Natalie!
Thirteen kisses from daddy!

Rain Day

2009-08-10T20:40:00.001-07:00

Finally we got our rain! I really can't remember the last rainy day, maybe the beginning of July? Anyway...we got lots of rain, and sometimes you just need one of those days, to catch up or just do nothing. I made my second most favourite cookie, between loads of laundry, Old Time Ginger Snaps. If you like soft ginger cookies, these are definitely for you!

Here's the recipe:: Old Time Ginger Snaps::3/4cups of butter, 2 cups sugar, 2eggs well beaten, 1/2 cup molasses, 2tsp white vinegar, 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 2-3 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon. Preheat oven to 325F. Thoroughly mix ingredients in order given and form into small balls. Place balls on cookie sheets. Bake 12 minutes. Yum!! When they come out of the oven they start to get their crackly appearance. These don't last too long in our house, so sometimes I need to hide some.

Chester our cat wasn't too sure if he wanted to get wet!!

Whistler-Blackcomb

2009-08-06T20:22:00.000-07:00

We headed off on our camping expedition to Nairn Falls, which is located between Whistler and Pemberton B.C.. We had camped there before but it's been a few years since the last time. The drive there is absolutely stunning with all the wonderful views of Howe Sound on the new and improved Sea To Sky Highway. We stopped at Shannon Falls to take in the natural wonder of the falls.
We spent a day at Whistler-Blackcomb, which was very exciting. After taking the gondola to the top of Whistler, we took the new Peak2Peak gondola over to Blackcomb. Looks totally scary, but it isn't, at least if you don't think about the vast space you are travelling across with nothing underneath you!! The kids loved it!

There were many trails or ski runs that you could hike on once at the top. The views were spectacular, even with the haze of forest fire smoke still looming.

It's was a great trip, one that I wish everyone could experience. It's amazing all the different languages you can hear around you, German, French, Japanese, just to name a few, while walking around, it makes the world seem smaller. You can feel the excitement in the air of the coming winter Olympics. Hopefully our family can make another trip soon...maybe to ski...or watch some of the Olympic events!

End of July

2009-07-31T21:59:00.001-07:00

Wow...July just flew by!! You wait and wait for it to come, thinking of great and wonderful things to do once the summer starts. Well I do think that our family accomplished most of what we set out to do, or at least what I set out to do.

The weather has been just amazing. We did have a bit of a heat wave that broke a few records. We aren't use to these sort of "warm" temperatures in our part of the world, but we survived with help of fans that came out of hiding.

With the wonderful abundance of fruit this time of year, how can one not resist making yummy pies, even when it seems too hot!!

There is nothing like an early morning bike ride to get you through the rest of the day!

Heres to August...with more family trips, and outings in store!!

A Summer Day

2009-07-21T11:24:00.001-07:00

Ohhh...summer is the best, actually fall is my favourite time of year , but we are truly enjoying the lazy days of summer! Today we headed down to the beach while the tide was still low. One of us wanted to just sit and read....

....while some of us wanted to build a sand castle.

We had some yummy corn for supper,

and some jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese, crab and green onions. The rest of the evening was spent outside playing or just soaking it all in. Joy!

A "Cool" Idea!

2009-07-14T20:47:00.001-07:00

I think my neighbour is a genius. She made me an iced coffee and instead of using ice cubes made from water, they were made from left over coffee...what a great idea! So I tried it too.

I'm also trying to get through Harry Potter before the movie comes out. I started my February Lady sweater, but I also started Rose Hill Hat by Erin , and finished it first. I may have to make more for gifts. It's a cute hat!

Amelia was playing with ladybugs in the back yard and this is the shot I got before he flew away!

Smocked Dresses

2009-07-07T15:16:00.000-07:00

Smocked dresses that were made by mom and worn by me when I was a little girl. Once I out grew them , they were gently hand washed and put away for the future. When Natalie was born, mom brought them to me and left them in my care. Natalie wore them to birthdays , Christmas gatherings, Easter, church, and any other family function. They then waited for Amelia to grow into them, and were once again worn for special occasions. Still in my care, they have been gently hand washed and put away for the future one more time. I'm going to miss all these little dresses that hold so many memories...
As a little girl, the brown one was always my favourite!