Photo of the Day October 30th

Our friend Rowan poses with two freshly carved jack 'o lanterns before we put them out on the porch for the trick-or-treaters!

0

Today begins the first of two big Halloween-filled days for us. Sophie was invited to wear her costume to school today so she and her Kindergarten class could have a "Halloween parade" around the school, which culminated in trick-or-treating at the homes of some parents in the area. They were scheduled to come by our place but a downpour half way through their route sent them back to the school and left poor Rowan and I waiting with Jack 'o Lanterns lit and no kids to give candy to. The change in plans didn't seem to phase Sophie though - she was busting with excitement about having paraded through the school and the fact she had a bag of Halloween treats already... I can only imagine what she'll think when she gets to do it again tonight at Storybook Gardens. This will be the third year we've gone to their "Boo in the Park" event, which gives kids the opportunity to make Halloween crafts, do a spell with Prunella the witch, hear a spooky story around a bonfire and go trick-or-treating around the park. Storybook Gardens is a great setting for these kinds of family outings, and their special events have become favourites of ours in the past few years. Two Halloween events in one day, and it's still only October 30th - I have the feeling we'll be all trick-or-treated out by the end of tomorrow!

0

Photo of the Day October 29th

Among the many errands I ran today (Sophie's speech therapy, getting our Halloween candy, having Sophie fitted for new ice skates, and picking up supplies to make a Greek salad for dinner) was a stop at a local beading store that's closing down. The London Beadery, tucked away in a business park at the far south end of Wonderland Road, has been a "go-to" destination for crafters and jewelry makers for many years and today was their final day in business. I hoped that I might find some good deals on beads to make some gifts for friends and family this Christmas, and did manage to find a few bargains on some high-quality semi-precious stones as well as some very cool carved beads that will make perfect additions to this years Christmas crackers. Unfortunately even after getting 70% - 90% off most of what I bought, I left the store spending about $20 more than I had budgeted for... I'll blame my little red-headed helper in part, since she wanted to pick out some beads as well and seemed to favour the $3 & $4 charms the most. It will be interesting to see what we're able to make out of all these fun supplies!

0

Photo of the Day October 28th

Sophie's been anxious to start carving our pumpkins since we picked them up about a week ago, and we decided that it's officially close enough to Halloween to get started on them today. She was pretty disappointed to find out it wasn't as simple as just drawing a design and cutting it out - quite a bit of the charm of pumpkin carving went out the window when I suggested she reach inside one of the pumpkins to pull out and help me separate the seeds and flesh. She agreed to at least pick off any of the seeds that remained stuck to the "roof" of the pumpkin, and after about an hour of scraping and sorting we were finally ready to design our first Jack 'O Lantern of the year. Sophie drew the basic face outline for me to carve, and then decided that it needed a cobweb design on the side. I carved the main lines and left her to design the way they should connect... I think based on all the little lines I see here I might be up half the night trying to bring her little drawing to life! With an entire colander full of pumpkin seeds to roast and her Halloween costume still to hem I was really hoping to have my hands pumpkin-free for part of the evening - we'll see how it goes.

0

Photo of the Day October 27th

Like almost everyone I know, we've got colds. Sophie's had a mild cough for a week now, along with some occasional complaints of a tummy ache, and I've had a full-blown miserable head cold for almost as long... the delight of clogged sinuses and popping ears. Chris seems to have escaped it (knock on wood) so at least one of us is able to function at 100%. Being sick feels different this time though, because you can't turn on the television or look at a newspaper without the phrase "H1N1 Pandemic" blazing before your eyes. A thirteen year old boy died this week after being well enough to travel to London for a hockey tournament. A preteen died suddenly in Ottawa and a fifteen-year-old in Timmins. That it seems to be hitting kids the hardest can't help but put a parent on edge... you have a simple head cold and suddenly you feel the need to check your temperature four times a day; your child reports they're not feeling well and you find yourself hovering, checking on them in the middle of the night just to be sure they're okay. It brought be back actually, reminding me of how I used to check Sophie when she first came home from the hospital, four or five times a night, just to be sure she was still breathing. I'm clearly not alone, because we ran Sophie up to the Children's After Hours Clinic this evening just to have her lungs checked to make sure her simple cough was indeed just a simple cough, and despite having arrived 15 minutes before the clinic was set to open there were still enough people in front of us to put us at an hour and a half wait to be seen. We decided to keep Sophie outside until literally the moment her name was called to prevent the sharing of any illnesses that were wafting around the packed-to-the-rafters waiting room, and scooted out of there as quickly as our legs could carry us after getting the "all clear" on Sophie's lungs. I have the feeling that the medical community is about to be run off their feet, be it by patients with genuine flu-related symptoms or visits prompted by the sense of unease and worry that general public is feeling right now.

0

Photo(s) of the Day October 26th

Red, green, gold and orange... the colours of autumn in Ivy Park.

0

My favourite model, showing off her lovely maple leaf hair accessory.

0

Today was the type of day that reminds me how much I love autumn... clear skies, shining sun, brilliantly coloured leaves and the sound of crunching under your feet. After spending the better part of the morning and afternoon with me at the computer working on a newsletter, Chris and I decided to enjoy a family outing at Ivy Park while there was still some day left to enjoy. We walked through the park, across the foot bridge and then down by the water before coming across a small playground and community garden that caught Sophie's interest. Playtime on the slides and swings followed by a look at how brussel sprouts grow rounded out our afternoon... the perfect way to enjoy the colour (and bounty) of the season.

0

Photo of the Day October 25th

Happy Birthday (*takes a deep breath*) Brandon, Shirley, Dorothy, Jacob and Bev!

0

A slice of cake and jello (?) from the communal birthday celebration

0

This afternoon we got together with much of Chris's family for a celebratory lunch, as so many members of the clan have birthdays during the month of October. Rather than try and fit our party of 17 (!!!) guests around someones dinner table we opted to have lunch at the Mandarin before heading back to Mary's house for a visit. No fussing over who brings what, no catering to special dietary needs (says the vegetarian), and no cleanup afterwards - it worked out quite well. The post-meal visit at Mary's was a great way for the adults to catch up since it was nearly impossible to have a conversation with someone seated at the other end of the very long restaurant table, and gave the kids a chance to burn off some steam with a couple games of hide & seek. A great afternoon celebrating the birthdays of some equally great people... happy birthday all!

0

Photo of the Day October 24th

Despite still being under-the-weather and with rain making a frequent appearance, I had a much better experience with trips out of the house today. This morning I attended a GI Cancer Fundraiser at King's University College, and spent several hours hanging around with a lively group of women making cards and other Christmas-themed paper crafts while supporting cancer research... a great, creative way to start the day while raising money for an important cause. Sophie had her dance/gymnastics class in the early afternoon and then after dropping Daddy off at work she and I spent a couple of hours just poking around some of her favourite stores on Wellington Road. We visited the fish and turtles at Big Al's Aquarium, wandered over to Starbucks for milk and a cookie for Sophie and a coffee for me, then played with the train set and read some books at Chapters for a while before heading home to make dinner. It was nice... no stress, working umbrellas, and no whining (not even by me). Now that we're settled in at home the day has caught up to both of us and barely a minute goes by without either Sophie or I yawning... I think we'll be soundly sleeping hours before Chris makes it home from work.

0

Photo of the Day October 23rd

Well, today's weather officially sucked rocks. My ability to handle bad weather gracefully can be connected directly with my overall health, and since I've been fighting a very sore throat and what feel like slowly plugging ears for the past day or so... let's just say my patience for cold, grey and windy was very low. While I'm thrilled that Sophie's in JK and loving it, and I'm so grateful to live close enough to Sophie's school to walk there every day, and I highly value the fact that I'm home with her to be the one to walk her to and from school - I would have preferred to skip out on the whole thing today. There's nothing quite like walking three blocks desperately trying to keep yourself, a 2-year-old (I had Rowan over today), and a bag with Sophie's heavier coat and mitts dry while the wind practically rips your one sorry little umbrella away and wet leaves hit you in the face every two minutes. Don't even get me started on how much fun the whole thing is when you add a grumpy 4-year-old to the mix and try to walk another three blocks while she yells about having a runny nose but refuses to use any of your kleenex because "they're wet!!!" (the pelting rain was soaking the kleenex the second I took it from my pocket). When we finally arrived home after what seemed like an epic journey, we were so wet I had to strip everyone down in the kitchen, ring out my coat (because really, with two umbrellas + me and two children who do you think went without an umbrella??), and throw everyone's coats in the dryer for an hour. Thankfully after a proper nose wipe for Sophie (with a dry kleenex of course) and getting everyone into dry clothes, we were able to warm up with cups of hot chocolate... but the reward at the end didn't quite make up for the stress of getting there for me. Chalk this one up to one of my least favourite photos of the day so far.

0

Photo of the Day October 22nd

Today's photo-of-the-Day is courtesy of Sophie, who took this picture at the Wiggles concert using her own Little Tykes camera...

0

Today was the big day for Sophie and Chris... a daddy/daughter date to see the Wiggles live in concert! The show was apparently very well done, with lots of creative backgrounds and props, gymnastics routines worked into many of the numbers, and a whole lot of singing. The seats they had were excellent, and Sophie even ventured into what Chris called the "mini mosh pit" of kids dancing in front of the stage for a couple of songs... brave girl, hitting the mosh pit at her first concert experience! As you saw in yesterday's photo-of-the-day we had prepared a few things for Sophie to take with her to the show - a rose for Dorothy the Dinosaur, a stuffed bone for Wags the Dog, and a book to donate to the Reach Out and Read program. Sophie's only disappointed was that she wanted to give her donations to the Wiggles (and Dorothy & Wags) themselves, but it was one of the Wiggly Dancers who came around to collect them. I was pleased to find out that the Wiggles donate all the bones that are brought to concerts for Wags to the Humane Society in whichever city they're visiting - it's nice to know that someone furry will get use from them. It was a day full of Wiggly fun to be sure!

0

Photo of the Day October 21st

Tomorrow is going to be a VERY exciting day for a certain young lady in my life... the Wiggles are coming to London for a concert, and thanks to a pre-sale notification we received several months ago we have two tickets in the eleventh row of the floor seats. In less than 24 hours Sophie and Chris will be singing along with songs like "Hot Potato" and "Big Red Car", dancing with Dorothy the Dinosaur, and yelling "Wake Up Jeff!!!" with the best of them. In preparation for the concert tomorrow we went out and bought a toy dog bone for Wags the Dog, a rose for Dorothy to make her 'rosy tea' with, and a new children's board book to donate to the Wiggles Reach Out and Read program... Sophie was very excited to show off some of those goodies as we gathered them up to be prepared for the morning!

0

Photo of the Day October 20th

Today was my big jam-making day! Those of you who follow my blog (or just know me well) will be aware of my recent culinary journey... I've spent much of the past year delving into more traditional cooking techniques, learning "old fashioned" ways of preparing food, and trying to feed my family comfort foods produced from locally grown ingredients. Jam has always been a bit of a mystery to me, and when I asked a friend of mine who lives on a farm and is a country cooking and jam-making expert about her techniques, I felt a bit overwhelmed by what seemed like the many steps involved. A few months passed and I still couldn't get the desire to make my own jam out of my mind, so I approached another friend who has not only a thorough culinary background but also a great, relaxed foodie vibe, and asked for her help getting over my "jam nerves". Thanks to several coaching emails and a morning spent together in my kitchen, I am very proud to say I am now a jam maker! This morning's work resulted in a large batch of plum jam and a smaller batch of carrot marmalade, and I feel confidant enough in the fruit prep, cooking, jarring and paraffin wax sealing that I'm already planning another batch. The hard part will be narrowing down what to make - I have the feeling the easy part will be finding willing recipients for the fruits of my labour!

0

Photo of the Day October 19th

You know how I know Christmas time is coming? Paper towel rolls are starting to collect around my house. I make my own Christmas crackers (or poppers, as they are sometimes called) - the small brightly wrapped tubes traditionally part of the holiday dinner table that you pull apart with a partner to reveal little treats and goodies inside. I find the store-bought ones overpriced and full of things that pretty much get tossed away with the dinner napkins, which is why I decided many years ago to make my own instead. By taking control of what goes into the crackers I can include personalized notes, trinkets that were picked out specifically with the recipient in mind, lottery tickets, candy (with sugar-free options for diabetics) and holiday trivia or quotes. When you do-it-yourself though, you have to really plan ahead - the strips of paper that allow the cracker to make its "bang" sound can be bought separately, but the craft stores sell out of them very early in the season, and you do need access to tubes - lots and lots of tubes. So while signs of the holiday season for most may include the first snowfall, finding eggnog at the supermarket and hearing "holiday favourite" muzak in the elevator at the mall, for me its the annual task of finding a place to store empty paper towel rolls without me either forgetting where I put them or finding them crushed to bits in December.

0

Photo of the Day October 18th

Happy birthday Angeline!

0

0

A wonderful friend of mine who lives in a land far, far away is having a birthday today, so I'm thinking of her and hoping her day is simply fantastic. I'm bummed out that I wasn't able to speak to her on the phone... I went out this morning and bought a new long distance card planning to break it in (or should that be "wear it out"?) on a phone call full of birthday wishes this evening, but for some mysterious reason my calls never connected. The challenge of dealing with international phone lines I suppose... it sure makes the span of distance between Canada and Australia seem even further. Before sitting down to dial (and dial, and dial, and dial) I broke out an article of clothing I was hoping not to have to use for another month or two... my flannel PJ's. If my post from yesterday didn't fully communicate it, I'm feeling completely unprepared for the appearance of snow in our yard... heck, I'm still wearing flip-flops around the house and my sweaters are quite happily tucked away from last spring! But you can't fight mother nature, so I kept my evening cozy warm by wrapping myself in flannel and sipping warm apple cider. I'll wait for another day to warm my heart with a telephone visit I guess...

0

Photo of the Day October 17th

Off to the Farmer's Market again, and we certainly brought home a great stash of fruit today! The season for berries is sadly behind us, but Ontario apples are everywhere and there are a few imported pomegranates and citrus fruits showing up at the market now too. While I favour local produce whenever possible, there are times when it's really necessary to buy from further afield for certain recipes... and both lemons and oranges are a pretty essential part of making marmalade, which is on my "old-fashioned down-home cooking to make" list. This is the week I'm learning how to make jam and preserves, and with my marmalade and plum jam shopping list in hand I was truly excited about buying lemons (which may have been a first, as I'm not one for lemon-aid and have never made a lemon meringue pie). Here's to a happy week of cooking ahead!

0

Photo of the Day October 16th

What the H-E-double-hockey-sticks is that I see on the ground outside??? Here it is just half way through October and we woke up this morning to that bad four-letter-word that starts with "S". I know it's just a dusting, but I'm not ready! I'm a proud Canadian girl and I do actually quite enjoy our winters, but with so little hot weather this summer and the lovely sights and sounds of autumn only just beginning it feels far to soon for the white stuff. I suppose I should be thankful that I bought Sophie's Halloween costume big this year - at least she'll be able to fit a pair of snow pants under her Cinderella Dress if need be!

0

Photo of the Day October 15th

I'm in the fortunate position that my hairdresser Erin is also a good friend and a girl with exceptional talent with dyes and scissors, so going for an appointment at Jaz is always something to look forward to. I spent a couple of hours "in the chair" this morning chatting with Erin about her upcoming marathon (which she'll be running at Disney World in Florida - how cool is that?!?!) and all the goings-on in my life. By the end of our visit I had about four new colours highlighting my hair, all of which were inspired by the changing leaves (and no, none of them are green) and a date for the two of us to get together at my place for some card-making. Nice that it will be sooner than my normal two... or three... or four months between appointments that we'll be seeing each other!

0

Another mentionable event from today: in preparation for our upcoming family vacation we decided to get Sophie her Hepatitis A immunization... since my third and final Hep A booster is due and Chris needed one as well, we decided to make a family trip to the London Travel Clinic. Okay, so not the most exciting of family outings, but a necessary one none-the-less. You can see why I chose not to make a "photo of the day" out of it, and snapped a picture of me and Erin instead!

0

Photo of the Day October 14th

What a beautiful fall day today... the sun was shining, the skies were blue, and the leaves were super crunchy under our feet. A day like this just screams "go for a walk!" so we did, deciding on O'Shea's Farm for our stomping ground. A day at the farm is always fun, but they pull out a few extra stops for autumn visitors, including this giggle-inducing game of squash bowling that we all tried. We won't compare bowling scores, but I will say that some of us seemed to have better aim than others (and Sophie was actually one of the ones with pretty good aim!)

0

Photo of the Day October 13th

Over the past couple of weeks I've been working hard on getting my Stampin' Up business running again, having let is slip for most of the latter part of the summer so I could just focus on being with Sophie before she started school for the first time in September. I love the creative aspect of the job and I absolutely adore teaching, so that will be my focus for the remainder of the year... running classes from my home so I can share my love of card making and scrap booking with others. My focus this evening was on Halloween, since I've scheduled a class called "Halloween Handiwork" on October 20th and needed some samples to show on my crafting blog. Shown above is a detail shot of one of the treat bags we'll be making in the class... the message around the peek-a-boo hole in the design says "Ghouls and Goblins trick or treat... Better give them lots to eat!" If you're interested in learning more about the classes I teach or just want to take a peek at my crafting blog, please visit Summer's Creative Corner and let me know what you think.

0

Photo of the Day October 12th

My sister-in-law Mary and I made a run for the border today... no, not to Taco Bell, but across the river into Port Huron for some shopping. It's a bit early for a formal Christmas shopping trip, but I still arrived at the mall with a little list of things that I knew were on people's Christmas lists, and I was lucky enough to happen across a couple of things that will end up wrapped under the tree this year. The main purpose of the trip was to get new winter boots for both Sophie and myself, and to get more pants for Sophie since most of hers are showing way too much ankle at the moment. She's growing at an astounding rate: pants that fit her like a glove just two months ago are both hard to do up and an inch or two too short. How does that happen so fast? At any rate, I was successful right across the board (or should I say "right across the border"?) and came home with three new pairs of pants, new boots, "mary jane" style shoes and ballet slippers for Sophie, and a couple of much-needed essentials for me. If I can count lunch at the Olive Garden as an "essential", then I really was completely covered (yum!) It's been quite some time since I went on a shopping trip, and I must say it was a blast... I've told Mary that I'm up for another go whenever she is, but with Christmas fast approaching I imagine my focus next time will be on others instead of on Sophie and myself.

0

Photo of the Day October 11th

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I know some of us Canadians celebrate the holiday on Sunday and others on Monday, but since we're getting together with Chris's family for the big dinner today our greeting goes out today as well. Our house has that holiday smell... the turkey's been roasting in the oven since this morning, we made two kinds of stuffing (one with meat, one without), gravy's simmering on the stove (again, both the standard and a veggie alternative), and a salmon & veggie pot pie is cooling on the counter. We'll be off to Mary's house shortly to spend some time visiting before digging into the big meal... I'm sure like most Thanksgiving revelers we'll all be in a stupor on assorted couches shortly thereafter!

0

A partial list of what I'm thankful for this year (because really, I could go on for pages):

• That I'm married to my best friend, and that we've held true to our promise to always treat each other with respect no matter what the situation. I'm thankful that when I look ahead to Thanksgiving ten years, twenty years from now that Chris will be by my side asking "How do you think today went?", encouraging me talk through whatever craziness we've faced so we can laugh about it together.
• Everything about Sophie. Her crazy sense of humour and accompanying laugh, the way she tells stories, her love of being around other people, the hand gestures she uses when she talks, and her strikingly vivid imagination.
• My family, both immediate and extended. Family is the life and breath of me... they feed my soul and charge my battery, are shelter from emotional storms and a cheering section when I need one.
• That I'm able to be a stay-at-home-mom for the first, most vital years of Sophie's life. It's a difficult road, especially financially... but it's one I don't regret a single minute of.
• My health, and the health of those I love. So, we may not be the poster children for perfectly healthy living... but we're trying and making improvements each day to ensure we have many years ahead of being together.

As I said, the list could go on... but there are some of my essentials. If reading my little list got you thinking, I hope you take a moment to jot down what you're thankful for. Even better - show your list to the people you love so they know how much they mean to you... and have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

0

Photo of the Day October 10th

When I reminded Sophie that we were going to the market today her first reaction was "Can we see the Treat Ladies???" Our weekly trips to the market make a big impression on her, and she's got a little list of favourite vendors that she wants to see every week. These purveyors of all things sweet and yummy are the latest addition to that list, so after stopping by to say hello to (and buy veggies from) the wonderful people from Joyce Farms we headed straight over to see Treat Ladies Anne and Missy. While I picked up a few more market staples, Sophie enjoyed every minute of her "cupcake decorating class", and although she didn't want to leave their booth when our time was up she's got some wonderful sweets to bring home and enjoy over the next couple of days. It's a treat for all involved!

0

Photo of the Day October 9th

Yesterday afternoon after our visit with Uncle Alan, the kids and I had some energy to burn... we used up some of it playing in the yard, but with the clouds rolling in (again?!?!) we decided that being inside might be a good plan. When we were in Ottawa a few weeks ago we saw these sweet little gourds with painted faces on them, and I knew right away that they could serve as inspiration for a fun craft at our house. Luckily I had a bag full of gourds that Sophie and I bought at the Farmer's Market last weekend and had yet to do anything with - once we got out the paints and markers a fun seasonal craft was born. By the end of our painting time they may not have looked like the little gourds we saw in Ottawa with their perfect smiling faces, but I can guarantee that the "artists" who completed the project here had a lot of fun anyway!

0

Photo of the Day October 8th

My Uncle Alan flew into Ontario from New Brunswick today, and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to spend some time with him before continued his journey on to Wallaceburg for Thanksgiving weekend with my Grandmother. It was great catching up; talking about everything from wine making to wiring generators (my Uncle's a real jack-of-all-trades!) and just enjoying his company. After a visit at our house in the morning, Uncle Alan, Chris and I, Sophie and our friend Rowan sat down for a special treat; a lovely lunch at Chez Cora. Visits with Uncle Alan always fly by and before we knew it he had to head out on the next leg of his journey, but I'm so grateful that we had a lovely morning and early afternoon together before he did!

0

Photo of the Day October 7th

Sophie and I sat down at the dining room table this afternoon for some Play-Doh time, and somehow got making little snowmen (as if the seasons aren't flying fast enough!) Since I started this photo-of-the-day blog my camera has become my constant accessory, and I'm not the only one using it... While I was putting together a little friend for our festive looking green snowman, Sophie picked up the camera and snapped this picture. As usual I think she's got a pretty decent eye, and I love the fact that she's now suggesting what pictures we should use as our photo-of-the-day!

0

Photo of the Day October 6th

I've been a fan of the Food Network since the first time I clicked on over to it's non-stop Chef-y goodness, and had been thinking about taking part in their monthly Cooking Club Challenge for quite a while now. Last month I decided that whatever came up this month I would do it, just for the experience... and several days ago they announced that the October Challenge would be Italian Meatloaf in the slow cooker. I found this amusing for a couple of reasons... I've followed the Cooking Club Challenges for the last few months (Chuck Hughes Ice Cream Sandwiches! Anna Olson's banana bread!) and my mouth has been watering thinking of what sinfully delicious dessert I might find myself making. Then there's the little fact that I'm a vegetarian. Ironic, no? But I had committed myself, and so ground beef and ground pork in hand I began my first-ever meatloaf experiment. While I wasn't able to taste the results myself my husband assured me that it was absolutely wonderful; "melt-in-your-mouth tender" were his exact words. Not bad for a first attempt!

0

Photo of the Day October 5th

I started my day with a lovely surprise this morning... when Chris got off work at 7am he chose to stay up instead of coming straight to bed so he could get Sophie up and make her breakfast while I caught a few extra minutes of sleep. To make it even nicer, I awoke to the smell of the coffee already made and six beautiful autumnal roses in a vase on the counter - you would almost think it was our anniversary or my birthday or something!

0

On a different note my attempt to turn over a new, healthier leaf is progressing well and I'm very pleased to say I'm only 3lbs away from my first major goal. I think I may have overdone it today though... I attended my first Body Pump class at Goodlife this morning and my legs feel like they're in danger of giving way at any minute as a result. Normally I wouldn't be too concerned, but I've got my NIA class this evening - it might not have been such a good idea to plan both on the same day! Keep your fingers crossed that I don't collapse in the middle of my NIA routine tonight, okay?

0

Photo of the Day October 4th

With two projects on the front burner today, I found myself with little time away from the computer. As the co-editor for the Tecumseh P.S. newsletter, the day before the new issue is sent home is always my busiest... formatting articles, adding graphics, and trying to piece together the 40+ articles, ads, and photos into a cohesive 12 page format. The end result looks quite good if I do say so myself, and I'm looking forward to seeing the "paper version" show up in Sophie's backpack tomorrow. To pull myself away from the computer occasionally I focussed on my other "to do" for the day, finishing the current selection for my book club which meets tonight. We're reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (yes, you read that right), so it had my head swimming a bit... alternating my mind between soccer practice and marauding zombies, back-to-school BBQ's and Regency-era England isn't easy you know! I do hope I haven't accidentally thrown some information about how to fight an impending zombie apocalypse into an article about packing litterless lunches...

0

Photo of the Day October 3rd

Sprinkles, ready to find their home on a cupcake

0

Saturday... our crazy day has come and gone again, full of trips to the farmer's market and grocery store, a workout at Goodlife, Sophie's dance/gymnastics class at the Little Gym, and cooking. The farmer's market this morning held an extra little surprise for Sophie when I dropped her off with "The Treat Ladies" for a cupcake decorating class while I picked up some of our veggies. The Treat Ladies have a wonderful little stall at the farmer's market with a glass display case full of amazing goodies, and a table all set up for kids to colour and take part in their cupcake & cookie decorating mini-classes. Sophie loves it, and I love the fact I can get at least a portion of our shopping done and out to the car while she's absorbed in chocolate sprinkles and crayons. She's already asked if she can go back next week to decorate something else, and I have the feeling this may just become part of our busy Saturday from now on!

0

Photo of the Day October 2nd

When we got together with Chris's family for dinner to celebrate his birthday last week, Sophie asked her cousin Courtney if they could "schedule a play date" (yes, those were Sophie's actual words) at the Children's Museum, and Courtney said yes. Today was the big day, so shortly after lunch Chris took them both down to the museum for an afternoon of fun. The London Regional Children's Museum is a great place for kids to discover new things, play and learn, and is our default go-to spot on rainy days when we're feeling cabin fever from being stuck inside. Sophie and Courtney had a blast, and were all smiles when I picked them up a couple of hours later... apparently while they were there Sophie scheduled another play date with Courtney, this time at KidScape... I may have to buy her an appointment book of her own if this keeps up!

0

Photo of the Day October 1st

Ten months into my photo-of-the-day project, and still going strong! When I started this project I wasn't sure I would be able to keep up with posting, and while there have been several times I've fallen a few days behind I'm pleased that ten months in it's still mostly on track. So now the question becomes what to do on January 1st 2010? Will the project continue past it's one-year anniversary? I've enjoyed writing these posts and love sharing a "snapshot" of our daily lives with our loved ones near & far. It's sort of an online (albeit sometimes mundane) scrapbook, and I would absolutely love for Sophie to be able to look back on the year she turned four and see what her world looked like, long after she's probably forgotten most of it. So, what to do? Feel free to weigh in on my internal debate by leaving a comment if you want!

0

Photo of the Day September 30th

Sophie and I came home from the gym this afternoon to the wonderful smell of onions, chilies and coriander because Chris surprised us by getting up early (he had worked until 7am) and starting work on dinner. Cheese enchiladas in green sauce... one of the meals we prepare that show me just how much my tastes have changed since Chris and I married. I was never a "spicy food eater", shying away from hot foods and rarely using anything spicier than black peppercorns to give a kick to my meals. Chris, on the other hand, loves hot peppers of all kinds and has kept an ongoing rotation of different hot sauces marching through our fridge for years. The idea of buying cheese with hot peppers in it (pepper jack??? what???) never occurred to me, and some of the dishes he prepared for me when we first met brought tears to my eyes... I was practically unable to eat them. Now, I'm the one buying pepper jack cheese from the market, and adding jalapeños to our chili, and growing hot peppers in our little front porch garden. Times, they are a changin'!

0

Photo of the Day September 29th

The forecast for the rest of the week calls for rain, so we made a point of getting out of the house for some playground time this afternoon. It's nice that Tecumseh P.S. is so close because shortly after the "big kids" get out of school we can head down the street and play at the school's playground. We've even met up with some of Sophie's classmates, which is a lot of fun for her ("Look! It's my friend!!!" she'll cry as soon as she sees someone she knows...) I have the feeling this will be one of our few playground trips this week, so we did lots and lots of climbing and running to help combat my anticipated "cabin fever".

0