HAPPY HALOWE'EN!

I wanted to post a couple videos, but they just won't work, for some reason. So instead, I give you my sweet girlies .. as seen this morning before they were off to school. Didn't Dave do a better job on Alissa's clown face, then I did last Friday? I think so too!

such a strong word!

I don't like to use the word 'hate' often, because it's a very strong word that needs to actually be compatible with the strong feeling. Most often I'd say I 'dislike' things, but I have to say .. when I use the word 'hate' in this particular instance .. it's because I fully and whole heartedly HATE these things. What are THESE things I speak of?

Fleas!

Upon moving into this duplex we're currently in, five and a half years ago .. we have been forced to deal with fleas on a yearly basis. It seems when the fall season comes around .. the fleas decide to come indoors. But not just anywhere inside. They like our eldest daughter, so much so that she's the only one that gets bitten. In fact, it's just HER room that gets infested with the things. She has so many scars spattering her legs and body, because she hasn't the self control to just. stop. scratching! When she wakes with a few bites, I know it's time to do the whole room uphevel. Stuffies get bagged away, bed gets stripped and bedding washed in hot water, mattress gets rewrapped in plastic, floor gets vacuumed and then sprayed with a spray from a $50 can of flea spray from the petstore, and her room couldn't look more tidy from this overhaul. And then JUST when I think I've got them after slaving for two hours in her room .. she wakes up the next morning with MORE bites .. big fierce looking bites. OMG .. they're furious with us! How did they escape the cloud of spray, the suction of the vacuum, the steaming hot water?? And then I'm forced to repeat everything from the previous day. The vacuuming, the washing, the spraying. *sigh*

But this morning, she woke with NO BITES! Yay! I think we have got them licked (for another year). So when I say I seriously 'hate' fleas .. you can understand why. They have caused me so much stress, frustration, and work.

If we actually owned this place, I'd rip up the carpet in that bedroom .. because I think perhaps that's the problem. But beyond that, I think we're doing all we can, but if you have any ideas and have struggled with fleas yourself, please pass me the info. I'm at my wits end with the suckers!

jack-o's, apples, cooking, baking and all things good!

It's a yearly tradition .. the carving up of the great pumpkins. I think the most fun is had, with the guts (or gucks as we pronounce them). This year, Daddy took more of a role in the whole process .. and I think he did done good! But after two carvings of the big pumpkins, the smaller ones just got a lot of holes poked into them .. and we'll hope the light shines out and creates a 'star like' effect.

And what was I doing while these three dug, scraped, carved and got messy? Yes, I did take pictures (obviously), but I juggled making pie crusts, cutting and peeling apples, making a crumble for the Dutch Apple Pies, fried up hamburger, got rice cooking, cut up garlic and onion and red pepper, had a pot of boiling water that contained a head of cabbage .. and then in the order things cooked or were prepared I then rolled up cabbage rolls, and baked three apple pies. Oh, then my work was NOT done. I had surfaces to wipe, and you can just imagine the mess on the kitchen floor (from me and the pie crusts, as well as the girls and their pumpkin gucks), dishes, pumpkin seeds to wash and bake up. Whew, what an afternoon!

The pies are baked, the seeds are scrummy, and the cabbage rolls are in the oven for dinner. Mmm, mmm!
Anyone happen to have any apple recipes they'd care to share? I have about 15 gallons of apples left to do something with, thanks to a friend that just moved into a new place that has a very mature and large apple tree on the property. Yeeks! I did mention our apple wine we got on the go a couple days ago too, right? Crazy apples!

halloween so early?

The girls Auntie and Uncle invited them to their church's 'Harvest Party' (aka Halloween Costume Party), and that gave the girls the delightful opportunity to dress in their costumes 5 days early! You can imagine their excitement!

Hailey's our little Cleopatra, looking all gorgeous with her long eyelashes and dark hair. I have to say, when I first put the wig on her, it was strange to see my fair headed child with dark hair against her very pale skin. Something I'll never get used to, so she better not be touching that hair of hers anytime soon. :P

Alissa, the clown (oh how this costume suits her personality to. a. tee! And because she likes to pull funny faces when the camera lens is pointed at her .. made for the whole clown experience. I suck bad at painting clown faces, and because she wanted black around her eyes, she now looks like a battered clown. hah! Dave will have the honours of painting her face on Wednesday, because he's .. well he's a painter by trade, so who better to do it.

silent visitor(s)

I captured this little one, just a moment ago. It's not too often we have deer come by, but when we do .. they're a welcome sight .. to me anyway .. my neighbour doesn't like them so much. She puts so much love and attention into her flower/tree gardens that she likes to keep the deer away when they ARE around.
I didn't take a picture of all of them, but there were three in total. The other two were hiding where some lower branches covered their view so I couldn't take a clear picture of them, and then they spooked sooner then this one, so I would have had to be quick.
We live at a dead end street, that backs onto a creek that runs from a protected duck marsh on one side, and a section of bush to the other side and it's nice to be treated to glimpses of different wildlife every once in awhile.

wordless wednesday

This is a silhouette of Dave. I didn't take it purposely to look like this, but with the bright sky above, the photo turned out like this. Rather neat, I think.

beautifying the town

It was mentioned by a fellow blogger, that in China or Japan (my memory doesn't serve me as well as it used to), they decorate their sewer drain covers all pretty like. While reading his post on that, it dawned on me, that my little town also prettys up the place abit, by having a local artist paint those ugly grey electrical boxes that usually sit on many street corners.

I then wanted to capture pictures of these said boxes, not only to share with you all, but also for my own scrapbooks. I then realized how very difficult of a mission it became, when I often don't take my camera along with me unless we're specifically going somewhere that I might like to photograph. And then when I DID have my camera along, most times I could only capture a photo if we were able to creep by the box, or if the light was conveniently red. So although I've only taken pictures of three, there are so many more I want to capture .. because each one truly is a reflection of our little town.

don't forget to click on the image for the large format

Jeff King is an amazing local artist that has many murals and paintings around these parts. He even painted a mural on our daughters elementary school exterior wall a couple years ago, and I'm lucky to be able to look at it twice a day, every day. I must remember to take a photo of it to share with you's, too.

hot feet!

Yesterday, my SIL treated me to a pedicure for my birthday. How sweet is she??!!
We sat side by side and enjoyed a one hour treatment that was beyond wonderful. The massage, the smells of the products, and finally .. the adorable toes we showed off in their very flimsy flipflops. All so perfect. THEN, we strutted our hot little toes off for a yummy lunch. Can you say S.P.O.I.L.E.D? That's exactly how I felt!

Thank you Sheila .. you're a wonderful and thoughtful friend who seems to always know JUST what I need. :D We must do this again!!!


can you guess which toes are mine?

Update to give a hint.

wee changes

I just changed the header to something more fall'ish. Paper is KSharonKDesigns, and font is Pea Jaimie. I kept it simple again, and used my ever loved pride and joy .. project sunflower! :)

thirty something

Can I really be another year older? I remember my dad saying that when you're older, you really don't feel old .. not if your mind is still that vibrant twenty something person. And now I'm learning to understand what he meant. Another way of saying that is 'you're only as old as you think or feel you are', and that is so true as well. I keep seeing myself as that mid twenties gal, fully emerged in her children, their lives and all that goes with being a Mom. And suddenly I'm waking up and I'm 34, and my girls are no longer in such desperate need of me, and I'm on the brink of a new chapter in the life of Rachel. I'm also learning life lessons you can only learn with time and age.
One is, to treasure each and every day. Truly tho! I'm not as indestructable as I thought even just 5 years ago. Each day is precious, and even though I still have many, MANY years left .. one does not know for sure. Life should never be taken for granted. Deep thoughts, I know.

I had a really lovely day! Even Mother Nature was on my side. Tuesday was a washup of all sorts of weather tossed into one day. Today is pouring rain ALL. DAY. LONG! Yet, squished between those two days, was one perfectly gorgeous and sunny day, that was MINE! And my day was not only fine because of the weather, but a wonderful husband that took me shopping for boots, and endured about ten stores before I found the right pair. THEN let me treat myself to a couple scrappy items, and then lunch. The girls and I were on our own for the late afternoon/evening .. so we made it a jammy time, with homemade pizza and movie/card game playing for entertainment. And unlike most days, the girls behaviour was better then usual. And you know what? THAT is the best gift a Mom could get from her children. Seriously! And I told them just that too! And then I got to snuggle up on the couch and watch my lineup of Wednesday shows, with a hot tea to keep me company. Perfecto!

she's rockin'!

Remember this science project? I can't remember if I actually posted a picture or if it was just mentioned. Well, she got her mark back yesterday. An A+! Yep, that's my crafty kid! *big smile*

birthday wishes

Today's my sister's birthday. I won't reveal how many years young she is, but with age has become more beautiful, more insightful, more huggable, and more of a friend then I could have ever imagined we'd be.

Faye, I hope you have a wonderful day, full of only the most special of things. Not only are you my friend and caring sister, but you also are someone I look up to, someone I strive to be like. I love you sis!

redemption

He redeemed himself and is in good standing with me once again. And only because he made it home in time for us to enjoy the afternoon out at a local corn farm that designs a new maze every year. We always intended to go and have some fun there, but every year .. the time slips away and soon they close their door for another year. Not this year tho! We made it with a couple weeks to spare, and we couldn't have picked a more perfect day to go. The sun peeked here and there, from behind the clouds .. and with one auntie and two uncles along .. the girls (and us) had a blast! On our way out, we bought some bunches of garden fresh carrots, beats (hubbies a fan) and a nice size zucchini. And the icing on the cake .. a nice bottle of fresh local honey. Yum yum!

For more pics click here.

airing the stink

Generally, I'm not one to air the 'dirty' laundry part of my life. Everyone has the dull, boring, stressful, annoying parts to their life and probably has no need to read about someone elses .. but in order for me to just get over it, I need to get it out there into cyberspace and let the cyber gods release me of this disappointment/anger.

My SIL was having her grand opening party for just signing up with Discovery Toys. We were going to co-host it, but unfortunately most of my friends have children my kids ages or older and weren't interested or were busy/sick. I did get one order but anyway, it landed up being my SIL's friends. We baked earlier in the day, set up some of the MANY toys she had access to via her aunt who's also a consultant, etc, etc. DH had the girls for a few of the hours I was gone, and took them skating after their playdate with a friend. They picked me up and we had a few hours together, I made and we had dinner, I cleaned up, did dishes and set them up with snacks for the evening. DH was having his brothers over for a poker game and the girls were to watch a movie and then get to bed before I returned (which meant they got to stay up late, but not TOO late). So all that preplannin on my part totally went down the drain when the distraction of brothers and a few beer came into play. I came home at nearly 10pm, and the girls were still WIDE awake, wired and not ready for bed. There was bowls of leftover chips, garbage, cans and bottles everywhere. It was insane and drove this anal girl CRAZY! Can men not multi task? Can they not play a game, pause it and quickly get the kids off to bed, then resume the game? Can they not bring an empty can to the counter when grabbing a new one from the fridge? Can they not walk a bowl up to the counter when scrounging the cupboards for more food? And then there's me. I canNOT just go to bed knowing I have a huge cleanup to do in the morning. So I did a little quick clean sweep of counters/tables, then headed the girls off to bed. And guess what? Two hours later, they were STILL awake, talking and giggling. And all because a brother stayed the night, and he got Alissa's bed and she stayed in on the floor in Hailey's room. THIS is the reason they have separate rooms!

So then, you may say I should teach this Mr Man of mine a lesson by waking him early to clean up his mess in the kitchen? Not possible. He went hunting for the morning. There went THAT punishment out the window. Argh. What's a wife to do?

So I officially know what would happen if DH ever became a single dad for any reason (up until now I thought it would be because of my sudden death, may have to rethink that tho). The house would be chaos and the girls, sleep deprived.

I'm still thinking of revenge. Perhaps a party on a work night? Wanna come party with me? ;)

I like these kind!

These are the dustbunnies I don't mind seeing. You may have guessed, the girls picked up some crafty books while at the library this afternoon. The more I deny it, the more it becomes more evident they've inherited my passion for crafts. These little guys took a matter of minutes and can be shared with friends.

All you do is take some yarn, wrap it around your fingers (three or four together), tie it in the middle, cut the ends so they're no longer loops, 'tease' the yarn if it's more then one stranded, then glue little googly eyes (we had them on hand from the big basket we won, remember?). Simple as that!

scrapping some oldies

My 'Book of Me' has been collecting dust, and I thought it time I tackle some of those older photos from my 'youth'. It helped to have some challenges prodding me on too! (thanks Tammy!)

what's for dinner?

Easy Chicken Divan Casserole! (before)

It's tasty, easy to make, and goes well with rice .. so consider it healthy too!
Here's the recipe, in case you're interested.

Easy Chicken Divan Casserole
Ingredients:
2pkgs frozen chopped broccoli (or a few bunches of fresh ones)
6 chicken breasts .. no bone, no skin
1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp garlic powder
1 can cream of any kind of soup (I used mushroom)
1 cup mayonaise
2 tsp lemon juice
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup potato chips crushed, or other topping (I used Special K cereal or corn flakes works well too)
Preparation:
Cook broccoli until tender. Cut up chicken into chunks, fry with worcestershire sauce and garlic powder. Lightly grease 3 quart casserole dish. Place drained broccoli into casserole and top with chicken pieces. Combine soup, mayo and lemon juice (I added 1/4 chicken broth) and pour over chicken and broccoli. Sprinkle with cheese and potato chips or cereal and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for approx 30 mins. Serves 6-8.

and voila .. the oh so yummy melted casserole after it's cooked.

hikes and shrooms or hiking shrooms??

Our holiday Monday was spent outdoors, enjoying a little sun, and alot of fresh air. We decided to visit the falls we had been to before when geocaching. It's a nice hike in, and apparently others thought so too, because we ran into quite a few other hikers. Along the way, we scanned the forest floor for chanterelle mushrooms (local, wild but edible mushrooms) to just tempt our palates with. We found enough to fry up and each get a little bit and oh yum, were they delish.

On the way back, we decided to take another trail that would lead back to our starting place, but obviously as a different route. The going was good until we came face to face with a very steep incline, that. just. kept. going. UP for what seemed like miles. My legs are telling their sobby tale today, but we did it and it was great exercise. And believe it or not, the girls didn't complain as much as me. (which is usually quite the opposite)

it's raining .. it's pouring

and for once this season, I don't care! Because later this afternoon, I'll be holed up with family, enjoying their company, playing games, visiting, and smelling the wonderful aromas of a Thankgiving meal cooking. I shall not mention the cooking and cleaning up part, but even that's not so bad when there's many hands to lighten the load.

And while my girls are in Sunday School, and D's finishing up his last day of the motorbike course (in the pouring rain, I might add) .. I get nearly three hours to scrap as I please. :D

pretty colours

Yesterday being such a yummy, sunny, warm and gorgeous day, I took the girls and a friend down to a favourite park for a little play in the leaves and the opportunity to capture the innocence and fun by way of my camera. These are my most favourite parts of Autumn! We discovered not enough leaves have fallen yet, but we do get October wind storms that will bring them floating down soon, and you can guarentee we'll be back to get more fill of fallen leaves, rolling down hills, and exploring. And what brings a smile to my face, is that I'll get more photo ops. :)
But for now, this leaf (photo) begged to be photographed.

To my Canadian friends .. Happy Thanksgiving weekend! I hope you have a wonderful time, where you can reflect on all things good in your life, and be thankful for each of them.

the latest craze

It seems to be what all the little girls are suddenly into, in my girls circle of friends. Little Petshop Digi Pets.

They really are quite cute little portable pets, but as with many things, I'm left wondering why the Pixel Chix and the Gameboy Advance have been left to collect dust.

random facts

Since I have a whole lot of mismatched stuff to say, I'm going to do it by point form.

1. it was 4 degrees C this morning and we STILL have not turned on the heat in the house. BRR!
2. the roofers came to tackle our roof at 7am this morning! Good thing we were up already or they would have seen some crazy haired lady screaming profanity at them.
3. the basket of goodies I won, kept the girls busy from after school right up until bathtime .. without TV or computer time! Amazing!
4. Hailey said the funniest thing the other day. Alissa had her walkman going, sound turned right up, and starting humming along .. but you know what someone sounds like when they can't hear themselves sing or hum? Hailey started telling her (tho she couldn't hear) that she sounded like a broken CD. Hah! I guess kids these days don't know what records are. Heck, I hardly know what a record is, but I still use the expression "sound like a broken record". Dave and I giggled.
5. the sweater Hailey's going to wear for picture day tomorrow, looks like a 'granny sweater' to her, but I've bribed her into wearing it anyway. Seriously .. where does she get this stuff?
6. my sunflower has now drooped, and the seeds haven't even shown themselves yet. I'm thinking it's to late in the season now, but I'm holding out until it completely withers and dies, THEN I'll pull and toss.
7. Dave passed his MST (don't aske what it stands for, I don't know) so he now is able to ride his motorbike without another licensed biker with him. Restrictions still are to daylight hours, until he takes his final road test.

Lucky 7 .. and that's where I'll leave it at.

I won!

Whenever our school puts on some sort of fundraiser .. they also collect basket items for different themed baskets, sell raffle tickets, and have a drawing for them. The 'baskets' are actually boxes, because there's just so much stuff collected for each theme. I happened to be the lucky winner of the Arts and Crafts basket, last Friday at our Fun Fair. I didn't pick it up until this morning (needed the car to take it home in) and I've just finished going through it's contents and my jaw is on the floor. Many things are from the dollar store, but there's some name brand things as well.
Of course alot will go to the girls, but I was able to pull some things out that I can use for scrapbooking. Like an 8x8 K&Co album, a box of Christmas rubber stamps and pads, some metal embellishments and ribbon cord, and a straight scissors. The rest will go into our craft cupboard, for the girls to fill their cold, rainy winter days with creativeness.

I still can't believe I won, after trying this for the past three years and never winning anything from the school fundraisers.