a wonderful surprise

Today I was meandering around the downtown of our small town.

I was trying to get all the "mail-away" gifts bought so that I can get them in the mail this week. I had been gone for quite awhile. Doing shopping with no kids, really isn't much of a chore. I got to taste mocha fudge and consider bakeshop cookies. Look at books. Stroll.


Once I was done though I was ready to go home and have a coffee. I didn't want to stop by the post office and groaned when I saw the line for the post office counter. So when I checked my mail and found a parcel card, I ALMOST left it there for tomorrow. Then I thought it is almost December and the lines won't get any shorter.

Boy was I glad that I waited. For inside my package was this lovely cowl from Renee. I entered her Pay It Forward blog awhile back and am the very lucky receipent of this handmade cowl.
I did a little shriek and put in on right away! There is no such thing as self control at moments like that! I love it! It goes with my black jacket and will go with my brown jacket too.

Now that I am thinking, I believe Renee had already posted about this and I might just have been drooling back then too.

Anyway I look at it, I am happy!

Thanks so much!

Please forgive "self-potrait" photography! Haven't quite mastered the trick of that yet!

mortifyingly funny

My child! She never ceases to amaze me. Doing and saying things in places that I rather she wouldn't.

Today we were at the hairdresser. All three girls needed a cut. Long past due since they hadn't had their haircut since the middle of summer.

Boo-boo was done her cut and watching Papaya finish up her cut. Someone said something funny and the hairdresser laughed.

It was a little thready laugh with a slight beat too it
"Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh"

Which Boo-boo immediately echoed by the same "Heh-heh-heh-heh-heh"

Which made the hairdresser laugh again.
Which made Boo-boo echo again.
Which made others in the hairdresser shop burst into laughter, including her mother.

It was so entirely funny. After I regained my composure I tried to explain that I didn't think she was mocking her, just repeating a new sound. But I quickly felt like I might dig a hole big enough to get into so I stopped.

Mercifully, the next time she laughed, Boo refrained!

a child's view on grandparents

While I was driving Papaya home from swimming today, she started to make a comment about how her Opa like lots of butter, actually too much, on his toast. We then talked about how he also likes lots of peanut butter with his butter. Papaya commented that she thought that was okay when she was younger, but now that she is older, it's pretty gross. (Just a reminder she isn't quite 8!)

However, all that said, she reminded me that Opa's are good for some things, like rice with brown sugar and cinnamon, as well as cartoons! She has always thought that his lap is pretty comfortable for curling up on. Especially to watch those cartoons.

I asked her, "What about Oma's?"
"Well she is good for peppermints," came her quick reply.

pressures

Tonight the girls and I had an interesting conversation at supper. They were lamenting. Struggling a bit. Feeling the pressure to grow up, when they have hardly had the chance to be a kid.

Apparently, a couple of kids have said directly to them, that they think they are too old to play with barbies and dolls. They have also perceived this in general from a few others.

The thing that is crazy is that my two older girls are 7 and 9. Pushing 8 and 10. Yes, they can spend hours dressing, caring and making elaborate games with their dolls and barbies. They still play dress-up and polly pockets. But isn't that what childhood is about?

I think our girls are creative. They read feverishly. They spend hours outdoors and find interest in many things this computer generation passes by. Too be honest, in many things I pass by.

They teach me to slow down.
Enjoy the moment.
Look and listen.
Stop.
Breathe.

I wonder what happens when a society tells our children "Grow up!"
"Hurry up!"
When children as young as 10, 11 are reading "Twilight" instead of "Pippy Lockingstocking"

It leaves me sad that our society would want to rush them through this preciously short stage of life....to what?

boo-boo's 5th birthday party

So our little girl is turning five. Her actual birthday is next week but a weekend party was much easier to plan.

She decided that what she really wanted was to decorate cupcakes. At first she said cookies, but with a little hint she thought cupcakes were a fine idea.

She didn't want all her friends to come dressing up as a princess, prince or fairy. She wanted them to come in their regular clothes. So to accomodate the messy decorating, Mommy made everyone an apron they could take home. It was really an inexpensive project. We already had the pink duck fabric and we picked up less than half a metre of the car fabric for the boys.

We spent about half-an-hour decorating cupcakes.

Lots of icing. Lots of candy.

Lots of smiles.

Then my older two girls organized games for the kids. Any one need party planners? I might just have two up for hire.

They played musical chairs.

Pin the tail on the bear. As well as bean bag toss, treasure hunt and they spun the bottle for turns while they gave gifts. What a blessing our older girls were today!

In all, it was a great day for a great girl.

~

She is our little bundle of energy who grabs life by the tail, plays hard and climbs high.

~

Just today we found her standing on top of the bar stool trying to get something from the closet. Yesterday, she climbed across the washer to get something from the cupboard up above. Seems hard to keep her feet on the floor most times.

~

Yet, she's the one who often says, with a hug, "Momma, I love you too much!"

Melt my heart, I love you too my little sunshine!

a beary world

Boo-boo has been learning all about bears, both real and imaginary. So yesterday in school we made a little bear of her own. She wasn't being very cooperative when it came to taking pictures.She looks mad in this picture but she wasn't. I think she wanted to just go and have some quiet time with her new special friend.

~

I helped her cut the bear out, using big sharp scissors. Then she stitched around the whole bear and stuffed it. At supper time she finally picked out the eyes she wanted and we gave bear a little face.

~

A fun snowy day craft!

round and round she goes

I knew she could,
But part of me was reluctant to let my baby go!

However, the moment I took the training wheels off she didn't stop

She didn't look back to see where I was

It was like she never had them at all.

She could have those wheels off a couple of months ago,

but her Mommy wasn't ready.
~
Now when snow could fall any day and stay for months
I decide to let her have the freedom she wants and is ready for

At the end she even knew her bike had to go in the rack now!
My "big" little girl!

mystery solved

My mystery socks by Kirsten at Through the Loops are finally done!
Between sick kids,
an unfounded fear of clue 4
and a weekend away,
the progess on these had slowed a little bit.
However, with a little encouragement,
I realized clue 4 wasn't hard at all.
I just needed to take some time and re-read the pattern.
Not all things come to those who are in a hurry after all!
Then I was off to the races and finished them up in a jiffy.


I used Mirasol Shirpa,
100% Hand Dyed Merino Wool.
~
I love this yarn!
I have used it previously
I will use it again.
I would quickly recommend it.
~


Hopefully I can get a better picture of these!
Since they aren't for me, my feet don't happily slide inside.
Guess I will just have to wait for Christmas morning.
When I hope that one little girls toes really warm up to them!

disappointed

Half the family has gone to the city two hours away for a concert

Two of us stayed home. We had all planned to go.

However our oldest has been sick the last few days

Two days of sore, achy, chills, headache...just like her mom had on the weekend.

Today we thought she was better, we were packed and gone

Although not far!

We had made it to the drive thru window at Timmy's

(that would be Tim Horton's for those of you who don't know)

When we heard someone getting sick in the back

Ugh! Smile at the lady in the window and hope she didn't hear it too!

Really, not the best place to get sick!

So we headed home

Two of us got out and three continued on their way

I really don't like having half the family gone

I really like to travel together

But they will be home late tonight

I wasn't suppose to be home, so I don't have anything pressing for today.

I am thinking that I am going to grab a coffee,

a good book,

a homemade quilt

and snuggle up and waste a few hours

See you later responsibility.....

where have the children gone?

Really! I thought we were doing school!
Yet not one of my children,

Were at their desks!

Instead, they were digging delightfully for candy in the halloween bucket!

So good for their concentration and emotional stability! Not!

But I won't tell them how many times Mom and Dad have snuck a treat or two or three!