Around the house

I am not sure about everyone else but this grey weather sure is leading to non-productivity for me. I have been off for 4 weeks now and have not completed nearly as much as I had hoped. It has been a rainy and gray September to say the least. I am hoping to see some sunshine soon. This weekend we will pick apples wether it rains or shines. D likes to make apple pies for the winter and time is running out...tic,toc! We still need to do some fall pictures too...Eeeek!

I also want to get to the Country Pumpkin to get some veggies. I would like to make some spaghetti sauce to freeze so we can prepare a warm comforting meal when we get home in the -40 degree weather. Yes, I know...I am already thinking of winter when fall has just arrived. It's not my fault I am a planner that way...always looking towards the future...hee hee! Hmmm, when I think about it, that's not a bad thing. In the meantime (until the sunshine comes out), here are some pictures of things around the home to add a little colour to your day.

PS - We are having the pizza tonight. Mmmm!

No boys allowed

J and I had a girl day today.

We started our morning off with a bowl of cereal. I know, no big deal right? It was for me as this is the first time J has eaten cereal with milk. She always only wants it dry so this was fun to see.

Next we painted our toenails a pretty blue. I painted hers and she painted my toes and toenails...tee hee. I took this picture of her toes while she was in the tubby today. I'd share a picture of mine but it isn't as cute. lol!

For about 2 months now she likes to get in the tub by herself, wash herself, wash her own hair and she gets out by herself when she is done. Today I had to rinse her hair with clean water as we had used bubble bath. She is mighty proud of herself for being able to lay in the tub and wash her hair.



After her tubby she wanted to play a game on the computer. As recommended by Kirsten (thanks) she found a dora game to play on treehousetv.com.



Next we decided to finally finish our Halloween tree. I had found this artificial Christmas tree for $2 at a yard sale this summer. Originally my plan was to find a twig tree and decorate it, however, I was googling one day and came upon these Halloween trees. They are Christmas trees but they are black. I love them and plan on investing in one in the future. Because I didn't want to get it this year, I decided to spray paint the little tree I bought black. Off to the backyard spray paint in hand. Oddly enough it was really easy to do. I had purchased some Halloween ornaments last year but have been unable to locate them this year. I am sure they are in a tote in the shed. So, I bought some more at Michael's. Notice our little balls didn't make it. J loved those so much she wore the glitter off of them. lol! This is our little tree for this year.




After this we had some lunch and a little down time. I got for free at a yard sale a couple of weeks ago some picture frames. No backs or glass - just the frame. I have a little fall photoshoot in mind and decided to paint these. As you can see one was going to be orange, however, after the first coat I was reminded of construction work or a crossing guard and decided on a blue. I would love to have orange so if I can find the perfect shade, I may swap on of these out. Oh...and the red may end up a dark shade of pink. You'll have to stay tuned to see what happens. lol!



Ummm, would you like a frame with that paint?



Of course we got a little messy but J told me she had fun today. It's all that matters and it made my heart happy.

Umm, how did you get up there?

I was a little surprised to see this when I returned to the computer after stepping away for a couple of minutes yesterday afternoon. She wedged her little chair between the computer ball and wall. She climbed and balanced herself on the ball and was clicking away with the mouse. I am glad I wasn't logged in to online banking when she hijacked the computer...hee hee! As you can see, she is also a fan of SNC. In her earlier days she always wanted to be on my knee hitting the keys on the keyboard. It subsided. Her cousin Alexa passed along a little Dora laptop to her as she no longer played with it. I now know why it was passed along. The only language it would speak was spanish. #@&#! Needless to say the laptop has mysteriously disappeared. lol! D and I talked about getting her one (barbie) for Christmas. I think after seeing this, a barbie laptop may not fill her needs.

I remember when she was just around 1 yo, someone asked if she could drink through a straw. Huh? Well, umm, maybe. I did not know as it didn't even cross my mind to see if she could. I also did not know that she could do the following. In the little video if you look closely, she is grabbing the items on the right with the mouse and placing them in the corresponding outlines. The games are from CBC kids. Wow...she really is growing up and fast *big sigh* This morning she gets up and says I want to play a game on the computer. Uh oh...looks like I may have to rework the computer schedule. lol!

They say she looks like me...

What do you think? Yes, I think so too.

Lambda, Lambda, Lambda

Do you remember these? Say yes, please. I don't want to be old all by myself. Sure, now no one is going to admit it...ha ha! I was at Walmart yesterday and was walking around picking up some things. I was walking pass the videos when this caught my eye. I love this time of the year (they are getting ready for the holiday season) as you can find movies that you can't buy in stores the remainder of the year. Walmart is great for this. You just never know what you will find.

I can remember watching Revenge of the Nerds when I was young (way to young in my opinion), however, I was not permanently scarred so all is well. Of course I had to pick it up. Now, please don't believe that I think this is an Oscar winning movie. They are fun to have playing in the background while doing something else. They also had the complete collection of Home Alone. I have 1 and 2 but they barely work anymore. I knew there was a home alone 3 but not 4. November should be a fun month. I am sure J will get a kick out of the movie as she laughs when she watches Denis the Menace. Not to worry, J will NOT be watching ROTN.

What movies from your past would you love to get your hands on?

The last little bit of baby

It will be a sad day when J doesn't fit in one piece jammies with the feet anymore. I haven't seen them bigger than size 4 which pretty much garantees she won't fit in them next year *sob*. For this reason, I am hoping she will agree to wear them lots this fall/winter. I can dream, can't I? They are not her favourite as she is like a little oven and says she is to hot. Last night she did wear them all night. I think she may sense how much I love them and wanted to please me. Is it possible at her young age that she would want to make mama happy? Either way, I will take it.

Direction and a post

I have been thinking a lot lately at why I like to blog. What do I want to get out of it long term? What should it mean?

I have been following (blog hopping) quite a bit as I love little glimpses in peoples lives. The post can make you happy, sad, angry and most of all see it through a different set of eyes. These are the emotions you can get from watching a movie or reading a book. I even had tears (and cried) a couple of times reading some entries. They can make you realize that you are normal at times you are not sure. It can be very powerful.

For me, I have no desire to follow a blog that each entry is nothing but negativity. I think it would bring my spirit down pretty quickly. I don't like blogs that attack people, their spouse or their children. I am not talking about not being able to express your frustrations at certain situations. After all, everyone has challenges and frustrations, right?

I don't want to pretend that we don't have mountains of laundry that need to be folded or that the dishes are always done. I don't want the pictures to be always planned. After all, the moments can be lost if we don't embrace them in their true forms. I know that someday Juliana will read this and I want her to see how life was. I hope she enjoys reading it as much as I have writing it.

So....This is the blog I have been following and is probably my fave that I have found so far. You can tell that family is truly important to her and that I like. We share a lot of the same likes - photography, crafts, vintage items and the colour red to name a few. Click here to take a peek. I hope you enjoy it.

For Kim, start with her December entries. I am sure you will be hooked...lol!

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So here is my first entry caught yesterday morning. As you can see J's hair is not combed but I couldn't pass up on the moment.

Juliana has always loved Harley. Harley has always loved me. Harley isn't so fond of Derek. Harley is finally warming up to Juliana and loves to sleep in her bed during the day. I notice little by little they are spending a little more time together. Yesterday morning (Sunday) she was playing with him by the patio doors with a ribbon. It was so cute and she laughed big belly laughs when he grabbed the ribbon.

All that glitters

I have been saying for years now that I want to make/have a Halloween tree. I have decided that this is the year. Over the last 3 years I have collected some Halloween ornaments but have yet to use them. The only thing I really need are Halloween balls (like Christmas ones except in Halloween colours). Because really what's a tree without balls on it? I have looked around and all the Halloween balls are made of glass so I decided to buy some glitter and foam balls because little hands like to touch. Tonight we decorated them. They are not perfect but they are meaningful to me as I know they were decorated with care and love.

I am so happy that J loves to do crafts with me and I am taking every opportunity because I know there will come a day that it won't top her "fun to do" list. Okay...enough mushy stuff..hee hee!

I have an idea for the tree but will only share it if it works out. I must advise that if you are not a fan of crafts you may find the next two months of entries long. Of course I will mix it up but just wanted to give a heads up. Also, I am always up for some ideas/suggestions you may have.

A little more of Ontario

Just wanted to share a couple more pictures of our trip to Ontario. We actually didn't take that many pictures (compared to what we usually take) but did manage to get a couple.

We stopped several times on the highway to stretch our legs and one of the exits we took was "Pocatière". We did not know any of these places and just stopped randomly as the need arose. As we came to the stop sign at the end of the ramp, we looked right and saw an amazing rest area. It is located along a body of water, had wooden swings, picnic tables and the view was breathtaking. This is a picture I took of D and J looking out at the water.




They had a huge garbage can and it had those funky mirrors on it. Of course I couldn't pass it up...hee hee!




Skipping along the trail. Notice the 2 pairs of sunglasses in her hand but none on her face.



This is a picture of Juliana and my sister. I really love this picture. J just noticed the rainbow at this moment.

A steam train and sculptures

We got back last night from a trip to Ottawa to visit my sister. There are so many things I loved about Ontario but of course seeing my sister topped the list.

During our stay we had the opportunity to visit a little part of Ontario and Quebec. I am sure it was only the tip of the iceberg, however, of the places we visited, two places in particular left an impression.

Late Friday afternoon my sister brought us to this little village she had been talking about. While I knew I would like it because she did, I didn't expect to fall in love with this little place. It's a little village called Wakefield and it is located in Quebec. It's a little treasure, really it is. It is by no means big or fancy and it is not visible from the highway. I don't recall even seeing a street light. Upon arriving in Wakefield, it appeared the whole village had gathered on the deck of the local pub. It was so great to see. Nothing but smiling faces were to be seen. If you have any stresses entering this village, they are sure to be gone upon your departure.

We decided to stop at one of the convenience stores as J had mentioned she needed to use the washroom. Imagine the beautiful surprise when we came out of the store and a genuine steam train passed us by. For a moment I could not help but feel like I was in an episode of "Murder she wrote". No, not because of a murder but because of the setting of the village (I could imagine Jessica Fletcher and her typewriter in one of the nearby homes). I must admit my first reaction at missing the caboose was disappointment for photo reasons). I was so excited when the train crosses in front of us - back and forth. It felt as if it's sole purpose was to entertain us. I did manage to get a couple of pictures. As you can see, I was racing against the clock to get some pictures before the sun set. It was so perfect and to top it off, we were graced with a beautiful rainbow.

If you are ever in Quebec, you must add this little gem to your list of places to visit.












On Saturday we visited a few other places. We stopped along the river in Ottawa to see these sculptures. They are made each spring as the rising water in the fall/winter disassembles them. Some of them are as tall as I and others are 4-6 inches in height. It truly is amazing that the only thing balancing these rocks are little stones.