A safe Halloween. Trick or treating at home
Happy Halloween everyone. Not what we all wanted but about what we all were expecting, huh? What a year. What a time to be alive.
The world goes round around us. Seasons turning, summer progressing to autumn, to winter.
And in the meantime, there is one in my family who has reached the age of understanding trick or treating for candy. Not our little Zephyr. He's still blissfully happy just to be cuddled by his cousin Isla.
But that one! Do you see him? The little hedgehog in the back. Nate, my little 2 yr old.
My children and I were wondering how to make this first Halloween, the Halloween of his understanding, special to him...to all of them; who we will not risk out in the hood, (no matter how safe our hood may be). And we came up with a Halloween at home treasure hunt. All my grandchildren were dressed in their costumes and they rang the doorbell. "Trick or Treat!!!" Then they came in and ran around the house finding groups of 5 treats which they could each pick one of.
There were candy treats of course, but also Halloween pencils, creepy crawlies, gamepads, glow sticks and necklaces, squishy balls shaped like sheep, hedgehogs and teddies. Basically a ton of $1 store fluff for fun.
And then! And then they could sit down, spill their treasures on the livingroom floor, and eat their fill. Until there was a pile of wrappers! I swear the look in out Nate's eyes was like, "What? Candy? All I want? What?"That's right. One day of sugar hell children, and then back to substantially fewer treats per day.
And after they couldn't eat any more candy if they tried, and after it was waaaay past bedtime for some... we lit sparklers in a spare pumpkin and had our own little light show. It was a magical Halloween to remember.
June catch-up, in the Okanagan with the littles.
I might just have several random posts hanging in my draft folder from when my great and mighty pc died.By the way, I still don't have that pc (under full warranty and at HP headquarters) back yet, and HP is being very unresponsive (except for the social media rant...they didn't like that at all and stirred their stumps).No more HPs for me. I think I'll stick to custom built Acers like all my past pcs.But I digress. Since there are some random posts hanging about, and since all my family, (as well as me), love to reread the posts and remember the lovely times, I thought I'd get them posted.So here is one from late June.Chloe and I drove to the Okanagan to stay with Kerstie, Adam and the littles.
Late June is a perfect combination of green and hot. Not yet too hot, not yet too dry, but that first taste of warm air and cool water which will be the ideal Okanagan summer.
So, while we worked on Chloe's airstream and helped Kerstie with baby Nate, we also jumped in the lake.
It turns out Ruby is a great swimmer.She was in there solidly for 2 hours and only getting out to have a pee and then jumping right back in.
And so we spent a few days swinging,
and swimming,
and floating,
and beachcombing,
and swimming...
...and generally having fun :)
While baby Nate slept thru it all.
Oh busy, busy. Catch up long past due.
Hello everybody.Oh my gosh time flies!
This weekend is the annual Art in the Garden tour and my art and my garden are on the tour again.And this year, our spring is so cold and wet, that I'm afraid not many flowers will be in bloom!
But the cold wetness has made for a lush and green garden, so that's good, and I've been planting up the pots with some colourful annuals.
Also, in the middle of the garden and painting craziness, Kerstie and Adam came down to town for the long weekend.I'm so happy they did because it will be my last time seeing our little ones until September.
We had the best time playing all weekend, and Kers and Adam gave me a hand completing some garden projects and for that I'm grateful.
Kerstie helped me build this fantastic bench for my Art int he Garden show. Last summer I bought two old school chairs thinking that the bases would be great for a bench, and Kerstie helped me made my vision a reality. We all really love it.
On Sunday, everyone went their separate ways, and I drove up to the cabin for the day.
I drove up to take the linens back, (so they wouldn't be here all summer), but also to check on the place, check in with my neighbours up there, and just basically make sure everything is OK for the summer.
Everything seemed to be just fine.The snow pack on the mountains is still great so it looks like there will be loads of water this summer. Good because the pond which thinks it's a lake will stay full and lush.
I walked out on to the meadow and found a surprise. An apple tree!No idea how it got there, but isn't it exciting?
So by about 5pm, I locked the cabin and headed back down to the city.
Oh, I also cut an armful of wild lilacs and brought them with me.Lilacs grow really well in that semi-arid region. Must remember to transplant some to the pond.Do you like lilacs? I love them.
Then we had one more day together and Kers and Adam had to drive back home and I must hit the garden and the art for one final push before the weekend show.Are you local? Come visit some private gardens and come visit me! :D
A painting day...with dragons
Well, that was an unexpected treat!After last night's gut wrenching return to the city in blizzard conditions, Kerstin decided to stay in town a full day and night and let everyone relax and recover.I got my daughter and our little girls for a couple more days: a time when I could finally stoke their predilection towards diamond painting.Only thing is that today was a scheduled painting day for me, so Kers and I hit the studio for some paint fun.
And we painted away happily while two of our girls we being chased around the garden by...
...a Zoe dragon.
But soon the dragon got tired of the game and they all decided to come paint in the studio too.
In the garden, violets are in full bloom.
Violets are Kerstin's favourite flowers and Isla's second name.
Kers and I had so much fun painting. We toned and painted a bunch of backgrounds for some ocean paintings I want to paint.
And these little daffodils are from last year's forced potted things bought in the grocery store for late winter cheer. I love planting my grocery store bulbs in the garden. They always come back.
We painted and then took off the paint and layered and layered the canvases into a deep ocean look.This one's getting close.
Tomorrow Kerstie and the girls have to drive back home, but the roads are all melted so she should be fine. Tomorrow is another scheduled painting day for me and I'm looking forward to some oil action on top of the acrylics. I hope to paint in the feeling of depth and of the sunlight filtering thru kelp, and maybe some silvery, sparkly fish I think.
Hello from Sunday night which turned into a Looong Sunday night, which turned into a Monday morning post again
It's been a beautiful family weekend round here with my daughter Kerstin and her three little girls, and on Saturday we picked up my mother and all of us drove out to visit my son Jonathan and his little family.
Most times when it rains in the Lower Mainland, it rains right here where I live underneath the mountains, but a few miles away in White Rock, where Jonathan lives, most times the day is much sunnier.
This was the case on Saturday, and so all seven of us got into Kerstie's big Suburban people carrier and went for a visit.
I brought an easy lunch of cold cuts, pate, a salad Nicoise, dressing on the side, and some fresh buns.
The cousins, who haven't seen each other since Christmas, played along beautifully. It was wonderful to see that Asher is almost walking and that he's clapping along and waving bye bye.
But Isla's incredible hair proved too tempting and we had to keep an eye out for that.
Little Butters just hid under Chantal's chair or the coffee table for safety.
Everyone had fun playing and catching up, and soon it was time to go back home.
This bear on the left is Jonathan's baby teddy bear. I can't even remember the amount of times that bear has been stitched together and washed. I'm amazed it has any threads left.
Then back home, and as the day was fine, the girls asked to have their afternoon tea outside.
And while the day was fine in Vancouver, Sunday morning a blizzard hit on the coastal mountains just as Kerstie and the girls were heading home, stucking them behind a horrific accident on the highway in subzero weather for two hours before she managed to wiggle the car thru a gap in the barrier and try an alternate route. No sooner did she get on that route then that route was shut both ways as well. Kerstie had no choice than to turn around and head back to Vancouver. They arrived at 10pm having been on the road for over 8 hours!I think they may take an extended holiday with me for the next few days.
Late night ridiculous!
It's Friday night, and so what are three city girls free for an evening going to do?
So we found ourselves without the wee ones as their other grandmother took them for Friday night.Well, as it turns out, we walked down to the waterfront pub to have supper.
Nine short city blocks down, three much longer city blocks over, to the Tap and Barrel pub at the shipyards.
We actually loved our walk down the hill. (Imagine San Francisco but in a shorter way.)
It's so much fun to walk past the houses and apartments to get down to the sea. We chatted all the way...but also peeked into the lit windows. (We're bad like that.)
But in about 20 minutes, we got to the shipyards and the sea and to the pub for a late supper.
By this time my daughters were sick of my camera...lol.
We had a lovely supper at the Tap and Barrel. The tempura cauliflower with curry mayonnaise was out of this world. We ordered a second portion!
After supper we thought we might take a taxi home, (and besides, it was raining cats and dogs all during supper), but just as we finished and walked out, the rain stopped, so we walked all the way up the hill and back home.
A ski resort holiday weekend part three
Our last day up at Big White and we reluctantly packed the car and checked out of our condo, but we were not leaving the mountain. Not when the day dawned sunny and bright. The best of spring skiing.
Since Sunday was the children's day, Monday was going to be the challenge the mountain in full force day!
So we put our youngest two into the Big White day care for the day,
Put Ever into a two hour lesson,
Got our kit on,
And hit the serious slopes.
Kerstie and I went up to the top together.
Up where the beautiful snow ghost trees were. Up into the powder.
And we took one of the more challenging runs down.
And then we did it again!
The runs from the top down took about 30 minutes each and soon Ever was finished with her lesson, and it was lunch time, so we took a little break.A small hot chocolate and that hit of sugar was so good!
Then we took turns skiing with Ever and hitting the more challenging runs.I snapped this selfie with the little Binky on the chair after one of our runs.Turns out this is may be my most favourite photo of the weekend. I loved skiing with her so much.
And then, after everyone's thighs were burning and feeling like jelly, I took one more chair to the top by myself.Chose a challenging run,
Looked around one more time,
And headed down.
A ski resort holiday weekend part two
Sunday morning promised a bit of fresh snow and we couldn't wait to get outside, so after breakfast, Kerstie put a pork roast into the oven for a slow cooked pulled pork for supper.
And, since we were all excited, after some morning cuddles...
...we suited and geared up and went to the Big White lodge to rent the children's boots and skis.
And onto the bunny hill. We picked up our RV, which we'd given to Good Sam rv repair, before we headed to the hillock.
Chloe was excited to learn how to snowboard. In Kerstin's pre-baby life she spent some seasons as a snowboarding instructor, so she taught her sister how to ride!
I skied with Ever, who just took over the bunny hill! I was so proud of her and so happy to be able to ski with my oldest grandchild.
Selfie on the magic carpet with three of us!These magic carpets are so fantastic for the kids. Just ski on and ski off little flat escalators.
So after a full day on the easy slopes and at least 30 runs, we had enough and headed back to the lodge and hung up all the wet gear in the laundry/drying racks room.Where was Chloe? Lol.
We took the pork out of the oven and it was so fragrant and so perfect.
And before supper and before baths and showers, we jumped into the hot tub.Family soup!
Then, supper, cuddles, a little snack and bedtime for the little ones.
And we took out the pictionary and played till midnight!
A ski resort holiday weekend in three parts
Part one:Hello there from us over here with jelly legs and arms.We've just returned from a long weekend at the most beautiful resort in my daughter Kerstin's town.Chloe and I drove the 300 miles to Kelowna, and, after a rest, all seven of us (Chloe, Kerstie, Adam, our three little girls Ever, Isla and Zoe, and me), drove another 40 miles above lake Okanagan to the Big White ski resort for the weekend.
Up from the sunny, spring lake country, into the snow.
And into the loveliest three bedroom condo, room 313, at The Copper Kettle Lodge.
With a 180 degree view, we couldn't get Chloe away from the windows!
Not only the view, but also a private balcony with a hot tub. We were all excited about that.
We used funny wheelbarrow type trolleys and got all our overnight suitcases, and our ski and snowboarding kit inside and made up the beds for the children.
And then, because it was a holiday weekend and spring break, and because it was a long day, Kerstie sat the children in one of the bedrooms in front of cartoons and gave them a rare sugar treat.
While Adam sorted out some snacks and supper.
And where was Chloe? Yup, still at the window.
But there were great games and puzzles in the suite, and soon we were building a puzzle of Hawaii.
Then evening came...
...and children's baths, story and goodnight hugs and bed.
But just as we got them to bed, the fireworks started over the resort and so everyone got up again!
And finally the children went to sleep, Adam went to visit with some friends, and Kerstie, Chloe and I had a lovely puzzle evening which turned into a Karaoke singing evening.
Hello from Sunday night
Hello from Sunday night everybody and from a very quiet house. :(Yesterday, our little girls came back with balloons; much to Morgan's annoyance, who followed the string around the house without being able to actually get the darn, floaty thing.
Zoe, Isla and Ever were tired out of their little brains and so the rare occasion came where they got to sit in front of a screen and watch My Little Pony videos at snack time.
Which then turned into Paw Patrol at supper time.
But an early night and a good sleep meant lovely Sunday energy for all of us and lovely Sunday morning play time.
My mom came over for lunch and we had left-over glazed ham and potato pancakes made from last night's mashed potatoes. Don't you love leftover lunches? I do.Anyway, mom came over and got to see her great granddaughters.
Morgan decided to be part of the menagerie.
And then, because there was snow on the roads in the mountain passes and because there is school and appointments to keep tomorrow, we reluctantly said good bye to Kerstie and our girls and off they went in the warmth of the day.
And now, the house is awfully quiet.
Much to Morgan's relief!!! She's more mellow in her old age, but so much energy in the house gets to her.
But before Kerstie left, she emailed me some photos she took with her cell phone.
Nice memory of a lovely weekend.Hope you've all had a grand weekend and are looking forward to a brilliant week.This week is my last few days to get ready for my open studio tour. It's going to be art, art, art all week. Stay tuned :D