Halloween

So I have a few minutes right now. I do have a zillion things to do but I really want to share these pictures. I can't believe it is already November 11th.
Happy Remembrance Day everyone.
I am grateful for those who have served our country in past wars and for those soldiers who serve today. Olivia, William and I have been studying world history for the last four years and we are now reaching modern times and soon will begin to study WW1. The kids hate war and through our studies they have learned how wars have touched every continent and nation in the world. It seems, us humans can't learn. So I'm just saying thank you especially to the ones who gave their all - their lives.

Let's talk about our Halloween. About two day's before Halloween I had the children carve their pumpkins. It's a tradition in our house that all the kids carve their own. We go online and choose a free pattern from the many sites. Then it's upstairs to the dinning room table to carve. The gross part is cleaning out the pumpkin. I was nice and cleaned out Derek's.


The carving was not easy and took patience and some skill. They have been doing this for a few years now so they are all professionals.

And finally we see that their hard work has paid off. Perfect Pumpkins!

Amazing Pumpkins ready for Halloween night.

Olivia's design

William's creation

Derek remembers Pousse (Puss)
Derek's pattern was the simplest but it was an important one for our family and our neighbors. Their cat Pousse had gone missing and still has not been found. Pousse and Cola were always over at our house trying to get in - especially Pousse. Derek decided to dedicate his pumpkin to the memory of Pousse. The neighbor was touched and later that week brought Derek a beautiful poster of Pousse and it is now on his bedroom wall. We don't have any animals so the kids love to borrow the neighbors or friends. Derek was often called upon to watch the cats when the neighbors went out of town. So he loved that little Pousse.

I hope everyone's Halloween was great. We had a quiet evening and really not very many children were out. Olivia is the only one that went out trick or treating from our family. She was a Hula Dancer with a turtle neck on because it was a bit chilly and hey! we live in Canada. She looked adorable and she was happy. It's funny because Olivia was a hula girl and the next day Jasmine flew to Hawaii (from Victoria) for a week. More on that later. William stayed home and gave out candy to the trick or treaters. Olivia and I went out with the neighbor kids. Brandon, Thomas, and Dayna were adorable in their costumes and eager to collect candy. We just walked around the block and everyone's bag was full. It was windy and cool so we had Hot Chocolate when we came home. Of course the candy was poured out on the floor and sorted into the "I love it pile" and the "I hate it pile". The latter was given to her brothers. So everyone was happy!

Olivia all ready for Trick or Treating

Dayna, Olivia, Brandon, Thomas


We are all so jealous of Jasmine. Hawaii is so beautiful, sunny, warm and it has Cousin Deb!!! She is a blast to be with because she always makes you laugh. Jasmine had an amazing time and I'm sure she is already planning a return trip. I am happy for Jasmine that she is able to travel now and see a little of the world. She's home now so I'm sure we will be able to see her pictures on her facebook page. So that's all for today everyone. It took me too long and now I have to figure out what to have for dinner. I know grandma and Jasmine are having my veggie enchiladas because they phoned for the recipe. Hmm, that sounds like a plan maybe something mexican would be good.

Fun Hair do

A few weeks back I found this great blog about doing girls hair in fun styles. The instructions were great and included awesome photographs. We tried a few of the styles but now Olivia doesn't seem that interested in doing them anymore. I really wanted to practice a little more but she says that she wants to cut her hair now. Oh well, what can you do? Here are a few pictures taken of one of the styles we did.



Isn't she a beauty. It's hard to believe but Olivia will be turning 10 in December.

Stay tuned for the coming Halloween and Pumpkin pictures. I'll be posting them as soon as I get Steve to download the pics from our camera. I so love being able to share these pics with you all. Please leave a comment because the kids love to read them. It lets us know that someone is reading our blog. We love you family!!!!!

Jilleen's Birthday

I had a great birthday yesterday. It was a very busy day starting with chocolate cupcakes at early morning seminary. A big thank you goes to Julianne Chapman who prepared the delicious treats for everyone. Later that morning Merlene and Allison took me out to brunch at Dejeuner. I had a delicious veggie omlette and potatoes and fruit. It is so nice to just be with friends and talk. Allison is getting married soon and before you know it she will be gone to Utah. I cherish the time I spend with friends. This picture is of Merlene and I, Allison took it. Hey! she (Allison) got out of a picture.


After brunch it was home for a few and then off to an orthodontist appointment for Olivia. In the new year Olivia will be getting braces just like her cousin Madison.

Then it was back home to get ready for our Brownie and Girl Guide enrollment that evening. It was so much fun to see all those girl's happy faces. I have eleven Brownies this year - it is so great. Elizabeth Hines is the other Brownie leader and she organized the ceremony for the girls. I love working in this Unit the Brownie and Guide leaders are so layed back. We keep it simple and really try to focus on the girls. They are so positive and happy to be in Brownies it really is a pleasure to work with them. I'm always greeted with "Hi, Happy Owl!!" Here is a picture with me and my Brownies.


It was a big day for Olivia too. She became a Guide. She has been so excited learning her promise and law. Now she can start earning some of the badges in the guide book. She has made some great friends and has had some great times. She especially likes to sing at the closing campfires. The Brownies will often join the Guides at the end of their meeting for singing it is a lovely way to end our meetings.


Olivia and Erin enjoying the Guiding good times.

Happy Thanksgiving

Here's a picture of Stephen and I at our joyous Thanksgiving celebration. We were so happy that we could share it with friends and family. As our family grows smaller - We miss you Jasmine and Hamish!!! - we just keep inviting others in. It's hard to be here in Montreal without any family but we have made some great friends through the church. I wish that we could invite all our friends but our house is just too small. So our guests were the Malo family- Bob and Mary and their children Jenn and Mike. They are a zany bunch and seem to fit well with our family. Our other guests were the Chapman crew- Roger and Julianne and their living at home children Trent and Kirsten. They have just moved into our ward from Minnesota(?). They have traveled all over but their original home is in Utah. Julianne teaches early morning seminary with me. Also we had a bonus guest, Barbara, brought by Jenn but I'm sorry I don't know her last name. I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of the food because there was turkey and all the trimmings. The dessert was delicious too with pumpkin, banana, and coconut cream pies. We were stuffed. All the families brought things and we created this beautiful Thanksgiving Feast.

Notice the gorgeous centerpiece created by Olivia and mom including place cards. Eat your heart out Martha Stewart.

This was the handsome Young men table. And boy do those boys like to eat!

Catching up with the Macpherson's

It's been a few weeks since I wrote anything on the blog and we have been really busy. We went to a Stake activity that was like an Autumn Carnival. They had lots of fun games and an Apple pie contest,(I came in fourth) and it finished with a potluck lunch including sweet corn that they provided. The pictures don't look that great because of the fluorescent lighting so next time we are going to have to figure out a different setting on the camera. Everyone looks kind of orange - like pumpkins!

Derek was asked to man one of the games.


William loves potlucks!


The following Saturday we went apple picking at Verger Coeur de Pomme with some friends. The apples were amazing,so delicious. I ate three whole apples while we were picking. The day was beautiful so the pictures turned out so lovely. No pumpkins here, except in the field.



Then finally last Saturday Olivia and I went on a Girl Guide Day camp at Wa-Thik-Ane in Morin Heights which is about an hour north of Montreal. Sadly, the weather was rainy but it didn't seem to dampen the girls' spirits. And there were over 200 girls there. I don't have too many pictures of Olivia because I was with my Brownies all day and she is now a Guide. But we were at archery together.


Beautiful autumn colors.

Zombies anyone?

I'm not sure, but for some reason I can't get the link to come up for this Youtube video so if you just go to youtube and type in plants vs zombies music video you'll get to see it. Olivia and William are singing this all the time. That's why I posted them lip singing to it.

He Likes it !

So here's a picture you don't see often. Derek actually liking something I make. He's not really into my vegan/healthy cooking so it is so nice when he likes what I serve. I want the kids to eat healthy but it seems at some point they always rebel. I have to say though, that my kids have been really good at always trying something and then in a few months trying it again. I tell them your taste buds change as you get older so you have to retry stuff. Anyways Derek is holding a plate of my Red Bean Coleslaw.

This is not your traditional Coleslaw. The dressing is not sweet, but flavorful, and it has soft kidney beans that work perfectly against the crunchy slaw. I use a bag of store bought coleslaw mix when I make this ---- SO EASY!. In the picture I had put my coleslaw on a mound of greens just for added nutrition but really its best on its own.

Red Bean Coleslaw
1.Combine in bottom of salad bowl and whisk till smooth and mixed. 3/4c.vegan (or regular) mayonnaise, 1/4c. red wine vinegar, 1T. sugar, 1 T. minced fresh parsley (have used dried 1tsp.),1tsp. dried oregano, 1/2tsp. salt, 1/4tsp. black pepper
2.Then throw in 3c.cabbage, finely chopped (or grocery store coleslaw mix whole bag as long as it's not more than 4c.), 1 small red onion chopped finely, 1 large celery stalk,finely chopped, and 1 19oz (540ml) can of Kidney beans, drained and rinsed. Toss this all so that the dressing is mixed through out the ingredients. Just before serving add 1/4c. imitation "bacon" bits (optional).

You should give this a good hour to marinate but if you don't have an hour you can chow down right away. The imitation "bacon" bits are optional and sometimes I just let people garnish their own serving. I hope you will give this recipe a try because it is sooo delicious and it's a great one to take to a picnic or pot luck. Summer is coming to an end and coleslaw always reminds me of summer. Hey! maybe that's why I have made this recipe three times in the last week. Chow til next time.

School

We have just completed our second week of school at the Macpherson Academy and things are as crazy as ever. Poor William, after that rainy weekend at the fair he came down with a terrible sore throat and finally after three days I took him to a walk in clinic. He had Strep throat,poor kid. So he actually didn't start his school work till this past week. Olivia has been doing great and sped through all her work before lunch each day. She waits for William and I because we do our History studies together. I feel that we are going to have another great year including some great projects that we always seem to put off.

"Oh no, not SCHOOL!"


William's Studies


Olivia's studies

It has always been difficult to fit some of those other things like arts and crafts into our program. William and Olivia both love to draw so it has become my goal to do some more structured art classes. I can't afford to pay for instruction but we will be using the book Drawing with Young children. I have been reading it and am really inspired to actually do it along with the children. So on Wednesday mornings we will be spending some of our school time in ART class. Here are a few pictures that Olivia just did on her own. She loves using color. Enjoy!

Whoops!

I have been trying to change the layout and design of my blog and I am so frustrated. I'm so not good with this computer. I am determined to work this out and learn something. I like to blog about things that are going on in our lives but I want it to look cool too. I've been visiting other peoples blogs and some of them are so amazing. How do they do that? Well I'll just have to keep at it because I really want to do this thing right.

Hey I did it!!! I like the new look - for a while anyway.

Vermont's Champlain Valley Fair

We went to the Champlain Valley Fair in Vermont this past weekend. It was so fun. The kids loved all the rides and being with their friends William, Matthew and Grace. A big thanks to Miriam for letting us crash at her house. It was nice to be with her in her new home. Which, by the way, is so adorable. I just love Burlington it's such a lovely city. Amy Venu came down too and we were able to sneak out without the kids to a farmer's market on Saturday morning in downtown Burlington. Vermont is a lovely state.
So here are some pictures for your enjoyment

Amy and I at the Farmer's Market


FREAK OUT!!!! This was Olivia's and Grace's favorite ride.


Olivia and Grace BFF's


Amazing sand sculpture.


This is the only picture I have of William M. and William B.


Munching Mums. If you haven't noticed by now it rained the whole day but we still had a good time. After the popcorn I got a funnel cake -- delicious !! Of course anything deep fried is tasty. I looked up funnel cakes online and found a recipe so I may give it a go. Maybe for my birthday?

Ottawa

Last week we took Derek to Youth Conference in Ottawa. Instead of returning home to Montreal the rest of the family stayed for a little vacation. Our friends the Mitchells had just moved back from Edmonton and we were so excited to see them. It is going to be awesome having them live closer again - we have such fun times.
After the drop off and a quick visit with our friends, mom, dad, William and Olivia headed to the Ottawa's Museum of Nature. It was under renovations but was still an amazing display of God's creations including the Dinosaur. Everyone enjoyed the experience and of course Olivia bought a stuffed toy. (like she doesn't have a million already!!!!)


We actually stayed at the Comfort Inn in Kanata, Ontario which is a town just west of Ottawa. It was very close so getting to Ottawa was very quick and the price was right. The motel provided a great breakfast every morning so that was one meal we didn't have to think about. I'm proud to say that we didn't eat out at all. I planned all our meals bringing food from home and buying stuff at the grocery store in Ottawa. We had sandwiches for lunch everyday and for dinner the first evening we bought a grocery store roast chicken and bagged salad and I had brought coleslaw and bean salad from home. For our first night we ate at Britannia Bay a beautiful beach with beautiful grounds and the water looked so good. Sadly we didn't go swimming there but I'm sure we will return another time. We finally made it to our hotel and unloaded the van. We just vegged out for the rest of the evening. The weather was amazing the whole time. We have been experiencing a heat wave with temperatures reaching over 30C and then high humidity so it felt like 40C.

Friday morning we visited the Canadian Mint. They make the most beautiful coins there. The children were very impressed by the bars of silver and gold. They brought home a holder for collecting the 2010 Olympic games coins. So far Olivia is in the lead with 3 coins. So if any of you happen upon those quarters we will be glad to exchange with you. Sadly, you are not allowed to take pictures in the Mint so we took some fun ones outside.





Later after lunch we went on a boat cruise around the Ottawa river. The guide, Adam was great, pointing out all the interesting buildings and telling us amusing stories. It was also a relief from the city heat to be on the cooling water because we were melting!!!



This is the Rideau Falls they were so cool and by cool I mean the boat got so close we could feel its wonderful spray.

The Rideau canal is amazing to see with the boats waiting for the locks to open so they can go out to the river.


You can't visit the capital of Canada and not go to the Parliament Buildings.

On Saturday we went to the Aviation Museum.




We had a wonderful time in Ottawa it really is a great city to visit with kids of all ages. On Saturday after the Aviation museum we drove around and saw Rideau Hall and the Prime Ministers house. Then we picked up Derek from Youth Conference and headed to the Mitchells for dinner and one last visit before hitting the road back to Montreal. We loved our vacation with all the sun and great places to visit it was a blast!!!

The Mitchells