Friday, October 31, 2008

Happy Hallowe'en


Hope you got as much candy as we did!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Carving pumpkins


Probably my favourite part of Hallowe'en (after the candy corn) is carving pumpkins. Now that the kids are old enough to share my enthusiasm we generally buy one pumpkin per person (this year from a hobby farmer just down the street). I had to twist C's arm into carving one, but secretly he enjoys it just as much as I do.

PS - my computer is kaput, along with my image editing software, so updates will likely be sporadic while I wait for 'tech support' (ie: C) to fix it :)

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

The (snowy) silver lining


A day with no electricity (and therefore no heat or flushing toilets) and 15+ cm of snow would seem to be the definition of a craptacular day... but not for these two. A day home with mama and papa, lots of snow to play in, grilled cheese sandwiches with the help of a generator, they were in heaven.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

You're an evil wench Mother Nature


It's only freaking October, why am I watching a blizzard fall outside? Why is there already 11cm down at 9:30 and still many more hours of storm projected to come? Seriously, this is cruel.

Monday, October 27, 2008

A sight I haven't seen in a year at least


We actually paid 88 1/2 cents per Litre of gas today, I can't remember the last time gas was this cheap but I'm almost certain it was well over a year ago. It won't last of course, but it was almost a treat today.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Hallowe'en sneak preview


Got the bits into their Hallowe'en costumes for a little photo shoot (cheating, maybe, but by the time we get home from school/work on Hallowe'en, get dinner and get dressed it'll be dark and all of my pictures will look like 'Revenge of the Red Eye Zombies'.)

Saturday, October 25, 2008

Simmering


A big pot of spaghetti sauce, full of veggies, simmering on the stove (where it spent more than 4 hours getting nice and thick and yummy!)

(In reality not as obscenely orange as it appears here, a trick of the flash and the shiny stainless steel pot)

Friday, October 24, 2008

A reluctant model (and his adorable sister)


It's a PD day today, so the daycare is having an early Hallowe'en party. Instead of wearing costumes, they asked simply that the kids wear orange shirts (much easier!) I was trying to get a shot of these two in all their cuteness, but only one was cooperative.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

7:01am


The sun comes up later and later as we move to the Winter solstice...

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Not-so-busy Beavers


Waiting for their investiture ceremony to begin...

Monday, October 20, 2008

Another day, another flight


Sunset is a much different experience at 35,000 feet.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

West Edmonton Mall


It's a mall, water park, amusement park, aquarium, Chinatown, ice rink and so much more. It's West Edmonton Mall. Doing the touristy thing and taking a peek around 'west ed'. This is part of the roller coaster system inside the mall.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

My how you've grown


My baby cousin, all grown up. I swear she was only born yesterday, and today she's a beautiful bride.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Tulle, flowers and lights


Banister in my aunt's home, decked out for tomorrow's bride's enjoyment.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Embraer 190


I feel like I've spent a lot of time in airports lately. This little Embraer 190 is being loaded up with my suitcase and readied to fly me to Edmonton.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

You know you want cookies!


Princess has already sold almost an entire case of Girl Guide cookies based on this picture - how can you say no to such a sweet little face!

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Moon over my hammy


OK, it's actually the moon over my backyard.

Happy election day Canada (you Americans will have to wait another month)

Monday, October 13, 2008

Welcome


My front door. I don't actually love this door, it's not in great shape and not the colour I'd choose, but it does look pretty from the street. Someday, in the (probably distant) future I'll replace it with something stained glass, but for now, it says welcome home.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Thanksgiving


It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. I'm thankful for so many things this year, good health, fantastic marriage, happy children, comfortable home and a full belly.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Colour explosion


It's truly fall in the NCR now, and it's spectacular!

Friday, October 10, 2008

Across the river


I took a walk today on the Gatineau side of the river, enjoying the sunshine and fall colours. Here's a glimpse of Parliament hill from across the Ottawa river.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Painted ladies (and a painted pirate)



The annual fall barbeque at the bits' school. There's always a face painter (and frankly those face painters are the bane of a mother's existence, scrubbing all of that crap off their faces while they cry that they still want to be a butterfly...) They're definitely cute though.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Another incredible start to the day


Despite a difficult night of little sleep (thanks Wookie) I woke up with a smile to this glorious sight...

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Picture Day



School picture day! These are totally crappy pics, we were running late and I snapped them literally as we were running out the door, and I could not for the life of me fix the red eye in a way that didn't make them look like aliens, but you get the picture - they're adorable :)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Scary vampire!


Fun with candy corn :) 'Tis the season after all...

Sunday, October 5, 2008

An oldie


Passed by this sad old car and had to snap a picture (or 5). I didn't notice until I looked at them just now that it's posed against a wall of sad old Insulbrick. Fitting somehow...

Saturday, October 4, 2008

Blue skies and orange leaves


Finally a bit of sunshine (still coooooold, but I'll take it!) and my first opportunity to look at the fall leaves. We're probably just past the peak of colour (rain knocks the leaves off the trees too quickly so you go from green to bald) but what's left is stunning.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Playful


These guys are so playful, any piece of paper or bit of string is a toy. This is Toupie attacking my camera strap.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Days of endless cloud


Anyone who knows me in real life knows I am profoundly affected by sun (or more specifically by the lack of it). The long Canadian winters make me gloomy and cranky and I generally count on a good dose of summer sunshine to carry me through to Christmas. This year though was perhaps the least sunny summer I can remember, higher than average rainfall and a huge amount of cloudy, grey and overcast days. Now between rainy gloomy days in Vancouver, then flying back into a rain storm, and the constant drizzle ever since I returned, it's been well over a week since I last saw the sun. And I'm cranky.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Sleepy guy


Little sleepy guy nodded off in the most uncomfortable looking position. (Doesn't his chin look great though? Steri strips came off this morning, scar looks neat and straight)