Happy Halloween!

I am failing so miserably at blogging lately! There's been so much going on... I've had a million and one doctors appointments, and of course, getting ready for Halloween. I put together all our costumes this year, and we decorated the front of the house. This weekend was spent baking cupcakes for the kids classes, and a pumpkin cake. Today was the kids schools Halloween parade around the neighbourhood, and my neighbour and I dressed up and accompanied them. Mike came too, but he wasn't dressed up since he was on lunch. He was wearing a safety vest and workboots though, so I guess that kind of counts as a costume. He was going to dress up as the male counterpart to my gypsy, but we just didn't have a chance to make it to the thrift store with all we had to do on the weekend.

We are, of course, taking the kids out trick or treating tonight, which I am just as excited about as they are. I love holidays so much! And an added bonus... I get to sneak their Halloween candy! To be fair, I'm much better at brushing my teeth than they are, and I don't get that crazy sugar rush that leaves them bouncing off the walls for hours. I'm hoping lots of people hand out caramel apple suckers this year! My favorite!

Here are some pictures from todays Halloween parade. Tristan is a werewolf and Bailey is Katy Perry.

I'll have more to add tomorrow after trick or treating :)

It's been a while...

It's been so long since I posted here, and since I have some downtime on my hands right now, I figured it's a good time to get back into the swing of things. The end of summer and back to school has been so hectic. Mikes oldest son, Michael, and his girlfriend moved in with us for a few months, so instead of running a household of four people, it jumped to six.Athough they are much older, they made just as much mess as the little ones combined. With the kids being back to school my life revolves around school meeting, field trips, and homework. Both the kids seem to be doing well, other than Tristan has some problems staying focused in class and has been quite disruptive. I've attended some meetings concerning this, both with ERT's and BRT's at the school as well as a mental health specialist who met with both Tristan and I, and is of the opinion that he has ADHD. I myself have suspected this since he was 2, but it took him going to school for me to realize that I need to take action or risk holding him back. We are awaiting an appointment for a formal diagnosis, so that we can begin treatment. His school has put a plan in place for him and it seems to be helping so far, I haven't had any calls to go and pick him up, and for the most part he is able to take part in class activities. Just today he won a prize for good behaviour, three tubs of play dough! He is making pizza with them as we speak.

As for me, I have been in and out of the doctors office. My last two periods were mainly just spotting, and I've been experiencing nausea, headaches, breast pain, a poking kind of pain in my stomach, fatigue, bloating... Mike and I both swore I was pregnant! Which we would have been over the moon about, but alas, approximately six pee tests and a blood test proved I am not. I was also tested for a number of other things, liver, kidneys, bladder, blood sugar levels, etc, and I am in the clear there too, as far as the blood test shows. So next up is my abdominal xray, and then two ultrasounds, both an abdominal and a pelvic, in the same day. So HOORAY for fasting all night and then chugging water all afternoon. The last time I had an ultrasound I threw up because I drank too much water due to misreading the form. This time I will be taking special care not to humiliate myself again.

We've had horrible weather lately, which has totally curbed all our plans. Apple picking, the pumpkin patch, a last few rides on the harley... it stinks! Fortunately this weekend is supposed to be nice, so we're going to attempt to cram it all in, since I'm thinking it's going to be last decent weekend we have. I got my G1 a few weeks ago, and I haven't even been able to practice driving, because I'm not comfortable enough to drive in the rain yet. I'm terrified to drive, period, actually, let alone in the rain.

In closing, here are some pictures taken over the last few months.

Canal Days and... Newborns!

We had such a fantastic and busy long weekend. Mike and I did some more work on the deck and finally filled our hot tub ( pictures to come!) and we spent 2 days at Canal Days in Port Colborne. Canal Days is a yearly festival celebrating the marine heritage in this area. All the tall ships and other big ships are docked in the canal for people to tour, along with lots of other activities and vendors.

We checked out the car show, and the kite show. Tristan got his picture taken with a yellow Camaro, of course ( Bumblebee!!), and we even saw Mater. Then we sat for a while and watched a circus show, and then met up with Stacy and her son Brad. We wandered around, toured the tall ships, and checked out all the vendors stalls. I bought Mike two new rings, I got an outdoor rug for the deck, Tristan got some wind up boats, and Bailey got a little purse with a stuffed tiger inside it ( She said she got it just for me, because tigers are my favorite animal!). We were going to stay and watch the fireworks, but we decided to head home and go to St. George Park instead, as they were hosting Day in the Park that day, and they were doing fireworks as well. So the kids got to go for a swim there, play at the park, listen to a Kiss impersonator band, and watch the fireworks.

The next day we went back to Canal Days, because The Caverners were playing, and if you clicked that link, you'll know why we had to go! The Caverners are a Beatles tribute band, and they were just amazing! They do the accents, the costumes, everything! The kids knew a few songs from hearing me play them, but I don't think they're quite old enough to sit through an all day concert, as they got a little bored. Mike and I enjoyed ourselves though.

Here are some pictures from the festival and concert:

Some more news, I am a mama to six newborn bunnies! I'll have some pictures of them soon. They are about a week old, and they're so tiny and helpless. Mike and I sat and syringe fed them all last night, and we have to help them pee and poop too. They are next to me on the dresser right now, all snuggled up together. I'm waiting for Bailey to wake up, because she wants to help me feed them this morning.

And my last little bit of news... Tristan lost his first tooth today! And in typical Tristan fashion, it's completely lost. We can't find it anywhere! So this evening he is going to help me write a letter to the tooth fairy, and he's very excited to see what she brings in the morning!



Bailey just woke up... how do I know? Tristan took off running and cried out "BAILEY BAILEY I LOST MY TOOTH!"

Oh, kids. Gotta love em!

Rain, Rain, Go Away...

What a gloomy day today! Bailey is sleeping over at her Aunts house, so I had planned on taking Tristan to the splash pad and on a picnic, but unfortunately Mother Nature shot that idea down. I'm trying to somewhat salvage the day however, we had a picnic lunch on a blanket on the living room floor, and I'm making slushies for an after lunch treat. Maybe I'll dig out some crafting supplies and create with my boy ( Edit: We ended up making it to the splash pad, hooray!). I am fighting the urge to jump on the bus and go to the mall to pick up some more maxi dresses and continue my hunt for the perfect (yet affordable!) crochet dress.



I haven't been posting too much lately because nothing has really been going on. It's been a very uneventful week with the exception of Wednesday... Mike's 39th Birthday! Stacey and I made a sign for the front yard for him. One side looked like this:

And the other looked like this:

So as you can imagine, all day people were beeping and waving, even the neighbourhood kids on their bikes and skateboards were yelling out "BEEP BEEP!" as they drove by.

Mike was happy with the gift I gave him, so that's good. I always get nervous that when I give a gift to someone, they're going to hate it. I got him a Harley Davidson sweater, the real deal, quality kind, not a cheap knock off. I can't wait until we go out on the bike so I can see him wear it!

I also took him out for dinner to a restaurant of his choice. He picked Kimono's, a local Chinese buffet. We each ate 3 plates ( 1 of mine was dessert of course! Jello and fruit, mmm), and had a beer. The only complaint I have is that I ordered a Singapore Sling, and the waitress apparently misheard me and thought I said "same" ( Mike ordered his beer first), so she brought a beer out. I didn't want to be difficult and send it back though, thus wasting a beer, so I didn't get my Sling. Oh well, there's always next time!

Yay for the beginning of the long weekend!



Peameal Bacon Casserole

One of Mikes favorite meats is peameal bacon. I am not crazy about it personally, but I don't mind cooking some up every now and then. My problem with peameal is that I have a hard time coming up with new recipes including it. Normally I resort to roasting it, or making breakfast for dinner. So imaginative, right? Last night was one of those nights, but I decided to do some googling to find a new recipe. I found one for peameal bacon casserole, but I changed it around a bit, because that's just how I cook. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother looking at recipes at all. In case you'd like to try it, here it is:

Peameal Bacon Casserole

Ingredients:

Peameal bacon ( I had a nice sized chunk, I'm not sure of the weight. It was enough to cut into about 10 thick slices)

White potatoes ( I used about 7 medium sized)

2 cups grated cheese ( I used marble, but I'm sure you could sub in your favorite cheese and it would be just as tasty!)

1/4 - 1/2 Cup of flour ( I didn't measure this, so I'm estimating)

1 White onion

2 Tbsp butter

Salt and pepper

Garlic powder

1 1/2 Cups of milk

1/2 small container of herb and garlic cream cheese

Directions:

1. Slice the peameal bacon into thick slices. Fry just until cooked through, then dice.

2. Wash and thinly slice potatoes ( I didn't peel them, but you could)

3. Lightly oil bottom of casserole dish

4. Begin with a single layer of peameal bacon, top with a single layer of potato slices

5. Dot with butter, a sprinkle of flour, some of the cheese, some thinly sliced onion, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Repeat this step until all ingredients are used up, but be sure to finish with a layer of potatoes topped with cheese.

6. Heat milk just until scalded, stir in cream cheese until blended. Pour this over the entire casserole.

7. Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about an hour, or until the top of the casserole is golden brown.

There we go! My whole family loved it, and it warms up nicely the next day too ( I just had some for lunch!) .

Enjoy!

Our Wonderful Weekend

SUCH a fantastic weekend! Friday, Mike and I attended a Beatles tribute concert at Safari Niagara. We had a blast hanging out with friends and family, singing and dancing all night. Mike and I rarely get the chance to go on dates, so that made it all the more special to us.

I'm on the left, wearing my favorite dress ( that I got complimented on twice!)

Dancing with this lady was just amazing!

The band!

The only complaint I have about the whole concert is that when playing "I've just seen a face" the band encountered some technical difficulties at the beginning of the song... and then forgot the second verse! They didn't even replay it at the end, and that particular song is one of my favorites. Oh well!

Saturday was work, work, work, with a little bit of swim time thrown in. Mike and I managed to get the majority of the deck done, and so far it looks like this:

I think it's absolutely beautiful, I love it, and I can't wait to buy new furniture for it!

We ended our Saturday with a nighttime swim in the pool and a bonfire... what could be more perfect?

Sunday was our dedicated day on the weekend to take the kids out, so we decided to take them to Long Beach for the afternoon. I packed a picnic and beach toys, and we all built sandcastles and played in the water. It was the perfect day for the beach, not too hot, but hot enough that the water was nice and warm.



We ended our Sunday visiting with some friends, and Mike's son Jamie stopped by for a visit. The kids watched a movie together and the men and I relaxed by the pool ( I took another dip of course, I am becoming a pool addict!)

Happy Friday!

Suuuper happy it's Friday today, as that means we're going to The Beatles tribute concert tonight! I haven't had the chance to post much this week, it's been so hot that the kids and I have pretty much just lived in the pool. Yesterday was Quarry Day, like every Thursday, and it was even better than last weeks! I actually went in the water this time! I have a kind of fear of water where I can't see the bottom. But Stacy convinced me to try it with a noodle, and oh man was I missing out! We just floated around and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Mike made it out around 3pm so he got to spend a couple of hours relaxing with us, which was nice. It's not very often he gets the chance to do that. Tristan got a little grumpy at one point, he caught a minnow and had it in a pail of water, and wanted to keep it as a pet. I explained to him that minnows need to live in open, fresh water, and that he would die if we took him home... but Tristan was mad at me anyway. He did eventually end up letting the little guy go though. Maybe I'll have to look into getting him a fish to take care of. But then again, we have enough animals as it is (2 dogs, a cat, a snake, and 2 rabbits), and I've never been able to keep fish alive :(

I ran out of memory on my phone ( I really need to find my memory card for my camera!) so I only have a few Quarry pictures to post today.

Our friends Stacy and Dave attempting to rig up an umbrella stand ( It was insanely windy on our rock when we got there!)

Yay umbrella! It didn't last though... the wind was too strong.

Kids in the Quarry

Hooray for summer, and hooray for Friday!



Oh, What A Weekend

This weekend just passed was a busy one! We held a yard sale Saturday, from 7am until 7:30pm. The kids put some of their things up for sale, and were responsible for a 10 cent table. Tristan was a very good salesman and got quarters instead of dimes. It's the blue eyes and huge grin, I think. It was hot, so hot, but we did pretty well, and made enough money to pay for Marineland passes for all four of us. I got to wear my new maxi dress and feather necklace, and received a lot of compliments, which was nice. Here are a couple pictures from the sale ( unfortunately I didn't have the chance to take many, as the neighbourhood kids came over, so I was running a yard sale AND a daycare all at once).



Sunday was the real fun part of the weekend. A day spent at Marineland! We headed out around 1 o'clock armed with a wagon and a picnic lunch. We hit the kiddie rides first, then sat in the shade and listened to the band while we ate our sandwiches, then got in line for the dolphin and sea lion show. I was very happy with the show this year as it featured Spandy Andy and man oh man, he is just hysterical! The show has been the same forever and he was a welcome addition! However it was a temporary gig, and we just so happened to catch his last show. According to his website though, he'll be returning in August, so I'm happy about that. Mike took a picture of Tristan and I with him but it's on his phone, so I'll have to upload that at a later date.

Spandy Andy keeping it Tight and Bright!

After the show, Bailey and Tristan were begging to go on the big rides, so we walked through the park, hitting every ride on the way, and stopping to feed the bears.

They really seemed to enjoy Capt'n Crunch and Tortilla chips! If the kids didn't drop the snacks down fast enough, the bear on the right would wave his paw in the air until they did.

I'll have more pictures once Mike uploads his from his phone. The highlight of the day for the kids was their very first ride on Dragon Mountain. They were desperate to go on last year but weren't quite tall enough... but this year, to their delight, they were! Mike opted out of going on this year, so I took turns going on with the kids. Tristan went first, because Bailey wanted to gauge his reaction before she went on. The line up was horrible, not because it was long, but because to get on Dragon Mountain, you walk up a hill, and into a cave inside the dragons mouth. This cave has no A/C or fans, and it was crowded. Therefore; hot and stinky cave. I was nervous with both kids as the rollercoaster started climbing, that they would change their minds and be afraid, and cry, and I wouldn't be able to do anything, but they both loved it! All we heard the whole way home was "Dragon Mountain was AWESOME! I can't wait to go on it again, and again, and again!"

A video of Dragon Mountain:

After Dragon Mountain it was getting late, so we decided to head back to the car, with a few stops along the way of course, to see the belugas, killer whales, seals, and fish in the aquarium. Mike made friends with a beluga whale. Mike would walk from one side of the glass to the other, and the whale would follow. He even posed for some pictures for us!

I hope everyone else had an equally great weekend!