new love

As I get older I make new realizations often.... like how much I LOVE fall. I think I always liked fall but I LOVED summer so much that I was blinded by all that fall had to offer. Yesterday, I was watching Gavin outside and just looking at our home with new eyes and I thought..."it sure is beautiful around here"! It's so fresh and yet the colours bring a warmth to our surroundings that just makes me love it. Today Gavin is at it again. He's collecting leaves to fill Frankenstein for Hallowe'en. I always said I would never have those on my lawn but what do ya do when your sweet 3 year old insists? You go with it and LOVE it!

Saturday Nite Scrappin'

So it may sound quite pathetic but really this is what I LOVE to do on a Saturday nite. No, maybe not every weekend but we've been away soooo much that I am just happy to be home scrappin'.

Getting caught up

Good thing coughing up a lung doesn't affect the blog. Really. I'm getting all the blogging in that everyone has been after me about. Who knew people would actually read this and care if I kept it up to date. I can relate as I read several blogs daily. Quite addictive really.
So, I am going back a bit here but thought it was about time to share the newest tradition for our family- Labour Day Weekend Camping Trip at Quinte Isles. We LOVE it there (back at the lake of course). Now, obviously this year was exceptional as it was PERFECT weather! Not always the way on this particular weekend.
Shawn and I decided to go there and leave an open invitation for others to join. We knew the Vanslykes would join us but really it was up in the air for the rest. Happily, we were surprised to have many family and friends join us.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEKEND:
-Dog Fight (well, not really a good highlight but a highlight none the less)
-Poker (with Derek being the big winner- who knew?)
-Frog catching with Blair (Gavin's fave)
-Campfire sing-a-long with Sam (This old man- the new favourite)
-Badminton matches
-Delicious Food!
-lots of good drinks
-Kite Flying (thanks again Vanslykes for the great bday gift!)
-The kids playing so happily and having such a great time
-Gavin falling asleep fireside
-quality time with our family and friends

Thanks guys! It was great to have such a good turnout. We loved all the company!
See you all next year!

NOTE: MARTHA is talking about blogs on her show today!

Rainy Day Camping

This past weekend we headed up past Bolton for Faith's first hunt test. We stayed in the Albion Hills Conservation Area. What a wonderful park! Anyone who loves mountain biking or hiking would LOVE this place. There are tons of amazing trails and the park is sooo clean. Nice. One problem... I have pneumonia and couldn't enjoy most of it. We did venture out for a few walks. I think Gavin was getting "trailer fever" from all the indoor play! Either way, we had as good a time as we could. It rained all day Saturday but it was great for puddle jumping. We also got to test out the trailer's furnace (6 degrees Saturday night...brrr) and the oven (lasagna).
Faith passed her junior test! Shawn was proud with his ribbon but has his work ahead of him for her senior test. Faith has a lot of drive and gets really excited when it comes to fetching anything... especially ducks! This doesn't always work in her favour.
Our little "Trail-Cruiser" sure is getting lots of use this summer. Might be time for an upgrade!

Cimeron Farm's Annual Barn Dance

Okay, so this was way out of our normal weekend. We went here www.cimeronfarms.com
We actually took Wayne and Denise up on their offer and headed up to London for the weekend. Curiousity got the better of us. We knew that they had a beautiful property but WOW... this was unbelievable! (see the website for pictures of the HOUSE!) We had drinks at JT's before leaving for the dance! When we arrived we were greeted warmly by our hosts and their guests. We had Denise's famous ceasar salad, Wayne's slow fire-roasted beef, potatoes and corn on the cob. Delicious. The band was old country and even "Scooter" took the stage to sing some tunes! We partied well into the night and met alot of great people. More good times. Does it ever end?

Pneumonia? Who knew?

The never-ending cold has now become pneumonia, with pleurisy too! I think everyone at work was sick of me being sick so off I went to the hospital. Quite an experience. They made me wear a mask and bratty kids were calling me "sars-girl"! Nice. So...here I am, home and catching up on my blog and stuff.
Going to post many photos, as per all the requests. I'll do my best before the next nap!

recent layouts

Back to School Eve

Funny thing but... I never get used to this feeling of ending the summer and starting back to work again. It's hard. As much as I love my routine, I feel myself longing for one more day. Perhaps it could be because we've stretched every last second of summer into the long weekend. Or perhaps it's because I will miss Gavin sooo much more than I realize today. Or perhaps it's because my house is in need of my attention.. laundry, floors etc. Whatever it is, I will return tomorrow and the anxiety I feel now will go away quickly.

As for the weekend.... we had a blast! I will post details and photos soon! Could the weather have been any nicer?

Well to all of you... happy Back to School/Work day!