Attitude of Gratitude!!!

Join me from tomorrow for a month long blogging fest of

 Attitude of Gratitude  

I will be posting a few things I am grateful for every day, for the whole month of November!!

November is going to be a wonderful month

xxx

LOVE :)

Love is found everywhere :) 

You just have to open your eyes :)  

Fun at the Pumpkin Festival with friends...

Halloween party

We had great fun on Saturday night at the party we went to....Abby was fed up that there were no girls there to play with, until she learned that one of the boys wants to be a vet - and that they had dogs to play with - so they all went outside on the trampoline and played with the dogs - she was then in her element!!  

Sam had a bast as it was all boys who love Nerf guns and swords and play fighting!!  They were racing around outside shooting each other so he of course thought it was the BEST!!  Then they did apple bobbing in freezing cold water which he also LOVED and did again and again :)  Crazy boy!!  

Afterwards we had to head into town to meet Susannah and Maddie who had been to see the new Footloose movie.  We met them in Timmys - which was of course funny because we were all in fancy dress costume!  

We finally made it home just before 11 :)  

Pumpkin Carving :)

It's been a fun day...we watched Scream this morning all curled up together on the bed, then had ghost cookies fresh from the oven, then carved pumpkins, and then decorated haunted houses!! 

Now Susannah and Maddie are off to the movies, and I am off to a halloween party with Abby and Sam - it has a King Arthurs court theme/ Medieval theme.....and we are getting all dressed up :)  

Fun fun fun :)  

Haunted Houses!!

Making and decorating rice krispy haunted houses today :)  

Sam and Abby's little pumpkins...

These are cute little pumpkins that we picked up today and painted.  Tomorrow we will carve our big pumpkins, bake our cookies and make our Rice Krispy Haunted house kits :)  

Tomorrow night we are off to a fancy dress Halloween party - all dressed in Medieval theme :) 

A King Arthurs court theme and held by some homeschool friends of ours :)   

Fun fun fun :)

Sunday is the Pumpkin Festival with friends, and Monday is Trick or treating :) 

I love Halloween - I feel soooo lucky to be able to share in these moments with my children and create these memories with them.  I know they will look back on them with joy and will treasure the memories and hopefully recreate them with their children.  

People complain that too much is made of holidays and occasions these days, but I don't care - children are only young for such a short time, and I truly want to make the most of it!!!  

Tonight Susannah went to her school Halloween dance....I drove her and her friend Jacob there, and Jacobs Mom brought her home.  Her friend Maddie is staying over until Sunday :)  

I took Abby and Sam to DQ for pumpkin pie blizzards and then we curled up in bed together and watched Monster House - we wanted to see Ghostbusters but couldn't find it anywhere so will have to try again tomorrow!!

My little pumpkin.....

Up they go!!

My talented little monkeys at their homeschool climbing class :)  

Love them so much :)  

xxx

Planning meeting...

This morning while Sam and Abby were at a class, I had a business meeting...i'll just say that after one and a half hours of planning, things ended on a very bright note.

I returned home to even brighter news.

Life is good :)  

Art Every Day Month....

I'm going to be making art every day in November, along with many others - joining up with 

THIS WEBSITE

Come and join me!!!

I will be posting about my month long journey and daily art here on my blog as well as, at times, on my Lionheart Art Facebook page.  

Give it a try.  Whatever art you like to create - be it crochet, scrapbooking, painting or jewelry - try creating  a little something each and every day of November :)  

xxx

five question Friday

1. Do you prefer cotton, silk, or flannel sheets?

cotton.  High thread count!!

2. What time zone are you in?
Mountain

3. What is your favorite part of the holiday season?
Traditions...crafts....festivals...foods...all of it :)  

4. What is your favorite "wintry" drink? (It doesn't have to be an "alcoholic" drink!)
pumpkin spice latte :)  

5. In your opinion, what is the worst job in the world?

cleaning public bathrooms in not so nice places :(  

so very true....

Today I choose.....

Friday fill ins...

And...here we go! 

1. Beware of being too dependent on anyone but yourself.

2. I am looking forward to curling up by the fire with a cup of tea and watching it snow.

3. And since we bought pumpkins we really SHOULD carve them!!!

4. why do people think there are only evil spirits? 

5. Where shall we go trick or treating this year?

6. potato and bacon soup is one of my favorite meals when it's cold out.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to pumpkin carving, apple bobbing, taking Susannah and her friends to the Halloween dance and taking Abby and Sam to the haunted hike, tomorrow my plans include more fun Halloween activities and going to a Medieval/ King Arthur themed fancy dress Halloween party and Sunday, I want to take the children and their friends and meet my friend and her boys at the Prairie Gardens for the Pumpkin Festival!

Bricks4Kidz.....Session 2

Today Sam and Abby had their Lego class....they really loved todays class.  Sam really enjoyed the first one, but Abigail wasn't so sure - this time though, she was partnering a new friend which helped - and they got on really well - the new friend turned out to be the Daughter of an OLD friend of mine :)  It was  really good to catch up with her :)  

While they were in their class, I took the chance to relax in the coffee shop nearby over a London fog, some of their yummy toast and a piece of their chocolate loaf!  Their food and tea is sooooooo good!  It's Aroma cafe in Bonnie Doon mall - now, the mall itself is horrible, but that cafe is fabulous and worth going to the mall for on it's own!!  YUM!!!  I sat in there and art journaled for an hour :)  

Then on the way back through Sears I found the perfect Halloween costume for the party I'm going to on Saturday night - at HALF PRICE!!!  Yay!!!!  :)  And a costume for Susannah at half price too :)  which turned out to be ideal - she took one look at it and I knew she thought I was crazy as it looked awful and childlike on the hanger - and was covered in lace!  But I knew it was going to look super cute on her!  And I was right as usual lol - she needs to remember her Mom is always right hahaha!!  :)  

Anyway, my two, and Abby's new friend were the last to leave the class and they helped tidy up the Lego for the teachers....the girls didn't want to finish - and the teachers were saying how pleased they were to see girls enjoying it so much because 90% of Lego users are boys and it should be encouraged in girls as much as possible!!!  

It's such a great class :)  

I definitely plan to sign them up for more in the new year :)

Ready for Halloween...

Susannah's pirate costume for the school dance :)  

Yikes!!  

What happened to the days when she went as a Disney Princess?????

A lovely evening :)

A visit to my favourite Christmas store, followed by dinner at Joeys.

Such a lovely evening :)

Our Tuesday....

Today was a library day, so we spent several hours at the library, doing work, reading, working on the computers, searching for books, playing games, playing on the wii, and chatting with friends who game by to say hello while we were there....

It's so lovely having a library with a coffee shop that allows you to bring your coffee into the library with you.  I was able to write and art journal with a nice London fog....

Sam read books on flags of the world, pirates and how to look after pet turtles.  Abigail was  reading books on Cats Cradle, Titanic and new fiction she wanted to try.  

I chose some new teen novels that I thought might encourage Susannah to try other authors - she is actually really pleased with the books I chose, so I am hopeful she will find something she likes :)  

I picked a book up for me from te teen crossover section which looks really interesting.  It is called 'The 'Childrens Book' by A S Byatt.  I haven't heard of it before but it sounds really good.  The author makes note of some interesting facts on suicide and the children of writers of childrens books.  You can read that by CLICKING HERE  

And you can read more about the book BY CLICKING HERE

This evening Abigail and Sam went to Lloyds house and I took Laurence and Susannah to Whyte Ave to take one of the Old Strathcona walking ghost tours.  It was FABULOUS!!!  So interesting.  Our guide was one of the writers and producers of 'Creepy Canada' and she has written several books and for several magazines too.  She was really good!  We stopped in front of one old building and a lady came out of a restaurant with big bowls of this most amazing bannock - it was soooo delicious!  She handed it round to everyone....it was incredible - think I have to check out that restaurant one day!!  

The tour definitely made me want to take some of the other ghost tours in Edmonton and learn more about the history of the city - it was fascinating!  The pet cemetery was incredible...and the alleyway where 7 people have died or been dumped in the last 30 years.....and the murder in the Strathcona Hotel...and the Princess Theatre....and the Fringe Theatre....and the Walterdale....it was all so interesting!!

Waiting for the tour to start:

The picture Nadine, our tour guide took of part of our group:

All in all another fabulous day and a great start to our Halloween festivities :)  

Happy Haunting

xxx

tag time...

What's your current obsession?  Sark, Suzi-Blu, Lionheart Art, planning for November - very exciting :)

What are you wearing today?  my brown vest as extra warmth..its chilly today!!

What's for dinner?  lasagna

What would you eat for your last meal?   a roast dinner...a Christmas dinner type of roast dinner..mmmm  :)

What's the last thing you bought?   a couple of Christmas gifts

What are you listening to right now?   The toilet flushing from the bathroom....and Abby rustling in the covers beside me....she had a bad dream so is sleeping in with me.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go?  I can't say lol...but it's a long way away ;)  

Which language do you want to learn?   Spanish...but I think we have chosen to learn French instead.

What do you love most about where you currently live?    It is mine and it is home.  It has many memories and history and it is calming and full of love.  It suits us as a family....despite its faults it is ideal - like us, it is not perfect, but it is perfect for us :)  

What is your favorite color?  turquoise or jade green..or peacock blue...

Chocolate or vanilla?   chocolate...but I love vanilla ice cream :)  

What were you doing 10 years ago?  I was pregnant with Abigail and living in Scotland getting bigger day by day......

If you had $100 now, what would you spend it on?   I'd just put it in my purse and use it as the week goes...there isn't anything I particularly need but it would get used for gas or groceries I'm sure...

What are you going to do after this?   sleep

What are your favorite films?   Bridesmaids,  You've Got Mail,  Going The Distance,  When a Man Loves a Woman, 

What inspires you?  Brave Girls, my children, friends, positive quotes, 

Your favorite books?  Sark, 

Do you collect anything?  single swans, 

What makes you follow a blog?  if it is updated regularly with variety and interesting, inspiring, informative posts or pictures....I don't like blogs with music or advertising or endless giveaways.  I do like blogs that hold classes though.

What was the most enjoyable thing you did today?  This morning we did school work - I worked with Sam while Abby worked and read, and then we did art - both Abby and Sam created the most GORGEOUS canvases and I am so proud of what they created!!!  They are sooooo talented!!!

What is on the top of your to-do list?   Not much for a day or two...

What's your favorite time of day and why?   evenings and night time.....it is when I am most creative!!

Stronger

Think this is my new anthem :)

I think she can read my mind with her Mr Know It All and her Stronger song :)

And this too is soooo TRUE lmao:

Fun in the woods.....

All other pictures are on Facebook :)  

I feel so blessed and grateful to have had this wonderful weekend with the children - so relaxing and carefree...much of it cuddled up at home, playing, snuggling, watching movies, chatting, giggling....and our lovely walk today which was also full of laughs and chatter!  

This evening Sam and Abby watched the extra dvd that was with the Titanic movie - with all information about the ship, deleted scenes, looking down into the wreckage etc etc....Abby has several books out of the library about the Titanic at the moment - it seems to be a favourite topic of hers at the moment.  

I caught up on laundry, Laurence and I ran out and did a couple of errands when he got home....garbage bins had to go down/ recycling had to be done....typical Sunday night chores at this house :)  I'm always sad the weekend is over.

Oh well....Halloween fun starts this week....thats always a good thing!!  

I hope you all made the most of the gorgeous weather this weekend...or at least enjoyed your weekend wherever you were and whatever way you spent it :)  

My Gorgeous Girls.....

A nice quiet Sunday....

Sam didn't feel very well today, and neither did I, so we had a lazy morning and sat in bed together watching Avatar.  I was awake really early despite being up really late last night - I couldn't get to sleep last night as my mind was really active (plus Sam was grinding his teeth next to me and Rosie was snoring soooo loudly omg!!), so I thought I would have slept in, but I was awake early.  I think I have a touch of Abby's stomach flu or something.  Not sure.  Anyway...I worked on the canvas above until Sam woke up, and then painted it while we watched the movie.  Rosie slept on the bed while we watched.  

Afterwards I had a bath and as Sam was feeling a bit better we decided to take Rosie out for a walk and get some fresh air, to see if that would help.  The bug is like really bad nausea and dizziness, and sam was really hot and then very cold - very strange.  

I had to run to Staples for some Sharpies and a receipt book, and then we headed to Jackie Parker.  The main off leash area was really busy, but we found a nice quiet area and played fetch with a ball we had taken for her.  Then we headed into the woods for a lovely Fall walk and for some climbing and playing for Sam :)