Easter Day Brunch...

Once the children had hunted their BIG eggs (they get one each and they are hidden inside the house) and had settled down with a craft and activity/ movie etc etc....Lloyd and I went outside and enjoyed a lovely quiet brunch together in the sunshine.  It was a lovely sunny day and our back deck is a lovely sheltered sun trap :)  

Eggs, toast, croissants and jam and hot cross buns!!!  Orange juice and coffee...YUM!!!!

We did this last year too and it was hard to believe how fast the last year has gone and it was already a year since we had enjoyed this while the children played Jelly Bean Bingo inside and coloured eggs the last time!!!!

Time flies so fast!!!

Egg painting fun....

Painted eggs...

Some of the eggs we painted and decorated this morning - an annual Easter morning tradition at our house!!

After the hunt...

Baskets filled with eggs...tummies soon to be filled with chocolate :)  

Abigail's Sock Bunny says....

"HAPPY EASTER

TO YOU ALL"

Kitty pic....

Friday Fill-ins!!

1. All you need is a little common sense (and a little chocolate sometimes helps too lol).
2. Graham Norton fills me with laughter.
3. Each generation, as it grows up, realises that 30 isn't old after all!!
4. noise is something I have a hard time dealing with.
5. A trip to dreamland is what I need.
6. Sponsor through world Vision and you get back (100 fold!!).
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to going out for dinner, tomorrow my plans include I've no idea actually and Sunday, I want to celebrate Easter as a family with Brunch, an egg hunt, crafts, egg painting etc etc!


Find your Friday Fill-ins HERE

At the Wilderness Centre...

Today we met some friends at a local nature centre that has many hiking trails, and we set out to go geocaching!!  There were nine of us in all.  The weather was lovely - sunny and less breezy than it has been lately.  It was perfect for a lovely afternoon of walking through the trails!! 

We found 4 caches in all.  I loved seeing the children find them and all rush to see what was inside - whoever found the cache first got to choose what they wanted to trade first!!  

On one trail we came across a HUGE empty egg - it was MUCH bigger than a chicken egg and I am pretty sure it's the egg of a GREAT HORNED OWL as they often lay their eggs and have them hatch before the snow has gone....This is the Provincial bird of Alberta!!  Some years we have them nesting in our woods.

There was a Spring Break class taking place at the centre and one of the things they were doing, was using vibrations to make the Ground Squirrels come up to the surface.  The Ground Squirrels don't like the vibrations and so come out.  this is actually one of the ways many people get them out to kill them (they are seen as pests by many - especially golf courses and horse stables etc).  If you look carefully quite close to Sams feet you can just make out the little squirrel poking his head out.  There were children stood to the right of us who were spinning pieces of wood tied to rope around VERY fast so it made loud vibrating noises:

We hiked for 3 hours through the trails and found 4 caches - we looked for 5, but one we just could NOT find!!  Luckily it was the smallest cache with just a logbook and pen inside, so the children didn't mind that we didn't find it - the ones with all the treasure inside we DID find :)  

It was a fun day with good company and lots of exercise - even if I didn't manage to interest anyone in helping me to become rich by making and selling moose poop jewelry ;)

He's BACK!!!

Wow - just a few minutes later and he's BACK!!!!

Yay!!!  I am soooooo happy :)   I just posted that and literally a few minutes later he is BACK - hungry and  thirsty but back :)

The children are so happy to see him :)  He is in the mud room having some food and drink and has had a lot of love and cuddles :)

Yay - Kitty is home :)

Come back soon....

Kitty must have snuck out when the dogs were coming in at bedtime on Tuesday night.  He was inside all day.  They are inside cats really except for when they go outside with us....on the porch etc...He hasn't been seen since :(  

We've been out for walks looking.  Lloyd took the quad bike out and drove all over our land and our neighbours land looking.  We drove around the area looking.  No sign.  

He has been DESPERATE to go outside lately - he's booked in to be neutered on April 30th - maybe he didn't appreciate the comments we were making about his 'pompoms' as Val calls them ;)  

All jokes aside though - we miss him and we're worried.  I'm sure Grayson misses him too.  And there are too many Coyotes around this year - and that worries me :(  

Hopefully he will show up today!  We said we'd give it until tomorrow and then we'd put some posters up on the mailboxes around here.  

One of my favourite things....

I had a lovely breakfast out with Val yesterday (image is NOT my own sadly lol but if you could read Vals blog you'd understand why there is no picture of Val - although I thought she looked great, she was probably NOT in the mood to have her picture taken lol but hey Val - looking at the above picture I think we might be eating at the wrong place - but then again I don't think I'd take the kids there regularly lol - one thing I love about our regular place is how relaxing it is and how Sam can just take over and they don't mind at all lol).

We had a great child-free morning, chatting and laughing and enjoying an undisturbed breakfast!!  Our server knows us so well and just kept bringing us more and more coffee - and knew my order off by heart...lol!!

I love our breakfasts - they are one of my favourite things - you are guaranteed plenty of laughs, plenty of heart to heart, good conversation - and a LOT of coffee - it's just a wonderful time :)  

Bake fest..

Susannah has been having a total bake fest this week.  It is Spring Break here and amongst all our other activities, Susie has been making us all kinds of treats!!  Among other things, she has made Chocolate Tiffin (no bake chocolate cake), English Flapjacks (a type of oatmeal cookie) and these lovely cheesy hearts!!  They were just yummy!!!  I know she has a list of other things she wants to make before the weekend too - and we went shopping for the ingredients yesterday.

Yum, yum yum!!!

Geocaching at an old school site...

Today we went to find a geocache at the foundations of an old school.  The school stood there between 1908 and 1951.  Rhonda - do you recognise this sign???

It was a great cache to find in a fabulous location - so funny to think I've lived here so long and had no idea this location was even there!!  One of the best things about geocaching is that it has introduced us to all these little places that we would never have known about if it wasn't for geocaching!

This cache had some wonderful things in it - we traded three of our little items for one of theirs because their stash was so good - hopefully that means that if anyone goes there with something small then they can trade for something small too :)

Abby chose a compass/ whistle/ thermometer:

It was a great trek through the woods and a fun find - as  well as a little bit of local history!!!!

:)

Random Dozen...

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?  I think they are cute and look very sweet and 'Eastery' but I personally don't eat them - YUCK!!!  Some of my children like them and so we buy them....

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?  Alcohol ;)  Or a soak in the bath...or holding Lloyds hand...having him there...

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?  YES!!!  We rarely get rain - we live in a  drought area - we get some snow during winter - not as much as most parts of Canada though.  In the warmer months we get very little rain - the odd thunder storm but last year we didn't even really get that here - all the storms seemed to keep missing our place - our pond even dried up :(  I love the sound of rain and that smell after the rain - so fresh :)  Now when it rains I fling open the windows and listen to it :)  I love having a  wraparound porch as it means that no matter what direction the rain is falling, there is always somewhere outside I can sit without getting wet :)

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?  Hahahaha  ok um....I have to admit that I DID answer this to my husband but the answer is not suitable to put here - but did get a big laugh from both of us........

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring?  I've always quite fancied a tongue piercing but I suck my thumb so that kind of puts me off...I like the idea of a tongue piercing because it isn't obvious but you can show people and shock them - it's quite conservative but shocking too ;)


6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? A few... :)

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?  Eeew definitely Cadburys and NOT  Reeces!!

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of? About half an hour ago I took a picture of the children at our latest geocache site - and in particular a picture of Susannah by the sign of an old school site that closed down in 1951!!  It was really interesting!!

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one?  Still Alice.  Not sure what I will read next.  I am currently reading magazines.....

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? That frustrating feeling when you turn around and see it all dirty again - that feeling of 'why bother' - with 5 kids, two dogs....the dust, dirt etc never ends...you get the kitchen clean and you turn around and it's a mess again!  So I figure I may as well just keep it clean enough - and have fun and enjoy life instead ;)


11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own?  I don't like flip flops - so NONE!!  I do love sandals though :)  Lovely strappy sandals :)

12. Which color makes you happiest?  Turquoise!!  The colour of swimming pools, the colour of the lakes in Banff and Jasper National Parks....it reminds me of Summer :)


Find your Random Dozen HERE

For today......

From The Simple Womans Daybook

Outside my window... It is sunny with blue skies and those lovely little puffy white clouds that move very fast - it's been very windy since last night.  I have several windows open as it is warm out, but the wind is very noisy through the house!  All the snow has now gone and the ground is dry except for Sams favourite puddle which always remains for a long time thankfully - he loves it so much.
I am thinking...how lovely it is listening to the girls giggling in the other room - they are playing Guess Who.  They are laughing away at something!  We've had a lovely day out and now they are playing a game in front of the tv and laughing so much.  Laurence and Sam are outside playing soccer and on the trampoline and with the dogs. It's been a good week.
I am thankful for... an early Spring.  An Easter with no snow - being able to hide the easter eggs in the woods again (it's been a few years since we've been able to do that - it's always too snowy or too wet!!) The ski hills are closing and the golf courses are opening!!
From the kitchen... the chicks are quickly outgrowing their 'nursery' in the corner of the kitchen, but are just oh so sweet!  Their chirps are just the cutest noise and the chicks that we thought were going to be white are no longer white - their white wings have changed to brown over night!!!  

I am wearing..shorts and a t shirt.
I am creating...numerous swaps for swapbot, haikus, various yarn projects, various art projects,  various little bits and pieces going on in my craft room - I've been playing about with my fragments - altering them ready to add them to things...
I am going..to breakfast with Val this morning and then out for a walk with the children this afternoon and I think Stacey is joining us!!
I am reading... this months FAB Cosmo magazine - if you haven't read it then GET IT!!  ;)
I am hoping...for good weather this weekend and a nice relaxing, fun family weekend :)
I am hearing...Global breakfast news and nothing else - everyone else is asleep (or not here - Laurence slept at a friends last night and Lloyd is at work)

Around the house...Not a lot was done this last week as we were away for the weekend and this week is Spring Break - the girls have been doing a lot of baking but we haven't done much else around the house...playing, crafting, relaxing.....those have been more important!
One of my favorite things...Attic 24 - the colours and language are sheer joy to the senses.
A few plans for the rest of the week...walks, seeing friends, geocaching with family and friends, hair appointments, date night, dinner with friends, the zoo, April Fools jokes, Easter egg painting, Easter egg hiding, family movie watching.......these are a few of our plans over the coming days...

A picture I'm sharing with you:  a stormy sky from a few days ago...there was a thunder storm brewing in the distance and we heard one clap of thunder - it ended up missing us completely, but the clouds were stunning to see!!

(some of this was written yesterday and some today)