Weekend Walk

As you can see from the following pics, we had nice sunny weather on the weekend even if it was a bit breezy and cool. We took Smudge out to frolic in the sunshine every chance we could.

Here she is playing with her outdoor chalk.
Then it was time for a walk down the street. Trying to walk with her these days is like trying to heard chickens. She takes off in every direction at once and doesn't like to hold your hand, so this harness was the only way I would dare walk with her near a road. She sure didn't want to stay on the paved road though. She kept heading for the muddy field...
...and stopped to inspect every patch of stones she came to.
Then we set off lickety-split to explore new territory.
Oh, time for another "stone inspection" ...
and a little chat
and then we are off again.
Don't know about Smudge, but I sure slept like a log at night after trying to keep up with her during the day.

Easter Treats

Smudge is downstairs having her breakfast with Buppa, so I have a few minutes to post a couple of pics for you.

Seems like the Easter Bunny not only left Smudge a new chair and a basket full of coloured eggs, he also left his ears!!!!!


I think the ears helped Smudge get good reception later in the day when she was watching Sesame Street.
Must run now. Will post more pics later in the week.

Long Weekend

Well, M&D and CB are off to Sarnia for the weekend, and Smudge is staying home with G&G! Should be an interesting and exciting weekend for all of us. CB is waving goodbye and is looking forward to the car trip.
Smudge is checking out videos with Buppa, and is planning a busy, busy, busy weekend for the Grands.

Don't know how much computer time I'll get in the next few days, and by Monday I might be ready for a long, long nap, so I might not see you all until mid-week next week.

Have a warm and wonderful Easter Weekend.

Enjoying a chuckle with Buppa

Look who's telling big stories to Buppa!
I think they might be talking about the outfit Big Sister found in the hand-me-down bag. It's pretty funny isn't it?

Sleepover fun - part III

Oh, now that I'm dressed and ready for the day Buppa, let's Ride a cock horse to Bambury Cross. This is lot's more fun than just bouncing on a knee.
Well, that was hard work, now it's time for breakfast.
...then I must tackle my paper work and get it out of the way...
...so I can step lively into the rest of my day.

Sleepover Fun - Part II

After a story it was time to play ta-ta with Buppa. Here we see Smudge starting her favorite game - ta-ta'ing the entire box of paper clips one at a time, from the box to Buppa's hand. We then put all the paper clips back in the box and she starts all over again. She is such a little helper!
After the paper clips moved back and forth a few hundred times it was time to go downstairs for breakfast. What's this, a new addition to the room? Smudge isn't quite sure what to make of this furry beast.
She soon made friends though, and went for a ride.
Next it was time for a drum solo...
...then a quick check in the mirror to admire her new hat. (Amma's tea cozy) Hmmm, seems to obstruct the view a bit...
...maybe it would fit the reindeer better.
What an imagination. I love watching her discover and test the world around her. Who says a tea-cozy should only be put on a teapot?

Sleepover Fun - videos

For your enjoyment.

Sleepover Fun- Part I

Smudge had a sleepover last weekend and this is how I found her when I went in to her first thing in the morning. She woke up all smiles and ready to hit the floor running for the day. She was a rather soggy mess when I lifted her out of the crib though. Her diaper had leaked, so sleeper, grow bag, sheets and blankets were all wet.
I soon stripped her down, dried her off, fixed her up in a dry diaper and then sent her in to snuggle under the warm blankets with Buppa for a couple of minutes while I went in search of her slippers and housecoat.
Once she was all warm and dry and wrapped in her nice warm robe she made a B-line for my Happy Wall. She does love to look at all the pictures posted there. So do I actually, that is why I call it my Happy Wall. All the memories pictured there make me smile every time I look at them.
After the Happy Wall was perused thoroughly, the photo albums came out and those pics had to all be checked out.
Soon the other books in the bookshelf joined the photo albums on the floor.
Then it was time to head over to Bupp's den for a story.
What a nice way to start the day, with this little ray of sunshine brightening every room. She takes such delight in everything she sees and her smile lights up the atmosphere.

Stay tuned, more sleepover fun pics to follow tomorrow.

No Biking Today!

Old Man Winter and Mother Nature seem to be having a tiff and OMW is winning. Sigh. I think I heard Mother Nature stomp off in a huff last night muttering something like, "Fine, have it your way...but people are not going to be pleased!"

Well, we woke up to this wintry blast this morning, and MN was right - people are not pleased!
AC and I puttered around the house doing chores all morning and then decided to celebrate the day by taking a coffee to the park. We sat snug and dry in the car, while the rainy snow pelted against the windows all around us.
The day had its own beauty and we drank it in along with the delicious hot coffee.

No, we didn't get any biking in today, but it was still a fine day. Hope you enjoyed your Monday too.

Catchin' Rays and ZZZZZ's

It was so nice the other day when we were babysitting the kids, that Smudge and I sat out in the sunshine on the side deck. It was a bit windy so we had to bundle up, but we were toasty as could be in our sunny spot.
Smudge had to glam up a bit with her new sunglasses.

Cute huh?
Time to check out her new shoes too! Yep, she looked good from head to toe!
While we were catching the rays outside, CB was catching some ZZZ's inside.

Trip to the Library

AC and I use the library a lot and we want Smudge to feel right at home there too, so we take here there when we can.
She seems quite happy about the visit and is raring to go.
She looked at a few books...
Drew a picture or two...
Gazed out the window, ran up and down the aisles, made friends with everyone she saw and had a grand time.
So did we!

Errands with Buppa

Every time we go over to Smudge's for a visit she wants to come with us when we leave, and we don't mind taking her with us to do errands at all. The other day when we were there, she grabbed her coat and her sunglasses and was ready to ride!
First she helped us with the grocery shopping..
..and then we went for a walk in the park at the library.
She lead Buppa on a merry chase all around the park and only stopped long enough in one spot to climb up on every bench, jump up and down and few times on the seat, try to jump down, and then run lickety split to the next one. I think she slept well that night! I know we did.

The Wall

When we moved across province a few years ago we wanted to downsize from our house, but weren't quite ready for an apartment so a townhouse seemed to be the perfect answer for us. We wanted one small enough to be easy to take care of but large enough to give us breathing space and a bit of a garden. We found the perfect one for us, but it had one major drawback. One wall of our glassed in porch was open to the neighbour's porch! Seeing as we live so close together in a townhouse, I didn't like that at all. I wanted to be able to go out there in my housecoat in the early mornings or in my jammies in the evenings and have some privacy. So last year we decided to close in the wall between the two porches.

There was already a nice white railing between the two porches so we thought we could nail up some paneling, put in some insulation for soundproofing and voila - the job was done. Well, it was fine last year, but one day this spring I looked out the kitchen window and wondered why the bamboo curtains I had hanging out there were crooked. I took a closer look and discovered that the paneling behind the curtain was all warped and was coming down. Groan. Who knew that you had to give paneling room to expand and shrink on the wall. Because the porch isn't heated the temperature changes over the winter caused the paneling to expand and buckle, and the whole wall came down. Sigh.

I wasnt' about to do without my wall though, so I asked a kind neighbour if he would help us repair the mess. He kindly agreed and last week the work began. First of all the old paneling had to come down and more support beams put up.
Then the old paneling had to be cut an inch sorter than the wall so it could shrink and expand without buckling. Instead of using quarter round along the floor, we used a baseboard high enough to hide the one inch gap between it and the floor.
New insulation was stuffed in the wall for soundproofing and the paneling was nailed back up.
It was a bit warped, but extra nails and a piece of wainscoting helped to flatten it out nicely and secure it firmly to the studs. Al seems pleased with the progress anyway.
Al had all the right tools to make the job easier, and that helped quite a lot. We have an old fashioned hammer, but this one on a compressor shot the nails in silently and with ease. Amazing!
Ahh, the wall is done and the workmen look happy don't they? Good job guys!
My cozy and private summer room is all ready and waiting for me now. Yahoo!
Thanks for all the hard work guys. I love it!

Memory Nook

Every time I go up and down our stairs I pass this area and think of the women gathered in this little nook, and what priceless gifts they have given to me over the years. You can't see them, but I can, so let me introduce you.

The picture frame arrangement was given to me by my sister after our mother died. She was going through a bag of material scraps she found at mom's house, and discovered pieces of smocking that mom had started for dresses for her grand-daughters, but never finished. My sister kept these pieces and threw the rest of the scraps away. She then cut the smocked fabric into heart shapes, edged them in lace, and framed them with a piece of my Grandmother's unfinished crochet work. I think of all three creative women each time I look at this gift of the heart.
Below the picture is AC's mom's table. She also loved to smock, and created beautiful fabric art with needle and thread. I don't have any of it framed, but I still wear items of clothes she smocked for me. This table brings back memories of her though because she had many of these half tables in her home. She wasn't one to buy new furniture. If she needed a table or china cabinet or stool, she would visit the antique shops till she found the right one. Most of these half tables were from her mother's house, and are bursting with stories to tell. Wish I could hear them all.

On the lower shelf on this table sits a Handmade, Stained-glass Kaleidoscope I purchased in a little gift shop in Petrolia years ago when I went there on a shopping trip with a dear friend. She talked me into buying it and I am so glad she did. I treasure it as it is spinning with memories of girl friends and the good advice, comfort, laughter and tears we have shared over the years. The vivid colours and unique patterns they brought to my life are remembered each time I lift the kaleidoscope to my eye.

On the top of my memory table sits three little angels - Miranda, Mallory and Lindsay. These were presented to me by the little girls living next door to me, the day before we packed up the moving truck and set off on our across the province move. What a traumatic time that was. Ripping up roots and moving across the country was frightening to say the least. Tears were shed as good-bye's were said, and these angels bring back many happy memories of time spent with these delightful girls. You might enjoy reading about one humorous event I recorded here.

Yes, this little nook on the stair landing is crowded with memories of women I value and who shaped my life. Thanks one and all. You are all priceless treasures indeed.