Homemade cupcakes with spooky sprinkles for the neighbour's 4-year old ... the only trick-or-treater we can count on to ring the doorbell on Halloween. 
I cannot begin to tally the total number of hours we have devoted to looking through box after box in the basement trying to find the dvd and tv remote controls and various cables (which don't work without the remotes!) 
S & J put in a few solid hours planning and carving and have produced some seriously scary Jack O'lanterns for this year's halloween festivities at the farm.
Once upon a time there was a boy who dawdled every morning in his bed, ate his breakfast slowly and dressed himself in slow motion. His new cozy jammies simply made matters worse: he didn't want to take them off. Every morning the scene unfolds exactly the same as the previous one, with his mum cajoling and urging while he brushes his teeth with precision and ties his shoes with care. Every morning he looks for his jacket, his backpack and his hat while his mum taps a toe and looks at the clock anxiously. And every morning he runs down the lane and meets the school bus without a second to spare. WHEW!!!
We spent a while hiking through the south part of our property this afternoon, and we found a tremendous stand of maples at the end of a newly forged pathway (thanks to P and his chainsaw.) Should we tap them for sap in the spring? 
So the room isn't really renovated (yet) but the tv is set up and we moved the cozy couch and the bookcase in. It'll be much more comfortable to watch movies now!
There's a school project in the works in our house and it's on ancient civilizations, and the focus is Ireland! Any recommendations would be helpful!
Look out, Steven Tyler! Mick Jagger, you'd better retire! Here's the latest band on the scene, caught practising in an undisclosed rural location in preparation for their world tour. I don't know about you, but I'm going to be first in line for front row tickets!
I thought I could sneak in a cup of tea and a couple pages of my latest novel without getting caught, but I had underestimated the silent sneaking skills of adolescents who understand how to use the new camera without even glancing at the manual. So here I am, sitting on me *rse, not doing a thing to support the betterment of our living conditions. But it was a pretty good chapter and a particularly excellent cup of orange pekoe!
In spite of the chilly temps, J and his team played with enthusiasm and perseverance and enjoyed a full day away from the classroom. I sacrificed a day away from the job hunt & house reno to cheer on the sidelines. Go Wildcats!
Is there anything better than freshly baked pie, roasted turkey and creamy mashed potatoes? Nothing, except sharing it with friends and family! I'm thankful that we had all of the above this Thanksgiving.
The second time's a charm ... I found a light fixture that I really like (P wasn't sure but he's duly convinced!) It looks pretty good and casts dainty and intricate shadows on the ceiling. 
It's so much easier to open the cupboard doors and drawers with the knobs and handles! And they look unbelievably gorgeous!
All the rain yesterday left the lane a muddy mess. There's still some tractor work left: grading and smoothing to make it more even and easy to drive on. Now we're ready for Hydro One to come and do their part.
Our dining chairs were in need of a fresh coat of paint, so I picked out "oregano" satin finish and went crazy! The colour is rich (if a bit dark) and has a bit of a metallic sheen. What do you think?
The trench had to be 36" minimum depth, which meant a bit of hand digging with a shovel. Then, a rope had to be drawn through the PVC conduit so that when Hydro One appears with their wire, it can be pulled back through, from the road all the way to our house, which is over 100 metres. It was a daunting task, but we found a bottle, filled it with gravel and taped the rope to it. When it was fed through the tube, it fell easily to the other end and didn't catch on anything. After that, P glued all the pieces together. But rain was in the forecast ... would we be rained out, with a huge mess of mud on our hands? Stay tuned ...
Let the digging begin! As you might recall, we've been working with Hydro One and NAV Canada to determine how best to remove some poles and lines that aren't to code and how to bury the line to our house. After months of negotiations, we came to an agreement and have started to take action. 
Is this the oldest tree in the forest? Not even close! The loggers took a few big trees and left many that are even bigger, so that they can sow their seeds and more maples will sprout. This one was more than 60 years old!
It was a wonderful year for corn on the cob and we enjoyed lots of it with some friends, courtesy of Grandma who is an expert at finding the best corn in the hood.
Another birthday so soon after the last at our house! These three in quick succession have left me too full of chocolate cake, but my oh my it sure was deeeeeelicious. 
J is so good at spotting and catching the local fauna and sharing it with animal-loving friends. Just look at those adorable kids learning all about snakes. 
