Tag Archive | make-up

Memory Lane Explored

July 14

Before one makes a life changing trip there are some memory lanes to drive down first… more about the trip later but first the trip down memory lane…

Cousin Veronika has moved back to a town that is dear to both of our hearts… her parents live there and it is also where the house my grandparents owned is. So of course we had to walk over there to see it. It was NOT fenced when Grandma and Grandpa lived there.  I remember rolling down the hill almost into traffic at times… hollyhocks in the front in front of the large window (now gone)… but the bushes by the stairs were there when we were! That garage was Grandpa’s shop for wood working and the back yard housed apple trees and a deck we used to sit on… I remember the pop and beer fridge in the garage, the basement with its GIANT freezer… 

I played in that backyard

Note the bushes

On the walk to the house we stopped where there USED to be a park I would play at with my cousins. Now all that is left is the climbing gym. 

I remember climbing that

At the outdoor pool there is a splash park and these gym equipment. So of course our monkeys had to try them out!

Hmm not exactly how they were intended to be used?

Past the house was the small park so of course we spent some time there playing before heading off on the final leg of our adventure…

Bouncing

Sliding

Ice cream at the dollar store! 

So yummy

Sharing

Oh and during all of this… exciting news… Veronika and Adam have chosen a wedding date and yours truly is the maid of honour! So we had to start thinking plans… In fact I am to spend a month in town with her before the June date helping out with girls in tow! Something that will be more of an adventure than you would think!! Check back in a few more entries to find out why!!!

We got back in time for lunch – Aunty Lorraine had a lovely spread with hot dogs and hamburgers. Adam did the bbqing and we all ate our fill with watermelon to top us off.  After lunch and saying hi to Veronika’s grandma it was time to enjoy the splash park. Seriously every town that has one that we have been to we have splashed!!!

A little overcast

Lots of water

With puppies too

And the guys… napped while the kids had play time with the horse toys Veronika saved from her childhood.

So funny

After our visit with family and hugs and good-byes it was time to head to the city for the final leg of our journey. Esther was sweet enough to not only put us up overnight to shorten our trip to the zoo first thing the next morning but also made us dinner! Butter chicken and everything!!! YUM!!! 

Esther in the kitchen

At the table

Of course there had to be some late night fun… accelerated Monopoly with Aunty Esther (it was plastic wrapped and everything so it was Esther’s first time to play as well!). Then bedtime for all late, well fed and played out. 

MONOPOLY

I got to spend time with my cousin turned sister and a friend who means so much to our whole family. The day was a definite success!!

Cousins! No, SISTERS… note the last chance to have my make up done by a pro too

We Trick-or-Treated With Great Energy

Our Halloween has come and gone and with it a day to remember. It started bright and early with the appearance of Cousin Veronika with chocolate scones in tow. The kids were VERY excited… there was art to give her and stories that just HAD TO be read. Echo has grown quite accustomed to her now as well so it was a welcome break for me off and on all day. Have I mentioned how spoiled I am getting being so close to such amazing family?

We made a run to the convenience store with the kids’ allowance. I do believe we thoroughly entertain the convenience store employees when I come (even with a helping hand) with all 5 kids in tow. What amazes me is how different each kid is with their money. Trinity doesn’t understand how much she has and just wants a slurpee (mommy DID foot the extra 9 cents), Zander took his time thinking and spent it ALL on a bag of chips, Gavin wanted a slurpee and had enough from the left overs from last time and Emanuel.. bought 5 nickel candies and still hasn’t TOUCHED this week’s allowance!! 

Time to go and spend allowance

I was VERY appreciative to have an extra set of hands helping me get all 5 kids ready (and myself for that matter). Ken had to work right until quarter to 4 and then hop into the shower so I would have been on my own otherwise. Since we had our resident make-up artist here there was some additions done to two of the costumes and yours truly got her pretty face on. I was amazed that Trinity not only let us put the make up on but was able to NOT rub at it until the very end of the night. Veronika used a water based make-up that was easy to clean off. 

Becoming Hello Kitty

Gotta have that black ring-tailed lemur nose

All 3 of the adults dressed up. Veronika was a zombie complete with fake blood. Ken did his impression of a rather hairy pirate and yours truly was told she was a princess this year by the kids. Gotta get as much use out of the dress as possible right? I forgot how heavy that thing is, but warm!! 

Here you can see our completed Kitty AND our zombie cousin

In costume and at the mall

We actually managed to stay on track time wise and were out the door before 4:30 to find… HAIL! Just temporary and not overly cold but right when I took the pictures of the kids out front of course. 

In the hail... so not the most organized photo

Then it was off to the first of the two malls in town. One started at 4pm and was closer to us anyway so we bundled everyone up into the van and Veronika’s vehicle (girls in one boys in the other) and off we went. Thankfully the stroller fits easily in the back of hers so we were good to go. Echo even did some trick or treating, but could only take Petite Sheepette. Fat Sheep was too… well you see where I am going with this! 

Little Bo Peep and her smaller sheep... and itty bitty candy bag

The mall was rather packed and lots of places were handing out candy, there was even some games! And some highly inappropriate employee (female) costumes, but nothing too extreme…

Playing one of the games

After doing the rounds at that mall it was time to pack back up and head to the next. This one is newer and further south but along our way to Fydo and Kristen’s. There we met up with Karyn, Lauralee and Victoria halfway through. Apparently though the mall had advertised their hours of trick or treating at 5-7 here people showed up at 3 which meant a lot of the places were already out of candy but the kids did not do too badly!

With the ladies

After we finished our second mall we had been out for around 2 hours already and it was time to head further south to Kristen and Fydo’s neighbourhood. So we said good-bye to the ladies and continued on, took a wrong turn but made our destination. Kristen had already left for her work out but we were able to have our pee break and a brief visit with Fydo before doing one of their closes and half of another street. I think it was another hour later of what the kids term “real trick or treating” before we called it quits. Trinity was tired but once she realized she got to RING DOORBELLS! Well she was off! When we got home she wanted to do one more house so we went next door with 3 of the 4 (Gavin said his feet hurt and he was DONE) and then undressed and relaxed for the night. 

Fydo and crowd... didn't have time to make the camera like it being night as everyone was done. But notice, our Little Bo Peep started the night as a girl and turned into a pumpkin!

There was a mountain of candy to go through and 4 VERY worn out and happy kids… so after some defrosted fruit in bowls and a candy each and a  thorough tooth brushing it was BEDTIME. What a great day! And they did relatively well listening to directions. YAY. 

CANDY

Last one to fall asleep... fell asleep book in hand

This morning we woke up to excited and slightly out of sorts kids but with careful maintaining of NOT gorging on sweets and not pushing too much organized learning we made it through somewhat unscathed… well until Echo got into the chocolates bag where I forgot there was a couple chocolates you could TWIST OPEN… which she DID and popped in her mouth. So Echo has had her first chocolate… well most of it as we took it away and gave her some bits… now to wait until tomorrow to see if it upset her any. I know what SHE thought about it… she is her mother’s daughter! 

Chocy face

We did finish up our Halloween worksheets. I had some from last year that were stationary paper with a Halloween theme. So the twins each wrote out a sentence stating what their favourite part of Halloween this year was. The other was a printout from education.com. The Creative Writing page. They had to read each partial sentence themselves and then we talked about an answer which I wrote out for them on scrap paper to write out themselves. For the younger two I wrote their answers for them, but it was a great way to end our interest in Halloween (that and packing up all the decorations). 

Worksheet

In the afternoon it was relatively warm so 3 of the kids went out to enjoy the sunshine. We are definitely going to have to start working on mittens and hats, pack up the sandals and either get Trinity into pants or buy her some tights. 

Note the hail/frost stuff still there even in the late afternoon with the shade

We had a visitor in our yard as well – a rather pretty grey cat that the kids thought was the most amazing thing around. 

KITTY

Being as today was Tuesday and Karyn was able to get here before 6:30 we took Trinity and Emanuel to their weekly pj storytime at the library. It was all about feet and they danced the hokey pokey… sort of. Trinity thought it was the funniest thing ever. The craft was colouring bodies and feet of animals and gluing the right ones together.

Library Hokey Pokey

We had one casualty of Halloween, apparently when the ladies got to our house to start handing out candy they found our jack’o’lantern, in pieces! Someone smashed it! Poor poor pumpkin. 

So our Halloween did not go according to the original plan BUT we made the best of the back up plan. Family, friends, trick or treating, costumes… we had it all! And while I still want to get our family to my mom’s very soon we do have to wait until the van really is reliable! In the meantime… anyone interested in visiting? Well come on over! 

Two teeth and a little bread in the side of her mouth

Best Zander and Echo picture yet! And he got her up there and down again safely all by himself!

Happy Birthday Ken!

Weekends with friends are always so wonderful! And Saturday was a pattern card of perfection! Not only did I have time with great friends, crafts and yummy food but as an added bonus – COUSIN TIME! Veronika was able to make it in for the day as well and was the first one here. She had a final project to finish for her course and I was part of it… I won’t share the pictures but let’s just say – I looked GHASTLY! But it was for a good cause of course and THEN she gave me a pretty face in return! Gotta love family.

Taken well past midnight but you get the idea!

We made a run to the south end and checked out Michaels (packed) and the Halloween store (so much fun!) then to the mall for lunch (YUM and so nice of Cousin V)… Then back to the house to really get ready for our crafting fun. With Veronika ALSO came the second set of Bob Books (as per the twins’ request) AND a brand new used desk for Emanuel (HIS one request for the schooling year). I am not sure if that makes me super mom or Veronika the world’s best cousin… but I figure we can both hold titles together.

Desk!

Kristen and Fydo were the next to arrive, Kristen to craft and Fydo to go downstairs and work on a game design with Ken (didn’t that work well!). We had to move the extra table upstairs for supplies and then bring up the crafting things with a Halloween theme. Kristen and Fydo brought chili and cake pops! Talk about yummy! Went well with the baked beans and fresh loaf of bread I made!

Veronika with one of the cake pops

Then came Karyn, Xinny, Alan and not so little Izaac! He and Echo spent the day reconnecting. She loves him and he seems to be in love with her. One of these days I need to set them up and take some really nice pictures of the two of them together! He is around 8 months old now!

Babies together

Sadly Lauralee and Kathy both had to take a miss as they were both feeling ill but I have high hopes for November and our Christmas themed crafting time.

Some of the crafters

Two of Kristen's cards

Veronika's

Xinny's scrapbook pages

Trinity with one of hers, this was a work in progress at the time. She gave them Candy Corn food

The cards I made

We crafted until evening and then Victoria, Karyn and Veronika and I visited into Sunday when we wished Ken a happy birthday and  had him open his present from yours truly! Bought with Veronika’s assistance! Gotta love having family working at a bookstore again! You definitely get into the know! He seemed rather pleased with it!

Ken's present from me and from Zander (on left)

Today was our day for helping in Sunday School but I woke up with a head ache and Echo with a very cranky attitude so I made breakfast for the kiddos, got them dressed and then Ken woke up and took the 4 big ones on his own. I am told he did a great job on cookie and juice duty. And Trinity had a blast at her second Sunday School session! We of course took a Daddy Birthday group picture!

All 5 kids

With the birthday boy

Lunch was bacon, pancakes and banana bread. They all seemed to enjoy it! And then I took a nap. Ken worked on his programming and the boys got spoiled with tv and Minecraft. A rather good day! AND I finished Trinity’s Hello Kitty ears and bow thanks to the talented hands of Victoria. She MADE those ears herself! NO pattern! What I did was put  them on a headband I wrapped with white ribbon, used a bow from the wedding stuff and there you go! Then we took white pants, a white shirt and one of her Kitties and matched it as close as we could with her own plaid dress (something Karyn brought back from Scotland). Trinity was VERY happy!!! Very one of a kind too!! And if it is cold out mom found us a polar bear suit that has a removable head so all we have to do is find a shirt that would match a kitty and go with it!!

Hello Kitty! We are waiting on her mittens and a friend suggested eye liner for whiskers!

Ken and Gavin took some time and got started on the ring tailed lemur tail! Tomorrow should show some great progress with that!!

Bent to shape according to Gavin

I am working tonight to get sorted for tomorrow, get some projects done AND get tidy… it has been a weekend to be proud of and I plan on continuing that through the week… after all we still have a lemur to create!!!

One more of the babies !

This entry was posted on 23/10/2011, in Uncategorized. 2 Comments