Weekends are always a little bit of a wild card here, especially the LONG weekends. After all, it is Thanksgiving this weekend here in Canada. We have decided not to celebrate this year as Ken had to work the weekend (not a huge surprise – he has contracts on both sides of the border). We do plan to celebrate the American version next year along with Independence Day.

Saturday was not EXACTLY as planned – though Ken and the 4 bigger kids made a trip out to the nearby park where apparently they made lots of friends and played nicely together. Trinity got a piggy back home with Daddy and everything! Since Sean had come over the night before he and Echo took the time to have a snuggle. She does love it when he comes to visit.

PARK

Friday night was a duct tape night for yours truly. The zebra pattern is a definite favourite… I added a black strap to my purse and then stayed up WAY past my bedtime to almost finish a matching wallet. I finished it Saturday morning! So I was all set to go out shopping with Kristen. And it ends up that the entire thing works as it is supposed to!!! Maybe I should make a set in camo? The instructions I used for the wallet can be found on YouTube. 

Matching wallet

It was fun to get out and get things for our boys – homeschooling! We got our funding and payment order numbers and Kristen had some free time. We started at Staples where I finally got STAPLES… laminating sheets, etc etc… and then to the mall for a bit of window shopping and something to eat (Edo Japan noms). We ended up at the local school/kid supply store. It was so fun to wander around and see what we could use for school and fun and family together time. I got at least a couple Christmas items, some fun right now stuff, tiny cars for each of the kids… and SLINKIES!

Two of the tiny cars I got them for right now

I got a discount as a teacher (homeschooler) and was able to keep the amount nice and affordable leaving us some funding for later. I was able to get some more of our special tape that is good on the walls, and a set for teaching about magnets and electricity! Now there was also a bunch of little GIRL stuff I would have loved to grab but… well I will have to save my own pennies.

I also managed to get the last of Trinity’s Hello Kitty themed Christmas presents at an absolute steal. I think she is done DONE now. Or I have to stop keeping an eye peeled at the very least. Time to move onto Emanuel and the twins. They are MUCH harder to prepare for for the holidays as my options for MAKING things for them is much more limited.

We had a family walk to the convenience store to spend allowance and get some sunshine. I had to get a group photo and one of my outfit (though you can’t see the matching hair bow).

Successful walk

Even shirt matched!

We had plans to go to church today, BUT with a VERY cranky Trinity and Echo feeling her teething we decided to give it a miss. Instead I got some (apparently) much needed sleep and Ken and the kids did some cleaning and playing. They even moved the couch in the livingroom to sweep under! I was honestly VERY impressed!

Ken had quite a bit of work to accomplish today as well so that put the end to the idea of going out and about. We actually were debating going out to take pictures at the park again but had to move that idea to tomorrow. That didn’t stop myself and the twins from going out to the convenience store to get treats during naptime. They still had some allowance left after all! 

With candy

And then there was the fun with paints and markers… 

Gavin and his wooden turtle

And play doh…

Group project - train on tracks

I think we did pretty well for an at home day! And I made ANOTHER wallet… this one using our camo tape… I used different instructions and the result was nice, but I think I prefer the original ones that leave a tiny gap for the fold instead of a solid tape page. 

CAMO!

Now I have moved onto a small cross stitch kit and am trying to make a mini Christmas gift for persons as of yet unknown! I will post pictures of that once it is done! Tomorrow is a holiday here in Canada but NOT in the States so we will see how much free time Ken actually has! Hope everyone who IS in Canada is having an amazing Thanksgiving weekend! 

Coordinated with the pop boxes

Last night was a crafting night… a late night as well but that is ok. When one gets in the crafting zone sometimes time just slips away. On the HUGE plus side, Echo’s birthday outfit – well the special one I have made (not sure how long it will remain on her on her big day as it is more of a photo op dress than anything) is completed with the final touches to her special hair thing. I am looking forward to making more of these adorable little puffs for the girls. Maybe add them to the Christmas craft list for the little ones? I can hear Ken groaning from here about the tulle… he is the best in the house at cutting tulle after all.

All ready to go

Then there was the requested hairthing for Trinity. I had picked up 3 skeins of 5/8th ribbon at a garage sale ages ago so I let her choose the one she wanted and made one right up for her for tomorrow. It was crucial as she is very upset with me for NOT making her an “ice cream dress” like Echo has. I wonder if you remember, way back at Easter, the Kijiji dress I altered for Echo? Well I brought it out of the closet with the thought of putting it on Echo and then the opportunity passed due to nasty rainy weather. My mom has saved some pillowcases to make new dresses for the girls so I am going to send over the spare skein of ribbon I bought that matches this dress. (thank goodness I did! I already have a stacked bow barrette done so after the dress is made Miss T is all set!)

Finished as requested

And she loved it

I also got another of my Christmas bows made… and after talking online with Cousin Veronika, am thoroughly convinced that Trinity needs something called a Bow Board for her room… Echo too, for that matter! It looks deliciously easy to make and the only thing I was sure I didn’t have on hand or couldn’t get from my mom’s craft stash was the canvases.

We had a bit of a meltdown this morning in the form of a child being TOO helpful. We were tidying the upstairs and Emanuel got over zealous and tidied up Zander’s puzzle project. It took hugs from Mommy AND Daddy to make it all better. Zander was not devastated as they weren’t too far along but it was a bit of an OOPS moment. 

Making up for lost time once Cousin Veronika got there!

We continued our puzzle time and Emanuel’s dinosaur pictures but that was about it in regards to schooling today… WAY too excited about Nana and Baba getting here. And of course the weather worked AGAINST me with more rain and lots of mosquitoes.

Dinosaurs

BUT come lunchtime and Cousin Veronika was here! We had enough time before we had to get down to business to run out and do a few errands. First was Staples to purchase some of their under 1.00 items (and a 1.99 glue stick)… all this for 5.55!

Staples haul

…and then Michaels where there just happened to be an AMAZING ribbon sale… some of their more expensive spring themed stock on for 1.00 a skein! Talk about a deal! As much as I hate to say it… stacked bows were considered…

Ribbons!

With a final stop off at the mall and Cinzero where Veronika picked up some cinnamon buns and we each got a slush puppy. Which made Ken, who had to stay home with the kids and later keep an eye on them while mine were closed, much happier!

Cinzeo

And now for the fun part. Earlier this week Veronika was doing a course on lash extensions and has to do 10 free ones before she can get through her course. Guess who got to be #1? Yours truly!! First was the waiver etc etc (US version so super wordy), then the taping under the eyes to ensure the bottom lashes do not stick to the top ones (VERY important) and then the fun part… over 2 hours of laying back with my EYES CLOSED and resting while someone else does all the work… and Trinity hopped in and out of the room and on and off of the couch and was generally an adorable little pogo ball. 

At work

With an audience

Since my lashes are rather long already the effect was subtle but lovely… and should still look nice for a while, though I doubt I will do the fills… too expensive. I have to say it was so much fun! AND I got an afternoon and right on into the evening of visiting with a dear cousin. 

Karyn came over right after work and after we had supper (spaghetti noms) and sent the kids to watch tv it was her turn to get her extensions done. So much fun!!! 

Karyn's turn

We visited as late as we could and still have Veronika head home at a decent time (over an hour away) and Karyn head to bed (work tomorrow). This allowed me my walk for a slurpee and now it is time to get back to tidying, finishing of craft projects and hopefully, a full night’s sleep… that is the plan at least! 

All done

And Echo for good measure

Autumn is most certainly here! It is official – Ken has turned the heat back on, Trinity is wearing socks and the boys long pants. For around the house I dug out a fleece type long skirt to snuggle down in. (talk about old – I picked it up back in college for a steal!) Along with all this cold came leaves on the ground which excited the boys to no end and sped up our introduction to our fall lapbook with LEAF RUBBINGS!

Rub Those Leaves!

All Done! (Gavin left)

The collection of the leaves was combined with a special treat – a nature walk with Daddy! Even Trinity got to go along… though she went for more of a nature carry! We are still getting used to coats and socks and shoes (the twins have LACE UP ones… pain in bum!)… good bye the ease of going out in the summer… hello the long Albertan winter!

Ready for the Walk! (Gavin right)

Tree! (Zander blue)

Our morning, of course, started with a letter – V… this was Ken’s first try of what is basically a mini lapbook on his own – I think he took TWICE as long as I do! ACK! So our morning did not exactly go by my plan. They did have fun though and that is what counts!

Letter V (Gavin left)

I spent a portion of my day sorting through Emanuel’s clothes to make a pile of give aways. A homeschooling friend has a little boys who hopefully can use them! It amazes me how Emanuel ends up with SO MANY shirts and yet so few pants. So now his drawers close easily and his closet is much better organized. Double bonus!

Trinity has a new favourite song… seriously our kids are WEIRD! She went from educational to this:

Ok so I like it too and Emanuel is now trying to learn the words! But after a while her continuous wish to hear this tune is a little frustrating, yesterday I caught her attempting to move the mouse around to get it started again!! She dances along and waves her hands in the air which is totally cute so I guess I can live with it.

Do You Wanna Date My Avatar?? (Gavin)

Supper was a bit of an experiment today… even without our 50 lbs of free potatoes we ended up with 20 lbs this weekend thanks to my mom and her lovely hubby… so I mashed up a bunch and set to work making a shepherds pie (with beef instead of the traditional lamb)… it was a hit! Though I think I will try it again with thyme instead of the tarragon we had to substitute.

American Shepherd’s Pie

1lb lean ground beef

1/2 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 can condensed vegetable soup

1/2 tsp dried thyme (we used tarragon)

3 cups mashed potatoes

1 cup shredded cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F and lightly grease 2 quart baking dish.

2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, stir and cook ground beef, onion and celery until juices run clear. Drain. Pour mixture into baking dish with vegetable soup and thyme; stir well. Spread mashed potatoes on top.

3. Bake 20 min. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake 5 min. more or until cheese has melted.

Cheese Melted Ready to Eat!

Trinity had a paired down version of just potatoes and beef but decided it was time to strike out on her own and GRAB THE SPOON! Towards the end of the meal she was soloing it… maybe not quite like a pro but with a great success rate!

Epic Spoon Usage!

Actually this week we had another big kid moment – Emanuel had decided to take it to the next level and sit on the toilet little boy seat free! Another high success rate as I have yet to sit down and get a wet surprise on the seat! With all these boys in the house that is a great big bonus – that and the seat being down when I go in at night… I have been VERY pushy about that one since the twins learned how to stand and pee.

Sewing wise I have been less than diligent but my completion of Tux has left me with nothing but the stocking to focus on for the moment… probably a good thing, I am finally seeing the end of  the bulk of it and dealing with the blending filament. I am hoping and praying that my last skein of Kreinik 032 (pearl) holds out… thank goodness for Thread Heaven and its magical thread conditioning properties. The amount of fray and actual broken strands is so low I ALMOST enjoy the stitching I am doing with it… almost. The shiny is terrific and I am loving the almost finished look but I find this the most frustrating part of a stocking – it is soooo close but NOT done!!!

The End is in Sight!

We made a run out to the stores this afternoon… only two and with cash in hand of course. Ken ran into Staples and finally managed to get us some glue sticks – UHU as was suggested by some fellow homeschooling moms… so here’s hoping they stick better than the ross ones did. We actually got them for right around 5.00 for the pack of 3 which was a pretty good price (especially compared to the individual ones we saw at Michaels of the same brand!). So we shall see! Tomorrow we do a letter AND glue on leaves. Which reminds me we DESPERATELY need more white glue as well… but I figure I can dollar store that purchase easily.

UHU

The second stop off was Michaels, 40% off coupon in hand (if you go to flyerland.ca you can get the Michaels flyer and coupons now). We went into the wood section and got each of the boys a 1.50 craft. This time it was little wooden 4 piece puzzles  that each came with 3 mini markers. Emanuel chose the bee and the twins each a monkey. With 40% off one of the 3 puzzles we saved 60 cents. I wish I  could have gotten more – there were little bead kits for the same price but a budget is a budget… maybe if I sell a few more items on Kijiji or have someone commission me a Tux!

Completed Puzzles

Speaking of which I did sell something today – the 6-12mth snowsuit I bought Trinity at the tail-end of the season last year that she never wore. Another 10.00 towards one of the kids’ large presents! We have a 15.00 limit on those and I already purchased Emanuel’s before life blew up in our face again. I have enough on my paypal to get one too so I may hunt down Trinity’s there and I have a Trios coupon for 5.00 off if you spend at least 10.00 so maybe go that route? Keeping Christmas tight and responsible is HARD!!!

I have some more plans to put in action (I can just feel people – like Ken – shuddering)… first off, tonight I am going to work with Ken to revamp the pattern and commission portion of my blog site – I will make that its own page and move my finished works (the ones done from other patterns) to a new section. I figure I should set them apart a little more and still leave myself the space to add my own works freely. Hopefully I will get some feedback about the new look. I do love to find out what people think.

Hmm what other plans – well Thursday we are tentatively heading out to the Fort… It may be cool but that is what coats and hats are for! I am determined not to let that free pass go to waste! I am also slowly working through my craft stuff to tidy it up and see what supplies I have to add to the pot for making Christmas ornaments. I am also going to focus some energy on getting together kits for the kids on our Christmas list. Tonight I am working on the caterpillar names for each of the kids. Ken has to make up the instructions yet but the boys love theirs on their doors. All in a little ziploc bag!

Finished Kit Just Needs Instructions

I guess keeping busy is cathartic for me… so tomorrow morning I bet I will end up baking! After all we are almost out of bread (both kinds) and completely out of cookies for Trinity. In making THOSE cookies I will have egg yolks to make another double batch of SUGAR cookies… which means I can make those and then freeze them for our Halloween party! Ohh I also need to make invitations to that… as I make myself MORE work! Wish me luck!

Beauty and the Beast?? Just Kidding 🙂