all hallow's eve

After a bitterly cold day and a couple of snow showers, the weather cleared just in time for the trick or treaters to appear!

I whipped up a chicken dinner with all the trimmings (gotta love that M&Ms !) for the Thompson clan before the dynamic duo suited up for Halloween 2010.

Cassidy fell in love with the sparkle of Cleopatra's collar when she saw it in a Halloween outlet store in Newmarket, and so decided to become the Queen of Egypt this year. Friend Julia also chose to be Cleopatra and Anne Marie took some fantastic photos of the two of them that day.

Cass bundled up under her veils and skirts and with a touch of eye make-up, voila! the queen had arrived!

Bryanna wanted to be something different...not a person, not a ghoul. A crayon!

You can't tell here, but she has blue eyeshadow, blue cheeks and a blue nose!

As the sun disappeared, that bitter cold did settle in...the moms (and nanny!) shivered in our winter coats and wondered how the kids kept going...I figure sugar and the adrenaline rush is the answer. Cassidy was a trooper and only reluctantly came in as we finished our regular circuit...

A cup of hot chocolate warmed up my little eqyptian while her sister continued with the big girls and another mom for one more hour.

Another great halloween goes by...we hope all your loved ones had a wonderful adventure too.

Till next year!

halloween comes early

"Why must this happen to me?"

*sigh*

the purge continues...

Miz C's room has been driving me CRAZY. That girl is the polar opposite of her obsessively neat older sister.

So with friend Anne Marie's recent help in purging the kitchen, I was inspired and leapt into the disaster zone on the second floor. Six hours, 2 garbage bags, help from Nanny with clothes, 1 bag going to Goodwill, 2 boxes of books for giving away and a major re-organization, and I am one happy mom.

BEFORE...

Oh how I hated this closet

AND AFTER!!!!...

love it love it love it

Next...my walk-in closet!

giving thanks

What a gorgeous thanksgiving weekend this has been!

We celebrated, as we have the last few years, by going to an inn with Nanny and Papa for thanksgiving dinner. Our current favourite destination is the Aberfoyle Mill near Guelph...

We walked around their back property a bit to soak up a little more of the warm sunshine...so pretty, though my camera can't quite capture the quality of that late afternoon light.

Then inside to the 100 year old mill, to enjoy a scrumptious thanksgiving feast with all the trimmings.

The sweet potato soup...yum. Miz C ate every drop.

One of the reasons we love this place is the owner - he recognizes us every time and sweeps the girls into big hugs. As we leave, he always pauses to make them a balloon animal - such a joy to be there.

We hope all of you enjoyed the Autumn weather and delicious get-togethers - we give thanks every day that you are a part of our lives.

picture fall

This seems to be the season when my artistic side is getting a full workout!

My sister (who is an amazing photographer) signed me up for an online photography course called Picture Fall by Tracey Clarke for my birthday. While I hesitated at first (how was I going to find time to take a photo every day through the month of October?), I am really enjoying it and finding myself challenged in a way I haven't been since the days of my writing group.

My photos cannot compare to some of the stunning images that they share space with online, but it is fascinating just to look through those and find new ideas and inspiration. I am posting my assignment submissions to Flickr and if you're interested, you can see them by clicking on the Flickr photostream in the right sidebar. The daily assignment theme is the title under each photo.

And if you feel so inclined, sign up yourself! If not for this course, then the next one around the holidays...you might suddenly see the world around you in a whole new light.

wonder woman

For the last few weeks, I have been the grateful beneficiary of the organizational super skills of friend, Anne Marie.

AM has a flair and a passion for organizing; it is almost like magic how she can stand before a cupboard and as easy as saying bibbedy bobbedy boo! visualizes exactly how that pile of kitchen paraphernalia can suddenly make sense.

A month ago she prompted me to to purchase a label maker (?) and a number of plastic bins. Then a week ago she arrived and while the kids played (and stayed up very late) we emptied out every cupboard in the kitchen including the hall panty. We piled up the vast collection on tables and counters and then methodically went through it all. Whenever I started to fade, or felt overwhelmed by how much STUFF there was, AM kept us going.

And at five minutes past midnight we were done! Three bags of garbage, another for goodwill, and 2 bins of recycling cleared the way for a kitchen that had room for every single thing. A few more purchases this week (with coupons found by AM of course) and the kitchen is now one of my favourite places in the house!

Very happy - hopefully I can maintain the energy to tackle all the closets throughout the house now!

Anne Marie's magic touch