Pumpkin Fun

A couple weekends back we went to the pumpkin farm. I recall it was warmer on our visit last year. If we were in Texas we would have been in long sleeves only!

I love it when they are sweet and we can capture the picture! Getting good pics of toddlers is hard sometimes.

They both tried to push this wheel barrow, it was funny and cute!

We interrupt this pumpkin talk to show you the apple pie hubster got for me at the market of the pumpkin farm. It helped my morning sickness immensely and he was back in my good graces since I had been whining about feeling ill and nauseous and how he had done this to me!

I let the man of the house do all the work for the pumpkin carving, although he had a charming assistant.

I hope this isn't a reference to someone's morning sickness. What a kidder!

The finished masterpeice!

Can you guess what the design is?

Dear hubby is a huge KISS fan. It is supposed to be Gene Simmons and his big tongue!

There, I'm sure you see it now...right??? I had to laugh when the moving company representative came to the house to do a survey of items for the move, he said. "I like the spider on your pumpkin." Oh well!

Give this picture a title

Just for fun what Title would you give this picture???

How about "There's a bun in the oven?"

Or for Canada fun, "One slipped past the Goalie!"

I can't stand to wait any longer to share our news. I am almost through the first trimester in a week. Morning sickness has been rough and worse this time for some reason. Also getting sick with sinus stuff then bronchitis was hard because I couldn't take any medicine. Our bundle of Joy will arrive in mid to late May. Also I am still in shock because I know what to expect and Lord help me but at least the kids are about to turn 5 and 3 so hopefully it will be an easy transition with the new addition. When we realized we were expecting and looked at dates we were due to move back from this job at the end of April and we decided that probably moving at 8 months preggers wasn't a good idea. So we committed to staying and delivering in Canada and leaving in June. Shortly after we made that decision Hubby came home from work and announced restructuring had occurred and that we would be returning to Austin in December. One more parting thought, prental care in Canada is different than in the States. Hope you all are having a wonderful week!

Crepes

We had the lovely pleasure of dining out at a creperie at Mont Tremblant. I thought it would be fun to show all the foodies what we ate!

Sorry I don't have any recipes. This is just another reason to travel to Quebec. Although I'm sure we could get some here in Toronto too. But while on vacation we ate well! This first beauty was actually one my hubby and I split Summer of 2008 in Montreal and I wished I had gotten one all to myself.

This lovely one had ham, eggs and cheese inside and is topped with bechamel.

This particular one may not look like much but it was heaven in a bite. It had smoked chicken, onion, cheeses, and salsa. It was very good.

I was busy selecting for my daughter and did not really supervise husband and son's selection. The kiddo saw the ice cream on the menu's pictures and it was all over. He opted for peaches as fruit of choice and was pretty happy with his lunch. What 4 year old wouldn't be?

I got a traditional crepe filled with black forest ham, asparagus and bechamel suace. For my daughter we ordered a plain crepe and she demolished it with maple syrup. I've never seen her finish anything at a restaurant. I was so tickled on our way out the door I thanked the chef who in turn complimented how well behaved the children had been. And I assured her they aren't always that good but still it was nice to be complimented!

So in summary if you get a chance you must try crepes. They are fabulous! I can't decide which I like more savory or sweet.

Quebec, Mont Tremblant

A couple of weekends back we had a long weekend and took advantage of time off to travel as we wrap up our assignment here in Canada. Last year we traveled to Quebec for a week and I still need to blog about that adventure! Anyhow one of the places we stayed and loved was Mont Tremblant ski resort.

One of the most wonderful things about staying in Quebec is it's the next best thing to going to France if you can't make it there. The food is fantastic and to hear people saying "Bonjour" and speaking French. And they are friendly oh the hospitality.

Here is the view we had from our hotel balcony. The fall colors did not disappoint!

If you go make sure you get an all inclusive pass to ride the gondola from your hotel booking. And if you have small children plan to ride this a bunch of times!

Great views at the top of the Mountain.

Great photo op too!

We got lucky with a decent family picture.

A view from the lookout tower. I stayed behind my sinuses were bothering me, remember I was under the weather on this trip and came back with bronchitis!

Here you can see the luge ride from our gondola and Daddy took the kids on it several times. Master liked it but Stuntwoman did not!

One happy boy!

Doesn't it look like fun?

They had a great time!

This was popular too.

So to recap even though it was a pretty long drive from Toronto it was worth the trek to enjoy the fall colors and activities. There are many restaurants shops up and down the resort. I would highly recommend visiting and we hope to come back again.

I'm glad we took the time to go it was worth it. Good times and good memories!

Sunday Verse

Psalm 118:24

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Apples

Do I ever love Autumn, it is hands down my favorite season. I love all things to do with it the from the smell in the air, to glorious leaves, adorable pumpkins and yummy apples! I decided I needed apple cozies and contacted an e-acquaintance who had just launched an etsy shop for a custom order. She did not disappoint! I may need more cozies for oranges and plums and pears, oh my! Well I know who to go to. She has a few other things listed that make my skirt fly up like the lotus pin flower and the baby stuff, swoon!

And to continue with the theme of apples I have been meaning to post a recipe and link to Diana at To Everything a Season. She is doing a linking recipe contest. Not that I think I have a chance to win but wanted to join in the recipe fun. I found this cake many years ago in a gourmet foodie magazine, can't remember which one though. I can tell you it is decadent and easy and delicious!

Fresh Apple Cake

4 cups peeled sliced apples
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 eggs
¾ cup veg. Oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans

Apple Sauce- heat over stovetop and pour over finished cake

1 cup sugar
½ stick butter
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9x13 baking pan. In a medium bowl stir together sugar and apples and set aside. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a large bowl stir together the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Add the apples and sugar and mix well. Stir in the dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until cake springs back to touch. Enjoy!

Fun Links

While I was under the weather I discovered a great online resource called Storyline Online it is through the Screen Actors Guild Foundation. What I love is that it is livestream of various actors reading some really great books like Stellaluna, The Polar Express and more. Some of the actors include Elijah Wood, Lou Diamond Phillips, Melissa Gilbert, and James Earl Jones, you gotta love that man's voice! We discovered that Sean Astin "Sam" from Lord of the Ring reads one of my kids favorite books "A Bad Case of Stripes". I swear it's why my son will eat edamame beans so good. Shhh.... don't tell him they aren't lima beans like the story. Anyhow I was so grateful that I could let my son do this while I rested and thought many of you with kids, grandkids or family and friends with kids would also like to know about this great resource!


And this Canadian Police Chase commercial was around last year according to hubby but I never saw it til recently. It cracked me up. Hope you get a good chuckle at Canadian humor. Watch it it's only 32 seconds long!

Major

Hello Friends, long time no blog. Still finding it hard to breathe after bronchitis but it is better. Thanks for all your well wishes! We are making busy preparations for the move back to Texas. To answer some of your questions we are going to be home in time for Christmas but our stuff may not. We are excited to be going home as there's no place like home. We will also miss it here. We definitely want to come back we loved Nova Scotia, Quebec and we still really want to go to Vancouver and Alberta.

Awhile back of lovely blogger Buckeroomama awarded me this fabulous award! I would totally put this baby in my front picture window just like in the movie, A Christmas Story. I don't know what it is about this award that makes me want to grab a hair brush to use as a microphone and begin to Thank all the little people....hmmm, there are 2 of those running around tearing up my house everyday. Anyhow on to the blogger who I think needs this lamp/award in her lovely redecorated bathroom cause it would match the leopard print. So I am passing it on to Diana, To Everything a Season. I tried to create a link so you can see her bathroom redo but my computer-tard syndrome is afflicting me. It's in her archives on Sept, 17th.

~

Here are the rules of this award: Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
Pass the award to bloggers who like to smile and/or laugh. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

~

And now to bring myself back down to reality I think I must go clean a toilet or something. Have a wonderful day all!

Sunday Verse

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Honesty

So recovering from bronchitis has made it hard for me to breathe and get back up to speed with blogging, I should be cleaing my house right now but really can't stand house work.

Dawn from Spontaneous Clapping is the most delightful gal who awarded little ol' me with the Honest Scrap award. The rules are you have to tell 10 honest hings about yourself and credit the person who gave you the award, then pass it along to 9 bloggers who you adore! So here goes. (I wish I could share some pictures for some of these but they are in storage in Texas so just visualize!)

1. I write with my left hand but do everything else with my right hand from eating, hand sewing, using scissors and sports.

2. I used to clog dance from the fourth grade until around the 6th grade when I decided it was no longer cool to do so. I can still shuffle rock step and cut a rug when a fiddle is jamming. (Insert visual of redheaded geek with a dorky pinafore frock and gangly knees!)

3. I used to be a weekend warrior and whitewater kayaked in Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina and West Virginia. (Insert visual of cool chick in kayak going over a small water drop and rapids.)

4. My mother gave birth to me when she was 45 years old! Most people thought she was my Grandma since she had gray hair by the time I was 5 (I probably contributed to the gray hair).

5. I had pre-term issues with my son from 26 weeks (40 is full term) I had to go on “house arrest” per my Dr. stay at home and take it easy until delivery. My son was healthy and arrived 2 weeks earlier than his due date on my Birthday!

6. I am very afraid of heights.

7. My favorite color is green.

8. My favorite fruit is raspberries.

9. My favorite meal is in Austin at Berryhill Baja Grill the #7 combo with a fish taco, seafood enchilada and spinach and corn tamale with black beans and rice. I'm coming back to you soon my love!

10. For my wedding I had henna tattoo done to my hands and feet cause I liked the symbolism and it was fun to fuel my inner wild child (I will share a funny post about this in November for my 7th wedding anniversary!)

And now to pass this along. Many of you whom I adore have already recieved the award but I'll just mention you again along with the rest in no particular order. Feel free to participate or pass no pressure just know that "I love you man!!!!"

Lemonade Makin Mama

Farmgirl Paints

Hawai`i's Bento Box Cookbook, Bentos and More for Kids

My Barefoot Farm

Sugar, spice, and a little bit of life

Mamahood, among other things...

To Everything a Season

Elle Bee in the kitchen with kids

Spontaneous Clapping

Bronchitis

Hello again Dear Internet! It was a busy weekend in Quebec. The fall colors were lovely and the temperature chilly. The congestion I had has persisted and I went back to the doctor today and was given a bronchitis diagnosis. I am just going to have to take it easy for awhile and will post again when I feel better. This is just to let you know I'm here! I've visited blogs but don't have energy to comment since I feel best when I'm lying down. Somehow I am managing to care for my kiddos despite this trial and it has been one. We just found out we are returing to Texas in 2 months, my Hubby's work assignment has been changed. I look forward to catching up on so much until then I miss blogging and can't wait until I can breathe better!

Hello

Hi Interent! I have been under the weather, with a sore throat and all the sinus fun that comes along with that. So sorry not to have kept in touch, but I'm sure you understand. We are about to go away for a long weekend as Monday is Thanksgiving here in Canada. Please say lots of prayers as it's a 7 hour car drive and Lord help me to be patient with my family, especially since I still feel cruddy. I have loads to catch up on dear internet but will have to get packing and housework done. It may only be the packing.... or I may just go take another nap!

Dawn, I hope to get my honest scrap post up soon and Buckeroomama really the It's a Major Award is too much I'm gushing and not from sinus troubles. Really I feel like I've just won an emmy! Hee hee, I would totally love to have that lamp in my house. That was a great movie! I'll pass that pretty baby along next week after life slows down.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week and weekend! Jennifer

Sunday Verse

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Be joyful always; pray continually;

give thanks in all circumstances,

for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Milk in Canada

Okay fellow bloggers your stories are cracking me up, you are like the Erma Bombecks of blogging. I do not feel that interesting or funny, what words of wittiness can I impart with you today? Anyhoo, in my own weird way I have to show you things that I find fascinating about living in Canada. When we first moved here and I ventured out for groceries only to discover that milk is not sold by the gallon but by the litre. I was overwhelmed because it came in a bag. Where was the plastic jug??? I could not wrap my brain around this. Eeewww, Milk. In. A. Bag!!! I tried to avoid it and got the smallest amount 1 litre which was in a cardboard container which felt more "normal". But my children proceeded to guzzle through this in mere hours. This simply would not do. So the next time I went to the store I stopped another shopper and proceeded to clarify how this milk in a bag thing worked. I even asked this stranger a really dumb question like "Aren't you worried about germs getting in the opening?" Helpful shopper's comment "No." Then I felt really dumb and proceeded to buy milk in a bag, paranoid that germs would come through the opening (at this point I must clarify, my professional background is in healthcare... I have a healthy respect for germs.) I mean really like there should have been some sort of Living in Canada guide that includes this when you move into the country. So to help you if you ever travel, move here or just want to teach your homeschooled young uns something quirky about Canucks here it is.

This is what four litres looks like.

There are three seperate pouches inside.

Thankfully the date is stamped on in case you forget the expiration date.

You will not need to forget because it lasts longer with this type of packaging....

You use each bag up quickly however it stays very fresh with this method of storage.

The stores carry this special pitcher meant to hold the bags of milk. You can buy a pitcher for around a dollar. They are in the dairy or houseware isles at most stores. Even the dollar store sells them here.

There will also be a snippit doohickey clipped on the side of the container that you can also place on your fridge. They put a magnet on the back, genius Canadian technology.

Do not clip too much off... or your milk will pour out really fast.

Action shot, this post brought to you based on the need for a sippy cup refill. Thank you for reading along. And now you know if you ever move or visit Canada how to handle the milk. One last parting thought, when we first moved here I was buying organic milk in Texas at 2.99 a gallon. Here 4 litres of organic is about 8.69. Needless to say we drink fine filtered which according to one of the Mums here is the same nutrionally as organic and it means the milk has no chemicals or preservatives. For fine filtered we pay 4.59 which as you can see is better on the ol' pocketbook. Now if you'll excuse me my brain feels really full, and I'm thirsty so I think I'll go get a glass of milk!

Okay one more parting thought, this whole post albeit useless facts about milk in a bag was to also point out that just because you are used to something one way doesn't mean that is the way the rest of the world does it. Maybe some still have milk in glass jars, or go milk their cow or mix a powdered milk. It is good to be exposed to differences and embrace them.