homemade is best.....

And this is what I did with the organic cucumbers I got at the Farmer's Market on Saturday.
I found my recipe on my computer. I haven't made them for a few years, but since we are having some very special guests for thanksgiving turkey this year, I thought we needed some homemade pickles.

the trials and tribulations of learning to ride a bike....

On Friday the kids and I decided to go for a bike ride. While I was away in N.S., my wonderful husband bought me a BIKE for my birthday. It was an incredible surprise to me. I had only mentioned in passing a few times that I would like to have a mountain bike so that I could go biking with the kids since we have access to a great trail system here in St. Albert.
The mere mention of a bike ride with mom led Tyler to ask if I could ride a bike, since, apparently, he has never seen me ride a bike before. I said, "Tyler, I could ride a bike since before you were born!". (one of my Dad's favorite lines~felt like him as I was saying it.)
Tyler said, "oh, you have been riding a bike since you were TALL and BLONDE." !!???
I asked with mild amusement, "When was I tall and blonde Tyler?"
"When you married Daddy!"
oh. I gues I am no longer tall or blonde. But alas, I digress. Back to the bike ride.

So I packed a picnic lunch, and off we went. I looked quite groovy wearing a 5 year old's spiderman helmet. (but i didn't look TALL or BLONDE). We took the Red Willow Park trail system, which is a paved hiking/biking trail throughtout St. Albert. We biked to the library, which is about 2 km away, and had a nice lunch at a picnic table in the shade. Then we started for home. It was all very fun until a training wheel fell off of Tyler's bike and we had to walk half way home. It could not be fixed as the rubber of the wheel separated from the wheel itself. To top it all off, my son, who normally wears a sunny disposition, turned into a GRUMPY OLD MAN.
When we got home, Daddy said no more training wheels Tyler! You can ride a bike on your own.

oh, but you have to STEER as well as peddle.

ooops...in the trees.

finally getting the hang of it...

and now he's so fast.....

the camera misses him completely.

Birthday Girl.

We cannot believe that SHE is 10 years old!
Entering Grade 5. She loves to read. She loves to help out in the kitchen. She love to watch decorating shows on TV. She spends time on the web.
She picked out this fabulous cake for her birthday. We invited a few friends over for cake.
Alexandra came for a sleepover. Her party this year was at American Girl Place.
Happy Birthday Hunter!

American Girl Place. Act III

Lucky for us that although the "hair studio" was too busy, the Photo Studio was not.
We got these great souvenir photos for the girls which is a "mock" magazine cover for American Girl magazine, which Hunter reads.
Such a cool take home souvenir!!

American Girl Place. Act II.

After lunch, shopping was the agenda.
This place was 3 floors of little girl heaven.
Dolls, clothes, accessories, books, souvenirs.
Hunter had been saving her money since January to spend here.
Plus the grandparents gave her some money. She had $220 to spend.
She looked at everything very carefully before making her decisions.
Hunter & Grace really wanted to get their dolls' hair done at the hair salon, but after lunch the salon was extremely busy and there was a 3 hour wait!

American Girl Place.

Located on Michigan Ave. in downtown Chicago. Part of the Magnificent Mile.
Our first stop was a birthday luncheon at the American Girl Cafe, located on the second floor.
The food and decor were so beautiful. The dolls had their own chairs and little tiny cups.
The cafe was full. Reservations must be made months ahead of time.
There were 11 of us including Shelly & Kennedy, friends from Edmonton who met us there.
Happy 10th Birthday Hunter!!!!!!!!

Dreams do come true...

A little girl's dream for the past 4 years. (and secretly her mother's as well).

Big Day to Chicago!!!!!

Tuesday, August 15 was our BIG outing to the downtown of Chicago.
Rob actually rented a 12 passenger van so we could all travel together.
I was happy and relieved that Kelly didn't have to drive! She had been up at night with the two little ones.
So off we go. 6 Kids. 3 Adults.
4 car seats. 1 stroller.
4 incredibly excited little GIRLS. 1 baby.
1 Boy who has been warned within an inch of his life to behave while we are at American Girl Place.

This pic is for Aunt Jill.

Shirt reads, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Aunt."

The Kids.

The kids had so much fun playing and getting to know one another.
Everyday was a new adventure.
On Saturday, Kelly & Rob rented a bouncy house and had a BBQ for some friends and neighbours.
Rob set up the kiddy pool and the slip 'n slide, which was Tyler's favorite.
They played outside. They watched a movie with popcorn.
They drank pop. They giggled. They played musical beds. Just so fun.

Monday, August 14.

On Monday, I asked Kelly if she would mind dropping the kids and I off at Geneva Commons to do some browsing and shopping around.
Pottery Barn. Williams Sonoma. Bombay Kids. Crate & Barrel. Victoria's Secret.
I think West Edmonton Mall is in need of some new stores!

Beautiful Homes.

Some of the beautiful homes that were in Naperville.
If Ron should ever get transferred to Chicago, I know where I want to live!

And Baby Makes Six.....

A family photo on the Riverwalk.

Chipotle's.

After our walk on the river, we went to Chipotle's for dinner.
Chipotle's serves mexcian fast food like tacos, burritos, salsa, chips, etc.
The food was incredible and very reasonably priced.
All fresh veggies and organic meats.
Hunter & I had 3 soft tacos and Tyler had 4 hard tacos and it was really yummy.
I treated everyone to dinner here and 8 of us ate for $46. We couldn't have eaten at McDonald's for that price!

Naperville.

On Sunday, Kelly & Rob took us to Naperville to walk on the Riverwalk.
Naperville is a beautiful little town with a shopping area centered around the Riverwalk.
The Riverwalk is a project undertaken by the city in the 1970's with the vision of taking an eyesore and making it into a tourist destination. Some of the stores that can be found here include the Pottery Barn.

Hunter & Grace....

had a lot of fun hanging out and playing with their American Girl Dolls.
On Friday, Kelly dropped us off at Target for some shopping for a few hours, and then we went to Geneva for a few hours to look around.
We enjoyed incredible locally made ice cream at a place called Grahams. I was in heaven since they had peppermint ice cream which is not an easy flavor to find.
Then we browsed in the toy store with the kids for awhile.
I made the mistake of leaving my cameras back at the house, so I have no pictures.
I did not make that mistake again!!

Meeting Baby Nathan.

Hunter & Tyler were very excited to see the girls and meet baby Nathan for the first time.
Such a gorgeous baby. At two months, he can smile, talk and almost laugh.
Nathan remained the center of attention for our visit. My kids don't have the opportunity to be around babies very often.
This little guy was truly adorable.

Chicago.

Thursday, August 10, 2006 turned out to be a very interesting day to fly, as it was the first day that the liquid ban went into effect.
We managed to clear security in Halifax with everything intact, but by the time we landed in Montreal, we had to give up our water bottles, hand sanitizer, toothpaste, deodorant and polysporin. It was all just a little disconcerting when the vendors in the airport were prohibited from selling any bottled drinks. I was really worried that the kids were going to be thirsty.
We ate lunch at Burger King and I filled up huge glasses from the soda fountain for us to drink. Hunter was miffed that an airport in Montreal did not have any poutine to buy.
Our plane was delayed 45 minutes, but overall the day went quite smooth.
When we arrived at Kelly & Rob's house, we ordered out pizza for dinner and then Kelly surprised me with this beautiful, elegant birthday cake!
How sweet!

View of the Valley.

from the "Look Off".

Hall's Harbour.

Our last day in N.S., so we decided to go to Hall's Harbour, which is famous for it's breathtaking scenery and lobsters.
We ate lunch and then hung out on the beach and let the kids do some beachcombing.
Hunter found some beach glass, and Tyler had fun tossing seaweed at us.

My birthday lunch..

My cousin Michelle organized a birthday lunch for me at "Between the Bushes" restaurant, which specializes in fresh, local ingredients with the spotlight on fresh blueberries.
My aunts Zelma & Geneva, Michelle & Gemma, Hunter & I, Mom, Grammie and Eleanor and Amanda enjoyed a wonderful lunch.
Michelle and I both chose vegetarian lasagna made with a layer of spinach, sweet potato, mashed potato, layered in tortilla with sauteed julienne vegetables in a spicy lentil sauce. It was incredible.
Then we ordered blueberry explosion for dessert. A blueberry pastry smothered in creme anglaise with whipped cream and lots of fresh blueberries. Sooo good!
Tonight, Kirk & Pat came over with Madison and Haydie for birthday cake. Mom made me a "cream cheese brownie" cake. It was delicious.
Hunter was invited for a sleepover at Rebecca's tonight, so Dad and I drove her over to Canning in the NEW set of WHEELS. Loved the camera on the back bumper which feeds to a screen on the dash the WHAT and WHERE you are backing into. The perfect "angie" car. Thanks Dad for letting me drive!
Tomorrow is our last day here in N.S. We have had an amazing vacation!!!!!
I talked to my cousin Kelly this afternoon in Chicago and now I am excited to see her!
Chicago here we come!

Friendships from Elementary School.....

are the coolest! This is Hunter's "core" group of friends since primary. She loves these girls. It is so great how after a year they can pick up right where they left off.
We had the "girls" over this morning for some time together. They played monopoly, ran around outside, and willingly posed for some great photos. It was so cute to hear them discuss how they should pose as a group. I let them choose the poses and viola!

$20 A CARLOAD.....

is what it costs to go to the DRIVE IN. Two feature movies.
The kids were absolutely bouncing off the walls when I announced to them that we were going to the Drive In. Tyler has never been to the Drive In before.
They got their pjs on and brought pillows and blankets. Snacks and drinks.
Cars and Pirates of the Carribean were the features. The screen lit up at 9:15 pm.
The place was absolutely PACKED!!!! There were not many parking spots when we arrived 35 minutes before screen time.
Even though we had lots of treats, Tyler kept asking me if we could get some "FRESH" popcorn.
I went off to the canteen and got each one a small popcorn.
We stayed until a little after midnight.
It was a great time, except for all the stuff we spilled in Grammie's SUV.
First it was juice. Then Tyler managed to dump his ENTIRE bag of popcorn on the floor.
Then Grammie upset her can of 7 UP. Not to mention the party mix everywhere.
Shh! Don't tell Grampie. I have to vacuum the car out!

Sunday.

Our last Sunday in N.S.
My friend Debbie came and treated me our for lunch and then we had a delightful time browsing in Casa Bella Gift Shop. It is my FAVORITE store ever. Lots of dishes, jewellery and home decor.
Cynthia and Chris came to see us. Cynthia was our Nanny for Hunter when she was a toddler.
It was terrific to see them and they brought their Wedding photos for us to enjoy.
Chris is pondering moving out west. I have a feeling we may see them in the near future.
Grammie & Grampie treated us to supper at Acton's. The food was delicious.

Day with Aaron & Amanda.

My cousin Aaron and his girlfriend Amanda invited us to Aylesford Lake to the cottage for the afternoon on Saturday.
Michelle & Gemma came with us and it was a gorgeous sunny day.
The kids played in the lake the whole time.
The wind blew the beach ball across the lake and Aaron spent at least 30 min. retreiving it, first by swimming and then by paddleboat! I knew when we saw him swimming backstroke to get the ball that we were in trouble. haha.
We had such a FUN afternoon!!!!

Joanne & Steve.

Thursday, August 3, 2006.
Joanne, Steve and the kids came to see us. Joanne is a dear friend from my Acadia years.
Love her sense of humour and it was so great connecting with her.
Adorable kids Simon and Clara.
It was so awesome that we got to see them.

Visit to Ken & Laura's.

After a busy day at Mahone Bay, we were invited to Ken & Laura's for supper. So I gathered up the kids and we headed over at 5pm.
We had a really yummy supper of BBQ salmon, rice, salad and baguette.
The pool was just installed a few weeks ago.
The 4 kids had a ball swimming for about 2 hours. The water was 87 degrees.
I swam as well. I cannot get over what a great little swimmer Tyler is getting to be.
Ken and I have been friends since Elementary School.
He's 40 and he's still got it! Look at this trick off the diving "rock". The kids loved it!
Digitals cameras are great!!!

Views of Mahone Bay...

from across the water.
You can see the steeples of the "3 Churches" of Mahone Bay.

Ocean Monsters.

This wonderfully creative display is made out of driftwood. We drove by this on our way to Lunenburg and the kids "oohed & aaahed".

Mahone Bay shops.

Just some of the shops we browsed through.
"Teazer's" was our favorite.