Oh! Apples....

Every year, the second weekend in September, is the Apple Harvest Festival in the little village of St. George.... We picked up my BFF Tasha and her two little men and headed to the festival in our family bus... it always amazes me how excited kids get when they get to travel in the same vehicle with their friends... it's one of those little pleasures that makes my heart smile...

Every year I make a point of taking the monkeys to this event just to get an apple donut, so yummy and cinnamon-y, this time Tasha treated us to this delectable small wonder... I myself did not indulge in one... but did have a nibble of my Hammy's... just a little taste, that's all I needed ;)

So we walked the festival and checked out all that was there, the boys all crammed into the hydro truck bucket and headed for a ride in the sky, hot dogs and pop were had, and cider and apples were bought... then we headed for a cup of tea at Tasha's Mom and Dad's place...

Such a fun morning with friends, the only downfall was that Daddy had to work... and was pretty upset that we didn't bring him home a candy apple... but in our defense, we didn't have one either... I opted for treating the boys to a hot dog lunch (I know, the nutritional value of that lunch was somewhat lacking, but every now and then as a treat it's worth it)...

As I said earlier, I did buy apples... a big bag, and this is what has become of a great number of them...


...apple butter, actually canned properly and not just being thrown in the freezer... and a huge jar of applesauce, I could eat that whole jar in one sitting :O

I'll still take the kids to pick apples in a week or so and we'll make more applesauce to store for winter... I really like the idea of preserving food... it's very satisfying and I feel like I'm doing something good for my family... the only drawback for me, is the lack of storage space for preserves, I don't have a cold cellar and every square inch of our basement has been planned for already...

Anyway, enough, time to go enjoy this beautiful day... have a fantastically sunny Sunday everyone ;)

Buzzzzzz.... busy little bee...

I've been sooo busy... getting ready for an upcoming Mom to Mom sale where I will debut my 3 monkeys inc original skull toques... I know, sounds exciting, but not really... I actually designed the hat about 2 years ago for my two dashingly handsome boys (yes, yes, get on with it... rolling eyes)... and had so many compliments that I decided to take it mainstream (official lingo, you know)... I opened my ETSY shop last year and listed. one. item. (again, I'm cautious in all of my endeavours and so didn't want to overwhelm myself with the influx of people clamouring for my product... snicker, snicker)... my poor little hat, although not my skull design, sat and sat and sat for four whole months with nary a nibble. But I'm ok with that... my heart, at that point, really wasn't in the shop... I gave it only a half-hearted try... This time around, though, I'm hitting it full force. I have more time to devote, more energy to invest and have finally started to believe in my work enough that I think someone may actually be interested in owning a 3 monkeys inc original...

So here's a sneak peak at what's been goin' on 'round here...



Look at all of those colours! Truly, crocheting is my most favouritest! Will get back to you after the 25th (the day of the sale) to dish about how well or not-so-well my little hats faired... But! But! Will for sure be posting next week to show you my Kids Clothes Week projects!

Have a fabulous day ;)

Life changing...

Tonight I made a big decision. I registered for the 2011 Weekend to End Women's Cancers. A 2-day, 60km journey to raise funds for cancer research.

I walk for my friend Becky... her husband, and her children. I am determined to do whatever I can to help the cause... help the fight... and WIN the battle. For Becky... and for all of the countless others who are fighting the same fight.

Lets find a cure... care to join me?

Kids Clothes Week Challenge...

Now that the boys are back at school and it's just me and my little ham at home (when Daddy's working, that is)... I've decided to take the Kids Clothes Week Challenge, September 20 - 26, hosted by Elsie Marley... Check out this fantastic blog... there is so much inspiration spewing from every post... from the great crafty ideas to the beautiful photography, it's everything you want in a great blog...

I'm hoping to use this challenge to get a jump start on my Christmas sewing projects for my three little monkeys... and some crocheted hats for my Etsy shop...

I can't wait to get started... I think I'll need to write up a calendar for the week detailing the projects I'd like to finish... of course, I'll make it realistic... I know sometimes (okay, maybe all of the time) my excitement for projects can get too much, and I think I can accomplish far more than humanly possible, all the while taking care of a family of five... maybe just 3 to 5 sewing projects and aim for 1 crocheted hat a day... sounds doable, right? Fingers (and toes) crossed that I can follow through...

Check back to see if I'm keeping on track... have a fantastic Thursday ;)

Feeling fallish...

Less than a week to go til school starts... we enjoyed a busy, busy summer full of family, fun and perfect weather... and now, back to routine. As much as I love having my children with me all of the time, there are definite signs that it's time for the older boys to get back to school, friends and predictability. Does anyone else feel the same? Am I bad for wanting to get them back at it? Maybe I need to explain myself a little better... lately, around here, there's been a whole heap of "I'm telling", "Mooooommmmm! He's (insert your choice of whatever someone is or isn't doing here)", and "Stop following me" going on... I believe my big guys just need a break from one another... Don't get me wrong, this isn't a constant thing... 99% of the time these guys are the very best of friends and play very well together... it's just been in the past two weeks as our summer activities have been less and less organized... When you hear experts say that children thrive on structure... believe it... these last two weeks have been concrete proof of that for me. The fall routine is exactly what my guys need to quell their boredom.

As for me... driving down country roads seeing all of the green turning to yellow, leaves beginning to fall, and the corn stalks reaching their highest heights is making me feel very, well, fallish... I even feel funny wearing summery colours... and find I'm fighting the urge to pull out the knits, wraps and earthy tones... Not that I find this bothersome... of all the seasons, and I love them all, fall is my very favourite. Halloween is the best "holiday" ever invented; and pumpkin pie is, by far, the tastiest food known to man... what's not to love about fall???

And the best thing for me about fall is the anticipation of celebrating (I should say, going out for dinner for) our anniversary... tomorrow is our 10th anniversary... WOW! Ten years of marriage, three kids, two cats and what seems like a lifetime of wonderful memories... I married my best friend... I think I was in love with the thought of someone like Craig before I even met him (or as he would say, stalked him)... And in the words of George McFly, "You are my density, I mean, my destiny"... Cheesy, I know, but hey, love can be like that ;)

Craig, I love you so much... thanks for taking a chance on the new, doc martin wearing girl in grade 13 homeroom...

Have a great day everyone ;)