Apples, Raspberries and Pie

What a busy weekend!

Friday: Cosmic Bowling (bowling in the dark with neon lights and loud music!) with the girls and Enrico.

Saturday: Football for the girls and dinner with friends in the evening.

Sunday: Chudleigh's Apple Farm....

This has now become a tradition (Right Jill - if you've done something more than once....?) with the Hortons and Klugsbergers. [And we've managed to get ourselves lost both time...!) It's a great day out. Playing among the apples.

Playing among the hay bales.

And generally enjoying fall fun with our friends!

Tess had a need to create in the kitchen on Sunday and brought plans for a delicious dessert to me first thing in the morning.

The concoction included raspberries, raspberry coulis, vanilla ice-cream and some yummy pastries made with vanilla, butter and brown sugar. She was very proud of herself and the results were fantastic.

And finally....

I've just finished my book club's choice for September; 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie' by Alan Bradley.

A very easy and entertaining read and a very likeable main character. It's basically a murder/mystery which we don't usually choose for book club, but it was great fun and didn't take me long to read. I will definitely be reading his next one which will also 'star' Flavia de Luce, the 12 year old heroine...

Shoes, Spinning and Sunshine

Every now and then I become completely obsessed with scrapbooking.... This is one of those times. (Probably because the girls are at school all day, I'm not working [yet!], and I'm in no routine with school commitments / home etc.

The result is that I'm able to create.

Here is Mission to Create #26:


I only managed to use 4 of the 5 concepts but I love the layout.

1) at least 3 bright cardstocks

2) decorative edge scissors (Raided the girls' craft box and cut around the black cardstock.)

3) Use sheet music (which I printed off the internet and is, rather sadly of me, the actual music from the Paolo Nutini song...My sister-in-law will be laughing at me for this... 'Too much time on my hands...')




4) something shiny (the label holder at the bottom)

5) And just didn't have the right rub-on alphas for this... Oh well!

Anyway, loved completing this one as I loved, loved, loved those shoes of Tess' and wish that her feet hadn't grown so quickly...



So, to the rest of today. As it's proving very difficult to find work I'm using my time to get a little fitter and have discovered 'spinning' classes at the YMCA. Let's just say I hope it's doing me good. I sweated so much today it was actually dripping off me but not as much as the guy in front of me... I think his pool of sweat (great subject, huh?) had me so mesmerised that I managed to complete the majority of the class. Yuk, but yeh!

When I pick the girls up from school, ready for the weekend, we're off Cosmic Bowling. It's a shame we organised an indoor activity as it is such a beautiful day here. Hot, hot, hot and the sunshine is streaming through the backdoor... I do love autumn here in Toronto. Hope your weather is as nice.

Back, Background and Back To School

Ok - so it's been a while but we're back to carry on with the blog because it seemed to be working out so well.

I've also been neglecting the old scrapbooking lately so I've been very determined to sort the basement out so I could get to my stuff. I created this layout for Mission to Create #25.

We had to use:

1) beige or cream (I used a cream background)

2) a doilie (which I didn't have, so I used doilie-like trim)

3) an envelope (which contains a letter to the girls I wrote on their second day of school)

4) something clear (I added a clear heart)

5) polka dots and stripes (self explanatory)

I loved doing this one and am feeling very creative again, which is great.

And finally, because I haven't yet done it, here a picture of the girls on the first day back to school.

Meg has finally started Grade 1 and Tess is now in Grade 3. The start was a little lukewarm, but I'm very pleased to report that they are both now settled right in and enjoying school.

Hurrah!