Let's Go to the Fair!

Really? This was my first thought when Keith uttered the above title of this post. You see, generally Keith isn't fond of fairs. The crowds, the aimless wandering, blah, blah, blah. I happen to like fairs so I was quick to agree with him and didn't really try to investigate his change of heart. (although I know it has A LOT to do with Liam!)

So off to the fair we went. It didn't surprise or disappoint...it's the same as it's always been. A little cheesy, a little small, a little dull but it had all the elements we needed. Animals, food and tractors!

Liam was quite hesitant to let this friendly goat get too close. I suppose it had something to do with Chad mentioning it would bite him.

There was a huge antique tractor display and my boys had to sit on every blessed one. That took up a chunk of time!

Liam patiently (or not) posed for all my picture-taking!

He reckons himself to a be a farmer. I remember Nathan going through a stage like this too.
The baby chicks were fun to look at. Along with the poultry, steer, goats, pigs, horses and sheep!
This massive modern beast of a tractor was Liam's favorite and he was disappointed he could not sit in the cab. We convinced him that a picture of it was the next best thing.
And what is going to the fair without getting something utterly disgusting to eat?! We had a hot dog baked in a waffle type batter. I'd say it was 'meh'.
Then the boys shared a bag of mini-donuts. I had two. Again...meh.
And then...we found a stand that was selling 2 lbs of freshly picked blueberries for $5! I bought some and we sat on the hill watching the horse show as we inhaled them. Way better than that greasy fair food. This is another one of those 'you know you're getting older' moments by the way!
The sun finally burned off the clouds and it got pretty hot so we decided to seek refuge in the Agrifair arena where they had various horse shows, dog shows, a pig round up and jumping donkeys!
And then Liam started to fade. We had enough of the dust and dirt and heat and walked two blocks back home. It was a nice way to spend a day!

PS.

Wondering where Nathan was? He declared he wasn't interested and stayed home. Teenagers!

Escape for a Few Hours

I am not an avid movie watcher and watch TV even less. But if the topic interests me I am all over it! My mom took this DVD out from the local library and passed it along to me seeing how I like Irish drama. Well anything Irish is interesting to me really!

If you can locate this BBC mini-series DVD in your local library I would recommend it for a good drama about an Irish family. Besides the delightful accents the storyline is good and now perhaps I shall read the book!

Another mini-series I am enjoying right now with Keith is

'Band of Brothers'. This is a war drama and wow is it ever interesting! I have been reading novels set in WWII for years now so being able to watch it dramatized just fascinates me. Another recommend that you can find at your local library!

Been Living A Lie

The other evening we took a lovely twilight walk over to my parents house. Nathan needed to do some 'bill collecting' for yard work and it's also nice to walk with a destination in mind as opposed to mindlessly strolling the streets as we usually do.

My mother immediately fed us (as mothers are prone to do) therefore erasing any calories we might have burned on the way over. Afterwards Liam trotted off to Grandad's cave of treasures (his office) and brought out the tape measure. Liam loves to be measured! His height, his belly, his arm....you get the picture!

This measuring bit led to us all getting our height checked. My Nathan now stands at a proud 5'6" if you can believe it! I asked to be measure too, just for fun. The results astounded me! I have (for as long as I can remember) told people that I am 5'8" (technically 5' 7 3/4") but NO this is not true. I have been horribly wrong and I don't know how this happened. I am actually 5 feet 8 inches and three quarters. Practically 5'9"! A giant. Keith is 5'9" and a quarter so he's just half an inch taller than me. So there you go. Get measured...perhaps you'll surprise yourself with an additional inch of height.

One thing for sure is that stepping on the scale would not be as fun. Stick to measuring your height for kicks!

Slurp

For $1 (at McD's) these are a wonderful summertime treat!

Book Worms

My two little bookworms got their very own library cards today. I really don't know why I hadn't done this before....I'd guess I was just lazy about it! Nathan was pleased to get an 'adult' card and Chad has his own kids card under my name. Now they can bike to the library themselves and take out books. They pester me to take them at least once a week. I remember doing the same to my parents. Once we had moved across town when I was 13 yrs old we lived really close to the library and I went on my own which felt like such freedom. Of all the good habits a person could have....reading is definitely hits near the top of the list!

Funnel Cakes

These are amazing! Tastes like something you would get from the fair. Basically fat and sugar...what's not to love? I liked them best sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. My boys (and Andrew) rated them 10 out of 10! You can check out Mennonite Girls Can Cook on my sidebar for the recipe.

Book Review

While back my dad wrote a review about the book below. (click here to read)

It sounded rather intriguing and went along with my decision to read a larger variety of fiction and non-fiction.

It is quite good! I recommend. There were several 'laugh out loud' moments which doesn't happen often to me when reading so that was a plus. Yes, there is a small amount of 'green, tree-hugging, evolution type babble but I just skimmed over those parts. All in all a satisfying read and I now I have a few more of Bryson's books on hold at the library. I'll definitely let you know if they are worth reading too!

Wah Wah with the Wii Wii

It's already come to this. Seriously guys? You are TOO old to be bickering over games. Sigh...

Behaviour contract (in atrocious penmanship!)

Macaroons!

In recent years, I've really come to like coconut. I never disliked it but had more of a 'take it or leave it' mentality. So now I love a Bounty Bar and even more delish are chocolate dipped macaroons. Keith and I bought some at Godiva Chocolate in Seattle last month and just about had a conniption about how beautiful they tasted. I do get a bit over-involved in food...let's just put that out there. Since summer isn't cooperating this week, I've been baking. Today was macaroon day. I googled for a recipe and found on that sounded easy and good.

The results were disappointing...

They spread out and didn't hold their shape. And because it called for sweetened coconut they are SUPER sweet. The texture is nice though...very chewy. I decided to try again.

This time I went to my ladies at MGCC and the results were much better....

These held their shape, had good texture and weren't quite so sweet.

After both batches had cooled I dipped the bottoms in a bittersweet chocolate ganache.

Success! I cannot wait to try one for dessert after dinner. Then into the freezer they go where they will not taunt and tempt me.

Hard Work Rewarded

Nathan has been doing some lawn mowing for the past couple of months and had saved up enough to buy himself a Wii! He's very excited. I am pleased for him to learn about working to save up for the things you want. A win-win situation!

I hope he'll let me play...it looks like fun!

My New Closet

I'm sorry there are no 'before' pictures of our walk-in closet but I think you could probably picture it yourself. Just a white room with a long rail and shelf along each side. Quite basic!

Keith got used to having shelves in our previous house as we had closet organizers left there by the previous owners. I could take them or leave them but Keith decided he could not live without shelves in his closet. Therefore I present you with our improved closet...WITH shelves. Keith is very happy.

Family Growth

We were lucky enough to be able to see Suzanne and Tyler twice in one week! Then were on the mainland this weekend to attend a wedding. We hosted a brunch here for the entire family today. It was pretty delicious if I do say so myself.

And a photo of the cook scooping ice cream onto fresh blueberry cobbler. Another successful PW recipe, might I add.

The best thing about my day is that I got the green light to announce to the world that I am going to be an AUNT! My wish came true! Suzanne and Tyler are getting a jump start on their family and the baby is due February. We are thrilled for them. And to think I was just getting over the surprise of their engagement. People, you move FAST!

Finally, a little niece or nephew to love and spoil. I just hope the Canadian Forces don't take them too far away in the next couple of years!

IV The Conclusion

The day arrived to pack up our suitcases and head home. Instead of heading directly to the ferry terminal we decided to do a few trips along the way. The weather was a little better than the day before and we wanted to take advantage of that.

Our first stop was Coombs. Ever been there? A very hippy-esque sort of place. Most interesting shops and restaurants and market. I bought myself a framed wall hanging with a quote from Laura Ingalls Wilder on it. Now if only I knew where to hang it in my house. Help.

There were so many sculptures in the main square. Buddhas, animals, dogs in cars...it was all just a tiny bit bizarre.

The garden shop was beautiful and I would have loved to have bought a few pots for the garden but we lacked the room in the back of the car. I guess we could have left Liam behind but Nathan would have none of that.

The market was just packed with delicious fresh foods, imported grocery delights, souvenirs, linens, toys, crafts....a feast for the eyes! All we bought was a bread/bun basket which incidentally is 'Made in China'. I guess the locals don't make bread baskets.

We had hit Coombs quite early when everything was just opening up. By the time we left it was very busy...it's quite a tourist trap. Good timing! We then headed towards Nanaimo and decided to stop for a bite to eat in Qualicum Beach. This is really a pretty little town and it was nice to eat at a local restaurant instead of a chain. We had lunch at 'Deb's Deli' and the food was great. Afterwards the boys got ice cream at a local candy shoppe. I didn't really care for any of the flavors they offered so I passed.

We had parked at a grocery store and upon getting to our car I noticed (thanks for the tip, Keri!) that they sold ice cream from a little booth right at the entrance to the store. I found one of my favorite ice creams 'Moose Tracks' and got a nice big scoop of it on a waffle cone. Divine! No pictures as it was muggy/warm and I had to eat fast.

We headed to the beach for one last roam. The sky looks quite nice, doesn't it? What you don't see is the rain and black clouds right behind me.

The rain caught up to us about 10 minutes down the road. We had timed that quite perfectly! What was great is that it was never cold on the beach...always very temperate.

We arrived at the terminal at 3:00 pm to find that we had just missed getting onto the 3:10 sailing and had to wait for the 4:40 pm! ARG. Thankfully, Liam napped for a good deal of the wait while the rest of us found ways to amuse ourselves. The boys had their books and I people watched. Great entertainment!

Liam finally woke up and enjoyed some time in the front seat with Mom and Dad. He's really quite entertained with 'driving' and pushing all the buttons and turning all the dials on the dashboard.

I dug out some snacks and before we knew it, it was time to board and be on our way.

The weather was good (as in dry) and we had great views as we headed back to Horseshoe Bay.

Leaning children on railings usually make me verrry nervous but as long as the railing wasn't towards the water I was okay with it. I didn't mind him falling onto the car deck below...but into the ocean, now that's another story :)

We found the warmest part of the boat and made ourselves comfortable for the trip. No sense being inside when there is fresh ocean air to be enjoyed!

We really did enjoy ourselves on Vancouver Island. It was nice to have a vacation where one isn't worrying about duty, exchange rates, travelling with fruits and veggies etc. Having a vacation 'at home' is pretty good. We are learning that there is definitely lots to do and see right in our own backyard!

III

Today we woke up to rain. Rain. Not just sprinkles, but plain old RAIN. It wasn't a surprise but we had hoped to be surprised by a miraculous parting of the clouds! It wasn't meant to be. After another wonderful breakfast we headed out to the base to pick up the boys who had a great time staying over with Suzanne and Tyler. We decided to check out Cumberland which is about 15 minutes outside of Courtenay. It's an old mining town with a museum and many heritage sites to visit.

The museum was quaint and interesting.

Lots of interesting displays. I really do love museums. I like them without toddlers best though....Liam could have cared less about it all and as much I would have like to study the different display cases, Keith and I had to take turns chasing him around!

There was a most interesting set up about the history of BC Tel in one part of the building. Chad got to learn how to use a rotary dial phone and see switchboard light up behind the glass. Kids these days think everything is as easy as pushing a button!

The lovely ladies of the museum sensed Liam's angst about being kept in check and put out some lovely coloring sheets and crayons for him. Most appreciated!

The outside of the museum in the doom and gloomy weather.

Once again the child starts to fade around lunch time. Ready for a nap! I would have loved to do the historic walking tour but the rain AND Liam were a hindrance. We didn't bring his stroller along on holidays....we hadn't really missed it until then!

So back to the hotel and this time it was my turn to stay in the hotel room while Keith took the kids swimming. They had much more fun as Keith swam with them! They came up after a few hours with some ravenous appetites!

We met up with Suz and Tyler for supper at Applebee's. The food was really good and Liam was a very good boy. He's really quite a good traveller and well behaved in restaurant. We can't complain.

We said our good byes in the parking lot as we were heading back home the next morning.

Back again to the hotel and this time we all headed down for a swim. Liam had the time of his life jumping into Keith's arms off the pool edge. That kid is so much braver than Nathan or Chad ever was. Keith decided to see how he would handle jumping in and putting his head under water in the process....no problem! It was a nice evening and by 10 pm we were all ready to head back up and get to bed.