Made with love...

Sam spent time making me this heart last night - he was so proud of it and carried it in from the kitchen without spilling the beads!!

I can't find the iron to set the beads though!!!  We've looked EVERYWHERE and can't find it - so I just hope we find it before the beads spill and it is ruined!!!

Great afternoon!!

We headed to Kidz Quarterz this afternoon to join in with the SHINE get together - there was a good crowd of homeschoolers there!  All the kids got free games in the Balladium for being part of the group - so they loved that!  Sam really enjoyed it this time- last time he wasn't too sure about the guns and the noise in a darkened room!

3 hours passed very quickly and I had a really nice time catching up with some old friends - and getting to know some new ones!  Abigail and Sam had so much fun with their friends too :)  I'm so glad I ventured out!!

Thanks to Jennifer for organizing the afternoon get together!!

Thursday - our busy day!!

Today is Thursday, which means it's our CRAZY day!  Firstly Abby had art class - the last one before Christmas.  It was a very busy class with a lot more children than normal!!  They made Christmas decorations including painting Nutcrackers!!

While Abby was at art class, Sam and I headed to Walmart.  We had breakfast at McD's and then did a little shopping - I needed to buy Sam a new bike helmet because we brought his bike with us today but forgot the helmet!!!  Duh!!  So we bought him a new one, planning to spend the afternoon in the park with his bike!

We picked Abigail up and then we drove to Broadmoor Lake and had lunch in Kinsmen pool - watching the swimmers!!

Then we took a walk around the lake as the temperature was nice.  Sam and Abby got to run about and play in the little bit of snow still on the ground!

They wrote their names in the snow with sticks and feet!!

Abigail went to her gymnastics class and got changed ready for class....we were still early and so they played with the big box of toys for a while:

While Abby was at gym class, we planned to take Sams bike to the park - but when we got outside the gym it was RAINING!!!!  Poo!!  Rain in November is really rare here because we normally only get snow this time of year!!  It is nice that it was washing away the last of the snow BUT at temperatures close to the freezing mark, it CAN turn to freezing rain which is HORRIBLE!!!

INstead of the park, we went to the mall and saw the train in the Christmas window:

They have the same window display EVERY year and it's always fun to go and watch the train and look at all the ornaments in the display - Sam LOVES it!!!

We picked Abby up from gymnastics and then headed home.  Susannah and Laurence arrived back DISTRAUGHT and crying!!!  (Read why on my other blog.....sigh.....)

I sorted that disaster out and calmed down - then had to take Laurence back to school for his end of season volleyball team party.  Came home and got the rice ready to go with dinner.....had dinner....now Lloyd ahs gone to get Laurence from his party and we will curl up and watch a movie or something to relax!!!

I am glad that art classes have finished - Pre K finishes on Tuesday and then we will only have gymnastics for a week or so - a nice relaxing December!!!  No more Thursday rush, because I am not putting Abby in to two classes on the same day any more - no WAY!!!!  She can't decide between swimming and ice skating for the New Year...but we hope to get spaces in art classes again because she loves those classes - the Winter semester of classes looks WONDERFUL!!!  :)  art journaling, collage, weaving, water colour, clay.....

Sugar cube houses/ walls and towns...

We had some silly sweet fun today - After schoolwork was done and a movie was watched, Sam and Abby set to work building houses and cities with sugar cubes - using icing as 'cement'.

We also had an indoor snowball fight - with marshmallows!!!!  :)

They burned off some of that 'sugar high' by heading out for a walk with the dogs!!

Animal sewing cards...

I saw these great animal sewing cards at Chez Beeper Bebe.  So I quickly printed the pdf and created a few of them for Sam to use!  I made these two just by sticking them on to cardboard to make them stronger, but I think I will make the others by laminating the animals before hole punching the holes!  That will make them last longer for sure!!!

These cards are GREAT for hand - eye co-ordination!!!

Free fun at the Celebration of Lights....

Yesterday we headed to the Celebration of Lights in our town - Christmas music, crafts, S'mores making, petting zoo, and plenty of treats to enjoy!!!  It was a fun afternoon supporting the local food bank :)

Christmas tree ornaments.....

Today we made Christmas tree ornaments by drawing round the children's hands - then they decorated each one and I laminated them before punching a hole and tying ribbon through each.  The children wrote their names on each one and stamped the date on - so we will have a record of the size of their hands this Christmas :)

Edmonton Reuse Centre

Today we were downtown for a while, and while we were close by, we decided to head to the Reuse Centre.  If you haven't been there before then I TOTALLY recommend it!  It's like a thrift store without the clothes and you can fill up your cart for $4 for EVERYTHING!!!!

We picked up jigsaw puzzles, games, Christmas decorations (I got a TON of artificial holly), gift boxes and tins, ribbon (as new - still wrapped), big fir cones, fabric, craft supplies, craft sets....

They have books, vases, sports equipment (Sam came home with a big pack of bats and balls and things)  They have endless medals and trophies.....sooooo much fabric and sewing/ knitting supplies.  paper, pens folders and files etc etc.....baskets....gift bags

You can basically go and stock up your craft cupboards for $4 for your entire purchase!!

The building is in front of the CN tower and the address is:

 10004 - 103A Ave, Edmonton

Opening times are 12 - 6pm weekdays and until 8 on Thursdays.  10 until 4 on Saturdays!!

The staff were so helpful and friendly - you fill bags or boxes or carts with whatever you want - as much as you want!!  Then they weigh it before you leave JUST because they weigh everything on delivery and on the way out so they know how much stock is moving...but the weight makes no difference to the price - it's just $4 :)

Enjoy!!

MMmmmmm - dinner at Swiss Chalet.

After the zoo we stopped in at Swiss Chalet for supper - it was decorated for Christmas and was very festive :)

Day at the zoo....

Last week we spent the afternoon at the local zoo.  The weather was lovely for a walk round, and it was nice to see some of the animals there who stay outside for our colder months...we were there when they were feeding the sea lions and getting them to play soccer etc in the hallway....it was lovely to see them training the baby sea lions too!!

Waffles!!

One day this week we had waffles for lunch - the children helped me make them and they also loaded them up with their choice of fixings afterwards!!  Apple slices, mini marshmallows, cream, chocolate chips, syrup....nothing too healthy but BOY were they good ;)

Potato printing...

I was making dinner one evening this week and kept Sam and Abby quiet at the island with some potato printing!  They only had a few basic shapes and three colours, but they both got creative with ideas for them.

Art classes continue - with Leonardo De Vinci....

This week in art class, Abby studied the work of Leonardo De Vinci.  They were taught a little about the artist,  (she liked that he designed a helicopter and that he used notebooks to keep records of all his ideas and inventions!!  All those years ago!!  She also told me how he wrote all his writing back to front (mirror image) to try and stop people copying his ideas)!!!  Amazing for someone born in the 15th century!!

They then studied portraits and how to drawer the face using cross-hatching for shading and using lines for placement of the mouth and eyes etc.

Coyote..

While playing outside one day this week, Abby and Sam heard the coyotes from the den in my neighbours yard.  They stayed on the climbing frame and started making coyote noises.  When the coyotes replied, Sam and Abby came inside and went up to their bedroom - they spent an hour or so 'talking' to the coyotes and enjoying them replying!!!  :)  They then spent the rest of the evening playing at being coyotes themselves - and then made brown bag hand puppets of coyotes.  It was a noisy afternoon, but they had great fun!  Abigail read a book all about coyotes and kept coming in to tell me various facts about them.

A picture for Santa....

Getting crafty for Christmas!! :)

Abigail picked up a ton of Christmas themed books at the library last week, and has been busy making festive things ever since!!  Here she is working on an advent calendar!!  We went to the scrapbook store on Tuesday for supplies :)

Friendship hearts...

Abby made a whole series of these and wrote her phone number on the back - she gave them out to her friends yesterday at art class and gymnastics class.  One of her friends said "How did you know that was my favourite colour?"

You should have seen Abby beam!!!  :)