Autumn Sets In

We were lucky to have had a little taste of Indian Summer last weekend, but very quickly last week we were reminded that it was Autumn. The days started out chilly and never really warmed up and then I noticed that the sun is starting to set much earlier than I remember. The end of the week was rainy and cold and the weekend wasn't much different.



Arabella and Jay took a bike ride around the block and I went out to meet them.

As soon as she saw me, she jumped off her tricycle and told me that she needed a hat, mittens and scarf! So we went inside and found her new hat and mittens that I just bought for her and one of my scarves...she kind of looks like a "pink nightmare" with all the different shades of pink she had going on, but she was so excited to get back outside to play!

We had a fun time being silly while she was swinging! It may have been chilly outside, but that didn't stop the giggles!

Delicious

While at the grocery store the other night, I made an impulse buy...chocolate caramel coated apples. It wasn't something that I would normally buy, but, they looked really good! And they were, after a little prodding from Arabella who wouldn't give it up, I was able to cut the apple into pieces so we could all enjoy a bit of it. And it was DELICIOUS!

Evolution Of A Bookcase

Last weekend, I found a posting for a free entertainment cabinet on a Facebook Group that I belong to. I had been searching for a bookcase for Arabella's room since she had outgrown the bookshelf that Jay had made for her when she was a baby. Jay at one point thought he wanted to build her one, but that plan was soon replaced with his purchase of the "new" car and all the other car projects that he wants to do. But, I digress, when I saw the posting, I jumped at it. All it would cost me was the gas and time to go get it as well as my time to re-paint it. I picked up up last Wednesday with the idea that if I got it home and Jay looked at it and decided that it was going to be too much work, I would be able to put it right out at the curb since Thursday is garbage day.

It was pretty gross looking and I wasn't sure washing and sanding it would make a difference. But I wanted to at least try, so yesterday I borrowed a power sander from friends and got to work. Arabella came out to say goodnight to me and even wanted to help...I was almost done and I let her paint the bottom shelves with me. She did a great job!

I was amazed this morning how good it looked after about 2 hours of work and just one coat of fresh paint! I really do love it and it reminds me of the office furniture that I want from Pottery Barn.

We had to do a little bit of rearranging in her bedroom for this to fit, but it looks great. And Arabella couldn't be more excited to have a bookcase for her books!

Rigaud Festival des Couleurs

We are having a little taste of Indian Summer here in Montreal and over the weekend, the weather was, without a doubt, perfect! On Sunday, we decided to take full advantage of the sun and warm temperatures and head to Mont Rigaud (the local ski area about 30 minutes from us) to take in the Festival des Couleurs. There were many activities happening in the downtown area - pedal go-karts, magicians, horse/pony rides for kids, art exhibits, and craft and food vendors - but decided we would hit the ski area first. I figured it would be too hard to drag Arabella away from all the fun activities to take a ride up the ski lift to look at the beautiful trees. Smart right? Mont Rigaud opens the mountain so that you can either hike up or take the ski lift up to the top for beautiful views of the foliage and the area. We decided to take to ski lift up and then walk down - Arabella couldn't wait to try out the ski lift and it was her first ride on one! She did great and it was good practice for this winter for when she starts ski lessons.


Arabella did great on the ski lift and it was beautiful to see the bright red, gold and orange leaves on the trees. Autumn is by far my favorite season...I don't know why, but I just love all the beauty that surrounds us.


It was so beautiful at the top of the mountain.
They had a picnic area set up and many people had brought picnics...I wish I had planned better...but they did have some food you could purchase - they even had pitchers of beer!
We ended up purchasing a couple hot dogs and enjoyed them in the fresh air. It reminded me of autumns growing up when we would go to Lyman Orchards to pick apples and then go to the Apple Barrel store afterwards to buy cheese and other goodies - they also had hot grilled hot dogs and they were so delicious - must be something about eating them in the fresh, crisp air! Anyway, it was so good and we were able to relax and take it all in.


(I love this picture of Arabella - there is something about the way the sun is hitting her hair and her profile that is perfect - and I have to say that my camera is awesome, I wouldn't have been able to take a good picture like this without it!)
We ran into our friends Linda, Etienne and their kids, which was fun. Thanks Linda for taking some funny family shots of us!

In Robert Frost fashion, we decided to take the road less traveled, on the way down the mountain. Arabella and Jay took off running and had blast going down. I took my time - since I didn't wear sneakers and my back has been bothering me - so I was able to enjoy the beautiful scenery.









Arabella was so tired but waited patiently in line for the trampoline. We waited almost an hour...which was entirely too long to wait, but it was worth it. Arabella was all smiles and very quickly got the hang of it...must be all the gymnastics starting to pay off!



Very soon after jumping a few times, she figured out how to do a flip and then that was all that she wanted to do! There were even a few older kids who couldn't get the hang of the flips, but she did, way to go Arabella! Maybe you have a future as a gymnast or in Cirque du Soleil!





Arabella loved the trampoline and didn't want to get off of it, but she was so tired that she barely put up a fight when her time was up.
It was the perfect afternoon spent outdoors. All of the fresh air did us good and we all enjoyed ourselves. The evening was low key, but we did manage to go for a walk after dinner. It was right at dusk and the moon looked beautiful coming up.
Thanks Mother Nature for a beautiful Indian Summer Thanksgiving weekend!

Happy 36th Birthday Jay!

This past week was one of celebrations. First, our Anniversary, then my Birthday and finally Jay's Birthday on Friday. Arabella was excited to celebrate with another party and couldn't wait to make Jay's cookie cake! We baked the cake before we left for playgroup and then decorated it when we arrived home. Once again, she couldn't wait for after dinner to enjoy the cake so we gave it to him after lunch.




There were lots of sprinkles, Arabella did all the decorating herself, but it sure was delicious!

She even surprised Jay with the crafts that she made at playgroup for his presents. They were turkeys for Thanksgiving (which was celebrated here today).


Friday night, Arabella's favorite babysitter came over while Jay and I went to dinner and a movie. It was fun and a great way to end our Birthday week! Happy 36th Birthday, Jay!! We love you and hope you enjoyed your day!

Home Depot Project

Every 2nd Saturday of the month, Home Depot has a free in-store project for kids. I took Arabella on Saturday and met our friends, Tanya & Ryan, for some fun. This was the second project that Arabella has done - this time she made the tool box. She had a lot of fun and even saved part of the project to do at home with Jay. (They put the stickers on the tool box together). She was so proud of her project! Great job, Arabella! I am looking forward to going with you again next month!