Tag Archives: friends

an afternoon with Buddha…

15 Thursday Mar 2012

Posted by in Lucy, play

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Lucy has a special friend named Buddha. He’s my wonderful friend, Louise’s dog and he is also a ‘rescue dog’. He’s been to the cabin once and I was happy to see that Lucy got along very well with him! Remember when I first got Lucy and she was still shy and aggressive with other dogs and some people? It’s so wonderful to see how far she has come in her social skills since then!

Since Buddha’s visit, I’ve been teasing Lucy about her ‘boyfriend’: he’s tall, dark and handsome; loves the outdoors; gentle, playful, patient and easygoing… the perfect ‘guy’ for such an energetic four-legged redhead!

Today, we went to Buddha’s place in Leduc. Louise and I had a nice visit and Lucy and Buddha had a play date out back.

It was a very windy day but the dogs didn’t seem to mind! They played, rested, barked at the neighbor’s puppy and enjoyed one another’s company. This is my favorite picture of Buddha. It was a lovely afternoon of spending time connecting with friends!

making handmade cards with friends

20 Monday Feb 2012

Posted by in handmade, make it

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What better way to spend Family Day than with friends (who are like family!) doing something fun together. I love it when E (and her brother M) comes over as we often get busy with a project and then chat the entire time. By the time we’re done with whatever we’re working on, we have finished projects and we are all caught up on each other’s busy lives… well, until the next time we see each other!

As M was out sledding, E, H and I decided to put the bird house project on hold and make cards instead. We all chose the same style (tri-fold) but then chose different colors and themes. Here is E’s custom-made birthday card for her friend:

I decided to keep it simple and stick to a ‘writer’s theme’ for my card:

H went for a more vintage look with these elegant cards:

Some of the stamps and papers were purchased from Stampin’ Up! while the others were random purchases from local craft stores.

I hope you all had a great Family Day surrounded by your own friends and families, making memories, sharing stories, ideas and laughter. 🙂

cooking with kids: a holiday brunch

25 Sunday Dec 2011

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cook

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My good friends, M and E are ‘home’ at their cabin for Christmas holidays along with their cousin Mi (these are three of the five kids who built that amazing fort last summer). Whenever we get together, we always seem to end up either exploring outside or doing something fun and creative inside. As it was Christmas Eve morning, we thought it would be fun to give their parents a nice break and cook a big brunch for them here at the cabin.

M was in complete charge of the waffles, making the batter himself and doubling the recipe (we tease him about the math and fractions!!!) to ensure that we would have enough for everyone.

His sister, E collected the finished waffles and put them in the oven to keep warm. They were delicious!

Cousin, Mi was in charge of the eggs and scrambled them to perfection.

E was in charge of fruit punch. She mixed the juice, then poured it into a nice glass pitcher and added frozen Saskatoon berries and wild raspberries as fruity ‘ice cubes’.

I made bacon and some cheese tarts earlier in the morning. After only an hour of team-cooking we were ready. The kitchen was even clean as E and I had washed a load of the cooking dishes and put them away. The grown ups arrived right on time and were seated. M kept making waffles while M and E served the food and I poured hot coffee.

It was a delicious brunch and everything tasted great! After a few hours of taking our time eating and chatting around the table, the grown ups left (we told them they were not allowed to help) and the team got back to work cleaning up. Actually, the boys did the dishes while E and I took turn providing the music (E on piano, me on guitar).  M couldn’t resist a dance with Lucy (she adores him)…

It was truly a fun morning spending time with my good friends, laughing together, getting caught up on their lives, and working as a team to give their parents a nice break and the gift of a leisurely brunch. Merry Christmas, Everyone!

frog & toad: honoring my mentors

19 Wednesday Oct 2011

Posted by in read

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One morning Toad sat in bed.

“I have many things to do,” he said. “I will write them all down on a list so that I can remember them.”

Toad wrote on a piece of paper: A List of Things To Do Today.

Then he wrote: Wake Up.

“I have done that,” said Toad, and he crossed out: Wake Up.

While tidying the cabin today I came across my Frog and Toad series by Arnold Lobel. Frog and Toad have been heros of mine since I first discovered them while working at Chapters bookstore about ten years ago. I collected all four volumes, read them to young friends whenever I can, and often use their stories when teaching young children.

I love Frog and Toad because they have so many hobbies and interests that are similar to my own. I am always impressed at how they have wonderful adventures while remaining calm, cultured and enjoying a sophisticated life in nature.

They are fellow bookworms, reading while they fish…

…reading together in tree houses…

…and reading to each other.

They write lists, stories, letters and poetry…

They creat art…

…and play the piano…

… and dream of being in the theatre.

They rake leaves in Autumn…

…and tend to their gardens with singing, poetry and violin playing.

They take time to enjoy the finer things in life, like good conversation and a glass of wine by the fireside…

 … and they drink copious pots of hot tea.

Frog and Toad were caught in the rain. They ran to Frog’s house.

“I am all wet,” said Toad.

“Have some tea and cake,” said Frog. “The rain will stop. If you stand near the stove, your clothes will soon be dry. I will tell you a story while we are waiting,” said Frog.

“Oh good,” said Toad…

Frog and Toad taught me to always carry a book wherever I go; to be kind to all of the animals in the forest; to take time for fires and tea and freshly baked cakes and cookies; to value poetry, art, music, warm quilts in winter and tweed suit jackets; to give myself permission to say, “BLAH!!!” whenever appropriate… and to celebrate true friendship when found. And so I raise my own glass of wine as sit by this fireside in a toast to my two heros, mentors and imaginary companions…

Cheers!

Resources:

Lobel, A. (1970). Frog and Toad Are Friends. HarperCollins Publishers: New York

(1971). Frog and Toad Together. HarperCollins Publishers: New York

(1976). Frog and Toad All Year. HarperCollins Publishers: New York

(1979). Days With Frog and Toad. HarperCollins Publishers: New York

recent close encounters

07 Friday Oct 2011

Posted by in cabin living, wild life

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The last mornings have been foggy, giving our walks on the trail a dreamy quality. Earlier in the week, Lucy and I encountered a large buck moose, just to the right where this picture was taken. It was on a misty evening and the moose and I watched each other for quite some time until Lucy (oblivious and sniffing around in the tall grass) finally noticed the moose and went running towards him. She didn’t chase him far, the way she does with the deer. Instead, she seemed more sober and respectful of this great majestic animal. It was a magical encounter and I regretted leaving my camera at home on that particular evening as I would have been close enough for a good shot.

Also last week, as I was working on the blog, I watched as a large red fox ran down my driveway and out into the back woods. It was graceful and beautiful and so quick on its feet!

Then, driving home from the city yesterday, I saw a large coyote in the ditch on the side of the road. The grass was shorter there so I had a very good look at this beautiful, wild creature as I passed by.

And finally, today there were close encounters with mice. (eek!) This afternoon, I took some friends to the garden to choose a pumpkin. As I lifted the tarp that was protecting the hardening produce, a mouse darted out from under it and ran towards little 3-year old W, over both her little feet and then kept on running. We all laughed with her in delight of this close encounter. Then the mouse ran over to T (husband) and he jumped and again we all laughed. Meanwhile, a second mouse was running towards my dear friend F, and this time the laughter turned to ear-piercing shrieks and a funny lop-sided jig as she tried to jump out of the way. And there I was, clicking away and catching it all on camera (as I was taking family photographs outdoors with them this afternoon at the cabin).  Yes, deep belly laughs and memories made -and captured!