AHHH THE FOOD!!!!!

Our Christmas is actually on the Eve. We have always opened our gifts at midnight on xmas eve. However, before that happens, we usually prepare a buffet for the evening. Everyone munches on that and usually go back for more many times lol. Cleo and her cousin Chantal below doing just that.

Each year I make a few old tryed and true things like egg salad sandwiches and ham sandwiches..we also have lots of crisp veggies with a choice of dips, cold cut platter, coleslaw or salad etc. This year Chris wanted to add some new things so he came up with a few new hors doeuvres as did I.

To help organize our work, Chris came up with a cute system. He wrote each dish we had planned on a post-it note, and stuck them on the cubboard door. We had so many that it made it easier to see them written out for us...as we finished one plate he would stick the corrisponding note onto another cubboard door..made it easy to keep track . Below is what that looked like...it was a great idea lol

This is the list, some of which may not sound yummy to some(especially in english lol) but they were all devine! delicious! delectable! I assure you!

Canape au fromage bleu et noix (blue cheese & nut canape)

Canape au chevre et raisin (goat cheese & grape slice canape)

Pruneau au bacon (prune rolled with bacon)

Viande froide (cold cuts)

Croutes du crevettes et poire( Shrimp/cheese & pear cups)

Couronne de crevettes( Shrimp platter)

Legumes cru et trempette (Veggies with 3 different dips)

Morceaux de fromage et autres ( Cheese plate with pickes, olives etc)

Salade de choux (Coleslaw)

Canape au Sammon fume et creme freshe( Smoked salmon with fresh cream with chives)

Canape au foie gras (goose liver canapes)

Champinions farcie (stuffed mushrooms)

Sandwich au jambon et oeufs ( egg & ham sandwiches)

Served with a local Ice Cider we love.

We had deserts of chocolate fudge I make each year , home made cookies, and an assortment of 4 types of individual cheese cakes that were to die for..(that I didn't make myself)

This was the food portion of our program today lol. Hope you enjoyed...now I wish we hadn't eaten it all! I am hungry again!

CHRISTMAS LETTER 2008

Now that most of my xmas cards have been recieved, I can post this years Christmas letter.

As another year flies by, I hope this letter finds you all well. We have had a few highlights this year. To start I guess it's unnecessary to mention we all survived being buried under 10 feet of snow last winter! Wow..it brought back childhood memories of one year in Fernie BC when we couldn't see the house across the street because the snow banks were so high. Dad actually fell off the roof while shovelling that year but didn't suffer a scratch!

Chris was like a kid in a candy store with each snow fall..he loves our Canadian winters. Every chance he gets to call home to shock his family with the weather status is a joy for him!

In April I was able to escape the remaining 8 feet of snow, as Chris took me home to France. I can't begin to express how welcome I felt and how enchanted I was with the country of my ancestors. Ironically, although we left a harsh winter, last spring in Paris was uncharacteristically cold. So everyone enjoyed making fun of the Canadian girl who was freezing! Let's make one thing clear. I dressed for a famous spring time in Paris and I had also lost 80lbs in the last year so this chick felt like she had no plumage on a few different levels! Thankfully we had some nice weather also.

My accent was a source of much amuzement all across France. Although I am fluent my accent isn't quite quebecoise nor is it english...so Chris had to translate a few things..as much for me as for them!

I must say I had the best tour guide. Chris drove over 4300 klms with the rental car! We spent some days in Paris, his parents live near Versailles and his sister Frederique and husband Chef Bernard, have a restaurant in the region of Normandie. I swear I have never eaten anything so good in all my 45 years on this earth!

We also went to the Haut Pyreennes to stay with his grandmother. It is 1 hour from Spain, so we spent a day there. We also had Chris' daughter Mahault age 16 and son Thomas age 14 with us for 2 weeks. It was a great time scouting out castles to visit and sites to see together. As we travelled towards Brittany where the kids live, we stopped in the Basque region...in Biarritz, a beach on the atlantic famous for great surfing and ofcourse topless sunbathers. I decided to refrain from exposing my ample attributes only because I didn't want to make the locals jealous or block out the sun, which ever came first...cough cough. It was hot and beautiful so the kids got their suits out to swim..and Chris and I had fun getting our feet wet on the shore.

We made our way to Brittany as the kids holiday was over..to then go onto visit a sight to be seen in ones lifetime. Mont Saint Michel. It was jaw dropping to see something built over 1000 yrs ago. Like a fortress raised above the ocean out of nowhere like a fantasy. We spent hours exploring and had supper there. To finally drive 4 hours back to Versailles. Our travels over the weeks had us almost going in a full circle.

The last week took us to the city of Lafleche in Normandie from where my paternal family ancestor came from. In 1653 Michel Bouvier among others travelled to Montreal when it was being colonized. I had the privilage to meet the towns culteral attachee who greeted us with a warm welcome. I was also presented with a beautiful book published of the the history of that very voyage. We also recieved a book of present day Lafleche depicted with lovely photos . I was taken to the archives to actually hold the oldest book of registrar they had. Written on the second page was the baptism of our ancestor in 1633! Had he been born 1 month earlier, they would not have had that record! The gentleman then spend an hour with us walking around the town center showing us many landmarks and the church where the baptism actually took place! It was quite an experience for me.

It was truelly a trip of a lifetime. His whole family also made me feel very welcome. Imbarrasingly for Chris, I got to hear all the childhood horror stories he was a part of growing up.

Last summer, we stuck close to home. Our deck needed to be rebuilt. It had seen better days so Chris rebuilt it with Cleo's help. I had visions of them killing themselves, swinging 8 foot planks around like Laurel and Hardy..but they did a great job. Cleo has never been afraid of power tools..unlike her mom. Give me a a sewing machine and a stapler anyday but just going near *man* tools gives me the heebeejeebees. (psst Truth be told, I always figured if I learned how to operate them I would be expected to actually use them...they fall under the same catagory as lawn mowers and snow blowers...not going there!)

Cleo is very busy in college in an arts program. She is still doing her classical piano lessons and learning guitar. Needless to say, she has a full plate. Oh and her hair is blue. It actually looks great but incase you are wondering, her father was NOT a smurf.

She turned 18 this past Sept. I think that all parents cosmically age 10 years when their children become adults. Our brain clicks a cog that says..OK what now?.But wait! They are grown, our job is done. I hope my parenting has enabled them to make the right choices for their future. Then we realize, ARE YOU INSANE!? Remember how you were at 18! OMG!.Then our brain reclicks the ..OK what now?!

Well, this sums up the highlights of our year. I wish my letter contained an electrical charge to automatically wake you now as its over. We hope you all have a terrific holiday season and the new year brings you new adventures, good health and happiness.

Till next year..sincerely Monette, Chris and Cleo ...0x0x0x

BEST GIFT IN THE MAIL EVER!!!

I recieved one of the best gifts ever in the mail! What a total treasure box of goodies! My very good friend Cheri is a baking genius and I am one of the lucky ones who gets to taste the fruits of her labor. I was godsmacked when I recieved this large shoe box FULL to the rim with 13...YES.. 13 different kinds of cookies, squares and confections of all sorts...all individually packed in half dozen bags!

OMG! It's enough to make this fat girl tear up!

But mostly, it's such a gift of time, and loving care. How touching and valuable is that I ask? Needless to mention the fortune it cost to ship across Canada from Victoria BC .

So, thank you again Cheri my dear friend of over 25 yrs..Words are so hard to express , as my mouth is full at the moment!!!!

Eat your hearts out hehe....they are all MINE !!!...oh damn, I better share with my family...lol.

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN

It's that time of year again...Above is a sample of my hand done caligraphy. My most satifying moment during this time is when I have mailed out all my xmas cards and parcels. It's like a total load off lol.

I actually cut my xmas card list down this year...I only sent out 34..as compared to close to 60 last year. I guess it was time....when you send a card for years and never get one back or even get any news from some ppl, it's time to stop lol. We get in such a habit with such things..we forget to take stock.

NOt to say I only send out a card to recieve one back. I understand that some ppl just aren't into it. If I get a call to say hello, or get an email catching up with me...it's basically about staying in contact. I realized that I had many family and so called friends, on my card list that I haven't even heard from in years...or really never made any sort of effort...I guess I just kept it up out of some sort of personal loyalty. That's done! lol...and I saved over 25$ in stamps!

Cards to me are like a gift of a pretty card and our time ...as I have said before....The time it takes to write a quick word inside, address the envelope, we are thinking of that person. I always put a xmas letter in my cards...and I do the address on the envelope in caligraphy. It's a hobby of mine and I think it just adds a nice touch of special to each envelope.

If it's a card I give personally, I just put the name and then do gold highlights and swirlys to embellish it all, as I did in the above photo.

So there you have it....

Do you have any special personal touches you do for certain things? If so, please share.

I HAVEN'T BEEN AROUND BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN TRAINING HARD TO BRING YOU THIS.......

Hope you enjoy the show...we trained a long time...hense my absense for awhile...It's really hard to teach an old dog new tricks I tell ya...Chris had a really hard time with some of the steps!!!

http://moonbeamsincyberspaceblogspot.com/

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY

I recieved this story from a friend in an email. I just had to post it on my blog, first because of my blog name...and second, because I think you will all enjoy this little tidbit as much as I did!!

ON JULY 20, 1969, AS COMMANDER OF THE APOLLO 11 LUNAR MODULE, NEIL ARMSTRONG WAS THE FIRST PERSON TO SET FOOT ON THE MOON.

HIS FIRST WORDS AFTER STEPPING ON THE MOON, 'THAT'S ONE SMALL STEP FOR MAN, ONE GIANT LEAP FOR MANKIND,' WERE TELEVISED TO EARTH AND HEARD BY MILLIONS..

BUT JUST BEFORE HE RE-ENTERED THE LANDER, HE MADE THE ENIGMATIC REMARK 'GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY.'

MANY PEOPLE AT NASA THOUGH IT WAS A CASUAL REMARK CONCERNING SOME RIVAL SOVIET COSMONAUT.

HOWEVER, UPON CHECKING, THERE WAS NO GORSKY IN EITHER THE RUSSIAN OR AMERICAN SPACE PROGRAMS.

OVER THE YEARS MANY PEOPLE QUESTIONED ARMSTRONG AS TO WHAT THE 'GOOD LUCK, MR. GORSKY... STATEMENT MEANT, BUT ARMSTRONG ALWAYS JUST SMILED.

ON JULY 5, 1995, IN TAMPA BAY , FLORIDA , WHILE ANSWERING QUESTIONS FOLLOWING A SPEECH, A REPORTER BROUGHT UP THE 26-YEAR-OLD QUESTION TO ARMSTRONG. THIS TIME HE FINALLY RESPONDED.

MR. GORSKY HAD DIED, SO NEIL ARMSTRONG FELT HE COULD ANSWER THE QUESTION.

IN 1938 WHEN HE WAS A KID IN A SMALL MID-WEST TOWN , HE WAS PLAYING BASEBALL WITH A FRIEND IN THE BACKYARD.

HIS FRIEND HIT THE BALL, WHICH LANDED IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD BY THE BEDROOM WINDOWS.

HIS NEIGHBORS WERE MR. AND MRS. GORSKY.
AS HE LEANED DOWN TO PICK UP THE BALL, YOUNG ARMSTRONG HEARD MRS. GORSKY SHOUTING AT MR. GORSKY.

'SEX! YOU WANT SEX?! YOU'LL GET SEX WHEN THE KID NEXT DOOR WALKS ON THE MOON!'

JUST A FEW THINGS

I just had to post this. When I was shopping last weekend with my daughter for her bday. We went into a kitchen store..and I just burst out laughing when I saw this knife holder! I am glad I found a photo of the exact same one online. It's apparently called the Voodoo Knife holder, I call it HALARIOUS LOL!

You just have to admit, the person who thought of this is either really funny, or just plain psycho! LOL

On a totally different note...I was on my deck this week..when I heard the far away sound of the Geese. It's such an unmistakeable sound. I waited till they came into view. I wasn't dissappointed.

As fall is now here, it's the time for our Canadian Geese to migrate south. I never tire of hearing and seeing this spectacular display. I find it quite remarkable. The thought that they can fly 1000 miles at once is incredible. The V formation has been proven to be very effective in their ability to use aerodynamics ...we learn so much from studying wildlife.

The photo below is one taken by a friend of mine...They are a beautiful bird..and I just love that she captured this one standing on one foot lol. Thanks Amy..great pic.

As much as I would have loved to take a great photo of the canadian geese flying by my home...it never turns out very good. I am thankful that my friend Amy found this really nice one for me. I wanted one of the geese flying in V formation.

I am always stuck with awe when I see this gift of nature in action. As I have read abit about canadian geese, I found out that they are among one of the most talkative birds...from birth they squawk to eachother loudly. It's the reason why we can hear them coming, regardless of how high in the sky they are.

I have found myself watching them and wondering what they are saying to eachother...and I amuse myself by making up convos like....

........Hey Bill, how you doing over there buddy? Want to trade places for awhile?

........Naw, thanks but I think Betsy over there needs a break...do we have room at the back?

........KIDS! For the love of god, stop asking "ARE WE THERE YET?" I swear we will stop so I can tie your beaks shut!!!

As the leaves turn colour and the canadian geese fly by...I know it will soon be time to fill bags full of leaves, clean the garden and flower beds. One of those days outside when you get rosey cheeks, breath in clear fresh air and feel good about preparing your yard for next year. Then we look forward to Thanksgiving then Halloween. There is something special about every season.....and as each comes and goes, we look forward to another.

This thanksgiving Oct 11th weekend...I am really looking forward to it. Chris and I have been invited to spend the weekend at a good friends house. She lives about 2 hours north of us. We don't see her often.

They just spent 2 weeks in France...so our weekend will be to exchange all our stories and photos from France from both our trips. It will be so much fun to recount and share our experiences. Lyn also plans for the weekend menu to be typically french food....OMG I CAN'T WAIT!!

I will have more on that weekend, after it happens lol. 10 days and counting!

OMG MY DAUGHTER IS 18!

Where has the time gone? Seems like only a few years ago, I held my beautiful baby Cleo in my arms. Now she is officially an ...ADULT!...OMG!...

I am not as freaked out as I seem honestly, but I have been trying to remember all those things she asked permission for over the years..when I answered ....NO WAY!... When you are 18 it will be your choice, untill then, IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!

As I think back, I should be afraid...VERY AFRAID!...I seriously hope she has some of her mom's common sense lol. Never the less, she must make her own mistakes and hopefully learn from them. She is turning out to be a very special young woman. Her future will be filled with adventures and experiences. I hope that some of the things I have tryed to teach her over these years, will have sunk in lol.

I know she will find her own way, In her own way.

In Canada, legal drinking age, varies in the provinces between 18 or 19 yrs old. Here in Quebec it is 18. ...although, not being totally nieve, I do know she has been to a few clubs already...(eye roll)..Now she can be there LEGALLY...(oy vey + eye roll).

Thankfully she refuses to get in a car with anyone who has been drinking or under the influence. Unfortunately, she learned that the hard way...by being in a minor accident for that very reason last year....it scared her enough to make her adiment about it today. Of that I am very thankful.

Below are a cpl funny photos, taken of her last week...She was covered in paint! It was initiation week....hense her colourful attire lol...When she walked in the house after school, I just started laughing LOL!

Atleast the blue went well with her hair LOL!

Her birthday was last saturday the 20th. She spend the day at her dad's house. As she loves music, he got her a decent classical guitar. She has been learning to play ...She has a musician friend teaching her and he is blown away on how fast she is learning. She is also adamant about continuing her piano lessons each week. So far, she is managing all that with her full caseload in college.

Sunday was our day to spend with her. We went shopping in Montreal. She needed some clothes so we had fun finding things she liked. We later went out for supper at one of her fav resturants...along with her best friend Mel and her cousin Chantal. It was a very enjoyable day.

I think she was happy about the whole weekend...I would be. Everyone was very generous, she got spoiled...as it should be...her family is proud of her...

Je t'aime ma belle Cleo..je suis fiere de toi.......0x0x

AS THIS SUMMER COMES TO A CLOSE...

As this summer comes to a close I have to say that it's been a pretty good one for me. Many here would complain about all the rain we had , and we honestly got alot! I for one, am thankful. I hardly watered my flowers or garden all season ! My flowers are full and brimming and my garden graced us with luscious tomatoes and cucumbers in no time!

This summer I watched my daughter work hard next to her step dad Chris as they rebuilt our deck. They were both so proud of their accomplishment and had fun doing it.

I am also proud as Cleo returns to college this fall. After doing a whole semester last session of just credit courses in order to get into the program she was hoping for, it paid off. She started the arts program last week. It is fun to see how excited she is about it.

A friend of hers took some pretty cool photos of her this summer and tweeked some with colour...this one below is not tweeked however, her eyes really are that colour as is her hair lol. If u want to see the few others, I put them in the flickr..just double click on this to see the others.

I have enjoyed watching the squirrels from the deck, as I am sure they have enjoyed watching us.

Other things I enjoy watching...mmm....oops, sorry, got side tracked by my husbands backside.....just give me a moment.........................................................................

..........BACK to more photos ........ Shinoo, also enjoyed watching the squirrels or the 2 other dogs goofing around as usual....

My flowers never looked better then this year either... even alot fuller then last time I posted a pic....the moon faced statue could still be seen in the past pic, now u can hardly see the top of his head lol

Autumn begins, routines kick in...the leaves start to fall and the flowers will die. Although some may be sad I look forward to the next adventures to come. We must make room for the new growth , the new year, the new things in our lives to sprout.......Ok, in these parts, we usually have to dig ourselves out of banks of snow first but hey, it's all part of the fun lol!

I know many of you out there live in places that have little season changes unlike us. I personally love the change of season, there is something to be enjoyed with every season ...or not lol...and always something to look forward to for the next one.

Do you like the different seasons, or would u prefer to live in a climate that has very little change, no snow, no real fall...you get my drift? What are your thoughts?

FUN WEEK!!

We had a great time during Judy's visit. Chris had the week off and the weather was actually the best we had all summer! It only rained one evening, and it turned out to be the evening we were at the Montreal Casino, so it didn't matter! LOL....No, we didn't win big, nor did we lose big lol...The fun is in playing a few slots and checking out all 5 floors of the casino. It's pretty cool, having been the France Pavillion for Expo 67.

We also spend time at the old port of MOntreal, took a tour trolley to travel along the length of the port..

Me and Judy on the tour trolley....

We also did the 3 hour drive to Quebec City...always worth the trip, but this summer especially. All summer was full of festivities celebrating their 400th anniversary. It is the oldest settlement in all of North America! ...

We stopped at the base of the Chateau for a snack...I took this photo there, it's one of my favs of Chris, so I had to put it here lol

Boardwalk up at the Chateau Frontenac

We had a great day in Quebec, got alot of walking down most every day we went out. We also enjoyed sitting out on the deck and having lazy days at home or just being goofy.... We went shopping ofcourse...and I had a cpl friends over for supper, the only friends I have here who actualy also speak english, so that Judy had other ppl then just us to talk to for an evening lol!

To be honest, it really seemed like we had gotten together many times before, since we have been chatting atleast 7 yrs...it was actually odd to think it was the first time we were together face to face. So needless to say, we had a great time and I hope she enjoyed her visit.

This last photo was taken on her last day here. Sitting out on the deck wondering where the week went! It was a real treat for me to have a friend here and I think we spend more time laughing then anything else.

Many more photos from our escapades...just double click on any photo here and u will be able to see all of them. Enjoy.

Have you had the pleasure of meeting some great online friends? I know I have asked a similar question...I have known some people to be afraid to meet online aquaintances...I think everything should be done with common sense...and there are very different circumstances ofcourse....What is your overall opinion on the subject?

REAL FRIENDSHIPS

I am super excited today! One of my long time online chat friends is flying across the country from Vancouver to spend a week with us! I can't wait!

I met Judy online atleast 7 yrs ago. Wow how the time flys. I was chatting with her before I even met Chris in the same chatroom online. We hit it off right away and aways said that some day we would get together.

In the past 2 yrs we have chatted much more. She is even a business partner in SecondLife with me lol. We have our own jewelry line in the virtual world with a nice little store.

I think its been a rare day that we haven't talked in the last 2 yrs, except for being away on vacation etc. I really look forward to spending a week showing her around and just hanging out with her.

I have been very fortunate in the past yrs to meet some online friends and forge life long friendships. I have rarely been disappointed by the meeting of people in real life. Let's face it, sometimes they really don't resemble who they portray themselves to be online. Those are the risks. You smile and when it's over you move on lol, I have been lucky in that, it has only happened a couple times. I will never regret meeting them though. I have made very dear friends over the yrs, because I took the oportunity to meet them when the occasion arose.

Heck, I married one of those people! lol.

So , she arrives tonight. Chris was able to work during the day today, so the timing was perfect to pick her up at the airport when his day is done. Supper will be on the table waiting for them.

One other great thing about having company is that you clean abit deeper then your normal routine lol. My house is pretty clean but man, when company is coming, I make sure no corner is left unclean lol. You know, move all the furniture, do the windows, empty and reorganizing the cutlery drawers lol. So that's what I have been doing all week..but rest assured, its done, so I will be doing NOTHING for the next week while visiting with my friend!

Tomorrow we are taking her to downtown Montreal...this yr they have closed down the Main Street, St.Catherines ST. all summer long like a sidewalk sale. Very cool idea. its a street full of interesting stuff so to be able to walk down the middle of it with the store wears on the street, will be fun. We will probably take her to our fav Smoked Meat restaurant. We plan to do Old Montreal, the Casino, among other things, and this week we will be driving 3 hrs to Quebec City...since this summer is the 400th anniversary, lots has been going on all summer. It is the Oldest part of North America!

We are having friends over for bbq on Sunday. It's supposed to be nice, so we can enjoy the new deck lol. My friend and her bf are among the very few I know here that can speak english lol. Everyone else I know only speaks french. So it will be nice for Judy to have other ppl to talk to then just us lol.

I will be taking pics this week to share ...for now I am off to do some baking and cooking for tonight. ...

Question...Do you often take in your local sights or do u wait for company from abroad to visit, to see them yourselves ?

BLOOMING SUMMER

Thought I would put some summer in my blog today . I certainly don't presume to be a photographer of any sort..with my little digital camera lol...as quality of closeup will atest too. I do however still enjoy photographing the wonder of the blooms I am fortunate to have in my own yard.

To start, here is the BLOOMING pile of discarded wood in the driveway. We have to bundle it up and haul it to an appropriet dumping ground...unless ofcourse any of you wish to take it to burn? If so, please contact me lol.

Here are some perenials in the back yard...

As I did last winter...I thought it would be fun to remember what the front yard looked like only 4 months ago March. Hard to believe...

....and now....July...

....below..again...March..

..and now...july...

I love to see the flowers filling out...they will look even better next month lol...the ones among the rocks will fill out even more...this has been a great yr, lot's of heat with short thunder storms, then sun again...We are already eating tomatoes and yellow beans from the garden. I already have small cucumbers . We have lots of zuccini flowers started, so they should start soon, first time planting those. The peas are close to being ready to pic...we actually only plant peas to eat them raw lol...its fun, while in the garden to pick and open the pods lol.

Have you planted a garden this yr, if so hows it doing? Ours isn't very big but its fun to go get stuff for dinner directly from our own garden....so satifying to know u helped create from seed, something on your plate!

ALOT OF SCREWING GOING ON!

This summer the deck needed to be rebuilt. I am not sure how many yrs ago it had been built but it's been atleast 15 yrs. Long before I bought this house 7 yrs ago.

So the plan was to replace all the floor boards and the beams underneath, plus all the cross planks. We only planned to keep the side rails. We will replace those with different ones next yr. Hoping to do front stairs leading down to another open platform next summer. For now we are doing what we can afford ...and prevent one of us (probably me) falling through the damn thing!

Chris had Cleo to help him. She was a huge help and thankfully she isn't afraid of hard work. I just supervised through the doorway, while taking photos lol....(hey, I have to care for Luc our blind guy remember?) ....(was very thankful of that this week lol).

Here they are tearing up the rotten planks....

Damn, some are harder then others!!! ...........

Yeeehaaa...the floor is off!!

Two TOOLS posing with their weapons of choice......YO!

All the new under beams and planks are done...the worst was during a horribly humid day that was 103F...I don't know how they did it!

Last screw on the deck floor!...In all they screwed almost 1200 screws!...Now that's alot of screwing!!

Mom, what do u mean I'm not dressed appropriately? I have my safety glasses on and my steel toed boots......

>mom " Oh nevermind"

OMG! WE ARE DONE!!!

They worked so hard, I am proud of them both!! From tues to sat they really gave it their all. Yesterday was beautiful out, after everything was put back on the deck we enjoyed a nice supper out on our SAFE new deck! ( double click on any pic to go to flicker to see a few more photos to this series if u want)

Anyone else with reno projects this summer? What are u doing? Or just going away on holiday this yr? Share...

CARNIVAL IS IN TOWN!!

Growing up in a small town, we always got so excited when the travelling Carnival came to town. As a little girl, I remember being so in awe of all the excited noises, the sparkling lights , the smell of cotton candy and popcorn, caramel apples. That curious gypsy way of life the ppl worked there was also intreguing to me.

Oh and the rides were also alot of fun too! LOL

Even now..that little girl feeling flutters inside of me when the Carnival comes to town. I can't wait to take in the the sights and sounds.

Where we live is just a block from the area they set up every yr, next to the Hockey Arena.. So Chris and I walked over there last Sat evening.

The sound of the little ones on the rides, the parents taking photos as fast as they can, at each turn the child gets close lol.

The Games...the prizes..the pull by the vendors...STEP RIGHT UP! ...WIN A PRIZE!..

OH the Screams from the bigger rides!!..The loud music..the teens trying to hold on tight, while flying around at warp speed, all while clinging to the stuffed toy their bf won for them.

I rarely get on those rides anymore. I just enjoy watcing others scream with glee or hyseria lol.

My hero won me a stuffed toy too YAY! I was all giddy like a school girl...I chose a kitty...so our dogs would go nuts tearing it apart lol. It even has a meow build into it.

So I asked Chris to smile pretty with the toy, for the camera....so the good husband that he is...did......

Then I asked him to show us how he REALLY FELT!! about winning his prey.....

He came, and he conquored!!!!.......HE DE MAN!!! ARGH ARGH ARGH!!

So the woman is proud and happy with her MAN... bats her eyelashes looking up at him....As they head home, she glides next to him, with her hand in the crook of his arm, and he saunters, chest puffed out.....all the way home.

Atlast...the new kitty is introduced to the dogs...as u can see Clochette is smitten with the kitten lol..Shinoo could care less...and well Tayo, our boy is no where to be seen as the meowing makes him cry LMAO!!

Needless to say, we had a really nice evening...

The fresh, hot little beignettes, drenched in icing sugar ...we brought home to have with coffee.....was the "icing" on the cake lol.

Do you like the travelling Carnavals or u would rather just go to the big theme parks? I don't mind seeing those pib parks once in a while, but something is to be said for those small carnivals....If it weren't for them, I would never have seen anything like it growing up.