The great tree costume

This year in early September when I was asking the kids what they wanted to be for Halloween, my youngest explained  "I'd like to be a tree, because I'm pretty tall."  And so my quest to make a tree costume was born.

The first thing I did was go to Google images and search up tree costumes.

I found this image.  I tried to go back to the site this page is posted on to credit the photo but it's buried in Pinterest.  From what I can gather from Google images this teacher was doing a musical and came up with this tree costume.

So now I had my inspiration.  I needed brown pants and some kind of hoodie I could attach leaves too.  At this point I didn't know where the leaves were going to come from but worst case scenario I could make them from felt.

I lied, the first thing I did was tell Marnie that we needed to make a tree costume.  Then I looked up tree costumes on Google images.  Once I had a picture to show Marn, she invited me down to Michael's.  Do you know what I found there?  Fake fall leaf garlands for 60% off.  Marnie is magical that way.  With the leaves all ready to go, it was just a matter of constructing the base.  Brown pants were in order.

It is very hard to find brown boys pants.  I see brown boys pants everywhere but when I went looking for them, nada, zip, zilch.  Until I found them buried under a stack of grey jogger pants at old Navy.There were some very red brown pants that no one wanted because red brown pants are...well...very brown and don't go with very many things.  However, they look really good as the trunk of a tree.

A kid's Halloween costume has to follow  three basic rules.  I've learned this over the last 9 years of dressing kids up for Halloween: no masks, no accessories that have to be carried and you must be able to run.

masks can look really great but five minutes into trick or treating and you are carrying it.  Even if the mask is a transformer and looks unbelievably cool with the rest of the costume.  It will be off your child's face and in your hands shortly after the first doorbell ring. 

If the costume requires you to carry a sword - you guessed it - you, not your pirate, will be carrying a sword.  A way to solve this "carrying an accessory" challenge is to attach it to the child's costume; holsters work nicely and so do carabineers attached to belt loops, ninja swords can be taped to your back, and accessories that basically make the costume can be worn around necks (fake nooses, stethoscopes), wrists (dangling hand cuff), etc. Just don't have them carry it in their hand.

This costume met all those requirements.  Now I just needed to find a hoody.  Or so I thought.

Marnie and I were on an errand to drop of Salvation Army donations and she encouraged me to go in to their second hand store.  There I found a gorgeous green cable knit sweater with flecks of orange, brown, red and yellow for $3; yep you heard me: three dollars!  The perfect backdrop for fall leaves and it would keep you relatively warm which would eliminate the "you must wear a jacket" fight. 

I'm convinced that Marnie's pure heart attracts this crazy secret energy of the universe that offers up just about anything you want.  And I shamelessly take full advantage.

So at last I had everything I needed, brown pants for the trunk, green textured sweater for the limbs, leaves to make it look somewhat tree like and safety pins to attach the leaves to the sweater.

And there you go!

The best part of Halloween is trick or treating.  The second best part is the next day. Because Nov 1st heralds the beginning of Christmas planning.  I'll be honest, I start thinking about Christmas in July, but I can start talking about it when Halloween ends.  Only to like minded people (read Marnie) though, otherwise I get into trouble.  But it's coming folks, and I will be ready!

Pumpkin spice and polka dots

Marnie and I had to go to a celebration of life and we misunderstood what time it started so we had 45 minutes to kill.  Fortunately the ceremony was being held within walking distance of both a Starbucks and a Disney store.  Two excellent ways to celebrate "pumpkin spice" season.

I'm convinced this was orchestrated by the individual who's life we were going to celebrate. He would have gotten such a kick out of us fooling around before offering what comfort we could to his family.

First stop Starbucks.  For you guessed it, decaf pumpkin spice lattes.  Marnie had never had one before.  What?!  I know!  I actually introduced her to something.  Although we quickly learned that she needs a half shot of syrup because the sugar had her buzzing.

This was fantastic to watch as she zoomed around the Disney store trying on clothes and exclaiming over details.  I headed for the cars section and Marn went straight for the pajamas.  Apparently Disney pajamas are the softest, comfiest PJs on the planet.  And lo and behold, in honour of Halloween - she found these beauties:

 They are very soft.  They've got Mini.  Aaaand.... polka dots!

I spent fifteen minutes looking for the TV commercial where the woman is sitting on the bench talking about how much she loves pumpkin spice season and the guy beside her says "you mean fall?" And she says "yes, that's what I said".  But I couldn't find it anywhere so I'm leaving you with John Oliver's pumpkin spice rant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeQqe0oj5Ls

Flowers, Some Wildlife and a Marching Band or Five

This past Victoria long weekend we went to Victoria - it seemed appropriate - to meander the gardens and watch the Victoria day parade.  I got my spring flower fix. There's nothing so beautiful as a sun drenched flower.  And bonus, mother nature provided us with some company.

Those are turtles sunning themselves on that log.

Here they are up close and personal.  So great!

Not to be outdone baby ducks showed up.

Many of the flowering bushes were in bloom.  In my part of the world Rhododendrons are in season.

The colour of these flowers was extraordinary.

I also love them in white.

These purple gems were everywhere.  We've also got them growing at our house. Speaking of purple gems, my mother in law had these on her patio and I want them.

 Having been saturated in floral beauty it was time to turn my attention to the most energizing form of music on the planet - the march.  Victoria's Victoria day parade has such great marching bands. Most of them are high school students and they are local, from the mainland or from Washington and Oregon.  And holy smokes do they do a good job.  A spine tingling, toe tapping, goose bump raising good job.

I loved these guys because they were in kilts.  Such a great idea!

There's something about a feather in one's cap, no?

I love, love, love a drum line.  And this day I was not disappointed.  Also, how cool are these uniforms?

Every single one of these bands were mesmerizing.

Drum and tuba line - Squee!

I know very little about marching bands.  I can only imagine how much practice it takes to play an instrument and then play an instrument while precision marching.  The level of dedication of these musicians is phenomenal, not to mention the support teams that work like the dickens so they can practice, travel, look spiffy in their uniforms and perform.  It's actually exhausting just thinking about it.  And then I show up on a sunny day and get to be thoroughly entertained.  I am such a fan!

The icing on the marching band cake if you will, is the piper band.  I can't watch a piper band without getting chocked up.  I can't write about a piper band without getting choked up.  There is something so thrillingly dramatic about a bag pipe.  And more than one creates a haunting musical experience that reached right into my soul and squeezes.  Add drums to that and I'm lost.

My photo sucks - but you get the idea.  And to hammer it home, I'll leave you with a little tune these guys play that reduces me to a blubbering idiot of fanatical appreciation.

A Fiesta For Fifty

I was sitting at my son's school PAC (parent advisory committee) meeting when I found myself inadvertently criticizing the teacher appreciation lunch.  Once I shone a light on what was missing I was automatically in charge of the next one.  That's how it works, and I knew better, but I was tired.

So I agreed to organizing the school's teacher appreciation lunch.  And then because the budget was small, I thought "I wonder if I could cater it.".  Having been inspired by Ree Drummond and Nancy Fuller who cater for huge groups all the time, I thought "this might be fun".

It was!  it was a blast.  It was also nerve racking because I'd never fed fifty before and I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out.  Fortunately I was not alone, and everyone bought into my ideas and was willing to help me make them a reality.  That's an awesome feeling and left me on an appreciation high for days.

Here's what we did:

I turned to fellow mom volunteer creative team Sara and Christine to implement my fiesta decoration ideas, with a little help from Party City and Sara's mom; who is essentially a party city unto herself. Sara combed Pinterest - that magical land of inspirational ideas -  and found this Mexican-esque table skirt.  Here's the link.

So perfect right?! 

Fabulous parent volunteers making the skirt

We used tried and true sombreros filled with tortilla chips as the center pieces

And hung  tissue paper pompoms from the ceiling.

 We had fiesta-themed music in the background; Gypsy Kings, Pittbull, Serena
Gomez; Lady Gaga; an amazing rendition of America from West Side Story done by the London Cello Orchestra, Sergio Mendez, Gloria Estefan and so many more.  Truthfully, my favourite part of this whole experience other than the outcome was sourcing this playlist.

To get everyone in a fiesta mood we offered mock Margaritas, in a marg glass with little lime wedges. Okay maybe that was my favourite part.

I wish I'd gotten a close up shot of these glasses.

 This is were Party City came in.  I sourced the sombreros and glassware from there.  They had such an amazing variety of fiesta themed products.  Alas my budget was very tight.

Everyone knows that it doesn't matter how pretty the glass is if the substance within is no good.  And our mock margaritas were very, very good.  I found this amazing recipe on the Colorado Lady's blog.  It was incredibly tasty, incredibly easy and fit in perfectly with the theme.

Sara even got one parent to carve a cactus from a watermelon.  The parents at my son's school are really fantastic.

And now what you've all been waiting for... the menu.  To quote Nancy Fuller - "fresh is best" and just about everything we served was homemade. Unfortunately in all the hubbub I completely forgot to take a photo of the spread.  You will just have to use your imagination and next year I'll assign a photographer.

We offered two kinds of tacos - soft and hard.  We served shredded chicken, taco seasoned ground beef and the most amazing meat on the planet - Morton's tri-tip. I buy it at the US Costco.  We also had Mexican red rice and refried beans - Thank you Yajaira!   And then everyone could dress their plate however they wanted.  We had homemade pico de gallo; homemade salsa; sharp cheddar, colby and jack cheeses, Homemade salsa verde; sour cream, olives, jalapenos, black beans, and this fantastic dressing that I took from Ree Drummond.  It's so good I could eat it like soup.

So there you have it.  A successful Tex Mex Fiesta for 50. Everyone enjoyed themselves but no one more than me.  What a coup!  I can't wait for next year.  I feel a Hawaiian Luau coming on.

Really, Life is Perfect

I get to do this:

The local outdoor pool opened and we were graced with sunny, 25 degree weather.    Because spring had just sprung, I had a hard time believing this was going to be fun. Marn insisted and sure enough we had a blast!

And eat this:

This my friends is sushi pizza with tuna sashimi.  It will blow your taste buds away.  If you live in my neck of the woods you can find it at Japolo in Burnaby.

And receive pictures like this:

The day after Marn and I went swimming she was off to Disneyland.  If you can't experience it yourself, having one of your friends head down to hang with the mouse is the next best thing. Especially when she texts you fun pictures like the one above.

I've decided no matter what your concerns, if your loved ones are healthy, you are safe and sound and there are fun experiences to be had - life is perfect.

Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate!

I've just spent the last three weeks purposefully and mindlessly consuming chocolate.  The Easter bunny was very generous this year.  It got so bad that I sent my husband off to work this morning with a grocery bag full of it.  Because if it stayed in the house it would end up on my butt.

It turns out that I have chocolate opinions.  The best chocolate can be found at Rogers' Chocolates,  It's not cheap but it is delicious.  Their milk chocolate is the best.

Followed by Purdy's tied with Laura Secord,

 We usually get a lot of Purdy's at our house.  It's the go to chocolatier in these parts,  plus it's a fund raising staple at the kids schools.

I have a very vivid memory of watching my mother thinly slice a Laura Secord egg.  These are big, and so tasty.  This was a highlight of my childhood egg hunts.  You can't find Laura Secord chocolate as readily as Purdy's especially on the west coast.

And then if you want to spend less, Cadbury is an excellent option.

I believe that Cadbury rivals Purdy's.  Cadbury can usually be found in my mouth when I am stressed or am looking to calm down.

Surprisingly, it turns out that.I can't get enough of these kit kat miniatures.  Marn and I made a special trip to Target to look at their Easter wares and found these bad boys.  I'm really glad they aren't available in my neck of the woods.  They are like Ruffles sour cream and onion potato chips.  I stop eating them when the bag is empty.

And so ends my chocolate recommendations.   Easter is the chocolate culmination of a year of holidays (If your year starts in October.)  Now we are on a chocolate hiatus.  My next chocolate opinion piece will occur just before Halloween.

But I'll leave you with this adorable video the kids' grandmother sent me. Scottish accents SLAY me.

 

(For more of this adorableness head over to Mark Nelson's Facebook page)

Easter Fun

Here I sit on Tuesday morning, staring at some plum blossoms, marshaling my thoughts to tell you about my fabulous Easter long weekend. I've got the washing machine humming away in the background and I'm surreptitiously looking up ham bone soup recipes, while cleaning out my email and trying to get a jump on this week's adventures.

I love a holiday long weekend, especially one that has a special meal.  That usually means decorations, lots of great food, fun activities, traditions, and family.  The build up is exciting with all of it's prep and anticipation; the execution is fun although sometimes I forget to live in the moment and enjoy it; and then you are left with a 'clean slate' feeling as thoughts move towards the next big event (in my case Victoria Day long weekend).  I also derive an enormous amount of satisfaction putting things away.

I've inherited these fabulous over the top purple dishes from my grandmother.  They aren't really my style but I have a deep visceral connection to my grandmother through them and I feel enormous pleasure in being able to have a dish that comes out only for one occasion.  What a luxury.  Plus they class up the joint.

Maritime Rose - aren't they fabulous?!

They graced my table three times this weekend, my favourite was for an Easter breakfast.

We also decorated eggs.  I love decorating Easter eggs.  This year Marn and I found a cool gadget that lets you spin the die all over them.  I had my doubts but it actually worked. I use fake eggs from the dollar store - amazing -  and they are actually die-able. So no more waste, or trying to blow out the actual egg which was just torture.

My kids and I usually get together with my friend Cathy and her son to decorate eggs. We've been doing this for years.  But as the kids get older they don't seem to stay as long. They will decorate a couple of eggs and then are off playing while Cath and I sit at the table for hours experimenting and 'zenning' out with pretty colours.  I've learned that the die that comes from a decorating kit is glossier than plain old food die. And don't forget glitter- glitter is the proverbial icing on the cake, if you will.

We also took the grandparents out go-karting, as one does at Easter.  My oldest is obsessed with formula one racing right now and although not nearly old enough, can't wait to drive. This is when I wish we lived on a ranch or working farm.  Because then he could get behind the wheel much earlier, even if it were only a riding lawn mower.

Easter colour at the race track

And no Easter themed blog would be complete without mentioning food.  This weekend we ate. A. Lot.  I roasted a bone in ham this year.  I used a bastardized version of the Pioneer woman's ham glaze - it was delicious.  But I've decided I prefer a spiral ham.  Turns out when I was talking to Marnie, she won't serve anything but spiral ham.  I need to listen to that girl more often.  Sadly, some things you just have to learn for yourself.  Spiral hams are essentially pre-carved and it makes everything so much easier.  I don't really know how to carve a ham and I encountered uneven meat and gristle that was a pain to present.  The ham was delicious but not easy.  And really, it turns out I am all about easy.  Plus at $2 a pound how can you go wrong. (And that's Canadian.)

These hams are always wrapped in red, I wonder why?

I also used Ree Drummond's recipe for croissant french toast.  This is one of the best recipes on the planet; and is absolutely perfect for spring, and summer,  Something about a blackberry.

Don't these look good.  Stole this picture from Mann Farms.

The rich custardy egg mixture that bakes into the croissant is divine and when I serve it on my grandmother's plates, well now, that's just perfection!

Who's Ping?!

Every spring equinox I hang these 'welcome spring' signs on my kids' doors.

I found them at the dollar store, they make me smile and it's something bright and festive to herald the changing season.

This is what my youngest (he's seven) did with his sign:

Crazy nutbar!

Queen Ruby!

Queen Ruby came for a visit and excitement ensued!

Ruby is Marnie and Marnie's husband Dave's foster dog.  For the last 12 years they've looked after Ruby when her regular family is away.  Ruby is also Dave's other woman.  Ruby is adorable, entertaining, smart and sneaky.

Dave loves her with a passion. Ruby can do no wrong in his eyes.  Marnie isn't so blind.  But really, Ruby sets out to make Marnie's life stressful, so the devotion - not so much.

First off Ruby loves eating paper.  And she will find paper where there is no paper to be found.  She'll also sneak over and under gates, through mesh wire, unlatch doors and dig to satisfy her paper craving.  Marnie took Ruby for a walk and was horrified to see bits of chewed up check paper in Ruby's poop.  The worst part... Marnie's name was still legible on the paper!

Ruby's guilty face; caught in Marnie's studio where there is LOTS of paper

Ruby also hogs the bed.  It's Ruby's mission in life to make sure that Marnie has no room on their king size bed.

The dynamic duo after a long hard day

And this is not a big dog.  A precocious, attitude ridden dog yes, big no.  But you can't really blame Ruby.  She is treated like a princess.  Here's Dave drying her after a walk in the rain:

Such a mutual admiration society

This week's visit entailed much paper eating, some underwear chewing (this was new) and lots of Styrofoam ingesting. Marnie is still waiting for the ramifications to appear,  Really this week has boiled down to Marnie walking Ruby a lot so that Ruby can poop out everything she's eaten and Marnie can make sure it's all coming out.  Not fun.  Not fun at all.  But hilarious to hear about.  I love me a Ruby story.  The best comic relief ever!

A Golden Childhood

My fabulous friend and neighbor Karen took me to see Disney's Beauty and the Beast last night and I fell in love.  The whole movie was sumptuous and perfect.  Once I got home I stayed up late to find out everything I could about the movie, as one does when one falls in love.

Favorite moment: when Beast lifts Belle while they're dancing, Yum!

Today I was bound and determined to have more Disney magic, more of that sumptuousness; more of those incredible visuals and sweeping scores; more to die for production details, more, more, more.  So I blew off almost my entire to do list and rented Disney's Cinderella.  And I wasn't disappointed.  The details of the house, and the costumes, and the castle were superb!  I envy that so many talented and creative people got to work on such beautiful projects.  Can you imagine the energy?!

Mighty big heel for a slipper, but isn't it pretty?

This is a long winded backstory to get to my point.  At the end of Cinderella, while she was locked in the attic, she was twirling around and the narrator was describing how happy she was because she had these incredible memories of her parents, the prince and her golden childhood.

I love the expression "golden childhood".  That rang like a clarion bell for me.  My deepest admiration to whomever coined the term.

I had a golden childhood and I strive everyday to give my kids one too. Marnie had a golden childhood.  it's one of the things that bond us.  And she was able to foster this idea for every child she cared for in her 20 years as a nanny.   I believe a golden childhood is one where you get to be a child, where you are safe, where you are loved, where you have your own space, where you get to experience pleasurable things that inspire your adult likes and passions. Where people show you how to be kind, and silly, and enthusiastic.  Where people take the time to inquire about your interests and foster them.  It doesn't mean life was perfect as a kid, or that loss, sadness, betrayal or cruelty didn't enter the picture but rather as a child you had places and people and experiences that taught you joy.

So a giant thank you to all those who helped me create my golden childhood.  Thank you! Thank you!  The inspiration for my present is fueled by the fantastic memories created in my past. I am so lucky - so lucky - to have had all these golden moments and I look forward to creating many more.

Marnie's Mecca

I had the great good fortune to organize a trip to Disneyland for my family this winter.   It's one of Marnie's favourite places and Disney's influence and inspiration can be found throughout Marnie's life.  So being able to ask her for advice and bounce ideas off her was perfect.  Also it was fun to see what has her so jazzed.

The first night, we slipped over to the main gates to get our tickets.  The music they broadcast as you are walking towards the entrance is phenomenal and just adds to the excitement.

The next day we arrived just in time to meet with every other local Californian who wanted to come out and play after a month of rain.  There were a lot of people waiting for that rope to drop.

I've decided Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays are the best time to visit.  The above photo was taken on a Sunday morning at the end of January.

Our favourite rides were Star Tours, most of the rides at Bugs Land and all the rides at Cars Land. We also had a wonderful experience learning how to draw Disney cartoons.  And don't get me started on the Ghirardelli chocolate ice cream sundaes or the chili and lime corn on the cob.

I stole this beautiful photo from  https://www.pinterest.com/lizangelmarie/disneyland-food-bucket-list

 The first ride we rode was Star Tours.  So. Fun.

This little guy greeted us as we got in line

This was C3PO setting up the story for the actual ride

And you can't have C3PO without R2D2

These were some of the photos I was allowed to take as you wait to get into the ride.  Disney does a great job of keeping you entertained while you wait.  And we didn't have to wait for much even with the crowds because of the fantastic "Fast Pass".  I cannot recommend enough that you take advantage of this concept.  You can save hours not having to wait in line with a fast pass.

The next area that left a lasting impression was Disney California's A Bugs Land.

This was a fantastic 4D show that had me jumping out of my seat

These were so much fun and way faster than expected

These lady bugs were exactly like the spinning tea cups

And finally my eldest son and I left our hearts in Cars Land.

When my oldest was around 3 I introduced him to the Disney Pixar movie Cars and he and I have developed quite a healthy admiration for all things Cars, one might even call it an obsession.  So to be able to walk right into the movie left us both wonderstruck.  WONDERSTRUCK!

Cars land shows best at dusk and into the night when all the neon is glowing

Flo's V-8 cafe is the place to have dinner and if your lucky you can dance with DJ.

My absolute favourite place in all the of the Disney California Parks

 They had fantastic milkshakes at Flo's!

Youngest dancing with DJ

In my family's humble opinion the best ride in the park, in both parks, was Radiator Springs racers. The racing part was not my favourite but the lead up was so great, the racing was worth it.

This was one of the fountains in the line up.  So great!

The attention to detail was incredible.  The Disney imagineers truly outdid themselves.  You just have to go!

This is part of the race track

I mean, come on!, isn't this incredible?!

And I spent countless digital photos trying to capture the incredible landscape that looks exactly like the movie.  But none of my photos were as good as the one above.  Sadly I did not take this picture. This and several others were stock photography that Marnie bought when she was at Disneyland. I know, right?!

I could write 10 posts about all the wonderful details found at Disneyland.  And maybe I will.  For right now I'll leave you with our highlights.  And a recommendation.  We walked around Disneyland for five days, probably six to seven hours a day. I wore Sketchers go walk flex slip on walking shoes. And my feet never hurt; never hurt at all.

These bad boys kept my feet comfortable, blister free, and sans aches

We had so much fun.  According to Marn they pipe magic in the Main Street air and I have to agree; she just might be right.  The people who work at Disneyland Parks and the people who run Disneyland Parks are pretty special.  Everyone was so helpful, and everywhere we turned there was some form of entertainment.  It was magical!  Oh I forgot to tell you about the Band.  I loved the Disney Marching Band.  Ah well, another post for another time...