Friday, December 19, 2008

Monday, December 08, 2008

Monday, December 01, 2008

The Connells!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Thursday, November 27, 2008

ELF YOU!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

This is Jason's brother, his wife and Jason & I!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Fiona's Halloween Themed Birthday Party!


The Cake! Not made by me...


Fiona, the zombie bride!

Uncle Shaun playing Polly Pockets w/ Fiona and the kids!!

The gouls!


The party-goers!


The decor... ghosty courtesy of Grandma


Nothing like a cool, PINK, game of Twister to get things rolling! Thanks, Dakota!

Thursday, October 09, 2008

A contrast: Fredericton

These were taken at two different times of the year (and years)... I took the first one in autumn 2002, before Fiona was born! The second picture was taken (not by me) in Spring 2008!!Alongside the St. John River, taken from the overpass on Regent Street.

This was the highest flood level Fredericton saw in over 100 yrs....

Friday, October 03, 2008

Canada's Federal Election: October 14, 2008

Ok... so it's election time again in Canada. It wasn't that long ago, that we voted for a Prime Minister (less than 2 yrs)! Usually, they're every 4 years... For my American friend... we have a different voting system here in Canada than the US. We have to vote for a local MP, based on who we want to win the PM seat. In other words, If I want the NDP's to win, I have to vote for the NDP candidate in my riding. The party with the most seats elected, is voted into power. Stupid system, in my opinion.

Regardless of that- I plan to vote. Many people don't. I don't understand that. Change will never happen if people don't start taking action and voting. SO many say "why? the person I'd like to win won't get in anyway"... Well, if EVERYONE who said that voted, it's quite possible the underdog would win!! So with that in mind, I plan to vote for who I want to win, and not strategically. By strategic, I mean, voting for a party that I know has a chance of winning (even though I don't prefer that party/candidate), just to ensure the party I don't want to win, doesn't get elected. Make sense?! Hope so!! lol




The Contenders....
Current Prime Minister, Stephen Harper
Progressive Conservative (PC)
No platform apparently...


Elizabeth May
Green Party
Platform


Jack Layton
New Democrat Party (NDP)
Platform


Stephan Dion
Liberal Party
Platform


News Articles ONLINE
An interesting read about the platforms being announced by each leader, in the Ottawa Citizen.
Global News article regarding the Oct 2, 2008 debate
CBC Top headlines Canada Votes

Oct 2, 2008 Debate Video Clips

Monday, September 29, 2008

Boom De Ah Da



This little diddy has been stuck in the heads of everyone in our household this weekend! Although, this isn't the same version that we see on Discovery.ca! Ours has a few people from Canadian programs (such as Jay Ingram from Daily Planet).

My kids love watching Dirty Jobs, Myth Busters and Man vs Wild!

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Fall Festival!


Our community league and some local churches helped to put on the Fall Festival in our neighbourhood. There were bouncy castles, an inflated obstacle course, hoola hoops, potato sack races, popcorn and cotton candy, colouring, bubble blowing, woodwork crafts, face painting and a petting zoo... all for FREE!

Kieran petting a furry rabbit!

Fiona and the Zebu!


Face painting!! Kieran, Fiona & Sajia (Fiona's friend)


They even had a wood craft area- Fiona made a car with wood, and juice can lids!


Kieran's car

Kieran and the Zebu!

Fiona petting the chicken... the killer duck is behind her on the right. It bit her bottom lip!!

Bouncy castles and slides!!


The race is on!
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Petting Zoo and Bear Paws

Rosheen in her new outfit from Grammie Duck

Fiona & Kieran showing their Petting Zoo a la Mega Blocks!

Bear Paws! Dad made these with a salmon sandwich (cut into fingers/toes) and a full pancake!
The Petting Zoo up close. They worked for a long time on this, together, and did a very good job!!!
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Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Wednesday in Autumn





This week has been absolutely gorgeous. So, I took some pictures while driving around Edmonton, running errands.



























We went to MEC (Mountain Equipment Co-op) to get Fiona's winter boots, and scored some hiking shoes for mum at half price!! Woo! I was going between a 10 and a 9.5, and I didn't have my inserts with me to know how they would truly fit. I should have just bought both pairs, and brought back the ones that weren't good! I took the 10's and found them to be a bid slidy on the heels when I stepped. So, I phoned MEC and asked if the 9.5's were still there and if they could them? Nope. Gone. Great. So, I'm working in these 10's b/c I'm determined for them to feel great!! They were only $50! Still a lot, but for hikers that I will likely wear for 5+ yrs, it's a good price!

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Mukluks

Julie, you've indirectly inspired me to blog about Mukluks! Plus, winter is looming, and I'm already sifting through last year's stuff to find what will fit, and what I need to buy!

In case no one knows what they are (and honestly, I didn't until meeting Jason), they are traditional hand-made boots which were originally made by Aboriginal (Native Peoples) of Canada (and likely Alaska too)! They are made of leather, fur and often decorated with beads. A traditional pair, looks like this:














Some variations of this original design can be seen and bought HERE

My father-in-law actually makes Mukluks. I have a pair that he made just for me. Each of the kids have their own hand-made pair, as does Jason. It's a skill and trade that is not known by many these days. Bert even has a special sewing machine for handling the thick thread needed to stitch everything in place.


Fiona in her mukluks that Kieran now fits. She fell asleep on the toboggan... She's in there somewhere! LOL












Now, recently, Mukluks have been making their appearance in the latest fashion trends... This is the most rediculous display of Mukluk wearing I've ever seen!! Sadly, I've seen this train wreck of a fashion statement WAY too many times...


And honestly, those aren't even Mukluks! They're just fur boots! TRASHY comes to mind....

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Geocaching in Fort Saskatchewan




The Fleming's set out for another geocaching adventure yesterday. We headed a bit north of Edmonton to Ft. Saskatchewan, and hiked quite a way along the river. It was a beautiful fall afternoon!! It was really fun getting out, all of us together. This is the time of year that I really enjoy caching. The weather is perfect, and fall is such an enjoyable time.

Here are some photos.


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Wednesday, September 03, 2008

First Day of School: Grade One!






Fiona started school yesterday--- Grade 1! She's now in full days, staying for lunch and a step closer to
independence!