Come Along to Stanley Park!

Over the Christmas break we had the opportunity to
venture into the city.
Daddy took the day off from work.
And off we went!

We live in the suburbs.
Vancouver is an hour's drive away.

Much to the delight of our Calvin,
we pass by the airport on our way into the city.
One of the planes that Uncle Morgan flies was spotted overhead!
B.O.N.U.S.

Over the Oak Street Bridge to the city beyond.
What a gloriously beautiful day it was!

Stanley Park Seawall was our destination.
We usually begin this walk
(when we do it, which is quite rare)
by the marina.

The four children and Howie beside me in the shadows. :)

View of the city's skyline from Stanley Park ~
pretty, isn't it?

City across the water.

View of the mountains from the seawall.

The Lion's Gate Bridge.

Vancouver is a major port ~
Many, many large container ships sail in and out of our Harbour.

Me with my Sweetie ~
Photo by Calvin.

Our four blessings.

This walk is about 5.5 Miles long.
It was such a pretty day for a walk ~
it felt soooo good to get out!

We went to White Spot for dinner ~
A treat!
And then we ended the evening with a little
skate at Robson Square outdoor rink.
I must let you in on a little secret ~
outdoor rinks are rare here in Vancouver...
this was a lot of fun for the children!
It was much more crowded than the seawall was. :)
FYI ~ That's Calvin in the centre of the shot.

Continuing to number the endless gifts ~
The endless blessings that come
from the loving hand of our Heavenly Father.

1070. *Free* family outings (not including gas, parking or dinner) ~
I did bring a pack lunch though! :)

1071. The city is close enough to enjoy and far enough away to avoid!

1072. Rare (for us) excursion into the city to enjoy the
Stanley Park Seawall ~ a 5.5 mile walk...lovely! :)

1073. Dinner out...a treat!

1074. Pink glow on the mountains in the morning

1075. Sun in winter

1076. Ripe bananas to bake with

1077. A pack lunch

1078. Hot cocoa (from the thermos) after skating

1079. Skating outdoors...all of us ~ a rare treat!

1080. Sun streaming in through the window after many grey days

1081. A rainbow on the cupboard door ~
a brief, *chance* moment enjoyed with Emma

1082. Fever to kill bugs

1083. Fever that broke in the night

1084. A message from Auntie Mary on the answering machine ~
her voice is so sweet!

1085. Old stand-by recipes

1086. Green grass in winter

1087. Quiet evenings at home

1088. A quiet street on New Year's Eve...
no big parties ~ What a blessing!

1089. Crisp, clear winter days

1090. Radio Theatre to listen to on long drives

Something to Ponder

Now, this is an amazing verse to ponder.
A wonderful verse to comfort your soul.
A beautiful verse to rest in!
The LORD Jesus Christ spoke these words.

Have you come to HIM?
If you haven't and you do,

HE will be true to this verse.

The LORD always keeps HIS promises!

Many Blessings,
Camille

Our Fact Family Album

Fact families can  be pretty tricky for first graders, but there are so many great visuals to help reinforce this concept--building fact family houses, using number triangles, and even making actual fact "families" with cute little kid-drawn people!  I gave each student a different set of numbers, and they were to draw a family of four with the 4 number sentences for the fact family displayed on each person. The kids glued their family "photos" to scrapbook paper, and we compiled them into a class fact family album!  I think they turned out pretty cute!

Cherish the Moments

This post is somewhat of a
continuation of the last ~
A summary of some of the gatherings
we enjoyed with extended family this past Christmas.

We had both my parents and my brother
over to visit during the Christmas Season.
My sister and her family live far, far away,
so we were unable to connect with them.
We did, however, get to chat on the phone...
that's always a blessing!
Howie's siblings all gathered at Sister-in-love's home
for a Christmas celebration.
We made the trek out to visit with Howie's parents
during the daytime on Christmas Eve.

Precious times.

Family is
I.M.P.O.R.T.A.N.T.

Grandparents are ultra important.
We know that these are precious days...
and we are cherishing them ~
the days AND the Grandparents. :)

My Mom and brother came over for an evening prior to my Mom
leaving town to visit my sister and her family.
We had a lovely time together singing carols and exchanging gifts
in front of a blazing fire.


A little explanation about Emma in the highchair ~
No, she does NOT sit in it anymore...
*except* when we have company and need the extra space at the table.
Our table is just the right size for the six of us. :)


Grandma always brings the Christmas crackers...
What fun!




My Dad was here for his birthday
(three days before Christmas)
just like always.

It's a tradition.

First, we do the birthday dinner and gift/card in the kitchen.
Dad always requests Chocolate Log Roll for dessert ~ YUM!



Then, we move to the living room and switch gears to have our
Christmas time together.
Grandpa always wears the requisite hat.

It's a tradition.




On Christmas Eve, for many years, we have
had a wonderful tradition of *Dinner by the Fire*
which included Howie's parents.
This year was a little different.
Dad was unable to drive out to us,
so we went to their home for a special time
together during the day.






What wonderful memories to treasure in our hearts forever.
May the LORD help us each to cherish all
the precious moments HE gives ~
how quickly they are flying by!

The Crunchy Munchies Party

Teachers First graders love snacks, and for some reason, this teacher kept thinking of all the delicious treats that begin with /ch/ as we practiced reading and spelling with /ch/ last week! We sampled chewy chocolate chip cookies, Chocolate Cheerios, Cheetos, Cheez-its, and my absolute favorite snack of all time: Cheddar Chex Mix! Yum. I think the kids enjoyed it too...

Other ideas to add to any fantastic /ch/ Crunchy Munchies Party:

*Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets! The BEST!

*Chips and cheese/nachos

*Cherries

*Chocolate {anything.}

*Enchiladas

*Chili

*Cheddar cheese cubes

A Quiet Christmas at Home

Since this blog is somewhat of a personal journal,
I thought I would post a little recap of our quiet family times
this past Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

We did have extended family visits at various other
times throughout the season,
but, for the 24 hour period
late in the afernoon on Christmas Eve
until early evening on Christmas Day
we were alone as a family.
It was lovely.

On Christmas Eve each year we have a tradition.
Actually, we have a few.

We light the candles.
We (Howie) light(s) the fire.
We (I) make appetizers.

And then...

We eat in the livingroom in front of the crackling fire
while Christmas music plays in the background.

Maybe, toward the end of this year,
I will do a post on the menu,
as it is a special part of our traditions.

But, for now...
you will just find the photos
and the commentary.

This is our view from the couch ~
After the food has been eaten
and the kids have been tucked into bed.
I *love* the glow of firelight and candles!

The next morning...
Christmas Day!

We gather, once again, in the livingroom and
have a Christmas morning devotional centering on
the LORD's first coming.
Isn't it beautiful to remember that amazing event?

I forgot to take a picture prior to any gift-opening,
so we took a break mid-stream for the requisite *memory* photo...
for Mum! :)

Handmade cards and notes are a favourite!

Our children shopped secretly this year...
so precious!

Emma opening her disguised gift ~
the boys wrapped their gift to her so as to keep it a secret.
They did a very, very good job!

A plush headed hobby horse ~
next best to the *real* thing!
(Emma *loves* horses)

We are Vancouver Canucks Fans (of course)!

Gigantic colouring books for Fraser and Emma...
I think Fraser is really past this, but he humoured his Mummy anyway ~
wasn't that sweet?

Austin has been doing
stop-animation photography
recently and he was thrilled with a mini-tripod...
he looks thrilled, don't you think? :)

Two tired, but happy and content parents ~
relaxing at home.

It was a quiet day with the children...
we enjoyed the peacefulness of it very, very much.
Was your Christmas Day relaxing or crazy busy or
somewhere in between?

Whatever happened in your home,
I trust it was a blessed Christmas full of joy celebrating
the REAL Reason for it all!

Many blessings,
Camille

Easiest Brownies

I have been buying dehydrated cane juice for awhile now.
Recently I ordered a new brand (cheaper) from Amazon.
On the back of each package was this recipe.

Oh. Dear. Me.

Super easy and super yummy!
I have made them a few times now...
they are my new favourite brownie recipe.

Rich.
Dark.
Chocolatey.

They only take 30 minutes from the
mixing bowl to the table ~
Hardly a deterrent!!

Here goes...
make them if you dare!
LOL!


~ Easiest Brownies ~

~ Ingredients ~

1/2 cup Butter (1 stick), melted
1 cup Sucanat
(you could substitute brown sugar)
1/2 cup Cocoa powder
2 Eggs
1 cup Flour
1 tsp Vanilla
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips

~ Method ~

Grease a 9x9 inch pan and set aside.
Heat oven to 375* F.
Combine sugar, butter, cocoa powder, salt and vanilla.
Add eggs and blend well.
Add flour, then chocolate chips and stir till well blended.
Scrape into pan and spread evenly.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until done ~
I found they were ready in 20 minutes.

Enjoy...
just don't blame me! *wink*