Snowy (fun) 2012-2013

My family and friends know I hate snow...yes I said hate. Really it's not the snow I hate...it's the cold that gets right in your bones that I hate.

Part of our plan in leaving BC and moving to Ontario was so we could afford to get away from this cold stuff in the winters and slip down to Florida. We plan on traveling in the coldest, snowy months but this year we were stuck here. Yes we were stuck. Stuck renovating our 1970's cottage into a modern year round home and stuck waiting for our OHIP to take affect. Being new residents to Ontario we weren't allowed to leave the province for more than 30 days of the first 6 months.

However I have tried to embrace the snow and winter season here in Ontario and even admit it can be pretty at times...shhh that's a secret!

The sunrises (when one is up early enough to see them) can be very beautiful in winter but you know the saying...red skies at night sailors delight, red skies in the morning, sailors take warning!!!

And there's nothing like a winter campfire to add a little warmth.

and when you are lucky enough to catch an actual snowflake it is one of the most beautiful things to see...

The girls love the snow and they especially LOVE going on the "snowboard" behind the quad.

and making snowmen...

and just plain playing and having fun in it...

Aayla snow painting

Aayla showing off in the snow as her toys watch

searching for animal tracks in the snow

Playing at the park...snow doesn't stop Aayla :)

My favourite past time this winter was watching the beavers on the other side of the river.

All in all it wasn't a horrible snowy season...but I am looking forward to missing the cold white stuff when traveling next year!

Valentines, snow days/no school and St patricks oh my!

I was bad with pictures for Valentines... the girls made cake pops to take to school for party treats and they made their own Valentines for their friends this year.

Aayla is an avid gumball devourer so when I saw THIS printout for gumball Valentines I knew we had to make them. Sierra chose THIS butterfly sucker treat to make for her friends.

We also made Heart pizzas for supper. My girls are all about pizza! But then again what kid isn't???

 There have been quite a few snow days here in Ontario where school is cancelled. In BC kids would go to school in the morning and buses would get sent out early to send the kids home if it was getting bad. Here if they feel buses will be unsafe to run at dismissal time then kids don't go to school in the morning. Walking kids can go to school if they choose (we are walkers as we are too close to the school to be on bus route) but somedays we'd just stay home.

Sierra is addicted to Littlest Pet Shop toys and we love scouring secondhand stores for them. She has quite the collection accumulating. She has a few houses for them but one snow day we set out to make some form cardboard boxes. A perfect activity for a stay at home day!

We spent a whole afternoon making them and both girls had so much fun. Another day Sierra made a petshop bus and car to go with her house out of match boxes.

Other snow days we baked bread, made lemon meringue pies, painted name plates for their rooms...

Peasant bread...so easy even I can make it

Homemade crusts and all

The girls made name plates for their rooms.

They are simple to make. Just take a canvas board, spell name with masking tape, paint over, let dry, remove tap and voila!

 Misc photos I wanted to share:

 As St Patricks day approached the girls made tissue paper rainbows with bleeding tissue paper so after they dried you could remove the tissue paper and the dye would leave colours on the paper plates.

The cute gnome pictured above and used with our leprchaun where's your gold game was made by the very talented Dannielle on PNT dolls on etsy. You can view her shop HERE.

 Sissy meadow baked a rainbow cake with the girls.

 and Sissy meadow made all these adorable hats pictured below on my little leprchauns.

Aren't they the cutest Leprechauns you ever saw???