Pumpkin Hollow...

Gracie REALLY likes popcorn apparently.... 

Last weekend we went to Pumpkin Hollow, which is quickly becoming another Autumn tradition for us... Unlike Corn Maiden Market, you do have to pay to go in, but it is really fun for the kids... This year, they had a corn maze in the shape of the Rider's Logo.. the kids loved it so much we had to go through twice... They had wagon rides, a train ride, a play area with a corn box, some animals, pony rides, a corn shoot, and a concession... The kids had a great time, and so did we...

They also had a place inside the store where you could take pictures 

Gracie inside the chalk house...

Jeremy pretending to drive his "pirate ship"

The corn box...Gracie kept trying to swim in it...

Corn Maiden Market

Autumn is my very VERY favorite time of year... I love the colors, the temp, the places I can take my kids..

Since we had Jeremy one of our fall traditions is to take the kids to a place called Corn Maiden Market in Lumsden...They have had a Pumpkin Festival every year where they have a huge Pumpkin Patch, face painting, a haunted house, sometimes a hay bale maze and make pumkin soup, hot dogs, and hot chocolate.... We love that place so every year we bundle up the kids and take them out there....take tons of pics of kids on Pumpkins and buy lots of vegies... However.. this year we were kind of disappointed. They CALLED it the pumpkin festival.... but when we went out there... there was NOTHING going on... no hot dogs.. pumkin soup... haunted house... nothing. We took some pics of the kids and went home...  :(  I am hoping the lack of activities was due to the fact it was bad weather this year for pumpkins... because otherwise we are going to be losing a tradition...  I felt kind of bad, because we have told everyone we know about how much fun we have out there...and then this year they didn't do anything...

BLACKMAIL!

BLACKMAIL.... Oh Yeah!

This is a picture EVERYONE wants of their MIL... 

She has never touched a cigarette 

never mind a cigar in her life..

so I couldn't ignore the opportunity

when I caught her with this candy cigar

and my daughter's hat...

Ice Cream in October

It has been so warm this October

that it didn't seem at all unusual 

to go for ice cream....

So off to Dessart..

My fav ice cream store...

The kids didn't care what month it was...

Gracie

Cousin Josh

Mike

Cousins Paige and Jeremy

http://dessartsweets.com/

I am not a zombie...

I am not a zombie....
But I did take pictures of them...
and they weren't eating brains...
they were giving cans of food to the local food bank.

It was a very well attended event...
who could have known that being "undead" was so popular!

The walk started at the Legislative building,
and continued on to Victoria Park.

It was a "howling" good time for those who came to walk.
I say "howling" because that is what the "zombies" were doing
to the traffic...who was honking in support of them...

I also discovered that I am too fat to run ten blocks. :)

Day of the Living Dead.

You've had them....

We all have...

The DAY.

No sleep the night before...

I was too afraid to sleep..I had to be up at 5.30 am for an MRI that I have been waiting for

for about 6 months..so I really didn't want to miss it...

And for WHATEVER INSANE REASON...

Kendal decided to stay up building a costume...

and I decided I wanted to edit some personal pics...

TILL 1 AM!  

Smart move. 

Therefore proving my son right when he asked me if I was getting the MRI...

and I quote... "to find out if I had a brain."

"No Jeremy...Mommy does NOT have a brain.".  

At least not the working version.

You would think that being so tired.. I would be able to sleep...Right?

Well...think again.

Not so much. I was awake till 3am...

when finally I did fall asleep....

I did wake up at 5.30...

got out the door by 5.55 am...

Yaaa me.... 

IF I hadn't driven through a red light on the corner of Victoria and Albert...

Where...YES. THEY.DO. HAVE. CAMERAS.

I was so busy trying to think about which part of the road I was supposed to drive down

on two hours sleep ( They are doing massive road work and EVERYTHING is blocked)

that I totally missed the light...

I can only hope and pray that the camera was sleeping at that horrible hour.

I made it to the road I was supposed to turn on....

only to discover that it too was BLOCKED!

GREEEAAAT! I headed to the next street...and turned ...

only to find myself...going the wrong way down a one way street....

Good JOB! Once again..proving my sons comment...

I quickly turned down a back alley, and put myself back on the right street...

AND actually made it to the hospital ON TIME!

That should have been the end of my bad right?

BUT no.

The night before I had talked to the MRI department, 

and they told me to park in the Emergancy parking lot, 

and check in at their department, as the main one wasn't open yet.

SOOOO I did. 

Only to be greeted by an extremely unpleasant receptionist...

who informed me in no uncertain terms..

and made me know just how stupid I was...

that the main admitting desk opened at 6am/....

and I should have known that...

(Why?  Oh... I forgot all the time I spend HANGING in the hospital lobby!

It being such a great place and all..)

and that if I didn't move my car it would be towed.

Good thing I was only tired and not sick...

I didn't smack her... (kidding by the way...)

Sooo...now I am late...so out to my car...

Move it to the paid parking lot...

back in and now in line behind six people....sigh.

I finally did make it to the MRI department...

and the receptionist was nice...

but I got the distinct feeling that the technician 

would rather have been doing ANYTHING else then 

answering my dumb questions...

(dumb questions like do i have to drink anything discusting..

What temp does this bring your body up to... 

and how long will this slightly neurotic and very clausterphobic person 

have to stay in this cigar shaped coffin.)

She did snap at me because I didn't hear her tell me what I was supposed to do after I changed...

The test took half an hour...

I spent the first 10 minutes telling myself that I had to breath...

after that I kind of relaxed into a semi coma ... induced by exhaustion...

After it was over, I headed back to the lobby to get the cash that i needed

to pay for my parking...

and then to the info desk to ask if they had change I could feed the machine..

Where I was "TOLD" that Don't I know there is a parking attendent out there?

Um. No. If I did... I wouldn't be over here asking for change..

and....

Is this NOT information????

Wow...apparently I wasn't the only one having a bad day...

I did make it home safely after that...

and I think I will stay here where it is relatively safe...

until I meet the living dead tonight.

Yes. I did say that.

Park in Oct....

cousins Paige and Autumn Grace

Paige loves Jeremy....

Jeremy loves his Spongebob watch

Auntie LA visiting from Cranbrook

LA's husband Lewis

Kendal's brother Mark

and his wife Esther...

Just moved to Regina from Kamloops!

More fall park pics...

Autumn Grace

Jeremy

Cousins..

Cousin Josh

Cousin Paige

Autumn Grace

Thanksgiving Weekend!

We had a pretty busy Thanksgiving this year... Kendal's sister LA and her hubby came from BC to visit for the weekend, and Kendal's brother Mark and his wife Esther just moved here (yaa!) from BC, so it made for an action packed weekend... Lots of food, and card games, and pictures.....

My daughter Autumn on the swings....

Cousins Josh and Paige...

Look at those eyes!

These pics were taken on Sat. afternoon when we brought the cousins and my kids to the park to play...

Almond milk...instead of Cow milk...

A few days ago, I mentioned that I was going to make some drastic changes in what i ate...
Well, the first of those changes is switching from Cows milk to Almond milk.
I have always kind of had issues with cows milk...
Jeremy is lactose intolerant, and it gives him the runs..
and my older girls always complained it made them feel bloated and sick.

About 20 years ago it started making me feel kind of sick and gassy,
and I have just never felt quite right about drinking it,
but the alternatives didn't do much for me.
At least I liked the taste of Cow milk...
but Soy milk really discusted me..
(and I have since researched and come to believe that Soy isn't really great for us...)
I tried Rice milk as well... It had a much milder taste, but I still couldn't do it...
Then... a few weeks ago, we had a lady at our church
come in and talk about foods, and what they could do for us,
and what she believed we probable should and shouldn't eat.
I found it pretty interesting... and although I don't think I can go as far as she did
with the health food thing... I was already planning on making some serious changes
so she gave me "food" for thought... (Hehe bad pun...)
She offered up Almond milk as an alternative...so I tried it...
and I liked it!!! I haven't touched milk since... (except in my coffee...)
Then I heard something on TV about what is in Cow milk...
and that kind of made my decision final...
(after it made me sick...)
The best part?
My kids LOVE it! Jeremy BEGS me for "Nut" milk as he calls it...
We have it on cereal, and by itself..
It is great!! They also make it in vanilla and Chocolate..
which might make my kids happy...

You can buy Almond milk at Superstore,
or if you live in Regina you can buy it cheaper by the case
at a really cool store called
Body Fuel Organics..
Check out their website...
They sell Almond Breeze.... Good stuff!
They also have all kinds of other organic foods and vegies...
and some cool Bin programs going on.

Check in with us on Tuesday
When I will be comparing the benefits/ Negatives
of Almond milk vrs....Soy

Have a great weekend, and Happy Turkey Day!