Superfluous Fluff

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It's the final week of school and we're stretching our way toward summer.  We're still crazy busy, but this weekend we were able to cross a couple of big things off of our bucket list.  I'm going to share them slightly out of order because...um...I took 700+ photos of all our fun on Saturday, and it's going to take me bit to sort through them and decide which are keepers and then which I want to share.

Sunday was Father's Day though, and yesterday was Hubby's birthday.  We basically call this Dad Weekend and we do whatever Hubby wants.  It's also our unoffical summer kick-off; we feel like it's time to get serious about summer fun when Dad Weekend comes.  For his actual birthday our family tradition is to have a picnic.  No matter what, every year, his birthday, PICNIC.  It's law in these parts. 

This year, not for the first time, our picnic ended up on the living room floor due to rain.  Our spirits were not dampened though, indoor picnics are great--NO BUGS!  

Most of the spread: 

This year's menu: sausages, pasta salad, watermelon, juice or pop

Dessert!

This year we did a lemon "Graduation Cake", as my mom always called it.  I think on Pinterest it's more commonly called "Poke Cake".   You make your basic cake, poke it full of holes, pour jello in the holes, chill, then cover with a pudding layer and finally a whipped cream layer.  It's a nice summer cake, and I loved the lemon (the kids weren't as excited, but Hubby chose the flavour).  

And here's the Birthday Boy, being silly while we sing.  

Love that man!  

Let the summer fun begin!

PS.  If you would like to join the #happyfamilysummer fun, there's still lots of time to sign up and start your own summer bucket list!  

Field Trip!

Things have gotten pretty busy around here and the busier it is the harder it is to blog.  Even though we've already crossed a couple of things off of our Summer Bucket List, summer isn't ACTUALLY here yet.  For one, it's been cool and rather rainy of late.  For another, school isn't out until the end of June.  Right now 'tis the season of Enrichment Presentations, Drama Productions and, naturally, field trips.  

Last week the Grade 4's got to go on a field trip...and I was happy to tag along!  Sweetpea sat behind me with one of her friends (but she saved me a seat).

This year's field trip was to Mactaquac Provincial Park and was lead by Ducks Unlimited, with some helpers from the park.  

Here we are being welcomed and getting some ground rules.  I have to tell you, my Dad was a member of Ducks Unlimited when I was a kid and they never had cool pink hats!  Love the direction they've been going (education, conservation).  

Shortly after arrival the two classes split up.  Sweetpea is in the french class but the English class didn't have any parents with them so I was asked to stay with them for a bit.  I managed to snap a shot of her class learning about different types of wetlands before sticking with the other class for a while.

(She loves wearing her bug jacket.  There was actually enough of a breeze that she didn't really need it, but she wore it the whole time.)

With the English class we had a little chat about what wildlife we might see in the park, then we all got binoculars (I stuck with my camera but switched to the long lens) and went for a quick hike around the Beaver Pond Trail to do some bird watching. 

Once back from the hike it was time for most people's favourite part of the day...

Critter Dipping!

After watching the E's dip for a bit and getting some good photos I was given permission to slip off to spy on Sweetpea (there was lots of supervision).  Her class was back on the trail at this point, doing their own bird watching.

At one point on the trail I could actually see both classes.  It made for good photography too!

A little instruction for Sweetpea's class...

Then the classes met once again...

They wanted to share their discoveries with each other, but it was time for the English crew to head up to the field to play some games and the French group to have their turn dipping for critters.  

Lots of critters were found, but the most exciting catch of the day was this tadpole, which was actually caught by both classes (they released all the critters after the first class and the second class promptly recaptured the poor thing).  

After the dipping and the games it was sadly time to head for home, but we had a great day.  Sun shining, hardly any bugs, beautiful sights.  Yay field trips!

One and a half waterfalls

Today was another sticky scorcher, though the clouds were moving in and out, warning of possible thunderstorms one second and revealing sunny skies the next. 

We wanted to cross something off of our bucket list, but we didn't want to go far from home and get caught in a storm.

We decided to try to find our first waterfall (we have find 3 waterfalls on our list).  One of the students in the Boy's class did his Triad Presentation on waterfalls and said that there was one quite near us.  His directions were less than helpful though, and when I asked him for better ones he looked at me like I was stupid and repeated himself.  Never try to get directions from an 8 year old!  (To his credit though, his directions were to "go past King's Landing and it's just down the road a bit off Rte 2", and those were correct, they just weren't too precise.)  I found a list of NB Waterfalls through my powers of Googlefu (and promptly pinned it so that we can find it again).  It took some searching, but we found a listing that sounded promising, the one for Lower Joslin Falls, and we got ready for adventure. 

To get to the falls, you literally (no, really) park on the side of a major highway.  Yay us!  Here we've parked and we're ready to explore.  Except the Boy says "We don't have to go UP, do we?"

I snapped a quick before photo of each of the girls, since they were game:

Setting off across the rocks.  We agreed that this probably wasn't a spot we could get any of the grandparents through.  They'll have to just enjoy the photos.  

We had to squeeze through a deer gate in the fence (I've secretly always wanted to do that!).

I spy a river!  Creek? 

Timidly tiptoeing our way across the creek

A trillium!  I almost cried.  I haven't seen trilliums yet in this province but they used to be everywhere when I'd go walking in Ontario.  I've been missing them.

We hear the roar, we're on the correct side of the creek, and this is the "cliff".  Could this be all there is? 

No!  After a tricky walk along the cliff edge we could see the "upper" falls.  Time to pick our way along and down the cliffs to see the "lower" falls as well.

The full view of the falls.  Worth the tricky footing!

We started out tentative about footing (and this mom was doing some worrying) but the kids gained confidence as they went.  Crossing the river to get as close as possible to the falls for a good photo:

I found a new friend!

THE photo (thanks kids!)

The boy discovers that water on rocks SPLASHES.  Hehehehe.

Hubby gets as close as possible to give everyone a context for the height of the falls.  He is exactly 6 feet tall.  

As it turns out, my kids have mountain goat DNA.  They had a TON of fun hopping about on the wet rocks, while I tried not to turn into helicopter mom.  

No one wanted to leave.  The bugs were bad, but the cold water felt SOOOO good.  It was really tempting to "fall" in, but we managed to resist.  We eventually convinced everyone to head out.  One last look at the falls from the bottom.  

Going up!

Peeking through the trees from the cliff:

If you look closely at the upper left (top of the waterfall) you'll see why I have so much grey hair: 

I'm calling this one and a half waterfalls because on the way home we stopped by "our" falls.  They're a little set of rapids just down the road from us and we've always called them a waterfall.  Somehow after our experience with the rush and roar of Upper Joslin though, we just don't think we can call them that any more.  Sorry little water spill.  Maybe some day you can grow to be big. 

We came home to puddles and wet roads, so apparently it rained while we were gone.  We had a small thunderstorm move through once we were all settled, but the heat didn't break.  It's not officially summer here yet; school isn't out until the end of June, but it sure FEELS like summer!  We're having so much fun with our summer activities and we're excited to pick something else off our list.  Thanks #happyfamilysummer! 

Heat Wave = Ice Cream!

Earlier this week we had a frost that killed my marigolds. 

Yesterday it was 32C and the humidex was 37C.

Canada, you're so droll!

Given the sudden suffocating heat and the sticky humidity, I wasn't in a cooking mood.  Perfect time to cross Ice Cream for Dinner off of our bucket list!

Here's our spread, ready for hot, greedy people.

I put the camera away after this, because ice cream, but it was delicious and cooling and oh, so sweet.   And the best part?  I didn't feel guilty for not making something nutritious (hey, there were fruit and nuts as topping options) because we were crossing off a bucket list item. 

Our #happyfamilysummer  is shaping up to be spectacular!

If it's not on the bucket list, do I still blog it?

Here's something you should know about me: I'm a procrastinator.  At times in my life I've alternately embraced then tried to overcome this negative personality trait (then usually settled back into embracing it).  By being a procrastinator I've actually avoided a great deal of unnecessary work and quite a lot of disappointment when things get cancelled or plans change (relief!).  I've also caused unnecessary panic attacks, missed deadlines, and general mayhem.  Pros and cons to everything.  

Being a procrastinator means having a procrastinator's mind (my crafting friends tell me that this is an artist's mind).  This means that I can keep myself very, very busy doing things that don't need to be done in order to avoid doing the things that need to be done.  In general everything gets accomplished, just not in any logical order (unless you're a fellow procrastinator; then it all makes perfect sense).  So it is with To Do lists.  I love a good to do list, but immediately after making one I find myself finding LOTS of things to do that aren't on the list.  Do I amend the list?  Do I recognize that this is my old pal avoidance coming to play and try to stay on task?  Decisions, decisions. 

Now when I signed up for the Summer Bucket List Challenge with The Happy Family Movement I really was just wanting to have some fun with my family.  I liked the idea of having some clear cut summer fun goals, of sharing ideas with like-minded families, and of getting the whole family involved in planning an epically fun summer (and if I win a giveaway or two along the way, bonus!).

BUT

Since making our list, I can't stop thinking of fun things to do that we "forgot".  I'm seeing great stuff on pinterest, I'm seeing great stuff when I check out fellow participants' lists, I'm having stuff come to me in dreams.  I snuck a few things on the list when I typed it up, and I'm doing my wall display today and may sneak a couple more things on, but if I keep amending it my amendments will be longer than our list!   Procrastinators brain is locked on full power, even when the list is FUN!

All of this is a really long way of saying: we had some fun last night.  It wasn't on our list, but it was awesome and it SHOULD totally count. ;)

Yesterday was a big day with the Boy's class Enrichment Presentation and the Princess's Green and Gold (school talent show).  We had piano and dinner and then we were off to town where the Faith in God (church youth group for the 8-11 year olds) group had arranged an evening at Science East, one of our favourite local destinations.   We were going to head out as a family but the Boy said he'd had enough people already that day (introverted parents understand) and he and Hubby stayed home to play computer games while the girls went to get their Science on.  

At Science East we were delighted when our new friend Amy gave us an explanation and hands on demos of static electricity!  Yay!  We learned about friction and conductors and insulators and how electricity always seeks the ground.  We made aluminum tartlet plates fly and yarn float:

Then we got to do it with our own hair!  

We did some other fun things and then learned about how electricity travels in a line...did you know the human body is a great conductor?  

We then had lots of time to run around and try out all the cool stuff that Science East has to play/learn with, including their brand-new Hurricane Simulator!  

When our time was up at Science East, we were heading for the grocery store, but first I had a little surprise.  I noticed my friend Vicky "liked" a place on facebook and they had a cute little cartoon logo, so I hovered over it to see what it was.  I saw that it was some kind of frozen yogurt bar and that a new one was coming to Fredericton, and we were conveniently in town on opening night.  Who could resist?

It's called Menchies and apparently it's a big deal?  At least all the Hollywood photos on the wall would suggest so.  It was the first I'd heard of it but it won't be the last.  It was fun!  Here are the girls with their concoctions:

(in our raincoats, because it decided to start pouring again)

And here's my monstrosity:

I took the pina colada yogurt and 1 (one) piece of pineapple that was MASSIVE!  I seriously put on a show trying to eat the thing.  I could have used a knife and fork!  Huge!  Anyway, it was super fun, we still did our grocery run and eventually made it home, though I had a hard time waking anyone for Breakfast Program this morning.  

So weigh in--does this "count" as a bucket list check, or did we have stolen procrastinator's fun?  ;)

WW: Bloom

In my Garden today

In my flower beds, buttons are brilliant

tulips are variegated 

and purple is the new colour to be. 

In my herb garden the frost and slugs have gotten half my marigolds (the other half seem to be hiding amongst the dandelions)

my basil is dead but rosemary and sage are holding out.  

And over at the apple tree I spied some "guests" that may help explain why this tree always gives me lots of bloom but never any fruit.  

I took several photos at the tree and it's so hard to choose favourites.  I'm putting a few here, a few on facebook, and don't be surprised if you see more again tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday.  

Happy Spring!

Impromptu Photo Walk

Last week my junky old car had a flat tire.  It was due for its annual safety inspection, so I dutifully called up our mechanic and got an appointment to fix both at once (I was able to pump enough air in the tire to get there).  He called me back pretty quickly with the not-surprising verdict "I don't think you should put any more money into this car".  Apparently my '96 Neon has a body chalk full of huge holes and needs extensive body work.  Add that to the tires, the funny noises the engine makes, the squeaking when I turn the wheel, the way the alternator belt slips in the rain...it was time to say goodbye.  

We've spent a little time coming up with a plan for our family and the car, and today I walked from the school (where I was dropped off by Hubby in time for breakfast program) up the big hill to the mechanic's to bring the car home to be cleaned out and towed away.  

You'd think that would be a depressing sort of walk, but here's the thing; the sun is out.  That may not seem like much to you, but it's been raining for a couple of weeks here, and on the weekend we received over 100mm of rain.  We're building arks in the back yard.  The sun is like some strange apparition in the sky at this point.  It is GLORIOUS.  Added to that, the trees are budding and blooming, the gardens are thriving, and it's just a good time to be alive.  I wasn't far from the school when I decided I needed to pull out my camera and capture some of that sunshine and happiness.  

I started with lilacs...

And then there were apple blossoms....

I took a break from snapping photos to weed the "Guide Garden" in the park (I noticed as I walked past that it had been invaded by dandelions, and since I helped plant it I thought I should stop and weed it).  I turned around to start on my way again and saw Jill raising the flag at the post office...

At the post office I stopped to talk to our piano teacher, had a nice visit, managed to reschedule tomorrow's lesson so the kids could go to their Faith in God activity, and turned down an offer of a ride.  From there it was more trees....

...fields of yellow...

...various gardens...

...wildflowers...

...and much, much more.  

I like walking through the village and up the hill.  The 911 numbers make me feel like a time traveller.  Here was a good year: 

I eventually made it to the mechanic's and put the camera away.  I got it out again when I got home and went to see how my garden fared through last night's frost, but I'll put those photos in a separate post.  I think this is enough for one walk!  

Operation Olave

This weekend we girls were able to cross our first item off of our Summer Bucket List; we participated in Operation Olave!

For those not in the know, Op Olave is an annual challenge that Girl Guides and Pathfinders from across the province (and PEI) are invited to participate in.  Girls form teams of 3-4 and move throughout a large park doing challenges.  They are assessed on how well they actually perform the challenges, how well they work together as a team, whether or not they are prepared (Guide hats a must!), how cheerful they are, whether or not they ask permission to enter and leave each challenge, and a number of other factors.  They lose points for arguing, for having their patrol hovering (these challenges are to be done independently only!) and other things that remain a bit of a mystery to those of us not actively involved in the scoring.  

Mostly they get to run around from 7:30PM-2AM and have a LOT of fun!  

This year there was a lot of back and forth about whether or not we were even going, as the forecast was for crazy amounts of wind and rain and even possible flooding in low lying areas (like our campground).  Yikes!  The organizers managed to move us indoors to an arena though and we had the BEST time.  Seriously, I love the outdoor challenge but as a Guider, who mostly gets to stand around all night freezing, this was HEAVEN.  

We were supposed to have a team of 4, but in all the are we going or aren't we confusion we lost one (Missed you Abby!).  They still worked really well together!  I didn't take a lot of photos because they dimmed the lights in the arena to simulate how the hike takes place in the dark.  I really needed my flash to get anything and I didn't want to risk the girls losing points because their Guider was following them around snapping pics all night.  The girls had a GREAT time though and there was lots of laughter.  They still had to do a small hike outside to get to a second building for one of their challenges, and the wind was cold and the rain was pounding and we were really, REALLY glad everything had been moved indoors.   

At the morning breakfast and awards ceremony we applauded the few girls who actually set up tents and camped in the rain (crazies!) and everyone who participated.  Then the awards started and our team placed 3rd!  So proud of these girls!

Our boys complained we were back too soon, so I guess I won't worry about leaving them when we girls take off for the two other Guide Camps we have this year.  Summer looks promising indeed!

Our 2013 Summer Fun Bucket List!

Well, it's taken a few twists and turns, but I finally typed up our 2013 Summer Fun Family Bucket list to share with the Happy Family Movement.  I've been having such a great time seeing the lists people have been sharing in the facebook group and I really wanted to jump right in.  I plan to display our list on the big wall over our couch, which is currently empty, but I need to get to town for some 3M stickies or something so I don't punch holes in the wall...and last week my car died.  Yes, we are now a one-vehicle family for the summer, but this doesn't change our bucket list--we're determined to make it all work out.  And it certainly bumps "biking"  and "hiking" up the list!  

Anyway, I threw together our list so that I can print it out and frame it, because we're already getting things checked off! Yay us!  

It might be a little tricky to read, but it has all of our family favourites; Canada Day in St. Andrews, participation in our local library program, swimming, biking, hiking, playgrounds, camping, ice cream...it's all there!  The only problem we're having is that we keep thinking of more items to add (we forgot King's Landing mama!  we forgot bubbles!).  It looks like our Bucket List might be a bit of an ongoing work in progress, but it's so fun to have such a happy "to do" list!  

If you haven't created your Bucket List yet, I can highly recommend it.  Join the Summer Bucket List Challenge and see what everyone is up to--there are so many good things happening.  

And if you're looking for ideas for your bucket list, did I mention that I'm a pinaholic?  I probably need a pintervention, but in the meantime, my addiction is to your benefit, as I have catalogued LOTS of great ideas.  I have a summer fun board, a camping board, multiple craft boards, teaching boards...lots of pins to get the juices flowing.  You can follow me on pinterest here.