Blocks, cats, and a vase

Lego is a great toy.  Except for the mess that it makes - and the agony of stepping on one of those little blocks (I had another b word in mind, actually, but blocks will do). 

In an attempt to keep the blocks under control, we have come up with a lego table.  It is something of a work in progress, but - since I`m not sure when more progress will actually happen - I`m going to put a picture of it up here anyway.

I found someone selling a set of a coffee-table and two end tables for $40 on Kijiji.  Real wood and very sturdy, with the added bonus of a storage shelf underneath. Sold!  We added a melamine top with a wood frame around it (providing a lip so the cats are less likely to knock the blocks off to play with), which is just sitting on top of the coffee table.  We bought 3 Lego sheets online and I glued them on with spray adhesive. Theoretically at least, we should be able to flip the top over if we want a smooth surface. 

So far, I`d say it is a smashing success.  The lego is up off the floor, the boys like to use it, and - even unpainted - it is better looking than the plastic shelf that was in the playroom as a coffee table previously.

Our kitties, Asoka and Skye looked so cute all cuddled up together that I had to take a picture of them. 

I picked up this vase at Frenchy`s in Coldbrook for $0.75.  I loved the rope texture.  It has a few chips, but I am cool with that.  Yay Frenchy`s!

Christmas 2011

It was merry. Very.

Kittens

Our family has grown.

This is Ahsoka:

He's a boy, but Neil insists he's a girl.  Does a pronoun really matter to a cat anyway?

This is Sky:

She's beautiful.

Peggy's Cove

Peggy's Cove is said to be one of the most-photographed locations in Canada and it is pretty much a tourist must-do for anyone visiting Nova Scotia.  Which means that, as a Nova Scotian, I kind of forget that it exists most of the time.  Last weekend we were looking for something to do to do - we'd been in a bit of a fog with colds, trips, and lots of rainy weather and we really needed a break.

When Owen got out of the car at Peggy's Cove, he announced that it was the best place ever and that he was never going to leave.  So I guess we made a good choice.

The Peggy's Cove lighthouse is a Nova Scotia icon, no doubt about it.  But the real star is the landscape and the sea.   It is almost otherworldly.

The kids loved climbing around on the rocks.  We stayed far from the water - the waves are treacherous.  But it is not a place for the faint-hearted parent, regardless.

After all the rock-climing action, we retreated to the village for ice cream.  And not your run-of-the-mill ice cream either. 

Dee Dee's Ice Cream is a company that makes ice cream right in Peggy's Cove.  Let me tell you, it was delicious.  (I had a scoop of the European Dark Chocolate and a scoop of the Mexican Chocolate. There's never enough chocolate, right?

I totally want to go back - both with the kids and maybe by myself so I can take pictures (and eat ice cream) without having to monitor whether anyone is about to fall off a cliff.

This way to lake...

We are lucky.  We live in the city, but there is a park across the street.

We get to look at the trees.

And the dandilions.  Which I think are pretty.

And at the end of the path is the best part - the lake!

Where I can sit and admire my new Keen sandals from Value Village. 

And boys can get very dirty.

And wet.

Very wet.

Sometimes very very wet.

We are very lucky.

DIY Starfighters?

Our latest crafty endeavor is unlikely to make it onto Pinterest and I doubt anyone will be clamouring for me to open an Esty store, but it can't be beat for local popularity.

Somehow I managed to grow up in the 70's and 80's without ever watching Star Wars.  Ever. 

Then I had boys.  Boys who, as it turns out, love all thing Star Wars related.

So, we made these beauties.

This one is Owen's.  It is modeled after Anakin Skywalker's starfighter (isn't it obvious?).

The similarities are striking, don't you think?

This is Padawan Neil, with his starfighter, modeled on Asoka Tano's.

The details of how we made them are horrendously complicated, but may have involved me cutting some cardboard into star-fighter-like shape and then setting us all loose with craft paint.

Good times!

Easter family gatherings

April in Nova Scotia can be fickle.  So to have an Easter Sunday that was actually warm and sunny was a real treat.  I even painted my toenails in celebration.  It was their first outing of the season after all.

We gathered at my mother-in-law's house for an Easter-egg hunt. 

Following the big hunt, we tried kite-flying.  Not an overwhelming success on the actual flying part, but the kites did actually make it up a few times. 

The best part was watching the boys playing with their cousins.  They even managed to take turns with their older cousin's DS with only a minimal amount of fussing.

Then we went for supper at my family's farm.  No fancy table-setting here; just yummy food and find a seat where you can.  There were 20+ people there - ranging in age from mid-nineties to not quite 3 months.  I should have taken more photos, but by that time I was more interested in eating!