C'est L'Halloween!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Last night, Gretchen & I carved a pumpkin together... and by WE, I mean, I cut, dug, scooped and sorted seeds, while she told me her hands were getting dirty. Instead, she wanted to watch a Christmas movie. Can't say I didn't try!

Ah well, tonight we'll do a little trick-or-treating together, then we'll hand out treats. I have a feeling she'll be not-so-keen on sharing the candy with friends, but maybe it'll be a good teaching moment. I told her we can't have TOO much candy, and then I sang the Yo Gabba "Too Much Candy's Gonna Make You Sick" song. But still, she tells me, "Mama, I knock, I say trick-or-treat, I eat ALL DA CANDY" with a rather WILD look in her eyes.

Forget the Terrible Twos. My gal's just sassy. 

PS. My Oh Canada French education means that this is the song I'll be humming all day:




PPS. Have a safe night tonight, dear friends. And I promise to share costume pics soon.

Open Twitter, Check Twitter, Close Twitter

I kind of love this. I'm sure my iPhone has some sort of finger groove worn in it to this effect. (Just like the shiny part on the right side of my space bar, since I only ever use my right thumb to space.)

Exciting News, Mes Amis!

I am so thrilled right now! I recently received a very lovely email, letting me know I'd been nominated for the Top 25 Canadian Mom Blogs list on Circle of Moms. What an honour! Thank you so much to all of you fabulous readers, who make things like this possible. You guys make my heart sing.

If you'd like to vote for me, well, I may never stop smililng. So please, click over there on that purdy badge.

PS. You can vote once every 24hrs, so if you wanted to click each day, that'd be ever more superb.

Fawned Friday

01. I've been doing this a lot lately.

02. Love this chart.

03. I need to try everything in this video.

04. Awesome and disgusting.

05. Way too cute.

06. The raddest DIY kiddo kitchen.

07. Just had to have this.

08. I love reading posts like this one.

09. A very sweet tea photo.

10. Now this is a neat app.

11. Hadn't heard of this site til now. Definitely intrigued.

12. Mommy mittens.

13. The sweetest owl baby sweater.

Chickens, Toddlers & Rosie The Riveter

Yesterday was lovely, mes amis. It was the first day in a week that I go to spend my whole day with my baby girl. The last while has been nutty -- between daycare, work, G spending time with her father and both grammas, I've been tot-less most days and I've missed her so much.

Our Thursday consisted of a visit to Chapters, cooking together, cozy naps, chickens, Halloween decorations, rearranging the house, pumpkin carving with friends and lots of snuggles.

After her nap, we spent some time in the yard with the ladies. If, perhaps, you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, then you might know we lost one of the girls just a few days ago. She'd been ill the week before, and on one very sad morning, I opened the coop to find she had passed. My heart still feel so heavy at the loss. She was one of our two Barred Rock hens, which makes me feel sadder for the single remaining gal. The other five hens are Red Stars. I wonder if she feels left out?

So far, Gretchen hasn't come to notice that one's gone missing, and actually, I'm not going to point it out unless she asks. If she notices, however, I will explain things as best I can. My guess is that she won't quite notice that we've gone from seven to six. Life goes on.

I took this snapshot the night we brought our ailing girl inside. I did my best to fix her up, and had thought she was on the mend, before I found her oh so still in the coop that awful morning. We'll miss you, lovely hen! Thank you for the eggs, sweet girl.

Thankfully, the rest of my hens seem just fine, and haven't exhibited any of the symptoms that our lost layer had. So, it looks as though this was an isolated event. Send happy chicken wishes our way.

Tough stuff to lose a pet, livestock or not. Makes me want to hug the remaining six. All. Day. Long.

Best wishes for your day, dear hearts.  

Be well, be wonderful.

PS. How rad is my friend's pumpkin design? Can't wait to see her all aglow.

Community Love: Giving Back With Seventh Generation

Yesterday, thanks to my recent partnership with Seventh Generation and their new Diaper Donation program, I was able to bring four packs of their excellent diapers to a local charity of my choice.

Seventh Generation is aiming to give away up to 240K diapers to 40 shelters in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. This month, each pack of their diapers purchased in Canada will mean one pack donated to a shelter!

I chose to bring my diaper donation to our local YWCA, in support of Crossroads Shelter, a facility which offers emergency shelter services for women & their children who are leaving abusive situations. This is a charity I've done work for in the past, as far back as doing tag days in high school, and volunteering in their thrift shop. It was a complete pleasure to drop my donation off with the lovely gals who work the front desk at their downtown office. Our YWCA does some really phenomenal work in the community and it was an absolutely pleasure to chat with them.

If you happen to be a Peterborough local and would like to make a similar donation to Crossroads, feel free to check out their Wish List of items needed. You can also visit the YWCA website for more ways to help.

Interested in giving back with Seventh Generation? Click here to learn more about their BOGO campaign. Also, be sure to join the 7th Gen Nation for coupon deals, and to stay in the know about all things Seventh Generation.

How do you talk to your children about lending a hand to local charities? Have you ever talked to them about giving back in your community? How do they respond? I'd love to hear!

Disclosure: I am participating in the Seventh Generation program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. As always, the opinions on this blog are my own.

Wordless Wednesday (Autumn Toes)

Halloween Traditions At The House Of Fawn

This will be Gretchen's third Halloween, and our second attempt at trick or treating. I say second "attempt" because, as you may recall, last year's adventure was cut short by a bad reaction to the cold. Our October 31st was particularly frosty in 2010, and Gretchen's cheeks were unhappy at best. The poor dear only made it a few blocks before white welts covered her face and we had to turn back. This time around, I'm crossing my fingers for a slightly less chilly evening. Now that's she's just months away from turning three (oh my word), she understands the basics of Halloween -- we dress up, we say trick or treat, we get candy. I'm still coming to terms with her eating the candy, but I don't mind a little here and there.

When it comes to starting holiday traditions with my daughter, I like to look back at favourite traditions from my own childhood. My mom and I would always carve our pumpkins together, we'd decorate the house with spiderwebs and cute little ghosts. We'd always save the seeds for roasting in the oven, and after I came home from trick-or-treating, I'd sort all of my goodies into four basic food groups: chips, chocolate, candy, soda. Yum!

This year, Gretchen and I will carve our two big pumpkins together! I think we'll go for some happy faces, and they'll sit on our front steps, waiting for the big night to come. We also brought home a little pie pumpkin from the patch -- I think she'll paint/colour it, or decorate it in some other way. I haven't finished making her costume, but I hope to keep that tradition alive as well. I'm still quite proud of last year's Yoda getup! Still haven't figured out my costume, or if I'll dress up -- but I suppose it might be more fun for Gretchen if I do!

 Gilmore Gourds?

After we trick-or-treat a bit, Gretchen and I will be handing out candy to other kiddos at home. Deciding on a treat to give out can be tricky, as you know. Allergies are a worry, so I like to go for something peanut free, at least. Allan Candy has peanut-free treats, all made in Canada -- Intense Jubes & Jellies, Chewy Rascalz and Fruit Buddies are all in our lineup this year. (Though I'll be honest... I may have already been snacking on the Fruit Buddies... grape is my favourite!)

What will you be handing out this year? How do you help your kiddos snack responsibly? Do you worry about allergens?

Disclosure: I am participating in the Allan Candy Company program by Mom Central Canada. I received compensation for my participation in this campaign. As always, the opinions on this blog are my own.

Fawned Friday

01. Lovely lace stenciled floors.

02. If you haven't seen this yet, you need to.

03. An inspiring collection of chicken coops.

04. How sweet are these butterfly wings?

05. Can't wait to make one of these amazing bags!

06. Soon these tights will be mine. These too.

07. A great post from loving mama.

08. I seriously adore this blog.

09. Glitter wall? Whoa, Nelly.

My Brown Eyed Girl

Oh goodness. Those soulful pools. I could just swim in them.

This weekend, Gretchen will be spending time with her daddio, and then with one of her grandmothers. This means I'll be missing her like crazy when she's not by my side. 

I'm addicted to this gal. She's my sidekick, my love, my everything. She's growing up so fast and I hate to miss a moment.

Off to bed now. I'll wake early in the morning to find she's crept under the covers with me for a snuggle & nurse, before the day begins. And I'll breathe her in; and we'll greet the sun.

Goodnight, dear hearts. Hug those babies, while they still are.

A Little Love For Fleck: Grow Your World

Maybe you guys know that I'm a bit of a geek, but perhaps you wouldn't take me to be a gamer. However, back in the day (circa 2005-2009) I had an addiction. That addiction, was World of Warcraft. I essentially quit after Gretchen was born, but still dabbled here and there when she was tiny. These days, there just aren't enough hours in the day, and the game has changed so much that I'm not especially interested anymore. That being said, I was recently given an opportunity to test out a new game (still in beta) which compare itself in some ways to WoW.

The game is called Fleck, and it can be played online or on an iPad. Since I don't own such a fancy device, I gave the online version a try. It's actually pretty cute. Still in it's beta form, it has its quirks, but the game has great potential. Basically, it's a social game which takes place on a map of the world (Google maps style), so you can actually walk through your own neighbourhood, place your home, tend your little garden (similar to Farmville) and even better -- counter zombie attacks. Yup. They had me at zombies. The whole idea is very sweet.

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Wordless Wednesday (Our Pumpkin Patch Adventure)

To A Love That Lasts

Congrats again, to two beautiful friends ♥

Blog Love: Oh, Pioneer!

Every image from this blog sings to my soul.

According to his bio, this curator of this particular site is a "lover, fighter, reader of books, explorer of lands, chopper of trees, maker of music, raiser of ruckus, dreamer of dreams."

(His Pinterest is also pretty rad. We might be soulmates. Shh, don't tell.)

All images taken from Oh, Pioneer!.

The Gibson Tuck... In Action

I pulled it off, ladies and gents! This weekend I sported the Gibson Tuck to a wedding and it worked out really well. Lots of compliments on the style, and it help up nicely. I did pull it down at the end of the night to shake things loose, but with just an elastic and three bobby pins (and less than 5 minutes of my time) I am incredibly impressed.

I'm so glad my pal Shannon (friend, not roommate) snapped a pic of Gretchen nursing at the wedding, because it ended up being the only photo that showed the back of my head! Not too shabby.

The wedding was gorgeous -- I'll be posting a few little photos later today, just to give you an idea of the vibe. It was swoon-worth, for sure. The actual ceremony had been the day before, with a huge shindig in the bride's parent's backyard on Saturday. The wind was so extreme that we were all a little worried about the tent, but thankfully many capable hands secured it til we beat the gusts and kept the party going. It was certainly a night to be remember. So much love.

Also, see how Gretchen is chilled out in my lap? She loves to nurse like this. She's such a cuddly little lass, and I love it.

I hope you're all having a productive Monday -- I've been getting lots of work done today and I'm feeling great, despite the rainy, chilly day we're having.

Take care.

Story Of My Life

Source: moonlight-path.tumblr.com via Chelsie on Pinterest

Little secret: I actually love awkward situations. I don't get embarrassed. I sort of revel in it.

Fawned Friday

01. Totally digging this tattoo.

02. A little flair.

03. Gretchen would go nuts for these.

04. There's so much goodness to take in here.

05. How could I not love these?

06. I want to try all of these.

07. Gorgeous autumn snapshots.

08. I get really cozy reading this blog.

09. Too cute tiny shoes for baby.

10. I hope you're following this gal.

11. Beautiful babywearing videos.

12. Are you swooning too?

13. Some serious blog crushing.

Do Something Little, Help Something Big

Source: vol25.typepad.com via Jenn on Pinterest

Have you ever wanted to make a positive change in your life, but just didn't know where to start? I think we probably all have, because often CHANGE can be daunting at best. We tend to look for the end, the the product, the proof -- instead of the small steps we can take to get there.

I've been thinking a lot about making up a list of Goals For A Sustainable Life... something a little more concrete than the ongoing one in my head. I've mentioned several times my desires for a more sustainable lifestyle, and lately I've been taking more and more steps toward making this a reality. I believe in taking things one step at a time, and making changes which will truly benefit myself, my daughter, and this earth.

As fate would have it, I was recently asked to participate in the Do Something Little, Help Something Big campaign, to help spread the word about making big impacts through small changes. Energizer Canada, in partnership with Evergreen (a fabulous non-profit dedicated to creating more sustainable Canadian cities), has donated $100K to help make cities more livable all across our great nation. To promote this message, I've put together a list of Five Kind Acts which I will put to motion in my life to benefit my family, community & environment.

Stop Using Shampoo
I've mentioned this one a few times, and I'm really ready to take the plunge. I will be following a recipe very similar to my friend Jenn, who blogs over at The Organic Heretic. (And yes, I'll blog about it!)

Use Family Cloth
At the end of September, I stopped buying toilet paper. Honestly. I can't even begin to think about how much less waste we'll be creating by using a cloth substitute. Check out this post over at Penniless Parenting to learn more about reusable toilet paper.

Raise Free Range Backyard Chickens
I still haven't told the whole story behind my seven adorable chickens, but they came to me at the beginning of May, and I'm now basking in the glory of about 3-7 eggs each day. Amazing. They taste fantastic, the chickens take care of weeds/bugs in my yard, and Gretchen adores them. Win, win, win.

Spread Positivity
Even when I'm feeling down, I know that bumming around and feeling down on myself is never the answer. I vow to be the voice of positivity for my chosen family, and to help others stay positive no matter what they're facing.

Bike Everywhere
My daughter and I are masters of the Schwinn/Chariot combo. Due to the fact that owning a car costs about 10x what I can afford, we bike (nearly) everywhere -- downtown, grocery shopping, to the park, for fun. There's almost nowhere I need to go, that I can't get to via my beautiful, red cruiser. And my legs are stronger than ever! Can't beat that, mes amis.

In addition to spreading a message of change, Energizer will also donate $1 for every pledge that you make and post on their site, NowThatsPositivEnergy.ca! Hop on over now to share your goals.

Disclosure: I am participating in the Energizer Canada & Evergreen “Do Something Little, Help Something Big” program by Mom Central Canada on behalf of Energizer Canada & Evergreen. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. As always, the opinions on this blog are my own.