Fawned Friday

01. Cute costumes for littles.

02. Ain't that the truth.

03. Super neat calculator.

04. Gold skull.

05. Kitty lights! Yes!

06. Love these Fall challenges.

07. A very sweet blog.

08. Bring on the sthnow!

09. These ladies make me smile.

10. A sweet list of recommended reading.

Deep In The Hundred Acre Wood

Where Christopher Robin plays.

This photo marks the only moment of our night when Gretchen actually somewhat resembled Christopher Robin. The umbrella never made if off our front porch, and she didn't want to carry Pooh much more than a block. So, instead of looking like an adorable British boy, she looked like a deep sea fisherman. Her mesh grocery bag helped to complete the look. Either way, she had a blast for over an HOUR of trick-or-treating. Her confident nature shone through.

Trick-or-treat-I-want-some-candy!

She's awesome. What can I say.

At the end of the night she got to snack on two little chocolates, threw a tiny fit when I denied her chips, then splashed in the tubby, had some buckies & went to bed.

Halloween success!

How was your night?

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.

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.

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.

Wordless Wednesday (Our Pumpkin Patch Adventure)

Yoda

Last night, my little Yoda had an allergic reaction to something & so our Halloween adventures were cut short. I also never managed to get a photo of her entire getup, but I promise it was adorable.

Before her poor cheeks turned to red and white welts, we made it to a few houses, where -- despite our practicing all day long -- she was too nervous to say "trick-or-treat" or "thank you", preferring instead to snuggle into my shoulder. Another win for babywearing -- Yoda was much happier in her sling .

I hope you all enjoyed your weekend, mes amis! (Happy November!)

PS. As for the reaction, I'm still not entirely sure what caused it, but I think it was exacerbated by the frigid weather. The swelling subsided quickly once we got home and she's no worse for the wear.

Peace.

When Nerds Carve Pumpkins

Happy almost Halloween!