[with love Heidi]

I just had to Google “cronut” 🙂 It does look good.

Yes Sarvi, Thanksgiving is definitely exotic in Australia! As is the American Halloween experience 🙂

[needlewoman]

A dear friend is giving her youngest girl (4 at the end of October) a “Rainbow” party per missy’s request. According to university tests, it’s a party where everything is ‘rainbow’ coloured. Doh! Sounds about the easiest ‘themed’ party going, don’t you think? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

On a much more serious note: currently, the weather around Sydney, NSW here in Australia is stormy, fierce and dangerous. Concerned thoughts going to anyone in forum who lives/knows people who live anywhere in the entire length of the state’s coast. As I write (late Tuesday night), Sydney airport is closed, over 30,000 homes are without power, and it’s snowing hard in the Blue Mountains. I hope people directly concerned, or any people you know stay safe, and that your homes do not sustain too much damage.

Prayers for your family, dear T.

[Sherry]

Storm last night was horrible, the house shook so much it felt like an earthquake. The hot water bottle came out of hiding also as it was so cold, only a week ago grandkids were under the sprinkler. We didn’t sustain any damage, so glad we had 3 very large gum trees removed last week. Hope everyone else was ok. We live in the Blue Mountains.

[Nicole]

I hope everyone is fairing well!

[Justine J]

…it was certainly wild last night….we’ve chosen this week to have a short escape – but unfortunately for us, didn’t go far enough to escape the wild weather. My parents checked our house today, and aside from a few chairs blown over, no other damage occurred (am very glad though that I turned off/unplugged modem, tv, sewing machine etc!).

No damage here either (Nelson Bay, just north of Newcastle) – and we knew it was going to be cold, so packed warm clothes & many DVDs! It would have been nice to have been lying by the pool instead though…

[cybele727]

Wow, I didn’t realize the weather was so rough there. I know that the hurricane season in the Eastern US seaboard has been very quiet this year, thus far, and the Pacific has been hit. According to the meteorologist I follow on FB, they don’t know yet what the causation is, but it appears that when the Pacific is at unrest, the Atlantic is more peaceful and vice versa.

I hope everyone is ok.

As for the birthday, I, of course, don’t have it together enough to have Halloween done, but here I am planning after Christmas. Since I am going to a bookstore AND my daughter has friends who “are boys, but not my boyfriends, mommy” the theme may be based on the newest Skippy John Jones book coming out in a few days. I just can’t purchase it and do all the stuff *I* do for it. (Because I am crazy, I do read alouds for my children, using voices, and accents, and I sing songs and do chants. I wear a cape and Skippy ears and we make Skippy masks and talk about alliteration, rhyme, onomatopoeia, etc.– I think I love it more than the kids do. I think the kids love Mommy being crazy!)

[honeymadeit]

cybele727 you are most certainly not crazy. You are doing the best thing to ensure a love of reading and books. Keep up the good work. Reading and language are the most important things we can teach our children, no matter what walk of life they choose.

[Tamara]

Cybele I had the exclamation come out of my daughter’s mouth several times, even the other day in fact when she was giving me an update in the “love” lives of her classmates! They like to try and put you at ease somehow with the quote I am sure.

We had our first forty degree day this week. And what is more ironic is that dh heard we were in to get 50mm of rain over the weekend! Hope not because we want to start harvest next week.

[Sarvi]

Agreed, nothing crazy about making reading come alive. It almost pains me to hear the way books are sometimes read to kids. But I think it’s still great for them, however it’s done.

[Sarvi]

Nearing the deadline for my kid’s birthday. Bear theme by request. It’s just a day in the park with picnic and a cake, how much work can that be, right? No comment.

[Mama_Knowles]

Well I hope her party goes very well and that you enjoy it too Sarvi!!

[lattemama]

Good luck on the party preps Sarvi!

I’ve been invited to a mini fair and I have spent my nights sewing up some knits samples to sell and planning and prepping what to bring.

I can’t wait to have it over with so I can sew something not-stretchy for my little girl. Maybe a Hide-and-Seek-tunic .. or a Garden Party dress.

[Mel]

Hard to concentrate today. I live in Ottawa and spent the whole day yesterday watching the news. An unarmed soldier watching over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was shot and killed before the gunman ran into the parliament buildings.

Despite not being anywhere near downtown, my husband’s gov’t office was locked down and my kid’s school put into shelter-in-place mode. Although we weren’t in any danger, it’s a very unsettling feeling knowing that something like this can happen so close to home. I feel for the family of the reservist; he was only 24 and has a small child.

[Violaisabelle]

Mel, I’m so glad you posted here! I was thinking of your family, yesterday, and I almost sent you a note. I am thankful to hear your family is well and safe. Indeed it was heart-wrenching to watch that story unfold yesterday, incredibly sad on so many levels. I think that ‘unsettling’ feeling is far more reaching all across Canada right now. I’m grateful to be living in such a wonderful country!

[cybele727]

Since Buffalo is a border city, we have never viewed Canada as an alien place, just our northern brethren.

Many people have families that straddle the border. So when something bad happens we watch with our hearts in our throats feeling the kinship. (Of course when it is Sabres vs the Maple Leafs, that kinship can get somewhat strained!) 🙂