The Colours of the Pride 5K Race

Posted on June 22, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….today our son, daughter and daughter-in-law all took part in the Pride 5k Race

There is probably no race more colourful than the one that takes place during Pride Week here in Toronto. It was a beautiful day with lots of sunshine, warm temperatures and colourful decorations and runners.

All three of our children did very well. Of the three Andrea arrived first at just over 22 minutes.

Brenda came in next in just over 24 minutes. Not bad considering he hadn’t trained in over two months and only had four hours of sleep the night before.

Josie wanted to break 35 minutes and came in at just over 33 minutes. Congratulations to all of them for a job well done.

Next year I promised I would do the run with them. I better start training now. I’d be happy to break 45 minutes.

Why Three Year Olds Love the Crazy Uncle

Posted on June 19, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….maybe it has something to do with the fact that they can be as goofy as the three year old

Our granddaughter doesn’t get to see her uncle Brendan very often but when she does he makes sure that he gives her his undivided attention. Yesterday was no exception when we drove up to Sparrow Lake to visit Brendan’s twin sister and her family. From the moment we arrived he was placing banana peels on her head, swinging her in the air, playing pretend sword fighting with sticks, playing with balls and doing cannon balls into the lake. Here are a several examples of the two of them at play.

Friendly Friday – Twins

Posted on June 15, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Snow for hosting Friendly Friday this week

Here are my twins who are well into their 30s.

Happy Victoria Day

Posted on May 20, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….to all my fellow Canadians

As far as long weekends go this one was pretty uneventful. Daughter number two went up to the camp to continue cleaning out their cabin that they’ll be living in this summer but they only stayed one night. The black flies are pretty bad this time of year and it was cold.

On Saturday I got some gardening down and cleaned out part of a flower bed and trimmed back the Rose of Sharon and the ornamental grass. Even though it was warm enough to garden without a jacket it wasn’t warm enough to sit outside without a jacket to enjoy a cup of coffee.

On Sunday daughter number one and our daughter-in-law came over to drop off their dog, Olive so that they could camping in a yurt up in Tobermory. While they were there my husband felt well enough to make a fabulous dinner that he had seen on Jamie Oliver’s show, Dinner in 30 Minutes. This is a photo of the salad he made with fresh mozzarella, prosciutto, roasted peaches, olives and salad greens.

Olive seemed to settle in quite nicely and she certainly made herself right at home when her mommies left. Unfortunately night time was a bit rough and I ended up sleeping on the couch with her until 4:30 in the morning and then my husband took over.

Today started out promising but the winds picked up and the temperatures were well below normal. Later in the day I bundled up and took the dogs for two separate walks. Frances would only let me take her around the block but Olive went five times as far. We ended up in Col. Sam Smith Park. The water levels are still high and one of the pathways was completely under water.

No sunburn or tanning this long weekend but the good news is that I walked over 13000 steps today. How was everyone else’s weekend.?

Friendly Friday Photo Challenge – Chair

Posted on May 17, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Snow for this week’s theme for the Friendly Friday Photo Challenge

I feel like I’ve posted some of these photos before. Hopefully for those of you who are new to my blog you’ll find them interesting.

Easter With the Cormiers

Posted on April 21, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….celebrating a day early makes for a nice restful Easter Sunday

On Saturday I got up early to put the turkey in the oven. I made the stuffing the night before so that saved me some time and I hid a few eggs before I retired for the evening. Despite all the advanced prep work I still found myself working right up till the moment the first of my kids arrived but I must admit that it was considerably less stressful than other years. I did manage to get the table set and hide all the Easter eggs.

My daughter and daughter-in-law took over the egg decorating job and my husband started up the BBQ where he cooked all the vegetables.

Our granddaughter and her parents and other grandmother were the last to arrive and little Winnie didn’t waste any time looking for the treats that the Easter Bunny hid around the house.

After dinner most of us decided we needed to get some fresh air and walk off some of the calories that we had consumed. Our son-in-law made us some wonderful cocktails to start the meal, Gaelan prepared a delicious cheesy cauliflower bake and Andrea and Josie made a decadent chocolate panna cotta for dessert. On top of the turkey and the rice stuffing I also made gluten free spring pasta salad. Luckily the rain had stopped so we headed to the park and continued to the playground a few blocks over.

I hope all of you had as wonderful day as I did. Happy Easter everyone!

Sure Signs of Spring

Posted on March 24, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….despite the unseasonably cold and blustery weather

Yesterday I saw my first robin. Unfortunately I didn’t have my camera or phone handy so I didn’t a picture. However, earlier in the day I did see and photography the following signs of spring.

In Germany they are definitely basking in the warmth of spring. Earlier today my cousin sent me photos of the family and they are actually having a meal in an outdoor cafe. The gentleman in the photo is my uncle, my father’s younger brother.

Pull Up a Seat Photo Challenge – Week 9

Posted on March 3, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….thanks to Xingfu Mama for hosting this challenge

When I’m Not Drawing

Posted on February 18, 2019 by Mama Cormier

….I’m knitting

I’m loving my collage class but sometimes I just need a change of pace. A while back I started a hat for my daughter and I had wool left over so I decided to knit a matching hat for her daughter (my granddaughter). I wasn’t sure there would be enough wool and it did look a tad small when I finished. I opted not to attach the pompom until I made sure it was going to fit.

Yesterday we drove to Hamilton to celebrate our Family Day. I presented Winnie with her hat and it just fit. Of course she wanted the pompom so I got out my sewing needle and promptly attached it.