Books of the Year

Going over my reading log (yes, I AM that dorky!) from 2010 there were some fabulous books that I discovered. There are too good to keep to myself, so here are my top ten of adult reads from the year just past:

1. "The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society"- I originally got this book because the title was such a mouthful and tickled my funny bone,but it has become a firm favourite of mine. Here's a read that will make you laugh, cry, has a plethora of delightful characters, and even weaves the love of books into a superb plot.

2."Griffin and Sabine"- In keeping with my love of epistolary novels here is a unique winner. My teacher Mr.Murdock read this to us as a class when I was young, but rediscovering this was sheer delight. You get to read the correspondence between the two title characters, even taking their beautifully illustrated letters from the envelopes as their mysterious romance unfolds. Read all three of the books in this series, they're well worth it.

3."Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"- Who would have thought that a humble fish would wield such power over world events throughout time? Fascinating.

4."The Host"-Arguably Stephanie Meyer's best novel yet. Forget those sparkly vampires and enjoy this one. I came into this book determined to hate the main character only to fall in love with her. Full of surprises, the book made me cry it was that good.

5."One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies"- Don't you just love the title of this one? Brilliantly told in a series of poems of all things, our teenage heroine must move to California after her mother dies of cancer to live with the moviestar father she has never met.

6."All New Square-Foot Gardening"- A practical guide to growing a successful garden without investing vast swatches of time. This one even explained the wonderful mysteries of effective composting to me.

7."Salt: A World History"- Written by the same author as "Cod" here is another great tale of humankind's pursuit of the most precious resource throughout our entire history. Now commonplace and easily accessible, this now humble element once shaped mighty empires and sparked wars.

8."Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery"-Finally a well-written and compelling biography of a forgotten historical figure that has fascinated me for years!

9."The Happy Hooker"-This is not what you think, it's a book about crochet! Clear instructions, funny writing and with cool projects that range from purses, bunny slippers and cowboy hats it has convinced even a die-hard knitter like me to learn this craft.

10."Stich'n Bitch Superstar Knitting"- You didn't think that there wouldn't be at least ONE knitting book on my list now did you? Superb with great instructions, funny quips and fantastic projects that make me eager to tackle such daunting techniques as fair isle, beading or cables with confidence.

Happy reading all and stay tuned for my kid picks from 2010!

C is for Cookie

I've always had a fondness for Cookie Monster. And although we had more than our fair share of cookie baking fun last month (Christmas seems like the ultimate excuse to whip up a batch for me)today we made some more- Ben, Briggy and I.
Briggy loves helping out in the kitchen so much that I've dubbed him "My Little Sous Chef". And with Ben getting some marvelous new cookie cutters in the shape of a race car, train and (his favourite) an airplane it was only a matter of time before we made some dough together so that they could make cookies to their hearts content. Ben has been pestering me to do so since he opened that present Christmas morning, so he was very excited about today's activity!
We had a grand time together. I do love the whimsy of cookie cutters, and as such, am slowly acquiring a rather fun collection. While Ben loves his airplane, Briggy favours the pterodactal while I love the tyrannosaurus rex. Even though I'm working hard to loss the remaining baby weight, a certain satisfaction is derived from biting a dinosaurs head off!

A Poetry Pickle

These past few weeks have been tricky. The chicken pox has been cycling through the family- one child at a time for the past three weeks. Jason is busy with marking for the next batch of report cards at work...and I am trying to keep up with it all and stay sane. Admittedly at times I have come up short. I know that my three munchkins don't mean to be troublesome, but being so active and imaginative sometimes just leads down that road. I try and remind myself that they have a very different perspective than me. Which is why coming across this poem that I wrote awhile ago made me smile.

Grumpy Mum

Oh grumpy Mum, my grumpy Mum,
A grumpy mum is never fun.
Whenever my mum's on the grumpy side
It's a good idea to run and hide!

I do not see her cause to shout,
Why should I not keep my toys out?
I did not want to give her grief
And so I kept my shouting brief.

I went and made myself a snack
But how could I put all that stuff back?
I thought I'd help out in the yard,
(I did not mean to pull so hard).

I really am not being bad
So how come Mum is just so mad?
I put my brother in timeout,
But now my Mum can't get him out!

Oh grumpy Mum, my grumpy Mum,
When she's like this she's never fun.
And though I've tried, as hard as can be...
I can't see why she's mad at me.

Adventures in Yarnland

One great advantage of the recent cold weather is that it's prime knitting weather-because who doesn't need a few extra warm duds when the wind chill is at -35C? One recent project that I just love is seen above (points for anyone who can guess what these fish actually are).
After snorkeling in Hawaii and our trip to the aquarium this summer I have become quite fascinated by aquatic life, so when I stumbled upon this pattern, it was only a matter of (brief) time before I knit one... or two. Nothing beats the grey winter blahs like some vibrant fishies!

Trick or Treat

We had a fun, if somewhat frenzied, Halloween this year. On the Saturday Ben attended no less then three parties (a friend's birthday, his own, plus the branch Halloween one). We now have candy out the whazoo, and I am plotting how to relieve some from my children.
I'm also happy to report that the homemade costumes for all three boys proved to be quite easy and economical-partly thanks to our local Salvation Army.


Briggy made a great ghost, Liam was a certain hero from Hyrule, while Ben made a terrific viking.

And for those of you who asked, here's a picture of the creepcakes from mt last post.

Cake Catastrophes, Or Why I Love Cupcakes

Sorry everybody! It's been ages since I blogged. But things are beginning to fall into a semblance of a routine now, so hopefully that will now include regular posts.
So today I was doing prep work for Ben's birthday party which is tomorrow, and I decorated a bunch of cupcakes to look like monsters (which falls in with the whole monster theme). Now first let me be clear: when it comes to baking I'm pretty good, but when it comes to decorating said confection...Well, let's just say that the cake still tastes good okay?
Hence my current love for cupcakes. They're cute already, so it's hard-even for someone like me-to make them look bad. In fact, just minimal effort is required for them to look awesome. Take the "creepcakes" currently hidden somewhere in my kitchen; I slapped on some icing, then some candy and marshmellows to create monster faces on them, and voila! We now have a toothsome treat that actually looks good too. For once the aesthetics are in harmony with my baking skill.
Now all I have to do is guard creepcakes like a dragon so that they actually survive until the party...

The New Addition

Shortly after he was born.


Liam and his VERY proud Papa.


Our darling little one.


Being adorable is hard work, but I'm a natural!


Niam is cute! And soft." -Brigham


Ben likes to sing to his baby brother.

Okay, this post is long over due I know. For those of you who haven't heard, our third little boy, Liam James Thompson was born at 2:31 am on September 11. What an adventure it has been thus far!
First there was the drive through the rain on the highway to St.Albert. When I wasn't having a contraction, I was terrified that we'd either hit a moose or get pulled over for speeding. Then there was the little fact that by the time we reached the hospital, it was too late for me to have an epidural... That's right folks, this was a natural delivery (I do not recommend this if there are other options). But our little baby is definently worth it all.
We're now all at home, easing into the semblance of a routine, but still trying to keep it simple. Ben and Brigham adore their baby brother, and in a gesture of true affection, have both loaned Liam their own beloved blankies to keep him warm.