Of Grinch Happy Meals, Makin' Gingerbread Houses, & Book Club Christmases

      It's all the little moments that make a life, or so they say, and thus, here are a bunch more of my little moments. Ones where they look all dreamy in the photos, but were at the same time surrounded by crazy, uncontrollable weather and illness. I am sure one day I will look back and think these were the simpler times, but they really weren't in the moment! 

So McDonalds came out with adult Grinch Happy Meals, featuring the cutest socks, and even though I don't really eat McDonalds, I had to have the socks. 

Raccoon very kindly got 2 happy meals, so I have both pairs of socks because they are adorable. haha I didn't realize there were also kids' happy meals with little stuffies so missed out on those, but that's totally okay because the socks are useable! 

Sonya asked if I wanted to decorate gingerbread houses with her and I said "Most definitely", even though the houses end up just sitting for a few weeks and getting thrown out. It's all about the fun of decorating them.

We went absolutely ham on the decorations and had so much left over. LOL We need bigger houses! 

Also Cedar was definitely checking it all out and was not happy that the attention of Aunty wasn't all on him! He is a very chatty cat so we heard all about it. 

I got a bag of true vintage candies and they had so many cute little designs! 

Here is Sonya's house - she poured coconut everywhere! Pretty sure we were both finding coconut bits for days! 

And here is my house! It honestly kept good for weeks! 

My book club had a White Elephant Book Swap Christmas Party, and I once again pushed myself out of my comfort zone to attend. It really was a lot of fun, and I am starting to know some of the people which makes it much better. 

Alessia and Steph did a great job hosting and the books were wrapped so pretty. 

Lots of yummy snacks and a hot chocolate station! 

The swap was hysterical because some of the books were wild and lots of laughs were had. I was quite content with the book I got in the end!  

We also did a ton of other book trading. 

I ended up with this whole beautiful pile of books, including the wee Susan Branch one!!! 

I can't believe I only have 1 more post of Christmas memories to share with you, then we move on into other winter life and the New Year. I swear I am trying to hold onto the days but they just zoom by! 

Book Club Socials & Pumpkins For The Deer

      Well, it's Monday again, and we continue our journey through my November adventures. November was a bit quieter on the events front, for me, and I was mostly just working and trying to stay well. 

I joined a book club this year, and while most of it is virtual, the leading ladies do host some in person events as well, and I decided to push myself outside of my comfort zone and attend one. This particular one there was a lovely craft market during the day, and then the snacks and swap in the evening. 

I was only able to meet a couple people I previously only knew online, as there were around 50 people attending, and apparently, there was more interest beyond that. Who knew this province was so full of readers?! 

The ladies who put this event together did a lovely job and had beautiful table decor too. I think we all discovered we like smaller gatherings though, where you actually get to talk to people, and get to know each other a bit more. 

As you will have seen in previous posts, I got a lot of pumpkins for outdoor decoration, and Raccoon had a great idea of what to do with them when the season ended. 

Our land was gorgeous even though everything was already settled down for winter. The skies rarely disappoint here on the prairies. 

I don't think I will ever tire of prairie views. It makes me feel like I can breathe again. 

Here Raccoon is hauling the pumpkins across our acres to the deer's favorite grazing and sleeping spots. Over the 4 years I have owned this property, I have definitely come to discover the deer's daily life patterns, and it's really helpful when we want to bring them treats. 

Raccoon smashing and hacking apart the pumpkins and squashes. Hopefully the deer were able to find them and enjoy some easy snacks before the snow came, or perhaps the moles and mice found it while carving tunnels under the snow. 

Who knows, maybe some of the seeds have taken root and we will find random vines growing next spring. Haha That would be so awesome! 

If not, it is good compost for the soil. 

And with that, I will leave you for today and return hopefully tomorrow with some new adventures. This really was a random post of unusual happenings. 

Farmer's Markets, Yoga In The Park, & Reading Picnics

     Well Hello Everyone! Guess who is back again, with tons of fall adventures, and Christmas ones too?! I have so much to share with you.... it just comes down to finding time & energy to get it all uploaded. Today I did massive amounts of editing & sorting, so I am ready to sit down & type away, updating this little corner of the world. 

First, I want to share the last moments of August with you, before moving into autumn. I don't have Saturdays off, but I did get one off this summer, so of course we had to check out the Farmers Market. To be completely honest, the prices have gone up so exorbitantly that I didn't end up purchasing anything. However, it is always nice to go out, see new things, enjoy the sun. 

These fresh cut sunflowers are so beautiful! Sunflowers remain top favorite flowers for me...

Beautiful fresh fruit, however, the BC Fruit Trucks are no longer sourcing just from BC, so no guarantee it is organic or local. I've gotten fussy about such things these days. 

The cutest little cupcake & dessert trailer ever! Whoever designed it did amazing! 

One of the other really cool things I got to experience for the first time was yoga and somatic breathwork in the park, led by 2 of my dear coworkers. 

Half of our time was overcast and greys, but then the sun came out near the end, so we really got the best of both beautiful weathers. 

Our 2 leaders in this calming moment... thank you to Marie and Sarah for this special afternoon. 

Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power. ~ J. Allen 

We had Parkerview Kombucha and lovely desserts from one of our favorite local cafes. My work really tries hard to support local businesses, and these businesses support us a lot too! 

Calmness is the graceful form of Confidence. ~M. V. E. Eschenbach 

This became one of my favorite parks this year, so we went there a lot. On this same weekend, we went there to lay in the sun and read a while. I cannot wait for spring to arrive next year, so we can start reading and eating outdoors once again. 

 “The antidote to exhaustion isn’t rest. It’s nature.” ~ Shikoba 

As I type, I only have 2 more books to read before I reach my goal of 100 this year. Far more than I ever thought I would read, but also not nearly as much as I could of read, had I not had so many other hobbies and interests. Trust me, I am NEVER bored, because I always have so many hobbies to do. Haha 

“In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous.” –~Aristotle

Then we decided to go over to another cute little spot, near where we live, but we sadly forgot bug spray so we couldn't sit out there long, as we were a full buffet for the local mosquitoes. Ooops! 

“Nature is pleased with simplicity. And nature is no dummy.” ~Isaac Newton

Well that is all I am going to share with this post, but I hope to return very soon and begin sharing early fall memories with you. There are definitely plenty of them, as we went on a road trip again! 

I hope you all have been keeping well, and staying warm now that winter is upon us.