Responsibilities.

R and R...

Pardon me for hoping I would be able to wake up every morning and kick back. You know, get away with doing the bare minimum in the six weeks of vacation time I have left. Uh... no. The children and the canine and the chores are still waking up every morning too.

Been walking the dog every day. The exertion of a short walk plus the hot weather are seemingly doing her in. Here she is, post-stroll. Mighty uncomfortable way to sleep, if you ask me.

 

On to the children. If only they were as easily tired as Miss Bella! Yesterday they spent three hours swimming at a local pool with a couple of friends. They were crinkled up like raisins, but apparently all that water time did nothing in the way of zapping their energy. 

 

 

A little friend slept over. Why in the world are they called sleepovers, when all they seem to do is stay up half the night and do everything but sleep! I'm bracing myself for dealing with a couple of Crankies later on today. Early to bed is on the agenda tonight, even though it's the middle of summer. Because the old lady didn't get her beauty sleep last night either!

 

The chores are ongoing. And I'm guessing you really aren't interested in hearing about those.

Niagara Falls.

Niagara. I think it means Thundering Waters... but whatever it's translation, we definitely had water coming at us in all directions that day. If it wasn't the spray from the Horseshoe Falls, it was the drizzly rain, which became pretty torrential when we finally embarked on the Maid of the Mist.

 

Behind the Falls brings you to stand just a few feet away from those thundering waters.

 

 

Niagara Fury... a 4-D presentation with a anti-creation theme.

Delightful special effects, but a little over-rated.

 

 

Birthday girl got to create her own chocolate-dipped caramel apple from Lolly's Sweet Shop.

 

Happy 12th birthday, Miss Lannie!

 

Little sister managed to twist someone's arm and wangle one for herself.

 

Miss KP, Maid-of-the-Mist-ready.

 

 

 

Celebrating the birthday of the day continued with more of those sugary treats.

We ate supper at Kelsey's, where she was well-wished with cinnamon churro 'fries' and an ice-cream cupcake 'burger'. Then back at our Toronto digs, we had yummy chocolate cake.

Can't believe she's 12 already. Loved her way back then, when she came into our world screaming. Love her still. Happy birthday, girl!

Canada's Wonderland.

If you've never been to Canada's Wonderland, think Six Flags USA. Sprawling roller coaster park. Then add a 20-acre water park, with all the splash and thrill any pre-teen could ask for. 

The day we chose to go, they were calling for thundershowers. Not exactly the forecast you'd hope for, knowing that in stormy weather, many of the rides are shut down. This prediction seemed to deter the crowds, though, and in the end, the weatherman's rain clouds never came!

Which meant the ride waits for us were no more than 15 minutes, often no wait at all. Definitely got Big Bang for our buck, that day!

A Snoopy welcome. And still trying to believe we're actually here!!

They rode Flight Deck... over and over!

 

The Bat is an exhilarating ride. Suspended, then released like a boomerang, forwards and backwards.
The girls had several back-to-back runs on it!

Love their facial expressions here... post The Bat experience!

Break for a picnic lunch.

Dragon Fire riders.

The Wild Beast. Not a roller coaster for the faint-hearted.

Wild Beast wildness! The most rickety wooden roller coaster ever!

Cooling off at Splashworks in the afternoon.
Actually, only the kids cooled off.
The adults napped peacefully on those grassy banks.

Some evening company added a new dimension of fun and conversation!

All the cousins... first, second, once removed, twice removed. It's all here!

The Big Apple of Canada.

If it looks like a tourist, walks like a tourist... then it's a tourist.

That was us. Wandering around, downtown Toronto, like a gaggle of geese.

Headed for the subway to begin our inner-city commute. And rolling through one particular station, I chuckled that I had never before realized the significance of Juliet's quote, "what's in a name?" Imagine that. All along, a TTC stop had been named after me!

 

No transit weirdos joined us on our travels, although I must admit I had the girls well warned on the subject of psychos. And the etiquette of subway staring. How not to do it.

 

 

Stopped in at the grand entrance to the historic Fairmont Royal York Hotel, officially opened for business way back in June 1929 (Dad?)!

The current luxury home for visiting monarchy.

Clearly no regality bespeaks Miss Neon, here.

 

Ventured on to our Goal of the Day. The observation deck of the CN Tower. Only way to get there was in a glass elevator, cruising at 15 mph/. We exited at 1,151 feet just 58 seconds later. My popping ears clearly told me it was a rapid ride. Here is Miss K, happily speeding upward.

 

And the trio at the top.

 

 

Don't quite get the strange arm positioning in this shot.

Was she airing out her oxster?

Or perhaps explaining that I should have been next to her to complete the family quad.

 

Appendages were back in place for this Kodak moment on the glass floor.

Freaky thing, that glass floor.

Apparently built to withstand the weight of 14 hippos.

Good to know.

 

 

I snapped this picture of the golden Royal Bank Tower because of the stunning sky reflection.

For years I walked by this building daily, but never appreciated its height or worth. 

 

It has 41 storeys and boasts more glass than any other skyscraper in the world.

And it doesn't appear golden without reason, either.

All of those glass windows are covered with 24-carat gold.

Designed for the ultimate in insulation, and valued at over $1,000,000.

A Bank Tower. Ever wonder where your money goes?!

 

A Toronto Welcome.

Seems like years ago that I was impatiently waiting for school to be done and vacation to be had.

It's only been three weeks.
Three weeks, two time-zones, four airplanes and five provinces later... has me back home again in beautiful BC.

I know it's been months since I documented on here. But perhaps an innovative way to revive this blog would be to relive my most-recent vacation by recording events from each day. Quite the commitment, but hey, I have six more weeks of summer to do it, don't I?!

So, here goes.

First day of travelling got us so far as Toronto. And settled into the best home-away-from-home accommodations a girl could ever wish for. Food flowing... and tea on tap.

I'm indebted to this couple. Welcomed me to their Canadian culture, more than 25 years ago. Had many an occasion to give up on me. But they never did. Forever grateful for them.

 

These two were double trouble. See the sparkle in their eyes?

 

Sheer mischief, fighting furiously for an exit.

Lemon Coconut Muffins

Someone at work today had printed out this recipe, and I stumbled on this mouth-watering photo when I made a trip to the printer to pick up my project.

Seems I can't avoid food at all these days. If someone's not supplying our staff room with tantalizing treats, the printer takes the thunder and produces pictures of the same. Aargh!

Lemon. And me, being, of course, the lemon-lover that I am, was immediately drawn. With coconut. Aaah. A combo that makes me dream of warm beaches and waving palms.

So tonight I was compelled to whip up this new-found concoction. And it's a keeper for sure.

Here's the recipe. Don't shortcut on the glaze. Seriously. I actually doubled it. Sssh. Enjoy!


LEMON COCONUT MUFFINS

Muffin Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• Zest of 2 medium sized lemons, finely grated
• 1 1/2 cups sour cream
• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup coconut, flaked
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup extra coconut for topping

Glaze:

• 1 cup icing sugar
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

1. Cream together softened butter, and sugar. Stir in egg, lemon zest, and sour cream.
2. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, 3/4 cup coconut, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add creamed mixture into dry ingredients and stir only until combined.
4. Scoop batter into greased muffin cups.
5. Top with extra coconut.
6. Bake in 375º oven for 25 minutes.
7. Drizzle glaze over warm muffins.

Spring Break 2013.

Spring Break. Finally. When time is unscheduled, and it seems like we have all the time in the world to do whatever we wish. In reality, not quite, but the Break means we have free time to...

BAKE SOME OLD COUNTRY EATS...

 

SPOIL YOUR CANADIAN NIECE...

 

ENJOY SOME LAUGHS WITH OLD FRIENDS...

HUG THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BRIDE OF THE YEAR...

and WATCH THE SUNSET AT WHITEROCK BEACH.

Now school is in again this week, so it's back to tempo pace. Bah.

Loving and Praying.

The deluge of busyness has gotten the better of me lately.

But today I blog.
And you never know, maybe I'll get right back on track with this whole bloggin' thing.

If you're like me, you'll have met people in your life who are hard to love. Maybe they just have an oppositional personality type... maybe they're plain old proud and obstinate. Maybe some have even publicly voiced their dislike for you, and have backed it up with hurtful actions. It's upsetting and awkward. And human nature screams for an intervention, an uprising, some sort of retaliation.

I'm no perfectionist when in a situation like this. I confess that I have struggled daily with the challenge in Luke 6, reminding me to, without excuse, love and pray for my enemies.

This morning I was supervising at Recess when I encountered a little guy sitting at his desk, quietly reading his Action Bible. He's the sweetest little person ever. Seriously. I hunkered down beside him, and gently asked him what he was reading about.

"Gideon," he replied. "And do you know what he's doing? He's trying to hide from his enemies!"

Enemies. Gulp. I think I may have accumulated a few of those in my lifetime.

So we talked about Gideon for a little bit, how he was just a farmer, but God chose him to be His leader and to do an amazing work for Him. Then my little friend said,

"Mrs W, do you know what's the hardest, hardest thing?"
"Um, no," I said. "What's that?"
"It's when the Bible tells you to love your enemies. That's the hardest thing."

Oh boy. Out of the mouths of babes. His words rocked me. To love my enemies is indeed a very difficult thing to do. But God demands it of me.

However a closer look at Luke 6 will show that there's more required than just loving them. I am also expected to "do good to those who hate you". Whoa. That means I can't get away with saying I love them. I have to actually show my love by being kind and doing good to them. Then... I must expect nothing in return. No thanks, no sorrys... no nothing. And then... if I think I've accomplished all of that, there is still one more thing. Pray for them.

Love.
Do good.
Expect nothing.
Pray.

My little Grade 3 friend thinks its the hardest thing to do. I have to agree.

The Lord loved those who hated Him.
He was kind to those who cursed Him.
He expected nothing because mankind had nothing to give.
He prayed for those who crucified Him.

So, I will humbly choose to love and pray for any who despise me. For His sake.