Badges

This is a picture of a Cub Scout uniform, Canadian version. I have to sew on some new patches on a new Cub Scout shirt this evening. It's so complicated they have to map it out for us in the front of the manual, and still I have mixed it up, and spent some time this morning ripping badges off the wrong sleeves.

I spent two hours this morning sewing on Cub badges. Why, you ask? Because I procastinated all summer long, knowing that fall was just around the corner, and Investiture happens every fall, and the boys need their newly earned badges sewn on their sashes. So this morning, repenting the fact that I did not sew on the badges every time they brought one or two home, I sewed, poked my fingers, muttered to myself, and sewed some more. I sewed on two of these, one on each sash. This is the World Conservation Badge

This is the astronomy badge, and they had to be sewn on as well. Sigh. It's all worth it, though, because Josh was beaming when I tossed him his sash after school. I love my boys!

Family Home Evening Treat - Chocolate Cake in a Mug!

It's family night, and that means Mum (me) is scrambling for good ideas again. I came across this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen website. Chocolate Cake in a Mug! Something everyone will eat and every kid can make.

Here's the recipe:

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

2 tbsp. cocoa

3 tbsp. milk

3 tbsp. oil

3 tbsp. chocolate chips

1 dash vanilla.

Grease and flour a large mug (the biggest mug you can find, or split between two regular sized mugs.) Mix ingredients in bowl, pour into mug, microwave on high for three minutes, turn out on plate, top with ice cream or whip cream or whatever else you can find that goes well with chocolate cake, and enjoy!

I tested this cake this afternoon, and just as the microwave beeped, our cub leader rang the door bell, just in time to taste test the cake! We agreed it was pretty good for a three minute microwave recipe, the cake was nice and spongy, and the chocolate chips were scattered through the cake and were melted and runny, yum! A good activity for family night or cub night or whenever you really want a quick chocolate cake. Now, this is not going to replace molten lava cake, or black midnight chocolate cake, or any other truly superior cake recipe. But for what it is, it's pretty good stuff! Is it good to know that you can make a chocolate cake in three minutes, however.......only the scale will tell!

"Come Thou Fount" Mormon Tabernacle Choir

General Conference Weekend was great! The speakers were amazing, and I can't wait to get the conference issue of the Ensign in November so I can really study all the great talks. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir was inspiring, so I thought I'd post a favorite clip of theirs for everyone to enjoy. We started off Conference Sunday with homemade egg mcmuffins (yum! I had two {blush}). Jeffrey and I organized a little game to help him and Joshua stay focussed for the session. We put jelly beans in a bowl. Jeffrey labelled a piece of paper with the different colors of jelly beans, and then put a corresponding gospel word (i.e., prayer) beside each color. Every time they heard that word spoken, they picked out the corresponding colored bean, and placed it in a little bag. At the end of the session, we counted the beans to see which topic was most popular, and prayer won! Happy Conference!

Thanksgiving

Now that the vacation pictures are all successfully posted, I can rejoice and focus on the fact that autumn has arrived in Beaumont, AB. The leaves are turning color, and falling rapidly. Pumpkins are piled up in the grocery stores. Scarecrows are perched in gardens. We've had more than one hard frost, so most of the vegetable gardens and annual flowers have been removed. My freezer is full of good things we grew in our garden, and lots of applesauce and apple pie filling from our abundant apple trees. Turkeys everywhere are trembling. No, turkeys aren't that smart. Turkeys everywhere are happily eating, oblivious to the fact that their days are numbered! Autumn is my favorite season, and Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. All the good things about the holidays, and no crazy shopping! (Although I could not find any canned pumpkin when I went to get my groceries the other night, so maybe a little crazy shopping!) Here's wishing everyone a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday next weekend!

Ferry Boat Ride

We took a ferry boat ride from Halifax to Dartmouth, got off the ferry, and got right back on again, and went back to Halifax. We're cra - z that way, people.

We saw a really big boat.

We admired the waterfront.

We looked at the bridges.

Jeff was having a good time!

Sarah and Maddie were taking pictures.

Josh was eating Freak Lunch Box candy and enjoying the ride. I believe he was enjoying a can of Toxic Waste candy at this moment.

We saw Theodore the Tugboat. When Jason was four, Theodore was a big deal. We used to go down to the government wharf in Herring Cove to watch the pilot boats come in. Just like on the tv show.

Josh is suffering the aftershocks of a mouthful of Toxic Waste.

The Freak Lunch Box

A big highlight for Jeff and Josh was a trip to the Freak Lunch Box, a really weird candy store on Barrington Street. You can get lots of retro candy here, it's heaven for someone who grew up in the seventies and eighties. If you are scared of clowns, this is not the store for you.

This store is always packed with people. Mmmm, chocolate!

Jeff the muscle man.

That is the face of someone who is going to bring you a world of pain.

Seriously, if you don't like clowns, run.

The best candy in town, no kidding!

The Streets of Halifax

Here are some shots from when we wandered through Halifax on our vacation. I like this mural that was on the side of a building in an alley. Pizza Corner #1

Pizza Corner #2

The Black Market. If you're looking for earrings, this is the place to go.