June 30

Some beautiful shots from this rainy last day in June.
Which photo is your favorite?

June 29

Happy Friday!
It's a very busy day with LOTS to do!
Gotta run!

June 28

As cute as these bunnies are, we've had it!
Yesterday, Rich borrowed a pellet gun and was ready to take action.
We were eating supper on the deck last night
when 2 gun-toting lads went slinking past our back fence.
Well!  I guess we aren't the only ones fed up with these critters!
With an entire field filled with summer veggies growing right behind us,
it was little bit like Peter Rabbit in Mr. McGregor's garden!

It wasn't long before they were triumphantly showing their catch!
By nightfall, they had shot at least two!

Dustin wanted Rich to shoot one too,
but with the 2 hooligans hot on the bunny's trail,
Rich didn't have a chance last night.
(And to be honest, it was a little unsafe to be outside
with them toting guns behind the hedge...Rich got pelted in the chest!!)
But there's more bunnies out there!

June 27

It's been busy...
I forgot how busy summer holidays are.
Doing errands in town with 4 kids in tow...craziness!!
And Blake has decided that he doesn't like napping in the car.
Let's just say, I'm glad to be home.
:)

June 26

Second day of summer holidays...
and it's raining...and it's cold.
So what to do on such a dreary day except to bake something yummy?
With the kids home full time now, they are eating me out of the house.
So we picked up some yummy strawberries
and used a few to make these yummy muffins.

Strawberry Cinnamon Muffins

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup plain yogurt

     (I used strawberry/vanilla yogurt and omitted the vanilla extract)

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups strawberries, hulled and cut in chunks

Preheat oven to 375F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper cups.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until light.

Add milk, yogurt, vanilla, and melted butter. Gently whisk.

In another bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.

Add to milk mixture and stir just until flour disappears. Gently stir in berries.

Spoon thick batter into muffin cups to the top.

I sprinkled some course sugar on the tops.

Bake about 25 minutes, until tester comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

June 25

It seems we have a problem with wild bunnies around our place.
We've never seen them around before, but now it seems
we are infested...and it's getting worse all the time!!
They are hopping around freely, eating anything worth tasting
in my flowerbeds!  The petunias are a mess.
It's out of control!!!  Any suggestions?  Ideas?

June 24

Happy Sunday!

June 23

The kids went on a nature outing with the Young Naturalists' Club of BC
today at the Cheam Wetlands.
They learned so much in the 2 hours that they were there.

Pond dipping for the elusive dragonfly nymph.


Checking out all the aquatic life they scooped out of the pond.
Frogs, leeches, fish, freshwater shrimp, damselfly nymph ... the list goes on!
It was so amazing to see what is all living in the pond.



Today was the kids' first day with the club and they were disappointed
to find out that it was the last outing until September.  They are already looking
forward to the next time they get to go.  There was talk about
a bird watching outing and a star gazing evening planned for the fall!

Pick me, pick me!!!

Hey everyone!
Take a minute to vote for my picture at Little Mountain Greenhouses website!!!
Clink on the link Richard Lagemaat
And tell your friends to too!!
Thanks so much!
Marian
PS Just so you know, Rich is NOT driving with Reuben on his lap...he's safely parked on this picture.

June 22

We had so much fun making the kids' teacher appreciation gifts this year.
We took terra cotta pots and spray painted them with chalkboard paint.
After about 6 coats of that, we painted the yellow band around the top edge
(6 coats again!).  When this was all dry, we drew the ruler on and
planted pretty flowers in them. This morning the kids wrote their thank you's
on the chalkboard and off to school they went.

June 21

Today was Sports Day at school.
It's always a highlight of the year for the school kids.
Parents and younger siblings are invited to come too.


Josie running to capture a balloon. 

Dustin doing the balloon hop.

Tug of War!! 

Dustin giving his all in the individual race. 

Reuben was so excited to be allowed to run a race too.
Here, Ethan (blue cap), Reuben (GAP shirt), and Malia (blondie)
check out the hot competition!! 

Blake was happy to watch from the sidelines with Dustin.

June 20

Like I've said before,
We are a sight to behold when we go
for a walk down the road...

June 19

Mama Mallard with her 5 ducklings taking a rest on the slough bank.
It's so amazing to see how fast they grow.
The babies are almost the same size as their Mama already.

June 18

I'm having some serious issues with my computer.
It has no more disk space...so I can't upload any more pictures.
So until I can delete some stuff and/or get a new computer,
I will be digging into my picture archives.

This picture above was taken exactly 3 years ago!
And it was raining then too...
Is the sun ever going to come out and play???

June 17

Happy Father's Day Papa!
You are the BEST!

June 16

Peeping Tom Dustin
A few days ago I heard Dustin talking to me
from in my bedroom somewhere so I went to look.
Not in the bedroom...
Not in the closet...
Not in the bathroom...
Wait!!  What??!
He was on the roof looking into my bathroom window!
Don't tell me he's reached that age when boys just HAVE
to try everything...mostly to get a reaction from Mom!!

June 15

Nothing tastes as good as the
first strawberries from our own little patch!

June 14

Changes in the neighbourhood.
This morning a big moving truck backed up
to the neighbour's house and loaded up their belongings.
In the 12 years that we've lived here, we've had 4 sets of
neighbours living beside us.
Are we scaring everyone away??

June 13

These Eurasian-Collared Doves have been eating at our feeder
on the deck lately.  I love having these birds around.
Their coo coo always reminds me of the time I was in Holland
when I was 6 years old, staying at my Opa and Oma's house in Rotterdam.
Good memories.

June 12

Blake is starting to be able to 'tell' us what he wants.
Can you guess what he's after here?  Love the fishy lips!