You know it is winter in Saskatchewan when . . .

• your face is numb in the morning when you wake up


• you actually consider wearing a toque to bed


• you need to plug in your car (mental note - never live in a place where having a block heater in your car is a necessity)


• the ice is so thick on your dining room windows that you can't actually see the outdoor thermometer (which is actually a blessing because do you really want to see what it says?)

So it is officially winter here on the prairies. Don't even think you know what I am talking about unless you have experienced all four of the above examples. It would be funny if it wasn't exactly what Brookie and I are living right now. I wish I was exaggerating. It was -45 on Sunday and -40 yeterday. I haven't even looked at the weather report for today because really all I need to know is that it is still bone-chillingly cold. Yes, a dry cold but what does that even matter when it is -40?

And the hits just keep on coming because last night, the power went off a little after six and didn't come back on until almost 11. That is when I became terrifyingly aware of how cold it is outside. It was dark, cold and eerily quiet. Now, if I were not a mom, I would have panicked pretty much right away. I have no survival skills. I jump out of my skin at weird noises. The thought of scary things hiding in our basement causes me to turn on every light before braving the laundry room. I am 36 and I am a chicken. But when you are a mom and your five year old is scared of the dark, you need to pull yourself together. So that is what I did.

We lit lots of candles and chatted about what a fun adventure this was going to be. We ate our dinner by candlelight, dressed in our warmest clothes and then we had an impromptu lesson about shapes, including octagons, hexagons and parallelograms. We practiced reading. We took some pictures. Then we began to get a bit chilly so we decided to get ready for bed.

While I was brushing Brookie's teeth, she mentioned that she hoped the power came on soon so we could watch "Elf". In a moment of weakness, I said that I hoped the power would come back on soon so that we didn't "freeze to death." Yes, these were my exact words. Ooops.

I managed to make up for my accidental honesty by snuggling up in my bed with Brookie and every blanket we could find. We read stories and then when my hands got too cold to hold the books, we told each other stories. Finally, Brookie drifted off to sleep after I promised to stay awake until the power came on again. So I was left in the dark to think and ponder while Brookie softly slept beside me. I came to the realisation that power failures are fun adventures. I loved every cold, dark minute I had with Brook, talking, laughing, snuggling, telling stories. I think it was an early Christmas present just for me. I could almost hear God saying, "Here. Enjoy."

~Mandy

Formal Day at Caronport Elementary School

Brooklyn was so excited to get dressed up for the day at school. She chose her new fancy dress which we bought for Christmas this year and went to school feeling very pretty.

There is something to be said for getting all dressed up and feeling pretty. I could really use a "pretty day". Thankfully Rosie and Brookie are here to remind me that everyday can be a "pretty day" with the right dress and the right attitude.

~Mandy

Highland Dancing Recital

Highland dancing came to an end in November and to celebrate all the progress the girls had made, they put on a little recital. All the girls got to dress up in kilts for the first time and show their stuff to a living room full of proud parents.

Brooklyn and Roslyn before the recital

Some of the wee lasses posing before the show started

A little group warm up

Showing off some tricky arm movements

We watched the girls try their best to follow along with the bagpipe music, turning, kicking, jumping incessantly and sidestepping. All we can say is that we are so proud of them and that highland dancing is really difficult. Let's just say that for most, it is a work in progress - something to keep working on through the cold Saskatchewan winter.

When the show was finished, each girl received a special present from their teacher and we all enjoyed cupcakes and punch. Just another little community moment here on the prairies that makes me almost glad to be here :-)

~Mandy

Caronport Ballet Class

This fall Brookie and Rosie have been taking ballet lessons with Miss Lacey. They absolutely love it. And really, what is there not to love? They get to dress in their ballet skirts, twirl, and giggle together with their ballet classmates. It is a joy to watch them turn out their toes for first position and attempt plies, ballet skips and their reverence.

This is the class

Here they are warming up

Rosie from the back - I just love this picture. She looks so grown up!

These are the days of ballet and pink, spinny skirts and dancing whenever there is music playing. These are good days.

~Mandy

Princess Rosie

A princess's work is never done. For Rosie this work involves practicing printing her name

"We are not amused."

~Mandy

Brooklyn's "Show and Tell" Premiere

Today was Brooklyn's turn for "Show and Tell" in her kindergarten/grade 1 class. In front of 22 classmates whose combined attention span is not much more than that of a small insect, Brooklyn introduced her sister and talked about life with Rosie. That's right, Brook chose to bring Rosie for "Show and Tell".

Brooklyn sat in the teacher's special chair (an honour reserved for the "show and tell" student of the day) with Rosie all "pinkified" beside her

Brooklyn's class asking questions like "Do you like Rosie?" and "How many times do you play with Rosie?"

Brooklyn has everyone's attention except Rosie and that one girl in the front

Sean and I watched from the back of the class while Brooklyn told of Rosie's love for all things pink and how she twirls in her pink dress (which Rosie happily demonstrated). We listened with fingers crossed as Brooklyn shared Rosie's birthday (which we had practised numerous times). And we smiled proudly as Brookie recounted the struggles and joys of sisterhood: "We laugh together and sometimes we cry together but we always love each other."

The class clapped. I gave the girls a standing ovation (perhaps a bit over the top) and as we left with Rosie in tow, 22 little voices yelled, "Goodbye Rosie!"

Brooklyn was very glad it was over and she did amazingly well for her first time. But beyond any of that, I was so proud that instead of Piggy, her Groovy Girls, or various other special treasures, Brook chose her most special treasure to share with her class: her sister.

~Mandy

Much Better than Doing Dishes

After dinner last night, Brooklyn brought our painting basket up from downstairs. My initial response was an internal list of all the ways that would be so messy at the end of a very long day of messes. But out loud I said, "Sure. Let's all paint together."

Well, we sure did. I set up all our painting supplies while the girls changed into their paint clothes. I turned on a CD of "Oliver!" that I just picked up from the library and we got down to the business of creating.

The girls and I

Wee Rosie with her creation (one of many)

Sean and the girls

Brooklyn with her creation

And these are the final products drying on our kitchen counter

Once again, setting the dishes aside and just having fun with our kids was the best decision. We had a ball. Sean and I may actually have enjoyed it more than the girls. For some mysterious reason, the act of mixing colours, slathering paint, rinsing brushes, watching as a blank page becomes a work of art that you created is just so good for your soul.

Brookie and Rosie encouraged us, commenting on things they liked in our pictures and we did the same for them. I think this post-dinner art time may become a new weekly event. It was messy, sure. But even the mess was a thing of beauty.

~Mandy

Hallowe'en Night in Caronport

This Hallowe'en, we decided that for purposes of warmth, Brookie would do another year as a ladybug and Rosie could be Winnie the Pooh. At first, Rosie was fine with that arrangement but when she saw the costume and realised that there was nothing pink or frilly about Winnie the Pooh, she refused. I mean there were tears and she fell prostrate on the floor, repeating over and over, "No! Not Winnie the Pooh!"

After trying out a number of other ideas with similar results, I finally decided to leave the costume entirely up to her. We opened the dress-up chest and I told her to decide what she wanted to wear. She came up with a "girl Zebra" which consisted of the zebra costume from last year paired with a very pink skirt. So we hit the streets of Caronport with a ladybug and a girl zebra. I went as a cat and Sean was a tired college professor.

Before we left, our little girl zebra had a quick nap in preparation for the main event

Here are the girls "post make-up" and already into the candy

Sean and his two girls

The trick or treaters in the car, filled with anticipation

It turned out that Brookie only made it to two houses before she asked to go home. She was feeling sick. So I took her bag and continued to collect candy for her by using the line, "I have a sick ladybug at home. Can I get some candy for her?" Thankfully everyone understood and the girls got lots of treats to last them well into the new year.
~Mandy

Pre-Halloween Preparations

Rosie and I took advantage of some time this morning to get our pumpkins ready for Halloween night. I covered the table with lots of newspaper while dj jazzy Rosie chose the right tunes to set the mood (she went with a rock mix) and then we set to work creating two jack o' lanterns to spookify the steps of our little house.

Rosie lost interest about 5 minutes into it and only joined me again once the cleaning of the pumpkins was finished. For a child who quite willingly dives into most messes head first, she still surprises me with the things she finds even beyond her comfort level. Those pumpkin innards were beyond gross for her. But she sat with me and we chatted about all sorts of things. She practised writing her name and I cleaned and carved. Finally we ended up with "scary pumpkin" and "happy pumpkin". I was a bit disappointed with the name choices but Rosie told me they were good names.

Rosie in her pink, furry boots with said carved pumpkins

Beyond the actual pumpkin carving, we just had so much fun together. I told her when a song came on that I really liked and she did the same. We sang together when we knew the words and even when we didn't. She told me about her favourite parts in High School Musical and why Chad was her favourite. I told her about trick or treating when I was a kid. It was the best. There is nothing better in all the world than to just slow down and actually spend time with these little, wonderful beings in our lives. They teach us so much about what is important. And we can find ourselves relaxing, laughing, singing, sinking into the thickness of life as opposed to hovering on the surface. Thanks, Rosie, for helping me to slow down. I love you.

~Mandy

A Beautiful Autumn Day

October 29th was a really beautiful day here in Caronport. The weather was sunny and warm which is such a wonderful surprise for this time of year. So the girls and I headed outside because it was a day that demanded to be enjoyed. I cleaned up the gardens and prepared them for winter, though I was so thankful that winter seemed so distant in that sunny moment. Brookie helped me water the plants one last time and Rosie . . . well Rosie took advantage of the warmth in her favourite bathing suit.

Here Brookie is working on the front lawn. She is such a huge help.

Brooklyn was extra generous with the water for our silver maple tree - Sylvester (yes we named him. It is easy to keep track of names when there are so few trees and it seems to me that trees around here deserve to be named)

Rosie plays the "Don't spray me/Please spray me"game with Brook

Later that same day while I was in Moose Jaw, Sean and the girls made chocolate chip cookies. Here are the girls waiting patiently at the oven for the cookies to be finished. Let's just say it has been a while since I have made cookies, which may explain the eager anticipation.

All in all, it was a glorious day. It was one of those fall days that make me imagine God smiling down on us and saying, "Here. Enjoy."

~Mandy

Let's Go To The Theatre

On October 21st, the whole family went to see Annie at the theatre in Moose Jaw. It was very exciting. I still remember my first time going to see live theatre and it was life-changing for me so I was anticipating the same for our little girls. They have seen the movie numerous times and they couldn't wait to sing along with their favourite red-haired orphan.

Of course, nothing but the fanciest dresses would do. Here the girls pose for a picture with their programs. We saved these as keepsakes.

Here we are about to get a glimpse of the theatre for the first time

Front row seats - and I am not joking. We could see really well.

The girls were fascinated by the orchestra pit before the show began.

We thoroughly enjoyed the show. The girls were quite spellbound through most of it and then we started losing Rosie at about 8:30. She was exhausted. But the whole experience was amazing - we even got a drink at intermission and after the show, Sean took us all out for dessert and a drink. We arrived home tired, full and ready to dream about "Tomorrow".

~Mandy

Highland Dancing 101

This year the girls are trying out highland dancing. A friend of ours arranged for an instructor to come to Caronport every week and run classes out of her basement. Now, you may imagine that recreational activities are not that easy to come by around here so we thought this would be a great opportunity. Every Tuesday afternoon, the girls try their best to tap into their Scottish roots.

Rosie listens intently while supposedly stretching

Here she is in action

Brookie stretching

A little barre work (but using a couch works too!)

It really is great. The classes are small and the instructor is from the big city (Regina) and we don't need to drive into Moose Jaw. The kids get to move around and have some fun too. I don't know that it will last long. Brooklyn is a perfectionist so she gets frustrated by not being able to do everything right away and I think Rosie wants to just dance to her own music, which doesn't include bagpipes or a lot of rules. I just hope I can get one picture of them attempting the sword dance wearing kilts.

~Mandy

Life itself is the most wonderful fairy tale. ~ Hans Christian Andersen

And I completely agree.

~Mandy

Recently, we received a package from Ama, Bops and Aunt Nessa full of wonderful presents from their trip to Prince Edward Island. It was so fun to see the girls enjoying their Anne of Green Gables dolls, their sand dollars from the ocean and new night gowns. One of their favourite gifts was their "High School Moosical" t-shirts from a place called Cows . These are the greatest shirts. So here they are modelling them for you. In the first picture, you will also notice some super rad boots on Rosie. They are her pink furry moon boots. I think we will all agree that there couldn't be more perfect boots for our Rosie Roo.

~Mandy

Frolicking in the Snow

What better thing to do on the first snow day than build a gigantic snowman? Sean and the girls set to work creating one of the biggest snowmen I have ever seen.

Brooklyn's good friend Maia from next door came over to lend a hand. Rosie gets easily sidetracked.

Sean was there to lend a hand

And here is Stanley, giant snowman and friend to all.

~Mandy

A Saskatchewan Tradition - Snow in October!!

We woke up on Thansgiving morning to find our world had been covered in a blanket of white, sparkly snow. Of course, the novelty of snow has worn off for me. I am unfortunately left with thoughts of bundling up two small children, cleaning off the car, unbundling two small children, wet floors, more laundry and rebundling said small children. But who among us can resist the feeling of surprise and excitement when we see again the first snow of the year? Well, I can't. Brookie and Rosie couldn't either. And so we found ourselves exploring our world of white not long after breakfast.

Our neighbour, Lloyd, was unveiling his prize-winning pumpkin. I can't remember exactly how big it is but it took three people to move it. We couldn't pass up an opportunity to get a picture with Caronport's largest pumpkin.

Brooklyn and Rosie posed for a picture just outside our house.

We thought this tree, blooming with fluffy snow, was so pretty against the blue sky.

No matter how you feel about snow and winter, that first clean, graceful covering of snow seems to remind us of really good things - things too beautiful to even put into words. And then we move into the "My hat is itching me", "My mitts fell off", "My feet are wet", "My mitts fell off again", "I'm cold" and "Can we go inside now?" stage. But for those first precious minutes, it is glorious.

~Mandy

"A photo says, You were happy, and I wanted to catch that. A photo says, You were so important to me that I put down everything else to come watch." ~ Jodi Picoult My Sister's Keeper