Thanksgiving is my very most favorite holiday. To me, it is full of everything a holiday should be. Quiet, gratefulness, stores closed and homes open, family, friends, cold weather, kids piled in spare rooms and basements, couches full to busting, and of course, food. Lots of it. A beautiful table, … Continue reading
Fall is in the air and I am loving all things pumpkin! I have an affinity for pumpkin recipes that call for an entire can of pumpkin. They appeal to my practical side. I don’t love to save a part of a can of pumpkin puree for some undetermined use, … Continue reading
We’re in a frenzy around here getting ready for the holidays! We head to my sister’s house on odd years. The picture below is from 2005. The sweatshirt Cole is wearing is in Simon’s suitcase this time…sigh. In between packing the car, I’ve been bookmarking links and pinning pictures like … Continue reading
Somehow in the busy, busy, busy of the fall, I neglected to mention here on the blog that through a whirlwind of emails, phone calls, conversations and prayers, the Chino House added another member to our family for the school year. Vitara (we call her Tara, for short) came to … Continue reading
Yesterday we drove up to Lake Louise, arguably one of the most beautiful spots on earth. A path runs along one side of the lake. Towards the end you can look back at the famous Chateau at Lake Louise. My grandmother stayed there many years ago and I remember her … Continue reading
On our second of hiking in Banff, we hit the most popular trail in the area. Johnston Canyon is an amazing trail, complete with paved, elevated level pathways that are almost stroller accessible. Lucky for us, we are now stroller (and even baby backpack) free. I am loving these days … Continue reading
Banff Hiking Trails: C Level Cirque Our first hike in Banff was roughly five miles, with some pretty decent elevation gain. We had a beautiful view of Lake Minnewanka through the trees. We hiked around old mining shafts. We climbed boulders and chased pikas under rocks. We picnicked at the … Continue reading
We are spending our Fall Break in the Canadian Rockies, and the Banff Fall Color is absolutely stunning. The trees are a sparkling gold instead of just yellow. Against the pine trees and the blue sky, the color shines so bright. As we are hiking through this part of the … Continue reading
I’ve said before that we love the mountains. We love to be in the mountains. We love to hike and bike in the summer. We love to ski in the winter. Snow skiing tends to be a little (or a lot) hard on the pocketbook, but it was a huge … Continue reading
We’re kind of missing this view today and moving very slowly. In fact, one little Chino missed the departure for school this morning due to an overwhelming need to despair in a puddle on the floor. She is now outside planting bulbs, because well, it worked for me. Next up, … Continue reading
