Moncton

I was away for a few days. Spent some quality time with Ginette in Moncton, New Brunswick. We enjoyed shopping, eating out, movies, martini bar, etc. Ate at one of my favorite restaurant - Red Pepper (Mongolian).

What a huge chunk of cheddar cheese that is...


Puss' favorite spot in the apartment - up on top of the cupboards. We call it his 'attic'.


I find it so amazing how the store clerks package your purchases in such a neat way. But on the other hand, it uses up tissue paper and ribbon for nothing actually but I suppose they want to please the customer.This is what I purchased in that nice bag... it's not something that is easy to find. I had been searching for the perfect one and there it was in Moncton at Terra Verde made of grey marble.

While Ginette was at work Thursday afternoon, I cooked up a surprise for her... homemade donuts. They did'nt quite turn out perfect, Ginette's baking soda is over 3 years old so I think that may have been the cause of the slight flop. But the taste was still there.

So here I am back in Meteghan Station reading for another work week.

Earth Day

Do we ever stop to thank Mother Earth for everything she gives us...

Every single day we take, take, take from Earth and how often do we give back!

It nourishes us, giving us shelter, warmth, food....


... and beauty.
So today as we celebrate Earth Day, give Thanks for all of Earth's generosity.

HAPPY EARTH DAY EVERYONE !!!!!

Let's hear it for the peepers

Yes, yes, yes, the peepers could be heard last night for the first time this Spring.... so Spring is definitely here.

Something else that was a first in a long time last night - "a new episode of Grey's Anatomy". I love this show. From the very first episode I knew it was going to be a hit and one of my favorites. I haven't missed too many episodes and I even watch some of them "twice".

Bonne Fête Dave

Dave's birthday today... the big 55 ! Yikes. Seriously, I don't think he looks 55. I guess all that guitar playing keeps him young.

Seems I had to dress up to go skiing instead of making BBQ chicken. I am cooking Dave's birthday meal - BBQ boneless chicken breasts.

All evening and during the night last night we got extremely heavy winds and rain. This is what the chestnut tree in front of our house looked like this morning. A huge branch broke off. I hope we don't have to get rid of the entire tree, we sure would miss it. It is very old.

Bikes are out

A sure sign of Spring.... our bikes are out. Finally !!!!! Dave got an early birthday gift today - a brand new bike. It was his turn this year, I got mine last summer. We plan on doing a lot of cylcing this Spring/Summer. We are planning excursions on Big Tancook Island, Lunenburg and Briar Island. And of course, Keji National Park. Last week I placed an online order to Mountain Equipment Co-op. It usually takes 6-8 days for delivery. Can't wait !!!! When I get my order I will post... in the meantime it's a surprise.

Here are a couple of pictures that were taken just 30 minutes ago on the old railroad track trail.


I know it's been a while since I've posted a Frenchy find. So here is one of my latest - brand new North Face sneakers. They are just perfect for cycling.

Masala chai

Tonight I will relax with a nice cup of homemade masala chai (Indian tea). A recipe that I have mastered after numerous 'not so famous' attempts. Ingredients in my chai recipe are cardomon pods, cloves, anise star, cinnemon and ginger. I don't usually put sugar in my regular tea but this one I do, I use natural cane sugar.

I also made a batch of natural organic yogourt. This yogourt machine I bought a few months ago has paid itself a few times. By making my own yogourt I know what's in it - only two ingredients; organic milk and culture. One batch makes 6 servings. My husband and I often have fruits in this delicious yogourt.

Our lovely neighbour, Louise, gave me this beautiful Willow figure yesterday when Dave and I dropped off her bingo cards. She is such a gentle soul. She said the small gesture was for all the times we bring her bingo cards and the few times a year we check her house and bring in her mail when she visits her daughter. It is not even the slight bother for us to do that for her.

Egg Hunt 2007

Updated Wednesday, April 11, 2007

The trophy is going to Moncton, New Brunswick. Congratulations to Ginette, this year's winner of the Third Annual Maillet Easter Egg Hunt. Thank you to Dominic Cottreau (last year's winner) for handing over the trophy.

The Rule Master (Joey Maillet) explaining the rules of the hunt. Each participant had to follow interlocking ropes in the woods to eventually find a nest of eggs and take one egg. After everyone had found an egg, back into the house we went. The rule master separated all the plastic eggs in a basket and each participant had to take their turn assembling the eggs. Whoever did this in the least amount of time - won the hunt ! Ginette's time was 51 seconds to re-assemble 20+ eggs as seen in the picture below.


The hunt is on !!!!!


Ginette found the nest and has her egg... but you had to keep the location of the nest a secret.

I found the nest shortly after Ginette. Yahoo!!!!!

Ginette with her god-daughter Mélanie from Dartmouth. Mélanie found a 'special' egg in the woods.

After egg hunting, everyone was hungry for a spig and italian sauce buffet with loads of delicious desserts.

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone !!!!!

We got an actual snow storm last evening and into the night with heavy winds. But the bright sun is out so the snow should melt pretty fast. I hope so, we have our family egg hunt at 1 p.m.


The Easter bunny (aka Ginette) got me this beautiful yoga pose statue. I love it.

Puss is here

'Feels soooooooooo good to have my coat brushed' is what Puss seems to be saying in this picture. He is enjoying his visit with Ginette. They have to leave tomorrow right after the Egg Hunt. We hit Frenchy's big time today. I found a few valuables but Ginette hit the jackpot with nice pieces of clothing.

Puss doesn't look as pleased in this picture.

Rappie Pie

Here is a picture of a partially assembled bar clam rappie pie. This was our supper tonight and let me tell you.... it was delicious. I wanted to take a picture of the clams before spreading the top layer of potato mixture.

Saturday tomorrow and all the stores will be re-opened. It was nice to have a day of 'slowness' today. My daughter is home from Moncton so tomorrow we will hit the Frenchy's in the area. Who knows, I might have something to post tomorrow !!!!!

Renovations update

Today was almost a full day of bathroom renovation work. Dave installed the backsplash then he beaded with putty around the tub and backsplash. And might I say that he did an excellent job with the putty. I am happy to report that showers can again be taken. I had to put the old liner back in while I decide on a new one.

The new mirror was also installed today as you can see in the picture below. We still have lots to do in this corner - remove 1970's light fixture (we have a new one that goes over the mirror), scrap off the glue from where the old backsplash was and install a new counter top and sink. Speaking of which, now that we have measurements we have to order them. But before we order the counter top we have to go to Yarmouth to buy the floor tiles. I don't want tiles and counter top to clash color wise.

Wet felting Chick & Egg

Here is my Spring/Easter project this year - wet felting Chick & Egg. The chick is a finger puppet. It was my first time wet felting and I loved it. I want to find more patterns and buy more wool roving. The process of felting, of rolling the wooden egg wrapped in wet wool between your hands is so relaxing and meditative. Like therapy for your hands. When I was a little girl we always had a huge box full of little chicks around Easter time. My mom would keep them close to the wood stove to keep them warm. It sure did'nt take long for them to grow into hens.

It's a family thing

Easter Sunday will be our Third Annual Maillet Easter Egg Hunt. I am from a family of 8 children and we rarely have the opportunity to get together and celebrate or just plain have fun. So this annual activity is necessary to keep the "family ties". Thanks to my brother Joey and his kind wife Darlene for having us at their lovely home. I will post details and pics Sunday night. Here is a picture of last year's event - Ginette and myself counting our eggs.

Bathroom renovations

It just would'nt be Spring without some sort of renovation project in our home. This year it's the bathroom. We've been in our house for almost 30 years and when we bought the house the lovely lilac bathroom fixtures came with it. It's not that I don't like the color lilac, it's a lovely color.... for Easter eggs. Here is Dave sitting in the newly installed 'soft-white' bathtub trying to figure out how everything goes back together.


The old tub will spend the night outside awaiting a trip to the landfill shortly. Her partner, the toilet, is not far behind.


On a totally different note, papaya is very good for you. It has a natural enzyme which helps and promotes a healthy digestive track. Dave and I try to eat papaya once a day, before every supper. And it taste great!!!!!

We did'nt get to take out our bikes on the weekend, as planned. It was way too cold and windy.