I live in an idyllic little village nestled in a quiet valley in the heart of the Laurentians.

4000 souls have made this corner of paradise their home.  I call this [...]]]> I am constantly amazed by the generosity of people. Seems like there is a kind and generous person around every corner in my community.

I live in an idyllic little village nestled in a quiet valley in the heart of the Laurentians.

4000 souls have made this corner of paradise their home.  I call this place paradise because in many ways, it truly is. There are no wars or conflicts here. We have a vast, dense forest to play in. Rivers, lakes and mountains galore, fresh air, open spaces and endless possibilities. People here are athletic and creative and positive and peaceful.

On main street, you’ll find a few restaurants, cafes and shops, a grocery store,  post-office and a video store.  But the real heart of our village is our school. Every morning, our usually quiet streets, become alive with children and school buses and car pooling families. It’s quite a sight to see.  My husband and I left the city and moved here because of this school. Our kids get to enjoy nature as part of their curriculum. Biking, snowshoeing, skiing, skating, sailing, rock-climbing, you name it, they do it at this school.  Plus, we are a “green” school so we take part in composting and recycling activities as well. This is exactly the kind of positive learning environment we wanted for our son.

I started volunteering at school on day one. It was just something I had to do. I was so thrilled to be a part of this community that I wanted to give something back. Of course, there is nothing more important to me than to be present for my son and to make sure he has everything he needs as he starts out on his life path. So I signed up for all the parent committees and volunteered for everything under the sun. Except checking for head lice. I’ve always had very long thick hair and my mother programmed me to avoid lice like the plague.  So I stay away from that task… but I make up for it in other areas.

Around Christmas time last year, I was invited into Loïk’s  kindergarten class for a pajama party day. He was thrilled to bits and so was I. I had a wonderful time crafting and telling stories and just having fun with a bunch of happy, cheery 5 year olds.  Not only was it a great opportunity for me to get to know the teacher and my son’s classmates better. It also gave me a better understanding of our schools needs.

To be honest with you, I was a little surprised by what I discovered. The teacher had taken great care in making the classroom comfortable and inviting but as I looked around, I realized that almost everything in the room was pretty dated. Old books and toys, an old, somewhat broken chair in the reading corner, faded paint on the wall, an annoying tick and hum coming from the ventilation system… I decided then and there that I would help in any way I could.

Don’t get me wrong, the classroom was very nice and clean and the kids had everything they needed … it doesn’t compare in any way to a school in a third world country but nonetheless, there certainly was room for improvement.

I asked the teacher what I could bring in to help her out. She was thankful and somewhat overwhelmed by my offer. The school’s budget is tight and her classroom budget is even tighter and she told me she often has to dig into her own pocket if she wants to offer a little bonus material to her students.

So I came home and went through my sons books and toys.  I was able to put together 2 large plastic containers full of material to donate to her classroom.

Then I started to think that I could help out the other teachers as well.  I started by finding out what their needs are and then started asking around to other families.  I was timid at first but I still managed to bring in quite a few big ticket items as well as a number of books and educational toys.

This year, I was asked to be President of our school’s Foundation. It makes me responsible for our school breakfast program as well as all fund raising activities at school. It’s a huge undertaking but luckily I’ve assembled a team of dedicated people who want to help. We serve about 80 healthy breakfasts a day to kids who are hungry when they get to school in the morning, no questions asked.

Needless to say, it’s been a really busy year for me. But what stands out the most for me is the kindness and generosity of the people in my community. It seems as though all I have to do is ask in order to receive. It has been a very humbling and life changing experience.

My heart goes out, in gratitude, to the families who donate their time on school activities and donate books and skates and bikes so we can maintain our free sports programs.

Heartfelt thanks to my elderly volunteers who come to school to serve breakfast with a smile. Heartfelt thanks to the local businesses who donate the money that allows us to buy the milk and fruit and a warm thank you to the local restaurant who makes a healthy bread for us to serve each day.

Our school has lots of needs. Our teachers need our support and our kids need to know that their education matters to all of us.  I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the task at hand. But I take a deep breath and remember that there are helping hands around every corner and that together, we can make the world a better place for our kids.

I’d like to expand our efforts and find a school from a developing country that we could sponsor… Then I take another deep breath and remind myself that I’ll get there, one step at a time.

This is the drawing I made and included in our thank you letter. I hope they like it.

Do you volunteer at your local school? I’d love to hear your stories.

If you enjoyed reading this, please pass it on. Warm thanks.

Hide Sites

Woke up early Saturday morning and decided to make some eggs Benedict for my guys. My son will be seven years old in less than 15 days and I can’t get over how quickly time has gone by. Francis and I have been together for a little over 15 years… Considering we are in our [...]]]>

Woke up early Saturday morning and decided to make some eggs Benedict for my guys. My son will be seven years old in less than 15 days and I can’t get over how quickly time has gone by. Francis and I have been together for a little over 15 years… Considering we are in our mid thirties, 15 years seems like a long time.  I woke up feeling grateful that he has been in my life and especially grateful that he is such an awesome father. I am one lucky girl to have these two great guys in my life. So, I made eggs Benedict… just because.

If you enjoyed reading this, please pass it on. Warm thanks.

Hide Sites

This was the original shot. The light at the bottom [...]]]> I was heading to bed late Friday night when I caught a glimpse of the intricate frost patterns on our window panes.  Of course I completely forgot I was exhausted and took out my camera to capture a few pictures. Nature never ceases to amaze me.

This was the original shot. The light at the bottom is a reflection of our outdoor Christmas lights. Amazing, isn’t it?

Had some fun with the brightness and contrast after I flipped it and my son told me he saw a beautiful winter scene.

Here are a few of my favorites. You can see more pictures on my Flickr Page.

Simply breathtaking. The pictures don’t seem to do them justice.

Can you see the peacock?

How about the fox?

Beautiful feather

Love this one too

I discovered frost ferns when I moved to the mountains. I guess it’s a combination of old windows and excess humidity but to me they are absolutely magical.

This was the first frost fern I ever saw : It looks like a bouquet.

Here are a few more from last year.

My husband says I have a lot of imagination but I see a dragon in this one.

There is always a silver lining to everything. My husband and I were a little disappointed with these windows when we bought this house last year. I’m starting to see these windows as a gift. Every day brings a new creation. I think I’ll enjoy them while they are still around… Soon enough, these windows will be changed and I will have to invent ways to make frost ferns on my own!

Please visit my Flickr Page. for a few more pictures of my beautiful frost ferns.

À bientôt!

If you enjoyed reading this, please pass it on. Warm thanks.

Hide Sites