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Happy Halloween!!!  It's time for another Canadian-made holiday!! By the way, this means there are only 54 days until Christmas!! You're welcome!

 

So, for our family Halloween must-haves we have decorations - pumpkins, hay, spider webs and purple lights.  We're having a kids party with friends this afternoon,  so we also have home-made treats.

 

 

 

We have costumes, of course ...

 

 

 

... the pumpkins are carved ...

 

 

 

 

... crafts have been made, numerous times.  In fact, I thought that I'd share a craft we've been making this season.  For a Halloween ghost, grab three tissues, crunch two of them, cover them with the third tissue, tie with a string and then draw a face with a black marker.  Very easy and fun to make a bunch with the kids.  Try tying them in a tree out front or from a straight banister.

 

 

 

What else do you need for a perfect Halloween?  Well, some good weather of course; who's mother ever made them wear their winter jacket over their costume???  I remember when mine did!!  Doesn't look like it will be quite that cold across most of Canada this year, although it's always a good idea to try and layer some clothes UNDER your child's costume before heading out to trick or treat so that they can keep going longer.

 

Speaking of "trick or treats" - don't forget to support Canadian businesses as you pick up your treats today. Canadian company, Allan Candy, has some fantastic treats and we will be handing out their ALLAN INTENSE Jubes & Jellies this year. To mix it up and send at least two treats home with every trick or treater, we will also be handing out Canadian favourite, Tootsie rolls!

 

What are some musts and traditions for your family on Halloween?

 

:: images courtesy of StaceyK. 

I so enjoyed this month's book, "Water for Elephants", in our Buy Canadian First Book Club. You can read my review of this book in last week's Good Shopper Blog. I also have a book winner to announce at the end of this post!

As I mentioned last week, Sara Gruen, though now living in the United States, has dual citizenship and was raised here in Canada, in London Ontario. When she was laid off work from a technical writing job in Ottawa in 2001, she decided to try writing fiction and her first novel, "Riding Lessons" was born.

"Riding Lessons" is said to be a tale of human healing set against the primal world of horses. Animals being a theme in all of Sara's novels, with horses front and centre in her first two novels, "Riding Lessons" and it's sequel, "Flying Changes". From horses, Gruen went to Rosie the elephant, among other circus animals, in this month's book "Water for Elephants". Her latest book, "Ape House", centres on Bonobos Apes.

I loved our book club questions last month and hope we can continue discussions on our novels. I have a few questions I'd like to pose to our readers who have read the novel. Or, you can still pick up a copy of "Water for Elephants" and come back here or to the Buy Canadian First Book Club when you are done, to discuss it.

1. Did the chapters about the nursing home change how you think about older people? In what ways are the doctors and nurses condescending? How is Rosemary different? How do you treat older people?

2. To what extent do the chapters concerning the elderly Jacob enhance the chapters recounting the young Jacob's experiences with the Benzini Brothers circus? In what ways do the chapters about the young Jacob contribute to a deeper understanding of the elderly Jacob's life?

3. Looking at himself in the mirror, the old Jacob tries "to see beyond the sagging flesh." But he claims, "It's no good. . . . I can't find myself anymore. When did I stop being me?". How would you answer that question for Jacob or any individual, or for yourself?

4. Water for Elephants has a happy ending for Jacob, but not for many other characters. Discuss Walter and Camel’s fates. How does tragedy fit into the story?

5. Did you find the prologue of the book purposely deceiving? Who did you think murdered August? Were you right? I'll be submitting my answers in the comment section and in our Facebook group in the next couple of days and look forward to reading some of your answers as well.

Time to get ready for our next book, "The Antagonist" by Nova Scotia-born, Edmonton-based novelist, Lynn Coady. Lynn is known as one of Canada's best loved authors, and her first novel, "Strange Heaven" (1998), was nominated for a Governor General's Award. "The Antagonist" is shortlisted for the 2011 Scotiabank Giller Prize and I can not wait to find out why!

For now, congratulations to our "Water for Elephants" winner, Julia H.! You will be receiving a copy of the novel "Water for Elephants" - I can not wait to discuss it with you. To win a copy of The Antagonist", please answer the question at the end of our review, which will be published on Monday, November 21, 2011. The winner will be announced the following week. Good luck and thanks so much for participating!

Do you like circuses? If so, what is your favourite aspect?

Images courtesy of Buy Canadian First member, Chapters-Indigo.

Remembrance Day is almost here again, so Strong & Free, a company founded by Denise Dow, a passionate patriot and a member of our Buy Canadian First  family, is holding a contest!

Strong & Free started as an emblem, designed for patriotic Canadians, that can be proudly displayed on your home, person or vehicle. Denise designed and manufactured the prototype and now all sorts of products come under the Strong & Free  banner and can be found at a variety of stores, including Canadian Tire.

 

The connection between Strong & Free and Canada's War Veterans is a strong one. I'll let Denise tell you in her own words. "When I was in high school I visited my cousins in the U.S. and saw the American eagle everywhere I went.  I believe that Canada is the greatest country in the world and I want to show everyone that I am proud to be a STRONG & FREE Canadian... that's why I designed this Maple leaf emblem with these powerful words from our national anthem.

This past summer, I participated in a Veterans' motorcycle parade, in the Strong & Free RV, five years after creating the Strong & Free plaque for patriotic Canadians. Just before the parade started, I had several members of the CAV (Canadian Army Veterans), including their leader, Trapper, ask me to put a Strong & Free Decal on their bikes. They told me how much it meant to them that Strong & Free encourages Canadians to be proud of their country - the country that they have so bravely fought for. The best way for us to show our appreciation to these men and women who keep us Strong & Free is to teach our children to celebrate Canada every day as well as those who keep us Strong & Free."

 

"On July 11, 2011, Reader's Digest reported that 47% of Canadians do not know our anthem! The Colour Me Canadian/Colore-moi Canadien colouring book, teaches children about Canada, our map, our money, our anthem, provinces and territories and is available as a soft cover book, online as an e-book and as a Blackberry app  world wide for $1.99. Free sample pages,  with our anthem and basics about Canada, are available to everyone on our website."

 

Kelly Ripa with a copy of Colour Me Canadian that she bought for her children! 

Now, you know that I love smart phone apps, colouring and Canada, so to me, this contest has it all! This really is a great colouring book for kids, with cute characters and lots of important information. As a matter of fact, I learned a few things from it myself! Thanks, Denise!

 

To participate in the contest, all you have to do is download one of the free Colour Me Canadian sample pages and give it to a child who is in any grade up to Grade 5. Next, have them colour the page and post it to the Strong & Free Facebook page. (It's chock full of Canadian celebs!). We will pick our favourite 3 entries. The first prize winner wins the entire colouring book and a "Canada is Cool" mini hockey stick . The second prize winner gets the colouring book plus a Strong & Free magnet and the third prize winner will receive the colouring book and a Strong & Free decal! Contest ends on Remembrance Day, November 11th at 11 AM. Winners will be announced later that day. Good luck and have fun!

What page will you colour first?

:: images courtesy of Strong & Free. 

Just ten more days until Hallowe'en, Canada ! I found three awesome Canadian sites, crammed with all sorts of fantastic, dare I say, "spooktacular" ideas! Let's take a look at what Canadian Living, Chatelaine and Yummy Mummy have to offer in the way of spooky inspiration for the quickly approaching fest!

 

Pumpkin Hermits

Canadian Living came up with Your Complete Guide to Halloween Fun !  From Hallowe'en menus and party ideas, to costume inspiration and crafts to decorate your spooky, spooky home to what to do with all that pumpkin - they have it covered! Since I haven't eaten yet, I was distracted by the seventeen, "Tested Till Perfect" pumpkin and pumpkin seed recipes. Yum! I know from how my mouth is watering that I will be trying a couple of them at least! I love pumpkin pie and roasted seeds but I'm also intrigued by the Pumpkin Carrot Soup and the Pumpkin Lace Cookies ! There is definitely more to see here than just recipes! It really is a complete Hallowe'en guide! 

 

Bloody Good Martini 

Chatelaine  has some very sophisticated Hallowe'en treats to tempt you with, including a Bloody Good Martini ! Not intended for the kiddies, mind you, but perfect for a Hallowe'en Howl of your own! It has ginger beer and vodka in it, among other absolutely delish ingredients! Since we won't want to drink on an empty stomach, let's consider serving  some Black Magic Toast with Orange Pepper Salsa  and following that up with some Scarecrow Chicken Sticks ! There does not seem to be any actual crow in the recipe, for those of you who wondered. I bet it would taste like chicken, though! You will find costume and decorating ideas too, and some great articles, including one on how expensive Hallowe'en is becoming!

 

Don't forget kids with allergies !

Yummy Mummy Club says "Horrors! It's Hallowe'en!". I think they like it though! They have a great article on how to have Hallowe'en with kids who have food allergies to contend with. You'll find some really helpful and fun suggestions!  I really like their article on how to have a green Hallowe'en,  too. Reusable trick or treat bags that the kids can decorate are a brilliant idea as is the Costume Swap! It all just takes a bit of thinking ahead, but the results are well worth it! 

These sites should keep your imagination fueled and your hands busy!

Are you trying anything new this Hallowe'en? 

:: images courtesy of Canadian Living, Chatelaine and Yummy Mummy. 

 "I am a Haunter ...  a person who decorates their yard, house or sometimes even creates amateur 'haunted houses' at their estates."   - Victoria L. Wolf,  Ontario, Canada.

A couple of weeks ago, maybe even in September, my husband and I were driving when I noticed a graveyard that hadn't been there before. It was complete with tombstones, gargoyles, cobwebby stuff and various bats and other creatures of the night.  It spanned the front and side lawns of an otherwise unthreatening bungalow. A woman was raking leaves around a tombstone. "Huh" I thought.

 

Two blocks down, what do I see but yet another spooky cemetary! They seem to be popping up everywhere! Sure, haunted houses at Hallowe'en are nothing new. But every year, more and more Canadians  are turning their yards into scenes from a nightmare or horror movie.

Of course, Dollarama and the other dollar stores make it incredibly easy and really inexpensive to put together the tomb of your life, but who knew just how many people would jump on the band wagon? Or should I say 'hearse'? It's all about supply and demand though. The people must have demanded more Hallowe'en stuff.

 

When was the last time that you saw Santa and his sleigh and reindeer on the front lawn of someone's house at Christmas? Maybe one lawn or two per neighbourhood? Remember how people used to go all out at Christmas and your folks would drive the family out to see all the displays? Does that still happen? It seems that, around here, anyway, Hallowe'en decorating is far more popular! I'm not saying that I don't like it! I just think that the shift in interest is interesting!

The Ontario Haunter's Association  site is dedicated to providing links to the locations of haunted houses and yards in Ontario.  It also has some great pumpkin carving tips and templates. Check it out, too, for decorating how-to's and ideas  for creating your own haunted house or yard. They also link to Canadian suppliers of scary decorations.

You may also enjoy The Hallowe'en Project,  which lists even more links to haunts across Canada! I think that it would be fun to have a look and see if I can put together a little tour of our local haunted yards and houses to go on!

So, tell me, are you a haunter ... yet? 

 

:: images courtesy of W. T. Gibson and the Ontario Haunters Association

It's month three of the Buy Canadian First Book Club! Don't forget to "Like" the Buy Canadian First Book Club on Facebook where we discuss the books, authors and choose what we will read next. You can also find out who won today's giveaway, next Monday, when we discuss book club questions and learn more about author Sara Gruen! Canadian born Sara Gruen, is the author of the amazing novel, "Water for Elephants", which we are reading this month. Though now living in the United States, she has dual citizenship and was raised here in Canada, in London Ontario. (All three of our authors, so far, have had London, Ontario as a connection! Something in the water?).

"Water for Elephants" is a historical novel, focusing on circus days of old when they travelled by train. It is told by Jacob Jankowski, who is in a nursing home. He's "ninety or ninety-three", as he says; he can't quite remember. The circus is in town and this brings back memories of Jacob's life in his twenties which he daydreams about and shares with us, the readers. It was a magical time indeed.

Though I admit that, when I see the words" historical novel", I often flip by quickly, I am so glad that I had a chance to read this novel and recommend it to absolutely everyone. Reading about the circus first-hand from Jacob's experience is so exciting: the sequence, the animals, the behind-the-scene madness. There's no money, no food, shady deals going on, everything is dirty and disgusting, the circus gets run out of towns - it's wild!

We also read of Jacob's love, Marlena, in an absolutely beautiful story that's not sappy, not goofy, just exciting, sweet and enjoyable. We learn of Marlena's troubled relationship with August, Jacob's superior, and it's very real, very harsh and well told. The entire book is so real, from the circus lingo Sara uses to Jacob's story of how he ended up on the circus train to begin with. You can visualize it all because of what a great author Sara Gruen is.

The animals are so sweet, too. From Rosie the elephant to Bobo the chimpanzee, this is another area where the novel's descriptions are all too real.

The book has been made into a movie with some amazing stars - Robert Pattinson as Jacob Jankowski and Reese Witherspoon as Marlena. I did not see it in theatres as I don't see anything in theatres except Harry Potter and kids movies, but I absolutely must see this when it comes out on DVD November first.

The ending is heart-breaking and surprising, and will make you teary eyed. It's just awesome! I won't spoil it for you, though, you must read for yourself. In fact, one lucky reader will do just that when they win a copy of this month's novel - "Water for Elephants"!

Contest Giveaway:

Here's a chance to win your own copy of Sara Gruen's book, "Water for Elephants" and read along with us! The winner will be announced in our book club discussion, here on the Good Shopper blog, next Monday. Just answer the following question and put your answer in the comment section below. Good luck!

 

If you could meet a Canadian author, living or dead, who would it be?

 

Images courtesy of Chapters-Indigo. 

We had a lovely Thanksgiving and I hope you did, too. My skills as a hostess improve with each passing holiday and I have been dubbed the chef of all family get-togethers. I am thankful for each and every day that is presented to me and for my family, my children, all the blessed moments of the past year and the wonderful people that surround me, both near and far. It has been nearly a week after the feast and I am still working through the leftovers.

 

 

I have been summoning memories of my grandmother; a frugal woman and an envromentalist before it was hip. She would wash her freezer bags and hand them on the line, gather bread ends and stale buns for crumbs and always saved bones for soup. As a single mom of three, we live by the old idiom "waste not want not". So, my turkey leftovers have been transformed into saucy turkey and rice, roast veggie poutine and turkey stock, which was used in a squash soup. My homemade cranberry sauce has become jam, ice cream topping and blended with plain yoghurt. The most important thing about leftovers is ensuring that they are handled safely and with the Christmas season soon upon us it wouldn't hurt to look at Health Canada's safety tips . 

The worst part about cooking holiday dinner is nibbling on leftovers in the wee hours of the night, as I am often up late with my studies or preparing my curriculum. To my dismay, I have gained some weight and in essence need to get rid of some leftovers. I have found just the way to do it, with Buy Candian First member Now That's Lingerie's Seamless unitard long leg convertible shapewear .

 

It's not quite getting rid of the extra weight but that's what New Year resolutions are for, right?

What do you with all your thanksgiving leftovers??

 

Photocredit: Andrea Willowcat and Buy Canadian First member Now That's Lingirie 

I first discovered the Cowboy Junkies when my brother brought home their extraordinary 1988 album, The Trinity Sessions. The band's languid rhythms and Margo Timmons's hesitant, sultry whisper clutched at my serious teenage heart, and kicked off a lifetime love affair. They were the first band I ever really discovered, and they were Canadian.

And, while the band has taken musical vacations to different climes-the American South or China-they've always felt profoundly Canadian. The sparseness of their sound seems to echo our endless wilderness. They've always been a humble band-songwriter and guitarist Michael Timmons (Margo's brother) plays sitting down, with his hair concealing his face. And their back catalog is full of Neil Young covers.

 

I had been primed to love the Junkies, of course, because my childhood household was filled with rock and roll-and lots of it Canadian. I didn't appreciate them then as much as I do now, but my father fed us a steady stream of Neil Young and The Band. One of the first riffs I mastered when I was learning to play the guitar was the emblematic opening of Young's "Hey Hey, My My".

The Junkies were just the first in a long line of Canadian bands I've come to deeply admire. They're in a zigzaggy line from the Junkies through Weeping Tile to, most recently, Dan Mangan.

My taste is mostly in the folk rock and singer-songwriter mold, but I dabble in other mediums. My favourite music to listen to while I write are Glenn Gould's famous recordings of Bach's "The Goldberg Variations". And I fell for Sophie Milman when I saw her play at the Vancouver Jazz Festival a few years ago.

The Rules

They're pretty simple. I'll only listen to Canadian music for the rest of the year. There's not a lot I can do when I leave the house, but at home, on my iPhone and in the car I'm going all-Canadian, all the time.

Will that be a burden? As it happens, I'm an obsessive self-documenter, and so for years have tracked my musical taste with Last.fm. Here's what I've listened to over the last 12 months:

I'll I'll accept partial responsibility for Taylor Swift, but not Glee. In any case, more than half of my most-listened-to artists are already Canadian. My wife and I have an iTunes library of about 10,000 songs. I went through them and made a playlist of all the Canadian ones, and that came out to be about 1,500 tunes. So, that should carry me through the rest of the year.

Photo by Adam Bowie.

Read comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

My aunt Shirley died of breast cancer and my mother survived it. It is still the leading cause of death for women between the ages of thirty five and fifty. Everyone I know has been touched by this disease in one way or another. The Good Shopper blog has pulled together some wonderful, Canadian-made  Pink products for you to peruse, because good shopping is even better when it helps others!

 

1.  With Winter fast approaching, it's perfect timing for Cherry Lypsyl in the pink ribbon tube! Since last October, the company has donated $50,000 to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. This is a must-have product for your Canadian Winter Survival Kit! How cool that a percentage of every purchase goes to the cause! 

 

Lypsyl 

2. Chapped lips usually has a friend ... frizzy hair! Winter air, indoor heating, hats, you know what I'm talking about! Apparently, a high percentage of women who go through chemotherapy treatments lose their hair and then have it grow back curly, even if it wasn't before. So Jonathan Torch, founder of Curly Hair Solutions, created a non-silicone, chemical free hair care line which includes Curl Keeper,  a great treatment for the frizzies! During the month of October, for every bottle of Curl Keeper purchased at frizzoff.com,  a loonie will be donated.

 

Limited Edition Pink Cashmere

3. Buy Canadian First member Cashmere  encourages us to be "breast aware" and to remember that early detection and treatment are saving lives. I love the limited edition Pink roll! Twenty five cents from each purchase of Cashmere Pink goes to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation! And it's Pink!

 

Pink Scotties

4. Another Buy Canadian First member has gone Pink - Scotties! I am specifically searching these out! I carry tissues with me all year round, as you know, and I even use them in my art work. How cool are pink ones! I'll stock up! The 2011 Scotties "Buttons of Love" tribute box is one of several Pink designs available through November! You can find them in a mixed six pack! Collect them all and trade them with your friends!

You can find lots and lots of great Pink products and companies behind them at the site of the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation . Many of these products are things that we need and use all the time which makes it really easy to support a cause that has affected each one of us. You will find kitchenware, clothing, jewellery and accessories, sportswear and fitness products, cosmetics and tools, you name it, there is something Pink for everyone!

What Pink Product are you going to make a point of buying to show your support of Breast Cancer Awareness?

Sidebar: Have a look at this thought provoking article  that Isabelle found. Do you agree or disagree? 

 

:: images courtesy of Buy Canadian First members and the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. 

Let's just acknowledge something right off the bat about Canadian movies: they're rarely good. I've been watching a bunch of Canadian cinema over the summer-mostly the films that enjoyed brief runs at local cinemas-and they've been dismal. The Mountie, Modra, Breakaway, Terry, The High Cost of Living-the list of underwhelming movies goes on and on.

The problem, I think, is that I inevitably compare them to Hollywood fare. Obviously, mainstream American cinema is full of dogs too, but they're easy to avoid. Plus, there's a constant flow of quality movies from which to choose. For Canadian movies in the theatre, there's usually zero to one on in Vancouver at any given time. And there's no assurance that that one will be any good.

As a case in point, this weekend I watched Breakaway, the story of a team of Canadian Sikhs who earn redemption on the hockey rink. It was pretty dreadful. The script was clunky and the performances were wooden. It was the unfunny red-headed step-child of Bend It Like Beckham.

In a conversation with a friend of mine, he suggested that Canadian cinema was the AHL to Hollywood's top-flight league. He's right, after all, as we send our best filmmakers to California to find fame and fortune. So maybe I should lower my expectations for Canadian movies? Part of the problem is that while I don't watch AHL teams at Rogers Arena, I see Canuck films in the same theatres or on the same TV screens where I watch the very best American movies. So, the average Canadian movie will inevitably disappoint by comparison.

Of course, our country has produced a number of great movies. The one bright spot in my 2011 viewing schedule was Incendies, a terrific tale of a daughter discovering her past in the war-torn Middle East. It was French and included incest as a plot point-two common characteristics of good Canadian movies.

I sometimes think that, in North America, we have a biased view of so-called "foreign films". Why? Because the movie market filters out 98% of movies from any other country, so that we only see the very best (or, possibly, the most commercially viable) films from France or China. Maybe that's the approach we need to take with Canadian movies: treat our local films as if they're from a foreign country, and only watch the very best?

Read comments here.

Blog post re-printed with kind permission from Darren Barefoot - 1Y1C.

As you know, I attended the Canadian ShesConnected Conference last week in Toronto, Ontario - and what a great two days it was!

 

The first few steps included packing, then making it to the train on time, remembering to take some anti-nausea medication (I get terrible motion sickness), and making it to the hotel. Thankfully, I had an awesome travel buddy, Gingermommy from Tales of a Ranting Ginger, and we had a great time together.

 

After getting checked in and down to the conference room, it was go, go, go right away. We were already chatting with brands, grabbing some fun swag bags, meeting other bloggers and making those connections we were there to make.

Some of the fun swag included glasses from Molson, Adult Essentials Gummies and Olive Oil from Christine Cushing. I have to admit it was exciting! 

 

From the sponsors I learned some great information:

 

* Canada is the second largest single country donor to World Food Program
* Molson has been brewing for 225 years
* Chicken Farmers of Canada promise us there are no hormones in chickens
* Ford is focusing on green cars - including using recycled jeans and using wheat straw in the plastic pieces in their cars

 

From our sessions a lot of fantastic information came out as well:

 

* There's never been a better time to be a woman, according to Sheryl Connelly from Ford.
* Many bloggers believe that their time is worth money and when working with brands they should be paid.
* Moms trust the opinions of other Moms and want to hear about products and services from them.
* Ask for help when you need it, really, just ask - this is very hard for many women, I know.
* It's more important who you are connected with, not so much about how many, it's not always about numbers.
* You and your family will appreciate the history and stories of your lives, no other generation has had this - keep blogging, writing and archiving your memories.

 

Check out this article and video from the Toronto Star as they report on the conference. One great thing I loved from the article was this quote: "Some 55 million women across North America read other women’s blogs every month. And about 80 per cent of them will make a purchasing decision based on what they’ve read".

 

Do you look towards blogs and information from Moms when researching products?

 

Images courtesy of the ShesConnected Conference website.