the beaucoups
under my skein: a survival story
July 1981 10:15 am: My mother parks our black Mercury Monarch on Main Street. I am nine years old and sitting up front alongside my mother. My seven-year-old sister and three-year-old brother are sitting in the back. Nova Scotia didn’t pass seatbelt laws until 1985, so we were free to bounce around like fleas on…
Read Morecrap no. 41
Halifax is caught up in a humidity vortex and MY GOD IT’S LIKE HAVING YOUR FACE STUCK IN AN ARMPIT 24/7. I’m sticky, wet, and my house smells like a medieval mortuary. My parents, Bill and Rosie Beaucoup, have been married for about 95 years. When you’ve been a pair for that long your names…
Read Morebeartrayal
Garden tours and yard updates are a regular occurrence when visiting my parents; Bill and Rosie have a large, wooded property with meticulously maintained gardens. I’m no fan of the great outdoors, but I’ll put up with the occasional nature walk in exchange for a good meal. It was during one of those post-meal yard…
Read Morebirthday
Today we celebrated 2.0’s 45th birthday. He requested lasagna and a chocolate cake topped with boiled frosting to mark the occasion. We lit some candles and sang to our favourite fellow at the top of our lungs. After the smoke had cleared and we’d polished off second helpings, Rosie said, “I’m so glad I got all…
Read Morehappy birthday, haddy
Happy birthday, Haddy! I hope you have a most marvellous day! This could be challenging given that I’m 1800 kilometres away, but give ‘er a go. On the weekend, Rosie Beaucoup and I found this delightful photo of you on the day you were born: And then this delightful photo of us together: The nice thing…
Read Morefat sparrows {crap no. 8}
Happy New Year! Let’s get 2014 started with some Crap I’ve Been Meaning To Tell You About, 8th Edition. 2.0 and I are exhausted. The holidays have meant staying up way past our bedtime every night. We are not coping well. Also, the weather/driving here has been atrocious. I have at least 20 new grey hairs…
Read Moregingerbread {cake}
This is the gingerbread my mother has been making forever. We eat it every Christmas. Actually, we eat it throughout the fall and winter, because eating it just once a year would be silly. This Christmas, the entire Beaucoup Family will be reunited at Beaucoup Headquarters. It has been years since we’ve all been together…
Read Morebirthday cake {recipe for glossy chocolate frosting}
Hold on to your hats! It’s time for birthday cake! I know it’s not your birthday yet, Haddy. But I also know that you’ve got some special visitors tomorrow, and I’ve seen them eat. Odds are, you’ll be too full for cake tomorrow. I was going to recreate the cake in that photo up there,…
Read Morecaramel dumplings {and an open letter to this face}
Dear Sad Little Face, Don’t be upset. I know it’s not fair. Life just doesn’t go our way sometimes. It’s not your fault that your mother chose to be allergic to cats. It would have been so lovely to have one. Keeping a kitten suspended in a birdcage over your bed certainly could have worked.…
Read Moregranola {for haddy}
My sister’s birthday is on Thursday – she’ll be turning 40. So, I’ve decided to have four days of Haddy-inspired posts this week. Naturally, I turned to Rosie Beaucoup for assistance. movita: I want to do four days of Haddy-inspired posts to mark her birthday. I was thinking I’d share some of her favourite childhood…
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