We woke up to a winter wonderland yesterday! This is our first winter at our new home and I knew it was going to be gorgeous here, but honestly, even I was surprised at how stunning it was! I can't wait for a sunny day to take decent pics of it.

Howard wanted to give this whole "snow" thing one more try. He's always willing to try new things, I'll say that for him!

I guess it was a bit cold for Howard. After another search, I found him in our mailbox

"I don't like snow"

After a while though, he really started to enjoy himself. He even started making a snowman! How in the world little ol' Howard rolled that big snowball around, I'll never know!

I guess I'm going to have to start paying more attention to what he's doing!!

All in all Howard had a really fun time! He really did get into the spirit of things.

Now he wants to know when he can go sledding! That crazy Gumble. ;)

Thanks for stopping by. Have a Gumbly Day!

Howard Has A New Home!

Well, over the summer, Howard and his family made a big move. We sold our house in town and moved out to the country! It's absolutely wonderful. Howard now has just under 3 acres to play on, plus chickens and a goat to keep him and his other Gumble friends company!

It's so peaceful and quiet out here. It's perfect for Gumbles! It did take a while though for Howard to come out of hiding. I went on a big search for him yesterday so I could take some photo's of him to share. After a while, I found him hiding in a bowl in the cupboard of all places!

And after a bit of coaxing I managed to get him outside to see the snow! We started on the front porch which is covered to get him used to it a bit.

Not too bad! So, off to the back deck where he could experience the actual snowfall!

That didn't go as well. ;)

Later I found him all curled up feeling safe and secure in his favourite plant.

Poor Howard. I don't think he likes snow!

We did get a lot yesterday, so I'll be taking Howard out again to get him used to it.

Be sure to stop by to see more of Howard's adventures in snow!

Have a Gumbly day!

Where In The World Has Howard Been??

Well, Howard didn't have the best summer. Due to a family emergency, we had to cut his world tour short and bring him home in a hurry. He's been taking care of things, though and is ready to get back out there and start having adventures again!

Be sure to check back later on today, Howard has a new home he wants to show off!

Have a Gumbly Day!

In the continuing adventures of Howard...

We posted a parcel to Ireland & Howard wants to know if he's heading there someday? It was all we could do to keep him out of the envelope.

He made a new friend when Jake came home from a birthday party with Ralph the bear.

He loved Western - rated Canada's most beautiful campus - we sat under the trees & knit at lunch - but unfortunately despite taking Howard twice, I didn't take my camera even once! We're hoping to remedy that tonight with an evening trip to see A Midsummer's Night's Dream on the lawn at University College.

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It looks like Howard is having a great time! Don't forget to visit ElanKnits shop to see all her wonderful goodies!

Howard's Arrival!

I was starting to get so worried about poor Howard! It seemed to take an awfully long time for him to get from his last visit to the new one. But I found some great new pics and a story in my inbox today!

Howard is visiting our friend ElanKnits. Be sure to stop by her shop and see her amazing work!

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Howard arrived while I was out running errands, I saw the post man heading towards my house as I left, with a padded envelope in hand, so I was hopeful Howard would be here when I got back.

I put him straight to work, he had some great ideas for the new patches I'm making for my sale next weekend, we're taking individaul pictures of them later so we can list them on etsy.

Jake was quite excited to find Howard on my work table aka the diningroom table & wasn't too impressed to learn he's just visiting (I think one of Howard's cousins may have to come to live here via x-mas stocking this year).

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It's so nice to see my little Gumble's face again! I can't wait to see what he does next!

Deon

Howard Settles In

Well Tuesday night Howard was finally feeling a bit more comfortable and by the time movie night began he was feeling right at home. We decided to watch the Time Machine,


which Howard thought would be kinda scary. It was a little but luckily Howard had a nearby pillow to hide under.



Wednesday morning when I left for work Howard was still fast asleep. Good thing because when I got home that night I decided to introduce Howard to Daisy my pup.


They had a brief unsure moment but soon became the best of friends. So all three of us decided to go for a walk before it started to rain again.

I promised Howard on the walk I would show him where I picked the flowers from the previous night


and that we would leave some peanuts out for the squirrels.




We also stumbled upon some very large tree fungus and Howard was quite eager to have a closer look at them.



This morning Howard was up bright and early to have breakfast with me. I think he misheard me when I told him we would be having eggs in a cup, because when I came out of the kitchen Howard was trying to get into the egg cup himself.





He didn't fit and was actually quite relieved when he realized his error and I told him he could have his own seat.

It's Rummoli night tonight and Howard just finished helping me set up the table.


He is quite excited at the prospect of winning some money (I haven't the heart to tell him plastic poker chips aren't real money)I told him we couldn't be up too late though because tomorrow night we had lots of things to do in order to get ready for the weekend.

Can't live in a reno house for a week without pitching in at least once! Yep Howard is gonna be put to work!

____________________

I have to admit, I'm awfully excited to see my Howard get put to work!

Be sure to stop by soon to see the latest Howard adventure. And be sure to stop by Fotofiction's shop to check out her amazing photography!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

Howard Arrives!

I was horribly excited to find photo's from Fotofiction this morning in my Convo folder. The adventure has begun!!

Howard just arrived today. He was feeling a little shy at first and wasn't sure he wanted to come out and play. I was taking some photographs of some flowers and eventually his curiosity must have gotten the better of him cause he came out to check out the flowers.


I tried not to make a big deal of it so he wouldn't remember he was shy, but my puppy saw Howard and started to bark in excitement. (she loves new friends) Howard quickly hid the best he could!



I managed to coax him out again when I told him because it was raining so hard we were going to have a movie night and that dinner was almost ready. I'll send more after dinner. I hope Howard likes my cooking, no one else seems to!

Cheers
Howard and Lindsey

The Adventure Begins!!

The big day has finally come! Howard is leaving for his World Tour! I can't believe it, honestly. You talk and plan but it doesn't seem real until the day is finally here. I can honestly say, I cried.

Howard on the other hand was a strong Gumble. First, he gathered all his Gumble friends together for one last goodbye. Those that haven't moved on to new homes that is.


He did have one very special goodbye to make. Penelope is his favourite. ;)



I really think she took it harder than me that Howard was leaving. If she could have found a way to sneak in with him, our first host would have had a surprise!

Then with one last look at what has been his home all his Gumble life



It was time for goodbye kisses from me



My son



and my daughter



It was time to go.




Goodbye my little Gumble friend! You are going to have such a good time. I will miss you.

Check back soon for the first installment of Howard's World Tour from Fotofiction's home.

Have a Gumbly Day!

Howard Leaves Today!!

The fabric tag came in yesterday! Howard will be starting his greatest adventure ever later on today! He's horribly excited. ;0

I will have the first installment of Howard's World Tour will come either later on today or tomorrow when I blog about his leaving.

Stay tuned!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

Another Update

I received a message from the person who made Howard's fabric tag. It's on it's way and should be here sometime this week. She rushed it for me, and was told 5 days. That was on Thursday, so that means it should be here by, Wednesday or Thursday. As soon as it gets here, Howard is eager and ready to start his adventure. I'll have him mailed out to the first host that day.

Keep watching. I promise, the adventures are coming!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Uh Oh!!

I've been checking the post office every day for the tag for Howard's bottom. But each day I'm greeted by an empty mailbox.

Well, that's not necessarily true. I've been getting some amazing things I've ordered from Etsy. ;)

I received a convo from the seller today. She was away on holidays, and when she got home today Howard's tag was in her mailbox with insufficient postage.

Oh no!!

So, she's going to rush it to me. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of this week so Howard can start his World Tour.

Keep all your fingers crossed. Howard is getting very anxious!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

Howard Gets Back To Nature

After such a thrilling day at Track and Field, Howard was feeling just a little, well, tired. So, we thought it would be a good time for him to get back to where he is most comfortable. Nature.

I had my daughter and her friend take Howard for a walk down in a little wooded area we have near our house so he could get a little fresh air and recoup a bit.

The first thing he found was a nice cozy cave to hide in. It took them a while to find him, and boy were they worried!


Those poor girls. They were frantic trying to find him.

They were finally able to coax him out of the cave. Lucky Howard found some leaves to rest in.


He gave one poor girl an awful fright. Don't run away! It's just Howard!!

Who would have thought Howard could be so frightening! Poor girl. And poor Howard too! He never wanted to scare anyone. He finds a little peace on a rock by a little creek that runs through the woods



This little trip into the woods was just the trick to help Howard feel better. He's back to his normal Gumble self now, ready and eager to start his world tour!



Check back soon for a new Howard adventure.

Have a Gumbly day!

Howard Goes To Track and Field

Well, I know you've all been patiently waiting for a new Howard adventure. I had thought I would wait until he started his World Tour, but since that's on hold for another week, I took Howard to our school's Track and Field day.

Howard and I were a bit late getting there this morning (boy that Gumble can be difficult to get moving in the morning!!). So by the time we got to the school, the first race was already in full swing.



This is my daughter winning the 1500 meter race. A good start to the day!

Right after that, my son, Howard and I went to Shotput.


Howard looks a little nervous, don't you think? I wonder why that would be??



Oh no!!

Poor, poor Howard. Who knew Gumbles could fly?

Well, after that, Howard took a well deserved rest in the shade.


But there's no rest for the weary on Track and Field day, and soon we were off to Long Jump




Then Triple Jump



And after all that hard work, Howard rests in the shade again with all his ribbons



Actually, they're my daughters. All 7 of them. ;)

Well, that's Howard's wonderful day at Track and Field. All in all (other than the Shot Put) he had a good day. Lots of fun and sunshine!

Check back soon for another Howard Adventure

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

While We're Waiting.....

Today is Track and Field Day at my kids' school. So, guess where Howard is going? You got it! I'll have a new Howard adventure to share with all of you soon! (so long as the school will let me, that is)

Be sure to check back soon to see Howard's newest adventure. It should be a really good one. I wonder how Howard will do at high jump..... ;)

In the meantime, I have some new Gumbles in my shop. You should check them out. They are really sweet! Just click on them in the My Etsy Shop on the left hand side.

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

We Hit A Snag!!

Well, all good plans and all that jazz. ;)

I had Howard all packed up and ready to go. I was debating whether or not to send business cards along in the package when someone suggested to me that a fabric tag on the bottom of Howard would be a better idea. So, now I'm waiting for a tag to come in the mail.

It should be in this week then Howard is off!

Stay tuned. The adventure will be starting soon!!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Today Is The Big Day!!!

Howard leaves today! I don't know if I'm excited, scared or sad to see him go! It's going to be tough to pack that little fella up and drop him down that chute. But I know he's going to be in good hands no matter where he goes and is going to have the time of his life out there in the big, wide, wonderful world we call home.

I can't wait to see all the photo's from his adventures.

I'm starting a scrapbook too so I'll have a permanent hard copy of where he goes and what he does.
Stay tuned here. I'll be back later with photo's of Howard's goodbye.

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

It's Just So Exciting!

Howard starts the first leg of his greatest adventure yet tomorrow!

He's off to his first host family here in Ontario first thing tomorrow morning. Be sure to keep stopping by so you don't miss it! I'm hoping to have a new blog post by the end of the week. I'll keep you all updated though, so you don't miss out!

If you would like, you can join my Yahoo group where I will be giving updates on new blog posts, where Howard is and all the exciting new things going on in my shop.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HomeOfTheGumbles/

Hope to see some of you there!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Deon

There Will Be A New Adventure Coming Soon!

I want to thank all my loyal Howard followers. I know it's been a while since my last update. We've had some upsets around our little town that has made it difficult for me to get out with Howard.

However, things look to be settling down and I know Howard is itching to get out and enjoy the nice spring weather. He's been pestering me constantly and I just can't take it any more!

In the meantime, we're planning Howard's Trip Around The World. It's Howard's biggest adventure yet! He'll be starting his travels around the first of May. He'll be starting here in Canada, but I have people signed up to host Howard all across the U.S. the U.K., Australia and even one person in Portugal!

If you would like to host Howard for a week and be featured here on this blog (it's free advertising!) let me know. I can send you all the information you will need and add you to the list of hosts. You can email me at homeofthegumbles@gmail.com

Check back soon for Howard's next adventure!

Have a Gumbly Day!

Homeschooling Howard!

Sometimes, some days, a boy just doesn't feel well. That's what happened this morning and my son Ethan got to stay home from school for the day.

But, being the mean Mama I am, I went in and got him some work to do! ;)

And being the helpful Gumble that he is, Howard offered to help.


My son is working on a very creative story about three boys and a lost necklace. Howard gives it his seal of approval. He's a very well read Gumble and he knows quality literature when he reads it.

In fact, he was so excited by it, he called in his good friend Gigi to take a look too.



Math, however is not Howard's strong suit. He just couldn't seem to understand these questions!



I feel for you Howard. Math hurts my head.

But, with a little bit of Howard's help, my son was able to get through his homework. And with a smile on his face! But then, who wouldn't smile with Howard by your side!




Check back soon for a new Howard adventure!

Have a Gumbly day!

Howard Does Yardwork

It's spring! The birds are singing, the sun is shining and that means it's time to do yardwork. And what is a day of yardwork without help from Howard? As we all know Gumbles are very much nature lovers so being outside helping clear out the gardens is a fun filled day for all!

The first thing Howard found was the chives. I'll bet you didn't know Gumbles love to eat chives!



Then, after a quick look over the garden


It was time to get to work. "You should dig here." Howard is telling my husband.




Being out in the front yard was a bit scary for Howard. He really wasn't sure what to make of all the traffic and a couple of times he had to find a place to hide.

Once in a bush



And once in the wheelbarrow




Cleaning up the garden is hard work! Here is Howard, celebrating a job well done. Now, it's time for a nap!


Be sure to check back soon for Howard's newest adventure!

Have a Gumbly Day!