Visiting

Helayna, Heather and Jonathan was a great way to spend part of spring break! Helayna has changed so much since we saw her on Family Day. She is so happy and content and loves to interact now, generously sharing smiles and baby sounds. I love her happy murmurings and cooing. I really could have stayed a whole lot longer instead of coming home to think about school again!!



Jonathan's parents sent this Jolly Jumper to Helayna and right from the start, she totally got the idea and loved the bouncing. She wore a great big grin and we got lots of good pictures.




Isn't this just a look of pure happiness?!! I'm so glad she has this to enjoy now.




This girl can get some serious air already! She is like a mini-perpetual motion machine!




We learned to play "Pat-a-cakes" and I got the best smiles ever!




"Miss Cool"




The new sunglasses came in handy when we walked to the park and went for rides on the swing. She didn't once try to take them off. That cute bear suit from Auntie Kelsey is perfect for this spring weather.




After bathtime, Helayna loved playing peek-a-boo with Daddy. I have always loved cuddling little ones after their baths - this simple act brings back lots of memories for me!

Spring Cleaning

One of the tasks I wanted to tackle this week was cleaning out the bottom of my closet. Here's what the project involved!



The basket is full of sandals and summer shoes - I did not realize I had so many! And I've added a second basket for the dress shoes. The garbage bag is going to the second hand shop. So that job can be crossed off the to-do list - feels good to purge stuff and be ready to actually use what I have!

Thanks to Randi over at This I Have to Say for the challenge to post some spring cleaning news.

Happy Birthday, Dad

It was Bob's dad's 85h birthday yesterday! Still living in their own home, he keeps very busy with woodwork projects, including building cribs for his great-granddaughters. In the summer, their garden, fruit orchard and grape arbor provide him with hours of work and produce. He loves having the whole family come home for celebrations so we had a party on Sunday. We are wishing you good health, a long growing season and many hours of card playing with friends in the year ahead, Dad!!

Meet

Kayleigh Rose Marie Krueger, our newest great-niece. Her dad is our nephew and it's awesome to see him enjoying his daughter and carrying her around like a little football!! Kayleigh was born in January and is a sweet, sweet little doll. Her aunt hosted a baby shower for her on Saturday and so we all got to cuddle and snap lots of pictures. Then she came to the birthday party yesterday so we got to see her again. Good thing because I know she will change so quickly in the next weeks before we see them again.




Mom and Dad, Janice and Bryce




Dad opened all the presents - baby girls get the cutest clothes!!




With Gramma Rose




Cuddling with Auntie Joyce, who is just loving having a niece!

Try this!

I am a Daffodil What Flower Are You?

Get Your Sunglasses

Today was the first chance we've had to see this special couple since they announced their engagement more than a month ago. They are so in love! I heard Tyneille say at least 4 times how lucky she is to have Ian in her life - those are such good thoughts to hear! We are so delighted that you have found each other and we wish you happiness and peace always. Good luck with the house upgrades and moving!



Our niece, Tyneille and her fiance' Ian. Their wedding date is September 29th.




The Rocks - 3 diamonds in a row but this picture does not do them justice. They are so brilliant it almost blinds you - according to one of the aunts!(Which is why you might need your sunglasses!) That'll teach me for taking only one shot and not focusing on the actual ring! Sorry, Tyneille - I'll redo this shot the next time I see you. I know I can do better!

Happy Birthday, Paul

It's our nephew, Paul's birthday today! He's always had to share celebrations with his Dad, Harvey, and Grampa, whose birthday is on Tuesday. I think every picture has the 3 of them in it. We hope you have a great day, Paul and may the year bring much success, happiness beyond measure and some of the things you are dreaming of. Happy Birthday!



with his wife, Erin - taken at Christmas, 2006

Starting Spring Break

We had supper with Naomi and Jerry last night and that meant we got to play with Meadow! I was very tired - it's been a long month at school but this visit was perfect for a Friday night. Thanks for having us, guys!



It just melts my heart when little Miss Independence wants to cuddle!




Practicing how to walk keeps her so very busy! Back and forth with just one finger to hang on to!




Even though she wasn't feeling very good, she cuddled as beautifully as ever!




The talking Bell beavers are her favorite commercial! Jerry says she stops everything just to watch them and cries if you try to take her out of the room while they are on!!

Happy Birthday, Harvey!

It was Bob's brother Harvey's 60th birthday yesterday! 60 sounds like a very dignified and respectful age, doesn't it? Not really that old or ancient at all! He celebrated in his typical low-key way with an intimate supper gathering for 4 at Sorrentino's, even though we wanted the whole fam-damily at a shinding at the hall with a DJ until the wee hours of the morning. I can't really figure out why he chose that party but we do hope he had a good time. May good health, many hockey games and awesome crossword puzzles be yours this year, Harv! Oh, yeah - and we hope lots of grandkids are in your future too!!



With his wife, Audrey, at our nephew's wedding last fall (I was desperately searching for a picture of you - good thing your sisters reminded me that you had posed perfectly at Curtis and Pam's wedding - thanks! You never know when your sister-in-law might need a good picture of you!!)

This . . .

came to my kitchen as a Christmas gift so I've been trying it out. Yesterday I used the temperature probe and it cooked a beef roast while I was at school. It was definitely nice to have meat ready for supper and it tasted pretty good. Now if I can be super organized ahead of time, we should have some yummy meals around here!



The grade 3's went swimming today and we had an awesome time! Lots of sliding, splashing, swinging and laughing made for a busy but extremely fun time.

From My Kitchen Window

I was working in the kitchen tonight and when I looked up, the sky was tinted with the most delicately pink sunset. I worked for a minute or two and then decided I had to grab the camera and capture some of it. It had snowed heavily, big wet flakes, about an hour before and the sky was filled with clouds. There wasn't much open space for the sun to shine through which made for this soft, soft look. It was quite unlike our usual sunsets, which have lots of orange and gold in them.



The first picture - the delicate pinks had already disappeared and the colors were more intense.




Within 5 minutes, these glorious colors painted the sky.

It doesn't really look like the first day of spring!

Our Farm

On my little foray outside on Saturday afternoon, I had some fun snapping everyday pictures of our farm. We've always had cattle, dairy cows for 25 years and now for the last 5 years, beef cattle. The animals have been such a big part of the farm but I don't have very many pictures of that part of our lives! Bob had just fed them so they were more interested in food than a photographer.




At the southeast corner of our home property, there is an artesian well and this old, old willow tree grows beside the spring. The sun was right behind the tree when I took this - kind of a cool effect, I think. See my little 'fun machine' at the side?!!




These are absolutely the biggest daffodils I have ever seen! They opened up to be so big and beautiful - I think each one would fill a teacup! On such a cold, windy and gloomy day, they radiate springtime and sunnier days ahead.

Saturdays

Sun is shining today, the snow is melting and I'm going out to spin around on the quad a little - good things to do on a day of relaxing and simple pleasures. Then I plan to come in, finish the skirts I started sewing, make some cards and maybe even play in my studio a bit. I do like weekends!!

Earlier today I thought we were going into a major building project. We were just talking about the kitchen table and making another leaf for it so we can sit 10 people around it when Bob got the notion to tighten bolts which led to drilling holes which led to sanding which led to gluing - and many tools, bolts, and much sawdust in the kitchen! I can only imagine what house renovations would be like.

If you are looking for something good to read, you must go to Ree's blog "Confessions of a Pioneer Woman." She won a Bloggie award last week, which apparently is a big deal in blogland. I found out about her thanks to Heather and she makes me smile everyday. Caution - if you are not from the farm, some scenes may be disturbing!

Waiting . . .

Crocus Hill, April, 2006

I'm seriously getting anxious for the snow to go and spring to arrive. The weather forecast was for lots of sun today but it didn't really happen until late in the afternoon. I know we will have several days of cold and snow yet but spring can come and stay anytime now!!

This is the week of parent student teacher interviews at school so I have one more late night tomorrow. This is a LLLOOONNNGGG week!

In This Skin

Morning Glory and her friend Lei have started a new series of writing challenges. I decided to challenge myself to write down a few thoughts this week and hopefully each time, I'll be able to think about some of life's deeper questions as they relate to me, in this time, at this place. So the first challenge was

"In This Skin"

In this skin,
I view life with more tolerance, patience, respect and compassion than ever before. I see the joy of small daily wonders - tulips gracing the kitchen table, a pretty envelope in the mail, a steaming cup of tea. I see a few (but only a few!) wrinkles - thanks to the many glasses of milk I've drank over the years. I don't see many grey hairs - thanks, E., who's the only one who really knows for sure!

In this skin,
I smell fresh buns baking and candles burning, spices and herbs simmering in soups and sauces, laundry fresh from the dryer, logs burning in the fireplace, silage and animals on our farm and the sweet baby powder softness of our 2 granddaughters.

In this skin,
I touch papers and thread in my studio as I retreat to play and create while preserving pieces of our life story. I smooth clean clothes and my early morning bedhead. I caress my husband's beard and his strong arms that offer me a safe retreat from the day's stresses.

In this skin,
I taste delectable treats - chocolate, cheesecake, chai lattes, pizza and fruits. But more importantly I taste the good things God has blessed me with so very generously - health, family, friends, all I need day to day, beauty in nature and goodness in people.

In this skin,
I hear the voices of loved ones as they call from their own homes now scattered further away. I hear the joyful sounds of our 2 sweet grandbabies as they play serenely and discover their voices. I hear myriad questions from my grade three students and their cries of wonder as they discover new things. I will soon hear the cries of new baby calves searching for their mama cows.

In this skin,
I am serene in my fifties, a child of God, seeking new challenges, striving for gains in personal fitness, happy with the little things, studying God's word, blessed beyond measure, immensely grateful, motivated to help others and eager to embrace the next stage of life.

Spring Goodness

It snowed nearly all day here - big white wet flakes that covered the ground but melted relatively quickly. Just enough to make it messier than it already was! So I figured it was time to break out some spring time blossoms - flowers always make me feel better! I have some gorgeous yellow-tipped orange tulips on my kitchen table - a whole lot of goodness in a vase.

So let's take a little tour to Vancouver----



Wouldn't this look nice on the sidewalk in front of your house?!




What long stems these beauties have!




Branches of pink








I have the perfect spot in our home for one of these!


















Building a bouquet - so much goodness!

Birthday Supper

Darrin and Kelsey came home this weekend so we had a little birthday supper and took some pictures to celebrate. His grandparents and some close friends came too which was very nice. Today he tinkered with his quad a bit and Bob's determined to get Darrin's new chainsaw working before they go to see Kendra and Yvonne's new puppy and stop to give Meadow a last hug. Their visits always are way too short!!









Raspberry cheesecake, as he requested!
















This beautiful dress is the one Kelsey gave Meadow for Christmas. She looked like such a little doll, especially when she had her tights and little red patent leather shoes on!















Kelsey and Darrin haven't seen Meadow since Christmas so they were so surprised at how big she is, how much she 'talks', her growling and how she wants to walk around!




Yvonne, Darrin and Kendra - what a lot of fun they had playing, climbing on Darrin, tickling and putting a ponytail in his long hair!




Beautiful girls - Yvonne and Kelsey

It's Friday!

"The place to be happy is here.
The time to be happy is now."
Robert Ingersoll

Happy, happy idea for a happy, happy life. This is going into my "Glimpses" album that I'm making with Stacy Julian in her Big Picture Scrapbooking class online. Go over there and check it out - every one should have one of these albums to leave as a legacy. And --- we get to go to a reception with her when she comes to Edmonton for the Urban Scrapbook Convention at the end of April!!! Happy time that will be! I will definitely share pictures.

Happy today because-----
- report cards went home
- the testing/assessment frenzy is relaxed for awhile
- the sun is shining and the temperature is up
- Darrin's coming home to celebrate his birthday this weekend
- we are having company for supper tomorrow night
- on Sunday I plan to sew a skirt to send to Africe (I cut it out last night!)
- and I am going to the gym for a workout NOW (sadly neglected this stuff for the last several weeks but spring is here and I need to get back on track - wish me luck!)

Have a happy weekend!!

Happy Birthday, Leona!

It's Bob's sister's birthday today. She just got home from 'another' holiday in Cuba - second one this winter! Ah, yeah, I think there's more than just the warm weather attracting her there!! May your year be filled with many adventures and lots of travel time :))

Don't you miss them?

I know you are probably just dying for a glimpse of our granddaughters - it's been a long time since I shared anything! Meadow, with her 3 tiny white baby teeth, and her Mom came for a visit last Saturday .



These two are constantly in motion! So hard to capture in a photograph but they just have so much fun together.




Tickles from Grampa!

Sewing Seeds

I found THE most amazing project for girls in Africa! Check Randi's blog to read about something she's doing with her daughter. You can get involved too - come join us!



I was going to get 2 pieces of fabric to go with some that I had on hand - but, well, there was this great sale on! So I ended up with several pieces instead! I loved all of these and I have some grand plans for a couple of mix and match skirts too. So I preshrunk the fabric tonight but the cutting will have to wait until the weekend. I can hardly wait to start stitching!

Try This!

Ali Edwards posted a cool custom made library catalog card creation on her blog a while back so I created one today. I tried to find the link for you but it seems to have disappeared. Try blyberg.net and see if you can find the Catalog Card Generator. Just some random fun stuff for a Sunday!



I actually did get some work done for report cards this weekend. Tests all marked, marks entered into the computer , off to do some comments - everything seems to be under control!

What's in your 'cupboard'?

"Everyone has a cupboard full of food memories that evoke a sense of family and home. We call them our comfort foods." Johanna Burkhard in Canadian Living, Feb. 07

In my cupboard:
- Shepherd's Pie
- Chicken Cacciatorie
- Swiss Steak
- Roast Chicken
- Pot Roast with Potatoes and Carrots
- Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
- 24 Hour Salad
- fresh baked buns
- perogies
- cabbage rolls
- my mom's pies
- Gramma's doughnuts
- Fiddle Diddle Cookies
- Pinwheel Cookies (only made at Christmas time)

So, tell me what's in your 'cupboard'?

Saturday Projects

So it's the weekend before report cards go home from school - the dreaded weekend of getting it altogether and into the right column. Yeah - one of those "have to get it done" days. So ---- so far today I have:
- read 100 pages in "The Time Traveller's Wife" - it's really in the good part now, of course!
- played with Meadow who came for a visit before going to see her Daddy at the basketball tournament where his school team is playing
- made eggs-in-a-frame for breakfast
- read Canadian Living Magazine
- set a batch of honey wheat buns in the bread maker
- put some laundry in the washer
- checked what my blogging friends are up to
- collected the garbage
- downloaded the camera
- done a bunch of snacking

Yeah - my middle name is "Procrastination"!
Seriously, I have to get to work!

Creating

I used the February S! kit to finally create a layout with one of my favorite pictures of our granddaughters. I handcut the patterned paper and then just added a little bling to it. The heart is stamped and I used my own handwriting for journalling. Thanks for looking. I hope this is the first of many layouts for this month, in between report cards and school stuff!!