Five on Friday

1.

One of my best moves is to surround myself with friends who, instead of asking, "Why?" are quick to say, "Why not?" That attitude is contagious.

~ Oprah Winfrey

2.  It's getting close to Mother's Day and as we think of the women in our lives that we love, watch this video.  It really made me think!



3.  Our chicks are one week old - and they have more than doubled in size!  I always forget how quickly they grow at the very beginning.  Despite the extra chores and the time they require, they definitely make it seem like spring has arrived on the farm.

4.  The last few mornings have been super early ones since our grandsons from New Brunswick have arrived.  They are still adjusting to mountain daylight time :)  But we are having a marvelous time - cuddling, chasing, working, laughing, enjoying these precious moments.  (And as a result, blogging is taking a back seat to living this week.  Thanks for your patience.)

5.  Which leads right into the photo of the week:

All in a row,

on the way to swimming

Foodstuff and Homemaking Favourites

Today I am inspired by Becky to record some of the food and shopping choices that we are enjoying right now. 

From our garden and farm:
- free range chicken - still plenty in the freezer to get us through the summer
- Pigeon Lake whitefish - both fresh frozen and smoked
- garden peas, beans, corn and tomatoes
- saskatoons and raspberries from our bushes
- zucchini and beet relish, raspberry jam, rhubarb chutney, dill pickles, canned tomatoes, 4 kinds of salsa, sauerkraut and spaghetti sauce
- pumpkin and squash, still a few fresh ones hanging around
- potatoes, beets and carrots
- applesauce and apple pies

On the shelves of the pantry:
- canned peaches, pears and apricots from a trip to BC

In the freezer from Bob's BC fishing trip:
- a few packages of frozen halibut
- 2 salmon steaks

Items I bake or make from scratch:
- whole wheat buns
- squares, cakes and cookies
- granola

Purchased locally from farmers we know:
- beef
- pork

Purchased in bulk from Rancho Vignola:
- nuts including walnuts, pecans, almonds, pumpkin and sunflower seeds
- coconut
- raisins and dried cranberries

Things I buy at Costco:
- Parmesan and jalapeno Havarti cheese
- steelhead trout
- hemp and chia seeds
- coconut water for smoothies
- coconut oil
- fresh spinach
- thin raisin bagels
- flour and sugar
- chocolate chips
- nacho chips and popcorn
- mixed salted nuts
- coffee

Groceries from Superstore or No Frills:
- most fresh produce, including lettuce, peppers, cucumbers, herbs, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes and lemons
- milk, cheeses and butter
- President's Choice Lemon Greek Yogurt
- canned goods
- frozen Cheemo perogies
- crackers
- mayonnaise and other condiments

Special treats from Safeway:
- fresh flowers
- organic carrots (when ours are used up)
- Stash teas
- ice cream

There it is - a little glimpse into where our food comes from these days!

Lists of 2013 - #8 - Animals I Love

Listography 2013 - #8 - Animals I Love

1.  Dogs, especially German Shepherds - we've had some of them over the years and they were wonderful companions.

2.  Elephants - their very social behaviour, curiosity and care for each other is amazing.  I am still in awe of the fact that we saw so many of them in Africa.

3.  Dolphins and whales - graceful and elusive, adding to their mystery.

4.  Birds, especially little ones like hummingbirds, colourful ones like bluejays and graceful ones like swans.

5.  Giraffes - so regal and unique in the animal kingdom.

6.  Porcupines - what was God thinking when he created these?!

7.  Mountain goats and their incredible climbing abilities.

8.  Polar bears in all their grandeur.

9.  Turtles - no one else quite like them with those shells.

10.  Pandas - another unique one.  I loved seeing them in China but in the wild would be truly amazing.

11.  Bees - fascinating workers who produce something so sweet.

12.  Penguins - how the fathers care for their babies impresses me!

13.  Big cats like cheetahs, tigers and leopards.

Lists of 2013 - #8 - Places I Have Lived

Listography 2013 - #8 - Places I Have Lived

My whole life has been spent in Alberta, never more than an hour from the farm where I grew up!  I love to travel but I just realized now that I've always lived close to the ones I love.

1.  My dad purchased a farm using money he had saved while working for Calgary Power, installing the power lines that were being strung through rural Alberta in the early 1950's.  The farm was just west of Millet and about 8 miles east of where he'd grown up.  The yard contained a big old two-story house and various out-buildings, including a barn and grain elevator.  When he and my mom married in 1954, they moved to this farm.  Last summer while on a garden tour, I had the opportunity to go back and see what's happened to the farm now.  The yard is so very beautiful with a waterfall and pond just off the deck of the house and a lovely garden area.  So many memories flooded through me that day!

2.  When I was 9, my parents purchased my grandparents farm, where my Dad had grown up, and we moved there in December.   This meant a change of schools for us but we knew many of the kids since we attended the same church.  Moving here meant that my Dad became a full-time farmer, leaving his stucco and plaster job that he'd juggled for 10 years.  My parents still live on this farm.

3.  My college year was spent at Camrose Lutheran College, now the Augustana campus of the University of Alberta.  It was a small liberal arts Christian college, less than an hour from home, with a student body of less than 500.  I lived in the student residence, worked in the kitchen for a few hours every week and took first year courses in home economics.

4.  The college did not grant degrees so after 1 year, I transferred to the University of Alberta and the faculty of education.  I lived with 3 friends in a two bedroom apartment just a few blocks from the campus.

5.  During the summer after my third year, we married and I moved to Bob's family farm.  We spent nearly 20 months in a tiny 2 room house that had been built for his grandfather.  It was cozy but had no laundry or shower facilities - thankfully Bob's parents lived just across the yard and shared their water with us.

6.   And that brings us to the home that we currently live in - the one that we moved into 36 years ago.  Bob and his brother logged the trees and sawed the lumber and then he built the house with his Dad.  It's served us so well and is the only home that our girls have known.   Really, Darrin too since we moved in on his first birthday.   So many memories made here!

Lists of 2013 - #7 - Red Things I Love

Listography 2013 - #7 - Red Things I Love

1.  Strawberries

source

2.  Raspberries

3.  Tomatoes (in all their forms)

4.  Red tulips

source

5.  Red leather gloves and shoes

6.  Red cheeks on little ones

7.  Red gingham tablecloths

8. Red poppies

source

9.  Red cardinals and red-winged blackbirds

10.  Cherries

11.  Red glass balls on the Christmas tree

12.  Red barns

source

13.  My red quad (Honda Fourtrax 350) 

Thanks to Pinterest for all images.

Lists of 2013 - #5 - Brave Things I've Done

Listography 2013 - #5 - Brave Things I've Done

1.  Retiring from my full-time teaching job

2.  Going back to university at age 38 to finish my education degree

3.  Sitting down in the tractor and learning to drive the forage cutter for grain silaging

4.  Quadding down the side of a mountain

5.  Settling into a kayak and paddling along the Nova Scotia coast

6.  Substitute teaching in junior high classrooms

7.  Driving the big tractor and feed mixer to feed beef cattle while Bob was away in Ottawa

8.  Quickly tagging baby calves while mama cows anxiously stood guard nearby

9.  Driving the big loader while towing the 2+2 tractor out of snowdrifts

10.  Gone down waterslides with our grandchildren

Favourites

Just a little idea today from my friend, Linds, who recently wrote about some of her favourites.

Favourite Movie: I have a few that come to mind:
- Mary Poppins was the first movie I saw in a theatre when I was about 8 years old.  It came to the old theatre in Wetaskiwin and I went as a guest of Daphne Ludwig, our pastor's wife, who was very British.  I loved everything about the movie - and going to the theatre for the first time - and can still sing many of the songs by heart.  
- Love Story was the movie Bob and I saw on our very first date!  There are so many things to remember and smile about when I reflect on that night.  It was a double date with our closest friends at that time (R died just a short time later after a motorcycle mishap) and we were even stopped by the police on the way into the city!!  Many, many years later Bob found a copy of the movie and gave it to me on Valentine's Day.  
- Dr. Zhivago still is a favourite with its beautiful scenery, dramatic love story and timeless music.
- Any movie that stars Julia Roberts is at the top of my favourites list whether it's Pretty Woman, Erin Brockovitch or My Best Friend's Wedding.  She's such an amazing actress!

Favourite vacation/holiday: If you know me, you will know that I love traveling and would be gone monthly, if I could!  And because I love it so, every trip is one-to-remember!
- When our children were younger, we took a two-week trip to southern California, going via Montana, Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon in Utah, the Grand Canyon in Arizona and on to San Diego and Los Angeles.  It was truly the trip of a lifetime and we had so much fun together.  I'm looking forward to going to Disneyland with our grandchildren someday.
- When Darrin was just a baby we went to Jamaica for 10 days with friends.  That was the first of many great vacations with many sets of friends. 
- Visiting the Great Wall of China, the commercial district of Hong Kong, Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany, Innsbruck and Vienna in Austria, Prague in the Czech Republic, Krakow in Poland, Manaus in Brazil, Iguassu Falls on the SA borders, and Buenos Aires in Argentina - we have been so incredibly lucky to see so many wonderful places in the world.  Each place had its own unique beauty and interesting people.  
- Traveling to Africa, driving on safari through Kenya and Tanzania, seeing Mount Kilimanjaro, cruising the Nile River and visiting temples and burial sites in Egypt, and then finishing in Zanzibar was an incredible month long adventure.  I still am in awe that we actually did this trip!

Favourite Book:  The list of possibilities is ever increasing in this category!  These come to mind:
- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- Earth's Children series by Jean Auel
- A Walk Across the Sun by Corbin Addison
- Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
- Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks
- Still Alice by Lisa Genova
- The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
- The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rawling
- The Silver Chalice by Thomas Costain

Favourite Hymn:   The hymns learned in my childhood are mostly committed to memory from singing them for years and years.  Some of these were favourites of my grandmother too - she loved them and often sang in her native tongue, German.
- What A Friend We Have In Jesus
- Children of the Heavenly Father
- I Come to the Garden Alone - one of my Dad's favourites
- Praise My Soul, the King of Heaven - sung at our wedding
- Saviour Like a Shepherd Lead Me
- Just a Closer Walk with Thee

Favourite Colour:  I love colours - the brighter the better usually!  Sometimes when I look around a group of people gathered, I wonder about myself in that way.  
- orange is my all time favourite
- followed by yellow and green
- in combination, I love teal and brown, grey and yellow, and red and black.  

Lists of 2012 - #44

Listography 2012 - #44 - Things I'm Feeling Stressed About (but really in pretty small ways)

1.  painting our main living area

2.  using up the rest of the tomatoes

3.  not having the garden completely cleaned out and rototilled

4.  the state of chaos in part of our basement

5.  what to give our son and son-in-laws for Christmas

6.  how much time to devote to a volunteer committee that's demanding alot

7.  re-doing our patio area (someday!)

8.  wrinkles!

9.  time to finish my sewing projects wish-list

10.  the causes to support this Christmas

11.  creating some photobooks

12.  farm accounting

NaBloPoMo #5

NaBloPoMo #5 - If you could have any job you want, what would it be?

I still really love teaching so I'm not sure I would change that.  But I've always had a heart for helping children in other parts of the world and haven't really done much about going and being part of that.

My niece has a dream about building a school in China and I wish that I spoke Mandarin (or any other language for that matter!) so I could go and help her.  Working with girls in Afghanistan, teaching in Africa, or going to any place in the world where there are huge education needs would be something that I'd like to experience.

In 2004 I spent 2 weeks doing professional development with teachers in western Belize alongside 3 colleagues from our school division.  The teachers were so receptive and so excited to learn more about helping their students.  They did their jobs with so few materials and supplies.  Their classes were big, their schools had the bare minimum in furniture and books -  and still they worked so hard to make a difference with and for their students.  My time spent in San Ignacio was the highlight of my career and remains an incredible memory!

Having said that, I'd really like to work as a tour guide somewhere with lots of history, cool buildings, and unique experiences.  The little hurdle of language skills pops up but the question assumes that all the requirements for the job would somehow magically happen.  (Ah, dreams!)   I know the travel industry is a hard business - long hours, demanding clients, on the road often - but it's always had a pull on me.

So - do tell - what would your dream job be?

NaBloPoMo #4

NaBloPoMO #4

 If you were President of the United States, what would your first act in office be?

So many needs, so many agendas, so much inequality, so many with so much and so many with so little.

I wish there was a way to equalize things so that everyone could have the resources to meet their needs for food, shelter, education and healthcare.

Could I wipe out poverty and provide hope for those who are marginalized and on the fringe of society?  To provide opportunities and hope for women, their children and families would be my first act in office.  How to do it?  I have no idea except I do know that prayer can accomplish anything.

 It makes me sad and somewhat angry that so much of government is controlled by big business and people who's agendas are motivated by profit, with no consideration of ethics or morals.  I believe there are enough resources in the world but they are not distributed and available to all.   When it's politics and power interfering I wish there could be great big sweeping changes.

NaBloPoMo #2

National Blogging Post Month

Prompt #2 - If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

W - e - l - l - --- it would have to be somewhere close to most of my family!  I would not be happy if I lived far away from all of them and could only see them once a year.  I'm so blessed to be able to drive to my parents, my sisters and brothers, and three of our four children (sorry, M!).  I like being able to celebrate birthdays, to watch the milestones as they grow up, to cheer at games and sporting events, to bake pies and watch flowers grow together.   I am content living on our farm with its wide open spaces, beautiful views and tall trees.

One of the things I like best about living in a cold climate is the definite change in seasons - the leaves greening up the bare limbs of trees in springtime, the long evenings of summer, the gorgeous coloured leaves of autumn and the hoarfrost and snowflakes of winter.  I'll take short trips to here and there and everywhere over leaving our home and our province to move somewhere far away.  There are so many wonderful places that we've visited and I know there are many more just waiting for us to explore!

But the old adage that there's no place like home really does ring true for me.  I'm always happy to travel and then I'm happy to come home again.  I'll be calling this place home for many years to come, I hope.

Lists of 2012 - #37

Listography 2012 - #37 - What I Want to be Remembered For

1.  loving my God and Saviour

2.  sharing what I have

3.  kindness in words and deeds

4.  time and sharing this precious resource

5.  good food in taste, in producing and preserving

6.  love of reading and writing

7.  memories recorded with photos

8.  laughter and playing

9.  baking brownies

10.  an open door to our home

11.  handmade with fabric and with paper

12.   curious and open to adventures, big and small

Lists of 2012 - #36

Listography 2012 - #36 - More Things I Love

1.  Sunshine

2.  Fresh peaches and cream

3.  Sunflowers in my garden

4.  Reflections in mountain lakes

5.  Babies

6.  The curiousity of children

7.  Hugs

8.  Little voices talking to me on the telephone

9.  My scrapbooks

10.  Any kind of double crust fruit pie

11.  Happy mail

12.  The colours of autumn in nature

13.  New books of any kind

Lists of 2012 - #32

Listography 2012 - #32 - If I Could I Would

1.  make sure that everyone in the world had enough food every day.

2.  have peace and tolerance on earth.

3.  help Compassion with major projects around the world.

4.  renovate our bathroom.

5.  take our whole family to Disneyland.

6.  travel to every state in the US.

7.  go to visit my blog friend, Linds, in Great Britain.

8.  visit Antarctica and Australia (then I will have visited all 7 continents!)

9.  take each of our grandchildren on a major trip as a high school graduation celebration.

10.  pay off every. single. penny. that. we. owe.

11.  learn to speak French and Spanish fluently.

12.  deliver shoeboxes with Operation Christmas Child.

13.  learn to play guitar.

14.  find a cure for cancer and other diseases like MS and Parkinson's.

15.  implement universal education and universal health care.

16.  teach in Afghanistan or Mongolia.

17.  have a year-round greenhouse.

18.  have a weekly cleaning service come to our house.

19.  hire a professional to re-do our patio and landscaping.

20.  have full-grown trees on our front lawn (so we could sit in their shade).

Things I'm Loving This Summer

Just wanted to share a few things I've found lately that I love!

1.  These soaps from Bath and Body Works are favourites on our bathroom counter this summer.  Bob loves how they clean up his greasy hands so easily and I love the delicious smells!  They have some yummy new pumpkin ones for fall.

2.  Buying footwear is a nightmare for me so I was thrilled when I found a Soft Moc store in Southgate Mall last week.  These lovely cork sandals are so comfortable and they were really affordable (kind of a Birkestock knockoff, I think).  Our daughter has a navy pair that I've been admiring all summer :)  I'm going to shop there again when the winter stock comes in.  

3.  I've long been a fan of Burt's Bees products and their lip shimmer sticks are my go-to for lipsticks.  I've given some of the tinted lip balm as gifts and I'm looking forward to trying it myself.  I love all of their products!

4.  This body lotion is my new fave,  thanks to my Aunt who gave me some earlier this summer.  

5.  Cute clothes for little girls going into grade 1 are in most shops now!

38 Years

38 years ago I spent a year  (actually 8 months) with these women -
and we can pick up right where we left off in the blink of an eye!

By the numbers we -
are 5 teachers + 1 pharmacist (can you guess which one that is?)
have 14 children
have 12 grandchildren
embraced 1 newlywed!
have survived some health scares and losses
still have 3 go to work regularly
have 1 is a jet-setter (that's what her business card says!)
can still talk up a storm
laugh a lot and have right from the beginning
lived together in residence and later some of us shared an apartment
drank cups and cups of tea years ago
have been bridesmaids for each other
colour our hair - except for 1 brave soul!
think we'd study something different if we went to university again - except for one of us!
have travelled to many places
last had lunch together 8 years ago - how in the world can that be???
need to round up 3 who couldn't join us this time
are still friends!!

The bond of living together in a college residence is a powerful thing.  I grew to know and love these women as if they were my sisters.  And even though we don't see each other or even talk often we are still close, close friends.  Seeing them together yesterday was wonderful!   Thanks, Girls!  Let's do it again next summer :)

36 Years

36 years
4 children
4 partners of our children
8 grandchildren
320 acres
1352 square feet
25 years of milking cows
37 gardens grown
5 continents visited

with our 4th granddaughter

Priceless memories -
incredible blessings -
It's been quite an adventure!
Here's to all that is yet to come !
Happy Anniversary to my husband!

5 Things

Over at  Enjoying The Small Things, today Kelle asks the question:

For fun this weekend...what are five things you are tired of and five things you are not tired of?

Tired of ... dirty floors - transplanting (but it's finally finished for this year!) - telemarketers - dusting - aphids on the peppers!

Not Tired of ... fresh strawberries, saskatoons and raspberries - fresh vegetables (especially beets, peas and potatoes) from the garden - looking at beautiful flowers and gardens - spending time with friends - our new living room furniture!


Let me know if you do this so I can come and visit to see your answers!

Lists of 2012 - #28

Listography 2012 - #28 - The Best Part About Getting Older

1.  I get to be the adoring grandmother of 8 wonderful little people!

2.  Playing pretend games, jumping on the trampoline, building forts, dancing and singing, reading books and making messes are wonderful ways to spend a day.

3.  Staying up late and sleeping in.

4.  Time takes on a new meaning and new perspectives.

5.  Helping others and sharing what I have.

6.  Having an attitude of adventure + a longing to learn more = great travel opportunities.

7.  Knowing what I like to be surrounded with in my home including photos of those I love, books, bright colours, and fresh flowers.

8.  Memories of childhood that creep back into my thoughts.

9.  Watching my children marry their life partners and become amazing parents.

10.  Knowing that laughter and tears are good for the soul.

11.  Resting in God's assurance that He has it all under control and I only need to love and trust Him.

12.  Having so many friends and family members to share my life's journey.

Lists of 2012 - #27

Listography 2012 - #27 -  Things About Me

1.  I love being a grandmother and adore each of our grandchildren :)

2.  Book stores and fabric stores always call out to me when I am near them.

3.  Gardening and growing things is slowly 'growing' on me.

4.  A day when I can create something in my studio or at my sewing machine is a good day.

5.  I love traveling!  On my bucket list are the British Isles, Australia, New Zealand, Scandinavia, Ukraine, India, Chile, Antarctica, South Africa, each of the US states - I could go on and on.

6.  Relationships matter more than things to me.

7.  Chai lattes and iced tea are my favourite beverages.

8.  I love bright colors - in clothes, in decorating, in fabric, in paper, in flowers, . . .

9.  Having my bathroom redone by one of those 'come to renovate your house and film our TV show' crews would be a dream come true.

10.  Supporting causes for women and children in developing countries is near and dear to my heart.

11.  A dream of mine is to take each of our grandchildren (individually, when they are older)  on a special travel experience.

12.  Reading and encouraging others to read is a total passion for me.