Update

on Heather!! I posted for her birthday last week but had to come to the other computer to find pictures from when she was little. So many memories for all of us in these pictures!!



Big sister, Heather!




Sitting with her cousin Tyneille - 1979
Do you think she resembles Helayna? Maybe just a little?!!




A play wedding - Heather was the groom, Naomi was the bride and Melinda was the minister!



"We are the champions!" pose - I think this was the summer after the Olympics were in Calgary




Bryce Canyon, Utah - October, 1991




Wedding day, June, 1999




Our 3 beautiful daughters




Mel's grad, Wolfville, NS, 2002
You've probably noticed that it's nearly always group pictures - the joy of having siblings, I guess.




At Naomi's wedding




New car time!

It's a showery day here so instead of being in the field I'm baking Sunflower Oat Bread, Upside Down Rhubarb Cake and Oatmeal Cookies! It's smelling pretty good!!

Spectacular

Scenes from nature taken out of the tractor window yesterday.
May your Sunday be restful and thankful!

Summer on the Farm

I wanted to give you a little tour of our farmyard before we go to the field to make silage today. We've done this silaging thing every year as long as we've been married (31 years this July!) but I have precious few pictures it so I resolved to change that this year.



Here's the equipment we are using this week. I'll drive the tractor with the forage harvester and hydump in the field(it's the rig on the left side). Bob's truck isn't in this picture and the silage press is already in position with a bag on it to stuff (literally!) the silage into so that it can be sealed off and rest until winter. It looks like a lot of stuff here, doesn't it? It is a lot of machinery and my talented husband, the farm mechanic, has been very busy repairing and fine tuning to have everything shipshape and ready to go. Theoretically, the more time you spend getting it all in perfect running order the less problems you should have once you are in full operation. It rarely works that way - there's always something else that breaks when you least want it to!!!

Notice that blue prairie sky? It's one of the seven wonders of Canada, CBC announced recently. Pretty cool, I think!




This is the farm shop where Bob's tools and some replacement parts are kept. All those bins in the front are treasures he bought at a recent auction. He did get some really good deals but still - it seems like a lot of stuff. I guess we're going to be farming for a few years yet!!




This is the disc bine that will cut down the grass, hay or grain. Today it's cutting fall rye that was planted last August.




Putting the power takeoff shaft on can be such a delicate process as the teeth and splines need to aligned correctly. This is what makes the implement behind the tractor go up and down or around and around - it gets its power from the motor of the tractor - amazing, hey! I took this picture to capture my husband's hands. They are covered in grease and oil whenever he's in the shop but he is so talented when it comes to mechanical things - understanding how they work and how to keep them running. He's a self-taught mechanic and is ingenious when it comes to adapting and improving.

In The Yard

Welcome to our yard! The sun's shining, there's a breeze blowing and summer is in full swing here so come and sit a spell. This has been a marvelously relaxing week for me - a little cooking, a little creating, a few chores accomplished - just waiting to head to the field to cut some silage.



Taken with Heather's brand new camera lens - I love this picture!




Some of the Canada Day picnic decorations




My lovely lady and her fountain

Bringing Home the Books

I said I would show you the books that I've packed up and brought home from school.



These are the picture books - yeah, just the picture books - the ones that I think Meadow, Helayna and any other grandchildren we might one day have would enjoy. I left the kids chapter books in my bookshelf for the new grade 4 teacher to use and my teacher resource books (the tried and true ones) are in a box from a microwave oven (yeah, there's a lot of them too!!). If you know me, you will know that I love books and I simply can't bear to part with these right now. There were others (maybe 3 paper boxes full) that I shared with other teachers at school. For now these will go into the basement and when the little ones come, we'll bring them out. That clear container on the left has a stack of Berenstain Bear books, some of which were loved by our kids. Maybe I should start one of those mobile library delivery systems that takes books out to where kids are. There's actually a book in the bottom long clear tub called "My Librarian is a Camel" that chronicles libraries around the world. It's cool - but then again most of these books are cool!!

I promised Nic Howard that I'd give a shout out for her new scrapbooking inspiration book, That's Life. If you go over to her blog, she's giving away a free one to a lucky reader. And then you will get happy mail, all the way from New Zealand! That explains why I like reading her stuff - someday I will get there to visit!!

Looking Back on June

This is my photo reflection on the month of June. It was full of many birthday celebrations in the Drebert family so they are this month's stars!



I love this way of pausing to remember everything that's happened and all the goodness we have in our lives!

Little Wonders

Heather and Helayna have been up from Calgary visiting for a few days. Our grand-daughters had a chance to spend some time together and Heather took these wonderful pictures. I'm so thankful that she shared them with me - and that I can share them with you!! I see some serious scrapbooking in my summer with all these moments to preserve!




Sitting in the flowerbeds











We've got wheels, Baby!! Can't you just imagine the 2 of them cruising around in about 15 years?!!











Back and forth at the park











Going to weed in the garden














Summer tanktops













Mothers and daughters

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Happy Birthday to our beautiful daughter, Heather! We are so proud of the wonderful Mom that you have become and the ways in which you care for and love your family. You have a gift for mothering and we know that God is working marvelous things in your life. May you have a day filled with special moments and may you be blessed with joy, contentment, hugs and much creative time. We love you!

























Photos courtesy of Jonathan (Heather's husband) - thanks!

Let's Get Real Monday

This time "Let's Get Real Monday", hosted by Randi, asks us to post about a favourite artist. I chose Georgia Graham who paints wonderful flowing shapes with incredible colors. She is best known for her closeups of flowers. It was fun to look up some info about her (she died when she was 98 years old!) - something I don't normally consider doing or posting about. Thanks for the challenge, Randi!




"Oriental Poppies" - one of her most famous pieces




"Leaves of a Plant"




"Purple Petunia"

Happy Canada Day!

We had a Red and White Picnic today to celebrate our country and Heather's birthday, which is tomorrow. For the first time ever, I hung up some flags and spinners and it looked quite festive. I'll post some pictures tomorrow. I just want to say how thankful we are to live safely in a land rich in beauty, wildlife, and water. Opportunities abound and life is so good here!

Happy Birthday, Meadow!

Our beautiful granddaughter has just turned one so we had a party to celebrate!



Naomi made this duck cake because she loves her big rubber ducky that Uncle Darrin and Auntie Kelsey gave her. She was pretty good at eating the icing and then had a pretty big piece of cake too.




Trying out the new swing that Uncle Jonathan and Auntie Heather gave her. Now Daddy's going to have to do some playground construction in the back yard.




The little princess in her summer dress(from Gramma & Grampa Krueger) with a new barrette from Helayna, Auntie Heather and Uncle Jonathan.




Ready to head out in the bike stroller with this cute new helmet!




A beautiful family!

We pray that Meadow will be blessed with health, strength, a happy spirit and all good things! We love you, Little One!

Happy Birthday, Esther!

It's my sister Esther's birthday today. She is such an amazing woman with a heart for helping others. She is an event coordinator extraordinaire, coming up with THE most unique, fun activities ever! She's the one who got me hooked on scrapbooking and she continues to inspire me with her photography and creativity. We love to quad with their family too. I definitely am blessed to have such a wonderful sister and friend!




She loves to be outside no matter what the season is and always challenges me to be more active. Thanks, Sis - I know it's good for me!




She is so good at cuddling babies! This time it was Helayna.




She takes awesome care of our parents, helping them with medical stuff, shopping and yard stuff. Thanks, Sis!

We hope you are having an awesome time camping this weekend! May you enjoy a year filled with beauty, peace and tranquil moments. Love ya!

The Classroom

"The classroom should be an entrance into the world, not an escape from it." John Ciardi

I hope that has been true for the students I've taught over the years. This quote has been like a guiding principle for me as a teacher. I strived to link our learning to their lives and to what they would experience when they went home. I wanted them to connect to things they had seen and also to things they had never heard of before. And then I wanted them to yearn to know more about the people, places and things that were out there just waiting to be explored. I think I did that!

And so today I go back to finish the paperwork (there's quite a mountain of it!) and dismantle the corner of the room that was my 'office'. There's a closet full of binders, books and other stuff, a desk with 4 drawers to empty, and a bookshelf that's about half full of teacher resources. Oh, yeah - and the filing cabinet! 4 drawers of paper - that could take a while! The paper recycling will need to be emptied a few times, I'm sure!! I was there until 10 p.m. last night and sorted all of my children's story books. I knew I had many but not that many!! I'll show you how many tomorrow, okay?!

Quote of the Day

"A great teacher never strives to explain his vision - he simply invites you to stand beside him and see for yourself." Reverend E. Inman

Happy Birthday, Jerry!

This guy celebrated his birthday yesterday! Jerry has had an amazing time since this picture was taken, just 4 days after his birthday last year. We're wishing him everything that is good today.




Doing what Dads do best - carrying little ones on their big strong shoulders!




Four years ago, the day he married our daughter! We are blessed to have him as one of our son-in-laws. He is a man of God who guides and supports his family every day. He is a dad who wants all that is right and good for his daughter and he is a partner with Naomi in marriage and in parenting.

May all your days be happy ones and may there be plenty of good catches on your line in the year ahead!!

Happy Birthday, Del!

It was my brother, Del's birthday yesterday and I wanted you to get a glimpse of who he is. He's done many interesting things but he's always been a farmer and today he has an elk herd and beef cows. He is quite the story teller, remembering detail upon detail, and loves to tease his nieces and nephews (and sisters too!).



Taken in 1962, he's the one on the left, sitting on the front steps with our younger sister and brother.




Del and Marcia(his sweet and very talented wife) with our parents




Del is the great adventurer - hunting, guiding, or quadding. He has a wealth of knowledge about the outdoors and I'm amazed at how he knows where we've been. He doesn't get stuck too often but when he does, it's something to take a picture of!!!

We're wishing you a very happy birthday and adventures galore, with safe travels, in the days ahead!

It's Official

I've finished report cards for this year - and for next year too! I've decided to take a leave of absence from my teaching position for next year so I won't be doing any report cards, or other school stuff for that matter. It was a long and thoughtful decision process but now that I've decided, I am looking forward to doing many other interesting things. We have planned a trip to Poland with Mel's Nova Scotia parents, Edward and Linda, to visit Melinda and Tyler in September. We'll come home in time to celebrate our niece's wedding and then Helayna's birthday. There are a few other travel opportunities we would like to take in and of course spending time with our 2 granddaughters is a huge part of what we want to do as well. I will definitely miss my friends, who are more than colleagues, and the professional life that I have at school but I really feel like it's time to step back and consider what I want to be doing with my energy and time every day. So, I have one week of school left and then some packing and giving away of stuff before I begin this new chapter in my life journey! I think it's going to be quite a ride :))

Babysitting

Meadow and I hung out together last night while Na and Jerry went out to a retirement party. We had a wonderful time playing, reading, playing, eating, playing, folding laundry, playing - well, you get the idea!



She's behind the wheel already! The neighbor's little girl left this car at Na and Jerry's and Meadow is in love with it. She sat in it and I pushed her around and around on the deck for a very long time. She was spinning the steering wheel and opening and closing the door just like a pro. It was a ton of fun to hang out with her!




Meadow had so much fun later on when we went to the school playground too. We did a little swinging, played in the rocks(for a long time), and tried out the slides. She was mesmerized when 3 older kids came over to chat and play. Her little eyes didn't know which way to look - she was so busy taking it all in!

And so far today, I've done 5 loads of laundry, organized some recycling, filled the propane bottle (and found out they sell soft ice cream at the local country convenience store!), took the garbage to the landfill, and made 4 cards. Oh, and done some report cards, which is supposed to be my main focus this weekend!!

And Helayna and Heather are going to be here for a visit next week - yeah!!! I'm looking forward to that, hence the push on getting report cards done this weekend. Back to the grind - catch you later, when they are all done!

Celebrating Summer

On this, the longest day of the year, I've created this list of things I'm looking forward to this summer:

- Meadow's birthday

- a Red and White picnic on Canada Day to celebrate Heather's birthday

- some weekend quadding trips

- veggies from the garden

- swinging on the patio

- using the barbecue

- having Mel home for a visit

- a Josh Groban concert

- new swings for the granddaughters

- spending some time with my sister

- a bridal shower

- Kirsten and Peter's wedding

- going to the pool or lake with our grandbabies

- fresh raspberries and cream

- painting my studio

- Dad's 75th birthday

- scrapbooking, especially with my girls

- picking strawberries

- going to BC for fresh fruit

- corn on the cob

- visiting the Farmer's Market

- purging my closets

- defrosting the deep freeze

- enjoying the potted herbs

- warm evenings on the patio with the scents of my flowers

- new potatoes with cream and dill

- reading

- not worrying about school starting again (more on that to come!)

Aby over at Creative Organizing inspired me on this list. I'd love to see yours!!