Okay people, brace yourselves. Here comes the report from our trip! It really was a good time. I was so excited about the S. reunion. I hadn’t seen Grandma since 2001 and also some cousins that were there I hadn’t seen for many years. There are 25 grandkids in the family and 18 of us were there. At least 3 of those who didn’t come had good excuses such as living 10,000 miles away, or being a farmer with cows to milk or hay to make… There were a whole pile of little second cousins from age 8 on down – and the majority were boys it seemed. Someone commented that had Matthews been there it would have evened things out quite a bit!! We missed you guys!
We had a really great weekend together. There was lots of sitting around and talking, looking at pictures, playing games, keeping track of all the kiddos, swimming, volleyball, softball… On Sunday night we had a “talent show”. I was surprised by all the musical talent in the family. I guess it had escaped my notice before that a lot of us enjoy music and singing. It was neat to see some of the teenagers and little kids sing and play instruments. Afterwards, some of us (mostly older ones!) sat around and sang old hymns for a while.
On Sunday night a game of Mafia got started and it got pretty rowdy and crazy. I was dumb and stayed up until 2:00 a.m., just so we could all lie to each other. If you don’t know how to play, I can’t explain it here, but it’s a game of bluffing, lying, intrigue etc. And it’s really fun. It’s funny to see who’s really good at lying, uh, I mean bluffing and who’s not.
After the reunion, we drove over to Michael and Connie’s near Grand Rapids. We stayed there for the night and the kids had great fun. Logan got to help feed a baby goat. It was so good to connect with them again and get to know their kids a bit more.
From there we headed over to the North Shore. At Duluth, the weather went from hot to chilly in about 20 minutes. As we were getting close to our campground, it was raining. I wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of setting up camp and cooking in the rain!! But, it stopped for the most part while we set up camp and we put up a tarp right away too. We were at Gooseberry Falls State Park for two nights and we had a great relaxing day there. We walked and walked and saw Lake Superior and a bunch of waterfalls. You could walk right up to and around them if you wanted to which was neat.
The second night there we made our best ever campfire meal, I think. I took Iris’ idea of making pizza pockets with bannock dough, and took the filling ideas from a frozen pizza we had on Father’s Day. So, it was bannock pizza pockets filled with: pizza sauce, cheese, diced chicken breast, and sautéed onions, mushrooms, and spinach. It was so good (but a lot of work)! One night last week I made a pizza with those toppings and everyone loved it.
The next day we headed up the North Shore. We stopped just a few places to look at cool stuff and then just motored for Canada. We were going to camp at Kakabeka Falls, but the closer we got, the more I didn’t feel like camping for just one night. So, we went to the Falls and cooked our supper at a picnic table, looked at the Falls (pretty amazing) and then got a motel for the night. It was your basic low-budget room, but the bed was so comfortable and I slept great. And, there was a laundrymat (that’s how they spelled it!) close by so I did some laundry in the morning, which was great!
Next stop, Blue Lake. My whole family was there except Matthews, Sam, and Tyler. :-( We missed you!!! The weather was pretty nice until Sunday when it rained, but once again, the Mother Of All Tarps came to the rescue. Sheldon said it was luck that they put it up right on the edge of the fire pit so we could sit under the tarp, but still be beside the fire.
On Sat. night some of us went to "town" and went mini-golfing. I have to mention that I beat my hubby by one point – mostly because he was being careless at the end. I also should acknowledge that Mervin beat me by one point (but he was in the other group.) On Sunday Rachel and I had to go into town for groceries (this was during the “rainy season”) and she needed poutine so we had a nice little respite at the restaurant. I splurged and got gravy with my fries. Unfortunately, I think I'm wearing that gravy (and a bunch of other vacation food) on my heinie now!
Sheldon’s, Rachel, Dad and Dru and us stayed until Monday. I was wondering why we were staying when it was raining and I was tired, but then we stayed up late by the fire and reminisced and sang goofy songs. (I’m sorry, Matthew, that we had to sing the MooMoo song without you. It made me miss you! But I was pretty impressed that Rachel and I remembered it all.)
So, it was a good trip, but I was Exhausted by the end – well, long before the end. We decided on the way home that camping vacations will be at a minimum for a few years until our kids are a bit older. It was a relief to think I might not have to do that for maybe three years (except for weekends with family and church).
Last week, the party just continued for us. Keith’s Mom’s brothers and sister and spouses all came up for a visit. That was memorable. We had fun going out on the lake, having brunch on the patio with the ladies, etc. They were staying in a “cabin” at a camp down the road from us, which had a hot tub. So I went over one night and sat in the hot tub with two of Keith’s aunts (Esther and Lorna for those of you who would know them). We had a hoot. For awhile it rained on us which was really funny. I, being rather sheltered, had never been in such a luxury hot tub before. It felt so good!
And, to top off a busy and fun week, Iris and I got to go out for breakfast on Sat. morning before she headed back home. That was refreshing!!
Now, it’s back to “normal” life – whatever that is! I feel like summer is just now beginning for me. Before our trip there was the busyness of finishing school, spring yard and garden work, and getting ready for the trip. Now I feel like we can slow down a little and enjoy summer. We’re going to try to get to the beach at least once this week. I still have some catching up to do in the garden and on the computer, but I’m trying not to stress about it and just plug away at it a little at a time. Oh, and tomorrow I have my first prenatal appointment. Yay, I get to hear the heartbeat! Oh, and (how many of those do I get?), since we’re home, I can tell that I’m starting to feel better! I can get really hungry sometimes without feeling queasy. The nausea is not totally gone, but mostly. Whew! I’m still tired, but not as totally exhausted as I was. Man, is it ever a relief! Okay, congratulations to any of you who are still reading! I’ll try to post pictures of our trip in the next day or two.
Sunday, July 08, 2007
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Gratefulness
We’re back!!! Is it ever good to be home. Traveling and first trimester trials don’t go together very well. But it was a good trip and we made a lot of good memories. But… I’m not writing about our trip just yet. I just want to share a story of God’s faithfulness and goodness to us yesterday!
Yesterday afternoon, Josiah was running down the hall, tripped, and fell down the stairs. I heard him crying and then Logan hollering, “Come, Josiah fell down the steps!” By the time I got there, Keith had already got to him. He was lying on his tummy with his head turned kinda funny. Keith picked him up carefully and Josiah did move his head and was crying hard. I can’t remember very well – it all happened so fast – but I think he was doing that really hard cry where you don’t breathe for awhile. We both sat down on the coffee table and Keith was holding him. All of a sudden, he stopped crying and his eyes went totally blank, not responding at all. Keith kept calling his name and he didn’t respond. It seemed like forever but was probably only 10 or 15 seconds – who knows. I finally pulled myself out of my stunned panic long enough to squeak out, “Jesus touch him!” or something like that. Immediately, his eyes focused and he started crying. I was never so relieved in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He cried for a little bit and sat on my lap awhile, and then got down to play! Then I lost it! :-/ It took awhile for it all to soak in and we finally realized that he came out of it as soon as I called on Jesus. After a bit I asked Keith, “What do we do now?” and I sensed God say to me, “Give me the glory.”
So, that’s what I’m doing! We don’t know if it was a small seizure, or something else much worse, but I’m so thankful to my Jesus for intervening in Josiah’s little body! I don’t know how many times today I’ve looked at him or held him close and thanked God that he’s fine and unhurt!! What a mighty and good God we serve!
Friday, June 22, 2007
Ramblings
Hello Friends! I’m still alive, believe it or not! Thanks for all of your congratulations. J It was fun to “break it to you” that way. Thanks, Rhonda for the meme that inspired me! I’ll try to update you on our lives a little bit…
Now that you know I’m pregnant, I can use that as an excuse for not updating much lately. J It’s crazy how with every pregnancy, the fatigue and nausea hit at basically the same time – 6 weeks. So, I have been just barely maintaining stuff around here. I’m a fairly hard-working, goal-oriented person, but it’s been really freeing to just not care about all the stuff that isn’t getting done around here! J That philosophy works pretty well most of the time, except that now…
We’re getting ready to go on a little trip – our holidays for the summer. Why does this “always” happen during my first trimester?? Anyway, there are certain things (laundry, packing, etc.) that must be done by Friday noon, so now I’m feeling some pressure.
We’re heading out Friday and stopping in the “big city” so Keith can take a driving test. I’m going to get Caleb’s picture taken at Wal-Mart and we want to stop in and see Debby and her addition that’s underway. Then we’re headed down to Sheldon’s for the night. The next day we’re going to a reunion on my first Dad’s side of the family. Yay! We haven’t had one for 15 – 17 years, or something like that. I haven’t seen Grandma since 2001! So, it should be a lot of fun. It sounds like there’s going to be a good turn-out.
After that, we’re headed over to the other side of MN to camp up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, so now is our chance. I hope I’m not too tired to really enjoy it! We might get to see our friends Mike and Connie on the way across MN too. J Then by Friday we will be at Blue Lake (a wonderful place!) where my family will be camping for the weekend. Then home again on Monday (a holiday for us Canadians.)
So, in “honor” of our up-coming trip, my dear hubby is outside working on putting a roof-rack on our van. Why does every mini-van in the world have a roof-rack except ours? Frugal Toyota?? Anyway, he got one off of a van at the junk yard, and today he and his Dad put it on ours. It looks pretty spiffy! Right now he’s putting the ceiling liner back up. What a job! Of course there are a few glitches… Have you ever thought about how much stuff you have to take off to take down the ceiling liner? Just take a look at your van ceiling some day! Anyway, now we can borrow a car-top-carrier from some friends and actually take all the stuff we need for camping and maybe even the boys’ bikes.
We finally finished school last week. We had really slowed down with spring here and me not feeling well, but we managed to finally finish – except for some science activities which I hope they can continue through the summer.
Well, it’s now a couple days later and we’re on the road. It’s fun to have a lap-top so I can do computer stuff while we drive. Then I wonder, is this what I really want to be doing?? J Anyway, we did manage to leave almost on time and so far I haven’t discovered anything that I’ve forgotten except my fingernail polish. So I bought some at Wal-Mart.
I feel sorry for little Josiah right now. Yesterday morning I had a “dumb moment” and turned on my curling iron where he could reach it. He got a dandy little burn on his thumb, and had a terrible fit when I put a band-aid with aloe vera on it. Now today he’s rubbed some of the skin off and has a patch of raw skin. L I’m concerned that it’s going to get infected. Tonight I’m putting a band-aid and polysporin on it and hopefully he’ll keep it on all night. Also, last night he was outside and got tons of bug bites. Some of them get so big and red! He got one on his finger or hand – can’t tell where the actual bite is – and today his finger and a bunch of his hand is all swollen. It looks nasty. L Poor little guy!! And, he doesn’t seem to like traveling very much. He only slept 30 or 45 minutes in the van today.
I guess that’s enough rambling for this time. I’ll try to post soon after we home. Hahahahaha. Well, I’ll try!
Now that you know I’m pregnant, I can use that as an excuse for not updating much lately. J It’s crazy how with every pregnancy, the fatigue and nausea hit at basically the same time – 6 weeks. So, I have been just barely maintaining stuff around here. I’m a fairly hard-working, goal-oriented person, but it’s been really freeing to just not care about all the stuff that isn’t getting done around here! J That philosophy works pretty well most of the time, except that now…
We’re getting ready to go on a little trip – our holidays for the summer. Why does this “always” happen during my first trimester?? Anyway, there are certain things (laundry, packing, etc.) that must be done by Friday noon, so now I’m feeling some pressure.
We’re heading out Friday and stopping in the “big city” so Keith can take a driving test. I’m going to get Caleb’s picture taken at Wal-Mart and we want to stop in and see Debby and her addition that’s underway. Then we’re headed down to Sheldon’s for the night. The next day we’re going to a reunion on my first Dad’s side of the family. Yay! We haven’t had one for 15 – 17 years, or something like that. I haven’t seen Grandma since 2001! So, it should be a lot of fun. It sounds like there’s going to be a good turn-out.
After that, we’re headed over to the other side of MN to camp up the North Shore of Lake Superior. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, so now is our chance. I hope I’m not too tired to really enjoy it! We might get to see our friends Mike and Connie on the way across MN too. J Then by Friday we will be at Blue Lake (a wonderful place!) where my family will be camping for the weekend. Then home again on Monday (a holiday for us Canadians.)
So, in “honor” of our up-coming trip, my dear hubby is outside working on putting a roof-rack on our van. Why does every mini-van in the world have a roof-rack except ours? Frugal Toyota?? Anyway, he got one off of a van at the junk yard, and today he and his Dad put it on ours. It looks pretty spiffy! Right now he’s putting the ceiling liner back up. What a job! Of course there are a few glitches… Have you ever thought about how much stuff you have to take off to take down the ceiling liner? Just take a look at your van ceiling some day! Anyway, now we can borrow a car-top-carrier from some friends and actually take all the stuff we need for camping and maybe even the boys’ bikes.
We finally finished school last week. We had really slowed down with spring here and me not feeling well, but we managed to finally finish – except for some science activities which I hope they can continue through the summer.
Well, it’s now a couple days later and we’re on the road. It’s fun to have a lap-top so I can do computer stuff while we drive. Then I wonder, is this what I really want to be doing?? J Anyway, we did manage to leave almost on time and so far I haven’t discovered anything that I’ve forgotten except my fingernail polish. So I bought some at Wal-Mart.
I feel sorry for little Josiah right now. Yesterday morning I had a “dumb moment” and turned on my curling iron where he could reach it. He got a dandy little burn on his thumb, and had a terrible fit when I put a band-aid with aloe vera on it. Now today he’s rubbed some of the skin off and has a patch of raw skin. L I’m concerned that it’s going to get infected. Tonight I’m putting a band-aid and polysporin on it and hopefully he’ll keep it on all night. Also, last night he was outside and got tons of bug bites. Some of them get so big and red! He got one on his finger or hand – can’t tell where the actual bite is – and today his finger and a bunch of his hand is all swollen. It looks nasty. L Poor little guy!! And, he doesn’t seem to like traveling very much. He only slept 30 or 45 minutes in the van today.
I guess that’s enough rambling for this time. I’ll try to post soon after we home. Hahahahaha. Well, I’ll try!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
A Meme - you figure out the theme!
I AM: very tired.
I WANT: to sleep for a very long time.
I WISH: that I had the energy to exercise right now.
I HATE: being nauseated all the time.
I MISS: having energy.
I FEAR: gaining too much weight.
I HEAR: my biological clock ticking – but it doesn’t matter anymore. :-)
I WONDER: if it could really be pink this time?
I REGRET: not losing another 15 pounds.
I AM NOT: going to gain more than 30 pounds in the next 6 months!
I DANCE: when I see two blue lines.
I SING: “One little, two little, three little Grabers. Four little, five…” no, wait, just four!
I TRY: to cook something even when I don’t feel like it.
I CRY: whenever I feel like it. I’m hormonal, okay?
I LAUGH: when I think how I blatantly lied to and/or deliberately mis-led some of you recently.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: on top of things around the house. Who am I kidding? I’m never on top of things right now!!
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: baby afghans.
I WRITE: the weeks on the calendar. Currently we’re at 9.
I CONFUSE: lots of things right now.
I NEED: a maid, clothes that fit and flatter (hahaha) my odd figure!
I (am)FINISH(ed): keeping secrets!!!
I START: wondering what day in January our lives will change forever!
I TAG: Wendy!!
I WANT: to sleep for a very long time.
I WISH: that I had the energy to exercise right now.
I HATE: being nauseated all the time.
I MISS: having energy.
I FEAR: gaining too much weight.
I HEAR: my biological clock ticking – but it doesn’t matter anymore. :-)
I WONDER: if it could really be pink this time?
I REGRET: not losing another 15 pounds.
I AM NOT: going to gain more than 30 pounds in the next 6 months!
I DANCE: when I see two blue lines.
I SING: “One little, two little, three little Grabers. Four little, five…” no, wait, just four!
I TRY: to cook something even when I don’t feel like it.
I CRY: whenever I feel like it. I’m hormonal, okay?
I LAUGH: when I think how I blatantly lied to and/or deliberately mis-led some of you recently.
I AM NOT ALWAYS: on top of things around the house. Who am I kidding? I’m never on top of things right now!!
I MAKE WITH MY HANDS: baby afghans.
I WRITE: the weeks on the calendar. Currently we’re at 9.
I CONFUSE: lots of things right now.
I NEED: a maid, clothes that fit and flatter (hahaha) my odd figure!
I (am)FINISH(ed): keeping secrets!!!
I START: wondering what day in January our lives will change forever!
I TAG: Wendy!!
Saturday, June 02, 2007
"Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Over-doing!" and other nuggets from my week
Yes, that's my life motto it seems! My sister-in-law, Wendy, and I have been talking about doing work days together. So yesterday we had a baking day. We both wanted to get some stuff in the freezer. And it seemed like a good time because my niece, Sara, is here so she could help with the kids. I wish I would've taken my camera, but I didn't, so I don't have pictures of the amazing results. But we made: 28 loaves of bread, almost 11 doz. cinnamon rolls, and 10 doz. muffins. (Let's hear it for Bosch mixers!!) Sara helped too and it went pretty well, except for none of the kids taking good naps with all the excitement going on.
My friend, Phyllis (wonder-woman seamstress) did another sewing project for me (chair cushion and a pillow) and I'm paying her with baking. So, I got a good start on that yesterday, plus I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer.
The sun is now shining after weeks of mostly rain. So, I really hope we can get some planting done today. I don't know if the garden is still too wet, but I can for sure work on flowerbeds and containers. Yay! Forget the housework until the planting's done!
My friend, Mary-Jane, has been staying here this week. It's nice to have her around again. She's here because her Mom passed away one year ago yesterday and the Native tradition is to have a memorial then. So she was here for that and we went last night to be with her. There was a meal with lots of her Mom's favorite foods and then a program after. I think it's a really great tradition. Since I've lost both of my parents, I can see the value in having a time like that to remember and honor a person and acknowledge the on-going grief and healing.
I should post a picture of our lawn - or not! As I've complained about before, it's been raining off and on for two weeks. Not good for lawn care!! And then when Keith did try to mow, our mower had a broken part. So he borrowed his Dad's mower and did about half of the lawn, and then his mower wasn't working right either! So, it's just getting longer and longer, and the dandelions have gone to seed and look hideous! Sigh. He's planning to do something about it today! "Please, Lord, let it come to pass!"
It's 7:30 am and Keith and the boys have gone out for breakfast with some guys from Iowa that come up every year to fish. So, I'm going for a walk (Sara and Josiah are sleeping) and then I'm going to make waffles with raspberries and whipped cream! I wish you could all (all? I don't even know who all is reading this!) come for breakfast!!!
My friend, Phyllis (wonder-woman seamstress) did another sewing project for me (chair cushion and a pillow) and I'm paying her with baking. So, I got a good start on that yesterday, plus I have a bunch of stuff in the freezer.
The sun is now shining after weeks of mostly rain. So, I really hope we can get some planting done today. I don't know if the garden is still too wet, but I can for sure work on flowerbeds and containers. Yay! Forget the housework until the planting's done!
My friend, Mary-Jane, has been staying here this week. It's nice to have her around again. She's here because her Mom passed away one year ago yesterday and the Native tradition is to have a memorial then. So she was here for that and we went last night to be with her. There was a meal with lots of her Mom's favorite foods and then a program after. I think it's a really great tradition. Since I've lost both of my parents, I can see the value in having a time like that to remember and honor a person and acknowledge the on-going grief and healing.
I should post a picture of our lawn - or not! As I've complained about before, it's been raining off and on for two weeks. Not good for lawn care!! And then when Keith did try to mow, our mower had a broken part. So he borrowed his Dad's mower and did about half of the lawn, and then his mower wasn't working right either! So, it's just getting longer and longer, and the dandelions have gone to seed and look hideous! Sigh. He's planning to do something about it today! "Please, Lord, let it come to pass!"
It's 7:30 am and Keith and the boys have gone out for breakfast with some guys from Iowa that come up every year to fish. So, I'm going for a walk (Sara and Josiah are sleeping) and then I'm going to make waffles with raspberries and whipped cream! I wish you could all (all? I don't even know who all is reading this!) come for breakfast!!!
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
A Veritable Smorgasbord Of Random Photos For Your Viewing Pleasure
We have had lots of rain for a week and a half or so. Yippee. Today the skies opened and we got three inches this afternoon. Across the road from us, there's a road that doesn't drain properly and it always makes a lake when it rains much. The kids had a blast playing in it a little bit. (The picture is Logan and Sara, my niece, who is here with us this week). Now the boys have had a bath and I need to get them headed for bed!
Here are some various spring-time activities. Caleb was having fun riding one of Keith's bikes. The boys are on a lego kick again - partly thanks to a visit by the Lyndakers. Caleb has adopted a style of building from Collin. And that's Keith tilling the horse poop into the garden. Yay!! :-) And, of course, Logan in the trusty old sand-box! What would we do without it?
We had Alabama here for four days while Jeff and Wendy went to Grandpa Gingerich's funeral. What a hoot! It was fun to have a girl's hair to comb. :-) One day Caleb got inspired to build a little "house" in the living room. This is the result. Caleb slept in it for part of a night and Logan slept in it one night.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Speedbumps On The Highway of Motherhood
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Josiah's so good at making extra work for me! The other day I was engrossed in making supper and the boys were playing "Hide and Seek" with Josiah. All of a sudden I realized they were calling and calling for him and he wasn't coming. Where was he? I found him in the bathroom with the potty chair dissasembled. He had the "bowl" of it and was dipping water out of the toilet and pouring it on the floor. Sigh!
Tonight I had dressed him after his bath and shut the door because the other boys were stil in the tub. Then Caleb finished and got out by himself - and left the door open. Next thing I knew, Logan was hollering, "Mommy, come QUICK!" I went and found Josiah in the tub again. This one made me laugh - and grab the camera!
Because We Could
Arthur and Iris are in town for three nights on their way from the city back home. Last night we had a "slumber party" with all of them. We even had Arthur convinced that he and Keith would sleep in the bunk beds and Iris and I would have our bed. But we were joking. We had a fun time and the kids had fun crashing in the basement. The guys had some bonding time doing some word-working in the basement. Of course, Iris and I had to stay up late to talk because that's the only time we could! We had a great breakfast of pancakes, eggs and bacon this morning. I'm so thankful for friends!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Happy Spring Thoughts
When I went out for my walk this morning I thought, “This is the time of year when I really like to live here! From now until about October or November!.” The leaves are just coming out on the trees this week, the grass is green, the dandelions are blooming… (My kids caught wind that I want to spray weed-killer on the lawn which would kill the dandelions. They were not impressed! What should I do??)
Another sign of spring: picnics on the patio. We had two this week already. On Monday night my family was all here for supper since we had a special guest from PA – Rhonda Schantz. It was great to see her. I haven’t seen her for so long and of course, she’s all grown up now! Crazy!
On Tuesday night our cell group had a potluck here. We ate on the patio again. And I made some great iced tea. Thanks to some helpful hints from Dru it turned out pretty well. I don’t know how many people were here that night, but it was pretty crowded. Everyone came and some brought friends.
Keith and I decided to tackle a home renovation project. I think this is our biggest one so far. And we really have very little experience! We’re replacing the steps and railing of our front porch. Tonight we all had fun ripping it apart. Why is destroying things so much fun?? :-) I hope we haven’t bitten off more than we can chew. We knew that we need to re-finish the wood siding which is along the porch, but we thought we’d do it later. After ripping off the railing, etc. we both think we should do it now while the railing is off. The porch project might end up being a bit more long-term than we had thought!
And then there’s the garden! Our friends, Keith and Debbie have horses, so we went over there last night and got a truck-load of manure. Keith tilled it into the garden so it looks great and is ready to plant whenever I think it’s warm enough and get around to it. And, we still have those trees to plant…
That’s all for now. Happy Spring!!
Another sign of spring: picnics on the patio. We had two this week already. On Monday night my family was all here for supper since we had a special guest from PA – Rhonda Schantz. It was great to see her. I haven’t seen her for so long and of course, she’s all grown up now! Crazy!
On Tuesday night our cell group had a potluck here. We ate on the patio again. And I made some great iced tea. Thanks to some helpful hints from Dru it turned out pretty well. I don’t know how many people were here that night, but it was pretty crowded. Everyone came and some brought friends.
Keith and I decided to tackle a home renovation project. I think this is our biggest one so far. And we really have very little experience! We’re replacing the steps and railing of our front porch. Tonight we all had fun ripping it apart. Why is destroying things so much fun?? :-) I hope we haven’t bitten off more than we can chew. We knew that we need to re-finish the wood siding which is along the porch, but we thought we’d do it later. After ripping off the railing, etc. we both think we should do it now while the railing is off. The porch project might end up being a bit more long-term than we had thought!
And then there’s the garden! Our friends, Keith and Debbie have horses, so we went over there last night and got a truck-load of manure. Keith tilled it into the garden so it looks great and is ready to plant whenever I think it’s warm enough and get around to it. And, we still have those trees to plant…
That’s all for now. Happy Spring!!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Just In Case You Thought I Was Dead, I'm Not!!
My dear friend and relative, Rhonda, recently referred to herself as a slacker blogger. Well, I think I get the slacker blogger of the month award! I won’t try to make excuses. I’ll just start “talking”, and I promise (Rachel) I won’t write a book. I’ll just try to write more soon!!
Spring has sprung!! It’s so wonderful!!! I’ve done a bit of digging around in the flowerbeds and I’m starting to think about getting the garden ready to plant. We have some friends who have horses and, apparently, unlimited, um… fertilizer. So, I’m hoping to avail myself of a truck-load of that! We have four new trees sitting in the yard (still in their buckets) that we hope to plant soon. We want to start working toward some shade for our very-hot-in-the-afternoon-and-evening patio. I bought two Colorado Blue Spruce, a Columnar Poplar, and a Maple. I’m thinking of one or two more. If you have any brainy ideas for how to arrange a “grove” of a variety of trees, let me know.
This past weekend we went to Kenora on Friday afternoon and came home Sat. night. We stayed with my dear friend Debby. Supper was around the camp-fire in the back yard and Debby entertained myself and her sister Joann with her interesting shenanigans. (You’ll have to ask her!) I hadn’t laughed so hard in months!
At Debby’s our little family was all snugly fitted into Debby’s little guest room. Caleb decided to wake up before 5:00 and loudly call me, which woke up Josiah. Yay. Josiah never went back to sleep. Caleb did, but then Logan woke up and his talking woke up Caleb again. All this time I was trying hard to get everyone to BE QUIET and get a few more winks. Keith finally just got up and took Josiah out to the living room. By 6:30 it was evident no one was going to get any more sleep and I was feeling badly for the others in the house who were trying to sleep as well. Then inspiration hit! I said to Keith, “Let’s throw the kids in the van and go to Tim Horton’s!” So that’s what we did, and it was well worth it. I don’t know if coffee and donuts ever tasted better!
By 8:00 we had all had breakfast, Josiah was ready to go back to bed, and Debby, Joann and I headed out garage-saleing. What fun. We all found some great stuff. The funniest part was that by the time we came back, I was pinned in the back seat of the car under a great big shelf. Why didn’t we take the van???
Keith then took Caleb and Logan and headed for the logging expo which was the reason for our trip. (Well, Keith’s reason, anyway. I just wanted to buy trees!) We ladies and Josiah went tree shopping and had a lovely lunch at Casey’s to celebrate Joann’s birthday. It was a really fun time and we made lots of good memories!
One more quick thing… Since we got back from Montana, the boys have been in swimming lessons two days a week. That’s one of the reasons why blogging has fallen farther down my list. That, combined with a new Wed. morning Bible study, has made life really crazy right now!!! But, there are only two more swimming lessons left and then we’ll be able to think about other things a little more! It has been worth it though because Caleb and Logan are both doing great in swimming. It’s so fun to see them learn! Caleb already passed one level this session and is working on the next one. I’ve been taking Josiah to aqua-tots (I go in the water with him), so I don’t have much time to watch Caleb and Logan swim. So Thursday I’m not going in the pool so I can just watch them and see what all they’re doing.
That’s all for now. My hubby has already headed for bed, so I need to go join him! :-)
Spring has sprung!! It’s so wonderful!!! I’ve done a bit of digging around in the flowerbeds and I’m starting to think about getting the garden ready to plant. We have some friends who have horses and, apparently, unlimited, um… fertilizer. So, I’m hoping to avail myself of a truck-load of that! We have four new trees sitting in the yard (still in their buckets) that we hope to plant soon. We want to start working toward some shade for our very-hot-in-the-afternoon-and-evening patio. I bought two Colorado Blue Spruce, a Columnar Poplar, and a Maple. I’m thinking of one or two more. If you have any brainy ideas for how to arrange a “grove” of a variety of trees, let me know.
This past weekend we went to Kenora on Friday afternoon and came home Sat. night. We stayed with my dear friend Debby. Supper was around the camp-fire in the back yard and Debby entertained myself and her sister Joann with her interesting shenanigans. (You’ll have to ask her!) I hadn’t laughed so hard in months!
At Debby’s our little family was all snugly fitted into Debby’s little guest room. Caleb decided to wake up before 5:00 and loudly call me, which woke up Josiah. Yay. Josiah never went back to sleep. Caleb did, but then Logan woke up and his talking woke up Caleb again. All this time I was trying hard to get everyone to BE QUIET and get a few more winks. Keith finally just got up and took Josiah out to the living room. By 6:30 it was evident no one was going to get any more sleep and I was feeling badly for the others in the house who were trying to sleep as well. Then inspiration hit! I said to Keith, “Let’s throw the kids in the van and go to Tim Horton’s!” So that’s what we did, and it was well worth it. I don’t know if coffee and donuts ever tasted better!
By 8:00 we had all had breakfast, Josiah was ready to go back to bed, and Debby, Joann and I headed out garage-saleing. What fun. We all found some great stuff. The funniest part was that by the time we came back, I was pinned in the back seat of the car under a great big shelf. Why didn’t we take the van???
Keith then took Caleb and Logan and headed for the logging expo which was the reason for our trip. (Well, Keith’s reason, anyway. I just wanted to buy trees!) We ladies and Josiah went tree shopping and had a lovely lunch at Casey’s to celebrate Joann’s birthday. It was a really fun time and we made lots of good memories!
One more quick thing… Since we got back from Montana, the boys have been in swimming lessons two days a week. That’s one of the reasons why blogging has fallen farther down my list. That, combined with a new Wed. morning Bible study, has made life really crazy right now!!! But, there are only two more swimming lessons left and then we’ll be able to think about other things a little more! It has been worth it though because Caleb and Logan are both doing great in swimming. It’s so fun to see them learn! Caleb already passed one level this session and is working on the next one. I’ve been taking Josiah to aqua-tots (I go in the water with him), so I don’t have much time to watch Caleb and Logan swim. So Thursday I’m not going in the pool so I can just watch them and see what all they’re doing.
That’s all for now. My hubby has already headed for bed, so I need to go join him! :-)
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Some Days We Should Just Stay In Bed!
Here, for my clamoring fans (both of you), is a post - finally.
If I were superstitious (which I"m not) I'd say we are having a string of bad luck. Instead I'll just say, "Good grief!!" It all started last night at our small group. Logan was sitting on my lap and got really excited about singing "Jesus Loves Me." In his childish exuberance he flung his head back and cracked me right on the nose - HARD!! Oh my goodness! I haven't experienced that kind of pain for a long time! It only bled a little bit, but I had a "nose ache" all evening and a headache that came and went. Today it's still tender, but thankfully no black eyes or big purple nose!
This morning, Logan started things out right by dumping the fish food on the kitchen floor. (We just got some goldfish). Sigh. But, I was impressed with how he cleaned it up almost entirely by himself.
Next stop, swimming lessons. After Logan, Josiah and I had our showers, Josiah was walking around while wrapped in a towel. (Bad Mommy moment?) He tripped on his towel or his feet but his arms were wrapped up so he couldn't catch himself. So, he bonked his forehead on the floor and got a nice little mark above his eye. And of course he cried and cried. Poor kiddo. I felt so bad.
And finally, a few minutes later, Logan wanted to open the (very heavy) door into the observation area and promptly opened it onto his toe, resulting in a nice little gash at the base of his toenail. He was not impressed and is still limping around tonight.
We should have all stayed in bed!
If I were superstitious (which I"m not) I'd say we are having a string of bad luck. Instead I'll just say, "Good grief!!" It all started last night at our small group. Logan was sitting on my lap and got really excited about singing "Jesus Loves Me." In his childish exuberance he flung his head back and cracked me right on the nose - HARD!! Oh my goodness! I haven't experienced that kind of pain for a long time! It only bled a little bit, but I had a "nose ache" all evening and a headache that came and went. Today it's still tender, but thankfully no black eyes or big purple nose!
This morning, Logan started things out right by dumping the fish food on the kitchen floor. (We just got some goldfish). Sigh. But, I was impressed with how he cleaned it up almost entirely by himself.
Next stop, swimming lessons. After Logan, Josiah and I had our showers, Josiah was walking around while wrapped in a towel. (Bad Mommy moment?) He tripped on his towel or his feet but his arms were wrapped up so he couldn't catch himself. So, he bonked his forehead on the floor and got a nice little mark above his eye. And of course he cried and cried. Poor kiddo. I felt so bad.
And finally, a few minutes later, Logan wanted to open the (very heavy) door into the observation area and promptly opened it onto his toe, resulting in a nice little gash at the base of his toenail. He was not impressed and is still limping around tonight.
We should have all stayed in bed!
Sunday, April 15, 2007
I'm Back!
I don't have much time to write. I'll just say that the trip went fine and we had a good time. We got to see some interesting things like Frankslide in Alberta. You can look it up on the internet. The wedding was fun! It was fun to experience it a bit from the groom's perspective, since I was the wife of a groomsman. :-) It was great to catch up with the Frey family again, too!
Traveling went fine and we got to shop in Calgary. Yay! We were looking and looking for the store Once Upon A Child. While we were looking, Keith said, "look over there!" I looked and looked and finally spotted the sign, "Scrapbookers Paradise"! We laughed and kept driving. When we finally found "Once Upon A Child", it was in the same parking lot as Scrapbookers Paradise! Destiny! So, I got to go both place while Keith was at Chapters. We had a nice supper at Chili's and then we trudged around a mall for awhile. We agreed that we don't really like them. We found a good dollar store there, though. :-) You can tell what kind of shoppers we are!
The boys did great with Kendra and their grandparents. I'm so thankful that they had good caretakers! They had fun, but were ready for us to come home. I was ready to get back to them as well!! On the way home we did some shopping in Winnipeg (of course) so we didn't get home until about 11:30. Yikes! It's taken awhile to get back in the swing of things here!
This week was a bit overwhelming at times since we started swimming lessons every Tues. and Thurs. morning. Thankfully, that only lasts for 5 or 6 weeks! The boys are loving it, so that helps make it worthwhile. I guess that's all the news for this time!
Traveling went fine and we got to shop in Calgary. Yay! We were looking and looking for the store Once Upon A Child. While we were looking, Keith said, "look over there!" I looked and looked and finally spotted the sign, "Scrapbookers Paradise"! We laughed and kept driving. When we finally found "Once Upon A Child", it was in the same parking lot as Scrapbookers Paradise! Destiny! So, I got to go both place while Keith was at Chapters. We had a nice supper at Chili's and then we trudged around a mall for awhile. We agreed that we don't really like them. We found a good dollar store there, though. :-) You can tell what kind of shoppers we are!
The boys did great with Kendra and their grandparents. I'm so thankful that they had good caretakers! They had fun, but were ready for us to come home. I was ready to get back to them as well!! On the way home we did some shopping in Winnipeg (of course) so we didn't get home until about 11:30. Yikes! It's taken awhile to get back in the swing of things here!
This week was a bit overwhelming at times since we started swimming lessons every Tues. and Thurs. morning. Thankfully, that only lasts for 5 or 6 weeks! The boys are loving it, so that helps make it worthwhile. I guess that's all the news for this time!
Alberta!
Man, I love those Canadian Rockies. It was so nice to drive through them and just soak it in! On our way home, we met some friends from Three Hills for supper in Calgary. That was a blast. We haven't seen them since we left there four years ago, so it was great to catch up. And we got to eat supper at Red Lobster. :-) They are, from left to right, Brad and Marci Penner, Caroline and Sweiss Ubels, and us, of course!
Here, they are, for all of you who are clamoring for pictures! The wedding was fun and of course, it was great to see Mark tie the knot. Lety is a very nice lady and I'm happy for both of them! The wedding was at a beautiful lodge and you could see the mountains. It's so beautiful there! The strange picture of the guys is them showing off their Spyderco knives that Mark gave them. It's a guy thing! The picture of Paul, Mark and Keith was taken on the deck of Mark's house. He has an awesome view - lake and mountains!
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
We're Off!
Well, this is it! The big trip starts tomorrow. (In case you forgot, Keith and I are going to a friend’s wedding in Montana). This week has been a marathon of getting things ready to go and having a birthday party for Caleb yesterday. (We have a seven-year-old! Yikes!!) I’m so excited to be going on a trip with my hubby, but I’m also a bit sad/nervous about leaving our kids. I will be praying for them!!
In the good news department: 1) I found a dress for the wedding – and it’s red!! It needed a few alterations, and of course, that’s not quite done yet! :-( 2) I’ve been at this awkward weight for quite awhile where I have some pants that are too big and some others that are too small. Well, in the last couple weeks, I graduated into one of the smaller ones. But one pair of pants really isn’t enough if you know what I mean. This morning I tried on some others and I have at least three more that I can now wear!! Praise the Lord!
So, I should sign off. There are piles of laundry to fold, a dress to finish, pictures to upload to Wal-Mart, kids to love, suitcases to pack… And all in just a few hours. Hahahaha! I think I’ll be burning some midnight oil tonight! But I’ll survive because in the next few days I’m looking forward to: Wal-Mart, Olive Garden (hopefully!), mountains, time with my sweetheart, Michaels(!!!!!!!), flying, seeing old friends (and Keith in a tux!) I think we’ll have fun. God bless all of you!
In the good news department: 1) I found a dress for the wedding – and it’s red!! It needed a few alterations, and of course, that’s not quite done yet! :-( 2) I’ve been at this awkward weight for quite awhile where I have some pants that are too big and some others that are too small. Well, in the last couple weeks, I graduated into one of the smaller ones. But one pair of pants really isn’t enough if you know what I mean. This morning I tried on some others and I have at least three more that I can now wear!! Praise the Lord!
So, I should sign off. There are piles of laundry to fold, a dress to finish, pictures to upload to Wal-Mart, kids to love, suitcases to pack… And all in just a few hours. Hahahaha! I think I’ll be burning some midnight oil tonight! But I’ll survive because in the next few days I’m looking forward to: Wal-Mart, Olive Garden (hopefully!), mountains, time with my sweetheart, Michaels(!!!!!!!), flying, seeing old friends (and Keith in a tux!) I think we’ll have fun. God bless all of you!
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