Florida Friends

This last weekend was absolutely awesome! Kevin and Debbie came to see Shawna on her weekend off, so we got to be with them from Friday thro Monday night! I still can hardly believe they were actually up here and stayed in my house!! I just never thought I'd see the day! 

Friday Kelly and I picked them all up after lunch, then we toured around Winnipeg for awhile. Went and walked around at the Forks, where we bought fudge and mini donuts! :) Then on to Fabric Land to check out the fabric. Kelly and Kevin did a run to the grocery store, and then we headed home. Grilled drumsticks for supper and had pasta salad and corn on the cob to go with it. After we had let that all settle a while we went for a tour of the fire/ambulance hall and then stopped at George's for ice-cream cones. Then we found out that some of the youth were playing ball, and of course Shawna wanted to go. (The youth don't seem to do much around here, so she has to get in on the times they actually do!) Took Shawna to the game and Kevin's and us did some more driving around until it was time to go pick up Shawna.

Saturday, we got up and around and headed out for Kenora. Shawna had thought it would be fun to go on the MS Kenora boat ride, and I was all for it since I'd never been either. It's a little tour around part of the lake and gives some of the history, plus you get to see some amazing cabins and cottages. It turned out really neat, even though it was quite windy and a little chilly. We went to Kelly's folks for supper then. Had a meal out around the fire and some of their neighbor friends came over. It wasn't long and we had to hit the road for home.

Sunday was church, and we even made it for Sunday School! It was a beautiful day, so came home and grilled ham for lunch. In the afternoon some took naps and then everyone either went for a bike ride or walk. For supper we had decided to have a wiener roast down by the river, but the mosquitos had come out again, so we ended up just going to Nelson's back yard. Their whole family was there too so it was an enjoyable evening!

Monday, we slept in and had a 'get your own breakfast'. Then we drove off for Rosenort so the guys could tour K-Tec. Pulled into the farm that we are buying, so Kevin's could at least see where we will be living shortly if everything keeps working out. After the K-Tec tour, we went to the Farmhouse Cafe for lunch, then on to Tara's store for us girls. Debbie ended up getting a piece of fabric, so it was a worth while stop! :) Went back home to pick up all the luggage and then headed to Winnipeg. Went to another fabric store and stopped to pick up some honey, mints, and maple syrup. Kelly wanted to take Kevin for prime rib so for supper, we enjoyed a great meal at the Keg. Took our time there then drove around downtown a little bit and stopped at Tim Hortons for some to get hot chocolate and coffee. Finally we had to go to East Gate. I wasn't ready for the weekend to be over with, but what can you do?! Went in and chatted there for a while then said our good-byes! At least we know we'll be seeing them again in just a few weeks!

Ok so this looks really long and no one needs to feel like they have to read it! Most of my post are more just for me to remember what all we've done in our life! :)

Life at the Goossen's

Well a lot of things have happened since I last wrote! The most noticeable thing.... I'm really FAT!!! But I guess that's a good thing. (At least for now.) But here are some of the more interesting things that have been    goning on. 

- Spent part of a Sunday and Monday in Kenora with Kelly's family. The guys went fishing for Dad's birthday. And then Charlie & Sara, Ashee & Aline came Monday afternoon. So we were quite a bunch and of course it wasn't quiet! Grilled some fish over the fire, African style and it turned out awesome! Definitely will try that again!

- Alex and Ashton and Jace came for a weekend! Was so awesome having them all here! And the weather ended up being just beautiful. Kelly and I picked them all up at East Gate Friday after lunch, then we toured around Winnipeg for a little while. Decided to go home and grill something for supper, but first stopped in at K-Tec. Our supper ended up being quite late but the grilled chicken legs were worth the wait! Saturday, we got up in good time as our departure time for Kenora was set for 9:30 and we had 6 of us that wanted to go thro the shower first! And you won't believe it but we were backing out of the driveway at 9:29! :) We were all quite pleased! Stopped at Tim Horton's for breakfast along the way. Got to Kenora just before lunch. Went and loaded the boat down with all our food and fishing gear and off we went for a lovely day on the lake. The sun shone nice and warm, the water was perfect for cooling off in, and almost everyone caught at least one fish. Stopped in Kenora for supper then headed home. Sunday was church then to Frank and Wilma's for lunch. They have youth kids and then invited another young couple as well. The v-ball net was set up in the yard so everyone enjoyed a few games after lunch. Went home then to relax and grill steak for supper. The youth all met at George's later in the evening for ice-cream so we went to join them. Monday, the guys toured K-Tec again so they could see everything actually running, plus Kelly had to finish packing up some stuff for his trip he was leaving on. Stopped at the cafe for lunch then off to Winnipeg. Dropped Jace off at the airport, then the Kelly and Alex took us girls to some fabric stores and stuff. By then it was time to drop off Alex's and Kelly. So said our good-byes! :( Shawna and I proceeded to spend the rest of the evening shopping and then went to Apple Bee's for appetizers before I had to drop her off. And then I came home to a VERY empty house! But it was sure a fun weekend!!

- Kelly was gone on a dealer trip for 2 weeks. But he did come home for the weekend so that was nice! While he was gone, I spent some time at Nelson's. Even helped put up some applesauce. And that included picking the apples as well as the actual making of the sauce. Went for a girls night out with Stacy, Melissa, and Tiffany, which of course was a pile of fun. And the second week Shawna was off for one day, so we relaxed and then went for coffee and came home and made a fire and mountain pies. I also spent 2 days in Kenora. Finished up all my blankets so that was nice.

- Now this last Saturday, Kelly and I went shopping for baby stuff. Got a stroller, car seat, play pen (which will be the crib for as long as we live in our little place), and diaper bag that looks mostly like a purse and I really like it! 

So ya... Life has been busy, just like yours has been. Now I'm waiting for Kevin's to come visit and then for the baby to finally make it's appearance and somewhere in there I have got to get some dresses figured out for all these weddings that we absolutely can't miss! Kelly has a cousin getting married Oct. 12 (which I'm guessing we'll have to miss) and then Stacy's is Oct. 26 and she is just like a sister so we can't miss that one! And then of course Erica's is the next weekend and since we won't have time to get a passport for the baby we'll have to drive. So we'll see how this all goes! :) Should make some memories anyway!!

And now I'll quit rambling, so good-night and sweet dreams!

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

My word! It's been a long time since I wrote anything! I guess nothing that overly exciting has happened, or maybe I just have been inspired to write anything.

I have been loving having Shawna around! She's here for a day or so every week. It sure helps pass the time and gives me something to look forward to every week. Plus try and come up with something interesting to do, which I don't think I've done a very good job of but... here are a few things we've done: checked out the St. Malo 'beach', swimming or laying out at Ken's pond, worked in the yard (real fun, huh), went camping one weekend, played ball one evening.... I'm hoping to get the youth enthused about doing a few more things with here. They are so laid back around here it's hard to get them going!

The 4th of July weekend Kelly and I were invited to go with Ken and Greta and kiddo's to Grand Forks for fireworks and supper for Kelly's birthday. So that was a lot of fun. Especially since we didn't have fireworks here in town this year! And of course the US does a good job of putting on a show! LOL But they were really good! Saturday we did some shopping then headed home.

As far as the rest of the month, we've just been around here. This weekend is Alisa's wedding so I've been making cupcakes today for that. It's a really good recipe so you'll have to try it sometime! We just have to bake them, and then Saturday they will fill them with raspberry filling and frost them. Also this weekend, Kelly's folks are moving all the rest of there stuff out of their Rosewood house (it finally sold) so we'll try and help them as much as we can. Monday is a holiday of some sort here and Josh and Christi are going to be out, so think we'll leave right after the wedding on Sunday and head to Kenora. Think the guys are going fishing for Dad's birthday, so have to see what the rest of us come up with to do!

Ok, here's the recipe:

Chocolate Buttermilk Cupcakes

2 cups sugar

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

5 tbs cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 cup oil

1 cup buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking soda

1 cup boiling water

In a large bowl, sift together: sugar, flour, baking powder, cocoa, and salt. Add the eggs, oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water and add along with the remaining ingredients. Mix together and then beat for 2 minutes. The batter will be thin. Pour into 24 muffin cups with liners and bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until done.

Sunday Company!!

I can't believe that title! I actually had company on Sunday for lunch! I don't mind having company during the week, but Sunday's just seem too stressful and like you have to think ahead too far! But I managed quite fine, so might have to try it again.

We didn't have the traditional Sunday dinner. And the ones that came are the kind of friends you don't really have to clean for and if there happened to be a smear left in the toilet you don't have to be embarrassed (there wasn't tho, just so you know :) Anyhow, Kelly grilled burgers, Angie brought Costco potato salad, and the rest was Great Northern Beans, chips, watermelon, and mocha oreo ice cream dessert. Oh and Stacy even brought tea brew so didn't have to think of making tea (since all I drink these days is water, at least around here). No huge mishaps happened, other than we were just starting to pass the food, and I realised I had totally forgotten about condiments and toppings! But that was a quick fix!

We had a great time chatting and figuring out world problems above the roar of the A/C window unit, but it kept us reasonably cool so it was worth the noise. All in all I'd have to say it just wasn't too bad. So... I just might have to try it again! :) 

Happenings

I see it's already been a month since I last wrote!! Time just doesn't slow down! I'll just quick mention a few highlights from the last few weeks....

- Kelly and I went to Mexico for a week! It was beautiful, relaxing, and lots of fun! The weather couldn't have been better! We did go shopping one day, but mostly we sat on the beach with our books, enjoying the warm sunshine. I'd definitely do it again! :)

 

- Mom and Tiff came to visit! Tiff actually surprised Mom! :) A few of the things we did: shopping, sewing blankets, Tiff sewed me a dress, buying flowers and planting them, a couple painting projects, got them to try poutine and they even kind of liked it :) of course other eating, and just good times being together! Thanks for all the help!!

 

- Shawna Mininger came to East Gate and will be spending her days/nights off with us. I'm so excited! It's like having one of my sisters around! She's actually already been here for a weekend, but since it was cold and rainy we didn't do anything too exciting. But she did get to be with the youth, so now next time she'll already know them and can start having fun (hopefully)!

 

- We fixed up some low spots in our yard, then planted grass and put on lots of fertilizer. Now it's been nicely raining ever couple of days, so... you know what that means! I'll have a job mowing! (And it seems to take me longer this summer than last??? :)

 

 

And that is how our life has been... Today I finally finished up 2 blanket projects and got me a dress cut out. I was getting kind of tired of my other three! So hope to finish that tomorrow. Or rather today as it is after 12 already!

 

 

Wishing you all peaceful dreams!

 

Saturdays

I just love Saturdays, especially when they are nice and warm and there's work to do outside!! 2 Saturdays ago, I was over at Nelson's (Kelly was gone for a couple of days) and started raking all the old grass off the yard, then we had a hamburger fry for lunch! Was SO AWESOME to finally grill burgers and enjoy eating them outside! Eating burgers inside just isn't quite the same! Anyhow, after lunch Tamera and I took the jeep to the neighbors to pick up some fencing supplies and check out a water tank for the horse. Back at the house, Kelly had called and was back and needing to be picked up from work, so picked him up and then we all went out to help Nelson build a bigger pasture for the horse! It was definitely one of the better days of the year, so far! :) Mostly just because I could be working outside barefoot! 

Now this last Saturday we were in Kenora at Kelly's folks. And they were needing to get a spot cleared out in the woods ('bush', as they call it here in the north country) for a septic field. So Kelly got to spend all day in the bobcat or trackhoe, which he absolutely LOVES! And I got to cut and load firewood. Plus I walked up the hill to where we were working a couple times, so by the end of the day I was starting to feel a little sore! But it was totally worth it! For supper we cooked over the fire. Mom made potatoes in her dutch oven and I made blueberry cobbler in mine, which ended up getting very well-done so had to scrape off some of the blackness! Ben had wanted wieners so that was the meat! It was a great way to end an already great day!

Now it's been raining all day today, and I think it's suppose to rain tomorrow some too, but I'm hoping for sunshine and warm days again very, very soon!!

Strawberry Pina Colada Smoothie

Last night we had are friends, Mikey and Tiff, over for supper. Kelly wanted to grill something, so I picked up chicken legs. Wow! He did a great job grilling them! Then we had ceasar salad and cubed, seasoned sweet potatoes to go along with it. It was quite a delicious meal, if I may say so myself. But then we think we always need dessert when there's company over, so... What should I make?! The Co-op in Rosenort makes a recipe each week for folks to try and of course if the recipe is really good they convince the folks to buy the ingredients for it! Last week it was just mixing strawberry daiquiri, pina colada, a banana, and ice in a blender. I never tried it, but heard that it was really good. Well, I really didn't feel like banana flavor so I came up with the following:

Frozen Strawberries

Strawberry Daiquiri

Pina Colada

Fresh Pineapple

Ice-Cream

Blend until smooth adding more of whatever flavor you would like!

 Super easy and very good! 

It would be awesome for a summer party! At least I was impressed, you can try it and let me know what you think!

Me Again

Today is another cloudy, rainy day in Southern Manitoba. That's about the same as Tiff always saying, 'It's another windy day in Western Texas'! I truly hope this year doesn't end up being like the first year we were married! It seemed like it rained all summer and the worst part was that it only got to 80 degrees once!! But on the bright side, I've heard it's suppose to be a very hot summer! So maybe!!! 

Thursday night we had our 'Heart Sister Tea and Revealing'! It proved to be quite interesting! Us girls did most of the food and decorating so ended up being at church most of the day. We had collected people's cups and saucers, some teapots, doilies, and lanterns. After seeing some of those amazing tea cups, I almost got inspired to start collecting, but what would I ever do with them and were in the world would I store them?! For food we had mini cheese cakes (oreo and raspberry), fruit kabobs, crackers, cucumbers hollowed partially out and filled with dip and topped with red pepper (totally looked like sushi :), and then hot tea and punch. There were a few of the ladies that had figured out who their heart sister was, but for the most part everyone was surprised. The best one was that one of the Grandma's had her daughter and she had never caught on!! All in all it turned out to be a fun evening!

Saturday Kelly and I went to Winnipeg. Mostly so Kelly could go and look at grills which I told him would be his birthday present this year. We ended up coming home with The Big Green Egg, so we'll see if it's all it's cracked up to be! We tried a couple pieces of chicken on Sunday and those were great, now tomorrow we're going to have some friends over and try steak! 

Other than that life has been quite normal. I'm getting fat and really should be sewing instead of doing this!! I took a couple weeks off from sewing, but now the need is starting to get a little more serious, so..... That's what I'm doing this afternoon!

Later!

Chicken Gumbo

I made this recipe awhile back and it was so scrummy, I thought I'd share it! Basically the only thing I did different was add some Gumbo File and use the dehydrated Thyme (or whatever it's called! :) And of course I couldn't add the okra! I keep looking in the grocery stores, but so far no luck!

Chicken Gumbo Ingredients

1/2 pound sausage

1/2 pound bacon

4 cloves garlic, minced

3 onions, minced

2 sweet peppers, minced 

2 stalks celery, minced

4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped

Corn cut from 2 ears, or 2 cups frozen corn

1/4 cup tomato paste

4 cups hot chicken broth

2 cups cooked bits of chicken

2 pounds okra, washed and sliced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

Instructions:

In a large pot, saute sausage and bacon until bacon is crispy. Then remove from pot and set aside. Saute garlic and onions in pan drippings for 3 minutes, then add peppers and celery and saute for another 5 minutes.Add thyme, corn, and tomato paste. Stir. Bring to a simmer. Add hot chicken broth, chicken, sausage, and bacon. Bring back to a simmer and simmer for 15 minutes to let flavors blend more, then add the chopped tomatoes. Add okra and cook about 4 minutes. The okra will still be bright green and the tomatoes a bright red! Serve just as a soup or over rice along with crusty sourdough bread or cornbread with lots of butter! And ENJOY!!

...Life...

Spring came last week but was soon chanced away by another bout of Winter! Saturday we woke up to the sound of the pager... vehicles in the ditch all over. One was even submerged in the cold icy water. Luckily the folks all got out right away. So in the the end there weren't any injuries just people hitting the ditches due to all the snow, rain, sleet, and lots of slush on the roads! Now it's having a really hard time warming back up! Looks like maybe next week.... we'll cross our fingers! 

This week so far has been very lazy. Saturday we/Kelly finally got the bed finished and so I cleaned downstairs. It's amazing that you can actually walk into the spare bedroom and see carpet!! Clean carpet at that! :) Sunday, we just relaxed. The youth gave their Easter program in the evening and then we had snacks after. Monday, was spent in Rosenort. Went to Nelson's for lunch so the guys could talk about rental property stuff and then went to have a meeting with my Doula! I'm quite excited to have one as they are there just to answer questions and take care of the husband! LOL Actually she's been on the Rosenort Fire Department with Kelly for years so she's a friend too, which I think is probably the only reason I decided to have a doula. But I've heard good things about them, especially from first-time-moms. I keep thinking it would be much better to be delivering this baby rather than having it!! Anyhow after that I ran to Tara's Gift Shoppe, you should all come visit so I can take you there. Then back to Nelson's and I managed to get a dress finished and a free supper! :) I really don't know what we would do without them! For sure me!! They are definitely my family here! Now today, I've just been home and the only thing I've gotten done so far is make the bed, eat, some laundry washed and folded, and prenatal classes booked.... I had to wait for the UPS man, thus no shower yet. (Sure didn't want to miss him, since I knew I had to sign for the pkg :) 

I should probably get busy now and see what all I can get done yet. Think there's training at the fire hall tonight so maybe I can make them something to eat. And then I'll probably cut out a dress, since I'm going to Ada's to sew tomorrow. (She's Hilda's niece and lots of fun!) And of course, I should make supper and decided what to make for dessert tomorrow as well....

So a great day to you all!

Spring?!

I can't believe it, but it looks like Spring actually might come this year after all!! Today the temp is suppose to be 57! I don't know if it's even gotten to 40 let this year! The breeze is still quite chilly, but the snow is melting! I think almost all our grass is showing! But there's still lots and lots left to melt yet. I think the snow pile in Winnipeg just might be there all year long. Unless we get the really hot summer that the weather folks have been talking about!

So as far as the projects go... I think they are all finally done, except for the wall bed. The bed is actually done just need to finish the book shelf that goes with it! And then get that room cleaned up for once! And now with Spring hopefully here, I need to wash all our winter stuff and get that put away so that it's not all laying around. And my other project that I've been working on as most of you will know or have imagined is sewing!! Isn't it kind of ridiculous that you have to sew a whole new wardrobe when you're pregnant?! So far I have 3 dresses done and my friend Greta is working on one for me. I plan on getting a couple more cut out today....

Kelly said I could quit working at K-Tec if I promised to have a company over one night a week and did something for someone else once a week, so.... I've gotten the company one done, at least there was someone here for a meal 3 days in a row last week! Not so sure about the helping someone else out though. Hopefully I'll get there once I get this sewing out of the way. 2 weekends ago, our little black nephew, Ben, was over for the night. I told Kelly before we went to bed Friday night, 'You know there won't be any sleeping in tomorrow.' And I don't think he really believed me! But this is what happened:

Ben comes walking to our room before 7 to inform us it's almost 7 and the sun is up! Kelly looks at the time and said, 'Yes, and we are going to sleep for a long time yet!' Ben says, ok, and promptly piles into bed with us! And decides that he will share my pillow. So we all laid there for a while with Ben tossing and turning.... So finally I told Ben I'd make him a bed on the floor by the fireplace heater and he could look at books. Well it was a great idea, but I guess he'd never heard of turning pages quietly! Finally Kelly decided this was enough. So he downloaded a bunch of games on his phone and gave it to Ben. And then there was peace all the way till 9:30! So at least we got a little more sleep! But then it was time for breakfast and Ben had brought along some sardines so he had them for breakfast! I walked up the stairs and that's all I could smell!! So told Kelly he better take that trash out right away cause that smell wasn't sitting the best with me! So ya.... All in all it was a great time! :)

Wishing you all a great day... till next time!

Home Sweet Home

I guess you noticed.... Nothing that interesting happened out in Las Vegas. We had beautiful weather. Just that made the trip worth it! I can handle 70+ any day over -20!

Most of our time was spent setting up the booths, then working the show, and finally taking it all back down. The show was a great success, so Kelly will be busy the next few weeks sending out quotes and maybe going to visit some dealers... We're thankful when its busy though, cause it keeps us from eating just beans and tortillas! LOL

I did take Saturday off from the show. And that was spent sleeping in, sitting by the pool and sipping a Starbuck's Passion Tea Lemonade! Sunday after everything was cleaned up and the rest had left, Jake & Susy and us went to the outlet malls to do a little shopping. Kelly bought be a pair of Oakleys for my birthday!! I've refused to ever pay that much for a pair of sunglasses many times, but he wouldn't listen this time! I really do love them! Now if I can just keep track of them and not sit on them or something! Anyhow, after shopping we went for a super good steak supper, the best I've ever had! Then we watched an acrobatics show in the evening. Was a really fun evening!

The long ride home was quite uneventful. Susy was along this time, so I didn't get the whole back seat to myself! :) Jake had to stop at a few job sites so took a good 4 days getting home. 

Now we're home, well Kelly was gone a couple of days this week again, but he's back now. We got snow last night and last Sunday evening they canceled church, because it was storming so bad.... I'm not convinced Spring or Summer will come this year! But there has been a few days that it's been above freezing so maybe... 

The projects for the weekend are:

- get the shelf hung up by the door (it's still not done Erica!)

- finish putting together the wall bed

- finish the quilt I've been working on

- after the bed is done, clean the house!!!

We'll see if that all actually gets done! And really I should go to Winnipeg for groceries, but maybe we'll just pay the double price and get them here in town! Ok.... Have a super day!!

On the Road Again

We are back on the road! Kelly, Jake, and myself. This time we're not off to France like the last time we took a trip together! Which was only a few months after we were married. That trip made lots of memories, mostly good but a few that weren't so great too (at least we didn't thinks so then!)

This time we're off to Las Vegas for the Con-Expo show. For some reason we're always the 'lucky' ones that get to go early and set up the booth and iron out all the problems. Well at least the guys do. I mostly just do what they tell me to do, which is being a 'go-fer', and cleaning all the equipment!

It's a 30 hour drive! But I have the whole back seat to myself, so I can just chill and read my book, blog, pinterest, or eat sour gummy worms!! :) And I might as well just be settled in, cause we mostly just stop when we need to fuel up!

Really nothing overly exciting has happened on the journey so far, so I'll sign off!

A Visit From the Sis

Erica arrived January 30 and was greeted with a chilly breeze and lots of snow! J Some of the things we got done were:

-        Kenora

-        Ice Roads

-        Wiener Roast out on an island

-        Snow Shoeing

-        I had to work one day, so Erica came and hung out there

-        Shopping a couple of days

-        Organized my kitchen!

-        Skating at the Forks

-        Crepes in Osborne Village

-        Tubing at Valley View Bible Camp

-        Walking at the Forks

-        Boston Pizza

-        Hanging out with friends

All in all it was a wonderful time, and went by way to fast!! Hope to see you again soon, Erica!!

...Valley View...

Land of Cactus (No.2)

...I'm back! So since the plane didn't leave on Sunday, they changed to the flight to Monday night of all things! Why they couldn't fly out in the morning is beyond me! So in the end I still missed Grandma's birthday! But I went to Grand Forks early and did some shopping and sat at Panera bread for a while. Why is it hard to fill up time when you have it??? Finally got to the airport and the flight left on-time and was quite uneventful except for the man who sat beside me and talked the whole entire way.... Most of it was interesting!

Got to PHX and Jayme's and Wayne's had left Jayme's truck at the airport for me. Found it no problem and headed out to find the family! And all went great! Thank Goodness. I do get quite frustrated with the US gas pumps that have to have zip codes, and since our postal code doesn't work they try and make you prepay. Like I have any idea how much money will fill up Jayme's truck! Guess that's what I get for living up here! LOL Got to Jayme's around and midnight was very glad to see them and Wayne's!

Tuesday, we went to pick up Grandma for breakfast. She was quite surprised to see me! (But she hid it well!:) Had a yummy breakfast and Ihop and then said goodbye to Wayne and Tiff! At least I got to see them for a couple hours!  Back to A. Jan's to work on a scrapbook of memories we were planning to make for Grandma, only that Jess and I sat outside enjoying the warm sun till the rest got there! A. Rita, Kim, and Heather finally showed up and we got busy scrapping! Was a great afternoon! Then Heather left to go pick up Brent, Renata, Ava, and Emma. A. Rita and Kim went to break the news to Grandma that she had more family coming to celebrate the week with her!! Jayme, Jess, and I went to Caraba's for supper!

Wednesday, we were off to Heather's for a ladies brunch. So was all of us and 2 of Grandma's snowbird friends. Had a very scrummy quiche, cinnamon rolls, fruit platter.... After that was done we spent a few hours just sitting out in the sun! Was SOOO Awesome!! Later on we went and played mini golf with Grandma, then to U. Randy's for supper and to work some more on the scrapbook. I went to Heather's for night since Jess had to work Thursday. Heather and I stayed up till 3 AM catching up!

Thursday, slept in and was sitting at breakfast when I realized I was supposed to be heading for the airport and my hair wasn't even combed! So flew around and A. Jan and A. Rita took me. Got there in plenty of time so that was good. Just was sad to leave the warm sunshine! Flew home with a couple from Altona, so was glad to know that there would at least be someone in Grand Forks to help me if the vehicle didn't start!! Landed and went to find the car, and believe me it was cold and windy!! Couldn't believe it, but the car started!! Boy was I glad! So went and filled up gas and let it warm up while I waited for Erica's flight to come in!!

That's all for now!

Land of Cactus (No.1)

My last post was about leaving Sunday for the warm land of cactus! Here is how that went…

Sunday came in with a snowing, blowing, roar! Yep, you guessed it, another blizzard! Well I got ready to leave, and Kelly drove a few miles down the road to see how bad it was. He came home and said, “Oh it’s not that bad, you easy go 100 km/h!” So I thought well that’s not bad, I can do this. Kelly packed the vehicle with my luggage, winter clothes, and survival bag (just in case there were problems) and 15 minutes later I hit the road! Well, I got just a mile or so down the road and it was Bad! Put I kept saying I can do this, this gust of wind will let up and it’ll be better. But sad to say it only got worse, and I mean Much worse! Finally I resorted to driving on the rumble strip so that I knew I was at least on the right side of the road and in my lane! I couldn’t see Anything! And then to make matters even worse, my windshield wipers started freezing up. So I finally found a spot on the road that had some trees blocking the blowing snow, and got out and tried to bang off the ice. Then back into the vehicle creeping along, praying no semi-truck would rear end me! Finally I got to the border and they informed me the roads are closed in the states, and that I had to go back to the Canadian side!! So I turn around and inch myself off to the Canadian side and they informed me that the road was closed back to Morris!! So there I was stuck at the border! Don’t worry, I was totally calm, cool, and collected!! NOT (Just ask Kelly.) Anyway my I kept calling in about my flight and finally they canceled it and said it would go on Monday. So since a storm normally blows thro in just a couple of hours and I had no idea what time my plane would be leaving, Kelly got me a motel room in Grand Forks. Now back to sitting at the border… More and more folks were showing up there and border folks were getting tired of us sitting in there office so they got the fire guys from Emerson, a town 3 miles from there to come and lead us to the Emerson Community Hall. We got to the hall and someone had brought in soup and chili and even a bunch of games. There were about 40-50 of us there. Then the grocery man opened up the store so we could go and get more food and drinks. So we were well taken care of. Well the blizzard just didn’t want to move out, so finally the tables were turned into beds and the blankets were pulled out! (By the way, Kelly was somewhere over the ocean by then, so no talking to him.) Around 1:30AM (12 hours after I had gotten to the border) we got the wonderful news, “The roads are open!” But my luck was still out! Yes, the roads were open in Canada but not in the states! They thought they might open the state’s roads around 6:30 – 7:00! So I said forget it and went home for night! And of course the motel refused to give me back my money. But I made it thro the whole looong day safe and sound! So that was my good luck! Oh one more thing, I was actually glad the roads were closed, at least I was sitting somewhere warm and not off by the side of the road trying to stay warm with my tea lights! (Tiff you would have had to quick ship all yours to me!)

Well this is getting kind of long and I need to go make a cheese cake with Erica, so more later…

Windchill, Snow, Wind = MB Winter

This is what I'm trying to do.... It's snowing AGAIN! And it's supposed to be blowing like crazy again tonight with a windchill warnings and very little visibility! Last week we had 3 blizzards in 2 days! I think it's snowed, at least some, every day since than too! But I'm headed to PHX on Sunday!! And I can NOT wait! Just wish Kelly was coming too, but he's off to Aussie country once again! ....I wonder if I'll ever get to go??? I'm sure still hoping! 

Time w/ the Bro

Sunday - church and went away for lunch and supper. Both had youth so, Cam got to know them a little better!

Monday - Kelly and I both had to work, so Cam worked out in the shop with the guys.

Tuesday - Cam and I did a little shopping and then headed out to Kenora. Got there in time for supper. Spent the evening relaxing around the fire.

Wednesday - Went and tried out the snowshoes. They are definitely on my wish list!! Then after lunch headed out across the lakes on the ice roads. Its really awesome driving out there and seeing all those cottages and cabins that you never get to see otherwise! Then Cam, Jess (Kelly's sis), and I headed back to Morris. Picked up Kelly and then went to The Forks to skate on the trails there. Was really cold but lots of fun! Then went for a scrummy supper at Moxy's.

Thursday - Went and did some real shopping. Kelly had promised Cam a steak supper, so he met us after work and we went for steak.

Friday - Kelly took off work early and we loaded up the snowboards and head to Holiday Mountain. Spent a few hours there. I stayed on the bunny hill and tried not to cry out in pain every time landed on my VERY SORE tailbone! Cam and Kelly quickly graduated to 'whiter hills'! When everyone was finally done we headed home, stopping at Coffee Culture for soup, sandwich, and coffee! Was a really fun day, even tho I ended up getting a very black and blue bum!

Saturday - Cam went snowboarding with some of the guys down in the states. Kelly worked on the ambulance and I went out with the fire guys on a call then came home and went with Kelly on the ambulance. Cam went in the ambulance after he got home, but didn't get any calls...

Sunday - church again and went to Nelson's in the evening to sit around the fire and gab.

Monday - another work day. Cam came after lunch. Then we went to Nelson's for supper.

Tuesday - Cam and I headed out for Grand Forks. Was a blowy day, so not much fun driving! Found a hole in the wall pizza joint to eat at. Boy, was it ever good!! Then dropped Cam off at the airport!

Was a WONDERFUL time!! Hope he comes again before too long!!

Happy New Year

                                    

I see I haven't been to my computer for quite some time, at least not for blogging! We had a wonderful time in 'Sweet Home Alabama'! On the way there we made a stop in Hardinsburg, to visit Doug, Laura, & kids. Was way to short, but we're so glad that they live right on the way to AL and hope to stop in many more times! We also made a stop in Fountain Run to see all the family that was around. Always love seeing them again, and staying at U. Greg's always brings back lots of great memories from youth life! Finally arrived in AL after many calls and texts of, 'where are you,' and 'are you almost here'. Everyone else was there already so we started right in with the fun. Of course the guys were begging to open gifts right away, but we managed to make them wait until Christmas Eve night after a hay ride and singing a few carols to some of the neighbors. I think we all got what we asked for! For me it was an electric bread knife, scarf, and an owl trivet. Kelly got a knife, hugs & kisses. Also got candy and chocolates from Wayne and a little house light from Mom. So we were well spoiled! The rest of our time was spent shopping, ice skating, playing Settlers, and of course eating! We also went touring to Desoto Falls, The Cherokee Rock Village, Buck's Pocket, High Falls, and stopped for a sunset at the Guntersville State Park Lodge. Along the our journey we found a really awesome pottery place close to Mentone. Can't wait to go back there again! The New Year was brought in with whoop and a jump off the porch along with some kinda 'doughy in the middle' New Year's cookies. And for lunch on the 1st we ate bowl fulls of corn bread and peas hoping to get the lucky dime! We said our good-byes and headed for the COLD north country on January 2. There were temperatures of -60*F! (That was actually the wind chill, but very brutal!) We drove thro freezing rain, and on glare ice but made it safely home on Saturday evening. Cam came back with us so now we've been doing all sorts of fun stuff with him! But I think this is long enough for now..... 'The Week W/ Cam' will have to come later!

Good - Night!