Summer Trip (2)

.... well I see I totally forgot to come finish my trip report! So how will I ever remember what all we did at Ken’s! I’ll try and hit the highlights!

Kelly spent time in Riverton and then went flying all over the US for K-Tec. He did get in on a few fun things tho! One day we loaded up side x sides and dirt bikes and lots of food and snacks, then headed up to the Big Horn Mountains. We joined up with 2 other families and had a total blast! Ended the day washing off the dust in a mountain stream and sitting around the fire eating and talking. Lots of beautiful views up there including moose and sheep and their herders and cattle that live up in the mountains for the summer. The other fun thing Kelly got in on was stock tanking! We once again loaded up lots of snacks and got the tank hauled down to the river behind Ken’s. We all piled in (all 9 of us) and headed down the river. Some floated in tubes for a bit while the sun was still up. We picked up Ty half ways down making it a grand total of 10 people plus chairs and food! We just kept bobbing along enjoying the beautiful scenery! I think we floated for about 3 hours before getting to our stopping point. Heaving everything up the steep bank proved to be very amazing! It was basically straight up but managed to get the tank up and then rolled it down the railroad track a little ways then had to get it tied onto the top of Katy’s jeep. We also had to back in the chairs and 10 people into the jeep! There was lots of yelling and many laughs but we managed to all cram in and ride the 30 minutes home. 

Some other highlights: many hours of staining and sanding doors/trim for new offices, a bit of horse riding, many miles on golf carts/sidexside’s, floating or kayaking down the river, tie-dyeing shirts, park with friends, hot tubbing, looking for wild fires, Sunday spent along Shell Creek eating some amazing burgers and viewing the falls, also spent an afternoon and evening enjoying the Wild West town of Cody and taking in all things western! I’m sure I’m missing some wonderful things we did, but truly we had the best time ever! And was so nice to be there and not home by ourselves while Kelly was travelling! 

We finally headed for home at some point. Got back to the vehicle in Fargo, it started and no flat tires so that was good! Got it loaded down and the kids and I headed for home while Kelly went on another business trip. We got to the border the nice lady happily told us to go home and quarantine and we said we would. Lol. We never left the yard but I won’t say if anyone came to visit or not. So ya.... that’s how we spent 7 weeks of 2020 summer! 

Summer 2020 Trip (1)

 First off PTL for the dear Neche Border guard who let the kids into the US! It was our only option since Hudson’s passport expired after the Corona hit which means no flying for him at this point! Anyhow the kids and I drove across on our own and then headed to Fargo to wait for Kelly to get across and meet us. Our first adventure was getting Chick-fil-A and taking it to the cell phone parking lot at the airport where we watched the planes come and go. Once Kelly got to us we parked the Santa Fe at the airport and repacked everything into the pickup. 

 Our first stop was Des Moines for a K-Tec meeting. (Oh let me just say we were quite shocked at that we had to wear mask at so many places, quite different from the Northern country we had just come from!) Our hotel room was nice size so the kids and I just hung out there for the day in between running down to go swimming a few times. 

 Next destination was Lakin to visit Alex Danielle Mia Esma, but first we had to stop at Q39 for some good BBQ. Driving thro KS we realized we would be driving close to some old Rosenort friends and cousin of mine so we made a little detour and happily gave hugs to Merril Deeny and Annette was so good to see them again! And then was fun to run over and see my cousin Gina’s place and the grown up kids! Finally back in the road to Alex’s! Here are some of the highlights: 

•getting to go to Brian and Katie’s for supper, the kids had so much fun even tho we wondered if we would be taking someone to the ER yet after watching them play Indians with bows and arrows!🤣 Brian’s came to Alex’s another evening for supper, the kids swam and adults played marbles. 

•swimming

•some hay work

•ice cream at the park

•lots of talking

•going to the water park in Garden

It was a fun filled time!!

 Then off to Farwell to Wayne and Tiff’s! We were welcomed there with a clean walk (no chicken or turkey poop) so things started off great. But with that many kids under one roof... let’s just say we mopped the floor a few times! Oh but the fun! 

•climbing through hay stacks

•swimming in the stock tank and putting the slide in the back of the ranger... redneck fun

•trampoline park and shopping

•volleyball at Arlin’s

•feedlot

But mostly just hanging out a the house letting the kids play while we drank ice coffees or made more food! 

 After tearful goodbyes, we hit the road for Riverton, WY. We ended up in a traffic jam. A semi crashed about a mile ahead of us sending paper products scattered all across the the road. The truck ended up down at the bottom of the mountain and sadly I don’t think the driver made it out alive. But everyone was friendly on the road and walking around talking. So of course the kids made some friends and got a picture of themselves, a balloon, some picks from a guitar playing man and even got to play the guitar. Finally got going again and spent night in CO Springs, I think. The next day we got to the huge town of Jeffery City population 58. Its actually a deserted mining town it didn’t even look like 58 people lived there but maybe they lived out in the mountains. We toured the job site that Ken’s crew (Summit) is working at, and then we toured the town and checked out the huge gym that was never or barely used. On to Riverton for night. Kelly and the kids swam and I went to Walmart. Tried to decide if we should go to Ken’s the next day or wait a few days since they had been sick, finally decided to buy some food and go since we had the guest house to ourselves anyway. The drive from Riverton to Greybull is absolutely beautiful with the rushing river, tunnels, train track on the other side, rugged moutains, and green valleys! And then we were at the long awaited Lane 30 and 1/2! We unloaded the pickup and took over the guest house and Kelly headed back to Riverton for his week of meetings. 

 To be continued...

July Already

Where is summer going?! But I must say we’ve been living it up!! We have been hit with a heat wave here in good ol’ Manitoba! Upper 80’s and even in the 90’s a few days. The other day it was temps like that and 76% humidity! I almost thought I was back in the south! Lol! 

The last weekend of June we went camping at Falcon Lake with Mikey and Tiff. The weather was beautiful! Hot in the day and cooled off to about 70 at night. Georgia definitely had her moments, but I did notice she had 2 molars trying to come in so I’m hoping it was more that that caused the melt downs rather than lack of training! But do tell me how do you discipline at a camp ground?! The first night she barfed in the tent after a fit of crying and being mad about going to bed. Then around 2:30 decided she would not sleep in her playpen so put her between Kelly and I. I gave up trying to sleep like that and moved in between the boys. I didn’t get a lot of sleep that night. The second night I pushed her for miles in her stroller and then pulled her in the chariot for miles and finally drove around in the pickup before she finally gave into sleep! But we all slept wondrously! All that aside, we spent many hours on the boat and swimming! I think I’m ready to go again??? I better be cause we’re going again next weekend!

This last week is when it’s been so nice and warm. We went to Rosewood to Jason and Lynn’s on Monday for a pool party. The kids always have so much fun with their kids! They have 2 sets of twins plus 2 more! We had wings and homemade donuts for supper!

Tuesday we went to swim with Phyl in the pond. They’ve redone their pond and added a little sand beach. Between the paddle boat, dock, diving board, and rope swing there was no one bored! Almost like John’s Pond days, we were just missing the high dive to lay out on (and maybe the guys that always drove by?)!

Canada Day! We had no plans and Kelly was working so Sherilee and I decided we’d go to Russ’s pool and the guys could come whenever they were done work. Ended up inviting Evan’s and Barry’s too! Was a lot of fun and all the kids seemed to enjoy themselves enough that we could all have a good time! Grilled burgers for supper and had milkshakes later on. 

Thursday was us girls day at the pool. Melissa gets the pool one day a week and the rest of us get to join her. (Wanda, Tiff, Stacy, Tamara, and of course kiddos)
I ended up leaving the boys there and going home to finish up packing and cleaning up the house before we left for Kenora. A lot easier to do that when you’re the only one in the house! 

Another lovely day on today! Spent a lot of time in the lake with Gloria! The boys of course were thrilled to spend the day with Jessi. Going from playing at folks to back down at Steve’s to in the lake! And I’m sure that’s how it will be for the rest of the weekend! 

Poem

Some Days Are Hard

Woke up to yet ANOTHER day of WIND. And not just a breeze! And today to make it worse no sunshine! He, as in Old Mr. Sun has at least peaked out a few times since this morning, thank goodness! 

Georgia got 3 needles yesterday but managed to sleep all night so I had high hopes today would be a good day. Those hope were very quickly dashed. She has proved to be a bear and tiger all mixed into one! After throwing a complete fit over her nap (where she barfed all over her bed) she finally had an hour nap. I decided to let the boys do something fun. So got all the ingredients out for cookies and put the correct measuring tools in each ingredient and proceeded to let them make Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies. I had plans of relaxing on my chair while I hollered instructions to them. Well, Georgia woke up. And when I came down I noticed there was a lot of brown sugar on the kitchen floor so since the sweeper was plugged in right there I quickly swept that up. And then there was an egg dripping off the counter so cleaned that up. I turned around to get Georgia and she was up in the table eating, by the spoon full, strawberry jam! So in the end all 3 kids were in the tub with very strict orders of NO WATER ON THE FLOOR! 

After all the above life was really starting to feel quite overwhelming Georgia’s mood was NO better! So more orders that we were all going outside! That at least helped my mood! Planted a few flowers divided up a grass and put it into my whiskey barrels. The boys took Georgia to slide at Karen’s. Well really she ran over there on her own so they went to get her and ended up playing. After all that we went to check on the chickens. They’re still alive! And Georgia at least can laugh when she’s with them. Belly laughs. Hands over her mouth giggling. Hysterical laughs. And then fits of anger when being told she has to leave. 

Back inside I finally decided on Yorkshire Pizza for supper! Truly a life saver that everyone loves it! It’s so so easy! You don’t have to make a yeast dough and you don’t have to have canned biscuits on hand. Everyone helped clean up after supper! Bless them! And now everyone or at least kids will be in bed at 9:30 and tomorrow will be a new day!! 

Chickens

We have 4 chickens enjoying their new little home in the barn! It was fun getting the room ready. The boys had lots of fun painting the nesting boxes and ladder (for roosting)we built. We used leftover ‘sherbet green’ and dark teal blue. The little coop/room turned out quite cute if I do say so myself! Georgia is in love with these 2 legged ‘bock, bocks’ and was very unhappy that she couldn’t just move in with them! They didn’t seem to be quite so impressed with her for some reason! We need to get the screen door in yet then she can at least watch them. I think they should be laying eggs within the next couple weeks so that will be exciting. And we still want to get a few chicks to add to the bunch as well. Hoping to get some blue or green egg layers. But for right now we’ll let these 4 get to know their new home and see if we can keep them alive and safe from the dog!

A Rainy Day

At the moment I am being serenaded by a marching band. Drums (tea tupper and spatulas) and a whistling straw!  

Ok that is as far as I got! Couldn't think and Georgia has been a BEAR! Today is dreary, windy, cold, and rainy! Was perfect for sleeping in! My goals for the day are writing this, getting laundry done (Kelly was scrounging for clothes this morning), and get supper made for Russ. Sounds doable right?!

Last weekend Kelly went with Russ, Nelson, Mikey, and Nate to Edmonton to check out the Richy Brother's Auction. They rented a plane and flew to Hudson Bay, SK to pick up Nate and drop off Alisa and baby Jace. Then on to have their 'Man Party'. I think they enjoyed themselves! Wanda, Tamara, Tiff, Melissa, myself, and kiddos spent Saturday at Russ's pool. It was very relaxing! Did a lot of snacking and sitting in the hot tub! We did have a good supper of Sweet Onion Chicken Sandwiches and veggies. Then after supper Tamara called one of her friends to see if she would make coffee drinks for us! They tasted really good with our ice cream and raspberry sauce! Wanda also got a call that our chickens were ready to be picked up and must be picked up right away. What?! They said 2 weeks! She convinced them to keep them until Sunday. So the boys went home with her for night after the pool party and went along to pick up chickens in the morning. Now Wanda is keeping mine until we get the coop finished. 

Speaking of the coop. The walls are up. We'll have to insulate in fall. Now just need get a roost and some nesting boxes put up! This is a long weekend coming up, so hopefully it can all get done then! Our cat and dog still are not friends. The cat has started living at the neighbors. Their grandchildren love it have renamed it Cheetah. The boys still go over and get it sometimes, and she lives happily over here for a few days until Chocco gets too close and she has to leave again. We're hoping for some kittens soon, so hopefully we can convince Chocco to just ignore all cats! 

I planted some seeds in egg cartons, and they are starting to sprout! Now if it would just warm up for once so we could actually start planting things outside!! I do have perennials coming up, so that's exciting! I want to plant a little garden for the boys to work in. LOL! Also we want to plant some trees this year so.... I'm guessing flowers might be a little sparse this year! They're SO expensive up here! You can spend a few hundred dollars in know time just to have them last for 4 months! Maybe one day I'll get a greenhouse and can start more of my own. 

Well this seems really long and boring. I guess we've haven't been doing anything too exciting! The kids did go to a paramedic friends (Bonnie)place to play on her play structure one afternoon. Oh and I did start a rug project that I need to finish some day! We also booked for sure 2 or maybe 3 weekends of camping, so we're excited about that!

Ok hopefully next time there's more exciting things happening!

Shall I Try This Again?

WOW! 2014 was a long time ago! I’m not really sure why I’m doing this again, other than I would like to be able to go back one day and read what we all did with our life! So we’ll see how long I can keep up the writing!

At the moment we are living through ‘history in the making’ of the world pandemic of Covid19. I have currently not been inside of a store of any kind in 6 weeks! I quite like being at home, doing our thing but will be very happy when we can go do others things when/if we want! 

Kelly’s nephew Ben has been living with us for the last 3.5 weeks. His dad, Charlie, has also been here quite a bit. I love them dearly, but it does make more work and feels like my personal space is a bit overrun! But we’re glad we can help out! And the boys love having Ben to play with! He just turned 13 on Friday, so we hope to have a little party on Sunday. 

Projects we’ve been working on... 
• new floor in Georgia’s room. The carpet in there was absolutely disgusting. It wasn’t the greatest when we moved in and after having 3 babies barf on it, it was time to go! Kelly cut plywood into strips like wood flooring and nailed them down. I mixed up the 3 leftover white paints I had and painted it. I love how it turned out. Quite old fashioned looking. 
• cleaning out the shed. It was a disaster! The first thing was to get a load of wood stacked, which the the boys and I finally got done! Then some shelving built to hold stuff. A search for ALL the tools the boys have used over the last year or two. We still have a couple more days of work, but it’s getting there! 
Next project is fixing up a chicken coop in the barn. Also cleaning out the barn! 

Hudson has been putting miles on his bike. Loves helping with ‘fun’ projects like painting or washing things with a hose. Sawyer has been putting on the bike miles too. He also he witch that lives in the basement and informed me his witch was grumpy tonight cause it kept asking him what his name was. Georgia is a sweet firecracker. ‘When she was good she was so good but when she was bad she was terrible’ would aptly describe her. She LOVES the outdoors! Thanks goodness! She’s also starting to ‘talk’ a lot. Also copies lots of words.  

Well I think that’s enough for now especially since it’s 1:15 in the morning! But pandemic, so no having to get up and dressed for church! 

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!!