Monday 29 February 2016

Little Rockers

Sophie and Lydia joined the Little Rocks this year.


Johanna, Grady and Jack were in the Little Rocks when they were little. 


It seems like yesterday.


But it isn't.


Anyways....the same lovely ladies run this program that did when the older kids were in the Little Rocks.


It's like I'm living my life twice.


It felt a little odd to be going back to Little Rocks.


But it was good.


I love watching these Little Rockers.


And they let the parents go out on the ice and give it a try on Saturday.  Lydia wanted me to be on her team and I kept telling her not to scoot so fast on the ice....I thought she might fall.  But she didn't....because she's a professional now.


But I'm certainly not.

Brenda

Thursday 25 February 2016

Snowhanna

We've been celebrating Snowhanna.

This girl turned 18 yesterday.


And it was a snow day.

And it was a snow day again today.

It's been two days of movies and Scrabble and Mastermind and Bingo.

And hot chocolate and popcorn.  And chocolate cake.  And pecan pie.

And Lydia doing her very best Mr. Bean impersonations.....I did get a video but I pinky swore with her that I wouldn't show anyone.

Oh yes...and lots of snow.  And some freezing rain.  And some rain.  And some more snow.  And some wind.





It's been good. 

But I think it will be good when they go back to school tomorrow!

Brenda


Friday 19 February 2016

Watching them Grow.

Being a mom is so beautiful.

And complicated.

There are some days when you want to turn back time.


Why do they need to grow up so fast?

But then you realize that watching them grow up is one of the most simplest....most beautiful things of life.

They do things that I could never do.

These little people grow and do amazing things. I'm so very blessed to be here watching it all happen.

Sophie competed on Saturday at the legion in the public speaking contest.  I was nearly sick sitting there watching her....so very nerve wracking for me.  I wanted her to do well....and she did....third place!


Grady made a beautiful trestle table and bench set in his woodworking class last semester at school.  It was on display in the school for a couple of weeks before we got to bring it home and he was featured in the local paper.  I am so very proud of him.


Johanna was been accepted to her top choice for program and college this week!  We are still waiting to hear from the universities before she makes her final decision on where she will be next year.  She is going to take nursing.

Bless my heart.  I'm so very proud of them all.

Brenda

Wednesday 17 February 2016

A Cold Family Day Weekend

When I was out at the mailbox on Friday afternoon I saw the wall of white coming.


It was a snow squall.  And it was bringing cold air.


Very cold air.


Hurts to breathe cold air.


Why do we live here cold air.


Where is Santa because I think I'm at the North Pole cold air.

The winds kicked up on Friday night and the temperature dropped to about minus fifty.

Our house was freezing.  The tractor wouldn't start that had the snow blower attached to it.  The drifts in the laneway were rock hard....so we just drove thru the field instead!  There really wasn't much snow in the field and it was packed hard.  We were good until the neighbours unexpectedly dropped by with some valentines treats....and they came in the lane.

"We've got a problem.  We're stuck in your laneway."

good and stuck.

We shovelled until they could finally drive....out into the field!

I made coconut macaroons for St. Valentine's Day....


By Sunday it was much more bearable....high of -25 maybe.

We went to my Aunt and Uncle's on Calabogie Lake for the Annual Family Day Gathering.

They cleaned off some ice and played hockey.




I took a visit to the ice shack.



The fish weren't biting....but it was just fun to sit and chat with these two....


They are fishin' buddies. 

When it's this cold the holes keep freezing over and you have to go out and break the ice every so often.


Aimy tried out the new ice auger.




Honestly....I spent most of the day in the house.

Brenda

Tuesday 16 February 2016

Square Dancing Achievement Night

The 4-H Square Dancing Achievement Night was on Friday.

Johanna joined the club again this year....she's been in this club for at least the last 6 years...maybe 7.


It might be her last year as we don't know where she will be next year!

The boys didn't want to dance this year.  Something to do with being teenage boys.  They don't like parades either.  What's up with that?  They are missing out on all the fun.

Anyways....the club had over 50 kids...so they did just fine without the boys.


It was a hall full of kids twirling and do se doe ing.


A sight to see.

And then the cloverbuds hit the floor....these are 6 to 8 year olds.



And then the Junior Farmers showed us how it's done.  This group won the provincial sing swing square dancing competition back in November....Johanna is a part of this group.



They were amazing!


And then all the moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas were asked to get up and dance.




I love our 4-H community!

Brenda


Wednesday 10 February 2016

Teeth. Shaun. More cupcakes.

This was my weekend.


Johanna finally pulled it on Sunday night.

She wiggled that tooth all weekend...but we finally convinced her that really it had to go.

And then the tooth fairy came and she thought that that was the easiest cash she had ever made. 

So she got Johanna to pull another tooth the next day.  Only it wasn't super loose....and it bled quite a bit more than the other one. 

She said that she is going to start working on all her teeth.....because the cash is nice.

What a kid.

She wrote a speech for school last week and it's quite good. 

I want to share it with you.

Shaun the Sheep

Shaun was born on a very cold March night.  My mom and my brother Jack had helped Shaun's mom give birth to two babies be for Shaun was born.  Shaun was her third lamb that night.  Shaun was in a set of triplets.  By the time Shaun was born his mom was very tired.  My mom and Jack were very tired too.  Shaun's mom wouldn't even lick him off.  She was too busy looking after her other babies.  Shaun was very cold and very wet.  So my mom brought him into the house.  She dried him off with a towel and made him a cuddly bed.  She made him a special bottle of lamb milk and he drank it all up.  I was so excited when I woke up in the morning and there was a lamb in our house.  He was running all over the house.  Win mom would say she was going to make him a bottle he wud nod his head YES! Sometimes I would get to feed him a bottle.  We put a little lamb coat on him to keep him warm.  We had to feed him bottles all the time.  My mom would get up in the middle of the night to make bottles and feed him.  One night he was running around the kitchen baaaaaing really loud to wake mom up.  After three days we moved him out to the barn.  We had to take the bottles out to him.  He grew so BIG.  He would sometimes sneak out of the barn.  He would come to the door wanting his bottle.  One day I was playing outside with Jack, Johanna and Sophie when I got a big surprise.  Shaun started to chase me and bunt me.  He knocked me over!  He was so strong and he was growing little horns.  We had to put him with the other sheep.


In other news...I made these cupcakes.


Brenda

Thursday 4 February 2016

The Wobbly Cake. The Loose Tooth. The Big Egg.

It's been a week of cake.

I was asked to make this.


It's a wobbly cake.  Actually it's not.  When I was trying to figure out the best way to make it I kept searching online for a wobbly cake.....and I wasn't getting very far.

It's not a wobbly cake. 

It's a topsy turvy cake.  I think.


Anyways I made it.  I struggled a bit with that coloured fondant.  I've got a ways to go when it comes to fondant.  But I'm working on it.


I love how they added the crown to the top!


Then I tried making a cupcake bouquet.  I was thinking of doing pink/red icing for Valentine's.

Bad idea.  It's nearly impossible to get red buttercream icing.  I used the wilton red paste....but all I could get was orange.


It was suggested to leave it overnight and the icing would darken.  That's not going to happen when you have 6 people hovering over you asking if that's a mistake cupcake because it can be eaten....and why in heavens name do you have to take pictures of them??....just let us eat them!


After I posted those on Facebook, I was asked to make some swirly coloured ones.....



In other news Lydia has an extremely loose tooth.  I can't even look at it.

Loose teeth give me the heebie jeebies.

I can handle blood and guts and puke.....but loose teeth?

No thanks.

Johanna tried to get a string around it and pull it but the string came off....and the tooth is still in her head.


Hopefully it will come out tomorrow!

We got a super big egg the other day. 


It was a double yolker.  I feel a little sorry for that girl.

Brenda