Friday 31 March 2017

This Week....

It's Friday! Again. Already.

The kids were hoping for a snowday today but they didn't get it.  It actually hasn't even started snowing yet....but it was forecasted to be up to 25cm.  Hopefully the storm will completely miss us.  The yard is so incredibly wet and muddy!

They already had a snowday this week!  There was freezing rain early Monday morning and everything was covered in ice so the buses didn't go.  But Sophie had a dentist appointment in Ottawa so we went there....and Lydia came along too....because there was no school anyway.  And they bought bathing suits and some spring clothes....because spring is going to come sometime....right?

There are more lambs.  And there is one lady out there that we have been watching for days and she still hasn't lambed....she is huge.

We put the pails on the trees last week and Terry and the boys have been collecting.  The weather is so ridiculous.  It cold and then it's warm...but they have managed to get some sap.  There is talk of boiling off this weekend.  I need to get to the bush....or I'm going to miss it!

Grady started a new job where he milks in the morning before he goes to school.  So he gets up at 3:30 am or 4:00 am....goes and milks....comes home....goes to school....comes home at noon....and then farms all afternoon....either here or wherever he is needed.  He just never quits and it's all exhausting.  He just has 2 courses to finish up for high school and he will graduate in June.  I'm making sure that the milk clothes are washed....and that he is getting up in the morning.  And Terry is checking cows and sheep thru the night....so basically the alarm goes off every three hours.  There is no sleep happening right now.

I made these cakes last weekend....


This one was for a huge Paw Patrol fan....obviously.



It took me a ridiculous long time to make all those different badges along the bottom cake....and the logo and the name.


And this one was for a Star Wars fan who always used to sign his kids notes from school as Obi Wan Kenobi.  HA.  I never watched Star Wars so I don't even know what I'm talking about.


In other news, I misjudged my footing while coming in the backdoor yesterday morning and I forcefully with all my might slammed my knee into the doorframe.  The pain was excruciating.  The girls heard me whimpering as they were getting ready to go out the door to the bus.  I told them I was fine.  I went back out to do more chores and then I had to come back in...I just couldn't take the pain.  I collapsed on the couch and then the tears started rolling.  Johanna was the only one left in the house....ready to leave for class when she was thinking I would need to go to the hospital.  I told her no.....I would be fine.  Just so much pain but the tears were more about all the work that I still needed to do outside and the pain I would be in to do it!  I am no good with getting hurt or sick...I want to be instantly better....INSTANTLY.  I iced it until it was frozen and took some advil and got moving.  It's badly bruised and I walk with a limp.  And I'm more careful around that doorframe now.  It's nasty.

Brenda


Tuesday 28 March 2017

Sugar and Sweetie and the others

We have another bottle fed lamb.

It was born on Friday.  I was away helping the ladies at a funeral luncheon.  I came home and Terry brought it into the kitchen.  It was cold and it couldn't stand up and it was not quite right.  It had a terrible time sucking.  It still sort of does....it needs help.  But it's coming along.  It was one of a twin and the mom is happy with just the one.  So we are looking after the other.

We called it Sweetie and it's been hanging out with Sugar.  They are great friends.


But Sugar likes the attention.  all the attention.



She is very photogenic.


Is she striking a pose?


Whereas Sweetie is like an old lady in a housecoat....wobbly around.

And Sugar is jumping.  Always jumping.


They crack me up.

We do have other lambs.


But they have their moms looking after them.


They jump all around and it's hard to take photos of them.  But if you whistle really loud they will stop moving and it looks like they are really scared....


Brenda



Monday 20 March 2017

Frozen, Buckhead and Ice Fishing....Cakes!

I've had some fun cake orders in the last few weeks.

This was a "Frozen" themed cake. They had an Elsa figure to set on the top.



This buckhead cake was for Papa's Birthday.  They wanted camo on the sides and the top.




This cake was for a sweet girl that LOVES to go fishing!  I went with the ice fishing theme and made the top half the ice and the fish were swimming around on the bottom cake.  I set the line hoping to catch the big one!




Brenda

Fiddle and Dance

It was a week of fiddle and dance.

The girls performed during the intermission of the annual Irish Play in Pembroke....that was 4 trips to Pembroke!



Family day at the Douglas Tavern is always a lot of fun.  There are so many talented kids in our area and it was their day to shine.  They all had a chance to take the stage on their own and then they had a grand finale where they all danced in the aisles....


And then there were house parties to attend.  Johanna doesn't always get the chance to dance as she is usually fiddling but at this party there was another fiddler...


It was a very busy full week.

And Sugar has been moved out of the basement!  Woot woot! She is snug and warm in the horse stable.  We are feeding her a bottle 4 times a day and she is growing.

Brenda

Thursday 16 March 2017

A Trip to the City and Sweet Sugar

I made a quick decision on Sunday night. I told Sophie and Lydia that we would go into Ottawa the next day and go to the Museum of Nature.  They were excited.

This is out of my comfort zone.  The city.

When we were getting ready the next morning, Jack came in the house to tell me that there was a lambing coming out there.  It was so cold out.

But the girls were looking forward to their day out and I knew that Jack could handle it.

I left the hairdryer, bag of powdered colostrum, and the bottle on the table.  and left.

By the time we got the museum it was 10am and the rest of the city was already inside.  All parking lots were full.

I drove around the building a couple of times.  I knew that if I veered off and went down a different street I would never find my way back....all those one way streets...and I have no sense of direction.

I pulled over at the drop off/pick up and called Terry.  As if he could help me.  I was actually starting to sort of panic.  The city is not my place.  He had little advice for me.  The girls told me that they would just go ahead in and I could sit out at the drop off/pick up.  Ummmm. no.  That wasn't the answer.

I told them that I would drive around one more time.  And on the street there it was....a parking space.  I would need to parallel park....I haven't done that since my driving test when I was 16.  and it was on a one way street and I needed to park on the opposite side.  I had it in my head that I was going to do this.  I tried and then tried again.  And then I asked Sophie to get out on the street and help me.

She did.  We did it.  Together.  And there were cheers. 

MOM YOU DID IT!!  YOU DID IT!!  WOOOOHOOO!!

All of downtown Ottawa knew that we had arrived.

We went into the madness of the museum.  What a crowd.  And they loved it.


And then we went for Swiss Chalet chicken dinners for lunch. 

And then we went to Ikea and rode the escalator.....and they loved it.

And when we got home there was a lamb in the kitchen.

Twins had arrived and one was good but this one in the kitchen was not so good.  It didn't quite suck right when it took the bottle....but it was drinking.  They had taken it out to its mom but it wasn't working out.

The next morning, Jack brought it in and I fed it and he took it back out to be with its mom.

But when I checked on them the situation was not good.  She was not liking that lamb.  She had completely rejected it and was head bunting it against the wall.  She was being so mean.

I brought it in the house and named it Sugar.  And we gave it love.

Johanna had been away at school all day and missed the part about having a lamb in the house.  We were out at Irish Trivia...because it's Irish week.....when she came home.....and I got this message...


I think she will make a great nurse!

So Sugar is doing well....and hopefully the weather will warm up soon and she can be moved outside.  But for now she is hanging out in the basement....and being treated like a puppy.  She doesn't even baaaa any more....she knows that she will be looked after.


She is so spoiled!




Brenda


Wednesday 15 March 2017

St. Patrick's Parade 2017

We paraded!

Terry decided he was well enough to drive the truck.  But I didn't let the girls out to sit on the float....it was a freeze your face off I can't feel my fingers kind of day.  and it was windy.  too windy.

So we paraded from inside the truck with the big barrel on the back of the wagon.

Lots of folks paraded from the floats.  And lots of folks stood out and watched the parade.

They all froze.

We were snug and warm in the truck....you can even see the barrel in the back!


There were floats of all kinds.  transports. tractors. cars. trucks. horses. huge pieces of specialty farm equipment.

It was grand.

It was quite a job getting us all lined up.....there were about 130 floats....






The girls considered riding on the back....but the backseat of the truck was so much warmer!


This float was my favourite.  Best ever.



Even the big news team from the city came.  Their story is here.

Brenda

Friday 10 March 2017

It's all a blurrrrr....

What a week.

The kids had 2 snowdays....Monday and Tuesday!  It was so icy on Tuesday we couldn't let the cattle out of the barn until about noon.....or they would have all had broken legs!  I was out actually crawling on my hands and knees getting to where I needed to be.  It was scary dangerous. 

And then it melted.

Lydia was sick this week so she only went to school on Thursday.  Today is Friday and it was a holiday of some kind....I'm not sure....but now it's the March Break.

Terry has a respiratory flu.  I thought it was pneumonia but after the 5 hour wait at the ER, the x-rays said no.  I really hope I don't get it.......

This sweet girl had a birthday this week and it just happened to be on dance night.  The girls are getting their routine together to entertain at the Irish Play again this year.



Cousins are special.

It was the last week of Little Rock Curling and I remembered to take my camera!





Sweep!


They had a good year.

The farmhouse has a new kitchen!  Our carpenter left on Thursday afternoon and guests arrived Friday afternoon.  I went into a cleaning frenzy to have it ready!  It really is a huge update but I have no photos because I had no time and my phone was dead.  I still have to paint the trim and tile the ceiling.....but the guests don't seem to mind!  They are here for the parade.

It's the St. Patrick's Day Parade in Douglas tomorrow!  It's suppose to be the biggest and best parade ever as we are also celebrating Canada's 150th Birthday.  I painted up this barrel for our float. 


But it's going to be minus freezing I can't feel my face outside tomorrow so I don't know if we will even go!  And Terry is still sick.  He suggested I take the truck and wagon and go.  But I think I would probably hit something.  We will see.

It's been a blur of a week.  Jack mentioned on Wednesday night that he had signed me up for a parent teacher interview at 4:45pm....for that night....and told me that one teacher said she would be calling if your parent doesn't show up!  I said well I guess she'll have to call because it's 5:45pm right now.  Thanks Jack.  I felt like a twit.  I always go to parent teacher interviews!  But she hasn't called....

I made more of these today.


I'm really quite obsessed with chrysanthemums.

Brenda

Monday 6 March 2017

Paint Nite, Curling and Chrysanthemums

It's Monday!  It's another snowday!

We were surprised the smorning when we found out the buses were cancelled.  There was a freezing rain warning in effect....but it wasn't doing anything outside.  It didn't start until 3pm...and by that time the kids would have been home.  Oh well...I enjoy having them here with me!

It was a busy weekend.  I went to my first 'Paint Nite'.  Good times with friends.  Lots of laughs...lots of fun....money went to a good cause.  But seriously....does anyone actually hang up their painting on a wall that they made at Paint Nite?  I certainly won't be.  The girls analyzed it the next morning...is this water?...what is this?  I DON'T KNOW!  IT'S JUST A VERY UGLY PAINTING!

Sophie and Lydia had their Little Rocks Family Bonspiel on Saturday.  They are nearly done their season of curling.  They are so good at sweeping and throwing those rocks.  At the Family Bonspiel they invite all the parents to have a game on the ice with the kids.  I am no good at sweeping or throwing those rocks. I was concentrating on not falling the whole time!  They were so very supportive....'Good try Mom'....over and over.

So I failed at the painting and the curling but managed to do something right.

I bought a new decorating tip....wilton #81....and I made chrysanthemums!







Brenda