Friday 28 April 2017

A Profile and More Cakes!

It's been such a busy week!

Our internet connection has been crap lately.  It's nearly impossible to do anything online.

Johanna has been writing exams....she has her last one today!  There have been diagrams of brains and eyeballs and muscular systems all over the kitchen table.  Hard to believe that she is already done her first year of nursing.

I was honoured to be profiled by the Ag Women's Network. The post is here.

It was so gloomy and cloudy at the beginning of the week but now the sun has returned....the grass is getting really green....the clothes are drying nicely on the line....and it's starting to feel warm.  And that's so very good.
 
It's time for 1st Communions, bridal showers and summer parties....








Brenda

Tuesday 18 April 2017

Leftovers with Pancakes.

You know sometimes when you really don't feel like making supper.  And there are leftovers that need to be eaten.  But you just aren't sure if there are enough leftovers for seven people.

But maybe someone would just say that they would have an egg.....because there are always lots of eggs!


And seriously....I would just eat toast and peanut butter.

And after you announce that actually there is no supper when they keep asking what's for supper....


Lydia says that she would really like a pancake.....because who would not want a pancake with all this maple syrup hanging around.


So yes...pancakes can happen...along with the leftovers.  And suddenly....it is decided that we have a restaurant going on.  Because there were options.  We needed a menu.


It's all pretty funny because it's just leftovers with pancakes.  But it's restaurant quality when there are options.  Because there usually aren't options.  And restaurants are fun.


So she took peoples orders.  And the pancakes were eaten and the leftovers too!

I made those cakes on the weekend. 

And we showed them these....


They aren't top secret anymore!

Another set of twin lambs this afternoon....and yes...they sucked!

Brenda

Monday 17 April 2017

Hoppy Easter!

What a great weekend!

We got the rest of the sap boiled and bottled.  I never did make it to the bush.  I felt guilty about getting no photos so I stood outside the front door...in between decorating cakes and took this...


Waiting on sap to get to temperature is a very loooonnnnggg process...


Jack was fencing...


There were several new sets of twin lambs and even a set of twin calves!  They all sucked so it was good.  very very good.

The last few days all I've heard is....did it suck?  Did they suck?

A set of twin lambs was born just before I went to bed one night and when I told Jack the next morning......he just said....Did they suck?  Of course they sucked.  I made sure they had sucked before I went to bed!

When they all suck it's fabulous. 

We dyed the eggs.....I had to buy some white ones!




And decorated the house.


And got all dressed up for the Easter Vigil.  I love the candles and singing at the vigil. 

And found all the eggs that the Easter Bunny left.



Ummmm....this isn't such a great photo....lots of eggs on the stairs....


And we overdosed on chocolate.

And we celebrated with family and food.

And chips...these bags crack me up!


Hope you had a Hoppy Easter too!

Brenda

Wednesday 12 April 2017

More Cakes...

I've been baking!

A hockey cake...


Those nets gave me quite a bit of grief.


A pretty pink birthday cake....




And a retirement cake....


I had some fun with this one.  The girls have hiking boots for one of their dolls and I borrowed them to make the footprints.


Another set of twin lambs last night!

Brenda

Tuesday 11 April 2017

Snow, Sap, Kittens and a Nail.

It poured rain last Thursday and it changed over to snow during the night and they had a snowday on Friday.

A snowday in April.  There was a lot of snow.  It snowed all morning.


So Jack got an old bottle of maple syrup and made it into taffy....out in the garage. 

Because when it snows in April you just gotta make the best of it.

Only the cat walked across the tray of snow just before he poured the taffy out.  So that made us all really mad.

We were trying to make the best of a very difficult day and that cat was not helping. 

We ate the part that the cat hadn't walked on.

Because it was amazing taffy.  and it was snowing.

By Sunday the weather had all changed and the snow was melted and it was beautiful.  I told the girls to go outside and play.

Twenty minutes later, they come in the door and Sophie says

MOM I THINK I STEPPED ON A NAIL.

She tore off her rubber boot and her sock and the blood was running.

Right from the center of her foot.  Yes.  A big nail hole indeed.

I took her to emerg....there are no clinics....emerg is our only option here.

The sign said a two hour wait but there was no one in the waiting room and the triage nurse said don't mind the sign....you will be seen right away.  She put us in our own little room.

We sat there for 10 minutes and then there was lots of rushing around.  Nurses getting supplies and blankets.  And I saw an ambulance attendant in the hall.

We would not be seen right away.

Sophie started telling me about all the Mr. Bean episodes she had watched....telling me great detail about the hospital episode.  She is a very funny girl.  I could visualize it all.  We were laughing.

We had been there for well over an hour when Terry texted me with a 'Should I put that chicken in the fridge?'

I had left a meat bird in a pail of cold water, thawing for our supper.  I texted back that it would be much better in the oven.  He responded with a HOW?

And I gave him simple step by step instructions of how to get that chicken into the oven.  Twenty years of marriage and he lets on that he can only cook eggs!

We waited over two hours....the triage nurse stopped in to apologize to us when she was leaving for the day.  I told her that I completely understood....we were in an emergency room....and there was an emergency!  No worries.

We finally saw the doctor.  Then went to get the prescription for the antibiotic....and picked her up a new pair of rubber boots.  That's what she was stressing the most about....the hole in her boot!

And we came home to a delicious roasted chicken with potatoes boiling on the stove.

YYYYYEEESSSSSS!!  That made my day.

Rosie had her twins on Saturday.  They have really black ears.



Jack found these in the barn.



We didn't tell the girls that they are there.  It's top secret.

And the maple syrup season is wrapping up.  I didn't even manage to get over to the bush.  I can actually see some of the pails on the trees from the kitchen window.  The boys put on the taps this year....and they have been doing all the collecting.  Terry has been boiling off....Jack helping him.  I have been washing the filter and bottles and filling them.  The sweet smell just makes my head spin.

If a stranger happened to visit yesterday, they would think that we have a serious drinking problem as the counter and table were covered in liquor bottles all filled with syrup.  We give lots of it away to friends and neighbours.

And we had buttermilk pancakes and bacon for supper last night....because that syrup needed to be tested!  So sweet.

Brenda


Thursday 6 April 2017

My Family Ring

We will be married 20 years this spring!

20 YEARS.

I'm not much for jewellery.  I remember Terry buying me a pair of gold earrings when we were dating...and I wasn't too excited about them.  He bought the engagement ring and that was it for jewellery.  He knew there was no point in buying it....I'd never wear it.

But I remember the family ring that my Grandmother once wore.  All those little colours of jewels all together in a ring.  I loved it.

I started looking for a family ring a couple of years ago....and I saw one on Etsy but I really didn't have a reason to splurge on a ring.  And then this winter I asked Terry about getting one as we were having a special anniversary this year. 

He told me I could buy whatever I wanted.  And I think he was a little shocked that it was a piece of jewellery!

I absolutely love it!


It's actually 7 rings all stacked together.




I can wear it so many different ways....we have 2 December's and 2 July's in our family.  I can use the thicker December band as either Terry's or Jack's.  I can wear it as a mother's ring with my stone and the kids'.


Or their 5 stones without mine.


Or a couples ring......is there such a thing?  I might have made that up...


Or just my own birthstone alone.


I bought it at this Etsy shop.  Sheri was so excellent to work with.  I picked out all my own bands and stones....she has quite a lot to choose from.  I was worried about it not fitting quite right as we never actually met....I ordered it all online.  But the fit is perfect!

She took a photo before she shipped it off to me....


Thank you Sheri!

And thank you to my sister-in-law, Aimy!  She took all those photos of my hand....that was quite a session.  I'm not a hand model!

Brenda

Wednesday 5 April 2017

Jack's Late for School...and the Triplets.

The kids were all getting ready for school this morning when Terry came in the door and told Jack that his heifer was calving out there and it looked like she needed some help.

Terry told him not to worry....he would get me to help out if needed.

But Jack promptly went upstairs...changed into his barn clothes and headed outside.

He wasn't going to school with his heifer calving. 

They had to pull it and all was well. 

I drove him to school.  He was about 10 minutes late.  I didn't know that I was suppose to sign him in.  I just drove away.

The secretary said that she would need a note or to speak to a parent so he called Terry....knowing that I was driving and I wouldn't answer my phone.  He just handed his phone to the secretary...so she could talk to Terry.

When she got off the phone, she gave Jack a pat on the back and told him that he wouldn't need a note next time....he's an exception....he's a farmer!

I headed to the barn when I got home to see this new little one.




And there were a few others sleeping in the straw.



We have lots of calves now.  There are some out in the yard that I watch as I do the dishes.  They run and run and play all day.

Then I went to check out those triplets.


They were busy running and playing and eating.


That mom's got her hands full.


And then finally they decided to have a rest.


Brenda