Holidays

Ahhhh today is my last day of work for a week....another week of holidays.  Not much is planned for our holidays....just more work on the house.....our deadline for the Energuide final assessment is only 3 weeks away.  I must say our house looks so much more different than it did 2 years ago, it barely looks like the same place anymore.  One of my goals is next week is to go through and sort all the before, during and after pictures of our renovations so I can post some photos for you to see.  I think I will start with the outside of the house and then move to the inside reno's.

The highlight of our holidays will be the weekend houseboat trip that we have planned on Tobin Lake.  We have a 12 man boat with a 8 person hot tub on the roof and a slide into the lake off the back.....oh the fun it will be.  Packing my blender as they have a power inverter on board so frozen cocktails it will be....yep I can see Sandra and I sitting in the hot tub with frozen Margaretta's and Pina Coloda's --- yum yum yummy!  Besides relaxing in the hot tub I do intend to do some fishing as I have a score to settle with a fish from last year....don't know what it was but it was the biggest fish I have ever had on my line...after about 30 minutes or so of fighting that fish....well he won that battle and made off with hook and my line.  My upper arms were sore for a couple of days.   So I am hoping to settle the score and land me the big one!

My kids are really excited for the trip....the last time Michael and Brittany were on a houseboat was back in 1990 when we went to Cranberry Portage with my Aunt Glenda and Uncle Bill.  Michael would have been 4 years old and Brittany was about 6 months old.  Michael caught his very first fish that trip....he got so excited that he threw the rod in the water....lucky for him Candice was right there and was able to scoop his rod out of the water.....I think it was Uncle Bill who helped Michael reel his fish in....Michael was having nothing to do with touching the fish let alone hold it up for a picture....he stood on the other side of Uncle Bill away from the fish.....good memories of that trip!  Wish my Aunt and Uncle were here to come on another houseboat trip with us.

Midlife Crisis - - - Think Not!

Now that my husband has noticed, I can tell you what my daughter Meagan and I did last week together.  Appointment was made at Hole In One for both us to have our noses pierced.  That's right I got my nose pierced or poked as my daughter put.  We both got tiny diamonds (well not real ones) but just as nice.

This was my birthday present to Meagan.  I have wanted to do this since 2003 when I seen a flight attendant on WestJet with a tiny diamond in her nose.  I thought it looked so classy...I instantly wanted one.  Well I kept putting it off until now.  Many think I am going through a mid-life crisis because I pierced my nose and want to get a tattoo.  I have thought about both these ventures for a long time now, main reason is they are there for life and I want to make sure that I am making the right choice as I don't want to regret it later.

Friday night came and went and not a word from my hubby about my new piece of jewelry.  I had decided not to say a word as I wanted to see how long it would take him to notice.  Well by late Saturday night, curiosity got the best of me and I couldn't keep my mouth shut.  So I said to my darling hubby are you really that unobservant - his reply was no I noticed your nose piercing yesterday when I got home.  Asked him why he didn't say anything and said I don't know just didn't....he said it looks nice...not what he would want for himself (a piercing anywhere) but thought it looked good on me. 

Then I told him I plan to get a tattoo on my right calf.  He then told me why he doesn't want a tattoo for himself...it goes back to the time of the Holocaust.  Al's ancestors are from the area of Galatia in the Ukraine which was under many different rules in its day because of the boarders changing.  Anyways there is a very strong probability that some of his ancestors were taken to the concentration camps and executed in the gas chambers.  As history tells us each and every person taken to the concentration camps were tattooed with with a number, hence his reason for not wanting a tattoo of any kind.  He supports my decision to get a tattoo, just like he supported our daughter's decision to get a tattoo.

Web of Diamonds

When it is foggy outside we always focus on the things that we cannot see like the end of the drive way or the house down the road; but what about the things that we can see.  The things that we don't normally see on a day to day basis.  Yesterday morning as I was leaving the house a little voice told me "take your camera with you".  Well I decided to listen to this little voice, and I am sure glad I did.

As I was driving down the grid road from my house I noticed spiderwebs like I had never seen before.  Not just a couple of them but dozens of them, in the trees, the grasses and the wildflowers.  Oh how I wish I didn't have to go to work this morning.  I could have spent a couple of hours or so just driving around the countryside taking pictures.  It was almost as if these were spun just for my enjoyment.  

 I was able to capture a cluster of the spider webs here!

Each string on the web was covered with morning dew drops...looked so beautiful.....there were large one and small ones and some in-between ones.  These beauties glistened as the sun rays drifted through the fog catching the dew on the webs.  They looked like pure silk with diamonds woven in the threads.  What an awesome opportunity for getting some amazing photos.  The spiders were sure busy the night before.

 

 

 

It is amazing how each drop of dew forms its own little bead shimmering in the morning sun rays.  I feel truly blessed that I was able to enjoy the beauty of Mother Nature's webbed ornaments yesterday morning.  Each web intricately spun with care and admiration a perfect place for dew drops to settle.

This morning as I was driving into work I looked and not one spider web could be seen.

Kelly Winnell - Candy to Celebrate

Kellie has posted a very generous helping of calorie free candy.  Click HERE to go to Kellie's blog. 

You have until August 16, 2010 to enter for your chance to win this awesome and very generous candy! 
Good luck everyone!

Pepper Nachos

6 cups tortilla or nacho chips

2 cups grated Monerey Jack or Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/2 - 3/4 cup Bicks's Hot Pepper Relish

relish

sour cream
salsa

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Place tortilla chips in single layer in large baking pan or cookie sheet with sides. Sprinkle cheese over chips and scatter small spoonfuls of relish on top.
3. Bake in preheated oven, 7 minutes, or until hot.

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

Note:  For an extra spicy dip, mix equal parts sour cream and Bick’s Hot Pepper Relish.

Makes: approximately 6 servings
 

Deadliest Catch

Last night I watched the episode of Deadliest Catch (one of our favorite shows) on Discovery Channel where Captain Phil Harris passed away.  I knew what was going to happen on this episode as I had read about in the Discovery Channel website but still by the end of the show tears were flowing.  So many things with Captain Phil and his sons reminded me of me and my dad taking those memories back to Dec 2007 when he had his TIA and I wasn't sure if he would ever come home at first.  I feel for what these boys went through back in January/February of this year and for what they are going through now.  They are old enough to be my own sons and they lost their father and friend far to early and I would not want to watch my own children feel that kind of pain at a young age.  They lost their dad February 9, 2010 and many of the fans of the show are only now finding out about the loss for the Harris family and for the family of the Cornelia Marie fishing vessel.

It is hard to loose your parent, even though it is inevitable and can't be stopped we are never really ready for that day, no matter how much we tell ourselves we are.  Here it is just over 2 years since I lost my dad and I am still struggling with that loss as not only did I loose my father but also a best friend.  I guess you could say I got a double dose of sadness watching the show as I started thinking about my dad and how much I miss and wish that just one more time I could tell him I love him. 

Rest in peace Captain Phil Harris!

Farewell Ronnie Bononnie

Thursday July 15, 2010 58 (both past and present) staff from Ministry of Environment Forest Service gathered to wish Ronnie Bononnie (as he was called by a former Executive Director of the branch) farewell.  As we entered the hall Val was there to gather our money for the supper catered by Lone Wolf....it was very very good, of course I ate too much!

 

Ron visiting with the well wishers.

 

Andrea welcomed everyone to Ron's Retirement Banquet, shared a few stories of the days when her and Ron's offices were across from each other.  Read well wishes from those that were unable to attend.

 

Barb brought back many memories from past branch and off site unit meetings.  Where fun was never far behind, especially for Ron! One could say that leaves, balloons and toilet paper had a liking for Ron.

 

Gifts were given!

 

 

The "Mediocre's" gave a musical tribute.

 

A special presentation was arranged.

 

Baaaadd To The Bone!

This little cutie was so excited to see Ron with a bottle of milk that he piddled on the floor.

It was time to meet up with friends both past and present but most of all to wish our dear college Ron Berezowsky the best for his retirement.  He will be missed by many here in the office.The evening was enjoyed by all.  Lots of laughs and reminiscing about past events - branch and unit meetings, special projects at work.

Endorphins

Yesterday evening along with approximately 60 other co-workers both past and present we gathered to celebrate the career of our college Ron Berezowsky.  Ron worked with Forestry for 33 years I do believe.  Many kind words were spoken about Ron, many stories were told some that I had heard before and some new ones.  Ron had many kind words in return for his co-workers as well. 

At some point in his career Ron developed a liking to "SHEEP"....that's right you read it right - sheep!  Some say this was from his days working with the Grazing program some say it started after a trip to New Zealand.  I my self think New Zealand was a big part of this new found liking.  At every branch meeting "sheep" found their way into Ron's presentations from introducing new staff that recently joined the branch to giving an update on what his unit was working on.  Even at other retirement functions sheep were sure to find their way into the evening....so now we couldn't say farewell to our friend without keeping up with the tradition of --SHEEP-- for Ron this was not ordinary sheep presentation; the organizers arranged for a baby lamb to be brought in as part of the festivities for the evening.  This little fella was so excited to see Ron that he piddled on the floor.  Ron was able to feed this little guy a bottle of milk which the little lamb loved.  It was the perfect way to wrap Ron's time with us.  I do have pictures of Ron and the little guy but last night by the time I got home and packed my lunch for today I was too tired to take them off the camera.  I will post some photos from the retirement later this weekend.  The lamb was absolutely adorable.

In Ron's response to the email messages from past Forest Service Directors that were unable to be in attendance, from the open Mike and from the messages delivered by Andrea (the MC) on behalf of the branch he spoke about endorphins.  Ron spoke about how a simple "Good Morning" was a build up of endorphins and when the "Good Morning" was reciprocated it was like a double double from Tim Horton's - twice as good and twice the endorphins.  I had never thought much about a morning greeting being like that but this morning I was more aware of those endorphins and Ron was right.  As I was walking into the office, the security guard met me at the door and held it open for me (not a usual practice either, timing was good on my part) and we exchanged "Good Morning's" and that felt good along with a small bantering back and forth...by the time I reached the stair well I felt really good inside, like a light was shining brighter inside me.  I thought it must be those endorphins Ron spoke about last night.  Something that happens on a daily basis but is often taken for granted more often than not.  Those first greetings in the morning can set the tone for your entire day.  I have never thought of those simple greeting as something that raised your endorphin levels....until now.

First Time

Yesterday was the first evening that I was able to do dishes in my new kitchen. No more having to haul hot water to the sink outside or chasing the cat out of the sink...yes our cat likes the sink for some unknown reason to us or having to worry about the weather.

There are still a few things that need to be done like getting the kick plate installed and the filler pieces one above the fridge and one beside the pantry and getting the soft close added to all the doors and getting the glass for our feature cabinet.....for the most part my kitchen is fully functional.  Now I have the task of wiping out each cupboard and drawer then deciding what will go where. My biggest fear is, that I now have more cupboard space than I did before and I am scared that with empty space junk will gather.

Once I get things a bit more settled and that the final items are installed I will post before, during and after photos for you all to see.

They're Here......

After waiting nearly 8 weeks my kitchen cabinets arrived this morning...in fact they were just delivered.  OMG did we ever order a lot of cupboards.  The kitchen is full and the dining room is half full with the cabinets.


Get ready for it....Ready.....


....here it is a sneak preview of what is to come......yes some pictures...nothing special just my kitchen cabinets wrapped in cardboard.

Here is the sneak peek of our kitchen and the boxes of cabinets

Here is a sneak peek of our dining room with more boxes of cabinets.

They are being stalled now as I type this......should have my kitchen back in a couple of days.  There are a couple of snags with the plug for the microwave needing to be moved up and the plug for the stove needs to be moved over as it is currently where the inside of a cabinet is going to be.   Minor issues that are easily solved. 

I can hardly wait for them to be installed....will be so nice to have my kitchen back.

Much Needed Rest

Last night (Wednesday) marked the end of the painting in my kitchen, dining room and entrance way.  Thanks to Brenda and Jack, friends of ours who came out and helped finish the painting.   It was nice to have someone tall get into the areas that us "vertically challenged" cannot reach - thanks Jack.  I must say it looks really nice....all the colors look great together....the main walls are a brown shade called Ranchwood, kitchen and dining room feature walls are Kensington Blue - in between Royal Blue and Navy Blue and the entrance way is Oxford Grey which is a blue grey. 

Last night I was exhausted...I don't want to pick up another paint brush for a while...but alas our living room still needs to be painted but that can be done wall by wall so I don't have to try and move everything out of there.  I don't have to start it right away, but I have a feeling I am going to want to start painting sooner than later just so it flows nicely from the kitchen to the living room.  Yep I think I spent more time up the ladder than I did on the floor the last couple of days...but it was all worth it.

So tonight I get to sit back and relax....do up the dishes...watch a little tv, maybe a movie.....

My cupboards are being delivered tomorrow morning and the installer is coming in the afternoon to start the installation.

Breakfast Sticks To Go

2 cups (500 mL) ROBIN HOOD® All Purpose Whole Wheat Flour
2 1/2 tsp (12 mL) baking powder
1/2 tsp (2 mL) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
1/3 cup (75 mL) butter
1 1/2 cups (375 mL) cheddar cheese, grated
6 slices (6 slices) bacon, cooked crisp and diced
1 tbsp (15 mL) green onion, chopped
1 cup (250 mL) low fat plain yogurt

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in mixing bowl. cut in butter with pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in cheese, bacon and green onion. Mix well. Add yogourt all at once to dry ingredients, stirring to moisten.

Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead 10 - 15 times to form a smooth dough; mixture will be crumbly at first and comes together when kneaded. Roll out or pat to an 8" (20 cm) square.
Cut in half lengthwise, then cut each half into 6 rectangles. Place on ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 450ºF (230ºC) for 10 - 15 minutes, or until golden.
Serve warm.

Makes 12

Flooring & More

The guys from Tash's are here laying down the flooring.  I am so excited to see the finished product....it will be so nice to have a finished floor in my kitchen.  Yes I am excited...only wish my husband was home tonight...we could dance on our new flooring just for the fun of it.....with the new flooring down and nothing else in the kitchen it would be like a big ole dance floor. 


Tomorrow my cupboards will be delivered.....and Thursday and Friday they guy is coming to install the cupboards.  So I am thinking that Saturday will be a shopping day for a new sink, taps and possibly new over the range microwave and light fixtures.  Decisions decisions.......what to pick, will it look good...will it match.....

We started this project May 25th and now it is all starting to fall together....just over a month later.

Kitchen Update

We had a busy long weekend here.  Started out by moving our daughter into her house on Wednesday evening and Thursday.  Friday we got the primer on the walls and ceiling then Saturday Al and I were off to Saskatoon to look at a basement suite for Meagan.  We did secure the suite, she is very very close to the University...maybe a 10 minute walk.  We have a clear plan of what we are doing for lighting in the kitchen and dining room.  When we got home late Saturday afternoon we got the first coat of paint on the ceiling.  Sunday started out with my friend Lois coming out with coffee in hand (what a sweet heart she is).  Al put the last coat on the ceiling while Lois and I got the basement steps and the stair well ready for paint.  Between the 3 of us we got the main walls, both feature walls in the kitchen and dining room painted as well as the entrance way painted.  WOW does it look nice.  Now I am sitting and waiting for guys to come install the flooring.  It is starting to come together nicely.  I am very excited for this to all be finished.

Blog Candy to launch Wild Orchid Challenge Blog

Wild Orchid Crafts are starting a Challenge Blog, their first challenge starts on Monday July 12, 2010.  Be sure to check their challenge blog Wild Orchid Challenge on July 12th to see what the first challenge is.  The challenges will all be based around using embellishments on your cards, so you don’t have to be a stamper to take part.

To launch their challenge blog Paul and Siri of Wild Orchid Crafts have gone beyond their usual generosity and have provided this uberlicious candy!

To enter for your chance to win this awesome candy click HERE to go to the Wild Orchid Challenge: Blog Candy.

Happy Birthday

My youngest daughter turned 19 the other day!  When I seen this Willow Dancing stamp from Wiff of Joy...I knew I had to had have it for Meagan's card.

Papers are from my stash.  Fiber ribbon is eyelash yarn in pinks, purples, blues and yellows.   Stones on the necklace and bracelet are rhinestones from my stash.  I made the card simple as I didn't want to take away from the stamped image.  

Willow is colored with Copics sorry I forgot to write down the colors.  I added Smooch Illuminate to her shoes and purse to add some bling. I am really happy with how beautiful she turned out and how nice the card turned out.

Sweet Tilda

I had the chance to do a bit stamping on Wednesday evening.  Sweet Tilda stamp is one of my favorite Magnolia stamps.  Sweet Tilda is available from Magnolia-licious. I colored my Tilda with Copic's, I forgot to make note of the colors that I used for her dress.  Her skin is in E000, E00, E11 and R20.  Her hair is in YR23, Y23, E35 and E49.  These markers are wonderful to work with, they are alcohol based which makes them perfect for layering and blending.  This is my first stamped imaged colored completely in Copic, definitely will be coloring more with just Copics.  I coated her shoes in Diamond Glaze to give them the back patent look (I used to have as a kid) and I used Frosted Lace Stickles on the lace trim on her dress and hair bows.

Once our home renovations are wrapped up I will have more time to put this cute image on a card.

Tilda With Rose

About three weeks back I followed a tutorial on coloring with PrismaColored Pencils.  I really enjoyed coloring this sweet Magnolia stamped image.  If you would like to try this method of coloring your stamped images click HERE to go to Moni's tutorial.

 Here is a picture of my attempt at coloring an image completely with  PrismaColor Pencils.  I used the same colors that Moni uses in her tutorial.  The wings and lace trim are in Crystal Stickles.  I really like how well Tilda turned out.

You can buy Tilda with Rose along with many other Magnolia stamps at Magnolia-licious.

Happy Birthday Canada

Happy Canada Day!  

 

Canada was established as a self governing country July 1st, 1867.

  Canada dates back to 1535, when Jacques Cartier first discovered it. However, even before that Canada was inhabited by the Aboriginals. They called it Kanata, hence the name Canada.
Canada celebrates its 143 birthday this Canada Day!

From the Atlantic to the Pacific celebrations will be taking place to celebrate our beautiful country!

She's Moved Out!

Brittany picked up the keys to her house at lunch time today.  She is so excited and a bit anxious.  After work she grabbed some boxes, then her and Ron came out to our place to pack up her things.  By the time I got home Al had the Yukon half packed with stuff, Brittany and Ron were packing up stuff from her bedroom here.  Once we had supper we all took off into town to unload things.   I hadn't seen her house until tonight....it is a nice little house.  It is the perfect size for her and Ron.....only thing is we can't get her bed up the stairs as the header is about 2 inches too low.  So for now they have the bed set up in the living room as they don't have their couch and love seat in yet.  Al is figuring out how to get their bed up the stairs.  The colors of the house or really nice..the bedrooms upstairs are light browns almost a taupey brown...the wall going up the stairs is a really nice red and there is green in the kitchen.  A vcery nice houe that is for sure.