Five's a Party

This was the huge rock in my yard at around 1:30 pm today, when it started to snow: and here it is now, at 5 pm: Seriously, it's coming down like it's going out of style, and we've gotten about a foot of snow or better. It's kind of hard to tell, I guess.

Since I am going to be away tomorrow, I'll blog about Samuel today! My nephew Samuel is going to be the ripe old age of five tomorrow!It barely seems like last week when my sister phoned my from South Korea and told me she was expecting. She came back to Canada to have him, so I was able to be there as Samuel came into the world. He was born at on Nov 22, 2003, with Mommy, Daddy, Grandma B and I in the room to great him. He has grown so much, and is always so happy to see me when I visit him. He's is Sr Kindergarten now, and can print his name and knows his letters and numbers. He is a great singer, too! he sang to me on the phone today the song he'll be singing in his sunday school christmas program, and he did a fabulous job! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SAMSAM!!!

A blog I read almost every day, http://inashoe.com/ , is hosting a book giveaway. You should go check it out! (The blog AND the book LOL) It looks like a very interesting book.

My friend Celine at My Life, My Hopes, My Future gave me this award! The Snazzy Blog Award This blog invests and believes the PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time and relationships!These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers! Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award. (Sorry, I don't know of eight bloggers LOL) Here are the bloggers I pass this award onto: 1. Laura at Life's Sweetest Blessings 2. Mashelly at Joyful Homemaker

Kyle and Liam tried out their new skis today, courtesy of the wonderful (can you hear my sarcasm?) snowfall we are STILL enjoying. Liam took to it like a duck to water, but Kyle had a bit more trouble They skied for about a half hour before they got too cold (and tired of falling ha ha) and came in for some pizza and hot chocolate. Wally the wonderdog had a grand time, racing through the snow, tongue out, with a huge smile on his doggy face, if that is possible. It seems he likes the snow! Ryan took out the GT racer and tried to sled a bit, but the land around our home is really quite flat, so he wasn't very successful. He got cold much faster than his brothers due to the fact that he is a tough teenager wanna be and didn't wear his snow pants, mitts, hat, or coat out and missed out on lots of fun as a result. I think maybe next time he'll wear his cold weather gear. I do hope that this snow isn't here to stay, although since it is the middle of November possibilities

2°C Light snow Feels Like -3 Well, not officially. That's December 21st. But the snow doesn't know that! It was raining all day and the rain gradually turned to hail and then snow. It's been snowing a few hours now, and the ground is starting to turn white. I guess maybe we'll have a white Christmas this year again haha. Just as a side note of interest, you know how in the old fashioned movies and stories a white Christmas is usually depicted in England? the truth is that England has only had 7 white christmases in the last 100 years. ( A "white" Christmas is when one snowflake falls on the London Weather Center roof) I like having a white Christmas but the snow can go away the day after that!

Yes, I know it's really early, but it was warm out so I put them up now instead of freezing later. There's lots of burned out bulbs which I'll have to fix, but here's a quick shot of the front of the house!

In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved, and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. — Lt.-Col. John McCrae

I went away for a week! Flew out west to visit my two other sisters, brother, and Mom. I left last Saturday, and arrived in Edmonton late, so I got to where my Mom lives early Sunday morning. She was SO surprised to see me! She didn't know that I was coming, and when she saw me, she just kept staring, as if trying to determine whether I was real or not! So, on Sunday, we got up, went to meeting, and after meeting it was off to the ranch to have lunch and ride horses! My bro Terry and I have been talking about riding horses on the ranch for, oh, about four years, and we finally got to do it! Terry, Jenn and I set out on our horses for a good old western prairie horseback ride. Rebecca doesn't enjoy riding so she didn't come with us. It was a gorgeous ride, rolling golden hills, sun in the west, water sparkling to the right, and then we turned down a tree- lined lane about a mile from the ranch. My horse decided to run away. My bro chased me, and I finally got my horse stoppe