Five's a Party

After reading about my friend Laura's detergent making adventures over at Life's Sweetest Blessings , I thought I'd give it a go. I looked all over the place for washing soda, but Hubs finally found it in a small grocery store in a small town. Go figure! The recipe is on Laura's blog, here , and I hope she doesn't mind if I just copy and paste it here! Ingredients: sm. bar of Ivory or Sunlight Soap 1/2 cup Washing Soda 1 cup Borax Method: 1. Shave soap into slivers 2. Put in saucepan with 5 cups water bring just to a boil, stir until all is melted 3. Pour 3 gallons hot water into a 5 gallon container 4. Pour melted soap mixture into 5 gallon container, stir well 5. Add 1/2 cup washing soda, stir until dissolved 6. Add 1 cup Borax, stir until dissolved 7. Let stand overnight, will gel when cool. Will be lumpy and watery 8. Use 1/2 cup per load Here are the pictures of my own detergent making adventure! The ingredients: Shave the soap: Here is the soap starting to wa...

Yesterday, I got my boys bundled up and out the door to catch the schoolbus at their regular time. Then, I threw in a load of laundry and went back out to the living room to watch the boys until they got on the bus. They were gone : no sign of them! I knew that the bus wasn't due for at least 7 or 8 more minutes, so I thought they had just left the bus stop and were playing around back, so I called them, and no answer. Then, I noticed that the neighbour, who has a child in Junior Kindergarten, was in her van at the end of her driveway where she sits and waits with her son for the bus. I started to get a bit worried! no boys, and all signs pointing to the bus not having come yet! I phoned my husband at work, and he being the voice of reason, said to call the school. I didn't, but I did watch the neighbour lady until she backed up her driveway and no bus came. It turns out that the bus will be coming 5 mins earlier each morning, and they didn't tell anyone. I am glad I read t...

In case you have no clue who that is, Robbie Burns was a Scottish poet. He was born in the lowlands January 25, 1759 (250 years ago) and wrote many poems about his country. Every year, January 25 is considered Robbie Burns day, and there are celebrations where a great haggis is made, and carried in on a platter, following a piper, to the cheers of whomever happens to be in the room. ( Most people I know, would however, groan if they had to eat haggis haha) So, in my small way of celebrating the day, here is Robert Burns' "Address to a Haggis" Address To A Haggis Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm. The groaning trencher there ye fill, hurdies like a distant hill, pin wad help to mend a mill In time o' need, While thro' your pores the dews distil Like amber bead. His knife see rustic Labour dight, An' cut you...

Pumpkin is no longer a man cat. He's now a eunich rofl Poor guy went in yesterday for his little operation. He came home kind of groggy and wobbly, and stayed in the carrier for awhile before coming out to greet his worried friend Wally. Wally had been moping around all day looking for Pumpkin, and was overjoyed to see his friend! Pumpkin is better today, but he just wants to relax, and Wally won't let him! Wally wants to play!

I feel compelled today, to blog about the "no God" campaign that is in the news right now. It makes me sad that a woman in England felt the need to tell people "There probably is no God, so stop worrying and enjoy your life". I feel so heartbroken for someone who doesn't believe in ANYTHING! What is that to look forward to? live your life, do your best, love your family, have children, make memories, all so you can die and be buried in the end, and then NOTHING? I think that idea would make me worry far more then the idea of a life after death. There is a reason that every culture, every tribe, nation, and country in the world has a belief and a faith in a greater power. Life would be completely pointless and hopeless if all we had was us, and death. There IS a God, and he is a wonderful, powerful God who created us to have a hunger for him, even though we try to fill it with anything and everything else. This God also gave us a way of escape from the inevitab...

Thanks so much to my friend Celine over at My life, my hopes, my future for this award! I guess I'll pass it on to Laura , whose blog always is so much fun. I don't know of the blogs of anyone else who reads MY blog, so if you read, and you want awards, you'll have to post haha.

whilst cleaning out my clothing stash, I came across some jeans I had gotten awhile ago. They were way too small, no dream of doing up, let alone squeezing my fat hips into them. I pulled them out, and on a whim, decided to try them on. They fit : no squeezing. no straining. I can even fit my fist in the waistband when they are done up!!!! I love Friday Miracles!!!!

It was COLD here yesterday. and it's COLD here today as well. -21C. They have warnings on the news to keep animals inside, and stay indoors if possible. Many schools are closed all over the midwest US and eastern Canada, but not ours. My children just informed me that they were sent out for recess yesterday. So, the animals and grownups stay indoors, most schools are closed, and our school sends the kids outside to play.

I think my family is special. My sisters and I share a friendship that is very special! I am so glad I am part of a large family! Here's a bit of our "journey", in pictures! Cindy, Jennifer and I, when Jennifer was just born Cindy, Me, Jennifer, and Rebecca is in the umbrella stroller (the baby in the other stroller is a friend) The four of us building a tower~ Jennifer, Me, Cindy, Rebecca Christmas 2001~ Brother Terry, Cindy, Mom, Me, Jennifer, Rebecca Jennifer, Mom, Rebecca, Me, Cindy, and most of our children (missing Rachel and Emma, who had not been born yet) Unfortunately, we live many miles apart, and haven't all been together in a long time. We will soon be welcoming a new sister into our family, as my brother Terry is going to be married in February to Nancy! I love my sisters very much, through thick and thin (sometimes literally for me haha) and I am so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful, strong, caring women! Terry, Nancy, Me, Emma, Rebecca, Caleb

Did I mention SNOW? I haven't gone outside in three days! It's cold, and snowing, and according to environment Canada, it will keep on snowing for the whole next WEEK! (That's as far as their forecast goes) I am so ready for spring, and it is only Jan. 8th. The boys are enjoying it, though. They shoveled off the "lake" left by the big thaw last week, and they are skating on it.I wish there were hills around here where they could go tobogganing. We have to drive them to a hill to do that. Yes, it's as flat as a prairie around here. There isn't a hill anywhere within a 10 min drive.

My cat, Pumpkin, was playing in the dining room. Nothing unusual there, since he plays alot. He is a kitten, after all! Wally had been sleeping on his chair, and then he ran into the dining room and jumped in front of Pumpkin. He came back in the living room with a mouse tail hanging out of his mouth. *gag* Then he proceeded to PLAY with the mouse, tossing it around, pouncing on it, and crunching it in his mouth. I'd heard that westies are good mousers, and apparently it is true.

I've been so slack about posting, that I feel pretty guilty and I am going to make a post finally. I guess I'll finish the Christmas celebration post next Christmas haha. we've been having some real winter weather here, with blizzards and freezing rain, and then a big thaw that melted almost everything, and back to winter snow again. This year, I hope I can finally go to Ottawa and skate on the Rideau Canal . Last year, the weekend I was going to go, we had a big thaw, and they closed the Canal and it didn't re-open before spring :( I hope to get up there earlier this year so it isn't closed before I get to skate! That's all I want to write for now, and hopefully it isn't so long before my next post :)