Five's a Party

I have COMPANY!!! I love it... we've had super Mario (the real, OLD nintendo Super Mario!) wars, played duck hunt, eaten pizza, stuffed ourselves on yummy christmas baking, shopped, had birfday cake, gotten exciting presents,  riled up all the kids, and had such a great time!  My Christmas wish is for my whole family to live close together so we can do this more often :D

I love the way it smells! My brother's birthday is tomorrow so i am making a cake for him as well. My kitchen smells like chocolatey fudgey goodness!

the company sends you gift cards!  Yes, I found an earwig in my french fries. Well, not exactly *my* french fries, Kyle's, to be exact. It was big. and ugly. and oh, so disgusting to see in his supper. I called the company who made the fries, and they sent me a gift card for about 10 times the amount the fries were worth!  and I thought this part was funny.... the gift card had lemons on it heehee Went on a photo shoot yesterday, with my friend who is starting to do photography in a more serious way. She snapped a few of me, and this one turned out quite well, I think! Only four more sleeps until my brother and his wife arrive at my house for Christmas!

 I have a baby. He's chubby, cuddly, and just learning to walk.he can say "mama" and "da" and "bath" and "no". This morning, he said "Mom, I'm having my high school orientation today" WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?????? He came home from school just about glowing with excitement about the high school~ the tech, the music, the science programs available to him there. he also, unfortunately, said someone tried to sell drugs to his best friend.  I hope he is still as excited about the programs when he is actually in the school doing the work!

The Bible verse says "The wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23) It's true. everyone dies.  This isn't a post about death, though. It's about the "now" wages of sin.  When I was (I think) 11, Mom sent me outside to play. I didn't want to go, I whined and gave her a hard time. but I went. ooooh... what was this? My little sister and the neighbour boy playing with the axe! Dad told us not to touch that axe! Pride reared up... I had to RESCUE her from her sin of disobedience, before she got hurt. So, I took the axe from her, not even thinking that I was sinning just as much as she was. How often do we justify our sin? "It was necessary...I couldn't help it...I would be laughed at...there was no other choice" and on and on we go.  In taking the axe from my sister, I was being disobedient and proud. I thought I knew better, I was big, I was above the rules. I was justified in my actions. I was "saving" my sister, but doing it the ...

But playing in the snow is delightful! We were hit with a whomp of wet packing snow, so we took advantage of it to build a big snowman. It was a great family time, with snowballs flying and much laughter.

Luke 1 KJV 1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. 2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyre'ni-us was governor of Syria.) 3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, (because he was of the house and lineage of David,) 5 to be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child. 6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

It is really getting down to the wire now. Just three weeks left in 2010, and three slots left in my "get out of your box and do stuff" 2010 resolution! Can I do it? I really am a last minute person. In fact, my yearbook quote was one my Mom always said suited me best~ "if it weren't for the last minute, a lot of things wouldn't get done". so, here's hoping!  Tonight, though, I crossed off a space on that list. I, miss uncoordinated stiff and middle aged, took a dance class. No, not waltz or square dancing or line dance. No, I chose hip hop. OK,so the free first class may have had something to do with it, but I gave a try at actual dancing with an actual teacher! shout out to teachers Aisha and Jeoff at the Pyramid Center  for their great work out!  yep, one more off that list! no photo, though, as I completely forgot to bring my camera. Thinking maybe I'll actually sign up and take the class :)

Hope you all like the new photo and background :) It feels festive and wintry to me :)

The tree is up. Yes, I know, Dec 1st is the "proper" day, but i just couldn't wait! I am really looking forward to Christmas this year, because my brother and sister in law  will be here for the fun of gifts, family, and feasting along with my sister C, nieces and nephew. Maybe even G's family will come for Christmas! Nothing better than a house full of young 'uns and family!

 I like food. I like trying new tastes, textures, and flavours. Food is a central part of life for most people, and I am no exception! I started thinking the other day about what MY favourite things to eat are. It's really hard to pinpoint an absolute favourite, something I could eat all the time and never tire of it. I don't think I can do it.  I decided to make myself a list of my ten most favourite foods. It was much, much harder than I'd anticipated! 1. Roast beef dinner (OK, I cheated on this one.) 2. scones 3. Lobster with butter 4. beef stew 5. thin crispy fried pork chops 6. cheesecake 7. scallops 8. ham 9. cheese 10.sub from subway

  ever wonder what the homemade laundry soap actually fills? If you read my blog at all, you will already know that I make my own laundry soap . I figured out last year that I save quite a bit of cash doing so! I made soap yesterday, and seeing all the bottles sitting there on my kitchen counter made me think that maybe you would like to see how MUCH soap just one recipe makes. My sister has saved and given me many empty laundry soap bottles, which I fill with my homemade soap and store in the drawer of my washing machine. I keep the big tide container on a shelf above my masher and refill it as I use it up from the smaller bottles.  so, here they are, all lined up: and sideways, so you can see what size the bottles are: kind of impressive, huh? (and almost 500$ saved, since I started making it :D )

I just realized I never posted about my quad driving experience on here. It was scary, and I went reeeaaalllly slowly, and then I killed it. yup, the quad wouldn't start again after I stalled it! There's a picture, somewhere, but I need to find it so I can post it :)

 I write that with a question mark, because the feat #7 on my "10 new things in 2010" list IS a big deal for me, but wouldn't be for most people! I free climbed a rock wall. (the side of a stone bridge) Yep, shimmied on up there, right to the top, with no ropes or gear. Ok, so the rock wall was only about 10 or 15 feet high, but for me, who is a *titch* afraid of heights, (ok, technically of falling from any amount of heights)  it was an accomplishment. So, #7 on my list of "ten new things" is... free style rock climbing :) Yes, all my kids did it as well~ They've decided they need to do the new adventures as well.  For #8, I am planning to go play paintball with boy#1~ but really, I am running out of time for numbers 9 and ten! I don't have any ideas as to what to do for them. any ideas? and no, parachuting/skydiving is not an option.... refer to previous fear of falling from heights statement haha.

 It is Remembrance Day today.  I love this song and video by Terry Kelly, because it speaks to the idea that you are not truly gone until you are forgotten. This post is dedicated to all the young boys and girls who lay in forgotten places but are still remembered.

 Yes, winter is on it's way Boo hoo! I *know* it comes every year, but every year I seem to hold a faint hope it'll delay it's arrival a little longer. I can't complain about the summer or fall, they were absolutely lovely this year, so maybe ol' man winter will be kind to us as well.  The kill frost finally came a few days ago, and the whole world was white and fuzzy in the morning. We also had a bit of snow, but nothing that stuck.

Samhainophobia is the term for an abnormal and persistant fear of Hallowe'en.

The fall colours were somewhatr muted in my part of the country, but head an hour west, and WOW! My Dad and I went on a hike, and I snapped some colourful pictures! and just for fun, a fall shot from the cornfield that surrounds my farmhouse:

Woke up this am to a fine dusting of snow!

The fields have been harvested now, leaving wide open empty spaces. The bins in the neighbour's barn are filled with yellow kernels, waiting to sustain life through the next few frosty months when the ducks and hens need to be kept indoors, waiting for spring and planting. The earth is slowly settling into rest, waiting for the winter chill to settle and cover it with a deep white blanket for rest and sleep.

Kyle with his new birthday pet, Dakota the black bear hamster:

I had a full house this year, and thoroughly enjoyed it! I missed terribly the loved ones who are too far away to make it, and wish we all lived closer to each other so we could visit.  We actually needed to use both tables to fit everyone! The meal went well, except the part where the farmer knocked on the door as we had just sat down to eat and asked everyone to go out and move their vehicles as they had decided to harvest our surrounding fields on THANKGIVING. ah well. I guess I need to be thankfull that I live in the midst of fields full of a bountiful harvest :) after the grub (which was sooooo much and very delicious) we headed outside for some good old country fun

Last night, just about at sunset, we had the most marvelous lighting and a massive, bright rainbow. I hustled my boys outside to try and use the light to my advantage. My camera isn't that great, but you can still see it a little bit. These are untouched, exactly as I took them, so I don't know why the sky is bluer in the picture with the boys in it!

 The ladies at the Gospel Hall threw a shower for my sister and baby Lia last night. It was a great time, with so much food and fellowship. Lia was royally spoiled and will be well dressed, for sure!  the theme was "under the sea", complete with a fabulous cake: a bathtub full of "sea water" (blue juice mixed with pop) not sure how they got the "seafoam" though! Goldfish on the snack table (of which two are happily swimming in my tank at the moment) : Thanks so much to the talented ladies who organized it and made the terrific food!

good old golden rule days....  yes, it's that time, when they load up the backpacks, put on their new duds and climb on the bus! I hope they have a good, productive year :)

I made out like a bandit this year..... almost every gift I got was related to FOOD haha My sister took me out for Vietnamese My friend took me out for Chinese My husband gave me this fudge: My other friend (yes, I do have more than one heehee) made me delicious cinnamon buns My sister in law gave me the neatest cookie cutters ever! yes, they are Canadian animal shaped! I think my favorite might be the porcupine.

and I for one am not complaining! I am just not ready for winter this year. I'm not ready for the being inside, the heating bills, the ice and snow and cold. I want to bask in this glorious warmth ad sunshine for a few more months :)  On the plus side, though, I do have some family coming to visit in the next few months! I can't WAIT to see them all :D

 (Yes, this is my photo~ Maryann Melanson is my "pen name" for some photo groups I've joined online)

to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary, we went.... da da da....  Ziplining!!!! and we also did eurobungee, which I thought looked like so much fun. I just don't even want to talk about LOL it was well, painfull! the harness cuts in and pinches places it shouldn't,  well, 'nuff said.  The ziplining was a real mixture for me. Waiting, strapped to the line to zoom down, I was a bit scared, but made myself do it. The actual zipping part was fun, but over too quickly! The stop was rather abrupt, but not too bad. Overall, I want to do it again! I think I'd try canopy zipline, though, just for a change of pace. at the top, a bit nervous: at the bottom, completely exhilerated euro bungee jumping:

Here it is, 15 years, three children, three provinces and a few grey hairs later! Yep, our wedding anniversary!  Happy Anniversary, Love! do you even recognize these young people?