life on the prairies

I am back after a 2 year break lol

2011-04-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

Just seeing if I even remember how to make a post anymore. I have developed a passion for baking cakes and cupcakes over the last year and a half.I love designing them,baking them and sharing them with my friends and family.

The last 2 years were filled with good stuff and bad but alot of stress and just didn't feel like blogging.I am happy to say I have made some great changes and I am so much happier now.

This cake was inspired by the vintage earrings I bought my dear friend for her birthday.

I have been friends with these 2 for 28 years but haven't been able to get together in person with all 3 of us for almost 20 years,so what a special day this was.

Those are the earrings I gave her,I love jewellry on cake.It was cleaned and I never attach them to a part of the cake that someone will be eating.

I made the bow out of gumpaste and fondant and let it dry for a day or so propped up on a pan covered in saran wrap and stuck parchment paper in bow loops so it could hold it's shape until it dried.I draped the rest of the ribbons over the pans I planned on using for the cake so they dried in the shape I wanted.

The little ribbon roses are spread here and there all around the cake.I attached all the fondant on to the fondant wrapped cake with water,works great.

There was 1 more photo but I can't see where it went.My plan was to start a new blog for my cake passion but just thought I would test the waters with the old blog here...I mean this is my life on the prairies still,it is just different now.

Outdoor Wednesday,spring walk,and a Thank You and blog question

2009-04-21T07:07:00.000-07:00

This is my first time participating in Outdoor Wednesday,a big thank youhttp://asoutherndaydreamer.blogspot.com/to Susan at or hosting this interesting event every week. I enjoy seeing what is going on in your part of the world and thought I would like to share what's going on here.First, I want to say that even though these pictures were just taken this past Monday evening (april20)most of the snow is gone here although you wouldn't know it by the slide you will be watching.We decided to take the dogs for a walk around our local lake and discovered there is still snow there.We also noticed there is still a big ice cube left in the middle of the lake too.Our river is very full,dikes are up in case of flood.It's supposed to get very warm here this week so I think if it's going to flood we will find out soon.It was so nice out there although it felt pretty cold because of all the ice around.The dogs just love exploring and just being able to be free.Enjoy the show!
I also want to thank Ann http://ann-jamesaskeltonyahoocom.blogspot.com/and Kat http://mbkatc230-emptynester.blogspot.com/for thinking of me once again and giving me a fan of my blog award.I get such a warm,cozy feeling when you guys do things like this,so sweet and touching.As infrequently as I post,it amazes me that you would even think of me,thank you from the bottom of my heart!
One more thing,last week when I made my tablescape post I think I wrecked something on my blog.All the gadgets that were on the side are now at the bottom.I don't know how I did it,can anyone tell me how to fix it?

Easter tablescape

2009-04-13T21:28:00.000-07:00

I feel like I need to start every post on this blog with an apology for being absent so much of the time.I want to say how much I appreciate and enjoy your comments because I really do.My intentions are always good but sometimes life is just so busy that I can't fit everything I want to do into the day.I guess it gets like that for everyone from time to time and I'm sure you understand what I mean.
I wanted to share my Easter with you,I know I'm a little late but to be honest,I was just happy I got it done in time even if I was too slow to show you before the holiday.It's the first time that I did so much in advance and it was sure worth it,I was very happy with the result. When I first started looking at your tablescapes I thought,well how do they do that? I'm not sure how you do it but the only way I could manage was to start days in advance.

I am in awe of you tablescapers who do this every week,I don't think I will ever be in that group.It was alot of work and I think that I will always be in the "only for a holiday" category.I have sure learnt alot from all of you though and I thank you for that as well.

Thanks to santamaker http://santamakersjourney.blogspot.com/ I learnt how to grow the wheat for the table.I was a little slow but luckily it grew just in time,it was only one week old when I took these pictures. I didn't know exactly what I was going to do with it but in the end I was very happy with the containers I chose,worked out great.

I did take alot of pictures,I'm always so impressed when I have the time to look at the tablescapes that so many of you do every week.Besides beautiful tables,many of you seem like professional photographers too.I like to blame my camera but I'm sure my photography skills(or lack of) are part of the problem.

I loved the pier one bunnies and I had to get some.I had fun moving them around from place to place before Easter.I admit it was the first time I've went to that store,the bunnies were about the only thing I could afford in there but it is a nice store for those who can afford it.I did get a few other things from a clearance table.

That is Shady's ear in the picture,the peninsula is his table.

I got those pink balls from wal mart,I thought they looked "springy".

It's been almost a year since our renovations and it's starting to feel like my place now.I'm glad I kept the main colors neutral because I am enjoying being able to change my accessory colors when I feel the need for change.I love pink and happy I can still use it. I don't know if you can see the eggs very good in this picture but I had a little fun decorating them.I used the plastic eggs that you can open up and fill.I used a craft spray glue on them and then used white glitter on them.They looked like they were sugar coated,cute,easy and cheap!

I found these purple bunnies at the thrift store for only 50 cents each,I thought the children would like them.The extra plastic eggs were thrown into that pink opaque vase.That one vase the bunny is sitting on always reminded me of an Easter egg when it was upside down.

Yes,there are spots on the wine glasses.Wouldn't you know it that someone would have to open the dishwasher before the drying cycle was done.I had to wash them again....big sigh,as if there wasn't enough to do.

This was the first holiday dinner with my new table I got from Ashely's just after Christmas this year.I didn't want to cover the beautiful dark wood with a tablecloth so I decided to just buy 2 runners.This was just with one leaf in the table,still have another one if we need it.The room is not that big,so I'm not sure if we will ever use it.It is really long with the leaf in but because of the centrepiece it was not even noticeable that I had to use two runners.

I cut little pieces of the extra ribbon and tossed them amongst the Easter eggs.I used green glass dessert bowls for the small containers of wheat.Another thrift store find for a buck or two.

I loved the idea of using the colored eggs around my silver tray that I bought for only a dollar and between the containers of wheat down the table.

I realized I only had 4 silver charger plates so I spray painted 4 red ones. I have noticed how some of you have used ribbons since they are so cheap from the dollar store,I decided to add them too for that little extra. I only own white plates and I love how they go with any accessory color I choose.I really don't have room to have more than that anyway. I guess next year I better spray another charger plate because this little bunny will want to be sitting at the big table I bet.
I can't remember what I found first,the runner or this little dress but they matched perfectly.Isn't she adorable??? She just loves walking around this table eating these little puff things she can't seem to get enough of.

This looked pretty good but then Hannah came and colored some eggs.

I decided to add them to the centrepiece too.I thought it looked even better and it made it special because she made them.

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I'm sure next year Hannah will have an extra helper hunting for eggs instead of just being a curious observer.

Well,it's all over now but I'm not parting with my wheat until it all flops down.It's been such a long winter.The bright green is a welcome change to my eyes.

let them be little

2009-03-23T17:34:00.000-07:00

A week ago we had the privilege of having our little granddaughters stay with us for the whole weekend.It was the first time we were brave enough to have our little Summer,who is 10 months old now,stay with us for that long.We had the best time ever.It wasn't so much what we did, but just having the two of them all to ourselves for two whole days was special enough.Hannah and I made cookies, she loves baking with me. We all went to the pool(it was Summer's first time) and visited their great-grandmas.Summer has two teeth now,crawls and walks around the coffee table.

I know that many of you are grandparents and understand the joy that these little ones bring to us.Just two years ago we hadn't even met Hannah,now we have her and Summer in our lives and can't imagine it without them. I feel so lucky,so blessed,so happy and you will see by the pictures that grandpa Gord feels the same way.What an absolute joy they are.I think that I appreciate little kids even more now that I'm a Grandma. Everything just seems so precious.Does that make sense to you? Is it because they aren't with us everyday or is it that we are older now? I don't know but I just love it.

On the way taking these sweet little ones home,we talked and decided that as long as it is possible we want to have a weekend like this once a month for as long as they want to come.Expect many updates!

A must have for the fur kids

2009-03-03T08:11:00.000-08:00

Awhile ago my friend Carmen(give her a visit if you haven't yet,she is very creative,makes the nicest candles and more importantly,the kind of person who makes you feel like you are amongst friends the moment you connect with her. http://waxedoutcreativelife.blogspot.com/ did a post showing the fur she had brushed out of her cute little bunny and it made me think of the cool tool I found last year so I told her about it.It's called the furminator.I had heard about it and seen them in the stores but they aren't cheap so for a long time I didn't get one.I have used various tools with poor results the best thing I had used prior to this was the shedding blade.Finally I broke down and bought a furminator and there is no turning back.It works so well that I wanted to share it with you. One more thing,I have always looked forward to Nickicrumpet's cartoon posts http://nikkicrumpet.blogspot.com/of her dogs,with the speech bubbles.I know mine isn't as funny but I sure enjoyed doing it,hope you don't mind me stealing your ideas cause they are good ones,you inspire me!
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http://www.furminator.com/shedless.cfm Check out the site for more info.The hair that comes off of those guys makes Cloud look like a mexican hairless.(imagine a bald dog because I don't know the rules regarding taking pictures from other sites)
They also have a video showing how to use it.I just can't believe how good it works and wanted others to know about it if they haven't tried it.Pet hair can be such a problem in our homes.It doesn't have to be with this tool,it's made a big difference here.Most people would probably have made this guy live outside but I would never do that so I had to find something to help with his shedding problems.

That is from my boy Cloud.He sheds alot,it's just the way he is.I feed him a good, healthy diet for a dog.I have researched dog food in depth,so it's not from poor nutrition.It took me about 15 minutes of grooming to get that amount out.I know I could have got more but that seems to be about his limit for grooming at one time. I have been too busy to groom him for about 2 months.Generally,I do this every week and if you keep it up,it's not bad at all.The first time I used it I got about 4 times that amount of hair from him.It is so obvious if I haven't had time to brush him,the hair is just everywhere.Used weekly,I hardly see a white hair anywhere,what a relief.

He is a good boy and I tell him that he looks like a show dog when I'm grooming him...and he believes every word. :)

Instructions come with the tool,be gentle,it will come out easily,no need to press hard when you use it.It comes in 3 different sizes,I got the medium size so I could use it on Shady and the dogs.I don't know if the blade ever wears out,if you can replace it or if you just have to rebuy...and I will if I have to.

Here is the pile I got from my cat Shady.That is 2 minutes worth! He doesn't like it too much,squirms around a little.He hasn't been done all winter.Yes,I could have got more from him but I don't like to turn it into such a bad experience that he runs if he sees me coming with it.He gets his rewards,as you can see...man he loves those things.He looks so shiny after...see

It's a good thing my girl Roxy doesn't shed much because she has about as much patience as me and that is not much.

She is such a diva.I do brush her a little,maybe for 1 minutes tops is all she will allow.She likes to come over to Cloud and try to attack(play) with him while he is getting groomed because she knows he has to stand there like a good boy while I'm brushing him...she is such a troublemaker,funny dog though and very affectionate.

Poor Cloud,I'm sure he was hoping this was going to happen....

Later Cloud,I promise!

Met Monday - guest bath

2009-03-01T18:11:00.000-08:00

First of all I would like to again thank Susan for hosting this event,even when I'm not participating it is great fun to see the improvements that others are making in their homes.Make sure you go to Susan's blog to see the complete list of current participants and pay them all a visit.Susan has shared her beautiful front entry makeover this week and it is gorgeous.

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Well,it's been 2 weeks since my last post so I thought it was about time to do something else here.My job has been keeping me away from doing very much blogging lately and I apologize for not being able to pay more visits around blog land lately.I'm happy to say that it doesn't look like they will be needing me very much for awhile anyway and you may see a little bit more of me around your blogs.Thanks so much to all of you who have visited my blog,I really enjoy your comments.

When we first got this place part of the space where this bathroom now is was part of an addition that came with the mobile home, it was an entry porch.We even changed where all the entry ways are so we used part of this space to make a small powder room.The other part of the space was used as a laundry room.Over time my husband missed having a real shower and got an idea to use part of the laundry room,that was really only being used for extra storage for the addition of a shower.These pictures show the first little bathroom he made,I took them right before the wall was taken down to add the shower.I really did like the faux finish I had done in there but I was getting a little tired of the look anyway.

So the wall that the sink was on got knocked out to make room for the shower.I did get to pick everything out but I had to do it fast.When he decided to do this he didn't waste anytime.

We had just enough travertine tile to do the floor,right down to the last tile.I had seen it on a great deal at home depot months earlier and just bought it on a whim,not having a clue what I would use it for...got lucky.The vanity is certainly not a one of a kind,got it at a local lumber store for $100.The mirror and glass shelf were a tiny splurge from home depot.The mirror tilts and is perfect for when he shaves he tells me.

I am sure you can see some of the grout still on the tile in this picture,it is all off now though.I had an idea to try something different on the ceiling of the shower and so we used a product called miroflex tile.It has that old tin look and claimed to be extremely waterproof.I am pretty happy with it except I still wish that I had chosen one that was a little plainer and closer to the color of the tiles.We looked at doors and I wanted a frame less glass door but we would have had to special order it and they were very expensive.I did a little research and decided to give it a try without a door.We knew we could always add it on later if we thought it was needed....luckily,it's not.Water doesn't splash out and it makes it feel very open and larger.The little glass blocks have lights behind them for extra lighting in the shower space.The ceiling is quite low so it wasn't possible to have them in the ceiling part of the shower.

We kept the same toilet but added a cabinet for extra storage.This cabinet had sandblasted glass in it that was damaged.They let me pick out any glass that I wanted at no extra charge! I chose this one because it camouflages items well and the glass is exactly the same as the glass blocks.

I bought paint and the color was so bad,I think he might have mixed it wrong because I can't believe I picked something so far off from what I had in mind.I ended up using some of the left over paint from the kitchen,added some of the dining room paint color to it and who know what else and it turned out to be just what I had in mind.My husband thinks I'm crazy when I do that but it wasn't the first time and it won't be the last either.

So there it is,I've never used it but they tell me it's a good shower,I'm a bath girl.We are currently planning out and making purchases for my bathroom redo which hopefully gets going over the next couple of months.I have been able to take my time making every decision for that project slowly unlike this whirlwind project.

Met Monday You won't believe what we did here.Yes,really,it's the same place!

2009-02-15T17:28:00.000-08:00

Thanks again to Susan for hosting this wonderful Metamorphois Monday. Be sure to visit her to see all the wonderful posts.http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Yes,this is what we started out with here,it was pretty bad.It was a very, old mobile home,14x74 ft with a small addition which made it around 950 sq.ft.My husband had vision,I didn't.It took us a few years but it is almost done now.It is now over 1800 sq.ft. and completely different,thank God.I don't have many before pictures,my husband took these.He did all the work,he has been in the construction trade for many years but it was still quite the undertaking even with his knowledge.

He added a new peaked roof over the whole place,new windows,new,well,to be honest,everything is new.We paid for it all as we went and we don't owe a cent and it feels great.I love my home now and wouldn't want to be anywhere else,it's perfect for the two of us and our fur family.For today I will just show you the kitchen and dining room and in time I will proudly show you every room he made.The new part has the high ceilings,the original part,the lower ones.

someday the plan is to have all stainless steel appliances,I can wait
the pantry by the fridge has rollout shelves

I love my tumbled marble and the undercabinet lights and I was so happy to find just what I wanted for hardware at Rona.The cabinets,they are alder, are from Euro-rite(canadian company) and my husband custom made the crown molding.

A closeup of some of the details

I chose to have one big sink here and a smaller prep sink is located on peninsula with dishwasher next to it.I love my bridge taps too.

looking into the dining room ,I love the arches my son made for me.

the soaring ceiling in the dining room

had to show you my chandy,bought from costco,it was bronze,I wanted it black so sprayed it

the dining room

This door will lead to a new deck(hopefully it will be built this summer) in our back yard.Just around the corner past the arch to the right of the dining room,I even managed to get a bonus walk in pantry.

I still almost can't believe it's the same place!

the dogs in my world

2009-02-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

I guess I should do a little introduction here.I guess most of you know Roxy and Cloud are our dogs,they both came from our local humane society.They are both great dogs but as any dogs can they have had health issues.Cloud is a bleeder(I don't know the technical term)We found out when we had him neutered,if he ever needs surgery again he may need blood transfusions,his blood doesn't clot very well.Roxy was diagnosed with hypothyroidism a year ago,so she takes a pill everyday and has weight issues(like her mom..meaning me) The long haired blonde dog was my sister's,(also adopted from a shelter)sadly she is no longer alive.Last summer she was diagnosed with megaesophagus,a horrible condition.She was vomitting over and over,my sister did everything she could but finally decided about amonth ago that it was just not fair to make Gracie live that way.The dog in the picture with Gracie belongs to her best friend,Keena is a champion show dog.She is a nova scotia water retriever...I think that is what she is.The weiner dog(Bailey) is my mom's,he's bossy ,spoiled,a great guard dog and my mom's best friend.The little black one belongs to my youngest son.Her name is Dulce,she is min.dachshound,min.poodle cross.She loves her cousins roxy and cloud and thinks she's a big dog.The shitzu is my aunt's.I do have lots of pics of my cat shady and someday I will show him off too.I can't imagine life without dogs,I love them all.

House Cleaning with Essential Oils,warning,long,probably way too long post

2009-02-08T14:35:00.000-08:00

I think that we would all agree that even the most humble home looks nicer clean. I know that most of us who have connected here in blog land and also at the decorating sites share the same passion in decorating our homes and seeing what others have done,exchanging ideas and so on. I'm sure we've all seen the seriously bad rooms on rms too,you know the ones where you just don't even know what to say,so you shake your head and move on.Many of those rooms would look a lot better if they would only clean the place up a little.Cleaning is a necessary task and I try to make the experience as pleasurable as possible.I do this by adding essential oils,smells so good and I am constantly experimenting with them to keep it interesting. I have also been trying hard to use more natural products for cleaning.It's safer,healthier and cheaper.I mentioned this to my friend Kathysue at Micasa and she was curious so I thought I would share a little of what goes on before the picture taking part happens here.ha ha
I have been using essential oils for years for cleaning,relaxing and for physical health.I am going to start with how I use them in cleaning and one of these days will move on to the other areas.I am not an expert and there are many sites online with loads of information on the oils.Also,I recommend anyone who hasn't used them before to do a little research first.I buy my oils,all 100% pure,at a local health food store called old fashion food.I have noticed that the same brand I buy which is called NOW is available online in the US for less than half price of what I pay.They vary in price from just a few dollars to over 20.I started out just buying a few and slowly adding to my collection as I read various recipes that I wanted to try.Shelf life varies,grapefruit has the shortest life and some improve with age like fine wine.Store in a dark,cool place to help them keep longer.If they get cloudy or start to smell rancid,toss them out.You may store in fridge but they must be at room temp. for at least an hour before use.

LAUNDRY
The most important oil in this room is eucalyptus oil,it kills dust mites.I add about 20 drops to the hottest water possible when washing my bedding.Apparently,this oil is the only thing that kills them from the study I saw.

For general laundry I take a washcloth and shake on a few drops of lavender and throw it in the dryer.(essential oils are very concentrated, a little goes a Long way)

Vacuuming
I add a couple of drops to the inside of the bag and it scents the whole place.If you own the type that uses water,just add the drops to the water.For any of you with the bagless types,you are on your own,I have never used one so I don't know if you could try this one out. You can use any oil you want,my favorite is jasmine so I use it often.
For freshening carpets mix a few drops of oil in baking soda,sprinkle on,leave for awhile then vacuum

Room Sprays
These are fun,the possibilities are endless too.These can be simple,one oil or complicated,usually 3,sometimes more .
room spray recipe
1 cup distilled water
2 tsp. rubbing alcohol(some use vodka but I prefer to drink mine rather than spray it in my room he he)
I add between 10 to 20 drops of essential oil to this depending on the oils I'm using.Start with less(maybe your nose works better than mine and half might be what you want)
let sit for a few hours and shake well before using.Since this is about cleaning,here is a deodorizing blend I use frequently.
10 drops orange or lemon
5 drops lavender
5 drops tea tree oil
5 spearmint
7 drops eucalyptus
Spray about 5 squirts for average sized room,I spray it on my furnace filter as well and it carries the clean scent throughout the house for me.Good for your garbage can too.
A blend of lavender and either neroli,jasmine or ylang ylang is a favorite of mine to spritz on the sheets,like I said before,use your nose for guidance and your intuition.

I just use a plastic bottle that has fine mist setting on it.It would be better to use glass because the oils will sometimes absorb into the plastic.If you are planning on using the same recipe again than it isn't an issue.I like to have a few different ones around for different reasons.Some blends I make are for deodorizing,others are purely for enjoyment.

KITCHEN
I am trying to go green in my cleaning.I no longer buy bleach..ever or many of the tons of products I used to have under my sink.I either am buying green products or I'm making my own using mostly vinegar,baking soda,lemons,borax,washing soda,water and my oils.When you buy products,buy unscented ones and add your own with pure oils.Some days I add lavender in my dish soap,some days lemon,whatever I feel like smelling.In the spray cleaners the oils I use are the same ones I listed in my room spray recipe as well as cinnamon,clove and the powerhouse oil...oregeno.Wild oregano oil has the following properties anti-viral,fungal,parasitic,bacterial and antiseptic..wow! I use a spray cleaner on the counter and then I take a clean,wet cloth and just put a couple drops of oregano on it and wipe the counters down.I really like the citrus oils in the kitchen and use lemon and orange often.*****VERY IMPORTANT I have laminate counter tops and if you have granite,don't take my advice,I don't know what you should use.I do have granite in the bathroom and find that the diluted tea tree I use in there does not hurt my granite.If anyone has info on oils and granite,I would love to hear it.After looking around at all the great recipes that are already online for natural cleaners I feel that it is pointless for me to share these.

BATHROOM
I just said I wouldn't bother you with my recipes but I have to say that I didn't think that a homemade cleaner would work so well in the toilet but it really works. 1 cup vinegar to 1/4 cup baking soda(really bubbles,so mix in about a 4 cup container at least)Leave on for about 15 minutes and scrub away.The baking soda and water clean tile too.I use this vinegar and baking soda mix to clean the sink and tub too,gets the rings off from my essential oils I use in there just great,I mix in a few drops of tea tree oil too.
FLOORS
I have travertine,slate,ceramic tile,laminate and linoleum and I clean them all with my H2O steam mop.I add about 5 drops of lemon oil to the water and the floors all look great,couldn't be easier.I feel good about not using all the crap I used to clean them with especially for my pets paws and my little grand daughter who will soon be crawling on them.

The one book on oils I have is called AROMATHERAPY FOR EVERYONE by PJ Pierson and Mary Shipley. This book is a good general guideline for a variety of oils,the most popular ones.It lists the warnings,uses,benefits of the oils and also suggests oils that blend well. If you are knew to oils it does help to have a reference book but the Internet is good but there is some crazy advice on some sites so,be careful who you listen too.

This was probably too long of a post,yes that's me, nothing or way too much.If you have questions,just ask and if you have great recipes,please share.

My first two awards!

2009-01-24T07:53:00.000-08:00

This award means when life gives you lemons you make lemonade.It is given to someone who has shown a good attitude and has a good outlook on life. My friend Kathy http://mbkatc230-emptynester.blogspot.com/ felt I was worthy of this sweet award awhile ago and a thank you to her is long overdue- so thanks Kathy(((hugs))).She gave it to me when this blog was nothing more than a title(not that it contains much more than that now) ha ha I was so touched that she would think of me.I have had my share of lessons to learn in life but I sure don't have to look very far to see that others have had to go through some much more difficult issues than myself.I think surrounding myself with positive people(in real life and on the Internet) as much as I can has helped me to react more optimistically to what life has thrown my way.I am very new to the blog land and yet I have already met some amazing people who are very worthy of this award.I am supposed to pass this on but I think everyone I know has this award already! lol,told you I hang around great people! I would like to just let anyone feel free to take it and pass it on to anyone they feel deserves it and who was previously missed when it was going around.

My dear friend Melissa at http://melissasheartandhome.blogspot.com/ gave me this award just the other day.It is the NOBEL PRIS award which was given to her from her friend Wibech from Norway,her blog is called "beautiful Days".This is an award for being a wonderful Mom. In translation it means "you do fantastic work,be proud of your accomplishments!"
I am very honored that you thought of me Melissa,thank you.I think that without a doubt,my biggest accomplishment has been,along with their great father,raising our two sons.They have both brought me so much joy and pride.Gosh,I can't help but thinking this gives me an opportunity to brag about them a little. Here they are together.

The one with the hat is our oldest and he has decided to follow in his father's footsteps and has chosen the construction trade as his career path.He has worked so hard learning every aspect of the trade since graduating from high school only six years ago.I am very proud to say that he is already a superintendent for a large construction company,a great accomplishment at such a young age,he's amazing.Besides doing very well in his chosen career he also has become a father and a husband all within this last year.So yaaa! I'm a grandma!!Here is his little girl bathing in my sink. aw www
This little one's mom had a daughter before she met my son and so I became an "instant" grandma.Until you've had this experience it is really hard to explain the joy these little ones bring to one's life.
Now, I can't stop without telling you about our youngest son because he has also made many remarkable achievements of his own.He decided a long time ago that he was going to university and so he has.He also knew that school would cost quite a bit of money and so he had a plan.He set his mind to getting a scholarship and he did it.He worked hard at his studies and at his chosen sport,football, to reach his goal.He was the MVP on his high school team and also received the all star receiver award in his division.He made the university team and along with that came a full scholarship.He is now in his 5Th year and will be done in 2010 with 2 degrees,business admin.majoring in marketing and also a psychology degree.He's not sure if he will be playing football next year,he's had many injuries unfortunately, but his drive and determination has been an inspiration to me.Here he is on 2 of the teams he's played for.(I bet your glad I didn't have more kids)lol

Now as I've mentioned I'm a new kid on this block and I don't know many bloggers yet. I do know many moms who deserve this award though.First to the ladies without blogs who are so deserving of it.

My mom,I am so lucky you stuck with me while I was a rotten teenager,you never gave up on me -THANK YOU!

My mother-in-law,you did such a good job with your son -THANK YOU!

My daughter-in-law,you have the patience I wish I would have had,you are doing a great job THANK YOU

To my http://www.micasastyle.com/ friends - Kathy Sue,Pat and Carol - you all are VERY deserving of this one

Yes,I do know some with blogs and because I'm so slow some of you may have received already but better late than never

Marty,go see her brand new blog everyone!http://astrollthrulife.blogspot.com/

Debbie http://confessionsofaplateaddict.blogspot.com/

Kathy

http://mbkatc230-emptynester.blogspot.com/

Barb http://gritsglamour.blogspot.com/

Christine http://christineshomeandtraveladventures.blogspot.com/

You ladies stand out in my mind as moms who have done a great job and should proudly take this award,well done girls!

my first post,let's talk about the weather

2009-01-12T18:57:00.000-08:00

same viewpoint,in winter and summer below

A great way to cover a tree stump.

Doesn't the fountain look like a Christmas tree?

Hi everyone,well, here I go.I don't know what I'm doing,as you will soon see, but I'm diving in anyway.I came up with a title 2 months ago and that was as far as I got.I didn't know where to start and still don't really.I want to share my world with you,inside and outside our home.I have shared my cold winter blues woes with many of you at Micasastyle so today I thought I would just start there,with the weather.We are a tough bunch here in Saskatchewan,we often have brutally cold winters and this has been a pretty bad one.We always get snow but lately we have got way more than average years.Today I had to shovel paths in our yard so our dogs could walk out there and they are large dogs.When I opened the door to let them out,we couldn't even see the steps,snow is everywhere and lots of it.I watched them bravely go down where the steps used to be and then it looked like they were wading in water it was so deep.It's really amazing to see so much of it but it is hard work moving it around.I really am tired of it and I miss the warmth of summer and the beauty of the flowers we grow so I thought I would share some pictures with you of both.The season I'm tired of and the one I'm waiting for.These pictures are from our home and also from my mom's.What's your winter been like and do you have any snow?