Summer

Summer has arrived in the Peace region at long last!! I am so happy we're here to enjoy it. We spent all of May and the first week of June in Edmonton, Hubby having different modules of his NCSO spread over that time. As I posted earlier, we stayed in a very comfy B&B and totally drank in the leisure, lovely spring days. We went out to the park as often as we possibly could as well as browsed thru stores and enjoyed several delicious meals out. We also took in a afternoon matinee movie. Sheer frivolous fun :)

We just spent the past few weeks cleaning up the yard, just doing a bit at a time. Our lawn was over-run with dandelions and broad leaf weeds. The process took time.....first spraying the weeds, then fertilizing the lawn and mowing it to get it into the shape we like!  Yesterday we totally went thru the shed and yard stuff and finally got rid of junk we don't use or are cracked, broken or old and faded. We had 2 huge totes under the porch that I store ornaments and pots and tools in during the winter. One was almost empty and the other's lid was cracked and broken and so was partly filled with stagnant water....gross!! Anyhow, that one we filled with junk and take to the trash. We set out the table/chairs and raked up. We will be given several ferns from a friend and I'd like to plant those around the front porch. And so we'll enjoy our yard this summer.

Picnics

We have searched out many of the parks in the city and have come to the conclusion that is is really only one we really love to go back to over and over. A lot of the parks are either Sport Parks or children's parks. The one we love has, among other things, lots of picnic tables, grassy areas, a walking trail and river side areas. I love to sit and watch water rushing by. There is something do peaceful about it and the cry of seagulls flying overhead as well as birds chirping to each other from the tree branches. The new leaves have literally been bursting in trees and shrubs and Spring is here to stay :)
On Sunday is Mother's Day and we've been invited to Bernie & Janice Kiers' place for a BBQ. It'll be so nice to visit with a couple we've known for years and haven't had the opportunity to visit for many years.

Student

Here we are sitting in a very comfortable King Suite in a lovely home and clean neighbourhood in Edmonton, Alberta. We came a week ago as well. You see, Hubby is taking his NCSO course, which takes up almost all of May and then a few days the beginning of June. On the drive here today Hubby mentioned he's really looking forward to this course. He truly loves having his brain challenged and it's so wonderful that, after all the effort it took to find accommodations, that we can be here together. It's sort of like a vacation, although the daytime hours will be filled for Hubby. We will be here over the May long weekend and plan to so some serious exploring.I'm going to do some research while he's in class, to find some places we'd be interested in seeing or visiting. Also, with the weather suddenly turned into summer temps, we'd love to take our supper out to the park and enjoy the lovely warm evenings.
Anyways....lots of plans!!

Warm Weather

I was visiting a girlfriend the other night and the all-important subject of weather came up. She pointed out to me that our first snowfall last fall was the 3rd of October and our last snowfall was the very end of April...that makes for just shy of 7 whole months of winter....NO wonder we feel like we need to see Spring happenin'.
We're like frisky lambs in this gorgeous sunshine!! Went out to Kevin's and Colin's places and enjoyed the fresh country air! There is life in the trees and shrubs and Jodie is in heaven working in her greenhouse :) Now I need to process laundry and pack!!

Today

It is a very lovely Spring day....the sun has been shining brilliantly and the temp is mild. Most of the snow has melted away with streams running down the streets.

Went grocery shopping today. I first go on line and print out a groc. list. Both Safeway and Soby's has that feature and that way I can plan on what to buy to get the most Airmiles possible with the things I need. I happily added just shy of 400 AM again!!

So with that done and it all put away I could make a late lunch. There was yummy smoked beef sandwich meat on sale so I made sandwiches and added a cold glass of buttermilk...Mmmmm!!

George has a one-day course on Fri. so I'm going along with him to Edmonton that day. The weather isn't supposed to be nice, but we're leaving Thurs. and then driving home right after the course on Fri. That should be over by 4:30pm. Makes for a long trip and long day Fri., but then G doesn't have to be back in Edmonton again until the following week. I plan on doing a bit of snooping and shopping around. I want to go into Ikea and the Super Walmart.

Dress yourself to feel rad!!

Just came across this little article. I edited out the swearing but it still has the impact I like this for. Now, you will never catch me in a bikini no matter what....but I love the cheeky attitude of just wear one if you want to!!
How to dress for your shape: are you human shaped? Play up your confidence and natural sex appeal by wearing whatever you want.
Life Tip: As the weather gets warmer continue to wear what you want. Flaunt some skin or keep it cool under cover. Dress yourself to feel rad!
How to get a bikini body: put a bikini on your body
Want sexy own-the-beach legs?? shave or don't because they're your legs!!

Spring Fashion

With warmer temps and the snow melting away, we shrug off our layers of coat, scarf, gloves. I have been able to wear just my light jacket. Consequently, I pulled out our spring/summer clothes and sorted through them to freshen up and discard the ones that are faded, worn or sun damaged. Now it's time to go shopping. I think Maxine expresses my thoughts exactly......

Home

Last night I picked Hubby up at the airport. Oh it was SO great to see him again. It was a tough trip for him to make but for him, knowing his Mom was well taken care of gave him peace. It gave him some closure. Of course there is the ongoing grief of losing his Mom. We all grieve differently and that's the case for my Hubby and I. His strengths of organization and sorting thru problems and solving them means that dealing with all that has to be done when a loved one passes away, to get all of this finished and to finally take her ashes and put his Mom to rest gave his own heart rest!
This morning when George sat relaxing with his coffee, Mitzi hopped on his lap to tell him how much she missed him while he was away. Sweet :)

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Time to Say Goodbye

This morning came very early...4:30am to be exact! I could barely crack an eyelid but had to take Hubby to the airport to catch his flight to Southern B.C. Today he was going to have to wrap up stuff at his Mom's Care Home and pick up her personal things and then go to the Funeral Home to pick up Mom's ashes. Tomorrow he says his final Goodbye.

Real Love: A Paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13

If I talk a lot about God, the Bible, and the Church, but I fail to ask about other people’s needs, I’m simply making a lot of empty religious noise.

If I graduate from a respected private Christian university and know all the answers to questions you’ll never even think of asking, and if I have all of the degrees to prove it…and if I say I believe in God with all my heart, soul, and strength, claiming to have incredible answers to my prayers, but I fail to take the time to find out what makes others laugh and why they cry, I’m nothing.

If I sell an extra car and some of my books to raise money for poor starving kids somewhere, and if I give my life for God’s service and burn out after pouring everything I have into the work, but do it all without ever once caring about the people, the real hurting people—the moms and dads and sons and daughters and orphans and widows and the lonely and forgotten—if I pour my life into the Kingdom but forget to love those here on earth, my energy is wasted, and so is my life.

Here is what love is like…genuine love. God’s kind of love. It’s patient. It can wait. It helps others, even if they never find out who assisted them. Love doesn’t look for greener pastures. Love doesn’t boast. It doesn’t try to build itself up to be something it isn’t.

Love doesn’t act in a loose, immoral way. It doesn’t seek to take, but it willingly gives. Love doesn’t lose its temper. It doesn’t keep changing its mind. Love doesn’t think about how difficult the other person is, and certainly doesn’t think of how it could get back at someone. Love is grieved deeply over the evil in this world, but it rejoices over truth.

Love comes and sits with you when you’re feeling down and finds out what is wrong. It empathizes with you and believes in you. Love knows you’ll come through just as God planned, and love carries on to the end. It doesn’t give up, quit, diminish, or go home.

Love perseveres, even when everything goes wrong and the feelings leave and the other person doesn’t seem as special anymore. Love succeeds 100 percent of the time.

That, my friends, is what real love is.

Spring Snow

I just poured myself a steaming cup of tea and have the lights on low, creating a warm ambiance...unlike the scene that's happening outside! The Calendar says April...quotes, poems and Authors write about this month using words like, "showers, gardening, planting, blooms". In this northern town, so far this month none of those words apply!
Yesterday afternoon the wind kicked up and snow started falling, driving the snow horizontal. Brrr! Road conditions were slippery and visibility was almost nil. This carried on through the night and this morning but this afternoon the sun came out for a brilliant ending to the day.
Spring???....not so much!!

April

                                                             Julianna Willeboordse
                                                    August 28, 1923 to April 1, 2013

We have moved into the month of April. April 1st coincided with Easter Monday this year and the end to the long weekend. As we were hanging out enjoying a quiet evening Hubby's cell rang. His Mom had passed away. She had really been declining the last year....going from a mentally clear, intelligent woman into full dementia at the end. The last time Hubby saw her, she did not recognize him and became very agitated  when he hung around her and was his charming self. She was a wonderful woman and drew me into her heart completely. Hubby was her only child so having a daughter and our three boys added to the family made her so happy! She survived World War 11, finally fleeing the Russian and Nazi invasion, leaving her parents and home in Hungary. It was a terrifying time for her. She landed up in a Refugee camp in France and then climbed aboard a ship to the only country left with open borders, Venezuela. She already spoke Hungarian and German and quickly learned Spanish and English to survive in her new Country. She got a job at Shell Oil and that's where she met her Husband. Not wanting to get married in a Catholic church, they went to Panama City to get married in a Protestant Church. After 10 years my Hubby finally joined the family and sadly they could have no other children. Hubby spent his first 12 years in Venezuela before Immigrating to Canada.
Canada was good to Mom and she was well looked after in her retirement years, having the foresight to secure an Apartment in a Senior's Manor and later spending her last years in a Retirement Center after the death of her husband. She lived to be 89 1/2 years old....not a bad life :)
Rest in Peace mom and we look forward to seeing you again with all our other loved ones!

The Amazing Race

I enjoy watching TV. Recently we canceled our cable when I discovered that all the shows I enjoy I can watch online...so, no use in paying for cable and Internet. I have also discovered British and Australian TV shows. I'm set!!
Along with TV show, I also enjoy a few Reality TV shows. The Amazing Race is one of them. The last time our Grand-daughter was here she mentioned that she likes that show as well. When I heard that I decided to buy the Game off the local auction sight. yesterday we played it. Such fun!! The game has a DVD you play, with Phil narrating it and you inter-act with him on a board. The age recommended for the game is teen to adult and Kaylie is only 11 years-old, but SO clever!! She managed it very well...and let me tell you, you learn a lot about the different countries you fly to. I highly recommend the game. Great for 2 people or more by forming up to 4 teams.

X-ray

ok ladies...when one has to go get x-rays taken and after registration is led to a change room and given instructions to strip to panties and socks, put on a gown and go sit in the waiting area until called, am I the only woman that feels a little under-dressed for a waiting area that has 5 strange men and a couple ladies all sitting there....in their clothes!!! Quite frankly, I'm not at my best in a gown with sagging body parts and a chilly breeze from the vent. All I can say is thank God the gown fit and wrapped around me enough as to not expose the behind...I really wanted to pull a "Maxine", but couldn't come up with a cheeky expression that quickly!! OY!!

March toward Spring!

The snow that was predicted did show up and covers the world with a sugary, glittery blanket of pureness. Not a lot of snow dropped however it was enough to make the world look pure and beautiful again. As much as I am waiting very impatiently for Spring, it is a very messy, dirty Season. As the snow melts into slush the gravel that is used on the streets and highway when it's slippery, mixes with the slush to make everything filthy. It gets splashed up onto vehicles driving through what appear to be lakes!!
Next week starts Spring Break for all the school kids. In our School District the Break is for two weeks, which includes the Easter long weekend. Many people take some vacation time, while others struggle to arrange child care for two weeks. I have taken the opportunity to have my grandkids come visit during their break.

And we thought Spring had arrived!

It's going on towards mid-March and for some reason we imagine that maybe....just maybe, Spring has arrived! This winter has been different with the temps fluctuating between freezing cold and so very nice and mild. That seems to have lulled us into a false hope that Spring is here! Then the Weatherman comes along and bursts our bubble...you guessed it right....there is snow predicted for the next three days! POP!!

Going Once, Going Twice, BOUGHT!!

Our town has a FB Group called One Man's Junk and all who are a part of it can go to the photo albums and bid on the items posted. Instead of a comment you leave a bid. Each pic comes with a description, a starting bid, an end date and if you wanted you can add a "Buy it Now"(BIN) price.

Admittedly, I often stumble across items I'm tempted to buy...and I also bid on items and don't win the bid. I bought most of my Christmas gifts through the Auction. The cookware above I bought as a BIN. Love, love them. They have a copper bottom and are a great solid pots. SCORE!!!!

And this is Life...

You know, I don't get too tired of having Hubby around...unless he's off work for a couple months like he was Nov./Dec.! But with him gone for 2 weeks and home for 1....well it makes the time spent together for that week very precious. I think the actual missing him when he's away has been a good thing for me...for now anyhow.
Today we had a Doc's appointment together...well Hubby had a Driver's Medical Exam that he has to have to keep his Class 1(semi-trucks) license with Air(brakes) and I had a follow-up for the Lab work and ECG as well as pain management(osteoarthritis, Fibromyalgia). SO...Doc prescribed a stronger pain med and a new Insulin. Turns out everything is great but my blood sugar levels...they have been all over the place, so I need to work with that.
So there you have it....Hubby is perfectly healthy and I have a long list of chronic illnesses...ugh!!

Basketball

Our D-I-L had to go out of town to attend a funeral so we had our sweet Kaylie come stay with us for a few days. Kaylie was dropped off here on Wed. after school. We had both had a busy day so we just vegged after she did homework and supper for an eve of watching a movie and then looking thru albums of pics of when she was a wee one. Friday was a Pro-D day, so no school. There was however a Basketball tournament for a couple hours in the aft. It was a gorgeous, sunny day!! Hubby arrived home after being gone for 2 weeks, so our day was just buzzing with excitement...oh my!! Kaylie was thrilled to have both Grandpa and Gramma at her games. Unfortunately, they lost two games in a row so the team didn't progress further....but we celebrated anyhow :)

The next day we played the Cityville version of Monopoly. That is a game that needs hours to play so that took us up to 6:00pm and we were all ready for supper. Just then Kevin, Kaylie's dad and our oldest son, popped over to pick up Kaylie and take her and her brother out for supper and then home. And we dragged our tired bodies to bed :)

Kaylie celebrates!

I had a wonderful weekend. On Feb. 16, 2002 a very precious pink bundle or pure sweetness was born into our family. Kaylie celebrated her Birthday by having a few friends over for a sleep-over and I felt like going to the party would just be spending time more with her Mom than with her. I invited her to come over this weekend instead. I picked Kaylie up from school and took her shopping for her gift. But our first stop was at  Kurios Books for a Latte and browse. Kaylie is a girl after my own heart....she loves to read! She picked up  a 2-book series as part of her gift...you just can't have enough books!! From there we went to Warehouse One and found her 4 cute tops. We did some more exploring through the stores before heading home and eating a well deserved supper. An evening of watching movies and browsing through pictures and me telling stories.
Sat. morning we pulled out the baby pics and scrapping supplies and scrapped the whole morning. Mom came to pick up Kaylie just after lunch. We had fun :)

My Friend the Shredder

No, Shredder is not a guy with sharp teeth and a motor-mouth...he is indeed a paper shredder. One thing I procrastinate at is filing papers and bills. I hate doing it and everytime I go to find something I vow that I will get it all organized and filed away properly...if I've said it once I've said it a thousand times...ugh!! This time I was serious and ...oh my!!!...what a job!! I had paper going back to the 1990s....I know, hey??!! So, I've been spending a lot of my day just sorting and shredding and filing and today I can honestly say that I'm on the home stretch....hallelujah and pass the hand lotion :)

Home

Yesterday, after a very full day doing my grocery shopping and a bit of other running around, I came home to discover that DH was home already.....home from working north of Fort Nelson, on the Sierra(not that I know where exactly that is) for two weeks. With DH new job, for now he is on a two weeks out and then one week home. We've gotten all the running around stuff done and we're now settling in to enjoy his week at home. I've missed him terribly this time, so to solve the fact that we weren't able to communicate via our lap-tops, we've gotten me a cell phone so at least we'll be able to text and stay in touch. Not a bad toy for me to play with either.

I came across this Blog today! What an encouraging article. I think we all have an inner voice that makes us focus more on our faults than our beauty. I agree with Teresa, in that I have seen a pic of myself and all I can focus in are the double chins hanging down to my knees. But we deprive our loved ones of precious memorable moments and life is too short to get all hung up on what we perceive to be ugly. I guess my challenge to myself is to make this the "Year of Faye"  
"So you’re feeling too fat to be photographed? . . . Ok. But you’re the only one who notices. The rest of us are too caught up in loving you."
~Teresa

New Beginning

This winter has been like riding a thermometer roller-coaster ride. The temps go from extreme frigid to mild, from blustery winds lowering the wind chill factors risking frostbite and then back to Chinook-mild winds that melt the snow and creating icy conditions in the chill nights!!
With this New Year's arrival came a new job for DH. He goes away for two weeks and then home for a week (for this project anyhow!) It's not the easiest schedule, but there is plenty of room for advancement and for now I can hang in there. It's a huge relief and blessing for DH to have landed such an awesome opportunity for us.