Journaling March

 

The biggest news for March was my MOM & DAD 60^th ANNIVERSARY.

A lot was wrapped up into one weekend so here it goes.  Are you ready for a lot to read about my life and my family?  If you make it to the end, there is some other news.

Friday the 14^th

Took the day off work and drove to Calgary.  Up bright and early because somehow your internal alarm clock never fails but you know you have to set the alarm otherwise you’ll constantly wake up wondering if you’ve overslept. We couldn’t leave our dog, Meeka, at a kennel this time so we took him along for the trip. That always makes getting ready a lot of fun.  He gets so excited when he knows something is happening that’s not a regular routine, like packing and suitcases.  In the morning we had his bed ready to take sitting by the front door and he just sat in it as if to say “I’m going along guys”.   I feel sorry for him when we take him and then leave him in a semi-strange house to go do our stuff when we get there.  He really needs a lot of activity to burn off his energy. 

We are so glad to stay at Crystal & Mick’s home when we’re in Calgary and it sure has been cheaper on the pocket book.  They have a dog too, ‘Harley Winston III’, which is company for our dog when we’re out.  We have our own room there and it’s just so comfy and cozy.  I’m sure we may owe them a nice house gift eventually.  Anyways, it’s always great to arrive there.  We always have so much fun!  We ordered pizza for dinner after Luke & Craig came over as well.  It’s just a mini family reunion.  It’s just so good to catch up in person.

Saturday the 15^th

Mick cooked a great breakfast, that’s definitely his thing.  We so love his breakfasts!  The boys came back for breakfast and we had more visiting and laughs while we ate.  We left for my parents Anniversary at noon and all drove out together to Linden.  My family moved to Linden when I entered grade 8 and I met Greg in grade 9.  Our kids went to school in the area from K-12.  Everytime we drive out, well mostly everytime, we take a tour of the town and reminisce about the old days.  I believe we moved, well let’s count –

1.     Apartments in town where Craig was born
2.    Mobile Home on Greg’s parents Poultry Farm – Crystal was born here.
3.    Duplex back in town.
4.    Purchased new bungalow in town and Craig started Kindergarten.
5.    Mobile Home (newer) on Greg’s parents Poultry Farm – bus rides to school began.  I think they were in grade 2 & 3.
6.    The Big Farm House – as Greg’s folks were travelling with the African Children’s Choir (the original choir) and we were preparing to purchase the farm.
7.    Mobile Home again as Greg’s folks missed the big farm house when they returned from the choir.
8.     New house in town that we built, actually Greg’s Uncle Evan built.
9.     To Calgary
a.     Bungalow close to Confederation Park.
b.      Duplex on Center Street
c.      Townhouse in Ranchlands
d.     Purchased home in Sandstone
10.To Morden, Manitoba – and we’ve been here 5 years.  Time for a change J

So you see why there’s a lot of history in Linden and Calgary for me.

Now back to the weekend events.

 

 

The big festivities began when mom & dad arrived at my sister’s home.  I couldn’t believe how great my mom looked!  She gets her hair done at the Lodge now and I don’t think it’s ever looked better!  She was dressed in a blue dress, which I hadn’t seen in a while, with pearls and high heels.  Dad looked good too of course, but he just never changes really. 

We had cake and took lots of pictures.  Speaking of pictures, we gave mom & dad a digital frame so they could keep the photos running all day of the family.  Then my dad talked about when he met mom because some of the new family members had never heard these stories.

After a fantastic meal, things started to wind down but the wee kids seemed to have a burst of energy.  After hugs and sad good-byes to my parents and family, we drove back to Calgary.  After we arrived back at Crystal & Mick’s, we had a night cap and re-capped on the day’s memories.  These are the moments I cherish a lot.

 

Me and my hubby, Greg with Mom & Dad

Dad must be looking at the deer on the front lawn.

 

Hey, that’s my family!

 

Crystal & Mick

 

Luke & Craig

 

Me and my lovely daughter. 

Don’t know what happened to me though.

Me & Greg with my sister Brenda and husband Larry

 

 

 

All the grandchildren and spouses with Grandpa & Grandma

 

Sunday the 16^th

Breakfast at Cora’s has become a regular for us on Saturday or Sunday mornings.  Its menu is full of a healthy dose of fruit along side your regular breakfast menu.  Because Craig owns Calgary Hot Yoga, he had to teach a noon class so we wandered to a few stores before dropping him off at work.  The weather was pretty nice so we decided to take the dogs for a walk at an ‘off-leash’ park.  I’m not a city folk right now so I’m always a little nervous letting our dog just run, mainly because he’s such high energy.  Crystal & Mick’s dog, which is a miniature pincher of some kind and I know I’m getting that wrong right now, walks nicely down the path.  But he does have small feet so even walking in mud is no big deal. Our dog on the other hand is sniffing everything, walking thru everything from mud to water.  He is a mess and his belly is soaked.  Did I mention he’s a cocker spaniel.  That should explain it all.  Sorry Crystal & Mick for the mess in the back of your car. 

Back at their place we wait for Craig and then head out for dinner.  I really miss these times with our kids.  We watch a movie back at Crystal & Mick’s and just enjoy relaxing for our last evening with them.  I don’t think we finished the  marshmallow peeps.

 

Monday the 17^th

It’s back on the road again for 13 hours.  The trip is uneventful, which I suppose is good.  I feel like I’ve been on another planet.  It’s a very strange feeling to leave family, almost like you’re abandoning them because you know you can’t ‘be there’ in a minute should something happen.  I leave a lot also to my sister to care for our mom & dad.  Is it fair?  No, but that’s the cards life has dealt and we’re hoping time will be on our side to change this. 

I’m very thankful for all the ways we can keep in touch today.  The ways are endless so I’m not even going to begin naming the ways.  When we moved to Morden I was without internet for 3 weeks.  It was horrible!  Now I can Facebook, email, text, twitter or Instagram any news and know I’ve connected with someone and it feels good.  There’s nothing however like an old-fashioned phone call to hear a real voice and laugh and chat about life to make me feel like I’m close again to my loved ones.

 

So if you’ve read this and been totally bored, take one thing from it and that is to cherish the closeness of family and friends.  Love everyone. 

 

ON OTHER NEWS

I’m quite excited about selling my re-painted goods at a consignment store in a neighbouring town.  I’ve just made a portfolio and the store owners were vey excited to see some of the things I’ve done.  I’ll be bringing her some product next weekend.  We also chatted about some new things she’d like to see in her store and she asked if I would consider doing or making these for her.  So the challenge is on and Greg & I will be pursuing these ideas immediately.  So I’m excited!  

 

GETTING ORGANIZED

It’s not news to myself that I need to have lists and be very organized to feel productive.  Otherwise the world just spins and I accomplish very little.  March has been a practice month so see if I could stick to a schedule for the week and so far it’s actually been great.  Because my interests are in re-painting furniture, home décor and staging, sewing and blogging, I NEED to have a clear mind at all times. 

Now I can go to my 9-5 job and when I come home I feel like my real passion begins and I see what’s on the schedule for that night!  May sound crazy, but life is crazy and if we don’t take control and do what we can, we’ll be bumbling around and accomplish very little.

 

I’m hoping you enjoyed a peek into my life for March.  The month has gone very fast and I’m hoping April will see green grass and warmer temperatures for walking the dog.  New Spring pictures soon of my house décor too as I’m still buying and making my home warm and cozy for the warm season ahead.

 

Hopefully no April Fool’s jokes on you tomorrow.

Decor in 1954

Happy 60^th Anniversary to my Mom & Dad!

 

 

MARCH, 60 years earlier and I wonder if my mom ever thought about décor when she was setting up her house when she was newly married.  I’ve never asked her what the style was in March of 1954.  I don’t ever remember her spending a lot of time changing curtains with the seasons, buying pillows or arranging flowers in a vase.  I do know she spent a lot of time sewing so I believe this was her passion.  I know she kept us girls clothed in dresses and she made blankets and aprons and I don’t remember all the things, but I remember the sewing machine was always open and there was material around it. 

Technology today sure plays a big role in showing and recording our passions.  If I could take a peek at a color photo of my mom & dad’s first home in 1954 or see a photo of mom holding a quilt she had sewn or sitting at the sewing machine, THAT would be awesome!  Then I wonder,  are we way off course today spending too much time DIYing.   There seems to be so MUCH stuff and ideas that we could get a little off course.  When I look at old family albums, I see photos of reunions and holidays all containing people.  People are what’s important and we need to remember them.  Maybe I should take more photos of my passion in décor with a live person in the shot so that it would make a better keepsake.  Can you image how much more meaningful our photos of DIY projects would be if we made sure there was a loved one captured sitting at the table we just re-finished.  I think I may concentrate on making this a goal for 2014. 

 

Now for a few pictures of my living room and the new colors for spring.

Thank You IKEA for a good start!

 

You’ll notice there aren’t any people in these photos so I’m going to try to be better at creating memories while photographing my passion for décor.

 

 

I don’t think I’m done with Spring in our home but It’s only March and we still have snow so just wait.

What colors are in your living room this Spring?

Journaling February

February’s Journal - What a cold winter for us here in Manitoba!  Yes this province is known for its cold winters and HOT summers but this is ridiculous now.  I absolutely love the summers here but not the winters.  My husband is the opposite but this year he said he was done with winter.  That means it’s a really bad winter.

 

We certainly did not do a lot of sledding this year.  Probably twice around our local area, which in the past years was fabulous. Basically we could sled out our back yard and into the field.  Then we could go to the Valley but first usually to town to gas up.  Boston Pizza was frequented as a stop for food in past years but not this year.  The memories of sledding have sure changed over the past 5 years.  At first a lot of couples sledded and we went across the border to a pub as a destination point and took weekend trips sledding together.  Since then it’s slowly dwindled out and changed.  We did take one weekend this month to go with a great couple and had a fantastic time, although the wind was still really cold when you weren’t sledding in the trees.  The lodge was great and we packed enough food for 12 people thinking we’d be up late and party.  At 10:15 we were looking pretty bleak but I don’t think anyone wanted to say it first.  Finally someone said something and we all chimed in and laughed at how young we wanted to feel yet our bones were saying something else.  THEN we had the joy of hearing the train go thru town.  Not just once, not twice but I think it was 8 times.  The trails were beautiful and we’d often stop to rest and visit.  If it wasn’t so cold we would have had a snack too but had to wait for a shelter cabin. 

 

 

 

That’s Greg in front and our friends in the back. If only the temperatures were a few degrees warmer, this would have been a good spot to stop and take in the view, maybe see a moose.

 

 

 

BIG Happy (Valentines) Birthday to our son Craig this year.  This year is special I believe because he is sharing his life and spending Valentines with the love of his life.  But before that happened it was a journey that he’d travelled for some long years.  As a parent you’d love to travel some of those roads for your kids but you can’t.  It’s a road only they can travel and become who they are.  It’s a road to becoming a man.  This road led him to being a respected man and loved deeply by the love in his life.  Managing his own HOT Yoga Studio has been “a dream come true”.  His passion for his job is seen everyday and it’s a full time job, not like the one I have where I can go home at 5.  Last September Craig married Luke!  We are so happy for them.  They are so great together and we are blessed to have Luke in our family and especially when he makes our son smile so much.  You’ll have to wait till September for pictures of their 1 yr anniversary.  Christmas Eve we were at the Calgary Zoo Lights and took photos.  It’s always a blast hanging out together with lots of laughs.

 

 

Crystal & Mick, our daughter and son-in-law, are on a journey that has come with much joy and much sorrow.  I’ve attached their blog HERE and it gives their story in their words.  This February 24^th marks the 2^nd year they officially were put on the Domestic Wait List.  I must say that I’ve learnt about the adoption process and it pains me to think about how much it has cost these kids just to get on the list, just to have their profile on file and ready to be looked at, hoping that a birth mom chooses them.  I’ve learnt too that I’m terrible at knowing the correct terminology when it comes to adoption and I’ m probably going to screw it up at some point if I haven’t already.  But these kids have grown and have matured beyond what I maybe could have handled.  I am so proud of them both and have seen their strength in their weakest moments and the honesty that came from their lips was unbelievable.  I know they will be fantastic parents when the time is right.  My daughter always signs her emails with this quote from the ‘Velveteen Rabbit’.  I think it’s very suiting.  And it would have to say it applies to our sons journey as well.  Maybe there is some lessons in it for me as well – to be real and let people see you real.

 

"It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't often happen to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real, you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.

We didn’t travel to see my parents in February so I missed my dad’s 81^stbirthday. They are just loving life living in the Lodge and I told them because of that community, they receive great care and should be very thankful. I of course didn’t say that but they know they are in a wonderful place and I’m very thankful for this moment as their health says good, that they can stay right there and enjoy life!!

Greg’s dad past away 2 years ago.  So many hospital visits, so many hardships but we travelled a lot to Calgary to see them and I’m so glad we did.  Towards the end of our stay we had to make a decision if we were staying a few more days or going home.  The answer came before me were out of bed.  There are memories that I’d like to share but words don’t do them justice.  They are in my heart and maybe some day I will find the right words to relate just how I felt and the events surrounding that time. 

 

 

Back to our home in present time now.  It’s been cold as I’ve mentioned already.  After our weekend sledding this month, which so happened to be Louis Riel weekend, or as I like to call it, ‘Family Day’, we came home and spent the holiday Monday outside shovelling the driveway for 3 hours.  As the afternoon progressed we shed more layers.  See how much snow we have?  It’s getting too high to shovel over so we were shovelling to the center of the cul-de-sac.  What a lot of work! 

 

Even Meeka is putting on the pounds this winter.  He can stand about 5 minutes outside when he lifts his paws up and wants inside.  This morning I had to laugh but I felt so sorry for him as he did his morning routine but had a little trouble balancing when he had to lift paws randomly and try to get the job done.

 

 

Projects are coming.  I’ve designed a schedule to help me feel a bit relieved and organized.  I find myself jumping from one project or idea to another and getting nothing done.  My house number project took a nasty turn as soon as I put it outside in this fridgid weather.  The frame snapped in one corner.  I’m back to the drawing board on that one but waiting till it warms up to present my original idea WHICH I should have stuck with.

Well, this has to be posted today.  That is my rule.  Already noting events for March and Spring.  How great is that!

Have a great weekend!