50th Anniversary Party

On the weekend we put on a Golden Anniversary party for my parents.  Husband purchased a new camera and took photos of the occasion.

50 years of wedded bliss

The family

 Good thing we ordered tents as it was 35c!

Yum, cake....

Some guests

My potting bench converted to drink station

I'm Back

I know that I have been absent for quite some time.  It has been a busy and stressful summer.  First off, we have had the most rainy summer I have ever experienced.  This led to numerous problems situations that we have had to work around: 

First off we did not get the barn finished as we had intended as our property is mainly clay and to try to work around in the mud was just no fun.

With the barn not finished our animals have had to reside in makeshift pens and were shuffled several times to different areas.  Husband did finish the portion of the barn that hooked to the hen house, so we were able to get some permanent quarters for the geese and ducks. The old duck half of the hen house was taken over by the new laying hens (Plymouth Barred Rock).  The upper portion of this 'barn section' can now house the hay, and we managed to get most of that out of the garage (yeah! more room)

The pigs have been moved three times now.  One earlier post shows what should have been their permanent pen.  Unfortunately with the relentless rain the entire area became a huge mud pit with the muck reaching the pigs bellies in some places.  We worried that they would become ill or get some kind of foot disease, so we moved them once again.

Most of the garden didn't get weeded on a regular basis because it was just too wet and the water was sitting in the pathways.  A lot of our garden plants did not produce this year because of the weather, yet some did surprisingly well.

I seem to have made quite a bit of jam this year - grape, black currant (from our gardens) and apricot (from a coworker's brother who lives in the Okanagan).

We had several sets of visitors over the summer.  My penpal from Germany and her husband came to stay for a few days during their holiday to BC and Alberta.  It was so great to finally meet her!

It took me three months to get our rental house finished and it was listed for sale last Friday.  With that complete I feel like I can breathe a sigh of relief.  I think that has caused me the greatest stress - trying to get the house repaired, painted and updated (Thank you Dad for all your help!) and the continual discovery of more damage caused by the last tenants not noticed on their departure.

We managed one day as a family holiday in which we travelled to Barkerville.  We all love visiting the historic gold rush town of Barkerville.

Husband and I also managed to get away to Kelowna for a few days in September.  It was a holiday for me but he had to work.  We drank lots of great Okanagan wine.  I know that most people don't associate Canada, or specifically British Columbia, with wine but we actually produce top quality wines in the Okanagan region.  I did a lot of walking around the hotel, downtown and the lake.   The weather was surprisingly good - rain overnight, overcast in the mornings and sunny and warm in the afternoon.

Husband also started a new job over the summer.  He has more stress but will not be out on the road as much which is a good thing because I always worry.

So that was about it for my summer (or lack thereof). Hopefully next year we will actually get some sunshine.  Now onto winter....

Canada Day

Happy Canada Day! 

 It's Canada 144th Birthday!

My family's usual Canada Day festivities are celebrated at the large park downtown where there is live entertainment and FOOD.  Yes, booths featuring foods from many different nations.  Unfortunately, today's weather was hit and miss with rain and Husband didn't want to go.  Daughter volunteered to do face painting for the Multicultural Society and she spent most of the afternoon at the park. Son and I decide to dine on Philipino food this year.

Husband hit the lumber store and the began expanding the henhouse to accommodate that new chickens and geese.  He also started putting in the fence for the place where the pigs will go (if you remember we only had a temporary pen for them).

I visited the local thrift store and bought 3 pairs of jeans and a pair of dress pants.  I always have trouble finding pants that fit, so to find 4 pair in one day is amazing!  A skort and a glass juice jug also came home with me.

Last of the Holiday Rush

The last of our holiday rush is over! Gifts have all been purchased. Groceries have been bought and put away. Now all that is left is to give the house a quick clean, then sit back and relax.

Husband's sister and family will be arriving tomorrow around noon. We are really looking forward to spending the holidays with them.

Christmas eve my parents will come and we will all have a fondue dinner, then open gifts from them. We are German so we still celebrate Christmas eve, but have now 'Canadianized' the season as well, and will open the rest of the gifts Christmas morning. A tradition turkey dinner will accompany Christmas day and my parents will return for for the meal as well as a friend who would otherwise be alone for Christmas.

Remember

In remembrance of our Veterans, military personnel and fallen soldiers.
To honour of them and their families.
To say "Thank You" for dedicating your lives in the service of our country.

In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields

Christmas Blues

Unfortunately, the family have not been in much of a Christmas mood after Husband's mother passed away in September. Not even the kids seem to be in the spirit of the season, but we have been working hard to brighten our outlook and bring some semblance of Christmas into our household.

My Christmas baking has been very late this year, and most of what I prepare is missing because I have just not had the time. My work has been very busy over the past few months causing me to work many evenings. I did managed to make some fudge, whipped shortbread and anise cookies. I love the licorice taste of anise and found a great recipe at the Mennonite Girls Can Cook blog. To make up for the lack of baking I purchased a Stollen from the German bakery and some other cookies.

Saturday was lovely sunny warm day and we drove out to one of the local Christmas tree farms and found a nice 2.5 metre (8 foot) tree. Below are some photos of the adventure.

A family photo with all of us in winter gear at the tree farm.

Today was -30c (-22f) again. Husband is baking gingerbread with the kids right now and I slipped away to blog and do a quick house cleaning.

It will be a quiet Christmas as our sisters and families will not be able to visit for Christmas this year. I will miss them all terribly. Tomorrow evening we will celebrate Christmas eve with my parents - having a fondue dinner and opening gifts from extended family. They in turn will come to our home for Christmas day and a turkey dinner (free range of course!)

In With the New

We had lots of fun on New Years Eve. We had been invited to a friend's home for a family party were we ate lots of good food, had wonderful conversation and played games. I guess there were about 15 people there and it really was a good time. Daughter was babysitting, but she finished early and managed to come at the tail end of the party.

The next day we went back for an afternoon of snowmobiling at their property. Luckily it was only -15c (5f), but everyone had rosy cheeks from being outside for several hours.

Daughter on a family friends snowmobile!

I have been thinking over goals for 2009. I don't want to commit to too much, as there is such a lot still to do on the acreage, but I have a few things that I definately want to achieve this year...

• Build the hen house
• Obtain our chickens (heritage breeds if possible) and meat rabbits
• Grow tomatoes
• Plant a garden (at least a small one if that is the only thing possible)
• Re-organize the closets, drawers and cupboards
• Get back on our budget
• Pay off some debt

Out with the Old

Wow, last day of 2008 already! Where does the time go?

We had a very quiet and enjoyable Christmas; just the four of us. We watched some Christmas movies and played lots of Scrabble over the holidays. It was very cold - down to the -30's (-22f) so we didn't get out much.

Christmas morning (I decided not to include the unflattering photos of me in pajamas)

On Boxing Day it snowed. And snowed and snowed and snowed some more. We did not go out to shovel - we played Scrabble instead and watched it float to earth. The next day Husband took out the tractor and blowed the snow off the driveway and I shovelled the walkways. That is when we realized we had gotten another 30cm (12 inches). I am very thankful that husband convinced me we needed to purchased the snowblower attachment for the tractor. He can get the driveway and way to the compost cleared in about half an hour! It certainly saves a lot of back breaking shovelling.

Once it warmed up a little we got the dog outside to run and play. Being a boxer he is not an outside/cold weather dog.

Kaiser and Husband walking in the woods where the snow is not deep.

Kaiser running(?) in the deep snow. It was over my knees in depth.

Nice photo of husband in his usual winter ensemble - toque, vest, and boots.

In yesterday's newspaper there was a story of a cougar attacking a dog very close to where we live. The cougar was destroyed the next day, luckily the dog survivied. Over the past few years the incident of cougar sighting has grown quite a bit around our city. I can't ever remember cougars being in this area before - they must be slowly moving in after the deer. With the kids and dog, we need to be more vigilant.

We accomplished a lot in 2008...

• Finished the new house (still some siding, soffits and eavestroughing to put up)
• Moved in
• Began fencing
• Renovated old house
• Rented old house
• Landscaping/levelling of yard around the house
• Brought in sandy loam for the yard
• Laid some sod in front of house
• Cleared garden area for spring 2009
• Set up green house
• Did some container gardening
• Did some canning
• Son made honour roll first year of high school
• Daughter has made a large amount of babysitting contacts/job
• Made cheese for the first time
• Tried to cook most things from scratch
• Recycled most of our waste - I only take one small bag of garbage to the land fill a week
• Poured the garage floor and have begun setting up shelving/storage areas in December (yeah! I have some closet space again)

Have a Happy New Year and all the best for 2009!

This and That

It has been bitterly cold the past few days... from -16 down to -28c (3 to -18f) with a wind chill of up to -39c (-38f). Of course on the most windy day I had to get gas for the car and by the time I was finished pumping I could barely feel my fingers. I can easily stand the cold, but such a biting wind is terrible!

I should also mention that the price of gas is continueing to go down! Yeah! This summer it was at it's highest $146.9 for a litre (approx $5.56 a gallon) and today it is 76.9 cents per litre ($2.91 a gallon). The crazy thing is that there is a gas refinery where I live and yet our gas is usually higher than other areas in the province.

On these cold days what should I receive in the mail???? The first seed catalogue for Spring 2009!!! Husband has been pouring over it already and has found grapes that will grow in our climate. He is SO excited! I haven't had a chance to thumb through it yet... but I will soon.

Yesterday I went into town to pick up the last few things for Christmas and even though the shops were not really full, I couldn't wait to get home. I seem to be becoming quite the homebody. Actually, my ears have been bothering me over the past few weeks and the noise and bustle in the shops was very grating on my hearing. I just wanted to get back to some peace and quiet.

I still have one gift to finish making and to do my grocery shopping before Friday. We will be making a quick trip before Christmas to see Husband's family from the 19th to the 23rd. I want to get as much of my groceries before the 24th as I'm sure the stores will be crazy on that day.

We put up the tree last night. The kids and Husband did a good job on decorating it. The tree stands 2.5 metres (8 feet) high and luckily we built the house with a large living room!

I finished knitting and felting my slippers some time ago and they actually did shrink down from the clown size to something that fits. I have to say I'm quite happy with them, and best of all they are really warm.

I was hoping to sew a new apron for Christmas with this really cute fabric. Unfortunately, I think I have run out of time... oh well, I can still sew it up for next year. I like wearing aprons while I work around the house. They keep me clean and give me a sense of purpose.

Oh, I just looked out the window and it has started to snow again.

A Letter to Santa

Last night our children wrote their letters for me to pass onto "Santa"... my kids are teenagers, but they still do this. It certainly helps Husband and I.

I was really proud of my son's letter and thought I would post it here. I think he should become a writer!

Dear Santa

It's me.... AGAIN! Yes it's true.... I'm 14 and I'm still writing.

I didn't really know what I wanted for Christmas until the past few days. I have been spectacular this year... except on a few times. And this is what I want for Christmas.

• I would like a good hunting knife that is about 6 inches long and has a wood handle. I want a folding lock blade.


• I would also like some pellets for my pellet rifle


• I would like an electic guitar and small amp and guitar lessons.
  

I know that there's only a few items and that I realize I don't need a lot of stuff for Christmas because I have a lot more than other kids have and I don't need more to rot my mind and keep me less active.

From: Son

Our daughter's letter was also good, but being younger her list was quite a bit longer. She wants to donate any cash she receives to the SPCA. She has a very good heart and loves animals. She already donated her birthday money this year to the same organization, as well as raising funds with friends this summer/fall with a lemonade stand (they raised over $100).

Husband and I had already decided to cut back on Christmas gifts this year, for the exact reason that Son gave in his letter - we have SO MUCH and are so very FORTUNATE we don't need anything. I think it must have rubbed off on our kids even though we never discussed it with them.

Of Lights and Trees

Well, another 15 cm (6 inches) of snow overnight. I guess winter really has arrived. The power flickered off for a minute, but hasn't gone out totally. Husband called during his drive into town to work and there are neighbourhoods near us that have no power. I filled up some pots of water just in case, as no power means no water because the well pump can not work.

I spoke with Husband last night about our blog. He reads it and is interested that I keep it up, but he has no interest to write anything himself. I asked him what he would like me to add and he said he wanted me to write about the Christmas lights. So here goes...

Two years ago we gave away all our outdoor Christmas lights (thanks freecycle!) and replaced them with LED lights as they are more energy efficient and the bulbs last longer. WRONG! Over the weekend Husband put went to put up the outdoor lights and found that on a few of the strings many of the LED bulbs were not working. He couldn't put the strings up because it would look like a mouth full of missing teeth. He figured that he would just take the bulbs out and replace them. WRONG! LED bulbs don't seem to be replaceable (at least not on our strings). The only way Husband figures that he can fix them is to cut the cord apart, remove the burnt bulb and wire it together again. Considering these strings are outside it make me worry that moisture could get into the cord.

This year we bought four strings of new LED solar outdoor Christmas lights from Canadian Tire. We thought these were a great idea for areas where the extension cords don't reach. Husband charged up the solar power and one set did not work at all. For the life me I was unable to find the receipt, but luckily Canadian Tire let me exchange it for a new set anyway. Husband put two of the strings with the solar panel onto the front fence. One of the strings works fine, but the other one doesn't seem to hold the charge for long. First the blue and green bulbs go out, and then the rest just kind of flicker. Perhaps the panel needs to be charged more, or the rechargeable battery needs to be replaced.

We plan on getting our Christmas tree this afternoon. That makes it 3 days before the full moon, so according to legend(?) the tree should not lose any needles. My parents swear by it, so we will give it a try. Considering where we live we can easily cut down a nice tree on the side of the highway, our acreage, or anywhere really; but we have decided to visit one of the tree farms in town. After discussing it we decided that it would be better to support a local farmer, and to use an agriculturally grown tree rather than to cut down one from nature.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

There's nothing to start that Christmas like feeling than being snowed in. We are under a heavy snowfall warning and received about 30 cm (12 inches) overnight with up to another 30 cm forecast for today.

Son went out to catch the school bus this morning, only to return right away saying there is an abandoned car in the middle of the road right were the school bus stop is. I told to him to nevermind and stay home. I called the school about 10am to tell them that he would not be attending. Apparently there are so few kids in school today, that after 100 phone calls this morning, the office stopped taking names of children that would not be in class today. Daughter didn't have school today, but her shopping trip to the mall has been cancelled (I'm not even going to attempt pulling the car out of the driveway).

So what do you do when snowed in? Listen to Christmas music and bake gingerbread men of course! ... and sit by the fireplace and read!

I have been reading a book that I picked up at the 'swap shed' at the landfill. A $30 book that I swear has never been read. It is extremely interesting and all about Christmas traditions - perfect for today.

The kids have taken Kaiser outside to play. I think he's having fun as the snow is way up past his belly.

Son has also been experimenting with building oil lamps made out of empty rifle shells, cotton batten and olive oil. I made him burn it outside because it had quite an acrid smell. It burned for about 10 minutes which is not bad considering how small it is.

Happy Hallowe'en!

I'm not sure how many kids we will have at the door tonight now that we live in the country, but I am prepared with some candy.

Daughter carved two of the three pumpkins last night. Unfortunately, Son is ill after receiving his Grade 9 vaccinations and I imagine he will carve his later today.

The garage floor is being poured with concrete today... Yeah! We can finally use the back door as our main entrance now, plus park the cars inside. Just in time for snow season!

Christmas is Coming

I've begun on my Christmas baking. Only because I love a very rummy fruitcake and to achieve this I have to start it now.


Old World Fruit Cake (makes 2 loaves)


Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup melted butter
4 eggs
1 1/2 cup cold black coffee
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups raisins
2 cups mixed fruit
2 cups whole blanched almonds
1/2 cup rum


Glaze
8 Tbsp butter
1 cup rum
1 cup sugar

1. Mix the melted butter, eggs, rum and coffee together.
2. Add brown sugar and mix well.
3. Add rest of dry ingredients and place in a buttered loaf pan. (Line the bottom with parchment paper as I have had a problem with the bottom sticking)
4. Bake at 300F or 150C for 2 hours or until done (it will separate from the sides of the pan)
5. Make the glaze when almost completely baked. Melt butter and add rum and sugar. Stir by hand.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and pan and pour half of the glaze over the loaf. Let it cool for 25 minutes and then turn over and pour the remaining glaze on the other side.
7. When cool, wrap in parchment paper.
8. Sprinkle a bit of rum on the loaves every few weeks if desired.

My parchment wrapped fruitcakes. I love the old fashioned look of them all wrapped up.

My parents immigrated to Canada when I was 2 years old and though I still have close ties to my German heritage, I feel proudly Canadian. I love this country and all it offers.

Today we celebrated at the park, enjoyed food from different ethnicities, listened to music at the bandshell and tried to stay cool in the 33C (91F) heat.