Moving Day

Yesterday we rented a cargo van to move furniture for Brenna's apartment from Grand Falls to Fredericton. We left here in rain and fog and arrived there to sunny and very humid weather. The beautiful weather stayed with us until we reached Westfield upon our return.

A full load!!!!!!!

New Stairs

After 23 years the stairs had seen enough traffic, weathered enough seasons and taken enough abuse that it was time to replace them. Old stairs gone.........

Paul started on Monday and finished on Wednesday.

Our new stairs.......will these last us another 23 years??????

Family Birthdays for the 2nd Quarter of the Year

APRIL: Jack, Mary, Jamie, Emma, Lori

MAY: Katie, Zachary

JUNE: Jane

"Change is Coming."

The Smart Car:
what we will be forced to drive quite soon.

But look at all of the 'great new choices' we will have from
'The SMART Car'....
The Smorvette!

The Smaudi A3 AWD!

The Smamborghini!

The Smorsche! (My favorite)

The Smerrari! (Brenna and Paul's favorite)

And last, but not least, The Smustang

RISK

Jonathan and Zachary spent Saturday morning with us. Mid morning they started a game of RISK. (Paul received this board game when he was in junior high school). It was the first time the boys had played. Paul was very quickly eliminated from the game and so it was down to four.

Unfortunately the game was never finished because we had to meet with Jacks sister in Sussex. The boys are spending the week there and then driving back on Saturday with Theresa, Scott and their children. What a short but great visit we had with Jonathan and Zachary.

Evening at Peters

Jonathan and Zachary arrived from Markham last evening. Paul and I picked them up at the airport and then we went to Peters. We had a great visit with Peter, Isaac and Sasha.

A picture of the cousins. Present is the oldest, 22 years and youngest, 1 1/2 years.

Oliebollen

Today Emma made oliebollen and I assisted. It is a traditional dutch food usually eaten on New Years Eve and would be similiar to our doughnuts. She had made them back in the winter for a multi-cultural day at the university. I remember Mrs. Bouma making them for Dad and they were usually off limits to us.......they were made for dad. I think this is becoming a lost art.....oliebollen making.

She mixed the dough in Mameres bowl that she always made bread in.

Then we deep fried them in Omas deep fryer.

The finished product........we didn't count them but we think approx. 70 oliebollen. Emma made them for Jacks open house on Sunday. Terribly tasty but terribly bad for you :-)

Another Great Day at Home

The day started and ended with sun and warmth....I think that maybe summer has arrived and just in time for vacation. It was a great day for laundry on the line and we managed to trim the maple trees on the hill. Paul had a whole truck load of branches to take to the dump.

We spent the afternoon outdoors in the pool and reading on the deck. The temperature of the water climbed 8 degrees today. When Brenna got home she said she was jealous that she had to work and we were able to enjoy the wonderful day. I remember the years she spent the WHOLE summer at home and we had to work.....now the tables are turned :-)

I think we made up for the long day at work with.....

Brownie and Dark Chocolate Ice Cream Cookies

YUMMY!

It was a Large Day!!!

Today started with fog, so I took advantage of the morning and put on a new recipe of soup in the slow cooker. It was a recipe I found online on the Kraft site. I have decided to try some new recipes this vacation.

It cleared around 1100hr. and it really was a "Large Day". After lunch we proceded to pile 1.5 cord of wood we had delivered earlier in the week. It went from here......

......to here. We have another 1.5 cord coming this week.

Around 1600hr. we finished and then it was "pool time". I had taken a break mid afternoon and went for a swim. We BBQ for supper and at around 1900hr. mowed a long over due lawn. Brenna was in Fredericton for the weekend and Emma is still there doing a class until mid August.

VACATION!!!!!!!!!

As of 1200hr. I am officially on 3 weeks of vacation......it is a much needed rest. Paul is taking the first two weeks off. We have no real plans.........maybe get some things done around the house. Hopefully we'll have some nice days and I can enjoy them in the pool and sunning on the deck. Jonathan and Zachary are arriving on the 24th and staying over night. Then I'll drive them to Sussex and they will stay the week with Jacks sister and her family.

Cross-stitch projects

This summer Brenna is working on a cross-stitch piece. It has been awhile since she had last worked on the piece and she needed some pointers. She completed this side last summer and she is now stitching Tigger on another side. Then on the 3rd side will be Piglet and on the 4th Eeyore.

That then got me thinking that I had a piece that was not finished and after a few hours I had it completed. I didn't realize how little I had left to do. Like my other throws I now want to do a winter and fall scene. I've been going through my patterns but haven't found anything.........aaaaaaah I might have to go to shopping for patterns ;-)

Recipe from 1987 Edition of Canadian Living Cookbook

Ginger Cookies

3/4 c. shortening

1 c. sigar

1 egg

1/4 c. molasses

2 c. flour

2 tsp. b. soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. cloves

Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. In seperate bowl combine all dry ingredients. Blend into creamed mixture. Shape into 1"balls. Roll in sugar. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. They flatten slightly as they bake and crack on the top.

Today I was home alone and spent the morning gardening. The plants are so wet that some of them are lying on the ground. It has rained off and on this afternoon; at this rate we'll have to rent a cow to graze on the foot long grass. This afternoon I decided to do some baking. I was talking to Mary this morning and she talked of her baking adventures, so it put me in the mood to bake. I just finished these cookies and thought I'd share the recipe. I baked a pie shell as well and will be making one of Brenna's favorite pies.....butterscotch.

Unusual Sighting

This morning at approximately 0905hr, a bright light appeared in the sky. We all ran outdoors to see what it was and it was gone as quickly as it came. For just a brief moment the air was warm, the outdoors was glowing with light and we were encouraged that the sun was back.........but much to our disappointment it was gone and we were cast into dull overcast skies once again. Will we ever see the sun, feel the warmth of its heat on our skin.......I'm afraid not!

Jam Season Again

Today Emma and I made strawberry and raspberry jam. Emma is doing a taste test of the raspberry jam.

Canada Day

The sun came out just in time for supper. It was overcast and muggy all day, but it was quite pleasant at supper time.

Canada day supper consisted of potato salad, macaroni salad, hotdogs, hamburgers, sausages and corn on the cob. Jack had worked all day for the town, but the rest of us enjoyed a leisure day of reading, snoozing and Brenna and I got some cross-stitching in.

After supper, Emma and Jack retreated to the unusually sunny evening to get in some reading. Later in the evening we started a fire in the back yard but that was cut short by the rain.

Supper finished with strawberry shortcake, local berries that had just arrived at the pumpkin patch.