Enjoying Life

I can finally say that things are

'back to normal'

around here after the busy, busy season!!

 

We are having a great time...

definitely trying to spend extra 'make-up'

time with the kids and hubby :)

 

Ben and I are off to Victoria for 3 day/ 2 nights on Thursday!!

So looking forward to it...

And really enjoy having the plans in place early this time

and the anticipation of a holiday is great :)

 

Some pictures of late:

can't seem to upload new pics :(... going to have to figure this out!!

The big 19!!!

(I started this last night but blogger was acting

weird and freezing me out so re-doing this morning!)

 

My little sister is 19!

 

Crazy to think how fast time goes...

I just saw a 'L' in my parents garage the other day and

couldn't help but think, "Mom, you won't ever need those in this house again"...

Wow, my little siblings aren't even little anymore!

(Well, other than Ivan, he is still my 'little' brother!!)

 

Laura,

when young and growing up with 6 siblings, she found a

way to always be the sweet one!

(well maybe just once in a while it'd slip but not often!)

When she loves you, she loves you.

She has now budded into a courageous, strong woman...

(strong-willed too - wonder who she learnt that from!!)

 You are so beautiful Laura, inside and out!

 

She has

extreme determination,

a hugely strong work ethic,

blessed with great smartness,

enveloping hugs,

a soft heart,

a determined attitude,

a stubborn streak

confidence,

the desire to please most everybody

...

This past year has been a big one for her!

She graduated from high school as a star of her class!

Blessed with the ability and desire to learn, she won many scholarships

and is now in university with the desire to

complete her bachelor of science and be a teacher!

 Yes, we are proud of you and wish nothing but the BEST for you!

We love you like crazy :)

 

 

Hope you had a great day yesterday!

Out with Dan to Vancouver - biking the seawall and more... so fun!

 

We love you like crazy, wish you all the best!

You deserve to be treated like gold... you are such a treasure!

 

another busy semester awaits you... 

Keep up your spirits, have fun with it, go rock it sis!

(before you know it this fun stage will be past -

and then you will wish you sat back and enjoyed the craziness of it all!)

- yup, big sis, telling you stuff again! - I'll stop now.

 

xo - love you!

 

 



Having a downer day...

... feeling rather underappreciated!!

(felt it is only fair to put both sides onto the blog -

usually we tend to stick to the happy, bubbly side -

but that ain't present today!)

 

What to say -

the busyness was good, it went good, it was good,

its pretty much done...

so I guess this feeling is just kind of a 'post-mortem'

to the high that being busy gave me!

 

I must say it is VERY difficult to juggle being/doing

wife

mom

cook

bake

grocery shopping

laundry

tidying

entertaining

visiting

attending the required parties

DESIGNING and PRINTING

and so much more...

 

With most the printing done, combine in a few other negatives

and you have me!

I need to get myself out of this hole!

I feel like I have crashed off the high...

(maybe writing it will help!)

 

Think I am going to call up a good friend and go share a bottle of wine!!!

 

... time to count my blessings...

Yes, there are many and I do appreciate them, I DO!

I guess days like this are important

to keep me humble, to be thought provoking,

to calm me down,

to turn me inside out....

 

Holiday time is hard.... the memories, the thoughts...

being busy doesn't allow me to go there but today I do.

 

Don't worry - I will bounce back, I always do :)

 

New, fresh, bright, spring, happiness... it will come:

  

Going to go make chicken soup!



Christmas Eve picture editing!!

Just finishing off some photo

editing of Ben's sister's family...

 

One of my favorite pictures

of one of my favorite ladies...

Jenn helps us out here most Fridays

and leaves a gleaming house behind -

Ranen loves her, we love the chats!

 

Let me know what your favorite edit of this picture is!!

 

 (original)

 

 (colour edit)

 

 (black white 1)

 

 (black white 2)

 

(old school)

 

(more of this photo shoot to come sometime!)

 

Love you Jen!  xo



Calendars!!!

With a 'hugely' enormous thank you to Cathrine

I am happy to say

the calendars are pretty much done

and picked up by the customers...

 

Here are the last ones on my kitchen table :)

(for the prior to Christmas ones anyway... two more families to do yet!)

this is just some of the orders... so far we did a total

of 262 calendars!!

 

Thanks everyone for your orders!  I appreciate your business:)

 

Couldn't do it without the help I receive

Cathrine for driving out here all the time, for keeping me sane, hugging me

when I'm ready to cry, doing so much of the manual work!!  Thanks a ton!

... time for a fun day out soon!

My mom - for always listening to me vent, taking the kids for a day here and

there, the encouragement!  Thanks a lot:)

...soon I'm coming your way for sometime together!

Ben and Corina - the patience with the 'disaster' around here and

the 'disasterous' me at times - love you!

My kids... really, I love you like crazy!!

 

Also some pictures of the kidlets who have been

(yes, I am going to say it myself - cause it's true)

pretty fabulous these past few weeks!!

... but I do think they are expecting a absolute sit-down

and play day week with their mommy!

 

Have a fabulous weekend

and a blessed Christmas and New Years!

 

... off to visit some great friends for the evening!!

 

 

My Love...

Happy 26th Birthday!

 

**warning - its about to get a bit mushy!!**

How could it not - I love this guy so much!

 

A dedicated, hard working husband and daddy,

who thoroughly loves his little family,

enjoys his job,

quiet - (till you get to know him:),

steady and cautious,

understands his wife's jokes/sarcasm,

lights a spark in his son's eyee

easy to talk to,

likes playing hockey,

pleases me like crazy,

is his daughter's star,

his son's rolemodel,

and his wife's hero!

 

Yes, you babe,.... you make me so happy!

 

You understand me

and our differences compliment eachother so well...

you tone me down (slightly!) and keep me in line; I liven you up... :)

you create our quiet times; I drive us crazy sometimes,

you like organized and tidy; me - well I'm just hopeless in that aspect!

 

 

Thanks for putting up with my weaknesses,

for supporting me,

for holding me up,

for encouraging me,

for keeping me in line,

for caring for me...

 

I love you not only for what you are

but for what I am when I am with you!

 

 

You are the...

peanut to my butter

twinkle in my eye

shake to my bake

blue in my sky

sprinkles on my sundae

flip to my flop

bumble to my bee

jewel on my crown

milk to my shake

spring in my step

beat of my heart

LOVE OF MY LIFE

 

 

I love you

inside & out

backwards & forwards

with my heart hanging out <3

 

xo

Witnessed Yesterday

**Disclaimer:  For the non-farmer... you may not enjoy

this as much as I did!!**

(Some may not appreciate the pictures but I view

it as part of the amazing life cycle... save a life when you can)

 

On Sunday, Ben noticed that one of the closeup cows (a cow 

that is almost ready to calve) was sickly...

She has a fever, wouldn't get up, didn't want to eat, etc.

So on Monday, when the vet came to do herd health they decided

that the cow probably wasn't going to make it...

Instead of losing both cow and calf

they chose to do a c-section on the cow!

 

This is the first time that I have ever seen this done

so needless to say - I was out in the barn!!

 

Sometime c-sections are done on cows and then they

are stitched up and both calf and cow do fine...

(this time the cow was put down after the surgery - can't be put down

prior to surgery because then you only have moments to extract the calf

before it too dies)

The cow is given a local anesthetic,

so that it's one side is completely numb and doesn't feel anything.

 

Some pictures:

First the head poked out... immediately the calf took a breath!

And then the rest of the body was pulled out.

The calf - alive and well :)

 

Amazing... I love farm life!