Crystal Falls... 2013

I know if I dig deep enough I will find pictures of hikes to Crystal Falls from 1990 and every year since then.  But the trips to the falls stopped a few years ago... when the kids were grown and working most weekends; the ticks and blackflies were in full force (so we didn't take the dog or Terry).... and life was just too busy for family hikes.
Terry and I started doing some fun winter walking about a month ago.. and have really enjoyed the brisk cool walks.  No black flies and your never tooo hot!
Being a sunny Saturday, which I know is rare in Nova Scotia, we decided to give Crystal Falls a try.

 Well, hiking through snowy trails, broken only by skidoos is a hard walk and I forgot just how UPHILL the whole walk is!
 What a blast and we invited Debbie and Brian, who just got snowshoes for Christmas and are getting into some fun winter walking too.  They were happy to come along and Debbie trotted with her snow shoes the whole walk.  I have never owned the new kind and they look really way better than the old ones we used in our younger days... I am tempted to get some.

Funny how I look like a giant next to Debbie... she looks so tiny!  hee hee, the magic of cameras!

so, you can't tell, but this is VERY steep uphill walking

At the top of the falls.... windy and cool here.  No where to stop and snack.  Next time we will take the bridge route and climb down the big hill to the falls...

What do you mean, we have only gone 3 kms... 

What a great day, and makes for a perfect Saturday.  Napping after a 6 km walk is pretty sweet too!  Another great thing to do on a Saturday!

A typical Saturday Morning

I love Saturdays.  They are sometimes so busy and productive.. it makes your head spin.  Then other Saturdays are lazy and restful.

No matter what my Saturday will be like.. I can always bank on an early morning Skype call.. from my favorite little guy.. Jack.

We have been skyping since he was just 2 months old.. and he and I have a routine of wide mouthed funny face smiles at each other... some songs we enjoy together (If your Happy and you Know it Clap your hands, Itsy bitsy spider.. etc) and I even get to playpen babysit while Michelle is letting the dog out for a pee.  He shows me all the toys in his playpen.  I get tours of his books and proudly shown his fire truck, or a hammer... and I get to see the occasion temper tantrum and time out too.. 

When I am late for our date... I get a buzz or two from Michelle's phone... and that usually gets me up and off to my laptop (usually before 7 AM)

What is so fun, and so amazing is that from a very young age, Jack recognized the sound of Skype phoning me.. and makes a bee line to the computer to await my window to open.  Michelle taped him waiting for me to call... I love knowing he knows me!

This morning I got a tour of his new book with all kinds of textures and page by page he showed me all the cool things that you can feel in the book!

Typing to me... 

Having to reach farther to type to Grammie.. Mom keeps moving the laptop

My new book, A Snowman, with lots of cool textures.  Corrugated Cardboard arms... 

A great way to start my Saturday.. don't ya think!

Happy New Year 2013

I love New Years.   I love the whole idea of a fresh start... a new beginning.  A reflection of what needs to be done....  a review of what went on the past year.

2012 was filled with excitement, family and happiness.  Along with good things, there were a couple of very sad, life "re-focusing" moments as well.   I did not have a bad feeling about 2012... at all... but I do have a good feeling about 2013.  I really do... and that is a rare thing for me... I never have premonitions... not good ones anyway.


This time last year.... our home was filled with a newborn baby and two young adults... learning about parenthood and loving a baby.  We had cats, dog,  guinea pigs....   Every nook and cranny of our moderate home was filled with stuff.  News Years... clean slate mentality... started me on a quest to empty out useless things from our home.. or things that others would value more than I did.

I started with all the baby items I had saved from my kids' childhoods, and things that had more memories attached to them than usefulness.  Stuffed animals, pretty newborn dresses and sleepers,  favourite toys of many of their stages.  ALL of these things meant way more to me  than to my kids.
So... off to a new family .. went... Kid Sister, Hostess Munchie bear, pink bunnies, pink stuffed animals, bath toys and random baby/toddler toys.

I found Calendars from 1977 to 1988... sort of a blog but in calendar form. I didn't throw those out, but they are tucked nicely in my closet with other "heritage building" materials.  Wedding dress... homemade wedding flowers and centrepieces... gone.

 A particularly special trophy I won in 1976, marking my expertise at being a secretary - right out of high school.  Geesh.... I had a lot of fun with that for about a week at work.. and when everyone was finished bowing to me because of my greatness... a picture was taken of my remarkable award and it was also dumped!

Soon, this giant trunk in the garage was emptied of these useless memories and re-filled with camping gear and other more appropriate trunk items.
We moved onto my freezer and I am embarrassed to say... we took 5 boxes of meat, berries,  veggies and fish to Oaklawn Farm for all the animals there to eat.  I had to throw out bread, fries, egg rolls.. etc. Not even the Bears, Tigers and Eagles would eat those frost bitten items.  But Gail Rogerson said she would take anything from your freezer because her creatures don't mind freezer burn.  And how fun to feed her big bears frozen strawberries in the middle of winter when they usually don't get such treats.  This is a note to everyone who is cleaning out your freezers... she will ALWAYS take your throw aways.

The whole year of 2012 has been a de clutter year.  Craft room, Christmas decorations, Linen closets, kitchen cupboards.  Not 100%, and not all the time.. but it has been on my mind all year.  And now.. in 2013... it will continue.

In 6 short weeks, our home will become home to Michelle and Scott, along with Jack and all the pets.  This is a strategic move on their part as they move from one stage in their family life to another.  They will be leaving behind Fredericton, in search of a new life in the Halifax area.  While the search is happening, they will be joining our house, sharing with us the joy and mayhem of raising a little boy.

In the weeks ahead,  we will be super purging closets, un-used "spare" rooms and re-vamping a dusty, lifeless "family room".  It will be wonderful to have life in every part of our big, mostly empty house, but before that can happen, those mostly forgotten hiding places need to be cleared of more "never used" items... Prom dresses, old clothes, boxes of dishes... old blankets, books, wool.. oh my.. the list goes on!
But, for now, today... New Years Day.... after a wonderful one hour walk through the snow..... we rest.

Merry Christmas 2012

A Digital Picture frame filled with pics of the family

Our Christmas morning was NOT typical of a Peters Christmas Morning.  We have a clean house... we had 1 small bag of wrapping paper garbage... no need to stop and clear the floor of paper and tags.. to start opening again.  No sleepless night waiting for the kids to wake up.... no putting the chocolates up high so the dog(s) won't get them.... no line up of phone calls while trying to put the turkey in the oven... fridge is not stuffed beyond capacity .....

Our Christmas morning was filled with skyping, texting and emailing pictures.  At many points in the morning, I had MacBook and iPhone on my lap.. terry on the iPad...   Terry and I... in matching plaid Pajamas... sat on the couch and chatted around the world for well over an hour before we enjoyed coffee, scones and opening gifts.  It was quiet and slow... peaceful....  time to appreciate each other opening our gifts.

Intricate hand knit Socks 

More amazing Socks

Terry and I agreed not to buy for each other this year.. and just exchanged stockings... and one small gift each. That was so great...  because we need (or want) nothing.  Our gifts under the tree were from the hearts of each of our family members and so fun to open in the quiet.  Origami paper, pumpkin carving tools, extremely difficult mind puzzles, pizza stones and gardening, cooking and travel books.

Our family found each other apart because Stephanie and Sean are in Korea and were home in the summer...   Michelle, Scott and Jack are in Fredericton and unfortunately, we have to share them with Scott's parents.   The last two years I have been blessed and spoiled to have my house full of kids... so it was my turn to not have them.

Therefore.. today we do all those things we never get to do on Christmas Day and enjoy them.  Sit quietly and blog... Terry is napping... cats are spread all over the house.  All the opened gifts are neatly tucked under our pretty Xmas Tree.    We had a wonderful walk through the woods near our house.  Something we never seem to make time for anymore, especially at this time of the year.    We found several beaver dams (to Terry's amazement and excitement).  Many beautiful ice sculptures made by nature... animal foot prints and many signs of wildlife that I would never have notices if it was for Terry's tracking abilities.   I left the woods figuring we should have had a big stick with us!  geeesh. 

 A wonderful Christmas in its own special way.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

Seems a shame to throw out a perfectly good pumpkin.  The kids in primary got to actually carve a pumpkin,  cleaning out the seeds, and separating the slim from the seeds... roast the seeds and try eating them.  But then.. what do you do with the pumpkin after halloween.  

Donna takes it... chops it all up..  roasts it in the oven for 1 hour.....

And purees it in the food process and gets about 5 cups of lovely pumpkin puree.  

 A big batch of pumpkin muffin batter and a few dozen cupcake papers (left over from Ashley's wedding shower) and we have a big Monday morning feast at school.

 Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

(recipe from Dianna Berry)

4 Eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup veggie oil

2 cups puree pumpkin

3 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

2 cup choco chips

In large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in separate bowl.

Add to pumpkin mixture, also adding chocolate chips.

FOLD ingredients together (thanks Chantal) until just mixed.

Fill muffin tins 3/4 full and bake in a 400 degree oven for 16-20 minutes.

Cool in pan for 10 minutes.

Makes 24-26 muffins.  You can cut this recipe in half, no problem.. but why bother!

Christmas Parcel to Korea

 Even though its early November, I have to get this parcel in the mail before Nov 14th... so I am spending my evening wrapping up Stephanie and Sean's Christmas Parcel.

The first year they were in Korea I sent a huge box and it was filled with so many Xmas items from Canada and I sent it in Mid October.  I tracked it to Montreal within the first 3 days and there is sat until Mid December.  7 Weeks it sat in Montreal and when I talked to the post office, they told me it was waiting for a container to fill up before it went on the container ship to Asia.
That Xmas day... Stephanie had no parcel and my heart broke for her and Sean.  Their first Xmas away from home and it was lonely enough without the fun and excitement of opening gifts from home.   Her parcel arrived in Mid January and I learned a very valuable lesson.

This parcel is much smaller, filled with more appropriate gifts.. and toys for the kitty.  I will send it via Air Mail and it will be sure to get there by Dec 25th.  This is the 4th year that Sean and Stephanie are away from home.. and we were so lucky to have them here for Christmas just 2 years ago.. and had them home for 2 weeks this summer!

On there way back to Korea after a very busy and fun filled 2 weeks in Canada.

Jack Turns One today!

This week has been a full week of reminiscing about one year ago... and all the waiting, waiting, waiting.
 We thought for sure Jack would come before Halloween.... and he almost did.. but he changed his mind.  Meanwhile, I drove up while Michelle was experiencing labor... but by the time I got there.. all the action had stopped.  My thinking was, that it was going to happen any day, so I chose to stay a few days.. because I knew it would happen any day.

The next 6 days were very long and Michelle and Scott were nervous, tired, sore, stressed... and miserable.  It was my job as their mama to keep them active, and well fed... so they wouldn't be so anxious.  We carved pumpkins, and went to the market... got a big bag of samosa.  Jack's actual due date came and went.  

 an October  Snow storm... came... and went...

In line at the market.. waiting for their favorite treat.. Samosa

  Halloween came... and... went....

 Every day, we went to my sisters and worked on an amazing quilt she planned on making for Aurora for Christmas.  It was a big and overwhelming project and it was meant to be that we (Michelle and I) were looking for a BIG distraction.  Every day we traced flowers onto paper, then cut all the parts out. We talked about what we would do the NEXT day... if... Michelle was still around.  Then the next day.. we irons the papers onto fun fabrics which were spread out, all over Gail's kitchen.

notice the snow in the window.

Then the next day... we cut out all the flowers.... and ironed all the pieces together... Each one of these flowers had 3 to 4 different circles or squiggles and we had to write on each shape in code so we knew which fabric went on what flower... there were cats and lady bugs and butterflies too

Cutting out flowers... even Scott and lucy got into the act... it was something to do!

 

 This was the finished quilt, which we never did see.. because Gail had a ton of work to do on it before Christmas.

And we waited..... Gails Grandkids made a big sign for the window.... and Aurora put the final touches on it... and we waited.  Aurora was pretty excited for Jack to arrive because FINALLY she would be older than someone else.  She has been the baby of the gang for 3 years now.

 Finally, the quilt was organized, the snow stopped falling... and I had to leave to back to Greenwood.  Still no baby.  I went home.. but I left my suitcase packed.  Every day, I called and talked to the waiting parents and they got sadder and more anxious.....  and then Friday came... and Jack didn't... and the doctor said... Tomorrow is the day.

 They had the above sign on the fridge all week... and Jack never made his move.. so they arrived early Saturday morning, Nov 5... and the games began.   I left early Saturday morning amongst black ice and snowy skies.  I was so intent on getting there.. I forgot to check my fuel level.  Now, that would have been the worse thing.. but I was looking at the snow on the road and a thought came to me that I hadn't stopped for gas... and when I looked at my gauge... the light was on!  For how long.. who knows.. but I stopped at the very next exit and filled her to brim! (Don't even look at the fact that I was driving 110 km and taking a picture)

I arrived in Fredericton, just on time, to be a part of a very amazing experience... which I blogged from the heart about here.   

This is the VERY first picture of Jack... peeking out from him mothers grasp.. to see his Grammie, I think

My very first babysitting job... We sat in the warm sun from the window and waited for mama to have a shower, and I got to tell Jack all  about the waiting and waiting... 

All snuggled up, waiting to go home!

Seems like a life time ago now... and I guess it was.. Jack's lifetime, really.  We are so lucky and thankful to have our little Jack.. who is so happy all the time.. and so healthy and fun!

Heading to visit Grammie and Grampie!

Cherrios... a beautiful thing!

Aylesford Tartan jacket, just like his Grampie and daddy

 

Happy 1st Birthday Jack.