Before and afters

As most of you know I have been up to my eyeballs with pressure canners, jars, veggies and fruits for the last few weeks. We leave tomorrow to go on a 10 day camping family trip with some of our children and grandchildren so last night we went to water our gardens to make sure they had plenty of water. I knew we would have to pick a few beans etc as they had almost been ready when we had been there on the weekend. Well let me tell you we were so very surprised we had so much food to pick!! But because we were leaving I had to get it all canned last night.

Sigh let me tell you starting to do this at 8 at night was not my cup of tea. Then just as I start and Keith was going to get the camping things out of the storage room, he gets a call from a church member who was beyond being rational and Keith went flying over there to see what had happened. Needless to say he showed up 4 hours later when everything was washed, chopped and jared already. All I had to do was wait for them to be processed in the canners which took till 1:30am.

So here is the result of last 2 days work towards our year emergency food storage:

Before:

Middle:

After:




2 jars of cucumber sweet relish
2 jars raspberry jam
3 jars of grape jelly
3 jars of pickled beets
3 jars of green beans
6 jars of yellow beans
3 jars of mixed peas and carrots
6 jars of salsa
12 more jars of apple pie filling to top the 15 I already had made earlier this week)
9 jars of applesauce (2 already went to another home

Changing the World

TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
GONNA TAKE IT ONE DAY AT A TIME
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
I�VE OPENED UP MY EYES
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD


I'M GONNA SAY HELLO TO MY NEIGHBOR
GREET HIM WITH A SMILE
SHAKE THE HAND OF A STRANGER
SIT AND TALK FOR A WHILE
TELL SOMEONE I LOVE THEM
FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

GONNA MAKE SURE MY CHILDREN
KNOW THERES A RIGHT AND WRONG
I�LL NEVER TURN MY BACK
ON THOSE OF US WHO NEED SOMEONE
I�M GONNA TRY TO SEE MYSELF
THROUGH ANOTHERS EYES
TODAY IM GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD
NOT FOR ME, BUT FOR THOSE I'LL LEAVE BEHIND
I'VE MADE MY RESOLUTION
CHANGE IT ONE DAY AT TIME
TODAY I'M GONNA TRY AND CHANGE THE WORLD

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rtaBrHg1Bo

if you get the chance to see the actual video from Johnny Reid.. watch it..

Yesterday's Results

Yesterday was a great day. I talked to my mom twice for about an hour each time and we just chatted about the old days while I worked on my canning. I am so loving doing this. I haven't been able to do canning or plant a garden since we moved back from Vancouver 10 years or so ago because of my health and not having a place to garden. But now with the community plots that we got this spring it is very gratifying to reap what we sow. I am big on traditions and doing things the way I was taught and Mom and I talked about her recipes that I was using and where she had gotten hers from. We laughed at the silly things we as women do...it was a good day all around. But today I am taking the day off and heading over to Kitsilano Beach with Lareta for the whole day and just relaxing.

moms~cookbooks~canning

A few years back my mom gave me some of her cookbooks..one of them was her very first cookbook that she had gotten before she had even gotten married. In those days you would save little stamps that were on Blue Ribbon products such as tea, coffee, baking powder etc. The company had a catalogue and you could send your stamps to them for products much like today's airmiles. So she had been getting them from her mom and when she had saved enough she ordered this cookbook to put in her hope chest. Now if you have no idea what that is.. let me know.. that would be another topic hehee.. Anyway some of the recipes you can tell are for another era as tehy call for milk that has not been separated yet :) and if you don't know what THAT means you really are from the new generation !!

At the back of this book are some blank pages which my mom kept a sort of journal of notes about recipes and so on. She also kept track of what she canned. What reminded me of the back of the book was yesterday when I finished doing some canning. I should have skipped that whole section of the book though :-D

The following was from a week in 1960. Now you have to understand that she does not have running water or dishwashers and has 4 children under the age of 6. The measurements are in Imperial measures as metric had not been invented yet at least not in our corner of the world. Qts are quarts which is about the same as a litre, pts is pints which is about the same as 1/2 litre, a bag was a very large gunny sack that held about 75-100 pounds and I have no idea how many kilos that is.

15 qts mixed vegetables
30 qts peas
27 qts beans (pork and beans)
2 bags of carrots
1 bag of turnips
30 qts dills
20 qts sweet pickles
30 qts beets
6 pts mustard pickles
6 qts green catsup
75 qts vegetables besides carrots and corn
100 qts pickles
30 qts chickens

You can see how I felt a little inadequate by my picture at the end of this when I read what she did :) Gotta love a mom's guilt from days gone by hehehee

New drug

I saw my Rheumatologist last week and he suggested a new drug to help with my Fibromyalgia. Most of the time I just work with the FM as I know what helps and what not to do to aggravate it. But our rainy season has gone on for way too long this year and it has weighed heavily (no pun intended) on my muscles. He said that about 50% of his patients that have gone on it has found great improvement. But he said he would write a letter to my doctor and for me to discuss it with her on my next visit.

Which he did and I did and we decided to give it a try. She was concerned though about the side effects and said we needed to keep a close eye on it. Tonight I finally remembered to read up on it to get a list of things to watch out for and seriously I had to chuckle reading it. It was like reading a mystery novel. Really?? Who invents these drugs? You can put man on the moon but you can't formulate a drug without all these side effects that end up being worse then the actual problem?

Here was just one single paragraph of the 4 page report:

mood or behavior changes,(Keith will love that one) anxiety, panic attacks, trouble sleeping,(uhhhh it is 2:12am as I write this does that mean I no longer will have the need to go to bed?) or if you feel impulsive, irritable, agitated, hostile, aggressive, restless, hyperactive (mentally or physically)(oh joy I don't stop moving as it is), more depressed,(I didn't know I was already depressed) or have thoughts about suicide or hurting yourself (well not myself but certainly the manufactures of these drugs). Avoid drinking alcohol while taking it (well no problem there. Alcohol may increase the risk of damage to your liver

Isn't this going to be a fun summer hehehehee

Physicals and Keith

Keith hasn't had a regular family doctor since we moved to BC 21 years ago as he never gets sick. If he has something that needed attention once every couple of years he would just go to the walk in clinic. When he turned 50 I dragged him kicking and screaming for a physical (last one was when he was 44!)and he was told he had really high Blood Pressure and Cholesterol. That was when I had just recently started working on my weight loss. Together we started working with Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Loss Solution. He did so well for 6 whole months. Never touch a single piece of fast food, no chips or snacks from the stores, no pop...nothing..just very healthy eating. Lost his belly weight and his numbers on his lab work went down.

Then we went back home for a vacation and car pooled with our daughter and her family. Well the kids were eating snacks etc in the van and at meal times we would go through the drive thru's to save time. Just the smell of McD in the van and the smell of chips when someone opened a bag was just too much so he would have a couple here and there. By the time he got back home 6 months of hard work went out the window!

I still kept an eye on his eating while he was at home but the outside world is a nasty place. It seemed every contract he was on was next to or across the street or down the block from a McD's....Then 2 years ago I noticed he was drinking lots of water and falling asleep at the drop of a hat so dragged him to the clinic where he was told he was pre-diabetic and that his BP and cholesterol levels were all back again where they had been.. literally just at the fine line. He was told to get the weight down and his numbers or else he would have to start being medicated.

This really scared me. I need him alive. I would not survive without him. He is my whole life and no one ever could ever take care of me like he does. I did all I could to support him and did what I could short of nagging the poor man to death. We were at my doctor earlier this year for my visit and I happen to ask if she knew a doctor that took new patients as Keith did not have one, explained that he had high BP, cholesterol levels and was pre-diabetic but every time he went to the clinic for testing it was always someone new. I knew she did not take on new patients but she said seeing as how he was always there with me for my appointments she would take him on. She sent him for a new update on lab work she had something to use as a base and yesterday she did his physical.

So the new results were excelling Blood pressure (used to be 195/100 and was now 134/68), and excellent cholesterol (also used to be very high) just now has to work on his blood sugars.. so I was very pleased with the visit. The doctor wanted to know how he had gotten both down so well in so short a time and I answered for him that it was through my loving nagging :) She wanted to send him for a stress test because of his chest pains he gets periodically but until they get his knee fixed it will have to wait but was going to send him for XRAYS and ECG. He said "You're the boss and I know that I trust you so will do what you ask", THEN (and I laugh so lovingly about this !!)she also said NO MORE FAST FOOD! She flat out told him it was poison. I LOVED IT!!

She said her children were raised with the belief that fast food is poison and that they have never had so much as a french fry or burger from any of the normal hangouts. Keith figured I had coached her to tell him that. So all the way home he kept saying "and what did she say about my BP and Cholesterol? I was in EXCELLENT health" lol And I would say "She said it was POISON!!"

Will have to keep you posted on how he is doing.

Brothers and Sisters

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my mother. Tonight I have been thinking about my brothers and their families. I love my brothers. They are always there for me, always checking up on me, never say no to me, always bend over backwards to help me...I could go on and on about them.

As you all know my mom turned 80 a couple of weeks ago and we had planned this big surprise party for her. They turned their lives upside down to go down and help me get things ready. My oldest brother, who is a die hard fan of jeans and tshirts even blew my mind by showing up in dress clothes and a shirt and tie!! He taught me to ride a bike, tie my shoes, taught me how to skate, and how to play ball like a boy

I had made a dvd of mom's life (my first attempt at an actual dvd not just a video) and my youngest brother just helped me set it up with my laptop and projector. Although I am sure he rolled his eyes inside his head he was just very patient at helping me set it up and fix it when I freaked thinking I had lost it.

One of my brothers just quietly took over the kitchen at the hall getting brunch going for everyone. I watched my two youngest brothers playing with their young children, making a puzzle, reading stories..made me smile inside and out. They have been blessed with wives who are strong independent women (sound familiar?). My oldest brother's wife Leanne...well I have known her almost as long as I have been alive. She used to be my babysitter when my children were not much more then babies so we have been friends forever. We never run out of things to talk about..usually about our husbands and how although they may be getting older they refuse to grow up.

My next brother's wife Hilary is a gem straight from England. She rides a motorcycle in leathers and whacks Keith when she thinks he is bugging me too much :-) How can you NOT love someone like that.

My next brother's wife has turned my brother around for the good. Together they purchased the cabin at the lake where my parents had built the site from scratch. When my dad died, mom had to sell it. Years later the new owner wanted to sell it and asked my mom if anyone in the family wanted to take it back and this brother and sister in law did. They'll never know the peace and comfort that gave me.

My youngest brother's wife is an OR nurse. Last couple of years every time I went in for surgery I would be in the OR trying not to hyperventilate at the thought of not waking up and I would just tell the OR nurses there that if I didn't wake up my sister in law would come and kick their butts. That always broke the ice and it must have worked because I always woke up. She was the one that told me she thought I had Lyme's Disease and when I went to get tested sure enough I tested positive.

Together they make the world's best brothers and sisters. My brothers protect me and I love my sisters in laws as if they were truly my sisters. And the best part??? They don't care how many hugs and smooches I give them nor how many times I tell them I love them :)

In this picture my brothers are as follows top row: Richard (2nd youngest) Norman (youngest) Daniel(brother next youngest to me), bottom row Claude (oldest brother), my mom and me of course.



This picture is of my oldest brother Claude on the left and Dan on the right



This picture was taken at my reunion last summer with nearly everyone


This one is of my youngest brother's wife Andrea with one of my great nieces (Great in more then one way hehee) and one of my nieces.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Ok I got this recipe from one of my sons (thanks Kim) and they are to DIE for..well ok don't go dying on me it is a figure of speech!!!) But I just had to share it with you. It is a little finicky to make but man oh man is it worth every single minute :) Migraine medicine I am so ready for you :-D


Salted Caramel Brownie

Prep Time: 25 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes Difficulty: Intermediate Servings: 20
Ingredients

* FOR THE BROWNIES:
* 6 ounces, weight Unsweetened Chocolate, Chopped
* ¾ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
* 2 cups Sugar
* 3 whole Eggs
* 1 cup All-purpose Flour
* _____
* FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:
* ½ cups Heavy Cream
* 2 cups Sugar
* ½ cups Water
* ¼ cups Unsalted Butter, Cut Into Pieces
* 2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
* 2 packages (about 1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon) Powdered Gelatin Mixed With 1/4 Cup Water

Preparation Instructions

FOR THE BROWNIES:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan with butter or baking spray.

In the top of a double boiler over medium heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring until melted. Add sugar and stir gently until combined. Remove from heat.

In a separate bowl, gently whisk the eggs. Add a small splash of eggs to chocolate mixture, stirring immediately (but still gently). Drizzle in the rest of the eggs, stirring constantly.

Add flour and stir until combined. Pour batter into greased baking pan and spread to even out the surface.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, then remove from oven to cool completely in the pan.

FOR THE CARAMEL GLAZE:

In a small saucepan over low heat, warm heavy cream. Do not boil.

In a separate tall saucepan, combine sugar and water. Do not stir. Place over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Cook until the mixture turns an amber color—not too dark, but definitely amber. Remove pan from stove.

Add warm cream, butter, and salt. Stir gently until mixture is smooth and well combined. When it is smooth and calmed down a bit, pour in gelatin/water mixture and stir.

TO FINISH:

Pour caramel glaze all over completely cooled brownies. Allow to set completely. Cut into small rectangles and serve.

***Lining the pan with foil would allow you to lift the brownies out of the pan after the caramel glaze sets. Then you can use a long, serrated knife and slice more easily.***

My Mom Pauline

Yesterday my Mom turned 80. She looks 30 years younger and we are frequently mistaken for sisters rather then mother and daughter..one thing I am glad I inherited from her...her great looks and a no wrinkle zone on her face. My mom has been a joy to be around for many years. Over the years we became not only mother and daughter but wonderful friends. I learned a lot from her and would like to share some of those things here.

She raised us with the aspect that your name was your greatest asset and that we were to never do anything to damage the reputation of that name. Reputation was the one thing that she held dearest to her heart. It was very important that no one think badly of her. My mom always had faith in God first then family. No matter how far off the beaten path we, as children, would stray she never gave up on us. No matter what was going on in her life, she always held her head high and with dignity.

Tradition was everything to her. She still does a lot of the same things that she did as a young girl. You know on Mondays, there is homemade bread baking, laundry is being done, and petit pains were on the menu for lunch. Christmas cakes are made on the first Monday of September and tourtiere's on the first Saturday in December. Walls are all washed in every April and October. Bedding is changed from winter ones to summer ones and back again on the 1st day of spring and fall.

Whenever someone had a baby, moved into town, or passed away, she would be the first one there with a meal. She gives to everyone unselfishly without asking for anything in return. Her nature was to give not receive making it difficult for her to ask for help when she needed it. Even 2 years ago when I was released from the hospital from my double mastectomy, she came over and washed all my walls, made a slew of meals to go into the freezer and every day would take my hand and "drag" me in the bedroom so I could have a nap.

She has worked very hard all of her life and still continues to do so. Just a couple of weeks ago she told me she had spent 2 full days raking their entire property. She went without so we could have. When there was pie for dessert, and even though there was 8 of us and 8 slices, if Dad wanted 2nds she would go without so someone else could have another piece. As young children and teenagers, we taught she was a strict mother, that we had no freedom, that when our friends were off playing after school, we had to do chores and hated it.

But those learned lessons have played a major role in the way we now shape our lives. My brothers and I (and our sister when she was alive) are all hard workers,we take pride in our work, we give to others asking nothing in return, in our careers we go to work early, stay late and put in a full day's work.Our children, and for some of us our grandchildren, are all the most important thing in our lives. Family is EVERYTHING to us.

We had our share of scraps growing up, but as adults our family tree is unbreakable no matter what life throws at it. We may bend with the weight of troubles etc but that tree never breaks. Although we didn't always get a lot of "I love you's" growing up (different era) we learned from that and never go a day without telling our families we love them.

It would take too long to list all of her qualities, but I do know she has always been there for us in different ways. We are all going to be together on the May long weekend to hold a special surprise 80th birthday party for her and I had asked my brothers to tell me what characteristic trait they thought they inherited from her. First I was going to just say what I thought those were but I decided to ask them. Funny thing was, what they gave me as answers were not at all what I had thought.

Life has not easy for my mom, but through it all she kept her head held high. She has had to bury her husband, her parents as well as my sister. But she continues to be strong for us all and I am so grateful for all that she has taught me. She continues to inspire her and I look forward to this coming weekend where our family and her close friends will be together to celebrate her 80th birthday.

A week in the life

People wonder how I keep my life in order so I know what I am doing at any given time. This is my life.. Some weeks I have to highlight my entries in different colors so I can tell one item from another :) My mother always told me that keeping busy keeps you out of trouble and one knows one must always listen to their mother!!!

Testimony of the Book of Mormon

one day after our brand new temple has been dedicated, I have never been so thankful for the sacrifices of the Prophet Joseph Smith and all the pioneers,,,,,for what they have done so that we may worship without fear of persecution ...My heart, mind and soul is overflowed with emotion and love for all those who gave up their lives so that we, today, are able to give of ourselves freely...... My prayer is that we never take our membership for granted, that we always remember

KFC and Breast Cancer

Yesterday I saw a commercial on tv that KFC was partnering with the Susan G. Koemen Breast Cancer Foundation. For every pink bucket of chicken they sell, 50 cents would be donated to this foundation with a minimum of 1 million dollars with a vision to hopefully reach 8 million in donations.

I was concerned about this. As a breast cancer survivor I have worked hard at eating healthy, exercising and trying to take care of myself as best as possible. KFC does not promote a great lifestyle in regards to eating habit. Anytime in the past that we ordered chicken it has always arrived to our home greasy and just gross. But you ate it not realizing how bad it was for you.

It bothered me that this foundation would go in a business venture with a company that does not promote healthy lifestyle. Yes they now offer grilled chicken but really who orders grilled chicken when you order from them? So I wrote to the foundation telling them that I felt KFC was doing it for THEIR bottom line which was making money. They are only giving 50 cents for every bucket but if they had even 50% increase in people ordering because they "felt" they were helping out then they made way more money then they would have. I wrote that if KFC wanted to help out why not just donate the million dollars?

Well I never expected to hear back from them especially not within 24 hours. Here is their answer:

Thank you for your email to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. We do appreciate you taking the time to tell us how you feel about our partnership with KFC. You should know that our partnership with KFC is designed at the core to educate millions of people we might not otherwise reach with breast health information – outreach that we consider critical to our mission to save lives and end breast cancer. We are reaching people with life-saving messages through KFC’s 5,300 restaurants (about 900 of them in communities not yet served by a Komen Affiliate), with information in the store, on the buckets and in advertising directing consumers to KFC’s bucketsforthecure.com website, with links to www.komen.org.
Second, this partnership is helping generate millions in funding – a goal of $8.5 million to be raised in six weeks – to further the nearly $1.5 billion in research and community programs that Komen has already spent over the past 30 years – programs that are literally saving people’s lives through better treatments, early detection and advocacy at the federal and state levels. Because of partners like this, our $500 million in research funding has paid enormous dividends – 98 percent five-year survival rates for cancers that haven’t spread from the breast and better and more effective treatments for late-stage breast cancer patients, Further, these partnerships have enabled us to invest $900 million in our communities, providing financial and medical support for women, particularly low-income women, who desperately need help gaining access to the medical care system.
Some ask what we are doing in terms of prevention. About 10 percent – or $50 million – of our research budget over the years has gone to prevention research. We’ll invest another $20 million of our $55-$60 million research grant program to prevention, and continue funding programs that educate women about their risks.
We recognize that this partnership brings up a conversation about obesity and health related to cancer. Our partnership highlights the healthy options at KFC – grilled chicken and vegetables, for example. Ultimately, the decision to maintain a well-balanced diet lies in the hands of the consumer. KFC provides tools to make those choices, by providing a healthier choice menu at its restaurants and advice on its website on how consumers can limit fat and calorie consumption in its products.
We hope that you will take a moment to visit the bucketsforthecure.com website to learn more about the partnership and see the stories of hope, education and empowerment being shared there.

We appreciate your concern and thank you for sharing it with us.

Very truly yours,

Margo K. Lucero
Director, Global Corporate Relations
5005 LBJ Freeway, Suite 250 | Dallas, TX 72544
1-877 GO KOMEN | www.komen.org

Jackpot and Ancestors!

I have decided when I get to my next life and will meet my perfected body I will do what today I cannot do. I will jump up and down for great joy! Today I have found some ancestors that I have been researching for ages. I found out from my mom a year or so ago that her maiden name was not her actual name that it had been changed from another name at the time of her great grandparents. I had been talking to her that I had been blocked time and time again in researching my grandfather's paternal line. That was when she told me..she also told me she was sure she had told me that before. Uh no mom..I have been researching our line for decades..I would definitely remember you telling me and I would not have wasted so much time locating something that was not there.

I asked her what the name had been and she said "Solange (what she calls me when she is upset or exasperated with me) I am almost 80 years old you want me to remember something I overheard my parents talking about when I was a young adult? Uh yes!!! She said she would ask her older sisters to see if they remembered but no one else knew the name had even changed. I found a website that gave you name changes for french names and I found 5 names that my grandfather's name had been changed from. I called her up and said I had 5. She told me if she heard it she would recognize it. It was the 3rd one and she said that's it!!!

I was then able to go back 3 more generations at that point (gee the things you find when you have ALL the CORRECT information!) But once again I was stuck. As often happens with me, when I get blocked I tend to put that line aside and work on another line so had not been back at it since last summer. Well today I went to our main city library downtown Vancouver as I knew they had a lot of research books we did not have in our family history centre and as research books are not allowed out in inter-library loans I headed over.

I knew the books I wanted, all 7 volumes of them. They are quite heavy so could only carry 2 of them to my table at a time. When I went to get the 3rd one I reached down (of course has to be on the 2nd shelf from the bottom!!!) but my hand grabbed a different book...the ones I needed are red, thick, short but bulky..this one was blue, tall, wide but not very deep. So narrow in depth that it didn't even have room to have the title on the binding. I thought that's weird..so I flipped it over and read the cover (good thing I read French!) and here was this book that was the recordings of marriages in 1666 in Quebec BEFORE it was even Quebec when it was called Nouvelle France (New France). I thought huh...ok.

So I put it on the table and got the other big ones I needed. Because that one was so much smaller I decided to go through it first. Ideally it would have been so much easier for me if whoever had recorded all the information had put it in alphabetical order but nope they had it in order of parishes. I started with page 1 and worked all the way to the last one.

I have to tell you I found names on EVERY SINGLE LINE of my family!!!!! Because I have been researching for many many years, I was able to recognize names from my lines as ancestors. Those I found I knew by name but had never been able to get their marriage date or date of entry into Canada from France..but now..this...well I was ecstatic. 5 hours later Keith called my cell to tell me he was on his way to pick me up..Already??? Seemed like I had barely started!

As soon as I got home I started entering the data I had furiously scribbled onto paper into my computer. I ended up having to take Lareta and Darien to their meetings so popped in to the FHC and kept working. I was agitated for lack of a better term..I knew these were my ancestors but I had a hard time with matching them to the first of the ancestors I had on my records.

But finally after an hour and a half I was able to connect one of the lines I had found!! I was thrilled. I know to some of you reading this you must think is this woman for real?? These are dead people! I know.. ain't life grand???? :-D

I have my regular day at work tomorrow and a staff meeting to get ready that night but man it will be so hard to not work on my own work tomorrow! It is after midnight here now and as Keith went to bed an hour ago he said "Well I guess I will see you at the table still when my alarm goes off?" hehehehe he knows me well!

City Slickers vs Rural Saskatchewanites :)

THE RULES OF RURAL SASKATCHEWAN ARE AS FOLLOWS

Listen up City Slickers!

1. Pull your droopy pants up. You look like an idiot.

2. Turn your cap straight, your head isn't crooked.

3. Let's get this straight; it's called a 'dirt road.' I drive a pickup truck because I want to. No matter how slow you drive,
you're going to get dust on your Lexus. Drive it or get out of the way.

4. They are cattle. They're live steaks. That's why they smell funny to you. But they smell like money to us. Get over it.
Don't like it? Hwy 1 goes east and west, Hwy 6 or 9 goes north and south Pick one.

5. So you have a $60,000 car. We're impressed. We have $ 200,000 combines and hay balers that are driven only 3
weeks a year.

6. So every person in rural Saskatchewan waves. It's called 'being friendly Try to understand the concept.

7. If that cell phone rings while an 8-point buck and 3 does are coming in, we WILL shoot it out of your hand. You better hope
you don't have it up to your ear at the time.

8. Yeah, we eat meat and potatoes. You really want sushi & caviar? It's available at the corner bait shop.

9. The 'Opener' refers to the first day of deer hunting season. It's a religious holiday held the closest Saturday to the first
of November.

10. We open doors for women. That is applied to all women, regardless of age.

11. There's little for 'vegetarians' on the menu. Order steak. Or you can order the Chef's Salad and pick off the 2 pounds of
ham & turkey.

12. When we set a table, there are three main dishes: meats, vegetables and breads. We use three spices: salt, pepper, and ketchup.

13. You bring 'coke' into my house, it better be brown, wet and served over ice.

14. You bring 'Mary Jane' into my house, she better be cute, know how to shoot, drive a truck, and have long hair

15. Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and Minor Hockey is as important here as the Maple Leafs and
Montreal Habs, and more fun to watch.

16. Yeah, we have golf courses. But don't hit the water hazards - it spooks the fish.

17.. Colleges? We have them all over. We have Universities and Community Colleges. They come outta there with an education plus
a love for God and country, and they still wave at everybody when they come for the holidays.

18. We have a whole ton of folks in the Armed Forces. So don't mess with us. If you do, you will get whipped by the best.

19. Turn down that blasted car stereo! That thumpity-thump crap ain't music, anyway. We don't want to hear it anymore than we
want to see your boxers. (Refer back to #1)

20. 2 inches of snow & ice isn't a blizzard - it's a vacation. Drive like you got some sense in it, and DON'T take all our
bread, milk, and bleach from the grocery stores. This ain't Alaska , worst case you may have to live a whole day without
croissants. The pickups with snow blades and tractors with snow blowers will have you out the next day.

Next project

Remember last year or so I talked about going to this humongous shoe sale where everything was 75-90% off and how rude people were yanking things out of your hands or out of your basket etc? Well one of the pairs of shoes that I had bought for 10 dollars no less was this beautiful blue pair. I have no idea what shade of blue it is but I fell in love with it! I also knew I had absolutely nothing in my closet that even matched it but I did not care. We are talking shoes here and this pair was talking to me!


After sitting on the pair for months and trying to find something that matched it I gave up. I even tried finding something new but nothing so Lareta and I headed over to the fabric store. We had found a pattern at Walmart that I could use for different outfits (by the way most of my clothes I make)and the patterns were on sale for 1.99 so bonus.



It took a long time to find fabric because everything was too blue, or too tourquisey (is that a word) or too teal etc...Lareta finally found this fabric (She is the BOMB!)that was perfect so I got enough to make a dress, a suit, shorts, and pants. Because it is a multi coloured fabric I can alternate between taupe colored pieces with the patterned one and vice versa. (It is a little hard to make out the actual color but there are 2 different shades of blue stripe, a beigey stripe, a taupe stripe, and a medium brown stripe. I already had a suit jacket the exact shade as well as skirt in the taupe. At Christmas time I had been out shopping for my granddaughters and Ardene's had these buy 1 get 2 free kind of thing so for 5 bucks I got the 2 belts. The jewelry I already had.




So enough fabric for jacket, skirt, top, dress, shorts, pants and thread/buttons etc came up to under $40.00, 2 belts $5.00, blue shoes $10.00 (Brown ones I already had) and for a grand total of $55.00 including tax I have all these new outfits! So this is my new project for when I get back from my Mom's in May :)

40 questions about me

1. Have you ever been searched by the cops?
Searched yes, when we were coming through the border once going into the US and another time when we were coming back into Canada we were searched and the car was searched.

2. Do you close your eyes on roller coasters?

Doesn't everyone?

3. When's the last time you've been sledding?

2 summers ago
4. Would you rather sleep with someone else, or alone?

someone, I won't even go to bed if Keith isn't with me
5. Do you believe in ghosts?

Considering they talk to me I had better

6. Do you consider yourself creative?

hmmmm that's a hard one, I don't think I am but I keep getting told I am

7. Do you think O.J. killed his wife?

100%

8. Jennifer Aniston or Angelina Jolie?

Angelina Jolie without a doubt
9. Do you stay friends with your ex's?

no
10. Do you know how to play poker?

yes I learned when I was married before as my ex used to lose his whole paycheck in poker games. I learned how to play so I could win it back then he would think it was his again..uh have you never heard the term possession is 9/10th's of the law?

11. Have you ever been awake for 48 hours straight?

many MANY times

12. What's your favorite commercial?

the Coke one when they sing "I'd like to teach the world to sing"

13. What are you allergic to?

wheat, adalat and erythromycin

14. If you're driving in the middle of the night, and no one is around do you run red lights?

Never, I'm a good girl.

15. Do you have a secret that no one knows but you?

nope Keith knows everyone

16. Boston Red Sox or New York Yankees?

Neither

17. Have you ever been Ice Skating?

Yes. but sad I can no longer do it

18. How often do you remember your dreams?

constantly, because I never go into REM all I do is dream
19. When was the last time you laughed so hard you cried?

On Saturday when we watched Old Dogs


20. Can you name 5 songs by The Beatles?

Hey Jude, You say yes I say no, She loves you, Imagine, Lucy in the Sky


21. What's the one thing on your mind now?

money
22. Do you know who Ghetto-ass barbie is?

no

23. Do you always wear your seat belt?

always
24. What cell service do you use?

ROgers

25. Do you like Sushi?

some
26. Have you ever narrowly avoided a fatal accident?

yes and I care to never repeat it
27. What do you wear to bed?

depends on weather outside

28. Been caught stealing?

yes

29. what shoe size do you have?

11 narrow

30. Do you truly hate anyone?

no
31. Classic Rock or Rap?

Classic Rock
32. If you could sleep with one famous person, who would it be?

Keith
33. Favorite Song?

Dance With Me
34. Have you ever sang in front of the mirror?

yes

35. What food do you find disgusting?

brussel sprouts


36. Do you sing in the shower?

at times

37. Did you ever play, "I'll show you mine, if you show me yours"?

I have no idea..it would have had to have been when I was too young to know what I was doing

38. Have you ever made fun of your friends behind their back?
sadly when I was in elementary school

39. Have you ever stood up for someone you hardly knew?

absolutely

40. Have you ever been punched in the face?

yes

Moms

WHY GOD MADE MOMS
Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2... Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?
1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?
1... My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?
1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them..
3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my mom smarter.. Then she would know it was my sister who did it not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Gardening ~ it must be spring :)

What a long exhausting day!! When we lived in Vancouver we had a community garden plot. I think I have mentioned this previously. Anyway it has taken me a couple of years to find another one in Surrey. There was actually 4 of them. Two had at least a 3 year wait list and we applied to the other 2. One is walking distance to our house but the plot is only 5' X 10". The other one is an organic one and is 16'X16'. Today we found out we got the 2nd one as well WOOOHOOO!

As it turned out both gardens had their orientation where we were assigned our plot numbers and given all the do's and don'ts. We also nominated/volunteered to be part of the committee etc. The smaller one is brand new, they are actually still building frames for our plots so we can't do anything with that one. The large one we got to choose our own plot (by first applied first pick)and as we were there early..I had the one I had wanted. We were seventh on the pick list and as each of the first 6 gave their numbers I would cheer that it wasn't ours!! But I wouldn't tell them which one I wanted to jinx it lol.

I have no idea why no one wanted it! When it was our turn I yelled out 55!!! When we went back after we were all done I was so happy. I guess people just thought it was overrun with weeds and old plants but what they did not realize was all mixed in with the old plants were nice clumps of rosemary, sage, lavender, parsley, cilantro, oregano, winter onions, turnips, several strawberry plants, peppermint and rhubarb!! And right next to our plot was a huge evergreen tree with a picnic table as well as a nice park bench to use :) How perfect is my life going to be!!

Will take pictures next time we go over so you can see our wonderful garden and know why I am so thrilled!

I really am part of an alien nation

Ok those of you who have been reading my blog for any length of time, know that I have been researching my family history for a very long time, almost 4 decades actually, which might be hard to believe considering I am only 53 years old. But I digress. I have talked about my maternal grandmother(Clara Prive)'s maternal grandmother(Marie Louise Cloure). I have talked about how many brick walls I have hit trying to find information on her. She has never shown up on any census ever anywhere in the world, there is no birth, marriage or death records anywhere. I have basically always said that this woman, Marie Louise Cloure, fell on the earth to have 2 children and then just as quickly fell off the earth again. Only through a very very hard road of searching have I been able to locate information that she actually had THREE children not the 2 that the family has always stated. But still no record of her parents etc.

Well on Wednesday while I was working, I decided to search a couple of sites that I had gotten some training on last month (we bring in different presenters every month at our family history centre to teach our patrons and staff on different topics). But it took me a while to get the chance to go and check out a couple of spots. When I was on one of the sites I just entered her name and hit search expecting to see the usual sorry no such name located. But it beeped...huh? So I clicked on the link and burst into laughter!!! The other 2 staff members that I was working with came over to see what was so funny and I said you know this elusive female ancestor that drives me crazy? And they said yes. I said you know you have heard me say many times that she fell on the earth from some other planet? They said yes. I said look at this screen. There in black and white was a site that dealt with UFO sightings. The report came from the Department of Defense. Most of the report was blacked out (which kind of made me go hmmmm what's that all about) but there was enough to read a description of the UFO and that there had been 4 adults and 2 children that reported the sighting all with the same description. One of the 6 witnesses was a Marie Louise Cloure as a child. But as she had been born in 1848 and this report was in 1949, I knew that this was not the same person.

But needless to say it did make me laugh and it did reinforce my belief that she really did fall on the earth from another planet to have her now 3 children and went back to her mother planet just as easily because I have never known any other person that did not leave some sort of paper trail. I do swear though that when Judgment Day arrives, I will locate her and have a sit down with her so she can explain to me why she has blocked my every attempt to find her.

Ingredients List

Chicken McNuggets®: White boneless chicken, water, food starch-modified, salt, seasoning (autolyzed yeast extract, salt, wheat starch, natural flavoring (botanical source), safflower oil, dextrose, citric acid, rosemary), sodium phosphates, seasoning (canola oil, mono- and diglycerides, extractives of rosemary). Battered and breaded with: water, enriched flour (bleached wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), yellow corn flour, food starch-modified, salt, leavening (baking soda, sodium acid pyrophosphate, sodium aluminum phosphate, monocalcium phosphate, calcium lactate), spices, wheat starch, whey, corn starch. Prepared in vegetable oil (Canola oil, corn oil, soybean oil, hydrogenated soybean oil with TBHQ and citric acid added to preserve freshness). Dimethylpolysiloxane added as an antifoaming agent. CONTAINS: WHEAT AND MILK.

oh yummy