The Morning After...

Yesterday afternoon/evening we had another major storm/snowfall.

This time the wind picked up and created major drifts, even in White Bear.

Here's hoping it's the last of the season.

The neighborhood dogs were really having fun. All I can say is: at least something is enjoying this indecent amount of snow.

One of my favorite shots.

Yours truly, shoveling out the top of the driveway.

Lydia took over. I love this picture of her.

The grader operator saw us working and decided to come help us. 

First he removed the remainder of the berm at the top of the driveway.

Then he motioned for us to move out of the way. So we did. Look how excited Lydia is. :-) If I hadn't been holding a camera, I probably would have been jumping up and down for joy. Lol.

It's -31* C. outside so the snow is pretty fluffy.

Look at it just... move out of the way.

So much snow. Here's hoping our drainage system works this Spring.

Lydia's van is turning into a snowbank.

I'm thinking deck party.

Frozen Moments

On Friday the 1st, we went to up to Lindsey's place for Erin's bridal shower. Here you can see the happy bride (right) and her twin. Beautiful smiles all around!

Erin's ring.

We got to eat awesome things like broccoli...

....and cheesecake!!

Plus, I got to see some of my siblings. 

Always a treat. They grow so quickly.

Erin opened her presents, which were all useful, pretty and numerous. :-)

We all received gifts to take home as well. Lindsey  made these marvelous cookies in a jar for the favors.

I believe I am going to make them for theatre peoples some evening.

Then we came home. And it snowed.

A lot. 

We were storm stayed for all of Monday.

And Jesse caught a cold,

Which he gave to me.

I love him. :-)

On Adulthood, Responsibilities and Kittens

You may be wondering at the lack of posts. So have I. Each time I open my blog to write, there is nothing in my head to write about. That does not mean that nothing is happening. Everything is happening. Lol. Life kicked into gear and is taking us on what feels like a roller coaster ride. It feels good to work, even if I don't want to get up in the morning. Knowing that I've helped put food on the table or, that extra is being put away for renovations or trips, feels really good. And to have a husband who has the strength and character to maintain a steady job is a real God-send.

Life has been a bit bumpy for us the last couple of months. One thing after another. Bills, bills upon more bills. Not much income coming in for a month or so. God provided for us, though. And, we are happy. We have grown closer together; love being a sweet, sweet thing. I am so thankful.

Among the hiccups have been some amusing moments. For instance: we live on the Whitebear Resort, which is lovely. We have to get our water hauled in. Most of us resort people have big water tanks which are filled by a water hauler once a month, or as often as needed. As you well know, my sister Lydia came to live with us in June. Since then, our water consumption has been more. Which means that our tank empties at a faster rate. However, we never seem to calculate this. The past three months, we've ran out of water. Each time, there has been some reason we can't get water for approximately three days. That's an interesting state of affairs. That means having to use the outhouse or the great outdoors/thick underbrush repeatedly for 72  hours. (Please tell me there aren't any rabid skunks in the neighborhood!) Also, this means we have to run over to Jesse's parents house for water to drink. Thankfully, the previous owners of the house left a nice 7 gallon water container for such emergencies. (Jesse  likes to haul this around full so I can see his muscles pop out.) (I love his muscles.) You may be asking why this situation proves so amusing to me. 5 words: Three months in a row.

We took part in the play put on by Cornerstone Theatre. On Friday, my father-in-law and a friend were trying to bring an elderly patron upstairs via the elevator. It promptly broke, of course, and since there were several other waiting riders, they had to fix it. After they had been gone for awhile, my husband went to see if how the repairs were progressing ... and found them locked in the elevator. Through the glass, they tried to give Jesse instructions. Doug said, "You need to find the emergency key for the elevator..."  At that moment, my father-in-law held up something and remarked, "I think it's in here with us." Doug actually banged his head against the wall. Then he remembered there was a second one... Jesse had them out before five minutes had passed. Lol. They were the tech crew for the play, too. Invaluable to the production. Kinda scary when you think about it. Haha!

Then there's teaching; 17 students. Christmas planning. Jesse's birthday planning. Trying to not get the cold that Lydia is getting over and Jesse is coming down with.

On top of it all is Mr. Fox. 

\
Jesse's cousin discovered a very miserable kitten hanging around their porch last week. She thought it was a she. And she thought she should bring this wee, adorable feline over to my inlaws' place. My mil and sil in turn thought of Lydia, who had mentioned wanting a cat. Long story short, "she" turned into a "he" and his name is "Mr. Fox". He is cute, small, about 6 weeks old, has no horrible diseases and Snow is even starting to like him. ;-)

So, life in all it's wonderful busy-ness... Love it. Hate it. Revel in it. I'm living every day with my love and life is goodness. :-) 

Bad Cat

To begin, I detest cat vomit. Kid vomit is not nearly as gross as cat vomit. Jesse disagrees. He says he'll clean up after the cat and I can clean up after the kids, if we have them. But Jesse wasn't here today and the fact of the matter is, cat vomit is disgusting.
Our cat, Snow, often throws up when he comes back inside from using the great outdoors. The reason for this is that as soon as he gets in, he heads for his food dish and eats too much way too fast. Unfortunately, he doesn't *always* throw up, otherwise we'd be waiting and ready for him. But he does it just often enough to be completely annoying. As the old adage goes: a watched cat doesn't vomit. Probably the least annoying thing about this habit is that usually, he leaves a nice (?), semi dry pile of cat food vomit that simply has not settled in his stomach.
Today, as I was cleaning up the kitchen and porch, I let Snow inside. It must have been half an hour later when I heard the dreadful sound coming from the livingroom. I rushed from the office so fast that I stubbed all of the toes on my left foot. And guess what? He ran. Snow ran through the living room, vomiting. He vomited all the way from the pink couch to the bottom of the stairs: leaving a 12 foot trail of cat food, grass and stomach acid.
Oh joy. I had students coming in less than an hour. The creature ran upstairs and hid under a bed. He knew he was in trouble and I hadn't even expressed my distaste. Well, to be honest I had stated calmly, "You are a very bad kitty." I didn't want to say or do anything else than clean up cat vomit. I was too mad and I never like to act on anger. It's bad policy.
So, I cleaned up the mess, got un-mad, gently coaxed the cat back outside again (so he wouldn't do a repeat while the students were there), tried to wipe the new stain out of the already stained carpet (the previous owners had dogs and kids) and cat vomit is still the most disgusting thing in the world...

General Awesomeness

Today I am thankful. There is so much in my life that makes my heart glad. To be honest, I had my "complaining" days lately. During the past week... well, let's just leave it at: I am not a good sick person. :-) However, being a fair-weather person is not something I like to be and when Tuesday rolled around with me feeling like a walking skeleton, I decided to begin a "What I am Thankful For" post; because there are so many reasons to be thankful for in any state of being. This is the completion of that post. It took awhile to evolve. :-)  

I am thankful for God. He is magnificent. He never ends. There is always More of him. He forces me to think for myself and to become a stronger, deeper person. As each day passes, I find myself more entwined with his presence and the excellence of his spirit. In some ways, it is the easiest thing in the world; it also can be incredibly difficult to cast away my fears and embrace Love. But I know that nothing is impossible. There is so much to say about God but I think I will leave it at that.

I am thankful for Jesse. When we first began our relationship, I feared that our love for each other was only a passing fancy. It didn't feel like a passing fancy but how can you know? I learned very quickly that a relationship can only move forward if each has complete faith in the other. Jesse has proven himself in every way possible. He is not perfect but he is perfect for me... and guess what? He says the same about me. Our love grows stronger, deeper, fuller each day. When Jesse asked if we could date, he told me that he felt our meeting and getting to know each other was no accident: we were meant to be together. I believe this with all my heart: God hand-picked us for each other.

I am thankful for our house: it's old; it's meandering; it's home. The kitchen is over a century. Someone who has lived in our neighborhood for 40 years came into the store the other day and I asked him when the renovations took place. He thought for awhile, then he said that they took about 20 - 30 years to complete. I can see why. They are extensive. I love everything about our house... well, minus the leaks in the bedroom and office. Lol. I've been awakened by water dripping on my hand.

I am thankful for my jobs: piano/voice teacher and part-time receptionist at the local Pharmasave. My studio is here at home. I teach 15 students, three days a week. They are the light of my life and the balm of my soul. I love their imperfections, their joys and griefs... I love how each week brings a new challenge in teaching them. I help them and they help me. All of us have become better musicians... not just them. :-) Teaching music and voice has definitely been the most difficult task I have ever undertaken. I think about my students constantly. I plan lessons. I send kids to festival. I advise them to attend The Kenosee Lake Kitchen Party. I study instruction books to see which ones I like or dislike. But it isn't the teaching that is the hardest part. The hardest part is getting to know my students: I care and I get involved. They are all my friends. I respect them and they respect me. It's exhausting but it's the most rewarding, beautiful thing I have ever been involved in. :-)

Pharmasave has been a really great experience. Plus: I have the best bosses, managers and co-workers. Plus: I have learned so much. Downside: standing on concrete for 8 hours a day kills my knees, back, neck, etc, etc. Plus: I really hope to be working there for a few years (or until our kids come along).
 Pharmasave has actually become a second home to me and my coworkers have become second family. They are all like sisters. We vary greatly, we have different problems and we handle our different problems in different ways. But we all have the same goals. I suppose I could admit to Pharmasave being a bit of an exclusive club: if you're really lucky, you get in. ;-) (Actually, if you're a pleasant person who isn't afraid of hard work, we'd probably allow you a membership!)

I am thankful for good health: this morning, I woke up feeling... good. I've been sick for two weeks. Not the kind of sick that has you laying in bed (though there were a few days of that) but the kind of sick that you notice. Lack of energy, headaches, diarrhea, dehydration, etc., etc. The great thing about being sick is how much you enjoy being well afterwards. Lol. Today is one of those days. It's like, "YES! I can teach 7 students today. Bring 'em on!" I am eating healthy and taking walks and drinking lots of water and cranberry juice... ahhh. :-)

Between these things and every small circumstance that makes up my life, I am awesome. God is awesome. The cat is awesome. (Some days.) (I shall write more about him later.)

Life. I shall enjoy it while I have it. :-)

March 24th -- colorful

Snow received this unique (i.e. slightly disturbing) stuffed toy last Christmas. While *he* isn't quite sure what to think of it, I find it quite adorable. ;) 

mOre snaPshoTs

    Jesse asked Sara what his name was. She thought for a moment, then she said,             "I'm Jesse."

Avoiding a skunk waddling across the highway and having my husband still congratulating me on this feat two days later.

Forgetting to bring any night clothing with me on the trip therefore, having to buy new ones at Superstore in Regina. It was a mistake that turned into a good thing: I LOVE them. They are so warm and cozy, I could wear them 24/7. Unfortunately, I can't! (Professional image up-keep.)

Watching Ghost Protocol in the Galaxy theatre and feeling my stomach churn over the tall building with lots of glass part. I think I may have yelped a couple of times.

Going to Boston Pizza and eating at midnight. They have the most delectable Christmas dessert there: Peppermint Brownie Delight. Side note: Jesse and I aren't big fans of peppermint and chocolate mixed together. I mean, come on: two great flavors, why mix them? But the picture of this one was pretty convincing so, we ordered it. Picture this: two hot brownies, two big scoops of vanilla ice-cream (the kind with chunks of vanilla in it), raspberry syrup and chocolate syrup drizzled over, then... the final touch: crushed peppermint candy canes over everything. It. Was. Heavenly.

Our second test of 'in sickness and in health'. Half an hour before we arrived at my parents, Jesse came down with some sort of head cold/flu. His fever was very high, he ached all over, he was shaking and shivering and coughing. At one point, he was so weak that he couldn't even move. I finally got him to take some Advil and that seemed to help keep his fever down. He doesn't often get sick, but when he does, he REALLY does.

Ruth got herself into some trouble for being too noisy while Jesse was trying to sleep. Hannah scolded her soundly for almost waking up her "brother-in-law"... the idea of a five-year-old having a brother-in-law cracks me up. And it gets better: Sara is two.

Exchanging presents at Lindsey's place. She got us several awesome gifts but the one I am going to mention is the SKITTLES!!! Hehe. I love having friends who get you what you want for Christmas.

Sitting in our living room and not having to worry about the mosquitoes. They are finally gone. Good ol' Raid.

Getting the mail and seeing that my new camera had arrived. I am (so, SO!!!) excited about the camera. Jesse is excited about the tripod. And Snow is happy because ...

....he got salmon flavored Kitty Treats for Christmas. (Jesse calls them Cat Crack.) We're good cat owners because we only give him one at a time. Amen.

Celebrating the New Year with my family and many folks from the Endeavour Church. It was a lot of fun and we rang in the tick-tock of Midnight with a rousing chorus of Onward Christian Soldiers. Mainly because I was too exhausted at that point to think of anything else creative.

Jamming with Ellie and Lydia for the first time in months. I actually can't remember the last time we did that. It was good and it brought back pleasant memories of our family band and all the hours we used to practice together. I am glad we were able to bond in this way over the years. Music is magic and it is definitely alive and well.

Eating supper at Brewsters with Sam. This restaurant is also where two dear friends waitress, so between Jesse, Sam, Gillian, Brie and awesome, awesome food, it was a pleasant experience for me. I will be going back there again.

Watching five different movies in two days while in Regina. We watched The Adventures of Tintin, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Arthur Christmas, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Sherlock Holmes Game of Shadows. All were brilliant. I definitely want to review each of them for Ponderings. What a treat to be able to go sit in a darkened theatre and watch things come to life on the big screen.

It was -4* C. today. In January. In Saskatchewan. That's really warm. And the snow and ice were all melting and falling off the car. Weather predictions say it's supposed to last all week. ::happy sigh::

Today my husband told me I am prettier than Marilyn Monroe. (In context, it doesn't sound weird. Lol!) It never fails: he makes me feel beautiful, smart and best of all, strong and good. I am really blessed to have such a man.

The best snapshot of the week is simply that God answered my prayers regarding several matters: Jesse and I drew ever closer through this holiday season, the visit with my family went well, Christmas with the in-laws was so good and last, but most certainly not least, Jesse is getting better.

Happy Holidays for all, forever. Cheers!

Christmas House

I like Christmas trees and ours is no exception. It's like bringing flowers into the house, except.. bigger.

 I found these lovely burgundy bulbs at the Pharmasave.

See the pottery tea-set? A wedding gift from a friend. We love it.

Deck the halls with... garlands and bows. :-)

My wonderful husband and our dearly beloved cat. Both vying for attention... and receiving it. :-)

Some of you have requested pictures of the new porch. Well, there it is from the inside. Haven't braved the cold air to take any outside.

I made the most delicious bean and tomatoe soup with sausage in it for supper tonight. We had toasted cheese sandwiches to go along with it. So good. :-)

Pictures and other odds and ends...

Following my sister Lydia's lead (www.thepanhandlroughriders.blogspot.com), I decided to post some pictures. :-)



This is Zeke on board an ornery but very wise pony that belongs to some friends of ours. This picture is photoshopped... But I like it. ;-)




Lauren H. and myself. The former is a very talented musician and a good friend. We were having a ton of fun!



Typical Cilla. I love it when she hauls a cat around.



And this... is my Dad and a couple of my brothers shoveling our driveway. The snow is rather relentless here. If it's not coming down in big, fluffy flakes, it's melting and making ice. If I didn't know better, I'd say Kevin from Home Alone has figured out a way to mess with the weather. LOL!

And on a more personal note: my lungs are better than they were. I'm not well yet, of course (it's going to take up to 6 weeks at least to get this cleared out of my system), but I'm on my way. Thanks to all who have been praying for me. :-)

Mountains

The mountains are beautiful with snow on them...

family annual newsletter...

I've been thinking about doing the family newsletter for awhile and last night offered me an oppurtunity to work on it. :-) It's now completed and emailed to folks. But, if you're not one of them and you're feeling in the need of an overdose of silliness, drop me a line and let me know where you want it sent. :-)

Our snow came and it's staying. We got several inches. The weather isn't too cold but it's a bit nippy. While walking to the library, I had to keep watching out for ice. I did slip once but I caught myself. Hopefully the walk back home will be as uneventful.

Today, the family went out and walked the horses to a different pasture. It's nice to have animals for them to work with! It helps with the boredness. ;-)

The weathermen are safe!!

Because I am counting snowflakes... they are predicting a storm for tonight and cold weather after that.
Maybe we won't have to worry about global warming after all. :-)

I just watched a short clip of Victor Borge. Everytime I see one of his videos, it makes me smile. Anyone else a fan of his?

Snow... or the lack thereof... and pictures

Yep, that's right. No snow yet! And, miraculously, I haven't heard of any weathermen lynchings. :-) It's been very cloudy here and the wind has come up a little bit... as I was walking to the library today, it sprinkled on me. But no snow.


Global warming, here we come!!!

Anyway, here are some pictures...

The family...

Lindsey and me.

Miss you!

My sister Ellie and me

December is upon us!

And no snow so far! The people who enjoy skiing are casting dour looks up at the sky. But *news flash* the weathermen are predicting some to fall tonight.

If there isn't white stuff on the ground in the morning, I fear for the health of the weathermen! LOL!

My parents offered on a place not far from here. We should hear the results on Monday. I am praying we'll get it but at the same time, I trust God knows best, no matter what happens.