Dominican trip ~ Last Day~

Our last day we had a few minutes to catch some final shots of the resort....loved this pool!! The art work over the bar....


Swim up bar.....
The lobby...
The fam all ready and packed up to leave....

We had such a fabulous time. I so cherish the time spent with my wonderful sister and hubby. These memories will stay with me forever and do hope sometime in the future we can do it again!

We're back!!!!

Yes, we are back home! We arrived back Sunday evening. We had an amazing week of sun, relaxation, family time and lots of memories to remember.

I am slowly getting back into the swing of things, there has been so much to do!

I had over 200 emails to catch up on (60% junk), laundry, gathering up all my dogs who were scattered in different homes, housework, bill paying etc, etc...the list goes on!

James did an amazing job while we were away and looked after the house, the barn and the critters in it, the wood furnace and Bella, all while going to school still. I am very grateful and very proud! Without him, this trip would not have been possible!

I will get to blogging about our trip shortly as I have over 400 pictures that I want to chose from and share the best with you!

I want to thank my sis and her hubby for agreeing to come with us! We had such a great time and I will always cherish the time we spent together! The subject of a future trip has already come up and I am so ON! In a year or two of course as the budget allows!

Stay tuned!

Another Birthday...

Almost forgot to mention another birthday that happened over the weeked.
It was Bella's birthday...our lovable Bernese Mountain Dog. She turned 1 on Sunday...
Here she is today all growed up.......

Here are some flash backs of her when she was a baby....

Happy Birthday Bella! Hope we have many years together!!

Keep us in thought...

A particularly emotionally difficult situation has reared its ugly head again lately. A problem that I had hoped was in the past has reignited itself and again we must face it.
I have struggled as to the why it must be so, and I cannot give any answers to that question.
Please keep us in thought as we attempt to deal with this situation and finally put it to rest.
I reread a post I had done last year about encouragement.
It read something like "If God brings you to it, he will lead you through it"...
I have tried to remember that while I am knee deep in the stress of this situation.
Please keep us in thought as we muddle through this and my hope is that we will arrive on the other side stronger and closer together...

Another year...another birthday!

Every year exactly 1 month past Christmas is my birthday. This year I was treated to having a 'snow day' with the kids at home...not sure why it was a snow day as it was about 3 degrees and not a drop of snow or rain....however it was nice to have them home to spend the day with me.
As most of you women know, as the years click by we tend to like to 'forget' these occasions as it is a reminder that we are getting older. I was happy to have a quiet day at home. I wasn't really expecting anything as Christmas is just over and I consider myself pretty lucky with the blessings that I already have.
However, Dave blew my socks off when he walked in and very nonchalantly handed me a bag. I had no idea of what to expect. When I looked in the bag I seen this....

This totally took me by complete surprise! I had asked for a simple point and shoot camera for Christmas which didn't happen so I was totally blown away by this camera!
It was pretty cute, Dave had listened intently to the saleperson about this and that camera and told me the differences between this model and other models....he was telling me all the things she had said. All the while I am completely speechless as this was sooo much more than I had ever thought of!
I had said to Casi a couple of days before that I need to get out more and take more pictures. Christmas was over before we knew it and I had not one picture...that is just bad...
So I need a tutorial from Casi about using the new camera but hope to take lots and lots of pictures!

I thought I would feature some of my favourite shots from the day...
Love this one!!!

I don't get too many opportunities to get a picture of James, especially the 2 of us. I love this shot!

I also love this one! He had bent over to pet Bella and just stood up! Gotta laugh!

This is moi, on the phone with my sis who was wishing me a Happy Birthday!

This is classic! I love this shot of Dave! This one to look back on and grin!

Had a wonderful day with my family, went for dinner at a steakhouse in town and had a super meal enjoyed with all.

Another year, I have a little ways to go to hit the 'big' one yet but I am ever thankful for my super family and super friends. Each year, each day is a gift.

I am super blessed and spoiled!

I love you's all!

Extra Expense....

Happy February everyone!!!

Kind of glad that January is over! It was an unually expensive month for us. We had just booked our trip to Dominican literally within a day or so our outdoor wood furnace gave up the ghost....

Had we planned on shelling out an insane amount of money within days of each other...nope...

However I tried to rationalize that our previous wood boiler was about 10-12 years old. We bought it used back in 1998 and it has been our sole source of heat for that whole length of time. We cleaned up an amazing amount of burnables in our previous wood boiler and it was no different when we moved to the farm. We moved our boiler with us and it heated our house while we cleaned up fence rows and such.

I don't believe that our previous boiler owed us anything. The poor old beast sits abandoned out back behind the shed, its final resting spot will be at the scrap yard.

Our new beast looks something like this...

It is bright blue! Yep...... bright blue!

Hope to get lots of years out of this baby!

Who needs a Door Stop....

when you have a Bella???........................

Yes, she is alive! I was about to go to bed last night and found Bella in this position fast asleep! She quite often sleeps this way and in front of the door! What a perfect solution for drafts! We think she does this because she is hot and likes the coolness of the door (or its drafty...)
At any rate she is a silly girl and we love her for all her quirks!

Cleaning tip

If any of you are on a well or have hard or rusty water, this is a post you may want to read.
We are on a well and we do have a rust remover filter but even still, my appliances, the shower, toilets etc, get orangy over time.
I have found this product is amazing!
Stain Free by Whish...
It is recommended for porcelain only but I have tempted other areas and rinsed immediately and what a difference!

It is an acid based so be sure to wear gloves...I found this out the hard way when my hands and fingers started stinging but cannot believe how this stuff works with absolutely no scrubbing at all!
For those of you who have soft water or are on municipal water you probably don't have this issue but if you do....you know the scrubbing I am talking about!

26 days in...

I cannot believe we are already 26 days into this new year! How fast it has gone already! We have been hibernating of sorts with a cold snap that moved in last week. Still I can't believe January is almost over!

I have made it a personal goal to try new things this year. Not to get stuck in a rut with what I like or like to do. To try new foods or step outside of the box and try new things.

A few weeks ago I thought I would try soy milk and discovered that I actually quite like it! I buy the vanilla flavour and it is great! I have never been a huge milk drinker since I was little but I try to get a glass of this stuff each day. To my amazement I feel really good! This time of year we are all dragging a bit and I find that I have alot more energy, not sure if it is because of the soy milk or a few other 'good for you' food choices I have been trying to make but I sleep well, wake up feeling energized and have the ambition to get through my day.

Another food choice that I have avoided since I was small is brussell sprouts. I have hated them since I can remember. However trying 'new' things I had some at work a few weeks back and discovered again that I actually quite like them too! I made them at home and 3 of the 5 of us like them so it will be served quite often with an alternative of course for the pickier of us!

Also to prepare for our trip I tried tanning a couple of weeks back. I am so pleased at how I have got a healthy glow without getting burned in this very controlled method of tanning. I have never had a tanned abdomen before so this is new for me but it is great and again not sure if it snippits of vit D that I am getting but I feel great!

Lastly another of my firsts that I had wanted to try but have always been too chicken was do dye my hair dark...really dark! So last week I bought a medium brown Loreal hair colour and took the plunge. Again I was pleasantly surprised on how it turned out! I had thoughts of buying the one darker but thought I may try that later. I love it! With the sun kissed glow on my cheeks and the dark hair, I feel amazing! It has lightened up quite a bit so the next time I may try the darker one..will be sure to post pics!

I am finding that trying new things has been really rewarding and stepping outside the box now and again is invigorating and refreshing! I am pretty excited about trying all kinds of new and different things without 'chickening' out or letting the fear of 'what if' get in the way. You all should try it, it is kind of fun!

LOVE it!

A couple of weeks ago, I was dropping Casi off at CT for her shift and she happened to mention that there was a dyson vacuum cleaner on clearance in their store.
Immediately I was intrigued and thought I should check it out.
I have been whining about my vacuum for ages, it really was horrible and I always felt it was a waste of time vacuuming as I knew it was not getting everything it should, the only time I felt it was doing a good job was when I had just changed the bag, but that is really a pain so I was not liking it at all. I still use the little stick vac for in between jobs but every few days my floor NEEDS a good vacuuming!
With all my furry creatures in the house, not to mention 3 females who continually shed hair, I have a lot of hair issues in my house!
Anyway always on the prowl for a good deal, I parked the van and ran in to see it.
What I found was a Dyson Stowaway.

I had previously been peeking online at the Dyson ball versions trying to find a good used one or doing price comparisons to find one that was cheaper. I had been hesitant of the ball version for the very reason that we have ONLY bare floors. We have no carpet in the house at all but a variety of hardwood, laminant and vinyl. The ball versions only have a plastic head and I wondered if it would be compatible with bare floors with no bristles in their heads? Anyway this stowaway seemed like a great alternative. I have a great vacuum that works just as good as the ball version but with a bristled head for my bare floors. It is amazing, I love it!

Even better yet as it was on clearance, I got $200 off the original price along with Casi's $20 staff discount, I thought it was a fantastic deal! Having just booked a trip to Dominican that very week, I really didn't see myself buying a vacuum too but the savings of over $200 was my motivation. I am super glad I waited and found a great deal, makes me feel even better cleaning knowing that I was able to save money and have a great product!

Olivia, Olivia, Olivia....

Well my little princess is growing up!!! She is just shy of 3 months old and we love her so much!
She is sassy and full of beans.

I have already had her sire's owners assess her for show and they liked what they seen! I am thrilled! My odds of getting a show puppy were limited with only 1 puppy in the litter! So far so good!

Her and Bella are the best of friends and most often you will find her curled up against Bella for warmth.

She is super smart and will ask to go outside (even in these frigid temps)......

Love, love, love this little girls and am excited to add her to my gang!!!
She will not show until late this year or even into 2011 but she is looking very promising!!

Goin to the Dominican!!!

Well ......are you drooling yet???

Just this very week we booked a week in February at this resort in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic!

Needless to say we are all pretty excited!

We are staying at the Bahia Principe San Juan, a 3 + or 4 star all inclusive depending on what site you visit.

What is even better is that my sister and her hubby are joining us!!!! I am most excited about this!!!

We are taking both girls with us, James is staying home to get a good start on the 2nd semester and to look out for the critters out in the barn!

I have jimmied my work schedule around and got a dog sitter and someone else to also look after the barn critters.

I think things are pretty much set! All that is left is to plan out what to take and to pack!

Super SUPER excited!

I could not think of a better travelling couple and think it is so important to gain these worldly experiences, something we or the girls will not forget. The memories are priceless!!

Please let me know your Dominican experiences and what would be good to bring along!!!

Merry Christmas!!

Yes I am late on this one!
Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and hopefully all enjoyed a wonderful day with family or friends.

We had our Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve day...only because I was working Christmas Day, Boxing Day and the 27th.
Our only opportunity was then and after a family vote, we went with a not so traditional dinner as well. Given the options of turkey or ham, the fam decided they wanted BBQ steak. So thats what we had! We had the usual trimmings of mashed potatoes and vegetables, James made a potato salad and had a yummy blueberry cheesecake and I bought a key lime pie...(which no one even got into as we were so stuffed!!!)
After dinner we went to the Christmas Eve service at church and just enjoyed the carols. There is nothing that brings tears to my eyes faster than Silent Night. I love all the Christmas carols but that one brings my mom's memory to light faster than anything and I usually cannot finish singing the song before I am choked up.
Christmas is a wonderful time full blessings but it does make one look back and remember Christmas' past.
After the service we came home and let the kids open one gift, a tradition going back as long as I can remember having the kids. Off to bed later and Christmas morning we all enjoyed each others company, opened gifts, I made cinnamon buns and just relaxed.
I stayed in my jammies until 130 when I had to get ready for work.
So that was our low key Christmas, (just the way I like it) I hope yours was just as great!

Just to remember...

As much as I try to make my blog interesting, I also want it to be a journal of sorts to look back on someday and remember events or even just little trivial stuff that I chose to write about.
This post is about a situation that brought goosebumps all over and tears to my eyes and it is something that I want to remember when I think my life is so hard done by.....
Back in the summer we learned that my cousins's son and his girlfriend were expecting twins. Normally very joyous news. However upon further testing of the mom, it was discovered that she had a brain tumour. She chose to give her babies life and postpone any treatment so her tiny twins could reach a viable age outside the womb.
I just learned last week that the babies were delivered back in late September. I am not sure how far along they were but they were delivered by c/section and both babies had died in the womb. In further inspection of the mom's uterus it was determined that the cancer had spread from her brain and was in her uterus and not sure where else....
As far as I know now the doctors have not done any treatment thus the cancer is too far gone.
This young mom was only in her early 20's, a full life ahead or her. She chose to give her babies life and it may have cost her her own life and the babies didn't survive anyway.
How completely selfless and admirable is this young woman, I have never met her but her courage has touched me.
Please think about this young woman and pray for her and her family who must be going through the worst tragedy of their lives especially this holiday season. Also my cousin, and her son who lost 2 grandchildren and 2 children without even knowing them.
There are days when teenagerhood overwhelms me and I think about pulling my hair out but when you hear a story like this, it makes me appreciate my kids, all 3 of them and their teenagerhood as I couldn't imagine life without them.

Quickly addicted.....

Yes its shameful I know....

The past week I've been a little under the weather so what better time than to pick up a good book. As much as I love to read, I don't usually allow myself the time and everything I had in the house I had read before.....with the exception of Casi's Twilight Collection of books.
So I started with book 1...Twilight. I have seen the movie so had a good scope of what the book was about and knew what was coming. However the book has so much more detail than the movie and I found myself learning things about these characters that wasn't even touched in the movie!
Alas I finished book 1 and am eager for some quiet time to start book 2. I can see why when Casi first got these books that I caught her up well past midnight reading...they are so hard to put down!
These books are definitely worth the read and all the raves everyone talks about....even if we are not all Teens!!!

Olympic Torch Relay arrives in our town!

On Wednesday the Olympic torch relay made its way to our small town. The schools were let out to see the big event!

Although I was not able to make it there, Brittany did go and got some great shots!

It was evident to me looking at these pics how patriotic we can be! How proud we are to be Canadian! How amazing is the flame has been carried all over the world!

One of the people that ran with the torch has beaten cancer numerous times and he is only in high school. I can't imagine the emotion for his parents watching their son carry the torch!

One of my favourite recipes for Christmas...

We try to do a little bit of Christmas baking for the holidays and one of our favourites is what we call Egg Drop Cookies.
They are simple to make and relatively low fat but soooo good if you like egg whites.
Thought I would share this tastey but simple recipe!

Egg Drop Cookies

3 lg egg whites

1/2 c white sugar

1/8 tsp Crm Tartar

1/4 tsp salt

1 c Mint Chips

Beat ingredients minus the chips until peaks form.

Add Chips

Spoon onto foil lined cookie sheet and bake @ 250 degrees for 1 hr.

So good!

The chips I don't know what they are called but we can buy them at our local bulk food store. They are white mint chocolate with red and green sprinkles on them.

Because there is not alot in them, I would think they are somewhat low fat especially if you compare it with some of the other goodies that are available during Christmas!

Try and let me know how you like them. I have members of my family that do not like egg whites so if you don't...think is not a recipe for you. Enjoy!

Just some random doggie pics...

Just bored and playing with my camera...took some random doggie shots about the house!
Here is Tye showing off his sexy new shirt. The boy has not so much hair and we have had a cold snap lately. He is really not a "killer" as his shirt states but Brittany thought the black shirt would be better on him!
Quite comical as we put it on him and he didn't want to move....and for this JRT not to want to move is SOMETHING!!!
This pic is self explanitory...Olivia has figured out that Bella is quite warm and snuggly to curl up against! Actually all of the yorkies have discovered this and more often than not there is at least one or more curled up with her.

My Autumn with her girlie....she has been a fantastic mom...oh how I love these ladies!

Hard to believe but Olivia is 8 weeks old tomorrow!!! She is a sweet girl and full of kisses. I have so much hope in this girl!

Only time will tell!!!

As Olivia is the 3rd generation born to me I have high hopes for her! Her great grandma was Lexi who i bought back in 2000. Lexi was a great gal but with each generation I see how my dogs have improved and gotten more correct to breed standard. As I am hoping that Olivia will be more correct than her mother Autumn (who is just about perfect in my eyes), Autumn is more correct than her mother etc etc. That, to me is what an ethical breeder does, each generation should be better than the last.

Likely in the new year I will get together with the owners of Olivia's father for an extra set of eyes and hands on her for their opinion. I highly respect these people and their opinion and hope they see what I see in my newest little girl!

Keep ya posted!