Heading to Houston ...

May 19, 2014

Travelling to Spokane ... flying over the snow-capped mountains of Denver ... 

then landing in Houston, Texas 

May 20, 2014

Arrived late the night before ... the children were already sleeping ...

quite the excitement in the morning when the grandchildren ...

woke up to find Oma, grandma and grandpa waiting for them ...

Nixon was able to stay home with us ...

as mom drove Daigen to school ...

I guess it is true ... 

"you can take the boy out of the country ... but you can't take the country out of the boy "

just couldn't resist from taking this picture ...

Nixon enjoying his playtime in the pool all day ...

After Daigen came home after school ...

we spent the afternoon playing in the pool ...

before going out for dinner for Kendall's birthday ...

Friends Stopping By ...

May 14, 2014

After a long holiday ...  

touring thru the United States ... in their Motor Home ...

leaving from their hometown in Ontario

Dave & Sandy ... 

friends of ours decided to make their way up to our place ...

and stop in for a visit ... 

It had been close to 30 years ... 

since Dave was out here working in the area with Mike ...

We spent a few days together ...

having a great time ... visiting ... reminiscing ... and just hanging out ... !!!

My Blossoms ...

Delighted to see the Apple and Plum Blossoms ...

starting to open up ... for the second year ...

after a long winter ... 

in the garden ...

Happy Birthday Kendall ...

May 20, 2014

Celebrating Kendall's birthday ...

enjoying a lovely dinner at TGI Friday's

Excitement from Daigen and Nixon ...

when the staff sang Happy Birthday ...

and presented mom with a big bowl of ice cream ...

Kendall's birthday cake ... 

absolutely beautiful and delicious ...

We enjoyed the evening ...

sitting by the pool ...

visiting and eating cake ...

The boys stayed up a little later ...

as they were on a bit of a sugar high ...

and needed to run off some of the energy ...

before going to bed ...

Skillet Cinnamon Bun ... mmmmm

Mixing of ingredients ... dough ready to let rise ...

cinnamon and sugar for the filling ...

After an hour of the dough rising ...

rolled it out and spread the melted butter ...

then covered it with the cinnamon mixture ...

cutting the dough into strips ...

Taking one strip ... rolling it up like a cinnamon bun ... 

and continuing to wrap the other strips ...

around and around ...

 I made another smaller bun and a loaf ...

as my skillet was only 10 ½ inches and the recipe calls for a 12 inch ...

after another rising ...

it was ready to be baked ... 

Finishing touches with a cream cheese glaze ...

and the zest of an orange ...

Thank you so much Dagmar for finding and sharing this recipe ... 

Recipe can be found 

@

Sprinkle Bakes

It's Time ...

Finally had some time to try and get the plants ready for the garden ...

transferring the zucchini, cucumber and tomatoe plants into larger containers ...

from the AeroGarden ...

In the other AeroGarden ...

fresh herbs are growing ... ones that I used all winter ...

parsley, cilantro, mint, basil, dill and chives ...

I should be able to put these right into the garden ...

when there is no chance of frost ...

Craig's Artwork ...

We were blown away by this picture ...

of a drawing that Craig had created ...

Apparently he drew this just off the top of his head ...

AWESOME ... So Talented ... !!!

Thank you Katie for sending this ... love seeing all the creations ...

from all the grandchildren ...

Happy Mother's Day ...

Enjoy this special day ... we all deserve it ... !!! 

Thank you Burk for sending this beautiful picture of your orchids.

Gone Fishing ...

 We decided it was not going to be a work day ...

time to go fishing ...

we drove up to Premiere Lake for a few hours ...

of touring around the lake ...

and pulling in a few fish ... over 1 lb each ... and loosing a few ...

we had hoped to get a couple more ... 

but it wasn't meant to be  ...

grateful for the ones we caught ...

 it was a beautiful day ... sun ... a little cloud and a strong breeze at times ...

A great way to kick back and relax ... !!!

Clean-up Continues ...

April 29, 2014

Still clearing the area ... to eventually move these sheds ... 

in order to move the container away from the lean-to off the shop ...

moving pallets of bricks ... 

cutting up old timbers ... that have rotted over the years ... 

giving us fuel for the boiler to heat the pool for the summer ...

Moving on to the old white storage shed ...

getting rid of the stuff that was gathered around it ...

things at one time going to be used for whatever ...

old windows ... wood ... metal ... cabinets ...

now being loaded unto the trailer ... 

and hauled to the landfill site ... with recycled items delivered ...

Finally after all these years ... the area is looking great ... !!!

Clean-up Time ...

April 27, 2014

It was time to start cleaning up ... this corner of the driveway ...

heading to the back of the house ...

Clearing out some trees and gathering up old stumps ...

It was an overcast day ... perfect for having a fire ... to clean up the mess ...

Mike creating a berm around the slash pile with the tractor ...

We continued to add more brush and stumps ... throughout the day ...

then as it started to die down ...taking a few moments to sit down on the quad ...

relaxing and watching the fire ...

It was a good day ... we accomplished a lot ... !!!

Oh Boy ... Dirt-Bikes ...

April 13, 2014

The Knight family spent the day ...

at the dirt-bike show ...

as Kendall wrote ...

"this is the nuclear cowboys crazy!!!!"

I was informed it was difficult to get still pictures ...

as all their heads were turning ...

watching the action ...

They had a great time ... !!!

Happy Anniversary to us ...  celebrating our 41st ... !!!

Getting Together ...

April, 26, 2014

Red Purple Babes

A celebration of women ... 

on being a woman ... getting older and a glass of wine ...

coming together ...

enjoying a wonderful luncheon ...

This group (of approx. 40) celebrates twice a year  ...

at different venues ... this time being held at the Jaffray Pub ...

enjoying a wonderful luncheon ...

A belief that there is fun after fifty (and before) from all walks of life ...

the only requirement to join in ... 

is to wear a Red Hat ( or one that has red on it) ...

and colours that do not match ...

The point is to be colourful ... !!!

We do have a lot of fun ... silliness from a few ladies ... games ...

 and sharing things that relate to women ...

growing old ... drinking to much wine for some ... 

Sharing a bond of affection, our life experiences ... 

and a zest for wherever life takes us next ... !!!

A Few More Days To Play ...

April 20 & 23 , 2014

Oma came out on Easter Sunday ...

to spend part of the afternoon with the kids ...

We enjoyed our Easter dinner ... of turkey and all the fixings ...

Katie's parents came to join us for the evening ....

Mike went into town to pick up the children ...

as this was going to be their last day to come out and play ...

Oma came out in the afternoon ... and spent the time with Ella ...

making Playdough Ice Cream Cones and Sundays ...

while the boys were outside with Grandpa ...

building the walls for the fort ...

Once they were finished building for the day ...

the kids all headed out to the shop ...

having fun playing on the old Apple II GS computer ...

and polishing up and old horseshoe ...

Endless things to do in Grandpas shop ... !!!

Their time here was short and sweet ...

excited for the end of summer ...

when both families will be here for a visit ...

Perhaps the Tree Fort will get all the walls up and windows put in ...

with all the grandchildren helping ... !!!

Easter Fun ...

April 20, 2014

Easter morning was crazy in the house ...

kids searching for their basket ...

and all the hidden Easter Eggs ...

Ella was excited to receive more elastics and a new round loom ...

to make  more friendship bracelets ...

The boys could hardly wait for Grandpa ...

to give them a hand ...

in setting up their new little remote control ...

helicopters ...

Breakfast was an issue ... trying to get it made ...

with these little choppers flying around ...

finally the kids were hungry enough ...

and stopped to enjoy  waffles ... fruit and whipped cream ...

After breakfast we all headed outside ...

to fly the stunt kite ...

that the Easter Bunny had left for the family ...

We had another busy afternoon ... 

working on the tree fort ...

today they were going to put the roof on ...

the grandchildren were determined to get this done ...

before they headed back home ...

This has been a wonderful experience for everyone ...

the children learning ... with Grandpas guidance ...

 gathering construction material ... 

and working with the hand tools ...

A job well done ... !!!