Archive | September 2014

Hello Karyn!!!

August 25-31

We had two days before the next big excitement… so lets jump right in. We started with the Wild Kratts and sharks.101_9364 101_9365

Dinosaur story starters…101_9366

And a sneak off to Target to continue our back to school/new year shopping. Every year the kids get a new pencil box and crayons and the like. This year the twins are getting their own markers and pencil crayons – no wax and Emanuel gets wax and pencil crayons. I love the pencil box we found for Echo… set up for her to colour it!101_9367 101_9371

We had a visit from a lovely fairy princess.101_9369

And created a man out of the puzzle shaped blocks a sweet friend back in the UK sent us years ago!101_9370

Our time in the pool is winding down so I gave up and let them go crazy clothes on and everything.101_9374 101_9375 101_9376

Midweek we were prepped and ready for our next visitor… after a game of Munchkin (the twins can be quite brutal!).101_9377

So, the new guest fresh from Canada… AUNTY KARYN!!101_9378

The next few days were full of fun: boardgames, parks and playing around. We even left the twins home alone with strict instructions on how to use the phone, what not to do (touch the kitchen), and Minecraft on the computers.101_9379 101_9381 101_9385 101_9388 101_9390

So much fun and we squeezed in SOME schoolwork. And decided to delay our back to school until after we say good bye.

And then on Sunday night we went over to Chris and Renee’s for dinner, bonfire and a good visit. (somewhere in the week we ALSO went to a Norwex party at Karen’s so Karyn met Karen as well!).101_9392

Mystro the kitten made a nice showing as well. Karyn had been missing her kitties.101_9395

It has been so much fun having a dear friend for over a decade meet the people who have become dear here. Add in baby and kitten and talk about cuteness. Oh and a fire for the menfolk to play with.101_9393 101_9396 101_9397 101_9398 101_9399 101_9401 101_9407 101_9408 101_9409

Company On Top of Company

August 18-24

The girls are over the moon with their mini fashion shows. We are so spoiled that Gammie can and does send us so many outfits.101_9281 101_9285 101_9287 101_9313 101_9317

In celebration of Jeff being here AND he and Daddy being busy in the sub basement we had an outside lunch on the front stoop.101_9289

Right after that I realized that We had missed a rather special LARGE present that had been mailed previously from Texas. I think she got the most excited opening this one. The way it was rigged up the large caterpillar sort of popped out for her. Instant favourite.101_9290 101_9291 101_9295

That evening we had special plans. Jeff headed out with Chris for beers and visiting and the rest of us were off to Aunty Judy and Uncle Jim’s for a special family celebration of Echo’s 4th birthday complete with a cake made especially for her by Uncle Jim! He works for the Pilsbury company and makes an AMAZING cake!101_9301 101_9303 101_9304

I really can’t think of a place the kids get more excited about visiting than “Robbie’s House” and he wasn’t even there that visit!20140818_204537 20140818_191820 20140818_174959 20140818_194011 20140818_194035

In the morning the kids pitched in and worked on Echo’s birthday present from Jim and Judy – a Barbie lego set! With a little blue pool.101_9305 101_9310

We continued our learning… mostly shark related…101_9311 101_9314

And then we paid each of the kids and extra dollar of allowance to spend the week pulling weeds! What an efficient crew we had out there from the biggest to the smallest.101_9308

And the guys continued their gaming… interspersed with cleaning out of the sub basement. This all went SUPER well until they were at the tail end and found… a leak. Sigh. I am so proud of Ken for jumping in an working so hard to create space and organization in our world. This new and improved healthy Kenny is AMAZING.101_9283

We had company on Wednesday, well additional company. Robbie and Alicia came over for dinner and gaming. The kids are in love with these two, rightfully so. And it is doubly amazing that they can enjoy boardgames with us.101_9319 101_9321

101_9329I found a spare moment and finished up a special wallet for my Renaissance Festival outfit. It will loop around my handle so that I won’t lose my ID etc. I love it, I altered a basic billfold style wallet pattern to fit what I needed and there you go – no lost nothings when I go out this year!101_9322

There was time for playing outside AND checking out the garden with our guests.101_9323

101_9325 101_9326All this while Ken and Jeff made us dinner – Curry and a yummy sort of pudding pie. SPOILED US!!!101_9328 101_9327

On the 21st you can check back and see our Treasure Box we got in the mail from Grandma and Grandpa Mike HERE. We evened that day out with Munchkin (game) and time outside.101_9341

All the weed pulling led us to tweezers and patience as we removed burrs that attacked everyone pretty equally.101_9342

The kids have been loving another adult in the house. Especially one that knows all about Canada. Eases the homesickness a little, just like Grandma’s Canadian Treasure Box.101_9345 101_9351 20140816_175127

What a week!!!101_9358 101_9357

 

Really… can we keep Jeff forever? Because Ken has been so positive and the kids and I have enjoyed the company so much! We had all of Saturday and half of Sunday to enjoy with him and some lovely weather.

 

But then it was time to say good bye! Definitely a hard one… I don’t think anyone who visits us down here really realizes how much their visits and packages mean to us. A taste, touch, sound of home… thank you so much everyone for remembering us!

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Jingle Bell Blessings… a Book Review

So the romance section of my local library worked in my favour once again with this Love Inspired romance by Bonnie K. Winn. Jingle Bell Blessings is a wonderful inspirational romance all based around “A Little Boy’s Christmas Wish” as was written on the back of the book. Sweet Jimmy Evans is an orphan in need of a family all his own. Chloe Reed was the woman charged with helping him find one. Everyone has their reasons and history and Chloe and Jimmy’s distant relation Evan Mitchell are no different.

A broken family definitely in need of a sad and heartbroken young boy. Chloe is sure she can help Evan see the light. And Evan is equally sure there is no place in his busy life for a young child. This is a story of loss and heartbreak, redemption and love. All wrapped up with faith and peace.

Christmas is the perfect setting for this romance. Bonnie K. Winn shows how a man haunted by the past and weighted down by an uncertain future cannot only find peace but possibly love and a new start. If you are in need of something to read on a snowy evening this is a lovely cozy romance with a touch of mystery. I truly enjoyed this story. A lovely Christian contemporary romance.9781472022295