Augst 31, 2010

The weather has been really nice up until this morning. Today, it seems as if fall has arrived all at once. It is rainy and blustery. . .I hope my tomatoes make it; they are all still green! I was also hoping to get out for another session of blackberry picking this week. . .we'll have to see what the moisture does to the berries.

Last week Ron and I went ot Vancouver for the Regional Mona Vie conference. We have been taking a hiatus from our business (and as a result haven't been drinking it either). My joints have been really acting up lately and I am really glad to be getting started again. We finally tasted M(mun) (reminiscent of pears) and we learned Mona Vie now has 4 patents and that they have changed the juice formulas to include more fiber and vitamins, etc.

While we were in Vancouver, we were also able to see Alexis, Vienna and Sean for lunch. Vienna is already walking, and is quite shy. Alexis shared my lunch with me while we had a nice chat with Sean (Ron's oldest).

The kids stayed home while Ron and I were gone. They did take and bake pizzas for dinner and played non-stop Wii. They also did a good job of deciphering and following the chore list that was posted for them. Adam worked and the others went to a birthday party for a friend on Saturday afternoon.

I called and got Kaili and Dax`s course line-up today. This semester Kaili will have fashion & design, guitar, Spanish, English and science. Dax`s classes include electronics, drafting, social studies, and Spanish. We got most of the school supplies yesterday, though I`m sure we missed something.

Today`s chore list includes cookie baking for the kids and I think a big pot of beef barley soup for dinner will have to be on mine. I am also hoping to finish a course for St. John Ambulance and do some required Immigration paperwork . . . I just LOVE red tape and bureaucracy!

August 26, 2010

Yesterday was a long, fun and productive day. The weather was beautiful, sunny and warm. The night before, the kids had 5 friends for a "sleep"-over, so everyone was in a festive, even if slightly sleep deprived sort of mood.

After Adam left for work, we took one friend home and picked up several more. We went all went berry picking behind the Superstore near our house. After a while there, we picked up a couple more and went to Air Force beach for more berry picking. There are feral rabbits all over and some of them are quite habituated to humans. Some even would eat out of your hand. Robin had one little guy (or girl) climbing into her berry bucket for a nibble. After just over an hour or so we had about 5 gallons of blackberries.

We were all pretty warm (and hungry) so after another quick trip home for the dogs, a change into shorts and walking shoes Robin treated us all to pizza. 5 pizzas were inhaled in 6 minutes. . .it was something to see. Next it was time for a quick dip, so we went to Angel Falls. . . What a COOL spot!!! The kids had a great time jumping off the rocks into a nice swimmin' hole. Robin and I even took a quick dip. The water was very refreshing and soothing.

Next, it was back home again to make dinner and process the berries. I put a big roast and a BUNCH of potatoes into the big roaster and let'er go. Robin and I worked on berries late into the night (with various assistance from kidlets). Thank goodness for the covered deck and scookum camp stove we have. It made the whole thing a whole lot less unpleasant than working in a hot kitchen. When we were all through, we ended up with 42 jars of jelly, jam, and pie filling, 3 quarts frozen berries and 1 berry puff pastry thing. The pastry lasted for about 5 minutes (only because it took that long for me to distribute it.). Hopefully the canned stuff will last a bit longer. I hope to get a few more berries next week and do some syrup, freeze more berries and do a pie or two. I think I will let my scratches heal and get the thorns out of my fingers first, though.

August 20, 2010

We have spent this week at home! Ron's birthday was Tuesday, so we ate out on the deck. We had some nice steaks, twice baked potatoes, "Asian" salad (actually a North American pre-packaged version, but yummie non-the-less) with devil's food cake for dessert.

I have been trying to get the kids up and going before 8 with some success. School starts for them in just over 2 weeks. These guys haven't had to get up for school in almost 5 years now, so I think it will be quite the adjustment for them.

Since we have been gone for the bulk of the summer, nothing has really gotten done around here. I have been writing a chore list on an erase board; once they finish what is there, the day is free for them to do whatever. We have actually managed to get quite a bit done that way, and the house is staying fairly tidy for a change.

Thursday night the 3 younger kids attended "Movie under the stars" in Comox with their friends. They saw "How to Train Your Dragon". I went to a picnic at the beach with the Relief Society where we had taco salad and a gab fest. It was very relaxing. Ron had a quiet evening at home alone with Adam.

The weather was record breaking warm last week-end, but has cooled off into the 70-80's now. I am really enjoying the more moderate temperatures and have actually ventured out on my bicycle a couple of times.

I guess that's the report from Courtenay for this week. . .