Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -21 July 2016

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real this week finds my two sweeties having some together time.

The other day I heard voices from the front porch and peaked out the window to see what was going on.

Turns out Ella was on a hunt for Pokemon -just like the phone game she’s seen on the news.  Ella was given some Pokemon cards at Christmas from a friend and has a couple stuffies now too.  As you can see she’s all set, with her binoculars and her journal for recording who she finds.

It was nice and cool (please ignore Ella’s hoodie, it wasn’t that cold) Tuesday evening so we took a stroll down the ‘tracks’ to the river.  Wow there are lots of berries this year.  The chokecherry bushes are loaded and so are the raspberry canes.

A view of the river we don’t usually see.

My Pretty girl had such a Happy time at the High Tea birthday party on Saturday.  The mom drove them to her parent’s (just outside of downtown) and then took the girls on the bus the rest of the way to the Chateau Laurier.  All the girls were excited and had a grand time riding the bus.

Ella got so many compliments on her new dress and how grown-up she’s becoming.

I am Happy because I am so blessed to be able to spend so much time with my girl.  This morning we are making Ella ice cream.  We’re experimenting and trying to make a chocolate peanut butter ice cream, that’s her favourite combination.  Later we’ll make some frogs (recipe to follow once I have a picture to share too).

Real is getting ready for school to start again.  We’ll be busy this year.  We’re using a new math curriculum and it really focuses on the basics and leads you up to all the fancy maths (algebra, calculus, etc).  Ella’s excited to get started.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -16 June 2016

Another busy weekend to share this week.  We headed down to Frankford/Brighton for my God-daughter’s bridal shower (I really don’t know how she’s old enough to get married).  Her mom Tammy is a really good friend from my Toronto working days (we met on the GO Train).  Carroll-Lynn was only 6.

Luckily Tammy has some empty bedrooms so we were able to stay the night and do lots of extra visiting.  I forget how much I miss talking with Tammy.  She’s about 3 hours away and I need to go down there more often.

About 10 years ago, Tammy finally found a guy worthy of her.  Ray is so good for/with her.  Ella says he’s just like Daddy.  Ray and Tammy’s wedding was Ella’s very first (she was a couple of months old).  Now she’s nearly as tall as Tammy.

Wednesday was busy (no pictures).  I bought 4 2L basket of strawberries.  I made 3 L strawberry pie filling, 2 L strawberry/rhubarb pie filling, 6 pints stewed rhubarb, 6 half-pints strawberry rhubarb jam (from Certo box instructions) and 5 freezer strawberry from my Mennonite Sweet & Sours & Drink” target=”_blank”>cookbook.

Ella always loved her giraffe pool floatie and it was a sad day when giraffe got a leak (and she’s too big now). Well I saw a larger sized one at Walmart the other day and picked it up for her. Apparently I should have read the measurements…

But it makes my Pretty, Funny girl Happy, besides we can fit in the pool around the edges -ha ha.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -9 June 2016

We had a great time at Comic-Con last weekend, though I think the Toronto one was better.  The convention centre in Niagara Falls wasn’t big enough.  Even though we were there at 10 it was so very crowded.  It was so bad that I didn’t get many pictures and somehow missed getting a picture of Auntie Belinda and Uncle Stefan!

Dukes of Hazard, General Lee.

I keep telling Daddy he should come with us but he doesn’t think there’d be anything for him.  Well here’s the General Lee and Batmobile for a start.

And how cool are real, moving, and talking Daleks?!

Darth Vader and his minions.

Here’s Ella as Maka and Soul Eater (her scythe).  We found Medusa who is also from the same anime.

It was such a great day for Ella.  She was the first one to get recognize and acknowledge while we were waiting in line.  A number of people asked for her picture.

Uncle Stefan was King Pin again (picture from Toronto) and was a hit of course with everyone.  Auntie Belinda was Hit Girl and looked really cool too.  There was a professional photographer taking pictures and as soon as I figure out how to get a copy of our pictures, I’ll have some of Belinda and Stefan to share.

And the Steampunk people liked my outfit too!  We didn’t stay for the Masquerade (costume contest), Ella wanted out of the crowd before it started.  My friend Teresa was sure I’d be a hit there.  It’s only for hand-made costumes (i.e., not bought).

There were these weird trees outside of the convention centre.  Look at those spikes?

This is a shot of the leaves.  Even the branches had long spikes.

We’d had about enough of the convention by lunch time.  The crowd was getting too over-whelming for Ella and I was getting tired of trying to manage her scythe so that the only people she hit were Auntie B and me.  Uncle Stefan packed a lunch and we found a great park at the top of the Falls.  Ella and Uncle Stefan are already talking about the next one!

The Real for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real this week isn’t a picture.  I don’t know what it’s been like where you are, but up here in the Ottawa Valley it has been rather cool the last few days.  Not the, ‘ah, this is such a nice break from the humidity’.  It’s the ‘it feels like November’ cold and damp.  This morning when Colin got up to chore the house was down to 63F!!  He’s finally had enough and started the fire in the outdoor furnace again.  The house is now up to 68F and feels so much more comfortable.  I need to run out to the store this morning and I will definitely be wearing my coat.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -2 June 2016

 

I’ve been showing you bits and pieces of a surprise project.  Well here it is for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -we’re going to Comic-Con in Niagara Falls this weekend and I needed a costume.  I’ve always been drawn to Steampunk but that’s usually lots of browns and leather and gears and such.  My friend Teresa tells me that there’s such a thing as ‘floral Steampunk’, well that sounds a lot more like me.

So Ella and I headed out into the yard to take some pictures.

Time to smell the phlox (since the roses aren’t ready yet).

I am loving the filters on the new Windows 10.

This one’s my favourite.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real – Farmer Edition 28 May 2016

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last weekend Colin found some red Trillium (Wake Robins).

Ella’s fairy garden is coming along.  It’s funny how the flowers in Ella’s fairy garden bloom first this year.

The pink lily of the valley is back and seems to be spreading.

The yard smells so sweet these days.

The apple trees are so full of blossoms.

The lilacs are putting on quite a show this year too.

The pool’s up to 83F so Ella’s much happier now.  I still found it a little cold last night.

One last Happy is Colin is finally done planting.  He’s so tired.  He’s been running 14+ hour days for the last 2 1/2 months (cropping and seed cleaning).  He’s still rather busy getting all the equipment cleaned up, oiled, and ready to put away again.   He needs to sleep solid for about a week.

And here’s the Real.  When I left for camp the vetch and other weeds were just starting to poke through the leaves.  I came home to find this:

It took me an hour and half this morning to save my lily of the valley that’s hidden in this picture.  So now I have one clean little corner in my poor garden.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -12 May 2016

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -spring time edition!

Just when it looks like spring will never come, out pops the wild plums!!

This dog-toothed violet snuck up on me.  I looked the other day and it was just leaves, then suddenly -a flower.

The tiger lilies are coming along…

as is the rhubarb.  I think I can pick some this weekend.

The violets are flowering in Ella’s fairy garden corner.

Found a pile of trillium had flowered on Mother’s day.

Speaking of Mother’s day, here’s some pictures with Grandma.

Not sure why I look so much bigger in this picture.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -5 May 2016

 

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real this week starts with some birthday fun from yesterday:

Look what I bought us for my birthday!  A proper step-through ladies’ bike for me and a bigger mountain bike for Ella.  Mine was on back-order and arrived just in time for my birthday.

For some reason, when I was riding it yesterday all I could keep thinking of was the scene where the witchy neigbour is riding her bike in the tornado in Wizard of Oz??

It’s a 7-speed, enough bike for me.  Too bad the cables are in the way and I can’t put on a basket.

And of course, it wouldn’t be a Happy birthday post without my Pretty girl:

A little bit of helmet head, but I love my girl!

We’ve got more Happy Fun here on the farm:

The day old chicks arrived last week.  I think the light coloured ones are the meat birds and the darker ones are the laying hens.  And yes, I know this space is a little crowded.  The barns are still rather cold and with baby chicks warmth is more important than space.

Judging by how much they have grown since this picture, the light ones are the meat birds.

I guess the Real for this week is how horribly out of shape I am.  Considering the trips Belinda and I used take ‘back in the day’.  I wish we had decent side roads up here.  At home the roads are laid out in a grid.  It was very easy to go on big looping bike trips (and they were all fairly well paved).  Here roads just go anywhere and Snake River Line is so bad Colin often takes the highway with the big equipment instead.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -28 April 2016

What a Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real I have to share with you this week!

As expected, God knew what he was doing when he didn’t let us by the $28,ooo new car.  Look what we found at the local Chevy dealer…

A 2015 Chevy Cruise that was a rental return!!  Only $15,000 and 20,000 km.  And we’ve got full warranty until 2020.  Considering full warranty was the main reason for wanting a new car it’s a win-win.  It’s nicely loaded -power doors and windows, USB connections (my iPod), a plug-in the back for Ella’s electronics, back-up camera and hands-free phone.  Our wish list had power seats and heated seats, but we didn’t get either.  Luckily, the handle for moving the seat is at the front right corner (driver’s side) and it’s easy for Grandma to reach (unlike the Camry we looked at) and move.  The Cruise is  a little smaller than the Cavalier we had in the 90’s but it’s got a fairly decent trunk.

Needless to say we’ve got one Happy Grandma!

I’m Happy to see the buds on my lilacs.  That means Pretty flowers will be here soon.

Here’s a Funny for you.  Tim having a snooze in his ‘kitty hammock’ with Mr. and Mrs. Prickly.  Herbert and Rose attended school in the morning and then needed a nap.

You don’t get to see the Real.  It’s the giant list of things that need to be done before we leave tomorrow morning.  It’s even longer because we have a play-date on Tuesday (if Ella does her share of the list).

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -21 April 2016

 

I’m fairly happy today for Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real.

Spring has finally come to Renfrew County!

My bluebells are out and seem to be spreading nicely.  There are even some in Ella’s fairy garden corner.

We’ve always called them bluebells, but some looking on the internet and it seems they are technically Siberian Squill.  I don’t care what you want to call them, they make me happy.

The rhubarb is starting to wake up too.

Real is Colin is getting very frazzled and exhausted.  It’s been a busy few weeks with the seed cleaner.  I wish farmers would call earlier in the year (like February or March).  Then maybe Colin could get a few days to recoup instead of having to head straight into cropping.

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Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real -7 April 2016

My Pretty girl is NOT very happy.  It snowed, quite heavily, for about 12 hours yesterday.  We’ve got about 8 inches of snow!  Ella is very ready for spring, instead we got this:

For most of the day I couldn’t even see the in-laws house across the highway.

Blah!

Can’t even see the trees along the swamp!

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