Monday, May 31, 2010

Computer troubles

My computer has bugged out on me... trying to do what I can in safe mode, so I can't do photos or much of anything really. Wishing that a bit of warmth and sunshine would come... it would be nice if I could be up off my butt and actually able to get busy outside!! I should be back soon anyhow!

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Ugggh

Papas mother has been in the hospital for three days now. Without going into personal details, she has been really ill for a while now with freaky symptoms and no answers. I am awaiting the phone call this morning regarding her brain and spinal cord MRI. Fingers crossed. To top off the stress, papa bit into dinner last night and the tooth( the one that has been bugging him for a couple of years now) cracked in half. Lucky for us, the 6 month pay in for the dental plan just finished last week... talk about good timing. The copay will still be a large chunk unexpectedly for us this month ( especially considering we racked up over 100 bucks in chiro visits, got the fish and game club membership and payed our archery pass for the year. Gahhh. those were supposed to be our unexpected costs for the month!). I literally sent my hubby off today with the change scrounged up to pay for it. I have one chicken in the freezer left and one dozen eggs ( plus a pound of organic chicken livers and some bones for beef broth) until payday a little over a week from now. I am going to have to be SUPER creative. I figure if I cook the chicken up I can stretch it for about 5 nights worth of food ( If I split it into three portions and freeze the cooked meat) plus a good pot of chicken broth. If I use the eggs now I can freeze a few loaves of bread in the freezer ( cause I do have 3 kg of peanut butter in the cupboard?) and that will be the most economical way to use them. Good to have had the really frugal times because now I can look in my cupboard and not panic too badly when this happens. Just praying that we don't have to drop everything and somehow get to papas mom anytime soon.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

I put out my back, but...





... it was worth it!

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Two in a day

Q&A from StoryCorps on Vimeo.



This was just so nice (i think you need to pause the music at the bottom of the page)

Visitors



Papas birthdad came for a visit this weekend. We always have a great time together and his visits are much anticipated by everyone. We had good food ( too much) good drink ( anything is too much for us lightweights) and fun conversation. A great part of the weekend was heading out for the first time to use the archery range. Grandpa had told papa that he would be bringing him a much beloved bow of his for a belated birthday present. He has been so excited... practically sleepness in the nights leading up to it. When he showed up, he actually bought ME a bow as well so that I could be included in the fun( he even looks like santa a bit!). How cool is this! I had made plans of knitting and carding wool under the eves of the clubhouse... which I would have enjoyed as well... but this is super duper cool! We went to the target range to practice and I was so struggling with the bow ( it wasn't really set up at all. no knock point, arrow rest in the wrong spot, and the string wasn't set up properly... fun to watch me fumble with that ridiculous set up). I am so stubborn, that in my frustration I will just become more silently determined to MAKE it work. So this camoed out army general guy yells at me " Excuse me!!!... what are you doing?" and he comes up right in my face square in front of me and takes my bow. I could feel all of my boys bristle and grandpa was right in next to me ready to intervene at a milliseconds notice. I was all very odd and intense, and if you know me I am a really solo" go off and figure it out myself" kind of gal. Think stomping toddler " let me do it myself!" I relaxed as much as I could manage and tried to hear this guy out. I could tell we didn't like each other much right off, but he kept through and forced a lesson on me. Thank goodness! It was the hugest blessing ever that he was there. We warmed up to each other a ton after a handful of minutes , and after 5 or ten minutes of his interfering ( lol) I shot 6 arrows in a row straight into the bullseye. He took me to the long target and I wasn't so great, but got them all in the bag in a straight line right down the middle. Pretty sweet! Anyhow I am so glad that this guy was there. He taught me a style that is perfect for me , and a set of actions to follow that reminded me of the Japanese ritual archery... like a meditation. We also checked out the 3D archery trail. What fun that is... exactly like frisbee golf but with bows and arrows! You hike up the trail and the beginning is marked. Everyone looks around for the target and the boys shout out " its a raccoon!!!" or " Its a cougar!!!! in complete delight. Twisted I am sure... sorry to my vegan friends! I can't wait to go again. I finished the day with a super relaxed stoned feeling ( I get that after spinning wool too) ... a sure sign of an activity that is good for my body and mind.


Tring to finish up my backlog of school reporting this week... in between a new knitting project that I have started. Last week I had finished a simple contemporary shawl thingy which I absolutely love ( I will get a piccie this week) and when browsing patterns I fell for another shawl dealy. I had seen the finished shawl before by the designer on Etsy, but it cost over 300$. Beautiful though. While browsing furthar for design inspiration I saw that she offered the pattern for sale. It was pricy for a pattern, but I splurged and spent the 8 bucks as a treat to myself for mothers day! So I am just in the process of starting that ( 420 beginning stitches makes it feel like you are starting it forever, even though I have been working on it for hours already) Nice to be excited about a project.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Quick dinners

Spent the day out and about today. Hit the thrift stores( how impossible it is to find a new water canner this time of the year. Mine rusted out on me and I have mango chutney canning in the plans) and then spent a large chunk of the day out at the fish and game club getting our membership in order.What a BEAUTIFUL property! As obscure as I still feel it is to be a member now, it really is possible for it to be a perfect fit for our family. The archery facilities are soooo super cool ( I will write more later I am sure, but it involves an archers cabin with a woodstove, a frizbee golf style 3D archery trail and a pretty all round sweet set up!) as well as opportunities to volunteer for some pretty amazing environmental conservation initiatives and helping with thier hatchery. We spent a few hours looking around ... the most fun was an area in progress where they are building a " cowboy shooting" area, with an entire old west town ( saloon, houses, jail, general store etc) for these crazy timed cowboy shooting competitions. Wild stuff!

On these days I just don't have time to cook like usual, so we resort to something quick and simple. Today... hot dogs. Our style though. Gluten and dairy free smokies, home made sauerkraut, bread and butter pickles I made yesterday ( baby cukes from the farmers market and organic sugar and aple cider vinegar!), caramalised onions,chopped tomatoes. All of this we wrap in a nice big leaf of romaine lettuce ( grain free yummy!) Then we break out whatever condiments we like for on top. Hand cut fries on the side! Fast food dinner in our house.