Another Memorable Weekend.....

Another full weekend come and gone....but certainly will not be forgotten.

What a weekend. Saturday had me up early to catch an early boat to the mainland. The plan was to do the Night the Light 2009 for Leukemia and Lymphoma. For the past five years my family has entered a team in remembrance of my dear sister who lost her battle with cancer. This would be my first year as previous years I have always been working. Anyhow our spirits were high. Our team beat our goal for raising over $5,000.00. We were very proud! In the 5 years that my family has participated in this walk we have raised over $15,000.00! Way to go family.

Anyhow, as I said our spirits were high. Unfortunately the weather did not want to cooperate with us. It's almost as though the weather gods waited till we started the walk for the torrential down pours to begin. I have never been so soaked....well not since I was a kid and deliberately stood under a rain spout and had the water pour down on me. It reminded me of Gene Kelly in Singing in the Rain. I actually started to do puddle dances...and a bit of a Charlie Chaplin manoeuvre through the puddles...actually I think some of these puddles were really miniature lakes....water up over our ankles at many parts of the walk. One wouldn't expect such puddles seeing as we were walking on the seawall in Stanely Park which a paved flat surface......but there they were.

It was a 5km walk...in order to keep our spirits high we sang a variety of songs, held our candles high, helium balloons abound and carried our banner with pride, and merrily made our way around the designated route. Once we got to the finish line, we took appropiate photos, the organizers had a great band there playing awesome music so we dance a bit with the band....but our soaked clothes were starting to win out. My dear sister had offered to have us all over to her place to warm up and have some cheer.

When we arrived at her place every one quickly stripped down out of their drenched clothing with the females raiding my sister closet to find something warm to put on while their clothes were in the dryer and the men were in varying stages of dress which made for very good giggles.

Speaking of giggles....don't you just love what helium does to your voice.....way to funny....my comedian sister was the first to inhale the gas....and of course she had to say the funniest thing...putting us all into fits of tears.....yes a helium party it was.

After we ran out of balloons we started to reminisce primarily speaking of my deceased sister....we realized that this was the first time in a few years that all the remaining 5 sisters had been together...it was a wonderful time or remembrance.

There were many things to celebrate on Saturday. My dear niece gave birth to her second child...a daughter .....she gave in the wee hours of Saturday morning as was home by the afternoon....proud grandma...aka my sister A. already has pictures of this darling little bundle of joy...and she truly is a lovely little thing. This past month we have had two new additions to the family....my sister A also became a grandma to a bouncing baby boy at the beginning of the month.....so her family is really starting to grow....with these to new additions I think that puts the number of great nieces and nephews up to 10! WOW!!!

The the pies ta res once.....while we were all sitting and chatting my sisters H phone rings...it's my sister P's. daughter.....she was looking for her mom......well.....good new once again....my dear sweet niece was calling to say she had just got engaged!!!! Oh Thank goodness my brother in law had his camera handy as he got the most wonderful photo of my sister P. when her daughter was telling her the good news....it was absolutely priceless.....I truly feel blessed that I was there and able to speak to my niece right then. We were all in tears....tear of joy and happiness of course. So it looks like there is going to be a wedding down under in 2011....Yahoo!!

Well with all of the excitement I didn't put my head on a pillow until 0100....that may not seem late to some, but I had to be up by 0500 to catch the first ferry back to the Island.

It was a very full weekend....as as I said it will be one that will be marked on the calendar!

Photos coming....and lots more to share....but I will save that for another day!

Cheers all!

The search is on......

This past summer along with having a houseful of guests we also played host to our guests canine pets.

Hubby and I have always encouraged family members or friends to bring their dogs when they come for a visit. This summer was no exception. Our first guests brought their dog and that dog was with us for a month. Bert just loved having a buddy to play with.

It was so nice to see Bert jumping and runny about like a little puppy. It was great exercise for him and companionship. Hubby and I couldn't help but notice how much fun Bert had with the other dogs. It was so enjoyable to watch. It didn't take long to determine who was the Alpha dog, and for Bert to lay the ground rules for the other dogs.

In observing Bert's interactions with the dogs, hubby and I realized how much Bert would benefit from having a full time companion.

This isn't a decision we take lightly. It's a big responsibility. Many things need to be considered. Like the temperament of the other dog, and would the other dog be compatible with our dear Bert. Another consideration, because of my allergies I really need to minimize the dog hair....so a non shedding dog would be great. I also want a dog that has a friendly temperament.

Many of my colleagues at work have dogs and some have a wealth of knowledge when it comes to dogs. Today for example I just so happened to mention to our clerk at work about what kind of dog I would like and the next thing I knew she was showing me pictures of dogs that she thought would be appropriate for us.

The dog that caught my eye was the Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier....what a darling dogIsn't that the most cuddly looking dog? I think so. My problem lies with the fact that I really don't want to get it from a breeder, but rather from a rescue. I think there are enough homeless dogs out there that I shouldn't have to go to a breeder. We got our dear Bert from the SPCA, Bert had been abandon when he was a pup and needed a home. Getting Bert was one of the best decisions hubby and I have made. We would like to provide a home to a dog who really needs a home. So we are on the search for a resuce facility which is not to far from home. I think that might be a tall order.

Getting a pet is a serious matter. One that shouldn't be taken lightly. I look at it like this; when you decide you want to start a family you think long and hard about the pros and cons , you realize that you are making a life altering decision. I believe the same principles apply when you are considering getting a pet.

So the search is on....We want a dog that will be compatible with our life style and us with their temperament, and that Bert will enjoy being around. Tall order I know......but wish us luck!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Summer has come and gone and we are well into Fall. As much as I love summer I do love the sights and smells of fall.

With this past summer being so dry we weren't allowed any fires all fires were banned. Finally this past week the fire bans were lifted and back yard burning is now allowed. There is something about the smell of an outdoor fire. The burning of the leaves and brush.....it just brings back memories....the raking of leaves.....the gathering and stacking of wood for the upcoming winter. Ah yes fall.

We just celebrated Thanksgiving this past weekend and what a full weekend it was.

Friday evening was a great start to our weekend. Hubby and I went to our local Legion for a little social. They were having a meat draw. I don't know how many of you have ever been to a meat draw. They are quite popular for places like the Legion as they are a good fundraiser. Anyhow at the meat draw you buy tickets, there is a table full of a variety of different types of meat and cuts. If you are fortunate enough to have your ticket drawn you go up to the table and pick out what meat you want. Well wouldn't you know one of my tickets was drawn. So up to the table I went. There was a beautiful pork roast, some steaks, and chicken. I am not a red meat eater but when I saw the steaks I thought of my hubby and how much he would appreciate having a nice steak. So that is what I picked. As the winner you have to draw the next number....so I put my hand in the tickets bucket mixed the tickets about turned my head and drew out a ticket and gave it to the announcer. I had just made it back to my table when he called the number.....guess what.....it was my number....what were the chances of that....A little sheepish I went up to claim my prize. This time I picked the huge pork roast that I had eyed the first time I was up there! Yippee.

There was way to much meat for us so I invited some friends for Saturday night dinner.

Saturday was a busy day. Hubby had to go to work, so I busied myself preparing for my guests arrival. I was a woman on a mission. Not only was I preparing for dinner but I had to bake desserts for Saturday and to take with us for Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday. I started my preparation by cooking and canning a dozen jars of pickled beets. I know I know what was I thinking doing that along with everything else .....ah well....I just did.

After the beets were done it was onto the baking. First I baked some pumpkin cookies with butter orange icing....after that I made the pumpkin pecan pie.....and finally I made the blueberry apple crumble for Saturday nights dinner.

Desserts were cooked it was now time to start preparing the veggies and appetizers for dinner. While things were baking in the oven I cleaned the house prepared the table....and being the candle crazy woman that I am I ensured my candles were are ready to go....you know ambiance....hubby got the wood and the fire was lit....the guests arrived and we enjoyed a lovely evening of laughter. My friend brought her youngest daughter who is eight. I wondered what I had in the house that might entertain her....then it hit me.....my craft room. So I took her up to my room and asked her what she would like to do...would she like to draw, make cards, or jewelry. She opted to make jewelry...so out came the beads and the string and we took it all downstairs so she could be close with us and I set her up at the table. There she busied herself making earrings and necklaces....it was rather entertaining as she decided that she was making an earring for both my husband and her dad.....and yes they were good sports and wore the earring....well at least while she was around.

Along came Sunday. As I had already prepared the dessert the day before all I had to do was make the appetizer. This time I made a stuffed brie with cranberries roasted pecans and maple syrup wrapped in phyillo pastry.....along with that hubby had just recently made some smoked salmon so we took that with some herbed goat cheese.....I am drooling just thinking about it.

Anyhow we had lots of time to spare before we had to go for dinner. So hubby decided that he wanted to take me on an adventure. Somewhere he has wanted to take me to for a long time. It's called Mount Arrowsmith....I think I have shared photos of this mountain with you in the past. Anyhow if and when you make it to the top....you truly feel like you are on top of the world. There are a lot of logging roads and switchbacks and it is very easy to miss a turn. Which I think happened to us....but that didn't matter.....in one day we saw both the west and east side of the island....it was spectacular. On one of our missed turns...which I will call a fork in the road to adventure we came to a dead end. That was ok as it provided us with a most spectacular view of a river below and nothing but mountains.....looking up in an area that had been logged we noticed a most interesting site....it was like someone had made planks and formed them into 12' by 8' flat and leaned it up against two huge tree stumps...it just look so odd. I was curious and really wanted to get a closer look. Well what a mistake....as I started my climb I didn't realize how almost vertical this was....hubby said it was about a 25 - 30% incline....it was crazy...all I knew was that is was far more challenging than I ever thought.....it gave me a great respect for the loggers who transverse these mountains caring their chainsaws and ropes. Anyhow, I got to about 100yards of this thing when I had to take a break and sit down....whilst sitting down I looked out and realized how high I was.....I was WAY to high for my liking....it dawned on me that I would have to make my way back down....and believe me.....going up is much easier than the climb down. My hubby was down on the road by the truck....he occasionally would look up at me to make sure I was ok. At one point I tried to shout for him...but he couldn't hear me...then I attempted to whistle....he still couldn't hear me......I knew then that I had gone to far....if he couldn't hear me and if anything should happen I would be in trouble....that sealed the idea for me that I should start heading back. I finally made it back down to the truck...a little sore and scratched...but I made it. By this time we had to be heading home in order to make it for dinner on time. Remember when I talked about those switch back roads....well I think we took a left when we should have taken a right. Yes we got a tad lost....well not lost...let's say we just extended our adventure for longer than anticipated. Funny thing was that when we managed to make it back to civilization what should cross the street in front of us but a big black bear!

Yes it was a full weekend of fun, social gatherings and adventures.

I hope you had a enjoyable weekend as well!