BBQ Time!

I am so excited! Finally we have a BBQ! About a month ago our BBQ bit the dust, and cooking...like real cooking in the oven has been an ever-lovin' drag with temperatures that don't go below 28 degrees! So, yesterday J and I finally found ourselves faced with a few moments together and decided to go out to purchase a new BBQ. We began putting it together at about 6pm.

About 10 to 15 minutes after this picture was taken my help was enlisted.... About 10 minutes after that J got hit in the head with a leg from the BBQ, said a bad word, and disapeared into the basement, probably a wise choice, although this meant....the job was left to me. A little bit of a problem, since BBQ set up is clearly a blue job. Nevertheless, I took it on like a champ! By step 7 I was a little bit frustrated, I was, however pleasantly surprised to read step seven which said.. and I quote... "pour yourself a glass of wine".... honest it did ;-) So, in true trooper fashion, I carried on. By 9:30, after dis-assembling the BBQ a couple of times to backtrack, stifling a few expletives, enilsting the help of several innocent passerbys:-) (could you just hold this for a sec...) our BBQ was finished.....

hopefully you are suitably impressed (insert oohs and ahhs here)

nevermind the fact that there are still a few leftover parts, I believe that the legs, yes, the very same ones that smashed into J's skull, are on backwards, which I discovered at the very end when I needed to put on one last piece, but I am NOT dis-assembling that freaking thing for all the tea in China! I'm pretty sure that those legs have a mind of their own anyhow, I'm not tempting fate.

Dinner guests arrived at 9:30ish, and dinner was served at 10:00pm... J BBQed steaks in the pouring rain, and in the dark, after he emerged seeminly unscathed from the basement :-) We had a really good time with Kalie and Kevin and I think the kids will be talking about their dinner in the middle of the night for a while. Thankfully, C was in much better spirits AFTER he ate. Earlier in the night he was threaghtening to go and knock on the neighbor's doors until someone fed him something that wasn't the unsuitable leftovers from the fridge.... thankfully we filled his belly and everyone was safely tucked in by 11:00.

Roll Kuchen and Watermelon!

O.K, so here it is! When J and I were first married he was very excited to try this Mennonite tradition that we all raved about! When we were done, he was still waiting.... he had become convinced that this Roll Kuchen was a festival or party, someting major from all the hullabaloo surrounding the event. Unfortunatley for J our big excitment was deep fried dough. It doesn't take much to excite us simple folk :-) Needless to say this sweet treat ranks right up there for him with "waffles and ice cream for dinner". Ahhhh, the things I love that don't excite him much. I believe his response went like this... "where's the meat?". Nevertheless, if you've never tried it, I highly suggest you get yourself some Roger's Golden Syrup for dipping and a big fat watermelon to chow down on because this is one time honored tradition you don't want to miss! Nevertheless, if you're waiting for the dancing girls or the parade, you might be there for a while :-)

Roll Kuchen!!
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
Add to 6 tablespoons butter, melted
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
Beat eggs well.
Put into a 1 cup measuring cup and fill with milk. (This may end up being more or less than the 3/4 cup listed in the ingredients.)
Add to remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
Roll out very thin and cut into strips. (I use a pizza cutter)
Cut again so that pieces are approximately 1 inch long by 3 inches wide. (little rectangles - kind of)
Cut a slit in the middle and pull one end through to knot it.
Fry four to six at a time, in deep hot fat until golden brown.
Serve with Watermelon!
A Mennonite summer tradition!

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Summertime and the livin' is easy!

Check it out People! Have you seen this stuff??? I believe it was invented in heaven!

I am in love with summer, I am in love with sun. I truely love the color that the sun brings to people's cheeks, the feeling of the warm rays on your skin, the way that my stretch marks and cellulite, just seem to fade a little bit while my skin morphs into it's warm, bronze hue. I am nevertheless in all my vantiy....willing to acknowledge that the sun can be dangerous, therefore I, like every other guilt driven, determined mother, face summer head on armed with my arsenal of goopy sunscreen, hats, waterbottles and various other beach-like paraphanalia ( as beachy as we get here on the praries that is :-) . Every year the scenario at my house gets a little bit uglier as I wrangle, wrestle, bribe, and threaghten all who dare to forget the Slip, Slap, Slop motto. Slip into a t-shirt, Slap on a hat, and slop on some sunscreen. Generally there is a great display of flexibility and determination at my house when it comes to the slop part, they don't enjoy the goop, I don't enjoy the goop. Honestly, the bigger they get, the harder I fall as I chase them down unmerciless in my rampage, avoiding the goop at all cost, pinning for my miracle cure that will eventually turn me into a weathered, leather skinned, wrinkly old lady. Now that I've set the stage we can let you in on the GREAT NEWS!!!!!

WE HAVE DISCOVERED AEROSOL SUNSCREEN!!!! Unbelievable! Why did no one tell me about this sooner??? NO MESS, NO GOOP, NO RUBBING IT IN, JUST SPRAY!!!! I AM NOW FREE TO ENJOY THE FINER THINGS OF SUMMER...without alerting the WWF first :-) So, In honor of this fantastic, wonderful, new to me invention here is my list of summer stuff!

An ice cube melting in your hand

Lemonade Stands

Fluffy clouds

Mr. Turtle Pools

Sprinklers

Swim Passes to the Local Pool

No School

Holidays

Flowers

BarBQ

Bare feet!!!

Roll Kuchen... that's got to be a post of it's own (coming soon!)

An ice cold beverage

Campfires

Fresh Fruit

Evening Walks/Runs

Late bedtimes

Late rising times:-)

Coffee and the Paper in the morning with sunbeams in my window!

SLURPEES!!!!

Ben has one more to add.... Playing with great friends!

Now it's time to head to bed so that I can enjoy that morning sun. Tomorrow we're going to the pool after church... shhh don't tell the kids, it's a surprise! I'm packing the sunscreen! Well,it's been a long hot day, but suddenly I don't feel quite so sticky and icky, just a little more sunshinny!

The Menu:

Tarragon Roasted Salmon with Sour Cream Dill Sauce

Wild Rice

Spinach and Gouda Stuffed Chicken

Roasted Garlic Potatoes and Onions

Sesame Mandarin Spinach Salad

Japaneese Cabbage Salald

I tell you it is really nice to start work once the sun is already up. Today since we were catering a wedding through the bakery I started work at 9am as opposed to 3am. Wow!! I feel like a million bucks! The wedding was outside and all the dishes were disposable. The bride's sister was taking care of dessert, therefore, once the items listed above were consumed we were out of there. Not only did I get to be a good employee, by feeding the natives and satisfying their gourmet palates, but also I was home by 8pm - I may have heard tell that I am not surpassing the mark as complete failure on the mother front. It is amazing how two days home from holidays and I'm convinced that I am forever going to be confined to mother-guilt purgatory for the rest of my life. Who said juggling work and home were easy???? Today though, when I came home, the house was in a relative state of assembledness (?), and the children were waiting with fantastic tales of Settler's Days activities.

Today is the day our town celebrates it's.....uniqueness, settlerness??(hmmm), well , I'm not really sure, mostly I think it's an excuse for the adults to act like children, and the children to run into the streets chasing after candy.






J drove the rescue truck in the parade..........HOT!!! The children are still regaling me with tales of magic shows, candy, balloon animals, and face paint. Have I mentioned what awesome big sibblings Ben has??? All in all, it has been a fantastic day all around, I shall snuggle all children to their respective degrees of boundaries :-) and go to bed satisfied. Tomorrow am is a community worship service which should be fun for all. After that we are having some company over for a bonfire. Mostly people that J knows from the fire department, and some other friends so... if you are up for a wienie roast... come on over!!!

Memories, and Madness!

Well, I must say, a good time was had by all, and since a picture is worth a thousand words I think I'll just let them talk for themselves.

Fairmont and Fort Steele will never be the same! We came, we saw, we puked, left some nose skin behind, we giggled, we played twister, minigolf, real golf, we swam, we shopped, we ATE, and we spent time with some of our favorite people in the world!

We reaquainted ourselves with cousins we hadn't seen in a while, we snuggled with people we see all the time and in general, we had a blast. Now, it's back to real life for a few weeks, but soon.... look out high prarie! You never know who might be sneaking up on you.....!

Well, here I am with an update on our week so far. Things I've done and moments I've cherished. Swimming, swimming and more swimming. B is now treading water and yesterday in the pool he told me quite demurely that he has 26 secrets. Not 25, not 27, but 26... don't worry though, I've been working on him. C is hanging out with Z getting into trouble, yesterday we went to the big pool up at the top and everyone got sufficiently sunburned. Today we had all the cousins over for Roll Kuchen and watermelon. Last night we played mini golf and aside from one teenage tantrum it was a fairly successful event. Really, there is not a whole lot to report. C's golf game is getting quite good, and T#1 golfed for the first time ever. T#2 is having a ball running around in her bikini with a really skinned nose. The first nite here in the pool she swam into the wall :-) Well, she's maybe not the most co-ordinated, but cute still.... Anyhow, I must run 2 min. left on the clock to post! I'll let everyone know soon how the HYH Challenge is going... easy this week ;-) So... Cheers from Fairmont!

The Graduates

So.... First off! T#1 has officially completed Grade 8 .This is her Certificate of Recognition for her accomplishments and contributions in Choir, Cross Country, Handbell, Track and Field, and Drama! Way to go Taylor, we're proud of you! No more middle school.

Secondly... C is now officially finished

Elementary School! Congrats.. he is on his

way to Middle School!!! Connor is currently celebrating this milestone by having a homework burning bonfire with all of his friends.

I, am ready to do some fun summer stuff with the kids.... first stop Fairmont B.C.!!! I can't wait! Two more days till we leave on official vacation.