Good freaking gracious - is it ever hot out there!

I just got in from some errands and I thought I might actually melt into the pavement! I did some banking and hit up the beadstore for my next project. It was so hot but I was pleasantly surprised when an older guy, pulling a cooler on wheels, handed me a cold bottle of water. I was a little leary... wasn't sure if it was poisoned or anything but it was still sealed so I practically chugged it! Gosh, that was nice. It didn't make it any cooler out but it made it a little more bearable. What a nice guy, eh?

I don't have much else to say but wanted to tell you all about that guy!

Talk to you soon!

Good afternoon!

Wow. Its been a long time since I wrote. Yikes.

Nothing super exciting has happened, honestly, but I keep chugging along merrily.

Jill's trailer is *almost* done. It just needs a floor. She hopes to be gone by Friday or Saturday to Saskatchewan. It would be nice if it was a bit cooler for the drive but there's not much hope of that! She plans to leave uber early in the morning so that she can get the drive through the Canyon done early. Then its onward to dusty Alberta.

Tazer has a possible case of Strangles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strangles Basically its a really nasty disease that's spread easily from horse to horse. So if Tazer has Strangles then she won't be taking him to Saskatchwan. She was supposed to have heard back from the lab about whether or not it is Strangles but apparently the a/c at the lab broke down and everyone went home and no work got done... so we'll have to wait another day to hear the results.

Now that the trailer is all but done, dad set up the pool! Woot! I'm really excited about that and plan to go for a dip tonight. Yay!

Aunty Bev is in town, staying at mom and dad's, so we're going to have a birthday supper for her tonight.

I'm off to A's in a bit. We're going to bake chocolate chip cookies, if she's up for it. I'm going to pack a change of clothes so that we can jump into her pool if the mood strikes us. Will see. Hope she's up for that - I know I will be!

Talk to you soon,
-Danielle

Hello everyone.

Hope you're all doing well!

Today was a fun day! I met up with Michelle and we went for a trip down to the bead store. Michelle and I wanted to do some crafting together so we picked up a few beads to get her started on a necklace. She was working with rediculous plyers but they were better then my spare set (they were absolute crap). It worked out quite well - her necklace came up beautifully! She's a quick study. We chatted and drank tea afterwards and had a good time gabbing!

I'm at mom and dad's right now. Jill picked me up while dragging her beautiful new horse trailer behind her truck (I'll post pictures later) and we went for a short cruise by the hosptial so mom could see it while she was at work. After supper mom and I picked beans til our eyes just about fell out. Our first picking got us three huge tupperware bowls full... I'm taking home quite a bit to blanch and freeze.

Jill is going to take me home pretty quick, so I should go. Will post pictures of the horse trailer in the next few days. It really is a work of art.

Talk to you soon

Hello!

I was up late tonight, sewing away. I made these:

They're tea-towel aprons. I didn't realise it, but I bought the HUGEST tea towels known to creation in a four-pack. I made one for Shea, Eli, Rowan and my guitar teacher's son, Max. I back stitched their names onto each apron... fortunately they all their names are short! They're super easy to make which is how I managed to sew up four of them in three hours... I hemmed them quite a bit, even Shea's, which will work out... they'll grow along with the kids. Rowan won't wear hers for quite a while yet, though! Tee hee!

I have already been to bed once tonight... I bought dad Benazir Bhutto's autobiography for Christmas and am giving it a good read. I'm about half way through and wow, does she ever do a good job of explaining Pakistani politics! I'm completely impressed with this gal and am kind of embarassed/ashamed that I take my democratic freedoms for granted. She, her family, friends and supporters all suffered harshly for believing in equal rights and freedom for all, for believing that Pakistan could be a democratic Muslim country! They believed in things that that I've taken for granted my whole life because I've always lived in a free country. Wow. It was a real wake-up call tonight.

Tee hee. a 'wake up call'... that's probably why I can't sleep!

Anyway. I think I'll give sleep another try.

Talk to you soon!

Hello folks!

I've been doing my best to keep busy and it would appear that my attempt has been successful - I completely forgot about my blog until just a little bit ago. Yikes!

Things here have been good. Dad and Jill are going great-guns on her horse trailer. Its almost finished and boy does it ever look good! Good choice on the paint colours, for sure. And I'm told that its mechanically awesome, too, though I wouldn't know. I had a look underneath and it looked fine to me but I wouldn't be a good judge of that sort of thing! Dad and Jill started wiring it today and will continue tomorrow. Jill is excited about leaving and figures she'll be on the road this time next week. Sure will miss her!

Have been working two days a week with A. We have a great time, as usual. We ventured into the meal-spectrum and made shepherd's pie which I was told turned out pretty good. A is at camp this week but when she gets back we'll resume our baking adventures.

Am heading to Parkholm tomorrow with Michelle. She and I have been hanging out a bit lately. Its nice to chat with someone over a cuppa tea. Helps that she's my age. We're going to walk to the hospital together tomorrow and I'll do my thing at Parkholm while she does some hospital visits (she's going to school to be a Diaconal minister in the United Church). She lives just up the road from me... its a good arrangement.

Tomorrow evening I'm heading over to Melissa's. She was given five boxes of patterns and has invited me over for a 'pattern party'. I'm excited!

Well. Bed is calling me.

Talk to you soon!

Hello folks!

Had a good day today.

Worked a bit with A, we got her all packed for camp - she's so excited! We had a really good afternoon together. I asked her what she wanted to bake when she came back... I told her we could make something special... she pondered it for a little bit and then asked for a white cake with no icing. tee hee. Of course we can!! I told that story to mom and Aunty Bev and mom suggested we make a busy day cake. I think we'll do just that!

Aunty Bev is in town again. She's planning to move to Qualicum Beach (near Nanaimo) but will be staying with mom and dad for a few days, I think. I went over there for supper tonight (we had our first batch of chwk corn! Yum!)... after supper we went for a walk through the garden and picked swiss chard, green beans and peas. YUM!

And guess what? Its my favourite time of the year! (Well... kinda) Its blueberry season! YAY! The one fruit I can eat is ripe and I'm going to freeze a whole flat (25lbs) this year! Mom picked up 10 lbs today down the road from her and wow, were they ever good! I'm excited to have blueberries in my freezer, to say the least. Not to mention all the fresh ones I can eat myself silly on!

Am missing Jen and Jenny a lot these last few days. I'm staying busy but its kinda painful to have them so far away. Am cultivating other relationships, though, so that's good. But its not the same, ya know? Oh well. I'll be just fine.

Should get a move on. I'm pretty tired!

Talk to you soon!

Hello!

Gosh, its been a while since I posted!

All is well in my world.

I've been working two days a week with A. I was there on Thursday and we branched out from desserts into dinners - we made Shepherd's Pie. I think it turned out ok but I'll get the official word when I'm there tomorrow (Saturday). A is doing good and is very excited about going to camp. I wanted to send her mail while she's there but I looked into it too late... you have to send it 2 weeks before the camp's start date. Oh well. I'll remember for next year.

Went over to the minister's family's house tonight for supper with the rest of the Sunday school people (me, Madelene, Jackie and Ron). It was a lot of fun but I felt like a wilted flower by the end of it - I was pretty tired.

Was at Parkholm this morning (gosh, was it only this morning!) and had a good time. Did some one-on-one with one of the more confused ladies. She's normally very chatty and active but today we just sat in the sun for 35 minutes and then came inside and sat in the dining room til someone came and pulled me away for the pool. Pool went well. It was nice to be there for an hour ahead of time with the other lady... made it feel like the long walk there was worth it. I also had a lunch date with mom. She's been covering for another guy, doing an administrative job, and today was her last day there. We had a good visit and a lovely lunch. I'll have to go up to the floor to see her now, not down the hall at Parkholm anymore!

Talked to Jenny this afternoon. The phone was ringing as I was opening my front door. I made a mad dash to get to it and made it just in time! We chatted for at least 45 minutes, catching up on all the happenings. I sure do miss her and the kids (and Josh too). She said she's going to send some pictures in her next letter so I can see what everything looks like there - I'll post a few here, too.

Jill is heading out to Saskatchewan next week to work with her old bosses - Dave and Paula. She's really looking forward to going but I will miss her big time! I'm happy for her though, so that's good. I know Dave and Paula will take good care of her, so I'm not too worried about her well-being. tee hee.

I should hit the hay but will post again sooner rather than later.

Talk to you soon!

Hello!

Hope you guys are all doing well.

Things here have been good. Auntie Bev is in town for the last few days so I've gotten in some visiting with her and my cousins who came out from Langley. Its been really good catching up!

Tomorrow I'm off to Abbotsford with Megan to visit Charlene (Megan's sister, friends from high school)! I'm pretty psyched about that.

Just baked a batch of cookies. I baked them with A awhile ago and they turned out perfectly - flat and thin but this time they're fluffy and tall. Not what I was going for! Maybe I should just skup the baking soda altogether!!

Dishes are more-or-less done (some cutlery left over... I hate washing cutlery) and I'm off to bed.

Talk to you soon!

P.S. Am home now... those two pics are the best of the bunch, so I'll leave it be. This is my third and final blog for today!

Hello!

We just got in from watching Jill ride - it was really exciting. They did very well - it was pretty mellow. The mosquitoes were eating me alive so I made use of their bug repellant... that made my life more bearable. tee hee. Here's a few pics of Jill doin' her thing.

Mom's computer is really slow at uploading pictures so I'll upload a few more when I get home.

Talk to you soon!

Hello!

Just finished throwing together a lemon pie for dad... When Jenny moved, I got a lot of her groceries and one item was a three-pack of Lemon pie filling... it was the kind where you have to add most of the ingredients fresh (I prefer that... fewer chemicals!). I didn't make the crust though - mom bought a Pilsbury crust that you just roll out. It isn't exactly the best crust I've ever eaten, but it'll do!

I had a few moments before I head out the door to see Jill ride Tazer. This will be the first time I've seen her ride him! I'm pretty excited.

Am taking my camera and will post pictures later, hopefully!

Talk to you soon!