Pictures of a rural community....

Susannah and I had to run out and get some milk today, and so I thought I'd take my camera with me and snap a few pictures of the nearest little community to our home.  We live about 15 or so minutes from town, about 30 minutes from the city and about 15 minutes from a retail park - so we normally do all of our shopping in those major areas.  That said, we are lucky that we have quite a few choices within a few minutes drive (and a bicycle ride away/ long walk away in Summer) if we don't feel like going into town.

We even have two restaurants close by - four in Summer (when the golf courses are open).  As well as two pools (one outdoor for Summer), lakes and campgrounds, parks, community halls with all kinds of activities....a liquor store (off licence) etc etc.  The library comes out to our area every Tuesday so we can even get books/ return/ order etc etc.  They have family movie nights at our hall on a big screen once a month which is nice too :)  The kids like that!

Anyway, here are some snapshots taken through the car window:

Little church, they also hold craft sales etc here:

One of the local stores.  This one has the post office, a gas station, and sells groceries, has a video/ dvd rental etc etc:

Another local store.  This one has a 'build a bear' type store in it!!  It also sells groceries, candy and souvenirs/ decor etc etc.  Next to it is a restaurant/ pizza type diner.  This place provides the hot lunches at the school and also gives a free dinner coupon to the 'child of the month' at the school:

This is the lake - still frozen but not safe to go on now as it's been too warm!  Won't be long and we will be able to kayak on it again - although last year the water levels were too low :(  Across the lake you can see the local airport - a small airport and one of a kind in Alberta as it has those seaplanes or whatever they are called - the type of planes that can land on water!!!  I love having the little planes flying over our house.  Lloyds friend has a plane and takes him up i it.  This year he is taking the boys up too:

The liquor store/ off licence.  Lloyd will often run here at the weekend for a bottle of wine ;)   

The little fire station for our community!!  A VERY important building full of VERY important trucks and people when you live in a rural area and are NOT on city water!!!:

The local school - you can see where the children sled down from the roof of the school Yes part of the school is built into the ground) at recess/ playtime - but all the snow is quickly melting away so they can't sled any more:

So I hope you have enjoyed a little look of the closest community to our house.  We don't actually live in a 'community' or village or whatever - we live in a  rural area.  Not in a subdivision or anything.  This little community has been very welcoming though :)  

Relaxing on the porch.

tonsils the size of golf balls....

Rhona - I think it must have been passed via Facebook or something - because Laurence came down with this yesterday.  His left tonsil swelled up HUGE and this morning they weren't quite as big BUT the other one has started to swell up too (see pic above lol).

I apologise to anyone eating while blog hopping ;)  

So he has been taking his garlic capsules, his pain relief and has tried ice cream and hot drinks.  He prefers to drink hot drinks but likes to eat cold foods.  He's also going to try the turmeric in hot milk each night for the next few nights and if it's no better by Monday he will be off to the family doctor.

He's feeling TONS better today though and the swelling is less.  Here's hoping the garlic works it's magic before Monday.  Laurences Dad had tonsillitis off and on for years before having his tonsils removed at around the age of 34, so I told him to contact him for some advice too.  

Another beauty.

Friday Fill ins

1. Why are you making such a mess with the bird seeds little Common Redpolls?  The other birds don't like when you empty the feeders onto the floor in one day!
2. I want you to take the time to think things through.
3. If they don't show up on Monday, then it will be on my terms.
4. Everything is up in the air for us at the moment and all we can do is wait and see what happens.
5. I could use a pair of sunglasses or a brighter screen - the sun is so bright I am squinting and its hard to see the screen - all I can see is my own reflection lol.
6. At the moment I'm sat out on the deck in the sunshine, with a coffee and my macbook, listening to the birds chirp (and a magpie calling) and the snow melt - drip, drip, drip and then I'm going to go back inside and check on my Son with the tonsil the size of a golf ball and see what the others want to do for the rest of the day.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to an unplanned evening after our plans were changed (for good reasons though), tomorrow my plans include lapping up this great weather and Sunday, I want to continue to enjoy this gorgeous weather - maybe head to the river valley or out to Elk Island or somewhere.  We have no fixed plans as such but no doubt we will do something somewhere!  


You can find your Friday fill-ins HERE

A little sunshine :)

I just can't imagine going THAT long without seeing the sun!!!




The balloon is an AirStar balloon light from France it is the biggest one of its kind in the world. it was up for 2 days, at a cost for tropicana of $100 a minute.


Some quotes from people who are from there/ were there (from youtube):

they donated alot of money to our town, to daycares, the school and gave familes free juice. Some families can't afford stuff like that all the time & now kids can enjoy daycare because they will have more toys & the schools can buy more stuff for the kids. I am appreciative for what they did for our town

 I was in Inuvik when this was up, it was a neat thing to do for the community, and if you start to think you're tough? Those kids walk to school at -47C.

If you have lived there you would know it is touching for so many reasons. It is a exciting event for Inuvik, not a political statement. Each year the sun is excitingly welcomed back, by fireworks even, you just don't get it. And it is further humourous as a jug of orange juice can hit $16 when the road is closed. Seeing my home, friends, and beloved town is amazing! 

I lived there 40 years ago and I know what I and my friends at Grollier Hall would have thought if that thing had been shining for a few days when ordinarily we would have been walking in starlight at noon back to the hostel for lunch. We would have thought it was wonderful. And I like Tropicana orange juice, but $16 a jug yikes! I complain about $4

Thursday Thirteen....

In honour of Dr Seuss - 13 Thinks I've thinked this week

1.  Everyone in the entire blog universe can crochet granny squares in a myriad of styles but me - I CAN crochet them now but it takes soooo much focus for me to make one that it exhausts me.  I have this annoying habit of forgetting how many double crochets I've done that I lose count and end up unraveling.  I need absolute silence to focus and I never have absolute silence.

2.  cadburys cream eggs shrink a little bit ever year - as do wagon wheels.  

3.  schools piss me off.  It's all bollocks!  The kids have ANOTHER day off tomorrow!!  We have not had one week where they have all been in school all week .  It's ridiculous (no sickness either)!!  They now want to charge us for bussing to the swimming pool AND for the swimming lessons too - lessons I understand, but I really do think that bussing should be the schools responsibility.  School fees, crazy supply lists  and then every week they come home and need a cheque for something or other.  I don't mind paying for some things but I do think the bussing for things like swimming lessons that are not really a CHOICE (ie like a ski trip) should be the schools responsibility.

4.  customer service SUCKS.  If you are going to be two hours late - or not show up at ALL - surely you could call????  And if you've forgotten then be honest when we call YOU - don't tell lies - we're not stupid!

5.  sunsets from this house are sometimes breathtaking - and I find it hard to understand why the people who used to live in this house chose to sell this one and build a new one across the field tucked up under the hedges and trees, where their view of the sunset was completely obliterated.  Last nights sunset was glorious.

6.  Some men are absolute jerks and I don't know why the women they are with put up with them and let them drag them down with them.  

7.  3 big earthquakes this year already.  2012 is coming. 

8.  swapbot.com  is calling me again.  Must be the time of year.

9.  migraines suck.  side effects of meds suck even worse.  I really need to go and see my Doc and change my meds.

10.  My idea of a small car - and Lloyds idea of a small car are COMPLETELY different.  The hunt continues.

11.  Hhhhmm what could I do with all these fortune cookie fortunes?????  Otherwise I will have to just stick them in my junque journal.

12.  Do I have the patience to grow my hair again.  I don't know if I can be bothered - short hair is soooooo easy!!!

13.  I WILL win when it comes to those granny squares!!!  I shall not be defeated!!!  ;)

Find the Thursday Thirteen HERE!!

And talking of snuggles....

My neighbour came over yesterday with her little boy.  So so sweet.  7 weeks old now.

Bailey, their dog came over too - he's been a little jealous since the baby arrived and so he came inside and enjoyed all the love he received from Abby and Sam, while I enjoyed all the snuggles with the teeny tiny baby :)

It was so cute - little M was getting warm in the sling, so his Mommy took him out and handed him to me and he was ok for a minute or two and then started to cry - I told him off (lol) and told him he was supposed to make me look like an expert because I've had five children - and that he wasn't allowed to cry. I handed him back to his Mommy and he stopped crying - I told him that was just typical and he looked at me and WINKED!!!  Literally WINKED!!!  A few of us saw it and it was sooooo funny!!

I mean I know he just kind of squinted - but the timing was perfect ;)

Anyway it wasn't me - it was his diaper bothering him because he kept crying for his Mom too ;)  Phew!!

So cute.  Teeny tiny.  Gummy smiles :)  Is there anything sweeter?

Morning snuggles

Adam.

We watched this last week. LOVED it. Sweet movie. Simple. I like all the sweet simple movies around at the moment. Nothing complicated.  
Just sweet.

Snow painting!!

dollar store spray bottles + food colouring in water = lots of fun :)  

Enough of this white *#&%

Kitty cat loves being outside but does NOT like walking in snow ;)

Old bags!!!

A while ago Libby had a post about the contents of her handbag/ purse and I have planned to do a similar post ever since!  As always I didn't get around to it.  This morning Mel had another post about the same thing, and she has spurred me on to finally do mine!  I think what put me off is that I really don't like my bag - I only have this bag because it is the only one I could find at the time that had a long strap.  I like bags that I can wear diagonally across me when I'm in really busy malls and places.  I don't want a stupid girly bag I have to hold in my hand and I don't want one with a stupid short handle that ends up with it stuck under my shoulder or constantly falling off my shoulder as I walk along with shopping bags in my hands.  I want a bag that stays put!  So this one has been ok despite not being attractive - and I keep looking for a bag I fall in love with that has the right strap but I just haven't found the right one.

I'm a fussy bugger with purses too (wallets to all you Canadians lol - but to me a bag is a handbag and a purse is what you put your money in - a wallet is what a MAN uses - lol.  Yep, been here almost 8 years and thats one of the few things I haven't changed.  I say diaper, garbage, cookie and pants, but a purse is a purse and a handbag is a handbag ;)

So, here is my handbag that is boring but works:

and here are the contents of my bag:

A few things surprised me as I emptied my bag:

1.the amount of fortunes from fortune cookies (I blame Val!!)

2.I have rather a lot of 'lucky coins/ angels/ items that I keep in my bag for 'luck' even though I am not a superstitious person lol.

3. someone has buggered off with the headphones from ipod!!

4.  I still have a christmas shopping list in my bag:

My purse (wallet) isn't attractive either BUT I am really fussy about my purse too and how it holds things - and this one is EXACTLY how I like them - so I didn't care what it looked like - I snapped it up because it was the right size and design and works for me:

I found even more fortune cookie fortunes tucked away inside my purse!  These are from breakfast with Val hahahaha!  :)  I think I only keep the good ones :)  

The pile on the lower bottom right I think I might stick in my junque journal and NOT put back in my purse - they are mainly business cards from friends / slips of paper with friends phone numbers on.  I can put the numbers in my phone and then stick the cards in my journal.  They take up a lot of room in my purse.  

Oh and tucked in with my photographs I keep two little slips of paper:

The yellow slip was a little note that Lloyd tucked in with my lunch one day about 5 years ago when we were heading out to meet some friends at a local sports centre for the day.  It's been in my purse ever since and I transferred it to my new purse with everything else.

The white piece of paper are the directions to Ihop (and I think continuing to Sea World) from when we were in Florida 3 years ago.  Special memories :)

So there you go....an old bags bag ;)

Out loud.

Some days...

I keep getting distracted today.  We have plans and I have to get ready BUT I keep getting distracted in between getting dressed - so I put on one thing and then get distracted and go off somewhere and do something - then come back and put on something else.  Then distracted again.  Put on something else......

Distracted.....

I'm still missing my pants....

I love that I live in the country and don't have to worry about scaring my neighbours and having to pay for their therapy.