A little surprise from my hubby

If you know me, I am not exactly a conesieur of name brands, etc.  I figure if it fits, if I like it, that is great.  My hubby stumbled across this at our local "Share Shed".

 Did you know some things like purses come with their own ID numbers?  Well this one did, he looked it up and it sold for around $400?  I would never purchases anything like this.

It has nice soft leather, a great sturdy snaps and buckles and happens to be a "Coach".

My Junior Mints fit inside !  Ha ha. Merry Christmas from my love to me!

Reflections of years gone by

I clicked on a few entries of this blog from 2005.  We were potting training Mei.  Weird.  That seems like so forever ago, and yet when I read it again, it feels like yesterday.  Maybe that is why doing a journal or a blog is a good thing.  To see growth of where we have come from.  I want to be continually learning and growing into a better person ~ if only that ugly sinful me would never show up again!

It is eye opening, encouraging and fun to look back.

I will post on Christmas in this Thiessen household later.  I'm still digesting.
 Merry Christmas to all!  Savor the Saviour!

Winter Joys

There is something in the deepest part of my heart that beats true to my God and the wonderful world He created every time I am in His wilderness.

I was born in Manitoba then moved to a Northern Ontario community where my Dad worked for Great Lakes and also worked a remote trap line.  The fun times we had travelling my truck, then boat, then quad then boat just to get to our cabin.  The evergreens and rocks surrounded us with an indescribable beauty as the waves on the lakes sang us a gentle lullaby every night.  Some say your heart beats for that which you grew up with.  I had the evergreens, rocks and lakes first before I had prairies, and my heart rests whenever I drive down this road.  AHHHH

Now for something else that makes my heart beat ~

I feel so close to God when I see His creatures enjoying the world around them.  These cuties surprised us the other day.  The baby looked a bit like a lion with all his fluffy hair around his neck.  He was in great form, strutting around, shaking his "mane" and frolicking around for us.

See his fluff?

I know God is looking out for us.  My Mother- in-love reminded me how incredibly blessed and crazy my garden was this year and how Gregg got both a mule deer and a moose without putting very many hours in.  God is showing me total reliance on Him to provide the basics.  We have a roof, we have food (yeah red meat) and somehow the bills will get taken care of.  I am learning to trust Him in everything, I have never liked debt and now ours seems like a mountain to me.  We never dreamed that neither of our houses would not have sold by now.  Maybe God is taking me to utter reliance and forcing a re-mortgage. No rent money coming in and that we would be this long with little to no income.  We have learned to tighten up our belts even more than I thought possible, but have learned the joy of spending evenings together and enjoying nature even more.  It is free, but so valuable to the soul!

Photo shoot bloopers

Taking photos on the ranch has it's own set of problems.  Great sets, great pets!

Travelling

I have posted before on our travelling adventures and how we travel "Thiessen style".  Our latest trip was very similar, just started off a little differently.  My dear hubby had been in Vancouver on a business trip on Monday and arrived home just after midnight.  He decided the weather was not looking good for travelling through the mountains and that we should rise early to beat it.  So the alarm rang out with it's weird East Indian tunes (the only station we get lately, we can't understand a thing but it seems to be a lot of chanting) at 3 A M.  Yes, 3 A M.  Both my hubby and I didn't get a lot of sleep, but we had to unpack the van from the business trip, then repack up all our things.  A little stressful trying to remember everything this trip, as Christmas presents were involved.  I only forgot 1 thing, so not too bad!
By 6 am we were on the road and happy to enjoy a tail wind and clear roads the whole way.
We always pack snacks and sandwiches for the trip and made our regular stops in Salmon Arm BC along the way.  First, the DeMille's Farmer's Market type place (girls run off to see the animals) and we bought some local fruit, etc.
Second, off to the Wholesale club and picked up some carrots, etc for snacking.
Third, the highlight, is always the 2nd hand store.  The churches in Salmon Arm do this little store and we happened to get there on the 1st day of their $2 bag week.  WOW.  It was busy, but fun.  I found a whole bag full of sewing patterns and lace, etc plus lots more goodies.  Gregg also had the chance to show us the upstairs boutique in the shop...all retro style clothing.  You ask to be let in with a supervisor and browse.  Oh so fun.  We all loved it.  Kate bought some old fashioned gloves, girls got some pretty hankies, and I just enjoyed the eye candy it afforded me.
We arrived in Calgary just in time for supper of perogies.  Very nice.  Had a great sleep after a few days of not really sleeping, it was wonderful!
So here we are in Calgary, hoping to do some shopping with the girls, they want to go to Dollarama and find some treasures for their friends.  Kate did most of her shopping on Ebay this year, that was fun.
Have a happy day all, do all your baking and preparing for Christmas with joy in your hearts and thanksgiving for all that you have!

Pioneer Bonnets

These are the finished ones.  Some are spoken for, others not.  I am putting them on here for ease of viewing.

,

Girls size Small

Toddler Size to 3 years

Girls size 6-8

Girls size 6-8

Blue on right and Blue with purple on left

Girls size Small (Fits my 13 year old)

Girls size Small

Left side model is 10 years old, with a 21.5 inch head

Right side model is a 7 year old, with a 20.75 inch head 

The larger bonnets look fine on either head, as you see here.  They are the same size.  I couldn't get the toddler size ones to fit, they looked hilarious!

Left size 6-8, Right size 6-8

 Left size Small , Right size 6-8

Both size Small

Email me to confirm which ones you want!

* Look further down for some great clearance Mary Kay items as well.

Thanks 

It's time for muffins!

When this cold snap hit, I always bake something.  Turning on the oven for the productive reasoning of making a nutritious muffin AND warming up the kitchen is a WIN WIN !
This was todays recipe as I had a huge thing of buttermilk from a trip to a warehouse grocery store.  What I love is that the batter stays in your fridge and you can make just a few at a time, fresh each morning!

Six Week Refrigerator Bran Muffins

4 cups bran flake cereal
2 cups All-Bran cereal (the little bud kind)
2 cups boiling water....pour over the above and let sit
Cream together: 1 cup butter
1 1/2 cup white sugar ( i use less)
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
Add 4 eggs, one at a time, mixing well inbetween
Add 4 cups (1 liter) buttermilk
1/4 cup molasses
Mix the cereal and butter mix together.
Combine in separate bowl: 5 cups flour (try some whole wheat, etc)
2 tbsp baking soda
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups raisins (my hubby prefers cranberries)

Mix all together, fill your muffins tins, bake at 400F for approx. 20 minutes.  Let sit in pan for 5 minutes after removing from oven.
Put the rest of your batter in an old ice cream pail or container and put in your fridge.  Great fast muffins whenever you want!
Sometimes I add frozen blueberries, etc right before cooking a fresh batch.  For some reason that I won't argue, my girls have always loved bran muffins!  It's a "regular" miracle!  ha ha

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

18 gingersnaps (I made a batch, cooked some a little longer, then put them in the blender)
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup melted butter
Mix together. Press in springform pan.
3 pkg cream cheese, soft
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Beat all together.
Add
3 eggs, one at a time
Remove 1 cup plain batter and save for making the marbling affect.
Add
1 cup plain pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of cloves
 (I just used 1 tsp of the Epicure Pumpkin Pie spices)
Beat until blended.
Pour over pressed crumbs.
Drop by spoonfuls the 1 cup of plain batter.  Run a knife through the drops to make a marbled/swirled effect.
Bake at 350F for 45 minutes or until the centre is looking almost set.  Cool completely.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

It got rave reviews from these rednecks!

Something for the bride

This is probably the hardest entry I have been thinking of doing.  I'm still not sure how it will come out on the page.
When I met my husband and got engaged, it had been one year since my sister had died ~ 2 weeks before her own wedding.  Our family was a typical, loving but grieving, family during this time.  There were things unsaid, things thought, things expected and not expected, and in the end I wore what was to be my sister's wedding dress to my own wedding.  I thought it wouldn't really matter to my heart, it was just a dress, this was a practical way to keep costs down.  The dress was beautiful, but beautiful for my sister in my eyes.  Not beautiful as my own.  We had a very wonderful, blessed wedding and the Holy Spirit was present and that was all that mattered.

Speed up 15 years and I am still holding onto baggage, some hurt and regrets of never having been shopping for a wedding dress and never getting some of the "fun" photos and black and white photos I had always wanted.  God did give me a wonderful dream one night of me trying on some beautiful dresses while salesperson's were helping me find the perfect one.  This dream was strangely healing and made me feel like I was worthy, special, loved enough.

Due to other circumstances, one of my cousins was also wanting some different photos of her own wedding dress.  What better way to do this up than to do it times two!  So we enlisted the help of her husband (professional photographer) and we set off to make a day of it!  We would take photos like we wanted in our wedding dresses.  Dresses were pinned (we're both a little smaller now) and taken out of their plastic.  Runners and rubber boots were donned and off we went.

I thought of my sister and how much fun she would have had laughing at me and taking these photos.  I was happy in the dress and excited to have these photos to give to my daughters and family.

There, I made it through without too much trouble or emotion.  Here are some photos that my hubby took, not the photographer.  I felt so free and that I could let her go and the dress go.  The dress will now turn into 3 little ones for each of my girls when they have little ones.  Something from their Auntie Tina and their Mommy.

We started in the yard and worked our way to Crater Lake...brrrr

Every little girl likes to twirl

Yes, it was mail day!

Welcome to Canyon Ranch ~ we are fancy pants here!

One of my girls favourites

 Another favourite, looking out over Crater Lake

Sorry Randi, this picture was so cute of you!  It was very cold and you were very brave!

 With my special felt hat from Ronalyn (ronalynart@live.com) and my gloves from Sammy!

My man, for 15 years, less shaggy hair, more facial hair and some laugh lines thrown in....super hot!