Sheep, Siblings, and (Home)School

Howdy! I have 9 posts that need to get written and posted....and I have no clue on how much I will get done over the weekend...I am so busy; well, with my reading, watching TV, Starbucks runs, and visiting and all!

One of my friends wanted me to blog about living on a sheep ranch, so I thought I would share a bit about it.

I think I have blogged a bit before about it, but I don't think it was in detail. If you have followed me for any amount of time, I usually talk about it throughout my posts, so you probably know a bit about it, but I wanted do share more, so, here goes!

A long time ago..in a galaxy far away..oh wait, that's a different story!!!

Just a quick history: We kids are the 4th generation ranchers. My great-grandpa came from England 1899, where he landed in Montreal. After a few years of working here and there, he came out West to BC in 1906. When he came to where the present ranch is now, it was all trees...he cleared out a place for him and his bride (my gr. grandma) , and set up a life for themselves. Fast Forward to 1976, when little old me was born...I had my own health issues and nearly died (I will write about that sometime; the story is EPIC), and when I was around 22 months old, I came to live on the ranch (after being in the hospital since my birth), and thus begins the story!!!

Our sheep ranch is 2 hours north of where I currently live. It is in a valley called The North Thompson Valley, and it is a 15 minute drive to either small little town on either side of us. I grew up on a dirt road, and I loved it! The most sheep the my family had was about 1200 (triple that in the summer), and now they have about 600 ewes (females) and 40 rams (uncut males). We used to have about 2000, acres, and now it is a bit less, but not much (this also includes land across the river that we take the sheep to in the spring and fall).


Being on a sheep ranch was definitely fun. We played for hours outside; spent time with the animals, doing farm work, gardening, etc. We played in the creek, in our yard, we spent hours gardening, playing in our fort...riding horses, chasing chickens, jumping on the trampoline, etc. We helped with every single farm activity; lambing (when the ewes had their lambs) in April, Shearing (shaving their wool off) in May, moving sheep to pastures off our land (across the river and up to the mountain range), haying in the summer, "moving" sheep in the summer (back then, the sheep would spend a good chunk of the summer on the mountains, but now, they spend more like about a month or two up there), and when we were younger, docking (due to PETA, etc being out there, you can DM me about what docking is). I long for a simpler time :) Hahah

We usually would have a picnic or two in the summer/fall. My family still tries to have one a year (though I don't know if they have had one in the last year or so). The picnics were EPIC, and all day things! We would have people who had (and were still) working on our ranch to join us...we would all bring something. In the summer, my dad would "flood irrigate" the fields (it is basically, letting the creek overflow into the fields), and we would swim and spend HOURS playing! I don't know if Dad does this type of irrigating much anymore...he mainly uses sprinklers..long pipes that you move every 24-48 hours with "faucets" on them...now. When Dad hayed in the heat of the summer, Mom would pile all we kids in the car, and we would go and find him, and we would have picnics in the field (this still happens sometimes, actually), and late in the afternoons, we would deliver lemonade. Heck, Mom tells a few stories of me and my brother delivering lemonade in the wagon when I was about 4, and my brother was 2...ALONE (though I don't think that it was that far, really). My mom planted a 500 acre garden (ok, not that big, but it was huge), we would spend HOURS gardening...then harvest and preserving the fruits and veggies of our labours.

The winters were (and are) a bit less busy, but that is when Dad feeds the sheep hay from the hay wagon (they now do it only once a day, and they sometimes use the truck to feed...there is a contraption that lifts the hay off and drops it to the field to the sheep); someone drives the tractor, and another person cuts and pitches the hay to the begging following sheep! This used to be done twice a day, but as I stated above, it is only done once a day. Lambing is in the month of April. This has been done for 70 years, or something like that. Actually, I think that has been done for 100 years. April is a good time for lambs to be born...and it fits into my family's Ranch Year living. April isn't too hot, nor (usually!) too cold! When they go up to the mountain, the lambs are about 4 or 5 months old. Lambing usually lasts a month, and it is CRAZY! It is SO fun! It is an "all hands on deck" type of deal. Everyone helps out....from helping the ewes give birth (if needed), helping out any sick lambs or ewes, moving sheep and their babies from pen, to small field, to an even bigger field. In years gone by, we "docked" the tails off the lambs, which was a whole day affair, but now they "ring" them (it's done while they are still in the pens), and mark them as necessary. There are marks for different things...you look at their ears, and they can tell you all about them. Twin? Good wool? Female? Gave birth while still young? Has had twins? Anyway, I could go on and on about lambing, but I will leave it there. In May, they shear the sheep (and contrary to what you may have heard or read, it does NOT take their skin off, nor does it hurt them), in June, they go to the pastures, in July-August, they are up the mountain (better grass, etc), September, back down to the valley, October "wrangling", cutting the males and females out...getting the males ready to be shipped for....well, you can guess where to....and the ones that my family sells "farm gate" (locally) goes to the local butcher (I am wanting lamb/mutton as I am typing this!), and the rest get sent. Yes, we all get a bit sad when this happens. #circleoflife When we were young, we all had our pet lambs...orphans that couldn't be with their mommy....now they are bought for 4H, local farms, etc...and when we were young, we would often torment our younger brothers and sister (ok, mainly sister) saying "we are eating (insert their orphan lambs name here!)", and they would cry...fun times!!! Most of the time, we wouldn't eat them, but the odd time, we would (they mainly died of disease, so we couldn't eat them). November, they put the mommies in with the daddies, and #babymaking would begin #thebirdsandthebees. Then, in March, we start things all over again!

At the end of grade 4, my mom started homeschooling my younger brother and myself. The younger siblings have never gone to school (but almost all of us have done some secondary training, so just so you know, we are complete country hicks!). My parents started homeschooling us before it was popular or cool. We older kids did it differently than the younger kids (they did a lot of theirs on the computer/internet). My mom used a lot of different curriculums, and she changed it up a lot over the years. We started by doing it downstairs, and as Mom started having more kids, we would move to the dining room, and then the upstairs office. Our "school" was called Eagle's Nest training for life. We even got t-shirts. #legit My mom was AMAZING at teaching us; I don't even know on how she did it. We got life lessons as well; sewing, cooking, baby sitting (ha!), mechanics (thanks, Dad), and of course, gardening. Because we were homeschooled, and Dad was a rancher who worked from home, we had TONS of time to talk over meals. Breakfast was our favourite. We had devotions at breakfast, and often times, we would spend HOURS talking about God, the Bible, etc. Oh yes, and of course, we had Bible/History lessons! If you googled homeschooled Christian family, we would probably appear (also, if you Google John Christ, he mocks his own life, which is a mirror image of on how we were raised, and completely cracks me up!). Dad taught us, too..ranch life, mechanics, war, the Bible...:) Later on, with the younger ones, our aunts joined in on the fun of school! Did I also tell you that I am a pastor's/preacher's kid??) Ya'll, it's true! We had the best life!!!

And now, for the siblings...I am the oldest of 7.....SEVEN kids! There are we 3 older kids, then an almost 8 year gap, then my parents had 4 more! There is 21 years between me and the youngest. Did I tell you there are 5 boys and two girls? #thestruggleisreal

Oh..and my dad's parents lived on the ranch until they died (Gma in 1982 from leukaemia, and Grandpa in 1997 due to heart issues), so we don't see or talk to them anymore. One of my greatest memories is riding in the OLD truck with my grandpa while he smoked his pipe. Fun times. I still love the smell of pipe smoke to this day. My aunt Valerie and her husband live in the house that my dad and his sisters grew up in. They have been married a few years longer than Anker and I. My Aunty June and her husband live up the road a couple of miles from my parents'.

So, there you have it :) A SMALL glimpse of what life on our ranch was (and is) like! I hope you have enjoyed reading. If you want to see more pics (I am only going to post one here, as it is late, and I don't have the time or energy to post more than that), go to my IG, or my FB :)

 This is in April, in the evening. The sheep are having their supper :)

This never gets old!

#10YearChallenge

I saw this challenge going around, at first, I wasn't going to participate. Then, I found out that it was probably for face recognition, but I decided to go ahead and do it anyway...:) Because, you know...#gottabecool #socialmediapeerpressure

I cannot remember when I joined FB....it says it was in July, so I guess it was around the time of our wedding. Ok, so I went through my profile pics, and I found the correct one (I think!) that I uploaded to FB. It says that I joined (or uploaded) FB in the middle of July of 2007 (my blogiversary is in August 2007, and my IG-ivesary is in June of 2013, and my Twitterversary is April of 2009, my Pinterestiversary is sometime in 2011, I think?). Anyway, when I first did the challenge, I posted the "wrong" picture. So, here is the "correct" first profile picture.

 I am not sure when it was taken...probably in June or July of 2007.

This was the latest profile picture....taken on Christmas Day of 2018.

I know a few women who didn't want to partake in it, and I get it...I do. I found this post from a blog that I follow, and when I read it, I completely understood/understand why she didn't/doesn't want to do partake in it. She talked about on how the 10 Year Challenge shouldn't be about looks as it is more about looks, and I totally get that. I don't really want people look at my face, and think "gee, age/time hasn't been good to her", but you know what? I kind of like the idea of looking back remembering 10 years ago. I don't like the negative side to it, though. I don't like thinking "yah, I look worse now than I did 10 years ago", or people looking at me thinking the same thing. I don't like on how the world perceives beauty (you can check out what I talked about on that exact same topic on my IG story). But, there is also the positive side to/of it. You can look back, and think.."wow, I survived (insert life event or illness here)!" So, I say....share if you want, or don't share it if you don't feel like it. And if you do participate in it, be proud of who YOU are, and what you have achieved in the last 10 or so years!

This was the picture that I thought was the first photo that I had posted, that I used in the challenge :)

What Should I Blog About?

Hi Friends...I have about 13 posts waiting to go out...and I just don't seem to want to blog lately...I know...it's weird. Anyway... I just wanted to quickly do a  short post asking a basic question. What would you like to see me blog about? Or, what posts would you like to see more of? You know what I mean...:) Infertility? Having a husband with a TBI/chronic condition? Growing up on a sheep ranch? CEA life? Spiritual-related posts? I could go on with more ideas, but I think you get the picture. Comment or send me a DM either on here or on IG/FB, and I will try my best to write about it :)

Randoms

Just a few things....

Eggnog is still available! Anker ran to get a few things this morning, and he brought home some eggnog!! I should also ask my mom for the recipe, as she makes a great batch! Yes, we know that realize that it is made with raw egg :) Also, why ruin eggnog with rum or vodka? I like it straight up!!!

My mom and my aunt have been horribly sick! I think they on the mend, but it was pretty scary for them for awhile. Also, I am SO thankful that I never got sick (though I know that I could still).

One of the things that I wanted to do for one of my goals is to try to do more meal prep, or at the very least, make more decent dinners. I also am starting to share my Bible app's verse of the day on IG/FB.

I/we got a diffuser for Christmas. We really love it. I will probably have to get the expensive oils now. LOL.  It came with 3 oils, and I also gone one from Steeped Tea (they are getting into Health and Wellness items, which I am not sure is a good idea...but it is what it is...lol), and my friend gave me some DoTerra oils, and I still have some Young Living oils that I will probably use as well in it. One thing I don't want to do is get the cheap oils from the dollar store.

I am still in my Hallmark movie phase. W-Network (we don't get Hallmark in Canada), has been airing movies for WinterFest. Yup, I am sad. There are a few on YT that I want to watch that came on HMC, but that we haven't gotten yet (not sure if we will), so I hope to watch them soon.

We might go to my parents' this weekend. It was the first time that I/we haven't been there for either Christmas or New Years, and it was really strange. We M (my maiden, and my SIL's last name) ladies want to see On the Basis of Sex, so if it is playing here in town this weekend, we will go....so Anker and I might not go up to the ranch.

Anker looked on his PWD account, and it looks like instead of completely cutting him off this time like they usually do, they are giving him $400. This could be a good thing or a bad thing....maybe they have changed things, in the fact that even though they "cut him off" b/c I have made "enough in the year, they might give him the bare amount to help with rent and some food, OR they might be changing it so that they only give him a certain amount if I make a certain amount that month. Anyway, if it is the former, we are happy (though I won't be too excited fully until we see the $ in our account next week, and when he will get the full amount (or figure why not the full amount) next month.

I was a domestic goddess the other day after work: I came home, did laundry, made granola bars, made a healthy dinner (which took two hours...which is why I never make dinner), and took down all of the Christmas decorations. The tree is still up, but Anker is taking a few decorations off/down each day. Trust me, that doesn't happen very often.

Mom came into town last night (was supposed to be today, but she came in early, due to a snowfall warning), and we had dinner at Wendy's and then she gave me some gifts that the family had given us, but since we weren't there, well, she brought them to us. Anker got Turtles, and I got soap, a glitter mask, hair ties, a grocery list, and I can't remember what else.

I am back to reading People and US, but will no longer read Hello and InTouch (unless maybe the main articles and/or when I am given them). I am also back to watching Y&R. I also love watching Frasier. Those guys both crack me up!

Work has been going really well. Ask me in the same in a few weeks, and I might not feel the same way! Seriously, though....things are going well. Now, how many more days until Spring Break?

We got some snow last night/this morning. I forgot about to take a picture of if this morning...oops! It was the first time that we have seen (other than a few skiffs) since we were away for the first big snow fall at Christmas! At least it stopped mid-morning, and the roads were fine going home.

I video-chatted with my sister last night. I find video chatting kind of awkward, to be honest. It is like we are "together", but we aren't. We just sit there and find things to talk about..haha :) Not really, but I do find it awkward. Plus, you have to be decent for the camera!!!

Oh...I am not sure on if I mentioned this before, but just before Christmas, my grandpa nearly died. I think if he hadn't been found all slumped in his chair by my gramma (who lives in another wing on the other side of the building), or my aunt (or maybe both), he probably would have died! We are thankful that he was found, and he is doing well.

I feel overwhelmed with all the things there are to watch, and read (and do). I mean, all the dvd movies (library), movies and shows on TV, Netflix, plus my series and movies that I have at home on DVDs. Oh..and blogging, journalling :) I have talked about this before....:) I just do what I feel like doing (or sometimes I don't know what I feel like doing, and just sit doing..well, nothing), and then move on to the next thing.

The library on this side of town is closed until next Tuesday. Lord, help me! What AM I going to do? Well, actually, it hasn't been all that bad! I might end up going to the downtown branch either tomorrow, or on the wknd, if we don't go to Vavenby.

I think I have missed my calling. In music class, we are learning to play the ukulele, and I gotta say, I think I might start up :) #midlifecrisis I used to play the piano once up a time, and the rest of my siblings can play either the piano, violin, or guitar. So...maybe??? :)

Anker and I had a date day last Saturday. It wasn't much, but we went and ran a few errands, including checking out a store that we hadn't been in yet. I also ran into Wal-Mart and I grabbed the first magazines that I have bought (other than WW) in months!

Some fun family news! Will share when I can!

TBBT Asks: Keep Me Entertained

Hi Friends! I am linking up with The Blended Blog for their weekly question and answer section (or whatever it is called...ha!)

1. Book(s) you have read multiple times: I generally don't re-read books. I will sometimes re-read through parts of Danielle Steel books.


2. Favorite book/author of all time: In the Secular world, I would have to say Danielle Steel, and in the Christian world, it's Francine Rivers. I loved Secret Daughter by Shilpa Somaya Gowda. I hope to read Golden Son by her sometime. I also generally don't like present tense books, but this one that I read a few years ago, and it was great!


3. Favorite TV show to binge: I don't actually "binge-watch" shows in NF....I usually end up watching them on DVD, or while they are still airing. But if I were to bing watch something, it would probably be FRIENDS (but I do have all the seasons on DVD). Oh, I was watching Last Man Standing before they took seasons 5 and 7 off NF! 


4. Favorite new-is TV show: The Good Doctor, and I love New Amsterdam! Yes, I love hospital shows!


5. Favorite movie of all time: Probably the Sound of Music, or...I also love Made of Honor....I try to watch a wedding-themed Saturday, as Saturday is usually Wedding Day around the world (though we got married on a Friday!). I love that movie! I also love The Wedding Date.


6. Movie you are looking forward to watching: We ladies hope to watch On the Basis of Sex this wknd. #ChristianFeminist. There are a few that have already come out (a few months ago) that I want to watch.


7. First concert you attended: I cannot remember the first concert that I attended. I went to a  Sandi Patti (Patty now) when I was 12..but I think the first one before that was Connie Scott. I am old, people.


8. Ultimate concert: Probably either Chris Tomlin or Michael W. Smith (for Christian), or Keith Urban or Carrie Underwood (Country). In all honesty, though, that many people in one place kind of makes me gag. Too many people....one word...anxiety.
9. Favorite music artist/band: Chris Tomlin, Michael W. Smith, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood


10. How do you listen? CD, Stingray Music (through our cable provider), or YouTube

Five on Friday (Sunday)

Happy Sunday, Y'all!!! Here it is on Sunday, with only a few hours to go before I go back to work. I am kind of ready...but kind of not. I think, though, that I actually do more when I am back at/to/in may routine (cleaning, etc). How weird is that?

Here are some of the Favourites from the last few weeks:

1) Day Planner
I bought myself a day planner the other day for $5! I kind of have a love/hate relationship with them. I love them in the fact that I like to see things written down, and writing things down in a list does help me, but on the other hand, I do use my phone a lot for appointments, etc, so I don't tend to use my physical/paper one as much, therefore, it just creates a heavy weight in my purse. LOL. I wandered around our local mall the other day, and I was kind of looking around for one, and when I found one that I loved for $5 (marked several times down from $40), I thought I HAVE to take it! I barely fits in my purse, so I don't know on how (or if) I will be able to carry it around. I do have another "mag/book" bag that I take a long with me most of the time, so maybe I will use that to carry it.

2) Victoria Trip

We had a wonderful 5 days in Victoria! I will blog all about it soon; hopefully this week. We had a great time, and definitely one of the highlights of the year.

3) Christmas Break

I enjoyed a great 2 wk Christmas Break. I slept in, I read, I watched movies, I coffee'd, I even got in some shopping, visited with friends and family. It was glorious!

4) Warm Winter

When we left on Dec 25th, there had been virtually no snow in our area (up the hill there had been a fair amount). While we were away, I saw on FB that it had snowed HARD on Wednesday (26th)! I laughed so hard! Well, we came back on the 30th, and it was COLD, icy, and a lot of snow (well, enough)!!! Thankfully, this last week, most of it has melted. I am not sad about it. Sadly, I think that we haven't seen the last of Winter, but for now, we are happy.

5) Tea Loot

I hosted an online Steeped Tea party before Christmas, and I was able to get lots of stuff, for under $20!!! They have even gone into essential oils and bathing items now. Their hot chocolate is to die for!

Linking up with:

New Year Thoughts and Musings

Happy New Year! Can you believe that it is 2019??? 2019, people!!! As I said in an Instastory...they can put a man on the moon, but they cannot make a decent concoction for medical procedures! Ha!!! Next year will be 2020!!! Think of the jokes that will start appearing (probably soon) about that.

Well, I kind of posted a blog-like entry on my Instagram today, so I thought I would post it more elaborately here.

**This is what I wrote on IG**

 I cannot blv that Christmas break is OVER!! I am trying to soak the final few hours in! Last night, I was in a bit of a funk, but today I am better. I didn't know what to do...read (books, mags, blogs??), watch tv/movies; walk, journal, devotions, clean, go to the library, or even make some meals....or should I blog? I ended up watching a part of a movie, then Anker and I ran uptown to do a few things. We came home at around 2, and I have just being laying low. I should do a few things (clean, meal prep), but I just have been reading some magazines, and made a few calls. We had an early supper of leftovers at 4, and now I have relaxing. I have Stingray Music on the TV, and I am airing out our bedroom. Anyway....these last two weeks have been amazing, and I am not fully ready to go back on Monday, but I partly am. I am ready to see my friends and the kids again. I am ready to make money again....lol. I will miss having the full day to do what I want, but I am kind of ready to get back into routine. I am thankful that I can have an awesome job where I get these long breaks...when I can recharge my brain and my soul. I need these times to relax, recharge, and rejuvenate...I think more than ever these last few years. Maybe it's bc I am getting older, or it is bc I work with kids, or it could be that my brain gets too overwhelmed and overstimulated. I am finding that I am becoming less and less of wanting or needing to be around people, and more and more wanting to be on my own. It's weird....I know. It's the time of my life, I guess, and I won't make any excuses for it. I love being around people, but I also like my downtime. Some people have a "word" they do or try to be each year....I have never done this before, but I am thinking that this year I might. What word should I do/be? I will think about and get back to u! Looking forward to what God has for in 2019!!

So, so that it didn't become a book, I thought I would elaborate a bit more.....though I will probably just be repeating myself. New Year is a like a blank book...with 365 pages ready to be written....I saw that on IG and FB somewhere....I definitely agree. I love that each day is a new page to write on, and every year is a blank book with pages ready to be filled. I definitely think that as I get older, I am finding that I am wanting to more and more alone, and less and less with people. I love hanging out with my friends and family, and of course, I need it...but I also love to have some of the wknd to be alone...to read, journal, etc. People invigorate some people, and to others, they tire and stress them out. I love a bit both :)

Another year gone sometimes has me thinking....or maybe it is just this year! Seriously, usually with every birthday, and the end of a year, I do get thinking about life (and of course, much more over the course of the year). Life is fleeting. It is mess, and it is hard. It is also fun, exciting, blessed/a blessing, happy...well, you get the idea. Everyone has their own way have living...they have their own truth. Everyone's on a journey of some kind. No one is walking an easy path, and if they are (say, or look it), they are lying (to themselves and to you). Whether you are single, married, divorced, widowed, trying to have a baby, suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth, child loss, suffered the loss of a parent, family member for a close friend, we all are on our own journeys. No ones lives and journeys are the same. 

Ok...enough reflection....:)

Thoughts on Last Year:
I was thinking about 2018, and I have to say that it was a pretty good year. Well, let me retract that....it started out kind of rough for me, health-wise. I had some weird Menopause (?) or PCOS (?) issues, that then followed some various weird pains. Then, as quickly as it came, it left. I did see a specialist, but so far, nothing else has happened...Yay!!! As far as Anker's health, it is been pretty good....so we can't complain in that department. We are thankful that neither of us got sick when everyone else got so sick...we attribute that to God, and the flu shot!!! I don't eat super-healthy, and I didn't get sick.....so, I am super thankful. I did get sick the beginning of September, but it was only for a few days. Ok...sorry, I went on a bit of a tangent...Ha! So, back to this year...I think I can say that it was a good year, and probably even better than 2017.  The highlight was probably going to my parents' (yes, each and every time); I think we went 4 or 5 times (or I did). I also loved doing some house sitting for my friends. I loved going to my cousin's wedding on Victoria Day Wknd, and our Family picnic on the Holiday Monday. I also went to Calgary twice with my sister, and that was super fun! Of course, going to Victoria to see family was really fun!!!! And, I also decided to start reading books again this summer...and I decided to stop reading two of my trash magazines. #growth I also have started putting money away in an account that I can't easily access (for the summer, or whenever we really need it). 

Plans:
I don't know what this year brings...I don't know of any major plans, or changes in our lives. We will just keep on keeping on!!! My friends and I are thinking about going to Phoenix, where our other friend lives, but I don't think it will happen, as I have to get a passport. As far as any other plans for this year go, we really have no clue! We just take things day by day. 

Goals:
I don't do goals or resolutions. I have in the past....but I usually end up breaking them. When we were growing up, our family would have promises that we would make in the coming year. Yes, my family still does this...and when we go home, and if we are there, we participate in it. We do it on Christmas morning, after Dad reads the Christmas Story, and we have communion. When we were young, it was something like, rubbing someone else's feet, or making a sibling's bed. As we got older, it was something more "mature" (for lack of a better word), or intentional, like spending time with someone in our church or community, or spending more time with God, etc. As for me, this year... I will hopefully start to exercise at/on our school's gym equipment. It's free, and easy access, so why not? A few others at work have done it, so I figure I might as well try it! We are trying to continue to put money away (that sounds a lot fancier than it is), so we have a few bucks if and when we need it. I also want to try to read through the Bible in a year. My Bible App You Version has one (it does every year), so I am going to at least attempt to try it. And of course, working on our marriage is a good thing. I think I need to pray on how I can do that...Marriage is kind of different for everyone...our marriage is different b/c he doesn't work, he is older, and he is health issues. I think maybe that God is making me realize that *I* could/should be the change for/in our marriage, instead of me trying to "change" or "improve" him/or or "make"him change or improve our marriage. Everyone seems have a word they want to be or do each year. I don't know of a word that I should do or be...maybe intentional? Kind? Maybe a bit of both?

On a more lofty Goal, I also want to try to make some money from my blog. Like I said in a post last night, I really don't know on how to go about doing that. I actually looked to see if there is a blogging conference that I could attend, and the closest one that I could find was a digital marketing/social media one in Calgary in June....so, maybe my mom and I could go together?? :) (I just checked on it again, and the one I was talking about really doesn't fit in with what I want to d

o...bummer...) Regarding my Tupperware, I have decided to give that up, as I wasn't making any money at it, and in all honesty, I am not a salesperson. Actually, that isn't true....I think I am a salesperson, but I just don't think I have the drive in me to sell something that (let's be honest) is pretty expensive. That being said, maybe you have to be a good salesperson to "sell your blog", or to "sell yourself" for/in your blog as well....hmmm...:) Well, one can hope!! You can't blame a girl for trying, right?? Here's to a wonderful 2019!

Final Summer Post & 11th Blogiversary

Oh my goodness! You would think that with all this time off, I would have had more time to blog! I am slowly going through my blog drafts, and I HOPE to get the Christmas blog out soon!!!! I hope that it will be at least this month by the time I post about it!

These last few blog posts/events haven't really been in order, but that doesn't matter, right?

Ok, well, going through blog posts, I realized that I HAD written about the last bit of summer....:) I was going to write about the wknd that we went to the ranch, but I had already written about it...you can find that post here, so I will not bore you with that again. I think I was going to write about my friend's and I day of fun, but I just wrote about that, too. You can read about that here. So, essentially, there will not be much about summer in this post.

So, the only thing that I will blog (which has long since past) is my 11th year Blogiversary (or is Blogaversary??), and Dude, it's a thing!!! I cannot believe that I have blogging for (now over) 11  years!!! I wish I could say that I have made some money, or that I have made my blog a nicer "place" to visit, but it has just pretty much stayed the same since I started 11 years ago. I don't have a lot of followers, nor do I have a ton of "traffic", either. The most that has changed is my writing, and what I now write about. For the record, my blogiversary is Aug 24, 2007...crazy! You can read my first post here.

I am thinking of starting to try to make a bit of money from this blog, but how does one start???? I know that a person can, as I follow A LOT of blog/bloggers who do make $ off it. Anyone who has any answers (preferably Canadian bloggers, as it may differ from on how Americans can get paid/sponsored, but my American friends, please feel free to message me as well!).

One thing that I want to start up again (I might go back and "update" some recent posts), is to put "labels" on my blog posts again. I don't know if they actually help people find the post that they are looking for (FYI: I think I have WAY too many labels...lol), but they actually helped ME find the posts that I might want to find, instead of going through nearly 1,000 blog posts.

One of the things that I love about my blog is that people that I have "met" through them. Of course, there is IG, and FB, but there is something about "visiting" people through blogs (ok, so I haven't been reading a lot of others' posts lately...I will say that I have slacked off a lot in that area) that I have really enjoyed. I have a few "friends" that I have met through blogging that I have on FB, and IG. I don't think that I have met any IRL, though, so if you read my blog, or follow me on IG (or FB), and are coming through the area, and would like to meet, then shoot me a DM, and I would love to meet you! (Also, I "follow" over 200 blogs/bloggers, yes, I know I have a problem, and no, I don't read all of them every day!)

Anyway....I just wanted to blog about that :)

Also....here is a picture of this years Christmas Coffee from Starbucks! No, it has nothing to do with my post, but I just like putting in a picture in each post now.

I've Been Sitting on Some News.....

This title/post was sitting in my drafts for ages, then I deleted it...and now I decided to do a blog post about it after all.

The short story.....I became and aunty again via adoption in October 2017! My brother and his wife (parents of H) had a baby boy, who they named Judah River Maxwell. The adoption became official in September, but we didn't know that it had until around Christmas! He is the most adorable thing, and H loves being a big brother (and Judah loves his Big Brother!).

I was itching for them to share it on FB (which they did), when his adoption became final, so that I could start saying "the boys" in my blog posts, IG, etc. So, when they finally did, I was super ecstatic!!! Judah has been such a wonderful addition to our family, and is such a dear. I love being his aunt!!!

To The Ends of the Earth

Well, this post has been in my drafts with only a title for MONTHS now....and since it has been, well, months since this happened, I had figured that I had better get this out and published before too much more time passes. Also, as I am writing and publishing these posts from the last few months, the events that I am writing about aren't necessarily in order of my posting them..Ha!

So, the last weekend of August, Anker and I went to my parents' for the last few days of freedom before I went back to work. I will blog more about that later (like maybe in Feb..lol). I wanted to post more about part of the reason WHY we went....:)

If you have been a semi-long time reader of my blog, you might recall my talking about my sister, Vienna going to the Philippines, to do her Midwife course. She was there for 2.5 years, and really loved her time there. She came back March 2017 (you can read about her homecoming here), and since has spent over a year in Canada at our families ranch, working for our bro, hanging out, making pies, and figuring out life :) After A LOT of prayer, etc, she decided to go back there again (in a different area...near Manila), but not primarily to do midwifery (though she hopes to do that eventually), but to minister to a wonderful group of women and children who's lives have been devastated by poverty, abuse, and the sex-trafficking industry. She is working with Safe Refuge International, and loving it.

 She constantly blows me away at her willingness do what the Lord requires of her, go wherever He wants her to go, and to be His hands and feet, and to go to the Ends of the Earth, and to love the unlovable. I love her willingness, and her tender heart for others, and for Jesus. She actually puts me to shame (both in her walk with God, and her adventurous spirit). I am so proud that she has such a spirit of adventure, and that she has chosen this tine of her life to serve God and to serve others. You want to know where I was when I was her age? I was slumming it in Calgary, and working at/in a semi deadens job :) I know that times have changed, and kids are growing up fast (thanks to the internet and social media), but I could no more have been in the Philippines than flown the air!!!

So, on the last Sunday in August, Vienna did her "good bye" speech, and then our church body in Vavenby laid hands on her, and prayed over her. Then, a week later, Mom and I sent her on her way to new (or old) life in the Philippines. Thanks to technology, we talk in at least some form every 24 hours...I think I talk with/to her more now than when she lived two hours away! Well, probably not, but it feels like we do, which is probably a good thing. Even though we are almost 16 years apart, as we grow up, the years' gap matters less :)

Anyway, she does have a blog, and you can view it here. If you feel it in your heart to donate, you may do that on her blog as well. She is essentially a missionary, which means she isn't getting any money for what she does. Thankfully, it is pretty cheap to live (especially where she is) in the Philippines, but any amount of money helps go towards her expenses, etc. Or, if you would like to find out more on where she is (or to donate), you can go to the SR website listed here above.

The Second Annual April and Jill's Day of Fun

Happy New Year!!! My first post of 2019!! I cannot believe that it is 2019!!! I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Years!!! I will blog about our Christmas and New Year soon (probably in the summer..haha!), but I am still trying to catch up on some posts from the summer.  This post shouldn't be long, though...mostly filled with pictures :)

Last year, my friend Jill and I went on a day of fun to her parents' summer house (it is as fancy as it sounds :) ) two towns over to the East. This year, I decided to make our Summer Fun Day an annual tradition!!! Since, she loves me...she went along with it (because, who doesn't go along with me?? LOL JK...kind of!). You can read about our first summer fun day here. For this year (Aug 28), we tossed around a few ideas, and ended up coming up with going to SunPeaks Resort. I hadn't been up there in ages, so it was a win-win!!! Sun Peaks is only an hour (approx) from Kamloops, and it is a short drive, but a lifetime away!

We dragged  took her two kids, K, 14, and S, 12 with us, so it was a very interesting trip!!! We had a great day, and I took a ton of pictures! She loaded up the kids' bikes, so they were able to ride around the town, which they did. We had brunch at the Tod Mountain Cafe, and it was so good!!! We then wandered around town. There were a few places that I hadn't been before, but there were a few places  that I had been to. We toured Lone Wolf Gallery, and John Tod Trading Company, Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, Southside Board Shop, Sun Peaks Massage and Spa (to look around at the products), and a couple of other places that I don't remember. S decided to go on the bike ramp/trail thing, and he really loved that. The sun played peekaboo for some of the day, but we had fun wandering around, laughing, and talking.

After a few hours, we dropped the kids off at home, and at a friend's house, and we went on a drive around town. By now, it was getting cold, but we didn't really want to be done with the day...we went for a drive, trying to find on how to get to a trail that can be seen going up a mountain "behind" the city. We couldn't find on how to get to said trail, but we had fun trying!! It was a great day, spent with great friends!!! Now...where should we go next year???


Here are the pics from the day...if you want to see more, check out my IG page, or my FB page.

 The entry to SP :)

 The Go-Kart Ride in the background, and the bike trail-thing in the foreground.

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One of the many shops :)

If you haven't been to Sun Peaks, you really ought to go....you can go for the day, just to walk around....no skiing/snowboarding or staying over night needed!!! For dinner (if I can remember), I have eaten at Macker's (which is now another restaurant, and Bella's Italia, and to stay in, I would recommend staying in the Calhilty Lodge, or Hearthstone Lodge (I only stayed there, b/c I went to a few ladies' retreats up there, otherwise, I would have never have been able to have afforded to stay there).