Phew!

Today has been one busy day!
It's absolutely beautiful out - not too hot and a nice cool breeze, perfect to hang my laundry out!
I stripped the bed today and washed them all, I was excited to get them on the line. This, I'm sure my mother passed onto me.
She has an obsession with fresh smelling, line-dried clothing; I don't blame her! My sister too likes to do . . . oh what does she call it?....Basically freeze the house.
Vanessa will throw open all the windows and the doors in -17 degree weather to get the house smelling fresh.
I always remember her bedroom being freezing, but now she can freeze a whole house! ^.^ Alas, this action too, I am guilty of.
I guess the habit just passes down from one daughter to the next.

I even was able to throw my duvet over the clothes line - for just a few hours of sunlight and fresh air.
I'm reading the most wonderful book: "Home Comforts: The Art & Science of Keeping House" ~ Cheryl Mendelson

It reads almost like a novel if you're interested in such things like keeping house. There is a whole chapter on "Sleep" and the details on how to do such things like, turn down a bed, air a bed, make the bed, etc.
It shows you how to do mitered corners on your sheets and how to keep the blankets and pillows free of dust and other allergens.
Oddly enough this is my sister and my favourite chapter - I think its because we both like to sleep a lot. ;)

Our bathroom still isn't finished yet, it's still concrete flooring and dry-wall. I found a huge difference though when I scrubbed the bathroom. It smells nice and clean and even I can ignore the dry-wall if it looks and smells clean.

I had a lovely visit from one of the ladies I knew in Ontario, she came with her husband to Calgary and drove out to see me for a visit! It was a lovely afternoon, she spoiled me with a bouquet of beautiful lilies. The visit was over too quickly though, and soon we had to say goodbye - it was so nice seeing a familiar face again.

Last weekend Jeremie took me to Edmonton, where he and I was well as my sister-in-law and her husband went out to see the new Batman movie as well as go visit "Fort Edmonton"

I had so much fun - it's about the Ontario equivalent to "Upper Canada Village" - which has all the actors and people actually working in the trade shops and stores. However, this attraction was huge. It had a large steam train that took people around the village.

The village itself was separated into centuries from the 1800's to the early 1900's.
All the stores and buildings weren't just for display purposes, almost all of them were real stores you could purchase things from that were in line with the century they were representing.

We went inside the fort and Jeremie and Brad (my brother-in-law) taught me how to play a game that was very popular, and first played by the natives.
Basically it was like lacrosse, but instead of a stick with a net on it, it was literally, just a long stick. The ball was two leather sacks, filled with pebbles, with a thinner leather thong attaching them.
The point of the game was to fling the "ball" from your stick, and for your teammate to catch it.
I wasn't very good at it, but it was a lot of fun to play!

I just found out tomorrow is going to be another busy day! My aunt and cousin are coming up for a visit! Whew! When I prayed that I wouldn't get lonely out here - God sure delivered! I don't think I've been this busy since before the wedding!
..Oop! Time to put the casserole in. I have a hungry husband about to be home!

God Bless!

Mom's Christmas Sticky Buns ...In July

I have been making bread for a while now using my new lovely breadmaker. I decided that I would like to try making my mom's sticky buns.
She normally only makes these at Christmas, but for some reason I've been craving foods that remind me of home and family.
After a quick phone call to my sister I had the recipe.


Mom's Christmas Sticky Buns

• Frozen Buns
• 1/2 c. Butter or Margarine
• 1/2 c. Brown Sugar
• 2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/2 pkg. Butterscotch Pie Filling (NOT instant pudding)
• 1/2 jar Maraschino cherries with juice
• Pecans

Grease Bundt pan. Add cherries and pecans in bundt pan, then place frozen buns in. Cream remaining ingredients and spoon over buns. (the mixture will not be runny, but thicker and can be crumbled over) Cover with saran wrap and let rise overnight.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.
Place cookie sheet below bundt pan in oven to catch sugar - runoff.


Of course, remember to flip the bundt pan onto a tray so you can enjoy your sticky buns properly.
It's an easy recipe that everyone enjoys - I know hubs sure did!

I've made an amazing discovery this week, one of my friends from Church actually makes wonderful sculpted puppets. She loves fairies and fairyfolk and most of her puppets are of these wonderful little creatures. She lent me one of her favorite books: "The Faeries Of Spring Cottage" ~ Wendy Froud & Terry Windling
It's a lovely children's picturebook and all the illustrations are photos of the fairy puppets Wendy Froud created.

She is also accredited with the creation of Yoda from the Starwars movies!

As an artist myself, (well artist may be a strong word ;) ) We showed each other our work and it seems I've been commissioned to create an ink drawing of their dog - they offered me money for it, but I asked instead for one of her puppets as payment. She does sell them, but due to the materials involved, it can be expensive. So I found this a nice little window in which to perhaps get my own little fairy.
She was very happy to agree to that and said that she'd much prefer to trade art for art then use cash.



I am much looking forward to that, and I find myself more inspired to draw because I am looking forward to owning one of her puppets so much - - nothing like a little motivation to keep me going!

God Bless!

Settling In

It's amazing to me that only 22 days ago I was married. It's even more amazing that not even a month ago I was single, living in my parents house and living three provinces away from where I am now.
Thing have changed!
Living in the Prairies is . . . well different. I noticed of course the lack of trees, especially since I lived in a very wooded area in Ontario for many, many years.
Due to the small town I'm living, most of which is populated by Mennonites, I have not been able to find work yet - though that being said, I haven't tried that hard.
I'm enjoying falling into the routine of being a wife and keeper of the home.


The biggest challenge of keeping my home clean is my husband! As a welder when he comes home from work he is covered in black smears and instantly heads to the shower. But no matter how careful we are, these black smears always end up on the walls and doors and door jambs somehow.
They're easy to remove, but I still tend to follow his footsteps around the house once he's in the shower and wipe everything down again.

The storms here are also very different from the Ontario weather I grew up with. You can see this large dark ominous clouds rolling across the sky and you hear severe weather warnings including things like hail and chance of tornadoes.
...At this point I'm hiding in the house under the bed covers.

But through it all, I do love it here and I think I would love anywhere I am, as long as I'm with my husband.

~ Jenny